K's Musings on Tastes, Trips, Treasures

I'm still relishing L's post on roasted salmon and pickled peppers. I was so inspired by the beautiful plate of asparagus that I immediately ran to the store and bought a bunch. I sliced off the ends, peeled and cut some parsnips, carrots and red peppers, tossed with some olive oil and kosher salt then roasted them at 400 degrees for approximately 30 minutes. Ok, so Jamie Oliver I am not (yet!!) but they were really yummy. Definitely in my top 5 favorite foods. What are the other four you ask? There are the 3 S's: Sushi, Sausage and Sweet Potatoes. Then comes roasted vegetables. I guess then I'd say a really good green curry or perfectly grilled fresh calamari with garlic.

I've been in the mood recently for roasted veggies as we've been watching Spain - On the Road Again with Mario Batali, Mark Bittman, Gweneth Paltrow and a stunning Spaniard Claudia Bassols (http://www.claudiabassols.com/), and in most every episode they dine on fresh vegetables that have been roasted or sauteed, always accompanied by some incredible Spanish wine. Makes you want to jump on a plane and fly to Bilbao or Barcelona and disappear for a year or so. Hmmm.....

In one of the shows they visit the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao designed by Frank O. Gehry. It is made out of titanium, stone and glass. They say it glows in the sunlight. Can't wait to see it one day! It is gorgeous!!

Besides ogling Gwyneth's style and Claudia's Spanish ways, I had an interesting weekend of treasuring hunting. First, Friday evening was our town's garbage night were once a year we all haul our unwanted things (junk!) out of our garages, musty crawl spaces, closets and attics and bring them to our curbs where our neighbors sort through it and take out what they like. Sound fun? Well, it is one of the most entertaining nights of the year where folks from all over the Chicago suburbs come in their pickup trucks and Uhauls for this fabulous recycling party. I put the kids in the van and made them endure me stopping at every other house to inspect the goods and to add insult to injury they had to hold the junk I did pick up. This is what I found.

I know, just looks like junk. Well, it is. I'll have fun seeing if I can salvage any of it - sanding, painting, giving new life. Recycling at its best. How could I leave behind a big pumpkin head? Perfect Halloween decor in the antique mall. The robin's egg blue table is actually very nice but needs some new paint or something. Looks like it was in a garage for years getting stained and scratched.
The following day I went out to my favorite thrift store in Auroa and found some lovely plates, dishes, planters, a sturdy basket from Putney, Vermont and cool suburban architectural prints. Take a look.
Love the little gilded bees on the dish above. Below are perfect pink roses.



The trees are painted blurred on this Japanese hand painted dish. I love the setting - lakeside or by a river.

I picked up ten of these prints and I think they would look nice framed in a collection on a wall. All I have to say about the one below is tee hee hee.

Thanks so much for looking. We really appreciate your comments!!
OSH