Jul
15
One of the things that happens when you’re always trying new recipes and you have a household of limited members is the accumulation of ingredients. Sometimes.
So there I was with a big chunk of red onion, and feta cheese. I tend to keep things like rye-berries on hand, and nuts in the freezer. Already, an idea was coming together. For some reason I can’t even remember, I had a half lemon in the fridge and I had (and still have some) snow peas and sugar snap peas from my CSA share. I also had a bunch of cilantro. Always there is olive oil and honey in the pantry. That and salt and pepper. So, I put all the parts together and got this great salad.
Hearty lunch for the hungry.
Jul
11
As I close in on the end of the birthday goal period, I realized that I haven’t been cooking nearly as much as I usually do should. My jeans came back from the dryer with the same verdict. That combined with the fact that going into this weekend I was at 84 of the 100 new recipes I was to try. So, what did I do? Consult Bon Appetit.
This time, however, I was unfaithful to my cooking magazine love. I poked around in some other magazines. Everyday Food is the magazine that brought me this delicious stone fruit compote. I am already imagining a breakfast of Greek yogurt, the compote and a few walnuts.
The Dilled White Bean and Grape Tomato Salad recipe did come from Bon Appetit. This salad was ridiculously fast to throw together and was quite delicious. Alex wants to take some for his lunch tomorrow.
Here you see a serving of Sugar Snap Pea and Summer Berry Salad. This recipe actually came from Family Circle. It was also a success in the Turner/Augustine household. Since my CSA share brought me the peas and a bunch of red romaine lettuce, it seemed perfect. Alongside it you see Frittata Bites With Chard Sausage and Feta. Alex also wants to take some of this in his lunch. This frittata deviates a bit from the recipe and includes kale as well as swiss chard. The choice was heavily influenced by the content of my CSA share.
And finally, I finished off the cooking spree with a failure! The Lime Tart with Blackberries and Blueberries. Number 1, I think that I might only like various curds on oatmeal and on plain yogurt. As the base of a dessert, whoa! Number 2, while my crust was light, it could not withstand being transferred. Boo! However, this dessert served as a good bribe for Alex who needed to finish reading a book (talk about slow going) and take a bath before he could try it. Yay!
And more yay is that I can clearly see the finish line with my try 100 new recipes goal. I have almost 2 months to try 11 recipes.
Jun
27
It has been more of a challenge to me to keep up with the CSA vegetables than I thought it would. I mean, I really like veggies.
What I don’t eat though, is a bunch of salad. So some of the lettuces have been going slimy on me before I can eat them. The dark greens though don’t stand a chance. I devoured my breakfast rainbow chard before I even thought to photograph them.
Today, though, I faced the veggies and came up with a stir fry. It was a simple one involving a couple of garlic scapes and green onions, snow peas, carrots and shrimp. I kissed it with lemon juice and a dinner was born. There’s even enough for lunch tomorrow.
Jun
22
I have been trying to straighten up and came across a printout that I made from Vegetarians in Paradise.
Great handy reference for those of us who like to try new beans and grains.
Through the power of Excel (my crush on Excel rivals my crush on Joe Biden), I made some changes. I introduced the new chart to my pocket laminator. Then I applied some magnets.
And now, if I want to cook buckwheat groats, all I have to do is consult the fridge.
The small things make me happy!
Jun
19
There I was peering into the fridge faced by the things that needed to be eaten . The piece of naan called out to me.
I asked it what it had in mind. It told me to be creative.
Then I remembered the chicken salad I had made not too long ago. Then the mozzarella called out in with an attitude rivaling anything in West Side Story, straight up pissed at me for looking it over. Then I realized that a pizza of some sort was before me. So I spread the naan with the chicken salad, drizzled it with Matouk’s and topped it with cheese.
Now this is one of the moments when I am all out grateful for my ex-husband’s influence. Without him, I would have never known Matouk’s. Matouk’s has enhanced my life.
It all came together beautifully. And the naan has been eaten, along with the recycled (sorry) chicken.
Jun
18
I am both a recipe cook and an a-little-of-this-a-little-of-that cook. What I don’t often do, however is deliberate adaptation.
Sure, I substitute ingredients here and there, but never with a specific flavor and texture profile in mind. This, I think of more as substitution.
Adaptations are intimidating. Adaptations can quickly point out just how much you don’t know. Adaptations can signify personal failure and defeat.
I absolutely love Heidi Swanson’s Curried Egg Salad. This is a major statement. Typically, I don’t eat many savory foods that could be described as “creamy.” In fact, if I think of the word, it is likely that I’ll lose my appetite. So egg salads, potato salads, most coleslaws, pasta salads, tuna salads and chicken salads are things that I rarely (read: almost never) eat. I am the one who never has any of these things on her plate at a potluck. I am the one who tries to ignore these things at a potluck. And if I am on a date, the consumption of any of these items during the date by the date really, really messes with his chances.
So, it is remarkable that when I found myself with some baked chicken in the fridge that I thought, I bet I can use that egg salad recipe and come up with something. I thought about doing some shopping to get the rest of the ingredients. Then I realized that I could use Greek yogurt, garlic scapes, almonds and nectarines in the salad instead of plain yogurt, chives and onions, pecans and apples.
An adaptation was born. And it was good.
Jun
17
Oh, delicious potatoes, you make me want to bathe in a vat of you. What pleasure you brought me this morning! Mmmmm!
You look so pedestrian, so unassuming. But it turns out that you…well, I don’t even have the words. Mmmmm!
You were particularly magnificent as a Potato Sage and Onion Cake. The way you blended with the onions, the swiss and the sage. I think you should make a movie.
How else can I have you? What does our future hold?
May
24
I was taking stock of my goals and see which ones still look reasonable. The one that I am thinking (obsessing?) about right now is my goal to try 100 new recipes. This is one that I would be most proud of if I could accomplish it. But I am a wee bit behind. So, I decided to take matters into my own time and have sort of a marathon cooking session. That said, it’s not like I am just cooking things just for the heck of it, which was never the intention of the goal. The goal is intended to keep me trying new things.
But what is a marathon cooking? 7 recipes this weekend. Well, maybe that’s more like a 10k.
1 . Banana Bread Yeasted Waffles 2. Bloody Mary 3. Liver and Onions 4. Buffalo Chicken Dip 5. A Tasty Fritatta 6. Rhubarb Buttermilk Cake 7. Onion Marmalade.
If you think that the Bloody Mary recipe is stretching it, take a look at it. It involved a lot of chopping, some boiling, some pureeing, etc. This was not a case of mixing and mixing alone.
I would NOT make the Buffalo Chicken Dip again. I would definitely make the Rhubarb Buttermilk Cake again, only I would make sure I baked it long enough. I would make the onion marmalade over and over and over again.
But, now I’m back on schedule. I just have to try 2 new recipes a week to meet my goal!
May
16
Recently I was sitting at my table when The Bread Baker’s Apprentice stared back at me. It wondered why I had turned my back on it after such a promising start. It reminded me of the good times we had shared.
The answer was that I am determined to go through this book in order, but was not that excited about making English muffins. I like them fine, but they just aren’t sexy to me.
This experience did not change my mind. But, it opened the door to focaccia.
May
07
Dear fiber,
I am sorry that my recent culinary forays have led me to forsake you. Really, I am sorry.
I will not ever forget the good times we have had, your study mouthfeel. The way you have always made me feel, after an encounter with you, that I have done something good for myself. I should have never gotten off track
.
I am sorry. I am sorry. I am sorry.
I promise you that I will pay you the attention that you’re due. Please note that I am of more than words. I have eaten many salads in the last few days. I have loved them, each crunch bite. Right now, simmering on the stove is a pot of lima beans. We will have good times together.
I swear.
Please know that the love that I feel for you is real.
Besos,
sherlonya
