Fresh Tart

Humid. Humid air makes humid armpits and humid hair (evil, frizz) and for me, a dangerously humid mood. I know, I know, I blather about the weather (and its effect on my mood, hair) almost more than I blather about food. What can I say? Perhaps it's the farmer in my blood, even if three generations removed...but my mood mos def bends with the breeze. (The pic is from John's parents' home in EH, which since it's beachy can generate humidity...almost like Minnesota. And so I ask - without ocean, why on God's humid earth does is get so friggin' humid here? Man, talk about pain with no gain, damn.)

Humid moods are not helped by car trouble. I was just plain lucky to make it home today as my car completely freaked out on my way back from a (humid, sweaty) walk - tomorrow morning it's being towed to the shop, sniff.

Oh look, it's now raining, just as I'm about to step onto the deck to grill a couple of trout fillets. The ones John had to pick up on his way home because...I don't have a car. Despite it's obvious wetness, I won't really complain about rain since we quite need it.

Back to the trout...I'll serve it alongside (drum roll), more new potato-green bean salad. Can you tell that I made quite a bit of it? Hey, waste not want not, even if the fam (and frankly, I) is (am/are) a bit tired of new potatoes + green beans. Tonight I'll dice the pieces a bit smaller and saute them in a small amount of olive oil until just-browned. Already seasoned with onion and fresh basil, they should make a tasty accompaniment to simply grilled fish. Nice? Yes. No complaints about trout, potatoes, and green beans for dinner, but of course.

OK, time to take my humid self to bed. Tomorrow, The Maven and Metal Mommy, aka My Minxes, with their mini-me daughters in tow, are coming to swim. It was either tomorrow or a day in August - the only two days this entire summer that worked for us all to get together! Luckily we were also able to sneak away for din last night, to Luci Ancora in St. Paul, just the three (er, maxi-me's) of us. With lovely food (polenta, pastas), and lots of time to chat, pool time tomorrow is just icing on a fabulous cake.

Even if I don't have a car (grumble). Sleep tight!

Moderate it: you know, I've tried every anti-humidity, straightening hair product on the market... None of them work completely, although a few help - Phytodefrisant, Kiehl's Heat-Protective, Silk-Straightening Cream, Graham Webb Stick Straight Gel. Apply one, two, or even all three (yep, I've done it) before grilling trout in the rain. Good luck.

I've been grilling a fair amount of rainbow trout lately - it's one of my very favorite fish to eat, plus since I've learned that the farm-raised version is of high quality and safe to eat, I feel I can eat it without worry or guilt (source: Environmental Defense Fund Seafood Selector, a must-read site for those of you who love to eat fish). Although the fillets are thin, they're rich enough to stand up to dry grill heat; a basket makes flipping a breeze. I think trout is delicious prepared simply - just a brush of olive oil and a generous sprinkle of Kosher salt before grilling for a few minutes on each side. Off heat, finish with lots of fresh-squeezed lemon and a shower of fresh herbs. Simple.

Lots of fresh-squeezed lemon makes a quick saute of spring vegetables mighty tasty as well. Tonight's version was asparagus, morel mushrooms, and ramps (bulbs and greens). Pretty with a nice crunch to set off the tender, pale-pink fish. Light, lovely, and on the table in oh, about 15 minutes. Now that's spring!

Moderate it: fresh fish and vegetables make the perfect moderate dinner, I think. Light, but feels special because it's so pretty and delicious. Grilling fish requires very little added fat - literally just a brush of oil. A sprinkle of salt before cooking really boosts flavor, don't skip it; lots of fresh lemon and herbs add flavor too. A fish grilling basket is a great investment - as you can see from the pic, you can load it up past its borders and it still works beautifully to keep fish from sticking to the grill.

Smokin' out there, hooeeey! That's Minnesota for you (us), from mid-60s one week to mid-90s the next, with nary a lovely 70s in between. Sigh. So I'll forgive you (me) for complaining that one week you're freezing your butt off and the next yer sweatin' like a frizzy-haired pig. Or something. Damn!

Good for the veggies, though. I could technically have a baby arugula and frisee salad for lunch (with a simple vinaigrette, lots of freshly ground pepper, and a few fat shaves of Parm) - we'll see. I may hold out for greens from my first La Finca CSA veggie share pick up of the season, later this week. Can't wait!

I guess the heat is appropriate to mark the first day of summer - Nathan is officially done with 5th grade! I'm excited to have more time with him, I love hangin' with my boy. This week is nice and low-key, before the sports (driving) begin. Our plan is to snag some time at the pool, get a few projects done around here, maybe see a movie or two, have some friends over, get some exercise. You know, summer-y stuff!

We kicked off summer break with a lovely dinner at Dad & Susanna's last night, with my sister Etta (in from NYC), Stace & the Coopster, and Nathan & John. Burgers (not the fast-food variety, but elk burgers, given to Dad & Sus by their hunter-friend Ron), roasted veggies, pommes frites, and cake (mmmm, caaaake, Stace made it, white cake with chocolate icing and raspberries, rarrr), after which Nathan announced he'd had the perfect day. School's out, pizza for lunch, and burgers for dinner. That's my boy, measuring his days on the Scale of Tasties!

Hey, I'm back, quick report on the rather feast-y day we just spent. First, we earned our feast by running steps over by Minnehaha Creek - tough work on a hot day, we were pretty sweaty when we were done. Then an impulse stop by Turtle Bread in Linden Hills for a quick lunch. Icy cold gazpacho with fresh crusty bread, now that is a hot-day's lunch. In fact it was so good, we bought lots more gazpacho to take home, and a loaf of bread, and of course an oatmeal raisin cookie, and some honey-toasted peanuts to boot. Then, after some serious swimming (including with John, who snuck in a long lunch to get some time at the pool with us), we headed over to Byerly's and picked up trout fillets for the grill. So...nice healthy feast, eh? Grilled trout, gazpacho, fresh bread, sauteed broccoli (from the fridge), and ripe peaches - oh yes, peaches are officially good, woo hoo! (Buy organic if possible, "regular" peaches are very high in pesticide residue...)

I also whipped up a batch of tender turkey meatballs for the freezer - quick protein for busy nights. (In a toasted whole-wheat pita, with a little olive spread and arugula? Or crumbled onto a corn tortilla with salsa and avocado? Don't even get me started...)

Nice ways to kick off a healthy summer vaca - man, I love me some summer.