i hope you eat good food, grow beautiful things, and have more love than you know what to do with.
Today is the one day this week where we’ll be having warm and non-rain-y weather so my husband and I packed up the children and decided to go fishing. After all, if we didn’t get out soon, the great Coronatine of 2020 would have us …
The trifecta of apple, bacon, and gorgonzola makes this roasted Brussels sprout an enviable centerpiece for lunch or dinner (or breakfast, I’m not judging—Brussels sprout hash is a thing.) I like using my air fryer for this because everything is roasted to perfection. Prep time …
Cacio e Pepe has always been a little bit of a bucket list item for me. I always wanted to try it since I have heard about its deliciousness over and over again but never order it when I see it on the menu (nor is it often that I do see it on a menu.) Literally translated as “cheese and pepper,” this dish isn’t complicated in terms of ingredients, but does require some understanding on emulsifying the cheese into a creamy sauce. Unlike what I thought, it doesn’t use a white sauce base and instead relies on the pasta water to provide thickness to the sauce.
The spicy kick of the black pepper really ties the dish together. Splurge on a high end Pecorino Romano and good peppercorns—you won’t regret that. You can grate the cheese, but it makes it so much easier if you just grind it in the food processor a few times.
I wish I could give you the exact measurements for the pasta water, but it honestly is just keep adding until you have enough to coat your spaghetti in the creamy sauce. Too little and the sauce will tighten up really quickly when it starts to cool, too much and emulsification will be problematic.
As I’m going through my chest freezer, I found a container of the various berries I grew last year—I very often shove them all together into the freezer, if there isn’t enough to immediately make something with due to varying ripening times. I sometimes grab …
It’s spring which means my rhubarb is out. I’ve made strawberry rhubarb scones before which is always a hit but my strawberries haven’t started yet. This tea cake actually uses a donut batter so technically I could have fried it into donuts… but that’s an …
Spring is here, which means my ducks have started laying in earnest. 7 of the eggs have gone into the incubator to replenish my flock, but I’m still looking at a good amount of eggs from my remaining 3. I’ve made mini soft boiled ramen eggs out of my quail eggs before, and am here to go the opposite way in terms of size with my duck eggs, which are quite massive compared to regular chicken eggs.
They’re boiled to the point where the egg whites have set, but the yolk is still deliciously runny. Marinated in a salty soy sauce mixture with a hint of sweetness, it’s delicious over a bowl of hot white rice, some chives from my garden which have been here since March. It is the perfect quick spring meal and my kids love it this way. You can also use these on ramen. Just be aware that duck eggs can be much bigger, which means you’ll have to adjust the boiling time.
Fresh eggs are also harder to peel, so I prefer boiling them and then let them sit in ice water for a few hours or in the fridge overnight.
I never have lemons when I need them, which is a painful point for me because I love lemon zest to make pasta al limon, lemon butter pasta, Greek avgolemono (lemon egg soup)—I either don’t use them up quick enough and they go moldy or …
My muscovies have started laying which means Spring has sprung! This year I’m desperate to replenish my flock, after having warred with a really resourceful raccoon who was getting into the coop before I locked them in for the night. A fierce battle ensued that …
My bronze fennel is a reliable plant that has really just kept on giving. It produces beautiful crops of fragrant fennel seed, and its tasty fronds are great in dumplings or salads, or for an accompaniment to seafood. The anise flavor is divine.
It seems to be quite shade tolerant in comparison to bulb fennel to which is it closely related. Baby fennel have since popped up around my garden, and I let them grow where they may. I sell the extra babies in the spring and the summer since I do have more than I can eat. It’s a hardy perennial, zone 6 – 10. making it an excellent understory or filler plant with its attractive color and growth.
Just make sure you don’t plant it near dill, since they’re part of the same family and it will affect both the seeds flavor and next years plants.
Imagine my surprise when, before even my serviceberries and sweet tree cherries have bloomed, my Korean bush cherries were out in full force. Prunus japonica is a beautiful plant in the same family as regular cherries and plums. However, these grow in bush form (although …