 |
| Broccoli...on a grill! |
 |
| Hot broccoli |
 | |||
| Mmm...grilled veggie dinner. (Don't you love the color of my dishes?) |
Showing posts with label yums. Show all posts
Showing posts with label yums. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
30 Day Picture Shenanigans - Day 21
30 Day Picture Shenanigans - Day 21: Broccoli
So, this is my new favorite way to cook broccoli. I believe I've posted about grilled veggies before. I still don't know how my family is so awesome that I can go to the farmer's market, grab random in-season veggies, oil 'em up and throw them on the grill and that they let is pass as dinner. It's amazing. Anyway, last time we had grilled veggie dinner we were trying out this grill basket, so I was throwing whatever I had in the fridge into it and onto the grill. (We discovered that this particular device sucks, since it has parallel bars instead of a bunch of little squares. Stuff falls through all the time unless you cut it just right.) Anyway, I put broccoli into it and it was so fricking delicious. Tonight I decided to just rub the whole broccoli heads with olive oil and sea salt and chuck them right on the grill grate.
Result: delicious!!! Even the fat stem parts were tender. The grilling makes the broccoli taste a little sweet and smoky. (The crispy bits are the best, by the way.) Try it!
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
30 Day Picture Shenanigans - Day 19
30 Day Picture Shenanigans - Day 19: Assorted Food Goodies
Today the child and I went to visit my grandmother. We visited for a while, had lunch (girl-child opted for vegetarian tacos...apparently our reduced meat-intake is sticking with her), and the two of us picked the blackberries from the back yard. (My grandparents have always had fantastic vegetable and flower gardens. I did not inherit this talent. I am, however, more than thrilled to suffer the 100 degree heat for a half hour in order to come home with a pint of fresh berries.)
They also sent us home with two tomato plants and a pepper plant. My grandpa starts their plants from seed every year, usually from seeds that he has saved from previous seasons. The pepper pot says "golden pepper" on the side, so we'll see what that turns out to be. One tomato is a Big Boy (that name has always cracked me up) and the other is an heirloom that his mother used to grow. These plants produce perfect little pink fruits that are fantastically sweet. He told me he was saving these three plants for me so that he didn't have to throw them in the garbage. (His garden is already overfilled with huge, thriving plants.) I told him they would probably be better off in the garbage than at my house (especially considering the combination of drought and heatwave that we have been experiencing lately), but they already have flowers on them so I figured I'd give it a shot. (They are sitting on my porch. They'll probably be dead by morning.)
On the way home I decided to make a stop at the Mars Cheese Castle.
I have been thinking a lot lately about how people tend to overlook and under-appreciate the attractions in their hometowns. I drive past this place all the time. It used to be a little, old building, but it was recently remodeled to look like this:
Ridiculous, I know. But so fun. The child declared that she wants to live there.
Every time I drive past, I laugh at the fact that people stop at the cheese castle on their vacations. Then, I remember how much I love cheese and go inside. The store sells all kinds of things from wine and beer to candies. Of course, there is a fantastic selection of Wisconsin cheeses. Mr. Sty and I love to spend some time selecting weird cheeses and then having cheese and crackers for dinner. He is fond of the habanero jack (spicy, of course!) and old, old, ancient aged cheddar. Don't get me wrong, their 10+ year cheddars are fantastic, but they run about $10-15 for a little block and I didn't have that kind of funding today. I opted instead for a cheese marbled with buffalo sauce, a beer cheddar (no brainer...my two favorite things), and chocolate cheese fudge.
I have no idea what chocolate cheese fudge is, but I don't think it can be bad. (I also feel this way about my ambition to make a bacon-flavored beer. It will happen one day, I just have to figure out the process and set Mr. Sty to work. But seriously...bacon beer? Has to be amazing.) We also got some white cheddar squeaky curds. I'm told these are a regional food and that people not from Wisconsin find it really disgusting and weird that we like squeaky cheese. Good. More for me. The girl child demanded that we buy some beef sticks. (Apparently her vegetarianism has its limits, and those limits are ground, processed, tubular meats.) The cheese castle makes their own beef sticks. They are 2 feet long and child approved.
Anyway, as soon as we came home I promptly made myself some boozy blackberry lemonade. I chucked some blackberries into a glass and mashed them up with a spoon.
Today the child and I went to visit my grandmother. We visited for a while, had lunch (girl-child opted for vegetarian tacos...apparently our reduced meat-intake is sticking with her), and the two of us picked the blackberries from the back yard. (My grandparents have always had fantastic vegetable and flower gardens. I did not inherit this talent. I am, however, more than thrilled to suffer the 100 degree heat for a half hour in order to come home with a pint of fresh berries.)
They also sent us home with two tomato plants and a pepper plant. My grandpa starts their plants from seed every year, usually from seeds that he has saved from previous seasons. The pepper pot says "golden pepper" on the side, so we'll see what that turns out to be. One tomato is a Big Boy (that name has always cracked me up) and the other is an heirloom that his mother used to grow. These plants produce perfect little pink fruits that are fantastically sweet. He told me he was saving these three plants for me so that he didn't have to throw them in the garbage. (His garden is already overfilled with huge, thriving plants.) I told him they would probably be better off in the garbage than at my house (especially considering the combination of drought and heatwave that we have been experiencing lately), but they already have flowers on them so I figured I'd give it a shot. (They are sitting on my porch. They'll probably be dead by morning.)
 |
Short-lived pepper and tomatoes
On the way home I decided to make a stop at the Mars Cheese Castle.
I have been thinking a lot lately about how people tend to overlook and under-appreciate the attractions in their hometowns. I drive past this place all the time. It used to be a little, old building, but it was recently remodeled to look like this:
Ridiculous, I know. But so fun. The child declared that she wants to live there.
Every time I drive past, I laugh at the fact that people stop at the cheese castle on their vacations. Then, I remember how much I love cheese and go inside. The store sells all kinds of things from wine and beer to candies. Of course, there is a fantastic selection of Wisconsin cheeses. Mr. Sty and I love to spend some time selecting weird cheeses and then having cheese and crackers for dinner. He is fond of the habanero jack (spicy, of course!) and old, old, ancient aged cheddar. Don't get me wrong, their 10+ year cheddars are fantastic, but they run about $10-15 for a little block and I didn't have that kind of funding today. I opted instead for a cheese marbled with buffalo sauce, a beer cheddar (no brainer...my two favorite things), and chocolate cheese fudge.
I have no idea what chocolate cheese fudge is, but I don't think it can be bad. (I also feel this way about my ambition to make a bacon-flavored beer. It will happen one day, I just have to figure out the process and set Mr. Sty to work. But seriously...bacon beer? Has to be amazing.) We also got some white cheddar squeaky curds. I'm told these are a regional food and that people not from Wisconsin find it really disgusting and weird that we like squeaky cheese. Good. More for me. The girl child demanded that we buy some beef sticks. (Apparently her vegetarianism has its limits, and those limits are ground, processed, tubular meats.) The cheese castle makes their own beef sticks. They are 2 feet long and child approved.
Anyway, as soon as we came home I promptly made myself some boozy blackberry lemonade. I chucked some blackberries into a glass and mashed them up with a spoon.
 | |
Blackberries in the Time Vortex
Dead Blackberries
(If I was fancy, I'd say that I muddled them with a fancy grinder thing, but I'm just in a hurry to drink, ok?) I poured in some lemonade. This makes a delicious treat for a kid. Then I poured in the rest of a bottle of Malibu. This makes a delicious treat for an adult. (I always underestimate how much is left in the bottom of a bottle, which explains why I am buzzed at 4:00 in the afternoon.) 
Garnish with mint or something if you're feeling special
Hooray for summer!
Friday, June 29, 2012
30 Day Picture Shenanigans - Day 18
30 Day Picture Shenanigans - Day 18: Something I'm Missing
This past weekend the ladies from the shop and I were lucky enough to be able to attend the Summer TNNA show in Columbus, Ohio. (In case you don't know, TNNA is a huge trade show put on by The National Needlearts Association.) I had a blast taking classes on tunisian crochet from Sheryl Thies and how to knit a doll version of yourself from Norwegian duo Arne and Carlos. We shopped the booths, picked out some amazing new products for the store, knit, laughed (a lot), drank only a small amount of beer (I swear), and had a fantastic time. However, there is one thing in downtown Columbus that seems to attract TNNA attendees like moths to a flame: Jeni's Ice Cream. This leads us to Picture 18:
This is a picture of the third of four delicious ice cream treats that I bought from Jeni's over a 3-day period. (Side note: Apparently it is possible to eat full-fat, triple-scoops of gourmet ice cream all weekend and not gain any weight. Granted, I'm not a waif to begin with, but usually I merely look at sugar and my gut grows.) Every single flavor they have is amazing. I usually try to have different ones every time. This cone contains their Brown Butter Almond Brittle (fricking amazing), Wildberry Lavender (refreshing, yet creamy), and the Cherry Lambic Sorbet (tastes like lambic, which I love)! Jeni's is sold at a few places around here, but not any closer than a 45-minute drive. I have refused to buy it anywhere because I would blow my paycheck and lay on my couch eating pint after pint for an entire weekend. I know that it seems ridiculous that this was my favorite part of the weekend, but I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only one who feel this way.
Moral of the story: If you ever, ever have the opportunity to eat anything that this place makes (seriously, even the sticky drips off of the floor), you should do it. And then you can thank me by sending me a pint of their Milkiest Chocolate in the World.
This past weekend the ladies from the shop and I were lucky enough to be able to attend the Summer TNNA show in Columbus, Ohio. (In case you don't know, TNNA is a huge trade show put on by The National Needlearts Association.) I had a blast taking classes on tunisian crochet from Sheryl Thies and how to knit a doll version of yourself from Norwegian duo Arne and Carlos. We shopped the booths, picked out some amazing new products for the store, knit, laughed (a lot), drank only a small amount of beer (I swear), and had a fantastic time. However, there is one thing in downtown Columbus that seems to attract TNNA attendees like moths to a flame: Jeni's Ice Cream. This leads us to Picture 18:
I'm drooling on my keyboard
This is a picture of the third of four delicious ice cream treats that I bought from Jeni's over a 3-day period. (Side note: Apparently it is possible to eat full-fat, triple-scoops of gourmet ice cream all weekend and not gain any weight. Granted, I'm not a waif to begin with, but usually I merely look at sugar and my gut grows.) Every single flavor they have is amazing. I usually try to have different ones every time. This cone contains their Brown Butter Almond Brittle (fricking amazing), Wildberry Lavender (refreshing, yet creamy), and the Cherry Lambic Sorbet (tastes like lambic, which I love)! Jeni's is sold at a few places around here, but not any closer than a 45-minute drive. I have refused to buy it anywhere because I would blow my paycheck and lay on my couch eating pint after pint for an entire weekend. I know that it seems ridiculous that this was my favorite part of the weekend, but I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only one who feel this way.
Moral of the story: If you ever, ever have the opportunity to eat anything that this place makes (seriously, even the sticky drips off of the floor), you should do it. And then you can thank me by sending me a pint of their Milkiest Chocolate in the World.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
30 Day Picture Shenanigans: Day 3
30 Day Picture Shenanigans: Day 3 - Something I Made Today
Today I finished these:
These are the bottoms of a pair of crocheted slippers from the premier issue of the Noro Magazine. Noro Kureyon is probably one of my favorite yarns. The blend-y color changes entertain me, and I like a little entertainment. Also, the colors prevent boredom from setting in. (Give me a plain-colored yarn and I'm all "Ugh. Next!" after 10 minutes.) Anyway, I did not purposefully arrange these to look like a heart. I'm not that cutesy. I had to place them on top of each other in this way because they wouldn't lie flat.
Also today, I came home to what Mr. Sty had made:
This is a quiche, complete with from-scratch crust. I think he may have one-upped me.
Today I finished these:
These are the bottoms of a pair of crocheted slippers from the premier issue of the Noro Magazine. Noro Kureyon is probably one of my favorite yarns. The blend-y color changes entertain me, and I like a little entertainment. Also, the colors prevent boredom from setting in. (Give me a plain-colored yarn and I'm all "Ugh. Next!" after 10 minutes.) Anyway, I did not purposefully arrange these to look like a heart. I'm not that cutesy. I had to place them on top of each other in this way because they wouldn't lie flat.
Also today, I came home to what Mr. Sty had made:
This is a quiche, complete with from-scratch crust. I think he may have one-upped me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)