This week’s basket is from Waikoloa, on the Big Island of Hawaii. I came across this in a tiny group of shops we happened upon in an unexpected area. I also bought a Hawaiian quilt in the same shop. I found the shopping on the Big Island to be fantastic. There were so many handmade, beautiful items for sale that all reflected the natural beauty of the island.

The basket is an open top basket with a handle. It is made from royal palm. I particularly like the stitching down the sides. There is a piece of fabric that is used as a flap and it has a shell sewn on it. The tag that came with it called it a purse, but I think of it as a basket.

This week’s basket is from Waikoloa, on the Big Island of Hawaii. I came across this in a tiny group of shops we happened upon in an unexpected area. I also bought a Hawaiian quilt in the same shop. I found the shopping on the Big Island to be fantastic. There were so many handmade, … Read more →

Soon it will be August, when zucchini becomes like fruitcake – in over abundance with no one really wanting to eat it. I’ve been bringing home a few zucchini each week from the CSA so I’m already working hard to come up with new ways to enjoy it. I found this recipe in Bon Appetit (July 2013) and it was another way to use some up. The dipping sauce is what makes these different. Ours were a bit mushy in the middle, so I would suggest spreading your batter very thinly if possible.

3 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp soy sauce (I used gluten-free tamari)

1 1/2 tsp sugar

crushed red pepper flakes

1 1/2 lbs zucchini (3 medium), grated

1/2 tsp kosher salt plus more for seasoning

1 egg

1/4 cup flour (I used gluten-free)

3 tbsp chopped chives

1 tbsp cornstarch

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Mix the vinegar, soy, sugar and a pinch of red pepper in a small bowl until the sugar is dissolved and set aside for the dipping sauce.

Place the zucchini  in a colander in the sink and toss with 1/2 tsp salt. Let stand for 10 minutes, then wring it out in a clean kitchen towel. Place the zucchini in a large bowl and mix in egg, flour, chives, and cornstarch, and season with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and working in 2 batches, drop 1/4 cupfuls into the skillet, flattening slightly. Cook until golden and crisp about 2 min per side. Transfer to a paper towel and season with salt. Serve with the dipping sauce.

Soon it will be August, when zucchini becomes like fruitcake – in over abundance with no one really wanting to eat it. I’ve been bringing home a few zucchini each week from the CSA so I’m already working hard to come up with new ways to enjoy it. I found this recipe in Bon Appetit … Read more →

Despite the heat wave, parts of my garden are thriving and I wanted to share them. How is your garden faring?

Despite the heat wave, parts of my garden are thriving and I wanted to share them. How is your garden faring?  

This week’s basket is from Juneau, Alaska. Juneau was a port on our Alaskan cruise. It was a very foggy day there and the helicopter ride to the glacier where we were going to ride dog sleds was cancelled. This was pretty crushing, but we saved the day by instead booking a visit to a dogsled camp (not on the glacier) where we got to see (and pet!) the dogs and ride in one of their practice sleds (what looked and felt like a huge armor-plated golf cart). We had a wonderful time, particularly when we got to hold puppies. The day was saved, and I also had time for some shopping. I found this basket in a shop in a little side street. In the middle of the basket is carved whale bone inset with blue beads. There are glass beads attached with rawhide at four spots around the outside of the basket. Unfortunately the little tag that describes the material used to create the basket has gone missing, but it was crafted by Native Americans in the area. I really like the pattern used to create this basket.

This week’s basket is from Juneau, Alaska. Juneau was a port on our Alaskan cruise. It was a very foggy day there and the helicopter ride to the glacier where we were going to ride dog sleds was cancelled. This was pretty crushing, but we saved the day by instead booking a visit to a … Read more →

Purslane was part of our latest CSA share. I’d never had it before. This small green is actually considered a weed, but it’s edible. I was game to try it. After some noodling around on the web, I decided to just go with a simple salad (you can see the purslane best up at the top left of the photo – the small leaves). I cleaned the purslane and stripped most of it from its stems which I didn’t want to eat. I mixed it with an equal portion of other salad greens, then I cut up some black cherries to add to the salad. I mixed up a simple vinaigrette with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, herbs, a bit of sugar and some garlic and dressed it with that.

The purslane has a mild flavor. It’s a milky, juicy kind of green. I didn’t mind it, but I wasn’t wildly excited about it either. I would probably skip it in favor of other greens, but it’s nice to be familiar with something that grows wild and is free for the foraging if you ever come across it. Have you ever tried purslane?

Purslane was part of our latest CSA share. I’d never had it before. This small green is actually considered a weed, but it’s edible. I was game to try it. After some noodling around on the web, I decided to just go with a simple salad (you can see the purslane best up at the … Read more →

Today’s bookmark is from Maine. You’ve probably seen bracelets made with this sailor’s knot technique (I had one as a child). This bookmark is special to me because it reminds me of Captain Bob Smith. For most of my childhood, my family rented a cottage on Smith Cove (near Blue Hill), Maine for two weeks each summer. Bob and his wife Wilma owned Gull’s Way Cottages, a group of three cottages. The one we stayed in was built of logs and must have been built in the early 1900s. It was a summer home for a wealthy family, complete with a tiny maid’s cottage on the grounds. It was a magical place. The screened in porch sat above the shore and there was a decrepid upholstered porch swing I spent my days on, reading. In front of it was a cobbler’s bench that served as a coffee table. A card table was set up on the porch with a jigsaw puzzle. A creek trickled through the property to a small waterfall on the shore. A stone patio with a fireplace was built into the hill and stone steps went down to the rocky beach where there were mussels and shells. A wooden pier led to a floating dock where a rowboat we used was tied. I would swim in the frigid water and explore on the shore that smelled of salt, mud, clams and seaweed.

Captain Bob had been a sea captain and so were both of his sons. When we arrived each year, we sat in his living room with his mementos and looked out a big picture window on the cove. He would stop by our cabin every few days to check on us and tell stories of his life. He took us out on his Boston whaler and let me steer.  He learned to make sailor’s knots during his time at sea. It helped pass the time. He wouldn’t eat lobster (scavengers he called them and insisted no real Mainer would eat them) and told me Coke was poison (he may have been right about that).

One year he gave me a sailor’s knot light pull he had made for me. For years, it hung from the overhead light in my bedroom, then on my closet light until I got married. It traveled with me and eventually got left behind on the pull of a closet light at a rental house. Moving out with a two-month baby, I simply forgot about it. It makes me sad to have left that behind. So this bookmark that I bought on one of our trips to Maine makes me remember Captain Bob and the cottage on the cove that I loved so much.

Today’s bookmark is from Maine. You’ve probably seen bracelets made with this sailor’s knot technique (I had one as a child). This bookmark is special to me because it reminds me of Captain Bob Smith. For most of my childhood, my family rented a cottage on Smith Cove (near Blue Hill), Maine for two weeks … Read more →

There are two things my family loves: meatloaf and Greek food, so why not combine the two? This easy meatloaf was a quick solution for a weeknight meal recently.

Greek Chicken Meatloaf

 

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Ingredients

• 3 garlic scapes (substitute 2 garlic cloves if you would rather)
• 1 pound ground lean chicken
• ¼ cup feta cheese, plus additional for topping
• salt and pepper to taste
• 6 cherry tomatoes
• 5 large leaves of fresh oregano
• 2 tbsp breadcrumbs (I used gluten-free)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan.
2. Process the scapes in a food processor until finely ground. Add the other ingredients and process until completely mixed.
3. Place the mixture into the loaf pan and smooth it. Sprinkle the top with additional feta.
4. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

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There are two things my family loves: meatloaf and Greek food, so why not combine the two? This easy meatloaf was a quick solution for a weeknight meal recently. Greek Chicken Meatloaf   Print Ingredients 3 garlic scapes (substitute 2 garlic cloves if you would rather) 1 pound ground lean chicken ¼ cup feta cheese, … Read more →

I like to prepare healthy meals, but once in a while a girl has got to splurge. I saw this recipe on Pinterest and I was sold. It sounds pretty simple. There aren’t a lot of ingredients. Believe me, this will knock your socks off (and make you feel really fat too). This is totally worth the calories. We scraped the bowl clean. I found this recipe here, but there are versions floating all around the internet. I altered this slightly since I didn’t have garlic oil. To lighten this up, I would use half cream and half skim milk. I would also use less oil and butter and see if I could achieve the same crispiness. I would likely add some fresh chives or some chopped scallions to this at the end for a little more flavor next time.

You will die when you taste this. It’s crunchy, creamy, buttery, cheesy and downright fan-friggin-tastic.

4.0 from 1 reviews

Absurdly Amazing Potatoes

 

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Serves: 4

Ingredients

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• ¼ cup butter
• 2½ pounds potatoes, peeled, cut into chunks
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 5 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet with the garlic slices. Cook over low for a few minutes, allowing the garlic to infuse the oil. Remove the garlic with a slotted spoon.
2. Add the potatoes and cook 20-30 minutes over medium heat, turning frequently until golden brown.
3. Remove the potatoes from the pan and add the cream. Cook until it reduces in half.
4. Stir in the cheese until it is melted.
5. Add potatoes and bacon and stir until combined.

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I like to prepare healthy meals, but once in a while a girl has got to splurge. I saw this recipe on Pinterest and I was sold. It sounds pretty simple. There aren’t a lot of ingredients. Believe me, this will knock your socks off (and make you feel really fat too). This is totally … Read more →

First off is Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight. When her daughter dies in a fall from the roof of her private Brooklyn high school, single mom Kate is devastated. The fall is immediately ruled a suicide. But then Kate begins to find evidence that something more was going on, including texts, notes, and online activity. The book shifts between Kate’s point of view and that of her daughter and you are on the edge of your seat until the very end. Nothing is as it originally seems. The view inside a mean girls’ clique, the sensitivity with which the author handles a young girl’s sexuality, and the very authentic reactions of a devastated, self-blaming, and angry mom resonate. If you liked Gone Girl, you will like this. It’s not as upside down and twisted, but it is suspenseful and honest.

The Last Original Wife by Dorothea Benton Frank was unfortunately a book I couldn’t get through. I read Frank’s books because they are about the Low Country and I’m a sucker for the Low Country. The premise of this is that Les is the last first wife in their group of friends. All of the husbands have remarried younger women. She packs up and leaves her husband for a month to stay in her brother’s home in Charleston while she figures out what she wants. There is plenty of trouble in her marriage: patronizing behavior, lack of attention, and some secrets about money. I couldn’t get past the terrible portrayal of Les’s gay brother as a supremely swishy caricature of a gay man. The dialogue was stilted and mostly I was annoyed at the main character for allowing her husband to treat her the way he had. I didn’t care enough to keep reading to find out what the money secret was.

The Widow Waltz by Sally Koslow didn’t exactly have an original premise. Georgia lives a privileged life with her successful attorney husband. When he unexpectedly dies, suddenly all of their wealth seems to be mysteriously gone.  I feel as if I’ve read other books with this concept, so at first I wasn’t too interested. However, I ended up really wanting to know where all the money went! There are lots of wrinkles and sub-plots involving their two daughters. Georgia at first is helpless but begins to find her way (although it seems to come a little too easily). Overall, this is a good beach read. I had an inkling where it was going but it was a satisfying read.

I love Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. They are definitely silly, but the books have amazing sexual tension, Lulu makes me laugh, and it’s simply comforting to see Stephanie have her car blown up, eat doughnuts and her mom’s pot roast, and feed her hamster. I haven’t been interested in the other books Evanovich has put out – many of them recycled old romances. Her new book, The Heist, is co-authored with Lee Goldberg and is getting lots of attention (it’s high on the bestseller list). The premise is intriguing: FBI agent Kate O’Hare has spent her career trying to catch master thief Nick Fox. In a twist, Nick is caught but makes a secret deal to stay out of jail by helping the FBI catch other criminals for five years- teamed up with Kate. The book begins by dangling some attraction between Kate and Nick, but this never pays off. In fact, it basically disappears and the book becomes a blow by blow of their over the top scheme to catch another criminal. There are some interesting characters that may develop into favorites like Lulu and Ranger (although I’m not sold yet), but my main complaint is there is simply not enough of the sexual tension and chemistry that makes the Stephanie Plum books so addictive. I suspect there is a lot of Goldberg in this book and not a lot of Evanovich. Still, it’s a fun read and the capers are intricate and over the top, but they always waver on the edge between seriousness and silliness and I found myself just wanting the book to make a decision as to which it was going to be.

This is the perfect beach read. Beautiful Day by Elin Hilderbrand is a satisfying and engrossing novel that takes place on Nantucket (all of Hilderbrand’s books do) and centers around Jenna and Stuart’s wedding. The main character is Jenna’s older sister Margot, but there are many sub-plots that all tie together. Margot is dealing with a difficult relationship, some mistakes she made, and her family who have all gathered at the family summer home on Nantucket for the wedding weekend. Jenna’s wedding is the centerpiece of the story and it is made interesting because the women’s mother died several years ago, leaving behind a notebook of her vision for Jenna’s eventual wedding. Excerpts from the notebook are throughout the book and are lovely additions to the story. Hook ups, break ups, dirty secrets, rivalries, and close family connections tumble across each page. I loved the array of characters and how well I came to know them by the end of the book. I couldn’t put this down and it could only have been a more perfect read if I had had my toes in the sand while reading! Take this on your summer vacation.

  First off is Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight. When her daughter dies in a fall from the roof of her private Brooklyn high school, single mom Kate is devastated. The fall is immediately ruled a suicide. But then Kate begins to find evidence that something more was going on, including texts, notes, and online … Read more →

I came home with more garlic scapes from the CSA. I’m trying to make something fresh with them and also freeze some as pesto so I will have a stash for the winter as well. This week I had some leftover rice hanging out in the fridge, so I decided to combine that with the scapes to make a crust for salmon. The scapes are really garlicky if you taste them raw, but they always mellow when you cook them. This was delicious and easy. I made mine on the grill, but you could also do yours in the oven. I just love the super fresh taste the sacpes give this and it saved me from having just boring grilled salmon for dinner!

Salmon with Garlic Scape Rice Crust

 

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Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 8 garlic scapes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ cup breadcrumbs (I used gluten free)
• ½ cup cooked rice (any type)
• 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 6 ounce pieces of salmon filet

Instructions

1. Put all ingredients but the salmon in the food processor and process until it is finely chopped and completely combined. Heat the grill to medium high and place the salmon on a greased fish grill pan. Place the filets on it and cover them with the rice mixture, patting it down so it is firmly in place. Grill until salmon is cooked through.

3.2.1249

I came home with more garlic scapes from the CSA. I’m trying to make something fresh with them and also freeze some as pesto so I will have a stash for the winter as well. This week I had some leftover rice hanging out in the fridge, so I decided to combine that with the … Read more →