I just got back to Houston after a wonderful week spent at home with my family and friends. The weather was absolutely perfect which is rare for Memorial Day in Madison. We had warm (but not too hot), sunny days and cool, clear nights. It was even clear enough overnight to see the meteor shower! My mom and I bundled up in warm clothes and blankets and each saw 2 shooting stars. She saw both of hers around 10 pm but I had to go back out at 3:30 to see mine. It was neat to lay in the hammock all bundled up in my down comforter, listen to the sounds of the lake and the trees, look for shooting stars and watch the sun begin to rise. That's not something I get to do in Houston!
I spent the rest of the week visiting friends, running a few errands, eating picnic salads of every imaginable kind, burgers and brats (no, I didn't go to Brat Fest). On Saturday morning, I went to a yoga class then met two of my good friends (and their adorable 11 week-old baby boy!) at the Dane County Farmers' Market. I had my fair share of cheese samples but the only things I bought were a cream cheese filled croissant for a very late breakfast and a pound of rhubarb. I made two stalks into Rhubarb and Rye Scones from Apt. 2B Baking Co. and I made the rest into pie.
Objective
Adapt my strawberry rhubarb sour cream crumb pie recipe to a tart, thin (because a two-inch thick piece of rhubarb pie would be a little too much) rhubarb sour cream crumble pie. Based on my Blueberry Sour Cream Crumble Pie.
Materials
1 unbaked pie crust
2 cups rhubarb, chopped in 1/2" pieces
1/2 cup sour cream (low fat is fine or even Greek yogurt)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
1-2 tbsp. flour (optional, for a thicker pie)
Crumble topping:
1/4 cup flour (whole wheat)
1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, cold and cut in small cubes
Methods
1. Preheat the oven to 450ºF.
2. Place the chopped rhubarb in the bottom of the unbaked pie crust. Whisk together the sour cream, vanilla, sugar and flour. Spread over the rhubarb.
3. In a medium sized bowl, prepare the crumble topping. Use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the dry ingredients or simply use your finger and pinch the butter into the dry ingredients until you have coarse crumbles. Sprinkle over the pie.
4. Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake at 450ºF for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350ºF, tent with foil to prevent the crust from burning,and continue baking 25 to 30 minutes. Cool then chill completely before serving.
Results
Yum! The crust is a deep golden brown and the filling holds it's shape sort of like a cheesecake. The filling is tart and lightly sweetened.
Discussion
I used a store-bought pie crust (which tends to make a smaller pie than homemade 9" pies) and the thickness was just right. In thinking more about it, I might use a graham cracker crust next time I make this pie because the texture of the filling reminded me of cheesecake and that would make it even more cheesecake-like. If you omit the flour, you'll get a runnier pie (check out the pictures of the blueberry version). If you pride yourself in food presentation, I'd recommend adding the flour for clean-edged slices.
I'm sorry I don't have a photo of the pie to share. I didn't even think to take a camera home with me while I was packing! But to be totally honest, in my family, it's not about how pie looks but rather, how it tastes! I'm pretty sure it tasted good because we offered my brother a bite as he was walking out the door and he turned right back around and decided he could wait to leave until he'd had a whole slice. I'd call that a success!
29 May, 2014
22 May, 2014
Balsamic Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream
Strawberries and melons are my favorite summer fruits. I rarely buy melons because I can never finish a whole melon before it goes bad. We even struggle to eat strawberries quickly enough! I frequently panic once I notice that one or two of the strawberries in a carton is moldy. Often, I'll make the remaining berries into a galette, but if I'm not in the mood to make crust, I sit on the internet looking for strawberry recipes feeling defeated. Once, I made a strawberry compote from two pounds of strawberries that were going bad. Aat the grocery store, I suggested that 2 pounds was probably too much, but I was told "don't worry. I'll eat them." That's a phrase I will never believe! So, then we ended up with a giant bowl of strawberry compote that was on the brink of going bad and the only way I could think of to use it was on waffles! The rest of it was frozen. It's probably still in the freezer somewhere..
The next time we had molding strawberries, I gave up. I washed the strawberries, sliced them and froze them. Unlike the bag of whole frozen strawberries we have lurking in the bottom of our freezer, sliced strawberries can go into the blender and come out smooth, so I made a lot of smoothies. Smoothies are great, but ice cream is so much better.
I've had my eye on a recipe for roasted strawberry ice cream for the past few years. Whenever I had strawberries, I forgot to roast them. The same thing happened with bananas. I kept planning to make banana bread with roasted bananas, but every time I made banana bread, I forgot! When I finally bought bananas with the intention of roasting them, I made the banana bread and was disappointed with the results. I didn't think that roasting the bananas made a difference. Fortunately, I wasn't disappointed with my roasted strawberry ice cream!
Objective
To make strawberry ice cream with roasted strawberries. The recipe is a combination of both Zoe Bakes' Strawberry Ice Cream and Homesick Texan's Strawberry and Guajillo Chile Ice Cream.
Materials
For the roasted strawberries:
12 oz. fresh, ripe strawberries, washed with tops cut off
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
For the ice cream:
3 cups half-and-half
2 tbsp. light corn syrup
1/2 cup granulated sugar
juice of 1/2 lime
Methods
1. In a small bowl, toss the strawberries, 2 tbsp. sugar and balsamic vinegar. Set aside for an hour to macerate (or leave in the fridge while you go to work, run errands, whatever). Preheat the oven to 300ºF. Roast the strawberry mixture on a foil lined baking sheet until you can easily mash the strawberries with the back of a fork. Remove from the oven and thoroughly mash the strawberries.
2. In a large bowl (batter bowl if you have one), stir the mashed strawberries, half-and-half, corn syrup, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and lime juice. Leave in the fridge to chill completely (4-6 hours, or even better, overnight).
3. Once the base is cold, freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions. Move to a pre-chilled bowl with a lid and freeze until firm (2-3 hours). Eat within a few days for the best texture.
Results
Creamy, strawberry goodness! Excellent flavor, though its pink color edges toward brown.
Discussion and Future Directions
This is a lovely, light in feel strawberry ice cream. This one wont leave your mouth coated with fat. Excellent to eat in a bowl and also excellent blended with a little milk to make a quick and easy strawberry milkshake! Be sure to eat it quickly, because it will freeze fairly solid in the freezer since it's not as high in fat as a traditional ice cream. If you leave it in the freezer for awhile, just know that it will take awhile to soften up before you can eat it.
This ice cream would be the perfect end to a dinner party with friends or a Memorial Day barbecue. It's sweet, fruity and creamy, but light. It's sure to be a crowd-pleaser!
The next time we had molding strawberries, I gave up. I washed the strawberries, sliced them and froze them. Unlike the bag of whole frozen strawberries we have lurking in the bottom of our freezer, sliced strawberries can go into the blender and come out smooth, so I made a lot of smoothies. Smoothies are great, but ice cream is so much better.
I've had my eye on a recipe for roasted strawberry ice cream for the past few years. Whenever I had strawberries, I forgot to roast them. The same thing happened with bananas. I kept planning to make banana bread with roasted bananas, but every time I made banana bread, I forgot! When I finally bought bananas with the intention of roasting them, I made the banana bread and was disappointed with the results. I didn't think that roasting the bananas made a difference. Fortunately, I wasn't disappointed with my roasted strawberry ice cream!
Objective
To make strawberry ice cream with roasted strawberries. The recipe is a combination of both Zoe Bakes' Strawberry Ice Cream and Homesick Texan's Strawberry and Guajillo Chile Ice Cream.
Materials
For the roasted strawberries:
12 oz. fresh, ripe strawberries, washed with tops cut off
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
For the ice cream:
3 cups half-and-half
2 tbsp. light corn syrup
1/2 cup granulated sugar
juice of 1/2 lime
Methods
1. In a small bowl, toss the strawberries, 2 tbsp. sugar and balsamic vinegar. Set aside for an hour to macerate (or leave in the fridge while you go to work, run errands, whatever). Preheat the oven to 300ºF. Roast the strawberry mixture on a foil lined baking sheet until you can easily mash the strawberries with the back of a fork. Remove from the oven and thoroughly mash the strawberries.
2. In a large bowl (batter bowl if you have one), stir the mashed strawberries, half-and-half, corn syrup, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and lime juice. Leave in the fridge to chill completely (4-6 hours, or even better, overnight).
3. Once the base is cold, freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions. Move to a pre-chilled bowl with a lid and freeze until firm (2-3 hours). Eat within a few days for the best texture.
Results
Creamy, strawberry goodness! Excellent flavor, though its pink color edges toward brown.
Discussion and Future Directions
This is a lovely, light in feel strawberry ice cream. This one wont leave your mouth coated with fat. Excellent to eat in a bowl and also excellent blended with a little milk to make a quick and easy strawberry milkshake! Be sure to eat it quickly, because it will freeze fairly solid in the freezer since it's not as high in fat as a traditional ice cream. If you leave it in the freezer for awhile, just know that it will take awhile to soften up before you can eat it.
This ice cream would be the perfect end to a dinner party with friends or a Memorial Day barbecue. It's sweet, fruity and creamy, but light. It's sure to be a crowd-pleaser!
15 May, 2014
Guatemala: Rice and Beans (and a Volcano hike!)
One of the best meals C and I had in Guatemala was also one of the cheapest meals we had. It was late on a Tuesday night after we hiked Volcán Pacaya. We struggled to find an open restaurant that we could agree on, so we ended up at the same restaurant we'd eaten at the night before, the Rainbow Cafe. Our meal, Tomato Tarragon Soup for me and Rice and Beans for C, rang up as a whopping 22 Quetzals or roughly $2.85 USD. It was cheaper, more filling, and much more delicious than the sandwiches we ordered the previous night. It might have been an extra delicious meal because of all of the extra calories we burned on our volcano hike (minus the calories we added back by eating volcano-roasted marshmallows).
Volcán Pacaya is an active volcano just south of Guatemala City. When I say it's an active volcano, I'm not pulling your leg. Twelve days after our climb, it erupted, closing the park and airport in Guatemala City. While at first take, it seemed unfortunate that we didn't see any lava, we were extremely thankful that we didn't. We are grateful that we didn't have the same bad experience that family friends of mine had a few years back. They family was forced to run (literally) down the volcano as it erupted. I heard that story after we got back. Thankfully none of them were seriously injured. We learned that maybe volcano hikes aren't the greatest idea. Consider yourself warned!
Back to the food! The Tomato Tarragon Soup was warm and hearty, very appropriate for the chilly February night. My only complaint was that there wasn't nearly enough bread to savor it slowly! The Rice and Beans were simple. The rice was seasoned with a little bit of salt and the black beans were seasoned with garlic. What made it tip the scales was the small bowl of sour cream that they served alongside it. There was something absolutely perfect about the combination of rice, beans, sour cream and hot sauce (which we added from a jar on the table).
Objective
Create a rice and beans dish comparable to the one at Rainbow Cafe in Antigua, Guatemala using dried black beans to capture the right texture of bean.
Materials
0.5 pounds dried black beans
2 cloves garlic, minced
0.5 small onion,chopped
salt and pepper
3 cups rice, cooked
Chipotle Salsa, to serve
sour cream (full-fat), to serve
coarse salt, to serve
cilantro, to garnish
Methods
1. Sort and rinse the black beans under cold water. Add to a large saucepan and cover with 5-6 inches of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. There are two choices to finish preparing the beans (a) overnight or (b) same day. To prepare the beans the same day, cover the pot and let the beans soak for one hour. Drain, rinse, and cover with fresh water. Bring to a boil with the garlic and onion. Boil the beans until they are soft (1.5-2 hours). Once the beans begin to soften, season with salt and pepper. To soak overnight, rinse the boiled beans under cold water until cool. Place in a large storage container, cover with water and let soak overnight. Then, drain, rinse, cover with fresh water and boil as stated before.
2. Once the beans are soft, drain the liquid.
3. To serve, put a scoop of rice in the bottom of a bowl. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Add a scoop of beans on top of the rice. Add a dollop of salsa and a dollop of sour cream. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve.
Results
Delicious! Seriously, it's the spicy salsa plus creamy sour cream combination that takes it from beans-and-rice-rice-and-beans to a delicious meal. The beans have texture, setting them apart from canned beans.
Discussion
There's really nothing more to say about the dish other than that you should make this next time you're craving comfort food (warm and hearty but healthy). So, instead, let's talk about beans. I tried preparing dried black beans once before. It went so terribly that I used the rest of the bag for pie weights instead of food. So why didn't I just use canned beans for this recipe? Texture and technique. The texture of canned beans is a little mushier than what I wanted (after all, black beans are a star player in this dish). So, why do I care about the technique? The technique is a good life skill. What if there is an aluminum shortage and we run out of cans? Just kidding. Seriously though, what happens if I get plopped down in an area where everyone uses dried beans so the grocery store doesn't carry canned beans? Do I really want to learn the technique out of necessity? No, I want to be prepared for that day because I suspect that it'll be coming soon (in 74 days to be exact).
Volcán Pacaya is an active volcano just south of Guatemala City. When I say it's an active volcano, I'm not pulling your leg. Twelve days after our climb, it erupted, closing the park and airport in Guatemala City. While at first take, it seemed unfortunate that we didn't see any lava, we were extremely thankful that we didn't. We are grateful that we didn't have the same bad experience that family friends of mine had a few years back. They family was forced to run (literally) down the volcano as it erupted. I heard that story after we got back. Thankfully none of them were seriously injured. We learned that maybe volcano hikes aren't the greatest idea. Consider yourself warned!
 |
| View on the way up |
 |
| Ascending into the clouds |
 |
| Clouds parted briefly so that we could see the "Peak" |
 |
| Marshmallows roasted in a vent |
Back to the food! The Tomato Tarragon Soup was warm and hearty, very appropriate for the chilly February night. My only complaint was that there wasn't nearly enough bread to savor it slowly! The Rice and Beans were simple. The rice was seasoned with a little bit of salt and the black beans were seasoned with garlic. What made it tip the scales was the small bowl of sour cream that they served alongside it. There was something absolutely perfect about the combination of rice, beans, sour cream and hot sauce (which we added from a jar on the table).
Objective
Create a rice and beans dish comparable to the one at Rainbow Cafe in Antigua, Guatemala using dried black beans to capture the right texture of bean.
Materials
0.5 pounds dried black beans
2 cloves garlic, minced
0.5 small onion,chopped
salt and pepper
3 cups rice, cooked
Chipotle Salsa, to serve
sour cream (full-fat), to serve
coarse salt, to serve
cilantro, to garnish
Methods
1. Sort and rinse the black beans under cold water. Add to a large saucepan and cover with 5-6 inches of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. There are two choices to finish preparing the beans (a) overnight or (b) same day. To prepare the beans the same day, cover the pot and let the beans soak for one hour. Drain, rinse, and cover with fresh water. Bring to a boil with the garlic and onion. Boil the beans until they are soft (1.5-2 hours). Once the beans begin to soften, season with salt and pepper. To soak overnight, rinse the boiled beans under cold water until cool. Place in a large storage container, cover with water and let soak overnight. Then, drain, rinse, cover with fresh water and boil as stated before.
2. Once the beans are soft, drain the liquid.
3. To serve, put a scoop of rice in the bottom of a bowl. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Add a scoop of beans on top of the rice. Add a dollop of salsa and a dollop of sour cream. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve.
Results
Delicious! Seriously, it's the spicy salsa plus creamy sour cream combination that takes it from beans-and-rice-rice-and-beans to a delicious meal. The beans have texture, setting them apart from canned beans.
Discussion
There's really nothing more to say about the dish other than that you should make this next time you're craving comfort food (warm and hearty but healthy). So, instead, let's talk about beans. I tried preparing dried black beans once before. It went so terribly that I used the rest of the bag for pie weights instead of food. So why didn't I just use canned beans for this recipe? Texture and technique. The texture of canned beans is a little mushier than what I wanted (after all, black beans are a star player in this dish). So, why do I care about the technique? The technique is a good life skill. What if there is an aluminum shortage and we run out of cans? Just kidding. Seriously though, what happens if I get plopped down in an area where everyone uses dried beans so the grocery store doesn't carry canned beans? Do I really want to learn the technique out of necessity? No, I want to be prepared for that day because I suspect that it'll be coming soon (in 74 days to be exact).
08 May, 2014
Dried Chipotle and Tomato Salsa
Mexico has been on my mind a lot lately, especially Guanajuato. It started with our trip to Guatemala. We spent half of our time in the former capital of Guatemala, Antigua. With it's bright colors, colonial style buildings and cobblestone streets, it reminded me a lot of Guanajuato. One thing that sets Guanajuato apart from other colonial cities is that it's situated in a valley. The main streets of Guanajuato were built where rivers once flowed between the hills, explaining all of the curves and the reliance on a tunnel system. Houses were built up the hillsides, so the colors of the city rise up from the valley. A climb up to El Pípila monument gives a beautiful panoramic view of the city. Unfortunately, none of my photos of the city do justice to its beauty.
In Guanajuato, I lived with a family. My host mom was incredibly welcoming and my favorite part of the day was mealtime because she would stand across from my roommate and I in the kitchen, talking to us. The best practice I got speaking Spanish was with her. I didn't see her husband often because he worked up north in the mines. He frequently came home on weekends and it was nice to have him because he too was very friendly and caring. Whenever he was home for the weekend, he'd spend Sunday on the balcony barbecuing. I didn't see my host siblings much because the only one who lived with us was a high school student who spent all of his time with his girlfriend. The others lived elsewhere (Michigan, Switzerland, and I'm not entirely sure about the youngest but I think he lived with a Swiss couple somewhere else in Guanajuato).
There was a lot of coming-and-going of faces. We frequently had other language students stay with us. One was a friendly guy from Canada who loved to share his sweets from La Catrina. Another was from Korea and mostly kept to himself. Our host sister was home from Switzerland with her boyfriend for a week or two. The only two people who were consistently home were our host mom and her maid, Lupe.
Lupe was quiet and kept to herself. I always said hello and asked her how she was doing, but that was the extent of our relationship. Lupe did a fair bit of the cooking. Every day at lunch, we'd get a huge bowl of soup or rice followed by some sort of meat. Along with the first course, we'd get a stack of warm, fresh tortillas, a plate of limes and avocados, and dishes of salsa (usually two--one green and one red). I believe the green salsa was bought commercially, but when the red one was chipotle salsa, it was made by Lupe. I don't remember exactly how it tasted, but it was my favorite. I could have eaten just her chipotle salsa on corn tortillas for lunch and been perfectly satisfied. I will always remember Lupe by her chipotle salsa and shy smile.
Unfortunately, I have no idea what went into Lupe's salsa. Since I can't remember what it tasted like, there was really no hope that I'd be able to recreate it. If I ever make it back to Guanajuato, hopefully I can learn her secret! If not, this version will have to do! It's surprisingly flavorful for the few ingredients used to make it. The color is a deep brownish red. It has a good amount of kick from the chipotles, but it's not super hot. Really, I know that it seems like a lot of chipotles, but it's delicious and not too spicy. It's easy to make and can easily be doubled (or more) for a large crowd. Be sure to let it sit in the fridge overnight to cool and meld. It's a great salsa for tacos but is also great as an appetizer with tortilla chips.
Chipotle Salsa
Adapted from Mesa Mexicana
Makes 3 cups
Materials
1 14-oz. can diced tomatoes (feel free to use a flavored variety or fresh tomatoes)
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups water
5 dried chipotle chiles, stems cut off (about 1.25 ounces)
salt and pepper, to taste
Methods
1. Combine the tomatoes, garlic, water, and chipotles in a medium saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes (until the liquid has reduced by about 1/3 or the mixture is thick but there's still a little water). Set aside for awhile to cool before blending.
3. Pour the mixture into a blender and puree. Season with salt and pepper. Allow to cool completely then refrigerate overnight. Will keep for a week or two in the fridge (just give it a stir before serving).
In Guanajuato, I lived with a family. My host mom was incredibly welcoming and my favorite part of the day was mealtime because she would stand across from my roommate and I in the kitchen, talking to us. The best practice I got speaking Spanish was with her. I didn't see her husband often because he worked up north in the mines. He frequently came home on weekends and it was nice to have him because he too was very friendly and caring. Whenever he was home for the weekend, he'd spend Sunday on the balcony barbecuing. I didn't see my host siblings much because the only one who lived with us was a high school student who spent all of his time with his girlfriend. The others lived elsewhere (Michigan, Switzerland, and I'm not entirely sure about the youngest but I think he lived with a Swiss couple somewhere else in Guanajuato).
There was a lot of coming-and-going of faces. We frequently had other language students stay with us. One was a friendly guy from Canada who loved to share his sweets from La Catrina. Another was from Korea and mostly kept to himself. Our host sister was home from Switzerland with her boyfriend for a week or two. The only two people who were consistently home were our host mom and her maid, Lupe.
Lupe was quiet and kept to herself. I always said hello and asked her how she was doing, but that was the extent of our relationship. Lupe did a fair bit of the cooking. Every day at lunch, we'd get a huge bowl of soup or rice followed by some sort of meat. Along with the first course, we'd get a stack of warm, fresh tortillas, a plate of limes and avocados, and dishes of salsa (usually two--one green and one red). I believe the green salsa was bought commercially, but when the red one was chipotle salsa, it was made by Lupe. I don't remember exactly how it tasted, but it was my favorite. I could have eaten just her chipotle salsa on corn tortillas for lunch and been perfectly satisfied. I will always remember Lupe by her chipotle salsa and shy smile.
Unfortunately, I have no idea what went into Lupe's salsa. Since I can't remember what it tasted like, there was really no hope that I'd be able to recreate it. If I ever make it back to Guanajuato, hopefully I can learn her secret! If not, this version will have to do! It's surprisingly flavorful for the few ingredients used to make it. The color is a deep brownish red. It has a good amount of kick from the chipotles, but it's not super hot. Really, I know that it seems like a lot of chipotles, but it's delicious and not too spicy. It's easy to make and can easily be doubled (or more) for a large crowd. Be sure to let it sit in the fridge overnight to cool and meld. It's a great salsa for tacos but is also great as an appetizer with tortilla chips.
Chipotle Salsa
Adapted from Mesa Mexicana
Makes 3 cups
Materials
1 14-oz. can diced tomatoes (feel free to use a flavored variety or fresh tomatoes)
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups water
5 dried chipotle chiles, stems cut off (about 1.25 ounces)
salt and pepper, to taste
Methods
1. Combine the tomatoes, garlic, water, and chipotles in a medium saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes (until the liquid has reduced by about 1/3 or the mixture is thick but there's still a little water). Set aside for awhile to cool before blending.
3. Pour the mixture into a blender and puree. Season with salt and pepper. Allow to cool completely then refrigerate overnight. Will keep for a week or two in the fridge (just give it a stir before serving).
01 May, 2014
May Day 2014
Happy May Day! May Day falls smack dab in the middle of Spring. Up north, May usually feels like spring but there is no telling what March or April will feel like. I remember catching a plane for spring break on a 70 degree St. Patrick's Day in 2009 just as easily as I remember waking up to snow flurries on April 30, 2004, the morning after prom! On May Day, the only flowers that are usually in bloom are crocus, tulips and daffodils.
Down here in the south, May feels like summer. March was an unseasonably cold month throughout the country and in Houston, a lot of the flowers (particularly the azaleas) were late to bloom. April was a bit of a roller coaster with temperatures ranging from the low 40s all the way up to 92 degrees! The spring flowers are long gone and the trees are no longer dropping pollen. By May, temperatures generally hover in the mid 80s but often jump into the 90s, making it feel like summer instead of spring.
The first of May will always hold a special place in my heart. As a child, I loved making May baskets out of craft paper and filling them with flowers. My mom would come home from work to find all of her newly blooming daffodils cut and hanging from the neighbors' door handles. She was never pleased to find her flowers cut to the ground, but she never scolded me.
In Houston, I haven't seen any tulips or daffodils. Because I can't pick those special heralds of spring, hang them in May baskets on my neighbors' door handles, ring the door bell, and run away, I'm going to share pictures of the spring flowers we had down here in Texas! The first three pictures (paintbrushes and bluebonnets) were taken between Belleville, TX and Brenham, TX. The last two, the field of bluebonnets and the purple flowers, were taken at McKinney Falls State Park and in downtown Austin, respectively. C and I took these photos during the last two weekends of March.
Down here in the south, May feels like summer. March was an unseasonably cold month throughout the country and in Houston, a lot of the flowers (particularly the azaleas) were late to bloom. April was a bit of a roller coaster with temperatures ranging from the low 40s all the way up to 92 degrees! The spring flowers are long gone and the trees are no longer dropping pollen. By May, temperatures generally hover in the mid 80s but often jump into the 90s, making it feel like summer instead of spring.
The first of May will always hold a special place in my heart. As a child, I loved making May baskets out of craft paper and filling them with flowers. My mom would come home from work to find all of her newly blooming daffodils cut and hanging from the neighbors' door handles. She was never pleased to find her flowers cut to the ground, but she never scolded me.
In Houston, I haven't seen any tulips or daffodils. Because I can't pick those special heralds of spring, hang them in May baskets on my neighbors' door handles, ring the door bell, and run away, I'm going to share pictures of the spring flowers we had down here in Texas! The first three pictures (paintbrushes and bluebonnets) were taken between Belleville, TX and Brenham, TX. The last two, the field of bluebonnets and the purple flowers, were taken at McKinney Falls State Park and in downtown Austin, respectively. C and I took these photos during the last two weekends of March.
Flowers aren't the only things that mark spring. Changes in the produce at the local grocery store are also quite telling. First, it's the citrus fruits. Citrus season begins in the winter and continues into the spring. (Remember when I told you about our adventure to the pick-your-own citrus farm?) Some varieties of tangerines and mandarines peak during early spring. In March, I found deliciously sweet Ojai Pixie Tangerines at the grocery store and used them to make an adorable, half-sized Clementine Mousse Cheesecake.
Then, I found reasonably priced rhubarb (down from $5.99/lb to $1.99/lb), another sure sign of spring! I was beyond excited and picked up a half pound to turn into a half-sized Rhubarb Custard Pie from The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book (p. 79). I worked from home on Good Friday and sat at the dining room table editing a manuscript and snacking on pie. I had a beautiful bouquet of pink tulips and white freesia sitting on the table next to me, filling the room with a lovely floral scent. It was delightful.
Finally, local strawberries hit the market! I started volunteering 4 hours a week to teach a level 1 English as a Second language (ESL) class for adults. While teaching interrogative words (Who? When? Where?), I learned that one of my students would be turning 60 on the 26th. I decided to surprise her by bringing a birthday cake to the next class. I made Yellow Cake with vanilla buttercream and and added chopped strawberries to the filling between the two layers. I've never loved cake, but I did enjoy the small slice I tried!
I love the produce available in spring but I can't wait for the bounty of summer. Sometime soon, probably later this month, it will be peach season. That will be a sure sign of summer in the US, regardless of latitude.
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