Phillip used to work at a tea house in high school. He loves earl grey and requested to write a poem for this post so here goes:
Black tea and zesty bergamot
A squeeze of lemon and steaming water in the pot
A pick me up on rainy days and situations fraught
There is nothing quite like tea, earl grey, hot
So what do you guys think? Should he make some more appearances? (The last line is a reference to Star Trek: TNG for you nerds out there, I heart Picard).
Guys, I think I have found it. The salad. The salad above all other salads, if you could even call it such. It doesn't contain any lettuce, spinach, or other leafy greens, but it is perfect. Gasp! Did I just say perfect? I mean, nothing in this world is really ever 100% perfect, but this salad is as close to perfection as you can get.
Unfortunately it's something you can only make in the few short months that is the stone fruit season (unless you somehow find pluots in February, but who knows where they came from and how long they traveled to get to you). Since we only have a few weeks left at best, I think I shall be making this darling salad every week until it's over.
There's something so amazing about the simplicity of peas. I could eat them everyday with just a little salt, pepper, and olive oil. I've always thought the television stereotype of children pushing peas around on their plate, refusing to eat them, feeding them to their dogs, and other such antics, was absurd. Who doesn't like peas?
Sourdough bread on the other hand...not a big fan unless it comes in the form of a patty melt. But in this instance, there is no better bread than sourdough to pair with pea soup. The slight sourness creates a great contrast to the sweetness of the peas, in addition to adding a nice crunch to a soup that would otherwise have the consistency of baby food (I'm doing a great job of selling this recipe to you aren't I?!?).
But no, really, it's amazing. Healthy, delicious, colorful, amazing. Makes for an elegant weeknight meal if you're strapped for time.
This past weekend I went to upstate New York to see my friend at Lake Luzerne. It was such a nice escape from city life. The lake's water was amazingly clear and fresh, the sky was perfect with just the right amount of sun peeking through fluffy, Texas-like clouds (yes, Texas clouds are special, I said it). It would have been nice to spend more time up there. Right as we got back into the city it was stress-central. Cars everywhere, people everywhere, the exact opposite of life at the lake.
I still love the city though. We are a stone's throw away from Brooklyn Bridge Park and walking to Manhattan from where we live has got to be the best 2 hours ever spent, especially if you reward yourself with soup dumplings from Chinatown. Also the food culture just can't be beat. I'm still on the hunt for my favorite restaurants. I know it's going to take a while, since it took us years in Chicago, and we were still finding amazing places right before we left.