Pan Pacific and Asparagus

When we packed for this trip, we decided to ship out a bunch of boxes to lighten our load on travel day...it worked beautifully, except that our box of all the girls' toys arrived THREE DAYS after we did. We bought a set of foam blocks to try to hold us over, and Lainey's favorite new game became stuff-the-Sarah....(poor Sarah just ignored it and kept playing!)

Thankfully, their toys (and clothes, and my immersion blender that I can't live without!) arrived Monday, and being in the house is no longer torture for us all.

Still, we've spent some time venturing out; the girls and I walked to the Pan Pacific Park yesterday. It took us about 35 minutes to get there, and Lainey rode her new scooter the whole way, just like a big kid. We stopped for a strawberry-banana smoothie on the way...mmm.

On the way home, I bought this asparagus at the farmer's market; I don't think it's actually local, I don't know if it was organic or not, and I'm actually not even that into asparagus...it just looked so delicate and beautiful, I had to try some.

I ended up drizzling it with olive oil, sprinkling with sea salt and fresh ground pepper, and roasting it for about 25 minutes at 400°...it was incredible. It got voted by the adults (sadly, not a hit with the kiddos) as make-again-good.

More food adventures to come...stay tuned! :)

Welcome 2011!

Without really planning to, I took a two month hiatus from my blogging here. The combination of the holidays, knitting like a madwoman, and LIFE just caught up with me. I've also been writing on From Scratch Club, which took the little bit of blog energy I had.

This is a new year, though, and I am all about getting back in the bloggy game. This year I have big plans to get organized...this is a pretty ambitious goal for me, as I am just not. The insanity of the holidays actually helped me to notice how difficult it is for me to keep track of everything, and has made me determined to make changes. I realize that I'm only four days into it, but I think I'm doing pretty darn well so far. My house is cleaner than it has been in months, my calendar is organized, I can see the floor of my car, I made it to the gym today, I'm blogging, and I don't feel lost in the shuffle of my day. Now if I can just keep it up... :)

Since some of my readers are here for a recipe, and others are here in hopes of seeing some pictures of my cuddlebugs, I'll do both tonight. First up, a quick and easy veggie side dish inspired by the incredible green beans my sister brought to Thanksgiving dinner.

Dijon Mustard Green Beans

(excellent served warm OR cold)

1 lb green beans, washed and trimmed

equal parts Dijon mustard and olive oil (I used about 1/4 c. of each)

salt to taste

Cook green beans in a large pot of salted water until tender, 5-8 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together mustard and oil.

Drain green beans and stir in mustard sauce. Season with salt. Serve.

And, last, some photos of my sweet girls...

Getting ready for Thanksgiving and more child labor with the Bissell...

Lainey's first self-haircut...

Merry Christmas!

And, some beautiful shots by Christina Davis, photographer and friend...

Cucumbers and Dill, Two Ways

Cucumbers are, by far, my favorite summer vegetable. Our CSA has not disappointed in the cukes department this year. Pair them with some fresh dill from my garden, and I'm in cucumber heaven. Here are two of my favorite ways to enjoy them.

I should clarify that my all-time favorite is homemade pickles, but I have not mastered that one...perhaps my mom or my sister would like to guest blog?? (hint, hint!) This Cucumbers Vinaigrette is a close second. It's slightly adapted from "Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites". Lainey is not a big fan, but the delicious-ness of this recipe warrants breaking the general rules for my blog. :)

CUCUMBERS VINAIGRETTE:

2 medium cucumbers, peeled in stripes

1/4 c cider vinegar

2 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dried mustard

lots of fresh dill, chopped (I use about 1 tbsp)

Slice the cucumbers crosswise into 1/8"-1/4" rounds.

Combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, and mustard in a serving bowl. Toss with the sliced cucumbers and add dill to taste. Refrigerate at least 2 hours (the longer the better, this only gets better with time!)

My second recipe, Cucumber Yogurt Soup, is so refreshing and satisfying. My hunt for this recipe was inspired by the soup I recently ate at Joshua's Cafe in Woodstock, NY. Their's was definitely better, but this still hit the spot. By the way, if you want to eat an amazing, healthy meal, Woodstock is the place to visit! We love the food options there so much, we are going back for our five-year anniversary in September. Mmm, I can't wait!!

CUCUMBER YOGURT SOUP:

from Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

8 small-medium cucumbers, peeled and chopped (I also seeded mine)

3 c water

3 c yogurt (I used Argyle Cheese Plain yogurt from the farmer's market)

2 + tbsp fresh dill

1 tbsp lemon juice

Combine ingredients in food processor until smooth, chill before serving. (I reserved a cup or two of my chopped cucumber to put back into the puree for some extra texture).

Keep it Simple--Stir Fried Sugar Snap Peas

I used to think I had to fix fancy, complicated recipes that took all afternoon in order for a dish to be delicious. Yes, there are plenty of multi-step, multiple-pot-dirtying recipes that are quite good. But, more and more lately, I'm realizing the best way to prepare so many foods is often the simplest way (and, by the way, it's usually the way some new vegetable moves from my 'eh' list to my 'wow' list)...I feel like it let's you taste just the wonderful flavors of the vegetable itself, instead of drowning it in so many other flavors.

Tonight's dinner was homemade veggie burgers (these were amazing, by the way...recipe will be later this week!) and these stir-fried sugar snap peas from our CSA share.

They were so good. My mouth is watering again just looking at this picture. Oh, and they half passed my Lainey-friendly test. She is so used to eating edamame, squeezing the beans out of the shell, that she really had a hard time understanding that she could eat the whole thing. She did, however, very much enjoy the peas alone. :)

Quick Stir-Fried Sugar Snap Peas

from How to Cook Everything

2 tbsp peanut, canola, or other oil (I used olive oil)

About 1 1/2 lbs peas, washed and trimmed

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil (optional--I did and feel it's a must...sesame oil has such an amazing flavor!)

Place the oil in a large, deep skillet or wok and set the heat to high. When the oil begins to smoke, toss in the peas and cook, stirring almost constantly, until the are glossy, bright green, and begin to show a few brown spots, about 5 minutes.

Turn off heat and remove to a platter. Drizzle with soy sauce and sesame oil, if you like, and serve.