The Big Move, pt. 2

When we left our heroes, they had just enjoyed some fantastic pizza and beer from Piece after a long day of moving, and were trying to figure out what on earth they had so many keys for.

That’s a lot of keys, yo

The next morning, Allison’s parents ventured forth to forage for breakfast and coffee before heading for home and leaving us to our own devices. I began pondering the semantics of roommates as we went about our day.

Friend roommates. Friendmates?—
Chelsea Fiddyment (@whatthefidd) July 03, 2011

We were quite internetless at this point, so I chronicled the day through Twitter. Some of you might have seen this:

Built a desk, bought groceries, found screens. Lovely weather. Victory beer time!—
Chelsea Fiddyment (@whatthefidd) July 04, 2011

It’s more like a work table (because when I work, I need room to spread out 8 million odds and ends around me).

I’ve only just now reached a point where I can use it to work on

Allison got to work on finding ways to open the windows so we could ventilate the apartment. At the time, only one of the windows in the sunroom would open (the other was off its track) and neither of the windows in the living room had cranks. Both of the bedrooms have one window with an A/C unit in it, so no go there, either. That left the bathroom window and the door to the outside stairs, which Allison figured out after some speculation about what someone had been thinking putting glass panels over screens. Needless to say, we put the screwdriver my parents bought for our tool kit to good use, and would once again the next day–Annual Global Consumerism Day, or July 4, on which Allison experienced IKEA for the first time.

Portobello Mushrooms with Pasta

My version of a recipe from Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. This is a great main course after Challison Salad, is incredibly easy and looks beautiful.

• 8 oz pasta of your choice (I went with farfalle, because it’s sassy)
• 1lb portobello mushrooms
• 2 tbsp olive oil (or more, depending on how much onion/mushroom you use)
• 1 small to medium onion, finely diced (I like onion. Use a big ol’ onion.)
• Salt and freshly milled pepper to taste
• 2 (or more) cloves garlic, finely chopped or pressed (Come on. Use more.)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (I used Alamos Chardonnay)
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 2 tsp minced rosemary
• 2 tbsp toasted bread crumbs
• Freshly grated Parmesan

Remove the stems and gills from the portobellos and slice the caps into 1/2-inch strips. Cut the larger pieces in half.

Heat the oil in a large skillet, add the onion, and cook over medium heat until lightly colored. Raise the heat, add the mushrooms, and saute until they begin to brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add half the garlic. Mix the tomato paste and win and add it to the mushrooms. Lower the heat and cook for 5 minutes more.

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water, then drain and add it to the mushrooms along with the cream, herbs, and remaining garlic. Toss, correct the seasonings, and divide among warm serving plates. Scatter the bread crumbs and a very light dusting of freshly grated cheese over each serving.

Challison Salad

The long-awaited peach & blueberry salad recipe. Use your best judgement on how much salad to make. First, the dressing.

Lime-Mint-Chili Vinaigrette
(I doubled this for when we had company for dinner and made it the day before–if the olive oil solidifies, just let it sit out and warm up a little while before you need to use it. This is a modified version of Deborah Madison’s lime and fresh mint vinaigrette recipe from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone)

• 1 tsp grated/minced lime zest
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 5 to 6 tbsp olive oil (I wouldn’t use anything heavier than that; if you want less flavor, use light olive oil or sunflower oil)
• 2 green onions, including an inch of the greens, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
• 1/2 of a Serrano chili, sliced into thin rounds, including seeds (you want it hot! Also, don’t hesitate to add more if you want it zingier)

Combine the lime zest and the juice with the salt, then whisk in the oil. Stir in the onions, mint, and chili.

Challison Salad

• Greens (we used spinach and romaine; arugula would be perfect but we couldn’t find it readily)
• 1 medium peach, diced (or more, depending on how much salad you’re making)
• Handful of blueberries (try to be even about the peach to blueberry ratio)
• Lime-mint-chili vinaigrette to taste
• 1/4 to a 1/3 o f a cup sliced almonds
• Crumbled fresh goat cheese to taste

Chop or tear the desired amount of greens to serve everybody. Dice the peach(es) and add to the salad, along with the blueberries. Pour lime-mint-chili vinaigrette over salad and toss in order to coat everything. Add almonds and goat cheese, then serve.