A Quinoa Salad for Melissa

Last week I hosted a bridal shower for my daughter Melissa.  I made the decision to have the party at my home for a few reasons.  If Melissa had her way, she would be getting married in our backyard...The yard where she napped in the shade of the maple tree as a wee little baby...The yard where she spent countless hours on her beloved swing trying to touch the sky with her toes and swinging upside down from the trapeze...The yard where she and the neighborhood kids played red light green light, caught fireflies and splashed in the pool...The yard where she had her Sweet 16 and discovered that the four person hot tub could really hold ten.  But a wedding?  I can't make that happen, but a shower on the other hand, I could handle.

I also knew that Melissa would appreciate a mostly vegetarian menu that I could create, keeping her likes and dislikes in mind.  I was right.  I'm not going to lie, it was a lot of work and thank God for my good friend Barbara whose help was invaluable.  I owe her big-time.  This was truly a labor of love and I enjoyed every minute of it.  I wish I had taken photos of the process, but I knew that playing photographer would slow me down.  Everything was homemade with the exception of the rolls, which were purchased at a local bakery and the mini cupcakes, courtesy of Mike's mom Diane.  In the end, it was all worth it.  It turned out to be a beautiful day and Melissa has yet another backyard memory.

Zucchini Fritters with Chipotle Cream or Zucchini Explosion Part II

Last year, when I was drowning in zucchini, I tried making zucchini fritters.  I wasn't overly impressed with them.  I tried my hand at them twice.  The second time I added a little grated potato for body.  It was a slight improvement, but not blog worthy.  I've been thinking about those fritters...and then it came to me.  While I was searching for different appetizers from my favorite bloggers, I came across cornmeal cakes on Annie's Eats.  Cornmeal, that's it!  Cornmeal would be the perfect ingredient to give my fritters enough body without being bland.  Annie's recipe inspired me to try again.  This time, in my humble opinion,  I came up with a blog worthy recipe.

Lazy Afternoon Hummus

Today was one of those lazy days that I just didn't feel like doing anything.  The air was warm and summer like.  A light breeze blew the wind chimes on the deck, begging me to come out of the house and  enjoy this rare April day.  At first I felt guilty, having a long list of things I should be doing.  But I gave in quickly and enjoyed the quiet of a Sunday afternoon in my own back yard.   My yard has come alive again.  The grass is green, and the garden is growing.  My herbs are growing like crazy and for the first time ever, they all survived the winter.  The few cool weather vegetables I've planted have been off to a slow start.  The peas are up, as are some of the lettuces, but my radishes and arugula have been the victim of some evil critter.  Whatever ate them has good taste.  They were heirloom seeds.  I hope this is not a foreshadowing of things to come.  Anyway, it was too beautiful a day to get aggravated about something over which I had no control....so I decided just to appreciate the moment.

Being lazy can certainly work up an appetite.  I decided to whip up a batch of hummus, thinking I could lure Paul outside with some hummus and an ice cold beer.  I was right.  He's easy prey.

Avocado and Citrus Salad

As I anxiously await the arrival of fresh local produce, I have to remind myself, it's only April.  The warm weather has lured my brain into summer produce mode and wanting to rush the season.   I got an early jump on my vegetable garden this year, having planted peas, arugula, and radishes.  They can handle the colder nights and even a light frost.  I threw a few mesclun and lettuce seeds in the garden as well....sort of an experiment you might say.  Everything I've read says, don't let the warm weather fool you into rushing the planting season, but my lilac, azaleas, and clematis are all poised to bloom.  Should I ask them to wait too? Anyway, mesclun and lettuce are a bit more tender and could eat it if we have a frost.  I decided to throw caution to the wind.  After all, what's the worst thing that could happen? In the meantime, I will have to make do with produce shipped in from other parts of the world.

Until you can get your hands on some local salad fixings, add some zip to a salad with citrus.  I've made this salad with both ruby red grapefruit and clementines.  I prefer the tartness of the grapefruit and the beautiful color as well. Use what you like, or whatever you have lurking in your refrigerator.  

Snowy Morning Smoothies

     I don't know why, but when snow is predicted overnight, I have difficulty sleeping.  I wake up frequently and I'm compelled to look out the window.  It sort of makes sense if I had to go to work in the morning, but last night was Friday night, and whether it snowed or not really didn't matter.  Once I established in my brain that it was indeed snowing, I decided it would be a good morning to sleep in.  I tried, but Paul has been waking up early these days.  He has been very ambitious, tackling some long put off projects around the house.  But seriously folks, 5:00AM on a weekend???  He's not particularly loud or anything, he just pops his head in the bedroom every half hour or so, and if I stir, that gives him permission to speak.  
"Do you want me to make you a cup of coffee to drink in bed?"  
"No" I grumbled, not wanting to engage in conversation.  
About half an hour passed, "Do you want bagels this morning?" he asked.
"Why would I want bagels while I am sleeping (hint, hint)?  Besides, why would you want to eat bagels at all?"
     We've been making an effort to eat healthier this year and bagels with cream cheese doesn't fit the bill.  Actually, rather than feel totally deprived, we are trying to eat healthy Monday through Friday, reserving occasional indulgences for the weekend or special occasions.  Bagels just seem like an unnecessary indulgence so early in the game.  In a desperate attempt to get a little more sleep, I told him I would make him a smoothie when I got up.  He kept me to my word.  

Creamy Broccoli Soup, Without the Cream

So if you are like most people, you are in the midst of holiday mode.  Almost everyone deviates from their usual eating habits this time of year.  Shopping and eating on the run, the inevitable treats that invade the office, parties and social gatherings can wreak havoc on the diets of the most disciplined eater.  It's always good to have a few light dinner ideas to counteract the evils of holiday indulgences.

This broccoli soup is a perfect antidote for a day of bad eating.  I find myself making a soup like this for a light dinner after Paul spends a Sunday afternoon with the boys watching football.  Watching football really means eating wings, nachos, pigs in a blanket and drinking beer.  He's not usually hungry for dinner on those days, but at 7:30 or 8:00pm he's looking for something to fill "his empty spot".  A bowl of soup served with a crusty bread does the trick.

Roasted Eggplant and Vegetable Spread

September is winding down and so is my vegetable garden.  This week we said a sad goodbye to our tomato plants.  Last year our tomatoes lasted well into October, but I think the volume of rain that has fallen since the end of August just plain did them in.  Tomatoes were splitting on the vine even though we were picking like crazy.  Paul managed to pick about 4 more pounds of tomatoes before those vines met their fate in the compost heap.   I still have some jalapeños growing and will most likely pick and pickle them by next weekend....and yes, the eggplant is still going strong.  

We planted 2 Black Beauty eggplant vines this year.  At first I wasn't sure they would make it.  They were a slow go, but once the summer heated up and the rain fell, those vines have been producing like gangbusters.  Right now there are about a dozen eggplants left on the vines and I am running out of eggplant enthusiasm.  I have made eggplant Parmesan, eggplant gratin, roasted eggplant, stuffed eggplant, grilled eggplant, ratatouille and given quite a bit of eggplant away.  One of my favorite ways to get rid of  prepare eggplant is to roast it with some aromatic vegetables and create a delicious and versatile "spread".  I put the word "spread" in quotes because you will see, it is much more than a spread.  

Attack of the Roasted Cherry Tomato Plants

Recipe: Mediterranean Pasta 

I've written about my crazy tomato plants in previous posts, but they have gotten a bit crazier lately.  I'm not quite sure how to describe them, but if they were human, I'd say they are bionic or maybe some kind of mutant possessing super human strength.   Last year I grew one of these crazy Sweet Millions tomato plants.  I named her Audrey II.  Remember Little Shop of Horrors?  It took on a life of its own.  This year I have two Sweet Millions.  Well, two that I planted.  Remember that cult movie "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes"?  I'm beginning to wonder about mine.  Let me show you.

Summer Fresh Corn Chowder

Sometimes a vegetable just speaks to me.  It tells me what it wants to be.  This corn was so fresh the kernels looked as if they were going to burst.  It just screamed corn chowder to me.  Seriously, it must have screamed because I would never even think of making soup in the summer with the exception of something cold like gazpacho.  Corn is one of those vegetables that I only buy in the summer.  Its silk has to look fresh, shiny and yellow.  Corn is best when it is eaten within hours of being picked.  Since I have no control over how long the corn takes to  get to my market,  the rule of my kitchen is to cook the corn the day it come into the house.  I usually serve corn on the cob when I BBQ or maybe in a clam bake.  This corn deserved to be center stage, hence my decision to make a hot soup in the summer.  I figure to have a truly fresh corn chowder, you have to make it when the corn is at its best.  So that's exactly what I did and it did not disappoint.

Welcome to My Garden...Lettuce Eat Some Salad

Welcome to my garden.  Let me introduce you.

 I should really start at the beginning.  Back in April I told Paul that the only thing I wanted for our 30th Wedding Anniversary was for him to build me a square foot garden.  I had been reading about square foot gardens all winter long and was thoroughly intrigued.  I've grown herbs the past few years and last year I grew some monster tomato plants, but I hadn't had a real honest to goodness vegetable garden for a long, long time.  Having quite a bit of shade in the yard, I wanted to start small with just one or two 4x4 frames.  Paul ended up building 3 frames and I have some large containers as well filled with the sacred "Mel's Mix".  So on April 10th, Paul created my square foot garden.

He also made a compost bin for me....what a guy!  He really knows the way to my heart!
I spent the next two weeks planning my garden on graph paper.  I planned cool weather crops, succession crops, I planned and I re-planned.  I bought enough seeds to plant a few acres.  In the end, I planted some seeds but I also had to resort to planting some purchased seedlings.  I planted lettuce, arugula, peas, spinach, radish, carrot and beet seeds directly in the soil on April 23.  On May 1st, I planted some cool weather seedlings...broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts.

I had some other more tender seedlings that I planted in pots and protected them in the garage a night.
The trusty old radio flyer came in handy to wheel the tender plants in and out of the garage.

On May 8th I planted my celery, peppers, eggplant, parsley, and oregano, sage and mint.  I planted my Sweet Millions Tomatoes in whiskey barrels.   I was able to winter over my rosemary and thyme.  Tarragon has been self-sowing the past 4 years and I think my chives have been growing for 20 years...which was when I had my last vegetable garden.  I also threw some cilantro and dill seeds into some pots to have a nice variety of herbs.

This is a picture taken on May 8th of one of my tomato plants....Wait until you see it on June 7th!!!

On May 15th the harvesting began.  I was so proud of my first radish.... I have not had store-bought lettuce since and we eat a salad almost every day.

And in just one week, the first flowers appeared on my tomato plants.  I'm thinking this Mel's Mix has magical powers!

Getting Back on Track...

Before I start rambling about my tofu, I have to tell you that I started this post a month ago.  I've started several posts, none of which I have been able to finish.  I knew I would get around to finishing them sooner or later, I just wasn't sure when.  I've been distracted.  My mother, whom I have written about many times in past posts, passed away on May 10th.  She lived a beautiful and full life for 92 years.  I watched over her for past 11 years and was with her at the end of her long struggle.  As sad as it was, it really was a blessing, a blessed passing, a friend of mine called it.  The past few years had been difficult, maybe more for me than for her, watching her fade away both mentally and physically.  Since her passing though, I've felt a little lost.  Such a strong presence in my life is gone and life as I've known it, will never be the same.  But my mom would not want me wallow in sadness.  She would be the first one to tell me to remember the good times.  There were many.  Life goes on and my mom will live in my heart forever.

Dorothy Lieske 1919-2011
Taken Christmas 2004, her last Christmas at home

Whew.....now how do I segue to tofu????

A Favorite Tofu Dish

Tofu wasn't one of those foods I knew growing up.  I believe my first tofu experience took place in California.  When I first moved to Santa Cruz, I stayed with a family who had a much bigger influence on me than I realized at the time.  Peggy was my friend's mom, and Roger was his step-dad.  They were a sweet couple, who enjoyed just being together. I often think back on their relationship.  They would have  picnics at the beach at sunset.  They drank champagne "just because".  They loved to plant flowers and would watch the hummingbirds feed on their deck for hours.  They would listen to classical music and eat breakfast in bed every Sunday morning.  They also spent quite a bit of time in the kitchen together.  Both Roger and Peggy were excellent cooks.  They would often cook together.  They found such joy in the kitchen, whether Peggy was making waffles on a Saturday morning or together they were making a half dozen quiches for a weekend workshop they were hosting.  Roger was more of the "mad scientist" in the kitchen, and Peggy was forever cleaning up after him.  They would experiment with new ingredients,  new  cookware and different cooking techniques.  They opened my eyes to a new culinary perspective.  I may not have jumped on the the bandwagon at the time, but I took note. I now see their culinary influence on my life almost everyday.
The first Christmas I spent in California, Christmas dinner was non-traditional to say the least.   Roger prepared an Asian feast, complete with a carved winter melon soup.  It was not like any Christmas dinner I had ever had.  Yes, I am a sucker for tradition, but I remember admiring his passion and abandon when he was cooking.  If I recall, Roger had a restaurateur friend in San Francisco who taught him about Chinese cooking.  On a busy week night, Roger would often whip up a platter of Tofu with Green Onions in Oyster Sauce.  It was quick.  It was easy.  It was nutritious.   It was a great dish that  became my "go to" dish during my vegetarian days.  I may have burned out on it back then and filed it away in the back of my mind.  I found myself thinking about it lately.  Unfortunately, I never wrote this recipe down.  I recall the basic flavors and have now added or subtracted (who knows) ingredients to create a reasonable facsimile of the original dish.  I've added snow peas which you can leave out if you so desire.  I like the contrasting crunch, without an overpowering additional flavor.  If you do not have a well seasoned wok, and I mean WELL seasoned, tofu is best cooked in a non stick wok or skillet.

Roasted Butternut Squash ... (and Friends) Soup

I don't know why it took me so long to discover butternut squash, it just did.  I don't remember my mother ever cooking it when I was a kid.  Looking back on my childhood, it would be fair to say we were a squash-less family.  We ate our vegetables, but they were more along the lines of string beans, peas, carrots, and broccoli.  Mostly frozen vegetables were served in our house, with the exception of holidays.  Holidays always commanded fresh vegetables.

When I moved out of my parent's home,  I headed west to California, the land of fresh vegetables. While living in Santa Cruz,  I had a brief stint with vegetarianism.  I had an open mind and found the joys of fresh produce: artichokes, arugula, lettuce that was not iceberg, brussel sprouts and squash.  I also learned that there were many ways to cook vegetables as well. Vegetables could be more than an obligatory lump of green on your plate. I discovered one of my favorite ways to cook winter squash was roasting.  Roasted butternut squash has a wonderful depth of flavor and can stand on its own.  It doesn't take much of leap to know that if you take that roasted squash and puree it with some broth, you'll have the start of a really good soup.  Add a few other ingredients to the mix and you'll have something special.

End of the Season Gazpacho

My beloved tomato plants took a severe beating in yesterday's storm.  I'm not sure whether it was the wild wind or the deluge of rain, but they look like hell.  The ground is covered with tomatoes.  I am going to glean what I can and hope that the remaining soldiers can hang on a bit longer until the season's first frost.

Earlier this summer I experimented with some gazpacho recipes.  I decided that I like my gazpacho to have some texture and chew.  For that reason, I loved Ree Drummond's gazpacho.  Her technique of adding finely diced and minced vegetables to the pureed vegetables worked perfectly for me.

This gazpacho is a wise way to use up some of those extra tomatoes and random veggies you may still have in your garden.  It tastes fresh and clean and is relatively quick to make. Just be sure you leave enough time to chill it before serving.  If you are good with your food processor, you can do most of your dicing and prep with it.  Just be sure not to pulverize the veggies.  Do the dicing in small batches.  Serve the gazpacho as a first course or have a big bowl for dinner.  If there are any left-overs, it makes a delicious lunch although I must warn you the raw garlic becomes more pronounced.

Roasted Tomato and Garlic Sauce

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.  I like to cook with produce that is in season.  Having said that, I am sad to say that my tomato plants look as if they are giving up the ghost as I write.  Oh, they are still producing flowers and are adorned with many green tomatoes along with some slowly ripening ones, but this nasty weather we are experiencing combined with the shorter number of daylight hours is surely taking its toll.  My once beautiful behemoth plants are beginning to look, well, decrepit.  These plants were so generous and kind to us, I hate to see them go.  They have given us three solid months of tomatoes, tomatoes, and more tomatoes.  You would think I had a huge tomato patch but I only had two, yes I said two tomato plants this year, a Roma tomato and a cherry tomato.  That cherry tomato plant (sweet millions) was my pride and joy in a whiskey barrel.  It has inspired me to plan a vegetable garden over the winter and expand my horizons.  I even named her.

Her name is Audrey 2

These tomatoes were the inspiration for many a summer dish.  My intention was to post the recipes earlier, I just never seem to have enough time to write about all of them.  I'll get as many posts in as I can over the next few days just in case you have an end-of-season bumper crop and are wondering what to do with your tomatoes.  If you are fortunate enough to live in a place with a longer growing season....hooray for you!  You can eat fresh a little longer.

I simply adore roasted vegetables.  Roasting intensifies their flavor.  They caramelize and the flavor becomes deep and sweet. This sauce is not your ordinary sauce.  Try it, you'll like it!

A Tale of Two Bruschettas

What do you do when you have a bunch of tomatoes that ripen all at once? ...

......And you hear the little gnomes in your herb garden calling ..."pinch these herbs...NOW!"

You listen to those gnomes!  Pinch some herbs, pick some tomatoes and with the addition of just a few more ingredients, you will be enjoying two bruschettas in no time.