We Are Ready

This weekend was a flurry of activity - cooking and emptying out the kitchen. Now the cupboards are bare awaiting the construction crew. I spent the weekend cooking for the next few weeks. Again EatingWell provided excellent recipes for such an effort. I made EatingWell's beef and mushroom stew, butternut squash and turkey soup, and pork and chili stew. I also cooked broccoli, eggs and made a lentil salad for our lunches. As my plastic bags filled with homemade entrees, I felt very productive. I counted 3 entrees per week for 4 weeks. The grill chef will do any meat we eat on the grill -- vegetables too. Although this could be our chance to eat out every day this month, our goal is to eat in as much as possible. We will provide weekly updates.

P.S.

Feb 2nd. The crew from Unique Resources came Monday morning right on schedule. The cabinets, counter tops, and stove are now history.

Simple Suppers

I love Moosewood cookbooks! They've been around since our hippie days, their recipes are healthy, well tested, usually easy to prepare, and they taste yummy! For those who haven't yet discovered Moosewood's Simple Suppers try perusing a copy at your favorite bookstore or checking with your local library. We've tried a new soup just about every week from the book. Love their tomato tortilla soup on a blustery, cold New Hampshire day! Their Orange-Almond Polenta Cake took me back to Tuscany. It was superb served with raspberry sauce. When one of the women in my knitting group passed around a copy the other night five women decided to get together on an Amazon order for their own copies. Maybe I should see about a commission!

The Countdown to noon on January 31st

On January 31st at noon, our current kitchen will close. I have finished washing the tin and copper molds and am contemplating moving things out of the kitchen. But I think I will quit and begin again tomorrow after dinner. Somehow everything will be out of the kitchen by Sunday afternoon.

Brothy Chinese Noodles

Tonight we made a Healthy in a Hurry recipe from the February Eating Well. Brothy Chinese Noodles was the recipe. We lacked "Chinese noodles" but substituted buckwheat Soba noodles. Also, we lacked hot sesame oil but we made up for it by adding some Sriracha Chile Sauce after cooking (and after the picture, oops!) for a little kick. Even Blonde Girl's Son tried a small dollop. Milk was immediately necessary, but there was no other negative reaction. He declined more than the first taste. The NY Times had an article on the folks who make this sauce. It has excellent chile flavor and a great kick, I've used it on everything from eggs to eggplant. It's amazing stuff and deserves a spot in every kitchen.

Countdown to Kitchen Rehab

February 1st our builder begins our Rehab. The cabinets are finished and will be delivered Feb. 9th. This weekend we packed all our cookbooks, except our Born to Grill and a few others. Then we worked on the pantry -- why do we buy so many food stuffs and don't use them? We have avoided cleaning all the copper and tin molds. Tonight I am cooking EatingWell's Pinto Bean & Andouille Sausage Stew for tomorrow night. It serves 8, so I will freeze several portions to eat over the next few weeks. This preparation reminds me of Other Blonde Girl's improvising skills. I had no andouille sausage, and my resident sausage maker said, "I'm not buying sausage, when we have chorizo in the freezer." I also used canned diced tomatoes instead of plum tomatoes. And I had no serrano peppers, but there are chile flakes or cayenne pepper. But it will be good. Tonight we enjoyed EatingWell's Curried Chicken with Mango Salad. If you have not tried this; it is a winner!!!

Two Preparations -- Four Meals

It is such a good feeling to cook twice and make enough for four meals. This week my menu focused on recipes in the February EatingWell. I tried the Inside-Out Lasagna because Other Blonde Girl championed the dish. In keeping with her grandmother's waste-not ethic, I chopped a leftover Sicilian sausage and added it to the sauce. (I know; it was to be our weekly vegetarian dish.) Then with frozen roasted poblanos in the freezer, I knew I had to cook the Quick Pork & Chili Stew. It is easy to make and delicious!!! As we ate, we could close our eyes and pretend we were in Hatch, New Mexico. My sous chef made a simple quesadilla which went well with the chili. All I have left is a little spinach and some leftover ricotta cheese which I must not let go to waste.

Odds and Ends

Yesterday for dinner, I decided to take on Other Blonde Girl's challenge. We had some scallions, half a box of quinoa, half a red onion, chicken broth, lemons and cilantro. We also had a pound of chicken thighs and spinach from our CSA (yum). What did we end up with....?

Lemon chicken with sauteed red onions and cilantro, quinoa tossed with green onions, and sauteed spinach. I cooked the chicken until it was nicely browned and then removed from the pan. I added some dry sherry to deglaze the pan and then my saucier (husband) completed the sauce with lemon juice, chicken broth and a bit of butter and flour. I cooked the onions separately and then tossed back in with the sauce at the end. Finally, we sprinkled the final dish with chopped cilantro.

Weekend Away: 14th – 16th in Washington, D.C.

Willard Hotel: $ This hotel is a special place where we have stayed a few times.

Occidental Grill and Seafood: $ This place has been in operation since 1947 and has its walls covered with autographed photos of the famous and powerful who have eaten there. It is restaurant week in D.C., so Bruce had the 3-course meal of water cress and goat cheese, flat iron steak, and apple tart, which Bruce was kind enough to share with me. I opted for a baby beet salad and the grilled duck breast with gnocchi and cabbage. Bruce ordered a brandy which was served over a glass of hot water. Classy service and delicious food.

Zaytinya: $ This Greek-style restaurant was packed with people eating delicious small plates of food. We ordered stuffed grape leaves, giant beans with kale, fried Maine shrimp with heads, lamb chops, fried mussels, and a wonderful yogurt and apricot desert. We had another dish which I can't remember. For those who watched Top Chef, this is the restaurant where Michael Isabella is executive chef.

Having Michael Isabella come to our table for a chat: PRICELESS!!!

My husband and I have now been to two of the restaurants of Top Chef contestants. Other Blonde Girl and FreshGreens and we are hoping to go to Volt. For the men in our families, don't you think this could be a great combo June birthday present? Is anyone interested in making a reservation at Kevin’s restaurant in Atlanta? Could be another priceless experience.

Besides eating, we also visited the American History Museum and spent time in the Julia Child exhibit. When looking at her kitchen and her accomplishments, I wondered what she would have thought of the program Top Chef. We did not leave a pound of butter.

What a Dal

Tonight while Duck 1 was working on her wrist, (Coming along well by the way), I got to try making Dal for the first time.The recipe I followed is from the current (Feb) Eating Well. Indian Mango Dal. (Other blond girl will like this). Dal is quite easy to make and offers a very tasty addition to a meal. I served the Dal with Trader Joe's Harvest Grains blend and grilled ground turkey patties. We use ground turkey a lot in place of beef.One of the handy things about it is that the flavor reflects what is mixed with it so it is very versatile. For this Indian style meal, I added onion, garlic and curry powder as well as a bit of fresh ginger to the meat. A touch of soy sauce and voila, a taste in keeping with the rest of the plate. We followed up the main course with a composed salad of pears and pecan halves on a bed of lettuce with Balsamic Vinaigrette.
This meal had leftovers too they will become tomorrows lunch. If it's good once you know it will be good again.
I've got to start taking pictures the other food shots look great.

Leftovers...The Challenge!

Last night we made Inside out Lasagna from Eating Well it was delicious and Fresh Greens literally did not speak while eating he liked it so much! While preparing dinner I thought about the leftover ingredients I would have and made a plan for how to use them up. When I speak to my friends who do not feel as comfortable in the kitchen I often hear the complaint that cooking is expansive and you waste so much food. I always laugh when I hear this as it reminds me of my Yankee grandmother who would never let anything go to waste. In her honor I HATE to throw out food and will do anything to use it up. I love to update Fresh Greens on how many items I used up in the preparation of our dinner and get s serious high out of rinsing out a container of something I have creatively used up.

From our dinner last night I have the following leftover ingredients: ricotta cheese (about half a container), spinach (about 5 cups), mushrooms (about 6 oz). My plan for the leftovers is to make vegetarian reubens also from Eating Well using up the spinach, mushrooms, and some swiss cheese. The ricotta will most likely be used in an omelet OR I might even thaw some fresh pasta sheets that I saved from making fresh spaghetti and make ricotta and herb ravioli. That way I could also use up the half and half and make a simple cream sauce. I just love thinking up ways to use up leftovers!

Off to my refrigerator to come up with a plan for my rogue vegetables and half eaten jars of condiments!

Speaking of Time Life Cookbooks, we made several recipes out of the The Cooking of China this past Sunday. They were wonderful - stir-fried french beans and water-chestnuts, steamed sea bass with fermented black beans, and barbecued spareribs (and by the way, if you have ever wondered, you can use a coat hanger to fashion hooks to hang your ribs from the top rack of the oven). We used the wok that we received in the Baltimore potlatch and it worked wonderfully!

Pomegranates

In the 70's when we were collecting Time Life's Foods of the World series, the book on Middle East cooking arrived. An open pomegranate on a silver platter graced the cover. So exotic!!! There were no pomegranates in my grocery store back then. Now my WholeFoods market has pomegranates the size of softballs. EatingWell has a wonderful recipe using this fruit - a barley, wild rice pilaf with pomegranate seeds. In Diana Kennedy's book, The Cuisines of Mexico, there is a salad which consists of small poblano peppers stuffed with avocado and served on a bed of lettuce leaves decorated with pomegranate seeds. It is delicious!

Food for Cold Days

For lunch today Duck 1 and I had a ham soup made with leftovers from our Christmas party which had been in the freezer. Just the thing for a windy 17 degree day.

For supper tonight I made Chicken Thighs with Leeks and Shitakes from Eating Well. This is a real comfort food type meal and the comfort level was raised by the mashed potatoes we had with it. Sauteed Zucchini provided the veg. and we had a green salad to finish up. With all the cold, windy weather right now good hearty food (in moderation of course) is really pleasant.

What's for dinner? Salad!

Yesterday my husband asked "What's for dinner" "Salad" I replied. I could tell from his lack of excitement that he wished I had said anything besides the "S" word. Don't get me wrong he loves salad but sometimes it does not give you that satisfied feeling. That is unless you have tried the Eating Well Cobb Salad. I made this the first time a few years ago on a hot summer night and we literally licked the plate clean. The salad is simple in design but complex in flavor. I substituted sauteed shrimp for chicken and used fake bacon (basically soy the color of bacon). This has become a family favorite for us and after I use the dreaded "S" word to describe dinner the next question is "are we having the really good salad?" I like to serve it with some crusty bread and my fabulous dipping oil. The dipping oil is so simple but guests will think they are being served something very special. Take a shallow plate and crush a clove or two of garlic (depending on your love of garlic), cut up 4 or 5 slices of sun-dried tomatoes- I prefer the ones NOT packed in oil and add whatever green herb you have on hand (my favorites are basil, rosemary or oregano). Fresh herbs are better but in a pinch I have used dried. Pour in enough extra virgin olive oil to cover the bottom of the plate, add a few grinds of fresh black pepper and a pinch of seat salt and you are done! If you have time to let this sit for an hour or so the flavors will meld and will be even better! We also have a tradtion of enjoying the salad with some presecco (a sparkling wine form Italy) we highly recommend this pairing.

Tonight I made a simple but tasty supper featuring Lamb Patties, Shoestring veggies and Saffron rice.

Duck 1 and I were alone for supper. We sipped some wine (Merlot for me Vionger for her).
The ground lamb was mixed with sauteed onion,garlic and rosemary as well as toasted pine nuts and broiled. The Zucchini and carrots were cut on the finest mandoline blade and sauteed in olive oil and salt and pepper. Basmati rice with saffron and butter rounded out the main course. For the salad we had red leaf lettuce with grapefruit, dried cranberries and pomegranate seeds toped with the shaker mint vinigar mentioned in an earlier blog. A nice supper for a cold winter night in New Hampshire. Duck 1 is feeling a lot less pain from the wrist operation and will be able to be more active in the kitchen soon. Till then we have a cook to spare.

Quick Soup

For dinner tonight I made Chicken & Spinach Soup with Fresh Pesto using our LPO spinach. Instead of chicken breasts, I used thighs. I also used 1 cup less chicken broth and substituted some water and white wine. Using store bought pesto was a time saver. It was easy to make and very tasty.

(Other Blonde Girl - I think this would be really good using vegetable broth and adding more veggies to make up for the lack of chicken).

A yummy vegetarian dish -- two thumbs up!!!

Tonight Blonde Girl's Mom's Husband was on for dinner. He made one of our favorite Eating Well recipes -- Skillet Gnocchi with Chard & White Beans. It is easy to prepare and delicious!!! Perfect for a cold winter night. I think everyone of our households has prepared this dish and given it a two thumbs up. This time we had no mozzarella so BGMH used gruyere -- a nice flavor combination. If you have time, cook the white beans ahead of time; they are tastier than the canned ones. This past year, I have cooked a variety of dried beans and then frozen them. They have better flavor and only little or no salt. The packets are then ready for any recipe that calls for canned beans.

Double(or two) thumbs up vs. five stars

Duck1 asked if a two thumbs up rating was better than a 5 star one. Blonde Girl's Son responds to the question "was that dish or food good," and if he likes it, he puts up a thumb. If he uses two thumbs, it is excellent. For a six-year-old, the system works well, so we have adopted it.

New Year Bounty

After getting back from vacation, one of the first things I did today was go to our CSA, Los Poblanos Organics (LPO), to pick up our box of fruits and vegetables. First box of 2010 - this should be a good year!

Tonight for dinner we made a simple chicken Caesar salad with a Caesar dressing recipe from Eating Well. It tasted fine, although didn't taste at all like a classic Caesar dressing.

Sadly, we have no ice cream maker so we went without dessert tonight.....

January 4, New Hampshire

Tonight Ken is cooking (again) as I still am wearing the battering ram cast on my right arm. It's to be grilled Atlantic salmon with green beans w/ toasted almonds, and one of our favorites - Israeli couscous w/ pine nuts, and a green salad w/ a vinaigrette.

I like to make a couple of dressings to have on hand - a balsamic, a true French vinaigrette, and of course, Shaker mint vinegar. Easier not to have to think about a dressing while getting dinner! I really do not understand why anyone would want to purchase salad dressing as it's so incredibly simple to make!

Shaker Mint Vinegar
1 qt. white vinegar
4 c. sugar
Large bunch of washed mint (stems ok -bugs not)

Make this in the spring or summer when the mint is at its best. Bring vinegar and sugar to a boil in a large pot. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Turn off the heat. Add the mint, stems and all, stirring until it wilts. Cover and let it sit until cool. Strain vinegar into a bowl, wringing the mint with your hands. If there is any sediment, pour cooled vinegar through a coffee filter. Store in glass bottles. This keeps beautifully for a year.

This recipe was given to me by Gary Hamel, an artist from Orange, NH who says it was produced each spring by the Enfield Shakers.

Potlatch in Baltimore

Last night I laid out all my pots and pans to give away. In February, we will be remodeling our kitchen and installing an induction stove top, so my 35-year-old cuisinart cookware will not work. Family members took turns taking what they wanted and by the end all my pans were gone. Indians in the Pacific Northwest used to hold potlatches where they had great feasts and gave away their goods to those who attended. For some reason the British did not approve of this custom and banned it. My cookware was cleaned out and I felt liberated. We are not without pots and pans, since we purchased new ones before Christmas.

For dinner tonight we had five fewer guests. We enjoyed Blond Girl's Father's (BGF) bockwurst sausage which is excellent. In another post, we will describe his sausage making parties. Smashed potatoes, asparagus, and waldorf salad went well with the sausage. The wine we drank was a 2000 Leonetti and a 1999 Northstar merlot. These wines were made in Walla Walla Washington and are wonderful. To finish our meal BGF used his new ice cream maker to make a wonderful chocolate chip ice cream. Blonde Girl's Husband took a picture of this desert. We licked our bowls clean and gave it a 2 thumbs-up.

Happy New Year

Today, the cooks took a rest. Some went off to eat lunch at the Inner Harbor while others stayed home and ate leftovers. For dinner we relaxed and ate take-out from Matsuri's, an excellent sushi restaurant in Baltimore--sushi for 11 is a lot of sushi. We enjoyed every piece. For dessert Blonde Girl had made Craig Claiborne's chocolate mousse--another culinary tradition that we enjoy every Christmas holiday season.