Sunday Brunch

What to do with fresh eggs and raisin pecan bread? Dad's French toast recipe with a twist! Sunday morning's brunch hit the spot. The bread was delicious on its own--but we made a simple batter with 3 eggs, a tsp of vanilla, and a tbls of milk. We dusted it with powdered sugar, poured on some syrup (we're aware of the sugar redundancy, but c'mon--have you ever tried this? amazing!), and chowed down. A side of fresh cantaloupe rounded out the meal.

Not a bad start to the day. Fin even got to enjoy it--we had a little bit of egg leftover, so I scrambled it for her.

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Can't Beet This

One dinner last week: roasted beets and garlic with goat cheese; boiled red potatoes; fresh head lettuce salad. The beets were underdone--I should've cooked them quite a while longer. But we scarfed it down just in time--friends had a wonderful dairy-free chocolate cake waiting!

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Horse Feed: morning inspiration

This kind of thing is good for the soul. These bright orange carrots looked almost unnatural--but thanks to knowing exactly which local farm they were uprooted from, I know they're as natural as they come.

Seeing this before you start your day is inspiring. It gave me a burgeoning desire to move out to the country, and in my early-morning daydream, I uprooted carrots before the sun came up and plucked apples out of trees as the rooster began to crow.

So these guys went into the juicer for our breakfast; I'm saving the shreds for a carrot-apple cake, hoping I can change Ryan's mind about vegetables being baked into dessert. :) I think I've got some secret weapons up my sleeve to impress him...fingers crossed.

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"I just couldn't get over the fact that I was microwaving two-day-old eggs."

Monday night was casserole night at our house. We had two large squash to use: one a butternut, and one a long skinny variety. On my walk home from the bus, I stopped in at the grocery and picked up some cheese and an onion, paid for them, and stuffed them into my lunchbox. I may have looked a fool, but lemme tell ya--I saved a trip up the road to the store, didn't I? Some slicing and dicing later, I stared down at this:
Not bad. I baked just the veggies in 2 tablespoons of melted butter for half an hour (it needed more time--I'd say give it 45 minutes) and then poured in a mixture of 3/4 cup milk, 3/4 cup monterrey jack cheese, and 2 eggs. Then I baked it about 25 more minutes, and out popped this deliciously orange casserole.

I felt like the orange dish needed a green side, so I chopped the rest of the onion boiled it with fresh green beans and butter. All in all, a wholesome summery meal (see the side of bread from Sunday?).

It turned out great, even though I thought it could use a little more time in the oven.

Leftovers were a different story; I thought it was better day two, but Ryan said, "I just couldn't get over the fact that I was microwaving two-day-old eggs." I reminded him that the dish was just from last night--the eggs weren't that old. But this only stirred his suspicions of old eggs.

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ohmigosh...it's RISING!

I think this is the best kitchen surprise I have ever had: a loaf of bread, made by me, that actually came out looking, feeling, and tasting like bread. Using the no-knead bread in a hurry recipe, I managed to create a crackly loaf, as promised!


Our friend Brittany was there to witness this momentous occasion, and her response to her first bite was perfect. "OH MY GOD! And I'm not saying that because you're my friend!" One bite and she was won over. And so was I. And so was Ryan. It was like a bright light from heaven had shone down on my little Dutch oven and graced it with a serendipitous outcome.


You can safely bet that I'll be making this way-to-simple recipe, like, eight times a week. This recipe is SO GOOD that I was able to flub it up quite a bit, and STILL end up with delectable--dare I say perfect?--bread.

Hi fives all around, folks.

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Container Gardening

Yet another goal of ours on the road to sustainability is to have a successful container garden. We had a big weekend in the "garden." Ryan has been working on a drip irrigation system (aka plastic water bottle with a hole in the bottom), and it's working great. The tomato plant was purchased about a week ago, and it has already tripled in size.

We are also trying to grow tomatoes and jalapenos upside-down. We know the tomato plant will work; the jalapeno plant is a bit of an experiment.

The herbs are doing well; right now we're growing basil, rosemary, oregano, and mint. I am going to plant cilantro and parsley in the two empty-looking troughs. Once we're able to sprout some fall seeds, we'll ad two large pots (at least) for radishes, beans, chard, and kale.

Any suggestions? Please send them our way!

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Blueberries

Just gorgeous East Texas blueberries, compliments of Friday's Greenling box.
Update: These blueberries found a final resting place in some yummy, crepe-like pancakes on Sunday morning. Ryan's 4-year-old niece helped me make them. Her culinary skills are amazing!

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I'm gonna go ahead and call it Not Gumbo. Or Ungumbo.

There wasn't much creativity flowing on Friday night. I knew whatever we had for dinner had to be fresh, fast, and from the pantry. What I knew I had to use up was the okra, some tomatoes ("safe" because they're grown locally), the leeks, and some purple scallops. So I chopped up those veggies, tossed them in some olive oil and tabasco sauce, and sauteed them tender on the stove. Meanwhile, the rice was a cookin'. Ryan and I weren't quite sure what to call the dish. "What is this that we're having?" "Well, I'm gonna go ahead and call it Not Gumbo." "How about Ungumbo?" Worked for me. We deemed it Ungumbo, and Ryan asked for it again tonight.


I wasn't really going for "ethereal" with those photos...but it took me about 20 shots to realize I had a smudge on my lens. Yeah, that's right. So I cleared it up and it shouldn't be a problem any more! :)

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Meals 5, 6, 7 and then some!

I have been remiss, my dear readers, in updating. A weekend out of town really throws me a curveball.

Last week, to finish up shipment 1 of the Greenling box, I roasted the remaining veggies with some tomatoes and jalapenos from a colleague. Tasty!



The next day (last Friday), we got our second Greenling box. In it...
2 heads of lettuce (yum)
beets
carrots
okra
baby squash
leeks
red potatoes
cherry tomatoes (not affected by any sort of salmonella!)
local cheese
sweet corn
flat-leaf parsley

It felt like more food than the previous week's box, even though we didn't get our foccaccia or cookies. Oh well!

That night, friends came over with some spectacular white wines (a Naia chardonnay and a Prosecco sparkling), and we complemented those wines with a fresh parsley pesto. Not to be out-done by any of my previous mistakes, I managed to ruin the blender in the process. So, the first batch of pesto had all the pine nuts plus some plastic. The second batch (made in the Cuisinart) was delish, even sans-pine nuts! I tossed it with pasta, Texas shrimp, and served it with lemon wedges and parsley garnish. For dessert, I made a Busy Day Cake with organic strawberries on top.


And after a weekend away (and eating LOTS of red meat, most of which was raised on grass in my hometown, which was spectacular), we came home to our still-fresh veggies and had this wonderful meal. I made the same dressing I used on the salad nicoise, because it was such a success, and had a fresh salad with tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, baby squash, garlic, and cheese. Ryan's colleague brought him some famous BBQ from Snow's, and so we cut that up and put it on the plates. I must say, it might have overshadowed the salad. It was the most amazing brisket ever: even after 3 days in the fridge and 30 seconds in the microwave, it was still moist and smoky and flavorful and tender. The cheese was delicious, too--though I'm not sure exactly what kind it was.



I haven't been too creative this week because we have been catching up...but we get another Greenling box tomorrow, and I can't wait to spend the weekend cooking.

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Meal Four: Variations on a theme

Salade Nicoise. I’ve always heard about it, but have never eaten it. Sounded a little strange—potatoes and eggs and tuna and green beans? Huh?

Oh, how my eyes were opened last night. After discussing what’s left in our Greenling box for the week, my colleague suggested a composed salad. (She also brought me some gorgeous tomatoes from her garden, which will be oven-roasted tonight with leeks and other surprises.)

Here’s what I had to use: a can of farm-raised albacore tuna, a cucumber, green beans, red potatoes, fresh onion, and herbs from my little garden (basil and oregano).

After doing some web research, I mixed a bunch of different recipes and came up with what Ryan and I decided was a true winner.

I made a vinaigrette with lemon juice, olive oil, brown mustard, minced garlic, onion, oregano, and basil. I had Ryan taste it before dousing the potatoes. “This is the best dressing I’ve had in a long time.” Exact words, not kidding.

I boiled the potatoes but totally FORGOT to reserve the water to blanch the beans! Bad move. I’ll remember next time. I soaked the potatoes in some of the dressing while I blanched the beans. (Ryan doesn’t like “squeaky” veggies, but I made him deal with it, as usual. He was a really good sport.) First layer: fresh cucumber.

Second layer: the potatoes in dressing. Next, the bright green squeaky beans, topped with the tuna and a little extra minced onion, garlic, and herbs on top. Oh yeah, and I forgot the hardboiled egg—we did without. And I added the “wrong” kind of olives. But they were tasty anyway. (Be brave, folks!)

We had a little of the challah left, so Ryan toasted it and topped it with the chive cheese spread (which is AMAZING, by the way). On the table with some white wine.

Ryan can be a bit of a tough critic—but I loved last night’s review. “This was incredible. Nothing short of incredible. If I could eat this every day I would.”

I’m not kidding—he said it again, slowly, so I could write it down. SUCCESS!!!

Tonight’s dinner is planned already and believe it or not, it will use up the very last of our Greenling items from last week. I mean, talk about perfect planning. Tomorrow morning we’ll get a new box at our doorstep. Ah, this is the life.

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The baby garden

Apartment living is fine. In my dream world, we'd have our own farm with goats, alpacas, a vineyard, and more. But in the meantime...here are some shots from my quaint little container garden.
Here's the lettuce. It's been growing for months from seed...and I'm not too confident that it will ever get any taller. In fact, I know it has long passed its harvest date. Oh well, for now it's still a pretty sight.
Next up: oregano, started from seed. I'm so proud of the seedlings!

This is my resurrected basil. I have killed this plant probably 50 times, and it has faithfully come back. It's even been through a bout of aphid attacks! It is a real trooper. In the background, you can see more oregano and the beautiful, unrelenting mint.
And, finally, another shot of the oregano. I love this container--it's a drawer from a really old fridge. My mom wanted to use it as a planter, so my stepdad shot two drainage holes in the bottom with a pistol. That's just how we do things "out on the ranch." I was so happy to bring this piece of country to the city with me. Thanks, Mom!


And later today... a note about last night's dinner! Here's something to whet your appetite...the exact quote was, "This is incredible. Nothing short of incredible."

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Sneak Peak

Thanks to one of my lovely colleagues, I know exactly what to cook with what we have left--both are things I have never made before, and one is a dish I've never even eaten but is very well-known. And tomorrow she said she's bringing me cherry tomatoes from her garden.

Here's what we have left. What would you do with it? I'll let you know what happens to ours...
Red potatoes
Green beans
Leeks
Large onion
A mushroom

Hmmm... and this will turn into two dinners. Can you guess!?

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Meal three: Did you cook? Smells like burn.

A little picture book for you: Wednesday's cornbread.
The batter prep. Have you noticed that I collect red kitchen stuff yet?
Pouring the batter into the hot oil made a very satisfying crackle. Check out the bubbles on the left!
Hot out the oven:

Seriously, could you have resisted this close-up?

And, finally, beans n' cornbread!


Last night, Ryan was at his art class so I had some time to do goofy things around the house, like re-season my cast iron skillet. I say re-season because I washed it wrong the very first day I had it--which necessitated a re-seasoning of a pre-seasoned skillet (thanks Martha Stewart) that had only been used once before (for some killer tortillas).

But, when Ryan got home late and asked me if I'd been cooking, he meant that our apartment smelled a little funny. And it did smell a little like burning vegetable oil. Hmm.

Point being, my skillet was ready for my next meal. I'd been wanting to try homemade iron skillet cornbread for a while, and the two ears of corn and local honey in the Greenling box were the perfect addition to a basic recipe. I adapted my own version from a fellow Texan's website (http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/).

Here you go:
Preheat to 450 and once the oven's ready, drop 2 tbls vegetable shortening into the cast iron skillet and put that in the oven. This heats up the oil and prepares the skillet. And it's gonna give you some nice crispy edges.

Mix these dry ingredients...
2 cups white cornmeal (yellow is fine, but all I had was white)
1/2 flour
a pinch salt
1 tsp baking soda

And mix these ingerdients...
2 cups buttermilk OR 2 tbls apple cider vinegar + 2 cups milk (this is a sub for buttermilk that works great)
1 egg
2 tbsl honey (I don't care if they say Texans don't like sweet cornbread, I DO!)
fresh corn kernels--i used 2 ears

And then mix it all together.
Pull the hot skillet and oil out of the oven, and CAREFULLY pour the batter in. It splattered--which I was not prepared for--but all was good. Pop that baby in the oven and bake it until it's nice and firm and golden brown on top. Took about 25 mins for me.

I had Ryan stop by one of our favorite Tex-Mex places on the way home and pick up 2 pints of borracho beans (they make the best). We put the cornbread in bowls and poured the beans on top. Voila! A scrumptious Tex-Mex lunch.

Tonight's fish taco night, so no more cooking until tomorrow... I think I'll do something with the leeks and potatoes and green beans. We'll see.

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Meal two: Edible flowers? Really?

One of the surprises in this week's box was a small handful of flowers. I recognized them pretty quickly as squash blossoms, but I didn't realize these were edible. Greenling included a recipe for Squash Blossom Soup, but the recipe called for a half-pound of blossoms. I had only 4 or 5, weighing in at maybe 3 ounces. So, I thought, what would my mom do in this situation? "When in doubt," she told me yesterday, "Google it!" Sage advice, really.

A quick Google search later, I found a recipe for a Squash Blossom Frittata. I didn't have everything on the list, but figured I could fudge things a little bit. I was only cooking for myself (Ryan was at art class) and so I knew that if it wasn't perfect, I'd only be disappointing me. And I'm not a very tough critic.

So I sauteed up some sliced baby squash and minced fresh onion. Then I added the blossoms, just for a few seconds. I beat 2 eggs with some milk, and poured it into the pan. When I read "frittata," I was picturing a kind of tart or flat pastry-like thing. But this was more like a squash omelette. I sprinkled asiago and parmesan cheese on top.

It was pretty tasty, but I think next time I will either choose a different blossom recipe (maybe quesadillas with grilled baby squash) or add some savory herbs, like parsley or chives.

Not a disappointment by any means--but it was something that still needs some work. In any case, it was just the right size for dinner.

Since we're eating out tomorrow night with friends, I'll tell you in my next post about my plan for cornbread and beans for lunch. Adios!

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Meal one: A lesson in pantry items and substitutions

I have a feeling there's going to be a lot of that going on--substituting, that is.
Meal one. After some intense deliberation (I'm hoping it gets easier to decide exactly what to cook), I decide to pull the zucchini and the small head of lettuce. On the short-shelf-life list of staples, we have one small red onion left from Ryan's grandmother's garden; some organic strawberries; a bit of Gruyere that needed to be used; a bulb of fresh garlic from my mom's garden. From the pantry, I pull pine nuts, Israeli couscous, and the basics for a very simple strawberry vinaigrette (EVOO, RW vinegar, dollop of jam, s&p).

I come up with a salad plan that I think will work: romaine topped with strawberries, onion, cheese, and caramelized pine nuts (see--that's a sub for much more delicious caramelized almonds!). The sweet berries, tangy cheese, and bitter onions work really well together. Check out my new Santoku knife--German steel, but I got the greatest deal. $20!
The salad was the bulk of dinner, but I also sauteed the zucchini and garlic to toss with the couscous. A very simple, starchy side that worked well with the salad. It lacked a little zest, though; if I make that again, I will use whole-wheat couscous, and maybe garnish with parsley and lemon.

The end result was a beautiful multicolor plateful of fresh summery goodness. Everything was delicious! Our first meal passed muster and we're looking forward to the next incarnation. I convinced Ryan to enjoy the meal out on the back porch, complete with red wine (not local, but the box it comes in is fully recyclable!). Fin joined us, and appropriately begged for food. I'd say our very first meal was a great success and left both of us feeling fulfilled and inspired. This will give us fodder for the next meal. Stay tuned--meal two, I'm going to venture into the world of squash blossoms.

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Introduction: the box of goodies

Here's what came in our first local delivery (local produce and artisan items):

1 bottle local honey
2 pieces baklava (local pecans)--Ryan ate them both....I have dibs on next week's dessert.
2 dolmas
8oz chive cream cheese spread
1 loaf challah
2 leeks
1 pint cherry tomatoes
5 squash blossoms
1 large cucumber
1 medium zucchini
1 small head of romaine lettuce
2 ears of corn
1 large mushroom (portabello, maybe)
1 pint baby squash
4 red potatoes
1 yellow onion
1 bulb fresh garlic
2 peaches
1 bag green beans

Sounds like a feast, doesn't it?

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Prologue: The Skinny.

My name's Amber. I live with my boyfriend Ryan and our dog Fin in an urban apartment. Ryan and I both grew up on or near a farm, and we didn't know it then, but we ate a pretty sustainable diet.

Now, though, being adults in a city, we don't necessarily have the rural luxury of walking down to the garden and harvesting our own food.

For many reasons--concerns about climate change, commercial farming, the disappearance of the family farm, and the use of chemicals and pesticides, for instance--Ryan and I are trying something "new," which happens to be something quite old.

On Friday, we received our first box of delivered-to-your-door local produce from a company called Greenling.

This blog will chronicle all the things we learn from eating local, organic produce and items (cheeses, breads, etc.). We'll share with you what we get, what we cook, how it tastes, and what life feels like after making sustainable food choices.

Stay tuned for the first edition: Friday's meal was a big hit!

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