Light postings = busy life

I just noticed that I've only posted three things so far this year.  I've never been a regimented blog writer, but I will admit that I've been neglecting this space lately.  There are lots of reasons-- visitors every weekend of February, a broken oven(!), no major changes to the apartment to document, a broken computer (!!!), a new computer that doesn't like my old adobe software (I'm very loyal to photoshop for editing my photos, but I can't justify the $1200 cost for a new creative suite since I'm not using it for work right now), a new phone (finally an iphone, which connects me to the internet in non-blog ways).  I have a couple of posts partially written, and a few planned updates to the apartment.  I'll try to do better when it comes to the blog.  Meanwhile the new iphone has made me an Instagram adopter.  If you aren't on Instagram yourself, you can see my posts here.  And I'm still pinning inspiration items on Pinterest here.

Culinary Chronicles: Quinoa and Fennel Salad with Citrus Dressing, Fresh Peas and Fava Beans

Yesterday was one of those perfect weather days here in Southern California.  This is what it looked like at 7:00 am.

  (Just want it noted that the skull+ antler garden art is not remotely my style, but my landlords')

I went to a barbeque last night and after such a beautiful day I really wanted to bring something super fresh and spring-like.  At the farmer's market I saw lots of fresh fava beans and fennel bulbs, and I knew I already had some quinoa cooked up and waiting in the frig.  A quick stop at Tawny's to raid her garden peas, mint and citrus trees and I had a delicious salad.  Worth noting the recipe for future use.  If it's not so spring-like where you are, try this warm quinoa breakfast drink instead, and come back to this salad when spring hits you.

The salad:

 

3 cups cooked quinoa

1 fennel bulb, sliced thin and cut into strips

1 red pepper, sliced thin and cut into strips

1 cup fresh picked and shelled peas (or frozen if you need to)

1 cup fresh fava beans (if you can't find them just use two cups peas, dried beans would work, but the point of this salad is freshness!)

small handful of fresh mint, finely chopped (about 3 Tbsp once chopped)

small handful of green portion of fennel bulb (ditto)

zest and juice of two small lemons

juice of one large tangerine

1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

Cook the peas and fava beans until just tender.  It's more time consuming, but do it separately.  My fava beans cooked so fast that they were a little too soft, whereas the peas were a little tougher.  Drain each, then throw all ingredients in a big bowl and toss well.  Keep refrigerated until ready to eat to maintain the crunch of the red pepper and fennel.

Culinary Chronicles: Sourdough for a Small Kitchen-- Vanilla Almond Scones

It's all well and good to bake bread with your sourdough starter, but what about when your kitchen is so small that making bread is just a hassle?  These days I'm working with two feet of counter space, and a tiny apartment-sized electric oven.  If I can't mix something up in one bowl, I just don't have room to make it.  And just try to get your tiny apartment grade oven to reach 500 degrees, much less hold that temperature for an hour in order to get a good crust.  Impossible.  As a result, my sourdough starter was suffering from neglect.  My go-to pancake recipe is great, but there are only so many pancakes a girl can eat, no matter how foolproof they are.  So when I had a scone craving a few weeks ago, I immediately looked for a sourdough scone recipe.  And then I modified it, of course.  

I don't really like soggy fruit in my scones, and anything too sweet limits their ability to be eaten throughout the day.  My go to recipe has just a hint of vanilla, and little or no sugar in the dough, but some sprinkled on top.  In this case I have lots of blanched almonds that I failed to use up in Christmas baking, so I threw a cup of those in.  But that's the great thing about scones, start with a basic recipe, and add whatever you like.  The result were delicious and moist, and perfect for eating with a flavorful goat cheese and sweet lime jalepeno jelly, that I've been buying from a local producer.

Sourdough Scones (Vanilla and Almond in this case) adapted from this recipe. 

(Makes 6 to 8 scones)

1 1/4 cup flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup sugar (or less depending on taste preferences)

3 Tbsp cold butter cut into small cubes

1/2 cup sourdough starter
1 Tbsp vanilla + 1 tsp for topping

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1 - 2 Tbsp of milk or egg for tops

coarse sugar for tops

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Mix together all of the dry ingredients, including almonds.  Add in the cubes of butter and cut in with a pastry blender or a knife (or in a food processor) until the mixture starts to hold together when pressed.  Add 1 Tbsp vanilla to the sourdough starter, then add the starter to the dry ingredients and mix lightly so that it forms a soft dough.  If you were going to add fruit such as raspberries or blueberries, do so now.  The key to scones is not to mix too much.  The ingredients should remain as separate as possible while still holding together.  If the mixture seems too dry, add a teaspoon of milk or water.  Repeat as necessary.  On a lightly floured board, pat dough into a rectangle about a half-inch thick.  Cut into eight squares and place on a parchment paper covered baking sheet.  Brush on milk or egg (mixed with the remaining tsp of vanilla) and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until the tops turn golden.  Enjoy!

Sunday Morning: Nearly Perfect Breakfast

Yum, soft boiled eggs, tangerines, toast with sweet lime jalapeno jelly and Tour de France tea (like Earl Grey but with jasmine added).  Plus a lovely interiors magazine.  The only thing that would have made it better would have been enjoying it on a sunny terrace on vacation in a foreign country.  Happy + relaxing Sunday to you!

Christmas 2011

It was a whirlwind trip home for Christmas, in Thursday night and out at the crack of dawn this morning.  Just enough time for a little shopping, a lot of cooking and the holiday celebration.  Then finally home for  a nap!  Pretty simple table this year with black, gold and amethyst.

Holidays: Thanksgiving

The last thing I did before getting in the car to join friends for Thanksgiving yesterday was gather this holiday bouquet from the garden around my apartment.  A little flowering rosemary, New Zealand flax, maidenhair grass, bronzy-orange bougainvillea and that red berried shrub that I can't identify.   It was the perfect palette for Thanksgiving. 

Sunday Morning

Bought these lovely small plates yesterday during a day of otherwise unproductive thrifting in the rain.

 My only hesitation before buying them?  Where will they fit in my tiny, cupboard challenged kitchen.  (Oh, that's my new staghorn fern!  So pretty).

My new fern is leaning on the counter because he needs to be dampened quite frequently, and I haven't figured out where I can hang him and easily be able to bring him down to the sink for little showers.  Also, what can I back him with that will protect the wall from moisture and still look good.  I'm thinking some kind of small round mirror?

 

Meanwhile, I've made a little more progress on pulling the apartment together by re-potting the fig and framing the Mexican painting.   Need to decide how I'm going to hang things without making a mess of the plaster.  

I think I'll wait for the next rainy day for that.  Today is sunny, and I want to enjoy it outside.