Sometimes life gets busy. You know, real life. And, I'm okay with that.
There are birthday parties, baby showers, visitors, weddings, places to go people to see ... and sometimes you might even throw a dinner party in there because things are not just busy enough.
As you can tell from my lack of posts over the past week, life has taken over recently. It's been all good and all fun things though. On top of all of the fun life events taking place right now, we moved ..... again. It was a good move though, and I think we are going to stay put for quite some time.
But now the boxes are unpacked and life is slowing down a bit. I am finally getting a chance to spend more time in my {new} kitchen.
So when I got back into the kitchen, there was one thing I was dying to make.
Pickled. Strawberries. Yes.
A few weeks ago Michael and I took a pickling and preserving class at the Stone Barns. I signed us up for this class for two reasons.
First, I have always wanted to delve into canning, but despite having read my fair share about it, I have always been incredibly intimidated and paranoid about all of the boiling and sterilizing involved.
Second, I thought it would be really funny to see Michael take a class with all women, mostly over the age of 55, because let's face it, canning is far more attractive to women of older generations than mine.
And, I just love any reason to go visit the Stone Barns. Well, I guess that makes three reasons.
The greatest takeaway from the class was that you do not have to go through the whole canning process to pickle or preserve your garden gems. You will need to keep whatever it is that you canned or preserved in an airtight jar in the refrigerator, but you do not need to worry about the sterilization process unless you want to store your preserves somewhere other than the fridge.
Super valuable information. I can make pickles and not worry about all that boiling and canning? Yay! Although now I think I might even give it a go after seeing how easy it was.
So, what does this mean to you, or someone who wants to pickle something? It means it can be done, easily, and in about 10-15 minutes you can have yourself a pickle that can be enjoyed right away, or a preserve that can last about a year in the fridge.
So strawberries might not be the first thing you would think to run off and pickle, but I've got to tell you, my first pickled strawberry made me really happy and excited.
It's sour, it's sweet, it's crazy good. Because of it's crazy sour sweetness, it goes so well with so many things. I'm always one to say that I don't like fruit in my salad, but a pickled fruit is certainly an exception. However, it's more than an exception in this case, this is going to be a new staple in my recipe book.
Spending time with friends who have known you more than half your life is good for the soul. This past weekend Michael and I hung out with two of my oldest and greatest friends from high school and their families. As expected, it was like no time has past. We had such a great time.
Last night Michael told me his favorite part of the weekend (besides all of the excellent food, drink, and company ... of course) was when we whipped out our yearbooks and laughed about our chubby cheeks and high school crushes. Some memories had us laughing so hard tears were running down our face.
I also leaned that I apparently have the memory of an elephant ... which can be good or bad, depending on what embarrassing story pops into my head.
We were staying at my friend Sarah's mom's house which meant we were able to cook lots over the weekend. One of my favorite thing to do is cook a big meal with good friends.
The first night we got home pretty late so we decided to make a one pot concoction that included some of my favorite ingredients: brussles sprouts, quinoa, and avocado. We also ate the leftovers for breakfast one morning. Yep. And it was just as delicious.
The second night when Michael, Laura, and her family arrived, we made a big dinner for everyone. Michael surprised everyone by taking over as head chef in the kitchen. I love it when he cooks. We made a few different things, one being this sweet potato and red onion recipe. That recipe has become a go-to of mine because of how easy, fool-proof, and tasty it is.
Dinner was delicious and so much fun. A great new memory for my elephant brain.
We did not make this beet tartare recipe, however, Sarah totally made my day when she told me how many recipes she has tried from my blog, and I am hoping that she will be trying this one too soon :)
It's party time.
That time of year when you have two or three holiday parties to attend each Friday night up until New Year's.
I love a good party. I especially love a good holiday party. It seems like people are always in such a good mood during the holidays. Party mood, that is.
What make a party ... good? Good people, good food, good music, good alcohol, and all around good vibes. Throw in a christmas tree, some karaoke, and a guy dressed up like santa and, well, then you have a real shin-dig.
With all of the partying and entertaining that I have to do this month, I have been working on a few easy go-to recipes that I can bring or serve, whenever the occasion calls for it.
It's always good to have one or two party recipes up your sleeve. Ones that are easy to make, easy to eat, and can be made a little ahead of time.
Mini quiches are a great go-to party food. Not only are they easy to prepare, but you can also add or subtract ingredients based on what you have in your fridge or what is fresh. Only have potatoes and green onions - no problemo. Spinach and mushroom - that will do!
Bring these to a party and they will surly be a hit. Don't forget to bring a few extra santa hats for your host or hostess. Santa hats are always a hit too.