I thinned my lettuce garden yesterday, leaving me with what are apparantly called the "thinnings" (as a novice gardener, I learn a lot from the internet) but what look like the cutest, tinest, greenest little baby salad you've ever seen. (The picture doesn't show how tiny and cute they were. Some of you real photographers could do them justice.) They were SO tender and good---spinach and arugula and other spring greens, and I tossed in some oregano and some lemon thyme from the herb garden too.
We ate them with parmesan cheese and lemon juice and olive oil on top---very simple and summery.And also with these:
Scrambled eggs with chive blossoms, which delighted the boys. I read somewhere that you could eat the chive blossoms, so ever since my chives flowered we've been looking for an opportunity to do so. They taste like chives. (Surprise!) Maybe a little stronger. They're good.And smoothies: (strawberries and raspberries have been on sale, so we're having these nightly now: no recipe, just plain yogurt and frozen fruit and honey, blended up. Yum)
And these, which are just rolls made from the artisan bread we love so much (okay, there is a recipe for that, from Beth, here it is):
I think it's my favorite kind of dinner. No recipes, everything ready in 20 minutes (well---because I keep the bread dough on hand in the fridge all the time, so it was no trouble), but tasting like a fancy restaurant. And tasting like Spring-almost-Summer. (Sprummer? Sumpring? No; heavens no! Please forgive me for making that attempt.)
You're such a natural menu maker. Yum! I love all the fresh ingredients and inventive use of your herb garden. I love the salad dressing, which Joel says is all they ever ate in Chile.
ReplyDeleteDo you want to go with us there? We're going to go someday, and you could come as our butler...or cook.
Lovely. I think the salad and rolls would be my favorite.
Do you cook the rolls on a chespign pizza stone?
Is spinach hard to grow? And riddle me this: why won't my chives grow? Umm, I'm open for any and all gardening advice. Also, I'm so impressed your family gets entire meals. I can put one thing on the table per day. My kids are on their own for side dishes.
ReplyDeleteCan I come to your house for dinner? Yum!
ReplyDeleteChels, they SAY that lettuce/spinach is the easiest thing to grow. It doesn't like the heat though (it goes to seed), so you have to start it early, or later in the Fall, I think. I don't have any real gardening advice because I'm such a beginner. But like I said, I'm good at Googling stuff. :)
ReplyDeleteTo get to Antelope Island you need to drive north of Salt Lake and then, uh, I forget the exact directions. Ask Rob or follow the signs. Anyway, there's a causeway to drive across. You'll need to pay the state park fee plus a $2 causeway fee. I think the total is about $10. It's totally worth the drive!
ReplyDeleteOkay. So I'm wondering if you want to move in with me. You could keep a really big garden, you'd never have to dust (nobody here does), the boys could have fun trying to run between the mosquitoes, and you could cook EVERYTHING. The chive blossoms charm me. The little salad charms me. I wish I were delighted by cooking.
ReplyDeleteYou've put my sad, sorry little dinner to shame. I'm not even going to tell you what I'm making. And I am so proud of your for being self-sufficient!
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