Links to the artists...
Jennifer Fisher
Blancucha
Jongerius
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Saturday, February 09, 2008
ROSEMARY
I was going to put a really cheesy title like, "IT'S ROSEMARY THYME!" but, well, I didn't. But I said it anyway. Nevermind.
Moving along, the next vegetable, or I guess I should say herb, that I have cooked with from my CSA basket is rosemary.
I saw this recipe online for rosemary shortbread and I was inspired to make my own version, which didn't include pine nuts (didn't have any on hand).
I got a little confused by how to chop up the rosemary because the 'pine needle-y' leaves are attached to a thick stem, and I ended up chopping up the stem as well. Sticks in your shortbread is probably not that appetizing, but I'm sure it's alright for those of us that like a little more fiber in our diet. So as a tip, and I don't even know if this matters, but before you start chopping up your rosemary you should probably rip the pine needles off the stem first. You should also probably use a strong knife because the needles are quite tough and are pretty hard to chop up finely.
I forgot to use whole wheat flour but I did have unbleached all purpose, which of course is fine, just not as healthy (especially considering the amount of butter that went into it). And here's how they turned out!
Rosemary Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients:
-1 1/2 cups butter
-2/3 cups sugar
-2 tablespoons rosemary
-2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
-1/4 teaspoon salt
1. Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Stir in the flour, salt, and rosemary until just combined. You don't want to handle and mix it too much or your shortbread will be tough. Cover and refrigerate until dough is easier to handle, around 15 minutes or as long as your patience can run. I think I only waited 5 minutes which is why it was impossible to shape and cut my shortbread into nice even squares, but I don't mind the lumpy shapes I got.
2. On a lightly floured surface roll out your refrigerated dough and cut into shapes of your liking. You can use cookie cutters or whatever you want.
3. Place cookies 1 in apart on cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Bake for about 10-15 minutes until they are hard/soft to your liking.
4. Enjoy the buttery softness of your rosemary studded shortbread!
Moving along, the next vegetable, or I guess I should say herb, that I have cooked with from my CSA basket is rosemary.
I saw this recipe online for rosemary shortbread and I was inspired to make my own version, which didn't include pine nuts (didn't have any on hand).
I got a little confused by how to chop up the rosemary because the 'pine needle-y' leaves are attached to a thick stem, and I ended up chopping up the stem as well. Sticks in your shortbread is probably not that appetizing, but I'm sure it's alright for those of us that like a little more fiber in our diet. So as a tip, and I don't even know if this matters, but before you start chopping up your rosemary you should probably rip the pine needles off the stem first. You should also probably use a strong knife because the needles are quite tough and are pretty hard to chop up finely.
I forgot to use whole wheat flour but I did have unbleached all purpose, which of course is fine, just not as healthy (especially considering the amount of butter that went into it). And here's how they turned out!
Rosemary Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients:
-1 1/2 cups butter
-2/3 cups sugar
-2 tablespoons rosemary
-2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
-1/4 teaspoon salt
1. Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Stir in the flour, salt, and rosemary until just combined. You don't want to handle and mix it too much or your shortbread will be tough. Cover and refrigerate until dough is easier to handle, around 15 minutes or as long as your patience can run. I think I only waited 5 minutes which is why it was impossible to shape and cut my shortbread into nice even squares, but I don't mind the lumpy shapes I got.
2. On a lightly floured surface roll out your refrigerated dough and cut into shapes of your liking. You can use cookie cutters or whatever you want.
3. Place cookies 1 in apart on cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Bake for about 10-15 minutes until they are hard/soft to your liking.
4. Enjoy the buttery softness of your rosemary studded shortbread!
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Last weekend
Last weekend in San Juan Capistrano. We went to visit our CSA farm and happened to pass by the downtown area near the mission with random antique shops and cafes. It's funny to about third grade where we built our little mission models from styrofoam and sugar cubes. I think everyone's favorite mission was San Juan Capistrano. Or was it Santa Barbara? I can't even remember which one I did my project on. Anyhow, some antique finds I was coveting...the most beautiful books and some adorable monk chochkis...
KOHLRABI
First up on my vegetable adventures: KOHLRABI.
Kohlrabi is a member of the cabbage family of vegetables. It came whole and attached to thick long stalks of leaves, which you can eat but I didn't try.
It has a crunch similar to that of broccoli stalks. My friend says it tastes like jicama. I happen to dislike jicama. I guess because it looks grainy and kind of like a pear, only gross tasting. Okay I only tried it once at a tennis match and there was a vegetable platter and one of the vegetables was jicama and it was unfamiliar to me so I decided to dislike it. But I like kohlrabi, even though it supposedly tastes like jicama. But maybe you'll like kohlrabi too, especially if you dislike jicama.
Back to kohlrabi. You can eat it raw or cooked. Just take off the purple exterior with a vegetable peeler and cut it up. It's kind of got that stinky cabbage-y smell if you let it sit too long, but it wasn't too bad raw, accompanied with a creamy salad dressing. It's actually quite sweet and mild, no bitterness or fibers.
I also decided to try it sauteed with a little olive oil and garlic, and it ended up being equally tasty.
The cool thing about joining a CSA is that you get to taste different vegetables that you wouldn't normally buy at the supermarket. In fact, I don't even know if I've ever seen or heard of kohlrabi before encountering it in my CSA basket. So I guess that's it about this strange purpley vegetable. I hope you learned something today, kids!
Kohlrabi is a member of the cabbage family of vegetables. It came whole and attached to thick long stalks of leaves, which you can eat but I didn't try.
It has a crunch similar to that of broccoli stalks. My friend says it tastes like jicama. I happen to dislike jicama. I guess because it looks grainy and kind of like a pear, only gross tasting. Okay I only tried it once at a tennis match and there was a vegetable platter and one of the vegetables was jicama and it was unfamiliar to me so I decided to dislike it. But I like kohlrabi, even though it supposedly tastes like jicama. But maybe you'll like kohlrabi too, especially if you dislike jicama.
Back to kohlrabi. You can eat it raw or cooked. Just take off the purple exterior with a vegetable peeler and cut it up. It's kind of got that stinky cabbage-y smell if you let it sit too long, but it wasn't too bad raw, accompanied with a creamy salad dressing. It's actually quite sweet and mild, no bitterness or fibers.
I also decided to try it sauteed with a little olive oil and garlic, and it ended up being equally tasty.
The cool thing about joining a CSA is that you get to taste different vegetables that you wouldn't normally buy at the supermarket. In fact, I don't even know if I've ever seen or heard of kohlrabi before encountering it in my CSA basket. So I guess that's it about this strange purpley vegetable. I hope you learned something today, kids!
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Cheating
I know, I'm cheating on the collage thing because I made these for work. But still. It's a collage!
Monday, February 04, 2008
Three things.
1. I ordered this book on amazon.com today. I'm excited.
2. I watched "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" last night, and it made me laugh out loud while the wind howled outside the window.
3. Collage time! I didn't realize how difficult it would be to put this collage together. Today's collage is inspired by COLOR COLOR COLOR...
(Some of the images include: Marimekko prints, a Vogue Korea photoshoot, vintage postcard, flickr images...)
2. I watched "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" last night, and it made me laugh out loud while the wind howled outside the window.
3. Collage time! I didn't realize how difficult it would be to put this collage together. Today's collage is inspired by COLOR COLOR COLOR...
(Some of the images include: Marimekko prints, a Vogue Korea photoshoot, vintage postcard, flickr images...)
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