Happy Memorial Day! May 31, 2010

I hope everyone is enjoying their long weekend, even as it comes to a close.  I’m sorry I’ve been gone from the blog world, but I’ve been enjoying time with lots of family.  I want to share a few pictures with you of the last couple of days, including ones of a hike Nathan, Asher, and I went on yesterday as well as a family barbeque at a nearby ranch.  Hope you enjoy…And enjoy your day with family and friends as we celebrate our great country!  See you tomorrow with more food 🙂  Off to indulge in homemade brownies and watermelon!

Three Times the Charm May 28, 2010

Are you sick of strawberries and rhubarb yet?!  I’m not 🙂

Here is the last of my three recipes combining the two ingredients…first a rubble, then a crisp, now a crumble.

I found a recipe for Strawberry-Rhubarb Squares from Stonyfield Farms and while I didn’t have all the ingredients, I substituted.  The squares had a tough time staying together…they sliced well but them fell apart.  But oh they were good.  So sugary and sweet!  I took them to my young adult small group meeting at church and people really enjoyed them.  They were all gone before I left.  But unfortunately I left without a photo…but trust me, you’re not missing much.  Just imagine crumbs 🙂

Here is the original recipe.  I however substituted mashed banana for 1/4 c. of yogurt and 1/2 c. of granulated sugar for brown sugar.  I also didn’t have strawberry flavored yogurt, so used french vanilla and added real strawberries 🙂  Maybe my substitutions had something to do with it falling apart?

When I made the recipe, it had been one of those days where I felt very overwhelmed and stressed.  I’ve had it pretty easy since returning from Togo, but once in a while my days get so jammed packed, I have a melt down.  Life was just slower in Togo and some days I have a hard time readjusting.  Well, I decided not to use a blender to cream the butter, egg, and sugar and instead put all my frustration into it.  Man, my arm hurt!  But it was creamed.  And after talking to my mom on the phone, I felt much better.  Plus after eating a piece of this with a glass of milk before bed…ahh, life was good again 🙂

Here are the steps:

Well worth the frustration!  And a season ends…goodbye rhubarb, it’s been fun!  Until next year…

Local Lunch May 27, 2010

Well, Sheila was right yesterday…I had nasturtiums, kohlrabi, and rainbow chard.  It took me a while of googling to figure it out, but I did and Sheila confirmed it 🙂  Be sure to check out the links to find out more!

I decided to eat the kohlrabi for lunch yesterday along with the fresh salad greens and a cucumber I received from Jake’s Farm. 

I cut off the top and debated peeling it.  But once I tasted the peel, I realized it had to go!  It was very rubbery! 

The kohlrabi is white in the inside and smells like cabbage.  But it tastes like radish.  Luckily I like radishes so the spicy crispness was really great!  Look for the white slices in the salad below…

I also added the nasturtiums but didn’t like their taste.  Too “flowery.”  Kind of like pollen.  Whatever you think a flower tastes like, that’s what it tasted like.  Plus they wilted really quickly!  Oh well…

Yet, overall the salad was great!  I think I may have another one today 🙂  And I have a few ideas for how to use the same ingredients again…Stay tuned!

Jake’s Farm May 26, 2010

 

Yesterday was day 1 of…you guessed it:  my CSA pick-up!  I was out and about with my grandmother having lunch in Asheville and seeing a movie.  On our way home to rescue the dog from boredom, we stopped by Jake’s Farm.  It was really out in the country and the roads were quite curvy and many were gravel.  But my little Honda persevered and we made it intact.  And left with this mound of goodies:

 

I am quite pleased with the bounty and they say the box will only grow as the season progresses.  However, I did get three vegetables I was a bit unsure about…Mostly unsure about what they actually ARE!  So I now think I have pretty good guesses but I’m going to line them up for you.  Please comment and let me know if you KNOW what they are!  I need confirmation!

1)

 

2)

 

3)

 

Ideas?!!

Ok, so I’ll leave you with some close-ups of the food as well as pictures of the farm.  Looking forward to cooking 🙂

Which One Is It? May 25, 2010

Well, lots of fun and exciting things are going on that I want to update you on.  First, I had my first blogger meet-up yesterday!  I’ve seen bloggers get together on lots of other blogs but unfortunately have never lived near any other bloggers to do the same.  Well, that changed a couple of weeks ago when Jen found me through Yoga Pose May.  We literally live two miles from one another.  We exchanged a few emails and met for the first time at a local coffee-house.  I had a great time grabbing an ice tea with her (mango for Jen and mango/apple/orange for me) and getting to know one another.  I think we really hit it off!  Supposedly Jen’s mom has seen me walking Asher around the Lake and knew who we were but never said anything!  Well, this morning we saw each other and said hi!  Always fun to meet new people.  Jen and I already have a walk-the-dog date for Friday.  But looking forward to sharing a yummy meal out with her soon.  She likes tofu too 🙂 (And I promise pictures next time!) 

Also, my grandmother has arrived.  She lives in a retirement community in Durham, NC but has recently returned to the mountains for the Summer.  She has a small guest cottage (the size of a studio) that Nathan and I have been living in rent free.  She is now here and in the “big house.”  It has been nice to visit with her since I had only seen her once since my return from Togo.  The other great thing is that she is cooking for me!!  I have not had anyone cook for me since a host mom in Togo for three months.  And that food wasn’t that great.  But I’ve been eating baked chicken, homemade naan, strawberry panna cotta, roasted veggies, and fresh salads.  Amazing!  I’ve been explaining the blog and how she needs to start taking pictures of her cooking so I can post the food and recipes.  Maybe one day I’ll make it to the kitchen before she’s done so I can share the process with you.  But trust me, my stomach is happy 🙂 

I decided to make a Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp for my grandmother the other night to show my appreciation.  And luckily it was much more successful than the “rubble.”  I started with a recipe from the NY Times by Mark Bittman.  Here’s his intro to the crisp if you’re interested… 

click to enlarge

 And here is the recipe.  I took his previous advice and used strawberries in place of some of the rhubarb. 

click to enlarge

It was simple and quite yummy.  And actually quite tart, which surprised me.  Again, I didn’t think the rhubarb would have much taste but it did.  Tangy sweetness.  Definitely recommended. 

 

 

 

And as for the title of this post, my grandmother decided to serve a very similar looking main dish for dinner.  We ate both out of small blue bowls.  Only after serving it, did it occur to us that one may have trouble distinguishing the two!  Here are the two dishes: 

Which one is the rhubarb and which one is…..(spaghetti sauce minus the noodles in this pic!)?? 

Here’s another view: 

 

I guess tasty food comes in brown and red?!  

And for the final update, guess what’s up for today??  My first CSA pick-up!!  Fresh veggies, here I come!!