Spring Cleaning Music

I'm cleaning out my to-do list right now, but this also works well for cleaning house.

A Made-Up Recipe

I made up a recipe. I have never done such a thing so I'm pretty proud. Now this recipe involves liver, and I realize that liver makes some of you gag. For your sake I will not make the photo large, and because even I don't need to look at liver large scale. I have loved liver ever since I remember, and for a while I was convinced that those who didn't share my love just needed the right recipe to persuade them. I've made such people Calves' Liver with Honey, and what I think is a delicious liver Pate, and yet they remain unconvinced. This is not the recipe that will convince them. It does taste like liver barely masked by a sweet, rich, earthy combobble of other flavors. This is basically just how I like liver lately, as in every day for lunch this week.

Liver Thing

2 strips bacon, chopped

1/3 red onion chopped

4 chicken livers, or about 1/4 lb, chopped

An earthy herb like marjoram, sage or thyme (I used about 10 sprigs of chopped sage flowers because that's what came in our CSA this week)

Salt and Pepper

Dash of Balsamic Vinegar

Half an Avocado

A Slice of Bread

Sautee bacon, onions and herb together (don't add extra oil yet, the bacon fat will give off plenty) for a few minutes. Add the liver, salt and pepper and sautee for another few minutes (maybe add a little olive oil if it's looking really dry and sticking). At the very end of the cooking add a few dashes of balsamic vinegar to just deglaze the whole thing. Turn out onto a slice of bread smeared with avocado.

In retrospect a sage blossom or two on top of that would have made it a bit more appetizing, but there it is. Liver goodness. (If any of my local girls want liver from Springfield Farm let me know and I'll order extra.)

Lists

Last night I turned in a whopper of a Hegel paper which means my first year of graduate school is almost over (one more week of some easy readings). I still woke up at 4 this morning panicked about typos, but I'm hoping that soon and very soon that pesky stress will begin to wear off. I am so looking forward to this summer. In preparation I'm making myself lists:

To Read:
The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken by Laura Schenone
The Original of Laura by Nabakov (I must admit I started this a few weeks ago, I was too curious)

Gourmet Rhapsody by Muriel Barbery
Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes

A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh

The Line by Olga Grushin
The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene
Gravity and Grace by Simone Weil
Food Rules by Michael Pollan
I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb
The Mind of the Maker by Dorothy Sayers
In the Beauty of the Lilies by John Updike

Nocturnes by Kazuo Ishiguro

To Cook:

(The boy's been a doll for cooking all year but our deal was if he cooked real food it could be plain jane. I've been filing recipes away all year for the day I take back the kitchen.)
Whole Fried Mushrooms on Toasts
Celery Root Risotto (I will make this up based on a dish we had at Cinghiale last week)
Straw Potatoes with Lemon Salt (put to use all the flavored salt I made for Christmas gifts last year)

Morning Couscous with Almonds and Coconut
Rosemary Potato and Chicken Pizza
Polenta with a Leek and Mushroom Ragu
Hashed Sprouts with Hazelnuts and Fried Capers
Kale Salad
Red Pepper Mousse with Garlic Toasts
Creamed Chard and Spring Onions (with steak on the side?)

Chickpea of the Sea Sandwich


To Do:

Picnics, picnics, picnics

Spa day at the Aveda School

Attempt Shakespeare in the Park again (Al Pacino's playing Shylock!)

Learn to drive a stick shift

Start herbal medicine course again

Learn to sail

Reorganize every room in the house

Keep doing yoga

Purge my wardrobe then restock it

Have lots of people over for cocktails on the porch

Sew pillows for the couch

Catch up on baby and wedding gifts

Take a second honeymoon

Make lotion

Make a big fancy dinner that includes the use of antique napkins, decanters, mother of pearl caviar spoons and port sippers

Sew pompoms on the curtains

That should keep me busy for a while.

Fried Eggs on Greens on Bread (Or Lunch, All Week)

Our CSA restarted last week and I've never been so happy to see Kale. I remember when we first started getting local greens a few years ago it was an adjustment, they were too flavorful. We joked that they just went out to a field and picked wild grass for our salad mixes, it tasted so potent and earthy. Now when we buy a bag of spinach and arugula from TJ's it just tastes like nothing to us. This winter break was hard, we dutifully bought vegetables from the grocery store but they were not fun to eat - all bland and kinda wilty. So yaaay for Maryland beet tops, and swiss chard and radishes! I am thankful for them.

Here's what we did with them all week - the greens (including the stems) are sauteed, or stewed, or braised somehow, then heaped over a slice of spongy bread, with parmesan sprinkled somewhere in there, and topped with eggs lightly fried in olive oil. I like the eggs over medium so that the runny yolk contributes to the whole delicious mess. We've fixed the greens several ways before but this recipe is my current favorite. The original idea came from, of course, Orangette. I don't love her boiled kale recipe as much as some others, but it's still great. If I don't have much time I just sautee cubed pancetta for 30 seconds, then throw in the greens and wilt them down with the fat and some salt, southern style. Any way you cook it the basic idea is a winner and now I can't wait for lunch today.

Wedding Season: Meg and Rafael

We are in full wedding mode now. Gearing up for another tomorrow, I realized I haven't even shown my favorite photos from the last!

This is my favorite photo from the whole day. My husband has insatiable tech lust, and the only way I can get him to second shoot for me is to buy him big fancy equipment, even though he doesn't really know what to do with it (yet). He had that flash on the camera all day, and used it, even though the room was gorgeously naturally lit. He likes to carry both my camera bag and his at once. And he always puts the hood on to make the lens look twice as long as it already is. It's so cute. It makes him feel like a stud. And he is.

As mentioned, the light in the lofty brick room where this breakfast wedding took place was just gorgeous. I loved all the colors it produced.

Meg and Rafael were so fun, I've hardly ever seen two people laugh more, and they wanted their wedding to be just a really low key, fun party and it was!

Yes, this was a breakfast wedding. These folks know how to party.

The food was amazing - gourmet brunchy/bar food. Red Star Bar and Grill. Go there.

They were so happy. I started crying during their ceremony, it was all just so beautiful and they were so darn giddy about getting married. I don't know when I became such a sap, wait, yes I do. It started when I couldn't stop bawling walking down my own aisle, I now always always cry when I go anywhere near a wedding. It's kind of ridiculous. During the ceremony Meg actually looked at me wiping a tear in the front row and laughed at me.

The pretty Baltimore Harbor will be making an appearance in quite a few photos this summer I think.

This group of women talked quite intensely about something for hours as general merriment surrounded them. I thought they were so cute.

And on to the next one!

St. John's vs. Navy: Croquet 2010

It was quite something, as usual.

For those who don't know - every year St. John's College challenges the Naval Academy from across the street to pretty much the only sport that they can beat them at: croquet. This year the Johnnies won 5-0. But the sport is not really the point for most of us.

The event draws current students, alums from both schools and townies, this year over 2000 of them, to the Great Lawn at St. John's for an all day picnic with some croquet on the side. There is swing dancing, a Navy band, champagne, cigars and usually a first sunburn of the year. The dresscode is something like "Great Gatsby, seersucker, bowties, feathered hairpieces, and hats."

I was quite enamored with the boys' fashion this year. They really go all out.

Johnnie Boy vs. NavyBoy Style

Johnny vs. Navy Couples Style

Sonora couldn't get enough dancing.

The Navy team wears a traditional sporting uniform each year, only switching out their ties.

The Johnnies change outfits every year and it's a huge secret until the moment they walk out that door.

I'm not sure what these guys are called - "croquet caddies"? They stand around, one for each member of the navy croquet team, holding beer while the players take shots.

Intense.

A pretty face and Mr. Franz...

Johnnie alums.

I made pickled grapes with mustard seeds, black pepper and cinnamon again.

Lucky Middie.

Happy Middies.

Nathan - mathemetician and gentleman hipster.

Another pretty faced Johnnie alum.

And a common scene toward the end of croquet day...

We're always so sad when croquet is over so the only thing to do is start shopping for next year's dress.

Annapolis Goes Beyond Organic

My first article is up at The Annapolis Sound!