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very excited about

the newest addition to my bedroom

&

f l o w i n g

saturday mornings

>>>

overcast skies

family

farmer's market

yard sales

fireside lunch by the creek

 

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Jess's Coconut Pudding

This has become my new favorite snack, thanks to Jess's love of coconuts and

nut-rich raw food diet. It's silky and rich in texture, naturally sweet and filling. You can experiment with adding a bit of ground nutmeg or cinnamon or cardamom, or using vanilla extract if you don't have a vanilla bean on hand. I also like to put half aside and blend the remaining half with a little cocoa powder and/or cocoa nibs. It's also delicious to blend about 1/2 cup with about 1 cup brewed green tea for a frothy, nutty hot tea drink. Really, it's wonderful as is; but the pudding can easily act as a base for which to add other flavors.

1 young Thai coconut (water and flesh)

1/2 c soaked raw cashews

1/2 c soaked raw almonds

1/2 vanilla bean (or about a 2 inch piece)

water to cover nuts and bean

At least 30 minutes ahead of time, soak cashews and almonds in water (just enough to cover nuts) in a small bowl. Boil a little bit of water. Place vanilla bean pod in another small bowl and pour about 1/4 c boiling water over it. Allow to steep for about 5 minutes and then slice open and scrape beans into water. Once nuts are soaked, crack open coconut and pour all the water into blender. Scrape coconut flesh out and place in blender. Add the nuts and their water. Discard vanilla bean pod and add water with scrapings to blender. Blend until very smooth. Keep refrigerated.

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 Saturday Spring Onion Soup

<< for two >> 

Although I'm still thrilled with our bountiful garden greens, a break from lunchtime salads is welcomed every now and then. Threw together this spring onion soup today. It's super quick to make and has a subtle onion spice that awakens the tastebuds. Next time I'll toast some fennel seed in place of oregano. Some toasted walnuts would be a nice substitute for the bacon as well. I didn't feel this soup needed any cream--the texture and flavor was wonderfully rich on its own; however a little creme fraiche never hurt a thing...

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 stalks green garlic, chopped

1 tsp dried oregano

4 medium spring onions, roughly chopped

1 yukon gold potato, chopped into 1/2" wide chunks

1 stalk celery, medium dice

1 c water

salt to taste

1 Tbsp black pepper

1 slice bacon, chopped

fresh parsley & chives for garnish

1 Tbsp Arbequina olive oil

In a saucepan, saute garlic and oregano in olive oil on medium-high heat for a couple of minutes. Add onions. Cook for 3 more minutes. Add potatoes and celery. Add water (should just reach the level of vegetables) and bring to a boil. Once at a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Transfer pot's ingredients to blender. Puree until smooth and transfer back to saucepan. Add salt and pepper. Cook bacon in skillet until browned. Serve soup and garnish with bacon, fresh herbs, and drizzle of flavorful olive oil.

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'tis the season

for pink concoctions?

first time pickling my own onions

i had always heard it was simple

but had no idea it was THIS simple

((( so incredibly rewarding )))

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morning preserves

(i could easily make this a weekly ritual)

early summer's lovely plethora

of strawberries and rhubarb

<<<>>>

Strawberry Rhubarb Compote

Obviously still half asleep this morning, I attempted to follow this recipe. After stirring the pot for a couple of minutes, I quickly realized I had accidentally added the strawberries too soon. It was an irreversible error! I left the strawberries to cook alongside the rhubarb, in hopes of salvaging my fruit mixture. Because of the juice released from the strawberries, I needed to simmer the compote for longer than necessary to bring it to my desired thickness. After about 30 minutes of simmering, the "compote" turned more into a preserves; uniform in texture and rich in flavor. I dolloped spoonfuls of preserves, tart & silky, atop my toast with butter...and my morning was complete.

 

2 cups chopped rhubarb
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 cup strawberries, quartered

Put the rhubarb, water, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Cook on medium heat, stirring as needed, until the rhubarb softens and begins to break down. If you want a thicker mixture, keep cooking until it reaches your desired consistency. Take the pot off the heat, add the strawberries, and stir to combine. Transfer to a storage container and refrigerate until chilled.

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Dad and I spent the afternoon

 in the thick of the blackberry vines

on the opposite side of the creek

long sleeves and gloves

our only armor

harvesting 5 foot stalks of hearty

wild nettles

of which i had to make

one of my favorite simple dishes;

pasta with pureed fresh nettle sauce,

pinenuts, parmigiano

(and the outside light is golden right now,

hitting tree leaves sideways,

cool air drops into our little valley,

and three spots on my skin tingle;

incessant reminders of today's work)

 

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<< ! >>

summer

has

arrived

Strawberry Shortcake with Lemon Cream

What primes your tastebuds for summer more than a plate of strawberry shortcake?! This recipe is from Michelle Polzine from Range in San Francisco. I made this same one a long time ago, and I realized a lovely strawberry shortcake was much overdue. Berries from local strawberry stands are so juicy and sweet and absolutely perfect--the only berries from which to make this dessert. I love the lemon cream here as well; by folding a small amount of lemon curd into a batch of whipped cream, the cream is fluffy and has just the perfect amount of rich lemon vibrancy. Next time I use this recipe, I want to experiment with the shortcakes themselves; using a combination of other flours, adding perhaps some cardamom and definitely a little vanilla extract, and maybe even some finely crushed walnuts or pecans into the dough.

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<<< so much gratitude for this place >>>

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Lemon Pudding Cakes

I happened to see this recipe in Real Simple magazine and decided to give it a try. I was so pleasantly surprised by the end result. It's a lovely combination textures. The bottom is a silky lemony custard/pudding, and the upper half is a fluffy, souffle-esque cake, all topped with browned crunchy turbinado sugar crystals. Yum! A few things I look forward to changing next time: First of all, the addition of a crushed blackberry sauce with summer's ripest fruit would take this little cup to another level. I also want to try using less sugar in the recipe (I think it would be equally as good with less), and possibly substituting honey for some of the sugar. An addition of fresh thyme to the mixture before baking would finish this into perfection.

3/4 c sugar

1/3 c all-purpose flour

3 large eggs, separated

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small pieces

1 c whole milk

1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

1/3 c fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

3 tsp turbinado or other coarse sugar

Heat oven to 350F. Place six 4-ounce ramekins (I used small oven-proof mugs) or a 2-quart baking dish inside a large roasting pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar and flour; set aside. In a second medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and butter until combined. Whisk in the milk, lemon zest and juice. Add the lemon mixture to the sugar mixture and whisk until smooth. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and salt on medium-high until stiff peaks form, 2-3 minutes. In three additions, gently fold the egg whites into the lemon-sugar mixture. Divide the pudding mixture among the ramekins or pour into the baking dish. Dividing evenly, sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. To the roasting pan, add just enough hot water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins or baking dish. Bake until the tops are golden brown, 40-45 minutes for cakes in ramekins and 30-35 minutes for a cake in a baking dish. Serves 6.

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walking outside barefoot

collecting greens from the garden

 lupine and lavender in my room

(( invigorated by the season ))