Thursday, July 24, 2008

Quick Fix : Scrambled Eggs Taco

Yesterday's farmers' market was AMAZING! The weather was great; the crowd was much bigger and nicer. I spiffed up my packaging and changed my menu a bit, added a sign and business perked up quite a bit! Amanda and I had a great time sitting next to a family selling hand-picked blackberries. We gave each other some good business. Overall, we had a great time and the response was much better. I can't wait to go back next Wednesday! Then the next week I'll be visiting family, so I'll miss the market, but I'll be back once I've returned to the area.

The one downside to having a table at the market is I don't get to go to the other tables and buy things! Next week I WILL get some zucchini and onions!


After the market I'm always super-tired, so I didn't really feel like cooking a big dinner last night. So instead, I scrambled up some eggs, then quickly heated up some tortillas in a skillet with some butter. Pop the eggs into the tortillas and ta-da! delicious egg tacos!

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Farmers' Market, part 2

YAAY! My Wednesday shift was picked up, so I'll be able to make it to the market again! Good times. I'm making some changes to appeal to the masses more and spiffing up my set-up a bit. We'll see how it goes!

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Nigella's Mac and Cheese

Mmm mac and cheese. I dream about homemade mac and cheese. Hubby's paternal grandmother makes THE BEST mac and cheese, and perhaps one day, I'll score that recipe.


Mac and Cheese
from Nigella Express (ph 179)
  • 8 oz macaroni
  • 2 cups mature cheddar or red Leicester cheese (I used cheddar)
  • 1 cup evaporated milk
  • 2 eggs
  • fresh nutmeg
Preheat oven to 425F. Cook the macaroni according to the package, drain, then return to the pot.

Grate the cheese, the mix together with the milk, eggs, and nutmeg. (You can also blitz these 4 ingredients in a processor, if you have one. lucky)

Pour the mixture of the macaroni and stir well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Don't be shy with the salt.

Pour into a 10-inch diameter dish (I used a 12 inch cast iron skillet) and bake for about 10-15 minutes or until bubbling and blistering on top.


It wasn't as good as Maw's, but it was still quite tasty and much more satisfying than anything you'll get out of a box.

Nigella's Mustard Pork Chops

So it's been awhile since I updated; I needed to take a few days to process the farmers' market experience before posting. Add to that some crazy allergy action and a migraine, and the time just wasn't ripe for posting or cooking. But I'm back.

Regarding the market: I am so lucky to have the friends that I have. Amanda and Josh helped me prep and set up, then Dan sat with me during the 2 hours of the market. Dan's humor made what could have been a difficult time quite enjoyable. I underestimated how difficult it would be being the new kid (and definitely a kid by market standards), so my spirits were quite down by the end of the day. But no one is a huge success right from the start, unless they've laced their goods with cocaine.... I've not reached that point yet. But anyhoo, we've got some ideas brewing as to how to appeal to the market crowd and hopefully I'll be back Wednesday if I can get my shift at work covered. If not, I'll be there the Wednesday after.


Now on to the food! Both of my Nigella cookbooks came in and I am super-excited to start trying them. In the future, look for recipes from Nigella and Alice Waters. It'll be a good time.



Mustard Pork Chops
from Nigella Express (pg 11)
  • 2 pork chops, about 1 lb total
  • 2 tsp garlic oil
  • 1/2 cup hard cider *
  • 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream

* If you're in the USA like me, you might have a difficult time finding hard cider (made from fermented apples). As a substitute (please don't judge harshly) I used an Arbor Mist Orchard Fruits Chardonnay; it was the only appley alcohol I could find other than apple schnapps.


Trim the fat off the chops, then bash them with a rolling pin between two pieces of plastic wrap to flatten them a bit. (I bought butterflied chops, so I ignored this step.)

Heat the oil in a pan and cook the chops over a medium-high heat for about 5 minutes on each side. Remove them to a plate, warmed if possible.

Pour the cider - or cheap wine - into the still-heated pan to deglaze it. Let it cook for a minute or so, then add the mustard and cream. Stir well.

Let the sauce cook for a few minutes, then pour over the plated pork chops.


Hubby and I both really enjoyed this; the pork chop was nicely browned outside and tender inside. The sauce wasn't overwhelmingly mustardy - which I feared. I'll have to start using wholegrain mustard more.

I served this with Nigella's mac and cheese, which I'll blog about shortly. Hubby loved that too!

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Angel Food Cake Musings

Since I've made all the stuff I'm making for the farmers' market before, I'm not posting any of the stuff.. but while beating.. and beating.. and beating.. and beating.. the egg whites for the angel food cake, I started thinking about the first time I ever made such a cake. I was a young teen, perhaps younger, and my mom warned me not to overbeat the egg whites. I had no idea it would take so long to whip them up to a stiff peak, so the entire time they were whipping (YAY kitchenaid stand mixers!) I stood by, ever watchful, stopping the mixer every couple of minutes to see if my peaks had formed. I was terrified that as I stood there, suddenly my eggs would rapidly deflate back into a clear, runny goop.. or worse yet, some unimaginable mess. Aahh. Inexperience. End of story.

P.S. I've made mini-cobblers! They're adorable, and I'll have to take a picture!

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Sorry, no food!

I've been busy busy working and getting ready for Wednesday. Why, Mama Sarah, what's Wednesday? Well my dear friend, it's the Noelridge Farmers' Market where I shall have a table! This is my first attempt at selling my food; we'll see how it goes! So that's the dealio. More goodies soon, I promise! I got some awesome recipes from a cookbook Dan bought today. (We're all going broke working next to an amazing bookstore!) I'm craving pasta!

Friday, July 11, 2008

Chocolate Loaf Cake

I am in love, and the object of my adoration is Nigella Lawson. At first, hearing about her in the blogosphere, I scoffed. Who is ever that great? She is. I take back my scoffing. The hearthbread was amazing and this chocolate cake was glorious. It's the Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake (page 166) from How to Be a Domestic Goddess. Mmm domestic goddesshood, here I come!!


Chocolate Loaf Cake:
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
  • 1 1/3 cup flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup + 2 tbsp boiling water

Preheat oven to 375F. Place a baking sheet on the bottom rack. Grease a loaf pan, then line it with parchment paper.

Cream the butter and sugar, then add the eggs and vanilla. Beat well. Fold in the chocolate; do not overmix.

Whisk together the flour and baking soda. Alternate adding the flour and water by the spoonful. This will take quite a bit of stirring. The batter should be smooth and liquidy.

Pour into the loaf pan and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325F and cook for an additional 15 minutes. It'll still be a bit damp, so toothpick or skewer won't help.

Place on a rack and let it cool completely. Nigella says letting it sit for a day or so improves the flavor. The cake will sink a bit in the middle.

Banana Nut Bars

I love these light, fluffy bars of bananay goodness. The kids at school love them. The people at work, not so much. That's not to say my co-workers didn't eat them; I just didn't get a lot of feedback. Oh well. I'll still make them again
This recipe comes from the awesome Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. They're best if they sit for a day or so; the banana flavor seems to intensify into this mindblowing goodness.


Banana Nut Bars:
Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, pg 265
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup mashed bananas (approx 3 medium bananas) I usually add a bit more
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (I use pecans)
icing
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tbsp milk or orange juice (I use milk)

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 15x10x1 inch baking pan (I used parchment paper instead).

In a large bowl, beat butter on high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; beat until combined. Beat in eggs, bananas, sour cream, and vanilla.

Stir in flour, then pecans. Pour batter into prepared pan, making sure to spread it evenly.

Bake for 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.

For the icing, mix the milk and vanilla into the powdered sugar. Add more milk as necessary to achieve a drizzle-worthy consistency.

Once the bars have cooled, drizzle the icing on top. I like to spread it evenly across the bars so each bite has a nice little crispy sugary goodness on top.

Pot Roast

I'm a craving-empath. When someone craves something, it usually sounds pretty good to me. Case in point: Monday, Amanda mentioned craving pot roast and suddenly I took longed for it. Yummy pot-roasty goodness. Since I wasn't working Wednesday, I decided to make one in the slow cooker (the only way I know how!). And as you know, I picked up some new potatoes and carrots at the farmers market. It's the perfect meal!


Slow Cooker Pot Roast:
beef chuck roast - everytime I'm looking at the meet trying to figure out what to get, I spaz a little and call my mom. I'm incapable of remembering what I'm supposed to buy. If you're lucky, it'll say on the label (or you can ask the butcher) what cut is best.
flour
garlic powder
pepper
1 can french onion soup
1 onion, cut into quarters then peeled apart
potatoes
carrots

Season the roast with the garlic powder and pepper, then coat each side with flour. I do this by sprinkling powder on a plate and just kind of rolling the roast around. Heat a bit of oil in a pan and brown each side of the roast. Place it in a crock pot. Pour the french onion soup into it and add a bit of water, depending on how strong you want the onion taste.

Now, you can cook a roast on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6. I suggest the longer cook, but this time I did the high heat. After about 2 hours, I added my potatoes, placing them around the roast. Then I layered the onions and carrots on top. When you add the veggies depends on your cooking method, veggies, etc. I'm not helpful, I know.

The best roast I ever made required a bit more prep. I made it when hubby finally finished with the Marine Corps and moved into our apartment for good. I diced some bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Using a sharp knife, I cut slits into the roast every couple of inches then inserted the veggie mixture down into the slit. SUPER tasty.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Farmers Market

I made it to the farmers market today; it was absolutely fabulous! Smaller than I expected, but wonderful. I plan to return next Wednesday to pick up some more veggies and possibly some local meat. Today, I got: new potatoes, carrots, cucumber, red and yellow tomatoes, oatmeal bread (AMAZING), and some local honey.

There were a few tables selling baked goods; I'm considering going one Wednesday and setting up a table myself. Any ideas? If I were to do this, I think I would make a few loaves of nutella challah, banana bars, apple blondies, and pumpkin cookies for sure. I'll have to think about it a bit more.

Here are my bee-yoo-tee-full veggies!


Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Bacon and Broccoli Quiche

So for a while, I've been playing around with the idea of making a quiche. Since hubby loves eggs, I thought it'd be perfect for him. Today at work, I talked to Amanda whose mom is queen of quiches and got the general low down on making it. Amanda favors broccoli and bacon, and what's good enough for Amanda is good enough for me! After looking through a cookbook at home to get a more fixed idea, I went to it.

My results were so-so. I should have used more salt, and my proportions were generally off. In theory though, quiche is great. I just have to fiddle with it a bit more.


Bacon and Broccoli Quiche:
all measurements are approximations
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 cup heavy cream (you should have equal parts eggs and cream)
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 cup cheese
  • 2 heads broccoli, cut into very small bits
  • 4 strips bacon, cooked til crisp and then crumbled
  • 1 pie crust

Preheat oven to 450F. Place pie crust in pie pan, then cover with a double layer of foil. Make sure you fit the foil tightly against the crust. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove foil; bake another 4 minutes.

While the pie crust bakes, beat the eggs and cream together. Make sure they are very well combined. Season with salt and pepper, maybe 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. I also added garlic powder; use whichever spices and seasonings you prefer.

Once your crust is finished, put the broccoli and bacon into the pie crust. Sprinkle the cheese on top, almost covering up the veggies. Slowly pour the eggs over the top.

Lower the oven temperature to 325F. Bake the quiche for 45ish minutes.



Like I said, this recipe should be fiddled with. Use it as a rough guide if you wish to use it. Better than that, leave me tips on making a fabulous quiche!

Farmers market tomorrow!

Monday, July 7, 2008

Blueberry Lemon Yogurt Loaf or "Dan Loaf"


This isn't cake and it isn't bread. It IS super-moist. I've seen this recipe floating around for awhile, but I followed the SmittenKitchen's recipe for it, which was adapted from one of Ina Garten's recipes.

Blueberry Lemon Yogurt Loaf:
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 extra large eggs
  • 2 tsp grate lemon zest (2 lemons)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cups blueberries
  • 1 tbsp flour, to coat blueberries
glaze
  • 1/3 cup lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a loaf pan. The recipe says to line the bottom with parchment paper and then grease and flour again, which I did and which seemed pointless. You decide

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a separate bowl, whisk together yogurt, sugar, eggs, zest, vanilla, and oil. Slowly whisk in the dry ingredients.

In a bowl (most sensically the one you whisked the dry ingredients together in) gently toss the blueberries in the tbsp of flour. Gently mix the blueberries into the batter.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 50ish minutes, until a skewer (or whatever) comes out clean. After it's fully baked, let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

While the bread starts to cool, gently heat the lemon juice and tbsp of sugar in a small sauce pan, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

After 10 minutes, flip the cake onto a cooling rack placed over a cookie sheet. Brush or drizzle the "glaze" over the top of the loaf. Let cool completely.

Strawberry Bread

So the ricotta-mint strawberry failure left me with a bunch of strawberries, so I decided to try out this strawberry bread over at The Knead for Bread. I've never baked with strawberries before, so I was quite curious.


Okay. Note to self. I need new dishes.


Moving on.. I thought this bread was decent; it isn't my favorite or least favorite of the things I've made. The strawberries were a bit mushy. The icing didn't turn out at all like the picture, but that might be due to the fact that I was tired and only let it sit in the freezer for 1 hour..

Strawberry Bread:
(makes 2 loaves)
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup mascarpone
  • 1 1/2 cup sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 cup milk
  • 5 cups flour
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 4 cups sliced fresh strawberries
icing
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 2 oz white chocolate (Lindt is a good choice)
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 2 loaf pans.

In a super large bowl, cream together the butter and mascarpone. Beat in the sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in vanilla, condensed milk, and milk.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

Slowly mix dry ingredients into the wet ones, just until incorporated. Stir in strawberries.

Pour into prepared loaf pans. Bake for 60-65 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pans, then remove to cooling rack.


Mmm pretty.

For the icing, bring the cream and butter to a simmer over medium heat. Break up the chocolate in a bowl, then pour the hot liquid over it, stirring to melt the chocolate bits. Cover and place in the freezer until cold, about 2 hours. I think the proper direction should be chill in the freezer until THICKENED because it can be cold and runny. Anyhoo, once your loaves are cool, spread (or drizzle) the icing over the loafs. Refrigerate for 1/2 hour. (I didn't bother with that).

Friday, July 4, 2008

Garlic (and Parsley) Hearthbread

This is the first thing I've made from How to Be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson. At first, hubby was testy with me for buying 2 more of her books on amazon, but after eating this bread, he had no problem with the purchase. As Nigella says, this is a mix between an nan and focaccia, and what that means is my ideal bread. I love bread - have we established that before? - especially this bread that is so fluffy and flavorful inside with a nice crisp crust outside and garlic garlic and more garlic.


Okay. You'll notice it's in the shape of a heart. I PROMISE I didn't do that on purpose. After splitting the dough in half and forming balls, I rolled one out and it looked like this. Craziness!

Garlic and Parsley HearthBread:
from Nigella Lawson's How to be a Domestic Goddess, pg 306
  • 3 1/2 cups white bread flour (I actually did buy bread flour for this recipe)
  • 1 package quick-rise yeast
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 1/3 to 1 2/3 warm water
  • 5 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 large or 4 small heads of garlic
  • olive oil
  • flat leaf parsley
  • salt

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, yeast, and salt. Pour 1 1/3 cups warm water into a measuring cup and stir in the 5 tablespoons of olive oil.

Mix the liquid into the dry ingredients, stirring to make a soft, firm dough. Turn onto floured surface and kneed until smooth and elastic. Form into a ball, and place into an oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover and let rise until doubled - about an hour.

While the bread rises, cut the tops off the garlic and place them on squares of foil. Drizzle with olive oil then make a loose, but tightly sealed pouch with the foil. Cook for 45 minutes; they shouldn't be too mushy. Mine might have been a tad overcooked. After 45 minutes, remove them from the oven, open the packets, and let them cool a bit.

Turn the oven to 400F.

Tear the parsley leaves from the stem, putting a handful in the food processor. I didn't use parsley because the store bundles it so you have to buy entirely too much and I never use it all. Nor do I have a food processor; I just have a magic bullet thing. Yeah, the one from the infomercials. ANYhoo, add the garlic cloves to the food processor - you should be able to squeeze the cloves out of their skins - and process/blend. Add in olive oil to form a runny paste. I think my paste wasn't runny enough, even though I added what seemed like a good deal of olive oil.

After the dough has doubled, punch it down and let it sit for 10 minutes. Divide it in half, forming each half into a ball. Place each ball on a sheet of parchment paper and roll out to an oval or rectangular (or if you're cool like me) heart shape, then press it out a little more with your hands. Put each half - still on the parchment paper - on its own baking sheet. Cover with a towel and let rise for about 25 minutes.

After 25 minutes, poke the dough a lot to dimple it. Give the garlic blend one more go in the processor, then pour (or in my case, spread) this over the breads.

Put the baking sheets into the oven and bake 20 minutes or until the bread is golden. Mine baked for about 15 minutes. Drizzle the delicious bread with olive oil and sprinkle it with salt before serving.

This should serve about 4 people.


I sliced up tomatoes to eat with my bread, which was super tasty. Hubby wanted to dip his into pizza sauce, which we didn't have. This would be tasty would cheese too. You could also sprinkle more herbs on top. I'm really interested in using this bread in a sandwich, almost muffaletta style. Mmmm ... need more bread ...

Blueberry Cobbler

I don't remember which came first: Bobby wanting blueberries or my buying them.. but anyhoo, he wanted a blueberry cobbler. Finally, today he got it. I followed my regular cobbler recipe, but instead of the peaches, I put in a cup or so of blueberries and a bit of lemonade to replace the peach juice that usually goes into it. It's tasty, but I still prefer the peach version!

Not Stuffed Strawberries

So yeah... just because a recipe says something is delicious, doesn't mean it IS delicious.. except of course when MY recipe says that.. then it's true.. But anyhoo, I tried this interesting recipe for Ricotta and Mint Stuffed Strawberries. It seemed interesting, possibly tasty. But as I was mixing up the mint and ricotta, I started to have doubts. Forgetting the somewhat eerie texture of ricotta, it seemed so bland. Yes, strawberries are sweet, but they deserve a good counterpart! So I added a little sugar, still unsure... So I cored one strawberry, filled it with the mint ricotta and gave it to hubby. He was not a fan. I ate the other half and was not fan.

Now I have 2 pounds of strawberries. What should I do with them? I sliced up a couple and blended them together with some lemonade and ice to make a nice slushy drink, so now I only have 1.85 pounds of strawberries left.

Deviled Eggs


I grew up in a family that absolutely loved deviled eggs, but oddly we only made them for holidays and big family get togethers. I'm not sure why since they're so easy to make. You need a few ingredients that I'm sure most people have in their fridges and just a little bit of time.

Deviled Eggs:
(all measurements are approximate)
  • eggs, depending on how many you want to make. I used 6. I would say plan an egg or two per person, unless you've got my husband, brother-in-law, or father in the room. Then, you need a dozen.
  • 1 tbsp mayo
  • 2 tsp mustard
  • 2 tsp sweet pickle relish
  • salt and pepper to taste
Boil the eggs, which usually takes 10 minutes. A good way to know if an egg is fully boiled is to take it and try to spin it on it's side on the counter-top. If it's undercooked, it'll roll all over the place; if it's cooked, it'll spin nicely.

Once the eggs have been boiled, cooled, and shelled, cut them in half, lengthwise. Obvious, I know. Remove the yolks; usually you can do this by gently squeezing the sides until the yolk pops out.

Place all the yolks in a medium bowl and break them up with a fork. Add in your mayo, mustard, relish, salt, and pepper. I never actually measure out my stuff; I do it by texture and taste. The yolk mixture should be thick and creamy. Add tiny bits more of each ingredient to get the taste the way you like it.

Now, you can just spoon a little bit of the yolk mix back into each egg half, or you can fancy and pip it in. Honestly, piped deviled eggs scare me. I like them to look a bit messy; it makes them look real and edible.

Some people like to sprinkle paprika on the eggs. I never do. This time, I sprinkled a bit of chives on top, which is a nice little complement. Some people do bacon bites. Garnish as you please!



Nom nom nom nom.

Lemonade

First post of the day! I'm hoping that by posting as I go, it won't feel so overwhelming. This is my second attempt ever at squeezing fresh juice, the first being many a mother's day ago. I don't think we even had a juicer or anything, so I squeezed squeezed squeezed a bunch of OJ. I think the result was a bit sour. Oh well. This attempt was better.


Lemonade:
  • 2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice (You'll need about 6-7 lemons. If you're lucky like me, the grocery store will have a nice little bag of lemons with a sunkist juicer included! Yay shopping at 1:30 am!)
  • 6 cups water
  • 1 1/2 - 2 cups sugar


It's really easy. Juice your lemons, though you might have to take breaks to clear the pulp away. Combine juice, sugar, and water, and mix until sugar has dissolved. Now, depending on how you like your lemonade, you may want to tweak the water and sugar amounts. I think the lemonade is a bit strong, hubby thinks it's a bit watery. I like my lemonade supersweet, others might like it more tart. Taste as you go.
I find it's easier to get everything mixed in well if the water you use is warm, but this requires extra refrigeration time until the lemonade is deliciously cool. Ice cubes help.

4th of July

Alright kiddos, tomorrow (though technically today) is going to be a good day. I've moped enough; it's time to get back in the kitchen.
I stressed and stressed over what to make for this Independence Day; I've decided to reclaim this holiday that we couldn't really celebrate when I was a kid. I want barbeques and family get togethers and fireworks. That can't happen this year, but I've decided it will happen in the future. It's gotta.

My desire to spend July 4th in the standard celebratory way being said, this year I'm going somewhat non-traditional. Firstly, I don't have a grill or bbq pit. To mimic the grilled/bbqed meal requires lots and lots of baking in the oven (especially for the brisket I so desperately crave). Secondly, I don't really have a big crowd to feed. My family is back home, my college friends are mostly home for the summer, and my work friends are working, and at various times mind you. So a big meal is out of the question. Thirdly, I absolutely could not decide on a meat to prepare; none of my recipes felt right and that says something as I have so many. So, forget the meat and a main course. I don't even need a proper meal. Why spend all of the wonderful day getting a meal together? Instead, I shall cook at a slow, leisurely pace. A dish here, a dish there, to be enjoyed as they're made.

As of this moment, I plan on having the following:
homemade lemonade
sweet iced tea
deviled eggs
Nigella Lawson's garlic and parsley hearth bread
ricotta and mint stuffed strawberries
blueberry cobbler

I'm also hoping to hit the farmers' market tomorrow afternoon to see what goodies I can find. I'm excited!

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Just a little longer

so it's been a little while since i've updated. i had a small computer snafu and am adjusting to some life changes. have no fear, i have been adding to ever-increasing stash of recipes to try. most importantly, i have discovered the splendor of Nigella Lawson. look for some of her stuff soon!
i'm hoping to update in the next few days. thanks.