To be fair to our great state, we've already had more than a handful of beautiful days, my bronzed shoulders and awkward first tan lines are proof. And when I say bronzed, I mean finally showing a little bit of tan after several aloe applications. Even if it stings, the first sunburn of the year is always a milestone for me, it symbolizes the start of careless sunny afternoons floating on the lake, windswept hair from boat rides, and cool, smoky bonfire evenings with friends. That's the small-town girl in me, referring to some of my favorite activities in Northern Minnesota. But, now I'm a city girl, so I'm looking forward to happy hours and late nights on one of the many patios throughout the city, bike rides and walks around the chain of lakes, and Saturday mornings wandering through the farmer's market.
I've already been to both the Minneapolis and St. Paul Farmer's markets this spring. I prefer the St. Paul market because it's smaller and the vendors are local so I trust all of my purchases are in season, fresh and also supporting a local farmer. On the other hand, I do enjoy the Thursday afternoon "Market on the Mall" when vendors from the Minneapolis Farmer's Market setup on Nicollet Mall, allowing me the perfect excuse for an outdoor lunch. I recently took advantage of the fresh rhubarb available, spending an afternoon filling my apartment with the aromas of strawberry-rhubarb crisp.
The bright sunshine and longer days have also been advantageous for my indoor herb garden. Some of my herbs are thriving more than others, mostly because I'm situated with Eastern facing windows, but they're all showing signs of new growth. My sweet basil is especially vigorous, allowing me to get creative in the kitchen. My most recent creation were caprese grilled sandwiches. I began with a demi-baguette and rubbed both sides of the sliced baguette with some raw garlic, to add flavor, and drizzled the bread with olive oil. I then laid down slices of fresh mozzarella, roma tomato, and fresh-picked basil followed by a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and a pinch of black pepper, kosher salt, and dried rosemary (dried from the rosemary in my herb garden). I then used my cast iron skillet to warm the sandwich, melt the mozzarella cheese and slightly toast the bread. It was full of flavor and an easy weeknight meal, plus I got to utilize my own garden! Living in uptown may restrict me from a big garden, but sometimes you just need to be resourceful and try other methods of gardening. There are so many neat things out there, why not give one or two a try?!
Now that it is warming up (the temperatures right now are actually resembling summer with the humidity), I'm anxious to create some refreshing cocktails and fresh summer dishes with some of my other herbs, like mint and rosemary. A mojito would really hit the spot right about now!
Another activity I'm looking forward to as an Uptown girl is bike rides around the Chain of Lakes. This past weekend, we rented some of the NiceRide bikes,a non-profit bike rental system in the Twin Cities, and peddled our way around Lake Calhoun and Lake Harriet. About 7 miles total, we started by the Tin Fish on Lake Calhoun and followed the bike path up to William Barry parkway, across to Lake Harriet and around, then back to finish up the loop around Lake Cahoun. We stopped to check out the Lake Harriet Bandshell and grab some refreshments at Bread & Pickle. The weather was fantastic with slight cloud cover and a decent breeze for a pleasant cruise. I'm definitely looking forward to taking advantage of this opportunity again in the near future. The NiceRide system is quite affordable and they have over 170 stations where you can rent and return your bike.
Our next trip is going to be more extensive, we plan to further explore the Grand Rounds and the beautiful bike trails, traveling from Lake Calhoun over to Minnehaha Falls. And I know there will be at least one stop along the way at either the Tin Fish or Sea Salt Eatery too! I love that Minneapolis offers the bike trails, it gives those who are less avid bikers the chance to still get out and enjoy without having to worry about navigating busy streets and cars whizzing by. As we rode along Lake Calhoun, I took a few mental notes and added a couple more activities to my summer to do list - I definitely want to check out Wheel Fun Rentals and spend an afternoon on the stand up paddle boards or kayaking around Lake of the Isles.
As mentioned earlier, another thing I cannot wait for this summer is bonfires. When I think of bonfires, my mind is immediately drawn to fires on the shore of Lake Vermilion, but once again, I can't have that luxury as readily as I used to and I'm growing to accept that. And it really isn't so terrible. We spent last Sunday evening with friends surrounding a small, tame fire in their backyard, roasting marshmallows and indulging in ooey-gooey s'mores. I must admit, it was rather pleasant not having to swat at ferocious mosquitoes every few minutes.
I loved waking up the next morning to find my hair still scented with smoke, it was a sure sign that summer is here. Yes, this summer will be different than my previous summers because I'm working full time, but I'm definitely looking forward to exploring and getting to know my city much more. Just the same, I am also counting down the days until I can get back home and spend a few days on the lake catching up with family and friends, too!
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