Birthday Cake!

You say frittata, I say tortilla.

Tortillas in Spain are less like Mexican tortillas and more like a frittata. My friend Aimee made me one in grad school. She learned how to make them when she was a foreign exchange student there in undergrad. But, I haven't cooked/eaten one since.

Until now.

We came across a recipe for Spanish Tortilla with Chorizo from the most recent Williams-Sonoma recipe collection. We didn't have the (supposedly) required frittata pan, but Gropius masterfully made the tortilla without it and I was in awe, both of his prowess and how good it tasted! The recipe was appealing in part because we only needed Manchego cheese and potatoes (we had everything else already in our larder). To help keep our cholesterol levels down, we invited Derellek over to enjoy it with us:




Gropius added his own special touch to the recipe with some chanterelle mushrooms that we got for free because the checker at the store couldn't spell chanterelle and was looking for them in the "s" list of fruits/veggies. We enjoyed the tortilla with a side of sauteed Swiss Chard from our garden and a nice white wine from Bogle that Derellek brought over:


Then, we finished off the meal with frozen avocado pie and a round (or three) of dominoes. Good times!

Tomato Tart

I used the last of our Russian heirloom 'Paul Robeson' along with some of our Swiss heirloom 'Rose d'Bern' and some Romas that we bought at the farmers market to make a tomato tart for dinner. A simple pate brisee (savory pie crust) smeared with tasty mustard and lots of shredded smoked Fontina cheese (the only type of Fontina that Whole Paycheck had) and then layered with tasty, tasty tomatoes. Once it was done, I put a little basil over the top and we had a wonderful dinner!

Avocado Pie

Yeah, you heard me right--frozen avocado pie. And anyone familiar with my eating habits knows that I'm not a big fan of avocado. But this pie is TASTY! Gropius ordered some on our last day in Taos at Orlando's and I was converted. As soon as we got home, I found several recipes online and concocted my own:

2 avocados
juice of 2 limes
1 can of sweetened condensed milk (~14 oz)
3 oz of cream cheese
graham cracker crust

Blend the first 4 ingredients together and pour into the crust. Place in freezer (preferably overnight) until ready to serve. We let ours thaw for a couple of hours in the fridge first. It's great with whipped cream, too.

I can haz cheesburger?

Lulu discovered the perils of eating with her daddy this evening at the Rubicon. Walter was holding her in his lap and attempting to eat his bacon-cheeseburger at the same time (foolish, I know!). It was all going (relatively) well until...he got about halfway through and then the grease that had accumulated in the wrapping paper started to pour on to poor Lulu's head! D'oh! We got her all cleaned-up and she sported an, um, interesting hair-do (very "There's Something About Mary") until we got her home and gave her a bath.

Man, did she smell good though!

Chocolate Yogurt Cupcakes

compliments of David Lebovitz and this website.



They make a very tasty breakfast! Unfortunately, no whipped cream like she recommends though...

Garden Photos

Golden Curly Leaf Oregano and Bull's Blood Beets:


Oregano:



Herb Garden:



'Hot Lips' salvia:


Gropius and our sugar snap peas:


Chives almost in bloom:



Lettuce:


Agave we're planning on putting in our front yard (someday):


Calendula in bloom:





Amaryllis in various stages of bloom:

This is one of our new ones from Smith and Hawken--it's a very dark red, very striking!



This one is supposed to be all-white, so it will be interesting to see what it looks like once it's opened?