#I think it would be good with a little lemon zest or some rosemary in as well

[flintandpyrite]

I had some ricotta leftover from last week so I made this super simple yeasted Ricotta-Parmesan bread and it tastes exactly like the cheesebread of my dreams.

@perditious very relevant to your interests ☺️

[1010ll]

do you have any new recipes that you've learned recently? i remember you wrote something a while ago about carbonara and i tried it out for myself it was really fun!!

i love this 😭 im gonna write way too much idec! something that has changed since that post: my kitchen is worse. i have a horrible combi oven which has resulted in me accidentally eating raw chicken, because it had been in there for more than 2 hours at supposedly 230 °C and i was really hungry and thought it HAD to be done by then. also i have less time and less money lol. it has made me a bit sad, and less motivated to cook nice things but i also love food! which means these tips/recipes are gonna reflect that and might seem a bit dull but probably also relatable for a lot of people.   i’ve definitely made spaghetti carbonara a bit too much because it’s simple and require few ingredients! will still vouch for that one tip about substituting the bacon with roasted veggies and other types of meat.

last week i made risotto for the very first time, i think? which means i might be assuming a bit too much, but i think it’s a great dish that you can almost make with whatever you have in your fridge. i made it with roasted beetroot(needs A LOT of time to soften, lesson learned), carrots and parsley root or parsnip(idk the difference), dried rosemary and thyme, garlic and onion. i had some leftover sushi rice, which is great for risotto apparently(love versatile ingredients), roasted them in some oil and then added white wine and chicken stock and actually added a leftover parmesan rind i had in the fridge to give the ‘stock’ some flavour, a bit of nutmeg and then in the end some shredded gouda lol… it was surprisingly delicious and i didn’t even really care to cook the rice perfectly. it also tasted delicious 3 days later, which was a nice surprise. i bet there are tons of risotto recipes online, but as long as you have rice, some kind of flavoured water, i guess you could kind of add whatever you want of veggies and top with whatever herb you have around.

another type of porridge i consume a lot these days is hot oat porridge, which i’ve eaten since i was little and it was the first ‘dish’ i learnt to make myself and it’s cheap. some people really dislike the consistency and look but i don’t. it’s also very easy to customise. i put in whatever nuts and seeds(which are often cheaper than nuts) i have around: flaxseed, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chopped almonds and sometimes a dollop of peanut butter. i let them simmer along with the oats. i like adding those elements because it gives it some texture and it keeps me more full throughout the day. it’s very important to me because i hate spending money i don’t have on fast-food when i’m not home and i hate being hungry. dried raisins, cranberries for a bit of sweetness and if i’m treating myself i’ll add some fresh apples cut into small pieces or some homemade berry compote(i use frozen) or brown sugar. if i had more money i’d use maple syrup but i don’t at the moment. i also add a bit of cinnamon and cardamom, dried ginger etc, whatever you feel like. some people also add milk afterwards but i’d rather spend my milk on my coffee.

a small tip: making chili flake / garlic oil. it’s really delicious, you could put it straight on pasta with some parmesan and pepper and it would be a filling meal. either chop the garlic really fine, grate it, microplane it, smash it to pieces. heat some olive oil until it’s quite hot, then remove from heat and add the chili flakes and garlic. if the oil isn’t hot enough you can just put the pan or pot back on the heat but be careful you don’t burn the chili flakes or garlic, as it will make it bitter. the longer it will toast, the less pronounced the raw garlic flavour will be, so when it smells toasted enough for your taste, take it off. i store it in a tiny glass jar and add it in stews, sauces, toasts, pizza, sandwiches etc. the flavour is very strong imo and everything it touches will smell like it. something to drink: i like strong foods and i like sour foods, which is why i like lemon/ginger based drinks. to make it even more winter friendly and easy to make, i like to grate unpeeled ginger(i hate slices of ginger, they do nothing for me and seems like a waste of ginger), lemon zest, lemon juice and mix it or blend it with some water/apple juice and honey and strain it afterwards. if you have a really nice blender you can just add all of it together with some ice. i’m basically making a large amount of ginger shot mixture. then when i feel like it, i can take some of the mixture and either drink it as it is, add more apple juice if i need a refreshing beverage or add hot water and more honey for when im cold. you could also add turmeric, chili, use less sweetener and other sorts of healthy stuff but i honestly do it for the taste so i don’t care about that that much.

something sweet: i posted earlier about cakes and someone mentioned swedish kladdkaka, which is a super delicious, cheap, brownie-like chocolate cake that is easily customized and hard to fuck up which is why i’ve made it since i was very young and is a go-to and i didn’t even know it was a swedish thing. if you like airy, light cakes this is not for your. this is sticky, sweet and almost like confection. you can add nuts, swirls of peanutbutter, tahini, actual pieces of chocolate, replace the white sugar with brown sugar, the butter with oil(you can be fancy and use a bit of olive oil) or use a mixture, brown the butter, you name it. the recipe i use is this: melt 100 g butter and let cool. mix 2 eggs + 3 dl sugar in a bowl until fluffy in one bowl. mix 1.5 dl flour, 4 tbs cocoa, 1 pinch of salt in another. mix the dry with the wet mixture and add the cooled, melted butter. this is the point where you’d add chopped nuts, chocolate etc. pour the batter into a cake tin lined with parchment (i use one that is 16 cm in diameters i think). bake the cake for around 30 mins at 150°C - 175°C degrees. check on the cake using a cake tester or a a knife. if the knife is clean after … stabbing it, it’s done! the cake will change it’s texture after cooling. this is a cheap cake, and if you like cake dough you might want to give it less time in the oven for a more fudgey texture. make it your own! there are no rules. last time i made this, i left it in for too long in my opinion but it was still delicious. also i literally have a shit oven with a round oven rack that goes in circles no matter what due to the microwave function, and the only ‘mixing’ equipment i have is a whisk and a spatula. no need for kitchen aids or  even electrical hand mixers.

something else i’ve been eating a lot for lunch is simple open faced sandwiches, and something that can really elevate those is: making your own mayonnaise(and toasting the bread). it can be challenging, but it’s really worth it imo and i can’t remember the last time i bought it in a store. i have a small plastic bowl, whisk and 1 egg yolk. something i can really recommend is buying pour snouts for bottles. i transfer my oils from their plastic bottles to smaller, old soda bottles because im cheesy like that and it’s really handy especially when making mayo. constantly whisking the egg yolk by hand and then adding the NEUTRAL oil ever so slowly. don’t be fancy and use cold pressed stuff or extra virgin olive oil because it will taste weird. i only ever fail when i try to use immersion blenders for some weird reason but i find it rewarding to do by hand anyways and i think it might be easier to make smaller portions that way. mayo needs acid and you can get it by adding regular vinegar, apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, lime juice, pickle juice, citric acid dissolved in water etc. it’s really easy to customise! when im making banh mi, i add some sesame oil, soy sauce for saltiness and use lime as the acidic element. for more regular use i add a bit of mustard(also helps with the emulsion), for fries, i like adding some fresh garlic. something as simple as mayo, tomatoes, flaky salt and pepper topped with chives is really nice. i also really like using slices of boiled potatoes or boiled eggs(idk if that’s only a thing where i’m from), mayo and the chili garlic oil. it’s also great for making tuna salad. yesterday i made a really simple sandwich with a very simple tuna salad(tuna, mayo, yoghurt, lemon and pepper), arugula, basil, the garlic/chili oil, cream cheese, pickled jalapeños and onions, green peber, cucumber and tomatoes. you could leave out everything but the tuna salad and it would still be a great little meal.

another nice condiment that beats the supermarket stuff by far is homemade ‘pesto’. when i buy parsley from my local grocery store, it’s a gigantic amount that i in no way can consume in a week. first of all when buying fresh herbs i really recommend washing them, wrapping them in a damp towel and keeping them in a closed container. it will prolong their lifetime from lasting a day to a week(change the towel if it seems too wet). i once had some cilantro in my fridge for several weeks and still be fresh. anyways, when i buy that much parsley, i like to remove the tougher parts of the stem(which i use in stews/sauces! chop it up and sautee it along with garlic and onion), add literally just olive oil, water, pepper, garlic, and a bit of acid and then blend away! it keeps for a long time in the fridge and is also delicious beneath tomatoes/potatoes/cheese on open-faced sandwiches. if you want to be fancy you can of course add some type of hard cheese, nuts, seeds, dried tomatoes, whatever.

i know this is the longest text post ever, but as a last reminder, i really recommend watching pasta grannies on youtube. really simple recipes with focus on few, good ingredients that just takes some time and love.

[itsomgitsgreenblogging]

A Never-Ending Feast

Yes, it is me again. Really we all should have expected this, but when Jester pulled out Heroes' Feast in episode 105, my friend alixcat basically said, yeah, you are writing a fic about Jester using Heroes' Feast right? And I was like....yeah, you right. I'm back on my Labor of Love bullshit 24/7. This one's for you!

Jester often shows love through acts of service, OR 5 times that Jester summoned a feast for others and the 1 time she made a feast for herself.

Bon appetit!

Read on AO3

Preview:

The trudge to the inn was a terrible one. It was one of those summer days that clung to your skin and sowed misery with the humidity. It was almost a relief for it to start raining, but as soon as it did the wind howled and shook the trees with intensity, and the sky cracked open with lightning and thunder. Yasha looked unbothered by the storm, but Beau grumbled and trudged her way through the front door of the inn looking like she had been personally insulted. It didn’t help that when they ordered food, all they received was burnt chicken and wilted vegetables coated in oil. 

“I can’t believe we spent money on this shit,” Beauregard snapped, her temper hot and lashing like a whip. She cast a dirty look to the innkeeper, who plainly ignored it and continued on with their day.  

“I know what will make us all feel better,” Jester said, fluttering her fingers with her excitement. “I have that new spell that makes the food! Everyone, let’s go upstairs to our room and I’ll make us a feast!” 

“I’m down,” Fjord said, picking up a particularly sad looking green bean from his plate and watching it flop around in an extremely unappetizing manner, not that Jester ever believed that beans were good. They were one of those things that Mama swore were good for her, but if they were so good for her then maybe they ought to taste good too! Regardless of her feelings about green beans, the Mighty Nein all followed Jester up to their room, where she settled down on a blanket and pulled out her jewel encrusted goblet. For a moment she prayed, and then the Traveler’s energy pulsed through her. 

What kind of feast shall it be today? Jester heard the Traveler ask. 

I’m thinking...summer! The kind of things you would eat on a beautiful summer day, the kind of summer day that Beau would love, not whatever this shitty day is!

Magic overflowed from the goblet, and out from the ground plates patterned with flowers, and bowls of porcelain began to appear like they were sprouting flowers and tall grasses. Strawberry shortcakes with dollops of indulgent creams that were scented of vanilla and the zest of lemons, peach crumbles with layers of streusel flavored with the warming spices of ginger and cinnamon to give it just a punch of flavor. Scoops of coconut ice cream covered in toasted coconuts and topped with pineapple sauce and bright cherries. Bananas dipped in chocolate and covered in toasted nuts and strawberries, slices of banana cream pie and rhubarb pie. 

Veth picked up a glass bowl containing a trifle half the size of her body, layers of cake soaked in rum, blueberry sauce, custard, berries, and jelly that was arranged like a large fruit display. Caleb began cutting slices of a pavlova, sweet toasted meringue garnished with kiwis, passionfruit, strawberries and cream. Yasha and Fjord were busy sharing a pineapple upside down cake and coconut ice cream, as Beau worked on her own plate that she stacked high with pies baked into jars. 

“I’ve never had iced tea before,” Caduceus said, taking a long indulgent sip from a glass.“Would you like some?” 

“Oh yes!” Jester said as she took the glass. It was iced tea as her Mama made it, the signature Nicodranas brew layered with black-citrus tea with sweetened condensed milk and coconut milk. Jester sighed as the flavors mingled on her tongue. She took a mouthful of streusel next, sighing as the tender peach melted her in mouth with the brown sugar and coconut and made the flavor of summer. She dipped forkfuls of banana cream pie in pineapple sauce, cut chocolate covered bananas to add to her slice of pavlova. She took indulgent sips of different drinks to refresh her palate and add more flavor, watermelon tea or frosted lemonade or fizzing fruity floats with scoops of ice cream that melted into foam that lapped at the edge of goblets the size of bowls. 

By the time the hour was up and the feast vanished, Jester had truly eaten her fill. She sighed as she settled into bed that night. For a moment she swore she felt Beau’s eyes on her. 

“Thanks Jester,” Beau said, voice rough with feeling. “That did hit the spot.” 

“Of course,” Jester said with a smile that Beau couldn’t see. “Any time.” 

______________________________________

They sat camped outside the dungeon, in the bubble as Caleb meticulously casted. The villagers there had complained about something coming up from the depths of the old abandoned mine. Jester wondered idly if it could be gnolls again, but based on what Fjord and Beau had discovered while snooping about it seemed to be something far more...trickey. 

“We just don’t know what we are gonna be walking into,” Fjord said worriedly as he balanced the Star Razor across his knees. Yasha who had been minding the perimeter came back and settled down, looking a bit unnerved. Jester felt a quiet sense of concern for her. It really was awful how she kept getting mind-controlled all the time! Jester would need to talk to the Traveler about that some time to see if she could help. 

“If we hit it hard enough, it’ll fall,” Veth said, cocking her crossbow confidently. 

“It might not hurt to prepare ourselves though,” Caleb said as he sat himself down next to Veth. Caleb then caught Jester’s attention with an awkward wave.  “Jester, would you be, perhaps, capable of creating that feast again? To...ah...bolster our efforts?” 

“Yeah, yeah yeah yeah,” Jester said thinking about it. “I can do that today!”

“Can you include some meat?” Veth said, picking at her teeth. “Any at all?” 

“I have to give Caduceus something to eat!” Jester said, reminding Veth as she pulled out her bowl. 

“Aw, that’s nice,” Caduceus hummed as he fixed his sleeping bag. 

Jester settled it on the ground, and as she had done before she called the Traveler’s power to her. 

What kind of feast shall it be today? Jester heard the Traveler ask. 

I’m thinking...warm and filling! Something crisp like an apple on a brisk fall day, and the flavors of a Harvest Close Festival. 

And there on plates and bowls patterned with leaves in brilliant autumn colors was their feast. A whole roast duck glazed with orange sauce and served on a platter on a smear of plum applesauce with skin so crispy that it cracked when Caleb took his first bite. Bowls full of sunny pumpkin soup topped with crisped onion, that paired perfectly with loaves of bread that were stuffed with fennel-pork sausage that Beau downed so quickly that Jester was half sure it would be more effective to just raise the bowl to her lips. Rabbit in rosemary-wine sauce, served with sides of potatoes mixed together with a spicy savory mustard, and mushroom risotto with rice so tender it brought tears to the eyes. 

And then of course dessert, which Jester was mostly concerned about and wouldn’t dare to stint on the servings. Apple pie with cinnamon-sugar dusted on crumbling crusts. Baked apples covered luxuriously thick caramel sauce and covered in peanuts, and elephant ears swirled in cinnamon and drizzled with frosting. There were slices of smooth and glossy pumpkin pie and crunchy and delicately sweet pecan pies topped with dollops of whipped cream, and sweet potato cheesecake with gingersnap streusel crumbled on top. Goblets were full of apple cider, or hot chocolate with toasted marshmallows and drizzled with salted caramel, and coffee made buttery and rich with swirls of cream and brown sugar and even pumpkin. Butterscotch cookies pressed into the edges of large glasses of milk were what caught Jester's eyes first and foremost. 

"This is my favorite thing," Jester said as she dipped the warm cookie into the glass of milk that had a rim encrusted with chocolate dust and cinnamon sugar, sighing as the butter, crunchy edges of the cookie, and the sweetened warm milk melted together in perfect harmony. Veth pressed in close to her, finishing off her plate before grabbing a glass of milk and cookies. 

"This reminds me of when I was a girl," Veth laughed, her eyes misty. "But my mother wasn't nearly as good of a cook as your magic is." 

“Aw, thank you,” Jester chirped, trading her now empty glass for a new plate and taking bites from pecan pie and long sips from cream-pumpkin-coffee. She gave Veth a side hug that Veth gladly leaned in to. 

"It really is lovely," Caleb said, with a soft reflective look of his own as he stopped up soup with a piece of bread. His dark fingers sweeping around in a well practiced movement before popping the last piece of bread in his mouth. 

“Hey, save some for the rest of us,” Beauregard teased as she elbowed Caleb. 

“There’s plenty to share,” Veth argued with no heat. “I’ll make you a plate.” 

Jester said nothing, but cuddled more firmly against Veth's side as she enjoyed her cookies in milk, thinking of a time with her own mother and perhaps something like this. 

_______________________________

The ship rocked them back and forth as they gathered in the captain’s quarters. Jester had been full of energy ever since she learned that today was Fjord’s birthday. He had asked for nothing big or special, trying to argue that he couldn’t know his actual birthday and that he was getting too old for celebrations, but all of them had gotten him gifts regardless. Small little useful things, because Fjord would have surely refused anything more than that. Once the others had finish gifting things to Fjord, which he took with an increasingly tender and misty-eyed expression, Jester pulled out her jeweled goblet and set it upon the table. She casted the spell as she usually did, feeling her chest fill with the energy of her god.  

What kind of feast are we having today? The Traveler asked curiously. 

A celebration! Jester responded exuberantly.  A fancy dinner party!

Upon the table that Fjord had set up, the plates and bowls and trays appeared, bubbling up from the spell like little boats buoyed on the water. A sweet and creamy lobster bisque, besides a tray of mussels steamed in white wine garlic and lemon juice, and nestled between buckwheat galettes made of salmon, capers, and dill. Mashed potatoes that were made smooth and rich with exorbitant amounts of butter found a place next to plates of mushrooms and gnocchi in a tomato cream sauce, and spicy butternut squash soup. Crispy crab cakes with a rainbow of dipping sauces in bowls shaped like shells and baked oysters dusted with spices and cheese. There was even a whole braised octopus in the center of the table, arranged among slices of lemon. 

“I’ve never had anything like this,” Caleb admitted as he looked at the perfect slices of raw tuna in a loose approximation of a raw bar. “Is this supposed to be raw?” 

“It tastes pretty good,” Veth said, scooping up her own serving of the ceviche of raw tuna marinated in lime juice and tossed with onions, tomatoes, avocados, and cilantro. She slurped down mussels at an alarming rate and did her best to encourage Caleb to cry the crispy calamari with the garlic aioli and the steamer swimming in butter. 

"Look, our favorite!" Fjord said, sharing a knowing look with Beau and Yasha as he motioned to the plate full of fried fish and potatoes with tartar sauce. Beau and Yasha laughed as they loaded up their plates, pressing the flaky white fish into sandwiches made from the warm fresh white bread. 

“What’s for dessert?” Caduceus asked curiously. 

“Chocolate! You can’t really have a birthday without a chocolate cake,” Jester said excitedly as she moved to cut slices of a decadent chocolate cake, moist and sweet and filled with chocolate cream and raspberry sauce, settled besides saucers of chocolate mousse, and crisp cannolis filled with sweetened ricotta and chocolate chips. Chocolate covered strawberries were gathered in a luxurious array of white, milk, and dark and covered with nuts and candies. Stacks of salted caramel millionaire’s shortbread with crisp butter-cookie sandwiching layers of caramel and covered in chocolate, even bubbling pots of chocolate and caramel fondue with a wide array of fruits and snacks to dip into the heavenly smelling liquid. 

“Thank you, Jester,” Fjord said with a wide smile that had lantern-light glinting off his tusk. “Thank you all of you. This has really been the best birthday I have ever had.” 

“Don’t forget to blow out your candles!” Jester said, offering him a slice of his cake. Beauregard reached over to the goblet and pulled out a candle, passing it to Veth who planted it on his cake. Caleb reached out to punch the candle and it lit and began to glow. 

Fjord blew out his candle, and closed his eyes to make a wish. As she took a bite of her own slice of cake and then dipping a forkful in the chocolate fondue, she wondered if any wish could top this simple pleasure as she pressed it against the top of her mouth so it could just melt away bit by bit and she could savor it. She would try to savor it all, for as long as she could. 

____________________________

No one enjoyed trudging through a swamp, especially not Caduceus. Jester knew the Wildmother was a powerful god god, but it seemed to her that she could look out for Caduceus a little better. Jester found that the task often went to her, and of course she didn’t mind. Caduceus was steady as a rock, let Jester braid his hair, and listened intently whenever Jester rambled. The least Jester could do was yank Caduceus out of muck puddles whenever he fell in them, in return for being such a good friend. Jester could tell though that Caduceus was relieved when they stopped for the night, and Yasha who had fallen into a bush of prickers was just as excited to be bedding down. They would have a hard day ahead of them the next day, this Jester knew. So when Yasha quietly asked her if she could cast Heroes’ Feast to aid them, Jester already knew what was on the menu. 

What sort of feast tickles your fancy, my dear Jester? The Traveler asked her. 

Now seems as good a time as any to have an afternoon tea!

At night?

Of course, duh!

I do love the way you think. The Traveler chuckled as the goblet summoned for them their feast, spreading it about the dome.  

Their afternoon tea was spread out on three tier and four tier porcelain stands decorated in flowering vines, kettles appeared and whistled merrily as they did as did beautiful tea sets in a variety of flowering colors and painted with rabbits and ducklings. Nestled among the kettles and tea cups were pots of toppings, from sunshine yellow lemon curd to vibrant marmalade and a treasure trove of jams to clotted cream and thick yellow custard. There was a stand of finger sandwiches all cut in diagonals, like cucumber and herbal butter, watercress and fluffy egg salad, prosciutto and goat cheese, and smoked salmon and cream cheese.  One that Jester scooped up was a fluffernutter that made Jester smile. The next stand was a twisting array of scones filled with fruit or berries or nuts or spiced with cinnamon in turn, hearty spiced pumpkin muffins, blueberry muffins, lemon-poppy seed muffins, and danishes filled with jams or sweet cheeses and dusted with sugar or drizzled with vanilla frosting. And then of course, the cookies. Trays of cookies from madeleines with their shell-like filigree edges to smooth as button macarons to stacks of simple butter cookies and shortbread surrounded them like patches of wildflowers. 

“Oh Jester, this is wonderful,” Caduceus sighed into his cup of tea. “Let me pour you a cup?” 

Jester nodded enthusiastically as Caduceus poured her a cup of ruby-red tea. Jester took a sip and was immediately struck by the gorgeous strawberry almost malty note of it. Dipping in a shortbread cookie and eating it made her whimper with the sublime pleasure. The shortbread simply melted into her mouth like a dream, like it was meant to be together. 

“It’s too bad we can’t stop for an afternoon tea every day,” Jester sighed as she excitedly cut open a scone to layer it with clotted cream and blueberry jam and lemon curd. Caleb watched her do this and mirrored it, though adding far less then she did of all three toppings except the lemon curd. Jester didn’t understand why he was being so stingy, but not everyone could truly appreciate sweets as she did. 

“I can’t eat rich food too often,” Beauregard admitted as she cornered the market on tiny finger sandwiches. “It’s a nice once in a while thing, but otherwise it screws up my workout routine.”   

“This is magic food though,” Veth pointed out. “Does it really count?”

“Tastes the same, and feels the same in my stomach,” Beauregard said with a shrug. 

“What are these tiny orange things?” Yasha asked as she eyed a canape. 

“That would be salmon roe,” Fjord explained and when seeing Yasha’s befuddled reaction further explained, “fish eggs.” 

“Tasty,” Yasha said, offering no more explanation on that as she popped it in her mouth. 

“All we need now is a fancy place to sleep,” Jester said excitedly as she poured another cup of tea and tried that one. This tea was bright and citrus and with a strong floral note, that perfectly matched the lemon-poppy seed muffin and was smoothed by the lemon-vanilla frosting on top. “You guys have got to try this tea! I’ll get everyone a cup!” 

“It tastes like flowers,” Veth said, doing that thing where it sounded like she was complaining but she really wasn’t.

“It does, doesn’t it?” Caduceus asked, smile sweet on his face. Yasha smiled too, but didn’t say a word. 

_____________________________________________

In Jester’s nightmares, there was a different kind of feast. 

The room itself was familiar, and Jester could almost feel like she shouldn’t be there but couldn’t remember why in the haze of the dream. There was a single window above the door, casting the glow of a red and violet twilight across the room that was cluttered with bottles and jars and strange books and drying herbs. The only other light was fat candles of yellow-beeswax, choked by glass and made dim, and the dying embers of a hearth. The table was set for two, and yet as Jester looked around she was the only one in the cramped little home. Even the ceiling cages swung empty and creaking amongst the wooden slots. Jester took a seat, and just as she did she saw her goblet sat in the center of the empty table. 

Her goblet overflowed, and out of the spreading liquid came a menagerie of sweets. Jester set herself upon them all with a reckless abandon. A strange sludge in a crusty bowl ended up being blueberry soups with dollops of sweet cream, overturned cups ended up being creme brulee with glistening caramel crusted on the tops, casseroles full of bread pudding steaming with cinnamon and drizzled with butterscotch and topped with ice cream flecked with ice cream. There was a bouquet of flowers that filled the air with their sugary scent, that as Jester plucked a beautiful pink bloom melted into her mouth with the flavor of rosehip and fairy floss. Forks melted in between her fingers and she realized they were made of chocolate, and the placemats were now made of crunchy honeycomb. She bit into her glass only to realize it was made of shards of sugar flavored with mint and the liquid within like pressed and sweetened lemons and melons. She took more ravenous bites, filled her plate high and yet somehow treats continued to spring from that never-ending goblet-

The liquid from her goblet splashed and overflowed as it turned over under the weight and gushed out like a strange pulsing wound, dripping off the edges of the tables and onto Jester’s skirt and seeped in. She recoiled from the sensation, scurrying away as she swiped at it with her fingers. With her vision and the dim light she could see that the liquid was a oily black. The candles all flickered as if shuddered by a breeze, the smoke hazy and twisting as it tickled the low-hanging herbs that were drying from the ceiling. The liquid began to splatter onto the scratched and dusty floor, pitter-pattering at an ever-increasing rate.  

“Now, now my dear,” a familiar croaking voice said as a large hand settled upon her shoulder, fingernails slicing past layers of her cloak. Jester could hear the cracking of dusty-joints and the lumbering crunch of her footsteps. “You have prepared such a feast for me.” 

“I...uh…” Jester squeaked as she felt a too long finger mind her neck. She didn’t dare to move, afraid that such a movement would slit her own throat, but let Isharnai tip her chin up and back so Jester could see the witch hunched over her.  

“Such a precious giving girl,” Isharnai cooed, and her strange face came into focus, dull green eyes searching Jester for some truth that Jester desperately didn’t want to admit. “So full of misery. What a treat you are.” 

“I’m not,” Jester said, her heart pulsing quick and fast in her ears. Her fingers were slick with the black liquid now, it was up to her thighs now bunching and collecting her skirts and glueing them to her legs. But it was her fingers-suddenly she couldn’t move them, as if she had gone numb at the wrist. She couldn’t move, she couldn’t breathe as suddenly the panic overtook her. Where were her friends? Where had everyone gone-? 

“We are friends. Friends don’t lie to each other,” Isharnai said, voice cruel with softness. “Now come, don’t you want your last cupcake?” 

-Jester looked up to the table again and saw wilted flowers and cracked bowls and something bleeding-it was a heart and it was still beating and the whole home contracted and pulsed like it was a thing alive and in the center of it all there was a single cupcake that glistened with gold and-

What a horrible dream! The Traveler’s voice swept across her mind like the wind on a winding path. For a moment she felt like she was falling and yet she didn’t fear as the wind carried the scent of autumn. No need for this, sleep now Jester and know I am with you. 

And so the color of her dreams changed, and she slipped into something safe. 

____________________________

The girl behind the counter was a teenager, fresh faced and with her hair in twin braids. She had a dusting of freckles across her thin nose and smiled happily when Jester walked through the door of the little bakery in the nowhere town that they had stopped in for the night. It was bright and early the next morning, and Jester had snuck out apart from her friends in hopes of finding something that answered her prayers. The Traveler truly was with her in this endeavour. 

"What can I get you this morning?" 

"What do you have?" 

"Would you like savory or sweet?" 

"Sweet, always sweet," Jester said seriously, because sweets were no laughing matter at all. 

"We have muffins, blueberry, cinnamon swirl, and cornbread. We also have cinnamon rolls, and we do have cupcakes." 

"What kind of cupcakes?" Jester asked excitedly. 

"We have a honey-apple cupcake, gingerbread cupcake, and a carrot cake cupcake. The carrot cake is our topseller." 

"Carrot cake," Jester grumbled, feeling her nose scrunch. She knew that it was a popular flavor, but she just couldn't wrap her mind around a vegetable in a cake. But she did know from Beau's grumbles that she enjoyed carrot cake even though, as Caleb had pointed out, it was rather nerdy and old-fashioned of her. Beau had given him a solid punch in the arm at the teasing and had disagreed in the way she did where she wasn't really disagreeing but more arguing for the sake of arguing. "Alright, I'll take a dozen, but like a mixed dozen. Four of each flavor?" 

"Absolutely, that'll be four silver." 

Jester slid the girl six silver and smiled. 

"You keep the change," Jester told her and watched as the girl's eyes widened and she nodded vigorously. The girl quickly packed up the cupcakes and tied the box with a string before handing it off to Jester. She smiled and thanked her again before heading off. Jester walked for a little bit, finding the apple tree just outside of the inn that they were saying. Carefully she set her box on the ground as she pulled out her own handkerchief and settled it amongst the roots. She carefully opened the box of cupcakes, careful not to jostle any of them. She lifted one out from the box, the honey-apple cupcake Jester assumed based off of the drizzle of honey that covered the swirl of vanilla buttercream. 

“I thought we might share this,” Jester said as she crossed her legs, feeling the morning dew and the sunshine dappling her face as the trees shifted with a breeze. She lifted the cupcake to her lips and took a bite. She sighed at the flavor of the sweet floral honey infusing the cake with its buttery undertones and mellow vanilla crumble, the sharp flavor of the apple-filling that was syrupy and made decadent with brown sugar and cinnamon and the tang of lemon, and of course the melting buttercream frosting that dissipated like a vanilla cloud. Jester felt a hand touch hers, and a shoulder bump against her own. 

“Thank you, Jester,” the Traveler said whispered and when Jester blinked there was a second bite taken out of her cupcake. 

Jester laughed, and went to take another bite. 

[consulting-celiac-in-the-tardis]

57 Easy Gluten Free Recipes for Summer Picnics and Potlucks

New blog post! Now that the weather is finally (sloooowly) warming up and holidays like Memorial Day and Fourth of July are right around the corner, I know that summer picnics and potlucks are just as close. But when you have celiac disease or dietary restrictions, summer entertaining can feel a little more complicated.

That's why this year, I thought I'd scope out some of the best gluten free recipes for summer picnics and potlucks. Whether you're looking for healthy appetizers, gluten free lunches fit for a picnic or easy paleo desserts, this round up should give you some delicious ideas. Not to mention, it should make bringing a yummy and gluten free dish to every summer get-together a whole lot easier!

Gluten Free Sides

1. Bacon Cheddar Jalapeno Cornbread (Nut Free, Refined Sugar Free) - Raia's Recipes  

Trust me. If you show up with gluten free bread at a summer potluck, you're gonna be the life (or at least the taste buds) of the party.

2. Easy Potato Salad with Egg - Bubba Pie

Give your potato salad an extra boost of protein with hardboiled eggs.

3. Hawaiian Macaroni Salad (Vegan, Soy Free) - Spabettie

Pineapple, vegan mayo, sweet pickles and pickled carrots give this macaroni salad a unique, Hawaiian twist.

4. Broccoli Apple Slaw - Noshtastic

Change up the traditional cabbage slaw recipe by using broccoli and apple instead!

5. Creamy Pea Salad - Recipes From a Pantry

If you're looking for a seriously easy low carb side dish that is still sure to peas (ahem...please) a crowd...this is it! All you need to make it are fresh (or frozen!) peas, bacon, cheese and a few other ingredients for the sour cream dressing.

6. Black Bean and Corn Salad with Balsamic Vinegar (Dairy Free) - The Welcoming Table

Add grilled chicken or pork to make this gluten free salad a meal, or serve it as a side dish or dip!

7. German Cucumber Salad - Casserole Crissy

For any gardeners out there, this is the perfect recipe to use up any leftover cucumbers.

8. Asian-Inspired Sesame Cilantro Carrot Salad (Paleo and Vegetarian) - Natasha, The Artisan Life

Even carrot haters will be won over by the Asian flavors in this gluten free salad dressing.

9. Bone Broth Pesto (Nut Free) - Casey the College Celiac

Enjoy the creamy, tanginess of pesto with the added protein and nutritional benefits of bone broth. Serve with veggies, gluten free crackers or roasted sweet potato rounds (which are also included in the linked recipe above)! 

10. Watermelon Mint Salad with/out Feta (Dairy Free Option) - Finding Zest

Who knew that watermelon and balsamic vinegar made such a tasty pair?

11. White Bean Salad (Vegan, Soy-Free, Nut-Free) - Happy Healthy Mama

Fresh basil, cherry tomatoes, avocado and lemon juice turn plain white beans into a side salad everyone will be digging into.

12. Zucchini Roll-Ups (Vegan, Paleo) - Claudia Canu 

These roll-ups are super simple to make but that doesn't make this combo of veggies and gluten free hummus any less delicious!

13. Goat Cheese Cucumber Bites (Keto, Low Carb) - The Keto Option

Gluten free Everything But the Bagel Seasoning dresses up these mini goat cheese and cucumber sandwiches.

14. Creamy Sweet Potato Salad (Paleo) - Cathy's Gluten Free

Is there any occasions sweet potatoes aren't perfect for?!? I don't think so...

15. Focaccia with Olives, Sundried Tomato & Rosemary (Grain Free, Paleo, Refined Sugar Free) - Emma Eats and Explores

Like I said before...you seriously can't go wrong with bringing homemade gluten free bread.

16. 5-Minute Guacamole (Vegan, Keto, Paleo, Oil-free, Whole 30) - Veg Annie

Homemade salsa gives this homemade guac an extra kick of freshness and flavor.

17. Mexican Street Corn - Confessions of a Fit Foodie

Like corn on the cob, only a lot tastier and less messy to eat!

18. Spicy Mango Dip (Vegan) - Fun Food Frolic

Serve this gluten free and vegan dip with some gf bread or pita, and it'll disappear in no time. You can whip it up in 15, minutes, too!

19. Easy Tuna Spread - Goodnesst 

This gluten free spread only requires three ingredients, five minutes to make and is delicious when served with crackers, veggies or tossed in a salad.

20. Red Potato Salad with Avocado and Egg - Attainable Sustainable

Typical potato salad gets an upgrade with some healthy fats from avocado in this gluten free side dish.

21. Curried Cauliflower Mac and Cheese (Vegan) - Casey the College Celiac

If you want to add some hidden veggies to a family classic, you'll love my curried cauliflower mac and cheese, which only takes five ingredients to make.

Gluten Free Mains

22. Avocado, Asparagus and Chicken Salad (Paleo, Mayo Free) - Tasting Page

If mayo ain't your thang, you'll love this paleo chicken salad, which gets its creaminess from avocado and a homemade dressing.

23. Corn and Zucchini Pie - A Simple Pantry

If a quiche and a frittata had a baby, this would be it. Plus, this cheesy pie only takes an hour - including 45 minutes of it doing its thang in the oven - to make.

24. Melon Mozzarella Prosciutto Salad with Arugula - Taste and See

Combine classic Italian ingredients with a traditional Caprese salad, and you end up with an ideal summer entertaining dish.

25. Grilled Balsamic Lamb Kabobs - Foodal

I'll admit, I've never tried lamb before, but these kabobs would definitely have me digging in.

26. Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad - Spice Cravings

Traditionally, tabbouleh salad is a Middle Eastern vegetarian salad featuring ingredients like parsley, mint, Bulgar wheat, tomatoes, onion, cucumber and a lemon dressing. This gluten free version replaces the bulgar wheat with quinoa, which not only makes it allergy friendly but also packed with extra protein!

27. Zesty Smashed Chickpea Salad Sandwich (Vegan) - Moon and Spoon and Yum

The best kind of sandwiches have a mix of different textures and flavors...and this smashed chickpea salad has ALL the flavor punches you're looking for.

28. Southwest Quinoa Salad (Dairy-Free Option) - Mama Knows Gluten Free

You can't go wrong with a bowl of quinoa dressed up with avocados, black bean, corn, grape tomatoes, mozzarella and a cilantro honey lime dressing.

29. Shrimp Pasta Salad - Hot Pan Kitchen

Olives and sun-dried tomatoes give this cold gluten free salad an extra boost of flavor.

30. Spanish Waldorf Salad - Zestful Kitchen

This Spanish twist on a classic Waldorf salad complements a variety of different meals, and you can prepare all of the different ingredients ahead of the time.

31. Easy Cheesy Loaded Cauliflower Casserole (Low Carb) - Wholesome Yum

This gluten free casserole has all the flavors of a baked potato, minus the carbs. And you can't go wrong with bacon!

32. Tuscan Pasta Salad (Nut Free, Egg Free) - Meaningful Eats

Just 'cause you're gluten free doesn't mean you can't enjoy a very delicious pasta salad on a pretty summer day.

33. Cauliflower Salad (Vegan, Low Carb, Keto) - Cooking Journey

Cauliflower just got a very tasty upgrade with this easy, raw salad recipe.

34. Easy Cucumber Tomato Feta Salad (Vegetarian) - Mom Foodie

You can't go wrong with a classic...

35. Kale Quinoa Salad + Cider Vinegarette - Pass Me Some Tasty

Make sure you use gluten free cranberries and walnuts, and the sweet and savory mix of flavors will be a major winner in this salad.

36. Chickpea Thai Quinoa Salad with Peanut Dressing - V Nutrition and Wellness

Add a creamy peanut sauce to a salad with quinoa, chickpeas, carrots, cabbage and cilantro and you have a Thai feast tastier than any take-out.

37. Prawn & Avocado Salad (Whole 30, Paleo) - Recipe This

If you know Whole 30 or paleo diners will be at your summer picnic, this salad is sure to be a hit.

38. Broccoli Salad with Bacon (Keto, Low Carb) - Whole Lotta Yum

Broccoli has never looked so good...

39. Sweet Potato Black Bean Burger (Vegan) - Evolving Table

This black bean quinoa burger only takes an hour to make and is easy to personalize for whatever beans, sweet potatoes or spices you have on hand. 

40. The Best Homemade Chicken Salad (Paleo, Keto, Whole 30) - The Organic Chicken

Serve this salad on greens, gluten free bread or even half an avocado.

41. Loaded Potato Wedge Nachos (Paleo, Vegan Options) - Casey the College Celiac

'Cause who wouldn't want to dive into a plate of nachos on a beautiful summer day...especially when the base is fluffy roasted potato wedges?!?

Gluten Free Desserts

42. Paleo Strawberry Rhubarb Pie (Low Carb) - The Banana Diaries

I don't know about you, but I will always say yes to a slice of gluten free pie!

43. No Bake Peach Cheesecake Bites (Vegan) - Delightful Adventures

Make sure you use gluten free oats and almonds, and you'll have one heck of a tasty gluten free dessert.

44. Chewy Pumpkin Popcorn Balls (Vegan) - Casey the College Celiac

There's something crazy addictive about that sweet and salty combo. 

45. Pink Lemonade Cupcakes - Fearless Dining

Because is there anything more summer-y than pink lemonade anything?!?

46. Red, White & Blueberry Shortcake Parfaits (Paleo) - Living Loving Paleo

No one will believe that you whipped up these paleo shortcakes from almond flour and a handful of other ingredients you threw in your food processor!

47. Avocado Brownies (Vegan) - Vibrant Guide

Even avocado haters won't be able to get over how thick and fudgy these brownies are...

48. Cream Cheese Pound Cake (Low Carb, Keto) - Fit to Serve Group

Who says you can't eat a keto or low carb diet and eat cake too?!? 

49. Scotcharoos - My Gluten-Free Kitchen

Gluten free puffed rice cereal, peanut butter, chocolate and butterscotch combine into one heck of a tasty no-bake bar.

50. Oatmeal Creme Pies - Hunny I'm Home

Chewy gluten free oatmeal cookies + delicious buttercream icing = dessert heaven.

51. Orange Cake with Almond Meal (Dairy Free) - The Foodie Journey

This cake is only made with a few ingredients and can be prepped to bake in just 10 minutes!

52. Blueberry Muffins (Vegan) - Rhian's Recipes

You can't go wrong with a fluffy blueberry muffin, especially when it's gluten free, vegan and only takes 35 minutes to bake! Plus, there are tons of ingredient options and swaps, so you can probably whip up these muffins with whatever is already in your pantry.

53. S'mores Ice Cream Cake (Vegan) - Pink Fortitude

Ummm...a gluten free and vegan ice cream cake?!? I don't think I need to say anymore...

54. Chocolate, Beetroot & Raspberry Cupcakes - Attachment Mummy 

In case you want to sneak a few veggies into your gluten free dessert.

55. No Bake Cheesecake (Keto, Low Carb) - Low Carb Yum

You can't beat a no-bake cheesecake base topped with fresh summer berries.  

56. Chocolate Chip Coffee Cookies - Think About Such Things

Chocolate chip cookies just got a caffeinated twist! 

57. Blueberry Lemon Bundt Cake (Dairy Free) - Allergy Free Alaska 

I was sold at blueberries...

What I Hope You Remember During This Summer's Potlucks, Picnics and Parties

I know that when you have celiac disease or food allergies, the words "picnic" or "potluck" can cause more fear than excitement. But rest assured - as long as you use one of these gluten free recipes for guidance, you know you'll have at least one delicious meal you can happily enjoy. What are your favorite summer meals or recipes? Tell me in the comments! via Blogger http://bit.ly/2E6xmYR

[dandelionwineshop]

THURSDAY NIGHT 6-8 PM SUMMER SOLSTICE TASTING

Today is the summer solstice. It is officially SUMMER! What do you do to celebrate the summer solstice? Some traditions include dancing, bonfires, feasts, picnics... we at Dandelion love all those things but mostly we like to #drinkwine.

Come join us and Aaron from Massanois for a sampling of 4 perfect wines for the summer season. Plus cheese from Eastern District and bread from She-Wolf Bakery! Cuz it just ain't a party without CHEESE!

BRICK AND MORTAR CANS CALIFORNIA

Picnics, bonfires, dancing... what do all of these things have in common? They are all better with a can of wine in your hand. Cans of wine are all the rage; no glass means beach and pool friendly. And don't let the size of the can throw you, a 375ml can is actually equivalent to half a bottle of wine. So careful!

Winemaker and founder Matt Laconis (UC Davis) is known for his co-fermented Pinot Noir/Chard blends... a trend we're seeing more and more. The rosé is irresistible right out of the can made up of mostly Syrah from the Petaluma Gap with a little Pinot Noir. Bright salmon pink, incredibly aromatic with rose petal, anise, and rosemary. Mouth-watering flavors of wild raspberry, sour cherry, and fresh grapefruit zest.

The red can drinks more complex than you'd expect -- made from Cabernet Franc with a little bit of Pinot Noir (and a splash of Chardonnay!). Don't let that scare you off. The wine is medium-bodied, fresh, floral and spicy with nicely integrated red fruit, silky smooth, good wine that's perfectly blended. Matt's talent comes through here. Some may even say he's a miracle worker. $9/can

GRACI ETNA BIANCO 2016

The solstice is all about universal magic and Mount Etna is an actual magic mountain; an active volcano with real live lava people! You know what that means for the wines that come from there? MAGICAL MINERALS. Graci is situated on the North slope of Mount Etna at Passopisciaro, an area where viticulture goes back several thousand years. They only use traditional indigenous grapes from the region to make their wines so the Bianco is a blend of 70% Carriccante, 30% Catarratto. This wine always makes me happy. Salty magical minerals followed by white peach and golden delicious apple. Impeccable harmony of flavors and a well-polished finish. Impressive. I'd say this would sing with grilled fish or simple pasta dishes, like spaghetti with lemon and pine nuts. $27

LAURA ASCHERO RIVIERA LIGURE DI PONENTE ROSSESE 2015

Rossese -- a summer-red if there ever was one. We don't see many of these on the market and when we do, they tend to be quite pricey. But alas! the world is full of miracles and we present to you this perfect expression of the Ligurian red beauty for $22. A small, low-production family-owned winery that Laura Achero began in 1980 when a friend told Laura her family's land was perfect for growing wine grapes. She became known for Vermentino and Pigato as well as Rossese. When Laura died in 2009, her son took over the winemaking and has been running the family business ever since. The wine is a translucent brick red, light but rich on the palate with tomato and savory wild strawberry notes, very fine tannins – an elegant, quaffable chiller. I already mentioned grilled fish for the Etna Bianco above, but if you're a die-hard red wine drinker, we've always loved Rossese for fish, especially with a char. It would also be quite nice with some pesto. I think we just officially entered basil season! $22

[edgewaterfarmcsa]

FALL CSA WEEK 3

- P I C K L I S T -

SWEET POTATOES - BRUSSEL SPROUTS - LETTUCE - BASIL - ROSEMARY - SWEET ONIONS -

CARROTS - CELERY - PUMPKIN - APPLE OATMEAL BREAD

HOT TIPS (getting right into it):  

BASIL: First, I need you to know that this crop goes on record for the second longest growing basil we’ve ever seen.  For the past 12 years of growing food, I became accustomed to basil as a short season crop.  Every year around August we would see the leaves develop a purple/grey powder on their underbellies- which is a sure sign of downy mildew.  This is also a sure sign of the end for basil.  Downy Mildew is an airborne disease that typically begins in the south and travels north through the air.  For example, Georgia and Florida could experience their decimation of their basil crop in May, and it would arrive on New England farms and gardens in July or August.  Now that we are all experts in disease, this concept of airborne travel is completely relatable.  However, science is gold, and all is not lost.  Seed breeders have worked to bring forth new varieties of organic, NON-GMO basil seeds that are downy mildew resistant, thus elongating our basil crop, and allowing for PESTO making to commence in late OCTOBER, rather then a very rushed, very exhausted night in August.  All that said, downy mildew is no longer a basil issue, BUT the army worms could not be stopped.  For this, we had Anne and her crew of little people ( the grand-kiddos) head to the greenhouse to hunt for army worms.  The intention was to pick off the hungry squatters and drop them into soapy water where they would meet their maker.  UNFORTUNATELY, Anne and crew of Hobbes (4yrs) and Rozzie (2yrs) were no match for these nocturnal tiny beasts.  Bottomline here, we had a good run with basil, but now it's time to call it a day- pick the whole greenhouse and make some late season pesto.  As always, pay no mind to the massive bites out of the leaves, they will not alter the taste of the sweet fresh basil plant and you can rest assured that this crop fed not only you and yours, but also a team of army worms.

Makes about 1½ cups

 The key for this classic pesto recipe is to add the basil at the very end instead of blending everything all at once. That way the basil doesn’t get bruised or lose its flavor and maintains its vibrant green color. 

½ cup pine nuts

3 oz. Parmesan, grated (about ¾ cup)

2 garlic cloves, finely grated

6 cups basil leaves (about 3 bunches)

¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp. kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350°. Toast pine nuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once halfway through, until golden brown, 5–7 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and let cool. Add cheese and garlic and pulse until finely ground, about 1 minute. Add basil and place the top back on. With the motor running, add oil in a slow and steady stream until pesto is mostly smooth, with just a few flecks of green, about 1 minute. Season with salt.

Do Ahead: Pesto can be made 1 day ahead. Top with ½" oil to prevent browning. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing directly onto the surface, and chill.

Cooks’ Note: If you want to use this with pasta, cook 12 oz. dried pasta (we prefer long pasta for pesto) in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving ½ cup pasta cooking liquid.

Place pesto and 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces, in a large bowl. Add pasta and ¼ cup pasta cooking liquid. Using tongs, toss vigorously, adding more pasta cooking liquid if needed, until pasta is glossy and well coated with sauce. Season with salt.

Divide pasta among bowls. Top with finely grated Parmesan. 

JENNY’S NOTE: PESTO FREEZES BEAUTIFULLY FOR DEAD OF WINTER EATING (OR ANYTIME)

ALSO- ROAST YOUR SWEET POTATOES AND DALLOP  ATOP WITH FRESH PESTO AND YOU’RE WELCOME.  

Onto ROSEMARY written by my dear friend Rachael Keener of Alkeme co

(GO PEEP THE WEBSITE, IM IN LOVE WITH ALL THAT THIS WOMAN CREATES) 

ALKEME CO is a collection of everyday elixirs and herbal tonics made and formulated by herbalist Rachael Keener.  Our powders are skillfully crafted and make having a daily wellness ritual easy and enjoyable. Scooped into a drink, blended into a smoothie or mixed into your food—ALKAME CO formulas are here to help.

Rosemary

-- bringer of light. Herb of the kitchen and the apothecary. A mint-family member whose medicine comes in the form of warmth, movement, invigoration and aromaticity.🌿✨

Rosemary, like most every herb, wears many hats. It is traditionally used as a circulatory stimulant for when there is coldness or stagnation in the mind or body (think poor circulation and cold extremities, sluggish digestion, brain fog, heavy, aching menstrual cramps, etc.).

A shaman that I used to work with taught that rosemary brings light into dark places--medicine that I am holding onto and finding strength in during the darkness of these times. This ability to illuminate and transform mirrors the way that it works in the body to unstick energy that is dark, heavy and sometimes toxic. 🌞💡

The darkness that has been festering in our country and is coming to a boil right now can feel sad, scary and anxiety-producing to witness. At times it can bring up feelings of powerlessness. Plants are a good salve for reclaiming our power and providing comfort and unwavering, unconditional support. If you are experiencing any of these things I really encourage you to find some plant allies to connect with--perhaps rosemary or perhaps heart medicine like rose, nervous system tonics like milky oats or mood brighteners like lemon balm.

To incorporate rosemary, chop some up and add it to your soup, drink it as a tea, place a sprig on your altar, windowsill, etc, add it to your potted plant collection and take time to connect to it everyday, smudge with dried stocks of it, add it to your bath--or whatever else you may be called to do with it!🌿🌿  -Rachael Keener

MIREPOIX: 

I will not go into too much detail over mirepoix (because i am starting to sound like a broken record over here with recipes) However, when celery is involved in a CSA box, I can not help but to include onions and carrots.  Because it is officially SOUP SEASON, and a mirepoix of carrots- onion- celery is the backbone to every good soup.  If you are unfamiliar with mirepoix, give it a google!

ROASTED SWEET POTATO SALAD: 

From my new favorite cook book, start simple by lukas volger

2 med sweet potatoes

½ medium onion cut into 4 wedges

3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for roasting the sweet potatoes

Salt

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

½ teaspoon honey

Fresh ground pepper

½ cup toasted walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped

½ cup cubed sharp cheddar cheese

1 tart apple, cored and cubed

4 cups tender greens (lettuce mix!)

Preheat oven to 425*f

Arrange sweet potato and onions or onion on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and use hands to coat.  Transfer to the oven and roast until the onions are soft and caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes, then remove them from the pan.  Return the sweet potatoes to the oven and bake until tender and a bit blistered, another 10 to 15 minutes.

To make the dressing, finely chop the roasted onion and place in a small bowl or jar.  Cover with the vinegar, honey, and a big pinch of salt, then stir in the 3 tablespoons of olive oil.  season with additional salt and black pepper as needed.

To assemble salad, combine the warm or cooled potatoes with the nuts, cheese, apple, and greens, then toss with most of the dressing, adding more to taste if necessary.  

A NOTE ON YOUR BRUSSEL SPROUTS:

These brussels stalks are not for the faint of heart!  This crop has been hit by Alternaria leaf spot and has hosted a community of aphids during the month of September.  As a result you get a wand of brussels that looks a little gnarly on the outside (yellowed leaves, aphid casings- no active aphids) but when plucked from the stalk, and peeled back reveals the perfect teeny tiny mini cabbage.  For storage, if you are short on fridge space, feel free to leave them in your garage/ or cold mudroom.  

 1½ lb. brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

½ tsp. kosher salt, plus more

Freshly ground black pepper 

¼ cup honey

⅓ cup sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

¾ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter

3 scallions, thinly sliced on a diagonal

1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest

Place a rimmed baking sheet on bottom rack of oven; preheat to 450°. Toss brussels sprouts and oil in a large bowl; season with salt and black pepper.

Carefully remove baking sheet from oven. Using tongs, arrange brussels cut side down on baking sheet. Roast brussels on bottom rack until softened and deeply browned, 20–25 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring honey to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, until honey is a deep amber color but not burnt (it will be foamy, that’s okay), 3–4 minutes.

Remove from heat and add vinegar and red pepper flakes, if using, and whisk until sauce is smooth (it will bubble up quite aggressively when you add the vinegar before settling). Return saucepan to medium heat, add butter and ½ tsp. salt, and cook, whisking constantly, until glaze is glossy, bubbling, and slightly thickened, 3–4 minutes.

Transfer brussels sprouts to a large bowl. Add glaze and scallions and toss to combine. Transfer to a platter and top with lemon zest.

[arplis]

Arplis - News: Daily rhythms and a surprise...

When I suggested the other day that we all look through those long forgotten UFO projects my mind had been fixed on the fabric and thread kind, but as I was cleaning up my sewing room yesterday it was yarn which caught my eye, most especially a crochet rug I began last autumn but did not get far along with. So here we are in another Australian autumn and I'm rather toying with the idea of returning to this project and seeing it through to completion before winter's end. Staying home for many months should work in my favour with regards to that plan, but I'm also considering a basket of leftover yarn from last year's Sweet Pea blanket (Attic 24 pattern) which I made for Rafaella... I did in fact begin a new blanket with them but my cast on row was too tight (I did not think to use a larger hook for that part) and the more rows I crocheted the more obvious that curved cast on row became so I just packed it away rather disappointed and too busy to start over.  But it's been a long time between hooked stitches so I'm going to unravel it this weekend, perhaps whilst watching one of my favourite Jane Austen's, "Persuasion", and then start over.  Two blankets to play with, but which one first?  I'm rather partial to colour you know, and the sweet pea palette is more 'me' than the sandy seashore tones of the other UFO. Have you found something to work on or finish from your UFO bundle? In the kitchen I've made a return to breadmaking, something I did a lot of before we moved here. Through 2015-2018 most our our bread was home made and though there's been the odd spurt of home-baked loaves since then, it's the exception rather than the rule...but life is fast changing for many of us and trips to the grocery store will be few and far between now, so the rhythm of making three loaves a week is back...and it makes me happy. Mr E is rather chuffed too. The first loaf this past week was a light rye, lovely and moist and wonderfully delicious. I also baked an Apricot Shortcake that day, equally as yummy. My husband and I grew up in an era when bread was always on the table alongside the evening meal and though I can go without it these days, he truly loves to have a thick slice or two beside his dinner plate.  The Apricot Shortcake was an experiment, the base and top made using the same recipe as my Strawberry Shortcake (with a teaspoon of vanilla extract added) but I switched the centre layer ingredients to apricot jam and a large tin of drained apricot halves. Wow...we love apricots in our family and this is sure to be made over and over, so I thought you might like the recipe... APRICOT SHORTCAKE RECIPE 125g butter (we use vegan butter) 110g caster sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Beat all of these together until light and fluffy. Fold through - 110g plain white flour 110g white self-raising flour Spread HALF of the dough across the base of a greased and lined round springform cake pan. Warm 3/4 cup of apricot jam and spread it over the dough. Spread the drained apricot halves over the jam (I used an 800g can - that would be a 28oz can for the US). Spread the remaining half of the dough across the apricots - I dropped spoonfuls all over and then gently pressed down with floured hands once all the dough was in place. Sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar across the top of the dough. Bake in a 180C (375F) oven for around 50 minutes. A couple of weeks ago Blossom had gifted me a bowl of her homemade vegan chocolate mousse, which turned out to be more of a very rich fudge - truly scrumptious, but it needed something 'tart' to balance the sweetness. I made a crumb base in my food processor from walnuts, almonds, macadamias and dates which I pressed into four ramekins. Then I spread the fudgy mousse over the base.... ...before topping with my homemade lemon curd. This lemon curd is very tart and ovo-vegan (we use our own hen's eggs), which gave this dessert the kick it needed to impress my husband. I had to try it before I offered some to my husband, right? So good. Just so good. LEMON CURD RECIPE 3 large free-range eggs 1 tablespoon (20ml) of lemon zest 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/4 cup honey 4 tablespoons of coconut oil (80ml) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon cacao butter (around 9 discs) - this is optional but totally worth it Gather all the ingredients before you begin as once this begins coming together its quick. Whisk together eggs, lemon zest and honey in a saucepan, then place on the stove over a medium heat. Immediately begin whisking in the lemon juice, coconut oil, vanilla and cacao butter. Continue to whisk until everything melts and the mixture begins to thicken.  Remove from heat and pour into a container to cool, and store in refrigerator.  In the fridge this will last for around 10 days. Our hens are back in their coop now that the worst of the wet season is over, although as I write this there is steady rain falling outside. They have really missed this area while contained up back in the pool enclosure for more than two months, and having them back in their home has eased a bit of the stress here (they kept escaping from the pool enclosure) as well as brought a small sense of normality to daily rhythms. Our girls lay 12-14 eggs every week, which is more than we use, so my elderly next door neighbour excitedly accepts 2 or 4 at a time.  The yard is a mess, I have to tell you. After the extreme heat of our tropical summer and early autumn combined with the wet season, there's been nothing but weed control and bugs...yet despite that I allowed a few of our basil plants to go to seed and they have produced scores of new plants just in time for the best growing season of our North Queensland year. We use a lot of basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary and thyme, and though some of the herbs have struggled to get by our basil and oregano have flourished. Now I'm waiting to see if the oregano will go to seed as well. It survived the sweltering weather due to sitting in shade under the large Ixora bush all summer. As I said the other day, it's been really difficult not having Blossom, Cully May and Rafaella visit each week, or for me to visit them. How my heart leapt yesterday when Mr E and I received drawings from the girls! They made me cry and then smile with delight because now we have them on the front of the refrigerator. I cannot wait to hug them close again when all this has passed. NEWS - the surprise! Blossom has just allowed me to give you a peek at her almost ready to launch online baby wear shop. My girl has been honing her dressmaking skills for the past 3.5 years, and being homeschooled she knows well how to research, learn, practice, test and then repeat the whole process until she is fully satisfied.  Of course, she may not admit this, but she's actually never fully satisfied and for the next 'however' long years of dressmaking there is ahead of her she'll continue learning and honing her craft because that's just how God made her to be. The sweet little outfits are gorgeous, and so very well made...there's even a bit of vintage Tilda I see! The label for her baby and toddler wear was inspired by her two girls, Cully May and Rafaella Lucy... As soon as the online shop is open I will let you know. May God bless the work of her hands. It sounds as though the rain has settled now so I'd best be away to play in the garden with my man. He has a wheelbarrow full of mature compost ready for me to plant seeds and there's nothing better than soft wet soil to pull weeds, plants seeds and seedlings, and to enjoy the earth beneath your feet. I'll leave you with this beautiful photo I took yesterday. Butterflies are everywhere in the garden at the moment but they do love colour and mostly I find them on flowering bushes or here enjoying a vibrant potted plant waiting to be planted out. Bless each and every one of you, loving hugs #Recipes2020 #Garden2020 #Blossom-LucyAndMay #TheHomemakersHeart #SneakPeeks2020

Arplis - News source https://arplis.com/blogs/news/daily-rhythms-and-a-surprise-1

[wickedhoneybee]

I usually don't add on to others posts or post much myself because I'm very shy, so I hope this is an okay way of sharing this recipe with you all; but I HAVE to share with you my go to cookie for the winter season.

It's a lemon shortbread cookie.

These cookies taste like sunshine, which I find really helpful in fighting the seasonal depression that comes along with the dark winters we get here in the Pacific Northwest. These are my go to when I've had an especially hard week during the winter months.

Regarding witchcraft I think these cookies would be great offerings for sun deities or those who's practices focuses around the sun.

Lemons are also known for being good in regards to cleansing and protection. To me these cookies are great for protecting against the cold dark months and reminding you that the long nights and short days don't last forever.

First start out with a basic shortbread recipe.

4 cups all purpose flower

1/2 Tsp salt

1/2 Tsp Baking powder

2 cups Butter @ room temperature ( most recipes call for unsalted, I usually buy salted because it's cheaper and haven't seen a huge difference in texture or flavor)

1 Cup confection sugar

Juice of 1 lemon

The zest of 1 lemon.

1) Preheat your oven to 350 degree farenheit ( or 175 celcius)

2) Sift your dry ingredients minus the confection sugar into a bowl. (I'm lazy so my sifting typically is just running a fork through the dry mixture until majority of the large clumps are gone.)

3) if you have a stand or hand mixer cream your butter and confection sugar and 2-4 Tbsp of lemon juice + zest and once combined begin to slowly add in your dry ingredients until well combined.

If your like me and lack these kitchen tools, use your trusty fork to creme the butter as best as you can, mix in your confection sugar and 2-4 Tbsp lemon juice + zest. Once combined add in your dry ingredients slowly to make mixing easier with whatever tool you've chosen. Typically when after I've combined about half the dry ingredients in, I'll switch from my fork to using my hands. 1) to be able to put my intent and energy right from me into the dough and 2) because it's easier. It may seem at first that the dough is to dry/wet and will not come together, keep working it I promise it will form a beautiful dough.

4) Once dough is formed roll it on out onto a floured surface to about 1/4th thickness. Cut cookies to your preference and transfer to a ungreased non stick baking tray.

5) Bake in oven for roughly 10 minutes ( may take less or more time depending on oven as their temperatures can vary). They should be lightly browned on the bottom but still light on the top.

6) While cookies are baking take the lemon juice and add small amounts or confection sugar while whisking to create a lemony glaze.

7) Once cookies are cooled brush the top with 2-3 layers of the lemon glaze, to amp up the lemon flavor as well as give them a beautiful sheen.

Some variations i've made have included chopped lavender or rosemary within the dough or adding a little bit homemade herb simple syrup to the glaze for an added boost.

On a lighter note!!

🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪

I want to hear your best cookie recipes!! I’m looking for family recipes, especially if they have folklore or traditions or ‘grandma always did this but never gave an explaination why’ story attatched! Or your personal tried-and-true faves!

🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪

They can be holiday cookies or not!

Gunna bake tomorrow morning I think. Get out of this downward spiral.

[petitbakes]

grapefruit ricotta poppy seed cakes

little citrus cakes speckled with poppy seeds and dipped in a delicious glaze.

there’s been a lot of nice, sunny days as the warmer weather further sets in, but i love when it rains. everything looks so refreshed and green, the air smells lovely and it always seems to put me in the mood for baking. you what they say april showers bring may flowers. i've baked a few things over the past couple of weeks, mostly trying to spark inspiration which i’ve been lacking lately. out of all those things baked though, these were one of my favorites. and by no surprise, they were also the simplest.

speaking of green, i want to start keeping some plants in the house. i bought a few succulents from ikea and they started to die *ahem* rather quickly and i just gave up thinking i must not have a green thumb but i would like to try again. knowledge proceeds actions, so i’ve been reading up on good starter plants and how to take care of them. i love how fresh they make a room look, nothing like some nature to make things pop.

 hopefully, i can start growing my own herbs too, because who doesn't want fresh herbs at hand. basil, cilantro, parsley, mint, rosemary oh my! 

anyway, do you have any plants, what kind? and also if you have any “green” tips, please share! 

now, onto these widdle cakes. they are light, sponge cakes made with olive oil, grapefruit zest, and ricotta.  i chose grapefruit because i love how it packs such a bursting, citrus punch and the little poppy seeds throughout add a delightful texture. ricotta lends a very, soft sponge, just make sure to drain any excess liquid off first. the glaze is simply grapefruit juice and icing sugar. a little sweetness to balance the zing from the grapefruit. easy peasy, lemon, err grapefruit squeezy? 

since they are small (regular cupcake size) it takes no time to bake! the hardest part is not eating them all at once. and if little bitty cakes aren't your thing, this can easily be baked up as a loaf, just adjust the baking time to 25-30 mins and bake in an 8x4in loaf pan. save me a slice? 

grapefruit ricotta poppyseed cakes

ingredients 

1 cup of flour 

 zest of one grapefruit

 1/2 cup sugar 

1/2 cup ricotta, strained 

4 tbsp olive oil 

 1 large egg 

1 tsp vanilla 

1 tbsp poppy seeds 

 1 tsp baking powder 

¼ tsp baking soda  

¼ tsp salt 

preparation 

in a medium bowl, rub the zest into the sugar until fragrant and the sugar begins to clump. then whisk in the egg, ricotta, olive oil and vanilla. in a smaller bowl stir together all the dry ingredients and then fold them into the wet ingredients. divide batter among muffin cups and bake at 350F for 15-18 mins.

[hollywoodblondeatlarge]

Baking it Forward

bake love. give love. be love!     

Thinking back, I guess it began with the ruggelah.  

It was years ago.  My pal, Petr sent me his amazing cinnamon and walnut twists- individually wrapped, shapely, doughy swirls of decadence that made me swoon.  This aromatic package made its way from Philly to my Los Angeles doorstep. Lucky me.

Petr’s always been a great baker but this particular basket of goodies had that wow factor. They were perfect and the time spent in airmail didn’t seem to affect their delicacy.  This event kicked my pie-baking hobby into high gear. While I couldn’t send pies quite so easily in the mail, it definitely up’d my baking game.

Over the years, I baked pies. Lots and lots of pies.  You got your fruit pies, you got your pumpkin..  and everything in between.  Pies are lush.  They drip all over you and stain your lips like watercolor nectar from the gods.

They require dollops. Whip cream, ice cream, clotted cream, and crème fraiche. They can refresh but you can also enjoy them hot.

I like things hot.

Pies seem to have been my forte.  I even named them.

Better than Sex Pie.  Substitute Husband Pie. Right to my Thighs Pie…  

I listened to songs about pies  (Patty Griffin – “making pies” is a must).  And I watched the movie, Waitress several times in homage. She named her pies too.  

Well, OK, I stole that idea from her.

 Since I lived in Hollywood, my pies not only had to taste great, but they had to be pretty. After all, it’s all about presentation…is it not?

Well, what presented itself seven years ago, however was a move to England- - where are pies are just not the thing.  Now, Cakes?

Cakes are a thing.

Here in West Country, it seems wherever you go, there you are - with a cuppa and slice of cake.

So, I perfected my apple Dorset cake and tried on a host of others with a secret booze ingredient to set me apart.  The Dorset cake has a drizzling (ok, more like several shots ) of cider brandy.

Boozy cakes. I had a boozy brand.

I decorated them lavishly and topped them off with a little romance and glam. Hollywood Blonde’s “Taste of Tinseltown.”

This Persian Love Cake baby is one of my favourites....with a dusting of pistachio, the cake is  two layers- one lemon and one vanilla. It is then topped with a rosewater. whipped cream. Let us not forget the booze... there’s a bit of anisette in the cake.

I began selling my cakes to locals. While it was a sideline, it gave me great pleasure to present these works of cake-art to my UK friends.

On a trip home to Los Angeles one year, I baked some cakes and pies for a party. Then, went out on a limb and made a few pounds of shortbread. Popular fare here with a nice cuppa.

 Within days, the shortbread demand became quite insane. My sister, my friends and perfect strangers were all asking for my shortbread.  

OK, I lied about the perfect strangers.

They were not perfect at all.  

Some were weird.

 Still, I had yet to discover making shapes!!  So, I got creative. Made multiple varieties in hearts and stars… dipped them in milk chocolate, doused them with cinnamon and pecan, coated them with dark chocolate and almonds or orange zest, jumbled them up with a mixture of macadamia nuts and white chocolate nibs, milk chocolate-chipped them, spiked them with rum and stem ginger, iced them with lavender lemon and vodka, or dunked them in white chocolate and pistachio.  I’ve made green tea shortbread, toasted coconut-lime and tequiia shortbread and savory rosemary shortbread. 

Me -ee -ee - ee and Mrs…. Mrs.  Shortbread, Mrs. Shortbread…  We got a thing going on….

I’m enjoying shortbread-ing and growing with every new batch (in every dimension, mind you….) I’m experimenting with different butters and shapes, playing with the amounts of flour and gluten free flours. Testing out both savory and sweet recipes.

A few months back, I sent some shortbread to Petr.  His box included and array of lavender lemon stars, blood orange, stem ginger and chocolate dipped.

 In return, the master baker himself (that’s with a K not a T) sent me some of his outstanding pecan and toffee cookies and an assortment of his specialty...homemade toffee-almond bits.   How lovely is that!

WOW. They flew off the plate. Had to hide a selection in the freezer so my Terry wouldn’t finish them off.

Oh YUM. See, that’s the thing about this whole baking adventure. People surprise you with the grooviest of gestures.  And just maybe it offers a little inspiration to do something for someone else…

Now, Petr has an artist friend in Italy. He wanted to send her some baked love but apparently, Italy would not accept food packages from the US.   So, Petr asked me if I would mind baking something for her and sending it off for him -since I live in the UK. Sure!  My pleasure.  

In fact, I sent her shortbread in the packing box I received from Petr… to make the circle complete. 

Danaide in Italy received some of my fancy schmancy amaretto-laced shortbread and an assortment of other boozy biscuits. It arrived after about ten days and she wrote this to me- (translated from Italian).  

“Finally I opened the package, with the excitement of the children when they open the Christmas gift ... now eaten immediately one, sweet relief from this cold winter... each cookie is different from ' another, every one has its own flavor, today I tried that from the simplest form with frosting...the language of food ... this package has called me many thoughts, smells ... emotions ... I need a space to express them.... ... meanwhile, a hug…”

It touched me. Her words.  Poetic.  I could imagine her there in her Italian landscape, surrounded by her paintings and photographs. A few FB exchanges later, she offered to make me some jam from the lemons and oranges in her garden.  I now await this beautiful aromatic gift from Italy. I hope to meet her one-day.

Here I had sent some shortbread to Petr. He had asked me to send some to his friend in Italy and now Petr is baking me some more ruggelah and toffee to boot! What joy! And what an interesting circle of kindness.

After I baked Danaide the shortbread, I posted my cookies on Facebook and requests for biscuits followed. 

I baked some for a dear FB friend I have yet to meet in person. He recently lost his wife and I thought some sweetness was definitely in order. I sent a box of assorted shortbread to Canada.  After several weeks, he finally received them. Because Petr had wrapped his cookies individually, I copied his idea and did the same and, voila the freshness was preserved.

My Canadian friend sent my Terry and me some crazy maple leaf candies from Ontario.  And in the box, pure maple syrup and outstanding maple sugar cones. A wonderfully unique, thoughtful and tasty gift.  We loved it.

More carefully packed boxes of shortbread gifties have gone out to my friends and family in the recent weeks. From Cape Cod to LA to New York. Scattered with rose petals, wrapped in tissue and tinsel, my packages of love always include a toy a crown, tiara or a horn blower. That way, everyone gets a little shortbread party.

I like the lavender lemon stars, personally.  But what I especially like is the idea of sending something hand made to someone who gives you pleasure. 

Or simply sending a gesture of good wishes during a hard time. In these politically challenging times, you might want to stick your head in the oven.... but don’t... we could all use a dose of sweetness. As long as we’re spreading around the love, it’s all good, I say.

Hollywood Blonde signing off. 

And hey...

[mealsforsquares]

Grilled Half Chickens

Hey I had this all written up in the little doc thing that I use for this and it wasn’t even posted! Score!

More grilling of the chicken! This time I had also inadvertently gotten out an entire bird*, and was going to make sure that this time I got the fuel right. I mean, I got it right last time also, but this was a different thing and would require some attention to get right. 

I cut the bird in half by first cutting its spine out (which I saved for someday stock, which has not in fact happened yet), and then smooshing it down and cutting through the breastbone so that it was in two equal pieces. I then dumped it into a giant zipper bag and poured the remains of a thing of buttermilk over them, followed by the end of a thing of yogurt, which I then shook up with some salt, lemon zest, rosemary and thyme. I think I also threw a couple of garlics in there, but I don’t specifically remember doing it. It seems like something I’d do, anyway. Probably I did it. 

So I did the thing with the charcoal, then pulled the chicken out of the marinade and ran a couple of skewers through each half so that it didn’t do any additional separating as it cooked, then laid it out flesh-side down on the cool part of the grill. I flipped it after awhile then when it was up to temperature I laid it over the hot side to brown up on both sides. I added new coals after about forty-five minutes to keep the fire alive. Not much to it, really. 

While all that was going on I peeled a butternut squash, scooped the seeds out of the bottom, then cut it into dice, and got it in the microwave to par-cook. I blanched some peas, then got a pan heating with some oil in it. The oil definitely got garlic in it, then some chili flakes, then a minced onion. I added the parcooked squash to it, then the peas jus tto warm them all through and combine them. 

Because this was a lot of soft, hot food, I thought it would need a bit of freshness, so I made a quick salad out of some lettuce. This was for R and I, since A was travelling, so I grated a carrot over it, then tossed it with sunflower seeds and dried cranberries. I was going to bang together a ranch-style dressing, but I used all the buttermilk on the chicken because I’m dumb, so I dressed it with olive oil, black pepper and some lemon juice. 

The chicken came out well - buttermilk is as good a marinating liquid as is advertised, and the people that go on about it are absolutely right to do so. It came out juicy and browned up very well. It also held back some of its flavor and resisted being overwhelmed by the smoke, which was nice, as chicken can be easily overwhelmed by the smoke of the grill. Tasted good, though. THe peas and squash were as good as fresh peas can be - the squash was nice, but not entirely necessary probably. The salad was welcome, and everyone was happy. 

Or, at least, R and I were happy. I don’t know about everyone. 

* that’s not the correct phrasing. I had completely intentionally gotten out an entire bird, I just didn’t end up using it when I thought I would. 

[hernehillandy]

Hunkering down for autumn – Sifnos style

I confess that the one thing I look forward to as the weather gets chillier is being able to make my favourite heartier dishes again: beef daube, paste e fagioli soup – and revithada (ρεβιθάδα), the classic Greek dish.

Revithada is a very simple chick pea stew, most typically a dish of the Cyclades. It would have traditionally been cooked in a sealed pot in a bread oven: in that method and its very simplicity, it's not so far from Tuscan bean dishes. 

It’s especially associated with the island of Sifnos, where it is cooked in the signature local clay pots and traditionally served at Sunday lunch or dinner. But when I was in the western Cyclades in August, the best revithada I ate was in fact on Sifnos’s northern neighbour, Serifos – and you can find revithada elsewhere in Greece too.

There are innumerable family and local versions: that Serifot winner incorporated orange pulp and zest. Some versions are very soupy, with the chickpeas submerged in broth, others with very little remaining cooking liquid at al. But despite claims that “true” Sifniot revithada has to contain, say, fresh tomatoes or lemon – and you can add rosemary, or parsley, or carrots, or courgettes too – the only essential ingredients are chick peas, onions, olive oil and water.

My recipe is a riff on that pattern; it owes a bit to those of both @thehungrybites and @sturdyAlex. Alex is from Mykonos: sundried tomatoes may be a normal addition there. In my revithada pictured above I used some of the pungent ones I bought in Serifos from Mrs Paraskevopoulos (pictured above with her cheeses and R). But Sifniots wouldn’t add chilli.

In Greece, revithada is made using dried chickpeas: I do think they probably need that long cooking for the flavours to blend. But you could doubtless get away with tinned (4 x 400g tins for this amount) simmered for maybe 45 minutes. And while if you’re using dried, they are traditionally baked for 3-4 hours in the oven, I cheat by parboiling first: it’s more energy efficient and tastes just as good.

Revithada

500g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in water with 1 tbsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp sea salt

ground black pepper

2 tbsps chopped fresh sage leaves (or 2 tsps dried)

1/2 tsp chilli flakes

100ml olive oil

A handful of sundried tomatoes, very roughly chopped or quartered it they’re little Greek ones

2 large onions, roughly chopped

Drain the chickpeas, rinse, and discard any bad ones. Put them in a large casserole with a lid and bring to the boil. Boil for 20 minutes. Drain and return to the pot.

Preheat the oven to 175°C.

Add the rest of the ingredients except the onions to the chickpeas and mix well.

Cover the chickpeas with the chopped onions and add enough water to cover them by 1cm.

Cover with the lid and bake for two hours. They should be very tender and moist, though without a lot of extra liquid; if you prefer it soupier, add more water at the start or later.

22 September 2018

[quieteating]

New Post has been published on Quieteating

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Harwood Arms

Service.  Service… Service!!!

When sitting around an open kitchen, I had often heard this being hurled around with some abandonment.  It would inevitably seem to herald an amusing experience.  When this exclamation wasn’t acted upon quickly by the serving staff, it was flung around almost as an expletive.  Chefs, not the most patient of breeds, would at times lose it if the food wasn’t being served fast enough.  Interesting episodes could follow as when a dish was summarily deposited on the floor as part of a particular vehement tirade by the head chef to apprentice.

This was why I found this dining experience of particular note.  It was not what I was expecting.  To explain what I’m referring to, perhaps it might be best to start with explaining what I think makes a place worthy of a Michelin star. 

Although the Michelin scoring system is shrouded in mystery, I had thought from my experience that to achieve said acclaimed shining light, that a restaurant had to fulfil certain service standards, even if the food wasn’t that good.  Yet, as my personal experience provides a rather small sample size, it is perhaps best substantiated by turning to that most rigorous and scientifically sound source.  The movies.

In Burnt, a movie about food, the arrival of the Michelin inspectors seems to be subtly announced when a waiter notices that a guest places a fork on the floor, to test how fast it would be noticed.  Much frantic movement in the kitchen then ensures.  Personally, I think that is a good method of assessment and I might try it myself one day.  If the serving staff can’t spot a potential hazard in the floor what is to say something more untoward might happen to the food.  Like unwanted protein (e.g. a fly).

Yet this preamble has to lead somewhere and as you may have correctly guessed, it is about my experience in a Michelin eatery.  In this case, a pub.  Not a place you would usually associate with the pinnacles of waitering.  At first, I was not unduly worried as when we arrived, we were treated very well with attentive yet discreet service.  However, that was not to last.  After the first five minutes or so, the rest of the meal was soon to devolve to rather absent-minded pretence of attention.  If your eyes seem to skip over me even while I am doing a fist pump to attract your attention, there better be something far more distracting as an alternative.  Just to be clear, I’m not talking about my dining companions, that might be more understandable if not really forgivable either.

Guinness soda bread.  When we did manage to get some bread, I found it pleasantly squidgy in the middle, crusty on the outside with deep yeasty and earthy taste.  This was good.  With the freshly whipped butter, it was even better.  So much so that I had to ask for a second helping.  This bread definitely has to rank up there with some of the best.  So even with distracted service levels, I was content.

Cornish crab on English muffins with pickled lemon and coastal herbs.  Creamy and full crab, with a delightful zest brought upon by the lemon sauce, these were great.  The light muffins provided contrast to the more substantial crab.  Excellent.

Charred Cornish mackerel with laverbread mustard and pickled cucumber.  Meaty fish with a hint of fire from the mustard.  Set off by the clean and cool cucumber.  Great, if not as superlative as the crab.

Wye Valley asparagus with soft boiled quail’s egg, duck ham, juniper cream and hazelnut.  It is now asparagus season and it shows.  A collection of clean tastes with interesting counterpoint combined to make something great.  Strong asparagus, nutty hazelnut, creamy egg and flavourful cream.  Unfortunately, it was a rather small portion but perhaps an example of how good things can come in small packages.

Roast fallow deer with baked crapaudine beetroot, smoked bone marrow and walnut.  With what had gone before, I was excited.  Which made the disappointment even more dreadful.  The dear deer was not bad, just mediocre.  When trying a dish that Robin Hood would feast on in the forest, I expected more.  It was sadly rather bland.  The beetroot and nuts tried to bring things up but were not really up to the task.  Although, I do admit that perhaps this was just not up to my own (someone would say unique) tastes and others might find this superlative.  Just not me.

Potatoes.  The potatoes were ok, if nothing really that special as they were, to use the words of many a better food blogger than I, these were “well cooked”.  Such informative statement is all the descriptor the potatoes deserved.

Lemon curd doughnuts with Earl Grey cream.  Interesting and decent.  The hint of Earl Grey to add a touch of interest to the cream was a particularly inspired touch.  

Raspberry ripple pavlova.  Creamy, tart, sweet, crunchy.  A great combination and this was a good note to end with.  At this point, I wondered with an ending like this, what more could I ask for?

Actually, I do have the answer to that.  I would like service. 

Not decent or fawning waitering but just something less than sporadic.  By the end of my meal, I think I would have even settled for slightly intrusive.  I know I am sometimes accused of being “Mr Mayfair” but there are certain things which I have come to expect from a place with a shiny star and a high price.  Such as keeping glasses of water topped up (not great when in 15 minutes, you have to retort to dealing with things yourself).  Or perhaps when I was doing my own version of the fork test, leaving my chair with napkin left behind and strewed awkwardly on the table.  When returning after some time after engaging in rather prolonged business, I noted interestingly that nothing had been done.  It was exactly as I have left it.  Then again, it was not as if I was eating at some storied restaurant.  As I reminded myself that I was eating in a pub.

Yet perhaps the straw that broke the camel’s back was that they wouldn’t let us go.  Waving around trying to get the bill for 10 minutes or so is exhausting enough but if I can’t get your attention to pay the cheque, fuming remarks boil in my mind.  Yet, perhaps they are trying to make the place look full.  There was an ample amount of seating around.  Although, perhaps I am being too harsh here.  As at lunch time there was something far more important going on.  A royal wedding.  I guess at least that is some kind of a valid excuse.  I’ll need to keep that in the back pocket next time someone complains about something I haven’t done.  

  A quiet eating 6/10.

Lunch (3 courses) was GBP48 excluding drinks and service.

  Everyone deserves a second chance.  Well, when I was a little boy in school, that is what I would always say to my teachers.  Although in most cases I would be ignored, at least in the important situations my imploring worked and I should be offered the chance to try a second time if things did not turn out well.  Generally, things turned out for the better, except maybe for that one time in chemistry class, but moving swiftly on.

Following my above experience, the Harwood Arms kindly contacted me and asked if they could try again.  In the interest of providing objectivity, I had to accept.  It is what the little boy within me would want.  

A dear deer head.  Seated underneath this ornament, I couldn’t help but feel a bit of pressure as last time I had complained about the sibling that I ate.  Perhaps if I didn’t have a good time today, he would drop down in vengeful wrath and impale me…

  Our waiter pointed out something unusual that they did.  The Harwood Arms does a very interesting (and welcome) thing.  They cater for the teetotallers among us (me).  Most of the time, if you wish to avoid the alcohol, sodas are all you have to choose from are a few random juices.

In this case, the elixirs above are to be mixed with tonic water.  Been a while since I’ve had peas in my drink.  These were surprising.  The aromatic with a spicy kick, the herbal with vibrancy.  The tonic served to top it all of.  A welcome start to the meal.

Soda bread.  The unusual drink was accompanied by their house bread.  With deep earthly flavour and churned butter, simply a delight.

Hobnob with chicken liver, rosemary and jam.  It has been a while since I have been subject to a food surprise.  Sweet crumbly base, thick creamy pate set off with savoury herbs and topped with jam.  The combination was inspired.  I think the deer would have been proud.

Harwood Arms’ black pudding scotch egg.  An intriguing take on black pudding.  I know that many visitors (and myself) turn their nose up on eating pig blood but it didn’t taste as unappetising as that might sound.  It was meaty and rather pleasant with its crunchy exterior and soft boiled interior.

Summer vegetable salad with Yorkshire pecorino cream and mushroom crumble.  A startling moment here as clean and fresh mixed with cream and crunch.  The bounce of the vegetables was  enhanced by the mushroom crumble.  Something special.

Charred Cornish mackerel with Isle of Wight tomatoes and a herb pesto.  Flaky, succulent fish with light pesto and tomato accompaniment.  I remember a long time ago when I was an impoverished student, one of my housemates just loved to serve up smoked mackerel when it was his turn to cook.  That was my first real exposure to this fish and I hated it then.  Such hostility followed me for many years yet if mackerel continues to taste like the one served up at the Harwood Arms, I think I will be peeled away from my prejudices and might actually come to favour it.  Well, at least if it tastes like this.

Slow cooked short rib of Ruby Red beef with black garlic, stuffed potatoes and pickled girolles.  An excellent balance of beef and garlic with stuffed mushroom potatoes.  This made something great which was only heightened by the presentation.  The moist beef with crispy garlic, the firm potato stuffed with mushrooms, simply decedent. 

Mushrooms.  Just in case I didn’t have enough fungus in the main course.  A buttery, slick and flavourful addition.

Mash.  Here some mash to contrast with the delightful potato parcels.  Smooth and creamy.

  Buttermilk pudding with English berries and elderflower ice.  Pudding with tart and sweet berries set off with some shortbread cookies.  Setting off notes of tart, sweet, crunchy and smooth, life by contrast is a great thing.  A great finish.

Latte.  To polish it all of was an excellent latte on particuparti interesting chinaware.  I have to learn where that cup came from, I want some for my own home.

I often wondered if I would have been a better teacher than my teachers.  I have been told my turns that I am impatient, unruly, full of much disregard for rules and simply stupid.  Yet, perhaps that torrent of abuse served a purpose.  It taught me to grow a thicker skin and the fortitude to try again.  Sometimes all that is needed to put all things right is a second chance.  I’m glad that I gave the same to the Harwood Arms as they surprised me and showed me that I was a very lucky man.  Lucky in that I had managed to arrive on one of their worst occasions.  Lucky that I got to try what they really were like.  Lucky that I have contrasts to add spice to my life.  So next time someone doesn’t so well in something, perhaps it is worth giving them another try.  I’m glad I did for the Harwood Arms and learnt that this is why they are held in such high regard. 

Service was also excellent throughout the meal.  With attentive but unobtrusive service, my glass was always kept up, my every whim catered for and most telling of all, when I disappeared off to the bathroom for a short break, my napkin was neatly folded for my re-arrival.  A marked and welcome contrast with my earlier visit.  This is what service should be and in an additional plus, the deer let me leave unscathed.  Guess everyone was happy in the end.

  A quiet eating 8.5/10.

We were invited to review.  Estimated cost (4 courses) was GBP 60 excluding drinks and service.

  Harwood Arms

Walham Grove, Fulham, London SW6 1QP

[cucinacarmela-blog]

How to Make Italian Chicken Under a Brick (Pollo a...

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How to Make Italian Chicken Under a Brick (Pollo a...

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[Photographs: Vicky Wasik. Video: Serious Eats Video]

Humans have been cooking with hot stones more or less since we first learned to control fire. Before metallurgy allowed for cookware made of copper, iron, and steel, and even before anyone had figured out how to turn clay into earthenware, we were heating stones to cook on—and sometimes under—them. They were nature’s griddles, broilers, water boilers, skillets, and sheet trays. In that light, the technique behind Italian chicken under a brick (pollo al mattone) is a pretty ancient one: Heat a heavy weight (whether it’s made of stone, ceramic, clay, or metal), then slap it down on a chicken to sear it rapidly from above while it also cooks from below.

The method works whether you’re cooking on a grill or roasting in an oven. What it delivers is a faster cooking time and skin so crispy you’d think it was glazed and fired in a pottery kiln. It requires the bird to be spatchcocked, which is done by cutting out its backbone and pressing it flat; this flatness is key, since we want the flat “brick” to make as much contact with the chicken as possible. Spatchcocking is a technique we recommend for just about any roast chicken anyway, even if you’re not planning on using the brick. In Italy, the bird is usually marinated first with herbs, olive oil, and lemon juice, for even more flavor.

Working on this recipe came down to figuring out the two big parts of the process: the best way to marinate the chicken, and what gear you really need to pull the technique off.

The Marinade

The most common marinade for pollo al mattone includes olive oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic, red pepper flakes, and herbs like rosemary or sage (or both). I’ve seen renditions that stray from this basic ingredient set, but I decided to stick with it for this classic version. One thing I wanted to figure out was whether it was better to mince up all the aromatics or leave them in larger chunks. Mincing the aromatics would, in theory, offer more flavor by increasing their surface area, but it would also be more difficult to remove all those little minced bits later—which, given the high heat of this cooking method, could lead to burnt little specks that might be unpleasant. The alternative was to leave the aromatics mostly whole, just crushing or bruising them slightly to help release some of their flavor.

Side-by-side tests had me leaning in favor of mincing. In the batches in which I crushed the garlic and bruised the herbs, but otherwise left them whole, their flavor never really reached a sufficient level in the chicken. In the ones for which I minced the aromatics, it did, and my worry about them burning turned out to be pretty much unfounded: I just scraped the marinade off before cooking as best I could, and the few remnants that did scorch did no real harm to the flavor of the chicken.

The second marinade question to resolve was how to go about marinating the chicken, and for how long. I tried three ways: rubbing the chicken with salt, pepper, and the marinade and letting it stand overnight; rubbing the chicken with salt, pepper, and the marinade and letting it stand for 30 minutes; and dry-brining the chicken overnight with salt (to give the skin a chance to dehydrate, in case that led to superior crisping later) before adding the marinade and letting it stand 30 minutes.

That last option, dry-brining overnight and then marinating briefly after, was the most cumbersome and didn’t produce better results, so that got crossed off the list. The remaining two options (marinating overnight versus marinating 30 minutes) produced remarkably similar results, with the overnight marinade yielding just slightly more flavorful chicken than the 30-minute one. This is in line with what we already know about marinades—they’re primarily surface treatments that don’t penetrate deeply into the meat. If you have the time for an overnight marinade, or just want to get your prep out of the way in advance, there’s no harm in doing it, but you don’t need to. Marinating for an hour or two will be more than enough, and even 30 minutes gets the job done.

The Gear

The biggest impediment to being able to cook chicken under a brick is not having the brick. Or, at least, that might seem to be an impediment. But the truth is, there are many ways to do it. The fanciest-looking approach is to use a round clay or terra cotta mattone that’s designed specifically for this task, complete with a little knob on top to help you move it on and off the chicken. The downside is that these can be hard to find, are pricey, and don’t have much utility beyond this one dish. Staub sells a mattone alone, or as part of a set with a nice 12-inch griddle pan.

Another approach is to use actual bricks. You’ll need a couple to cover the entire chicken, and it’s best to wrap them in heavy-duty aluminum foil for easy cleanup.

When I used to cook in restaurants, we’d fake the setup using large aluminum skillets, sandwiching the bird between them and sliding a five- or 10-pound barbell weight plate into the top one to make sure the top pan really pressed down onto the bird. (Some heaviness is important to ensure even contact across the entire top surface of the chicken.)

Stainless steel skillets can work well, too, but in both cases you should make sure the exterior of whichever pan goes on top is appropriate for direct contact with the chicken. Plain aluminum or stainless steel surfaces are what you want, both inside and out, with no special finishes that might create problems. Cheaper is also better here, especially for the top pan, since you may blacken the exterior and scuff the interior (if you’re using a weight plate).

Many home cooks already own a cast iron pan, which is another good option for this recipe: It’s naturally heavy and seasoned all over, which makes the bottom exterior just as good of a cooking surface as the interior (assuming it’s not enameled on the exterior).

Even before my testing, I knew all these methods would work, since I’ve used them all at one point or another. The question was, would one of them prove to be superior in side-by-side tests?

The good news is that the answer is no—every one of these setups works equally well and produces nearly indistinguishable results. What that means is that you really can make this recipe work and get the best results using whichever of the above options is easiest for you.

One big consideration before trying any of these methods is how heavy each promises to be. Two cast iron skillets sandwiching a four- or five-pound chicken is a lot of weight, more than many people are probably able to safely handle. The same goes for the aluminum skillets with a weight plate set on top. The last thing you want to do is drop it all on the floor. If you’re worried about being able to lift it all into and out of the oven, your best option is the foil-wrapped bricks or the dedicated mattone, the two lightest of the various setups. (I should add, though, that my dedicated ceramic mattone cracked in half after its second use. I may have just had a flawed one, but given its higher price compared with the other options, it may not be a risk you’ll want to take.)

The Process

Making pollo al mattone is incredibly easy. Get your bird ready by spatchcocking it and marinating it. Then preheat your oven and preheat your cooking equipment—that includes both the bottom skillet and whatever you’re using on top. You want everything extremely hot so that the chicken sears from above and below as soon as you sandwich it between the pan and the top weight. If you’re working over a grill, simply preheat the grill with the brick or other weight.

Make sure to grease all cooking surfaces (both above and below) before pressing the chicken between them to reduce the risk of sticking. Nonstick cooking spray is particularly helpful for this, since you can quickly spray an even layer of oil onto everything without having to rub it around with a towel.

The rest goes exactly as it would for any roast chicken: Toss it all in the oven, and cook it until it reaches 150°F (66°C) at the thickest part of the breast. In my tests, a four-and-a-half-pound bird was fully cooked through at 475°F (245°C) in just 30 minutes, about 15 minutes faster than one would expect from cooking at the same temperature without the weight on top. When it’s done, the top weight should come right off, exposing some of the most beautifully browned, crispy skin you’ve ever seen.

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[wellpersonsblog]

Two Healthy, Hearty Thanksgiving Recipes from The No Meat Athlete Cookbook

This Thanksgiving will be my seventh as a vegan, and I’m happy to say that it’s no longer a big deal to not to have turkey at dinner. Honestly, though, I can’t say that it ever was.

Even before I went vegetarian, the interesting part of cooking Thanksgiving dinner was never the turkey: we knew what turkey tasted like. And it was more or less the same every year, save for the ill-fated turkey-fryer-on-the-deck experiment of 2007.

The side dishes, though? Those were the opportunity to have fun and to try new things. And other than good company, of course, they’re what stands out in my mind to distinguish one year’s Thanksgiving dinner from the next.

So since going vegan, my wife and I have never found it a big deal to just make Thanksgiving dinner—we just make a bunch of sides, new ones every year. And it works. If we’re attending somewhere else, we do the same, and just bring plenty to share. And enough that even if there’s nothing else for us at the table, we’ll be happy.

And as I always like to point out this time of year, I think that’s the best attitude to have if you’re a new vegan and you’re concerned about Thanksgiving—be happy with the abundance that you have.

It’s a time to be grateful—grateful that you have enough to fill your belly, and people you love to share it with. Even if your father-in-law is making annoying vegan jokes, even if you’re stuck eating nothing but salad and bread because that’s all there is for you, just try to keep in mind how many people in the world—right there in your town, probably—would be overjoyed to switch places with you, to have the luxury of being the vegan with only a few dishes to eat at a Thanksgiving feast (in a heated home, I should add) for a day.

And that, long as corny as it may be, is my answer to “How do you do Thanksgiving as a vegan?”

Below are two Thanksgiving-appropriate recipes from The No Meat Athlete Cookbook, which I co-wrote with Stepfanie Romine, published earlier this year. While these aren’t traditional Thanksgiving recipes per se, the flavors definitely work for a modern, plant-based (and oil-free!) interpretation. You could consider them both sides, but the stew can definitely be a main course if you’d like it to be.

And by the way, in case you’re looking for a health-focused gift for yourself or a friend, I must say The No Meat Athlete Cookbook makes a good one. Granted, I’m just a little bit biased … but lots of reviewers, and even many mainstream publications like Sports Illustrated and Outside Magazine, agree.

Enjoy the recipes, and have a happy, grateful Thanksgiving!

French Onion Stew with Mushrooms

Serves: 4 to 6

Time: 10 minutes prep, 1 hour 15 minutes to cook, not including time to cook beans or make Cashew Cream

Traditional French onion soup (soupe à l’oignon) employs a rich beef stock for depth; our plant-based version relies on two types of mushrooms and mushroom stock instead to provide meaty richness. We eliminate some of the hassle of caramelizing onions by letting the oven do the work. And we didn’t forget the best part: Cashew Cream is spread thick on sourdough toast, broiled, then floated on each bowl. Oui, oui!

Ingredients

3 large yellow onions, sliced

One 10-ounce (283 g) package cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced

4 cups (960 ml) mushroom stock

6 sprigs fresh thyme

2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves stripped from stems and chopped fine

¼ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste

¼ cup (60 ml) red wine, such as Cabernet or Zinfandel

1 tablespoon arrowroot powder

3 cups (530 g) cooked cannellini beans or (690 g) cooked adzuki beans

1 ounce (30 g) dried mushrooms, broken into bite-size pieces

1 cup (240 ml) water

Salt

½ cup (80 g) Cashew Cream (page 236)

4 slices sourdough bread (GF: 4 slices gluten-free bread)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).

Combine the onions, cremini mushrooms, 1 cup of the stock, thyme, rosemary, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a large Dutch oven. Cover and cook in the oven for 1 hour, stirring and scraping down the sides of the pot every 20 minutes and adding the wine after 40 minutes.

Transfer the pot to the stovetop and place over medium-high heat. Preheat the broiler.

Carefully stir in the arrowroot powder, then add the beans, dried mushrooms, water, and remaining 3 cups stock. Bring to a low boil. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Divide the cashew cream evenly among the slices of bread. Broil until the bread is toasted and the cashew cream is golden brown. Place a slice of bread atop individual bowls of stew and serve.

[Note from Matt: I like to stir in a splash of white wine vinegar during the last few minutes of cooking, or at the table, with this one.]

  Tahini Green Beans

Serves: 2 to 4

Time: 15 minutes

This recipe quickly entered regular rotation for everyone who tested it; the tahini and sesame seeds make green beans incredibly enticing with very little effort. If you are a dipper, serve the sauce on the side and eat the green beans like fries. This technique also works with steamed or roasted broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, or beets.

Ingredients

1 pound (454 g) green beans, washed and trimmed

2 tablespoons gluten-free tahini

1 garlic clove, minced

Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

Salt and black pepper

1 teaspoon toasted black or white sesame seeds, optional

Instructions

Steam the beans in a medium saucepan fitted with a steamer insert (or by adding ¼ cup/60 ml water to a covered saucepan) over medium-high heat. Drain, reserving the cooking water.

Mix the tahini, garlic, lemon zest and juice, and salt and pep- per to taste. Use the reserved cooking water to thin the sauce as desired.

Toss the green beans with the sauce and serve warm or at room temperature. Garnish with the sesame seeds, if using.

The post Two Healthy, Hearty Thanksgiving Recipes from The No Meat Athlete Cookbook appeared first on No Meat Athlete.

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[arplis]

Arplis - News: Daily rhythms and a surprise...

When I suggested the other day that we all look through those long forgotten UFO projects my mind had been fixed on the fabric and thread kind, but as I was cleaning up my sewing room yesterday it was yarn which caught my eye, most especially a crochet rug I began last autumn but did not get far along with. So here we are in another Australian autumn and I'm rather toying with the idea of returning to this project and seeing it through to completion before winter's end. Staying home for many months should work in my favour with regards to that plan, but I'm also considering a basket of leftover yarn from last year's Sweet Pea blanket (Attic 24 pattern) which I made for Rafaella... I did in fact begin a new blanket with them but my cast on row was too tight (I did not think to use a larger hook for that part) and the more rows I crocheted the more obvious that curved cast on row became so I just packed it away rather disappointed and too busy to start over.  But it's been a long time between hooked stitches so I'm going to unravel it this weekend, perhaps whilst watching one of my favourite Jane Austen's, "Persuasion", and then start over.  Two blankets to play with, but which one first?  I'm rather partial to colour you know, and the sweet pea palette is more 'me' than the sandy seashore tones of the other UFO. Have you found something to work on or finish from your UFO bundle? In the kitchen I've made a return to breadmaking, something I did a lot of before we moved here. Through 2015-2018 most our our bread was home made and though there's been the odd spurt of home-baked loaves since then, it's the exception rather than the rule...but life is fast changing for many of us and trips to the grocery store will be few and far between now, so the rhythm of making three loaves a week is back...and it makes me happy. Mr E is rather chuffed too. The first loaf this past week was a light rye, lovely and moist and wonderfully delicious. I also baked an Apricot Shortcake that day, equally as yummy. My husband and I grew up in an era when bread was always on the table alongside the evening meal and though I can go without it these days, he truly loves to have a thick slice or two beside his dinner plate.  The Apricot Shortcake was an experiment, the base and top made using the same recipe as my Strawberry Shortcake (with a teaspoon of vanilla extract added) but I switched the centre layer ingredients to apricot jam and a large tin of drained apricot halves. Wow...we love apricots in our family and this is sure to be made over and over, so I thought you might like the recipe... APRICOT SHORTCAKE RECIPE 125g butter (we use vegan butter) 110g caster sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Beat all of these together until light and fluffy. Fold through - 110g plain white flour 110g white self-raising flour Spread HALF of the dough across the base of a greased and lined round springform cake pan. Warm 3/4 cup of apricot jam and spread it over the dough. Spread the drained apricot halves over the jam (I used an 800g can - that would be a 28oz can for the US). Spread the remaining half of the dough across the apricots - I dropped spoonfuls all over and then gently pressed down with floured hands once all the dough was in place. Sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar across the top of the dough. Bake in a 180C (375F) oven for around 50 minutes. A couple of weeks ago Blossom had gifted me a bowl of her homemade vegan chocolate mousse, which turned out to be more of a very rich fudge - truly scrumptious, but it needed something 'tart' to balance the sweetness. I made a crumb base in my food processor from walnuts, almonds, macadamias and dates which I pressed into four ramekins. Then I spread the fudgy mousse over the base.... ...before topping with my homemade lemon curd. This lemon curd is very tart and ovo-vegan (we use our own hen's eggs), which gave this dessert the kick it needed to impress my husband. I had to try it before I offered some to my husband, right? So good. Just so good. LEMON CURD RECIPE 3 large free-range eggs 1 tablespoon (20ml) of lemon zest 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/4 cup honey 4 tablespoons of coconut oil (80ml) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon cacao butter (around 9 discs) - this is optional but totally worth it Gather all the ingredients before you begin as once this begins coming together its quick. Whisk together eggs, lemon zest and honey in a saucepan, then place on the stove over a medium heat. Immediately begin whisking in the lemon juice, coconut oil, vanilla and cacao butter. Continue to whisk until everything melts and the mixture begins to thicken.  Remove from heat and pour into a container to cool, and store in refrigerator.  In the fridge this will last for around 10 days. Our hens are back in their coop now that the worst of the wet season is over, although as I write this there is steady rain falling outside. They have really missed this area while contained up back in the pool enclosure for more than two months, and having them back in their home has eased a bit of the stress here (they kept escaping from the pool enclosure) as well as brought a small sense of normality to daily rhythms. Our girls lay 12-14 eggs every week, which is more than we use, so my elderly next door neighbour excitedly accepts 2 or 4 at a time.  The yard is a mess, I have to tell you. After the extreme heat of our tropical summer and early autumn combined with the wet season, there's been nothing but weed control and bugs...yet despite that I allowed a few of our basil plants to go to seed and they have produced scores of new plants just in time for the best growing season of our North Queensland year. We use a lot of basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary and thyme, and though some of the herbs have struggled to get by our basil and oregano have flourished. Now I'm waiting to see if the oregano will go to seed as well. It survived the sweltering weather due to sitting in shade under the large Ixora bush all summer. As I said the other day, it's been really difficult not having Blossom, Cully May and Rafaella visit each week, or for me to visit them. How my heart leapt yesterday when Mr E and I received drawings from the girls! They made me cry and then smile with delight because now we have them on the front of the refrigerator. I cannot wait to hug them close again when all this has passed. NEWS - the surprise! Blossom has just allowed me to give you a peek at her almost ready to launch online baby wear shop. My girl has been honing her dressmaking skills for the past 3.5 years, and being homeschooled she knows well how to research, learn, practice, test and then repeat the whole process until she is fully satisfied.  Of course, she may not admit this, but she's actually never fully satisfied and for the next 'however' long years of dressmaking there is ahead of her she'll continue learning and honing her craft because that's just how God made her to be. The sweet little outfits are gorgeous, and so very well made...there's even a bit of vintage Tilda I see! The label for her baby and toddler wear was inspired by her two girls, Cully May and Rafaella Lucy... As soon as the online shop is open I will let you know. May God bless the work of her hands. It sounds as though the rain has settled now so I'd best be away to play in the garden with my man. He has a wheelbarrow full of mature compost ready for me to plant seeds and there's nothing better than soft wet soil to pull weeds, plants seeds and seedlings, and to enjoy the earth beneath your feet. I'll leave you with this beautiful photo I took yesterday. Butterflies are everywhere in the garden at the moment but they do love colour and mostly I find them on flowering bushes or here enjoying a vibrant potted plant waiting to be planted out. Bless each and every one of you, loving hugs #Recipes2020 #Garden2020 #Blossom-LucyAndMay #TheHomemakersHeart #SneakPeeks2020

Arplis - News source http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Arplis-News/~3/6TzPlr0CNRY/daily-rhythms-and-a-surprise-1