Writers Block EXTREME

I know I should be reflecting and writing about the recent CAW visit to California, but I just can't. I am way far more excited about the soup that I just made, than reflecting upon things we all did.

Although, I will, I promise. Eventually.

While Billy is away enjoying the sights and sounds of Yosemite with his childhood christian brethren, I am at home attempting to not freak out about the mess left behind; and the toilet seat that was up- a clear indication of man-boy rampage prior to their departure this morning.

How do I relax? I brief clean up, and immediate cooking adventure and a characteristic analyzation of my day.

Today was the Castro Farmers Market- a savior on a day where fumes were emitting from my ears for approximately 8 hours straight. After consuming a delicious lunch of Hummus and Tabbouleh* with sesame pita, around 4 o'clock I felt it was time to go for a walk.

I enjoy eating my lunch at my desk, and then going for a stroll later in the day, in lieu of a full blown lunch out. On this day, I decided that I did not crave cookies (although that was tooootally what I needed on Monday, from Hot Cookie)

I craved strawberries. Sweet Delicious strawberries.

Now it is not strawberry season, so I question the integrity of these apparent fresh market berries, but god damn you these were stupendous! They saved my day.

But I digress. Savior of Soup. Simple, delicious, my mind is a-flutter as to what to do with the savory leftovers.


Red on Red on Red Lentil Soup

1 small onion diced
1 large carrot grated
5-6 gypsy or lipstick peppers
1 excessively large ripe heirloom tomato, diced
about 1 cup frozen corn- although fresh would suffice

1/2 cup red lentils
4 cups water

larger bits of ground fennel seed
1 T crushed black pepper
pinches of salt
sprinkles of onion powder
1 pinch cumin
some garlic powder
a little mustard powder
some nutmeg

Methods:

Coat the bottom of a heavy pan with olive oil. Add carrot and onion, cook for a long while. meanwhile, dice the peppers all nice and tiny-like. Add these. At this time add some salt and lots of black pepper. Cook for an f-ing long while, add tomatos and cook until they give off their water. Add various spices now. Add lentils. Add water. Cover and cook for a long while, until lentils are cooked until you can't tell they were once tiny little things, and the soup is of a consistency that makes you happy. Turn off the heat, add the corn, mix. Eat with bread, or rice, or alone!

*a great lunch btw

Lite Summer Dinner at McBride

When the nights stay warm and muggy I can't help but hum that Billy Idol song "Hot in the City"

Who wants to bomb themselves on hearty meats and carbs when you have sweat dripping down your brow- not me! Our menu last night was lite and delicious:

Rice & Bean Stuffed Zucchini accompanied by a Summer Salad

Stuffed Zucchini

This is a play off a recipe found at Vegetarian Times. We opted for grilling instead of oven baking to fit the summer mood.
Filling:

Cook 1/2 cup of rice; seasoned with bay leaf, cayenne, cumin, salt and pepper
Saute red and green peppers, onions, jalapeno, and garlic

Once veggies are tender add diced tomato, 1/2 can of beans and fresh herbs of your choice

Combine with the rice

Zucchini:
Cut zucchini lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place on the grill cut side up

After 10-15 minutes check to see if zucchini is fork tender

Empty excess moisture from the cavity and add rice and bean mixture

Sprinkle w/ Monteray Jack cheese and cook with the grill closed for another 5 minutes or until cheese is melted

We cut the finished zucchini into two inch pieces to make it more casual finger food and served them with the left over rice mixture and a delicious Summer Salad that had mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, and red onions lightly dressed with a homemade balsamic vinaigrette. Super Yummz Mo!

Also had some Tanq and Teas to wash it all down

Porch Monkey

I got these biddies the first week in May, I have waited patiently and now I finally have some delicious porch veggies. The tomatoes are not massive, but are still tasty. Currently waiting for my peppers to turn red (those guys are wayyy to expensive in the grocery store).

Caww out to all crows and followers please share any successful porch/roof/yard crops!

Maine Lobstah

I got a call from my pops this weekend: "Hey Holl, Lobstah's only $3.99 a pound!"

Its moments like this when I realize how much I love being in Maine during the Summer. Where else could you buy a fresh lobster for cheaper than a pound of sliced deli ham?

My personal favorite way to eat lobster is boiled then dipped in fresh butter with a squeeze of lemon juice. Using these butter warmers really makes a difference; you end up using less of it because its not getting cool and coagulated and there's just something about piping hot butter that makes all the difference in taste. In terms of the actual lobster I prefer the younger chicks-their shells are so soft you can crack them with your hand. Sure there's less meat than the honking hard shells but it packs way more flavor and sweetness.

I was skimming the Portland Press Herald this morning and found a great Lobster roll and stew recipe for when you want to jazz it up:

To make the best rolls or stew, let the lobster shine through

Barley Monster

Everyone has their favorite grain and mine just happens to be Barley- I like its texture and ability to absorb delicious flavors without getting mushy. Barley Salads are great as leftovers and that's why I make them so often; it's perfect to bring to work for lunch because it allows me to avoid the dreaded microwave.

I found this fabulous recipe: Quinoa with Roasted Zucchini, Feta & Oregano in a Healthy Eats email and decided to give it a whirl, but of course I needed to make some adaptations to the OG Recipe.



I substituted the quinoa for barley- I had it in the pantry and like I stated before I'm a Barley Monster. My Quiona Cousin Mo would have done differently but I'm sure it's just as tasty with either grain. Second I added tons of fresh oregano and thyme rather than the dried- It's summer and time to take advantage of fresh herbs growing in yards or on porches! Lastly, I added some sliced grape tomatoes to the salad to get some more summer flavors in there. This salad tastes even better when consumed at the beach.

Farmers Market!!!

It better not rain this weekend because I have plans to ride my bike to Roslindale and hit up the Farmers Market. The tomatoes on my back porch are still puny-sized and green and all the local grocery stores can't satisfy my craving for that farm fresh produce.


There's something so pure and simplistic about directly handing the farmer my hard earned dollars for their hard earned labor. Maybe its the realization that we're cutting out the middle man trying to make a profit, or maybe its a step back in time to how people got their food prior to the commercialization of the food industry, but what ever it is, it feels great!


I'm not going to set my hopes too high. I am a realist and know that it is still early in the season for the mother load of local veggies. If I leave with one farm-ripe tomato, or a handful of pickling cukes, I will be one happy crow.

Pasta Salad Season

One of my favorite things about a summer BBQ or Picnic are the side dishes. Chip and dip platters, roasted veggies, kabobs, cole slaw, your almost full before you even dig into a burger or dawg. My new summer side dish love is the versatile pasta salad. I'm not talking about the stuff you buy at the deli that is drenched in Wish Bone Italian Dressing; I'm talking about these bad boys:

Grilled Chicken Pasta Salad w/Artichoke Hearts & Orzo Feta and Tomato Salad w/Marjoram Vinaigrette

Now these are the Pasta Salads I'm looking to scarf down this summer.

I saw Barefoot Contessa make a yummy Lemon Fusilli Salad with Arugula so I found the recipe online, tweaked it a bit and ended up with a tasty Pasta Salad that I would be proud to present at my next Picnic.


Changes in Recipe:

• I didn't have arugula so I just added extra broccoli
• Swapped the Fusilli for some Bow Ties
• Added the lemon juice at the end, I didn't want the taste to get bitter while simmering on the stove but I still added the zest at the beginning
• Substituted half of the cream with vegetable stock to cut back on some of the richness, but I had to simmer it a little longer to get the right consistency
• NOTES: I know this recipe calls for the broccoli florets, but I happen to really enjoy the steam. If you peel off the outer tough ends, the inside is nice and tender. Also this recipe works great cut in half

Here is my finished product, it's fine served warm or at room temperature. I would love to hear some other Pasta Salad recipes that you Crows are cooking up!

Summer Veggies

Assuming that summer actually arrives, this Summer Produce Guide on Food & Wine's website has great potential for inspiration.

An Ode to Fish Taco

Despite the terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad weather we are being bombarded with here in the northeast my mind is still turning to summer and summer foods. Particularly my favorite of all hot summer take-out meals: the fish taco. This West Coast originated masterpiece comes in many forms; some bad, some good and some absolutely delicious. A zesty alternative to the fried haddock sandwich, the fish taco deserves to take its rightful place amongst the most scrumptious of summer mowing options. However, despite the apparent simplicity, a good fish taco is nearly impossible to find and even more impossible to make. Let me explain.

"What makes a good fish taco?" you might be wondering. Well, I will tell you. For me, the quality of a fish taco is best determined by the following 3 factors:


1. Fry Batter:
There are some who believe in a grilled fish taco. I am not one of them. It's summer goddamn it and I want some fried fish in my life. Crispy and slightly spicy does it for me; never soft or greasy.

2. Sauce(s):
It is all about lime when it comes to making the perfect zesty fish taco sauce. My all time favorite place (we'll get there later) used a chili lime sauce that brought down the house. In the absence of such culinary know-how, a good guacamole and sour cream can do the trick.

3. Veggie Crunch:
All that fry needs to be cushioned in a bed of crunchy freshness. A red cabbage slaw is my pick for #1, but some red onion and fresh lettuce also sets it off well.

And, it goes without saying that this should all be wrapped in a soft, chewy, slightly grilled fresh tortilla. This post is already making me hungry.

My relationship with the fish taco has been a toroid one. Like a bad RomCom heroine, I fall into deep, passionate, crazed love, only to be left after a few months with nothing but a craving and a few extra pounds to show for it.

The Mother of all fish tacos, the creme de la creme, the Brad Pitt of fish tacos to my Jennifer Aniston, was formally found at Crab Louie's (which before their tragic demise briefly changed their name to One Eyed Jack's) in downtown Portland, ME. Whoever owned you, Crab Louie's, if you are reading this now, PLEASE CALL ME. I will pay you any amount to taste the amazingness that was your fish taco one more time before I die. Their taco, with its crispy batter, chewy tortilla, cabbage slaw and chili lime sauce was all that is perfection in a world full of flaws. It was the holy grail of fish tacos, the place where I learned how to love. And now it has been taking from me forever and I am left to roam this earth in search of another fish taco to love.

While I was still recovering from this loss, I turned to El Pelon in the Fenway , where I found my John Mayer of fish tacos. Popular and loved by many in the past, it had many of the key ingredients and satisfied me for awhile. It wasn't perfect, and it wasn't Brad Pitt, but I was happy. And then, as suddenly as our relationship had come to be, El Pelon burnt down. I should have seen it coming, after all, El Pelon had done this to me before (burnt down, that is). But still, I was shocked. And then I really had nothing. No Crab Louie's, no El Pelon. I was alone.
So I began the hunt. A chef I knew recomended I have a fling, so I flirted with La Verdad ( also in the Fenway) for awhile, but that quickly ended with disappointment. I tried to go back to an old flame- David's Cafe (Jamaica Plain)- but they had also closed down and left me. Even my high school lover- Chicky's (Portland, ME)- is no longer around for quick, nostalgic satisfaction.

So now, I am once again on the prowl for a fish taco to love. Anyone want to set me up?

I'll take my summer with a side of political turmoil

This was an interesting weekend that lacked the normalcy of weekends past. Sunny weather, goodbye parties, and a sighting of someone who looks like me reading the book I'm reading (In Defense of Food) on BART.

....and I feel asleep last night to a room of 3 boys trying to explain why they can't just get their hands to go through the table : /

Thanks Whiskey. More thanks to the Monks Kettle.

I don't know how I have let this place slip my sight until last night- I'm guessing it is because the average beer price is somewhere above $10. I suggest checking out the beer menu now so that when you(I'm looking at you crows and family members) come out to SF you know what you'll order before walking in the door!

Also of note- I saw several patrons ordering very large pretzels served with country mustard as their bar snack! I will defiantly check that out next time I go.


******************

On the food front I just made the delicious summer squash gratin c/o the New York Times, and, Wow. Wow. Wow, it was so delicious (gracias crow Vanessa). I used fontina and Parmesan, and ate it with a fresh salad and some yummy chopped peach.

Now I am off to try and make myself some smashing aprons! The fabric store by my house has incredible sales on dress fabrics...Polka dots and flowers anyone?

Gratin: Not Your Mama's Casserole (but kinda the same)

Casserole= Americana grossness favored by 60's housewives. Includes pantry staples such as egg noodles, canned tuna, canned green beans/peas/corn, Campbell's soup. Convenient way to feed your hungry brood of children when you are tired after a long day of drinking white wine and smoking Marlboros while waiting for your husband to come home from the office

Gratin= Fancy favorite of the yuppie crowd and natural food recipes, often found in the food & wine section of the NYT. Includes pantry and refrigerator drawer staples such as summer squash, potatoes, leeks, fresh herbs, cream, eggs, gruyere and arborio rice. Convenient way to feed your long-term live-in boyfriend or semi-employed friends after a long day of drinking white wine and smoking camel lights while waiting to hear back from those 20 jobs you found posted on idealist.org and applied to after you woke up at 10 am.

As the Thai people so famously say: "same-same, but different."

Gratins come in many shapes, sizes and levels of healthyness, but I think the majority of us crows agree that the Queen of all gratin recipes is this little gem that we dug up last summer:

This Summer Squash Gratin recipe from the NYT "recipes for health" section.

I have made this a least a half dozen times, and I know Mz Holly has as well. What is so great about this particular recipe is that is completely adaptable to whatever you have in your kitchen at any given time- zucchini can be substituted for sweet potatoes or butternut squash, Gruyere can be replaced by cheddar or chevre, leeks or shallots could be added, basil, parsley or organo can take over instead of thyme. Be creative!

Using rice in the gratin keeps it light yet filling (brown rice works just as well as aborio and makes it a little heartier), and personally, I like that this gratin isn't too cream-heavy, as many are.

The most important thing that this, and most, gratin recipes never mention is a classic ode to the casserole; always opt for a crusty top! A thick layer of breadcrumbs ups the yummy factor big time. After all, your Mama was right about a lot of things.

When liquor gives you lemons, make lemonade!

Lots of happenings in this crows kitchen this afternoon. The gorgeousness of the day inspired me to create a project so, I plunged into making homemade limoncello. Making limoncello is something I have been meaning to do for years and it will be an ongoing project that I will have to keep everyone updated on; unfortunately, it seems like it is going to be a minimum of 6 weeks before anyone will be able to sip on my brew. But, I am none the less excited.


I researched a bunch of recipes and went for it; the zest of 16 lemons is now soaking in a handle of Absolute Vodka in a 5-gallon brewer's bucket ("The Ale Pail") in my pantry. Apparently the only real trick to this is to use clean, fresh lemons and not let any brine (the white stuff on the peel) into the mix. You can use vodka or everclear (grain alcohol)- I went for vodka because everclear is hard to find.



The vodka/zest mixture needs to sit for a minimum of 10 days to 3 months, and apparently the longer the better. I'm aiming for a month. Then it will be strained, mixed together with simple syrup and water and then left to sit for another 2 weeks. So hopefully, come mid-July, there will be limoncello. I'll keep you posted.


A surprise side-effect of all of this was 16 whole lemons, minus the zest. So, not wanting to waste resources, I made another tasty, if less potent, beverage- lemonade. Equipped with a new hand-juicer from Gadgets, Mark helped me extract the juice, which turned out to be way more in volume than I would have expected. We now have a LOT of lemonade. I added two cups of sugar reduced as simple syrup and and a couple of cups of water, but is is still very tart. In retrospect, I think honey instead of sugar would have been delicious. We threw a little Bombay Saphire in the lemonade as a little pre-dinner cocktail. Yumz.


Also, I made a super yummy dinner of grilled shrimp and veggies in the thai-lime marinade with a side of spanish rice. I also grilled a lime sliced in half and used the juice all over the shrimp and veggies- an awesome trick Emily showed me last summer.
So good for a summer day.

Summer Sipping

Day-drinking.

What better way to enjoy those hot summer afternoons than by sitting back and enjoying a delicious cocktail with your fellow crows? Whether on the beach or in the backyard, a refreshing booze beverage is sure to cool you down and sauce you up.

Last summer, as we prepared for the Milky Way's last days in Hyde Square, we were all about their JP Iced Tea.




Lovingly referred to as "The Mind Eraser", this drink packs quite the punch without letting you know it. I could barely handle two of these delicious and dangerous beverages before the dance floor sucked me in for the rest of the evening. Drink at your own risk...

JP Iced Tea

1 shot Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum
1 shot Svedka Citron Vodka
fresh brewed iced tea
ginger simple syrup

Sometimes if I'm feeling saucy, I may add a splash of tequila!

Bottoms up.

HORSEBALLS

I don't know about the rest of you, but I love outdoor games in the summer, and this one comes at you straight from the game-master herself, the littlest Welch of them all, Saggi-Poo.

When I was in Denver last week my sister taught us this great game called horseballs. It's played along the same lines as horse shoe, but wayyyyyyy more fun!


The game can be played with teams of two, or one. Each player, or team gets 3 ropes. The idea is to throw the rope towards the opposite post, trying to tangle it on one of the three horizontal bars. The top bar is 3 points, the middle 2, and the bottom 1. Each team is in a race to reach exactly 21 points. If a team exceeds 21, then they must try to get 31, and if 31 points is exceeded, then they must aim for 41. The two teams take turns each throwing their 3 ropes at the opposite post. When playing with teams of 2, the teammates trade off turns throwing.





The posts can be made easily with PBC pipe from HomeDepot or Lowes. They are about 3 ft wide and 4 ft tall. The ropes are about 18 inches long with a golfball strung on each end as weights. Be careful, this game is addicting!

Mustard Pickles (Shout Out to OOB)

I've received a pickle recipe request from my fellow sour-taste-budded crow Emily (I'm pretty sure one night we almost took down a whole jar of pickles just the two of us!) This is the only pickle recipe I have- it's incredibly easy, uses basic ingredients and the best part is they are ready in just a couple of hours! Before I post the recipe let me just add that I am extremely jealous that Emily is already getting pickling cukes out there in San Fran, it will be a glorious day when they make their debut here in Boston.

Roger's Famous Mustard Pickles

1 teaspoon Pickling Salt
1 teaspoon Sugar
1 teaspoon Mustard Powder (1/2 tsp for modest taste buds)
Cider Vinegar
Pickling Cukes

Slice cukes into spears and cram as many as you can into a jar that is about roughly as high as the spears*

Add the salt, sugar and mustard to the jar

Add enough vinegar to just cover the cucumber spears, and shake well to dissolve the dry ingredients

Let sit on a countertop for a couple of hours-give the jar a shake every now and then


I prefer these pickles after 2-4 hours when they are still crisp, if you have a hankering for a "clear out your sinuses pickle", let them sit overnight. Once they have reached your desired potency, keep them in the fridge so they won't become more sour.

*This is important because if there is alot of extra jar space then it will affect how much vinegar is added and will make them too sour



This is my dad's recipe, he probably gives it out 100 times a summer but no one ever cares to replicate it because they always count on him bringing a batch down to the beach.

Reggio-Old Orchard Beach, ME

Counterpoint.

Holly, what is wrong with this label? Some poor art student SLAVED over it, and all you do is crap on his/her work. Sure, the color pallet reminds me a wee bit of a 3rd grade classroom. But I like it.

And here is why:

1) The design is simple and straightforward. It kinda looks like something I could pull together with a pack of crayola markers and a basic knowledge of Microsoft publisher. Its not pretending to be all fancy big city beer. It's a beer of the people damnit.

2) I enjoy the subtle ode to Maine via way of the lobster buoy. I like Maine and I like buoys.

3) I like how the bottle caps are all different colors. I find it whimsical and adorable.

4) Geary's Summer Ale is the most delicious beer of all time and drinking it makes it truly summer. Like all precious gifts, it does not matter how it is wrapped.

I rest my case.

Sweet Nectar

Tis the season for Summer Ales!


Everyone has their favorite summer ales- they mostly correlate with the area you grew up. For those Jersey/New York folks it's probably Brooklyn Summer, the New Hampshirans will grab a Red Hook Sunrye, for us Maniacs it's that sweet nectar we call Geary's Summer ale.

I'm not sure if its the long snowy winter, or the fact that we're deprived from it for 9 months, but once you have that first sip of the sweet nectar in late April instinct kicks in to either lounge on the beach or turn on the grill.


Not only do I get excited for the taste of Geary's Summer, I also can't wait to see the new bottle/ box design that is picked from a group of contestants each season. Maine College of Art (MECA) collaborates with Geary's Brewery to offer a $5000 scholarship to the student who comes up with the best label design. The past four years have been pretty on point with creating a design that captures the delicious summer taste, my favorite being the summer of 2005 (if anyone has their hands on a pic of this design please send to me, it's a sunset over pretty marsh grass). Here is a little peak at year's past:







Last year's winner is the middle picture with the lobster. Lobsters definitely scream Maine but I peaked the MECA website to see what it was competing against and there are about 5 other designs, that in my opinion, totally beat out the Lobster (I really dig #18 and 20).

2008Competition

That brings us to the new 2009 label.

My immediate reaction was "Chucky Cheese Raunch". I'm not sure why those words formulated in my head- maybe its the cheeriness of the label and the fact that it looks like its advertising to little children, i really don't know. The buoys look too much like balloons and there is a total lack of Maine feel to it.

There are some people who disagree with my opinion of the 2009 label and actually enjoy it, one of them being a fellow kitchen crow (Vbar). Maybe her wise words will have an impact on me and sway my harsh opinion to a more neutral ground- the important thing here is that the contents of the bottle remain the same and will always be the sweet nectar of summer.