Hot Dogs

Summer is in full effect here! Mitsu has changed her couchwear, from a king-sized super fleece blanket to a Chihuahua-sized, thin, tiger-print blanket. Sometimes we catch her on the couch or floor in this pose, and we say, "Oh look, you fell over." Though here, she looks more twisted.

We grilled hot dogs this evening to inaugurate our new yardwear, also known as outdoor furniture from Target (on sale now!). It goes with the cute little patio Mordecai made last year. Do you like our weeds in the background?

I put the grilled bell pepper on my hot dog. Mordecai had a garnish, or what he called a relish, made of grilled green onions and garlic. 

While we were away in Japan, Mitsu learned the art of begging from her Uncle Oji. Until she learns the art of drooling from him, I'm not complaining. 

Happy summer!

Vegetables!

Last year, my mom and I decided to share a half-share of CSA vegetables + eggs and signed up with M's Organic Farm. We picked up our first batch of vegetables and eggs this past Sunday at the Logan Square farmer's market; here's my share, which is \a quarter of a full share:

Mars red onion (more like green onions), green/red leaf vegetables, Easter egg radishes, oregano, and half a dozen eggs. My mom got the one baby garlic, since I grew and harvested lots of garlic in our backyard. It's not a ton of food, but if we get something like this every week, between this and the backyard production (which is not a whole lot), I think it's just enough to avoid the vegetable section of any grocery store. I still need Fuji apples and bananas, so that'll come from Strack and Van Til. 

My harvest this past Sunday included one successful daikon (I'm not confident about the rest), Detroit red beets (I'm partial to these beets because of the name), bunching green onions, and garlic. There's a lot more garlic than those two bulbs; those are the cleanest of the bunch.

This evening I harvested the rest of the bunching onions. I always imagine green onions more or less raw in miso soup or in the soup for somen or soba noodles, but today I sauteed them and added them to goat cheese omelette. Good choice.

(Image from anpanman.jp)

I cut the tips of the onions off because they're too cumbersome and I think the flavor diminishes up there. They look like Naganegi Man! He's one of a million characters on Anpanman. 

I have more to share from our trip to Yakushima. I've posted on Twitter, Instagram, and my tumblr, but since those KeiPop venues either limit text or are photo-based, the full story will be told here!