Funk a Doodle Doo

I haven’t said much of substance over her in sometime…it’s been a little less thrilling than a 12yr old’s diary.

Dear Diary, Today I went to work.

Dear Diary, Last night I went to bartend.

Dear Diary, I am like totally sooooo tired.

Dear Diary, I’m feeling funky about life.

Dear Diary, I’m sticking my head in the proverbial sand by devouring tons of books and focusing on working on my house.

Dear Diary, I’m annoyed with my living arrangements and annoyed with my social calendar and it’s lack of…socializing. I’m annoyed, Diary, and I’m trying to move forward but…

you get the picture.

right?

right.

I’m excited for some time off this weekend. I’m surrounding myself with my friends. No working any jobs. Just putzing around the house and doing more plantings…(my garden is annoyed too because I’ve YET to get any produce) Lay out by the pool given we have sunshine. I’ve got friends and family and food lined up to Sunday. I’m going to sleep. And eat. And play. The house is in semi decent shape so the house guilt should be small in doses.

I’ll have my jalapeno creme cheese deviled eggs. My black eye pea salsa. Cold beers. and bag chairs at the ready…Fireworks are in my future.

There are a few other chunks of funk that are still hovering in my brain…and maybe I’ll share it here. Soon. But until I do, I’d like to tell you that I just finished a book that was gifted to me by Abbylicious, of The Vegan and Abbylicous Household via Hoboken New Jersey.

This book is by the native Oklahoma author who also writes Orangette. For anyone who is even remotely interested in food, this is a fabulous site. I’ve been perusing and reading for awhile now. The book is full of fabulous stories of family and growing up in Oklahoma. Of travel and experiences and memories and laughter and loss. At the end of each section, is at least one recipe. I’ve devoured the book this week and as I sit her munching on french bread with herbed goat cheese schmeer… my mind is FIXATED on the recipe for Pickled Grapes with Cinnamon and Black Pepper. It may happen for me this weekend.

Pickled Grapes with Cinnamon and Black Pepper
from A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg
Adapted from Susan Kaplan
Makes 2 pint-sized jars

1 lb red or black grapes, preferably seedless
1 cup white wine vinegar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp brown mustard seeds
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
1 cinnamon stick, cut in half
1/4 tsp salt

1. Rinse and dry the grapes and pull them carefully from their stems. Using a small, sharp knife, trim away the “belly button” at the stem end of the grape, exposing a bit of the flesh inside. Put the grapes into a medium bowl and set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then pour the mixture over the grapes. Stir to combine. Set aside to cool to room temp.

3. While the grapes cool, wash 2 pint-sized canning jars and their lids in warm, soapy water. When the grapes are cool, ladle them into the jars. Chill for at least 8 hrs or overnight. Serve cold, and use within 2 weeks.

THANK YOU SO MUCH ABBY for the beautiful book. It was a great read and I treasure it. For anyone looking for a great book to gift someone…this is a winner.

Thats it from me for a bit. Have a good one…