Ghosts of rice past...

Do your pots have the ghosts of rice in them?  By this I mean the result of setting the rice on simmer and then forgetting to set the timer.  When you wander back just a leeeeeetle too late you find a sticky mess in the pan which is not only inedible (unless you like truly sticky rice) but it's also a scrub job.  I've done this a few times (by few I mean "more than five but less than ten, I think") and my Calphalon pans now have little outlines of rice grains on the bottom.  (NB:  this isn't crusted food, it's literally an outline of the grains...)

At any rate, the intrepid chef wannabee made another rice dish this evening.  Along with it I had SNOMG II, based on my hamburger creation mentioned below.  No snow in the forecast this time, and, the main changes I made to the hamburger were advanced spices and instead of one cup of water I used one cup of white wine (White Bordeaux as a matter of fact). 

Here is the rice dish I had alongside it.  It is called Orange Cilantro Rice.

Ingredients

2 teaspoons butter (I used EVOO)
1/2 cup diced onion
1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (I used the chopped garlic you find in little bottles)
1/2 teaspoon onion powder (after all that onion, why more?)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
salt to taste
1 1/2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in onion, and cook until tender. Mix in rice, and season with cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, cayenne pepper, and salt. Cook and stir until rice is golden brown. Pour in orange juice and broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 20 minutes.

Remove cooked rice from heat, and gently mix in cilantro to serve.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Orange-Cilantro-Rice/Detail.aspx

(NUMBER EIGHT in 2010)

Rustic Apple Tart

Two new recipes in one week. Will I hit 52 new meals this year?  It will only be my third attempt, after all.

Last night I bought the ingredients for the below.  The Waldorf Salad (that I did not know I was making until later) was such a hit I decided to look for more apple and walnut recipes.  I found this one (link and recipe from the site, below).

Tonight, I made it.  I didn't root around looking for thyme, that may have made a little difference.  I also cheated and used refrigerated pie crust. 

Ingredients

1 Pâte Brisée (tart dough) for a 10-inch tart (see all butter crust recipe) or 1 packaged, flat pie crust
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese (or blue cheese)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
2 Tbsp maple syrup
2 large granny smith apples (or other good cooking apples such as jonagold or fuji), peeled, cored, chopped
1 teaspoon of lemon juice (optional)

Method

Toss the walnuts, gorgonzola, thyme, chopped apples, and maple syrup together in a medium size bowl. As you are working with the apples (chopping them, mixing them in with the other ingredients), if you want, you can squeeze a little lemon juice on them to help keep them from discoloring. Cover the mixture with plastic wrap while you prepare the crust.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll out pastry dough to 13-inches, at an 1/8 of an inch thickness. Place pastry dough on a rimmed baking sheet. (Rimmed because the pastry will leak butter during the cooking process.) Mound the filling in the middle of the rolled out dough, and spread out evenly to 1 1/2 inches to 2 inches from the edge of the dough. Pleat the edges of the dough over the filling.

Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until crust is nicely browned. If at any time it looks like the walnuts are getting a little burnt, you can lightly tent a piece of aluminum foil over the center.

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/apple_walnut_gorgonzola_rustic_tart/

(NUMBER SEVEN in 2010)

Talking to strangers...

See what it gets you - a good healthy recipe!

[Edit - apparently the below is a modified Waldorf Salad recipe.  Oops - here I thought it was so clever]

A week or so ago I happened to stand in line at Wegmans near a jolly couple.  They were obviously the kind of shoppers and cooks who paid attention to the ingredients they bought and were healthy eaters.  The conversation started when she was unloading her cart and told me some tips on cooking with less salt. 

It quickly segued into a recipe for a meal that she found in weight watchers which I believe may actually be vegan.  She recited it to me and lo and behold, I remembered it.  I made it today, finally.  It's actually quite good!

1 fuji apple
1 granny smith apple
1/2 c chopped red onion (I probably had more)
A few handfuls of cranberries - I bought dried raisin/cranberry mixed together.
A cup of chopped celery - again, that may have been a little more than the recipe but it was fine.

Mix the above, and toss with just a touch of mayo and then sprinkle lemon juice on top and toss some more.  The mayo in my fridge was about 10 months expired (oops) so no mayo for this chica.  I did use lemon juice though.

Finally, just before you dig in, sprinkle walnuts on top.  THIS is key - they definitely added to the taste.

This turned out very well!  I would not call it dinner per se, but, a good snack. It was a very late lunch (just finished it) so dinner may be take out, after all that.  But this was goooooood.

So you see, talking to strangers can be a good thing.

ps.  you want to be sure you have the right mix of onion and in fact I'd probably scale back on the onion.  Either make sure it's exactly 1/2 c or even less.  I had a second helping and this scoop had a lot more onion.  Almost took my breath away.

(NUMBER SIX in 2010)

Chili for a chilly day

Yesterday was the SECOND Storm of the Century this winter.  How much more can metro DC take?  We actually have yet another snow forecast for early next week although currently that doesn't look like a blizzard, just a few inches.

I haven't had chili in ages and this recipe below looked interesting.  I thought I'd give it a try.  As usual, what is at the top is taken directly from the recipe, and below is where I describe my deviations. 

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 pounds ground beef
1/4 cup chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 bay leaf
1/2 (1 ounce) square unsweetened chocolate
2 (10.5 ounce) cans beef broth
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 6 minutes.

Add beef, in batches if necessary, and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until browned.

Add chili powder, cinnamon, cumin, allspice, cloves, bay leaf, chocolate, beef broth, tomato sauce, cider vinegar, and red pepper. Stir to mix well. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

It is the best if you now refrigerate overnight.

Remove the bay leaf. Reheat gently over medium heat. Serve over hot, drained spaghetti. Top with shredded cheddar cheese.

What I actually did:

First, I used the entire onion and it wasn't a small one.  You can't have enough onion, right?
Second, I realized too late that I only had one pound of hamburger.  Ooops.
I used EVOO.
Because I didn't have enough burger, I went a little easy on the chili powder but more or less used the full amount of the other spices.  Perhaps I should have gone for broke.
No cloves
No bay leaf
No beef broth.  I was going to pour in a cup of white wine but the bottle I grabbed was corked and the other bottles were good wine and I didn't want to waste it on chili.
I used about 3 small squares of chocolate.  It was more than an ounce but I wouldn't say it was three ounces.
The overnight refrigeration occurred with the leftovers.

Consensus?  It seemed more like I was making spaghetti sauce than chili, really.  The taste is unique and perhaps a bit rich.  I'm going to see how the overnight settling changed things.  I'm betting the beef broth and a full 2 pounds of meat would have really helped.  A very concentrated flavor and believe it or not I would not say the onions ruled even though there was an entire onion and not just half a cup chopped.

(NUMBER FIVE in 2010)

SNOMG! Hamburger and rice? Nothing else in that pantry?

I did go grocery shopping before the Snow of the Decade, but I didn't do it with menu in mind nor grocery list in hand. 

However, what I did make actually tasted pretty good even if it's simple and boring. 

I made jasmine rice using chicken broth, for starters.

The two pounds of hamburger was unloaded into my large skillet which already had a good dose of EVOO heating up nicely inside.  After I put the chunk in the skillet, I coated it with cinnamon, a few dashes of allspice, and a couple of quick flicks of cayenne pepper.  Not too much.  I broke up the meat which was simmering away nicely and then poured a cup of water on top and put the lid on it.  Heat on medium and I let 'er rip for about 30 minutes. 

It was actually a delicious, flavorful meal.  I like it. 

Dessert:  I opened a bag of frozen peaches into a large bowl, earlier in the afternoon, and sprinkled cinnamon all over the peaches.  I later sprinkled sugar on top which gets a nice juice going.  They were still quite cold by the time I ate them but the juice was very cinnamon-ey.

Oh yeah, before the peaches were thawed I had some more Belgian Chocolates and Bordeaux wine (St. Emilion). 

Tomorrow I'm going to make a recipe that was quoted to me while standing in line at Wegmans.

(NUMBER FOUR in 2010)

I blame it on Gordon. Ramsay, that is.

Sometimes, you have to remind yourself why some foods are not to your liking...

And so I bought a half pound of very fresh (squeaking fresh) scallops. 

Why did I do this, I wonder.  It's been years since I had scallops - and I do mean years.  I may not have been living in Virginia, as a matter of fact - it was that long ago.  I'm just not a fishy-fishy-fish person. 

I believe it was because I saw one Gordon Ramsay program which showcased him teaching a protege how to make scallops in his restaurant.  I was fascinated.  He held up the plate of scallops and sprinkled some kind of fairy dust on it from arms-length.  So artful!  Let me describe:  he held the plate in one hand, and a handful of magic in the other hand.  Whiff whiff whiff, hand held almost to his shoulder height,  with deft flicks of the wrist he lightly coated the scallops and then set about pan searing them.  He is such a perfectionist he actually threw out a few servings before producing one for the clientele.  Not because they would have tasted bad, but because the presentation was imperfect.  So in the garbage they went and he made his protege start from scratch.

I'm so impressionable.  The image stayed with me and I finally took the plunge and bought some fresh scallops.  Here is what I did:

Half pound of scallops.
2-3 T EVOO.
A heaping T of minced garlic in oil.  You can find small bottles of this in the produce section.

I put several T of pan searing flour into a baggie and shook the scallops in the sealed bag.  OK, OK, Gordon Ramsay I am not.  I have to walk before I can run, people!

The heat should be on medium-high and you want the oil to be nice and hot in the skillet. I ladled on the garlic and spread it around while the oil heated up. 

I artfully arranged the pieces in the skillet and watched over them.  After they started looking a little brown I flipped them and watched again.  When they were done I turned off the heat and put 'em on a plate and squirted a little lemon juice on them.

Sigh.  They looked perfectly scrumptious.  While I certainly wouldn't say they tasted disgusting I just don't care for the taste that much.  They were of a perfect texture and melted in my mouth.  I just am not a fan.

Maybe I should try a different recipe?  File this under "a great idea, too bad about the fish".

(NUMBER THREE in 2010)

Pan seared Cod

Well this was a fiasco!  It tasted great but what a mess of the presentation.

I always bake my cod.  This was so fresh though - literally caught on Friday and flown overnight to Wegmans.  I watched the fishmonger chop it up in front of me and I bought a nice fresh piece home with their instructions on pan searing.

In short:

A few T of EVOO.  Get is nice and hot.  Meanwhile, double coat the fish with the pan searing flour and drop into the oil.  3 minutes on each side and done. 

Welp, mine wouldn't hold its shape and let's just say by the time I got done it resembled scrambled eggs somewhat.  Fishy scrambled eggs.  Sigh.

Tasted great though.

(NUMBER TWO in 2010)

Curry Chicken Casserole

Here is the first meal I made by using the new apps I have on my iPod Touch!

I downloaded a ton of free apps last week.  One of them was the McCormick's recipe finder.  What a stroke of genius this is!  It's a database directly on your Touch  - in other words, you don't need to be hooked into the internet to use it. 

I also downloaded Epicurious to my Touch, but, to use that app you have to be near wifi.  Not a big deal, because once you have the recipe on the screen it's there and then you can go to the grocery store, but, the McCormick's database is a lot handier because if you are walking around the store, utterly stumped, you can look up a recipe (browse OR search) and then you have the handy-dandy shopping list in your pocket!

Here is the recipe (NUMBER ONE in 2010)

1 T vegetable oil (I used olive oil and just poured into the large frying pan what I felt was appropriate)
1 lb boneless chicken breast, cut into 3/4 inch strips
1 medium onion, chopped (mine was kind of big)
1c sliced carrots
1 c chicken broth (I ended up using the whole can)
1/4 c flour
2 t curry powder (MCCORMICK, since this is their recipe)
1/2 t salt (didn't use, as the chicken broth has plenty)
1 medium Golden Delicious apple (I used Granny Smith)
1/2 c frozen peas
1/2 light cream OR coconut milk (I used coconut milk).

1.  Preheat oven to 425.  Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat.  Add chicken, onion and carrots, cook and stir for 5 minutes or so.

2.  Mix flour with curry powder and salt, add in chicken broth and whisk.  Add to skillet, bring to a boil.  Stir in apple.  Reduce heat to medium, cook and stir two minutes until sauce is thick.  This is where I added the rest of the broth, because it cooked down too far for me.  Stir in peas and cream/coconut milk.

3.  The recipe called for either a 9 inch deep-dish pie dish, or, a two quart casserole.  I think I had too many ingredients (I tend to just kind of eyeball things, or throw in more than needed) and I ended up using a 13x9 inch cake pan.  Anyway, pour the mixture into your container!

4.  It said to top with the pie crust.  Well, I had a much bigger container than it called for, so, I draped both pie crusts over the 13x9 inch cake pan and actually they both fit pretty well - one on each end.  By the time it cooked you could not tell there were two of them.  It did call for slitting the top, I forgot.  Oops.

5.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown.  Mine was in a few minutes longer, but it was fine. 

Enjoy!

The last meal of 2009

Peanut Butter Beef Stew!

It can't get any easier than this.

1 cup of chunky peanut butter (I only had creamy)
5 cups of stew meat (I used tenderloin)
1 tsp. of allspice
cinnamon
rosemary (oops, forgot this)
2 cups of beef broth
1/4 cup apple juice
 
In a large pot over medium low heat melt down the peanut butter and then add in the apple juice.  In a skillet brown the meat and add into the peanut mixture.  Stir and pour in beef broth and seasonings.  Simmer for 1hr or until meat is tender.

Butternut Squash Soup, surprise!

More domesticity...

A few nights previous I had bought a rotisserie chicken from Wegmans.  I industriously cleaned much of the meat from its bones and put the carcass in a pot of water with carrots.  I let it boil away for quite some time.  What was left was some good chicken stock.

Today (Sunday) I bought about 2.5 lbs of butternut squash (already cleaned and cut) and decided to make soup. 

Loosely following a recipe, I baked the squash for about 30 mins (light coating of olive oil) and then poured it into the pot of stock.  I'm not sure how much stock there was, I'd say no less than 6 cups.  I also cut up a granny smith apple and plopped it in, along with the remainder of the bag of carrots.

I then squirted a good 3T of honey on top, threw in some bay leaves, and then liberally sprinkled cinnamon on top.  A little bit of cayenne pepper, some curry powder (not much) and my kitchen is now aroma laden and I hope this will turn out well.  When I get closer to the end I will put a cup of heavy cream into the mix.

When all was said and done I used a potato masher to even out the big chunks.  It worked out very well - very flavorful!  I now have several meals...

I'd like a wafer thin mint... another successful dinner party!

I invited my friends Colleen and Adam (AKA my Foodie Consultants) and Bethann and Dan.  We found out we all met because of friends of friends, and even though we rarely get to see the friends who introduced us we all remained friends with each other. 

Three bottles of wine, three apps, two main course components, dessert, and great conversation.  If there is a better way to spend an evening I don't want to know about it. 

The apps were:  pate with truffles; brie and cherry jam; and Colleen and Adam brought absolutely divine goat-cheese stuffed little red peppers - spicy and marinated in heavenly juice (I need to find out the name of the peppers).  Two baguettes, a bottle of prosecco, one of white Bordeaux (from the area of Entre deux Mers, in honor of Bethann's heritage) and we were well on our way to a food coma before the main course.  With the meal we had a Cab from California (via Wegmans). 

For the main course I made two standbys:  marinated tenderloin and mashed potatoes - Paula Deen's mashed potatoes, no less. 

The marinated tenderloins could not be easier.  I got the recipe from a book my friend Jody gave to me (and quite the cook she is, too).  Here it is:

Curry Glazed Beef Tenderloins

It makes 16-18 servings which clearly I did not need or want.  Adjust accordingly.  I bought 6 cuts of beef which were about half a pound each (worked out to about 3.5 lbs of beef) and with that I halved the below recipe.

1.25 cups of mushroom soy sauce or tamari sauce (I got the tamari sauce - it is basically a more intense soy sauce)
.33 cups honey
.25 cup curry powder
Two 4-lb tenderloin slabs (I got half pound slices)
olive oil

Whisk the tamari sauce, honey and curry powder.  Score the meat.  Put the meat in two gallon ziplocs and pour the marinade in each.  Mix well and then throw in the fridge overnight. 

To cook:  Heat oven to 500.  Tenderloins, with all marinade sauce, should go into a baking dish large enough to hold it all - I used a 13x9 cake pan.  Pour olive oil on top.  Roast the meat in the top third of the oven.  Every ten minutes, baste the juices on top of the meat.  30 minutes should be enough, I had them in there for almost 40 (last ten the gas was turned off) and they were moist and tender although not rare.  The last ten minutes probably weren't necessary.

Paula Deen's Mashed Potatoes

As it turned out, I used the 10 potatoes it called for but didn't pay attention to the MEDIUM in the book, and bought large ones. Oops.  I doubled up on the butter and sour cream because it was clear there were a lot of potatoes.  It turned out magnificently and in fact more butter wouldn't have hurt.

8-10 medium potatoes (it calls for red, I used regular ones)
1/2 cup hot milk (I used heavy cream)
1 stick of butter (I used two)
.5 cup of sour cream - I used a full one.

Slice potatoes about 1/4 inch thick.  Boil about 15 minutes.  Any old potato masher will work fine.  I threw in the two sticks of butter and put a lid on the potatoes (off heat) for about 10 minutes to get it nice and creamy.  Mash mash mash, then add the heavy cream and sour cream.  Mash mash mash. 

This stuff is SO EASY.  I really should do this more often. 

Bethann brought Rum Cake, which recipe will be put here later.  It was also quite good but we were all pretty full by then.  Oh yes, let's not forget the Twinings Tea I brought home from London. 

Time to take my tummy for a nap.  A run would be better, but, it's 35 degrees out and dark.  Maybe a nice walk tomorrow... 

I didn't take photos (of course, what is wrong with me??) so here is a photo taken in France earlier this year:

Ice bath for the tomatoes?

That's what it said...


I'm making tomato sauce. Simple tomato sauce. It is bubbling downstairs right this very second. In 30 minutes I'll take it off simmer and let it cool and then toss it with pasta and some grated parmigiano cheese.

Garlic Tomato Sauce
Gourmet, May 2008

• 2 lb ripe plum tomatoes (see cooks' note, below)
• 2 heads garlic, cloves peeled and halved lengthwise and any green sprouts from center discarded
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes


• Cut an X in bottom of each tomato and blanch in a large pot of boiling water 10 seconds. Immediately transfer tomatoes with a slotted spoon to an ice bath to cool, then peel, seed, and chop.
• Cook garlic in oil in a small heavy pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, red-pepper flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, 1 hour. Season with salt.

Cooks' notes:
•If ripe tomatoes are not available, substitute 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in juice (not in purée; preferably San Marzano), chopped, including juice; season sauce with sugar if desired.
•Sauce keeps, chilled, 4 days.

yield: Makes about 3 cups (enough for 1 pound of spaghetti)
active time: 45 min
total time: 1 3/4 hr

Google speaks - 2009 top recipes

Top searched recipes are (drum roll)

Chili
Meatloaf
Cheesecake
Banana Bread
Pancakes (really?)

I suppose I better make the above and write about it then!

Tasty Tarragon, heavy cream, and white wine - are we in France or Savannah?

It would seem to me that tarragon is favored in Southern cooking as well as French cooking. I come to this conclusion because two recipes I've made this year, from the same cookbook, feature tarragon (and also heavy cream which is reminiscent of French cooking as well - all those sauces... mmmm). Moments ago, today, I made Chicken in Tarragon Sauce. Earlier this summer (look how behind I am on this blog) I made another recipe called Potato Gratin with White Cheddar and Tarragon. Both with tarragon, both with heavy cream, and white wine either in the recipe or on the side.


The cookbook, Manna from Savannah, is one that I picked up on a trip to Savannah at a bookstore called E. Shaver, a small locally owned bookshop that has been in Savannah's Historic District since the mid-1970s. I'd urge anyone visiting Savannah to wander up Bull Street to Madison Square to have a browse through their many rooms of books. They have an eclectic range of books and have a strong local offering - from guidebooks to cookbooks. It was on one pilgrimage there that I bought the mentioned cookbook (also Paula Deen's first cookbook but I'll post about that some other time).

This particular cookbook is interesting in that it was put together by a sort of ladies' guild. Its subtitle is "recipes from St. Peter's family and friends". Doesn't it seem that the best cookbooks come from parishioners who gather their recipes together? St. Peter's Episcopal Church is found on Skidaway Island, Georgia.


Here is the chicken recipe:

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 T unsalted butter
1 T EVOO
salt
pepper
3 T chopped shallot
1 T chopped fresh tarragon
1/2 c heavy cream
fresh lemon juice, to taste.


Process:
Flatten the chicken with a mallet. In a large saute pan, melt the butter with the EVOO. When hot, add chicken and season with salt and pepper. Saute gently about 3 minutes per side (juices should run clear when chicken is pierced with a knife). Put chicken on a warmed plate and cover. Put pan back on medium heat and add shallot, sauteeing until translucent, 1 to 2 minutes. Add tarragon and cream, increase heat to medium and stir with a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring, until bubbling and slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. Return chicken to pan and turn each breast several times in sauce until well coated and hot. Transfer to warmed plate and spoon sauce over the chicken.

What I did, instead:
I had dried tarragon (from the potato recipe to follow) and the chicken breasts were strips, pre-cut by Wegmans, so no need to pound them flat, really (my excuse for laziness). I didn't buy shallots and I did not use lemon juice. I also decided to throw the chicken in the oven on 375 for 30 minutes, with a nice coating of EVOO before throwing them inside. It all turned out just fine. I ate this with rice. The next recipe is also found in the same book.





















The potato recipe:


3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
2 t salt, divided
1 t pepper
1 t dried tarragon
7 oz sharp white cheddar cheese, divided
1 c heavy cream
1 c dry white wine


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter 13x9 baking dish and layer 1/3 of the potatoes, slightly overlapping them. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the salt/pepper mix, 1/3 of the tarragon, and 1/3 of the cheddar cheese. Repeat this layering until the above-mentioned ingredients are fully layered. Separately, whisk the heavy cream and white wine in a medium bowl and when done pour over the potatoes. Bake covered for 30 minutes and uncovered another 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

The photos: The top is from an outdoor market in Paris. The bottom is, of course, Savannah.

The old dishwasher has finally bit the dust

What have I done?
Originally uploaded by Skyhawk Flyer

And there is a bird on my head. Oh woe is me.

This is actually a happy blog because I have a really nice new LG dishwasher. It's SO QUIET, it's running right now and I can't even hear it. I love it! I didn't realize how awful the old one was until I saw it at the Home Depot (yes, they still sell it to the builders, who put in the cheapest thing they can find) next to my spiffy fancy new one.

So, GE, you are gone and LG rules the day! Life's Good!

Greetings, friends of Kavey!

Lavender evening
Originally uploaded by Skyhawk Flyer

If you popped by through visiting kaveyeats.blogspot, welcome, I'm glad you stopped by. I promise to start putting up new recipes soon, so please do visit again.

The semi-annual dinner party, Jan 31, 2009

I had a dinner party the night before the Super Bowl. The friends who joined me each had their own Super Bowl party, so, it was a weekend of gluttony. Below is what we had.

Appetizers:
Chorizo stuffed dates
Foie gras with cherry preserves, on bread or petit-fours type crackers.

The wines:
Bubbly to start.
A red with dinner.
A dessert wine from Virginia.

All wines came from the little local wine boutique, which has since closed (March 31) due to the horrible economy.

Braised Short Ribs with Chocolate and Rosemary (Epicurious)

1/4 cup diced pancetta (Italian bacon; about 1 1/2 ounces)
6 pounds bone-in short ribs
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onions
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped peeled carrots
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups dry red wine
3 cups low-salt chicken broth
2 cups chopped drained canned diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 very large fresh thyme sprig
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons shaved or grated bittersweet chocolate
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

Preparation

Heat heavy large pot over medium heat. Add pancetta and sauté until crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper. Working in batches, brown ribs in drippings in pot over medium-high heat until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer to plate. Add onions and next 4 ingredients to pot. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook until vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add wine. Boil uncovered until liquid is reduced by half, scraping up browned bits, about 5 minutes.

Add broth, tomatoes, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and pancetta. Return ribs to pot, cover partially, and simmer 1 1/2 hours. Uncover and simmer until rib meat is tender, stirring occasionally, about 1 1/2 hours longer.

Transfer ribs to plate; discard bay leaf. Spoon fat from surface of sauce. Boil sauce until beginning to thicken, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add chocolate, cocoa powder, and rosemary; stir until chocolate melts. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Return ribs to pot.

Simmer to rewarm, about 5 minutes.


Creamy Potato and Parsnip Gratin
8 Potatoes
8 Parsnips
1 Clove garlic, halved
1 ts Thyme
Salt and pepper
2 c Approx. whipping cream

Peel and thinly slice potatoes and parsnips. Generously butter 13x9 inch casserole dish; rub with garlic. Arrange single layer of potatoes in dish. Sprinkle lightly with a little of the thyme, salt and pepper. Cover with layer of parsnips. Sprinkle with seasonings. Repeat layer with remaining vegetables. Pour in enough cream to come three-quarters up side of dish. Place on baking sheet and bake, covered, in 375 degree F oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 30 minutes longer or until top is brown and crusty and potatoes are cooked through.

Lemon Cream and Raspberry Phyllo Napoleons (Epicurious)

6 fresh phyllo pastry sheets or frozen, thawed
6 teaspoons (generous) sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup chilled whipping cream
1 1/2 teaspoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup purchased lemon curd
2 1/2-pint baskets fresh raspberries or 2 cups frozen unsweetened, thawed, drained
Powdered sugar

Preparation
For Phyllo Squares:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly oil 2 large baking sheets. Stack phyllo sheets on work surface. Trim to 10 1/2-inch square (reserve scraps for another use). Place 1 phyllo square on work surface (cover remaining phyllo with plastic wrap and damp kitchen towel). Sprinkle with 1 generous teaspoon sugar. Top with second phyllo square. Brush lightly with melted unsalted butter. Sprinkle with 1 generous teaspoon sugar. Top with third phyllo square. Sprinkle with 1 generous teaspoon sugar. Cut phyllo stack into 9 equal stacked squares. Arrange stacked phyllo squares an prepared baking sheet. Repeat layering and cutting with remaining 3 phyllo sheets, sugar and butter making total of 18 stacked phyllo squares. Bake until phyllo is golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to racks and cool completely.

For Lemon Cream:Beat cream, 1 1/2 teaspoons powdered sugar and vanilla in large bowl until medium peaks form. Whisk lemon curd in another medium bowl until smooth. Add to cream mixture. Beat to stiff peaks.

Spread 1 generous tablespoon lemon cream on each of 6 stacked phyllo squares. Top each with 6 raspberries. Layer each with 6 raspberries. Layer each with 1 phyllo square, 1 more tablespoon lemon cream and 6 raspberries (save any remaining lemon cream for another use). Top each with 1 phyllo square. Sift powdered sugar over desserts. (Can be prepared 8 hours ahead. Cover loosely and refrigerate).

Honey Baked Cod

This is another "google ingredients and see what comes up" recipe.

Honey+Cod = Honey Baked Cod.

http://www.opensourcefood.com/people/wokkingmum/recipes/honey-baked-cod

The recipe called for

2 slices cod
Marinade:
6 tablespoon Soy Sauce
5 tablespoon Honey
1 tablespoon Chinese Cooking Wine
1 tablespoon Water

Mix the marinade well.
Pour over the the cod and marinate for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven at 160C.
Grill the cod for 20 minutes skin-side down before turning over.
Grill the other side for another 12 minutes or till fully cooked.

I was a lot simpler. I only had one piece of cod, for starters. I mixed one part soy sauce to slightly under one part honey and shook it to bits in a plastic container. (one part meaning less than 1/4 cup).

I marinaded it and popped it into the oven next to a baked potato at 425 for 20 mins - then I shut the oven off for the rest of it (the potato had already been in the oven for 35 mins...)

It really smelled up the kitchen, but it was quite good. The smell made me wonder if I had made a mistake - it was so cloying. It was a mild flavor after all that but it was a little dry. I wonder if I should have kept it at 325 instead.

The photo on the internet made it seem like this would be quite a honey glaze - well, my presentation wasn't remotely that!

Chewy Curried Butternut Squash Soup (was Bisque)

I found this on Epicurious. Thank God for Wegmans, who already cuts up the butternut squash for you. If it weren't for that, I am not sure I'd venture into the wild world of this squash because they are rock hard. This recipe had a nice trick though - roast it! I even did it to the cut up pieces and it made it quite easy.

As always, the recipe is first and what I DID to it, is below.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Curried-Butternut-Squash-Bisque-237088

2 2-pound butternut squash, halved lengthwise, seeded
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped peeled apple
2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste*
2 14-ounce cans low-salt chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons honey
6 tablespoons sour cream, stirred to loosen
Chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush cut side of squash with oil; place squash, cut side down, on large rimmed baking sheet. Roast until tender, about 1 hour. Cool slightly. Scoop squash out into large bowl. Measure 3 cups squash (reserve any remaining squash for another use).

Melt butter in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots, and apple; sauté 5 minutes. Add curry paste; stir 2 minutes. Add chicken broth, bay leaves, and 3 cups squash. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered 1 hour. Discard bay leaves. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return to same pot. Stir in cream and honey. Season with salt and pepper. Rewarm over medium-high heat.

Divide soup among bowls. Drizzle with sour cream; sprinkle with cilantro.

What I did:

First of all, the above-mentioned Wegmans miracle squash is necessary for non-domestic goddesses. It is already nicely cut up and packaged, ready to go.
I poured two containers (about 20 oz each) into a cake pan and drizzled olive oil on top and popped it into the oven as directed.
It was then that I noticed the recipe did call for a blender. Drat. No blender. Well, I will just have to chew then - no sipping through a straw.

Wegmans ALSO sells chopped onions in a one-cup bag. Ditto julienned carrots (hey, at least I know what they are). Yes, I am lazy.

I threw in an entire chopped up granny smith apple. Well, all that I didn't sneak myself. (Can you sneak food, when it's just you cooking?)

From one of my last cooking adventures I had a whole container of bay leaves in the freezer (am I becoming a real cook now?)

I didn't add the red curry paste until near the end - it turned out just fine. I also don't have a blender so also near the end I took a potato masher and mashed away. Just enough to make it more fine, but clearly not bisque. Again, no worries. I only could find heavy cream, not sure if that is like whipping cream or not. It worked...

The honey is a nice touch because it is a little spicy (not a lot, but you can tell). I just dolloped some sour cream on top. No cilantro (although I should have sprinkled a wee bit of ground coriander on top, had I been thinking...)

This was marvelous and I've already set aside three lunch-size containers, with enough in the big container for at least 4 meals if not more.

This is a winter photo so I thought it would look nice here. Algonkian Park, not too far from home.

Last meal of 2008

Last night I made a baked potato and filet mignon. Here is the sauce I poured over the filet mignon:

splash of red wine (less than 1/4 c)
splash of worcestershire sauce

Let the above simmer for a while. It will start to slightly reduce.

I added a squirt of dijon mustard and a tad of milk and kept it on heat and kept stirring.

I should have used cream if anything. The dijon mustard kind of separated - never really got rid of the bits and blobs look. It tasted pretty good though!

Heavenly salad dressing!

Last week (in 2008) I googled strawberries and oranges (since I have a bunch of both right now) and a wonderful salad dressing came up (the salad recipe itself has the strawberries and oranges).
Below is what was written, and far below is what I did - and I bet my version is better.
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey
2 Tablespoons EVOO
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
Whisk and drizzle over romaine lettuce/strawberries/cut up orange and sprinkle with real parmesan cheese. Sliced red onion optional.
What I did:
1 tablespoons lemon juice (I ran out, drat!!)
1 tablespoon honey
2 Tablespoons EVOO
NO Dijon mustard (I thought I had some in the fridge, it was horseradish mustard - so, nothing at all)
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
So slightly less lemon and no dijon. Used fork to whisk.
My salad was below:
Arugula
an entire avocado, sliced up.
a good hunk of leftover rotisserie chicken, also diced
I had some strawberries in the fridge that had thawed and I had poured sugar on them so they were nice and juicy.
I mostly just used the strawberries, was not liberal with pouring the juice on the salad. Just enough to taste.
Pour all of salad dressing on salad, use chicken pieces to mop up remainder still in bowl.
HEAVEN, JUST HEAVEN. Especially as I got nearer the end and the bits and blobs of the strawberry juice mixed with the dressing itself.

Paula Deen's Mashed Potatoes

I made these for the first time at my house in the Low Country of South Carolina, not too far from Paula Deen's restaurant in Savannah!  It was for Thanksgiving of 2008.  My friends Doug and Chris visited from Atlanta and we had quite a big meal. 

8-10 medium potatoes (it calls for red, I used regular ones)
1/2 cup hot milk (I used heavy cream)
1 stick of butter (I used two)
.5 cup of sour cream - I used a full one.

Slice potatoes about 1/4 inch thick. Boil about 15 minutes. Any old potato masher will work fine. I threw in the two sticks of butter and put a lid on the potatoes (off heat) for about 10 minutes to get it nice and creamy. Mash mash mash, then add the heavy cream and sour cream. Mash mash mash.

Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole

Come back later...

Sauteed Spinach with Pine Nuts

Come back later...

Pumpkin Chili

Come back later...

Grilled Brie and Cherry Jam Sandwich

So maybe this isn't my most inventive meal. It tasted great though! I made it up myself, too.

Just make a grilled cheese sandwich except use brie cheese, and, liberally spread cherry jam on the bread (inside).

Yum-yum!

Oktoberfest foods and beer

Beer!
Originally uploaded by Skyhawk Flyer

This meal was an example of "winging it" with a theme.

I had bought Spaetzle this month already as Wegmans is highlighting Oktoberfest. I already had really good German beer in the house - I stocked up at Wegmans. It was what Mom and I drank in Munich - Paulaner.

The night they arrived (October 7) I went shopping and saw that Wegmans had a section on German foods for O'fest. I bought some pickled cabbage. I also had flank steak in the fridge and leftover gorgonzola sauce. (for all that I wanted to know what to do with all of it after I made it - I've almost eaten the whole container since the day I made it, urp).

So we had a fairly German meal. For the flank steak, I just added salt and pepper and threw it in the oven for 20 mins - it was a little dry, oops. The gorgonzola sauce helped moisten it a little but my Dad thought I had served jerky. The spaetzle was sprinkled with good parmesan cheese and I merely heated up the pickled cabbage.
I also set out some bread with my good olive oil. Glasses of German beer all around, and we were all set.

Gullah home cooking

Beach Chairs Hilton Head Island
Originally uploaded by Skyhawk Flyer

What is that, you say?

The Gullahs were among the first foreign inhabitants of the islands off the Low Country. I say inhabitants, but, they weren't exactly brought here of their free will. Daufuskie Island is just off Hilton Head Island.

This recipe came from the book mentioned below, and I found it on Epicurious. The link is below. The beauty of this dish is that it is basically stir fried leftovers.

Gullah Home Cooking the Daufuskie Way by Sallie Ann Robinson

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/ANYTHING-RICE-107792

Ingredients
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1/2 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups cooked rice
leftover chicken, pork chops, hamburger, fish, shrimp, bacon, or whatever

Preparation
Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the onion and bell pepper and stir-fry 3 minutes. Add the eggs and scramble. Put in the rice and your favorite meat, stir-fry, and the aroma will get your taste buds hungry. Serve immediately for breakfast, dinner, or supper.

What I did:

I bought already chopped onions and green peppers from Wegmans (lazy). Next time, I'd leave out the peppers. I browned about a pound of hamburger and the rest of the recipe I followed spot on.

Easy and filling (tasty too) and I'd consider tabasco sauce or ketchup on the side.

Don't fry chicken while wearing shorts

Well, I thought I'd give you an update. I had hoped this was going to be a triumphant post, one where the toddler finds she can run a marathon... but nooo, I had to go and burn my hand on hot oil!

So, my PSA for the day: DON'T WEAR SHORTS WHILE FRYING FOOD. AND CONSIDER WEARING GLOVES.

Sunday I was idly flipping through one of my many cookbooks (I actually own more than ten, can you believe it...) and came across what looked like an easy recipe for fried chicken. Well, it was easy, all apart from the hot burning oil, but I digress.

So, the recipe. It called for marinading the chicken in buttermilk for an hour or so and then the flour mixture has cayenne pepper and garlic powder in it. The treat was the honey/butter/pecan glaze you pour on top.

Well, my version didn't have pecans and it wasn't exactly a glaze, but it was good.

How the hell do you fry anything without splattering it all over? I'm sure a lot of this had to do with the heat of the oil - I had no idea what I was doing, so I just let it get good and hot and the first ones I threw in turned brown IMMEDIATELY - in fact you are supposed to let them cook 7 minutes on a side - I turned them over in about a minute and they were charred. I turned the heat down to low immediately and then put in the next batch.

Well, the first piece of chicken didn't want to unstick from my fork so, one hand was holding the big lid (so that the splatters wouldn't hit me) and the other one was gently trying to shake the chicken off, and somehow the oil came up - not splattered really, more like bounced, from the chicken piece - and a big glob hit the meaty part of my palm. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW! I'd say a quarter of my palm, the meaty part under your pinky, below the fold - covered in oil - it all happened really fast.

I immediately put it under cold water and held several ice cubes under this cold water - this was so the ice would melt quickly. I did that for a while and luckily, luckily, when I woke up this morning there isn't a lot of evidence anything happened last night - it is swollen a little but not really red.

It was shiny last night and pretty red (maybe in part from the icy water) and I was sure I'd see blistering. I don't know if it will blister eventually, but right now it's not as bad as I expected.

The chicken tasted good though.

Peach and Prosciutto Pizza, oh my

You heard it right. Peach and Prosciutto. On a Pizza.

This is yet another recipe from Sandi's estimable Whistle Stop Cafe cooking blog. And I can vouch for this - it's delectable. To me, the rosemary and prosciutto were the star of the show, with the bufala mozzarella and olive oil a close second. The peaches, to be honest, weren't noteworthy here, but, on the other hand, as it is October I had to use thawed (frozen) slices.

Here is her link:

Peach and Prosciutto on a Pizza

And here is her recipe in its entirety:

Peach & Prosciutto Pizza

1 pizza dough
6-8 slices prosciutto
2 peaches sliced
1/2 cup mozzarella
fresh rosemary
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Make your pizza crust, spreading the dough very thin. Brush the dough with oil, sprinkle generously with rosemary, salt and pepper. Top with slices of peaches and prosciutto cut into thin slices. Cover the top with a good mozzarella. Bake in a preheated oven at 350° 10-20 minutes- depending on the thickness of your crust.

And here is what I did with it:

First of all, I used frozen peach slices. I thawed them in the microwave (quelle horreur!)
Pizza crust, ready made.
I slopped on the EVOO.
I used a whole sprig of rosemary - all the leaves.
I liberally covered the pizza with cut up mozz cheese.

15-17 minutes on 350 and then I shut off the oven and left it in there another 5 minutes.

It was delicious and I have two lunches for this week, now.

Creamy Gorgonzola Fettuccine

Cows near Heiligenblut
Originally uploaded by Skyhawk Flyer

Friday afternoon, half an hour before I leave work: what do I want to eat tonight? For some reason the first thing that came to mind was pasta in a creamy gorgonzola/walnut sauce. I googled the words and the below recipe came up. This recipe was in Cooking Light in 2000. Below is the recipe and far below is what I actually did. Why do I have a photo of cows, you ask? Well, Gorgonzola is a cheese from cows.

Creamy Gorgonzola Fettuccine
8 ounces uncooked fettuccine
3 cups (1-inch) diagonally sliced asparagus (about 10 ounces)
2 teaspoons butter or stick margarine
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups fat-free milk
1/4 cup (2 ounces)
1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (2 ounces) Gorgonzola or other blue cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts, toasted
Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Cook pasta in boiling water 6 minutes, omitting salt and fat. Add asparagus, and cook 2 minutes or until tender.

While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, and cook for 3 minutes. Add flour; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk, stirring well with a whisk. Stir in cream cheese and salt; cook 3 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly.

Drain pasta and asparagus; place in a large bowl. Add sauce; tossing to coat. Serve with Gorgonzola and walnuts, and sprinkle with pepper, if desired.

What I did:

For starters, I bought asparagus (Spargel! white asparagus) and maybe the first clue should have been that buying it in October isn't likely to yield high quality. The first thing I did was to start to prep it, and after cutting roughly 1/4 of the bunch I tasted a few slices and literally spit them out. Too bitter! I wasn't about to gamble on all this food and cook them anyway in the hopes that they would taste better after cooking. In the garbage they went. It is a shame...

Because the fettucine was 12 oz and not 8 I decided to enlarge the sauce ingredients slightly. 3T of butter, for instance. 2T of flour, maybe even a little more. 1.5 cups of milk - 2%. 3 oz of cream cheese (the only thing that was light in this entire recipe!). 3/4 of a cup of gorgonzola cheese. I also stirred the cheese directly into the milk/butter/cream cheese combo which was cooking. I didn't think merely crumbling it on top would be the same effect - I wanted sauce! I didn't toast the walnuts. That may be a good idea.

I now have an entire 2 cup container of gorgonzola sauce in the fridge, even after having my meal last night. It was very good, and scratched my itch. (Now what am I going to do with all that sauce??)

Jack talk Thai! Chicken and Basil

Simmering coconut milk
Originally uploaded by Skyhawk Flyer

Here is another recipe from the book "One year at Books for Cooks Vol. 3".

I just realized, however, in writing this blog (food already eaten, dishwasher humming) that I completely forgot the "basil" step. Basil and garlic, slightly stir fried in sesame oil, as a matter of fact. Oops.

At any rate, here is the recipe and my variations below:
Thai Chicken with Basil
4 chicken breasts (skinned and boned).
8 fl oz/1 cup chicken stock
8 fl oz/1 cup coconut milk
1 fresh red chili, seeded and finely chopped
1 star anise
1 t ground coriander
salt
3 oz skinned unsalted peanuts
1 t sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2 handfuls of basil leaves

Cut the chicken breasts across on a sharp diagonal into 1 inch strips. Put the stock, coconut milk and spices into a pan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 mins and the sauce should reduce by half.

Toast the peanuts in a dry pan over slow heat until nutty and golden. Stir the chicken strips into the sauce and cook gently until white, tender and cooked through. Take off the heat and adjust the seasoning.

Heat the oil and fry the garlic. When it starts to color and crisp, throw in the basil and stir fry until wilted. Stir the garlic-basil into the coconut and serve at once with saffron rice, garnished with toasted peanuts.

Sounds marvelous doesn't it? That basil garlic would have been a really nice touch.

What I did differently:

1 can each of chicken stock and coconut milk - in other words, roughly double the amount.
I bought dried chiles in a bag and threw three of them in the sauce while cooking. It didn't seem to do anything.
I bought anise seeds - in a spice jar.
I bought ground cilantro (coriander) in a spice jar.
Completely forgot to do the last bit.

It was pretty good, if a bit bland. The chili didn't juice it up, and the last part of the recipe would also have been good.

Anyway, I now have a few lunches and dinner this week.

An unlikely but delightful pairing - butternut squash and pears

In the "wonders never cease" category, I made another dish from scratch tonight.

I found the recipe for Butternut Squash and Pear Soup in a (literally) 9 year old cookbook. In 1999 I was in London and went on a mission to find the little travel bookshop made famous in the movie Notting Hill with Hugh Grant. It really does exist, although Hugh wasn't there. On the same street (probably next door, although I don't remember) was the shop "Books for Cooks" and I browsed some titles. You may find this interesting, given my aversion to cooking, but I actually have a fair number of cookbooks. I bought a few from that bookstore as a matter of fact (one, because of the stunning photo on the cover...).

The one I used tonight was the One Year at Books for Cooks, Vol. 3. Apparently this recipe came from the book Anna's Kitchen.

1.5 pounds of squash (peeled, seeded, chopped)
3 ripe pears
2 onions, peeled and chopped
3 T butter
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
salt and pepper
2 T chopped coriander to garnish
4 T creme fraiche to garnish

The method:
Melt the butter and stew the onions with a pinch of salt until soft. Peel, halve and core the pears, and add them in with the chopped up squash. Cover and cook slowly until all are soft. Pour in the boiling stock, bring to a boil again and then simmer for 20 minutes. Liquidise and push through a sieve into the rinsed out pan. Reheat, adjust the seasoning and serve in warm bowls with a spoonful of creme fraiche and a sprinkling of coriander.

First, what I changed from the above:
Wegmans sells pre-cut and prepped, vacuum sealed butternut squash
1 large onion, not 2 (it didn't call for large or small)
Instead of coriander and creme fraiche I used cinnamon and a dollop of yoghurt. I did BUY coriander so maybe tomorrow when I have it again I'll use it.

Nota bene - the squash was rock hard when I opened the seal, but, I turned the heat below medium, added a half cup of the boiling stock to help it soften more, and let it simmer for a good 20-30 minutes and it was all soft and mushy then.


I DID strain a helping with a sieve directly into my bowl, mostly to taste it, but then I added in the leftover mush that was still in the sieve and stirred. It was pretty creamy. I won't bother to separate it out the next time for eating. It is easier to taste the pears when you leave in the "mush".

The cinnamon and yoghurt were a great touch. I'm sure the coriander would be fine too.

I can't quite decide if the chicken stock overpowered the taste or not. It wasn't "all chicken-y" but I'm thinking the next time I may even use 3 cups chicken stock to a full cup of water.

This is supposed to make 4 servings but I'd say more like 6.

Enjoy!

The photo here has nothing to do with the meal, but, it is a "fall" kind of photo and the soup is definitely a fall kind of soup.

Cooking with a laptop - Tomato Spinach Tart

Literally!

I found a great blog called the Whistlestop Cafe Cooking. Sandi and Bill own the Whistlestop Cafe in Alabama and she has a great blog about her cooking.

I decided to make her Tomato Tart, and in order to do so had to put my laptop on the kitchen counter to follow her recipe while I cooked. Since I like to have either a glass of wine or a glass of beer while I cook, I had to be extra careful. (My beer of choice today was a Franziskaner Weissbier).

Her blog is here: http://whistlestopcooking.blogspot.com/

And her recipe is here:

http://whistlestopcooking.blogspot.com/2008/09/tomato-tart.html


Here is the recipe in written form.

Tomato and Spinach Tart
1 bag spinach
1-2 tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
1 small sliced onion
1/2 cup sour cream (low fat)
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup grated cheese
1 pie crust
Bake at 350°
Press pie crust into a large tart pan. Combine coarsely chopped spinach with onion and garlic. Stir in sour cream and most of the cheese. Press into the tart. Combine eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour over the spinach. Top with slices of tomato and sprinkle with more cheese. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Allow to sit for 15 minutes before slicing.

I can't wait to take it out of the oven! I used Asiago cheese this go around. I also had to make two, because the above is more than it seems (I used pre-made pie crusts, not a tart baker) so I ended up using 2 eggs and a half cup of milk for each one.

In other news, yesterday I went to the annual art show in Old Town Alexandria and came home with (surprise) more pottery. This is a beautiful hand thrown and hand painted bowl which is now gracing my counter as a fruit and veg holder. Here it is:



















Additionally, my new-found determination to actually cook versus eat at restaurants or other no-brainer food is making real inroads into my eating habits.

Last week, in addition to the Cranberry Chicken below, I also made haddock (pop in the oven at 425 for half an hour, two pats of butter and a lot of lemon juice) with a side of my own recipe I call Lazy Noodles.

Lazy Noodles:

Chicken stock in a can
One cup of water
Egg Noodles
Frozen peas.

Boil the liquid. Add a whole bunch of noodles. I mean, pack 'em in. Turn heat to medium and cover. After 5-6 minutes add in some peas. Maybe half a cup or more. After a few more minutes, it's done. Do not drain. It is not quite soup, not quite "stew", but it sure is good.

My other home cooked meal, which I had twice last week (lazy, lazy) was a Brie and Cherry Jam Grilled Cheese Sandwich. The bread slices were the large size so believe me, I was full after I ate just that for dinner with a glass of milk.

I actually cooked something new tonight... Cranberry Chicken

Since my last posting, I have literally made ONE new thing - and that was chicken soup from a picked over rotisserie chicken. That was in June I think.

In August, for the heck of it, I actually tallied up what I spent on either groceries or restaurants in July. It totaled 775 bucks. Keep in mind I'm a single girl! I thought, whoa, I better start paying attention.

A month went by... and for the heck of it I totaled up my August grocery and restaurant expenses. Over 1100 bucks. Yes, over 1100 bucks. That's just insane - especially since I can't say I eat THAT well. (part of that was restaurant week with friends - who always know where to eat).

Gadzooks. OK, I'm going to really turn over a new leaf here. That is just ridiculous. If I were a gourmet cook, or could whip up a dinner party from scratch, I could completely understand 1100 bucks in one month. The problem too is that I buy WAY too much in one outing and if they are fresh veg, they invariable go bad before I'm able to get to them, and if they are "staples" I either forget about them in the pantry, or, I plain and simply don't use them all up. I'm not someone to buy ONE can of tomato paste, I have to buy 5. And maybe crack open one - or maybe not.




So tonight I pulled out my Savannah cookbook and made Cranberry Chicken. Very Easy.


It calls for

• Boneless chicken breast (6 pounds - I had 1.5 pounds)


• 1 oz pkg onion soup mix (I used about half that)


• 1 8 oz bottle of Catalina dressing - I used half a cup


• 1 16 oz can of cranberries - I used half a cup.

Mix up the ingredients, sans chicken of course.

Heat oven to 350, arrange chicken in a casserole dish (no top), pour mixture over it, pop in oven for one hour.

MMMMMMMM IT'S GOOD!

My amounts were clearly off - probably a little dressing and onion soup heavy - but it was VERY good and the chicken was really moist.

And would you look at that - I actually have lunch for tomorrow and either dinner again, or lunch the next day. I had an arugula, bufala mozz, and pine nut salad. With really good olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

I do think though part of the reason I waste so much food is because I am a really really bad leftover eater. I get bored easily.

Pssst - while it was cooking, I soaked in the tub and had a good German Weissbier. Shhhhh.

Farmer's Markets - rites of summer

Red Pepper, Olive Oil
Originally uploaded by Skyhawk Flyer

It's been quite a while since I posted anything. Travel, work, hobbies, they all get in the way of learning to cook. Cooking isn't a hobby yet, although I will say having a blog (a neglected blog) at least gets me to think about cooking!

I've visited farmer's markets twice now this summer. We have one every Thursday in the park next to my office, and a few weeks ago I picked up some steak rubs and also dip mix from a gent who makes them from scratch. Here is his link:

http://www.gypsyhillfoods.com/

I pan-seared and then broiled a filet mignon using one of his rubs a week or so ago. I'm going to add that to the "recipes made" for 2008 even though that was ridiculously easy. Desperate times call for desperate measures. I also made his tomato-chipotle dip which I used with some fresh veggies (not purchased at a farmer's market, alas).

Another recipe I made from my friend Paige was roasted red peppers! Slice a red pepper (core it, and all that) and then douse it with olive oil. A little salt and pepper, and then pop it under the broiler. Keep an eye on it, and turn the pepper slices every so often. Delicious!

Yesterday I went to another farmer's market and bought a massive cucumber. I've already eaten half of it (yes, it's that big - only half). Cucumbers and tomatoes, swimming in olive oil and a touch of balsamic vinegar and of course salt and pepper. I'm a simple eater, what can I say.

The fruitless gardener

Here are some updates on my "gardening":

The HOA hired a new company to mow the common areas of the subdivision. These guys mowed a significant part of our backyards, with only an 8 foot swath near the deck that I had to mow. When did I finally mow? Erm, Saturday. No, it wasn't (quite) knee high! The lawnmower quit during one pass though. (this is the BACKYARD, where no one goes...)

I did hire a guy to completely re-do my front yard. He's going to re-sod my grass... and really put some punch into my flower beds. I asked him to make it a butterfly garden. I did select the flowers - does that count? I can't wait to see it.

The bulbs I forgot in the garage I finally planted about 3 weeks ago and they are really pushing up tulips. No blooms yet, but the stalks are really strong. My other tulips are past their prime but they were beautiful while they lasted.

And last but not least - those roses from last summer, the ones I mistreated and abused horribly (including replanting them rather roughly)? They are barking mad with flowers and buds! There are no less than twenty six flowers or buds busting out all over.... (I counted!)

2007 meals: The List

Here is what I made from scratch in 2007. I'll write a separate post for the recipes.

1. Moroccan Pumpkin Soup
2. Pan -seared filet mignon (prior to sticking it under the broiler) and a baked potato. Yawn.
3. Jerk rub, mixed with Veuve Cliquot, used as a marinade for steak (my own recipe, haha). I also reduced the leftover marinade with limited success.
4. Chicken with mole sauce I had brought home from Mexico City (the mole, not the chicken).
5. Orrecchiete con rapini
6. Boo Hoo Burgundy Chicken
7. Rice/Garbanzo beans meal.
8. Dinner party - Beef Bourguignon, Onion Delight, Baked Brie with garlic
9. Citrus Soy Tilapia
10. Chicken Casserole
11. Another party - Greek Hamburger Stew, also Baked Brie with Garlic
12. Homemade spaghetti sauce with pasta
13. Beef Stroganoff
14. Saltimbocca
15. Beth's rapini with garlic and burnt balsamic vinegar
16. Honey Lime Grilled Chicken
17. French Onion Soup

I thought I had more than this actually. This is hardly more than once per month. Wow.

Not a Domestic Goddess

Those who know me roll their eyes when I say I'm going to cook dinner. "What, salad in a bag again? With steamed broccoli? mmmmmmmmmmmm".

Well, in 2007 I had this bright idea that I would learn how to cook. I can follow a recipe - an easy recipe. I actually do know cooking terms - some of them, anyway. I'm not a complete cooking idiot - it's just never been a priority for me. I go out to dinner a lot (and I do have foodie friends, so we eat well), I take-away a lot too, and I'm telling you, salad in a bag is good for you and tasty too! Especially if you pile arugula with walnuts and goat cheese and dried cherries and home-made salad dressing (see, I'm not completely helpless!)

I decided that once per week (or rather, 52 times during the year) I was going to plan, shop, and prepare one new meal. The parameters were that it would have to be an actual recipe made of food components and not just opening a can of something or other or salad in a bag. I had also hoped that the more exposure I had to this strange new world of "home cooked meals" that I would have a ready-made arsenal of recipes in my repertoire and could go to the store without a list and still come home with tasty things to prepare. The "shopping without a list" plan was easy, since it has been my modus operandi since I moved away from home. It doesn't always bear fruit however. Pardon the pun.

Well, 2007 was a busy year as usual - a LOT of traveling (I actually spent almost four weeks total in Europe on vacation, and I think 8-9 nights at my beach house, and then various business trips and trips home to visit the family...) and as always a lot of work... and I recognized very early on (this is key, so pay attention, all you other non-domestic goddesses!) that the hard part of cooking IS NOT THE COOKING. It's the planning! Anyone can find time on a Sunday afternoon to hang out with the cookbooks, fresh ingredients, music, and a bottle of wine.... My problem has always been "before the trip to the store".

I just don't sit down and think about food - I think about food just before it's time to eat. This doesn't bode well for serious culinary skills. So, 2007 was an experiment and while I did NOT cook a new recipe every single week - I did partially succeed in that by the end of the year I had almost 20 new tried-and-true recipes at my fingertips.

I decided to make more of an effort in 2008. What, you say? We are already well into 2Q in 2008? How many new things have you made so far this year? (Erm, don't ask. Please)

I already know that in order to reach my goal I will have to double up some weeks. Maybe keeping a diary will help. Later I will post some of the things I've already made this year. I hope you (somewhat) enjoy my progress!

Oh yeah, about the gardening. I doubt this blog will have much about gardening. If I bite off more than I can chew I'll never accomplish anything. There may be the odd post here and there about my flowers but that's likely going to be it. You never know though!