The main part of dinner was Tuna Noodle Casserole with Leeks and Fresh Dill from the March 2010 Bon Appetit Magazine. We substituted dried dill and fresh parsley for the fresh dill that the recipe called for.
The potato chip topping really made the dish, adding crunch and saltiness on top. Ian remembers having tuna casserole this way when he was young, but Bethany's mom didn't add the topping on hers. All of us thought it tasted "just like tuna noodle casserole!" - basically it took us back to childhood!
We also made Escarole Salad with Anchovy Dressing from the May 2011 Food Network Magazine. Not only were there anchovies in the dressing, but also lemon and orange juice. The flavors of the dressing, hard-boiled eggs, and croutons were similar to caesar salad.
And because it should be Spring-time, we made Lemon-Parsley Asparagus from the May 2011 Food Network Magazine.
This was very simple to make, but added a lot of flavor to the asparagus, and went really well with the casserole.
For dessert we made the Rhubarb and Raspberry Crostata from the May 2011 Bon Appetit Magazine.
Rhubarb is something to look forward to in the Spring!
The filling was cooked on the stove to thicken, and then cooled before putting it on the crust and baking.
We used freshly ground flour for the crust, which was very buttery...during baking a ring of melted butter formed around the outside of the crostata! Jeanette also made brown sugar vanilla ice cream to go with it, using local raw milk as well as eggs from Cornerstone Farm. We really enjoyed the dessert, especially since we hadn't made something with so much fruit in a while, and this had a lot of fruit filling for a crostata! Surprisingly, Ian even ate a piece and a half!
For breakfast the next morning, we made Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cake with Broiled Topping from Tasty Kitchen.
Wesley liked the batter pretty well!
The recipe called for quick-cooking oats, but we just used rolled oats, and they worked great--we thought you probably would barely notice the oats if you used quick-cooking. This cake has a lot of sugar in it!! It would probably still be sweet and taste good with the amount of sugar cut in half!
The topping was put on at the very end of baking and broiled very shortly, making a delicous crispy caramelized top.
We made whipped cream to have with it too!
The cake was delicious warm, and as it set the topping became more and more crunchy!
Though he did try a few bites of the cake, Ian made himself a savory breakfast. He topped it with creme fraiche that Jeanette had made using raw milk.
Since Wesley had so much fun licking all the beaters and spoons, he didn't have more of the cake for breakfast, but a pb&j instead.
It was beautiful out, and even though we were right outside the door to the house, it felt like we were camping with the fire and the lake and trees all around us.
After breakfast we went to let out three ducks that the Wilsons got a week ago, and were acclamating to their new home by keeping them in a house before letting them loose on the property.
It was a really fun couple days, filled with lots of good food, laughs, and at least some sunshine!
