dandelion redemption. 10:21am

i have always strongly disliked dandelions. the feeling would become especially acute every time i found myself in our yard, yanking up bucket-fulls of cheery, hardy looking dandelions. what made it worse was the thought that these new dandelions were simply results of failed previous uprootings. 

i set out this spring with a new goal. i would redeem the dandelion.

so, i did just that this year. i researched the medicinal and dietary benefits of these ground leeches and was quite surprised to find that they are in fact, a well respected healing herb. it is actually quite beloved.

in my research, i found that the leaves are diuretic, high in potassium and extremely high in vitamin A. i found that the roots are liver-strengthening, blood-cleansing, blood building and are high in iron! redemption complete. i spent the day yesterday washing, chopping and drying a 5-gallon bucket full of this crazy plant. 

now, i have expanded my herb shelves by adding new jars full of dandelion tinctures and dried leaves for tea! 

The dandelion has been redeemed!

rise & shine. 9:24am

one of the things that i've always wanted to learn to do is make breads. i adore the scent of bread baking. i love the texture of dough. but most of all, i love eating freshly baked bread. that's literally the best part of baking bread at home. 

now that i have my own kitchen, bread has been part of my experimentation. pretzels were one of the first fruits. they smelled as good as they looked and tasted as good as they smelled.

if you're like me and find the idea of baking bread items to be rather daunting, try this recipe as one of your firsts. it's a rewarding winner.

if you're interested in the recipe, here it is... 

Mrs. Lawford & mussels... @ 12:42pm

i still have dreams about how lovely this dish was... despite my hesitance to try mussels...
thank you, dear kate! xoxo

let's make portabello mushroom sandwiches!

35mm, f2.8 @ 1/160

24mm, f2.8 @ 1/160