I’m so excited that outdoor dining season has arrived!! I would eat every meal outside if I could. We’re having a warm spring here in northern California, and we were able to have dinner on the deck last night with a few friends. I made this spring-inspired flatbread which was great and easy for a casual dinner. We served it with a salad and wine. Delish!
Zucchini Fan Quiche
Even though we are deep into October, I am still pulling zucchinis out of our garden! (Thanks, California.) This quiche is super simple, but made special by fanned out slices of zucchini on top. I use pre-made crust to make things easy, but you could of course make your own. Feel free to add herbs or other vegetables to the egg mixture, and use whatever type of cheese you have on hand.
Also, I just wanted to share some news- my cookbook made the New York Times Best Seller list last week! Dream come true. We are celebrating with Champagne Cocktails and Beer Floats :)
Cheers!
Erin
***
You might also like:
Vegan Zucchini Bread (super moist!)
Kale Tacos
I’ve been getting lots of green garlic and kale in my CSA box lately, so I thought..why not make tacos?! Green garlic is simply young garlic that has been thinned out of the vegetable beds. It resembles and tastes like scallions, but with a more garlicky flavor. It’s often at the farmers market in spring, but you can use scallions if you can’t find it. I cook it with a bit of kale and serve it with black beans inside of warm corn tortillas. Top with some greek yogurt and hot sauce, and a squeeze of lemon, if you like. I like to serve them with a platter of crispy cucumber spears, drizzled with lemon juice, cayenne and garlic salt. Yum! This recipe (with one can of beans) makes enough for about 6 tacos. Enjoy!
Two Tomato Carrot Ribbon Pasta
Weekend (or weeknight) recipe idea! When making a pasta dish, sometimes I like to replace half of the pasta with carrot ribbons to make it a little lighter.
TO MAKE (serves about 4) : Use a potato peeler and shave long ribbons off 3 carrots (I use the peels too, but feel free to discard). Press hard for thicker ribbons. Boil 12 oz long pasta (like fettuccine) as usual then with 30 seconds remaining add the carrot “ribbons” . Strain the whole pot as usual, then toss with chopped marinated sun dried tomatoes, halved cherry tomatoes, mini mozzarella balls, fresh parsley, garlic powder, olive oil, salt and pepper… plus a squeeze of lemon if you wish. Enjoy!
I adapted this recipe from a Better Homes & Gardens recipe and posted it on their blog.
Related Posts:
Carrot Ribbon Salad with meyer lemon
Carrot & Zucchini Ribbon Salad with edible flowers
Grilled Cheese Party
A couple weeks ago we threw our 2nd annual Grilled Cheese Party. It was so good last year that we just had to do it again! We were celebrating my friend Nicole’s and my birthday. In the house, we had a table made up with all the fixin’s: several different types of breads and cheeses (all labeled with washi tape), plus lots of spreads and toppings. We had garlic aioli, mayo, fig jam, several mustards, caramelized onions, and arugula, to name a few. Each person made up their sandwich then brought it outside to Jonathan, who was manning the grill, with our biggest skillet and a tub of butter. This way, we could all be outside together and no one was stuck in the kitchen! Coming hot off the grill they are absolutely delicious…I think food cooked outside always tastes better :) Plus, when entertaining outdoors in the winter (even in California) it helps to have a hot grill to stand around to keep warm.
For dessert we had a brownie cake and a pear pie, topped with the cutest bees wax birthday candles from Mohawk Valley Trading Company. I also decorated the deck outside with some of their other candles that they gifted me- I just love them. I have been trying to keep things more “all-natural” around the house, so I like that these candles don’t give off any toxic fumes when burned. Plus, they have a lovely subtle scent of honey.
As the sun went down, we put a big screen outside on the deck, bundled up with blankets and watched a movie around the fire pit.
Make a wish!
xx, Erin