Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Baby Zucchini with Flowers

I'm not going to sugar coat this: it already feels like summer in the Bay Area. It has been sunny, warm and clear most days this Spring. This year more than any other, even with the mild temperatures, I was ready for winter to be over as soon as we celebrated the new year. The short, dark days left me craving more... especially when we had a Greenhouse (or two) in our back yard waiting to come back to life as the days get longer and the sun gets brighter. Well now it has happened so fast I hardly know what to do with myself... all the seeds that I sprouted beginning in the late winter months are already bearing fruit! As far as the plants are concerned, in the hot box that is our Greenhouse, it's already summer! It is humid, hot and bursting with life.

Friday, April 19, 2013

Cheers to Friday!

Last Friday evening I came home from work exhausted and beyond ready for the weekend to begin. Kyle greeted me with excitement, explaining that we had our first summer strawberry harvest! The strawberries were plump, bright red and READY to be devoured. I looked down and noticed our mint was bursting out of it's pot and remembered that we had a bottle of Rosé chilling in the refrigerator. With a burst of energy that only comes when you know you're about have a cocktail from the garden, I bounded into the kitchen and whipped up a Refreshing Strawberry Spritzer! It was the perfect way to begin our Friday night and I can assure you that we'll be enjoying this light, refreshing cocktail again tonight! 


Refreshing Strawberry Spritzer
Feel free to make this spritzer your own by adding as much of each ingredient as you like!  

Ingredients:
1 bottle of Rosé
1 bottle of Seltzer
3 sprigs of Fresh Mint
8 Strawberries (with the tops removed)


Method 
Lay out for wine glasses.  In each glass slice a strawberry and tear up 3 mint leaves. Add as much wine as you think fit (we filled the glass a bit less then half) and top of with cold seltzer.  Use remaining strawberries and mint as a garnish.