Saturday Kind of Day
I woke up a little earlier this morning, having gotten used to waking a certain time for work during the week. It's been a little chillier lately, so I bundled up in blankets and basked in the bright, diffuse morning light and worked on some embroidery. I'm making good progress on this piece and am hoping to finish this pouch soon!
We went for a bike ride to the farmer's market, taking in the fresh air and watching the sleepy city come to life on a weekend morning. For longer than I can remember, I've always loved visiting the farmer's market. There's something special about waking up early and perusing through the stalls in search of fresh ingredients and nibbling here and there. I found these cute chamomile flowers at one of our favorite stalls below.
About this time last year, we had just returned from our trip to the south of France. We first discovered these radishes below in France and were surprised at how sweet they were.
We also discovered squash blossoms during our summer European travels. When roasted with a little bit of oil, salt, and pepper, they're a crispy treat with a complex assortment of nutty, sweet, and smokey flavors. We've also had this stuffed with blue cheese and fried in batter like a light tempura. Feeling a little nostalgic, we bought several of the same ingredients we had in France to make a roasted plate of vegetables for dinner.
There's always a "mushroom guy" at the farmer's market. Out of sheer curiosity, we bought a bit of Lions Mane, which neither my husband nor I have ever had before. We'll see it how it turns out!
We also love San Marzano tomatoes. They usually come pre-packaged in cans at the grocery store and I've never seen them fresh before today. They're the perfect tomatoes to make a soup or pasta sauce from scratch. Incredibly sweet and juicy. We bought a potpourri of tomatoes from this stand for our dinner.
We biked home for a quick reprieve and rested a bit before heading out to meet up with our friend for honey cakes and tea. 20th Century Cafe is one of my all time favorites, with live music playing in the corner and an open kitchen with wafting smells of fresh pastries. It feels like you're sitting in the kitchen, close to the oven where they're making strudels from scratch.
I finally introduced my husband to this honey cake. Now I'm not sure we can stay away. We've been better about now eating too many sweets lately so this was quite the treat. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Hope everyone had a happy Saturday!