Strawberry Aqua Fresca

We try not to drink very much juice especially with the news of lead in so many these days. Plus they are full of sugar. Why not just eat the fruit whole and drink a glass of water?

Well, sometimes it is nice to have a fruity (non-alcoholic) beverage when digits soar. While we were vacationing in Merida, Mexico we were offered a variety of aqua frescas every morning with breakfast instead of juice. More fiber, more nutrients, more flavor, more to smile about!

The strawberries are abundantly inexpensive at the farmers market these days so this makes a dent in the huge stash in the fridge. Next up: strawberry ice cream?

Strawberry Aqua Fresca:

2 cups water

juice of one lime

splash of agave nectar

one green basket of strawberries (pint?)

blend together until smooth and chill

**You can do this with any fruit. Cantaloupe, pineapple, watermelon remind me of vacation.

Happy Summer Solstice :: Fried Green Tomatoes

Fried green tomatoes?

Summer has arrived!

Fried green tomatoes for those of us too impatient to let our tomatoes ripen:

slice green tomatoes

dredge in a combination of cornmeal and spices

tonight I used Rub with Love: African Peri Peri (thanks Auntie Beth!!!)

fry in evoo

eat on the porch with grilled chicken and corn on the cob

preferably followed by strawberry shortcake

Graduation and Grilled Bruschetta

My cousin's son graduated from high school on Friday and is heading to Northeastern in Boston in the fall. I had mixed emotions as we are so proud of him but it is hard to think about him being so far away and missing things like our family's Thanksgiving traditions. He has grown so fast as he was the ring bearer in our wedding and I remember his kind words as he stood next to Ryan at the front of the chapel.
"Tears of joy I presume." It all goes by so fast doesn't it?

Here is one of the many fabulous treats we had at the party. You can prep everything in advance and just assemble at the last minute. Great for potlucks or picnics

Grilled Bruschetta:

Combine and let rest for at least one hour at room temp
6 diced tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped basil
evoo
white balsamic vinegar
1/2 red onion (or a sweeter variety)
1 clove garlic

Lightly grill one loaf of bread (sliced very thin) We are using TJ's whole grain loaf tonight

Scoop tomatoes and juice onto bread and serve.

Jamaica Sun Tea

My dad always had sun tea either brewing or chilling during the summer. Gracie wanted me to tell her a story about my dad teaching me to make sun tea when I was a little girl and then got really excited talking about how she would someday teach her kids and they would teach their kids and so on and so on. Family traditions come in all shapes and sizes I suppose. 

This batch was simply dried hibiscus flowers (1/2 cup for this large tea jar) and water and sunshine for a few hours. Then we chilled it in the fridge and just mix it with ice and agave nectar to make our own Jamaica, a traditional Mexican aqua fresca. My dad usually added mint so we will do that next time. Maybe from our garden. The butterfly garden is looking lovely as was this Tiger Swallowtail.

Pure of Heart Pizza

Friday nights are pizza nights in the Coffee Cottage. The ingredients change every week but this is one of the standards. I first had a pizza similar to this at Cable Car Pizza in Fayetteville, AR. It was called The Purist but had tomatoes instead of artichokes. We live so close to the artichoke capital of the world, Castroville, and we have loads of them at every farmer's market (and hopefully in our garden next year!) The Artichoke festival is May 15 this year. We may battle the traffic but I have heard it is crazy. But just imagine...every vendor and food item has artichokes in it! For now, we will take this pizza.

Pure of Heart Pizza:

Preheat pizza stone in a 450 degree oven

Whole Wheat pizza dough (TJ's) remove from fridge and let rest for 20 minutes then roll out to 12 inches on floured surface. I then toss it into the air to make nice and thin but you can also keep rolling.

Dust stone with cornmeal before placing dough. Sometimes a two person job. One to open oven and dust while another has stretched dough waiting to place.

Drizzle with olive oil garlic and oregano

Top with Feta

Artichoke Hearts

Mozzerela

You can also add sundried tomatoes and kalamata olives for a Mediterranean pizza, another one of our favs.

To make the original omit artichokes and top with sliced tomatoes AFTER cooking pizza. Great for summer with fresh basil.

15 Minute Tuscan Bean Soup

We are spending more and more time at the garden now that it is planting season. That means I have less and less time to cook wholesome, healthy meals for the family. I am also trying to plan for the days to come when I will have even less time to spend on food. Inspired by Simple Lovely's posts about her family's favorite meal of white navy beans (but without a recipe to work with)  and my favorite cookbook (thanks mom!) Moosewood's Daily Specials...here is how today panned out for us. 

In the morning:

I threw 3 cups of navy beans and 6 cups of water into the slow cooker on low.

We spent the morning planting in the garden. Heaven.

We came  home to cooked beans and to take a nap.

As Gracie napped I sauteed:

1 onion

4 cloves garlic

half a bag of carrots (1 1/2 cups+/-)

s+p

I added that to the slow cooker with:

1 capful (2 tsps?) sage

Now it is cooking (warm setting) until Ryan gets home and we are ready to eat. Maybe with sliced tomatoes, crusty bread and TJ's new batch of California Estate Olive Oil. Buon appetito!

Gracie's Birthday Cake

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU MY LOVE!

BIG slides

BIG hugs

BIG smiles

and a carrot cake that was a BIG hit with little and big kids.

Gracie's Birthday Cake (she helped make this one)

preheat oven to 350 degrees

oil 2 round cake pans and line bottom with parchment

Combine

1 1/3 cup flour (white and w/w pastry)

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

add 

2/3 cup oil

3 eggs

stir in

2 cups carrots

1 1/2 cup chooped pecans

1 cup raisins

bake 30 minutes. let cool 10 minutes in pan. slide knife around to detach and let cool on racks. then frost

Frosting:

In an electric mixer combine

2- 8 oz packages of cream cheese

1 stick butter

sweeten with honey (1/2 cup?)