fava bean crostini with burrata

Last night, I sat on the living room couch and peeled fava beans while Daniel watched baseball on television. It was actually kind of nice. Watching televised sports often makes me feel fractious and sulky- they always seem to go on forever and the noise makes it difficult for me to read- so it was nice to have something to keep my hands busy for a while. There is something almost meditative about the long process of peeling fava beans...first stripping them from their fuzzy, unwieldy shells, then blanching them, then popping them out of their tough inner skins. At the end, you feel you've accomplished something.

All in all, I peeled two pounds of beans that I ended up using, in part, to make fava bean crostini.

I read about fava bean crostini over on the blog House to Haus last week and I suppose the desire to make them for myself was implanted in my brain. I modified the recipe a bit, adding fresh burrata on top of the crostini instead of shaved parmesan because I had some on hand and thought its creaminess would play well against the brightness of the favas.

And they were delicious- fresh and earthy and intensely green. Between us, Daniel and I managed to polish off nearly a dozen.

I feel like these would make an excellent appetizer for a spring dinner party, since most people aren't crazed enough to spend the better part of an hour prepping beans but are very appreciative if someone else has done the work and whipped them up into something delectable. 

ca'toga

As a birthday gift, Daniel's mother gave Daniel and me a tour of Ca'toga, a villa in Calistoga that belongs to the artist Carlo Marchiori. 

We drove up to Calistoga early Saturday morning to pick up our tickets at the Ca'toga gallery. I couldn't resist taking a few photos of the ceiling murals. 

We drove up to the villa and spent a few minutes wandering around the property. Carlo Marchiori leads the tours himself and he took a group of 16 of us through the villa and around the grounds. He's quite the character- burly and gregarious with a closely clipped white beard and  wire rimmed spectacles. He told us a little about the history of the property and his own background as an artist, introduced us to his dogs, and let us poke around the house to see all of the wildly painted rooms. 

He requested that we not take pictures in the house, but I did of course take some photos of the property.

The place truly is a labor of love- Marchiori disclosed that it had taken him 23 years to make the house what it is today- and it's unlike anything I've ever seen. Daniel and I wandered around with wide eyes, checking out the Temple to Diana, the shrine to Bacchus, and the pond with sculptures of Narcissus and Echo. All of this, in Calistoga- what a discovery (thank you Cathy!!)

After the tour, we treated ourself to an Italian-inspired lunch at Redd Wood in Yountville. 

We tucked into cured meats and an asparagus pizza with taleggio and prosciutto cotto. And of course, some Italian wine. A lovely way to spend a Saturday. 

saving mothers

With Mother's Day coming up next weekend, I just wanted to put this out on the interwebs- if you're looking for a way to celebrate your mom, consider making a small donation to the awesome organization Saving Mothers. I've worked with this group for years and the work they do to improve maternal health outcomes in resource-poor settings is truly inspiring. It's a great cause, and if you make a donation this week, Saving Mothers will send an Mother's Day e-card to your mother telling her that you made a donation in her name. Isn't that nice?

It's a  great way to celebrate mothers everywhere and every little bit helps. Check out the website to learn more about Saving Mothers and, please, spread the word!

checking in

{wine tasting at Ma(i)sonry, Napa}

Oh dear, oh dear- I've been very lax about posting this week and I wanted to check in before the weekend. Still, I did manage a wee blog re-design, so hopefully that counts for something?

The week was very nice- a birthday party at Mission Bowling Club (out of 12 people, I had by far the fewest points. Sad.), a baby shower that included a manicure and pedicure, drinks with my Dad at One Market and a number of other pleasant activities. But I took a break from lugging my camera around, so no pictures.

Daniel got home from his work trip last night and this evening we're driving up to Napa to house sit for his parents while they're on vacation in Italy. I'm elated of course- I love house sitting in Napa- and can hardly wait to skip out of town for a few days (even though our part of town is clearly awesome-check it!). Napa is a place I actually relax and I'm looking forward to reading out on the deck, walking the dog, barbecuing (!), and sleeping in. And hopefully taking a few photos along the way.

Hope everyone has a delightful weekend planned.

kim boyce's whole wheat chocolate chip cookies

Tomorrow, Daniel leaves on a business trip and will be gone for almost a week. I decided to bake him cookies to take with him.

Kim Boyce's whole wheat chocolate chip cookies are a new favorite of mine. They're substantial, a bit heftier than their white flour brethren, but delicious in a subtle, toasty way. Since I made my first batch a week and a half ago, these cookies have really grown on me. I took a dozen with me to a casual dinner and within 10 minutes, the cookies were gone. Always a good sign.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies, slightly adapted from Kim Boyce's Good to the Grain

3 cups white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups lightly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
9 oz. bittersweet chocolate chips
Flakey salt, such as Maldon

Preheat oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside.

Put butter and sugars in a bowl (use either a stand mixer or a hand mixer, depending on what you've got) and mix on low speed until the butter and sugars are blended. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture to the bowl and beat until just incorporated. At the chocolate and mix until chips are evenly distributed. Make sure all the flour has been absorbed.

Use an ice cream scoop to form mounds of dough and space them three inches apart on the cookie sheets. Sprinkle each cookie with a pinch of salt. Bake the cookies for 15-18 minutes, rotating the cookie sheets halfway through. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool.

yield: 26 cookies

quiet things

To begin, I am happy the weekend is here. This is almost invariably the case- weekends are great!- but I'm feeling a certain amount of relief that this weekend is here. Either by chance or by design (at this point, who can tell), I have no plans, which sounds exactly right to me at the present moment. Sometimes a girl needs a bit of repose. For someone who never sleeps in, I'm looking forward to sleeping in. Reading my latest library book. Tidying my apartment. Small, quiet things.

Happy weekend.

photo via StudioChoo

little brother

Happy birthday to my little brother, who is not so little anymore.