cabbage boat

the inspiration: 2 perfect cabbage leaves saved from a slaw-stravaganza.

the filling: chilled spicy peanut asian noodles

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

roasted vegetable lasagne

ginger basil mojito

the melding: ginger simple syrup —

muddled basil, instead of mint —

fancy club soda from the ABC store —

delicious, refreshing. recommend —

in the kitchen…

here are some recent events:

baked cod (wild caught, from tuckahoe seafood) – steamed in an LB signature foil packet. topped with diced tomatoes, dijon mustard and thyme. light + summery.

Homemade chocolate chip cookie dough. And cookies too – though the dough was the better snack. Made on a lark when 3 chicas were craving it as a topper to a vino evening. I packaged the leftover dough in wax paper rolls with twisted ends. The rolls made cute gifts.

First trip to The Market at St. Stephen’s. HOLY CRAP. that place is amazing. Some things we purchased: pickled carrots, dill relish, sugar snap peas, swiss chard, strawberries, clams, asparagus, salad greens, fresh garlic, + cheese straws. Everything was so good. Fresh. The best of flavors.

Check out that homegrown (by moi!) oregano in the bottom right of the asparagus photo. Our potted herb garden is doing great – should post some pics soon. Plants include: rosemary, basil, oregano and chives. C loves to smell them.

AAANNNNDDD — the biggest news from my favorite room…we’re installing a backsplash! Here are a couple teaser pics. Love LB is a tilemaster.

TTYS!

hummus, ASG’s way.

i made hummus for C – his first batch. i know, i’m crazy to have waited so long -14.5 months. not sure how i overlooked feeding it to him. it’s near criminal!

at the suggestion of friend ASG, i subbed sesame oil for tahini. keeping sesame oil in the pantry works better for me than having tahini around. and, i always hated fighting with that tahini can – stirring the oil and sesame paste together was inevitably a mess.

1 clove garlic + 1 can chickpeas (drained & rinsed) + the juice of 1 lemon + 1 TBS sesame oil + salt + olive oil to desired consistency. All in the food processor and let ‘er rip!

C ate it with a spoon. I put it on whole wheat pita sprayed with olive oil + lightly salted then baked in the toaster oven for a few minutes at 400 degrees. kalamatas on the side.

JR’s summer pasta

i want to eat this all summer long.

cook 1 lb multi-colored pasta (check out the pic below of pasta from trader joe- it’s perfect for this dish.) in salted water until al dente. rinse with cold water to stop cooking.

while pasta is cooking, put in a large bowl: 1 cucumber, slice in half long & use a tablespoon to scoop out seeds, then cut into half longs again and cube small; 1/2 of each: orange, yellow and red bell peppers chopped to same size as cuc; 1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered; 8 oz pepper jack cheese, also cubed small.

throw it all together and add salad dressing to taste (~1 cup).

walk away. let it rest in the fridge. make it a day or two ahead of time so the flavors can meld.

this dish has such vibrant color. it screams SPRING and SUMMER.

housemade vinaigrettes

excited to make girlfriend JR’s colorful veggie pasta salad for a family easter celebration on sunday. i’m going to take her suggestion and make it tonight (friday) so the flavors have time to meld. the recipe calls for use of a cruet + dressing package for the italian dressing but i’m going to make a dressing in-house and see how that goes. after comparison of online recipes and a consult with joy of cooking, here’s my interpretation of an italian vinaigrette:

1/6 cup fresh lemon juice, no seeds
1/8 cup white vinegar
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 minced shallot
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 cup canola oil

i used my Smartstick to combine all the ingredients. that tool is a lifesaver. i’ve never made an emulsion like this.

i made 2 batches of the recipe above – 1 for the pasta salad i’m making and 1 for another dressing. vinaigrette + avocado. again, using the Stick. i peeled + pitted the ‘cado and threw it in the Stick’s beaker, added the dressing, and mixed it up.

LB and i snacked on this delicious dressing with tomato + bell pepper slices. the next day, i stirred it into lentils for C. Loves are fans.

“parties”

I went to a pampered chef party last night at girlfriend MA’s house. wine was flowing, there were tasty treats, fun friends and two sweet little boys. all in all, a good time.

I bought the ice cream dipper. i like its classic, simple style:

i think of the “parties” i’ve hosted. i won’t have those product selling events at my place again because i always wish it were truly a party. a time to enjoy friends, instead of a business venture.

i hosted a wine club event once that was pretty fun. we tasted a great selection. the dishes below were part of my spread that evening.

green pear with a creamy havarti + roasted red pepper hummus with crudite:

dijon vinaigrette + mini whisk

quick salad dressing:

In a small bowl mix together 2 TBSP balsamic vinegar, 2 tsp dijon mustard, 1 small clove garlic (crushed). Drizzle in 5-6 TBSP olive oil while whisking. Add a pinch of dried thyme and little salt + pepper. That’s it and that’s all.

Toss it with your greens.

This little gem is a sweet tool that I’m often glad to have (referring to the whisk, not the egg):

file it under vegetables: meat pie.

You are surprised to read the title of this post, unless you are family and know the history of this dish. It was a fav growing-up and a dinner that our entire family loved. So when my sisters and I became veggie-heads in our teens, we were determined to recreate it to accommodate our new diet. After several incarnations, the perfect veggie meat pie was developed. No surprise that the remake varies little from the original – except for one [minor] change.

Here’s the recipe for my mom’s meat pie. I keep it in my recipe file in the vegetables section, duh!

Combine in a large bowl: 3 medium red potatoes (peeled + diced), bunch of carrots (peeled + diced) and 1 bag Morningstar veggie crumbles. In a small bowl dissolve 1 cube veggie bouillon in 1/2 cup boiling water and add 1 TBSP dried minced onion, 1 tsp. garlic powder, and a pinch of salt + pepper. stir to combine.

Pour the bouillon mixture over the potatoes/carrots/crumbles. Stir it up. Put mixture in pie crust and press down. Top with second crust and pinch crusts together. Cut vents in crust for air to escape while cooking. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes/until crust is brown. Then reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes. Cooking time varies depending on the oven so make sure the crust is browned and the potatoes and carrots are tender. Enjoy it today and tomorrow and the next day.

Below is a pic of the best meat pie. I made it while in early labor with C. Our birthing coach suggested making a multi-rise loaf of bread to pass the time and delay check-in at the hospital. Since i’m not big on bread baking, I figured making a meat pie was a great alternative.

It was also the perfect meal 3 days later when we brought C home.

B is for baby.

.