First Harvest: Potatoes and Radishes

Recently, Sacramento went through a heat wave and the temperature soared to 88 degrees. I noticed that my container potato plants, which had been towering green stalks, promptly began to wilt, then wither, turn brown, and die. I later learned that potato plants stop growing when the soil temperature reaches 80 degrees.

I was all ready to call it a failure for the year and went out this morning to clear my pots of the carnage. As I dug through the pots however, I was tickled pink to discover small red baby potatoes in each container, some tiny as the head of a nail, others medium sized. The heat may have cut short the growing season, but I still think these tender babies will do well drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with fresh garden rosemary, roasted to a crisp.


The garden at my parent's yard appears to be doing well after a month today, although the onslaught of weeds requires constant attention. We made our first harvest there of ruby red radishes. Now we just have to figure out a good recipe to use them!

Summer BBQ Fantasy Interlude

I am already dreaming of the perfect summer BBQ. This year, I would like to branch out from the traditional and expected (burgers, chicken and hot dogs where I come from), and try some new grilling ideas.

Let’s start with dessert, with this grilled pineapple dish from Cooking Light:

While flipping through June's edition of Better Homes and Gardens, I saw these tantalizing ideas for grilling:

Grilled Pizza

Grilled Ribs and Boy Choy

Grilled Corn on the Cob

Grilled Shrimp Kebabs

Any other grilling ideas? BHG also had a recipe (but sadly, no picture online yet) that sounded so refreshing on a hot day: Watermelon Salad. We’re not talking Jello at la 1975, but rather fresh watermelon and white grape juices, set with fresh fruit and sprinkled with crumbled feta cheese and mint leaves. You can bet I’m going to bust out this side dish as soon as the weather heats up (as it inevitably will in Sacramento).

Things to Anticipate

The Press Bistro

When I go through things that are hard for me, one thing I have found to be essential is to always have something to look forward to, today, tomorrow, next week, and next month.

Today, I am looking forward to trying the Mini Burger Truck. I was foiled at the Sacramento Mobile Food Festival when we waited in line for over an hour only to be turned away and told that they would run out of time before they got to us. I hope for greater success today.

Tomorrow, I am looking forward to going out to dinner with a special friend and checking out Sacramento’s Press Bistro. It has a communal table with a sophisticated Mediterranean vibe. I can’t wait to try it!

Next week, our town is getting our own Farmer’s Market (for the first time ever!). I can barely contain my enthusiasm! Bring on the fresh produce, local businesses and the Hotdogger!

Finally, next month is our family vacation to Vancouver, B.C. (Yes, we are still occasionally invited to go on family vacations - particularly when the location is somewhere I have always wanted to go, as in this case.) I already have a list of sights, stores and restaurants that I am aching to see. Ok, fine, I'm a compulsive planner and made the list months ago. But I'm hoping to see everything I can! (Anyone been there? Any suggestions?)

It seems like there’s quite a lot to look forward to indeed!

Portuguese Sopas

For Mother's Day, I made my mom one of her favorite dishes, a traditional Portuguese soup that we call sopas. This simply means "soup" in Portugese and isn't a very descriptive name, but as a child I had a different term for it. I called it "that soggy bread stuff". Needless to say, I was not a big fan back then.

Often made to serve a crowd, sopas consists of a slow-cooked beef and the broth it's cooked in, ladled over a slice of bread that's been topped with mint leaves. By the time it makes its way to your mouth, the bread has soaked up a lot of the broth and is usually kind of soggy, which didn't appeal much to my palate as a kid.

Now when I make my simplified version at home, each family member can add broth as desired and it always seems to go over well. The warm spices, crusty bread and fresh mint appeal to everyone with whom we have shared this dish. My version is Portuguese people-approved (by my mom and aunt) but less involved that the traditional way of preparing sopas. I don't use wine or marinate the meat, and I prefer a boneless roast to bone-on roast.

Portgugese Sopas

5 pounds beef chuck roast or beef rump roast
3-4 cups beef broth
4 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed
1 large Vidalia or yellow Spanish onion, thickly sliced
2 cups finely chopped peeled very ripe tomatoes or canned crushed tomatoes
¼ cup ketchup
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 2-inch piece of cinnamon stick
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. allspice
2 two medium bay leaves
¼ teaspoon cumin
Coarse salt
1 cabbage, cored and sliced in half (optional)
Mint leaves
Thickly sliced, day old crusty artisan bread

1. Trim the cut of beef and sprinkle with coarse salt.

2. Combine broth, onion slices, tomatoes, ketchup, tomato paste and spices in a large pot.
Sprinkle the salt over.

3. Place roast in the pan, making sure liquid comes half-way up the side of the roast. If not, add additional broth.

4. Cover pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Then reduce the heat to medium-low and turning the meat occasionally, simmer until the meat is tender, about 3 hours. If desired, add cabbage and cook an additional 1/2 hr.

5. To serve, remove the meat and shred it. Place a thick slice or two of bread in each soup plate topped with a mint leaf or two. Ladle a generous amount of broth over the bread and top it off with pieces of meat.

Meet Ruth and Chris

My mom grew up on a dairy in a rural community, and this year she decided to re-visit her roots in a way by purchasing two Black Angus calves to raise for meat. In the process of naming the castrated steer and heifer, my siblings came up with the names Ruth and Chris, of course in honor of the steakhouse - and the ultimate destiny of the livestock. (Don't kill me, PETA. Not my idea.)

Here they are below. (Little Boy Blue is my brother).

Surprisingly, watching these cattle eagerly roam through soft green grass and munch away to their heart's content is very satisfying, and it took me a while to realize why. I believe it's the sight of seeing a living creature do what it is born to do and observing the act which inherently brings it the highest degree of satisfaction. Although we may have plans for grass-fed, hormone-free beef in 18 months, I know these animals are having a far better life than most of their kind will ever know. That makes me happy.
Above, here's a fairly recent picture of our garden. Lots of straw down as mulch. However, in the past week an alarming amount of grass-like weeds have sprouted up in the midst of our seedlings. I know if we don't act soon, these weeds can choke out the plants we do want growing, so tomorrow will find me pulling as many out as I possibly can. Wish me luck!

Summer Reading List 2011

I know it’s only May, but this week Sacramento is supposed to get up to 90 degrees! Some colleges are already done with spring semester (or will be in the next couple of weeks). You know what that means? Time for summer reading!

I’m quite particular about the seasonal appropriateness of books. For example, Russian classics like “War and Peace” or “Crime and Punishment” seem natural choices to read during winter. Others, say “Like Water for Chocolate”, beg me to be read during the warm, lazy summer months.

Here are some of the books I hope to check out this summer. Most are either classics I've had sitting on my bookshelf for a while or recommendations from friends, with a few random selections I just happened to pick up at Goodwill and thought they looked interesting. (I put the potential fall candidates towards the end in case I don’t get to them in time.) Let me know if you've read any of them and whether you liked the book!

Sideways on a scooter : Life and Love in India / Miranda Kennedy.

Starvation Heights : the True Story of an American Doctor and the Murder of a British Heiress / Gregg Olsen.

Cutting for stone / Abraham Verghese.

Peony In Love/ Lisa See

Irresistible Revolution / Shane Claiborne

The Girl Who Chased the Moon / Sarah Addison Allen

Love in the Time of Cholera / Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The Golden Notebook / Doris Lessing

The Queen of Dreams / Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek / Annie Dillard

Blackbird House / Alice Hoffman

Angela’s Ashes/ Frank McCourt

The Giant’s House: A Romance / Elizabeth McCracken

Lemon Bar Trifle & Recipe for a Perfect Birthday

Let us consider the ingredients of a perfect birthday celebration for one's spouse.

Step one: If your spouse can't get enough Mexican food, find a fantastic taco stand and take them there for lunch.
Squeeze the lime over the meat, then devour the freshly made tacos with relish.
Step two: Take your spouse somewhere exciting and exotic for dinner. Maybe eat some tapas and the best salad you ever had (dates in my salad? A wonderful idea! Who knew?) and pretend that you are on the streets of Barcelona together.
Step three: A wonderful dessert is requisite, and if your spouse loves lemon, how about a Lemon Bar Trifle with fresh lemon curd, pecan shortbread crumbs and white creaminess?

Step 4: When the whole family gets together to celebrate, make sure there are at least 3 kinds of pies to satisfy all appetites. The smile on your spouse's face will be all the reward you need.

There's the recipe I used for a happy birthday this time around. It was a winner. So was the Lemon Bar Trifle recipe, so here it is:

Lemon Bar Trifle

2 c. flour
1 c. pecans, chopped
1 c. butter, melted
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. cornstarch
1/4 c. flour
1 3/4 c. cold water
3 egg yolks, beaten
2/3 c. lemon juice
2 T. butter
4 tsp. lemon peel, grated
1 8-oz cream cheese, softened
3 C. powdered sugar
1 8-oz. container frozen whipped topping, thawed

In a small bowl, combine flour and pecans; stir in melted butter. Press into an ungreased 9x13 inch baking dish. Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

In a small heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and flour. Stir in water until smooth. cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Stir a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks; return all egg yolks to the pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. Gently stir in the lemon juice, butter, and lemon peel. transfer to a large bowl. Cool to room temperature without stirring. Cover surface with waxed paper; refrigerate until chilled.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Crumble the baked pecan mixture; set aside 1/2 c. for topping. Just before serving, in a 3-quart trifle bowl, layer 1 C. each pecan mixture, lemon mixture, and cream cheese mixture. Repeat layers 2 more times. Sprinkle with reserved pecan mixture. Refrigerate leftovers. Makes 9 servings.