Farmer's Market

Yesterday, Lucas and I drove up to Houston to attend the Bayou City Farmer's Market. There was a nice selection of vegetables, meats, honey, cheese, and some prepared foods. Unfortunately, it took us nearly 45 minutes to get there. I would definitely return, but probably won't make it a weekly drive. In Omaha, my brother lives within walking distance of a weekly farmer's market--hard not to be jealous of that! Below are pictures of what we made it home with--we are really excited to try the steak!

Above are fresh bell peppers and a Japanese eggplant.

Sirloin Steak, grass-fed in Waller, TX. Can't wait to try it!

Fresh baked Naan.

Honey with the comb.

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Whole Wheat Flour

I have been wanting to experiment baking with whole wheat flour for awhile, so I finally picked some up the other day at the store and pulled out my new favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. I was also considering substituting agave nectar for the sugar, but after learning that agave nectar can change the texture of the cookie, opted to go only with the flour change for this batch (since the reason I love these cookies so much happens to be the texture in the first place). These are the perfect combination of chewiness and crunchiness. Delicious. The change to whole wheat flour also can affect the texture, so for my first batch, I used a little more than half whole wheat flour and half all purpose flour. The result was an even chewier cookie--yum! The recipe makes a lot of cookies (near 5 dozen--which no, we did not eat all by ourselves...), so consider halving it if you are just baking for 2 (which we were, but I tend to go overboard anyway).

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Whole Wheat Flour
adapted from The Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather

1 c. unsalted butter at room temperature
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 T. vanilla extract
1 1/3 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. all purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 scant teaspoon salt
semi-sweet chocolate chips (I like Guittard)
white chocolate chunks (not white chips...I just chop up a white chocolate bar)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (or spray with cooking spray).
2. Cream the butter in a mixer with the paddle attachment. Add in both sugars and continue mixing until fluffy (2-3 minutes). Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix on medium speed 1 minute.
3. Combine the flours, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and whisk together. Add to creamed mixture in 3 batches, mixing on medium-low speed just until combined between batches.
4. Stir in chocolate chips and white chocolate chunks by hand (use as much or as little as you prefer).
5. Drop dough onto cookie sheet using 2 spoons or a 1 3/4" dasher (which I am not lucky enough to own). Leave about 1.5-2" between cookies. Bake 10-12 minutes until the edges are lightly browned. The middles may still look light or under cooked, but as they cool that will go away. Allow to cool on pan 2 minutes, then remove to cooling rack.

Yum!!!

Basil Pesto

So, I thought about just pretending I didn't abandon this blog for 2 months and just go ahead and make a new post like it was totally routine....then I decided that no one probably checks this anymore anyway, so I should probably make some mention of the fact that I am starting to post here again. Most people who read this blog read our other blog as well, so this news should be a shock to....no one. I'm pregnant! Being pregnant put me off of cooking and baking for fun for awhile, but I am happy to announce that the second trimester seems to agree with me and baking and cooking are no longer a problem. So, coupled with the fact that I am not working this summer, I should have plenty of time to post here. Starting with.....

Basil Pesto!


My neighbor, Sam, grows basil and was kind enough to give us some regular and lemon basil, with which I made my first batch of pesto. I found some recipes online, but pretty much just eyeballed it until it looked like the right consistency. The lemon basil gave it a nice citrus-y kick and it was a very refreshing dish for a hot summer day. I made the pesto a few weeks ago and froze it until we used it this week. I had read varying reviews on if you should freeze the pesto before or after adding the cheese. I finally went with after, just for the sake of easiness. It froze very well, no flavor or texture concerns to speak of. Below is what was added--I pureed all in a food processor until smooth, adding more olive oil until the consistency I wanted was achieved. I say just experiment with the quantities of ingredients. Seemed to work fine for me!

Basil Pesto
Fresh basil leaves, stems removed (at least 1.5 cups)
toasted pine nuts
olive oil
salt
grated parmesan cheese

Puree basil, pine nuts, salt, and cheese in food processor. Drizzle in olive oil until smooth. Serve over pasta, or I suppose it could also be used as a spread on bread or sandwiches. Freezes well.