Summer Squash Soup (Farmers' Market Friday)

Being out and about this summer was great.  I got to do things I have never done before: stay in a B&B in the Rockies, hike the Appalachian Trail, watch Brazil play against Japan in a Brazilian bar in NYC, walk the Freedom Trail in Boston...  And then I got to share places I love with people I love visiting from Brazil. Disneyland. San Diego. Santa Barbara. But with all this, I missed out on one of my favorite times of the week: going to the farmers' market.

Yes, that truly is one of my favorite times.  When else, or where else, do you surround yourself with people rubbing shoulders, exchanging cash instead of swiping plastic, talking with familiar strangers?

I had plans to go while I was on the East Coast, but each attempt failed.  Besides, what would I do with fresh produce in my hotel room, really?  Yeah... not much.

Finally, after two months, I headed down to the market with my usual $12.  I don't know where I got the number 12 from, but it has become my norm (grab a ten and two ones... I seem to always have that laying around).

I must admit, the summer selection has some of my least favorite things.  I actually miss the kale and the butternut squash that winter and early spring provide.  The berries and stone fruit are nice, but I never get that many. Maybe because I know my $12 won't spread very far if I buy fruit... so I pretty much stick to the veggies. (Luckily for me, we have a ton of farm stands nearby that sell fruit for cheaper than the farmers' market, even though they are many of the same vendors.)  This week my bag filled up with leeks, beets, green onions, and a bunch of summer squash.

But then I had a problem: What do I do with this squash? Other than cook it and through some garlic salt on it, I had never really done anything with this vegetable...

Yay for readers who follow along on Facebook!  I threw the question out there and got three DELICIOUS ideas, one of which I had all the ingredients on hand already.  And so, Summer Squash Soup, compliments of Donna, was set out for dinner. Easy and fresh, the perfect way to enjoy my farmers' market produce!

I guess the farmers' market isn't the only place you rub shoulders with others...

SUMMER SQUASH SOUP

Recipe slightly adapted from blog reader, Donna.  Thank you!

SERVES 4  •  PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES  •  TOTAL TIME: 40 MINUTES

ingredients

·        Large white onion, chopped

·        Large leek (white and light green portion), thinly sliced

·        2 tablespoons olive oil

·        6 cloves of garlic, minced

·        6 summer squash of any variety, peeled and cubed

·        2 cans (14 oz) reduced-sodium chicken broth, such as Swenson’s

·        4 fresh thyme sprigs

·        ¼ teaspoon salt

·        2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

·        ¼ cup shredded Parmesan, to top

·        ¼ cup green onion, chopped, to top

directions

1. In a large saucepan, saute onions and leek in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add squash; saute 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the broth, thyme and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until squash is tender.  Discard thyme sprigs. Cool slightly.
3. In a blender, process soup in batches until smooth. Return all to the pan. Stir in lemon juice and heat through. Sprinkle each serving with cheese and green onion.

 COST: $6.76      COST PER BOWL (4): $1.69

Nothing Comes Close to the Golden Coast

You have probably noticed a serious lack of cooking going on here.  I have said it before, and I will say it again -- I am too busy living this summer to be cooking.  Which on one hand makes me very, very sad.  Because I love cooking.  But on the other hand? 

Well, when you have views like these you have no desire to be in the kitchen!



Ventura Wharf



The Courthouse in Santa Barbara

We took some time out of our already jam-packed summer schedule to squeeze in a road trip, just the two of us.  No convention to sit through, no bridesmaid dress to pack.  Just us, the open road, and a cooler full of food.

Our first stop was Ventura, a town on the coast about an hour (or so) north of Hollywood.  We walked and enjoyed the palm-lined paths next to the ocean, he enjoyed some surfing, and I enjoyed my chips and book. 

Next stop?  Santa Barbara.

This has always been, hands down, one of my favorite California cities.  It has beautiful Spanish architecture and a nice sea breeze mixed with good eats and great shopping.  If you want a romantic get-away, this is the place to go.



A door full of engravings of California's founders, along with some Catholic saints.  California was officially established (other than the Native Americans already here, of course) by Catholic missionaries.



The Mural Room



Lighting inside the courthouse



Spiral stairs.



Outside the courthouse, which is free to visit and you can wander around freely



State Street, Santa Barbara's famous downtown area



A little alley way off of State Street



Sunset over the city, view from the pier

The next day found us running around on the Pismo Dunes.  We didn't get a buggy or anything, but we still had a lot of fun.

And finally, we spent a day at a lake, soaking up the sun and wakeboarding.



The peaceful drive out there



Ahh... life at its best.

 What a PERFECT getaway.  We didn't go very far, but we had a blast.  Sometimes what you need is right in your own backyard.

And now I leave you to head to the kitchen.  Brownies?  Yum.  S'mores?  Yum again.  Let's see what happens when those two ideas are combined!


(A 'Wednesday Files' Post)

Chocolate Strawberry Fudge Pops -- Sundays with Joy

Alright, I fixed it.  My super-failed pops from the other day can now just be considered a stepping stone to the real stuff, because this time I actually followed the recipe.  Following the recipe leads to good news -- real fudge pops in my freezer.

So now that I have fudge pops waiting to be eaten (which, btw, make my day even if it is cold outside for some odd reason...) I am thinking of all the other summer stuff I need to start doing.  I made a bucket list for the season but I have yet to cross anything off.  Been too busy doing other stuff, good stuff no less, but other stuff.  Time to get to work on that.

This recipe was pretty simple: make a chocolate custard out of milk, sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, and cornstarch, adding a bit of butter, some heavy cream, and teeny bit of vanilla when cooked.  That cooled and I mixed in my add-ins: strawberry chunks and white chocolate chips.  The original recipe called for raspberries and dark chocolate, but I decided to change it up a bit. 

I didn't have popsicle molds, but Dixie cups and spoons were found in my cupboard.

Totally worked. 

Fudge pops in hand, I can say, "Viva Summertime!"
 

Let me know what's on your Summer bucket list.  How are you doing with checking those items off? 

Peaches & Cream Bundt Cake and a little bit of fireworks...

After my failed attempts at making something wonderful and patriotic for the celebration yesterday, I finally had success.

Yes, finally.

This bundt cake came not only after the un-popsicles, but also after spilling a whole bunch of flour all over my just-cleaned kitchen (grr!) and discovering that I was missing a key ingredient and was presently car-less so I couldn't go get it.  However, that missing ingredient was sour cream and I wrote post a few months back for my Brazil-dwelling friends who wanted to know how to cook some of these sour-cream laden recipes sans sour cream, as they don't have it in Brazil.  This post came in handy for me yesterday.  I tried on of the ways that Google had shared with me awhile back, and you know what?  It worked!  So much so that it was the first dessert gone at the BBQ yesterday, and I was able to celebrate my country in style...

I think the 4th of July is about the five-F's: FRIENDS

FAMILY & the FLAG


FOOD

and, everybody's favorite, FIREWORKS!

I hope you all had a great time celebrating with your loved ones yesterday!  Bummer to those of you in San Diego... my favorite city in America really let you down.  Want a little pick-me-up?  Try some of this cake.  It screams "American Summer!" at the top of its lungs.

Peaches & Cream Bundt Cake

Recipe adapted from Everyday Food, June 2012
(a Brazil-friendly version)

• Prep Time 15 minutes
• Total Time 1 1/4 hours + cooling
• Yield Serves 16

Ingredients

• 3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
• 3 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 3-4 peaches, peeled, pitted, and diced small
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 6 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cup sour cream OR 1 cup milk mixed with 1 teaspoon white vinegar & 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• Whipped cream (optional)
• All-purpose flour

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 14-cup nonstick Bundt pan. Whisk together 3 cups flour, baking soda, and salt. Toss peaches with remaining 2 tablespoons flour to coat. In a large bowl, using a mixer, beat 2 sticks butter and 2 cups sugar on medium-high until fluffy and pale yellow. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in 2 additions, alternating with sour cream/sour cream alternative, and beat until combined. Fold peaches and vanilla into batter and transfer to pan. Tap pan firmly on counter several times to remove any air bubbles and smooth top.
2. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour. Transfer pan to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet; let cool 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, melt remaining 1 stick butter. Combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Using an offset spatula or small knife, loosen cake from pan, then invert onto rack. Working in sections, brush cake with butter and sprinkle liberally with cinnamon sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature, with whipped cream if desired.

Cook's Note

Cover and keep at room temperature, up to 3 days.

Cost (without whipped cream): $8.79      COST per serving (16): $0.55

Delicious and cheap?  Just the way I like it! 

Summertime, and the living is easy...

Let me share a few of my favorite Summer things with you...

And, of course, country music...

What would you add?

(A "Wednesday Files" post)

Sandwiches really are food... (Chilled Pea Soup with Egg Salad Sandwiches)

I grew up eating sandwiches.  Lots of PB&J (because it is THE BEST), tuna, turkey and avocado, ham and cheese, egg salad sandwiches, grilled cheese... shoot, I could keep going, but I won't.  The point is this: I ate sandwiches and they were good and I was full and that means they are real food.

Except, not everybody agrees with me. 

The first time I encountered this attitude was in college.  It was a rainy day, grey and cold.  Perfect for grilled cheese and tomato soup, right?  Right.  Especially grilled cheese with tomato and avocado.  But a friend of mine (from Guatemala) saw what I was making for dinner and said, "Aren't you going to eat real food?"  WHAT?  That sandwich and bowl of soup was real food.

A couple of years later I was visiting my boyfriend (now husband) in Brazil and there was interesting conversation I had with someone there.  It went something like this:

Her:  Here in Brazil we eat natural sandwiches, not like you guys in America.

Me:  What do mean? 

Her:  We don't eat hamburgers all the time.  We eat sandwiches with vegetables in them... like carrots and lettuce.

Me:  We do, too... that's what a sandwich is, most of the time...

Her:  No, you guys just eat hamburgers.  But we have real sandwiches.  With real food.

Me:  But that's what a sandwich is.  A hamburger is not a sandwich, it is a burger; they're different.

Her:  No, at McDonald's it says, "Sandwiches" and then there are hamburgers and cheeseburgers.  That's it.  But we have real food in our sandwiches.  That's why they are called natural sandwiches.

Me:  *Just shakes head*  Ok...

Leave it to McDonald's to teach the world that we only eat hamburgers and have no idea what a sandwich can actually be...

Fast forward to now.  My husband has always understood that we have "real food" in our sandwiches.  That has never been the question.  But whether or not sandwiches are "real food" is another debate all together.  He willingly eats them but tends to have a hard time believing sandwiches, especially when paired with soup, can be a light meal.

Gratefully for me, he is a fan of sandwiches.  We frequent Togo's often and hit up Giugni's whenever we are in the area.

Shoot, who am I kidding?  We have been known to make the 6 hour round trip just to get Giugni's.  So yes, we eat sandwiches.  Me.  Him.  Both of us.  And we like them.

I pointed out one day that when we eat, say, a grilled cheese with turkey, avocado, tomatoes, and a side of tomato soup, we have all the elements we would have if it wasn't in sandwich form.  Meat/protein?  check.  Veggies (or fruit that masquerades as veggies)? check.  Bread?  check.  It is just all squished together. 

"Good point," he said.

But when I asked him today if he considered them to be "real food" yet, he said, "Well, it is different than I am used to so I never crave it, but yeah... it counts.  I guess." 

I guess.

Oh well, you can't win them all, right?

That doesn't mean have I to surrender, though.  So chilled pea soup and egg salad sandwiches it was last night.  PERFECT for a warm summer evening.  Well, the soup was a little interesting, but I think with some green onions, maybe some turkey bacon crumbled on top, and a little bit of cheese it would be fabulous.  And egg salad sandwiches with arugula?  Win!

Pea soup with egg salad sandwiches (AKA Real food)

Soup recipe adapted from EVERYDAY FOOD, June 2012. 

FOR THE SOUP:
3 Tablespoons butter
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
4 cups shelled English peas
2 cups buttermilk
salt and pepper

In medium pot, melt butter over medium heat over medium heat.  Add onions and garlic and saute.  Add one cup of water and let cook 7 minutes or until onion is soft.  Add peas and cook about 4 minutes.  Put in blender along with buttermilk and blend until smooth.  Using a fine-meshed sieve with a large bowl underneath, separate solids from liquid.  Push down on solids to extract as much liquid as possible (this part takes time and patience).  Add salt to taste.  Put soup in fridge to cool, one hour.  Sprinkle pepper (and any other toppings you like) on top when ready to serve. 

FOR THE SANDWICHES:
6 hard-boiled eggs
2 Tablespoons mayo
1 teaspoon mustard
1 rib celery, diced
baby arugula
bread

Peel the eggs and cut into small pieces.  Mix with mayo, mustard, and celery.  Build sandwiches, placing arugula in the sandwich.

COST: $7.79     Cost per serving (4): $1.95