Day 149: Smells Better Than it Looks (and Tastes)

Turkey has been coming out of our pores these last few days (Thanksgiving + leftovers = turkey overload!) but yet we decided to have chicken for dinner tonight.

I  perused some of my favorite recipe books and decided on Malaysian Chicken Curry from the stellar Gourmet Cookbook (this despite having curried turkey and mango salad for lunch!).  The recipe sounded exotic and different and I used the opportunity to toss in some roasted sweet potatoes left over from Thanksgiving.

The scent wafting through the house while this dish was cooking was amazing.  Total cooking time was about 45 minutes and with every passing moment our hunger and excitement to eat grew.  Imagine our disappointment when we discovered that the aroma was far better than the taste of this dish.

That's not to say that we didn't enjoy this meal -- but let's just say I'm not in a big rush to make it again.  There are far too many other more delicious dishes to cook and to eat.  I guess my greatest memory of Malaysia will have to continue to be that its president was at the center of a murder plot in Zoolander.  Oh, Malaysia.

Day 148: If it Ain't Broke, Don't Fix it!

I'll never understand why restaurants tinker with perfectly good or even amazing menu items.  Unfortunately, such was the case tonight at Isa, our favorite neighborhood restaurant which has many a great meal to this blog (entry #78, entry #119).

One of our favorite dishes at Isa was soft, flaky butterfish with a mix of earthy mushrooms baked in parchment paper.  Perfection.  Isa's new version replaces the mushrooms with leeks and artichoke hearts and something has changed with the cooking style.  It's still bundled together in parchment, but the fish is less flaky and more mushy.  We even sent the first one back - something I hardly ever do - but it wasn't even recognizable as fish.  The second one was better but still overcooked.  Sadly, this dish has now moved from our "must have" list to the "should be avoided" list.

Fortunately, everything else at Isa continues to be stellar, including the scallops pictured above.  Served with mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts, and bacon, they are absolutely divine.  The baked goat cheese with tomatoes, basil, and pine nuts is simple, warm and cozy, high end comfort food.

So, we'll forgive Isa this one mistake and look forward to many more excellent dinners there.

Day 147: No More Cooking, Please!!

After two straight days of cooking in preparation for our Thanksgiving meal, I needed a night off.

There's an unassuming but lovely little sushi restaurant called Asa Sushi just a few blocks from our house.  They have quite a vast menu of rolls but we have yet to find one that we like more than the Red Dragon, pictured above (with a couple of pieces of eel sushi on the side).  Tempura shrimp down the center, eel draped over the top, diced spicy tuna above that, and tobiko scattered all over.  Yum yum, you can never have just one.  We, in fact, had two.  I'm lucky I got any - you may have noticed my husband's eager and slightly impatient hand in the background.  

Day 146: Happy Thanksgiving!!

Holy hell.  I'm full!!  

My parents came to us for Thanksgiving this year and my husband and I took care of all of the cooking.  As you can see from our very full table, we went all out.  Our menu consisted of the following, starting from the upper right hand corner of the table.

Main Course #1:  Turkey!!

Rather than cooking a whole bird, we purchased two breasts at Whole Foods and grilled them.  That freed up the oven for the sides and gave my husband something to do (man + fire = happiness).  We prepared each breast differently the night before to give them a chance to suck up lots of good flavor.

One breast got an herb and garlic rub:  1/4 cup each of chopped fresh sage, thyme, and rosemary, a 1/2 cup of parsley, and 10 cloves of garlic.  All of that was ground up in the food processor and then I tucked a thick layer of it underneath the skin of the turkey.

The other breast was marinated in a mix of the juice of 5 oranges, zest from 2 of those oranges, juice and zest from 2 lemons, 1 large sliced shallot, 6 smashed cloves of garlic, a couple of tablespoons of sugar, about 1/4 cup of olive oil, and S&P.

The breasts took about 2.5 hours on the grill on indirect heat.

Side Dish #1:  Cauliflower with Mustard Lemon Butter

Side Dish #2:  Orange Rosemary Cranberry Sauce

Side Dish #3:  Butternut Squash & Creamed Spinach Gratin

Side Dish #4:  Corn Bread (for recipe, see side of Marie Callender package - this was the only thing I did not make from scratch)

Side Dish #5:  Wild Rice with Wild Mushrooms

Mushroom Gravy

Side Dish #6:  Thyme Roasted Sweet Potatoes

All of this was quite delicious and satisfying, but what's a Thanksgiving dinner without dessert?  After a short break, we were ready to dive in.

We had three desserts:

1.  Chocolate Pumpkin Tart

2.  Apple Crisp (made my our friend and dinner guest Julie)

3.  Coconut Macaroons (recipe available on the back of the blue Baker's Shredded Coconut bag)

Everything was enjoyed by all.  We are slipping into a food coma as I type this.  In fact, typing this is becoming increasing difficult.  Happy Thanksgiving!  Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Day 145: Training for Tomorrow

One might think that the night before Thanksgiving, the best dinner is a light one.  After all, who would want to have huge meals two nights in a row?  Me, I guess!

My parents arrived in SF today and we decided to take them to Izzy's for big steaks.  Of course, as always, I started with the prawn cocktail, pictured above.  Izzy's cocktail sauce is homemade and the best - full of horseradish, spicy, and so good.  Normally, I'd have gobbled up all five prawns myself, but hey - the people who gave me life were at the table and it only seems fair to share.

After that, I had prime rib and steamed broccoli - my other usual order at Izzy's.  And as always, I ate every bite.  So for those of you who are counting - I had two huge prawns, two giants bunches of steamed broccoli, and a steak the side of my head.  Chalk it up to being in training for tomorrow's big meal - which I am cooking and which I plan to enjoy thoroughly.  Bring it on!!

Day 144: Saving My Energy

Thanksgiving is just a couple of days away and I have an enormous menu planned, so rather than cook dinner tonight we ordered in.  That freed me up to make my cranberry sauce - one dish down, only 7 or 8 to go!!

We ordered pork larb and chicken panang curry Gatip Thai.  As you can see, we also had some brussels sprouts, which I had purchased at the farmer's market over the weekend.  My favorite sprouts recipe comes from Tyler Florence of the Food Network.  Click here for his delicious recipe.

Speaking of recipes and back to the cranberry sauce I made tonight...  I used a recipe from Fine Cooking, one of my favorite food magazines.

Ingredients:

12 oz fresh cranberries, picked through and rinsed

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

2 tsp minced fresh rosemary

1/2 tsp finely grated orange zest

Take the zest off the orange before you juice it.  I recommend using a Microplane for this job, but you could use an ordinary box grater as well.

Combine the cranberries, sugar, orange juice, and rosemary in a large saucepan or pot.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 minute.

Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the zest, cover, and let stand for 10 minutes.  Let the sauce cool to room temperature and then cover and refrigerate.  

I don't know about you, but I always try to prepare as much as possible in advance of a big meal like this.  It helps to reduce the pressure the day of.  Cranberry sauce is one of those things that you can prepare several days ahead so I took full advantage of that and got it out the way.  Two days and counting!

Day 143: And Binge Week Goes On...

If I was smart, I'd be enjoying a week of light meals leading up to the dinner of all dinners - Thanksgiving!  But I never claimed to be all that intelligent, so bring on the calories.

Tonight we splurged because we scored a reservation at Spruce - an awesome restaurant that's pretty hard to get into, at least without lots of pre-planning.

I started with a beet salad with goat cheese, greens, and hazelnuts.  Those beets must have been monsters, because the slices were a good 2-3 inches in diameter.  The salad was so yummy.

For my entree, I opted for honey lacquered duck breast with foie gras over a frisee salad with grapes.  To be honest, I was a little disappointed in this dish.  The duck was a bit dry and the foie gras wasn't particularly enjoyable.

Unfortunately, I wasn't hungry enough to indulge in Spruce's wonderful cheese selection after the meal.  I guess that gives me a good reason to return!

Day 142: Kickin' it Old School

Obviously, the title of this entry is a shout out to my wicked old crock pot, which was a hand-me-down from my mom. It's way to small and the inside isn't removeable for easy washing - but it works like a charm and I kind of like the kitchy retro design.

Tonight's dinner was picadillo, a Cuban chili-like concoction that my husband and I both love. It requires minimal chopping and preparation and then finishes over the course of three hours in the slowcooker.

This is at least the third time I've made picadillo since this blog began.  Click here to get the recipe.  If you live somewhere that's getting cold, definitely try this dish soon.  It's sure to warm you up!

Day 141: Yay! Crab Season is Here!

Our friend Sarah had us over for a fantastic dinner tonight. It's the beginning of Dungeness crab season here in Northern California and we took full advantage of it, cracking into three of those suckers.

One of the best parts was that we were able to buy the crabs pre-cooked (steamed) at Whole Foods, which made the meal much easier. The dude behind the counter even offered to clean and break the crabs up for us.

We had two dipping options on the table - drawn butter (my preference!) and cocktail sauce. To go with the crabs, we prepared a salad of greens, avocado, tomato, mushrooms, and pine nuts. Sarah also made some mashed butternut squash. She sliced the squash in half lengthwise, scooped out the seeds, and laid the halves cutside down in a baking dish with some water and microwaved them. Once the squash was softened, she scooped it out, mashed it, and mixed in some butter and S&P.

Of course, our meal was accompanied by a good amount of red wine and a plate of yummy desserts from the Whole Foods bakery case.

Steamed crabs are healthy, delicious, and fun for a dinner party. We're definitely going to have to steal this idea!!

Day 140: Bi Bim Bap is Fun to Say!

We recently discovered a yummy Japanese restaurant called Umami a few blocks from our house.  Tonight we returned.

After a bowl of salty edamame, we shared some white tuna tataki in sizzling ponzu sauce.  We had think dish last time and it was so good we had to order it again.  The raw tuna slices are wrapped around each other in a spiral and topped with seaweed and frisee salad.  It's served in a hot iron pan and when the sauce is poured over the top tableside, it sizzles away - cool presentation and very tasty, too.

Next we had a couple of sushi rolls and a couple of slices of salmon sashimi.  But the highlight of the meal was the bi bim bap Korean hot pot, pictured above.  The pot contained finely shredded pork, a scoop of crunchy sticky rice, mushrooms, water chestnuts, thinly sliced carrots, brussels sprouts leaves, and a raw quail egg.  The server poured some spicy sauce over the top and mixed everything together for us.

The dish was extremely rich - I would never have been able to eat the whole thing myself - even without everything else we ate.  But it was the perfect thing to share - warm, spicy, and cozy - perfect on a cool evening.  I loved it.

What dishes comfort you on a cool night?

Day 139: Florida in California

While on vacation in Florida last week, we ate shrimp every day.  Sometimes twice.  

Since being back, not a shrimp has passed my lips.  Until tonight, thanks for a special on the menu at the wonderful Bistro Aix.  The item was called something like Grilled Florida Pink Shrimp with Puntarelle and Matchstick Potato Salad.  My only question was - what the hell is puntarelle??

Our waiter described puntarelle as a cross between celery and fennel, but most food related websites define it as a type of chicory.  Puntarelle aside, what made this salad great was the potatoes.  They reminded me of potato sticks - remember that crunchy and total processed snack food that you used to get with your lunch in your elementary school cafeteria?  They were so good - and this homemade, natural version was even better and to add it to a salad?  Absolutely brilliant!  I loved it.

The shrimp were delicious as well, with some kind of creamy herb sauce over the top.  I nice little reminder of vacation, especially at the end of a work week (or nearly the end).

Day 138: Withdrawal Symptom?

The headache I was suffering from yesterday hung on throughout the day today.  I started thinking that perhaps it was a withdrawal symptom caused by lack of seafood in my diet.  Perhaps my body got used to a daily dose of fish during my Florida vacation.  Hey - I know it's a long shot - but after 37 hours of headache, I was willing to try anything.

I bought a beautiful swordfish steak and prepared it as I always do - simply.  I patted the fish dry with a paper towel, and then sprinkled both sides with salt & pepper, and squeezed about a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice and drizzled a little olive oil on each side.  Then, my husband grilled it - feel free to leave a comment regarding the gorgeous grill marks he created.  

To go with the fish, I sauteed bok choy and shitake mushrooms in lemon juice and garlic.  I made this recipe up:

I trimmed the bottom off of 3 bok choys and then sliced them across at approximately 1/2 inch intervals.  Once I got to the leafy part, I just cut the leaves in half and then I submerged all of it in some cold water and swished it around to make sure it all got clean.  Bok choy hides a lot of dirt inside, so you have to really give it a good rinse.

I cut the stems off of about a dozen shitake mushrooms, and then cut the caps into quarters.

I heated some olive oil & a couple of shakes of red pepper flakes in a large saute pan on medium-low heat and then sauteed three cloves of chopped garlic for a couple of minutes until they were soft.  I added the mushrooms, which of course sucked up all of the moisture that was in the pan.  To make sure nothing burned, I added a couple of tablespoons of chicken broth to the pan.  Once the mushrooms had softened up, I added the drained bok choy and cranked the temperature up on the burner to medium-high.  I added the juice of a small lemon, some S&P, mixed everything together, and mixed frequently for the next 10 minutes or so.

For a hot dish, this side was pretty refreshing because of the lemon juice and really complemented the fish.  I drizzled some of the liquid from the pan over the fish and sprinkled lemon zest over the whole dish.  Yum!

Whether or not this is a secret headache cure is yet to be determined.  Tune in tomorrow to find out!

Day 137: Cheese with Chili

A day long headache left me with no energy or desire to cook dinner tonight.  Fortunately, we had some leftover chili in the freezer - the perfect solution, especially on this chilly evening.  For the recipe, visit entry #122 "Election Week Special Part 1"

All packed up, it looked like a lot more than it really was once it was reheated, so I grated way more cheese than was really necessary.  But can you ever have too much cheese?  Is there any dish that isn't made better by heaping piles of good, sharp cheddar?  I think not.

I am sorry to report, however, that chili is not a secret hidden headache remedy.  Got any of those?  Leave it as a comment below, please!

Day 136: Back to Work

Back from vacation and back to work - at the office and in the kitchen.  Dinner tonight was pork tenderloin and stewed zucchini.

First, I turned my oven on to 400 degrees and then browned the pork (well seasoned with S&P) on all sides in a large pre-heated stainless steel pan coated with olive oil.  Once the pork was browned, I removed it from the pan, rubbed it with about 3 cloves of chopped garlic all over the outside, placed it in a roasting pan that I'd sprayed with Pam, and placed it in the oven for about 20 minutes (18 may have been enough, but I'm always worried about under-cooking).

While the pork was roasting, I prepared the side dish.  I deglazed the pan that had been used to brown the pork so that I could make the best use of the flavor left behind in all those brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.  If you haven't tried this little cooking trick, you really should.  It's so easy and really enhances the flavor of your food.  While the pan is hot, pour inabout 1/4 cup of some kind of liquid - I usually use white wine or chicken broth.  

My white wine started sizzling in the pan immediately and I took a wooden spoon and began scraping up the brown bits.   They come up surprisingly easy.  Then I added 2 minced cloves of garlic, half an onion (sliced thin), and a few shakes from the red pepper flake jar.  I allowed these items to simmer in the wine for a few minutes until soft and then added 3 zucchini, sliced in half vertically and then horizontally at 1/2 inch width.  I also added a can of chopped tomatoes, about 1/2 tsp of dried oregano, and a good dose of S&P.

Zucchini is one of the rare vegetables that I like cooked until soft.  I turned down the temperature to medium low and allowed the concoction to simmer for about 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently.  Of course, if you prefer to keep it more al dente, you can cook it for less time - but try it my way, at least once.

Day 135: Up, Up, and Away

Goodbye vacation, hello travel nightmares.  Two out of three of our flights from Key West to San Francisco were delayed and our luggage didn't quite make it but at least we had pizza!

Continental Airlines is one of the last airlines to provide free meals in flight and the food is damn tasty, too.  Bonus!

As you can see, our meal tonight was "The Right Cheese Pizza Pie" (I don't know what this means.  What is the wrong one?), an iceberg and cabbage salad, and M&Ms.  Oh yea, and a gin & tonic that I didn't have to pay for because we turned in a free drink voucher.

It's not a giant plate of steamed shrimp, but it was good.  And if they're going to lose anything, I rather it be my luggage than my food any day.

Day 134: Congratulations, Jeanne & John!

Welcome to the first ever wedding entry on 365daysofdinner.com!

The dinner reception took place at Conch Republic Seafood Company, a popular restaurant here in Key West, FL. (If it sounds familiar, it's probably because you read entry #131, which also took place here!)

After cocktail hour snacks of conch fritters and smoked fish salad, the buffet was opened with a variety of offerings that showcased Key West and Cuban fare. I, of course, tried it all!

I was most interesting in trying the picadillo, which is a Cuban chili-like dish I make from time to time at home (see entries #3 "It Ain't Pretty but It's Soooo Good" and #96 "It's Fun to Eat With Your Hands" for the recipe). This version was a bit different (no dried fruit) but was really flavorful and my favorite dish of the night. The fried plantains were super yummy as well - I've never met a plantain I didn't like! I also enjoyed the black beans and rice - such simple comfort food!

And of course, this being Key West, key lime pie took the place of wedding cake and was a great, refreshing way to end the meal.

I'm sad to see our trip come to an end. Key West is such a fun place, full of friendly people, and good eats. Actually, although this blog has focused to date on dinner (with one small breakfast detour in entry #___), I really want to make mention of fabulous spot where we had lunch today - The Hogfish Bar & Grill. Located one key away on Stock Island, this is a totally local joint, which I was fortunate to spot on a little map yesterday while we were exploring the area. It's totally tucked away and nearly impossible to find - but it's definitely worth the search. I had my first ever hogfish today - grilled and served with melted swiss cheese on Cuban bread. The fish was meaty yet light and really good. My husband and I also shared some amazing steamed shrimp. This was probably our best meal this trip and if I ever find myself back in this area, I'll be sure to return. Go hogfish!!

Day 133: Pre-Wedding BBQ

If you have been following along this week, you know that we're in Key West, Florida for the wedding of our friends Jeanne and John. Because it's such a long haul from Northern California, we arrived a few days early to have a little vacation time on our own. Tonight, the wedding festivities began.

We attended tonight's welcome dinner at the Key West Garden Club, a beautiful setting underneath palm trees and surrounded by an enormous variety of flora. We had the place to ourselves tonight and kicked off J&J's wedding weekend with a lowkey BBQ, featuring hamburgers, veggie burgers, salmon burgers, and hotdogs. Off course, there were the usual BBQ accompaniments: potato salad, macaroni salad, pickles, chips, and veggies.

We had a great time in this unique setting and are exciting to attend the main event tomorrow. Come back and see the first every wedding dinner entry on 365daysofdinner.com!

Day 132: Totally ON the Beaten Track

When traveling, I always ask the locals where they like to go out to eat. This usually ensures truly good food without throngs of tourists.

My husband and I are in Key West this week and so asked our taxi driver last night for some recommendations. He named two local favorites and tonight we visited - neither of them. Instead, out of convenience and sheer vacation laziness, we opted for one of the more commonly known places, Conch Republic Seafood Company and now we know why this place is so popular!

We shared three items:
Steamed shrimp - some of the biggest I ever saw. They came with cocktail sauce, horseradish, and melted butter but they didn't need to be dipped in any of them. They were well seasoned and very flavorful as they were.

Crab cakes - besides being a bit too bready, these were tasty as well.

House salad - because dinner is never complete without something green.

I also must mention The Conch Republic's bread, which was warm and flavored with coconut and pineapple. It was sweet and so yummy - I found it difficult to control myself!

Despite my choice of dinner locale tonight, I'm still a huge advocate for getting off the beaten track and seeing how the locals live and eating what the locals eat. Good thing we still have a couple of days here to do so!

Day 131: You Can Take the Girl Out of NYC, but...

We arrived in Key West, Florida today for a few days of vacation leading up to my college friend Jeanne's wedding this weekend. Did we rush right out for conch chowder or fish or shrimp? Hell no! We headed to the Key West outpost of Strip House, one of our favorite NYC restaurants and a place we dearly miss since moving to San Francisco.

I like to describe Strip House as being "female friendly" - at least compared to other steak houses like Gallagher's, Smith & Wollensky's, or Peter Luger - all of which seem to run on testosterone.

Unlike the NYC version, we had the option to sit inside or to sit out on the porch to enjoy the sounds of the waves. While the latter option certainly sounds more appealing, we thought our food would be too heavy to be accompanied by humidity (funny - the locals felt it was hardly humid today while we couldn't get over the wetness!).

So, we had the dining room more or less to ourselves and enjoyed our usual order: petit fillet for me, the whole big mack daddy fillet for my husband, and side orders of potato puree and creamed spinach. Once again, Strip House proved that they have the world's greatest creamed spinach - laced with black truffle oil, it is indescribably decadent and delicious.

The only disappointment served by the Key West location was the lack of onion rolls in the bread basket. Perhaps onion rolls are a Northeast delicacy. In any case, we had an absolutely divine meal and enjoyed lovely, friendly service by everyone we encountered there.

We'll definitely take advantage of the fresh seafood on offer down here in Florida over the course of our visit this week - but meanwhile, Strip House was a perfect vacation kick-off.

Day 130: Don't Judge a Book by It's Cover

Poor Osha. Their food is SO good and yet my photos always make it look so unappealing. That's because the decision to go there is usual very last minute and we go straight from work - so I don't have my real camera with me and I'm stuck having to use my camera phone. Normally I give major props to the camera function in the Blackberry Pearl, but it just doesn't do food well. Sorry, Osha!

We are leaving for vacation tonight (gotta love the redeye!) and of course - I am not packed yet so we needed some fast, dependable, and of course - yummy.

We ordered our usual: Pork Larb (mild - which is plenty spicy enough!), Pineapple Fried Rice (comes loaded with chicken, cashews, and shrimp and is SO good), and Chicken Panang (coconut milk curry - can you say yum?).

Osha has several locatins throughout San Francisco - this one on Geary is not much to look at, but they sure know what they're doing with the food!

Day 129: The Great Dinner Experiment

Down with recipes!  Down with cookbooks!  Tonight I made things up as I went along and it was pretty damn good!

We recently discovered this jarred salsa verde, made from tomatillos and limes and some other ingredients.  It's just a little bit spicy with a great fresh taste and was the basis of our chicken dish tonight.

I heated the oven to 400 degrees.  I sliced a couple of chicken breasts in half so that I had four thin slices of breast rather than two fat breasts to ensure quicker cooking.  Then, I spooned a thin layer of salsa into a glass baking dish and then placed the chicken over it in a single layer and set the dish in the oven to bake for about 20 minutes, turning the chicken slices over about half way through.

I also improvised a delicious brussels sprout recipe tonight:

Coat a saute pan with olive oil and heat.  If you like some spice in your food, infuse your oil by throwing in a couple of shakes of red pepper at the start.

Once the oil is hot, add a pound of brussels sprouts, sliced vertically in half.  Turn the sprouts cut side down, sprinkle them with salt,  and leave them alone for a couple of minutes.  Check them from time to time and once they are beginning to brown, stir them up.

Pour in some apple juice or cider so that it's about 1/4 inch deep in the pan.  Add 1 T of butter and 3 smashed cloves of garlic, turn the temperature down to low, cover, and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes.  You want the sprouts to be soft, but not mushy.

The sprouts will absorb the sweetness of the apple juice and the red pepper flakes add just the right amount of heat.  This is a great, low fat, healthy recipe - at least compared to some of the bacon heavy sprouts recipes I've been cooking lately.  You could probably leave out the butter - but we all know - butter makes everything taste better.  For that matter, so does bacon!

Day 128: Exhibition of Restraint

We spent the afternoon in wine country and after a day of sampling from numerous bottles, I was craving some warm and cozy comfort food. Specifically, I was ready to tuck into some meatloaf and garlic mashed potatoes at Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen, one of my favorite restaurants and the location of this blog’s very first entry.

Once we arrived at Cindy’s however, I thought better of the indulgence. This week was one long indulgence, really, and it was time for me to get back on track.

I started tonight’s dinner with a bowl of beef, barley, and vegetable soup. Warm and meaty, this was a great compromise that gave me the same cozy feeling for a lot fewer calories than the meatloaf & potatoes would have!

Next, I had grilled mahi-mahi, which was off the specials list. If you read my previous Cindy’s entries (Day #1 or Day #86) or have heard me rave about Cindy’s before 365daysofdinner.com launched, you’ll be as surprised to hear that this dish was so-so at best. I found the fish to be dry and rather bland. The tomato and olive sauce it came with was tasty, but lacked richness and deep flavor.

I was able to compensate for this disappointment by 1)eating french fries off of my husband’s plate (Cindy’s french fries are to die for!!) and 2)sharing a slice of pumpkin and caramel pie for dessert. That made it all okay.

I still love Cindy’s. The ambience and service are warm and welcoming and with this one exception, the food is amazing. I will still come back time and time again and I still highly recommend that you check it out for yourself next time you are in the St. Helena area.

Day 127: You Always Remember Your First

The first time I had duck was November 2002 in Quebec City. It was Thanksgiving weekend I opted to use my 4-day weekend to travel around French Canada rather than to have the traditional holiday meal with my family.

Despite shunning tradition, I had my heart set on enjoying some sort of poultry for dinner on Thanksgiving. Turkey is not a very common menu item in that part of the world, apparently, so I had to be a bit more creative – hence, the duck. I remember loving it instantly – I mean, other than China, where better to first try duck than in a quaint little French restaurant in beautiful Quebec City?

Duck has been a favorite of mine ever since and yet I was intimidated by the idea of cooking it.  With Thanksgiving around the corner once again, I was reminiscing recently about that first delicious duck and decided that tonight was the night I was going to attempt making it.  I turned to a recipe from the tried and true Williams-Sonoma Grilling Essentials cookbook. As usual, I did all of the pre-cooking prep and my husband fired it up.

Orange-Glazed Duck Breasts:

Mix the following ingredients in a bowl:

1 T orange zest

6 T orange juice

1 tsp lemon zest

3 T lemon juice

3 T olive oil

1.5 T freshly chopped tarragon

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Use half of the mixture to marinate your duck breasts for up to 4 hours.  Set the other half aside to be used as the glaze later.

Once ready to cook, heat up the reserved marinade and mix in 6 T orange marmalade.  As you grill the duck, brush it from time to time with the warm mixture.

To be honest, the duck was tasty, but not delicious.  It didn't compare to any of the duck dishes I have ever had.  The glaze was barely detectable - and considering the lengthly marinating time, there was surprisingly little citrus flavor.  I'll definitely try to cook duck again, but with a different recipe or method next time.

On the other hand, I give rave reviews to the cauliflower side dish I made.  It came from Epicurious.com and was so stellar that I have added it to this year’s Thanksgiving menu (Yes! I am hosting Thanksgiving this year!).

Click here for the original recipe, or do it my way (I left out two ingredients):

1 small-medium head of cauliflower, sliced and lightly salted

4 T butter

2 T fresh lemon juice

2 T Dijon mustard

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Lay cauliflower slices in a single layer on a baking sheet (spray sheet with Pam).

Roast cauliflower for about 15 minutes or until it begins to soften up.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a small saucepan.  Add mustard and lemon juice and whisk until mixed.

Spoon mixture evenly over cauliflower and continue to roast for another 15 minutes.  Yum!!

Day 126: Election Week Special Part 5 (Cheeseburger)

Tonight concludes my All American theme week in honor of this week's historic election.  Let's review:

Monday:  Homemade Chili

Tuesday (Election Night):  Chicken Wings

Wednesday: Chili Dogs

Thursday:  Grilled Cheese

What a week of gluttony!  If you're a regular reader of this blog, you probably think I've flipped my lid.  A normal week of dinner in our house usually includes at least two nights of fish, something grilled, lots of salad, and other green sides.  But this week was all about celebrating what's unique about America and apparently, that's a lot of high calorie food!

We wanted to wrap the week up with a cheeseburger and so we returned to The Balboa Cafe.  Considering the zillions of visits we've made to The Bal, it's quite shocking that neither my husband nor I had ever had a burger there.  Every time we go, though, we see that they leave the kitchen in droves, so we knew they had to be good.

Once we got there and heard that their nightly pasta special was macaroni and cheese, my husband bailed on the cheeseburger plan.  I stuck with it, though, and am so glad I did!  The burger was perfectly seasoned and served in a baguette.  I'm sure it helped that I added bacon, Monterey Jack cheese, and some good old California avocado but I think that even without all of those tasty extras, that burger would have been the bomb.

And as with every other night this week, our meal was accompanied by a good made-in-the-USA beverage.  Tonight we enjoyed a bottle of Geyser Peak Cabernet Sauvignon, produced in Sonoma County here in California.

Tomorrow we will return to regular life.  That means no fried food, much more fish, and much less cheese.  But theme week was fun and I'd love to do another sometime.  If you have an idea for a future theme, please leave a comment!

Day 125: Election Week Special Part 4 (Grilled Cheese)

Welcome to Part 4 of our first ever theme week on 365daysofdinner.com.  In case you haven't checked in in awhile, I have been celebrating this historic presidential election with All American dinners.  

Tonight, we created some awesome grilled cheese sandwiches.  Never one to go with the ultra traditional, I jazzed it up while keeping with the week's theme.

First of all, there was no plain old white bread here!  Instead, we used San Francisco sourdough, purchased today at the farmer's market.

For cheese, we used a mix of deli sliced American cheese and Muenster.  And because everything is better with pork products, we added some Boar's Head ham, straight from Brooklyn, NY USA.

I opted to add a couple of slices of heirloom tomato and a few fresh basil leaves to my sandwich, which pushed the sandwich over the edge of tasty into the land of deliciousness.

Whereas my husband opted to have multiple sandwiches, I paired my one sandwich with a bowl of Amy's Chunky Tomato Bisque, because there is not more American way to eat a grilled cheese sandwich than to pair it with tomato soup.  And of course, we each had a pickle.

This meal, like all of our others this week, was paired with a good made-in-America beverage.  Bartholomew Park Winery, located in the Sonoma Valley, is our latest winery find.  We joined their wine club and are enjoying our first shipment which featured 2006 Syrah.  You probably won't find anything by Bartholomew Park in your local wine shop - you'll just have to come out to California to try it for yourself.

Tune in tomorrow to see how we wrap up this amazing week of exciting news and tasty dinners!

Day 124: Election Week Special Part 3 (Chili Dogs)

Credit for tonight's entry goes to my friend Tom.  As I was getting ready to leave the office tonight, he asked me what I was having for dinner tonight.  This question had actually been plaguing me all afternoon.

If you've been reading the blog this week, you know that I made a big vat of chili on Sunday.  I knew I should either eat that up or stick it in the freezer, but I have a great track record so far off not repeating dinners within the same week, so I was hesitant.  Tom suggested that I make chili dogs - brilliant!!

Believe it or not, I had never actually cooked a hot dog before, so my husband stuck them on the grill.  I know now that I could have just boiled them, but as you know, everything tastes better when grilled!

To stick with this week's All American theme, I probably should have chosen Nathan's Famous Franks.  Do hot dogs get anymore American than that?  However, I went with Hebrew National.  I literally eat about 3 hot dogs a year and I know that HN are tasty - so sorry for not sticking with the program 100%.

We did, however, have some Tillamook Cheddar from Oregon and a nice red wine produced by BV, here in California.  I know - wine and chili dogs?  

Day 123: Election Week Special Part 2 (Buffalo Wings)

Left or right.  Blue or Red.  Donkeys or Elephants.  Whichever way you lean, today was an exciting day to be an American.  The air was absolutely electric here in San Francisco and all day I just looked forward to going home to glue myself to CNN and their funky maps (although I could really do without their overly dramatic "Projection" intro and what the hell was that Will.I.Am hologram thing??  Creepy!).

I planned to be so glued in fact, that cooking dinner was really out of the question.  I managed to whip up a simple salad (greens, tomatoes, bell pepper, roasted beets, and sliced almonds) and then as you can see, we winged it.

We haven't had great luck with wings in SF - not meaty enough - not spicy enough - plain old not tasty enough.  Perhaps this is due to our very high standards given the killer wings back in NYC.  We finally did find some damn good wings and lucky us!  They are less than a 10 minute walk away at Perry's, a popular San Francisco joint for yummy sandwiches, pancakes, burgers, and other basic but necessary dishes!  In addition to perfectly spiced, big fat wings, I would like to hail the chunky, delicious blue cheese dressing that comes with.  Yum.

Of course, I downed some good ole Sam Adams beer tonight.  I great night to be an American, indeed!!

Day 122: Election Week Special Part 1 (Chili)

In recognition of Election Day, this week will feature all American dishes.

It's been raining for DAYS here in SF.  That kind of weather makes me yearn for soup, stew, or chili and so on Sunday, I whipped up some chili for dinner tonight.  Everyone knows that chili is better a day or two (or three) later, once all of the flavors have mixed just right.

I've tried many chili recipes over the years and some are definitely better than others.  The best one I've found yet is from Bon Appetit magazine:

Ingredients:

1 T vegetable oil

2 medium onions, chopped (I used one large one)

1.5 tsp dried oregano

1.5 tsp ground cumin

1.5 lbs lean ground turkey

1/4 cup chili powder

2 bay leaves

1 T unsweetened chili powder

1.5 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes in juice

3 cups beef broth

1 8-ounce can of tomato sauce

3 15-ounce cans small white beans (I used 2 cans of white and 1 of kidney)

Heat oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat.  Add onions and saute until light brown and tender, about 10 minutes.

Add oregano and cumin, stir one minute.  

Increase heat to medium-high.  Add turkey and stir frequently until no longer pink, breaking up with the back of a spoon.

Stir in chili powder, bay leaves, cocoa powder, salt, and cinnamon.  Add tomatoes with juice, breaking up with the back of a spoon.  Mix in broth and tomato sauce and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add beans (rinsed and drained) and simmer for another 10 minutes.

I highly recommend serving chili with lots of sharp cheddar cheese.  Some of my favorite brands are Cabot, Tillamook, or Trader Joe's Extra Sharp Canadian.

If you have a favorite chili recipe, please share.  I do love this one, but I love to try new ones, too.  Here's to keeping warm this winter!!

Day 121: Sneak Peek

Sunday is my favorite day to cook.  I can start early, make something more involved, not feel rushed, and really enjoy the process.  Often, I will make two dishes on Sunday - one for dinner that night and one for later in the week.

That was my plan tonight.  It's been a wet and rainy few days in San Francisco - perfect chili weather.  But more about that tomorrow, since that's when we plan to eat it (everyone knows that chili is better a day or two after you make it).

Tonight's dinner was mustard crusted lamb chops and asparagus.  For the lamb, I revisited an amazing recipe by Emeril Lagasse.  This is a favorite recipe in my house.

For the asparagus, first I parboiled it (4-5 minutes in salted boiling water).  Then, I used some of the sauce from the chili I had cooked earlier in the day to cook it the rest of the way.  All I did was heat up a few tablespoons of the sauce (leaving the meat and beans behind for tomorrow) and then saute the parboiled asparagus in it on very low heat for about 10 minutes.

For the actual chili recipe, you're just going to have to return tomorrow.  Sneak peek tonight - all of the details then!

Day 120: A Sure Sign of Autumn

I love to cook, but I also love when someone cooks for me!  Tonight we went to our friend Julie's house for dinner.

I have been resisting the purchase of a butternut squash, as I feel they are a true sign that summer's over and autumn has arrived.  This dinner got me over that hump, though, and reminded me how delicious this ingredient is.

As you can see, the butternut was incorporated into a pasta dish.  It was roasted in the oven with some onion first.  Once cooked, it was added to the pasta along with turkey sausage, fresh spinach, fresh sage, and freshly shaved parmesan cheese.

This was comfort food at its best - warm, hearty, and without the guilt that comes along with a lot of other comfort foods.  If you'd like to try this dish out, the recipe is available at Allrecipes.com. Click here and get ready to welcome autumn with open arms!