Obligatory House Update Post

Ladies and Gentlemen.....

we have windows! And some sort of waterproofing/vapor barrier (at least that is what my experience watching Holmes on Homes and Holmes Inspection tells me that white house wrap stuff is).

The progress continues!

Helloooooo Summer

Although Summer doesn't officially start for several more weeks, the unofficial start of Summer--Memorial Day weekend-- is upon us. And we're starting things off right. First up-- iced coffee. Jason cold-brewed our first batch Friday night which means we will be having delicious iced coffee all weekend long.

Last night we took things up another notch with a very summery meal-- seared tuna with mango slaw. The mango slaw comes from SmittenKitchen and, like most recipes I get from her, is definitely a keeper. Thinly sliced mango, red pepper, cabbage and red onion tossed with a lime-rice vinegar dressing and topped with mint and toasted cashews. Um, could it get any more delicious than that?

Finally, to top it all off-- our pool opened yesterday. Nothing says summer like reading by the pool!

Mango Slaw
Adapted (barely) from SmittenKitchen

Ingredients:
1 mango, peeled, pitted, and thinly sliced
1 medium head of Napa cabbage, halved and thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
3 limes, juiced
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 TBL olive oil
1/4 tsp chili paste
Salt
1/4 cup thinly sliced mint
1/3 cup toasted cashews, coarsely chopped

1. Toss mango, cabbage, red pepper, and red onion in a large bowl. Whisk lime juice, rice vinegar, olive oil, chili paste, and salt to taste in a separate bowl and pour over slaw.
2. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for one hour.
3. Before serving, mix in mint and cashews.

Strawberry Week, part 3

It would be pretty impossible for me to come home with three quarts of strawberries and not make some kind of ice cream. Rather than the relatively straightforward strawberry ice cream I made last year, I decided to try something I had seen a few weeks ago on The Kitchn--strawberry cheesecake ice cream. This recipe is a take on a recipe from the fabulous David Lebovitz and is wonderful in it simplicity and its tangy cheesecake flavor. You could add in any fruit--raspberries, blueberries, cherries, even cranberries would be delicious.

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
Inspired by The Kitchn and adapted from David Lebovitz

Ingredients:
8 ounces softened cream cheese
1 cup light sour cream
1 lemon, zested
1/2 cup half-and-half
2/3 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 cup small diced strawberries

1. Cut cream cheese into small pieces. Add cream cheese, lemon zest, sour cream, sugar, half-and-half, and salt into a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth.
2. Freeze it in your ice cream maker according to instructions. About five minutes before the ice cream is complete, add in diced strawberries. 
3. Transfer to an air tight container and place in your freezer until ready to serve. 

Strawberry Week, part 2

It was easy to come up with ideas for strawberry sweet treats, but as I much as I would have liked to eat nothing but strawberry crisp, strawberry shortcake, strawberry ice cream, or even strawberry scones, I did not think that would be too good for my waist line (it has a hard enough battle given my current lack of exercise routine). So I came up with an idea for a simple spinach salad topped with strawberries, goat cheese, pecans and balsamic vinaigrette. It may sound odd to top a salad with strawberries (Jason, for one, was skeptical when I told him what we are having for dinner with our chicken kebabs tonight), but it is quite tasty (by the end of the meal he was converted). A no-recipe recipe and a healthy way to eat your summer fruit!

Strawberry Week, part 1

Did you know that May is National Strawberry Month? (If you are friends with me, you probably did know this as it is currently my favorite factoid-- I'm pretty sure that Jason has grown tired of hearing me say it!) That means that strawberries are at their peak of freshness in most of the country right now. And I, for one, couldn't be happier! Because even though you can buy strawberries from the grocery store year-round these days, I try really hard not to buy out of season produce. It's more expensive and, frankly, not as good. So I try to keep that to a minimum. Which means when fruits that I really like are in season, I tend to go a little bit nuts. This strawberry season is no different; Jason and I went to our local farmers market this weekend for the express purpose of buying in-season strawberries from Westmoreland Berry Farm. We came home with three quarts of the biggest, ripest, most beautiful strawberries you've ever seen! Three quarts is a lot of fruit and when it's good and ripe, it doesn't last too long. So I got to work on recipes that would make good use of these beauties. First up---strawberry rhubarb crisp.

I was really thinking about making a pie (similar to the one I made last year) but decided that Jason and I really did not need a whole pie to ourselves. So I decided to make a couple of mini strawberry-rhubarb crisps instead since it is much easier than making mini-pies. Fruit crisps are some of the easiest things to make: simply cut up your favorite fruit, toss with a little sugar, a little cornstarch and a squeeze of lemon and top with a mixture of butter, flour and brown sugar. I like to add in oats for texture. Stick it in the oven and voila! You have a beautiful and delicious dessert-- perfect for whatever fruit happens to be in season.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Makes two mini-crisps that amounts to about 4 servings.

Ingredients:
2 cups of diced strawberries
1 stalk of rhubarb, quartered lengthwise and then diced
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 TBL granulated sugar
1 TBL cornstarch
3 TBL flour
2 TBL brown sugar
2 TBL oats
3 1/2 TBL butter, diced into small pieces
pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 375. Spray baking dish(es) with cooking spray.
2. Mix strawberries, rhubarb, lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch together in a small bowl. Spoon into prepared baking dish(es). Set aside.
3. In another bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, oats, and salt together. Add diced butter and mix together using a fork, pastry cutter, or your fingers. Once everything is combined and the butter is the size of small pebbles, place on top fruit.
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until fruit is bubbling and topping is golden brown. Serve on its own or with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

All That's Missing is a Roof

What a difference a month makes!

Our house in early April:

And in mid-May:

(shot from roughly the same vantage point as picture #1...ours is the one with the lamppost in front)

And here's a close up:

Pretty much all that's missing (structurally) is a roof!

Menu Monday

Another week, another week's worth of dinners to plan. Here is what we've got going on this week:

Monday: Chicken patty pockets

Tuesday: Asparagus and feta frittata
Wednesday: Leftover chicken patty pockets
Thursday: Linguine with shrimp,pesto and cherry tomatoes

What do you have planned for this week?