Kale Caesar Salad

We're hosting our first real Thanksgiving this year, where more than two friends come over and I can finally stop being the person looking for the smallest turkey in the store. To celebrate such a big occasion, instead of gifting you with a drool worthy recipe for pie or casserole...you find a kale salad. I swear I'm not a party pooper, a good kale caesar is the cure to all of life's woes. And if you're looking to sneak some greens among all the carbs, butter, and sweets on thursday, the kale caesar is here for you, here to save the day.

This salad has been a part of our weekly repertoire for a while now, ever since we discovered the wonder that is homemade caesar dressing. But we didn't discover just how good it could be until we were dining in this tiny restaurant called El Rey on a friday night, ordered their kale salad, and reveled in how tender the leaves were. The key, we learned, was massaging olive oil into the leaves before assembling, covering every crevice and surface with a thin layer, working it in with your fingers, to turn the kale from tough and fibrous to tender and silky in just a few short minutes.

Pan Fried Asparagus with Romesco Sauce

Summer flew by more quickly than I anticipated. It was a whirlwind of post-graduation stress and job hunting that culminated in last week. A week consisting of four job interviews, three offers, hours of negotiation, and waaaay too many decisions for this gal to handle. The good news is it's over, I'm starting a new job next week! Thus starting a new routine of commuting to midtown Manhattan every day and finally being able to pay rent again (as exhilarating as the last year has been, I am Ready, with a capital R, to get some stability back in life). But for now, while there is still time left, I am taking it easy and enjoying the last of the waning summer produce, starting off with some asparagus, sweet peppers, and tomatoes.

This recipe, though it features asparagus, is really a love ballad for romesco sauce: a roasted red pepper sauce that packs huge flavor in a few simple ingredients. Romesco is one of those things I didn't really notice until a few months ago. I was aware of its existence, but didn't give much thought toward actively seeking it out. It was kind of like that kid who you went to school with but never paid much attention to until they did or said something one day that catches your eye, and then you're hooked, the obsession begins.

Mexican Street Corn

Things happening as of late: I graduated! This fun and cheeky website I built, while building this other website with some awesome classmates. Interviews and more interviews. A Swedish midsummer's festival. My first Yankees game! A jazz show at Village Vanguard. So much grilling at the park. Dim sum with old friends. A breakfast sandwich crawl and fried chicken club hosted by the one and only, Donny. And of course the Saveur celebrations (where I got to meet so many amazing people: Sam, Cynthia, Renee, Brooke, Nik, Phi, Alana, Molly, Stephanie, Sherrie, Michelle, Elizabeth, Yossy, Sydney—Hi guys!).

Things not happening as of late: Calling my family enough. Responding to emails (sorry everyone!). Spending time with Phillip. Taking O&O for their annual vet checkup (I promise, soon, dear kitties). Sleeping enough. Eating healthy. Riding my bike like I usually do during the summertime. Going to the beach. And most of all, this blog, or cooking at all for that matter.

But since I graduated, hopefully that means I'll be able to devote more time to the laundry list of things above, so let's start with a post on what is probably my absolute favorite part of summer: sweet corn.

Leek, Asparagus, & Ramp Quiche

Hi friends, I know it is the end of ramp season and I have been gone for a good while, but hopefully this recipe makes it to you before these beautiful alliums leave us for another year. The past few weeks, besides going to school and stressing out about the days being far too short, I have been tinkering with a recipe for a delicious, sky high, and structurally sound quiche (three things which are surprisingly difficult to achieve in harmony).

Ramps are about as fleeting as the spring season here, coming and going in a matter of weeks. So this quiche is my attempt to stuff as much spring produce as humanly possible into one recipe before it's too late. The ramps are paired with some lightly cooked leeks, fresh asparagus, and gruyere, bound together by an egg custard, and nestled in a flaky pie crust.