It's been exciting!!!

First, there is finally some color in the garden!

Second, I harvested my first radish!

And third, I have a new friend in the garden... a ladybug!!! This is such a good good sign!  It means things are healthy. It means the good bugs (like ladybugs) want to come hang out. I hope this one brings a few friends the next time he visits. It means the ladybugs will potentially eat and keep away any bad, predator-type bugs. Yay!!!

How does my garden grow?

Cioppino

Cioppino

I think this may be one of the easiest meals I have ever made (and one of the most delicious). The ingredient list may seem long, but most of the items you will already have in the kitchen and nearly all the rest can be bought at a fish market. I think the trip to the fish market was one of my favorite parts of this process.

The recipe is adapted from "Cooking Light: Annual Recipes 2004" and is a recipe from Mothers Restaurant in Portland, OR. From what I read cioppino goes really really well with a fresh loaf of crusty french bread or a batch of french fries. Since Will and I cannot eat wheat, we skipped the bread and ended up pairing this with rice and a side salad. I also changed this recipe so that there is more broth than other cioppino recipes.

Ingredients

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper 
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups clam juice 
• 1 cup water
• 1 Tbs dry parsley
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 of a 26 oz bottle of tomato-basil pasta sauce 
• 10 littleneck clams 
• 10 small mussels, scrubbed and debearded 
• 1/2 cup dry white wine 
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 
• 1/2 # of lean white fish (cod, halibut) - cut into 1 inch pieces 
• 1/2 # of medium shrimp, peeled & deveined 
• 2 cups torn spinach 

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. 
2. Add the red pepper and garlic - saute for a minute. 
3. Stir in the clam juice, water, parsley, basil, thyme & tomato sauce - heat for a couple minutes. 
4. Add the clams & mussels - cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the shells open (Discard and do not eat any unopened shells). 
5. Add the wine, salt, black pepper, white fish & shrimp - simmer for 5 more minutes. 
6. Stir in the spinach - cook for one more minute. 
7. Serve and enjoy!!!

A Labor of Love for Soup

Brazilian Chicken Soup with Rice

I love this soup, but will start off by saying the making of it is not for everyone. The eating of it is for everyone (who eats chicken and veggies and rice), but the making is something altogether different. This is what I would call a "weekend meal" - the kind of meal you take your time preparing and do not have to throw together in 30 minutes or less.

This soup is a delicious cooking experience that is a labor of love. It is adapted from "The South American Cook" by Maria Baez Kijac. If I could attach a smell to a blog I would bottle the smell of this soup as it simmers on the stove and send it to each of you - it makes my mouth water to think about it! It reminds me of rainy winter days in the northwest and wrapping up in soft blankets on the couch and watching a great old movie (while the whole time this soup is simmering in the background).

At the bottom of this post I have written my adaptations to the recipe list and the prep work that would make this a weekday meal (i.e. much quicker and simpler to prepare). Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 Tbs canola oil 
• 3-4# whole chicken - cut into large sections, rinsed, patted dry 
• 1 large onion - chopped 
• 4 garlic cloves - coarsely chopped 
• 4 small tomatoes - chopped 
• 2 large carrots - sliced 
• 2 leeks - chopped (white and green parts) 
• 2 tsp salt 
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste 
• 8-10 cups water (enough to cover all the chicken)
• 1 cup long grain rice (I had Jasmine in the cupboard, it worked well) 
• 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro - coarsely chopped

Directions

1. In a large soup pot heat the oil over med-high heat - add the chicken pieces a few at a time - rotate until all the pieces are browned a bit on all sides 
2. Add the onion and garlic - cook for 3 minutes over medium heat 
3. Add the water, tomatoes, carrots, leeks, salt and pepper - bring to a boil
4. Skim off the froth on the surface - reduce to a simmer, partially cover and simmer for 1 hour 
5. Transfer the chicken to a bowl (using tongs or a slotted spoon)
6. Pour the veggies and broth through a strainer into another large soup pot - reserve the veggies 
7. Heat the broth to a boil - add the rice - simmer for approximately 30 minutes (or until the rice is soft) 
8. In the meantime, pick all the meat off the chicken - discard the skin and bones
9. Add the veggies and chicken back into the broth/rice mixture - simmer 5 minutes 
10. Add the chopped cilantro and serve

Possible Time Savers

• Chicken - buy one that is already cut into pieces (saves on prep time)
• Chicken - buy one that is already roasted - place the whole chicken in the pot - only simmer for 30 minutes instead of 1 hour 
• Tomatoes - use 1 can of drained, chopped tomatoes 
• Garlic, onion and carrots - can all be bought in some stores already chopped
• Rice - use quick-cook rice (will only need to simmer the broth until the rice is done, then immediately add in the chicken meat and veggies)

Chincherinchee

Did the title grab your attention? Are you wondering, what is "Chincherinchee"?

Lucky for you, I am not going to make you wait (at all) - it is a plant!  A super cool, never-seen-anything-like-it-before plant (that a wonderful friend gave me for my birthday). Here is a picture of it.

The plant is a native to South Africa, where it is spelled: tjenkenrientjee (which became chincherinchee in English). It's scientific name is ornithogalum thyrsoides. It has also been called Wonder Flower and Star of Bethlehem, and on the label that came with my personal plant, it is called White Star. It likes sunlight, moist soil and does well both in and outdoors.

Here are a few more pictures of this marvelously cool plant that is supposed to bloom for up to 3 months!
Enjoy!!

This is the link to the website where I finally found the official name of this totally cool plant: 
http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/indexmag.html?http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artfeb06/bj-ornitho.html

Thank you Mr Dolphin

Dear Mr. Dolphin,

Thank you for sharing my run along the beach today. I really wanted to stop and walk but everytime I glanced out to my right, across the waves, there you were!

You were the perfect "running" companion; you cruised along at my pace, did not critique my running form, and did not criticize my choice in music. You also stayed by my side for the whole mile (I think the lifeguards who were tracking your progress got a little jealous).

Thank you!
Rachel

Cartagena-style Rice

Cartagena-style Rice

A tasty and easy side dish.
Direct from "The South American Table" by Maria Baez Kijac.
As long as you do not have any issues/dislikes of coconut I see no reason to skip this recipe.
Soooo good.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of long grain rice (I used jasmine)
• 1 can coconut milk, unsweetened, 14oz
• 1 1/2 cups of water 
• 1 Tbs sugar 
• 1 tsp salt 

Directions

1. Combine all the ingredients in a heavy sauce pan.
2. Bring to a boil - reduce heat to a low simmer - cover and cook until the rice is done (15-35 minutes, depending on the type of rice you choose to use)
3. Once the rice is soft, remove from heat, fluff with a fork - serve and eat warm!

Yum.

Green. Green. Green.

Everything in the garden is green. Green leaves. Green stems. More green leaves. Green.

I am ready for some color. There is a hint of red at the base of the radishes, but otherwise, everything is green. Please don't misunderstand me, I am thrilled that things are growing; I am just ready for blooming, in addition to the growing.

I am also ready for the blooming, so that I can officially figure out what is what. I planted a number of pots with a mix of flower seeds and now I have no idea which are which... so, I need things to bloom to figure out what is doing well (and might be planted again next year) and what is not doing well (and will not be welcome back for a second visit).

Below are a few pictures of the greenery... radishes, carrots, baking (in the sun) sunflowers, and a mix of flowers. Enjoy!!!

Mazamorra campesina

Sweet Corn Stew

Again, I am borrowing this recipe from "The South American Table" by Maria Baez Kijac. It is super simple and super delicious. As corn starts to come into season and be especially sweet I suspect this will grace our table more often this summer. The ingredient list is short, the prep time is under five minutes, the cook time is barely fifteen, and the dishes include only one pot! In addition to all those wonderful reasons to try this recipe, according to Ms. Kijac, this soup is considered a "cure-all" with special healing powers by those who live in the Venezulean countryside.

Ingredients

• 4 cups of fresh corn kernels (approximately 6-8 ears) 
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 tsp crushed anise seeds 
• Pinch of salt
• Sprinkle of dark brown sugar 

Directions

1. In a blender place the corn kernels and water - puree until smooth.
2. Place the corn-water mix, milk, anise and salt in a large saucepan. 
3. Bring to a boil over medium heat - reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. 
4. Serve warm with a sprinkle of brown sugar. 

Other notes: 

If you are only cooking for 1 or 2 people cut the recipe in half; that's what I did and it still tasted great. :) Happy cooking (and eating)!