Obsessive, much?

Ok, fine. I obsess. A little. Ok, fine. A lot. When I see something I like a lot, I tend to pine about it for a while. And some might call this obsessive, considering I'll think about it - oh - a few hundred times a day.

Most recently, this happened to me about an video featuring a scrumptious dish of ratatouille that they serve at a small bistro in Brooklyn, NY. Now, this wasn't just any ratatouille. This ratatouille was topped with olive oil, salt, and cheese - burrata, to be exact. The image of the creamy cheese melting over the roasted, herbed vegetables stayed with me for days.

I finally broke down and decided I needed to make a version of this RIGHT THIS VERY SECOND. (This, my friends, is how obsession works - it's a slow boil for a while and then it just bubbles up into full-on fury.) I had some of the ingredients on hand, but otherwise, a quick trip to the grocery store was required for some additional supplies.

In my own head, I was already planning a trip to the cheese shop for burrata - which I was convinced that they would not have at the standard market. But, I was wrong - they did! It was far from amazing burrata, but it was quite palatable, and it was simply more evidence of how varied the offerings are becoming at the grocery.

So, you know how I love the world's easiest recipes, right? Yup, this is another one. You simply chop all of your vegetables to about the same size - one eggplant, two zucchini, three plum tomatoes, a red pepper, and a small onion. Oh, and mince two cloves of garlic - you know, smaller than the veggies.

Toss all of the vegetables in a bowl with some olive oil, salt, and pepper. At this point, I also put in my dry herbs - basil and parsley - because, unfortunately, I didn't have fresh. If you do have fresh, just toss them in at the very end, when the vegetables are cooked.

Layer all of the vegetables onto a jelly roll pan, either coated with cooking spray or covered with a Silpat liner. If you want to go deep, deep into the blog archives, you can read here about my Silpat obsession. Bake for 45 minutes at 450 degrees, giving the vegetables a turn every 15 minutes. And that's it for the cooking... how I love easy, delicious things.

Dish a few heaping spoonfuls of the ratatouille into bowls, and give it a drizzle with good olive oil and sprinkle of good sea salt. Finally, top it with a portion of the chewy, creamy burrata!

Dig in and feel free of your obsession. You know, until the next amazing, unforgettable, must have it thing catches you eye.

Summer Bites - A Photo Album

In these extreme dog days of summer (or, in the case of our house, the cat days of summer), no one has energy for anything. And that includes reading or writing a blog. So, to save us both all that work, I created a little photo round up of some of my summer highlights. Stay cool!

Cooking and Creations

Asparagus Hash with an Egg

Mexican-Style "Peasant Stew" with Shredded Chicken

Vegetable Stir Fry with Crispy Tofu

Grilled Pizza with Shrimp, Salsa, and Queso Fresco

Vanilla Yogurt with Strawberries, Raspberries, and Granola

Chicken, Zucchini, and Corn Tostadas

Ratatouille Tart

Fried Chicken Salad with Beets and Bleu Cheese

Stuffed Zucchini Flowers

Spaghetti with Basil-Walnut Pesto and Fresh Tomatoes

Summer Squash Grilled Pizza with Fresh Tomatoes and Basil

Open-Faced Sandwich with Fig Jam, Goat Cheese, Prosciutto, Arugula, and Plums

Last, but not least... yup, we put this bad boy on the grill. A porterhouse from John Crowe Farm in Groton, MA.

Sweets and Such

Bing Cherry Clafoutis

Red Currant Preserves with a Shot of Grand Marnier

Vanilla Cupcakes with Citrus Buttercream Frosting

Some Lovely Farmers' Market Finds

Random, Delicious Bites (and Sips) Around New England

Westport Rivers Rose at Area Four

Maine Lobsters in Kennebunkport

Fried Green Tomatoes from Roxy's Grilled Cheese Food Truck

Beer Sangria from Trina's Starlight Lounge

Beer and Kettle Corn at Fenway Park

Tiny Soft Serve from The Gallows

HAPPY SUMMER!

Summertime Quickie

Wow. Get your mind out of the gutter. We're talking quick cool treats for the heat, not, well, not that other thing. And let's face it, on day three of 90 degree heat, you're pretty much going to want the cool treat over, well, that other thing.

I have this weird habit when it gets hot of making soup or turning on the oven to bake some complicated dessert. But finally I got smart. Inspired by a friend's post on Facebook, I decided to make some no cook, no fuss treats - Strawberry Basil Balsamic ice pops. YES. PLEASE.

The most effort you'll have to put into these things is finding popsicle molds. Seriously. I went to (count 'em) four stores before I finally had luck at my local grocery store. Even there, it was a challenge. After scouring the "seasonal items" area, I finally broke down and asked a stock boy for help. To which he replied, "yes, we have them... they're kept near the popsicles." Ok, so that part was a little humbling.

Since these pops only require four ingredients, the one thing I didn't already have on hand was fresh strawberries. I have to admit, I am a total strawberry snob. I flat out refuse to buy the ones in the grocery store. The beautiful, little, straight-from-the-ground ones at farmers' markets are SO divine, they're all I will eat. Not only are they gorgeous and petite, they're also perfect for this recipe, because you'll slice some of them up to have chunks of fresh fruit in the pops and they're so small they'll fit nicely into your (rare and precious) popsicle molds.

Ready? This is going to go fast! Hull two cups of the berries and toss them into a bowl with a spout, if you have one (this will make sense later), and combine them with a tablespoon or so of fresh basil, and two tablespoons of both sugar and good quality balsamic vinegar. Let that sit and macerate for an hour.

I did a quick chiffonade of the basil that I put into the bowl because it will all be blended into a puree. However, I gave a finer dice to the remaining tablespoon or so of fresh basil, which I tossed with a cup of sliced berries. This portion of the basil/berries is going into the pops as is, so dice/slice to your desired size.

After the whole berries marinate for an hour, blend them well in to a thin puree. I used my stick blender for this because I am lazy and do not enjoy extra dishes to wash, but, of course, a regular blender or food processor can do the same job. Stir in the sliced berries and basil.

Now, this is the most difficult part of this recipe: resist the overwhelming temptation to simply sit down and eat this as berry soup. At this point, it's going to be giving off a scent which will be approximately what you imagine heaven smells like. HOLD OFF. Ice pops are in your future.

Pour the mix into your popsicle molds. If you made the mix in a bowl with a spout, this will be slightly easier, however, be prepared that you will still make a hot mess. I recommend doing it on a cutting board for somewhat easier clean up. The mix will make about six medium-sized pops.

Freeze overnight. Turn on a fan, try to get some sleep, and stop thinking about the ice pops. Eat them slowly and enjoy. The quickie part was just for the making.

Waste not. Want not.

Every once and a while I read something that horrifies me. It doesn't have to be something dramatic or disgusting. Just, for whatever reason, the stark reality of it sticks with me. Most recently, it was this article on wasting food that did it to me. Actually, the article itself is really useful in identifying ways to not waste food - some of which I am already a huge fan of, like making pickles, cooking & freezing, and playing Iron Chef in your own kitchen. But it was specifically this line that left me reeling: "27 percent of all food we bring into the house ends up in the trash." Over a QUARTER of the food that we buy gets thrown away. When you think that, every year, tens of millions of kids die of hunger, that is simply reprehensible.

Let me be clear... this is not meant to be preachy or mightier than thou. I waste a lot of food. Craploads of it, if I am being honest. I am 100% part of that 27% statistic. So, reading this article really had me thinking about some simple things I could do better. Which is why, in a recent visit to my (amazing!) farmers' market, I got a little stressed out over beets. That's right, I said beets.

I make - if I do say so myself - this fantastic salad with chicken, bleu cheese, and roasted beets, which I

planned to make for dinner this week. While walking around the farmers' market, I saw this gorgeous bunch of beets. Lovely, ruby-colored little things that I knew would be perfect for my salad. There was only one problem. Those tiny beets were attached to long, leafy greens. All I could think looking at them was, more than three quarters of this food is destined straight for the trash.

Fighting my natural "the-world-is-over-I-can-never-eat-again-everything-is-awful" instinctual reaction, I had a moment of clarity which went something like, "why don't I make something with the beet greens." Grand epiphany it was not, but it got me through the beet-buying experience with a lighter heart. Oh, and here's the good news - I went home, used my favorite food sites to search for inspiration, and found a few recipes ideas that looked well worth trying.

I ended up making Pasta with Beet Greens with Raisins and Almonds, a variation on a Cooking Light recipe. As a general rule, if you're making something you've never made before, pasta is a really good place to start. It's super forgiving and is almost always tasty, even if not fabulous. Luckily, this ended up being fabulous.

So, start with a half pound of pasta, cooking al dente. I was a little shy on the full half pound of pasta, but I added plenty of other delicious and fatty things to this as I went along, so it wasn't even missed. As you can see from this pic, I am a pretty big fan of a kitchen scale. Weighing food is a great way to be fairly accurate with your cooking and also to keep your portions in control.

Next up, the recipe calls for raisins. Now, I personally love raisins in almost all dishes, but I know some folks might be stopping here and thinking, "raisins and pasta? No, gracias." Trust me, this is a good combo - the sweet chewy raisins are a good foil in the dish for the bitter greens and the crunchy almonds. Use about a quarter cup - or about a box and a half of the small snack boxes (leaving a few for a pre-meal treat for you!). I actually prefer golden raisins, but alas, only the purple raisins are organic in my grocery store. Sigh. Reconstitute the raisins in some hot water.

Chop up your beet greens, about two to three cups (as always, feel free to substitute in any dark green, such as spinach, kale, or chard). Heat some oil in a pan and toss in the greens, followed by a few cloves of chopped garlic. If you hit the garlic in the pan first, it will probably burn - the greens create a good buffer. Sprinkle to taste with salt and pepper. After just a minute or two, your greens will have wilted a lot and you can toss in a handful of almonds (or any nut you like). Give a toss and let the nuts toast in the pan for another minute or two.

I had a few slices of bacon on hand that I precooked, chopped, and threw in for a little more depth of flavor in the dish. Obviously, to keep it totally veg, you could skip this and the results would still be really good. Next add in the drained raisins. Lastly, add in the cooked pasta and toss it around until fully coated with the greens mix and a bit of oil (feel free to add a tablespoon more if you feel like it needs it - I did). Cook a minute or so, until fully heated through.

And... you're done! Easy, right? Plate the pasta and top with a little parmesan, if you like. Eat up and feel good about having used something that could have become part of your food waste. Instead, you'll have made it into a great, healthy meal. What more could you want?