Crazy Feta.

Crazy feta.

I've been saying that all day.

Ca-razyyy feta. What makes it so crazy? Spicy jalopenos. Carmelized garlic. Sweet, tangy lemon zest. This needs to happen in your kitchen. It's seriously an explosion of flavors you have to experience for yourself. Like a delicious punch in the face. 

And when you turn the oven on to 400 and start roasting garlic and peppers in the middle of the hottest, most  humid day of the universe summer... your family will look at you like you're crazy.

When your mom starts a conversation with, "I wish we had some sort of delicious cheese spread to put all over these pita chips" the very moment you slam down this recipe and get to business... that's crazy.

Making something that doesn't make the entire house smell like cinnamon and cookies? What's going on here. Crazy.

The smell of garlic roasting and spicy jalopenos? Crazy mouth-wateringly delicious. Are these real words? I don't know. I don't care. I just want a candle that smells like this.

Standing around the kitchen counter with your mom eating feta off pita chips and spoons? Mmmm. Lifetime movie moment. Crazy.   

Sprinkled on top of scrambled eggs? Crazy. Who does that? You. You do that.

And me. ... I'm doing it right now.

Warm and melty in a tortilla? On top of a hamburger? Crazy good. Best idea ever. Do this.

With spinach? In salads? On top of grilled zucchini? Wait... spinach? Salads? Vegetables? Crazy! 

Spooned into your mouth off a serving spoon? DO IT. CRAZY.

Make this. Eat this. Love this. Hide the serving spoons and invite me over for lunch. Go crazy.

Crazy Feta

Printable Recipe

2 bricks of feta cheese, 8 ounces each (or 2 8-ounce containers of pre-crumbled feta)
3 whole jalopeno peppers
1/4 cup olive oil + 1 tablespoon
1 bulb garlic
The zest & juice of half a lemon
Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 400° F. Chop the top off the garlic bulb and drizzle it with a teaspoon of olive oil. Wrap it in foil and roast 25-30 minutes, or until garlic is golden in color. At the same time, brush the jalopenos with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Either grill or roast them (I stuck them in the oven with the garlic and just watched until they were charred). 

Remove both from oven and let cool. Once jalopenos are cooled, remove skins, cut in half and discard the seeds. Chop into small pieces. Don't touch your eyes!

In a large bowl, crumble the feta bricks. Add chopped jalopenos and the juice and zest of half a lemon. Squeeze the garlic out of the bulb directly into the feta. Add 1/4 cup of olive oil and mash with a fork. You want the feta to be "wet"- somewhere between a dip and a spread. There is no right or wrong- make it however you'd like. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with pita chips, warm pita, naan, or spread on sandwiches. Store in the fridge for up to one week. Also, it tastes best at room temperature so allow it to sit out for 30 minutes before serving. 

Source: How Sweet It Is.

Strawberry Bisque.

When I was in middle school, somehow I stumbled into music and it became my passion. But the "passion", the dreams of being a part of some fancy London/LA symphony, came later. That first year was sheer determination. I signed up to play flute because it seemed the most girly and elegant instrument to learn. I mean, how girly can you look playing a tuba?

I could not make a single not come out of that instrument for weeks. I still remember how much my cheeks burned when the director suggested I consider a different instrument, or that maybe band just "wasn't for me." 

In front of the class.

But by senior year of high school, I was second chair in the top tier of bands, thank you very much. That's music code for second best. In the school and the county, because I ranked second chair in the county orchestra too.

Take that, Mr. Newcomb.

One of the best experiences in Symphonic Winds was being invited to give a concert onboard a Royal Caribbean cruise to Ensenada, Mexico.

Surprisingly, I don't remember much about Mexico. I don't remember the concert or the music we played, only that they chose that night to turn the stabilizers off and it felt like we were playing onboard the sinking Titanic. And I don't remember what we did for four or so days on the ship, except that it involved a lot of Shirley Temples and the boys made us watch Hannibal at some point.

However, two very important things that stick out in my memory.

This little guy, who showed up at the end of my bed one evening:

And the strawberry bisque.

Honestly, I had to google "strawberry soup thing" before I discovered it was actually something fancy and French called bisque. And of course, no two recipes are the same and everyone claims to have the *original* cruiseline recipe.

Mmm. This was a good memory lane to trudge down. It was summery and light and an excuse to use my new miniature wine glasses. I'd been putting off making it because of that 8 hour chill time (I'm not the most patient person you'll ever meet), but it was worth it. I whipped it up before bed and it was ready for breakfast.

I was feeling experimental so I added a little bit of almond extract and cinnamon. I considered eating the bowl right there in the kitchen at 11:30 at night.

I'm not sure whether this is exactly what I ate that night off the coast of whoknowswhere, but this tasted like a melted strawberry milkshake and there's nothing wrong with that. Next time I would add a few more strawberries or some raspberries and double or triple the recipe. This only made enough for one or two small servings.

Chilled Strawberry Bisque

Printable Recipe

1 cup sliced strawberries

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon sugar

1/8 teaspoon almond extract, optional

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon, optional

Puree together the sliced strawberries, milk, whipping cream, and sour cream. Stir in sugar, almond extract, and cinnamon to taste. 

Chill for 8 hours or overnight. Stir a few times and pour into chilled serving glasses. Garnish with more strawberries!

Source: Adapted from Tasty Kitchen.