Friday, August 26, 2016
MAKING - a lot of smoothies. Fresh fruit and it's cold...perfect combo!
Life Lately // A List
MAKING - a lot of smoothies. Fresh fruit and it's cold...perfect combo!
CRAVING - cold weather. Duhhhh ;)
PLAYING - with the idea of getting a tattoo.....
LISTENING TO - the U.S. presidential nominees and wondering when our country went off the rails :/
READING - A Court of Thorn & Roses.....YA lit is where it's at!!!
WATCHING - Stranger Things and FREAKIN LOVING IT!!!!! Get yourself on Netflix stat!
WEARING - Estee Lauder foundation and eye shadows and feeling like I found my signature look:)
LEARNING - to navigate the tangled mess that is working the corporate life and come out unscathed....
GOING TO - be extremely happy when that first fall leaf falls from the tree :)
WORKING ON - perfecting my pour-over cup of coffee
OBSESSED WITH - my chemex carafe and pour-over coffee!!!
PLANNING - to make major health changes starting in December.....I'm ready.
EXCITED FOR - Bridge Jones Has A Baby!
HOPING - to get up to New England this fall, even if it's just NYC....but hoping for Newport, RI and Boston!
STARTING - To experiment with film....look for the "Life in Film" series to start this fall.
I hope you are all reading and watching and planning and hoping this summer!
Can you believe it's almost September?
I say BRING ON AUTUMN!!!
<3
Jenn
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
This has been the longest week. And it's only Wednesday. This is not a good thing people. Why is it that some weeks seem to fly by and others crawl at a snail's pace? I don't really have an answer so I'll just whine a lil bit. I'm good at that;) One nice this is that it's been much cooler this week which has been distracting. More time spent outdoors, riding with the windows down and nicer people. Ever notice how the extreme heat makes everyone cranky? No? Just me?
Anyway.....
One other really nice thing that I stumbled upon this week was the "Wishing Tree" in my neighborhood. The story is an elderly gentleman, who was sick of the negativity dominating our news 24/7....decided that we needed to spread kindness and love all around. How wonderful is that? He wrapped string around the trunk of a large tree and at the bottom he supplied some paper tags and markers. Everyone was encouraged to write their wishes on the tags and attach them to the tree.
Some wishes were silly and fun....but so many were profound and touching. This political season has been awash in negativity, racism, lies and much much more. It's infuriating and has really poisoned me on my opinion of our leaders. It was such a nice respite to come across this tree and the message behind it.
Despite all the crap out there in our world, this proved that there is still a lot of love and that we really do appreciate and care for each other. As it should be.....always:)
Have a great rest of the week, let's hope it flies by quickly!!
Jenn
My Norfolk // The Wishing Tree
This has been the longest week. And it's only Wednesday. This is not a good thing people. Why is it that some weeks seem to fly by and others crawl at a snail's pace? I don't really have an answer so I'll just whine a lil bit. I'm good at that;) One nice this is that it's been much cooler this week which has been distracting. More time spent outdoors, riding with the windows down and nicer people. Ever notice how the extreme heat makes everyone cranky? No? Just me?
Anyway.....
One other really nice thing that I stumbled upon this week was the "Wishing Tree" in my neighborhood. The story is an elderly gentleman, who was sick of the negativity dominating our news 24/7....decided that we needed to spread kindness and love all around. How wonderful is that? He wrapped string around the trunk of a large tree and at the bottom he supplied some paper tags and markers. Everyone was encouraged to write their wishes on the tags and attach them to the tree.
Some wishes were silly and fun....but so many were profound and touching. This political season has been awash in negativity, racism, lies and much much more. It's infuriating and has really poisoned me on my opinion of our leaders. It was such a nice respite to come across this tree and the message behind it.
Despite all the crap out there in our world, this proved that there is still a lot of love and that we really do appreciate and care for each other. As it should be.....always:)
Have a great rest of the week, let's hope it flies by quickly!!
Jenn
Monday, August 8, 2016
Fresh Berry Galette // Summer Goodness
The fruit in my house was whispering to me this past Tuesday. "Use usssss or lose ussss...." And since I spent a nice amount on said fruit, I listened:) I had strawberries, blackberries and peaches. All at the same stage of ripeness = SUPER ripe. The kind of super ripe that if you wait just 24 more hours it may be too late. So yeah, I listened.
One recipe that I've really wanted to try is a fruit galette. It's basically an open faced pie. Nothing fancy, nothing complicated. The kind of recipe that won't require a crazy ingredient list or a lot of time to bake. And....if you're like me and happen to have pre-made pie crust in the fridge....well then....BOOM!! Extra easy! When I have more time, I will repeat this recipe with a home-made crust as I think it will be thicker. You can see that with the ripeness of my fruit, came a juiciness that was kinda off the charts. Makes for interesting pictures....but the bottom of the galette was a tad thin and stuck to the paper.
Despite all that...it was delicious! I took it into work the following day and my co-workers were very pleased....especially when we added a bit of vanilla ice-cream to the plate. Yum!!
Enjoy everyone :)
Jenn <3
Recipe: Fresh Berry Galette
Ingredients:
2 cups fresh fruit, diced.
1 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tsp nutmeg
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Egg, beaten
1 Pre-made pie crust (or use your favorite homemade pie crust recipe!)
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.
Mix the fresh fruit with the cornstarch, sugar, nutmeg and lemon juice. Take your pie crust and lay out on parchment paper on cooking sheet. Place the fruit mixture in the center of your crust, leaving at least 2 inches all around. Fold the crust over itself all around. Brush the egg mixture around the crust and sprinkle with extra sugar.
Bake in pre-heated oven until crust is lightly brown, approximately 10-15 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.
Finn McD // AKA Stripes
My cat.
Phinneas McGonagal. Finn. Finn McD. Stripes. Just a few of the names that he goes by. He's like the Jason Bourne of cats....multiple names and personalities. I expect he has a secret bank vault with multiple passports, Grade-A catnip and a gold handled, feather toy with a mink mouse attached to the end.
Or maybe not.
I do know he makes me laugh daily, is extremely photogenic and loves the heat of the kitchen window. He hates tuna from the can but will come running down the hall if he hears my spoon hit the bottom of a bowl. That means either ice cream, milk or yogurt. All three his favorites!
I hope you have a fur-kid (or two like me....my Grayson is shy) that brings you a lot of joy and laughter on the daily. They truly are great companions:)
Happy Sunday!
Jenn <3
Thursday, August 4, 2016
Watson Kelley // A Portrait
“A person can learn a lot from a dog, even a loopy one like ours. Marley taught me about living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy, about seizing the moment and following your heart. He taught me to appreciate the simple things-a walk in the woods, a fresh snowfall, a nap in a shaft of winter sunlight. And as he grew old and achy, he taught me about optimism in the face of adversity. Mostly, he taught me about friendship and selflessness and, above all else, unwavering loyalty.”
~John Grogan, Marley & Me
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
I promised myself I'd start drinking more this summer. Not something you usually hear, right?! Well....I'm not much of an adult beverage imbiber. Not that I don't love cocktails or a really cold beer on a hot day. I just prefer food more!!!
As a kid, my parents were very cool about alcohol. We could sip beer at an early age and I had wine with holiday dinners as a young teen. One of our summer favorites were bourbon slushies....a giant tub of orange juice, lime juice and bourbon...frozen in the freezer and mixed with either tonic water or sprite. So delicious:)
So, back to this summer. Here it is August and I'm finally getting around to documenting a cocktail. This is so easy and so refreshing. All you need is fruit, gin and tonic water. Then, voila!
Enjoy!!
Recipe: Adapted from The Stiers Aesthetic
Blackberry, Lemon Gin and Tonics (makes 4 cocktails)
Blackberry Lemon Gin and Tonic // Summer Cocktails
I promised myself I'd start drinking more this summer. Not something you usually hear, right?! Well....I'm not much of an adult beverage imbiber. Not that I don't love cocktails or a really cold beer on a hot day. I just prefer food more!!!
As a kid, my parents were very cool about alcohol. We could sip beer at an early age and I had wine with holiday dinners as a young teen. One of our summer favorites were bourbon slushies....a giant tub of orange juice, lime juice and bourbon...frozen in the freezer and mixed with either tonic water or sprite. So delicious:)
So, back to this summer. Here it is August and I'm finally getting around to documenting a cocktail. This is so easy and so refreshing. All you need is fruit, gin and tonic water. Then, voila!
Enjoy!!
Recipe: Adapted from The Stiers Aesthetic
Blackberry, Lemon Gin and Tonics (makes 4 cocktails)
- 12 blackberries
- 2 lemons (Extra for garnish)
- 1/4 cup simple syrup
- 12 ounces Gin
- Tonic water
- Ice
Directions:
- Combine 4 blackberries and juice from 1/2 of lemon and 1 tablespoon of simple syrup in each of your cocktail glasses.
- Muddle ingredients until combined and berries are fully crushed.
- Fill each glass to the top with ice.
- Add 3 ounces of gin and stir.
- Top with tonic water and garnish with a slice of lemon and blackberry.
Monday, August 1, 2016
My Playlist // August
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| // images via // |
Wouldn't It Be Nice -- The Beach Boys
80's Mercedes -- Maren Morris
Run -- Tiggs Da Author
Peter Pan -- Kelsie Ballerini
Wasted Time -- Keith Urban
NO -- Meghan Trainor
Midnight In The Garden -- Lily Kershaw
Lose Control -- Keri Hilson
The Girl From Ipanema -- Amy Winehouse
Sunny Day -- Joy Williams
Girl I Wanna Lay You Down -- Jack Johnson (W/ Alo)
Summer In The City -- Lovin Spoonful
Queen of California -- John Mayer
80's Mercedes -- Maren Morris
Run -- Tiggs Da Author
Peter Pan -- Kelsie Ballerini
Wasted Time -- Keith Urban
NO -- Meghan Trainor
Midnight In The Garden -- Lily Kershaw
Lose Control -- Keri Hilson
The Girl From Ipanema -- Amy Winehouse
Sunny Day -- Joy Williams
Girl I Wanna Lay You Down -- Jack Johnson (W/ Alo)
Summer In The City -- Lovin Spoonful
Queen of California -- John Mayer
Welcome
Hi there! I'm Jennifer and I'm so glad you chose to visit Orange Tree Square. I hope you enjoy what you see here and come back again!
// I'm Listening To //
Harry Styles (Click Above)
// I'm Watching //
Reacher S:1 (Click Above)
// I'm Currently Reading //
Joy The Baker Magazine (Click Above)
