whenever our relationship feels tired or strained, or if outside circumstances (like jobs) are causing a rift, i can often look at our calendar and realize we haven’t gone on a date in too long.

our camping weekend was GREAT. but wil has had to work 8 days straight after that, 7 of them being closing shifts. it didn’t take much for me to see that this week has been hard on him. i wanted to get him something special, or do something for him, but my mind went blank when he’s the type of guy that doesn’t ask or want for much. so i asked him out on a date. seriously…just because we’re married, i still have to see if he wants to go out with me! (luckily he said yes)

since he works most nights, our date night had to be a date morning. we stopped in to a quaint little gourmet swedish brunch place and enjoyed ebelskivers (our family’s christmas morning tradition), apple fritters and even a brandy-coffee cocktail at ten in the morning. it was the perfect departure from him waking up and immediately thinking of work, and for us to sit together, reconnect, talk about food and dream about us opening a restaurant of his own someday. i think based on his work schedule from wed-sunday, we want to try and make the friday morning date a regular thing, as it would fall right in the middle of his week to help break it up.

i would urge you married folk to not forget to date. just because you are ‘married’ by title and maybe even have kids, you should still be in constant pursuance of one another! plus, it just makes everything a bit sweeter and often more fun, as it should be. i’ve heard of great ideas such as keeping a date night coin jar that you empty your pockets into. when it’s got a few bucks in there, take yourselves out! or keep a special bowl of ideas…when you think of a place you want to try or a thing to do, write it down on a slip of paper and put in the bowl. when a free night rolls around and you are both staring at each other saying ‘what should we do?’, pick something out of there! it’s the perfect balance of planned (it will be something you knew you wanted to do) and spontaneous (you don’t know what you’ll pick!). sometimes we just need the structure of literally writing it down on a calendar to help us follow through with the date versus brushing it aside as an inconvenience to an already busy day or week.

go get out there! go date!

but hold on for just one more second (shameless plug)… i wanted to make sure you knew that you can now subscribe to vie a la table to get in your inbox, if that’s more your style than the rss feed (on the sidebar–>). have you become a follower or become a fan on facebook? hopefully in the next few weeks i’ll be getting the shop restocked again, and even start cranking out some discounts for you guys, via facebook and twitter, and maybe in a blog post or two! don’t miss out!

ok, now you may go…

linked with life made lovely mondays

but the best part of finding this picture was pulling it out of the frame and finding this little lovely on the backside.

and then mark driscoll tweeted this article, not an hour or two later.

it was perfect timing to read these words. many days i feel like i’m not the excellent wife i should be based on what i did or didn’t do, or i compare myself to other godly women/wives, or even compare myself to proverbs 31 and see myself fall short.

but this picture and this article both reminded me that wil didn’t choose me at so young an age because i was material for the perfect wife. and the day he married me, i wasn’t material to be the perfect wife. and i’m not one today.

but as it so eloquently said, it’s not about perfection, or a mental checklist. and it’s not about having wil as my center, which will surely cause things to go wrong.

“excellence is not measured by a to-do list; it is manifested in the life of a wife who knows jesus intimately”

i can only hope that he continues to transform me on a daily basis to not be perfect, but to serve wil as a broken woman that christ shed his blood for.

i love those days when i’m just on a roll…ideas are flowing, i’m creating, and producing. but sometimes inspiration needs a little nudge though and i am looking forward to having a weekly reminder of seeing things in a new light and turning them into sources of future inspiration.

this week’s topic was handmade. and as i looked around our house for something that represented handmade, my mind wandered around, thinking about the cute drawings from our niece on the fridge, the window valance made from vintage hankies from my mom, or even the gorgeous flowers out front that god created so delicately.

but something that continually inspires me on a daily basis, and i think unknowingly had a hand in helping me get to where i am right now, is wil’s teardrop trailer project.

the past 4-5 months he’s been building a midcentury inspired teardrop trailer FROM THE GROUND UP. i am amazed, inspired, intrigued, and astonished with every step that he completes and the closer it gets to completion. yes, we love camping, and cannot wait to use it, but the build is so much more than that. although i can’t express his feelings accurately, from an outsider’s perspective, i know to him, it’s not solely about the end result. it’s the process. it’s the learning experience. it’s the ability to do things on his own. and it’s the ability for us to accomplish something together at times too.

i’m still newer to the handmade movement. i’ve loved it from afar, but only the past couple months have i seen a real push in our lifestyle for it. wil with his trailer, my garden, the way we prepare our food, and just even within myself thinking about how i could make my own version of something before i go buy from a store.

amidst school, work and each of our fabulous spring vacations, we are still able to find time to spend with each other and with our friends.  just after we got back from las vegas, we threw together some plans for a quick hang-out.  since the sun was just barely peeking through the clouds for the first time in about two months, we thought a lite summer smörgåsbord was appropriate.  dave was in charge of bread and beer (of course); laura heeded the responsibility of homemade hummus, salad and wine; and kris and i were to bring a salami and cheese plate.

i was able to scour the shelves at work to find some fantastic deals on some salumi salamis, and some swiss cheeses, but we felt our meal was lacking.  kris was thinking on her feet and threw together a simple balsamic vinaigrette and marinated some asparagus that was crunchy, tangy and oh-so-delectable.  now, i know that we’re not the first people to use balsamic vinegar to dress vegetables.. but who are we to deny the flavorful callings of cool crunchy vegetables with that sweet, but tart kiss to our tongue.

this is such a simple side component that can be thrown together in a matter of minutes as a completing component to a picnic in the park.  or, if you want to give the salad a little more girth, throw a few different types of vegetables in – carrots, broccoli, red bell peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms – you name it!  we liked it so much we had it again the very next day.

marinated asparagus

1 lb asparagus spears – trimmed
1 medium yellow onion - julienne
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbs very finely minced garlic
1 1/2 tbs dry italian seasoning
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

1. submerge the asparagus spears in a large pot of salted, boiling water for about a minute (more time for fat spears, less time for skinny spears).  immediately move the asparagus into a bowl filled with ice and water to chill.

2. to make the marinade – combine all remaining ingredients except the onion in a bowl whisking in the olive oil a few drops at a time.

3. toss asparagus and onion in the marinade and let sit for 1 hour in the refrigerator.

we’re finding ourselves challenging each other more and more about how far we can stretch the few dollars that we have here and there.  just the other day, kris sent me to the grocery store with $10 in hand to stock our fridge with veggies and the like.  i came home with 2 crowns of broccoli, 2 sweet potatoes, 1 large yellow onion, 6 small shallots, a head of green leaf lettuce, a head of bibb lettuce, 1 bunch of parsley and a 10 pound bag of russet potatoes.  somewhat of an accomplishment if i say so myself.

i know, i know… what does this have to do with the appetizer that you’ve all been dying to hear about?  i guess i feel accomplished when i can come up with a classical, gourmet and flavorful dish that i don’t really need to shop for.  our seared kobe beef carpaccio was an excellent addition to this fresh ingredient menu and since we already had some meat and accessories in the fridge it was easy on the wallet too!

classically, the appetizer is meant to wet the appetite so that the guest is not so hungry that they rush through the entree.  food is meant to be enjoyed and a guest should be able to enjoy 4 things about an appetizer – a main item, a dressed salad, a sauce and a garnish.  it’s when all these come together that you find something so tantalizing that it’s why tantalizing is called tantalizing.

seared kobe beef carpaccio

2 oz lean cut, fresh, high quality beef
1/4 cup micro greens
3 tbs olive oil, 1 tbs reserved
2 tsp capers, chopped
1 sprig (1 tbs) fresh rosemary
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
parmesan cheese to taste
salt and pepper to taste

1. season 4 sides of beef cut with salt and pepper (not top and bottom) and sear in oiled pan until just brown on 4 sides – refrigerate

2. in small saucepan, cover rosemary with 2 tbs olive oil and bring to 110 degrees – hold between 110 and 150 for 25 minutes. (it helps to do more of this than just 2 tbs.. as it can be used in cooking and in salads to give a nice rosemary flavor to any dish).

3. slice beef 1/8 inch thick and place between layers of plastic wrap and gently pound to 1/16 inch thickness being careful not to tear the slice.  place slices on plate as desired.

4. whisk together balsamic vinegar and remaining olive oil and lightly dress greens and place on top of pounded beef.

5. finish by sprinkling chopped capers, shaved parmesan, salt, pepper and drizzled rosemary-olive oil.