Signs of Summer

Summer arrived early this year and we can't wait for it to be over.


It's already about a MILLION degrees outside so we are faithfully performing our fan worshiping ritual daily. (Note: all three fans are on in this picture; our camera just has a speedy shutter.)


In the summer the homemade bread that Mama makes rises higher than during the cold winter months...too bad we can't eat any due to our wheat free diet. We do get to sample the organic vegetables from our local community supported agriculture program though. Our favorites are watermelon, kale stems, broccoli and cabbage...at least summer has a few benefits.


Everyone who has Newfs can probably relate to this picture. We like to lie right on top of the air conditioning vents. We think it's hilarious when Daddy comes along and slides us off of them. As soon as he turns his back we scoot right back until the whole vent is blocked again. If they didn't mean for Newfs to lie on the vents they should have put them somewhere other than the floor!


Happy Summer everyone! We hope you all stay nice and cool. Love and Licks from Katie & Louie

Pooches in the Pumpkin Patch

We had to take advantage of the lovely pumpkins we received from our communtity supported agriculture program for a Newfie photo op.

Summer Tastes Delicious

One of the few redeeming things about summer is the fantastic organic produce we have been getting from our local community supported agriculture program every week. Each Friday seems like Christmas as I come home with bags full of beautiful, pesticide free veggies. Since we started participating in the CSA program this Spring I feel a new sense of gratitude towards my food.

We got about four pounds of tomatoes this week, so I decided to make some tomato soup (see recipe below). It was super easy to make and very tasty.


Simple Fresh Tomato Soup
(from Care2.com website)

2 cups chopped yellow onions
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons maple syrup
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups ripe tomatoes, chopped, including their juices
2 cups organic vegetable broth
Sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 slice bread, lightly toasted, per serving

1. In a heavy-bottomed stockpot over medium heat, cook onions in 1/4 cup olive oil for around 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent.

2. Add vinegar, maple syrup, and garlic and continue to cook for 2 minutes, until garlic is fragrant and softened but not browned.

3. Add tomatoes and their juices. Simmer mixture 10 minutes, then add broth and return mixture to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Tear basil leaves in pieces and add to soup.

4.Place toasted bread, if using, in the bottoms of individual bowls. Ladle soup on top, drizzle with a little olive oil, and serve.

Balsamic-Honey Roasted Root Vegetables

This week I had a bunch of stuff in my fridge from the CSA (community supported agriculture) program that I really didn't know what to do with: turnips, beets, radishes, carrots, onions and garlic. I found this recipe on the internet and it turned out great. I didn't follow the recipe exactly...just used what I happened to have. I used fresh rosemary from our herb garden - yum!

Balsamic-Honey Roasted Root Vegetables
by What's Cooking? modified by Charity

* 5 large carrots, unpeeled, in 3/4 inch slices
* 1 large yam, peeled, in 1 x 1 inch cubes
* 1 large rutabaga, peeled, in 1 x 1 inch cubes
* 4 turnips, peeled, in 1 x 1 inch cubes
* 1 large parsnip, in 3/4 inch slices
* 3 yellow beets, peeled, in 1 x 1 inch cubes
* 8 garlic cloves, peeled
* 3 stalks celery, in 3/4 inch slices
* 2-3 small red potatoes, in 1x1 inch cubes (optional)
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
* 1/3 cup honey
* 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* fresh ground black pepper, to taste


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Toss ingredients in a deep baking dish.
3. Roast, uncovered, for approximately 45 minutes or until all vegetables are soft throughout, browned and caramelized. Toss vegetables occassionally.
4. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Community Supported Agriculture

Gary and I have been on a waiting list for over a year to join a community supported agriculture program that is organized by the Heifer Project. It's not a cheap venture, but it is highly worth it to get vegetables that are both organic and locally grown. Every Friday after work I drive to the drop off point to pick up our share of the veggies. It has been an interesting experience because I am getting some vegetables that I wouldn't normally buy. I don't want to waste any of this beautiful and healthy food, so I am doing some research and finding ways to cook things we are not used to eating. Last week we received the lovely kale pictured below, Swiss chard, fennel, several different kinds of lettuce, beets, sugar snap peas, radishes and bok choy. We eat greens every day so I cooked up the kale and chard as usual. I was clueless about the radishes, bok choy and beets. Sure, a couple of radishes sliced up on top of a salad are good, but what does a person do with 1 1/2 pounds of them??? I ended up making the radish recipe shown below and it was actually quite delicious. The radishes really mellowed out after being roasted. A few other recipes that I tried are also listed. Everything turned out great. We are really enjoying these fantastic vegetables and I'm having fun with the weekly challenge of figuring out what to do with them all.

Roasted Radishes with Soy Sauce and Toasted Sesame Seed

Roasted Radishes with Soy Sauce and Toasted Sesame Seed
(Makes 3-4 servings, recipe slightly adapted from Vegetables Every Day by Jack Bishop.)

20 medium radishes, trimmed and cut into fourths (use a mixture of red and white)
1 1/2 T olive oil
2 T soy sauce
2 green onions sliced thin
1 T sesame seeds, toasted in a dry pan

Preheat oven to 425 F. Wash radishes, trim ends and cut into same size pieces. Cut green onions into thin slices.

Toss radishes with oil, then roast about 20 minutes, stirring one or two times. When radishes are tender and starting to brown, remove from oven, toss with soy sauce to coat and mix in green onion slices. Put back in oven and roast about 5 minutes more.

During final five minutes roasting time, put the sesame seed in a dry pan and toast over hot stove for about 2 minutes, or until starting to brown. Remove radishes from oven, place in serving bowl and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Serve hot.

Rosie's Bok Choy Salad

* 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
* 1/2 cup olive oil
* 1/4 cup sugar

* 1 T soy sauce
* 2 T butter
* 2 T olive oil
* 1/4 cup blanched slivered almonds
* 1/4 cup sesame seeds
* 2 packages ramen noodle pasta, crushed
* 1 medium head bok choy
* 3 green onions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oil, sugar and soy sauce. Set aside.

2. Melt the butter with olive oil over medium heat in a small skillet. Crush the ramen noodles while still in their packaging, and add to the skillet along with the almonds and sesame seeds. Saute until everything is golden brown.

3. Chop the bok choy and green onions and add to a large bowl. Just before serving, sprinkle with the noodle mixture and dressing, and toss to coat.

Roasted Beets and Sauteed Beet Greens

This is a great way to use every part of the fresh beets you buy. You can get two delicious side dishes out of this one vegetable.

PREP TIME 10 Min
COOK TIME 1 Hr

Original recipe yield: 4 servings

* 1 bunch beets with
* greens
* 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 tablespoons chopped onion
* salt and pepper to taste
* 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wash the beets thoroughly, leaving the skins on, and remove the greens. Rinse greens, removing any large stems, and set aside. Place the beets in a small baking dish, and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. If you wish to peel the beets, it is easier to do so once they have been roasted.

2. Cover, and bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until a knife can slide easily through the largest beet.

3. When the roasted beets are almost done, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and onion, and cook for a minute. Tear the beet greens into 2 to 3 inch pieces, and add them to the skillet. Cook and stir until greens are wilted and tender. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the greens as is, and the roasted beets sliced with red-wine vinegar, salt and pepper.