Imperfect Produce

I stuck my hands in dirt today. In my own kitchen.

Y’all, (Yes, I now say this. Thank you new friends from the south and old southern roots) the potatoes here are dirty. Most of the time I give my potatoes a little scrub, a little more if they are baked potatoes. Here, they are taking a bath. Right. Now. A bath. They are like filthy children after an afternoon in the yard. Clumps of dirt and roots covering the skins.

Back in California – I was about to say home, but that would get confusing because there are too many “homes” right now – my friend Rachel introduced me to Imperfect Produce. She loves them so much she wanted me to apply for a position on their marketing team. Their marketing team and their mission is incredibly creative. The essence is that every day, farmers grow food and it is wasted because it is “imperfect.” Basically, it doesn’t look pretty enough to go in the grocery store.

I was thinking about this concept at market day a few weeks ago. There are produce stands and cheese stands, places to get fresh pasta and just picked flowers. There is the fish stand which smells, and the garment stands and knickknack stands. You can buy your socks and underwear at the market, if you’re into that kind of embarrassment. I was thinking about it because I have to order my fruits and veggies by weight. The produce stand closest to my house has a sweet older lady that will let you order by number of pieces, but for the most part you’re ordering per kilo. And the cherry on top to this experience is that they pick which pieces you’re going to get. No touching!

You could end up with some really ugly, but edible, fruits and veggies.

The concept of imperfect produce doesn’t work here. They would look at you like you’re crazy, which let’s be honest they already think you are.  If you are savvy enough, you can be like the Italians and tell them you don’t want that one, you want the other one. But again, they look at you like you’re crazy because you’re American. Comes with living in a different country.

So, Americans, we’ve got to get our act together. Think about all the time wasted on sorting produce to make sure it looks pretty enough. Think of all the cleaning agents used to make the potatoes look less dirty. They came from the ground! Of course they are dirty!

This isn’t an issue with the potatoes or the farmers or the grocers. The problem is with our mindset. It is with how we think about our food. The good stuff that keeps us going.

Once those potatoes are clean and cooked, they are going to taste delicious. You shouldn’t know that they came from the ground and you won’t be able to tell that they were dirty when I got them from the farmer’s market this morning.  

Let’s try to change our thinking about how things look. I’m going to get back to cleaning potatoes for dinner from my new cookbook, Magnolia Table…

Fall Food List

Otherwise known as the fall food bucket list.

I figured since it is the day after Thanksgiving I should probably write this post. Because soon people are going to say it is not fall anymore. I like to hold onto fall as long as possible. And I have to say that I'm a bit in denial about Christmas this year. But that's to be expected, Thanksgiving is my favorite.

Earlier in the autumn season I started creating a list of recipes I wanted to make or try for the first time. I wrote with the good ol' pen and paper a list of warm deliciousness.

Fall

Pumpkin soup - Marshall's Abroad - not yet
Chicken Chili - Smitten Kitchen - not yet, but may be bumped to winter
Acorn Squash - Buzzfeed's Tasty Kitchen
Sweet Potato Waffles - Joy the Baker
Pancetta, White bean, Swiss Chard Pot Pie - Smitten Kitchen - not yet, again may be bumped to winter
Creamy Tomato Basil Soup - Pin - not yet
Apple Cheddar Scones - Smitten Kitchen

Bonus:
Pumpkin Scones - adaptation of  Joy the Baker
Pumpkin Pie bites - Pin
Brown Butter Pecan Pie Bars (with Sea Salt)
Pumpkin Cheesecake (with homemade whipped cream)

So... it looks like I haven't made much progress but when you are only cooking for one and you start to get tired of an item after two days...I'm doing pretty good. That's all I'm saying.

I don't mind having pumpkin items into December, so I will probably  keep chugging along on this list. Bonus are all recipes that came up and fit in the category. This year we did a twist on the classic desserts for Thanksgiving, which you can see from the pecan bars and the cheesecake. I may have to add Butternut Black Bean Chili to the list as I'll be making it for Tuesday night's dinner group.

** links coming soon! But feel free to comment with questions!

Dutch Lunch

A few years ago I worked for a company with Dutch origins. They were going through some transitions and I was as well. It was the perfect match for a summer job and there were a few things that happened which made me appreciate it that much more. One of those being lunch. Or as I came to call it, Dutch Lunch.

The people I worked with were all Dutch, they all spoke Dutch, and made me wish I knew Dutch! {To this day I still wish I knew Dutch.} I found it wonderful and fascinating, the ways in which they interacted within the office.  The most noticeable difference {besides the emails written in Dutch} was the way that lunch was done.  We would all, yes all, sit down together at the conference room table and eat the sandwich fixings from the refrigerator.  We ate on real plates, with real knives, and drank from real glasses.  

Sandwiches were done the Dutch way, open face.  There were multi grain bread loaves which were sliced for lunch {yes, in the office with a real bread knife}.  Then the choice of meat or cheese was put on top and eaten. There was mustard in the office, but I don't think I saw anyone use it.  It usually took 3-5 slices of bread to be satisfied. Then for dessert, nutella would come out and lavishly be spread on the multigrain bread. It all balanced out, between chocolate goodness and multi grains, right?

Everyone sat around the table and the whole office took a break.  It did take the place of having a "lunch break," but I didn't mind. If I really needed to I could have left. And I got off early enough that it didn't really matter.  When needed, people seemed to take care of their business and meetings at their most convenient time.

I think one reason I loved it and was enamored by this new lunch concept was that it was simple. It was simple, delicious, and not altogether unhealthy.  Would I have enjoyed a fruit or veggie thrown in? It would have been nice.  Did I love the new tradition of lunch?  Yes, even more.

I was completely spoiled by it. And not just because I was provided food, here in Silicon Valley that's all too common. It was more than the food, the mind was nourished with the body. There was easy conversation and banter, relationship. I taught and was taught about culture and customs and life over the simplicity of lunch.

Quiche: Everything but the Kitchen Sink version

Friday night I came home from being out of town for the previous 24 hours.  It was a stressful day and I had been meaning to make quiche all week.  I forgot to buy a crust at the store {cause that’s what happens these days, store bought crust}.  So it was leftovers and quiche combined.

 

If you are like me and forgot to buy or are too lazy to make a crust make a simple cracker crust.  I used Ritz crackers because, well I was too lazy to make a flour crust.  Mix the smashed cracker crumbs with melted butter (3-4 tablespoons) and pat into a pie crust.  Bake for 10 minutes at 250 to set.

Chop up whatever veggies you have and sound like they would be good together.  I had roasted brussel sprouts earlier in the week and so that went in with the red bell pepper and zucchini.  I suggest adding some protein, we added sausage that actually had spinach, cheese, and garlic inside.  Fill your crust with the veggies and meat and top with shredded cheese.  I used cheddar and parmesan because that is what I had on hand, but my favorite is swiss.  Mix 3 eggs with ¼ cup milk and few dashes of pepper.  If you don’t have garlic in with a veggie I suggest adding some to the egg mix.  Pour over the top and bake for 25-35 minutes at 375 or until cheese is slightly browned.

Enjoy!

 

I also figured that since I just talked about coming to the table this was a perfect opportunity to show you what's been on my table lately.

The Table

I love kitchen tables, dining room tables, side tables.  Tables represent food and gathering to me.  They represent a display of life.

 

 

 

When we come to the table for dinner we are normal, ordinary.  Actually most people don’t sit at a dining table to eat their dinner.  I know that I’m guilty of this as well. I eat on the couch or in my room when others are using the common area.  Sometimes I eat sanding up around the kitchen or on the stool in the corner.  I don’t take the time to come sit.  To rest.  To process.  To build that community.

I wonder but also believe that Jesus used the table as a place that was ordinary and simple because it would be remembered.  It is a task that we must do every day; we must eat and drink.  It is a simple and sustaining meal; bread and drink.

I think of that night when Jesus came to table...

There were no decorations

No table cloth

No candlesticks or plates

No centerpieces

 

No place cards

 

Heck, who knows if there was even a table

 

Just wine, a cup, and bread. 

And people.  People that were very much loved.

 

Hands breaking bread make up the table.

People in conversation make up the table.

Like I said, life is centered around the table; through our conversation, through our nourishment.

These are two videos, one a business plan about using what Jesus started to be a community and the other a song.

 

 

We've got Apples!

The house that I grew up in has an apple tree in the backyard.  We used to have 2 trees, but they both started to show signs of disease.  Anyways I grew up with these apples that were only good for baking.  Just plain they are tart!  We would make all kinds of goodies, and in the process of peeling we would eat apple peel strings.  Sweet times!

 

 

The campus ministry I am a part of announced a community program where people would invite friends over to make apple pies and treats and then give them to people in the community. The night that was planned is the night that my biblestudy meets…so we incorporated it into study!

 

 The girls had so much fun and we made 4 pies.  Dutch Apple style.  It was easier than trying to do two crusts.  I went cheap on this one, and with lack of time as a college student we went with store bought crusts.  The girls cut enough apples to make an apple dessert {Apple Kuchen} and a pot of applesauce.  And there was still more apples.  I am still trying to use them up, so you will probably see one more post of apples! 

What is your favorite apple dish?

I couldn't resist...

Here is a review of some of the places in "my city." 

Enjoy!

 

NYtimes

Peaches and Cream Pie {Recipe}

This was so yummy that I had to share the recipe.  My family finished it in 2 nights flat!  It is delicious warm or cooled.  I think it would be fun to try a mix of fruit as well.

Unbaked pie shell

3 cups peaches chopped (make sure to skin)

Arrange the peaches in the bottom of the pie shell.

1 cup sugar (or less)

1/3 cup flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 eggs beaten

1/2 cup sour cream

Combine these ingredients and spoon or pour over peaches

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup butter

Cut the butter into the flour and sugar.  Sprinkle over the top of the pie.  Bake for 55 minutes at 350 until golden brown.  Enjoy!

Hope you are having a lovely Monday!

Celebrating with Peaches

Yesterday was Julia Child's birthday.  I love the idea of that lady.  I say the idea of her, because I didn’t understand Julia until a few years ago.  I had started loving the kitchen and being in the kitchen and understanding the power of food.  Food has a wonderful power. It brings people together.  It can mend relationships and create memories.  Julia Child understood that food was important.  She started a food revolution.

From what I’ve read about her in her semi autobiography, I’m not sure if we would be good friends. I do think she would be good at inspiring me. This woman in many ways was incredible.  She learned French while living in France {and she wasn't 'young' in age}, she didn't take no for an answer, and created wonderful, lasting, relationships along the way.

In honor of her 100th birthday I decided to spend some time in the kitchen. And here is what I made...

Peaches and Cream Pie

On Sunday I went and picked the last of the peaches for this season.  They are the perfect size and ooze juice. yum! I have a soft spot for peaches {pun intended} since my dad used to say I had peach fuzz hair. {That’s what happens when you are little and practically bald.}

It was also the first day of school for my sisters. I’ve decided that they should not have to go back to school yet.  Unfortunately, it doesn't matter what I think.

This lovely pie is in honor of not only a wonderful woman living her passion, but to my sisters’ start of their first day of school.   What are you passionate about?

{I still have peaches, so pass along your favorite peach recipes!}

Dear... {Friday Letters}

via

Dear Weekend I’m excited you’re here, but I don’t know what we are doing together.  Should be fun!

Dear kiddos, I’m excited to see you Saturday night.  I know that your curious little minds are going to ask me about Italy again.  What story will we tell this time?

Dear Sunshine, I’m missing you.  Date this weekend?

Dear Siblings, You can come back now.  I want to hear stories of houseboats!

Dear Greek food, Yum!  You are delicious! {garlic fries with gyro meat on top and zucchini fries}

Dear YL community, thanks for last night.  I needed that.

Dear Life, Will you please slow down?

Linking up with Ashley at Adventures of Newlyweds

Movable Feast

So I was trying to be on a roll this week. 

I prepped my posts, and tried to have pictures for every single one. 

But alas, yesterday, no post

And today, well we’re up and running…at 10am

And this is why I love grace

God knew I wouldn’t have any adventures to post if I posted them all this week! {hehe}

There are some cute kids coming up next week…But for now a picture overload for the weekend!

This is the best kept {not so} secret in San Jose.  Some great food being loaded up and moved around the Bay Area.  It comes in the form of food trucks, but it is called gourmet.  It is delicious! 

If you live in the area you should check it out or start one in your own area.  Here are some pictures I took when we went last week:

http://www.mvbl.org/

What did you honestly think when I put food truck and gourmet together in the same sentence?

Sometimes and Always: Berry Edition

We made this deliciousness on Sunday!

Source: morganmoore.typepad.com via Haleigh on Pinterest

I am linking up with Megan on this warm day for her series of Sometimes and Always.  We got a heat wave here last weekend and so we went on our annual berry picking adventure.  The place where we go {It’s tradition} is south and near to coast so it was cooler than being at home!
  

Sometimes: I think I’ll just eat one more

Always: yeah right…what was I thinking?

Sometimes:  I make myself pick only the blackest of blackest berries

Always:  That takes too long and I end up with a few red ones

Sometimes: I dream of what I’ll make and other times I decide to figure it out later

Always: I know there is deliciousness coming soon

Sometimes: I think ‘we’ll go home right away and make jam!’

Always:  It is way too hot.  We’ll make jam…soon

Sometimes: I talk with friends or my momma as we pick berries

Always: It is way more fun to listen to other people.  They say the funniest things {out of context of course}

Sometimes: I think that berry picking is easy and not dangerous

Always:  I come home with some scraps; those bushes have some sharp thorns!

This is one of my favorite summer traditions and it helps that it tastes yummy too!  I used to come home covered in berry juice, but I’ve tamed my ways and look more presentable afterwards these days!

Hope you are enjoying summer!

Cute as a Button

Last week was stress week, this week is overwhelmed week.  Or at least that’s how I feel.  But I’m not going to let that get to me.  Unfortunately the blog is suffering for it.  School comes first…

Yesterday was beautiful May day.  It always sneaks up on me, so I end up celebrating with pretty flowers all month instead of just the first day.  Are you familiar with May day?  I’ve always wanted to create a tradition for that day…but like I said it always sneaks up on me!

Last week I had  to design and give a training session for my training and development class.  My partner {who also happens to be my roommate} and I did a training on sewing a button.  As a snack I made some easy sugar cookies and creatively tried to figure out how to make them look like buttons.  For some reason one of my roommates thought that we were going to sew the cookies to the fabric.  That would have been interesting!

In the process...here they come

Sugar cookies are so easy and these ones are no chill.  Bonus!  I end up eating way too much dough during the process so by the time I get to the actual baked cookies I don’t really want one.  Does that ever happen to you?  And I usually burn or overcook the first batch when I make sugar cookies.  I broke that streak this time!

So here are the yummy cuties right out of the oven:

Anyone interested in a recipe?

Crazy

Crazy.
…That time has flown by so fast.
…That so much has happened in the last few days.
…That finals are this week, and so is the packing and cleaning and goodbyes.

This was my last weekend in Torino and it was go, go, go. You all found out about the mis-adventures of Italian style on Friday. That night was such a great way to start off the weekend. Since the buss and metro weren’t running Robyn and I walked. We walked downtown which took us an hour. Oh and when we left it started sprinkling. I have to say it was so fun to walk in the falling water that reflected in the car lights and the Christmas lights.
We arrived at the church that I’ve been attending, for dinner with some new friends. We had some funny, entertaining and somewhat awkward Italian conversations with the guys while we waited for our last friend. My friend Luigi asked “do you speak Italian? Do you speak dialect? No? Well, those are all I know. I don’t know English!”
As a typical Italian meal, we had pizzas. Mine was large and I have no idea how I finished it. But it was delicious.
During the meal we talked, conversed {mostly in Italian, which means I didn’t say much} and laughed. We went around the table and did highs and lows of the week. In Italian it is called “bello e bruto” or the beautiful and the ugly. I may change my phrasing when I’m back in the US, watch out! One of my friends remarked that his “bruto” was that he is taking a swimming class and his time was too fast. I did swim team in high school for a year so we talked about that. And then, he asked me about the stroke. I know the mechanics of freestyle and watched as my coach taught us tricks {thanks Gordy}. You should have seen us. I had to stand up so I wouldn’t knock anything on the table over and we went over the technicalities.
I am happy to report that he went and timed yesterday and he got under the correct time! {I guess I did know what I was talking about!}

My view at coffee house...hence the lack of pictures After our dinner we walked back to the church and went to “coffee house”. It’s a concert put on once a month with bands of every genre. It’s a time of socializing and music. It was so fun! Half the music was Italian songs and half were in English.
A perfect Friday night of friends, food and music. This was one happy girl.

Weekend Recap {Saluzzo}

This weekend consisted of: history lessons, discussions, trying to understand Italian, eating Piedmonte style, amazing views, flexibility, churches, and staying with a very lovable family

I actually did quite the little tour of the area around Saluzzo, a little town situated at the base of the Alps. I went on a train to Saluzzo and then drove to a farm in Revello. On Saturday afternoon I drove through Pra Piglerio and then on Sunday I spent a few hours in Cuneo. The farmhouse I stayed at has been renovated in the last 10 years and is lived in by one of my professors and his family. A few generations ago his family bought the property with a farmhouse built in the 1700s and rented the land out for farming. And then a few years ago he started converting the stables attached to the house into livable rooms. There is a rock quarry that his father runs right next to the farm. The first morning I woke up hearing little voices downstairs and then a rooster. This family has a rooster! It was so nice to be in the country and I feel like I experienced true Italian culture. We ate Piedmonte style, which means good meat and cheese. It’s a northern thing. And I had raw meat…again.

In typical Italian fashion I was asked to stay until Monday {today} instead of figuring out logistics for coming back Sunday. I feel like I am still processing the whole weekend, so hopefully in the next few days I can organize my thoughts. Bear with me?

I have a list of things to do in Torino, before I leave Torino. Yesterday I killed two birds with one stone, so to say. There is a café that always looks so nice around the corner from where I live. They have a case full of pastries and it reminds me of the Victorian Ice cream parlor at Disneyland.
The reason I haven’t gone before is that they have the most interesting hours. I cannot seem to figure them out! I go when I think they should be open, and they are closed. When I go by a week later, at the same time, they are open. I can’t find the pattern, but someone must know it! It is Italia, so there may be no method to the madness!

On the list was to:
~eat a cannoli while in Italia: shameful that I have not done this yet, I know! But now I have. They were small, but they were cannoli!
~order something at this café. Something. Anything. No matter the cost. I did.

There are no pictures of me, because I went hoping that they might be open so no one came with me. Every time I plan to go with someone it’s closed. If you want to use your imagination I was wearing my red coat that is very famous here on the blog, and had really shiny hair {which was odd} pulled into a pony tail.
I did well in my Italian, as in I didn’t speak any English while there {mostly because there was no one to speak English to}. I ordered my pastries and a hot chocolate. The hot chocolate would form a layer that was half a centimeter thick between spoonfuls. This was non drinkable hot chocolate! The cannoli is filled with sweet crème, and it was a perfect balance to burning my tongue on the chocolate!
While I stood and enjoyed my snack I reflected on Torino. I’m going to miss this place. I’m committing to taking one day at a time and enjoying all the wonderful things I get to experience here.

What is your favorite cold weather sweet treat?

Barcelona {2}

Day 2 we got up and had the typical European hotel breakfast and then it was time to conquer Barcelona. We started out with heading to Montjuic Park not too far away. Just happens to be huge and had many of the buildings used when Barcelona hosted the Olympics. We did not venture to the stadium, because what do you see at a stadium once it’s not used. We kept laughing because there are escalators in the park.
After tromping around and seeing the fountains, the modern art museum and some other random statues and fountains throughout the park we headed into the town a little looking for a snack to take back to the park. We didn’t find anything but kept walking and found another park. From there you could see the bull ring and the kindergartners having a park day. I wish that we didn’t have so many liability issues so that American kids could have more park days in school. I think they are educational and healthy.
By this time it was afternoon and although we were enjoying the park we decided to go walking and look for the churro and hot chocolate place that we passed the day before. Usually we can’t find a place twice, but we were determined. The lady working the shop was so sweet and wanted to make sure that we enjoyed it. I could have sat there all day! She reminded us that we needed to watch our purses and cameras, which made us feel uneasy, but I appreciated the concern. {We got told a total of 3 times that we needed to watch our stuff…and most of the time there was no one around.} Churros and chocolate is a thing here, and from what I hear is most commonly eaten for breakfast. The churros were cold, but by dipping them in hot chocolate they get warmed right up {we did as we were instructed by the shop lady.}

After this we walked around the cathedral which was more like a village and then out to the port. We enjoyed the people passing by and the crisp air. We walked along the sea to the Columbus monument and then headed back to the hotel for a few minutes of rest.

This guy was making bubbles outside the cathedralWe changed are plans multiple time because we kept finding out new information. There is this light and fountain show that is supposed to be “magical” looking. We of course wanted to go see it, but the times are confusing because it is off season. We got there at the correct time, but the fountains were under construction and being cleaned. I was so disappointed! {especially because we had arranged plans around this site}. It was off to the Casa Batllo, and at this point I was just hoping the lights would be on. They were, but it didn’t look how I thought it would. That was ok, because it’s a weird structure in itself. Gaudi was a deranged man. Although he was brilliant in his designs, I’m glad I didn’t commission him to design anything for me…

At least they had some fun lights on at the non working fountains

We passed some more fountains on our jaunt down Las Ramblas so we of course took some pictures. As we continued on our way we looked for tapas and paies. The two local specialties that we wanted to try before we left. We accomplished both. I have to say that tapas were not what I was expecting, but all the food was good. After our meal we rambled and found some dessert. I split the Catalan cream with a friend. So delicious and not what we were expecting! It is lemony and similar to crème brulee.

It was perfect way to end our time in Barcelona.
The next day we went back to the Arc de Triumf while we waited for our bus back to the airport. And then we were on our way to Torino. We did so many things in Barcelona, but really tried to enjoy the time there and relax a bit. {There are lots of projects these next few weeks.}