it’s a manic Monday with rain coming down in the lower Hudson Valley of New York all week long.
There are days your tryng to get anchored in a routine to bring you clarity. Wishing I was on this dock from my weekend excursion further upstate near Albany, NY.
It’s finally, really, Spring going on Summer here in the Hudson Valley. Last weekend I planted my vegetable box. Of the illustrations above only beets went in as seeds a few weeks prior and I’m already seeing the tops of the leaves. Few things planted as seeds that I started or sowed directly in the soil, the rest I had to buy small plants. My seeds starter kit didn’t do so well when I took it outside for a while, it was still too cold at night and scared the seeds. Farm lesson learning number #537.
People really love Rhubarb up here and probably everywhere except my household. I watched an older gentleman in the store meticulously pick out his Rhubarb leaves. I so wanted to ask what he was making, though I doubt I would have tried it. Have you watched Zoe Eats or own any of her cookbooks? The only episode on Discovery+ right now is her making a Rhubarb pie. I was almost sold on that. We shall see.
My neighbors found some wild mushrooms growing in their part of the yard, they looked like Morels, and while they are adventurous outdoor people who forage for wild mushrooms, I wasn’t brave enough to try them. It stems back from my first advertising job where I had to research mushroom names and what was poisonous and what wasn’t. After seeing how similar they looked I vowed to leave it to the groceries stores. Y
Yet another thing to explore given forever in the future, that along with growing vanilla beans and harvesting my grapes and tending my orchard. Yeah my farming list is long and grows everyday. That and my artistic endeavours. Enjoy the beginning of the planting and growing season.
January what a crazy month, actually a REALLY long month. As most people want to start the year on a healthy kick I bought a juicer. Goal was to make me eat more vegetables. I was nervous about this juicer, I think I’ve been scared of the cleaning juicer part. I bought a Korean brand called Hurom, it’s this one. So far I really love it, super easy to use and clean. You do have to chop up your produce to smaller bits to put in the shoot, but I really don’t mind this. Be warned fibrous veg, like stems, celery, ginger you may have to stop and clean out the filter so it doesn’t block the pulp from coming out. This is a juicer problem across the board. Chopping up the veg in smaller pieces does give me a chance to take inventory and deternine my own concoctions. As most appliances come with recipe books this is a great way to get inspired on what to make. The best part is I’m eating more vegetables. Which was the goal.
We also learned that to yield one cup of juice of any kind you need A LOT of fruit and veg. We’ve been ordering from local grocery story for pick-up, trying to avoid going in the store. However, knowing I need more produce we started ordering from Misfits Market. Our first box arrived this week, we just ordered the small one. What we received and chose was the following: swiss chard, russett potatoes, sweet potatoes, jalapenos, roma tomatoes, carrots, ginger, cabbage, oranges, and pears. We’ve used just about it all for soaps, juices, and salsa. Super happy about our uptick on taking in more vegetables and fruit. My juice combos have been delicious, beets, wheat grass and pears; apples, carrots, cabbage, and ginger. You don’t need much ginger, because it turns super spicy with too much ginger. Trust me.
As for swiss chard I decided to make a Torta. My neighbor in Santa Monica made an amazing one, I searched online for a good recipe and just decided to text her and ask for hers. Of course it’s from a saved Saveur Magazine probably from the 90’s. This was very easy to make and delicious. I’m not a huge onion or feta fan, so I just put less of it in. Would be fun to maybe swap out feta for ricotta. Copy of the recipe image below along with a few of my pictures.
So today we should show some love to the small businesses. I’ve grabbed a few that I simply love and want to support. During this crazy time these small business are struggling, admittedly I have mostly bought from the big box stores, but realize how much I love that small neighborhood shop or finely curated online one and not to forget etsy craftsmans. Take the time to peruse these shops and show your support.
House of Brinson let’s just say they have style and taste. Will is photographer and an incredible bartender, just watch his weekly Cocktail Hour. Susan is an amazing designer and has such good taste. They have a shop with everything from matches, to barware to iron skillets.
Urbanic this is a local favorite from my SoCal days in Venice, CA. I miss shopping at that store. Audrey curates beautiful stationary, cards and anything you can think of. This was always my go to place for cards.
Hand + Fire I dream about Sage’s beautifically crafted pottery. Sage is based in Helena, Oregon. She is so generous in sharing her process and how to make a simple mug by hand. Recently she and Josh made some amazing wood cutting boards. I’ve watched her work part-time at a restaurant and craft on the side to becoming a full time potter. Please visit her shop online and follow her on Instagram for her notices of when new work is being released.
The Pioneer Town General Store in Pioneertown, CA. Sarah is amazing, she is incredibly smart with her MBA and obviously hipper than the coolest person you can think of. Her store is a vintage gold mine, I personally have been eyeing the beautiful switch blade knives.
Foundry42 is located in Port Jervis, NY. I found this place online and last winter while driving out in the snow doing volunteer work I wanted a warm cup of coffee. This place was only 15 minutes away from where we were. Not only was the coffee amazing, but a shop full of beautiful books, decor, lotions, candles, anything you think you don’t need but fall in love with while browsing. Also they make a chocolate chip potato chip cookie, trust me, it’s delicious. Sweet and savory.
ArtisanTreeHouse is based in Los Angeles. Karena sells artistic, boho chic wares. I’m personally in love with her Chunky Chenile blankets. Long time friend who oozes talent. I’m always excited about what she’s doing next. Check back on her Etsy shop she’s choked full of talent. Visit her site for black Friday sales.
LaurieAnn Art paints to my heart. While I’m a Cali girl, living in NY, I’m New Mexico at heart. She paints beautiful desert landscapes and when she was able to travel you see her inspirations come alive in her European paintings. This weekend she’s offering 15% from her shop.
Emily Jefford I met about 7 years ago during the Alt Summit. She was passing out bookmarks with her beautiful paintings. Fast forward that many years and I have watched her evolve into this amazing artist who has collectors that buy out her art as soon as it’s gone live. She lives this truly artistic life with her husband and 3 kids. Based in South Caroline. I’m itching to buy a print of her recent work, I just can’t make my mind up on which one.
Field Trip is found in Newburgh, NY. While this is a brick and mortar store, which so far has not shuttered it’s doors. They have beautiful curated goods. A must visit in person or shop online.
No Longer Wander is found in Albuquerque, NM. I stumbled upon this store when it was right next to Little Bear Coffee. While we waited for our coffees to brew I wondered into this light filled plant room. So beautiful and hip beyond words. I can’t wait to visit my Mom again and buy up all the beautiful plants and drive them back with me to New York.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of small businesses I love. Its a few I’ve been following over the years and sprinkled in with new ones. Please support these folks who work so hard to curate beautiful things and sharing their talent with us. A little piece of which we can bring home with you.
Is bread a seasonal eat? Because that’s what I did for the month of November. I ate lots and lots of bread. Traditonally Rob and I like to call in NoBreadmer. Which means no bread for 30 days. Yeah we did the opposite. Oh Boy.
Originally I creating these seasonal eat explorations because we had moved to an agricultural area in Central California. On any given day during the summer you would see trucks full of tomatoes and garlic barely down the 99. Driving the country roads were the migrant workers hauling in the sweet potato crops, or the infamous dust bowl created by the shaking of the almond trees. Everytime we’d drive down one of these roads and I see a new tree and stop the car to get a closer look. I saw a pistachio tree for the first time on rural country road. Walnut trees in huge groves. It was inspiring to see the variety. Oddly enough there were no great farmer stands out there. All the good stuff was shipped to the cities and restaurants through out California and beyond.
We take these moments for granted. While the triple digit heat in the summer and the dusty cloud of farming settled in the area, it’s what started this whole adventure. Now I’m nearly 3,000 miles in the opposite direction. Struggling to make myself eat anything other than the comfort of bread.
I recently read about an ad campaign in the UK to get kids to eat their vegetables. It’s called Veg Power. It’s unconventional approach to getting kids, and aaaheeem, some adults to eat more veg. Props to Adam + Eve/DDB for creating this brillant idea that also saw a massive increase in vegetable sales in 2020. I mean this is the year of the Sourdough starter. In their words “We created a daring counter-intuitive idea targeted at children and their parents. The idea: vegetables are trying to take over the world and the only way to beat them is to eat them. Casting them as evil, created a fun, distinctive, humorous campaign.”
Brillant. Let’s see if I can trick myself into eating more veg. Call it my 70’s childhood where mom boiled everything to it’s oblivion and i just never developed a love for them. Other than my grandma letting me plant my own radish patch, which i remember so fondly, vegetables were evil and I never thought that eating them would make be a motto “eat to defeat.” Here’s to Veg Power!!!
October is well on it’s way and Fall is in full swing. Normally it’s all about apples, pumpkins and squash this time of year. And up here in the Hudson Valley, it’s ALL about apples. Apple ciders, the sweet chewy kind, and hard ciders, the alcoholic kind. My season eats include a few additional veg and fruit. I love pears and did a little pear comparison back in January that you might like. Kumquats, I don’t see here, but there were plentiful in California. And I’m alway itching to make myself eat more greens, so i’ll attempt to find some escarole and make something with it.
As for apples, Tantillo Farms in Gardiner is one of many orchards, it was voted top five places for the best apple cider donuts. They were warm and sugary and oh so good, barely made it home with any left over. Apple picking is all the rage up here and a great outdoor activity for the whole family, in normal times we would be all over it. Angry Orchard, who makes amazing hard ciders is up here too. This was a favorite stop for us to go try some free cider samples and sit outside near the orchards. They also sale apple cider donuts if remember correctly filled with cannoli cream. During these pandemic times they have outdoor seating only by reservation. Which is good as it limits the number of people there. We’re still not comfortable with eating out, we’re not feeling the need to make any unnecessary risks. This is a sacrifice as it’s something we both LOVE to do.
Cooking and baking at home are all good for us. Its given me a chance to try the hard recipes that I never seemed to have the patience for before this. Enjoy the month of October and let me know what you got cooking.
Remember when you could make an appointment at the doctor online or on the phone and just show up for your appointment. Now we have to pre-register before we show up to our appointment, verify we have no symptoms of current said pandemic scare. Remember when we could walk in the doctors office once we arrived? Now we wait in the parking lot and text HERE to a faceless administrator, and then wait for the code word to enter the building. This is an honor system that banks on the fact that we are honest and have no symptoms, what about the asymptomatic people? How are we protected from them and ourselves? Because now all we do is give our code word “water bottle” and we get access in. No temperature check, just make sure I have my mask on and we’re in. We touch nothing that doesn’t need to be touched, hand sanitizer stations everywhere. This is the new normal. Which is a phrase, in itself, that has us all fatigued of saying.
This applies to hair appointments, mask required, temperature check done and sit and get your hair did. Grocery store, where a mask, stand 6 feet apart, don’t put your stuff on the conveyer belt till the person has paid and left the pay station. Get home take out your limited supply of santiziing wipes and clean all products of any potential germ, microbe, deadly disease. New normal. What is normal about any of this, does normal just mean, this is what we do now. I am sure much of what I have been doing now, that I call normal, was a product of a changed system way before my time.
I remember when you didn’t have to put everything through security system at the airport, I could keep my shoes on and not practically undress before getting through the gate. Remember when your friends could wait with you at the gate, or you could see your grandma come out of the plane. You didn’t have to show your ID multiple times before getting on a plane. This was just one of the many changes after September 11, 2001.
I have yet to fly during these uncertain pandemic times, I’m sure that’s a whole other level of change. When will we feel safe to travel? I have friends taking trains across the country, booking their own cabin, own bathroom, staying inside there box for 3 days, food delivered, wearing full on hazmat gear to protect themselves from said disease. This is normal.
Attempting documenting these changes so when I look back I can remember what it was like. Not that I long for the past, that would be tantamont to the slaves who left Egypt and longing for the good food the left behind, forgetting all the pain and suffering they had experience. This is a look back and reflect and move forward with a changed lifestyle. Great quote I heard this week “maintain my life, not my lifestyle.”
Oh yeah and the colors of the world have changed, its Fall up here in the Hudson Valley. Appreciate the blessings and not the maledictions. I’m full of bible references today.
This piece above is my Art. Have you started any new hobbies or resurrected dormant ones during quarantine? I’m mildly startled that the word quarantine just feels so normal to say now.
Each week I make small doodles or drawings in my bullet journal which has evolved from when I first started. It always give me great pleasure to see what I come up with each week. Recently in talking to two friends on separate occasions I realized we all were creating Art. So I scheduled us a Zoom session this past Saturday and we spent over 2 hours chatting, painting, even a bit of silence, like we were all in the same room. This is our “therapy” session and so delightful to be with likeminded friends.
I so dearly miss my weekly ceramic sessions in the Central Valley of Cali. It pains me not to be able to get on a wheel or create something by hand and see the process of firing the clay and watching what color my glaze will really turn out to be. My future studio has now expanded in my mind once again. It will have all these area’s Photography, Art (think messy easel, paint spattered concrete floors) and Ceramics. This is going to be a big studio filled with light filled windows. Well in my mind it will be.
I just bought a stack of watercolor postcards which I can’t wait to start a new series I have in my mind. We shall see what transpires in the coming months.
Have you tried baking bread and it was just always a brick? That’s been my past experience. Like everyone else stuck at home since March I tried my hand at baking bread. I started with something easy. A recipe from PBS of all places. On a sidetrack I’m OBSESSED with PBS. I use this app the most on my Apple TV. How did I NOT know there were recipes too?
It’s called no Knead Bread and it’s the easiest thing ever. You can make this as long as your yeast isn’t expired or you even have yeast. Apparent yeast was another COVID phenomenom of items hoarded or a result of a low supply chain, it was right up there with toilet paper and flour missing from the shelves.
I did try my hand many times at making sourdough bread. It’s the starter, it’s just to much for my mind to remember to feed everyday and then every week. Perhaps if I got a pet maybe i’d be more scheduled and remember this. The one time I did make great starter my bread turned out flat and dense. So I at the moment I’ve once again given up on that. One day I’ll get it right, just not today.
Fresh from the oven, cooled slightly so when you slice it crunches and slathered with butter, it really doesn’t get any better than that. You can do it, it’s about to turn colder, we hope for you in Cali really soon. Temperatures on the East Coast are still a bit warm, but it’s changing, and I can’t wait to bake through my second Winter in New York
OOOOh I miss this random post of the week. Mindless Mondays, just a stream of consciousness. A brain dump of everything going on.
We spent a weekend of people coming in and out of our rental house, since the owners are selling it. Unsettling to have strangers, masked up in your house during these times. And wearing a mask IN YOUR OWN HOUSE. I’m so done with this, but being careful to not let our guard down to keep us safe and healthy.
On the other end, we got out of the house a few times this week. Two haircuts, a distillery visit (outside with masks only) and a nature hike. On the later I discovered that I need hiking boots and am doing a Labor Day boot sale search today. Distillery visit was to Tuttlehilltown Distillery who makes Hudson brand Bourban and a botanical Gin, which we love. We decide after leaving we had our priorities all wacked, buying liquor instead of food.
Living on the East Coast and continuing my slow gardening obsession you notice different plants, and well Hydrangea’s come in so many colors and shapes. In California they are always round and mostly bluish purple, some pink and some white. But the ones here aren’t always round they are more elongated and so pretty. I planted two Hygrangea’s in my garden. One white and round and one white and elongated. Hmmm me and Rob? Don’t answer that. Let’s see what survives the winter. Right now my little garden area outside of my vegetable and herb box is so pretty. I’ll have to see if I can capture what i see. Above is a pink Hydrangea that was just outside the distillery to be enjoyed by all.
Brain dump done. Moving on to Labor Day shopping.
I bought Fall seeds for planting! Who am I? Either i’m going to make this work or I just fell in love with the romance of growing flowers. Floret Flowers has exploded as a flower business. They have been featured in Martha Stewart and are about to be on Chip and Joanna Gaines Magnolia Network. September 1 was the Fall seed sale. I jumped at the chance of being able to grow even one of these beautiful flowers. Above is what I bought, Anemones, Ranunculus, Poppies and Peonies. I am so excited.
If you have followed me on Instagram and my stories you’ll know this Summer I decide to build a raised garden bed. It has been a goal to build for the past 5 years. What are you to do with all this time you have at home and limited food shopping. I needed to get outside. We have a little garden in the back of the place we rent. I labored hard on that garden bed, with help from Rob. There are just things you need two people to do, chicken wire is one of them. He helped me get to the finish line.
Over several days before work, I spent early mornings and evenings when it was the coolest (its HUMID in NY) putting it together. Here’s how it turned out. I couldn’t be prouder.
While building it I conducted a Instagram Story poll on whether I should paint it black or keep in natural. I always thought natural was the way to go, but i wanted it to blend in with my current yard and fence. So while the poll taken said to keep in natural, I went with my inspirations from Pinterest and stained it black. Super happy about that decision. I also spent weeks researching how to build this and keep all the critters out that I’ve watch in the past year from my window.
Here are all the sources I referenced for building this box and the costs to complete it. Please note for the wood I chose Cedar, which is more expensive, but should be able to handle the elements of nature. With the exception of the cover, that was Pine. We’ll see how that holds up over a NY Winter. Costs do not include plants, especially as some were gifted to me.
It was a true labor of love:
Easy DIY Garden Bed Cover Tutorial
Costs
Wood for Box $127.81
Wood for Cover $16.66
Screws $12.98
Chicken Wire $27.02
Valspar Tinted Stain $33.49
Paint Brush $13.48
Plastic drop cloth $3.38
Soil Delivery $155.00
TOTAL $389.92
It’s already September 2020. Where did 2020 go? Down in history we all hope. It’s been the longest and shortest year all at the same time. I live in a new area since I last posted in February 2019. Since that time we have moved from the West Coast to the East Coast. It might as well be another continent. I’m still figuring out the seasons, literally, and what is available that’s locally grown. There are a couple of great stores here that sell locally grown fruit and vegatables. My shopping expeditions are limited, due to this pandemic situation, for those reading this in 2030 (I so hope your not reading this in 2030), it’s the COVID Pandemic of 2020, let’s hope it doesn’t last too much past this nutty year.
I’ve not explored past my regular supermarket, here it’s called Hannefords, and an occasional hour drive to Trader Joes. Of the images above i think i’m most likely to explore the figs the most. But I’m kind of craving something simple with melon and proscuitto. That’s always a good sweet and savory combo. I love pomegranites and hope to secure some, last year i was gifted quite a few, I know they aren’t cheap to buy, so let’s see if these even grow well on the east coast.
Do you find when you move that your a little stunted in the cooking area? I’ve moved twice in the past 5 years and both times I just forgot what I use to make. Moving here to New York, completely stumped us. It took my friend visiting in October (that would be about 5 months after moving here) to figure out what to make. She really helped me get out of the cooking rut. That’s not to say we don’t OFTEN go to our regular taco mode, super easy and simple to make. But i did start dusting off my cookbooks and we shared a few recipes to get us in the mode.
Then the Pandemic. Oy vey, I need to write a post on all the baking I did. To my defense it was still winter here in New York, my favorite time to bake. Although the heat never stopped me either. I’ll write all about the hard recipes I tried, i feel like I really pushed myself out of my cooking funk. In the meantime, let’s celebrate what we CAN do and that’s eat locally grown foods. Try and find out what’s fresh and in season in your area and act like your on “Chopped” open that basket and use your creativity to make something delicious. Enjoy Fall or Autumn, depending on where you live. This is my second favorite time of year after Spring. It’s the changing of the seasons I love. And Fall in New York is amazing.
In the month of February these are some of the fruit and veg that are in season Grapefruit, Anjou Pears, Hedgehog mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli, and butternut squash.
This month I focused on Asparagus. According to the Farmers Almanac it may take 2 - 3 years to truly get started and producing. So patience is required…I think I’ll have to work on this one.
Because Asparagus don’t like to be sitting in wet dirt, this plant is ideal for raised vegetable boxes or in the dirt when the soil can be tilled, make sure you have good drainage. Typically Asparagus are planted in the Spring.
Dig shallow trenches of about 12 inches wide and 6 inches deep (or 8 inches if you have sandy soil and 4 inches if you have especially heavy soil).
Space the crowns 12 to 18 inches apart in rows that are 4 to 5 feet apart. Spread the roots out in the trench with the buds pointing upward.
After planting, completely fill in the trench with soil. (Though commonly done in the past, it’s not necessary to gradually fill in the furrow as the plants grow.)
When the trench is filled, add a 4 to 8 inch layer of mulch and water regularly.
Do not harvest the spears in the first year (the plant needs time to grow out its root system), but cut down dead foliage in late fall and side-dress with compost.
During the second year, keep the bed thickly mulched, side-dress in spring and early fall, and cut down dead foliage in late fall.
Harvesting (directions from Farmers Almanac)
Asparagus can take three growing seasons to harvest, though you may be able to lightly harvest during the second year.
In the first year, just let the asparagus go vegetative to give the crown a chance to get well established. Next spring, remove the old fern growth from the previous year, and keep an eye open for the new spears beginning to emerge.
Harvest spears at approximately 8 inches tall, cutting the spears off with a knife or scissors at the soil line.
Check your plant every other day for harvest-ready spears. Spears grow quickly and may become too woody before you know it!
Stop harvesting spears when the diameter of the spears decreases to the size of a pencil. At that point, it’s time to let them grow and gain strength for next spring.
While cleaning out our garage a few months ago I went through boxes of keepsakes that I was holding on for WAY TOO long. But I did find this recipe card from a dear friend that was given to me at my Bridal Shower. I made sure to make it this month as Asparagus was abundant at the local grocery stores and I still have loads of lemons.
I made this recipe and it was delicious I may have put more lemon juice then required, but it was still tasty. I wanted to explore Butternut Squash this past month but just ran out of time. Only 28 days in the month and boy does that fly. Enjoy whatever you made this past month.
About three years ago I moved from Southern California to Central California. I’m in a very agricultural area where about 90% of the food consumed in California is grown here. Due to the lack of farm to table (go figure) restaurants in the area I have been cooking and baking more. Just about 3 years ago I started monthly drawings of fruit and vegetables that were in season. Many of them cross over into more than just one month. However, I chose those of which I would like to know more about, use in recipes, and generally want to challenge myself in understanding what we eat and where it comes from. #whereyourfoodgrows
In January and February what I saw in the grocery store were Pears. I grabbed four different Pears, one of which is shown in this months drawing. Which one do I like, what’s the difference other than color, which would work for what kind of recipe. So here are my amateur notes on this exploration and a great resource https://usapears.org where i found much of the history of Pears.
Bosc (BAHsk) Drawn above have a curved stem and elongated neck that widens gradually to a full rounded base creates that is unique among pears. Bosc colors look like warm cinnamon brown with deep rusts on the surface of the skin. Many artists use these type of pears in their still life paintings, which is probably why I was drawn to including it in this months watercolor.
Bosc pears have a more firm and are ideal for use in baking, broiling or poaching. I found their consistency dense but flavor very sweet.
It remains a matter of contention whether Bosc are of Belgium or French origin. Bosc Pears were discovered sometime in the early 1800's. Some refer to them as Beurré Bosc which means "buttery" and named after M. Bosc who was the director of the Paris Botanical Garden.
In the United States the variety was first planted in 1832 or 1833, and those trees first bore fruit in 1836. The first plantings were done in the eastern U.S., on large estate orchards and later commercial orchards. Bosc are grown largely in the Northwest, these trees seem to thrive best in the soil and climate of the Pacific Northwest states of Oregon and Washington. (source USpears.org)
Bartlett ( BART-let) carries a true "pear shape:" a rounded bell on the bottom half of the fruit. Bartlett’s often found in local grocery stores are green, they change to yellow as they ripen at home when left at room temperature.
Sliced Bartlett on top of a green salad with your favorite dressing or freshly sliced wedges with cheese for an appetizing snack. Any recipe calling for apples can be made using fresh pears. I found these much softer than the bosc pear and more of a champagne taste.
The variety of pears were discovered originally in 1765 by a schoolmaster in England named Mr. Stair, the Bartlett was first referred to as Stair's Pear. A nurseryman named Williams later acquired the variety, and after introducing it to the rest of England, the pear became known as the Williams Pear. Around 1799, Mr. James Carter imported several Williams trees to the United States, and they were planted on the grounds of Thomas Brewer in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Later, Enoch Bartlett of Dorchester, Massachusetts acquired the Brewer estate. Not knowing the identity of the trees, Bartlett propagated and introduced the variety to the United States under his own name. It was not until 1828, when new trees arrived from Europe, that it was realized that Bartlett and Williams pears were one in the same. By then it was too late... the variety had become widely popular in the U.S. under its adopted name: the Bartlett. (source USpears.org)
D’Anjou (ON-ju) D’Anjou, also know as d'Anjou pears are thought to have originated in Belgium, and they are named after the Anjou region in France. The variety was introduced to England early in the 19th century. Called Beurré d' Anjou, they were introduced to America in about 1842. They are recognizable for their egg-shaped appearance, having a larger spherical lower portion that begins a gradual taper above the mid-point to a narrower rounded top. Their skin color is bright green, and sometimes has a soft red blush.
The Anjou is an all-purpose pear. They are juicy when ripe, with a hint of lemon-lime flavor. They hold up well in baking, poaching, roasting, or grilling and they are delicious when sliced fresh in salads or eaten as a snack. This pear was sweet with almost an apple taste to them
Red D’Anjou (ON-ju) Recognizable for their egg-shaped appearance, having a larger round lower portion that taper above the mid-point to a narrower rounded top, like an egg. The color of Red Anjous varies from pear to pear, however, they are generally dark maroon in color, sometimes with light vertical streaks of color that were naturally created by the sun while the pear was still on the tree. The red D’Anjou was more grainy in texture then the green version.
I’ve made Pear Clafoutis before and usually use the the Bartlett or D’Anjou Pears for those. Its a simple recipe and delicious. I can’t remember which recipe I used for the version above, but I love the layout of the fruit compared to ones i see online. Ina likes to add Pear brandy and Martha likes to add dried cherry’s. You can’t go wrong with either of their recipes and Epicurious has a great one to.
However you eat your pears, enjoy their flavors and texture and consume them with your favorites. Pastry wrapped pears with vanilla ice cream and drizzled chocolate, sliced on a salad, poached in a wine sauce, or simply sliced over a salad or a snack with some sharp cheddar cheese. Enjoy!
About a year ago I realized while my work life is very organized, my personal life is even fuller and a bit less organized. I needed to start keeping a journal, but not the ones of my youth, which I've shredded or burned, who really wants to read about all their angst.
I had heard about bullet journals, but had no idea what they were. As I started to look online at different types I was immediately drawn to the pictures or graphics people put on their journals. That had me, any excuse to draw or doodle, I'm all over it, and if it helps me get organized then super bonus.
So almost a year later my doodles have changed, my watercolor skills slowly improving, and this past month I've explored road trip scenes in America. So here is a sneak peak at this weeks journal. I am a bit behind in my reading schedule and I find when there is a week I'm not keeping this journal then nothing gets read and I feel like my week is a bit all over the place.
Do you bullet journal or do any journal type of entries? I would love to hear about them and be inspired by what you do.
When I post anything on Instagram that has "Gluten free" in the description I usually get quite a few asks on the recipe, this gluten free almond cake was no exception. While I am not a professional recipe tester, I have found an awesome gluten free mix that I can't brag enough about. It's actually from the Huckleberry Cookbook by author Zoe Nathan. I make this in advance and just substitute it for when a recipe calls for regular or cake flour.
Gluten free flour mix from Huckleberry Cookbook
2 ¾ cups brown rice flour
1 ¾ cups oat flour
1 ¾ cups potato starch
½ cup cornmeal
Almond Cake Ingredients (adapted from Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis)
1/2 cup fine yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup gluten free flour mix from Huckleberry Cookbook
1 tsp baking powder
1 stick (4 ounces or 1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup almond paste, cut into half-inch pieces
1 1/4 cups confectioners' (powdered sugar) sugar, plus more for dusting
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup sour cream
Raw almond slices
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease an 8-inch round cake pan with vegetable spray or butter and flour the cake pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, gluten-free flour and baking powder and set aside.
Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, I have a KitchenAid, or you can use a hand-mixer, beat the butter and almond paste on high speed until smooth, takes up to 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low and slowly add powdered sugar also called confectioners sugar. Mix until thoroughly combined till it's light and fluffy. Increase speed to high and add the vanilla extract, whole eggs and egg yolks. Add the eggs 1 at a time. Mix until well combined. Reduce speed to medium and add the sour cream and dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. I added sliced almonds on top to give the take even more texture. Bake in the lower third of the oven for 35 minutes, or until the cake is golden and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool. Remove from pan and dust with confectioners' sugar if you'd like. Looks fine without it too.
I polled my Instagram followers on what topping to put on the cake and well Cardamom Whipped Cream won. I basically whipped up some heavy whipping cream and added some cardamom, a sprinkle of sugar and a dash of vanilla extract until i liked the tasted. It was the perfect compliment to this cake.
Enjoy.
Peaches are in season and once again a friend dropped off a bounty of peaches and plums. I saw a post on Instagram of individual peach tarts and decide right then I was going to make a peach tart. It looked like they may have added a cream to the tart. As live in an almond orchard valley in Central California, you would think almonds would be cheap here, but I've yet to find that. So I decide i was going to figure out how to make almond cream. After a little research I decide to mash up a few recipes to make this delicious Peach Almond Cream recipe. Enjoy this summer delight.
1. Pastry Tart Crust
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold butter (small cubes for easier mixing)
2. Almond Cream
7 ounces almond paste (usually sold on the baking aisle of major grocery stores. In the US it comes in tubes or small 8 oz boxes)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/8 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons Amaretto
3. Peaches and Sugar
2-4 medium peaches, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon Turbinado sugar
Handful sliced almonds
1. Pastry: I use my Cuisinart food processor for this, its the fastest easiest way to make this happen. You could use a pastry cutter and then do a little kneading, into a ball, just be careful to not over knead. For the pastry, place the flour, salt and sugar in the food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse to mix the dry ingredients a few seconds and then add the butter (I cube my butter into small pieces with a knife before putting it the processor), and pulse 10 - 12 times. While the motor is running pour in 1/2 cup of ice water down the feed tube. You will see the pastry quickly comes together into a ball. Dump this onto a floured surface and make sure you knead this into a ball, mine just about always is already in a ball, I just pat it together and wrap in plastic and refrigerate for an hour.
When ready to use take out of the refrigerator for a few minutes before rolling it out. I roll out the tart out just big enough to fit on my cookie sheet. I use either parchment paper or silicone sheet to line my cookie sheet. Fold over the edges to make a nice crust or leave flat.
2. Almond Cream: Place almond paste and butter in a food processor and blend. Add eggs and process until smooth. Add sugar, flour, salt, and Amaretto; process until combined. Pour the almond cream on your rolled out pastry dough. Smooth it a nice even layer over the entire tart (Not the folded over crust if you choose that route)
3. Add sliced peaches in a few rows. Be creative on how you want them to lay out. I like them in long rows. Sprinkle with the Turbinado sugar and almond slices and put in the oven.
Bake for 45 minutes to an hour in a 400 degree oven. Cool, slice and EAT.
Ceramics 101. One thing I always wanted to do is learn how to throw pottery on a wheel. While I have a cousin who has been doing this for years and I've managed to confiscate a few of his pieces I never gave it a spin myself, pun intended.
Oh I've looked into classes when I lived down in LA but for some reason never committed. I think the traffic always deterred me. I was just so happy being in my little apartment box, away from the craziness outside. Well I really don't have that excuse anymore and thru a recommendation I found a class at the local community college which is less than 5 minutes away. I also recruited some of my new friends. I found ladies as excited and willing to jump right in and spin.
I started in October 2016 and took a little break between classes and restarted in January 2017. I am addicted. Admittedly taking the break has made me feel like I have to start all over again on the wheel. But this time around I have things in mind I want to created. At first it was all about making as many things and trying all the glazes. See the image above at all I made in 8 weeks.
This time I am being more purposeful. Taking my time while still trying new techniques. There are so many inspiring people in class, on Pinterest and Instagram that spur me on. I confess i watch the spinning on wheel videos on IG over and over again. I've got a Pinterest board dedicated to all things ceramics, take a look, there is so much talent out there.
What inspires you? Any classes, hobbies your interested in? Love to hear from anyone.
This is starting to become a thing. Every Monday morning I roll out of bed and shuffle to my light filled office (at home east side of house). and take a conference call or catch up on 35 emails. Then I unglue myself from my chair. Why is that so hard when really who wants to work on Mondays? AND then I go to the kitchen and make coffee, do the dishes and then turn around and inevitably something I have baked over the weekend is right there to go with my coffee. So sugar, though not really a good thing for me, is my friend on Monday's morning. If it helps me conquer this day, then why not. Enjoy your Monday.
I feel this way after a stressful day at work. If only I had that dress and actress Margaret Qualley's move. Seriously I've watched this over and over again. Enjoy some crazy, creative and great advertising, makes you want that perfume doesn’t it.
Written & Directed by: Spike Jonze
Actress: Margaret Qualley
Executive Producer: Humberto Leon & Carol Lim
Costumes: Heidi Bivens
Song: Mutant Brain (feat. Assassin) by Sam Spiegel & Ape Drums
Production Design: KK Barrett
Director of Photography: Hoyte van Hoytema
Choreographer: Ryan Heffington
itsweet & savory
Lifestyle blogger who loves coffee, architecture, local cultural interests, good food and travel stories.
