to add a little bit

After nearly salivating over Grace's previous postings I thought it was time to add even just a little something somethin' 

So, prior to leaving home and using homegrown tomatoes I decided to test out a couple of my favorite dishes I learned to make in France. 

I couldn't have been more satisfied with my Provencal Tomatoes and Tomato, Pesto and Brie Tart. yummmmmy. I think my mom and family friends enjoyed them too!

I miss French food and friends and travel...real life has begun again.

* dana-currently in Burlington, VT

blueberry crumb bars

oh baby were these delicious! 

i made them one night last week and by the following night, not a crumb was left. the mild lemon flavor makes a world of a difference! i loved everything about these. also, as we learned, they taste much better when they sit and cool rather than right out of the oven {bummer}. 

i originally found this recipe after seeing these pictures . . .  emily's recipe originally came from smittenkitchen.

nothing is better than dessert/breakfast.

also, one last note - i did not have fresh blueberries, so i used frozen and i think they turned out just fine.

*grace from davidson, nc.

fave new item in the kitchen

the new wicked awesome salad spinner! i have to admit, i was a little skeptical. . . but it really works and actually does what it says it will {it even can be used for tomatoes we discovered!}. 

oh the simple joys in life. 

*grace from davidson, nc.

sometimes

the other night, i decided to make this.

seafood, right? yum. . . er. . . not.

scroll down and see. . .

i don't know if i made the recipe wrong or chopped the garlic a strange way or what, but this dish was not a crowd pleaser {notice father's reaction. . . he never has been one to delight in trying new foods and especially not the ones that smelled as fishy as this one did! i asked him to smile but instead he insisted on giving the face our family so affectionately refers to as the "llyod face."}

 it made for a beautiful meal and honestly it didn't even taste all that bad, but i highly doubt i will ever make it again.

sometimes a good meal is harder to make than you think it will be. . .

*grace from davidson, nc.

the salad that changed our lives

pictures from k & my favorite meal in all of europe! we ate dinner at le relais gascon, a restaurant in montmartre famous for their "really big salads." i would highly recommend this lovely place considering it was the best salad of my life {please study the first photo}

 

we met up with kandyce's friend aurelie & lorraine & diner lasted somewhere between 4 & 1/2 to 5 hours. it was all too wonderful & parisian!

i miss france. 

love,

grace from davidson, nc.

ratatouille friends!

mom & i made this delightful dish the other night & liked it so much, we had it twice in one week! 

abby, kelsey & my older sister recommended the recipe { all thanks to her friend danielle. originally it was danielle's sister who tested the recipe she found on smitten kitchen - you know, the food blog that every hipster blogger delights in}.

so here we go. . . 

ratatouille's ratatouille: 

- 1/2 finely chopped onion 

- 2 minced garlic cloves

- 1 cup tomato puree {divided}

- 1 small eggplant 

- 1 smallish zucchini 

- 1 smallish yellow squash

- 1 red bell pepper 

- a couple sprigs of thyme {i simply adore the taste & smell of this herb!}

- s & p to taste

- goat cheese, for serving 

preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

pour tomato puree into bottom of an oval baking dish. {note: the first time we tried this our dish was a little too deep. try to find one that is somewhat shallow & approximately 10" across}. also, pre-cut the parchment paper to fit the top of the dish early on. drop the chopped garlic and onions into the sauce in the bottom of the pan & stir. add 1 T. o.o. to sauce & season with s & p. 

trim the ends off the red pepper and remove the core, leaving the edges intact like a tube. cut each of the veggies into very thin slices {note: we made the mistake of using the thinnest blade of the food processor. . . most of the veggies ended up paper thin & transparent! you want them to be thin, but not that thin!}atop the sauce, arrange slices of prepared veggies concentrically from the outer edge to the inside of the baking dish, overlapping just a little & alternating the veggies in a pretty pattern! as we did, there might be a few vegetables left over {you can always save and make this again the next night. . . like we did!}.

drizzle the remaining T. of o.o. over the veggies & season with more s & p. remove the leaves from the thyme sprigs with your fingertips running down the stem. sprinkle the leaves over the dish. 

carefully cover the dish with the parchment paper. 

bake for approximately 45 to 55 min. until the vegetables are clearly cooked {but not limp & lifeless}. it should not be brown at the edges & the tomato sauce should be bubbling up. 

serve with goat cheese on top & with crusty bread, polenta, couscous, or another grain! we chose polenta & it complemented it perfectly.

{for more inspiration, check out danielle's beautiful pics of her ratatouille here}

bon appetit mes cheris! 

love, 

grace from davidson, nc.

welcome/bienvenu/benvenuto!

dana, kelsey, & i {grace} are so excited about this joint blog of ours. it is our hope that this little blog will be a way for us to keep in touch through one of our favorite things in life - FOOD!

if you are inspired to share your own stories & pictures, please contact us by commenting on this blog or by emailing us at alittletaseof@gmail.com.

much love & best wishes,

grace from davidson, n.c.

{photo from a lunch the three of us shared at a little restaurant in fiesole, italy}