This week we've had a cool spell (cue heavenly choir) so we took advantage of this and went to get more blueberries. This time some friends with kids came along. There was 8 month old Millie and 3 year old Clara. They all had such a good time.

London surprised me by walked the whooole way again. Last time we hiked in the morning, this time it was after lunch, but she happily insisted on doing it herself. She walked over rocks and through some mud. Lying along the trail at one point was a fallen tree with a bunch of those little white mushrooms that look like steps. London says "Look! A mushroom piano!" And she sits next to it and 'plays' the mushroom the piano.

I thought that maybe with friends she wouldn't be as into the picking as she was on Monday but she followed my into the underbrush and climbed onto rocks to reach the good ones. She kept going "Oooo, Mommy, found bue-berras! Good ones..." She was so much fun to have around!

Spencer brought a buddy his age and after about the first quarter mile we didn't see them again until the top and even then only as blurs of red and green t-shirts while they ran after each other, green blueberries zinging through the air around them. Needless to say, no pictures of them this time...

I got to carry Millie in the backpack for a while and while we were taking a break on a big rock London climbed up next to me and ever-so-gently pet her head. Dried apricots forgotten, she continued to stroke her and tell her about the mountain we were hiking while Clara took a potty break. Then she turns to me and says with the sweetest smile and the cutest voice:
"Have mines baby someday" Me:
"You are? Do you really like babies?"
Her: "Yeah. Wrap them up. Rock them, hold them..."
It was so sweet, and Millie just looked and babbled at her the whole time. Funny to think someday we'll call them the 'same' age. A year and a half seems like such a huge difference now...

On the way down Clara got a piggyback ride which meant everyone was walking with much longer legs so we ended up hiking down just the two of us. She told me she was a zebra.
"When did you turn into a zebra?" I asked "I didn't notice that happening."
Her: " Uhhmmmm... Saturday"
Me: "Really. Let's see we were with Roger and Goia on Saturday."
Her: "Yeah. Jussdid."

Blueberry Picking On Gap Mountain

Taking a snack break. She was such a trooper! She walked all the way up and 9/10ths of the way down.

"Sitting Tree"

She patiently and meticulously filled her "bucket" three times and ate them all before she decided to fill it and bring them home.

There's a very large mountain in that cloud. Take my word for it. It's right there.

Grilled Eggplant(Aubergine) Pizza

 

It's an adventure every year being part of a CSA. Having such a diverse presentation of what is truly seasonal forces me to consider how tightly boxed my choices end up being when I'm shopping at the grocery store.

And this isn't because I don't have the same amount of options at the store; there are literally at least a hundred things to choose from in the produce section. But having the days harvest presented in wooden boxes for me to choose from has such a different appeal. "It's ripe now, right now. It's never going to taste better..." No list in my hand, just the appeal of the colors and the scents. And my imagination.

I've been forced to find new ways to use things because I've bought fennel and eggplant/aubergine in the winter time and thrown them in a hotoven, but I'm not doing that in the summer. I already shared my carmelized fennel; here's my aubergine's "new outfit".

 

Grilled Eggplant Pizza

(loosely adapted from smittenkitchen)

 

1 Medium Aubergine, sliced 3/4 inch pieces

1 /2  Chopped Green Olives

1 minced Garlic Clove

2 Sardines

Lots of Melty Cheese

Handful of minced chives

1/4 cup Olive Oil

Sprinklings of Salt

Pizza dough for one medium pizza

 

Mix oil and garlic and a dash of salt.

Brush the aubergine slices with garlic oil and grill on medium heat for 8 minutes, flipping them over halfway through.

Cut the slices into chunks. Mash sardines into remaining garlic oil.

Roll out dough and brush with plain oil. Grill with lid closed for 4 minutes. Flip over and brush with garlic/sardine oil.

 

Spread olives and aubergine (that really rolls off the tongue...) and sprinkle with cheese.

Close lid and grill another 4 minutes. The cheese will be melted but not brown, so you can give it a minute under the broiler if the want some crispy bits.

 

Spread chives and serve.

 

Best Banana Muffins

How do you like your muffins?
Some people like them crumbly. Some like them cakey. Some like them cup-cakey sweet, while others like them breakfasty and hearty. Some like them big, really big. There are muffins out there (they may or may not be from dunkin donuts) that hold 800 calories in their unthreatening paper wrappers.

I do like mine cakey. If I want something crumbly I can buy a scone (although my homemade scones are tender. recipe in a post from march 19th...). But not too sweet. I mean they're not dessert, right? I will probably be eating them in the morning, so...

This is my favorite muffin recipe! Adapted loosely from Dorie Greenspans "Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips", I've turned it into muffins and never looked back. Because of the bananas it's always moist, even when I've forgotten to set the timer, and it even works with wheat-free flours. Also, because of those bananas, it has a lot of natural sweetness so I've cut the sugar a bit.

To be politically correct I will say that the chocolate chips are optional, but we both know better than that.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Banana Muffins w/ Chocolate Chips

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, or wheat free flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 salt
1 stick of room temp butter
3/4  or 2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 large egg
2 very ripe bananas, mashed a little ( I keep bags of paired very ripe bananas in the freezer, in case of emergencies...)
1/2 cup plain yogurt
chocolate chips til it looks sufficiently chocolate chipy

Oven at *350. Whisk flour baking soda and salt together,

In a large bowl beat the butter until creamy. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add egg and beat until smooth and shiny.

Add bananas, mashing a little if needed but leaving some banana pieces.

Mix in half the dry ingredients. Stir in yogurt. Pour chocolate chips in and then add the rest of the flour mixture on top. As you stir these in the flour will coat the chocolate chips and keep them from all sinking to the bottom.

Line muffin pan with cups, and fill. I have trouble getting a full dozen because I like mine full, but you get 12 medium sized ones. I think this is because it was originally a perfect sized loaf recipe.
If you have an empty muffin cup just fill it halfway with water. After taking out the paper cup.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean and they don't look wet in the peak.

Cool just slightly, then devour.