From the Kitchen: June 2012 Archives

There is a restaurant near my home that sells a "muffaletta" sandwich that knocks my socks off. It's a very non-traditional muffaletta, made using Italian rolls, lunch meat, and mozzarella. The topping is what I like. It's made of very finely diced green olives and garlic, and it makes my mouth go, "Yuuuuummmmm!"

I've tried other tapenades, and like them, but I like this one the most. I'm going to have to see if they will sell it to me by the half pint.

I've been trying to link to a picture of a muffaletta for you, without luck. Go to Google Images and type in "muffaletta," and you can see hundreds of them! Thanks to all of you, I may know how to make the tapenade! I have a small food processor called a "Little Oscar." If I put green olives stuffed with pimentos, a few cloves of garlic and some olive oil in the base and chopped them fine, I might have what I'm looking for!

YEA!!!

Dear Husband and I made our first trip to the Farmer's Market yesterday. DH was traveling toward the boat for the weekend, but stopped to be my pack horse for the market. I was relatively restrained, less than one totebag of goodies, but it was nice to have his help.

Tomatoes, fresh dill, green beans, zucchini, raspberries, strawberries, rhubarb, crimini mushrooms and cheese curds.....I think that was all I got. I passed on the unusual flavors and shapes of pasta, and the potted herbs, kohlrabi, the great bread from Breadsmith, and plenty of other things. I'll get them another time.

Fruit salad to go with dinner tonight, and maybe a strawberry rhubarb pie. Interested?

I need to find some cooking classes that will help me prepare simple but well seasoned food!

I know how to cook the basic American menu, but I'm very tired of everything tasting the same. I don't exactly know what taste I'm looking for, but I want more interesting food without having to spend the entire day in the kitchen.

Dear Husband doesn't mind crockpot meals. On occasion, I'm willing to use them, especially when we have so many activities there isn't time to prepare a good meal. But, there are some meals where everything shouldn't be blended together. I don't enjoy veggies that have been cooked together all day long, so that you can't tell what kind of veggie you're eating. Crockpots are good for baked beans, or for slow cooking soup all day long.

My appetite has been missing for the last week or so. I find I'm just beginning to think about planning meals, and eating something more than chicken and rice soup. No casseroles for a while, I think

I'm so glad that it's time for the Farmers Markets to be up and running. I'll miss the one this weekend, but you can be sure I'll be out there next week, raring to go!

Give me your best summer meal idea, won't you?