Think Pink

Sometimes you happen upon something quite delicious by surprise...  We joined a CSA this year since I've been so disappointed by the produce at all the grocery stores lately and have been too busy to make it to the farmer's market.  So far, we've been really happy with it. Lots of fresh veggies, and as I have previously posted, we got to try fava beans, which was the first of the unusual items we've gotten.  This past week, we got a small bunch of beets.  Now, I have always loved canned beats, and I once roasted fresh farmer's market beets with delicious results, but these beets came with the greens attached, and they were gorgeous (I really should have taken a picture!).  So I knew I had to do something special with them.  So I started googling, and look what I found! A spectacular risotto that uses both the beets and the greens at once!

Baby Shower Inspiration

So in a month I will be hosting my first baby shower. Considering that babies are not my favorite thing, I'm a little surprised I volunteered for this. But I love entertaining, so maybe not. Plus, it serves as motivation for my husband to get cracking on the kitchen remodel so it's not scary when we have guests.

In any case, I somehow decided on the theme "Peas, Carrots & Love."  I'm not sure where I came up with that, but it kind of fit with the invitations I decided I liked.

Cool Tool

I have to admit, I'm a bit of a gadget junkie. Having a small kitchen with limited storage means that every drawer and cupboard is crammed full of all the special tools and equipment that I've fallen for.  Some of it sits languishing for ages after I've bought it and never used it, while other items sit abandoned after I've used it and discovered it's not quite as wonderful as I imagined.

The tool I'm talking about today was one of the former category.  I'd heard of mezzaluna knives before, and then I was watching Nigella Lawson's show one day when she used one.  It looked super handy, so I stopped by Bed, Bath & Beyond one day and picked one up.  I then put it in a drawer and forgot about it.  Well, except for the fact that the package was clogging up my tool drawer and sometime got jammed in there so I couldn't get the drawer open.  In any case, it was abandoned. 

I'm so bad

I know I'm really not staying on top of this blog, but we have been eating delicious things this summer. Here's a quick one: Mashed Fava Beans on Toast.  I'd never had fava beans before, but I've always heard how great they are, especially since their season is so short.  They have an unusual, slightly bitter flavor that is delicious, and the texture is really creamy.  This isn't a recipe so much as sort of a technique. Use these basic ideas to create your own awesomeness.