rain makes seafood yummy

Eating mussels on a rainy Wednesday afternoon. There is nothing more fun than using an empty shell as a spoon.
Two hours later, I was cooking again.

We had unshelled shrimp on a bed of sauteed watercress

I saved a plate for a friend. And made sangria for the first time.
Extra crispy shrimp, extra bitter watercress, and extra strong sangria.

a recipe

My appetite is back and I've been feeling hungry all the time. Instead of eating wildly and gaining back all the weight I've lost, I'll just post a recipe to hopefully get my food fix. ;)
Here's a family favorite. The veggie dish is my super-mega-ultra vegan sister's recipe.

Sauteed Mushrooms
Saute chopped garlic in olive oil.
Add sliced mushrooms.
A little bit of black pepper.
Done!

Veggies with some Indian spices
Toast about a tablespoon of cumin seeds in olive oil.
When seeds are looking somewhat burnt, add some turmeric, garam masala and whatever Indian spices you may have sitting on your shelf. Mix. Mix.
When it starts to look pasty, add chopped, unpeeled red potatoes.
When potatoes are tender, add chopped cauliflower, some peas and whatever veggies you have in your kitchen.
Simmer until the aroma makes you so hungry you cannot take it anymore.

lunch

lettuce, cucumber, tomato and onions on a lightly toasted flatbread
topped with cold yogurt and garnished with dill
almost every weekday
since May 12
i just can't get enough

dave bakes a brownie

a heart-healthy brownie. it looked cool but it didn't taste good.

a whole lot of greens

The other day we picked up our first share of produce from a local food co-op: pounds and pounds of leaves, most of it fresh from the farm. Although I cannot tell my spinach from my chard or my arugula from my dandelion I think I have fallen deeply in love with freshly picked vegetables (and fruits).

We did not subscribe to this co-op, but with the harvest season approaching, I'll definitely be trying out other types of farm/food subscriptions in the coming weeks. Ideally, the best thing is to join our local CSA, but they are asking for season subscriptions and I am not sure I am ready for that commitment. $700...I mean, c'mon.

I love the idea of picking up a weekly mystery bundle of leafy things, washing them, identifying them, eating them. The ones that don't make it to the table raw are either blanched, steamed or sauted. Anything too bitter or peppery I simply toss in a hot pan with a splash of grapeseed oil, some garlic and pepper and it gets eaten in seconds. The children now have a love affair with veggies too. Anything to make them eat their greens right? I suppose $700 with the risk of a poor harvest season and some farm work is worth it then.

sunday

a day of breakfasts

playground finds

and gerbils.

a sunny Sunday

Woke up to a warm, almost cloudless day. Morning was spent reading about Thomas Edison - did he really sit on goose eggs to try to hatch them?
After a light lunch we jumped into the pool. I jumped in and quickly jumped back out -- the water was cold! The children, however, played in the water 'til their lips turned blue.

We ended the day with plates of warm zucchini stuffed with smoked eggplant and large glasses of chilled pineapple juice.

Sundays - there's nothing quite like them ^_^

some local finds

an unusual looking toad hangin' out at a store window

blacktip shark steaks fresh from the Gulf for only $3.99/lb
perfectly seasoned and grilled by Dave

Signs of a good week ahead (^.^)

sweet Saturday

The end of the first school week was followed by a delightfully slow Saturday morning.
After some snuggles and plenty of good morning kisses, we enjoyed a wonderfully unhurried breakfast and chatted quite a bit.
Then we walked outside and saw car after car parked in front of our house. Turns out there was an estate sale across the street, we sat on the grass and watched folks come and go.
The children played with lizards and spotted one shedding its skin. They watched as a family of wasps built a nest with lots of little holes that looked like teeny-tiny bedrooms.
A mid-morning swim was part of the day's plan; but instead we attacked the last day of a local bookstore's going out of business sale.

I am finally getting good at cooking good looking pancakes. These pancakes look so much better than these. Don't you think?

Maku, you did good.

let's celebrate with your favorite treat....

lightly fried calamari...

with oh so spicy...

marinara sauce.

fairy tale feasts

A surprise package from my friend in California arrived a few weeks ago. Amongst the many cute things in the box was a cookbook for Snow: Fairy Tale Feasts: A Literary Cookbook for Young Readers and Eaters. It's a collection of fairy tales, with coordinating kid-friendly recipes. Snow was never into reading or cooking but this book somehow caught her attention. Ripping out a sheet of my monkey stationery (monkey paper cuteness also from our surprise package) she started compiling her grocery list. A trip to the market later, and my baby was making dinner.

Seaweed Stuffed Shells from the Little Mermaid

Mix all ingredients with an orange spatula and a spoon, then mash and squeeze the mixture with your hands until you hear it squishing through your fingers.

Stuff shells until the excitement wears off, then ask mom to finish the job.

Put in oven and play with your toys while mommy cleans up the mess in the kitchen.

The next day Snow made deviled eggs (minus the mayo) with cousin Jin. We don't have paprika so they sprinkled nanami togarashi (Japanese mixed chili pepper with black sesame seeds, ginger and seaweed) all over the top. Snow tried to eat some but the smell of the yolks made her gag.Deviled Eggs from Little Red Riding Hood's picnic basket (I thought she packed some tea biscuits, scones, berries and pie).

Tomorrow we are having Stone Soup for dinner.

morning pancakes

I eat them plain or with caviar, Maku likes 'em with maple syrup, Snow eats them with fresh fruits and Dave just eats 'em all.

Kamut pancakes have always been part of a wonderful start to our Saturday and Sunday mornings. They don't always turn out photogenic but they always turn out delicious!