Friends, what are you up to this weekend?
We’re working!
Which means I’ll be living off of PB & fruit.
Do you have a favorite hard-at-work food?
Here are some great reads–new & old– for your weekend pleasure…
We’d like to design our own cloth cocktail napkins. Until then, we rely on these beauties.
I mean, really. There are no other words.
The Guardian made a 50 top cookbooks list
Let’s make our own
Suggestions?
xoxosl
P.S. We’ve a surprise coming next week. Hope you like it!
This recipe was inspired by my friend Jessica who made a similar quinoa salad for us last fall using diced persimmon and fresh pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, feta cheese and mint in a quinoa salad! It as so unusual and yummy, that pop for sweetness from the fruit in an otherwise savory salad was not to be forgotten. This is my take on a summer version featuring crunchy cucumbers and floral white nectarines. I also added garbanzo beans for extra protein.
Quinoa and White Nectarine Salad
serves 4-6
Quinoa is high in protein and gluten free so this is a very hearty and healthy salad perfect for lunch or a fresh new BBQ side. Omit the feta and it’s also vegan!
Ingredients-
2 cups of dry quinoa cooked according to the package instructions
1-2 Persian cucumbers, diced
1-2 white nectarines, diced
1 cup cooked garbanzo beans
3 tablespoons red onion, minced
10 leaves of fresh mint, finely sliced into ribbons
5 leaves of basil, finely sliced into ribbons
1 cup crumbled feta (optional)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, juiced (about 1 large lemon)
3 tablespoons good olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts for topping
Directions-
Cook the quinoa per the instructions on the package. Fluff and allow to cool to room temperature. Juice the lemon and add a teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of fresh black pepper to the juice and set aside so the salt can dissolve in the lemon juice. Dice all the fruit and vegetables and toss into a bowl with the cooled quinoa. Whisk 3 tablespoons olive oil into the lemon juice and dress the quinoa salad in stages checking as you go. You may not need all the dressing or you may need a bit more. Toss in the fresh herbs and the feta if you are using it, mix well and then season to taste. Serve room temperature or chilled topped with toasted pine nuts. I served it on a bed of arugula as a lunch salad with extra dressing on the side for the greens.
Angus and I snuck away to go glamour camping, a.k.a glamping at el Capitan Canyon in the Santa Barbara foothills. Glamping means enjoying the wonders of nature from your own private creekside glen without having to pitch your tent, scavenge for wood or wonder what was THAT? every time you hear a noise.
Aren’t the cabins beautiful? We had a king-sized bed, fireplace, soaking tub, kitchenette, and a wide porch perfect for reading.
Glamping, my friends, is utter relaxation.
Here’s what I packed for food prep (from L-R)
My moka for grill-top espresso (you can just see the tip of the spout in the upper left-hand corner)
1 bag ground intelligentsia black cat decaf espresso
1 bag Maldon sea salt (the best!)
2 deck towels for triple duty–as tablecloths, porch blankets and beach towels
A moleskin journal and my Penguin Classics clothbound copy of The Odyssey
Hershey bars, graham crackers and marshmallows for lots of you-know-what!
1 bottle of olive oil and my dependable Mario Batali pepper mill. Mine is the design prototype from my days with the man himself and has served me well for 8 years now. I highly recommend them.
1 chef’s knife, 1 pair tongs, 1 fish spatula, 1 regular spatula and two tenugui cloths for napkins.
My carryall is a Reisenthal collapsible market tote which Lydia and I use every single day for carting groceries to our clients’ homes. They’re also amazing for road trips and days at the beach.
Next time I’ll bring a cutting board as well.
Here’s our cook-top.
The first night we had delicious charred corn with grilled salmon and asparagus. Simply drizzle the corn with olive oil, add salt and pepper and place directly on the grill until the kernels blacken, turning occasionally for even cooking, about 3-5 minutes depending on the heat of your fire.
Our second night was really special. We grilled store-bought pizza dough and and topped it with a smear of goat cheese, grilled eggplant slices and heirloom tomatoes.
To grill the eggplant, we followed the same steps for the corn but left it on the grill for about 8 minutes per side until it was charred and soft and smoky.
We didn’t have a rolling pin and my olive oil bottle is square (a round one works in a pinch) so we simply ripped hunks of dough from the ball and stretched it by hand into mini rounds. We daubed the dough with olive oil, sprinkled it with sea salt and laid it flat on the hot grill. Grill until the first side is marked, about 1 minute, then flip and place your toppings on the cooked side. Continue grilling until the second side is marked and your cheese melts, about 1 minute more.
We tore fresh mint leaves to cut through the smoky richness of the eggplant and goat cheese and ate standing up, anxious to get our next mini going as quickly as possible.
Doesn’t a burning fire make everything taste better?
Note: grilled pizza is best when followed by lots of s’mores.
Read more about glamping at The Red, White, and Green
xoxosl
For you
For your table
A burlap table runner adds the requisite texture to a suitably relaxed farm table
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Recycled aqua wine punts for color
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Leather folding chairs for that butterscotch softness.
xoxosl
Thought you all might want to see what Sarah and I make for our clients everyday. Here is this weeks “proposed” menu. Lots of changes and additions, snacks (like kale smoothies) and breakfasts (like blueberry bars) get added along the way too!
Menu August 16-20, 2010
Monday
Lunch- mixed greens with crisp vegetables, grilled chicken, pine nuts and carrot-miso dressing
Dinner- Composed Nicoise Salad- seared ahi, poached eggs, steamed green beans, boiled potatoes, tomatoes and olives over butter lettuce with shallot vinaigrette
Tuesday
Lunch- Quinoa and garbanzo bean salad over arugula topped with seared chicken strips and crumbles feta
Dinner- Rosemary Swordfish kabobs with assorted grilled vegetables and whole wheat cous cous
Wednesday
Lunch- Lemongrass Ground Chicken lettuce cups
Dinner- Baked Pasta- tomato sauce, ground turkey, whole wheat penne and roasted vegetables with green salad
Thursday
Lunch- Shrimp Spring rolls with dipping sauce
Dinner- Steamed cod with Green Goddess dressing and grilled corn and tomato salad
Friday
Lunch- Brown rice with miso tofu and eggplant and seaweed salad
Dinner- Spiced grilled chicken breasts with mango salsa and Asian coleslaw
My talented friend Cheryl sent me this picture of her bounty from the Farmer’s Market. Stunning! Nourishing food LOCALLY grown in a responsible, healthy way. Make a pledge to shop at your local Farmer’s Market this weekend or this coming week. Summer produce won’t last much longer, take advantage.
Summer is the best time for rereading your favorite novels don’t you think? I’m currently rereading The Great Gatsby. How beautiful are the covers of this new set of The Fitzgerald Collection by Coralie Brickford-Smith?
Next I might dive into an Austen circuit. Up first for me will be P & P to visit my favorite characters E. Bennet and Mr. Darcy.
Sarah just reread The Odyssey which is one of her favorite rereads.
Off to Ikea this weekend for…
so I can make…
for the table numbers at my wedding thanks to this creative couple! Thank you Ikea for helping to make entertaining affordable. Happy weekend all!
Stunning, simple chic table decor courtesy of my talented pal Mary. Her husband hosted an outdoor dinner party last weekend in honor of her 30th birthday and Mary styled the table.
Long tables covered in white twin sheets, kraft paper table runner and cream candles from Ikea in jam jars.
Place setting of white china and assorted sea themed china from the couples’ collection from Anthropologie. White folded place cards add an elegant touch to casual decor.
Water bottle with stopper and water/wine glasses from Ikea. Wine and water was placed on the table during dinner for easy refills during dinner!
White china from Martha Stewart Collection for Macy’s and the napkin is the famed 49 cent Ikea dishtowel tied with a twine.
The table glowed with warmth from candles, good food and loving friends. Happy Birthday Mary!
Cold, refreshing and incredibly easy to make, watermelon salads add unexpected brightness to your summertime dinner table. I appreciate the texture and coolness of the watermelon most when it counters grilled meats and vegetables. We served this salad–watermelon balls with blueberries, fresh mint and a sprinkle of sea salt– in a beautiful glass compote beside grilled salmon and corn plus another salad of sliced heirloom tomatoes and cucumbers. A perfect farm-fresh feast.
Even easier, cubed watermelon chunks with fresh mint and sea salt to taste. And a Fourth of July sparkler never hurts! We had this salad alongside the best kind of 4th fare–grilled burgers and Italian sausage, herbed potato salad and grilled corn. Because the watermelon is cut into larger cubes here, you can make the salad a few hours ahead of time and let it sit, covered, in the fridge without having to worry about the watermelon getting too wet.
Here we have watermelon rounds, cherry tomatoes, feta and mint with sea salt and a drizzle of balsamic reduction. This salad has been very popular in food magazines in recent years and it’s my favorite side dish during the summer–which is why I had to have it at my wedding. Our entree was fillet of beef tenderloin with a fresh corn polenta and grilled asparagus.
xoxo sl
For you
For your table
Ippolita turquoise and gold earrings
Heath Ceramics iced tea set in aqua and zest yellow
Both ideal for sipping sweet mint or peach iced tea
xoxosl
I’m always inspired by my mom’s easy entertaining style. On a recent visit she served some store bought appetizers which were delicious and innovative. Hope they inspire you too and in honor of my mom you should serve these with chilled Prosecco as she always does.
Slice a pizza into wedges and serve it room temperature with some pepperoncinis! Granted this was especially yummy as the pizza was from the Cheese Board in Berkeley.
Afghani spinach flatbread from the Farmer’s Market with complimentary dips. The red one is a sweet pepper jelly, the green is a cilantro pest and the white is a garlic mint cheese spread. DIVINE when all three are heaped onto a wedge of spongy bread together.
It’s all about the presentation, make it look nice on a platter! You could replicate these dishes above with items from Trader Joe’s or your own local artisan vendors. For more tips on entertaining read this.
