a day of roasting

our good friends were visiting this past week and brought us tomatillos from their garden. today I am roasting them and some red grape tomatoes we had lying around. mmm yummy.

tomatillos are part of the tomato family and are mostly grown in the western part of the country. once you peel back the leafy jacket, a sweet little green (sometimes with a purple hue) tomato is revealed.

to roast: slice the tomatillos into 1/4-1/2 thick slices. toss with olive oil and salt...

spread the mixture onto a baking sheet and roast at 375 degrees for about 35-40 minutes until brown and carmelized.

mine came out of the oven not looking as pretty as they went in. in fact, they look like old spinach garbage mush in this photo. possibly because I didn't use enough olive oil.*but*, they are delicious. sweet and salty combined.

linguine with asparagus and pine nuts

so yummy; thank you real simple:

Serves 4 Hands-On Time: 25m Total Time: 25m

Ingredients

• 12 ounces linguine (3/4 box)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 pounds asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 cup shaved Parmesan (about 3 ounces)

Directions

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions; drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the pine nuts and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the asparagus and cook, tossing occasionally, until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Add the asparagus mixture to the pasta along with 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and toss to combine. Sprinkle with the Parmesan before serving.

welcome summer home: design ideas

I cannot stop thinking about summer. as spring settles, now is the time to begin our musings about lazy sunny afternoons and sweaty weekend leisure time. here are some ideas on how to bring summer back after a tumultuous and somewhat bi-polar winter.

1. garden. obvious, but hear me out. sometimes, all it takes is a garden to give all angles of your home a glow. I am a fan of any and all colors growing in a garden, including lots of green veggies, but there are many ways to approach the garden design. and always remember to bring some of it indoors.

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(I could do without the cat)

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country living

apartment therapy


country living


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2. live outdoors. take it outside. all of it. reading. eating. laughing. drinking. go outside. but in order to do that happily, you have to make your living space as comfy to you as your living room.

the magazine formerly known as domino

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west elm

for cheaper but just as decadent, try ikea:

3. eat fresh; be beautiful in your color choice, even in the kitchen. and let it all be seen. color = summer.

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artichoke, fennel and tricolor tomato salad, recipe: here

prosciutto-wrapped asparagus with citrus dip, recipe: here

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country living

4. bring in the light. open your window. open your door. feel fresh air again. light is the quickest way to brightening a space and your mental state.

country living

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mirrors and white furniture help...

country living

...as do bursts of color. use flowers and fruit for this:

martha stewart

5. stay organized. winter moves to summer, thus time to clean up closets, sporting gear, garden tools, etc. I find that if I like the order, I am more apt to use the stuff. but, that's just my crazy side talking (which is really my only side). no surprises, martha has the best ideas.

bin it:

martha stewart

yeah, like anyone has space for this gorgeous recycling wall. but, pretty effing cool all the same:

martha stewart

sigh. I want a garden shed (with a gorgeous farm table that I would sell my right arm to have in our dining room, not wasted in the shed with my gardening tools):

martha stewart

ground chicken in lettuce cups

We first made this recipe a few weeks ago and it's become a delicious and easy weeknight dish. Tonight I attempted to make hot and sour soup to go with it, but I didn't have the right ingredients, so it didn't turn out great. Need to hit the Super 88 - the Asian supermarkets we have in Boston.


Chicken in Lettuce Cups

1 head Boston bibb lettuce
1 pound ground chicken

2 tbs oyster sauce
1 tbs each dark and light soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp each sugar and cornstarch
1 large egg beaten
dash chile-garlic sauce or Sriracha

2 tbs peanut oil (I swear by Lion and Globe)
1 tbs minced fresh ginger
1 clove minced garlic
3 green onions, chopped
2 tbs pinenuts

Mix sauce together in a small bowl. Heat peanut oil in saute pan over med-high heat. Add ginger and garlic and stir until heated through. Add the chicken and stir fry until golden brown and fully cooked. Pour off any excess liquid that have accumulated. Return pan to heat and add the sauce and the other final ingredients. Stir until sauce thickens. Add a dash of chicken broth if you need to thin it a little. Serve with lettuce cups as the "wrapping utensil."

And here's how June helped us do the dishes...

final christmas presents

I baked these Mini Apricot Cheesecakes as our final Xmas present. I ended up not making the pasta wheel snowflake ornaments because I couldn't find pasta wheels! What gives, world? So all our gifts are food-based this year. And not great for the waist line either. Maybe next year we'll do something a little healthier. Maybe. :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

Part 1 - Christmas presents

I made my first batch of the Cinnamon Honey Butter. Thanks, Darby from Fly Though Our Window, for the idea and recipe! I picked up a 12-pack of the 4 oz Ball jars at a local discount store for $10. And grabbed some fabric, ribbon, and paper from Joann Fabrics. The whole project took no time! I'm planning another batch, along with making some ornaments, to complete our holiday gift packs. Adding a nice bottle of wine for our daycare provider - she a godsend!