deensiebat

Followed the delicious advice of Momofuku Milk Bar and made sesame-ginger rice krispie treats. Amazing how these two little ingredients make such a big difference.

I'm going to be in the Basque country for a few weeks, and have budgeted for one upscale meal. But while I eat seafood, I don't eat any other meat. We're considering Etxebarri, Azurmendi, Arzak, Zuberoa, etc. Should I assume that any of these restaurants would easily accommodate my diet (if given notice)? Or would any be better/worse? Advice welcomed, as sadly I don't have the funds to try them all..

Got a recipe? Fried potatoes sound a bit less healthy than sauteed squash, but probably far more delicious...

Low-light pic of eggs poached in a saucy saute of onion, tomato, grated summer squash and basil. Really good and really easy -- if only I had discovered this before the tail end of tomato/squash season...

@rotuts: I was thinking that it might be nice with blackberries as well -- they seem like they could straddle that sweet/savory divide. But sadly ours are all washed out with the rain. @Genkinaonna: Thanks! And I notice we're both in Portland -- perhaps you'll make it to the next meeting...

I made this Concord grape focaccia for book club potluck dinner. And I'll probably make it again tonight. Hello, obsession!

No-cook summer salad dinner (because Portland has belatedly decided to have summer weather): raw kale, corn, peaches and feta. Surprisingly good.

I've been tempted by stories about sweet corn ice cream recently, but since I don't have an ice cream-maker, I went with popsicles instead. Studded with a mush of lightly-sweetened blackberries. Undeniably vegetable, but buttery sweet and sunny at the same time. Yum.

I liked it a lot -- very clean and green, sharp and vegetal and sweet (and boozy) at the same time.

Tried out the Lee Bros. recipe for celery julep.

Just saw this thread -- I made raspberry liqueur last year, going the infusion route. I use grain alcohol rather than vodka, because I think it pulls out a truer raspberry flavor (vs tasting like raspberry-flavored vodka). That said, it's got to age a while to smooth out the rough edges. My formula's here.

Celebrated a rare warm day in the Pacific Northwest (we seem to be bucking the trend here) with a simple stir fry of fresh corn, zucchini, and shrimp, with fresh basil and avocado.

Made syrniki, Russian cottage cheese pancakes. Though they'd be equally good for dessert, or a meal in and of themselves. Simple blueberry compote and sour cream on the side.

Picked sour cherries off of a neighbor's tree, and made this tart (along with a few jars of jam). I forgot how good pie can be...

My friend's wedding was this weekend, so I finally busted out the cupcakes I've been baking and stashing in the freezer over the past few weeks: Chocolate, butter cake, and lemon-strawberry. They tasted great, and the buttercream survived the June temperatures (which, too be fair, aren't really that hot in Portland). I re-beat the buttercream before I left the house, but by the time we loaded up the car, got to the venue, and unwrapped 120 frozen cupcakes it wasn't quite so smooth anymore. Oops. But rustic has its charms, I suppose. And it was still delicious.

Still too cold for strawberry shortcake here, so I went with pistachio pudding with whipped cream and chocolate cookies. How much did I love this? So much. Creamy, nutty, and with some chocolate to boot.

His pizza recipe here has become our default -- there's also a great stretch-and-fold video tutorial:

Oh, Texas with its already-in-season strawberries! I was excited enough to find rhubarb, which I roasted and served with a creme fraiche semifreddo. Melty but delicious. I really like roasting the rhubarb -- if you're careful not to mush it, you get pieces that are meltingly tender, but still hold their shape.

Oh, asparagus season! Pizza with asparagus and shrimp, on a base of leeks and mascarpone. Recipe here, though really it's not much more than what I just said. Totally delicious.

After so much failure, successful macarons! Blueberry with white chocolate buttercream.

Peeps! A bit of a sticky mess, but even with my poor motor skills I was able to turn out something that looked vaguely chick-like.

Ann, it looks great! I love how similar our pictures look -- hooray for failsafe, consistent recipes. And hooray for sweet breakfast.

Avocado toast is one of my all time favorite breakfasts! I usually shake on one of our random seasoned salts on top.

Went for a little "breakfast dessert" with rich-yet-light cinnamon chocolate chip sour cream coffeecake:

Thanks for recommendations. Yeah, we're looking to get out of the airport. I don't eat meat, so was looking for something other than steakhouses/American fare. Someone mentioned that Wicker Park might be a good airport-adjacent neighborhood...