SOTD: With Love by Hillary Duff

It is Friday, I am still sick, I have work today, the on coming headache that will be setting up a new cellphone plan; so I have decided to go with comfort in both image and fragrance. Today I am wearing Hillary Duff's With Love, a lovely little perfume, that combines cream, amber, spices, vanilla, and a light dash of fruit. Overall it kind've reminds me of a mango lassi and a mocha. One very unique characteristic of the scent is that it becomes stronger and richer as it dries down.

image provided by artnet.com

Cream by Alfred Arthur Brunel de Neuville

Should You Find Yourself With Fruit Trees and The Preserving Need

For the last few years I have told myself I would preserve the lush fruit that comes every summer from our bountiful fruit trees. The closest I had come to this was this last winters lemon curd and cranberry curd experiment that went really well. Finally this summer though I have actually made preserves. I made apricot preserves and cinnamon plum preserves. What was shocking was just how easy it was. We still have a ton plums so next I want to try a vanilla plum preserve and well other variations. Hmm, maybe I can find a chutney recipe with plums. The recipe I used was from one of my new favorite blogs Just Hungry at http://www.justhungry.com/2006/06/weekend_project.html. I highly recommend you use the almond pit option. As for me I can't stop marveling at the gorgeous golden orange jars I have waiting to be eaten. My favorite way to enjoy apricot preserves being in an apricot almond butter sandwich on dark whole wheat bread. I need to go get almond butter.

The simplicity is your best friend: A beautifully refreshing fruit salad

Sometimes simplicity is just the best way to go, I made this, this morning to go with my toast, and had to share:

Simple Berry Melon salad:

handful of blueberries (I suspect any berry will do, but these are perfect because they don't break easily)
Quarter of a melon (I used casaba melon which is really similar to honeydew, but what ever you have) cut into chunks (no rind)
a drop of orange flower water (I suppose if using a strawberry watermelon combination the more appropriate choice would be rose water)
a sprinkle of suger (just to bring the juices out)

mix all together and enjoy the refreshing beauty of it. The blueberries and green flesh of the melon looked gorgeous together. The orange blossom water added a light touch of floral but overall was not apparent, but added the little extra oomph that made the salad so lovely.

Watermelon

After yesterday's visit to the Livermore Wine and Honey Festival I had a craving for watermelon and to be up front about it watermelon is my favorite melon*. Now plain watermelon is wonderful by its self, but I have a very simple way of making watermelon the epitome of hot summer eating.

Recipe:
Take slice of water melon
squeeze a lemon or lime over it
sprinkle a little salt on it (well how ever much you like
Next get some good chile powder and sprinkle over it ( I like to do mixes some time and add a little cayenne or chipotle powder) or if you want get some good hot sauce Valentina or Cholula are excellent for this. Now eat.

*There is nothing quite like the wonderful sweet crunch of a watermelon out of the fridge and the refreshing sweet taste.
*In Sicily it is common to sprinkle watermelon with fennel seeds and salt
*Yes this variation on watermelon is directly stolen from my Mexican boyfriend which is then stolen from the great street food snack of jicama, cucumber, and watermelon sliced put into cups then sprinkled with salt and chile powder and then a squeeze of lime.

So the question is how do you like your watermelon?

And for own psychadelic amusement watch the video watermelonlove
Watermelon Love
Incredibly bizarre and erotic.