Yum

Does anyone else have a shelf full of cookbooks that you rarely use? I'm working on cracking the bindings on a few of mine. New mission: make one new recipe a week. Clearly not an insurmountable task. Most recently, the recipe of choice was Flank Steak Rolled with Swiss Chard from the buffet book by Carole Peck. It's a cool book, organized seasonally and by menu. This recipe is from her Summer Cookout menu, and can be made on the grill though I made it in the oven.
Adapted from Carole Peck's the buffet book.

flank steak- pounded to about 1" thickness
(for you kosher folk, you can use chuck, but ask your butcher to slice it in half the long flat way so you can pound it thin.)
olive oil
1 c diced onion
1/2 lb diced mushrooms (optional)
4 cloves minced garlic
salt and pepper
bunch of swiss chard, washed, stems removed, coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp dijon mustard
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves(The original recipe also has cheese in the filling, but it was delicious without.)

1. In a large skillet, saute onions and mushrooms until soft. Season with a bit of salt and pepper.
2. Add swiss chard and fold lightly until wilted. Set mixture aside to cool.
3. Place steak on a board. Spread with mustard and sprinkle with thyme.
4. Spread chard mixture over steak, leaving a 1 inch border around the filling.
5. Roll up the short end of the steak. Place roll on a large piece of tin foil and tightly wrap. Place the foil packet on a cooking sheet with edges, it might leak a bit.
6. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30-35 minutes. Let rest for another 15 minutes before unwrapping.
7. Slice and serve.

When I made this I had a lot of extra chard filling which I served along with the steak. It was all so yummy and tender. We served the steak with roasted potatoes and sauteed green beans. As Alton Brown would say, it was "good eats."

Thank You Notes

Naomi's note cards are all finished. I love them, all mismatched colors make them perfect for her. And I love that it's a way to use all of her great drawings and share them with family and friends. Of course I saved my favorites in her art box, but the rest have met this fate- being cut into pieces and sewn onto pieces of colored card stock.

I simplified my life this time by only using one color thread. Last time I made cards I changed the thread to contrast with each card. It was sort of worth the effort, but turquoise thread worked for me today.

I tried adding lettering to make a few of these official thank you cards. The little stamps are a total bust. (Sorry to whoever receives that card.) The stencil is promising, but I think in order for it to really work it might be time for me to splurge on that schmancy set of ultra fine point Sharpies I've been eying. http://www.staples.com/Sharpie-Ultra-Fine-Point-Permanent-Markers-Assorted-24-Pack/product-nr_569444?cmArea=sku_pd_box1

Looks like they're on sale--guess I'm going to Staples today...

Round #2

On the way home from day care Naomi requested that we make rainbow popsicles. Feeling up for the challenge this is the line-up we arranged:


Cran-apple juice, pureed cantaloupe, lemonade, pureed kiwi, pureed blackberry with a bit of added agave nectar.

While the kiwi puree looked nice, and gave solid green color that I'm not sure how else to generate, it was disappointing frozen. I'm not sure why, maybe it needed to be thinned with some lemonade or something else that would make it lighter. I'll work on that.

Rainbow pops are a success!Lemonade pops with a kiwi base and strawberry hearts. I need to work on my technique for getting the fruit positioned right, but these looked pretty cute.

Trial run

Here goes- my first blog post ever.

I spent the day doing a lot of what seemed like nothing, but the somethings in between have me excited. I'm working on Naomi's thank you note stationary, recycling her myriad drawings into note cards. Hope to have them all ready by the time we need them after her birthday party next week.

Also, I just got back from DePiero's Market with some yummy fruit that I plan to turn into yummier ice pops with my new ZOKU quick pop maker. Here are some photos of last night's first run with that wacko gadget.

The "machine."


Strawberry pieces, mashed watermelon, and mango ready to get "popsified." That's Naomi's new word, thanks to Daddy, for what someone is after they've been eating a popsicle.Today I'm shooting for some more variety. I'll keep you posted.