Fruits of the Garden

Things have finally started to grow in the garden. The hot weather of August has helped dry the massive amount of rain we received in June and July. While my beans didn't really make it, the cucumbers have done really well. I'm also starting to get some tomatoes. The eggplants and peppers have taken off, as well as the herbs and lettuces.

Here's the first cucumber we picked:

I'll have more photos this week. I'm planning on doing some serious clean up in the yard.

Summer comes but once a year

.... and tragically, this summer has not been so great on the North Shore. Sean and I have been working the YMCA's Family Camping program on the Island in attempts to capture as much summer fun as possible. So far we've been lucky with the weather. The first overnight, we had a severe thunderstorm roll through, but we survived.

The Island is my favorite place to take pictures of course, so here are some from over the years:

Summer Entertaining

The sun is finally out today and my plants are drying out from all the rainy weather we've had. It's also my wedding anniversary and it reminds me of how much fun it is to entertain outdoors in the summer. Our wedding was held in a seaside tent on a day when we were lucky enough to have exceptional weather.

I can't wait for more warm nights ahead and having parties on our deck. When my husband, Sean, and I throw together a last minute get-together we always spark up the grill and cook chicken and veggies.

For a last minute party menu, don't forget:

Chicken breast for grilling: Splash with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and rosemary.
Cut up red bliss potatoes: Dressed with the same as the chicken
Sliced red pepper and eggplant: Put right on the grill

Grab some summertime beer, like: Sam Adams Summer or Blackberry, Blue Moon or Wachusett Blueberry. For the wine lovers, like me, an unoaked chardonnay is the way to go. My favorite is The Wishing Tree. And if your really ambitious, make some mojitos. I grow peppermint in my garden, so I always know it's fresh.

Then all you need is your good friends, some good music playing on the radio and the sun setting on your dinner party!

Peonies from Nancy's Garden

I love peonies. I used them in my wedding bouquet and I'm growing some on my deck. My aunt Nancy has tons in her yard and graciously brought some over last night. They've made my whole house smell light and fresh!

The Garden Grows

Sean is in London this week for business, so I decided I'd spend the day working on the garden. After a delicious breakfast at Taste of Thyme in Salem, I cleaned and planted in between shooing the dog away. They love to trample plants!

Here's Baxter getting in trouble
While I didn't plant this grapevine, it's a welcome addition to the garden

Mixed greens, basil and chives. My basil looks like ants or some other creature have been munching on it.

The green beans have really taken off and the cucumbers look like they're growing too. Unfortunately, none of the eggplants made it, so I planted some more and the peppers were slow to take off so I added lots more of those as well.

I have so many tomatoes left over. If anyone wants tomato plants, let me know!

White Flower Farmhouse

A couple other blogs I read have picked up on this great little home and garden store in New York. While not located on the North Shore, They would certainly fit right in.

It's called White Flower Farmhouse and they feature tons of nautical and beach inspired home decor. I'm loving this farm table. It would look so chic in a whitewashed, airy beach house:

These nautical flag pillows would make a great accent on a big chair.

They offer lots of fun things for home and garden. You can order online, too!

Historical Renovations

This month's Traditional Home magazine did a great spread on a historical home in Maryland. I love these tall, floor to ceiling windows and long airy hallway.

Salem's Farmer's Market returns!

The farmer's market in Salem has returned. My grandfather and his parents participated in the farmer's market starting in the 1940s. He would drive into Boston to Haymarket each Saturday to pick up produce and transport it back to Salem to sell. There is a great picture of them at their cart
hanging in my aunt's restaurant.

Salem Main Streets has been working to renew the tradition and now it's a reality! The market operates Thursday evenings from 4:00-7:00pm in Derby Square, right near Old Town Hall.

Visit their website for more information.

Summer Lighting

I don't know where I would put these Potter Barn lights in my house now, but I'm in love with them and wish I had a mudroom or front hall so I can buy them. They have a old fashioned, nautical feel that is light and airy.

These on the other hand I can buy. They would look great on our patio. If I had a big tree, I'd hang them from the tree to light up my backyard. Pottery Barn Lanterns

Chanel Stairs... better than regular stairs

I love this Chanel ad with the black and white stairs. I have expressed my love of dark floors, right? :)

Open Houses

We made the rounds yesterday to a couple open houses. Some were very interesting, like the one with a gorgeous kitchen but only one bath that Sean couldn't stand up in. One was to die for, because of its wonderful potential.
When I picture my dream house, it has a center staircase with a long hallway that exits right out back, so that the hall is just filled with light. Kinda like the house in "Sweet Home Alabama." Like a big open farmhouse style.

It may not look like much, but it would make such a cool house with a little work.

33 Franklin

A couple weeks ago, I wrote about a house we walk past on our Saturday strolls that was being completely renovated. Well, turns out it's for sale now that they've finished. Sean and I went to the open house yesterday because I'm so in love with the location. It was absolutly gorgeous and has stunning views from all the rooms.

The sales price? A mere $1.195 million. It's out of our range for now, but if you have a spare mil or two, I'd highly recommend taking a peek:

33 Franklin, Marblehead

Upholstery for the Dining Room

My grandmother gave us her dining room table and it we picked it up this past weekend. It fit pretty well in our small dining space. The question is now- what do reupholster the chairs in? My grandmother's colors are pink, green and ivory. Ours are more tan, red and ivory.

I've heard Zimman's in Lynn is a great place to go. My aunt, who owns Strega in Salem, used fabric from Zimman's for all her restaurant furniture.

I'm sort of thinking stripes? I want it to be classic but not stuffy. It also has to be durable.

I love the fabric from this website, even though I don't think they'd fit too well with the current style of our house. Not to say that won't change someday.

http://www.galbraithandpaul.com/textiles-index.php

Champagne Mojitos.. yum!

I have slight obsession with champagne mojitos since I discovered them on the Soma menu last year. Their mojitos are fantastic. When summer comes around they do a house infused mojitos, where they infuse some type of fruit with rum and then drain it into your drink!

I just found this recipe from Food and Wine so you can enjoy them at home. Happy Friday!

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup water

1 1/2 cups packed mint leaves, plus 12 mint sprigs, for garnish

6 limes, cut into wedges

2 cups light rum

Cracked ice

3 cups Champagne or sparkling wine

DirectionsIn a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water and cook over high heat just until the sugar has dissolved. Let cool to room temperature. In a large pitcher, combine the sugar syrup with the mint leaves and lime wedges and muddle well with a wooden spoon. Add the rum and stir well. Strain the drink into another pitcher. Fill tall glasses with cracked ice and pour in the drink, filling them about two-thirds full. Top with Champagne, garnish with the mint sprigs and serve.

Beans and Arugula

They're in the ground, but let's see if they last. The dogs have already trampled them. The other plants are starting to look desperate to move to a larger space. They haven't grown in days.

Beans
Arugula


Strawberries

Just like Gram

The green house I posted about the other day has gone under agreement and I feel a little sad. While we had no real chance of buying it, I was attached to dreaming about buying it. Now it's someone else's dream. It remind me of my grandmother, who I swear, almost bought every house in Salem. Driving around town she would off handley say, "oh we almost ought that house. But it was too expensive." Now expensive probably means $10,000. But back then it was obviously "too expensive."

Now that didn't stop my grandparents from living in no less than 8 houses around Salem just in my dad's lifetime. While I can barely remember it (I was like 3), the second to last house they owned was a brick Georgian Colonial in the historic district right off of the famous Chestnut Street.

There are a couple Chestnut Street houses for sale right now:

4 Chestnut

15 Chestnut

37 Chestnut
Maybe someday! I can dream right? While I think I have inherited my grandmother's love a real estate, I am also inheriting her gorgeous mahogany dining room set, which Sean and I hope to pick up this weekend. My grandmother is unfortunately moving into a nursing home, thus the giving away of her things. But I'm so honored to have something that she owned that I'll be able to pass down to my children and grandchildren. I just think of all the wonderful holidays, celebrations and birthdays spent at that table. While it may just seem like a piece of furniture to some, it so much more to me. It's a gathering spot where memories were made and a gathering place to make new ones.

Cubes? Boring... try Spheres!

I saw these in the June issue of Food and Wine. They are circular ice cube trays and I think I might have to get them.... how cool are they? You can pick them up at the Museum of Modern Art's website:

Aubergine

Since the Tuscan eggplant debacle, I sort of have this soft spot for these soft purple veggies. So much so, that I'm growing some to plant in our new vegitable garden. I'm excited to actually use them in recipes. Here is one I found in Food & Wine that I might have to try:

Sardinian Stuffed Eggplant
ACTIVE: 1 HR
TOTAL TIME: 2 HRS
SERVINGS:

Ingredients
Five 1-pound Italian eggplants, 3 halved lengthwise
Kosher salt
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
2 small bay leaves, crushed to a powder
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 pound ground veal
1 cup freshly grated fresh pecorino cheese, preferably Fiore Sardo (4 ounces)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup plain, dried bread crumbs
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon chopped basil
1 tablespoon chopped mint
Freshly ground pepper
3 garlic cloves, thickly sliced
One 35-ounce can Italian peeled tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped

Directions
Peel the whole eggplants; coarsely chop the flesh and transfer to a large colander. Using a spoon, scoop the flesh from the eggplant halves, leaving a 1/4-inch-thick shell. Chop the scooped out eggplant flesh and add it to the colander. Toss the chopped eggplant with 2 tablespoons of kosher salt and let drain for 30 minutes, then rinse well. Working in handfuls, squeeze out as much of the water as possible. You should have about 4 cups of chopped eggplant.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Set a wire rack on a baking sheet. Add the 6 eggplant shells to the pot and cook, gently poking them under to keep them submerged, until just tender, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the eggplant shells to the wire rack to drain and cool. Lightly oil a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and arrange the eggplant shells in it, cut sides up.

In a large, deep skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil until shimmering. Add the onion and bay leaves and cook over moderate heat until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped eggplant and wine and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until tender and just beginning to brown, 15 minutes. Add the veal and cook over moderately high heat, stirring and breaking up the meat, until cooked through and lightly browned, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer the eggplant filling to a bowl and stir in 1/2 cup of the pecorino, the eggs, bread crumbs, nutmeg, basil and mint. Season the filling with salt and pepper. Spoon the filling into the eggplant shells.

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the garlic and cook over moderate heat until golden, about 1 minute. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon half of the sauce over the eggplants and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of grated pecorino. Bake the eggplant until browned and bubbling, about 35 minutes. Let cool slightly, then serve, passing the remaining tomato sauce on the side.
Make Ahead

The baked stuffed eggplant can be refrigerated overnight. Bring to room temperature then reheat in a 325° oven.

This Old House

Sean and I plan to buy an antique houses someday and we love to look at the ones in our area that are for sale. We're focusing our search on Marblehead, Manchester and Essex, but have looked at some in Beverly and Ipswich as well. Some people have really taken care of their houses and some have not, but it's fun thinking of what renovations and restoration we'd do with homes that have that much character. Some of the highlights have been a house in Ipswich that was renovated beautifully, and had a brand new master suite on the third floor:

This one in Marblehead was a complete gut job and had a really complicated layout and no parking. Interesting though. The green house is slightly further down the street and has a good size backyard, parking and a nice layout. I'm just waiting for an open house to see the inside condition, but I can envision painting it grey with black shutters and a red door, then hanging a giant American flag above the front door.

There are lots more we're keeping our eyes out, we're just waiting for prices to fall even more!

Like a Fine Wine...

I have to pick up some wine for a weekend getaway and I'm lucky that we have some many great wine shops on the North Shore. With so many varietals and vintages, you need a knowledgeable wine professional to lead you in the right direction.

Some of my favorites places to shop include:

Salem Wine Imports
The owner is a very knowledgeable guy and they have at least six bottles to try each day, plus specialized tastings during the week.

Shubie's
A Marblehead classic that also offers prepared food and catering.

Vinnin Liquors
While not a specialty wine shop, they have a fantastic selection that is thoughtfully chosen.

Alexander's aka Bogie's Beer and Wine
Very small wine and beer shop on Rt 62 in Beverly. Bogie is the name of the owner's gigantic bulldog who just sits like a big rock by the door. Great selection and lots of wine and beer tastings.

Beverly Wine and Beer
Soon to move next to Henry's in North Beverly, so you can pick up your specialty foods and wine in one spot!

Heirloom Kitchen Linens

My aunt passed on to me some antique kitchen linens that were owned older relatives. I love collecting these treasures as they're made so much better than anything you can buy today, plus they have sentimental meaning. One had an embroidered "C" for me maiden name and others say "Buon Giorno" - "good day" in Italian.

Joined Beverly Main Streets

After getting a jasmine tea at Atomic this morning, I went to my first meeting for Beverly Main Streets. They are a local non-profit in my city that helps promote the downtown businesses. Since new developments and residential housing have started popping up (like my building), the focus is changing to accommodate new residents as well.
I'm on the promotions committee and I'm thrilled to help market the downtown area as a great place to live, shop and dine. One of the reasons we bought in Beverly and specifically where we did, is because of the planned development of downtown.
The MBTA has planned a new parking garage next to our building with residential and retail space and will break ground next year. There are plans to put a Black Cow restaurant down the street in addition to building around the train station. I'm looking forward to this area expanding and growing.
I really think people are moving toward supporting local businesses and away from big box stores and chains. That's one of the reasons I started this blog. I hope to write about and show you some of the great businesses, services and people of the North Shore in future posts!

Ocean Pebble Path

It really brightens the space, I think. We got some strawberries for the back corner as well.

Veggie Garden Stage 1

Yesterday we started planting the vegetable garden, well cleaning it up. That's step one. When my parents bought their house over 10 years ago, the previous owners had a great fruit and vegetable garden going. Alas, the only thing left was an overwhelming amount of blackberry bushes. The first thing we did was consolidate them into one bed and put some in a pot so we can take them to the Island and plant them on volunteer day. I figured if they grew so well with no attention in my parent's yard, they may do ok in those harsh, salty conditions.

By the end of the day we were looking pretty clean and organized. My mom and I are going to the garden shop today to get some pebbles for the path and maybe some strawberries to plant in the final bed.

I came home to discover my seeds were already sprouting, which was encouraging. The arugula has taken off, and the beans are right behind it.