Pimp My Fiesta: Peach Salsa

Here’s some quick salsa I rustled up over the weekend to bring to a fiesta that my friend was having. I had tons of extra peaches and was really craving some California style superfreshfood, so I made this. It’s perfect with chips or also as part of a larger meal with black beans and rice. You can be a piggy like me and eat it out of the bowl with a spoon!

Peach Salsa

2 Peaches

2-3 Medium Size Tomatoes

1 Avocado (optional)

4 Spring/Green Onions

Fresh Basil and Cilantro

2 Limes

Salt

Cut up peaches and tomatoes into small pieces. Add sliced spring onions and chopped basil to taste. Add avocado if you’ve got any hanging around the house. Throw in a little bit of chopped cilantro to give it that salsa vibe. Squeeze lime juice over the top, add salt to taste, and you’re ready to start eating!

Cooking Adventures: The Jam Plan

"I needed a plan, a plan to get over my man. What's the opposite of man? Jam."

If you know where that quote is from you now realize that I have a not-so-secret obsession with Friends. My friend Maggie remembered it for me, she is quite the Friends aficionado. To be honest this jam making sesh has not been to get over a man but to try to stem the ever present flow of fruit into our house. We have pears, plums, peaches, apples, and walnuts all over the place. If anyone else has an overabundant garden you know how it goes: first you're excited and go out and spend your days eating fruits and vegetables off the plants and trees, then you start to get a little bit sick of them but you're still making fruit pies and zucchini bread, then you grow completely desperate and start doorbell ditching people with bags of squash, then you give up and start throwing all of the rotted fruit you have in the compost bin. This is where canning comes in. While you may not want to spend 4 hours of your day up to your elbows in cooking fruit, you save so much of the bounty for later on in the year. It's good for the environment because you stop the waste and have fruits and vegetables preserved for the winter so that you don't have to buy tropical fruits from South America. Plus, there is no better present than a bottle of home made jam, trust me. Sooo, canning 101. This is it!

Once you finish reading that you may be a bit overwhelmed, but I promise you, you should try it! It really is easy. And you will feel like the ultimate domestic goddess (or god!).

Supplies:

- A VERY large pot. You need something that is large enough so that the jam doesn't boil over. I think something that is about 8 times the size of whatever fruit you have in it is a good rule of thumb. A good place to find these? Thrift stores! Something copper is the best, although cast iron works well too. I'm pretty sure the one I use is aluminum. Don't use a non-stick pan because you will ruin it.

-A large wooden spoon.

-Ladle

-Canning jars. They are always available at hardware stores. 8 oz jars are a good size.

-Scales (again, if you don't have them they are often easy to find at thrift stores).

-Cutting board and good knife.

-Candy thermometer (optional)

For the Jam:

-Fruit

-Sugar

-Lemon, depending what fruit you're using.

Instructions:

Open all of your jars, separating the rings from the lids. Wash everything in very warm water, dry off, and try to keep it warm-ish. Very cold jars can crack when they come into contact with the hot jam.

Take your fruit (this time I used plums and strawberries), and cut up everything that you want to use into pieces about the size of a quarter, removing the pits. Weigh the fruit. I like to make sure that I am using an even number just to make weighing everything easier. For example, this time I used 1.5lb strawberries and 1.5lb plums, to make 3 pounds.

After you weigh the fruit put it in the pan and begin to stew slowly on low heat. You do not need to add any water to the fruit because the liquid will come out of it as it begins to cook. However, if you notice that the fruit is sticking to the bottom of the pan you can add a little bit of water, about a tablespoon or two.

Once the fruit is tender, add the sugar. Use the same weight of sugar as the fruit (so this time I used 3lbs sugar to 3lbs fruit). Pour the sugar over the fruit and begin stirring. Keep stirring until all of the sugar is completely dissolved, otherwise it will crystallize and stick to the bottom and sides of the pan. Softer fruits require the juice of about 1/2 to 1 whole lemon per pound of fruit, to help with setting. I didn't use any because plums set easily.

After the sugar dissolves, turn up the heat and begin to boil rapidly. Rapid boiling is key because if it boils too long it will not set and/or the fruit may burn. Make sure you test early for setting, some jams can be ready after 5 minutes, although I find it usually takes mine about 15-20 minutes.

How to test that the jam has set:

My mother swears by a candy thermometer, but this never works for me. The rule of thumb is that you boil the jam rapidly and by the time the temperature reaches 220-222 degrees Farenheit it is done. Make sure you don't let the candy thermometer touch the bottom of the pan because you will get a false reading.

Now, on to my method: Take a little bit of jam and put it on a white saucer. I like a white or light colored saucer because you can examine the color of the jam as well. Allow the jam to become quite cold, and then see if it forms a skin and wrinkles when pushed with your finger. Basically, it should have the thick quality that jam has, and shouldn't be sliding around on the saucer. IMPORTANT: if you think that your jam is ready, take the pan off the heat while you are cooling the jam on the saucer. Otherwise it will keep boiling and will burn or may not set.

Do you see the skin the jam has formed around my finger?

Canning:

Boil up some water, take it off the heat and put it in a bowl, and immerse the lids of the jars in it. This will soften the tacky bit around the edges which will adhere to the jars. Give it about 10 minutes.

While you are waiting for those, begin ladling the jam into the clean jars. Fill the jars until the jam is about 1/8th or 1/4 inch from the top. Be careful as you are filling the jars. Jam is boiling and sticky, not a good combination for your fingers! Make sure you are near a sink so that you can run your hands under cold water if you burn yourself.

Once the jars are filled, put the lids on, and screw the rings around the top. Make sure you don't tighten them ridiculously tight because they will get tighter as they cool.

As the jam is cooling, you will hear little pops as the lids suction onto the jars. A few hours later, after the jam is completely cool, press the tops of all the lids. If they are sucked down, they are sealed. If there is a jar that isn't, and you can hear the lid clicking up and down when you press it, don't worry. Just put the jam in the fridge and make sure you use it right away.

You're finished, hooray! Now you can make pretty labels and give the jam to your friends. Or keep it all to yourself, like Joey!

Let me know if you try it or if you have any questions!

Extreme Picnicking

Okay, so these photos are far from extreme, but I'd just like to point out that I'm a semi professional picnicker. It is one of my favorite past times, and I've picnicked through France, across the U.S., on mountains, in boats, you name it. These are my top picks for a rad picnic.

- Food. Like more than you would ever need, ever. Not having enough food at a picnic totally ruins it. Good picks? Egregious amounts of cheese. Champagne or Pimms. I prefer Pimms because it screams summer. Lots of fruits and veggies. Some kind of freshly baked bread. All of these elements put together and you're golden.

- Blankets. More than one if you're picnicking in a somewhat hardy area such as on top of a mountain in the wind. (That's extreme picnicking for you right there.)

- Card games, Frisbee, or if you're having a solo picnic. Summer without Frisbee isn't really summer. 'nuff said.

- Assorted cutlery, plates and glasses. Don't be the one who makes everyone swig out of the same champagne bottle or forgets a knife...tearing off cheese with your teeth is too barbaric, even for extreme picnicking.

- Extras: Music that won't piss off everyone around you, a cooler filled with ice for serious warm weather picnicking, large hats, desserts, thermoses filled with tea, croquet.

Flats: UO, Scarf (tied on wrist): Vintage Liberty of London, Dress: Vintage, Belt: Thrifted, Hat: Bought in a random store in Maui

Where is your favorite place to picnic?

P to the S: My twitter link is now working. Sorry for being hopeless. I seriously need a twitter tutor.

Beatrix Potter

"I remember I used to half believe and wholly play with fairies when I was a child. What heaven can be more real than to retain the spirit-world of childhood, tempered and balanced by knowledge and common-sense..."

A few people asked about my dogs in my last outfit post, but instead of talking about them I thought I would show you guys a slightly more unusual member of my family; my pet chicken, Beatrix Potter. She's named after the children's book writer because we had so many birds named after Beatrix Potter characters, including a chicken named Henny Penny and two ducks named Jemimah and Mr. Drake Puddleduck. So I decided to continue the tradition!

Beatrix Potter's books were my favorites growing up, and I visited her house in the Lake District a few times, and I really cannot think of a more beautiful place on earth. Her quote, above, shows a lovely way of living, and explains perfectly the way I try to live my life; by retaining a sense of wonder about the world, rather than getting lost in the cynicism that surrounds us.

Anyway, isn't Beatrix cool? She's ten years old which is kind of unheard of for a chicken, if they live to a natural old age they normally die when they are about four or five. So basically she's a total badass grandma. She likes playing pranks too, she steals salad off our plates if we eat outside, and she doesn't like my brother so she always flies into the house and poops on his bed! I find this hilarious but he doesn't really think it's that amusing. I'm going to miss Beatrix and my dogs when I go back to New York. Whenever I'm away from my animals, like when I'm travelling or when I was in college, I turn into a creepy dog stalker and want to pet every dog I see!

These boots are one of my favorite items of clothing. I got them in a flea market in Berlin. They are so 80s and I love it.

I tried to take some pictures with a sign because I thought it might be a fun business card idea, but I couldn't get them to take without the sign looking washed out. I wish I had the money to buy Photoshop.

Ankle Boots: Vintage; Tights: Target; Dress: Topshop; Headband: Hand Made

Do you have a favorite pet?

Cooking Adventures: Drunken Damsons with Chocolate

As promised, here is the first (of many hopefully!) baking post I have to share with you. We are pretty much up to our ears with plums at my house, so I thought I would start by making drunken Damsons. Drunken damsons normally come from Damson gin, but since we aren't currently making any of that I had to create my own.

The recipe, which is from the amazing Green and Black's Cookbook calls for:

8 plums, pits removed and cut in half

2 tablespoons water

2 oz sugar

4 tablespoons gin
Sorry, these are all British measurements, so you need a scale to weigh your ingredients with. Put the plums in a saucepan with the sugar and water, and poach them gently for ten minutes. Remove from heat, stir in gin, and leave to cool for 2 hours.

Hints: Since I love poached plums, and they can be a wonderful dessert by themselves or with ice cream, I tripled this recipe and put the leftovers in a mason jar to use later. The most important thing is not to add too much water, because the juices of the fruit come out by poaching anyway. Just use enough so that the sugar doesn't burn initially. My greatest advice is to taste, taste, taste. Fruit is tricky because it can sometimes be under ripe or sour for other reasons. Don't be afraid to add more sugar! My rule is if it doesn't taste good before you cook it, it won't taste good after.

Now for the best part, the chocolate:

3.5 oz sugar

8 medium eggs

18 oz dark chocolate (to save some money I used a bag of regular chocolate chips and then a bar and a half of good quality 80-100% chocolate)

9 oz unsalted Butter (that's 2 and 1/8th sticks)

Damsons

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter a 8in shallow pie dish or 8 ramekins.

Whisk together the eggs and sugar until pale and creamy. Melt the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl suspended over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Mix the chocolate mixture and the drained fruit into the egg and sugar mixture. Pour into the dish or divide between the ramekins ensuring that there is fruit in each one.

Bake for 12 minutes for the pie dish or 6 minutes for the ramekins, until firm to the touch, but still slightly wobbly. Leave to cool and serve with cream or ice cream.

Hints: Either this recipe lies, or my oven is a little off, or i didn't use a shallow enough dish. I ended up having to cook this for 40 mins before it was done. I would put the timer on for 12 mins and be vigilant about checking it after that. The oven is on pretty hot, so you don't want it to burn!

I reserved some of the plums so I could place them artfully on the top, I think it looks nicer that way.

This could easily serve 10 people, it is so rich!

Let me know if you have any questions about the recipe. Have you been cooking up anything delicious?

Floral-tastic

This was the most annoying shoot! My tripod broke and two of the legs kept awkwardly slipping. I guess that's what I get for using my Dad's 30 year old tripod. It's kind of funny, the tripod has teeth marks on the bottom from a lion that got a little angry when my dad was photographing it in Africa. I love that it has a story. Hopefully I'm taking good enough photos to live up to it!

The lighting was also really weird and I kept on jumping around trying to get the shadows off my face. Then I almost fell down the hill. I brought my dog with me, and he just sat there looking at me like I was nuts.

It has been so wonderful being home, I have been seeing old friends, cooking up a storm, and going for beautiful walks. Isn't this necklace amazing? I got it from Arkay, which has tons of fun stuff. Check it out if you're in San Francisco!

Sandals: UO; Dress: F21; Earrings: Handmade; Charm Bracelet: Vintage

Four Simple Goals

The lovely Elsie, of A Beautiful Mess posted this fun idea on her blog. You can find the instructions here, but the general idea is that you pick four simple, life fulfilling goals, and document the time you spend working on them.

4 Simple Goals:

Document my cooking adventures. Anyone who knows me in “real” life knows that I am somewhat of a cooking nut. Well let’s be honest here, it’s really more about the baking. Anything sweet and homemade and I am totally on board. I want to show you guys how I make jam and ice cream, and some of my favourite recipes.

Take more outfit photos. This is one thing I really put off a lot, which is so funny, because it’s the reason why I started this blog. I have to find a way to make it a better experience. I often find that the editing and posting my outfit photos on so many other sites besides my blog take the joy out of it a little bit.

Paint my room. I am moving out to go to New York, but my room has been pretty much the same since I was in 8^th grade! My parent’s house is always my base when I come back from my travels and am searching for my next destination, so it would be lovely to have a good creative space waiting for me. It would also be nice for my parent’s guests, who might not appreciate the peace signs and high school pictures adorning my room!

Strive to be happy. I think this job hunt and move are going to be pretty stressful, and I want to make sure that happiness is my first priority. Whether it be taking a break to go for a walk, exploring, doing yoga, or spending time with friends, I want to make a conscious effort not to let myself get too wound up in sorting out the boring parts of my life.

I already started on the strive to be happy one with these pictures. They were all taken during my travels last year, and reminiscing about that never fails to put a smile on my face!

Is anyone else doing this? Send me links to your posts. I want to hear all about it!