baby new potato salad with artisan bacon
You cannot get more local than your backyard. There is nothing better than the vegetables that you dig out of your own dirt. The farmer’s market finds are close, but till fall shy of the flavor of something that you’ve grown. It is amazing that there is anything growing in my backyard this year. The chaotic weather is one reason, the other is that we have been on the go since the start of “summer vacation.” It has been a wild and crazy ride thus far and we are only half way through it.
We are installing a kids cook dinner night, at the request of the kiddos. This is to be the first installment. The menu was created by Andreas, a 10 year old boy who loves good food. This is his meal. He helped with the meal preparations, the plating and the photographs.
just so worth it
Think outside the mayonnaise jar for this vinaigrette based version. You won’t be disappointed. If you can get your hands on some local artisan smoked pork belly (bacon) go for it!
[click to read full article --->]
lusciously lemony
If you are looking for the “perfect” make-ahead recipe for the long holiday weekend coming up I have just the thing for you.
I made this cake on Tuesday and have left it on the counter, uncovered, for 2 days. It is still moist, and better than the first day I made it. Which might have something to do with the overly lemon syrup I soaked the cake with, just maybe. At first taste of this cake it screams SUMMER! The fact that it is a keeper is just a bonus for the long-weekend camping trip you have coming up. Those cupcakes you made might be tasty now, but come Saturday they will either be a memory or dried out. Make this now, for something new and fresh to bring out for the 4th festivities, or the next day when you will be tied up with packing, cleanup and recuperation.
If you are into lemon, this is the snack cake for you! It is super rich and lemony so just a teeny bite is satisfying. It is dense with a brownie like texture, not really what I expected with a lemon cake, but it is oh-so-good. [click to read full article --->]
With late spring temps in the 40’s we are needing some comfort food, but this is so tasty I would eat it any day of the year. I continue to ponder that it might be nice as a cold soup, think vichyssoise, the ubiquitous potato and leek soup served hot in winter and cold in summer. Posh, don’t you think? Wouldn’t you look sophisticated serving this at your next soiree? Come up with a French sounding name and you’ve got it made.
There is another serving option that I had not thought about until I witnessed it from the other side of the table. A bread bowl. My youngest tore apart his potato roll that we picked up at the Wednesday Farmer’s Market and spooned his soup into it. He did eat it with his hands which was a new one, even for me. It turned out to be a good decision I think, as he continued to consume a great deal more than the rest of us.
My CSA share this week had shallot greens and baby turnips. The co-op had some new potatoes that I could not pass up. Armed with these ingredients and the chill in the air, I set about making soup.
[click to read full article --->]
We have been having an unusually wet spring, but hey, summer is right around the corner. Things have to warm up, right?! It was 45°F today and I had to turn the furnace on, which should make anyone cranky in June. After having soccer camp rained out the boys wanted to watch a movie, and this was their choice.
Now they are completely grossed out by McDonald’s and other fast/junk foods. They weren’t that keen on them to begin with, but now they are keeping me on the straight and narrow when it comes to feeding them. With dad out of the country this is usually when I make exceptions to their regular diets. Not such a smooth move I tell ya, letting them watch it at this time. Now what am I to do? Cook something? Surely you jest.
Tonight was a fast-food dinner after track & field practice. We had oatmeal with blueberries. Fast-food does not HAVE to be junk food 
*Get Super Size Me: A film of Epic Portions at Amazon or your public library
