Yes, well it is leap year and today is leap day, so I really had no choice. Groans aside, my yard is definitely thinking that spring is on the way, or perhaps already here! I hope we don’t have another freeze…

Care to walk with me? My peach tree is in full bloom. It blooms early every year, and despite trying not to worry over things I can’t control (like the weather), I always expect that one last freeze that will undo all the fruiting possibilities for the year. This year, though, we might just be lucky.

There are none so optimistic as those who plant fruit trees.

My fig is flashing a peach sign.

dona nobis pacem (et de ficis loci)

My Puglian fennel is having a good hair day, in my opinion! It comes back every year, and often makes offspring in the sort of path-like areas I try to mow. I then try to mow around the new baby fennel, but when my hand slips, oh does the yard smell delicious!

I need to get back outside. There’s plenty more going on out there, so stay tuned! Enjoy your spring, or whatever season you’re having where you are, and stay healthy!

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, or if you live here (central Texas) you know that February (and hopefully March) is our fleeting spring and therefor is yard clean-up season. I try to jump on it before it gets too hot out, weed while the earth is soft and plant now now now!

That said, a girl’s gotta eat, and right now the weather is cool enough that having the stove or oven on is actually pleasant. But, time is another matter and if you know me, you know I don’t have time for fussy recipes no matter what time of year. That is what brings me here today. Yes, I’m a lazy cook.

I have never tried any of those meals-shipped-to-your-door deals. I enjoy doing my own shopping, picking my own produce, and often deciding what dinner will be while I’m in the store. It may not be considered best practice, but I’m just not a “plan meals for the week” person. I like my local grocery, and I love their olive bar.

A few days ago I took a break from spreading cedar mulch and pulling up cleavers and went to the store. The chicken dish I made was so good and I was so distracted by my yard that I forgot to take pictures for you! But I’ll give you the short version of my “recipe” and let it go at that. Then I’m heading back outside!

I bought chicken thighs, bone in and skin on. I also bought, from the olive bar, a mixture of pitted olives, some roasted garlic cloves, and a handful of chickpeas in olive oil with herbs. I had on hand rice and French green lentils (the only kind I buy, I confess – they don’t get mushy and gray like most lentils seem to) and, of course, olive oil.

I got out my big heavy Dutch oven, put in some olive oil and browned the chicken on both sides. Removed the chicken to a plate and put 1 cup each of rice and lentils in the pot. Stirred for a minute and tossed in my olive bar goodies. Stirred again, added 2-1/2 cups of water, placed the chicken back on top. Simmered, covered for about 45 minutes then a few minutes with the top off as it was a bit wet still. Took it off the heat, had some and was well pleased. It reheated just fine too, over the next few days.

Easy enough? If you have access to an olive bar or an olive vendor at your local market, it certainly is!

Sorry about the photo dearth. I’ll try to do better next time, but for now the yard is calling me! Enjoy your season and let me know if you try this, ok? Happy gardening!

I love persimmons. They are gorgeous hanging on a tree in the fall sun, and they are gorgeous on a plate. Sometimes, though, they’re hard to find.

I got lucky when I was visiting my sister a week ago and scored some there. Aren’t they pretty?

mmm!

There are two kinds that are most common in groceries, Hachiya persimmons and Fuyu persimmons, the long and the short. In France they are both called “kaki”, which is from the Japanese “Diospyros kaki” In any event, no matter what you call them and no matter which sort, they are sweet, delicious, and good for you.

When I can find them, I let them ripen well, to almost mushy. Then I cut them in half and just eat the flesh with a spoon. I hear you can make pudding or preserves, or a host of other things with them, but, like, figs, they just never last long enough around here. See what I mean?

so pretty!

and so gooooood!

If you can find them, I hope you enjoy them! Let me know what you think, ok?

In case you somehow missed it, yesterday was Thanksgiving. That means, at least in my world, that today, in addition to being a mad-dash shopping day (no thanks) it is time to live up to my blog’s name.

Ok, maybe not soup exactly, but stock from yesterday’s beautiful bird. Do I really need to say much more? If a picture is truly worth 1000 words, this should do it.

Here’s hoping everyone had a safe and happy holiday and a good start to the holiday season! Love your leftovers, stay warm, and bon appétit!

I promised you tales of my travels, and finally here we go. This summer I was lucky enough to go to Ireland for the first time. I expected to enjoy it, of course, but I didn’t expect to fall in love with it.

I did.

The people, the countryside, the food, the cider, it was all wonderful. Especially the chowder.

The first night, after a long plane ride, I was happy to eat at the hotel. I needed food, but not too much, so I asked if I could just have the seafood chowder appetizer. Of course, no problem. Cup or bowl I asked, and the server motioned something in between with his hands. Fine.

It was a perfect serving. Hot, creamy, full of fish, mussels, other seafood bits, and just a few (very few!) chunks of potato, it was the perfect elixer for a good night’s sleep.

Based on this, I made it a point to try it everywhere it was offered, and in Ireland that meant most everywhere!

Here are two of the versions. You can find plenty of recipes for Irish seafood chowder out there, but (in my opinion) any that call for olive oil rather than butter can’t really be trusted. 🙂

hotel chowder (mmm!)

one of many I tried in the interest of research (mmm)

They were all wonderful. If you have access to good fresh fish and seafood and want a hearty (but somehow not heavy, how do they do that?) meal, I highly recommend trying this!

I know, I know, I promised last time to tell you about my travels. I will, I promise, but first I want to tell you about something closer to home.

I’m sure we’ve all done it. You drive by a place often, sometimes for years, and you think sometime I will stop and check it out. I’m certainly guilty!

Long story short, I finally visited Thicket Food Park. They invited a number of memebers of the Austin Food Blogger Alliance to visit and enjoy samplings (oh, very generous samplings indeed) from the various food trucks. What a lovely evening it was!

I’ve been driving by this place once or twice a week for a few years (4, they tell me) but never stopped. I was always on my way to somewhere else, usually either shopping or maybe Texas Keeper Cidery. In any event, I knew exactly where it was and often thought, oh, I’ll stop there when it is warmer/cooler/drier… you get the idea. But, thanks to their generous offer to host us and my good luck at grabbing a spot, I ended up having a perfectly lovely evening.

It is a great little (actually, not so very little) food truck, hair salon (yes, really) and playground venue! And, although it has only been on site for a few years (ok, 4) it feels like the best of old south Austin!

We sat at picnic tables in a shady and somehow seemingly cool and quiet cedar grove and enjoyed (enormously!) the variety of foods and drinks. Options range from Hawaiian (about which I know nothing but what they served us was delicious!) to Italian, to Vegan, to Thai (a very cool concept – a food truck that sells meal kits (complete with appropriate curries and spices) you take home and prepare, rather than prepared food!).

There were sandwiches (burgers, meatloaf…), pastas, avocado toast, golden milk, hibiscus tea, mango lassi, a couple of curries, I can’t honestly remember everything. What I can remember, though, is that luckily for me Thicket is only a couple of miles from my house, there’s plenty of parking, it is kid friendly, and there’s pretty much something for everyone to enjoy! I’ll definitely be back! Many thanks to all the folks who shared their delicious offerings with us and I’ll see you again soon!

not far away but far out!

Just when you thought I’d run out of things to dehydrate on my dashboard, here I am again. This year, summer just doesn’t want to let go and I’m feeling a tad grumpy, so (me being me, after all) I want sweets.

Somehow, sweet potatoes seemed logical, but baking them or doing the usual sorts or things (pie, or with chicken, or whatever) was all too labor intensive and *hot*, so I decided to let the sun work for me.

If you have a mandolin (kitchen, not musical) this is easy enough. Slice them thin, lay them out, and let them crisp up.

It took two full days to get them really *really* dry, and you don’t want to risk mold. They’re delicious without salt or any spices at all!

Easy peasy:

from this

to this

They will curl up a bit, but that’s to be expected. Crunchy and delicious, enjoy!

August in Austin, not pretty but here we are. Everything in my yard is either brown, crunchy, or both. As one friend said to me last week, “don’t cut yourself on the grass”.

Still, one must eat, and if you know me you know I’m about making lots of whatever it is and just eating it until it is gone. So… I decided to brave having the stove on for a bit in order to end up with a pot of what would then become cold soup. At least I didn’t use the oven!

I made vichyssoise. That’s fancy speak for potato soup. It is filling, creamy, delicious (she said modestly) and COLD!!! I’ve been happily eating it all week.

It really couldn’t be much easier. Here’s all I did:

Vichyssoise

2 T butter
3 leeks, well cleaned and rough chopped
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and rough chopped
salt
4 or 5 medium-sized potatoes, rough chopped (I like Yukon Gold and I don’t peel mine)
6 cups chicken (or vegetable) stock or water
1/2 cup heavy cream
fresh dill

leeks are so pretty

In a large Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the leeks and onion and a pinch of salt, stir well, cover, reduce heat, and cook for 10 minutes. The leeks and onions should be thoroughly wilted and translucent but not browned.

Add the potatoes and stir well. Cover and cook 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally to be sure nothing browns.

Add the chicken or vegetable stock or water (which should just cover the vegetables – add water or more stock if necessary) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes or until the potatoes and very “mashable”.

Puree the soup in a blender or food processor or with a stick blender. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.

Chill well and add the cream just before serving. Mix thoroughly. Thin with water or milk if necessary. Top with chopped fresh dill. This soup is better the next day (and the next and the next…).
***

I was actually lucky enough to escape the heat for a few weeks. More about that next time! Meantime, stay safe and hope it rains here in central Texas again some day!

My sister, a fine cook as you know by now, made mussels for dinner while I was visiting. My niece suggested that I visit more often. Yes, I thought, I think I will!

moules!

So good and so easy, really, a little white wine, some shallots or leeks, garlic (oh yes!) butter… and love.

If you’ve been following this blog for a while now, or if you know me (or both) you know I like easy, unfussy cooking – and sometimes the kind that requires no actual cooking at all. Especially in Texas in the summer, which usually lasts from May until October.

It isn’t that I’m lazy, exactly (well, maybe that’s part of it); I just can’t bear to turn on the oven or stove if I don’t have to. It is just too darn *hot*.

So, for me, June (and much of the rest of the hot season) is time for pesto.

Now I am assuming that you have a food processor, blender, or some other easy way of chopping herbs and vegetables. I know my grandmother didn’t, yet she managed a chopped chicken liver that was heavenly, but that’s another story for another day. In any event, I have my mother’s old (very old) food processor. The motor part must weigh a good 10 pounds, but it works like a champ. I don’t use it often, but for pesto I will happily haul it out and dust it off.

My garden has had a rough start. Too much rain, hail this week, a crazy year so currently my arugula looks like this:

baby arugula

That’s why I hit my grocery salad bar and bought maybe 4 or 5 good handfuls that look like this:

salad bar arugula

Isn’t it pretty? I also invested in a bunch each of fresh basil and mint. Oh, and a few cloves of roasted garlic, also from the salad bar. I like it much better than raw fresh garlic for this purpose. It is more mellow, almost sweet, and soft so it melds nicely. Mmmmm…

The only tricky thing about making pesto in a food processor (other than washing the blades when you’re done – do be careful!) is not over-processing it. After all, we’re not talking paste-o here! So, pulse the greens, add the garlic and nuts, pulse again, add the cheese; you can make it as smooth or rough as you like. I like some texture, so I start like this:

And finish like this:

finished pesto

Don’t get mad, but I can’t really give specific amounts of anything in this “recipe”. I never make it exactly the same twice. I can only give you rough ideas on percentages here – do as you like!

Salad Bar Pesto

5 good handfuls of arugula
1 tbsp (or more) of olive oil
5 or 6 branches each of fresh basil and mint, leaves only
5 or 6 cloves of roasted garlic (or maybe 2 cloves fresh)
1/2 to 3/4 cup walnut pieces
about 1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano or pecorino romano

Note, there is no salt as I find the cheese makes it salty enough for me.

Rough chop the arugula with the olive oil. Add the herbs and pulse again. Add the garlic and nuts, pulse. Add a bit more olive oil if it seems too stiff. Add the cheese and pulse once more. Store covered in the fridge, obviously. This is dandy on pasta, but its also fine with cooked shrimp, chicken, or just on crackers. Yup, tastes like summer to me! Stay cool and bon appetit!