Sunday Cooking: Saturday too!

You guys, Chicago is having the greatest, weirdest weather I can recall in the 22 years I have lived here. I saw a weather map on the news last night; in Phoenix and California it was in the mid-50s. In Chicago all weekend, it was in the 80s. 80s!!!!!!!

Of course, we will get cooler weather by the end of the week, but they're saying 50s, which is still unseasonable for here. The last two years we had snow on the ground through late April. This year, trees are already starting to bloom, tiny flower blossoms are popping up, and the ground is soft and fertile for spring. Even if we get more snow, I can't see how it would last more than a day; everything is just too warm already.

It's amazing.

Even more amazing is that spring foods are appearing in the stores, and for the first time they feel like they are in season when we are. Asparagus, strawberries, peas -- it's that beginning bounty of the year, all those light bright vegetables and fruits that taste like spring. I scooped some of them up and incorporated them into my cooking this weekend. And since it was so glorious, I divided up the work so I didn't have to stay in the kitchen all day.

Saturday, I cut up strawberries for my yogurt for the week. They're not quite peak yet, but they're still tasty.



I also made quiche. I spotted my favorite kind of spring asparagus, a bunch of those super-skinny stalks, and the rest of the ingredients came to me in a flash.



First I cut up the asparagus and steamed it in the microwave for a few minutes, then sauteed it with the knob onions in a pan until they were all softened with some nice color.



I sliced up some sun-dried tomatoes and added them to my egg mixture with some crumbled herb goat cheese, then seasoned all of it with Penzey's Wall of Flavor and a pinch of kosher salt. There was so much asparagus in it (a whole bunch, hello!) that it nearly didn't fit into the pie shell, but only a bit oozed out so I placed a cookie sheet under the shell while I baked it.



Yeah, it tastes as good as it looks. Lots of bright springy notes.



I also did another attempt at the sparkly grapes idea, this time using sugar-free key lime jello so it was in the same color family as the green grapes. Much better looking, super-easy and it gives them an interesting tart/sweet flavor. I pretty much have inhaled most of the bag of grapes this weekend.

Start with this (I used two boxes for the whole bag of grapes):



Roll the wet grapes in the mixture on the plate.



Place them in the bowl when done. Refrigerate for 30 minutes so the crystals firm up on the grapes.



Enjoy!



The sandwich in the above shot is a meatloaf that I made on Sunday when my friend J came to visit. I love my regular meatloaf, but this different recipe caught my eye from a new blog I am following, A Good Appetite. The idea of kale in it was just too irresistible to pass up.

I was busy chatting with J in the kitchen so I didn't get a lot of pics, but I got some key ones I wanted to share. This is the kale, carrots, sundried tomato and onion mix after I chopped it all in the food processor.



Be warned: it is nearly an equal amount of ingredients as the meat, and it is much drier. The recipe called for 3 eggs which seemed like to much to me at the time, so I threw in 2 eggs and some tomato sauce. It ended up a little drier than I would have liked. So either use all the eggs as directed, or use a lot more sauce next time.



 The recipe also called for just a light brushing of ketchup on the top of the meatloaf, which was a great idea. Again, I used my tomato sauce, but the thin layer crusted up nicely instead of that thick gloppy mess you often see on meatloaf.



We barely let it sit when we were done, we were so excited to dig in. I loved the flavors and the texture; even a little dry it still was delicious.



For dinner that night, I used the blog's follow-up recipe for meatloaf sandwiches. I toasted some whole wheat bread, and smeared a Laughing Cow wedge on it with a bit of BBQ sauce as my condiment. Oh yeah, that hit the spot.




I sent half the meatloaf home with J (and some cheesy potatoes I had made), but there is still plenty left for me. I also made some coleslaw to go with my fishstick tacos I have planned for this week. Photos of that to come later!

What did you do this weekend? Are you having unseasonable weather in your neck of the woods?