tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17000590422370420002024-03-13T15:04:01.269-04:00The Vagabond TableSamanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05643490940353058566noreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700059042237042000.post-30554529864598385672014-06-01T15:52:00.000-04:002014-06-01T15:55:03.199-04:00Fava(rite) New BeansBeautiful things come from humble beginnings.<br />
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Butterflies from the caterpillar. Summer thunderstorms from a few wisps of clouds. Love from friendship. Soul-friends from a simple introduction and smile.<br />
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This <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2014/06/fava-bean-puree.html">Fava Bean Puree</a> from a funky and long green bean pod.<br />
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I finally tried some of spring's first bounty in the form of fava beans last week. Of course, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Simple-Food-Revolution/dp/0307336794">Alice Waters</a>, in her infinite wisdom, guided me in finding the most perfect introduction to my newest veggie crush: <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2014/06/fava-bean-puree.html">Fava Bean Puree </a>(with Rosemary and Garlic). And kids, friends, readers, please, please do this: crack open some of these bean pods, blanch and saute the darn things with garlic, rosemary, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and smoosh them with a fork. Then enjoy as much as you can heap onto a plate, because this is, officially, my new food crush.<br />
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<i>Fava</i>...just the name brings to mind words like 'favorite' and 'favored' and 'savored' and I'm sold. I can't describe to you why this bean is different than shucking some fresh peas, or why they're so unique from a green bean, or edamame, any other of the multiple types of beans we have. But trust that they're special. They aren't dried, they aren't canned, they're not frozen...they're only fresh. And they're only around for another few weeks, so get thee to thy nearby grocer or farmer's market and hug them close.<br />
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Beautiful things sometimes come in the most surprising of packages.<br />
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Like my return to (northern) Arizona, where I'm currently enjoying the forests and somewhat slower-paced life of a mountain town. Flagstaff is a gem, friends. So please, bear with me as I settle into a new life from the one I left a year ago, and dig my hands into a new job, juggling a new puppy, relationship, closer proximity to my family, adventuring, and cooking (finally, again) just for myself. <br />
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With that being said, what a journey it's been! But absolutely the best kind of adventure, one that started with a humble and simple need to do something with my hands, rather than my computer/desk, all those months ago in DC.<br />
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Turns out I like following those simple little whispers of the good life....They seem to be pretty spot on. <br />
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<br />Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05643490940353058566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700059042237042000.post-50244815331407871512014-01-27T23:31:00.001-05:002014-01-28T22:25:55.474-05:00Let's Have DessertFor starters, I've missed you.<br />
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This past year was a big one. Bigger than I can even wrap my mind, or my arms, fully around. A quick review: I left DC, helped get my sister married off, moved to a farm in the middle-of-nowhere Northern CA for almost 7 months, road-tripped to Portland, Oregon, road-tripped back home to AZ, and here I am. <i>Phew.</i> <br />
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I thought I was going to move to a coastal place, maybe San Francisco, when I left my beloved DC. Instead, I have curiously found myself back in the Phoenix area, with skies like this one on the regular:<br />
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It's a funny thing, being home...like slipping into your favorite worn-in sweater and wanting to wear it forever.<br />
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One of the things I've had some time to do again is cook. Not much, but a little, and it's a nice start. For example, we had a game night with stir-fry, wine, <a href="http://cardsagainsthumanity.com/">Cards Against Humanity</a>, and these <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2014/01/honey-ricotta-turnovers.html">Honey-Ricotta Turnovers</a> for dessert. I could've had four of them, but I consoled myself with two and a bite out of my neighbor's.<br />
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The recipe's not too hard, a little messy, but perfectly decadent with crunchy phyllo dough on the outside and creamy-sweet ricotta (with blackberries!) on the inside.<br />
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After <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2014/01/honey-ricotta-turnovers.html">these turnovers,</a> I'm fully ready to embrace this new year with all of it's dreamy possibilities and unexpected surprises. Let's do this, 2014!<br />
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<br />Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05643490940353058566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700059042237042000.post-46263429531311957812013-05-18T11:48:00.001-04:002013-05-18T11:57:18.877-04:00Going Local (with Strawberries!) For fellow book nerds out there, you know what I'm talking about when you just fall into the pages of a great book. It's a full dive in, head first, and there isn't too much that can tear you away from it's grasp (not laundry, not the need for sleep, not your new <a href="http://www.netflix.com/">Netflix</a> rental, not even freshly baked cookies). <br />
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I had a moment this week when I actually had to set my alarm to pull myself away from my current read: <a href="http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/">Animal, Vegetable, Miracle</a> by the fantastic <a href="http://www.kingsolver.com/">Barbara Kingsolver</a>. My love of Kingsolver's novels goes back eight years to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Poisonwood-Bible-Barbara-Kingsolver/dp/B009O2FAOG/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1368667628&sr=1-2&keywords=the+poisonwood+bible">The Poisonwood Bible</a> (which I chose to read right before living in Ghana for half a summer) and has been followed up with some of her other novels: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bean-Trees-Novel-Barbara-Kingsolver/dp/0061097314">The Bean Trees</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Poisonwood-Bible-Barbara-Kingsolver/dp/B009O2FAOG/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1368667628&sr=1-2&keywords=the+poisonwood+bible">Animal Dreams</a>, and now: <a href="http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/">Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. </a> This book, unlike my other Kingsolver novel-obsessions, is non-fiction. It's about how Kingsolver, her husband, and their two daughters left Tucson for Appalachia, and turned their typical world of weekly grocery lists inward to their own struggles and joys of growing and raising food to feed their stomachs, as well as their relationships to each other and the world around them.<br />
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I'm not even halfway through and I feel like I've made some important and life-changing revelations. Things that I <i>knew</i> to be true, but now actually <i>feel</i> true somewhere deep in my gut. It was this feeling of epiphany on the importance of eating seasonally and locally that has cloaked my work here over the past week and a half: while tearing the garden lettuces for dinner and feeling their cool, crunchy leaves; slicing the onions into slivers of green and purple and white; cracking eggs that are brown, speckled, and even a light blue-gray into a mixing bowl (with only one hand, no less!), filling ice-cold glass bottles with milk from our cow, Chloe, and all the other countless kitchen preparations that deal with the gorgeous foods that are produced by <a href="http://emandal.com/">our little farm.</a> I'm well-fed here because I am eating well, and I'm eating (for the most part) locally, seasonally, and amongst people who <i>get it</i>.<br />
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Speaking of getting it, I got into the strawberry patch yesterday and picked several cups of ripe, ruby berries and thanked my lucky stars. As a kid I adored strawberries. I would dream of sitting (quite literally) in a wooden barrel of strawberries, to munch away at my leisure. My love for them had waned in the past few decades, (probably due to truck-ripened gargantuan strawberries, rather than sun-ripened little guys), but good news! I have re-discovered my love for these tiny jewels, and, thank goodness, it's a true love indeed.<br />
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I love a strawberry patch. Finding a perfect strawberry is practically a treasure hunt: lifting the big, shady leaves to find which ones are hiding the loot. It's an adventurous way to go berry-picking, and (bonus) there's no thorns! This is what's a called a win-win situation, friends.<br />
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For my fellow farm-workers, I made this <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2013/05/strawberry-coffee-cake.html">Strawberry Coffee Cake</a> recipe (via <a href="http://joythebaker.com/">Joy The Baker</a>), and with a few changes (more butter and berries, of course), it's a keeper. Please trust me on this. The entire pan of coffee cake was gone within 20 minutes of the first slice. Hooray! <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2013/05/strawberry-coffee-cake.html">My first coffee cake</a>, with strawberries from the garden outside the kitchen window no less. Perfection, I have found you. Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05643490940353058566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700059042237042000.post-65005935338211855602013-05-06T22:30:00.000-04:002013-05-06T22:40:02.261-04:00Pesto Change-oIt's time to breathe deeply.<br />
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I still pinch myself every day with the decision I made to leave DC for a farm in Northern California. And every single day, I am thankful that I did.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Broccoli. It's actually little flowers! (Florets?)</td></tr>
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It's not to say that I don't miss my life, mostly the people, from my good ol' hood in DC. I do, terribly. But being here just feels <i>right</i>. It feels good to see mountains bordering the horizon and not buildings. It feels good to see the stars at night and the occasional sunrise. It feels good to hear wild turkeys calls and cow moos rather than sirens and cars honking. Nothing is inherently wrong with city life, and relatively soon I'll probably be returning to some version of it, but for now, this break in nature is a settling one.<br />
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Farm days are by no means lazy, though it may seem like a dreamy idyll. Standing <i>up</i> (rather than sitting <i>down</i>) all day, working with my hands, getting dirty, lifting things, working till 8/9 at night after starting early---these things are tiring, but at least balanced with mornings and sometimes the middles of the day spent reading, writing, doing yoga, meditating, or just splashing around in a river. There's a balance that I'm slowly settling into, a little bit each day, and it is a damn good thing.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Collecting kale, chard, chives, parsley, and broccoli leaves for garden pesto</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Another good thing: all the food tips I'm learning! For example, last week I made fresh egg pasta as well as a batch of oatmeal cookies with just-cracked walnuts from a tree by the kitchen. Naturally, the only solution to all of these new things that were in front of me was to make a big ol' pasta dish with <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2013/05/garden-pesto.html">Walnut Pesto</a> as a fancy Friday dinner treat. HELLO, WORLD.<br />
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<a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2013/05/garden-pesto.html">Fresh Garden Pesto</a> with basil, kale, and parsley from the garden and walnuts from the tree? I think I just went to heaven, but I know I'm somewhere in California. Friends! Come visit me here! Food is local and magical!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Garden pesto with homemade orecchiette pasta</td></tr>
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<a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2013/05/garden-pesto.html">Pesto</a> in general is killer easy to make as long as you have a food processor or blender, and delicious enough to keep around to put on anything from veggies to meat to pasta, (plus it's so lovely and green to look at). Your pesto-filled summer ahead is already thanking you, as are your friends. <br />
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Also? <a href="https://avbc.com/happenings/the-legendary-boonville-beer-festival/">The Legendary Boonville Beer Festival </a>was this past weekend, put on by <a href="https://avbc.com/">Anderson Valley Brewing Company,</a> which was oh-so-fun and I saw an impressive amount of 80's clothes and neon tutus. Did you know they speak a dialect in that area of Mendocino county called '<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boontling">Boontling</a>'??<br />
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It's true. Wineries and breweries and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boontling">boontling</a>, oh my. As the good people of Boonville like to say: <i>Bahl hornin!</i>Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05643490940353058566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700059042237042000.post-49136547302984985552013-03-21T13:45:00.000-04:002013-03-21T13:45:07.842-04:00BeginnersHello fellow Vagabonds! You might have noticed things had grown quiet here for the past few months, but quite a few things have happened. <br />
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The gist of it all is that this AZ-turned DC-gal is now headed to cook (until October) at a farm in northern California! It's time to vagabond my way back to the west coast, be outside again, learn some farm things, some cooking things, discover what farm-to-table and sustainability really mean and be somewhat closer to my family. <br />
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For those who of you who want more information on where I'll be, (or want to come visit!) check out the 100+ year old organic farm and guest ranch known as <a href="http://emandal.com/">Emandal</a> in Mendocino county. I can't wait to work with my hands again, meet new people, and hike on the regular. And the food! <em>Swoon.</em><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome to Emandal</td></tr>
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This of course is accompanied with an extreme sadness to be leaving the dear ones I've met here in DC... it would take pages upon pages to list these friends and the multitude of ways in how they're the most amazing people ever, so I'll save you the reading. But it is with a heavy heart that I am journeying back out west, and I am ever so grateful to my colleagues, my friends, and my family in the District for the last four and a half years of love and laughter-filled memories. <br />
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And to you, the readers... I can't wait to share these new adventures (and recipes!) with you. <br />
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I'll leave you with a quote that I just found today on an incredible blog called <a href="http://www.honeyandjam.com/">Honey & Jam</a>. Please check out her lovely photography and foods <a href="http://www.honeyandjam.com/">here</a>. <br />
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<em><span>"Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror.<br />Just keep going. <br />No feeling is final."</span><br /><span>--Rainer Maria Rilke</span></em></div>
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XOXO to all. To never having stopped adventuring, and to always being open to the new, the wild, and even the uncertain. Follow your passions, wherever they may lead. Cheers!Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05643490940353058566noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700059042237042000.post-23701954320433278052013-01-23T18:17:00.001-05:002013-01-24T11:58:45.399-05:00For The Love of Cheese<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’ve
decided that 2013 will be a year of learning. Taking as many classes as I can,
reading as much as possible, doing as much as possible, 2013 is a year that
will be dedicated to taking advantage of the life that I have. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(And learning French.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I write it down, it will happen!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So
far, I’m on a pretty good roll. Despite a somewhat dubious beginning to this
year (ahem, being knocked out by a horrific sinus infection for nearly two
weeks!) things are starting to pick up a bit. I’ve taken a tango class, had a
fantastic day of <a href="http://brightestyoungthings.com/articles/photos-byt-inauguration-spectacular.htm">Inaugurating President Obama</a>, and I’m also getting into the
ancient and delicious art of <b>cheesemaking</b>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Oh
yes, Vagabonds. Oh, <i>yes.</i> We are taking The Vagabond Table to new and
adventurous and dizzying heights this year! Are you excited yet??</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
think I’ve talked about my love of cheese before. Anyone who knows me knows <a href="http://thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2011/06/it-reminds-me.html">how much I love cheese.</a> How much I love mac and cheese, cheese and crackers, cheese
on toast, cheese and apples, <a href="http://thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2009/11/as-american-as.html">cheese in pie crusts</a>…basically if I can put cheese
into something, I will. And now, with this fantastic cheesemaking kit that my
equally fantastic sister gave me for Christmas…I can make mozzarella. Fresh,
delicious, mozzarella whenever I feel like it, and it is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">so</i> easy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rAZigWRyeLk/UQBsAqNengI/AAAAAAAAC1E/m20I6EHaQ0U/s1600/mozzarella.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rAZigWRyeLk/UQBsAqNengI/AAAAAAAAC1E/m20I6EHaQ0U/s320/mozzarella.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
wish I had a recipe to give you, but instead I have a kit that I can’t
recommend enough, which I hope will suffice for now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.roaringbrookdairy.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/mozzarella-cheesemaking-kit.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.roaringbrookdairy.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/mozzarella-cheesemaking-kit.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(If
you’d like to make cheese (or butter!) Visit the <a href="http://www.roaringbrookdairy.com/">Roaring Brook Dairy website</a>
and delve into this with me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I promise
you won’t be disappointed.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Armed
with a pound of mozzarella, I gave half to my friend Caitlin and we
promptly made a pizza and ate the whole thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I later made a delicious tomato, mozzarella, and basil salad with some
surprisingly ripe tomatoes from the grocer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dtcc89x6xSE/UQBsAru9oiI/AAAAAAAAC1E/GPwIPTbz_G4/s1600/pizza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dtcc89x6xSE/UQBsAru9oiI/AAAAAAAAC1E/GPwIPTbz_G4/s320/pizza.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Two days after that, I </span>stuffed all of those same ingredients in a crusty loaf of bread
and had a great sandwich.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are
just so many things to do with fresh mozzarella! I can’t even comprehend all of my
options right now, but trust that they are delicious.</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CwL-OmHZdgU/UQBsAo2XKTI/AAAAAAAAC1E/g-qhRdg3Nx0/s1600/salad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CwL-OmHZdgU/UQBsAo2XKTI/AAAAAAAAC1E/g-qhRdg3Nx0/s320/salad.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Here's to
2013, Vagabonds!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Forgive the absence…I’ve
been traveling, my computer died, and I now have no internet at home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But never fear. Whoever let a few setbacks
throw them off their game? <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pssssh</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Challenge: Accepted!<o:p></o:p></span>Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05643490940353058566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700059042237042000.post-1035125775190054312012-11-04T17:13:00.002-05:002012-11-04T22:22:02.892-05:00To Salsa, With LoveIn eleven days, I will be on a real (!) honest-to-goodness vacation (!!) in PERU (!!!)<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://wikitravel.org/upload/en/thumb/1/14/Machupicchu.jpg/350px-Machupicchu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://wikitravel.org/upload/en/thumb/1/14/Machupicchu.jpg/350px-Machupicchu.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I haven't been out of the country for going on six years now. I haven't gone anywhere for over a solid week (that wasn't home for the holidays) in just as long. As they say: It Is Time.<br />
<br />
In part of my ongoing preparations for hiking the Inca Trail to <a href="http://wikitravel.org/en/Machu_Picchu">Machu Picchu </a>and Peru in general, I've learned a few things:<br />
<br />
A) Trust the friendly folks at <a href="http://www.rei.com/?gclid=CL2Ir9uptrMCFURnOgodylsAzw&s_kwcid=TC|13030|rei%27||S|e|17330702773&cm_mmc=ps_google_reibrand-_-REI_Brand-_-REI-_-REI&ef_id=UGdAjAAATDR6xxbH:20121104220822:s">REI</a>. They know their stuff. <br />
B) I need to go to the famed <a href="http://www.lamarcebicheria.com/LIM/">La Mar</a> restaurant in Lima for <i>ceviche </i>or I will never forgive myself, and<br />
C) Be good at salsa dancing. I hear the Lima crowd doesn't mess around.<br />
<br />
With salsa dancing on the brain, it was just a short hop and skip over to my first salsa love: the kind you eat. I'm sure there are no surprises with this one but I LOVE SALSA. I swear, if you get me <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/11/roasted-salsa.html">a nice bowl of salsa</a> and some crispy tortilla chips, along with a margarita or <a href="http://www.crownimportsllc.com/ourbrands/negramodelo.htm">Negra Modelo</a>, I'll be your friend for life. Unfortunately, good salsa is hard to find here in DC, so those of us with salsa-inclined brains have learned to make our own. <br />
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Inspired as I was by this post on <a href="http://joannagoddard.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-best-salsa-youll-ever-have-with.html">Cup of Jo</a> from <a href="http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/">Homesick Texan</a>, I jazzed this <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/11/roasted-salsa.html">Roasted Tomato Salsa</a> up a bit. With a thickness lent from toasted <i>pepitas </i>ground up with the salsa, as well as chipotle, smoked paprika, or smoked sea salt, this salsa is served warm (fresh from a good roasting of the veggies in the oven) and is usually gobbled up within the hour. Every. Single. Time. I never get any leftover for the week! Next time I'm tripling the batch.<br />
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Somewhat smoky and spicy, <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/11/roasted-salsa.html">this salsa</a> has proven itself to be my go-to in the past several months. And while I might have mastered one salsa, it's time to get back to practicing the dancing kind or I'll face epic wallflower shame in the bars of Peru. Photos and recipes to come, <i>te prometo.</i><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo from the Wikitravel page on Machu Picchu. </span></i>Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05643490940353058566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700059042237042000.post-9739930032559301552012-11-01T00:07:00.000-04:002012-11-04T17:31:56.840-05:00And Then a Hurricane StruckBeing based in DC, and due to the tendency for us to generally freak out during any sort of weather display, I'll admit that I didn't take Hurricane Sandy too seriously at first. And yet I spent the afternoon (and evening, and night, and next morning) at a friend's because I was too chicken to go home in the 90 mph winds and rain. No, I stayed inside. The lights flickered and their apartment leaked enough to fill a few buckets of water. Throughout the night and next morning we stayed glued to the television and watched as Hurricane Sandy barely scraped DC and discovered that it had instead saved it's horrible strength for New Jersey and New York.<br />
<br />
I cannot believe the images I have seen coming out of New York City and the Jersey Shore these past few days. I cannot. I cannot believe the stories of loss and heroism that I have read today. I cannot believe these things happened a few hours drive from where we were hunkered down, but I must. The death toll continues to climb, and our neighbors are struggling to repair the damage done to their homes, communities, their very lives. We must help our neighbors, despite what our eyes may not believe, and what our ears might not understand. We must help our friends in need. Whether you know them or not, they are our responsibility. <br />
<br />
Please consider donating what you can to help recovery efforts.<br />
<br />
UMCOR (The United Methodist Committee on Relief) has a top rating by Charity Navigator, and you can <a href="https://secure3.convio.net/gbgm/site/SPageNavigator/umcor_donate.html?type=1002&project=3021787">donate to their Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts here</a>.<br />
<br />
As always, there's the American Red Cross, who needs not only monetary donations, but hundreds of blood drives had been cancelled due to the hurricane and they could use all the help you can give. http://www.redcross.org/<br />
<br />Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05643490940353058566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700059042237042000.post-7561746794018403512012-09-06T19:27:00.003-04:002012-09-06T19:27:36.850-04:00Golden YearsNow that I've entered my thirties (officially 30 as of last Thursday!) and am wiser and more articulate in this new decade of mine, things are clearer to me.<br />
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For example, my palate has reverse-leapfrogged the last few decades and returned to me, at age ten, lover of BBQ and summertime. At my awesome friend T's house, we threw a clambake, which I guess is a Chesapeake ten-year-old's version of BBQ? I can't tell. Anyway.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mNtDaGKbKso/UEgNR0tUcpI/AAAAAAAACy0/088uo74XTNw/s1600/photo%25284%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mNtDaGKbKso/UEgNR0tUcpI/AAAAAAAACy0/088uo74XTNw/s320/photo%25284%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Anthropologie-inspired living room. Also known as the calm before the crab storm.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Nvy4lcsNvnQ/UEgNRJZ7mdI/AAAAAAAACy0/fOQf_SpaacE/s1600/photo%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Nvy4lcsNvnQ/UEgNRJZ7mdI/AAAAAAAACy0/fOQf_SpaacE/s320/photo%25283%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Somewhere along the Potomac</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Oh! And we had a crab-steam! Or steamers? Whatever eating Old Bay-sprinkled crabs is called, with a mallet. Hey, I'm not from around here, <i>mkay?</i>)<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vLtf43gF7a4/UEgPBQwbvzI/AAAAAAAACzI/wZM7cjxDrTs/s1600/photo%25288%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vLtf43gF7a4/UEgPBQwbvzI/AAAAAAAACzI/wZM7cjxDrTs/s320/photo%25288%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They really are blue. Who knew.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Alongside steamed Maryland blue crabs, I whipped up my mom's famous baked beans, a roasted tomato salsa, and jalapeno cornbread (southwest meets Chesapeake, folks), while Roni made potato salad, manned the clambake pot, and created a wicked green pea dip (all recipes to come, I promise you). And...this. A <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/09/lemon-gingersnap-icebox-pie.html">lemon ice cream cake</a>. Er, <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/09/lemon-gingersnap-icebox-pie.html">ice cream pie</a>. No. <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/09/lemon-gingersnap-icebox-pie.html">An icebox cake</a>? <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/09/lemon-gingersnap-icebox-pie.html">Frozen pie</a>?! What IS this deliciousness actually called??<br />
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I really can't describe, in easy dessert terms, what this is <i>exactly</i>, but I will tell you about it. It has a crunchy baked crust of gingersnaps and almonds, and is full of only one thing: tangy lemon custard ice cream. You freeze the whole shebang together, and badda-bing, bada-boom, once it's set, you have dessert, my friends. But it is so much more.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0BwXlNsFrrU/UEgNS-87HGI/AAAAAAAACy0/3fO3sp4KPxs/s1600/photo%25285%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0BwXlNsFrrU/UEgNS-87HGI/AAAAAAAACy0/3fO3sp4KPxs/s320/photo%25285%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Crunchy, slightly spicy in a gingersnappy-kind of way, the crust is heavenly. And the ice cream? This sweet, sour, summery, and creamy lemon custard? Heaven. But when you combine the two? Hold on to your 30, or 20, or 10 year old hats, my friends because this one's a winner. And I've decided to call it <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/09/lemon-gingersnap-icebox-pie.html">Lemon Gingersnap Icebox Pie</a>. <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vwjhKEcRpRA/UEgNTnN958I/AAAAAAAACy0/LtDGBTkMYvQ/s1600/photo%25287%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vwjhKEcRpRA/UEgNTnN958I/AAAAAAAACy0/LtDGBTkMYvQ/s320/photo%25287%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
It was a perfect afternoon, full of good friends, family, and laughs. While it may have been raining outside, the inside of this spectacular house was full of jokes and sangria, iced-tea spiked vodka, lemonade, and the constant knocking sound of mallet upon crab. I can't think of a better soundtrack to enter my thirties with. Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05643490940353058566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700059042237042000.post-68971081887061692812012-08-17T11:44:00.002-04:002012-08-17T11:44:49.425-04:00Easy Does ItSo these past few months has been crazy with work and work travel, so I am first apologizing for being <a href="http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/30/the-busy-trap/">all busy</a>, and for being such a <a href="http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/30/the-busy-trap/">workaholic</a>,
my friends, and am instead offering up this <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/08/peach-bourbon-ice-cream.html">Peach Bourbon Ice Cream</a> as a token of my summer love to you all. <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
My re-entry into normal, civilized life is slowly
happening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m
rediscovering what it’s like to take an hour to myself to read or think or just
<em>be</em>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am also trying to worm my way
back into my abandoned and forlorn kitchen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’ve found that said kitchen is more apt to forgive me if I come bearing
gifts like <a href="http://www.bellsbeer.com/brands/8-Oberon%20Ale">Bell’s Oberon Ale</a>, lemons, fresh lettuces, basil, and ripe peaches
from the market.<br />
<br /></div>
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<br />
Speaking of peaches, these days they are heaven-sent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Piles of them at the market inspired a Sunday
ice cream endeavor this past weekend amidst the birthday parties, brunches, and
catchings-up with friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As always, I
turned to David Lebovitz but thought the recipe needed a bit more than the
plain old Peaches’n’Cream schtick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I used
brown sugar and bourbon and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">voila</i>, I now
have <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/08/peach-bourbon-ice-cream.html">Peach Bourbon Ice Cream</a> at my fingertips and it is a lush, dreamy type of
thing to have within reach.<br />
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Contemplating the power of thunder storms, the kindness of
my friends, the support of my family and the dreams of a future seem all so
much more lovely when scooped up and savored along with this ice cream. If
you are lucky enough to have an ice cream maker, go ahead and try your hand at this (feel free to omit the bourbon for my less alcohol-friendly readers), with perhaps a generous sprinkle of candied pecans
or blackberries on top.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s an easy way to reacquaint yourself
properly with the summer you might have been missing these past few months, and with friends old and new.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05643490940353058566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700059042237042000.post-27970457311147693832012-06-28T19:30:00.002-04:002012-06-29T09:57:33.412-04:00With A Cherry On TopI’d like to take a second to talk about pie.<br />
<br />
Back in Arizona, we only reserved our pies for Very Special Occasions, like Thanksgiving. I don’t even think Christmas regularly made the pie-rounds. Seriously. Only Thanksgiving. This seems to make sense in a place like the desert where pie, especially fruit pies, is just not that commonplace. We were no Oregon or Michigan, what with their cherries and black berries and strawberries and blueberries (if you’re sensing jealousy here, you’re on the right track.)<br />
<br />
Fastforward to me being an adult. Or some version of whatever an adult is. And I. LOVE. PIE. I love it all the time, here, and there, sitting down, standing up, on a table or in a chair. <br />
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I just discovered two weekends ago that our farmers market sells two kinds of cherries. Regular cherries and something called “Pie Cherries.” Excuse moi? <em>Cherries made for pie</em>!? I didn’t even know what to do with myself for a few moments, I was so dumbounded. As soon as I emerged from my cherrie-reverie (cherr-everie? It's a thing, I promise you), I bought a ginormous box of them and ignored all the naysayers that say pie cherries are too sour to snack on. Please. Tart is good and these cherries are bomb (and even more bombastic in this, what may just be the <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/06/classic-tart-cherry-pie.html">Best. Pie. Ever</a>.)<br />
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I think you could probably tell at this point in my<a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/06/classic-tart-cherry-pie.html"> Tart Cherry Pie</a> scenario that I had never made a cherry pie. I can’t recall even trying a homemade cherry pie in the past (instead, they were always of the maraschino-store bought-variety). This pie was sweet, tart, homey, and incredibly inviting, and while my latticework might need some ..er…work, don’t hold it against the pie. It was my own goofy hands that forgot to actually weave the lattice crust. Silly hands. <br />
<br />
I loved having a lazy Sunday morning after an insanely busy June to listen to <a href="http://www.radiolab.org/">Radio Lab</a> and pit pounds of cherries. My table was a mess, my hands were expertly covered in cherry-juice, yet I was very responsible about this pie and made the crust for the dough <em>the day before</em> (I planned ahead! Who? What!) and then journeyed through the streets of DC and the tunnels of the Metro to Veeb’s house for her Sunday Ice Cream Social Birthday Extravaganza. And then said (still warm) pie was literally gone in 7 minutes. <br />
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In short, it was a damn good <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/06/classic-tart-cherry-pie.html">Tart Cherry Pie</a>. (The splash of bourbon I added only made things even more fantastic, I might add). Cherry up, folks, before the summer gets too long gone.Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05643490940353058566noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700059042237042000.post-36061184955955259332012-05-26T14:58:00.002-04:002012-05-26T17:27:47.619-04:00Like A Child<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There’s something deliciously comforting in re-creating
treats from your childhood. It’s better
than a flashback; it’s more like a rediscovery of memories, of delights, of
possibility. For just a few seconds you
glimpse your dreams from long ago, and instead of looking at them
with that horrible adult eye of logistics and reasoning and numbers, you simply
delight in your hopes. You dream far and
wide and look forward with excitement rather than planning and worry. While gobbling up something familiar yet new,
it’s better than before because it’s <i>slightly</i> more sophisticated, maybe a bit
healthier, and it actually seems possible to move forward through your adult days
with that restored wisdom of childhood.
<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">At least, all of that seems possible after a batch of
<a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/05/poptarts-with-strawberry-rhubarb-jam.html">Strawberry Rhubarb Poptarts</a>. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I got strawberries and rhubarb from the market. Again, Kim Boyce’s rustic rye tarts went out
the window and I instead scrambled to find a recipe for <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/05/poptarts-with-strawberry-rhubarb-jam.html">poptarts</a>. My favorite kind growing up were the brown sugar
variety… the strawberry ones seemed too fake and chemically flavored to entice
me enough to toast them up before
school. Yet here I stand, Strawberry
(with rhubarb! At least!) poptart in hand and damn if I’m not a little bit in
love.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I couldn’t find an ideal recipe, no matter how I tried. So, I smooshed a couple together and got something pretty wonderful. For the dough I went off Smitten Kitchen’s poptart guide, though I used all-purpose, whole wheat, and rye flours (which I have completely fallen in love with, by the by. So creamy! So dreamy! Oh, <em>rye</em>.) I also couldn’t find a strawberry rhubarb jam that seemed just right…so, inspired as I was by a baked rhubarb/strawberry dish in this month’s <em>Bon Appetit</em>, I turned it into a jam instead (also, it has bourbon. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ahem</i>.) </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cinemafanatic.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/strangerthanfiction.jpg?w=604" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://cinemafanatic.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/strangerthanfiction.jpg?w=604" width="246" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From one of my favorite movies, "Stranger Than Fiction." This is when Will Ferrell brings Maggie Gyllenhaal "flours." I'm officially on my way to multi-flour Gyllenhaal glory.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I will say that a measure of a dish's success is based
almost exclusively on how fast it disappears. Since I brought the poptarts to my dear friend Lina's housewarming party, (also known as L-Diddy, also
known as my Indian Sister...and congrats again on the new marriage and house, Chris and Lina!) where I had several strangers come up to me to rave about <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/05/poptarts-with-strawberry-rhubarb-jam.html">poptarts</a> with
loud thank you’s and hugs, so I’d say that it was a success. These little guys are suitable for both special occasions and everyday breakfasting, but maybe not
your toaster because these puppies are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">oven</i>-toasted,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">thankyouverymuch. <o:p></o:p></i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chin up, adults. <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/05/poptarts-with-strawberry-rhubarb-jam.html">Have a poptart</a> and remember what you were like as a kid. Start that dreaming again, no
logistics allowed, and let’s get ready for an epic summer, shall we? <o:p></o:p></span>Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05643490940353058566noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700059042237042000.post-10528302280346534452012-05-17T15:22:00.001-04:002012-05-17T15:22:56.519-04:00Let's Have A ToastI had a big plan to make some of Kim Boyce's rye-crust tarts with a strawberry rhubarb compote this weekend, but sometimes things just don't turn out the way you plan.<br />
<br />
Instead, they turn out better.<br />
<br />
Faced with half an hour to make a summery dessert I grabbed my ice cream maker, a lemon, the strawberries I'd intended for the tart, and...wait for it...<i>champagne</i>. Opa! Summer time! Let's raise a glass, shall we?<br />
<br />Usually when I make <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/05/strawberry-lemon-champagne-sorbet.html">a pint of sorbet</a> or ice cream it lasts us for..a week, at least. But this pint lasted...between three people... twenty minutes. Actually, less than that, but who's counting? I'm fortunate enough to have snagged a quick photo or I might have assumed I'd have dreamed the whole thing up. Summer is here! I can feel it in the air, and I captured this pic to prove I had in my hands, too, for a few minutes at least.<br />
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Strawberries, lemons, mint, champagne. Could it get any better? I think not. Especially when this goodness is mushed about, frozen, and still tickles your mouth with the last bit of bubbly that makes champagne so extravagantly lovely and fun. Friends, I have brought you summer, just in time, but now you can cheers with your spoons rather than glasses; besides, drinking champagne now seems <i>so</i> last season. Let's dig into this <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/05/strawberry-lemon-champagne-sorbet.html">Strawberry Lemon Champagne Sorbet</a> with spoons instead.<br />
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Cheers, summer of 2012. Cheers indeed.Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05643490940353058566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700059042237042000.post-29349753899089484062012-05-10T21:45:00.000-04:002012-05-11T12:05:42.183-04:00Wild Things CakeAfter these past few weeks in DC (besides a quick, glitter-filled, sunny stint in Vegas), I'm almost convinced that I unknowingly picked up and moved myself to the upper Northwest. One day it's heavy rains and gray clouds, and the next is a breezy, crisp, sunny (not to mention perfect) day. <br />
<br />
I repeat. Weather is so weird! DC weather is the weirdest! <br />
<br />
But these perfect peeks at the sun are absolutely the best. Picnics, bike rides, farmers markets and more, all without the gross humidity and ungodly amounts of sweating. It truly is a springly miracle and I don't mind a week of rain if I get sun for the weekend. <br />
<br />
I'm actually needing a bit of sunshine right now. One of my favorite children's book authors, Maurice Sendak, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/09/books/maurice-sendak-childrens-author-dies-at-83.html?pagewanted=all">passed away this week</a> and I just feel a bit...afloat. I didn't know him , but I felt like I did, and his drawings and stories were one of the strongest anchors of my childhood. One of my favorite books, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where_the_Wild_Things_Are">Where The Wild Things Are</a> was a lovely, fantastical, imaginative story, and, I'm trusting, a reflection of the type of man he was as well. <br />
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I think I speak for all my fellow Wild Things friends by saying: <em>"Oh, please don't go--we'll eat you up--we love you so!" </em><br />
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I'd like to think that he might have enjoyed sharing a slice of this <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/05/french-lemon-yogurt-cake.html">French Lemon Yogurt Cake</a> with me, and we could talk about the importance of children's literature, general adventuring, wild rumpus-ing, dreams, and the various whatnots of our lives.<br />
<br />
Or maybe you could enjoy some <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/05/french-lemon-yogurt-cake.html">French Lemon Yogurt Cake</a> with the people who inspire you in your life too. This cake isn't very hard at all, and is actually perfect for picnics and your own adventuring, (with your favorite Wild Things, who always love a good cake, of course). <br />
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<i>"Then from far away across the world he smelled good things to eat, so he gave up being king of the wild things."</i>Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05643490940353058566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700059042237042000.post-68510360164099098522012-04-19T23:01:00.001-04:002012-04-25T12:17:40.064-04:00Crunch Time<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It seems like every week that passes I’m more and more
convinced (and surprised) by my crazy need for the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">crunch</i>.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri;">Since I was a kid I always put potato chips in my sandwiches
or crispy fries in my burger (Hello! They needed that little extra somethin-somethin.) My mom loved (and still loves) to call me out that I "just crunch too dang loud" when I eat chips. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Har har, Mom.</em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri;"> .... but seriously, I'm sure I do. Call me crunchy, call me granola, but at least I have something to back it up: my ever-present, super-necessary, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>crunch</em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri;"> factor.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I came across this recipe a few weeks ago in an Ayurvedic
cookbook called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Eat-Taste-Heal-Ayurvedic-Cookbook-Modern-Living/dp/0976917009">Eat, Taste, Heal</a> which has been fascinating on all levels,
not the least of which are some pretty stellar cooking recommendations, such as
these <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/04/spicy-crunchy-chickpeas.html">Spicy Crunchy Chickpeas</a>. </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w3SiPVJeRkI/T3ofxWY4U4I/AAAAAAAACuU/3_F5ePt2UPk/s1600/beans+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w3SiPVJeRkI/T3ofxWY4U4I/AAAAAAAACuU/3_F5ePt2UPk/s320/beans+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Weird? Maybe.
Crunch factor? Yes. Awesome? Heck yes!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The thing is, these are as spicy as you want them to
be, and include ingredients you should hopefully already have in your cupboard. I mixed together what I had on
hand: turmeric, coriander, cayenne
pepper, salt, pepper, curry powder, cinnamon, garam masala, cumin, smoked paprika… then just cracked open a
can of garbanzo beans, rinsed them, threw on a few tablespoons of my <em>muy</em> awesome spice
mixture, and was done. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After tossing the
<a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/04/spicy-crunchy-chickpeas.html">Spicy Crunchy Chickpeas</a> onto the cooking tray and popping them into a low-heat oven for about
45 minutes I suddenly I had a pretty healthy (and tasty!) crunchy snack that
was not a chip (I'm sorry chips, I will always love you, but sometimes I need something that's actually good for me). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">These are great for munchies before dinner parties or
get-togethers, and make for most-excellent travel snacks. Also, this is budget-friendly (extra score). So many positives, no negatives! I love things like this: simple, crunchy, and ready
before you know it. Thanks ancient Ayurvedic wisdom! </span></div>Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05643490940353058566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700059042237042000.post-83373028857667091252012-03-16T13:38:00.000-04:002012-04-01T20:41:32.823-04:00How To Be A BallerI’m pretty sure that everyone loves a good meatball. Except, of course, those who don’t eat meat which is quite a conundrum, but for those of you who are fish-friendly, <a href="http://www.jamieoliver.com/">Jamie Oliver</a> has proven once again that he is a badass and a baller (and I've proven that my puns get worse with age). Let me introduce to you <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/03/jamie-olivers-meatfishballs.html">Fish Meatballs</a> or as the Italians like to say <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/03/jamie-olivers-meatfishballs.html">"Le Migliori Polpette di Tonno."</a> Que sexy sounding, no?<br />
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Oliver (or can I call him Jamie? At this point, after so many recipes I’ve tried of his, I feel like we should be on a first-name basis) has pretty specific instructions in <a href="http://www.jamieoliver.com/jme/books/info/jamies-italy/100004.html">Jamie’s Italy</a> to use Swordfish or Tuna (fresh, uncanned). However, sometimes a girl needs to think on her feet when her local Harris Teeter doesn’t seem to have any of those varieties, and instead I chose a steak-like Mahi Mahi, combined with a can of tuna, and the next thing I knew I had a bubbling pot of meat(fish)balls that was loved by all. Another amazing thing about these meatballs is that they have pine nuts (!) and cinnamon (!!) along with parsley and oregano and truly...I was in swoon-mode. So was everyone else at the Oscars viewing party I brought them to, where we had dishes like mine that I’d nicknamed <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/03/jamie-olivers-meatfishballs.html">“Moneyball Meatballs”,</a> “Girl with the Dragon Rat-TATOO-ouille,” and “My Week With Marilyn Martini.” Aren't my creative friends super awesome? I think so.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/03/jamie-olivers-meatfishballs.html">These meat(fish)balls</a> weren’t difficult but meatballs are of the more labor-intensive variety of food to make anyway…but you can’t blame them, it’s just in their nature what with the sauce-making, the fish-cooking, the ball-rolling, the pan-frying and such. But the effort put into these meat(fish)balls are worth the work, I promise. Even more than having meatballs on top of spaghetti, I’d prefer mine in a crusty/toasty loaf of bread, with-- who knows?--maybe some arugula tossed in and I’d call it a damn good day.<br />
<br />
Here’s a sweet little throwback for you guys: let’s all remember our favorite meatball song from childhood:<br />
<br />
<em>On top of spaghetti, </em><br />
<em>All covered with cheese,</em><br />
<em>I lost my poor meatball, </em><br />
<em>When somebody sneezed.</em><br />
<em><br /></em><br />
<em>It rolled off the table,</em><br />
<em>And on to the floor,</em><br />
<em>And then my poor meatball,</em><br />
<em>Rolled out of the door…</em><br />
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...and I forget the rest, but that comes with age too. In conclusion, enjoy <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/03/jamie-olivers-meatfishballs.html">Jamie's Amaze-Balls Meat(fish)balls!</a>Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05643490940353058566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700059042237042000.post-42276980806135241142012-02-29T23:53:00.002-05:002012-03-01T17:24:43.181-05:00The Benefits of Ottolenghi-Fying OneselfLadies and gents, I'm proud to announce that <i>le chateau</i> is becoming an Ottolenghi-fied household. <br />
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What is an <a href="http://www.ottolenghi.co.uk/">Ottolenghi</a> you might ask? It's not some fun-sounding type of car (though I dream of the day I'll once again even <i>have</i> a car). Nor is it a silly new exercise fad. It's not an herb. It's not some exotic fruit. Ottolenghi is a last name (first name: <a href="http://www.ottolenghi.co.uk/">Yotam</a>) and he's kind of a BFD chef-man. I really don't know that much about him, except the dude knows his veg. Just look at his gorgeous new cookbook! <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/plenty-yotam-ottolenghi/1102580859?r=1&ean=9781452109701&cm_mmc=Google+Product+Search-_-Q000000630-_-Plenty-_-9781452109701">Plenty</a>! With what appears to be baby eggplants and rosemary and some luscious yogurt sauce with pomegranate seeds, of all bright and beautiful things, sprinkled on top, standing proud on the book jacket. And guys...that's just the cover of this thing. I'm in love with this cookbook (and it's hard to make me fall hard for an eggplant) but fall I have, and love I'm in.<br />
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The roomie brought this into the house at the beginning of February, and thank heavens because February is absolutely my least favorite month of the year. It's an entire month of living that saying "it's darkest before the dawn," which doesn't make for a fun 29 days. Hours drag, and it seems like night will never end. Wind blows. I think I saw the sun last Thursday. I'm over stews at this point. I mean...one can only have <i>so much </i>veggie chili, you know?<br />
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But Ottolenghi came in and brightened the place up. We made a cold noodle dish, <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/02/soba-noodles-with-eggplant-and-mango.html">Soba noodles with Eggplant and Mango,</a> which doesn't sound appealing at all in February, but trust a girl here. Chilled soba (buckwheat) noodles, tossed with pan-fried eggplant, mango, basil and cilantro, and a lime-chile dressing. Goodness gracious. I swear, it's been a while since I ate four helpings of a <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/02/soba-noodles-with-eggplant-and-mango.html">cold noodle salad</a> (remember our <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2009/08/vietnamese-crack-salad.html">Vietnamese Crack Salad</a> obsession?) but this was such an interesting dish I couldn't stop myself, and relatively healthy to boot. The sweetness of the mango combined with the tang of the dressing, the freshness of the herbs, the slippery coolness of the noodles and saltiness of the eggplant were powerful reminders of summer, of beautiful and and zippy flavors, and it helped all of February move just a little bit faster for this desert gal.<br />
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Oh, and Happy Leap Day! Won't say that again for another four years, so hope this extra day was full of good things for you all. <br />
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<br />Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05643490940353058566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700059042237042000.post-21388046718046003482012-01-28T12:47:00.001-05:002012-01-29T14:34:04.277-05:00On what makes a Fine Indian Woman<br />
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When I think of Aloo Gobi, for some reason I don’t think of home. I think of the movie <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bwVgfhilM8">“Bend It Like Beckham”</a> which taught me that once a gal knows how to make a good <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/01/aloo-gobi-potato-and-cauliflower.html">Aloo Gobi</a>, you’re officially a Fine Indian Woman and will have no problem taking over the world, <i>thankyouverymuch</i><span style="font-style: normal;">.</span></div>
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<i>Aloo</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> is potato. </span><i>Gobi</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> is cauliflower, and when brought together with a bevy of fun spices it is absolutely </span><i>delicious</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. I punked out and bought some store-made </span><i>naan</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> bread that I warmed up in the oven, which is also where I happened to roast these veggies first instead of sauteeing them because cauliflower is pretty much only fantastic when you roast it (true story). <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/01/aloo-gobi-potato-and-cauliflower.html">Roasted Veggie Aloo Gobi!</a> I can’t take all the credit for this (inspired as I was by a recipe I found from <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Indian-Spiced-Cauliflower-and-Potatoes-109118">Gourmet</a>), but still, it was up my <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/01/aloo-gobi-potato-and-cauliflower.html">Aloo Gobi</a> alley and that’s where I followed it with excellent results.</span></div>
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The roomie tends to rag on me for not making more food from my Motherland, but here I am, with solid <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2010/07/chole-palak.html">Chole Palak</a>, <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2008/12/vegetable-pulau.html">Pulau</a>, <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2008/12/cucumber-raita.html">Raita</a>, <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2009/04/lassi.html">Lassi</a>, <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2008/12/apple-chutney.html">Apple Chutney</a>, <i>and</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/01/aloo-gobi-potato-and-cauliflower.html">Aloo Gobi</a> recipes under my belt and I can’t help but think that’s pretty damn good for a gal from the desert in Arizona. </span></div>
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To my vegan and veggie-friendly friends, this is one of those dishes that, when served with some warmed up flatbread-of-choice, makes for a delicious, healthy, and pretty satisfying dinner. And I challenge those of you scared of making your own Indian food to buy a few spices and try it out…it’s not scary, and the flavors are only overpowering if you over-season. I promise.</div>
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So eat up! Meatless Monday is coming up, and I hear it's all<span style="font-style: normal;"> the rage these days. </span></div>Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05643490940353058566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700059042237042000.post-37084410527607809522012-01-05T22:15:00.000-05:002012-01-08T10:25:27.495-05:00Putting Things Off (A Perfect Example of How To or Not To Start The New Year)I love New Years. Isn't it great to look back and take full stock of your life, the good and the bad, and what you want <i>in</i> it, what you want <i>out</i> of it, and above all, how to go about <i>doing</i> it. Fresh, new ideas. Sparkling lights. Mountains of champagne and spontaneous midnight dance parties at the stroke of twelve. Maybe even fireworks, if you're lucky. Yes, new years is quite the time.<br />
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It's also the time to go about getting "healthier" whatever that means. I've now been trying to start a "cleanse" for what was originally a two week time period. I've now cut it down to a week, and since I apparently don't even have the time for <i>that</i> it's looking like if I can do a cleanse for two whole days thats about as good as it's gonna get. I don't know what it's supposed to fight against, but apparently it's something to do with processed sugars, flours, dairy, meats, gluten, and all the good things I usually love to munch. You'd think that one as determined as I could handle that. And maybe I can, (this weekend perhaps?) but until then... <b>let's have some doughnuts. </b> <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/01/apple-cider-doughnuts.html">Apple Cider Doughnuts</a>, to be exact. And if we want to get fancy on the doughnut holes, lets just drape them in syrup and name them <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/01/apple-cider-doughnuts.html">Maple Syrup Glazed Doughnut Holes</a>. Happy New Years to US!<br />
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We had our annual "O-Hole-Y Breakfast" this past December where I busted out <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/01/apple-cider-doughnuts.html">a brand new doughnut</a> on my unsuspecting guests. And love them some doughnuts they did. I really liked how these were cake doughnuts, and I didn't have to wait for yeast to help raise the dough...instead...I just got down to bizniz, and me and the doughnuts succeeded on all counts.<br />
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I recently read in a <a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/">Bon Appetit </a>about the obsession with Maple Syrup in the grand region of Quebec in Canada, and they mentioned dousing hot doughnuts in pure maple syrup and damn if those northern neighbors of ours weren't spot on in syrup-soaked-fried-bread. Genius! Inspirational! Montreal, Quebec City...maple makers...I'll be visiting you soon, I promise.<br />
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It was a grand time had by all, and foods with holes continue to wow friends and family alike. I also made them for Christmas morning brunch and they went over just as well in AZ as they do in DC, so do me a solid and try <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2012/01/apple-cider-doughnuts.html">these doughnuts</a> on an upcoming lazy (and freezing) Saturday morning. You can high-five me later in the new year (but make sure to do it before the world ends this upcoming December, k?)<br />
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Happy 2012 and Happy Food Adventuring!<br />
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<br />Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05643490940353058566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700059042237042000.post-47942215417811111392011-12-19T17:40:00.000-05:002011-12-20T08:49:20.775-05:00Fun-Guy Soup<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I know what you’re thinking. I can practically see the wheels turning in your head as you send me a snarky mental note.</span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Really Samantha? Another soup? A) of all, that's an awful pun in your title. B) of all, this isn't very Vagabond-y of you and, of all things, it deals strictly in mushrooms which don’t really taste like anything. I see your adventurous side has taken to long walks in the forest while you search for things that only hermits eat, like nuts, berries, and mushrooms. I need more than mushroom soup to be a happy adventurer.</span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hoping you jump out of that soup bowl and into something more exciting,</span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">--Anonymous Reader</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">WELL, anonymous readers, I do need to let you in on a little secret. This ain’t yo mama’s</span><a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2011/12/balthazars-cream-of-mushroom-soup.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> mushroom soup</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> (at least it ain’t mine, bc my mama never MADE mushroom soup. So there.) It </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">especially</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> is not, at all, a Campbells-esque style mushroom soup (which I don’t even consider as being mushroom soup.) It is, however, from a New York City landmark restaurant, </span><a href="http://balthazarny.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Balthazar</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, and it is a </span><a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2011/12/balthazars-cream-of-mushroom-soup.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cream of Mushroom Soup</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> as you've never had before. It is lush. It is earthy (which appeals to me since I’m a Virgo. Translation = Earth sign!) But it is completely, utterly, all-encompassingly, mushroomingly… perfect.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There are many riffs of this version in particular floating around the internet, but I foresaw the need to have the Balthazar cookbook on hand years ago when I ran across it in a used-book store, and to the original book I went. You can look a million things up online, but I swear, nothing compares to a soup-spattered page of a beloved cookbook nestled in your cabinets. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And, surprise of all surprises, it’s pretty easy. It has a lovely amount of herbs to make the soup </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">juuust </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">interesting enough without overpowering the mushrooms. I kid you not, </span><a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2011/12/balthazars-cream-of-mushroom-soup.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">this mushroom soup </span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">wowed my work friends enough to have my boss ask me to cook for her holiday party, featuring pretty much this, and only this, soup. (Turned her down to actually go home for the holidays, but don’t think I wasn’t tempted to spend my days before Christmas wrapped up in my kitchen making boatloads of this magical deliciousness).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I’m sharing this just in time for your Christmas Eve dinners, and as a special present to you this holiday. I’m glad to have this blog, I’m grateful for your readership, and I can’t wait to see what kind of adventures we can get into together by next Christmas.</span></span></div>Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05643490940353058566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700059042237042000.post-71047607376396237102011-12-01T22:49:00.001-05:002011-12-04T22:32:15.487-05:00Ginger LovinThis is a bit belated, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY Vagabond Table! Three years and counting. I cheers to you and your continued, well-written health, and may you continue to share recipes I love with the world beyond my front door. <br />
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I'd like to dedicate my first official Winter-timey post to soup. Seems obvious, but I would like to defend this for a second, if I may. Especially when this particular soup has already encountered quite a bit of disbelief in its greatness (<i>ahem</i>, MOM), but is really one of the best soups I've made in the past year. Imagine something velvet-smooth, with the sweetness of carrot, the tang of ginger, a swirl of greek yogurt peeking through and suddenly you have <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2011/12/carrot-ginger-soup.html">Carrot Ginger Soup</a> and you are not quite ever a fan of normal carrots anymore. Not like I ever was, but this soup will sit you down, woo you, and make you a believer in the power of ginger. <br />
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Speaking of Ginger, I feel like both the food and real-life gingers I know need some winter lovin. I'd like to proudly announce that, of my friends with babies, of which there are only two, they are BOTH Ginger Babies and both my favorite little ones out there right now. Can we take a second to appreciate the pigtails below? My friend Little Ginger as I like to call Miss Miriam, the first of my fave gingeroos? </div>
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I'll share more pics of my new little friend, Blake, at some point when his ginger hair grows out beyond what would usually be called 'bald' on any man 40 years older than he currently is. More ginger lovin to come, I promise you.<br />
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Ginger is also amazing for a sore throat (ginger tea! getcha some) and is nice surprise in this dish, kind of like an unexpected visitor that stays for a while, or a chance meeting with a friend on the street. You never know what might come your way, and I think that alone proves this soup deserves the spotlight in your kitchen on a cold evening. It also doesn't hurt that during these long days <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2011/12/carrot-ginger-soup.html">Carrot Ginger Soup</a> is like a neon shot of bright orange straight to your kitchen table.<br />
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All that's warm and good in life, wrapped up in a bowl, from me, for you. Happy beginning-of-the-holidays and may this be the start to a season of only good things for you.Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05643490940353058566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700059042237042000.post-69890658401739399662011-10-20T15:20:00.002-04:002011-10-20T15:26:35.531-04:00Up In KnotsFor months it seemed like I had no time to write on here. But now, on my 2nd day staying home sick from work, I've found some time. And it feels great to sip at some potato (beer!) soup and get back to Vagabond basics while listening to <a href="http://www.listentofeist.com/metals/">Feist's new album, Metals. </a><br />
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Looking out my window, the wind is racing, and changing the day from gray to sunny to gray to sunny and everything in between. It's a continuous movement, and I find myself mesmerized by how constant the weather changes are. The reliability of change. A lovely thing, once I start to think on it a bit more. <br />
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<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/samantha.ferm/TheVagabondTable03?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite">The Vagabond Table</a></td></tr>
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Another lovely thing is my finally cracking open <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Good-Grain-Baking-Whole-Grain-Flours/dp/1584798300">Good to the Grain</a> by Kim Boyce (a Christmas present I'd begged for last year) and trying my hand at a few things, most notably the <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2011/10/soft-rye-pretzels.html">Soft Rye Pretzels </a>(!) for our annual Oktoberfest shindig that went down last weekend. <br />
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<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/samantha.ferm/TheVagabondTable03?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite">The Vagabond Table</a></td></tr>
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In all honesty the roomie and I made 2 types of pretzels, and while the 2nd recipe might have been slightly easier in terms of rising times, this one was the more hearty and flavorful of the two, being a mix between white and rye flours. If the idea of rye conjurs up images of rye bread, try your best to put them aside...rye bread also gets its flavor from caraway seeeds, not necessarily the rye, and, in an earnest suggestion between you and me, rye deserves a second chance. <br />
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<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/samantha.ferm/TheVagabondTable03?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite">The Vagabond Table</a></td></tr>
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I found that pretzels are pretty fun to make...kind of like when you rolled play-doh into logs and worms when you were a kid (which is quite a useful skill to maintain in the making of pretzels) and that it's even more fun to knot them up and boil them and sprinkle them and bake them and suddenly have pretzels on your hands. <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2011/10/soft-rye-pretzels.html"> Real Pretzels!</a> Not the hard kind from a bag at the grocer, but the warm, crackly, soft kind, (mall-variety, but infinitely better). <br />
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<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/samantha.ferm/TheVagabondTable03?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite">The Vagabond Table</a></td></tr>
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<a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2011/10/soft-rye-pretzels.html">These pretzels</a> are even better when served with this <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2010/10/bratwurst-bites-with-beer-mustard.html">Beer Mustard</a> recipe I'd adapted a few years ago, these <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2010/10/bratwurst-bites-with-beer-mustard.html">Bratwurst Bites</a> and <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2010/10/braised-red-cabbage-with-apples-and.html">this incredible red cabbage dish</a> . Happy Oktobering to you all and may you soon find a Soft Rye Pretzel in one hand and brew in the other. Prost!<br />
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<br />Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05643490940353058566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700059042237042000.post-6898097317040232402011-08-31T18:01:00.000-04:002011-08-31T18:01:26.107-04:00A Funny Thing<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">Space is a funny thing. Sometimes you crave it, a little distance from x-y-z, or sometimes it happens when you didn’t even mean for it to (ie, not writing on here for about 2 months now) and a lot of times, when you get exactly what you (un)intentionally wanted, it isn’t always rainbows and puppies. (Case in point, I've missed you, Vagabond Table.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">But space is good, too. It’s good to refocus, to reflect, to put all your energies into one or two things instead of 20 things, because sometimes just a few things require that much time to get through, or, in some cases, get over. And, either way, or all around, or however you end up interpreting this, that distance is a great healer, encourager, and clarifier. And lets you value yourself, and your relationships, and your goals in ways that you never quite had the time to do before. Maybe it even gives you some good ideas for what you want to do in your 29th year of life, as you gratefully bundle up all the 28 years that came before and see what other adventures you can get lost in. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Taking a step back also helps you realize that simple things somehow end up being most important. Things like taking 5 minutes to just <i>pause</i> before the day even starts, when you’re still curled up in bed. Or give a long, long hug to a Grandmother you never get to see. Even just spending the night chatting about anything and everything with a soul-friend, celebrating a new life coming into this world, your brother’s new start at college, a good friend's wedding (in Colorado!) and remembering to never, ever, ever, sell yourself short of the good things in life. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dNwFJlmD7o4/TlxeW223UeI/AAAAAAAACmY/eQLek9O4PkI/s1600/IMG_0675.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dNwFJlmD7o4/TlxeW223UeI/AAAAAAAACmY/eQLek9O4PkI/s320/IMG_0675.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Coffee in the morning. Being lazy on a Saturday. Listening to summer thunderstorms (or hurricanes!) outside your window and watching the lightning electrify your walls. Tostada and movie nights, homemade stovetop popcorn, curling up in the blanket your mom knit you ages ago, listening to records, and feeling the first break in heat as Fall starts creeping up. <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2011/08/stone-fruit-lattice-pie-and-pie-crust.html"> Late summer peaches being turned into pies.</a> A gift or rosemary from a friend’s garden. Simple things, good things. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">And sometimes space works to your cooking favor… for example spaces work most excellently on said <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2011/08/stone-fruit-lattice-pie-and-pie-crust.html">Peach Pie</a>, with the classic lattice-woven crust that lets the fruit caramelize while letting the steam out. Maybe that’s all a bit of space is good for in life…letting things cool off, letting the steam out, letting things settle, and then, when it’s time to dive in, all that patience and space leads to something much better.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OMkSXsja6wg/TlxeLVrxyjI/AAAAAAAACmQ/egcZ06JRbvI/s1600/IMG_0673.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OMkSXsja6wg/TlxeLVrxyjI/AAAAAAAACmQ/egcZ06JRbvI/s320/IMG_0673.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">Use up those peaches and plums, my friends. <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2011/08/stone-fruit-lattice-pie-and-pie-crust.html">Put them in a pie,</a> put them in a jar, just put them somewhere you get to enjoy every lovely bit of them. And here's to allowing yourself to pause enough to focus on things you love, and to diving in. Just like we dived into this <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2011/08/stone-fruit-lattice-pie-and-pie-crust.html">Rosemary Peach Pie</a>, but hopefully the benefits of that last longer than how long this pie lasted. Which, between 3 people, was less than a day. </span></div>Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05643490940353058566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700059042237042000.post-42539826159567220232011-06-19T22:36:00.001-04:002011-06-19T22:37:02.030-04:00It Reminds Me<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">I don’t know what it is about summer, but I want to eat seafood All. Of. The. Time. Shrimps! Fish! Ceviche! Crab (and crab cakes!) Mussels and Frites! There really isn’t a downside to any of this. Actually, there’s an additional plus. All of these thoughts of seafood reminded me of Red Lobster, which immediately brought to mind Cheddar Bay Biscuits, the true source of everyone’s obsession with the place.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">I found a riff on these in the form of <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2011/06/cheddar-jalapeno-scones.html">Cheddar and Jalapeño Scones</a> from <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/10/jalapeo-cheddar-scones/">Smitten Kitchen</a>, and by golly I had to have them one Friday night not too long ago. It wasn’t a convenient time to make them: </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;"><b>A)</b> It was after work. On a Friday. Which usually equals happy hours and a <i>lack</i> of work. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;"><b>B)</b> It was before a concert (that I ended up ditching out going to anyway, but still). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;"><b>C)</b> There aren’t a lot of scones being baked at 7pm on a Friday. It's kind of weird...it's a breakfast food. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iDUlOen0FRA/Tf6pv3CJ3TI/AAAAAAAACk4/4KJj57IBjeM/s1600/IMG_7589.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iDUlOen0FRA/Tf6pv3CJ3TI/AAAAAAAACk4/4KJj57IBjeM/s320/IMG_7589.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As you might already know, I am, unabashedly, a cheese lover. And I <i>had</i> to have <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2011/06/cheddar-jalapeno-scones.html">these scones</a>. Nothing could deter me! I was a woman with a mission, and that mission, once it was ingrained in my head was one that needed to be completed. And complete it I did, in all its buttery, cheesy, glory. These scones are most excellent fresh out of the oven, though they’re fine put back in the oven the next day to warm up a bit. I wish I had some crab and butter or a nice green salad to go along with them instead of just hoar</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">ding scones for my dinner that night, but <i>c'est la vie.</i> </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2r8awP_QMNY/Tf6pxUlEtCI/AAAAAAAAClA/Pqd8Y0-LnOA/s1600/IMG_7593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2r8awP_QMNY/Tf6pxUlEtCI/AAAAAAAAClA/Pqd8Y0-LnOA/s320/IMG_7593.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">However...<a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2011/06/cheddar-jalapeno-scones.html"> these white cheddar scones </a>were met with approval from a bevy pre-concert peeps that night, and I’m sure would meet approval with your own crew of summer devotees. So for your next clam bake, BBQ, picnic, or crab-fest, make these and you won’t think twice about needing to turn your oven on for a few minutes, even in the midst of summer heat. Your cheese-loving soul deserves it. </span></div>Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05643490940353058566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700059042237042000.post-74051612163565564452011-05-30T22:15:00.000-04:002011-05-30T22:15:06.691-04:00Catching Up<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Things have been so dang busy these past several weeks that I’m realizing Spring Fever isn’t necessarily about getting excited for Spring…it means you’re completely caught up in the whirlwind of activity that arises after the sleepy quietness of winter. <span> </span>Did you know that almost everyone and their mother (mine and Roni’s included) have birthdays in May? And that it's also the month of Graduations and Weddings and Very Important Events?<span> </span>At least it seems that way, and I’m never one to turn down a righteous birthday/graduation/wedding celebration.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I kind of love the hubbub that has come with all this great weather…people in their plaid shorts, dudes in brown flip flops, summer dresses, sandals, and this carefree way of laughing and getting together that suddenly makes life so brimming with <i>fullness</i> that you (accidentally) don't do laundry for two weeks and also forget to go to the grocery store for just as long.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Do you know what that calls for? Emergency meals that feed you for at least 4 days and are kind of great for the odds/ends left in your fridge.<span> </span>Like a ridiculously easy<a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2011/05/pasta-puttanesca.html"> Pasta Puttanesca</a>, which takes those odds and ends and delivers something authentic between all of the glasses of white wine and runnings-about-town that usually replace real meals with fun goings-on.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PJOlwmhZGzI/Tcs-oS6vRQI/AAAAAAAACe4/3NNqUxmyUDA/s1600/IMG_7553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PJOlwmhZGzI/Tcs-oS6vRQI/AAAAAAAACe4/3NNqUxmyUDA/s320/IMG_7553.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Canned tomatoes.<span> </span>Some olives and garlic.<span> </span>Parmesan and some parsley. Tuna (in this case I got real with it and did anchovies, but I feel everyone has a can of anchovies or tuna somewhere in a cupboard), leftover dried spaghetti noodles from the last time you made spaghetti noodles, and voila! <a href="http://recipes-thevagabondtable.blogspot.com/2011/05/pasta-puttanesca.html">Pasta Puttanesca</a>, and it is very, very good.<span> </span>It’s even better the next day (bonus!) and sounds a bit fancier than what it actually is.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6KWM4jxOI68/Tcs-pNhZHUI/AAAAAAAACfA/_-2r6SjHIiA/s1600/IMG_7555.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6KWM4jxOI68/Tcs-pNhZHUI/AAAAAAAACfA/_-2r6SjHIiA/s320/IMG_7555.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Also, happy Memorial Day to everyone! I'm currently writing you from sunny San Diego (more on that in a future post) but I'd like to take this quick second to congratulate my brother Christian on his high school graduation (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highland_High_School_(Gilbert,_Arizona)">Go Hawks!</a> and now...<a href="http://www.asu.edu/">Go Sun Devils!</a>) and also Brennan and Julie on their wedding. Love you guys. </span></span></div>Samanthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05643490940353058566noreply@blogger.com0