I am learning that one of the good things about cooking, writing about cooking, and talking about cooking, is that people start thinking of you whenever they come across a great recipe. Just the other day a friend of mine told me about a pasta recipe that she tried, and that she thought I would like. She got it from Cooks Illustrated, and forwarded the recipe to me.


I thought I would make it for dinner one night last week, but that entire day turned out to be a comedy of errors. Just one part of the day involved me going to the market and returning with all the ingredients... for something else. Needless to say, we didn't eat that pasta dish for dinner that night.


Skip forward to today, where I have made it to the market (again), come back with the correct ingredients (for a change), and I have a good opportunity to cook dinner for just the five of us (instead of barbecuing for a whole neighborhood).


This felt like one of those recipes where you have been wanting to make it forever. In reality, it has only been a week or so since my friend first mentioned it to me, and less than that since she sent me the recipe. Regardless, I finally got to the point where I was actually able to cook and eat Spaghetti al Limone. And boyohboy am I happy about that! It was absolutely worth waiting for!

Spaghetti al Limone 

Published January 1, 2011.   From Cook's Illustrated.

• Table salt
• 1pound spaghetti
• 1/4cup extra virgin olive oil , plus more for serving
• 1medium shallot , minced (about 3 tablespoons)
• 1/4cup heavy cream
• 2teaspoons finely grated zest and 1/4 cup juice from 3 lemons
• 1ounce finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup), plus more for serving
• Ground black pepper
• 2tablespoons shredded fresh basil leaves

1. 1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta to boiling water; cook, stirring frequently, until al dente. Reserve 1¾ cups cooking water, drain pasta into colander, and set aside.
2. 2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add shallot and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook until shallot is softened, about 2 minutes. Whisk 1 1/2 cups of reserved pasta cooking water and cream into pot; bring to simmer and cook for 2 minutes. Remove pot from heat, return pasta, and stir until coated. Stir in remaining 3 tablespoons oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, cheese, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
3. 3. Cover and let pasta stand 2 minutes, tossing frequently and adjusting consistency with remaining 1/4 cup reserved pasta water if necessary. Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, drizzling individual portions with oil and sprinkling with cheese.

Apricot Sauce

As I mentioned earlier this week, summer has hit in full force. The box of produce from AHOrganics was full of luscious fruit. I am overwhelmed by how sweet and delicious it all is.

We aren't quite keeping up with some of it, though. I noticed this morning that the apricots were starting to go bad, so I quickly scooped them up, cut off the mushy parts, and made them into apricot sauce.

This can be used as a dressing for chicken or pork, or drizzled over ice cream, or stirred into plain yogurt... but it can also be eaten as it is. My kids will be seeing it in their lunch boxes this week.  It is super easy and quick to make, and it is delicious. It uses the entire apricot (skin and all), so it retains the vitamins and fiber, but eliminates any issues my kids have with mealy texture or the fuzzy skin.

First, cut the apricots into chunks, and remove the pits. (I had about 8 apricots).

Put the apricot chunks, about a half cup of water, and 3-4 tablespoons of sugar into a saucepan. Bring it all to a simmer, and cover and cook for about 5 minutes, until the apricots are all tender.

Pour the apricot mixture into a food processor, add a tablespoon of lemon juice (to preserve the color), and pulse for just a second... you want it to be blended but still a tiny bit chunky. At this point, you may want to add a bit more sugar to taste.

It can be served warm or chilled. Or divided into little containers and kept in the fridge for hungry students to eat all week.

a rose by any other name

In the box this week was a big, beautiful bunch of cherries.

These are Ranier cherries, which (as I learned from the newsletter) were created when two types of dark red cherries were crossed. As you can see, the babies came out light yellow and pink, not red at all. It kind of makes me wonder if one of the parents demanded a paternity test. 

Regardless of whether these are legitimate or not, they sure are sweet and tasty.

I decided to make a cherry cobbler out of them. So, I set out the cherries, the pitter, the flour, sugar and cinnamon, and a baking dish, and then I went to bed. In the morning, nothing was changed. I guess elves only help this kind of cobbler. 

The kind of cobbler I wanted was either a Betty, a Grunt, a Pandowdy, a Slump, a Buckle, or a Sonker. Of Course. 

What? I don't know. Wikipedia tells me that these are all types of cobblers. Apparently there are different names for this dish in different parts of the United States. And according to Wikipedia, only the deep south allows for serving it with a scoop or two of ice cream.

I just wanted to make life easy by not having to roll out a pie crust, and so I made a cobbler. Mine had the very specific name: Cherry Cobbler. It may have been a Cherry Slump, for all I know, actually.  

Hey, did you wonder where the name cobbler comes from? I assumed it was because you just get to cobble together a bunch of stuff and have it come out awesome-tasting. It is actually because the dish resembles cobbled streets when it is done. Who woulda thunk?

You know what else Wikipedia told me? There is also a drink called a Cobbler... made with wine, citrus juice, and sugar. Hmm.... I think I should have skipped right to that kind of cobbler in the first place.

Ahem. I think I may have digressed once or twice. Back to the ingredients the elves didn't use. 

Cherry Cobbler (from Emeril Lagasse)

This can be made with any type of cherry. I used the Ranier cherries I got in my CSA box, and I added a few Bing Cherries, for their dark red color. I thought it looked nicer with the glaze turned deep red from their juices.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Remove the pits from 6 cups of cherries. If you don't have a cherry pitter, get one. If you don't want to get a cherry pitter, made apple cobbler. Just kidding. You can use a paper clip or a knife. It just takes a while and stains your fingers temporarily.

Combine the pitted cherries, 1 1/4 cups sugar, 1/4 cup water, and 4 teaspoons of cornstarch in a saucepan. Cook, stirring until bubbling and thickened, a few minutes. Pour into an 8x8 baking pan.

Meanwhile stir together 1cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon baking powder.

Cut in 3 tablespoons of cold butter, until it is all crumbly.

Lightly beat an egg, add 3 tablespoons milk, and add to the flour/sugar mixture, stirring just until it is all combined.

Drop the topping by teaspoonfuls onto the cherry mixture. 

Pop it all in the oven for 25 minutes, or until it is all brown and bubbly. Serve it warm, with vanilla ice cream (if you live in the deep south, that is).

Hurrah for the white, white and green

Whew. After a crazy week, was I ever happy to get back into the kitchen. Of course, I really didn't stay out of the kitchen last week... the four people I live with have this crazy habit of eating. Which means that I made sure to put food on plates all week. And of course, wash the plates. But I can't really claim to have cooked much.

But as of this weekend, I am thrilled to be back to cooking! It is so nice to stand at the stove and at the counter, chopping and stirring, tasting and adjusting; making fresh, tasty ingredients into something I can offer the people I love.

The box of veggies produce from AH Organics this week is absolutely divine. I am very used to referring to it as our veggie box, but it had to have been at least half fruit this time around. Peaches, nectarines, apricots, cherries, strawberries. I am in fresh heaven.

Here's the funny thing, though.... As our kitchen filled up with potatoes all winter long, I started to cook some just to save for later. I am starting to wonder, though, if later is ever going to come. I think we have gotten potatoes in almost every single box we have received in the 6 months we have been subscribers. Don't potatoes have a season? Will they ever stop being ready to harvest? No wonder Ireland managed to feed an entire country on the suckers. They are like magic. I can see why Jesus turned a few loaves and fish into food for the masses. No one would have been impressed if he multiplied potatoes.

Since there were indeed more potatoes in the box this week, again I have a potato challenge. Of course, Memorial Day is the day on which our nation not only remembers to switch over to white shoes, but also celebrates heroic feats of barbecuing, is it not? Like most of America, we were invited to a block party. Hello, potato salad!

I went for a version of a red, white, and blue potato salad that I had the pleasure of eating recently at a friend's house. However, I didn't use red potatoes or blue cheese... and I don't even know what the white is supposed to be. I made up the recipe as I went along, and I think the results came out great. I suppose the empty bowl means that most of the neighbors did too.

White, White, and Green Potato Salad
This salad tastes even better the second day, so make it ahead if you can.

4-5 potatoes, peeled and diced
2 medium zucchini, sliced into thin quarter-circles
a few green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
1/2 cup mayo
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tsp. lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup feta cheese

Put the potatoes in a pot with enough water to cover. Place over high heat and boil for about 7-10 minutes, until they are starting to soften. Meanwhile, chop the onions, zucchini, and dill. Mix together the vegetables and the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl. When the potatoes are done cooking, drain them and fold into the vegetable mixture. Let it all cool before serving.

a little pasta with wine, hold the pasta

Well, I made it. Today is Friday, and somehow I made it through the week. I just have to get the monkeys out the front door this morning, help out with the California Gold Rush (a reenactment, not the real thing), and I am home free.

We pick up our vegetables on Saturday mornings, and I don't think I have ever looked forward to them as much as I do this week. For the past few Saturdays, we have been running like crazy all over town (and out-of-town), and I haven't been the one who picked up or unpacked the veggies. Somehow unpacking, assessing, and putting away the vegetables helps me make a mental plan of how to use them all week ... or at least what needs to be used.

This week, I winged it. I came up with some combinations I am not real proud of, but my family ate 3 squares a day, and the veggies are more or less used up. (Except a bunch of green bell peppers. Ideas, anyone?)

Like I predicted, it was salads and salads this week. A big salad-bar type ranch-covered mess, an Asian-ish slaw-ish chicken and chard thing, a chicken salad scooped with pita chips.

This week was also... I hate to admit... a frozen pizza, a trip through In-N-Out, and lots of snacking.

What can I say? We made it to Friday alive and intact.

Yesterday, I was supposed to bring heavy cream to the preschool so the kids could try churning butter. I bought the cream a couple days ahead. However, in the morning rush to get everyone out the door, I completely forgot to grab the cream from it's hiding spot in the fridge.

I remembered as I pulled into the school parking lot. Since I only had a few minutes, and there is a market much closer to the school than my house is, I ran over there to buy new cream. As I was wandering the aisles (don't you hate trying to navigate a new grocery store?) looking for the cream, I thought about how I could use the cream that was sitting in my kitchen. I remembered one of my friends from the preschool mentioning a pasta dish she really likes that uses cream. I decided to grab the white wine that I would need for it while I was there. With wine in hand and cream at home, I was all set for actually cooking dinner.

I got back to the preschool, and mentioned to that friend that I bought white wine and I would be making her pasta dish for dinner. "Wine? It doesn't contain wine. Just cream, lemon juice, basil, parmesan cheese....."

Of course, I have no parmesan cheese at the moment.

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH.

Oh well, don't feel too bad for me. I put the dinner idea on hold for another night (thus keeping my streak alive). I found a decent use for the wine. heehee. The kids at the preschool churned their butter, I brought home a jar of the buttermilk that came out of it, and we all enjoyed buttermilk pancakes for breakfast.

I love happy endings.

Vegas, baby

I went to Las Vegas for the weekend. I was there with a group of somewhere between 20 and 25 people.  It was a crazy, fun time. There was more than a little imbibing, more than a little dancing, more than a little skin showing.

I pretty much abandoned the usual roles I have... scheduler, taxi service, alarm clock, responsible adult, jiminy cricket to three little people.

I pretty much abandoned my priorities. No thought to conservation, budget, organic living, environment, health. As a matter of fact, I think those may be the only things that are more or less taboo in Vegas.

When they say "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas," I think they are referring to my energy and rest. Those certainly didn't come back with me.

And then, I got back home and I halted in my tracks with typical mom-ness.

This week: 1 day of working (for actual money) at my son's preschool, 1 day of attending the preschool field trip, 1 day of volunteering in my other son's first grade play rehearsal, 1 day of volunteering at the preschool running "old fashioned day", and 1 day of helping my fourth-grade daughter's class experience the gold rush. Add to that: running a cub-scout meeting at our house, a pizza party for t-ball, hair cut appointments, an orchestra performance, kung fu classes, piano lessons, a girl scout meeting, and a kung fu demonstration at the opening of Kung Fu Panda. Subtract: one husband who works late almost every night this week. (He works at a high school, and if you think they aren't busy this time of year...)

I am not sure I will find my kitchen this week, let alone produce anything worth sharing with all of you. It will probably be salads for dinner, salads for lunch, and cheerios for breakfast.  That's if we're lucky.

If you don't hear from me for a few days around here, I have either fallen into an exhaustion-related coma, or run away and become a showgirl.

I have found what I was looking for

This:

Is what vegetables are supposed to be. Light. Fresh. Flavorful. Delicious.

This zucchini carpaccio is a recipe I found on the website of Gaby, over at What's Gaby Cooking. I can't remember how I stumbled onto her website, but she is an adorable young cook who lives in southern California... which means that I can cook any single one of her recipes, since I theoretically should have access to all the same foods she does. I think I might just start at #1 and work my way through all of her recipes, as a matter of fact.  She is pretty much my new favorite food blogger.

Speaking of other bloggers, can anyone who uses blogger tell me how I can make a list of the blogs I follow along the right column of my homepage? I would love to link over to some of these blogs that inspire my cooking and my writing. Then their readership would skyrocket, I'm sure.

But getting back to that plate of deliciousness, zucchini carpaccio is side dish/salad made of zucchini cut into ribbons, fresh basil, feta cheese, and a lemon vinaigrette. It is so fresh and cool and delicious that I am really kicking myself for putting zucchini in something so banal as a foil dinner this week. What a waste. I should be taking every zucchini that comes my way and elevating it to carpaccio status. And so should you.