Martini with a starfish!

I know I'm being incredibly lazy, but, in my defense, I've been working long hours these past few weeks and have had little time to cook (except for the yummy split pea soup I put in the crock pot Saturday, but that takes 20 min of prep and 6 hours of - nothing!). 


Instead of cooking, I give you a starfish martini! Made by Obao on 53rd between 2nd & 3rd:

I love that place, and I last went there for dinner with my friend, M., a few weeks ago. We were delighted to find a starfish in her martini! A little touch like this certainly has the power to delight. After all, I did take photo and post it on the Internet! 


P.s. In case anyone is interested,  Obao also makes excellent crispy pork belly. So bad for your cholesterol, but sooooooo tasty.

Casserole with bacon, asparagus, and chicken

What a super simple casserole.  Leftover roasted chicken from the night before, lightly sauteed asparagus, crisped bacon, and penne rustica. 
Cook penne according to directions, add other ingredients. Pour a mornay sauce over (bechemal sauce with gruyere cheese) the mixture.  Add whatever herbs you like.  I used rosemary and ground mustard. Lightly toss.  Sprinkle shredded gruyere cheese on top (maybe 1/4 cup), bake 375 for 30 min. 
The great thing about this casserole, and any casserole for that matter, is they can be made larger or smaller, depending on how many need to be fed.

I don't really have any helpful hints because this is the easiest dish to make!

~Julie

Breakfast Burritos

A few weeks ago, I made breakfast burritos because, as we all know, leftover taco materials are the mother of invention:

Ingredients
Flour tortillas
Scrambled eggs
Sauteed onions and mushrooms
Diced tomatoes
Sliced green onion
Shredded monterey jack cheese

...the end is almost here....

As soup season winds to a close, I reminisce about the wonderful, heavier, winter-type meals I've made (and the lack of meals my sister has made :-).   Hearty soups with beef, potatoes, vegetables, and cream.  All so good, and not so good for my health.  Today's inspiration came from the Sacramento Bee, again, yet was changed to incorporate healthier ingredients for a lighter, yet bolder flavor.

Turkey Kielbasa and Bean Soup
One large turkey kielbasa, cut into small chunks.  Brown in olive oil with diced red onion and garlic (the more the better) for about 15 minutes.  Add a small pinch of paprika.  Add six cups of vegetable stock (I make mine by mixing beef and chicken stock, equal amounts), one 14 oz can diced tomatoes, one medium can of navy beans rinsed well, one finely chopped chipotle from adobe sauce, and 2 cups finely shredded cabbage.  Bring to boil and turn down to simmer for approx. one hour.


Helpful Hints
The original recipe calls for chorizo, but substituting turkey kielbasa cuts the fat WAY down.  Also, the recipe did not call for cabbage, but I had some leftover from fish tacos and I like cabbage in soup, so...
Chipotle can be added to any dish for a bit of smokey, spicy flavor.  Just remember to peel it open and scrape out the seeds first.  Be sure to wash hands VERY well after doing this.
I didn't have navy beans on hand so I used white beans, which are very similar.  

~Julie

Creamed Salmon on Biscuits

One of my favorite meals of all times.  This is pure comfort food for me, and is so super easy to make!

Creamed Salmon
Make a roux (basic butter and flour mix).  For liquid use any combination of cream, milk, half & half, or chicken stock.  For this recipe I used 1/4 c. cream (leftover in fridge so using it up), part milk, and half a can of chicken broth (again, already open in fridge and using it up).  Add sauteed celery and onion (1/4c. each), salt, pepper, and marjoram.  Let cook for a few minutes on low then add 1 can salmon (I used smoked salmon I got from my brother), about 1 1/2 cups.  Let simmer for about 20 minutes.  Pour over homemade (or store-bought) biscuits.  I use Bisquick brand baking mix for mine. Canned or frozen peas would be great in this recipe, but I'm the only in my family who likes them so I leave them out.  It's helpful to make extra biscuits so the kids can have some with butter and honey.

~Julie

Sticky Toffee Banana Pudding

The brand new issue of bon appetit arrived last week, and an instant family favorite was born! 


toffee sauce
1 1/4 plus 3 T heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup packed golden brown sugar
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
1/4 unsalted butter
banana cake
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (approx. 3)
1 T dark rum
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
sliced banana as garnish

Directions
For toffee sauce: Bring 1 1/4 cups cream, brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, and 1/8 tsp salt to boil in heavy small saucepan over medium heat, whisking until sugar dissolves.  Reduce heat to medium-low and cook at gentle boil until sauce coats spoon thickly and is reduced to 1 1/2 cups, whisking occasionally, about 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and cool.  Whisk in 3 T or more cream to thin sauce to desired consistency.  Can be done ahead, up to two days.  Cover and chill, rewarm slightly before serving. 

For banana cake: preheat oven to 350 f. Butter 8x8x2 nonstick metal baking pan.  Dust baking pan with flour, tapping out excess.  Whisk flour, baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt in medium bowl.  Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until well blended.  Beat in eggs 1 at a time.  Beat in mashed bananas, rum, and vanilla (batter will look curdled).  Add dry ingredients in 4 additions, beating just to blend after each addition.  Spread batter evenly in prepared baking pan.
Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, 35 to 38 minutes.  Spread 1/2 cup toffee sauce evenly over cake.  Return cake to oven and bake until sauce is bubbling thickly, about 6 minutes.  Cool cake in pan on rack 30 minutes. Cut around cake in pan.  Serve cake slightly warm or at room temperature with toffee sauce on top, with sliced banana if desired. 

Helpful Hints
I don't usually stock dark brown sugar, so I used golden brown in the toffee instead.  It was pretty good, but a dark brown sugar would have made for a richer flavor.  Also, I don't have dark rum so I used regular instead.  This step can probably be left out altogether since the amount is negligible and I didn't notice the flavor anyway.
I used my regular corning ware pan since I don't have a metal pan that size and the cake baked just fine.  And I passed on the sliced bananas on top, my bananas were very brown and not suitable for garnish.
(This recipe can be found on page 103, March 2011 issue)

~Julie

The absolute BEST brand of tea!!

The rain is starting and the cold is settling in.  Snow flurries are called for this weekend, which hasn't happened in the Sacramento area since the mid 70's.  Everyone is freaking out, but still secretly hoping it might stick for more than a few moments, at least long enough to scoop some up.  This is definitely the afternoon for hot tea.  I love tea in the winter, and in the summer I brew it, cool it, and add ice!  A few years ago we discovered Stash brand of tea.  They make fabulous regular and herbal teas in all sorts of interesting flavors. So here I sit, after putting together a spinach and bacon quiche for dinner (which I may or may not blog about later), and take a few quiet moments before everyone comes home and the chaos starts!!

~Julie

Is this a repeat???

Beef, Baley & Kale Soup

Okay, I can't keep track.  If this is a repeat I'm sorry....
The original recipe I got from my dad several years ago.

One head of kale, chopped fine
Chuck steak, about a pound, cubed small
1/2 cup uncooked barley (or to taste)
1 or two carrots, diced small
1 or two stalks of celery, sliced small
1 small onion, chopped
garlic, to taste

Brown beef in hot pan with a small amount of veg. oil.  Add onions and cook a few minutes.  Use one quart beef broth (or veg. broth), and add the rest of the vegetables.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 6 or seven hours.  Add barley approximately 2 hours before serving. 

Helpful hints

Don't skip the long simmer time.  Kale takes a long time to become soft.
Use whatever veggies you want, such as mushrooms.
Never add salt to soup when using a pre-made broth.  They are usually salty enough.
This is a great crock pot soup.  Just brown the meat first, then add the rest of the ingredients and cook up to ten hours (except barley, which would be added about 2 hours before serving).

~Julie

Andrew's birthday meal

Sometimes it's all about volume!  A long standing tradition in our family allows the birthday person to choose the restaurant of their choice (within reason), and Andrew usually chooses a place where the food is plentiful!  This year we went to Claim Jumper (clear across town) for their specialty: meat!  Not much more to say!!

Andrew and the Ore Cart: beef ribs, pork ribs, and a half-chicken!

XL size chicken fried steak (mostly breading)

The super-large Ore Cart, accompanied by veggies and mashed potatoes.

Parmesan crusted shrimp in a sherry cream sauce.

Tri-tip dip with a spicy thai slaw (super yum)

The Norwegian in Me

The week before Thanksgiving I happened to be in Midtown on a Saturday afternoon. Walking past the Norwegian Seamen's Church, I noticed a sign advertising a Christmas bazaar. Lured by the promise of a cup of grog, I ventured inside. (Grog is a type of mulled wine, though their "wine" was actually made of Cranberry juice). The mature gentleman serving it explained that one does not drink "spirits" in a house of worship. 

I couldn't believe my eyes and ears. I was home! While I couldn't understand the language that most of the people were speaking, I saw a reflection of myself in the Nordic people. My best friend, L., a North Dakota born-and-bred Norwegian, makes lefse, a type of potato pancake, every year around Christmastime. The food tables at the bazaar contained lefse mix, pickled herring, chocolate advent calendars, and many other items to make a wonderful Christmas feast. I took away a tin of sardines and a couple of chocolate bars, including this one:

This candy bar, made by Nidar, is actually Finnish. I hope I don't get any flack for it.

godt nytt år
 
-Marie

Squash Soup

The winter of 2008 was the winter of squash soup. I think I made it a dozen times that winter, using a recipe that called for half and half. It was delicious, but filled with needless fat and calories. Back then I only had a blender; now that I have a wicked awesome food processor, a creamy consistency without the cream is no problem. Last week, I made squash soup for the first time in a long time and I made it the healthy way. 

Ingredients

• 1 small butternut squash, cubed
• 1 small onion, chopped 
• 3 stalks of celery, chopped
• 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium potato, peeled and cubed
• 32 oz chicken stock
• 1 tsp butter
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Melt butter in a large pot
• Cook squash, onion, celery, carrots, and potatoes until lightly browned 
• Cover vegetables with chicken stock and bring to boil
• Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer for 40 min or until veggies are tender
• Transfer to wicked awesome food processor and process until creamy
• Transfer back to pot and heat for a few min, until the temperature's right

Thank you to allrecipes.com for the recipe! 

Also, thank you to S. for being such a willing guinea pig! I paired the soup with a nice Zinfandel from Amador County, plus a selection of cheeses, bread, and veggie sticks. 

Note that I do not own a dining table. Such is life in NYC. 

-Marie

A great restaurant meal!

Lucky me got to spend 3 days in sunny San Diego for work, and with only two conference meals provided.  Both lunches, one hot and one a box lunch.  Good food, but nothing really spectacular.  The other meals we were responsible for, meaning we were able to choose some pretty nice places to eat (of course with future reparations of a certain dollar amount).  This meal was at a restaurant on Harbor Island called C level.  Interesting name, as it was right on the water with a SPECTACULAR view of San Diego city, including the USS Midway.

I ordered the lobster salad blt sandwich.  Really a good choice.  Chunks of lobster in a creamy sauce, topped with small, crisped pieces of bacon, lettuce & tomato.  The sandwich came with lobster bisque, which was of course super rich, but just enough of a portion that it wasn't overwhelming. 

 ~Julie

This is why cholesterol medicine is made...

Saturday was a beautiful day.  After the morning fog burned off the sun gave us 70 degrees.  Wow!  We took the opportunity to do some grilling.  T-bone steaks, asparagus, and baked potatoes.  Yum.

Joe used McCormick Grill Mates 'Montreal Steak' seasoning for the rub.  We grilled up some mushrooms and onions, plus I had some leftover filling I used for stuffed mushrooms on Friday night that made a nice compliment to the steak.  The asparagus was steamed on the grill first, wrapped in tin foil with olive oil and salt & pepper, then placed on the grate for those nice grill marks.  The baked potatoes were cooked in the microwave then wrapped in tin foil and kept warm on the grill. One chicken breast was cooked, seasoned with McCormick chicken seasoning (for Jessica).  To round out the meal we opened a bottle of Monte Antico, from Toscana winery in Amador County.  Fabulous meal!  

~Julie

Apparently everyone is not a fan....

...of a twist on an old family favorite: Tuna Noodle Casserole.  Made as a lasagna instead of casserole style with egg noodles.  The recipe was in the January 12th edition of the Sacramento Bee.  Using no boil noodles, tuna in oil, and evaporated milk, my family eschewed the recipe and told me it was NOT to be repeated.  Yeah, I agree.  So much so that I already threw the cut-out recipe away, so if you're interested you'll have to do an online search.  Sorry.

 
~Julie

Ode to My Sister

Fear not your fretful Costco meal,

Last night's brie, I ate the wheel.

Whenever cooking me eludes,

I eat but junk, my gut protrudes.


-Marie

I Cheated!

Okay, so we had a rotisserie chicken from Costco tonight, with mashed potatoes and gravy, plus mixed veggies.  Too easy, I know.  But I have to cut some material for the quilt class I'm taking this week, plus the new Reader's Digest came in the mail today.  Cooking is not on my list of priorities tonight!

~Julie

Chicken Pot Pie....

Chicken pot pie is a great way to use left over chicken.  The other night I put a chicken in the crock pot, and have used the meat to make chicken enchiladas and chicken pot pie, plus there's enough left over to make chicken salad for lunch. 

Chicken Pot Pie
2 pie crusts (can be homemade or store bought.  I use pillsbury rolled pie crust)
1/4 chopped each, chopped celery, carrots, mushrooms, and onion
1 cup large chunks cooked chicken
2 small potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 cups white sauce (recipe to follow)

Roll out one pie crust into a deep dish pie pan.  Layer chicken, potatoes, and vegetables into the crust. Pour white sauce over all ingredients.  Cover with the second pie crust.  Roll, flute, and pinch edges together.  Cut four small slits in the top crust.  Brush milk over the entire top crust.  Protect crust edges with tin foil, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes in a 375 degree oven.

White sauce
Melt 1/2 stick of butter in a large sauce pot.  Add 1/2 cup flour and stir until all the butter is incorporated (will be the consistency of small lumps of peas).  Let cook on med. heat for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add one can of chicken broth, whisking to smooth out the flour lumps.  Add another can of chicken broth, or milk, cooking on med. high heat until thickened.  Add a small touch (very small) of Rosemary, Thyme, and Sage.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Helpful Hints 
This recipe can also be made with a single pie crust on top. 
Let the pot pie rest for 15 minutes when done, giving the sauce inside more time to thicken as it cools.
For a creamier white sauce, use one can of chicken broth and one cup of milk, instead of two cans of chicken broth (although if you do this you may need to add chicken flavored 'better than bouillon').
An immersion blender might be needed to get rid of all the lumps in the sauce.
Letting the pie crust sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes prior will make it easier to roll.
The amount of sauce needed is approximate.  We like our pot pie saucy.  If you prefer it drier use less sauce.

~Julie

Menu planning and kitchen basics

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times.  "When you fail to plan you plan to fail".  Sometimes I need to be told something a thousand times, and other times I need to say it the same number of times.  Anyway! It seems that planning family meals 3 or 4 days out works best. Why not a week, you might ask? Well, certain fruits, vegetables, and fresh herbs are not at their peak at a week, and sometimes I just like to order a pizza.  Although, I totally advocate going to the grocery store only once a week, but in reality it's more like every 5 or 6 days, which averages out to 5, maybe 6 times a month.  Grocery shopping can be frustrating (why do all the people have to shop on Friday?), time consuming, and expensive.  Planning my meals in advance helps save me from all those above-mentioned ills.  I try to plan meals around what I might already have on the menu, and put on the grocery list for next week what I think I'll make.  Having said that, I'll choose one or two meals a week that I need "special" ingredients for, and by that I mean stuff I normally don't have on hand, otherwise most of the meals I make come from what's in the pantry.

Great pantry basics:

low sodium chicken broth
canned mushrooms
white wine
balsamic vinegar
top ramen (you'd be surprised)
canned tomatoes & tomato paste
tortillas
canned tuna
variety of pasta
canned beans

Of course the fresh ingredients you keep in the fridge should change as the seasons, incorporating farmer market goods whenever possible.

Tonight I put a whole chicken in the crockpot with aromatics, and tomorrow I'll take the meat off the bone.  Andrew wants chicken enchiladas on Friday, and the rest will be used Sunday for either chicken tortilla soup or chicken and dumplings.


Slow cooker chicken


1 whole chicken, washed, then covered with water in the crock pot.  Add large chunks of onion, celery, carrots, and 2 bay leaves.  Season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.  Cook on low heat over night. 

~Julie

Back to the same ole' same ole'

Wow, what a depressing title.  I guess I meant it more like ...and now I have to remember to plan for dinner....which for me means planning 4 days in advance.  Three weeks and two holidays can really leave a girl in a bind, ya know?

Following Marie's announcement of eating less meat...our dinner tonight was crock pot beef stew.

Cut into cubes a pound of chuck roast.  Dredge in seasoned flour and sear in hot oil until brown.  Put into the bottom of the crock pot.  De-glaze the bottom of the pan used to cook the meat with red wine, add chopped onions and cook until soft, 2 or 3 minutes. Layer on top of the meat in the crock pot.  Peel and chop into 1" cubes a large rutabaga.  Add to the crock pot.   Chop celery, carrots, and mushrooms (personal preference on the total) and add as the last layer in the crock pot.  Add enough liquid (beef broth or water, but the broth will add a lot of flavor so that's what I used) to cover all the layers, and set on high for 5 hours, turning to low for the last few hours.  Check about an hour before serving. If it's not thick enough make a past of flour and water, stirring until smooth, and add to the stew, letting it bubble until all the flour pieces are gone.

Serve with garlic bread (great sauce for dipping bread in) and a nice spizy Zin (it seems we always go to the Zin here!)

~Julie

Christmas Dinner!

Yes, it's a little late, but in my defense, I was.....lazy?  Whatever it was that made me take so long, it was worth it because the picture looks wonderful.

Freshly steamed asparagus, canned cranberry sauce (of course it's sliced in rings), rosemary roasted red potatoes (with garlic and olive oil), sweet Hawaiin rolls, and stuffed pork roast.  Looks great, doesn't it?

Served with sparkling cider (for those under 21) and a nice Villa Toscano Old Vine Zin. 

~Julie