Summer Plans

It is officially summer.  Kids are out of school and the temperature is hovering in the high 70s.  I love the relaxed feel of the season.  We have lot of bbqs planned and maybe this will the summer where our patio gets a makeover of some kind.  These hydrangeas are a good start.

My kids appear to have green thumbs.

I recently went to Boston on a business trip and had the pleasure of visiting with a good friend.  Her garden is out of this world (out of the world of SoCal, anyway).  

This is less than a fourth of her backyard!  Can you imagine having that kind of space?!?

Enter the Age of the Animal Print

My two recent purchases:

It can only mean one thing - I'm going to embrace my 40s!  

Missing the Parents

My parents live most of the year in Korea.  They came for a visit in May and it felt like Summer.  Lots of day trips and visits to the beach.

The Huntington Library was beautiful.  Doesn't my mom look great.  People are always telling me I look like my dad!  

I hope to plan lots of beach days this summer.  We have the gear (umbrella and chairs) now so there is no excuse.


Here is a easy quick dish for summer.  Quiche is good served cold so prep it ahead and enjoy with family and friends.  This recipe comes from Bon Appetit.

Quiche


1 store bough pie crust (I used Trader Joes - it's so good)
1 bunch of asparagus (really, you can use any vegetable)
12 scallions (this is pah, mom)
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 cup of cheese (any kind of shredded cheese)
1/4 cup of sour cream or plain yogurt
1/4 cup of half and half or milk
parsley
3 large eggs


1.  Roll out pie dough and bake crust according to package (375 at 14 minutes).  Let cool.
2.  Preheat oven to 425.
3.  Cut off asparagus tips.  Slice the rest of the stalk into pieces.
4.  Cut top white part of green onions and halve.
5.  Toss asparagus tips and green onion tops in olive oil and salt and pepper.  Place on a baking sheet and roast for 12-15 minutes.  Transfer to a small bowl.  Reduce oven to 375.
6.  Saute the asparagus in a pan with olive oil and salt.  Stir until asparagus is bright green (6-8 minutes).  Let cool and spread it over the bottom of the pie crust.
7.  Mix cheese, sour cream, half and half, parsley and eggs.  Season with salt.  Pour over asparagus.  Scatter asparagus tips and green onion tops on top.
8.  Bake for 20-22 minutes.  Let cool and serve.

Chicken Fricasee

Chicken breast is tricky to cook with.  Unless I am breading and frying, my go to chicken part is the thigh for obvious reasons.  Lately, I've been watching a lot of America's Test Kitchens.  Love love love.  This recipe is easy and I love it mostly because it's really saucy.  Try it over rice.

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon Butter
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
4 Chicken Breasts (boneless/skinless)
Salt & Pepper
1 lb Crimini Mushrooms, sliced
1 Onion, chopped
1/4 cup White Wine
1 Garlic Clove, finely grated
1 Tablespoon Flour
1 1/2 Cups Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
1/3 Cup Sour Cream
1 Egg Yolk
2 teaspoons Lemon Juice


1.  Heat the butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Pat the chicken breasts dry with a paper towel then season with salt and pepper.  Brown the chicken breasts, about 4 minutes on each side.  Reserve on a plate.
2.  Add the mushrooms, onions, and wine.  Cook for 8-10 minutes to soften.  Stir in the garlic and flour, cooking for 1 minute.  Add the chicken broth and bring to a bubble.  Return the chicken to the skillet along with any juices from the plate, cover and turn heat to medium.  Simmer for 5-10 minutes to fully cook the chicken.  Remove the chicken to a plate and cover with foil.
3.  Measure out 1/2 cup of the sauce into a bowl.  Whisk the sour cream and egg yolk into the bowl.  Pour back into the skillet and stir to combine.  Stir in the lemon juice and some parsley.  Cut chicken into slices and arrange back into sauce.

Striking the Right Proportions

My thing for cropped pants.

Both images from The Sartorialist

Love

Bought.  Beautiful navy wool APC coat at a bargain of a price.  

I know, we are heading into summer but the deal accounts for the off timing of the purchase.  One way to deal with my scary close proximity to age 40 is to tell myself that I will only buy quality, timeless pieces from now on.


Perfect for this collar-less coat (when I win the lottery):

The Right Amount

I like this recipe because of the number of cookies one batch makes.  Just enough to share and not have leftover cookies for the week - dangerous for the slow metabolism-ed.  Also, I like my cookies flat and crispy around the edges.  And one more thing, I like my chocolate chip cookies light on the chocolate chips.  This recipe only calls for one cup.  That way one bag of chocolate chips are good for two baking sessions.  Jim Lahey (of the no knead bread recipe fame - as my sister tells me) really delivers.

Jim Lahey's Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 C. plus 2 T. all purpose flour
3/4 t. kosher salt
1/2 t. baking powder
3/4 C (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 C (packed) brown sugar
1/4 C sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1 C. semisweet chocolate chips


1.  Preheat oven to 425.  
2.  Whisk flour, salt and baking powder in a small bowl.
3.  Beat butter and both sugars in a large bowl until well combined.  Add egg and vanilla; beat until mixture is light and fluffy.
4.  Add dry ingredients and mix just to blend.  Fold in chocolate chips.
5.  Bake for 6-8 minutes.  Eat.

Not super pretty but pretty tasty!