Lee Ann tagged me for this one. I was pretty sure I’d done this one before, but I couldn’t find it, so here goes. I’ve mixed text and photos this time around. This is just mostly random stuff from the past week.
The Seven Random Things About Me Meme!!
But first, the rules:
Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
Let them know they are tagged by leaving comments on their blogs.
I’m not tagging anybody for this. You’re all on your own. If you do decide to do this, let me know, I’d love to stop by for a visit to see your randomness.
1. I love spring and all the spring produce at the farmers’ market. Every spring I find some new vegetable that I’ve never heard of.
2. This spring it was flowering kale.
I clean it, saute some green garlic (or regular garlic), add the kale, stir for a moment, then add a bit of chicken stock, cover, and steam for a few minutes. When it’s time to eat, I put a splash of balsamic vinegar in it, with salt and pepper. I cook most of our greens this way, though sometimes I use raspberry vinegar for excitement.
3. I love halibut. I would have a very difficult time living anywhere but where I do, as we can get good quality fresh fish routinely. One of the vendors at the farmers’ market sells fresh fish, and while it’s not cheap, it’s a regular menu item around here.
This was the rest of the meal that went with the kale. There’s grilled halibut with a splash of homemade pesto, and risotto cakes. We make those with leftover risotto. You just form it into cakes and saute in olive oil until they are crispy on the outside and heated through.
4. We sometimes eat in front of the television, but mostly eat dinner together at the table, with the good dishes and candlelight. It’s a nice little ritual at the end of the day.
Here’s that risotto in its first life:
John made it with chopped sorrel, and it was served with fresh scallops, sauteed chard, and asparagus, all from the farmers’ market.
5. Another random fact:
We love a good bottle of wine around here. That is Yorkville Cellars Semillion, one of our favorite summer white wines.
6. I have some wacky stuff in my house. Here’s one of them:
Salt chickens! We love using good sea salt at the table, but the flakes don’t work in a shaker, and I just think this is more pleasing than a salt grinder.
7. Last but not least, my pencil collection. Yes, I’m a pencil geek. I even belong to a pencil-of-the-month club. Don’t laugh, I’m not making this up. Here it is. And here’s mine.
Oh wait, that’s not quite all of it. I don’t collect anything halfway. In my defense, I do actually use my pencils, though it looks as though the life expectancy of my pencil stash rivals mine. You might note that I collect erasers and sharpeners, too.
By the way, I’m not the only pencil loon out there. Here’s a blog that’s in my blog lineup as a daily read. And I actually got a proposal of marriage last week from another geek who is coveting my pencils. I think she just wants me for my office supplies, though.
Next time, perhaps a finished project!
Your pencils, and your wine, and your good dinners! Oh, and those chickens are adorable. I’m going to keep my eyes peeled during my summer junk sale fest.
Love your salt idea. I use a grinder personally. I don’t think I could live without freshly ground pepper. I come from a family that barely ate fish while I was growing up, so I’m trying to learn some good/easy recipes. Feel free to share! 🙂
I love pencils and stationary too. I am actually looking for some pencils with horses on them. Can’t seem to find them anywhere. I like to include them in packages when I mail things, being that I call myself ponyknit 😉
Enjoying the finer things in life — it’s one of our privileges. 🙂
I’ve never had flowering kale. Looks interesting — HAS to be uber-nutritious!
Everything looks delicious. I hate to tell you, though, that I really don’t like pencils. I’m a pen-girl–preferably a fountain pen. I have lousy handwriting, but feel like using an erasable pencil is pandering to it. With a pen, I have to just suck it up and accept that my handwriting is bad, with no excuses. Besides, pencil points break or get dull, and I hate writing with a dull pencil–which is why, if I HAVE to use a pencil, it’s a mechanical one that’s always sharp!
Bwaaaahahahahahahhahahahahhahahaha!!! <-- re: #7. And I'm not laughing in a mean way...I just love the facts that 1. You have a pencil collection and love office supplies and 2. You are woman enough to stand up and be counted. You *go,* Girl!!!
I am so showing up at your house for dinner one day!
I’ve never disclosed that I love Col-erase pencils, but I do. On one of my early editing staff jobs, we got them in green, blue, red, and brown, and after that I couldn’t use anything else. I think I now have them in about 15 colors, but my favorites are the various oranges and purples. At one point I mixed my own brown ink, but I don’t write with a fountain pen anymore.
Those fish dinners look wonderful, and luckily I get a good selection too. And luckily I just ate dinner or I’d be off to get a snack.
A pencil geek! I knew there was something a little wacky about you. Actually, I can kind of identify. When I was little, whenever we got our allowance, I would head straight for the office supplies. I loved the Red Chief tablets. Having been on the receiving end of those great dinners, I can attest to their excellence.
I think that is the best meme I have ever seen!
And I swear you all were in a restaurant! ;oD
Just when I think I’ve heard of everything, along comes a Pencil of the Month club. Hee hee. My daughter would like that.
I’m about to laugh out loud from the funny cute geekiness of a Pencil Collection, much less a Pencil of the Month Club! GAH! hehehehe (so far just laughing in my mind and chuckling out loud)
The food. I would love to be your DOG! But wait – do you toss him stuff? Does he lick your plates? Are there Ever any Leftovers?? I completely want to come to a fiber festival at your house and eat at your food booth. heh
Yummy dinners! That is a nice ritual!
Lorette – You made me smile. The food looks fantastic and oh-so-healthy. The pencil collection is the cutest confession I’ve ever heard. I think it’s an adorable thing to collect. If we can collect yarn, why not pencils?
OK, I have to come out of lurkerdom with this-
I’m glad to see I’m not wierd loving pencils. I never knew there was a club for it. I’ve already signed up. 🙂
Pencils and post-it notes. Oh, and yarn. My life is complete.
🙂
Phyllis
Who knew there were salt chickens? The world is a wondrous place!
ok, I maaybe have had a wee chuckle at the idea of a ‘Pencil of the Month” club, but then again, I do have a love of new sharpened pencils, so I’m not allowed to laugh TOO hard 😉
Also? I think it’s FABULOUS that you guys eat at the table by cadlelight. The bf and I are always saying that little ways of connecting with each other like that are likely the key to keeping it going for a lifetime. Another good one? Naked Sleeping!
I love the little salt chickens!
I could get into pencil of the month… though with kids around, I’d just like to be able to find a pencil when I need one. Or a pen for that matter. I don’t think one a month would be enough.
I am a notorious pencil user at work. Forget pens. I thought it had to do with a writing commitment phobia 😉
Hey, have you seen this site: http://www.giantmicrobes.com ? Hysterical. My daughter the nurse got a giggle over them.
Oh my…my secret feeling must be shared! I NEVER KNEW! Do you even KNOW how many pencils I’ve collected this year alone?? How EXCITED I get to see that lone perfect pencil left on the bus floor after all the kids have piled out? How lonely it feels…how uncared for it feels? Have you know -I RESCUE THEM!!!!!…and I go to your blog and read there is such a club and other sites??????? You are no good for me!
(glad we have some history here or you would probably delete and block me! hehe!) …but really! There is nothing like a -pencil-
oh, yum, the food looks good! e
Are your salt chickens antiques or marked by the maker? They look like the ones made years ago by the Degenhart Glass Company here in my hometown.
Why wasn’t there a pencil of the month club when I was a teenager? I would have hocked my soul for something so totally cool back then.