two lovely crepes

when i go out for a crepe for brunch, i can never decide between savory or sweet. my solution: eat in and fix one of each (or maybe two or three of each...)

buckwheat crepe batter (makes 12-15 small crepes)

2 cups milk

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

3/4 cup white flour (can use all white, or whole wheat instead)

3 eggs

mix everything together in a blender and let chill in the fridge overnight (leave it in the blender if you like... you'll need to blend it up a bit in the morning too). for some reason it's important that crepe batter chill, but bring it out to sit for a half hour in the morning while you prep your fillings. to make your crepes, pour about 1/4 - 1/3 cup of the batter into a lightly oiled frying pan. the pan should be heated, but remove from heat to swirl the batter - allowing the thin batter to coat the bottom of your pan. cook until lightly browned, and then carefully flip the crepe. you can keep the crepes warm in a heated oven if you want to make a bunch to start out with.

le crepe savoureux - garlic parsley walnut crepe with mushrooms and chevre

sautee garlic and olive oil, add sliced crimini mushrooms, tons of fresh parsley and a few chives. suattee until mushrooms are well cooked and soft. then add toasted, chopped walnuts. fill your crepes with mushroom mixture and top with goat cheese and extra fresh herbs. salt and pepper.

le crepe doux - "strawberry cheesecake with walnuts"

a ingenious creation by jonathan: goat cheese, strawberry freezer jam (that i made last week after a tedious berry picking trip) and toasted walnuts. pretty self explanatory, but so so delicious. sprinkle with powdered sugar and top with an extra scoop of freezer jam!

white bean and sage bruschetta

my sage plants were in need of some pruning, so i used the fresh sage to flavor a white bean bruschetta recipe!

4 tablespoons olive oil

zest and juice of 1 lemon

10-15 sage fresh leaves, thinly sliced

2 gloves garlic, chopped

1 small shallot, thinly sliced

1 can white or butter beans, mostly drained

salt and pepper

red chili flakes

heat olive oil in a pan, frying the garlic, shallot, zest and sage for about 5 minutes. add in the rest of you ingredients. cook over medium heat for another 5 minutes, stirring to incorporate the flavors. remove bean mixture from heat, and use a potato masher or the back of your spoon to roughly mash the beans.

the sage bruschetta was great on hominy bread, toasted under the broiler with and brushed with olive oil. serve with some fresh heirloom tomatoes and parsley! later, i made a sandwich with the sage bruschetta, black olive tapenade, tomatoes and sprouts. thought about throwing a fried egg in there too, but it was already so delicious looking!

campfire cooking

my cooking slowed down during finals week at college... and then i took off on a short camping trip. but while i was away, i cooked up some delicious chow over a camp fire!

a camper's feast: cast iron grilled cheese with sharp wisconsin cheddar. fire roasted shitake, zucchini and bell peppers skewers. and my favorite - grilled corn!

cast iron skillets are amazing with fire! perfect for frying up an egg in the morning or grilling some sandwiches for dinner. skewers are a great way to cook up any type of veggie over a fire. and roasted corn is a must.

i brought along some olive oil spray to keep things from charring too quickly and to grease my skillet. worked wonders! i also brought my favorite lemon pepper and some salt for the roasted corn. and smores for dessert of course!

i'll see how creative i can get on my next camping trip...

lemon-thyme zucchini bread

excessive zucchini in the garden or fridge? 

solution: lemon-thyme zucchini bread! 

perfect with a cup of earl grey with lemon

i combined a few different recipes to create a slightly healthier and wonderfully flavorful zucchini bread:

3/4 cup white flour

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/3 cup wheat bran

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (or 3/4 if you like it sweeter)

1/4 cup olive oil

2 eggs, slightly beaten

juice and zest of 1 lemon

1 1/2 cup shredded zucchini 

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

1-2 tablespoons of fresh *lemon-thyme, de-stemmed and chopped

*lemon thyme is multi-colored, and smells slightly of lemons. a great fresh and light flavor!

mix dry ingredients in a big bowl, adding in wet ingredients. oil a 9x5x3 bread pan, dust with flour and shake out extra flour. batter should be thicker than waffle batter, but not as dry as most dough. bake for about an hour at 350. remove from pan and let cool on a rack. 

this recipe turned out perfect - slightly sweet, bright flavors from the lemon zest and juice, with a unique addition from the olive oil and lemon-thyme.