Sunday Dish

Topsy-Turvy!

Have you seen the commercials for the Topsy Turvy?  We came across them several times over the last few months and finally succumbed to the curiosity.   

We bought two, one for tomatoes and one for strawberries. 

They're pretty simple to use, but don't make the same mistake as we did...they don't come with soil or the plants, just the planter itself.

Once we recovered from that bit of disappointment it was full speed ahead.

There are definitely good points and bad points about the turvy. 

Let's start with the downsides, which for me, add up to only one.  You have to water this sucker every single day, and since we are in the Valley, on super hot days, maybe twice. Also, because it is hanging from a beam outside, I have to climb up on a chair to water it.  But other than that, that's really it.

The pluses are:  if you live in an apartment or house with limited space you could totally use these.  There are also zero bugs to deal with.  Also, having grown tomatoes the regular, from the ground up way, I think these look prettier. 

Then there is the number one reason I like these things... at last count there was close to 30 tomatoes growing on it.  It's exploding.

But the real test? How does it taste.  Here's a snap of our first born.  

She was one tasty tomater. 

The strawberries are still just in the flowering stage so the jury is still out on that one. 

 

 

Parmesan Crisps

We all lead busy lives.  Whether it's work or family it's seems everyone is on the go, being pulled in a million different directions.  I don't know about you, but I still want something good to eat at the end of the day (or in the middle of it) and if it can look beautiful as well, even better.  

These little Parmesan crisps are not only lovely to look at, they taste sinfully good. The fact that they are incredibly easy to make only adds to my love for these little beauties!  The crisps are the kind of addition to a meal that totally pays off without having to invest too much extra time in the kitchen. In a life full of to do lists, that's big. 

I simply grated some Parmesan cheese with the finer side of the grater.  Then I dropped it in delicate mounds on a cookie sheet that I lined with parchment paper and sprayed with a little Pam.  I patted the billowy patties down gently and popped them in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes.  

Keep an eye on them just to make sure they don't get overcooked.  But you also don't want to pull them out if they are not yet a perfect golden brown. 

Once they are lovely and golden, take them out and let them cool completely.  From there they are easy to pop off the pan with a spatula. They are a bit oily so I gave them a light pat with a paper towel.

The salad was as simple as can be, but topped with the crisps, it added a little something special.   Oh, and the fact that they soaked up the dressing without getting soggy was an unexpected bonus.  

No matter how busy life gets, it can still be beautiful, even if it's just in small ways.  It may sound silly, but these little crisps, with their dainty simplicity gave me quite a bit of joy!

Grilled Bruschetta with Tomato, Mango, Mint and Basil

   

Do you ever have ideas about food, perhaps expectations of a certain dish and then the dish or the meal just doesn't quite live up to those dreams?  

 It happens to me all the time.  I'll want a certain something. It flits at the corners of my mind, but I can't quite capture it - that longing for a certain taste or a certain feeling.  

That's when I scour my cookbooks or Todd and I will have the same fruitless discussion about what to eat.  Sometimes we'll dive into a dish, shopping, prepping, cooking, and then comes the first bite. Right there, in the kitchen, a sound effect should play:  "Whaw-Whaw."  Sadly the work didn't pay off  and you are left with the same feeling of a craving that hasn't been met. 

Then there are times when I know exactly what I want, and even though I'd be willing to drive to get the ingredients, lo and behold they are all right there in the kitchen waiting for me.  It doesn't have to be anything high brow or complex, it can be a simple as a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich or that perfect bowl of ice cream with tons of ripe berries on top.  The other day it was bruschetta. 

It was one of the perfect warm Southern California evenings and I wanted something sweet and salty and crunchy.  We had just bought some perfect grape tomatoes at the farmers market and our basil and mint plants are thriving.  It all got put together with some fresh fruit and some great sourdough I grilled on the barby.  

Easy.  Itch scratched. 

 
Grilled Bruschetta with Tomato, Mango, Mint and Basil.  

 

2 cups grape tomatoes - halved
1 mango - diced
1 peach - diced
1/2 white onion - diced
1/4 cup each of basil and mint - minced.  
salt and pepper to taste
drizzle of olive oil
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
squeeze of lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
8-10 slices hearty sourdough bread
olive oil with a little salt and pepper to brush on the bread.

Mix all the ingredients together in a non-metallic bowl.  Adjust the seasonings according to your personal preference.  Cover and refrigerate for about an hour to let the flavors meld together.     

Heat the grill to high.  Brush the bread slices with the the seasoned olive oil.
Grill on high heat until you have nice brown grill marks on the bread.  Flip it over and repeat.

Serve the bread hot off the grill with the bruschetta topping. 

 

Chickpea (Garbanzo Bean) and Cucumber Salad

 What do you call them, chickpeas or garbanzo beans?  I grew up a garbanzo and have switched to chickpea, not sure why.  Garbanzo is the Spanish name for them and, actually as I sat and thought about it, this came to mind...if you say garbanzo with an accent a la Jersey Shore, gar-ban-zo, it is way more fun.  Maybe I'll switch back.

Never-the-less, chickpeas, garbanzo, ceci,  revithia (had to throw in the Greek name) are legumes that have been given a bad name by being one part of the trio that makes up the dreaded three bean salad.  But lest we not forget that they are also used to make hummus and are quite tasty in cous-cous and all kinds of other Mediteranian dishes.  

I used them in a salad the other night because they are high in protein and my daughter seems well on her way to becoming a vegetarian.  Getting protein in this kid is becoming an exciting challenge.   I used canned chickpeas but have a goal to use fresh in the near future and see if there is a huge difference taste and texture-wise.  

Chickpea and Cucumber Salad with Mint

2 cucumbers - peeled, seeded and sliced.  
(I highly recommend seeding the cuc, makes your salad much less water.)
1 can garbanzo beans drained  (see, I am conflicted.) 
1/2 Red bell pepper - seeded diced
Salt
Pepper 
Honey
Couple sprigs of mint - chopped very fine
Olive Oil
Red Wine vinegar

I tossed the chickpeas with the salt, pepper, honey, mint, olive oil and vinegar and let them marinate for about half and hour.  Then I added my remaining ingredients.  I actually would have liked to add a little red onion, but am getting more allergic to it as I get older so had to leave it out.  If raw onion doesn't bother you, definitely add it.  Other options would be a little feta cheese and some fresh oregano. 

Enjoy! 

A Fun and Tasty Day

Yesterday was a good day.  I got to do something that pushed me outside my comfort zone and there is nothing like moving forward with something that makes you nervous and then being on the other side of it and realizing you didn't totally blow it.

Without going into too much detail, I got a chance to talk about food, specifically L.A's ever expanding food truck scene. Anyone who knows me knows I love food and I love talking, so suffice it to say, it was fun and I'm glad I did it.

Another big bonus was that I got to try some food from the Vizzi Truck.   Until yesterday, I'd never heard of  Vizzi, but if I catch them in my neighborhood again, I'll totally hit them up.  Vizzi's food is called "Coastal Infused Cuisine."  After looking at the menu I'm still not totally sure what that means, but whatever it means, it adds up to tasty.  

A lot of trucks are trying to do more than just serve up good food.  Since they can't offer you the ambience of a traditional restaurant, they're opting for a "curbside experience." Vizzi's version of this starts with two flat screen tv's mounted on each end of the truck.   Apparently when there are "important" sporting events happening, that's what they'll put up on the screens, otherwise you can enjoy the work of local videographers and short film makers while you gobble down your meal.  I think that's pretty cool.  

But back to the food.  

I had the Balsamic BBQ braised wagyu sliders.  

Oh side bar, that's another great thing about yesterday, I learned something new, namely what the hell wagyu is.  Basically it's a kind of cow in Japan, that has a genetic predisposition to making the kind of fat that's good for you.  Their meat contains a high amount of those omeaga 3's and 6's you've heard about.  Oh, and the taste does, not, suck.  Bonus.

Seriously these were delicious.  The meat melted in my mouth and I was kind of sad that I had to share one with my kid.  Bad mommy.  The one thing I wasn't totally sold on was the pop corn "side"  it came with. In reality it was more like a bed of pop corn, which in and of itself makes me go...huh?  
 
In all fairness I didn't eat it right away, so perhaps it's just one of those things that doesn't hold up well.  In any case, it kept getting stuck in my slider, and the bit of chewiness in the midst of my wagyu bliss didn't work.  Maybe next time I'll ask for it on the side.  That's always a good option!

At the end of it all, I'm just saying that yesterday will definitely go down as a plain ol' good day. 

Oh, and if you are in LA and you are into the food truck thing, I'd say give Vizzi a try.