One Good Thing: Brook&Lyn Jewelry

I'm loving the freshly launched line of jewelry by Brook&Lyyn.  Be sure to take some time to check out their vintage goods as well as owner/designer Mimi's super awesome blog.  You'll be glad you did. xo Ez

Inspiration Daily: 07. 07. 10

Untitled by Katrina Tan (pugglyfeet on flickr).  Be sure to check out her fabulous blog Pugly Pixel too.  xo Ez

Homemade Blueberry Tart = Yum!

So after our adventure blueberry picking (blogged earlier today) I couldn't wait to set to work making a delicious dessert from our bountiful harvest.  After an exhaustive online recipe search yesterday I finally settled upon this Martha Stewart version for Blueberry Tart.  I had never made a berry tart before so the video provided was really helpful to me (you can skip it if you don't want to see it).

After a lot of sorting, mixing, simmering and more I finally had a beautiful tart cooling in my refrigerator.  This morning we finally got the chance to taste our hard work...and let me tell you, every minute spent making it was well worth it.  The flavor is divine.  The crust has such a delicate but crunchy texture, and every bite explodes with fresh blueberry flavor.  My daughter loves the citrus essence (from lemon zest and juice)...and I agree that it really bumps the whole thing up into another stratosphere of awesomeness.

The only negative I can see to this dessert is the large quantity of fresh berries it requires.  I generally could not afford to purchase 6+ cups of berries from the grocery store (they are always SO expensive), but since we picked them ourselves the cost was minimal (we paid $7 for over 8 cups of fresh berries).  Plus it feels great knowing that we were supporting our local economy and enjoying something that we put effort into attaining.

Here is a great list of U-Pick berry farms from around the US as well as several International countries (the site is rather clunky, but there is a lot of good info on there, so hang-in there with it).  Maybe there is a U-Pick farm in your area!  If you want to try this recipe out you can find it right here.  xo Ez

A Perfectly Wonderful Rainy Blueberry Morning

Hello lovelies!  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  On Saturday the majority of my family got together for a morning of blueberry picking at a farm about an hour away from my home.  Blueberry picking is something that I've been obsessed with the idea of since I was a kid (Blueberries for Sal was my favorite book), but had only actually done once previously.  To say I was excited would be an understatement.

The forecast called for rain but we were determined to pick buckets-full regardless.  It turned out to be the perfect day.  We picked for about 15 minutes and then the rain began.  By that time we were already having so much fun nobody wanted to stop.  Even my little 8 month nephew was enjoying himself (reaching out and picking his own berries).Some of the beautiful people in my family: My daughter, my nephew, one of my sweet sisters, and another one of my lovely sisters...basking in the wonderful rain.Dork alert.  I couldn't resist, and brought one of my empty Bonne Maman jars with me to use as a photo prop.  As soon as we arrived at the berry farm I spotted a table covered with a charming tablecloth and it ended up becoming the backdrop for this last shot (one of my faves).  xo Ez

Inspiration Daily: 06. 06. 10

118. by Cody Guilfoyle on flickr.

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