The morning started sweetly with Juliette’s declaration that she will be going on a special date with Mama to Starbucks. Yes, my child requests Starbucks for dates. Rather than say, oh I don’t know, McDonald’s or other more kid oriented places. A special date did seem a reasonable suggestion since the day’s agenda included painting our garage door that was in desperate need of attention. To start our big Sunday, we ate a simple meal of toast with Runny Eggs. And of course, a cup of coffee which Xerxes made with a French press for a delightful change of pace.
While Xerxes and Sharon (aka Lulu) worked on preparing the garage for its mini-makeover, Juliette, Zed and I went off to buy the ombre colors. Since buying the house, Xerxes and I have been discussing an outdoor accent color to liven up the surprisingly typical sage-like green of our home. I drove by a house with our same green shade and saw this fabulous dark purple as an accent. We spotted a spray can of Rustoleum in Aubergine and both fell in love. I also am a bit of a Pinterest geek (come hang with me here!) and it has made me obsessed with anything ombre. Always ready for something a bit out of the ordinary, Xerxes agreed to gradate the colors. So, the kiddos and I went off to buy four sample jars of exterior paint to fill in the garage ‘windows’.
Juliette and I, of course, still needed our special date so we dropped off the paint and headed off for a quick time at Starbucks. She requested cold Chocolate Milk and I had some Iced Peach Tea with Lemonade. I must say the beverages were mediocre, but the sweet three-year old company was perfect.
We came home and it was clear the hard-working painters needed some lunch. I assembled sandwich fixings of cheese, cucumbers, lettuce from the garden, the Baba Ganoush and the Marble Rye we bought from the People’s Market yesterday. I fully intended to whip up some sandwiches, but Zed was needing my attention at the same time. So, I simply put out the toppings and let folks assemble their own. As far as I can tell, belly’s left the table full and happy.
The afternoon led to the ombre fun. Juliette helped paint which resulted in a lot of paint on her hands and just enough in her hair to be complicated. (BTW anyone know an easy way to remove paint from a three-year old’s hair?) But, the ending result was gorgeous! The photo makes some of the colors much darker than they are in reality. The lowest color is actually Blackberry Wine, the next up is Vintage Grape, then Gothic Amethyst, and finally Silverberry. For the fifth and top color, Xerxes mixed white paint with the Silverberry. Did you notice the fruit theme? It didn’t influence our color choice at all ;).
I was most thrilled that I can see our beautiful new garage door from my kitchen sink. Which also resulted in some kitchen inspiration. Starting with the Homemade Ricotta that I kept promising to make. Before you think I am overly fancy-schmancy, please know that it is silly easy to make. So easy in fact that here is the quickie recipe:
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Bring 2 cups of milk up to a subtle simmer until it reaches 190 degrees. Yes, a candy or frying thermometer will make your life easier. Remove the milk from the heat and drizzle in 3 tablespoons of lemon juice (for the lightest, best flavored ricotta) or 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (this is my own lazy quick method). Allow to sit in this curds and whey development for about 5 minutes. Next, line a wire mesh strainer with cheesecloth or a flour bag dishtowel. Pour the curds & whey through the cloth.
Now, this is the point of possibility… the longer you strain it the more firm your cheese will become. The lemon juice method may take a bit longer, but it is worth it for the sweeter flavor. I have read many a ricotta recipe that says to strain for an hour, but I find this is more like a farmers cheese. If you pull up the cloth and squeeze until dry and solid you will end up with Paneer, which I adore as well. Just not when I am hoping for ricotta.
For dinner, I made one batch and then quickly realized we would all probably prefer a double batch. This is such an easy recipe that I didn’t think twice about making it again.
When my Mom recently visited, we had a quick trip to Sur la Table and she bought this handy dandy julienne tool. She left it at our house and I think I may just buy her a new one, because we have all fallen in love with it. I took the tool and julienned a yellow and green zucchini, while boiling some fabulous ancient grain spaghetti I bought on sale awhile back. I tossed the strands of squash into the pasta for the final 30 seconds then drained them together.
I tossed the mess into a bowl that I had prepared with fresh garlic, bit of butter, strips of basil, zucchini blossoms and nasturtiums that recently started blooming. As a quick appetizer, I stuffed a zucchini blossom for each of us and lightly fried them in olive oil and sprinkled with a pinch of salt. The pasta was twirled into a large bowl and I finished it with dollops of the fresh ricotta, more flowers and basil. 
The painters all adore pasta and I knew they would be excited. It was the best way I could think of to thank Xerxes, Sharon and Juliette for making our house that much more beautiful. Love & thanks guys!
May there be some edible flowers in your dreams tonight!
