No Place Like Home!

 As much as I like to dine out, a great home-cooked meal trumps everything else. My kids seem to agree because I've never heard them say "oh can't we just go out to eat?" when they see me in the kitchen cooking.  I am really lucky that they have never been picky and are always open to trying new things.  Today I tried dandelion greens for the first time.  It seems a little wrong that I just paid someone to get rid of the dandelions in my yard, only to go to Whole Foods and cough up $2.99 a pound for them.  

I knew they were bitter, so rather than using my "pinch of this" method, I consulted Epicurious for a recipe.  It was pretty normal greens preparation, but they suggested boiling them for ten minutes before sauteeing.  Sea salt, a pinch of red pepper flakes and a little onion sauteed in olive oil before adding the greens:

As with all greens, they cooked down to barely anything.  I didn't buy a lot since I wasn't sure about how they'd taste.  It turned out to be just enough for all three of us to decide that this was not a dish I should try again.  I love greens--collards, kale, mustards, turnips--but dandelion greens were not my faves.  I was curious, so I got that out of my system.  Nope.  Not awful, but not on the short list for a repeat performance.

Now this!  This is a winner in my book.  I've been making a lot of iced tea this spring/summer.  A few weeks ago I bought lavender/honey tea bags and made iced tea.  Thumbs up all the way.  Sixteen tea bags gone within a week--we couldn't get enough of it.  The following week I couldn't find the same brand, so I went with a lavender tea and figured it couldn't be that different.  Nope again.  It was okay, mixed with my favorite bottled green tea, but no more lavender tea for us until I remember where I bought the first box.  While shopping the other day I found this.  Sounded good to me since I love ginger, and turmeric is really good for you. I didn't even realize I was buying iced tea bags, but was pleasantly surprised to find three gigantic bags inside.  Add this to the list of summer teas that we'll be drinking.  Delish!

I found a use for this vintage thermal carafe that I bought a few weeks ago.
I knew I needed it!  I was able to add the tea while it was hot, add some
ice cubes and put it right into the fridge.  And it's pretty...

 We love salmon in this house and eat it frequently.  I always play around with the seasonings, but it 's always good.  I used a lot of parsley, a little bit of honey, a squeeze of fresh lemon and I even poured in some of the tea.  My son ate it again today for lunch.  Tastes as good as it looks!

I found this window screen in my mom's basement and it gave me an idea for these eight-inch letters that I bought last week with no real purpose in mind.  In honor of my favorite place.  Now, what color should I paint it??

There really is no place like it.

I'm totally enjoying my little house, my big yard and my fantastic children.  So happy together!