Fresh Food Friday

Every other Friday there is something waiting for me on my doorstep. I look forward to it like a kid at Christmas. It's my box of fresh food from an organic farm not too far away. Just look at it! I even love the stinkin' box. There are just two of us in this little house and only one of us (eh, me) actually gets giddy about fresh fruit and veggies.

So far, I love everything about being a part of this community supported agriculture (CSA). I'm so glad we signed up. We get some funky things, like beets-gosh have we got beets, but it forces me to step outside my little cozy box of known food stuffs and try something new. Also, you can tell them if you'd rather not get something if it really bugs you. So far I'm trying it all with my little mixed goods box.

I love that they send me some of my favorite things like fresh strawberries and basil as well as the new and interesting stuff. They are always amazingly fresh and just gorgeous. Can fresh food be gorgeous? It's down right sexy at times. Take a look..




Holy fabulousness batman. How bad do you want me to make a salad right now? I'm a lettuce lover, my sister and I used to grab pieces of iceberg lettuce and snack on it like potato chips. I still love my salads with dressing on the side and often with none at all. Lettuce is a beauty and I just adore the fresh, crispness of it. Yes, I've often been asked if I'm a rabbit when I order salads at restaurants.




They pack the boxes in two layers of food stuffs. If my CSA box were a two story building, the top floor would be the lettuces, the herbs, and this time- the corn..oh the corn. But this stuff would be the first floor of the building. I've been a member of the CSA for a few months now, and I can usually expect to get lettuce, an herb, and another fab green on top. It's what's under that is like candy to me. Look at this stuff! I have such plans for it all. I could eat it all raw, like right this second, but my mandolin slicer is calling my name.




For as much as I love lettuce and all things leafy, you'd think I'd just gobble down any old grape. But I'm grape snob. I want them crunchy and juicy and room temperature. Is that so much to ask? These grapes are going to be gone by this evening. My husband loves grapes of all kinds, and if I'm not careful I might have to ..share. Which I'm good at, but how often do grapes like this come around? And for my discriminating palete... are you falling for it? Can I just eat them all guilt free? Probably not. I'll share, but he better have a look of pure ecstasy on his face while he eats them up.




Another thing I love- the portions of the goodies I get. I got two of these red plums. Two. That might seem like a little, but I do subscribe to the smallest box you can get and I'm the only one who will eat the plums. Two is perfect. I will not take these plums for granted, because they are like a near extinct animal. I will revel in their brilliance and savor every last detail of their scrumdiddlyumptiousness. (that's totally a word. look it up if you don't believe me. oh my. I sound like my students. or Bradley Chalkers.)

You can get bigger boxes for a bigger brood, or fruit only or veggie only. I can't figure out why you wouldn't want to do this? and why it took me so long to get on this train. It's like the farmers market came right to your door! I just had to share, because my joy every other Friday is hard to contain.

Enjoy!
-m

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

I have been searching for a creamy cauliflower soup ever since I had a delicious, enlightening soup at the California Academy of Sciences. Yes. At a museum type place I had an existential experience with soup. Twice. And I would go again not only for the indoor rain forest or albino reptile but for the cauliflower soup. I broke down this week and instead of racing to San Francisco to get some, I decided to make my own.

The only problem, I couldn't find a recipe that looked good.



So, I winged it. I skimmed through a few recipes, noticed that they sauteed some garlic/onions/cauliflower then cooked the cauliflower in some liquid for a bit before pureeing it. This is one thing I love about cooking, the patterns. Once you figure them out, the world is your oyster. Or, I hope it is because that's what I keep telling myself. Find. The. Patterns.

I knew I wanted to add heavy cream/whole milk because I had some on hand and had to use it before it went bad and my guilt at wasting food and money kicked in. I also knew that thyme would go well and that I wanted to use some lovely shallots. I was hoping to make it using things I had at home, and I think I succeeded!



It is the easiest soup ever, in my honest opinion, and it is so delicious. I'm fantasizing about the leftovers in the freezer, and planning my next big ol' batch. I will thank myself in about two months when I'm exhausted from a day of teaching and I just want something relatively healthy and filling for dinner. :) You are welcome, future me.

(I recognize that this is not the best picture, I'm working on cooking and documenting the experience, but can you see the texture? Does it just look like heaven? Because it is. It really is.)


Creamy Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients

1 tbsp butter
2 shallots, diced
1 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets (or 1-inch pieces really)
4 cups vegetable broth
3 sprigs of thyme
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup milk
salt
pepper

Start by melting the butter in a large pot over medium heat. When the butter is melted add the shallots and cook until translucent, about 4-6 minutes. Toss in the chopped cauliflower, and don’t worry about how the florets look- you are going to blend the heck out of them! Toss with the shallots and cook for a few minutes, just to bring some of the flavors together.

Pour the broth into the pot and toss the thyme on top. Bring the whole shebang to a boil. When it is boiling and bubbling, cover it and turn it down to simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender.

When the cauliflower is tender, turn off the heat, grab the thyme sprigs and throw them out, and blend the soup mixture. I used my immersion blender and it whipped the soup up fast but this could also be done in batches with a regular blender, just be sure to let the heat escape. Then (put it back in the pot if you used a regular blender), mix in the milk and heavy cream and bring the heat back on for a bit and add salt and pepper to taste. Let it warm up on the stove for a few minutes to help the flavors get along and to be sure you have the consistency and taste you desire. Viola! Creamy, satisfying soup.

Enjoy!
-m

Whole Wheat Pepperoni Calzones

On Friday night we planned a good three hour drive to head to the mountains for the weekend. Usually, we eat on the road, grabbing a burger or finding a deli to get some grub. This time though, I wanted to keep it cheap and use food we already had on hand. I had all the fixings for a few little pizzas, I just had to make the dough.. which I wanted to experiment with. I also wanted to make the pizzas easier to eat on the run, meaning I was making calzones! I love all things pizza related.

I was searching and searching for a good whole wheat pizza dough recipe. The problem is that I've been spoiling myself with Alton Brown's recipe, this means that every other recipe seems to fall flat.

So I started wondering, what if I just substitute half the bread flour for whole wheat flour? I kept searching but this question was nagging at me. So, that's what I did. The recipe calls for two cups of flour, I used one cup regular old flour (not even the bread flour he asks for, I'm out!) and one cup of whole wheat flour. I was so hopeful.



I made the dough Thursday night, and on Friday it had risen and was ready for me. But, it felt a bit odd. It never, even after an hour of being in the mixer, got the 'bakers window' that makes the dough so fabulous. Bummer. Oh well.

I made the calzones pretty small. The dough makes two smallish pizzas, I cut the dough in half, then into fourths. This made good, hand held sized calzones.



Have you ever been slapped by hot pepperoni? You bite into a delicious calzone, pull your bite away and whack! You get hit by hot, sauce covered pepperoni right on your chin. I have, and it's a problem I was aching to solve. That's why I cut the pepperoni into fourths- these small pepperoni pieces worked fabulously.

Did I over think this? I think not.

After I put all the goodies on half of the dough circle thing (which I rolled out using a rolling pin, because the dough was not stretching well), I painted a little water around the egdes and folded it over.



I cook it the same way I cook my pizzas: HOT HOT oven. I used my 'pizza stone', which is actually a terra cotta planter bottom. It works like a dream. They only took 6-7 minutes each. Quickness!




Here is the good stuff. You can see that the dough was very thin, admittedly it was kind of cracker-like. However, the insides were sooo good.

After they all cooled off, I wrapped them in little napkins and put them in a box so they could travel with us unharmed. It worked like a dream! Now, to just tweak the dough recipe so that I get that chewy texture I was missing..



Whole Wheat Pizza/Calzone Recipe
adapted from Alton Brown


Ingredients

2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon pure olive oil
3/4 cup warm water
1 cup bread flour (I used AP flour, but prefer the bread flour if you've got it!)
1 cup whole wheat flour (as I mentioned above, next time I might adjust this ratio a bit, feel free to tweak it)
1 teaspoon instant yeast
2 teaspoons olive oil
Olive oil, for the pizza crust
Flour, for dusting the pizza peel

Toppings:
1 1/2 ounces pizza sauce (for the calzone, I used about 1 1/2 tbsp)
1/2 teaspoon each chopped fresh herbs such as thyme, oregano, red pepper flakes (I used basil in mine as well)
A combination of 3 grated cheeses such as mozzarella, Monterey Jack, provalone, or fontina.

Directions
Place the sugar, salt, olive oil, water, flours and yeast into the mixer's work bowl. (I proof my yeast first, out of habit, so in goes a watery, yeasty mess- I just follow the yeast package instructions there)

Mix the dough on low using the paddle attachment. Then switch to the hook and knead for 15-20 minutes. Check the dough by tearing off a piece and stretching it out a bit, if it tears you need to knead it more! With the whole wheat, I found that it tore even after about 45 minutes of kneading. If you used all bread flour, this would not happen. Just a note. You are looking for a stretchy, taught dough.

When the dough is ready, take it out of the bowl and gently roll it into a ball on your countertop. Place it in a large bowl with a bit of olive oil to keep it from getting dry or sticking. Cover it with plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge overnight.

Ready to get to work? Put your pizza stone or other contraption in the oven, on the bottom rack. Then crank the oven up really high, around 500 degrees.

Split the pizza into two balls. If you are going for plain pizza stop here and shape the dough and dress it, for handheld calzones, cut the two dough balls into fourths. Use a rolling pin to shape the dough into circles.

On the thin dough circles place the sauce, herbs, then on half of the dough put the cheese and pepperoni. Using a pastry brush apply some water around the edge of the dough (just a tiny tiny bit, I only put it on half of the dough edge) to help prevent the good stuff from seeping out. Gently fold the dough in half and pinch the edges together. Cut three tiny slits in the top of the dough.

Place on pizza stone in super hot oven and bake for about 5-7 minutes. Check for doneness. Let cool for 5 minutes before eating.

Enjoy!
-m

Freezer Stash

Look what I'm going to cut up and put in my freezer...delicious strawberries! I bought a ton of them and I'm trying to think of things other than smoothies that could utilize the frozen deliciousness in say, December.





Maybe this cake? It has barley flour and just a hint of sugar. It was perfection. I think sometime in December or January, when I'm sick of cinnamon and peppermint, that this might make an appearance.

Breakfast Smoothie

Thar she be. My breakfast of champions. My on-the-go companion of hectic mornings and lazy summers. I make a smoothie like this for breakfast six out of seven days a week. Even during the school year, I put it in some plastic cup/container thing and sip it while I teach. I'm still auditioning for the part of 'serious smoothie holder', as most of my plastic cup things fall short in the 'easy to clean' category and thus get nasty quick.

I have added all kinds of things to the smoothie in order to make it more 'healthy' or basically, more than just a smoothie. I added protein powder, spinach, kale, milk. In the end, I usually don't add much other than fruit. Today I added greek yogurt though, and it was edible so I'll say it's a 'do'. The original recipe came from Alton Brown and it's a keeper.




Let me just say that I adore my immersion blender. I lubadubdub it. I highly suggest you get one. I use it every day, sometimes more than once! For example: I was making that veggie curry, and the canned diced tomato had to be put through a food processor *one thing I don't have yet* and so, I busted out the immersion blender and stuck it in the opened can for a quick second and boom. Done. No extra dishes either!



I start with a fresh, not frozen, banana. I'm a firm believer in this- I don't like it all to be too cold. I know, it's a smoothie, yadda yadda, you do it your way and I'll do it mine. :) I also believe in putting the banana at the bottom of this particular blending apparatus. After the banana, I pile in about 1/2 cup of three other (usually frozen) fruits. I like mango, strawberries and some other berry blend. I just picked up some frozen pineapple that I'm aching to try. Then I pour in some purple juice, another 1/2 cup or so. Today I also added a dollop of yogurt on top and then blended the wild heck out of it.
Sometimes, during the crazy school year, I make it at night and then right before the point where I would blend it, I toss it in the fridge and the next morning it's so easy to whip up. It feels to easy to be true. But it's not. Shh..



I love when it looks like this. Firm, like sorbet almost, and shiny. I regret all those years when I used ice, and had to suffer through icey smoothies. Oh, the tragedy. (hand must be on forehead, eyes looking somewhere to the left, so you can get the full extent of the drama)





Smoothie Recipe
adapted from Alton Brown

1/2 cup banana (fresh or frozen, I use one small banana or half of a large one)
1/2 cup frozen mango
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup frozen blueberries (or any other frozen fruit of your choice! Go wild!)
1/4-1/2 cup 100% fruit juice (I like blueberry or cranberry)
a dollop (heaping tablespoon or more depending on your desired consistency) plain greek yogurt

Put all the ingredients in a blender and mix away. Pulse at first, then blend continuously for about a minute to get the smooth texture. Enjoy!

-m

Absent Minded

I made a pretty delicious vegetable curry last night. I attempted to photograph parts of the process, but totally forgot to photograph the end result. Psh. It's all about the journey right, not the destination? Here's an image of the journey then for you. This is about 75% of the way done. Just needs to simmer and add the cream and peas. I'll let the link do the talking in terms of recipe and such and I'll try to remember to take a picture of the end result next time (Hint: I'm going easy on myself and it will be a smoothie.. I think I can handle remembering things through that whole process)

Since I can't share what the meal looked like, I'll share some other things that are putting a skip in my step. For example, I'm excited! As part of this whole good food move I'm making I decided to follow some sage advice and get a little freezer for the garage. I have these dreams of making soups and stews and buying berries in bulk at the farmers market so I can store them in all their goodness.

I bought the freezer on craigslist. I did research on types of freezers, sizes, frost settings, and all that. I looked at home improvement store websites and cringed at the idea of spending over $200. I just want to see if I actually use it before I go investing in it. Then: Bing! Craigslist. I love that little site. I know most people have a kind of love/super hate relationship with the big guy, but I adore it. I get a little addicted to selling stuff on there, which is why it's so healthy for me to forget about it!

That little (big!) freezer cost $60! deal deal deal. Sold.

I really wanted to buy those deli containers Ina Garten uses on her show- you know, with her homemade stock and berries she pops right out of her freezer? It seems so satisfying, the way she unscrews the lid and the heavenly stuff gets ready for its intended purpose. But I couldn't find them near me and I'm not ready to pay shipping on small, plastic containers similar but not exactly like ones I can find at Smart and Final. So- I bought some not-quite-the-same plastic containers at Smart and Final! Yay- or, we'll see.


Part of the freezer plan is to make a bunch of goodies so that during the school year I can have fresh, delicious (fingers crossed) good food whenever I want. I'm trying to figure out my labeling options. Ideally, I want to recycle these bad boys. Use 'em again and again. But given their 'fragile' state (they are not very thick/durable seeming) that might not be an option.

Another tool in my arsenal of good food is my salad bar. That's what I'm calling the planter box where I very neatly planted some herbs and a bunch of lettuce seeds. Then my big dog dug up a bunch here and there and now I'm just hoping something pops up sometime. I know, or am pretty sure, that it's not the best time to plant little seeds but what's a girl to do? Wait until next spring? No thanks. Also, I get a little impulsive when an idea strikes my fancy and I research and think it through, then go a little nutty and have to do it all right right right now. Do you know what I mean? It's like an itch. I have to scratch it.


Isn't it pretty? This is before the digger got it. The herbs are behind me in the shot, and they're doing ok. Little aphids or other small bug tried to get to them, but I got rid of them . I'm so handy.


-m

Good Food

First off, let me state that I'm starting this blog for three reasons: 1) I'm Angry. 2) I love good food and 3) I'm a good share-er.

Now, back to it.

Every adventure, every journey has a defined beginning. When the idea was hatched. The seed planted. Maybe it was a picture that sparked a curiosity, maybe it was a melody or a story. Some people remember the beginnings with such clarity, it can really make you sit back and wonder- what's wrong with my brain that I can't remember where I put my keys but they can recall what led them to this amazing (fill in the blank)? I watched a documentary recently where the main fellow could recall what inspired him some 40 years prior. Holy. Moly.

I don't remember when I fell in love with cooking. I don't recall how I went from an everyday eater to someone who thinks about the process, who tries to figure out what in the heck is in that delicious soup I just ate. I know it was a slow process that started when I was first left alone with a kitchen at my disposal. What I remember making most often then was velveeta macaroni and cheese and egg salad. Mmm.. making you hungry, right?

Ah, velveeta.

Fast forward to where I'm living on my own and cooking was hard. I sort of hated it for a good few years. I began watching the foodnetwork obsessively trying to find that secret clue that would make my food go from nasty to tasty. Then continue fast forwarding, and I'm here. No longer watching much foodstuff on tv, save a bit of Anthony Bourdain, but reading way too many food blogs and cookbooks.

I think I've decided the secret ingredient is passion. It's the love of the game, man. The love of the game. You gotta want that end result, you gotta want to learn. And while I'm not sure everything I make is what you might call edible, I'm trying. And I'm loving every darn minute of it.

That is, until I read some books. Some good books. And heard some stories. And watched people I love get whisked away from this world because, in big part, of the food choices available to them. Food is not enough, it has to be good food. Good Food.

At this point, I'm angry and fed up. I can't believe what we put into our bodies and what we are being sold and most of it we think might even be healthy (well, not the velveeta). I'm angry and pissed off and the only way I can think to help is by setting an example.

I'm setting myself up for some failures here, but I'm mad enough about the state of food that I'm ready to jump in. Mess up, fail big time, try more and keep on keeping on.

I'm going to eat good food, I'm going to cook good food and I'm going to share good food. I'm going to write about it too, since I'm sort of obsessed with reading blogs I think I ought to give back and all that jazz. I'm no expert, and I hope to never be one because they can really annoy the heck out of me, but I'm an eager learner. And good share-er, which is totally a word, I use it all the time.

-m