Dress Up - I need Tevas

This spring has been very busy, so consequently, I've been pretty quiet here in blog land. Summer is officially here now, though, and things should be less hectic. Which means, hopefully more blogging!

This past weekend was an adventure weekend with some lovely old friends. White water rafting convinced me that I need a pair of Tevas BAD. Luckily, there are some that are pretty cute! Here's a few on my short list, all found over at shoebuy.com.

Home Style - Homegrown Flowers

Spring is in full swing (couldn't resist) in my garden. Even though I have a black thumb and have tried to kill the roses in my garden, they come back even better every year.

I snipped a few this past weekend and made a quick centerpiece for mother's day dinner for my sister. I love these little pink vases I originally bought for this party and I love them even more grouped together. A grouping of tiny vases is a handy trick. The small vases keep the flowers upright and you only need a few blooms in each for a lush looking arrangement.

Recipe - Orange Fennel Salad and Steak

When I cook, I love experimenting with different ways to make food 'go' together. I blame my art background for always wanting a theme, repetition, harmony and contrast in my meals. The same ideas that make paintings and sculpture interesting and beautiful easily translate to food. One of my favorite techniques is to use a theme ingredient (or two) in several different ways for a meal. With this idea in mind, I made a supper last week that featured the flavors of orange and fennel.

I made a simple salad from this cookbook I picked up while in California (and already love to pieces). It's a simple mixture of slices oranges and fresh fennel, capers, oil and vinegar. Then I made a rub for a pair of sirloin steaks with the zest from an orange, fennel seeds, garlic, salt, pepper and a little vegetable oil to hold it all together. I broiled the steaks, plated the salads, and enjoyed the different flavors the orange and fennel brought to each dish.