Best of Confessions

This is hard to write about, but you probably need to know. I like to cook, and I cook most everything I see on smittenkitchen. I also use the term "YUM-O" to ironically describe food, since I'm the opposite of an RR fan. She says EVOO (just say Olive Oil like the rest of the world - it has half as many syllables), she carries all her ingredients at once (instead of making two trips), she has a GARBAGE BOWL (why not just throw it in, I don't know, the GARBAGE), and she's annoying.

But.

Last week, I made a recipe off smitten. Here's the confession - it was actually Racheal Ray's. And I liked it.

I'm still not a fan, I know I'll get shit for this, but at least I hated the name of the dish even if I liked the taste: You Won't Be Single For Long Vodka Cream Pasta.

Best of Saturday Afternoons

Gavin and Brisket, his bulldog, came over for lunch today. I made roast beef sandwiches and asparagus, and they were delish. ous.

Currently, I'm reading Real Simple and enjoying an afternoon beer. We're having a lazy afternoon because we got up EARLY to go to the farmer's market on Cherry Street again. We got bread for our lunch sandwiches and tons of fresh produce. And cheese, because we love cheese.

Grant is taking a nap next to me on the couch. Every once and awhile he grins and lets out a little giggle. Someone is having some good dreams.

Whitters is getting ready to participate in a wedding this evening (Grant and I will be in attendance), and MAN IS SHE EXCITED TO BE IN IT. That's a yoke.

Best of Weekends

Why couldn't mine have just one more day?

I'm at work, looking at the rain fall on downtown Tulsa, and right now all I ever wanted was to be in my own bed, under the covers, reading a book, and drinking hot mint tea. I feel like I should have called in sick. I can't lie, but I'm in desperate need of a personal day, and I have cramps. Those are two reasons enough to escape the working world for a day.

One of the reasons I wanted my weekend to continue today is that I had such a good one! Friday night, Grant and I went on a date at Local Table in Brookside. The concept is cool - only serve what is in season and use local ingredients, but it kind of sucked, especially for the amount of the bill. The company was great, though, as per usual. It was Grant's idea to make sure we go on a real date every week, even though we live together, and I must say it has been a fabulous idea.

We got up early on Saturday morning to go to the Farmer's Market in Tulsa on Cherry Street, and it was worth not sleeping in. We found tons of fresh produce, and it's now a date for every Saturday morning. We had green beans with lemon and shallots for lunch, and felt like we had the entire day to conquer. I'm glad I found a way to make the weekend last just a little bit longer.

On Sunday, the brunch committee had planned an outing, but after a surprise 10 am phone call from AUDREY, those plans got changed. The Stillwater Ruarks showed up at our house about 10 minutes later, and Grant finally got to meet them. Audrey and Andrew met Henry, she jumped on the trampoline, Marla (with the help of Why Bother) discovered the true lyrics to Smack That, and we went to eat lunch at the riverwalk. And Audrey, Whitters and I were brave enough to run through the fountain. And then hug everyone else. After they left to go to Andrew's baseball game in Glenpool, I fell asleep with Henry in the hammock reading David Sedaris. Perfect.

And then raindrops hit me, so I headed inside.

Best of Deliciousness

For once, I'm not talking completely about food. Yes, the pie turned out well and tasted pretty darn good, but it sure was confusing to the Thompson boys. Even though Grant picked up the rhubarb, it disturbed him to see me prepare it (take off the leaves - they are poisonous and look like a webbed duck foot) since it resembled red celery. Raw, it also tastes like a too-tart lemon that is not fun to chew. Cooked, he couldn't get over the fact that it looked like cooked hot dog pieces were in his pie. Garet also dared to try a piece after really questioning me about JUST WHAT IS RHUBARB?, and I couldn't really answer that, except to say it TASTES GOOD. I promise. After just eating the strawberries, he ventured out and tried a piece of rhubarb. And then he announced, "I like rhubarb." Cooper, his yellow lab, however does not. So it goes.

I guess I am talking a lot about food.

We had a really great dinner with grilled pork chops (I LOVE THE GRILL!!) and potatoes and green beans and this really great beer bread that I will be attempting to make.

The best part of the night, though, was not food. After dinner, we all went to the living room, where Grant convinced everyone to watch the NBA finals, and I sat next to him on the couch. Then I laid down a little bit, and then a little bit more, and when I got a blanket and an Abby curled up next to me... I was out. I remember thinking right before I dozed off, "This feels delicious." I think I chose that word because my subconscious was about to take over, but it still feels right today. I was with Grant, who I adore. I ate a healthy dinner, cooked a good pie, drank some wine, and left my cell phone in the car. I didn't have work to do, didn't have to check my email - I could just lay there and lazily fall asleep to the TV with a full stomach and one of my favorite dogs in the whole world. And I felt comfortable and relaxed enough at his parent's house to take a little nap. Just delicious.

When he woke me up at 10 (he had fallen asleep, too), we went home, and went directly to bed. We had the fan on, he turned on the game, and we fell asleep to it.

This night is such the opposite of what I was experiencing at the same time last summer. I worked too much, I worried too much, and at times I just felt desperate for the kind of life I'm now writing about. I'm glad I found a way to relax just a little bit, to not freaking worry so much, and that desperation only visits a couple of times a year (rather than living with me 24/7). Good riddance.

Best of MASTERING THIS PIE

I have had my eye on this Strawberry Rhubarb pie recipe for over a week, and only 2 things were going to get in my way: 1) having an occasion to put in this much work for 1 pie, and 2) finding rhubarb.

We're having dinner with Grant's parents tonight (a perfect occasion for a early-summer time pie), and Grant was successful in hunting down some (really expensive) rhubarb.

I am obsessed with the website Smitten Kitchen, where I got this recipe, because the woman who writes it is funny AND SHE TELLS YOU WHEN THE RECIPE GOES HORRIBLY WRONG. I like that kind of honesty. I think we would be friends in real life. I decided to make this pie even though she recommends making the pie dough from scratch (necessitating all the dough ingredients staying ice-cold for the whole process, and I courageously attempted this in June in Oklahoma).

As she put it, "shh, the pie can hear you," and this pie totally smelled my fear. After rolling out the dough and making a mess, it was NOT coming together. I got a pep talk from Grant, talked sternly to the dough as if it were Henry misbehaving, and it rolled out perfectly.

I have no idea what it tastes like, but it at least looks good.

Best of Summer Food

I'm a foodie, and I live with foodies, and I have an herb garden, so WE GRILLED OUT LAST NIGHT! Yay for summer food! I found a recipe online at food & wine, and we ran with it. Grilled tuna (or, in Whit's case, grilled tilapia) with mint sauce. I picked mint from my garden, and I thought that the sauce might be too vinegar-y, but it was a perfect compliment to the fish that Grant grilled perfectly. Food & wine recommended a wine that would not be overpowered by the mint, but 1) I don't really like white wine (red wine makes you live longer!) and 2) I'm a fan of beer. Grant had Boulevard Wheat, I had Blue Moon, and Whitters had a Cape Cod. It all went well with the minty fish.

The star of the show, though, did not involve the grill, but it did involve my green thumb. I made bruschetta from my own recipe with basil we grew in the backyard, and Whit has declared it the best thing I've ever made. Better than my avocado and chickpea salad and better than my tortilla soup. So that's pretty cool. We gorged ourselves on it.

And then I fell asleep full and satisfied, on top of the covers, with the fan going, and I think while still talking to Grant.

You should try it out:
A pint of grape tomatoes
1 clove of garlic
6 big basil leaves
2 tsp of olive oil (or just pour a little in)
freshly grated parmesan cheese (we used about 1 Tbsp per piece of brushetta)
balsamic vinegar
1 french baguette (sliced) for smaller pieces, or 1 loaf of sourdough (sliced) for yummy big pieces
1 or 2 Tbsp. butter
salt to taste

To prepare the topping, you have to slice all of the grape tomatoes into at least 4 pieces. Yes, I realize I am OCD about this, but if you use a food processor or if the pieces aren't uniform, IT DOESN'T TASTE AS GOOD. Slice each tomato in half and then slice the halves in half. This is the time consuming part, but it's worth it. When all your tomatoes are cut, put them in a bowl. Mince the clove of garlic into the bowl. Chop up the basil and add it to the tomato mixture. Pour in a bit of olive oil, add salt, and you're done.

To prepare the bread, spread a little butter on each piece, and toast them in a skillet over the stove. (I wish we would have tried putting these on the grill, but YOU CAN, and then let me know how it turns out, okay?) When the bread is lightly browned on one side (like you are making grilled cheeses), put it on a plate and sprinkle a little of the balsamic vinegar on top. Too much is too much, so be careful. Then generously spoon the tomato mixture on top of the bread, and add a whole lot of parmesan cheese. Can you have too much cheese? NO.

I think all recipes should use all caps.