Is Anybody There?

Well. Here we are at the end of May! I have no idea how time disappeared so quickly, but I'm grateful to anyone who's still checking the blog to see if I've written. 

Yesterday kicked off the second week of my 2013 CSA, and I'm thrilled to be getting strawberries and vegetables from Amy. I'm also attempting to grow my own vegetables again, in brand new raised beds, and will keep you informed of their progress.

For today though, I'd like to share a grain salad recipe, which has endless possibilities for substitutions and additions. It's really more of a method, based loosely on a recipe from the The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. 

I discovered Trader Joe's 10 Minute grains a few months, ago, and haven't looked back since. They taste just as good (to me) as the long-cooking versions, and come in small pouches that are ideal for a two-person household. I keep the farro and barley around at all times in case I need a quick and healthy base for a meal.

The version below is from early spring, but I made a salad just yesterday with roasted spring onions, summer squash, and oregano. The possibilities really are endless, as the dressing is fairly neutral, and feta tastes good with just about everything. 

Speaking of feta, I'm leaving for a big trip to Greece in two days! I can't wait to eat my weight in cheese and baklava. Thank you so much for reading, and I'm looking forward to posting more when I return (in June!!!).

Farro Salad
adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

1 cup farro

olive oil

1/2 pound carrots 
seasoning salt

fresh thyme

2 cloves minced garlic

kale - a few handfuls, chopped

dressing:

5 Tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce/chili sauce (or more to taste)

1 teaspoon agave nectar

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

pinch of cumin

salt
black pepper

1/2 cup crumbled feta, more or less

1. Cut the carrots into bit-sized sticks, toss with olive oil, seasoning (I used Texas Heat, but you could use any kind of seasoning salt) and fresh thyme; roast at 425 to desired doneness. I checked them after 10 minutes, stirred them, and had them in for another 10.

2. Boil water for the farro and cook for 10 minutes or until it's got a slight bite but isn't too soft. Drain and set aside.

3. Whisk the dressing ingredients in the bowl you're going to use for the salad, and adjust flavors to taste.

4. Cook the kale: heat olive oil over medium heat, add the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes, then add kale and cook until it's slightly wilted and chewable.

5. Add carrots, farro, and kale to the bowl and stir to coat everything with the dressing. Top with feta and ground black pepper. 

A New Year

I've kept a journal for years. There's something so satisfying to me about capturing snapshots of my life, the highs and the lows, in handwritten word. There's also nothing more embarrassing than going back through old journals and getting a glimpse of my past self, including my unnecessarily melodramatic interpretations of high school and college life. A wise friend, upon being asked how she put up with me back then, claimed that we were all annoying. I certainly hope so, and since we're still close, I think I believe her.

Anyway, it's been awfully quiet on my blog for the past few weeks, and that's only because I've been completely immersed in holiday parties and indulgences. I mentioned before that I spent my first Thanksgiving in Richmond, and cooked my first turkey, without any hint of aroma other than the lemon and rosemary that we stuffed into the bird (phew!). Davy and I also managed to stay in Richmond for Christmas and New Year's, and celebrated with family and dear friends. 

A funny thing happens when you don't have travel time to reflect on the holidays. Or maybe it's just me and all of the yoga I've been doing, but I felt that I was more aware of each moment as it was happening. Rather than rushed packing, powering through a few days' worth of concentrated family time and battling traffic only to come back to the daily grind, I found that I was able to truly enjoy our company and value the activities we shared.

Of course, many of those activities revolved around eating. In the past five weeks, I've been to Proper Pie Company three times, twice with out of town guests, and it's fantastic on each occasion. It's a small, cozy shop run by friends of a friend, and the love that goes into those pies is evident as soon as you near the door and smell the pastry dough. My personal favorite so far is the lentil curry, with either the regular and vegan (potato) crust, and I haven't even delved into the sweet selection much yet. If you're able to, you really should go soon. 

When I wasn't dining at Proper Pie, I was collaborating with loved ones on meals for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the days before and after. There were bay scallops, oysters, a memorable green bean casserole, the best ham and bacon ever, CSA vegetables from Chicago and Norfolk, pappardelle, simple and wonderful corn dip, Billy Bread, braised grouper, and gorgeous produce from Tomten Farm. On top of that, my sister- and brother-in-law gave me an ice cream maker for Christmas, and my dad and I christened it with a batch of cinnamon ice cream. Homemade ice cream with my new machine is way too easy to make, and way too good.

Last night a group of friends, new and old, ushered 2013 in at our house with ham biscuits, barley salad, Nutella cookies (Carrie, we need that recipe!), Turkish spiced turkey patties, kale and leek flatbread, and plenty of sparkling beverages. I promise there are pictures to come when I can get my act together. 

The food was phenomenal, if I do say so myself, but having a group of some of my favorite people around for hours, including a pre-party bonus visit from a friend who no longer lives here, is really hard to beat. New Year's Eve, and the holiday season in general, was so memorable, in fact, that I felt the need to document it in writing. I'm certain I won't be embarrassed in the least to relive these memories in years to come.

Thanksgiving Thoughts

This will be my first ever Thanksgiving in Richmond, not to mention the first ever Thanksgiving meal made in my own kitchen. And don't get me wrong, I'm comfortable in my own kitchen, but Thanksgiving is such a food-centric holiday that it's been hard not to stress out about it.

Do you know how many ways there are to cook a turkey? There are many, and almost as many ways to prepare the turkey before it even goes into the oven (or fryer, or grill...). It's completely overwhelming, especially if you've never done it before, and that's just the turkey.

I've made my cranberry sauce, and have managed to check off everything on my list up to this point. It seemed as though everything was going fine until this morning.  

I acquired my 20-pounder from Tomten Farm, and it's big and beautiful. Since it's a heritage bird, and they can sometimes be lean, I opted to brine it.

This morning I flipped the bird over, which was not an easy feat, and managed to permeate the indestructible surface of the brining bag. There was salty liquid all over the bottom shelf of the fridge, and the floor, and it was too early for me to do anything except clean it up and shove the entire thing in a Febreze-scented trash bag. Here's hoping we don't have a Febreze-scented Thanksgiving.

If any of you are interested in a nontraditional Thanksgiving meal, this recipe for Asian Beef (courtesy of Lyndsey) gave me something to look forward to earlier this week. The flavors are exotic and mouthwatering. I'd post pictures, but have run out of space in the blog, and am hoping to do a recap later this weekend when I figure everything out. 

And finally, here's a healthy reminder of what this holiday is all about, from an interview with the wise Sam Sifton:

"It is this one meal a year when the nation stops, gathers together in groups of family and friends, and pauses to say thanks, to give thanks—not necessarily to God or country or the farm or whatever, but always to one another, to the fact of the family, or the gathering."

Enjoy it, even if your turkey doesn't give off the aroma you're used to smelling on Thanksgiving.

Finishing October

It seems incredibly long ago now, but the second half of October was just as sweet as the first. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, and not just because of the copious amounts of candy. I love the spirit of imagination and spookiness associated with October 31st, and try to celebrate it as much as I can every year.

I was originally going to make these owl cupcakes for book club (we read The Perks of Being a Wallflower), but the hurricane interfered, so they stood doubled as Halloween cupcakes. The chocolate cake recipe is definitely a keeper, and spreading Nutella over the cupcakes in lieu of frosting is a delicious substitute. My owls had Reeses Pieces eyes and beaks.

Halloween is also meaningful to me because it's my parents' anniversary, and this year we celebrated their milestone with a brandy whipped cream-filled cake made by Sophia. It was just as heavenly as it looks.

For an extra treat, Evan and I took Joe and Gayle to the new Char's, which I can't recommend highly enough. Every single detail was exquisite.

I hope October was just as enjoyable for all of you!