summer picnic

I still have a "Blogging for a Budget" post in mind, but I have had so much going on that (wisely) the food blog has been put on the back burner (!). Yesterday my friends and I celebrated the 4th by relaxing and floating down the river in rafts - it took us 6 1/2 hours to go a distance that usually takes 4 hours, but linking up to each others' rafts and carrying a raft full of ice and beer was well worth the longer trip. We all got light tans and had an incredible time, followed by a cook out where the boys showed off their grilling skills. Thank you to the men for relieving the ladies of cooking meals and paddling rafts.

Tomorrow Andrew and I resume our weekly date nights/days! He just started a new job as Director of Theatre Operations at the Nickelodeon Theatre, a local arthouse cinema here in Columbia, and the transition into long hours (for both of us) has been hectic. So tomorrow we are getting back on the right foot and heading to Riverbanks Zoo for the morning and a picnic by the river at lunch. This afternoon I made a trip to the grocery and stocked up on some good breakfast foods and a few things for tomorrow's picnic. Some tastes buzzing around in my head as I shopped: fresh, Italian, summery, sweet, salty, PICNIC!

The menu: French bread, course ground mustard, muenster and gouda cheeses, cold cuts (Pancetta, Prosciutto, Lebanon Bologna, Genoa Salami), strawberries, Black Mission figs, petite dill pickles, Nutella (!!!!), and a little something I ordered from Green's last week - Sofia Mini Blancs, which are miniature cans of sparkling white wine (with straws! Think Capri Suns for Adults).

Mmmm...I can't wait.

City Roots & Fresh Strawberries

City Roots is a fairly new farm just INSIDE the city of Columbia. I initially heard of them during my short-lived involvement in the environmental club at USC and recently have been enjoying their sunflower sprouts and carrots from the farmers market. Their vision is to "produce clean, healthy, sustainably grown products while enhancing and educating our community about the benefits of locally grown food, composting, vermicomposting and other environmentally friendly farming practices. "

I adore the fact that there is a sustainable & organic farm down the street from me. Saturday morning we had a breakfast date with our dear friends the Mewbornes followed by strawberry picking at City Roots. Their crop was a little sparse from lots of strawberry pickin' traffic, but I still got a $6 quart overflowing with big, juicy, bright red strawberries - SO much better tasting than the ones from the grocery, AND they don't use pesticides or chemicals on their plants. I went through my quart so fast so this morning I went back for another quart (already missing some) and re-filled. Strawberry season lasts 2 more weeks so I am planning on making it back at least twice more to get some to freeze before I gobble them all up. FYI: you can volunteer at City Roots and in exchange they generally give you a stash of whatever is in season. That is on my to-do list of regular activities for the summer so let me know if you are interested!

food is more fabulous with friends

This morning Hannah and I met at her house to make breakfast which turned into brunch (the best meal of the day). I just bought a bunch of asparagus through Rosewood Market that is from a farm in Batesburg and she had some bacon in her fridge, and I picked a quart of strawberries from City Roots this morning (more on that later) - a perfect set-up for breakfast.

I scrambled and seasoned 4 eggs with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. I thinly sliced asparagus on the bias, cooked some bacon and diced it, and heated some butter in a large skillet. I poured in the egg mixture, added the asparagus and bacon, and scrambled the eggs until almost done then added a handful of mozzarella cheese.

On the side we had wheat toast and butter, fresh strawberries, coffee and water. Mmm Mmm Mmm (in the words of my Grandma). There is nothing like best friends, farm fresh foods, brunch, coffee, good conversation and encouragement in the mornings on the brink of summer.