Rosé and Tartine

Hello! I hope this post finds you well today.  It's a little cool here, but maybe that is a good thing since I have a lot of indoor activities to do which I don't get done when it 70+ degrees outside.  I feel we have such a  short amount of time to be outside in Wisconsin I need to take advantage of every moment.  Which brings me to my post, Sunday lunch. I feel in the summer a Sunday lunch should also include a glass of some lovely rosé or alternative white especially if I can sit outside.  This past Sunday was no exception.  I really love trying new rosés from France or Spain. 

La Demoiselle has a peachy/citrus taste and I enjoyed it more with my lunch than just for an aperitif. What was for lunch?  Well I made a tartine, and it was as local as possible.  I sautéed bock choy and radish leaves and served them on top of toasted homemade cracked wheat bread smeared with local ricotta.  I topped the tartine with radishes and a soft cooked egg. It was heaven on a plate.  

I hope you are inspired to try a new wine and cook up something local and delicious for yourself.

Bon Appétit!

And as always with love from the Midwest,

Beth 

52 for 52 Week 20

Good morning.  I hope you are having the best day you can so far when you read this.  I started out with yoga and a little bit of weight lifting. Now I'm listening to the coffee pot brew away, waiting for my first cup of coffee, and the birds chirp with the windows open.  So for this week's new thing I have an ingredient..nutritional yeast. 

If you are like me maybe you've heard of it as something only vegans eat as a cheese substitute.  Well as you may know I am not vegan or vegetarian, but this is a must try.  I love it on top of my eggs. I've had a vegan macaroni and cheese that uses nutritional yeast as a base and it's delicious and light.  I put this on some of my salads and veggies. I also put it on my avocado toast.  I've also heard it is delicious on popcorn.  Trust me you will be looking to find ways to use this once you pick up a package. 

Stay Healthy

And as always with love from the Midwest,

Beth 

52 for 52 Weeks 18 and 19

Hello.  Well time slipped away from me with the 52 for 52 project.  So I'm posting 2 recipes together.  They are both raw veggie salads, but with different veggies so it isn't cheating.  My family liked both of these, much to their surprise and mine.  The first one is Bon Appétit's Celery Salad.  This was light and crisp and went very well with our macaroni and cheese.  Also I don't know about you but I always have celery in the veggie drawer.  It's nice to be able to use it for an actual dish now and then.  I used walnuts and not as many dates.  It turned out great and kept well for lunch the next day.

The next recipe is an asparagus salad.  This is just beautiful with fresh local asparagus, please don't try this with something icky from the supermarket. I served this last night with Indian Spiced meatballs and couscous.  The family ate it all up.  I found the original recipe in Six Seasons by Joshua McFadden, but again I altered it for my grain free daughter and with what I had on hand on hand. Again it was delicious.

Asparagus Salad

1 pound of thinly shaved asparagus - purple is fun if you can get it.

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tsp lemon zest

chili flakes

salt and pepper

good quality olive oil -about 1/4 cup or maybe a little less -depending on how wet you want your salad

Just mix everything together and adjust seasonings.

Bon Appétit!

And as always with love from the Midwest,

Beth 

A Wednesday Morning in Quarantine

Hello! As I was enjoying my Wednesday morning the creative photography bug came to me to take random pictures.  I thought I'd share some scenes of what this morning looked like.  I got up at my usual time and practiced yoga.  By the time I came upstairs from my yoga area the temperature had climbed 10 degrees and promised to be a beautiful day.  

I had a breakfast of fresh fruit, soft boiled egg, and 2 slices of walnut cinnamon swirl bread from Great Harvest bread that I had in the freezer. 

Moved my computer into our makeshift second office since my girls were taking finals in the main office. 

Got outside in the early morning - some scenes from my yard.

I'm trying to be patient for the humming birds to come back. 

I love bleeding hearts.

Enjoyed a second cup of coffee in my sun room.  I have a lot of plants in there too. 

Made my son s'mores pancakes for breakfast.  I've been making these for years.  I use 2 leftover pancakes, warmed up.  I spread Nutella between the 2 and top with fluff.  Then I put it under the broiler for a few minutes until it's like a roasted marshmallow. He loves this.  It also works with a leftover waffle. 

The dog, Magic. She always finds a sunny spot.  

I hope your Wednesday morning was just as lovely.

Stay well!

And as always with love from the Midwest,

Beth 

52 for 52 Week 17

Hello and happy May! I can't believe honestly how  the time has gone by.  It's the first weekend of May and it is beautiful. The sun is shining and I had breakfast outside.  If you've read my blog before you know I'm a huge fan of eating outside. It just puts me in such a happy place.  This weeks new recipe was hidden veggie pasta sauce.  My husband and son are not big fans of too many veggies so I'm always trying to get just a little more something for them.  This worked.  No one was any wiser to what was in the sauce.  I must credit this to my daughter Madeleine.  This was all her idea.  We served this with grilled chicken and a local green salad with a papaya seed vinaigrette. A great spring meal. 

Hidden Veggie Pasta Sauce  - this makes about 6 side dish servings

1 1/3 c marinara - please use a brand without extra sugar - I like Silver Palate

3 t nutritional yeast

11/2 t Italian seasoning

2 cups chicken broth - or one can is just fine

2 cups shredded carrots

1 t garlic powder

4 cups riced cauliflower

salt and pepper to taste 

Blend in a blender and warm through on the stove. Top with either more nutritional yeast or cheese.

Bon Appétit!

And as always with love from the Midwest,

Beth