tastebuds & tidbits

Take the time to make your snacks look beautiful. No matter how...

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 18:50:16 -0400

Take the time to make your snacks look beautiful. No matter how simple, I truly believe it makes them more enjoyable - a real treat!

1/2 of tb&tb is visiting Portland and eating his way through...

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 15:48:34 -0400

1/2 of tb&tb is visiting Portland and eating his way through the northwestern logging town. The Fleur de Sel macaroons paired with a fresh cuppa Stumptown brew are worth the trip alone.

Summer’s last hoorah- steamer basket with shrimp, clams,...

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 22:06:07 -0400

Summer’s last hoorah- steamer basket with shrimp, clams, mussels, scallops, lobster and corn.

A kitchen just isn’t complete without fresh herbs on hand....

Sun, 04 Sep 2011 20:00:47 -0400

A kitchen just isn’t complete without fresh herbs on hand. Use old nut, olive oil, or cookie tins to spice up your decor and save some cashola.

Saturday morning pancakes. Choose whatever recipe you’d...

Sat, 03 Sep 2011 14:53:00 -0400

Saturday morning pancakes. Choose whatever recipe you’d like, just make sure to add a little bit of sugar to the batter (creates fluffiness!) and fry them on cast iron seasoned with bacon fat. Good morning!

Breakfast today: deliciously sweet(and seedless!) Reliance...

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 13:07:20 -0400

Breakfast today: deliciously sweet(and seedless!) Reliance grapes from Beechwood Orchards and a cup of El Salvador brew from Elixr. I feel spoiled sometimes.

Purslane: my new favorite green. It’s rich in omega-3s,...

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 21:52:00 -0400

Purslane: my new favorite green. It’s rich in omega-3s, vitamin A, vitamin C, and some B-complex vitamins like riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine and carotenoids, as well as dietary minerals, such as iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium and manganese.

The best part is- it tastes delicious! Purslane is actually a succulent and grows like a weed, but has a wonderful crisp lemony/citrus flavor! Not bitter at all, it can be enjoyed raw or cooked like spinach.

Last night I made a great salad with chopped raw purslane, red cabbage, yellow pepper and raw sweet corn. Top with the vinaigrette of your choice and maybe some grilled chicken or turkey breast, and you have a pretty darn delicious meal!

Or opt for the mexi-salad version: purslane, cherry tomatoes, avocado, black olives, raw corn and topped with grilled pork rubbed with cumin.

Delicious aftermath.

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 17:14:00 -0400

Delicious aftermath.

About to go to pesto town!

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 14:53:39 -0400

About to go to pesto town!

Dinner tonight: Pork chops with fresh nectarines, basil and...

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 19:42:00 -0400

Dinner tonight: Pork chops with fresh nectarines, basil and corn.

Here’s the recipe per chop:

1 pork chop sprinkled heavily with salt & pepper

1/2 large nectarine

1 sprig basil

1/3 cup raw corn - cut fresh off the cob

Grill or pan fry the pork chop to desired doneness. While the chop is a cookin’, cut up the nectarine, corn and pluck the basil. Plate the pork chop (include some of those juices!) and drizzle with some nice olive oil and balsamic. Top with prepared corn, nectarine and basil. Revel in the ease in which you whipped up this perfect summer meal, and enjoy!!!

Artichoke Ravioli, inspired by Deb at SmittenKitchen! I...

Sun, 07 Aug 2011 14:55:30 -0400

Artichoke Ravioli, inspired by Deb at SmittenKitchen! I basically followed the recipe, except didn’t bake them (cause really, my kitchen didn’t need to get any hotter). Whipped up some meatballs as a side, and her nectarine galette for dessert.

Oh and, Esposito’s in the Italian Market grinds their meatball mix fresh to order, right in front of your eyes! Love.

Heading out to Art in the Age for First Friday where...

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 18:27:00 -0400

Heading out to Art in the Age for First Friday where they’re tasting their brand new spirit, Rhuby. Excited to experience their take on an old rhubarb based recipe. Brought to mind my repurposed ROOT bottle.

With picnicking season in full-swing, here’s a quick and...

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 15:03:39 -0400

With picnicking season in full-swing, here’s a quick and delicious salad to whip together for your next potluck. It’s dairy free so you can not worry about the late summer heat turning it into something frightening. The quinoa is delicious and filling without the heaviness of summer standards like potato or macaroni salad (although, both of those options are delicious in their own ways!)

Summer Quinoa Salad with Sumac

*Sumac is a middle eastern spice that has a tart fruity flavor, if you can’t find it up the lemon juice a bit to compensate for it’s absence. Or you can purchase some from the fine folks at Penzey’s here.

1 c cooked quinoa

5-6 roma tomatoes, or small red slicing tomatoed, seeded and cubed

1 large slicing cucumber, seeded and cubed

1 medium red onion, diced

juice and zest of one lemon

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1/4 c olive oil

1 tsp sumac

salt and pepper to taste

Once your veggies are prepped, toss everything together in a bowl. Allow an hour or so (if possible) for the flavors to mingle together.

I made this yesterday for a pot luck and brought home a ton of leftovers, I’m planning on enlivening it a bit more with some crumbled feta, or maybe chopped kalamata olives, or some toasted pine nuts or maybe all three!

For a Friday when you just can’t be bothered to cook, a...

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 18:35:36 -0400

For a Friday when you just can’t be bothered to cook, a salad box from Maoz could be just the right solution. Freshly fried falafel, cabbage salad, marinated carrots with parsley, beet salad, fried eggplant, tomato and cucumber salad and delicious tahini to top it off. My day just got real better.

Fruit in your cereal. Not a novel idea, but a very easy,...

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 09:14:00 -0400

Fruit in your cereal. Not a novel idea, but a very easy, delicious one. Berries and stone fruit especially add a nice little bout of brightness to your boring adult cereal. It’s also just one more way to squeeze some vitamins and good stuffs into your morning to jump start your day. Hey, do I sound like a commercial or what?

An ode to my childhood - Pizza Bread. Whenever I was tired of...

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 10:00:05 -0400

An ode to my childhood - Pizza Bread. Whenever I was tired of grilled cheese and bored with the cold-cut route, my mom would propose pizza bread. Fast. Easy. Simple. De-lish.

Now that I’m all grown up, when ordering a whole pie is too much (especially if you live by yourself) and I’m craving that bread/sauce/cheese trio, pizza bread (or in this case, bagel) is the perfect solution! Assemble, and stick under the broiler for 4-5 mins. Done!

My last bagel from Ric’s, homemade tomato sauce and asiago cheese satisfied my craving quite nicely. Thanks, Mom!

PICKLES!!! At any given time, Nate or I may have five to ten...

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 10:00:05 -0400

PICKLES!!! At any given time, Nate or I may have five to ten jars of pickles stocked in our fridge. After the 4th of July holiday, however, my pickle supply needed some desperate revamping. I used some cute little kirby cucumbers and a candy onion in my favorite bread ‘n butter pickle recipe from Smitten Kitchen.

I followed Deb’s recipe word for word for the big blue jar, but turned up the spunk for the smaller batch- an experiment using an heirloom lemon cucumber with half bread ‘n butter brine supplemented with cumin, cayenne, garlic, shallots and cider vinegar.

The fun with pickles is that - once you have a good base recipe, you can formulate endless concoctions! What are some flavors in your favorite pickles?

A/C works, a dip in a pool is better, but I think one of the...

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 10:01:06 -0400

A/C works, a dip in a pool is better, but I think one of the simplest (and tastiest!) ways to cool yourself down on a hot summer day is an ice cold treat. Ice cream’s always yummy, but if you’re looking for a little something lighter, fresher and healthier, try making your own popsicles! It literally takes 5 minutes, and is ultra easy.

Throw whatever you have in a blender or food processor! This time I used some recently frozen strawberries from June, plain lowfat yogurt, honey, raspberry apple jam, an overripe apricot and a pinch of salt to boost the flavors.

Here’s some proportions that work well with my ice pop mold:

1 cup yogurt
3 cups fruit (berries and stone fruit work exceptionally well)
1-2 tbsp honey
2-3 tbsp jam for some extra sweetness/umph!
pinch of salt

Those who know me know I love my carbs. Yesterday at Headhouse,...

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 10:01:00 -0400

Those who know me know I love my carbs. Yesterday at Headhouse, I also splurged on the best bagels (seriously. thebest.) and cinnamon swirl bread (above) from Ric’s Bakery. Boy oh boy this is dangerous. No wonder he wouldn’t let me walk away from the table without a bagel in my hand. They are addicting.

Today I joined my pals Messy & Picky at the Headhouse...

Sun, 10 Jul 2011 14:17:00 -0400

Today I joined my pals Messy & Picky at the Headhouse Farmers’ Market and walked away with quite the bounty of deliciousness: tart cherry juice (great for cocktails!), a lemon cucumber (that funny round one) and other yellow heirloom kirby cukes, peaches, plums, apricots, kale, golden beets, blueberries, tomatoes, and a honey and sea salt cheese spread for Birchrun.

If you haven’t ventured over yet this summer, it’s from 10am-2pm every Sunday until late fall. Do it up!