Simple Summer Dinner - Grilled Peaches and Pork Chops

             {Photo by: Randy Mayor}

When you live where it is 95 degrees on the very first day of June the idea of rushing home from work to slave in a hot kitchen is less than appealing.  But, when your a self-admitted food snob like myself you still want to eat something super yummy just minus the heat.  This most often means that Hubs and I will sip a cool beverage of choice {last night it was an Italian Orvieto} have a some nuts or olives and wait for the insane scorching sun to turn to dusk and then fire up the grill{charcoal of course!} and so it went last night but I wanted something a little sassy so after taking stock of what I had on hand I decided to make grilled peaches and pork chops over a light salad of fresh baby greens and red cabbage.  This dish was a perfect summer meal that required minimal prep and no cooking beyond the salad was done in my house!....and could be adjusted like I did to feed two or to feed a crowd.....Winner!

Ingredients:
2 bone in porch chops
2 peaches cut in halve and pits removed
2 Tbls good balsamic vinegar (divided)
Dash of olive oil
1 Tbls lime juice
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
Salt and pepper

Wrap porch loosely in plastic wrap and give it a good beating to make it thinner...I use a sophisticated can of Campbell's soup for this ;) Mix together 1 tbl. balsamic, oil, lime juice, thyme, salt and pepper and then pour over pork chops in a plastic bag, let sit in fridge for about an hour.  Pour the remaining balsamic over the cut peach halves. After marinating these items are ready for the grill.  About 5 minutes per side on the pork (if using boneless this will probably be 3 or so) and about the same or a little less for the peaches is fine depending on how you like the texture.

While the pork marinates make a salad (the picture is arugula but I used baby greens and shredded some red cabbage because that is what I had on hand) I simply whisked some balsamic into some olive oil with salt, pepper and thyme to taste added the salad and mixed with my hands.

When ready to serve plate the salad (I sprinkled some fresh farmer cheese on it at this point) Pork chop to the side and slice the peaches to add on top. Bon appetite!

{Recipe adapted from a June 2005 edition of cooking light}

Infertility

In general I like to keep this blog fun and fresh a place for stress free inspiration and ramblings...but real life has real challenges and today I feel compelled to share a great article posted by a dear friend about the dreaded "IF" word...Infertility. Why we as women, young families, husbands and wives (me included) feel the need to drape such a veil of secrecy over such a heartbreaking disease is really just...silly, we certainly wouldn't do the same if faced with cancer, diabetes etc.....  I face Infertility every month, day, minute so isn't it my duty to break the silence and advocate for myself and the 1 in 8 who are affected? I choose to do so today.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dina-roth-port/infertility-the-disease-w_b_819978.html?ref=fb&src=sp

If you feel so inclined please take a minute to read the article above, it will make you think, perhaps urge you to reach out to a friend, or hopefully make those of you suffering in silence know that you are not alone.

Salty Dog

It's been nearly a year since I stopped blogging...I kind of quit cold turkey as our family had so much going on in 2010 and early 2011.  Lots of trips, sickness of parents, new jobs, an international move from the UK back to SC, farewell parties, welcome home parties, saying goodbye to dear friends, and saying hello again to friends from years before.  It was exhausting to say the least.  In all the madness one thing has remained, I am still striving to incorporate a vintage chic lifestyle into my daily living.  I've re-discovered old junkin' haunts of the past and found some great new ones since we've been back down south.  I've had my share of shrimp, farmers market tomatoes and fried okra.  A martini here a sweet tea bourbon there...its nice to be home.  I plan on sharpening the focus of the blog but am not quiet certain in which direction...so for now I'll take it slow and easy maybe sit on the front porch and enjoy the salty spring breezes blowing in.....oh and probably certainly have one or more of these while I figure it out ;) 

The Salty Dog

4 oz. freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
2 oz. Hendrick’s gin
1/4 teaspoon salt mixed with 1/8 tsp sugar, for rimming

Pour all ingredients over ice cubes in a highball glass rimmed with salt/sugar mixture. 
Stir well & serve. Serves 1.

Italian Love Affair

I heart Italy big time...in fact I could quite happily take the rest of my European holidays there and not bat an eye. This Italian proverb perfectly encapsulates why I and so many people have a love affair with Italy. 

Quando la pera e matura, casaca da se.....All things happen in their own good time

Italians have a great ability to go with the flow and truly operate their everyday lives in this manner.  When you go to Italy you have no choice but to slow down.  Italians themselves are chic and yet casual, refined yet unpretentious.  Their food is made from simple local ingredients that produce complex and exciting results.  The Italian language is romantic and fast but you will be embraced with a smile and understanding if you give it a try.  Italians are warm people who value the history of their cities and villages and see beauty in everyday objects. Just walking around becomes a feast for the eyes whether its a lime tree bursting with plump juicy fruits or a historic plastered building with fading fresco's.

For me Italy is perfect it ticks all the boxes for this foodie and vintage lover.  I am so lucky that my hubs knew a trip back would be a perfect birthday present for me.  This time we choose Sorrento which is on the Southern Coast south of Naples and a day trip to Capri. Our last trip to Italy was a full on visit in Rome where we packed in as many sites as possible in complete contrast we planned this to be a eat drink and be merry vacation.  Here are some  images from my trip sure to have you planning your own Italian getaway!

                                                {Sorrento Coastline}

                   {Peasant Food served at a Farm with a seating of only 20 people}

                                                                

and to Italy, until the next time... Tu sei una stella....la mia stella You are a star....my star

I heart food....

Part of leading a Vintage Chic life to me means making real food for your family with real ingredients.  People who know me know that I heart food in a slightly obessive way.  When I first get my new calender in January I go through and mark everysingle second saturday of the month as Farmer's Market Day.  I can shop farmfresh handmade cheese like a socialite shops handbags.  One day while searching for a recipe for a friend's birthday cake I came across a blog Annie's Eats that has become a go to for me when I am looking for something fun and different to make.   I now visit this site weekly and usually call my sissy to dish about the yummiest looking recipes to which I can count on her saying.... "thanks alot, that recipe is making my inner fat kid want to come out."  Lucky for those I shared these fab soft pretzels with I let my inner fat kid out...well for the night anyways...

For recipe scroll down and make sure to check out the rest of her blog!

http://annies-eats.com/2009/08/24/summer-fun-and-games-night/

Photographed in a great 1960's milkglass bowl I came across at a UK charity shop

......tip toes back in.....

life and self doubt have kept me away...I have decided to embrace all the craziness of the former and cast off the latter!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Hope your holidays are filled with family and good food! As for me, I am hoping for a healthier new year!

Spooky decor...old school style

Our time in the UK changed last night and we are feeling a bit out of sorts as a result. Our friends and family stateside have one more week to soak up what's left of the autumn sun but we are in full on blistery weather mode here.

With Halloween this upcoming weekend I was looking around for some Vintage Halloween decorating ideas. Better Homes and Gardens is one of my favorite magazines and they have a great online piece with some fab Vintage inspired spooky decor. http://www.bhg.com/holidays/halloween/indoor-decorating/vintage-halloween-decorations/

I realize that some of larger and more elaborate halloween displays might eclipse both time and budget restraints for most, but most all of us could manage something along the lines of this festive tablescape.

Photo from www.bhg.com

Wouldn't that be a fun place to gather Halloween night with friends for a bowl of chilli and a beer!

The Road Home...

Hubs and I came back from the states on the 13th but I am just now getting back into the swing of our lives here in the UK. It's been a little bit harder this time and I think that is a direct result of this trip being the best one we have had home in a long time! We were able to really spend some quality time with family and friends, although as usual we didn't get to see everyone we would have liked to I feel like we saw a lot of people without spreading ourselves to thin. Highlights of the trip home included a great weekend at Rock Creek with family, hiking and seeing the gorgeous fall leaves, a trip to http://www.downhome.com/ to see Spring Creek with my mom and dad, a UT game for Ben and tons of Mexican food and bbq....perfection! I didn't get much...no make that absolutely no vintage shopping in...but it didn't matter that's not what this trip was about. It was about seeing those we love, spinning old yarns, making new memories, touching base with our roots...checking in so to speak. Its funny living overseas we've had the amazing opportunity to see a lot of beautiful places...but fall in the mountains of East Tennessee and Western North Carolina holds its own against them all. I think I'll find a cool vintage frame for the last pic...a quick glance at it and I'm back on the road home.

On the road again.....

The hubs and I leave bright and early in the morning. We are heading stateside and I've been quietly or not so quietly singing this all day long as I debate the merits of only packing 4 pairs of shoes (merits....you can buy more there!) Ahhhh Willie...that ones for the hubs.

Besides packing and getting insanely excited about seeing family...oh and eating vats of mexican food... :) I wanted to post some pics of a quick project I threw together yesterday. I am one lucky girl, I have a dressing room...and I heart it sooooo big time! In any house we live in hereafter a dressing room for moi' will be a high priority...its good for the marriage. I have been looking for a small dressing table and yesterday while digging around I found some old scrap wood and table legs...well a few screws and a coat of french gray paint on the top later and viola' a dressing room table shabby chic and all re-used!

My tuffet that sits next to it I had classes up a couple of months ago. The hubs somewhat reluctantly had pulled that chair out of a dumpster in Germany for me last year ;) It's 1960's and was thrown out when Heidelberg University was remodeling....I remember wanting more...but appearantly carrying two dumpster chairs down the street in a foreign country is significantly more embarassing than one! I painted the back french gray as well and covered the seat with some batting and great English fabric I found at a Vintage show. I am loving how it turned out!

Sneak peak....shhhhhh

This week I've been fighting with my computer and getting ready for our trip back to the states and I've also been busy working with Kathy the incredibly talented mind behind Modern Polka Dot Designs! Check her out at http://www.themodernpolkadot.blogspot.com/

We are working on a new blog design and logo items for my "in the works" Etsy shop. She's posted the first draft of the blog design on her site...can you find it? :)

Here is a sneak at the logo...its looking good! Thanks Kathy!

Rectory Tables and Giant Apples oh my!....

We are heading home to the states for visit next week (so excited!!!) and in all the preparations that go along with that, things have been pretty crazy. However, yesterday I had the chance to sneak away for a couple of hours and hit up a riverside antique's show under the guise of helping our friend Mr. S pick out a birthday gift for Ms. S. As soon as we arrived I dropped Mr. S like a hot potato and made a b-line for this table...its a very old pine rectory table...which incidentally...I heart super big time! The table is put together with pegs and the base is painted a lovely aged french grey while the top is a gorgeous pine with the greatest patina. In short...I want this table...I feel like I am cheating on the bookcase I have been saving up for and that makes me feel a little guilty..but only a little. The show runs until Sunday and poor hubs has no idea that I am going to drag him there and ambush him.

When I got home yesterday afternoon I needed to pick some apples from the cooker tree for apple pies for a little bash we are having this afternoon. I am happy to announce that I almost certainly pretty sure just maybe might have grown the biggest apple in the UK this fall. This thing is ridiculous! I popped it on my pink kitchen scale and it weighs 2lbs! So I'm off to make my apple pie using 1 apple......1 big ass apple :)

Autumnal Equinox...

In honor of the Autumnal Equinox today I thought I post a little something fallish. I both love and hate this time of year. I love it for the snap in the air, the leaves changing color, hauling out the sweaters and boots, the one pot comfort food and the excuse to have a fire and a hotty toddy at night. I hate it for one reason....the shorter days, its not so bad right now but I know that here in the UK I am about 4 weeks away from it being dark at 4:30pm....4:00 on a bad day. So for the last few weeks its been as though I am preparing for whats to come, stocking up on essentials you know bottles of red wine and crockpot recipes. But no, I have found myself getting together supplies for lots of projects. Projects with no set date for completion, projects to be done on chilly fall nights next to the fire.

Last week I ran across a bag of 100 wooden discs and bought them with no idea of what they might become. Well over the weekend I made these little guys. Count down to Halloween Advent Magnets. I think they turned out pretty well. I painted the disks and number tags popped in a few nails to hang them from and threw some magnents on the back.

It's also cool enough here now to get pumpkins without the risk of them rotting and I decided to paint a couple of the ones I grew with some sassy green polka dots. Who else is has caught the fall bug and started filling the house with pumpkins?

side eyes....

{Poor "mistreated" Jack after a swim at Culzean Castle Scotland on his trip to the British Open 09'}

As my dog Jack stalks my every move in the house through the windows giving me some serious side eyes and the occasional disgruntled bark... (I mean really Jack you are a dog...it is actually nice outside...5 minutes alone is not torture), I thought I would pop on quickly to say...my computer is working! For the moment...after being rebuilt by both me and the hubs 5 times in the last week! I see a new computer in my future but I will live with this old thing for as long as I can because I also and perhaps more importantly see a kick-a$$ new pair of jeans for fall in my future...priorities people priorities....Back this afternoon with some actually relevant content :)

Murphy's Law...

....states roughly "anything that can go wrong will go wrong" and you see I had plans people, big plans for the blog this past week. I had already drafted into word 3 great posts, planned to get the Etsy shop up, running and linked up, had tons of great new pictures, had compiled a list of my favorite blogs and was even going to post a quiz...but guess what...MY COMPUTER HATES ME...and now sits doing nothing on the kitchen table until hubs takes another crack at getting that old piece working today. I am also apparently a terrible user because I don't have my stuff backed up...commence flogging.

So while hubs cuts a few more zzz's this morning I stole away with a big cup of coffee to his computer to post.

I love love love vintage/flea market style and I love love love magazines relating to such. I was so excited when I was reading one of my daily read blogs and ran across this http://fleamarketstylemag.blogspot.com/ On this blog you can follow the 'makings of magazine' and just a quick glance on the team flea market section reveals that these really are some great makings. The men and women behind this new magazine are big names with really creative ideas. The blog is well written the posts are interesting the info helpful the pictures gorgeous and it is the perfect teaser, I can't wait for the real thing! Also if you have your own blog which covers a similar subject content check out the blogroll where you can become a marketeer (reminds me of a mouseketeer...loved that show!) and get your blog listed on the site....see my cute button on the side :) I've clicked on a number of the blogs listed and wow! there are some really talented people out their doing amazing things with all their cool vintage finds!

Well I hope everyone is enjoying this Sunday...and I hope the hubs can do magic and get the the old beast up and running.....because I've got lots to say and do! Until then perhaps I will sing this in his ear as he works....I'm sure that won't be annoying at all :)

Vintage eye candy....

Happy Labor Day! College football has started (thank you ESPN America!) and summer is officially over. I even picked some pumpkins from my garden yesterday. So while you are probably grilling it up and maybe enjoying a frosty beverage take a break and enjoy some vintage eye candy that I've snagged recently...oh and that fab blue shelved cabinet I am still lusting over.

{click to enlarge. photos from top left: 1930's tin mirror; 1950's glass and silver sugar sifter; 1950's shabby chic shelf brackets; 1890's glass front book shelf/cabinet; 1950's glass cakestand; 1970's china tea set; 1960's wood and thatch stool; 1930's concave mirror; 1920's bar cart}

Girlfriends

I woke up thinking about my best friend R today...and while waiting until its a reasonable hour to give her a ring...not sure she would appreciate a 7 am EST wakeup call with a baby in the house...I ran across this...

"What I expect from my male friends is that they are polite and clean. What I expect from my female friends is unconditional love, the ability to finish my sentences for me when I am sobbing, a complete and total willingness to pour their hearts out to me, and the ability to tell me why the meat thermometer isn't supposed to touch the bone"

Anna Quindlen, Livin Out Loud

I bet that quote rings true with most of you out there. One thing that is hard about living so far away is that time passes, events happen and the visits are too fast and too far apart. Last year R and I and our husbands got to meet up for a weekend in Rome. It was really neat to go on such a grownup trip with someone who has known you inside and out since you were 10 and we had a blast! We acted like we were 16 again and I loved every minute of it!

I hope everyone gets to do something fun and fabulous with their best girlfriend this long weekend. I am missing mine and for today a phone call will have to do.

Putting Up

I've spent a good bit of time the last week "putting up" apple butter and veggies from my garden. Putting up is southern grandma slang for canning or freezing fruit and veggies from your garden. I am lucky enough to have two apple trees, a cherry tree, a pear tree whose seedling was brought back from France after World War I and four raised gardens at our home here in the UK. We are so fortunate to live in this great home it dates back to the 1600's and used to be the gamekeeper's cottage of the Lilford Estate. The old meat hook still hangs over the front door. Sometimes when I am missing friends, family and things uniquely American I need to remind myself how fortunate Hubs and I are to have this experience. Here are a few pics I snapped recently of our life and surroundings here.

{Pictures clockwise from top left: Amps Fine Wines in town; Our pond waterfall; Lillies on the pond; Our home Keeper's Cottage; Reflection; J the Dog; Daisies and Roses in Front of the House; Apple butter and some putting up veg; Pumpkin in the Garden}

I heart oyster plates...

Last week I hopped in the Dolorean and gunned it to 88'.....well no actually it was the Volvo and the only place we gunned it was to Stamford but you gotta love a good Back to the Future reference...Any who, it had been two weeks since I had gone treasure hunting and I was getting restless. I had been wanting to visit this one particular shop St. Martins Antique Centre http://www.st-martins-antiques.co.uk/ and I was not disappointed. I was under a time crunch so I had to make quick work and I definitely left some great finds behind...tear. I especially have my eye on a great 19th century cabinet. It's a nice walnut and still has the original leaded glass doors and the inside had been painted a really lovely and very hip robin egg/almost turquoisey blue. It would be sooo happy in my house filled with all white dishes. Don't worry cabinet I felt what you felt...I'll make it happen.

Two of my favorite finds from that day were a pair of great 19th century English oyster plates and a pitcher that dates sometime around 1920's. I am still trying to dig up some information on the pitcher because it is very heavy, beautiful and in perfect condition but I just can make out the mark on the bottom. The oyster plates are one of my favorite finds ever. They bear an early mark of Mintons which from my research date these back to around the 1820's when this English company first started producing bone china.

I loved them even more because I had just run across this photo from Country Living of a dining room with walls covered in them.

{Bright Dining Room - The owners have spent 14 years amassing the oyster plates that line the walls of their Pennsylvania dining room. The table was built from old barn floorboards to fit the room's narrow proportions. The sofa cushions flaunt a funky, flea market fabric. Photo and Text Credit: Owners Gridley + Graves, Country Living}

14 years collecting oyster plates! Will I end up being that crazy? Who knows but I do love the finished look. I also like the flea market fabric on the sofa pillows and I myself have been picking up some great vintage fabric to do something with. I'm learning that collecting vintage is a very subjective hobby, so what catches your eye? What sort of collections are you always looking for pieces to add?

Home Grown Maters

(Photo from Real Simple)

Hubs and I are all about some home grown tomatoes. Growing up in the south summertime tomato growing and eating is kind of a religion. Fresh off the vine with some salt and pepper...delish! When we were married the hubs introduced me to the Blue Dogs and when we lived in Charleston we tried to go and see them whenever we could. And while Mozart they are not they are always fun and one of my favorite songs that they sing is "Home Grown Tomatoes".

Watch The Blue Dogs singing Home Grown Tomatoes in Live Events & Specia | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

To me that song just oozes summer and sadly...I think that on the 31st of August summer here in the UK is officially over! Its time to break out the rain gear, wellingtons and fleeces :( but before I completely pack it in we are enjoying the last of the summer produce and have been eating as many tomatoes as we can get our hands on. I actually "grew" tomatoes here...well tried as almost all are still green we enjoyed some fried green tomatoes this week. I also made a really tasty and simple Panzanella http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panzanella with some heirloom maters from the farmers market.

Panzanella

Salad

3 tbl Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Good Leftover French Bread (or whatever you have)

Quality tomatoes (4, 5 cherry? anything goes)

Cucumber

Red bell pepper

Red onion

Basil, Cilantro or Parsley(whatever you have on hand)

Vinaigrette

1 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 tsp. Dijon Mustard

3 tbl. champagne vinegar or white wine

1/2 cup good olive oil

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper

The key to the salad is you want all the ingredients to be the roughly the same size and in the same quantities so chop it how you like it. I go for everything about an inch big. Take the bread cubes and toss with olive oil salt and pepper to taste then toast up in a hot skillet until they are lightly browned. From there its just tossing all the ingredients together and adding the vinaigrette until just everything is lightly coated even the bread eat it pretty soon. You want the bread to soak up some dressing but waiting to long makes it too soggy.

When I'm cooking I tend not to follow recipes exactly or list exact measurements. That's because I like to use what I have and taste as I go. This has become my go to summer salad when I can get my hands on good tomatoes although I don't think its a big helper for the waistline since you basically substitute hunks of toasted bread for salad leaves.... oh well! C'est la vie and bon appe'tit!