savoring august

Hi bento friends! This weekend featured some colorful and summery foods and activities. The farmer's market offered a wealth of sunny tomatoes, fragrant cantaloupes and these tiny eggplants, just a little larger than my thumb:

Pretty French lavender bunches with a festive Provencal air:

 Antique textiles, full of charm and delicate details...I could not resist the flower-embroidered scallop-edged piece on the right!

For the first time I came across a vendor selling Japanese ceramics, fans, chopsticks...yay, bento stuffs!

I added a sky blue crane to my collection and also some natural-finish, carved chopsticks...

Hibiscus from a Virginia nursery:

Walking home past the house of Mellow Cats...

 

 We went to a dear friend's birthday celebration on Saturday (Happy Birthday, Chris!)

Grilled lobster was a special treat, lovely with grilled corn...

We were lucky to take home some of the grilled lobster, which I made today into a salad with mayo and spicy serrano-ginger dressing from Wisteria Gardens (our favorite market vendor for fresh herbs and micro greens) and pink grapefruit:

Dinner (and lunch on Monday) will be a bento for two with Light Summer Soba Noodles with Chicken, Vegetables, and Fresh Lemon-Sesame Sauce. The recipe is Maki's and comes from her new column for the Japan Times. After reading the delicious combination of flavors, I had to try it!

Cooling cucumber and green beans, a mellow sesame paste, dashi and soy dressing brightened with lemon, shrimp and juicy local tomatoes make for a nourishing, refreshing and delicious meal, one I'm sure to make again...

Have an enjoyable week ahead!