Macaroni & (Goat) Cheese

Bean wanted to make macaroni today, so I decided to join him with my own take. He does not enjoy mushrooms, so I concocted a single-serving meal for me.

1. Boil some favorite pasta (shells, in this case).

2. Steam some glorious vegetables:

mushroom

cherry tomatoes

spinach

(I added some oregano and basil to the pasta boilage for flavor).

When the pasta was done, I added a chunk o' goat cheese until it melted. When it has just homogenized, add the steamed vegetables, stir, and serve. I topped this with Panko bread crumbs.

Clam Roll

We hiked three peaks in the White Mountains today, in beautiful 9-mile journey filled with sun and wind.

And when I got home, there were Trader Joe's canned clams.

I sauteed the clams in olive oil with some mushrooms.

The sandwich was:

ciabatta roll

spicy mustard

mushrooms

clams

spinach

mozzarella cheese

Toasted, and scarfed.

Cheese Makes the Sandwich

A very quick dinner:

ciabatta bread

spinach

sliced tomato

parrano cheese

The latter of which we found as a special at Hannaford, and is described as:

"The unforgettable cheese with a disctinctly Italian temperament; the alluring nutty flavor of a fine-aged Parmesan with the versatility of a young Dutch gouda."

And it is so good.

Open-faced Summer Sandwich (2)

A very quick dinner:

ciabatta bread

spinach

sliced tomato

parrano cheese

The latter of which we found as a special at Hannaford, and is described as:

"The unforgettable cheese with a disctinctly Italian temperament; the alluring nutty flavor of a fine-aged Parmesan with the versatility of a young Dutch gouda."

And it is so good.

Cheese Board Dinner

sourdough bread

gouda cheese

aged cheddar

gala apple

cherry tomatoes

spinach

spanish olives

mushroom

And the world's tiniest cheddar-apple sandwich!

Cherry Tomato Tart

For the crust, let a bit of yeast bloom in warm water. Then mix in:

~3/4 c. flour

pinch salt

And I added some oregano and dried tomato flakes. You can add whatever spice you desire!

And above, I added:

cherry tomatoes

parmesan cheese (grated)

spinach

and folded the dough around it.

And bake for maybe....12 minutes? Quick, and certainly delicious.

Grilled Pizza

We grilled pizza!

1. Make pizza dough

2. Stretch dough, and lay it on oiled, heated grill for about 4 minutes.

3. Remove; add toppings

4. Grill for (maybe) ten more minutes; until bottom is charred slightly.

Such a different taste than oven pizza! And so wondrous. Henceforth, we will have a summer pizza and a winter pizza.

Hee!

Homemade Lobster Roll

No mayo or limp hotdog roll involved:

portuguese sandwich roll

grey poupon mustard

asparagus

spinach

lobster claw & tail meat

It was so much fresher than I would have imagined!

Here it lies, half-defrosted lobster:

Prosciutto & Cheddar

When I first moved in, there seemed to be interesting deli meats in the refrigerator at all times, and I could sample of them at will for my lunches. But lately, there's been a lack of that! And normally I would be content concocting a delicious sandwich of mushrooms, kimchi, mustard, spinach, broccoli, cabbage.......whatever I could find; it would be delicious as long as it was on good bread.

But lately, since I've been training for a half-marathon, I need a bit more stuff in my sandwich. The other day I bought this prosciutto, pre-sliced and hard-as-hell to work with. It adds a deliciously salty kick, and tastes strangely (since it's pork) of seafood, which of course I enjoy fully.

This one had:

deli roll ($0.79)

prosciutto

Vermont cheddar cheese

sliced mushrooms

scallions

multitudes of spinach

Finally, an Oven!

In a fluke April storm, our oven stopped working. It has now been numerous weeks.

Whereas before, we made pizza-stone pizzas at least two times a week, we had to do without...

And today, we realized we could use the darned thing! And so here it is:

mushroom

spinach

onion

Feta cheese

mozzarella

chopped cherry tomatoes

And, of course, deliciousness!

Fried Egg on Couscous

A fried egg, perfectly crafted by Bean, atop a bed of couscous and steamed cabbage, green beans, and spinach. Some Thai spice for a delicious flavor.

So quick!

Sourdough & Asparagus

Simes got up when I left for work to prepare a batch of delectable sourdough. This he split into two parts; one for a loaf of bread, and one for a mound of pizza dough. Do you know what this means?

Dinner and lunch!

A (presumably) delicious sandwich for work tomorrow:

Spinach

Asparagus

Assorted mushrooms

Provolone cheese

And a pizza for dinner with the same ingredients; substitute Parmesan for the provolone. There's something inexplicably delectable about a hint of Parmesan cheese; so strong but often a bystander to the main event.

Both sound simple, but the bread is so sour they will undoubtedly be scrumptious.

Phyllo Mushroom Tartlets

Tonight I had the urge to go to my favorite Irish pub and not debate about dinner. Due to my prodding boyfriend and my terrible guilt-inducing personality, though, I determined to make mushroom tartlets instead. I have been dealing with a mushroom obsession of late; so this appealed to me more than slightly.

But!

When I perused the refrigerator, I realized that a package of puff pastry dough has been sitting there, unused and neglected, for nearly weeks. I have never been one to love the texture of phyllo, but I decided to substitute that for my basic flour-plus-water-&-spices dough concoction.

It looked far more like paper than I could have imagined. When I opened it I thought perhaps the world was playing a practical joke on me --

So!

This began with some saute-ing of olive oil, onions, and basil. Then I added a lil' red wine and a ton of chopped mushrooms. That brewed for a while while I spread almost a stick of butter on a sheet o' the flabbergasting phyllo dough.

And after digging in --

As a side note, here is what Bean made alongside me for the night; stuffed peppers. He spent a long while brewing up some delectable risotto with Italian cheese, and spinach. Then stuffed it into peppers and baked it simultaneously with mine. It looked good except that I absolutely cannot stand any smell or taste of peppers!

Portabella Caps

I've always wanted to try these. Today, Bean craved french toast, and I wanted to use the plethora of mushrooms that resided in the refrigerator. Ironically enough I bought more of them while we were shopping for wine and bread and things...and stuffed them with:

spinach

mushroom innards

lil' butternut squash (how is it still good?!)

parsley

olive oil

cabernet sauvignon (days old)

and after I'd steamed all of those for a bit, I stuck them in the oven with some mozzarella cheese, and it was SCRUMPSH!

Tomato Pie

So!

Nick fixed Simon's car just as we were mixing up some pizza dough, and decided that a share of the yeasty bounty would be a fitting enough payment for his service. Since Bean and I usually make a whole pizza for ourselves, I embarked on a separate project: same ingredients in a different shape.

I took a quarter of our thick-crust pizza dough and let it to rest, stripped of the companionship of its flour-and-oil brethren.

Then I rolled it out and flopped it into a ramekin with some:

chopped tomatoes (from lovely Dani)

spinach

grated mozzarella and Parmesan

and brushed the top with olive oil and sprinkled on some more cheese for a delightfully delicious looking pizza kin. I left it in the oven for as long as the brothers' pizza did...probably ten minutes.

And even better was the fact that I was whisked away to fill up the moped's gas tank, and came back years later to find I had forgotten half of it, just as I was feeling as if I were missing something. My body (frighteningly often) neglects to tell me how it is feeling, and I was glad that tonight was a time when hunger would not go unnoticed by this stupidly stubborn brain o' mine.

Octopus in the Lunch

As I was pondering sleep, Simon got the urge for late-night crackers and cheese, and whisked me off to the supermarket to achieve this goal. Passing by the sushi display, we say these tiny little octopus; they were willingly purchased at the sound of my too-loud squeal of disbelief and delight.

Returning home, I realized they were intended to be eaten on the day they were bought, so I had to make a new lunch to incorporate them for tomorrow. This involved a base of seaweed ramen and spinach, which Simon garnished with carrots because he required more color:

Then the rest of the lil' guys were added. They're slimy, and will presumably taste of soy sauce and sesame seeds, which is what they were cooked in.

Here lies the lunch that has been laid to rest until the day after tomorrow: leftover homemade mushroom pizza, cukes, and a greek salad of tomato, spinach, feta cheese and kalamata olives. Got two different themes going on here...

And now lunch is fun...

Actually, I've always loved packing my lunches. This box, though, makes me feel at once creative but constrained, and therefore much joy has been had making lunch for the past three days.

Tomorrow's has:

A wrap made of:

- Lavash bread

- mozzarella cheese

- mortadella deli meat

- spinach

- spicy brown mustard

A stirfry made of:

- sliced tomato

- sliced mushroom

- spinach

- soy sauce

- wasabi

- lil' bit of teriyaki sauce

With cucumbers and strawberry thrown in to fill in the spaces. It's like real-life tetris, packing this thing. :D

Homemade Ravioli

We made the pasta in the same way as before (see a few posts previous), but for some reason this time it was far more rubbery, and thus did not roll out as cooperatively after the waiting period. But! Despite all odds, we managed to roll the pasta dough out into various squares and circles, fill with gloops of ricotta + spinach, and fork-tine the edges together. It required a good deal of arm muscle from Dearest Simon, and a good deal of impatience from me, and finally we were ready to throw them in the pot.

Even with their thickness, they were ready in under five minutes.

Popped it in a bowl with some steamed spinach and tomatoes. Tomatoes! They are so delicous, and so fresh right now. I eat about 3 of them a day...

But anyway, no rave reviews about this here ravioli.

Mini Pizza(s)

More pizza; this time just for me. Mixed:

> 1/2 c. flour

1/2 pkg yeast

1/4 c. water

some olive oil

dash salt

dash sugar

and let rise, o' course (o' course). Split into three tiny balls and spread out, and baked with spinach, tomato and mozzarella on top. Each was about 3-4 inches across!

Same as our often-made pizzas, but so neat to eat.

Mother's Pizza Crust

This is the yeastless pizza crust my dearest Mother used to make all the time when we were wee ones. She stopped sometime during our formative years in favor of frozen store-bought dough, but making this after a long day of work brought back warm memories of a large, rambunctious, and endlessly ravenous family.

It was:

1/2 c. flour

sprinkle salt

1 tbsp olive oil

a few tbsp water

and stir, and stir, and form, and roll out. Then simply bake with toppings (sliced tomato, spinach, and feta cheese) until your hunger-induced oven-checking deems it done.

And mmmmm.