Foggy

Fog and Boathouse

I had lots of editing to do yesterday, and decided I also needed a change of scenery. So, I printed out the documents (boring stuff, not really worth posting about) and headed to the Ross Barnett Reservoir here in Jackson to sit by the water and edit. It was pretty foggy, there was a chill in the air, and the Res was all but deserted. Perfect working conditions.

Editing paradise

I sat with a giant cup of coffee and some tiny maple scones on this bench and finished a big document in just under four hours. It's amazing how productive you can be with a simple change of scenery. That, and a really warm sweater.

*There's a small group lobbying to have the official name of the Res changed. Frankly, that sounds like a pretty great idea.
**Happy Opening Day!
***As usual, these photos aren't edited. None of them are, but it's really just because I don't know how to use photo editing software, but I am slowly learning about how to use my cameras. It's also a little bit because I think my grandfather would be disappointed. He always said "learn to edit with your lens, not your computer." Puritan talk!

Green Tea Done Differently

Sparkling Zen (Maggie loves fancy water)

Awhile back, A and I were in the liquor store stocking up on wine and I saw a sign for Zen Green Tea Liqueur that said "Newly in stock." It's new! And I really like green tea, so I picked up a bottle. I think it was about 30 bucks, and I immediately made a drink when we got home.

The bottle suggests making a Zentonic* with tonic water and the liqueur. I don't do tonic water, so I've been drinking it with sparkling water. That might sound boring. But, oh, friends. The liqueur is sweet, but not cloying. It also has a nice herbal taste, but again, not too much. It's a perfect balance. It's also a nice, subtle shade of green, like a grown up apple pucker but none of the shame. A friend decided to make a Saketini* with this liqueur and sake. If you like sake, try this out. It was fantastic.

Drink friends (that's home-grown basil in those glasses!)

*These beverage names need some help. Zentonic? Saketini? Or, you could be like A and mix a shot with white tequila and call it The Samurai. Not recommended. At all.

Yette's Garden Platter

Yette's Garden Platter

I recently picked up The Essential New York Times Cookbook, and it's turned out to be a great little anthology of our nation's food. It's great to read about how trends in food have shifted, and in some cases have seen a resurgence. I've cooked several dishes from the book, and I'll share them as we go along. First up, Yette's Garden Platter. Friday night I was looking for a simple meal that would use up potatoes and tomatoes. Lo and behold, this extremely simple little treat!

I'm going to type up the recipe here, and let you know when I did something differently from the printed recipe.

Assembly

Yette's Garden Platter

from The Essential NYT Cookbook

3 medium potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick 

3 medium zucchini, sliced 1/2 inch thick (really, just be sure the zucchini are thicker than your potatoes. No need to measure, but you don't want to end up with overdone zucchini)

4 tomatoes, peeled (I used heirlooms, I think any variety would do)
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley (I used chopped fresh basil instead, just because the plant needed to be trimmed down)
1 clove garlic, chopped finely (I pressed mine)
3/4 cup olive oil (sounds like a lot, but it won't make the dish greasy at all)
2 medium onions, chopped
Salt and pepper

1) Heat oven to 350 degrees. Layer the potatoes and then the zucchini in a shallow baking dish. Combine the remaining ingredients, then add to the dish. (I just layered them on top, you could also stir it all up, but I liked how brown and soft the onions got).
2) Bake uncovered until vegetables are tender and well-browned on edges, about 1 1/2 hours.

I served mine on top of couscous. Once it's all baked, there's a tomato-scented oil on the bottom of the dish. I spooned it over the final dish. It ended up being a bright, spring-time dish, but not an especially photogenic one. I guess you can't have it all! It didn't keep in the fridge especially well, so I think I'll reserve it for bringing to get-togethers or serving to dinner guests.

Plated

**Side Note: Did anyone else watch the United States of Tara season premiere last night? I feel like I'm the only one I know who really watches that show, but I love it.

Weekend in Review

An exhausting weekend, which means not many photos, not much in the way of fun, very little quality time with friends and A and some seriously unhealthy food. But, I was productive on a work/volunteer front. I spent most of the time in my car or in meetings. When I dumped my bag out on our table on Sunday night, this is all the stuff I found (minus my wallet):

Bag contents *see below*

Friday dinner

This dinner above will get it's own post this week, but I want to point out that these zucchini were the only green things I ate all weekend. For a vegetarian, that's actually kind of impressive. I also found a little time to write some notes for friends and family who've had some bumps in the road recently. The stationary is from this Etsy seller. Purple Onyx Designs is run by Monica, and she was fantastic to work with! I told her my favorite flower and some favorite colors and she turned out these adorable cards.

Late night letter writing

**Want to know what all that stuff is? Well, at least seven of the people who read this blog will, and that's enough for me:
Working LtoR, clockwise starting at top left corner
Moleskine daily planner, LypSyl lip balm, MAC Cyndi lipstick, Passport (why is my passport in my bag?), Yes to Cucumbers face wipes, Tarte The Eraser concealer, fruit leather (delicious on the go snack), watch, cardigan, keys, inspirational book from a very sweet friend (not sure why I was carrying it around), Green and Black 85% dark chocolate (half-eaten, naturally), Stabilo pen roll

Friday Five

I only hit my groove on Thursday, and now the week is over! This weekend brings lots of catch-up work around the house and with a few volunteer organizations. But, it also brings some quiet downtime and a few outings with sweet friends. If the weather will hold up, Saturday brings a picnic filled with wine, snacks and chit-chat. Here are a few things I've loved this week.

Ripening bananas

Re-discovered cardigan

New cookbook

Visit to alma mater

New liqueur of choice

Green with...Leafy Greens

So, on reflection I only have like 4 photos from the weekend. Three are of the bands we saw and one is of a robot from a favorite bar in Columbia. So, I'm thinking those aren't really worth posting. BUT a great time was had, and there's nothing like a weekend with friends to push the reset button on your month!

Spinach sauce with tortellini

Now, for a little "recipe". It's really more like a "look at the easy thing everyone likes to do with leafy greens". When I got home from South Carolina I was craving some greens, since I'd spent an extended weekend eating hummus, veggie tacos with salsa verde, a small mountain of tempura-ed veggies and a whole field of potatoes. So, I took some quickly wilting away spinach and gave it the usual "Oh, these greens will go bad very soon" treatment:

Spinach, cooking

Saute some garlic in a bit of oil on medium heat (I used coconut oil here, but butter, olive oil, ghee, vegetable oil, really anything will do, but you only need a little bit)

After about two minutes, fill up your pan with spinach. Cover, toss occasionally. If you want to add more once the first bit cooks down, fire away!

Now you can puree it or use it as is. Stir in some cheese, herbs, cream, whatever you like. In this version I popped it into the blender with a drizzle of walnut oil and a little bit of goat cheese. Finished it off with salt and pepper and added it to a sandwich for lunch, pasta for dinner and eggs for breakfast.

The same treatment works well for kale or chard, just vary the spices depending on what you like!

Back

I'm back from a fantastic weekend visit with friends, listening to music, visiting old haunts and catching up with some wonderful people.
Unfortunately, I'm having a crazy Monday, so I'll be back tomorrow with a few photos and updates!