Jamie's Nan's Lemon Poppyseed Cake

Recipe here.

Horseradish Potato Salad

From Jamie Oliver. Potatoes tossed in creme fraiche, horseradish, celery, parsley, tarragon, and lemon juice.

Slaw

Golden beets, cabbage, fennel, and carrots dressed with whole grain mustard, mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, brown sugar, celery seed, and fennel seed.

Cauliflower and Caramelized Onion Tart, Salad with Roasted Beets, Fava Beans and English Peas in a Mint Vinaigrette

Jenn came over tonight so Erik and I took it as an excuse to cook something we didn't want to eat all of by ourselves. The tart recipe comes from Bon Apetit, by way of Smitten Kitchen. It was insanely good. It's a good thing we had a guest, or I might have eaten the entire thing, and I don't even like cauliflower! (But let's face it: anything cooked with Gruyere, mascarpone and heavy cream is going to be good.) Erik threw together the salad with some leftover veggies we had in the fridge and lettuces from the garden. The mint vinaigrette was perfect with the peas, and the whole thing added a little brightness to our dinner.

Oatmeal Pancakes with Maple Roasted Apples

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Quinoa and Mozzarella di Buffala

Salad with Roasted Beets and Kumquats

Little Gems, Sunflower Sprouts, Golden Beets, Sunflower Seeds and Parmesan with a Lemon-Dijon Dressing

Inspired by a salad I had at Little Owl in New York.

Sea Scallops with Borlotti Beans, Arugula and Hot Chilis

Another River Cafe recipe, made with Rancho Gordo beans.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Pesto, Asparagus and Corn

Erik's been out of town, and I have had a lot of work and not much energy to cook, so I've been mostly living on leftovers, such as these gnocchi that we froze a couple months ago, and the pesto my mom and I made last week. I know corn isn't in season yet, but I had to buy some for work (long story) so I figured I may as well use it!

Pizza!

I am usually too lazy to make my own pizza dough, so I often buy it from local bakeries like the Cheeseboard and Arizmendi. I bought this dough from Jojo's Goodies at the Pop Up General Store last week. Using premade dough, whether you make it yourself ahead of time or buy it like I do makes pizza such a quick and fun dinner- not to mention a great way to use up the leftover bits of things in your fridge. I made these pizzas with my mom using some leftover asparagus from my fridge, and leftover prosciutto and mozzarella from hers, plus some quick pesto we whipped up, quick roasted tomatoes, and some ricotta I'd made that afternoon. Perfecto!


basil pesto, asparagus, and homemade ricotta cheese


prosciutto, roasted tomatoes, and mozzarella

Ricotta Cheese!

I took my first cheesemaking class earlier this week and let me tell you: ricotta is just about the easiest thing I know how to make. Well, maybe after sorbet. But really- you stir for 10 minutes and let it drain for an hour, and voila! Cheese!

1 gallon milk (can be whole, lowfat, skim, etc.)
1/4 C lemon juice
Salt, or additional seasoning

Heat milk to 175 degrees, stirring constantly. Add the lemon juice and continue to stir. The milk will curdle almost instantly and after a few minutes, drain it through cheesecloth set into a colander. Tie the corners of the cheesecloth to form a bundle and then hang it from a hook over a bowl (or the faucet on your sink) to drain. Once most of the whey has drained out (in about an hour), transfer the cheese into a bowl and use your fingers to crumble it a bit. At this point you can add a little salt to taste, or mix in chopped herbs and garlic, depending on how you want to use the cheese. If you're looking for a smoother cheese, you can run it through a food processor, or if you want it to be creamier, you can stir in some heavy cream. Pretty easy!