Green Dilly Beans

Fiddle Dee Dee

Although I'm certainly not the first to say so, it's official....spring has sprung!  B and I heralded the season's arrival this weekend when we found fiddlehead ferns at the Greenmarket.   While I'm not sure that Scarlett O'Hara had these delicate greens in mind with her trademark "fiddle dee dee" pronouncements, I have extended the phrase's applicability to include these edible eats just because I welcome any excuse to say it  (I have always counted the ability to easily amuse myself as one of my more fortunate traits).  Regardless of catchy phrases, these highly perishable tasty treats, unfurled fern fronds (say that 10 times fast), are only available for a few short weeks each spring and culminated in a delicious dinner last night. 

Fiddlehead and Ramp Pasta 1 basket (about 2 cups) fiddleheads 2 cloves garlic - minced 2 T olive oil 2 plum tomoatoes - chopped 1 bunch ramps - chopped - keeping white and green parts separate 4 anchovies sliced red pepper flakes - to taste salt and freshly ground pepper 1 lb rotelle (wheel shaped pasta) - cooked and drained freshly grated Romano cheese Wash the fiddleheads under cool water several times. In a pot, blanch the fiddleheads for 2 minutes -drain. In a skillet, saute the garlic in olive oil until it is transparent; add the fiddleheads, the tomatoes, the white part of the ramps, and the anchovies. Saute for 5 minutes, then add the green ramp leaves and saute for 1 minute more. Add red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste, and toss with the pasta. Serve with grated cheese.

A Picture is Worth....

Nothing compensates for a lack of blog entries like a slew of random gratuitous pics (at least that's what I keep telling myself).

Apologies for the blurry shot. Hopefully you are too blown away by my proximity to the track at Churchhill Downs to criticize my skills (or lack thereof) as a photographer.

Drinking mint juleps at the Kentucky Derby is like drinking champagne on New Year's Eve - you can't imagine celebrating one without the other. So you can imagine my disappointment when I learned that Derby juleps are made from a bottled mix - the horror! So who says it has to be Derby Day to have a mint julep? I myself plan to enjoy one whenever the Southern spirit moves me.
Made from Scratch Mint Julep (souvenir glass not included)
1 small bunch fresh mint leaves
1 T simple syrup, (equal parts water and sugar, heated until sugar melts), cooled
Crushed ice
2 ounces bourbon (I like Pappy van Winkle's - the name alone makes me smile)
Sprig of mint for garnish
Put the mint leaves and the syrup in the bottom of a tall glass. Crush the leaves to extract the flavor with the handle of a wooden spoon. Fill the glass with crushed ice and pour in the bourbon. Agitate to chill and mix. Garnish with a sprig of mint. Cheers!

My first joint craft project with B - a sock monkey for his nephew, Jack.

Two generations of sock monkeys - made for me by my Aunt Joyce and made for Jack by me and B.

Catch 22

So I really did start out on this whole blog endeavor with the best of intentions.  However, as you can see from the time that has elapsed since my last (and first) post, life has gotten in the way of my blogging efforts. I have quickly come across an unfortunate paradox of blogging ….. the more blog-worthy events you experience, the less time you have to write about them in your blog.  In a nutshell, here is my attempt to recapture significant happenings of the last two weeks. 

I got a promotion at work!  This is the most exciting update, and also the one most responsible for my bloglessness.  The good news is that I will soon be coordinating a program on my own; the bad news is that I will be finishing out my current job duties while simultaneously assuming responsibility for my new ones until a replacement is hired for my current position.  Hopefully this transitional limbo will be wrapping up sometime around the 4^th of July. 

Back-to-back weekend trips to see aunts and uncles – first to the Kentucky Derby, where the winning longshots ruined all my hopes of making millions at the track - then most recently to Ypsilanti, MI where another aunt and uncle are busy renovating a three story storefront building downtown and I got to escape my teeny NYC apartment and live vicarious dreams of setting up house in their walk in closets. 

Tiptoe Through the Tulips

Well, it's a done deal, I've officially jumped on the blog bandwagon. Although I have contemplated doing so for some time, I was moved to act this weekend by a single item found at the Union Square Greenmarket on a rainy Saturday ......TULIPS. Not just any tulips, but amazing burgandy tulips rimmed in yellow that are so beautiful they warrant full capital letters and a desire to share them with anyone who might stumble across my new blog. With that said, Green Dilly Beans will feature my own running commentary on knitting, reading, cooking, and anything else that comes to mind. Happy Spring!