On tap, label maker

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I just started rummaging around the fridge and found 3 leeks from last Sunday’s farmers market. They are starting to look slightly sad but no problem if you plan to chop, sauté in butter and salt and blend with lentils! This is a fabulous bed for salmon, classic French saumon aux lentilles, but will also make for a nice summer salad tonight. You could definitely crumble some goat cheese on top, and if we have some, I will plan to do just that.

I might also boil the brussels sprouts I have left, coarsely sliver them, toss with a mustard vinaigrette, some chopped and toasted walnuts and a few shaves of Parm.

In both of these summer salads, do not forget to season well with salt and pepper, and remember lemon juice and zest are always your friends.

Do you know what I LOVE during the summers? Not just crisp white wines, but almost more, wonderfully dry, cold, crisp rosés.  And while the French corner most of the market for both whites and rosés, CA and OR are producing some stellar wines too. Have you come across Iron Horse, a producer out of Sonoma? They make a great Rosé de pinot noir. It’s reasonably priced but I think you have to order it directly from them. If you choose to do so, and they always have a great Red, White and Bubbly trio special for the 4th of July, also try their Green Valley Chardonnay. It’s unoaked and really well done.

Despite this love of Iron Horse, tonight we’re going to enjoy the Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. You have to brace yourselves for the grassy, minerality of NZ Sauv Blancs but they are often really delicious.
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Do you have a label maker? I love mine so much that I often look for things that must be labelled post haste. It’s so satisfying!

Last night, we decided to celebrate a recent work accomplishment of Tom’s so opened a terri

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Last night, we decided to celebrate a recent work accomplishment of Tom’s so opened a terrific bottle of California Cabernet, the 2001 Hunt Cab-ovation. Terrible name, terrible label (y’all, I really do judge and sometimes will not buy because of stupid labels) but very good. To further treat ourselves, we got take-out instead of cooking: 2Amy’s pizza and FAVA BEAN CROSTINI is in season. If you recall my previous posts about fava beans and our attempts to replicate 2Amy’s recipe, you’ll know that these were a real treat last night (picture 1).
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This afternoon, the canning session commenced. While sterilizing the jars and canning lids, I made the jam: strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and orange zest. You have to skim off the foam (picture 2), jar the jam and then boil them in a canning pot (picture 3) for about 15 minutes (this seals the lids and sterilizes everything). Canning is actually really easy, especially when you have some equipment. I have an amazing brandied peaches recipe that I make each summer when peach season arrives.  Ok, off to get the jam jars out of the bath!