Supper Club 600: Garden-to-Table Edition

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of co-hosting an event with some of my closest friends in the city, Lisa and Chris.  I've known them for the better part of my time in California, and they've enriched my life in so many ways -- our "Supper Club 600: Garden-to-Table Edition" party being the latest one.

One of the veggie "crate labels" I photoshopped for event decoration, using an existing historical label as the basis.

  
When Lisa started her own urban garden this year, and began to blog about it (with her partner-in-grime, Amy) at Urb Garden Girls, I have to admit I felt the tiniest flush of jealousy.  I don't have the space to grow garden food, though I grew up with one in my backyard.  So when Lisa approached me with the idea of a dinner party that would bring the freshness of their garden straight to a community table, I was thrilled.

Another crate label. A doozy - this one used to say "Irma," not "Lisa."

  
Soon Chris offered to join in with a contribution from his own blog, The Enlightened Hedonist.  Chris is always seeking a way to enrich his life through thoughtful pleasure.  He recently described my mindful eating as my own personal enlightened hedonism - and I realized he's right!  My journey has been very much about keeping the enjoyment of food while being mindful about it.  Something that brings Chris pleasure is creative mixology, so he came up with two signature cocktails for the evening, also made with ingredients from his garden.  You can read more about it in his blog entry, here.

Lisa tended her garden - much like she tends her friendships - with care.  So she encouraged friends to donated the fruits of their own urban gardens - eggs, avocados, lemons, apples - as well as a beautiful location for our meal.  And I took that bountiful harvest (along with supplemental ingredients from my favorite farmer's market) and whipped it into a feast for 24!

Our buffet-style garden feast.

 Lisa and Amy decorated for the party, which we held in the backyard of their friend Christy's house.  And thank goodness - I love well-decorated events, but when I'm cooking for a big crowd, I just can't manage it myself.  Thanks to them, it turned out beautifully.

The decorated table, with vintage linens from Lisa's collection, as well as candles, sunflowers, and my crate labels.

  
 I was especially unable to decorate (or photograph... thanks to Rochelle for all of these pictures) because Tom had fallen ill and could not join me for cooking duty.  Originally we'd planned for him not to be there due to his work schedule, so luckily I had two sous-chefs to help me - Keith and Alexa.

The three of us, done with cooking for the day!

A serving of the harvest spoils, plus one of Chris' cocktails (calories extra.)

Chris at his "bar," a gardening table.

Baked apples for dessert - with Reddi Wip (which was within the calories) or Brown Butter Sage ice cream (which wasn't.)

  
I don't have a good picture of it, but we were also treated to an after-dinner apertif, fresh apple-carrot-ginger juice pressed by Amy.  It was, honestly, my favorite part of the meal! 

Each guest was sent home with a goodie bag with extra produce from the gardens.

  

Isn't Lisa's dress cute? And she MADE her rooster/tin-roof earrings.  She talks about them,
and the whole day, on her jewelry blog, Inspired Adornments.

It turned out to be a beautiful day, with delicious fresh food and drinks, and wonderful friends.  I'm so grateful to be a part of my community, and so happy we were able to celebrate together.

Which we did, by twinkle-light, well into the evening.

  
I'll be back tomorrow with some recipes from the party - and some fashion details from it, too.  Until then, please take care of you!

In the Kitchen with Zucchini x 2, and disastrous results!

It's a beautiful Thursday morning, and I find myself centered - even serene - after crossing several items off my to-do list this week.  I imagine that staying mindful about food (and lowering my sugar intake) helps my general sense of zen, too. 

You know what else keeps me centered? A great big laugh.  There's something really cathartic about laughing until your diaphragm is tired.  And for me, it's especially good if I'm laughing at myself, not taking myself too seriously.

I really love blogging, and I always try to keep it light - but sometimes while preparing for some of these entries, I can get entirely too serious.  Furrowed brow and everything!  Fortunately, all I needed to get out of serious mode was to screw up one of my recipes.  I mean, it was AWFUL.  And when I figured out why... well, let's say my diaphragm wasn't just tired from laughing, it was exhausted.  And with good reason - according to a 2005 study, "ten to 15 minutes of laughter could increase energy expenditure by 10 to 40 calories per day, which could translate into about four pounds a year."

Let's go back to the kitchen, though... what did I do wrong?  Telling you would be too easy, so I'm going to see if you can guess before I get to the end of today's entry, "Zucchini x 2." That's right - I have two recipes for you today!

I have vivid memories of seeing the "take a veggie/leave a veggie" table at church growing up.  This time of year, people would leave the extra fruit (sometimes literally) of their gardening labor, because - let's face it, it's really hard to finish off a whole crop of even a small garden.  On that veggie table, people would snap up tomatoes or beans or melons quickly, but what always stayed behind was the ever-expanding collection of summer squash.  Zucchini just can't be eaten as quickly as it grows, unless you share it... or eat it for every meal.  And in the spirit of "take a veggie/leave a veggie," I offer you two zucchini recipes, one savory and one sweet.

Sauteed Zucchini with Mushrooms and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

You know you're in for a good meal when even the pre-cooked ingredients look delicious.

  
Ingredients:

• 4 small zucchini (or equivalent summer squash)
• 2 cups mushrooms
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 tb basil
• 1/4 cup broth (we use low-sodium veggie broth)

When it comes to savory zucchini, I didn't used to be that much of a fan.  It can get so overcooked, soft and stringy... and I never enjoyed it that way.  But it turns out that if you cook it al-dente (or if you roast it - but that's another day In the Kitchen) it's much more delicious... especially if you punch up the flavor with tasty accompaniments.  Tom introduced me to this veggie dish, which is perfect for a summer night like tonight.

Start by soaking the tomatoes in warm water for ~10 minutes

   

Meanwhile, slice the zucchini, mince the garlic and chop the mushrooms.

 

Spray your frying pan with a spray oil (we use Pam) and saute the garlic over medium heat. 
As it becomes more fragrant, and sizzles a bit, add the zucchini to the pan.

 

Once the zucchini softens slightly, add the drained tomatoes with the mushrooms, and cook until the mushrooms are done.

  

Stir in the chopped basil, and you're ready to serve!

   

This has definitely become my favorite warm summer veggie dish - and if you're fond of the ingredients, you'll be surprised how lovely they are together.  (You may even forget you're eating your fifth serving of zucchini this week!)  It's also incredibly low in calories.

Zucchini Surprise Mini-Muffins

Baking with zucchini is a good way to sneak extra veggies and vitamins into your baked goods.

   
Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/2 cup greek yogurt (sweetened is OK)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tb cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tb vanilla
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup grated zucchini (~2 small zucchini)
Plus the surprise ingredient...

I based this recipe on my mom's own recipe, which was delicious but which called for three times the sugar plus a whole cup of oil.  I made a few swaps here and there to reduce calories and increase the healthy factor.  It's a bit less sweet than most zucchini bread, so if you don't mind the calories, you can increase the sweetener and plan accordingly.

In a stand mixer (or with a hand-mixer), combine the eggs, applesauce, yogurt and sugar.

 

Add the cinnamon, ginger, salt, baking soda and baking powder, and blend thoroughly.
Then add the vanilla and mix until smooth.

 

Then add the flour, mixing slowly until just incorporated. 
(Too much mixing makes it too gluten-sticky.)

 

This is very nearly incorporated - a couple more turns of the mixer should do it.

Grate one cup worth of zucchini.

   

Mmm, zucchini.

  

And fold it into the batter.

  

Scoop one tablespoon of batter into mini-muffin cups.

   

And then it's time for the surprise ingredient!

Today's surprise ingredient is...

BLUEBERRIES!

   
I hide a single blueberry in the middle of each mini-muffin, in tribute to my mom's blueberry zucchini bread.  The blueberry is just the right touch of acid and sweet, giving a burst of flavor to each bite-sized muffin.

Press the blueberry into the middle of each muffin cup, and then top with a tiny amount of additional batter.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, depending on your oven/altitude.

   

Yum! A perfect summer snack.

And now, the real question: did any of my eagle-eyed friends find my cooking mistake?  Well, I'll tell you this... when I bit into the muffin, I found it bland and kind of soggy, and the taste was off.  I couldn't quite figure out why.  That is, until I went to make dinner that night, and instead of a bag of cucumber in the frige, I found a bag of... zucchini?  WHAT!?

That's right, folks.

SURPRISE.
It's my other secret ingredient.
I made cucumber bread.
And it was TERRIBLE.

   
Fortunately, I had enough ingredients left to make another batch the following day, and they tasted great.  (The photo of the baked muffins are actually the real zucchini muffins, not the gross cucumber ones.)

Moral of the story: use cucumber in salad, for pickles, or on your eyes... but not for zucchini bread.  And if you accidentally make cucumber bread... at least you made yourself laugh.  (And also gag.  But hey, it's a workout!) 

Get a good laugh in today - and take care of yourself!

Friend Makin' Monday... caught red-handed!

It's a beautiful day in Los Angeles, and it also happens to be Tom's first day at his new job.  (Yay, hurray!)  It's a ten-hour workday for him, but he's very happy and it seems like it will be a good fit.

My freelancing jobs are more flexible, and allow me to work from home.   This means I get to do all of our errands and much of our cooking while he works on-site, so while my schedule is a little jumbled today, I'm feeling happy and productive.

Being alone at home also means that I don't have anybody there with me while I eat most of my meals.  It's not like anybody stands over me anyway, but there's something nice about knowing there's someone nearby who could catch you red-handed if you were eating inappropriately... or who could help you talk through food challenges.  I used to have a tendency to eat more when I was alone, So I'm going to be working extra hard to stay accountable to myself, logging meals as they happen instead of a day later, and so on.

Fortunately, we have a great food schedule for the week, including a few special items we picked up at the Farmer's Market.  My favorite?  Persian mulberries!

He's kind of tendril-covered. That's normal.

  

We first discovered Persian mulberries in 2008, through an article in the Los Angeles Times, which described the berries as having "a toxicating effect," and "intensely sweet, but with a nice, balancing acidity. The flavor is almost wine-like in its complexity."  They're delicate, plus the trees only produce a limited quantity... and at the time, the berries were so popular that farmers often hid their baskets underneath the market tables, only to be purchased by those in the know.

We headed straight to the mulberry farmer that Sunday after reading the article, and requested one of those sneakily hidden cartons.  After tasting one berry, we couldn't resist.  We ate the rest of that carton for breakfast while sitting on the curb.  And it's a good thing - they're so fragile that you practically need to eat them right away.  Either they melt in your mouth... or they melt right there in the carton.

They're still mostly a word-of-mouth delicacy these days, but instead of hiding underneath, they sit inauspiciously in a corner of the few mulberry farmers' tables.  They're always kind of leaky from the tender berries' deep juices... and if I didn't already know them to be the most complex, flavorful berry around, I would never consider purchasing them on looks alone.

   

They're good with fat-free Greek yogurt... but honestly, they're even better on their own.

  
I tend toward the simple with mulberries, because they have such a unique flavor.  I wouldn't cook them, or even mar their flavor in combination with anything else.  I'd maybe consider using them in a salad. Really, the only time I've appreciated them as much as straight from the carton was last year, when Tom had the brilliant idea of making sorbet with them.  But that's a recipe for next mulberry season, alas, because this one is just about over.  I'll be sure to let everyone know when the season starts next year... because you'll surely catch me red-handed that day.

From the mulberry juice, that is.  These puppies STAIN.

  
And now for a little Friend Makin' Monday!  Today's topic is "A Letter to My Future Self."

Dear future self:


Hello! What is the future like? Do we have rocket packs and flying cars yet?


I am doing well.  My year, so far, has been transformative in so many different ways.  I feel like I'm finally on the right path, of following my heart (not my jerking knee or my anxious brain or my addicted stomach) toward doing what is best for me.  Are you keeping up with all of the changes I made?  I don't know when in the future you are, future self, but no matter when it is, all of the changes I've made have been with the goal of maintaining them for life.  (That's why they aren't drastic, or uncompromising.) 


What I haven't been able to master (yet) is the writing career.  I've definitely made great strides toward it, but I'm really hoping that you've carried out all that I've set up - and more.


How's the family, future self?  Were you able to have a child? Adopt one? Are the kittens still being adorable and mischievous? Do we have a dog yet?  If the answer to those questions is "yes," then it also means we probably have a house.  Are you gardening, and cooking fresh produce for everyone?  I can't wait to see it, taste it, smell it... live it.


Thanks for being such a great influence. I'd like to think I did all of these good things with you in mind... because I'm hoping you and I will have a long, beautiful friendship.


I love you. No matter what you're up to these days.  But whatever that is... I hope you're taking good care of you.


xoxox
present self


OK. That's it for today, but I'm looking forward to sharing my upcoming posts with you.  Come back soon for some harvest-time recipes, a bit of insight on my weight loss progress, and a very Californian adventure, plus lots more.  And in the meanwhile - please, take care of you!

In the kitchen with... Bouncing Baby Figs!

Growing up, I knew exactly three things about figs.


#1

Their leaves were the height of fashion back in Adam and Eve's day.
Painting by Cranach the Elder (what a name!)

#2

It was very hard to refrain from eating one whole plastic sleeve of fig newtons.

  
#3 

If a frog and a pig were to reproduce, they would have bouncing baby figs. 
As claimed by the wind-up robot show host version of Kermit, anyway. 
You can see robo-Kermit woo Piggy in this YouTube video.

  


Once I moved to California, I learned the real truth about figs, and that truth is: they are delicious.

It's currently fig season, which means that if you're in a warm climate like we enjoy in the southwest, you can probably find them at grocery stores in your area.  I've seen them at Trader Joe's and Super King in the last few weeks, and since I'm a fan, I picked up a box to enjoy and share with you.

Here are two of the green figs I bought recently.

  

When they're sliced open, I find them both beautiful and kind of repulsive.
Like how I imagine a cross-section of an alien's chest would look.

  

My favorite way to enjoy them is to cut one up into eight pieces, and build fig-cracker-snacks as a mid-afternoon treat.

  

My secret ingredient? Trader Joe's goat cheese medallions. Man, I can't get enough
of the single-portion servings that Trader Joe's have released recently. (And that's
exactly why I need single-serving portions... I can't get enough!)

  

My serving size is one fig, eight low-fat wheat crackers, 1/2 ounce of goat cheese.
(You can substitute light cream cheese if you don't like the tang of chevre.)
If you're feeling sweet, I bet a drizzle of honey would go well with it.

  

Figs are also available right now at... you guessed it... farmer's markets.  I guess that's my theme for the week.  Do you have a farmer's market near you?  What is it like?  What do they sell?  Have you gotten to know one of the farmers there?

OK! I'm off for the day, but I'll be back tomorrow with my Fashion Friday column.  I'm doing something that I have to muster my courage for... so I hope you'll come back and check it out.  And until then - take good care of yourself!