Monday's Procrastination Post...

Did some "window" surf shopping this morning, 'cause that's what I do.

Allow me to share away...

Anthropologie, once again, is making me swoon with all of these bright, awesome colours....

A recent stop-in over at The Curiosity Shoppe, led me to these frames that are actually a USB stick...

I am a sucker for address books:

I thought of my BFF, Lisa, when I saw these:

I am still reading A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg. It's like that favourite portion of your meal that you wait until the end to eat because you want to savour it. I am now three quarters of the way through the book and uncovered these two simple recipes last night that I feel the need to make today...

Red Cabbage Salad with Lemon & Black Pepper

Adapted from A Homemade Life

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon pressed garlic

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 pounds red cabbage

1/4 finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Freshly ground pepper

First, make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and salt. Set aside while you prepare the cabbage.

Pull away any bruised leaves from the outside of the cabbage and trim its root end to remove any dirt. Cut the cabbage into quarters. Working with one quarter at a time and using a large, sharp knife (Molly's mother loves this salad and swears by a serrated bread knife), slice the cabbage as thinly as you possible can, as though for coleslaw. Slicing it thin is crucial; if you slice it too coarsely, it won't absorb the dressing well. Ideally, no sliver should be thicker than 1/4 inch. Discard the white cores.

In a large service bowl, toss the cabbage with a large spoonful or two of the dressing. Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano and toss to distributw evenly. Taste, and add dressing as needed. Season generously with pepper and serve.

Yield: 4 servings, as a first course or side dish.

Notes from Molly on this recipe:

• cabbage is sweetest during the colder months of the year
• choose heads that feel firm and heavy with smooth, tight leaves
• smaller heads often taste sweeter and milder than their larger siblings
• you will probably have a bit of dressing left over...Molly uses hers to dress a can of chick peas (drained and rinsed), with a top of shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano. A great lunch idea!

Slow-Roasted Tomatoes with Coriander

Adapted from A Homemade Life

3 1/2 pounds ripe Roma tomatoes (about 20 tomatoes)

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt

Ground coriander

Preheat oven to 200F. Wash and dry the tomatoes, trim away the stem end, and halve them lengthwise. Place them in a large bowl, and, using your hands, toss then gently with the oil. Arrange them cut side up on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and ground coriander, about a pinchof each for every 4 to 6 tomato halves.

Bake until the tomatoes crickle at the edges and shrink to about half of their original size, 4 to 6 hours. The should still be juicy in their centres. Remove from the oven, and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Put them in an airtight container, and store them in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Yield: about 40 tomato halves

Notes from Molly on this recipe:

• can vary the temperature from 200F to 250F and variate the duration of cooking as you see fit
• can use other tomato varieties other than Romas

All I can craving these days are fresh veggies and little meat. This is usually what happens to me when summer makes its arrival.

I am off to get organized and declutter this brain of mine...

Happy Monday,

a