A Simple Peach Tartine

I would have called this "cheese toast with peaches" but the internets have informed me that this is called a "tartine."  I like that fancy word!

A slice of homemade sourdough bread, a slice of sweet sharp Dubliner, toasted together.  Then I put some sweet luscious peach slices over top.  Just wonderful.  Peaches are typically paired with a very mild cheese like ricotta, but I think they are assertive enough to partner the nutty cheddar.  This was a quick bite before I left for a bridal shower one evening, and it's been repeated as breakfast several times.

Sewing Stuff on Tees

It just happened, like dominoes, that I slapped some graphics on tees for the children.  First, Genevieve found a funny tee-shirt at the thrift store in size 4.  I told her I could cut out the peeps graphic and sew it on a larger shirt - and she thought Grandpa would love it because he loves peeps (gross), but on second thought, Grandpa would never wear a pink shirt.

So I found a sale at AC Moore to buy Genevieve a plain tee, but I it was for two tee shirts, so I bought a tiny little one for Phoebe too because I suddenly remembered some vintage iron-ons I had in a drawer.  Then I ironed some interfacing around the back rim of the peeps disc and sewed it on to the new shirt.  "Imagine world peeps" in case you can't read it.

So here is Phoebe's little shirt and look here for Genevieve's shirts from the rest of the vintage scratch-and-sniff iron-ons (and visualize Genevieve trying to help Phoebe understand that she can scratch this thing and smell it - oh, that's funny!).

And then I offered to make Ben an "eight" shirt with one of the plain tees that surfaced in a bag of hand-me-downs (oh thank you Lord for generous friends who pass on clothes!).  

He had a "seven" shirt last summer, which disappeared at some point (probably camp).  I asked him for opinions about the size (BIG) and fabric (shrug) for the eight and he was very pleased with the results. The plaid is some that was left from Grandpa's shirt, also in Ben's quilt.  I wanted the eight to look handmade and a little wonky.  I can't explain why; we want what we want! 

All of this happened in early July and now these tees are faded and probably a bit stained (I don't look too closely).  We are deep into summer.

Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad

Here, as promised, is my version of Vietnamese rice noodle salad.  I first found the recipe in Molly Wizenberg's book Delancey, which I really enjoyed.  She's an excellent writer and some of her recipes are amazing - this is one of them.

Tonight when I reached in the pantry, I came out with Chinese egg noodles and I thought as long as there was some noodle element, it was fine.  Actually, some people would probably prefer this set-up with rice or with no carb at all.  My two cents is that if you're going to buy noodles at an Asian store as I do, make sure the translation of the cooking directions on the package is clear enough.  Some rice noodles like to be soaked, some like to be boiled, some need to be rinsed - I just follow the package directions.

cabbage (purple would have been prettier), cilantro, the first cucumber from our garden (!), cold BBQ chicken from the 4th of July, broccoli and cauliflower, Thai basil from the porch pot

We love this as a summer meal, using whatever veggies and herbs are available.  I fry the onions outside on the grill burner to keep the smell and heat outside.

Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad (serves 4-6)

Mix for dressing and set aside:

3 Tbsp. fish sauce

juice and zest of one large lime

3 Tbsp. brown sugar

4 Tbsp. water

1 garlic clove, minced

few squirts siriacha, to taste

An hour before you want to eat:

Thinly slice a large onion in rings.  Place in a bowl with ice water.  Set aside.

Prepare rice noodles (1/2-1 lb.) depending if you want them hot or cold or room temperature.  I go for room temperature because it's the least fussy.  Also, some rice noodles seem to develop a strange tough texture when chilled.

Prepare whatever raw Asian-ish veggies and herbs you have: cucumber, carrot, sprouts, cabbage, Thai basil, cilantro, mint.  Arrange on a platter.  Optionally, prepare cold sliced meat and chopped peanuts, too (I usually do one or the other).

Ten or fifteen minutes before dinner, drain onions from ice water.  Heat 1/2" oil in large frying pan.  Pat onions dry.  Dredge gently in 1/2 cup flour mixed with 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper.  Fry onions, turning to get both sides and not worrying if they stick together (but don't crowd the pan or they will steam instead of browning crisp - do two batches if you need to).  Drain on cooling rack or paper towels.  Serve hot.

Assemble salad with noodles, veggies/herbs, fried onions, and dressing over all. 

 

Ben Goes to Camp

I offered to make him a bag of sorts to hold his toiletries (try explaining that word to a kid, eh?) and he chose the whimsical leopards. 

We've tried to coax as many details and stories out of Ben as possible, but the tangible evidence of camp is the amount of clothing that did not return with him.  He had a smattering of other boys' socks and undies. The sunscreen disappeared too, even though I had scrawled our name on it with Sharpie. 

However, this is nothing compared to my brother's camp experience when he was a boy.  He left for wilderness camp for a week with a neatly-packed duffle bag and returned home with it at the end of the week, untouched.  Still packed.  Not one thing used out of it.  Kids and camp!

Ben Attempts Lettuce Cups

I pretended this was a Korean sloppy joe:  rich salty beef  in lettuce cups.  The lettuce I had on hand wasn't very cup-like, so combine that with Ben's rather caveman-like manners and that's why I picked up my camera.

I don't know if this recipe bears a resemblance to something that Koreans eat, but it is wonderful and easy and a change from the usual.  I served it with jasmine rice (with some bulgur thrown in for health) and steamed snow peas; we also sprinkled some cilantro on top of the beef because I was trying to use up a bunch.  I have some Thai basil in the garden which would be excellent here, too.

  We all loved this beef, except for my husband who was away over dinnertime for work.  After I stopped raving about how good it was, I promised him that I will make Korean beef often.

Also, I just adore this kind of cool crunchy salad element with hot rice and a rich meat.  Proof:  lettuce-tomato beef, cabbage and ham salad, and another meal that I see I haven't blogged about. It is meatballs, rice, chopped-what-have-you-Asian-veggies, and lime mayo.  Oh! And Vietnamese rice noodle salad! I will cook and photograph and blog, I promise.

Easy Korean Beef - serves 4; adapted from Jennifer and from here

Fry together:
1 lb. ground beef
3 large garlic cloves, chopped fine

Add 2 tsp. sesame oil if your beef is very lean.  Otherwise add it with the sauce.

Separately, combine:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2" segment of fresh ginger, chopped fine
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes, or to taste
2 tsp. cornstarch

When beef is browned and broken up, turn heat to low and whisk in the sauce.  Continue to cook over low and stir until sauce is clinging to beef and hot through, several minutes.

Turn off heat and stir in:
3 spring onions, diced

Serve warm or hot on rice or in lettuce cups.

Notes:
The original recipe called for low-sodium soy sauce.  I don't keep that on hand because I love salt.  But the resulting beef is salty.

I have grassfed beef, so it's very lean.  If your beef is fatty and you mind it, drain the fat from the pan after you saute the beef and garlic.

Front Porch Pots of Flowers and Herbs

The big pot has (deep breath) coleus, pink begonias, white begonias, Thai basil, marigolds, summer savory, and creeping Jenny.  

The two small pots have thyme and begonias.  

I love how they look, pretty and lush.  I snip the herbs and take them to the kitchen, and I coo at my pretty pots when I water them every morning.

The backyard gardening has more mixed results.  I've planted tomato plants again this year, hoping that a year's break means the soil is healthy again. However, one tomato plant already wilted dramatically overnight despite careful watering and care and a little googling makes me worried that our soil still has bacteria or fungus or maybe it's just that omnipresent, ominous black walnut tree in our yard.  I planted two cucumber plants for the first time ever and there are little baby cucumbers under the prickly leaves!  But the raspberries are puny.  But the backyard herbs are pert and the mint from friends is taking off.  

Sisters in Matching Calico

First Genevieve needed some summer play clothes and she let me choose the pattern and the fabric and when I told her casually-yet-secretly-shrieking-inside that I had matching rick-rack for the calico, she said, "cool."  I sewed that jumpsuit up so fast because I didn't want her to forget that she had given me artistic control.  Then, there seemed to be enough blue calico that I proposed a shirt for Phoebe, and Genevieve was thrilled.  We're going to ride this trend as long as we can, says this proud mama!

Technical notes:  I added an interior elastic waistband to Genevieve's jumpsuit. She didn't care for the bagginess, and the girl on the pattern front was wearing a belt with it.  I sewed a casing with bias tape, and threaded elastic through it.

I used a jumper pattern for Phoebe's shirt, just altering the shoulders straps into ties to match Genevieve's.  The method was fresh in my mind, so it worked just fine.

 The calico is vintage and I've had it in my stash for years, ditto the rick-rack.  It warms my heart to see my girls dressed in the styles of my girlhood.

Genevieve is also wearing the medal I won at the roller rink earlier that day.  Me!  At my age!  My girlhood skating sizzle was still there under my mom-surface! To be fair, there wasn't much competition for skating enthusiastically to "YMCA."