Salad Nicoise

 

Tonight was called Modern Salad Nicoise by the cookbook Tossed. I used the list of ingredients, but Arranged it on a platter the old fashion way. Wish we had company tonight.
Ingredients:
3 T lemon juice
1 garlic clove, crushed
2/3 C EVOO
3 waxy potatoes, such as fingerling (I used new white potatoes from the farmer’s market
3 eggs
1 C green beans, trimmed
1 green bell pepper, sliced
¾ C black olives ( poured on the whole can)
3 firm ripe tomatoes cut into wedges
½ cucumber, cut into chunks
3 scallions, cut into ¾ “lengths
1 ¼# fresh tuna steaks
Directions:
1. Put the lemon juice, garlic, and ½ C EVOO in a screw-top jar, season well, and shake vigorously to combine.
2. Cook the potatoes in a pot of boiling salted water for 10-12 minutes or until tender. Mine took 20 minutes
3. Place the eggs in cold water and place on the stove uncovered. When they come to a boil, cover and turn off the heat. Let set for 10 minutes, place in ice cold water and smash the shells and peel under cold water.
4. Bring another pot of salted water to a boil. Add the beans and blanch for 4 minutes. Drain in cold water.
5. This is where I diverted from “Modern. “ I arranged all on a platter and poured the dressing over all. The recipe wants you to chop all the same size and put in a bowl and pour the dressing over and stir. You then place the ingredients on the plates and place a piece of tuna on top.
6. The tuna was grilled by Jim 3 minutes per side. I could have had 2 minutes per side. Before grilling, season well on both sides after rubbing with the EVOO.
7. I served on a platter and we could choose the ingredients and amount we wanted. Very good meal and oh so pretty.  I doubt the Modern method looks this good

Serves 4, with out Jim

Turkey Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries

Jim played in a senior golf tournament at the club this weekend. Last night after golf he stopped at his cousin’s other family’s yearly reunion and ate there. I have spent the entire weekend working on the electrical, colors, and finishes for the new house. Do to trips to IN and Alaska we have a lot to get done.
Last night we just snacked on leftovers and nuts. Tonight we had a simple meal of turkey burgers, sweet potato fries and salad. I added Ras AL Hanout grilling from Penzeys to the burgers. This is not a standard spice, but they told you how to make it. I had it in an older blog, but it is probably easier to go to the Penzeys site. It added a tang to the boring turkey. The sweet potatoes were baked from a frozen package. I find them to be just as good as making them yourself from the potato and certainly easier.

Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki

Finely a great dinner; this was so easy and just delicious. I found this recipe in the July Sunset Magazine. This recipe was sent in by Lee-Ann Taylor of Stanford, CA. She won $100 and deserved every penny.
Ingredients:
2# boned, skinned chicken breasts, cut into 1 ½” cubes
¼ C EVOO
1/4C dry white wine
2 T lemon juice
2 t chopped fresh oregano leaves
4 garlic cloves (2 crushed, 2 minced)
1 t kosher salt
½ t pepper, divided
½ English cucumber, coarsely shredded
14 OZ nonfat Greek yogurt
2 t distilled white vinegar
Pita bread or I used 100% whole wheat soft tortillas
Directions:
1. Heat the grill to high.
2. Make sure the cucumber is dry. After shredding if it is wet, wring out excess liquid in a towel. Transfer to a small bowl and add yougurt, minced garlic, ¼ t pepper and vinegar. Mix until combined.
3. Mix chicken, EVOO, wine, lemon juice, oregano, crushed garlic cloves, salt and ¼ t pepper.
4. I let them sit in the marinade while Jim got the grill hot. I then threaded them on skewers, 8 metal, if making the full recipe.
5. Grill chicken, turning occasionally, until grill marks appear and meat is cooked through, 10-12 minutes.
6. Serve by placing the chicken on the pita or tortilla. Add lots of the sauce and roll up if using the tortillas.
A whole recipe serves 6-8, I easily cut it half and I ate one and Jim ate 3. The marinade kept the chicken moist and the sauce was great. We stopped at the local farmers market today and bought corn and tomatoes to accompany it. I used my usual lime/butter recipe on the grilled corn and just sliced the tomatoes.

Pasta Salad with Fresh Vegetables

Tonight was better. I am still using the Tossed Cookbook. I turned a pasta side dish into a main course. Jim served a Silver Horse Albarino, 2008 from Edna Valley, CA. It was very good.
Ingredients:
4 C tricolor spiral pasta (I used tricolor cheese filled tortellini)
2 ½ T EVOO, I used basil EVOO
2 C broccoli florets
4 small yellow button squash, I used small yellow squash, sliced
1 thin carrot, sliced diagonally
1 ½ C cherry tomatoes, halved
1 ½ T lemon juice
1 ½ T chopped parsley
Directions:
1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain, rinse under cold water and drain. Transfer to a large serving bowl and gently mix with ½ T EVOO.
2. Put broccoli and squash in a large pan of boiling salted water for 2 minutes and drain. Plunge into ice water and drain well. Then add to the pasta with the carrot and cherry tomatoes.
3. Pour lemon juice and remaining oil into a small screw-top jar and shake well. Pour over the salad, add the parsley and mix well. Serve at room temperature
Serves 4
I may have had more broccoli and squash, but we have plenty and I have lunch while Jim plays in the senior golf tournament this weekend.

Roast Beef and Spinach Salad with Horseradish Dressing

Didn’t get this posted last night. We had a roast beef and spinach salad from a cookbook called Tossed. It is all salads. I didn’t like it, Jim did. I thought the steak was too chewy and Jim did not cook the onion long enough and took it off the grill with tongs which made it all fall apart instead of with a spatula so I could have cut it in Julian strips; too much onion also. The sauce was good. I think it would be good just to accompany meat.
Horseradish Cream
Ingredients:
½ C plain yogurt
1 T horseradish
2 T lemon juice
2 T cream
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
A few drops of hot pepper sauce
Directions:
1. Whisk all the ingredients in a small bowl with a little pepper to taste.
2. Cover and chill for at least 15 minutes.
Salad
Ingredients:
2 C green beans, trimmed
1 # sirloin steak
1 red onion, halved through the middle
1 T EVOO
2 C baby spinach leaves
1 ½ C watercress leaves
1 1/3 C sun-dried tomatoes
Directions:
1. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil, add the beans, and blanch for 4 minutes or until tender.
2. Drain, refresh under cold water, and drain again.
3. Use a preheated broiler or grill. We used the grill.
4. Cover the steak and onion with EVOO
5. Cook the steaks 2 minutes per side for medium rare. Cover for 5 minutes with foil before slicing very thin on the diagonal.
6. Cook the onion for 2-3 minutes or until well charred.
7. Toss spinach, watercress, tomatoes, and beans in a large salad bowl.
8. Layer the beef over the salad.
9. Thinly slice the broiled onion and add to the salad.
10. Drizzle with the dressing.
11. Season with salt and pepper and toss.
Serves 4

Meal in Minutes, Really

We had so much to do today.  We were in Franklin and did not get home until 8:30 PM.  Boy was Max pissed. He prefers dinner between 4:30 and 5:00 PM, but I make him wait until 5:30 Central Time.  I think he is still on Eastern Time.   So we fed him first while Jim brought all the stuff in.  Then I pulled out lettuce, black beans, tomatoes, 3 eggs that I hard boiled and croutons.    I also threw in some blueberries.  Dressed the salad and that was dinner. 

Sunday Breakfast with Grits

I put together a perfectly executed breakfast this morning.  It all started in the grocery store where I saw in the frozen food section spicy TN sausage.  There used to be a sausage company in town, but it burned and they have not reopened.  We would load up on their sausage each time we came.  Anyway we decided to try it.  Then I decided we needed grits to go with it.  My grits come from Anson Mills in South Carolina.  They are the best.  If you want to order grits or polenta or other grain items go to AnsonMills.com.  The grits have to be soaked overnight and then require 50 to 90 minutes to cook.  I am going to find a small slow cooker so I can eliminate hanging out by the stove that whole time.  Using my new non-stick Calphalon skillet, I started the sausage on low after the grits were about 1/3^rd done.  When the sausage was done, I dumped the grease and started the mushrooms.   When the grits were finished, I added the eggs to the mushrooms that were fully cooked and made the scrambled eggs mixed with mushrooms and Parmesan cheese.  I use 5 eggs for the 2 of us and a whole carton of sliced button mushrooms.  I add a little heavy cream at the end to make them creamy.  We liked the sausage and will buy it again.  I also sliced a tomato fresh from the farmer’s market.       

Best Ribs ever & new version of Chocolate Cherry Cake

I wimped out yesterday and Jim ordered a pizza. Today, I am experimenting, something I rarely do. I am making a blond version of the chocolate cherry cake.
Ingredients:
1 box white cake mix
1 - 16 oz bag of frozen Bing cherries
1 jar of coconut rum pineapple jam from the Bathtub Gin Company
1 – 12 oz bag of chocolate chips
3 large eggs
Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, adding the chocolate chips last. Make sure all is incorporated.
2. Spray the pan you choose to use, very well. I am using a Bundt pan.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 20 minutes. At least that is what it took in my oven.
We thought it was good. It is lighter than the chocolate version. Not as overwhelmingly sweet.
Babyback Rib Delight
Ingredients:
1 or 2 Alder grilling planks
1 slab of baby ribs
1 can of coke, beer or coffee
Dry rub of your choice, I used the remaining rub from Wegmans
Barbeque sauce of your choice
Directions:
1. Marinade the slab of ribs in the coke, beer or coffee for 8 hours. I used coke.
2. Soak the boards in water the same length of time.
3. Start the grill and place the plank or planks on the grill to heat for 5 minutes.
4. Place the ribs on the plank and leave at medium high for 10-15 minutes, then turn the heat to medium low for an hour.
5. Brush them with your barbecue sauce and leave for a further 10 minutes.
These were the best ribs we have ever cooked. You could taste the wood. The rub gave it a punch and the sauce added sweetness. They were super moist and juicy.
The rest of the meal was simple. I cooked green beans from the farmer’s market in boiling salted water for 10 minutes. They were delicious, did not need salt at all. I had been eying cheese bread at the store and I warmed it up. It was OK. Not as good as the cheese bread in Pleasanton, CA.
Jim served a Pennywise Petite Sirah from Napa, California, 2008. It went very well with the ribs.

Shrimp-Stuffed Twice-Baked Potatoes

The paper advised us to eat less protein during this extremely hot weather. So tonight I made a stuffed potato from The Dean Brothers Cookbook. They are the sons of Paula and their cookbooks are very good. I enjoy them more than Paula’s. This recipe serves 4. I made 3 instead of 4 potatoes and cut the recipe accordingly. Jim ate 2. I changed some things and I will note those along the way.
Ingredients:
4 large russet potatoes
1 T butter
1 T EVOO
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 oz uncooked shrimp, peeled, deveined, and coarsely chopped. (I think it could have used 12 oz.)
¾ C sour cream (I used non-fat Greek yoghurt)
3 green onions, finely chopped
Salt and ground pepper to taste
4 oz Parmesan cheese, about 1 C
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Scrub the potatoes; prick each one several times with a fork. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until tender.
2. Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat the butter and oil over medium heat. Add the garlic; cook and stir for 30 seconds. Add the shrimp; cook and stir for 2-3 minutes or until opaque. Remove from heat; set aside.
3. When the potatoes are done and cool enough to handle, cut the top third off each one. Scoop the flesh out of potatoes and place in a bowl; add sour cream and mash. Stir in the shrimp, green onions salt and pepper. Divide the potato mixture evenly among the 4 potato shells; top with Parmesan. Reshape the potatoes and make sure the stuffing is secure in the shell. (I cooked the onions in with the shrimp and garlic as raw onions sometimes makes me burp. I also added ¾ of the Parmesan cheese into the potato as I could not see ¼ C of cheese sticking to the top.)
4. Place potatoes on a baking sheet. Bake about 15 minutes or until golden.

Potatoe Salad I made up & Salmon grilled on an Alder Plank

Tonight was much better. We had salmon cooked on an Alder wood plank and I topped the salmon with Penzeys Northwood’s Seasoning. Jim started the plank for 5- 10 minutes and then cooked the salmon about 15 minutes on med-high heat. I soaked the plank most of the day. I had leftover sspargus from Sunday and I made up a crunchy potato salad using things I had left over from other meals.
Ingredients:
8-10 new potatoes boil for 20 minutes
½ # sugar snap peas, cooked for 2 minutes after stringing. I then cut them in half
8 radishes, cut in Julian pieces
1 can of black beans, drained and washed
4 celery pieces chopped fine
¼ C ranch dip
1T Penzeys Creamy Peppercorn Dressing Base.
Directions:
1. Combine all the above in a large bowl
2. Cool and then place in the refrigerator
I like mixed salads, instead of the traditional potato salad. Just look in your refrigerator and see what veggies you want to use up. We have leftovers and do to the beans; it can be a full meal. I will serve it for lunch tomorrow. Let me know if you make up any salads of your own.

Bourbon-Brined Pork Chops, smoked

Tonight’s meal was the worst yet.  It was called Bourbon-Brined Pork Chops from How to Grill.  Wente used to make the greatest smoked pork chops.  I thought these would also be good.  These were so salty I could hardly eat them.  The corn got overdone as I boiled it and these took longer than the recipe indicated.  Also I don’t really like boiled corn.  I like it grilled, but Jim could not figure out how to grill and smoke.  We had fresh tomatoes from the Farmer’s market and they were great.  I’m not going to type in the recipe.  If you really like salty, you can probably find the book or it on line.  Not worth my time.   

Jim picks dinner

Yesterday we had our friend Matt and his family over. Matt has left the military after a long time and many promotions. He and Andrea have two adorable children. The oldest is very inquisitive. And the baby is a really good baby. I am glad to see them both out of the military and hope that Matt can find something non-military oriented.
We had a meal totally picked by Jim. The one thing I like about Jim meals is that they are easy. For appetizers we had cheese and crackers. Everyone loves the apricot cheddar that I buy. You can find it at both Costco and Trader Jo’s. We also had brie and blueberry goat cheese.
For dinner, fillets wrapped in bacon that I buy from Aldie’s thanks to Bryce and Jane. I have recently found the same thing at Costco. With this I served twice baked potatoes from the frozen food department of Kroger and asparagus. Abby was not thrilled with the meal, but Max will appreciate the leftovers tonight. For dessert I made Elaine’s Chocolate Cherry cake (recipe in May blog) and served with ice cream. We spent most of the time talking and had a very good time. Yes, we ate inside, it was another scorcher here.

Turkey Meat Loaf with Walnuts and Sage

In flipping through the Flat belly Diet Cookbook last night, I found meatloaf. I am a sucker for meatloaf. This sounded very interesting as it was to rain a lot today, I decided to make it. With it I served mashed potatoes from a package, called Idahoan. We used the buttery Home-style and they were delicious. We bought a box of various flavors from Costco, but I have seen them in individual packages in the regular grocery store. I recently ordered a box of 10 flavored EVOO’s from Sciabica’s, my favorite EVOO in CA. Tonight I used the garlic EVOO to stir fry the spinach. It was delicious. It was better than my old method of adding garlic to the EVOO. The main course was the turkey meatloaf that served 4, 375 calories per serving.
Ingredients:
2 t EVOO
1 large carrot, grated
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
½ C walnuts
2 slices whole wheat bread
¼ C fat-free milk
2 egg whites
1 # extra-lean ground turkey breast
¼ C chopped fresh parsley
¼ C grated Parmesan cheese
1 t dried sage
½ t salt
½ t ground pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with non-stick foil and spray lightly with Pam.
2. Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the carrot, scallions, and garlic and cook, stirring often, for about 3 minutes or until tender. Remove from the heat. (I used my small Cuisinart to chop all the veggies, and before doing that I ground the bread and walnuts together as in the next step.)
3. Meanwhile, chop the walnuts, in a food processor witted with a metal blade. Break up the bread and add to the walnuts. Pulse until both are ground to fine crumbs. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the turkey, parsley, cheese, sage, salt, pepper, and sautéed mixture. Mix gently just until blended.
4. Shape into a free-form loaf about 7” x 4-5” on the prepared baking sheet. Bake 50-60 minutes until a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion registers 165 degrees. Let stand a few minutes before slicing.
This is a very filling meatloaf. I think the grated carrots gave it a sweet flavor. I thought it was a little salty, Jim added salt. What can I say!

Scallops

Tonight’s meal comes from the Flat Belly Diet Meal Cookbook. The sauce could not be divided in half, but I cut the scallops in half. Jim did not think there was enough food. I should have known better. With the meal I made the rice with flax seed again from Costco. We had a romaine lettuce salad with radishes and tomatoes. Jim dumped too much Paul Newman Raspberry vinaigrette on the salad. Max did not complain.
Scallops with Lemon-Parsley Sauce, serves 4, 282 calories
Ingredients:
¼ C chopped fresh parsley
2T freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 clove garlic
½ t salt, divided
¼ t pepper, divided
¼ C EVOO
1 ½ # sea scallops, tough muscle removed.
Directions:
1. Combine the parsley, lemon juice, garlic, ¼ t salt and 1/8 t pepper in a mini blender. Put on the lid and pour the EVOO slowly through the top. Blend until thoroughly incorporated.
2. Coat a grill pan with cooking spray and heat over medium high heat to 450 degrees if you have a surface thermometer. Pat the scallops dry with paper towel and sprinkle with the remaining salt and pepper. Add to the pan and grill about 2-3 minutes per side. The scallops will be opaque, but do not overcook.
3. Divide among 4 plates and spoon the reserved sauce over each serving.

Grilled pizza---NOT

I stopped reading the Washington Post and mostly missed the Wednesday recipes. Finely today we had three good recipes. The one I made tonight was grilled pizza, but Jim refused to gill the pizza. If anyone who reads my blog has cooked pizza dough on the grill, would they please post their results? Anyway the pizza sounded good, so I made it inside.
Ingredients:
1 medium sweet potato
2 sweet or spicy Italian chicken sausages, each cut diagonally into 8 slices. (They did not give a weight, so I used a package of Adele chicken and apple sausages.)
20 oz ball of pizza dough. (I bought whole wheat dough at Trader Joes.)
2T EVOO
16 oz ball fresh mozzarella, sliced
Salt and ground pepper
1T fresh thyme. (I used 1t dried and will tell you how I put it on the pizza.)
Directions:
1. Instead of boiling the peeled sweet potato in slices, I put it in the microwave and cooked, cooled, peeled and then cut in 1/8” slices.
2. Next, since Jim would not grill, I cut the sausages in 1/8ths and put them on the stove with water in a skillet. I cooked until the water evaporated and the sausage was browned.
3. Heat the oven to 475 degrees with a pizza stone on the middle rack. I have a pizza pan that has holes in the bottom. I rolled out the dough to fit the pan. Spray the pan and then after putting the dough on to fit, brush on EVOO. On top of the dough, I sprinkled 1t dried thyme, salt and pepper. Next the sweet potato slices, sausage and sliced mozzarella.
4. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
Jim really liked this pizza. Neither of us are a fan of lots of tomato sauce and this had none. I really want to do the crust on the grill. Not the recipe or the grilling book could convince him. So anyone who has done it, please write.

Mexican Chicken Casserole

In the Doctor’s office I picked up a magazine called To Your Health. They had recipes and tonight I made Mexican Chicken Casserole. It serves 4 and believe me, it was really enough. Jim ate for 2, as usual, but he did not eat for 3.
Ingredients:
¾ # boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
1 t ground cumin
1 green pepper, chopped
1 ½ C chunky salsa
2 oz. fat free cream cheese
1 15 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tomato chopped
2 whole wheat tortillas
½ C fat free cheddar cheese (I am not a fan of cheddar cheese, especially fake CC. I used manchego cheese for the ½ C and then sprinkled on top Greek cheese.)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Cook and stir chicken and cumin in nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium heat for 2 minutes.
3. Add pepper; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in salsa; cook 2-3 minutes. Add cream cheese, cook 2 minutes or until melted. Stir in beans and tomatoes.
5. Spoon 1/3 of chicken mixture into an 8” square baking dish; cover with one tortilla and half of the remaining chicken mixture and shredded cheese. (This is where I used the manchego.)
6. Top with the remaining tortilla and chicken mixture; cover.
7. Bake 20 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese (I used Feta); bake uncovered for anta additional 5 minutes or until melted.
8. We let it set a few minutes before cutting.
This was an excellent meal. We really enjoyed it and Jim has leftovers for lunch. Easy to make and bake.

Easy 7-4 for 2

As you who have followed, when I make dog food, dinner is not gourmet. But today was pretty good. First we had a lot of leftover fresh veggies from the veggies for appetizers on the 2nd of July. I combined them in a dish and sprinkled them with Penzeys Garden Salad dressing and water and microwaved for about 8 minutes and turned about every 2 minutes. They were perfect.
Jim opted for Shrimp. I coated the shrimp with Northwood’s Seasoning, BBQ 3000, salt and pepper, all from Penzeys. Jim grilled them about 2 minutes per side. I served this with the Quinoa & Whole Grain Brown Rice that I found at Costco. The meal was very good and easy to execute. If anyone has questions, just ask. We drank Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, NZ   Dessert is brownies with Chambord.  Happy 4th to all. 

4th of July Picnic

We had a terrific party yesterday. Jim’s cousin, their children and grandchildren. I bought a fun sprinkler that wiggled all over and a slip and slide where you end is a pool of water. Max enjoyed the pool part at the end of the slip and slide. I made July’s Bon Appetit’s Fourth of July Picnic. It was a great make ahead meal and we added things like Mac n cheese, hotdogs and popsicles for the grandkids. The meal starts with fresh veggies and blue cheese dip. I went to Kroger and bought a tray of veggies and a ranch dip. I also had Costco guacamole and blue chips. We had drinks and these snacks under the umbrellas watching the kids play with the water toys. It was very hot out so we came in while Jim was grilling the hot dogs and steak.  We set up the dishes buffet style. We had adults in the dining room and kids in the kitchen. I bought festive 4th plates and napkins and a plant with flags for the dining room. For the kids table I had a red bunny and a 4th of July dressed bunny in the middle of the table. I should have taken photos. The recipes were all easy to follow and most could be done or started the day before. The tomato salad for the steak I made the morning of, and finished the pea salad that morning also.
Flank Steak with Bloody Mary Tomato Salad, (all recipes listed today serves 8-10)
Ingredients:
(2) 1 ½ # flank steaks
Kosher Salt
2 tsp. (packed) light brown sugar
1 t paprika
¼ t cayenne pepper
¼ t freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil for the grill
Directions:
1. Place steaks on a large rimmed baking sheet; season with salt.
2. Mix sugar and next 3 ingredients in a small bowl and rub all over the steaks.
3. Cover and refrigerate at least 1-3 hours. Mine were overnight and I removed from the refrigerator about 2 hours before Jim grilled.
4. Jim grilled 7 minutes per side and we let it rest covered with foil for 10 minutes before he sliced on the diagonal.
Tomato Salad
Ingredients:
1 C finely chopped red onion
3 T Sherry vinegar, divided
2# cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 C chopped celery hearts (inner stalks and leaves)
½ C chopped brined green olives plus 2T olive brine (I found it easier to buy pimento stuffed and remove the pimento than to buy with the seed in and have to remove it.)
2 T prepared horseradish
1 T Worcestershire Sauce
1 t celery seeds
¼ C EVOO
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Mix onion and 1T of vinegar in a large bowl. Let macerate 10 minutes, tossing often. Add tomatoes, celery and olives. Whisk remaining 2T of vinegar, olive brine, horseradish and the next 3 ingredients in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in the oil. If you have a mini Cuisinart or blender this process is very easy.
2. Add to the tomato mixture and toss. Season with salt and pepper.
3. The recipe says to make 4 hours before; I made mine the morning of.
4. The tomato salad serves a a sort of salsa for the beef.
Fingerling Potato Salad
Ingredients:
3 ½ # fingerling potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1” pieces after cooking
1T kosher salt plus more for seasoning
9T EVOO, divided
2T brown mustard seeds
3 medium leeks, white and light green only, halved and cut crosswise into ¼” slices (about 5C)
1 T Dijon mustard
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Place potatoes in a large pot. Add enough cold water to cover by 3”. Stir in 1T salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10-12 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet and let cool before cutting.
2. Heat 3 T oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add mustard seeds to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally until the seeds start to pop, about 2 minutes. Pour oil and seeds in a large bowl.
3. Heat the remaining 2T of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 10-12 minutes.
4. Wisk remaining 4T EVOO, vinegar, Dijon mustard, and 1T water into the mustard seed oil. Add potatoes and leeks; toss to coat and season with salt and pepper.
5. Make a day ahead and refrigerate. Return to room temperature before serving.
Zucchini Cornbread
This was moist and delicious. Everyone loved this bread.
Ingredients:
1 stick of unsalted butter plus more for the pan
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
½ C buttermilk
1 large zucchini, about 10 oz.
1C all purpose flour
1 C whole wheat flour
½ C sugar
1 t baking powder
¾ t fine sea salt
½ t baking soda
¾ C medium grind cornmeal
Directions:
1. Position a rack in the middle of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 x 5 baking pan. I use Pam butter spray.
2. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking until butter solids at bottom of pan turn golden brown, about 3 minutes. Scrape butter into a medium bowl. Set aside and let cook. Whisk in eggs and buttermilk.
3. Trim zucchini ends. Thinly slice 5 1/8” rounds from 1 end of the zucchini and reserve for garnish. Coarsely grate remaining zucchini. Add to bowl with butter mixture and stir until well blended.
4. Sift all the remaining ingredients together and add to the zucchini mixture. Fold jut to blend. Transfer to prepared pan and smooth top. Place reserved zucchini slices atop batter down the center in a single layer, zig- zaging if needed.
5. Bake bread until golden and a tester inserted into center comes out clean, 55-65 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes; then turn out on a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Make the day ahead and wrap air tight. Slice before serving.
Sugar Snap Salad
Directions:
1 ½ # sugar snap peas, trimmed, stringed, cut in half on diagonal
Kosher salt
3 T EVOO
1 T fresh lemon juice (1/2 lemon)
1 t white wine vinegar
½ t Sumac (order through Penzeys Spices)
1 bunch radishes (about 6 oz) trimmed, thinly sliced
4 oz feta cheese crumbled or if you can fine it in your area ricotta Salata.
Freshly ground black pepper
2 T coarsely chopped fresh mint for decorating.
Directions:
1. Fill a very large bowl with ice water; set aside. Cook peas in a large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Drain; transfer to bowl with ice water to cool. Drain peas again; transfer to a kitchen towel-lined baking sheet to dry.
2. Dressing. Whisk EVOO, 1 T lemon juice, vinegar, and ½ t sumac in a small bowl. Toss peas, radishes and cheese in a large bowl.
3. Make each separately the day before. Add dressing to salad and toss to coat the morning of the party. Salt, pepper and more lemon juice if desired. Garnish with mint and sprinkle with sumac. I did not garnish because, I did not anyone to ask about the red sumac berries. Ever since Socrates drank poison sumac, it does not have a good reputation.
Dessert! Cherry Hand Pies makes 9
1 ½ T cornstarch
2 C fresh cherries, stemmed and pitted or about 12 oz frozen pitted cherries, unthawed. ( I used frozen Bing cherries and the pkg. was 14 oz.
2/3 C died cherries
½ C sugar
1 t vanilla extract
1 14 oz pkg. all-butter puff pastry thawed in the refrigerator
Flour (for dusting)
1 large egg white
1 ½ t raw sugar
Directions:
1. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Stir cornstarch and 1 ½ t cold water in a small bowl to blend.
3. Combine fresh cherries and next 4 ingredients in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until cherry juices are released, about 5 minutes. Add cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil, stirring often. Removed from heat and let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
4. Here I deviate from the directions as I have what is called the pocket gourmet. It is a tool that cuts a perfect circle. “Then you take the took and turn it over, place the circle on the top and fill the middle with the filling and take the two ends of the tool together and it seals the pocket.
5. So I dusted the counter with flour, and whisked my egg white with 1 T water slightly in a small bowl. I pieced both pieces of the pastry together and cut 9 circles. I filled each with 3T of filing and one at a time sealed them with the tool, brushing the edges with the egg white before sealing If you do not have this amazing tool.
6. If you do not have this tool, roil out the pastry into a 18” x15” rectangle and cut into 9 squares that are 6”x” and make rectangular pockets.
7. Bruch the tops with the egg wash and sprinkle on the sugar.
8. Preheat govern to 375 degrees. Bake until tops and bottoms are golden brown, 30-40 minutes. Let cook for 10 minutes on the baking sheet. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.
9. Can be made the day before and do not refrigerate.
I also made brownies, don’t tell anyone, but they came from a box.
Jo brought baked beans, Jody made the Mac n Cheese, and Brandy brought a bowl of mixed fruits. Found out we have a perfect match in the family. Clint picked out all the blueberries in his fruit and his daughter, Madeline, loves blueberries. No waste!
We had all different drinks and wine available, but for dinner we suggested, per the magazine article, Rose. We had a dry French Rose. Make sure you buy a true Rose, not a blend of red and white wine. The French do not allow blending so you are always safe.
We divided up all the leftovers and guess what we are having for dinner tonight?

Penzeys 3000 BBQ Rub

I have been cooking all day, but it had nothing to do with dinner.  Tomorrow I am having a family picnic and I used Bon Appetite’s Fourth of July Picnic.  Because of that, dinner was simple.   I cut up the last of the cucumbers from the farmer’s market and put my Penzeys dressing on it.  I took out 2 chicken breasts and coated it with Penzeys 3000 BBQ rub.   Then I chopped up a zucchini, about ¼ Vidalia onion and 1/2 yellow pepper.  This I stir-fried in EVOO.  We really like the 3000 BBQ rub.