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This weekend- as all mine seem to do- passed pretty quickly. I had a great day on Saturday: went to the farmer's market, ran some errands, did a load of laundry and went to the Arts Festival. I enjoyed a yummy lunch there- a great falafel sandwich and a Belgian White Ale (but I did walk down and back- so I totally burned that off) and mentally spent thousands of dollars. I don't know if I could ever bring myself to spend like $300 for a hand painted silk scarf, even if it is completely gorgeous. I feel a little snotty that I recently spent $20 for a hunk of hand painted Italian silk blend yarn for a scarf. Ah well. (and no, still haven't started that project)
Summer is in full swing- it seems that at the market, we've been lagging behind because of all the nasty weather we've had. I did get a nice bunch of basil this week, and some of my favorite patty pan squash. I have to admit, I have a huge weakness for cute food. As always, I went through my cash very quickly, and ending up blowing my last five bucks on a pineapple caramel tart which was quite delicious. Next week, I should be able to get some potatoes and I think that sweet corn is still a little ways away.
Had some mixed results in the kitchen that day. I attempted to make some creme anglaise- which did not work out very well. The sauce separated and resulted in me straining out little bits of fluffy cooked eggs. Yuck- smelled good though. I did make the first batch of pesto this summer, which turned out ok. For some reason, my roomie does not like pine nuts, so I have to substitute something else- usually almonds. So, for dinner I had the pesto with some cheese tortellini and sauteed patty pan squash and asparagus. And my poor sad roomie was stuck at the Democratic State Convention *all day* and night- until 2am (losers). (Looking back, that means I probably could of used pine nuts- oh well.)
This afternoon, I have to go over a retrieve a huge bag of sour cherries from farmer Ted. This latest issue of Cooking Light had some really great looking cherry recipes- including a cherry coffee cake which looked so good. So, I have to dig out my cherry pitter and get busy when I get home. I love cherries- I can't even begin to tell you how (I know this sounds so foody geeky) excited I am - and I got them for free. They freeze extremely well. And a tip I learned- freeze them slightly before pitting them- they release less juice.
And speaking of being a food geek, I signed up to compete at the State Fair. Yep, me taking on all the grannies, you betcha. I am planning on entering beer bread & pumpkin bars- have a couple of great recipes to work from for those. I have a couple of twists I have to try out this month. I had to narrow it down to something easy- my kitchen space is sorely cramped and I have no central air. So, we'll see how it goes. I'm sure I'll get bitten by the competition bug.
Bookwise, I just finished Brimstone by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child- great thriller and with a cliffhanger Edgar Allen Poe inspired ending. I'm glad I have the next one waiting on my shelf and yes, I do confess as to sneaking a peak ahead to check on Pendergast's well being. I've grown quite attached to the dear fellow. I am hoping to pick up James Rollins' latest Sigma Force novel, The Last Oracle from the library today. If it's not there, I do have Dyer Consequences by Maggie Sefton to quickly read. It's a knitter mystery. Yes, they have themed mysteries for everyone, from beauty salons to scrapbooking.
Have a good week!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Summer treats and tricks
Well, Friday afternoon I figured out that it wasn't my allergies that were making me uncomfortable- it was a cold sneaking up on me. I don't mean to brag, but I haven't been sick all year and now in June, warm weather and a weekend to myself- it happens. Everything I do to baby myself when I'm sick seems almost non-summer behavior, no cuddling under blankets, no hot tea, no steaming bowl of soup.
However, after a brief respite on Friday afternoon with a complete multiple cat scan (all three cats had to check on me after I lied down on my bed "what's going on? she doesn't do this!" Their concern is very touching) I did make an easy, very tasty dinner of dan dan noodles from Cuisine at Home. Sauteed ground turkey breast and a rich peanut sauce over whole wheat noodles along with some steamed broccoli totally made me feel better. Quick and healthy dinner- and great leftovers. And I made an egg salad wrap for lunch the next day.
Saturday, hit the Farmer's Market pretty early with my friend, Cynthia, who was in town this weekend. Had too profusely apologize to her for the short trip as I had to go to work right after. I love how the market changes almost every week. Each week brings something new to look forward to. I scored some fresh peas to shell, strawberries, asparagus, french breakfast radishes, swiss chard, broccoli, a scrumptious gougiere from Tami's Tarts- (wow that Tami can bake! I almost caved in and got the pineapple caramel tart- next time!) oh and a lavender lemon cupcake from Carefree Patisserie.
Sunday, the cats were up to no good. I was thinking about just staying home and catching up on stuff but their antics just gave me the boost I needed to get going. I won't tell the whole story- summing up: Mischa got stuck inside the couch. Stupid cat.
I did get a great price on blueberries this week- 2.50 for a pint- just enough to make this gorgeous blueberry coffee cake from Cooking Light. The buttermilk gave it such a subtle tang along with making it so moist. I did add some cinnamon sugar on top along with the turbinado sugar. Also I think next time I will add a tsp or so of cinnamon to the batter. My blueberries did sink a bit, but I did not toss them in flour which usually helps to stop this. I thought of that after I added the berries to the batter, oh well. I took it over to my roommate's Mom's house for Sunday dinner- where her nephew proclaimed it the best coffee cake he's ever had. Compliments from four year olds are just the best.
Knowing that Monday was Rachel's birthday, I put to use that leftover buttermilk to use and made a recipe from Small Batch Baking (an awesome cookbook if you love to bake but have a small household) pineapple upside down cakes for her birthday treat. I used some star shaped silicone molds for a little fun. The rum gave it a nice accent without being too overpowering. And what goes better with the latest Stephanie Plum book than pineapple upside down cake?
And after doing two batches of handwashing dishes (one the historic charms of the old kitchen in the century old apartment building), I decided an easy light dinner was in order (especially after having the standby Sunday lunch- fried chicken, mashed potatoes and corn). I bought some ravioli, used up the remainder of the marinara sauce in the fridge and made those fresh peas.
Fresh peas are so wonderful. Sure, they take some time to prepare- but I switched on the tv , sat on the couch and had ample help from the cats. Miss Charlie loves the pea pods. I just blanch them in water until they're tender and finish them with just a touch of butter, salt and pepper. I did put Penzeys Shallot salt on mine- which is just fabulous with fresh veggies of all sorts.
I have to say, Fearless Fourteen was fun and I did need a break in my reading cycle. I finished Sliver of Truth by Lisa Unger this weekend- the sequel to Beautiful Lies and started in on Brimstone by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. I am eagerly awaiting the next James Rollins book this week- woohoo!!
And yes, I am feeling better. I have been sleeping like a rock it seems and my cootie has settled in my throat, giving my that ultra sexy sick voice over the last couple of days. But my energy level is started to get back up, which is a relief.
However, after a brief respite on Friday afternoon with a complete multiple cat scan (all three cats had to check on me after I lied down on my bed "what's going on? she doesn't do this!" Their concern is very touching) I did make an easy, very tasty dinner of dan dan noodles from Cuisine at Home. Sauteed ground turkey breast and a rich peanut sauce over whole wheat noodles along with some steamed broccoli totally made me feel better. Quick and healthy dinner- and great leftovers. And I made an egg salad wrap for lunch the next day.
Saturday, hit the Farmer's Market pretty early with my friend, Cynthia, who was in town this weekend. Had too profusely apologize to her for the short trip as I had to go to work right after. I love how the market changes almost every week. Each week brings something new to look forward to. I scored some fresh peas to shell, strawberries, asparagus, french breakfast radishes, swiss chard, broccoli, a scrumptious gougiere from Tami's Tarts- (wow that Tami can bake! I almost caved in and got the pineapple caramel tart- next time!) oh and a lavender lemon cupcake from Carefree Patisserie.
Sunday, the cats were up to no good. I was thinking about just staying home and catching up on stuff but their antics just gave me the boost I needed to get going. I won't tell the whole story- summing up: Mischa got stuck inside the couch. Stupid cat.
I did get a great price on blueberries this week- 2.50 for a pint- just enough to make this gorgeous blueberry coffee cake from Cooking Light. The buttermilk gave it such a subtle tang along with making it so moist. I did add some cinnamon sugar on top along with the turbinado sugar. Also I think next time I will add a tsp or so of cinnamon to the batter. My blueberries did sink a bit, but I did not toss them in flour which usually helps to stop this. I thought of that after I added the berries to the batter, oh well. I took it over to my roommate's Mom's house for Sunday dinner- where her nephew proclaimed it the best coffee cake he's ever had. Compliments from four year olds are just the best.
Knowing that Monday was Rachel's birthday, I put to use that leftover buttermilk to use and made a recipe from Small Batch Baking (an awesome cookbook if you love to bake but have a small household) pineapple upside down cakes for her birthday treat. I used some star shaped silicone molds for a little fun. The rum gave it a nice accent without being too overpowering. And what goes better with the latest Stephanie Plum book than pineapple upside down cake?
And after doing two batches of handwashing dishes (one the historic charms of the old kitchen in the century old apartment building), I decided an easy light dinner was in order (especially after having the standby Sunday lunch- fried chicken, mashed potatoes and corn). I bought some ravioli, used up the remainder of the marinara sauce in the fridge and made those fresh peas.
Fresh peas are so wonderful. Sure, they take some time to prepare- but I switched on the tv , sat on the couch and had ample help from the cats. Miss Charlie loves the pea pods. I just blanch them in water until they're tender and finish them with just a touch of butter, salt and pepper. I did put Penzeys Shallot salt on mine- which is just fabulous with fresh veggies of all sorts.
I have to say, Fearless Fourteen was fun and I did need a break in my reading cycle. I finished Sliver of Truth by Lisa Unger this weekend- the sequel to Beautiful Lies and started in on Brimstone by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. I am eagerly awaiting the next James Rollins book this week- woohoo!!
And yes, I am feeling better. I have been sleeping like a rock it seems and my cootie has settled in my throat, giving my that ultra sexy sick voice over the last couple of days. But my energy level is started to get back up, which is a relief.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Baked pinto beans, Enchiladia style
What a great easy dish to throw together! My roomie was a bit turned off by the menu selection- she can't get her mind around sweet potatoes and beans in the same dish. Separately, they're great, just not touching each other, I guess.
I made this with the sweet potato variation. I brought leftovers for lunch today. Of course, the crushed tortillas on top weren't that crunchy anymore.
Baked pinto beans, Enchilada style- Mark Bittman
1/4 cup olive oil
1 recipe salsa roja or cooked tomatillo salsa
4 cups cooked or canned pinto beans (or any other bean)
salt & pepper
1 cup cubed Monterrey jack cheese
1 cup crushed tortilla chips
1/2 cup crumbles queso fresco cheese
1/2 cup chopped cilantro for garnish
1.) Preheat oven to 400. Lightly grease a 2 quart souffle dish or 9x13 pan
2.) Spread the salsa in the bottom and spoon the beans on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread the cheese cubes around evenly, press lightly into bean mixture. Top with tortilla chips and queso fresco. Drizzle with remaining olive oil
3.) Bake until cheese is melted, sauce is bubbly and tortilla chips are browned, about 20-30 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve.
Sweet potato variation: Peel 2 large sweet potatoes. Cut into 1 inch cubes. In step two, spread them out over the salsa. Cover the dish with foil and bake (without the beans and other ingredients) for 15 minutes. Remove the foil, add the beans and other ingredients and proceed with the recipe.
My spin- I halved the recipe, using one can of rinsed, drained pinto beans and one sweet potato. Instead of salt & pepper, I used a nice dusting of Penzeys Southwest seasoning. And, I used cubed pepper jack cheese for a little more kick & omitted the queso fresco. I just ate this without tortillas- but it would be a great filling for them.
Enjoy!
I made this with the sweet potato variation. I brought leftovers for lunch today. Of course, the crushed tortillas on top weren't that crunchy anymore.
Baked pinto beans, Enchilada style- Mark Bittman
1/4 cup olive oil
1 recipe salsa roja or cooked tomatillo salsa
4 cups cooked or canned pinto beans (or any other bean)
salt & pepper
1 cup cubed Monterrey jack cheese
1 cup crushed tortilla chips
1/2 cup crumbles queso fresco cheese
1/2 cup chopped cilantro for garnish
1.) Preheat oven to 400. Lightly grease a 2 quart souffle dish or 9x13 pan
2.) Spread the salsa in the bottom and spoon the beans on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread the cheese cubes around evenly, press lightly into bean mixture. Top with tortilla chips and queso fresco. Drizzle with remaining olive oil
3.) Bake until cheese is melted, sauce is bubbly and tortilla chips are browned, about 20-30 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve.
Sweet potato variation: Peel 2 large sweet potatoes. Cut into 1 inch cubes. In step two, spread them out over the salsa. Cover the dish with foil and bake (without the beans and other ingredients) for 15 minutes. Remove the foil, add the beans and other ingredients and proceed with the recipe.
My spin- I halved the recipe, using one can of rinsed, drained pinto beans and one sweet potato. Instead of salt & pepper, I used a nice dusting of Penzeys Southwest seasoning. And, I used cubed pepper jack cheese for a little more kick & omitted the queso fresco. I just ate this without tortillas- but it would be a great filling for them.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Catching up
Well, am catching up on everything after a crazy week. I spent the weekend away in Madison with my Mom, sister, niece & nephew. So, I tried to have a great time and enjoy my family without dwelling and worrying about the flooding situation back home, which was hard. But, luckily, we in Des Moines escaped the worst of it compared to the eastern half of the state. All though I have the feeling it will be a long summer.
We went to the farmer's market in Madison, which was quite cool. Unfortunately, we did couldn't check into our hotel right away- so couldn't get a lot of produce or more importantly CHEESE. I could get very used to living in Madison. Ben insisted that we visit the capitol building, which was quite impressive. We climbed up to the observation deck and took in the view of the city. And had a fun dinner at Cheeseburger in Paradise- my mom is now a little obsessed with perfecting her own blueberry mojitios.
I got stocked up on some essentials from Trader Joes; among them are cuban style black beans (which are great topping for a baked sweet potato for a quickie veggie lunch), fig breakfast bars, a box of chocolate coated edamame for a treat for my roomie, frozen gnocchi, and a couple of new things to try, dried Rainier cherries and the harvest grain blend.
Of course, I can't leave the great state of Wisconsin without some serious beer. I was strictly a Leinie's girl, but they discontinued two of my favorite brews, Northwoods Lager & Amber Light. But now, I love Berghoff, Point, Capital Brewery's Island Wheat, and Sprecher, all the stuff I couldn't get here. Absence makes the taste buds more fonder, I guess. But now they are starting to trickle in, of course, but not for the great prices you can get at Woodmans. I did grab a six pack of Berghoff's Solstice Wit, a great summer seasonal and a couple of mirco brews from Brennans Market- one of which is called Butt Head, a bock- how can you now want to try it?
I hate to start off a food centered blog with a kitchen calamity- but they happen to us all. Last week, I took Monday off because I worked both Sat and Sun at Penzeys. So, after touching up my hair color (wow all sorts of confessions here!) I started in on a new recipe, gingered rhubarb chutney from Cooking Light.
I made it as instructed- but there was *way* to much vinegar in there for my taste. My roommate came home and asked "What smells? Oh, it's your hair" Nope, it's the chutney that's cooling off so I can throw it away.
So, I'm hoping tonight will be better. I checked out (again) from the library, Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. Such a fantastic cookbook. I do describe myself as the hip new phrase, flexetarian- a lot of vegetarian, but I do eat chicken and seafood, but no red meat or pork, etc. I have a couple cans of pinto beans, so I'm thinking about Baked Pinto Beans, enchilada style using the sweet potato variation. Sounds like it would make great leftovers for lunch too.
Reading wise, I just finished yesterday Tom Rob Smith's Child 44, and last week Lisa Unger's Beautiful Lies, both excellent reads. I just picked up today Janet Evanovich's latest, Fearless Fourteen, am definitely in the mood for a light read after spending my literary free time in the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union.
We went to the farmer's market in Madison, which was quite cool. Unfortunately, we did couldn't check into our hotel right away- so couldn't get a lot of produce or more importantly CHEESE. I could get very used to living in Madison. Ben insisted that we visit the capitol building, which was quite impressive. We climbed up to the observation deck and took in the view of the city. And had a fun dinner at Cheeseburger in Paradise- my mom is now a little obsessed with perfecting her own blueberry mojitios.
I got stocked up on some essentials from Trader Joes; among them are cuban style black beans (which are great topping for a baked sweet potato for a quickie veggie lunch), fig breakfast bars, a box of chocolate coated edamame for a treat for my roomie, frozen gnocchi, and a couple of new things to try, dried Rainier cherries and the harvest grain blend.
Of course, I can't leave the great state of Wisconsin without some serious beer. I was strictly a Leinie's girl, but they discontinued two of my favorite brews, Northwoods Lager & Amber Light. But now, I love Berghoff, Point, Capital Brewery's Island Wheat, and Sprecher, all the stuff I couldn't get here. Absence makes the taste buds more fonder, I guess. But now they are starting to trickle in, of course, but not for the great prices you can get at Woodmans. I did grab a six pack of Berghoff's Solstice Wit, a great summer seasonal and a couple of mirco brews from Brennans Market- one of which is called Butt Head, a bock- how can you now want to try it?
I hate to start off a food centered blog with a kitchen calamity- but they happen to us all. Last week, I took Monday off because I worked both Sat and Sun at Penzeys. So, after touching up my hair color (wow all sorts of confessions here!) I started in on a new recipe, gingered rhubarb chutney from Cooking Light.
I made it as instructed- but there was *way* to much vinegar in there for my taste. My roommate came home and asked "What smells? Oh, it's your hair" Nope, it's the chutney that's cooling off so I can throw it away.
So, I'm hoping tonight will be better. I checked out (again) from the library, Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. Such a fantastic cookbook. I do describe myself as the hip new phrase, flexetarian- a lot of vegetarian, but I do eat chicken and seafood, but no red meat or pork, etc. I have a couple cans of pinto beans, so I'm thinking about Baked Pinto Beans, enchilada style using the sweet potato variation. Sounds like it would make great leftovers for lunch too.
Reading wise, I just finished yesterday Tom Rob Smith's Child 44, and last week Lisa Unger's Beautiful Lies, both excellent reads. I just picked up today Janet Evanovich's latest, Fearless Fourteen, am definitely in the mood for a light read after spending my literary free time in the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Welcome!
Thanks for visiting! I am moving here because I got entirely frustrated with my blog on MySpace, and after having to re-do my last entry twice last week- I really knew it was time to move on.
So what can you expect to find here? I love to cook and chat about food. I'll share tips, reviews and recipes with you. I love to read, so maybe the occasional book review. And just thoughts on life, family & friends.
To get caught up- you can check out my old blog here: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=83779921
and you can see how tech-challenged I am. Enjoy and hope to see you back here soon!
So what can you expect to find here? I love to cook and chat about food. I'll share tips, reviews and recipes with you. I love to read, so maybe the occasional book review. And just thoughts on life, family & friends.
To get caught up- you can check out my old blog here: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=83779921
and you can see how tech-challenged I am. Enjoy and hope to see you back here soon!
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