The Richmond Kitchen Sink

So on our way home from an outing to the Chesapeake for lunch, sitting in an interminable traffic jam, with four squashed adults and one kid in a car seat, Heather and I came up with this cocktail.  Yes, it was fueled by desperation, and yes, it was based on the ingredients we knew she would have in the house when we got home, but despite all of that it was actually quite delicious.  Here's how to do it:

recipe:

Bourbon

Peach cider or juice

fresh lime

splash of seltzer

ice

Garnish and extras:

sugar and cayenne dusted rim

sprig of rosemary

The October Garden and Show Wrap-Up

We had our first major frost over the weekend, and although we tried to save the peppers by covering them with a sheet it was just too far below freezing for that to be enough.  So anything frost tender is looking pretty grim out there.  But I was thrilled to pull my first turnip and find it to be so round and handsome.  I very rarely cook with turnips, although we have so many out there I think that is about to change.  Any recipe suggestions?

It is weirdly warm today, and I am hoping to get out in the garden this afternoon to do a little clean up, pull some more turnips, and dig up the onions and potatoes before they rot in the ground.  We'll see if we can get the boy into the fresh air after a busy and tiring day at school, fingers crossed.

And please notice my gorgeous new cutting board.  I bought over the weekend this from my neighbor at the Weston Craft Show, David Munyak.  We use cutting boards constantly around here, and I decided I might as well have a good looking one! Kind of like a nice pair of jeans, or a good pair of glasses, if something is going to be such a major part of your life it is worth spending a little money to get something that will make your eyes happy.  The show this weekend was truly lovely, sales were steady, but the best part about it by far was connecting with other local artisans.  I am really starting to feel like I am part of a community of amazing people, and it feels really good.

All Set Up at the Weston Craft Show!

So I'm all set up and ready to go! (Mostly, except for the pricing that I have left for the last minute that I will do between when I drop Emmett off at school across the common at 9am and when the show opens at 10am) This is a cool show set up in all possible corners of the historic Weston Playhouse, including all of the offices, actor dorm rooms, basement cabaret space, lobby, and stage.  The warren-like layout of the show encourages patrons to explore the building, and poke into every nook and cranny.  At least I hope it does, because my space sure is in one of those crannies, in a little office off the balcony seating!  But we do have french doors (just to the right of my shelf and logo display panel) that looks out over the pretty orange trees on the common, so that's a nice perk.   If I peer out the door I might even be able to watch Emmett when he is out on the playground.  I hope if you are in the area, or live in the area, you will be able to make the trip over the mountain and come check out the handmade goods!

Oysters and Candlelight, Richmond Style

Good times. And how much do you love that screen porch? Covet. I never think to get oysters for our parties, probably because it's not exactly a native food around here.  But it was such a fun and festive thing to do, and with a couple of expert shuckers in the house it was no problem. (another one of TH's hidden talents) And Heather made some delicious bacon burgers and homemade fries, and the whole thing was just lovely.  And the Crispin cider above was really good, I highly recommend it.  It would be so amazing if we could make anything even half that good when we do our cider making later this month.

Sorry the above paragraph is so fragmented.  I'm about half brain dead right now because I am a little swamped with work, and I am also taking another swing at selling one of my horses before the snow flies.  This weekend is the Weston Craft Show, in Weston, VT, which I am super excited about.  I've been making lots of new things, so I'll try to post a few tantalizing items up here tomorrow to hopefully tempt a few of you to come by the show.  #shamelessselfpromotion

The Last of the Tomatoes. . .

The last of the tomatoes, plus another haul of tomatillos.  And there are still LOADS of these things out there!  Aside from tomatillo salsa does anyone have any idea what to do with them?? I'm a little tired of doing the same old thing, although I made and froze a ton of salsa last year and still ran out mid-winter.  But please send any other tomatillo suggestions my way!

I haven't forgotten the rest of the Richmond posts, I just wanted to do a quick check in here at home, and I thought these colors were too pretty not to share. Oysters and candlelight are next, I swear.

Heather and Reid's New Digs

 So it turns out that I didn't take quite as many interior photos as I had thought I had of our friends Heather and Reid's new beautiful home in the historic Fan district of Richmond, VA.   But hopefully these few will give you a sense of what a great feel it has.  They managed to pull off a beautiful combination of modern and traditional decor, which is a really great reflection of the space, as well as who they are as people.  Of course the beauty of their home comes as no surprise since Heather has always been a super stylish lady, and Reid is the co-founder of Order Design, in Richmond. I wish I had more interior shots for you, but I had to save a few photos for my next post featuring the great backyard soiree they put together for us to meet some of their Richmond friends while we were visiting.  So stay tuned for that: (Think candlelight and oysters on the half shell!)

Found on the Beach

We are home from a whirlwind vacation visiting friends in Richmond, VA.  We had a great time, and there will be many involved posts in the next week or so about some of the beautiful and interesting things we saw in our travels.  But today is for getting down to business and catching up on work.  But I wanted to say hi, and leave you with a few photos of scavenged items from warmer climes.  I hope you all had a lovely weekend, and week, and see you soon.