I love that having a kid gives me permission to eat like a kid. Or, maybe I just didn't think about some of these foods anymore as an adult. I've re-discovered ants on a log, and I love it. Boo enjoys adding the raisins. My friend Codi once brought over a different version (she got the "recipe" somewhere). They were celery with cream cheese, and dried cranberries...yum. And, perfect for those with peanut allergy.
How about that? Motion blur with ants on a log...why not?
It's certainly strawberry season. We've started picking some berries from the garden and supplementing with organic berries from the supermarket (when on sale) and berries from the farmers' market. Boo eats them simply rinsed sans stems. I've used them for snacks (see the third picture below) and for this incredible dessert (Jeff and I can't get enough, but I would say to eat it warm or at room temp...I've tried it out of the fridge and it's just not the same.), in which the leftovers are consumed the next morning by yours truly.
I just watered the strawberry plants the first time today. They really needed it. We've been getting intermittent rain and I just didn't want to admit that I had to start hand-watering. But, it's worth it...there's nothing like strawberries fresh-picked from the plant - red through to the center, warm from the sun, juicy, and sweet.
The above image shows the strawberries that I picked today...that one, there, at 2 o'clock...that one is the perfect berry. So pretty. I want to find a (natural) lipstick that color.
Above is a great snack or dessert: plain yogurt, strawberries (these were the supermarket organic ones, notice the white centers), granola, and drizzled honey. You could also use vanilla yogurt and skip the honey.
Tomorrow is farmers' market day. Time for a tamale lunch and I found this incredible wee espresso stand that makes a really wonderful mocha (the type you want to attempt licking the inside of the cup if you weren't in public).
Have you been taking advantage of strawberry season? Or, are you in the Southern Hemisphere...and what's in season where you are?
I remembered the farmers' market today at the last minute...and I already went grocery shopping this week, so I didn't really need anything. However, Boo and I like to get an inexpensive lunch (and treats) and walk the market. There are still root vegetables about and today was really the first day of more spring-time produce...such as strawberries and asparagus (both of which grow wild around here as well). I heard this morning that May was the coldest May on record here, so everything is late at the market. I've gotten beets a couple of times recently, and since I'm the only one in my wee family that enjoys them, I bought one big one each time.
I decided to peel the beet(s), cube them, coat them in olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and thyme. Then they were roasted until they were soft when poked with a fork (no idea the time). The edges of some were crispy and they were like healthier fries...and so pretty!
I suppose the holiday threw me off this week, hopefully I'll remember the market next week so I can pick up some of the incredible local foods.
And as I type, it just started raining again...sigh. I hope my succulents, which I finally decided needed to be outside earlier this week for more sun, don't hate me.
Boo and I made butter again (well, he mainly watched) from some leftover cream I had about. When you start to shake a jar with cream in it, it's loud. Then, after a few minutes, the contents become absolutely silent. If you open the jar, you have whipped cream. We decided to take a bit out as we had some strawberries on hand.
Then, I put the lid back on and shook the jar more until the solids formed a ball and the rest was buttermilk (since it isn't cultured, the buttermilk tastes like milk with bits of butter in it). The contents become loud again...a ball of butter and buttermilk shaking about.
We had a nice little snack.
1. a wee bit of buttermilk for two
2. strawberries with vanilla whipped cream (no sugar...the vanilla and sweet strawberries are perfect alone)
3. salted butter (I mixed a bit of salt with the butter) on crusty/seeded french bread.
It was a great way to spend some time together and I think kids should know where their food comes from (now I suppose we should visit a farm and Boo can watch a cow being milked). And, I was declared a genius! (Well, we do love Wile E. Coyote...what can I say?)
With spring comes the farmers' market. Right now, there's mainly root vegetables and greens. However, I recently picked up some hot house tomatoes. I usually pass by these tomatoes at the market because they are spendy and more often then not, they're sold out. But, that day started out rainy and the market was a bit slow...so there were some left and I just had to get a couple.
They may be hothouse tomatoes, but they're local and ripe. It's still spring, but I'm really looking forward to the loads of produce that will be in the market soon...and more of these:
* 100% whole wheat bread
* all-natural mayo
* yellow mustard (yeah, it's not grainy, but it's organic and I prefer the more mellow mustard)
* Tillamook cheddar cheese
* farmers' market tomatoes
* salt and fresh cracked pepper
For me, the perfect tomato sandwich...not too much on there to mess with the ripe tomato.
What's your favorite thing to do with local tomatoes?
Oh! be sure to check out this lovely feature by the rikrak studio on chartreuse (with yours truly included)
I made those oatmeal cookies again (via)...with said modifications including lowering the amount of brown sugar (1/2 c. instead of 2/3 c.). I liked it (I say "liked" because they are already gone).
A short post today...lots of laundry to fold...it never ends, am I correct?
I hope you have a great weekend, it's been sunny here two days in a row, but it's supposed to rain tomorrow. Oh well, two days of open-toed shoes has been so nice anyway. Besides, pretty soon I'll be sweating and wishing for a break of rain.
Happy weekend!
This post reminded me that Jenny and I recently made some preserved lemons. I had brought some oranges and lemons back from our trip to Southern California from my grandmother's trees. I'm wondering if my grandmother's lemons are Meyer lemons, they're so orange. Or, maybe they are just allowed to ripen fully on the tree. I'm always amazed at the citrus trees in general when I visit...they can have ripe fruit on them for months and can simultaneously have flowers blooming, my all-time favorite scent.
Anyway, I've been wanting to make preserved lemons for some time. I've actually never tried them, but they sound intriguing and complex in flavor. A local pizza place actually had a pizza with preserved lemons as a topping on one of it's specialty pizzas, but I never tried that particular one.
Jenny and I used this recipe for the preserving the lemons (which includes a wee bit of sugar and peppercorns), and there are recipes included on the post for what to do with said lemons (including putting them atop vanilla ice cream - whoa...sounds incredible! Sweet + salty + sour = wonderful). We have a couple more weeks before we can use these beauties...I can hardly wait! Oh, and the recipe says to use another lemon for juice to cover the lemons being preserved. The lemons from my grandmother's tree were so juicy that the jars were overflowing from just the lemons in them...amazing.
A couple other recipes that have inspired me lately are: this one for oatmeal cookies (I used whole wheat flour, would lessen the brown sugar next time a bit like I usually do, and used dried cherries)...best oatmeal cookies I've ever had...and this more sophisticated version of rice krispie treats. I havent tried the latter recipe yet, but it sounds divine (again, complex flavor).
Have you been experimenting in the kitchen? Any success?
I hope your week is going well!
I thought I would share another food-related idea (I know, I know...more food...maybe that's pretty much what I've had time for lately). This reminds me of salad Salade Niçoise and it's easy to make.
It's simply:
1. a bed of spinach leaves
2. a can of tuna (it's a little much, I should have reserved a bit to make a sandwich for Boo later...oh, and line-caught)
3. leftover cooked pasta that had been chilled (I often make some and store it for when Boo would like some)
4. a handful of olives (yes, the canned black ones...I often have them for nacho-making and such)
5. Annie's Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette
6. salt and pepper to taste
Last night I had breakfast for dinner...heuvos rancheros. I'm still thinking about it. Corn tortillas, enchilada sauce, re-fried pintos, cheese, scrambled eggs, salsa, guacamole, and sour cream. Seriously.
This morning, I decided to make some whole wheat toast with some peanut butter and honey drizzled on the top. So I went to open the new bottle of honey I purchase and the lid was a bit crooked and the seal opened...damn it.
So, I've got breakfast on the brain today and I've found a couple of items that are breakfast-related recently that I'm again...still thinking about.
Hive Honey Set - Frosted Glass
I don't have a coffee maker or espresso machine at home because I'm the only one who drinks coffee. So, I make myself tea. If I did have a means to make coffee at home, I would have a french press (Jenny recently got a new one that's stainless steel...her glass one broke...love the idea of a stainless one) or another simple beauty:
Anyway, other than breakfast daydreaming, I'm planning on making a few things for the shop today. I have something else I've made recently as well that I need to get in the shop too...onward!
I hope your weekend is going well, dear readers.
Organic apples were on sale the other day, so I picked up a bunch. Later, when I wanted one of my favorite snacks, I noticed something...
It's the little things that make me smile.