Cod Collage: Roasted Vegetables and Fish could be Art

"Seriously, you could print that and hang it as art in your kitchen!" - my mom

My mom was very enthusiastic about my dinner Monday night. I am out in Seattle right now and I have a little more time to grocery shop and cook. I was skimming Pinterest recently and saw a image of roasted vegetables and fish. I looked at the recipe and it looked so easy, I had to try it.  Voila. By far the easiest dinner I have made in a long time.

There is no recipe, really. Just a few guidelines:

I bought 2 pieces of frozen cod (individually shrink wrapped within a bag in the freezer section) and defrosted them in the fridge all day.

The oven temp is 425 degrees. 

I put a little olive oil in a gallon-size Ziploc bag and added big pieces of red, yellow and orange peppers, zucchini halved lengthwise and crosswise, slices of red onion, cherry tomatoes and black olives. 

I closed the bag and rubbed the contents around to coat the vegetables. I poured the vegetables onto a foil lined cookie sheet. I zested some lemon over everything and put the leftover lemon in wedges on the tray. I cranked a little "Grind to a Salt" spice blend over everything and put it in the oven to roast for about 20 minutes.

I took the cookies sheet out of the oven, placed the pieces of fish on top of the vegetables, cranked "Grind to a Salt" spice blend on top of the fish and sprinkled oregano over everything and put it back in the oven for about 20 minutes. 

It was delicious! Light, fresh, healthy, picture-worthy. Can you resist giving it a try? I couldn't.

Note: 

Do I regularly cook fish and therefore have secret "fish is done" knowledge? No

Did this recipe make the apartment smell like fish? No

Will I make this again? You betcha

Bluff Gardens called my Bluff: I loved it

I admit, I was a little disagreeable when I heard my mom and aunt decide that we were leaving the downtown Harbor Springs shopping-area to go get "vegetables." I pictured us roaming the surrounding farmland looking for a particular roadside stand that had good corn or something.  Don't get me wrong, that is fun too, on the right day, but we were supposed to be shopping and I hadn't been to this area in years.  

Then, a whopping 5-minute drive later, we arrived at Bluff Gardens, a freestanding storefront next to a large cutting garden. We went inside and I saw a beautifully arranged gift shop (see above) featuring a display of fresh miniature vegetables front and center. Then a tiny water mister came on, spraying the tiny vegetables with moisture.  Where am I? What is this place?

I loved it immediately because I could see that the purveyors of this fine shop had a vision and were doing things according to plan.  Aside from the technicality of a private line of fresh dips, jams and spreads, they only seem to sell miniature fresh vegetables and Quimper Fiaence pottery.  A super specific offering, no?

I applaud them. It felt like an alternate universe.  In a fast and quick world, it was lovely to see a shop that treats tiny beets and adorable zucchini with reverence.

If you are having a party, only these crudite will do.  Can you imagine veggies being any prettier?

Mind you there is no website that I could find. Just a Pure Michigan business link that says "Bluff Gardens: Purveyor of fresh miniature vegetables, fruits, dressings, sauces and spreads since 1934." 

While I was wrapping my mind around the fact that people would never stumble upon this shop (721 West Lake Rd., Harbor Springs, MI); that customers would have to know that miniature vegetables were on a rack inside this gift shop, I walked into the adjoining room. 

Quimper Faience heaven. I have never ever seen so much of this French pottery in one place. Soup bowls and platter and teapots, oh my.

I have a soft spot for Quimper Faience.  I don't own any of the pottery (yet), but I fell for some of their cookie tins filled with French butter biscuits.  Of course I did, you say. And I've kept the empty tins thinking that I could make one into a super cute purse by lining it with fabric and adding a handle. Sounds like me, right?

Word of mouth is a wonderful thing, but I want to help out Bluff Gardens. Here is an online shout out for Bluff Gardens - buy their darling miniature vegetables and fill your cottage with Quimper Faience!

Portland Farmer's Market: A Foodie's Happy Place

Take everything you've heard about the Portland Farmer's Market, dial it up a few notches, add some goat cheese and you will be close to imagining how great this farmer's market is.

This is the market for every kind of food lover. 10 kinds of fresh mushrooms - check. Organic beef - check. Fresh squash blossoms, ready to stuff - check.

We thought that it would be a fun place to meet up with Dan's cousin and family who live in the area and we ended up spending 3 hours walking around the market, eating, talking and catching up.  What a great way to spend a Saturday in June.

I took a million pictures and I'll highlight a few of my favorite ones together in this post.  The only photo I didn't get? A selfie with Martha Stewart.  No joke! She was in this farmer's market at the same time I was and I never saw her. I just kept hearing people talking about seeing her and showing me their pictures of her. When I tweeted that Martha was at the market too, my followers thought I was kidding. Nope, Martha and I run in the same circles. Ha!

It was the height of peony season and it was all I could do to walk past these pink puffs of delight.  I admired them for a while and got a dose of visual vitamins.  I wanted to buy a wagonful and pull them around all weekend - look at the shades of raspberry and pink!

Then I happened upon Verde Cocina's massive burners loaded with chickens, bacon and vegetables from the market.

I was lured their booth by the sight and scent of this gorgeous pile of fresh vegetables cooking on a giant griddle! I ordered the Buenos Dias breakfast for $10.  It has "Two eggs scrambled with veggies over white bean garbanzo mash, topped with more veggies, ranchero salsa and locally grown and smoked bacon with a homemade tortilla on the side." Un-be-lievable!  

My husband was one happy guy when I handed him our plate.  We shared it and then I realized that I hadn't snapped a photo to show you.  A kind patron let me photograph her plate - mine was similar, except imagine lots of browned pork belly bacon chunks instead of the braised pork. 

It was fresh, loaded with flavor and absolutely wonderful.  I kept thinking "how did they do this?" as I devoured spoonfuls.  The ingredients are simple and the effect is steller. Plus everything tastes better outside!

The Portland Farmer's Market is a great blend of farmers (vegetables), specialty food producers (goat cheese, charcuterie) and bakers/cooks (pies, salad dressings). I love how more and more markets are expanding to include ready-to-eat food.

You could buy a beautiful pies...

Or stock up on organic duck breast, chicken eggs or salami from the Deck Family Farm.

My posse spent so much time sampling and admiring the pate at Chop's booth, I was relieved when we each bought a container of their fresh pate. We bought the Chicken Liver Bourbon Mousse and it was divine.

Somebody make some pickles! Look at these beautiful cucumbers!

Yes, we ate again. Do me a favor and pretend that more time passed than it really did.  We sat on a bench and enjoyed shredded chicken tamales from Salvador Molly.  This is food made with care. Delicious!

When I saw this wagon, loaded with products from the market, I asked the owner if I could take a picture. "That's quite a haul!" She was proud of the bounty she had accumulated and couldn't wait to get home and cook.  Such fun! I look forward to doing this at my own farmer's market when I get home. This year I want to can peaches.

Dan's cousin insisted we try the delicious cookies at Two Tarts Bakery and she was raving about their selection as we walked up to the bakery counter. The baker just looked at me and smiled.  She didn't blow my cover, but she could have. You see, I'd already stopped at her booth when I was wandering the market and eaten one of her lemon bars in the bottom left of this picture. A butter crumb topped lemon bar that really tasted like lemon. Oh yes, I this was a display that I couldn't pass by. 

It isn't hard to take great photos at this market, everything is bright and fresh and ready to eat! If you are ever in Portland on a weekend, you must wander this farmer's market. It really is a good thing.

Burpee Healing Hands Salad Mix

I know a good thing when I see it.  This pot (shown on top) is my new "Salad Garden."  When I was at the garden center, I noticed pots of Burpee's "Healing Hands Lettuce Mix" already growing and ready to harvest (the link is for the seeds only; check your garden center to see if they sell the lettuce already growing!).  I can cut lettuce as I need it and watch it grow and replenish itself all Summer.

I found the pots of lettuce at my local garden center (Meijers).  I bought two containers and planted them next to each other in a pot of soil.  Each mix has several types of lettuce plants growing together.  The label claims that this "Boost" lettuce collection has 30% more beta carotene and 20% more lutein than other salad blends.  Sounds good to me.

I love it! It looks fresh and pretty when I look out the kitchen window and see it   on display next to a pot of herbs (thyme, rosemary, flat leaf parsley and a Hungarian pepper plant) on my deck.  I amuse myself when I'm rattling off "what's for dinner" by pointing to the deck and saying "salad."  I've clipped 2 small salads from my container so far and it is still healthy and full.

Isn't this a wonderful idea?  It is unlikely that I would grow lettuce from seed, but I will definitely harvest a salad from a pot on my deck.  Viva la garden!

Pasta Garden

I have been amusing myself lately by talking about my "Pasta Garden."  You've heard of a Salad Garden (full a healthy assortment of lettuces) and a Salsa Garden (which is primarily tomatoes and hot peppers).  Well, right now my small garden is producing lots of tomatoes, basil and zucchini.  To me, that means pasta.

I absolutely love the fact that I can "eat what I grow," so I react by making a quick saute of olive oil, diced zucchini, cherry tomatoes ("Sweet 100") and fresh basil (with a dash of hot pepper flakes, sea salt and black pepper) and serve it over angel hair pasta (and it doesn't hurt that the box of pasta was $1 at Walmart).  So dinner is basically free and I feel a little "green" (I'm sure this dinner reduced my carbon footprint somehow, right?) and a lot smart.

If you have space for one pot outside, check to see if your garden store still has a "Sweet 100" and a pot of basil for sale.  You too can have your own very "Pasta Garden."     

Borner Vegetable Shredder

"Eat your vegetables."  I am finding this directive even easier now that I have a German vegetable shredder.

I absolutely love my Borner Roko Vegetable Shredder or "Thin Julienne Cutter".  After a lifetime of soggy zucchini discs cooked in water, this little kitchen tool has breathed new life into a classic garden staple. 

After grating the zucchini up and down the special blades (with an easy swish-swish), you will have a gorgeous pile of shredded zucchini.  The amount shown in the bowl is from one normal-size zucchini.  I ended up shredding three zucchini and sauteed them with a little butter and salt and it was out of this world.  What a side dish!

I think that I am overly happy about this discovery because we have 6 very healthy zucchini plants in our garden this year and I can see the writing on the wall.  I am going to be cooking a lot of zucchini this Summer and there is only so much Zucchini Bread I can bake and give away.  But with this little tool, I am ready!

(Please note that if you are shopping for this item, you will also need to get the Food Safety Holder, which is sold separately.)

A Fairy Tale: Eggplants as Art

I love when I find an artist hiding in plain sight. I was at the farmer's market this morning (it was packed!) and I couldn't believe my eyes when the significant crowd shifted and I caught sight of this table.

I was mesmerized by the layers of purple vegetables and the simple bucket of flowers that complimented it all so well. This person knows how to make a display! I walked up and said, "Tell me everything."

A sweet twenty-something girl told me that the small vegetables were "Fairy Tale" eggplants. She said that she and her colleagues argued often about best preparation of them. She likes them baked, her boss likes them sliced & sauted and another guy has a roasting method. At that point, "pro-roasting" guy took over and said that all I needed was to prick them with a fork, and dress them lightly in herbs de provence and olive oil and then roast.

He ended his cooking instructions with "Oh, I could just eat them right now!" In my book, that kind of enthusiasm is gold and I bought some on the spot. I am sure they'll be delicious (dinner tomorrow!), but I am telling you now in case you can get to the market and have them for your Sunday dinner too.

Vegetable Soup

All this plus green beans, wax beans, and corn. Yum! It is 39 degrees this morning, with bright blue skies. A perfect day to have a pot of soup on the stove. 

I think I am going to make mini corn muffins (Jiffy, naturally) to go with. This afternoon I am planning to stroll around downtown at Art in the Park.

 What a great weekend for Fall activities. Soon, a trip to the cider mill, but we have to wait a bit. Right now, I think it is more like apple juice. In this life, timing is everything.

Saturday Morning Trip to the Farmer's Market

It is going to be a beautiful weekend...get thee to the Farmers Market! 

Start thinking about a wonderful vegetable soup you can make on Sunday afternoon and then feast on all next week.

I have my big white Chantal stockpot out on my stovetop and I am going to make and serve this soup with crusty french bread on Sunday night. Join me?

Hydroponic Gardens

Do you know anything about hydroponic gardens? The first time I saw one was at Walt Disney's Epcot center and I was facinated with the giant plants growing and producing vegetables in mid-air. 

I visited TLC Tomatoes in Suttons Bay this summer and bought crunchy bibb lettuce and perfect tomatoes. Hydroponic gardening is very tidy because the plants are grown without soil in a controlled water/fertilizer/humidity mix.