Cantaloupe

Nothing shouts out “Summer is here!” to me more than fresh ripe melon. 

I envision thick-cut slices of rich red watermelon, soft green, sweet honeydew slushies and cocktails, and the fantastic cooling effects of chilled, juicy cantaloupe pops.  High in Niacin, Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Potassium, and so naturally sweet, you don’t need to do much besides cut them up to enjoy their delicious natural tastiness.

My husband brought a nice, ripe cantaloupe (or actually muskmelon, since true cantaloupes are not netted, have smooth to rough skin and are not commercially grown in the US)  home the other day from the market, and it’s made me think of how much I love it –  both the color and the fruit. 

So soothing, creamy, sweet and cheerful – it’s subdued and romantic, and just so pretty!   

Which is your favorite kind of melon and how do you like to incorporate it in your life -- Food, attire, interior decorating, flowers, or anything else?

P.S. - In doing a little web research on cantaloupes, I came across this random and incredibly strange fact -- A moldy cantaloupe in a Peoria, Illinois market in 1941 was found to contain the best and highest quality penicillin, after a worldwide search. 

Crazy!

Enjoy your day!
xoxo

Image Sources | 1 | 2 |3 | 4 | 5 |

Bok Choy, Broccoli & Tofu Stir Fry with Sweet and Sticky Glaze

One of the gifts we received off our wedding registry last year was a great big ol’ silver wok. 

I love making stir fries, but don’t have much experience cooking with woks and in the past have always whipped up stir fries in big sauté pans. 

Though not a huge fan of Chinese cuisine for the most part, sometimes nothing sounds better than a nice veggie-loaded stir fry, full of various textures and flavors, and this one really is delicious! 

I am also not really a fan of orange marmalade.  I know, I sound like a very picky eater right now, which I'm really not, but just laying it all out there.

We had a nice jar of orange marmalade in our pantry just waiting to be opened, so I tried it out in this dish, and was really pleasantly surprised by the tangy sour/sweetness it gave to the sticky glaze. 

I’ll definitely make this dish again, but next time I might try out a milder, more sweet/less sour fruit marmalade, like peach or apricot, or maybe even plum!  Yumm!  

Feel free to try them all out (or suggest others!) and let me know which is your favorite.  Any which way, using marmalade is a great time-saving trick for making thick, sticky glazes, and works really nicely in this healthy and hearty vegan stir fry.

Enjoy!

XOXO

A Southern CA weekend :)

Happy Monday~

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend and spent it outside with friends, family and loved ones!

Days like these past few make me SO appreciate that I live in SoCA with the glorious weather and bright outdoors beckoning me to come out and play.

These past few weekends I've gone on beautiful walks through tranquil gardens (Quail Botanical Gardens) and hikes in the hills (Santa Monica Mountains), enjoyed some delicious eats at an outdoor Earth Day foodie-type festival (WorldFest), explored super cute vintage shops in equally charming little towns (Orange and Carlsbad), and walked along the beach and boardwalk (Oceanside Pier) extending out into the Pacific. 
Not bad.  Not bad at all!

What was your favorite thing about this weekend?

Xoxo

Image Sources | All images taken by Remember when we lived in that castle ...? and pinned to my Pinterest Boards |