First Rhubarb of the Season

Made a cornbread-crusted strawberry rhubarb cobbler with rhubarb from the farmers' market (strawberries aren't quite out yet here- I got those at the Giant). Mmmm. Rather than follow the directions for the cornbread topping, I just used a box of Jiffy cornbread mix with an egg and a cup of leftover buttermilk that I wanted to use up. Worked out just fine!

Parmesan Parsnip (and Carrot) Fries

This is a tasty way to eat the parsnips I keep getting in my CSA... partly crisp, partly soft and roasty, totally covered in shredded Parmesan. I added in some carrots for color and served it with maple-mustard glazed chicken thighs (which were also really good).


I am ready to be done with these things for the season, though. Bring on the asparagus!

Stitchin' Bunnies!

Chuck is busy workin' on her ass-groove and stitchin' bunny squares for Jamie Lee.

Meet Ms. Bunny, who is taking advantage of spring's bounty:

Meet Mr. Bunny, whose chub hangs out a bit over the edges of the thong he stole from Ms. Bunny's drawer:

Brewin' with babies

My friends Christy and Brendan came over today to brew a couple batches of beer. I have a set of equipment, and I gave them one when they got married, so we had enough room to do 2 batches simultaneously: one red ale and one oatmeal stout, both organic.

Christy and Brendan brought their baby, Lilah (short for Delilah), who is maybe the world's cheeriest and most agreeable baby. We tag-teamed on beer brewing and Lilah watching for like 7 hours, and, as a result, I am soooo exhausted!Lilah exhausted herself playing in the beer kit box and chasing the cats all day.

Chipotle Tamale Pie

Made this chipotle tamale pie thingy for dinner because I needed to use up a can of chipotle in adobo I had opened... it was basically chili with a built-in cornbread top, but that's fine by me! We needed a break from root vegetables. 2.5 months of eating things that grow underground can get a little old.

I made a bunch of substitutions based on what I had in the house (and what I like): ground beef instead of turkey, yellow and orange peppers instead of green (green = gross), black beans instead of pinto. Plus I threw a handful frozen corn in, too.

Goat Cheese Apple Tartlets

These apple tarts are made with apples and goat cheese from the farmers market, and puff pastry from the freezer. Pretty fancy, but super easy.


PS: Chuck gets most of the credit for doing most of the work on these. I was busy making the main course, which was chicken thighs with mushrooms and white wine and roasted root vegetables with rosemary and thyme.

Speaking of Amy Butler...

... I just found out that she has a whole bunch of free downloadable patterns on her website for everything ranging from fabric business card holders to some really nice quilts. Check them out! On the main page, in the bottom right corner, click on "free patterns."

Her fabrics are amazing, too, although not sold on her website. Apparently they have them at the store Chuck likes to refer to as "G String Fabrics" here in DC, as well as at a couple other boutiquey fabric stores. I might go check them out.

Solo Sewing Project*

Made this cool Amy Butler shoulder bag (called a "birdie sling" for unknown reasons) for Jamie for her birthday (and can finally post a photo of it now that she's opened her present!). It's not perfect, but for my first solo sewing project, it's decent, I think. The project directions were very clear and came with a glossary of sewing terms that I find other patterns are lacking.

* Now with more bunnies! See the bag's lining to understand why this bag is made for Jamie Lee.

New jewels

I might switch out the green donut on the middle necklace for a black one that matches the other side, but I'm not quite sure yet. Still mulling it over... thoughts?

Tomato Parsnip Soup

Googled the ingredients and came up with this "wicked" recipe. Made with canned tomatoes, parsnips from the CSA and sprinkled with dill from the Aerogarden!

Served with tuna melts and green salads.

Chicken Samiches

Made these grilled chicken sandwiches with apples and sage pesto today to use up some sage and apples from the CSA. Pretty good! Put it on ciabatta from the bread book.

Pink Grapefruit and Champagne Sorbet

After going to the farmers market this morning, I decided I needed to use up some of the 8 grapefruits that Chuck and I bought on a whim last week, but were too lazy to fix for eating. So I juiced the 3 remaining grapefruits and busted out the ice cream maker for some David Lebovitz pink grapefruit champagne sorbet... it was great and really easy. Only 3 ingredients necessary: grapefruit juice, champagne, sugar.

Sloppy Megs

Homemade sloppy joes = chili on a bun.

Yum.