Quick, easy — pico de gallo

Tomato season is finally here which means plenty of fixin's for the beak of the rooster! Huh? What? Pico de gallo, of course! Fresh, hand-cut salsa — the perfect treat, with some nice fresh tortilla chips, at the end of a long, steamy day.

Pico de Gallo
Makes about 2 1/2 cups.
1/2 medium white onion, finely chopped
4-6 ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
1 or 2 jalapeño or serrano peppers, finely chopped
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1-2 tablespoon lime juice
Salt to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a nonreactive bowl and chill for about an hour or so.

For milder heat, remove the jalapeno seeds before adding. I like to rub a little bit of oil on my hands before chopping the peppers. This keeps the oils of the pepper from penetrating your skin very much. Some people choose to seed the tomatoes, too, but I don't mind this salsa being a little looser and juicier. Others like to add a bit of garlic. You could also add some cucumber, radish or mango. Serve with chips, fajitas, tacos … you name it! Summer's finest.

Wednesday Lunches at Pot and Box

Hello! Have you heard about the Wednesday Lunches at Pot and Box in Ann Arbor? No? Well, let me tell you: It is a ten-week series that each week features a lunch menu built around one spice. Gauri Thergaonkar is the cooking mastermind behind it all and Lisa is the host and owner of Pot and Box, a lovely little flower shop at 220 Felch Street.

Each week, the menu is posted online on Sunday and you may make a reservation for vegetarian, or non-veg. Only 30 lunches are served and the first two weeks were both sold out by Sunday afternoon, so you've got to be quick to make your reservations! The first week's spice was the long pepper and was sold out before I could wrangle that reservation. But I made it to week (thanks to my boss, Kim!) and was stunned by the cumin-based meal. This food is outstanding -- fresh, well-balanced, perfectly spiced!

As we entered the shop, we were greeted by the smiling Guari and a little display of the featured spice. She also provides a fun fact sheet with all sorts of info about the spice. Did you know, for example, that cumin is part of the parsley family? Or that it is useful for keeping lovers, chickens and soldiers going to battle from straying? We also learned that Theophrastus in the Study of Plants said that "when people are sowing it, they must curse and slander if they want it to be healthy and prolific."

The menu included cumin-cured pork loin or lentil fritters, corn relish, peach chutney and a tortilla. Using only the featured spice and salt, Guari made each of these dishes distinct and delicious! And it was all topped off by a cumin butter cookie that melts in your mouth.

We are going into week 3 and this week will be all about cardamom -- one of my favorites! Oh! And I just looked and week 4 is already sold out!! Go send your emails now and get a spot for this limited series of lunches. You will not be disappointed!

Michigan Root Jamboree in Ypsi

I'm off to the 2010 Michigan Roots Jamboree today — a two-days outdoor music and art festival in Riverside Park in Ypsilanti with urban camping, local beers and a HUGE lineup of music. Come on down and check it out — it looks like the weather is going to be gorgeous! Admission is $20 per day, kids under 12 free. More info here. Have a great weekend!

Maker Faire Detroit 2010

As promised — finally some photos from last weekends Motor City Maker Faire at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn. Start looking for details for next year's Faire because it is really a sight to see! You can also check out the Detroit Maker Faire Flickr pool, join the Detroit Maker Faire Facebook page, and a nice roundup at Boing, boing.

The sign pretty much says it all!

Life-sized mouse trap board game. You can support this fantastic attraction (as well as a whole slew of crafty projects) over at Kickstarter.

And last but not least… Chris of Detroit GT shows off his wares from a revamped bread truck!!

Hot glass and cold beer — oh my!

Glassblowing and beer tasting — together at last! Have you heard about this event on Thursday night in Dearborn?! Wow! Five Michigan breweries paired up with hand-crafted glass tumblers and live glassblowing. How hot and cool is that?! $45 gets you a hand-blown tumbler and two drinks, plus tasty local treats provided by Edible WOW. Unfortunately, you have to purchase tickets in advance, so plan ahead! It's from 4 to 10 p.m. at the Glass Academy and tickets can be purchased here. The breweries participating are: Arbor Brewing Co., Motor City Brewing Works, Kuhnhenn Brewing Co., Corner Brewery and Rochester Mills Beer Co. I totally want one of those swirly glasses with the amber lager-y looking beer in it!

Balcony garden update 08.02.10

This weekend's Maker Faire at the Henry Ford was phenomenal. I'll have a few pictures and highlights for you tomorrow, but today a little balcony garden update…

First off the annuals… we put in a lot more flowers this year than last. We ended up not planting corn this year and doing a lot more herbs in individual pots rather in the long window box style planters hanging on the balcony rail. This left plenty of extra room that has been filled with flowers. I also planted the box that grew spinach in the early season with nasturtium seeds and in no time they were full and blooming. I'm so glad we went this root as it's brought so many more butterflies and bees — happy friends to have in the garden and beautiful to watch.

A happy new addition this year is tomatoes. We have two huge plants that are loaded down with ripening tomatoes. The first ones started to rot on the bottoms and thanks to the interwebs, I quickly diagnosed that they had the common blossom-end rot. This is usually caused by inconsistent watering causing the fruit to be unable to draw enough calcium in. I smashed up a few of my own calcium vitamin tablets by placing them in a ziploc bag and crushing them with a rolling pin. I then sprinkled this over the soil and gave the plants a thorough watering. I changed up my routine to give the tomatoes less frequent but longer waterings and these steps seemed to have worked. The rot has stopped and the newer fruits show no signs of it.

We've had a steady stream of tasty petite carrots since mid-July with still more to harvest. And to date we've made three huge batches of pesto. It's best to use smaller basil leaves as they tend to get bitter the larger they grow and it's been difficult to keep up with — a welcome challenge!

The lettuce held out for quite some time despite the heat. But I've now let it start going to seed and hope to harvest them for next year's crop. The heat was just too much for the cilantro and dill, too, and they have now gone to seed. The jalapenos have been very slow-going and this is our first and only pepper so far.

It shouldn't be long before I have beautiful sunflower photos to show you. I have to say that at this point in the summer, I don't want to do much more in the garden than harvest tasty veggies and cut flowers for vases, but I have been thinking about a couple of cold crops we could start to sew soon. Stay tuned!

It's my birthday and I'll … swim if I want to!

Hooked on you! (New flat card available in the shop here.) That's right, readers. I'm hooked on you. But… today's my birthday! I thought maybe I would work on a life list today, or maybe finally bake a "real" cake, or do some serious drawing… but no, alas. The lake calls and I'm listening. So I'm off to enjoy some sunshine and cool waters. Maybe I'll contemplate a life list and think about cakes to bake … but then again, maybe I won't!!! Have a fantastic weekend and if you're in the area, come on down and visit at the Maker Faire at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn.

2010 North Fork Foodie Tour

Well, thankfully the corn design got nixed for this poster, so here is the 2010 North Fork Foodie Tour poster I designed. Much more fun and appropriate, I think! The tour is in September and if you can find a way to be in this area for it, I highly recommend it. Great food, gorgeous scenery… oysters, lavender, goat cheese, amazing chefs, farm tours … what more could you ask for?! More info at here.

The easiest new potatoes

This is so basic that it's more of an idea than a true recipe. With my busy summer craft show schedule I haven't had time to try — or post about — many new recipes and I feel like I owe you — and me for that matter. I made these potatoes with a roast chicken last night because again, they're just so easy. As soon as I tasted them, I knew that I wanted to tell you about it. It's such a tasty yet different take on potatoes. So, here goes…

Puree some pitted black olives and toss your roasted potatoes in the puree. Yes, that's it. Food & Wine calls them Dirty Potatoes — cute, right? The recipe is part of an article about a dreamy picnic meal at sea with a celebrated chef in Istanbul. All of the dishes sound terrific, but for now, here's the potatoes:

Dirty Potatoes
2 pounds small new potatoes, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, large ones halved
2 Tb extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives

Preheat oven to 400°. Spread the potatoes on a large rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with the oil and toss to coat. Bake for about 45 minutes, until crisp and tender.

Meanwhile, in a mini food processor, puree the olives. Scrape the puree over the potatoes and toss well; transfer to a bowl and serve hot or at room temperature.

Vintage matchbooks

Inspired by this fabulous project by illustrator extraordinaire, Lisa Congdon, my vintage matchbook collection for your Monday pleasure.

Crafty find from the Baar Bazaar

I picked up these sweet little embroidered beauties at last weekend's Baar Bazaar. They're the handiwork of JLoo to You and this girl has some serious handmade attitude. Look how she finished the backs — I love that she has taken care of every detail. Check out her shop and blog for more…

Mitten Made @ Blue House Preview

It's hip. It's handmade. It's crafty goodness. Are you excited yet? I know I am. It's just two more days until MittenMade, the two-day craft extravaganza we've got planned for you at Blue House Ann Arbor. And I knew some crafty folks who are scurrying around like crazy to put the finishing touches on their goods to show off to you. It's this Friday and Saturday, July 23 and 24 and runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. I hemmed and hawed over what to show off because there are so many great people coming to show off their wares, but I decided to share a little peek of a few vendors who were less familiar to me until recently or that I've only seen online. I can't wait to see them in person! Here we go:

Always the Forest

Almapottery

Little Sister Designs

365

Courtney Fischer Jewelry

All Things Grow

For a full list of vendors, check out the Facebook page for the event. There will also be treats on hand from Sweetwaters, Domino's and Decadent Delights.

But wait… there's more…

The first 50 shoppers each day will receive a sweet bag of swag from our most awesomest local business sponsors and many of the vendors. So come early, stay late! Get your art fair fix without braving the crowds on Main Street! We want to see your smiling faces!

Recycled magazine note cards

I am a self-admitted magazine junkie. I have stacks of glossies tucked away all over our humble little apartment dwelling (what if I need that article later?!) Don't get me wrong, I'm no crazy hoarder — you'd have to dig a little to find my well-disguised stacks. But I'm just reluctant to give up shiny, pretty papers. When I first opened my Etsy shop, I stumbled on a huge selection of old Martha Stewarts being given away at the library — score! Inspired by this Storque post on Etsy, I have found the perfect outlet for all my collected and saved glossies. I downloaded an envelope template and now make my own little envelopes cut from magazine pages. I try to use pages that are interesting on both sides. I use them for thank you's with a sweet little flat card dressed up with a corresponding bit of paper. Fun, yes?

Lazy days of summer

I've been having a day of total inertia. I keep flitting about from one project to another, not accomplishing a thing. I've had two days like that this week and a small part of me is starting to learn to just go with it. Part of making my own schedule is being able to recognize when I need to just step away and take a break. But only a small part of me. I took an hour or two to luxuriate on the couch and finish a flashy novel I've been in the thick of. But maybe I should have just hopped in the car and gone to the lake. Instead, I went back to plodding along, thinking I would get somewhere. Nope. Hasn't happened. Oh well… In the meantime, here is a lovely butterfly I saw a few days ago. I don't remember ever noticing such detail in a butterfly before. It was very patient with me let me snap a few photos before flitting on to its next task.

In progress: Drawing

There are times when I need to step back from the computer and do some hands-on design work. My illustrations are all hand-drawn, but more often than not I add color in Photoshop. I've been working on getting my hand back into more of the process in both my illustrations and design work. Here is a little glimpse of the beginnings of a poster design I'm working on… it feels great to get a little messy and stretch my arms! It also means I'm less certain of what the end result will be and I like that aspect. What do you do to change up your routine?

Herbed Potato Salad

I've been wanting to make a non-traditional potato salad since summer kicked it into high gear. Something without all that ooey-gooey mayonnaiseyness. Don't get me wrong, I love the mayo, but recently I've been craving something different. This recipe fits the bill with tons of salty goodness from anchovies and a great tang from the vinegar. Don't be afraid of the anchovies, they just add a really nice saltiness without being overpowering.

Herbed Potato Salad
Adapted from Bon Appetit

1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes
4 scallions, sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
1 2-ounce can flat anchovy fillets, drained, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Place potatoes in a large pot. Add enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook until just tender, about 20-25 minutes. Drain. Cool until just warm, then cut in half, or quarters if larger potatoes. Set aside in a large bowl.

Combine remaining ingredients. Pour 3/4 of dressing over potatoes and toss well to coat. Add more dressing if needed. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until well chilled.

Baar Bazaar… AAAAAR!

This Saturday night, July 10th, the Baar Bazaar descends on the Majestic Theater from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Live music from Eleanora and Mod Orange, more than 30 genius crafty vendors, free admission, drinks… sounds like a perfect summer Saturday night, right?! Come on out… I'll be there, will you?

Cleveland Rocks, fo shizzle

Last Saturday I spent a long, sunny, happy day at the Bazaar Bizarre in Cleveland. My poor helper — the boy — got sick at the last minute, so I was on my own. Honestly, I think it was for the best — it kept me from wandering too far and shopping too much. That said, in just the booths right around me, I could have done some serious damage to the old wallet. There were so much crafty goodness, I had to bring something home for the sick boy.

The first item is the Hussy. What can I say? I acted like a total stalker fan all day peering across the aisle, keepin' my eye on that hussy in the Purple Hippo Stitches tent. Then I made her mine. I marched right across and said, "I've come for the hussy." I had to fight back the urge to pick up ten more of these sassy cross stitches as gifts. I'm a fan and I'll definitely be back to the Purple Hippo Etsy shop often!

And then…

On the complete opposite of the silly spectrum, I came home with this gorgeous piece by David DiZinno of Americana Dentata Works. Dave has a huge selection of beautiful wood mosaic sculptures that I think are just so beautiful and unique. Unfortunately he doesn't have a web site, but I'm hoping he'll come for a show in Ann Arbor some time soon!

Big Bang Big Boom BLU

I was going to give you a little look-see at what I bought this past Saturday at Cleveland's Bazaar Bizarre, but I saw this animated video this morning and had to share. It's on the long side, but so worth it. Truly magical. I'm in awe! It comes from BLU. I'll be back tomorrow with that look-see.

BIG BANG BIG BOOM - the new wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

Summer berry muffins in red, white & blue

I picked up some beautifully ripe and tender raspberries at the Westside Farmers Market last Thursday. I nibbled quite a few of them straight from the box — fresh raspberries need nothing to dress them up. But I couldn't resist throwing some into my favorite muffin recipe, along with some blueberries I had in the freezer. So I ended up with some very patriotic red, white and blue muffins for the July 4th weekend. Yay!

I was also really happy to find out that Michigan's only shrimp farmer — Russ Allen from the Shrimp Farm Market in Okemos — is now selling at the Westside Market. (You can read more about this farm in an article I wrote for Edible WOW last spring here.) I splurged on some of his shrimp salad — it cannot be beat. Next time I think I will have to try the ceviche. The freshest most local shrimp you'll find in these parts!

Now, back to those muffins…


Browned Butter Summer Berry Muffins

Adapted from Joy the Baker

Makes 12 muffins.

7 Tb unsalted butter
1/3 cup milk
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 cups fresh berries: blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, or any combo

Topping:
3 Tb cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 Tb sugar

Put a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 375º F. Line muffin pan with paper liners.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. After it melts, continue cooking. It will make a distinct crackling sound as it cooks. Keep a close eye — and ear — on it this point as it turns very quickly. The crackling will subside and the butter will begin to brown fairly quickly after that. Keep cooking until the butter has a nice brown color and little brown bits appear in the bottom of the pan. I like to use a pan with a white inside so I can really see the color of the butter as it cooks. Remove from heat.

Whisk together milk, egg, yolk and vanilla until combined. Add the brown butter and stir to combine.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl Add milk and butter mixture all at once and stir gently to combine. Gently but thoroughly fold in the berries.

Divide the batter among muffin cups and spread evenly. I use an old, large gravy ladle that my mom always used — it works like a charm for muffins.

For the topping, combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and gently rub together with your fingertips until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over the batter.

Bake until golden and crisp and a wooden pick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack for 15 minutes then remove from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.