Week Three of our Kitchen Renovation

If you do not have the cookbook "Let the Flames Begin," run to your computer or local bookstore and buy it. Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby have the most interesting recipes, many of which are quite easy to prepare. A good example is this recipe for hoisin-glazed grilled thin pork chops with thai-style power pack. (Page 168, if you have the book.)

For the vegetarians or non pork eaters in our family or followers, shrimp is also delicious. In fact if you do not have a grill, the pork or shrimp can be sauteed with the sauce added at the end.

For the glaze:

1/2 cup hoisin sauce

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)

For the power pack:

1/2 cup coarsely chopped roasted, unsalted peanuts

1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh mint

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 jalapenos or other chile peppers, minced

3 Tablespoons peel and minced fresh ginger

1/4 cup scallions, white and green, chopped

Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

8 thin (1/2 inch or less) loin pork chops

1. Mix hoisin sauce and lime juice in bowl and set aside.

2. Mix power pack ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

3. Put chops on the grill and cook 3 to 4 minutes per side.

4. Brush the chops with the hoisin mixture during the last 30 seconds of cooking each side.

5. Arrange the glazed chops on a platter, sprinkle the power pack over them and serve -- pass the remaining glaze on the side.

The prep time is minimal and the cooking time is very short. Perfect when one is kitchenless!

We ate the dish on Monday night and then tried it with shrimp on Tuesday. Serve with it rice, vegetable, and salad. A delicious dinner.

Ohhhhh I love dinner!

Since I have had the whole week off (thank you to my employer and a train load of snow) I have had lots of time to do whatever I want! Today I deep cleaned the kitchen and spent the day crating things out of items I already had. I made Granola, some chocolate cookies and the most tasty dinner! We had Coconut Shrimp with Fiery Mango Sauce (Cooking Light), Green Rice (Simple Suppers) and Roasted Cauliflower with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette (Eating Well). If you have not roasted cauliflower before it is super easy and it my new favorite way to eat cauliflower- YOU MUST TRY THIS! I was skeptical if all the flavors would meld together but the vinaigrette tied the whole dish together. Leafy Greens loved the mango sauce on the rice. The recipe called for a scotch bonnet pepper- I did not have one so had to use a jalapeno (worked in a pinch but needed more heat) . So very tasty I was literally sad when dinner was over!

Chili for a very chilly day!

Last night we had a few neighbors over to help us enjoy a big pot of veggie chili! It was the perfect night for it- with feet of snow outside we were looking for something to warm our tummies. I used a recipe from Cooking Light but made some many changes that I think I can now take credit for this one. I also made jalapeno cornmeal pancakes (Joy of Cooking) to dip in our chili. I suggest making this a night ahead or make it first thing in the morning so the flavors have time to meld. Our friends loved it and we all topped it with our favorite things: sharp cheddar, scallions, sour cream, and Walla Walla Sweet Onion Sausage (for the meat eaters). Sorry about the photo- it smelled so good that we ate it all before i could take a photo! Below is the chili recipe- enjoy!

Yummy Veggie Chili!
2 red bell peppers
3 TBSP olive oil
1 large onion chopped
2 TBSP ground cumin
2 tsp chili powder (I like ancho)
1 tsp paprika
1 TBSP oregano
1 Chili in Adobo sauce- finely chopped (if you are afraid of the heat do not add this)
4 cloves garlic thinly sliced
3 cups veg broth
1 can tomato paste
2 cups cubed peeled butternut squash
1 (28 oz) can tomatoes- undrained and chopped
1 can pinto beans- rinsed
1 can kidney beans-rinsed
1 can black beans-rinsed
1 can cannelloni beans-rinsed
Toppings of your choice!

1) Preheat Broiler
2) Cut peppers in half remove seeds and membranes and place cut side down on a oiled baking sheet and roast until blackened. Remove from oven and place in sealed paper-bag for 15 minutes. Remove from bag and peel away skin. Chop peppers.
3) Heat in a large pot over medium heat oil add onion and cook for 15 minutes until wilted. Stir in spices and garlic and cook 1 minute to combine. Add peppers, squash, broth, tomato paste, and chopped tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Cook 20 minutes. Add beans cook another 25 minutes until slightly thickened.

And Another Storm

As you can see we will not be using our deck for any purpose in the near future. Today the Mayor declared the city under a Snow III condition, which means only emergency vehicles can drive in the city. Both our universities have been closed since Monday and will be tomorrow. We have plenty of food but our mixed nuts and pistachios are gone. There is plenty of food in the freezer but we are beginning to miss fresh vegetables and a variety of fruit. We are down to two apples and a few clementines. On the plus side, between the two storms our kitchen cabinets and appliances were delivered on Tuesday. Tonight we will eat beef stew with baked potatoes. Last night I tried cooking green beans in the microwave with negative results. Tonight I will do them in a pot on our nifty hot plate.

P.S. My husband and I have been playing a daily scrabble game; the score is 3 games to 3.

Sausage Experience

The slow food group we belong to was invited to help make Venison Sausage this weekend. Subduck and I have made quite a bit of sausage with friends but never using venison. We were also attracted to the chance to spend some time in a commercial kitchen with a real chef and some foodie friends.

Chef Paula Snow at Homehill Inn in Plainfield N.H. was making the sausage for a special dinner later in the week which would feature all local and artisanal products.

We helped with the entire process, starting with the mixture of meat,fat,and spices shown in the photo. After grinding the ingredients and mixing them by hand, we worked in some currents to give a subtle sweetness. The meat was then packed into pig casings with a stuffer, just like we do at home. Since she would be cooking for seventy people on the night of the supper, the Chef had us poach the sausages before plunging them into an ice bath. This helped to firm the texture and also cut the final cooking time. We discovered we were the only folks in the group with experience in sausage making, but,from the comments I think we may have gained some sausage friends.

Here is the recipe:

5 lbs cubed venison (leg shoulder)

1.5 lbs pork butt (cubed)

1.5 lbs Fatback (cubed)

4 oz Diced onion, sauteed and cooled

1 oz fresh ground pepper

2 Tb Kosher salt

2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 cup chopped fresh sage

1 Tb chopped fresh Rosemary

1 cup wine or venison stock

1/2 cup currents

The meat and seasonings were mixed and marinated over night .

Add the liquid and the currents after you grind the meat.

Stuff, poach,chill and store or freeze for future use.

Snowed In - Baltimore

This is our grill with its snow bonnet. My grill chef will not be cooking meat in the near future, especially if we get hit by another storm tomorrow. Fortunately we are well stocked with frozen entrees and vegetables. We ate our first entree on Saturday and will enjoy another tonight. Last night we walked to a Super Bowl party. After shoveling for 3 hours during the day, watching football and eating good finger was a treat. Today was the start of week two of our kitchen rehab. The floors are refinished and look beautiful. The cabinets and appliances arrive tomorrow. I am both nervous and excited.

The Wine Hunter

My husband is always on the hunt for a wine that tastes better than its price. It is another form of collecting; only these collectibles, while they can be saved, do not have to be cleaned or polished. Tres Picos is one of those wines. A perennial favorite -- this wine from the Borsao region of Spain, southeast of Rioja, is made from 100% old vine grenache. A big, big fruity red wine with an excellent long finish, Tres Picos 2008 received a 91 rating from Parker. With a retail price of $16.99, it is a bargain. Our wine seller routinely discounts this wine to $12.99. We have enjoyed Tres Picos over its last four vintages, and it continues to get better and better. Tres Picos is widely distributed so check to see if your local wine store has it.

Do the Can Can

I was very intrigued with a few of this months recipes in Eating Well that involved canned salmon. The first time i read the recipes I scoffed at them thinking what is Eating Well doing? Canned Salmon- EWWWW! I then thought of other foods that I thought I did not like and had tried and thought- what the heck- worst case scenario we will go out! I read the notes that Eating Well so nicely provides on what to look for when buying canned salmon and was off to the supermarket! I decided to not buy the "special" salmon and instead went with the store brand- wild Alaskan. We decided to make the Black Bean and Salmon Tostadas . When I first opened the can I smelled the contents- it smelled kind of like fish- not overpowering. I drained the salmon and dumped the contents in a bowl- the only part I found kind of weird was there was skin wrapped on the outside of the salmon- I removed it and made the recipe as it is written. Fresh Greens helped by making the bean topping which we both stuck our finger in to try and both agreed was good enough to eat on cardboard! The only recipe note I would add is to watch your tortillas- if I had not pulled them out a full 2 minutes before the prescribed time they would have burned! We assembled the meal sat down and both took a bite- YUMMY! If I had not taken the salmon out of the can I would not have known it was not fresh- the flavors were well balanced and with a bit of hot sauce this dish rocked! (Note- when dripping hot sauce on plate to be artistic you might want to make it look less like you bled on the plate!) I know what you are thinking- canned salmon- EWWWW but honestly try it before you know it you will do the can can yourself!

A Meatless Mission

We decided to try eating vegetarian a couple of nights a week.  Tonight we made sweet potatoes with warm black bean salad.  It was incredibly easy and quick to make.  Instead of orange sweet potatoes, we used the potatoes from our CSA which were light yellow in color.  They had a nice smooth flavor and the dish was very filling - I would definately make it again.

Mom - this would be somthing you could make while you and Dad are kitchenless.  It only requires a microwave and minimal prep work.