Weekend Finds

Weekend Finds 5:18:14

I’m writing this post from my hotel room in California, where I watched my baby sister graduate yesterday. Her school threw an incredibly fun party, where we ate good food and danced with my adorable grandmother and family. What a lovely way to celebrate. Now, on to weekend finds.

1. Storing Asparagus

Storing Asparagus // Weekend Finds on Serious Crust
Storing your asparagus correctly involves trimming the ends and standing it in water.

In our house these days, you will usually find at least 3 bunches of asparagus in the fridge at any given time. Clearly, my housemates and I are ready for spring/summer produce, ready for a change, ready for something other than root vegetables and kale. Because as good as all that stuff is, it’s really hard to eat it for 6 months and not get tired. And sometimes, we play a game of “Whose asparagus is that?” Anyway, my point is, these tips for keeping your asparagus fresh and lasting longer will be welcome in my household.

2. Foodies, a Documentary

Foodies, a Documentary // Weekend Finds on Serious Crust
A film about foodies? Yes please. And I’ll eat some truffle popcorn while I watch it.

A documentary about my people? Yes please. I’ll go see it for sure. The trick is to find out where it’ll be playing. And also to figure out how I can hop a flight for my dinner reservation.

3. Supper.mx

Supper.mx // Weekend Finds on Serious Crust
A screenshot of the Supper.mx website: recipes, Spotify playlists, descriptions, etc.

I’ll definitely be trying out this music app at my next dinner party. Simple as that.

4. Parmesan Broth

Parmesan broth on Food52 // Weekend Finds on Serious Crust
Always save your rinds!

I love using up as much flavor-creating ingredients as I can, and one thing I can’t stand to throw away is parmesan rinds. Now that I’ve found parmesan broth, I’m going to make lots of it, and use it in probably all of the ways listed in this article.

5. Crack Slurp

Crack Slurp on Lady and Pups // Weekend Finds on Serious Crust
These noodles look oh so good.

Yes, that is the name of this recipe from Lady and Pups. The guide to Asian noodles, this recipe has you frying up chicken skin, the “crack,” and reserving the fat to stir in with some fresh delicious noodles and sprinkle the fried skin on top. I don’t know if I can find all of the ingredients she uses, but I certainly hope to try recreating some version of this.

Weekend Finds 5:11:14: Rhubarb Edition

I was thinking about giving this weekend finds post a Mother’s Day theme, but let’s face it: If you haven’t already figured out what you’re giving your mom for mom’s day, you are way late. Maybe you could make her one of these recipes instead? Yeah, I bet she’d like that.

1. Spicy Rosemary Rhubarb Margarita

Spicy Rosemary Rhubarb Margarita on Weekend Finds // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Not only do these margaritas sound delicious, but if I can get mine to look anything close to this beautiful, I’ll be happy.

In case last week’s margaritas weren’t quite intense enough for you, give these ones from Adventures in Cooking a try. Spruced up with a little heat and some rosemary, they seem nice and earthy, while still being fruity and light.

2. Strawberry Rhubarb Salad with Hazelnuts and Mint

Strawberry Rhubarb Salad on Weekend Finds // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Salad with Hazelnuts and Mint.

I love this refreshing take on the classic combo from Bon Appetit. No baking, No roasting. Just a little marinating in some sugar and adding some freshness with the mint and some crunch with the hazelnuts.

3. Rhubarb Curd

Rhubarb Curd on Weekend Finds // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
I only wish this curd had more of the beautiful blush color.

I am in love with the toast plate with lemon curd they serve at The Sugar Cube, and I think I might have to recreate it at home with this rhubarb curd. Yum.

4. Rhubarb Scones

Rhubarb Scones on Weekend Finds // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
One of my favorite breakfast baked goods studded with rhubarb.

I think scones are my favorite breakfast baked good. I love the crumbly sweetness of them. And I imagine I’d love them studded with beautiful gems of rhubarb. Picture it slathered in the above curd. Muahaha. Yes.

5. Rhubarb Vinegar

Rhubarb Vinegar on Weekend Finds // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Use this vinegar to jazz up your spring and summer salads.

If you’re looking for something to bring a little life to your springtime salads, this rhubarb infused vinegar from Thrifty Jinxy is probably it. I think it’d be perfect tossed with some oil on a spinach salad with strawberries and hazelnuts and goat cheese.

6. Literally 100 more rhubarb recipes

MORE RHUBARB on Weekend Finds // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
This is just a pretty picture of rhubarb. In case you forgot.

In case none of those are tickling your fancy (that’s a saying, right…?) here’s a list of so many more things you can do with this beautiful ingredient. It’s not all pie, friends!

Weekend Finds 5:3:14: Cinco De Mayo Edition

I’ll be working on Monday night, but this edition of weekend finds is for those of you that will be celebrating Cinco de Mayo! I plan on celebrating with my roommates over the weekend, though there certainly won’t be any margarita cupcakes or jello shots (because, seriously?). You can celebrate this weekend, too, if lots of margaritas are more your style…

1. Rhubarb Margaritas

Weekend Finds: Cinco de Mayo Edition // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Try these rhubarb margaritas with homemade rhubarb simple syrup!

Yes, more rhubarb. I had a hard time deciding if this weekend finds would be rhubarb themed or Cinco de Mayo themed, and lucky for me, this find fits both. This time, the rhubarbh is combined with tequila, so it’s about as great as it could ever be. I would DIY some rhubarb simple syrup for this recipe instead of trekking out to your nearest Ikea…

2. Tacos Galore

Weekend Finds: Cinco de Mayo Edition // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
This slideshow from Bon Appetit has so many different kinds of tacos, it’s hard to choose which ones to make.

If you know you’re going to make tacos (and really, why wouldn’t you?), check out this slideshow from Bon Appetit to help you decide what exactly to fill them with. I think making a few of these fillings is a perfect way of giving folks some options.

3. Corn Tortillas

Weekend Finds: Cinco de Mayo Edition // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Beautiful fresh tortillas. There’s nothing like them.

If you haven’t made your own tortillas before, I definitely recommend it. The softness and freshness cannot be beat by anything in a little ziploc bag you buy at the store. Try this recipe from Happy Yolks on Food52. It only calls for 3 ingredients, one of which is water, and you don’t even need a tortilla press.

4. Guacamole with Spring Peas

Weekend Finds: Cinco de Mayo Edition // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Guacamole: springtime edition with the addition of peas and ginger.

I love that this guacamole recipe brings fresh peas into the mix, letting us celebrate springtime a little bit too. The ginger sounds nice too, like it would make for a very refreshing snack. Bring on the Juanita’s. And don’t forget this guac saving trick.

5. Crunchy Black Bean Tacos

Weekend Finds: Cinco de Mayo Edition // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
These crispy tacos look delicious with all the cheese and beans oozing out.

These black been tacos look delicious, and I love the way you fry up the tortillas to get them nice and crunchy. Imagine these bad boys all piled on a plate, piping hot and ready to enjoy with some Coronas. Yum.

6. Fish Tacos

Weekend Finds: Cinco de Mayo Edition // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
These fish tacos are some of my favorite tacos I’ve ever made.

If you are going to make more traditional tacos, this recipe for fish tacos will always be one of my absolute favorites.

7. Mango Michelada

Weekend Finds: Cinco de Mayo Edition // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
I love the color of this mango michelada.

If margaritas aren’t quite your style and you’d prefer something a little more laid back, try this mango michelada. I bet you could simplify it even farther by replacing the mango purée with mango juice, too.

Weekend Finds 4:27:14

It has been a delicious week. I cooked some awesome food, some of which I’ve shared, and some of which will be coming up shortly. Spring is upon us, and I’m starting to see it creep into the grocery stores and some of my favorite recipe resources. Something I’m particularly looking forward to? Trying some new savory rhubarb recipes, and the weather slowly getting warm enough to crank out some ice cream again. In this weekend finds, I’ll show you what I’m talking about.

1. Toasted Sesame Seed Ice Cream

Toasted Sesame Ice Cream on Weekend Finds // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
I can’t wait to try this toasted sesame ice cream from Milk and Honey.

I feel like there were certainly a few recipes that I found this week that left me feeling like I wasn’t sure if it would be delicious or totally weird. This recipe from Milk and Honey may be one of them. The toasted sesame part sounds good, but then when I think about adding tahini, my brain and tastebuds get all confused. I guess I’ll just have to try it.

2. Rhubarb Baked Beans

Rhubarb Baked Beans on Weekend Finds // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Feeling uncertain about these rhubarb baked beans, but I’m going to give them a shot.

There are some great looking savory rhubarb recipes out there – specifically those that involve roasting meats or sauces. On the other hand, there are these rhubarb baked beans, which, I admit, sound weird. I have purchased the ingredients to make these curious (and, admittedly, unappetizing-looking) beans. I’ll let you know how it goes, I guess…

3. Thai Salad

Thai Salad from The Roasted Root on Weekend Finds // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
This bright, delicious salad made for a scrumptious lunch.

Today, after going climbing (for the first time in… over a year), my roommates and I were STARVING. So we made some Thai laarb and this salad from The Roasted Root. Both were a big hit, and I will definitely be using this salad again in the future. It’s beautifully colorful and I love the varied flavors, and it’s filling but also still healthy.

4. Mango, Yogurt, and Cardamom Ice Cream

Mango, Yogurt, Cardamom Ice Cream on Weekend Finds // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
I love the mango-lassi like color of this ice cream.

Sorry, I got distracted for a moment by things that aren’t ice cream. Back in the sweet lane, this ice cream from Yotam Ottolenghi (genius, duh) had three things I really truly love: mango. greek yogurt. cardamom. Can’t wait to make this. I am thinking I need to have an ice cream party in order to make all the bizarre flavors I’m itching to make. Pretty sure my friends would be into that.

5. Eating Alone

Dining Alone at Eenmaal in Amsterdam on Weekend Finds // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Maybe dining solo will be a new trend?

So there’s now a restaurant, Eenmall, where there are only 1 person tables. That’s it. No Wi-Fi either. Great? I think so. Do you ever eat out by yourself? While I always have to take a deep breath before I do it (yeah, sometimes it’s a little scary to just be with yourself for an hour without a computer or phone or book in front of you), I always feel like my mind has cleared after the fact. So while only having a table-for-one option is a little different, I think eating alone is something we could all benefit from every once in a while.