3191 Miles Apart

2011-08-12T08:08:27Z

Hello! We're back! Please visit us at our new web home and be sure to update your RSS feed. Thank you, MAV & Stephanie 12 August 2011

2011-06-27T01:03:15Z

My Summer Essentials: This motley list includes old stand-bys as well as new favorites, but it's all summer to me. 1. My cameras. Obviously, I am behind the lens all year long, but summer is my favorite time for photography. The days are long, my home is finally well-lit, and I love to document the full days I get to spend with my kids along with our travels. 2. Fresh herbs. The taste of summer. Eggs, sandwiches, salads, pastas, pizzas, cocktails—all get a handful of fresh herbs tossed on at the end. 3. Shallow baskets. Perfect for berry picking or for holding food to take to a picnic or potluck. Look for them at thrift stores and yard sales. 4. Hammam towel. A new discovery this year. I throw it in my bag when we go on our outdoor adventures. Lightweight, but surprisingly absorbent, it makes a great picnic blanket, a shawl for a cool night, or a way to dry off after a dip in the creek or fountain. I found mine secondhand, but you can search for them on Etsy. 5. Bobby pins. In the heat (which hasn't quite arrived here, but it will!), I like to keep my hair up all day. You'll always find a handful of hair pins in my pockets in the summer. 6. Popsicle maker. We make popsicles nearly every day in the summer. As simple as lemonade or as rich as yogurt fudgesicles (find the recipe in the Summer Quarterly). This batch was vanilla yogurt and a raspberry puree sweetened with maple syrup. 7. My Aurora sandals. I first discovered these when I worked at a boutique that sold them 18 years ago, and they have been a summer staple ever since. With their Vibram soles, they are great for everything from canoeing to hiking to crossing rocky creeks to biking. A great alternative to ugly sport sandals. (In the photo above, I am wearing them at our favorite riverside camp spot last summer). Have an amazing July, everyone! —Stephanie 26 June 11 : : : Please note: We are now on Summer Holiday. We will be back August 12, 2011. When we return look for some exciting news including a new look for 3191 Miles Apart, new collaborations and an update on the return of our beloved publication '3191 Quarterly'. See you in August!

2011-06-26T02:58:37Z

2011-06-26T02:52:17Z

My Summer Essentials: pretty much stays the same every year. Let's start with what you would find in my bag ... ~ a linen towel (Never know when you might swim or sit on damp grass with a cool drink.) ~ a water bottle (If you think I drink tons of water in other seasons summer has me drinking like a mad woman.) ~ sunscreen (I'm a real stickler for SPF 30.) ~ sunglasses (Always.) ~ a little camera (Always.) ~ a notebook (Summer is when I think of my best ideas so I have to be on the ready at all times.) Beyond the bag my Summer Essentials include ... ~ fruit (I really don't eat fruit in the winter or even spring but in the summer it's all I can think about morning, noon and night.) ~ my nephews (Always love them more than anything ever {as of two weeks ago I now have two!} but in the summer we can play outside ... life doesn't get much better.) ~ swimming in ponds (Can't get enough swimming and I'm a real sucker for ponds ... don't even mind the murk!) ~ stripes and patterns (I'm not usually one for a lot of pattern but in the summer I like to mix it up. This year in particular I have definitely been feeling the mash-up.) ~ sunsets (Come on now. What else can be said?) I wish you a wonderful mid-Summer, friends. See you back here very soon. —MAV 26 June 11 : : : Please note: We are now on Summer Holiday. We will be back August 12, 2011. When we return look for some exciting news including a new look for 3191 Miles Apart, new collaborations and an update on the return of our beloved publication '3191 Quarterly'. See you in August!

2011-06-19T14:10:28Z

Because we cannot depend on the weather to signal the arrival of summer in the northwest (I have just slipped on my wool socks, actually), we depend on the berries. Strawberries = summer is here. They are a few weeks late this year, but we'll take 'em when we can get 'em. For Father's Day, I usually make my dad strawberry shortcake. Smitten Kitchen's shortcakes are perfect (and a great use for the yolks of the hard-boiled eggs of which my son only eats the white). Fresh, local berries only need a squeeze of lemon, a sprinkling of sugar and some time to macerate. My dad, who grew up in the midwest, eats his short cake buttered with a heap of berries and then smothered in just straight cream. I always set aside some cream for my dad and then whip the rest for everyone else. I think it's a plate-full of nostalgia for him, and I'm glad I can serve it up. Happy Father's Day to all the dads! —Stephanie 11 June 11 : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : PLEASE NOTE: June 30, 2011 is the last date to purchase our first year of 3191 Quarterly. After this date the first four issues will no longer be available. Don't miss out on the first year! Visits our 3191 Quarterly shop right here.

2011-06-19T13:54:20Z

2011-06-19T13:53:53Z

I think this is the first completely 'random' dispatch I've posted on 3191 Miles Apart. This week I have been quite scattered and I feel as if I have so many things to tell you! And most especially so since we are about to sign off for a little summer holiday (but we'll tell you more about that next week). Anyway ... let's jump into the randomness, shall we? First, you must know that I'm in love with my new Jen Judd-McGee Tea Towels. I'm a little obsessed actually. When they are dirty I find any excuse to do a load of laundry and get them back out into rotation. They're so special, aren't they? Second, you must know that I have figured out a solution to my herb problem. What herb problem? Well, the basic gist is that I always end up with too many herbs. There are just two of us in my household afterall and I just don't need a big bunch (if I'm buying them loose) or a huge plant (if I grow them myself). This year I got little pots of herbs and I'm already feeling so much better about it. A little of something is usually a good fit for me ... it just feels right. Third, you must know that this is my fifth birthday Card Society clic pen and it's red with magenta writing on it and red ink (sorry for the spoiler Card Society members)! I'm just about as excited about this pen as someone can be about a pen. These are the last 10 days to sign up for The Card Society before I close membership forever (my card-of-the-month club ends in December after over five years and 134 cards). Change is good ... it really is. Fourth, you must know that I'm tickled pink about my new (antique) yellow and white striped porch furniture. Bring on the porch-sitting and BBQ-ing, please! And last (you've been very patient with this 'random' post), you must know that I made my first cobbler of the season this weekend. I'm a cobbler fanatic! My very favorite recipe comes from Nigel Slater's book The Kitchen Diaries. Here's my take on that recipe which you see all made up at the top of this post: Peach & Blueberry Sour Cream Cobbler peaches and blueberries (as much as you like to fill your pie dish up) the juice of one lemon 1 T caster sugar 1 T all purpose flour 1/2 C all purpose flour 3/4 C spelt flour 2 T cornmeal pinch of salt 2-1/2 t baking powder 1 T caster sugar 6 T butter 5 oz sour cream Set oven to 400ºF/200ºC. Cut peaches into chunks or wedges and put in a bowl with blueberries. Sprinkle the fruit with your lemon juice, 1 T caster sugar and 1 T flour. Mix together and place that fruit mixture into your pie dish. Take flours, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, 1 T caster sugar and whisk together in a bowl. Cut butter in and use fingers or knives to bring together until it looks like soft breadcrumbs. Add sour cream and use your hands to bring dough together. Take small pieces of the dough (golf ball sized) and flatten them out a bit in your hands and place them over the fruit. Do this over and over until your dough is gone and the fruit is somewhat covered. Sprinkle the top with a little caster sugar (if you like sweet use quite a bit!) and put in the oven for 25–30 minutes or until top is golden brown and fruit is bubbling. Serve warm or room temperature with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream. : : : Here's to randomness. Hope you enjoyed mine. I know I feel better getting it all out! —MAV 19 June 11 : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : PLEASE NOTE: June 30, 2011 is the last date to purchase our first year of 3191 Quarterly. After this date the first four issues will no longer be available. Don't miss out on the first year! Visits our 3191 Quarterly shop right here.

2011-06-11T05:07:35Z

I do not have a green thumb. In fact, on close inspection, you might find it to be almost black. As much as I love plants and the natural world, I have never really learned to care for and tend them as one should. I figure, however, that if Julia Child could only begin to cook in her forties, I can learn to garden and care for plants in my forties, right? I found this book, published in the mid-sixties, in the discards at our school library the other day. I originally brought it home because I was charmed by the cover and illustrations, but soon found it was a wealth of information that just might save my crumbly-brown indoor garden. Along with general instructions on indoor plant care, there is an illustrated guide to specific houseplants, with information on their optimal light and water conditions, along with tips on transplanting and propagating. A few things I learned while browsing: —I am most likely way over-watering my aloe and succulents. —Most house plants benefit from a summer outdoors (in the shade). I am going to give my plants a little summer vacation! —If you don't have an outdoor space, move your plants to a shadier spot and give them fresh air through an open window for the summer months. —Loosen the soil of your plants with a fork every few weeks. —Prune the dead or wilted leaves of house plants regularly and dispose of them (the book suggests burning them). This keeps pests and disease away as well as keeping them shapely. At the back are some suggestions for indoor gardens. This one is called Garden of Cool, Quiet Greens. I love that. If you want to visit some women who do have lovely green thumbs, head over to Tend Collective. —Stephanie 11 June 11

2011-06-11T05:04:53Z

2011-06-11T05:04:29Z

Don't put it off any longer! Find and visit your local farmers market today! You might search through: Local Harvest Farmers Market Eat Well Guide I'm such a huge fan of the markets here in Portland, ME. I find not only the freshest of foods but inspiration everywhere I look ... radishes aboev (will be sliced in chunks and buttered and salted) baby kale (will be tossed with olive oil, lemon juice, fresh parmesan) + broccoli (will be roasted with olive oil, salt, pepper) little squashes (will be marinated in olive oil and vinegar and put straight on the grill) feta (will be eaten in chunks and if there's any left will be added to salads) dill pickles (will sit aside burgers made on the grill) + eggs (6 will be given to my mom who is in town visiting and 6 will be hard boiled for breakfasts) peony (will be stared at and enjoyed on my kitchen sill) Happy, happy, farmers market days to you! —MAV 11 June 11