every little thing

From Russia, with love

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Eighty Six

Sunday was like a dream.  (I'm choosing to ignore the weather forecast, which is predicting snow for this Tuesday.)  We had a nice, little lunch on the back porch, and then the boys played Frisbee while I puttered around the front flower bed, trimming old lavender stalks and digging around to find new strawberry plants. 

Max suggested we have lemonade with our sandwiches.  I told him it was a great idea, but we didn't have any lemonade.  He looked over to the fruit bowl on the kitchen counter, then back at me.

"Well, you have a bunch of lemons."

This immediately induced a restaurant-flashback.  I waited tables for many a year at various restaurants through my late teens-early twenties (and then some.)  And I'm sure a bunch of you out there have, too. Did you ever run across that person?  The customer that requests lemonade, and when you tell them it isn't available, they ask you,  "Well, do you have lemons?"  "Do you have sugar?"  "Then you do have lemonade, don't you?!"  This is such an annoyance, not just because they are asking you to go out of your way to make them a custom drink, but it's in the way they go about the questioning.  Like they're tricking you into it....like you don't know how lemonade is made.  Like you don't have about a million other things you need to be doing, and you have time to make a drink that isn't on the menu that will probably be really good, that the customer won't expect to be charged for at all.  I mean, come on.  It's just water, and lemon juice, and sugar.  What's the big deal?  Really industrious customers will order an ice water and ask for a bowl of extra lemons and a sugar caddy.  Just make it up themselves.  I actually have no problem with that.  Go for it.  Stick it to the man.  

Well, I did make the lemonade for our lunch, and it only took a few minutes.  It was also amazingly delicious and I had to thank Max for the suggestion.  I haven't worked at a restaurant for a long time now, and it's strange to feel so completely happy to be finished with a certain phase of my life, and also deeply nostalgic for it at the same time.  It was a great gig.  Good money, entertaining co-workers, and when I went home at night, albeit reeking of the tilapia special, there was a wad of cash in my pocket and not an ounce of work to bring back with me.  The slate was clean.  Asleep before my head hit the pillow.

I was lucky to spend most of my waitressing career at a wonderful restaurant called The Wild Monkey, (I hate that it sounds like a strip club when it was actually a charming little bistro-type restaurant with a stupid name.)  It's gone now.  New owners, new menu, different name.  I do miss the characters I met there, and the hustle and bustle, and the BBQ scallops.   I don't really miss the customers that wanted their checks split to the tenth of a penny, or the morons who ordered soft shell crabs and screamed in horror when they saw their plate, "It's a whole crab???" they'd shudder.  And I'd have to be nice, and apologetic, and accommodating. Taking the plate back to the kitchen, and getting yelled at by the cook for wasting a $28 dollar entree.  And don't get me started on the side work. 

I'm nothing but grateful today, really.  Being able to stand where I am now and gaze back at where I used to be.  Working for yourself has it's own challenges, to be sure.  The lemonade is sweeter, but it's hard to sleep at night. 

Two kinds of sunshine

The sun came out at last yesterday, in the late afternoon.  I was so happy I snapped a few picture of the daffodils in the front yard.  It is strange renting a house and watching the plants and flowers come up for the first time.  So surprising and fun, and the owners sure have planted some lovely things.  I'm not really a daffodil-person, but the varieties they picked are just gorgeous.  I'll have to take pictures of them all.  This house is nestled on a hill deep in the trees, so there isn't a lot of sunlight, especially in the summer when the trees leaf out.  I had resigned myself to the fact that a small garden just wasn't going to happen, and no matter how much I'd enjoy it, I didn't really have time for the up-keep anyway.  But now...the Spring fever is really making me itch to plant a few things, so I've been scoping out a few locations for some herbs, maybe just ONE tomato plant.  I'm sure I can squeeze them in somewhere.  Max spotted strawberry plants peeking up through the daffodil leaves, and I figure if there's enough sun for strawberries, well...I can work with that. 

I bought this cereal becasue it was on sale, and it is so good!  Totally a fake, healthier(?) version of Cap'n Crunch, my all time favorite cereal that I never buy anymore because, let's face it, it's about as bad for you as processed food gets.  The Kashi version is actually really tasty, too.  Not as crazy-sweet, very satisfying, and still roughs-up the roof of your mouth in that nostalgic way we all love.  I try not to buy a lot of cereal these days anyway, but I'd definitely splurge for this stuff.  Yum.  I'm not crazy about the name, though.  They should have been cheeky and called it "Corporal Crisps" or "Sargent Snacks" or something.  I guess that's not really Kashi's style. 

A Case for the Biscuit

I think everyone should make their own biscuits.  It's just something I feel very strongly about. They are suitable anytime of day, you can fill them with almost anything, and everyone loves them.  They just make you feel good inside; the perfect comfort food.  So simple to make, you only need five ingredients that are nearly always on hand:  flour, butter, milk, baking powder, and salt.  Here is my favorite recipe, (adapted from Joy of Cooking) and a few no-fail tips that will have you baking biscuits to beat the band. 

Country Mouse Biscuits

*Preheat oven to 450 degrees

2  cups all-purpose flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 or 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
3/4 cup of milk

 

Whisk together all dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt) in a large bowl.  Make sure they are nice and blended.  Cut your *cold* butter into small pieces.  Use a pastry blender to "cut" the butter into the flour mixture.  Your not looking for perfection, just work the mixture until the individual butter pieces are no larger than a pea.  Do not let the butter melt or get pasty.  You want a dry, bread crumb texture.

Add the cold milk all at once.  Mix until just barely moistened.  (as seen here.)  It will look like a big, old mess and nowhere near consistent.  That's what you want!  Now dump it all out onto your counter top.

Work the mixture together a little, kneading slightly just once or twice until it barely holds together, then pat with your fingers until it's all flat and about 3/4" thick.  Yes, it will stick to your hands and table.  Deal with it.  Adding more flour will risk making the biscuits tough.  You can shoot your hands with a little cooking spray to help with the stickiness.  No need for a rolling pin.  Trust me.

You can easily cut the biscuits with a biscuit cutter,  any small glass right out of your cabinet, or even a cookie cutter.  Whatever you use, try to press down and lift up evenly, without twisting.  It really does help the biscuits rise evenly!  You may need to nudge the biscuits off the counter with a metal spatula or scraper.

Place the biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet.  Try to cut as many biscuits as you can, and leave very little scrap.  You can definitely  smash up the leftover pieces and re-cut them...but they will not be quite as tender as the first-cut.  The regular biscuits shown here were cut with the glass (seen above,) and the small ones were made with the mini biscuit cutter from the shop (and I'm really smitten with it, if you can't tell!)
 

At this point, you can brush the tops with melted butter or milk (but I never do, I'm too impatient.)  Bake them for only 10-12 minutes until very, lightly browned.  You don't want them too dark.  Serve them immediately and wait for the collective sigh of contentment from your friends and family.  I heartily reccomend slicing your biscuit and adding a squeeze of wildflower honey, it's my absolute favorite.  Max insists upon cherry preserves with his biscuits.  And Mike, well...he prefers a large hunk of sausage.  Oh well, at least this is one case where you most certainly can make everyone happy. 

*Final Thoughts*

*You can sub up to 1/2 cup of the all purpose flour with whole wheat flour.  The biscuits may not rise quite as much, but they will still be amazingly good.

*You can use soy milk in place of the regular milk with no noticeable difference.

*Don't add any more baking powder than the recipe calls for, or it will make your biscuits slightly bitter.  You don't want to taste the leavening.

*Don't expect these biscuits to taste or look like the ones from Cracker Barrel, or the ones you make out of a can.  These are real, homemade, country biscuits.  They are gonna take some getting used to, but once you're hooked, you'll never be able to go back.  Mike is convinced that I make my own biscuits because I am so frightened of the canned ones that you have to peel the corner of the paper off, because they tend to *explode* in my hands and scare the bejeezus out of me.  He may be right.  But he's also not complaining.  It's hard to complain with a fresh, hot biscuit in your mouth.

 

 

Macaron-Love

Are you into it?

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Wise Owls Drink Green Smoothies

This smoothie is about as green (in color) as they get.  Made with fresh pineapple, spinach, apple cider, orange juice, ice, and spirulina (yes, that's algae and no, you can't taste is at all.)  I first read about the green smoothie phenomenon here, and it literally changed our lives, especially Max's.  The boy who used to despise every vegetable on earth, would happily chug a smoothie packed with all kinds of green goodness.  And now, I guess his palate has changed, and he is trying more new foods every day, and even asked for broccoli yesterday.  He only actually ate one spear...but still.  Baby steps.  Since we have been smoothie addicts for about a year now, we had already burned up the motors of two good-quality blenders, and I still couldn't get that perfectly smooooth consistency that I really wanted.  So last month, I totally went for it:

I bought a Blendtec, and it's one of the best appliance purchases I've ever made.  I'm not gonna lie people, this is crazy expensive blender, we're talking $400 a pop.  It was a tough decision , but we had the money (for a change) and honestly, if I had know how amazing it was, I would have turned a blind eye and put one on a credit card a long time ago.  Not even kidding.  I'm not going to blather on and on like a commercial, you can check out all of the details on their website if you are interested.  Be sure to watch the Will It Blend? videos for hours of entertainment!  Max definitely got a kick out of them, I like the ones where they destroy an iphone and a Barbie.  There really isn't much you can't do with this blender.  So far I've only ventured into smoothies, juice, and soups.  I'm dying to try peanut butter, grinding grains, sorbet, ice cream, almond and rice milk, etc.  And, just so you know, it was a tough choice between the Blendtec and the Vita Mix.  I had wonderful recommendations for both of these brands.  In the end, I went with the Blendtec because it's seemed a little more versatile and better suited to our needs, but they are both excellent blenders, I doubt you can go wrong with either of them.  We use ours pretty much every day, and it definitely feels like a permanent part of our lives, not just a passing phase.  I can barely contain my excitement for the coming spring and summer here in Asheville!  I fully plan to OD on Cherokee purples, sliced with just a pinch of salt.   I may even blend a few of them, too.  Make some preserves, or juice.  You know, just for fun. 

 

*Anybody out there have a must-try Blendtec or Vitamix recipe for me?  I'd love to hear your recommendations!

 

{FYI - I'm not paid/compensated to endorse any of the blenders (or heirloom tomatoes) mentioned in this post.  Not that I'm against advertising on blogs (far from it!)  But If I'm ever paid to sponsor something, I will be sure to let you know up-front.}  :)

Sugar Run

Could we have picked a better or more magical day, weather-wise, to visit a local maple syrup farm?     

Seriously.

This is definitely one of the many occasions where I wish there was a scratch-and-sniff blog application.  All of the warm, sweet steam rising out of the cabin was rich caramel.  Burnt butterscotch. A cinnamon toast convention.  I could have died there (and died happy.) 

Maple Creek Farm, located in Burnsville NC, is the Southern-most sugar bush in North America.  And, if I recall correctly, they are the only commercial maple syrup producer in all of NC.  It was truly a wonder to see the high-strung tubing that carried the sugar from the trees and down the hill, with only the help of gravity.  After the tour, we took home a 12 ounce bottle of dark maple syrup, which won't last long, I'm sure.  Luckily they will be selling at a local farmers market.  Mike also snagged a bag of their scrumptious pork sausage, as they also have pork, lamb, apple cider and other wares to offer, too.  And as an added bonus, I somehow managed to spill a tablespoon of syrup from my sample cup into my right coat pocket, all over my keys, gloves, and our grocery list.  Only me, I tell you.  Anyway, it was a glorious afternoon and a lovely welcome back home after our week-long trip to VA.  As nice as it is to be back home, I'm seriously missing all of our friends and family. The whole time we were at the farm I kept thinking, "Amber would so love this."  And, "I wish my sister was here with us."  etc.  If only I could teleport everyone I love to Asheville!  Oh well.  I guess I can't have my syrup and eat it too, eh? 

we like to eat & another giveaway

I'm not into the copycat restaurant recipes (because they usually disappoint,) but this one for Buca's Porchetta Rustica is pretty on-point.  And now, since Buca has taken this item off their menu, all the more reason to perfect this dish at home.  Oh my gosh, it's so good. You really should try it.  It rates a medium on the "fancy scale", since it requires capers, fresh blueberries, and filberts - items not usually in my pantry on any given day.  But you can sub pecans for the filbert no problem, and a small jar of capers is hardly a major investment.  I followed the recipe pretty much to the letter, except I use a pork tenderloin instead of a pork roast.  Just because they are easier to cook, very tender, and kinda better for you, too - healthwise.  All told, it's a pretty fast dish to whip up and nice change of pace from our usual stand-bys...

Homemade pizza, how we adore you. But really, we probably resort to this dinner way too often.  It's just such a crowd pleaser, everyone get's their own toppings - everyone is happy.  And you can't beat the speed.  I make the dough in the kitchenaid mixer (using the recipe from the book that came with it) and it turns out great every time.  I just started using a pizza stone too, so now they are even better.  Yum.  And as if I haven't been porking out enough lately, I made another batch of those Sweet & Spicy Walnuts I mentioned a few posts ago:

I thought they looked so pretty in these little windowed bakery boxes from the shop.  And since I certainly do not need to eat them all myself, I thought it'd be nice to share the love (and calories) by giving away two of these pretty boxes.  This will be a fast and furious kind of giveaway, since I want to get these in the mail as soon as possible, nuts being perishable and all.  So I will close the comments later this afternoon.

*If you'd like to enter, please leave a comment in this post, and tell me whether you consider yourself to be sweet or spicy  ;)  I'll draw 2 winners to receive a little box of yummy, nutty goodness.  Be sure to include your email address so I can contact you to get an address.  Oh, and only US folks for this one, please (due to the food-aspect and all.)

Thanks for playing!

 

*COMMENTS NOW CLOSED*

Happy-lucky winners are:

 

Eartha Kitsch

Chrysanthemum

 

If you haven't already received an email from me, be sure to send me your mailing address ASAP. 

And please note:  I will not be held responsible should you gain weight, chip a tooth, or become severely addicted to these walnuts.  Munch at your own risk, and thank you for your patronage.

mmm...sausage

OK, sorry for the cruddy picture, but that is all that's left of these amazing glazed almonds I made over the holidays.  The 28 Cooks blog has so many wonderful recipes for candied nuts, (and I tried almost all of them) but this one for Jasmine Tea and Ginger Glazed Almonds was the hands-down favorite of (almost) everyone, largely due to the fact that they inexplicably taste like sausage.  Sausage.  Really.  I don't get it either, but they do.  Crazy, since there are definitely no meat-products involved in the recipe, not even butter or anything.  You must try them, they are a phenomenon.  In all honesty though, I strayed from the popular opinion, and thought that the Sweet & Spicy Walnuts were just a little bit tastier.  I also made the Lemon Pepper Cashews, and they were divine - basically, all of the recipes are very easy, fast and instantly impressive.  I think they all would make fantastic foodie gifts because I can't think of anyone who wouldn't enjoy them, and likey, finish them quickly and beg you for more.  So, check out the 28 Cooks Blog, and you can find the recipes for these nuts (plus more) on the sidebar under "Snacks."

The Tiny Feast

We stayed at our little tree house this Christmas,  just the three of us.  Although it was sad not spending the Holiday with our families, it was also calm and peaceful being alone together.  Just enjoying the day.  This was the very first Christmas dinner I have ever made!  A far cry from the glorious feasting of my grandmothers, (one southern, one Greek....imagine that!)  but I was quite content with our modest plate of turkey, mashed potatoes, asparagus and cranberries.  Oh, and homemade apple pie for dessert.  But I gotta say, the asparagus was the shinning star of the meal.  I just love asparagus, and after much trial and error, I now have a simple and fool-proof way of cooking this little veg that works like a charm every time. 

My Best Asparagus

1 Hefty bunch of asparagus

1 lemon
olive oil
butter
salt
pepper

1.  Preheat your oven to the high-heat broil setting (500 deg on my oven.  you want it HOT.)

2.  Trim the tough end of your asparagus spears, if needed.

3.  Plop the asparagus into a 9x13 - ish glass baking dish.  Don't stack them up, there should only be one layer.  If you are coking asparagus for a crowd, do 2 separate batches.

4.  Drizzle with a good amount of olive oil.  Drizzle with juice of 1/2 - 1 lemon (depending on your love of lemony goodness.)  Sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.  Top with 2 or 3 thin pats of butter.  Don't skip the butter (unless you're vegan.)

5.  Bake until tender, stirring things up with tongs every couple of minutes to coat the asparagus  with the oil, butter, and lemon.  It's best if you stay right in front of the oven window until they are perfect, because the tops will burn quite easily if left unattended.  It shouldn't take very long at all - about 8 minutes more or less.  The best way to tell if they are done is to try one.  yum!  Cooking them hot and fast this way, for me, works much better than any stove-top saute recipe I've tried. 

Mike never used to like asparagus at all, but I noticed him going back for a second helping of these bad boys.  Max still hasn't given them much of a chance, but I'll keep working on him.  I wonder if the newest member of our family would like asparagus?  Oh, have I told you about Nigel?  He's the sweetest, loveliest, funniest little thing in the whole wide world! 

Mr. Nigel Prickle-Pants,  I can't wait to introduce him to you all!  (you're going to die of cuteness, just die.  More on that tomorrow...)