Vibrant Colors of the upcoming Spring

While at the Farmers Market this past Sunday, picking up a few things for Sunday Dinner, I couldn't help but notice the vibrant colors of all the wonderful produce that were displayed.  The deep greens in the lettuce and asparagus, red, oranges, and light greens from the heirloom cherry tomatoes, and various flowers that were growing nearby.   I was very excited to go home and get cooking! 

I was feeling a little ambitious so I attempted to make Beef Stroganoff.. something I have eaten before, but never made myself.... The Stroganoff did not come out like "traditional" Stroganoff, but it wasn't too bad.  It was nice and meaty, thanks to the tri-tip beef, Portabello and Oyster mushrooms and all the yummy beef stock, but a bit creamy from the sour cream that was mixed in.  Even though it didn't come out the way I wanted, it wasn't too bad.  My family and Tony actually liked it.  Not to shabby....

My favorite dish I made on Sunday was hands down, the Bruschetta/Tomato Salad. I picked up some wonderful Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes at the Farmers  Market, and tossed them with some left over parmigiano reggiano, basil, garlic, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil.  Ate this with toasted sourdough crustinis... YUMMY!!! My favorite were the vibrant colors...

got these yummy asparagus from the FM too, they were skinny little things, but the perfect size for GG to snap in half! 

I have never made cream puffs before, but my sister had requested something sweet for the end of our meal.  She suggested cream puffs, which I was hesitant due to my lack of knowledge, but I was feeling brave and went for it! I was really surprised how easy they were to make.  We were all very excited about how they came out.  Maybe next time I'll make some chocolate ganache to dip them in before filling them with custard!

My ambition continued on throughout the rest of the week.  I decided to make my rendition of the egg salad sandwich I got from Euro Pane a few weeks back, my with my own little twist.  I failed at soft/medium boiling the eggs (they ended up being full on hard boiled eggs!) but it was ok.. next time I will get it right! I made my egg salad with homemade mayo, using olive oil as the oil base.  It was really rich and hearty mayo... I mixed it in with the eggs, some chopped up onions, and various seasonings.  I toasted up some sourdough bread, grabbed the Bruschetta mix I bought from Trader Joe's, mixed greens and made a little bed for my egg salad. 

Trader Joe's Bruschetta on top of sourdough crustinis. 

Here is GG fascinated with the Parsley bunch I had after trimming off the leaves.  Her first encounter with raw produce in the kitchen... She wanted to rip those steams apart!

And then she felt how wet they were and she did not like that very much... Sorry GG!