Think Pink and Retreat!

"Ahhh" by Jerri Finch

It has been a long week and I have decided today is the perfect day to retreat. 

I am throwing up the proverbial pink flag and saying "ah, ah, no way, I am staying put".

TODAY I AM GOING TO....

REFLECT ON ART 
and the wonderful exhibit I went to see in London yesterday. 
It is what sparked my idea to retreat. 

More on that here.

PLY MY CRAFT

 and attempt to add a few more stitches into my son's needlepoint 
Christmas stocking which I have been working on for the last ten years! 

CLEAR THE CLUTTER

out of closets and accept that summer is here and it is time to put away the winter clothes. 
I say this with hesitation because it is England after all.

DIG DIRT

and pop in the pink impatients and nasturtiums 
that have been sitting by my back door for the last five days.

THINK HEALTHY

and put Miss Claire to the test with one of her favourite meals.  
It is easy peasy and should be a good intro to her cooking lessons with Mom.

Salmon Steaks 

with hot pesto and tomatoes

serves 4

4 salmon steaks, 175 g each

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tsp soy sauce

350 g baby plum tomatoes, halved

extra basil leaves to serve

Basil Pesto

2 garlic cloves, peeled

55 g pine nuts

4 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan or aged pecorino cheese

55 g fresh basil leaves (no stalks)

150 ml extra virgin olive oil

55 g unsalted butter, softened

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put the salmon in a shallow non-metallic dish. Put the balsamic vinegar and soy sauce in a measuring jug, mix well, then pour over the steaks, turning to coat.  Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

To make the pesto, put everything in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth as you like. Store in a jar with a layer of olive oil on top to exclude the air. Keep in the refrigerator until needed, making sure that each time you use it, you level the surface and re-cover with olive oil.

Remove the salmon from the marinade and put in a foil-lined pan. Cook under a preheated grill for 4 minutes on each side, brushing with the marinade once on each side. Remove from the grill and keep warm. Put the pesto in a saucepan and heat gently until warm and melted. Carefully stir in the tomatoes. Serve the salmon on warm plates with the pest tomato sauce spooned over, then topped with basil.

Recipe from Weekends With Friends by Maxine Clark

To ensure I stay on track, I will be back with an update at the end of the day :)
PS.. proverbial pink flag is a notion concocted by Jeanne

I have a tendency to do things like that:)

UPDATE:

Phew... Nothing like putting it in writing to make you get a move on it! 

Happy to report that my closet is just about there.  Claire did a great job....the salmon was delicious. She made brownies too, all went well until I came in the kitchen and saw huge gashes in the brownies. She had used a chopstick to see if it was done :) Impatients and Nasturtium are in along with a few other herbs. My needlepoint is coming along... I am thinking this may be the year that I finally finish it! and I am still thinking reflecting on the art exhibit I saw yesterday.

This was so much fun I am going to do it again today!!

Best wishes for a wonderful weekend!!

Images: 1, 2, 3, 4&6~me, 5, 6, 7