The Last Day of Summer

Today is the last day of summer break that I'll ever have as a student. It is strange to think about. I'm entering the last year of my MFA degree as you know, and I've gotten entirely used to the cyclical nature of the school year. All along I've relied on summer as a time to recapture my sanity. After I am done with my degree, I will try to get an adjunct teaching position, but with the economy the way it is now, many totally qualified people are having to look elsewhere to make a living.
So much of the next few years of my life is completely out of my hands. I've been having a bit of anxiety over the whole situation, especially when people ask me about what my plans are. In the midst of the chaos of this last week of summer break, I've been cooking a lot. It calms me down.
Chocolate Chip, Zucchini, and Flax Muffins:

Pasta with homeade fresh tomato basil sauce with tomato and mozzarella salad:

We've been getting so much food out of our garden as well. We've been eating well. This is about what we've been getting out of it every day:

Plus the tomatoes and the cucumbers have started to ripen as well. I made some homemade hummus this week too so that I could make some veggie sandwiches with hummus, cucumber, tomato, and feta cheese on them. I've been eating those for lunch almost every day.

I also spent a good chunk of this week in the studio, which was good. Ann and I met there one day and had coffee afterwords. Ann is a fellow classmate and makes really beautiful artwork. I hope you have a chance to visit her blog - A Beautiful Party - she needs some cheering up this week too.
'Hellcat' - By Ann Flowers

Apple, Radish, and Chive Salad

My radishes are growing really well so far, and I've been getting about 4-5 of them every day when I go out to the garden. The chives are also growing pretty prolifically this year as well. The first year I planted them they were super wimpy, but they are perennials so this year they came in really thick!
All of the stars aligned, and this salad was born!

It is made from 4-5 radishes, one granny smith apple, chopped chives, 1tsp flax seed, and a tablespoon of creamy poppy seed dressing (I used Brianna's). I tossed the salad before serving it so that the dressing was evenly distributed. It made enough for a single serving as a light meal, or two side-servings. If you have some sprouts, add those as a topping for extra-fanciness.

I've been spending a lot of time in the garden, and it was nice to be able to enjoy some of the fruits of all the work -- even though it is more fun than it is work. Up until the last week or so, the weather here has been very wet. There were a few days when there was standing water in the garden (no good...) and some of the veggies were looking a little unhappy. But after a week of sunshine, almost everything has doubled in size!
Yellow Pepper

Yellow Pear Tomatoes (remember when they were just babies??)

Baby Basil Sprouts! -- I've got Thai basil and Italian basil started. To anyone interested in planting basil, I would recommend starting it from seed, I think it grows way better than the plants you buy. :)

Radishes

Zucchini - I'm pretty sure it was 6" bigger when I went out this morning than it was in this pic. :)

Everything else is coming in swimmingly now, I was a little worried about the cucumbers and the beans, but the cucumbers have made a comeback and look perfectly fine now. I've managed to salvage one row of beans, and I'll plant another couple of rows tomorrow. The extremely wet weather made it impossible for them to sprout before, and only about 8 plants came up out of four rows. But all is well now :)

Jam!

The original plan was to make some raspberry rhubarb jam, but the rhubarb I had gotten was starting to get a little iffy. Nectarines are in season right now, and they are one of my favorite fruits, so they were the next obvious choice.

I used a recipe from Butter is Love, and it turned out wonderfully.

It is perfectly sweet - I am not a fan of super-sweet jams and jellies.

The only thing I think I messed up on is the setting of the jam. I don't think I had it at a hard enough boil, so it is not as thick as normal jam. It isn't runny though, so I'm happy! One question though, will the fact that it didn't set affect the shelf life of the jam? I would hate to lose all of my hard work!

Playing Grown-Ups

Ann, Kim, and I had a wonderful lunch at Kim's place yesterday, and I am still thinking about the food we ate. Kim had DIY salads with every imaginable topping, some sparkling blueberry lemonade, and made a fabulous torte for dessert. I made some cheese and chive cornbread, and Ann brought an amazing swirly cheese wheel (she knows I'm a true Wisconsin girl, and have to partake in some amount of cheese with every meal I eat...).Kim and her signature ravenous eating pose. haha.
Ann and her wonderful 'oh, you caught me sipping my lemonade' pose.
And the torte to put all other deserts to shame. Good thing our lunch until then was light. :)
She had fresh raspberries, and raspberry liqueur for the topping.
It was such a great afternoon! I'm a huge sucker for dinner and lunch parties, they are the best. great food, and great conversation, what more could you ask for?

Also, if you've got a second, check out their blogs too:

Kim's Blog - She just graduated from NIU with an MFA in Photography. Remember our show we had together this last year? She's moving far away to Switzerland for a few years, and I'm sad she's leaving but happy she's going on such a wonderful adventure.

Ann's Blog - Ann is another one of my classmates at NIU - she's getting her MFA in Printmaking. She's also running a contest on her blog ending tomorrow! You all should enter, and then go buy some of her beautiful artwork.

Haircuts, octopi, ikea, and weddings, oh my!

This last weekend Nate and I were back in Wisconsin for our good friend Jorja's wedding (which was wonderful), and I decided I wanted a haircut. Amazingly when I went in, I had enough to donate! 12 inches gone - and I love it.
We had a great time dancing the night away, but my camera died, so sadly I've got no pictures. :(
I've also started a new knitting project, it is the Common Octopus from the book Amigurumi Knits written by Hansi Singh. Hansi is one seriously amazing pattern writer - the most amazing pattern in the book is a praying mantis. Here is the progress so far on the octopus- I've finished the top of his head.
These are the yarns I'm using, the gray yarn is llama yarn that I've spun, and the pink is recycled yarn that I dyed with koolaid a long time ago. It is left over from some mittens. Nate had a couple of days off last week which was really great. He took me on a date for lunch and a movie the first day. On the second day, we met some friends in Schaumburg for trivia night at an irish pub. Seeing as there was an Ikea a couple miles away, we made a day out of it.
Ikea tourists:
Luckily, I didn't come home with too much, just some essentials that I'd had my eye on for a while. And those bell jars -- I've got plans for those.....
Hope you all are having a wonderful Monday!

Cassie's Rhubarb Crisp Recipe

The last week has been a bit of a whirlwind around here. I've been all over the place in the last few days - so far my summer has been packed! On top of that Nate and I are planning a trip out to Colorado at the beginning of next month. I am so excited, we are going to camp and explore various national parks. Nate is going to be shooting some footage for his thesis project, and I'm going to bring my oil and watercolor paints along. Hopefully some good will come of it!
Amidst all of our traveling and projects, I got the urge to make something decadent and homemade. My mom had given me a ton of rhubarb the last time I saw her, so I knew exactly what to do!

Cassie's Rhubarb Crisp
Ingredients

• 6 cups of sliced fresh rhubarb
• 1/2 cup sugar (use slightly less for a nice tart crumble)
  
• 1/3 cup flour
• pinch of cinnamon
• pinch of ground ginger
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (use regular sugar if you run out of brown sugar)
• 1/4 cup butter (I used unsalted)
• 1/2 cup rolled oats

Instructions:

1. Chop the rhubarb into thin slices and put in a 9x9" or 9x13" baking dish. Add the 1/2 cup of regular sugar, and mix it around with your hands until rhubarb is evenly coated. Stop for a moment and admire the pretty pink and green rhubarb.
   
2. In a separate bowl prepare the topping. Soften the butter ( you don't want it too hot, just melted enough so you can mix it in easily) and add in the butter, oats, brown sugar, flour, ginger, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Mix with your fork (or your hands- as I like to do!) until the topping is clumpy and crumbly. Spread topping evenly over the cut up rhubarb.
3. Pop it in the oven at 375 degrees for 35 minutes until topping starts to brown and the rhubarb is bubbling.
   
4. Enjoy! I like to eat it hot with some ice cream over the top of it!

I got the baking dish from Crate & Barrel when I was shopping with my sister the day after her graduation party. I was in serious need of a larger sized one, and I decided to treat myself. :)

Crustless Spinach, Feta, and Yellow Squash Quiche

My brother in law came to visit us this weekend, and I wanted to make a special breakfast for him before he left. I had been craving some quiche (which is strange because usually I'm not an egg fan) and when I was at the grocery store yesterday I spotted beautiful yellow squash and the rest I just improvised.
Ingredients:
- 7 eggs
- 1 package of frozen spinach (thawed)
- 1 small yellow squash (or zucchini)
- 1 package of tomato-basil flavored feta cheese (or whatever kind suits your fancy)
- 1/2 cup skim milk
- 1/2 cup light sour cream
- 2/3 cup shredded cheese of choice ( I used cheddar)
- 4 green onions - chopped (you could also use 1/3 cup of any kind of onion as a substitute)
- salt, pepper, garlic powder
- bread crumbs (optional - these provide a makeshift bottom crust)
- crisco
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees - coat a 9 inch x 9 inch glass dish with crisco.
2. In a bowl, mix sour cream, eggs, milk, a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper, and a dash of garlic powder. Mix until fairly smooth.
3. Add most of the feta (saving some for the top) and the shredded cheddar to the egg mixture.
4. Slice the yellow squash into thin medallions, reserve some for the top, and add the rest to the egg mixture.
5. Chop the green onions and drain the spinach, add these to the mixture as well. Make sure the spinach is thoroughly drained. You can do this by simply squeezing portions of it in your hand as hard as you can. Mix everything together well.
6. For optional 'crust' just sprinkle about 1/2 cup of the bread crumbs across the bottom of your dish.
7. Pour egg mixture into the dish. Take the reserved feta cheese and yellow squash medallions and top the quiche with them.
8. Put it in the oven for anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour depending on your oven. It is done when it is mildly golden on the top. To make extra sure, you can insert a toothpick into the center, and if it comes out without any egg mixture, it is done!Happy Eating!!

Simplicity

I love sweet potatoes and salmon, such a great simple dinner.
The recipe for the mashed sweet potatoes is:
-1 large sweet potato
-Parmesan cheese
-milk
-garlic powder
-salt

1. Microwave the potato until cooked through.
2. Cut into small chunks (leave skin on). 3. Put into a small pan and add about 1/4 cup of milk, parmesean cheese, a pinch of salt, and a dash of garlic powder. Bring to heat on medium high.
4. Mash potato by hand, and add more milk as it becomes absorbed into the potatoes until it is the consistency you like. I like mine on the creamier side, so I added more milk. Add more salt or parmesan cheese to taste - one potato yields two large servings. Sometimes I am extra decadent and I pour a tiny bit of ranch dressing on top of the potatoes. Yum. :)

Simplifying, One Small Step at a Time

My apartment is starting to feel a little too unorganized, so I've been starting to try and tackle one small cleaning related task every day. I started yesterday with our cupboards. They were in a sad state of disorganization, so now everything has a place. I also cleaned out a bunch of random glasses and dishes that we were not using.
I also needed to make some space for my lovely gray Ikea dishes. They are so simple and classy at the same time. I don't know why I've waited so long to get a matching set of dishes. It gave me the opportunity to clear out all of our random dishes.I've also been trying to eat more fresh/natural foods again. We have been so hopelessly busy this semester that cooking has gone to the wayside. We are trying to make at least two dinners each week, and then we streeetccch out the leftovers for the next few days. Lunch today was leftover chicken breast on spinach with asian sesame dressing. Yum.
I can't wait for spring. I am getting so antsy for the weather to warm up. I really want to start my garden again. I am sure it will be much better this year, and I can't wait to be sitting out in the hot hot sun. :)

Basil Chicken and Zucchini Green Curry, the Ultimate Comfort Food

This is my favorite dish that I make. We always make it for friends and family when they come to visit, and we also make it just for ourselves (usually in bulk so we can savor the leftovers!) It is one of those dishes that is almost better on the second day.

Ingredients:
-2 chicken breasts (approx 1 lb)
-2 tbs green curry paste
-1 can coconut milk
-3 small zucchini
-1 can of chicken broth
-2/3 cup of water
-2 tbs fish sauce
-2 tsp sugar
-2 tsp corn starch
-5 cups rice (prepared)

-1 cup fresh thai or italian basil

Directions:
1. Cut chicken and Zucchini into small pieces, set aside.
2. Pour half of the can of coconut milk into a large saucepan. Turn burner onto medium-high, and when the milk starts to bubble and boil, add the green curry paste (you can add more curry paste for added hotness!) and stir it until it is mixed in thoroughly.
3. Add the chicken and keep stirring for 1-2 minutes until chicken is coated with the curry and coconut milk mixture.
4. Add the remaining coconut milk, the zucchini, fish sauce, sugar, chicken broth, half of the basil (chopped), and water to the saucepan, and heat until simmering. Once the mixture is simmering, you don't want it to come to a full boil or your chicken will become rubbery. Keep it on a light simmer, and make sure to stir it occasionally.
5. When zucchini is tender, your curry is almost done. All you need to do is add the cornstarch (make sure to mix the cornstarch with a tablespoon or two of water before you add it to the curry) and stir it in. This will thicken the sauce slightly.
6. Fill bowl halfway with rice, and pour the curry over the top. Garnish with the remaining basil. Enjoy!

*If you want to make a vegetarian version of this, use firm tofu instead of the chicken, veggie broth instead of the chicken broth, and a teaspoon of salt instead of the fish sauce.

And for the small print, please do not take content or images found on this site for use elsewhere without first contacting me for permission. Thank you!

Projects in Progress

I just made a trip to the craft store so I could get the yarn to finish this bag:

It is a knit version of my crocheted grocery bag pattern, and I'm hoping to get a pattern written up very soon to share with you all. I love the structure of the bag, and the kitchen cotton I'm using is very very strong.
Our tomatoes are coming in full force now. I know it is a little late, but, in my defense this was my first time gardening ever- and I'm just happy they came in. I learned a lot for next year and have been planning next summer's garden in my head. We've been able to eat everything that we've grown, and my favorite thing so far has to be the homemade pesto. We had some last night on some wonderful tomato basil wheat pasta. We just took about a cup and a half of our thai basil, added some fresh parmesan cheese, and then some extra virgin olive oil, and blended it until it was mostly smooth. A little bit of this goes a long way, and we've been using the left-over pesto on our sandwiches as well.

Eat. Sleep. Paint. Class. Knit. Repeat.

I cannot believe it is already going to be the third week of school next week! I am just starting to get into the routine of school again, and somehow I've been able to time manage everything in my life (barely!). My garden has been bearing some more fruits lately, here is a snippet of yesterday's bounty:

I've also been cooking a lot these last few days, trying to use the food from our garden, and also taking advantage of the fact that I go past a fresh food market every day on my way home from class.
This is what we had last night for dinner -- It is a portabella mushroom burger with provolone cheese and homemade pesto (which is hidden under the bun) on a toasted rosemary bun. We had it with bakery bread and cooked green beans and brussel sprouts.
Friday night we also ate well. We had panini sandwiches with provolone, beef, pesto, and honey mustard sauce on them. There was also corn on the cob, but it didn't make the cut due to our scarfing it down so quickly. Anyone looking for a panini maker, don't buy one. Buy a George Foreman grill with a floating hinge instead. That is what we have, and once summer is over, it is really the best thing ever for grilling indoors, and with the floating hinge you can make paninis and grilled cheese without squishing them.
Yesterday for lunch we had nachos. I know, really healthy, but it was really yummy. I've been playing around with making fresh salsas from canned tomatoes, and I'm getting near what I would consider the perfect salsa. We also made some guacamole. I think Nate had two full plates.
Other than cooking a lot, I've also been knitting a fair amount. A lot of this is because Nate and I have been carpooling to class, and therefore, I wait around for him quite a bit (I'm not complaining, I actually use the time to write lesson plans and knit!) I've been going to the Dekalb stitch and bitch as well the last few weeks, so I get a lot of knitting done there too. This is Emerald from Knitty, and I've been chugging away with it. I'm almost to where I'll join the sleeves to the body, and then start the cabled shoulder decreases. I've also started a little vest, and I'm about halfway done with the back. The lace stitch used is really easy to memorize, and I think it will really pop once it is washed and blocked. It is the Vine Lace Vest and I'm knitting it in Cotton Ease as well.
I can't wait to be done with both of them so I can wear them. I've got a sneaking suspicion that I'll finish the vest first though. :)
Here are some more little treasures from my garden.
Not all of the flowers are being destroyed by the little aphids from hell!
It is such a nice morning here, I've got the windows wide open, it is quiet, and there is a nice cool breeze coming in. I'm going to be doing homework most of the day, but as long as it is so lovely outside, I don't really mind that much.
I've got a fun (but busy) week coming up, involving taking my students outside to draw, visiting artists, and some classes that I really enjoy.
Hope you all have some things to look forward to this week as well. :)