exit, pursued by bear

get maternal!

I just might make this a product review week, since I've been meaning to do a quick little post on something I've been enjoying a lot lately: The Republic of Tea's "get maternal" herb tea for pregnant and new moms:

It's a really lovely, caffeine free tea -- I've been having a cup every night and it's been so nice to sip something warm before bed. And the added "benefits" of this tea are great! Here's what it says on the front of the canister:

Baby, look at you glow. But with all the changes going on in your body, you could probably use a bit of personal pampering. So whether you're expecting, or your little bundle of joy has already arrived, kick back and enjoy a cup of this lovely caffeine-free herbal blend, based on organic rooibos and conceived just for you. To help tone uterine muscles, we've added raspberry leaf, a time-honored tonic. Nettles and horsetail, herbs with roots that reach deep into mother earth, provide essential nutrients like silica for growing strong bones. Parsley fights water retention and a snap of ginger staves off nausea. So sip and rock-a-bye "baby" yourself.

Ingredients: Organic Rooibos (leaf), Raspberry (leaf), Stinging Nettle (aerial parts), Ginger (root), Horsetail (aerial parts), Parsley (leaf), Natural Mango Flavor, Black Limon

It has a nice, fruity flavor -- not too strong. I can definitely taste the subtle hints of mango -- the tea reminds me a bit of their Mango Ceylon blend (comes in decaf, too!), which I LOVE. Don't fear the mango -- it's a really wonderful tea. Makes great iced tea, too.

I've been getting the Republic of Tea catalog for a while now (which, if you're interested, is great -- they send you a free sample tea bag with every catalog!) and I noticed the "get maternal" tea earlier this year, before I was pregnant. I made a mental note at the time, because I thought it would make a great new mom or newly pregnant mom gift.

Last week I was browsing the tea section at Whole Foods -- I was actually looking for a decaffeinated version of a British Breakfast blend (which I realize, seems like a contradiction in terms, but actually the Republic of Tea does have one!) -- when I came across the get maternal tea. I was very pleased to find it locally. It's a little more expensive than I'd like to pay for tea (about $10 for 36 tea bags), but it's such a nice little treat for myself. It's wonderful with a little bit of honey, but equally good just plain.

Very soothing -- I'm not sure if it's the ingredients, but I find it to be very relaxing. Seems great for sore muscles, too!

This would be a perfect stocking stuffer for new moms and moms-to-be -- but if you're looking for a little good-for-you indulgence, this is also ideal.

because sometimes you want to make dinner with a can (or 2).

Often when someone mentions a particular food or recipe, I immediately get a craving for it and can hardly get it out of my head. This is what happened yesterday, when a friend mentioned she was making a casserOLÉ! Much hilarity ensued as we discussed possible Mexican casserole options.

I came across two recipes that sounded easy and quick, and basically combined the two: the "Fiesta Taco Casserole" from Betty Crocker and McCormick's "Taco Casserole." Mine came out looking like this, but I didn't beautify the casserole dish with carefully arranged tortilla chips along the edge ...

{photo via Betty Crocker}

Fiesta CasserOLÉ!

1.5 lb lean ground beef
1 can (15 to 16 oz) spicy chili beans in sauce, undrained
1 can (11 ounces) Mexican-style corn or whole kernel corn (I actually didn't drain it
Thick or chunky-style salsa (recipe called for a cup - I just eyeballed it)
1 package taco seasoning mix
Coarsely broken tortilla chips
Shredded Mexican-style cheese

Optional:
Tortilla chips or Fritos
Shredded lettuce
Sour cream
Canned diced tomatoes with chilies (Rotel or similar)

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In 10-inch skillet, cook beef over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown; drain. Stir in taco seasoning mix, beans, corn and approximately cup salsa. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 minutes.
2. In ungreased 2-quart casserole, place broken tortilla chips. Top with beef mixture. Sprinkle with (drained) tomatoes and cheese.
3. Bake 5 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Arrange tortilla chips around edge of casserole, if desired. Serve, topping with lettuce, additional salsa, sour cream and extra tortilla chips or Fritos.

in which I use up 10 seconds of my 15 minutes of fame.

I haven't mentioned this to anyone, really, for fear of jinxing myself (I admit to being overly excited about mostly irrelevant things), but now that it's been published, I'm pleased to report that:

I was interviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

Yes. THAT Wall Street Journal. The one that my dad reads. 

Here's how it went down.

Back in May, Jeremy and I took a "Pizza on the Grill" cooking class at the Kitchen Conservatory. This was part of his birthday gift from me - it was sort of a "theme" gift: I also got him a pizza stone (that can be used on the grill), an apron for grilling and Weber's Way to Grill cookbook. 

The cooking class was fabulous - it was taught by Margi Kahn, KC's resident bread making expert - so the class focused on making different kinds of pizza dough from scratch. We had a great time - Jeremy is definitely a cooking novice, and he really enjoyed learning all about how to make his favorite food at home.

After the class, I chatted with KC's marketing director, Ruth -- we discussed Twitter, social media, that sort of thing. ANYWAY. A few weeks ago, she contacted me and asked me if I'd be willing to be interviewed about cooking. I thought it was going to be for some local publication, like the Suburban Journal or something.

No, turns out: The Wall Street Journal.

After I (mostly.) conquered my fear, I e-mailed the reporter - she wanted to speak with me - and we set up a phone interview. During all this, I had approximately 500 heart/panic attacks. I rambled on for about fifteen minutes about my cooking skills (or lack thereof), how much we cook at home, how much we eat out, etc.

Anyway: here is the result!

"Cutting Costs at Culinary School"

NB: my husband's idea of a fine meal is not a fried bologna sandwich, that's just the only thing he claims to be able to make in the kitchen ;o)

on blueberries. but mostly: on muffins.

Part 1: On blueberries.

I sort of have a love-hate relationship with blueberries. I'm generally rather fond of them, but I tend to get bored of them pretty easily. Since we split our CSA share with another couple and alternate weeks, I seem to be on the blueberry rotation. Pints and pints of blueberries have been accumulating in my refrigerator. I can hardly find anything in there, stacks of blueberries obscure my vision, taunting me. They have never seemed less appetizing. 

{photo via nytimes.com -- blueberries are rather pretty, aren't they?}

I couldn't face any more blueberry pancakes, I didn't want them in fruit salad or in my cereal, blended into a smoothie or mixed in with yogurt. My husband kept requesting blueberry muffins, but I just felt kinda "meh." about the thought of them. But this morning, opening the fridge and finding two pints of blueberries staring pitifully back at me ... I broke down and headed to the Internet in search of a decent blueberry muffin recipe.

I was looking for one that had either a streusel or some sort of crumb topping -- and just maybe something a bit more interesting than your standard blueberry muffin recipe. I had tried this earlier, with less than stellar-results, but Google must have had my back this morning, because I came across this: "Browned Butter Blueberry Muffins" from Joy the Baker.

Behold:

{fresh baked muffins in all their glory.}

Part 2: On muffins and hunger pains.

You know when you're starving at the airport because you've been traveling all day or maybe you're out running errands in your car somewhere or perhaps you're just completely exhausted after a long day ... and you wind up in some coffee place, because it's the only place you can find, and you just want something really good and perhaps even a little healthy to eat? Just a nice meal with some lovely fresh vegetables and some protein and a salad and absolutely a little dessert, too -- but you content yourself with the coffee shop, since it's all you can find.

But the only food they're serving is a huge, glistening blueberry muffin the size of a mountain. And you think to yourself -- okay, maybe this time the muffin will taste good. Maybe, even though I don't want anything sweet right now because all I've had to eat today is three lattes and some random candy I found at the bottom of my purse and I'd just like some actual FOOD now, please ... maybe, just MAYBE this muffin will be exactly what I want.

So you imagine what it will taste like, and you're feeling pretty confident because the muffin looks gorgeous with its crumbly topping and it's tantalizing blue blueberries - it's like the model blueberry muffin: the pinnacle of muffin-ness, straight out of a stock photo catalog of muffins. It is what all muffins hope and dream and lie awake at night, aspiring to be. And so you start to try and convince yourself - you pick up the muffin confidently and pay for it and think that you're finally going to conquer your hunger ...

And then you take a bite and it's awful and dry and tastes like cardboard and chemicals. It's so sweet that it makes your teeth ache. And it just makes you want that nice little home cooked meal even more. And you shed a few tears over your muffin. The muffin that betrayed you.

But then this sorrow turns to anger - you become irrationally angry at the muffin for deceiving you - because it looked so good! So yummy! But it wasn't. The muffin lied to you. And now you're ruined for muffins forever. You cannot even look at muffin recipes or imagine a time when you would want to make such a thing; you shake your head "no" when they're offered at your next continental breakfast; you walk past them at the bakery. Until the next time that you're wandering through an airport terminal, bleary-eyed and clutching your rumbling stomach ...

It's time to forget all that. It's time to move on.

Part 3: On embracing the blueberry muffin within.

{the muffins that heal all wounds. or at least hunger-related ones.}

Because this muffin recipe? This will make up for it. This will restore your faith in muffins. Forever. I had started to lose hope, I thought I might never like another blueberry muffin ever again. But this recipe has turned things around for me.

I think it's the browned butter. I had never browned butter before, but I brushed aside my nervousness and confidently plonked my seven tablespoons of butter right down there in my small saucepan, turned on the heat and began melting.

Browned Butter Fresh Blueberry Muffins

from Joy the Baker & The Gourmet Cookbook

makes 12 glorious muffins (I actually made about 14 -- I always seem to wind up with extra batter)

Browned Butter Fresh Blueberry Muffins

adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook

makes 12 glorious muffins

• 7 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup whole milk (I used skim, since that's all I had.)
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups fresh blueberries

For the Topping

• 3 Tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I ended up using salted butter, since I mistakenly thought I still had another stick of unsalted)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 tablespoons sugar

Put a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line muffin pan with paper or foil liners

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Keep an eye on the butter. Melt and cook down the butter until little brown bits appear in the pan. The crackling will subside and butter will begin to brown fairly quickly after that. Keep a close eye. Remove from heat.

Whisk milk, egg, yolk and vanilla until combined. Add the brown butter and stir to combine.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Add milk and butter mixture all at one and stir gently to combine. Gently but thoroughly fold in the blueberries.

Divide the batter among muffin cups and spread evenly.

To make the topping combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and rub together with your fingertips until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over the batter in the cups.

Bake until golden and crisp and a wooden pick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack for 15 minutes then remove from the pan.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

The whole recipe came together very easily, which was great. No fuss - nothing really tricky or time-consuming. In no time at all I was happily rewarding my husband with two, fresh from the oven muffins, since he had spent the morning weeding and doing all manner of useful things in the garden while I made our kitchen a complete mess with my baking, and waxed philosophic on my blog about airport hunger-induced muffin hysteria.

Thank you, Joy the Baker, thank you.

But seriously. Best blueberry muffins ever. Go make these, now!!

fair shares, week 3.

Yesterday was the week 3 pickup for our CSA with Fair Shares. We alternate with another couple, so this was only our second share. Here's what was included for our group this week:

• Prairie Grass Ground Lamb
• Herbs en Route Sage
• Ozark Forest Fresh Mushrooms
• Claverach Radish Shoots
• Yellow Wood Swiss Chard
• Yellow Dog Lettuce Mix
• Mangia Angel Hair Pasta
• Trillium Farm Goat Mozzarella
• Mississippi Mud Coffee
• Companion Bread (choice between Rosemary Slipper and Rustic Olive - I opted for the Rosemary)

I also picked up a jar of Gringo Salsa (Hot!) and San Luis Tortilla Chips - both were delicious. There are always a lot of "extras" that you can buy in addition to the contents of your share. The CSA coordinators keep a running tally of what you pickup then bill you at the end of the month, which is really handy. You can also swap/trade for items that you don't want or like, but I haven't needed to do that yet :o)

I don't think I mentioned this in my previous CSA post, but the first week I also picked up a jar of locally made Apple Cider Vinegar - I sprinkle it over our dogs' food at each meal (it has lots of health benefits for dogs - well, and humans, too!).

Here's a picture I took of our share. And just another reminder, if you go to my CSA Flickr set, I have notes on some of the pictures, identifying what's what:

From our previous share, we still have the chorizo sausage left - which I froze. We got through most of the greens and the mushrooms (delish.) - we still have some chevre left, but I think it still should be good. Oh, and most of the eggs, but I'm sure I'll use those up soon. I made a pasta dish last week with the Swiss chard ribs and the mushrooms, it was amazing.

Honestly, I was worried about the volume of food - but as of now, it's pretty manageable. I'm sure as we progress into the summer and fall harvesting seasons, the amount will increase - but for now I'm very comfortable - it doesn't feel like too much for two people.

Oh, and if you're curious, here's what was included in our group's share last week - this is what our share partner took home (hope we get some asparagus soon!):

• American Grassfed Beef-Ground
• Herbs en Route Spearmint
• Claverach Sunflower Shoots
• Theis Family Farm Spinach
• Yellow Dog Lettuce Mix
• Scharf Asparagus
• Heartland Legacy Cheese
• MO Grain Project Flour
• River Hills Poultry Alliance Eggs
• Lee Farm Sweet Potatoes or
• Martin Long Grain Rice
• Jasbo’s Salsa
• San Luis Tortilla Chips
• Companion Multi Grain Rolls

Tonight I think I'm going to make angel hair pasta with chorizo and mushrooms. I took the sausage out the thaw last night, so it should be ready for dinner this evening. I'll make a big salad, too - and serve it with the rosemary slipper bread (isn't that a great name?). Maybe a little fresh mozzarella on top?

Just need to find a good way to use the radish shoots and the ground lamb ... I'm thinking of maybe some sort of Greek dish for the lamb, but not sure yet.

Exciting! :o)

fair shares.

This past Wednesday was a great day: my husband's birthday (yay!), Earth Day and the first day of our CSA season!

I've been wanting to join a CSA for a few years now - and the philosophy and approach of Fair Shares, which is a combined CSA, was definitely appealing to me. I've been hesitant about the cost (paying up front) and the amount of food we might end up with for two people, which kept me from joining last year. Plus, they had a waiting list for membership last season.

But this year, I decided to get more serious about eating locally and seasonally - so I joined the Fair Shares waiting list and found out about month later that I had a spot. Shortly after that, someone offered to split our share - we'll be alternating weeks - which would save us money and alleviate my worries about dealing with too much produce. Success!

So, after work on Wednesday I went to pick up our first share. My group received the following:

• Hinkebein Hills Chorizo
• Herbs en Route Thyme
• Ozark Forest Fresh Mushrooms
• Wildcard Greens Choice X 2 (I selected Swiss chard and a lettuce mix)
• Dry Dock Farm Lettuce Mix (lots of greens this week!)
• Salume Beddu Mostarda (mostarda is like a lovely Italian chutney)
• Heartland Fresh Chevre
• River Hills Poultry Alliance Eggs
• Marble Creek Maple Syrup
• Black Bear Bakery Bagels (3 varieties, 2 of each)

Here's a picture I took of our share. If you go to my CSA Flickr set, I have notes on some of the pictures, identifying what's what:

Especially excited about those mushrooms. And the chorizo! And the mostarda sounds delicious! Well, let's be honest, I'm excited about it all! The bagels from Black Bear have been wonderful. I'm definitely looking forward to our bi-weekly shares.

Anyone else CSA-ing?

nesting of another sort ...

no, not that ... this! I'm desperate to make these:

{Martha Stewart "Nesting Baby-Bluebird Cupcakes"}

Also seen here.So cute for Easter and springtime!

Friday awesomeness.

via Jezebel:

on the stove ...

I'll have to share some of the great things I picked up while at IKEA, but one of my favorite purchases from the weekend was this beautiful little guy that I picked up at the Le Creuset outlet:

Isn't he darling? He was a "second," so I got an even better deal -- but the only noticeable problem was just some slight paint discoloration on the lid. I've been wanting a smaller enameled cast iron pot, and this 3 1/2 quart size is perfect.

You do know about my love affair for Le Creuset, right? And really, all things made from enameled cast iron. I truly use this cookware for just about everything and I love it. NOTHING sticks to it, it cooks so evenly and perfectly and cleans up so well.

He looks so happy perched on top of my blue enameled cast iron "chili pot" from Martha Stewart:

Please excuse this rather crappy photo and my obviously-in-need-of-a-spring-cleaning kitchen.

Oh, but in the photo you can see my lovely slate colored, oval dutch oven peeking out of the corner on the right. The color is great for our kitchen and I got a fantastic deal on it -- Williams-Sonoma apparently has started selling that color only online, so all of their in-stock slate colored Le Creuset was deeply discounted this winter. I snagged that guy one night when we went to Plaza Frontenac to see a movie. The hubs went off to get tickets and I said I was just going to do a quick browse through the store. He was rather bemused when I met him in the concessions line with a huge, heavy bag and a grin on my face.

Dune is by far my favorite color, and in the future I'm going to try and collect more pieces in this color (much to my husband's chagrin) -- but I do like having a few other colors in my kitchen, too -- keeps things cheerful, no? ;o)

where I curse myself for not visiting England during Easter ...

Behold, the Cadbury Creme Egg McFlurry:

{photo from flickr user uglyagnes via "All That Klausner" and Slashfood}

I ... I don't even know where to begin. I don't even know what to say. I am literally without speech. Cadbury Creme Eggs blended into delectable McFlurry goodness? Thank God I didn't give up ice cream for Lent -- that way, in case there's some freakish twist of fate and I do end up traveling to England approximately ... three months prior to our intended departure, I'll be able to induldge absolutely guilt-free.

{photo from "i was really hungry" via "All That Klausner"}

McFlurries have certainly been on my mind recently -- what with the 30 Rock episode, ensuing controversy (or not) and now this?! I just need to pause for a moment and truly absorb the fact that some genius came up with the idea of mixing ice cream and Cadbury Creme Eggs ... Thank God we have Julie Klausner to properly articulate what I know most of us are already thinking (emphasis mine):

Apparently, British people, who are all geniuses who figured out ages ago that if you add more sugar to milk chocolate, it gives you diabetes faster, make this delectable concoction by pouring the following wonderful things into a standard Flurry base: chips of Cadbury chocolate, and a generous heap of the "yolk" fondant section of a Cadbury Creme Egg. They do NOT use the white part of the egg in the McFlurry (the ice cream acts the role of "white part"), and the yellow fondant is poured into the shake from the kind of bottle you keep mixers in at a bar. Or at least that's how I picture it. It IS in a bottle, though. Are you picturing that yellow fondant in a bottle, like gold? Do you feel like Rumplestiltskin? Are you hungry for candy-juice? Do you want to move to England?

I think need to go lie down now.

Actually, it's probably a blessed miracle that these aren't available stateside, as I would probably eat my weight in McFlurries every Easter season.

Craving some sort of Cadbury Creme Egg creation? Maybe it's time to these (just try to ignore the obscene photo).