Ice, ice baby.

Such a pretty drive to work today...


It took me an extra hour to get into the office because I couldn't stop pulling over and snapping photographs. Everything was beginning to melt so big drops of water were falling on and all around me. Hearing and feeling rain, having the sensation of rain, without actual rain was pretty wild. And made me smile fabulously :)

McCooles skarpifny night

Some girlfriends and I recently visited McCoole's at the Historic Red Lion Inn in Quakertown. McCoole's is a great little historic place on the corner of Broad and Main in Quakertown. Their tag line is "Upscale atmosphere for the working person's wallet." That's definitely the vibe they have going. It reminds me of a place your parents would've taken you to celebrate a birthday or Father's Day. It's elegant, but not luxurious.

I've eaten in the dining room before, this time our primary mission was snacks and drinks, so we opted for the bar area. The inn was recently renovated and is quite warm, very welcoming and absolutely has that old, upscale saloon feel. The walls are all wood paneled in rich tones, the foyer is deep with layers of tile, plants and comfy yet period-appropriate furniture. Most importantly, the service is brilliant.

The bartenders and waiters are helpful and fun (besides the usual veg*n questions, we had celiac ones as well), and the service is quick. Our chef even came out to hand deliver one of our dishes. Do you know why chefs jackets have a pen-holder pocket in the sleeve, not the chest? Hmmm...

This particular group of ladies are my first and only "girlfriends." I have girls that are friends, of course, but never had I, a complete set of honest-to-goodness girlfriends, until these four. You know that group of chatty, laughing, silly girls who talk about boys and relationships and sex, and now also about husbands and children and homes? The ones who go out for Girls Night? Yeah. Never had 'em.

That is, until I met these fine women when we worked together five years ago. They are the most intelligent, ridiculous, confident, honest, caring and passionate women I've ever met. Seriously, they rock. And they introduced me to what all this hubub about having girlfriends and a Girls Night is. It's just fun! :)


So, that's four of the five skarpifny ladies. Nancy, Stefanie, me and Emily went out and toasted our other member Ellie, who abanded us for a boy in North Carolina ;)

And what is this skarpifny I speak of?

It's our gang, yoh.

Respect.

We had some dee-lish food including a Roasted Vegetable Salad that was chock-full of roasted vegetables (not just a couple thrown on top), a Roasted Pepper and Eggplant Napolean and duh, french fries :)

The menu is extensive, and the staff seemed more than willing to adjust any item to suit tastes and needs. You can check out the whole menu here: http://www.mccoolesredlioninn.com/menu.html. But honestly, brussel sprouts were the vegetable of the day and they have Spaten on tap. What else do you need?

McCoole's at Red Lion Inn
4 S Main Street
Quakertown, PA 18951
215.538.1776
http://www.mccoolesredlioninn.com/

PS: After McCoole's, these vests were liberated by Emily and Nancy from the shadowy grips of Stef- er, ahem, someone's closet. For the record, would you please assure her that they will never be back in style?

CSA crop share 25

So. Sad.

The last Blooming Glen CSA pick up of the season :(


It just doesn't look like it's finished, does it? That's a big, yummy, colorful share. Heck, it's bigger than the the first one we got in May.

You know, if Tricia and Tom really loved us, they would've slowly weened us beginning a month or so ago, so that by this week we would have each received a half rotted onion, a couple rabbit-chewed heads of lettuce and a handful of gnarly carrots. Instead, they continued to give us huge, beautiful lots of produce up until the last week.

Sigh.

We'll be waiting not-so patiently BG - have a great winter!

PS: You all voted today, right?!

CSA crop share 24

Sisters are the best :) I did the pick up (check out Tricia's ghost - spooky!) and Brookie did the splitting (and took the photos of the goods).


Is that a pizza box hiding behind those veggies... ;)

CSA crop share 23

Hey! Where is the photograph of the CSA board? You know, the one that records the quatities?

Hm, maybe my SISTER would know. I'll check :)

***
Edit: Here it is!

***

CSA crop share 22

We've got produce.

That is all.

:)

CSA crop share 21

Jase took the camera to go look at a used pellet stove after work. That means I went to pick up the share without the camera. So, here's what I've been able to recall from my memory:

1 bok choy
2 onions (I think we were supposed to only get one, but when Avery and I went through our respective halves, we each grabbed one)
1/2 pound sweet peppers
1 celeriac (celery root) (we grabbed an extra from the sharing table)
1 winter squash
3/4 pound swiss chard and/or collards and/or kale (we chose kale and swiss chard)
2 pounds sweet and/or red potatoes
3 leeks
1 pint strawberries (yes! strawberries! still!) (pick your own)
1 bunch thyme (pick your own)
1 bunch oregano (pick your own)
1 bunch basil
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch dill

And, here is the awful photograph we took late tonight. After football practice, after dinner, after finishing homework. Not very pretty photos this week, but still:

Check out the celery root, yoh:

CSA crop share 20

Adorable turnips? You bet!


Herbs! Thyme, cilantro, oregano, dill.


Winter squash, I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with you.


Purple! Kale, beets, basil.

CSA crop share 19

You'll be surprised by whom the Blooming Glen CSA bootie is brought to you by this week... See below :)


It's the hampie poo! :D While we (Brookie, Avery and I) were unloading the produce for photographs, Avery grabbed his hamster for a roll around the yard in his super duper glow in the dark ball. Isn't he the sweetest?


Avery's all, "Yoh, gimme my hamster back, Auntie Brooke." "Dood hamster is chillin' in the sun man, relax."

Anyway.... Yeah, EIGHT POUNDS of green heirloom tomatoes. Apparently, they're done ripening for the season. Tricia the farmer provided us with a Green Tomato Relish recipe in this week's newsletter. We haven't tried it yet, but I I had to post it now for two reasons: One, just in case any of you could use it ('tis the season, you know), and two, because it's Tricia's grandma's recipe (too special to wait):

Nanny’s Green Tomato Relish
* This makes a huge batch for canning. We got over 10 pint jars. You could easily cut in half, or in third for eating fresh.
1 peck green tomatoes (roughly 20apple size)
6 large onions
6 green peppers
6 red peppers
Put through chopper and drain.

Syrup:
3 pints sugar
3 pints vinegar
1 T whole cloves, in cloth or tea ball
1 stick cinnamon
Boil quite awhile (20 min.?), remove cinnamon stick and cloves. Pour over relish.

Add:
1 T Salt
1 T celery see
1 T mustard see
Boil 20 mins.

Process in boiling water canner for 15 min.

Let us know if you try the recipe - or, share any other green tomato recipes that you have! :)

Nockamixon State Park

After the last couple dreary days, posting about our sunny Labor (not Memorial :P) Day is a nice break :)


We went to Nockamixon State Park in Upper Bucks County (between Haycock and Bedminster townships). The park is over 5,200 acres surrounding the 1,450-acre Lake Nockamixon - the largest lake in Bucks County - and it must be one of the most beautiful reasons to live in this area.

There are hiking trails, horseback riding trails, a swimming pool, rental cabins and boats, picnic areas with grills, and walking/bike paths. The Tohickon Creek runs into the lake, and you'll often find kayakers there in June and November, when water is released from the lake's dam, turning it into whitewater perfect for an aquaholic. It's a great spot for birthdays, Father's Days, and Momma's Days. There's something for everyone to do. And, it's 15 minutes from our front door :)



We've been known to pack up the Party Car* (my dad's Volvo wagon) with bikes, kayaks, frisbees, dogs, fishing poles and picnic food to spend the whole day there. Avery inherited his Grandpa Dan's high energy, hyperactive, short attention span personality, and, let's be honest, that's the real reason why we love Nocakamixon.

*please read that as "Potty Cah." We're from Rhode Island :P

The two of them can go from fishing, to a spin around the lake in the kayak, to a bike ride, to taking photographs, to sneaking off to buy an ice cream eclair from the boat rental building (yes, we saw you :P) and back again without bothering those of us who prefer a slower pace of reading the newspaper, cooking veggie burgers, playing cards and meditating on the landscape. The park is fun for the whole family, as they say :)

My pops didn't go with us this time, and we kept it low key, only bringing the bikes, Avery's fishing gear and a tote with a couple books and the newspaper for Jase and me, some water and trial mix and a blanket. And the camera, of course.

Avery "fished" a bit. He's more into the process and the different lures and the weights than he is about actually fishing. Which works out great because he never catches (read: never harms or kills) anything :) He's much more content when his hands are doing something, and so usually abandons fishing once he's organized, tested out, then reorganized his gear. He's good at finding stuff to build; this time it was a raft made of sticks, a discarded styrofoam cup and fishing line.


While Avery was building and launching his raft, Jase and I read, and we all observed bugs.

You'll notice that the stick bug and the spider are missing legs. We also saw a grasshopper with a missing leg. I don't know if this is the usual state of bugs at the end of the summer, but hey, it makes sense, right? Spending all summer battling birds, bigger bugs, little toddlers, adolescent boys and footsteps. Come August, it's like the end of a war. Note that the tank looking bug with armor and spikes has all of her appendages. I don't think that's a coincidence, kids. (More pictures here.)

It was a great trip to Nockamixon, as usual. We were a bit sad to be saying goodbye to summer, but the lake gave our spirits a little boost and helped our heads get ready for another school year.

I'll leave you with encouragement to visit the park, with no worries that summer is nearly over. If it's too cool for picnics, there are plenty of great eating places, and check out The Wagon Wheel and The Raven's Nest for incredible music.

It's absolutely gorgeous in the fall, as you can imagine. There's the water release in November that lures river rats from all over. My dad and his buddies run the release every year, and were even featured in a photo essay in Bucks County magazine last year. We spent Thanksgiving in one of the cabins, which was just lovely - who knew family holidays could be so quiet and serene - and include hiking? In the winter you'll find cross country skiers, ice skaters and ice fishers.

And hey, let us know if you go! :)

Nockamixon State Park: http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/Parks/nockamixon.aspx

Happy Friday!

We had a field trip today at work - fun!

Sam, Trish, Nancy (that's her pictured) and I went to to the Delaware Valley College's Market on Lower State Road in Doylestown to pick up lunch. And some extras, because it's just impossible to go in and pass up all the local grown goodness. In addition to farmers market fare, the Market also has a nice selection of natural and organic foods, a bakery, a coffee bar, a prepared foods deli, a small ice cream stand, and an incredible selection of desserts. Desserts like peanut butter pie. Zomg!

The market's structure is pretty awesome. It's really a big classroom where students from DelVal College (most known for their agriculture programs). The Market provides a one-of-a-kind, hands-on opportunity for students in all areas of study:

"Learning is brought down to earth, while real-life experience is elevated to an unparalleled level of excellence.

"Business Administrations majors can handle The Market’s daily operations, including ordering, invoice processing, staff management and marketing. In the kitchen, Food Management majors can make sure supplies are available,handle prep work and hire kitchen personnel. Horticultural students can handle the daily care of orchards, vegetable gardens, and other growables. Community outreach programs can be organized and run by Education majors. A market newsletter can be written and produced by Written Communication majors, and the College’s Ornamental Horticulture department can landscape The Market’s exterior areas."

How cool is that? I can't think of a better way to gain knowledge than through this type of learning-by-doing education.

There were lots of DelVal-grown lovelies avaialable this trip: eggplant, zucchini, patty pan squash, yellow squash, different varieties of tomatoes, peaches and red, yellow and green bell peppers are some. Other locally grown produce (broccoli and romaine, red leaf and greef leaf lettuce) was displayed as well. So pretty :)




















The last picture is what I took back to tthe office. For less than ten bucks. Sweet! Clockwise from left that's a quarter peck of DelVal peaches, Stuart's Rootbeer, Terra Blue chips, Del Val spicy string beans, DelVal three bean salad (that had colorful Del Val peppers in it, too) and my Market club card. Not sure what the card does for me yet, but I use it :)

The Market at Delaware Valley College: http://www.devalcol.edu/themarket/about.htm

Saturday night in D-Town

Support your local eateries, musicians and clubs!

We celebrated Jason's momma's birthday tonight. Sharon is many things, but food adventurer is not one of those. Jase asked around and found a real American restaurant right in Doylestown, aptly named, The American Kitchen; as well as a great after dinner music spot, Puck.

At the American Kitchen, Jason had the Four Cheese Pasta with Shrimp, his brother Dean had the Meatloaf, Sharon had the Salmon and I had the Goat Cheese with Spinach Salad and Beets appetizer for dinner. Yummm.

A couple blocks walk after dinner, and we were at Puck on Printers Alley. For a $7 cover charge, we were jamming to the sounds of Steve Brosky + The Big Little Band. Puck is in a basement level space, and oozes a Chicago blues funk, f the man vibe. The neon red vertical- reading Puck sign on the side of the building is the perfect avante garde backdrop to the club's outdoor seating and eating area. The patio is defined by, and centered around, a huge, phenomenally beautiful mermaid garden fountain.

Past the outside area, your drawn downstairs by a set of cement, red velvet roped stairs and into the bar. There, your sure to be met my an outgoing, friendly and hip staff. And more red velvet ropes :) Once through the lobby, the popping red and black color scheme and basement factory tone becomes lush and welcoming.


We had a couple drinks at the bar, then moved to a small table toward the stage. Once the band started, a space cleared for a dance area, drinks flowed and the bodies jammed. The band was playing the crowd quite nicely and even acquiesced to Jason's hollering of "DOMINO" after they mentioned Neil Young. Of course, they made him (and his girlfriend and mom) get out onto the dance floor once they started playing his request :)

One thing about partying in Doylestown? There's no cab service. Make sure you have your designated driver process in place. We didn't. I tried calling for a cab from the closest taxi company, in Horsham (with the help of an incredibly gracious, sweet, funny and knowledgeable Puck team member), but they wouldn't pick us up. Boo. We ended up walking to Sharon's house and going back to pick up the car later.

Still, we had an awesome time. We'll absolutely be back to The American Kitchen, Puck and to see Steve Brosky + the Little Band again :)