Simple frozen dog treats

This is probably the single easiest "recipe" (if we can even call it that) that I'll ever post here. This recipe requires 4 things:

1. Yogurt
2. Peanut butter 
3. Silicon ice tray for easier treat removal
4. Dog(s) (optional)

In more detail...

Ingredients

[makes 6 treats]

• ~1/2 cup plain, non-fat yogurt
• ~6 teaspoons peanut butter

Procedure

Fill each cup in an ice tray about halfway with yogurt. Put about a teaspoon of peanut butter on top of the yogurt. Fill the rest of the cup with yogurt. Freeze. Done! 

For a somewhat slushy treat, only freeze for about 15-20 minutes. On a particularly hot day, freeze it all the way. Will last in the freezer for just about ever. Use Doctor Who themed ice tray so everyone knows you're a nerd.

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Grilled BBQ Tostadas

Yeah, these aren't tostadas. But I couldn't come up with a better name. "Left-over Pulled Pork Delivery Mechanism" wasn't as catchy. So here we go.

Ingredients

• Pulled pork (we make it in the oven using the dry rub from Tyler Florence's recipe)
• 1/3 can baked beans
• 1 handful baby spinach
• 2 small cucumbers
• 1/3 cup cheese, grated
• 4 small flour tortillas

Procedure

Put stuff onto a tortilla. 

Put the other tortilla on top. Fire up the grill and put the not-a-tostada on it. 

 Close the lid. Wait.

Get distracted for about 5 minutes setting up a hammock. 

Come back and find the bottom tortilla is burned. Oh well. Take it off the grill & eat!

Fiddleheads!

too old!

So I was wandering around in the yard the other day looking for a big stick... as I do. And then out of the corner of my eye, I saw some ferns. Which reminded me, as I get reminded every year, that I have been planning on foraging for fiddleheads for the last five years. But every year, when I am reminded, I'm invariably reminded by the tall, unfurled, mostly full grown ferns that we see all summer, and not by the small, edible (nay, delicious!) young shoots.

That's the problem with fiddleheads. They aren't edible for longer than a few days, or at least that's how it seems to me. They start coming out in spring or even early summer, according to sources on the internet, but at least this year (maybe due to unseasonable heat? it's been near 80 for the last couple of weeks), most of the ones I've seen have already been mostly unfurled.

So I was really excited to see these little edible shoots. SO EXCITED.  

juuuuust right.

To make sure you're picking the right variety of fern, look at the stalk. If it curls inward like a celery stalk, you've got the right one. You can just rip them off -- the bottom bit of the stalk is a bit white, and people claim this part is woodier and not really tasty (I wouldn't know though) so I just ripped above that. When they're young, they'll snap pretty easily.

Before you go nuts, Wikipedia gives some sense that fiddleheads are full of healthy stuff but may also be harmful if ingested in great quantities:

Fiddleheads contain various vitamins and minerals, as well as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. They are a source of antioxidants and dietary fibre.^[2] They are low in sodium, but rich in potassium, which may make them suitable for people who need a low-sodium diet.^[4]

Fiddleheads may harbour microbes, and should be washed and cooked before eating.^[2]

Many ferns also contain the enzyme thiaminase, which breaks down thiamine. This can lead to beriberi and other vitamin B complex deficiencies if consumed to excess or if one's diet is lacking in these vitamins.^[5]

Further, there is some evidence that certain varieties of fiddleheads, e.g. bracken (Pteridium genus), are carcinogenic. Ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) is not thought to cause cancer,^[6]although there is evidence it contains an as yet unidentified toxin.^[7]

Though it seems like these types of fiddleheads (ostrich ferns) haven't been known to cause specific health issues, may as well play it safe and only eat a bit at a time.

So now that I've said that, let's move on to the cooking bit. Clean off any of the dried brown leafy bits that may be stuck to the fiddleheads and wash them thoroughly.

Step 1. Steam or boil for 10 minutes.
It seems to be generally accepted that whatever toxins may be in ostrich ferns, you can nullify their effect by steaming the ferns for 10 minutes first.

Step 2. Saute in butter and lemon.
Drizzle a bit of lemon on them and saute in a bit of butter for 2-3 minutes. Drizzle just a little more lemon on top and serve.

Serving suggestion.
Serve on a bed of quinoa with a side of pickled daikon (or whatever happens to be in the fridge when you're serving hungry people a late dinner). Fried egg on top is also delicious.