visit to the National Gallery of Art, DC

Tatsoi

http://www.masdudiable.com/A55C37/mdd.nsf/dx/Selecting-Oriental-Brassicas.htm

Tatsoi and Sweet-Corn Salad With Peach-Nectar Dressing
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 peaches, peeled and diced
3 ears fresh sweet corn, husked
8 cups tatsoi greens, or other tender mild greens
3/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
Freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste.
1. In a skillet set over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the peaches and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft, about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Meanwhile, bring an inch of salted water to a boil in a large pot. Add the corn and steam 5 minutes. Drain the corn and allow to cool. Using a knife, scrape the kernels off the cobs and place the kernels in a large bowl.
3. Just before serving, add the tatsoi, peaches and salt, and toss well. Season to taste with lemon juice, toss again and serve.
Yield: 6 servings.

http://www.nytimes.com/1999/06/13/magazine/food-the-odd-couple.html?pagewanted=all



ASIAN GREENS These are quick, cool ways to use piles of totsoi, mizuno, mustard and baby bok choy. Excuse my spelling!
Curried Vegetarian Noodles adapted form Nina Simonds' Asian Noodles 1 1/2 Tbs. oil I 1 1/2 Tbs. garlic, minced 1 Tbs. fresh ginger, minced 1 1/2 Tbs. curry powder 2 2 1/2 c. onion, sliced thinly 2 c. red pepper, sliced 4 c. Asian greens, sliced 3 1/4 c. chicken or vegetable broth 3 Tbs. soy sauce 1/2 tsp. sugar salt and pepper
1/2 lb. thin rice stick noodles, softened in hot water and drained OR cooked, rinsed angel hair pasta
Heat oil in wok or heavy pan. Add first group of ingredients. Saute briefly. Add second group of ingredients. Stir fry until tender (1-3 minutes). Mix last group of ingredients and add with noodles. Cook and toss carefully for 1 min.
Lemon Vegetable Noodles
1 lb. Asian greens, such as above, sliced 1 lb. flat noodles, such as linguine, cooked and rinsed 2 Tbs. Asian toasted sesame oil 1 1/2 Tbs. oil 2 1/2 Tbs. garlic, minced 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes 1 red bell pepper, sliced 1/3 lb. smoked turkey, sliced (optional)
lemon dressing: 6 Tbs. light soy sauce 3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice 2 Tbs. sugar
Heat both oils in wok or heavy pan. Stir fry garlic and red pepper flakes for 1 min. Add bell pepper and greens and stir fry for 1 1/2 min. more. Add lemon dressing and noodles. Stir to coat.

http://www.ryderfarmcsa.org/recipies/asian_greens.htm

I must try this no knead Challah bread

Recipe: No-Knead Challah from Apartment Therapy The Kitchn

Happy baking!
No-Knead Challah from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois

Makes four 1-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved.

1 3/4 cups lukewarm water

1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (2 packets)

1 1/2 tablespoons salt

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (or neutral-tasting vegetable oil such as canola), plus more for greasing the cookie sheet

7 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water)

Poppy or sesame seeds for the top

1. Mixing and storing the dough: Mix the yeast, salt, eggs, honey, and melted butter (or oil) with the water in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (no airtight) food container.

2. Mix in the flour without kneading, using a spoon, a 14-cup capacity food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with dough hook). If you're not using a machine, you may need to use wet hands to incorporate the last bit of flour.

3. Cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.

4. The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 5 days. Beyond 5 days, freeze in 1-pound portions in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks. Defrost frozen dough overnight in the refrigerator before using. Then allow the usual rest and rise time.

5. On baking day, butter or grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper, or a silicone mat. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.

6. Divide the ball into thirds, using a dough scraper or knife. Roll the balls between your hands (or on a board), stretching, to form each into a long, thin rope. If the dough resists shaping, let it rest for 5 minutes and try again. Braid the ropes, starting from the center and working to one end. Turn the loaf over, rotate it, and braid from the center out to the remaining end. This produces a loaf with a more uniform thickness than when braided from end to end.

7. Allow the bread to rest and rise on the prepared cookie sheet for 1 hour and 20 minutes (or just 40 minutes if you're using fresh, unrefrigerated dough).

8. Twenty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 350-degrees F. If you're not using a stone in the oven, 5 minutes is adequate. Brush the loaf with egg wash and sprinkle with the seeds.

9. Bake near the center of the oven for about 25 minutes. Smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in baking time. The challah is done when golden brown, and the braids near the center of the loaf offer resistance to pressure. Due to the fat in the dough, challah will not form a hard, crackling crust.

10. Allow to cool before slicing or eating.

Persephone, Persephone, Persephone

http://thepersephonepost.blogspot.com/

I will be your rep. You can buy me that car!

finished easy bread

It came out kind of pretty, but the taste is bland. The bread is dry and has an unpleasant texture. I think I kneaded it too much and I know I didn't cover it while it rose. I need a bread knife. Croutons. This bread is crouton bread. Red lentil soup is on the menu for today and croutons go really well with that.

potato pancakes and easy bread

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/11/04/homemade-bread-cheap-delicious-healthy-and-easier-than-you-think/

So that is not the actual recipe I used....but it is quite similar. I searched and searched for the recipe I used but couldn't find it. About.com has a close one. I can't wait to try the simple dollar recipe.


Easy Bread



3/4 cup watm water
1 package active dry yeast
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp butter - softened
1/2 cup milk
3 cups all purpose flour (2 cups then 1 cup)

Mix water and yeast...dissolve
Add salt, sugar, burrer and milk
Mix in 2 cups of flour


Add flour until dough drags after the spoon
Knoead adding flour until smooth, not sticky
Put in buttered bowl...turn dough until all sides are buttery
Cover and let rise for 1 hour
Punch down, knead on floured board
Preheat over at 375 degrees F
Form into load and put in buttered bread pan
Let rise for 30 minutes
Score 3 times across the top
Bake 45 minutes until golden brown
turn out and let cool




Potato Pancakes (our Christmas latkes)


2 cups grated potatoes
1 tbsp grated onion
3 eggs beaten
2 tbsp flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup oil


squeeze all water out of the potatoes
mix all ingredients
drop by spoonfulls into hot oil





eat immediately





I don't have pictures of the latkes because they disappeared like magic. Here are pics of the easy bread the the udon noodles I am going to stirfy.

New Kitchen before and after

These are my new cabinets. No, I am not having the doors installed. I don't like cabinet doors and I love my dishes. I can't find my before shots. :(

Nico

Nico came home yesterday. My cousin has a friend who couldn't keep him. She tried to send him to another home, but they couldn't take his energy..he has lots of it. The girls were hesitant and scared at first, but I think they will be fine. My mother told them he is their dog and Evie said "I'm not his sister?! I am his mom! I am a MOMMY!!" Just a little disturbing. Gigi took a little longer to accept him. She called me three times last night to tell me he jumped on her...he licked her in her mouth...and finally "I like the dog".

He is a Yorkiepoo, I think more Yorkie than Poo, is 18 months old, very smart and lovable. He cried when his owner left.

Look at that gorgeous hair. He is silvery, brown and black. Gorgeous.

wow

her style and beauty leave me speechless. her intelligence leaves me in awe. i reluctantly say she also leaves me sad and regretful of what i could be and find that i am not. ANYWAY, someone buy me that blouse.

i found this photo on http://www.mrs-o.org/. i love them. thanks for keeping me up-to-date on the lighter side.

Poor Chan. He died last Saturday. He was my mother twenty-hundredth pet and we are already looking for pet number twenty-hundredth and one. She wants a pure breed dog, but my girls want a shelter dog. We went out yesterday to see what we could see.

Look at the poop-face-puppy. I want to scream and cry because we weren't able to take them with us. The guy had 3 female pit bull puppies at the market in St. Mary's county. They were ridiculously expensive...about $450 each and ridiculously, RIDICULOUSLY precious.

.......and my brave girl overcame her dog-fears and held one.

This gorgeous girl was in Petsmart yesterday morning. The owner has 5 of them. Yes, five of them. She was the sweetest thing. She is sniffing my mother's hand. We are trying to find puppies and went to Petsmart for an adoption event which never happened. The folks from the shelter never showed up.

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These flowers speak to me every morning I walk past them. The colors are so rich and warm.

Work is not fun. Cubicles are so damn depressing. We move into a fabulous new building on June 5th. I am excited about it, but not loving the cubicle. :( I am claiming two of them for my own.