Can you tell spring has come and summer is now on my mind?
Monday, April 8, 2013
Monday, March 25, 2013
Going Forward
AAAAAnd we're back!
I have to agree with other bloggers about not apologizing about an extended break from blogging. So I won't.
The past 2 years(!) since I've shown face on this blog many great things have happened for me and C. Just to name a few, we built a sofa, moved to a new apartment, I received a promotion, C quit his job to pursue his art (check it out at kearneypeeps.tumblr.com), and we're thinking of starting a business together.
I'm hoping to resurrect this blog not just as a food blog, but as a blog for creative discovery. C and I discuss at length between the two of us that we are inherently makers. As makers we strive to not only create, but regularly try to interject it into our ordinary life. We not only enjoy lots of cooking, but in our free time enjoy sewing, knitting, textile design, woodworking, gardening, ceramics, and stone work. I'm not trying to toot any horn, and believe me, its not like I'm some kind of wonder woman that gets tons of stuff done to then beautifully photograph it for your instagram pleasure. Its just we like to work with our hands and what was named above is a sampling of what we like to do in our relatively small free time.
I will still try and post recipes, its just I want to talk about the other things I do too. I'm hoping this will prod me just enough to spend more time writing even if it means doing it differently. I'm also hoping this will help hold me more accountable for the projects I start, as I have a terrible case of start-itis, and even worse the pre-project-stall-itis.
Thanks for joining me on this adventure.
I have to agree with other bloggers about not apologizing about an extended break from blogging. So I won't.
The past 2 years(!) since I've shown face on this blog many great things have happened for me and C. Just to name a few, we built a sofa, moved to a new apartment, I received a promotion, C quit his job to pursue his art (check it out at kearneypeeps.tumblr.com), and we're thinking of starting a business together.
I'm hoping to resurrect this blog not just as a food blog, but as a blog for creative discovery. C and I discuss at length between the two of us that we are inherently makers. As makers we strive to not only create, but regularly try to interject it into our ordinary life. We not only enjoy lots of cooking, but in our free time enjoy sewing, knitting, textile design, woodworking, gardening, ceramics, and stone work. I'm not trying to toot any horn, and believe me, its not like I'm some kind of wonder woman that gets tons of stuff done to then beautifully photograph it for your instagram pleasure. Its just we like to work with our hands and what was named above is a sampling of what we like to do in our relatively small free time.
I will still try and post recipes, its just I want to talk about the other things I do too. I'm hoping this will prod me just enough to spend more time writing even if it means doing it differently. I'm also hoping this will help hold me more accountable for the projects I start, as I have a terrible case of start-itis, and even worse the pre-project-stall-itis.
Thanks for joining me on this adventure.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Simple Mint Syrup
Refreshing drink addition to the hot spring days here in North Carolina.
1 good sized bunch of Mint
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Chop the mint, mix all ingredients on the stove, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Will keep in the fridge up to two weeks. Add to your tea (to make mint sweet tea) or get your hands on some bourbon for Mint Juleps. Peeps and I are going to make Minty Lime Sodas!
I haven't kept my blog promises, but truth be told... I got a lot going on. Will have pictures soon to prove it.
1 good sized bunch of Mint
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Chop the mint, mix all ingredients on the stove, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Will keep in the fridge up to two weeks. Add to your tea (to make mint sweet tea) or get your hands on some bourbon for Mint Juleps. Peeps and I are going to make Minty Lime Sodas!
I haven't kept my blog promises, but truth be told... I got a lot going on. Will have pictures soon to prove it.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World
Ok, like I need another book, never the less a cooking book. But I want it. I want it bad. This book, just looks amazing! While Peeps and I are not vegan, we have many friends who are. Also I'm always up for challenging new ways of cooking and eating. Vegan recipes are great for everyone. Don't have eggs? Just ran out of whole milk? Still want to make something awesome?
Please try it for yourself. I put some sprinkles in mine to make confetti cupcakes. De-Lish!
You can find the recipe here. We substituted rice milk for the soy because its what we happened to have in house.
Enjoy.
P.S. for dinner we are having very not so vegan veggie lasagna. Will report back later.
Please try it for yourself. I put some sprinkles in mine to make confetti cupcakes. De-Lish!
You can find the recipe here. We substituted rice milk for the soy because its what we happened to have in house.
Enjoy.
P.S. for dinner we are having very not so vegan veggie lasagna. Will report back later.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Simple Saute
Mondays can be a hard day to recover from. Half the time I haven't been to the grocery story yet, and get stuck watching cooking shows on PBS. By evening there isn't anything cooked and I'm ready for my wine/beer and some travel shows on PBS. No food, no blog. Obviously, last week, I fell victim. Not this week. I had dinner finished before 6, and eating dinner with Avec Eric, and cleaned up by Rudy Maxa. Now all that's left is the wine and maybe some knitting after I fill you in with a simple dish that takes max 10 minutes.
Ingredients:
1/2 onion sliced
2 broccoli tops cut down
3 medium carrots sliced
5 stalks of kale or approx half a plastic grocery bag chopped
Sauce:
6 tbs soy sauce
6 tbs hoisin sauce
6 tbs white vinegar
2 tbs corn starch
1 1/3 cup cold water
2 cups dried jasmine riced cooked as package directs (I do mine 1:2 ratio with lightly salted water)
Saute your veggies in a hot wok until they begin to wilt, approx 3-5 minutes. While your waiting, mix your sauce ingredients in a lidded jar. Shake until mixed well. When the greens of the broccoli lighten and your kale starts drooping, add sauce. Saute 3 minutes or so more until it thickens. Serve over rice.
A real easy dish with LOTS of flavor. Makes plenty for two, with enough for a tasty and healthy packed lunch the next day. Just make sure your clean-up partner doesn't drop the super sharp knife on their foot while doing dishes.
Enjoy.
Ingredients:
1/2 onion sliced
2 broccoli tops cut down
3 medium carrots sliced
5 stalks of kale or approx half a plastic grocery bag chopped
Sauce:
6 tbs soy sauce
6 tbs hoisin sauce
6 tbs white vinegar
2 tbs corn starch
1 1/3 cup cold water
2 cups dried jasmine riced cooked as package directs (I do mine 1:2 ratio with lightly salted water)
Saute your veggies in a hot wok until they begin to wilt, approx 3-5 minutes. While your waiting, mix your sauce ingredients in a lidded jar. Shake until mixed well. When the greens of the broccoli lighten and your kale starts drooping, add sauce. Saute 3 minutes or so more until it thickens. Serve over rice.
A real easy dish with LOTS of flavor. Makes plenty for two, with enough for a tasty and healthy packed lunch the next day. Just make sure your clean-up partner doesn't drop the super sharp knife on their foot while doing dishes.
Enjoy.
Monday, January 17, 2011
A "Its Monday" Curry
Sometimes I struggle to sit here and write. I'm not much of a writer and tend to use the internet to day dream and be jealous of other peoples writing and productivity. Seriously, how does one sew a quilt every few weeks, raise a family, hold a full time job, AND blog about it. I don't think these people sleep. I tend to spend a lot of my time in the kitchen, you know, cooking and eating ;-)
Now that its 2 weeks into the new year, and the holidays are slowly but surely over (even though our tree is totally still up and looking great), my schedule has finally moved back to normal. So in pursuit of better living through better foods, I am making a blog goal to post EVERY Monday (until I can't take it any more) for Menu Mondays. I will try, like really really try, to post a new or at least interesting recipe that I cooked at some point during the week on or before Monday.
Tonight Senior Peeps is sick. In our humblest opinion spicy foods are the best way to getting better. Red chilis per 100g has 240% of your Vit. C, where as an orange has only 75%. Its a pretty compelling argument plus we both like spicy food. There are still some good finds at the local farmers market. And while the pickin is getting thin, there are still some good deals. When we came home from work this evening I thought I would treat Senoir Peeps to a beautiful curry with some of the goods from the store.
Ingredients:
1 med. yellow onion chopped
2 med. carrots chopped
1 cup brussel sprouts cut in half or quartered for the biggies
3 red potatoes diced into 1/2 inch cubes
4 "sprigs" of kale chopped
1 cup mushrooms chopped
2 tomatoes chopped
1/4-1/2 cup veggie stock
Ground Cumin
Curry Powder
Garlic powder
Chili Paste
With a large pot, bring a flame up to med-hi heat. When hot, add several tablespoons of oil (a good thick coat) with a few dashes of Cumin and Garlic powder and let sizzle. Toss in all the chopped veggies except for the tomatoes and mushrooms. Stir, get a good whif, cover and let the kale wilt. After about 5 mins, turn heat down to a med to med-low heat. Add the mushrooms and tomatoes. Again stir, smell, and cover for 5 mins. The next time, add veggie stock and spices to your taste. If you like a lot of gravy, add more of the stock. I used far more Cumin (favorite spice) than the others. In terms of commercial spices I did like 8 shakes of Cumin, 3-4 of Garlic, 3-4 of the Curry powder (which this company I'm using I'm not so fond of but I'm out of my homemade blend and gotta use it up). The Chili paste is some serious stuff. I tend to use 1 teaspoon in the whole pot and add more the plate as necessary.
Senior Peeps added like a whole tablespoon to his bowl. Really likes the spicy. Let simmer for 15-20 minutes and serve with some spiced jasmine rice.
Spice away your Monday blues, or chest cold. Enjoy.
Now that its 2 weeks into the new year, and the holidays are slowly but surely over (even though our tree is totally still up and looking great), my schedule has finally moved back to normal. So in pursuit of better living through better foods, I am making a blog goal to post EVERY Monday (until I can't take it any more) for Menu Mondays. I will try, like really really try, to post a new or at least interesting recipe that I cooked at some point during the week on or before Monday.
Tonight Senior Peeps is sick. In our humblest opinion spicy foods are the best way to getting better. Red chilis per 100g has 240% of your Vit. C, where as an orange has only 75%. Its a pretty compelling argument plus we both like spicy food. There are still some good finds at the local farmers market. And while the pickin is getting thin, there are still some good deals. When we came home from work this evening I thought I would treat Senoir Peeps to a beautiful curry with some of the goods from the store.
Ingredients:
1 med. yellow onion chopped
2 med. carrots chopped
1 cup brussel sprouts cut in half or quartered for the biggies
3 red potatoes diced into 1/2 inch cubes
4 "sprigs" of kale chopped
1 cup mushrooms chopped
2 tomatoes chopped
1/4-1/2 cup veggie stock
Ground Cumin
Curry Powder
Garlic powder
Chili Paste
With a large pot, bring a flame up to med-hi heat. When hot, add several tablespoons of oil (a good thick coat) with a few dashes of Cumin and Garlic powder and let sizzle. Toss in all the chopped veggies except for the tomatoes and mushrooms. Stir, get a good whif, cover and let the kale wilt. After about 5 mins, turn heat down to a med to med-low heat. Add the mushrooms and tomatoes. Again stir, smell, and cover for 5 mins. The next time, add veggie stock and spices to your taste. If you like a lot of gravy, add more of the stock. I used far more Cumin (favorite spice) than the others. In terms of commercial spices I did like 8 shakes of Cumin, 3-4 of Garlic, 3-4 of the Curry powder (which this company I'm using I'm not so fond of but I'm out of my homemade blend and gotta use it up). The Chili paste is some serious stuff. I tend to use 1 teaspoon in the whole pot and add more the plate as necessary.
Senior Peeps added like a whole tablespoon to his bowl. Really likes the spicy. Let simmer for 15-20 minutes and serve with some spiced jasmine rice.
Spice away your Monday blues, or chest cold. Enjoy.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Acorn Squash with Chili Lime Relish
So earlier this fall, C and I signed up for a late fall CSA. Every Tuesday, we run by their house, and pick up our goody bag box. For those not in the know, a CSA is a Community Supported Agriculture program. You give them money up front to get all their needs and supplies like seeds for the up coming season, and they gift you with lots of tasty fresh food in return. This was our second pick up, and I really couldn't be happier. This weeks goodies include turnips, salad greens, roasted garlic, winter squash, potatoes, collards (not sure what I'll do with them yet, but I'm pretty sure C will eat it), and BLUEBERRIES!
We love blueberries in this house, and can always find a way to stick 'em in what ever we're cooking. Last week we had a similar box'o'goodies, just a different arrangement for similar things.
So, I had this acorn squash in the last box, and took a whole week to figure out what to cook with it. I am super happy with the results, and is a new favorite we are eager to share. Not to lie, I found it on the internet (like most of my recipes) and will link to the original recipe here.
I didn't make many changes, just what type of peppers, mostly to use up what we have here.
Ingredients:
1 Acorn Squash
2 cloves of garlic minced/ mashed
1 nice sized lime
1 Habenaro minced
2 seranos (a red one and a green one) minced
1 Small bunch of Cilantro minced
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Make sure you have a really sharp knife for this, and maybe some help. Half the squash and scoop out the seeds. Slice the squash into 1/2 or so slivers. In a bowl medium sized bowl, mix a little bit of your oil and the salt and pepper. Put the squash in and mix around to coat with oil. Arrange in Pyrex-like dish to bake at 450 for 25-30 minutes until undersides are golden brown. In the same bowl you used to mix the oil with squash, add the rest of the oil, the juice of your lime, the peppers, and cilantro.
When finished, plate with cooked side of squash up, and drizzle the relish over the top.
Excellent dish with a side of bulgar, or as a side to the up coming Thanksgiving holiday (wink wink).
As always cut out the seeds of the peppers unless you really like the heat; and use gloves to cut or make your partner do it.
Enjoy.
We love blueberries in this house, and can always find a way to stick 'em in what ever we're cooking. Last week we had a similar box'o'goodies, just a different arrangement for similar things.
So, I had this acorn squash in the last box, and took a whole week to figure out what to cook with it. I am super happy with the results, and is a new favorite we are eager to share. Not to lie, I found it on the internet (like most of my recipes) and will link to the original recipe here.
I didn't make many changes, just what type of peppers, mostly to use up what we have here.
Ingredients:
1 Acorn Squash
2 cloves of garlic minced/ mashed
1 nice sized lime
1 Habenaro minced
2 seranos (a red one and a green one) minced
1 Small bunch of Cilantro minced
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Make sure you have a really sharp knife for this, and maybe some help. Half the squash and scoop out the seeds. Slice the squash into 1/2 or so slivers. In a bowl medium sized bowl, mix a little bit of your oil and the salt and pepper. Put the squash in and mix around to coat with oil. Arrange in Pyrex-like dish to bake at 450 for 25-30 minutes until undersides are golden brown. In the same bowl you used to mix the oil with squash, add the rest of the oil, the juice of your lime, the peppers, and cilantro.
When finished, plate with cooked side of squash up, and drizzle the relish over the top.
Excellent dish with a side of bulgar, or as a side to the up coming Thanksgiving holiday (wink wink).
As always cut out the seeds of the peppers unless you really like the heat; and use gloves to cut or make your partner do it.
Enjoy.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Tuna Curry
Add a twist to a tasty dish, with what? Peppers! The base of this dish takes about 20 minutes, and is great over some brown rice, but is just as tasty (and faster to make) with some whole wheat noodles.
Ingredients:
1-2 red onions coarsely chopped
1-2 cups of cherry or grape tomatoes chopped
2 sweet potatoes parboiled and cut into bite size pieces
2 cans of tuna packed in OIL (NOT WATER!)
2 habenaros seeded and minced
1 cup of coconut milk
ground garam masala spices :
cinnamon, green cardamom, coriander, cloves, and black pepper
Saute the red onion in a saucepan with a bit of olive oil until lightly translucent. Add the tomatoes and let cook down for about 5-10 minutes. Toss in the tuna with the oil, the habenaros, and spices. Allow to cook for another 5 minutes until it starts to smell amazing. Add the coconut milk, mix well, then add the sweet potatoes. Bring back to a boil, which shouldn't be but a few minutes, then serve over rice or noodles. Makes enough for 2 and then enough for a hefty lunch the next day for both.
Ingredients:
1-2 red onions coarsely chopped
1-2 cups of cherry or grape tomatoes chopped
2 sweet potatoes parboiled and cut into bite size pieces
2 cans of tuna packed in OIL (NOT WATER!)
2 habenaros seeded and minced
1 cup of coconut milk
ground garam masala spices :
cinnamon, green cardamom, coriander, cloves, and black pepper
Saute the red onion in a saucepan with a bit of olive oil until lightly translucent. Add the tomatoes and let cook down for about 5-10 minutes. Toss in the tuna with the oil, the habenaros, and spices. Allow to cook for another 5 minutes until it starts to smell amazing. Add the coconut milk, mix well, then add the sweet potatoes. Bring back to a boil, which shouldn't be but a few minutes, then serve over rice or noodles. Makes enough for 2 and then enough for a hefty lunch the next day for both.
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