what about the plastic animals?

Radish Rainbow

There was a rainbow of radishes at the farmer's market this weekend.  I guess people eat them.

Donoughts

Homemade Donoughts, Strolling of the Heifers Dairy Fest, Brattleboro, VT

Doughnut, Blue Benn Diner, Bennington, VT

Proper doughnuts, no matter how the word is spelled, are best reasons to go to Vermont.

The other day I was telling someone about my trip.  "I went to the Strolling of the Heifers.  A hundred heifers parade up Main Street in Brattleboro."  From the look on her face I couldn't tell whether she didn't know what a heifer was, or did and couldn't process the idea that a hundred of them would be marched through town.

What's that smell?

Oatmeal?

Riding the subway on the way back from the farmer's market I noticed that the train smelled really bad.  I didn't see any smelly looking people in the car.  Switched lines at Times Square and noticed that the 1 train was also stinky.  Again there weren't any smelly looking people on board.  It was then that I realized that I was the stinky person.  More precisely it was the cheese I bought at the market that was the source of the smell.  The cheese, spread on a chunk of rosemary bread, made for a tasty lunch.

Strawberries

A little early?  I am not complaining.

A Tale of Two Pies

First layer of sugared lemon slices

Done.  Note the attractive sunburst pattern vents!

Pizza!

Using a recipe out of a Shaker cook book I made a lemon of a lemon pie a few days ago.  The recipe was unusual in that it called for slicing up the lemon peel and all.  Really, really thinly.  Mix the lemon slices with a couple of cups of sugar and "marinate" overnight.  After marinating you alternated layers of lemon slices with the remaining sugared lemon juice, topping it all off with four beaten eggs.

I couldn't eat more than a slice of pie.  The lemon flavor was delightful but the sugar was overwhelming.

The pizza pie turned out much better.  Italian sausage, fresh asparagus and rosemary, crushed tomatoes and cheeses fresh mozzarella, aged provolone and grana padano. 

Spring at the Market

Asparagus

Ramps

Jayhawk

Fresh green things are starting to appear at the farmer's market.  I bought a bunch of asparagus, apples, cider, cheese and mushrooms.

 

The End is Near

The tomato has taken a turn for the worse.  Compare the photo from this morning (above) with that taken a mere eight days ago.

Upsetting image of the tomato from a different angle after the jump--

Olive Oil and Citrus Cake

This one turned out good!  My contribution to a Saturday night dinner party was this olive oil and citrus cake.

Involves Cooking, but Otherwise Unrelated:  Rachelle cooks Slow Cooker Pulled Pork with root beer.

Unrelated but Might Eventually Involve Cooking:  Beautiful Maryland Chicken:  1920

The cake recipe from Moosewood Restaurant Book of Desserts follows:

I Just Want Plain Black Iced Tea

The bottle was filled to the top but I did not spill any of this tea.  It, the not spilling, was the highlight of my day.  That and falling asleep from 11:30 in the morning until 2:30 this afternoon.

If I may use this space for an open letter to mass-producers and sellers of iced tea:

Dear Mass-producers and Sellers of Iced Tea,

I would like to buy plain black iced tea.
I do not want mango in my tea.
I do not want pomegranate in my tea.
I do not want blueberry in my tea.
I do not want raspberry in my tea.
I do not want lemon in my tea.
I do not want lemonade in my tea.
I do not want 30g or more of high fructose corn syrup in my tea.
When you add high fructose corn syrup to teas with magical anti-oxidant-containing fruits in them, the immeasurably tiny health benefit of the magical anti-oxidant is vastly overwhelmed by the known detrimental effects of excessive sugar. 
Unless I am eating barbecue or fried chicken I do not want more than a hint of sugar in my tea.
I do not want black currant in my tea.
I do not want acai in my tea.
I do not want peach in my tea.
I do not want strawberry in my tea.
I do not want tangerine in my tea.
When out for a walk I get really tired of going into deli after deli after bodega looking for plain black iced tea.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Someone who thinks finding plain black ice tea in a store should be easy not difficult

Tastes Like...

Chicken.  Bird week continues!

I made the Rum and Chili Roasted Chicken Thighs with Pineapple recipe that was in the Times last week.  Only I used a mix of thighs and drumsticks, lime juice instead of lemon, dark maple syrup instead of brown sugar, and half a jalapeno instead of a whole habanero.  It was easy to make and turned out pretty tasty.  Next time I'll use a whole jalapeno (it wasn't spicy at all) and broil it for a minute or two longer.