Happy Birthday, Liisa!

September 1st is Liisa's birthday but we celebrated last Saturday night. For my fabulous daughter only a homemade cake will do. So, even though I'd rather cook than bake, I spent the afternoon making a chocolate cake recipe from Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/beattys-chocolate-cake-recipe/index.html

I have favorite recipes that I know by heart and practically cook with my eyes closed, but as a baker I'm still a beginner. By the time I was done there was flour everywhere, butter on my shirt, butter on the coffeemaker and even cocoa on my face. Maybe it was because I only have a hand mixer & I used a light metal bowl. I said I was a beginner. But hey, the cake was delicious! Happy Birthday, Liisa!

watermelon lemonade

Liisa, Mary & Zach were here this weekend to get out of the city heat & relax in the burbs. It was a weekend of swimming, board games, listening to classic vinyl ("the hills are alive....with the Sound of Music!) and watermelon lemonade.

Liisa found the recipe in one of her & my favorite food blogs, Smitten Kitchen.

http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/07/watermelon-lemonade/

Here's what you need to make a pitcherful:

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cups pureed watermelon
1 cup simple syrup *
1 cup sparkling water
1 cup vodka
ice

*Simple syrup is just equal quantities of sugar & water heated until the sugar melts. I used a cup of sugar and a cup of water and had enough syrup for 2 batches of drinks.

Black Bean Soup. I Guess.

Mom got me this Bittman vegetarian book, so the first recipe I tried was this black bean soup. I was/am in the position of knowing nothing about cooking, so I've been messing around with this a lot.  Chop an onion, brown it, add some cumin & chili powder (I'd been substituting red pepper flakes, since I didn't have any chili powder. I also learned that it is definitely NOT a one to one ratio, so I use a little lot less than a tablespoon of red pepper flakes), and some garlic. Then you throw the beans, stock or water, and whatever vegetables you feel like. This time, I had a couple tomatoes, some celery, and some green pepper; I'd been using potatoes a good bit, and then I was going to use peas, but I realized that it was probably too much starch, so I'm trying to throw more real vegetables and less bread-disguised-as-vegetables.  This is also the first time I'm using chili powder, so I'm interested to see how it turns out.

Green Pepper & Goat Cheese Scramble

The secret to this is to scrape the brown bits off the skillet and sprinkle them on top, once you're finished.

no-lettuce salads

I know I should eat more salad. But there is something about lettuce that makes me feel like I'm just eating grass; just doing something I'm supposed to do because it's good for me. And my contrary nature rebels against that.

I'm not the only one in the family that feels this way. Dave says lettuce is "just too much blank space" and is "hard to keep on your fork."

So earlier this summer Liisa sent me a recipe for chopped salad and I made a great one when I was out in California visiting that branch of the family: just tomatoes, celery, cucumbers, parsley, oil & vinegar, salt & pepper. So crunchy.

And since July Liisa and I have really been enjoying Mark Bittman's 101 Simple Salads for the Season. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/dining/22mlist.html?scp=1&sq=101%20simple%20salads%20for%20the%20season&st=cse

My favorite has been #39: roasted corn, chilies, cherry tomatoes, queso fresco and lime juice. Cutting fresh corn off the cob may seem like a chore but it doesn't really take that long and the result is so worth it. I've used feta or parmesan when I haven't had queso fresco and good old chili powder in place of the chilies. I even made it with fried cheese or queso de freir and jalapenos. Before summer is over why not get a few ears of fresh corn and make the best no-lettuce salad ever!

the farmers market

One of the many pleasures of summer in DC is the Saturday morning farmers market in our town square. It begins in late June and runs through the end of October, and Sasha and I shop there every week. Today the temps were cold--55 degrees!--and there was a blustery wind, but that didn't stop the locals (and tourists) from purchasing their locally grown fruits and vegetables. In my shopping bag today: blueberries and carrots--there's a "Bittman salad" in my future--corn, rainbow Swiss chard, and spinach.

first tweet

From David "David Murray" Murray:

Something from my twitter: "Spent a half hour reading my cookbook. I'm REALLY excited to make miso, udon, & onigiri. REALLY excited. Like, I can't sleep."