Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Kitchen Inspirations’ Category

Not with my one pea pod. In the right light I can see the tiny peas. One for sure. Two maybe. I’m hoping for three. The whole pod is about three-quarters of an inch. The largest pea is the size of the smallest seed bead and the smallest pea like a period. Why does such a tiny thing bring me joy? Even in the midst of pain, physical or otherwise, I look at that pod and it makes me smile. And I wish I could box up that feeling, in tiny boxes of course, and mail it out to the friends and family who need some joy in their lives. Or at least a momentary smile.

Read Full Post »

At the window my one pea blossom continues to bloom reminding me of a garnet drop.

The radish seeds with which I had such early, painful adventures have leafed out. I harvested some to form this base of a salad.

The flowers, plucked from a small pot in the hallway, didn’t have much flavor. Too subtle for my palate. But for my painting palette, they were just perfect. 🙂

Read Full Post »

I pulled together the salad based on colors and textures. The gold and soft crunch of the baby corn. The sweet juicy ripeness of the chopped red tomatoes. The cubed creaminess of the Fontina cheese. The crispy bite of the spring green onions.  A gentle toss with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Steve’s challenge was the final addition. Of the fresh herbs available in the kitchen, which one or ones to add that would enhance this salad. In the end, he selected dill, coarsely chopped and sprinkled on top. That’s what I call teamwork. 😉 Have a good Monday, folks.

Read Full Post »

It was laziness that spurred my creativity in the kitchen. I desperately wanted a salad but I did not want to walk to the grocery store for my usual fixings, and so, I rifled through the refrigerator. In the bottom drawer I found a half a head of cabbage. The outer leaves did not look so good so I removed that layer. Then that magic thing happened. The late afternoon light shifted. All thoughts of hunger faded (for a short while) as I stared at something so beautiful.

I found a simple recipe online for shredded cabbage with lemon and garlic.  The sun hung around long enough to grace the final result with its presence.

You can find the recipe here: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/shredded-green-cabbage-salad-with-lemon-and-garlic

Read Full Post »

pea tendrils

My indoor garden is in a bit of disarray. The nasturtium grew poorly in terms of foliage but continues to find strength to bloom. I’ve got peas in three little pots, their tendrils reaching for the sun. I need to decide soon if I will snip their tender tops to eat (the original intention) or let them grow tall and strong and possibly produce pods!

radish, nasturtium, and red kale greens

radish, nasturtium, and red kale greens

The radish are doing well … but I planted too many seeds and so now I have radish greens growing everywhere. Some of those little pots are designated as future salad greens, but I did find a few strong plants to put in one bigger pot. We’ll see if I can actually grow radishes indoors.  I was very successful growing potatoes indoors. They were marble-sized but that doesn’t really matter. 😉

sage

The herbs are so far doing well. I’m looking forward to the chef in my life roasting some baby potatoes on a bed of sage and maybe doing something with grilled cheese and fresh basil.

As wonderfully disorganized as everything is … I’ve got tarragon growing in a bathroom and rosemary in a bedroom … I cannot help but find joy in this garden and in the knowledge that the growing season has only just begun.

Read Full Post »

I discovered a second nasturtium bloom! Just one and inspiration enough for this small spring salad of pea sprouts, red onions and tomatoes dressed with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. 😉

Read Full Post »

I keep telling friends it was the radish that took me out. Not a slippery floor or a missed stair. I pulled a muscle in my back because I was trying to get the perfect shot of these roots on my radish seeds. I’ll never look at the radish the same way again. Have a good Friday, folks. 😉

Read Full Post »

Photo inspiration:  One morning a friend kept forwarding all of these dark chocolate recipes. One recipe was for a dark chocolate souffle and I remember thinking, “I don’t want to make the souffle, I just want to eat it!” In the end, I went to the refrigerator, found a lingering bar of dark chocolate, and decided to cut up one strawberry on top. I took the photo and set the plate aside thinking I’d leave this little treat for someone else but amazingly enough by the end of the day, the plate was empty … and my craving for chocolate was satisfied. 😉

Read Full Post »

My $1.98 primrose plant. I was on the lookout for herbs but those yellow petals caught my attention.

Read Full Post »

Growing tarragon from seed (my first attempt) in a little egg carton crate.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »