Saturday, April 12, 2008

farmers market loot, bruschetta, tester muffins

Since Jared was working on his bike today, I went to the farmers market. I always forget how much I dislike that place on the weekend until I am already there. It gets so packed and people have no rhyme or reason in the parking lot or navigating in the aisles. A normal 30-minute trip took me about an hour and a half!!! I am already someone who doesn't like crowds, so I didn't enjoy myself as I usually do when I go on a weekday. We desperately needed some fresh produce, so it was worth it, I suppose. I got a lot more stuff than in this picture but I just liked the way this picture turned out, so I'm sharing it. I LOVE the Chinese eggplant. It's seriously one of my favorite things right now. It doesn't have too many seeds and is a gorgeous purple when raw and kinda has a blue hue to it when it is cooked. I also scored some basil, which is always great. Also pictured is some parsley, tomatoes, a sweet onion, orange and green bell peppers, avocado and bananas.
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For some reason I haven't had the biggest appetite lately so I ended up just making bruschetta tonight for dinner. My version has Roma tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, garlic, basil, salt, sugar, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. I got the French bread from the farmers market and toasted it up with a little olive oil. One of my all time favorite simple spring/summer meals.
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I am happy to report that I am a recipe tester for a cookbook Happy Herbivore is writing. The first recipe I tested (for her or anyone other than myself) was the Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins.
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It is super exciting to help contribute to someone's culinary ventures. I can't wait to see what I get to make next!!! Stay tuned.

17 comments:

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Yeah, I despise going to the market on the weekend as well - TOO MANY PEOPLE!! Although, I DO find that it's a little less crowded/chaotic when I go REALLY early in the morning... At least you came home with some great produce!

Mmm, bruschetta IS a great spring/summer meal - so simple, yet so satisfying!

Wow, the Raspberry "Cream Cheese" muffins look scrumptious - yum!

Anonymous said...

Wow! Those muffins look so good! Can't wait to see what other amazing creations Lindsay is coming up with. =)

J said...

I hate when places get overcrowded so much.

I love bruschetta, it's so yummy, yours looks delish! I can't wait for tomatoes to be in season here again.

Those muffins! I know I'm going to have to test some of her muffin recipes!

Anonymous said...

oooohhh...crowds are lame. the farmers markets here in portland are just beginning to open, and no matter the day, they are always crazy crowded! then i get moody. but, all the lovely produce and other items usually make up for it! the japanese eggplants are really pretty, something i have yet to try!

Glue and Glitter said...

Ohman...have you ever been to the First Oriental Market? It's just before YDFM when you're headed east on Ponce. They have a crazy selection of fake meat on top of amazing Asian ingredients. The veggie dumplings they have in the freezer section are my favorite in Atlanta so far!

Leigh said...

I have a love/hate relationship with that farmer's market. It's always soooo crowded, and like you, it gets to me. But we have a special love for the garlic bagels they make there, so we have to brave it sometimes!

Anonymous said...

The muffins sound great, but I'm even more enticed by the farmer's market you go to. I can't even find one around campus, so I'm left pretty much high and dry until I go home. Average veggies from the salad bar get old, fast!

JENNA said...

i can't wait until our farmers market is open. sadly its only opened on saturday so tons of people are there.

have fun recipe testing. i love being able to test for people!

TB said...

ooh, those muffins sound awesome!

Alicia said...

I was talking with my boyfriend yesterday about bruschetta! It's weird, because I have tons of recipes for it but have never ever eaten it. I guess I think it's a lot of work to end up putting it on top of bread... But yours look very good, and it's maybe not that difficult to make.
Oh, and I also hate crowds...

Anonymous said...

that muffin is what dreams are made of!

Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

I too prefer the Farmers Market on weekdays! Everything you made looks lovely!

Anonymous said...

Ooh I hate busy markets with all the people blocking my way and such :( And I'm a pretty fast walker, so it drives me crazy X_x But at least you got some great stuff! :D

The bruschetta looks so summery! Especially on the green plate :D Makes me think of flowers.

And that raspberry cream cheese muffin looks so pretty! I'm really excited for HappyHerbivore's cookbook to come out!

Animal-Friendly said...

All that produce looks great! And the bruschetta look super refreshing (you're so right- perfect for spring/summer time!)

And your first tester recipe seems to be a great one. Those muffins look absolutely delicious!

Theresa said...

Yum, bruschetta. And I'm super jealous of your tester status!

And I completely know how you feel about crowds, I try to avoid them whenever possible. We wake up to get to the market ridiculously early so we can avoid the mobs of people!

Lindsay (Happy Herbivore) said...

you aren't kidding! that "method" is the most glamourous!

p.s. that bruschetta looks amazing! i want some so bad!

Unknown said...

Agh, I know what you mean about going to the farmers market on the weekends! I want to run into people on purpose with my cart so they'll stop standing around, thinking for 5 minutes about where they'll go next. I'm a big fan of going there weeknights when I get home from work!

Your bruschetta looks super yummy!!! Those muffins look/sound tasty, too!