ROASTED STRAWBERRY COCONUT MILK ICE CREAM

I've never been labeled the creative one. Thoughtful, intentional, sarcastic, sensitive, yes, but not creative. I got good grades in school because I am motivated and try hard, but not because I fall someplace just shy of genius or anything. My sister has always been gorgeous - tall and thin, blonde hair and light eyes - both beautiful and creative. She gets her artfulness from my mom, the one who has always made us homemade cards and crafted murals on our bedroom walls while we went through numerous adolescent phases. At one point my sister had a jungle themed room and I had an enthusiastic "surfer girl" phase, so alas my mom painted a hibiscus print across my wall. I'm attracted to this creativity, my mom and sister are two of my favorite people, so it makes sense that I fell in love with someone quite innovative himself. These "creatives" as they are so trendfully called, are constantly seeking more creativity. My sister wants more striking clothing designs, my mom, a better landscaped backyard and Hugh, cutting edge pictures. They are proud of their work, but never quite as dazzled as I am. I use my family as examples because I know them well, but whether you write, photograph, cook, draw, dance or such as, I'd guess you also struggle with your expectations being set just above what you deliver. Even as the rest of us are dazzled by you.

We've been in the final stages of the book editing process over here (more specifically Hugh, numerous hours editing photos, I just provide a continuous flow of snacks). I browse the pages and realize that me, the non creative one, is doing something quite creative actually. I fell into cooking partly because of a love of produce and wellness, but also because it was the skill that no one in my circle had marked their own. It was my niche, no threat of competition or following the footsteps of a culinary genius grandma like I hear frequently of others. I do chase my own expectation, wanting something even greater of myself, a recipe that is the "greatest xyz anyone and everyone has ever had!" But when I take the people pleaser out of this art form, the seeker of affirmation and the desire to do well, it is transparent that I am sharing a creativity that is genuinely running through my veins. I desperately want to inspire people to eat well and fill their bellies with an excess of vegetables but to also enjoy good treats, of course. So while we're about to send this book to print, where the changes and second guessing will be out of my hands, I'm finding rest that regardless of where the creativity meter falls on this project, we have constructed a tool that speaks of community, good food and inspiration. Hugh, my creative one, you've exceeded my expectation in the work you've done and I am so anxious to share this with people.

ROASTED STRAWBERRY COCONUT MILK ICE CREAM // Makes about 1 quart

Adapted from Hungry Girl Por Vida

Few notes. First off, be sure to use full fat coconut milk, the light stuff will turn out too icey. I halved most of my strawberries, but after a few spoonfuls of the ice cream, I wish I had either quartered them, or mashed them up a bit with a fork before I added them to the machine. The chunks were a bit large and disrupted my pure ice cream enjoyment with big frozen cubes of fruit. If you end up with more strawberries than you use in the ice cream, they are delicious on a piece of toasted bread over a hearty swipe of fresh goat's cheese. In fact, that combination is maybe a reason to make more than you'll need anyway. 

2 pints strawberries, hulled and quartered

2 tsp. natural cane sugar

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2 egg yolks

1/3 cup natural cane sugar

3 Tbsp. maple sugar (or just more natural cane sugar if that's what you have)

1 13.5 oz. can coconut milk

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

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2 oz. dark chocolate, optional

Preheat the oven to 300'.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Pile the berries in the middle, sprinkle with the 2 tsp. of cane sugar, pinch of sea salt and toss gently to coat. Spread in an even layer and bake on the middle rack for 25 minutes. Turn off the heat but leave the berries in there to cool slowly. They need to be completely cool before adding to the ice cream machine. This step can be done in advance. 

Set a glass bowl over a pot of simmering water, but do not let the bowl touch the water. Add the egg yolks and both sugars and stir to warm. As the sugar melts, it will become smooth and shiny. If these two need a bit of help melting, just add a spoonful of the coconut milk to get things moving along. Stir the mixture for about 5 minutes. Add the can of coconut milk and whisk everything to combine. As everything warms, it will get smoother. The custard will start to thicken just a bit. Stir in the vanilla, turn off the heat, strain through a fine strainer to remove any eggs bits and transfer the bowl to the fridge to cool completely. 

Add the coconut custard to your ice cream maker and churn according to instructions. Meanwhile, if using, melt the chocolate in a double boiler (glass bowl over simmering water). At about 75% finished, add in a cup of the cooled, roasted strawberries and let it continue. In the last minute, slowly drizzle in the (not super hot) chocolate if you wants some chocolate chards or chunks in the ice cream. 

Transfer to a container and freeze until firm.

GARNET PILAF

I had planned the menu for Easter in my head before we even started making plans. I wanted to have a brunch in my parents backyard with a smoked salmon frittata, a spring pea and greens salad, a pastry with strawberries and some sort of grain salad, this one here would have been great.

As it is, one thing leads to another and it turns out we'll be driving out to the desert to visit one of my grandmas. Traffic. Heat. Eating at The Sizzler (I'm not kidding, it's one of the only options out there and Grandma Gladys uses the oven for storage space so you know she's not cooking). So I made the grain salad for a dinner with friends the other night and it was so simple and so pretty I had to share. There are three cooking vessles used, which for some dismisses this dish from the "simple" category, but grains are hands off cooking, so I think it classifies as such. I keep all the sweet potato nuggets on top for presentation sake, covered in a blanket of fresh chopped chives, but mixing eveything together works just fine.

I hope you have lovely weekend plans with family and friends and a table full of good food.

In other news, our "tech guy" (Hugh) has the email subscription up and running again, so if you're still trying to get updates, fingers crossed this attempt proves successful for all of you! Thanks for your patience.

GARNET PILAF // Serves 4-6

1/2 cup brown rice

3 sweet potatoes (about 1.5 lbs)

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 Tbsp. smoked paprika, divided

sea salt + pepper

1 small yellow onion, diced

1/2 cup red quinoa, rinsed

1 cup water or broth of choice

2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

sprinkle of red chili flakes, if you like some heat

1 bunch fresh chives, chopped (about 1/3 cup)

Preheat the oven to 425'.

Rinse and cook the brown rice according to instructions. This takes the longest, so start the rice first.

Wash and dice the sweet potatoes into 1'' cubes. Pile them on a large, rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil, sprinkle with 1/2 Tbsp. of the smoked paprika and a few pinches of sea salt. Toss everything together with your hands to coat and spread them all out in a single layer. Sprinkle a few grinds of pepper.

Roast on the middle rack for 23-25 minutes until the edges are browned and crisp.

In a pot, add a drizzle of olive oil and saute the diced onion until just starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the quinoa, a pinch of sea salt, 1 cup water or broth of choice and bring it to a boil. Turn it down to a simmer, cover and cook for about 15-17 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Turn off the heat, fluff with a fork and cover it for another few minutes to finish.

When both the rice and quinoa are cooked, put them both in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with the remaining Tbsp. of olive oil, remaining 1/2 Tbsp. smoked paprika, red wine vinegar, chili flakes if using and toss everything together to mix. Taste for salt and pepper. Top it with the cubes of sweet potatoes and a ton of fresh chives and serve.

*It may not all be piping on at the point of serving and that is ok. I found it tasted best just a tad warmer than room temp.

SAUTEED CHARD + GRUYERE GRILLED CHEESE

First off, my Dad wanted a personal aknowledment for cleaning all the dishes I used to cook with at their house last night. Here it is, Dad! Thank you. As long as we get to share dinners together, I will likely be the one cooking and you will likely be the one cleaning. It's our team. I'll be waiting for my thank you on your non-existent blog whenever your ready. 

We also got to spend some time this weekend with our nearly-three-year-old niece. She picks up on the slightest details and her cuddles make me want to stop time, but it's always refreshing to hear how she takes life in with such fresh eyes. Through her, I witnessed a more life-like example of how inhibited we become as we grow up. She runs without fear, wants to pet every dog, easily expresses sadness, approaches other children without hesitation, certain they will be quick friends. That state of mind takes you by surprise when you are coming from a stage of life without kids, and spend most of your time with friends who don't have kids yet either. I admire her. I just watch her, hoping that she stays so precocious, and for myself, curious about when I started to let fear creep in and judgement manage the things I do and say. I'm not going to go too far down the rabbit hole, but every now and then the older are not always wiser. 

This grilled cheese satisfies the need for something warm and tasty. The greens and apple keep it on the fresher side, and the gruyere is mixed with some chopped shallots (a tip from Ruth Riechl at Gilt Taste) to add just enough kick to that perfectly melty, nutty cheese. Why people choose cold over hot sandwiches, I'm still not sure. We teamed up with the people at Wisconsin Cheese to compose a video of our grilled cheese sandwich recipe. You can watch it here. They are also hosting a recipe contest to enter an idea of your own with a pretty nice prize!

SAUTEED CHARD + GRUYERE GRILLED CHEESE // Makes 2

A few fine tuning notes. First of all, you want to let the moisture out of the chard so it doesn’t get soggy in the sandwich, so keep your sauté moving to release the pockets of steam. To get nice melty cheese, do not use pre shredded kinds. It has a coating on it to keep from sticking that tends to leave the cheese a bit dry. Fresh grated cheese will give you the best possible meltiness which we all prefer in a grilled cheese. Keep in mind, the measurements are all rough, so give and take as you wish.

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided

4 leaves of swiss chard, stem removed and thinly chopped

1/3 cup fresh grated gruyere

1/4 cup fresh grated mozzarella

1 heaping tablespoon finely minced shallot

4, ½’’ slices fresh whole grain bread

roughly 1/4 cup thinly sliced apple such as braeburn, honey crisp or pink lady

1 1/2 tablespoons whole grain mustard

sea salt

While preparing the sandwiches, start preheating your cast iron or grill pan over medium heat.

Combine both grated cheeses and the finely chopped shallot.

On two slices of the bread, divide the mustard and spread to all edges of the bread. Lay two to three slices of thinly sliced apple on top. Divide the shredded cheese on top of the apple slices in an even layer. Lastly, divide the sautéed greens on top of the cheese and top with the remaining slice of bread.

Drizzle olive oil on the top, an optional sprinkle of sea salt and put it in the pan, oiled side down. Cover with a press if using and cook for two minutes. Drizzle oil on top and flip the sandwich over, cook for another two minutes until the cheese is melted through.

Cut in half and serve warm.