Summer Celebrations...

We had a good kick off to summer on the solstice...Summer grilling...Summer gardens and Summer birthdays...

Can you say cheese ...yes, the smile above is my oldest daughter Arianna who turned the big 21..and all she wanted was a Carvel ice cream cake and a party with the family ...no bar hopping for her..some of her freinds were a bit bummed about this!!
Can you also say Burrata Cheese...that creamy mozzarella with the gooey center, Oh Yeah ...now that is some good stuff ! It is now my favorite food at the moment.
We are having so much fun with the World Cup and what the menu will be for the games. This Saturday's menu was olive tapenade with Labneh cheese which is a Mediterranean  Kefir yogurt cheese, grilled veggies drizzled with 18 yr old balsamic vinegar and pasta with onions, zucchini, peas and cherry tomatoes sauteed at a very high heat...it was something I saw on Anthony Bourdains's Parts Unknown when he was in Israel. Its very good, just a nice quality olive oil, the veggies and I added some Sweet Marjoram and high heat and just keep them moving....Yum! It is my new go to way to cook veggies.
Sunday's menu was pizza on the grill. my favorite dough recipe comes from the book The Italian Baker. I highly recommend this book by Carol Field.
I did not do a good job at wintering my heirloom Dahlia bulbs so I had to reorder from D.Landreth seed company. They are my favorite Heirloom seed house. I love them cause they are a small business..I love their selection and I love just how nice they are...every time I order it is the most pleasant experience. If you garden I highly recommend checking them out. Now I got to get those babies in the ground!
The summer blooms are all starting to put on their show in the garden and indoors my orchid is just a blossoming more and more.
The Crafts...the fabric is for a needle book swap...it has some English paper piecing and cross stitch monogram. right now the whole Lavender, Crimson and Honey colored fabrics are making me swoon! I am finishing it up tomorrow and then onto the crochet tutorials for you I swear!!!

How has your summer begun?

During A Rainy Week...

Much was accomplished...this is what has been going on...

It may be a bit gloom outside, but I have to say I am happy for it. As it is giving me a much needed break with the yard and garden work. So needless to say I am enjoying it.
The Shawl...  A few months back I joined Romi's Mystery Shawl KAL. I couldn't post any pictures of it until all  the clues were given. It is over now and I'm not finished it as it was giving me a hard time  but I persevered and am finally making good progress. I love the Lorna's Laces special edition Olympic yarn Sochi 2014. I am in love with the warm golds with the hint of silver. I think it goes amazingly with the grey.
The Cake ... If you want a quick and easy cake really one bowl ..you must try this. It is a great base cake with berries. Quick easy effortless.I did make it into a Bundt and added about 1/4 cup more cream as it was looking a bit to dense for me.
The Onsie...I am making these for the 4th to sell on Etsy and some for some new editions that will be joining us this month. Lots of friends having babies. Very easy cut applique and I will be adding some stitching. Maybe a tutorial in the future???
The Food...Asian chicken lettuce wrap and homemade egg rolls ( I just followed the directions on the package of the egg roll wraps). These were easier than I anticipated. I got the recipe idea from Pinterest but them went online and used the one linked here. I didn't feel like it needed all the extra flavors so I altered the recipe and kept them simple. They were extremely GOOD! 
The Flowers...this is what is blooming right now in the garden...My shrub roses, Lantana and the honeysuckle...lots of pink right now which really makes a splash against the grey skies...a great color scheme.
The Rain... is hanging on for the rest of the week but to me it is anything but gloomy for I am finding it to be extremely inspiring and creative.