summery sicilian flavors bento

Hi bento pals! A light and cooling bento for another hot July day. This one features crab and shrimp with orange-infused olive oil over snow pea tops, capers, baby orange pepper and a couple of spicy nasturtium blossoms. Bruschetta with diced tomato, yellow peppers, olive oil, plus white peach, watermelon and mint for dessert. I loved the watermelon-mint flavor combo.

Here's the wonderful Sicilian orange-infused olive oil I've been using to brighten everything from salads to pasta recently...

A few images from the farmer's market, including some sun-colored peppers I brought home:

beautiful sebastopol

Hi bento pals...on this infernally hot D.C. area weekend, I'd like to revisit and share with you some images from our recent trip to the delightful Sonoma County town and farmer's market of Sebastopol.

There was a baby pet goat adoption fair hosted by the Goat Rescue League...so sweet!

Beautiful, vibrant produce and flowers and live jazz made for a lovely market scene. The mellow, happy vibe was remarkable here; after gathering a few items like honey sweet cherries, we sat on a park bench and fell into easy conversation with locals about the market and town...

These pink roses were potently, amazingly fragrant! Yes, I had to buy them...

A local healthy cooking school shared these delish mashed fava bean and goat cheese on watermelon radish treats:

The view from our park bench

A pretty rainbow of beads in a nearby shop...

Art gallery window: love the soft-bright tones in this painting

Tamberlane is a charming, cheerful home decor shop with bright 1940's inspired textiles, even cute colorful skewers perfect for bento. Ever feel like a shop reflects your aesthetic to a "T"? That was this place for me...

Stay cool, friends!

bbq chicken bento

Hi bento pals! Today's bento features some really yummy chicken from last night and a host of summery companions. We marinated chicken thighs in Smokie Joe's BBQ sauce for several hours then roasted them (with a few final minutes in the broiler to caramelize a bit). So good!

Alongside the chicken, lunch includes coleslaw, yellow corn, baby market greens and golden tomatoes, roasted sweet potato slices and a little cup holding cherries and white peach slices. If you are in an area affected by the current U.S. heat wave, stay cool and safe!