An Excellent Exchange!

When our children were younger, a few neighborhood friends shared cooking responsibilities three nights a week.  We did this for fifteen years!  Remarkable, really.

          

Each of us would double or triple a recipe and deliver dinner to the two other families. Very little coordination ever took place. And there were few, if any, disappointments. All of us were ecstatic that someone else had taken time to consider what our family was going to eat that evening. 

We simply set the table and waited for dinner to arrive between 6:00 and 6:30.  

It was, and continues to be, a sensational concept.  One worth considering at any age or stage.  

Remember, it could be as easy as exchanging your favorite soup.  Who wouldn't be delighted not to have to slice and dice your way through the day?

Appetizers @ Anderson's

Seemed appropriate after Breakfast @ Ginger's, don't you think?   

Have I shared this before?  I don't think so.  And we're having it again tonight so you, too, will be enjoying it as well!  It's definitely worth a repeat.  And some experimentation with other savory/sweet ingredients.

All you need:  Some sturdy crackers, spreadable goat cheese, fig spread.  All were found at Whole Foods Mkt.  

We served this combo earlier in the week/this time I was sorry that I didn't have flowers or herbs with me to garnish.     

Crackers featured below were too sturdy.  Substitute with your favorite.  I love the seeded varieties.

  

I don't know about you

But I definitely prefer to have my food prepared this way:  

WHOA!  

If anyone knows the source of this wildly wonderful artistry, I'd love to know and to be able to credit these obviously creative people.

Sent to me in an email/Thanks, Barb.  

Hard to ever look at food the same way again!

The best black bean appetizer and more

A few thoughts.  

Galactic lettuce.  The deep purple, beautifully ruffled variety that we've enjoyed from our garden since spring.  Now I know why we don't see this and so many other wonderful vegetables/greens in our markets. Too fragile/short shelf life. Much simply does not transport well.  What does that say about what we buy in our supermarkets on a daily basis?  Think about what most of us are missing.  Flavor wise and otherwise.  What better reason than this to grow your own.  In a basket.  A barrel.  A window box. 

Fly fishing trip addendum.  

One of the many meal intros was a great bean salad-ish appetizer served with corn chips. 

Since I could only remember the basics w/o my notes, I visited Epicurious.  I've served this dish the past two nights.  Both times all asked for the recipe.  Here it is.  Thank you, Robyn, for the delicious introduction.  Elaborations/variations thanks to Epicurious.  R, let me/us, know if there is anything I missed, OK?  Good.

BLACK BEAN SALAD/APPETIZER/GREAT ACCOMPANIMENT TO VARIOUS MAIN COURSES... 

• 1 pound dried black beans, picked over, soaked overnight in cold water to cover, and drained/No. Open 2 cans black beans, rinse and drain.
• 1 1/2 cups cooked fresh corn kernels (cut from about 3 ears of corn) or thawed frozen/R used canned/it was delicious.  I used frozen/excellent as well/no need to thaw.
• 1 1/2 cups chopped seeded tomato
• 3/4 cup thinly sliced scallion
• 1/3 cup minced fresh coriander plus coriander sprigs for garnish/you either love or hate coriander/my groups liked this addition
• 1/2 cup olive oil. or not/tonight I used a little/last night, none
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (1 to 2 lemons)/Robyn used a dressing she had made which was delicious.  I used fresh lemon juice/seemed to fly.
• 2 teaspoons salt/I used garlic salt but definitely not 2 t.  Freshly ground pepper, too.

Both R and I added avocado.  Everyone loved this addition.  I think this is a pretty flexible recipe. We loved all variations beginning with Robyn's introduction.  

Thank you, amazingly organized, thoughtful, generous friend.

See reviews and comments for additional ideas.  

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Black-Beans-Corn-and-Tomatoes-Vinaigrette-10435#ixzz0w53fKsQq

Barbecuing today or tomorrow?

Perfect.  Perhaps the following will make your planning and preparation a little easier.

Thanks to Barb from Pennsylvania for this terrific outdoor cooking link:  

101 Fast Recipes for Grilling

Expanding your summer repertoire

Bolani, the wonderful Afghani flatbread, is back in the blog.

For good reason.  Each time I serve it, I receive the same response:  Love the mix of textures, flavors, colors.  

My only addition has been edible flowers and/or herbs from our garden.  And, as much as I’ve shared this flaky pastry with friends and family, no one has tired of consuming new combinations. 

My current favorite:  Pumpkin Bolani topped with garlic mint cheese, sun-dried tomato hummus and finished off with sweet jalapeño jelly.

Thanks to Anne’s ingenuity, a thorough search of the site revealed that they do indeed ship across the country.  So what was originally found only in Bay Area Farmer’s Markets and Whole Foods can be enjoyed on both coasts and everywhere in between.  Shop and ship here:  http://www.bolaniandsauce.com/pgallery.php.

If you live on the SF Peninsula, enjoy generous samples each Sunday at the California Avenue Farmer’s Market, Palo Alto, CA.

Be sure to check out their website, http://www.bolaniandsauce.com/home.php, for additional recipes.   "Recipe" is too big a word for the little effort it takes to enjoy something so flavorful.

Bolani continues to be my top pick for a super fast/incredibly easy/definitely delicious appetizer or light meal. 

What about you?  What easy/fresh/flavorful ideas beyond Bolani do you have for simplifying summer meals and/or entertaining? 

You might also enjoy:  Sweet and Savory.

Check out what Sanjay has to say

One more reason to grow your own:

If you're eating non-organic celery today, you may be ingesting 67 pesticides with it, according to a new report from the Environmental Working Group.

The group, a nonprofit focused on public health, scoured nearly 100,000 produce pesticide reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to determine what fruits and vegetables we eat have the highest, and lowest, amounts of chemical residue.

Most alarming are the fruits and vegetables dubbed the "Dirty Dozen," which contain 47 to 67 pesticides per serving. These foods are believed to be most susceptible because they have soft skin that tends to absorb more pesticides.

"It's critical people know what they are consuming," the Environmental Working Group's Amy Rosenthal said. "The list is based on pesticide tests conducted after the produce was washed with USDA high-power pressure water system. The numbers reflect the closest thing to what consumers are buying at the store."

Special report: Toxic America

The group suggests limiting consumption of pesticides by purchasing organic for the 12 fruits and vegetables.

"You can reduce your exposure to pesticides by up to 80 percent by buying the organic version of the Dirty Dozen," Rosenthal said.

The Dirty Dozen

Celery

Peaches

Strawberries

Apples

Domestic blueberries

Nectarines

Sweet bell peppers

Spinach, kale and collard greens

Cherries

Potatoes

Imported grapes

Lettuce

Not all non-organic fruits and vegetables have a high pesticide level. Some produce has a strong outer layer that provides a defense against pesticide contamination. The group found a number of non-organic fruits and vegetables dubbed the "Clean 15" that contained little to no pesticides.

The Clean 15

Onions

Avocados

Sweet corn

Pineapples

Mango

Sweet peas

Asparagus

Kiwi fruit

Cabbage

Eggplant

Cantaloupe

Watermelon

Grapefruit

Sweet potatoes

Sweet onions

Study: A Link Between Pesticides and ADHD

Thanks, Linda, for this important link.

Update on Friday, May 21, 2010 at 5:58PM by Lois

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Stacked Salads.

In the past it would happen by accident.  We'd be at a soccer game with the boys and I'd spontaneously invite people to dinner.  We often ran out of time to do any preparation other than shop for the food.  If friends wanted to eat before midnight, it would have to be a team effort.  What I learned was this:  No one ever minded pitching in and often people took great pleasure in creating their part of the meal.  An instantaneous pot luck of sorts.

If you, as I, enjoy the participatory aspect of meal making, I think you'll love the following sure-fire combinations made with wholesome/fresh/colorful ingredients and the help of a great group of friends. 

Here's how:  Metal forms, available at cookware shops/such Sur La Table/ are specifically designed for stacking salads, approximately $5 each.  A rather expensive option if you purchase multiples so that everyone is capable of making salads simultaneously.

Alternatively, having used the contents of any metal can, simply remove both ends and use as shown below.

We made a Cobb Salad one night/all sharing one metal form. The recipe was straightforward and easy:  bowls of shredded Costco-style rotisserie chicken, finely sliced greens tossed with bottled dressing, diced avocado, crumbled blue cheese, chopped tomato and hard boiled eggs.  Each level was lightly tamped as added. The only other optional additions: bacon strips and additional dressing. 

Use a ricer so that eggs don't topple off the tower. And a squeeze bottle could be used to decorate plates with additional dressing.  Chop bacon and let guests scatter on salad and plate.

We were on a roll.  Later in the week, we worked with the following combination: Greens mixed with sliced green onions and cilantro tossed with dressing then layered with crab meat, avocado, papaya or mango and celery.  We served each salad with lemon wedges and chopped macadamia nuts.  Definitely a winning idea once we figured out that the stem of a wine glass could do double duty as a tamper. 

P.S.  Thank you, Susan, for generating this terrific concept, for the Internet tutorial, for all the slicing and dicing AND for the gift of the metal mold.  Great fun was had by all!  Know that many, many more will enjoy this edible experience because of your generosity.

Hop on over

Or as Cost Plus/World Market advertises: More Bunny. Less Money. I adore the few purchases I made. I may hop back over there again today. You'll see some of the wonderfully colorful spring additions in "Edible Flowers Defined the Difference" entry.