Summer is here. I mean, really, it is finally here to stay. Beautiful, bountiful, baskets of fresh fruit and vegetables call out to me at our local Farmer’s market. I couldn’t resist. This weekend was not unlike most other weekends which involve a bit of cooking, some meal prep for the week ahead and good company, too.
Cherry Pie. With a “Go Big or Go Home” attitude, I passed on the typical 8-inch pie dish and made a slab pie. The ingredient list for both the pie was short and sweet. Sour cherries, flour, butter, salt, sugar and cornstarch and that is how it should be. A homemade, all-butter pie crust can’t be beat for taste.
And while the pie was cooling, I managed a few snacks that would hold everyone over until dinner and … pie.
Toasted bread with cream cheese and macerated strawberries topped with basil and a few cracks of black pepper. Surprisingly savory and a perfect bite with a light white wine before dinner.
Not particularly different from any other days other than the fact that Evan and I actually captured our culinary output on camera while running after the kids, enjoying Philadelphia, and much-deserved time with my parents. Cookbooks, blogs, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter are full of single shots of delicious eats but they don’t often give us a glimpse into a full day in the kitchen. I am going further and sharing a weekend. The farmer’s markets brimming with strawberries and vegetables have inspired me in the kitchen. Our local HeadHouse Square farmer’s market looked like an explosion of bright red and green. Had we not been limited by the one tote we brought with us, I would have bought every radish and green in sight.
So here goes… two days in our culinary life:
Tomatoes aren’t really in season yet but parsley, young red onions, and garlic are bountiful. I roasted the tomatoes in the oven until they were bursting with sweet-sour flavor and dressed in an herbaceous vinaigrette. It was sunny bright.
Earthy and flavorful is this deep-roasted broccoli with oven-fried garlic. Some florets are verdant green while others are crispy-baked. A perfect side served room temperature and just as good cold in the evening. Healthy, too.
Speaking of healthy but more importantly, absolutely delicious. This is the one dish I did not cook. My mom made this gorgeous, chilled borscht topped with sour cream, grated egg, scallion, cucumber and dill. Mouthwateringly delicious and perfect on a hot summer’s day.
Some go goo-goo for pasta salads but I find them to be too rich, too heavy and laden with cheese and unbalanced vegetables. Instead, I opt for a quinoa salad. Same principle… herbs, veggies if you’d like, and a light olive oil vinaigrette. This one has lightly pickled onions, garlic, and some herbs. These easy oven-baked chicken thighs have made regular appearances at our dinner table the last few weeks and for good reason, too. They are so very delicious, a synch to make, and fill the house with the most beautiful aroma.
Corn chowder, to me, is a summer affair. This one is a very light version of Corn Chowder sans bacon and with part-skim milk. Light and refreshing it pleased even the tiniest of taste buds.
Eggplant is such a favorite at our house. Baked, sautéed, stewed, stuffed and even steamed, we eat it year-round and I cook it in the Italian, Turkish, Japanese, Indian and Azeri styles. Every which way it is unforgettable. This is pan-fried eggplant topped with a dill and garlic crema. It is my most favorite preparation because that’s how I grew up eating it.
And since hot weather, margaritas, happy hours, and siestas are upon us, we make guacamole. Simple. Avocados, red onions, and limes. A favorite snack for everyone … even Eliza.
And if you know me, you know that I am someone who does not like to make dessert optional. The rhubarb season is brief and it is one of the earliest spring plants. Rhubarb is best friends with strawberries but I thought it is special enough to be the star of a sweet ending. Here’s a rhubarb snacking cake. Yum.
Maybe I shouldn’t tell you that completing this culinary line-up are homemade strawberry-creme-fresh and chocolate ice creams. Well, the least I could do is not taunt with pictures. They are mind-blowing.
Whew. That was quite a lineup, wasn’t it. Well, all that cooking didn’t preclude us from enjoying our weekend outside the kitchen. We visited a farmer’s market, the Three Bears Park, and partook in the happenings of Old City. We also went to Spruce Street Harbor Park which has been open for a week, and Sophia has her eyes set on the skating rink at Blue Cross Summerfest. Sophia may be eyeing skating, but I am eyeing those hammocks and beer at Spruce Street Park.
Quality time with Baba and Deda were huge hits for us and the girls. Played out and fed with all sorts of delicious, the girls played with Legos together. Future engineers? I can only hope.
For someone who did not grow up eating salads regularly, I spend an illogically significant amount of time trying new dressings and green combinations. I call it culinary curiosity. Before you jump to conclusions and think I somehow grew up on the white (rice, potatoes, bread and pasta) diet, rest assured that I grew up eating more vegetables and fruits and greens than is typical in even the healthiest of diets.
Our salads, and there were many, were not made up of lettuces, but vegetables and often dressed with delicious dairy-based dressings. They made for tangy and refreshing suppers in the spring and summer and for warming dishes in the cooler winter months. Among them are Vinegret, Olivie, Tomato and Cucumber Salad, Radish Salad, Herring Under a Fur Coat, and many, many others.
Evan has embraced my penchant for these beautiful dishes and in exchange, I have embraced his irrational love for green salads. As if rising to a challenge, he whips up an amazing salad from any combination of greens and vegetables with the grace of a master chef. This particular rendition is no exception. An arugula, spinach, and radicchio base is topped with pink radishes, tomatoes, and cucumbers. A tangy red wine vinaigrette brings together the sweet, salty, and bitter profiles. Oh… and of course crispy bacon and garlicky potato bread croutons for the much needed crunch. Perfection in a bowl in under 15 minutes.
For the first time in what seems like forever, the weather forecast shows that we are not expected to freeze for the next few days and that alone gives me hope that spring may arrive yet. Another sure sign that winter has departed is the arrival (and departure) of the Philadelphia Flower Show. The show is a big event drawing crowds from near and far and reducing the convention center area to a standstill, especially on a weekend when the Reading Terminal Market is in full swing. Having been away for a few years, we decided to partake in what used to be our yearly tradition of visiting the flower show. Sophia went as well, though earlier in the day on Sunday and with my in-laws. This year’s theme was Disney and she was dressed in, according to my mother-in-law, a mandatory princess dress. She put the princess dress on later in the evening and now our entire house (including the toilet seat and now our bums) is covered in glitter. Needless to say, we will be retiring her royal wardrobe as a cost cutting measure since our “palace”, unlike Buckingham, does not employ an extensive cleaning staff. But I digress…
As per usual, there was quite a bit of cooking since we had on-hand help from both sets of grandparents. I made this vanilla-bean raspberry swirl cheesecake that is was divine and so very beautiful. Alas, Sophia has decided that she doesn’t like cheese and even adding cake to the name wouldn’t sway her. Except that she eats mozzarella and cheese ravioli (though we call that just ravioli). Oh well, more for the rest of us.
And when we weren’t visiting the flower show, baking a cheesecake and getting treats from our local ice cream and candy shops trying to soak up every warm ray of sunshine outdoors, we were … living and enjoying.
This move, our life is more than ever crazy, busy, and exhausting. Still, it is thrilling, wonderful and I wouldn’t trade it for all the sand in the Sahara.
Though every day is tasty at our house, there are some days during which we share a special treat. Donuts, Hot Chocolate, Philly Pretzels, and Pizza are good examples. I have to confess to not at all liking, no, disliking, okay really disliking soft pretzels. It may have something to do with the fact that I have a mild allergy toward mustard which I imagine is a must on a soft pretzel or the fact that I didn’t grow up eating them.
Despite keeping tabs on whats been going on in the city, we’ve missed out on experiencing culinary happenings while living in Maryland. And so we’ve been slowly trying out all the exciting places that have popped up since 2010 and there have been many. This weekend, we tried out Federal Donuts which were divine. We had high expectations after reading the menu which featured Vanilla Lavender, Blue Velvet, Cherry Pie and Blueberry Mascarpone to name a few.
The donuts were light and cake-y and didn’t feel fried or greasy. The glazes were tart and light and didn’t overwhelm the senses with clawing sweetness that is often times the case with glazed donuts. My favorite were, unexpectedly, cherry pie and blue velvet.
And while the pie was cooling, I managed a few snacks that would hold everyone over until dinner and … pie.
Toasted bread with cream cheese and macerated strawberries topped with basil and a few cracks of black pepper. Surprisingly savory and a perfect bite with a light white wine before dinner.
