A Chambers & A Peach-Blueberry Cobbler.

This is my stove. It's a Chambers. Which if you don't know what that is, you're normal. It's basically the oldest stove ever. Do you see all those knobs!?! It's definitely unique. Not many people have the pleasure of lighting their burners and oven every time they want to cook or bake, but I do! I'm not sure if you can tell from the picture, but there are a few features seemingly specific to a Chambers stove. One is that there is a built-in griddle on the left hand side, unfortunately I have not figured out how this works as of yet. And second, in the back on the right hand side there is a well, instead of a burner. This would be nice addition if I actually had the kettle that is designed to fit in the well, but alas that did not come with the apartment. So in sum, both of the special Chambers' features are useless to me. Oh well, at least I have 3 burners.

I've been getting more and more accustomed to my Chambers. And, given that peaches were the most recent farmers market purchase, I decided to make a cobbler. Yum, cobbler! I had also frozen some blueberries from the farmers market a few weeks ago, so I threw them in too.

Peach-Blueberry Cobbler

recipe from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, 14th edition

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

2 tbsp sugar

1 & 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup butter

5 cups peaches, sliced

1 cup blueberries

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

whipped cream or ice cream for topping!

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Combine flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl. Cut in butter, making mixture into course crumbs.

3. In a saucepan, add fruit, 1/3 (or a little more) cup sugar, 1/4 cup water, and cornstarch. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens and is bubbly. Set aside.

4. In a small bowl, stir together egg and milk, then add to flour crumb mixture. Stirring until just moistened (don't over mix). It will be very thick.

5. Transfer fruit to a square baking dish. Using a spoon, drop topping into large mounds on top of filling.

6. Bake for 20-25 minutes (mine took 20 minutes, that's how awesome the Chambers oven is). Let cool and then serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

It All Ends.

Happy Harry Potter 7.2 Day!

Perhaps you should celebrate with a little butterbeer?

I found this recipe through foodgawker, and I thought the slushy aspect of it was quite refreshing.

It's easy to make and tastes amazing, I didn't make any changes to the original recipe.

We are going to a 9pm show of the movie tonight with some friends. It's probably slightly pathetic how excited I am about seeing it, but I will remain strong in my fan dedication. I'm also a little sad about the series coming to a true end...am I alone in my feelings? Anyone, anyone?

saying goodbye and hello.

It all seemed to end rather quickly. One minute I am a grad student living in Denver and the next I am an unemployed graduate living in San Francisco. What happened? Where did the last two years go? How did I finish school so quickly? Am I really prepared for life after graduate school?

It feels somewhat strange being back in SF with nothing to do, no schedule to follow, no greater purpose than editing my cover letter over and over again and organizing our apartment life into 850 square feet of space. When I left Denver, I didn't really say goodbye. I focused on the things that had made me slightly bitter about living there: the oblivious/reckless drivers, the lack of good (& cheap) food, and the overabundance of sports bars and the type of people that frequent them. But, Denver was more than that to me. It was the place of our first home. It was a place of re-discovering academia, of learning more about the world around me and how I fit into it. It was the place that we adopted our first pet. And it was the place that I reconnected with old friends and met new ones along the way. Denver may not be my ideal home, but I'm glad I lived there. I'm glad that in many ways it was the right fit for where I was in life (let's not forget cheap rent is a huge plus for poor students and newlyweds) and for that I am thankful. Saying goodbye is not easy, especially when there are so many mixed emotions that are attached to it. One of my professors said that saying goodbye is a mixture of grief and relief, and I like that definition. It fits.

And now I find myself back in San Francisco. I'll admit I was worried about whether it could live up to the expectations that had been building in my head over the last two years I was away. I was (and still very much am) worried about finding a job in a market that has a rather large supply of qualified non-profit professionals. But, I am really happy (minus the no job thing, because that's a whole other post in and of itself).

I'm home. So, hello, golden gate bridge that suspends so gracefully. Hello, eucalyptus trees in the park and cheap nail salons on every corner and food that is flavorful and spicy. Hello, muni with your plethora of interesting people. And, hello, friends and family that I've missed so much. Hello, city that I love. I'm excited to get reacquainted again.

Two Years, Part 2.

Matanzas Creek Winery

Monday (June 20th), our actual anniversary, Micah and I stopped at one last winery on our way to Sonoma for lunch. I wanted to see some lavender fields, since after doing a little research, I found out that late June is the spice's harvesting season. And, I found a place that is both a winery and lavender producer.

We were still just a little early, the fields weren't quite the vibrant purple color I was imagining in my head. But, it was beautiful. In fact, it was the most beautiful winery I've been to (not that I've been to that many to really make that statement mean much).

There were some bushes that had definitely blossomed more than others.

And, since the winery was located off the beaten path, it wasn't overcrowded in the least. It was peaceful and relaxing. There was even a small painting group that had gathered and set up easels in various spots around the grounds. That should tell you how beautiful the place is, I've never seen people painting at other wineries I've visited.

The layout of the place was spectacular. There was a lounge area right outside the tasting room that beckoned our names.

Upon walking around a little more, we came upon a barn that had impressively detailed doors.

You can't really see the doors that well in the next picture, but here Micah is standing in front of the barn. Oh how I love the instagram app! It's my favorite.

Lastly, have you ever seen a bocce ball court that looked this nice?! I mean really!

After our pit stop, we headed into Sonoma and tried out the girl + the fig. It's a French restaurant and it had good reviews on yelp, but sadly I was not impressed. Our waiter was a bit of pain too, so I won't be making any special plans to go back. We started with a cheese and fruit plate, which was just okay and then spilt a fig salad and a main course, a polenta dish. My wine flight was by far the best part of the meal. And if the wine is more memorable than a restaurant's own food, that's not a good sign.

Oh well, we ended the day on a high note with ice cream from Petaluma Creamery. And once back in SF, I was able to make a glorious first trip back to Trader Joe's. Oh, T.J.'s, I've missed you so. I hear by vow to never live in a place again that does not have a T.J.'s. (Mom, you better start working on getting one in Bham, if you want me to move back!).

Happy 2nd Anniversary Babe! I love you so much!