Hello Modern Kiddo readers, Lindsay and John here from Bird and Cleaver. This week, we’ve got a quick little recipe, just for Mom and Dad.

As the temperatures begin to soar, ’tis the season for icy cold cocktails on the patio. Not only are they totally delicious, but sometimes entirely necessary. Around here, even after hours, it is not an uncommon occurrence for the temperatures to remain high enough that you need a little help getting comfortable. So, we have come up with a few tried and true refreshers for those times when just can’t seem to cool down. This fennel+ orange cocktail combines a few of our favorite flavors into one serious little thirst quencher. It’s perfect for a cocktail party, or sippin’ all by your lonesome. Either way, it will get the job done!

fennel + orange cocktail

2 oz gin
1 oz vermouth
1 oz lemon juice
1/4 cup fennel bulb/stem coarsely chopped. try not to get the frond in it.
3 orange slices + 1 for garnish
1 oz simple syrup. (we use the 50/50 sugar/water recipe. just mix them in a jar and shake until dissolved)

**should you desire an alcohol-free drink, simply omit the booze and add 3 oz soda water!

Combine gin, vermouth, fennel and orange slices in cocktail shaker. Muddle ingredients. Add lemon juice and simple syrup, shake and strain into glass with fresh ice. Garnish with fennel stem (make sure the fronds do not hang into cocktail!) and 1/2 an orange slice. Enjoy!

Heyo, everyone. How was your weekend? Did you have a great Father’s Day? We let Greg have a special day of hiking with Sammy dog and Wolfie and I hit the pool at a friend’s birthday party. Very fun to get a taste of the sun—and had me really looking forward to summer. Of course I managed to squeeze in a little e-thrifting on Etsy to rassle up some fun finds for ya. Let’s take a look!

This sweet little blue and white gingham dress is just waiting for a picnic on a sunny day! From the adorable Bug and Bear Vintage.

Sweet Shop Vintage is one of our favorite shops. Just look at this adorable seersucker dressie. Love it!

These Polaroid Land Cameras are so iconic and cool, their prices seem to be soaring. This one is actually affordable!

How cute is this calico Patchwork John John romper?? I could see a little boy OR girl wearing it this summer! From sassy seller Olivers Forest.

Speaking of calico….how about this Calico Cathy Paperdoll set?? Her wardobe is adorable. From fun vintage seller hingummery.

This set of Little Red Riding Hood plates would be perfect for a kiddo room—either for play or to hang on the wall! (You actually get 6 plates and 2 cups.) Snap it up from SmurfnTurf.

Warm weather means bare legs, so this great little romper and tee from VintagePolkaDotCom is just the thing!

I love a good vintage boy’s shirt. A lil madras cape cod chic anyone? From the fun shop, CoolVintageFinds.

And finally…..some hip vintage sunnies for your little superstar. And they’ll only set ya back $5! You’ll find them over at SweetGeekVintage

HAPPPPPY MONDAY friends!

A couple of months ago, I found out my Dad had mantle cell leukemia–stage 4.  It is a very aggressive cancer and unfortunately, it is winning.  Dad was too ill to get the next round of chemo, so I am currently with him and my mom helping him through hospice. I am typing this through tears.

This will be my last Father’s Day with him. So, I thought it fitting to run this piece I wrote last year.

……………..

A couple of weeks ago, I found the picture above of my Dad from his days at Newsweek and had to share it. Actually I wanted to share more than just this picture. I wanted to talk a bit about how amazing my Dad is. I know everyone’s dad is amazing, but I’m glad this guy is my Dad.  He is always there for me.  A voice of sanity in an, at times, very shaky world.

So, I decided to enter him in SF Chronicle writer (and parenting blogger) Peter Hartlaub’s “My Father’s A Hipster” contest, with the following blurb that had to be under 100 words:

Here is a picture of my Dad from his days working for Newsweek in L.A. Equally comfortable hanging out with cast of Laugh In or a few Black Panthers, my Dad rocked the seventies with his outstanding style that would make Andre 3000 jealous. He is the only man I know who uses the phrase, “that cat” and actually sounds cool saying it. Even though he spent my childhood traveling and working late covering major news stories of the seventies and eighties, he always made me feel like I was front page news—above the fold even.

PS: But he still corrects my grammar. Once an editor always an editor…

Of course, he’s so much more than 100 words.  He was one of the first black journalists hired full time at Newsweek, breaking color lines in the sixties. He was mentored by Katherine Graham from the Washington Post. He was a founding member of the National Association of Black Journalists which later became known as the Maynard Institute. He has won a Pulitzer for his work. And, folks, he interviewed Cher in the seventies. CHER!

But more important than that, my dad attended my Father Daughter Valentine’s Day dance in second grade and when he found out that any girl with a heart sticker under her folding chair got a special surprise, my dad overturned every chair until he found one with a heart sticker on it.

He crammed $50 in my hand before prom as “mad money”. Here is how the conversation went:

Dad: “Do you know what mad money is?”

Me: “No.”

Dad: “It’s for when you get mad at your date and need to get out of there. BE SAFE!”

He said I was, “the second most beautiful bride he’d ever seen.” I love him so much for that alone.

And when I was recently stressed over my career he said, “to be truly responsible, you need to be responsible for yourself first.” Clearly the man has a way with words.

I could go on and on and share more and more pictures, if only my parents weren’t so tightfisted with the slides. But here’s another one of his Newsweek photos I love.

But back to the contest. The “winner” has yet to be decided, but Dad’s pic did make the front page of the SF Chronicle’s Style Section.  Who could say no to that bow tie?

Happy Father’s Day, Dad! Thanks for being a wonderful example of how to be a working parent and make the most of each and every moment.

I love you!

PS: He didn’t win!  He was ROBBED!  No offense, but c’mon! I talked to Peter about this and even he acknowledges the total radness of Dad.

TGIF baby!!!!! Wolfie’s school is finally out and we’re ready freddy for SUMMER. Oh yes. How about you guys? Any big plans over the coming months?

We’re taking it easy before we blast off into summer camps and trip planning mode. In the mean time, I found some fun linkies for you to check out…have an awesome weekend!

1. SUPER SESAME CAST

I love this photo from the Original Cast of the very first season of Sesame Street (which aired in 1969-1970). You can see Jim Henson, Frank Oz and the prototype Oscar the Grouch….in ORANGE! (via Kottke)

2. SUPER SPARKLY DRINK

Elsie and Emma from A Beautiful Mess are always fabulously creative. I thought this cocktail they made for Emma’s bachelorette party was SO pretty—and sounded delicious. It’s basically prosecco and grapefruit juice, with an edible glitter rim.

I also loved these simple paper flowers. Aren’t they terrific? And congratulations to Emma and her fella Trey! It looked like a beautiful day.

3. SUPER FUN GROWTH CHARTS

Growth charts are so much fun for kiddos—Wolfie loves monitoring how much he’s grown over the course of a year. Rachel at Handmade Charlotte has a terrific collection of them for you to browse right here.

4. SUPER GROOVY PRINTABLE EYE GLASSES

Both Greg and my dad wear glasses, so I’m thinking this could be a fun lil printable to send their way for Father’s Day! You can find it here.

5. SUPER MATCHING OUTFITS

Don and Nancy Featherstone have worn matching outfits for the past 35 years‚every single day. WOW! It’s crazy yet oddly awesome. You have to read the whole story here. (via Laughing Squid and the Guardian)

6. SUPER TASTY LEMONADE

I love the tangy and refreshing taste of lemonade. These spins on the classic had me craving an icy glass so badly! Mango mint lime? Strawberry basil? YUM. Find them over here on Design Mom.

7. SUPER COOL VINTAGE CARS

If you follow me on instagram (@galexina) then you know I love seeing vintage cars around the city, and I always snap pics of them whenever I spy them. Lisa Congden posted these photos from her friend Christopher Hall who has been photographing vintage cars he finds sitting in front of San Francisco and East Bay buildings. My kinda guy!

Also, a big CONGRATULATIONS to the beautiful Lisa and her lovely lady Clay! The two were just married last weekend and the ceremony looked so gorgeous!

9. SUPER HIP PAD

Palm Springs is such a fabulous place (it’s where we were married!) and I was dying over this home that Tula found. WOWZA. See more here.

10. BONUS VIDEO
OK, so last week I posted that amazing video of some vintage Soul Train dancers gettin’ down to Daft Punk’s Get Lucky. I’m obsessed with this song, apparently, because I have ANOTHER video. This one is so cool. It’s the song as it would have sounded in every decade from the 1920s to the 2020s.

Hee. I love these. I think they need no explanation. Although I have to say it’s making me realize, I need to start exercising more. Who’s in??

Hello Modern Kiddo readers. It’s great to be here! In our house, a big Sunday breakfast is definitely a favorite weekly ritual. This is one of the few times during our busy week when we can all relax and enjoy each others company (mostly) uninterrupted. If only for a little while. It is also the one meal, where we tend to indulge ourselves a little more than usual. We still eat relatively healthy, whole foods, but if we are feeling particularly inspired (or have a huge sweet tooth!), some sort of fresh baked good makes it way to the table. And by “we”, I mean Mom. (Dad is not much help in the way of sweet treats, unless of course, you lump heaping bowls of Captain Crunch into this category….)

This time around it was Mom to the rescue with a homemade take on childhood favorite Pop Tarts. Flaky, gooey  and full of rich blueberry flavor—with very little sugar.  While I wouldn’t say these are “healthy”, they are made with real ingredients.  We all agreed that these were going to have to make another appearance really soon. Give them a try, we think you will agree!

• 2 1/2 cups All Purpose flour
• 3 tablespoon granulated sugar + more for sprinkling
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cold butter
• 2 egg yolks + 1 egg for wash
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup water

In a bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt.  Use a box grater and grate butter into flour mixture.  Toss together with your fingers.

In a glass measuring cup, whisk together egg yolks and water.  Add ice.  Add to flour / butter mixture a few tablespoons at a a time, kneading until dough comes together.

Shape in a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour.  (This dough will keep in the fridge for up to two weeks.)  Make filling while dough chills.

Roll it out to 1/4 to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into desired rectangular size and shape. Push together scraps and repeat.  Mine were about 2 1/2 x 4 1/2 inches. You should get 6-8 pop tarts at this size.  Place bottom layers on cookie sheet.

Place blueberry filling in the center and brush egg around edges. Place top rectangle over filling and seal edges with fork tine. Poke em’ with holes to let the steam escape, and brush tops with egg wash. Sprinkle with sugar. Repeat with remaining tarts. Pop into freezer for 10-15 minutes while oven preheats.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 18-25 minutes or until golden brown. (Although we made these for breakfast, general consensus was that these would be delicious straight from the oven with a scoop of ice cream) Store in an airtight container…if there are leftovers.

• juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 pint of blueberries
• 1/4 cup sugar

Combine ingredients in small saucepan.  Cook over medium heat until mixture is thick and the consistency of jam, about five minutes. Set aside and cool.

{recipe + photos by Lindsay & John of Bird & Cleaver for Modern Kiddo. For more recipes, go here!)