The Thing You Missed in 2011!

Like most of you today, I'm feeling somewhat reflective on the previous year.  We can hardly be blamed for feeling this way since the media inundates us this week each year with year-end roundups, death lists and several other segments each designed to have us looking back to wonder how it all passed so quickly.  

I tried not to treat today any differently from any other but I'm weak and I gave in to the ritual and took a brief look at the past year here at Sis. Boom. blog!

Food bloggers usually save their yearly roundups for their 'blogoversaries', their blog's birthday, and I am no exception.  This post, however,  is not  about the highlights.  Those annual reflection posts  are the times we sit back (with a glass of chardonnay if we do it right) and wax poetic on our interesting accomplishments, our  challenges, the new friends and cooking groups we made, and stuff like that there.  

To be different I thought I would take a look at the posts of 2011 that for some reason or another failed to get an audience.    I really can't tell you why some posts just went off into the ether but they do.   None of the posts below are posts I would have guessed would garner no love.  While some may have gotten a comment or three they actually hardly made a ripple in my blog stats.  

Perhaps it had to do with the timing of the post itself?  Or maybe they weren't written with enough SEO dohickeys in the text -- because I don't know how to do that.  (Truthfully, I don't want to worry about SEO anyway.  Bloggers don't have a chance against Epicurious and the others anymore.)

I love these losers as much as I love all my children, however, so I'm going to give them just on more chance at your adulation before I pack them in to dive into the new year with its new cooking adventures.  (Please do check out my authentic Chinese Chicken Salad post before you move into 2012 with me.    It is craving love too but  I disqualified it since its only been up two days.)

So without further explanation, these are the least viewed Sis. Boom. blog! posts of 2011:


Lamb Tagine with Chickpeas and Apricots 

I guess I was a bit confused over the rules for "Wordless Wednesdays" posts.  Can I help it if some dishes just give me a lot to say? This dish had me running at the mouse to tell you about my Aunt Christine and her bitter, angry fifth ex-husband and a lamb I once knew named Talulah.  (No relation to the tagine.)

Bison Burger

My husband brought home bison thinking it was French hamburger.  (Pronounced "beece- AWE").   The cabernet onions were the real takeaway from this one.

Thai Pork Lettuce Wraps


Frequent travel and hotel food had me craving these low cal wraps when I returned home.  I can usually count on low cal foods being traffic losers.

Rustic Swiss Chard Tart

This post had an embedded Christmas Present for all who read it.   Did you read it and get your gift?  Food Gawker rejected this photo!  

Rhubarb Parfait

An annual confection I make every year when rhubarb is in season.  These were packed up in mason jars for a picnic.    The topping is not just whipped cream and its absolutely worth the extra time when everyone gushes about it.

Mojito Melon Skewers

This dish teaches the lesson that sometimes it is the simplest of recipes that can have a disproportionate positive reaction by your guests.   I was kind of embarrassed at the attention these got when I brought them to an afternoon outdoor lunch.  

These came from from Matt Armandariz’ new book“On a Stick” which I reviewed here.   

Pastitsio


I don't know a lot about Greek food but if its as good as this I have some more culinary studying to do.  This post was an entry into a contest that was to net an actual trip to Greece.  Stay tuned!  (I just hope the contest isn't measuring traffic stats!)

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

I brought these to a very non-American type picnic where they sat uneaten but not unappreciated.  The culinary culture clash was explained in the post...

Zinger Blended Iced Tea

Urbanite actually picked up this post about my favorite "cocktail" -- something I make and drink all year 'round since it is calorie free.   All two of their readers came over to read it.    I had writer's block that day but  my readers had "Sis Boom Block" and never came by to read this one.

Lime Marscapone Sorbet

I deviated from David Lebovitz' masterpiece on the art of the frozen dessert just ONCE in favor of this beaut from Nigel Slater and nobody came to read it.   Even still, it is one of my favorites even it confused me further on what the difference between sorbet and sherbet is supposed to be.

Honey Glazed Duck

The one French Fridays with Dorie post that got no love this past year.  I'm sure the fact that I was nearly a month late with it had nothing to do with it!

Happy New Years from Sis. Boom. blog!   The adventure continues....

Chinese Chicken Salad

My friend Mei-Ling came over for dinner not long ago and even though we hadn't seen each other in  years we were able to "pick it right up" as if it had only been days.   I always love it when that happens with the people in my life as i think it is a litmus test for choosing"family" from among friends.  I get such joy when someone passes the test  as not even all in my real family can pass it.  

When Mei-Ling and I get together we laugh and make lots of politically-incorrect fun of each other.  The kind that we alone are allowed with each other as sort of a secret handshake for admittance into our club of two.  Don't let anyone tell you it doesn't feel good every now and then have some fun at your own expense with someone you trust and the other night was certainly no exception.    

Mei-Ling and I met when we were 10 years old.  Her family had emigrated here from the People's Republic of China and our teacher, Miss Loomis, "assigned"  me to be her "class buddy" and to show her the ropes, if you will.  I would show her around the school,  make sure she knew which milk line to get in, and when it was time to come back in from recess.  I would have to pantomime my instructions to her as Mei-Ling did not know English yet and my Mandarin was still quite rusty.   (This should also explain to friends my preternatural talent for charades.)

Miss Loomis could not have known it (or could she?) but our mutual 'outsider status' would end up bonding us for life.  I would teach Mei-Ling the basic elementary school survival strategies she would need in our culturally homogenous burg and in exchange she would be my lifetime friend and foil.   Seeing how well she coped with being 'different' would eventually give me the courage to embrace it as well.

Mei-Ling was first introduced to me as "Mindy" because her mother decided to give her an "American name" so that she might fit in easier.    Evidently by becoming a "Mindy" this little brown skinned girl with narrow eyes, jet black-straight hair, and no ability to speak English would suddenly blend in with the other kids in our predominately white, upscale beach community -- as if by magic.   I always found the whole idea oddly hysterical and so did she for as soon as Mei-Ling could speak English she instructed everyone around her to stop using it.

When it came to blending in I had it a lot easier than Mei-Ling even though I felt just as much an outsider to those around me.   Unlike Mei-Ling, however, my "individuality" wasn't so immediatly  obvious, even to me.   She would eventually figure it all out before I did and wait for me to share it with her; it would take a few more years before that would happen and she was patient.  

And then the real fun began!

Today she still teases me about about how slow I was to realize what should have been obvious to everyone around me the night in 5th grade I had to beg my parents to let me stay up and watch the "Liza With a Z" TV special on television.    Didn't all 10 year old boys want to see Liza Minnelli?  (It was choreographed by Fosse dammit.)  

She also enjoys teasing me about my cooking by pretending not to remember having ever eaten it.  It drives me crazy because her delivery is so good I can never tell if she means it or not.

"Mimi's Cafe makes the best onion soup I have ever had!" 

Words that cut like a knife until I figure out she is teasing me.

In return I tease her about her lack of curves and her heritage; purposely never quite understanding the differences between Asian cultures and cuisine.    

"Mei-Ling, can your mother make sushi as good as this?"

When she called to tell me she and her husband were coming to town to visit her mother over the holidays I insisted they drop by for lunch.  I told her I had taken a day class in authentic Mandarin Chinese cooking at the community college and I would love the chance to show off for her and her husband.    

I made this.

"Mindy" got the joke immediately as she saw her plate.   Which is why I love her.

You can make this recipe yourself or you can go out to just about any Chinese restaurant and buy it.  Its really not that bad.


Chi Dynasty's Chinese Chicken Salad
Adapted from LA Times; Culinary SOS. 

Oignons Aigre-Doux French Sweet and Sour Onions

Have you ever heard of anybody losing a friendship because the Christmas meal wasn't what it should have been?  Did all heck break loose at your house because somebody had the temerity to bring a side dish nobody really liked?   Perhaps you suffered through a great family schism which resulted from some overly dry Christmas cookies or a failed dessert?   

The truth is no meal is all that important so why do we panic and stress out.   You don't?   Then why do I? 

Is it because I want everything to be, um .... perfect?

Perfect.  Bah.  I have been listening around you these days and I am somewhat surprised to discover that the word doesn't actually mean anything anymore.  It seems as if the meaning of "perfect" has devolved and now is used as a simple acknowledgement instead of the adjective it once was.

Last week the girl at my dry cleaners asked me when I wanted to pick up my clothes. I told her Tuesday and she replied: "perfect."    Now I'm sure Tuesday is a great day but it is not as good as Saturday so it is clearly not "perfect".     

The very same day I ordered an iced tea at lunch and the waitress said, "perfect".    Soup or Salad?  "Salad".   "Perfect".   I wish these were isolated incidents but they aren't.    Have you noticed it too?  

It sounds as if "perfect" is the new "ok" and if this is the case it is going to be very liberating when it comes to planning menus and making entertainment choices. 

I wish I had realized this last week when I was asked to bring a side dish to the now-annual Table Set Christmas Party gathering in Los Angeles.   My friends Greg, Andy, and Nathan (they are the hosts of  the very entertaining The Table Set podcast) asked a few of their friends to join in the fun and bring a dish to their annual holiday party.    (You can join their podcast fun easily by subscribing on iTunes.)

Naturally, I wanted to bring "the perfect side dish" and I felt the pressure immediately.  When your favorite food bloggers ask you to bring a dish to an event attended by the rest of your favorite food bloggers it can  give you pause.  And boy did I pause!  (I hate it when I pause.)   

Then I remembered these "South of Francy" type sweet and sour pearl onions that graced our family's holiday table back in the day.   These really are perfect and I mean perfect in the old sense.  

Good hot or cold and everywhere in between.  Plate them or put them on a buffet (which is what we did at the Table Set party).  They are good with beef, lamb, chicken or fish and if I must say so, they were the perfect thing to serve next to the lovely turkey sandwich rolls with fig ketchup the Table Set boys had put out on the table.    These onions are gluten-free, vegan, and don't even contain nuts.    You can even make them the night before and if you use frozen onions they are even more easy, er, I mean perfect.   (And don't tell me that having one side dish out of the way the night before a holiday dinner isn't perfect.) 

My photos of this dish come courtesy of one of my favorite bloggers Josie of Daydreamer Desserts who was at the party as well and was a lot smarter than I was that night (She actually remembered to bring a camera!)  I have learned a lot about food photography and blogging from her these past few months.   You can check out the amazing Macrarons she brought to the party here.   She's promised to teach me how to make them in 2012 so stay tuned!

 Oignons Aigre-Doux

Rustic Swiss Chard Tart

What type of establishment would I be running here if I didn't do something nice to show my appreciation my loyal and valued readers at Christmas?   Since you are here and you put up with me you you are deserving of something special to conveys my real appreciation for your continued patronage here at Sis. Boom. [blog!]   It is a bit problematic, however, for a food blogger to gift an entire blog readership even when that readership is, you guessed it, only 10 people!   

Still,  I have to do something.  I'm a giver and I can be very resourceful when it comes to a challenge. Ask anybody.  And  I'm nothing if not creative so I knew with a little time and effort I could come up with something.   And I did.   I came up with what I think is the perfect gift for me, a now internationally famous food blogger, to give you.   I am going to give each of you the gift of a one very special, magical cooking word.   Are you ready for your gift?  Here it is...

"Rustic" 

I know! Right? Oh yes, you are so welcome! I do hope you like it!  (I have the receipt if you want to take it back for something else but I don't think you will find anything quite so useful.)  

Yes? Oh.   It appears that some of you haven't quite figured out just how special a gift this truly is so let me explain.  You see now that you have the word "rustic' in your arsenal you are now equipped to transform just about any of your small kitchen failures into dishes that are both strangely romantic and surprisingly evocative of an easy going country life.    

What you had previously just considered "a mess" can now become a "simple, unsophisticated, yet warm and charming" masterpiece of your culinary expression.     Amaze all of your friends.

To use the gift properly you just have to be sure to stick the world "rustic" on your description when people ask you "um, what it this?"   Yes, its that easy! Just like magic your guest's expectations will morph to allow you to accept your much deserved accolades and kitchen kudos.  

The word has has served me well and now, because I love you, I'm giving it to you!  And just in time for the holidays!   See, I told you I'm a giver.   

  

When I fail to expertly flip an omelet for Sunday breakfast, I  will push the mess around a bit more in the pan, tack on this magic word and suddenly I am presenting an "authentic rustic French pan frittata" to the table.  My chef moment is saved while my husband proclaims to our guests what a great regional chef I have become.   (If you try this at home don't forget to garnish with chopped parsley until you get the hang of using the word.   Parsley is always added insurance so do have plenty around.) 

  

When my popovers failed to pop recently I just called them "rustic English breakfast dumplings" and everyone oohed and ahhed -- and then scarfed them all down.    I'm sure it helped matters a bit that my guests were a bit hungover from a late night of drinking -- but don't underestimate the power of "rustic".   Just because you have a headache doesn't mean you will willingly eat what should have been garbage.  Garbage has to be sold! 

"I have never even heard of breakfast dumplings before!  Wow Trevor, so buttery and tasty! "       

Last week I had to dust off the word yet  again after inviting a dear friend over to lunch.   She was coming to trim my tree and so I really wanted to impress with something nice.  (And by 'trimming my tree' I mean she was trimming my Christmas Tree.)  The pate a choux I had intended for this tart did not cooperate so a After much effort to re-roll and repair its tears I finally gave up any notion of using a fluted tart pan.  I just pushed and pushed it  freestyle into a spring-form pan, mashing it together with my wet fingers where the pieces had torn apart.   

I was braced to apologize profusely and be tres embarrassed when it came time to feed my lunch guest until I remembered that all I really had to do was add the world "rustic" to our lunch menu item and all would be forgiven.   Better than forgiven actually as I had inadvertently stumbled on a luncheon theme that even excused the sparseness of my offering.    I served the warm tart with only a simple arugula vinaigrette salad and that became part of the charm too.

Yup, this is one powerful word I give you today.  Use it carefully and I do hope you enjoy it!

Merry Christmas Boomers!


Rustic Swish Chard Tart

Moroccan Lamb Meatballs with Spicy Tomato Chutney on Matafan for "French Sundays with Dorie"

I 'm  late the the French Friday with Dorie Matafan party but hopefully there will still be some room for me at the table because these Moroccan Lamb Meatballs with Spicy Tomato Chutney certainly deserve to attend.  Please don't penalize them due to my tardiness.   They aren't to blame.  Could they help it took me awhile to find something for them to wear to the party?  

And, um, I also have an excuse.  I blame my tardiness on the late announcement of our selections this month.    Announcing  selections is a bit harder than I thought, evidently.    

Blame is one of those things that there always seems to be plenty of so there is always  enough to share.  Go ahead and help yourself to some of it.   Nobody will stop you.  

There are some advantages to being late, however, and things really do work out for the best -- in most circumstances.   This was certainly is one of those times and my matafan found the perfect outfit!   Not only did I get to consider all the helpful hints of my fellow Doristas but I also got to take a few moments to consider "What Would Trix Do?"

Do you know Trix?  Not only is she a good friend but she is also the well travelled proprietress of one of my favorite food blogs, "Tasty Trix".    I really like her style!   She manages to add her own flavorful spin to any recipe she presents; when she "Trixifies" a recipe you always know you are in for a real treat.  So, please go check her out if you haven't already and get inspiration form her as I do.  

She's a real original and so are her wonderful recipes.  If you don't find anything there that inspires you then, well, don't blame me.  Blame yourself.

Last night I whipped up the Matafan (these tasty simple potato pancakes) for my late French Fridays with Dorie effort  and I was staring down some leftover ground lamb and beef.  Suddenly I felt some compelling Trixie inspiration of my own.    

The result:  Moroccan Lamb Meatballs with Spicy Tomato Chutney.

I through in a little of this, and a little of that and raided my spice cabinet.   My spice collection is not as vast as Trix's (she even creates her own unique blends!) but these meatballs turned out to be the perfect topping for Matafan as they needed a nice carby platform to showcase their  exotic spiciness.

What food bloggers inspire you to be creative?

Moroccan Lamb Meatballs with Spicy Tomato Chutney

 

 

For the balls:

• 1/2 pound ground lamb
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup minced onions
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 TBS fresh grated ginger
• 1 egg
• 2 T chopped cilantro
• 1 T dried mint flakes (or 2 tablespoons fresh chopped)
• 2 T Ras el Hanout spice (or any other Middle Eastern spice blend you enjoy)

For the sauce:

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 2 T sirraca sauce
• 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes with sauce.

Combine ingredients for meatballs (using only 1 T of Ras el Hanout) in a bowl and mix well with your hands. Form into 1 inch balls. In a large skillet heat up 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cut meatballs and turn until brown on all sides. Sprinkle remaining tablespoon of Ras al hanout over balls to toss and coat balls and and cook, stirring until coated and toasty. Remove balls from pan and set aside. Reserve fat in pan.

To make the sauce add onion and garlic to pan and cook until softened. Add 2 T sirraca sauce and stir over heat as onions cook. Add the can of tomatoes and mix well. Simmer for 20 minutes as sauce cooks down. Return meatballs to sauce to heat through and serve.

Matafan

I have to agree with my fellow Doristas who thought that it was an awful lot of work to produce these tiny little potato pancakes.  I'm really not sure I will ever set out to make these direct from the recipe again but I will tell you this:  the next time I have to make mashed potatoes for a family dinner I will accidentally double the recipe.

Gotta hand it to the Dor for another recipe in her book that is really more about teaching technique than anything else.   There is no reason why your favorite mashed potato recipe can't be transformed into these with a little flour and egg.    Can you imagine how fun these would be with garlic or green onions?  Or herbs?  Mine were heavily salted and peppered thanks to the suggestions of the Doristas and yet I'm still enjoying a couple of them this morning with some plumb preserves.

Find the recipe here.  And yes, they keep well in a sealed container and can be reheated in a microwave or low even to enjoy the next day!

Pastitsio Equals Good Greek Living!

I have never been to Greece and I'm not  really close to many Greek people. But that doesn't mean I don't know a few things about Greek heritage does it?  I'm always amused when the few Greek acquaintances I have will mention a personal quality, or describe some endearing foible of a family member and then say something like,  "well, we're Greek and you know Greeks...."   I don't but then I do.  Because we are all Greeks really.  Or some sort of thing like that.

Upon consideration and perhaps even some research I will ponder what they have told me and usually realize that being Greek has nothing to do at all with what they just told me!  You see, most human qualities are, in fact,  universal.   Even those we associate with our heritage.   Sure, we like ascribing certain attributes to our own cultural  groups because that is what we know.  Right?   So if you are Greek the love of big families, good food, pressures to get married to our own,  etc. all become Greek.   If you are Italian, well, then they are Italian.  And so on.   You name your cultural background and I'll say, "Well, you are [fill in the blank], and you know the [fill in the blank].    You will shake your head with familiarity.

And I'll be right too!   So even though I don't know many Greeks real well,  I still feel like I know a bit about their values and heritage.  I'll just look inside my own self and my own heritage.    

Also...it might sound a bit silly but...now bear with me here...

* * * 

The surprise hit movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" came out only a few short months before my future spouse and I were just starting to get serious with each other.  Our families had not yet met.

My honey comes from a very large Persian family.   They emigrated to the US throughout the 1970's and early 80's  and while rebuilding their lives found comfort here by bringing along their own heritage and traditions.

On the other hand, I came from a decidedly not-so-large WASP family -- not unlike the one depicted in the movie.

My side of the family considered a 'large family meal' one where there was one extra guest at the table, usually my grandmother who we saw once a month even though she lived next door.  It wasn't that  we didn't ever get together and eat.  It was just something that we thought Christmas was for and once a year was enough.  

To my Persian in-laws,  inviting "just the close family" to dinner keeps the  guest list down to a manageable two or three dozen eaters.  

So we enjoyed quite a bit of laughter throughout the movie at the expense of the cultural differences and misunderstandings between the fictional Portokalos family - played by Nia Vardalos, Michael Constantine, Lanie Kazan and Andrea Martin - and the WASPy  fiance, Ian Miller - played by  John Corbett.

When the credits rolled my soon to be partner-in-life leaned over to me and said:

"So, you thought that was funny did you?  Well....get ready then."  

He knew then what I hadn't yet learned: when any two families come together from any two different cultures there are always going to be some misunderstandings, misadventures and personal adjustments to make along the way.   Some of them will even be funny and worthy of including in a screenplay.  

Its been many, many years and I now feel as if I've lived this movie and also learned its lessons.  Becoming the newest family member in such a tight knit family (of dozens) has been one of the the greatest gifts in my life. The Greek good living and heritage depicted in the movie really does belong to everyone and all cultures.

In this regard it doesn't matter what ethnicity you come from, Persian,  Italian, African, American, African-American, Danish, or whatever.  We're all Greek.   Experiencing the ups and downs of daily life through the lens and security of membership in a family is what good living means.

In the end it just takes some time for our true shared human natures to take over and show us what we have in common with each other.  This was the lesson of the movie and it is a good lesson for all of us regardless of our cultures or national origin.      Don't sweat our differences.   Good living is about seeing what we share; as families, friends, countrymen, or world citizens.

So about those 'just the close family dinners'?   I now go to them weekly.  Everyone shows up, tons of food is put on the table and we get to be together for a few hours to laugh, cry, and share our way through whatever is going on in our lives.   Good news or bad, its all good living when it is with family.  Just like in the movies.

And  like the movies,  big families and good living means big food.   It has been a big adjustment for me to learn to learn how to cook for larger groups.  "The buffet" has become my friend and the "sit down dinner party" has become a memory.   This Greek pastitsio is the perfect "big family dish" and so I cooked it up when it was my turn recently to host "just the close family."  

Like its Italian cousin the lasagna,  Greek pastitsio is rich, nourishing and can be made in advance.   It can also feed a lot of people!   Just pop it in the oven when it is time to enjoy the big family get-together so you aren't stuck in the kitchen.

Yeah, a lot of pots get dirtied in its making but then what are big families for if not to help you with the dishes?  

Some day it would be fun to get a bunch of Greeks and "my Persians" together for dinner.   They could argue about whose family is more eccentric.   Or which culture gets to claim credit for kebabs.  And just for dessert I would throw some gas on the fire and ask innocently enough which culture makes the best baklava?

Then the food would come out and we would all realize what a good life it is to be gathered together and living our lives with family.    Greek style.  

If you are lucky there are leftovers!

This post is part of an entry to a contest sponsored by Fage Greek Yogurt.   They are making me add this little bit of language as well:

“As a selected blogger, I have been entered for the chance to win a trip to Greece courtesy of FAGE. You too can enter to win one of three trips to Greece by entering the FAGE Plain Extraordinary Greek Getaway here: http://www.fageusa.com/community/fage-greek-getaway”

The truth is, you don't have to offer me a chance at a trip to Greece to use Fage Greek yogurt or talk about good living.  Writing about life and family is kind of what do all the time, right?   For the record, I use Greek yogurt all the time too and you should as well. Its creamy, tangy, healthy goodness finds its way into all manner of soups, salad dressings and breakfasts at our house.   I don't even buy sour cream anymore.  In this dish Fage Greek Yogurt adds just the right amount of zip to the creamy béchamel so it can stand up to to the strong flavors of the sauce.

Family, Pastitsio, and Good Greek Living:

 

 

Pastitsio

Adapted from Ina Garten

Kiwi Fruit Tart

Talk about generous!  Each Tuesday the company where I work fills up our staff kitchen with fruit for us to snack on all week long.   I know what you must be thinking right now and yes, I do have a day job thankyouverymuch.   But  yeah,  this is a really cool thing for any company to do for its employees -- we all love it, of course.   Since our building isn't near a lot of food outlets this ensures that when we get the munchies, there is usually something healthy around for us to nosh on.

At your first look on Tuesday you will see the kitchen is full of baskets containing apples, pears,  and all manner of citrus. Platters full of strawberries and blackberries sit next to trays of pineapple spears, papaya, kiwifruit, and mangoes! There are even a few dozen lemons and limes that people squeeze into their iced teas and Diet Cokes during the week.  

Fruit lover's heaven!  You would think there is so much fruit that it would last all week long, but it doesn't.  Well, some of it does.   Much of it goes quite quickly.  Some, alas, does not.

Simple observation has revealed a rather rigid and predictable hierarchy of fruit-snacking desirability.  Not all varieties of fruit will make it to Friday for our snacking enjoyment.   The progression from fruit abundance to 'slim pickings' is predictable and always plays out the same way. An hour or two after the full spread is put out on the staff kitchen table early consumption reduces the berries to just a few bruised morsels left in their containers.  By lunchtime even these will be gone.   Strawberries are always a hot commodity, even in the winter when I personally find them tasteless and not worth even trying.     (They must be grown in someone's closet under a grow light?)

By the end of the first day the pineapple spears and mango will also be gone.  

   

By the time Thursday afternoon rolls around we are usually left with a basket still full of apples. The visually perfect ones will have been chosen leaving just those sporting some sort of blemish.   They are otherwise perfectly good and stand a good chance of being enjoyed before trash day. A few stray pears yet to ripen will remain along with somewhere just short of one dozen Kiwifruit.

Oh yeah, a few tenacious lemons and limes still linger for the Friday afternoon iced tea crowd.  I'm sure if our office threw a daily Happy Hour during the week there would be a much higher demand for these garnish essentials!  I hope someone gets on that.

Curiously, nobody ever seems to eat the kiwifruit?  Why do you suppose that is?  Do they even know what those egg shaped fleshy goodies are?  Or are they just lazy because enjoying kiwifruit also requires some peeling beforehand?

Friday's fruit selection invariably includes half a dozen kiwifruit just a few hours past their prime.  These puppies are "dead kiwi walking", marked for the trash at quitting time.   Being the kind soul that I am, however,  I try to save them from their fate by taking them home with me.  As the last one out the door the duty falls on me to issue a pardon.

Which is why I always enjoy a kiwi with my Saturday breakfast.

On a recent Thursday there were quite a few kiwifruit sitting unloved and I felt a duty to rescue them from certain demise by taking them home and nursing them back to desirability.   (This is nothing I wouldn't also do for an injured animal.)  

Probably the handiest thing I have learned since starting this blog is that it is always a good idea to make an extra pastry crust each time you have to make one.  They  freeze for quite a long time and I am always grateful to have one ready to go for times such as when  I get the urge to escort a lonely, unloved kiwifruit home from work.    

This particular week after escorting some kiwi home with me on Thursday I ended up escorting them  right back to the kitchen the next morning where I served them up for breakfast in the form of this tasty, simple to make kiwifruit tart.      

The tart was gone in 10 minutes leaving only a few bruised apples and a lemon by the time everyone left for the week.  Just perfect to make apple cake with.

Yeah, I suppose they are just too lazy to peel it!

Kiwifruit Tart 

 

Kiwifruit Tart