Fresh Lentil and Farro Bowl

Hey y'all! It's been a while, I know.  Between class and studying for my real estate license, honeymooning in South America, business trips, ski season (more about that later this week) and spring organization projects, the first quarter of 2016 sped by at lightning speed! But I am jumping right back into the blog. First up: this super simple farro bowl recipe that's filling, delicious and won't undo your daily workout!

Farro and Lentil Salad: 

Quick side note on farro, for those of you not familiar with this super grain. Farro, a grain from a certain species of wheat, native to the Mediterranean, specifically Italy, has been used for centuries and is characterized by a distinct nutty flavor, full bite and versatility. In some regions of Italy, farro is used in lieu of arborio in risottos.  It can be cooked with milk and cinnamon and layered with fruit for a hearty breakfast (think fuel for a full day of skiing or hiking). It can be added to soups and hold up in leftovers (where pasta and other grains would go limp and mushy) and it is perfect replacement for quinoa in salads (yes, even quinoa needs a break sometimes).  So there you have it, my sales pitch for farro. Now, onto the recipe!

Feel free to prepare all of this well ahead of time - just save the fried egg til the very last moment just before ready to serve!

COOKING:
2 cups farro (cook as per the package directions, usually 2 cups farro in 4 cups water, bring to a boil and turn down to low/med until tender, approx 20 min) - remove from heat when done and set aside to cool.

2 cups beluga lentils (when I made this recipe, I couldn't find this type of lentils ANYWHERE, so I used french red lentils, NOT AS GOOD). Pick through (to make sure there are no pebbles in there), rinse and cook with 2 halved shallots, 1 bay leaf and 1/2 tsp sea salt until lentils are tender, but still firm. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

1 pint of rinsed organic grape tomatoes - toss in 1tsp olive oil, salt & pepper
Roast in the oven for 20-25 min at 400 degrees - remove from oven and set aside to cool

CHOPPING:
1 handfull of each organic fresh mint and Italian parsley - rough chopped
2 large organic carrots - peeled and cut into thin 3 inch long strips
1/2 large organic English cucumber - rinsed and cut into thin 3 inch long strips
4-5 small radishes - rinsed and sliced into thin rounds (thinner the better)
3 ounces of good feta - chop into small crumble sizes


ASSEMBLE THE SALAD:
In a large serving bowl, place 2 handfuls of your favorite lettuce mix around the edge of the bowl in a ring (I like organic baby kale or arugula)

Place all of your prepared veggies, feta, cooled farro, tomatoes and lentils in the bowl (I do this in sections just in case someone doesn't want a certain ingredient) and cover the whole thing with chopped mint and parsley.

DRESSING: ( I got this dressing recipe from Bon Appetit Magazine)
In a saute pan heat 1/4 cup olive oil on medium heat.  Add 1 tsp whole coriander seeds and swirl in the skillet until fragrant (about 1-2 minutes) Add spice-oil mix to 3 table spoons of sherry vinegar and toss with salt & pepper.

FRIED EGG GOODNESS:
In a pan, cook 2-4 eggs to your liking.  For me I like them over easy - velvety yolky goodness adds a delectable richness to the bright and crisp salad.  Meanwhile, Ty likes them over medium with that little bit of crispness on the edges. Either way - delish!

 I used a non stick ceramic pan to avoid using oil  - it's to balance out those days where I douse my veggies in butter...life is about balance - right?!

Serve with a crusty artisan bread and a chilled glass of sauvignon blanc and enjoy!

Happy cooking (and eating!),
xoxo,
Bee

Paper Heaven - The Paper Pony Co.

I love paper products .  Greeting cards, stationary, note pads for my grocery lists and thank you notes (especially thank you notes, see? Dying art of the thank you note...).  I especially appreciate when I find ones that are both witty and pretty.  

Since it is the season of giving and holiday cheer, I wanted to let y'all in on my secret weapon in the card department - The beautiful and off-beat (and oh so hilarious) Paper Pony Co.

Paper Pony Co. is designed and illustrated by the very talented, Talia Gavish.  Since launching the company this year, Talia has produced a myriad of awesomeness - Art Prints, Custom Stationary, Greeting Cards, Holiday Cards, Gift Tags, Stickers and even Custom Portraits.  ( She designed custom stationary for me to give as a holiday gift, and it came out AMAZING!). On top of all this talent, Talia is a joy to work with, and her passion for this business shows in every interaction with her customers.

Here is a selection of some of my favorites! If you need some last minute holiday gifts, or Happy New Year Cards, hit up her website asap, and order away!

Happy shopping!

xoxo,

Bee

Road trip to Lake Tahoe...

My mom took a cross-country road trip when she was 21, from Albany, NY to San Francisco, CA.  In her frequent recollections of the trip, she always told me that Lake Tahoe was one of the most stunning places she saw along the route, and all of the beauty made the long drive worthwhile.

Earlier this year, when we moved to the West Coast, I thought "Gee, we're so close to Lake Tahoe now. {my oldest friend} Zanne moved there last winter. We should totally drive down and visit one weekend".  Little did I know that it was a 13 hour drive in good weather with no traffic.  

Disclaimer: I am from New England...where you can drive from Mid-coast Maine to Southern Connecticut in 6 hours. 5 states in 6 hours.  So I totally thought that Seattle to Tahoe would be a 7 hour drive.  Maximum.  Yet again,I was reminded that the West Coast is HUGE.

Regardless of the long haul, my husband LOVES Lake Tahoe, and is never one to shy away from an epic road trip. Especially one that allows him to put his 4motion Passat and new snow tires to the test.

Last Thursday, we hopped in the car with the dog and our ski gear and we hit the road.  The first leg was simple enough, Seattle to Eugene, OR- where we spent the night at a LaQuinta (FYI, they are pet friendly hotels).  

Friday, we awoke before sunrise, like eager children on Christmas morning.  The drive was lovely, with big views of Mt Shasta, long snow-dusted climbs through the Siskiyous and vast open valleys that brought us into Nevada. Reno, heavily sprinkled with casinos and commerce, was a stark contrast. From Reno we climbed Mt Rose, the final mountain before descending upon the lake, was a maze of switchback turns each one revealing impressive vast views of the Nevada desert below.  

And then, suddenly around an unassuming bend, was this....Lake Tahoe - a deep deep blue lake, surrounded by jagged mountains, snuggled into a fresh blanket of snow. It was indeed, a stunner.

My girlfriend lives on the Nevada California state line, just off the lake (and around the corner from what used to be Frank Sinatra's mountain home!).  After stretching our legs we geared up and headed for Boreal, where we enjoyed some night skiing.  I hadn't been skiing in over 8 years, and was nervous that I would be a total disaster.  But, I rather impressed myself.  I made it off the lift without making a scene, and took some careful turns to get my bearings.  I was pleasantly surprised and had a BLAST!

Saturday, we took an awesome sight seeing tour around the lake, stopping along the way for photos, shopping, and warming cocktails. Catching up with friends was so wonderful, and in such an amazing spot.  Unfortunately, given the winter storm pushing in Sunday, we left earlier than expected.  

The drive back to Washington was a wild adventure to say the least. To avoid road closures on our incoming route, we decided to go East to avoid the snow, on smaller rural roads.  But the snow found us.  We drove through blustery storms and roads buried in compact snow for close to 400 miles.  On various occasions, we were stopped for over an hour on a 2 lane road, 50 miles from any intersecting roads, due to accidents.  Being delayed was a total bummer, but man, I have NEVER been stuck in traffic in such a picturesque place. As we crossed into Washington late on Sunday night, we began to see shooting stars.  It was the Geminids meteor shower, and it was terrific!

All in all, it was a LOT of driving, 30 hours in total.  But, spending quality adventure time with my husband, catching up with a dear friend, exploring a stunning place...well, it's just like my mom said it was - totally worth it. 

Sunrise outside Eugene

Captain at the helm

Road trip selfie with Mae

Driving through the Siskiyous

Crossing into Nevada

Descending Mt Rose into Lake Tahoe...HEAVEN

Night skiing at Boreal

Happy Christmas puppy by the fire

Drink Tahoe Brew

Around the lake tour

I slipped so many times on the snow...as if I'd never walked on snow before

Rainbows in Reno

Oregon roads

Breath-taking sunset

Happy road trippin'!

xoxo,

Bee

It's beginning to look a lot like...

CHRISTMAS!

I love the holidays.  The  laughter of friends and family, the endless evergreen branches, the warmth of a roaring fire, the smell of balsam scented candles, the ribbons and twinkle lights...I love it all.
It is an undeniably magical season.

For me, the kick off to the season is always the acquisition of the Christmas Tree. Last week, to commemorate our first year living here, we went old fashioned, and got National Forest Service permits to cut down our own tree in the woods. On Saturday, our friends Blake and Kristen came over and we all piled into my Father-in-law's 1986 jacked up Ford Econoline van, headed for the mountains. About 30 miles and 3000 feet of elevation gain and it felt like we were driving inside of a snow globe.

After searching for the best trees, we cut down a couple of beauties, and headed back to the van to load them in and warm up with cocoa and cinnamon buns.

It was a great day with great friends in this unreal place that we call home. Stay tuned to see how we dressed up the tree, and how we decorated our home for the holidays!

Cheers and happy tree hunting!
xoxo, Bee

Adventures in Wreath Making...

I should probably start this post at the beginning of the week...On Tuesday, we woke up to 65 mph winds and rain that took down trees all over the Western Washington area.  Around 9 am, as predicted, our power and internet went down.  So, Ty and I hopped in the car headed for our favorite coffee shop to work.  At the end of the dirt road, just past our mail boxes we saw it - a downed pine tree that landed clear across our one lane road balanced on the power lines.  Just to be clear here, this is literally the ONLY way off the ridge that we live on.  So until a utility truck could come up and move it, we were trapped.

Being the true mountain man that he is, my lumberjack of a husband didn't hesitate for a moment. We turned around, headed for home where he promptly loaded the 1984 Ford Van with a chainsaw, and headed back for that tree. He fired up the saw, and expertly detached the limbs of the pine, careful not to upset the power lines that it was precariously balanced on.

How could I not record this?

As I stood there in the rain, watching him toss boughs of sweet-smelling pine to the side of the road, it struck me, I should make holiday wreaths! So, Wednesday afternoon, when the power was finally restored, Mae and I took a walk down the road, gathered a giant pile of downed branches and began to plan!

Yesterday, I finally had time to gather the materials I needed at Michael's (floral wire, feather accents, mini LED lights, and wreath frames), and set up shop in my father-in-law's workshop.  

Never having done them before, the first one took a while to master, but once I got the hang of it, I was rolling through them with ease. The steps are simple: snip branches, arrange them to your liking, place on the frame, and wire them down.  I used a continuous wrap around method initially to get the branches in place, and individual wires to get the precise look I wanted at the end.

I loved the feathers I found, though a bit expensive.  I also used a laser-cut "Seasons Greetings" ornament I had laying around, and pine cones. and a monogrammed frame.  Other ideas that would look great: bows, the classic wreath adornment, pretty colored ball ornaments, acorns, citrus fruits, small apples, a cranberry garland, succulents, seashells, a mix of different greens, moss (which we have oodles of around here) dried flowers....anything is possible when you use your imagination!

Happy Decorating!

xoxo,

Bee