Pop and Thistle is a virtual calendar of birthday love, daily recipes, timely quotes and poetry, as well as home and garden tips. We celebrate nature, design inspiration, crafts, creativity, family, pets, and sustainable living.
Welcome to Pop and Thistle!
Mexican Chorizo Breakfast Tacos
Most of us center our calendars around the summer months — it’s the time of year we get to enjoy basking in the sunshine and exploring the great outdoors. And when it’s camping, cottage and festival season, who wants to be stuck in the kitchen? Cooking on the grill, outdoor stove or over a roaring …
July 3rd Birthday Love: Franz Kafka
“Don’t bend; don’t water it down; don’t try to make it logical; don’t edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.” -Franz Kafka
Celebrate the 4th With Red, White, and Blue No-Bake Watermelon Cake
Satisfy your sweet tooth with this fun no-bake “cake” the whole family will enjoy. Fresh summer watermelon makes for a sturdy base and is rich in vitamins C and A, and boasts plenty of cancer-fighting phytochemicals. Protein-packed Greek yogurt, with cream cheese and a little whipped cream, creates a sweet and tangy frosting. Makes 10 …
Fresh Corn Pancakes with Lime Drizzle
A Something Different RecipeDeveloped by Dana JacobiStart your morning off right with these light and easy pancakes. Fresh corn is in abundance during the summer and adds a subtle sweetness. Combining whole wheat and all-purpose flour is a fun cooking hack that enhances the nutrition without changing the flavor and texture. Drizzle on our lime and honey …
Spicy BBQ Peach Pulled Pork Sandwiches
By: Sonja Goedkoop Enjoy your Independence Day barbecue this year by doing all the cooking ahead of time. This sweet and spicy twist on traditional pulled pork sandwiches takes just 15 minutes to prep before simmering deliciously in the slow cooker. Our homemade barbecue sauce features fresh peaches and a kick of Jalapeno peppers. Whip …
“Morningside Heights, July” by William Matthews
Morningside Heights, July Haze. Three student violists boardinga bus. A clatter of jackhammers.Granular light. A film of sweat for primerand the heat for a coat of paint.A man and a woman on a bench:she tells him he must be psychic,for how else could he sense, even before she knew,that she’d need to call it off? …
July 2nd Birthday Love: Wisława Szymborska
The End and the Beginning After every warsomeone has to clean up.Things won’tstraighten themselves up, after all. Someone has to push the rubbleto the side of the road,so the corpse-filled wagonscan pass. Someone has to get miredin scum and ashes,sofa springs,splintered glass,and bloody rags. Someone has to drag in a girderto prop up a wall.Someone …
July in the Flower Garden
Mid summer in the garden is the time when you can take some time to relax and admire the fruits of the your labour. The flower borders are in full bloom and the garden is buzzing with life. However, even in the smallest garden there is still plenty to do, from making sure containers and …
Recipe: Radish and Cucumber Raita
A Something Different RecipeDeveloped by Dana Jacobi Radish and Cucumber Raita Keep it light and fresh this week with a cooling Raita. This simple condiment is made with just 4 main ingredients — radishes, cucumber, yogurt and spices. Radishes are cruciferous vegetables rich in vitamin C and anthocyanins while cucumbers contain vitamin K. Use it on hot …
July 1st Birthday Love: George Sand
Born Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin on July 1, 1804 in Paris, George Sand was one of the most well-known European writers of her time. “Butterflies are but flowers that blew away one sunny day when Nature was feeling at her most inventive and fertile.” -George Sand