my friday five

The  Tablelands model home

Wow, it’s Friday!

We made it through the first “official” week of summer

and I’m enjoying our summer schedule soooo much!

School just let out for us last week, so here

in Newport, the kids are spending lots

of time at the beach.

So that means lots of 

sand is filtering its way into the house,

I’ve got loads of beach towels to wash,

and lots of sunscreen to apply!

It is so fun!  

And now, we can look forward

to 4th of July in a few days too.

We’ve already been hearing the pops 

and bangs every night from the local fireworks 

people are randomly setting off…

my dogs are terrified, ugh!

Anyways, this weekend I’m looking forward to

checking out a new community of homes here in

Eastside Costa Mesa, called Tablelands.

The model is now open on Sundays,

so I’ll be taking a peek, and I can’t wait to see it,

 because the model was designed

by Shannon Wilkins of Prairie Interiors and

she’s got a really fun fresh farmhouse style I love!  

This week I stopped into Roger’s Gardens

to grab a few lavender and boxwood plants

to fill in a few empty spot in my garden,

and took a shot of this pretty outdoor table

just for you all!

I just love the pretty blue glasses on the table.

They really liven up the whole table. 

I love the herb section at Roger’s.

They integrate edible flowers and cute

garden accessories so beautifully. 

I’m tuning up my bike this weekend... 

filling the tires with air and oiling things up.

It’s so fun to ride around town

instead of getting in that hot car!

And speaking of bikes,

Here’s a  cute pic from Marissa Hermer’s

new cookbook, “An American Girl in London”.

Doesn’t her Couscous and Tomato salad look good?

This is what I'm making for Saturday...

Herby Couscous with Slow-Roasted Tomatoes

1½ lbs. cherry tomatoes, halved
2 red onions, peeled and cut into 8 wedges each
¼ cup plus 3 tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
1 tsp. black pepper, divided
3 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
2½ cups uncooked pearl couscous
1 cup pitted, roughly chopped kalamata olives
1 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
½ cup finely chopped fresh mint
½ cup finely chopped fresh basil
1½ tbsp. fresh lemon juice
3 oz. feta cheese (about ¾ cup crumbled)

1. Preheat oven to 250°. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper. Place cherry tomatoes, cut side up, and onion wedges on baking tray. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Bake until caramelized, sticky and sweet, about 2 hours.

2. Meanwhile, bring stock to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add couscous, and simmer 6 minutes. Remove from heat; cover, and let stand until all of the stock is soaked up, about 10 minutes. Spread couscous on a large, clean baking tray to cool.

do something amazing this weekend! 

ciao,  fabiana

photo credits:

Tablelands

Ciao Newport Beach blog

Country Living

Marissa Hermer