Nasturtium and Steak Salad

Downgrading to a deck as opposed to a full backyard garden has been a bit of a struggle for me this year. I love to garden, and being outside in a beautiful area I have created is one of my top five favorite things. The bonus to having to only plant in pots is that herbs are one of the top candidates, and spending less time on weeding flower and vegetable beds has giving me a new love for growing my own herbs. I have quite the collection this year, including Lavender, Thyme, Rosemary, Oregano, Sage, Lemon Balm, Mint, and Nasturtium. I have grown most of these before, but Nasturtium was a new herb for me. I got excited about growing it after having the flowers in a bag of salad greens I purchased at our local farmer's market. The flowers and leaves are edible, and have a tart fresh taste similar to a watercress or arugula. They also look gorgeous! My first blooms opened a few days ago, and I decided to make a salad in honor of the farmer's market that had inspired me. I used beef bought from a booth at the market, and all the other produce is either from my garden, the Farmer's market, or the local co-op.

Nasturtium and Steak Salad

1. Heat oil in a sauté pan on medium-high heat

2. Pan fry the steak cutlets, seasoned with salt and pepper, until well browned on each side and juices run clear when the steak is pressed gently

3. While the meat is cooking chop up mushrooms, scallions, cherry tomatoes, and petite sweet peppers and arrange on a bed of mixed greens

4. The nasturtium simple needs to be picked off the plant, the stems, leaves, and flowers are all edible. Add them to the salad.

5. Slice the steak and place in the center of the salad, sprinkle with feta cheese and add olive oil and vinegar, or any preferred dressing

Ingredients

Nasturtium leaves and flowers

2 scallions, chopped

5 cremini mushrooms, sliced

5 cherry tomatoes, halved

3-4 petite sweet peppers, chopped

1 3oz thinly cut sirloin steak

Feta cheese

Salt, pepper, olive oil, vinegar

Taiwan!

Recently I was privileged enough to travel to San Francisco and Taiwan with one of my best friends. She was adopted from Taiwan as a baby, and has been back every few years to see her home country and keep in contact with her birth mother. Luckily enough she asked me to come along this time, and after a year of saving we made the trip! I had never been to Asia before, and truthfully didn't really know what to expect. It was more than incredible. The people were kind, there was so much color and beauty everywhere, and the food was delicious!! I hope to one day be able to go back, but for now here are a few (out of 898) pictures so that you all can share this wonderful experience with me.

A hot spring spa we went to on one of our last days

One out of thousands of beautiful Buddhist carvings at a mountain-top cemetery

Some fish at one of the many street markets

Night Life in Taipei

Part of a temple at a shrine in Taipei

Candies for sale at another street market

One of the many random sitting areas scattered all around the country

New Knitting!

I have been obsessed with teaching myself to knit recently. I had learned a few years ago, but got discouraged when I wasn't getting very far and kind of gave up. One of my new friends is an amazing knitter, and she has inspired me to dive right in again! So, knowing basic stitches and having more free time that before, I have picked out a pattern inspired by this gorgeous cowl neck made by Burberry. Of course, it is $750, so I will be saving quite a lot by making it myself!




My friend introduced me to Ravely.com, which is an amazing knitting website for any of you knitters out there. There are forums, patterns, yarns, discussions, groups, anything you could wish for from a knitting website. On ravelry I found someone who had already recreated this cowl neck, and had a pretty easy to follow pattern. This is her rendition:

So off I went to the Sow's Ear, which is an awsome cafe and knitting shop in Verona, WI. I found the most beautiful, amazing, luxurious yarn I have ever laid hands on! It is called Soft Chunky and is made by Twinkle. I picked a rosey-peachy color that will look just fab with my new taupe pea coat.

I will be sure to keep you guys updated about my progress, hopefully I will finish a whole prject this time, and since I love what I have picked out so much I cannot see anything but success in my future!

These are a few of my favorite (*vintage) things

It's not possible to be a thrift store fanatic and hate vintage. Some of my most favorite things are vintage finds I have found for cheap. Here are a few of my best thrift store vintage finds!


A brooch I found at a Goodwill in LaCrosse, WI. I've also used it as a hair clip by pinning it to a barrette.

Some of the coolest sunglasses EVER!! These I actually got from my best friend. They belonged to her mother in the 70's, so they are straight vintage.

This ring my mom actually brought back from me from Georgia the country. She found it at a street fair in the center of the city she was staying in.

This amazing couch belonged to my grandma. For a graduation gift my mom got it refinished and reupholstered for me. One of my most treasured things.

These books belonged to my mom when she was growing up. She loved the books, and gave them to me when I first started reading.

Earrings from Savers. Fabric covered button earrings.

A jacket/robe. This I found at Goodwill in LaCrosse, WI. One of my favorite lounging outfits when I want to feel a little luxurious :)

This is a fun shirt that I found at one of my favorite places: Dig and Save. This is a place filled with huge cardboard bins full of clothes, which you have to dig through to find gems like this!

the honey is all in the bee

so, I know this blog has a bee title, and this is going to be a bee post, but I promise that it will change topics everyday, I just figured for a first post I would keep the theme going :).
I have always been really interested in bees. Even growing up I was never the child who screamed and ran away, I was more likely to get in close to a hive to see what was happening. Knowing this, when I was 15 my mom bought be a book about the history of bees. It was soon one of my favorites, and is one of my most dog-eared, worn-down books. The title is "Sweetness and Light". It is a beautifully written book all about the history and the current affairs of the Honey Bee.



Did you know that a honey bee can go miles from its hive, but once it is done collecting pollen it instinctivly knows the quickest way back to the colony?

Also, bees are one of the only creatures who can only survive by working together in a group to produce honey, honeycomb, and protect their queen.



These amazing little insects are in peril. Hive diseases have cut numbers drastically and pollution, neglect, and urban sprawl have brought their population to the lowest it has been in recorded history. Thank goodness at least some people have taken notice, because the popularity of beekeeping, even as a simple hobby, has started rising. lets do our part to help support bees and one of the worlds perfect sweeteners, honey.

Here is a super simple recipe that uses honey, and is one of my breakfast staples.

Cinnamon-Honey Butter
1/2 Stick butter, softened
1/4 cup Honey - locally bought (using local honey is not only delicious, but it also can help with allergies since it is made from plants in your area!)
1/2 Tbsp cinnamon

Just mix them all together and you will have the best spread for toast you have ever tasted. It is also really great on squash, inside pastries, or glazed on chicken

popping my blog cherry

well here I am, finally joining 21st century ideas! I have always been a bit stuck in the past, but it is finally time to join the blogosphere. Summer has finally come in Madison, and with that a lot of changes in my life. I'm starting a new job at my dream profession, working at an Inn. I get to cook, clean, decorate, and spend time with people from all over the world, and I love it! With this blog I hope to have a place to be myself, share my ideas, and have an outlet to be even more creative. Let the honey flow!