Homesick Potato Salad with Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing

Homesick Potato Salad with Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing

Sometimes homesickness strikes. Even in the middle of the Pacific surrounded by blue ocean and warm breezes and endless summer. Real summer time is worst for homesickness as juicy, sun-warmed tomatoes and backyard blackberry patches are an ocean away and no amount of shipped-in store bought berries will scratch the itch. 

Being from the Pacific Northwest originally, we savored our summers like the last M&M in the package; the fall, winter, and spring being one, long gray mass of endless rain. Northwest summers meant garden tomato sandwiches for lunch with just a little salt and mayo, ripe blackberries in a bowl for dessert dressed in milk and sugar, and pan-fried patty pan squash for days and days. 

Summer meant sunsets at 9pm, extending our play time by hours. We'd hobble to the dinner table, fingers purple from berry picking, feet blackened by hot, melting tar on the road to gobble down barbecued chicken, corn on the cob, and green beans. Our bicycles must have logged thousands of miles each summer as we rode around and around the neighborhood, sneaking onto the golf course, or just racing. My shoelaces became untied and wrapped around the pedals one time and instead of unravelling them took my feet out and went flop, flop, flopping all the way home as my shoes banged against the sides of the bike. 

My mom's kitchen table in summer 

On lucky weekends, we'd go to grandma and grandpa's. We'd watch baseball all day long with grandpa, help out in the garden or in the kitchen, and eat grandma's German potato salad, vinegary coleslaw, and chicken and dumplings. 

Since I don't have lush garden tomatoes or sunsets late into the evening, this potato salad will have to do. I like the brightness of the lemon and the unexpected depth of the sun-dried tomato. Would be great for a beach potluck in Hawaii (that ends at 7:30 when the sun goes down) or anywhere you find yourself. 

Homesick Potato Salad with Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing

serves 8-10

2 lbs red potatoes (or whichever potatoes you like in salad)

1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes

2 cloves garlic

3 TBL olive oil

juice and zest from 1 lemon

salt & pepper to taste

2 TBL capers

2 cups arugula, chopped

1 green onion, finely sliced

Wash and chop potatoes into bite sized pieces. Place in a large pot, fill with water until potatoes are just covered. Bring pot to a boil, then down to a simmer for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are barely tender when pierced with a fork. Drain into a colander. 

In a food processor, pulse sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil,  and lemon juice and zest until all is combined and finely chopped. Add salt & pepper to dressing to taste. 

In a large bowl, mix cooked potatoes, dressing, capers, arugula, and green onion until evenly distributed. Best if served 2 hours (or up to 3 days) after preparation so flavors can develop. Try not to miss home. Enjoy!

5 Ways to Get Motivated

Dawson wants my sandwich

As great as sitting on the couch watching episode after episode of Dawson's Creek sounds, there are actually lots of things I really should be doing instead.

Ya know, like painting the badly scuffed baseboards and door jams in our house, submitting first quarter grades, or developing a new recipe for the upcoming Kona coffee recipe contest. But, here I sit,  eating scotchmallows and drinking tea, perpetually mesmerized by Pacey Witter.

People, I'm in serious need of some motivation. I do, however, have a few tricks up my sleeve.

1. Listen to some uplifting tunes. I have a special Pandora station dedicated to my good female friends Pat Benatar, Cindy Lauper, Kelly Clarkson, Alicia Keys, Janis Joplin, and Stevie Nicks. They always know what to say.

2. Watch an uplifting movie. Careful here. Some movies seem inspiring because they're our favorites, but films that play too heavily on our nostalgic sensibilities might bring us down even more. "Almost Famous," "The Karate Kid," and "A League of Their Own" are my go-tos.

3. Get out. If you are stuck in front of the TV, go to the next room. If you are stuck behind the wheel, take a different route home. If you are stuck in a dorm room, go to a coffee shop. Get out, get away. Fresh air is good for your synapses.

4. Make a list, set a deadline, divide your work in chunks. Blah, blah, blah, blah. Could this list be a little more cliched? That's why I'm skipping number 5 to say that, you know what? Sometimes nothing works. Sometimes life sits on your head while you're sleeping and all you can do is crawl deeper under the covers. Sometimes when all you want is to be highly productive, creative, and efficient you only get  frustrated, twisted, and buffered down with an inferiority complex.

I don't have that magic touch called "drive," but I do have something else, it's called "grit." Life can keep sitting on my head, but I'll figure out a way to move forward, however slowly. Sometimes this involves chocolate and Joshua Jackson. I can't help that.

Summer Bucket List

Guys and gals the summer is here. For some that means sun, beach, barbecues, and hoedowns. For me it means the last summer of my 20's. I'll have you know that I've completed numbers 3, 4 and 5 of this list of goals to accomplish before turning 30, and I'm about to head out to New York to check number 1 off the list. That's right, this summer is all about New York City baby!

Summer Bucket List: NYC edition
Inspired by Joy the Baker Podcast


1. A dozen on the half shell at an oyster bar. I'm thinking red lipstick and a little black dress will be in order.

2. Cocktails and art at the Met. I'll be sipping a martini on the rooftop bar and trying my best to be an art snob.

3. Take me out to a Met's game. Buy me some peanuts and beer. We'll root, root, root for the home team.

4. Enjoy an opera or ballet performance.

5. Snap my fingers to some jazz.

6. Glide through art galleries at SoHo's arts walk.

7. Explore New York's farmer's markets. Sustainable Sunday will not be put on hold!

8. Be "that person" at the cheese shop who has to sample everything.

9. Spend time with my girl Jessica. If I could go back in time and have a conversation with my younger self, I'd say something like, "Stop being so boy crazy and hang out with your friends more, you'll need them." Alas, this is not possible, but what's great about being able to reflect on those younger years is that I have the chance, right now, to do and be better. This summer is all about quality girlfriend time.

What's on your summer bucket list?

5 Reasons to Love Life

Nootropics

1. School is out for summer. Today was the last day for students and teachers in Hawaii and we are loving it. Looking forward to a break full of beach days, New York awesomeness, cooking galore, and with a little luck, some backpacking.

2. Nature brings you down to size. Last weekend I skipped over to Maui for a backpacking adventure with my girl Marie in the crater of Haleakala. There's something about hauling your butt and a heavy pack down into a really old rock formation to gaze at majestic mountain views, gawk at shooting stars, and share nips of whiskey with an awesome friend to bring the best of life to the forefront.

3. Limoncello. Lovely, lemony, liqueur. This drink embodies summer. While visiting my sister at an archaeological dig in Greece, we sipped gallons of the stuff. Except it was creamy, and I have not been able to score it in the states. Did you know there is a Mauicello? I will most definitely forgive it's lack of creaminess. Get on it. I guess this means I'll be making my own creamy limoncello. Recipe to follow(?).

4. Anchovies on pizza. I am a major salt and briny flavors fanatic, and anchovies gives you just that. Putting them on pizza, a little goes a long way, provides a punch of flavor. If you love all things briny, try it.

5. Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes. Friends move away. Jobs are iffy at best. School years end, summers begin. Books close. Windows open. Without changes our lives would be a dreary gray mass of unending time.  Let's embrace change, let's love it even. I love change. There, I said it.

Sustainable Sunday: Breakfast for Mom

Mom lives in Washington. I'm here in Hawaii. If you were here mom, this Sustainable Sunday breakfast would be all yours. Ka'u coffee, papaya, soft-boiled egg. This photo does not give the deep magenta of these maple hibiscus any justice.

My mom always encouraged my natural love for cooking. When I was little, all I ever wanted to do was bake. Armed with a tiny whisk, mini baking pans, and my mom's blue checkered childhood apron, we'd scour the dessert pages of Betty Crocker's cookbook, lingering over the full-color spread of a hopelessly ornate gingerbread house we could only dream of building. I'd usually fixate on a recipe for Bonnie Butter Cake, a triple layer, all butter batter covered with French silk frosting. I did eventually make this cake, but mom knew to steer me toward the more doable cookie section.

Baking with mom taught me a lot. When my little arm grew tired from mixing the batter for chocolate chip cookies, she didn't bail me out. She knew that no lesson on perseverance could be stronger than mixing cold butter with flour and sugar with a fork.  When we accidentally used pancake mix instead of flour in our peanut butter cookies, I learned that mistakes can sometimes be better than what you were aiming for. And boy were those cookies puffy! Things are not always what they seem either, mince meat pie sounded great to me, but when I proudly presented it to those at our Thanksgiving table, no one would touch it except mom and me. It was pretty awful, but that didn't stop her from encouraging me to try new things. I'll never forget the pride of opening the oven door to the glory of my first lemon meringue pie. Who knew egg whites could create such magic?

Most of all, and without knowing it I'm sure, mom taught me that cooking requires a sense of touch. We didn't have a KitchenAid, or a food processor, or even a blender. I have whipped cream with a whisk. And cut in butter with a fork. And kneaded dough with my hands. Now I know how to feel when the pizza dough is ready to rise, or if the biscuits need a drop more water. Working with my hands is what I love about cooking because making food is something you feel, in your hands, in your heart. Thank you mom, for giving me the chance to experiment in the kitchen. Someday I'll make you a Bonnie Butter Cake that looks even better than the picture.

Brought to you by...

This blog comes to you out of creative desire, hunger, and daily inspiration. The ideas shared on this blog definitely do not come out of the center of my brain, they are fed by the wonderful work of those around me, including many of you, the fabulous people who take the time to read these words. Let's get inspired! Below are some of the lovelies that spark my imagination.

Local rangpur limes

1. Locally grown and made food in Hawaii. Every time I go to one of the farmer's markets (usually Keauhou) I want to high five all the farmers and fist pump wildly. I refrain, but only barely. Seriously though, did you know that islanders can now get locally raised pork, beef, veal, lamb and chicken at farmer's markets and stores like KTA? Not to mention the gorgeous eggs, mushrooms, vegetables, fruit, coffee, and chocolate. All of this lovely produce has inspired me to start a little something I call Sustainable Sunday. Click the link to find out what it's all about! And please, please, please do your taste buds a favor and head out to your nearest farmer's market asap, the inspiration is endless.

Farmer's market booty, including Ka'u onion

2. The onion family. Do you know how much I love leeks? Eat leeks. Lots of them. And Maui sweet onions and scallions and the green part of the scallion and shallots. Fresh, local onions are blowing my mind. Onions are totally my current favorite vegetable.

3. The Cannelle et Vanille blog is my internet happy place. I go here for the beautiful photos and food styling. I like to imagine myself wearing a white, gauzy dress and prancing through the fields of one her unreal shots of the Spanish countryside.

Jessica getting her marathon on

4. There's this girl I know, her name is Jessica. She is suuuuuper smart AND she just passed the New York bar exam. The best part is, she's my friend! Congrats Jessica, you inspire the hell out of me.

Me and Rae hiking into the "Third Valley"

5. There's this other girl I know, her name is Rachael (or is it Cindy?) She is soooooo rad BUT she's moving away in only a month. We've been cooking together lately, I'm trying to impart what little kitchen wisdom I have to her before she leaves. She's a total natural cook. I'm inspired by the way this girl lives, she is pure love. Of course I'm sad she is leaving, but even more overjoyed to call this chick my friend.

My kitchen, where it all happens!

6. There are these other people I know, YOU. Yes, you reading this while drinking coffee in your worn-out yoga pants. You always leave nice comments, you make my recipes, you send me pictures of your food. I love you guys. Seriously. Writing this blog has been a sparkling, glowing beacon of light in my life and the fact that you read it means the world to me and inspires me to keep going. Thank you for reading, listening, eating, commenting, being.

Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes (Maui edition)

We jetted off to Maui to celebrate five complicated years of marriage. 

It's only a 45 minute plane ride, but felt a world away from our complicated lives. 

Celebrating love is not complicated.

It involves scenery oggling, whale watching, surfing.

Sometimes we celebrate the little things. Like naked hippies roaming the Maui hillsides. Or prying open bottles of beer with a key.

We celebrated living. Especially after surviving Kahekili Hwy, a one-lane road full of blind turns during which I stress-ate half a bag of s'mores goldfish crackers.

Living is easy to celebrate when one has easy access to a Whole Foods. You're looking at a beach feast of duck mousse, assorted olives, and baguette bread.

My beloved friend Marie also lives on Maui. We celebrated out friendship with sea salt lattes. This is a girl who knows me from the inside. It can be scary when someone knows everything you are, even all the prickly parts.

But it's worth it for the love I get back. And no one else can understand my deep obsession for the perfect cappuccino.

Here's someone else who knows all my prickly parts. Honey, it's easy to celebrate loving you because it really could never be any other way. Ups come, downs go. Loving you is easy.

Eggplant Tacos with Cilantro Pesto

Vegetables I'm obsessed with this year: lima beans, Kabocha squash, sweet potatoes, and eggplant.

I'm going to get a little existential on you with some food philosophy. When I cook, it's important to me to honor the essence of the ingredients, to bring out what's fabulous about the ingredient versus trying to alter it or cover it.

When I'm cooking a thing, it's all about maintaining the integrity of the thing. Be it animal or vegetable.

So I think to myself, how can I make these beautiful ingredients: eggplant, cilantro, avocado, and tomato burst into a new thing that's even better than it's original self?

I'm saying this because I don't want you to think of the eggplant as a meat substitute. It's a whole new experience. Let's allow the eggplant to be herself.

She won't disappoint.

Love your ingredients. All they really want in their short lives is to please and impress you.


Eggplant Tacos with Cilantro Pesto
serves 2

2 Japanese eggplants, or 1 regular sliced in 1/4 pieces lengthwise
1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 tomato, sliced to 1/4 inch or less
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp mild chile powder (like chile molido pasado)
1 TBL olive oil
salt & pepper
4-8 corn tortillas
1/2 ripe avocado
feta cheese
hot sauce

For pesto:
2 cups cilantro, stems are ok
4 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup walnuts
juice from 1/2 lime
1/4 cup olive oil
salt & pepper

Heat oven to 400. Drizzle a little of the olive oil on a cookie sheet. Arrange eggplant, onions, and tomato on sheet, spreading them out as much as possible. Drizzle with more oil. Sprinkle all over with cumin, chile powder, and salt & pepper. Toss to coat. Roast for 10 minutes then remove tomatoes to a plate to cool, add garbanzo beans to sheet, flip veggies to other side, and roast for another 7-10 minutes.

For pesto: Add cilantro, garlic, nuts, lime juice, and salt & pepper to a food processor. Pulse until combined. Slowly add olive oil while pulsing until desired consistency is reached.

To assemble tacos, spread a little pesto on a heat tortilla, add some of your roasted veggies, a slice of avocado, a sprinkle of feta cheese, and hot sauce if you like. We are partial to Frank's. Enjoy!

Gift Idea: Autobio Playlist

dannyphillipsart

Last year I quickly adopted my friend Becky's idea of creating an autobiographical mix as a gift idea. It's fun to make, instantly personalized, and entertaining when you get other friends involved.

What a great way to save a few pennies on Christmas gifts, too.

Here's my mix for 2011:

OMG by Usher - In tribute to my middle school dance team girls, they killed it!

Love's Not by Mars Ill - For a very memorable lesson I gave during my first few weeks of teaching.

Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson - I gave a lesson on this song at one point, too and really feel it sums up my first teaching position.

I Never Told You by Colbie Caillat - One of my 8th graders sang this as part of a presentation she gave last spring. It was the most beautiful performance I'd ever witnessed and brought me to tears.

Personal Jesus by Johnny Cash - Heard this version of the song in the car when on vacation in Oregon. Just stayed with me.

The Tracks of My Tears by Dolly Parton - I am a recently converted Dolly fan. Sorry.

Chicken Fried by Zac Brown Band - Really love this song because of this line: "pair or jeans that fit just right..."

Wild World by Cat Stevens - Because it is.

Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters by Elton John - Something from my favorite movie is a must.

New York City by The Peter Malick Group - Keeping the dream alive. New York, you will be mine.


Want a copy? Email me your address at gwenedwards82(at)gmail.com and I'll be happy to mail you a copy! What's your mix for 2011 going to include?

Leftovember cont. Shepherd's Pie and Fruit Salad

I picked up a copy of The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food by Judith Jones after reading a review by my friend Becky. As many of you know, Mrs. Jones discovered Julia Child and got Mastering the Art of French Cooking published during a time in America when canned food was king.

Mrs. Jones describes the time she spent in Paris eating fabulous food and living by the seat of her pants in order to absorb as much Parisian culture as possible. All of this I love.

The reason I'm bringing this up is that Mrs. Jones mentions an Elizabeth David who was offended when Jones suggested she list ingredients and precise amounts in her cookbook.

"Inconsistencies are inevitable in a cookery book and preferable, I think myself, to absurdities brought about by overzealousness in the matter of literal renderings...I don't think one does any harm in crediting one's readers with a little imagination and knowledge of their own," insisted David.

The more entrenched I've become in food blogging, the more loudly the message blares about perfecting recipes so that your readers can trust you. Ok, I totally get that but, for me, the fun of cooking comes in the creativity and in the ability to not follow the recipe and go with your gut.

I can't tell you how many times I've been elbow deep in a recipe and my taste buds start nudging me. "Hey," they start to shout, "that doesn't sound right!" I ignore them and press on, wanting to honor the process of the recipe. And of course they were right, my taste buds that is, if it don't feel right, it probably isn't.

That's not to say there aren't solid cooks and chefs out there who can consistently be trusted to produce fine recipes. The fact remains we all have different taste buds. So don't be afraid to play a little. Unless you're making something ultra-technical, for which there are many wonderful resources out there to come to our aide.

My hope is that when you come to this blog, you leave feeling empowered, inspired, or maybe just hungry. I'm not a chef (although I do hope to someday become one) but I'd like to share with you what tastes good to me and hope that you will use your imaginating powers to please your taste buds.

Mini Shepherd's Pies
No ingredient list cuz it depends where you are in Leftovember

Preheat oven to 350. Line a muffin tin with wax paper, making sure some it hangs over. Press leftover biscuits bits in the bottom of eat tin, you will have to rip them up to do so. Leftover stuffing would work well for this if you don't have biscuits.

Add some turkey and whatever leftover veggies you have on top of the biscuits. I sauteed up some green beans, mushrooms, and garlic with a little broth. Whatever you have, make sure it has lots of moisture. Gravy would be awesome if you still have some.

Spoon mashed potatoes on top and press down with a fork to get the layers to stick together. Drizzle a little olive oil on top of each little pie. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until potatoes begin to brown.

To serve, gently remove pies from the tins by lifting edges of the wax paper. So fancy and so cute. Enjoy!


Cranberry Fruit Salad


Cranberry sauce
Orange segments
Whipped cream

No amounts here either. Just cut up some oranges and toss them in a bowl with your leftover cranberry sauce and whipped cream. Retro and heavenly. Enjoy!

I loves you.

I have something to say.

You're beautiful. You're smart. You're sassy. You're chic. You're special. You're wonderful. You're someone to be admired.

Now I have something else to say. Something I learned back when I only had 13 years under my bra. When someone gives you a compliment, say thank you.

ColourTreeStudio

Don't think to yourself, "She's only saying that because I look fat and she wants to make me feel better."

Can you do me a favor and allow yourself, for one moment, to believe that the compliment was given because it was true? Yes, they said it because they wanted to make you feel better. Not because you look fat, or ugly, or run-down. Because they like you, or something about you.

When someone gives you a compliment, say thank you.

AmeliaKayPhotography

Own that compliment.

Be someone who breaks down and reshapes the very concept of beauty.

Be someone fearless. Law school and a mere 26 miles doesn't stand in her way.

Be someone fierce. This girl's got it goin' on, and she knows it. 

Be someone happy. This blogger is nothing but sunshine.

Be someone grateful. She once said gratitude is our best and only defense against the worst in this world.

SpringFlowerChild

But most of all, be someone that loves herself; someone that says thank you to a compliment.