Picking Peaches

Summer just isn't summer unless there's peach pie. But for the first time in my life, I actually got to pick the peaches that went into my annual summer fling. For some of you reading this, that may not seem like such a big deal because, well, picking fruit at various farms and orchards has been something you've done growing up, or that you've recently done with your kids. I've noticed that it seems to be the thing to do with your kids ever since I moved to Virginia. That, and picking strawberries, which I fully intend to do sometime.

Well, I've picked my fair share of apples from an old apple tree that grew in our big backyard of the house I grew up in. Mostly it was apples that had fallen to the ground already because the tree was so tall, but my family and I still ate them so it's as close to the real thing as you can get.

So my first time picking peaches was also Claire's first time as well, although she probably won't remember it much since she's still a little person. But she did get to ride in a red wagon at the orchard for the first time, letting out squeals of delight along the way. (See picture below.) My excitement was a little different. It was when I got to pick my first peach from the tree, when I realized how cool it was cool that peaches could grow on trees. It's just not a sight I see every day. A slow smile crept onto my face. Satisfaction.

So after Chris and I had picked a few pounds worth, we headed home while I contemplated what I would make with our bounty. I furiously researched peach recipes on my iPhone, finding some good ones at Whole Foods and on the AllRecipes app, and put out a call to my friends on Facebook for their ideas. I knew I wanted to make a peach pie and came across a fairly straightforward one at TheCityCook.com. By the time we got home, I decided to make a peach salsa and the peach pie. Both turned out well, much to my delight, though I'm not sure which I enjoyed more - picking the peaches or eating them.

Claire taking her first wagon ride at the orchard.

Peach Salsa
(Courtesy of Chiles Peach Orchard)
http://www.chilespeachorchard.com/in-the-kitchen/recipes/peach-salsa-recipe-2

Ingredients:
3 large ripe peaches (for about 3 cups diced)
1/2 teaspoon sugar (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large ripe tomato (for about 1 cup diced)
1 clove garlic
1 jalapeno pepper (for about 1 tablespoon minced)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves (or less, depending on how much you like cilantro!)

Method:

Peel and pit the peaches, and cut them into roughly 1/4 inch dice. lace pieces into bowl, and squeeze the lime juice over the peaches and sprinkle on the sugar and salt. Stir to coat well.
Core the tomato, leave peel on, and cut into 1/4 inch dice. Add it to the bowl.

Peel and finely chop the garlic. Rinse and seed the jalapeno (might want to wear gloves), mince it finely and add to bowl. Rinse and dry cilantro, and mince finely. Add it to the bowl. Stir well. Taste for sweetness, add more sugar if necessary.

Classic Peach Pie (shown above) 
(Courtesy of The City Cook)
http://www.thecitycook.com/cooking/recipes/data/000229'

Ingredients:
6 to 8 large fresh peaches, peeled and sliced into thick, 3/4-inch slices, enough to produce 6 cups
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar (use a little more or less depending on how sweet your peaches)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into small bits
Pastry dough for two-crust pie (I used Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts for simplicity's sake.)

Method: 

Pre-heat the oven to 400° F. Prepare the pastry dough and roll into two 10-inch circles; reserve one circle and keep it refrigerated.

Line a 9-inch glass or metal pie plate with the other circle of pastry dough, leaving about 1-inch of dough along the rim.

In a large mixing bowl combine the sugar, cinnamon and flour, using a fork to blend together. Add the peeled and sliced peaches and lemon juice and stir gently to completely coat the peaches. Try not to do this step too far in advance of assembling the pie because you'll get too much juice.

Spoon the peaches into the prepared pie plate. If there are juices already in the bowl, leave them behind and don't add to the pie. Scatter with the pieces of cold butter.

Cover the pie with the second rolled-out crust. Carefully seal the edges by crimping it by hand or with a fork. Cut 4 steam vents in the top crust.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes until the crust is golden brown. If the edges start getting too dark before the pie is finished cooking, gently wrap strips of aluminum foil around the edges to protect them during the last minutes of baking. Remove from the oven and let cool completely -- at least an hour -- before cutting. Serve warm with a scoop of good vanilla ice cream.

A week of 10 year anniversaries...

It's been a week of remembering events that happened 10 years ago, and my personal story is no different. While we were engulfed in the 9/11 tragedy, I was preparing to move to a different state, further away from home than I had ever lived. People that week repeatedly asked me why I would move to the Washington, DC, area from Pittsburgh, given the awful attacks. Yet I didn't feel unsafe. Unfortunately, there is no area in the world that is truly safe. I was excited to start a new phase of my life, yet, like everyone else in this country at the time, I was in a cloud of uncertainty about what would happen next.

Now, 10 years later on this very day, I've gone from driving my car packed with my belongings, my dad following behind driving the moving van, wondering where I would find work and how I would make new friends, to a day where I woke up next to my husband of 6 years in our home in Clarendon, with our 1-year-old daughter peacefully sleeping in the next room. It's such a wonderful contrast, it brings tears to my eyes as I type. God is good.

It's good to reflect on where we've been and how far we've come. We can see hope in the midst of tragedy and uncertainty. We can see love bloom where we didn't know it would grow. We can see that some dreams do come true. We can know for certain that there is redemption.

In honor of 10 years of living in Northern Virginia, I submit to you one of my new favorite recipes for a cuisine I didn't try until I moved here -- Indian food. It's not spicy, just savory and delicious. (I know many people who say they don't want to eat Indian food because it's too spicy. Not so here.)

So here's to trying new things, to future hopes and dreams, and to the next 10 years!

Chicken Tikka Masala
(Courtesy of Redbook)

Ingredients:

From the pantry -
2 T. unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp. each garam masala, garlic puree, and minced fresh ginger
1 (14 oz) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, drained well
1 (15 oz) jar tikka masala cooking sauce
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk

Fresh ingredients -
1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 2-inch chunks
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Accompaniments -
cooked basmati rice with green peas - (follow cooking directions on the rice package, adding frozen peas while the rice boils)
Cucumber Raita  - optional - (see below for recipe)

Method:

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add chicken and cook 4 minutes, turning pieces as they brown (chicken will still be raw in middle); remove to a plate.

2. Add onion, garam masala, garlic, and ginger to skillet; saute 5 minutes, or until onion is translucent. Stir in tomatoes and saute 2 minutes longer.

3. Add tikka masala sauce and bring mixture to a boil; cover skillet and simmer 10 minutes. Add chicken to sauce and stir in coconut milk. Continue to simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes, or until chicken is just cooked through. Stir in cilantro. Serve over cooked basmati rice with green peas and Cucumber Raita.

Makes 6 servings.
Each serving: 278 cal, 15 g fat, 25 g protein, 10 g carb

Cucumber Raita: Coarsely grate 1/2 of a long seedless cucumber and squeeze out most of its water. Combine in a bowl with 1 cup thick Greek yogurt and 1/2 tsp. each salt, ground cumin, and dried mint. Makes 1 cup.

Yummy Baby Food Meal Combos

So with a little inspiration in the kitchen comes some fun meals. I've been experimenting a bit with food combinations for Claire. After all, if she likes Earth Best's Creamy Chicken Apple Compote, surely she will like a few things I came up with, right?

Right and wrong. I've made a few meal combinations that she enjoys though she still seems to prefer single ingredient servings. Like everything else with a child, I'm sure that will eventually change. In the meantime, I'm going to keep experimenting.

That said, here are a few meals that I've put together for Claire which are, in my opinion, pretty tasty. Feel free to use these for your child and feel free to post some food combinations in the comments section below that your child enjoys! I'm always looking for new ideas.


Black Beans and Chicken

Ingredients:
1 (15 oz.) can of black beans, drained and rinsed
2 oz. serving of cooked and pureed carrots
2 oz. serving of no-salt-added diced tomatoes (homemade* or from a can)
1 can of pre-cooked chicken, drained (or about 1/4 cup of pre-cooked plain chicken)
4 oz. pre-cooked brown rice

Method:
I had already cooked and pureed the carrots and tomatoes ahead of time. Add the black beans, carrots, tomatoes, chicken and corn into a blender, food processor or in your Beaba Babycook. Blend ingredients until desired consistency, adding water to thin the mixture out as needed. Stir in the rice after the mixture has been blended (or blend with the ingredients if your baby is texture-averse). This makes for a very delicious and nutritious meal.

*I made the tomatoes by steaming about 5 diced tomatoes and then blending them together in the Beaba Babycook. I froze individual servings so that I can use them as needed.

Potatoes, Spinach and Tomatoes

Ingredients:
1 medium Russet potato, cooked and cubed
1 1/2 cups frozen spinach, thawed
2 oz. serving of no-salt-added diced tomatoes (homemade* or from a can)

Method:
Blend ingredients in a blender, food processor or in your Beaba Babycook to desired consistency, adding water to thin the mixture out as needed.

Chicken, Potatoes and Green Beans

Ingredients:
1 can of pre-cooked chicken, drained (or about 1/4 cup of pre-cooked plain chicken)
1 medium Yukon gold potato, cooked and cubed
4 oz. serving of frozen green beans, thawed, steamed and pureed

Blend ingredients in a blender, food processor or in your Beaba Babycook to desired consistency, adding water to thin the mixture out as needed.

The secret to kitchen inspiration has been found...

I've had a love/hate relationship with food the last few months. I love food, especially sweets, but since March, Chris and I started focusing on exercising six days a week and eating more healthfully and sweets usually don't fit into that regimen. Don't get me wrong, we are still eating some sweets, but we're trying to cut back a bit and try different things to satisfy our sweet teeth like eating dark chocolate or munching on fresh fruit. So I haven't been baking like I used to, which is kind of sad, and perhaps as a result, making meals have become somewhat routine and mundane.

I'm hoping that's changing a bit though. Maybe it was the short trip we took over Memorial Day weekend to St. Michaels, MD, where the seafood (especially crab) is plentiful, that gave me a much-needed break from cooking, let alone even thinking about it, that is giving me new momentum. After all, I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, making "adult" food and lots of baby food since Claire is getting bigger and requiring more calories. The only thing I had to think about food-wise over the weekend was at what restaurant to eat. Now, that's a vacation! We stayed at a bed and breakfast (the Hambleton Inn) with a lovely innkeeper, Sherrie, who made amazing breakfasts, complete with dessert after each meal such as baklava and tiramisu. (Our diets were also on vacation.) One day we had afternoon tea at The Inn at Perry Cabin, a beautiful hotel with an idyllic scene -- a wide grassy lawn with wooden white lawn chairs and tables that led right up to the edge of the Chesapeake Bay that was dotted with sailboats. No wonder The Wedding Crashers movie was filmed there. (See pictures below.)

I must feel refreshed since the day after we got home, I made three dishes -- a delicious pasta with broccoli and sun-dried tomatoes, a Tex-Mex mash for Claire, and curry chicken with rice. I haven't done that much cooking in one day in quite a while. So I guess the moral of the story is that if you feel uninspired in the kitchen, take a vacation!

Here's one of the recipes I just that's now destined to be one of my go-to meals for the summer. It's easy, delicious and can be enjoyed warm or cold.

Penne with Broccoli and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Courtesy of Alan Greene, M.D., "Feeding Baby Green"

Ingredients:
3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, julienned
5 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
8 oz. penne pasta (I used elbow macaroni which worked fine.)
4 oz. portabella mushrooms, sliced (I used a 4 oz. can since I didn't have fresh on hand.)
3 cups fresh broccoli florets, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 oz. kalamata olives or other black olives
4 oz. feta cheese (I didn't have feta on hand so I just used Parmesan, and it was delightful nonetheless.)
2 oz. Parmesan cheese (optional)
1 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)

Method:
Put the sun-dried tomatoes and chopped garlic in a small bowl and pour the olive oil over them. Let them stand at least 30 minutes before cooking, or overnight, to allow the tomatoes to reconstitute and the oil to become flavored. If you allow the flavors to marry for longer than four hours, put them in the refrigerator. (Instead of following this step, I used a jar of sun-dried tomatoes that were packed in olive oil and just added them together with the 5 cloves of garlic and 1/4 cup olive oil in the skillet. It was much quicker that way.)

Cook the penne according to package directions in a very large cooking pot.

While the pasta is cooking, begin cooking the sauce. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and add the tomato-garlic-oil mixture to the pan. Saute for one minute. Add the mushrooms and broccoli, and saute over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is tender but still crisp - about 5 or 6 minutes. If the mixture appears to be dry, add 1/4 cup of water during the process.

When the pasta is al dente, drain the water and pour the penne back into the cooking pot. Add the tomato, garlic, broccoli, and mushrooms to the pasta. Gently stir in the olives and feta cheese. Mix thoroughly. (I also added a few teaspoons of the oil in the sun-dried tomato jar for extra flavor and a teaspoon of red pepper flakes for a little kick.)

Divide into four servings and sprinkle Parmesan on each serving if desired.

Claire on the grassy lawn of The Inn at Perry Cabin, St. Michaels, MD.

The Inn at Perry Cabin is in the background. Beautiful, isn't it?

Happy 1st Birthday to Claire!

Happy birthday to my baby! My little one turned one yesterday...ushering her into official toddler-hood, much to my (and Chris') dismay. Wherever did the last year go? Perhaps it's a bit ironic that the first few months of her life, I was wondering how we'd make it to her first birthday...after all, infants require a LOT of energy...yet, now I'm wishing the last year wasn't over.

But enough of the tears and on to more exciting things. This little one certainly enjoyed her first cupcake -- vanilla cake with vanilla icing and purple sprinkles on top -- from our neighbor, Bakeshop (http://www.bakeshopva.com). Yum!

Claire, being a true Oliver, first touched the icing on the cupcake and quickly pulled her hand away because she hasn't really gotten to touch gooey things and didn't seem to enjoy that sensation. But she recovered and eventually dove right in, battering the cupcake back and forth and smashing cake and icing all over her tray. She couldn't eat it until I broke off some pieces for her and, as I expected, she definitely liked it as she demonstrated with big one-tooth grins and shouts of joy. She also eventually realized that when she sucked on her cake-and-icing-coated fingers, they tasted really good! What a great surprise that was!

It's been a great first year having a child -- I cannot wait to see what the next year brings! I'm sure I'll need even more energy than this past year. And I have a feeling that I'll be right back at this computer next year wondering where her second year of life went. See you then.

Fabulous Food Friday: Georgetown Cupcake

I was late on getting into the cupcake craze. I just didn't see what the big deal was. I loved cupcakes and all, but why not just bake a cake? It lasts longer.

So when the now-famous Georgetown Cupcake opened up shop a few years ago, complete with lines around the block, I shook my head. Was a cupcake really worth standing in line for long periods of time? Could those cupcakes really be worth it? Surely this was just a fad spurred on by all the Georgetown college students. (In case you're wondering, Georgetown Cupcake is featured on TLC's DC Cupcakes show.)

I didn't find out what I was missing until a client sent me a dozen cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake as a thank you. Well, getting a thank you like that was something I wasn't about to resist. (Plus, can you imagine my surprise when a box of cupcakes was delivered to my office? I just about fell over in disbelief.)

Ok, so now you're wondering, were they good? Well, no, they weren't good. They were little pieces of heaven. The cakes were moist and flavorful and the icing was swirled on perfectly - they had the right ratio of cake to icing - just enough to put me into a sugar coma. I can't believe I had missed these all those years. What was I thinking?

But I've made up for lost time. When I went out for a walk with a friend, both of us pushing our daughters in strollers, we walked a few miles from Clarendon to Georgetown and ended up at Georgetown Cupcake. I brought home a dozen. Why not, right? Then Chris had his birthday. And Valentine's Day came around. Then our anniversary. My birthday will be here soon enough.

It's hard to pick a few favorite flavors because every cupcake I've tried from there so far has been delightful, but I definitely recommend the ones that have filling in the middle, such as the Lava Fudge. They are especially divine.

I can see why these cupcakes were worth standing in line for (though I've only done that once). But just a note, the shop does make deliveries inside the Beltway, or you can order a day ahead and pick them up in person, bypassing the line. (They also ship if you're out of state.) Now that the weather is  nicer, I have a feeling I'll be strolling towards Georgetown Cupcake again real soon.

Georgetown Cupcake
http://www.georgetowncupcake.com

Two locations: 
3301 M Street NW (corner of 33rd & M)
Washington, DC 20007

4834 Bethesda Avenue
Bethesda, MD 20814

Move over meat, vegetables are the new star!

I grew up on meat and potatoes so to speak, so the term "vegetarian" was like describing a member of a foreign country. Vegetables were normally just side dishes, not main dishes, in our family.

Well, fast forward just a couple of years (okay, maybe a few more than that), to present day. I wouldn't call myself a vegetarian (I still love meat too much) but I do love vegetables even though they're usually relegated to the side of a meal as an afterthought. After all, I have a husband who when he's hungry, wants to be filled up. Vegetables usually don't fill that void. Claire, on the other hand, is the one member of our family who consumes more than her fair share of them right now.

However, I found a dish that's pleasing to my hungry husband and to me, and that is (gasp!) vegetarian! This "Bombay Vegetable Stew" is quite delicious, nutritious, and plenty filling. The recipe is from a book titled "Feeding Baby Green" by Alan Greene, M.D., which, being a new mom and all, I've been reading since it has a lot of good meal ideas for kids. This is a meal I will eventually make for Claire when she gets a little more used to chunky textures but for now, I'm definitely going to be making this a lot for the adults in this household.

Bombay Vegetable Stew
Courtesy of Alan Greene, M.D., "Feeding Baby Green"

Ingredients:
1/2 cup lentils, dried (or 1 cup canned lentils)
1 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. fresh ginger, minced
3 large carrots, diced
1 cup cauliflower, broken into small florets
1 (14.5 oz.) can of diced tomatoes
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
1 cup green peas
1 1/2 cups water (if using canned lentils, include the liquid from the can with the water to equal 2 cups total)
Kosher salt, to taste

Method:
In large saucepan, cook the dried lentils according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and saute the onions and garlic until the onions are tender. Add the ginger and stir.

Add the carrots and cauliflower to the onion mixture and continue to cook until the carrots are warm all the way through, but still crisp. Add the tomatoes and curry powder and cook a few minutes more.

Add the lentils, chickpeas, green peas, and water. Simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes. Season with salt to taste. Turn off heat if you are not serving immediately to prevent the vegetables from becoming mushy. The flavors will intensify and blend beautifully. Reheat briefly before serving.