washington’s green grocer

yesterday something happened that will change my life.

i received my first delivery from washington’s green grocer.

from now on, every two weeks, i’m going to get a box of fresh fruits and veggies delivered right to my door. i can see a list of what to expect online, and switch out produce that i don’t like. i can even make an always deliver/never deliver list. (mine currently includes garlic – always, and celery – never.)

for me, this is so perfect and exciting because i don’t have a great produce store, i always want fresh ingredients AND i love the excitement and challenge of dealing with things i would probably never buy. like portabello mushroom caps.

this first box included:
a cantaloupe
3 ears of corn
2 large eggplants
a head of red cabbage
4 bananas
a couple pounds of green beans
3 nectarines
3 plums
3 peaches
2 portabello mushroom caps
2 vine ripe tomatoes

yum, right?!

i was so happy and excited and overwhelmed…!! that i ate leftovers.

social commentary

this article, in the new york times magazine, asks and answers a question that is particularly close to my heart and important to my blog. a fascinating read.

“how is it that we are so eager to watch other people browning beef cubes on screen but so much less eager to brown them ourselves? for the rise of julia child as a figure of cultural consequence — along with alice waters and mario batali and martha stewart and emeril lagasse and whoever is crowned the next food network star — has, paradoxically, coincided with the rise of fast food, home-meal replacements and the decline and fall of everyday home cooking.”

101 simple salads

oh man. i saw this article this morning and i almost shrieked with joy. i happen to love mr. bittman and 101 simple salads?! i can eat for the rest of the summer without having the same thing twice!

credit: francesco tonelli for the new york times (too soon to get sued here at icf)

and seriously, is that not the prettiest picture?! i’ll make some and report back.

five bites

tgif. it wouldn’t be friday without five bites, my favorite non-guilty food pleasure.

(sorry, outside-the-beltway people. that was cruel.)

skinny beach shrimp

sounds healthy, summery, easy, delish and right up my alley, courtesy of -Dish-trict.

unfried shrimp
1 lb medium shrimp, cleaned and deveined
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup flour
salt and pepper
cayenne pepper
2 eggs

preheat the oven to 450.

in a shallow bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, and salt, pepper and cayenne to taste. in another shallow bowl, lightly beat the eggs. toss the shrimp in the cornmeal first, shaking off the excess, then dip in the eggs and back in the cornmeal, again shaking them off.

place the shrimp on a parchment-lined and oiled baking sheet and bake directly under the broiler for 5 minutes. turn each shrimp over, cook another minute, then pile on a platter, sprinkle with salt and serve hot.

original recipe and dipping sauce here.