bon vivant tuesday: tart it up

the way to a man's heart is through his stomach right?  ha...that to be debated in another post but for now....just run with it.  so it’s my first bon vivant tuesday and i’ve been thinking about recipes i could find that used some of the produce mr c and i purchased together at saturdays farmers market and.... that we could do together, awwww...i know, so much togetherness.  but seeing as the goal of this post is to grow me and my mrs self...what the he double hockey sticks.  last night we made a de-lish salad nicoise…

so easy, but quick, healthy and the mr and i were able to use the beets, spring onions, and eggs we nabed at market. a little balsamic vinegar and some rosemary infused olive oil (easy to do yourself..just get a little oil container, pop some rosemary in and leave it) and it was a perfect meal to whip up after a long, crap day day…it was yummy and it even looked purty ;)

Tonight I’m going to attempt a red onion, goat cheese and basil tart  http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Red-Onion-Goat-Cheese-and-Basil-Tart-247 and pair it with some roasted veggies and maybe just a sip of vino! one can’t do something that involves puff pastry and not gussy up the table just a bit so in lue of going out and buying flowers i’ve cut 3 big hosta leaves from the yard, put them in three small vases and placed them one after another down the center of our table. i love that i didn’t have to spend $ on flowers, mr c loves the symmetric look and the simplicity of the leaves and I think there is even something kind of zen about it. add a few votives and wha-la!

semi lame footnote but worth mentioning
* i think having a little herb garden is one of the easiest and least expensive ways to make a meal feel special and make one feel a bit gourmet in the process (well, that and a sassy apron with nothing else on but heels...but realistically that just might not happen as often as the herbs). you don’t need a lot of space, in fact when i lived in a tiny chicago condo i used various pots to cobble together a city girls version of an herb garden on my balcony. you can pick up fledgling herbs at farmers markets, lowes and home depots…and at $1 to $3 a pop…they will last all summer. 2 get started; i would recommend rosemary (which I use in everything from champagne to sauces), lemon mint for ice-tea and pastas, and dill and basil for omelets and just about everything in between.

in fact....i love herbs so much, they were a focal point at our wedding and decorated our dinner tables (see photo at the top)

cheers,

chef m