Wednesday, November 30, 2011

COCKTAIL HOUR


Blackberry thyme margarita รก la Four Seasons. When I tasted this margarita at the Four Season bar I knew I would have to try to create it for myself. I did have a word with the barman but didn't really get a full recipe. So I made a sugar syrup with thyme leaves, muddled some blackberries in the glass, added 6T of silver tequila, 1 T cointreau and the juice of a lime. Add ice and stir for a few seconds then pour over ice. Makes 2 and it's yummy.

Friday, October 21, 2011

LUNCH


Insalata Caprese. Cubes of mozzarella, halved cherry tomatoes, sliced fresh basil over spinach salad. Dressed with my favorite pomegranate balsamic vinegar from Leonardo e Roberto. Thinly sliced brown bread.

Monday, October 10, 2011

A NEW TWIST ON PANCAKES


What to do with left over roasted vegetables. Here's an idea that we both really enjoyed for dinner last night.
I made corn cakes and served the warmed up vegetables over the top. Half a sliced avocado and a dollop of a fat free yoghourt mixed with some whole grain and Dijon mustard and a dash of honey.
I sliced the corn off on ear and sauteed with chopped onions. Made a pancake batter with 4oz flour, 1½tsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt 2 egg yolks and 4½oz fat free milk. Beat up 2 egg whites then folded them in to the batter with corn mixture and 3 T of chopped cilantro.
It recipe was a hit.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

A MEAL WITH A MUSHROOM

The great thing about portabella mushrooms is that they are just the right size for stuffing.

You can fill them with just about anything you have handy. First I peeled the mushrooms and placed them on some foil with a little olive oil and wine and seasoning. Sealed the package and put them in the oven until they were cooked through. I sauteed some Italian sausage. You don't need very much but I find the mild Italian adds lots of flavor to the dish. Then separately I sauteed some spinach and garlic and combined the two, seasoned with s and p and piled on the mushroom. Lastly I topped with some aged cheddar. Back in the oven until the cheese had melted and served with left over polenta and rolls.

Friday, August 26, 2011

BRUNCH

Yes, I've continued to put meals on the table since I last posted, except for the times we were away in England.

Since our return from our big US tour in the trailer on Saturday I have virtually skipped breakfast so that I could work outside while it was still relatively cool. Today I decided to serve up brunch at 11:30am. Here it is. I sauteed some onions garlic red peppers and roma tomatoes until soft. Seasoned with oregano s&p and put in an earthenware dish. Made a nest in the center and cracked in an egg. Baled until set. Served with crusty French bread.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

GETTING BACK IN THE SWING

Back to cooking dinner, after being away for 5 weeks!

My trip to the grocery store yesterday was to find fresh Texas Gulf coast shrimp. They looked so plump and juicy I felt sure I could come up with a recipe. Here is a really quick and easy recipe I adapted from the Food Network. It is sure to be on the table again the next time I see fresh gulf shrimp for sale.

Ingredients
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon rice wine or wine
• 2 Tablespoons of chopped fresh ginger
• 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 sticks of celery, thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
• 3/4 cup roasted salted cashews or peanuts.
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 pound peeled and cleaned large shrimp
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced white and green, separated
Directions
Mix the soy sauce, sesame oil and wine, in a medium bowl, set aside. Combine the ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat until very hot, about 2 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil, the celery and cashews. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt, and stir-fry until the celery turns jade green, about 3 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a plate.

Return the skillet to high heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, the shrimp and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and stir-fry until shrimp turn pink and curl up, about 2 minutes. Add the ginger-garlic mixture and the onion whites, and stir-fry about 1 minute. Return the celery and cashews/peanuts to the pan with remaining green onions and the reserved soy sauce mixture and stir over the heat for about 1 minute to mix together evenly and blend flavors. Serve with rice. 2 generous portions.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

A SPRINKLE OF PARMESAN

We are back to eating asparagus again. Boy, this is a long season, but we both love it. Tonight we had chicken marinated in cilantro, lemon juice, ginger and olive oil. Cauliflower is good but roasted cauliflower is the best. Sprinkled with lemon juice, garlic and olive oil and salt and roasted at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Just a sprinkle of of parmesan over everything.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

FISH AGAIN!

Please note that this is almost a month later and yes it happens to be fish again!

David just returned from a week kayaking and fly fishing down in the gulf and I can report it was a success.

So it's a variation on a common theme.
The asparagus was replaced by green beans and the rice by orzo, with a variety of herbs from the garden, but the fish is the same. Our wonderful Texas redfish. Unlike the 24lb carp that we saw someone land on Lady Bird lake yesterday this is one fish that is not a catch and releaser!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

ASPARAGUS TIME

We certainly seem to eat a lot of asparagus at this time of the year. Last night, I pulled some of David's redfish out of the freezer for a quick an easy meal. I had some rice left over from the previous night and livened it up with sauteed garlic, green onions, tomatoes and a mix of parsley, cilantro, oregano and chives. SImple but very good.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

LAMB HOT POT

When I roast a leg of lamb I know we are going to enjoy it for more than one meal. In fact, this time it was three. Spread out over a week of course. Tonight it is lamb hot pot. I fried up some onions celery and carrots. Added the diced potatoes along with the left over gravy. and enough water to cover. Simmered for a couple of minutes and then added the chopped meat. Serve with pickled beets and green beans.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

THIS RECIPE IS A WINNER

When scallops are in season we can't get enough of them. It was just timely to find this delicious salad recipe in Bon Appetit this month. The dressing is made with orange juice, balsamic vinegar(it said white but I used the dark) olive oil, chopped ginger and cilantro. Baby spinach leaves, segmented oranges and some blanched asparagus (my addition) pour over the dressing and top with scallops which have been dusted with flour and sauteed in a small amount of butter. It suggested pressing coriander seeds into the scallops but I didn't have any so I dusted them with ground coriander. This recipe is destined to become a favorite.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

STEAK WITH ROASTED VEGS

It may look as though we have steak often, but in fact it is only on rare occasions. In between times I keep forgetting to take a photo of the dinner and some of these are out of sequence. Anyway, I served this with roasted vegs. Cauliflower, red onions, tomatoes,sweet potato and mushrooms. Roasted with olive oil and garlic.

Friday, February 25, 2011

REDFISH

Nothing like dressing up the cauliflower with a cheese sauce. Complements the redfish and garlic spinach perfectly.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

STEAK

Once in a while we have to have steak and usually it is filet. Grilled on the barbecue with broccoli and fingerling potatoes.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

A SIMPLE SUPPER

One thing about having a fisherman in the family is having your own supply of fish. Tonight ti was redfish, sauteed in a little butter and served with spinach and asparagus. A slice of Meyer lemon on the side and some crusty French bread to accompany.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

SOCKEYE SALMON

I have given up buying farm raised salmon in favor of wild caught. I like to do salmon in the microwave with olive oil, garlic, ginger, green onions and a squeeze of lemon. A few left over potatoes heated sauteed with cherry tomatoes and garlic, asparagus and the last of my napa cabbage.

Friday, February 11, 2011

PORK CURRY

This is one of my favorite dinners. Indian pork curry. Don't know where the recipe came from, possibly Sunset magazine. I cut it out and put it in my book of favorites. The spices used include fenugreek seeds, ground cumin, coriander, turmeric and cayenne pepper. Saute a chopped onion and quartered cremini mushrooms in canola oil. Add the spices followed by skinless, boneless chicken thighs. Saute until no longer pink on outside. add one tin of chopped tomatoes and simmer covered until chicken is tender. Add a T of lemon juice and a handful of chopped cilantro. Serve over rice. Delish.

Monday, February 7, 2011

PASTA NIGHT

Vegetarian pasta with my favorite gemelli pasta. Not the easiest pasta to find. This is a dish in which anything that is in the fridge is added. Tonight it was orange peppers, baby spinach sauteed with garlic. Then some roasted roma tomatoes and two 'ice cubes' of pesto from the freezer. finished off with some dry cured olives (delish) sliced spring onions and parmesan. Nice thing is, there are some leftovers.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

AND YET MORE HAM

I promise tonight will be the last ham night.

Nothing better than cauliflower with a cheese sauce. We devoured a whole cauliflower between us.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

HAM LOAF SUPERB

Last week I bought a ham, thinking of ham and pea soup. What's to be done with all the ham? I rooted out a recipe I hadn't done in years. Ham loaf supreme. It was a hand written recipe so I have no idea where it originated. I made it for dinner last night.

I served it with fingerling potatoes dusted with parsley and asparagus. A spoonful of my green tomato chutney on the side. Here is the recipe.
1lb of ground ham
1lb of ground pork
2 eggs, beaten
1c quick cooking oats
3/4 c tomato or V8
1 small onion, chopped
1tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
sliced cheese
Mix all ingredients together and form into a loaf on ungreased baking pan. Bake at 35 degrees for 1-1 1/4 hrs. Make slits 1/3 way through top and insert triangles of cheese. Put back in oven until melted.
A great inner for a cold night.

Friday, February 4, 2011

TEXAS REDFISH

Texas redfish with a ragout of cannellini beans, wilted swiss chard, tomatoes, and garlic. The redfish was caught by my husband and the swiss chard and garlic from the garden. A slice of my own Meyer lemon.