…time to hop onto the ST-4, and head up 64W towards Williamsburg.

Sure, we certainly enjoy going up there just about any time of year, but as of last weekend, one of my favourite Saturday excursions has returned.

The Williamsburg Farmers’

Market est arrive!!!

There was only one small stand with fresh vegetables, and it had sold out by the time we made our way down to it. But all was not lost.

There was fresh seafood:

Hampton Roads favourite mushroom vendors, Dave & Dee:

Straight outta Richmond were Cavanna Pasta, home of the freshy-fresh pasta, handmade with love:

Spring plants made a showing, along with a plethora of fresh herbs and baby vegetable plants. Being on the motorcycle, we weren’t able to take any of those home.

Our happy beekeepers, Bees ‘n’ Blossoms, were back with another fine season:

We came across Double A Farms, those fine purveyors of pork products:

Unsurprisingly, the strawberry line stretched long and far:

There were also plenty of mutts and pups scampering around, some decked out in a most interesting fashion:

Homemade country ham & cheese biscuits? Yes, please!

Our goat cheese guy, from Goats “R” Us was back, too:

There were also some new kids on the block:

While we certainly love the Greeks, I had to bypass them for something a little more French:

We quickly ascertained that lunch had been procured:

Back at home, we did indeed enjoy a fine little tart of prosciutto, parsley and parmesan on the patio, along with a few glasses of pure evil:

Support your local farmers’ market! Check it out tomorrow, Saturday May 10th, from 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. Bring your own bag, shop around, talk to the vendors, and load up on some tasty goods. If you’ve time, stop at either The Blue Talon or The Cheese Shop for a nice bit of lunch.

If you haven’t time for that, stop by Chocolate Cravings, handmade chocolate, where they pay extra to get that challenging government certified “organic” label. Organic or not, the chocolate-coffee bar gets huge bonus points for its intensity, complexity and utterly addictive quality.

Community is hard to come by these days, so good people: hit up the farm market, support the locals, and enjoy the fruits of their labour throughout the week.

Disclaimer: No worries, good people: this ain’t any kinda Sandra Lee crap!

The semi/sorta refers more to the ingredients used, rather than the authenticity of the recipes.

At any rate, this all came about one afternoon as Dave and I enjoyed a leisurely lunch over a fine little cheese & sausage platter.

“I’d like to begin branching out into different things this year,” he said, as we bandied about thoughts of dinner.

“Something completely different for me… Asian cuisines!”

I love Asian food, even though the recipes are also unfamiliar to me. An auspicious smile crept round my mouth as images of tofu, seafood and vivid greens began to parade through my head.

Of course, we began with an Asian-ish spin on ribs ‘n’ slaw, just like any good Southern (Asian-ish) boy.

We broke, and I quickly gathered all the ingredients necessary for a slaw, a “super slaw”, if you will.

With all the fresh, colorful veg, and intensely flavored components, I can indeed see why this gained “super” status.

Dave rassled together the ribs, along with a garlicky marinade of hoisin, ginger, soy and honey. Epicurious swore up and down that, in an hour, one could have delectably tender, juicy, awe-inspiring ribs.

They were good, please, don’t get me wrong! But tender, like a lovely rack o’ribs slow-smoked, slow-cooked over several hours time? Maybe if you’re a Northerner. :)

We’ll definitely utilize the sauce recipe again, but cooked proper: low ‘n’ slow, just like nature intended.

It may sound like the kind of bogus claim made on late-night infomercials, but trust us when we say it’s true: You really can have juicy ribs ready in an hour! Finishing the ribs under the broiler is the secret to getting a perfectly crisp-moist texture.

…make a lemon fish! 

I began with basic fins and pink peppercorn eyes.

Dave gave the fins a touch more flair, along with more expressive eyes. 

For reasons that are still slightly unclear, the lemon fish became a vampire lemon fish.

Not to be outdone, I de-fanged the little guy, and gave him some shiny grillz.

Let your inner lemon be free!

What better way to say thanks to someone than with a just-from the oven, freshly baked muffin?

There are few, to be sure. I baked a batch recently to thank my lovely contractors for all the spectacular work they’ve put in to make the kitchen so beautiful. Bananas, blueberries and nuts all live in my freezer year ’round, so it was a cinch to decide what type to bake.

The bananas were extra-ripe, and that sweetness went perfectly with a touch of whole wheat flour substituted for the AP. A quick, coffee-cake like crumb, with crunchy pecans, saigon cinnamon and brown sugar, was the perfect final touch.

Although these are great warm from the oven, like most quick bread-style cakes, they get even better over the next day or two.

Blueberry-Banana Muffins with Crumb Topping

• 3 tablespoons melted butter (or neutral oil), plus some for greasing the muffin tin
• 1 cup AP flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts, pecans or cashews
• 1/4 cup sugar, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1 cup mashed, very ripe banana
• 1/4 cup milk, plus more if needed
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 cup fresh or frozen (do not defrost) blueberries

Preheat the oven to 400. Grease a standard 12-compartment muffin tin.

Mix together the dry ingredients in a bowl. Beat together the egg, milk and butter or oil. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour the wet ingredients into it. Using a large spoon or rubber spatula, combine the ingredients swiftly, stirring and folding rather than beating, and stopping as soon as all the dry ingredients are moistened. The batter should be lumpy, not smooth, and thick, but quite moist; add a little more milk or other liquid if necessary.

Spoon the batter into the muffin tins, filling them about two-thirds full, and handling the batter as little as possible. If you prefer bigger muffins, fill the cups almost to the top. Pour 1/4 cup water into those cups left empty.

For the crumb topping:

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup finely chopped walnuts, pecans, or cashews
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

Mix together, and sprinkle up to half the ingredients on top of the muffins. If, feeling wacky and decadent, sprinkle more on, as well. Otherwise, save the rest for French toast topping.

Bake 20-30 minutes, or until the muffins are nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into he center of one of them comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes, before taking them out of the tin. Serve warm.

Notes: Your bananas not black-ripe enough? Add in a teaspoon of vanilla extract.

adapted from How to Cook Everything, by Mark Bittman

Dave and I have an agreement. I take care of all the little, detail-oriented things, and he takes care of the big ones.

Like, for instance, having surgery.

Just before we got married, he had his hip replaced. It was a brash and exciting time, one we both hoped not to repeat for quite a while.

Almost six years later, Dave began having major shooting pains and numbness in his right arm. Long story short, he had to have ACDF, or anterior cervical discectomy with partial fusion.

Basically, bad, degenerating spinal disc gets cut out, a cadaver bone shunt gets put in, and the whole thing gets fastened together with a fancy new titanium plate.

Totes fun, right, especially for a landscaper/water features builder/stone-work craftsman. :)

Some folk resort to prayer, some with a slew of angry curse words. We dealt with it best as we could: with a smashing lunch at The Blue Talon Bistro in Williamsburg.

Dave had one thing on his mind, and that was the decadent deliciousness of a Blue Talon Bistro Burger ($10.95).

Practically hidden at the bottom of the menu, this little indulgence is an oft-longed for, seldom-gratified, lunch time treat.

Where else could you find a carefully formed burger cooked just right, placed on a lightly toasted bun, with crisp lettuce, tomato, thinly sliced red onions, and- oh, yes!-melty American cheese straddled by a softly poached egg.

Squish the two halves together, and witness the exploding yolk that elevates a mere griddled sandwich to pure French genius.

Had I mentioned that it has bacon, as well?

No? Then, how ’bout the perfect pommes frites?

You can certainly see why a man would want to indulge in such a fabulous dish before such a tumultuous day.

While the Bistro holds many favourites, I can’t help but return to the simply named Grilled Asparagus Salad ($8.95) many times over. Upon first look, it’s just that, along with fresh greens, and a sturdy, Brie-encrusted “crouton.”

Once again, a simply poached egg makes a dazzling appearance, its pierced yolk mingling down into the crouton, the salad, and the minimalist chunks of lardons.

Yes, this is indeed a salad to soothe the savage, angsty beast.

Obviously, there was wine, and also a little comfort food to take home. Who could know for certain if such cheesy deliciousness can be sucked down a wounded throat, especially when it’s been coated with meaty chunks of Virginia ham?

Recovery, if all goes well, should only be a few weeks. It’s amazing what they can do with new hardware these days, and I’m thankful he found a fantastic surgeon.

Since the remodel, we’ve worked on re-filling the freezer with vats of Italian Love: Bolognese and Sausage Sauce, and even some of that lovely lasagna.

I’m thinking the kids will be alright.

March has been a little bi-polar this year, at least, more so than normal. Temps soar gloriously towards the mid-70s, then plummet down-down-down, 20 chilly, sad degrees.

(yes, I’m sure you Northerners are totally verklempt at such a sad state of being.)

So, it was after such a plunge that I commandeered the kitchen for the day. I’d already checked the fridge, and luckily, it contained everything necessary for an extraordinary batch of lasagna.

What makes a simple casserole a veritable love letter to homespun, hearty cooking? Three magical little words: hot Italian sausage.

I’ve tossed together a “lazy” lasagna before, but this was my first go after the real deal.

I checked epicurious, quickly finding a three cheese-sausage version stacked with rave reviews.

As usual, they were filled with great advice, namely:

• use all sausage, all the way!
• double the sauce

Dave, sensing the impending chaos, left me to my own devices.

In a flurry of tomato seeds, sausage casings and boiling pasta water, a Casserole of Unusual Size (COUS) sprang into being.

Two hours passed, while sauce and cheese burbled over the edge, onto the waiting tray. The richness of the scent was simply ridiculous: even Shishi, our little vegetarian kitty, pointed an interested and pulsing nose towards the stove every time I opened it.

Out it came, dense and gorgeous. Difficult as it was, the tray needed a few moments of respite, enough to thicken into major deliciousness.

The light streamed in behind it like a crusty, cheese-laden penumbra of desire, and we, as devoted servants, soon had it cut just right, plated up like the perfect offering.

And it was good, so intensely good, filled with fresh, sausage-strewn tomato sauce, sheets of tenderly boiled pasta, and, of course, tangy mounds of cheese.

Eats well. Freezes well. Enjoy mostly once a month!

Three-Cheese Lasagna with Italian Sausage

Bon Appétit | March 1997
Serves 8.

SAUCE:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3/4 cup finely chopped peeled carrots
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 8 ounces lean ground beef
• 6 ounces spicy Italian sausages, casings removed
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes with added puree
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon golden brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

LASAGNA

• 15 lasagna noodles (about 12 ounces)
• 2 15-ounce containers part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)
• 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, squeezed dry
• 2 large eggs
• 4 3/4 cups grated mozzarella cheese (about 1 1/4 pounds)

FOR SAUCE: Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrots and garlic; sauté until softened, about 12 minutes. Add beef and sausages to pan; sauté until cooked through, breaking up meat with back of spoon, about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer until flavors blend and sauce measures about 5 cups, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Cool.

FOR LASAGNA: Preheat oven to 350°F.Cook noodles in large pot of boiling salted water until almost tender, about 7 minutes. Drain; cover with cold water. Combine ricotta and 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese in medium bowl. Mix in spinach. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in eggs. Drain pasta and pat dry.

• Spread 1/2 cup sauce over bottom of 13×9-inch glass baking dish. Place 5 noodles over sauce, overlapping to fit.
• Spread half of ricotta-spinach mixture evenly over noodles.
• Sprinkle 2 cups mozzarella cheese evenly over ricotta-spinach mixture.
• Spoon 1 1/2 cups sauce over cheese, spreading with spatula to cover (sauce will be thick). Repeat layering with 5 noodles, remaining ricotta-spinach mixture, 2 cups mozzarella and 1 1/2 cups sauce.
• Arrange remaining 5 noodles over sauce.
• Spread remaining sauce over noodles.
• Sprinkle remaining 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese evenly over lasagna.

(Can be prepared up to 1 day ahead. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate.)

Cover baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake lasagna 40 minutes; uncover and bake until hot and bubbly, about 40 minutes. Let lasagna stand 15 minutes before serving.

I know, I know. We survive- barely- for almost a month on take-out food, the tables of our friends, and whatever was easiest to cobble together in our dusty, make-shift kitchen.

With the real kitchen in place, it’s time to answer the question: what was the first thing you made?

Ironically, that thing turned out to be steak. Cooked on the grill out back, to be precise. What can I say: it was an unseasonably warm evening! Along with grilled tomatoes, there are two other things that make a great steak even better:

Yep, that’s a nice thick pat of an herbed, garlicky compound butter, along with a nose-pricking mound of horseradish.

 Normally, steak night is minimalist, but the oven’s sweet siren song was irresistible.

 The zucchini-rice gratin was a nice take on the standard, filled with tons of fresh veggies, brown rice, and a properly crusted layer of Parmesan.

This inaugural appearance was well received, and will definitely make a return visit sometime soon!

 The next night, it was time to really break the oven in with Florimonte’s finest dough, and our own interpretations of pizza perfection:

Things are really beginning to warm up around here!  Check back tomorrow for my first (and unabashedly successful) attempt at lasagna!

Zucchini Rice Gratin 

• 1/3 cup long-grain white rice
• 1 1/2 pounds zucchini (about 3 medium), sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
• 6 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/2 pounds plum tomatoes, sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
• 1 medium onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon chopped thyme
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, divided

 Preheat oven to 450°F with racks in upper and lower thirds. Cook rice according to package instructions.While rice cooks, toss zucchini with 1 tablespoon oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a shallow baking pan. Toss tomatoes with 1/2 tablespoon oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt in another baking pan. Roast zucchini in upper third of oven and tomatoes in lower third, turning vegetables once halfway through roasting, until tender and light golden, about 10 minutes for tomatoes; 20 minutes for zucchini. Leave oven on.  Meanwhile, cook onion and garlic with 1/2 teaspoon salt in 2 tablespoons oil in a large heavy skillet, covered, over low heat, stirring occasionally, until very tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir together onion mixture, cooked rice, eggs, thyme, 1/4 cup cheese, 1 tablespoon oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.Spread half of rice mixture in a shallow 2-quart baking dish, then top with half of zucchini. Spread remaining rice mixture over zucchini, then top with remaining zucchini. Top with tomatoes and drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil, then sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Bake in upper third of oven until set and golden brown, about 20 minutes. from epicurious.comNotes: If you’re like me, that’s an awful lot of pans for one eensy little gratin. Save yourself the labour, and saute/roast it all together. Trust me, it’ll work out just fine.

For weeks, it’s been all sawdust and havoc ’round here. Then one morning, I came down to this:

Isn’t it dreamy?

While it’s not quite done- the bay window is still getting put in- I’m more than okay with that.

I mean, just look:

The warm cabinets now have underlighting, and everything has a warm, cozy glow. Between that…

…and a plethora of pendants and additional flush lighting, our once-dark kitchen is finally bright and cheerful.

The eat-in kitchen ain’t lookin’ bad, either.

Beyond that, a pretty screen hides the laundry area.

In a fit of “while everything is torn up, we may as well just go for it”, we had all of the bathroom appliances removed and updated. It gleams. Still trying to decide upon a proper paint colour, though (suggestions welcome).

(toilet not pictured. This is, after all, a food blog!)

Not wanting to use our old, paint-splattered, cat-shredded barstools, we updated those as well:

Along with new grate covers for the heating vents:

Alas, something still wasn’t right: the old anteroom wallpaper just wasn’t cutting it.

The hideous miasma of outdated patterns stood in direct contrast against the beautiful new kitchen. So we found ourselves late Friday afternoon frantically clearing, cleaning and painting:

Timber trail brown turned out to be quite flattering.

I can’t believe so much has happened in less than a month! We are completely ecstatic, head-over-heels in love with the new kitchen. We hang out almost exclusively in this beautiful, glorious space.

Truth be told, we got lucky with our contractors. We know them, know they’re good folk who do quality work at reasonable prices.

That said, I was blown away by the astounding attention to detail. Sure, these guys may look a bit rough-and-tumble (but so would you if you spent your days cutting, painting and crafting), but their suggestions couldn’t have been more perfect.

“You need crown moulding to really make this room pop!” We hadn’t considered that, but he was dead-on right.

There were doors all over that made the house feel very compartmentalized and small. We got rid of the doors, but the contractor took it upon himself to putty over the hinge marks, painting it smooth and beautiful.

So, as Alanna would say, here’s credit where credit is due.

Kitchen paint- marigold blossom:

Granite counters (main)- juparana bourdeaux:

Granite butcher’s block- ooba tuba:

Floor tiles- marazzi sumatro:

Anteroom paint- timber trail:

Thanks to our friends Scott Paton & Jeff Stein for making this beautiful dream a reality.

               And now, kittens… time to get down, time to get cookin’!

This is just a quick preview, I’ll be back tomorrow with more details.

But, isn’t it just fantastic?!?

How wonderful to walk in tonight to this gorgeous sight:

Slowly but surely, everything is beginning to fall back into place, looking more like a kitchen every day.

We’d originally planned to simply have our old cabinets refaced, and new hardware installed.

I believe we made the right choice.