Finally

Back to the barn tomorrow. So so excited. I am once again going to essentially ignore house tasks and relax and hike and canoe. At some point I really have to spend a work weekend to get the barn back in shipshape (as shipshape as the Barn can be). Scarily neglected lately. Must. Rectify. This. Summer.

So back to this weekend. We leave tomorrow in a minivan (woo woo) with 2 additional kids. Their parents are taking the train and meeting us up there. Saturday will be croquet and catch and bike rides and filming Clarke's jazz audition video ( anyone want to come over for the live shoot? We are renting helicopters and groupies). Then EatnMeet for dinner. Sunday, we are heading out to Floodwood Pond to canoe the streams and small ponds. This is our home turf for canoeing and I can't wait. We have a group of 8 so we have 2 16' canoes and 2 kayaks. We are going to set up day camp on one of the islands and let people explore from there. After that, cookout back at our place. Deciding between pork burgers with asian slaw and fennel or chocolate, stout marinated steak. Um, and quinoa, feta salad for PK. Vegetarians!

We'll see you inside the blue line!

Geez, now I'm awake

I am experimenting with food photography. Mostly because I love this new site www.food52.com. The concept is a curated place for ambitious homecooks. There is a cooking contest each week and the winner goes into a real cookbook. So cool. Hilariously, I keep missing the deadlines but end up making the intended dishes days later. Alas, anyway here are a few photos: okra with ginger/red pepper/rosewater, lamb/feta/cherry meatballs, croissant (not made by me!), barley risotto.

Jamie Oliver

I know I am supposed to hate this contrived reality show, produced by none other than Ryan Seacrest but Oscar and I have watched it loyally on Hulu each week and damn, it is inspiring. I personally think Jamie Oliver is the real deal, and is authentically consumed with changing the way we eat. It is well aligned with Food Inc. and the local food movement and I am indeed appalled at the school lunch program in this country. So we are trying. What does this mean for our lives? When we moved to Brooklyn and I joined the Park Slope Food Coop, it made some very big changes in our eating. Out of my shopping cart, there are maybe 4 or 5 packaged goods, mostly healthy. The boys snacks are much better; we have healthy, creative meals. Yay me. But, we still do takeout or eat-out, probably one or two nights every week. I would like to reduce that. It's not great on wasteline, environment, budget, or health. Ironically, while I can throw down easily on 4-hour gourmet feasts, I am not great at really fast meals or meals that the boys would think are exciting so that is my challenge. Last week, I made Bittman's pork vindaloo which was 1 hour but only about 10 minutes of prep time and really easy. They loved it. Today, we went retro and I tried homemade, healthy, sloppy Joes. I must say, I think I nailed it. Start to finish, 15 minutes. Recipe: 1 lb, lean, organic, grass-fed beef, olive, oil, 1/2 onion- diced, 2 carrots-finely diced, 2 cloves garlic-minced, 1 bell pepper-finely diced, 1.5 TBSP dijon mustard, 3/4 can organic crushed tomatos (obviously easy to use food processed fresh tomatoes too) 1.5 TBSP maple syrup, dash of smoked paprika. Heat olive oil in saute pan, add onion, garlic. Saute for a few minutes, then add carrots. When carrots have softened, add ground beef and saute until brown. Pour off excess fat and then add crushed tomatoes, mustard, maple syrup, paprika. Simmer for 5 minutes. I served on these really good Brioche buns with sides of edamame and sweet potato fries (just sliced sweet potatoes with some olive oil and salt in oven. Happy boy food.

It's not like I don't know

I have wanderlust. Yes, I am enjoying being back in the routine. I'm really enjoying my great, yet intense new job, and I'm enjoying just being with the boys. But, late at night, in the dim of my computer light in my room, I start fantasizing and perusing... Homeforexchange.com and while not accepting an offer yet, I am astounded at the volume and quality of people who want to come to Brooklyn for a week, a month, a summer, a year! Even if I can't pull it off, it's fun to look. Maybe this summer....Paris....? And it's FREE! One thing I know is there had better be a bit more skiing before spring. I will save my pennies to get a few more trips in.

In the meantime, here are a few recipes I've been experimenting with:

• Shredded red cabbage and celery root with lime/shallot/cilantro vinaigrette, queso fresca, roasted pumpkin seeds, roasted corn. Really really good.
  
• Roasted pineapple with maple syrup and cayenne over pancetta. I don't have this one quite right yet but there is something really yummy here.
• Puerto Rican Beans: @Pk's boss is Puerto Rican and his wife let me watch her make these incredible beans (while she made me do tequila shots - I'm not kidding.) The beans were incredible...if I remember correctly. Anyway:

First, make the Sofrito: Recau (or cilantro), onions, garlic, ajillo peppers, red bell peppers. Food processor until well blended thick, granular sauce. I didn't use any measurements, just to taste. I made a big batch and froze the rest in ice cube trays
Saute onions, add sofrito, add pink beans which have been soaking overnight, cover with water, bring to a boil, add tomato paste, and salt and simmer for 3-4 hours, until beans are tender. Add water as needed to keep saucy consistency. Add potatoes in last 15 minutes and top with cilantro before serving.