musings on a saturday

I woke up early this morning, before the boy and enjoyed a quiet moment with a favorite book. And when the boy came in he cuddled up beside me, snuggling into my "fuzzy" as he calls it (chenielle dressing gown). We got to snuggle for a few quiet minutes in what my guys call a mummy sandwich (Daddy on one side and boy on the other). I got to marvel at how big he's getting and smell his hair (wierd mummy stuff) before I heard "mummy, when are you getting up"? So my quiet time was over.

But - it was sunny today. And warm. Like summer. Which is nice seeing as it's July.

I enjoyed the sunshine in the garden- looked at what's growing. I started to harvest some of my lavender flowers but the bees were out in force

so I left them to it after I picked enough for one bunch. I picked zucchini and radishes.

And found evidence of the phantom zucchini chewer.

And some ripening tomatoes.

The boy and I had a snack and a drink outside in the sun. And then I got to watch the boy try and master his new-to-him supersoaker water gun. And build his road - which after the supersoaker action caused an avalanche which I had to go inspect along with the worm that the backhoe bucket dug up.

And supper was zucchini fritters, braised radishes, roasted new potato wedges along with a baby kale and arugula salad.

I've got apricots preparing to be put into a galette tomorrow and a cake baking in the oven (this one with raspberries) so the house smells all jammy.

Once again the news reminds me of how lucky we are. My thoughts are with the people of Norway, especially those who've lost a loved one in the horrific acts of violence yesterday.

market inspired Sunday supper

Last Sunday, I pulled chicken out of the freezer for dinner. I was going to make Luisa's mustard chicken but I usually do it with chicken thighs and I'd pulled out a pack of chicken breasts. And in my prize basket, I found a small jar of Mexican spice rub and a jar of mango salsa so I thought I would make chicken tacos. I cut the chicken into strips, seasoned with salt, pepper and the spice rub. Then I marinated it for 45 minutes in plain yogurt and lime zest. To finish, I sauted it until cooked.

The tacos were made by adding grated sharp cheddar, chicken, mango salsa, spicy arugula (from the market) and a bit of sour cream to small flour tortillas. These were yummy served with roasted new nugget potatoes and braised radishes.

I bought a couple of bunches of radishes at the market, half remembering this recipe. It was so easy to make and deliciously different. This one is a keeper.

For dessert, I served strawberry mini pavlovas with local strawberries.