Tapas on Tuesday

August 3, 2010

Amy and I had expected house guests Monday evening but events transpired so as to prevent said guests from arriving. So we made the best of it Monday night and enjoyed Vietnamese-Style Lettuce Wraps with Yogurt Marinated Broiled Chicken for two rather than for four. For Tuesday morning I had planned (as I am always planning) on a brunch of Crostini Benedict and Mimosas for that hostest-with-the-mostest prize I covet. However, brunch morphed into a mini-tapas dinner. Amy ended up having technical difficulties with work so I found myself playing in the kitchen Tuesday to help pass the evening along. Whenever I attempt to try something sort of “out there” Amy always has this hesitant look on her face, this worried gleam in her eyes, but she is supportive and goes along for the ride. She had said look and gleam when I mentioned making Benedict Crostini for dinner since brunch hadn’t panned out as planned. I began to feel a bit guilty about possibily ruining her dinner so I stood in the kitchen for a minute, as I do, pondering off into the wilds of my imagination while staring at the ingredients I have on hand.

Well, we had just stopped at the Farmer’s Market in East Forest Park so I had fresh tomatoes and purple basil on hand. Amy had mentioned pizza for the basil earlier but I just didn’t have time to fool with fresh dough, especially since our bread machine died. So pizza + purple basil + left over fresh mozzarella + left over sliced Ciabatta + wanting to prepare crostini = Margarita-Style Crostini. Fabulous! I simply made bruschetta with the fresh tomatoes and basil and added that to the top of toasted Ciabatta with slightly melted fresh mozzarella cheese. And then I finished it all up with a drizzle of EVOO for a delicious Margarita Crostini.

Also, I had an orange bell pepper on hand that was begging to be prepared. So I blackened the pepper over an open flame, sweated it, removed the blackened skin, sliced it, and then placed it in a foil packet with EVOO to roast in a 350 oven for about 20 minutes. I had also bought several bulbs of fresh, local garlic. OMG if you’ve never roasted fresh, local garlic you need to! The fresh garlic caramalizes in the oven in a way the other garlic couldn’t even dream of doing. It is so beautiful and smells absolutely divine! Therefore the Fire Roasted Crostini was born. To toasted Ciabatta I added a thin layer of smashed roasted garlic, roasted orange bell pepper strips, crumbled feta, toasted pine nuts, and a drizzle of EVOO. It was to die for! I was so impressed and will definitely make it again. I have this secret challenge with myself that for me to state, “this dinner is a success” I have to admit to myself whether or not I’d pay money to eat the dish. Last night, that Fire Roasted Crostini, I would have paid big money for.

Lastly, my experimental Crostini Benedict turned out better than I imagined and Amy even had two. I prepared this with toasted Ciabatta, scrambled egg that Amy cooked as I can not scramble pretty eggs to save my own life, prosciutto I had on hand, and not-made-from-scratch Hollandaise Sauce (I use a powdered Hollandaise Sauce so that I can prepare it with soy milk subsequently significantly reducing the fat), and fresh snipped chives. So, although we never got around to brunch dinner was fun and a definite success.

I wonder, is it anti-social to secretly prefer to stay at home and hang out with your partner and pets? It is an unusal feeling for me. I find myself often day-dreaming about a dramatic social life, but at the end of the day I am most content having a quiet dinner with Amy, sipping wine on the back porch listening to music, or curling up on the sofa watching a movie. I love hanging out with friends and family but it’s gotten to the point where I’m of the attitude, “Honey, you’ve got to offer me a better time than I could have at home and good luck trying to do that.” And if I don’t think I’m gonna’ have a better time out than at home I am most put upon to participate in the outing at all. I just love loving to be at home. However on the other hand, our door is always open as is our hearts and you are always welcome to stop by and  hang out with the crazy cat ladies ;-)

♥ Amy’s Action Shots of Me ♥

Dinner with Sheez Late

Friday July 30, 2010

Amy, if you don’t already know, is a member of Sheez Late, which is a original band she and the guys Ron, Joe, & Hugh formed several years ago in Worcester, MA. Since Amy and I moved to Springfield (a year ago tomorrow 8/5), Sheez Late got back together and let me tell you they are awesome! However, one member of Sheez Late, Hugh, does not live in the area. But Amy does cover a few of Hugh’s songs and one song in particular, Green Light, is a favorite of mine. You should catch a gig sometime and see for yourself. Get more info on Sheez Late here http://www.reverbnation.com/sheezlate or http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100000466221719&v=wall&ref=ts or http://www.myspace.com/sheezlate

The weekend of the 3oth Hugh and his beautiful family were back visiting the area. So, what a perfect occasion for a reunion dinner party. I volunteered to bring a few dishes and after my Foster Reviews Friday morning I got crazy in the kitchen. Amy and I left around 5:15 or so and drove to Joe’s house and the three of us drove out to Ron & Janet’s beautiful home. The drive to their house was an adventure.

Try to picture the two quietest members of the band chatting it up in the Baja while I am driving blindly with no idea of what town Ron even lives in. And those two chatty boxes forgot that I had no clue as to where we were going. I was just driving and driving and driving. Yes, we got lost….twice. Joe and Amy are laughing and talking and it’s great but then Joe suddenly or maybe it was Amy, realized we passed the exit and so we had to make this huge backtracking circle to get back on track. It was a hoot. But, we made it to the party finally only an unfashionable hour late. I managed to keep my anxiety level somewhat in check as the Southern Belle in me was devastated that I hadn’t arrived early enough to assist the hostess in prepping for the party as I said I would, but Janet had everything under control and the party was rolling along splendidly.

We all shared an amazing evening. It was especially fantastic listening to the history between the band members and their family’s. I think that sort of camaraderie is rare and I much enjoyed sharing the magic that connects the group and has lovingly not falter over time. For dinner, Ron and Janet provided us all with beautifully grilled herbed chicken, an assortment of hors d’oeuvres including fresh pesto, humus, & guacamole, and Janet even prepare two homemade pies for dessert, one of which is my all time favorite Key Lime Pie. She also made this amazingly delicious White Sangria and shared the recipe with me and I hope to give it a whirl soon.

Of course I over did it as usual. I made a pasta salad tossed in EVOO & red wine vinegar with fresh rosemary, chopped rainbow chard stems, toasted pine nuts, cherry tomatoes, and crumbled feta, and I also made a simple wagon wheel mac -n- cheese dish baked in a plain cheese sauce of soy milk and Cabot white cheddar for the kids. As if that wasn’t too much already I also made rainbow chard wraps with fresh avocado, prosciutto, toasted chickpeas, and feta in a cilantro-yogurt sauce. I hate to brag but the rainbow chard wraps were divine. Okay, I realize someone so needed to tell me that 8 adults and 4 kids (two of which are under two) is not as many people as it sounds. But, alas no one stopped me so I went on to also prepare a fresh Caprese Salad with plum tomatoes, fresh mozzarella (that I bought at Milnano Imported Fine Foods, Inc on Main Street in downtown Springfield), fresh basil of course, and then drizzled the salad with EVOO & a Balsamic Reduction I made with one cup Balsamic vinegar and 1/2 cup brown sugar. It too was amazing. Oh but it doesn’t end there as I also made a Roasted Fennel Succatosh that I actually forgot to even bring. Yikes!

And let’s not forget the Watermelon Spritzer. Oh how I cringe remembering the WaterMelon Spritzer that I attempted to make for the kids (well technically Ron and Janet’s kids aren’t kids anymore they are 13) The spritzer was what I thought was going to be an extremely easy recipe that I found online, which simply called for lemon-lime soda mixed with muddled fresh watermelon. Right. I brought the ingredients for the spritzer and planned on mixing it in Janet’s beautiful kitchen. Well, the recipe failed to mention that there was going to be an explosive chemical reaction. I was mortified to say the least. I poured the lemon-lime soda into my pitcher and then added the muddled fresh watermelon…..it spewed like an angry volcano. There was sticky watermelon soda everywhere! I panicked. Janet’s kitchen was meticulous and here I’ve not been in it five minutes and it’s a mess! But she was gracious and along with Amy’s help we managed to clean it all up. Ends up that the kids were too busy playing to care about a silly spritzer anyway. I now laugh about it but at the time I just wanted to die! When will I learn simple is best?

But aside from that little mishap, the dinner was a beautiful success. It was a perfect evening sitting back on the patio with music drifting over the breeze, the warm scent of Janet’s flower garden, and the sizzling sound of Ron at the grill coupled by the sweet laughter of Hugh’s youngest daughter. I am fortunate to have meet Amy and the band. I thought it was lovely to listen to all the reminiscing and to get to know the band and their family’s better. I hope we make a habit of hanging out and the next dinner party I’ll try not to over-do it so much….yeah right.

Needless to say, we returned home with more food than the two of us could possible handle. So, what I did was make a hodge-podge pot of soup using the wagon wheel dish, the roasted fennel succotash, a bit of water, and two fresh tomatoes. It was delicious and makes for a good, quick lunch. I also used the left over ingredients to make a second Caprese Salad (per Amy’s request) for our dinner Saturday evening. I simply bought fresh made whole wheat sliced Ciabatta to go along with the salad and it was a perfect dinner. We enjoyed it out on the back porch with colorful lights on and soft wild woman music playing in the background.

It  is most difficult to express with mere words how eternally grateful I am to finally have a home I feel safe and loved in. And the only thing that feels more amazing than that is having someone to share said home with. I am truly thankful and will share it with you anytime you like as there will always be good food, good wine, good music, and beautiful women at T’s house

Oh and don’t forget to check out the band for Sheez Late would love to see you!

A picture is worth…

As some may be aware, I had a rather annoying summer cold for about a week, that is still somewhat lingering with me. Therefore, I spent June 26th thru Independence weekend feeling absolutely gross and not whipping up my usual nightly dishes of all things fabulous. I’m back and feeling much better but now this freaking heat is weighing me down and making my kitchen pretty uninviting. Like last night for instance, we simply had tuna salad sandwiches. It was just too hot, especially since our front door remained open the entire day, while the contractor rebuilt our entry way to accommodate the new door, which we ordered about three months ago. Subsequently, the house was mucky and filled with flies. Not the ideal cooking conditions. But, the new door is all finished and beautiful this morning and awaiting a fresh coat of paint, which we most likely will apply this weekend.

So with all that said, I decided to simply post a couple of my pictures of just plating with descriptions and promise to post more in-depth soon.

Please try to keep cool in this awful heat and be sure to drink lots of water and wear lots of sunscreen! ♥♥♥ T

 

Curried Tuna Cakes in Cucumber-Dill Raita with Cumin Roasted Brussels Sprouts

 

 

 

 

 

Happy 4th of July: Yogurt Marinated Broiled Chicken Thighs in Stubb’s Spicy BBQ Sauce with Pasta & Raw Veggies tossed in Herbed Aioli

Brust My Tomato Not My Bubble

Fagioli Style Burst Tomato, Roasted Broccolini, and Mushroom Noodle Soup

Again, I owe Renee a million thanks for the bag o’goodies she sent home with me after the Boston Pride Parade. It has been the source of endless possibilities and inspiration. Within said bag o’goodies, my most generous friend graciously bestowed upon me the titillating pleasure of dried Oyster and Shiitake Mushrooms and the most beautifully colored assortment of cherry tomatoes I’ve ever seen. And those two ingredients, along with fresh broccolini, morphed into what I consider my best soup to date.

It was raining out a couple of Thursdays ago and being a lover of a simmering pot of all things fabulous, I decided to take advantage of the cooler weather and cook soup for dinner. Any excuse for soup. I think there is no other food that quite hugs the soul and lifts the spirits like a simple bowl of homemade soup.

So to start, I of course had to reconstitute the mushrooms, which I did by adding them to a medium-sized bowl of boiling water. I allowed them to soak in the water about 20-30 minutes. While the mushrooms plumped up in their hot bath, I preheated the oven to 350 degrees and poured about a tablespoon of EVOO (that’s a Rachael Ray-ism for you who don’t know and it stands for Extra Virgin Olive Oil) into a med-hot skillet and browned a couple of garlic scapes, removed them from the pan, and set them aside. To the same skillet I added about a tablespoon combined of dried oregano, basil, and rosemary and let the herbs further flavor the oil a bit before adding in the beautiful cherry tomatoes.

Now, I wanted to burst the tomatoes in the hot oil before adding them to the soup. So, I did not chop the tomatoes but rather added them to the skillet whole. I think bursting the tomatoes and then adding them to the soup adds such a flare to the dish that simple chopped and tossed in tomatoes can not compete with. It adds an extra step but oh does it add a whole other world of flavor. So, I say go for it and burst those tomatoes!

While the tomatoes were happily bursting away, I prepped my brocollini by rinsing them of course and then trimming off and removing the leaves from the stems. On an aluminum lined baking sheet I placed the broccolini, drizzled them with EVOO, and a light sprinkle of kosher salt before giving them a quick toss and placing them in the oven to roast about 15 minutes.

Roasting vegetables is a favorite of mine and I prepare vegetables with this cooking method often. But, please feel free to skip the roasting step and simply chop and toss the broccolini into the soup probably about 10 minutes before serving depending on how much crunch you like to preserve. Once the broccolini was roasted to my liking, I removed them and allowed them to cool and then along with the garlic scapes did a rough chop and set them aside to later add to my soup.

By this time, the mushrooms had reconstituted. So, I removed them with a slotted spoon, strained the soaking water, and added the strained mushroom water to my stock pot and brought it up to a boil along with two cups of water and two veggie bouillon cubes. Once the broth was boiling, I lowered the heat to maintain a soft simmer and added to the broth the burst tomatoes, the chopped garlic scapes, and the mushrooms which I had sliced. I allowed the pot of all things fabulous to simmer softly for about twenty minutes. Then, I increased the heat and brought it all back to a boil before adding in a generous handful of the Homemade Vegetable Mix Noodles I keep on hand, that I picked up at my favorite farmer’s market back in Newark, DE on our last pass through the area. The noodles I then cooked about twelve minutes because Amy prefers her pasta on the over-done side and I aim to please. To bring the soup all together,  I stirred in a can of Cannellini beans I had rinsed well and allowed to drain in a colander and the chopped roasted broccolini. I then let the soup rest covered about ten minutes before serving.

To serve, I ladled the soup in a bowl and garnished with a bit of fresh basil the bugs saved for me from my little garden and a light dusting of freshly grated Pecorino Romano Cheese. And the soup was just fabulous with all its layers of flavors and fresh ingredients.

This beautiful soup, without fail, most definitely hugged my soul and my soul much-needed and appreciated its hug.

Suppressing My “Criatura”

“Having a lover/friend who regards you as a living growing criatura, being, just as much as the tree from the ground, or a ficus in the house, or a rose garden out in the side yard… having a lover and friends who look at you as a true living breathing entity, one that is human but made of very fine and moist and magical things as well… a lover and friends who support the criatura in you… these are the people you are looking for. They will be the friends of your soul for life. Mindful choosing of friends and lovers, not to mention teachers, is critical to remaining conscious, remaining intuitive, remaining in charge of the fiery light that sees and knows.”
— Clarissa Pinkola Estés (Women Who Run with the Wolves)

What’s Quinoa?

Well to quote the online new world encyclopedia website, quinoa is:

“native to the high altitude of the Andes, and characterized by small green clustered flowers and small fruits with a single seed.”

“Quinoa has been a popular food for people of the higher Andes since at least the time of Incas, who called it the “mother grain” or “mother of all grains,” and for whom it was treated as sacred.”

And…

“With its high-protein content, including all of the essential amino acids, quinoa has been hailed as a “supergrain of the future.” It also is higher in unsaturated fats than most grains and lower in carbohydrates, and provides a balanced source of many nutrients, including a rich source of iron and vitamin B1″

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Quinoa 

So, last night I cooked quinoa for the first time. I made my usual scroll through the interwebs to research different recipes and didn’t really fall in love with anything I found. So, I had just roasted a vidalia onion a couple of nights ago and liked the flavor a lot so roasted flavors is what I went with. 

I decided on Roasted Garlic and Sweet Onion Quinoa with Toasted Pecans. The toasted pecans because I used BBQ sauce on my kabobs and BBQ and pecans remind me of growing up in the south.

To start, I preheated the oven to 350 degress and then I wrapped an entire head of garlic in aluminum foil which I had drizzled with EVOO and sprinkled a pinch of kosher salt over. Then I did the same for the vidalia onion but to that also added about 1/4 teaspoon of fennel seed. I placed both foil packets in the oven to roast. OMFG can you even imagine how wonderful the house smelled? Roasting the veggies was the most difficult part of dinner I roasted the garlic about an hour and then set it aside to cool. You do not want to attempt to remove the cloves of garlic until it has completely cooled. The onion, after I’d taken out the garlic, I removed from the oven, opened the foil packet, sprinkled the onion with about 1/2 teaspoon of raw, organic sugar, and placed it on a baking sheet with the foil left open to caramelize it a bit. It maybe took another 15-20 minutes of roasting time before it was nice and golden. I then set the vidalia onion aside to cool as well.

Next, I toasted up about 2 tablespoons of pecans for about 3 minutes on a dry skillet over med-high heat. You have to watch the pecans closely and stir frequently because they will burn in a hurry. Once the pecans were nice and fragrant I set them aside as well and my quinoa prepping was basically complete.

For the kabobs, I sliced up two zucchinis, two Italian-style Smart Sausage links (Amy ♥ them big time) and used about six yellow cherry tomatoes that my friend Renee so generously gave me last Saturday. I then skewered the veggies and sausage (well tomato is technically a fruit) onto my metal skewers and placed them on a broil pan I’d prepped by lining the bottom with aluminum foil and spraying the rack with Smart Balance Non-Stick Cooking Spray (my fav). I also sprayed the kabobs with the non-stick spray before sprinkling them with kosher salt and fresh ground black peppercorns. Then I brushed on Stubbs Spicy BBQ Sauce (the only bottled BBQ sauce I like) and placed the kabobs in the fridge to let them marry.

 I waited for Amy to get home, and around 6:30 I started finishing dinner. So, the kabobs married about an hour and a half in the fridge. To pull dinner all together, I turned on the broiler and began cooking the quinoa per the packages directions, except I used broth instead of plain water and added my roasted garlic so that it would simmer along with the quinoa (to add that hidden layer of extra flavor I so love). I broiled the kabobs about 15 minutes, which is the same time it takes the quinoa to cook. Easy. Once the quinoa was ready I fluffed it up with a fork while stirring in the roasted onion and the pecans and salt and pepper to taste. To serve I plated it all up and we enjoyed dinner out on the back porch.  So I vote quinoa for dinner was a simple success, I tried something new, and even Amy liked it. )

Too Hungry for Photographs

An email to a dear foodie friend….

“Well, I made Chicken Pho which I think is actually called Pho Ga or something like that.

I bought a package of (all natural organic) chicken thighs and used two of those along with a veggie bundle of carrot, celery, garlic scape, and green scallion that I tied with kitchen twine to make the base for my stock. I also toasted pink and Szechuan peppercorns, coriander seeds, two cloves, & fennel and then crushed all those with my mortar and pestle. It maybe made about a heaping tablespoon all together. I added about half of the spice mix to my stock along with a black cardamom pod, lemongrass, and a small cinnamon stick (I discarded the cardamom and cinnamon stick maybe half way through). And then I just let all that simmer away while skimming, skimming, and skimming. SO basically just make a chicken stock as the base of your Pho. You can make it any way you want really.

Then I roasted half a vaidla onion and a med sized tab of ginger in the oven that I tossed in oil and salt and pepper. The roasted onion I later used as a garnish and the roasted ginger I diced up and then added to my stock.

The other two chicken thighs I scored and then marinated them with a yogurt marinade I pureed. The marinade was plain yogurt, toasted sesame oil, the rest of the spice blend, lemongrass, about two tablespoons of Stubbs Spicy BBQ sauce (I was attempting to mimic this chicken dish Ames order at this Vietnamese restaurant in Philly that was char grilled and had this ever so faint bbq flavor it was delish!) and bottled chili oil. I purred all until it was smooth and then poured it over the chicken and popped it in the fridge to marry. Yogurt is the BEST marinade for chicken…it’s my new favorite and you can add a plethora of flavor combos to it.

Once the stock had simmered long enough to engulf the house with its wonderful aroma, I turned the broiler on and broiled the other two chicken thighs I think about 20-25 minutes. I wanted parts of the chicken to blacken for a mock grill flavor. I then chopped up Savoy cabbage, green scallions, one lime into wedges, fresh mint and the roasted onion as garnishes. I also deboned the chicken thighs from the stock as well as the broiled ones.

Last, I dropped rice vermicelli into the broth and brought it up to a soft boil until the vermicelli was cooked through (I have to over cook my pasta b/c Ames doesn’t like al dente). I used tongs to pick up the vermicelli (which I find is the best way to handle vermicelli) and added it to the soup bowls and then ladled the broth over the noodles. I then garnished the noodles and broth with the cabbage, a lime wedge (which I also squeezed the juice of into the broth), green scallions, fresh mint, and then the chicken. Lastly, I drizzled the whole bit with hoisin sauce and toasted sesame oil. Ames was starving (as was I) so I missed taking my photos (

 It was very good and Amy has made me promise to cook it again.”

Coconut Juice

Sunday June 6, 2010 Food Journal entry:

“For dinner last night I prepared a Thai Style Chik’n Curry with Cilantro-Coconut Rice. It was yummy.

I started by prepping the veggies, which were one vidalia onion, one red bell pepper, three stalks of celery, one jalapeno chili, and two zucchinis. I then heated about two tabs of Smart Balance butter in the skillet and added the onions and a generous sprinkle of raw organic sugar. I turned the heat down about five minutes later added the chopped jalapeno, salt and pepper to taste, covered the skillet to let the onions caramelized. Amy wanted “well done” onions in the dish.

Next, because I think coconut milk is too heavy to cook with, I tried a different method of adding coconut flavor to the curry. Amy introduced me to coconut juice which I had no previous knowledge of. It is found in the “healthy foods” section of the regular grocery. So, what I did was mix one cup coconut juice with one cup of soy milk and to that half and half mixture I added a generous teaspoon of jarred red curry paste. I then whisked it all together and set it in the fridge to allow the flavors to marry about 30 minutes or so.

After that, I measured out one cup of basmati rice and rinsed it well under the tap in my mesh colander, which is perfect for draining vermicelli and washing rice and herbs. Then I toasted the rinsed basmati in a dry skillet until the water had completely evaporated and the rice was slightly golden and fragrant. I’ve been prepping basmati rice in this fashion for a while now and it has since continuously turned out perfectly fluffy and flavorful.

Once the onions had caramelized to my liking, I turned the heat up on the skillet and to the onions added the red bell pepper and celery. I sauteed them until they had just softened and the added the half and half of soy and coconut juice. I brought it all up to a soft simmer and then added to that about half a bag of Qourn Chik’n pieces. Once the skillet reached it’s second simmer I reduced the heat to continue simmering the curry.

Next, I brought in a medium sauce pot one and one third cup of water, one tab of Smart Balance butter, and salt and pepper to taste to a boil. I added the toasted basmati to the boiling water, covered the pot with it’s lid, and reduced the heat to low. The rice usually takes between 15 and 20 minutes to cook.

I then toasted in a small skillet about half a cup of coconut flakes and set them aside along with about a tablespoon of chopped fresh cilantro (from my little garden) to later stir into the cooked rice.

After the rice had cooked about 12 minutes I added then chopped zucchini to the curry and let the zucchini to simmer until just slightly cooked through in order to preserve it’s crunch. 

To a large mixing bowl I added the cooked basmati rice, the toasted coconut flakes, and the chopped cilantro and mixed it all together with a fork so I could fluff the rice as well.

I gave the curry a finale Ames taste test and per her advice added in about 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne powder to increase the heat level of the dish a bit. Then I platted the Coconut-Cilantro Rice and Chik’n Curry in our dinner bowls Amy picked out in Brattleboro, VT as a gift for me. I love these bowls because of the thoughtfulness of Amy to buy them for me as well as the fact that each of the bowls has a different pattern on the inside.

Dinner was a success and Amy did go on and on about how tasty it was. I told her it turned out so beautifully tasty because of the coconut juice she introduced me to.

Amy has done a lot of that since I meet her, introduce me to wonderful, beautiful ingredients and new and exotic flavors I most likely would have been ignorant of. And that thought alone is enough to keep me in love with her for a long time.”

Ingredients list:

1 cup of soy milk

1 cup of coconut juice

1 tsp of red curry paste

1 chopped vidalia onion

1 chopped jalapeno chili

3 chopped celery stalks

2 chopped zucchinis

1 chopped red bell pepper

~1 cup Quorn Chik’n pieces

~1/4 tsp of cayenne powder

1 cup basmati rice, washed and toasted

1 3/4 cup water

3 tabs of butter, divided

1/2 cup toasted coconut flakes

1 T chopped fresh cilantro

kosher or sea salt and pepper to taste

My Amy’s Favorite Steak

 All Natural Ribeye in Rosemary Au Jus with a Stir-Fry of Fresh Greens and Smoked Gouda Roasted Baby Yukon Potatoes

My Amy’s favorite meal is steak in Rosemary Au Jus, and I usually prepare it once a month. The side dishes vary, the cut of steak may vary but usually doesn’t, and the Rosemary is ALWAYS a must. Doesn’t that look tasty? It was tasty and after much practice it always is tasty! The preparation is simple.

 Ribeye in Rosemary Au Jus

 2 All Natural (local) Ribeye steaks

1 teaspoon Celtic Gray Salt, roughly measured

1 teaspoon of fresh cracked black pepper

1 teaspoon Canola Oil

1 oven safe skillet

1 cup good red wine

2 teaspoons fresh chopped Rosemary

1 teaspoon Smart Balance Butter

On high heat, preheat a large oven safe skillet until it is extremely hot. The high heat of the pan will determine the sear of the steaks and you want a good sear. Also, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. After the steaks have reached room temperature (this allows for more even cooking), coat them evenly on both sides with the oil. Add more oil if needed for an even coat. Then sprinkle lightly on both sides of the steaks the Celtic Gray Salt and pepper. Gently massage the seasonings into the steaks. Wash hands. Once your skillet has reached a high temp (place your hand just above the bottom of the skillet (do not touch the skillet directly!) and if the air between your hand and the skillet feels hot it’s probably hot enough) place your steaks on the skillet and sear them about 2 minutes per side. Once the steaks are seared, transfer the skillet from the burner to the oven. Continue to cook the steaks in the oven about 5-10 minutes depending on how you prefer your steaks. I usually cook them between 5-8 minutes for medium depending on how thick cut the ribeyes are. Remove the steaks from the oven and transfer them onto a platter. Cover the steaks with a lint free cloth and allow the steaks to rest for at least 5 minutes preferably longer. If you cut into the steaks immediately out of the oven you will loose all their juices! While the steaks rest, heat the same skillet you cooked the steaks in over med heat (it should still be plenty hot from the oven!) and add the one cup of wine to deglaze the pan (you want all those little steak bits). To the wine add the chopped fresh Rosemary and butter. Simmer until Rosemary is fragrant and the wine is slightly reduced 5-10 minutes. Drizzle the Rosemary Au Jus over the steaks and serve immediately.

 Various Sides:

1. Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries & Brussels Sprout Kebobs 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Spinach Tomato Ragout and Roasted Garlic Smashed Red Potatoes

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Scalloped Tri-Colored Potatoes (Yukon, Blue, & Red Potatoes) and Spinach Sauteed in Galic

Snow & Lightening

The snow fell softly but gingerly most of the day and I loved it. Then, this evening after shoveling of course, the snow starts back up again. Following it is a heavy fog and following the fog thunder and lightning. So, what might one whip up on an evening such as this? Chili? Chowder? Pot roast? Lasagna? Nope. Pizza. That’s right, Margarita pizza with a homemade whole wheat crust rolled in cornmeal, fresh basil, roasted garlic & rosemary, Trader Joe’s mostly fat-free pizza sauce, and 2% shredded Mozzarella cheese. Fantabulous! Perhaps perparing pizza on a night such as this is odd. Perhaps it’s very odd indeed…but the way I see it, so is lightning in a snow storm.