Simple Lunches

     When I lived in Germany and Belgium, I had these wonderful vegetable gardens.  In Germany, on our terrace, the owner had planted a billion strawberry plants.  Each June, I harvested and made all sorts of jams.  Later, I planted carrots and radishes and in the plot at the back of the house, I experimented.  We would walk up the hill and gather blackberries and made all sorts of stuff.  I had never had a garden before but I remembered the ones my mother would plant in Jackson, Mississippi as a kid.  As a result, my garden did not contain cauliflower or collard greens.

     In Belgium, I had a proper plot in our backyard.  In containers on our terrace, I grew arugula, feldsalad, and radishes.  I could open the kitchen door, step out and harvest.  In the backyard, close to Francis, the cow that came to visit Cate each day, my plot contained zucchini, snap peas, cucumber and tomatoes - although I was never good with the tomatoes.  I loved heading out there and just hanging out - weeding here and there...this is where I learned about serving pea shoots - about which zucchini flowers could be harvested and stuffed for an appetizer.  Jamie hated all of the zucchini fritter recipes I tried over the summer...not to mention zucchini bread, zucchini carpaccio, etc...the list goes on and on.

    My yard in the suburbs of Pittsburgh does not afford me a plot.  So, I have to use my deck...as many containers of flowers that I have, I also have pots of arugula, lettuce, tomatoes and peppers...and potatoes.  It is a cluttered mess but it gives me great joy to tend to them daily...I weed and harvest...Jamie - waters.

     I also belong to not one but two CSAs, which is a bit of overkill for a family of three.  But I want the summer freshness of vegetables.  Now my menus do not focus on the protein - they focus on the veggie or fruit that I have received.

     We took bags of fresh lettuce to Georgia and made wonderful salads for lunch each day.  Beets have been made into hummus or a delicious puree for  pork schnitzel.  Garlic scapes have been grilled and served along side a steak and also made into a pungent pesto that Cate adores.  The snap peas...they just sit in a bowl and Cate and Jamie snack on them throughout the day.

     So lunches now are an easy affair...I might put out some burrata surrounded by tomatoes and prosciutto...then scattered around will be fresh snap peas, cherries, peaches, and a few crackers or fresh bread from a local bakery.  And while it is still a work day - why not serve a nice Rose wine with it all of it...we have to survive somehow!

     Tonight...it is roasted chicken made by Jamie as the family does not believe that I can adequately cook a chicken and I put the family at risk each time I do....but we will serve with it...garlic scape pesto and basil pecan pesto.  I had Georgia pecans sent in as Jamie didn't get his fix in Georgia and supposedly, he is making pecan pie for dessert.

     I head back to work tomorrow - in the office - after 19 weeks...it will feel different. 

Queso Dip

Last night, in my world, I did the unthinkable.  I could not admit it to my daughter.  My husband knew my secret - having outed me earlier in the week.

Do you sometimes watch TV commercials advertising Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and have a sudden craving?  You know it is horrible...but you want it anyway.   I know I can make a killer truffle mac and cheese but, I see Kraft and I want it.   Do you look at a bag of Cheetos and realize that you have to have some?  What about Chef Boyardee Ravioli, Ramen, Pizza Rolls?  More than likely, you always talk yourself out of it.

Well abnormal times call for periodic abnormal eating habits.  I have recently been dreaming of queso dip.  I searched the Internet looking for some sort of "gourmet" queso dip and in the end, I kept going back to the same recipe.  I was recently at the commissary and the cheese basically just jumped off the shelf and into my shopping cart...yes...Velvetta.  I made queso dip with the unspeakable processed food...and I loved every bite of it!

When Cate asked me what we were having for dinner, I told her "deconstructed nachos".  I mixed the "cheese that will not be known as cheese" with chopped green chiles, diced tomatoes, green onions, and diced, leftover steak.  I heated the tortilla chips and placed the molten cheese in the center of the table.  Cate immediately asked what kind of cheese I used and I expertly deflected.  She took a bite and I got the head bob...which is always a positive.  The only negative was that Jamie thought it is an appetizer but I had nothing else planned.  I had planned to gorge on cheese and chips...and I did.  The scale hated me this morning but, it was a fun evening.  (And I have a little stash left for an evening where I am hanging out on my own.)

Today, I am back to clean eating...until the next adventure!

Viva Velvetta!  Until I crave it again in 25 years....