Blue Apron

Dear Lauren,

I know this is going to look like an ad for Blue Apron. But it's not. Nope, they have not sponsored this post in any way unless you count that I got a first time customer discount that is available to every other first time customer out there! At least it was when I bought it. Like I said, this post is not sponsored by them so I'm not in communication with them and I have no idea what their specials are. I just wanted to post this because you had fun! I had fun! The food was great! And we took pictures! LOL! There ya go!

I ordered the box and it was delivered to the front door. It was so heavy! I put the food away and I made the recipe for some quesadillas (delicious) served with a spinach apple salad (amazing - will make again and again!) and another day I made the Blood Orange Roasted Salmon (incredible - will make again and again!) and the chickpea and cucumber salad (delicious). Then came your turn. That's what this post is really about.

Here you are in action! Prepping onions!

Eat Your Cucumbers

Dear Lauren,

I was really busy today.

I rearranged the cookbook cabinet.

It's not the Dewey Decimal System, let's just clear that up right off.

No, I made one shelf for cookbooks we've bought this year. Two more for cookbooks based on height. Two more for cookbooks (by year) for our cookbook club, Cook My Book. And one shelf for cookbooks I don't think we'll ever use, but if I give them away, you can be sure the next day Dad will be looking for them. He's got some kind of automatic emergency alert system for everything I take to Goodwill.

Later, I entered all of my cookbooks in Eat Your Books. I've been thinking about becoming a subscriber for some time and I took the plunge.

Then I searched recipes for cucumbers.

And guess what? I found a recipe in one of my cookbooks that I don't think I've ever even cracked open!

Today I learned that I love cucumber salad and that I have 62 cookbooks here in the house (actually a few more, since EYB doesn't have every single cookbook in their collection...like the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo 50th Anniversary Cookbook, one of Dad's favorite books.)

Cucumber Salad 
adapted from
The Comfort Table

3 cucumbers, peeled, sliced in half length-wise, seeds scooped out with a small spoon (discard seeds) and sliced in 1/4 to 1/2-inch half moons
1/2 cup Mexican Crema, can use sour cream
1 shallot, small dice
1/2 lemon, juiced
pinch of kosher salt
freshly ground pepper, use as much or as little as you like

Mix all ingredients together. Taste to see if you need more salt. Chill.

Love,

Painters and Ranch Style Beans and Salad

Dear Lauren,

Rule #1. Always have a can of Ranch Style Beans in the house. Rule #2. Feed all workers who come to the house.

The outside of the house was recently painted. Dad is afraid of heights and in some spots the house is 4 stories tall. So, we hired painters. There are two DIY projects dad won't do. Anything related to electricity and anything requiring a ladder.

On day one, I made the painters a cake. It was gorgeous. And the cake was good, but not great. I'll probably continue to look for another lemon cake recipe to use with the glaze from this one. The glaze is gorgeous and so easy to make. The painters were smiling. Actually, they were singing! I learned later that one of them is in a mariachi band!

Today, I made the painters a salad. A salad? For painters? Probably not the best choice! Dad was probably the more popular cook with the painters since he served chili dogs one day and brisket tacos another day. But, I really wanted to make the salad because I really wanted to talk about Ranch Style Beans!

Ranch Style Beans are a staple if you're a Texan. I've never met a Texan who didn't agree with me. Open the can, heat them up and you have an instant side dish that every Texan loves. But, over time I've learned that you can also open a can, toss them in a strainer, and rinse all of the lovely sauce right off. The texture of these pinto beans is excellent and even after rinsing, you have a better flavor than you would if you just bought a can of pinto beans. Rinsed pinto beans and rinsed Ranch Style Beans - they're just not the same! Once rinsed, I've tossed them in a salad (like today), but on other days I've also mashed them up and used them on nachos when I didn't have any refried beans in the pantry. So versatile!

So, here's the salad I fed the painters. They cleaned their plates. They were smiling. I had some myself and I loved it! I found the recipe when I read this month's issue of Food & Wine magazine. I changed a few things up and I also used my stick blender and a Mason jar to make the dressing. Here's my version of the recipe.

Painter's Spring Salad

Dressing:
1 egg yolk
2 Tablespoons buttermilk
1 clove of garlic, smashed and minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 to 1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
plenty of freshly ground pepper

Salad:
1 can Ranch Style Beans, drained of all sauce, rinsed and dried on paper towels
1 small bag frozen peas, thawed
any pretty greens you like (I used radicchio, Boston Bibb, baby arugula)
1-2 avocados, ripe, sliced

Place the first 4 dressing ingredients in a tall Mason jar and blend with a stick blender (you can use a full size blender if you want, but come on...Mason jars and stick blenders are way...funner). Leave the stick blender on and drizzle the oil in the jar until it looks like salad dressing. You'll see! It will happen! Add the cheese and pepper and stir. Then taste it. It might need a little salt.

Arrange the salad on a plate and drizzle with some dressing and serve. To painters. Or anyone!

Love,


P.S. It's almost the 4th of July! Yay! Can't wait to see you!
P.S.S. or P.P.S. Why do I always want to spell DIY as DYI? Always! Does this happen to you?

Mexican Caesar Salad

Dear Lauren,

Mexican Caesar Salad.

I know what you're going to say!

Salad for Dinner

Dear Lauren,

I intended to make half a recipe of cornbread madeleines. I carefully added half the corn meal and half the flour. And then I got to thinking...about who will go with me to the City Produce in Cumming where they are selling from only local family farms for the next 6 weeks. And then I was thinking about whether to make salad dressing with champagne vinegar or just forget the salad dressing altogether. And I thought about you and what you might be up to today. And I thought about my muffin tin that I love and how upset I am that there are no markings telling me what brand it is because I want another one. And I thought about why the dishwasher can't have a Warp Speed button. And I thought about watering the plants; I was supposed to do that on Friday and now it's Tuesday. And I thought about who's and it's and how they're not possessives.

And then it happened.

Broccoli and Avocado Salad (without Avocado) from 60-Minute Gourmet by Pierre Franey

A few days ago I was reading Kate Morgan Jackson's post on her facebook page (Kate of the blog Framed Cooks) that had something to do with the cookbook 60-Minute Gourmet by Pierre Franey. And I thought, hey (!), I have that cookbook! And I haven't used it in years!  So I went and pulled it out and looked for recipes I could make without going to the grocery store that day. And I found three. And then I did something else and I forgot all about wanting to cook out of this book. For several days.