must... post

I wasn't planning to, as it is quite hard with only one functional upper extremity (more on that later). But, on a whim, I visited a site I hadn't in a while, and felt compelled.

You see, we had had a party a few weeks ago. I always make several types of sangria, but this time felt inspired to try something new. After a little research, as well as trips to three (yes, 3!!) liquor stores to find the magical ingredient, I made my own Pimm's Cup. Now it can be yours. Necessity being the mother of invention, you will find mine to be different from the original.


you need:
equal parts Pimm's No.1, fizzy lemonade, ginger ale (original, with ginger pieces floating inside)*
mint leaves--about 20
small cucumber--sliced
lemon--sliced
1/2 pint blueberries (I inadvertently had used the last of the strawberries for the sangria)

you do:
mix in a large pitcher
serve over ice

*of course, you could use one or the other, or even ginger beer, but I really thought that this was especially refreshing, and not too ginger-overpowering

this easily scales up or down :)

Enjoy!!

corn--quintessential summer (kind of)

So, yes, corn IS the quintessential summer veggie, but the recipe I am about to throw at you is not, AT ALL, quintessentially summery... in fact, it is, quite frankly, late autumn-wintery. That being said, we do not have the luxury of an outdoor grill. And, well, oven-cooking is slightly less heat-inducing than stove-top cooking. So, there you have it...

"Oven-Roasted Corn"... or maybe "Oven-Braised Corn" would be a better title

you need:

6 ears of corn; peeled of leaves and silk, washed and split in half (dry lightly)
4-6 garlic cloves--minced
1/4C olive oil
1/4C vegetable broth*
couple of pinches of salt and pepper
few sprinkles of marjoram
(any other herbs/ spices to your liking)

you do:

-preheat oven to 350F
-place ears of corn in large enough baking dish that they are not overlapping, but cozy
-sprinkle corn with salt, pepper, marjoram, and any other herbs or spices you wish to use
-sprinkle with garlic
-mix olive oil and vegetable broth and pour over corn
-cover tightly with aluminum foil and place in oven for 30 minutes
-turn corn (add a little more broth or water if dish is dry)**
-cover again with foil, and back in the oven for another 30 minutes
-turn the oven up to 400F and take off foil (again, add broth or water as needed)**
-allow to bake an additional 15-20 minutes

enjoy!

*of course, home-made broth beats out any store-bought. in a pinch, I find Trader Joe's (!-yes, Trader Joe's) to work well
**remember that steam will be hot when you take off the foil--do this carefully, and away from your face!!

Renaissance Fantasies

I am seriously jonesing... (OK, given the context, that's pretty funny: my computer, not recognizing 'jonesing' offered to replace with 'jousting.')

At any rate, I am having Ren Fest withdrawl. Have you been? I adore Renaissance Festivals. Everything from the wardrobes to the mysticism, to the "English" accents (let's face it... they often sound Irish in truth... or sometimes even Russian--Master Card and Lady Visa is just cooky enough to make me smile every time), to the food... the jewelry (ah! the jewelry), and the shows--the bawdy comedy is probably my favorite.

I have attended Renaissance Festivals in Kansas City, Michigan, and now in my new home--New York. Each has been attended by yours truly multiply. Yes, I even dress up--usually as a gypsy, which is easy for me (what does that say?) and not crazy weird (just weird enough). My favorite faire is likely Kansas City. I think because it was my first, and I have many wonderful memories of that particular one.

They are all big, and full of adventure. You are likely to see a wedding, or two. Lots of kids dressed up on some adventure... or playing a game. Belly dancers, people eating huge turkey legs (not terribly appetizing to see, if you ask me, but it's all part of the fun), hawks and vultures, strong man contests, jousting, even, if you are so inclined (I, somehow, never have been, but...)

So, wanna come to the Renaissance Faire?

Zucchini--yellow (green) bean--dill soup

OK, so another recipe. The original was given to me by a buddy, but I have changed it around quite a bit to make it my own. I suggest you do the same!

This is a great summer soup--light, yet filling. It would be great with some crusty bread and olive oil, or with an herb salad.

You need:

1T grapeseed oil*
5 medium zucchini (yellow or green) sliced in half, then into thin half-moons**
1 small onion--roughly chopped
5 (or so) fresh garlic cloves--finely chopped
1/2 C fresh dill--finely chopped
1/2 C fresh cilantro--finely chopped
1C yellow or green beans**--cut into ~1cm pieces
4C veggie stock (yours or a good quality)
3-4C water (depending on how thick you want this soup)
salt and pepper to taste

You do:

1. heat the oil in a nice-sized soup pot.
2. saute all of the veggies, with the dill and cilantro, in the oil.
3. once everything is nice and soft (at least 15 minutes), pour in your stock and water (if using). allow to simmer about 10 minutes to marry the flavors.
4. add salt and pepper to taste.
5. allow to cool a bit and puree in batches in a table top blender... alternatively, you can use a hand-held submersible blender--just be aware that if this splatters and is still hot, you WILL burn yourself. I like to puree just a bit and still leave some chunky veggies.


* you can also use the same measure of olive oil or butter
** if you want a pretty soup, stay with one color--ie: if you use yellow zucchini, then use the yellow beans, if you use green zucchini, use green beans. You could also just leave the beans out.

Enjoy!!