Rhubarbsky

All right, I know it’s too hot for pizza today, but this is SO good, I have to recommend you make it sometime soon.  Oh, and to roast garlic, slice the top off the whole head, drizzle it with olive oil and put it in a little foil package.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or so. . .yum.

Pizza with Kale, Roasted Garlic & Four Cheeses

While you’re waiting for it to cool down, go cook some garlic winkies (or garlic scapes as I’ve heard them called too)!

Garlic Scape and Fennel Spread

from Farmer John’s Cookbook
2 tsp. olive oil
½ fennel bulb, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
½ c. water or chicken stock
2 tsp. mirin or other rice wine
¼ tsp. salt plus more to taste
4-5 garlic scapes, quartered

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add the fennel and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the water or stock and the mirin; bring to a boil.  Add the salt.  Cook until thick, 4-5 minutes.  During the last 30 seconds of cooking, stir in the garlic scapes.  Transfer the mixture to a bowl.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 5 hours to allow the flavors to develop.  Season to taste with more salt.

Use to enliven sandwiches, roasted meats, or with shrimp, stir into hummus or slather over grilled vegetables

Lemon Scented Pasta with Garlic Scapes and Veggies

She’s READING!!!!!!  Sounding out words all by herself.  I’m beside myself.

So, a while back, I posted a video of Abby beatboxing.  I made mention there that she’s been watching a teenage girl from Canada beatboxing on YouTube.  I put Abby’s video up on YouTube and do you know what?  That gal, Julia Dales, watched the video and wrote the sweetest comment over on YouTube.  Here’s what she said:

“Excellent! I love seeing people, especially when they are young, get into beatboxing. In fact I began when I was a couple years older than her so she has a head start. Please tell her to keep making noises because eventually it will all come together and turn into music.
-Julia”

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this here on the blog, but I’ve spent the majority of my adult life working with teenagers.  I’ve hiked them up mountains, belayed them up rock walls, climbing walls, challenge courses.  I’ve taught art courses, gone snowboarding, white water rafting, backpacking, kayaking, sailing with teens.  I’ve played roller hockey, ultimate frisbee, gone ice-skating, roller skating, beach combing with teens.  I’ve taught teens how to cook, how to change a tire on a car, how to balance a checkbook, rent an apartment, interview for a job, write a resume.  I once took breakdancing classes with teens.  I’ve worked with the rich, the poor, the differently abled.  I’ve worked with foster kids.  I’ve worked with homeless youth. . . gay youth, straight youth, religious and rebellious.  You name it, and I’ve likely been there, done that with teens.  So, I feel sort of qualified when I say that Julia Dales seems like a right cool kid.

All right greens lovers.  I’ve found a new way to eat your greens!  Well, new to me anyway.

Wrap stuff in them!
Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone has a great recipe for chard leaves rolled around a rice and veggie mix.  Here’s a take on that one: Swiss Chard Rolls

Collard Spring Rolls
I read a few ideas about using collards as a wrap around fresh spring rolls.  Trim most of the hard stem away and then steam collards flat in a large steamer basket until bright green and pliable (a few minutes).  Let them drain on some paper towels and roll yummy goodness in them.  Ideas for what to put in fresh spring rolls:  cooked and cooled Rice noodles, cilantro, green onions, shredded carrots, shredded beets, mint, cooked shrimp, papaya, mango, lettuce, cabbage, basil, bell pepper, bean sprouts, radish slices, chopped peanuts, baked tofu, cucumber and whatever else sounds tasty.

Make sure you try the  fantastic dipping sauce for your fresh rolls from Eggs on Sunday’s post:   Hoisin-Peanut Sauce

And, last but not least, my take on a lettuce wrap!  This was REALLY yummy and tasted super good with the Hoisin-Peanut sauce from above.

Chicken Bok Choi or Lettuce Wrap after this recipe

1 Tbls. Hoisin sauce
2 Tbls. soy sauce
1 Tbls. dry sherry
3 Tbls. water
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. sugar
3 tsp. cornstarch – divided
2 tsp. dry sherry
2 tsp. water
salt and pepper – to taste
3 boned, skinned chicken breasts – diced (1.5 pounds)
1/3 cup vegetable oil – divided
1 tsp. fresh minced ginger
1 tsp. chopped jalapeno or thai chili
2 cloves garlic – minced
2 green onions – minced
8 oz. can water chestnuts – drained, minced
1 head bok choi or iceberg OR Bibb lettuce  – leaves separated (stalks of bok choi removed, diced and reserved)

Combine Hoisin sauce, soy sauce, 1 Tbls. sherry, oyster sauce, 2 Tbls. water, sesame oil, sugar, and 2 tsp. cornstarch; set aside.
-In a medium bowl, combine remaining 1 tsp. cornstarch, 2 tsp. sherry, 2 tsp. water, salt, and pepper; lay chicken into mixture and spoon over to coat. Stir in 1 tsp. vegetable oil and let sit 15 minutes to marinate.
-Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat; stir-fry chicken in 3 Tbls. vegetable oil for 3 – 4 minutes; remove from wok/pan; and set aside.
-Heat 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil in wok/pan; add ginger, garlic, onions, chopped bok choi stems and chili; stir-fry for 1 minute; add water chestnuts; stir-fry for 2 minutes.
-Return chicken to wok/pan; pour in reserved mixture; simmer until thickened and heated through.
-Spoon mixture into bok choi or lettuce leaves and roll up like a burrito.

Abby’s Glitter Crayon portrait of our family.  Can you guess which one’s me?  I asked her what was going on with my face in this picture and she said, “Well, you’re sad.  But it’s okay because I’m happy and Daddy’s happy.”

Yeah. . . good times.

Abby got this sweet hat from our friend Sarah Jelley (I love that Sarah’s name is Sarah Jelley and we call her by her full name around here. . . it’s too fun to leave out the Jelley part). It’s hard to tell from this video, but it’s fully purple and has a feather on the side and the whole thing is fuzzy. It’s equal parts Huggy Bear and old school tea hat. We all adore the hat, and especially think it looks f-i-n-e while attempting to eat pho with chop sticks.
And, how awesome is the name of the restaurant we went to?

Not Martha has a great blog post up about how to blanch and freeze kale.  So, if you have a bunch around right now, I highly recommend you check out this link.

Turtleini Tomato Chard Soup:  Adapted from this recipe.

Abby calls tortellini “turtle-ini”.  So, of course, that’s the name of this soup now!
Ingredients

Abby saw this youtube video several weeks back. It’s of a teenage girl sitting in the back of a car beatboxing like a champ. It’s pretty cool. If you haven’t seen it, go right on ahead and have a looksie. I’ll wait while you watch. . . go on, watch it:
So, like I said, Abby watched this several weeks ago and we thought nothing of it. Then, yesterday, she just up and starts beatboxing in her room at my mom’s house. Grandmama (my mom) asked, “is she rapping?” No, she’s beatboxing!
We got this little video clip of it in the car on the way home today. So funny.

Ya gotta try on old prom and bridesmaid dresses.  Right?

Yes, that’s a bubble skirt.  What?  You don’t have a bubble skirt from 1990 shoved in a corner of your closet?