For years I’ve yearned to visit the Galápagos Islands, that archipelago of isolation that sits 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. These are the islands where Charles Darwin landed in 1835. While the Galápagos Islands are recognized for the theories they launched, today they are more famous for the inhabitants.
Unfortunately, life has always nudged a Galápagos trip to the back of the bus. While I don’t often give into it, aging and the hesitancy to travel alone have begun to rear their ugly heads. Perhaps the endangered Galápagos tortoises and I would never meet. It just wasn’t happening.
Peach Ice Cream by David Lebovitz, The Perfect Scoop
A month ago, the stars aligned. I was asked to join 15 others for an 11-day December Origins of the Species Adventure to the Galápagos. We’d be traveling aboard an 144’ vessel called the Integrity. Within a week I’d agreed, booked a flight to Quito, Ecuador, and dusted off my passport.
However, there is one huge hiccup about this trip which we need to discuss.
Miss Colorado Peach 2015
First, let’s talk peaches. Since the prime season for our Colorado peaches is short, I’m greedy and, each week, buy big. I think this week’s show-stoppers are worth sharing. This week-end, why not try Brown Butter-Peach Tourte by Dorie Greenspan or David Lebovitz’s Peach Ice Cream.
Dorie’s tourte is peaches, butter and crust. C’est tout. There’s little sugar or flour and only a dab of vanilla and lemon juice. The delish is a result of the butter which simmers until it turns ‘fragrant and is golden browned to a caramel flavor.’ When your cut-up peach chunks swim in this, it’s heavenly.
Because of the butter, the top crust, sprinkled with sugar, gets browner, melting as it bakes. Here’s where you can be creative, simplify the process or bake to your taste. Since the magic of this dessert is the filling, the crust is your choice. Choose a sweet tart dough, pie dough (no shame in store-bought) or a strudel concoction. This delight is in the filling.
Memories were made from lazy summer days when we helped make hand-cranked peach ice cream. Magic, right? Lebovitz created the simplest stone fruit ice cream recipe I could find. It’s delicious. I know that because I enjoyed most of it myself. After making the mixture and refrigerating it to cool overnight, I found I needed unexpected oral surgery. (I will spare you the 2-day play-by play.) When I returned home, there was very little I could eat. I remembered Lebovitz mentioning this peach ice cream ‘is indeed best when spooned right out of the machine, just moments after it’s been churned.’
I followed David’s advice and poured the chilled mixture into my ice cream maker. Thirty minutes later I was standing at my kitchen counter, drowning my sorrows with this delicious ice cream. For the past two days it’s been my comfort food. With 2/3 of the quart gone, I’m definitely on the mend.
And, that’s important, because I need to be in top form to deal with the hurdle in my upcoming Galápagos trip. From the Brochure’s Itinerary: 11:00 am Snorkeling: The group usually snorkels once every day. You may be out for 30 minutes to an hour, and may even have two opportunities to snorkel in one day.
Snorkeling and swimming are an important part of this journey. The problem is, I don’t. While I can probably dog paddle and keep myself afloat, I don’t swim. My face in the water, nooooo. Twenty years ago Michael paid major money for my private snorkeling lesson in Hawaii. I was doing fine, being attentive and preparing to walk into the Pacific when my instructor said, “And, if you begin to hyperventilate, here’s what you do.”
Alarmed, I immediately laid my equipment on the sandy beach and left, leaving my husband a bit perturbed. (There were times that man was a saint.) Please understand, I am not proud of this and am determined to jump into those waters and swim with whoever wants to join me, whether marine iguana, sea lion or turtle. I am (a brave) woman!
FEAR OF WATER – IT’S THE PITS.
To that end, I am reading this book, will buy my snorkeling equipment next week and have the availability of The Gant’s two pools. My sweet friend, Carol Kurt, my naturalist colleague in all things who has just returned from Galápagos, has offered to “learn me.” She is confident and determined. As am I. I have four months. The clock is ticking.
As for now, I’m off to polish off the peach ice cream while I “Learn How To Swim and Snorkel Even if you are Afraid of the Water.”
BROWN BUTTER-PEACH TOURTE by Dorie Greenspan, Baking Chez Moi
INGREDIENTS:
Filling
2 pounds ripe but firm peaches (about 5)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Tiny pinch of fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract (or a drop of pure almond extract)
Juice of ¼ lemon
Crust
1 partially baked 9- to 9½-inch sweet tart dough crust, cooled
1 12-inch sweet tart dough circle, refrigerated
Sugar, for dusting (I used Turbinado natural cane sugar)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2. Using your favorite method for peeling and dicing peaches, cut each peach into one-inch chunks. Put the peaches in a strainer, over a bowl, to catch extra juice.
3. Place the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and allow it to melt and bubble. When it reaches a light caramel color, pull the pan from the heat. If you spot small dark brown spots on the bottom of the pan, that’s fine. You’ll also catch the whiff of warm nuts. After a minute or two, pour the butter over the strained peaches. Add the sugar, flour, salt and vanilla. Gently stir together. Finish with the lemon juice.
4. To assemble the tourte, ut the tart pan on the lined baking sheet. Give the filling another stir and scrape it into the tart shell, smoothing the top. You should have just enough filling to come level with the edges of the crust. Remove the circle of dough from the refrigerator while it’s resting a minute or so, brush the edges of the tart shell with water. Position the circle of dough over the crust. Press the rim with your fingers to glue the two pieces together, pressing on the rim as you go.
5. Use a knife to remove a circle of dough from the center. Brush the surface lightly with cold water and sprinkle generously with sugar.
6. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the crust is deeply golden brown and the butter is bubbling. Transfer the tourte, still on its baking sheet, to a rack and allow it to cool until it’s only just warm or at room temperature before serving. As it cools, the buttery syrup will be reabsorbed by the peaches, which is just what you want—so don’t be impatient.
Storing: You can partially bake the bottom crust up to 8 hours ahead and you can have the top crust rolled out and ready to go ahead of time, but the filling shouldn’t be prepared ahead. Best served the same day but if you’ve got leftovers, refrigerate them. The crust will lose its delicateness, but the dessert will still be satisfying.
PEACH ICE CREAM by David Lebovitz, The Perfect Scoop
Yield: 1 quart
INGREDIENTS:
1 ½ pounds ripe peaches [about four large peaches]
½ cup water
1/4 cup sugar
½ cup sour cream
1 cup heavy cream
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
A few drops freshly squeezed lemon juice
DIRECTIONS:
1. Peel the peaches, slice them in half, and remove the pits. Cut the peaches into chunks and cook them with water in a nonreactive saucepan over medium heat, covered, stirring once or twice, until soft and cooked through, about 10 minutes.
2. Remove from heat, stir in the sugar, then cool to room temperature.
3. Purée the cooked peaches and any liquid in a blender or food processor with the sour cream, heavy cream, vanilla, and lemon juice until almost smooth but slightly chunky.
4. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator and freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Insanely tasty Olive Oil & Maple Granola. Since I am eating this for a hiking snack, I added Pomegranate-infused Dark Chocolate Drops.
Admit it. I can read your mind. You don’t need another insanely tasty granola recipe. Because…1) Granola, not a fave food choice; 2) Already have an insanely tasty granola recipe; or, 3) It’s an easy purchase at your market.
I plead guilty to #3. Have you counted the various granola cereals on sale at your market? (My answer, “Yes.”) When you next visit your grocery store, notice the length of your cereal, bread or tomato products aisle. Here’s a statistic. The bread aisle in a Kansas City Walmart Superstore is 45 feet long and 7 shelves high. I know that because Father Jonathan, my Episcopalian priest, mentioned that factoid in last week’s sermon. He was suggesting we may be spoiled by too many choices. Ya think?
How simple is this recipe? Add the ingredients and stir. That’s it.
That’s why I felt honor bound to share this recipe with you. Because…1) This granola is a guaranteed palate-pleaser; 2) This may become your only killer granola recipe; and, 3) Here’s a one-choice, healthier, preservative-free, sweet and savory granola.
Ready for roasting – 45 minutes.
Olive Oil & Maple Granola was created by Nekisia Davis of Early Bird Foods. It’s a chosen recipe from Food52 Genius Recipes, 100 Recipes That Will Change The Way You Cook. Since receiving this fabulous cookbook, I’ve made several thumbs-up, successful recipes. Here’s how the writers describe Davis’ granola. “Olive oil, maple, brown sugar and salt form a rich, shaggy crust on a wholesome mix of oats, pecans, coconut shards, and various seeds. It leans sweet but olive oil gives it a savory backbone and salt keeps it from being cloying.”
This recipe makes 7 cups of Granola so I used it plain for ice cream and yogurt topping and morning cereal.
I could name-drop, mentioning the famous people swearing by Davis’ product or the three Michelin star restaurant that sends every diner home with a jar of this goodness. But since the recipe is posted below, I challenge you to purchase what ingredients are not in your pantry and stir a batch together. If you can stir, you can do Olive Oil & Maple Granola. I’ve also suggested many variations, riffs on this recipe, experiments dependent on your taste and your pantry.
Out of the Woods, A Memoir of Wayfinding by Lynn Darling
Life, yours and mine, is also about choices, isn’t it? Last week I read “Out of the Woods, A Memoir of Wayfinding” by Lynn Darling. This memoir is about a woman, a writer, a widow who’s just sent her only child to college. Although she lived in Manhattan throughout her adult life, she feels lost. So she buys a ramshackle cabin in a remote area in Vermont to find herself. She names her digs Castle Dismal.
Darling is a beautiful writer. She has profound thoughts and observations but, to my mind, she’s a woman who was into suffering. That she chose to do this in an uncomfortable environment devoid of friends and family was a choice I wouldn’t have made. I’m not about piling suffering on top of suffering.
Thank You, Jack Canfield
Life is loss. That’s just a sad fact. How we deal with these losses is the difference between residing in Castle Dismal or Castle Joy. I credit my family for steering me towards Castle Joy. Following Michael’s death, in their many “just checking in” phone calls and messages, the advice from my daughter, Melissa, and my brother and sister-in-law was always the same. “This is your time now, Mary,” my brother’s wife, Janie, would say. “You do exactly what you want to do.”
Seriously, those three were broken records. Always the same. Never, “Do this. Do that. You should. You shouldn’t. Go here. Go there.”
Please understand, like all families, there was a subliminal message in those words. It was “Make good choices.” Nevertheless, their advice was liberating for me. Remember the Marlo Thomas song, Free to Be Me?
A Swallow, being a good parent, in its nest.
Fortunately my choices during the past three years have worked brilliantly. Thoreau ‘went to the woods in order to live deliberately, to pare life down to its essential facts.’ I returned to the mountains not only because it was my home but to follow my passions. Cambria, California, was a fortunate stroke of serendipity. Luckily, a wintertime Castle Joy. Since Henderson, Nevada, where we last lived, lies directly between, I can still hold tightly to those who were so good to Michael and me in the most meaningful eight years of my life.
Fast forward, some weeks later, to this juvenile Swallow who is wondering where Mom and Dad are.
No one is more aware than I that tomorrow this comfortable rug of contentment could be snatched out from under me. Then I will make other choices. As for now, I’m standing in my Castle Joy kitchen and urging you to make this granola!
OLIVE OIL & MAPLE GRANOLA by NEKISIA DAVIS, a FOOD52 GENIUS RECIPE
MAKES ABOUT 7 CUPS
INGREDIENTS
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup hulled raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup hulled raw sunflower seeds
1 cup unsweetened coconut chips or natural coconut flakes
1 1/4 cup raw pecans, left whole or coarsely chopped
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
Coarse salt (Do NOT skip the salt.)
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 300° F.
2. Place oats, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut, pecans, syrup, olive oil, sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl and mix until well combined. Spread granola mixture in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Transfer to oven and bake, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes, until granola is toasted, about 45 minutes.
3. Remove granola from oven and season with more salt to taste. Let cool completely before serving or storing in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
TIPS: If you prefer your granola to be clumpy, stir in 4 beaten egg whites before placing in the oven. I added pistachios to my granola.
VARIATIONS: Any seeds (flax, sesame, toasted wheat germ) or nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts, pistachios) or dried fruit (dates, cherries, cranraisins, candied ginger or banana chips) or spice combos can be substituted in this recipe. The olive oil, maple syrup, and salt trio is key.
Did I miss July? Back off, August. I’m not ready for you to barge in and muscle your way onto my map.
Robin’s Nest, O’Leary Yard, Aspen 2015
This is silliness, of course. As entrepreneur Michael Altshuler often says, “The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.”
Marinated Cucumbers with Mint
It’s not that I’m wondering where July has disappeared. I know where I went, who I saw and what I did. The reality is I thrive by being organized and scheduled and stumble over disarray and chaos. After a decade of caregiving, with each day a juggling act, anticipating the unknown, this summer I’ve finally settled into a more managed life. And, realizing long ago I can’t soar with the eagles, if I hoot with the owls, my days still end embarrassingly early. You can take the girl out of Iowa but you can’t take Iowa out of the girl. It works for me.
The feathers in this bluebird nest.indicate that a tree swallow tried to get the nest, Tree swallows add feathers to their nests. Bluebirds do not. In this case, I’m cheering for the bluebird.
This month I’ve also managed to make five exceptionally simple vegetarian recipes from River Cottage Veg cookbook. It’s time for July’s Cottage Cooking Club’s roundup of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s tasty dishes. CCC is my international online cooking group which is making its way through this well-considered book. The Club, led by The Kitchen Lioness, is ‘meant to be a project aimed at incorporating more vegetable dishes into our everyday cooking.’
Celery and Feta Bruschetta
As the icing on my vegetarian fare this week, I’m sharing more of Mother Nature’s bounty. Did you know scientists have identified over 9,000 species of birds with 498 of those hanging out in Colorado? Each flying friend has its own ingenious nest design cobbled together with what nature and the surrounding real estate offer. Step aside I. M Pei, Zaha Hadid and Renzo Piano, to share the spotlight with herons and robins and swifts.
Heron Rookery, Rock Bottom Ranch, Carbondale, 2015
Great Blue Heron on Nest, North Star Preserve, Aspen, 2015
Grilled Globe Artichokes. “So, honey, don’t be late for dinner tonight. We’re having the bud of a thistle.”
Try grilling your artichokes. Look for tightly packed, heavy to the touch, crispy green or purple leafed artichokes at your local market. I cut the stem to flat, pulled off the toughest outer leaves and trimmed the leaf tips. After steaming it in boiling salted water with an added dash of lemon for 30 to 45 minutes, slice lengthwise and brush with olive oil. . Throw each half on a hot grill for two to four minutes. Serve with melted butter, a creamy balsamic vinaigrette (my choice) or a sauce of your choosing. Yum.
Summer Stir-Fry with Rice
Marinated Cucumbers with Mint are a refreshing take on this versatile vegetable. Peel, halve, and scoop out the seeds of one cucumber. Slice thickly into half moons and toss into a bowl with cider vinegar, olive or canola oil, and finely chopped mint. Season with sugar, salt and pepper and let it rest for 30 minutes on your kitchen counter. For me, this was a salad one day and played a role in a vegetarian sandwich the next.
This nest survived an Aspen winter and lived to tell the story in Spring, 2015.
Summer Stir-fry with Fried Rice. Join the Green Team. This stir-fry is all about zucchinis, green onions, arugula (or, your choice of a leafy green), snow peas and defrosted petite peas. Here’s the recipe. I served this with plain steamed rice but fried rice or a nest of softened instant noodles will work also.
If you look carefully you will spot the slender, long and striped tail of Mama Cooper’s Hawk. 2015
Call me crazy but I actually enjoyed Celery & Feta Cheese Bruschetta. If you’re all about Tomato/Basil Bruschetta (guilty), let’s move on. Pity celery, always in the chorus line but never the star of the show. After toasting the bread, immediately rub with garlic and add a dash of olive oil. Top the bruschetta with thinly sliced celery before scattering cheese over it and seasoning with salt,pepper and a trickle of honey. Not a feta-lover? Try blue, goat, or Parmesan cheese.
The nest of possibly a Magpie or a furry friend
My daughter Melissa, was visiting me when I tried Green Beans, New Potatoes and Olives. She liked. I liked. Here’s the recipe for this simply constructed salad which we found extremely tasty.
A elusive and spectacular picture of a Black Swift nest built on a rocky cliff. Box Canyon, Ouray, Colorado, 2015. Stephen Chase Photo.
Hopefully I’ve feathered your nest with these five simple and healthy recipes which, to my mind. are worth crowing about.
Green Beans. New Potatoes and Olives
On a more serious vein, I’ve decided to share 23 words which have guided and (haunted) me the past five months. Damn those Chinese with their proverbs.
You cannot prevent the birds of sorrow from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from building nests in your hair.
Although the songbird is sitting on its nest, I cannot say for sure…..perhaps a warbler.
Hey, August, bring it on…..
Because Bald Eagles usually return to the same safe nest, year after year, I am anxious to re-visit Dotsero to see if this nest (from last year) is still active. Dotsero, Colorado 2014
Here’s the challenge. Grab a bowl of ice cream, any flavor will do, or buy yourself a cone, adding sprinkles if you must. Next….. taste. Lick. Savor. Now….. scowl. Frown. Act grouchy. Get mad. I defy you to pull your Unhappy lever. Impossible.
That’s why during our recent 4th of July week-end I made the most heavenly-scrumptious ice cream imaginable, Toasted Almond & Candied Cherry. And, since calories do matter, I balanced off heavenly-scrumptious with a low-cal Skinny Shake that’s still a smiler and Banana Ice Cream that’s you’ll go bananas over.
We volunteer USFS Rangers are ready to Go. We’re just about to set off and escort Smokey (he gets to ride on the truck) in Aspen’s 4th of July Parade. Lots of swag to share with the kids who all want to meet the big guy.
I realize ice cream, alone, does not make a successful Independence Day. Hopefully, you also packed gaiety, foolishness and good grub into your own memorable flag-waving celebration. Aspen, a resort community, after all, was totally decked in red, white and blue. If you’re local, with a day off, it’s a good bet you marched in the verrry long parade. Our evening’s fireworks were spectacular. There was still time, however, to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries with friends, finish up books, begin others, watch the American women win the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup and color in my coloring books.
After making the candied cherries, let them cool off and then strain before chopping and adding to the ice cream.
Let’s begin with ice cream, the three recipes are printed below, and finish with the scoop on coloring books.
USA – 5 Japan – 2 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup Champions
This summer I am experimenting with ice creams, sorbets and granitas featured in David Lebovitz’s The Perfect Scoop. While conceding there are delicious mass-produced ice creams, what’s wrong with Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia or Bing Cherry Ice Cream by William-Sonoma, nothing replaces homemade. I’m betting you each have fond memories of family ice cream-making sessions. Who gets to lick the dasher? Always the battle at our house. (What’s a dasher? That’s disgusting. Ask Google.) Although the days of hand cranking and churning out ice cream are over, there’s still mystique to creating it yourself.
The Skinny Shake. If you’re wanting a healthy alternative to Wendy’s Frosty, this is a tasty substitute and with far fewer calories.
Even if an inexpensive ice cream maker isn’t in your pantry, you can make ice cream at home. Although the Toasted Almond and Candied Cherry Ice Cream is made in an electric ice cream maker, the Skinny Shake is mixed in a blender and One-Ingredient Banana Ice Cream, a food processor. To compare the Skinny Shake to a Wendy’s Frosty, as was suggested, is a stretch. But my adaption is tasty, filling, healthy and perfect for a 4:00pm snack. Poured into a brandy sniffer, you can almost believe it’s cocktail hour. As for the One-Ingredient Banana Soft-Serve Ice Cream, let’s call it a miracle. Patience is the virtue key to this recipe. Then if you want to go fancy, finish by blending in Nutella, Dark Chocolate or Strawberries & Cream, for example. Try one, two or three of these next week, you’ll be addicted.
It’s easy to enjoy ice cream while reading. Yummy multitasking. That’s why I could finish “Florence Gordon” by Brian Morton and begin “H is for Hawk” by Helen Macdonald this past weekend. Not so easy with CD audio books in my car. I’d finished “Jacksonland: President Andrew Jackson, Cherokee Chief John Ross, and a Great American Land Grab” by NPR’s Steve Inskeep. By Sunday I’d almost, almost finished listening to Kristin Hannah’s “The Nightingale.” So I drove to Woody Creek and back. Finished the book. Can anyone relate?
As for those coloring books. Last month I was in a Barnes & Noble when I spotted a sign, Adult Coloring Books. What? I’ll admit to owning two children’s coloring books, “Birds of Prey,” a Dover Workbook, and “L’art à Colorier,” purchased in France. Never told a soul. But seriously, when you color a Northern Harrier inside the lines, you meet that hawk! Now what I discovered at B&N is that grown-ups are borrowing their kids’ markers, crayons and watercolors, choosing from the 994 adult coloring books available on Amazon, unplugging and getting their art on. I picked up “Travel, Coloring to Relax and Free Your Mind.” Another, “The Art of Nature Coloring Book: 60 Illustrations Inspired by Vintage Botanical and Scientific Prints” is on order. No longer a secret. Color me Outed.
TOASTED ALMOND & CANDIED CHERRY ICE CREAM Adapted,The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz
Servings: Makes about 1 1/2 quarts
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole almonds, toasted (one cup, finely chopped; one cup, coarsely chopped)
5 large egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
3 Cups of sour (or, tart) cherries with light syrup, from a jar or can
1 cup granulated sugar
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degreesF. Spread the nuts evenly on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring once or twice, until lightly golden brown. Cool completely before chopping per the recipe.
2. Warm the milk, sugar, salt, and 1 cup of the cream in a medium saucepan. Finely chop 1 cup of the almonds and add them to the warm milk. Cover, remove from the heat, and let steep at room temperature for 1 hour.
3. Strain the almond-infused milk into a separate medium saucepan. Press with a spatula or squeeze with your hands to extract as much flavor from the almonds as possible. Discard the almonds.
4. Rewarm the almond-infused milk. Pour the remaining 1 cup cream into a separate large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the rewarmed mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
5. Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream. Stir in the almond extract and stir until cool over an ice bath.
6. Chill the mixture thoroughly, or overnight, in the refrigerator.
7. Mix the cherries with their syrup and the sugar in a large, nonreactive saucepan. Fit the pan with a candy thermometer and cook over medium heat, stirring infrequently, until the syrup reaches 230°F. Remove from the heat, let cool to room temperature and then drain. Be sure to drain the cherries in a strainer very well before folding them into the ice cream. They should be dry and sticky before you chop them up and mix them in.
8. Freeze the cold mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. During the last few minutes of churning, add the remaining 1 cup chopped almonds. After removing the ice cream from the machine, fold in the 2 cups of chopped cherries.
NOTE: This recipe makes 2 cups of candied cherries. If choosing to add one cup of dark chocolate chips, use only one cup of cherries in the ice cream. The leftover cherries can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Allow them to come to room temperature before serving as a topping. Save any leftover syrup as a topping or to mix with sparkling water to make sour cherry soda.
SKINNY SHAKE adapted from Sue Huhn
Servings: 2 Small or One Large
INGREDIENTS:
3/4 c almond milk
6 ice cubes
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 frozen bananas, pre-cut into equal sizes before freezing
DIRECTIONS:
1. Blend.
ONE-INGREDIENT BANANA SOFT-SERVE ICE CREAM by The Kitchn (not pictured)
Servings: 2
INGREDIENTS:
2 large ripe banana (about 1 lb.)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Start with ripe, sweet and soft bananas. Peel and cut them into coins. It doesn’t matter what shape or size the pieces are in, as long as they are chopped up into evenly sized and somewhat small pieces.Put the bananas in an airtight container or freezer bag.
2. Freeze the banana pieces for at least 2 hours but ideally overnight.
3. Blend the frozen banana pieces in a small food processor or powerful blender. A small food processor works best. Pulse the frozen banana pieces.
4. Keep blending — At first the banana pieces will look crumbled or smashed. Scrape down the food processor.
5. Keep blending — Then the mixture will look gooey, like banana mush. Scrape down the food processor.
6. Keep blending — The banana will look like oatmeal, smoother but still with chunks of banana in it. Scrape down the food processor.
7. Watch the magic happen! Suddenly, as the last bits of banana smooth out, you’ll see the mixture shift from blended banana to creamy, soft-serve ice cream texture. Blend for a few more seconds to aerate the ice cream. (If adding any mix-ins, like peanut butter or chocolate chips, this is the moment to do it.)
8. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until solid: You can eat the ice cream immediately, but it will be quite soft. You can also transfer it back into the airtight container and freeze it until solid, like traditional ice cream.
NOTE: Mix-in Ideas: While the one-ingredient aspect of this ice cream is a big part of its charm, it doesn’t loses much when it becomes two- or even three- ingredient ice cream. Here are a few favorite mix-ins to make it even more awesome.
Spoonful of peanut butter
Drizzle of honey
Handful of chocolate chips
A few almonds
Dollop of Nutella
Scoop of cookie butter
Tablespoon of cocoa powder
Half a teaspoon of cinnamon, cardamom, or ginger
How often must I remind myself to not be cocky? Here’s how my personality rolls:
1. Bad stuff happens.
2. Make a plan. Solve that stuff.
3. Move on.
It’s my 1-2-3 approach to Life. Unfortunately it’s never worked particularly as I’d hoped. It’s not the Black and White that’s the problem, there’s all that messy Gray stepping in to clog the process.
Q: Can you identify this darling bird? A: It’s a Black-billed Magpie, a youngster.
Which brings me to June. Michael died three years ago this Sunday, June 28th. Since then, we will all agree, I’ve woven together a wonderful life. Many people who lose spouses, loved ones or partners are not able to do that. For me, really bad stuff happened ending in a sad, unsolvable result. Truthfully, I was then so weary of being brave, part of me wanted to give up. But after my family and countless friends had huddled up and lent support for ten lengthy years, I felt an obligation to find my own Way.
Pistachio Dukka, a traditional Egyptian combination of nuts, seeds and spices, is served with rustic bread and olive oil.
Which brings me to this pesky month of June. In the past three years I’ve begun to happily handle his birthdays, our anniversaries (29) and special occasions. Each of those carry joyful memories that only make me smile. So I do. June 28th, not so easy. I’ve been unable to pull up anything to cause me comfort. Regrettably it’s always a time I feel unsettled and a bubble-off. Hate that.
A bull moose, recently seen at a nearby perserve. Note the family in the nearby pond. Tom Bernard iPhoto
I charged into this month brimming with confidence, determined not to cause my friends or family angst. No whining. This was my pain to conquer. Or, not. Mother Nature and I would be best friends. That’s where I could expend my energy. There was still food to be made and blog posts to be written. I vowed to do it all with a smile on my face, a joyful heart and eight hours of sleep every night. (You jest. It’s important, my friends.) Realizing it’s the anticipation more than the day itself that seems bothersome, I soldiered forth.
New Potato Salad “Tartare” with “soft” hard-boiled eggs, capers, gherkins and fresh herbs.
So, how’d I do. About 65%. Grade B-minus. Let’s call that a win. To honor Michael and for our Cottage Cooking Club this month, I made four mouth-watering recipes from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage Veg cookbook. Michael would consider this a dubious tribute. He lived happily on meat, potatoes, Oreos and Hagen-dazs. That I am cooking through Hugh’s book with the Cottage Cooking Club, a group of international food bloggers, would give him pause.
Mama Bluebird is patiently awaiting birth. She was calm during a weekly bluebird box check.
This month I made Tomatoes with Herbs and Goat Cheese, Quick Couscous Salad with Peppers and Feta, New Potato Salad Tartare and Pistachio Dukka. As usual with Hugh’s recipes, all were unique and delicious. I’ve posted the dukkah recipe below and will send others upon request.
Quick Couscous Salad with Peppers and Feta is perfect to have for lunch, take on a picnic, or share at a potluck supper.
For lunch, I shared the tomato and new potato salads with The Gant’s front office staff. I received two complaints, “not enough” and “day off”. Taken as compliments. The couscous salad traveled to the authors’ picnic potluck on the opening evening of Aspen Summer Words 2015 festival. Not one to name drop, I might mention authors Richard Russo and Andre Dubus both enjoyed my salad. Empty plates. Pistachio Dukka, a twist on the traditional Egyptian combo of nuts, seeds and spices, is a tasty blockbuster and will be my summer hostess gift.
Tomatoes with Herbs and Goat Cheese, a quick and easy salad to be served with cherry, grape, or various heritage tomatoes.
Enjoy these flavorful, healthy dishes and also Mother Nature’s healing photo contributions to my June life. Hooray and Welcome, July!
My first patrol of the 2015 season. (For those of you who’ve remarked you’d pay big money to see me in my USFS uniform, you have my address. )
PISTACHIO DUKKA by Hugh-Fearnley-Whittingstall, River Cottage Veg
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup shelled, unsalted pistachios
cumin seeds, 1 tbsp
coriander seeds, 1 tbsp
sesame seeds, 3 tbsp
dried chilli flakes, 1 tsp
fresh mint leaves, a small handful (A MUST!)
flaky sea salt, 1 tsp (I used Maldon)
bread and olive oil, to serve
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Scatter the pistachios on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 5 minutes until they are just starting to turn golden. Chop coarsely
3. Dry-fry the cumin and coriander seeds in a frying pan over medium-heat until they release their aroma (about a minute). Transfer to a mini-food processor or mortar and mix together until broken up but not fine. Lightly toast sesame seeds for another minute.
4. Mix everything together. Add chile flakes, chopped mint and salt.
5. Taste to see if mixture needs more salt before serving with crusty artisan bread and olive oil, for dipping.
The dukka will keep for two weeks at room temperature in a screw-top jar. Also try scattering it over grilled veggies, a simple lettuce salad or on “soft hard-boiled” eggs.
Swallows sometimes “borrow” the bluebird boxes to make their own beautiful nests.
The Cottage Cooking Clubis an international online cooking group cooking and learning our way through Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage Veg cookbook. The Club, led by The Kitchen Lioness, is ‘meant to be a project aimed at incorporating more vegetable dishes into our everyday cooking, learning about less known, forgotten or heritage vegetables, trying out new ways to prepare tasty and healthy dishes, and sharing them with family and friends.’
This Great Blue Heron is more interested in an unsuspecting fish than in my couscous salad.
