SoupSpoon

Grassy Creek Green Beans

I told you about my friend, Natalie, when I mentioned wisteria fritters, the brown bag trick, and prayed for peace after Nairobi's election strife. She moved to Nairobi, Kenya at the end of last summer, and to say I miss her would be an amazing understatement. Often, when Stephen and I are about to sit down to a meal one of us will say, "I wish Natalie was knocking on the back door right about now."

Last weekend she and I were able to have our first real phone conversation since last summer. Every minute was precious. She had flown home from Kenya to visit family while I was away for Lo's graduation. We made a phone date and spent one whole hour wrapped in conversation.

At one point during the conversation I could hear someone whispering something to Natalie, and her trying to say oh Okay without breaking the flow of a sentence. She then proceeded to tell me that her family was downstairs discussing the green beans I made at her moving-to-Africa party, and they would like the recipe. I then remembered the hurried good-bye conversation that went something like her dad saying, "I thought you watched her make them," and her mom saying, "No. I thought you watched her." Oh so many months later, the green bean conundrum had yet to be solved.

On the other end of the phone, I promised them a recipe, and this is my promise fulfilled.

Fortunately for them and every other green bean lover out there, green bean season is about to peak around here. Get your snapping fingers ready.

 

Grassy Creek Green Beans serves 4 as a side
feel free to add a few cloves of minced garlic if you like. Also these beans are lovely finished with a splash of apple cider vinegar just before serving. The vinegar will make the beans a mucky brown color if it sits in it too long. I recommend just adding a splash to your portion if you choose to use it.

1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, snapped
2 shallots, minced (1/4 cup minced)
1 ear of corn, peeled and cut from cob
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
salt and pepper to taste
a bowl of ice water

1. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add in snapped green beans and a big pinch of salt. Boil beans for 5 minutes. Check one for tenderness. They should still have a slight crunch but be tender enough for your liking. Boil 2 more minutes if you think they need it
2. Drain beans in a colander and then place them in a bowl of ice water to shock them. This will keep them green and stop their cooking. Set aside
3. Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat
4. Add shallots and corn to skillet
5. Sauté for 5 minutes until shallots are golden. Drain beans from ice water and add beans to skillet. Toss beans with shallots and corn. Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

spinach stuffed chicken and a happy graduation

Inevitably when I spend time with children, my mind reflects on meals that moms or dads could make in the split second chance of having one arm free.

Last Thursday I flew to my hometown to spend 3 full days with my lifelong best friend, Lo, and her gorgeously fun son. I went for Lo's graduation from Law School. graduation from L-A-W school. Oh my, that still stops me in my tracks.

Lo and I became best friends in second grade, and she told me that she was going to be a lawyer. (Tenacious and determined are two appropriate adjectives to be promptly inserted here.) Not only has she followed her dream for so many years, she also has completed Law School while beautifully raising a toddler. Yes, I agree, a standing ovation is in order. My heart beamed with pride all weekend, and ached a little when I had to leave. She has a Lo-only place in my heart, and her son has also carved his own special nook.

How this all connects with spinach stuffed chicken makes perfect sense in my head. Moms and dads are highly demanded beings, and getting dinner on the table is one of the ways I feel I can help. My sister, Megan, usually calls with a question about dinner while she has a baby in her arms and a toddler on her legs. (Amazing just to attempt dinner under these circumstances. super-humanly amazing.)
Stuffed chicken this way is a tried and true method for super tender chicken that does not take much babysitting. You may even assemble them earlier in the day if you have a free hand.

Whether or not you have little people around, it is an equally smart meal when you have been gone at work. (For example, Stephen and I had this for dinner last night.) Once the chicken is stuffed, seared, and placed in the oven, you can change clothes, open the mail, take the dog for a walk, or call your best friend. Just an idea that I hope simplifies life.

Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts serves 2
I used an asiago and parmesan cheese combination last night, but this is also amazing with feta, gorgonzola, or mozzarella... experiment and have fun. I also have added 1/3 cup sauteed mushrooms to the spinach mix before, and that is wonderful.

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (1/2 pound each)
1 packed cup fresh baby spinach
1/3 cup grated or crumbled cheese of choice
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and cracked black pepper
olive oil for skillet

1. Heat oven to 375.
2. Slice chicken along the outer edge to open it into a heart shape (like pictured above). Be careful to not cut all the way through
3. Chop spinach into bite size pieces. Mix together with cheese, garlic, a pinch of salt, and a crack of pepper
4. Heat a thin layer of oil in a medium skillet over medium heat
5. Stuff half of spinach mixture into each breast. Sprinkle the tops of each breasts with a pinch of salt and pepper
6. Carefully lay each breast, top side down, into heated skillet (like pictured above)
7. Let breasts sit for 5 minutes. Carefully scoop them out of skillet and place in a casserole or glass baking dish, browned side up. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 25-30 minutes. Check with a meat thermometer in the thick part of each breast to make sure the breast is over 170. enjoy

ginger lemon icebox cookies

I owe this one completely to my mom. Through the course of a few mugs of tea last weekend, she shared with me a treasure of sorts.

As I was pouring tea, she came around the corner holding a small package close to her chest. With a giddy grin she said,"I found something wonderful." She had purchased ginger lemon cookies on a gut instinct, and after one bite I marveled at her stellar taste. Seeing that she had calculated them to cost $ 0.53 a piece and they were store-bought, making a recipe seemed the only thing to do.

Sunday evening after arriving home from our visit, I wasted no time. Tinkering with oil, zest, and sugar, I arrived at the perfect combination of a sweet sugar cookie balanced with the tartness of lemon and the chewy heat of crystallized ginger. I am in love with their sweet shape and tender color. In addition to being the inspiration, Mom also now has a cookie created in her honor. Sunday is Mother's Day, and even if it is a Hallmark holiday, she is worth every bit of a cookie-in-her-honor. Of course a cookie does not equal her loving me through adolescence, but let's let bygones be bygones, shall we? Besides, they are really good cookies.

Little did she know, I mailed a box off to Mom on Monday filled with these wonderfully inspired ginger lemon icebox cookies. Wednesday morning my phone rang exceptionally early (for a call from Mom), and when I said hello, I heard ohhh myyy!!! These are won-der-ful! Oh! I love them! I think we have a new treasure.

Happy Mother's Day, to every mom.

Ginger Lemon Icebox Cookies makes 2 dozen
Most grocery stores sell crystallized ginger in the produce department. Stores like Whole Foods or a Co-op will probably have it in the bulk area.

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs
zest from one lemon (1-2 teaspoons)
3/4 teaspoon lemon extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger

1. Whip sugar and oil on medium high for 20 seconds
2. Beat in eggs and beat on high for 20 seconds
3. Add lemon zest and extract. Add salt
4. Stir in flour and baking powder
5. Fold in ginger
6. Scoop dough out onto cling wrap or parchment paper
7. Shape dough into a long 2 inch thick log
8. Wrap and place in freezer for 1 hour or fridge overnight
9. Heat oven to 375. Remove dough from wrap and slice into 1/3 inch slices
10. Place cookies on lined baking sheet and bake for 11 minutes

and another thing about tomatoes.

Fried green tomatoes were a kick-off of sorts. A kick-off to tomato filled summer plates, and after the fried green tomato sandwich, I am completely prepared.

Tomatoes are a grown-up love for me that started only after I fell in love with a man who has quite an affinity (this is another good reason why he waltzed into my life) for the tender tomato. My best memory of tomatoes from childhood is the fresh-grown tomato smell when mom grew them in the back yard. As lovely as that memory is, I never cared for them much. I found them too acidic or too something. All of that is changing. The tangy juice dripping from the edges of a perfect bite is exactly what I crave.

My friend, Emily, says that she could almost live on sweet, ready to be loved, cherry tomatoes in the summertime, and after this salad; I am starting to agree with her.

The fresh bite of a sweet tomato coated in creamy feta and tangy mustard has been on our breakfast, lunch, and dinner plates. Yes, I have made this salad three times this week, and each time is as deliciously exciting as the first.

Alongside fried eggs and biscuits, with a prosciutto sandwich, over pasta, or on its own, this is one salad that will win bellies and minds wherever you place it. Quick and simple to toss together, this would be great doubled or tripled for a picnic.

Tomato Feta Salad with Basil and Mustard Dressing serves 2-3 as a side

1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half top to bottom
1/4 cup crumbled feta
3 tablespoons thinly sliced basil

Dressing:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon grainy mustard or good quality Dijon
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
few good cracks black pepper

1. Toss sliced tomatoes and feta together in bowl
2. Stir dressing together until combined
3. Toss tomatoes and feta with dressing. Toss in basil. enjoy!