Just Do It.

Sometimes you just need pancakes for dinner.   At least they're multigrain.

New Kid on the Block

We have a new mushroom guy at the Farmers Market!  This is his first year and it seems that he has been really well received so far!  We're two weeks in now and I've bought several interesting and tasty things from him.  He grows them all himself and I think that's pretty cool.  I've actually assisted at a mushroom farm before.  It's a sensitive and fascinating process that involves diligent sanitation and climate control.  The first picture is the "saute mix" that he sells.  It's a combination of three different types of mushrooms.  I'll admit that I don't remember the names of all three!  I don't usually saute my mushrooms.  A prep cook who made amazing portobellos at this Italian place next to where I work told me he just puts his in the oven at really high temps.  He did 500 but I've had good results with 400 degrees.  

I wasn't sure what to do with the big, flaky hunk of 'shrooms.  I didn't have any prior experience to draw on!  I just drizzled them with oil and seasoned with salt and pepper before sticking them in the oven.  I served the above plate to Chris and he had some issues with it.  

Why did you put the big knot on my plate?

Sorry, I didn't know what to do with it.  

I took it from his plate and bit off a piece.  It was definitely chewy and I guess I would do better to cut the edible parts off before roasting.  The taste, however, was spectacular!   It was a different mushroom flavor than I was used to.  More mild.  I can't wait to experiment with them!  I'll definitely be buying more tomorrow.

He also sells portobellos.  There's another new merchant this year and they sell barbeque sauce.  The math is quite simple: portobellos + bbq sauce = yum!  These mushrooms were roasted in the same manner and the sauce was added for the last five minutes in the oven.  

As you can see, we've been eating a lot of asparagus too!  'Tis the season!

EDIT: The three types of mushrooms in the saute mix are cremini, oyster and shitake.  

Edible Adventures, here I come!

Over the weekend, I got my hands on a copy of each of Clotilde Dusoulier's books because I had a coupon and store credit to use up at Borders.  I spent a good part of today cruising through this really enjoyable and exciting guide for eating in Paris which basically reads like a foodie wet dream.  Towards the beginning of the book, she states that it is her desire that the reader use this book to plan a trip (even if it is in their dreams) to Paris.  She hopes that they will go as far as to bring it with them on their journey to serve as a knowing and friendly reference. As I was reading this part, my heart started to beat more rapidly and I could feel myself flush a bit with reckless anticipation.  It really hit home in my brain that I am going to Paris in about seven weeks.  We've had our tickets and reservations for over a month but it dawned on me today that it's really happening.  It took everything not to give out a squeal of joy.   It was fantastic motivation to buckle down and seriously focus on these language CDs I've been listening to.  It's going to take more effort to get around in France.  I am reasonably seasoned with German but French isn't nearly as familiar.  

In the short time that I read this book, it has already paid for itself in useful knowledge for what to expect when dining out in Paris.  There are also hot tips on shopping in markets and boutiques.   I really feel like I have some good fuel for more accurate daydreams about our vacation.  Except for the part about me communicating in French with skill and ease.  

If you are planning a trip to the City of Lights, I cannot recommend this book enough!  It would probably be torture to read otherwise!  

The Healing Power of Cake

Cake is a magic word. It feels good to say it. It even feels good to type it out.

Cake.

Cake.

Cake.

It's also a delightful word to hear. Especially if it is within the context of some sort of conversation about the day's menu. Whatever is listed off as the planned meal for dinner can always be nicely punctuated with ...and I made a cake for dessert. Sinking your teeth into the soft and spongey confection (with or without frosting) releases an instant wave of bliss in the brain. Whatever is going on in your life is okay, even if it's just for a few minutes. You will find some comfort here.

The entire process of making and eating cake is a great source of contentment and peace for me. One that I enjoy too frequently, I admit. I try to keep my baking levels to a minimum and I usually only do so for special occasions. I was reading a magazine a few weeks ago and I came across a recipe for rhubarb coffee cake. For some reason, I had a difficult time forgetting about it after I put the magazine back. The thought of the tartness from the rhubarb mixed into the sweet layer of cake was quite appealing. It was a great way to take advantage of the season since I am seeing it everywhere right now. I picked some up from the market last week and I eagerly used the invite to my inlaw's house for dinner a few days ago as an excuse to make it happen.

I originally saw this recipe in MaryJane's Farm Magazine. I tried to Google it and was able to find a blog of some sort that had used it to make a strawberry cake instead of a rhubarb cake. I made a few modifications and the results were enjoyable and satisfying.

Rhubarb Coffee Cake

2 cups flour 2 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 1/2 cup sugar 1 organic egg, lightly beaten (I didn't have one so I used EnerG Egg Replacer) 1 cup organic sour cream (I only had about half of a cup so I substituted lemon yogurt) 1 cup local rhubarb 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 tbsp local butter, slightly softened

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt with a fork.
3. Add in sugar, egg, sour cream, and strawberries. (I found it to be a bit thick so I added some soymilk) Mix completely and pour into an 8 x 8 inch pan.
4. In a separate small bowl use you hands to combine the sugar, cinnamon, and butter. (I also added a bit of flour)
5. Top the pan with the mixture.
6. Bake for about 25 minutes. (Mine took way longer than this! I would say it was closer to 40-45 minutes)

A Broken Promise

Two summers ago, I took a trip to San Francisco to visit my friend Laura while she was interning at a law office. I have known her for 20+ years, since the sixth grade. We're old married ladies now but it was so much fun to have a girlfriend getaway! I spent eight days there and I really feel like we saw a lot of what the City by the Bay has to offer. We went to Alcatraz, Muir Woods, Japan Town, The Japanese Gardens, Chinatown, Little Italy, The Castro District, Haight Street, Golden Gate Park, the piers and we also did a wine tour. Each night, we walked a few blocks from where we were staying and hung out at a karaoke bar. We sang Don't Stop Believin' together every single time. Fantastic sights, excellent public transportation and a good friend made for quite an unforgettable trip!

When we took the wine tour, we were in this biodiesel van and the driver set up the tours as we went along. We didn't do the touristy Napa Valley, we went to the Russian River Valley instead. There were vineyards as far as the eye could see and I lost count of all of the wineries passed. The tour guide was quite knowledgeable and seemed to know most of the wine makers by name. We probably went to about 4-5 wineries and I bought a bottle from two. Each one was $30 which is about 2-3 times my normal budget for a bottle of wine. These babies were special and I wanted to bring something home to Chris that we could enjoy together. On my flight back home to New Jersey, I sat next to this adorable old Italian couple. I told them all about my trip and when I mentioned that I was bringing home some bottles of wine, they made me promise that I wouldn't wait for a "special occasion" to drink them. They told me that when one gets as old as they are, every day is a special occasion. I concurred and I told them that I would enjoy the wine as soon as possible. I lied.

I really tried but I just couldn't bring myself to open the wine just for any old day. $30 wine is a big deal in our household! A year ago, I took one of the bottles along with us for a farewell dinner. Some friends of ours were moving across the pond....one couple to England and the other to Germany. I took great pleasure in sharing our wine and it went over quite well. It was just as good as I remembered. It came from a winery in the town where Charles Schulz resided when he died. Peanuts statues were scattered all over. The winery, Paradise Ridge, had a Snoopy statue. The second bottle of wine came from Longboard Vineyards. The creators have a passion for solid wine and surfing. I remember being blown away by two different tastings and it was difficult to choose which one to buy.

I went with this one. I am sitting on my couch and sipping it...enjoying it...almost two years later. Today is Memorial Day and the fact that I am alive and that most of my family and loved ones are also alive and well seemed like a good enough reason to celebrate and to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice. My Opa is a veteran of Vietnam and Korea and I am respectful and thankful for his service to our country. I'm blessed that he is still with us and that my Oma, my mother and uncle never had to experience that fateful knocking on the door by uniformed soldiers bearing ultimate devastation. My heart goes out to the thousands of families who have had to endure losing a loved one to war.

Drink with me
To days
Gone by
To the life
That used
To be
Let the wine of friendship
Never run dry
At the shrine of friendship
Never say die
Here's to you
And here's
To me...

-Les Miserables

Contained Excitement

I am trying to get more enthusiastic about eating salad.  There are endless combinations and flavors and toppings and I am determined to eat more of it.  Raw veggies are so gosh darn good for you but it's difficult to chose them over something bready and/or hot sometimes.  It's probably going to get easier in the next few months since we are on the cusp of summer.  I cannot believe how fast spring went by!  I used to eat soup from a nearby place at work but the rising temperatures make it less appealing.  I decided to get a salad one day and I really enjoyed it.  The only downside was that it cost almost twice what I usually pay for soup.  This didn't seem like a good habit to fall into so I decided to get into the better habit of making my own salads at home to bring to work.  I found a nice brand of goat cheese that is sectioned off into individual portions and each package has enough for about 12 salads.  It's the perfect amount to crumble up and sprinkle on top.  The issue was finding a good salad mix.  The first one that I bought had too much spinach.  I love it but too much of it raw leaves an unpleasant mouthfeel.  My teeth feel all rubbery for a good hour or two afterwards.  The next mix had too much purple and the resulting bitterness took away from the overall experience.  The third spring mix that I tried was much better and I really enjoyed my salad today.  

I usually pack the same one almost every time because I really enjoy this combination of flavors.  Costco is a great place to stock up on salad stuff.  They have massive containers of organic spring mix for less than five dollars.  They make several good sized salads.  I keep lots of fresh greens in the fridge lately.  I'm a big fan of cooked baby spinach and I also use a whole container of baby arugula to cook with beans for dinner.  I buy the huge bags of shelled nuts.  They are about 2-3 pounds each of walnuts and pecans.  I take a few handfuls and toast them in the oven.  I did 375 degrees today for about 15 minutes.  I checked them and then let them stay in about five minutes longer.  I love taking them out of the oven and reveling in their aroma.  I don't add anything to them.  Once the oils are released by the heat, they have such a complex and satisfying taste on their own.  They add major flavor to any salad.  I usually use about 1/5 of a cup and then save the rest in a container for future lunches.  About two cups of assorted nuts will last the week.  I try to make Chris a salad too so I try to maintain a shelf in the fridge with supplies.  I need to come up with a more efficient method.  It's a work in progress.  

Another thing I love on salads is berries!   Luckily they are cheap right now.  Summer is an action packed season for produce.  I love to take the family to the pick-your-own patches.  I also can't wait to see all of the gorgeous heirloom tomatoes when they burst onto the scene at the market!   When the berries aren't readily available, I find that dried cranberries are a great touch.  We have a small herb garden in a planter that is inside of our house.  We have a nice box on the balcony but the squirrels tend to seek and destroy anything I put out there.  This is why I can't have nice things.   They get good sun behind the couch so I just need to remember to water them and they can give us the flavor hookup when we need it.  

As far as dressing goes, I've still been on a balsamic reduction campaign.  I just love how a light drizzile can bring a whole salad to life.   I'm going to experiment with making my own salad dressings.  There are a few good ones you can get from the store but most of them are usually lacking in some way.  This seems like a proactive way to fill in the gaps.  

I can't wait to see what kind of stuff they have at the Farmers Market tomorrow!  I'm on the lookout for some inspiration.  I'm trying my best to sustain this  and I need to keep it interesting in order to keep from straying.

Cappuccino Kick

This hasn't happened in about a year but I am on sort of a cappuccino wave as of late. I'm able to keep it under control for now. I've had two in the past week so that's not bad. If I could limit my dessert intake to twice a week, I'd be set!

I rarely drink my calories, I drink lot of water and tea and occasionally I'll have some juice or a sweetened iced tea when we go to the only place that I know of in New Jersey that serves it. It's borderline unsweet actually. In the south, it would never fly. As far as fattening coffee drinks go, cappuccinos are about as good as it gets. I always get skim milk and I rarely add flavor. I'll drop in the occasional piece of chocolate if it's available. Of course, I'm usually drinking it with some sort of sweet treat so there's a dangerous correlation there. I don't normally drink coffee and I also don't drink soda so my tolerance for caffeine is low. I get headaches if I don't order decaf.

There are few things more dreamy to me than a perfectly coiffed stack of milk foam. The steam causes the lactose to bind together and the subtle sweetness is the perfect compliment for the slightly bitter espresso. I rarely get cappuccinos because most espresso shots taste like a campfire. If it is pulled with finesse, there will be a slight creamy layer of reddish/beige swirl on the top. This is called crema and it is a result of the fat that naturally occurs in the bean. It also contributes a sweet flavor. Combined with the milk foam, it's heavenly if it's done right. It almost floats right out of your hand! It was always troubling when I worked as a barista and customers would give me a perplexed look after I handed them their drink. They would then proceed to complain that the cup felt too light and there must be some sort of mistake. Obviously they ordered a cappuccino when what they really wanted was a latte which has more hot milk and less foam. I'm the exact opposite. I tend to frown if my cup is too heavy but I never say anything. I realize there are variations on the wet and dry spectrum but sometimes I feel like a snob when I throw too many adjectives into my drink order. There was this one guy who always ordered a latte and and after he gave us the specific stats, he would instruct us to only heat the milk to 115 degrees (We usually do 140). We were total jerks and we made fun of him even though he was always nice about it.

We have a cheapo espresso machine that we got with a JC Pennys gift card during my last cappuccino kick. It's sitting at the bottom of our pantry. It might be time to dust it off.