Mac 'n Cheese

You know that age-old, slightly morose question... What would your last meal be?  I've never had a problem answering that, no matter what new and amazing foods I eat and no matter where I may travel, I will always go back to this none-to-classy... Mac 'n Cheese, PLEASE!!!
The surprising element to this is that I NEVER make it for myself.  I'm perfectly happy with a few choice frozen "entrees".  (Amy's is good and Trader Joes' is AMAZING).  It's all too easy to pop in the oven and sit back wait for the oozing gooey cheesy one million calorie mess of deliciousness.  (Served with an enormous side of sauteed kale some how makes me feel healthy and almost guilt-free.)

HAPPY BDAY, NK!

In celebration of my husband's birthday, I made - per his request - angel food cake with chocolate frosting.  He told me his grandmother used to make it for him, Awwww!  Since I wasn't there to ever taste his nana's cake, I can pretty much say with certainty, her cake was better - it always is - however, this came out just fine.  (Maybe it's me, I'm not a lover of angel food cake to begin with, oh the things we do for love...) Anyway, the chocolate frosting is every bit as good as you'd expect with butter as the main ingredient, it's a stand-up frosting recipe to keep on file.

I usually only feature food on this site which reflects my personal eating and cooking style, that being, local, seasonal and organic.  The only way that this cake fits into that type of classification is that it is seasonal in so far as it is a birthday cake and we celebrated a birthday. (OK, the ingredients were all organic, too).  Other than that, this one is the anomaly for this blog and I am posting it with love and the fact that we all deserve a little b-day cake every now and then!

Zucchini Ricotta Galette

If you have never made a galette before, you need to listen up...  It is a simple, rustic and wonderful free-form pastry shell, ready to be filled with either sweet or savory ingredients, infiltrating your kitchen with that homey smell of baking pie crusts, mmm butter...  I made this often while I was in culinary school, and somehow, I lost touch with what is now, my new (old) love.  I was reminded of this old friend while checking out one of my favorite food blogs, Smitten Kitchen, and once I laid my eyes on Deb's zucchini galette, I was already grabbing my keys to head to the market.  Think of this as a rustic puff pastry/pie crust ready to be filled with fresh, seasonal ingredients.  (Oh, and cheese, lots of cheese!).

Since zucchini is well into their season, and usually in super-abundance, (and especially if you are growing your own and can't figure out a new way to use them), here you go...  Ricotta and Parmesan lay down the creamy, tangy, simply luxurious foundation.  Play around with your fillings, once you make your first galette, you will start to roll countless ideas around in your foodie imagination.  My advise, go forth with wild abandon!

Keep in mind, you are making a pastry dough, so all ingredients need to be cold, cold, cold and handled to a bare minimum for a flaky crust.

Strawberry Semifreddo

Delicious, red, ripe strawberries are all over the markets now and boy are they good!  Sweet, juicy and sold on the side of any country road, they are the true sign that summer has arrived.  If you find yourself with a few pints of sun-ripened strawberries, give this a shot for your next large group get together, (July 4th BBQ, anyone??).

White Onion Soup

I am in an eternal search for elegant, yet simple and seasonal meals.  Quality ingredients and minimal steps guide me to recipes just like this.  One of my favorite cookbooks, Living and Eating by John Pawson and Annie Bell, is loaded with this exact mantra.  Every recipe I have tried has proven itself to be something worth repeating over and over and over.

Hot Buttered Cherries with Vanilla Ice Cream

I love everything about the title of this post.  "HOT, BUTTERED CHERRIES... VANILLA ICE CREAM", is that not an amazing group of words? I made this last night, right around midnight.  Nothing better than a late night dessert shared with friends over an intense game of UNO.  With cherries at the peak of the season, there is no reason why you shouldn't make this right NOW!  Deliciously plump and warm cherries on top of creamy vanilla ice cream is one hell of a way to end the night.  What's better?  Leave the pits in and stems attached to make for an even easier and more beautiful presentation..

Ahhh, chamomile!

I was at Whole Foods yesterday and to my surprise, I was handed a big bunch of free organic herbs, compliments of Kenter Canyon Farms - they sell local, organic lettuces and herbs and their "spicy" lettuce mix is always in my fridge.  In my lovely bouquet was rosemary, chamomile, and lemongrass, AMAZING.  The chamomile alone was so delightful, I couldn't wait to bring it home and make a pot of tea.  Now, I am determined to add German chamomile to my growing mini-garden, the tiny-daisy like flowers are so sweet, they just make me smile.  I read that adding chamomile to your compost adds absorption of calcium and spraying the tea on to propagation flats can prevent them from damping off.
If you find yourself with fresh chamomile flowers, just pinch off about a dozen or so flowers per cup of  almost boiling water and steep for just a few minutes.  No other word to describe it, other than utterly delightful.

Bad Kitty!

Well, that didn't take long...  After 2 short days, Tony the Cat, found his "new" litter box, aka my tomato plants.  I can only image what a big pot of loose, fresh soil means to a cat, so I was half-way expecting this to happen - yuck!  Anyway, I think I have come up with a solution, (only time will tell), but I laid out some jute across the wine barrel, and I have a feeling this will make for a good deterrent.  God forbid the cats actually use the litter box!  I'll let you know if this works...

GROW!

I am so excited!  After talking and talking (and talking and talking), about it, I finally DID it!  My minuscule garden has taken off - the objective, other than the obvious, (delicious, home-grown vegetables), is to prove to my husband that I can keep a garden alive and thriving and once that is proven, I will then earn my right to a real, proper full-sized, mega garden.  For now, I am as happy as a blue jay with my start.  A pair of organic heirloom tomatoes,(black zebra and juane flamme), two types of organic basil, and one sweet little strawberry plant.  I'm planning to buy more herbs and perhaps an artichoke plant, but I am simply thrilled to get my hands dirty and sit and watch my little plantings GROW!

Salsa Verde Chicken with Roasted Corn and Poblanos

We went to our friends' annual Cinco De Mayo pot-luck last night and the food was terrific! There's nothing better than a big table full of people's yummy hard work.  Pot-lucks are the best way to get people together with tons of food (and booze!), saving the hostessing heroine hours of work, along with fist-fulls of money. It's so interesting to see what other people like to create.  If every guest puts forth just a wee bit of effort, great things will happen. Last night, it was enchiladas, chile rellenos, roasted salsas, fresh guac, carnitas, and on and on... Muy delicioso!!!

Pan Seared Haloumi with Fresh Favas

Haloumi is a mild yet salty cheese hailing from Greece. It's made from either goats or sheep's milk. I've used it a few times and I think I'll be using it more as I have fallen deeply in love with it. It's charm is in it's firm texture, as you can grill or pan fry it without it turning in to a big gooey mess. This Greek staple is a brilliant substitute for meat and it's especially wonderful with fresh herbs and sweet, ripe tomatoes. A robustly salty and chewy texture is unlike any other cheese you've had and is wonderful grilled and simply finished with a squeeze of lemon. It's the perfect summer addition to your up-coming cook-outs!

Spring's Bounty