summer must eats, vol. 2.

Can you say "slacker?" HA. I've been crazy busy, with lots of great stuff on the horizon and a great trip to New York under my belt, writing has fallen to the wayside. Well, at least writing I don't get paid for... Anyway, I will have to do a New York round up and get some photos posted, but the SLR stayed mostly packed away, so I don't have much to show.

Summer is winding down here in the Pacific Northwest. It's gray and cloudy today, and it's sucking my motivation to go for a run. So, to postpone any physical activity, I thought I'd post a summer must eat, only it's really a must drink. SANGRIA! I had a birthday party for the old man a few weeks ago, tapas style. I made a bunch of small finger foods and salads, and we washed them all down with a giant, soccer-camp style cooler of sangria. Let me tell you: This sangria is sneaky. I mean, the name says it all. Be sure to warn your guests to take it slow!

Two things I did that worked out great: 1) I froze about a two-cup block of good ginger ale to toss in as the guests arrived. This cooled the sangria and, we'll say, thinned it out. 2) I added a quart-size bag of frozen strawberries we had purchased at the farmer's market a few weeks ago. They were really delicious, and were sweet enough that I added no sugar to this recipe. Honestly, I probably wouldn't add sugar anyway, so unless you have a huge sweet tooth, it's not necessary.

The key to me is to get a wine that is full-bodied but not jammy or too fruit-forward. Obviously, Spanish tempranillo works great. I found a very decent sangria-quality wine at my local store for $6.99 a bottle. Just ask in any decent wine store, and someone should be able to guide you. Also, I use Don's Mix (linked below). There are recipes online to make your own, but I bought mine at a local quality liquor store.


Sneaky Summer Sangria
(approximately 30-40 servings - depending on your guests - you know what I mean)

3-4 bottles of tempranillo or other red wine
3/4 c. Applejack apple brandy
1/2 c. Don's Mix
Juice of 1 large or 2 small lemons
Juice of 1 orange
1 orange, sliced
1 lemon, sliced
2 limes, sliced
Other fruit if you choose

In your appropriately sized mixing vessel, muddle the Applejack and fruit slices. Pour in the wine, juices, and Don's Mix and stir. Let flavors combine for several hours. Add 3-4 cups of ginger ale or club soda right before serving (or in individual cups). Garnish with citrus wheels. Party!!

under pressure! and an awesome recipe.

We are going to NEW YORK in a few weeks, and I am feeling some pressure to pick JUST THE RIGHT PLACES for us to eat. For, like, 24 hours. I get pretty stressed out about these things, especially when there are a lot of options, because I live for fun, quality culinary experiences. I really, really do not fancy myself a foodie, nor do I think I have any kind of talent. But, I enjoy the heck out of it and it seems like food experiences are always so memorable and special to me. Whether traveling, entertaining, or just hanging with my man, I want everything to be Wonderful. And really, I know... first-world problems. Honestly, I enjoy this kind of "stress," except for the effect it has on my waistline. Tight pants are the pits.

Sigh, anyway, I've been slacking on writing and even taking pictures of my dinners because D is on vacation and we've been having too much fun. However, I did make an awesome recipe the other night that was a huge hit with both my brother, who came over for dinner, and D. No leftovers! Everything was devoured. I'm calling it Turkey Gyros, for lack of a better name.

I was craving gyros the other day, but they always make my stomach so upset, and I wanted a healthier alternative to the greasy, rotating meat you get in little storefronts. I was also craving falafel, but I wanted to avoid any kind of greasy frying. This came to mind, and it was spectacular. The gyro-esque flavors were spot-on, and fresh summer produce made it even better. Plus, no stove cooking! Everything went on the grill.

I can't wait to make it again! I used Greektown Billygoat seasoning from the Spice House, which is a family favorite for everything from kebabs to burgers to dips, but any spice blend should do.

Turkey Gyros (serves 4-6, depending on appetites)

1.25 pounds of ground turkey (I prefer the white and dark meat)
2 T. plain breadcrumbs
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon good Greek seasoning
Ground pepper
6 pitas, flatbreads, tortillas, pocket bread, etc.

Toppings:
Tomatoes, sliced
Cucumbers, sliced
Onions, sliced
Fresh parsley, chopped
Tzatziki sauce (here is a great recipe - I prefer to use Greek yogurt)
Feta or goat cheese (optional)
Hot sauce (optional)

Mix the turkey through the pepper and form into two-inch patties. Make an indention in the middle with your thumb to keep the shape. Grill or pan-fry patties until cooked, remove from heat and cover with foil. Grill pita/bread as needed. Have diners fill pita with the patties and toppings. Eat hot!

EDIT: I should note that if your spice blend doesn't contain salt, you may want to add some to the burger mix. I'm trying to cut back on the salt, so I didn't add any extra, but that spice blend does contain it.

dinner, 7/22/11.

I've said before that I "like" "Food & Wine" magazine on Facebook, and I get some of the best menu ideas from them. They just do it right. Great tone, great posts and recipes, great photos. I love it all.

Friday night, at the suggestion of F&W, I made David Burke's Grilled Skirt Steak with Peaches, only I used flank steak. The butcher we frequent usually only has frozen skirt steak, and I didn't want to deal with it, so I got the flank. I really enjoy cooking flank steak. It marinates quickly and is easy to cook, and as long as you cut it right, it's delicious.

The peaches were an awesome touch and even the husband commented how much he liked them. I was pleased, especially considering that grilled fruit is not really his jam. This recipe paired wonderfully with the Arbor Brook Pinot Noir we enjoyed before/with/after dinner. 

Also on the plate was some grilled corn and a spinach salad. I've discovered an interesting method for making an almost-wilted spinach salad without the hot bacon dressing. I toast some sliced almonds in a pan and in the meanwhile toss the spinach with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and some soft goat cheese. Then, when the almonds are hot, I throw them in the bowl and mix everything together. It almost melts the cheese and softens the spinach, and it is soooooooo tasty. Don't forget salt and pepper!

Last night, we used the leftover steak for some tacos. That marinade pulls some serious double duty. Two perfect summer dinners!

dinner, 7/21/11.

Dinner was great last night! I made an awesome grilled veggie quinoa salad and just grilled some simply marinated chicken breasts. The night before, I had grilled a ton of red pepper and zucchini, so I just diced up the leftovers and tossed them into this salad. Elegant, easy, tasty, and any veggies you like would work! I'm just going to grill extra vegetables all the time now to have around for this recipe.

Grilled Veggie Quinoa
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups leftover grilled veggies, diced (zucchini, eggplant, pepper, onion, anything really!)
3 green onions, chopped
Handful parsley, chopped (or any herbs would work)
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

Dressing
1 T. white balsamic vinegar
1/2 T. lemon juice (more to taste, I like mine pretty acidic)
1 T. olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Cook quinoa and cool thoroughly. I find it's best to cool it in a bowl rather than the pan or it can get mushy. Add remaining ingredients and toss until well combined. Chill thoroughly and serve. Can be made the night before and leave the dressing off to avoid sogginess. Yum!

summer must eats, vol. 1.

Summer is finally here, which I have to say is one of the most magical things to happen to all of Oregon. The thermometer may read only 80 degrees, but the sun is HOT, and there is no such thing as air conditioning. The second floor of my house is definitely toasty, and it kills my appetite doing all of the housewife junk that I accomplish each day. Hahaha, kidding. I barely know how to vacuum.

Anyway, one of my very favorite things to eat when it is HOT is cucumber anything. Salad, soup, in gazpacho (this is coming later when the tomatoes are decent), with hummus, and pretty much any way you can imagine. It's like chewing water. But my most favorite way to eat cucumbers is an old family favorite I'll share: sour cream cucumbers.

Basically, you peel two cucumbers if they are the thick-skinned garden variety. English cucumbers you can leave the skin on if you want. Then you slice them thinly. Wash and chop three green onions. In a big bowl, whisk a cup of sour cream or even plain Greek yogurt would be great, two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, and a tablespoon of sugar. Toss the cucumbers and onions in the dressing and I like to refrigerate for at least an hour. I also prefer to salt and pepper upon serving because the salt leaches liquid from the cucumbers as they sit, and the dressing becomes too watery.

I could eat a whole bowl of this. Actually, I DID eat a whole bowl of this for dinner last night. And there's no picture because, hey, peeled cucumbers in sour cream has to be the least exciting picture ever. So go, now, to the farmers market and store, and make it!

mid-week brunch? why not!

I woke up with a lot on my mind this morning. Last night, a friend of mine told me that I "sounded like a f--ing lame 40-year-old who's given up." I *think* there was some good intent in there... it was meant to shake me up or inspire me somehow, but obviously that's a zinger. It stung, and it made me think that I'm somehow not painting a picture of how I feel about my life. It put me on the defensive (how could it not?), and once you're on the defensive on anything, it's all downhill from there.

This job-hunting business has been tough. I feel a little foolish for thinking it would be easier (not easy, but not this hard), and sometimes I get discouraged. My confidence gets rattled and I feel down. But, I work very hard to maintain a normal schedule, I have a wonderful support system, I've had some amazing opportunities that NEVER would have come my way without choosing this path, and I am hopeful that something good will happen soon. I do my best to stay positive and happy, busy, and healthy. If that's lame, then I guess I'm lame!

In all reality, I have a wonderful life and am so very lucky. I get to hike, write, run, drink wine, ride my bike, eat great food, love my dog, love my husband and family, meet new friends, chat with and see my beloved far-away friends, and a million other things that most of this world could only dream about. I hope to start volunteering soon, which is something I've always wanted to do more of, and it's a great opportunity to get involved in lieu of a job right now. So, in spite of my friend's comment, I like my life. Sure, it could be "better" in a lot of ways, and maybe someday my crazy dreams will be realized. It won't be for my lack of trying! So it's one day at a time right now. Some are really busy, some are quiet, like today. Mostly, I dream big, work hard, and feel grateful for what I have today.

Anyway, the point was that having some extra time on my hands gives me the opportunity to make brunch for the man and me on a cloudy Thursday while he works from home. I'm only calling it brunch because we ate it at 11. No bloody Marys, unfortunately. However, I'd been looking for an opportunity to try ruffly eggs, and with our fridge nearing empty, it was perfect for this morning. Fresh but comforting, didn't take too long, pretty healthy, and minimal ingredients!

I put basil in with my eggs and we ate them on a bed of arugula tossed with a little olive oil and white balsamic vinegar (one of my favorite things ever), some shaved parm, and a piece of toast. I overcooked the eggs a little bit, so they were not as poach-y, runny as I like them, but now I know! Next time, I think I will try it with some pasta and veggies. Yum!

dinner 6/27/11. too ugly to photograph.

Wow, was dinner ugly last night. However, it was very tasty! A simple cucumber salad and some grilled garlic bread (still making our way through a baguette we bought Saturday!) aside some grilled dijon chicken.

I need to remember this marinade I whipped together because it was very flavorful, if ugly, and would be great with any veggies but specifically asparagus. Also, boneless or bone-in chicken work, either way. We used boneless, skinless thighs, but I think skin and some flavor from the bone would be great.

I don't think it was the chicken's fault that it was ugly. We just did a bad job cooking it.

Grilled Dijon Chicken
Amount of chicken your meal requires
3 tablespoons of Dijon mustard (Beaver Mustard is my favorite - it's SPICY)
3 T. olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 slice of white onion
2 T. each of fresh basil, parsley chopped
1 T. fresh rosemary
Juice and zest of one lemon
Salt & pepper to taste

In a food processor or blender, mix together mustard through S&P, place chicken in large freezer bag or a bowl just big enough. Coat with the marinade and chill at least one hour. Grill chicken until done, basting with the marinate as you put it on the grill (not after, the marinade has raw chicken!).

two-meal quinoa.

Dinner tonight is one of my favorite, lazy dinners. It involves only one pot, one bowl, and leftover veggies. If you're not me, you eat half of it and save the other half for tomorrow's lunch. If you're me, you eat two-thirds of it and then wonder how to pad it for another meal, or resist eating the remainder in an hour.

Here's how I make mine. Really, you can do whatever you want with it.

1/2 c. quinoa, cooked and cooled

1 can garbanzo beans, drained

1/2 cucumber, chopped

Handful of grape tomatoes, chopped

Onion, chopped

Green pepper, chopped

Basil

Splash of olive oil

Splash of red wine vinegar

1/4 lemon, juiced

Salt & pepper

Combine, chill for an hour, and eat! The best. By the way, what is up with recipes calling for quinoa to be soaked for hours or overnight? I rinse and cook. Maybe that's just me... Shortcuts abound! Bon appetit!

new ideas.

I had an idea in my sleep last night that I'm actually going to see if I can bring to life. Continuing with a food theme, of course, I thought it would be fun to try and Tweet two recipes a day. One vegetarian and one non-vegetarian entree. Include a list of the most important ingredients and a link to the recipe, and people could have a shopping list and dinner idea in the palm of their hands or on their computer screen. Voila! Meals on the Fly is born.

Already I can tell that this could get tough with more complicated recipes, but I'm thinking of keeping it to simple, weeknight meals. Something you can put together either in advance or in an hour and have dinner ready. Today I posted our favorite manicotti recipe, which I'm making for dinner since I had a tray of frozen ones, and an oven-baked pork chop recipe. Because, well, I love pork chops.

Tell your friends! Follow me!

dinner, 4/29/11.

Decided I'd make a nice dinner since the husband had been out of town and I figured he was sick of eating in restaurants. I "like" "Food & Wine" magazine on Facebook, and the dinner suggestions they post are always great, so I went with Spaghetti with Escarole & Bacon and Mushroom Salad with Mint.

The only variations I made were that I (EGADS) microwaved the bacon for time's sake because it was 10:00 at night. Also, I used my preserved lemons in the salad instead of fresh lemon zest. YUM. The salad was awesome. I thought the mint would stand out more but really it gave the earthy mushrooms a subtle freshness and was great with the salty, preserved lemon. The pasta was great. I love, love, love Bionaturae pasta. The organic spaghetti cooked perfectly. For dried pasta, it's definitely my favorite product, and really hard to mess up and overcook.

We each had a glass of a Sicilian grillo that we bought a few weeks ago, and it was not right for this meal. Too mineral and seemingly acidic, but still tasty. Grillo is an odd grape, usually used in marsala and blends. It's gaining popularity as a standalone wine. I like it, but not with this.

Then we collapsed. I slept like a baby. This makes six days in a row I've eaten bacon. Relax, I only used four slices in the entire pasta dish. Hmm, wonder how I can get my bacon in today?

dinner, 4/27/11.

Haven't done a dinner post in a while. I'm pretty happy with what I pulled together for myself tonight. Sorry the picture isn't great. It's from my phone because I didn't want to get out the camera and freak out the dog while he is sick (he hates cameras).

Chickpea Stew

1/2 T. olive oil

1/2 onion, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 t. cumin

1/2 t. coriander

1/2 jalapeno, minced (optional)

Salt & pepper

1 can chickpeas, drained

Broth or water (enough to cover chickpeas in your pot)

1 14.5 ounce can crushed tomatoes (I used Muir Glen Fire-Roasted crushed tomatoes)

Squeeze of lemon, maybe one tablespoon

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until softening. Add spices, jalapeno, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in chickpeas and add water or broth. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Using a potato masher, mash the chickpeas to desired consistency. I like it chunky. Add tomatoes, cover, and simmer another 10-20 minutes on low. Stir in lemon juice at the end. Serve with cilantro, green onion, jalapeno, etc. I like mine with HOT SAUCE of course!

I also had an arugula salad with some lemon and olive oil and bleu cheese. Boring. But very tasty!

food rules.

One of the huge blogging cliches: Posting about food. I know. But I love food and enjoy cooking. Not everything is a success, but usually I can put a meal on the table that is decent, ideally not too expensive, healthy, and probably won't make you sick. Neither the hubs nor I is picky. It's one of my favorite, favorite things about my husband: He will try almost anything once, and he is adventurous with food. I'm the same way, so it stays pretty easy around here, save for the occasional battle of man-wants-meat vs. girl-wants-veggies. Generally, and luckily, the only challenges are...

HIM:
No white stuff - includes mayo, yogurt, sour cream, overly stinky cheeses, etc.
No veggie products that pretend to be meat - there was an incident with some vegan pepperoni, and he has never recovered

ME:
No bananas
No maple syrup - no seriously, I can barely sit at a table when someone is eating pancakes

So, I broke one of the rules last night and used mayo in a recipe. If it's cooked, it gets past him undetected. And it was a hit!  Grilled eggplant sandwiches have been in the rotation for a while, but I decided to mix it up and go with "oven-fried" eggplant cutlets served it on toasted ciabatta rolls with fresh mozzarella, basil, tomato, and balsamic onions. Calorie-wise, it might be a little more than using just olive oil, but we didn't have anything besides a simple arugula salad on the side. Dessert was an epic fail, though... apparently the white food category includes creme caramel... "I like the caramel, but it's too eggy!" Sigh. A waste of a water bath and worry over burned sugar!

So, I am going to try and make a habit of (remembering to photograph and) posting dinner menus for doable weeknight meals, and maybe fancy weekend meals. I have a hard time remembering successes, so it would be great to record them for my own use! I'll try and post recipes if/when I use them. If I make something up, maybe I'll type out the recipe. Last night's dinner...

Recipes:
Oven-fried eggplant cutlets
Balsamic onions

oh mi oh my.

Ummm, I cut my finger to the bone last night. My most important finger. My giving-the-bird finger. Now I'm worried it's going to fall off. I know... I'm being a giant baby, but it's pretty much the worst injury I've ever sustained. It may have required stitches, but luckily my awesome brother brought me first aid supplies and we fixed it. And now I can't button my pants.

An aside, this reminds me of a game that my brother likes to play called "would you rather?" with twisted questions, that a certain friend of mine is very good at asking, like "would you rather have fins for hands or all proteins and vegetables taste like rusty nails?" This inevitably leads me to ask if I'm able to put on my own pants and a bra if I have fins for hands (the answer was yes, I would learn).

Anyway, the lesson here is USE THE SAFETY GUARD THAT COMES WITH YOUR MANDOLINE SLICER. Also, make this recipe below from Fried Wontons for You. The hubs doesn't like corned beef, even on St. Patrick's Day (I know...), and sandwiches were on my mind. It's hard to make things that are convenient for a late-night meal. This was perfect. I think of it as a take on bahn mi, and it is amazing.

The pickling technique is ingenious and I will be using it again soon. Who knew it could be so simple?! I roasted the pork early in the day, sliced it cold, and made sriracha mayo instead of the mustard. Also, I sprinkled minced red onion and a hearty handful of cilantro onto butter-toasted sourdough rolls. So. Freaking. Good. Would be really great for a casual party on small tea rolls. I can't wait to make it again!

Roasted Pork Loin Sandwich

P.S. Sorry there are no pictures. Hers are better anyway. And this took me 45 minutes to write with my Franken-finger. OUCH.

I love it when life gives me lemons

I get these ideas in my head sometimes and I just have to see them to fruition, even if they end up being terrible. Like, the spiced hazelnuts I tried to make as Christmas gifts (big fail) or the paper poppies (bought a glue gun, made two, got bored). Obviously, it's never stopped me from trying! So, this time, I got a bee in my bonnet over lemons.

The produce out west has already spoiled me in just a few short months, especially the quality of citrus. One of my all-time favorite fruits is the Meyer lemon. Sweeter and jucier than a traditional lemon, with soft flesh and thin skin, Meyer lemons are delicious in everything! I saw a couple of bags at the store the other day and just knew I had to come up with something, so I decided to preserve them.

Really, it's pretty easy. I was worried it would need a lot of canning-type techniques, which I know nothing about, but the acid and salt prevent anything from growing in there and keep the process pretty simple.

First, I bought some pint jars. The recipe called for a quart jar, but I had to buy 12 of them and figured that was overkill. The jars need to be washed well and then sterilized. Bathtime for jars!

Next, I gave the lemons a bath of their own, scrubbing off all of the dirt. I had about 12 lemons that were usable plus two that had been mangled beyond preserving state, so I just juiced them to add into the jars later. Do people just stick their thumbs into bags of fruit? Rude. 

After making sure everything was nice and clean, I trimmed the ends quartered the lemons, leaving one end intact. Next, I packed salt into the cuts and rubbed the outside of the lemons. By the way, this is a terrible recipe for when you have any sort of hang nail or paper cut. OWIE.

After putting a tablespoon of salt in the bottom of each jar (I only needed two pint jars), one by one I squished the salted oranges in, making sure the juice ran out and mashing as many as possible. Then I topped them off with more salt, the extra juice from the disfigured lemons, and sealed them tightly.

So, in theory, these babies sit out for about three weeks in a cool place where they can work their magic. You are supposed to give them a turn every once in a while, and I think I may need to add more juice today so they are completely covered. But, in theory, three weeks from now I should have some delicious, salty lemon rinds to try in recipes. I have a couple of ideas (spiraling into an idea frenzy!) and have my fingers crossed that this works out. Hopefully, I have more to share other than regret that I didn't just make lemon bars.

Recipe: Preserved Lemons from Simply Recipes