clementine tried out lounging in the hammock on the front porch with gub for the first time today… gub was hoping the giant “swing” would rock her right to sleep, but no. nonetheless, we can’t think of a better way to spend a lazy summer evening.

– ryan & gub

clementine was startled while napping and she threw her arms up. they stayed in this position for the rest of her nap. we think she was casting a spell on us.

– ryan & gub

gub’s dad and his wife peggy came to visit and we went on an adventure with clementine to the top of stone mountain! she didn’t seem to mind the skyride up, however it was her first experience with real wind. she didn’t quite know what to think of it, although she definitely looked awesome on the moon-like surface on the mountain top!

it was very overcast and surprisingly cool on top of the mountain. with the wind it felt like a late fall day, which was crazy for atlanta in the middle of july. the view wasn’t as impressive as clear days, however we were up in middle of the clouds with them moving right across us on the mountain. that was exciting!

– ryan & gub

clementine being cute!

– ryan & gub

thanks to our friend kristen, clementine has a new blabla friend, who’s name is also clementine! her other blabla is named lemonade the dog.

– ryan & gub

i saw a nice sunset on east lake golf course recently!

– ryan

clementine started smiling this week!!! it’s the cutest thing EVER…

– ryan & gub

we recently fried up some okra from our garden and it was delicious! we ate the tasty treats with ribs and collards from maddy’s and cole slaw from chik-fil-a. it was a hodge podge of our favorite southern delights!

fyi, maddy’s collard greens recently won best overall at the east lake farmers market collard greens cook-off and they are pretty awesome!

– ryan & gub

maddy’s ribs

1479 scott blvd.
decatur, ga 30030
404-377-0301

fried okra recipe:

ingredients:
5-8 large okra sliced

egg wash:
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup milk

batter:
1/2 cup corn meal
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp parsley

directions:
– clean okra and slice
– heat oil in a frying pan at medium heat
– dip okra slices in egg wash and then in the batter
– gently place battered tomatoes in frying pan and fry until golden brown
– flip okra and fry the other side until golden brown
– place on okra guard to let cool and drain the oil
– serve with bbq or other southern treats

our summer garden provided its first vegetable of the season! we have lots of okra and tomatoes that are very close to being ripe, but this cucumber won the first crop of the season award. we made a tasty cucumber & tomato salad with it, adding the lemon cucumber mentioned in yesterday’s blog post.

– ryan & gub

cucumber & tomato salad recipe:

ingredients:
1 cucumber diced (peel if desired)
1 tomato diced (or 1/2 package cherry tomatoes diced)
1/4 cup italian dressing

directions:
– clean tomatoes and cucumber and dice
– place in serving bowl and mix with italian dressing
– let vegetables soak in dressing for 30 minutes or more
– serve cold

the east lake farmers market is up and running again on saturdays from 9am to 1pm. it’s open through october and can be found at the corner of 2nd avenue and hosea williams drive in the east lake/kirkwood area. the market features lots of local farmers selling fruit, vegetables, eggs, salsas and all sorts of other stuff.

with tomato season finally upon us, we picked up some beautiful heirloom tomatoes from ora farms on our last trip to the market. we grabbed an early girl and an orange blossom. check out our july 4th blog post for a great tomato pie recipe we used with these wonderful tomatoes!

we also grabbed a couple of lemon cucumbers, which we had never tried before. these were quite interesting. the inside was slightly sweeter than normal cucumbers with a little softer texture, but the outside texture was very course and bumpy with small black seeds and they were the size of lemons. they were odd, but worth trying.

this saturday is the 2nd annual peachapalooza at the east lake farmers market. it’s a juried cooking competition celebrating all things peach! stop by to sample some amazing peach creations!

– ryan & gub

east lake farmers market

2nd avenue and hosea williams drive
atlanta, ga 30317

saturdays
9am – 1pm
may – october