Apricot crostata is such a beautiful dessert to photograph. That gorgeous orange and golden colored fruit is a treat for the palette and the palate. By now if you have been following my blog for a while you know that my friend Rose is an amazing baker and I have featured so many of her recipes right here on my blog. Well, I can add another one of her delectable desserts to my catalog, this apricot crostata. Continue reading Apricot Crostata
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Friday Flowers
Oh how I love mint. I don’t know why I love this humble herb so much. Is it the fresh scent that exudes from every leaf making me feel happy instantly? Is it that it is so easy to grow that even a novice gardener can grow it? Or is it that it grows so easily and prolifically that if allowed it could take over any garden patch covering it in swaths of green. Or is it that whenever I am working in the garden and happen to rub against a mint leaf I get a whiff of sweet fragrance making me forget the cares of the world, if only for an instant. I love mint so much that I even wrote an ode to mint. I just love mint. Continue reading Friday Flowers
Summer’s End and Fall Planting in our Veggie Patch
Summer’s End
by Thaddeus from Farmfreshtoyou.com
It’s evening after the heat of summer afternoon, and I am walking down the dusty gravel road that curves along the canal through the farm.
Beyond the canal our first planting of heirloom tomatoes has been disasembled.
The vines once supported by stakes and string that tower over six feet tall now lie on their sides in awkward lumps.
In the fallen tomatoes, I see a coyote who already sees me. We look at each other, both wondering what the other will do until we both keep going about our evening activities mindful that the other is still there.
Soon this field will be chopped and planted over to cover the crop and these tomato vines will be remembered only on my spreadsheet that tracks history by fields. Continue reading Summer’s End and Fall Planting in our Veggie Patch
Heirloom Tomato, Cauliflower, Zucchini Risotto
Heirloom Tomato, Cauliflower Zucchini Risotto
Ingredients:
- 1 cup risotto rice
- 5-6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 small head of cauliflower cut into small florets
- 2 heirloom tomatoes finely cut
- 1 zucchini cut into small chunks
- 1 onion finely cut
- 3-4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tsp fresh thyme
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese (optional)
- Chili flakes (optional)
Continue reading Heirloom Tomato, Cauliflower, Zucchini Risotto
Fresh Fig Upside Down Cake
The cake in this recipe made with creamy Greek yogurt, vanilla and orange zest is by itself so good, then add in fresh figs to this already delicious cake and you get this really really good Fresh Fig Upside Down Cake. Fresh figs baked in a fluffy buttery cake, this cake is figilicious! Perfect with a warm cup of tea on a relaxing September afternoon, give this cake a try! Continue reading Fresh Fig Upside Down Cake
Friday Flowers
Happy Friday!
Today I would like to share some pictures of a few little bouquets I made as I was pruning bushes in my garden this week.
Conchiglie Pasta with Chanterelle Mushrooms and Leeks
I made this quick and easy pasta dish for a dinner I was hosting last week with our good friends Jo and Oliver for a low-key September dinner that is filling as it is delicious. At this time of year chanterelle mushrooms get featured at the grocery stores so I decided to use these in-season mildly flavored wild mushrooms to make this simple pasta dish. Simple because my friend Jo doesn’t eat any spices, and all this has are simple ingredients such as mushrooms, leeks, garlic, salt and pepper, pasta and cheese. Nothing fancy, but delicious nonetheless. Continue reading Conchiglie Pasta with Chanterelle Mushrooms and Leeks
Mid-September Dinner with Friends Jo and Oliver
Happy Tuesday! I hope you had a good weekend. Ours was busy, not busy – meaning we had a packed Saturday and a quiet Sunday. Packed Saturday because it was our twins back to school day and Hitesh and I had to split our parental duties so we could meet over fourteen teachers. These are amazing teachers who are teaching the subjects that our twins are taking this year. Subjects ranging from Economics, Statistics, Calculus, Spanish, History of Genocide, Madness in Literature, Poetry in Literature, Orchestra, Choir, Dance Productions, etc. As you can imagine it was a packed agenda. Then after we got home Hitesh had to take the twins back to school for auditions. I didn’t realize all this when I invited our very good friends Jo and Oliver for dinner on Saturday. Lucky for me Oliver loves to cook and had asked me earlier in the week if he could bring something and I took him up on his offer! Continue reading Mid-September Dinner with Friends Jo and Oliver
Light and Fluffy Blueberry Muffins
Looking to make a quick batch of cup cakes loaded with good for you blueberries? This recipe makes the most light and fluffy blueberry cup cakes ever! I picked up this recipe from my friend Nishma who asked me to stop by for a quick cup of tea and a light breakfast after my morning gym workout one day. These delicious blueberry muffins were on her menu. Light and fluffy and sweetened to perfection, these muffins tasted so good with a cup of tea in the morning, that I must admit I did feel a little guilty having it after my workout. But Nishma informed me that it was light on the sugar and made with almond flour. Somehow hearing this made me enjoy the muffin even more. Continue reading Light and Fluffy Blueberry Muffins
Fresh Fig and Ginger Lemon Jam
This recipe couldn’t have shown up in my in box at a better time, a recipe for a fig jam made with plump fresh figs and fresh ginger was just too tempting to ignore, especially as I had just received the biggest most plump figs I have ever seen from my friend Veena’s garden. I’m not kidding; these figs were HUGE and so gorgeous inside with dark burgundy color flesh that it was just a delight to see. Even my kids kept looking at these figs and oohing and aaahing at these beauties. Four of these giant figs were more than enough to make a jar of jam. Here’s the best part, to get a thick creamy jam I didn’t even have to use any pectin, preservatives or thickening ingredient. And let me tell you folks this jam is delicious!! Continue reading Fresh Fig and Ginger Lemon Jam
