It is Strange the Things We Remember

There are times that I cannot remember conversations I had last week, but certain childhood memories are indelibly encoded into my neurons.

I remember that the cookbook was geared for kids, but not that it was called. The recipe was for “Happle Bagel Sandwiches”

The gyst was to take a bagel half, lay down a slice of apple, put a slice of American cheese on top and sprinkle cinnamon. Then broil it, with parental supervision, until the cheese had achieved melts goodness. I remember it being delicious.

So I was being nostalgic the other day, but given that I can’t do the bagel anymore, I simplified and just laid the cheese on the csa apples. I swapped out smoked salt for cinnamon because I am way more of a savory girl these days, and I am happy to tell you that it was still delicious.

Pickling All the Things!

So we had these pickling cucumbers. And these carrots. So pickling commenced.

I started out with this recipe and winged it from there.

I had pint jars, not quarts, so this recipe is per pint jar. You will have a little bit of leftover liquid at the end.

Ingredients for 5 jars

• 4 large carrots
• 5 pickling cucumbers
• 2.5 tablespoons dill
• 25 peppercorns
• 5 teaspoons of minced garlic
• 4 cups cider vinegar
• 4 cups water
• 4 tablespoons salt

First, wash your mason jars and tops. Rinse them very well, and let them air dry.

Next, wash your veggies.

Chop the ends off of the cucumbers, and slice into spears.

Peel the carrots, then chop them in half, using the jars as a guide. Slice them into spears.

Combine the apple cider vinegar, water, and salt in a large pot, and put on medium-high heat.

Then, add 1/2 TBS of freeze dried dill, 5 peppercorns, and 1tsp garlic to each jar.

Load each jar full of cucumbers or carrots.

Notice that the pickling juice has come to a boil, whisk it to get all the salt dissolved. Pour the brine into each jar.

When all the jars are filled, Carl informs me to walk away, and let them sit, and have all the air bubbles come out.

Come back, shake the jars, and walk away. When they have settled for a while, put the tops on, and put them in the fridge.

Check back in a few weeks for a taste test!

Nicole Indulges Herself

Very often, when Carl is going to be gone for an evening, I am super lazy, and fry up a hamburger, or fire up Foodler. It is hard to get inspired when you are cooking for one. However, we have tons of veggies that need eating, including some that are not Carl’s favorite. No, really, I dare you: Say the word eggplant around him, and see what happens. On my way to the depot, I realized that since Carl wouldn’t be home, I could eat fish! Carl is perfectly happy to humor me by eating fish, but he is not a big fan.

After picking up the CSA, I wandered over to Turner’s to see what they had for fresh fish. This restaurant is down the street from us, and has a fantastic fish market. I picked up some Hake which was caught in Gloucester (I love knowing where my food comes from), and headed home.

Martha Stewart Nicole Is Not

A few weeks ago, I saw this link to Avocado Egg Bakes, and desperately wanted to try it.

Not as easy as they look. I scooped out extra avocado and ate it, (yum!) but the egg white still got everywhere, it took twice as long as expected, and did not look nearly as nice. And I found out that warm avocado doesn’t really do it for me, texturally. I offered Carl one, and he rolled his eyes at me.

Strawberry Rhubarb Tarts

The fruit share this week was a pint of strawberries and a pound of rhubarb. I realized that I had never actually had rhubarb, much less cooked with it, and C doesn’t really like sweets, so I was on my own.

Cue the Lazywebs!

I asked my friends on facebook what a gluten/grainfree person could do with strawberries and rhubarb that was not pie.

I got a bunch of suggestions for compotes, shakes, crisps, etc.

One friend posted the following recipe, which I took as a basis for winging it: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/curtis-aikens/strawberry-rhubarb-sauce-recipe/index.html

I didn’t have any regular sugar in the house, but I did have brown sugar, so I used the smaller amount of sugar, a little extra water, and started boiling my rhubarb.

I followed the recipe to the end, when I decided that I wanted these to be a little more solid than sauce. So I threw in a packet of knox gelatine, poured them off into cupcake cups, and threw them into the fridge.

They are incredibly bright-tasting, very good, and came out in a slightly more solid than pudding texture. I froze about half of them to use later, and had one for desert last night. I think I will take them as part of my school lunch for the next week.

Yum!

CSA Week 1

Our first CSA pickup was on Thursday, and it was raining. So I grabbed my little Trader Joe’s Market Cart, pulled on my FiveFingers, and set out.

Side Note- Everytime I wear my fivefingers, I become an ambassador for the brand. Everyone wants to know how comfortable they are, if I can actually run in them, etc. So yes, they are comfortable. Yes, you can run in them. On to the share:

Strawberries, rhubarb, harukei turnips, radishes, Boston lettuce, and broccoli.

The folks at http://www.farmdirectcoop.org/ had warned us that the first few weeks would be lighter, and I was happy about that, as it gave us a chance to ease into this farmshare thing. Our cheese share will start next week as well.