Celery ice cream, scone and marm Friday, taking time for self

My MIL offered to come over today for a couple hours, and I jumped on it. T left for Chicago this morning and is on his way home now for a quick two days before leaving again on Sunday morning for Austin. You gotta feel bad for a guy who has to go to South x Southwest for work. Not!  Next week also happens to be spring break for all my dear babysitters, so in the anticipatory context of pending lunacy, you might understand why I was thrilled to have a few extra hours this afternoon. I got some stuff done around the house and then went to the market, simply intending to purchase a couple basics like fruit, bread, etc. On my way into the garage, however, I saw that the EcoDetail car guys were offering a special on interior detail work at very good prices. Having been borderline mortified at the state of my backseat lately -it's like beavers in a sawmill back there- I took the plunge and dropped my car off. They said it'd be about an hour, and knowing that the grocery shopping wouldn't take nearly that, I looked around. Bloomingdales! What's a girl to do? I hauled ass up to the make-up counter and got some help. 35 minutes later, after much laughter, a tremendous exterior improvement and make-up I don't need but do kind of love, I finally made it to Whole Foods. You might think that's the end of the story, but it's not! At this point I really had a second wind in my sails so went off-list and started checking out the goods. People, RHUBARB! Mint that was not puny. Heirloom tomatoes (from Mexico yes (locavore guilt), but still, they looked as if they'd taste like tomatoes). Lemongrass. Everything called to me, and before I knew it, I was hell bent on making a lemongrass-celery gelato with minted rhubarb to go on top.

Was I having a retail therapy thrill? What happens to me at the make-up counter?

Anyway, it was a hell of a fun and productive two hours- I met up with myself again and it felt great. Time spent refilling our reservoirs is not time wasted. Unless you live an indulgent, prodigal life of self-absorption; then, perhaps you need to fill someone else's reservoir. Anyway, I came home and simply COULD NOT WAIT to start making the ice cream.

What? When was the last time I made ice cream? Much less lemongrass-celery ice cream. I was awash in enthusiasm (obvious, I know) and got to work as soon as I put the kids to bed. It's chilling now and so far, it is delish. In brief, I chopped three stalks of celery (leaves included) and boiled them with a chunk of bruised lemongrass and some celery seeds in just enough water to cover everything. When tender, I pureed with an immersion blender and then strained. In the meantime, I chopped some rhubarb and mint and cooked it over medium-low heat with sugar and a little lemon juice. I then made a custard of cream, milk, sugar and cornstarch, stirred in the celery juice and some toasted celery seeds. That's what's chilling. What I had left of the toasted celery seeds I stirred into the rhubarb compote. I can't wait to see how the final product tastes.

Tomorrow will be my refill-the-freezer-supply-of-scones making day, and I'll finally can that marmalade. Stay tuned.

The oranges are ready...for more waiting

Today marked four days that the oranges have been soaking. I'm glad their time finally came because they were starting to look like severely deformed, not-so-fresh ugli fruit, already an aesthetically-challenged food. So non-napping O and I got to work mincing them -well, me mincing, him snitching snacks- and heating them with sugar and lemon juice. I was all prepared to can but no, now they're cooling in anticipation of a night in the fridge. Tomorrow will be the grand finale. Not hard at all but have mercy on this recipe's preparatory time. At least you never sweat or curse, ruing the fact that you forgot this or that and now it's too late. It's all quite relaxed. And pretty.

Magnificent day, gremolata

Wow! It is beyond glorious here today: 70s, blue skies, windy, sunny. Perfect! I spy buds on the uppermost reaches of our tulip tree, tiny arugula sprouts are up, and I've weeded, trimmed and mulched two of my flower beds. I adore being in my yard- other than the rare transportive book, it's really the only time I'm able to leave literally everything behind me. I don't bring my phone, and I don't miss the email ping. If I'm working while the kids are playing with a sitter, I almost forget I have them. Have I eaten? Who knows. I am immersed in the immediate now, and it is time I treasure and attempt to make more time for. I'm about to go post the recipe for the sweet potatoes with hazelnut gremolata from last night. It was and is delicious, definitely something I'll make many times in the future. What is a gremolata, you might ask? Well, it's a condiment traditionally made with chopped parsley, garlic and lemon zest. There's usually a bit of oil in there too, to serve as a binder. As with many things culinary, the basic gremolata often serves as a foundation for creativity and increased complexity regarding component ingredients and flavors. Last night, for example, I replaced the lemon zest with freshly ground coriander and added chopped hazelnuts to the mix to add texture to the roasted potatoes. I also added a dash of red pepper flakes for both color and zip, but to be honest, my touch was too light and the pepper was largely invisible. You can use a different citrus zest -subbing orange or grapefruit for the lemon, for example- or an herb other than parsley, and this flexibility is fun and liberating. So, keep the gremolata in mind because it's easy to make and an easy way to add a bit of ooh-la-la to whatever you're making.