Requiem for a Grocery Store

When I was 16, I shot my first commercial.

It was for a St. Louis based grocery store chain called Schnucks.  I know...unfortunate family name, no?  The spot was one of those "how many happy people can we show eating fruit in a minute" type situations.  It was spring time, and they were getting ready for the summer fruit push.

I had stumbled into the gig; a mother of a friend of mine was a food stylist on the shoot and they needed a few fresh faced teens to stage a car wash and laugh and eat peaches.  A lot of peaches.  I think I ate about 27 in an hour, while being squirted with a garden hose in a parking lot on a beautiful (and chilly) spring day.  We tossed peaches to one another, taking a bite and making smiley faces to the camera. 

It took me a while to muster up the strength to eat another peach.  Like Prufrock.  Only younger.

When I moved to Memphis, several years later, I was happy to find the comforting sight of Schnucks just down the street from my home.  Something familiar in a strange town, and the point of inspiration for deliciousness.

Recently, Schnucks was sold. Yesterday, it was a ghost town in there as they attempt to clear their inventory to make way for the new owners. Bare shelves, nothing green, and crazy people stocking up on canned beans and bottled barbecue sauce.  All while Sarah McLachlan was piped in from above singing, "In the arms of the angel..."  It was the culinary version of a humane society commercial.

I left saddened and empty handed.  But mama still needs to eat. 

So, in homage to happy fruit eaters out there, I raided what was in my fridge to come up with a lovely lunch with strawberries, onions, and goat cheese.

Farewell, Schnucks.

I would have dared eat a peach (had there been one in the store).

Perfect for a brunch buffet or a light lunch!

Strawberry and Goat Cheese Flatbread Pizza

Take a little help from your store *shed tear* and use packaged flatbread wraps for your crust.  It's important to allow the bread to cool slightly before putting on your toppings.  This makes for a crispy crust.

1 spinach flatbread wrap
1/2 cup onion, sliced and caramelized
6 large strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/3 cup spinach leaves
Some Goat Cheese
Some Bleu Chesse (gorgonzola verde is the best)
Balsamic Reduction

Preheat oven to 400.  Lay wrap on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Flip wrap over and smear it around to spread out oil, then flip back over and season with salt.  Bake in oven for about 5 minutes, until it begins to brown.  Flip seasoned side down and allow to cool slightly.

Once cooled, layer spinach leaves, onions, strawberries and cheese and pop back into the oven until cheese melts slightly.  Garnish with basil leaves and a drizzle of the balsamic reduction.

To caramelize onions:
In a small sauce pot, heat 2 Tbl butter and 1 Tbl oil over low flame until butter melts.  Add onions and toss to coat.  Season with salt and cook slowly for about 25 minutes, allowing the natural sugars to come out.  I sometimes de glaze the onions with a shot of balsamic just to brighten things up.

Balasmic reduction:
In a small sauce pot, bring 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar to a boil and reduce to a simmer.  Reduce until you have about 2 Tbl spoons of syrupy goodness.

Simplicity

No fuss.

Consider a spinach salad with strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries, thinly sliced red onions sprinkled with ricotta salata, basil, and tarragon dressed simply with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Are you considering?

I said, "Consider!"

Something Refreshing

In Memphis, it is 112.

I took my dog outside, and, if we stood in one place for too long of a time, he would lift up his wee, pork cop legs in a sad little "Burning Paw" dance.

As I have said, it is Africa hot.

Time to cool down and start a Harry Potter marathon.

Watermelon and Cucumber Sparkler

This refreshing little drink is great on its own, but feel free to spike it with either Hendrick's gin or cucumber vodka for a tasty adult beverage.

2 cups watermelon, cubed
1 cup cucumber, chopped
2 Tbl lime juice
1 Tbl honey
1 liter sparkling water
mint to garnish

Throw watermelon, cucumber, lime juice, and honey into a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth.  Pass mixture through a sieve extracting only the juice.  Pour into a pitcher and add sparkling water.  Stir well.  Serve over ice and garnish with mint.

Sometimes It's Better to KISS

Keep It Simple, Stupid.

A tasty way to start the day.

Greek Yogurt
Blackberries
Pistachios
Drizzle of Honey

In a pickle? Pickle!

Clockwise from left:  blueberry/ginger preserves, grapefruit marmalade,  strawberry/rhubarb jam, pickled green beans, and pickled red onions.

I am the youngest of three kids, and each one of us couldn't be more different than the other.

Eldest child, Kevin, is the former Marine turned golfin', cowboy mechanic living in Vegas.  You know...that old story.  The middle child, with an incredible family of her own in Iowa, is an Episcopal priest lovingly known as Father Beth.  And then there is me...the artsy fartsy one living in the South with his big gay Valentine.

Certain accommodations have been afforded me due to birth order and financial status.  As the aforementioned artsy fartsy member of the family, my career choices have been of a more...spiritually gratifying nature as opposed to anywhere near financially satisfying.  I'm not living in a card board box talking to my pet shoe, but owning a house and jetting off to exotic lands at a minutes notice I ain't.

Which is why July is a challenge.

It is this month in which every single member of my immediate family celebrates a birthday.  It is definitely Christmas in July in terms of gift buying and spending.  So, during these economically trying times...which I call my twenties and thirties...one must become inventive when money is not at hand.

So...in a gift giving pickle?  Pickle your gifts!  In a jam about what to give?  Give jam!  If we are to believe what our mother's tell us, it is better to receive something that is hand made and thoughtful than another tchotchke or bauble to clutter up your house.

At least, that's what I'm bankin' on.

I am not going to publish recipes that aren't mine without permission (I'm nice that way).  I floated around on the interweb, borrowed from recipes, and added my own twist to them.  Now is the perfect time to play with pickling, canning, and...um...jamming.  So get out those mason jars and tongs and play with your food!