feast your eyes

last week, my neighbor and facebook pal, elaine, suggested that i submit a few photos for a feature on TODAY.com called feast your eyes. it sounded like a great idea, but i was up to my eyeballs at work and i barely had time for lunch [granola and yogurt] at my desk. i was also having a day where i just couldn't focus. but this seemed like a great opportunity, so i found the photos i liked best, i hit send and got back to what i was doing. thought nothing more.

until today.

i opened my email to a lovely message letting me know that my photo of delicious caprese skewers that i'd made for a friend's july 4th barbeque had been chosen as a featured photo! seriously. very, very exciting in my little world.

what's next...matt lauer eating my food? yes, please!

kitchen MVP

a few months ago, i was on the lookout for a new grating tool and a chef friend of mine recommended a microplane. so, i hit up williams-sonoma at towson town center [and that store is dangerously close to anthropologie...] and got one. I LOVE THIS THING.

i use it to grate cheese, zest lemons, mince garlic, onions, chocolate and more. i only wish i'd been able to get one of the cool new colors - i've seen green, fuchia, purple, blue, yellow...quite cute.

do you have one of these? highly, highly recommend. check out this set...it contains a zester/grater, medium ribbon grater and extra coarse grater.

urban farming, hon

wow, look how little they were back in june...

the girls got their big break on the local news yesterday! i even got the title of 'urban farmer' while on camera. hilarious. and...since getting their two minutes of fame, the chickens have been prancing, strutting...beaks up in the air. i swear i saw dottie smiling - she really liked that mike schuh guy. i hope the piece convinces some city folks who'd been on the fence to jump in and become chicken keepers!

unfortunately, they are also beginning to display some j-lo-esque diva behavior...

clara is demanding cotton candy for bedding instead of pine shavings.

millie would like sauvignon blanc instead of water. she actually could use a drink, so i'm considering it.

dottie? she's all about black truffles. says they need to be from a specific region in italy. i'm googling.

good old gert. she's too polite to ask...but i think she wants something...maybe old bay on her corn cobs?


whether on the actual blog or on facebook, please do share and make comments! i want to know what foods you're growing, cooking, eating and obsessed with - for me, lately, it's watermelon, tomato and feta salads...

charmcitycook turned one year old last month - it's been such a great creative outlet, emotional comfort when needed and it's inspired me to try even more new things all the time. i guess 40 actually is the new 30, because that's when i fell in love with food.

thanks, hon. keep on cooking.