Today is What I Ate Wednesday, and you know what that means. A day in the life of my food. I must confess, I don’t have pictures of everything, but I promise to fill in all the sketchy details. Why do the details have to be sketchy? I don’t know, but it sounds more interesting, so sketchy it is.
Before we get sketchified (How is this not a real word? Rubbish, I say), let me give a big old shout out to Ms. Jenn over at Peas and Crayons for hosting our fine weekly affair, and also being the Queen of sketch-free ingredients. I shall lend her my crown…temporarily, of course. She uses real food and for that reason alone, I heart her. I might also heart her eats because every single recipe I’ve made, and I’ve made my fair share, has been phenomenal. She does her homework, and it shows.
I’m sharing my Saturday eats with all of you, and my first photo fail is my morning cup of coffee. I kind of fail at this one every week though, so I’m not worried. I mean really, unless it’s iced coffee or a mocha frappe-whatever, I just can’t seem to exude much excitement for a photo of coffee. The actual drink, on the other hand, well now…ahem…clears throat….♫ “The best part of waking up is [coffee] in my cup.” ♫ If I’m being honest, there’s probably an Edith Bunker type screech at the end of that line.
I skipped breakfast on Saturday (I can’t eat first thing in the a.m.) because I was out of the house early for some strawberry picking. If you want to get technical, I did have strawberries fresh from the fields because I managed to sneak some while I was picking. One for me, two for my basket, one for me, two for my basket. It’s math people, nothing sketchy here; aside from petty larceny.
I’m guessing a creepy crawler or two was also consumed (and not pictured) since I didn’t rinse, much less wash the berries first. Oh the horror; yet somehow I’m still alive and kicking, preferably in a chorus line type way.
By the time I got home from picking, I needed something a little more tangible than strawberries and since my stomach sounded like a Mac truck, I inhaled my last Banana Muffin, which hails from Running With Spoons low-fat banana bread. Seven simple and sketch free ingredients. Can’t beat that.
I realize there are two muffins in this picture, and I only ate one. The other went to the Hubby because I am generous and was also already whipping up lunch: two fried eggs and my leftover Farro Risotto from dinner the night before.
Ignore the fact my eggs look like they were ravaged by a deranged chipmunk. That was just me, still struggling desperately to achieve yolk porn with these farm fresh eggs. It will happen and when it does, ♫ Watch out now. ♫
Hours and a nap later, I was feeling snacky, which is after all the theme this month, so I made a little snack platter, with Ramp Pesto and Garlic Hummus. Going clockwise, we have cucumbers, grape tomatoes, Gooseberries from the farmers market, and snap peas. Yes, I absolutely bought the Gooseberries based solely on their cute factor. I can’t resist a pretty fruit, veggie, or man (so long as it’s the Hubby).
Since snacks is the theme this month and technically this was my only photographed snack of the day, I’ll just show you another picture from a different angle, so it looks like I was really snackilicious.
I realize this is absolute trickery, some might even say sketchy, and I’m good with it.
I followed up my snack platter with pizza or since my crust is so über thin, we should just call it flat bread, with more Ramp Pesto, a freshly sliced tomato and a ball of mozzarella. Please feel free to throw an Italian accent on that last bit, especially the mozzarella. Large hand gestures are equally acceptable (I might have started watching the Housewives of New Jersey last night, and it shows).
My evening concluded with porch beers at a friend’s house so I have no more pictures, but a hard cider and a strawberry beer were absolutely consumed, along with several handfuls of kettle cooked potato chips. If I wasn’t in the company of others, I would have totally inhaled those chips. Alas, moderation and dare I say it, a little bit of humility…from…me (wow, that sounds odd just typing it) prevailed. It’s like I don’t even know myself anymore.
What does a day in the life of your eats look like? Have you ever had Gooseberries? Is the best part of waking up, coffee in your cuuuppppppp? ♫
Gooseberries?!?! Sounds like something Wonka made up! How do they taste?
And while I love me some coffee, I am cutting back these days (not always a success). Chai lattes are filling in, and of course SMOOTHIES 🙂
They are a lot like tomatillos, where you pop them out of their husk and inside is a sweet yet slightly sour berry. They weren’t my favorite, but I wouldn’t turn them down either.
Maybe you could try Green Tea.
Oh I want to try gooseberries now! I’ve never seen them in stores.
I’m not a coffee drinker (unless it’s a mocha – bring chocolate into the picture and I’ll eat just about anything 😉 ), but I do look forward to my morning cup of green tea.
That flatbread pizza looks AWESOME! My mom did something with pesto last night, and it smelled so good so now I’m really craving some pesto! Hopefully some pesto tortilla pizza will do the trick 😉
I’ve never seen them before either, which is half the reason I bought them. The other reason, of course, was their cute factor. I’m such a sucker.
I hope your pesto tortilla pizza does that trick. It sounds good.
That farro risotto looks awesome! Have you posted the recipe for it? 🙂
Oh no, that wasn’t my recipe. It was leftover from dinner out the night before at Ken Stewart’s East Bank. It was delicious though.
Maybe I wanted to see your cup of coffee, and what your coffee mug/cup looks like. Geesh, look at you only thinking of yourself. Ha Ha kidding 🙂
Have a great day lovely!
Alright, next time I’ll share my coffee….just for you.
Those gooseberries look interesting! I’m pretty sure I have never seen or tried them before. My farmers market just has your typical strawberries and blueberries. Sometimes no matter how hard I try I just can’t get eggs to turn out as pretty as others, but at least they always taste good.
This was the first time I had ever seen gooseberries. They were pretty intriguing.
Those little gooseberries are so darling! They look like something an elf would eat. Do they taste kind of like tomatillos?
I haven’t been photographing any of my food either. Sometimes, you gotta focus on eating and enjoying instead 🙂
They are a relative of the tomatillos family, at least according to the farmer. You get a gold star. They have some sweetness like a tomato, but are also slightly sour too. Beguiling really.
True that. I usually only photograph my WIAW meals or if something looks real pretty and then basically take the rest of the week off, except lately with my CSA goodies getting put to use, I’m taking a lot more photos.
Haha echoing the comment above- gooseberries remind me of Willy Wonka! Never tried ’em but I’m yet to eat a berry I don’t like! That snack platter makes my current snack of choice look pathetic – carrot sticks and PB ;)!
Hey, don’t knock carrot sticks and PB. That’s a classic!
Hah! This post made me laugh :). The pizza looks SO good. I’m actually not the biggest fan of cheese (please refrain from throwing things at me) so yours looks absolutely perfect to me!
Gasp! I….don’t…..even…..know…..what…..to…..say.
I forgive you, I guess, although you have rendered me speechless.
One for me and two for the bowl is how I always rolled when making anything involving fruit, chocolate chips, nuts, etc. But then I would be too full from making the food to actually eat the finished product. I prevented this by just sticking in my retainer. Lol. One of the only times I actually wore that thing (but I am heeding your cautionary tale of braces and have been trying to wear it more at night, I swear!).
I’ve never seen gooseberries before, but have heard of them. I just assumed that they looked like a mix between the other kinds of berries. Apparently not. Are they sweet? Sour? Good?
Do you ever say sketch in real life? I don’t think I’ve ever used that form of it. Maybe “sketchy” a few times. Probably more often I’ve said fishy instead though because I grew up watching Scooby Doo and use cheesy phrases that make me sound like I’m twelve.
Good. You don’t want to be an adult with braces. You’ll have to just trust me on that one.
The gooseberries are both sweet and sour. Strange, but true and actually once you pop them out of their husk, they look like regular round and smooth berries on the inside.
I say sketchy in real life, but I really like the word, which is sketchy in and of itself.
I LOVE my coffee in the mornings! Definitely the best part of waking up and I’m not going to lie, I get a little excited about going to bed just so I can wake up and have my coffee!
I have been contemplating buying some hard cider but am just worried I won’t like it. I almost picked up some of the Angry Orchard yesterday but knowing me I’ll have a sip then the rest of the bottle will go down the drain because my hubby won’t like it. And he’s the one who finished my beers after I have my one or two drinks. Which kind of cider do you get?
I’ve had the Angry Orchard and it’s good. I also like the Crispin brand. Original Sin in another good one too, with a catchy name. Cider works for me because I’m not a huge fan of beer. I say try it and then if you don’t like it, cook with it. Use it in a soup.
I too have never seen a gooseberry. IT looks like a Chinese lantern or something…something Chinese..I think. I want some. Now. I don’t always wash my produce either, ESPECIALLY if you freshly picked it from a local (safe) farm!! PPSH no need to! Those bugs are just extra protein..haha. Coffee is the essential start to my morning..without it I rip my clothes off in public, and that’s just not safe.
You always make me laugh, even in your comments. The gooseberry does look like a Chinese lantern, although that part is the husk and it actually pops off.
I want to inhale ALL those muffins.
Inhale away my dear.
I WANT that snack platter – looks like heaven! And I too love trying out new produce – wish I’d find those gooseberries near me, I’d snap em up in no time flat!
It was the first time I had ever seen gooseberries (I didn’t actually know what they were) and I absolutely snatched them up.
Snack platters are the bomb diggety.
Those muffins look awesome! I love any form of banana bread – I bet those would go great with the strawberries. Thanks, Meghan!
I’m sure they would. I actually did another batch with strawberries last week as well….and the week before….and maybe even the week before that. It’s strawberry central up in here.
Love those strawberries. Even if you did eat a bug or two, I’ve heard that’s good protein, right? The birds like them anyway…
That snack plate looks just gorgeous. And I have to say, I have never actually seen a gooseberry before. I’ve heard of them, and now I know what they look like. They’re cute little things!
That pizza/flatbread looks too good to be true. I love how simple it is.
I used to looooove coffee any time of day, but now that I’m allergic to it, I have to simply resort to the smells of other peoples’ coffee in the morning.
I hope you’re having a great day!
You’re right. Those pesky bugs are probably great protein.
This was my first experience with gooseberries, and you should know, the actual berry is inside the husk you see in the pictures. You pop it out to eat it.
Allergic to coffee! That’s a travesty.
I am confused enough to Google, because when I lived in Germany my next door neighbor had a gooseberry bush and those ground cherries up there on your plate were definitely not growing on her . . . . plant . . . . nor in the gooseberry tarts, pies, and jams that she’d give to me while I lived next door.
I think your next door neighbor was pulling your chain. Ha.
In my photos, the gooseberries are still in their husks; not sure if that matters. This is what they looked like on the inside: http://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-deal-19-34637
How were they in a pie?
Nope, my neighbor was spot on: (I see your kitchn link and raise you this kitchn link: http://www.thekitchn.com/seasonal-and-regional-spotligh-89584 though I prefer this wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gooseberry).
You’ve got yourself some ground cherries there, aka Cape Gooseberries: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_cherry.
The pies and tarts were delicious, and I imagine the ground cherries in hummus would be great. Now I want hummus. Conveniently . . .
So just gooseberries by another name? Cape Gooseberries.
For what it’s worth, they were good, although they were sour so I don’t think I would recommend them for hummus.
Humility is often the only reason I moderate too. Thank god for not being totally shameless.
It’s a small amount, but I think there’s a teeny bit of humility in me. 😉
My best childhood friend had a gooseberry bush in her backyard, and we would scarf ’em all straight from the plant. I haven’t had one since. That was the perfect berry-picking set up. One for me, one for me, one for me. Forget that basket business.
I bought new coffee, and it’s disappointing coffee, and my mornings just aren’t the same.
Baskets are overrated, unless of course you want to bring some home and freeze them. Then they are a necessary evil. Speaking of evil, bad coffee fits the bill.
The double picture of that snack platter almost had me fooled! I’ve never seen a gooseberry before but I have to say they’re so CUTE!
Cider and chips on the porch sound like a perfect way to end the day, what kind of cider do you drink? (I know I’ve seen post original sin and that’s a good one, but I’m always looking for others to try!)
It is a perfect ending to the day. I’ve tried a lot of ciders, and I really like Crispin, although you can’t go wrong with Angry Orchard or Original Sin, based on name alone. 😉
I love tea or green juice in the morning! And on weekends I love having a coffee over conversation. The little things 🙂
Awww, the gooseberries look like little Chinese paper lanterns! Let’s hope they tasted a bit better than that though! I have to admit, my mind first went to Willy Wonka as soon as I read what they were…and then to Super Troopers…”the snozberries taste like snozberries!!” Bahaha! God, I’m such a sucker for stupid humor…AND pretty and unique fruits and veggies! 😉
Turn yo heat down on those eggs woman!! You’re killing me over here! Must have yolk porn!!!
The goose berries, although technically I guess they are Cape Gooseberries, caught me eye because they were cute. In order to eat them, you pop them out of their husk and inside is a small sweet and sour berry. They were good. I’m sure somebody could do something really interesting with them, but I ate them straight up. I also probably wouldn’t buy them again since my curiosity was satisfied.
The mysteries of yolk porn are evading me presently (why god why!) but reducing the heat will help. Maybe I should walk away from the cast iron skillet for these guys, but cast iron is the perfect vehicle for eggs. No, I shall press on.
Your banana muffins looks delicious! I have tried that banana bread recipe from running with spoons. It tastes good.
Thanks Sara. Running with Spoons has some very solid recipes. I’ve really liked all of the ones I’ve tried.
Thanks for stopping by and saying hello.