Little Bee

I can't tell you too much because you NEED to read it yourself, but I can tell you that I LOVED this book and literally could not put it down.  It took me under a week to read (and those of you that know me know that I can't read in cars, trains or buses so it takes me a while to get through books). I'm going to give it a 9 out of 10.

The characters are developed so beautifully.  The issues are current, timely and emotional. 

I know you don't have time.  I know you have lots to do.  I know you need to read this book - it's worth it and I promise it won't take you very long.

Morel Season

Spring is sprung/The grass is riz/I wonder where the mushrooms is.

This morning, I read the very short Hillbilly Haute Cusine article in Newsweek and got a kick out of it.  I thought it was so fitting since we're driving down to Barnardsville tonight so I forwarded the link to Michael.  His response: "Wow..... yes that's my childhood."

An excerpt written only by Steve Tuttle:

I remember specific mushrooms from my youth, like one I found at the base of a stump after my brother knocked me down in a fight. My head landed right next to it. And at every family reunion we all whisper about the legendary great white morel my mom found on Black Oak Hill in the 1960s. It was so big she saw it from the car, and it covered a whole slice of white bread. Perhaps the most memorable, though, was the one my brother found growing out of the side of a dead opossum. He was standing over it when my dad wisely said, "Let's leave that one alone." That's how good morels are: you have to pause for a beat before you decide not to pick one growing out of a dead animal.

Super Simple Apple Tart

Ok, I must admit that I've never made my own pie crust because the Pilsbury Doughboy has always allowed me to borrow his from the freezer.  I know, I know... it's really a crime... but I was scared!  Doughs scare me... but not anymore.  You can make this apple tart recipe from scratch.  If I can get over my dough phobia, anyone can.

If you don't have a rolling pin, flour a wine bottle and use that.  If you don't have a tart pan, go free form (aka galette-style) on a cookie sheet.  No excuses!

So I found this recipe on Smitten Kitchen, but it's actually an Alice Waters recipe.  Yup, the Alice Waters.  I know, if there was any doubt before, there sure isn't any now.  You're going to do this... and you will thank me. ;)

INGREDIENTS
Dough:
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, just softened, cut in 1/2-inch pieces
3 1/2 tablespoons chilled water (I only used 2 1/2 tablespoons)

Filling:
2 pounds apples (Golden Delicious or another tart, firm variety), peeled, cored (save peels and cores), and sliced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
5 tablespoons sugar

Glaze:
1/2 cup sugar

DIRECTIONS
Mix flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl; add 2 tablespoons of the butter. Blend in a mixer until dough resembles coarse cornmeal. Add remaining butter; mix until biggest pieces look like large peas.

Dribble in water, stir, then dribble in more, until dough just holds together.  Toss with hands, letting it fall through fingers, until it’s ropy with some dry patches. If dry patches predominate, add another tablespoon water. Keep tossing until you can roll dough into a ball. Flatten into a 4-inch-thick disk; refrigerate. After at least 30 minutes, remove; let soften so it’s malleable but still cold. Smooth cracks at edges. On a lightly floured surface, roll into a 14-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Dust excess flour from both sides with a dry pastry brush.

Place dough in a lightly greased 9-inch round tart pan, or simply on a parchment-lined baking sheet if you wish to go free-form, or galette-style with it. Heat oven to 400#176;F. (If you have a pizza stone, place it in the center of the rack.)

Overlap apples on dough in a ring 2 inches from edge if going galette-style, or up to the sides if using the tart pan. Continue inward until you reach the center. Fold any dough hanging over pan back onto itself; crimp edges at 1-inch intervals.

Brush melted butter over apples and onto dough edge. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar over dough edge and the other 3 tablespoons over apples. (Deb note: I found it nearly impossible to coat it with this much sugar, so I used a little less–more like 3 tablespoons. It made a lightly sweet tart, which we found perfect.)

Bake in center of oven until apples are soft, with browned edges, and crust has caramelized to a dark golden brown (about 45 minutes), making sure to rotate tart every 15 minutes.

Make glaze: Put reserved peels and cores in a large saucepan (I used a frying pan), along with sugar. Pour in just enough water to cover; simmer for 25 minutes. Strain syrup through cheesecloth (or just do your best taking out all the apple pieces).

Remove tart from oven, and slide off parchment onto cooling rack. Let cool at least 15 minutes.

Brush glaze over tart, slice, and serve (with ice cream!)

Penne with Asparagus and Cherry Tomatoes

First off, I'd like to give a positive review of the Washington's Green Grocer fruit and vegetable delivery sevice we've been trying for a couple months.  We get the small organic box and it really suits our needs and saves us time.  If you're in the DC area and you generally try to shop local, you may consider reading about how it works.  It's not for everyone, but it's great for us so far.

So since we had organic asparagus and organic grape tomatoes to use, I did a google search and found this Giada De Laurentiis recipe.  It was so simple and easy!  We also served a roast chicken from the store and voila!  Dinner was delicious!

INGREDIENTS
8 ounces penne pasta
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds thin asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups (about 9 ounces) cherry tomatoes (I used one package of grape tomatoes)
1 cup shelled fresh peas (I used frozen and it was fine)
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock
1 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the asparagus, season with the salt and pepper, and cook for 3 minutes until slightly soft. Add the cherry tomatoes and peas. Cook for 2 minutes. Pour the chicken stock into the pan and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook until the tomatoes start to burst and the stock is reduced by half, about 3 minutes.

Transfer the asparagus mixture to a large serving bowl. Add the cooked pasta and 1/2 of the Parmesan. Toss well, adding reserved pasta water, if needed, to loosen the pasta. Garnish with the remaining Parmesan and chopped basil.

Packing Tips

'Tis the season for travel and with all the nickel and diming the airlines are doing these days, it is essential to fit as much as you can in your carry-on.

I saw this post on Apartment Therapy and they linked to this NY Times article on how to pack by rolling up your clothes!  Here's the slide show that shows you how to pack for 10 days in a carry-on and the related article Packing Tips From Travel Pros!  I will be rolling my clothes for sure when I go back to Cali next month... but it's a shame shoes don't roll up nicely.

This Year's Garden... so far

Spring has sprung on our balcony!  This year, I am trying to grow my cherry and yellow pear tomatoes in 100% recycled homemade self-irrigating planters (aka, DIY earthboxes).  I'll go into depth in another post but essentially I started reading this blog Inside Urban Green and have been wanting to try one for a while. Let's hope the experiment works!!

Our raspberry bush that Mom and Dad Merschat bought for us from the old cathedral greenhouse has bloomed and has some green berries popping out.  Can't wait until they ripen!

We're also trying cucumbers and yellow squash this year too!

Then we have the stuff that comes back every year: chives, thyme, oregano, mint, and rosemary (not pictured).

And the rest of our bounty includes strawberries, lavender, bay leaves, eucalyptus greens, dill, winter savory, sage, tarragon, cayenne pepper, yellow bell peppers, and parsley.

Oh, and we also have basil inside... it hasn't gone outside yet.

Happy Friday!!!  Enjoy the weekend!

Pakistani Perspective of Times Square Bombing

My friend Kalsoom writes a popular blog CHUP! featuring Pakistani issues and I just thought her most recent post about the Times Square Bombing would be worth highlighting (make sure to read the comments too!).  Since living with my former roommate Sania and getting to know a lot of her Pakistani and Pakistani-American friends, I really feel it's important (and interesting) to see things from their personal perspective in addition to the mass media perspective.

In short, I think Pakistanis, Pakistani-Americans, and ALL American minorities are frustrated by the perpetuation of racial stereotypes when one person does something stupid that negatively affects the perception of that ethnicity in our great country built on diversity and equal opportunity.  I feel that America is a unique nation built strong by immigrants, tolerance, and freedom.  It just worries me a little with the immigration law in Arizona and support for racial profiling on the rise.  What happened to being proud of our melting pot nation? 

Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
' With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
~ Lady Liberty

God Bless America.  And that is my rant for today.  Happy Cinco de Mayo!!!  And remember to drink responsibly.

Fast Baked "Fried" Chicken

Here's a quick and easy fried chicken recipe that's baked in the oven.  We tried this recipe from good ol' Food & Wine because we usually have frozen chicken breasts in the freezer.  It only takes about 30-40 minutes from start to finish so this is a great recipe to whip up when you have nothing else in the fridge.  This time, we served it with salad and leftover quinoa but next time, I'll have a proper fried chicken dinner with mashed potatoes and sweet and sour green beans.

Note: You will need a meat mallet to pound the chicken, but we didn't have one so I improvised and used the pestle from our mortar and pestle.

INGREDIENTS
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups panko
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 large skinless, boneless chicken thighs, lightly pounded
1/2 cup canola oil
Lemon wedges, for serving

DIRECTIONS
Place a rimmed nonstick baking sheet on the lower rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 450°. Put the beaten eggs, panko and flour in 3 shallow bowls. Season the flour with the celery salt, garlic salt and cayenne. Dust the chicken with the flour, then dip it in the egg, and finally in the panko, pressing to help the bread crumbs adhere.

Pour the canola oil onto the baking sheet. Carefully dip the chicken thighs in the oil, being sure to coat both sides evenly, and set them on the baking sheet. Bake the chicken thighs for about 25 minutes, until they're golden and crispy, turning halfway through. Drain on paper towels and serve with lemon wedges.