1st Day of School

Umbrella for shade...it's supposed to be 95 today!!


1st grade...I can't believe it! Shelagh jumped out of bed this AM.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Farmers Market Booty: Heirloom Tomato Salad

I really should have taken a picture. But, I didn't. We were too hungry and rushing to sit down to eat after waiting until the kids went to bed at 8. I got a mix of red, yellow, and purplish-green heirloom tomatoes. I cut them thicky and arranged them on a plate. I put slices of fresh market purchased mozzarella made that day. I added some blobs of avocado and sea salt. Delicious.

Imagine beautiful picture inserted here...

Boston Farmers Market

How gorgeous are these tomatoes???






I tried to pick a variety of things from a variety of farms for comparison purposes:

- Heirloom tomatoes (for salad)
- Plum tomatoes (to try oven roasted)
- Fingerling potatoes (to braise?)
- Basil (for pesto)
- Leeks
- Fresh mozzarella & burrata (just to eat or w tomatoes & basil for caprese salad)
- Rainbow carrots (I've been meaning to try very fresh carrots and these seemed fun. Mine aren't ready from my garden yet)
- farm fresh pork - I got chops & bacon, of course
- Challah & a short baguette
- Peach pie for dessert tonight
- fresh cinnamon sugar donuts for the kids for ditching them today!

So excited to cook and eat all this! Off to pick up the kids and hit the pool!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Kelly Raspberry Fingers

A study in silliness...

Fried Green Tomatoes

I've always wanted to try these. I just didn't love them. Nor did Shelagh, who worships all things tomato. I suppose if I did the bacon part, that might have helped! They were just sour to me. I got the recipe from Canal House Cooking, Volume No 1 (Summer). They were easy to do and fast. Here's the recipe anyway...

• 4 slices bacon, coarsely chopped
• 2 medium green tomatoes, sliced thickly
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 2 eggs
• salt & pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil

1. Fry the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes.
2. Lift the bacon out of the skillet with a slotted spoon, and drain it on paper towels. Set the skillet with rendered fat aside.
3. Mix together the flour and cornmeal in a wide dish and season with salt and pepper. Beat the eggs in another dish.
4. Dip the tomato slices one at a time into the egg, then dredge in the seasoned flour and cornmeal. Set the coated tomatoes aside.
5. Add the oil to the bacon fat in the skillet and heat over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, fry the tomatoes (work in batches to prevent crowding) until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side.
6. Drain the tomatoes on paper towels and season them with a little salt while still hot. Serve the tomatoes with the crisp bacon scattered on top.

Serves 4-6

Preserving: Sweet Pickled Wax Beans

This recipe looked easy enough in Everyday Food. It's not online yet. Other than the pain of trimming tons of wax beans, the brine was easy and they stay for 2 months! I'll check the taste in a few days.

• 1 lb wax beans, trimmed
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 4 cups white wine vinegar
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 tsp fennel seeds (I didn't have any)
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns

1. In 2 Qt-sized glass jars, arrange beans upright and place 2 sprigs thyme in each. In a small saucepan, bring vinegar, sugar, garlic, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, peppercorns, and 1 cup water to a boil over medium-high. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
2. Pour cooled brine over beans leaving a 1/2 space at top of each jar; seal and refrigerate at least 3 days before serving.

Roast Chicken with Tangerines

This was a wonderful recipe and came out perfectly! Shelagh and I both loved it and Kelly ate all her chicken (buried in Orzo, but she ate it!). I used Minneolas in place of the tangerines, but otherwise followed the recipe pretty closely. Funny, this recipe was posted in Food & Wine by Eugenia Bone, whose preserving book, "Well-Preserved", I've been reading. This is now my 2nd favorite Roast Chicken recipe after the Cumin-Maple Syrup one.