Peach Hand Pies

The simplest of all summer dessert recipe - well, except for maybe sliced peaches on ice cream.  But of picnic desserts, this is the winner.  

Yes, yes, I know - it's September!  What are we doing pretending it's still summer?  Well, it's still hot up here in Minnesota (hello, high of 96 today), and I'm still reveling in dee-lish local tomatoes, melons, and peppers from my CSA share.  And oh, the peaches.  Therefore - there will be peach pie, and we will be seasonally ambiguous for just a wee bit longer. 

Merrimint's Simple Peach Hand Pies
*Substitute any fruit that's happening at the moment.

1 pie crust (I use Trader Joe's)
4 peaches
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
Dash of cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1 whisked egg (for wash)

Cut rolled, chilled pie crust dough into 12 rectangles.  Peel & dice peaches.  Mix peaches with flour, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt.  Place in the center of dough rectangles and fold the edges to meet, pinching to seal (careful - they will be delicate).  Chill for about 30 minutes (if you feel like it).  Brush tops with the egg wash.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes until golden brown. Eat without utensils outside somewhere. 

Randolph Street Market

This weekend I visited the Randolph Street Market, a weekend event that hosts tons of vintage, antique, jewelry, art, and clothing vendors.  There was so much eye candy! I managed to leave with a few beautiful old vases that will perfectly suit the last of summer gladiolas.  Check out the scene... 

Lollapalooza 2013

We had an awesome weekend at Lollapalooza - 23 performances, 1 great trip. Ryan and I had a great trip visiting S & P & Theresa.  Our favorite shows include Family of the Year, St. Lucia, Local Natives, The Lumineers, The Killers, Atlas Genius, Tegan & Sarah, Two Door Cinema Club, Vampire Weekend, and Phoenix.  And of course, it's always the best to visit family in Chicago.  And we got a gif made!  One of our best Lolla's yet :)

Paper Lanterns

The best kind of traditions are those that start organically - like our new family tradition of lighting paper lanterns off the dock at the lake.  The whole town took part over the 4th of July, and it was truly beautiful. 

Lollapalooza 2013 Playlist

Rinksters are headed to Lollapalooza again this year for another great festival weekend!  Here's L's mix for Lolla 2013.  I'm really excited to see Family of the Year, Blondefire, St Lucia, and Mumford and Sons.  Get ready, Chi-town!!

Lollapalooza 2013 from laurenrink on 8tracks Radio.

Lazy Days

Those lazy days of summer aren't so lazy anymore - we've clearly been crazy busy still!  Here's a glimpse at what's been going on lately.  Catching the best of raspberry picking season, making fresh dinners of mussels, greens, and homemade ricotta, and a new road bike!  Hope you're enjoying every drop of summer! 

Will I see you in September?

This is our last post of August, and in a way our last post of summer.  September just says "fall" to me, even if it stays summertime warm for a few more weeks.

It's also a big moment for us; by Monday, L will officially be in Minneapolis, and S is already settling into her new life in Chicago.  But even in the midst of all the excitement, it's hard not to mourn the loss of a fantastic summer. 

Our up north cottage growing up was decorated in blue and yellow, and we have always associated the color combo with summer.  This Anthropologie skirt fit the bill perfectly for a casual dinner out at the end of a lovely summer.

So, to send off August, here's a song for you.  See you in September.

breathe deep.

You have no idea how much strength it took not to title this post some awful pun about thyme.  I know, I know... so predictable.  Especially for a punster such as myself.

L and I were doing some cooking at our family cottage (paella, anyone?), and needed some fresh herbs from our small but mighty herb garden.  We took a second to pause, breathe in really really deep, and appreciate the beauty of thyme (the herb... no, it was not an intentional pun).

Take this as a reminder to pause today, breathe deep, and enjoy the smells of summer while they last.  Maybe you will be enjoying some fresh herbs too, or maybe it's the smell of freshly cut grass, the beach, summer cooking, your warm weather perfume choice, or even the smell of humid air that hangs on through the end of August.  Summer is winding down- even more reason to take every moment to enjoy it!

(p.s. isn't the photo of our puppy, Amber, smelling the thyme the most precious thing you've ever seen? We melted into puddles when she did it :)

Lake House Tour: Part 2

Part 2 of our lake house renovation tour!  Like I mentioned yesterday, we are still in the process of decorating (e.g. all the pictures aren't up yet) but we are already enjoying it immensely!

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After:

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Remember this? 

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After:

Before:

After:

We added the porch above onto previously existing but never used deck space.  The tan room (in progress) is also a new addition.  Getting rid of the 70s wood panelling does wonders, don't you think?

Many of the details we have worked on have been DIY projects, like the dried flower garland, vintage Michigan postcards in place of a headboard, making throw pillows out of old tshirts, and the living room gallery wall shown yesterday.

So that's our big project!  We can't wait to enjoy it for years to come.