Roadtrip

YJDKIY & Co. headed northwest for an hour or so early Saturday morning to take a tour of Sanders Ridge organic farm, vineyard, winery and restaurant.  Cindy and her two pups greeted us and we set out to look at the goods.

carrots!

can't remember if this is peppers or okra

greenhouse tomato with butterfly

mammoth crinkly leaf basil

cucs

delicious lemon cucumber right off the vine

chickens

novelty cows

A few miles down the road is the vineyard/winery and restaurant stocked by the farm.

Chef Starr gave a little demo on making gazpacho and then it was time to dine on our own, with salad (and tofu!) and a glass of 2007 Voignier.

It was super tasty and fresh, but also not so filling, so we headed outside and ordered lunch #2!

 Apple, brie and chicken and sundried cherry mayo sammie!

On the way out, we got a nice loot of tomatoes that have been deemed 'Yadkin Salsa'.

And then, as if we weren't full beyond our fullest, on the way home, after diligently passing by THREE times previously, we stopped at infamous Ketchie Creek Bakery. I've been hearing about this place since I moved to the area in 2001. Nine years later, I finally got a fork in some of their pink lemonade cake. YJDKIY isn't much of a cake eater, but it was worth the wait! Perfectly tart/tangy/sweet.

What a foodie day! Needless to say, no dinner tonight!

The Scramble

So we know I'm not really a cookbook fan...me and recipes just don't really get along and I'd rather just make it up as I go along with whatever ingredients are on hand. However, a coworker recently recommended The Six O'Clock Scramble,  Quick, Healthy, and Delicious Dinner Recipes for Busy Families.

YJDKIY flipped through and marked about 30 meals to try...and I likely will. While not terribly inventive, they are truly quick and seemingly healthy. The beauty is because the majority of them are kid-friendly, they use ingredients I normally stock (but are still tasty, just not fancy and expensive!) and supposedly only take 30 minutes (I question this as I think the prep time is NOT counting chopping and washing of vegetables, which makes up about 50% of my dinner prep time usually). There is a website, but I have trouble loading the page every time I go there it stalls, which I am going to pretend is because of high traffic and the fact that it's always 6:00 somewhere!*

At any rate the other YJDKIY diner was asked to pick a four of the marked recipes for the upcoming week!

SUNDAY: Veggie chili p. 286 (might add some barley since that recipe didn't happen last week)

MONDAY: Grilled Cheese sammies with brie & baby spinach p. 197

TUESDAY: Coconut chicken with mango chutney p. 126 (I picked this one and will likely substitute some other kind of chutney because YJDKIY just doesn't like mango)

WEDNESDAY: Crunchy rainbow wraps p. 264

THURSDAY: Black bean burgers p. 127

FRIDAY: Leftovers/fridge cleanout!!

*

Red White and Green

YJDKIY doesn't understand why people like to go out for pizza, or order in even.

They're so easy to make and include all sorts of fresh veggies and there's cheese/sauce control! This one for example, is the first use of my frozen pestos!

And, with white pepper, spinach, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, pesto and a little parm looked a lot like last night's dinner!!

Quichetastic

Since I followed the planned recipe somewhat closely (I added asparagus and some red pepper flakes, AND I used egg beaters instead of real eggs...ok so I sort of followed it) and the FitSugar site has about the same quality of prep photos, the finished product is the only photo you're getting for this dinner! My prep looked almost exactly like this (except for the asparagus).

This was pretty good and super easy to make, and had minimal cleanup. It could stand a little more parm or gasp, salt (I actually didn't add any which I think the recipe might call for). The tofu made it more filling than most quiches and it was perfect for a late dinner outside on the patio for the 78 degree evening!

Essential

YJDKIY is still drooling over the addition of audiobooks to my daily commute! I generally bop around the library website and figure out what I want next, or place a hold on something recommended. But, sometimes I just flip through the shelves and see what's there.

Perhaps because of this, finding an unexpected and promising title such as The School of Essential Ingredients, a first novel by Erica Bauermeister, made me exceptionally giddy.

I wasn't disappointed! Maybe it was just listening to the narrator's sumptuous voice, but the language of the book was a perfect combination of all things literary and culinary. In fact, one Amazon reviewer called it "Literary Food Porn." That is extremely fitting.  The lush food descriptions, rich character development and intertwining of memory and activity kept me eager to get back in the car. That's really saying something! Among the most memorable parts, was the discussion of Thanksgiving dinner and the guest ingredients invited to the table. And, of course, a menu I want to try, starting with pumpkin ravioli.

Local Huh?

What is this?

This wet, clear, watery stuff on the ground?

HOLY! I think it rained! Why, yes, yes it did!

Yay for 89 instead of 99 the rest of the week!

Gar-licking Good!

I acquired some garlic scapes recently and, it's been a while since Oikos got any YJDKIYlovin so I thought I'd combine the two into a healthy mashed potato recipe!

Garlic scapes (from a CSA!) sliced up (kind of like asparagus, stop at the tough bottom part) and sauted in EVOO.

Boiled red potatoes (from a local produce stand!)

Mixed up and mashed with about 2T of plain Stonyfield greek yogurt (I also added a tiny bit of soy milk and an itty pinch of kosher salt). No butter, no mayo, plus extra protein, v&m and probiotics!

YUM...vegetable plate (man I miss kale!). Fresh beets with balsamic and rosemary, BEPs with onion, taters, and stuffed zuchs that accidently ended up tasting like crab cakes (I think it was the breadcrumbs!).

Just Like Pixar!

And not just like Julia Child. I cheated and used the Good Housekeeping version.*

Before:

After, plus water, oregano, garlic powder and fresh dried basil:

*Ack! I totally forgot about this post! At least I am consistent. Although that used pasta and chicken, to be fair. :P

------

ripe!

YJDKIY usually takes pictures over when they're bad...but I can't recreate this one of course!

It was 6 am and the grass was wet. Sorry!

Still needs a little ripening, but we shall see!

July & Julia?

 Julia Child's Kitchen at the Smithsonian. Ahhh.....I adore everything about this kitchen

SUNDAY: Julia Child's Ratatouille, bread

MONDAY: Barley Risotto with Lima Beans, Asparagus & Spinach

TUESDAY: Grilled Tuna, mashed potatoes, broccoli and WIPEOUT!

WEDNESDAY: Tofu, Tomato, Basil Quiche

THURSDAY: Pesto Pizza

FRIDAY: Vacation day!!!

SATURDAY: Stuffed Zucchini, panko chicken

confessional

YJDKIY did something I haven't done in at least a year, possibly TWO yesterday. I ate half (yes, really, half) a (local!) Krispy Kreme Cruller.

It was gross...sticky sweet and fatty and holed up in my tummy for the rest of the day. ICK! But for about one second of the first bite, it was delish! It was a stressy early morning meeting, they were there. I caved, but I did feel good about the half part! Luckily, that cured my donut craving for another year.

In the remaining 4 bites, I consumed 110 *empty* calories, 7 g of fat, 7.5 mg of cholesterol, 120 mg sodium, 13 carbs, 1 g protein. Oy! Good thing I had salad for dinner!

The Canine Component

It just so happens that Take Your Dog to Work Day fell on a Friday this year. Which means, since YJDKIY works from my satellite office on Fridays, I could! I did! This is what she had to say about it:

Me too little doggy, me too....

Hydrate Naturally

It seems like lately, everywhere YJDKIY turns, someone is talking (or, blogging, mainly) about coconut water as a post-exercise refresher. I only recently located some on sale, 2/$5 at (local!) Fresh Market, so I thought I'd give it a try.

VitaCoco claims to be a better than water, better than sports drinks way to replenish and refresh after a workout. At first taste, its a little odd, but it totally grew on me. I'm a big water fan and am rarely in a situation where I feel the need to drink something else. And I absolutely hate sports drinks, in fact, I think the only time I've consumed one in the last 3 years was here. This is definitely a great alternative to both, and I like that it only has one ingredient, but it's a little inconvenient that it has to be frigerated after opening and suggested before drinking and that there are two servings in a single package, but you're supposed to drink it all immediately. But, let's check out the rest of the packaging claims (from their website) and nutrition

• Helps keep the body cool and at the proper temperature. (we all know YJDKIY could benefit from that!)
•  Helps carry nutrients and oxygen to cells and boosts poor circulation
• Regulates the function of the intestine, helping promote smoother skin
• Helps replenish your body's fluids after exercising.
• Helps detoxify your body and boost your immune system.
• Helps ease stomach pains
• 3.4 fl oz contains 20 calories, 0 fat/cholesterol, 12 sodium, 206 potassium (go go less bananas!), 4 carbs, 0 protein, 70% vit C

So, I'm a little leary of "miracle products" and I wish it was organic/fair trade, but I think it's a decent option after water if you can get used to the taste (maybe the flavored are easier, but then...extra ingredients!!).

Pesto

YJDKIY finally got some pinenuts....for $29.99/lb!

Picked a whole spinner full basils

Used my Cuisinart chopper to mush up some EVOO, nuts and 2 large cloves of garlic

Then added the basil, plus some grated parm

And spooned into ice cube trays to freeze for future reference!

Dinner & Dessert

2008 Snap Dragon Chard
Standard EVOO-Garlic-Balsamic Farmer's Market Greenbeans
Tilapia with Panko & FishMagic
Summer Squash Gratin (sliced yellow squash, shredded zuch, a little Silk/parm/jack mix, vidalia onions, garlic powder, pepper and topped with bread crumbs, baked at 375 for 40-55 mins)

Mo's Bacon Bar Chocolate for dessert. How could I not try this? The canine component was extremely disheartened to learn she couldn't partake of this particular bacon sniff!! It was ok...kind of a smoked aftertaste, but way too salty.

No Efron Waaaaay

YJDKIY planned a special summer supper in honor of the first full day of summer, as well as the FIRST EPISODE OF THE SEASON of WIPEOUT!! This was the quick cook kind of supper:

One can Bush's Vegetarian Baked Beans (drained, withe ketchup, maple syrup, cider vinegar and agave added back) plus four Lightlife Smart Dogs sliced, baked at 400 for about 30 minutes

Steamed kale (uuuuugh, I have to go back to grocery store bought now! boo!) with rice vinegar

And the yummiest corn I've had in ages, China Grove Silver King, grown no more than 10 miles from The Ave! It was perfectly sweet without being too much and too chalky. Yum! Plus the most awesomest corn holders evah!!

I made it to the TV with 2 minutes to spare, just in time for the opening sequence!

Big Red Balls!!!

Anytime Anywhere

You're going to get a treat in this post...lots of YJDKIY graphic specials. :) Lately, jumping out of bed (despite the lightness!) at 5:30 am to head to the gym has not been on my 'yay' list. But I go, knowing I'll feel guilty and icky at the end of the day if I skip out.

In an effort to shake things up, and with vacations just around the corner, I took to the whiteboard to plan an at home, at the beach, at a rest stop, in the airport, wherever workout that both gets my heart rate up, builds some muscle tone and doesn't require one single thing (ok, it does require a chair and a wall, but you can modify the heck out of anything around you to make these work!).

Look for a great set of dumbbell and common equipment exercises coming soon!

Only in the Home of "The Intimidator"

Zucchini 500 returns to NCRC 

Tuesday, June 22, 2010
By Emily Ford

KANNAPOLIS — Vegetable racing returns to the N.C. Research Campus this week during the second annual Zucchini 500.

Zucchini on wheels will race down a Pinewood Derby-style track starting at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Research Campus Farmers Market.

Children and adults can bring their entry from home or make one Thursday afternoon with materials provided at the market, which opens at 4 p.m.

Scientists at the Research Campus study health and nutrition. The Zucchini 500 aims to get more children involved in agriculture and educate them about the importance of farming to North Carolina and to people's health.

Volunteers will provide booths and activities.

Racing goes on from 5 to 7 p.m. at the farmers market in downtown Kannapolis.

Kids can put the produce to the metal by racing their cars down the track, or they can vie for prizes based on craftsmanship. Participants will be divided into three age groups: under-9, 9-12 and 13 and older.

Categories:

- Fastest — First to the bottom wins

- Overall creativity — The zucchini car that stands out in a crowd.

- Most nutritious — The car with the most fresh produce parts.

- School spirit

Read the rest of the article 

(PS: For those of you who don't frequent Kannapolis, The Intimidator is  NASCAR's Dale Earnhardt)

Twenty Questions

1. What kitchen utensil/gadget can you not live without?
   Super sharp knives/cutting board/collander
2. What are the ideal toppings for pizza?
   Fresh basil, green peppers, pepperoni, fresh mozza, spinach or broccoli
3. What is comfort food to you?
   Mac and cheese (aka snackncheese/mac and trees)
4. What do you consider the 5 most essential ingredients you keep in your kitchen?
   EVOO, garlic, cinnamon, vinegar, cheese, um...vegetables? can that count as one? no? then agave?
   
5. What was your biggest cooking disaster?Seriously, just one? There are three that stand out. The key lime pie I put in the freezer for a quick chill/set that spilled into the icemaker. The broccoli soup that exploded out of the blender when I forgot you can't put a lid on hot soup. The new recipe birthday dinner that I forgot to thaw the pastry, broke the sink sprayer AND the fridge grate, burned the pot and served 1.5 hours late.
6. What is your favorite dish to cook…your signature dish?
   I have no idea...ask the diners? I do like to make the potato-kale enchiladas a lot.
7. What do you hate cooking? Any kind of meat, I never know when its done and am paranoid and end up overcooking. Plus I have to clorox down everything after.
8. What was your first cookbook?
   Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook
9. What is something in your fridge/freezer/pantry that would surprise people?
   Cheerwine
10. What recipe websites do you frequent? 101 cookbooks, The Food Channel, Food Network, Epicurious, Foodbuzz, theppk.com, goodbite.com, Cooking Light, Whole Foods, google!
    
11. What foods do you just not like? Mushrooms (but I just decided I like shiitake), super spicy anything, okra, ham, swiss cheese
12. Should food bloggers be allowed to take photos in restaurants?Meh, they should be allowed to, but should also have manners enough to not disrupt the meal for others (or their own dining experience).
    
13. What are you favorite local items for each season?Spring-asparagus, Summer-zucchini, Fall-butternut, (late)Winter-kale
    
14. What was your most memorable restaurant meal?Yikes, I have to say I've never eaten anywhere that really blew me a away. It's all about the right place at the right time! I do love Zada Janes, Laughing Seed, I had really good, slow-cooked dinners twice at Moonshine, now closed, and two good dinners at the Prickly Pear.
    
15. Best food book you've read?"Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver (but really that was an audio book)
    
16. How long do you spend cooking dinner each night?Depends, usually start cooking around 6 and eat by 7-7:30. Thankfully I don't have to clean up most night! :)
    
17. Guilty pleasure food?Cheetos, bacon/egg/cheese biscuits, waffles
    
18. What did you have for breakfast today?Scrambled egg with red onion and bell pepper, last half of the local everything bagel with light cream cheese, farmer's market cantaloupe and cheap, tasty blueberries. I love breakfast. I could eat it for every meal.
    
19. What's the biggest issue with food right now?Sodium, hand's down. Restaurants, packaged food, meats...it's in everything in excess.
    
20. If you were a food, what would you be?Avocado...

YOUR TURN! Answer a few questions in the comment section!

sour, bitter, sweet, salty and umami

Did you know those are the five flavor points? (YJDKIY found that wiki article a really interesting read, btw.)

Moving on, appearing recently on the dinner menu was a veggie salad and black bean cakes, which featured all of those tastetaculars. I sorta kinda followed the intended recipe as much little as I ever do, and pretty much made up the BBCs on the fly.

Chopped zucchini and red pepper. Blanched for about 3 minutes (I just couldn't do raw zuchs!).

Cooled in an ice bath to stop cooking, and combined with a can of EarthFare organic chick peas.

Mixed some EVOO with lemon juice (a REALLY nice alternative to my normal vinegar useage), cracked pepper, a tiny bit of garlic salt. And tons and tons of chopped fresh basil. Finished with about 2T of grated parm. Stir and chill.

Meanwhile, I mashed two cans of organic black beans, 1/3 of a red onion finely chopped, 3 garlic cloves, some cumin, fresh ground pepper, and about 2T egg beaters. Someone didn't drain her beans very well though, so I added some breadcrumbs to thicken it up. Next, mixed in about 1/2 c cooked quinoa. After all this is stirred together, smashed and cooled, I grated about 1/3 c sharp cheddar cheese into the mix. They were still pretty runny so I added more breadcrumbs before making into thin patties. YJDKIY needs to perfect the patty making shape and cooking technique. I didn't want to stand over a hot stove and pan fry each of these, so I cookie-sheeted them and baked at 400 for about 45 minutes until I was so starving they had to be ready or not (I TOLD you they were runny!).

Plated with a condiment topping of ketchup/agave/(local!)Texas Pete/garlic salt/cracked pepper...these are the ***icons*** of summer for dinner, don't you think?

What's For Dinner?

SUNDAY: Balsamic-Rosemary roasted sweet potatoes, broccoli salad (never made this), BEPs

MONDAY: TJ's chicken meatballs & spaghetti, side salad

TUESDAY aka WIPEOUT NIGHT!!!!!!!!
Beanie (tofu) Weenies, corn on the cob, greens 


WEDNESDAY: Summer squash gratin, green beans, fish

THURSDAY: Salad with Gardein crispy tenders

(can you tell I'm in summer mode?)

FRIDAY: ??
SATURDAY: ??

Nacho Lucy

Much like Pasta-Batman, I think Nacho-Lucy would make a fantastic dog name. If you haven't heard that edition of This American Life, skip to Episode 8 at about the 22 minute mark.

Essalmost a Bagel

Farmer's Market Loot
NC Sweet Potatoes = $2
Correll Farms green pepper, yellow squash, tomatoes = $4.15
Eagle Farms green beans, Georgia cantaloupe = $5.30
SC Peaches, China Grove Silver King corn = $2
Splurge of the week: Salisbury made Everything Bagels = $5

This is the only place YJDKIY has found to get bagels in this town! Bakettes, is a family owned & fully-inspected home-based bakery right here. I love that they are local and I could even taste the lack of extra sugar/corn syrup that is in store bagels immediately. Topped with a little schmear of light cream cheese...

And, for those of you who don't get my title, these reminded me of the most yummiest bagel I've ever had: Ess-a-bagel in Manhattan!