The First Vacation of the Summer

Spending Father’s Day in North Carolina as part of a five-day adventure with Grandpa B, Grandma D, and Mama Dazz was just the vacation I needed. I thought about bringing my laptop along, to blog whenever I found a quiet moment, but those quiet moments had other plans for me.

For one, without the computer screen glaring at me, tempting me with social media and “Bisy Backson” tendencies, we traveled around the state to a centuries old graveyard, ate watermelon at the beach, bought freshwater fish for Grandpa B’s lacking aquarium, fed leftover breakfast toast to his chickens, and cooked amazing dinners without recipes.

 

I had the opportunity to take in the beauty of a June morning without a camera in between, and breathe in the summer air without a care in the world.

It was a great vacation.

I came back to Northern Virginia on Sunday, wishing many of the amazing fathers in my life a happy day. And for the second Sunday in a row, we took out our new charcoal grill and I can happily say my first time grilling bone-in New York strips were a delicious medium-rare. And after cooking veggies with Grandpa B on his grill, I can’t wait for grilling more than just meat on Sundays (now the official Grill Day in the family for as long as the seasons and weather permits).

A few things came out of this vacation: one, learning about Mama Dazz’s side of the family tree; two, how to take photos with my iPod touch and Nikon D50 interchangeably; three, I’m in love with W. B. Yeats and his work; four, I am officially starting a garden this summer, and finally, I really, really, really want chickens.  

If I had chickens (and ducks and goats and horses…), I wouldn’t have to go to the store for eggs ever again, and all I’d have to do is go to the coop and get what I needed for this recipe.

Cast Iron Skillet Custard with Veggies & Ricotta Cheese

30 ml Coconut oil
100 g Carrots, grated
175 g White mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 Medium red onion, coarsely chopped
2 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp. Sea salt
1 tsp. Cracked pepper
1/4 tsp. Thyme
1 pinch Tarragon
200 g* (4 Large) Eggs
400 ml Water
120 g Ricotta cheese
3 Small tomatoes, quartered

Preheat the oven to 325ºF.
Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat and add the coconut oil.
At the oil’s smoking point, cook the carrots, mushrooms, onion, and garlic cloves until softened and slightly browned, and stir in the seasonings.
Turn off the heat and set aside.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat the eggs until frothy and a light yellow color and fold in the ricotta so it is fully integrated.
Pour the egg mixture into the pan and place the tomato wedges around the edges (much like the numbers on the face of a clock).
Bake for 1 1/2 hours, or when a knife runs clean from testing the doneness in the center.
Serve warm (or cold) over your favorite side dish, preferably rice or quinoa.

Makes 4 servings.

Spiced Butternut & Carrot Stew with Herbed Quail Egg Custard Cups

I must have thought up the following post over a dozen times, some of which I had written and some that I had thought up when there was time to spare. I thought of mentioning Mother Nature’s sense of humor, my travels, my hectic schedule, and other things that I feel may interest you (well, to amuse you, anyway). But for the moment, because I’ve missed blogging, I’m just going to say this: I’m glad I have a scale.

Artful Dodger makes a mean Americano!

When I visited the boyfriend in Harrisonburg (he’s at JMU for his job), I sadly left my scale behind. For one excruciating week I tried *shudder* baking by volume, and all my recipes that I had been successful in simply turned out floppish and unappealing. It occurs to me that when I bought my scale, I used it for cooking, yes. On a darker side, I also used it for portion control, so that I’d know just how much was going into my mouth and what. Recently, however, I realized that it helped me keep track of my eating in a positive way. I wasn’t eating nearly enough for my fitness regimen, and last week was quite all over the place. By Friday I couldn’t take it anymore.

I had a decision to make; either I drive two and a half hours to get my scale from him or buy a new one. After weighing the pros and the cons, I figured it would be easier and more economical (I mean, have you seen gas prices lately?) to buy a new one. It’s shiny and sensitive and has that new scale smell, but I still like my old one better. We have a history, it and I. Though I happily say I broke the new one in with not one, but two recipes, and it has become what looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

The stew-soup hybrid (stewp, perhaps?) itself was something I’ve wanted to do for a while now. It’s not exactly what I expected, but it was still delicious. I plan on tinkering the recipe and trying again, because I think it needed more carrot and ginger, maybe an extra helping of coconut milk. But when you blend it, don’t put it all in at once! You’ll end up with a boiling hot mess all over the blender and counter-top. Believe me, I know this from experience.

The herbed quail custard cups were merely an experiment to celebrate the awesomeness of having a scale again. I can’t tell you enough how amazing recipes are with the accuracy of measuring by weight, and then assuring those wanting to try it out themselves that it will work for them also. I do think they were in the oven a little longer than they had to be, but it was something new and different to have for dinner. 

Spiced Butternut and Carrot Stew

567 g Butternut squash, peeled and cut
191 g/ 4 medium Carrots, peeled and cut
16 g Fresh ginger, peeled and cut
4 Garlic cloves, whole
240 ml Water
400 ml Coconut milk
1 tsp. Sea salt
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Turmeric
1/2 tsp. Cracked pepper
1/2 tsp. Cloves
1 Bay leaf

Put all of the ingredients in a pressure cooker or large pot on medium heat until the vegetables have softened.
Pour the mixture into a blender in batches until completely pureed, and then back into the pot to reheat.
Serve hot and garnish with homemade bacon pieces* and a dollop of sour cream.

Serves 4.

Herbed Quail Egg Custard Cups

183 g/ 18 Quail eggs
366 ml Water
1/2 tsp. Sea salt
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/8 tsp. Powdered rosemary
Dash of Paprika
Homemade bacon pieces*, optional

Preheat the oven to 325ºF.
Place 6 small oven-proof bowls or ramekins in a large roasting pan and fill the pan so that the water comes three-fourths the way up the sides of the ramekins.
Remove the ramekins and carefully place the pan of water in the oven.
Combine the ingredients for the custard (except the paprika and bacon pieces) and blend until the mixture is uniform and evenly fill the ramekins.
Bake for 30 – 40 minutes, or until the custards are almost set.
Remove them to a rack to cool, and either refrigerate to serve chilled later or serve warm.
Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika and bacon pieces on top.

Makes 6 small custards. Serves 3 – 6.

Bacon pieces*: For bacon I can eat, I simply buy thinly sliced pork belly at bake it in an aluminum foil lined baking sheet, covered also, at 400ºF until it takes on a bacon-y crispness. That’s usually when I season it with sea salt and cracked pepper.