week old

toes.

This little bundle of pink was born just one week ago. This afternoon I got to photograph her one-week-oldness. Her mom and dad were fussing and cooing, snuggling and kissing and loving her up all throughout. They are already a wonderful team, each taking on different tasks to give her just what she wanted and needed. I could photograph her every single week!
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the pink city

France...sugar coated violet candies, Basilique St Sernin, warm panini sandwiches, Victor Hugo Market, La Garonne River, bike riding along the canals, tiny cups of coffee, Bastille Day, fireworks, beach days along the river, Pont Neuf, cassoulet, sweet nectarines, Lafayette Maison, filled donuts, sleeping in, violet and rose flavored gelato (everyday!), Jardin de Plantes, dinner beneath a brick ceiling with scientists from around the world, Capitole, crepes, chocolates sprinkled with violets, morning sauna, train ride, Carcassonne....a real castle, medieval cobblestones beneath our feet, blue skies, views of Greenland from the plane and a happy safe homecoming.

Jet lag isn't so bad when you have Hermies and Ladybugs to cuddle and dreams of France dancing in your head. 

7.9 to 7.19
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hello

A new addition to the camera family...a petite SLR, the Canon 550D.

Yay!

7.7 to 7.8
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pie for days...

...sweet red, white and blue days

Strawberry Peach Straight from the Farmers Market Pie

Make your favorite pie crust, this is my favorite one.

4 or 5 ripe sweet smelling peaches, drop in boiling water for 1 minute, remove skins, then slice
2 to 3 baskets of strawberries, halved
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

To get a nice golden brown to your crust mix 1 egg yolk with a splash of water and brush onto crust.

This can be an 8 inch or 9 inch pie. I like a very full pie so I made an 8 inch one.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine strawberries and peaches with sugar. Pour mixture into a strainer with a bowl beneath to catch juices. It can sit for about an hour. Stir occasionally.

Roll out dough. Place half into pie dish, leave edges hanging. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Combine fruit with cinnamon, nutmeg and cornstarch mixing gently. Spoon fruit mixture into prepared pie dish. Roll out the other half of the dough and slice into 1/2 inch wide strips. Use the strips to create a lattice. Fold the bottom crust dough up and pinch all the way around tucking in the lattice edges, trim strips beforehand as needed.

Brush the egg mixture onto the lattice strips and edges.

Bake pie on bottom rack for 20 minutes. Then move to the middle rack and decrease temperature to 350 degrees. Bake until your crust is golden brown and the fruit is thick and bubbling, about 40 minutes.

I've set a goal to bake 12 new pies in 2012...this is number 6!


7.4 to 7.6
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more please

Made with apricots picked from a dear friend's tree, her family has so many apricots this year she is up to her elbows making apricot jam and offered up several pounds to me to make pies. After a little research and planning I came up with a recipe I thought would do these little gems justice. It isn't everyday I get to make a pie from fruit that was literally picked within hours of baking.

Apricot Crumble They Were Falling into our Hands Pie

This recipe makes a 9 inch single crust pie, I use this very reliable, easy and delicious crust recipe. Just cut the crust recipe in half if you are only making one pie or make all of it and refrigerate the unused portion to use within two days. 

Fruit
2 1/2 T unsalted butter
3 pounds of apricots, pitted and quartered (leave the skins on)
1/2 cup sugar
2 T flour
lemon juice from half a lemon
pinch of salt

Crumble
1/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 uncooked oatmeal
1/3 cup chopped walnuts or almonds
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, roll out dough and place into a 9 inch pie dish. Trim and flute your edges as desired.

For the crumble combine the butter and sugar in a medium bowl and combine with a fork or spatula. Add the rest of the crumble ingredients and mix with your hands. Set aside.

To make the fruit filling first combine the sugar, flour and salt in a small bowl. Then melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the apricots and cook, tossing and stirring for 5 minutes. Add the sugar mixture and continue cooking and stirring for 5 minutes. The liquid will thicken and the apricots will soften. Remove from heat, add lemon juice and stir. Spoon the fruit into the pie shell. Sprinkle the crumble on top.

Bake for 40 minutes or until the juices are bubbling. Be careful not to overcook the crumble, just place a sheet of foil on top if it is already browned and you are still waiting for the juices to bubble while it continues to bake

This pie is full of flavor and very tart, a scoop of vanilla ice cream when served is the perfect balance.

I've set a goal to bake 12 new pies in 2012...this is number 5...onto the next.

from the week's end

                                         butter nail polish in pink ribbon...the color I have been looking for, forever Little bits of happiness from the past few days, as June became July. 

On Sunday our family lost Bummie, a creamy kitty with a fluffy tail and big blue eyes that looked a bit crossed at times, hence the name the Bumble from the Rudolph movies. It looks like he may have had a heart attack in the early morning. Bummie was quite young and healthy and had a perfectly normal wonderful day watching outside the windows and even spying a coyote on the patio late in the night. How very loved he was, he will be remembered in the kisses and love given to one another. It is heartbreaking to realize how very fragile and precious our time with the ones we love is.

6.28 to 7.2

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