thankful tuesdays: long lost friends

Just a quick one tonight...

I'm thankful for catching up with, and spending quality time with long lost friends.

I got to do that tonight and hopefully, according to rumor, I'll get to do that on a grander scale. Also last Saturday I spent quality time with my friend Laura who I just don't see enough.

I am a ridiculously busy person, who is lucky to have many close friends. Even though I don't see many of you often, I want you to know that I truly treasure when we get to hang out.

monday munchies: accidental frenchie

In my weekend preview last week I promised a big reveal after Sunday. Since this is actually a project for another publication, I don't want to give too much away, but here's a few clues:

• The folks over at one of my other fave Wisconsin blogs, Burp! Where Food Happens, are also participating in this fun little project
  
• In preparing my dish, I committed mass murder.
• The process was so complicated, I narrowly averted real, non-culinary, disaster:

Sorry to be so vague, but I want to make sure your interest stays piqued. Gotta sell papers here folks! (Mom, hold the email -- remember "patience is a virtue.")

In addition to my mystery cooking, I've whipped up a couple of other treats. I got to return to the East Town Farmer's Market after two Saturdays out of town. It was hopping and I picked up all sorts of treats to complement my ever-growing CSA box from Rare Earth Farm.


Market haul of the week.
Tonight I went on a green tomato kick, using up the ones I bought at ETFM. I made fried green tomatoes for dinner and finding myself with a load of leftovers, and still more unused tomatoes, I decided to look up Green Tomato Pie. The former were addictive, and the latter, well, it's interesting. It tastes really delicious (a lot of lemon juice gets added), but I'm having a texture issue. I'll have to get some taste testers. Any volunteers? This also was my first true double-crust pie EVER. Go me!


Dwindling fried green tomatoes -- soooooo good!


Mmmmm...pie...


Some other highlights of late:


Summer sandwich of goat cheese (ETFM), cucumber (CSA), tomato (CSA) and homemade cilantro walnut pesto (mostly CSA).


Raspberry (ETFM), mint (herb garden), lemonade (whole foods) -- de-light-ful


Raspberry Yogurt Parfait, drizzled with local honey

My mouth certainly has been dancing with the flavors of summer lately. I'm getting a delivery of sweet cherries and blueberries tomorrow. I'll keep you posted.

gallery night funkified

Big night ahead of art and Northern Soul!

Here's the plan: meet at Hooligan's to satisfy my friend's mini-corndog craving at 5:30 PM. Bikes encouraged tonight!.

Around 6:30 hit up Caggio on Brady St: http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/entertainment/51492797.html

Stop over at Green Gallery East:
http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/entertainment/51426962.html

Hit up Peltz Gallery on Knapp:
http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/entertainment/51414437.html

Then bike by the IN:SITE installation on the way to Turner:
http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/entertainment/51498562.html

Be at Turner Hall by 8:30/9 for Kings Go Forth.

milwaukee props: airwars here at last

Milwaukee's admittedly always a bit behind the trends. But right now that fact is benefiting me and my wanderlust.

With Midwest in uncertainty, a new era of flight is coming into town. Honestly, I don't mind being shoved in like cattle if I can get somewhere for less than $200.

Southwest arrives in November and I lucked out getting an intro fare. For around $80 R/T I'm heading to Phoenix (and adding a new state!) the first weekend of service. I hope to visit my friend Tonia from college, but at that price if I end up in a hotel, so be it!

Then tonight it was tossed out that my group of my best friends from high school get together in San Francisco over Labor Day. The west coasties were starting to plot, so feeling left out I decided to check flights, expecting Kayak to spit back an exhorbitant number. Imagine my shock and glee to find a flight on AirTran -- nonstop -- for $198! After some quick "are you in?" messages back and forth, I clicked "purchase."

Now if we can only get cheap flights to Europe outta this town, I'm all set!

milwaukee props: Great Milwaukee Weekend on Tap!

I know it's only Tuesday, but with my blogging record lately I thought I'd get this out now. This is a JAM-PACKED weekend coming up and I wanted to highlight some of it in this space.

Thursday! Young Nonprofit Professionals-Greater Milwaukee Chapter (of which I am Marketing Co-Chair), is hosting a screening of the documentary PROMISE OF AMERICA. The event is in Kadish Park (900 block of E North Ave) from 7:00-9:45 PM. More info here: http://ynpn-milwaukee.org/

Friday! It's Gallery Night folks. I'll be hitting up some spots in the downtown/3W area (let me know if you wanna join) before heading to Turner Hall for the hottest show of the summer - The Kings Go Forth CD release party. This is a guaranteed good time. Only $10 too! Come get your groove on. http://turnerhallballroom.org/kingsgoforth Oh and if you come to the show you get a commemorative Summer of Meghan souvenir.

Saturday! One of my favorite events of the summer, the Milwaukee Artists Marketplace, is from 10-5 today. I'll probably head over around noon (following my requisite East Town Farmer's Market visit). A great opportunity to pick up local art for really reasonable prices. http://www.mam.org/calendar/events/index.php?com=detail&eID=868&year=2009&month=07. Afterward I'll stop over by the Brady Street Cheese Fest, then home.

I know there's a lot more going on, but I do have some housekeeping that needs to get done, including an extra special surprise that I'll reveal after Sunday.

thankful tuesdays: puppies!!!! (and friendships)

I am in love.

My heart melted a LOT tonight when I met this little lady (the one on the left):


Isn't she freaking adorable?

I'm so thankful to have a wonderful friend in Jane as well. It was fantastic revisiting our old Brady Street stomping grounds tonight. I'm so glad she wanted to include me in her first day of being a "mother." Puppy parade!

monday munchies: tuesday backlog

As I mentioned yesterday, it's been a busy few weeks. Luckily, I have found the time to continue my adventures in the kitchen, using up the ingredients from my CSA at Rare Earth Farm, the East Town Farmer's Market, and my stop at the Madison Farmer's Market (abridged version) on Saturday.

Tonight I may have outdone myself, by concocting what may become my signature summer dish: Cabageless Asian Slaw (it looks a lot prettier in real life than it does in this photo).

Here's the skinny:
1 bulb kohlrabi, peeled, julienned
4 small carrots, peeled, julienned
5 radishes
1 c. sugar snap peas, shelled
small red onion, chopped
1/4 c fresh chopped cilantro
1/4 c peanuts (I just have this neverending jar of Planter's Salted...try to use something healthier!)

dressing:
1/4 c light soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp vinegar
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp Trader Joe's Wasabi Mayo

Prepare and mix veggies and peanuts in small bowl. Combine dressing ingredients in separate bowl and mix well. Pour over veggies and toss together until fully coated. Serve immediately and chill leftovers.

What else have I been up to?

Well, it's not a local treat, but hummus is a quick and easy protein booster that's been sustaining me over my lunches the past couple days.

Today I ate it on pita with a Madison tomato and CSA lettuce and cucumber. Yesterday I enjoyed it with kale chips (easy! toss kale in olive oil and seasoning and bake for 10 mins at 350) and a side salad of ETFM spinach and goat cheese and CSA cucumber.

The kale chips came after several sauteed versions of the hearty green.

With carrots.

Over pasta.

I've also been putting my newfound love of having organic poultry (and goat cheese!) (thanks Ruegsegger Farms) at the ETFM to work in the kitchen, as well as my egg share from the CSA.

Ground turkey patties (with eggs, spinach, onion, garlic and breadcrumbs) tossed with pasta, cilantro, cucumber and goat cheese -- most everything from the market or CSA

Pita with turkey patties, ETFM goat cheese and CSA cucumber and red lettuce


Spinach frittata

We're starting to move past just the early greens and mix it up a little bit too. There were potatoes at the East Town Market...tasty with my cilantro for comfort food:

And my CSA a couple weeks ago had a boatload of basil -- perfect for fresh pesto.

Pesto and cucumber pasta salad with side spinach salad topped with goat cheese.

My food preservation skills are still warming up. I froze the bulk of my pesto from above. I also. froze kale (seriously, I was kinda done for awhile), dried dill and parsley and am froze strawberries to make jam soon!

Of course, not all strawberries made the freezer:

with fresh CSA Wisconsin Maple Syrup

Cucumber-Mint-Cilantro soup and mixed green salad (red lettuce, spinach and carrot tops) topped with goat cheese, sauteed CSA Italian Pole Beans and strawberries.

I'm going to miss those fresh buggers until next year. Farewell tasty friends!

wow! it's july!

I'd like to tell you that I've been off galavanting around the world for the past three weeks, but alas.

I've been rockin' in Wisconsin a lot though...Spoon...Malkmus...English Beat...Elvis...Hold Steady...Get Down...

I've been cooking too. I owe posts!