My Little Summer Garden

I have a potted veggie garden on my back patio. It's my little oasis. Every morning I water and pick off the caterpillars while I drink my coffee. Things are starting to look pretty good. I picked my first zucchini this morning.
Zucchini blossom

My first tomato of the year

A baby Persian cucumber

Dinner

It's amazing what a few pots of dirt can do.

The Birthday Party

Last weekend, I went to Santa Barbara for a birthday party for two little girls (3 and 1). Their parents are dear friends of mine and it just seems as though everything they touch turns to beautiful. See for yourself...







Dalia's and Peonies everywhere







Summerland Beach



Lea



Ara's first bites of birthday cake



Some children make the idea of having children look like a wonderful prospect.
Later...



I'm okay for now.

Lentil Soup Sort Of Like Yia Yia Made

My Grandmother was a "Toastie." She was a part of a generation of immigrant women who lived through the Great Depression. Very few depression era immigrants had access to refrigeration and in order to preserve their weekly bread, the women of the household would slice and toast the entire loaf on the first day. Apparently, when bread is toasted it looses some of it's moisture and is then less likely to mold. Hence the name "Toastie."

I never knew that there were others like her until I was in high school, when my US history teacher explained the story of the "Toastie." I had always just assumed that my Yia Yia's toast-related behavior was exclusive to her and her Greekness or that she had accidentally toasted too many pieces of bread and saved the extra. But then it occurred to me that that was not all she saved; safety pins, rubber bands, paper napkins from church and cereal boxes (that she lined her trash cans with). It was an entire generation groomed out of necessity to keep and preserve and save for the winter. She wasn't a hoarder because she wasn't a consumer, she just never wasted anything.

There is a lot I really love about this. I live in a generation that celebrates wild and grotesque excess. Her style of life feels really appealing and almost subversive now. I'm not saying that I'm going to start taking sugar packets from friends houses, hanging my pictures on the wall with used chewing gum or making melted cheese sandwiches by melting my cheese in my morning coffee and then removing it and squeezing it between two hard previously toasted pieces of bread. Yes, all true. But there are a few lessons from my Yia Yia's generation that I think are very practical, the overall themes of simplicity and conservation being the most important ones of all.

My grandmother was not impoverished toward the end of her life but she still applied her depression era philosophy toward everything she did, most actively in her approach to food. She never ate out or ordered in. She walked to the market. She would make a stew once a week, refrigerate it and eat it all week long. She would add to the stew or fish out what she wanted that night. Outside of the week, there was some variety. Some of her stews were made with lamb, some chicken, some pasta, some beans, some were more like soups. Most had a tomato base and she usually cooked seasonally (what's in season is always cheaper). She used mint from her garden and lemons from her own tree. She also (much to my great embarrassment) would pull the wild greens (horta) from the church yard and take them home to eat. They always tasted wonderful.

It was an honest way to eat and although unrealistic for most of us now, still important to recognize. Plus, I get tired of eating the same thing after a few days. When I cook one of her dishes, I often freeze individual portions and The Husband takes them for his lunch. But don't freeze it too soon, because as she knew very well, her dishes are best after a couple days. The flavors marry and settle and sing. Day 3 is ideal. When you reheat it from the refrigerator, just portion out what you want and add a little water and cook it on the stove top until hot. From the freezer, just nuke it. One of my favorites were her lentils.

Yia Yia's Lentil Soup (the closest I've gotten to the real deal)

1/4 cup olive oil (add more if you want, she did)
4 cloves of garlic
1 large yellow onion
5 stalks of celery (yes Mom, you can leave this out)
4 large carrots
1 lb brown lentils
1 cup pearled barley
1 Quart + of vegetable stock, chicken stock or water
(following spices are approximate add or subtract whatever you prefer)
3 Fresh bay leaves
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
1 t of cumin
1/2 t of each- onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, dried thyme, dried basil
Dash of cayenne
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large cast iron pot on medium heat, take olive oil, chopped garlic, celery, carrots, onion, fresh herbs and saute until fragrant. When onions are translucent, toss in brown lentils and fill pot with stock or water (if you use only water, be prepared to season a little bit more) then add the remaining spices and let it simmer away.
In a separate pot, boil 1 cup of pearled barley with 2 1/2 cups of water. When the barley is tender but chewy add it to the soup and cook until beans are tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve right away or for up to 3 days before freezing left overs. When you serve it add a squeeze of lemon, a sprinkle of Parmesan and a big piece of fresh crusty bread (sorry Yia Yia but I have a freezer now and a Trader Joe's a block away). This is what it looks like the next day.

To be honest, we didn't even freeze any this time. Best batch yet. To simplicity...

Kitchen Gadget Glory: Mukka Express

I've never been a fan of fancy kitchen gadgets, or I wasn't until I got a bunch of awesome ones as wedding gifts. Before the wedding, I was using my mother's old warped pots and pans and some plastic cooking utensils that family friends gave me when I got my first apartment. Every now and then, I would get a nice knife as a Christmas gift or I'd invest in a good baking dish or cast iron pot. But I never passed a Sur La Table with the intention of buying anything. I was fine making due with what I had and teaching myself to cook great food on a starving-artists budget.

Now that my idealism is out there, I should probably come clean...

I always secretly coveted my friend Becca's stove top cappuccino maker. I'm not sure what it was exactly, the foam, the espresso, the combination of the two? But it made the greatest coffee. I would drive up to Santa Barbara for a weekend at her house and get super excited about breakfast. I'm not normally a morning person but I loved that cup of coffee. 6AM? No problem. I loved it so much that I started adding on a mid day pick-me-up cup. By the time I made the drive back to LA, I was either on a full blown caffeine high or crashing into oblivion.

Happily, I seem to have taught myself a little moderation, now that Becca's parents have bought me one as a wedding gift.

I say me not us, because The Husband doesn't drink the stuff. Insanity, I know. So here is the vehicle for my happy morning time. If you are a gadget person, I would highly recommend buying one. If not, come over and I'll make you a half dozen cups or so.

The World's Greatest Snack

I just discovered the holy grail of snacking. For years my sister has been telling me that if you're ever in doubt as to what to bring to a party, just bring some blue cheese and throw some honey on it. She's right, people always love it. But it's always been party food, never just a snack. Until now because...

White Wine + Crackers + Blue Cheese + Honey = Wonderful


Here's a close up... can't you almost taste it?


Here, I used water crackers, crumbled blue cheese and local honey. I like dry white wine and I think it pairs nicely but you can do whatever you want. Champagne would work well too... maybe for seconds.

A Gift From My Garden

Every year this Gladiola pops up and every year I am surprised. This year they are so beautiful. I thought I'd share.

The Mouse Shall Eat Mushrooms

I had to take online traffic school last weekend. Sometime around my wedding, my brain took a break and I forgot how to follow street signs. Apparently even the simplest one became illegible. On one march day, I performed more of a slow roll through an alleged STOP sign and got a $300 ticket. My first ticket...ever.

So, while my husband was at an Irish sports bar watching the USA v. England game with our friends, I was sitting at my kitchen table listening to 'comedians' talk about the hazards of driving on a one-lane road in the rain. Death jokes people, there were death jokes. It was excruciating. I was just about ready to take the point on my license when I saw the mushrooms, sage and garlic sitting quietly on the kitchen counter.

I thought... "I'm a multi-tasker. Plus I bought the audio version of comedy traffic school. Why not cook my pain away and listen to these assholes at the same time? I mean, the Husband hates mushrooms anyway, so while the cat's away, the mouse shall avert gouging her eyes out with her 'California-stop' citation and make comfort food. Savory awesome fungus... in cream sauce.

Creamy Mushroom Pasta with Sage and Brandy
Feeds two or one really hungry woman under house arrest

1/2 Package of Garofalo pasta (or whatever you like)
1 Standard carton of crimini mushrooms (farmer's market ones are the best)
1/2 T chopped fresh sage
2 Big cloves of chopped garlic
1 T brandy (or dry sherry)
1/2 Cup of half and half (you can do milk or any combo of the two)
1 T butter
1 T roasted pine nuts
Salt and pepper to taste
A sprinkle of parmesan cheese

Bring salted water to a boil in a big pot and toss in pasta. Add butter to a large skillet on medium heat

and in sliced crimini mushrooms. Do not salt the mushrooms now. Salting brings out the moisture and won't let the mushrooms brown. The brown bits impart great flavor into the sauce. Be sure you have a pan that is wide enough so that none of the mushrooms overlap.

Once they are developing some color toss in the garlic and sage. Saute for a bit until the garlic is translucent and the mushrooms have a nice brown color. Add the brandy then a little salt and pepper. When the brandy is all but gone, add the half and half and reduce the heat. It should look like this...

Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. If you are feeling extra indulgent you can finish the sauce with a little extra dab of butter. Turn off the heat, drain pasta and toss the pasta into the skillet.

Serve with pine nuts and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

A crisp dry white wine would have made this meal completete but it was noon and I still had to take my quiz about "Pepper the Pizzaboy" and how his loud music drowned out the fire truck's sirens. Don't worry, the wine came eventually. I needed to drown out the voices in my head.