mint follow-up & more CSA goodness!

So, I've polled as many people as I could get my hands on (and luckily have lots of chefs within arms reach) regarding my mint conundrum, and maddeningly I've gotten lots of different answers. I'm stumped because peppermint and spearmint are such different flavors it's hard for me to believe that everyone's just using them interchangeably. But, one of the chefs told me yesterday that if she saw "mint" listed in a recipe, she'd just look at the other ingredients to see what made the most sense--using her innate chefly instincts. Which makes sense if you're a real chef. But, when you're just a gal who likes to hang out in the kitchen, it's confusing! Most people said they'd assume "mint" with no context would mean peppermint, but one fine dining chef said he generally uses spearmint. Another said that he almost always uses peppermint, because spearmint is spicier, and has a more distinctive flavor that doesn't always meld as well with the other flavors (but I kinda think the opposite is true! maybe he's confused, too!).

I looked at ingredients of some minty things over the past few days to just better acquaint myself with which is which--Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream is spearmint, a lot of mint teas are a blend of the two, xmas stuff is peppermint, tabbouleh calls for spearmint, mojitos generally say spearmint, but I saw a few with peppermint. Not to mention there are countless other varieties of mint. Seriously. These are the varieties I've come across (other than peppermint and spearmint) in the course of my "research": chocolate mint, orange mint, banana mint, basil mint, Moroccan mint, Habeck mint, Egyptian mint, lemon bergamot mint, orange bergamot mint, lavender mint, pennyroyal, curly (or curled) mint, Kentucky Colonel, apple mint, pineapple mint, eucalyptus (yeah! it's in the mint family!), Austrian mint, Chinese mint, English mint, Corsican mint, ginger mint, lime mint, black-stemmed peppermint, grapefruit mint, Japanese mint, variegated mint, Scotch spearmint, menthol mint, silver mint, Swiss mint, Vietnamese mint, water mint, berries and cream mint, candy-lime mint, pink candypops, Hillary's sweet lemon mint, Julia's sweet citrus mint, margarita mint, Marilyn's salad mint, marshmallow mint, oregano-thyme mint, sweet bay mint, sweet pear mint, mountain mint, Bowles' mint, Nana peppermint, Hairy spearmint, candymint, doublemint, Persian mint, Blue Balsam mint.

Okay, that's enough for now. I read in one place that there are rumored to be over 600 varieties!

Now I feel like Bubba--that shrimp guy from Forest Gump.


Okay, anyhow. It's CSA day!! C-S-A! C-S-A! C-S-A!

This week's box contains:
-free range eggs
-head of lettuce
-spearmint (!!!)
-peaches
-carrots
-green peppers
-green beans
-garlic
-zucchini
-crookneck squash
-cucumbers
-beets
-Hungarian hot wax peppers

w00t!

the bounty

While I'm not really one for summer weather (I'm a sweater. Not a cardigan-style or pullover style. I'm a Sweat-Er), I do so love the bounty of produce! And, I love that it's so delicious that it doesn't even take much fiddling to be ready for the plate. I've made some lovely dinners lately, if I do say so myself, that didn't require much more than a trip to my counter/fridge for my CSA goodies or the farmers' market. I'm in love with corn and tomatoes and cucumbers, and can pretty much have them for every meal, along with anything else that happens to come in my CSA box or show up at the market.

One meal was simply slices of tomato (salt and pepper) with ears of corn (butter, salt and pepper) and a couple Veggie Masala "burgers" from Trader Joe's (they're these curried potato-veggie patties that I adore):


Another meal was in honor of my friend Alex's visit from Poland. I made my ol' stand by, Heidi Swanson's Sprouted Garbanzo Burgers (but I used canned chickpeas instead of sprouted) with some smoked cheddar, lettuce, spicy sprouts, avocado and tomato. Served with some cucumber "salad" (just tossed with a glug of olive oil, salt and pepper), and some corn prepared Mexican street vendor style with crema, powdered chipotle pepper, cojita cheese and wedges of lime. And, vanilla frozen yogurt--fresh outta the maker!--with black raspberries and blueberries for dessert. (I forgot to photo that one, but I wish I'd taken a picture of the corn. It's SO good this way!).

On Saturday I was picked up bright-n-early for the farmers market in the Strip by Liz and Emily, and we met the E-dawg down there. I even got to ring the bell (that opens the market) this week! I picked up some Poona Kheera cucumbers--the first time I'd ever seen them. They're an heirloom variety that was originally from India. They're really lovely--bright yellow (thin) skin, crisp, a bit sweet with a very pale green firm flesh. I've been on the look-out for lemon cukes, too, after having some in a dish that pal Kara made last summer. If yinz see any, lemme know! Other delectable farmers market items are:
-eggs
-big bunches of basil
-radish microgreens
-chives
-dill seeds (and an actual dill plant from Liz and Emily's garden)
-lime basil
-red tomatoes (not sure of the variety)
-a pint of mixed little tomatoes--cherries, sungolds, jelly beans, and some others I don't know
-candy onions
-morels !!! I thought it was too late for these babies, but there they were! and the Mushrooms for Life guy (Jonathan Cingota) also had made this incredible spread that he shared with us that I have to make this week. I'll report back on that.
-Emily and Liz also gave me a pepper from a plant I remarked on in their garden. It's a Black Czech pepper, and they compared the heat level to a jalapeno, and said that the flesh is white. I can't wait to try it. I think I'll use it in a quick salsa this week, and the little flecks of black-and-white pepper will hopefully stand out and be lovely.

Then E-dawg and I hit the PASA Farm Tour (PASA stands for Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture). We went to a couple farms during the tour last year, and decided to just go to one this year--Morris Farm near Irwin, PA. They're an organic farm that does pick-your-own. E-dawg selected this one because they mill their own flour. We got to watch them milling the wheat, which was fun, and much simpler (as a technological process, I mean) than I'd have guessed. While it was being milled, the farmer (Farmer Morris) put some fresh flour into our hands, and the warm, silky, aromatic stuff was practically enough to send us into fits with visions of freshly-baked bread and doughy possibility. We each bought a good-sized bag, and I can't wait to use it. E-dawg was contemplating using that evening for pizza crust, but I haven't heard if she did or how it turned out yet. Kara pointed out that it's a great find for the locavores in the area. (You can buy wheatberries there, too, which I almost did until I remembered my full-to-bursting pantry). It was interesting (and really cool) to hear this guy who seemed like a very old-school farmer talk about organic solutions to pests and using sea minerals in his soil. We didn't pick any veggies there since we'd gone so crazy at the market that morning, but you can see below the 1920s-era potato digger, and our excitement at viewing the delicious tubers (Farmer Morris said his potatoes had one 2nd place that same week at a fair).



After that adventure, we hit the pool to cool off (I discovered I'd gotten quite a passenger-side burn on my right arm from hanging it out the window of E-dawg's car). Then went home to have one of my favorite seasonal snacks (also had this for breakfast this morning, and many, many other times over the past couple weeks)--tomato slices on buttered toast. And, some ice cream (vanilla ice cream with Rita's root beer ice).

That evening I made a dinner to highlight all the freshness I'd gotten that day. We had a tomato salad (the little tomatoes tossed with a vinaigrette of lemon juice, olive oil, onion, salt, pepper, lime basil and a splash of vanilla extract--E-dawg heard of using vanilla with tomatoes last year on The Splendid Table), some lightly sauteed morels with shallots in a little butter, some gorgeous beans tossed with some fresh dill and salt (I used both green beans and royal burgundy beans--which actually turn green when you cook them--see the before and afters below), some of those gorgeous Poona Kheera cukes, and some roasted new potatoes with some garlic-herb mayonnaise (used garlic, chives, dill, marjoram and thyme).

Beans, before:

Tomato salad:

the full-meal deal:




Summer, I heart you.

p.s. Hey--I have an unrelated question for you, dear readers. When you read a recipe that calls for mint, do you typically assume that means peppermint or spearmint? I've gotten mixed results in asking this question of a lot of people over the past couple of days, but today I asked a couple chefs here at the ol' big Burrito, and they said it'd be peppermint unless otherwise specified. What do you think?

i feel fine

I feel fine in lots of ways today! I'm finally, finally, finally over the plague I had. I went to the doctor on Thursday, and he thought I may have mono, and sent me for blood tests and ordered me to do nothing but "Eat and use the bathroom. Seriously, NOTHING else." So, I took off work on Friday, and laid around for a few days, and then I felt better when I woke up on Sunday, and now feel like a new lady. Phew!

As an aside, Metro Family Practice is pretty awesome. I saw a doctor who's not my regular (who's awesome), and he was really great. Seriously, some of the best doctor's visits I've had in years have been at this place. It's like they actually listen and actually care. If you're in Pittsburgh, and looking for a good PCP, check out this place.

I also feel fine because it is now tomato and corn season!!! There's really nothing better. They're delicious even completely unadorned, and perfect for eating on summer days when it is Hot As Hell and you Do Not Feel Like Being In a Hot Kitchen. Yum.

I had some of the best corn I've ever tasted last night via pal Lisa. She sent an email this morning telling us about this place based in the Strip that is a "virtual farmers market" where you can order local and non-local, and even do a CSA, all through their site, and schedule a pick-up either in the Strip or at another location in the area. They're called Good Apples, and I think I'll swing by there after work and pick up a dozen ears of that corn (on their site they say it's from local farm Yarnick's (in Indiana, PA). A dozen is only $5! Worth its weight in gold, I tell ya!

I've been immersed in reading (like, actually reading the entire thing) Deborah Madison's cooking bible Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone. I've been checking out cookbooks from the library constantly, but want to buy the ones that I feel I'll use all the time. This is one of those. It's chock full of billions of recipes and technique tips, and is broken down by ingredient--which E-Dawg pointed out is perfect for figuring out what to make with your CSA stuff. A few people have mentioned not liking her tone/style, but I don't mind it one bit. I kinda like a bossy lady.

Speaking of CSAs, our box last week contained these delights:
-free range eggs
-an italian herb mix
-green beans
-carrots
-black raspberries
-zucchini
-green bibb lettuce
-beets with greens
-cilantro
-new potatoes
-cucumbers
-Hungarian hot wax peppers

And, tomorrow we're getting:
-green beans
-basil
-blueberries
-Methley plums
-salad mix
-onions
-cucumbers
-cilantro
-zucchini
-sweet corn

I cannot wait!!!

I also cannot wait because my friend Alex is visiting tomorrow from Poland. It's been a while since I've seen her, and I can't wait to catch up, hear about her globe-trotting adventures and introduce her to Barbara and our new house (which is looking totally adorable, by the way!).

I also feel fine because I was asked to contribute my photo and a quote from and link to my blog from this outfit called We Feel Fine for their upcoming book. They're a site that "harvests human feelings" from weblogs. Every few minutes they search on "i feel" and "i am feeling" to see what the people out on the interwebs are emoting about. It's pretty interesting, and I feel excited (I'm in the "Excited" section) that they decided to include me. Also, I feel special. It's nice to feel special.

And, just for kicks, and for your viewing pleasure, here's a pic of our Libing Room (half library/half living room). It's that green fantastic?


And, here's a picture of me with the gal that makes it feel like home:

CSA! CSA! CSA!

On days when I get my CSA I like to chant "C-S-A! C-S-A!" like the peeps do at sporting events (and military events?) when they chant "U-S-A!". It gets me excited, and tickles my fancy, and there ain't nothin' wrong with that.

But, seriously, I would like to take a moment to expound on the virtues of having a CSA. I know I've said it before, but then I talked to a couple people this week who'd never heard of a CSA, so I'm gonna say it again.

Here's how wikipedia describes a CSA, but the basic run-down is that CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and what the deal is that you subscribe to a weekly farm share from a local farm, you pay up front, and then every week (usually early June-ish through mid-Novemberish, in this part of the country) you get a delivery (in various drop-off points around the city) of fresh produce that the farm(s) have picked mere hours or days before. Some of them also offer meats, breads, eggs, honey, cheeses, etc. In Pittsburgh I've used both Kretschmann's and Penn's Corner. I've loved them both. This year I'm doing Penn's Corner. I know they still have slots open, as do many other local CSAs. Here's a good list of all the CSAs available in the Greater Pittsburgh Area, and you can check here for national listings.

To give you an idea of what one gets in a CSA subscription, here's what my last few boxes have consisted of (I split my box with eDawg):

Week 1 (6/18):
free-range eggs
strawberries
rhubarb
gourmet lettuce mix
head lettuce
baby beets
sugar snap peas

Week 2 (6/25):
new red potatoes
strawberries
sugar snap peas
shelling peas
romaine lettuce
red ruffled lettuce
spinach
green cabbage
zucchini
carrots

Week 3 (7/2):
free range eggs
zucchini
carrots
sugar snap peas
snow peas
baby beets
head lettuce
bibb lettuce
hydroponic cluster tomatoes (1st tomatoes of the season! i can't wait for the onslaught!)
chervil

Week 4 (7/9):
black raspberries
new potatoes
young onions
zucchini
patty pan squash
red cabbage
cucumbers
black seeded simpson lettuce
swiss chard

My CSA box paired with some goodies from the farmers' market almost covers all my eating! Also, when you subscribe to a CSA you're getting healthier food because it's freshly picked, and all the nutrients are still going strong. And, you're supporting your local agricultural community and local economy. And, you're cutting down on fossil fuel usage by choosing foods that don't have to be transported from all over creation to get to you. And, you're further helping the environment when you subscribe to organic farms that aren't using the pesticides that end up as run-off and the like. And, you're more in touch with seasonality as you see the growing seasons for various plants in your particular region. It feels good, do it!

So, don't you wanna go sign up for a CSA right now?

the man is trying to keep me down

This weekend I did a little cooking, and was planning on photographing it for You, lovely readers. But, then my camera was outta batteries, and while I know that my battery charger is somewhere amongst the boxes in my house, I can't begin to guess which box. Ah well. So, I guess it wasn't necessarily The Man trying to keep me down, but I am feeling really, really tired of packing and unpacking and not knowing where stuff is. But, it's coming along. In fact, Barbara and Mags spent all day yesterday painting the room we like to call The Multi-Media Room (I was unboxing the kitchen stuff which still isn't done, cooking, etc.). First they painted the entire room and when we came back to look at it, we all HATED it. I'd picked out this coral for the walls, and an orange for the trim and ceiling, and it was just way, way, way too bright--to the point of making you feel claustrophobic and crazy as soon as you walked in. So, they had a little color lab mixing extravaganza from the paint colors we already had, and now the room is a lovely and soothing pale-ish green with antique white trim. Ahhh.

Friday I made us a big salad, pappardelle with pesto and a bunch of veggies from my CSA. Saturday I made some roasted veggies to take to my friend Tracey's birthday party. The dinner theme was Mexican-ish, so I roasted some bell peppers, onions and mushrooms. I tossed them in some lemon juice and zest, chipotle chili powder, and after they roasted, in some chopped cilantro. The dinner menu was outta this world--little black bean and sweet potato cakes, goat cheese enchiladas with salsa verde and/or mole, guacamole and crema. It was so fantastic! The host/chef was Leslie, and she's just a really excellent cook. It was an intimate dinner party, and one of the best times I've had recently. At one point we swapped Bad Date Stories, and I'm still chuckling over some of them. Sunday Barbara made us a lovely breakfast of challah french toast with tofu scramble, and I made us a lunch of lemon thyme tofu with buttered peas, orange glazed carrots and turnips, and roasted baby new potatoes. Then for dinner I made fakin' bacon and green pepper grilled cheeses with homemade slaw and some oven-baked fries. You'll just have to take my word that it all looked colorful and pretty. And, I used most of my CSA and farmers market goodness. Now I just need to make some big salads to power through my cache of lettuce. I can't wait to see what we'll get this Wednesday.

I also finished the book I'd been reading for Queer Book Club last night--Dog Years by Mark Doty. This author was actually here reading during Pride Week for the American Shorts series, but I missed him due to moving madness. I wish I would've heard him read. The book was fantastic. He's better known as a poet, and you can definitely feel that type of lyricism and imagery, but the main focus is the love of his two dogs throughout the death of his partner from AIDS, his next relationship and lots of moving around. It's a beautiful story, and turned me into a puddle of goo after two seriously hardcore sobbing sessions--half for the book, and half for missing my dog Ursa who I lost in October 2006 to kidney disease and then subsequent failure. If you've ever had a dog in your life, you should read this book. So.Good. The book club discusses it tomorrow, and I'm eager to see what everyone thought, and hear reports from the people that saw him speak.

the neverending move

I finally moved the remainder of my stuff last night! I never have to go to Troy Hill again. Thank the baby jesus.

The new house is great, but boxes are littering the place, so we still have a way to go. But, after everything (or most everything) is situated, I'll post some pics. It's going to be really cute.

I haven't been cooking much at all because where's my big saucepan? where's my chef's knife? where's my mixing bowl? and on and on and so forth. But, I've promised B a home-cooked meal this evening, and I've got some gorgeous CSA goods so cooking will happen come hell or high water. I'm thinking a veggie pappardelle with spring pesto and a big salad with a citrusy vinaigrette and some crusty, chewy bread. Will report back.

In other news, you may remember my pal Kramer from various posts. She just started a really cool blog of her own that is like an Amber Alert for bikes in the Pittsburgh area. She just started it today, and it's such a great idea. You bike riders out there should check it out, now-like. Also, for the bike riders in the Burgh, check out this great multi-event bike extravaganza, Pittsburgh Bike Fest.

One of Kramer's other bike-related good deeds:


As for myself, I hadn't ridden my bike since last summer until a few nights ago. I was weak and winded, but it felt good. I want to get back into it, and get to the point where hills (even tiny ones) don't make me feel like I'm gonna die. Wish me luck (I need it).

Pedal on, peeps.

spring fever

You wouldn't know it by how often I've been blogging, but I really do have spring (food) fever. There's nothing like the bursting forth of green after a long, grey winter. When the farmers markets and CSAs kick it into gear, when you can start getting local produce again. This is my favorite time of year.

The Firehouse Farmers Market started up again two weeks ago, and the city farmers markets are on their second week this week (they're still a little slim this time of year, but that'll change soon!). I had to switch my CSA. Unfortunately one of the owners of Mildred's Daughters had an injury recently that made their CSA program unworkable for this season, but luckily the good folks at Penn's Corner took the E-dawg and I under their wings. (Some of my work friends did the spring share, too, and it's been amazing! I can't wait for mine to start! I know they still have some openings if you haven't signed up for a CSA for this year yet). And, if you're wondering what the heck a CSA is, here's the wikipedia listing that tells you all about it. It's a fantastic idea that gets you the freshest produce available, and helps you support the local economy. You can find info for the various CSAs in the area here.

It feels good. Do it.

I love having a Saturday morning ritual centered around the Farmer's Market. How it usually goes down is that I meet up with E-dawg at some point (we carpool or ride bikes, or she rides and meets me, or whatever). Lately our itin has been that we hit the farmers market first, then Cafe Richard (which recently just changed into the hands of Raymond, one of the long-time staples in the kitchen), sometimes Reyna (for the softest, most delicious tortillas ever), sometimes Mon Amiee Chocolat (especially great during cold weather because they have the best hot chocolate I've ever tasted), sometimes Penzeys or Penn Mac, or Enrico's or wherever else we need. Then roll up into 21st Street Coffee for some fantastic brew and we sit upstairs in the little loft--sometimes a friendly game of Foodie Fight (nice play, opponent), sometimes just chatting and people-watching. It's something I look forward to every week. I love having a little ritual of 100% pure fun, and I'm elated to see fresh local goodness in the market.

I love the Strip District on Saturday mornings. I love the bustle of it. I love all the different shops. I love the incredible smells. It feels like I'm in a city the way I imagined living in a city would feel when I was a kid.

Anyhow, I've made a couple dishes that I really enjoyed recently from my market bounty. One of my favorite vendors at the farmers market is Mushrooms For Life. They have a fantastic variety of cultivated and wild mushrooms. I love mushrooms. Week before last I got some shittakes and some royal trumpets, and used them in a dish I took to a friend's birthday potluck. I based this dish on Heidi's Spring Butterfiles with Lemon Cream from Cook 1.0. While the pappardelle pasta had a great flavor and texture, I think it'd be better with a lighter pasta, like the butterflies Heidi suggests or orecchiette or something like that. Here's what I did:

Spring Pasta
(makes enough to take to a potluck)

Boil salted water, then throw in your pasta and cook until pasta is al dente. When you have about one minute to go, through in some asparagus (a small bunch, cut into 1" pieces) and some peas (I used frozen petit green peas, about 2 c.). Drain and set aside.

In the meantime, chop up a mix of mushrooms (I used shittake and royal trumpets, about 1/3 lb. each), and saute in some butter (about 3 T.) with some diced onion (1/2 onion) and minced garlic (about 3 cloves). Add in a few shakes of crushed red pepper, salt (helps the shrooms to give up their moisture) and pepper. Cook long enough that the mushrooms gave up their juice and are golden brown. When they're ready, add 2 c. heavy cream and 1 c. milk and cook over low heat until it thickens into a cream sauce.

Pour the cream sauce over the pasta/asparagus/peas and stir gently.

Now zest three lemons, chop up a handful of basil, and grate about 1 cup of cheese (I used about 1 c. of parmesan and about 1/2 c. of this wonderful raw goat cheddar I got at the market from the East End Food Coop's booth; I forget who the maker is). Chop up about 1/2 - 3/4 c. of pine nuts. Reserve about 1 T. each of the zest, pinenuts, basil and cheese, and mix the rest in. Sprinkle the reserved items over the top for good looks. Salt and pepper to taste.

This flavor is all about spring.


[I want to mention as an aside that while I don't often stress this, I do use all "organic" ingredients when I cook. Not necessarily all certified organic (you can read about that distinction in the brilliant book The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan), but grown without chemicals. I try to buy as much local stuff as I can, and to eat as seasonally as I can. It's better for you because the food is fresher, it's better for your local economy because you're supporting local farmers and growers, and it's better for the environment because you're not contributing to adding additional chemicals to the soil (and the subsequent run-off), you're not using fossil fuels to bring your food from across the globe, etc. I'm just sayin'. I do make exceptions, but I like to keep these goals in mind when I'm choosing foods].

Okay. Back to cooking and eating.

Last week I heard tale that Mushrooms For Life were bringing some foraged morels to the market. I got there early, but there was already a line. The word spread back down the line that he'd brought about 1 pound of morels, and was divvying them up in 2 oz portions. I crossed my fingers that I'd make it to the front before they were sold out. And, I did! There was enough for me, and for the people behind me, and then everyone else had to console themselves with other beautiful mushrooms and ramps and the like.

I hadn't had a morel in a couple years. My stepdad used to forage them in a couple secret patches on their property, but a couple years ago someone found his stash, and made it there before he did. Last year Kramer and I talked about joining the Western PA Mycological Club (I think that's the name), but never got around to making it to a meeting or foraging with the group. Anyhow, morels are wonderful mushrooms. They're kind of lovely and creepy looking at the same time. And, they have this really amazing flavor. It's really kind of meaty. Like, steak-esque, but gamier and earthier. They live up to the hype.

I made a dish with the morels, and my leftover shittakes and royal trumpets. I didn't really have much of a vision to start with, but I just made it up as I went along (often my cooking method) it turned out fantastically well. The texture was almost risotto-ish and the taste was reminiscent of stroganoff. In other words, yummalicious.

My method was to cook some brown rice.

Then to saute the mushrooms in some butter with onions and garlic. Keep the heat kinda low so you can cook them for a while. I wanted the onions to be soft and sweet, but not browned. I through in some minced rosemary, salt and pepper and crushed red pepper. After about 15 minutes or so, I deglazed the pan with a little sherry, and when that moisture was gone, I added a couple glugs of heavy cream. Let it bubble for a minute and thicken.

Then I made a big dip in a bowl of rice and scooped in some of the mushroom mixture, and crumbled some (okay, lots) of goat cheese. I photographed it at this point, but it really was kicked up a notch when I stirred it all together. The goat cheese lent it a fantastic creaminess and tanginess, and the morels made it so meaty that if I hadn't made it myself I'd have sworn that there was some kind of beef or something up in there. I made enough for two servings, and accidentally ate them both for dinner. So simple, so incredibly delicious.


Want to get your local and sustainable grub on this weekend? Check out the Sustainable Feast at the Rachel Carson Homestead on Sunday noon - 5pm. E-dawg, Kara and I went last year, and it was really super. $5 gets you in, and tastes of all the lovely food. Some big Burrito peeps will be cooking up some goodness (Corporate Chef, Bill Fuller and Casbah's Executive Chef, Alan Peet), too. It should be a Real Good Time. And if there's one thing I like, it's a good time.

it's a new dawn...it's a new day...

The times they are a-changin'. And, evidently I'm feeling like quoting old song lyrics today. So, for good measure, I wear black on the outside 'cause black is how I feel on the inside.

But, not really. The sun is shining, it looks like the end of winter and onset of spring may not be too far away, I'm embarking on new challenges and new adventures, and...I'm feeeeeeelin' good.

[small tangent--years ago, when Nowlzie and I first discovered chatting On The Internets, we sometimes would have entire conversations in Smiths/Morrissey lyrics. good times.]

Okay. I'm slowly getting back into action after being off for a week, being outta town, starting a new job, and just figuring out what the hell is going on in general. Over the past couple of weeks I have cooked and I have eaten. The most memorable meal was my going-away from the old job lunch. A big group of us went to the Church Brew Works (the pesto portobella pizza is fab, btw), but the best part was after lunch. I mentioned that a few of the guys were forming a small band to play a little going-away. They were great! They played two songs--one an Irish jig, and the other an Irish funeral dirge--something about "she's gone tomorrow". It's the best, sweetest send-off I've ever gotten. If I ever find myself at a computer again that is not dial-up and has the drivers I need to upload the video I'm going to post it on youtube under "Ehrrin's lads".

The new job couldn't be more different in atmosphere from the last. The last was in an all-beige space, it was quiet, you had to have security clearances to enter the office, it was cerebral in a very tech-saavy way, many of the jokes included formulas and code, nearly half the words spoken were acronyms, and there were mad scientist/aspergers types littering the place. The new job is colorful, loud, raucous, risque and moving at breakneck speed. I think each of the environments complements a different side of my personality. I'm a lucky gal.

My restaurant discounts should kick in soon, but I'm trying to save all my pennies for a trip I have coming up at the end of the month. Barbara and I are heading to The Big Apple for a long weekend. I can't wait! We're planning out The Homosexual Agenda for our trip based on restaurants we want to hit. Some of those on the list so far are Shopsin's (home of the mac-n-cheese pancake), Kate's Joint, Vegetarian Dim Sum House, some little tea shop in Nowlzie's 'hood, some fancy veg place (I think in Park Slope?), B's favorite bagel shop...and more!

Okay, I'm going to try to post more regularly again, but bear with me--change is hard.

unrelated PSA: sign up for your CSA now! CSAs are where it's at! And, after you sign up, it feels like spring and summer are way closer! If you need some help on figuring out which Greater Pittsburgh Area CSA might be right for you, send me a message. I have lots of info!

a big day!

It really is a big day for me. I am executing my first-ever paying personal chef gig. I've already learned a few things about timing prep, setting prices, etc. And, I think it's going to be a smashing and delicious success (keep your fingers crossed just in case though, k?).

Here's the menu (the blacked out portion is the client's info):


Like the logo? I'm pleased as punch. But, I am kind of a nervous wreck. My friend Schwatts has an Aunt Fran that gets a little out of control in the kitchen. Whenever she feels like that, she says that she's "Aunt Frannin' it". I'm totally Aunt Frannin' it today.

I'm delivering at 7pm, and then I will be a relieved and free lady, and will have a lovely and relaxing dinner at Abay with PYT, and then go check out the Queer Songwriters Night at Modern Formations. Good times. You should go--Ember Swift, Tracy Drach and Stefanny!

In other news, I just signed up for my 2008 CSA! I feel super excited to start imagining fresh, local, organic, delicious produce! I've done Kretschmann's for several years, but tried to get into Mildred's Daughters last year. They have a very small number of slots (and a portion of those are work-exchanges), so I wasn't able to get in last year, but just found out I got in this year! They are the only working farm within the city of Pittsburgh, women-owned and run, and they also do things a little differently. You actually go to the farm to pick up (fun!), and get to select your items, sorta farmers' market style. I cannot wait. I mean, I love Kretschmann's, but I'm excited to check out the 'daughters. E-dawg and I are going to split a share, and take turns making pick-ups. Hooray!

Other big news for this weekend is that I'm attending this workshop to be hypnotized to quit smoking and lose weight. I really, really hope it takes. Wish me luck!

Have a great weekend, pals!

it was a long week

Hi folks.

Sorry for the lack of blog fodder last week. It was a hectic and tough week, and all the extras (like, bloggin') had to fall to the wayside. I got a very sad fatal diagnosis for my car--which just totally blows 'cause I'm not sure how it's all going to shake out, but it could be that I'll be car-less for a while. On the upside, it's winter, and my mental bumper sticker reads: "I'd rather be hibernating!". So, I may not have much choice. Eh.

This also means that I won't be traveling for Thanksgiving. I'm sad to miss cooking with my mom and seeing my nieces and nephew. But, I'll have it all figured out by xmas (right?!?), so I'll see them then. Savanah (my favorite!) is really bummed. She said that she made me a "special Christmas centerpiece for your table, and you need to have it before then so you can enjoy this whole time!". It was so weird when she told me that. She's five. And, obviously has been possessed by my mother.

the good news, however, is that I'm going to have Thanksgiving with some friends, and Leslie is going to be cooking up a storm. And, she's an incredible cook. I'm looking forward to it. I'm going to make those roasted brussels sprouts with cranberry brown butter I posted about a few weeks ago. Yum!

In other news, it was an action-packed week. On Wednesday I took in a show at the Warhol. My Brightest Diamond features one of my favorite peeps, bdub, on the skins. I hadn't listened to much of them before then, but they're really great. Shara, the gal behind My Brightest Diamond, has a truly gorgeous voice. Operatic, even. I went with my pal Tracey, and we'd tentatively plan to scoot out early since we were both feeling kind of exhausted, but it was too good to skip out. Good stuff. And, she's in Sufjan Stevens' band, and I LOVE SUFJAN!

On Thursday I went to the (not safe for workplace clickin'!) Girls Night In going-outta-business sale at Amani. I got some good stuff for not much scratch, and even won a special treat from the raffle! I hear that Karen still has stock to liquidate, so give her a holler!

The weekend was pretty quiet. I met up with the E-dawg parade for lunch at People's on Saturday. I'd also planned to hit up the E. Liberty farmers market, but didn't realize they closed at noon. That's okay, next week. The rest of the city farmers markets ended last week, but this one is indoor and stays open all year! I haven't been there yet. I can't wait to check it out. I was lamenting the long winter with no CSA and no farmers market, but it's gonna be okay. Also, the folks that run the CSA I subscribe to are having winter boxes. You can get on their email list here. The way it works is that they send out an email each week, and you choose whether to opt in that week (and get your delivery location). And, of course, the co-op will be there to supplement everything else.

Okay. It's Monday, and I actually don't even mind. I had a restful weekend, and it's a short week. (Work usually lets us out by 3:00 p.m. the day before a holiday, too!) Good times.

now, that's good friday.

Okay, it's not actually Good Friday, but all Fridays are good in that they're the kick-off to the weekend. I'm so ready. Waking up this week has been really tough. I've snoozed for over an hour nearly every morning. It's just too hard to get up when it's dark outside, and kinda cool. That's perfect sleeping weather, and it's just sick and wrong to squander it. Of course, since I don't have to work tomorrow, I'm sure I'll be up at the cracka with no problem. That's how it works.

I just tracked down some spirit gum (necessary for affixing my chest hair for my Richard Simmons transformation), and I have the Bedazzler ready to do some serious bedazzlin' tonight/tomorrow. Now, I just need some pink tights. Actually, I wish I could find a whole-body pink leotard. That'd rock. Except when you have to pee, then it'd probably suck. Unless it came with an ass-flap like the old school longjohns. Anyone know any place in Pittsburgh that sells full-body leotards for chubby ladies at bargain basement prices?


I've also always secretly wanted to be Slim Goodbody for Halloween, and if I happened to find a full-body (with or without ass-flap) pink leotard this time, next year I could dress it up to be him. And, I could use the same wig as for Richard!


Just sayin'.

K. Thanks for the feedback yesterday on my quandary. I'm gonna let these go, and then next time I'll give up the goods about my meals out. I did have some good food yesterday. Mags and I went to lunch at Spice Island, and check it out--I actually got something other than java fried rice! I went for the fried tofu with chili-peanut sauce. Yum. And, at the farmers market I picked up some potato-n-cheese pierogies for dinner. Holy cow, those are so good! They're from Gosia's Pierogies in Latrobe. I signed up for their holiday list (they'll be taking holiday orders, and making a delivery to the 'Burgh some time in December). If you're interested in getting on their order list, check them here:

Gosia's Pierogies
Terry and Jan Smith-Rawecki
75 Pauline Drive
Latrobe, Pa 15650
724-205-9938
terrsmith@comcast.net

Or, just come to the Bloomfield farmers market on Thursdays. The farmers markets are going away soon! They end at Thanksgiving! And, so does my CSA! That's merely a few weeks away. It's so sad! It breaks my little heart! It makes me wish I were in Barbara Kingsolver's family, and I'd been farming and canning and storing all spring and summer so that I could reap the bounty of my labors with local foods all winter. Yinz guys should read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Such a fantastic book!

K, folks. Have a fantastic weekend!

good eats

I love CSA day, which for me is Wednesday. This week we got basil, a lovely assortment of heirloom tomatoes, corn, green and banana(?) peppers, green onions, garlic, beets, green beans, potatoes, chard...I think that's it. E-dawg said she got zucchini and lettuce, too, instead of the chard. It's fun to pick up your veggies, too. Sometimes the woman that lives in the house where we pick up (on the front porch) is outside, and she's really friendly and sweet. And, you can tell the other CSA-ers coming up the street. Everyone's smiling and happy and full of good cheer. I freakin' love good cheer! All of us that normally may not go out of our way to chat with strangers belt out a hearty "Hello! How are you?" when we're picking up our CSA shares. I [heart] local agriculture!

Speaking of...

Sept 16-22 is Local Food Week! Check out these great events! (from http://www.buylocalpa.org/events.php)

PASA Western Region Local Food Week
Where: Local Food Week occurs in various locations in Western Pennsylvania
When: Sun Sep 16th 12:00 PM - Sat Sep 22nd 12:00 PM

Please call 412-697-0411 or email julie@pasafarming.org for more information. The list of events will soon be downloadable from the western regional page of this website. Here is the basic listing of events:

Sunday,September 16 SAVOR, SIP AND SOCIALIZE
Local Food Kick-Off Event at WYEP Studios with the Mavens.
5:30-8:00 p.m. $10 wyep.org

Monday, September 17 FARM FANFARE:
A Festival at East Liberty Farmers’ Market featuring cooking and music. 3:30-6:00 p.m. http://www.buylocalpa.org

LOCAL FOODS COOKING CLASS
East End Food Co-Op shows us how to make the most of the season’s local bounty with the cooks of the Co-Op Café.
7:00-8:30 p.m. http://www.eastendfoodcoop.com

CELEBRATE The PATH
Dr. Will Clower and Enrico’s Ristorante show us how local foods compliment the Mediterranean Habits of Healthy Eating. Reservations suggested. 6:30-8:00 p.m.
http://www.willclower.com or call 412-363-5201

EATING WELL WHILE DOING GOOD
PASA and the PA Restaurant Association team up to feature locally grown food at area restaurants from Monday-Thursday. For restaurants and times go to http://www.buylocalpa.org

Tuesday, September 18 PASA APPRECIATION DINNER
Enjoy a three-course local food dinner at the Pines Tavern from Tuesday through Saturday. Five dollars from each dinner benefits PASA and its programs. Reservations suggested. http://www.thepinestavern.com

Wednesday, September 19
EDIBLE SCHOOL YARD COOKS IN THE GARDEN
Join Executive Chef Bill Fuller and the students from Helen Faison Arts Academy in their school garden.
1:00-3:00 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday.
http://www.growpittsburgh.org

PASA APPRECIATION DAY
Shop at Whole Foods Market and their farmer’s market. Five percent of sales benefit PASA and its programs.
wholefoodsmarket.com

Thursday, September 20
HARVEST FEST:
A festival at the Washington Main Street Market featuring cooking and entertainment. Washington, PA 3:00-6:00 p.m.
http://www.washpa.net/FarmersMarket

HIKE AND EAT LOCALLY
Venture Outdoors will host a hike in Schenley Park with a catered meal from Café at Phipps. 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Venture Outdoors Members - $12, Nonmembers - $15 http://www.ventureoutdoors.org

CELEBRATE LOCAL FOODS IN PA WINE COUNTRY
Culinary Bounty and Five French Fusion Restaurant team up for dinner to highlight the best in Northwest PA food and wine. Reservations suggested. North East, Pennsylvania
814-725-5318

Friday, September 21
FARMERS’ MARKET FIESTA:
A festival at the Oakland Farmers’ Market featuring cooking and entertainment. 3:30–6:00 p.m. http://www.oaklandbid.org

FALL HARVEST DINNER
A seasonal, local feast to remember at the Carnegie Science Center. 6:30 p.m. Sponsored by Parkhurst Dining Services. For reservations call 412-697-0411 or visit http://www.pasafarming.org

Saturday, September 22
EVERY WEEK IS LOCAL FOOD WEEK
Farmers @ the Firehouse Market” with Slow Food Pittsburgh, 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. http://www.slowfoodpgh.com

GOOD AND LOCAL: BERRIES, CHEESE, TEAS, AND MORE
Taste a selection of local products at McGinnis Sisters, Monroeville and Brentwood locations. 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
http://www.mcginnis-sisters.com

HOMEMADE SALSA CONTEST AT LIGONIER COUNTRY MARKET
Test your salsa making skills to win a prize.
Ligonier, PA 7:00-9:00 a.m. Call 412-697-0411 from more information.

ENJOY THE BEST IN NORTHWEST PA MEATS
Meadville Market House with Friends of the Market House
Meadville, PA 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. $20 http://www.buylocalpa.org

So, what'd I do with that beautiful produce you ask? I ate it! Well, not all of it--yet, but lots of it. I got three ears of corn, and ate them up. All three ears were awesome, two of them were so good I nearly cried. Sweet, juicy, tender kernels. That is what corn is supposed to taste like! Did you know that corn (and some other veggies like peas) starts to break down its sugars into starches as soon as it's picked? So, corn should be cooked immediately because the sugar in the kernels rapidly turns to starch and consequently toughness. So, that's what I did, as soon as I got home I started some water and shucked my corn. I'd only planned to eat two ears, but it was too good not to eat it all. I just brought some salted water to a ready-to-almost-simmer stage, plunked the cobs in, and cooked them for about five minutes. At which time these little lovelies were ready to oop with juicy goodness. I had that with some roasted green beans, adapted from a Mollie Katzen recipe in The New Moosewood Cookbook. Here's what I did:

Roasted Green Beans
(vegan; makes about four servings, but you'll want them all for yourself)

a bunch of green beans (usually around 1/2-1#?, but I didn't have that many last night), washed and trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 small onion, thinly sliced
about 10 cloves of garlic, peeled
extra virgin olive oil
1-2 T. balsamic vinegar (I used a black fig vinegar, which has a red wine vinegar base, but tastes sorta balsamic)
toasted walnuts, broken into pieces
sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Brush about 2 T. of evoo on a baking sheet, and scatter the beans, onion and garlic on the sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes, shaking the sheet occasionally. On another sheet, toast the walnuts for about 5 minutes, then shake, and cook for another 3-4 minutes until toasty brown and fragrant. Remove all from the oven, and put the bean/onion/garlic mixture into a serving bowl and drizzle with the vinegar, and sprinkle liberally with the walnuts. (This is seriously to die for. It's one of my very, very favorite dishes, and it's so easy!)

before:


after, as dinner:


Actually, I had two dinners, so maybe I'll call that one an appetizer. Because while I had the oven on, and a bunch of gorgeous tomatoes, I decided to make a slow-roasted heirloom tomato sauce. All in all, I cooked it for about four hours, but it was really easy, and just required some occasional stirring, and one mid-way addition of some ingredients, and it is amazing. Seriously, one of the best sauces I've ever had. It literally bursting with flavor!

Slow-roasted Heirloom Tomato Sauce
(vegan, and doesn't make nearly enough)

A lot of tomatoes (I'm not sure about weight, but I used a pint-size container of those little yellowy-orange pear-shaped beauties--from someone in my office, two romas, 1 small reddish pink (Arkansas Traveler?), 1 larger red, some red plum tomatoes (about 8?), two yellows (Italian Gold?). It sounds like a a lot, but it's really not. They cook down so much that there's hardly anything left of them.
1 small onion
1 handful fresh basil, torn into large pieces, plus more for topping when serving
5-6 cloves of garlic, peeled
a few dashes of cinnamon
a few grates of nutmeg
a little bit of honey (a scant tablespoon?)
a little bit of extra-virgin olive oil (1-2 T)

Basically, I started with a bunch of halved tomatoes, a little evoo and the garlic cloves. Put it in the oven (at 400 degrees, loosely covered), and stirred it (and tasted it) about every half-hour or so. A couple hours in, I added the onion, basil, cinnamon, nutmeg and honey, and about 3 cups of water (it needs it now; they've cooked out all their juices and are caramelizing) then recovered it, still loosely. Then just cooked it until it was the taste and consistency that looked good to me (and, um, I couldn't wait any longer because the heavenly smells were like to drive me crazy!).

I ate it over (here's where it gets non-vegan) egg noodles with some grated parmesan and sprinkled some fresh basil over the top. Oh. My. God. Utterly fantastic. It actually reminded me a little of the Arabian Stew that Kara made a few weeks ago.

before:


after:


as dinner (um, take two):


And, I have more for lunch today! Yay! I also have more QAF for tonight. Yesssssssss. I'm actually getting two discs, but I can't stay up so late watching them that I can't get up to walk in the morning. The first day we started walking I just kept thinking how much I hated it, but now it's one of the highlights of the day, it feels great, and all the deer are a fantastic bonus (we fed them more apples today, and have now identified some favorites as "our herd").

What's for dinner tonight? Who knows! But, I did get two gorgeous eggplants from someone at work, so we'll see...

a good time

You know what's a good time? When it feels like the week just started, but it's already Wednesday afternoon. Hump day, folks. You know what else is a good time? It's CSA day. You know what else is a good time? I will have a new QAF disc when I get home, and two more tomorrow.

(p.s. I just updated yesterday's posts with photos. pps. yes, Nowlze, MamMaw Gini and Aunt Boots. wanna make something of it? i didn't think so.)

Last evening I started to get hungry and also whiny about what I was going to make. So, I just started grabbing veggies from the fridge and countertops, and adding them into a dish I'm calling "Garden Glop". It was sooooo good! I just had the leftovers for lunch. Yum.

Garden Glop
(vegan, if you leave off the goat cheese; serves two giant servings or four side-ish servings)

3 medium-sized red potatoes, sliced in super-thin rounds
1 small sweet onion, small dice
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 roma and 1 green zebra tomatoes, cut into large chunks (you can use any kind of tomato; that's just what I had on hand)
1 roasted red pepper, cut into medium-sized dice (here's how to roast your peppers. easy, peasy!)
1 c. shittakes, chopped
1 heaping T. dried parsley
1 heaping T chili-garlic paste (find it in asian groceries)
1 handful of fresh basil, chopped
handful of green beans, steamed and cut into small dice on a sharp diagonal
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
some goat cheese, for crumbling on top

So, I sliced the potatoes, and put them in a large skillet with a little evoo and some salt and pepper. I cooked them over med-high heat until they're halfway done, then add in the onion and garlic and lower the heat and cover them loosely (I use a loose piece of foil). Let them cook for about five minutes while you steam your green beans, then shock them in ice water, slice them into small diagonals, and set them aside.

Add the roasted red peppers, chili-garlic paste, tomatoes, mushrooms and parsley to the pan, and cook another five minutes or so. Then add in the basil and green beans, salt and pepper to taste. Dish out, then crumble some goat cheese on top--it'll get all melty and help balance the hot-hot-heat of the chili-garlic paste.

Here's what it looked like mid-way through (isn't it gorgeous?):


And, here it is all ready to be eaten:


Kramer and I had a really fantastic walk this morning. I mean, we walked it out and stuff, but it was amazing how many deer (and deer babies! and, even one young buck) were out. Like, literally, gajillions. Literally. Okay, maybe, like, forty or something. Or, thirty. I don't know. A lot. Especially for being right smack-dab in the middle of the city. And, they're so tame! We brought apples and carrots with us today, and they munched several of Kramer's apples (from our CSA last week)--with a long and wily-looking tongue, and came within about five feet of us. Tomorrow Kramer has to be at work at the ass-crack of dawn, so we have to walk even earlier. I think the only way I'll make it out of bed is to picture adorable deer faces.

And, speaking of Kramer, we had the first weigh-in of the Weight-Off-Off this morning. I lost two pounds! Kramer stayed level (she doesn't want to talk about it), but I think we're both going to do really well. Plus, I actually gained a few extra before we started, so my goal is 22, hers is 18. By December 31st. We are winners*!

[*I'll actually be the winner, but still. She can feel like a winner.]


Have you been hearing all about everyone's CSA subscriptions, but are worried you waited too late? Never fear! I just got this info about a fall share that's just getting started. Check it out:

Greetings!

How does this work? You pay for a weekly delivery of fresh produce, including vegetables and fruit. Your weekly delivery contains whatever is harvested that week. We are working with 2 local farms. There are 6 drop sites including, Mt. Lebanon, McKnight Road, Fox Chapel, East Liberty, Moon Township and Bethel Park. Farm to Table.

Your drop site choice will determine your start date. After you sign up for a 10 week subscription, you will receive a confirmation in 24 hours to notify you of your start date.

Last week's organic share contained Wheat berry bread, Large zucchini, Kale, Green pepper, Cheese, Paddy pan squash, Cherry tomatoes, Potatoes, Watermelon.

The non organic share contained Watermelon, Tomatoes, Green pepper, Apples, Nectarines, Cukes, Eggplant.

Farm subscriptions are available for this fall, starting now! The subscriptions last for 10 weeks. Subscriptions start at $200 and large and small shares are available. You can make 2 payments if you would like.

To get the subscription form, or for questions, contact Erin Hagan:
Please let me know if you have any questions.
I can be reached at (412)563-7807 or
ehagan@american-healthcare.net.

too.freaking.hot

It's hot. Too hot. Roasting hot. And, I even have a little window AC unit in my living room (but, I think it may be running out of juice or something), and I guess that takes the edge off a little, but still. Hot. I moved the fan in from my bedroom night before last upon Hurd's suggestion, and that helps a little. But, still. Hot! I had a big plan to do some cooking last night since I did a huge (payday-inspired) grocery shopping trip and got my CSA yesterday (sweet corn!, potatoes, green beans, onion, cucumber, parsley, dill, zucchini). But, I started sweating even putting my groceries away, so I ate leftovers and just pouted on the couch. That is, until Ellen texted me with a plan to go get some Rita's Italian Ice (complete with door-to-door pick-up service!). I've actually only had Rita's a few times (I know, that's like saying I don't care about the Steelers), and the last time had been several years ago. But, it was perfect and spot-hitting and awesome. I got a wild black cherry ice with chocolate custard (a Gelati). Oh, dang. Not only was it delicious (little bits of real cherries floating about), but it really acted as an instant internal air conditioner. Ellen even got goosebumps!

Oh my god. I just went to Rita's site to get the url to link it on the blog, and they have a hilariously cheesy theme song. Get thee to Rita's website now!

Okay, since I didn't do any cooking, here's something completely different. Since I cut off my cable a few months ago I've been leaning heavily on netflix (if you're a netflixer, too, let's be netflix friends!). And, then I just started requesting lots of dvds through the library, too. I've been renting all sorts of stuff, but my very favorites have been nature programs. Especially all the BBC ones that David Attenborough narrates (I want that job!). If you haven't seen the Planet Earth series, I urge you to see it asap. It's so, so, so amazing! As is The Blue Planet (all water stuff)--I'm working my way through that series now. And, last night I watched the first episode of Life In the Undergrowth--all about bugs. Such fascinating stuff! And, then I had a little moment of serendipity this morning when I stopped by the Uni-Mart (for cigarettes...ugh...), and saw this amazingly weird and beautiful moth. You can't tell in this picture (sorry for the quality, I took it on my cell phone), but it's huge--like, at least six inches across. I wanted to put something next to it for scale, but was afraid I'd scare it off. You also can't see how both fluffy and vibrant it was, but wow. Amazing. Probably the coolest bug I've ever seen in real life.


Okay, and back to food stuff, 'cause I'm starting to get hungry. I just bought a cheap little grill yesterday at Family Dollar for $9.99. I'm going to attempt to put it together tonight so I can grill some veggies, and maybe try a grilled pizza. My friend Schwatts has been all about the grilled pizzas, and I love this idea. And, Heidi has some tips here, too. I don't know if I'll get to it tonight or not (I have plans to visit one of my dog-sit dogs, Zeke!), but soon-soon-soon!

summer solstice

Yep, it's officially summer! As of 2:06 p.m. I will say Yay! Summer equals swimming and tomatoes and cucumbers and basil and cute girls in minimal clothing and being busy in the best of ways. Again, yay!

I had a little plate of summer last night for dinner. I picked up my CSA (I got the whole thing this week since Jen's outta town! Yay!). We got: lettuce (mesclun?), spinach, green onions, peas, parsley, beets, zucchini, squash. Verdict: yum.

I supplemented a little from Whole Foods and made a salad for dinner with spinach, green onion, basil, cherry tomatoes, peas and avocado. Served it up with the last of my lovely raspberry dressing, some baguette smeared with brie (fromage d'affinois) and a mango Synergy kombucha. It was a fresh delight!


I'm still kinda sick, but I could feel the freshness starting to heal me. It totally works!

please see my office hours

Yesterday evening I pretended that I was holding office hours at the Quiet Storm. It all started because yesterday was the first day that my CSA subscription started, so I was going to pick it up, and meet my friend Jen at the QS to divide up the booty and get her half of our payment (we're sharing a "small share" from Kretschmann's). I was to meet her there around 6:30 p.m., so I didn't want to go home, then have to turn around and come right back to Garfield, so I decided I'd just go after I picked up the veggies and read. But, then I made a plan to meet up with my new pal Jenn for coffee in the meantime (to take our palship from virtual to real world). She's a peach! So, we hung out for a bit, Jen came by to get her veggies and hung out for a minute, then Mags and her dad, Ani and Carol came to meet up for dinner. I wish my office was the Quiet Storm every day.

And, speaking of the QS, I had an amazing dinner there. I ordered the special: "crabcake" sandwich with macaroni salad and choice of green salad or soup. I chose the chilled green pea and mint soup. First of all, the "crabcakes"? Freakin' fab! Man, oh man! Better than many "real" crabcakes I've tried over the years. And, crab is one of those things that I really miss (along with toro and bacon). I emailed the owner/chef to see if I could get her recipe or a tip and begged her to add it to their regular menu. So tasty! And, the chilled green pea and mint soup was fresh and delicious, too. All in all, one of my favorite meals recently, for sure!

And, as for my CSA box. This week we got: romaine lettuce (or leaf?), butter lettuce (?), spinach, mixed baby greens, pea shoots (I've never tried these before and can't wait!), radishes, sage, rosemary, egyptian onions (look like big green onions with flowers like scapes), rhubarb and a loaf of multigrain bread. YUM! Picking up the CSA box and seeing what we get that week is one of my favorite things ever. I love surprises, and this is the best kind of surprise!


Since I had dinner out last night, I didn't do a whole lot with my veggies last night except admire them. But, for lunch today I made a green salad and an eggsalad sandwich. Eggsalad is one of my favorites, but I haven't made it in a while because I normally put a TON of mayo in it, so it's totally not healthy. But, I made some up last night that is definitely better for me than the old-style kind. I used five organic, free range eggs (these were from the Polish Hill bee guy, Deron Johnson) and hard-boiled them, then added about 4 T. of vegan mayo (I used Heidi's recipe from Super Natural Cooking--below), 2 T. real mayo, 1 t. yellow mustard and sea salt and pepper. I like my eggsalad straight up--nothing fancy, not too mayonnaise-y. I had it with a bunch of the butter lettuce and some of the multigrain bread (lightly toasted). I tried to wait until lunch time, but I ate it around 11:00 a.m. I could not help it.

Egg-Free, Dairy-Free Mayonnaise
(makes 1 1/2 cups)
[Super Natural Cooking, p. 200]

8 oz extra-firm tofu
2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 t. fine-grain sea salt
1/2 t. dijon mustard
pinch of cayenne pepper

Wrap the tofu in a few paper towels, then press and gently squeeze to release excess moisture. Combine the tofu, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, mustard and cayenne in a food processor and blend until very smooth, 30 seconds or so. Thin with warm water to reach desired consistency.
[Ehrrin's note: this is a great base for any flavor you want to add. I've used it to make aioli, miso mayo and wasabi mayo. So easy and so good!]

Tonight I have a work dinner at LeMont. Ellen's going as my date, and we will be hooking up some serious old-skool "fancy". I've been there once before (for another work function, different job), and the view is magnificent, the decor bizarre, and the food was very much so-so. I already know what I'm having tonight because I had to pick my menu items last month: salad, pesto pasta (the token vegetarian meal) and creme brulee. It should be interesting. This will be the first time that my worlds have collided with work peeps and friends. And, my work peeps are...let's say...odd. They're all computer genius types, so they have various levels of social skills. I find them to be endlessly fascinating, and I'm really looking forward to seeing them all fanced-up.


I need to start brainstorming some recipe ideas for my upcoming beach trip. So far I'm thinking:
-find a good recipe for veg "crabcakes" (QS wrote back, but skipped the part where I asked for the recipe. darn.)
-Heidi's recipe for "Yucatecan Street Corn with Lime, Chile Powder and Grated Cotija"
-Heidi's recipe for "Wheat Berry Salad with Citrus, Toasted Pine Nuts, Feta and Spinach"
-SarahGrams's mom's crepes with some interesting fillings/toppings
-fresh rolls
-veggie sushi

Anyone have any other good (and impressive) recipes for my 9th(?) annual all-gal beach extravaganza?