Lemon + Thyme

Almost daily, I whip up a lemon-thyme vinaigrette, toss it with arugula and wolf it down with dinner.  I love the bite and saltiness with the peppery greens.  Lemons and thyme are staples in my kitchen, I use them in so many things, from brines to homemade cleaners.  Grind leftover lemon and thyme in the garbage disposal sometime, it's wonderful.  This pair is also really good for you.  Lemon is astringent and thyme is rich in antioxidants. I thought I'd share a few summer inspired lemon-thyme concoctions with you to try over the weekend.  xo, Heather

Here's something to make for your next summer BBQ. Grab a decent handful of thyme, and thin slices of lemon rind, wedge into a spray bottle and fill with water.  Chill in the fridge and use as a body mist to cool off on a hot day. Place the bottle in an ice bucket on a picnic table for guests.  You can use experiment with your herbs. Lavender, mint, rosemary and rose petals would all be wonderfully aromatic and soothing.

I am a big fan of tzatziki. It's both refreshing and satisfying.  Try this twist using quark, a lower fat fresh cheese with a creaminess and natural tang similar to yogurt.  I zested a teaspoon each of lemon rind and thyme (stems removed), added a decent pinch of flaky sea salt to make this version.

Cut up cucumber spears and portion into 8oz glass jars filled with 2oz of the quark for a grab and go snack.

And here's that vinaigrette recipe.  Is it a vinaigrette if it doesn't call for vinegar?  Tried and true, whisk or shake 1 part olive oil to 2 parts lemon juice with a little freshly minced garlic, a pinch or two of sea salt and plenty of fresh thyme leaves. You can drizzle this over grilled chicken and shelfish, toss pasta, marinate beets, or use as a salad dressing.  It's so versatile and a great alternative to vinegar based dressing. 

Umami Pie

I like cobbler. Usually executed as a dessert, cobbler is baked fruit (stewed in it's own juices) with a biscuit topping.  What's not to like about that?  As my 7 year old will tell you, a tomato is a fruit and because of that, when cooked, tomato yields a lot of juice.  Best made with very ripe tomatoes, this cobbler is has the most pleasing of all of all tastes, umami. And the best thing about my tomato cobbler is that it is not only juicy, savory, salty, and sweet..it's vegan. I made vegan biscuits and they rock. Here's the recipe, try it soon, because it's prime tomato time. 

Tomato Cobbler - The Poppy Haus Way
Serves 6-8

4-5 Ripe medium tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 cups of ripe cherry tomatoes
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tablespoons flour
Sea salt + black pepper

For Biscuit topping

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons sea salt + pepper
1 teaspoon thyme
8 tablespoons of vegetable shortening (I love this brand)
2/3 cup plain almond milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.  

Add onion and garlic, saute until soft, but do not allow to toast.  

Add chopped tomatoes, saute until wilted, then add vinegar, salt, pepper, brown sugar and cherry tomatoes.  

Combine, then sprinkle with flour, saute until coated.  

Transfer to a 9" pie pan or similar sized baking dish.

To make topping:

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and thyme.

Add 8 tablespoon pieces of shortening to the mixture.

Using a fork, a pastry cutter, or even your hands, combine with flour mixture until the shortening is coated, and pea-sized.

Add the almond milk and fold gently with a with a spatula until just combined.

Dollop onto tomato mixture.

 

 

Bake for 45-55 minutes, until the biscuits are golden, and the tomato juices are thickened.  Allow to cool for several minutes before serving.

The Great Outdoors

Jasper and his best friend Mateo went on their fist backpacking trip yesterday.  I didn't get to go, as this was a father-son trip, but I got my hands on some pictures. They ate beans from a can, toasted marshmallows, climbed "mountains", jumped from rocks, went fishing, used pocketknives, and managed to survive a few bee stings, slithering water snakes, and sleeping in tents with their snoring fathers' after talking themselves to sleep. Like a page from The Dangerous Book for Boys...

Be Prepared

I picked up my copy of the Design*Sponge print edition over the weekend and am now longing for the days of summer camp. They chose this year's theme in part because it is the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts. You can imagine the badges that I collected over the years. Chock-full of camp inspired DIY, activities, recipes, and a feature on Camp Wandawega which looks like it's out of Moonrise Kingdom, the print copy is every bit as cool as the blog, plus you get to hold it in your hot little hands. The summer newspaper is available exclusively at Anthropologie stores for $5.  


Still every bit as relevant as when I was young...


The Girl Scout Law


I will do my best to be
honest and fair,
friendly and helpful,
considerate and caring,
courageous and strong, and
responsible for what I say and do,
and to respect myself and others,
respect authority, use resources wisely,
make the world a better place, and
be a sister to every Girl Scout.

Twiggy

Oh September in the Bay Area, it's hot and all I can think about is tweed.  A few weeks ago I found this article about foraging in the forest for the ingredients of what appeared to be a fairy and gnome style picnic, not my bag, but they had a recipe for homemade popsicles that made me abandon my ZOKU for the day and use up the leftover and afore mentioned olallieberries, simply because the recipe called for twigs, which are in my opinion, cool.

My Recipe

4 cups berries
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
12 twigs (washed)
3oz dixie cups
cupcake papers
rubber bands

Boil berries with water and sugar for 10 minutes until broken down. Cool.
Pour into dixie cups, using a toothpick, poke a hole in center of cupcake paper and cover the cup,wrap a rubber band around cupcake paper, insert twig. Freeze for 3 hours.  Enjoy.