I think Bonne Maman makes wonderful strawberry and apricot preserves and buy jars all the time. When they are empty, I run them through the dishwasher and directly into my craft room. When my friend Kim saw that I was storing beads and baubles for my jewelry in Bonne Maman jars, she started saving the jars from her household for me. Her husband easily consumes a jar of Bonne Maman a week and it is his devotion that has allowed me to amass this great storage system.
Sea glass, felt scraps and buttons become artistic expression in themselves when displayed this way.
And while we are talking about upcycling Bonne Maman jars, did you know that they recently introduced lemon curd? It is delicious. Smooth, tart and worthy of replacing your homemade lemon curd in a recipe. I'm serious. They did have done a beautiful job with this recipe and it is the only jarred lemon curd that comes close to homemade. And it comes in a super cute jar (wink).
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There is nothing like stumbling upon a new culinary delight a few hours before you need to bring something to a picnic!
I was finally able to visit the Sara Hardy Farmers Market in Traverse City last Saturday. Traverse City is becoming quite a mecca for foodies and I knew that I would be able to find the best-of-the-best from local growers and purveyors.
My favorite find was this simple but delicious combination of fresh lemon curd topped with spreadable goat cheese from Idyll Farms. Yum! It has a sweetness from the lemon curd and a cool tang from the goat cheese that was perfect for a picnic. I simply opened the container and put it on a bamboo plate with nasturtiums and crackers.
It was a perfect light and fresh start to the annual Bar-B-Cruise picnic held by the Leland Yacht Club. Every year members decorate their boats in a theme and parade past the judges for points and a chance at winning the Mermaid flag. At night, 700+ people come together for a casual picnic dinner of ribs, meat, corn on the cob and more meat all cooked on site. This is summer fun.
Do you ever really know when you are making a lasting memory? Of course, I was on my first trip to England, so just about everything was exciting. But it is funny how this moment stands out among the other highlights.
We had checked into our hotel, The Mayfair, and decided to try and diminish our jet lag by going on a walk around the area to get some fresh air. It was damp and gray and I was happy for the short trench coat and scarf I had brought along.
After wandering around for quite a while, we noticed a Marks & Spencer Simply Food on Piccadilly Road, very close to an entrance to Green Park. We bought some yogurt and water and walked over to the park and found these chairs.
When you select chairs to sit in, an attendant comes over and charges a small rental fee. That was okay with me - the chairs were very comfortable and it gave me a spot to savour my Lemon Curd (!) yogurt.
I liked this yogurt so much that I took a photo of the label so that I could find it again.
I never found it again. Not on the trip and not back in America. Why can't we have lemon curd yogurt? It was light and tart and fabulous. If you are in England, do me a favor and have one for me.
So this is a fond memory from my first trip to England: Sitting on striped chairs in Green Park eating Lemon Curd yogurt.
Sometimes you never know what will bring you delight.
