More spring!

These peonies have done-me-in.  They must have been my favorite flower all along.  Although, Schaeffer says I call every flower I come home with from the grocery store my favorite flower.  This time, Schaeffer, I mean it.  (At least until next time.)  Here are the lovely ones last evening:

 I woke up to this stunning sight:

Still incredibly lovely.

How about that color change throughout the days?  Unbelievable.  I will find it hard to resist another bunch in the coming days.  Although, I never actually try to resist buying fresh flowers..ever.  So it is all relative.

Menu:

Cucumber and Tomato Salad (#109)

Chicken with mint pint nut gremolata (#110)

Pesto, chimichurri, gremolata...whatever you want to call it, I love these little condiments.  Perfectly fresh and often from a simple handful of ingredients likely found in the kitchen or fridge, they are an excellent addition to meat or poultry on any night.  Pine nuts are a handy thing to keep around for things like this.  Their taste is nutty, but not overbearing to become the center flavor.  

The salad will delicious and sooo summery!  It is so nice to have an a selection of tomatoes that actually taste like tomatoes right now at the farmer's market.  I quickly found this recipe at the grocery store from my phone; epicurious app = get it now if you don't have it.  Yum.

190 to go...

 

Bounties of spring.

I am utterly enamored with peonies right now.  Simply awestruck by the five stems I keep walking by in my apartment.  Every time I pass them I see something different, every time I come home they are a new color.  

Peonies and delicious spring vegetables tossed in pasta. These gifts of spring are really bringing smiles around my neck of the woods.  Perhaps our friend Holly Golightly would've found similar luck.  Five peony stems blooming and changing and brightening your little old apartment can really do a thing or two to fend off those mean reds.  Haven't been by my doorstep in quite a few weeks I'd say.  

Menu:

Spring Linguine with Basil and Peas (#108)

I saw this recipe in that Cooking Light May issue I was drooling over a few posts ago.  What a perfect way to make a week night feel like a celebration of spring and all of its simple, fresh flavors.  Recently I started a little herb garden on my balcony.  Something about watering those pots and picking a handful of herbs each night that really is special.  It is so satisfying to always count on having freshly chopped parsley or basil or thyme or mint.  Or rosemary or oregano.  N'est-ce pas?

 

 

Springtime perfection.  More pictures of those peonies will come.  Although, really, I think you should go get some right now for yourself.  You deserve it.  And make sure to buy a bunch with at least a bud or two that is only open the littlest bit.  You'll thank me as the days go by.

 

192 to go...

Monday night birthdays

Once upon a few Mondays ago, I had some people come by for an after-work birthday soiree.  It was small and simple and a room absolutely full of my most favorite people.  I sent an evite requesting a few special friends to come and celebrate with me, without gifts, but certainly with cake.  Ice cream cake was my birthday wish.  Although my plans were to pick up a Carvel cake from Harris Teeter to serve after our tart/salad menu, upon hearing this request, Nate (Regina's beau), said he wanted to make the ice cream cake himself!  I opened the door to him holding the most beautifully made mint chocolate chip ice cream cake I've ever seen.  And, frankly my friends, it meant the world to me.  

 Thank you, Nate, for making my birthday so special.  And for being so special!

Menu:
Asparagus Tart (#106)
Yellow and red tomato salad with herb vinaigrette (#107)

Let me preface this by sharing that this menu is not only simple, but makes a perfect party meal.  Especially on a week night.  The night before my birthday, I got the dough made and in the fridge.  Although, thinking back, I believe Beth did a lot of the leg work with the dough.  Afterall, she is the tart master.  Having gotten that ready, I only needed to get the beautiful fresh asparagus ready, and the tart filled and in the oven.  

Ingredients
Filling:
one bunch asparagus, sliced into 2 inch pieces
two garlic cloves, minced
tablespoon olive oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper
1 cup parmesan cheese
Crust:
Awesome recipe
Make the crust according to that awesome and simple recipe.  I used whole wheat flour since that is what we had in, although I'd recommend 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 regular flour.  
Saute the asparagus in the olive oil with garlic and salt and pepper.  Cook about 3 minutes or so on medium high heat, just to get the outside a bit soft.  Pour them into the cooked tart shell.  Cover with 1/2 cup parmesan.  

 

Make a custard with heavy cream and the eggs, adding a bit of freshly ground pepper.  

Pour the custard over the asparagus and top with the rest of the parmesan.  

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, or until tart is puffed and solid.  

I picked up these little fellas at the farmer's market.  The picture look good enough to eat!  All sliced up and tossed with vinaigrette, they were a perfect match to the tart.

Yes, I made a wish.

193 to go...

Regina's favorite meal.

When I was a little kid, my parents would go away about once a year.  The spring I was turning 6 years old, they were on one of their getaways and my mom's youngest sisters, twins, at the time 21, came to watch my sisters and I.  Oh what fun we had!  We still talk about this awesome week of aunt-niece adventures.  It took two of them to fasten our ponytails in these ridiculously-challenging hair ties we used then called "bobbles".  Kath introduced to us her "friend" Chris, who she married soon after.  Since St. Patrick's Day was during this week, which in my family is a celebrated holiday, we had a party!  It was our first taste of what would become Regina's favorite meal: potato leek soup.

Menu:
Potato Leek Soup (#105)

I must admit that I have made this before, however, it is my own version that I've never actually recorded.  This time, I'm writing it down!  Leeks are WONDERFUL right now, monstrous and green; such a lovely spring vegetable.  A trip to the farmer's market in Dupont brought these goodies.

Ingredients:
10 medium yukon gold potatoes, diced with skins
2 large leeks, cleaned and chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 scallions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 cans reduced-sodium chicken stock
water
salt and pepper 
Parmesano-reggiano rind (if possible)
Heat oil over medium high heat, in a large Dutch oven, and saute scallions and leeks and garlic until soft and fragrant.  Season with salt and pepper and add the parsley.  Put in all of the potatoes and continue to saute for about 5-7 minutes, allowing the flavors to cook a bit.

Pour in chicken stock and water until all of the vegetables are covered.

If you have a rind from a block of parmesan, throw it in now.  If not, grate 1/2 of parmesan and add to the soup now.  Cover the soup partially with a lid and allow to simmer until potatoes are cooked through, about 25 minutes or so.  Taste throughout and season with salt and pepper accordingly.  

So potato leek soup is known for its buttery and creamy richness from, well, butter and cream!  As this recipe has neither, the soup somehow needs the creaminess of a good, homey and comforting food.  For this, I turn to my food processor.

Remove the rind if you had one.  In about three or four batches, carefully pulse the soup mixture in a food processor.  Every single time I make this, I am exceedingly impressed with how processing this soup changes the full thing of it.  It turns cooked vegetables in both into soup!  Top with a bit of chopped parsley. 

195 to go...

Oh, to find the perfect homemade pizza sauce...

Cooking Light has the most tempting cover display of most watering Pizza Margherita on the cover of this month's issue.  So, of course, I bought it.  You see, you know that person who they did all those studies on to find out how to best suck in a customer to spending at least another $10 in the grocery store, or any store really, right before they are about to check out?  Well, that person is me.  They get me at least once a week.  Glossy magazines, minty fresh gum or a tube of the last-chapstick-you'll-ever-need.  You name it, I buy it in the check out aisle.  Bad news, bad news.  Well, not always bad news, because I think I've find the most perfect go-to homemade pizza, dough and sauce included.
Menu:
Pizza sauce (#103)
Pizza Margherita (#104)

Weekends growing up in my house normally meant three things that I absolutely love: popcorn, a trip to West Coast Video and pizza.  It just went that way.  My dad always made homemade popcorn on the stove, all buttery and salty, and we'd rent some awesome kid-flick.  And pizza.  These three things should be a part of most every weekend I think.  So, prior to heading out to the a cinematic masterpiece of Iron Man 2, Pizza Margherita was in order.  

I think I've spoken about my love for the Wednesday Washington Post due to the inclusiono f the Food section.  Friends, I fell in love with the Food section when I first read it in a park in Adams Morgan, a freshman in college, babysitting my favorite little girl (who, I should mention, turns SEVEN this weekend).  The article that did me in was about tomatoes.  Reading about San Marzano tomatoes and real homemade tomato gravy and simmering and different regions in Italy, right there in the shady park on Adams Mill Rd, watching Elka clamber up the slide, I was hooked.  
Well, I found a great pizza version last week.  A quick simmer of the best ingredients make all the difference with this simple sauce.

 Spreading the sauce love.

The cut the dough in half to fit the pizzas on two baking sheets covered in cornmeal.  Baked for a bit, and voila!  Saturday night done right.

 196 to go...

Must. Find. Will. Power.

I feel like a senior in high school with two weeks left of school and a college already chosen.  Like this graduation-ready student, who cannot find an ounce of motivation to bring a pencil to class, I'm really struggling with will power.  It is almost summer, I'm starting a graduate program full time come the fall, and I am more than ready to have the mornings back, afternoons open for whatever and the evenings without the impending dawn of another work day.

Due to my condition, my blogging inspiration is really really really lacking.  Thankfully, the cooking has not been.  I hope today and tomorrow bring some sparks to my writing and fill you in on where I am with my cooking.

Eat-Down-the-Fridge-Lo Mein

Thursday night came with another visit from Molly, new 30 Rock and Office and the night when it seemed like the entire produce selection in my fridge was in eat-tonight-or-toss-tomorrow phase of life.  So, I stopped by this incredible little Japanese grocery store near my apartment to find good lo mein noodles, ginger and scallions.  $2.50 later and I had everything I needed.  Wouldn't it be nice if they sold everything? 

Menu:
Eat-down-the-fridge-lo mein (#102)

This is a great way to get all your veggies used up when you find yourself in a similar state ot the one in which I found myself and my fridge.  So you name it, if it wasn't spoiled and came from the Earth in one way or another, it went in the dish.  Start the dish like you start most dishes, with a good saute of garlic, onion/scallion with salt and pepper in olive oil.  Add the carrots to get them cooking.

While working on the veggies, adding the rest of them to the pan, I cooked the noodles and drained them, reserving about 1/4 cup of the starchy water.  

Toss the pasta, reserved water and a few dashes of sesame seeds, and about two tablespoons of soy sauce or a spicy Schezuan spicy sauce.  You can find this in most grocery stores in the Asian food section.  It is super awesome to have on hand for things like eat-down-the-fridge night.

I sauteed a diced chicken breast in a separate pan with salt and pepper in olive oil and added to on top of the non-vegetarian lo mein plates.  

This meal goes well with funny tv and comfy clothes for relaxing.

198 to go... 

Getting campier.

When asked if he likes camping, Schaeffer says, "I don't understand why you'd make life harder on purpose."  When asked if he'll go anyway, Schaeffer says, "Yes."  That a guy.

Amalie, Erin, Schaeffer & I packed up the CR-V and took to the open road and headed out to Shenandoah Valley and Skyline Drive to Big Meadows, VA.  It was all singing in the car and road food (gummie bears and coffee).  Truth is, everyone needed sometime out of the city.  And I needed time outside of the city, - without 100 students (and their parents).  

So the campiest of the campers, of which I am not by any means, have small stoves with little gas tanks for cooking and all kinds of other interesting things.  I loaded my enormous L.L.Bean tote with my necessary kitchens items and wanted only to make a big fire to cook up some supper.

 

Some Appalachian Trail action.

 

Menu:
Tacos with all the fixins' (#101)

After an afternoon of wondering through the woods to a waterfall and saying, "Wow!  It is soooo quiet here", and the like, we were ready to build a fire and make supper.

Gettin' cookin'.

 Camping or not, you know how I feel about the presentation of food.  I like cloth napkins and plates and silverware.  I'm not a fan of paper or plastic.  Unless it is melamine.  I used a McCormick envelope for the taco seasoning.  It is easy and delicious.  One day I'll come up with my own taco seasoning, but for our camping adventure it was perfect.  

Yes, the evening ended with s'mores.  And, yes, today is my birthday.  

199 to go...

Getting campy.

Ok, so I've been MIA from cell service, internet connections and plain old civilization for varying amounts of time while hanging out in the trees in varying places with varying people!  Yes, last week was a week of different camping trips with my students at school, and then I had a little personal camping getaway with friends myself.  Good news is that I reached my goal of 100 recipes in four months whilst cooking beef stew over an open flame and doing other awesome things.

The third grade at the school I work at does this totally amazing thing every year.  They set the year at 1771 and camp at a colonial camp site in Northern Virginia for two nights.  Everything, clothing silverware, food, tents, the necessary, you name it, - it is 18th century style.  I absolutely love it.

Menu:
Beef stew (#100)

 There is something at my school that we call the "magic of Turkey Run", - the name of the camp site we use.  You see, at Turkey Run, you can find our adorable and active children sitting for an hour or so looking like this little girl, - churning whipped cream for dessert after supper.  If a child is asked to do something, anything, at Turkey Run, they must respond, "Yes. I'd be happy to."  Hence, the "magic".  Dirty dish needing to be taken to the wash station?  Log needed from the pile to be put on the fire?  Apples needing to be sliced?  Ingredients needed from the root cellar?  You name it, "Yes.  I'd be happy to."  

In other words, totally awesome.  Tragically, or perhaps appropriately, the magic seems to stay at Turkey Run, and all returns to normal once we cross over, walk 1/2 mile to the parking lot and frantically change into regular clothes while hoping no passersby see us.

Sauteing veggies before throwing them in the pot to simmer.

 Clothes dry and supper simmers.

Fruits of her labor.

 When they're hungry, they' eat it.

 All cleaned up.

 Time for bed.

200 to go...