just throw it all together

Being that it is still just too hot to want to cook much of anything, much less eat anything too terribly warming... I'm still on the cold dinner kick.  However, I have graduated to homemade tabbouleh and avocado.  Here's my slap-dash tabbouleh "recipe," in the style of Grandma who just kind of throws things together until they look/taste right!


1.  Cook some couscous.  I made about a cup (dry) which became something like 2 cups cooked.

2.  Chop up some parsley and mint, tomatoes and cucumbers.

3.  Stir together the couscous, herbs, tomatoes and cucumber and drizzle olive oil and lemon juice to taste.  Also put in as much black pepper and salt as you like.

4.  Wala!  You have tabbouleh!  I top it with some avocado and maybe a little more lemon juice and eat it for several days, warm at first and cold from the fridge later!

I'm particularly proud of this concoction because it allows me to use the tomatoes, mint and parsley I have growing on the patio.  It feels good to know you've had a hand in part of the meal!

one huge squash and a lot of bread!

Monday morning my editor walked into the office and asked me:

"Do you know how to make zucchini bread?"

"Sure do," I replied.

"Here," she said.

And handed me this:


She had it tucked under her arm like a club.


Seriously THE BIGGEST ZUCCHINI I HAVE EVER SEEN. She said she had gotten it from a friend who just forgot to pick the ones in her garden and was not desperate to get rid of the massive amount of squash she had growing out back.


That sucker weighed in at 5 lbs. I had to take a photo just so you would believe it! I think it could have won a prize in a state fair somewhere.


But for now we'll just have to make do with zucchini bread! I'm guesstimating there is enough of the vegetable to make at least 6 loaves of bread. This morning there was one loaf sitting on Judith's desk when she walked in and another sliced up for office morning coffee in the kitchen. And lots of jokes.

too hot to cook

It's too hot to do a lot of cooking these days. The minute the oven is turned on the air conditoner kicks into overdrive and I'm sweating in the living room.... So, last night's dinner looked like this:


Avocado, miniature red peppers, onions, and ~ drumroll please ~ tomatoes fresh from my garden!


Boy, was it good! Perfect dinner for a hot summer evening. I think this will be a trend for the next two or so months.

when in doubt, make a strata

This past week I named a little mini challenge for myself... It was to really start paying attention to the food I purchase and eat and to not throw away a single food item. I didn't say anything here (in case I screwed it up), but now I think I'll share my weekly adventures in waste not want not with you.

The week started off easy-peasy with some bean soup with carrots and kale (my new favorite veggie). It was the end of the week that was challenging. I almost broke down and ordered a pizza, but decided I couldn't give up so easily!!

And then, Better Homes and Gardens came to my rescue with a recipe suggestion.... strata! I had all the ingredients (kinda) and well.... it looked good in the photo! I went through my fridge and heavily modified things to fit into a few other constraints (trying to eat less meat, more veggies and well... didn't happen to have asparagus laying around).

Looks good don't it??

And so, here ya go! My recipe (so heavily modified I think I can call it mine.

Emily's Strata

Ingredients:

- Old bread, cut up into cubes. As much as it will take to cover the bottom of a smallish glass dish in two layers.

- About 6 eggs

- About 1/2 to 1 cup of milk

- Spices you like (I forgot salt and would highly recommended that you don't!)

- Whatever veggies/meat you have laying around. Mine was kale(!!), baby portabella mushrooms. onion and garlic

- Some grated white cheese

So, here's what you do. Preheat the oven to 325 or 350ish. Spread half chthe old bread cubes over the bottom of the dish. Cover with half the filler (veggie, meat combo). Then add a layer of cheese (however much looks good).

Beat the eggs and milk together, along with spices. Pour 1/2 of it over the stuff in the pan. Repeat layers; bread cubes, filling, eggs, cheese on top.

Bake that sucker until it is firm (about 30ish minutes I think). Cut it into squares and eat!

I accompanied mine with homemade Gluhwein (cheap wine, sugar and mulling spices). It was pretty darn good!

risotto

So, I've decided that my repertoire of recipes needs to be revamped. I've depended on pasta and sauce for way to long and it's just not cutting it anymore. So, time for new recipes where maybe I can learn to use a few veggies I'm not terribly familiar with.

And so, the other day I embarked upon the making of a basic risotto recipe. Described as "labor intensive," the dish made me a little apprehensive, but I was willing to give it a go. Besides, I had all this quinoa and couscous in my cubbard from one of my "get healty" endeavors.

Can I just say... this stuff is the bomb! I'll be making rissoto approximately every other day for a while to come. You gotta try this stuff. The best thing is that it is a great way to use of some of the extra grains and veggies you may have laying around (like I apparently do) in a way where you may actually eat them. Another part of my minimalist adventure here in Emilyland.

And so, without further ado, my (I call it mine because it is heavily adapted) risotto recipe:

Ingredients:

5 cups of broth (I used veggie and it was pretty dang good)

3 Tbs. olive oil

1 small onion chopped finelyish

1 clove garlic (I used 3), chopped or mooshed, or whatever

1 1/2 c. grain (I used quinoa, but arborio rice is traditional)

1/2 c. white wine (I used the cheapest available, cause let's be honest, i'm cooking already)

1/2 c. grated Parmesan (I used "quattro formaggio" and it rocked)

Heat the broth to boiling in one pot, then lower the heat and keep it simmering on one burner.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a saucepan and add garlic and onion and cook, until softened but not browned. (At this stage I added a bunch of mushrooms I had in the fridge as well.)

Add the rice/grain of choice and cook, stirring, until it has begun to look glossy. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until absorbed.

Then start adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until each 1/2 c. has been absorbed by grain of choice. Yeah, it's a lot of stirring, but it's worth it!!

After all broth has been absorbed (and at this point you can add whichever veggie/meat/whatever you like) add the cheese!!! Stir this until melted and EAT! Oh man, it's good!

lentil dip

Remember the lentils I was complaining about last week? Well, I have found a use for them. Lentil Dip. Oh yeah! Here's the recipe:

Lentil Dip

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. walnuts (or whatever nut you want)

1 c. cooked lentils

2 green onions chopped

2 cloves garlic

1 Tbs. grainy mustard

1-2 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. soy sauce

Black pepper and salt to taste

Dump it all in a blender (or food processor, if I had one) and blend till smooth. Can be spread on crackers, bread, chips or used as a base for sammiches.

I whipped this up yesterday and was pleasantly surprised. Yes, it looks like poop. But, it tastes pretty good. A little bland, but next time I think I'll solve that with maybe some cumin and a touch of wasabi...