Eat Like a Rabbit

While Nora and I were outside enjoying the spring weather a couple days ago, I looked around sadly at our herb garden. I took a picture and decided I would share my desires and plans to improve our little urban garden. Mind you, this is not all of our garden, and I'm sorry to say, isn't the worst either. (The rocket is more depressing.) Fortunately, the rosemary on the front porch is considerably happier, which makes me not feel as bad.

We have some small pots and a bucket that someone gave me as a gift-basket. I'm going to fill each of them with dirt and plant some wild flower seeds that were sent to us as gifts. We're big on fresh flowers, and I think the extra color will make us very happy.

Next, I read somewhere that toddler swimming pools make great urban garden planters. I would love to fill one up with spinach and other greens. Seems like a good investment--this year a garden, next year fun for Nora. However, what would really make this work would be if I found a really cheap (a.k.a. free) pool. I would be extra happy to only have to invest in soil and seeds.

Last week, a reporter from iReport at CNN wrote with a "Weekend Assignment" story request for a video of a signature dish. Eggplant Bruschetta is one of my classic dishes, and today Paul and I visited the same stall at the Maitland Farmer's Market where we picked up our first eggplant. You can check out the video of making Baked Eggplant Bruschetta and learn the recipe at ireport.com.

Well, let's start by apologizing for a complete lack of tweeting this evening. My phone was dead when I awoke this morning. (The brain is forgetting to charge it at night.) And I appear to have lost my travel charger. I didn't get home until after dinner to get the phone charged.

We dined with our friends, Sarah and John at Harmoni Market and Bistro in Longwood this evening. We have eaten at the one in College Park nearly two years ago and thought it would be a nice opportunity for all four of us to try this new restaurant.

I didn't look at prices, but I will say the market part is kind of spiffy with its food selections. The pasta sauce available is one highly recommended by Smitten Kitchen. I think such things are good to note when you evaluate the estimated quality of food.

We first learned about Muir Glen Organic Tomatoes when we were doing our "Pasta Taste Test." I didn't have a coupon at the time and had no idea how much I would fall in love with them. I have since quit buying pasta sauce--even when it's available for a great price. I love making my own with these full-flavor tomatoes, a little onion, garlic, and basil from our herb garden. However, I have become a serious believer in couponing (Especially when it comes to stocking up on diapers!) and love finding links to print $1 coupons for 1 Muir Glen Product ($1/1). I can buy 8 oz. cans of Tomato Sauce at my local Publix for $0.89 a can. With the coupon, the tomatoes are free! If I get a can of diced tomatoes, I end up paying about $0.40. That's a great price for organic-anything! Below are a few links to $1/1 printable coupons. You can print two per computer. You can also find notes to get an additional coupon by becoming a fan on Facebook in the Recommended Links in the right hand column.

Here is the spinach pesto I made to serve on pizza with fresh tomatoes instead of a marinara sauce. The rosemary bread at $5 for two loaves from Costco makes the pizza easy and tasty because it adds lots of flavor leaving only a need for a little salt and pepper on the tomatoes.

You can find the recipe for my spinach pesto from my post last year. Plus, you can search for other recipes I use the spinach pesto with, like spaghetti squash or butternut squash lasagna, which will be made again this year. I will tell you I passed on the Parmesan and sprinkled a little olive oil in the food processor as I was stirring up and dishing out the pesto. Also, be careful with the garlic. All I had were large cloves left, and it was very potent for the amount I made! Unfortunately, my basil needs more care than I have been giving it; so, I didn't have as many leaves as I am used to or wish for. That's the beauty of the spinach in the pesto. It eliminates the need for so much basil, but still allows for fantastic and healthy flavor.

Paul wanted some corn bread, and I thought it would go great with the asparagus, but when I measured out the corn meal, I realized that I was very short the needed amount for the cornbread; so, I checked out the recipe for Corn Scones in Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home and found it needed the 1 cup corn meal I had. The batter mixes up easily and is easy to cut into nice triangular shapes with a pizza cutter. Naturally, the corn scones don't get as fluffy and are a bit crunchier than regular corn bread, but it's a nice change or an easy way to get the same flavor when you are short on corn meal. By the way, the recipe calls for currents, which I intentionally left out.

After reading The Splendid Table's How to eat Supper, I decided to not take anyone's word for it, but to do a trial of pasta on my own.

I sat up in bed sometime in the middle of the night and realized yesterday had not gone smoothly enough for me to be near a computer other than at work. So, bright and early this morning, I am making up for my lack of desire to get out of a nice warm bed on one of the coldest nights of the year in Florida and share my thoughts.

This week, I will feature a series of posts, the inspirations of which came from the fascinating cookbook, The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper. It is more than just a list of recipes. The book also highlights little known facts, dispels myths, and makes specific grocery list recommendations. Perhaps after I highlight some fabulous experiences with the book, you will want to acquire one of your own.

When so many fresh ingredients are at your fingertips (especially during the winter time) it makes so much since to create a fantastic sandwich that mixes them all together. I enjoyed this so much because it was a fast creation and the flavors were fantastic.

Paul declared this creation great. He especially liked the crust. I really enjoy the flatbread as well. I just happened upon some Naan hand-stretched flatbread at Costco. I love making sandwiches out of it or serving it instead of French bread alongside pasta. I think it looks and tastes fabulous.

On occasion, we find opportunity to eat at IKEA. Generally, a sale draws us in, and we arrange to have friends go with us. The activity is so much more fun with another couple. When IKEA Orlando opened, we were still newlyweds, and we took along fellow newlyweds, Tim and Magally Putt. We enjoyed a variety of vegetarian dishes. Magally, also enjoyed the Swedish meatballs, which are not vegetarian.

I made this appetizer twice last weekend. I have decided that spaghetti squash is best in October, because by November I was struggling to find good fall squash to purchase. The dish was a big hit at both events and the goods were all gone. There's no complement like the complement of disappearing food (as long as it isn't fed to the dog).

The first time I had a pomegranate salad dressing was in an underground restaurant in Budapest. I was disappointed, but still thought it was a good idea. Last week, we had a few pomegranates leftover from breakfast, and I decided to find a recipe to make a dressing for our parents as we had both sets over for lunch after church. The closest thing I found was a strawberry salad dressing in "Moosewood Restaurant New Classics." I substituted Pomegranates for the Strawberries but kept the rest of the recipe consistent. It was fabulous.

Previously, I have blogged about the wisdom of using food as a gift. We have taken our own advice and found ways to give food as gifts. We give lovely jars (RECYCLED) filled with dehydrated or fresh herbs depending on who will receive the gift and what we think they may like. We put a homemade label on the jar that connects back to EatLikeARabbit.net for recipes and other suggestions. Generally, herbs are useful to an individual. And even they may not be useful to the original recipient, they know someone who will be thrilled to get it. Therefore, we are sharing our love of the land with others and giving something that won't sit in a closet and collect dust until an appropriate time comes to regift it or take it Goodwill.

This meal was absolutely fun to make. I assure you, a solid vegetable meal like this can be cheap and fabulous. The asparagus and sweet potatoes came from Aldi, a rather unusual but wise grocery store, which is known for very reasonable prices on off-brand foods. A good number have recently opened up in Orlando. My experiences there in America and out of the country have been pleasant.

The following post is in reference to that little bowl filled with green at the top left hand corner.

A few situations happening in just a week's time started me thinking about this post. It started when I read one of the many magazines in our office (unfortunately I do not remember which one) that said basil was hard to acquire for a pesto sauce and recommended some alternatives.

I was so proud of this recipe. I thought I had found one in a cook book, but once I bought the spinach couldn't find it. So, I just took what we liked and put it all together to create the pictured item. Notice, I cubed the mozzarella like we had at Cafe Epicure in Sarasota. I also purchased mozzarella because that experience taught me that a soft cheese on top of pasta adds a whole new world to a meal.

Notice this sauce is a bit chunky. There are some creamy spots and some chunky spots. My mother says a bit of flour would help with that.

For an all-girls mini party, I needed a simple mid-afternoon snack to be more of the main dish for a small group. I already had some crackers made of a variety of seeds--flax, poppy, sesame,etc. The crackers have a great and unique flavor. I simply wanted something to add to them. I then selected a plain, but well seasoned hummus and a medium salsa as dips.

I love bruschetta. There are many varieties for creations from my "Moosewood Cooks at Home" cookbook. We had an excess of tomatoes this day, so I created my own. I wrapped the entire loaf in aluminum foil and placed it in the oven at 350 degrees to warm. If it were just the two of us, I would place a few slices in a regular toaster. Toasting to dark makes the bread crumble-y and not toasting enough makes the bread a bit tough so when you bite into it the toppings fall off. We regularly test slices of bread while heating to ensure it's the right texture.