June is Here! June is Here!!! Summer is around the corner

Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit.  A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with with world. ~Ada Louise Huxtable

Oh, the days when the temperatures rise, the days are beautiful with bright blue skies, and the smell of summer is just around the corner.  You know the smells of summer....snowcones, fresh churned ice cream, heady scents of flowers, deep dark nights with bright twinkling stars with faint aromas of outdoor grills...the sounds of summer...laughter,dancing, outdoor movies, outdoor concerts, outdoor activites abuzz with your friends..the smell of the lake, swimming holes,boating,  the beach, the sand, the rocks..Ahhhh..the crisp clean summer will arrive with the Summer Soltice.  Are you ready????

When I embrace the season upon us I find that I want to make each day filled with adventure.  The Gypsy's Table is always ready to be creative!

Over the few months of summer we will explore simple ideals to decorate your outdoor living area, lake home, beach house, your home with just a few simple touches of summer so you can enjoy all the season has to give to you, your friends, family and loved ones.

Concerts in the parks have recently begun here in my hometown.  A great early evening to gather your friends to have a picnic, a great chilled glass of wine and enjoy the local music.  I always enjoy taking quite a few little morsels to enjoy while listening to those great tunes.

Picnic 

Roasted Red Pepper Grilled Chicken Sandwiches

2 Multigrain baguettes
6 Red Leaf Lettuce leafs
1 small pinch of Arugula
Red onion sliced
6 Small Grilled chicken breasts * these can easily be picked up in your Prepared Food section of your market if you do not have time to grill.  1 Large breast can be cut into 2
2 Sliced Roma Tomatoes
Pesto Aoili Sauce
6 slices of Roasted Red Peppers
2 Slices of Mozzarella Cheese

Grill your chicken breasts season with lemon mixed with a little olive oil, garlic salt, sea salt and pepper or pick up grilled chicken breasts from your market prepared food section.

Cut the baguettes into thirds then split to open.  Take a heaping tablespoon of the pesto aoili sauce to spread evenly on both sides of baguette,1 slice of roasted red pepper then  chicken on one side , 2 slices of mozzarella cheese, 1 leaf of red lettuce, a pinch of arugula, roma tomatoes with 1 to 2 slices of red onion, season lightly with sea salt and pepper.

Pesto Aoili Sauce

3 T Pesto
2 T lemon
1 C Mayo

Mix well.

Serve with fresh fruit salad, sea salt pita chips or your favorite salad.

I hope you will take the time to stop by to visit me at The Gypsy's Table on your travels during the summer.  My table always has an extra chair or two...let's create together the perfect summer season!

Hemp - A Natural Source of Goodness

Hemp Seeds

Hemp - misunderstood and under rated.  Farmers, since 1937, have been prohibited growing hemp seeds in the U.S..  This  is just another way for a natural resource to not be able to reach us at local markets.  We can import, as most farmers do, from Canada and other sources.  This crop can be grown without the use of pesticides or commercial agriculture!!!  What in the world are we waiting for?????  We could all do without the use of chemicals in our food, right?  We could all do with a natural seed to be worked into clothing....right?

Maybe it is the myth that needs to be debunked of "you can get high if you eat hemp seed"!  The farmers are working hard to educate, bring awareness of this versatile seed and definitely enlighten the masses that this hemp is the not the same as marijuana with little to no THC residual in the seed and absolutely no drug value.

Hemp seeds have been eaten for thousands of years.  They are full of nutrition with fiber, high quality protein, all omega essential fatty acids, amino acid essentials , iron, zinc and magnesium.  A versatile seed that can be eaten raw, ground into hummus or pestos, milk, baked and clothing.

You can begin by making your own recipes or look for several awesome products at your local markets.  I am, for one, a huge fan of this little bundle of awesomeness.  How about you?

Hemp Seed and Avocado Goodness Sandwich
Yield:  2 sandwiches
Prep:  10 minutes

Hemp Seed Bread
Lemon Hummus
3 large avocados
sea salt
black pepper
cilantro* use only if you like or use your favorite mexican seasoning
1 large seeded jalapeno - chopped fine
Radish sprouts, bean sprouts, or sprouts of your choice
Fresh tomatoes * take advantage of your beautiful orange or yellow to add a pop of color
2 large roasted pepper slices
Arugula


 Avocados mashed with lemon juice, sea salt and black pepper.  Add one seeded jalapeno, cilantro* or mexican seasoning.
Toast hemp seed bread.  Spread lemon hummus on both sides of toasted hemp bread.  Spread the avocado goodness on one side, lay roasted red pepper, then tomatoes, arugula.  Lay second slice on top.

Enjoy your healthy yummy sandwich.  Serve with a whole wheat flax seed and onion pita chip or a cup of cold gazpacho soup!

Let's Celebrate Food!!!

We have reasons to celebrate food.  Yes, we can celebrate food with food holidays  or month long celebrations of food everyday of the month. Can you imagine the endless stream of possibilities for each of us to indulge in our favorite foods or even to take the journey of the unknown as we bravely decide to try a food or drink that we might not otherwise experience on our food journey.

One of my favorite sites foodimentary.com list all the food holidays along with listing the national month, daily, and food history .  I love to peruse through the months becoming almost giddy as I know there are days to celebrate chocolate, crafted beer, popcorn, strawberry shortcake, blood mary, and even "I Love Food" national day!  Yes, creating these national food holidays or months certainly gives pure bliss for any foodie.

As we close in on the end of April take a few of these last days to enjoy:

National Florida Tomato Month
National BLT Sandwich Month
National Soft  Pretzel Month
National Soyfoods Month
National Grilled Cheese Month
National Garlic Month

April's Celebration Sandwich

6 Pretzel Rolls
12 pieces of bacon * real bacon or subsitute Morningstar or Turkey Bacon
Soy based veggie burgers or turkey breast sliced thinly  * 3 oz per sandwich
Gouda cheese or vegan cheese
Garlic Aioli
2 Florida Tomatoes
Arugula

Warm the pretzel rolls on your griddle, cook bacon pieces to crispness that you enjoy.  Cook your veggie burgers as instructed.  The deli turkey breast can be flavored if you want as there are several wonderful infused options.

Garlic Aioli
1 cup mayonnaise
1 T lemon
2 pods of garlic to taste.  You may bake your garlic then mash the pods to mix with your mayonnaise
sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
*may be made the day before to marry the flavors



Open pretzel roll
spread garlic aioli
2 pieces of bacon
place turkey or veggie burger
gouda or vegan cheese
arugula with slice of Florida tomato

Serve this celebration sandwich with a spicy coleslaw, sweet potato fries or your favorite side dish.

Grab your plate, a glass of crafted beer as you prepare to savor the flavors of the foods celebrated for the month of April!

April is Grilled Cheese Month! I am immediately transported to a more simple time taken back to the kitchen table where a rich thick bowl of tomato soup paired with my grilled cheese sandwich made the day a whole lot better. I enjoyed the melty goodness between two slices of bread grilled to perfection in an iron skillet. But now we have taken this classic to another level to appeal to kids and adults with the goodness a wide selection of cheeses, toppings and breads.


The History of Grilled Cheese

The availability of processed cheese with inexpensive loaves of bread became  the staple in a persons diet in the 1920's and during the depression era. In World War II countless "melted cheese" sandwiches were served. The earliest forms of the grilled cheese or known as "melted cheese or toasted cheese" was typically served open face with grated American cheese throughout the years until about 1965 when a second piece of bread was added mainly to make the meal more filling.

The Comforts of Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

We all love to prepare grilled cheese sandwiches even in the simplest forms of just a great bread and cheddar cheese. Yet now we can embark on a culinary delight as our journey takes on to find great grainy breads, ciabattas with rosemary or sea salt, or sourdoughs. With an endless selection of breads  to choose  we step into our gooey goodness to make our grilled cheeses either prepared open faced paninis, outdoor grills or on a griddle. Take a stroll down the cheese aisles as rich Gruyeres, smoked goudas, aged white cheddars, spicy cheeses laced with peppers such as jalapenos, hatch chilies or habaneros, goat cheese, veined beautiful bleu cheeses just beckon to be made into your signature grilled cheese. Add some pizazz with pestos, aioli, roasted red peppers, bacon, avocados, pears, figs, or artichokes!

Heck, don't just stop with National Grilled Cheese Month make every month a way to explore the fun ways as you create your own favorite version of your grilled cheese.

Bacon, Aged White Cheddar and Guacamole Grilled Cheese

Loaf of Sourdough bread sliced on number 14
12 slices Bacon cooked to crispy perfection
1/2 cup of Aged English White cheddar per sandwich
2 Tablespoons of guacamole * make 1/2 cup to 1 cup of guacamole

Place 1/4 cup of Aged English White Cheddar on bread slice, 2 T of guacamole, 2 slices of bacon, top with the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese.  Lightly brush sourdough with high heat sunflower oil or spray griddle with high heat sunflower oil.  * note it is important to use high heat oils when using panini presses or griddles to prevent smoking.  The buttery richness of the sunflower oil is great!

Yields 6 sandwiches