Some Weekend Eats

I've always wished we had an actual grill that we could use in our hypothetical backyard during cool summer nights, but we do have a little stovetop grill, and I find it helps if I turn on some fun music and pretend I'm not in the kitchen. Kabobs are an easy favorite that never get old. I chop up a bunch of different grillable vegetables, along with some meat or fish, and line everything up on skewers for an always satisfying dinner.  Last weekend we made kabobs using scallops, zucchini, ginger and sliced oranges. I loosely followed this recipe.  

On especially hot nights, I like my drinks to be so cold the glass hurts my hand. I experimented over the weekend with a classic mojito mixed with homeade grenadine and lots of ice. It was incredibly refreshing and not too sweet. The grenadine recipe I followed is here. I bought Trader Joe's 100% pomegranate juice and used a sugar to juice ratio of 1.5 cups to 2. I have enough grenadine to last me the next few weeks, and a tablespoon here and there will make a standard margarita, whiskey and club soda or mojito go far.

Ice cream is a definite must in the summer.  Until last Christmas when my mother-in-law gifted us our fabulous ice cream maker attachment, I was a Ben and Jerry's girl. There are times when lack of planning necessitates a quick trip to the store for a pint of ice cream, but there is something to be said for knowing exactly the ingredients you are adding and being able to control the amount of sugar in every batch. I find that the ice cream my kitchenaid yields is often lighter and more "frozen-yogurty" than the Ben and Jerry pints I buy. This is great during bathing suit season. 

I made a peach variety on Sunday and didn't follow any 1 particular recipe, but instead added the amount of each ingredient I thought would be healthiest.  The end result for my batter was 1 pint of chopped peaches macerated in 3/4 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of lemon juice and a tablespoon of both vanilla and cinnamon. I then pureed half of the peach mixture and left half roughly chopped to create texture. The pureed portion was mixed in a larger bowl with 2 cups of milk and 1 cup of heavy cream. Both mixtures chilled for about 4 hours in the refrigerator, and then after mixing in my kitchenaid for 10 minutes, I had wonderful peach ice cream.  

Rafting on the Delaware!

Our friends out in Bethlehem invited us to go rafting on Saturday, and since it was so hot all week we took them up on it. The weather was absolutely beautiful and we had an awesome day hanging out while the water carried us down the river. It was easy to get separated by the current, so for most of the trip we remained attached in a line of 5. I joked that it would be a terrible first date because we had really long strips of time where the water barely moved and you were forced to stick it out side by side. Luckily we had a hilarious group of friends to keep us entertained.  I was also a little worried there would be creatures threatening me from under the raft after my scary experience last weekend, but when the first 15 minutes passed without any attacks, I began to relax. The entire trip took a little under 4 hours and we all decided it would be fun to bring food next time and do the 6-8 hour trip!

Wissahickon

When the weather gets hot in Philly, our go-to spot is Forbidden Drive in Wissahickon Park. The temperature is always 10 degrees cooler, and the water and trees makes me forget about the asphalt and indoor air conditioning in Center City. I really appreciate how Philadelphia has just enough city to be extremely urban, but the suburbs aren't far enough to make one feel trapped. We love living on the outskirts of the city, and having the ability to escape from the heat within 10 minutes and be completely surrounded by nature.

The trip was cut a tad short when I spotted a snake (eek!) streaking through the water.  I was in the water at the time and jumped out onto a rock and then onto Chase's back, where he piggybacked me to safety.  I am TERRIFIED of snakes.

Eating From the Couch

My guilty confession is that most meals on weeknights are spent on the couch in front of the TV. By the time I get home from the gym after work and drag myself into the kitchen to make dinner, I'm too tired to sit upright in a chair to eat it. If Chase is home in time for dinner, he is DEFINITELY not able to eat it at a table. It seems pathetic to think a regular chair is not sufficient for our tired bodies, but why fight it? Instead, I recruited some trays from my sister and recently gave them new life.  

My mom originally ordered the vintage trays on Ebay. The pattern was a little busy for my taste, so I bought a can of spray paint and Chase gave them a white base.

After letting them dry for a day, I painted two different patterns freehand using some old paint I had in my storage closet. My advice would be to print up a pattern in Illustrator (or some other design program) onto card stock and use spray paint to create color. My paint was too watery and made it very difficult to keep my image from looking messy.

The end result is much better and they bring some cheerfulness to our couch potato dinners!

Staying Close to Home

I wanted to share some photos from the weekend, even though there wasn't a whole lot going on. It was nice to be able to relax without tons of plans and running from one place to the next. We thought about going to the beach, but I'm glad we decided to recover from the week and stay local--especially with Chase leaving me this month for a trauma surgery rotation (ugh).

On Saturday I went to a photography workshop at Philadelphia Photo Arts Center. I was skeptical about what I would learn in 3 hours, but I was so encouraged when I got home I signed up for a semester long class this the Fall. Three things I mastered in the class:  capturing motion, effective bracketing (finally learned how to read my histogram!) and shooting a panorama. The best thing about the class was that the teacher showed us the correct and incorrect way to capture images, and now I have shots I can refer to.

Salmon and Margaritas

Brunch at the train station

Lazy Sundays

and because I haven't posted any picture of the cats lately...

A Selection of Skirts

When I lived in San Diego, shorts were a daily occurrence. I wore them on errands, I wore them to the beach, and I even wore them to class. I also had the habit of pairing my shorts with tiny tank tops, which now makes me cringe at the thought. Things were different in college.  I was tan, in my early twenties, and really relaxed. It's been 3 years since I moved away from California, and I have finally embraced my paleness and no longer strut around town in short shorts. From time to time I will wear flowy silk shorts, but lately in the hottest weather I default to skirts. It's so easy to pair a skirt with a simple cotton top, and beyond easy, it's cool and airy. Below are some simple skirts to think about for the summer. If you want something closer to shorts, numbers 3 and 4 are shorter in length, but more refined for work or a nice restaurant. The Clementine Skirt is my favorite and I will probably be ordering it soon.  Sure beats walking around Philly with my long pale stems in Daisy Dukes!

1. Trouve Color Block Skirt 

2. Zara Accordion Skirt

3. Rachel Roy Isabeli Skirt

4. BB Dakota Skirt

5. ModCloth Clementine Skirt

Opus Jazz Ballet

Chase and I went to the ballet on Saturday (a surprise!) and it was the most unique ballet experience I've ever been to.

Me, excited to be at the Ballet...

Chasen feigning excitement.

We have seen 3 different Pennsylvania Ballet performances since moving to Philadelphia, but they were all  Classical Ballets (Swan Lake, Nutcracker, Peter Pan). Opus Jazz has 3 distinct acts: classical ballet, modern dance, and the final act was a mix of ballet, jazz and ballroom dancing. 

Chasen especially enjoyed the final act because a jazz band was profiled and the dancing was done in sneakers. At moments the show reminded me of West Side Story, and I found out later that Opus Jazz shares the choreographer. I favored the second act with its beautiful modern choreography depicting insects, birds and beasts during the creation of earth. If you have a chance to see this ballet in your city--GO!