Spinach and Goat Cheese Pasta Recipe

I just finished cooking and immediately eating the best dinner I've had in ages. This recipe, inspired by one I saw on Giada, had three of my favorite ingredients: pasta, spinach, and my new love chevre. The resulting pasta dish was creamy, rich and full of flavor. Trust me, you want to try this one!

Spinach and Goat Cheese Pasta

Ingredients:

1 lb rigatoni
2 tsp olive oil, divided
1 small onion, sliced
1 large garlic clove, minced
6 cups packed fresh spinach, roughly chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (or quartered if large)
6 oz soft goat cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and add pasta. Cook and then drain, reserving at least 1 cup of pasta water. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tsp olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onion, cooking until the onion is soft and beginning to caramelize. Toss in the spinach and tomatoes, heating until the spinach is just wilted and still bright green. Remove from heat.

Add the pasta to the skillet and crumble the goat cheese over it. Stir or toss with tongs until the cheese is melted, adding enough of the reserved pasta water to create a sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

OLS Week 8 - Potatoes and Green Beans Go Hand-in-Hand

This week's featured local meal consisted of a large helping of my newest salad obsession: Potato and Green Bean Salad. I really wish I'd taken a picture, because it's pretty to look at, too.

I brought home a great haul from the farmer's market today and I'm looking forward to getting creative for my local meal this week. I've got eggs, fresh spinach, onions, an eggplant, green peppers, a cucumber, mozzarella cheese, white peaches, Summer Rambo apples, and apricots (probably the last of the season). That will be supplemented with what I'm expecting to be a pretty good share from the CSA this week that will probably include chard, scallions, potatoes and lettuce among other things. I'm also planning to pick up some local goat cheese.

Any ideas for local meals using these ingredients? Feel free to share suggestions. I'm feeling adventurous!

CSA Report - Week 7

Last weekend we had a potluck on the farm and I met some fellow CSA members. We took a tour of the farm and learned why things have been a little slow to produce and what to expect in the near future. We're talking floods of tomatoes, beans, chard and more!

This week's share included:

• 2 lbs red potatoes
• 1 head of garlic
• a large bunch of chard

I'm so excited to have more potatoes because I made the most flavorful potato salad I've ever had and I can't wait to make more! Give it a try and see why I'm so excited about it.

Potato and Green Bean Salad

Ingredients:

1 1/2 - 2 lbs red potatoes, scrubbed and diced
3 cups green beans, rinsed, trimmed and cut into 2" pieces (I used yellow beans)
3 hard-boiled eggs, roughly chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp honey
2 tsp white balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Add the potatoes to a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until almost fork tender. Add beans and cook another 4 to 5 minutes, until beans are bright green and potatoes are cooked through. (You can also steam beans separately while potatoes cook, which is what I did.) Drain potatoes and beans and set aside to cool.

To make the dressing, whisk mustard, honey and vinegar in a large bowl with a cover. When potatoes and beans are room temperature, add to the dressing along with the parsley and egg. Tightly cover and toss until everything is coated. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

*I actually served the salad at room temperature, but it would probably be great after a few hours in the refrigerator, too.

OLS Week 7 - Mmmm...Tomatoes

This week I found myself scrambling yet again to make my One Local Summer meal. It was Saturday already before I realized, while I'd been eating a lot of local dishes, I hadn't planned and prepared a fully local meal. So I sliced up a sweet and juicy local tomato, pulled some local lettuce leaves from the refrigerator and placed them both on a local sandwich roll. I made up some chipotle mayonnaise (not local except for the cilantro I added to it) and slathered it on the roll. On the side I had sauteed zucchini, yellow squash and onions topped with local chevre and some corn on the cob. A quick and easy local feast!

A few of the other local dishes I whipped up included:

• Potato and green bean salad with honey mustard dressing
• Tomato and scallion salad with balsamic dressing
• Egg salad
• Cucumbers with dill yogurt dressing

It's amazing how creative you can get when your refrigerator is overflowing with vegetables and you're just not sure what to do with them before they go bad.

As for my CSA shares, week 7 was a little sparse again: a quart container of red potatoes and a head of new garlic. The good news is we had a potluck at the farm today and found out things are about to get a bit overwhelming. Because the planting schedule was pushed back a couple of weeks, we're looking at an upcoming onslaught of green beans, tomatoes, peppers, squash and zucchini, eggplant and more starting the first of August or so. I'm really looking forward to seeing what the summer brings! The greenhouses are overflowing, the fields are getting greener, the blackberries are ripening...and because of the delay in planting it looks like we'll be getting vegetables well into November and maybe even December. I'm already dreaming of fresh, local holidays!

OLS Week 6 - Versatile Green Beans

While I managed to squeeze in a local lunch last week consisting of grape tomatoes, mozzarella and basil drizzled with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, I didn't get time to write a post about it or take any pictures. This week almost went by without a post, too, but I remember this morning and made up a delicious local lunch to share for week 6 of One Local Summer.

A trip to the farmer's market this morning gave me great ideas for local meals in the coming week. I brought home ingredients galore. For today's local meal, I started with green beans and got creative.

First, I steamed some green beans while I sauteed onion and garlic in some olive oil. When the beans were done (about 5 minutes) I tossed them in with the onion, one diced tomato, a little salt and pepper and a couple tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. I cooked it down for a few minutes, tossed in some fresh basil and then dished it up. I topped all that with a tablespoon or so of crumbled chevre.

For a little added oomph, I sliced up a baguette and topped a couple slices with a dollop of smoked hummus from Neopol Savory Smokery, which I only recently discovered although I've been walking past their stand for two years. The smokey hummus flavor is something I never would have considered if I hadn't tried a sample the last time I was at the market. I'd been thinking about it ever since and went prepared with a few extra dollars this week so that I could treat myself. It was well worth it, and I'm already thinking about trying their smoked salmon next time.

The local low-down: All ingredients were local except olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.

CSA Report - Weeks 5 & 6

I'm doing a quick CSA post to document my shares for the last two weeks--without pictures because I forgot to take them before I started eating the food--so that I can keep track of what I've been getting. I'm particularly interested in seeing how different my shares are this year from last year due to the rainy weather we've been having.

Here's what I got in my week 5 share:

• 2 beets with greens
• 1 head of lettuce
• 1 bulb of new garlic

And what I got in my week 6 share:

• 2 beets with greens
• 1 small bunch chard
• 1 head lettuce
• 1 bulb of new garlic

It's not much, but along with my farmers market finds, I'm eating well!

CSA Report - Week 4

Here's what I got this week:

• 3 small heads of leaf lettuce (includes one head from the free choice table)
• 1.5 lbs sugar snap peas (includes additional full share)
• .75 lbs snow peas (includes additional full share)

It doesn't seem like much, but I made good use of it. There was a flavorful salad made from another grilled portobello and more of that chevre I've discovered. And I made some hummus to dip those sugar snap peas into for lunch a couple of days this week. I blanched and froze the snow peas to use in stir-fries later in the year. There was no way I could eat all those peas this week. Can't wait to see what next week's share brings!

OLS Week 4 - Chevre Steals My Heart

When I went to the farmer's market on Sunday and saw portobello caps on sale for a Father's Day special I had to have them. I tried a stuffed portobello recipe last summer that I absolutely loved. I was hoping to make them as my One Local Summer meal this week. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any local ricotta cheese for the filling.

After searching high and low (OK, just at the farmer's market and Whole Foods) I found some local goat cheese that I thought might work. I've never had chevre, so I wasn't sure what I was getting or what to do with it other than use it like I would feta--sprinkled over or tossed into a salad. It was the right consistency, though, so I thought I'd give it a try. After doing a quick internet search, I decided I wasn't going to stuff the caps and would do something different. Here's what I came up with, combining and modifying several recipes I came across.

Open-faced Portobello Stacks with Chevre Spread

Ingredients:

2 hard rolls (I used french rolls, but you could use any small to medium sized, hard crust rolls)
1/4 cup chevre
2 TBSP + 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, divided
2 tsp + 1 tsp olive oil, divided
1/4 sweet onion, sliced thinly
4 thick slices tomato
2 portobello caps, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add sliced onion and cook until caramelized. Remove from heat and set aside.

In the meantime, heat the grill. Spray or brush cut sides of each portobello slices with 2 tsp olive oil. Then brush with each portobello slice with 1 TBSP olive oil. Place on the grill, sliced side down and grill about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from grill.

In a small bowl, mix chevre with 1 tsp balsamic vinegar and stir until smooth.

Slice your rolls and grill sliced side down just until grill marks appear. Remove from grill and spread each side of the rolls with 1 TBSP of the chevre. Top each with one slice tomato, 1/4 caramelized onions and 1/4 the portobello slices. Drizzle with remaining 1 TBSP balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 4 open-faced stacks (two servings).



They were a little messy, but they were scrumptious and I'll definitely be making them again!

The Local Low-Down: All ingredients except salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar and olive oil were local. I paired the sandwich with a glass of local wine for a perfect, light and satisfying dinner.

OLS Week 3 and a CSA Report

I didn't get a picture of this week's CSA share, but it was a good one. There wasn't a lot to it, but I'm making good use of it.

• 0.5 lb sugar snap peas
• 0.25 lb snow peas
• 1 head lettuce

As for this week's One Local Summer meal, I fell back on those fresh eggs again. I'm doing a bit of a "vegetarian experiment" and finding local protein sources other than eggs has been a bit of a challenge. I don't mind too much, though.

This week I made a frittata, which has become one of my favorite egg dishes since I discovered them last year. A few eggs, some sauteed garlic, scallions, asparagus, and green and yellow zucchini and I'm a happy, local-eating girl. I added a side of new potato homefries and I was satisfied.

OLS Week 2 - A Childhood Stand-by

I didn't plan well for this week's local meal, so my farmer's market trip this morning was focused on finding something quick and easy I could make for a local lunch today. When I saw the new potatoes, I immediately had an idea. One of may favorite meals as a child was one that my mother would make when there wasn't much in the refrigerator or she didn't have the time and energy for a more elaborate meal: a fried egg over fried sliced potatoes (usually from a can).

To mimic this meal with local ingredients, I thinly sliced a couple new potatoes and fried them in a bit of (non-local) olive oil with a chopped scallion and a chopped garlic scape. Then I fried a fresh egg and placed it over the bed of potatoes. When the yoke breaks, the potatoes soak it up. Easy and delicious.

And the Winner Is...

Thanks so much to all of you who voted for my next pair of glasses. I counted all mentions, since some of you chose more than one pair. The winner by a landslide vote was A:













F (a very similar pair) came in second with 5 mentions. C (the oval pair) and B (the bronze-y rectangles) trailed behind with 3 and 2 votes respectively.

The interesting thing was that my favorites and yours were not the same. I liked A and F, but wasn't quite comfortable with how dark they were against my light skin. B, which only got 2 votes, was my favorite pair. In fact, I went frame shopping with those exact frames (Bebe's "Drama Queen" if anyone is interested) in mind. My sister-in-law wears them and I tried them on when I was visiting my family recently and loved how they looked on me. At least a couple of you found them appealing.

I actually didn't like C at all, but included them because, as I mentioned, I'm not very good at this. When some of you picked them I was a bit surprised. The good news is, if I remember correctly, your first choice was the cheapest pair of frames in the batch.

Looking at these pictures pretty regularly over the last few days has helped me get used to seeing myself in glasses, and I'm starting to like what I see. I'm also coming to agree with the majority of voters that the darker frames do look good on me. Since the first and second choices were so similar, I'll go back and try them both on and make a final decision then. I'm also considering getting a second pair (B) so that I can change things up when I'm feeling a little less trendy and dramatic. Of course, buying that second pair will depend on price and how much my insurance covers.

As for the winner of a small thank-you gift, Mel at Box of Chocolates will be getting a package in the near future just for voicing her opinion. Her comment (#9) was selected by the random number generator at random.org.

Mayday! Style Advice Requested

For as long as I've needed to wear corrective lenses all the time, I've been wearing contact lenses. I have glasses, but I don't wear them often, mostly because I'm not very good at picking out frames. I usually think I like the ones I pick out, but within a few weeks, I hate how they look on me. So my glasses (which I spend significant amounts of money on) end up hanging out on my nightstand and get worn in the evenings and on the weekends when I'm hanging around the house. When absolutely necessary, I will wear them to work or the mall, but that's rare.

A month or so ago, I met someone whose glasses were stylish and fit her face perfectly. This has prompted an all-out search for the perfect frames. It turns out her face is a very similar shape as mine, so I took what I saw and went straight to the nearest vision store to try on some frames. Unfortunately, as soon as I started trying on glasses, I started to get the old wishy-washy, I-hate-how-I-look-in-glasses feeling. I want to find a pair of frames that I'd be happy to wear in public on any day of the week. A pair of frames that make me feel confident and trendy.

I spent an hour trying on frames and snapping shots of myself and I've narrowed the frames down to these six pair. This is where you come in. Please vote for a pair of frames by leaving a comment telling me which ones you like and why you like them. For the most part, the frames are very similar, but that's because the rectangular shape seemed to look best on me. For comparison, I've also included a picture of me in the glasses I currently wear.

Now:














Choice A:














Choice B:













Choice C:














Choice D:














Choice E:














Choice F:














I hope you'll help me move out of my contact lens-wearing rut and into the world of trendy eye wear. Vote away, readers--and just for taking time to share your opinion, I'll be choosing a random commenter to send a special thank-you gift.

CSA Report - Vegetables Make Me Happy

My first CSA report for the season covers weeks one and two since: 1) I was too busy last week to get a post up; and 2) the shares have been pretty small so far. I decided to purchase a half-share again for this year, and I'm so excited for another great harvest.

The season got off to a late start, which I'm assuming is because of all the rain we've been getting lately. The first pick-up was strawberries-only, but I wasn't around for that one. Last week's share included:

• herbs
• garlic scapes
• 1 pint strawberries

This week's share was:

• 2 heads of leaf lettuce (including an additional half-share)
• a couple handfuls of loose lettuce
• garlic scapes
• 1 bunch of scallions
• a handful of snow peas
• a few sprigs of mint
  

Looking forward to what next week brings!

OLS 2009: Week 1 - Getting Things Started

It's that time again. Come on, you know what time...One Local Summer time! For my first week, I did as all busy, uncreative local eaters will do. I pulled out the eggs and made an omelet. In fact, if you're a regular reader here, you may recognize this recipe because I posted about a very similar meal during last year's OLS Challenge.

I started with fresh ingredients from the farmers' market: eggs, asparagus, spring onions, and garlic.







I chopped everything up and sauteed the asparagus, garlic and onions (reserving most of the greens).







While that was cooking I whipped the eggs with a dollop of milk, a handful of the onion greens and a little salt and pepper. Then I poured it into a small heated skillet and cooked until firm.





I served the omelet "stuffed" with the asparagus saute and sprinkled with a bit more chopped onion greens.

I hope you're all enjoying the harvests of your local farms, too!

What I'll Be Doing Next Week

I'm taking a week-long vacation to spend some time with my family and friends. It has only been a few months since my trip to Arizona, and yet I feel a deep need to step way from my life here in Baltimore and enjoy some simpler things. I've mentally tallied a list of things I'm hoping to do while I'm away. It's not a to-do list so much as an if-I-feel-like-it list. I want to unwind, relax, revel in the presence of some of my favorite people—which means I want to be open to opportunities, events and experiences that might not be on this list. I also want to make time for the things I truly enjoy and don't spend enough time doing during my normally hectic and over-scheduled days.

If time and the Universe allow, I'd like to:

• Eat a dinner alone with my mother, catching up and really BEING with one another.
• Spend time sorting through at least one room with my father, who is preparing to sell his house.
• Practice yoga by the lake at sunrise.
• Write. Write. Write. Whatever strikes my fancy.
• Read.
  
• Visit my favorite parts of my hometown and journal about my experiences there.
• Have dinner at Niagara Falls with family.
• Take pictures of everything.
• Notice the beauty around me.
• Take quiet walks by myself.
• Breathe in the clean, fresh air.
• Work one day on The Book Proposal.
• Be present wherever I am and whatever I am doing.
• Watch the parade and enjoy a barbecue.
• Run into old friends and talk like we never skipped a beat.
• Eat mindfully and consciously.
• Take my nephew to a movie.

As you can see, I have high hopes for my time away. No matter what is on that list, my real goal is to refresh my spirit. It's been a long winter and a hectic spring. This vacation is meant to be a cleanse of sorts, a time to reconnect to my body, mind and spirit in a way that has seemed impossible over the last several months. I think some sun, fun and family is just what my heart ordered.

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. While you're enjoying parades and picnics and backyard barbecues, as I will be, please take some time to remember and recognize the sacrifices of our service men and women and their families. And take some time to reconnect with and rejuvenate yourself, as well. You deserve it.

Another Local Summer

This week I saw the blog post I'd been waiting for: One Local Summer is back! After a really successful OLS last year, Farm to Philly is hosting this event again and I'm all signed up. I really enjoyed the challenge of trying to build at least one completely local meal a week all summer long.

In fact, while the challenge hasn't even started, I spent the morning walking around the farmer's market looking for local meal inspiration. There's not a whole lot to be had this early in the season, but there were plenty of herbs, greens, lettuces and two of my favorites: rhubarb and asparagus.

Unfortunately, I didn't go with much money, so I ended up spending what I had on seedlings for my containers--three different varieties of basil, some dill and a lettuce garden. I'll be doing some planting this week to get my container garden going. I need some soil and a couple more containers to make room for my lettuce varieties. I'll also be cleaning out my refrigerator and freezer of any perishables to make room for what I bring home next week. I won't be caught short on cash again!

Part of my excitement about the CSA, farmer's market and my own little garden comes from the fact that I haven't felt very good about my diet lately. For several months now I've been eating crap, moving very little and paying the price. My mood has been "blah", my energy has been low, and my body...well, my body isn't happy. With the return of spring and the promise of fresh fruits and vegetables, I'm getting motivated to be more creative in the kitchen and start enjoying my food again.

Here's to a long growing season and healthy, local food! If you're interested in joining in, the One Local Summer Challenge starts on June 1st, so go sign up now.

Things to Come

Hello, my blog friends. I miss you.

Fear not, I'm still around. I'm just a little overwhelmed by life lately. I'm mentally exhausted by my "real" job these days. Not to complain, because I'm extremely grateful to HAVE a "real" job right now. That said, things are a bit crazy at the office and long days with serious stress and without time for exercise leave little energy for anything other than passive experiences like watching movies, listening to NPR, cuddling with My Love and the cat, and typing the occasional tweet.

When I do have the mental energy to think, I've been sprucing things up and finding more focus for my writing blog, making sure I meet my commitments to the other places I write and brainstorming ideas for getting paid for my words.

The spring sunshine is starting to energize me, though. I'm getting excited for fresh fruits and vegetables from the farmers' market and CSA shares again. I hope you're ready for another few months of posts focused on what I'm eating (and maybe even growing -- I'm planning another container garden). I can't wait for fresh greens, asparagus, tomatoes, strawberries, watermelon, corn...

What are you up to these days?

Sunday Scribblings: Scary Times

It's been quite a while since I participated in Sunday Scribblings, but this week's prompt seemed to so perfectly describe my life these days that I decided to jump back in.

Prompt #158: Scary

Have you ever wished you could see what the future would hold for you?

I've always been one of those people who would say, "Yes! Of course!", if asked this question. The irony here is that I'm at a place in my life where I can be pretty certain of exactly where things are headed and what my future holds - my near future at least - and I'm not sure I like having this certainty. It rarely occurred to me that I might not like what I would see in the crystal ball. Or that even if I did like what I saw, I might not like knowing it.

In fact, I'm finding it a bit scary that my life seems to be laid out before me. What should be comforting - the knowledge that I'm getting exactly what I hoped for, that things are falling into place just where I wanted them to - is making me anxious and antsy.

I'm grateful for every step that brings me closer to my writing dreams. I'm excited for the growth of my relationship with My Love and for a future that includes marriage and children. And yet I'm scared and shaky. The realization that walking through each of these open doors closes hundreds of others makes me fearful. Sure, I wouldn't have chosen to walk through most of those doors that closed anyway. But just knowing that my choices are becoming more limited at every fork in the road makes my stomach sink.

I like options. I like freedom. I like opportunities. Call me selfish, call me confused, call me crazy, but I want to have both. Can't I? Can't I have what I want and still be free to chose something else later?

I'm grateful for all the blessings in my life. Really. I am. I love My Love. I love being able to write for a living. And I love knowing that my writing career is headed in the right direction. I suppose if I focus on these things, remembering that I chose them and worked for them, I might be able to see past the suffocating feeling I get when I realize the choices available in my own "Choose Your Own Adventure" story are slowly being whittled away.

Or maybe I just need therapy.

What I Really Want

While I was away last weekend enjoying a couple of days in Atlantic City with My Love, I received an email from a someone interested in hiring me for some technical writing work. Extremely excited that this person found me through my website and wanted to speak with me about some potential work, I contacted him and we set up a phone meeting. It seemed to be perfect timing, since I've been trying to build up my freelance business so that when I'm finally ready to let go of the full-time job I'll have some steady work to pay the bills.

Unfortunately, the new project wasn't meant to be. It turns out the company needs someone for this particular project who is available during business hours. When the contact told me this, I actually considered quitting my job and throwing my hat in the freelance ring immediately. The thought was fleeting, but I think it was pretty revealing. I think it gave me a real glimpse into what I really want for my life.

I desire so much to take on this "freelance thing" full-time. I know it will be a challenge, and maybe I'm naive to think that I'll be able to make enough money to live off of, but I want to give it a try. Sadly, that fear of not making it, of having to go crawling back to my full-time job--or worse to find another one--keeps me firmly planted in my chair at The Job with one foot over the freelance line.

Thankfully, this new contact is interested in using my services for future projects and asked me to keep in touch, which I'll gladly do. Maybe the right work will come along at just the right time and I'll be ready to take the step over that freelance line. In any event, I've made a new professional connection and that makes me excited for whatever might be around the corner.

What Does it Mean?

As a writer and reader, I spend a lot of time with words. Lately I've been thinking about those words and how we use them--to get across a meaning, describe an object, express a feeling. We use words in so many ways, but are we really saying what we think we're saying?

Words are tools, but they're not like hammers. They're much more flexible than that. A hammer is a hammer, no matter who is holding it. But words, they often take new shape depending on who hears (or reads) them. Words are constructs we've created to help us express ourselves more concretely. They're limited, however, by the understanding that the hearer or reader brings to them.

Take the word "pencil" for instance. When I write pencil, I have a specific idea of what that word represents (yellow, wooden stick with graphite in the center). You may have another (mechanical plastic stick with refillable lead compartment). "Couch" is another good example. When I hear the word couch, I attach the characteristics "soft", "plush", and "over-sized" to it. Someone else might picture a stiff, firm Victorian-style seat.

Realizing that such seemingly simple words can be misinterpreted or misunderstood, I'm beginning to wonder how we've managed to communicate anything over the centuries and eons that our language has developed. Each of us carries our own experiences, fears, knowledge and understanding to every word we hear, read or speak. How can we ever agree on abstract concepts like "God" or "peace" or "time," when "couch" and "pencil" aren't as concrete as we may think?