Ow, ow, ow…I’m sitting here trying to write this little piece on my blackberry foraging experience but this splinter in my right pinkie is not helping. I cannot seem to get it out. Ouch. The experience of being able to forage for berries within an urban setting is such a new one for me. I never grew up plucking berries, we had other fruit in Singapore but most are high on trees and there was never such a prolific harvest.

I still am not sure if the bounty of berries is worth some of these wounds. The logical side of me disagrees with my instinctive gatherer self, I guess.

One thing I noticed while picking the berries was the ripe aroma of the fruit. As I picked, it was as if the summer sunshine was further ripening these lovelies. It was subtle but it had set the wheels turning in my head, about what I should make with them.

Another thing I discovered while foraging is that I am quite a determined person. It is a possible coincidence that it happened to be dinner time and I was running on empty but those thorny branches were not going to keep me away from my dessert possibilities. I used broken sticks to tug at the fruit-laden branches. It was a good trick but most of the time, I found myself just gritting my teeth as I grabbed at the branches with my bare hands. I didn’t care how those thorns would get me, I was focused on the fruit. It made me think about how my ancestors approached this foraging experience. Hunger is a strong impetus that has endured through the centuries.

So today, I present you the result of my blackberry foraging experience – a blackberry-pineapple dump cake.

A very simple way to create a quick dessert of summer fruit. This recipe works well with peaches, blueberries, strawberries, cherries and nectarines. Preheat your oven to 350 deg F. Spray a 13 by 9″ baking pan with nonstick spray. Layer the bottom with a 20oz can of crushed pineapples (juice and all) and 2 cups of blackberries. Then sprinkle yellow cake mix evenly over the fruit. After that, sprinkle 1/2 cup of brown sugar (packed) evenly. Lastly, drizzle 1/2 cup of melted butter over this. Bake for about 45 minutes. Try to get the melted butter drizzle as evenly as possible so that you won’t end up with dry bits of cake mix.

Delicious on its own, with some whipped cream or perhaps vanilla bean ice cream.

How was your weekend? I had a good one. We had our hands full on Saturday with Scarlett’s very first garage sale, we had quite a few customers and enjoyed hanging out in the sun. I have a farmer’s tan but the new color on my skin is healthy. I know it will return to its pale glory in a few months. Sunday was a minimal chore day, we only took the cars out for a bath and vacuum. We don’t do that very often but it really does feel good to have a clean vehicle.

July is coming to an end and soon it will be birthday month. I love August. When I was younger and growing up in Singapore, it meant that we could look forward to a day off from school – National Day, and in that same week, 3 of us cousins will celebrate our birthdays together (we were born in the same week of the same year). Now, August means the height of summer – grilling out, popsicles, a bountiful garden, orange sunsets and balmy evenings. Can you tell that I am so looking forward to August?

Today’s bits:

I have been wanting mojitos this summer – I think these Danish Modern muddlers will look stylin’ and work well. Of course in a pinch, we can always use one of these wooden rolling pins.

My other half will cringe at this but don’t you think this Hello Kitty wallet is absolutely adorable?

I haven’t had the chance to visit the Georgetown Farmers/Flea market that is held every Saturday. Maybe this week.

The noise of the fan blades from our columnar fan sent me on a quest for a less noisy fan. May I present the Dyson Air Multiplier. It looks sleek and are blade-less so they won’t be a cleaning nightmare. I am not sure about how much I am willing to fork out to be without the extra noise and to have better air flow. But I would be interested in checking these out at a store.

I am always on the lookout for letterpress prints – this Urban Gardening one by Starshaped Press is delightful. Very summer-y colors and a great use of type.

I have been enjoying these long days of late. I try not to fill my days with too many things but somehow it all goes so fast. I spend most of the day reading, checking blogs, keeping up with emails and thinking about new recipes but cooking familiar ones that I have neglected.

Around Scarlett, there has been a lot of cleaning and organizing going on. I think you have heard me mention this a couple of posts before. It has been a slow but really rewarding process. My new workspace is almost done. I just need a rug to tie the whole space together. I have also been living vicariously through the custom building process of my folks’ house. I am learning quite a bit in the process and look forward to seeing the house come together. So excited for my folks.

I made spaghetti tonight. Ripe tomatoes are just the epitome of summer. Marcella Hazan’s sauce is so easy and so delicious. If you haven’t tried it, what are you waiting for?

Today’s bits:

We painted our bathroom a while ago with a dark blue-grey and added a lot of industrial accents. I think these vintage-style pool locker baskets will make a really good accessory. You can find vintage ones on Etsy too.

Summers remind me of deviled eggs but these olive eggs look really tempting.

In Asia, it’s common to find a spray hose right by the side of the toilet bowl. It’s a hand-held bidet. While I was home this time, I got used to using one after going to the potty. I could get one of these diaper sprayers or I could make my own like in this video.

This weekend, we’re having a garage sale but what I’m really looking forward to are BBQ chicken wings. I plan to marinate my chicken wings with coke, honey and soy sauce. Then we throw them on the grill. Perfect for this weather. Scrummy.

Oh and the tacos in the picture are my favorite quick meal – tacos al pastor (spicy pork), tacos de lengua (tongue) and tacos de tripa (crispy spicy bits of fried tripe). So damn good.

There was a beautiful warm summer breeze that blew through the house most of the weekend. It was a busy one but very productive. I am in the process of converting the tea nook into a more usable workspace and will post pictures once that is done. Most of the elements of the tea nook will still be present but it will be more usable. I guess I am missing the use of desk/workspace since I left work.

Today’s bits:

If you are looking for new grilling recipes like I have been, how about this mustardy one or maybe this Asian Sichuan peppercorn one?

This weekend, we bought bacon dogs from The Swinery. Simply delicious! Check out their inner sanctum for grilled goodies for brunch (weekends) and lunch.

There are lots of things to do here in the summer – for e.g. the Washington Brewers Festival. Or perhaps garden tours are more your thing – here is a calendar to see which tours are going on.

And run, don’t walk, to Bluebird Homemade Ice Cream – peanut butter or oatmeal cookies n cream!

One of my favorite surprises in the garden this year is the borage. These prickly herb plants look like weeds as they self-seed and show up as volunteers all over the garden, but when the flowers bloom, it makes all the difference. I don’t know if you can do anything with the prickly leaves but I love putting the blue flowers in iced drinks. They just look really pretty in a lemonade. As you can see, I have some harvesting to do.

Today’s bits:

I wanted to visit Sapa, Vietnam this time when I was home in Singapore but things got busy and I took other trips. I would really like to go, especially since I have a good guide to take me around. In the meantime, I would like to read this beautiful book by Luke Nguyen.

With all the decluttering, I am now setting up a new office space in the house. I am leaning towards these acrylic organizers.

I always like that plain yeast or buttermilk donut. Maybe I should try this recipe out?

It’s been 5 years since I’ve been back to the San Juans, maybe this summer will be a good time to spend some time around those parts. Here’s a good guide from Sunset. [I miss the magazine, I did not renew my subscription when I was away in Singapore, time to renew it, I think!]

All it took was one photography workshop to inspire me to learn more about my camera and to play around more with my Rebel. I got this camera more than 2 years ago but I still know so little about it. Thanks to the food photography workshop that was presented by Aran of Cannelle et Vanille fame. I have to spend more time with my camera, get acquainted with it and learn as much as I can about it.

Other things that have caught my eye lately:

This super cute Orla Kiely bag from the 2010 spring/summer collection.

The Giving Tree is one of my favorite stories. That is probably why I swooned when I saw this iPad decal.

I know that I am not alone when I say that I drool over Anthropologie’s pretties. I wish I had this beautiful platter. The texture is just lovely. And how adorable are these cute elephant shakers?

An inspiring blog that Aran shared with us during the workshop - What Katie Ate. I love how she photographed these cheeses, especially. Somehow the greys and blues in the veins of the cheeses are emphasized by the gray and shadowy backdrop. So many other beautiful pictures are shared in her blog, do check it out.