"participate in food production"

{this is the best I could do}

9. Grow something and eat it. Tomatoes maybe? Basil? Both? Mmmmmm caprese salad. (note to self: mould on cheese does not count)

One of my goals before I turn thirty was to eat something I grew. I once read an essay by Wendell Berry that encouraged the practice of growing at least a little of one’s own food. Like most Canadians I am normally only involved in the consumption part of the agriculture supply chain. As a result I think we run the risk of feeling artificially separated from the source of our food. Wendell Berry is way (WAY) more articulate on the subject so check out his essay for a more eloquent synopsis of my motivation for this particular goal.

Since I have no garden to speak of and the opposite of a green thumb I thought that caprese salad would be a good place to start. The plan was to grow basil and a few tomatoes, how hard could that be? As it turns out, pretty hard.

First my basil was eaten up by what I can only imagine were very hungry earwigs (way less cute than their caterpillar counterparts). Then my cherry tomatoes exploded as I waited for them to ripen perfectly (they actually exploded – for real). No tomatoes, no basil, no caprese.

I felt dejected for several months.

Then last week I revisited my list and surveyed my options. They were slim. I had some gnarly looking chives that I once saw my neighbours’ cat nibbling and some woody thyme. Then Nicholetta posted a recipe for roasted cauliflower soup on her blog – it called for one of my two viable ingredients – thyme (she didn’t specify that it should be woody, but I doubted it mattered much). 

So, there it is, roasted cauliflower and thyme soup. Something I grew myself.

I know it is a stretch.

Wendell Berry would be disgusted I am quite sure of it.

At least it is a start? Last year I grew nothing that I ate. Baby steps.

Next year I will try to up the ante and disqualify herbs from my challenge – what is the easiest thing in the world to grow? A potato? I was born on PEI…

xo

Em

je ne sais quoi

{beet and goat cheese panini}

I mentioned in my last post that I have recently started using Pinterest. My first foray into pinterest-recipe-dom was less than successful (see severed bundt cake), but I figured that was mostly my fault. No, that was completely my fault. Patience has never been my strong suit. After my initial experience my faith in myself may have faltered, but my faith in Pinterest remained steadfast. 

Enter the beet and goat cheese grilled cheese. 

Let me stop right there. How good does that sandwich sound? Right? I love beets and I love goat cheese -- slap on a little arugula and fire that baby in a panini press -- delish. Or not. Last night Jeff and I tried this recipe and although it wasn't offensive, I can't really say anything good about it. It was definitely lacking...je ne sais quoi. Not even a generous amount of sea salt could rescue my taste buds from the monotony of this sandwich. The word "blah" is coming to mind. 

What went wrong? I bought fresh beets at the market, they were sweet, soft and the most beautiful shade of pink. The goat cheese I used was good too -- we got it at Fox Hill Cheese (also at the market) and they never disappoint. What else can I blame? Myself -- an obvious choice, but surely even an imbecile can put together a sandwich. Then it dawned on me -- pinterest is the culprit. 

If other "pinners" are like me, they pin things that look good, not things that are good necessarily. I doubt many "pinners" do their due diligence and vet every recipe they pin. That would be exhausting. So how do you know if a recipe on pinterest is good? 

More importantly what could I add to this sandwich to give it a kick? Jeff said meat, but I disagree. Maybe caramelized onions? What do you think, is this sandwich worth saving?

xo

Em

in pictures

{Valley Girl of the Annapolis variety}

This weekend was full of fresh blueberries and fresh babies. I took pictures of the blueberries, but I was too busy ogling to take even one snapshot of either the two beautiful baby girls I snuggled on Friday and Saturday. Speaking of babies, with the amount of corn and blueberries Violet consumed in the last two days I am truly grateful we are out of the diaper phase!

Because it is literally too humid to type (my old computer is heating up my lap and making me sweat in an unladylike fashion), I will share some of my favourite pictures from this weekend with you.

xo

em

caramelized garlic tart

{three heads of garlic in one little pie - yum}

Last night we went to our friends house for a BBQ. It was a potluck and we had promised to bring an appetizer. What says BBQ like a caramelized garlic tart....I'm not sure what I was thinking. The good news is that the tart was yummy so it didn't really matter that it was a totally off-beat addition to the party. On the way to our friend's house Jeff kept saying, we should have made chicken wings Em, we should have made chicken wings. Next time I'll have to remember the context, opps!

Yotam Ottolenghi has not disappointed us yet. This tart is another of his creations. Jeff described it as "absolutely amazing" and our host for the evening requested that next time we get together we have it again. I think that means we have another winner. Thank you Yotam for single-handedly convincing my husband a meal can be complete without meat (although in addition to the tart Jeff had three burgers...)

My only issue with the tart is the puff pastry. I have never used it before and I have to say I was not a big fan. The crust shrank when I baked it (even though I lined it with parchment and used beans in lieu of pie weights). It didn't puff up nearly as much as I thought it would either. Way to not live up to your name puff pastry. It wasn't a big deal, but next time I would take the extra time and make a regular pie crust from scratch.

Caramelizing the garlic (the recipe calls for three whole heads, it seems like a lot, but just go for it, the taste is so mellow and the garlic is so creamy it doesn't overpower the cheese and the herbs) was a little intimidating. I always get nervous adding water to a hot pan with oil in it. Does anyone have and advice about how to avoid explosions? The addition was uneventful this time, but we've had issues in the past which always makes me nervous.

I think I am sending mixed messages about this dish. I started off saying it was amazing and have criticized it ever since. I really liked it, I swear! It is simpler than I let on: bake the crust, caramelize the garlic, then toss in cheese and a simple custard with fresh herbs. I wouldn't make this on a weeknight necessarily (the garlic takes awhile to get nice and brown and sticky) but I would make it again for a lunch or a "light" supper. Of course I use light in the loosest since of the term, the tart is full of cheese and has a healthy dose of creme fraiche, but like I said about the garlic, just go for it! You won't regret it.

xo

Em

You can find the recipe here: http://britishfood.about.com/od/adrecipes/r/caramelisedgarlictart.htm

{would it be disingenuous to say this thyme is from my garden?}

clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose

{my husband who loves to cook}

On Monday night Jeff made Nigel Slater's Thai Chicken Salad for supper. Carrots, cucs & sprouts came to life with a healthy dose of chillies and fresh citrus. Perhaps the dish would be better suited to lunch time, or maybe a light outdoor supper in the summer. Not fare typically eaten on snowy nights in March, but the heat of the dish certainly kept us warm!

Check it out here (scroll down half the page or so): http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2001/jun/10/foodanddrink.recipes3

{pizza - in almost every form}

Salvatore's make the best pizza in Halifax. Can I say that? There are so many "kinds" of pizza I feel like it is almost unfair comparing them. We love Kit Kat for greasy pizza, the Wooden Monkey for the best topping selection & combinations and Morris East because of its sentimental value (we had our first date there) and the wicked chilli oil, but for Friday Night Fun Night (we actually call it that) overall satisfaction we'll take Salvatore's every time.

Try "The Original", it will change your life (or at least the way you view pizza).

Visit them in the Hydrostone Market: http://www.salvatorespizza.ca/

{sledding, minus (most of) the snow}

Violet wanted to go sledding today. There might have been 5 cm of snow on the hill and that is being generous. After work we trudged (an accurate description, the ground was super muddy where the snow had melted) to a nearby park and hit the slopes. Make that slope (singular) - more of a slight decline really. Despite all this, we had a blast (for a while, then we all got cranky!)

{jane austen & tea}

I love surprises and I love presents so imagine my delight when I arrived home one night this week to find a birthday present waiting for me on my front step. My sweet friend told me to expect something, but I didn't know when it would come or what it would be. As far as choosing the perfect gift, she nailed it. Now I am able to combine two of my great loves: Jane Austen and tea. The quote is from Emma. The mug is from Etsy. What a lovely combination!

What are you grateful for this week?

xo

Em

clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose

{starting a conversation}

I'm grateful that I am free to write about whatever I want to write about, no matter how insignificant someone (read: a certain Globe and Mail columnist) might think it is. On the plus side Margaret Wente was not my least favourite Globe columnist this week...

Try this tofu and cashew rice bowl for healthy comfort food. Perfect on a damp Halifax day. 

Check out the recipe here: http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-brown-rice-bowl-with-tofu-and-lemongrass-166713

{judge this book by its cover}

With my to-do list in mind, and my birthday a mere 360 days away  I though I better start on my Dickens adventure. My sweet grandparents sent me some birthday money (I told them this tradition had to stop when I hit the big 3-0) so I bought this pretty copy of Great Expectations. My expectations are just that, great. If it doesn't work out at least this book with look good on my shelf.

{turkey cakes with wasabi guacamole}

This photo does not do justice to our dinner tonight. The lighting was terrible (we ate late) and Violet had low blood sugar (at least that is what I assumed as she lay wailing on the dining room floor). Despite the lighting and the meltdown, these little ditties are an awesome, fancy, asian version of a turkey burger. Also, guacamole with wasabi is best described as the delicious love child of Mexican and Japanese food: I'm never going back. How have I never heard of Yotam Ottolenghi until this week? Spicy, Isreali...not to mention his food. Dreams really do come true. 

check out the recipe here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/sep/30/turkey-cake-yoghurt-dip-recipes?intcmp=239

{memories like this}

{of experiences like that}

Violet got a tricycle for her birthday. Thanks Nana and Papa! Yesterday was so warm we took it out for a spin after work. When we left the house I snapped a few pictures of her; she was so happy and excited. Two minutes later, when she realized that peddling is hard, a cloud came across her face. We made it less than a block, there were tears. Despite this, I know when I look back on these pictures I'll only remember how proud she looked in her new helmet. 

spring & mung beans

{carrot & mung bean salad}

{restoring the Pond family's faith in legumes, one dish at a time}

I don't want to jinx anything, but it totally felt like spring today did it not? I saw crocuses on my walk home from work. Crocuses in March? In Halifax? Is it too much to hope that we may actually have spring this year?

Every year around this time I become increasingly envious of my West Coast friends. It is bad enough they have both mountains and the ocean, they also experience a bonafide spring on an annual basis. Imagine that. Speaking of the West Coast, I have to thank my good friend Jackie for passing along the recipe for tonights offering.

Jackie and her husband Craig were the first foodies I ever met. They ate things like dark chocolate and plain yogurt when I was still in my mini-egg/mini-go phase. Jackie recently offered to pass along a few of her favourite recipes, I couldn't wait to try something.

I have to be totally honest, it was Jeff not I who made supper tonight. I was just the middle man between Jackie's great recipe and Jeff's culinary prowess. Whatever works, and work it did. The salad, which could easily be served as a main course (and was for half of our family), is absolutely delicious. There is nothing too exciting about carrots or mung beans, I know; it is the salty feta, the warm and surprising fennel seeds, the freshness of the lemon zest and the depth of the garlic that make this dish sing.

Jeff was skeptical. You may recall the Great White Bean and Kale Disaster of 2011. After that Jeff seemed to lose faith in legumes. Slowly but surely, one delicious lentil dish at a time, his faith is being restored. Not enough to stop him from adding these to tonight's menu:

{plan B}

Jeff needn't have worried, the carrot and mung bean salad was gobbled up faster than the turkey sausages, and with Violet and Jeff at the table, that says something.

The texture (both the carrots and the beans retain just enough firmness), the flavour (a welcome surprise of strong, complementary spices and ingredients) and likely the heath benefits (unknown, but presumed numerous) make this dish a winner. The prep time wasn't bad either (30 minutes). Best of all it only looked like a small cyclone had gone through our wee kitchen. Everyone is happy!

xo

Em

tonight's recipe can be found here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/oct/21/bean-salad-lentil-soup-recipes

the lowly lentil

{Nicholetta's curried lentil and quinoa salad}

As I have mentioned before (here and here) I try to feed my family heathy meals. I feel like I need evidence to support this claim given the volume of refined sugar I have displayed on this little blog. The beginning of the year really is birthday mania in the Pond/Harris clan and despite the fact that my own special day is less than a week away I feel more like cleansing than indulging.

Enter the lowly lentil.

My friend recently connected me with another local blogger Nicholetta at Pepper and Paint. After seeing her site I knew I wanted to try one of her recipes. She is an exceptional photographer so if are interested in step by step instructions accompanied by gorgeous images of how to make the dish above head over to her website. The recipe is her own by the way, as in not from a cookbook. Pretty impressive.

True to form I made a few *slight* errors in the preparation of this dish; I forgot to pick up a red pepper so I grabbed a cuc (good for flavour, not so good for adding colour) and I cut back on the olive oil (not because I wanted to make the dish lighter but because I ran out). Despite my missteps the dish was really yummy. Even Jeffrey liked it (though he did comment it tasted healthy). The only thing I would say is that if you make the dish for a crowd that doesn't like a little spice, maybe cut back in that department.

Violet has a love/hate relationship with spicy food. She normally cries her way through it with a big glass of milk. Before you call CPS she does this of her own accord. She loves the flavour of curries and the like, but the heat makes her weepy. What can I say, she is a piece of work that girl.

In other Violet related news (which is not even tangentially related to the rest of this post), as I pulled her out of the tub tonight she made a couple funny noises and busted a couple really hilarious dance moves.

"What are you doing silly girl" I asked.

She stared me straight in the eye and then burst into song, "Baby I was born this way."

Lady Gaga, from a three year old. Now you can call CPS.

xo

Em

tonight's recipe can be found here: http://www.pepperandpaint.com/-pepper-paint/2012/2/3/curried-lentil-quinoa-salad-with-toasted-pumpkin-seeds-dried.html

a step in the right direction

{carrot cupcakes with goat cheese and maple syrup icing}

A friend recently asked me to recommend a healthy, but still tasty cupcake recipe for her son's first birthday. The birthday boy needed a baby friendly amount of sugar, but his big sister had to be into the taste too. I was at a loss. 

Most of (all of) the sweets I make are decidedly unhealthy. Health is something I take seriously; we eat loads of veggies, fruits and fish, I promise. But when it comes to sweets I normally throw caution to the wind.

I read an article by my mentor Nigella (I'm only partially joking) where she explained her philosophy toward eating; there are normal everyday meals where health and moderation ought to be guiding principles and then there is celebration eating, a time of community and indulgence. I am paraphrasing but that was what I took away from the article and I like that approach to eating.

Nonetheless, I couldn't believe I was at a loss for a "healthy" dessert recipe, and then I remembered I had taken part in a recipe exchange a few months ago. It was kind of like a chain letter; I forget the details but the outcome was essentially an inbox full of delicious recipes. One of the recipes I received was for carrot cupcakes with goat cheese icing.

The cupcakes are not healthy like kale is healthy but they are a heck of a lot healthier than the cupcakes I made last weekend. First of all they have two vegetables in them: carrots and zucchini. They also have apples and perhaps most impressively no butter. Even the "icing" is healthy; instead of butter and sugar it is made out of goat cheese and maple syrup.

I couldn't wait to give them a try. The part of the preparation I disliked the most was grating the veggies and the apples. It isn't hard but it is tedious. A food processor would have made short work of the job but Violet was sleeping when I made these and despite the fact we have a state of the art machine I am wary of using it. As I mentioned before I have had a few run ins with small appliances in the past few weeks and I can only imagine the mess I could make with that amount of horse power. The batter wasn't the most appealing thing I've ever laid my eyes on, but that would be asking a lot of most batters. I let it go.

{uncooked}

{if it looks like carrot cake and smells like carrot cake...}

The cupcakes smelled awesome while they were baking. Just like carrot cake I dare say (although I am almost embarrassed to admit I have never made carrot cake). When I pulled them out they looked great. I envisioned the cupcakes would look healthy - like little dense muffins. I was wrong.

I waited for the cupcakes to cool and slathered one in the goat cheese icing.

I broke a piece off one and gave some to Jeff.

Goat cheesy was my first thought. Too goat cheesy was my second.

Jeff said, "that isn't a cupcake, that is a muffin."

He had a point. 

I tried another piece with just a little of the "icing"  - delish. My advice is use the goat cheese icing sparingly. It doesn't taste like cream cheese icing on a carrot cake, but your heart will thank you!

I decided to send the remaining eleven muffin/cupcakes to my mum's school. She recently told me they were out of the snacks they give kids who don't have any lunch. I'm sure the kids would prefer a fruit roll-up but my muffin/cupcakes were made with love. The same cannot be said of a fruit roll up.

So what do you think, are these muffin/cupcakes healthy? Do you have any recipes for healthy sweets that are actually yummy? I'd love some suggestions.

xo

Carrot Cupcake Recipe

for the cupcakes:

  - 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  - 3/4 cup white sugar
  - 1/4 cup brown sugar
  - 1/2 cup vegetable oil 
  - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  - 2 cups shredded carrots
  - 1/2 cup shredded zucchini
  - 1/2 cup shredded apple
  - 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  - 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
  - 1/2 teaspoon salt
  - 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  - 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  - 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

for the frosting:

  - 1 long round of goat cheese at room temperature
  - enough maple syrup to get the consistency you want

Cupcake method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Set the round of goat cheese out to warm up.
  3. Beat together the eggs, white sugar, and brown sugar in a bowl, and

  mix in the oil and vanilla. Fold in carrots, apple and zucchini. In a

  separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and
  ginger. Mix flour mixture into the carrot mixture until evenly moist.
  Transfer to the prepared muffin cups or baking tin.

  4. Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted

  in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
  5. Let cool before frosting.

Frosting Method

  1. Beat together the goat cheese and one tablespoon of maple syrup until

  blended.
  2. Check to taste, add more syrup for more flavour. You'll need about a
  quarter cup of syrup for the frosting to have a strong maple flavour. The
  more syrup you add, the more liquid the frosting gets, so you may have to
  chill it or apply the frosting a few times as it tends to drip. 

zuppa di giorno

{Ina's roasted vegetable soup, Ellen's homemade bread}

Jeff and I try to buy most of our meat at the farmer's market. Since we can't dine on nine dollar chicken breasts every night we've introduced lots of veggie options into our weekly menu. I will admit this endeavour has had varying degrees of success. A certain white bean and kale dish is easily the worst meal I have ever made. On the other hand we've found a few gems. Micheal Smith's rice and lentils are a family favourite -- they are filling and cost pennies to make. We've also discovered the joy of a simple soup. Seriously, I am filled with joy when I get home from work and all I have to do is reheat a soup we made on the weekend. So easy, so quick, so little mess.

Last Thursday it took Violet and I forever to get home after work. It was the first day of the transit strike and traffic was a nightmare (I know I risk sounding like a complainer, I am very grateful to have a car I promise). Anyway, when we got home Jeff was making dinner. Sweet husband, I thought.

I noticed that the soup pan was on the burner, and that the burner was on medium high heat. Curious, I thought.

"Hun, why is the burner on with nothing in the pan? " I asked.

"I am heating it up like I always do..." 

Jeff is undoubtedly a better cook than me. I was skeptical about this method but I was tired and Violet was cranky so I took her into the dining to colour while he made dinner.

A few minutes later I saw flames out of the corner of my eye. I heard Jeff scream, "What the cuss!"

"I told you that was I bad idea Jeff!" I yelled to the kitchen, the fact he might have been burned overshadowed by my indignation. 

I went to the kitchen and surveyed the damage - there were chopped vegetables everywhere.

Jeff gave me permission to share this story only if I didn't exaggerate. I want to say, and I truly believe, that there were vegetables all over the kitchen. He says they flew two feet max. Either way, Violet and I had nutella wraps for supper. Jeff had humble pie.

Seeing as he really is a sweet husband, Jeff sought to rectify the soup debacle this weekend. He made two delicious soups and popped them in the freezer. So tonight we enjoyed Ina Garten's roasted vegetable soup, no explosions. 

The soup is so easy. Roast vegetables, puree with warm chicken stock and enjoy. We used carrots, sweet potato and squash. When you buy the squash already cut up this soup takes almost no time. When you buy the whole squash it takes forever and you risk losing a finger - your call. We've made this soup four or five times and every time it tastes a little different. It depends on the ratio of the veggies. I like that it always changes it keeps things interesting - not as interesting as fire balls above the stove, but this is more my pace anyway.

xo

{Simple and delicious}