Recipe of the Moment: Strawberry and Rhubarb Crumble

Rhubarb is in season, and all the sites and books promoting local foods are chatting about it. I had no idea what it was or what to do with it, but I figured I might as well try it. Looking through all the rhubarb recipes on Epicurious, only one really jumped out at me, and since I just bought a bunch of strawberries at the farmer's market that morning, I figured it would be fairly simple to make.

Recipe of the Moment: Mashed Rutabaga with Toasted Pears

Do you know what a rutabaga is? I didn't. But they were in a bin at the farmer's market, and I figured, "Why not?" I did a quick survey, and only 2 people knew what rutabagas were, and they both said I should mash it. Not content to have it be a simple mashed potato type of dish, I wanted to do something a bit extra, so I found this great recipe.

Recipe of the Moment: Plum Tart Without Dough

This recipe came from French Women Don't Get Fat, and is another excellent example of fruit for dessert. I decided to try plums because that's what the original recipe called for, but you can also substitute apples, pears, or cherries

Good Wine is a Necessity of Life

I used to pride myself on my ability to hold my liquor. I wouldn't get into drinking contests or anything like that, but everyone, especially guys, admired that I could drink whiskey (or vodka or bourbon) straight and have no problems. Beer leaves much to be desired. I've never craved anything as dull as beer, and the amount of calories in a beer is ridiculous compared to the level of alcohol in it. Wine is nice, but it always seemed impractical as well as a bit pretentious. It still does to an extent, but wine has now become my alcohol of choice.

Recipe of the Moment: Best Brownies... Ever?

So this is something that I've tried to avoid. I think I may have mentioned before about my tendency to stuff my face with chocolate. After originally cutting out all desserts, I did a really good job of sticking to fruits. If I'm getting something made from chocolate, I try to get it at a restaurant or bakery because it's much easier to control portions and I don't have to worry about leftovers, but sometimes there isn't a bakery open within walking distance. I was craving brownies, so I decided to make them from scratch.

An Ode to Yogurt

I've always been highly opposed to yogurt. Always. Every few years I would get mildly interested and try it, only to be repulsed. So when I read Michael Pollan's Food Rules, I skipped over the section that mentioned yogurt. In Mireille's book, I skipped over the first few times she mentioned it as well. Then she dedicated a small section to it, and I decided to read it, and maybe even give yogurt another try.

My New Idea of Dessert: Fruit

I've always been very suspicious of eating foods that I'm not already familiar with. I couldn't be sure if I would like it... What if I hated it? I certainly didn't want to spend any money on something that I knew I would hate. And I probably would hate it. Especially the texture.

I believe they refer to people like me as picky eaters.

Recipe of the Moment: Grilled Pineapple

This is from French Women Don't Get Fat, and it is absolutely delicious. If you're feeling lazy, you can just grill the pineapple on the stove and drizzle the honey and goat cheese over the end result.

Recipe of the Moment: Pea Soup

Because peas are in season, I really wanted to do something with them, and since soups are really easy, that's what I decided to go with. I found this recipe on Epicurious, and it's really simple. I sprinkled a little bit of gruyere on top, but I think something a little creamier would also be nice. This also really made me miss my Ninja. Maybe one day soon we'll be reunited...