Sunday Dinner Facing Each Other

Sunday night after all our gardening, we had Tad and Jen over for appetizers and wine, then they left for a concert and we moved on to cooking our dinner. Dinner was grilled pork chops, collard greens and garlic marinated Japanese eggplant:

The pork chops had a pepper/spice rub on them, and the collard greens were just our standard farmers market variety sauteed in garlic and olive oil. We've been enjoying our steak knives that Dylan's parents gave us a few months back - I really have trouble remembering how we cut pork chops before we had them!

Dylan and I realized on Sunday night that the counter top in the kitchen extends enough so that we can sit across from each other at the kitchen bar. This means that we can light candles and gaze into each others' eyes while we dine:

SFG: Day 1

This afternoon we finally put together our Square Foot Garden (SFG). The process started with a trip to our local nursery for the seeds. While we were there we picked up a passion fruit plant (Dana hasn't forgotten about eating these in New Zealand), which we hope will grow up the trellis on our deck:


After a slow drive home with the passion fruit plant sticking out of the sunroof, we were ready to put together the garden. We mixed the compost, vermiculite, and peat moss:


And the moved the box onto the deck where we think it will get a good amount of sun:


Then I attached the grid and we dropped the seeds in:


It may be hard to see from that picture, but each square is a different plant. From top left, going clock-wise we planted (per square):

• 16 yellow onions
• 1 cabbage
• 1 bell pepper
• 4 swiss chard
• 16 radishes
• 4 basils
• 16 carrots
• 9 spinach

We labeled the squares so we wouldn't forget:


I'm expecting to see the first sprouts within one to two weeks. Waiting is...

Sunday Farmers Market run

Today we walked to the Farmers Market from our new house in PB. We normally walk to the market, but we are a considerable amount further away now, so the whole trip (including shopping) took about 2 1/2 hours. We were ready to be home after carrying everything back. Here is what we got:


From top left, going clock-wise:

• Blueberries
• Tangerines
• Carrots
• Kale
• Garlic and Artichoke Hummus
• Radishes
• Raspberries
• Dozen Jumbo eggs
• Cherry tomatoes (3 pints)
  
• Plums
• Avos
• Plumcots
• Garlic
  
• Spinach
• Collard Greens
• Baby Bok Choy
• Red Onions
• Japanese Eggplant

How much did all this produce (and hummus and eggs) cost? $56. I'll leave it to you all to say whether that is a good deal or not. We think it is money well spent.

After all that walking Dana made a great lunch of smoked salmon, cream cheese, and red onions on toasted Rosemary Garlic Demi loaves, with tangerines and cherry tomatoes on the side:

Garage Clean-out & Flower Boxes

After our long walk and stop at Bird Rock Coffee this morning, we set up our garage and put some of the least-used things in the attic. After sending a round of stuff up to the attic, we were able to fit a large red desk, lamp and chair in the corner of the garage. This means that we can now work on projects out there! I can be the artist and Dylan the mad scientist that we've each always dreamed of :-)

In the early afternoon, we did our first bit of gardening at the new house. A trip to Green Gardens on Cass St. led us to pick out 12 pots of African Daisies in white, yellow and royal purple:


Dylan pulled out the dead begonias from the last tenants, and also got rid of some of the dead soil, mixing in new potting soil and organic compost:


Streak then came outside briefly to do a bit of sniffing around:


About 30 minutes later we finished up, and gave them a good watering. They look nice:


And I was able to create a fun new hairdo for the BBQ at the Wildrick's this afternoon:

Summery Dinner at the Bar

Tonight was our first dinner that we cooked in our new house! It was a summery one, with bbq balsamic chicken, collard greens and raspberries (and Stone IPA). We also tried out our new bar stools for the first time - today after work we picked them up downtown from some people who we connected with on Craigslist. Instead of a dining table, we are using the bar in the new place and also our outdoor table that we've put on the deck. If we ever need an indoor dining table, we'll just pull it out of the garage :-)


More posts of the new digs coming soon!

Mud Run, Indy Jam, Salmon Burgers and Remembering NZ

We've been pretty bad about posting to our blog since we found out that we need to find a new apartment by August 3rd. It seems that most of our spare time has been spent looking at places to live. Yesterday, however, we had a fun day! We woke up early to drive up to Camp Pendleton for the Mud Run 10k race - a race through pits of mud, over walls and across a lake that left us very dirty :-) Then it was back home for a necessary shower and quick trip to the farmer's market (I just can't live without my berries and greens) before our afternoon spent at the FM94.9 Independence Jam, an outdoor music festival featuring The Whigs, The Ting Tings, Cold War Kids, MGMT, Flogging Molly and most importantly The Hold Steady, one of my personal favorite bands! We met up with our friend Austin and his friend Greg and enjoyed a few beers on the lawn during the MGMT and Cold War Kids sets, before staking out a spot in front of the stage for the Hold Steady. I love seeing the Hold Steady with Austin - he is a big fan too and deliberated over the perfect spot to stand, noting such subtleties as the slope of the ground to ensure that we had the best view possible. It was a great day and fun to take our minds of the apartment search for a while.

We've also been cooking some yummy dinners as usual, but haven't been taking the time to photograph and post them. Here is a recent salmon burger, baby bok choy, sauteed baby heirloom tomatoes and avocado example:

In the midst of the apartment search, and when things get crazy in general, I have been finding that my mind goes back to Mutton Cove in Abel Tasman National Park and a sense of calm washes over me. Here's a video of that magical place:

Getting back into our routines

Our trip was fantastic but I am happy to be home. Happy to be back with Streak, who made it through our absence without incident:


Dana has been spending her evenings just watching Streak sleep - it was the longest they've been apart since she was in college (Dana, not Streak).


We've been able to stock up on veggies at the farmers market:


And we've been able to start to cook our old favorites like shrimp with red cabbage and sweet potatoes:


Or tofu with baby broccoli and lentils:


Now that we're back our habits have changed slightly. Less TV, and I'm planning on taking up some new outdoor hobbies. Next weekend I'm going to build a 'Square Foot Garden', I already have the supplies:


I'll be sure to detail the build process here :).