Good Morning

Posted by marisa rosemellia in Recipes and tagged with , ,

During the summer, I really take time to enjoy the morning. I could sleep in a little bit, relax, read the paper or a magazine and make myself a great breakfast. I have been creating these towering layered stacks topped with eggs. It’s like an open faced egg sandwich with whatever fresh, local, and in-season ingredients I have from the market.

Here are a few examples:

I start with a base of whole grain or some kind of crusty bread. I add a spread on top…two of my favorites are my Green Meanie dressing or Creme Fraiche. I sometimes use cream cheese too. It is really good when it starts to melt under the warm eggs.

Then I add red onions, thin sliced avocados, and some sort of green. I love spring pea shoots which, thanks to the new sprout stand at the market, I am able to find quiet easily now.

Since it is summer and excellent tomatoes are available, I have been putting tomato slices or cut up grape tomatoes on top. Fresh herbs are in abundance as well so I love to add basil leaves or chopped chives.

I usually fry one or two eggs to complete the tower and put a little extra dollop of dressing or creme fraiche on top as well. Sometimes I just turn it all into a scramble, it’s still just as good.

Green Meanie dressing

Posted by marisa rosemellia in Recipes and tagged with , , ,

I figured out how to make creamy salad dressing at home thanks to an article in “Everyday Food” (my favorite magazine for recipe ideas) last month.

I used their base recipe as a guide and I made up my own dressing. I love it so much and you can use it for way more than just salad.

Green Meanie Dressing:

1/2 cup creme fraiche or sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 whole avocado

1 clove of garlic, grated

1 lime zested and juiced

1 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup packed basil leaves

1/3 cup packed chives

1/3 cup packed cilantro

salt and pepper

put all of you ingredients into the food processor and blend until smooth. You can keep it refrigerated for up to two weeks. If you want a thinker dressing, omit 1/2 cup of the buttermilk.

One thing that I have found is that the avocado sometimes oxidizes and will turn the top layer of dressing brown. The lime juice will help prevent this. It did not happen when I only used one avocado, but if you add any more than that to the dressing you might get that brownish top layer. I made it one time using purple basil instead of green basil. The purple actually turned it kind of a brownish hue instead of the pretty green that usually turns out to be… but it still tasted delicious.

It’s not just for lettuce! Try it: on potato salad, as a sandwich spread, as a topping for salmon, an extra condiment on your burger, or as a veggie dip!

Here is some summer chicken salad made with green meanie dressing…

Washington Boro Tomato Festival

Posted by marisa rosemellia in Ingredients, Places and tagged with , , ,

One of my favorite things about summer is tomatoes. You really can’t get anything better than a late summer tomato. They always have amazing color and flavor that just can’t be matched any other time of year. My favorite place to get tomatoes is the tomato barn in Washington Boro, Pa.

I went for a ride the other day to pick up their famous Jet Stars. They claim to be “the sweetest tomatoes on earth” and I believe them. They are sweet, juicy and that bright red that reminds me of the fourth of July. I love seeing the tomatoes and other veggies all lined up together in the barn. I couldn’t help taking some pictures.

I always end up buying the “seconds” tomatoes. They aren’t perfectly round and they have some lines across the bottoms that I guess make them less desirable. I kind of like the messed-up look to them and for some reason I think they taste better. They look like a lot of heirloom varieties that grow in all funky sorts of shapes. They are also cheaper… you get a big flat box for $5!

I am going to use most of them to make sauce and salsa… I think they have character.

I noticed that the Tomato Festival was this Saturday! So of course I had to go, it’s one of my favorite events of the summer. There is something about eating a tomato sandwich on a grassy hill across from the Susquehanna river that makes it taste like no other tomato sandwich that you could ever make at home.

 

Jet star tomatoes, squishy white bread, lettuce, onions, mayo = the tomato festival sandwich.

I don’t know how I love these so much. I don’t normally eat squishy white bread or mayo… it must be the magic of the river or something.

Lancaster Central Market

Posted by marisa rosemellia in Ingredients, Places and tagged with , , ,

It seems fitting to begin this blog with a post about Lancaster Central Market. The market is my main source veggies. I avoid buying produce in the grocery store as much as possible because I have this great source of local foods right near my house. I go down to the market at least once a week and I usually base my dinners on whatever is in season.

The market is at its peak right now with fresh fruits and vegetables straight from the farms of Lancaster. I’ve been lucky to go more frequently since it is summer and I have my weekdays free.

I chose some yellow wax beans for a pasta dish from Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative today. I love this stand! It always has great food. They only operate from spring to fall but everything they have is local and organic. I also picked up some green tomatillos and jalapenos because I bought a bunch of Jetstar tomatoes earlier in the week from the Wahsington Boro Tomato Barn (more on Jetstars tomorrow). I have a plan to make fresh salsa later.

One of my staple items that I always pick up is a dozen of free range eggs. I love how bright yellow the yolks are and I think they taste better.  I was tempted to buy the duck eggs that I saw at the Farm Fresh stand but I wasn’t too sure about it…maybe next week.

Some of my favorite flowers are coming into bloom right now. I was happy to see the sunflowers this morning.

I decided to take a bright pink and red bunch of zinnia home with me to brighten up the kitchen.

It was a great morning at market!