SANTA CRUZ WEEKEND.

We had a lovely visit with our sweet buddies, Beth and Andrew in Santa Cruz this past weekend. We couldn't have asked for better company or weather--perfect for all of the garden and farm touring we did. Beth is a fabulous cook, it was so nice to eat her food again and crash at her adorable place...and Drew, thanks for the killer, large brunch coffee and farm tour! We have so much fun with these guys and can't wait to come back again soon...Santa Cruz is a dreamy, laid back, surfer town--you should check it out someday! :)

Beth firing up the stove for brunch omelettes.

Drew French pressing it up!

Relaxing at Chez Beth.

Mesmerized by the steam.

Mesmerized by the sunny view.

Omelette hands.

Pear, orange, and pomegranate salad.

Cute hosts.

Omelette fixins'.

Porch herbs.

So yum!

Cute entryway path and gate.

Steam and orange & blue combo.

Kiwi trellis in Beth's backyard.

Amazing raised beds in Beth's backyard. And there are super cute ducks wandering around too--I couldn't get close enough to them to get a good picture.

Chard!

Webby oranges.

Where's Waldo--err, I mean Drew?

SPICED VANILLA PEAR BUTTER

I am a full fledged jammer these days. I have made more jam in this past year, I tell you. It's crazy! I wanted to make something using fall fruit, as it is readily available here and I am trying to go with the seasons. My next batch will be a persimmon butter--just you wait... Anyway--I found this recipe for pear butter, and it was super easy and had a ton of flavor. I used local, organic Warren pears. Oh, and I added a bunch of vanilla (I think about 2 Tablespoons). If you have the time, I highly recommend you put this one up!

Dinner tonight was so good tonight that I decided to post it! I have to say, adding ricotta to quiche works really well, I was surprised. I purchased it for a new Smitten Kitchen recipe for raspberry scones with ricotta, but I had half of the container left. I also only used 2 eggs, as I was hoping it would turn out a bit lighter and summer-like. I think it did! You can use any vegetables you want, but this combo worked really well, and everything was in season and local. Our sweet neighbors left a bag of green beans and a zucchini by our door yesterday--so that was my main inspiration...The green bean salad was inspired by a traditional Caprese salad--substituting peppers for tomatoes and adding green beans for a more substantial side dish. I used local fresh mozzarella that came in small balls that I sliced into fifths. You should try these recipes--so many yums!

Green Bean Salad:
1/2 lb. - 1lb. fresh green beans, snapped in half
1 small red pepper, chopped bite size
1 small yellow pepper, chopped bite size
1/4 small white onion, sliced thin
2 tbs. basil, chopped coarsely
4 oz. fresh mozzarella, chopped bite size
scant tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper

Lightly steam the green beans. Drain well and add all of the other ingredients. Add salt and pepper to season.


Summer Vegetable Ricotta Quiche with Whole Wheat Crust:

Crust:
1 c. white whole wheat flour
1/4 c. oil or melted butter
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 c. cold water
Herbs of choice (I used 1 tsp. dried oregano)

Preheat oven to 400. Mix together flour and salt. Add oil and water. Mix (but don't over mix) until it all comes together. Press dough into the bottom of a pie pan. Bake for 5 minutes at 4oo. Take crust out to cool while preparing the rest of the quiche. Then turn oven down to 350.

Quiche:
2 eggs
1 c. ricotta cheese (I used organic, whole milk)
1/2 c. milk (I used unsweetened soy milk)
1/4 c. parmesan. separated
Fresh herbs, as much or as little as you like (I used chopped basil)
1/8 tsp. sea salt, a few shakes of black pepper
1 small zucchini, sliced thin
1 baby eggplant, sliced thin
3 mushrooms, sliced thin
1/4 small onion, chopped
1 tbsp. butter

Saute the onion in butter for 1 minute, then add mushrooms and and eggplant. Saute for 3-4 minutes. Add zucchini and saute for another 3-4 minutes under slightly tender, but still a bit crisp. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste.

Whisk eggs and milk, add salt, pepper, herbs and ricotta. Whisk until ricotta is broken up into small-ish pieces. Add half of the parmesan to the mixture.

Arrange the vegetables on top of the crust. Pour the egg mixture on top of the vegetables. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. You did it!