Wild Blackberry Jam

My maternity leave began two weeks ago.   Contrary to a few predictions, I haven't gone crazy wondering when'sthebabygoingtocomewhen'sthebabygoingtocomewhen'sthebabygoingtocome???  Although occasionally, I do like to ask Noah that several times in a row.  I have really been enjoying this time off work.  It's been almost four years since I started my job and while I have taken vacations, the back of my mind has always been filled with the to-dos when I returned.  This feels much different than a vacation, because all my projects have been wrapped up or handed off to other people.  While I know there will be new ones waiting for me in several months, right now there is nothing.  I have appreciated the mental space this break is giving me almost as much as the free time.

If I had this schedule for the indefinite future, I would certainly grow tired of it and want to be doing something more purposeful with my days.  For example, on Thursday I drove to two different stores looking for pumpkin seeds that were roasted and salted in their shells and then told Noah all about it when he got home.  Knowing that could be one of the last times for a while that I drive to any store alone however, and then on a whim, since I was not on any particular schedule, deciding to take a stroll around Potrero Hill, made the whole afternoon feel delightful and free.  And just in case you think I'm being too indolent, I should add that I've been doing a lot of baby prep, housecleaning, food preparation, bill paying, etc.  My nesting urge is in overdrive these days.   My lack of blogging is not an indication of lack of cooking.  I am in fact several blog posts behind.  And it's not like I can even blame my busy schedule.

Last Sunday, Noah and I had a date.  We drove up to the Sonoma Coast, just north of Bodega Bay, and went for a hike along the water.  On the way home, we stopped off at several spots on the side of the road and picked wild blackberries.  It takes some commitment to get the berries as the prickers are sharp.  We ended up with about 14 cups, which I turned into jam the next day.  I used Pomona's Universal Pectin and made up the recipe as I went along.  I tried to follow their "make your own recipe" section but didn't have enough lemon juice or pectin product and didn't want to use as much sugar.  I also added in an apple to up the pectin load.  Despite my fly by night approach, the jam came out really well.  We've been smearing it on zucchini and pumpkin bread, on yoghurt in the morning, or just eating it by the spoonful.  We have several jars stored up, for holiday gifts or just to last us through winter.
Meghan

Yuba River and Watermelon Salad

Yuba

After my one week back in the fog belt of San Francisco, I wanted out.  I wanted sunshine and hot weather, swimming and tank tops, a couple of evenings spent outside in the balmy night air while nursing a beer and swatting the mosquitos, or at least watching other people sip beer while I swat the bugs and take the occasional nip from Noah's bottle while ignoring his disapproving stare.  For a taste of what most of the country is experiencing right now, we headed up to the Yuba River with some friends from LA.

Yuba is a fantastic river located in the Sierra foothills.  It's far enough off the beaten path that it's not a big tourist destination or favorite with day-trippers.  The clothing optional and somewhat intense vibe of the place may also keep some people away.  One of the most memorable things I've ever seen was after a day on the river - it was a completely naked woman with hair down to her waist and a huge python wrapped around her neck and body.   I briefly wondered if it was some sort of heatstroke induced mirage but I'm pretty sure it was the real deal.  Personally though, I've always  enjoyed the anything goes feel of Yuba, and really love the several miles of aquamarine swimming holes.  

We squatted on BLM land Friday night.  Being seven months pregnant, I was a little concerned that camping might not be too comfortable but with a couple of pillows, I slept like a baby - only waking up once every couple of hours or so.  After spending a day on the river, we headed to Full Belly farm to stay with some family on Saturday night.  While Noah went boar hunting, I hung out on the porch, listening to the crickets, peeking at the stars, and talking with friends.  On Sunday we went swimming again, this time in Cache Creek.  The river really flows during the summer months because of all the water released for irrigation so we walked up to a launch point and let the currents take us downstream for about 1/2 a mile or so.  

I love it when I have a two-day weekend that feels longer than a 5-day work week.  I love it when I get to spend days with some of my dearest family and friends.  These weekend trips are all the more precious to me now, because I know in a two months they won't be as easy.  Still possible, but they will require a bit more planning, a little more packing, and balancing the needs and wants of three people instead of two.

The recipe I'll leave you with this week is really simple - I'm almost embarrassed to call it a recipe.  It's a classic combination of three ingredients - watermelon, feta, and mint.  Simply chop the melon and mint, and mix together.  Crumble feta on top right before serving.  It's the perfect warm weather salad.   

Yuba

Purdon Crossing at Yuba

Full Belly farm

Watermelon salad (feta not yet added)

Full Belly Farm

Breaking down camp on Saturday morning

Family Portrait

Asparagus - more than steaming

Asparagus has to be one of the classiest vegetables happening. It is always exciting to watch the first tops poke out of the ground in spring and I can not wait to cut them so I get them in their beginning stage when they are tender and tempting. Because a picture is worth more words than I can write to describe the flavor and deliciousness of asparagus, I will bewitch you with photographs and recipes.

From the earth it rises every spring

mix it with broccoli and baby Bella mushrooms

Add garlic, sesame oil, lemon, and sesame seed and pan fry

 Stir fried asparagus with ginger & sesame
 From the kitchen of Marie L


Stir-Fried Asparagus and Shiitake with Ginger and Sesame.

Pre-sliced shiitake from the produce section of the supermarket will save time.

Serve with rice for vegetarian or with shrimp and steak.

Trim 1 lb asparagus - cut on an angle into 2-inch pieces.  Cut 4 trimmed medium scallions on an angle into 2-inch pieces (halve large whites lengthwise).  Heat 3 Tbs canola oil in a 12 inch skillet over high heat until shimmering hot.  Add the asparagus, scallions, and 7oz. sliced shiitake mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until the asparagus is just shy of crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.  Add 4 minced medium cloves garlic, 2 Tbs. minced fresh ginger, and 1 tsp sesame seeds and stir fry until the garlic and ginger are golden and the asparagus is crisp-tender, about 1 minute more.  Add 2 tbs. water and scrape the bottom of the pan.  Stir in 1 Tbs. soy sauce, 1 tsp. Asian sesame oil and season to taste with kosher salt.

Allison Ehri Kreitler, Fine Cooking contributor

I served this with shrimp over rice and it was a great, easy dinner.

the asparagus plant in full bloom

Steam in fry pan, add balsamic vinegar and lemon  

Frittata
From the Kitchen of Karen L

saute small yellow onion well chopped

put in bottom of dish

add lightly sauteed asparagus

put three slices of Lacy swiss cheese on top

beat eggs with 1.5 cup milk for every five eggs ( 5 eggs equals 1 frittata)

add juice of 1/2 lemon and salt/pepper

add egg mixture over top and sprinkle paprika

bake 375 for 40 minutes approx

eat

RSVP

jude

Reunion and Birthday on Vashon Island

Sunset from the porch

Noah and I just returned from a long weekend get away on Vashon Island, a small island off the coast of Seattle in the Puget Sound.  The trip was both a 30th birthday celebration for my sister-in-law and family reunion with Noah's brothers.  I was initially a little skeptical about an island vacation in the Pacific Northwest in early May - wouldn't it be cold and rainy that time of year? - and I had never heard of Vashon.  One very slow week at work and several internet searches later though, I had a list of activities and sights I wanted to check out on the island, along with a very promising weather forecast. 

Vashon reminded me of home - the woods and fields are a brilliant, spring green; there are lilac bushes everywhere; and the apple trees are in full blossom.  As my friends and husband have heard me complain about ad nauseam, one of the things I miss most about New England are the fecund, almost tropical, springs and summers.

While I only did about half of the things on my list, the weekend contained a hundred different special moments - spending time with my young niece and nephew covering the floor of a gazebo with chalk drawings, dunking in the ice cold water outside our house then lounging in the sun (repeat three times for maximum invigoration), marshalling the various boats lying around the cottage and paddling to a neighboring town for coffee, meeting an Emu breeder at the Farmer's Market and contemplating buying one of his allegedly hatchable eggs, and much to my joy (and surprise), receiving my first ever hugs and Happy Mother's Day wishes from our family.

The highlight for me though was the casual ritual around each evening meal.  While the majority of the meal preparation was done by one of Noah's brothers, who hustled from kitchen to grill in continual good cheer, everyone pitched in to help.  Dinner was always preceded by drinks and appetizers, as people gathered around the appetizer plates and took in the sunset.  Everyone lingered with their food after dinner, watching the sunset and talking quietly amongst themselves.

Most of the weekend I was so absorbed in the food in being with my family that I forgot to photograph our various meals, including a wicked mole sauce (which might require a guest blog from Noah), delightful chocolate cake prepared by the local Bob's Bakery, and some super tasty veggie kebabs.  Here is a sampling of some photos I did manage to snap.

I'm also headed to our CSA farm this weekend to pick strawberries and am hoping to post a couple of strawberry recipes over the next week or so.  Hope everyone has a good rest of the week.
 

The gazebo and hammock




My two-year old niece "planking", her favorite activity on any elevated flat surface.

 

Fishing expedition at dusk.



The view from the ferry with Mt. Rainier in the background.

  

The buffet line.



Noah swooping in for a kiss.

 



Oysters on the Half Shell



The view from our upper deck.

My mother-in-law just left after 5 day visit.  She lives in the desert and loves to be on the water, so we always spend a lot of time near the ocean when she's here.  Her visit coincided with her birthday, so to celebrate we rented a cottage in Bolinas.  It's a beautiful, unusual town that long ago put a moratorium on development, where half the residents are life-long, hard core hippies ( I felt like a total square) and the other half one percenters, surfers always dot the water, and the houses and farms resemble a pastoral New England village.  


Noah working hard to feed his family:)





Evening stroll on the beach near our house.



It's become somewhat of a tradition that when Meria visits us, we go to Pt. Reyes and have oysters on the beach.  This time, we decided to get our oysters to go from Drake's Bay, and grill them back at the house.  I set up some side fixings, and Noah got to work shucking the oysters.  Oysters are incredibly easy to grill - you just place them on the half shell on the grill and they cook in their water.  For toppings we added lemon, hot sauce, cocktail sauce, or once they were almost cooked, some soft cheese to melt over the top of the oyster.  You can tell once they are done because they feel firm to the touch, appear a little darker, and look a little shrunken.  Our streak of family visits continues, with my dad arriving this evening.  He's not much of an oyster guy, and as anyone at my wedding knows, he sure hates quiche, but we love him anyway.



granola on the go

I was never a huge granola fan. Most store bought granola is full of sugar and additives, with an ingredient list a mile long. It used to be one of those foods that’s hard for me to classify -- it seemed too hearty to eat like cereal; it was kind of like a weird, crumbly trail-mix but not really; it was not quite sweet enough to have as a dessert and if you tried to eat some yogurt and granola instead of the chocolate cake with chocolate frosting in your college’s dining hall, well, you would probably end up having three bowls of granola and then sneaking downstairs later that night to devour any leftover cake. Did that ever happen to anyone else or was it just me?

Anyway, all that was before I discovered homemade granola. Now I can decide the ingredients! And limit the sugar! And make it so delicious I can eat it for breakfast, as a snack, and dessert!

This granola is loaded with dried fruit, nuts, and seeds – a super filling and protein-packed breakfast. It makes my whole apartment (all three rooms if you count the bathroom!) smell like a bakery. The air fills with vanilla, coconut, maple, and savory whole grains. You will find it hard to believe something that good can be so healthy.

Recipe*

6 cups of oats

1 cup of chopped walnuts

1 cup of chopped cashews

1 cup of chopped hazelnuts

1 cup of unsweetened, shredded coconut

1 cup of raw pumpkin or sunflower seeds

1 ½ cup of dried berries (I used raisins this time, but cranberries and currants work well, and I love dried cherries)

1 cup of dried chopped unsulphured figs, apricots, nectarines, or peaches (This time I used a combination of apricots and peaches)

1 TBL of vanilla extract
1/3 cup of coconut oil
2/3 cup of maple syrup

* Measurements are approximate. If you prefer a higher oats to other ingredients ratio, feel free to scale back the nuts and seeds, or sub in different types. You can use honey instead of maple syrup although I tried this once and found the flavor was much better with maple syrup.

Preheat the oven to 325 and line a few baking trays with parchment paper. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Heat the maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla extract on the oven until melted. Pour over the dry ingredients and thoroughly mix. The granola should be well coated. If necessary, you can add some more maple syrup. Spread evenly on the trays and place in the oven. Stir every 8-10 minutes, paying careful attention to the edges, which have a tendency to brown. The granola should take about 30 minutes to cook, look dry, and be nicely toasted.

It makes the perfect breakfast on the go – we made the parfaits before heading down to visit my cousins and hang out on the beach in Santa Cruz.

MHM