Happy hump day to ya! This week we got a BOATload of spinach, pistachios, red butter lettuce, apples, snap peas, zucchini, and green garlic.
Any creative suggestions for spinach use? We’ll probably sautée some of it to top pasta, throw some into green smoothies, and make another batch of lentil walnut burgers. What else do you recommend?
Our poor friend had a very upset stomach this weekend. Isn’t it the worst when your loved ones are suffering, but you’re too far to really do anything to help? While chatting on the phone, we of course ended up talking about ginger, which is truly one of nature’s medicines: it cures all kinds of digestion issues, and then some.
One of our favorite simple recipes with ginger is a concentrated syrup that we use to make ginger ale. And it isn’t only for illness! You’ll taste a lot more ginger and a lot less sugar than in store-bought ginger ale, making it extremely refreshing on a hot day, without making you feel as if your teeth are rotting out of your head. Or you can (and we recommend you do) punch it up with some dark rum for a twist on a Dark & Stormy. What’s great about this recipe is that you can always adjust the ratio of syrup to sparkling water, so that your glass of ginger ale is just right for you.
Making ginger syrup requires a little time, but hardly any work. You could probably double or triple the recipe, as the syrup will save in the refrigerator for awhile, but this batch seems just the right size for us.
What are your remedies for an upset tummy? Here‘s another of ours.
And what are your other uses for ginger?
P.S. Did you know that ginger is a rhizome? (Nerd alert: This will forever make Megan remember the traumatic experience of having to read Deleuze and Guattari).
Homemade Ginger Syrup (print here)
Ingredients
Directions
In a medium pot, steep the ginger in the filtered water, covered, at a very low boil for one to two hours. Cut the lemon in half, squeeze the juice into the pot, and drop in the halves. Bring to a boil, cover again, and maintain at a low boil for 10 minutes. Stir in the sugar and honey until dissolved, and remove frome heat. Add salt and nutmeg and let cool for about an hour. Strain into a jar that contains the cinnamon sticks (try using cheesecloth, a mesh strainer, or a coffee filter). The ginger syrup will pick up cinnamon flavor over time, so remove it when it tastes good to you, after at least a day and perhaps up to a week or two. Store the syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and it should last at least a few weeks. It will be cloudy and have sediment that you can either stir up with each use, or discard when you reach the end.
Leftovers
To make ginger ale, simply mix the syrup with sparkling water and serve over ice (extra credit: add a fun straw). You can adjust the ratio to your taste; we prefer approximately one part syrup to three parts sparkling water.
How about an updated Dark & Stormy? Mix equal parts dark rum, ginger syrup, and sparkling water. Serve over ice. Again, you can adjust the ratios to your liking.
We knew about scallions, but check out all these veggies you can re-grow!
Coffee as sunscreen? Excellent.
The most adorable cooking club, which has been running for over 124 years!
Ever wonder about the Golden Gate Bridge’s paint?
Grown-up mac & cheese.
A fun map. Which food does your state claim?
Gurrrl power. Love this. (Thanks, Kate.)
Happy weekend, friends. Have a great one.
Spring onion, snap peas, strawberries, carrots, romaine, cilantro, and spinach. Happy Wednesday!
There’s no denying it: Funfetti cake out of a box is joyful, delicious, full of nostalgia…and a truly guilty pleasure! But we haven’t made cake or brownies from a box for a long time, since simple, homemade cakes and brownies are almost as easy, taste so much better, and don’t contain the preservatives and weird ingredients in a mix.
It never occurred to us that we could make confetti cake from scratch… until our friend Lindsey did just that for Megan’s birthday. Her cake was spectacular: it was moist, beautiful, bursting with the flavor of vanilla, and just plain delicious—of course it was a real crowd pleaser! It was like a Funfetti cake, all grown up. We’ve been wanting to try it ourselves ever since.
For our cupcakes, we started with this cake recipe, then used cream cheese frosting like Lindsey suggested. We made ours as cupcakes, since they’re easier to eat without forks and plates (ideal for celebrating an officemate’s birthday).
The cupcakes are pretty good, but a little dense for our taste. Anyone care to weigh in, is this because we made cupcakes instead of a cake? Even so, they are just the most delightful and cheery cupcakes and we know they’ll be gobbled up later today. These would be great at a birthday party, for kids or for adults kids at heart.
What’s your favorite birthday cake to make or eat? Do you have an annual tradition? Joe loves a Texas sheet cake, kind of like this one, and Megan used to have a cheesecake every year (though somehow that tradition was phased out).
Confetti Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting (print here)
Ingredients
Cake
Frosting
Directions
Preheat oven to 350˚ and line 12 cupcakes with liners.
In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Melt butter, then beat in the sugars vigorously. Allow to cool for a few minutes. Then add the egg, yogurt, milk, and vanilla. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients until smooth. Stir in the sprinkles last, and do not over-mix.
Spoon batter into cupcakes, each about three-quarters full, and bake about 20 minutes.
While they are baking, make your frosting by creaming the butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Slowly add in the powdered sugar and beat. Mix in vanilla.
Frost the cupcakes when they have cooled completely. Add sprinkles on top!
Man, Friday couldn’t come soon enough! It has been just a little challenging to get our work ethic and momentum back after spring break. Megan finally sorted through photos from her family trip to Istanbul, and made a little video. Would you like to see?
And, some links to brighten up your weekend! Hope it’s spectacular.
A great round-up of funny responses to Hillary’s candidacy.
This article on trying to be deeply good is really inspiring. Please read.
A Wes Anderson playlist? Yes, indeed.
Ben & Jerry’s is making beer! (P.S. Did you know that Joe and Megan met at a Ben & Jerry’s shop? It will always have a special place in our hearts.)
In keeping with the theme, cool illustrations of some of Istanbul’s landmarks.
Brightening up our long Wednesday: spinach, apples, strawberries, carrots, potatoes, and snap peas. Yipee!
Granola is one of those things that you buy without realizing how easy it is to make it on your own. But we suspect that once you try this simple and scrumptious recipe, you’ll never go back to buying again. By making your own granola, you can control the ingredients, the flavors, and the amount of added sugar. We prefer this savory-sweet but still very basic recipe that features a variety of nuts (your choice), olive oil, maple syrup, and honey. Use the recipe as a guide and don’t worry about being exact with measurements. Try different combinations and ratios. Let us know what you think!
Leftovers are the reason to make granola! You’ll want to let this cool completely so that it forms bigger chunks and so that it doesn’t get stale. Then, enjoy your granola by the handful (seriously hard to stop!), with milk or yogurt, topped with dried or fresh fruit, or sprinkled onto a yogurt parfait for dessert.
Megan’s Granola (print here)
Ingredients
Directions
In a large bowl, mix together the oats, cinnamon, salt, and nuts. In a small bowl, mix the honey, maple syrup, olive oil, and vanilla. Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, and continue mixing until evenly coated.
Spread the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake at 300˚ for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, stir, and spread it out again. Cook about 10 more minutes. If needed, continue cooking in 5-minute intervals, stirring and spreading each time, until golden brown.
Let cool and harden completely on the cookie sheet. Then pop it off, break it into pieces, and store in an airtight container up to a week or so.
Notes
Almost any combination of nuts and seeds will probably taste delicious. We usually just use what I have in the freezer. Try walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, flaxseeds, chopped almonds, etc.
I like to use an approximately equal amount of maple syrup and honey, but you can tweak this ratio each time you make it to find the right balance for you. Vegans can try it with no honey at all—please let us know how it turns out!
A few fun links we’ve enjoyed this week:
These New York Times cooking techniques videos. Are. Awesome.
High-end junk food. A genius Instagram account! (P.S. Do you follow us on Instagram?)
What are your upstairs neighbors really doing? Find out here.
Apparently we are six years behind the trend (sounds about right), but we are currently obsessed with mild, buttery Castelvetrano olives.
Friends, we wish you a wonderful, restful, and sunny weekend. Hug the ones you love. And last, a poem to share:
Mysteries, Yes
by Mary Oliver
Truly, we live with mysteries too marvelous
to be understood.
How grass can be nourishing in the
mouths of the lambs.
How rivers and stones are forever
in allegiance with gravity
while we ourselves dream of rising.
How two hands touch and the bonds will
never be broken.
How people come, from delight or the
scars of damage,
to the comfort of a poem.
Let me keep my distance, always, from those
who think they have the answers.
Let me keep company always with those who say
“Look!” and laugh in astonishment,
and bow their heads.
Spinach, strawberries, navel oranges, cilantro, snap peas, and leeks.
The Leftovers Project 