Quesadillas stuffed with greens and feta

Total time: 30 minutes Servings: 4 to 6 Our recipes, your kitchen: If you try any of the L.A. Times Test Kitchen recipes from this week's Food section, please share it with us: Click here to upload pictures of the finished dish. Oil 1/3 cup minced onion 1 pound mixed cooking greens, such as kale, mustard and collard 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper 2 teaspoons minced garlic 1 cup diced feta cheese 12 corn tortillas 1/4 pound low-moisture mozzarella, cut in small dice 1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook until it softens and begins to color, 3 to 5 minutes. 2. While the onion is cooking, rinse the greens in a colander, but don't dry them. When the onion is ready, add the greens along with any water that clings to the leaves to the skillet. Season with salt and red pepper, sprinkle with garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the greens are quite tender, about 15 minutes. 3. Remove from the heat and stir in the feta. 4. Heat 2 teaspoons oil on a griddle over medium heat; use a spatula to distribute it so the surface is evenly covered. If you don't have a large griddle, you can use a skillet, but you'll have to cook the quesadillas in more than one batch. Add the tortillas and cook on one side until they have softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip them to the other side and spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of the greens in the center. Sprinkle over some of the diced mozzarella and use a spatula to fold the tortilla in half around the filling. 5. Cook until the tortilla begins to brown on one side, 2 to 3 minutes, and then flip onto the other side and cook until the tortilla browns on that side and the mozzarella is melted, about 2 to 3 minutes more. If some of the melting cheese oozes onto the griddle, that's even better. Repeat if necessary to use up all of the tortillas and filling. 6. Serve immediately, or keep warm in a 250-degree oven until all of the quesadillas have been made. via LA times

Harissa

Guajillo and New Mexico chiles, according to cookbook author Paula Wolfert, are the closest to the peppers of Nabeul and Gabès in Tunisia. Use one or both, or add a few chipotle chiles into the mix: The smokiness of the chipotles adds a terrific earthy note. Or, if you like more heat, add a generous handful of chiles de árbol or even some red-hot Thai chiles -- the flavors will mellow a bit, though not that much. Put the dried chiles into a bowl, cover with boiling water and allow them to soften for half an hour. Though many recipes call for warm or even tepid water, rehydrating chiles in boiling water softens up their papery skin and allows them to blend more easily, resulting in a smoother paste. Then blend the chiles, spices, garlic and salt in a food processor with some olive oil and maybe a little water. Resist the urge to add too much oil; harissa, once finished, is stored with a layer of oil covering the top, so some of that will get mixed in over the course of its use. (Covered like this, it will keep for months in your refrigerator.) -- Basic harissa Total time: 40 minutes Servings: Makes 1 cup Note: You can grind the spices in a spice grinder, a coffee grinder or with a mortar and pestle. 4 ounces dried chiles (equal amounts of New Mexico, guajillo and chipotle chiles) 5 cloves garlic, peeled 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds, freshly ground 1 1/2 teaspoons coriander seeds, freshly ground 2 tablespoons best-quality olive oil, plus extra for storage 1. Place the chiles in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Let rest until softened, about 30 minutes. Drain, then remove the seeds and stems from the chiles. Wear latex or rubber gloves when you do this to avoid irritating your skin. 2. Place the seeded and stemmed chiles into the bowl of a food processor with the garlic and pulse a couple of times. Add the salt, caraway and coriander. Process until smooth, pouring the olive oil into the feeding tube on top as you blend. Add a little water if necessary to achieve the right consistency: The harissa should be a thick paste. To store, top off with a thin layer of olive oil and refrigerate. via LA times

A drive by chinatown

Flower wall

Who grows there?! 
Tuscan kale :)

Summer

most famous and buttery tomato sauce

I made this last night and it was very tasty--like tomato butter.   

 from Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking.

Serves 2, enough to sauce 1 to 1 1/2 pounds pasta

For the Sauce:

• 2 pounds (about 5 midsize tomaties) fresh, ripe tomatoes, prepared as described below, or 2 cups canned imported Italian tomatoes, cut up, with their juice Ask a question about this ingredient.
• 5 tablespoons butter!!! Ask a question about this ingredient.
• 1 medium onion, peeled and cut in half Ask a question about this ingredient.
• Salt to taste Ask a question about this ingredient.

1. Put either the prepared fresh tomatoes or the canned in a saucepan, add the butter, onion, and salt, and cook uncovered at a very slow, but steady simmer for about 45 minutes, or until it is thickened to your liking and the fat floats free from the tomato. Ask a question about this step.
2. Stir from time to time, mashing up any large pieces of tomato with the back of a wooden spoon. Ask a question about this step.
3. Taste and correct for salt. Discard the onion before tossing with pasta. Serve with freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese for the table.  
 

via food52.com

From red to blue

Nebraska storm shots

Yogarino! XL

I think there's a house behind those sunflowers! 

Bloom!

Fascinating Quote

"If you consciously hold within yourself three quarters of your power and use only one quarter to respond to any communication coming from others, you can stop the automatic, immediate and thoughtless movement outwards, which leaves you with a feeling of emptiness, of having been consumed by life. This stopping of the movement outwards is not self defense, but rather an effort to have the response come from within, from the deepest part of one's being."

-Samkhya

First seen on the deep middle: A great blog!
http://deepmiddle.blogspot.com/

    





snuggles

Window inspiration 

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2011/07/14/garden/20110714-STRAWBALE.html

A great article on an artisan home builder who uses stones and straw!

Let's help out bats!

One little brown bat can consume several thousand insects per night

Buy your own bat box to attach to your house. 
One source of bat boxes that has been approved by bat conservationists is: 
http://www.featherednestsite.com/Work.html


A source of water is also important for these tiny flying mammals

• You can take an active role in our conservation efforts by contacting local range and wildlife managers, as well as landowners with horses or other livestock. Explain the need for all water troughs to have wildlife escape structuresand for minimizing obstructions to the water’s surface. The following summary of conservation actions will help ensure that bats and other wildlife have safe and accessible access to live-giving water:

• Water troughs must have properly designed and placed escape structures and obstructions to the water’s surface should be minimized where possible.



• The larger or longer the water development, the better it is for bats. Where possible, try to provide at least eight feet of unobstructed water surface.



• Maintain consistent water availability and full water levels in troughs, ponds, etc., especially during the late spring through mid-summer bat maternity season and in times of drought.

Via http://www.batcon.org
From Water for Wildlife: 

Coworker Alissa back from France shared these macaroons! 

Breakfast from Paris is served! 

iced tea fresh

MAKES 1 QUART

• 2 tea bags, or the equivalent in loose tea (I used English Breakfast, but you can really use any tea you like)
• 1 cup packed fresh mint leaves
• 3 to 4 tablespoons sugar (turbinado is good here, but you could also use honey, maple syrup or agave)
• Lemon slices for serving

1. Boil a kettle of water, and put the tea and the mint into a large, heatproof pot or pitcher. Pour a quart of boiling water into the pot, add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Carefully taste a little and add more sugar if you like. Set the tea aside to cool to room temperature and then refrigerate until cold.
2. Strain and serve over plenty of ice with lemon wedges

via food52.com

soft colors

Via Alexandra Angle

Also: An online source for your all your patio citrus needs:
 http://rgvnursery.com