Back from Seattle

Morel Mushrooms at the Market
Originally uploaded by plainsight

Selma and I recently went home to Seattle for a visit... It's amazing to be back on the Left coast where local food is really valued. The local neighborhood farmers market is 90% organic, all local, all food (no crafts, imports, etc.) and is so different from what we find here in Maryland (at least what I've found so far). There are also goodies like these morel mushrooms that are a particularly northwestern treat.

I'll be posting again soon about a great bakery and an amazing new Fair Trade chocolate sauce. Meanwhile, here's a photo round-up of our trip.

Ratatouille

Ratatouille
Originally uploaded by plainsight

We went to see the new Disney movie over the weekend, and to use up what was left of the week's CSA box, I made this loose interpretation of ratatouille. "It doesn't look like the one in the movie, mom," Selma commented on the presentation of the dish in the movie, and added, "that one had a special sauce." Kids are so literal. She gobbled it up, regardless.

I omitted the tomatoes I usually put in my ratatouille, used only salt, olive oil, and basil for seasoning. Vegetables were yellow squash, onions, and zucchini, I added a can of white beans just before serving, and served over butterfly pasta.

Wikipedia says this about the origin of the word ratatouille:

The name of the dish appears to derive from the French touiller, "to stir", although the root of the first element "rata" is slang from the French Army meaning "chunky stew".

They also have a recipe in their Wikimedia Cookbook.

Technorati Tags:
beans, vegan, local, ratatouille, disney

Birthday Cupcakes

Creamsicle Cupcakes
Originally uploaded by plainsight

Does it seam as if I only make one kind of cupcake? This one has been a favorite for a while now--and while I do have many vegan cupcake recipes I love, I haven't felt the need to make any other kind--these are just so moist, and yummy--orange and vanilla-y, chocolate buttercream--mmmm.... Maybe I should go have one. Blueberries from Blueberry Gardens, where we went picking this weekend.