Don't Forget...The Food Blogger Bake Sale!

Just a quick reminder that the Food Blogger Bake Sale is taking place all over the nation tomorrow, Saturday, May 14th!  


Here in San Diego the event will be at Great News Cooking School in Pacific Beach, and I would highly encourage you to drop by and: 
-pick up some sweet treats
-enter our raffle to win one of 3 Wilton baskets valued at $150 each
-meet some lovely and talented bloggers
-show your support for Share Our Strength - this fundraising event donates 100% of proceeds to end child hunger!  

If you missed my first post about this event, be sure to check out my Sweet Spring Sandwich Cookies and get all the details about Share Our Strength.  If you are not in San Diego, you can easily find the bake sale happening in your city by simply visiting Gaby's site.  And definitely visit Marie's site, because she was the wonder woman that organized this whole event in San Diego!  For more info, check out the flyer below.

Sweet Spring Sandwich Cookies, and Food Blogger Bake Sale

So I have been thinking about cookies a lot.  Well actually not just cookies, I have been thinking about candies, and marshmallows, and cupcakes... really all sorts of baked goods and treats.  I have had cookies on the brain because I have been brainstorming what would be the perfect cookie to have at a bake sale.  

The Food Blogger Bake Sale is a national event that was started last year by Gaby of What's Gaby Cooking to benefit Share Our Strength and their efforts to end childhood hunger.  Check out the Share our Strength website for more information on this cause, and to see how last year's bake sales across the country raised more than $1 million dollars.  


This year, the Food Blogger Bake Sale will take place on Saturday, May 14th in cities all across the country.  If you don't live in the greater San Diego area, visit Gaby's site for a list of cities and states that are hosting bake sales to find a location near you.  If you are lucky enough to live in sunny San Diego, then you can come satiate your sweet tooth and support the cause by coming to our Bake Sale!


The San Diego Food Blogger Bake Sale is organized by my lovely friend Marie of Meandering Eats, and a whole bunch of other amazing food bloggers are participating.  Due to a previously planned event, my smiling face won't be there to greet you, BUT I will be sending delicious baked goodies to the sale.  After hearing all the treats other bakers will be making, trust me - You do not want to miss this.  So here are the details: 

Date:

Saturday, May 14th 2011

Time:

10AM-2PM

Place: 

Great News! Discount Cookware and School
Pacific Plaza
1788 Garnet Avenue

San Diego, CA 92109

What to bring:

A smile!

Dollar bills - all treats will be priced on the dollar! 

Hope you can make it to the event, if you have any pertinent questions or would like to participate or donate, don't hesitate to contact me directly by email.

Smashed Peas and Fava Beans with Fresh Mozzarella

Seeing as this is a recipe that embodies spring, it might surprise you to know that the first time I saw this recipe was almost three years ago in the dead of winter.  

I was in Tonsberg, Norway, with my boyfriend and we were browsing around in a popular bookstore.  Naturally, most of the titles were in Norwegian, but there were many English language books as well.  I'm not sure why, but I was surprised to find a huge shelf with American cookbooks - especially those by celebrity chefs.  My eyes scanned the titles and passed over books by Mario Batali, Rachel Ray, and Emeril Lagasse.  But the one book that really caught my eye was Jamie at Home: Cook Your Way to the Good Life, by Jamie Oliver.  I really liked Jamie Oliver back then, and that was even before he started his Food Revolution and I liked him even more.        

I reached up, slid the book off the shelf, and and turned back the tan hardcover to reveal colorful pages filled with beautiful recipes.  The book was divided into larger chapters based on the seasons - which I loved - and since I was freezing my butt off in the cold and snow, of course I thumbed ahead to the recipes for spring and summer.  

My mind danced around daydreaming of warmer weather when I could enjoy asparagus and fresh eggs, rhubarb, and strawberries all while basking in happy sunshine.  But it was when I turned the page and saw a recipe called, "Incredible Smashed Peas and Fava Beans on Toast," that I was really intrigued.  You see, I had never eaten a fava bean before (or actually ever seen one for that matter) and I am naturally curious about most things.  But I had one problem - I was convinced that I hated peas.    

Where this imaginary pea-hatred stemmed from, I have no idea, because as far as I can remember we never ate peas growing up.  (Unlike those awful steamed brussels sprouts that I am sure I hated and had to force down by drowning them in milk.)   When I finally did eat peas as an adult, I was prepared to leave them squarely on my hated-foods list, but my aversion to them disappeared into thin air after I popped one tiny, fresh, springtime pea into my mouth...  

It was perfection.  

It was dense and sweet, not soft but not too hard either, and I adored the way the small kernels just 'popped' in my mouth.  I was in awe.  (Not to mention, those little pea pods are just too cute.  Seriously, who can resist those?)

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.