blueberry muffins with crumb topping

I made these muffins this morning for breakfast
they were delicious & i definitely plan to make them again in the future
I love muffins because once you make them you can have them for the week & they are easy to grab & go in the morning
I combined two recipes from one of my favorite food blogs smitten kitchen
I used this one for the muffin itself & this one for the crumb topping
*I substituted in all organic ingredients & added hemp seeds, flax, & chia seeds to make them a little more nutritional

the abundance of summer

fresh camomile from the farmers market  

green bean shoots 

first potato harvest 

basil 

squash 

kale 

garden gnome :) 

first baby zucchini spotted 

zucchini blossom 

cucumber

baby tomato 

lettuce going to flower 

i love these spindles the cucumbers produce 

tied up the first tomato plant 

rose 

this vine just keep reaching higher, it's beautiful to watch 

meal - barbeque pulled chicken on homemade brioche buns

the other day jon decided to make bbq pulled chicken

he plopped a whole organic chicken into a crock-pot with a jar of organic bbq sauce & some organic micro-brewed root beer in the morning & it cooked all day 

when i got home from work we realized that we had forgotten to buy buns, so i went to one of my go-to food blogs smitten kitchen & found a light brioche burger bun recipe 

i haven't made homemade bread in a long time & i was a little intimidated at first, but once i got into it i found the whole process very rewarding...plus i deiced to use my hands for almost the whole process & kneading the dough was a lot of fun 

the buns turned out great (despite rushing the rise times because we were hungry) i look forward to trying the recipe again when i have more time & am definitely going to incorporate more bread making into my life

once the chicken was done jon pulled it apart taking off all the yummy pieces 

then we added some organic lettuce & cheese plus drizzled the extra juice from the crock-pot on top & ate 

it was delicious :) 

vermont - woodstock

After hiking up & camping on top pico peak in VT Jon & I ventured to Woodstock, VT. This charming town has become one of my favorites in Vermont, I love the quaintness of it. Although it was an overcast day  we both had a lovely time exploring, we parked the car & proceeded to walk all over stopping at many places along the way. 

i love these kind of old, historic buildings...the town library is on the right 

cute shops 

a community picnic/relax area along the Ottauquechee River, which runs through the town 

lovely flower boxes 

Ottauquechee River & another view of the picnic area 

Collective an artisan owned & cooperatively run gallery 

we arrived in town hungry from the hike down the mountain & in search of a good place to eat breakfast so i did a quick search on yelp & discovered Mon Vert Cafe which has excellent reviews so we headed there & i am very glad be did. above is the outside eating area 

they are members of the local first alliance, which we loved

local vermont specialty products

pastries :) we got one on the cinnamon scones on the left, it was delicious  

jon & i in the distance 

i loved how they decorated inside 

my chi tea latte with local milk 

the table we sat at, i loved all the natural lighting 

my breakfast: toasted local whole wheat bread with local egg whites, local cheddar cheese, red onion, avocado, salt & pepper....soooo good, i wish i had another one right now 

love seeing vines growing like this 

the trolly that runs through town 

so many beautiful homes 

history 

how cool is this building over the river 

so many shops i wish i could buy so many things in 

locally made woodwork

beautiful chess set 

Woodstock Inn & Resort 

so many old homes scattered throughout the town & so much history 

one of vermont's wooded bridges 

Woodstock is home to Vermont's only National Historic Park - Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller 

we didn't do any hiking because of the looming weather forecast, but i'd love to go back & explore the trails  

We did explore the grounds of the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller Mansion though & with all the flowers in full bloom it was lovely  

this pool & expansive green house...swoon

an original paul revere bell 

Ottauquechee River & rolling green mountains...I never tire of the views Vermont has to offer  

*   *   *

I definitely recommend going to Woodstock if you are ever in Vermont, you won't regret it! 

& if you have any further questions definitely ask :)