Sunshine and Pie

It’s definitely Spring, how do I know you ask - the apple trees are budding. It’s unlikely we will get any apples this year, our trees are only 2 years old but one can always hope. 

Like all Minnesotans, we’re staying at home, wearing masks and Zooming with our family and friends - it’s not ideal but to date, we are all still here and well. Dan made a trip to Menards for compost and wood chips to get our garden beds. He went early (it was pretty empty), wore a mask, and did that social distancing thing. He spent Sunday repairing some of the beds and prepping them - we’re ready to go. Now, all we need are plants.

I purchased seeds a while ago for the greens and herbs, garlic and fingerling potatoes. I’m not thrilled with heading to Home Depot or Menards for annuals and other veggies so thanks to my friend Wendy, who told me about the Hennepin Technical College contact-free plant sale, I ordered most of the rest of what we need from them. I’ll finish the rest of my shopping at Tonkadale, a local female-owned store that has curbside pickup!

Before anything goes in the ground tho, I’ll wait until about May 10th to avoid any frost - however it is Minnesota and anything can happen. 

While Dan was digging in the dirt I found a bag of sour cherries and some rhubarb in the freezer from last year that was begging for a chance to do something tasty - pie. From start to finish, this recipe takes about 1.5 to 2 hours to bake and if you can wait, you should let it cool a bit before slicing. While the photo/pie was not as pretty as it could be, the real thing was delicious.

Cherry Rhubarb Pie

Ingredients:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 to 1 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cups rhubarb, sliced in 1/2-inch pieces

2 1/2 cups pitted and halved cherries

1 double-crust pie crust

2 tablespoons cold butter cut in bits

milk and sugar mixture for the top crust

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Make your favorite double-crust pie dough. Place the bottom crust in a pie pan. In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, rhubarb, and cherries. Mix gently to coat the fruit in the dry mixture. Transfer the filling to the pie shell and dot the top with the butter. 

Place the top crust on top of the filling and seal the edges. Lightly brush the top of the crust with milk then sprinkle it with sugar.

Place the pie in the oven and bake at 425 degrees F for 25 minutes. Reduce the oven to 350 degrees and bake the pie for 30 more minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.

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Comfort Food for the Soul

I’ve belonged to the same book club for more than 15 years and this week we will do something we've never done before - host it virtually. I’ll miss the great food that everyone brings and the opportunity to see each other but for now, Zoom with a glass of wine will have to do. 

We read The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. It was recommended to me by my niece Katie - it was so good and the ending made me cry; not something that happens often. The characters are wonderful, the story compelling and there is enough suspense, romance and great prose fo keep you going. I’ll be interested in what the rest of the group thinks. 

Like everyone, we’ve been staying indoors and venturing out when necessary. In MN we are under a stay at home order until May 4th and not sure what comes after that. I do know I need a haircut - but that’s small stuff and it can wait. It’s not like anyone sees me right?

I’ve been doing a lot of cooking and some experimenting but lately I’ve been making some favorites and some comfort food. Both Dan and I love eggplant so I snagged one at the grocery store last week. I roasted it in a savory/spicy glaze and served it with a spinach salad, fresh bread and carrots, and green beans. 

Marinated Eggplant

Ingredients;

2 lb eggplant

2 tsp salt

Glaze

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, grated

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp cumin

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbs olive oil

pinch black pepper

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice the eggplant into 1/2 inch rounds. Sprinkle a cookie sheet or cutting board with 1 tsp of salt and then place the eggplant slices on the salted surface. Sprinkle 1 tsp of salt on top of the eggplant slices in an even layer and let them sit for 10-15 minutes to draw out the moisture. 

Use a paper towel to pat dry both sides of the eggplant slices and shake off excess salt.

Add all of the glaze ingredients into a small jar. Shake for 30 seconds until all ingredients are combined (should be a salad dressing like consistency).

Place eggplant slices on a lined baking sheet. Use a pastry brush to brush the glaze on each side of the eggplant. Bake 10 minutes on 400. Switch the oven to broil, and broil an additional 3-5 minutes on each side until golden brown.

For many people, grilled cheese is the ultimate comfort food. There is something about the crispy bread and the melted cheese that makes you say mmmmmmm. Regular cheese is a no no for me but I’ve found that Field Roast makes a chou cheese; it’s soy-based and unlike many vegan cheese products it actually melts.

I decided to kick our comfort food up a notch and caramelized some onions and mushrooms and grilled them all together with a delicious whole grain bread - it hit the spot. 

Stay safe - thanks for stopping by!

The Good the Bad and the Ugly

So we’ve been social distancing for about 3 weeks now and to be honest, I don’t see that stopping in the short term - at least until the end of May at the earliest! The main reason is that people don’t get it! Yes I know it’s nice out, yes I know you and your family are bored as hell sitting around the house and yes for those of you who have children - they are most likely driving you nuts - I get that. However, if you don’t do it now we’ll be doing it for a lot longer - please stay home, stop congregating at Target, the grocery store or in the middle of the street - STOP JUST STOP.

We’ve had a few changes this week, I no longer work on Friday and Dan has a new title - Data Strategist - which is very exciting. I’m sad that we were not able to go to his favorite place to celebrate - Red Lobster where he has the Admirals Feast and a Lotta Colada - it’s his thing and we will get there when we are free to do whatever. I did make him a celebration dinner - cod, a fresh green salad, baby roasted and smashed potatoes and banana cream pie for dessert - it was good. 

I’m still cooking and trying to empty out the freezer and pantry. This week I made a Chana Masala with coconut green beans and rice, a vegetarian spaghetti with edamame noodles and fresh bread and the celebration dinner. I’ll post pictures of all and give you the recipe for the spaghetti because the tomato sauce was made with last year's garden tomatoes, jalapeños, fresh herbs, onions, and peppers. 

Vegan Spaghetti

Sauce Ingredients

2 T olive oil

1 onion diced 

1 pepper - red, yellow or orange - it’s up to you

1 large zucchini cubed

1 - 2 carrots - chopped 

1 - 2 handfuls of spinach

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

A few shakes of chili pepper flakes 

2 - 3 cups last years tomato sauce (which contains onions, jalapenos, fresh basil, rosemary, and oregano) 

3 T tomato paste 

Instructions:

In a large pan saute onions in olive oil until translucent. Add peppers, zucchini, and carrots and sauté until softened. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, seasonings, and spinach and simmer for 20 -30 minutes 

In a saucepan boil water - when rolling add noodles and cook until al dente. Drain and rinse.

Serve pasta with a green salad and bread (we used naan because that is what we had). 

Stay home and stay safe - thanks for stopping by!