Sausage and Goat Cheese Pizza, with Balsamic Onions and Fresh Figs

Right now, I am back visiting my family in Ohio.  As I am writing this, it's nighttime so it is quiet, but I can still hear crickets chirping outside and other night critters making their evening noises.  Back where I live in San Diego, there isn't enough grass or trees or forests to even house these insects, so I miss out on their soothing chorus.  Here, the cool air is floating in through the window, and there are no fast cars or loud freeways or other disturbances.  The calm is wonderful.

When the sun comes up tomorrow morning, the light will touch each blade of green grass, each leaf on every tree, and the noise from the nighttime crickets might be replaced with morning bird songs or buzzing cicadas.  But fall is here and rain is always a possibility (unlike San Diego, there is actually weather here in Ohio), so the cool breeze might linger, and if I am lucky, we might even get a thunderstorm.  If we do, I am sure my mom and I will sit on the porch and listen to the rain pouring down while the wet air mists around us.  These are some of the best feelings of home. 

Sliced black mission figs.

I am sure it comes as no surprise when I say that one of my favorite things to do when I am at home is to cook for my family.  My dad is a budding chef himself, so he always likes to get in on the action, and we usually have grand plans.  This time, I went to the Westside Market with some friends, and picked up all the fixings for a fantastic fall-inspired pizza.  I found black mission figs, earthy sage leaves, local meats, and I got a great deal on a log of fresh chevre. 

Cut the goat cheese into medallions easily using a thin piece of thread or wire.

A giveaway from Urban Cheesecraft: Make your own cheese!

If you have been around here long enough, it should be no big shocker to you when I say that I LOVE cheese.  Duh.  But, guess what else I love?  Etsy.  
Um... You are probably wondering what those two things could possibly have in common, and I don't blame you.  Although Etsy sellers have always shared plently of homemade goods including jams, cookies, and salts, I have been noticing an increasing number of specialty goods that look simply scrumptious.  Case in point: In one of my recent Etsy newsletters (naturally I subscribe to get cool Etsy Finds delivered to my inbox) I discovered Claudia of Urban Cheesecraft through one of Etsy's amazing videos.  Claudia founded Urban Cheesecraft as a way to share an easy and accessible way to make your own cheese at home - she basically takes all the guesswork out by providing kits that have everything you need to make cheese, and all you have to do is add the milk!
Check out a video about Urban Cheesecraft here, and don't miss the baby goats.  Is anything more adorable?

I think what I love the most about these kits from Urban Cheesecraft are the fact that for first-time cheesemakers, the process is so simple.  In my opinion, lots of people would prefer to eat 'handcrafted' food that they make themselves, whether it is bread, preserves, tomato sauce, or cheese, but often taking the initial step seems like a lot of work and it can be daunting.  Here Urban Cheesecraft provides all the equipment, all the instructions, and all the ingredients in one simple, inexpensive kit so you can have homemade cheese in just an hour.  (And isn't this kit cute?  Even better, it is made from post-consumer materials.  Love that.)  You just choose your milk, and you are ready to go!  Each kit makes 10 batches of cheese, so it is actually a really stellar deal.

A Recipe for Sweet Cherry Preserves

It is cherry season!  I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the first cherries at the farmers markets, and finally their happy red faces have appeared.  They are juicy, sweet, and voluptuous, with smooth shiny skin and soft flesh inside.  They are just absolutely perfect.  Some of them are even so red and ripe that they are almost a deep crimson violet color.  

Here in San Diego we get the common Bing variety of cherry, but we also get neon-colored and super sweet Rainier cherries, and as well as Lapin Cherries.  I buy them all.  I love them all.  I am an equal opportunity cherry eater.  

Now last year when cherry season rolled around, I didn't quite get my act together.  I bought lots and lots of cherries, and snacked on them.  Often.  Cherries are just the ideal size for popping in your mouth one at a time, and then of course, you can't eat just one.  They are sweet enough to feel like an indulgence, but they are also really healthy - a win-win in the snack world.  

But yet, there were those pesky pits... and that was when I realized something was missing from my life.  Specifically, I didn't have a cherry pitter, and clearly everyone should own a cherry pitter.  (Am I right friends?)  Now I should have used this as a good excuse to go shopping (as though I need an excuse), but because of aforementioned lack of getting-act-together, I lagged behind and the cherry season passed me by.     

Spring Quiche: Asparagus, Green Garlic, and Humboldt Fog

Thank God for the weekend.  Lately work has kept me so busy that have barely had time for regular everyday life.  But rest assured, when I have had some extra time I have been spending it in the kitchen creating delicious dishes with the bounty of spring produce I have been getting from the farmers market.  These days the market seems to be a sea of lush green - baby lettuce, fresh herbs, shelling peas, artichokes, asparagus, leeks, spinach - and lucky for us, all those vibrant vegetables are extremely healthy.  

So to celebrate spring (and that wonderful fleeting time known as the weekend), I decided to whip up an easy Spring Quiche.  I decided to go sans crust to make it lighter and more airy, and also take out some of the work.  But most importantly, since I was focusing on using in-season, fresh produce, I wanted to make the most of the ingredients.  I used asparagus, green garlic, leeks, dill, Humboldt Fog Goat Cheese, and free-range brown eggs.  All the components harmonized perfectly, with the farmers market vegetables accented by the exceptional Humboldt Fog.  

Since this quiche is all about components, lets talk ingredients.  

Asparagus.  In most areas in the U.S., you can get asparagus year-round, but fresh, springtime asparagus is markedly different.  Asparagus always has bright green color with beautiful purple tips, but the major difference is in the texture and taste - the younger shoots of asparagus are sweeter, and more grassy in taste, and have far more moisture than the drier, more 'woody' asparagus found during other times of the year, making the texture more tender.  

When shopping for asparagus, look for stems that are medium diameter (not pencil-thin), buds that are fresh and tightly closed, and stems that are green and fresh (no dark soft spots).  If you break off the bottom of the asparagus or slice into it, it should be moist and not porous.    

Fresh asparagus bundles.

Leek Confit and Goat Cheese Crostini, Topped with Asian Pear

It is Monday morning and that means voting is OPEN for round three of Project Food Blog!  If you haven't already, be sure to check out my entry for this third challenge, A Luxury Dinner, with Leeks, Lemon, and Lamb; if you love my dinner party (and maybe wish you had been invited!) please vote for me!  It is just as simple as following the link and clicking on the heart to show your love.  I appreciate all your votes and kind comments so much, and I am having a fantastic time sharing great food with you in Project Food Blog.  I hope I can continue!   

So for anyone just tuning in, my dinner party included 4 courses as listed here:

In my main post detailing my dinner party, I shared the recipe for my second course: Cauliflower Soup with Seared Scallops, Lemon Oil, and Caviar.  This was my favorite dish from my dinner, but the Leek and Goat Cheese Crostini were a close second!  I think I liked the crostini so much because they were extremely easy to assemble, and the flavors and textures were spot on.