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Saturday, July 10, 2010

Every which way to Sunday


This post is going to be all over the globe, I have a lot to say and I dont want to take a long time saying it. First off I dont know how many of you remember the knife giveaway I hosted through CSN Stores, the one in which Greg from Sippity Sup walked away with the prize, well I had another opportunity through the lovely people at CSN to review a product and I chose the very same knives that were in the giveaway.


Let me just say - I love them! I knew when I chose them for the giveaway that they were good and I was right. The handle feels great in my hand, the weight is perfect, I could not ask for a nicer quality knife for double the price, and believe me I have used and handled a lot of knives, and the bazillion steak knives that are little gems all by themselves make this one fantastic set. So now I have way too many knifes squared. I already have a knife case that I take with me that has about 8-10 nice blades or so, I have a wall rack that has about 10 sharp blades and now I have 17 new edges to have fun with, not to mention the assortment of hunting and camping knives of every sort and size, I like sharp metal!


Summer bounty is just exactly that - a bounty. My garden is producing squash flowers by the dozen on a daily basis, not to mention the various squash that are forming as well. I love being a part of a community garden it makes the hustle of the city seem a little slower when I walk through the gate. Here is a little video from my cell phone (waiting on my camera, I finally ordered one a couple days ago)


Squash blossoms have got to be, by far, my most favorite thing in the summer, second would be the fruits and of course fresh tomatoes. This reminds me, I need to post the recipe for the "chowdah" - I will do that in my next post so please bear with me (or is that bare?)


Risotto with zucchini blossoms and zucchini has got to be little bites of sunshine in every luscious mouthful. Creamy, rich al dente arborio rice and crunchy just cooked zucchini and the lovely texture of the blossom combined with Mexican cotija cheese made this a risotto to be proud of.

24 comments:

Lauren said...

love that first photo - very cool point of view!

buffalodick said...

Good knives are a cooks best friend!

Annmarie Kostyk said...

I love knives! In a good way. Your photos always make me want to eat. that has to be a good thing!

Sheri said...

a risotto to be proud of would not last very long at my house ;) i loved that you took plenty of time to talk about the squash blossoms...i've never had them but they are gorgeous! i'll be waitin' on that chowder recipe :)

The Duo Dishes said...

You've proved that squash blossoms do not always have to be fried. Nice! Now send a set of knives this way.

vanillasugarblog said...

oh dog i just saw somoene deep fry the blossoms with a chunk of feta cheese inside. seriously, doesn't that sound good as ever?
and a chef can never have enough knives.

Christo Gonzales said...

lauren: users eye view I guess....

buff: thats right

annie: that is a totally good thing

sheri: chowder recipe will be forthright

duo: well dont get me wrong I do fry em' up just like the next guy

vanilla: feta huh? that does sound good.

sweetlife said...

lovely risotto, i adore squash blossoms

sweetlife

Vickie said...

I didn't know about the garden! I remember you saying there was no room for a garden where you are - how great that you found a community garden. There is nothing like it! I've never eaten a squash blossom, but I'm glad I left the extra plants so I'll have an abundance of them to give it a try.

CreativeMish said...

I don't think you want us all to be bare with you. :) What a fabulous community garden. My friend and I are doing a small 'friend' garden on her 1/2 acre. First year, so mainly tomatoes, onions, peppers, squash and chile's and some herbs. I miss my big backyard garden.... Dang gophers! I just have a couple of my own patio pots. I've never had squash blossoms (Gasp!) Please share your cooking secrets.

T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types said...

Wouldn't I love a great supply of squash blossoms? So beautiful.

Angie's Recipes said...

I remember the first knife give-away...love al dente arborio, but can't take too often or too much or my stomach would complains after indulgence.

Joanne said...

Ah the infamous knives. I'm glad you liked them!

My dad has been pestering me about finding him squash blossoms ever since the beginning of June. little does he know that when I get my hands on some, I'm coveting them all for myself.

Jamie said...

I dream of having a plot in a little community garden. It must be wonderful to garden around all those other gardeners, each one taking a break from the city and the rat race. I love zucchini blossoms but I've never seen them in France. Sad. Your risotto is fabulous! And we love our knives. They make cooking even that much more fun!

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

Good knives are a cooks best friend. We keep ours sharp and ready at all times. And might I add, lovingly stored properly just as you would an old friend, which all of ours are, collected through a life time of cooking. Fabulous give-away.

Love your risotto.
Sam

From the Kitchen said...

I've just found your blog and am happy to have done so. I have an assortment of knives, the oldest of which (30+ years) are Chicago Cutlery. They are still among the best I have. They hold an edge, are well balanced and well loved! I look forward to a longer "visit" to your blog soon.

Best,
Bonnie

Marjie said...

I have few knives, but I have a splendid sharpener my boys gave me at Christmas. I need to figure out how to cook squash blossoms now, since mine are a-bloomin'

chow and chatter said...

wow how cool to use the blossoms in the risotto thanks for the sweet comment on the bread your such a great person and inspiring to us all to try new things in the kitchen
Rebecca

Sharon Rudd said...

Thanks for taking us on a visit to your community garden. I'm enthralled with your use of squash blossoms in risotto, and inspired by your photos and recipe ideas, as always! Thanks!

Jeanne Estridge said...

Looks great -- especially since you live too far away to give me any!

Jenn said...

I'm loving the garden very much. That's so cool. I need to get me a new set of knives. I think think it's time to upgrade those. And tasty lookin risotto, too.

Simon Leong said...

wow that's a hell of a lot of knifes. i once heard that a chef can survive on just 2 good sharp knives :-)

Tangled Noodle said...

Normally, I'd be wary of anyone who owned so many knives but the risotto goes a long way toward reassuring. 8-)

Lea Ann said...

I don't know how anyone can live without a good set of knives.

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