lemons & sugar

Beet + beet greens risotto. I served it with horseradish and creme fraiche. It was so, so good. I highly recommend it for people who think they don’t like beets. It would be a fun dish to make for Christmas. (can you spot the ever present lemon zest?)

I found this photo on a stock site while I was at work.

It’s gorgeous, I adore that red cabinet.

via Swiss Miss

John and I made an English bitter on Easter. And cupcakes, of course. The first beer I’ve made in two years. There’s something about seeing all the beers lined up after you’re done that makes me feel so Laverne & Shirley. The cupcakes went to a dinner party at Lauren and Marc’s. They really went all out for a super delicious Easter dinner. I think we ate it too quickly to take photos!

Flourless orange and ginger cake with lemon zest and sugar glaze. It was made with almond meal instead of flour. Very savory instead of overly sweet.

Red velvet cupcakes made with red vinegar instead of food coloring. They really weren’t red. Next time I’ll try beets. They have a bittersweet chocolate glaze, perfect, not too sweet.

Meat pies made with peas, carrots, herbs, creme fraîche and whiskey. The dough also had whiskey in it, yum.

John, Marc, Lauren and I went apple picking last Fall. I canned a bunch of apple sauce and we still had a ton left over. Thankfully apples keep forever!

A beet and feta tart. Very yummy…too bad John doesn’t like beets!

A blueberry peach crisp I made last summer.

Old doll in a window in Jamaica Plain.

Beautiful typeface, I love the ligature.

The save the date card I designed for our wedding in August.

The first recipe came from Cook’s Illustrated - pizza - my favorite! I swapped one ingredient on the list; thyme instead of parsley. I love thyme. The lemon zest was so good and the crust was like focaccia bread. I will put lemon zest on nearly anything but this recipe actually called for it.

Amaranth soufflé, olive loaf and sautéed kale with nutmeg. What is amaranth you ask, as did everyone I spoke to, it’s an ancient seed from the Incas and Aztecs. I found a sites online explaining the use of amaranth in ancient rituals where it was mixed with human blood and honey, shaped into gods, baked and eaten. When the Spanish came they outlawed amaranth and anyone caught with even one seed had his hands chopped off. um, okay. On the positive side it’s a nearly complete source of protein.

Lauren + I made truffles for Valentine’s Day. Crushed almonds, curry, chili and cocoa powder. They were insanely good.

I must have been thirsty?

Artichoke dip made with cheese, tofu and yogurt. Crackers made with semolina and topped with poppy seeds, smoked salt, Himalayan pink salt, curry powder - not all on one cracker! They were so yummy, fairly easy to make and lasted for a few days. Good to snack on too.

(out of focus) Green tea cookies made for Eileen and Kate on their birthday. They are a shortbread cookie with powdered green tea, which made them very pretty but really didn’t taste anything like green tea. Nice and buttery though.

My new nephew Ezra Peregrine was born last week. I managed to catch a bus and a ride to Maine to see him. Amelia looks huge in comparison!