This week in my {messy} kitchen

               

tidy spice drawer :: tidy beside-the-stove cupboard :: yardsale finds ::fresh pears :: 

pear salad with goat cheese and roasted sunflower seeds

This week in my kitchen was about leaving it cleaner than it started. It has been months since I've sorted and taken inventory of what's in the pantry. I just keep buying groceries without really knowing what I have. Two sea salt grinders? Three peppercorn grinders? About 12 lbs of pasta!?!

We've also had some good luck yardsale-ing these past few weekends and now I have a few more things to fit into my kitchen cabinets. My vintage glass snack set obsession has gotten me up to 40 matched sets of plates and glasses. What a party that would be! So far as I can tell, antique stores sell them for about $8+ a set and my most recent purchase cost me 80 cents per set!

We must have eaten something this week, though I'm not exactly sure what. I am excited that good fresh pears are in season. They were my very favorite fruit as a child and mom wouldn't often buy them. Perhaps because the second they are ripe, they are prone to bruising badly.

I also tried a "Holy Yum Chicken" recipe from Pinterest. I found the sauce a bit mustard-y and strong, but the chicken was moist and delicious. If you try it, I recommend using half and half mustard to maple syrup instead of 2:1 mustard and syrup.

Join me and some other fine bloggers at Beauty that Moves

in my kitchen this week...

With lacrosse season over we're eating much better these days. Can you tell?! 

garden harvest of lettuce :: saved that tomato for such a time as this :: BLTs on everything bagels = heaven (I love anything on an everything bagel) :: steak salad, these have become quite regular around here lately :: Julian always says, "If you haven't had applesauce on cornbread, you haven't eaten!" :: making the BBQ rub :: pulled pork with two sauces, I like mustard, he likes honey :: tis the season for macaroni salad :: at long last, I've decided I like green tea :: we've grilled out every dinner this week :: tis the season for fresh berries :: banana cream cake to use up some old bananas :: the only cake mix I had/use is GF so that's how that went and it was delicious and perfect in every way

Joining Heather. 

[Pinspiration} Arnold Palmers by the Pitcher

I swiped this picture from the lovely Your Southern Peach blog,  a "women’s lifestyle blog focused on food, style, motherhood, entertaining, gardening and life’s simple pleasures." It first appealed to me on Pinterest as I was looking through the zillions of refreshing drinks that are pinned this time of year. In fact, I've recently pinned a few of my own, mostly from Oven Love. 

I love lemonade and I super love semi-sweet strong tea, the kind that almost needs the ice to water it down. Generally I make neither unless we have quests coming over because the two of us certainly do NOT need to chug caffeine- and/or acid-laced sugar water (who does?). But there is always a balance to find between what we want and what we need. Last week I asked Julian - tea or lemonade? He said, "both."

Thus, my recipe for Arnold Palmers by the Pitcher was born. Because we had no plans for company, I took the half and half concept of the drink and hit rewind all the way back to the beginning, thus ending up with 2 qts of ice-ready Arnold Palmer-ness. 

Arnold Palmer by the Pitcher

4 regular sized black tea bags, though for the best flavor you can sub one plain w/ one "Lady Grey" tea bag

1 cup of sugar

1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 lemon, sliced thinly for garnish

Boil 4 cups filtered tap water and pour over tea bags. Let steep and cool for 5 minutes, drain and discard tea bags. Pour this strong tea over the sugar in your mixing vessel of choice. Then add the tea mixture, lemon juice and cool water to 2qt pitcher until filled. Serve over ice with lemon garnish.