Musings from a servantless, stay-at-home, cooking-obsessed mom
OMG, new recipe for you. Green garlic-infused oil + preserved lemon + thyme + asparagus. 
Fab! I will post. The salmon burgers were delicious, especially with a daub of mango honey mustard, and lastly, we enjoyed my coriander sugar caramelized Asian pears. The pie is chilling, and I am soooo excited.
So we had some painters here today because what we thought were a few boards on the house and garage that needed repainting were actually rotten strips of wood just hanging on by a splinter. All repaired and repainted now but damn if those guys didn't trample some of my plants. Why are workers blind to landscaping? The deck guys ravaged a number of my planted loves, and you should just see the sad mess of steam-rolled nettles I'd worked so hard to cultivate and direct now wasting away along the flagstone walk. GRR. At least their trail of damage was minimal and contained. On the flip-side of all that is that the flowering shamrocks I planted for Oliver (born on St. Patty's) are blooming again 
and the irises my mom has brought up from Louisiana over the years are going gang-busters. This is a true Louisiana blue. Gorgeous, eh?
Dinner tonight was super satisfying. I decided to coat the turkey cutlets in mustard, egg and panko and then pan-fry them in a little butter. Delightful! And what to do with the asparagus? I didn't want to roast them as I usually do because I'm bored with that method and wanted something more substantial. Puttering in the pantry, I came across some pearled farro I had my sister bring me from Italy and immediately decided on a grain-based salad. I also saw some dried chanterelle and portobello mushrooms that I keep meaning to use. What about making a mushroom broth in which to cook the farro? Yes!
While I gave the boys their bath and tucked them in, the dried mushrooms steeped in boiling water. I used this stock as the farro cooking liquid and then again as the base in which to cook a mess of leeks and scallions, the asparagus, some tarragon and the now soft mushrooms. A hefty dose of lemon zest, some salt and pepper finished the veggie bit nicely.
The salad had nuttiness and herbal springiness in spades, but I wanted a touch of creaminess and an element of brightness. Into the mix went blue cheese crumbles and chopped apples. T said the final dish reminded him of a reconceived Waldorf. Whatever it was, it was good!
Y'all, this chicken was unreal. Do you remember my goings-on about the caper-oregano chicken my sister cooked for dinner one of our last nights in Florence? I made it tonight, and it was as good as I recalled. AAH! I will post this simple, beyond fabulous recipe for you tonight. I bought the chicken at the FM this morning, used oregano from our yard and some good-quality salt-packed capers. Beyond that you need only olive oil, garlic and a splash of white wine. 
For our side dishes I a) roasted a bunch of the asparagus I bought this morning at the FM and served it drizzled with a tarragon-lemon aioli 
and b) made a roasted golden beet and heirloom tomato salad with Bûcheron and a ramp-red wine vinegar dressing. Mmm!
Really good.
I am about to have a big date with the couch and today's paper and couldn't be more thrilled. I also got a haircut today, went nuts and got a long'ish bob. I'm terribly excited because it is NOT the same cut I've had since I was 9; big-time growth over here, friends. Heh.
Tomorrow I'm going to make something yummy with the fresh lavender I bought today. Jam? Shortbread? In the meantime, Stephen Colbert's interview with Maurice Sendak really was marvelous; if you didn't see it, go back and watch!
Oh, and here's the pie from today...
musings from a stay-at-home, cooking-obsessed mom
Subscribe by email:
Or, you may also
subscribe by RSS:
Contact Emily by email:
