Busy Summer days & a busy day recipe

A nice Father's day moment...

A shared birthday...

 A couple projects finished and Flea Market finds...

  Enjoying the blooms...

A quick Friday night meal

Summer is off to a busy start. Weeks of never ending yard work, we finally got it finished and can now enjoy the blooms. I love the blue hydrangeas against the red Lilies (believe it or not they are called "Ming")

Father's day included an 11 mile bike ride, some rest time afterward on our back deck and some grilling.

My daughter's 20th birthday sharing it with her Uncle with a big family dinner.

I finally finished the baby bib prototype for a girl. It took long enough I know, I know!! This is the crocheted ruffle version. I am going to try one with a fabric ruffle. I will do custom orders of these on my etsy shop. Same goes for the teeny tiny crocheted Pansy flowers. I finally mastered the vintage pattern (I use mastered loosely) but I think they look well enough. I am making them with the vintage threads I got a few weeks back.

As we are talking of baby bibs and things of a tiny nature.... I am so excited about the birth of  Will and Kate's baby. I am a complete Anglophile! Isn't that book above just so fitting. I can't even find a copyright date in it. As well as being an Anglophile, I have a love for all things Disney. I was so excited when I found these baby blocks last week while antique shopping with my sister at the Golden Nugget flea market in Lambetville NJ. I have been going there since I was a wee one with my parents. The big joke is that she is the one looking to purchase and I am just along for the ride (she has a big shabby chic business on Ebay) and I am the one always ending up finding items and her not so much ! I had three purchases within the first five minute of arriving!

The recipe... this is my Thai'ish fried rice recipe...why Thai'ish you ask ??? Cause I know very little in this area of cooking but had relatives who lived there. So I figure that makes me an expert, right?? hee hee
No really, I just use a Thai soy sauce, Black Thai soy sauce to be exact. It is very thick and has brown sugar in it. The recipe follows ..WARNING... its another of my "about" recipes!

Thai fried rice with orange infused tofu
For the tofu:
1 pkg extra firm tofu
about 1/4 to 1/2 cup flour
juice from 1-2 oranges
brown sugar about 1/4 cup
cube the tofu and dredge in the flour, quick fry in a wok with some Canola oil till brown, transfer to a baking dish squeeze orange juice over tofu and sprinkle the brown suagr on top. Bake at 350 until sugar carmelizes and juice is bubbling.
For the rice:
About 2-3 cups jasmine rice cook as directed on package.
Meanwhile cut up all your veggies. I use onion, zucchini, broccoli, red pepper and Napa cabbage. You can add whatever you like. Stir fry in the wok with some Canola oil about 2 tbs. till just soft, do not over cook your veggies. Transfer to a bowl. Crack 2-3 eggs into the wok and scramble. Then add the cooked rice and push to the side of wok. Now add  about 3-4 tbsps of the black soy sauce and 1-2 tbsps of a light or thin soy sauce with 1 tbs of sugar in the raw. Mix until the sugar dissolves in the sauces and then mix all together with the rice. Now add the veggies and give it a good stir and last add the the tofu. Serve immediately.

Well this is the beginning of my summer ...how is yours going ??? What are you finding, doing, making etc....???

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend,
Donna

* i use Healthy boy brand Thai soy sauces
** make sure you try to catch a view of this weekend's Super Moon!