Still taking it easy, In the Wegman’s flyer they had an Easy Steamed Clams.
Bag of Littleneck Clams, 50 ct.
1 ½ C water
1 container of Wegman’s, Garlic Cheese Finishing Butter, divided
Quite frankly you could make your own garlic butter by adding garlic to butter. This is just a lazy summer meal and I am sure more than Wegman’s has these flavored butters.
1. Rinse the clams in cold water and discard any that are broken or open. If you put them in cold water with ice, any that may have opened in the ref., if they are alive, will close.
2. Bring water and half of the garlic butter to a boil.
3. Add clams carefully to the pan. I used a Chinese spider to get the clams out of the cold water into the large brazing pan. Cook on medium high for 8 minutes, covered. Discard any clams that do not open.
4. Add the remaining garlic butter. Toss and serve.
I served with a parmesan cheese French baguette to soak up the garlic butter or have with the cheese and tomatoes. I served mozzarella and tomatoes with pesto and additional tomatoes. I served the cheese as Jim is big on getting a lot of protein now. Today at lunch I learned that he did not realize that tofu is pure protein. Maybe I will not meet as much resistance from now on.
We had a Spanish dry white wine from the Vina Reboreda estate in the Ribeiro appellation of Spain. It was very good. We got this from the Oprah House, I hope they have more.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Perfect hot summer meal
Although this looks complicated, if you take it slow and in steps it was easy and just a great dog days of summer meal. It is called Citrusy Tofu and Rice Salad. Don’t turn off. Tofu tastes like what you add to it. And the lightness and citrusy taste was wonderful. I got this recipe from the Washington Post Wednesday food section. It serves 4 and they say 360 calories per severing. Jim ate for 2.
Dressing:
1T sesame seeds
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 T peanut oil
2 T unseasoned rice vinegar
2 T freshly squeezed orange juice
1t honey
1t tamari soy sauce
½ t freshly grated ginger
½ t toasted sesame oil
Salt
Pepper
I put all of the ingredients on the counter including the OJ, minced garlic and ginger so I would not forget anything. If you only have raw sesame seeds you need to toast them, but in the Oriental markets they have roasted seeds you can buy. So earlier in the day I made the dressing and put in a container in the refrigerator.
When ready for dinner, I did the rice first:
½ C Jasmine rice
½ C dry white wine
½ C water
Salt to taste
Put all in a small pan and bring to a boil for one minute. Cover and turn the heat to the lowest temperature and cook for about 18 to 20 minutes. Stir a couple of times and fluff when all the liquid is absorbed.
Next the salad:
7 oz of mixed salad greens
1 medium carrot peeled and grated
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 scallions, white parts only, minced.
I mixed all this in a salad bowl.
Final Steps:
14 oz firm tofu, drained and cut into 3/4 “cubes
I used my flat bottom wok on top of the stove. Spray the wok with cooking spray and put the tofu in on medium heat. Add 2T of the dressing and cook for 12 minutes tossing every 2 minutes to evenly brown the cubes. Toward the end I had to turn the heat down and turned separately any cubes that were white on top.. At the end of the cooking time add the rice to the tofu off the heat and add one more T of the dressing. Toss to combine. Add the rest of the dressing to the greens and toss to combine. I then spread the greens on a platter and topped with the rice/tofu mixture.
This was so good and light for a very hot summer night.
Dressing:
1T sesame seeds
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 T peanut oil
2 T unseasoned rice vinegar
2 T freshly squeezed orange juice
1t honey
1t tamari soy sauce
½ t freshly grated ginger
½ t toasted sesame oil
Salt
Pepper
I put all of the ingredients on the counter including the OJ, minced garlic and ginger so I would not forget anything. If you only have raw sesame seeds you need to toast them, but in the Oriental markets they have roasted seeds you can buy. So earlier in the day I made the dressing and put in a container in the refrigerator.
When ready for dinner, I did the rice first:
½ C Jasmine rice
½ C dry white wine
½ C water
Salt to taste
Put all in a small pan and bring to a boil for one minute. Cover and turn the heat to the lowest temperature and cook for about 18 to 20 minutes. Stir a couple of times and fluff when all the liquid is absorbed.
Next the salad:
7 oz of mixed salad greens
1 medium carrot peeled and grated
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 scallions, white parts only, minced.
I mixed all this in a salad bowl.
Final Steps:
14 oz firm tofu, drained and cut into 3/4 “cubes
I used my flat bottom wok on top of the stove. Spray the wok with cooking spray and put the tofu in on medium heat. Add 2T of the dressing and cook for 12 minutes tossing every 2 minutes to evenly brown the cubes. Toward the end I had to turn the heat down and turned separately any cubes that were white on top.. At the end of the cooking time add the rice to the tofu off the heat and add one more T of the dressing. Toss to combine. Add the rest of the dressing to the greens and toss to combine. I then spread the greens on a platter and topped with the rice/tofu mixture.
This was so good and light for a very hot summer night.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Pesto Pasta and Chicken
Remember Friday I made pesto. Tonight we grilled chicken and put pesto on it. I bought as an experiment some whole wheat gnocchi in the dried pasta section. I cooked them and put some of the pesto on them. They were better than I thought they would be. Not as good as making from scratch, but better than the "fresh" ones. I served a salad also. Jim believes we will sell this house so in the drinking down of the wine cellare we had a Spanish red wine. He can't remember where he got it, but it was quite good. Stay tuned, tomorrow is tofu night.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
A Smarter Caesar Salad
We were out to dinner on Friday and I made burgers on Saturday, so tonight we had salad. Salad was perfect for a 99 degree day. That is 99 in the shade. I got this salad from Easy Lving magazine. It is a rather loose recipe. They don’t give how much so I will just list the ingredients and you can judge how much. I can't tell you how much as I just looked at it and added what I thought we could eat.
Ingredients:
Romaine hearts, washed and chopped
Sardines, in water
Hard-boiled eggs
Parmesan croutons
EVOO, mustard and lemon juice for the dressing
I bought sardines in water and was surprised as to how few were in the can. I buy sardines in oil for Max all the time and this was about half the amount per can. So if you are serving 2, I’d buy 2 cans. I washed and chopped the lettuce. Squeezed ½ a lemon and squeezed in some Dijon mustard. To this I whisked in EVOO to emulsify. I added the store bought croutons to the salad and dressing and divided between two plates. Place the sardines and one hardboiled egg cut in half decoratively on top. I really like this. Jim said he did, but with the voice of “if I don’t agree, she may stop cooking.” He served a Stellina di Notte, pinot Grigio. It worked.
In the summer I watch all the reruns of the cooking shows. I always use freshly ground pepper. Tonight on Good Eats, Elton Brown said that pre ground pepper has Cole dust and wood something to stretch it. Ick! Jim and I are going to read the ingredients on the can the next visit to the grocery store.
Also I am not sure if I ever imparted my way to make perfect hard boiled eggs, doesn’t matter how many. Cover the eggs with cold water and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and cover the pan for 15 minutes. Immediately dump the water and fill the pan with cold water and lots of ice. Crack all around the shell in the cold water and peel. No green between the yolk and white ever.
Ingredients:
Romaine hearts, washed and chopped
Sardines, in water
Hard-boiled eggs
Parmesan croutons
EVOO, mustard and lemon juice for the dressing
I bought sardines in water and was surprised as to how few were in the can. I buy sardines in oil for Max all the time and this was about half the amount per can. So if you are serving 2, I’d buy 2 cans. I washed and chopped the lettuce. Squeezed ½ a lemon and squeezed in some Dijon mustard. To this I whisked in EVOO to emulsify. I added the store bought croutons to the salad and dressing and divided between two plates. Place the sardines and one hardboiled egg cut in half decoratively on top. I really like this. Jim said he did, but with the voice of “if I don’t agree, she may stop cooking.” He served a Stellina di Notte, pinot Grigio. It worked.
In the summer I watch all the reruns of the cooking shows. I always use freshly ground pepper. Tonight on Good Eats, Elton Brown said that pre ground pepper has Cole dust and wood something to stretch it. Ick! Jim and I are going to read the ingredients on the can the next visit to the grocery store.
Also I am not sure if I ever imparted my way to make perfect hard boiled eggs, doesn’t matter how many. Cover the eggs with cold water and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and cover the pan for 15 minutes. Immediately dump the water and fill the pan with cold water and lots of ice. Crack all around the shell in the cold water and peel. No green between the yolk and white ever.
Sunday Brunch
I finally arose around 10:00 this morning. Made up for Friday nights lack of sleep. Jim and Max got up earlier and read the paper. I had some tea and then made brunch around noon. We had Bread Cheese. This was a first for me. I had a coupon from Wegman’s. Supposedly the Fins though it looked like bread and gave it its name. If you read about it on line it says that it is either made out of reindeer milk or cow’s milk. Mine came from Wisconsin so I doubt a reindeer was used. I sautéed it in cubes per the label directions and served sprinkled with walnuts and honey. It had a sweet and savory flavor. Jim said that if he didn’t know he was eating cheese, he’d think it was bread. I served this with melon and blueberries and peppered bacon. I thought it was a good diversion from the usual breakfast. Reading on line there seem to be a great deal of ways to serve it. It was new to me.
Speaking of new to me, We went to a wonderful restaurant on Friday called Trummer's on Main in Clifton, VA. The restaurant is gourgous and the food was divine. But there were words on the menu that were food I had never heard of before. Everyone kept asking me and all they got was, never heard of it. So our waitress had a lot of explaining. I started with duck salad and had soft shelled crabs for my main course. I had room for dessert. I loved the portion sizes. On the way home when I mentioned this to Jim he just grunted. I think he was still hungry. They also do brunch. I'd go there again in a heartbeat. So sad to see Roger and Carole go to NC. Carole always knows the best restaurants to go to in the area.
Speaking of new to me, We went to a wonderful restaurant on Friday called Trummer's on Main in Clifton, VA. The restaurant is gourgous and the food was divine. But there were words on the menu that were food I had never heard of before. Everyone kept asking me and all they got was, never heard of it. So our waitress had a lot of explaining. I started with duck salad and had soft shelled crabs for my main course. I had room for dessert. I loved the portion sizes. On the way home when I mentioned this to Jim he just grunted. I think he was still hungry. They also do brunch. I'd go there again in a heartbeat. So sad to see Roger and Carole go to NC. Carole always knows the best restaurants to go to in the area.
Grilled Burgers and Salad for Saturday Night
Question: Why do we buy beef that is 99% fat free?
Answer: So we can put 1.5 T of butter in the middle before we grille it.
I was looking through the July Bon Appetite and came upon Grilled Burgers with Meyer Lemon Butter. You can use a regular lemon as here Meyer lemons are as rare as a cool day. Makes 4 burgers
Ingredients:
6 T room temperature butter
1T finely chopped fresh tarragon
1T finely chopped fresh basil
1 T finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
1t finely grated lemon peel
1 t lemon juice
11/2# ground beef
Vegetable oil for brushing
4 sesame seed hamburger buns
1 large tomato, thinly sliced crosswise
1 bunch arugula
Earlier in the day I set out the butter. I had the herbs in the garden so I picked, washed and dried. I put them all in the mini Cuisinart to finely chop. So the one T chopped was relative. I grated the lemon peel into the butter, added the chopped herbs and lemon juice. Mix well and place the butter in wax paper to roll up to chill, about 3” long. The recipe says freeze to firm. I just put in the refrigerator as I had plenty of time.
When ready to grille cut the butter in 4 equal pieces. Flatten the rounds to about 2” round disks. Divide the meat into 4 equal pieces. Using damp hands form the meat into a ball. Press 1 lemon butter round flatly into the middle and press the meat securely around it. Enclose the meat around the butter entirely or the butter will leak out while grilling. I was pretty successful. Jim said he only had one little flare up. Grille 4-6 minutes per side and heat the buns. Top with the tomato and arugula unless you are Jim, then use mustard. The lemon, herbs and yes, the butter really added to the beef.
I served this with spring greens to which I added sunflower seeds, blueberries and green pepper. I dressed lightly with Wegman’s Caesar dressing. Jim served Van Ruiten “Old Vine” Zinfandel, 2007. We got this from The Opera House Gourmet and are thinking of buying more.
Answer: So we can put 1.5 T of butter in the middle before we grille it.
I was looking through the July Bon Appetite and came upon Grilled Burgers with Meyer Lemon Butter. You can use a regular lemon as here Meyer lemons are as rare as a cool day. Makes 4 burgers
Ingredients:
6 T room temperature butter
1T finely chopped fresh tarragon
1T finely chopped fresh basil
1 T finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
1t finely grated lemon peel
1 t lemon juice
11/2# ground beef
Vegetable oil for brushing
4 sesame seed hamburger buns
1 large tomato, thinly sliced crosswise
1 bunch arugula
Earlier in the day I set out the butter. I had the herbs in the garden so I picked, washed and dried. I put them all in the mini Cuisinart to finely chop. So the one T chopped was relative. I grated the lemon peel into the butter, added the chopped herbs and lemon juice. Mix well and place the butter in wax paper to roll up to chill, about 3” long. The recipe says freeze to firm. I just put in the refrigerator as I had plenty of time.
When ready to grille cut the butter in 4 equal pieces. Flatten the rounds to about 2” round disks. Divide the meat into 4 equal pieces. Using damp hands form the meat into a ball. Press 1 lemon butter round flatly into the middle and press the meat securely around it. Enclose the meat around the butter entirely or the butter will leak out while grilling. I was pretty successful. Jim said he only had one little flare up. Grille 4-6 minutes per side and heat the buns. Top with the tomato and arugula unless you are Jim, then use mustard. The lemon, herbs and yes, the butter really added to the beef.
I served this with spring greens to which I added sunflower seeds, blueberries and green pepper. I dressed lightly with Wegman’s Caesar dressing. Jim served Van Ruiten “Old Vine” Zinfandel, 2007. We got this from The Opera House Gourmet and are thinking of buying more.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Homemade Pesto
Today we are going out to dinner to send off our longtime friends to their retirement in North Carolina. We’ve known Roger and Carole since married housing in Michigan State. Their daughter and most importantly their grandson live in North Carolina and thus the whole family is returning to their roots.
But I have lots of basil leaves in my garden so I made the Barefoot Contessa’s pesto
Ingredients:
¼ C walnuts
¼ C pignolis (pine nuts)
3 T chopped garlic (9 cloves)
5 C fresh basil leaves, packed
1t salt
1 t black pepper
1 ½ C EVOO
1 C grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Place the walnuts, pine nuts and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 30 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is finely pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute.
Serve, or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.
But I have lots of basil leaves in my garden so I made the Barefoot Contessa’s pesto
Ingredients:
¼ C walnuts
¼ C pignolis (pine nuts)
3 T chopped garlic (9 cloves)
5 C fresh basil leaves, packed
1t salt
1 t black pepper
1 ½ C EVOO
1 C grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Place the walnuts, pine nuts and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 30 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is finely pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute.
Serve, or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Whole-Wheat Crust Zucchini Pizza with Garlic and Fresh Basil
My lazy days have gone undercover today. We are to have a big storm around dinner time so I decided that today was the veggie pizza. I got this recipe on an AOL site called Kitchendaily. I probably started the pizza dough too early, but Jim was on a conference call in my office, so I had to do something quiet. The dough was very easy.
Ingredients:
1 ½ C whole wheat flour
1 ½ C unbleached all-purpose flour plus more for kneading
Fine sea salt
1 package active dry yeast
1C warm water (100-110 F)
½ t sugar
1/4C EVOO plus more for grill and drizzling
To make the dough:
1. I warmed the cup of water in the microwave and got it too hot. I cooled it down to 110 degrees and added the yeast to proof with the sugar in the bowl of my Kitchen Aid.
2. Meanwhile in a separate bowl, I combined the two flours. I did not put the salt in as yesterday on the Barefoot Contessa she was making pizza dough and she said adding the salt too soon impedes the yeast. She recommended combining most of the flour into the yeast mixture before adding the salt.
3. I proofed the yeast for about 10 minutes and added the oil to the yeast. I then mixed in most of the flour by hand and put it in the mixer with the dough hook. I kneaded it on the machine for 6 minutes adding very little additional flour. The dough was perfect.
4. I oiled a clean bowl and formed a ball turning it over in the oiled bowl. It is to rest in the bowl and rise for at least 90 minutes.
5. When ready to cook place a pizza stone in the middle of the oven and heat to 500 degrees. When the oven reaches the temperature, set the timer to 30 minutes to heat the stone.
Topping:
2 medium zucchini
Course sea salt
1(28 oz) can whole tomatoes in juice, juices drained
5 oz fresh mozzarella
1 small red onion
2 large garlic cloves
A large handful of fresh basil leaves
Chili pepper flakes (optional)
As I was looking at the ingredients I went he is going to hate another just veggie pizza, so I got out of the freezer some pork sausage that we buy in TN and I had left over sliced Mushrooms.
1. First open the canned tomatoes and drain in a colander. Next I cut up the garlic very thin, the onion on a mandolin very thin and one zucchini sliced lengthwise also on the mandolin.
2. Warm a grille pan and brush the zucchini with olive oil both sides. When the grille pan was hot I grilled the zucchini both sides. Next I cooked the sausage and then I cooked the mushrooms all in the same grille pan.
3. Roll out the dough into 4-10” rounds. Take the tomatoes out of the colander and one by one squeeze into a bowl. Add sea salt. Spread the tomatoes evenly on the 4 pizza rounds. Next sprinkle the sliced garlic and onions. My onion was rather large and Jim is not found of onion so I only used about a third on 3 of the pizzas. Next I divided the sausage and mushrooms on 3 of the pizzas. I sliced the mozzarella in my slicer and divided among the 4 pizzas, pinching it into smaller pieces. Take the grilled zucchini and place on the 4 pizzas. Drizzle with olive oil and coarse salt. So one pizza was true to the recipe.
4. Transfer each pizza to the stone and cook for 6 minutes each. I placed them on a plate on top of the stove to keep warm. Cut them all at once and served on the warm plates. I would call these personal pan pizzas. So it should serve 4-6. I ate ¾ of the all veggie pizza and we have ¾ of one pizza left.
Jim said without prompting, this is great pizza. I am not sure he would have been as happy without the meat. I had the pizza true to the recipe and I have to say this is the best crust and topping to date. The canned and drained tomatoes without being sauce made it a more white pizza. Both Jim and I hate what we call tomato yuck on our pizza. By the way, we got a small drizzle of rain, no big thunder storm.
Ingredients:
1 ½ C whole wheat flour
1 ½ C unbleached all-purpose flour plus more for kneading
Fine sea salt
1 package active dry yeast
1C warm water (100-110 F)
½ t sugar
1/4C EVOO plus more for grill and drizzling
To make the dough:
1. I warmed the cup of water in the microwave and got it too hot. I cooled it down to 110 degrees and added the yeast to proof with the sugar in the bowl of my Kitchen Aid.
2. Meanwhile in a separate bowl, I combined the two flours. I did not put the salt in as yesterday on the Barefoot Contessa she was making pizza dough and she said adding the salt too soon impedes the yeast. She recommended combining most of the flour into the yeast mixture before adding the salt.
3. I proofed the yeast for about 10 minutes and added the oil to the yeast. I then mixed in most of the flour by hand and put it in the mixer with the dough hook. I kneaded it on the machine for 6 minutes adding very little additional flour. The dough was perfect.
4. I oiled a clean bowl and formed a ball turning it over in the oiled bowl. It is to rest in the bowl and rise for at least 90 minutes.
5. When ready to cook place a pizza stone in the middle of the oven and heat to 500 degrees. When the oven reaches the temperature, set the timer to 30 minutes to heat the stone.
Topping:
2 medium zucchini
Course sea salt
1(28 oz) can whole tomatoes in juice, juices drained
5 oz fresh mozzarella
1 small red onion
2 large garlic cloves
A large handful of fresh basil leaves
Chili pepper flakes (optional)
As I was looking at the ingredients I went he is going to hate another just veggie pizza, so I got out of the freezer some pork sausage that we buy in TN and I had left over sliced Mushrooms.
1. First open the canned tomatoes and drain in a colander. Next I cut up the garlic very thin, the onion on a mandolin very thin and one zucchini sliced lengthwise also on the mandolin.
2. Warm a grille pan and brush the zucchini with olive oil both sides. When the grille pan was hot I grilled the zucchini both sides. Next I cooked the sausage and then I cooked the mushrooms all in the same grille pan.
3. Roll out the dough into 4-10” rounds. Take the tomatoes out of the colander and one by one squeeze into a bowl. Add sea salt. Spread the tomatoes evenly on the 4 pizza rounds. Next sprinkle the sliced garlic and onions. My onion was rather large and Jim is not found of onion so I only used about a third on 3 of the pizzas. Next I divided the sausage and mushrooms on 3 of the pizzas. I sliced the mozzarella in my slicer and divided among the 4 pizzas, pinching it into smaller pieces. Take the grilled zucchini and place on the 4 pizzas. Drizzle with olive oil and coarse salt. So one pizza was true to the recipe.
4. Transfer each pizza to the stone and cook for 6 minutes each. I placed them on a plate on top of the stove to keep warm. Cut them all at once and served on the warm plates. I would call these personal pan pizzas. So it should serve 4-6. I ate ¾ of the all veggie pizza and we have ¾ of one pizza left.
Jim said without prompting, this is great pizza. I am not sure he would have been as happy without the meat. I had the pizza true to the recipe and I have to say this is the best crust and topping to date. The canned and drained tomatoes without being sauce made it a more white pizza. Both Jim and I hate what we call tomato yuck on our pizza. By the way, we got a small drizzle of rain, no big thunder storm.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Melon Salad
I am getting bad. I don’t feel like cooking as it is so hot here. I learned last weekend that this is the hottest June on record. It has been miserable. So I send Jim out in the heat to grille something and I made a salad. We bought a pre-marinated chicken breasts yesterday at Wegman’s. It was called rosemary balsamic and it was very good. I made half of the following Melon Salad to go with it. I got the recipe from the Washington Post. They say it is adapted from “Recipes from an Italian Summer.”
Ingredients:
2/3 C plain nonfat yogurt
Freshly squeezed juice of ½ lemon (1T)
2T EVOO
Salt
1 melon, such as cantaloupe or honeydew cut in half and seeded. I used cantaloupe
4 medium tomatoes cut into 1” pieces
1 head green or red-leaf lettuce (I used spring greens)
1C frozen defrosted corn kernels
Steps:
• Combine the yogurt, lemon juice, oil and salt to taste in a small bowl, mix well.
• Use a melon baler to scoop out round balls on melon; place the balls in a large salad bowl and add the tomatoes, lettuce, and corn. Add the yogurt dressing and toss gently to combine.
• Serve immediately
Jim served Pascal Jolivet Sancerre, 2008. It was very good and the dressing on the salad did not interfere with the taste of the wine. We had ice cream for dessert. It was Wegman’s cherry brownie mix. It was really good.
Ingredients:
2/3 C plain nonfat yogurt
Freshly squeezed juice of ½ lemon (1T)
2T EVOO
Salt
1 melon, such as cantaloupe or honeydew cut in half and seeded. I used cantaloupe
4 medium tomatoes cut into 1” pieces
1 head green or red-leaf lettuce (I used spring greens)
1C frozen defrosted corn kernels
Steps:
• Combine the yogurt, lemon juice, oil and salt to taste in a small bowl, mix well.
• Use a melon baler to scoop out round balls on melon; place the balls in a large salad bowl and add the tomatoes, lettuce, and corn. Add the yogurt dressing and toss gently to combine.
• Serve immediately
Jim served Pascal Jolivet Sancerre, 2008. It was very good and the dressing on the salad did not interfere with the taste of the wine. We had ice cream for dessert. It was Wegman’s cherry brownie mix. It was really good.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Pick it up at your local grocer
You are going to be really disappointed tonight. I started the day with my trainer Donna. After I had showered and dressed, Jim and I had planned to go to the grocery store. While in the shower, we got a call to show the house. So, out of the shower, I had to dust and pick up, while Jim did vacuuming. We went to the framer, had lunch and went shopping. While at the grocery store I had a coupon for sliders. I picked Greek turkey sliders. I had leftover coleslaw and potato salad that was dinner. The Greek Turkey sliders from Wegman’s were great. Sorry but 98 degrees and I don’t say cook.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Monday with Salmon
Let’s start with some emails I have received. No one wants to respond on the blog, they just email me privately. A lot of you seem to think I spend hours planning meals. Today is an example of spontaneous. I had half a head of red cabbage in the refrigerator. I had frozen salmon in the outdoor refrigerator. I also had the left over potato salad. I started with the coleslaw as I did not want to go to the grocery store. I found this recipe in the Blue Ribbon Cookbook.
Coleslaw makes 5 cups
½ head of cabbage, shredded, mine was red, but they recommend white
¼ C grated carrots
1T chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1T caraway seeds
½ small yellow onion, roughly chopped
¼ C white vinegar
1 T mayonnaise, I used Greek yoghurt
1 ½ t kosher salt
1 ½ t sugar
¾ t freshly ground black pepper
½ C canola oil
1. In a large bowl, toss together the cabbage, carrot, parsley and caraway seeds. I grated it all in the food processor.
2. In the bowl of the food processor fitted with the blade attachment, pulse together the onion, vinegar, mayonnaise, salt, sugar and pepper until combined. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the canola oil until fully combined.
3. Scrape the vinaigrette into the cabbage mixture and toss well. Cover the coleslaw tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 1 hour and up to 3 days.
Mine was in the refrigerator for about 7 hours and was excellent. With this I also had the left over potato salad. Our main course was Salmon.
Cedar Planked Salmon
2T vegetable oil
3T whiskey
½ t minced ginger
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1T soy sauce
1T brown sugar
½ t lemon juice
First I get my cedar planks form Chinook Planks in Seattle. I have noticed of late they are in Wegman’s. Some go to the lumber yard, but I would worry about chemicals. Early in the day I place a plank in water with a T of sea salt. We were using a new one tonight as we burned the last one up. They said to heat up the grille to medium high and place the plank on the grille and carefully flip and toast each side a few times before adding the salmon. I marinated the salmon in the above mixture for 20 minutes. Jim after flipping the plank for a few times, closed the lid and when the plank began to smoke added the salmon. Close the lid and let hot-smoke for 8-10 minutes. When he brought the salmon in it was the most wonderful smell. It tasted as good as it smelled. It was perfectly done and moist.
I was afraid the meal would be too pink and purple, but it looked good and tasted wonderful. Jim served a Viansa 2009 Gionaccia which is a blend of their four whites, pinot Grigio, Arneis, Chardonnay and Vernaccia. It was wonderful.
Coleslaw makes 5 cups
½ head of cabbage, shredded, mine was red, but they recommend white
¼ C grated carrots
1T chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1T caraway seeds
½ small yellow onion, roughly chopped
¼ C white vinegar
1 T mayonnaise, I used Greek yoghurt
1 ½ t kosher salt
1 ½ t sugar
¾ t freshly ground black pepper
½ C canola oil
1. In a large bowl, toss together the cabbage, carrot, parsley and caraway seeds. I grated it all in the food processor.
2. In the bowl of the food processor fitted with the blade attachment, pulse together the onion, vinegar, mayonnaise, salt, sugar and pepper until combined. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the canola oil until fully combined.
3. Scrape the vinaigrette into the cabbage mixture and toss well. Cover the coleslaw tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 1 hour and up to 3 days.
Mine was in the refrigerator for about 7 hours and was excellent. With this I also had the left over potato salad. Our main course was Salmon.
Cedar Planked Salmon
2T vegetable oil
3T whiskey
½ t minced ginger
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1T soy sauce
1T brown sugar
½ t lemon juice
First I get my cedar planks form Chinook Planks in Seattle. I have noticed of late they are in Wegman’s. Some go to the lumber yard, but I would worry about chemicals. Early in the day I place a plank in water with a T of sea salt. We were using a new one tonight as we burned the last one up. They said to heat up the grille to medium high and place the plank on the grille and carefully flip and toast each side a few times before adding the salmon. I marinated the salmon in the above mixture for 20 minutes. Jim after flipping the plank for a few times, closed the lid and when the plank began to smoke added the salmon. Close the lid and let hot-smoke for 8-10 minutes. When he brought the salmon in it was the most wonderful smell. It tasted as good as it smelled. It was perfectly done and moist.
I was afraid the meal would be too pink and purple, but it looked good and tasted wonderful. Jim served a Viansa 2009 Gionaccia which is a blend of their four whites, pinot Grigio, Arneis, Chardonnay and Vernaccia. It was wonderful.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Father's Day Dinner
Today is Father’s Day. Max bought his dad a hat, t-shirt, and exercise books. We were going to play 9 holes of golf in the afternoon, but it was close to 100 degrees so we cancelled. For dinner we are having Spiced Pork and Pineapple Kabobs, leftover potato salad and Cilantro-Lime Black Bean Salad. These recipes were both from the Washington Post. I posted the potato salad yesterday.
Pork Skewers, 12 skewers, 6 servings
If using wooden skewers soak for 30 minutes before grilling
Ingredients:
¼ C apple cider vinegar
¼ C EVOO
1 t chili powder
½ t ground cumin
½ t black pepper
½ t salt
Flesh of ¾ pineapple (about 3 #) cored and cut into 1” pieces (3C)
1 1/2# port tenderloin trimmed of silver skin and excess fat, cut into 1” chunks
Steps:
• Combine the first 7 ingredients in a small bowl. Place pineapple and pork in separate bowls and pour half the marinade over each. Toss and let sit for 15 minutes.
• Prepare the grille to medium high heat.
• Divide the pineapple and pork among the skewers to make sure you fill them all evenly. Discard the marinade.
• Place aluminum foil on the grille to shield the end of the skewers not covered with the meat or fruit from the heat. Cook 5-6 minutes on one side, turn and cook 4-5 minutes on the other. The meat should be about 155 degrees.
• Remove from the grille and cover with foil for 5 minutes before serving.
Bean Salad
Ingredients:
½ bunch cilantro, tough stems discarded, 1C packed
Finely grated zest and juice of 2 limes (2t zest and 2T juice)
2T white wine vinegar
3T EVOO
½ t salt
1t sugar
3 C cooked black beans (rinsed and drained, if using canned)
2-3 ribs celery cut into ¼” dice (1C)
3 large scallions, white and light-green parts, finely chopped (1/2C)
Steps:
• Combine the cilantro, zest, juice, vinegar, EVOO, salt and sugar in a blender; process to form a pureed dressing
• Combine the beans, celery and scallions in a large bowl; add the dressing and mix well.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 12 hours. The recipe says it is best refrigerated overnight.
This could be a complete dinner and in fact it was going to be, before I realized that it was father’s day.
The pork, pineapple and potato salad went well together. I will use the remaining bean salad for lunch tomorrow. It was off for this meal, but very good. It will definitely be good on its own. Jim ate all but 2 skewers, but he did share some pineapple with Max. I loved the pork and pineapple together. Jim chose a Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc because of the pineapple. I think I would have preferred a red with this dish.
Pork Skewers, 12 skewers, 6 servings
If using wooden skewers soak for 30 minutes before grilling
Ingredients:
¼ C apple cider vinegar
¼ C EVOO
1 t chili powder
½ t ground cumin
½ t black pepper
½ t salt
Flesh of ¾ pineapple (about 3 #) cored and cut into 1” pieces (3C)
1 1/2# port tenderloin trimmed of silver skin and excess fat, cut into 1” chunks
Steps:
• Combine the first 7 ingredients in a small bowl. Place pineapple and pork in separate bowls and pour half the marinade over each. Toss and let sit for 15 minutes.
• Prepare the grille to medium high heat.
• Divide the pineapple and pork among the skewers to make sure you fill them all evenly. Discard the marinade.
• Place aluminum foil on the grille to shield the end of the skewers not covered with the meat or fruit from the heat. Cook 5-6 minutes on one side, turn and cook 4-5 minutes on the other. The meat should be about 155 degrees.
• Remove from the grille and cover with foil for 5 minutes before serving.
Bean Salad
Ingredients:
½ bunch cilantro, tough stems discarded, 1C packed
Finely grated zest and juice of 2 limes (2t zest and 2T juice)
2T white wine vinegar
3T EVOO
½ t salt
1t sugar
3 C cooked black beans (rinsed and drained, if using canned)
2-3 ribs celery cut into ¼” dice (1C)
3 large scallions, white and light-green parts, finely chopped (1/2C)
Steps:
• Combine the cilantro, zest, juice, vinegar, EVOO, salt and sugar in a blender; process to form a pureed dressing
• Combine the beans, celery and scallions in a large bowl; add the dressing and mix well.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 12 hours. The recipe says it is best refrigerated overnight.
This could be a complete dinner and in fact it was going to be, before I realized that it was father’s day.
The pork, pineapple and potato salad went well together. I will use the remaining bean salad for lunch tomorrow. It was off for this meal, but very good. It will definitely be good on its own. Jim ate all but 2 skewers, but he did share some pineapple with Max. I loved the pork and pineapple together. Jim chose a Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc because of the pineapple. I think I would have preferred a red with this dish.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
The mircle-Cucumber
, WHAT A LITTLE GEM THE CUCUMBER IS, I WILL LOOK AT IT DIFFERENTLY NOW.
1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.
2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.
3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.
4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.
5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!
6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!
7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.
8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don't have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.
9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!
10. Stressed out and don't have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber with react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.
11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don't have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.
12. Looking for a 'green' way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won't leave streaks and won't harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean.
13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!
1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.
2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.
3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.
4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.
5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!
6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!
7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.
8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don't have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.
9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!
10. Stressed out and don't have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber with react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.
11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don't have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.
12. Looking for a 'green' way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won't leave streaks and won't harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean.
13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!
Potato Salad
Long before I did this blog, I started collecting recipes that I liked in a three ring binder. The binders have since grown to one general one, desserts and breakfast. The largest is 5" wide and I called it Linda's Recipe Collection, thus the name of this blog. The recipes that I've made and did not like are in a land fill somewhere. Friends are getting together tonight and I was asked to bring potato salad. In the back of my mind I knew there was a really good one I made while on the farm and found it in my binder marked EXCELLANT. I have no idea where I really got it, but I think I cut it out on Bon Appetite. I rarely cut up my magazines, but during this time I got a new computer and it would not transfer a program that I had used from the beginning of computing to track recipes in magazines that I had made and liked. I lost reference to thousands of recipes.
This recipe is called State Fair Potato Salad. It is as close to the one I remember my mother making. It serves 6-8. I have doubled it for our get together tonight.
Ingredients:
3 ½# red-skinned potatoes, peeled, cut into ¾” pieces. (I did not peel the potatoes as I think it gives the salad more color)
¼ cup juices from jar of sweet pickles (Drizzling sweet pickle juice over the warm potatoes is the secret to this salad)
¾ C mayonnaise
1/3C buttermilk
4 t Dijon mustard
1t sugar
½ t ground black pepper
3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled, chopped (I save one to decorate the top)
½ C chopped red onion
½ C celery chopped
½ C chopped sweet pickles
1. Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Drizzle pickle juices over potatoes and toss gently, cool to room temperature.
2. Whish mayonnaise, buttermilk, mustard, sugar, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend. Pour the mixture over the potatoes while still warm but not hot. Give this mixture about an hour to cool on the counter before adding the eggs, onion, celery and pickles. Toss gently to blend and salt to taste.
3. I use an egg slicer and just slice the eggs leaving them in larger pieces. Like I said, I save one to decorate the top and sprinkle with paprika. The paprika comes from my upbringing not the recipe.
Here is a toast to friends being able to enjoy each other’s company over good food and good wine.
This recipe is called State Fair Potato Salad. It is as close to the one I remember my mother making. It serves 6-8. I have doubled it for our get together tonight.
Ingredients:
3 ½# red-skinned potatoes, peeled, cut into ¾” pieces. (I did not peel the potatoes as I think it gives the salad more color)
¼ cup juices from jar of sweet pickles (Drizzling sweet pickle juice over the warm potatoes is the secret to this salad)
¾ C mayonnaise
1/3C buttermilk
4 t Dijon mustard
1t sugar
½ t ground black pepper
3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled, chopped (I save one to decorate the top)
½ C chopped red onion
½ C celery chopped
½ C chopped sweet pickles
1. Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Drizzle pickle juices over potatoes and toss gently, cool to room temperature.
2. Whish mayonnaise, buttermilk, mustard, sugar, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend. Pour the mixture over the potatoes while still warm but not hot. Give this mixture about an hour to cool on the counter before adding the eggs, onion, celery and pickles. Toss gently to blend and salt to taste.
3. I use an egg slicer and just slice the eggs leaving them in larger pieces. Like I said, I save one to decorate the top and sprinkle with paprika. The paprika comes from my upbringing not the recipe.
Here is a toast to friends being able to enjoy each other’s company over good food and good wine.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Brunch on Friday
Yesterday Jim played in another charity tournament. He didn’t know a thing about the food, only that it started at 1:00 PM. I had this black bean salad I wanted to make and it said best if refrigerated for 24 hours. He had some of last night’s beef salad for lunch and took off saying he would call and let me know if he’d be home for dinner. I also had leftover crab and found a dish called Crab pudding. My thought was that if he played golf and came home to bean salad, he would really pout. I was taking Elaine to therapy at noon, so I made a list and went to the store while she was in therapy to get the things I needed. It also had to be refrigerated for at least 4 hours. I finished about 2 o’clock and sat down to have leftover beef salad for lunch, only to discover that the leftovers were now just beans and salad. So I have two dinners in the refrigerator and get a call from Jim at 4:00 that they are having a full buffet dinner.
Since the crab is like strata that I often fix for company brunch, Jim and I are having the now renamed Crab Strata for brunch.
I got this recipe out of the Washington Post. It is called Bessie’s Crab Pudding and they say adapted from “Chesapeake Bay Cooking” with John Shields. I cut this recipe in half. Serves 8
6T butter
¼ medium onion minced, (1/4 C)
1 rib celery cut in small dice (/2C)
1 C coarsely chopped mushrooms
½ medium green bell pepper cut into small dice, (1/2C)
1# lump crabmeat (If you buy your crabmeat from Costco, you never have to worry about shell or cartilage)
8 slices of white bread, crusts removed, I used 7 grain bread
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 C low fat milk
2 C heavy cream
1t salt
1/2 t black pepper
1 t Worcestershire sauce
Dash hot pepper sauce
1 C finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1. Grease a 1 1/2qt casserole with the butter
2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, mushrooms and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables have softened. Remove from the heat and gently fold in the crabmeat.
3. Place half of the cubed bread in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Spread the crabmeat vegetable mixture over the top. Arrange the remaining cubed bread on top. (Place your casserole dish on a plate to avoid spills.)
4. Combine the eggs, milk, cream, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and hot pepper sauce in a mixing bowl; mix well, then pour evenly over the cubed bread. (I thought this was too much liquid. I’d start by mixing just half the liquid. If it looks too dry add a little more.) Cover tightly with aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least an hour and up to 4 hours.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the casserole on foil on a sheet pan as it will spill over. Bake the covered casserole for 20 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 325 degrees, then discard the foil and scatter the cheese evenly over the top of the casserole. Bake for 50 minutes, until the casserole has set and the cheese has melted but not burned.
This was very tasty but all the milk did not absorb in the bread. I served it with fresh black berries. I will be spending the rest of my day making Max food as soon as Jim returns from Costco with the ingredients.
Since the crab is like strata that I often fix for company brunch, Jim and I are having the now renamed Crab Strata for brunch.
I got this recipe out of the Washington Post. It is called Bessie’s Crab Pudding and they say adapted from “Chesapeake Bay Cooking” with John Shields. I cut this recipe in half. Serves 8
6T butter
¼ medium onion minced, (1/4 C)
1 rib celery cut in small dice (/2C)
1 C coarsely chopped mushrooms
½ medium green bell pepper cut into small dice, (1/2C)
1# lump crabmeat (If you buy your crabmeat from Costco, you never have to worry about shell or cartilage)
8 slices of white bread, crusts removed, I used 7 grain bread
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 C low fat milk
2 C heavy cream
1t salt
1/2 t black pepper
1 t Worcestershire sauce
Dash hot pepper sauce
1 C finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1. Grease a 1 1/2qt casserole with the butter
2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, mushrooms and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables have softened. Remove from the heat and gently fold in the crabmeat.
3. Place half of the cubed bread in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Spread the crabmeat vegetable mixture over the top. Arrange the remaining cubed bread on top. (Place your casserole dish on a plate to avoid spills.)
4. Combine the eggs, milk, cream, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and hot pepper sauce in a mixing bowl; mix well, then pour evenly over the cubed bread. (I thought this was too much liquid. I’d start by mixing just half the liquid. If it looks too dry add a little more.) Cover tightly with aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least an hour and up to 4 hours.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the casserole on foil on a sheet pan as it will spill over. Bake the covered casserole for 20 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 325 degrees, then discard the foil and scatter the cheese evenly over the top of the casserole. Bake for 50 minutes, until the casserole has set and the cheese has melted but not burned.
This was very tasty but all the milk did not absorb in the bread. I served it with fresh black berries. I will be spending the rest of my day making Max food as soon as Jim returns from Costco with the ingredients.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Just to please Jim
Jim was a happy camper tonight. We had beef. The recipe says serves 4-6 and it really would with a normal husband. He did not finish it, but says he will have the rest for lunch before he plays golf again tomorrow. At the end he took some beef alone, no veggies. When I commented, he said he just needed some beef with his wine. It was very good. I would definitely make it for company this summer. It came from Fine Cooking, Grilled steak and arugula salad with white beans and shitake.
For the Beans and Mushrooms
2T EVOO
4 C thinly sliced red onions (I used my left over Vidalia onions)
Salt and pepper
1# shitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
1 15.5 oz can cannellini beans, rinsed
1 ½ T sherry vinegar
1t dried thyme
¼ t crushed red pepper flakes
For the Vinaigrette
¼ C sherry vinegar
2T finely chopped shallots
1T Dijon mustard1/2 EVOO
Salt and pepper
(I used half this amount of dressing and it was more than enough)
½# baby arugula
1# leftover grilled flank steak, thinly sliced( We grilled it tonight as we would never have left over steak with Jim) I used Penzeys English prime rib rub and some garlic powder to marinate the meat.
1. Heat the EVOO in a 12” skillet over medium heat. When hot add the onions, season with salt and pepper and cook over medium heat until tender and caramelized. Mine took about 20 minutes. Next add the mushrooms and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Take it off the heat and add all the remaining ingredients.
2. Next I mixed the vinaigrette. Like I said, I made half and it was more than enough.
3. Mix the greens in a bowl with the vinaigrette. Spread on a platter. Top with the bean mushroom mixture and top with the timely sliced steak.
Jim served a Viansa Merlot. It went very well with the meal.
For the Beans and Mushrooms
2T EVOO
4 C thinly sliced red onions (I used my left over Vidalia onions)
Salt and pepper
1# shitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
1 15.5 oz can cannellini beans, rinsed
1 ½ T sherry vinegar
1t dried thyme
¼ t crushed red pepper flakes
For the Vinaigrette
¼ C sherry vinegar
2T finely chopped shallots
1T Dijon mustard1/2 EVOO
Salt and pepper
(I used half this amount of dressing and it was more than enough)
½# baby arugula
1# leftover grilled flank steak, thinly sliced( We grilled it tonight as we would never have left over steak with Jim) I used Penzeys English prime rib rub and some garlic powder to marinate the meat.
1. Heat the EVOO in a 12” skillet over medium heat. When hot add the onions, season with salt and pepper and cook over medium heat until tender and caramelized. Mine took about 20 minutes. Next add the mushrooms and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Take it off the heat and add all the remaining ingredients.
2. Next I mixed the vinaigrette. Like I said, I made half and it was more than enough.
3. Mix the greens in a bowl with the vinaigrette. Spread on a platter. Top with the bean mushroom mixture and top with the timely sliced steak.
Jim served a Viansa Merlot. It went very well with the meal.
Tuesday with Company
Last night’s dinner was a success. We had light appetizers of mixed nuts, olives and Brie with wheat toast squares. Our dinner came from three cookbooks and a magazine. I will go through them in order of making them to get ready for dinner. All recipes said Serves 4. I started with my trusty old New York Times Cookbook. I have made Cold Rice Salad page 429 every summer since the 70’s. What you will get here is my version.
1C raw rice
¼ C EVOO
1/4C Red Wine Vinegar
Salt and Pepper
Can of sliced water chestnuts
1/4C minced parsley
¼ C minced onion
1. Cook the rice and immediately add the EVOO, vinegar, salt and pepper. Let cool.
2. Add the water chestnuts, parsley and onion. Taste to make sure you’ve added enough salt and pepper. Refrigerate until serving time.
Next I turned to Rick Bayless’s Mexican Everyday Cookbook. The dish is called Grilled Chicken Breasts with Tangy Yucatecan Spices.
For the Yucatecan Garlic-Spice Marinade
1 head of garlic, broken into individual cloves (expect about 12)
1/3 C vegetable oil
6T apple cider vinegar
Pinch of ground cloves
½ t ground black pepper
½ t ground cinnamon
1 t dried oregano
½ t sugar
½ t salt
Cut a slit in the side of each garlic clove. Place them in a microwaveable bowl, cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Cool until handle-able, and then slip off the papery husks. One by one, drop the cloves into a running blender or food processor, letting each get thoroughly chopped before adding the next. Stop the machine, remove the lid and add the remaining marinade ingredients and process until smooth.
Use ½ to marinade 4 chicken breast halves, I did 5.
The other half add to 1 C chicken broth and warm on the stove. When ready to eat, grille the breasts and pass the warm sauce. The chicken was unbelievably moist and delicious. You would not believe that there were 12 cloves of garlic involved at all.
The star of the dinner was Grilled Vegetable Salad with Feta from Fine Cooking Magazine.
1 small fennel bulb with fronds attached
1 medium orange bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut lengthwise into 4 or 5 pieces
1 medium red onion cut into ¼” thick slices
1 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into ¼ “thick slices
1 medium yellow squash, cut lengthwise into ¼ “thick slices
¼ C EVOO
Salt
3 T red wine Vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ C grape tomatoes, halved
½ C crumbled feta cheese
3T loosely packed thinly sliced fresh basil
1. Cut the stalks off the fennel bulb. Remove about ¼ C for the fronds from the stalks. Chop the fronds and reserve. Cut the fennel in quarters lengthwise and trim away most of the core, leaving just enough intact to keep the layers together. Slice the quarters lengthwise in ¼” thick.
2. We put a vegetable grilling mesh on top of the grille heated to medium. Spray the grill pan. Arrange the vegetables in one layer and brush the surface with 2 T EVOO and season with ¼ t. salt. Grille fennel 12 minutes, pepper 10 minutes, and the onion and squash for 6 minutes. When cool enough to handle, cut the vegetables in ½” dice and transfer to a large bowl.
3. In a small bowl whish the remaining 2 T EVOO, vinegar 1/4t salt and ¼ t pepper. Toss the vegetables with the dressing and gently stir in the tomatoes and fennel. Sprinkle with the feta cheese and basil.
For dessert we had a Fresh Strawberry Sundae. I did not make the Hot Fudge Sauce. We have a bottle of Tabor Hill Raspberry Pinot Noir Chocolate Sauce that my brother gave me for Christmas. After last night it is almost gone. (Hint to brother) I used my small French water glasses. Start with the chocolate sauce. Swirl it in the bottom of the glass. Add a scoop of Strawberry ice cream, more chocolate sauce, and more ice cream. Top with more sauce, whipped cream and sliced strawberries. I got this idea from the Blue Ribbon Cookbook and it was the perfect ending on a hot summer evening.
Jim brought out the good stuff. I am not even sure how to write this out. Maison Louis Latour, 2005, Montagny 1er Cru, La Grande Roche, Beaune, Cote-D-OR France. It was a divine white wine.
1C raw rice
¼ C EVOO
1/4C Red Wine Vinegar
Salt and Pepper
Can of sliced water chestnuts
1/4C minced parsley
¼ C minced onion
1. Cook the rice and immediately add the EVOO, vinegar, salt and pepper. Let cool.
2. Add the water chestnuts, parsley and onion. Taste to make sure you’ve added enough salt and pepper. Refrigerate until serving time.
Next I turned to Rick Bayless’s Mexican Everyday Cookbook. The dish is called Grilled Chicken Breasts with Tangy Yucatecan Spices.
For the Yucatecan Garlic-Spice Marinade
1 head of garlic, broken into individual cloves (expect about 12)
1/3 C vegetable oil
6T apple cider vinegar
Pinch of ground cloves
½ t ground black pepper
½ t ground cinnamon
1 t dried oregano
½ t sugar
½ t salt
Cut a slit in the side of each garlic clove. Place them in a microwaveable bowl, cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Cool until handle-able, and then slip off the papery husks. One by one, drop the cloves into a running blender or food processor, letting each get thoroughly chopped before adding the next. Stop the machine, remove the lid and add the remaining marinade ingredients and process until smooth.
Use ½ to marinade 4 chicken breast halves, I did 5.
The other half add to 1 C chicken broth and warm on the stove. When ready to eat, grille the breasts and pass the warm sauce. The chicken was unbelievably moist and delicious. You would not believe that there were 12 cloves of garlic involved at all.
The star of the dinner was Grilled Vegetable Salad with Feta from Fine Cooking Magazine.
1 small fennel bulb with fronds attached
1 medium orange bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut lengthwise into 4 or 5 pieces
1 medium red onion cut into ¼” thick slices
1 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into ¼ “thick slices
1 medium yellow squash, cut lengthwise into ¼ “thick slices
¼ C EVOO
Salt
3 T red wine Vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ C grape tomatoes, halved
½ C crumbled feta cheese
3T loosely packed thinly sliced fresh basil
1. Cut the stalks off the fennel bulb. Remove about ¼ C for the fronds from the stalks. Chop the fronds and reserve. Cut the fennel in quarters lengthwise and trim away most of the core, leaving just enough intact to keep the layers together. Slice the quarters lengthwise in ¼” thick.
2. We put a vegetable grilling mesh on top of the grille heated to medium. Spray the grill pan. Arrange the vegetables in one layer and brush the surface with 2 T EVOO and season with ¼ t. salt. Grille fennel 12 minutes, pepper 10 minutes, and the onion and squash for 6 minutes. When cool enough to handle, cut the vegetables in ½” dice and transfer to a large bowl.
3. In a small bowl whish the remaining 2 T EVOO, vinegar 1/4t salt and ¼ t pepper. Toss the vegetables with the dressing and gently stir in the tomatoes and fennel. Sprinkle with the feta cheese and basil.
For dessert we had a Fresh Strawberry Sundae. I did not make the Hot Fudge Sauce. We have a bottle of Tabor Hill Raspberry Pinot Noir Chocolate Sauce that my brother gave me for Christmas. After last night it is almost gone. (Hint to brother) I used my small French water glasses. Start with the chocolate sauce. Swirl it in the bottom of the glass. Add a scoop of Strawberry ice cream, more chocolate sauce, and more ice cream. Top with more sauce, whipped cream and sliced strawberries. I got this idea from the Blue Ribbon Cookbook and it was the perfect ending on a hot summer evening.
Jim brought out the good stuff. I am not even sure how to write this out. Maison Louis Latour, 2005, Montagny 1er Cru, La Grande Roche, Beaune, Cote-D-OR France. It was a divine white wine.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Monday dinner of leftovers
We had so many leftovers from this weekend that we combined it all for dinner tonight. But stay tuned for tomarrow. We are having company and we are getting ready.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Sunday Supper
The boys were on their own for breakfast. They got up and read the paper and had Wolferman’s blueberry muffins and coffee. My mission today was Sunday Supper. In fine cooking they had an article about lamb and with it was Lamb Nicoise Salad with Potatoes and Fava Beans. It is similar to the Tuna Nicoise that we are all familiar with. Serves 4, very hungry people.
For the Dressing
1 large egg yolk
6 oil packed anchovies, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 t Dijon mustard
½ C EVOO
1T lemon juice
Salt and pepper
For the Salad
1C thinly sliced red onion
16 baby potatoes
2# fava beans (Please tell me where you can get fresh Fava beans on the east coast, I used frozen shelled Edamame)
16 cherry tomatoes cut in half
¼ C Nicoise olives
¾ # leftover lamb, thinly sliced (I have an electric deli slicing machine. I used it for the onion and the lamb)
8 large caper berries
Make the Dressing
Put the egg yolk, anchovies, garlic and mustard in a mini food processor. With the motor running, gradually add the EVOO and process until the mixture starts to thicken and emulsify for about 2 minutes. With the motor still running add the lemon juice and 1t hot water. Continue to process until it looks like mayonnaise. This takes forever. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Make the Salad
Put the onion in a bowl, cover with cold water and soak 20 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Put the potatoes in a large pot of well salted water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and cook until the potatoes are tender, 10-15 minutes. Drain, when cool enough to handle, cut them in half. Transfer to a bowl and toss with reserved onion and a couple of spoonfuls of dressing. Since I had frozen Edamame, I just nuked per package directions. In another bowl, toss the tomatoes and olives. Season with pepper.
Final Arrangement
Put the potatoes and onions along the left of the platter. Place the tomatoes and olive mixture vertically on the right side. The Edamame is in a square at the top middle and the lamb is bottom middle. Drizzle all with the dressing and garnish with the caper berries.
This was a perfect dish for a 90 degree summer day. Jim served a Viansa Cabernet Sauvignon 2000. For desert we had a simple fruit dish of cantaloupe, watermelon and blueberries. Jim served a Tabor Hill (Michigan) Ice wine. Perfect ending to a wonderful meal.
For the Dressing
1 large egg yolk
6 oil packed anchovies, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 t Dijon mustard
½ C EVOO
1T lemon juice
Salt and pepper
For the Salad
1C thinly sliced red onion
16 baby potatoes
2# fava beans (Please tell me where you can get fresh Fava beans on the east coast, I used frozen shelled Edamame)
16 cherry tomatoes cut in half
¼ C Nicoise olives
¾ # leftover lamb, thinly sliced (I have an electric deli slicing machine. I used it for the onion and the lamb)
8 large caper berries
Make the Dressing
Put the egg yolk, anchovies, garlic and mustard in a mini food processor. With the motor running, gradually add the EVOO and process until the mixture starts to thicken and emulsify for about 2 minutes. With the motor still running add the lemon juice and 1t hot water. Continue to process until it looks like mayonnaise. This takes forever. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Make the Salad
Put the onion in a bowl, cover with cold water and soak 20 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Put the potatoes in a large pot of well salted water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and cook until the potatoes are tender, 10-15 minutes. Drain, when cool enough to handle, cut them in half. Transfer to a bowl and toss with reserved onion and a couple of spoonfuls of dressing. Since I had frozen Edamame, I just nuked per package directions. In another bowl, toss the tomatoes and olives. Season with pepper.
Final Arrangement
Put the potatoes and onions along the left of the platter. Place the tomatoes and olive mixture vertically on the right side. The Edamame is in a square at the top middle and the lamb is bottom middle. Drizzle all with the dressing and garnish with the caper berries.
This was a perfect dish for a 90 degree summer day. Jim served a Viansa Cabernet Sauvignon 2000. For desert we had a simple fruit dish of cantaloupe, watermelon and blueberries. Jim served a Tabor Hill (Michigan) Ice wine. Perfect ending to a wonderful meal.
Special Saturday
Saturday was our Friend’s birthday and we had big plans. We started the day with Smoked Salmon Poached Eggs. I recently purchased the Bromberg Bros. Blue Ribbon Cookbook. They have a restaurant by the same name in NYC.
5 large eggs
1 oz American sturgeon caviar
Hollandaise Sauce (I used Knorr)
4 ½” thick slices of rye bread, toasted
8oz smoked salmon
3T capers, drained
3T finely chopped red onion (I did not use, did chives instead)
Parsley (Did not use as I had used chives)
1. Hard boil one egg
2. Make the hollandaise sauce and gently stir in the caviar. Keep warm while you poach the eggs and make the toast.
3. Place the bread on a plate and top with the salmon. Put a poached egg on top of each and generously cover with the sauce. Sprinkle with the chopped egg, capers and chives.
It is billed as a guaranteed crowd-pleaser and it was.
After breakfast we again evacuated the house for a Weihart Realtor who did not show. Needles to say I was really pissed. We then came home and got ready to go to Occoquan. The Workhouse Arts Center was having an Opening Reception as they do every 2nd Saturday of the month. All the artists are there and they do demonstrations. We walked through all the studios and got done in time to go the Bistro L’hermitage for dinner. I would call this fine French Cuisine rather than Bistro style. Every table had a wait staff of three, plus the maitre’d and sommelier. I had a fried oyster dish to start that was to die for. It had a mouse of avocado, and was decorated with a wine reduction sauce and béarnaise on the plate. My main course was a duck breast with cherry sauce and pearl couscous. I was so full, I could have died. But we had dessert as it was Jim T’s birthday. They brought Jim T as crème brulee which is the first one I have ever liked. Jim M. did not share his chocolate dessert and I had fresh berries in crème. Both Jim’s started with lobster bisque. Jim T had scallops and Jim M had rack of lamb. Both loved their meals. After a lengthy discussion with the sommelier Jim decided on 2006 French 1er Cru Burgundy from Beaune called Chateau de Chorey. It was light enough to go with the scallops as they had a Madeira sauce on them and yet could stand up to Jim’s lamb chops. This was a wonderful dining experience and the best is as an associate of The Workhouse Art Center I get 10% off my bill.
After dinner we went back to The Workhouse Arts Center and attended the Opening Reception where a fellow pastel artist was featured and gave a talk about her work. We ended the evening at home with Jim and Jim sipping Scotch and listening to Credence Clearwater Revival.
5 large eggs
1 oz American sturgeon caviar
Hollandaise Sauce (I used Knorr)
4 ½” thick slices of rye bread, toasted
8oz smoked salmon
3T capers, drained
3T finely chopped red onion (I did not use, did chives instead)
Parsley (Did not use as I had used chives)
1. Hard boil one egg
2. Make the hollandaise sauce and gently stir in the caviar. Keep warm while you poach the eggs and make the toast.
3. Place the bread on a plate and top with the salmon. Put a poached egg on top of each and generously cover with the sauce. Sprinkle with the chopped egg, capers and chives.
It is billed as a guaranteed crowd-pleaser and it was.
After breakfast we again evacuated the house for a Weihart Realtor who did not show. Needles to say I was really pissed. We then came home and got ready to go to Occoquan. The Workhouse Arts Center was having an Opening Reception as they do every 2nd Saturday of the month. All the artists are there and they do demonstrations. We walked through all the studios and got done in time to go the Bistro L’hermitage for dinner. I would call this fine French Cuisine rather than Bistro style. Every table had a wait staff of three, plus the maitre’d and sommelier. I had a fried oyster dish to start that was to die for. It had a mouse of avocado, and was decorated with a wine reduction sauce and béarnaise on the plate. My main course was a duck breast with cherry sauce and pearl couscous. I was so full, I could have died. But we had dessert as it was Jim T’s birthday. They brought Jim T as crème brulee which is the first one I have ever liked. Jim M. did not share his chocolate dessert and I had fresh berries in crème. Both Jim’s started with lobster bisque. Jim T had scallops and Jim M had rack of lamb. Both loved their meals. After a lengthy discussion with the sommelier Jim decided on 2006 French 1er Cru Burgundy from Beaune called Chateau de Chorey. It was light enough to go with the scallops as they had a Madeira sauce on them and yet could stand up to Jim’s lamb chops. This was a wonderful dining experience and the best is as an associate of The Workhouse Art Center I get 10% off my bill.
After dinner we went back to The Workhouse Arts Center and attended the Opening Reception where a fellow pastel artist was featured and gave a talk about her work. We ended the evening at home with Jim and Jim sipping Scotch and listening to Credence Clearwater Revival.
Friday Dinner
Our Friday was turned upside down. We had planned to have lunch when our friend arrived and then go out to dinner at the Iron Bridge Wine Company in Warrenton. A realtor called and wanted to show the house when we would have been having lunch, so we instead headed to the Iron Bridge for lunch and I then had to turn my simple lunch into dinner. We did this by stopping at a farm stand on the way home and getting corn on the cob, a Vidalia onion and great tomatoes.
To start we had Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Crab Meat. I found this in Wegman’s Menu cookbook for summer.
Makes 4 Cups
8 oz. jumbo lump crab meat
1T chopped chives
2T Sherry Vinegar
1/8t Sea Salt
32oz container of Roasted Red Pepper, Bisque Style Soup, chilled
1. Combine the crab meat, chives, vinegar and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Pour the soup into the bowls of your choice and top with the crab mixture. Garnish with additional chives
They also mention that you could divide the soup in small serving cups, about 3 oz. each and serve 16-20 as an appetizer. It was certainly a delicious and easy starter.
I sliced the tomatoes and garnished them with spinach pesto. We had burgers on the grille and grilled corn. For dessert we had watermelon.
It had cooled down enough that we were able to have our picnic on the deck. Jim served a 1995 Reserve Petite Sirah, Concannon Vineyards to start. We then had a 2002 Shiraz Viognier called The Laughing Magpie from Australia.
That night I fell out of bed and hit my head on the corner of the bedside table. I have a huge black eye. I tell everyone that Jim hit me. Serves him right, it really hurt and I got no sympathy during the night. I was told to lay down and go back to sleep as I was disturbing him.
To start we had Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Crab Meat. I found this in Wegman’s Menu cookbook for summer.
Makes 4 Cups
8 oz. jumbo lump crab meat
1T chopped chives
2T Sherry Vinegar
1/8t Sea Salt
32oz container of Roasted Red Pepper, Bisque Style Soup, chilled
1. Combine the crab meat, chives, vinegar and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Pour the soup into the bowls of your choice and top with the crab mixture. Garnish with additional chives
They also mention that you could divide the soup in small serving cups, about 3 oz. each and serve 16-20 as an appetizer. It was certainly a delicious and easy starter.
I sliced the tomatoes and garnished them with spinach pesto. We had burgers on the grille and grilled corn. For dessert we had watermelon.
It had cooled down enough that we were able to have our picnic on the deck. Jim served a 1995 Reserve Petite Sirah, Concannon Vineyards to start. We then had a 2002 Shiraz Viognier called The Laughing Magpie from Australia.
That night I fell out of bed and hit my head on the corner of the bedside table. I have a huge black eye. I tell everyone that Jim hit me. Serves him right, it really hurt and I got no sympathy during the night. I was told to lay down and go back to sleep as I was disturbing him.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Thursday night, school night dinner
Today was my last pastel class until fall. As we have a very busy weekend, I thought I would do the other meal from Whole Living to try to make Annie’s Mac ‘N’ Cheese eatable. Jim was working today and as it ended up, I could have made a better meal because he was in DC and it took him forever to get home. Before making the Annie’s, put cherry tomatoes on a pan and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and thyme. Roast at 425 degrees until the tomatoes have partially collapsed. The recipe says 30 minutes, but mine were done sooner. Prepare their cheese sauce and boil their pasta. I mixed a little thyme in the cheese sauce also. I combined their sauce with the pasta tomatoes and also add a little more good quality cheddar cheese. It was not as good as the Mushroom Mac but better than plain Annie’s.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Salade aux lardons pizza
Tonight we had salad pizza. I saw this in Fine Cooking and remembered a BLT Pizza that I had at CA Pizza Kitchen. This was very good. Jim ate for 3 but I think he was a little disappointed.
3/4 # pizza dough, at room temperature
1/4 C Dijon mustard
8oz. Jarlsberg, grated
6oz. center-cut bacon cut into 1” pieces
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
2C arugula
2C Frisee
1T white wine vinegar
3T EVOO
Salt and pepper, 1/4 t each
Position the rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 475 degrees.
1. Lightly oil a large rimmed baking sheet. On a lightly floured surface shape the dough into a 10x14” oval, using your fingers or a rolling pin. (My pan was a little larger than 10x14 put the pizza dough fit perfectly. I unrolled and used my hands to fit it in the baking sheet.) Spread the dough on the dough leaving a ½” border. Top with the cheese and bake for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile cook the bacon over medium heat until browned and just starting to crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and spread out evenly on the cheese. Return to the oven for an additional 10 minutes. In the skillet cook the shallot for 2 minutes.
3. Place the arugula and Frisee in a bowl. Add the shallots, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. Toss well.
4. Remove pizza from the oven and spread on the green salad. Cut into squares and serve.
3/4 # pizza dough, at room temperature
1/4 C Dijon mustard
8oz. Jarlsberg, grated
6oz. center-cut bacon cut into 1” pieces
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
2C arugula
2C Frisee
1T white wine vinegar
3T EVOO
Salt and pepper, 1/4 t each
Position the rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 475 degrees.
1. Lightly oil a large rimmed baking sheet. On a lightly floured surface shape the dough into a 10x14” oval, using your fingers or a rolling pin. (My pan was a little larger than 10x14 put the pizza dough fit perfectly. I unrolled and used my hands to fit it in the baking sheet.) Spread the dough on the dough leaving a ½” border. Top with the cheese and bake for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile cook the bacon over medium heat until browned and just starting to crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and spread out evenly on the cheese. Return to the oven for an additional 10 minutes. In the skillet cook the shallot for 2 minutes.
3. Place the arugula and Frisee in a bowl. Add the shallots, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. Toss well.
4. Remove pizza from the oven and spread on the green salad. Cut into squares and serve.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Grilled Pok Tenderloin
Tonight’s meal worked. Remember a couple of days ago I made Wellington Pork Tenderloin. For some reason you cannot buy one tenderloin; all of our packaging is in twos. So for the second one I made Grilled Pork Tenderloin, also from Alton Brown. To accompany this I had corn on the cob and a salad. A while back I gave you my recipe to brush on COB. It is very good but involved. So I have been trying for the last few nights using Penzeys seasonings for dressings with 1 1/2T butter and Jim brushes this on while grilling. They have been ok, but not like the lime butter from Cooking Light. Jim actually requested salad, so I combined spring mix and spinach with pumpkin seeds, mushrooms and Wegman’s peppercorn dressing. It was good.
For the Pork Tenderloin:
Says serves 4 but Jim ate it all
1 whole perk tenderloin, trimmed of the silver skin.
1 lime, zested finely
1/2C freshly squeezed, lime juice
¼ C honey
1 ½ t kosher salt
½ t garlic powder
1 chipotle chile pepper in adobo sauce
1 t vegetable oil
1T chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1. This was the part I missed yesterday. The pork is to be marinated for 6 to 24 hours. Combine the first 6 ingredients after the pork and put half in a baggie with the pork in a container to prevent leakage for 6 to 24 hours. Turn frequently. Put the other half in a container separately in the refrigerator also.
2. Remove the tenderloin from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Create a bag of heavy-duty aluminum foil folding the edges to create a basket. Keep by the grille. Bring your grille to medium heat. Brush the grill with vegetable oil. Remove the tenderloin from the bag and place in the center of the grille. Discard bag and marinade. Cover and cook for 12 minutes, turning every 2 minutes. The internal temperature should be 140 degrees.
3. Place the tenderloin in the aluminum bag and pour in the reserved marinade. Close tightly and rest for 10 minutes. Remove to a cutting board and slice. Garnish with the cilantro. I used Italian parsley.
Jim served a 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma county called Ste3phen Vincent. It was very good.
For the Pork Tenderloin:
Says serves 4 but Jim ate it all
1 whole perk tenderloin, trimmed of the silver skin.
1 lime, zested finely
1/2C freshly squeezed, lime juice
¼ C honey
1 ½ t kosher salt
½ t garlic powder
1 chipotle chile pepper in adobo sauce
1 t vegetable oil
1T chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1. This was the part I missed yesterday. The pork is to be marinated for 6 to 24 hours. Combine the first 6 ingredients after the pork and put half in a baggie with the pork in a container to prevent leakage for 6 to 24 hours. Turn frequently. Put the other half in a container separately in the refrigerator also.
2. Remove the tenderloin from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Create a bag of heavy-duty aluminum foil folding the edges to create a basket. Keep by the grille. Bring your grille to medium heat. Brush the grill with vegetable oil. Remove the tenderloin from the bag and place in the center of the grille. Discard bag and marinade. Cover and cook for 12 minutes, turning every 2 minutes. The internal temperature should be 140 degrees.
3. Place the tenderloin in the aluminum bag and pour in the reserved marinade. Close tightly and rest for 10 minutes. Remove to a cutting board and slice. Garnish with the cilantro. I used Italian parsley.
Jim served a 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma county called Ste3phen Vincent. It was very good.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Burger Night
We are currently in Electronic Hell. After days of rebooting (same problem that was to be solved by new DVR box) it seemed to work yesterday. Today we are in reboot hell again. Also my computer has been having problems since I hit an HP printer upgrade. I will never do that again! I have spent hours on the phone with HP and their incorrectly named help desk. The Help Desk managed to delete my ability to be wireless and then when my nephew sent me CD’s of the wedding photos; I could not bring them up. Jim could, my brother could, but my computer said the same disk was blank. We called our computer Guru. After working on it for a while to fix all the various problems, a few remained a mystery. He recommended that we take it back to Staples and see if it is a hardware or software problem. It could be that the disk drive is failing. So I spent most of the afternoon backing up things so I don’t have to pay Staples to do it in case it is software. I also found that everything ever sent to me was on the computer, and maybe that is why it is slow as molasses. I also found things I thought were lost and they are now in folders that only I can understand.
This is a long way of saying that when I went to make dinner I discovered the line, marinate for 6 to 24 hours. So we are defrosting hamburgers, Jim bought corn on the way home from Staples and we will have a salad tonight. I should have had him buy buns, but thought I could make some. Does anyone else out there have trouble with their bread machine in the summer? I set it on dough like usual when I want buns and it was a sticky mess. I kneaded the mushy concoction, adding flour for a while, and finally formed buns. I put it in the form, but they are rising laterally instead of vertically. Note to self make buns in mixer, not bread machine, the rest of the summer. Our dinner was ok. I made a spinach salad with mushrooms, blueberries, and pumpkin seeds. It was good. The burgers are too big. I wanted to freeze them in twos, but Jim wanted threes. Now he says I should have done twos. I gave half of mine to Max and Jim stuffed himself. The bread baked ok, but was flat. I am going to try the same recipe using my mixer and see what the problem is with the bread machine in the summer.
This is a long way of saying that when I went to make dinner I discovered the line, marinate for 6 to 24 hours. So we are defrosting hamburgers, Jim bought corn on the way home from Staples and we will have a salad tonight. I should have had him buy buns, but thought I could make some. Does anyone else out there have trouble with their bread machine in the summer? I set it on dough like usual when I want buns and it was a sticky mess. I kneaded the mushy concoction, adding flour for a while, and finally formed buns. I put it in the form, but they are rising laterally instead of vertically. Note to self make buns in mixer, not bread machine, the rest of the summer. Our dinner was ok. I made a spinach salad with mushrooms, blueberries, and pumpkin seeds. It was good. The burgers are too big. I wanted to freeze them in twos, but Jim wanted threes. Now he says I should have done twos. I gave half of mine to Max and Jim stuffed himself. The bread baked ok, but was flat. I am going to try the same recipe using my mixer and see what the problem is with the bread machine in the summer.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Sunday dinner witth Jacques Pepin
Before Food TV there was PBS that brought you cooking shows. I have been watching Jacque and Julia for years. Jacque has been doing fast food my way for at least 2 years now. I was watching his show on Friday while Jim was at Costco, so I had him buy scallops. This comes from More Fast Food My Way. The menu is as follows:
Asparagus Fans with Mustard Sauce
Scallops Grenobloise
Potatoes Gratin with Cream
Jam tartines with Fruits sherbet
I did not exactly follow directions.
1. First I prepared the potatoes. Coat a 4 C gratin dish with 1t butter. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. I cut 1# red-skinned potatoes in ¼” slices. Arrange in a gratin dish. Sprinkle ¼ t grated nutmeg, ½ t salt and pepper. Pour on 1 C heavy cream and sprinkle with ¼ C grated Parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 min.
2. Since I had tons of green beans I used these instead of asparagus. I microwaved 3/4 # of green beans. Before this I boiled 1 egg, pealed and chopped. Mix the egg in a small bowl with ¼ C mayonnaises, 1T mustard, ½ T red wine vinegar, salt, pepper and 1T water. Pour over the beans when done. I cooked the beans in the microwave.
3. Finely the scallops. The first thing you need to do is cut 2 slices of bread in 1/2” pieces. To these you add 1T of canola oil and bake in a 350 degree over for 6-8 minutes.
4. Peel the lemon and cut in-between the membrane to remove totally clean segments of lemon. Cut into ½” pieces until you have about 2T diced lemon flesh.
5. Mix 1# scallops with salt and pepper, add 1 1/2T canola oil. Heat a non stick pan over high heat. Add the scallops and cook for 2 minutes. Turn and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Remove to a serving platter and sprinkle with lemon, bread cubes and 2T capers.
6. Heat 6T butter in a pan and add 1/4C diced white mushrooms. Cook about 4 minutes until the butter is brown. Add 1 T red wine vinegar. Spoon the butter sauce over the scallops and sprinkle with 2T parsley.
I served all that I have described. We will have pomegranate blueberry sorbet with blueberries later. This meal tasted very French. The scallops were delicious. What can you say about 1# of potatoes with 1C of cream? The sauce really added to the green beans. I’ve fixed scallops in better methods.
Asparagus Fans with Mustard Sauce
Scallops Grenobloise
Potatoes Gratin with Cream
Jam tartines with Fruits sherbet
I did not exactly follow directions.
1. First I prepared the potatoes. Coat a 4 C gratin dish with 1t butter. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. I cut 1# red-skinned potatoes in ¼” slices. Arrange in a gratin dish. Sprinkle ¼ t grated nutmeg, ½ t salt and pepper. Pour on 1 C heavy cream and sprinkle with ¼ C grated Parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 min.
2. Since I had tons of green beans I used these instead of asparagus. I microwaved 3/4 # of green beans. Before this I boiled 1 egg, pealed and chopped. Mix the egg in a small bowl with ¼ C mayonnaises, 1T mustard, ½ T red wine vinegar, salt, pepper and 1T water. Pour over the beans when done. I cooked the beans in the microwave.
3. Finely the scallops. The first thing you need to do is cut 2 slices of bread in 1/2” pieces. To these you add 1T of canola oil and bake in a 350 degree over for 6-8 minutes.
4. Peel the lemon and cut in-between the membrane to remove totally clean segments of lemon. Cut into ½” pieces until you have about 2T diced lemon flesh.
5. Mix 1# scallops with salt and pepper, add 1 1/2T canola oil. Heat a non stick pan over high heat. Add the scallops and cook for 2 minutes. Turn and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Remove to a serving platter and sprinkle with lemon, bread cubes and 2T capers.
6. Heat 6T butter in a pan and add 1/4C diced white mushrooms. Cook about 4 minutes until the butter is brown. Add 1 T red wine vinegar. Spoon the butter sauce over the scallops and sprinkle with 2T parsley.
I served all that I have described. We will have pomegranate blueberry sorbet with blueberries later. This meal tasted very French. The scallops were delicious. What can you say about 1# of potatoes with 1C of cream? The sauce really added to the green beans. I’ve fixed scallops in better methods.
Sunday Brunch
Last night we went out to dinner with friends at a new restaurant in Manassas, VA called Gunnis. It is a family owned business. My meal was very good. They do not rush you and had a live singer who was good. Lovely evening.
This morning I made Eggs Benedict on Savory Waffles. The recipe is from a Williams Sonoma catalogue. This dish was so good. I think it would make a wonderful addition to a brunch. It serves 8. For a brunch I would add sweet muffins and fruit.
2C all-purpose flour
1 ½ t salt
1 ½ t baking powder
2T sugar
2 eggs
4 T unsalted butter, melted
2 C milk
1 C shredded Gruyere cheese
½ C mashed peeled boiled potato (I used a ½ #baking potato that I microwaved and mashed the insides) 3 T chopped fresh chives
Freshly ground pepper
8 slices of ham, I used Canadian bacon
8 poached eggs
1 C hollandaise sauce (I used McCormick ready to make dried mix)
Chopped green onions for garnish
Preheat the waffle maker. Mine makes deep Belgian waffles, 2 squares per fill. I got exactly 8 square waffles. Jim ate 3 and I had one. I froze 4 for another time. Before starting the waffles, I cut the Canadian bacon in 8 slices, warmed and placed in my warming drawer. I then mixed up the hollandaise sauce and kept warm on the stove. I put on a skillet of water with some white vinegar on the stove for the poached eggs , the flame on medium. Cook the potato.
For the waffles:
In a bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, butter, and milk. Combine and whisk together. Fold in the cheese, mashed potato, chives and pepper. I cooked all the waffles and as they finished held them in the warming drawer.
Next I poached 3 eggs in the skillet of water. Place a waffle on the plate and top with the Canadian bacon, egg and hollandaise sauce.
This morning I made Eggs Benedict on Savory Waffles. The recipe is from a Williams Sonoma catalogue. This dish was so good. I think it would make a wonderful addition to a brunch. It serves 8. For a brunch I would add sweet muffins and fruit.
2C all-purpose flour
1 ½ t salt
1 ½ t baking powder
2T sugar
2 eggs
4 T unsalted butter, melted
2 C milk
1 C shredded Gruyere cheese
½ C mashed peeled boiled potato (I used a ½ #baking potato that I microwaved and mashed the insides) 3 T chopped fresh chives
Freshly ground pepper
8 slices of ham, I used Canadian bacon
8 poached eggs
1 C hollandaise sauce (I used McCormick ready to make dried mix)
Chopped green onions for garnish
Preheat the waffle maker. Mine makes deep Belgian waffles, 2 squares per fill. I got exactly 8 square waffles. Jim ate 3 and I had one. I froze 4 for another time. Before starting the waffles, I cut the Canadian bacon in 8 slices, warmed and placed in my warming drawer. I then mixed up the hollandaise sauce and kept warm on the stove. I put on a skillet of water with some white vinegar on the stove for the poached eggs , the flame on medium. Cook the potato.
For the waffles:
In a bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, butter, and milk. Combine and whisk together. Fold in the cheese, mashed potato, chives and pepper. I cooked all the waffles and as they finished held them in the warming drawer.
Next I poached 3 eggs in the skillet of water. Place a waffle on the plate and top with the Canadian bacon, egg and hollandaise sauce.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Pork Wellington
This wasn’t as easy as last night, but still super easy and Jim took one bite and said this is delicious. He also liked that he did not have to grille in 100 degree heat. I saw this last night on Good Eats while cooking the chicken.
Serves 4, unless serving Jim.
1 whole egg mixed with 1T water
1 oz of dried apple rings, placed in a mini food processor and process until they are the size of a medium dice.
1 whole pork tenderloin, approximately 1#
4.5 oz thinly sliced prosciutto ham. My package was 4 oz and it worked fine. The main thing is that as you lay it out asneedeed to be as long as the tenderloin.
¼ t kosher salt
¼ t black pepper
1t chopped fresh thyme. I used 1/3rd less of dried
1t all-purpose flour
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed completely, on a kitchen towel
1 T whole-grain mustard
1. Place the rack in the upper third of the oven and turn it on to 400 degrees.
2. Trim the tenderloin of any excess fat and the silver skin. Slice the tenderloin down the middle lengthwise, creating 2 separae pieces and lay the pieces next to each other head to tail so when laid back to together they are the same size at the ends.
3. Lay out a 12 x 16” piece of parchment paper and arrange the prosciutto side by side, overlapping the long side to create a solid layer as long as the tenderloin. Place a second piece of parchment on top and roll with a rolling pin to help adhere the pieces together. Remove the top paper and sprinkle the proscittto with salt, pepper and thyme. Set the tenderloin in the middle of the prosciutto. Spread the dried apples down the middle of the prosciutto. Push back together so the apples are held between the halves of tenderloin. Using the paper to assist, wrap the prosciutto around the tenderloin to completely enclose in a package.
4. I placed flour on the kitchen towel before allowing the puff pastry to thaw. After thawing, I added a tiny bit more and rolled to 12 x 14". Spread the mustard on the pastry. Place the tenderloin on the pastry and roll until almost completely enclosed. Brush with the egg mixture and close. Pinch the ends. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and brush with the remaining egg mixture.
5. Place in the oven for 25 minutes or 140 degrees. This is a very hard thing to measure to 140 degrees. An instant read thermometer said it was at 150. It was not. Do to the middle being apples and the pastry it was hard to see where to put the probe, but 25 minutes did the trick.
6. Let set for 10 minutes and serve in wide slices with a serrated knife.
I served this with green beans, nuked with Penzeys spice and lemon oil. We also had fresh tomatoes with basil.
Jim served a Robert Mondovi Pinot Noir, 2005. It was divine.
Serves 4, unless serving Jim.
1 whole egg mixed with 1T water
1 oz of dried apple rings, placed in a mini food processor and process until they are the size of a medium dice.
1 whole pork tenderloin, approximately 1#
4.5 oz thinly sliced prosciutto ham. My package was 4 oz and it worked fine. The main thing is that as you lay it out asneedeed to be as long as the tenderloin.
¼ t kosher salt
¼ t black pepper
1t chopped fresh thyme. I used 1/3rd less of dried
1t all-purpose flour
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed completely, on a kitchen towel
1 T whole-grain mustard
1. Place the rack in the upper third of the oven and turn it on to 400 degrees.
2. Trim the tenderloin of any excess fat and the silver skin. Slice the tenderloin down the middle lengthwise, creating 2 separae pieces and lay the pieces next to each other head to tail so when laid back to together they are the same size at the ends.
3. Lay out a 12 x 16” piece of parchment paper and arrange the prosciutto side by side, overlapping the long side to create a solid layer as long as the tenderloin. Place a second piece of parchment on top and roll with a rolling pin to help adhere the pieces together. Remove the top paper and sprinkle the proscittto with salt, pepper and thyme. Set the tenderloin in the middle of the prosciutto. Spread the dried apples down the middle of the prosciutto. Push back together so the apples are held between the halves of tenderloin. Using the paper to assist, wrap the prosciutto around the tenderloin to completely enclose in a package.
4. I placed flour on the kitchen towel before allowing the puff pastry to thaw. After thawing, I added a tiny bit more and rolled to 12 x 14". Spread the mustard on the pastry. Place the tenderloin on the pastry and roll until almost completely enclosed. Brush with the egg mixture and close. Pinch the ends. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and brush with the remaining egg mixture.
5. Place in the oven for 25 minutes or 140 degrees. This is a very hard thing to measure to 140 degrees. An instant read thermometer said it was at 150. It was not. Do to the middle being apples and the pastry it was hard to see where to put the probe, but 25 minutes did the trick.
6. Let set for 10 minutes and serve in wide slices with a serrated knife.
I served this with green beans, nuked with Penzeys spice and lemon oil. We also had fresh tomatoes with basil.
Jim served a Robert Mondovi Pinot Noir, 2005. It was divine.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Southwest grilled chicken and avocado melts
This meal comes from Sunset Magazine. This is the best chicken dish I have ever made and the easiest. Serves 4.
2T vegetable oil, divided
4 Anaheim or poblano chilies
4 boned, skinned chicken breast halves
2t ground cumin
1/2t cayenne
1t kosher salt
Lime wedges
1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and sliced
1 C shredded jack cheese
1. Send Jim outside to prepare the grill for high heat. I spray the poblano chilies with oil and put in a bowl. Turn on the cooking shows. Send Jim outside with instructions to cook the chilies until charred and then bring in the same bowl. I cover with plastic wrap and let cool.
2. Meanwhile spray chicken with the remaining oil and sprinkle each breast with combined cumin, cayenne, and salt. Seed the chilies and rub off the skin.
3. Send Jim back outside to grille the chicken for 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile continue watching cooking shows.
4. He brings in the chicken. You top each breast with a squeeze of lime, avocado slices, a chile, and about ¼ C of cheese. Send Jim back outside to grill the chicken covered for about 4 minutes until the cheese melts.
5. How easy is that! I watched 3 cooking shows and cooked dinner. In the photo they served with black beans, but we had leftover lentil salad and it was a great accompaniment.
We had a Chardonnay from Santa Barbara that I bought at Trader Jo's with the meal.
2T vegetable oil, divided
4 Anaheim or poblano chilies
4 boned, skinned chicken breast halves
2t ground cumin
1/2t cayenne
1t kosher salt
Lime wedges
1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and sliced
1 C shredded jack cheese
1. Send Jim outside to prepare the grill for high heat. I spray the poblano chilies with oil and put in a bowl. Turn on the cooking shows. Send Jim outside with instructions to cook the chilies until charred and then bring in the same bowl. I cover with plastic wrap and let cool.
2. Meanwhile spray chicken with the remaining oil and sprinkle each breast with combined cumin, cayenne, and salt. Seed the chilies and rub off the skin.
3. Send Jim back outside to grille the chicken for 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile continue watching cooking shows.
4. He brings in the chicken. You top each breast with a squeeze of lime, avocado slices, a chile, and about ¼ C of cheese. Send Jim back outside to grill the chicken covered for about 4 minutes until the cheese melts.
5. How easy is that! I watched 3 cooking shows and cooked dinner. In the photo they served with black beans, but we had leftover lentil salad and it was a great accompaniment.
We had a Chardonnay from Santa Barbara that I bought at Trader Jo's with the meal.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Horrible Day, Do Not Read, I will get over it
Just having a bad day and I guarantee you do not want to hear about it. In our area you only have to say the word “Comcast” and everyone understands. I left the house early, leaving Jim in charge, to avoid killing the inept person who came to the house to fix the DVD player. After the chiropractor, I went to the grocery store and the Hallmark Store in order to avoid coming home. Finally came home to find out that the DVD player that had been unreliable for months was replaced with one from another home and doing the same thing as the last one, boot and not recording. How did I know? It was time to record my soap, quickly did it and found many more programs that I never watched ready to be played. But the old farts that run this place in their infant wisdom have locked us into Comcast. So while away, needing lettuce, celery, and ketchup, I bought steak, and corn on the cob, so I did not have to cook, Jim to grille that stuff. I have 3 salads left over, which I also served. I’ve already blogged about the way I grille corn, steak and the salads, so nothing to add. I also found out that the couple that “liked” the house live in Vienna and have been looking for a house for 2 years. That tells me that they just like to tour houses and don’t want to pay the charity homes house tour fee. Explains why the wanted to come on Memorial Day, nothing else to do. The best part of today was the wine. Jim served a wine that will never be seen again, an Ivan Tamas Cabernet Sauvignon, 1997. Ivan Tamas left the Livermore Valley while we were still there and I think he told me we only have 2 more in the cellar. It was divine. I loved this winery when we lived there. It was so neat to decide on what to make for dinner and go over the hill and buy great wine to go with it. Say la Vive, stuck in HH. Better luck next life.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Italian Lentil Salad
Tonight I got to make my Lentil Salad. This was given to me by my friend Joyce. It is from Food TV, Giadia De Laurentiis. Serves 4-6
Salad:
1# green lentils
2 scallions, chopped
1C halved seedless green grapes
1 C seedless halved red grapes
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
½ C coarsely chopped skinned and toasted hazelnuts
2t lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
Vinaigrette:
1/3 C fresh lemon juice (I used 2 ½ lemons)
1/3 C EVOO
1/2t salt
¼ t black pepper
Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the lentils and cook until tender, stirring occasionally about 20 minutes. Drain and let cook for 5 minutes. Place lentils and remaining salad ingredients in a large bowl.
For the Vinaigrette:
Place the lemon juice in a small bowl. Slowly add the oil, whishing constantly, until combined. Season with salt, pepper and toss with the salad.
I found this refreshing on a hot night. Jim served an Alexander Valley Chardonnay.
Salad:
1# green lentils
2 scallions, chopped
1C halved seedless green grapes
1 C seedless halved red grapes
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
½ C coarsely chopped skinned and toasted hazelnuts
2t lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
Vinaigrette:
1/3 C fresh lemon juice (I used 2 ½ lemons)
1/3 C EVOO
1/2t salt
¼ t black pepper
Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the lentils and cook until tender, stirring occasionally about 20 minutes. Drain and let cook for 5 minutes. Place lentils and remaining salad ingredients in a large bowl.
For the Vinaigrette:
Place the lemon juice in a small bowl. Slowly add the oil, whishing constantly, until combined. Season with salt, pepper and toss with the salad.
I found this refreshing on a hot night. Jim served an Alexander Valley Chardonnay.
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