This weekend I decided to make a little bunny doll for the baby, inspired by some that Meg received as a gift. Only trouble was the fabric store had such great patterns this weekend, and my husband turns out to be excellent at finding great pattern pairings. And so my one-doll project turned into a family-of-dolls project. One down, four to go!
—Ellie
As I near the end of my pregnancy (yes, it’s really true — my little girl is due in 5 weeks!), I’m starting to wrap things up with work and make some plans for the rest of the year. For those who are curious, I will be taking July and August completely off work, with my dear assistant Melissa P. around to keep things running while I’m out. I’ll be back to work with baby in tow in September, and will enjoy the slow winter months without worrying about holiday shows or products. Which means, basically, that from the time the baby arrives in July until January, I’ll be toting her around wherever I go. A new little Hello Tenfold helper! I can not wait. Come January, I’ll be back to my regular work days and we’ll all just keep our fingers crossed that the most perfect child care situation lands in my lap between now and then, right?
Part of all this transitioning means taking on a little less for the remainder of the year. One of the first changes you’ll notice is that I’ve made the tough decision to slow things down on the blog a bit. It’s hard to believe that it’s been over a year since I first added regular paid contributors to Mint! It’s been such an honor to work with talented blog friends, including Melissa, Maddy, Natalie, Tori, and Chiara. But in an effort to reduce some costs during this period of transition, I’ll be writing the majority of the posts on Mint for the immediate future. I still hope to have daily posts (I’m already stock-piling for those early baby days!), and am sure that as my life changes the content on Mint is bound to reflect those changes too. I’ll still have occasional guest posts from other bloggers, and Melissa P. will continue to help me with posts here and there.
A huge thanks to all of my contributors, who shared their expertise in food posts, fashion, entertaining, and home decor this past year. (Melissa will be around for a little while longer, so keep an eye out for a few more Wednesday morning posts from her!) Be sure to visit their blogs and shops (links above) to keep up.
And a huge thanks to you guys, for sticking with me after all these years… 5 and counting!!
—Ellie
The painting is called “The Leap” by Harriet Bellows.
Today I’m excited to have Jessica from green tea and kimchi here on Mint to share three of her favorite summer salad recipes. Jessica is a food blogger and brand new mom, who just made the move from Korea back home to the US. (As a side note, be sure to check out this post on recycling some of your old clothing into baby items. Brilliant!) Thanks Jessica!
—Ellie
Life as a new mom can certainly be enough to change one’s cooking style. Since my son made his way into our world earlier this spring, I have had the pleasure of cooking up a family meal here and there but certainly not as often as I did pre-baby. Now that the little one and i are getting to understand each other better and settling into more of a routine, I’m finding myself in the kitchen more and more and it feels great to be back!
Still, time is precious so a simple vibrant salad seems to make its way to my table most days. And with the weather warming up, crisp summer salads are just what my body craves. I’ve been experimenting with a monochromatic scheme and have quite enjoyed the splash of color on my plate this season. Here are a few of my recent favorites…
PAPAYA CARROT SALAD
a handful of baby spinach
a handful of arugula
a carrot or two
a 2 inch round of papaya, seeds removed
a handful of strawberries
a scallion
Layer the spinach and arugula on a plate. Scrub the carrots and slice into ribbons, using a vegetable peeler. Layer on top of the greens. Slice the papaya and strawberries as thinly as possible and add to the salad. Sprinkle some finely chopped scallions on top and drizzle with citrus vinaigrette.
CITRUS VINAIGRETTE | combine all ingredients together and adjust to taste
a quarter cup of olive oil
juice of half an orange
juice of half a lemon
a clove of garlic, minced
>a tablespoon of stone ground mustard
a tablespoon of honey
a dash of sea salt + fresh cracked pepper
——–
RUSTIC GREEN SALAD
a handful of baby spinach
a handful of arugula
a half cup of sweet peas, fresh or frozen
a half a zucchini, sliced into half inch rounds
olive oil
sea salt
a handful of pickled grape leaves (optional)
a stalk of celery, finely chopped
Layer the spinach and arugula on a plate. In a small pan, heat the peas with just a splash of water on low for 2-3 minutes, until water has evaporated. Set on top of the greens. In the same pan, saute the zucchini in just a bit of olive oil (too much will result in soggy zucchini) and a generous sprinkling of salt, until lightly browned. layer over the greens. Add a few grape leaves and a bit of celery and top with creamy cilantro avocado dressing.
CREAMY CILANTRO AVOCADO DRESSING | combine all ingredients together and adjust to taste
a half cup of olive oil
a quarter cup of apple cider vinegar
a clove of garlic, minced
half an avocado, mashed
a handful of cilantro leaves, finely chopped
a dash of sea salt + fresh cracked pepper
——–
POMEGRANATE BEET SALAD
a handful of spring greens
a handful of arugula
half a beet, scrubbed well
a quarter of a red onion
a few red radishes of any variety
kalamata olives, pits removed and sliced in half
pomegranate seeds
a few leaves of fresh basil (optional)
Layer the spinach and arugula on a plate. slice the beet, onion and radishes as thinly as possible, layering over the greens. Sprinkle the olives and pomegranate seeds over top (and basil leaves, if using) and drizzle with pomegranate vinaigrette.
POMEGRANATE VINAIGRETTE | combine all ingredients together and adjust to taste
a quarter cup of olive oil
a quarter cup of balsamic vinegar
a splash of pomegranate juice
a dash of sea salt + fresh cracked pepper
I’ve just recently gotten to know Ashley from Edible Perspective. She’s another sweet blogger from Colorado. I think I’m naturally drawn to those Coloradans (Oh Ladycakes, Happyolks, Half Baked Harvest). If I’m not moving there myself next summer, I may just cry. In the meantime, I’m living vicariously through their beautiful blogs. Ashley keeps it seasonal, fresh, healthy, and always delicious. I’m also a little smitten with her latest bathroom reno. She’s a true renaissance woman.
—Melissa
What is your best memory in the kitchen (current or past)?
I have to mention two, but I’ll keep them quick! 1 – During the summer when I was growing up my dad would haul in gigantic zucchini from our garden and my mom and I would get busy baking zucchini bread. Loaf after loaf after loaf. We made it all summer long and passed out the loaves to family + friends. The best was when we would add chocolate chips to the batter! The time in the kitchen with my mom was always treasured. 2 – I absolutely love cooking brunch or dinner for family and friends. I find it so relaxing to sit around the table and enjoy homemade food with my favorite people. A little wine never hurts, either!
Whats the best thing about your kitchen?
We really maximized storage + counter space in our kitchen when we gutted the entire thing two years ago. It’s 10×12 in size–so not huge–but there is plenty of room for two people to work at the same time without knocking elbows, and extra tall cabinets and deep storage drawers maximize every inch of space. I definitely need it with my ever-growing collection of plates + bowls for food photography!
What is your favorite meal to prepare?
I don’t know if I have an all-time favorite meal to prepare but one recipe I’ve been making nonstop lately is a lemon, olive oil, and roasted garlic pasta with spinach, lentils, and sun-dried tomatoes. It’s simple + satisfying and you can add whatever vegetables are in season. Asparagus + kale have been my favorite additions!
What does your dream kitchen look like?
I really love our kitchen now but sometimes imagine larger windows allowing for more natural light to pour into the room. I’ve also always wanted to have an island in the kitchen where people can sit, chat, and eat while I cook. As far as the style goes I love clean lines, subway tile backsplash, white cabinets, butcher block counters, and single-basin sinks.
What 3 guests would you like to have around your dinner table?
Heidi Swanson : Mindy Kaling : Aubrey Plaza – An eclectic group that would lead to delicious food and a lot of laughs.
Amy Bennett (one of my favorites — previously posted here & here) just updated her site with some new work. Beautiful as always!
—Ellie
