Yesterday was a busy
day. The painters finished in the new
house and “broom clean” all but disappeared.
So we started with windows and floors.
I also cleaned the refrigerator and all the kitchen cabinets. Jim put diazon granuals on the ground where
Max will play, cleaned the patio and then helped inside. We came home exhausted; showered and grilled
tuna. I made a salad and warmed some
biscuits(frozen) that Jim and I drove all over Hendersonville to find a while
back. Having lunch with the ladies golf
group, it was mentioned they were as good as homemade. I’d have to say that the person who said that
is not a biscuit maker. Anyway, we did
get a good bottle of wine; Smith & Hook, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005, Central
Coast, CA.
Today, Jim played in a tournament
and I redrew the house plan and coordinated my art area with existing
electrical, telephone, and floor vents.
I’d have to say that whoever laid out the HVAC vents almost 75% made my
furniture arrangements difficult.
Being a holiday, I decided to
make a festive meal I found in the May Sunset magazine. Jim was excited as it involved steak. He was less than thrilled when he learned
that it was kind of a soft taco meal.
This dish serves 4 unless Jim is around.
He mostly ate the steak as steak.
It was really good.
Ingredients:
2 New York strip steaks (1 ½ #
total)
4 T EVOO, divided
1 ½ t each kosher salt and
pepper, divided (I used 1 T Chicago seasoning by Penzeys)
1 ½ t sweet smoked Spanish
paprika
2 ripe avocados, sliced
½ each thinly sliced red
onion and cilantro sprigs ( I used Italian parsley, I like a small amount of
cilantro, but this was too much for me)
Juice of 1 lime
½ small jalapeno chile,
seeded and very thinly sliced
Warm flour tortillas ( I cut
in ¼ wedges) You could just tear as needed, but that would be too hard to
explain to Jim.
Directions:
1.
Heat grill to
medium. Brush steaks with 2T EVOO and
season with 1 t each salt and pepper and the paprika. Grill steaks until done the way you like,
turning once for 10-12minutes.
2.
Toss avocados in
a large bowl with onion, cilantro, remaining 2 T EVOO, the lime juice,
jalapeno, and remaining ½ t salt and pepper.
3.
Slice steaks across
the grain.
4.
Serve the steak
with salad and tortillas.
I also made a hors d’orves. This was also in Sunset magazine. I think the photo in the magazine did not
follow the recipe as written. Mine were
too wimpy and although they were delicious, company would have a hard time with
them as they were too limp. I will note
below what I would change to serve this delicious appetizer.
Ingredients:
8 sweet mini peppers or gypsy
peppers, stemmed, cut in half lengthwise, and seeded
8 oz. asparagus spears, ends trimmed,
chopped (don’t use thin, get thick ones as you end up with unattractive small
pieces. I also do not think you need a
whole 8 oz. Three half inch pieces per
pepper looks good. That is 48 pieces of asparagus.
2 T EVOO, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 t chopped fresh rosemary
leaves
½ t each kosher salt and
pepper
Pinch of red chile flakes
½ C fresh goat cheese
Directions:
1.
Preheat broiler
with rack set in top third of oven.
2.
Toss peppers and
asparagus in 1T oil and spread out on a rimmed baking sheet. Broil, turning often, until starting to
soften and brown slightly, 6 minutes. (Just warm the peppers slightly. This was way too much and made the peppers too
soft and they collapsed. I’d be likely,
next time, to just zap the peppers in the microwave for 1 minute. The asparagus is nice broiled. You could also just roast them.)
3.
Whirl garlic, rosemary,
salt, pepper, chile flakes, and goat cheese in a food processor until just
combined.
4.
Spoon about 1T
cheese mixture into each pepper half and top with asparagus. Drizzle with remaining 1T oil.
Jim served Hindsight, a Napa
Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, 2009 with dinner.
He aerated it as the wine was young.
We are having watermelon and blueberries for dessert.
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