Grilled Corn Salad

Sweet corn will forever remind me of my childhood.

It has been a favorite summer treat for as long as I can remember.  We didn't have alot of farm stands or markets when I was growing up outside of Boston. But one thing you always saw were makeshift stands in the middle of the summer selling fresh sweet corn on the cob.  We'd eat these delicious and sugary kernels almost every day.

That meant husking enough cobs for a family of 6 every day.  A task that very often fell to me or one of the other kids.  Sitting out back in a still wet bathing suit, with a brown paper bag, stripping the husks and trying to get all of the silky threads off of each cob.  It's a task that I hate and love today.  Hate because it's just a pain and a big ole mess, love because it reminds me of those steamy summer days.

Easy Asparagus Salad and reflections on Home

Home.

It's an idea that has always been really important to me.  I've always loved to travel and even embraced moving from one coast to the next to finally another country. But in all of my travels the one thing that's been important to me is to have a home.  When I first moved to LA, Boston was my home.  I can't pinpoint when it happened, but on one of my many trips back to Boston, LA started to feel more like home.  As I headed to Logan to catch the 5 hours flight back to LAX, I had the sense that I was returning home, to the place I belonged, where I most liked to lay my head.  That's not to say Boston didn't still hold a place in my heart, it was where I grew up, where my oldest friends are, where my parents and one of my siblings are.  But there was that small almost imperceptible shift that happened somewhere in the first year or so I lived out West that made it my home.

Meatless Monday: Three Bean Salad

This is by far one of the top Meatless Monday recipes I've come up with for awhile, if not since I started taking part last fall.  The Boy wasn't a fan, mainly because he just doesn't love beans, but I figure you can't win them all.  Plus it meant there was plenty left over for lunches and snacks all week.   It's beyond easy to throw together and works well with all kinds of spring and summer meals. It's even completely picnic friendly since it's best at room temperature with no dairy AND vegan, something I don't often pull off with out specifically aiming for it.

I came up with this salad to go with some chicken tacos I made with leftover roast chicken. I always prefer the beans part of the rice and beans that are often served with most Mexican meals so a salad made with just beans sounded good to me.  On this night, since I made the tortillas, pickled onions, guacamole and cilantro sour cream for the tacos a simple no-cook side was just what I wanted.  A few years ago when I was still living in LA, my sister and hosted a BBQ for our kickball team.  One of our teammates brought a salad similar to this, so that's what I decided to emulate.  I remembered the beans she used, but not much else.  Since I was making tacos I went with the  Mexican flavors of cilantro, chipotle and lime.

Meatless Monday: Beet & Carrot Salad

Last weekend the Boy, my father and I went to the Brickworks Farmer's Market.  It was the first time we had been, even though it's been on my list of things to check out for quite sometime.  First because I love Farmer's Markets but also because it takes place year round.  There aren't many winter farmer's markets in these parts and the fact that this one was in the East End made it even more appealing.

The vibe at the farmer's market was great.  It was cold outside and so warm in the building where the market took place.  Full of families and fellow foodies, there not only for some great food to bring home but also for Saturday morning coffee & breakfast.  The boy got some belgian waffles with crunchy caramelized sugar on the edges and apple beignets. I had the best crepe I've ever had in my life from Clement's Crepes. The All-Day Breakfast Crepe had eggs, maple smoked ham, green onion, mozzarella cheese and hollandaise.  Clement does this fancy thing with the cheese, called a hangover, where he lets it hang over the edge of the crepe onto the grill and it gets all crispy and brown.  The hangover is a great name because I'm sure this filling and savory crepe with that little bit of crunch would cure whatever ails you the morning after. Dad got freshly fried French Fries sprinkled with fresh thyme with sides of  homemade ketchup and cilantro & lime mayonnaise.  This was all in the very first room!  Had we continued on we would have found ooey gooey cinnamon rolls (I did buy one for later even though I was obnoxiously stuffed from my crepe), pies from the Canadian Pie Company, various sandwiches and soups and a vendor selling Ethiopian food.  Luckily we were more than happy with our choices, but a return trip is definitely in order, though I'm not sure I'll even make it past Clement's Crepes.