Spring Burgers with Parsnip Ribbons - May 21, 2010

Grilled Burgers, Blue Cheese, and Pickled Ramps on Whole Wheat Buns with Parsnip Ribbons

We pulled the grill out of hibernation last week for this meal. The burgers are 1/5 pound Thousand Hills beef with chopped onions and savory mixed in. We topped with blue cheese crumbles and some of our pickled ramps, all piled onto some fresh, homemade wheat buns. We're trying to significantly cut back on our red meat consumption, so when we do indulge, we like to do it up right. For a side (but truth be told, the star of the meal), Nick fried up some sweet, over-wintered parsnip ribbons from Harmony Valley Farm. The concentrated sugars stored up in these root veggies during our cold, dark winter really made for quite a treat.

Graham Crackers - May 15, 2010

Almond Butter Graham Crackers

Happy Friday! For this week's treat (actually made last week), I offer you homemade almond butter graham crackers. I found this brilliant idea and recipe here, via the Kitchn. I substituted Trader Joe's Almond Butter with Roasted Flax Seeds for the peanut butter since that was what I had on hand, and I think it would be fun to try them with other nut butters too (mmm, cashew). They turned out beautifully and tasted delectable. These came along with us to Madison and we used them for s'mores around the bonfire Saturday night. Obviously that was super tasty, but I think the crackers are just as good on their own for a healthy, sweet snack.

This Week's Veggies - May 20, 2010

New Delivery, Fun Veggies

Our second delivery from the Farm arrived today (we're on the every other week plan, which suits the two of us and our eating habits well). This week brings more fun items, including a new green called salad burnet, which I am excited to try. It's description of leaves tasting a bit like cucumber has my interest piqued and I'm wondering if some of it won't find it's way into a Pimm's Cup for me to sip on the porch this weekend. Speaking of alcoholic beverages, we might get a batch of rhubarb vodka started with some of this week's rhubarb. I've already planted my herbs from the pack and am looking forward to fresh basil and rosemary all summer long. Green garlic is a favorite from last year and, with all the fun greens this week, including arugula in the choice box, I think we'll be enjoying some more great salads.

Thanks Harmony Valley Farm!

Cajun-Cuban Beans and Rice with Corn - May 17, 2010

Pinto Beans, Brown Basmati Rice and Shoepeg Corn with Cajun Seasonings and Cuban influence

We had some leftover rice from a stir fry meal last week and some pinto beans in the freezer, so I did a bit of searching on one of my favorite food sites, key words 'rice and beans,' and found a couple recipes, here and here, that sounded good. Combining elements from each, we ended up with the meal you see here. I had a can of shoepeg corn and decided to add it for some interest. I also chopped up some fresh savory, oregano, chives and thyme to add some flavor. Since we don't have 'Cajun' seasoning on the shelf, I combined cayenne, chili powder and smoked Spanish Paprika. To finish, I added some French breakfast radishes for garnish and crunch.

Two Salads - May 16 & 18, 2010

Bacon and Egg Salad

We've been indulging in salads galore around here, happy to have lots of fresh, local, spring greens at our fingertips thanks to our CSA farm. The first is this year's version of a bacon and egg salad. I chopped up a piece of bacon and sauteed it until crispy. After removing it from the pan and setting aside, I added half of a small chopped onion to the rendered bacon fat and cooked until soft. I added a splash of white wine vinegar to the pan, stirred for another minute or so and then turned off the heat. I added the bacon back into the pan, and then our bag of saute greens to wilt them slightly. Meanwhile, Nick was busy poaching a couple of eggs. We filled bowls with the bacon dressed saute greens, topped with our poached eggs, and added salt and pepper to taste. The saute greens are full of flavor, some are spicy, some mustard-y, and a great compliment to some bacon and eggs.


Mixed Greens with Pickled Ramps and Goat Cheese

Sunday night, after our drive home from Madison and a weekend indulging in almond croissants and grilled brats, we made this salad. Spinach, sorrel and a tiny handful of some saute greens, dressed simply with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, and then topped with some creamy goat cheese and home-pickled ramps, was the perfect way to end the weekend.

Smoked Trout Cakes - May 13, 2010

Pan-Fried Smoked Trout Cakes with Lemony Salad

Nick found this recipe and made us dinner last Thursday. I pitched in with the salad, which was extra lemony thanks to the addition of some sorrel. Nick made some modifications to the cakes, including substituting plain yogurt for the mayo, chives for the scallions, sunflower sesame bread crumbs for the panko, and omitting the capers. For the salad, I used spinach and sorrel instead of the suggested mache or watercress. We both thought the end result was super delicious. And, as a cholesterol lowering bonus, that trout is packed with omega-3's.

Springtime in Madison - May 15 - 16, 2010

Madison Highlights

Nick and I are back from a beautiful spring weekend in Madison! Saturday was a perfect day to be out and about and we took full advantage by getting an early start. Highlights include a trip to the Dane County Farmers' Market at the State Capital; a trillium purchased at the market to bring home; my favorite almond croissant from Cafe Soleil; a colorful assortment of brews, enjoyed outdoors at Capital Brewery's Beer Garden; vibrant spring flowers for sale; and a fun string quartet on State Street entertaining us with covers from Journey and other 80's favorites.


Capital Brewery's 'Supper Club' Lager

We were also introduced to Capital's new brew that could almost be our signature beer. I like how it's described as 'not bad' right on the box. Perhaps we will have to lobby for a 'Dinner Club' ale next year?

Thanks to Greg, JJ, and family for hosting us last minute!

Marzipan and Dandelion Croissants - May 9, 2010

Rustic Marzipan and Dandelion Croissants

Happy Friday everyone. I made these 'croissants' last weekend and have been waiting all week to share. I pulled some handy puff pastry out of the freezer to start. Then I made some truly rustic marzipan by combining a handful of slivered almonds and a spoonful of honey in a food processor and pureeing until the mix was reasonably smooth. I added a little extra honey partway through just to get the consistency right. Next I rolled out my puff pastry in a rectangle to 1/4 -1/8th inch thickness. After dividing the dough into four equal pieces, I loaded a spoonful of marzipan and a spoonful of dandelion jelly into each piece and rolled it up, sealing the edges. Finally, after baking for 15 to 20 minutes in a 400 deg oven they were ready. And they were yummy!

Broccoli Gratin - May 12, 2010

Broccoli Gratin

This chilly, rainy weather has me craving comfort food. Last night broccoli gratin satisfied that need. Nick checked out a couple of cookbooks from the library this week, one of them being Family Meals: Creating Traditions in the Kitchen by Maria Helm Sinskey. The broccoli gratin is on page 60. I love that this recipe was in the dairy section rather than the veggie. Whole milk, a motley mix of cheeses and a splash of heavy cream thrown in at the end for good measure has this recipe securely placed in the right chapter. Dairy puts the comfort in comfort food, my friends.

Sunchoke and Rhubarb Stir Fry - May 11, 2010

Sunchoke, Rhubarb, Crimini, and Red Russian Kale Stir Fry

Last night I decided to throw a CSA veggie medley into the wok and see how it would turn out. I heated a little peanut oil in the wok and then threw in chopped sunchokes, rhubarb, crimini mushrooms and red Russian kale, in that order. A clove of minced fresh garlic and a splash or two of tamari finished things off.


...Over Rice

We put this over some brown Basmati rice to serve. Verdict? It was pretty good, although I did think the tartness of the rhubarb to be a bit jarring on the palate combined with the earthiness of the rest of the veggies. Next time I might try half peanut oil and half toasted sesame oil to tone that down a bit, or just omit the rhubarb altogether. Also, I should have chopped up the kale more than I did, as it was a bit stringy and difficult to chew. The devil is, as they say, in the details.

Smoked Trout and Sunchoke Salad - May 9, 2010

Smoked Trout and Sunchoke Salad with Sunflower Sesame 'Crackers'

This is our favorite sunchoke (aka Jerusalem artichoke) recipe that we've adapted from 'Asparagus to Zucchini.' We picked up smoked trout from Star Prairie at the Mill City Farmers' Market on Saturday and of course got some lovely sunchokes in our CSA delivery. We mixed a trout fillet with some plain yogurt, lemon juice, diced sunchokes and chopped ramps in a food processor (much like a tuna salad, but with trout and sunchokes standing in for the tuna and celery). We placed this salad on a bed of spinach and sorrel. The lemon flavor of the sorrel was great with the fish. We garnished with some of the French breakfast radishes and served with some sunflower sesame toasts.

Spring Tabbouleh plus Breakfast Asparagus - May 7, 2010

Spring Tabbouleh: Bulgar with Asparagus, Saute Greens, and Ramps

This was our first use for the asparagus from the CSA share. I brushed it with olive oil and a little salt and grilled the stalks until I liked the looks of them. After I pulled them off the grill pan and turned off the heat, I threw a handful of saute greens on the pan to wilt them slightly with the residual heat. These got thrown into the bowl of bulgar along with the asparagus, cut into inch-long pieces, and some chopped ramps. I poured a quickly prepared mustard vinaigrette (mustard, red wine vinegar, olive oil) in the bowl, and some salt and pepper to taste and gave everything one last toss before serving. We each dusted a bit of Pecorino cheese on top of our portions to dress it up a bit. It was delicious and reminded me very much of a fresh spring version of one of my summer favorites, Tabbouleh.


Breakfast Asparagus

We used the rest of our asparagus in breakfast preparations over the weekend. Nick made an asparagus and smoked provolone omelette, which we had over sunflower sesame toast on Saturday. Sunday's version included bacon. Nick grilled the asparagus and then added it to the saute pan with the cooked bacon, fried some eggs, and loaded everything up on yet another piece of sunflower sesame toast. What a treat!

Champagne Limoncello Cocktail with Mint - May 8, 2010

a.k.a. The Bubble-Mint Lemon-JLO

It was my Birthday over the weekend and in the Dinner Club tradition of 2010 I (shamelessly) made myself a signature birthday cocktail. I found the recipe here. Instead of regular limoncello, I used the organic Lemongrass Cello that Kate and Scott got me for Christmas. Otherwise I stuck to the recipe.


LOFT Lemongrass Cello Liqueur

Yum! So many things to love about this beverage...it's chartreuse, bubbly, citrus-y, and minty. I've noticed my mint is up in the yard, and perhaps yours is too. I think this is a very fun use for it. It's something a little different than the average mimosa. I love the lemongrass flavor, but I think regular limoncello would be just as tasty. Consider it for a spring brunch, or perhaps to toast Mom today.

Cheers!

Spring Salad - May 6, 2010

Spinach Salad with Ramps, Sorrel, and Chives over Poached Egg and Toast

We took full advantage of our Harmony Valley Farm bounty last night and made a huge salad dressed with oregano infused olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The toast, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with cracked pepper served as a giant crouton and the egg made everything look pretty. It was a perfect way to start off CSA season.

This weekend will be full of treats as it's another Dinner Club birthday!

First CSA Delivery of the Season! - May 6, 2010

Beautiful Veggies!

Today is the day, Dinner Clubbers. It is the day marked on my calendar with a big red circle and exclamation points. The day I have been waiting for like a kid waits for Christmas morning. Do you blame me? Look at this beautiful green bunch of goodness.

Do you know what I'm super excited about? The ramps. I was worried with our warm spring that we may have missed the ramp window. I took a gamble yesterday at the co-op and left ramps sitting on the shelf (they were $2.79 per ramp!) in the hopes we would get some in our box today. Hurray! Two big beautiful bunches showed up so my decision paid off. Big.

Almost equally exciting is the asparagus. I've held off on purchasing any yet this spring because none that I've seen has been local. Exercising restraint with food is not my strong suit, so I'm pretty proud of myself for this one. This asparagus is going to taste all the better for it, I'm sure.

Other notables include sorrel, a super yummy, bright, lemony green, excellent added to salads; red Russian kale (front and center with the little yellow flowers) which is supposed to be good with fish; two giant stalks of rhubarb, which I've recently seen starring in some delicious looking crumbles here, here, and here; my favorite sunchokes; darling French breakfast radishes...oh who am I kidding, the whole box is notable.

Thank you so much to the whole crew over at Harmony Valley Farm! I'm so excited to have you back for the season.

Tostadas de Gambas - 5 de Mayo, 2010

Chipotle Shrimp Tostadas

To celebrate Cinco de Mayo, we made this recipe, from Food & Wine. It was really, really good. I only changed a couple of things, including substituting fresh chives (from our yard) for the scallions, and plain yogurt for the sour cream in the slaw. We specifically used a beauty heart radish (aka 'watermelon radish') for the radishes called for in the recipe because we have a bunch and they're so pretty.

This was a bright and colorful dish, perfect for a Cinco de Mayo celebration. The shrimp have a little heat from the chipotle powder which is tempered nicely by the cool crispness of the slaw and the creamy avocado. The tostada provides a nice crunch for a bit of texture throughout the dish.

We omitted margaritas because we are currently out of tequila, but horchata and a Summer Shandy with lime were excellent replacements.

Morel Sformato - May 4, 2010

Lovely Morels

I snagged a precious few morels at the co-op on Monday. They were foraged from somewhere in Oregon. Not super close to home, but a state that calls one Dinner Clubber and (soon-to-be) two of my sisters it's own. I don't think one can claim local by association, but when it comes to morels, I'm not actually too picky. Plus, the Wisconsin grown wild watercress and spinach in the salad can redeem the locality of the meal a bit.


Morel 'Sformato' with Wild Watercress and Spinach Salad

After a quick search on Food & Wine, I found this recipe that I thought sounded tasty and morel-worthy. And, it was something completely new for me, which is always exciting. It ended up being a flop, but only literally, as it was very delicious, but no where near set at the end of the allotted cooking time (plus an extra 5 min). The flavor was super creamy which went nicely with the spicy watercress. So in the end, my sformato, which is supposed to be a molded custard, turned out to be a really rich morel gravy, which certainly isn't a bad thing.

Re-fried Bean Burritos - May 4, 2010

Re-fried Bean, Chihuahua Cheese and Fresh Oregano Burritos with Salsa Lisa

Last night we had a favorite meal of mine. I cooked up some pinto beans over the weekend and added some Salsa Lisa to the skillet while re-frying them last night. I also made the tortillas, and slightly different than usual I might add. Rick Bayless says to use lard if possible, instead of vegetable shortening, and so I did. It turns out one can buy lard at Target (and probably lots of other grocery stores too...I've just never thought to look). It might be labeled as 'manteca' (which Nick, who took Russian in high school, informed me, who took five years of Spanish, means 'lard' en Espanol). I honestly didn't notice any significant differences with the lard vs. with shortening. We added the melt-y Chihuahua cheese and some fresh oregano to complete the meal.

*This is probably not the last Mexican influenced meal this week as tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo. Methinks we are going to have to pull out the margaritas and do it up right.

Sunflower and Sesame Seed Bread- May 2, 2010

Sunflower and Sesame Seed Bread

As Nick's blog post hinted, we had a busy weekend of household chores around here...mowing, planting, weeding, replacing headlights...you get the picture. That, combined with a lovely brunch at our friends' left us with a weekend of minimal cooking. I did, however, try a new bread recipe so I have a little something to share with you this Monday.

Not wanting to show up to brunch empty handed, I brought a jar of dandelion jelly and decided to bake some bread to go with it. I usually make my standard whole wheat sourdough with the sourdough starter that JJ gave me, which I love, but this gave me an opportunity to try something new. This recipe came right in my bread machine owner's manual and caught my eye because it had molasses in it. Yes, molasses, along with the sunflower seeds, sesame seeds (and cumin seeds, but I omitted because I only had powdered cumin and I thought that would be weird), white and whole wheat flour. It smelled so good while baking that I ended up making a second batch for Nick and I for the week. It bakes on the French bread cycle, so it's light and airy, which is a nice juxtaposition to the hearty flavors of the seeds and molasses.

Changing the headlight blub in a 1997 Honda Civic

Today's post has nothing whatsoever to do with food. It also does not have any pictures.

I'm posting a description of how to change the headlight bulb in a 1997 Honda Civic (or, more generally, a 6th generation Honda Civic). I'm doing this because (a) the Owner's Manual lacks sufficient descriptive power and (b) so do most of the online forums. My hope is that you've found this page through an internet search and are trying to figure out how to replace the headlight bulb yourself.

I'm doing this without pictures, so read carefully. Also note that I'm making up the names of various car parts, favoring a descriptive name rather than what it may actually be called.

Problem: Your 6th generation Honda Civic driver's side headlight bulb has burned out. (If your passenger-side headlight has burnt out, these directions will be about 65% helpful.)

What you will need:

• Small- to medium-sized hands. If you have overly large hands, you may need to try a different technique than what I describe below, or may need to get more aggressive with the power steering fluid reservoir (more on that later).
• A replacement bulb. Should cost about $10 at Napa Auto Parts. Just tell the store what Make/Model/Year you have, and they'll get you the correct bulb.
• About 30 minutes of your time.
• Flashlight recommended.
• Friend recommended, to hold the flashlight and the power steering fluid reservoir out of the way.
  

No tools necessary.

A note on locations and directions:
To reduce confusion, I will occasionally use anatomical terms of location.

• Anterior = front end of the car, such as the bumper, headlights, grill, etc.
  
• Posterior = rear end of the car, such as the taillights, trunk latch, etc.
  
• Lateral = either side of the car. In this case, it will mean the Driver's side.
  
• Dorsal = top of the car, such as the roof or hood
• Ventral = bottom of the car, the side only your mechanic sees.
  
• Medial = the center line of the car, drawn from the center of the anterior face to the center of the posterior face. This is the imaginary line that is traced by the H on the front of your car when you drive.

Handedness is as you face the car head-on. For example, the Driver's side is on the Right.

Steps:

1. Open the hood and prop it up on the hood arm.
   
2. Look just behind (posterior to) the driver's side headlamp. You should see a dirty white plastic cylinder with a red knob on top, with black rubber hoses running in and out of it. This is the power steering fluid reservoir, herein abbreviated PSFR. Honda Motors put the PSFR in this location specifically to piss you off.
   
3. Notice the PSFR is standing upright, thanks to a metal bracket. If you pretend that the dorsal (top) side of the PSFR is the face of a clock, and you are standing in front of your car, you will see the top edge of the metal bracket at about 10-o-clock. The PSFR is not bolted or screwed into the bracket itself. Rather, it has been slotted into the bracket from above.
4. Pull the PSFR directly up, dorsally, sliding it up and out of the bracket. The hoses will resist. You should be safe from ripping or tearing the hoses out of the PSFR as long as you pull up the PSFR just enough to get it out of the bracket.
5. Position the PSFR with the ventral side (bottom) of the PSFR on top of the bracket itself. This should keep it from slotting back into the bracket, and will give you a chance to think about the next steps. It may flop forward, and that's OK for now.
   
6. Look or feel for the black plastic electric connector (BPEC) that plugs into the posterior end of the lightbulb. The BPEC is approximately a cube, and has wires running out of the ventral (bottom of car) face. You will probably need to try multiple angles of attack to get your hand into position to feel for the BPEC. I found that it was easiest to put my hand in from the left side of the headlight assembly (aka, the medial side).
   
7. The BPEC is clipped into place thanks to two tabs that are part of the BPEC itself. The two tabs are basically imperceptible by touch, but they are there. One tab is on the medial face of the BPEC (that is, the face that is facing the centerline of the car, towards the engine block). The other tab is on the lateral face of the BPEC. Theoretically, you just pinch the BPEC on the medial and lateral sides to release the tabs, and pull it away from the bulb. Theory is not reality with your 6th generation Honda Civic.
8. The trick to extract the BPEC from the bulb is to recognize that you likely cannot simultaneously pinch both tabs at the same time. Unless you have tiny, tiny hands.
   
9. Using your right hand, hold the PSFR out of the way, in a dorsal and posterior direction from the headlight. I used the top of the bracket as leverage so that I was basically just pushing the PSFR posteriorally. This is where it's handy to have a friend.
   
10. Using your left hand, apply pressure to the lateral side of the BPEC and pull it medially and "away" (posteriorally) from the bulb. I found that I can pull on the lateral side of the BPEC with the tip of my left index or middle finger.
    
11. Then, apply pressure to the medial side of the BPEC, so that you are pushing it laterally and "away" (posteriorally). I was able to use my left thumb.
12. Repeat the prior two steps in quick succession, over and over. Basically, you are trying to wiggle the BPEC out and away from the bulb. You will eventually succeed.
13. Congrats, that was the first hard part.
    
14. Next, you will need to remove the big black rubber ring (BBRR) that surrounds the posterior end of the bulb itself, like a doughnut. It is just wedged into place over a circular plastic lip. Wiggle it off in a posterior direction. There are tabs and other features you can pull on, but just grab onto any part of the BBRR to wiggle it off. This is the easy step.
    
15. Your next obstacle is a stiff metal wire that acts as a gate to hold the bulb in place. This is where it is handy to have a clear mental image of what the wire is, and how it is configured. The wire is basically a gate that uses tension to push the lightbulb in an anterior direction, holding it in place. Like a gate, the wire has a hinge on one side, and a lock on the other side. The "door" part in this gate metaphor is just the wire itself, which is pushing against the posterior end of the bulb.
    
16. The Hinge is on the lateral side of the lightbulb housing. The Lock is on the medial side of the lightbulb housing. Basically, you want to somehow unlock the wire, so that it swings on its hinge away from the bulb in a posterior and lateral direction (because the hinge is on the lateral side of the bulb).
17. Therefore, the part of the wire you need to focus your attention on is the Medial end of the wire. That is, the part of the wire that is attached to the medial side of the light bulb housing. Stick your fingers into the round plastic housing of the lightbulb, and feel for a "U" shaped wire structure -- it will be on the medial side of the circular housing. In other words, if you are staring directly at the front of the headlight, looking at the lightbulb on-end, the U feature will be at 9-o-clock. The round part of the U will be pointing medially, and the two "ends" of the U will point laterally. This U structure is intended to provide you with some surface area to push on. This is the part of the wire you'll be pushing on to unlock the gate.
    
18. But how do you unlock the gate? You need to visualize the lock as being like a safety pin. It uses the tension in the wire itself to stay in a kind of plastic trap, and you need to figure out which direction to push on the wire to unhook it, just like you would a safety pin.
19. But which direction? Push anteriorally (towards the front end of the car, applying even more tension to the bulb), and move it dorsally (top of the car) out of the trap. You may need to try variations on this maneuver, but the general idea is that you push anteriorally and then move dorsally (while still pushing anteriorally). This is the hardest part. EDIT: In reading how others have described this step, it is possible you just need to pinch the ends of the U shape together to unlock it. I am not going to bother verifying this, but you might want to try this technique as well.
    
20. The wire gate should spring open, releasing the bulb. Just pull the bulb out in a posterior direction.
21. Time for a beer.
    
22. At this point, you are ready to put the new bulb in. You basically just follow the above steps in reverse. I'm not going to write that out step-by-step for you, because the most important thing is that you have a mental image of how this works, which you should have by now. However, some things to keep in mind:

• Don't touch the "bulb" part of the new bulb with your fingers, as the oils from your fingers will shorten the longevity of the bulb. At least, that's what everyone says. I'm not sure if it's true, but this process was annoying enough that I wouldn't want to risk it.
• Be sure that the wire gate is "open" when you put the bulb in. Otherwise, you won't be able to push the bulb in all the way.
  
• When you put the bulb back in, align it appropriately before locking the wire gate. The prongs are wide and flat, and form a 3-sided box. You want the missing forth side to be on the bottom (ventral side).
  

Hope this helps ... comments and improvements welcome.

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