This week has felt busy and oddly normal. My congestion has finally cleared and I feel like my non-sick self again. We have had workers at our house, I ran all the errands I put off for the longest time, and Marco has gone to the office every day. Life feels like it is moving at its old pace and while it’s great, I’m also exhausted.
The tree removal happened bright and early Monday morning. In addition to the five trees we chose to cut down, a sixth one, unfortunately, had to be removed.
As you come down our driveway and turn right along the walkway to the front door a very old Korean spice viburnum greeted you. This shrub had been in this spot for about 15 years and was well over the average mature size. It had a few prominent stems one twisting in each direction and it was so tall it towered over both Marco and me. It filled its nook of the yard and created natural privacy from our bathroom window to the outside world. During this week every year, its flowers bloomed and the delicious smell would stop everyone in their tracks. If you can’t tell, I loved this shrub very much.
This year only one small stem sprouted leaves and flowers. I knew immediately that it was unwell but Marco held out hope. Our tree guy was able to tell us with one look that it picked up a disease from the soil and was long gone. I brought in all the branches with flowers to enjoy one last time and by the end of the day, the shrub was gone. This sent Marco into a depression and I was now worried about our exposed bathroom window.
A replacement plant has already been purchased. Because of the disease in the soil, we can’t plant another viburnum. Plus we don’t have 15 years to wait for it to fill the space. We went with a hydrangea tree that is already about four feet tall. It should grow big and bushy for privacy and bloom with beautiful white flowers. I will miss the one special week of intoxicating smells from the viburnum but the new tree should be very beautiful!
The tree removal sparked our spring gardening and we have spent three evenings this week at different nurseries. I have started my vegetable garden and moved my lemon tree outside for the season. As busy as I have been the one thing I haven’t really done is cook.
When the evening comes around I haven’t felt much spark to spend time in the kitchen. I grilled a half chicken that sat in the fridge dry brining for two days because I had to do something with it before it went bad. The skin had dried out completely and when hit with fire it was out of this world crisp. The meat was diced and simmered lightly with homemade salsa from the freezer. The end result was actually very tasty and I turned it into tacos.
Another night I made a salad with old romaine, a cucumber, three peppadew peppers, more leftover grilled chicken, and a tiny bit of leftover rice. I wouldn’t call this my finest creation but it got the job done. That’s pretty much how we have been eating this week.
I did attempt one project, a strawberry cake, which I completely spaced during assembly and accidentally made an upside-down cake. This was a funny mistake. It didn’t ruin the cake but it was much different than I planned for. May is strawberry season and strawberry picking is one of our favorite activities. By then I will have this recipe completed and sent out to you guys in the Kitchen Club so we can all make strawberry cake!
This is the salsa I pulled out of the freezer. I tossed grilled and chopped chicken in it and let it lightly simmer for a few minutes on the stove before adding it to tortillas for tacos. You could also do this with a rotisserie chicken for a super quick meal.
When I make it I always wing it and sometimes double the batch. If we have lots of leftovers, which doesn’t happen often, I pop it in the freezer for later. Tomato season is around the corner and if you make it with ripe tomatoes it has SO much flavor!
Charred Salsa
7 medium tomatoes cut in half
1-2 jalapeños
3 garlic cloves
½ white onion cut into large slices
1 teaspoon cumin
1 lime, juiced
cilantro
Line a sheet pan with foil. Place tomato, jalapeño, garlic, and onion on the pan. Toss with vegetable oil, salt, and pepper. Broil for 10-15 minutes until charred. *You can also throw everything on a grill until charred.
Blend. Add a handful of cilantro (stems too), cumin, and ½ the lime juice and blend again.
Season with salt, pepper, and the other ½ of juice if needed.
Growers, vintners, and scientists are scrambling to protect California’s prized Napa Cab from the aftertaste of wildfires. *Bobby Doherty’s photography for this piece is brilliant. If you don’t already follow him on Instagram, you should.
Pipián Rojo estilo Jalisco *From Rick Martinez’s new book, Mi Cocina
New podcast alert ⬇️⬇️⬇️
Epicurious has an interactive map to help you discover recipes and specialties from each region of China. It’s really cool, check it out here.
You might not need this but if you are looking for an elevated garden bed this is the one we purchased. It comes in a few sizes and assembly was super easy.
Thanks for reading, happy May! Xx M