1000 pizza doughs

Revenge of the Zucchini, Part 2

Yes, it's been a while. Please choose the excuse you like best for why I haven't posted lately:

A) I was stamping out a zucchini rebellion in the crisper. The squash were winning.

B) I was OBE. I think this means overcome by events (work, locusts, etc.). But everytime I see it, I think out-of-body experience. That's a more entertaining mental picture. Or it could be this.

C) I've had tons of great ideas to share. And not a single one of them involves cooking. So I've been having an internal tug-of-war. Should I stay or should I go now?

D) You know the right answer is always C, right?

So, if you read my food blog, you're probably related to me, or really, really desperate for zucchini recipes.

I'm working on some ideas for world domination a blog about my day job. Not the company, but what one does all day as a communications professional (since I would bet any amount my mom still has no idea).  I liked teaching college, but found I didn't have the time required to be there fully for my students and work full-time. So this will be my compromise. I'll post what's gotten me this far, no tuition required.

That blog won't be located here, but I'll share a link when it's ready to go. (And since I still have a day job, a zucchini rebellion and a four-year-old, so it might be a little while. I promise, it'll be worth it.) 

p.s. I'll still tweet as many zucchini recipes as I can find over at @AprilFin. 

A New Year's Walk

There is a certain calm in winter. Barren trees paint a bleak landscape, but upon closer examination, life still abounds. Songbirds, gray as the trees, flit despite January’s frozen kiss. Grasses, faded and brown, lay resting, rebuilding for their spring emergence. What began as the dreary, obligatory trudge of resolution became a wonder-filled amble.

Wonder is indeed a wondrous thing. Long dormant under the shackles of adulthood, mine emerged again on a New Year’s morning. Today the world collectively pushes the reset button. We all have the same 365 days. What we do with them, I think, is a matter of perspective. This year, I resolve to wonder what might be possible.

 

Roasted Maple Rosemary Mixed Nuts

Warning: These are addictive. Proceed at your own risk.

This post is for Karen.  As I was snacking on these at work, I tweeted about it and she asked for the recipe. I can't take credit for the idea. My boss' wife, who is an excellent cook, sent a version of mixed nuts roasted with maple syrup, and fresh rosemary, thyme and sage to the office, which made me want to experiment. 

I consulted How to Cook Everything for the appropriate oven temperature, but the rest was guesswork. 

You'll need:

• 2 cups various whole (shelled) nuts, more or less - I used 1 cup almonds and 1/2 cup each walnuts and cashews
• 2 tablespoons real maple syrup
• A few sprigs fresh herbs, finely chopped  - I used 1 large sprig of rosemary from the back yard (stem removed)
• Sea salt - just a sprinkle - I used about a teaspoon

Preheat oven to 350.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, and spray with non-stick spray (may have been overkill, but I didn't want them to stick!).  You'll want to use a cookie sheet with sides, so the nuts don't fall off the edges.

Mix the nuts, syrup, herbs and sea salt in a bowl. Spread on prepared cookie sheet in a single layer, more or less. 

Bake for 10-15 minutes until nuts begin to brown, stirring with a spatula about every 5 minutes.

I was too busy eating these warm from the oven to take a photo, but here are the snack bags I made up for this week. You could, of course, make these in larger batches, but that would reduce opportunities for eating them fresh from the oven. Enjoy!

 

What's the Star of Your Kitchen?

I am going to confirm what some of you have suspected for years: I think I might be just a little bit crazy. Here's proof.  I am about to profess my undying love for a pot. No, not Prop 19 pot, dude. An actual pot.

Because my husband and I eloped (try it--it's cheaper!), we didn't have a registry. Thus, I have no fancy china, and you'll find nary a gravy boat here. (Though I will confess every Thanksgiving I contemplate buying one.)  But, in my kitchen you'll find no shortage of gadgets.  "Thingamabobs? I've got twenty." (Bonus points if you can name the movie!)

I've got gadgets for juicing, grating, zesting, crimping, slicing, kneading, whipping, tenderizing, basting, pasta-making, temperature-taking, dating, tempering, scooping and pureeing. Had one once for creme-bruleeing, but sent it back as I suspected no good could come of me having a blow torch--however small--in my kitchen.  (And, in case my insurance agent is reading this, there's a fire extinguisher in there. A big one.)

But the star of my kitchen? A basic eight-quart stock pot.  

 

This pot rarely sees the inside of a cabinet. Tonight it steamed the last of my CSA broccoli (the steamer insert is handy). It also has a larger pasta insert, which is why I bought this particular pot, but I don't use it often. It's actually easier to boil the pasta in this pot without the insert, and use a colander.  But this pot is the perfect size for pasta, stews and soups, and it's deep enough not to be hazardous when using with an immersion blender (if you've ever splatted yourself with boiling liquid, you know what I'm talking about). 

Now, of course, I do have a bigger one. Twelve quarts, I think. I even had to buy a special giant wooden spoon just to use with it.  But I only bring that one out for stock-making, and one ill-fated attempt at canning. Another confession: I'm still afraid to actually try the jam I made.

So, I wonder... what's starring in your kitchen?

Random Veggies

As much as I love CSA, and the weekly infusion of farm-fresh seasonal local produce, there's a point where it just gets exhausting.  I started a veggie board to remind me what I had on hand, to keep my impulse buys in check at the markets, and help me think of recipe ideas. And I have several crisper-clearing wonder dishes, like corn chowder and vegetarian chili that use TONS of veggies all at once.  But even those aren't keeping the squash (and potatoes and garlic and peppers and tomatoes...) at bay this year.

You see, we've had some schedule changes, and more often than not this CSA season I've just been cooking for myself. (Well, and my child, if you count making PB&Js as cooking.) Thankfully, this change was temporary, and soon we'll be back to dinner as usual.  I liked this post by Mark Bittman on cooking for one.  I've been pretty anti-recipe lately, and have just been cooking things and mixing them in sort of random fashion.

This one, for example. It was a mix of leftover rice, black beans, baked sweet potatoes, pesto, purple basil and toasted pine nuts (which I overdid here, by far).  

I didn't use a recipe for the pesto either, and way overdid the garlic (apologies to coworkers who had to be in close proximity the following day!).

As much as I love discovering fantastic new recipes (including the best squash recipe ever), when it's just me, it doesn't matter if it's perfect. It just needs to use some vegetables and be healthy, filling and edible.  So, I've embraced a new laziness creativity.  

What are your favorite solo meals?

 

Foodie Heaven: La Boqueria

On summer weekends, you can usually find me wandering around at a farmer's market, or riding my bike and thinking about what I'll buy later at the market. So when we went to Barcelona (part of this epic adventure), I had to go to La Boqueria. You should go too. Get on a plane. Now.

The market is what seems like miles and miles of beautiful produce, like this:

They also had eggs...

And seafood...

Including whatever the heck this is (anyone know?):

And there was bread...

And ham, glorious ham (sorry, channeling my husband there for a moment)...

 

Just outside the market there were tons of tourist shops and flower stands...

But one of the best sights I saw all day was a bit different. You see, on the last night of our cruise, the show introduced my daughter to the "wishing star." Later, we caught her at the window looking for the star so she could make a wish. What would she wish for, we wondered?  A giant pink ice cream cone. I want to remember the time when her wishes are so innocent forever.

Mediterranean Adventures

You haven't heard from me for a while because we decided to take an unplugged vacation (although I did catch my husband trying to get on the wi-fi from his phone in a few places). Destination: a Disney cruise to the Mediterranean (major plus: we have a 3-year-old, and they offer FREE babysitting).

We've never really been into guided tours and touristy souvenirs, but hey, when in Rome. (Which is actually one of the places we didn't go, this time.)  

First stop: Malta and blue grottoes. (Yep, they exist!)

 

Spent the day on a sailboat, and swimming in the beautiful blue water. We even saw an ice cream boat!

Next we went to Tunisia, first to the ruins of Carthage.

And then to a Tunisian bazaar. We actually lost our tour guide in the labyrinth of colorful shops (where we didn't buy anything, as the prices were exorbitant -- guessing they were "cruise special" prices). 

I liked this view from the rooftop. Aside from the craziness of the bazaar, it was pretty quiet in Tunis, possibly because we were there during Ramadan. 

Next up was the stop I was most eagerly awaiting: hiking up Mount Vesuvius, and touring the ruins of Pompeii. Here you can see the volcano 7 miles in the distance.

I was drawn (as always) to what was the fresh market, which still has beautiful paintings on the walls.

From TV specials I guess, I expected to see more scenes like this, but there were very few. Which makes sense--they deserve to rest in peace.

Instead of trying a mad-dash day trip to Rome, we toured an olive oil farm near Tuscany. While there was less detail on the actual farming, and more bread/wine/cheese/prosciutto tasting than we expected (not a complaint!) it was quite beautiful. There were grapes growing on the porch of the house.

While in Italy we also visited Cinque Terre by boat. It is a beautiful rocky island, with little villages that look like this:

I love how everyone hangs their laundry out the windows. A few more scenes from a quaint little village/vacation spot.

Our last stop was Corsica, where we didn't plan anything. We just got on a train and went a couple stops over into Nice, where these little candies caught my eye. They were so realistic.

Then we enjoyed an afternoon at the beach. Personally I liked the more rustic Cinque Terre better; Corsica seems a bit more posh.

There's nothing like looking at the ocean to make you feel small. View from the room.

 

We ended our adventure back in Barcelona, but La Boqueria deserves its own post. More soon!

Buy Local Challenge Week: Sort of Like March

The challenge started on a weekend, when I was in my cooking groove. Not rushed at all. I was calm and relaxed and made it to not one but two farmer's markets over the weekend. I was ready.

Then Monday set in. Followed by Tuesday, Wednesday... well, you know, all those days that you have to show up for work.  I started this blog on Thursday at which point I had forgotten to pick up my CSA vegetables (oops), forgotten to pick up a prescription (double oops) and forgotten to do something for my boss (gulp).  And, sadly, I had even written that last one down.  It just hasn't been one of my better weeks. So for me, this challenge started with a roar, and finished with a whimper.

I was glad that I bought a lot of fruit from the farmers markets for snacking during the week, and that I only set my goal to eat one local thing a day. I've actually met that goal, and was very pleased with the weekend's dinners.  Want to hear about them?

(Oh good, you're still here!)

Saturday: Indian food night!

• Pea and potato curry, using CSA potatoes, garlic and tomatoes
• Squash blossom and broccoli pakoras (like tempura, but with curry) - using squash blossoms from the farmers market (Tomatoes, etc. farm), served with a cilantro-mint chutney (mint from CSA)
• Homemade naan - not local, but King Arthur flour is the best

It took me more than 3 hours to prepare the meal above. Pretty sure I burned enough calories to cancel out all the deep-fried deliciousness. (Well, maybe not, but it was totally worth it!)

These beautiful squash blossoms...

...made awesome pakoras!

Here's the whole feast.

 

Sunday: Southern style cookout

• Grilled chicken breast w/BBQ sauce (from a bottle - wasn't in the mood to spend 3 hours in the kitchen again quite so soon)
• Grilled corn on the cob, from the farmers market
• Baked beans - real, honest-to-goodness cooked-for-9-hours baked beans, with molasses, brown sugar and tomatoes
• Cucumber and tomato salad, with CSA veggies

Monday: The downhill slide begins

• Leftover curry for lunch, and a farmers market peach as a snack
• Banana sandwiches for dinner (not local, but a childhood favorite)

Tuesday: Mmm... cobbler...

• Used rapidly deteriorating peaches and blackberries from Saturday's market to make a cobbler. I had intended to make a pie, but on a weeknight... ain't gonna happen. Cobbler was OK, but tasted a little off. Not sure if some of the fruit had turned already, or if I just did it wrong.
• Also sneaked some yellow squash into the tomato sauce for pasta at dinner. Almost managed to convince my child to eat it... almost. 

Wednesday: More sandwiches

• Sliced a giant tomato I bought at the Urbana farmers market. It was exactly bread-sized, and was fantastic in its juiciness with some mayo and provolone. 
• Finished the rest of the farmers market blackberries and some cherry tomatoes for snacks

Thursday: <crickets chirping>

• Today, just some CSA cherry tomatoes for a snack. 

Friday: 

• Tomato slices (one of the best ways to eat fresh tomatoes, I think)

Saturday:

• No idea... it's now a week later, and I just can't remember. I think I made a tomato, basil and mozzarella salad, but don't really remember for sure. (I had written everything down until that point.)

If nothing else, this week made me think more than usual about where my food comes from. I've resolved to try to eat something local every day through the fall, which should be easy with a regularly replenishing CSA supply.  It's so easy to fall into old patterns, though.  So I've gotten a "vegetable board" thanks to this idea from BittenWord, so I can remind myself what's in the crisper.

(Yes, we have a Viking ship on top of our fridge. Doesn't everyone?) 

Blueberry Challenge: Gingered Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

Blackberries have always been and will always be my favorite taste of summer, probably because they were such a big part of my childhood.  But I've come to love blueberries too. And though I'd like to say I did something clever for the Blueberry Challenge like make a blueberry reduction glaze for some exotic-sounding entree, well, I made muffins.  I did sort of invent my own recipe in the process, so maybe that counts for some creativity points?

 

I started out by looking at a muffin recipe in my favorite cookbook, to be sure I had the ratios right. (I have yet to use the Ratio iPhone app I downloaded for this purpose.) 

Gingered Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

• 1 cup rolled oats (uncooked), plus 2 tbsp for topping
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (I used King Arthur's white whole wheat)
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup wheat germ (optional)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, plus 2 tbsp for topping
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk (regular milk would work fine)
• 3 tbsp canola oil
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1/4 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 375. Grease muffin tin, or line with cupcake papers (I always spray the inside of these with non-stick spray, which ensures that you eat the muffin, rather than leave half on the paper.)

MIx dry ingredients in a large bowl. Separately, combine egg, buttermilk and oil. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until combined.  Gently stir in the blueberries and ginger.

Spoon batter into muffin tin. Combine 2 tbsp rolled oats and 2 tbsp brown sugar, and top each muffin with a small spoonful of this mixture.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Makes 12 normal-sized muffins.

These muffins come out light and crumbly, and are best eaten warm with a large mug of coffee.  They will keep for a day or two if wrapped up... had another this morning and it was still tasty.

Buy Local Challenge Week

Whew! Thought I missed it there for a minute. I stopped by the Common Market after work because I am addicted to their carrot cake needed to buy a few assorted items. Bless them, they had clearly labeled Buy Local Challenge signs all over the store AND some local items were on sale, including two of my favorites: Dublin Roasters coffee and Michelle's Granola.  (Since I still have approximately 6 gallons of granola from the last batch I made, had to resist, but if you go, try the pumpkin spice flavor.) 

The Common Market labels local items year-round too. I swear some of the signs said it started yesterday. And well, let's just say yesterday was not a vegetable-eating kind of day for me. It was more a pulled pork sandwich sweet potato fries homemade pizza bring me a beer kind of day.  So, thankfully, it looks like the correct dates are July 17 - 25, 2010.

 

So what is the Buy Local Challenge? Simple. "I pledge to eat at least one thing from a local farm every day during Buy Local Week." That's it. Just one thing a day, for seven days.  Stock up at the farmer's market, use your CSA produce, head over to the Common Market or MOM's, or eat at a restaurant that features local produce (in Frederick Isabellas, Acacia, Cafe Nola and Volt come to mind, but there are plenty more).

Fair warning: you'll have to think more than usual about where your food comes from to do this. And it's not as easy as it sounds, but if you keep it simple, you'll manage just fine.  And keep a couple local fruits on hand for snacking, in case you run short on cooking time, motivation, etc.  If you run out of cooking ideas, go with pasta. It goes with most vegetables.  Dinner tonight was CSA squash, garlic, basil and cherry tomatoes tossed with whole wheat linguine, parmesan cheese, pine nuts, and a little olive oil, white wine and lemon juice.  I'm a little early for the challenge, but it was a great simple dinner!

So are you in? Who's up for the challenge?  Take the official challenge, or just try to eat one local thing each day for a week.  I'd love to hear how it goes!