you never disappoint

In my kitchen I have a saying. "Smitten Kitchen, you never disappoint." I find myself saying this over and over every time I make a Smitten Kitchen recipe.

Today I made the simplest apple tart, a recipe originally from Chez Panisse, the restaurant of Alice Waters, one of my food heroes. In traditional fashion, it did not disappoint.

I made a miniature tart from a slither of leftover dough so that I could taste it straight out of the oven without cutting into the main event. So delicious. And it is worth mentioning that I used apples from Hirsch Fruit Farms, one of my favorite vendors at my local farmers' market.


I only made one alteration, and that was to add a pinch of cinnamon. It didn't really need it, but when I originally got it in my head to made some kind of apple dessert with the market apples, I just knew there would be cinnamon.

I like my bike

This is my bike, Winnie. I have had her for one year, and she is great! I love the cream color of her frame, and her reliability. I loved my old bike too, to be sure, but it was not quite as reliable, or comfortable to ride.

Here are Corey and Alex. This particular day, we were headed to the farmers' market. Here we were making our way to the trail by the river so we wouldn't have to watch for cars.

This is on the trail, and not as dangerous as it looks!

A park with some baseball fields by the trail.

At some points on the trail, I almost feel like I could be back in Arkansas. I don't miss the heat, but I do miss the natural beauty of my home state. I love this part of the trail where you are surrounded by tall trees.

My new state is pretty great too, though. Did you know that Columbus is named after Christopher Columbus? The trail by the river goes all the way downtown, where you'll find this replica of the Santa Maria, Columbus' ship, in the water. When it's open, you can pay $4 for a tour. Here I am next to it on an evening bike ride with Corey and Alex on the trail. That pink spot is probably the ghost of Christopher Columbus (joking).

Anyway, back to the farmers' market bike ride, we made it, and got some delicious tomatoes!

And dinosaur kale! And sprouts, and squash, and zucchini, and cucumbers! Success.

fresh and local

Homemade pizza featuring local potatoes and squash.
Nothing else like it!

the wait

I might not have posted this before, but for the past two+ months, I've been working at Target. I'm really enjoying myself there. My coworkers are fun to get to know, and it's nice to take a few months off from the responsibility of school before I move to Ohio and start my graduate program in the fall. Even though I am almost working full time and doodling on the side, this is the least busy I've been in forever!

I normally work on the sales floor, but last week I was trained to work in the photo lab. I'll be working one photo lab shift per week for now. Right now I have five rolls of film waiting to be developed and shared, but I am waiting until my photo lab shift so I can process them myself! The darkroom is still quite a bit more magical than the C-41 processing machine, but it is fun nonetheless and I am glad I'm getting this experience. So, in my next post, you can look forward to new pictures of mine and Corey's garden, my second visit to Tara's farm in Vilonia, kittens, a walk around campus with Casey, and a few bike rides with Corey.

Gardening updates: I harvested my first basil clippings from the heirloom Italian basil I have been growing on my windowsill the past two months! Also, one of our heirloom peas has its first pea pod! It's really, really magical. Our hard work is starting to pay off.

The Conway farmers' market opens in five days, and I could not be more thrilled! Although our garden is looking good, we still have a ways to go before we'll harvest much, and I am tired of buying my veggies at the supermarket! Corey and I are testing out different bike routes to take us downtown. Lately I have been riding my bike more and driving my car less. It feels great!

Look out for that picture post on Tuesday.

too busy for fall

Things I have made lately....1. pumpkin smoothie, 2. stir fry with farmer's market finds + basmati rice, 3. vegan peanut butter cookies, 4. lettuceless salad, homemade croutons, and iced tea, 5. roasted red pepper hummus.

School is so busy, busy, busy for me right now. My life will return to normal after November 12, the opening of the BA/BFA Exhibit. I can't wait to have free time again! It's all I can do right now to keep my apartment clean and throw together these simple foods in what little leisurely time I have.

as of late...

Let's see...lately I have been...

1. Getting into my new class schedule. It's the final sprint...it seems impossibly short to accomplish all I need to. I keep telling myself I'll make it! I can't believe I will be a college graduate in three months...that's crazy!

2. Enjoying my new apartment a lot and cooking amazing things. I sometimes miss the cafeteria, where I dined multiple times daily for four years, but not as much as I thought I would. I knew I loved cooking and baking, but before now it was more of a hobby than a necessity. I feel like the habits I let myself keep now will likely follow me into my post-grad life, so I'm trying not to use excuses like "it's only for a few months" when it comes to cooking and housekeeping. What I've learned in my "adult life" so far is that there really won't ever be a time when you can't claim busyness as an excuse. So when I'm busy, I just try to throw together simple but balanced meals that are quick and use up what groceries I already have.

3. Starting my final photography series for undergraduate school...scary! I know it's not the end all, be all, pinnacle of my career as an artist, I just want it to be good. I'll post more on it when I have images to share...hopefully very soon.

4. Crafting and reading in my spare time (spare time--what's that?). I've been making jewelry and reading In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan. I highly recommend both activities. This is my third Pollan and definitely my favorite. I think a career dealing with some type of food counterculture movement and combining my art in some way would suit all of my interests. Does such a job exists? If not, can I make one? These are the questions in my brain as of late.

5. And now I leave you with some pictures from my latest cooking and food photographing endeavors (I think I'm getting better at the food photographing part!)...Some of these veggies are from the local farmer's market.

fresh from the farmer's market

I apologize for my lack of posts lately. School is picking up, work is picking up, and in between there are so many other things to do!

This past Saturday I insisted on getting myself up very early and going to the farmer's market here in town. I'm so glad I did. I love seeing all of the happy vendors with their prized vegetables, flowers, and other goods. I love talking to them and listening to what they have to say about what they are selling. It's the closest you can get to growing your food yourself.

I acquired one sunflower, five zinnias, 4 purple (yes, purple! they were gorgeous) bell peppers, 4 red tomatoes, 2 green tomatoes, 2 mini eggplants (melanzana!), 1 butternut squash, and 1 red bell pepper. Some delicious dishes have already come out of them, and there are a few things left...which will probably be eaten today...but! The market is open on Tuesdays so I might go again in the morning. hehe.



Also! The other day I made peach oatmeal brulee...and it was amazing. You just prepare some oatmeal to your liking, then broil it in a small dish with a few teaspoons of sugar on top for about ten minutes. It's so good!