bricolagelife

big flavors: fish curry with a side of irony

i was making my favorite foolproof fish curry with lemon rice yesterday for some special dinner guests when an interview with sylvia earle on npr disrupted my reverie. she has a point, i thought, as i coated my ocean cod in turmeric and sea salt.

food for thought. how ironic.

big flavors: dutch baby and a side of bacon

i was just thinking last night about giving comfort.  everyone needs it sometimes and everyone needs a different kind.  i'm the sort of person who wants to fork over just the right dose of comfort when someone i care for needs some.  is it big warm hug, a cup of tea, a safe place to land, a good laugh or a sympathetic ear that's called for?  i don't always know for sure but i do what i can.  

when i found myself in need of a little comfort today i ended up in an old familiar place i hadn't been to in years.  the long curved counter with the row of swiveling stools, the smell of coffee brewing and the gleam of the harvest gold vinyl upholstery calmed me the moment we walked thru the door.

we shared a side order of bacon and two styles of pancakes.  the coffee (with real cream) tasted exactly as i remembered it.  the magic of melting butter with a squeeze of fresh lemon and a spoonful of blackberry preserves worked as well as it used to.

 

it seems that every so often the right form of comfort presents itself at just the right moment.  even when you weren't asking for it.  the frustrations, anxieties and thwarted intentions melt away as someone you love passes you one of their potato pancakes and reaches across the table for a bit of the giant popover on your plate.

 

works for me.

dutch baby

potato pancakes

big flavors: marinara sauce and more cheese, please

a quick and tasty hot lunch was needed yesterday as the wind picked up and pressed cold air in around the  frames of our old windows.  i toasted a chunk of three cheese focaccia in the oven (to help warm up the kitchen) and finished a leftover bit of salad from the night before while i waited.  i popped a little bowl of my homemade marinara in the microwave and let a sprinkling of goat cheese melt into it, then dipped the perfectly warmed bread in again and again until the plate and bowl were clean.  no utensils necessary.

and there is no such thing as too much cheese.

marinara recipe here.  

i substituted fresh tomatoes because i had some and i love them so.  and i added some good dried basil and oregano because i love that, too.  and a little crushed red pepper, for the heat.  but still, a great go-to recipe :)

homemade granola and a plan

maybe i made a mistake when i copied the recipe from the barefoot contessa.  maybe my oven heats differently than hers.  but 45 minutes in 350 degrees would have burnt this granola to a blackened crisp.  luckily i do not trust my oven and i was standing by checking the mixture as i diced the dried apricots and listened to the story.  one pan began to burn before 15 minutes had passed, but we saved most of it and i wrote myself a note or two in the margins of the page where the recipe resides.  set the oven at 300 and cut the ingredients in half.  we now have enough homemade granola to feed forty people.  twice.

while we consume our tasty toasted oat, coconut, almond and sunflower seed cereal with organic bananas and frozen michigan bluebrries, cherry kefir, dried apricots and cranberries... we are planning a day trip to the milwaukee art museum.  i've wanted to go for years and now that we have new tires and fall weather is here, it seems the perfect time to hit the road.  my friend viv has recommended a spot for lunch and another for coffee.  now all we need do is choose the day...

an awesome place to live

more beautiful hands

big flavors: making the most of what you've got

some of my favorite meals are assembled on days when we are down to our last morsels and haven't been to the grocery store for a week.  when everyone else looks into the fridge and sees "nothing to eat", i rise to the challenge, roll up my sleeves and make something really tasty.  this week i found a can of italian tuna packed in olive oil and a can of chick peas in the pantry and began to hunt for what would go well with them. in the fridge i dug up a quarter of a red onion, a few kalamata olives, a container of leftover homemade chimichurri, an almost empty jar of pepperoncini and a lemon.  after draining the canned goods i tossed them in a bowl and stirred in the green sauce, diced onion and olives.  a squeeze of lemon on top and the last naan toasted up with a side of the remaining roasted beets, and - dinner is served!

this turned out so delicious i will have the tuna salad tomorrow night with the pasta shells i spied on the pantry shelf and the next day for lunch with brown rice and the mesclun in the crisper.  now i want to see how many days i can stretch it before i have to return to the store...

i do love a challenge :)

happy weekend!

big flavors: mojitos

sometimes i like a cocktail that takes a little brute force in the making.  mojitos require a muddler and a forceful but gentle pummeling of the mint leaves that is oh so satisfying at the end of a long summer day.

start by squeezing about a third of a lime into each glass. drop the rind in. add two spoonfuls of superfine bar sugar and let it dissolve for a minute or two. tear several fresh mint leaves in on top and press together using the muddler with the intention of releasing the minty flavors but not shredding the leaves too much.  add two ounces of rum and lots of cold seltzer water (you may strain it at this point but i leave the messy bits in and chew the mint leaves as i sip my way slowly to the bottom of the glass). stir. add ice and a sprig of unsmashed mint, put your feet up and enjoy.  

so refreshing.

cheers!

big flavors: cherry milkshake

dump lots of fresh pitted cherries and a few big scoops of french vanilla ice cream in a big deep glass or metal cocktail shaker and blitz together with what we like to call "the soup snaffler" (also known as the multiquick deluxe hand blender and chopper). a regular blender works fine, too :)

i still don't have milk in the fridge and i'm out of kefir... can you call it a milkshake if there's no milk involved?  i say yes!

enjoy!

the pursuit of happiness: restaurant breakfast

i had been thinking about it for quite a while.  visualizing it.  contemplating where i might go and whether i would order sweet or savory.  i literally could not remember the last time i'd been out to breakfast.  i wanted it bad.  so monday i stifled my inner accountant and walked thru the park along the river to one of my favorite places.  i'm so happy i did.  i sipped my coffee with cream and ordered the swedish pancakes with lingonberries, and bacon, because as it turned out, i craved both the sweet and the savory.  i met two friends there for the meal, and another few dropped in to say hello.  i'd missed seeing them and the pleasure of spending even a little time together was just as delightful as the decadent dessert we were treated to after breakfast.

i chose something i would never make at home.  

sometimes the happiness exceeds the pursuit.

big flavors: egg for one

in a pan of browned butter toss a little red onion and a sprinkle of salt.  add a few sliced porcini mushrooms and a handful of chopped fresh spinach.  stir and let everything soften a bit.  grind a lot of black pepper on it.  scramble an egg and pour over all.  put the bread (or naan) in the toaster and tear some fresh herbs onto the cooking egg (i had thyme and basil on hand).  flip the egg in the pan once. turn off the heat and crumble some good cheese on top.

when the toast pops, dinner is served.  with a glass of chilled prosecco.

and the kitchen smells delicious!

solitude.

nice finds : baby rice popcorn

discovered at a farmer's market in madison, this baby rice popcorn is the best!  we've tried all kinds but these tiny kernels pop up fast and are so tasty and delicate, they've become our all-time favorite.  if you can't make it to wisconsin for a bag or two, call the number on the bag and order some the old-fashioned way.  krinke's doesn't have a website, but the service is friendly and shipping is quick.

what a nice find!