Simple Measure

Well, I’m glad to say I’ve got a brand new modem humming away by my feet and Simple Measure is up and running again. Thank you for your patience, and as Meg said, while the internet was down, we were keeping busy.

In between crazy schedules, the two of us found a few hours of twin time this past Sunday. On our usual route we stumbled across one of the first farmer’s markets of the season.

Sometimes I’m overwhelmed by table after table of good, fresh stuff. Should I get that bunch of radishes? No, the honey! Wait, maybe that baby garlic??

Meg saved me from buckling under the pressure, and wisely steered me towards these beauties:

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Following hard on the heels of those farmer’s market finds is the promised recipe from Memorial Day weekend with Dad and Joellen.

Their yearly Chicago visit is something we look forward to for months. It goes by too fast, but there’s always enough room for catching up, sing-alongs, and runs to the cowboy store.

Jared made sure the guitar had fresh strings and was tuned. Meg and I focused on planning a special dinner.

One big requirement: it had to be super simple. When Dad’s up we want to spend all our time with him, not the stove.

Meg had tried out this recipe on us in the past and the simple mix of chickpeas, tomatoes and rosemary make a lovely soup. And it’s quick. We paired it with one of Dad’s favorite salads, the Caprese.

Caprese Salad

Our version of Caprese salad rests its three main ingredients on a bed of spinach leaves. It takes no time to prepare, and it makes Dad very happy!

Toss the following ingredients together and serve. Makes enough for about 4 people.

1/4 lb baby spinach, washed

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

10 balls of fresh baby mozzarella, sliced (I didn’t note the weight on the package I purchased, so you may want to grab a pound to be on the safe side. No one’s complaining about extra mozzarella in the fridge if there are leftovers…)

1 pkg fresh basil, torn

Extra virgin olive oil or Balsamic vinegar for dressing