Big Little Meals

The Birds and the Bees – Part 2

July 28, 2020 / 4 Comments

Actually, this blog is just about bees. Forget the birds. Or go back and read the first Birds and the Bees, or easier yet, read today’s revelatory Andy’s Corner!

My father did not let me take high school biology. And I never figured out why (and I never asked him; maybe I feared it would be an awkward conversation).

So I don’t know much about biology. Not only did I not learn about “THE” birds and the bees in biology class, I didn’t even learn about pollination. But you can teach an old dog and an old woman new tricks (mind you, “old” is not a word I really associate with myself – but it works in this context). Physalis ixocarpa has helped me – about 60 years late – learn a little bit about plants and pollinating. Google helped too.

This summer – for the first time – I decided to plant tomatillos. We almost always have a few tomatillos in the fridge, sometimes kept too long and rotting, but I find them intriguing. And they’re essential in some of my favorite Mexican recipes.

Since we don’t have a huge garden area, I put one tomatillo in a big clay pot (thanks, Swede’s Feeds, for having a great selection this spring – and for being a soothing spot to shop during the pandemic). That tomatillo plant – with its teeny yellow blossoms – was so pretty, that about a month later I bought two more – a different variety – from Swede’s Feeds and planted them in another big clay pot. The second plants are now gorgeous – filled with huge, billowing husks, baby tomatillos beginning to develop inside the husks, and visited regularly by the busiest of bees. The first plant is withering. Well, it’s got blossoms but no husks or baby tomatillos.

How was I supposed to know that I needed two plants, so that pollination could occur – unless, of course, I wanted to hand-pollinate them. Right. (If you think hand-pollinating is an easy option – check out this video.)

Screen Shot 2020-07-10 at 7.56.34 PM — The blossom of Physalis ixocarpa – better known as Tomatillo – and a nectar-loving bee

Just in case you’re scratching your head, not sure what a tomatillo looks or tastes like, here’s some help:

Like a tomato, a tomatillo is a member of the nightshade family. But the similarity ends there.
Not only are tomatillos not self-pollinating (yes, tomatoes do self-pollinate), but they’re surrounded by a husk and are both tart and firm (think sour apple) when eaten raw. And they’re usually – but not always – enjoyed more when they’re cooked.
The plants, native to what’s now Mexico, were cultivated by the Mayans and Aztecs.
If you want green supermarket-style tomatillos, be sure to plant one of the larger hybrids, such as Super Verde. Many tomatillo varieties are tiny – and a variety of colors.
Don’t be surprised if you have “volunteer” little upstarts the next growing season.
The genus name ‘physalis’ is from Ancient Greek – meaning “to blow up.” Cute, huh?

Screen Shot 2020-07-22 at 9.21.01 AM — The billowing, blown-up husks of our tomatillo plants

Today we’ve got two new tomatillo recipes that are multi-purpose: serve them as a salsa with tacos or burritos – or serve them as a dip with chips and veggies.

And here are three of our favorite – and super-delicious – already-posted tomatillo recipes.

Chicken Pozole Verde

Chile Verde

Watermelon and Tomatillo Salad

Screen Shot 2020-07-22 at 10.52.00 AM — Ripe tomatillos – ready to be peeled and used

…

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On Porches and Stoops: We’re Together

July 14, 2020 / 3 Comments

Screen Shot 2020-07-10 at 7.28.00 AM — A modern urban townhouse design. No stoops.

Travis, our son who lives in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, bicycled over to Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, the other day to deliver some of his home-made sour dough bread to friends. Without his even knowing that I had planned a blog on stoops and porches, Travis described the amazing scene to me – people of all ethnicities and ages sitting outside on that warm summer day, chatting up a storm, while easily maintaining social distance – on their Brooklyn stoops.

If you’ve re-watched Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing recently, as we did (it’s sadly relevant to 2020), you’re familiar with Brooklyn’s stoops. (note: it must have been a cold, wintry day when the photo below was taken. That has to explain why the stoops are bare! 🙂

Screen Shot 2020-07-03 at 10.04.01 AM — Bed-Stuy Brooklyn Stoops – in bad weather 🙂

Not all Brooklyn has stoops. A great, brief watch is the recent documentary which focuses on the “5 PM Porch Concerts” which happened daily in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, during the first 82 days of the coronavirus outbreak.

Even if you don’t live in an urban environment like Brooklyn, maybe your neighborhood has porches. And maybe you’ve found they promote a sense of community. In an old All Things Considered series on porches, Michele Norris, the host, remarks “Porches, debate and democracy go together.”

Though today there’s a slight uptick in U.S. homes being built with porches, stoop and porch-sitting suffered a serious setback with the introduction of A/C and televisions. No need to be outside to cool off; entertainment is inside…AND, if you’re in the ‘burbs, there’s a backyard – with PRIVACY!

“Mending Wall,” Robert Frost’s poem about privacy and neighborliness, made Andy think about fences – in today’s Andy’s Corner.

Screen Shot 2020-07-01 at 3.05.31 PM — Welcoming flowers on the front porch of our family’s Shields Street home in Fort Collins, Colorado – and Marcus, our first Aussie; probably around 1970.

More welcoming flowers – and another favorite porch of ours in “Old Town West,” Fort Collins, Colorado. Go CSU Rams!

Margaret Rozga, the current Poet Laureate of Wisconsin, wrote a lovely poem about porches and stoops. Our friend, Terry, a native of the Badger state, has attended talks by Rozga and years ago marched in protests with Rozga’s husband, James Groppi, demanding Fair Housing in Milwaukee. Terry reports that, sadly, Milwaukee still has quite a ways to go in that regard…which probably sets the background for Rozga’s poem:

Cake and Lemonade for Neighbors by Margaret Rozga

Where I want to live
neighbors gather
on front porches, watch
their children play
across multiple front yards, laugh
in Spanish, Arabic, Burmese, English, talk
about back-in-the-day, share
sweet and savory snacks, lend
each other a cup of sugar or flour, borrow
hedge trimmers, a shovel, or rake, help
with chores when need be, apologize
when need be, offer
a word of advice (not more), drum,
strum guitars, and pluck banjos, make
a little noise sometimes, sometimes bring
out a kitchen chair so everyone finds
a comfortable place to sit
on the unscreened
wide or narrow porch
or on the stoop. Some-
times just enjoy all
black brown white
golden quiet together

In the spirit of “Cake and Lemonade for Neighbors,” here’s our version of cake and lemonade – a Persian Love Cake and a Mexican recipe for both Limonada and Naranjada.

Here’s to togetherness…and sitting out front again.

Screen Shot 2020-07-04 at 12.42.33 PM — Naranjada con Soda

Limonada and Naranjada con Soda

Servings: 1
Print

If you want to kick these up a notch, add 1-2 oz vodka. Adapted from MexicoInMyKitchen.com

Syrup (refrigerate the extra for another day)

1 c sugar
1 c water

Lime or Lemon Flavor

1/2 c ice cubes
2 T syrup
2 T lime juice (or lemon juice)
1/2 c sparkling mineral water or club soda
1/2 of a thin slice of lemon or lime to top it off (optional)

Orange Flavor

1/2 c ice cubes
2 T syrup
1/4 c freshly-squeezed orange juice
1/2 c of sparkling mineral water or club soda
mint leaf or two (optional)

First, to make the syrup, place the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Place over medium-high heat and stir until it dissolves. Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer for 5 minutes to form a very uniform syrup. Remove from heat and let it cool.

Once the syrup has cooled, place the ice in the glasses, pour the juice (either lime/lemon or orange), then add 2 tablespoons of syrup. Stir.

Pour the mineral water into it, stir again, add the mint leaf or citrus slice on top, and serve.

Recipe brought to you by BigLittleMeals.com and Andy and Ann.

Screen Shot 2020-07-05 at 12.39.27 PM — Persian Love Cake

Persian Love Cake

Servings: Depends
Print

Adapted from BakedAmbrosia.com

4 c almond flour
1 c sugar
1 c light brown sugar
13 T butter, room temperature (yes, you read it right. 13 Tablespoons)
1 1/2 tsp Diamond kosher salt
3 eggs
1 1/4 c full-fat plain Greek yogurt
1 tsp ground cardamon (or substitute 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 c shelled raw pistachios, chopped
dried rose petals (no spray), for decorating (optional)
extra Greek yogurt and pistachios for serving (or substitute whipping cream)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9-inch springform pan.

Combine the almond flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, butter, and salt. Using an electric mixer, beat on low speed until crumbly. Press about half of the mixture onto the bottom of the prepared pan.

Add the eggs, Greek yogurt, cardamon, and vanilla extract, to the remaining mixture. Beat on medium high speed until all of the ingredients are fully incorporated and the mixture is slightly fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Pour the mixture over the bottom “crust” and sprinkle pistachios around the edges.

Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 35-45 minutes, or until golden brown. Let the cake cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.

Once the cake has cooled, carefully remove it from the pan.

Before serving, top the cake with dried rose petals and serve with extra Greek yogurt and pistachios.

Recipe brought to you by BigLittleMeals.com and Andy and Ann.

The Birds and the Bees

June 30, 2020 / 2 Comments

First, a disclaimer: I don’t want you to be disappointed. This blog has nothing to do with (wink wink) “THE birds and the bees” but it has lots to do with birds and bees.

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We collect bird art – and we didn’t even know that we collected bird art until spending the last 3 months isolating in-house because of the coronavirus. A quick survey indicates that about half of our art work focuses on a bird of some kind or another. Mind you, we’re not collectors of fine pieces by well-known artists, but we do love the funky/fun pieces of art we pick up here and there. We have some abstract pieces, a few landscapes, numerous depictions of couples…and birds.

We’ve been thinking about birds because one bird in the hood is about to drive us both bat-shit crazy – or crazier than we already are after months of singular togetherness. Andy reveals all in today’s Andy’s Corner.

Even if we’re not enamored with every bird “song,” there’s something very soothing about having the time to just sit and appreciate birds – especially as they enjoy a bird bath. Jennifer Ackerman, author of The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think wrote a nice piece for the NY Times about bird-watching during COVID-19.

Screen Shot 2020-06-26 at 11.41.51 AM — Am I a bad person for having a favorite bird? 🙂 Acorn Woodpeckers at our birdbath.

While bumble bees and honey bees may not be quite as vocal or colorful or as amusing as birds, it’s fun to spot them in our flower gardens, knowing how badly we need to be encouraging and helping them. While native bloomers are better than hybridized plants for attracting bees (here’s a great article with more suggestions), we’ve had an amazing number of bees AND hummingbirds on this ‘Kudo’s Gold’ agastache. Note – you shouldn’t just plant one or two bloomers and be done with it; you need a lot, blooming at various times, to do your best for these little pollinators.

Screen Shot 2020-06-05 at 2.03.08 PM — A bee on our agastache ‘Kudos Gold’

There are about 4000 bee species just in North America, but only a few species make honey. And don’t we love them for it? To honor those bees, we’ve got three sweet little recipes to share: a Bee’s Knees Honey Cocktail, Honey Challah, and Honey Brownies. Then continue your love affair with honey by trying our previously-posted 20 Minute Honey Garlic Shrimp, Deb’s Granola, and Pork and Brussels Sprouts with Chile Lime Sauce.

While you cook up a honey-heavy storm, I recommend listening to Judy Collins’ 1973 “Cook with Honey.” And enjoy the amazing Sweet Honey in the Rock. I’ve loved that group ever since 1988 when I got their album Breaths. A song from that album, “Ella’s Song” could have been written about today’s world. This isn’t the original rendition, but it’s lovely. Be sure to read the all-too-relevant lyrics, too. …

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