sunshine on my plate, but not in the sky

Whoops...didn't cook dinner last week. But last night I used a wonderful recipe my mom had for a Mediteranean summer salad, courtesy of Sunset Magazine. A few years ago we both fell in love with a similar orzo salad at the Macaroni Grill. Anything that includes fresh basil, well shoot, I'm on board! Shout out to Trader Joe's for our very own basil plant. One change was made by substituting 1 cup of the fresh tomatoes with about a packed 1/2 cup of sun dried tomatoes for more of a flavor punch. Without a doubt this recipe will be making many more appearances in the Sontra family summer dinner rotation. 


P.S. What the heck is going on with this weather? Summer? Could've fooled me. On a happier note, I bought the fixings to make my pinwheel skirt yesterday, which will hopefully be coming to fruition soon!

If I Had A Home...

...it would be on Long Island. I'd probably be married to Linus Larrabee. There would be a garden in back where I would grow masses of blue and white hydrangea, blue delphiniums, lavender, purple allium, and peonies.

the eye of the beholder

I wish I knew where my old Raoul Dufy calendar was, because I absolutely love his work. An artist who took aspects of Impressionism, Fauvism and Cubism to make his own style, I find Dufy's paintings fun to look at. I'm sure the majority of my professors would be utterly horrified to hear me speak of art in such derogatory terms. 

Misty Eyes, Makeovers & Midnight Baking

I can't really pinpoint a specific reason why I found myself furiously fighting back tears as I first caught sight of my brother walking in to "Pomp and Circumstance" at his high school graduation early Saturday afternoon. All I really can say is that I love my brother. He's just about as awesome as it gets. I mean, HELLO, the kid was wearing Polo well before he was 5 (when the above picture was taken).

My sister and I had the house to ourselves Saturday night. We busted out the makeup bags and straighteners and Caroline, who is indeed 8 and not 18, excitedly subjected herself to my cosmetic artistry as we watched Tangled. Praise God for adult humor in children's movies, because for some embarrassing reason that was the third time I had listened to that movie. Chynna somehow managed to remain knocked out on a quilt on the floor despite the sudden musical outbursts. 

Caroline in bed and myself feeling the farthest thing from sleepy, I flipped channels in the kitchen until I landed on The Notebook. Inspired by the whole wheat molasses bread I made earlier in the week, I got out the glass jar of Grandma's and made Joy the Baker's chewy molasses cookies. The original recipe calls for chocolate chips, but I felt they would take away from the purity of the cookie. Rolled in sugar before baking, and coming out of the oven with beautiful cracks on top, these cookies were made with tenderness, no doubt influenced by the Southern comfort of the actors' smooth accents. The spicy sweet scent that lingered in the house was for lack of a better word, heavenly. I have no idea how I resisted nibbling on one as I waited for my last batch to come out of the oven at around 2:10 AM, but it was worth it to wake up at eleven and split one with my sister over breakfast. These cookies have a deep flavor that is all at once smoky, spicy, sweet, and unbelievably satisfying. All I need is my very own handsome Southern gentleman like Cal (James Marsden...swoon) to share them with on a wraparound porch.

domestic sensibilities

I'm expanding my culinary horizons this summer, starting with the stuffed peppers I made my family for dinner tonight (thanks Smitten Kitchen!). My goal: make family dinner at least once a week. I'll be looking to my Food Network friends Ina (minus all that butta) and Giada, and I'm sure a whole bunch of recipes from Real Simple as well. I may be a college student, but my taste buds deserve better than artificially colored orange powder cheese and highly processed freezer foods. And you know, it is so so so satisfying to make something that not only looks pretty, but also goes over well with your taste testers. Gotta prep for future dinner parties, ya know? 

PS. More recipe success and skirt sewing adventure documentation to come throughout the summer.

Confession.

I have a not so secret obsession.

c'est si bon

I live with 15 girls. Unbearable? Of course not! Crazy? Maybe just a little. The best experience of my life thus far? You betcha! This is where I have met my best friends. In the spirit of Jo March and selfishness, "Why can't things just stay as they are?" I don't want people to go away.

We are a really good lookin' bunch.

We go out to nummy dinners on the bay (crab cakes and plum sauce in my belly!).

We laugh...a lot.

We like to linger in the kitchen and chat.

We have mischievous late night rendezvous in the quad.

We will miss not all living together next year.

But most of all, we love each other ♥