Bento Box!

I bought a Bento box for $3.00 online the other day. I've taken to packing my lunches (sandwiches, veggies, fruit, leftovers, nuts, etc.) very tightly in a single container to conserve space, and lately the idea of the Bento box has been intensely intriguing. This one is small; 4 1/4" x 3 1/4" x 3 1/2", but you can stuff a pretty good amount of food in there.

My lunch for tomorrow:

1/4 leftover pesto pizza

garlic-stuffed olives

spinach / green beans

mango pieces

raisins

HEALTHY? TRU DAT!

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.

Surprisingly good Market Basket sushi!

(salmon, tuna, mackerel (?), shrimp)

Provincetown!

On my first visit, Provincetown offered an unmatchable combination of perfect weather, art studios as far as the eye could see, shops to satisfy any soul, and quiet company. Hours of driving led us to ice cream for breakfast, and we spent the day wandering up and down the streets after finding an unexpectedly convenient spot to park.

We began our meal with drinks: a mojito for me, and Chimay for Bean. Whilst sipping, we decided we hoped they'd take their good time preparing the meal. There was something inexplicably relaxing about sitting here overlooking the ocean, resting the worn-out soles of our feet, tired by so many hours of walking and being buffeted by the wind; eyes taking in more than the normal day allows.

The Caprese salad I ordered was beauteous; it is hard to go wrong with mozzarella and basil and tomato. Paired with their just-warmed bread, it was a meal tasty enough to cherish the day, but light enough to require dessert.

And a beautiful ending; our waitress seemed oh-so-pleased that we ordered dessert. A flourless chocolate torte with vanilla bean ice cream, and some mint on top. Warm cake, cold ice cream, and a beautiful day -- I really do not think it gets any better...

MORE PIZZA

Hungry, hungry, hungry.

These days, filled with a new job and a mind that doesn't know where it wants to be in the realm of up or down (and often chooses one right after another) require a full plate of home-cooked pizza. Even though I spent the preparation hours squealing in helpless pitifulness, unable to determine what was running through my mind, Bean stuck with me and we saw it through to the end. I whined much more than usual (mm?) and similarly consumed.

This is the best pizza crust we've made to date, and it was the same recipe as the other yeast-based ones. What was different? Hunger is the best sauce, they say; mine just had fresh tomatoes (a lil' farmstand on my homeward commute), mozzarella (retrieved on the moped at the last minute), spinach, and mushroom mushroom mushroom.

Why does no one like mushroom on pizza? It is always what I would choose...

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.

HOMEMADE PASTA!

We watched a few videos to mentally prepare ourselves for the endeavor. Then, ignoring most of the advice, here's what we did. Plop:

1 1/2 c. flour

sprinkle salt

in a pile on the counter. Make a lil' well, and crack two eggs into it. Whisk up the eggs a little with a knife, and slowly mix in flour from the edges until the mess is controlled enough to use your hands. Then, keep adding in and kneading flour until a stiff-and-springy ball is formed. This may not require all of the flour; we had quite a bit left over. Then, knead the ball for about ten minutes. When it's nice and elastic, and a uniform yellowish color, put it in a bag and let it rest away for 20 minutes.

Now the real work starts! With no pasta machine, we rolled out the pasta by hand, and therefore couldn't get it too thin, but it was still under a millimeter. When you're satisfied with the thickness of it, roll it into a loose coil and slice into small strips. This gives you a fettucine-sized pasta. Quite obviously, the pasta can be cut into any shape, length or thickness you see fit!

And then simply stick the pasta in some boiling water; cook it for less time than store-bought pasta of a similar size, because of its freshness.

Rarely has any meal been so satisfying to prepare, and so scrumptious. I mixed the thick (oh-so-thick, but upliftingly un-rubbery) pasta with steamed asparagus, tomato, grated Romano cheese, and pesto, and a rum & coke for good measure.

Teriyaki Days

This was the night I discovered Teriyaki sauce and its wonders, especially in combination with vegetables and long-grain brown rice. Nick wanted some, and I took the extra and mixed it with some mixed greens and a lil' bit of chicken.

It was... a revelation, somehow. And to be eaten while working on this inane (but joyous) project in which I created another picture on the back of an assembled jigsaw puzzle.

Summer Grillinz

My ever-cheery coworker brought in summer squash to share from her garden. I don't normally like squash too much, but grilling it seemed like a grand idea when Simon suggested we make burgers. I mixed up some olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, thyme and basil, and soaked these in it for a while before plopping them on. The oil caused the flames to shoot up, producing this slightly charred look (and a gloriously smoky flavor). They were tasty, guys!

With them I had a burger on sourdough bread with provolone cheese, and some cape cod potato chips. Summer, I think, is here...

Blueberries & Vodka

This refreshing drink was a combination of peach fresca, vodka, and fresh-picked blueberries.

And it went deliciously with some Trader Joe's spinach pizza and fresh salad!