i hope you eat good food, grow beautiful things, and have more love than you know what to do with.
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 …
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 I use them up too quick. Either way the eventual problem is that I just don’t have what I need when I need it. Lemon pepper and store bought lemon juice just isn’t the same.
Here comes this really simple way to preserve lemons for cooking—lemon puree with a salt brine. I slice the lemons, remove the seeds, puree (peel and all) in a blender, and add salt. Some people like to let it ferment but I keep it in the fridge because I don’t always trust my fermenting ability. This way I just have to take a spoonful whenever I need that lemon-y goodness.
Always use glass to preserve the flavor. There are versions that included herbs and spices, but I just want a simple lemon base.
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 …
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 they do reach a nice height) rather than as a tree. These are related to Nanking cherries.
Relatively drought tolerant, my two little plants I planted a few years ago have established themselves quite nicely. This is the first year I’m seeing flowers, so perhaps I’ll get a crop of fruit. Supposedly, the flavor is tart but cherry-like. I’ll update if/when I get fruit.
They do well in USDA zones 4 – 8, and can grow in part shade to full sun (although they prefer full sun.)
By the end of this lockdown period, I’m probably going to be up to my ears in plants as I spent this time rooting cuttings for fun. So far I’ve done elderberries and currants, with a 90% success rate! This is one of the easiest …
In my house, my youngest is firmly Team White Sauce while my oldest is Team Red Sauce. I am mostly Team Red Sauce, due to an unfortunate incidence where I once threw up a chicken Alfredo and developed an aversion that lasted me throughout my …
The poached egg really ties this dish together, the creamy yolk mellowing out the tang of the lemon juice. I have been dreaming of this dish for a while, first conceived when I took stock of the fridge right before the Covid19 lockdown.
This is a painfully simple dish to make, but hearty and delicious with a bright burst of flavor that has me dreaming of summer. I use the truffle sea salt I have on hand, but if you have fresh truffle, it works wonderfully as well. I add the truffle sea salt in at the end because I find it tends to lose flavor if put on high heat for too long.
Be liberal with your lemon zest, it’s what provides the lemony flavor without overpowering it by being too sour.
**I was invited to watch a Twitch stream from a friend of mine who runs a BJJ gym out in Georgia (Apex Conyers) which was actually completely unrelated to martial arts–his wife was cooking an amazing looking orzo dish, and I learned you can microwave a lemon (or any citrus fruit) for 20 seconds in order to easily be able to squeeze out all the juice. Where has this cooking tip been all my life?**
So… I rarely use my blog space just for jotting down my thoughts—most of my posts are recipes, DIY’s, or tips and project progress. I don’t want to reinvent the wheel so this post is decidedly NOT a DIY facemask post, but is rather a …