Last week, I told you all that we were headed off for a few days of camping and promised details upon my return. My apologies for the delay. I have some big new things happening in my life (more on that tomorrow!) and was bogged down with work from the moment I arrived home. But now, I am caught up, cleaned up and ready to get back into the groove of things.
So, here’s the scoop.
4 comA few months ago, something came over me and I started leafing through a Maine travel guide put out by the Maine Department of Tourism a few years ago. Somewhere in my reading, I learned that you can camp out in a less intensive way by renting a cabin. And it’s cheap!
So, that little bug of camping light got into my head. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to do it. But Maine … it’s just so far from Connecticut. Is that really the best place to go with two kids four and under for our first outdoor adventure? Probably not. So I stuffed the idea back into the depths of my mind.
… and there it stayed until someone I know announced they were going camping. And, Oh! Someone else mentioned cabins near the beach. I started hunting and pecking and chose a campground with cabins, but I hesititated on booking (can we really afford this?). When I finally made the decision to just do it, that campground was booked … back to the drawing board. I quickly located another campsite with cabins close to home and didn’t even blink as I booked one for two nights and three days.
It’s a short getaway, but it’s also the first real family vacation we’ve taken since having kids. So this is a big thing for us. The kids are psyched. The dogs are checked into the kennel and happily being tickled and played with. And the car? My tiny Civic is packed to the brim.
Yes, folks, we are taking my little Honda Civic camping.
So away we go for a few days. When I return, there will be lots to tell you about — camp food, outdoor fun and this family-run campground that is giving us our first real vacation in years.
See you in a few days!
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Earlier this summer, rain punctuated each day. We were in a state of constant gray, which was anything but fun. These past few weeks have been quite the opposite — A string of hot, unyielding humidity and anything by rain. The plants have been drooping and sagging under the heat of the sun. It’s like you can never win. (Above: My basil bolted a few weeks ago … I don’t think it’s coming back this year.)
The thing about gardening is that it takes a tremendous amount of patience … I am not the most patient of people. But I have waited and waited for this red cabbage to grow big enough to eat … it’s finally there.
And the pumpkins? Well, there is no stopping them. Let’s just hope they grow … actual pumpkins.
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I had every intention of posting my usual Fertile Friday post on Friday. It’s something that I have loved doing all summer, since I am so happy with the progress I’ve made this year. And it’s something that I want to continue until the growing is done. But this past week, I just needed a break.
Ok, break is a word I use somewhat loosely. I have been swamped with work over the past few weeks and I am in desperate need of some R&R. I really value my time that’s spent relaxing and doing other things on weekends and although I got that these past two weekends, it was punctuated with deadlines and last-minute writing.
So, here I am. Offering you these delectable cookies as a peace offering. There are soft and chewy peanut butter cookies bursting with chocolate. Each bite reminds me of a rethought peanut butter cup. They are just fantastic. But beware — they are totally addictive, so plan to share.
I have a lot of delicious things planned for this week and I promise to have a new Fertile Friday post up bright and early on Friday. Thanks for being so understanding.
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Oh, the things I could say about pizza. It’s a family favorite around here. Will’s and Paige’s eyes light up when they see a pizza box. Heck, sometimes Will even requests pizza (the answer isn’t always yes, though). In any case, it’s something we enjoy together.
When I was planning this week’s meals, I realized that the extra chicken from our grilled chicken would be fantastic on a fresh mozzarella pizza. Onto the meal plan it went, and I set about to make it last night. When Will and Paige saw this pizza cooking on a pizza stone in the oven, there were shouts of sheer joy. I swear.
Usually I make pizza crust from scratch. I have two go-to recipes –one for a perfect thin crust and a cheese infused pan pizza crust that is wonderfully flakey. But this time, I went for speed, using a premade dough from my local grocery store. It’s a good substitute in a pinch.
The fresh mozzarella comes from a Norwalk, Conn., bakery and is handpulled. If you’ve ever used fresh mozzarella on a pizza, you know that it can make it watery. The secret to preventing that though is to drain the mozzarella on paper towel before using it. It only takes 5-10 minutes to get the cheese significantly less watery.
For the sauce, I have recently discovered Muir Glen’s Pizza Sauce. It’s got a good balance of herbs and flavors — not bland, but not overwhelming either.
As for the chicken, it’s leftovers from the other night when I broke down the chicken successfully. The basil comes from my garden. I tear it into strips by hand. So yes, this was pretty local.
Anyway, the result was a wonderfully crispy, thin crust pizza with a good amount of flavor infused throughout. The kids devoured it. Shawn and I did too. Total hit all around. We ate this with a nice green salad, tossed with blueberries and blue cheese. Mmm…
What’s your secret for a good homemade pizza?
6 comThe first time I roasted asparagus, the browned bits at the tips made my heart thump. Surely, it must be ruined, I thought. Heck, I almost didn’t serve it … what a mistake that would have been.
As much as I love to cook, some aspects of cooking frighten me. It’s a classic case of fear of the unknown. This is most acute when it comes to meats with bones. For as long as I’ve been cooking, I have been avoiding bones. Bones worry me. With bones, meats cook differently. Bones add inedible weight …
I have the market cornered on excuses. Seriously.
It’s not something I am proud of either. I actually believe that if we, as a family, are going to eat animals, then we should be willing to do the work necessary – touching the bones, separating the breastplate from the flesh, butchering—to eat it.
So, even though it frightens me, I am slowly beginning to cook with proteins that have been handled less … whole chickens, bone-in chops, unbutchered portions of steaks. In the process, I am finding that I can do it.
Recently, I bought a split chicken breast from Ox Hollow Farm, knowing that it had a bone. The farmer said it was just one little bone that I would need to remove.
Little is a relative term.
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It was a steamy, hot day today. It was one of those days where you just don’t know what to do with yourself. The kids and I ran errands, took a walk (what was I thinking?!?) and ran through the sprinkler. Because I wanted to. Finally, we gave in and collapsed onto the couch with the air conditioner on (remember how I was boycotting the a/c this year? I still am … but we did install one unit in an unused window).
When it came to dinnertime, I didn’t want to cook. Who would? But that’s exactly why I plan our meals for the week. When the plan is laid out for you, it makes it way easier to just give in and go for it … so I did. And really, when I realized what I had planned for tonight, I couldn’t say no.
That delicious burger above was worth every bit of heat and torment to create it. It’s just that good.
Inside this juicy burger is an oozing center of juicy, savory deliciousness. You bite into it and it spills warm juices down your chin, leaving you to lap them up wipe it away with your napkin. I first made these about two weeks ago and feel instantly in love. Since then, we’ve had them several times … they are rather addicting.
I have to give the credit for this one to Shawn, who wanted “something, some cheese to stuff the burgers with,” one day when I was heading to the store.
Coincidentally, the hamburger is a total New England food. The hamburger – a ground beef patty stuck between two slices of bread- was created right here in a little restaurant in Connecticut. The first burger was created by Louis Lassen, who ran a small lunch cart in New Haven that he called (so creatively) Louis’ Lunch.
Today, Louis’ is still run by the Lassen family and is now located in a small building on Crown Street. It’s a favorite for Michael and Jane Stern, who have written about it on their website Roadfood as well as naming it one of their picks for “20 Burgers to Eat Before It’s Too Late,” in the June issue of Gourmet. I daresay, I will be trying that little hamburger joint quite soon …
Back to my delectable burger, it’s worth every single second and bite. Try it.
5 comTo my wonderful readers — Sorry I am late with this week’s Fertile Fridays post! I was so busy with deadlines, that I had to set this aside for a day … now, onto the update.
I have probably mentioned before that my cousins are farmers and operate an organic farm. I buy a lot of our veggies from them. But I am so devastated to say that this year, they will not have any tomatoes. At all. If you haven’t heard, late blight has struck with a vengeance here in Connecticut, canceling an heirloom tomato fest and just about ruining the whole season. And unfortunately, my tomatoes have fallen victim too. It’s with a heavy heart that I have to pull the plants and dispose of them (plants with late blight are not recommended for composting).
I am so sad to see them go. But that said, I learned two valuable lessons this year: first, I am totally capable of successfully growing crops. If it weren’t for my lack of a fence and the weather conditions that allowed the late blight to develop and spread, I would be reaping the benefits of these lovely plants now. So next year, I am sure that my work will pay off. Onward and upward … and don’t worry, I still have plenty to write about here, so Fertile Fridays is far from over.
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Whenever Gourmet magazine arrives, I skim it almost immediately. But the trouble with skimming is that you can totally miss something amazing. And delicious. And totally craveworthy.
That almost happened with this Pork Chops Saltimbocca with Sauteed Spinach recipe. I nearly passed it right on over. The title of the recipe didn’t catch my eye, and while the photo was alluring, it just didn’t stop me in my tracks. However, when I was flipping through this weekend, putting together a meal plan for the week, I stopped on this recipe. A few weeks ago, I picked up some beautiful bone-in pork chops and I really needed to eat them already. When I saw that this had prosciutto and fontina in it, I was hooked.
Oh my goodness, you need to make this recipe. It’s divine.
The pork cooks up with so much flavor bursting out every inch. It’s tender, salty and scrumptious. The smooth cheese melts, creating a wonderful, gooey and sharp center to the chop. And the sauce just brings a wonderful richness to the dish. We’ll be eating this again soon.
Heck, Shawn declared the dish restaurant quality — how much better can it get than that?
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