All posts by Alix

Real Life // A Trip to the County Fair

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Chocolate dip swirly cones….the Tilt-O-Whirl….sno-cones…corn dogs…frozen lemonade….that crazy game where you shoot water into the clown’s mouth and try to pop your balloon first to win a prize…I LOVE a good County Fair! We went to ours a few weeks ago (Weird Al was playing! Whoo hoo!) and man did we have fun. I’m not as into the “Everything Fried!” food stalls (although I was intrigued by the “Fried Nutella”) and to be honest, I’m not a huge fan of wild rides. But there is just something so fun about the lights, sounds and tasty smells of BBQ and sweet treats that just makes me happy.

This year was especially sweet because we were able to really watch Wolfie blossom. Like I said, I looooove a good merry-go-round but I’m too chicken to try rollercoaster/crazy rides. Greg is a daredevil and will try anything. And my little Wolf? Welllll, typically, he tends to be like his mama….not very wild at heart when it comes to rides. He’s cautious. A little nervous when it comes to anything potentially scary. But for some reason this time he was really pushing himself. He was riding things he normally refused to, going on some rides all by himself—and even trying to make things spin faster or raising his arms up (where he usually clung to the safety bar).  It was such a sweet sweet thing to watch and made me have an even better time than ever before!

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How about you guys? Have you been to the County Fair this summer?? Are your kids thrill seekers or a little more on the cautious side?? I’m still too nervous to ride the ferris wheel….but for now, I’m just happy to admire it from afar.

 

TASTY BITES // the sungold zinger

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Alix sent us this little ditty quite some time ago. She said “Check this out! Seems like it would be right up your alley”. Boy, does she know us! We love trying fun new cocktails; and with the addition of one of our favorite ingredients, (that’d be tomato), this one promised to be sublime. We absolutely could not wait to try it! And so we did. We rushed right out, gathered the necessary supplies, and got to mixin’. And….it was not good. Not that it was terrible, but just kind of blah. What gives? The idea is totally solid. The technique and execution is correct. How could this not be amazing? It had to be the ingredients. Even though we knew better, we tried to get by with out-of-season tomatoes in a pinch. And, we got burned.

So, we waited. And waited. We waited until our own little tomatoes were at the peak of ripeness to try it again. Holy wow! What a difference a couple of weeks can make. With fresh ingredients that are in season, this cocktail wasn’t even in the same ball park as the first one. It was tangy, and perfectly sweet. With a finish that you can only get from a perfectly ripe tomato, this was the cocktail we were hoping for. This one is definitely going to be our go to cocktail from now on. Well, at least for one month out of the year. Thanks for recipe, Alix!

sungold zinger
(recipe from Range)
  • 3-4 sungold tomatoes
  • pinch of sea salt
  • 1/2 oz agave syrup
  • 1/2 oz lemon juice
  • 1-1/2 oz 209 gin
Muddle the tomatoes, salt and syrup together in a mixing glass. Add lemon juice and gin and shake well with ice. Strain into chilled cocktail glass and garnish with another tomato on rim (or some fresh tomato leaves) and enjoy!


Want more Tasty Bites? Go here. If you are on Instagram, be sure to follow @birdandclever for more delicious photos.

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SPONSOR THE KIDDO // august ad space available!

August is right around the corner—I love it because it’s my birthday month (yay!) and it’s a time to enjoy the final hooplah of summer. Come play with us!

Would you like to gain a little more exposure for your Etsy shop, business or cool blog? Then why not become a Modern Kiddo sponsor! Modern Kiddo has quickly become the go-to favorite for vintage lovin’ readers every where!  We love to showcase unique, creative folks and help spread the world about your awesomeness!

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TASTY BITES // roasted tomato + eggplant flatbread

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When we originally made this dish I don’t think I gave it enough credit. Sure, the recipe is quite easy to follow, and can be pretty quick to make. But it is so much more! We are talking classic flavors here. It really does not get much better than eggplant and tomato in our book, and this preparation is about as close to perfect as we can think of. Hearty and healthy. Tangy and full of flavor, but with minimal ingredients. What’s not to love? Pair these roasted veggies with your favorite flatbread, pizza crust, or even pita and you’ve got yourself an awesome meal. Honestly though, you could just skip the bread all together. Put it on your eggs, spread it on a sandwich, eat it on a cracker, dip a carrot in it. Hell, eat it straight out of the pan! It’s so deliciously versatile, you’ll figure it out after just one bite.

roasted tomato & eggplant flatbread

  • 1 med eggplant
  • 1 32oz. can crushed tomatoes
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 1 Tb lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp coriander
  •  your favorite flatbread, etc….

 

for garnish:

 

  • feta cheese
  • flat leaf parsley
  •  cilantro
  • toasted cumin seed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rub a small amount of oil on a 9×13 pan. Slice eggplant in half lengthwise, sprinkle with kosher salt, and place skin side up on the pan. Combine together tomato, lemon juice and spices, add to pan. Place pan in oven and roast for 45-50 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully scoop out the eggplant from skin. Add eggplant back to tomato mixture, mix well. Spread mixture onto bread/crust, top with feta and return to oven. Bake until golden brown. Garnish w/ parsley, cilantro, cumin seeds, and a sprinkle of kosher salt. Eat that thang!


Want more Tasty Bites? Go here. If you are on Instagram, be sure to follow @birdandclever for more delicious photos.

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