It's All Greek To Me

Can I say, "Yum, yum, yum?"  Our Friday night dinner last night was outstanding.  It all began the week before as my Friday night cooking mate was looking through my newest Food Network magazine and she kept exclaiming, "oh, wow, yum, ummmm!"  It left us with so many options, it might be hard to decide what to prepare for this week.  Alas, when push came to shove we chose the lamb dish.  What wonderful timing as I watched one of my all time favorites, Ina as in the Barefoot Contessa, to see that she was cooking up a Greek feast.  I adapted the Tzatziki and her Greek salad to compliment our roasted tomatoes and fennel and lamb on a bed of white beans.  Timing once again came about when my husband delivered a bag full of freshly picked hothouse cucumbers from a client who grows them here in the valley.  There was no question that Greek it would have to be.

We gathered the ingredients that I had in my cupboards and then formulated our grocery list for the remaining items we needed and hit the store.  Our shopping was an interesting exercise when we could only find packages of five lamb chops and we only needed four.  Then we wanted to purchase six tomatoes, but all the boxes only had five in them.  Little did we know that we would have a surprise guest joining us for dinner and we would not have to fight over the fifth lamb chop!  Amazing how the Lord knew all this before we did and HE mulitiplied our portions to have plenty with leftovers!

GREEK MENU

FRIDAY NIGHT

DINNER

Champagne Cheese

Tzatziki with Pita Crackers

Greek Salad with Homemade Vinaigrette

Roasted Tomato and Fennel Veggies

Lamb Chops on a bed of White Beans

Sweet Blood Orange Garnish
Tiramisu

Dessert was not typical for a Greek meal but it was necessary for me to try this recipe and see how I will "tweeck" it for an event I will be doing in a couple months.  Tiramisu was served in large red wine goblets and it was as tasty as it was pleasing to the eye.  I will, however, make a few slight adjustments to the recipe.

Let's get started with the prep.  First and foremost, you will be happiest and the flavors will be the best if you can use the freshest ingredients.  Instead of using canned beans my culinery sidekick had soaked the dry white beans the night before, drained off that water and cooked them with salt and a couple bay leaves the following morning.  No matter what the directions state, it takes many, many hours to cook the beans so they are tender enough to put on a plate.  The lamb chops were setting at room temperature during our prep of the other ingredients.  Meat takes a better sear if it is at room temperature rather than right from the refrigerator.  Also, a very hot skillet also gives the chops beautiful color and flavor and truly sears and seals in the juices and flavors as opposed to steaming it.  You should also pat your meat with a paper towel to remove any excess water to attain the nice brown crust you want.

Time to begin the appetizer so the flavors will have a little time to marry themselves together and since it is the first course, it was the appropriate dish to prep.  Wash, dry, cut in half lengthwise and remove the seeds from the hothouse cucumbers by using a spoon and scrapping down the middle of the cucumber. Using a fine grater grate the cucumber over a bowl and allow the juice to enter the bowl as well.  Main ingredients are Greek yogurt, sour cream, freshly squeezed lemon juice, white wine vinegar, fresh dill, garlic, and salt and pepper.  Add all these  ingredients and mix well.  This can be served with pita chips, crackers or toasted pita bread.  Refreshment will fill your palate as you savor this dip which is also figure friendly. 

Prep the tomatoes and fennel for roasting and finish the beans with some fresh toasted garlic, fresh oregano and parmesan cheese.

Cut up the veggies, herbs and feta cheese for the Greek salad and then mix up the dressing being sure to emulsify the liquid ingredients.  Pour over salad and smell the freshness and taste the crispness in the fresh veggies.  Always sample your dishes before serving them to be certain you didn't mistake the sugar for salt or mix up the proportion of oil and vinegar! 

Prep the chops as stated above, dust with kosher salt and cracked pepper and anticipate the sizzle as you place them in the pan.

Our resident wine steward chose a lovely Syrah to compliment the menu which was dy-no-mite!

Dessert was quite a hit as well.  I'll post it step by step once I revamp it a little. 

For a mouth watering Greek Mediterranian meal, look no further! 

Cold Winter Nights

Well, fans, (like I have millions), I'm back to blogging meals.  At least I will try to post a few as often as possible.  I have been taking pictures of most of my creations as I cook; however, I just haven't found the time to sit and compose anything interesting to read.  So, here goes!

With the nice cold winter nights (and some foggy ones) we are beginning or continuing to experience, the heartbeat of warm comfy soups, stews and chilis which just can't be beat.  I have a favorite chili recipe that I love so much, I always make up enough so I can freeze it and pull it out whenever I want it.  You can imagine the disappointment I felt when I had my mouth watering for it and realized we had eaten it all up a while ago.  It is so good that I love taking it to work for lunch and warming it up in the microwave and make everyone around me jealous with the wafting aroma.  What is especially nice about this recipe is that you can doctor it up depending on your taste buds at the moment just by changing up a few items.  Use hot Italian sausage for a little more zip; use mild sausage, flavored or not for variety.  Go a little heavier on the spices or pull back if you have a mild palate.  Either way, the final result will be pleasing to anyone.

When I started to prepare this dish, I was so anxious to just get it going that I omitted taking pictures.  What I will post will be the final result.  If you think you just can't live without the recipe, I'll be happy to send it to you.  You start out with ground turkey, (you can use beef if you like, I just always use turkey because I prefer it); you add sausage (without the casing), your aromatics, spices, tomatoes, wine and beans.  With the beans, you can also change that up to your liking.  I prefer to mix black beans and kidney beans.  You can throw in any combination you like.  Just know that the bouquet will have the salivary glands of anyone within 500 feet jumping.  Here's the end product and don't forget, you have to put some up (I always use glass jars) for later or lunch!

Of course, you can always finish it off with some cheese of your choice.  I just happen to have a lovely slice of gouda which I dropped in the bowl and my favorite "dollop" is Greek yogurt.

You might also be very surprised that this is an extremely healthy dish and who isn't watching

out for their health and their waistline?

ENJOY!

Non-Cooking Recipe

It has been a while since I have had time to post anything.  I've certainly been cooking up a storm, though.  I'm really getting excited about fall cooking; soups, stews, chili and one-pot meals.  There are so many instructionals and tips that I want to share.

But.........my latest "special" recipe has been cooking for nine months! 

Our very own little Ellie Grace ia a sweet little bundle of JOY!

She joined our family on October 13, 2009 at 4:03p.m.

We are truly blessed to have a wonderful two-year old grandson and now a beautiful little granddaughter.

Be watching for some upcoming posts as I can get to the computer!

Plan Ahead

Yes, planning can make cooking and everyday life so much easier.  Make it a fun time, a relaxing time when you can just set aside a little bit of time and think through some menus that utilize some of the same ingredients and you can be on your road to easy meal preparation.  Some days (or nights) you may need to prepare a little more but then you will have it ready for the next night or so as a totally new interesting dish instead of just "leftovers".

You remember the fish tacos I prepared about a week ago, well, since I am only cooking for the two of us, I  had enough leftovers to take that dish to work for lunch later in the week.  One of the leftover ingredients from the fish tacos was the tortilla.  I don't like to overeat, but I hate worse to waste food, so I try to think of ways to use ingredients that will spoil in a different preparation.  Last night I decided I would do several things.  First, I would use the tortillas and make homemade tortilla chips to go with my tortilla soup and I would also cook extra chicken and have it ready for another dish which is Asian inspired with cellophane noodles.

Out came one of my favorite kitchen utensils, my big Le Creuset pot, next my most valuable utensil, my Wüsthof knives.  I'll save this for another post, but having the greatest kitchen tools can make your time in the kitchen easier and much more fun.  Let's start cooking...first I heated my pot with some olive oil and then cut up the chicken into bite size pieces.  I then browned the chicken with a little salt and pepper in the hot oil.  It is important that the pot be hot and the chicken dry.  If your protein is wet it will steam instead of brown. You want to hear it sizzle when you put it in the pot.

Once the chicken is browned, remove it from the pot and set it aside.  It will be used for this dish as well as my other dish later.

Next, prep your veggies that you will sautè.

Now you start adding your liquid ingredients and spices.After the liquid ingredients and spices have been added, stir it up a bit and let it simmer, simmering always starts to bring the flavors together.  I chose to use one of my fun birthday gifts and at this point I placed my new immersion blender in the pot and began blending the ingredients so there was still some texture but no big pieces of any particular ingredient.  This is why I removed the chicken and didn't add the corn and parsley until later.

Next, I added lime juice, and chopped parsley, stirred and then corn and the cooked chicken.

You now have this lovely blend of fresh veggies, herbs and lean chicken. Simmer for a little bit while you finish toasting the tortilla chips, cut up some avocado and I like to use Greek plain yogurt...love the tart and thick creaminess that it brings to the dish.

Lightly salted with kosher salt homemade chips with

leftover tortillas.

YUM! ENJOY!

PRETTY AS A PICTURE.

Such a wonderful meal, high in nutrients and low in fat and calories.

Remember we have to make the next dish with the leftover chicken which I store in glass jars and freeze until ready to use.  I also had two quarts of the tortilla soup that I also froze for a quick meal some night.

Bon Appétit!

Some like it hot and some do not

What shall I make for dinner tonight....I talk to myself from time to time asking questions about what food sounds good to me at the moment.  Shrimp, that's what it will be, a shrimp dish.  So, the hunt began to find something different to do with shrimp besides, grilling, broiling or serving it over pasta.  My search concluded with a lovely Thai flavored dish of shrimp over basmati rice.  As usual, I could not stick with the recipe as written so I put a little twist on it.  Right from the start I knew I had to change it up a bit as it began with heating peanut oil and serving it with peanuts.  Having a fierce allergic reaction to peanuts and peanut oil, I stay as far from them as possible.  This brings up a very important point that I hope you can adopt as it will make for more interesting meals and less frustration.  The more you cook and the more you study about foods and sometimes just your personal taste, you will realize that you don't have to make a recipe word for word.  Half the fun of cooking something is changing it up, making it your own and having it taste divine.  So, don't get discouraged if you see a recipe that looks wonderful, but there are ingredients in it that you don't like or don't think you like...change it up!  You can always make substitutions.  If you ever wonder if one ingredient would work for another or you could use a different herb or spice, send me a note and I'll tell you what I know about it.  Maybe that will help you decide you can make something extra special and have it be your OWN creation.

Once again, another Food Network chef was my hero on this dish.  This originated from Tyler Florence in his book Tyler's Ultimate.  I did make several revisions which I will share in my next post.  Today, I will show you some of the first ingredients that go into this dish and then the final product and see if you know what all the ingredients on the cutting board are. 

What do you think these four items are?

...and the finished dish...

I'll be back later with the answers to the four ingredients and the step by step of this dish...remember some like it hot and some do not!

Bon Appétit!

Fish Tacos

Yup, last night it was fish tacos.  This recipe is on the Food Network site.  Now, I had to go to World Market to find some of the spices but I was successful and they are much more reasonably priced than the grocery store, if you can find them. You will find out, (if you don't already know) that I am a Food Network fanatic.  That is about all I watch on TV...what else is there?!? 

This meal was inspired by going to http://www.foodnetwork.com/.  I'm always checking out recipes that I've seen on various programs.  If you remember at the end of last season's "The Next Food Network Star", Melissa and Jeffrey were the finalists.  I will tell you that I personally voted for Melissa and have enjoyed preparing some of her dishes and enjoy listening to her helpful hints.  However, Jeffrey also had a great point of view on food and cooks up some fabulous food.  Well, apparently the Food Network felt that he had merit and they have given him some little video spots on their web site.  Of course, I had to watch them and I have planned to make every single dish he showed.  You can watch these by going to their web page and then searching Jeffrey Saad and clicking on his videos and you can also get the recipe.

My interpretation of his fish taco recipe differs just slightly.  I seldom do a recipe exactly how it is written.  I'll explain what I did differently and show you some step by step pictures of the dish.

I did use tillapia as the recipe suggested.  It is such a nice mild white fish and goes well with the spicy mole sauce.  I did NOT use the whole 1/2 cup of chili paste.  I only used 1/3 cup.  If you like it hot, go for the whole amount.  After the fish is cooked and set aside then you make the mole sauce.

I used cabbage instead of lettuce since I like cabbage with fish tacos better.

Nice flakey, crisp fish.  You actually put the tortillas on the open flame on your gas stove (if you have gas!)  It is very cool.

They were very yummy and quite satisfying.  Crispy fish, crunchy cabbage and a little kick from the mole sauce.  Remember if you have trouble finding the recipe, let me know and I'll send you the page.

Time to pull tonight's meal together......Bon Appétit!

Ready or not...

here I come...this has been a while in the making...years and years actually!

Creating has always been a part of who I am, designing wardrobes, decorating with complimentary and split complimentary colors has been a love of mine from the time I was a little girl playing dress designer.  So, it seems only natural now that I have more time and a distinguised palate that preparing and displaying eye appealing dishes would become my niche.  Oh, need I also mention that my camera has become an added appendage!

Let's go back about a little over 25 years since this is where the passion began taking shape and little did any of us know that we were beginning a life-long tradition of sharing, preparing and eating together every Friday night. 

With time and resources in short demand in those days, my husband and I would gather whatever we could find in our refrigerator and pair it together with the remains in our friend's refrigerator and we would come up with a meal that was quite creative.  We would even splurge during the holidays and I can remember the fragrance of chocolate as we (all four) made homemade truffles.  I can smell and taste them as I write this.

Food challenges also crept into our meals as we had to deal with various dietary needs of more than one person.  The challenge was a welcomed addition to our food prep.  We now were trying recipes and "changing them up" so they would be tasty as well as healthy.  

As the years quickly rolled by, our son was now in college at Cal Poly.  This brought another dimension to our cooking.  We began to explore the world of wines from the planting, growing, harvesting, crushing and bottling to the pairing to food and the use in many dishes. 

As our families grew we then had the opportunity to meld our food styles so everyone would enjoy a meal.  Since becoming more comfortable and proficient in the kitchen I enjoy entertaining with dishes that are first eye catching and then mouth watering.  I especially love the chance to prepare a menu for someone who has specific tastes or needs and see the smile on their face when they are savouring the flavors.

My newest addition to my food prep has been planting an herb garden.  This was an inspriation I received from my daughter-in-law who had several herb boxes outside her apartment when they were first married.  It wasn't very long after seeing those that my husband and I began our own herb garden.  This has been one of the most rewarding pleasures to be able to walk outside and snip fresh just what you need for a dish!

Phones calls from my daughter regarding menus, dishes, or simply, "Can I do this", or "How much of that" continue to inspire me to keep trying new foods, spices and finding new recipes. 

This blog has become a reality thanks to many of my close friends and family as well as many, many long-time friends who have been encouraging me to start a cooking blog.  Thank you to all of you who believe in me and trust me for cooking advice.  I would invite culinery questions and if I don't know the answer, I will certainly try to find a suitable one that will help you enjoy cooking and eating as much as I do.

Bon Appétit!