Early Morning Fishing

I crawled out of bed early on my last visit home to Door County. I wont give away Dad’s secret spot but the fish were jumping. We caught mostly Bluegills and Sunfish. Not the biggest fish and they are kind of a pain to clean but they sure are tasty. Dad was sweet enough to fry some fish right up. He puts on a light flour batter and uses his trusty cast iron. Severed piping hot with a little salt they didn’t last long.

Salade Niçoise

In my humble opinion, this is one of those perfect summer meals. I love when a salad becomes a dinner with little effort. I was talking to my dear Mumsie while I put this together I wish she was here to eat it with me. It feels like cheating to throw together hard boiled eggs, blanched green beans, fresh tomatoes, cucumber slices, capers, anchovies fillets and tuna. I'm not sure purest would let me call this Niçoise because of the absence of those fine little Niçoise olives. Oh well, I bet even in Nice they would enjoy this combination of fresh ingredients drizzled with a garlicky balsamic vinaigrette.

Farmers Market

My new favorite

Farmers Market performers.

These stunning variegated Safari Gladiolus were too beautiful to pass up. And at 1$ a stem they were a steal. I arranged a little still life of my market treasures. The purple Amaranth is looking a little sad but I really love it in salads and this might be the last week. My dill died in a wind storm so I have been buying it and putting it in everything. I found some slender green beans and the purple cabbage was calling my name.

blueberries with mango and garam masala

A nice quick breakfast. I really like sweets in the morning so I have been trying to eat fruit. A little bit of garam masala sprinkeled on top is wonderful. This masala has lots of cinnamon and clove. I know they say you need to replace your spices every two years but this blend has to be at least five years old and is still really tasty.

A post for Apryll on Hunter S. Thompson’s Birthday

How would Kentucky boy Hunter S. Thompson celebrate his birthday (if he was alive and all)? Well there would be bourbon involved, I’m sure. I know he was a fan of Wild Turkey but I bet he wouldn’t mind some of this delicious Old Forester Birthday Bourbon.

It’s the perfect night for bourbon neat and some reading. Barreled in 1993 when Apryll and I were in 5th grade. This caramel deliciousness was bottled up in 2006. It tastes like butterscotch and happiness. Two kinds of ice cream. Knowing a secret. Climbing a tree. Sorry… I had a little You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown moment.

Well Apryll, now instead of rolling your eyes at a party when someone doesn’t know what Gonzo Journalism is… you can tell them about your dorky friend that posted a tribute to you, Hunter S. Thompson, and some really good bourbon.

Apryll love hash brown sandwiches, hates picnics and is one of the most clever people I know. If you were here we would drink it on our bunk beds while reading Rum Diary aloud. She would say “Happy Birthday Panda Bear!”

Spicy Tomato Cauliflower Soup

Spicy Tomato Cauliflower Soup Originally uploaded by yellaumbrella

I adore pureed soups. This soup came out of the fact that I couldn’t stand looking at anymore cauliflower. Colleen and I bought a gigantic head of cauliflower at the farmers market. We ate it many times and it never seemed to disappear. I cooked the chopped up cauliflower in stock, added tomato paste and some Sriracha. Seasoned to taste and then pureed with my immersion blender. I blended till very smooth and seasoned again. I topped it off with a locally made Chevre from ShadowBrook Farm and some sage. It is ok cold but it is really delicious hot. My apartment is over air conditions so it nice to have a hot soup even in summer.

Beet Green Ravioli

beet green ravioli Originally uploaded by yellaumbrella

This dish really didn’t work the way I planned. I sautéed up the beet greens with onion. I added some feta and filled wonton wrappers with the filling. I boiled them a little past al dente and toped them with tomato and basil. Colleen said she liked both parts just not together. I wondered if it would have worked better if I pan fried them like pot stickers. The bitterness of the beet green was a bit much too. Maybe a less flavorful cheese like cream cheese would have been better. Something sweet to counter act the bitterness, like honey might be nice.