Shugah

Family Farmers

2011-06-20T12:00:00.006-05:00

When I first joined a CSA, I was just excited to be eating seasonally. I wasn't that concerned about eating animals or plants that had been treated with chemicals. I was more concerned with the taste of the food-with trying to recreate the fresh amazing layers of sun contained in an heirloom summer tomato. Obsessed really.

Over the past few years though, my connection to food has morphed into something more complex. I now strive to make thoughtful decisions about most everything I put in my mouth-not just does it taste like the ultimate best version of itself but....was it grown using concientious practices? Is it local (or at least local-ish?) Would I feel comfortable if my child went to the field, picked this vegetable and ate it without washing it?

I'm still evolving and I'm not endeavoring to be rigid in my lifestyle. I eat bananas sometimes. I just am more likely to eat vegetarian at a restaurant where I don't know the source of the meat. I'm less likely to eat asparagus in July or strawberries in September. If you invite me over you can serve me whatever you wish. I will enjoy it, eat it with gusto and relish the time we spend together at the table. But when my dollars are making the choices...I choose food that I know the provenance and I believe that the choices I make matter.

It began with my farmers. Jason and Haruka Oatis are the farmers of www.EdibleEarthscapes.com. They are stewards of the land who care tremendously about the work they engage in. They believe deeply in sustainable farming methods and share their knowledge at every opportunity-in a kind, supportive way. Not only are they smart and hard-working-they are also genuinely big-hearted, interesting folks. We were lucky enough to stumble into their CSA on our first try and I'm grateful for that happy accident on a regular basis.

Haruka and Jason have gradually become part of our family. We belonged to their summer CSA for 2 years and then just this past winter joined their winter CSA. Even better, I got to be a part of the magic by delivering farm boxes to the Raleigh members each Saturday. They aren't doing a summer CSA this year as they try to navigate our extreme NC weather in a way that still allows them some freedom and balance in their lives. However, we still one or both of them just about every week at the market. If we miss a week, the whole family feels the absence. They are characters in our children's lives as much as any aunt or cousin. They have had significant positive impact on the way we eat (greens!!!) and the way we view our footprint on the world. They've gently nudged us to examine our over-consumed suburban lives and live more richly (without more money). They introduce us to new foods and perspectives that we wouldn't have appreciated earlier. We talk about food and music, weather and politics, extended family and pets. I often wish there was a more familial designation for them because farmer doesn't really cover it. Friend? Teacher? Brother? Sister? Aunt? None of those titles convey what they mean to our family.

Interestingly enough, we've added more farmer-family members in the past few years. What started with the Oatis' is now a broad group of people that I see and laugh (and sometimes gripe or rage or cry) with who I view as vital to my life. We recently considered a move out of state and one of the cons against the move were the farmer friends and connections we have. This weekend I watched as my daughter sat on Esta Cohen's lap and told her all about her new preschool classroom. And all I could think was....we all need more of THIS right here. Much love to ALL my farmer buddies-we are grateful for all the gifts that you give.

Sharing (CSA)

2011-04-18T10:52:00.014-05:00

This winter has been incredible-in ways both good and bad. We had the coldest, snowiest winter I can remember (we even had a white Christmas!). We visited Savannah, Georgia for the first time and fell in love with that city-the parks, the people, the ghosts-all are beautiful.
We usually have a lot of stress flying around our house-two working parents, two kids, two dogs means an awful lot of WORK. But this winter we had the added stress of a huge project at work, one parent changing jobs, and some tragedies too. Our beloved Uncle Al passed away in February after a long illness. It doesn't matter how long the illness-it still comes as a shock to your soul when you lose someone. Also, one of my aunts has been very sick and my grandmother was hospitalized.
Miraculously, through this whole stretch of dark, our household had one person get the flu (in early fall) and one person get a stomach bug. I believe whole-heartedly that our sustained health is directly tied to the winter CSA we were a part of this year. Our very favorite farmers decided to try out a winter CSA instead of a summer CSA. Somehow (I really don't remember how) I became the delivery girl for the winter CSA. Each Saturday I drove out to the farm to pick up boxes and shuttled them into a central drop-off location. I met a lot of new friends (fellow CSA members) and quite often got to teach new and random people about the joys of CSA membership. It was the highlight of each week and I cherish the love and support I received. I also appreciated the healthful food that my family received each week in the box. I would NEVER have purchased the amount of greens that we got each week...I would have bought 2 bunches and felt superior with my healthful-ness. Consider us a changed family! We ate greens in some form almost every day of the week this winter and will continue these habits!

I'm not a very prolific blogger. I'm so extroverted and people-centric that it takes a lot to get me to sit down and write about something. I much prefer to gab and gab about the things that I'm passionate about in person. My office asked me to write a blog this week for our public site-describing what a CSA is and how to find one. I'm being lazy and reposting it here. Happy Spring!

Community Supported Agriculture What is a CSA? CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Small farmers offer ‘shares’ of their farm for an up-front payment. Participants then get a share of the production of the farm for a certain number of weeks. There is a high degree of variability based on the kind of CSA you join. The farmer will set the pick-up or drop-off locations, the price and the duration of the CSA. Some farmers give you some choice in what your share is each week and others pick for you. Why would I do this? I could literally talk about this for hours (I have been STOPPED on more than one occasion). I am extremely passionate about this topic and have a close connection to the farmers who provide food for my family. Your motivation for joining a CSA could depend on lots of factors and your experience will depend on the CSA that you choose. Here are some reasons but if you need more…come see me.

You want to be less dependent on a global food supply

You have concerns about food borne illnesses or broad recalls of specific foods

You want to eat more seasonally

You want to eat food grown for flavor instead of shelf stability

You want to eat food (as opposed to the stuff sold in boxes in fluorescent lit stores)

You want to diversify the type of food you eat

You want to know exactly what production practices went into your food

You want a broader sense of community

You want to meet people who care about food or agriculture related issues

You want to encourage yourself, your kids or your spouse to eat more veggies

You want to have someone else decide what food you’re going to eat this week

You’re looking for an excuse to go to the farmer’s market more often

You want to support our local economy and small business

Will this save me money?

This one is complicated. Since I don’t know what you normally spend on food, I can’t really answer that. My personal experience is that your food budget stays about the same-you just choose different ways to spend that money. My family used to be dairy-holics and we ate meat more often than we currently do. We’ve switched to less quantity of those products and higher quality. My kids have also switched to eating veg (carrots, turnips, radishes) in place of some of the chips and crackers that they used to eat. Are CSA’s just for veggies? You can find CSA’s for just about anything produced on a farm-fruit, eggs, chicken, pork, beef, and vegetables. There are even CSA’s for yarn, cheese and cider.

How do I find a CSA?

Here are several links:

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/chatham/ag/SustAg/csafarms.html Locally run site by Chatham county extension agent. All of these farmers are organic and/or sustainable.

http://www.ncfarmfresh.com/Directory.asp?product=&county=region®ion=2&CSA=yes&SearchType=farms&submit=Search

State run website that lists a different subset of farmers

You can also just ask at the smaller farmer’s markets. I’m sure there’s one close to you! There's one by my office every Saturday and Tuesday (starting May 3): http://westernwakefarmersmarket.org/

and there's my favorite local one: http://www.northhillsfarmersmarket.com/

Shrimp Noodle Stir Fry

2010-12-16T13:26:00.004-05:00

I wish I could remember exactly how I made this. But, since I can't-I'll just share that it was slightly sweet, slight spicy and heart-warming. Happy Holidays to all!

Sweet and Savory

2010-10-26T11:31:00.006-05:00

Here's the recipe for Apple Crostata with Cheddar Crust. I got most of it out of a certain magazine...hopefully the diva in charge of that mag doesn't read this blog.

Cheddar Crust:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 TBLsp kosher salt
2 sticks (yes...all two sticks) cold butter diced
1/4 cup ice water
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 egg slightly beaten

Filling:
4 tart apples and/or pears cored and sliced into 1/2 inch slices
1/2-3/4 cup sugar (depends on fruit used)
2 TBLsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup warm peach or apricot jam

Very important: Make sure the butter is cold.

If you have never made pie crust using your food processor, you should really give it a try. I screw it up once out of every 4 times I try it but the results (when done right) are lovely and easy. You just have to remember that the fat (butter) needs to be cold (but not frozen) and the less you have to pulse the dough, the better off you'll be. So, don't think you're saving time by pouring all the ingredients through the top hole in the processor. Take off the top and spread the ingredients around.

Start with the flour and salt. Pulse a few times. Then open the top and add the butter by spreading it all around the top. Pulse until it looks like pebbles in sand (about 10 pulses). Add in 1/4 cup ice water until the mixture looks like dough. It should not be sticky-if it is, add a little bit more flour. If it hasn't come together, add more ice water (by the tablespoon-too much will really muck it up). Pulse in the cheddar (it helps to spread it evenly over the top of the dough first).

Split the dough into two even handfuls. Mash each handful into a disk. Rap in plastic wrap and put in fridge for 30 minutes.

Mix the apple slices, lemon juice and sugar.

After 30 minutes, roll one disk out to about 13 inches round. Place on parchement paper on a pizza stone. Put it back in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Spread the filling over the crust, leaving 1 inch around the perimeter. Fold up the perimeter to make a loose pie. Use a brush to spread egg over the folded up edges. Put it back in the fridge for 30 minutes (yes, really).

Heat oven to 375 and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Spread warm jam over the apples. Snarf it all down.

Pizza

2010-08-23T11:23:00.004-05:00

I've owned a pizza stone for about 15 years but never used it to make homemade pizza. Last night was the first time. Pizza is one thing that I can always get my kids to eat. I'm pretty picky about pizza-I only like really thin crust and fresh ingredients. I was having a Sunday afternoon cook fest to make up things with my farm box and thought I'd do something new since I was already spending the afternoon in the kitchen. Man...was it worth it!

I used the pizza recipe from Jamie Oliver's 'Jamie at Home'. The book itself is a thoroughly good read-particularly if you are equally excited about growing things as you are about eating them. His energy and excitement never fails to rub off on me so I thought I'd give his pizza dough a try. I had a little trouble finding the flour that he recommends but it's worth the hunt. Plus, the recipe makes 6 (!) small pizzas. We ended up freezing 3 for later use.

The picture is my husband's concotion-bbq sauce topped with prosiutto, black olives, sundried tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. Mine had a pesto sauce base topped with two kinds of cheese and the kids picked ....cheese (with some black olives for our son who is obsessed with them).

Spring

2010-05-25T09:57:00.003-05:00

I used to think salad recipes were over-rated and didn't really qualify for the actual title of 'recipe'. Mostly, I thought you were just tossing in some of the veg that you have around and squirting some dressing on it and voila. How hard could it be?

Well,...at least that's what I thought until I started making salads daily in order to use up all my green veg from the CSA. Salads are deceptively difficult. The prep work, the dressing, the combos that beg for a little restraint so that you can truly savor the substance. Sometimes my salads are disastrous. Other times they're just plain boring. This one was divine so I thought I'd share the picture and the 'recipe'.

Ingredients:
Oil for sauteeing
1.5 lbs Yellowfin Tuna from Southport Seafood Company.
Zest from two lemons
Coarse Sea Salt
Black Pepper
3 big handfuls of your favorite salad green (I used arugula from Edible Earthscapes)
8 oz. canned chickpeas
Half of an english cucumber quartered and chopped

Heat oil in a skillet on med-high to high heat
Mix the zest and salt and pepper.
Wash and pat dry the yellowfin
Press the zest mixture into both sides of the yellowfin
When the oil is nice and hot, pop the yellowfin into the pan. You want to sear the fish, not cook it through. After about 3 minutes, flip the fish over carefully. Cook for 3 more minutes until just colored. Remove from heat. If you like your tuna rare on the inside, you may need to slice it up right away. Otherwise, it will keep cooking while it cools.

Mix the rest of the ingredients. Top with the Tuna. Squirt some lemon or your favorite light viniagrett over the top. EAT!!! Sigh.

Keeping

2010-04-23T13:00:00.013-05:00

The first farm box of 2010 is just around the corner and I can't believe how fast it came around! Over the weekend, I was reminiscing about how difficult I found the first few weeks of the season last year and how much easier it is for me now that I have a system. I admit I was pretty overwhelmed by my first box last year (4 types of lettuce? what do I do with 4 types of lettuce?) and it took several exasperating mornings for me to sort myself out those first few weeks. About mid-summer, I got a good rhythm going and now I've got Saturday morning market visits down to a well-timed routine. I thought it might be useful to share the things I learned that help me maximize my Saturday market time. I'd also like to hear about your food philosophies or how you keep up with the market.

In full disclosure, I think it's fair for me to disclose my approach to food in general. Everyone has different food strategies and expectations for their market experience. I have seen people come to the market, stroll around for an hour and leave with one little melon. My eating philosophy is not nearly so calm or esoteric. I am usually on a mission when I get to the farmer's market and I have lots of energy and enthusiasm for food. Lots. My food philosophy is to eat food that is as fresh and tasty as it can possibly be. To that meet that end, I try to eat as locally as possible. If organic is available, I like that but I won't pay double for it (for veg). I am very particular about meat and want the animals to be treated sensibly (without irresponsible dosing of anitbiotics or hormones) and humanely. I also want sustainability in most of the food that my family consumes. Finally, I want to eat with the seasons as much as is possible so I can savor the gifts that come along during the growing season.

So that's my philosphy. It's not rigid and I don't beat myself up if I eat a highly processed hot dog or something. The reality of my life is that I have two small children, I work a full week, and I live in a suburban/urban area. My family goes through 2 gallons of milk and a staggering amount of assorted cheeses in a week. We also use common western staples like rice, pasta, and chocolate chips. I am not a tee-totaller. I won't get up from a meal if I'm served food of unknown provenance and I love Biscuitville (who I'm certain doesn't use free-range, hormone free ANYTHING). I believe that the way I eat is realistic for the society that I live in (although many people think I'm an extremist and others think I'm a light weight foodie. egh......I just want to eat food that tastes great).

I try to put about half of my weekly food budget into the farmer's market. I buy all vegetables, meat, and eggs from the market. I also get most fruit and some dairy/bread options from the market. I usually have to make a stop on the way home at a storefront grocery store to pick up milk and assorted staples. Once a month or so I do a run to a wholesale club or an importer for things we buy in bulk (wine) or specialty ingredients (like spices) that I can't get from a local source.

A typical Saturday morning involves getting up the whole family, packing the car w/reusable bags and a large rolling cooler w/a handle. We go to the farmer's market to pick up breakfast and coffee. The North Hills market has a Starbucks and several bakers. The Western Wake market has a coffee roaster who will sell samples. We eat breakfast together and then hubby and kids usually go to listen to the music or start to stroll while I begin hunting.

I take one pass through the market, pick up my box from Edible Earthscapes and then go back to fill in any gaps. Since what's available at the market changes weekly, it's difficult to write a menu or a list and stick with it. I find it's easier for me if I think in terms of weekly 'servings' or sources. In any given week, I need to leave the farmer's market with the following or else I'll end up having to go to a normal grocery store mid-week:

8-10 vegetable sources

1 dozen eggs

1-2 loaves of bread

3-4 meat sources

1-2 cheese sources

We get most of our vegetable sources from Edible Earthscapes but I sometimes need to fill in some things to suit my recipes or our family's individual tastes. I also try to get several fruit servings-this year I'm going to try and freeze some since fruit has a shorter growing season than the vegetables. Everything goes in the big rolling cooler to keep it from wilting or getting crushed.

Before we go home, we stop off to get milk, cheese, etc. Then we head home for the real work. The biggest lesson from last year that I learned: It is imperative to deal with the produce as soon as possible. What do I mean? I mean that you can't treat farmer's market produce like produce that has been grown for its ability to sit on a shelf. Farmer's market produce is typically not treated with preservative and the farmer chose to grow it because of it's taste-not because it won't bruise easily. This is not produce that can sit on your counter all day.

Go ahead and wash the lettuce, spin it and put it into gallon ziplock bags with a dry paper towel. In fact, you should wash everything and make sure you don't have some passengers. Most produce from the farmer's market is not treated with pesticide so bugs like it as much as you do. That's a good sign! (You just don't want to put your stowaways in your fridge for later). Take the greens off of root vegetables and store them separately if you want to use them. If you don't take them off, the root is likely to get mushy as the leaves pull out energy and water. If you really want to leave them attached, you can put the whole thing into water-similar to putting flowers in water and then stick that in the fridge. Just don't stuff those carrots into the bottom drawer with the leaves still attached and expect them to be firm in 4 days.

If you already know what's on the menu for the week, it's a good time to do some sou chef prepwork too. Chopping a gallon of strawberries took me 10 minutes last week. But once they're chopped and safely stored in the fridge, snacks are easy. I usually use this time to make up any condiments that will be needed that week-refrigerator pickles, salad dressing with herbs and pesto are handled at this time so that I don't do 'double duty' when putting away the components and then have to repack them again once the condiment is made.

By the time I'm finished, it's lunch time-just in time to sit down to a nice, local meal.

Breathing

2010-03-18T13:21:00.003-05:00

Breathing is important. This is not news to you since you are probably a mammal and breathe several hundred times every day. I have been taking breaths, but I have not been BREATHING for almost an entire season. You know, the kind of breathing that's required when you just have to get through something? Tight around the middle, head down, eyes squinted-just a few more of these and we'll be through this. My breaths have been short and quick, strong and forceful, shallow and spare for weeks.

I've been living in the worst kind of southern winter weather-bone cold, full of gloom and damp. When I'm old and gummed up with arthritis, I'm sure I'll think this winter was a cake-walk. My yankee friends who are conditioned for this kind of weather can rightfully scoff at my weakness. I realize most people assume winter will be cold, gloomy, wet, icy and blustery. They prepare with heavy coats, boots and thick socks. They have accessories that are made for industrial level cold and stacks of firewood. They are made of sterner stuff than me and I readily admit their superiority. I am not someone who can happily live in a winter climate for longer than a few days. I am just a little southerner, used to burst of frigid temps followed by sweet glimpses of sunshiney days. North Carolina has had at least 4 snows this year and probably 2 straight months of rain and clouds. I've just had my head down, accepting that part of being human is just having to breathe, you just have to move through the intolerable to get to the beautiful.

Saturday there was sun. I stood in it for a long while, loving the warm caress on the top of my head. Eyes closed. Breathing in. Spring is here. Life is good.

Giving Thanks

2009-11-23T16:06:00.010-05:00

Just a little warm, spicy comfort coming your way. This soup is from a recipe in Sarah Foster's cookbook titled Fresh Every Day.

The soup is called something like Chipotle Squash and is perfect for cold, wet days or just when you need a warm up inside. I made a nice big batch and froze it to enjoy at my leisure. Even just looking at the picture I'm feeling that my nose is a little warmer and my soul a little steamier. I swear that I took the picture to the right even though it looks almost identical to the picture in the cookbook. That's a recommendation in itself! I'm not an avid cookbook reader but this is a cookbook that I can recommend without a single qualm. It works for home cooks and people who don't think they can boil water. I have owned it for several years now and it never fails to inspire me. And even better- Sarah Foster is a local!

Who is Sarah Foster? I'll try to do a post about her and her market very soon. In the meantime, I'm wishing you joy and I'm thankful for all my blessing. Here's hoping you snuggle up with a great cookbook or a bowl of soup or a pack of wild relatives and enjoy the gifts of this season!

Perfect Marriage

2009-11-23T09:47:00.008-05:00

I finally have a new recipe to post! My family has been rundown lately with colds and pre-holiday events. My kids are...well kids. So getting them to eat homemade chicken noodle soup is tough, especially with all those veggies floating around. No matter how good for them I swear it is. I have strong reservations about store-bought soup. I definitely don't feel as though I'm giving them something that will make them healthier. So whenever we have soup, I want it to be homemade. I asked what kind of soup sounded good last night and was told that Italian wedding soup would really hit the spot... if only someone knew how to make it. (There was also a request for homemade crescent rolls from the smaller contingent. Since he usually gags at the mere mention of soup so I made those too-not as picturesque but pretty tasty.)

I accepted my mission. Even though I've never made Italian wedding soup before or even considered making it. I mean, I've eaten it before! It can't be that tough right? Hmmm...well. Luckily for all of us that proved to be the case. This could have definitely gone bad. I'm sure there's a more authentic, time honored approach. However, I must say that my version is easy, very tasty and pretty hard to mess up.

The making of the soup is actually a three step process. First you make the meatballs, then you make the soup, then you put it all together and let the flavors meld for a while.

Ingredients:

2TBSp olive oil

1 lb mild italian pork sausage, casings removed

1 bunch very dark kale-finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 cup bread crumbs (approx.)

1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese

1 large egg

1 yellow onion, chopped

1/4 cup of white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc leftover from K's birthday party)

Parmesan Rind

2 boxes of low sodium chicken broth (approx. 8 cups)

1 cup large couscous pearls*

salt and pepper to taste

*the large couscous pearls are kind of difficult to find. This is sometimes called Israeli couscous and sometimes called 'pasta pearls'. I can sometimes find mine at Neomonde but other times I have to buy a little box in heavily packaged food section.

The Meatballs

In a large bowl mix the sausage, about half the kale, 2 garlic cloves, the cheese, egg and about half the breadcrumbs. Mix with your hands until the mixture will stick together but still feels like a solid. It's hard to describe what this should feel like but it reminds me of making peanut butter cookies. Too much liquid and they won't hold a shape. Too much bread crumb and they crumble. You want them to stay stuck together because...you want to make 1 inch balls with the mix. Take slightly less than a tablespoon of the mixture and roll into a ball. It should make about 20-25 meatballs.

Heat the olive oil in a deep sided saucepan or large stockpot over medium high heat.

When the olive oil has warmed, pop in the meatballs. You may need to do this in batches if you have a smaller pot because you don't want to crowd them.

Cook the meatballs for about 3 minutes on every side until they have a nice brown outside. Take out the meatballs and place them on a paper towel covered plate.

The Base

Lower the heat to medium and put chopped onion in the pan and sautee for about 5 minutes.

Throw in the remaining garlic clove, the wine and the parmesan rind and sautee for about 2 minutes.

Pour in the broth and bring to a boil (stir it intermittently).

All together Now

Add the meatballs and the kale and continue to cook at a low boil for about 20 minutes. This kind of lets the soup suck the salt and flavor out of the meatballs so I wouldn't add any additional seasoning until after this step. If you used low sodium or turkey sausage, you might want to taste the soup to see if it's got enough flavor.

Add the couscous and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Manic

2009-11-02T13:01:00.004-05:00

I would like to tell you that I've got a great new recipe to share. Or that I ate out at the most AMAZING restaurant last week. Or that I am really, anything...other than an insane, manic person who is hell-bent on redoing my entire house. But the truth is I'm not focused on eating very much lately (gasp!) because I'm to busy trying to get my house in order. Why does my house need to be in order? I'm not 100% sure. This is some sort of post-baby creative frenzy that has happened to me both times that my children are nearing the 2 year mark. I think it's the result of several years where I was forced to do everything one-handed in 10 minute increments. I've had months to meld my vision and it's finally time to DO IT. So, I am doing it.

Since July, I have (with the assistance of my sweet spouse):

Put up a stone backsplash in our kitchen
Painted every room in the downstairs
Rearranged furniture in every room
Stripped and repainted a sideboard
Reorganized my kitchen cabinets, movies, DVDs and books
Donated or sold several boxes or 'stuff' that is useless to us

And I'm not really done. But there's a party at my house in two weeks that is making me put the finishing touch on lots of side projects and simultaneously helping me realize exactly how manic I am being. Hopefully I'll get back to food stuff soon but if not, there'll be lots of pizzas being ordered from Daniel's and lots of quick trips out to Tyler's.

Nutella Poundcake

2009-09-16T09:00:00.005-05:00

Uhm...seriously, could this look more divine? It's from this month's Food & Wine magazine. The recipe is so, so easy. Two things to note:

I needed a bigger loaf pan than the standard size. It cooked over and now I've got to clean out my oven.
It is very, very hard not to eat the whole thing at once.

The Ant and the Grasshopper (Or End of Summer Cooking Frenzy)

2009-09-14T11:49:00.005-05:00

For most of the summer, I've been trying to use up all items in my farmer's box as quickly and as efficiently as I can. In spite of the wonderful, beautiful state of all the produce we receive each week. I'm not always successful but I do manage to use most of my produce within each week. Usually most of it goes into lazy, uncomplicated dishes that I can pull off without much thought (can you say veggie stir fry?). I have been completely in the moment. No forward thinking for me-no sir. I just open the CSA box or the fridge and whatever comes out is what we are eating. I do have weeks where something gets carried over-usually shishitos or onions or garlic or some little thing that will store fairly well.

Events have conspired to transform me from a lazy grasshopper into an organized ant. First, we went out of town and missed a week of veggies. Apparently all our friends were out of town too soooo...I opted to get a double box this past weekend. That means that there was a LOT of produce that needed to be processed. More in fact than it is humanly possible for our family to consume even if we eat nothing but veg for every meal.

Also, we're coming towards the end of the growing season. Even our long glorious growing season will come to an end with the onset of frosts. Sigh. No more fresh pesto each week? No more reaching into the produce drawer to throw on the grill at a whim? Panic set in. Which turned quickly to elation. I have an excuse to cook. ALOT!

This weekend I made many many dishes. So many in fact that it's not flattering to my character since it means that I spent the entire day cooking and ignoring all other obligations. My cooking comfort zone is some form of Mediterranean food-Greek, Italian, French, even Lebanese or Turkish-are all within my standard reparte. I have been wonderfully challenged and uplifted by the asian ingredients we get each week and have started to feel comfortable enough to adapt them to my usual techniques. For example, we get lots of shishito peppers and I've become slightly addicted to them. However, I've been wanting them a little more 'done' than just flash sauteed. One dish I tried this weekend was roasted shishito peppers, roasted red peppers and feta. Just put the shishito peppers on a piece of aluminum foil on the grill. If you want to add some sweet peppers too, place them directly on the grill. Once the peppers were roasted (about 5 minutes but this depends heavily on your grill temp-watch them!) and peeled of little char bits, toss them with feta cheese, a little garlic, salt, and olive oil. Holy cow! I've eaten it over a baked potato for 2 days in a row.

Another unusual (for me)and glorious dish was something called Clay Pot Miso Chicken. It's basically a chicken stew or braise-a technique that I am very familiar with. I made a few tweaks just to adjust for ingredients. I left out the wood ear mushrooms and improvised on the mirin (rice vinegar, 3/4 cup of sauvignon blanc and a smidge of sugar). I highly recommend you try this dish if you need a new way to use Gobo and you really want a reason to buy large amounts of shitake from Spain Farm. It is a relatively easy recipe that is worth the little bit of fussiness or unusual ingredients because the outcome is just soul warming. There will be a blustery, rainy day sometime around January 10th where I will be cold, with a runny nose and a spirit longing for the smell of just turned soil. I'll know that it's too early, even in warm little NC. I'll reach into the freezer and pull out this dish, heat it up and serve the salty stew over jasmine rice. I'm sure I'll feel like I just might make it.

More recipes to follow. I've resolved to make bean soup this coming weekend and at least one other dish to freeze for each week that's left of the CSA.

Smooth move

2009-08-03T11:09:00.005-05:00

This is my daughter at the North Hills Farmers Market. We take a cooler because (in order of importance):

The produce handles it better
The children handle it better
I enjoy looking like a bag lady
It distracts from my muddled expression

Regardless, it's the only way I can travel on Saturday mornings with both kids, no caffeine, and a whole box of produce to pick up. Not to mention cheese, bread, meat and seafood. If you see me, say Hi. I love to babble.

Summertime.....and the eating is easy

2009-08-03T07:39:00.003-05:00

There's not much I dislike about Summertime eating. Produce is plentiful, perfect, and hard to mess up. Here's an easy meal or appetizer you can make with almost zero cooking. The amounts are relative since it just depends what kind of stuff you have around. The one thing you want to remember is that you need a lot of soup (oil/tomato goop) or your bread will be too hard to eat. I used yellow and green tomatoes and garlic from Edible Earthscapes box this week plus 2 German Queens I got from my Dad. I love the uncooked garlic in this recipe so I put lots. You will taste this garlic for several days-despite your best efforts-so make sure everyone around you tries at least a bite.

Ingredients:

1 baguette, sliced in 1 inch thick circles (day old is best in my opinion)

3-6 fresh tomatoes diced

3-6 cloves of minced garlic

10 leaves basil, sliced or torn into bits

olive oil-around a cup but you'll have to use your judgement

Toast the baguette for about 5 minutes or until firm. Don't burn it but you don't want it mushy either.

Mix all the rest of the ingredients in a bowl.

When the baguette is place heaping spoonfuls WITH LOTS OF SOUP on each slice.

Eat immediately with lots of napkins.

Watermelon Radish

2009-06-09T08:52:00.002-05:00

This is not really a recipe but sometimes the obvious options need restating for you to remember the crisp truth. The lesson this week is that everything, and I mean EVERYTHING is better with butter.

We received a watermelon radish in our farm box a few weeks ago from EdibleEarthscapes. I must admit that radishes are not things that I have felt strong reactions for previously. I think they're lovely in their little round easter egg colors and I don't mind them thrown into salads or as little pickles. But I don't get too excited about eating them. They seem like a side dish or an afterthought. Definitely not something that requires center stage.

I'm starting to change my mind about radishes though. The watermelon radish was so beautiful. Greenish white on the outside, fushia on the inside with little spokes radiating out. Something to showcase it's loveliness was required but what? My husband wanted to just eat it raw as is but I like to fiddle with things a little bit before I eat them. We were having a little soiree so we used them as an appetizer. We slathered butter and then a little sea salt dashed on top for flair. The were all dressed up (and disappeared quickly).

Incidentally, on the plate beside them are cucumber slices with pickled ginger and daikon pickles. The daikon is another kind of radish we received from the farm that has me very intrigued. I julienned them and then salted them, squeezed out the water and then put them in a brine of salt and sugar for about 12 hours. They stink up the fridge righteously but they provide this crisp little garnish that makes the stink worthwhile.

Memorial Day

2009-05-26T12:50:00.007-05:00

I've been very interested in CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) for several years but never quite got around to doing the research to join one. I kept telling myself that it was ok. I was too busy. It didn't make me a bad human to buy produce wrapped in plastic and carted in from somewhere else. I seemed to always have a few too many things to take care of to get around to finding a source of local produce or connecting with a specific farmer. We did move, build a fence, organize a new house, have baby no. 2, etc so there was a lot going on. Last year we went to at least one farmer's market every weekend and grew a cherry tomato along with our usual mix of herbs. We shared our cherry tomatoes with the neighborhood when we became flooded and I was not a bad human. But, I was not the best human that I could be in my suburban paradise and I pined for more of a connection between garden and food.

This winter, I made it a priority to join a CSA. I paid my deposit and then waited for spring to arrive. Not very patiently but as patiently as my genetic make-up will allow. I checked my farm's website religously looking for the signs that the magic was beginning and told every person I spoke with (sometimes multiple times) about the CSA we joined. Our farmer's are Jason and Haruka from Edible Earthscapes . The produce listed on their site ranges from solidly normal to exotic and unknown. I was afraid for a while that I was annoying them to death with questions and just over the top exuberance. Fortunately, they still seem to like me-at least they don't visibly cringe when I show up on Saturday mornings to collect my box.

We're now on our third box of goodies from Edible Earthscapes and I've been remiss in not posting earlier. I am overwhelmed and overjoyed with the abundance that greets me each week in my box. This week we got butter lettuce, turnip greens, romaine, watermelon radish, daikon, basil, cilantro, and peas!! A lot of the ingredients we get from the farm are not items I would usually make so it's really forcing me outside of my comfort zone. I'm doing a lot of research online for recipes each week and have a renewed appreciation of bloggers and useful forms of technology in general.

While I will post recipes eventually, I would like to take a moment and reflect on the emotional and spiritual connection that seems to deepen each week between me and my, well...produce. When I was little, I lived with my maternal grandparents on-and-off and spent at least a few days each week with my paternal grandparents. My grandparents were avid gardeners and maintained a connection to food, a disdain for waste and a penchant for 'make-do' that seems indicative of their generation. Both sets of my grandparents ALWAYS planted a Victory garden and would still find a way to justify stopping by a pick-up truck piled with corn on the side of the road if the price was right and the corn was sweet. My grandfather could become downright verbose about peaches (and country ham) and there was always a strong debate between my grandfathers on the the merits of tomato varieties (German Johnson usually won).

I have vivid memories of 'putting up' plums, shucking corn, shelling peas-with my relatives all around laughing, chattering or singing. I can close my eyes and feel the breeze off the back yard coming through the screen doors in mid-July after a day spent romping through the pasture in search of blackberries for cobbler while my grandmother combed through my sunkissed hair looking for ticks. I remember how excited my grandmother was when the persimmons were ripe or when the pecans at the church fell. There always seemed to be some kind of produce that needed work and always people who were glad to take some of it. Jams or nuts or canned goods were my grandparents equivalent to giftcards-everyone likes them and no one will turn them down. So gardening, eating, and love have always been viscerally entwined for me in a way that our industrial lives lack.

I find myself regretting that my son won't ever be able to just ramble un-chaperoned until the fireflies come out or wind up in the creek face-to-face with a snake of unknown pedigree and have to figure out the best escape route. He's unlikely to walk under the apple tree for his sister because she's afraid of the yellow jackets and fish out the best apple for her or to climb the spry cherry trees to get the tart little pink balls before the birds can scavenge them away. I find myself finding ways to recreate those same langourous summer memories within the context of our suburban, year-round school, two parents who work, life-for myself as much as for my kids.

When we walk the greenway beside our house, I point out the blackberry vines with their green nubs just starting to show. I show them poison oak (the first and most important plant to learn to ID) and talk about how allergic my brother always was to it but how my dad and I never get it. I show them how to suck the juice out of honeysuckle and teach the oldest the names of trees that we walk by. But it's been more difficult to recreate the way working for and with your food translates into a further love and appreciation for our non-monetary wealth. That is, it was more difficult until the addition of the farm box to our lives.

Each Saturday morning we pile into the car as soon as we can to go and get the box before the sun is too hot. We eat breakfast surrounded by people who produce food locally and are genuinely enjoying the connection to the other folks at the market. We go around the market and pick out bread, eggs, cheese, seafood, and more produce (how can that be!!!). We talk to new friends we've met at the market and old friends we've convinced to come out. The kids dance a little bit to the live music and sometimes we engage in a little modern day retail shopping at the mall to keep from having to run around again afterwards burning more gas.

When we get home, I spend the next 3 hours engaging in the ritual of unloading and sorting and cleaning and bagging and sometimes just fidgeting with the produce. I go through what we'll make, I show my kids all the interesting things that come along with organic produce (slugs!) and talk about how things are grown. There is a change occuring that is slow but powerful within my house because of that white cardboard box. My son ate turnips last week. Granted, they were in a cherry sauce but still!

Mostly though, I'm reconnecting to the way food-the growing, the prepartion, the creativity-can translate into the expression of love and affection for each other. We linger over dinner more often now. We ate around our table (not our kitchen island) 5 times last week. We've had people over for meals more often lately. In general, we are expanding into better human beings-the ones that we know we should be but can never quite find the time to be.

We got peas this week in the box-fat, juicy, crisp little pods that are just begging to be crunched. While I took of the stiff bits on the ends I could almost feel my grandmother's tan, lined hands swiftly working beside me while she jabbered on about a funny joke she heard at church. I think I will be finding the time for a CSA from now on.

Charleston Weekend

2008-11-14T09:11:00.018-05:00

On a weekend in November, our little family made the jaunt down to Charleston, SC. Despite our relative proximity to Charleston, none of us had ever visited Charleston before and we were all anticipating quite an adventure. We drove down with both kids on Friday night so we'd be ready to start the day on Saturday. We explored Patriot's Point, the Aquatic Center and strolled through the White Gardens. We took in the views over the water, drove into Mt. Pleasant and tried to be as touristy as possible with 2 small children in tow. We found Charleston to be charming and proud in the way only old southern ladies can be-well-dressed, well-heeled, and welcoming to all who show up asking for a glass of sweet tea. As a southerner, I know that those sweet old ladies are made of steel too so don't push your luck! Most establishments were very welcoming to us and our kids so we made the most of it. From my perspective though, Charleston is a city of food that feels like it was built by and for the sole delight of foodies. The wealth of choices and the quality of the food in Charleston is like no other small city I have visited-except maybe in Italy.

I promised my sweet husband that I intended to eat my way through Charleston and I did not disappoint him. I can still remember his face when I asked if he was ready to eat again about 2 hours after eating a gianormous lunch. That's long enough right? I just wanted a snack....here's a list of our favorite meals while in Charleston.

82 Queen

After our introductory carriage tour, we decided to eat lunch at 82 Queen. Tucked in the middle of a block of historical houses, 82 Queen is easy to miss but what a mistake you would be making! You can read all about the history of the house, the awards and the staff on their website. However, you only need to know that the food is incredible. Even more interesting, I found that my children were incredibly comfortable in the restaurant (maybe because it was more like a house with individual rooms and pockets) than like a restaurant. We went for lunch and enjoyed every morsel of food that touched our taste buds. For an appetizer, I shared a crab cake with my son that was probably the best crab cake of my life to date. It was pure, tasty crab without a lot of filler or spice. Just enough flavor to heighten the sense that this crab was a creature of the surf. For my entree, I had Grilled Pesto Encrusted Mahi Mahi over creamy grits and fried green tomatoes. I sometimes feel that Mahi Mahi is overrated as a fish to eat while out because it is usually flavorless and/or overdone. This mahi mahi was tender and fresh, sweet and succulent. The grits were actually creamy and the fried green tomato was sweet (if a little small-no surprise given the season). My husband enjoyed a salad of baked asparagus, tomato and fresh mozzarella wrapped with Tasso ham. I tried this salad and it was good but nothing could break through the hold that crab cake had over me! For his entree, my husband chose low country jambalaya which managed to be sweet, smokey and slightly spicy all at once with chucks of seafood and peppers.

Sermet's Corner

I have to admit that Sermet's corner was not a first pick. We really only ate there because we couldn't get a reservation at FIG. However, it turned out to be one of our favorite meals. Sermet's food is very good but the real benefit for us turned out to be the atmosphere. There was a nice mix of locals with a few tourists. The ceilings were high, the atmosphere was relaxed and the seating was comfortable. When we arrived, our kids were famished and tired from walking all day. My son ordered a burger and received a huge patty of ground beef on a buttered bun the size of his head. He managed to eat most of it and then plow through dessert-a layered cheesecake concoction. I took several website's recommendations and ordered the lavender, honey and black pepper marinated pork tenderloin over a cheese infused polenta. I have to say that I enjoyed the pork but I doubt I will order it again. Lavender is my favorite scent and I associate laundry, clean bathrooms and ice cream (don't ask) with it. I do not associate lavender with meat or savory tastes and this dish did not change that preference. I don't recall what my husband had for supper but we would definitely go back to Sermet's corner next time we're in Charleston.

S.N.O.B
By far, the jewel in the crown of the culinary weekend. S.N.O.B (Slightly North of Broad) is just....well it's almost too much to speak of. The atmosphere is chic but cozy. The staff is some of the most gracious, welcoming staff I've ever encountered at a restaurant. To a person, they all seemed to want every patron to feel welcomed and comfortable. The food. Oh the food just defeats my description skills. I had trigger fish with a lemon sauce and pea shoots for my main course. To explain more about that dish-how the nutty crunch of the pea shoots perfectly complemented the smooth dent of the fish with the sweet tang of the lemon just peaking in at the edge of the bite. Well, it's not nearly as clear as I wish to make it-like saying Rachel Weisz is pretty.

So, I'm defeated on my description of the food at S.N.O.B and I'm sorry that I can't say more. Just GO THERE if you are ever in Charleston. And if you go there, try very hard to be as gracious and welcoming as the staff. S.N.O.B has a children's menu and the staff are very friendly and accommodating to children. Our kids were exceptionally well behaved that night but several patrons were downright rude to us (at 5pm!!) that we would bring children to such an austere place as S.N.O.B.

I have one and only one complaint about Charleston-the central part of the city is running low on locally owned coffee shops or bakeries. We did find a small place near the Market (Paradiso) and another place (Kudu) near the college but you will not hear me expounding on the virtues of Charleston's coffee. There are a couple of cookie or cupcake shops but they could really use a little French bakery or patisserie with an espresso machine. I had to make do with the favorite national chain but since their food is terrible, it wasn't as satisfying as I would like.

Long time gone....

2008-01-28T10:05:00.003-05:00

Ok, so the title is also a song from one of my absolutely favorite bands. A group of uppity working mothers who get in trouble for their outspoken opinions and are recognized for their musical ability. I thought it was an appropriate intro for someone who's been MIA for more than an entire year. Where have I been? I've been around and I've been busy-just not busy blogging. Or gardening. Or cooking. But busy living and adding to life.

For starters, the whole family went to Tuscany for 14 days during the summer. I finally managed to make it off the North American continent and took everyone else with me. That experience was so wonderful that I'm not sure I can share it in such a public forum-even a year after. Does that seem odd? Maybe I'll be able to share with a larger audience after I go on my second international trip. For now, it seems like a wonderful dream. Part of me is afraid that we won't get to do it again despite plans shaping up now to visit Germany within the next 12 months.

Even though I was in a culinary mecca, with my husband and my son-I still managed to lose weight. How is that possible? Well, it probably had something to do with the bun in my oven. See, I was in Italy, my dream of dream vacations and I was 9 weeks pregnant! When I'm pregnant (and for several months after giving birth), I am always reminded of Flowers for Algernon. If you've read it, you get exactly what I mean here. If you haven't then you should go ask one of your early English teachers how they feel about failing you so profoundly. Anywho...a newly mothered or very pregnant me is literally incapable of cooking. The thought processes involved are too much for me. The planning and the chopping and the mechanics of the stove....well, if I do muster up the energy, the results are haphazard and sometimes dangerous. I avoid too much in depth cooking while preggers or with a small baby. Much less cooking and then writing it down and including pictures. Hah! It would take about 6 months just to get one blog post together.

Right around Christmas we became a happy family of four and I'm slowly returning to myself in the cathartic process called 'getting more sleep'. I am discovering some new traits as I become reacquinted with myself. See, when you have a baby you effectively loose yourself in the growing and care of that little person. You are so removed from the 'you' that you've created (assuming that the normal you is a showering, clean-clothing wearing, socially inclined person at all) that you can put yourself back together in new and exciting ways. Since having my daughter, I've discovered a whole new depth of femine tastes that have been latently existent within myself. I actually like (some shades of) pink now and *gasp* will put on makeup now. I have silly daydreams about shopping with my future teenage daughter for prom. I wonder if she will actually want to take dance and whether I want her to take it. (For reference, I was forced to take dance, be a cheerleader, and enter pageants at a fairly early age. I rebelled as a teenager and young adult and refused to curl my hair or wear lipstick for a decade. Not because I don't like the way I look but because I wanted to be SURE that you were my friend/spouse etc for what was inside of me instead of the outside. In short, I made myself as unattractive physically as I was able to prove a point. ) Now I feel the point is proved. I can move on. However, I wonder where this new mother daughter thing will take me as it has already reintroduced me to the joy of accessories.

Ok, so I digress. The point is that I'm back! Not with a vengeance or in fact, with a recipe. But back with a raspberry and the promise of more later.....

Yard art

2007-04-26T14:22:00.000-05:00

I've had several requests for updated yard pictures (from people who saw the yard THEN and are wondering why I'm so beat up looking on Monday). I've said it before that it takes some imagination to 'see' what it will look like in 2 years but it's making me happy.

Front yard (beside porch) The first picture and this one are different veiws of the same bed. Full of camellia, lorapetalums and spirea with some annual/herbs for color.

Other side of porch:. There actually a hydrangea in the bed closest to the house with lorapetulums. On the outside of the fence, there's a perennial bed with Rosemary, Lychnis (Rose Campion), assorted daylilies and Scabiosa (Pincushion flower). I also planted Sweet Peas but they got hit pretty hard with frost.

From the sidewalk (notice the tent-we camped out recently for E.'s birthday). A bridal wreath spirea with cherry laurels as handmaidens. There's a Knock-Out rose and a Beauty berry bush down the line.

The long view of the side yard:
Nothing too exciting here. We ran out of steam and have to put down about 2 more trucks of mulch before I can transplant a cherry tree and put in a bunch of perennials. There is a lovely red cutleaf Japanese maple in this bed but it's pretty puny.

Turning the corner:
On the inside of the fence there are shasta daisies, echinacea (Purple coneflower), Asters, and black-eyed susans (and a Rosemary and some sage)

Suburban Island

2007-04-02T15:20:00.000-05:00

I spent the weekend mucking around in my teeny, tiny yard. I was happily sorting and digging and weeding and just imagining the glory of this yard in a few years. I was also watching the reaction of the people walking by to see if my yard actually looks like a masterpiece in progress or if it looks like a hot mess in need of a good clean up instead. My ability to self-delude is mammoth so occasionally I like to gauge my perspective by observing others. Not that the opinions of anyone else will have an ounce of impact on the direction this garden is going. I just want to know if I’m the Weirdo on the corner with the wacked out landscaping or if I’m the Hipster on the corner using plant material as my palette. Judging by most facial expressions, I’m neither avant garde nor batty-just doing a good job. I choose to believe their lack of vision revolves the strategic placement of dinosaurs, swords, and diggers my son has left as yard sculpture.

Anyway, while I was mucking around in my teeny, tiny yard and being unusually persnickety about the placement of plants, I mused about the differences between this yard and my last yard. (the picture above is my old back yard when it was new. To clarify, it's about a third of my old back yard and it's before I planted the entire jungle). With my last yard, a trip to the nursery was a cavalier spending spree. A little of this, a dash of that-there was room for all of it. If I wasn't sure it would work, I'd just put it in the backyard where no one could see behind the 7 foot tall privacy fence. With our new house, we are public in a big way. Our fence is only 36 inches high and we are smack on one of the busiest corners in our neighborhood. As an additional barrier, our house has a Charleston feel to it that demands some southern charm when working on the garden. It is pretty important that I stick to a palette, that I make good choices regarding mature size, and that the adolescent years aren't too painful. I backed away from several favorite plants this weekend at the wholesale nursery and I almost tackled my husband to keep him from purchasing some big trees just because he likes the look of them. (Thank goodness he's not like this about pets.) All the constraints made me think about the desert island theme Lindy at Toast used in October. If you were marooned on a desert island and could only have 10 foods, what would they be? Since there is very little difference between gardening and eating to me, I nicely transitioned to "If you were stuck in a Suburban Island and could only have a few plants, what would those plants be?" Several hours later, I had a long list going in my head while I pulled up dandelions.

Didn't I already make this list when I moved and plopped snippets into my two big pots? Yes. And, er, no. I knew I would have access to plant material once I moved so I was only taking the comforting or the extra-specials that I had little chance of finding at a commercial nursery. What I began to list in my head were plants that my yard would just not be complete without. Plants that leave a hole in my heart if I had to eliminate them from my garden forever. And plants that I wished more people would grow instead of reaching blindly for the Helleri holly or the gardenia.

Now, I know these plants will not put me into the cool gardener club. In fact, some other bloggers (who I enjoy reading and whose opinons I value) will consider some of my required plants pretty passe'. But, I also like cool whip (despite it’s disturbing ingredient list) and refuse to read another Jodi Picoult book no matter how much my book club insists that it is the selected book this month and we HAVE to read it. I like what I like. These are the plants that are vital to my existence and I see no reason to snub them:

#1. Rosemary
If I could only have one plant and one plant only, it would be rosemary. Rosmarinus officinalis to be exact. There are lots of members of the Lamiaceae family that I enjoy but rosemary is the preferred family member for both aesthetic and practical reasons. I love the evergreen-gray of the foliage and the shock of blue-violet flowers that erupt suddenly and then disappear. I love the tenacity that allows me to clip it and clip it and clip it and still thrive as its ssquare stemmed spikes reach for the sun. I love little pots of rosemary on the table and large bushes of rosemary spidering around flowers. I love a sprig of rosemary in pocket or on bread. I love to inhale the smell of rosemary fresh-picked in the morning or to catch a whiff of it on the breeze in the evening. In short, there is NO WAY that I do not love Rosemary.

Versatility should be rosemary 's middle name. There are hundreds of uses for it. In a landscape it can be used as winter annual, a perennial accent, topiary, or a small shrub. It will be satisfied in a pot or happy planted in the ground (provided you it keep it evenly moist but not soaked). In the kitchen you can use rosemary in any course, at any meal. It is great in bread, perfect on chicken, delightful tossed in salads AND in can even hold it's on in dessert (I dare you to give rosemary gelato a try). Apparently rosemary has some medicinal properties too. In my current teeny tiny yard, I have 8 rosemary plants. I'm not sure that's enough but I may have to be satisfied with it for now.

#2. Camellia (japonica)
On Mother’s Day Sunday, it is traditional (where I’m from) to wear a blossom to church on Mother's Day Sunday in honor of your mother. If your mother is living, you wear a red or a pink blossom. If your mother has gone on to the ever-after, you wear a white blossom. Some people actually buy these blossoms from the super market. I am disturbed by the idea of buying an orchid wrapped in plastic from a chain in the same way that hothouse tomatoes bother me. Perfectly shaped, perfectly packaged, blemish free bits of boring. My Mother’s Day blossom was hand selected from my great-Aunt L.’s yard and pinned on with a safety pin. (My childhood weekends were always spent with my fabulous great-Aunt L. and I walked to church with her on Sunday mornings. And yes, every weekend was spent with her-including Mother’s Day weekend.) If we were having an especially cool spring, her Camellia bush would be loaded to the hilt with bodacious, red flowers that seemed as big as my head. I would insist on the biggest, usually dripping with dew and would march proudly to church feeling like a sophisticated lady. In my new yard, I have planted two Camellias and if they grow slowly (which they usually do) I shouldn’t have to pull anything out of that bed for 5 years or so. By that time, something will have died probably so I won’t have to pull anything out. One of my camellias is a bodacious red C. japonica and the other is a mysterious C. sasanqua (smaller leaves, usually smaller blooms). Now if I could just get to church....

#3. Hydrangea

I think all beds look a little better with a hydrangea thrown in. Any hydrangea will do for me-I like all types. Pink, blue, purple, white, green. I even like that new maroon kind with purple leaves. Hydrangeas are a nice combo of austere Southern charm and trumped up floozy. They make great cut flowers, humming-birds like (some of) them and they're just plain easy to grow. The only complaint I’ve witnessed (in other people) is a inclination to go mucking around with lime or other soil amendments to adjust their color. I like to just plant them and see what God gives me. According to my landscape plan, I should only have 1 hydrangea but since I like hydrangea more than I like viburnum, I have substituted. I’m hoping I can stop at four but no promises.

#4. Pansy

I adore pansies. I think of them as the Rachel Ray of the flowering annuals and they are apparently just as divisive. You either LOVE them or you LOATHE them. They are consistently my favorite annual and I am unable to envision a winter without their little flat-faced heads. I am happiest with purple and yellow combinations but really have never met a pansy I didn't like. I even enjoy the tackiness of mass plantings in front of shopping centers or neighborhoods although I prefer them on the smaller scale. Maybe it's because they bloom in the winter when everything else is sleeping. Maybe it's because they are just so dang perky and resilient. I know there are areas where pansies don't make it through but they can weather just about anything an NC winter can throw at them. A few days of looking tired and then the sun comes out and up pops the pansies. Pansies don't really require tons of fertilizer or fiddling which is another plus (since I forget to do that stuff pretty often-especially in the rainy winter).

#5 Daylily
I almost left daylilies off of this list and what a mistake that would be! Daylilies are so unassuming, so integral to gardens that you often forget how many kinds are available and how tolerant they are. Daylilies are grasses that have glorious blooms that soar up like trumpets on thin graceful stalks and erupt in a riot of color. Or, they are small little trumpets that toot occasionally in pastel shades. You can grow them just about anywhere, they make an excellent cut-flower, and require little in the way of nutrition or care. They are also easy to propagate-just dig them up and split them. They are also good at making you new friends because they're so fantastic people can't believe your generosity when you give them one. I brought 3 with me when I moved and have bought 2 more. Those 5 are just the start though since I like to mix in the ones that rebloom (like Stella D’oro) with the really crazy colored ones that only give it one shot. I have distant relative who is a daylily breeder (link to http://www.ahsregion15.org/Summer2004/marlette.php) that I’m hoping to visit this summer to get some zingers.

I couldn’t really come up with 10 plants like Lindy does with food items. I don’t think there’s any reason every home owner shouldn’t have at least one of the above plants tucked into their yard and apartment dwellers could even have 3 of the 5 (a pot of daylily, rosemary, and pansy looks great in every season). I might do a post next of the plants I think should be banned from suburban yards. Mostly, I’m just exhausted thinking about how much more planting I have to do!

Family Trees

2007-03-22T09:18:00.000-05:00

All of my childhood, my maternal Grandparents lived beside my Dad. My parents divorced when I was young and to say my mother is erratic is an understatement. It was almost unheard of for a father to get custody of his kids no matter how unstable the mother may be (although I understand that the rules are changing a little). My Dad is so traditional, I'm not sure he even knew men could be single parents despite his obvious desire to be close to his children. So, home to me was always my Grandparents' home and it was also always near my Dad. Between both families, we had about 7 acres of land to roam around. Our 'yard' was covered with a hodgepodge of pasture, fruit trees, an acre of victory garden, and every ornamental plant known to the southern gardener. Each summer morning, I would walk to the vegetable garden with my grandmother to see what was ready for picking. I would pop Morning Glory buds and slip cherry tomatoes off of the vine for my little brother. Each summer evening, I would walk around the yard with my dad or my MawMaw (grandfather) and look at each plant specimen to see what progress had been made during the day. For my cousins and syblings, the gardens of our grandparents, great-Aunts or parents were the central focus of all our adventures. I do not remember a time when I did not know the common names of all the plants around me.

I have come to understand as an adult that this knowledge of flora is not necessarily normal. On a trip cross-country with my future husband, I realized that I am unable to drive in regions without varied flora along the roadside (say in South Dakota or Wyoming). Why? Because I identify plants in my head as I drive down the road as a way of staying awake and alert.

In our first house as a married couple, I had created a hodgepodge yard that was comforting and beautiful (in my opinion). While I am absolutely against knick-knacks, I habitually collect plants that have emotional significance. Collecting plants can be a very dangerous habit even if you don't intend to move. Plants are living organisms so they can die (!!!), they can just look bad, or they can overgrow their spot. In our old house, I had rosemary and peonies transplanted from my good friend ec, thyme along the footpath, peonies from my paternal grandmother, a bearded iris that I gave to my maternal grandmother for Mother's Day two years before she died, and countless other greenery laden with memories.

When we decided that our small house in the country needed to be traded in for a city yard, I knew moving was going to be tricky. What would I take from my large, overplanted yard that would fit in my new, teeny tiny yard? On top of downsizing considerations, we moved in the middle of summer which is NOT when you want to be transplanting. The choices were hard but I am never better than when I have a deadline (ask my coworkers). I limited myself to two large pots stuffed with odds and ends. Once planted, I took these 2 pots (yes, only 2 pots!) to my dad's house for babysitting until we could focus on the yard. One pot had a sprout of thyme, some purple cannas given to me by a neighbor, a rosemary plant, and a peice of my grandmother's iris. The other pot contained a lovely variegated ivy and assorted daylilies. Since my paternal grandmother is still kicking and LOVES to give me plants, I'm sure I can trade a day of yard labor for more peonies.

We spent the fall unloading boxes and the winter building a fence, getting landscaping plans approved and living life. The official landscape plan above was provided by my good buddy L.-a landscaping professional and my twin from another family. We have had to make a few changes due to power lines, sewage pipes, and general plant preferences but the gist is the same. L. likes viburnum and holly but I like hydrangea and indian hawthorne.

Our new yard was incredibly, undeniably terrible. It's only .10 of an acre, sod laid down over concrete, full of weeds and on a busy corner. The house is unusually tall and narrow with two porches -essentially a box. The previous owner had lived there only a year and had done little to improve the soil or the curb appeal. When we looked at the house, I NEW exactly what to do to that yard to make it charming and cottagey. Unfortunately, we had a lot of other things that had to happen first. I hid my head in shame all through last summer and fall and winter. I amused myself by putting in a few annuals and some herbs to keep the cooking decent.

It is spring and the gloves are on! We are making my garden dreams reality and I am basically humming with green thumb energy. Our fence is built (see previous post ). Last weekend we put in 3 truckloads of mulch and planted 20 plants. Only 2 truckloads of mulch and 20 more plants to go and the garden will be started. I can see my vision beginning to take shape but it will be at least a year before other people will see the fruits of our work. Daisies and roses of all colors will peek over the fence, small trees will shade the side yard, herbs are already peeking around. I walk around my yard every morning and every night to see what's happened during the day. Yesterday I taught my son how to recognize the first violets of spring.

Our family land has been sold and will eventually become a hotel or a shopping center. My dad lives on 5 new acres only 15 minutes from my new house. When he comes to visit me (or his grandson more likely) we walk around my yard inspecting what's growing. He asks me what a certain plant is, where I got it or when I'm going to give him a peice of it. Last weekend I crowed to him on our early morning phone chat that my grandmother's iris was up and green in one of the big pots he babysat last summer. I could hear his chest puff out-he knows how important family trees (and shrubs and perennials) are.

Road Trip Day

2007-03-02T08:37:00.000-05:00

We're off to see the wizard! We're actually heading to PA to see our dearest, most wonderful friends today and my soul is singing. Not only does today feel like spring but I'm going to go on a road trip with my boys and see my little girl! We will eat some BBQ from Rub's along the way and watch some movies courtesy of K's christmas present-a zen media player. I'm also going to get to meet a fellow foodie that I've heard tons about and even emailed but have yet to meet face to face.

O frajous day! Callooh! Callay!

Full-Ton Cookies

2007-02-22T11:55:00.000-05:00

My boss's name is Fulton and he loves coconut and almonds. I started making these cookies in his honor about a year ago. The are really really good and can easily put a full ton on your hips if you eat to many. Like most sweets, they're better when shared. (In full disclosure, this recipe is almost entirely from The New Best Recipe cookbook put out by cook's illustrated. Since I can do this recipe in my sleep now, I feel as though it's mine!)

Ingredients (Oven should be preheated to 350F)
2 cups plus 2 TBL all purpose flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
1 1/2 sticks of warmed butter (not melted)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 T vanilla
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup almond slivers toasted
1 cup shredded coconut toasted

Mix the first 3 ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.
Cream the butter and sugars until blended.
Add the eggs and vanilla.
Then slowly add in the flour mix.
Once the flour mix is incorporated-fold in the chips, almonds and coconut.

Roll about 2 TBL into a ball of and then break the ball in half. Turn the halves ball side down, put them side by side and smush them together. DO NOT look away from your son while doing this or you will look back to find a round cheeked blond kid trying to pretend he has nothing in his mouth. Place on a greased cookie sheet or line a cookie sheet with parchement paper. Repeat. Bake for 15 minutes and then cool on a rack for 5 minutes. Eat warm.

Happy New Year!

2007-01-05T08:13:00.000-05:00

In the southern US, we celebrate the New Year by eating certain foods that will ensure good health and wealth in the coming year. The dishes vary slightly depending on the region and where a family originated from. Generally speaking, we eat some form of green, some form of bean, and some kind of pork. I have friends of German descent who eat pork sausage, sauerkraut and leave the beans out. In South Carolina, I hear they eat hoppin' John with collards and corn bread. A very typical version in Central NC (where I'm from) is hog jowls, collard greens and black-eyed peas. My family substituted a pork roast for the hog jowls but kept the black-eyes and collard greens.

You absolutely MUST eat some of each item. Greens for folding money or cash, beans for coins or change and pork for health. It was non-negotiable. Growing up, I remember dreading the New Year's meal. The problem for me was not the change (peas) or the health (pork)-it was the cash (greens). Everybody loves cash right? Sometimes cash is a little hard to swallow. See, my mom really didn't know how to cook greens and only made them once a year anyway. She managed to turn a side-dish into a torture implement by cooking them and cooking them until there was this slimy, unseasoned sludge in a pan. Miserable. I admit I was wary of cooked greens well into my adult life and substituted spinach salad or cabbage for my greens every New Year.

Ab0ut 6 years ago, I met a cooked green that changed my mind. K. and I were in Miami and wandered into an unmarked lunch buffet run by Argentineans or Brazilians-it's unclear their exact nationality. The only thing posted was the price and no one spoke any language that K. or I knew. It was probably the best buffet I've ever been to-loaded with rice and pork and beans. All fresh and tasty with spice combinations I hadn't experienced until then. The dish that kept me going back were these sautéed greens loaded with some kind of salted pork, spices, oil and a little twang of vinegar. I still don't know exactly what green they were-some kind of kale I think. From that day on, my affection for greens has grown to a minor obsession (I know, this just doesn't seem like me to be obsessed with one thing.....). Anyway, I will try almost any green now. I still meet the occasional collard that's been cooked beyond recognition and is not worth eating. But, I also meet garlicky chard that's warm and crunchy or traditional southern collards cooked as intended (which are also very good).

This year, we started the New Year's eating pork chops with apples and onions, Hopping John, and sautéed red chard. It was my first attempt at making Hopping John from scratch and I meant to use the recipe from the big yellow Gourmet cookbook (http://www.amazon.com/Gourmet-Cookbook-More-Than-Recipes/dp/0618374086/sr=8-1/qid=1168004555/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-0007210-3186346?ie=UTF8&s=books). But, I basically didn't read it fully and wound up making my own recipe. It turned out tasty anyway so I thought I'd share.

Just a note about authenticity, most Hoppin' John has the rice cooked in with the beans. The Gourmet Cookbook recipe called for cooking them separately so that's what I tried. I like the results but I still don't feel quite right calling it Hoppin' John.

Skippin' John:
4 cups of soaked Black Eyed Peas
2 smoked ham hocks (pork shanks)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper
8-10 cups of water

Basically, throw it all in a pot and let it simmer away for 2 hours or until the beans are soft. Go shopping and leave your husband to watch them-he might take a nap and forget to check the water level. You will come home to an *ALMOST* disaster that turns into the best tasting beans you've ever made. Serve over rice.

Nikos Taverna

2006-12-28T15:09:00.000-05:00

I would like to rave about the lovely things I've been making myself to eat lately. I would also like to tout my housekeeping skills and my perfectly coiffed hair. That just isn't what's happening around here lately though. I've been eating out-a lot. In fact, we've found a little gem we like so much that we've become regulars.

I'm a HUGE fan of Greek food. My first paid job was working for the Bakatsias family as a busperson/waitress in Burlington NC. Since most restaurants in Burlington are owned by Greeks and most teenagers can't make money except by waiting tables, I worked for Greeks for almost 10 years to support myself. In hindsight, I can't think of a better place to have a first job. The people I worked for were almost always first or second generation Americans and really instilled a strong work ethic in me. They were also incredibly tolerant of young people but especially when those young people are interested in their culture. I had several sets of self assigned Greek grandparents who introduced me to a language that wasn't English and food that wasn't American: Spanikopita, Gyros, Souvlakia, all kinds of seafood, spinach....sigh.

Nikos Taverna opened about two months ago just down the street from my office in Morrisville as a sister restaurant to Taverna Nikos in Durham (http://www.northcarolinatravels.com/durham/photo-album/durham-taverna-nikos_jpg_view.htm). I am always suspicious of 'authentic' ethnic food in Americanized restaurants so I didn't jump on the bandwagon right away. For some reason, I am usually very disappointed with most Greek restaurants-probably because my expectations were set by some excellent home cooks and I keep hoping I'll recreate that first taste of spanikopita-probably a regional recipe that I will never get again. One night providence intervened while we were on our way home when E. HAD to go to the bathroom RIGHT NOW! So, we landed at Nikos Taverna starving and in need of sustenance (and a bathroom).

When you walk in Nikos Taverna, the bar greets you with sleek black lines and reddish walls. There's a shiny espresso machine on the right side and a full line-up of wines and spirits twinkling along the back. The main dining room is an open creamy yellow backed by the kitchen where you hear what's happening but you can't see it. The atmosphere is a comfy mix of elegant white tables with kitchsy murals of the sunny shores in the background.

Nikos Taverna has never done me wrong. And I mean never. The owners know their food and their customers and are ready for them. We've eaten almost everything on the menu at least once and there are some things that aren't my favorite, but they sure aren't bad either. For starters, there is a perfect wine list. You can get a really nice glass of Greek wine or a bottle of a California cab. Our favorite thing to get is an appetizer platter. We usually pick the light, crispy Calamari (Kalamarakia), the grilled sausage and roasted lemon potatoes, tsatsiki sauce, salmon roe dip, horiatiki (greek salad), and eggplant metzalata. Once, we accidentally subbed in an octopus braised in red wine (yummy but a little too graphic for me everyday). The spanikopita is good but not my favorite and the braised spinach recommended by a waitress one time was also good but is not in my top ten.

For a main course, I love the Kokkonisto (braised lamb shank) that tastes as good as my own. Actually, anything with the word 'lamb' in the description will be stellar here-we've had chops, a tenderloin cut and kabobs-all were great. I've had the bouillabase-a heady mix of tomatoe-y broth with 5 kinds of seafood swimming. I like the souvlakia and my son swears by the 'pizza' (pita bread with some feta and sesame seeds broiled on top). All of the seafood is fresh and perfectly treated. Portions are gigantic unless you can beg convincingly for smaller ones you will need a box for anything you order.

Finally, they have the absolute best chocolate pudding. It's homemade with heavy cream and dark chocolate. Topped with real whipped cream. Our table always splits one for dessert but doesn't always manage to finish it. Ok, maybe not the most authentic Greek dessert but it is absolutely perfect.

Now, I've taken some friends to Nikos Taverna and they don't love it as much as me. Is it the 'Ti can ez?' (how are you?) that gets me at the door or is it the authentic taste of the food that reminds me of my formative years? All I know is my whole family loves this place and we keep going back for more! Efkaristo poli! Kali nichta! (Thank you very much! Good night!)

Fence

2006-11-30T10:58:00.000-05:00

I know this post is usually food centric. However, we've been working on a fence around our house lately. Once the fence is in, I'll be able to work on landscaping. Which relates to food because I can't plant winter greens or herbs (in the ground) until I can landscape my yard.

Here's a picture of the work in progress. I'll post more as it gets finished. You can't actually see my house-sorry about that. But, you can see the lovely scallops created by the jigsaw on the front of the fence. The side is scalloped now too but I don't have a picture of it.

Harissa

2006-11-06T16:56:00.000-05:00

I admit it-I'm in a rut. There have been so many changes in my life this past few months that I am unconciously stuck cooking the same meals or main ingredients, week after week. Lamb stewed in wine sauce with tomatoes and mashed potatoes-3 times in the past 3 months. Lentils with sweet sausage-twice in 6 weeks. Green beans with lemons or with tomatoes-innumerable renderings. Pasta in all it's varied forms shows up at least twice per week-with anchovies and parsley, lots of cheese, or just olive oil with garlic .

Now, I know I've spoken before about my ability to obsess over one, single, tantalizing ingredient. But, apparently I also have the ability to aggregate those ingredients and stay around a central theme. For months the theme at Sucar's house has been mediterranean-olives, eggplant, lentils, lamb, anchovies, and of course, tomatoes. I throw in some potatoes or pasta for comfort and sweeten life with apples, figs, or wine. The truth of the matter is that there are several key meals that have been floating around for ages and I just rotate them around.

Since the insanity is evacuating our house (temporarily I assure you) I've recently realized the error of my ways and reached out to my spouse for help. Like all true lovers of compulsion, I find it difficult to stop once I start the rut. K. and I discovered something new about our relationship. I actually like cooking with him in the kitchen. Especially if he helps pick out the menu. K. flipped through my cookbooks and chose Harissa as the destination for dinner. (OK it's still Mediterranean, it's not Sucar's standard version of Mediterranean. )

Harissa is a hot chili paste from North Africa that is used to flavor meats, fish, couscous-it's a lot like a Tunisian ketchup or salsa. Put it on anything and you'll get a kick. Sweet and savory and hot at the end. We have a little jar in the fridge now for tasting.

Harissa
Mortar this together or use a food processor/spice grinder:
8 cloves of garlic
2 oz. paprika
2 oz. red pepper
1 Tbsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp black pepper
2 Tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp coriander

Then, add in about 1/4 cup olive oil. Should make a sludge that smells like an exotic destination. We fiddled with the ingredients a little until it smelled like our dreams so feel free to substitute. What you want is heat combined with a little sweet and a little salt.

You can use as a rub or just add in to dishes. Will keep in the fridge if covered with olive oil for up to 3 weeks!

Elmo's and Daniels

2006-10-19T15:21:00.000-05:00

Last week started off like a marathon in a bad dream. After the Apex evacuation and disaster, we were understandably shell-shocked. In spite of our exhaustion (or because of it) we did manage to eat at several fabulous restaurants. Two of our sampling have become solid favorites.

One is a called Elmo’s(http://www.elmosdiner.com/). It's a little diner with at least two different locations-one in Durham and the other in Carrboro (http://www.elmosdiner.com/). Breakfast is abundant, creative, cheap and served all day. I had southwest grits –green hot peppers, cheese, tomatoes served with scrambled eggs and sourdough toast with real orange marmalade. I've also tried the lunch food (it is a diner after all) but I keep going back to the breakfast. Sometimes on the weekends they have pumpkin pancakes as a special. If you miss those, don't worry- they always have 4 different kinds of pancake available on the main menu.

The other new favorite is called Daniels (http://www.danielson55.net/). Daniels does very little advertising and the building is un-prepossessing. I've driven by it for years without even a second though. But, the Raleigh food critic loves them AND they got a wine spectator award every year for the past 10 years. I thought it might be worth trying out since it’s only about 3 miles from home. If nothing else, it could be a nice take-out joint.

It was so, so good.

Great wine list-very easy to get a fabulous glass of wine for $5. We went with my brother and Sister in Law so we actually got a really even sampling of the menu. Here’s what we ordered:

Salads
1 blue cheese/pear/grape salad with pecans
1cranberry/pecan salad
2 house salads

I love a restaurant that serves a great salad. These salads are $5 each, loaded with cheese, pecans and hidden yummies. Served with homemade dressing. Off to a great start.

Main Courses
Toddler-cheese pizza
K.-spaghetti carbonara
Sucar-penne alla norma (if you know what Penne alla norma is already forgive me. For the rest of us who didn't- it’s capers, olives, tomatoes, red peppers and eggplant. Obviously an oversight in my obsession with eggplant that needed to be rectified.)
Brother-chicken marsala
SIL-cheese tortellini in alfredo with chicken

Brother took his first bite and said “This is hands down the best chicken marsala I’ve ever had in my life”. They give huge portions but he stuffed all of it in (except for the one bite he gave me). It really was the best I’ve ever tried. K’s carbonara tasted perfect-like a heart attack waiting to happen. My penne was very, very good-summer topped with shaved feta and fresh basil. We didn’t have room for dessert but they are supposed to be even better than the food.

UPDATE: We've been back since the original post and I can add a few pointers, addendums, etc. The atmosphere is slightly zoo-like for the early diners. But, if you have a small child and don't mind the zoo, you will fit in nicely. The wait is shorter when you go early (or late) and you can actually find a spot to park.

The standard Italian-American fare is what Daniel's really excels at. The recipes that you associate with the Italian joint down the block-marsala, red sauce, vodka sauce, pizza. Anything with Daniel's pink sauce will be rich and worth it. The sausage with spinach and white beans is lovely and seasonally appropriate. Daniels sometimes stumbles a bit when they start getting creative. Don't get me wrong-the chef's specials are still solid food worth eating-but I'm not as impressed with them as I am with the perfect piccata or marsala. I won't be trying a special again until I've worked my way through the whole rest of the menu!

Peak City-Part II

2006-09-20T11:25:00.000-05:00

Sucar is a sucker. My family and I visited Peak City Grille again this weekend. It's just soooo close and so cute.

Initially, I was excited because they've revamped their menu. It was Sunday and therefore Prime Rib night. K. wanted a steak so he ordered the Prime Rib. I ordered the pistachio crusted lamb chops. They were sold out. Oh well. Ok then, I'll take the wild salmon with wine reduction, roasted potatoes and asparagus.

For wine, K. chose a glass of Estancia meritage(http://www.wineaccess.com/store/totalwine-cary/ecommerce/product.html?product_id=10678475). I chose GundlachBundschu Cabernet(http://www.wineaccess.com/store/totalwine-cary/ecommerce/product.html?product_id=10705940). Both are nice wines to sip and drink. Looking good so far.

Salads were solid. K. had the blue cheese iceberg wedge. The blue cheese dressing had the best qualities of homemade-creamy and crumbly at once. I had an organic mixed green salad with craisins, pecans and goat cheese. Tasty except for the shreds of ice-berg lettuce filling in where the spinach should have been. Oh, E. coli! What are you doing to my favorite salad green?

The main courses were less than thrilling. K's prime rib was tough and chewy. I was reminded of cow-a ruminant chewing my cud will I gnawed through my sample. My salmon was okay but too elaborate. The salmon flavor was being buried and I couldn't help but wonder if the disguise was intentional. We complained about the chewiness and received a dessert compliments of the house. It was a grainy blueberry-peach cobbler. Unfortunately, the best part about dessert was the ice cream-not homemade but high end store-bought.

The service this time was fantastic. Thoughtful and attentive without being annoying. So, at least that was up. If only the food could match the wine and the service and they could get it consistent! See, this is why I keep going back. Glimmers of hope....and laziness.

Anyway-I'm on a mission to find new restaurants in my town. Wish me luck!

Lecho

2006-09-08T09:51:00.000-05:00

My husband recently met his biological father for the the first time. In fact, we ALL met his biological father because he came for the Labor Day weekend. So, we were all the participants in an interesting experiment in nature vs. nurture. You can see K's muddled ramblings about this weekend by going to http://randomvery-random.blogspot.com. K's father is Slovakian by birth and lives in Costa Rica (and Canada). He's a very interesting guy and subscribes to strong and unusual(?at least to me?) opinions. For example, he firmly believes we should get a goat and milk it daily for personal use. I'm pretty sure there's a covenant in our home owner's association agreement regarding farm animals. He also believes that women and children are best when seen but not heard. What could they possibly say that would contribute? *Sigh*. Needless to say, it was a very long weekend. While he and K. bonded over gadgets and software, I tried to keep an open mind regarding different cultures and said many, many prayers of thanks for being born an American woman.

One thing we could find some common ground on was the need for good, sustaining home cooking. My father-in-law cooked for us all weekend. He made a huge pork roast studded with garlic and red peppers and BACON! Homemade steamed bread called knedlo or knedlic. Purple cabbage. A polenta pancake thing for breakfast. And a pepper stew called lecho. Since I was relagated to the sidelines I couldn't capture the details of most of the recipes. My husband was the sous-chef of choice and it gave them both a task and provided a bonding experience. However, since my husband almost never cooks and did not take notes, most of these recipes will be hard to duplicate.

In the hopes of retaining some of this weekend's culture shock, I went looking for Slovak recipes for the items I could remember. In particular, I wanted to find a recipe for Lecho since that seemed the easiest (and most useful to a modern lifestyle). Lecho is a stew of peppers and spices and sometimes pork. I quickly discovered that Lecho, much like Minestrone, has a thousand variations. My father-in-law's version has an egg added at the end. While I think I would prefer the stew without the addition of the egg, I wanted a recipe that reflected what he'd done to post. There are hundreds of slovak websites in English. It look like every major American (an Canadian) city has a group of Czech or Slovak folks who all post recipes. These recipes are a treasure trove of information but don't always have enough information for me to use with my limited knowledge of the culture. Finally, I found one that's similar and adapted it to reflect my father-in-law's. I'm trying to post a picture of my father-in-law and husband just for a side item-but the upload keeps breaking. Maybe that will come later.

Lecho Lysy (Lesco Lysyva)

1Tbsp olive oil
2 Lbs red peppers sliced
1 Lb ripe tomatoes chopped
1 onion chopped
3/4 Lb smoked sausage (mennonite farmer's preferred but keilbasa will do)
2 Tbs paprika
1 Tbsp cayenne or to taste (I like things hot)
1 egg-beaten (optional)

In a large saucepan, pour olive oil and add chopped onion. Cook till the onions are soft then sprinkle with paprika and cayenne. Add the peppers and the tomatoes and cook for 20-30 minutes. Add the sliced sausage and cook 10 minutes more. Add to the pot while stirring until the eggs are cooked. Serve hot with good rye bread and butter.

Kneading

2006-08-28T08:28:00.000-05:00

Another food blogger recently asked-How do you know you are a foodie? I posted a comment back and then read a lot of the other comments. And then I thought about it some more. I really have no interest in snobbery or high class food. I am obsessed with fresh ingredients and the bounty of nature. I achieve another state of happiness when my friends or family share a meal around a table. I know I am a foodie because food (and the preparation of food) punctuates my life.

Food punctuates everyone's life right? Of course it does-the distinction is the motivation that leads to the cooking of the food. Everyone eats. Most eat several times a day. Some prepare their meals, some buy them. Some eat alone, some eat communally. I spend my minutes mentally preparing occasions for my loved ones. And, I would like to highlight the fact that-I am not, nor do I wish to become, a dexterous or flamboyant cook. It is most unlikely that any dish requiring twelve separate steps will ever be completed in my kitchen. I experiment with new recipes and techniques-but not for the complication of it or the rarity of the ingredient. I am after the experience of providing a filling, soul-healing meal to someone else or to myself. Which is my way of saying that cooking is one of my ways of dealing with life stressors. When the going gets complicated or I'm trying to delve into the depths of my twisted brain, I can usually be found in the kitchen.

The workings of your mind can be so convoluted. Here's what I made on a recent Sunday. Keep in mind that everything is from scratch-well, except the beans in the Minestrone-those were canned.

In order of appearance:
A pot of coffee
A pan of scrambled eggs with cheese
toast
Minestrone
Roast Chicken stuffed with lemons and herbs
Mashed Potatoes
Foccacia with roasted tomatoes
French bread
Ratatouille
Green Beans (also with lemons)
Chocolate chip cookies

The best part is, I didn't realize anything was bothering me until AFTER I'd spent the entire day in the kitchen. You see, I'm very in tune with my inner thought processes, extremely in tune, a paragon of happiness. Errr....right. Well, it was worth a try. You might wonder what is so unusual about spending the day in the kitchen? Well, nothing. Except I hadn't intended to make any of it the night before. No one was coming for dinner and I didn't actually plan the next item to be cooked. Rather, I finished with one thing and then thought "What next?". Very inefficient use of kitchen time. Did I mention that I also made everything in massive quantities and didn't have to cook for a week?

So, what was bothering me? I'm still not sure but I think there are some changes coming in my life. I recently moved (big change) and we're considering expanding the family. My husband started a new job, several of my coworkers have resigned-including someone I was very close with. I also don't have a garden in my new house (yet) and some of this energy would have normally been spent weeding or mucking about in the garden. Mostly, I think I'm reassessing things and trying to plot my course for the next few months. Until I figure it out, I'll probably have more thanksgiving-like feasts.

So, I know that I am a foodie because most of my solutions to life's problems involve food-chicken soup, kneading bread, sipping wine or clean green tea. I wonder if there's a clinical name for me?

Mac and Rind

2006-08-23T11:14:00.000-05:00

This title is not nearly as catchy as the standard Mac n Cheese or even Macaroni and Cheese. But it is my preferred method of preparation. If you are related to me, you might recognize this as a southern slur of two of my son's favorite cousins. :)

My son is very clear on his likes and dislikes. Cousins-like. Hot dogs-dislike. Mac n Cheese-top of the list. He adores any combination of pasta and cheese. Any. From powdered box version to homemade with eggs. He thinks of it as a separate food group to be savored and explored. Sometimes, he's so much like me it's scary.

Now discipline is good. It has its place and should be enforced. No eating cookies as you walk around the living room. Vegetables are very important. No, you cannot eat fruit chews for a meal. However, there are some days when a mommy should honor her loved one's cravings and make the foods they love (preferrably in a manner the grownups will love too).

A few Sundays ago, I was digging around in my fridge for a suitable lunch and found I had several peices of very smelly cheese. No cheese nub was large enough to justify an entire dish and the variety wasn't enough for a cheese plate. What to do? Just look over at the blue-eyed towhead and you will see the directional gleam in his eye. I ended up making a massive, artery choking version of macaroni and cheese that I thought I'd share. You can fiddle all you want with the cheese types-just remember that it MUST be very gooey and cheesey or it will taste like a poor substitue for the real thing.

I must point at right here and now that this is more of a guideline, less of a recipe. You will notice that the cheese categories are mine and not classic. I think I even threw in a slice of American pseudo-cheese for this recipe along with 3 (yes 3) different kinds of blue cheese. The point is, if you love cheese then this will be like heaven for whatever kind of cheese you love. It works best for me if I have several different types of cheese whose flavors layer each other.

Ingredients:

4 TBSP butter
8 oz. assorted smelly srumbly cheese like-parmesan, blue, meunster, emmenthal, really sharp cheddar
8 oz. assorted creamy cheese like chevre, mozzarella, gouda, monterey jack
1/4 cup whole milk or half and half
2 TBSP whole grain mustard

1 LB pasta cooked and drained but not rinsed

I just put all the dairy products into a pan on med low heat and stir until two things happen.
1. The ingredients have melded into something resembling a sauce and
2. There's a quantity large enough to cover my noodles.

Once those things happen, I put the noodles in a casserole dish, cover with sauce and a splash of cheese (yes, more cheese) and then cook at 350 F for a while (approx. 30 minutes) until it looks melded. Serve with something green and full of fiber to counteract the effects.

Blue Horizon

2006-08-22T08:23:00.000-05:00

I mentioned in my last entry that I've been going to the Raleigh Farmer's Market for produce. The produce is very good but my will power is limited. I usually end up buying much more than my little family can consume in a week EVEN if I bring a long and explicit list. I just get seduced bythe figs (and the nectarines and the flowers and the specialty cheese).

I'm also interested in local produce and seasonal eating. Lindy at Toast gets a farm box every week and uses that to determine what she will eat. I'm intrigued at the idea of having my groceries predetermined for me by the weather and availability. Otherwise stated-I do not feel complete unless I have put a challenge in place to adapt to.

So, I looked around to try and find a farm locally that I could purchase vegetables from. Blue Horizon farm in Pittsboro has a nice website http://www.bluehorizonfarm.com/ that lists available farm goods and allows you to plan your purchase. Even better, they sometimes have items not listed and are amenable to trying to find an odd eggplant or two for you. I can't meet them at any of their scheduled drop off times or locations so they were also nice enough to let me pick up from their farm. I purchased some yellow cherry tomatoes, some slicing tomatoes, 3 long eggplants, a bunch of beet greens, a bouquet of cut flowers, 2 red peppers, and a dozen eggs. Tammy and Dave were super nice-they drew me a map of a shortcut to Fearrington Village from their house and I managed to make it there (sort of).

All in all, the experience was extremely positive. The only downside is my distance from them (about 35 minutes). Their farm is not near my house but is on the way to my Grandma's so I will stop by when I can. I mean, just look at those lovely eggs? Suddenly Martha's obsession with the color of eggs doesn't seem so odd. I spent my first groggy minutes Sunday morning admiring them in their crate and then on the plate above. And then I smashed them into bits to make some tasty scrambled eggs for the toddler. Yum!

Debauchery

2006-08-16T08:11:00.000-05:00

The blog has been silent for a while. Mostly because I've been way too busy to type. I compose in my head but that doesn't get on paper. Two weeks ago my very good friends from PA came to visit. We were hounding them to see our house and mostly just wishing we could see them. They made it down in time for Sunday supper and Monday and Tuesday proved to be a much needed sojourn from reality. The big boys golfed, the kiddies went to the 'castle park' off Kelly Road (http://www.apexchamber.com/info/parksandrec.htm) with me and ec. We had a few minor incidents-my son face planted at the park (notice the puffy honker in picture at left) and several of us ended the two days with mild hangovers. Mostly we just hung out and chatted. The only downside was when we had to send them off!

I did manage to show ec my favorite bakery La Farm (we were in sore need of chocolate chip cookies after the park face plant. We ate lunch at Allen and Sons BBQ and dinner at Tyler's Taproom. But we didn't really explore much new restaurant territory. I had intentions of taking ec to visit some new restaurants that were recommended by the local food critic but I was too enticed by the contents of my own cabinets. I had gone bonkers at the farmers market on Saturday so there was an abundance of veggies. Since I am currently obsessed with eggplant (I make a version of ratatouille almost every week), we decided to make an eggplant recipe for supper one night. Nigella Lawson gives 2 recipes for Eggplant Involtini in 2 separate books (How to Eat and Feast). That reinforces my belief that recipes are more guidelines than rules. Here's how I do it.

Preheat oven to 375 F

Ingredients:
2-3 large eggplant
(or 4-5 large zucchini)
sliced lengthwise about 1/4 inch thick
olive oil for basting
1/2 cup golden raisins soaked for 10 minutes in warm water, then drain
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup crumbled feta
1/2 cup mozzarella chopped fine or shredded
1/4 cup parmesan grated (only if you have nice parm. Otherwise, omit)
2 TBSP breadcrumbs
2 cloves garlic minced
1 TBSP parsley
1 TBSP oregano
1 egg
3 cups of tomato puree (3-4 large tomatoes in a food processor or 2 cans diced tomatoes)
1 cup mozzarella chopped

Brush the eggplant slices with olive oil and grill until floppy.
Mix the other ingredients in a bowl.
Roll the eggplant slices around about 2 TBSP of filling until you have a chubby cigar. The eggplant should roll over itself several times. Do this until you are out of eggplant slices. Then take the leftover filling and squish it anywhere that looks bare. Poor tomatoe puree over top and then mozarella. Put in oven for about 40 minutes-until everything is oozing together and the mozarella on top has browned.

To Market

2006-07-31T10:44:00.000-05:00

Julie from A Finger in Every Pie had a deep, thought provoking post about grocery stores, local food, and consumer tradeoffs when it comes to purchasing. It's really very good and if you want to read it yourself-here's the link: http://fingerineverypie.typepad.com/my_weblog/2006/07/resistance.html

Personally, I relish a little wrestling with my own conscience (works up an appetite). I did manage to absorb her points and I would like to expand on what she says in a way that will sound very spoiled. To soften the blow, I would like to preface the post with Thank God I have a choice in anything-much less where I eat, what I eat, and who I buy from. I am privileged beyond reason just to be alive and live where I live.

Now-on to the elitist snobbery:

For five years we lived in a small town-close to everything but not really anywhere on it's own. When we first moved there, it was nigh impossible to get any produce that wasn't cardboard. Tomatoes bought in the summertime were shipped from Canada. Why would southerners prefer tomatoes shipped from Canada? I mean no ill-will to Canadians and appreciate the exchange rate when necessary. However, a tomato that can be shipped from anywhere is unrelated to a tomato that that tastes like the sun. So produce was difficult to source but you could always grow it yourself. Sorry, I'm digressing rapidly into a discussion of produce quality.

Want specialty meats or breads? Ethnic ingredients? Wine? Organic? How about just unprocessed? Forget it. Out of necessity (my definition), I began shopping at multiple grocery stores. My weekly shopping grew into an all out planned assault. I would shop locally for as much as possible-staples, household supplies, canned and frozen veggies. Then, I would drive 40 minutes to a wholesale warehouse for diapers, meat, snacks. On the way home, I would spend the best part of the day at a specialty market. Or two.

Our small town grew while we were there and the shopping got better. The ethnic foods in particular increased by a hundredfold-especially things with Latin flare. It is now possible to find jalepenos and organic milk in the most upscale grocery store in town. Now that I've moved, my local grocery store stocks most items-including organic, ethnic, specialty, and reasonably decent produce. However, I realized while reading Julie's post that I still visit a minimum of 3 food markets a week. Hmmmm......

I am also reading Jamie's Kitchen: A Cooking Course for Everyone (http://www.jamieoliver.com/). The opening chapter is about how to shop. He recommends telling the vendor when the display is just not up to par.

All of these influences led to a convergence in my brain. Why don't you see reviews on markets or grocery stores? It's not that much different than a restaurant. For me it's probably more important than restaurant reviews. I might visit a restaurant once a week. A new restaurant-once a month max. But imagine if a foody recommended a grocery store to you. Told you all the highlights (and lowlights). Part of shopping is the experience, the possibilities, and ultimately the choice. You might see a grocery post soon!

Peak City

2006-07-25T17:18:00.000-05:00

I sent this review to my good friend ec in April. It was my birthday, the first time we'd visited peak city, and I was 3 weeks into a prolonged, extended move. So, here's my initial reaction to Peak City Grill(http://www.thepeakcitygrill.com/) in Apex:

When you enter peak city grill, you are greeted by the standard college coed in black-on-black ensemble. Cheery smiles with a hint of intelligent sarcasm give a glimmer of the meal to come. Ella or Frank is blaring, but somehow you can still carry on lively conversation with your immediate table. Maybe the high ceilings or the brick walls contribute but the room is busy, lively-but you cannot hear the table next to you.

There are long, red painted benches instead of upholstered booths. There is gleaming white china with full 5 course silver laid out perfectly on black tablecloths. The service is prompt, knowledgeable, and welcoming. The food-well- the food is almost perfect.

For starters, we had confetti bruschetta. Slivers of toast slathered with goat cheese. Red and yellow grape tomatoes, onions, and garlic heaped on top with balsamic vinegar drizzled over the top.

K. got a salad with arugula, strawberries, pralines, goat cheese and a strawberry cream vinaigrette. It tasted like the perfection that only strawberries in season can be.

For entrees there was a pork loin wrapped in bacon atop a polenta cake with lobster and guyere. The outside was crisp, the center creamy. Served like a sandwich-wilted spinach smushed between a crisp polenta cake and a slab of pork. There was also a sirloin with a portabella rub and a tomato basil sauce for dipping.

For the toddler, there was a creamy orichetti with a crunchy bread crumb top.

And the wine! There is a whole page of wines by the glass-for red wines. And another for white. Your glass is not small either. You will be toast if you drink more than 2 of Peak City's glasses of wine.

I gave it 3.5 stars. I recommended it to friends. I sang with glee about the local talent in my new home town.

I have to eat my words. I was wrong. It was an anomaly. We have since been back to this restaurant 7 times. Each time there is a item we eat that shows promise and keeps the hope alive that one day I can resume my love affair with this restaurant. But each time we visit, my well of enthusiasm decreases. Forgive my fatalism, but after last week's visit, I've reached an all time low.

What could have happened? I'll tell you. In detail-at least until I'm too sad about it to go on and must resort to eating ice cream in my pajamas on the couch.

The wait staff is less concerned with serving and more focused on fraternizing-with each other. While the wine list is still extensive and generous, you have no idea whether you actually got the wine you ordered because the wait staff forgets as soon as they place the order at the bar. There are times when there aren't enough waiters to serve you effectively. There are also times when the hostesses take 5 minutes to decide where, exactly to seat you-in an empty restaurant. Management issues and training glitches are not insurmountable obstacles. It's possible even that my experiences are flukes or a temporary (yet prolonged) strike of experienced staff. Some nights, the wait staff gathers in the bar and snuggles while they wait on orders to come up. Another night, they talk loudly about where to go 'party' after work. At any rate, poor service is easily rectified if by better management.

So let's move on to the food.

Every time we go to Peak City (excepting the first) half our menu selections have been under-performers. Now, you could say-"You pessimist! Half your food was fabulous!" And you'd be right. That's why I keep going back. I can honestly say I've had the strawberry arugula salad at it's Peak-and I've had the cardboard version. I've had the confetti bruschetta sing in my mouth-and last week, I had stale bread slathered with goat cheese and tomatoes with brown seeds. I would have returned it to the kitchen but my waitress only came back to my table once-with the check. My overall point is, when we eat at this restaurant, we have to order double the amount of food we really want because half of it will not live up to it's potential.

I know, I know-how will they improve if I don't complain. I'm not sure they care to. Peak City has the capability to be great-but they seem to be content with being underachievers. I reduce my rating to 2 stars with a heavy warning to expect that you will be dining at a chain restaurant-not a local bistro. Who knows! You may be surprised!

Refresh

2006-07-23T12:17:00.000-05:00

We've recently moved into a new neighborhood (which would take several posts to highlight properly). The point of the mention is to bring up that we don't know our neighbors. At all. Now, our house is chock full of extremely gregarious people. Even our dog is uber friendly. While we have met a few neighbors, we just weren't satisfied with the scope of knowledge. Not being very passive people by nature (actually, we're all pretty scary if you're shy or at all introspective),we decided to throw a party. Invites went into mailboxes up and down our street for cocktails and snacks from 3-6 on Saturday.

Several fantastic neighbors called with regrets. One couple stopped by with regrets (and brownies!) But, there were still several neighbors unaccounted for. Were we having a party or just going to have cocktail hour alone? We weren't sure so-we expanded the invite to include friends, coworkers, real estate agent, etc.

In the end, we only ended up with about 15 people coming over but what a lively bunch! I met a few neighbors plus my husband's new boss and wife. There were a passel of kids upstairs. The house was ringing with laughter and that is the point.

Of course, I made enough food so that no one would be hungry if the entire neighborhood showed up. It is my pseudo-religious belief that tables are not fully utilized unless the boards are groaning under massive weight of the food. The upside of this belief system is that I can have my pick of leftovers for several days. I have big plans for the coming week for the pulled chicken and crab empandas waiting anxiously in the fridge for me to decide their fate.

The other nice thing about having people over, is I can make something that I've never tried before. If I don't like it, other people will either dilute the amount leftover or convince me to try it again. Yesterday, I made a Jicama/Cantaloupe salad that is so tantalizing, I thought I'd share the recipe. My version is based on the one from Cocina De La Familia by Marilyn Tausend with Miguel Ravago (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0684818183/ref=sr_11_1/002-6856473-3251234?ie=UTF8). Their cookbook was given to me years ago by my lovely friend ec and i have yet to be disappointed with a thing in it. Here's my version:

1/2 jicama fruit peeled and cut into slivers
1/3 cup orange juice
1/2 cantaloupe seeded and cubed
1 large tomatoe diced (or 2 small)
2-3 oranges-peeled, segmented, diced
2 green onions-sliced fine with some green parts
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp dried red chile
dash of kosher salt

Basically, you chop and dice everything and through it together. Do the jicama first since it's difficult to destruct-at least the first time you meet a jicama. Toss it with the orange juice and let it sit while you chop the rest. The result is a colorful blend of sweet and spicy.

Sugar

2006-07-18T15:03:00.000-05:00

Sugar. The sweet life.

What does a perfect day look like? I had one on Sunday. Here's the playlist:

Step 1: Leave husband and child at home while you meet a dear friend for breakfast. Preferrably at a hip coffee spot in a charming neighborhood. Shawntel suggested The Third Place Coffehouse and then she treated me unexpectedly to breakfast (thanks Shawntel!). A chocolate croissant never tasted so good.

Step 2: Go to church. I know this doesn't necessarily sound like part of a relaxing day but in my case it is. My friend Jen recently introduced me to her church and I'm hooked. The music is glorius, the atmosphere is positive and members wear whatever appeals to them. If you're interested, it's the Unity Triangle Church onWhitaker Mill Road-(http://www.unitytriangle.org/index.html). This Sunday's service was bookended by the musical talents Crazies for Jesus. They didn't seem that crazy to me-but their music made me feel as though I were in New Orleans or the Carribean.

Step 3: All that meditation, power of positive prayer, and singing makes a girl hungry! So, I called home to see if there were lunch orders. (There were not-my lovely husband could really care less what he eats. Sigh.) So, I went where my obsession takes me. Currently, that is to a french bakery off of Cary Parkway called La Farm (http://www.lafarmbakery.com/). I picked up a mushroom/guyere stuffed baguette, some herbed garlic cheese spread, and a loaf of ciabatta for comfort.

Step 4: Reading material was running low so I swung by the Apex Library. I am still so amazed by the wake county libraries. At my old home, a trip to the library was a scavenger hunt through shelves of disorder. Let me give you an example. Let's say, you're looking for book by a popular author with the last name Perry. You would need to walk the entire aisle where the 'P' books are located. Look on both sides carefully. The Perry books would be interwoven with the Pearsons, Pattersons, and even Richards. You might assume that your book is just not in so you stroll over to the non-fiction aisles looking for a good cookbook. There, wedged between 'How to grill anything' and 'Eastern Birding Handbook' you would find your book by Perry. Now, i just walk right into Eva Perry's Library and pick up exactly what I intended and am out in 5 minutes.

Step 5: Go home to be greeted by your lovely family. Eat lunch together (see step 4). Open a bottle of wine and then put the monster masquerading as your son to bed for a siesta. Read and sip in the brief respite.

Step 6: After the nap monster has been placated, take the little cherub outside to play in the wading pool. He splashes and plays and cackles. For hours. While you sit in your adirondack chairs, sip wine, and wave to your neighbors.

Perfection.