Hello! Summer has officially arrived at Jewhungry! If you follow me on Instagram (and I hope you do — check out the sidebar to see all the fun you’re missing in case you aren’t), you’ll know that a few weeks ago, I posted what turned out to be a popsicle fail. I was so thrilled to be asked to join in on the my first ever #popsicleweek by the incredible Billy Green (of Wit and Vinegar). I was all excited to join in on the popsicle fun but then my husband went out of town for two weeks, summer school started and I fell waaaaaay behind on posts. You see, unlike actual seasoned food bloggers, I do not and cannot plan and execute my posts weeks in advance cause I just don’t have the time. My posts usually come together last minute on a Sunday that I’ve blocked out 3 days prior to a deadline. It’s not the MOST effective way to work but 9 times out of 10 it actually works. Two weeks ago, however, it did not.
So, like I was saying, if you follow me on Instagram you’ll remember that I posted a melted mess of a chocolate and vanilla creamsicle that I was hoping would have made it in time to actually be included in my first ever Popsicle Week. But, alas, it did not. Well, 5 days later, husband finally came home from being gone for 2 weeks and helped me make my Black and White Creamsicle dreams come true. And while they didn’t get done in time for Popsicle Week, they still got done in time for summer and you can find the recipe and some thoughts on the power of the Black and White cookie over at Interfaithfamily.com. Click HERE for the recipe! Happy Summer!
So it’s officially summer though, to be honest, I wouldn’t know it. I’m knee-deep in teaching summer school health. It’s actually not as bad as it sounds. While I’d REALLY LOVE some time off, I rarely get to be in the classroom teaching students subject matter that I’m so passionate about. I mean, what’s not to love about spending 2 hours a day, 5 days a week talking to high schoolers about topics such as consent education, mood disorders, and sex education!? Fun, right!?
In the midst of all of this, my husband has been out-of-town for a week and a half (half a week to go!) and while I’m really loving having all this time with our girls, mama is in need for a little ‘me’ time. As it is, I’ve been getting up at around 5am just so I can enjoy a hot cup of coffee and a fresh episode of The Great British Baking Show before the girls get up and it’s ‘go’ time. I don’t know about you, but as a parent, I struggled with anxiety when it came to the weeks leading up to being alone with the kids for an extended amount of time. When Eden was just 4 weeks old, husband had to go to Miami for a few days in order to complete some research for his PhD and if anyone is a proponent of exposure therapy for anxiety, it is me as that time alone with an infant and a 3 year-old truly taught me that I can do it. Now that the girls are older and Eden is at one nap a day, I’m able to actually enjoy my alone time with the girls. We can get out, explore this great city with my little buddies and, dare I say it, have fun. Our absolute favorite activity is to head to the beach with sand toys and picnic in hand. I’ve been trying to up our picnic game as lately it’s been day-after-day of pb & j sandwiches and cucumbers. Therefore, I put a call out to some food blogging buddies and the result is the recipe round-up below, which is chock full of vegetarian and vegan options for your summer picnics! I hope you enjoy and don’t forget your sunscreen!
Oh hey, what’s up? I’m just sitting here, editing a post and thinking about the fact that my almost 5 year-old is ‘graduating’ preschool this week. And while I’m not crying right NOW, you best believe that this has been hitting me quite intensely for a few weeks now. How is it that the years are so long and so short all at once? I’m honestly at that point where if one more person stops me while I’m trying to calm a tantrum-ing child of mine in a Target with, “Enjoy it now. Mine are so grown and I miss them”, I just might lose it on them (the stranger, not my children. Let’s be clear). In the movie of my life that is constantly playing in my head, I have responded to these well-meaning strangers with an emotionally-charged, “I got it! OK!! I KNOW! YOU ARE THE 10th PERSON THIS WEEK WHO HAS SAID THAT TO ME. I AM CONSTANTLY STRUGGLING WITH WANTING THEM TO GROW UP AND NOT ALL AT ONCE! NOW PLEASE BUY ME A LATTE AND LEAVE ME BE”! Also in the movie of my life that is constantly playing in my head, the role of ‘me’ is played by the talented and stunning Gal Gadot cause it’s my movie and I can do what I want.
We are all on shaky ground lately due to the change that seems to be blowing our way. As a result, my husband and I went ahead and purchased a minivan cause what better way to manage your emotions then to participate in a major purchase (so says your friendly social worker and school counselor)!? Look, I know what I’m doing, OK? OK!? But honestly, I never knew I always wanted this minivan. Like, I didn’t know I always wanted to NEVER physically have to open the side doors to my car, but I don’t. I really don’t and thanks to modern technology, I don’t have to open my car doors ever again. When husband and I bought our first car 7 years ago, we spent every penny we had on a base model Honda Fit. The only luxury that car had was the standard automatic window. Now we’re ballin’ in our swaggin’ wagon and it’s a little strange. Have we all really grown up this much!?
Speaking of ‘growing up’, the other ballin’ thing I’d like to talk about is this here recipe of crash hot potatoes with pesto and labneh. If you don’t know about labneh, let me learn ya something. Labneh (also known as kefir cheese) is a tart cheese spread akin to Greek yogurt and can be found at your local kosher grocer or Whole Foods. I used to actually not like labneh but, as I mentioned above, I’ve done some growing up and so has my palate. I now LOVE labneh and actually prefer it to Greek yogurt for a delicious and protein-packed snack or breakfast (pair it with Persian cucumber, Roma tomatoes, salt and some delicious olive oil and you’ve got my ideal snack). The recipe below is basically my idea of ‘grown up’ cheese fries. Except instead of French fries you’ve got perfectly cooked fingerling potatoes and salty, fresh pesto to bring out all the flavors. You can make this as a dip or spread it on your plate like I did so you don’t have to do SO much work (dipping food into a dip can be a lot of work).
Boil potatoes in salted water until fork tender; about 15 – 18 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Drizzle a large sheet pan generously with olive oil. Place tender potatoes on sheet pan, leaving plenty of room between each potato. With a potato masher or large fork, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes. Brush or drizzle the tops of mashed potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with flaky salt such as Maldon Sea Salt.
Place sheet pan in oven and bake for roughly 20 – 25 minutes or until edges are browned and crispy.
While the potatoes roast, make your pesto: Recipe for pesto found here.
Once pesto is complete and potatoes are perfectly baked, spread labneh on a plate and top of pesto. Top that plate with potatoes and enjoy! You could also mix the pesto and labneh into a bowl and dip your potatoes in that as well. The choice is yours!
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