Recent Happenings

Well, there's really a whole lot of little going on. Back to extreme heat warnings all week, and we took that as a cue to try to refinish the deck. Smart, I know. So today, we stripped and cleaned the deck in preparation for stain. And when I am just hot enough that I think 1. What is wrong with the world and 2. Am I going to pass out? Along comes a perfectly ripe cantaloupe. And a record of James Galway and the Chieftans. And I am a whole person again.

Also at the Shutlers this week:

-Peaches from the neighbors (from the previous post)

-Margherita omelet: with homemade pesto, tomato, basil and goat cheese.

-Bacon in the oven: best idea ever. I hate frying bacon, but if you line a cookie sheet with foil and lay the bacon out, then put in a cold oven and turn to 400, ~20 minutes later you have bacon. Delicious bacon. Did everyone always know this and just not let me know? Because it's amazing. And you don't even have to clean a pan.

-Nachos. Best summer meal - I reason once we put greens on top it's not so bad for you.

-And as always, a sweet puppy lounging in the sun.

Hope it's cooler in your neck of the woods, and send some rain vibes our way - we need it.

Fast Food

Normally Nora writes the food stories, but I thought I'd share a couple recent discoveries that are great for those of us who like extensive self-propelled motion (that is to say cycling, running, hiking, etc.), or anyone who likes quick, delicious, healthy food. Both of these items are derived from a recent cookbook purchase, The Feed Zone Cookbook.

Given the temperatures here, I was happy to find a cold breakfast recipe that would still satisfy my oatmeal obsession. The version of muesli described in the book essentially has you mix up your oatmeal and then refrigerate it overnight. Oats, cinnamon, honey, chia seeds, then some yogurt and almond milk for me.

In the morning I plop half into a bowl with some raisins, and save the other half (or take it with me to work) as a perfect post-ride snack. For this morning's bowl I used fresh peaches grown just up the street by our wonderful neighbors!

Definitely worth getting up at 4:45AM to ride for.

The next piece also allows for creativity. There are no shortage of energy bars, chews, and gels to choose from, but the cost adds up when I'm riding a lot. One of the co-authors of the book has become well known in professional cycling for his 'rice cakes' that riders can eat on the bike.

The base is just calrose (sticky) white rice, and some scrambled eggs (lightly done). Make these up, mix them, and then you can add any number of things. For sweet, add honey and raisins. My favorite so far has been chopped bacon and maple syrup... yum. When you press it all into a pan, you can cut it into bars and wrap in foil. Cheap, quick, and easy on the stomach while exercising.

Honey cinnamon raisin.

I might still need the occasional Honey Stinger Waffle, but these will make a great supplement to my on-bike food supply. Enjoy!

Thoughts for Thursday

There has been limited cooking in this house - we've been back up to triple digit temperatures. Oh boy. 

Instead I've got a list I like from the late Nora Ephron, 

an interesting article (not sure how I feel about it), 

and some positive press for St. Louis, complete with several of our favorite places!

A Couple of Flops

I seem to only have the motivation to post here when what I make turns out well. But that doesn't always happen.

Exhibit A:
Cauliflower curry. I made it base on a Moosewood recipe, and it was fine. But it was just fine. Not enough liquid, not enough different textures.

Exhibit B:
Blueberry muffins. Again, these were fine, but I was hoping for great. I used this recipe. Full disclosure, I halved the butter and doubled the buttermilk, so that may have contributed. A half cup of butter just seemed excessive for muffins. But the ones I made were not worthy of the title "best blueberry muffin you'll ever have". Anyone have any great blueberry muffin recipes?

Ok, so this is a supremely dissatisfying post, but lately I have been making some dissatisfying cooking. Here's to days with exciting recipes coming up!

Pesto Gnocchi

Our basil plant is big. Really, really big. So we made gnocchi with lemon pesto to utilize some fresh basil. It was a great way to make an otherwise plain meal feel special.

We planted lemon basil in addition to our regular basil, so I used a bit of both to make pesto. We just made traditional pesto, but substituted walnuts instead of pine nuts (less expensive, and I don't really like pine nuts anyway), and added lemon juice in addition to the usual parmesan and olive oil. 

We served the gnocchi on a pile of spinach and some fresh tomato.

Handsome Homemade Handlebar Helmet Hanger

One old set of handlebars...

One coating of bar tape, in a fabulous color...

One old stem faceplate + 4 screws...

Handsome Homemade Handlebar Helmet Hanger!

Brandy Slush

I was at a going away party for a friend where someone brought brandy slush. It was delicious and I decided to try to make some of my own. Who wants to cook when it is over 100 anyway?

Cast of characters:
-black tea bags or loose lea tea
-can of lemonade concentrate,thawed
-can of orange juice concentrate, thawed
-sugar
-brandy
-maraschino cherries
-lime
-Sprite or club soda

I brewed 4 cups of tea, strong. Added 1/4 cup of sugar, lemonade and orange juice concentrate. Cool, add brandy, and freeze.

To serve, mix brandy slush with lemon-lime soda or club soda, depending on desired level of sweetness. Add a slice of lime and maraschino cherry. Forget about the 100+ temperatures. Repeat.

In non-related non-newsworthy news, we got a new rug for the dining room.

Before: 

After: 

Complete with Gertie photo-bomb. It might not look like much, but we're pretty excited about it. You can now sit with all four legs on a rug anyway!