Wednesday

Meyer Lemon-ade

Today's recipe comes courtesy of a thirsty jaunt on the elliptical at the gym. I had been sitting for most of the day at my desk and I just wanted to move! I went all out on that thing and worked up a thirst pretty quickly. That's when it hit me...lemonade! I've got a bag of Meyer lemons sitting in my fridge, waiting to be used in something yummy. There were plans for those lemons to be made into curd or a custard, but for one reason or another, those recipes just never were made. Such is life... hence the lemonade.

It was so gorgeous and sunny out today, it actually felt like spring! Then on my drive home, it got progressively more cloudy and chilly and I kind of got a little depressed. Where did my sun go?? Thankfully, I had a bright, lovely glass of lemonade only minutes away to cheer me up! Take a look at that color, just like the sun. And a little purple umbrella is a nice touch, don't you think?



Meyer lemon-ade


Meyer Lemon-ade
Based upon Ina Garten's recipe
Yield: 1 1/2 quarts

Ingredients:
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice , strained. (5 to 6 Meyer lemons)
½ cup superfine sugar, to taste
1 cup crushed ice
4 cups water

Directions:
In a pitcher, combine all ingredients and stir. Adjust sugar to taste.  Seriously, that's it. I told you it was simple!

So this is not just your average lemonade, it's Meyer lemon-ade. Meyer lemons have a deeper, sweeter, more pronounced flavor than your regular lemons. Let me tell you, they make for a fabulous beverage. This is such a simple recipe, one that begs to be homemade mind you, and you can tweak it to your taste. I don't have a huge sweet tooth, so I go a little light on the sugar, but feel free to use as much as you like. I believe Ina's original recipe calls for 3/4-1 cup of sugar.

Saturday

Eggs


Eggs. They are the start to people’s days so it’s only fitting that I start my blog with them, too. Growing up, they came in the form of ham quickies – my dad’s special version of ham omelets for us kids. Nowadays it’s a little more fancy and definitely more varied. Herbs de Provence are often mixed in and runny yolks are left to drip down burgers. Farm fresh are preferred.





To be completely honest, I was never a huge fan of eggs. I was never much of a breakfast eater either, so maybe that was it. And the first Egg McMuffin I had wasn’t until 2012. But I digress. Nowadays I understand why Julia Child spent so much time trying to teach us all the proper way to cook eggs and why Anthony Bourdain, in his book Medium Raw, says, quite poignantly, “I have long believed that it is only right and appropriate that before one sleeps with someone, one should be able – if called upon to do so – to make them a proper omelet in the morning.” The man speaks the truth. Eggs are so versatile and such a humble food, but they take care and patience to master. And it’s worth it.

One of my favorite dishes involving eggs is a cross between a glorified egg sandwich and toad-in-the-hole (egg in a basket). It steps up your run of the mill breakfast and makes it a little more fancy.


Open-Faced Egg Sammie
serves 1-2, depending on hunger level

Ingredients:
2 slices whole wheat bread
2 eggs
1 handful arugula, or other favorite green, lightly chopped
2 slices of tomato
Cheese of choice, shredded (Depending on what I have on hand, it will be some combination of gouda, cheddar, mimolette, midnight moon, etc)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Butter for the pan (butter adds so much flavor and richness to the toast)

Directions:
Using a cookie cutter, small juice glass or a knife, cut circles out from the middle of the bread. Don’t ball up the doughy goodness and pop it into your mouth, we’ll use it later!

Preheat a nonstick griddle or pan over medium and put a pat of butter on to melt. Place the slices of bread on next and let them toast slightly. They need a little head start in the browning process before the eggs are added.

Crack the eggs and place them into the holes in the bread. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place the rounds I told you not to eat on the griddle to toast.

Once the whites have just barely set, add a little more butter to the griddle if necessary, but otherwise go ahead and flip. Turn over the circle, too.

At this point, time is of the essence, so quickly place the arugula, tomato and cheese on top to wilt. Once the yolk is cooked to your liking and the cheese is melted, plate up, top with the toasted round and Bon Appetit!

Introduction


Hello world! Welcome to my blog – my own little space, soon to be filled with lots of recipes and stories, some photography projects I’m working on and other random musings that make me smile.

I think about food. A lot. Like more than the average person should. Future meals are thought about days in advance and I’m always collecting recipes and cookbooks. I keep a little notebook with me at all times in case I can coerce a recipe out of someone! Making a fancy dinner is happiness to me, especially on weeknights after the 9-5 shitck. I like to think of it as an “I love you” on a plate. With my love for being in the kitchen, I figured it only made sense to start blogging about it. Hell, I certainly think about it enough. So pull up a chair at my table and let’s get to it!