Farmers’ Market

scenes from england and wales

December 2, 2011

My lovelies, we just got back from two weeks spent in England and Wales, where I’m from. It was an absolute whirlwind, as always, but amazing fun.

Our first night was spent in a pub on the Thames overlooking Tower Bridge, eating bangers and mash, drinking beer and cider, and feeling absolutely giddy to be home.

We spent the next couple of days in my home town of Reading, with two of my favourite people ever, eating fish finger sandwiches and visiting my old haunts.

In Wales we got to see my parents’ new home and revisit Porthcawl where I spent many a childhood day rock climbing the coast and eating fish and chips. Pretty awesome to be able to show it all to Dan. We also got to visit gorgeous Brecon and wander the town eating Welsh cakes, exploring the cathedral and loving all the Welsh accents. If only I could pronounce my own name the way they do…

Once back in London we spent lots of wonderful time with my sister, staying at her flat as a base and adventuring from there. There was time spent with old friends in cafes and bookshops; walks along the Thames; a visit to Borough Market and so much delicious food that – good god – it was lucky we were walking so dang much or we might have popped at any given moment.

On a Thursday afternoon we had lunch at NOPI which was a complete dream. What an inventive, delicious menu! We shared five plates including roasted cauliflower with ricotta, golden raisins, capers; winter coleslaw; seared prawns with fennel, white oregano, and feta; roasted beef sirloin with almonds, spinach and pecorino sardo; and slow cooked pork belly, coco bean cassoulet and salsa verde. Yeah.

We loved every single dish although the prawns and beef sirloin really stole my heart (as did our server, who brought us extra bread to sop up the juice from the prawn dish. Genius). And I didn’t take a single picture, too busy was I making sure I enjoyed every last second.

Then there was last Sunday when over thirty of us descended on a pub in central London for nine hours of catching up, drinking beer, and eating lovely roast dinners. Waves of friends came and went, which could have been slightly overwhelming but instead was just awesome, awesome fun.

Now we’re back in Minnesota and…winter has arrived. We were spoiled with mild weather and sunny days in the UK and yesterday we woke up to snow and some proper chilly weather. It’s hunker-down time.

scenes from milwaukee

September 28, 2011

I spent the weekend in Milwaukee for work and took the rare opportunity of travelling regionally to take Dan with me. We drove the six hours there on Saturday and spent a couple of days exploring together. It was so lovely to spend some time together checking out a new city. We walked (and walked, and walked), tried new beers, visited the awesome Wolski’s tavern and experienced the hospitality of bars on Packers game day serving up free ham sandwiches and crisps to all. Genius.

Other “scenes from…”

scenes from the state fair

scenes from madeline island

scenes from the weekend

scenes from san diego

scenes from seattle

scenes from duluth

 

simple summer greens saute

July 27, 2011

We had the pleasure of a flying visit from family in Texas this past weekend and found ourselves on a mission for the farmers’ market. By lovely accident, we stumbled across Frogtown Farmers’ Market in St. Paul.

This small market has maybe 30 vendors, mostly Hmong, and is outstanding for its’ breathtaking amount of greens. We were almost overwhelmed by the sheer volume and choice but ended up grabbing a ton of Chinese spinach, green beans, and scallions (Spring onions) for $4. Amazing value.

This saute makes a gorgeously fresh summer breakfast for one if served with a poached or fried egg and some red pepper flakes on top. Alternatively you could use it as a side dish to fish or whatever you might be grilling. The green beans retain a lovely sweet crunch and their bright green colour while the spinach wilts lovingly around the garlic, onions, and oil.

Summer simplicity on a plate.

Simple Summer Greens Saute

Ingredients

  • large handful green beans, trimmed
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 2 tbsp onion, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 large handful Chinese spinach leaves, washed and dried
  • 1 tablespoon green onions, finely chopped
  • Coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Directions

  1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
  2. Add the green beans and blanch for 5 minutes, until fork-tender. Strain in a colander.
  3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet or saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until starting to turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and immediately add the just-cooked green beans. Cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly, then add the spinach and let it cook undisturbed for 1 to 2 minutes, just until wilted, then toss it with the green beans to combine.
  4. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately and sprinkle with fresh green onions. Serves one for breakfast with an egg on top.

Note: It’s an approximate recipe, as you’ll see below, so feel free to use a little more, a little less. It goes without saying that you could use any summer greens here – I’d recommend a trip to your local market to see what you find.

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