Day 180: A New Year - A New Cuisinart

Happy New Year!!

We spent the last night of 2008 at a dinner party at our friend Julie's house.  She made a delicious lasagna with ground pork and lots of creamy ricotta.  It really was fab.

To accompany the main dish, I made a spinach salad with tiny tomatoes, orange bell pepper, raw mushrooms, toasted pine nuts, and sliced apple.

I also made cheesy garlic bread which, to be honest, was too garlicky.  Next time I'll roast the garlic first to cut down on its sharpness.

Cheesy Garlic Bread:

French baguette, sliced in half lengthwise

1/2 stick of butter, softened

1 T chopped fresh oregano

Several cloves of roasted garlic

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

Combine the oregano and butter and mix.  You may find it helpful to do this with a fork.

Fold the bread back to expose the inside.  Be careful not to tear the top from the bottom.  Spread herbed butter liberally on the top and the bottom the inside of the bread.

Add a thin layer of mashed roasted garlic (or finely minced/pressed raw garlic, if you prefer) on top of the buttered bottom of the bread.  Sprinkle a layer of parmesan cheese over the garlic.  Add the shredded mozzarella, fold the bread back over, and wrap tightly in foil.  

Bake bread for 15-20 minutes on 375 degrees.

The last dish I made was chocolate mousse.  Eventually it was tasty, but the preparation was fraught with disaster.  

The recipe called for 12 oz. of imported milk chocolate but I decided to get fancy and use chocolate with hazelnuts.  I broke up the bars into my Cuisinart to chop the chocolate but either I overloaded it, or the nuts were too hard for the machine, or perhaps there was another reason but next thing I knew, the processor was making a strange sound.  I stopped it, opened it up, and realized that the blade had broken in half and the loose piece was sticking into the side of the bowl of the processor!!  I didn't know something like that was even possible!  Guess I'll be welcoming a new Cuisinart to our household in 2009!

My milk was already simmering, but I needed to go to the store for new chocolate, so essentially, I needed to start from scratch.  Once all of the ingredients had been replaced, I still found the mousse somewhat difficult to make.  It's very delicate and there are several opportunity to screw it up by overcooking the milk or overmixing.  It wasn't easy, but it turned out very good.  We served in small dark chocolate cups - bit sized luxury!

I hope you all enjoyed your New Year celebration and wish you all lots of good food and tasty treats in 2009!!

Day 179: This Photograph is a Big, Fat Lie

Our friends Amy and Len and their 2 year old Jack came over for dinner tonight.  They flew in last night from the east coast and were all adjusting to the time difference - especially little Jack.

I attempted to prepare a dinner that would be finished nice and early so that we could eat before complete exhaustion set in.  But somehow, I misjudged the timing of nearly everything and so these three items were eaten separately - first the shrimp, then the butternut squash, and then cauliflower course was served.

The shrimp was salt roasted and served with a lemony dipping sauce - easy and always a crowd pleaser.  I first shared this recipe with you on day #50 ("Party!").

Next, we had roasted butternut squash & cranberries, made tasty with thyme, brown sugar, freshly grated nutmeg, and brown butter.  This was something I "invented" about a week ago on day #170 ("You Must Try This!").

The cauliflower course was simple:  I cut a head of cauliflower into large pieces, tossed them with olive oil and S&P and roasted them at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes.

For dessert, we had a cheese course that included a triple cream brie with chopped dried apricots and Craisins and a mustard seed cheddar called Red Dragon (delicious and available at Cheese Plus here in San Francisco).

So the dinner was super staggered, but everything was tasty and it was fun to catch up with our friends over multiple courses.  Even if one of them was just cauliflower.

Day 178: Doesn't Get Much Better Than This

Tonight was my second pilgrimage to Chez Panisse in Berkeley and once again, I had a wonderful experience.

Alice Waters opened Chez Panisse in the seventies, soon after graduating from UC Berkeley.  She is known as the originator of California cuisine and as a huge supporter of local farmers, was the first restauranteur to begin crediting her sources within her menu.  Goat cheese wasn't just goat cheese, it was Laura Chenel goat cheese.  This dedication to local growing means that the Chez Panisse menu always features the freshest and most seasonally relevant ingredients.  Ms. Waters also played a huge role in introducing the Slow Food movement to America, in an attempt to encourage people to take their time with food, enjoy meals together, and to think about and appreciate the food they eat.  One of the best books I've read about Alice Waters is called "Alice Waters and Chez Panisse" by Thomas McNamee.  I highly recommend it.

So...back to dinner.  Chez Panisse has two parts - the downstairs dining room and the upstairs cafe, which is more casual.  The thing to make sure you understand about the Chez Panisse dining room, is that they offer one set menu per day, the only alternative being the vegetarian menu.  So, you really need to be open minded when it comes to food and willing to try new things.  Monday nights, the restaurant offers a 3-course meal and as the week goes on, additional courses are added.  You can see the current Chez Panisse menus on their website.

Last night's dinner began with a salad of grilled squid and chicories with herbs and preserved lemon.  Delicious.  The entree was a fish and shellfish soup with saffron, leeks, green garlic, and aioli.  I actually opted for the vegetarian entree, as saffron is one of the few ingredients on this planet that I just do not care for.  Instead, I received a plate of warm and creamy fettucini with wild mushrooms - shitakes and black trumpets, I believe.  Dessert was a warm chocolate cake with burnt caramel ice cream.  Amazing.

The food isn't the only reason to splurge on a visit to Chez Panisse.  The service is always impeccable.  The atmosphere is warm, cozy, and very welcoming.  All in all, dining at Chez Panisse is a really wonderful and special experience.

Day 177: Satisfying a Two Day Old Craving

I mentioned on Friday that I was craving tacos.  But we got home way too late that night to start playing around with making guacamole, chopping tomatoes, and shredding cheese.  Then last night we attended a friend's holiday party and finally, tonight I was able to give in to my savory desires.

My tacos aren't anything particularly special, but my husband and I do love them.  I always use ground turkey rather than beef and cook it following the directions from the McCormick's taco seasoning mix envelope.

I also always make my own guacamole:

1 medium to large avocado

2 heaping tsp of reduced fat sour cream

Juice from 1/2 a lime

12-15 shakes from the Frank's Hot Sauce or Tabasco bottle

My favorite trick is to turn the avocado out on a cutting board and to mash it with the back of a fork.  Then I move the mashed avocado to a bowl, add the rest of the ingredients, and mix together.  Taste and add more of whatever you think you need.  Keep in mind that taco seasoning tends to be on the salty side, so adding more salt to the guac is usually unnecessary.

Another important tip is to use a good high quality sharp cheddar.  I like Cabot or Tillamook.  Use the large holed side of the grater to get the most flavor from your shredded cheese (this is highly recommended vs. buying pre-grated cheese which can be dry and flavorless).

As you can see from my photo, I skipped the taco shell tonight.  It's a lot of extra calories that aren't always worth it.  Of course if you're craving the crunch or just prefer not to eat something resembling dog food, then go for the shell.  Bearitos make good ones.

Day 176: There's Always Good Food at Sarah's House

We love our friend Sarah.  And we love her mad cooking skills!!  

Tonight was Sarah's holiday party and her spread did not disappoint.  Her dining room table was full of tasty treats:  a variety of tiny and crispy phyllo cups were filled with wild mushrooms, smoked salmon & creme fraiche, or avocado, pinto beans, and tomatoes.  Herbed goat cheese and warm and creamy crab and artichoke dip were accompanied by toasted sliced of baguette.  A cheese plate.  Asparagus wrapped with supple and salty prosciutto.  Marinated artichoke hearts, boccachini, olive tapenade.  Mugs full of sweet savory butternut squash soup.  Everything was delish - and trust me, I tried it all!!

I must also make mention of the special holiday cocktails that Sarah's brother whipped up.  Other than homemade cinnamon simple syrup, I have no idea what was in these things - but they smelled and tasted like the holidays and I had not problem sucking them down!

The best part, though, was the company.  Sarah and I have been friends for almost 15 years and it was wonderful to be able to share the holidays with her.  Hopefully, she felt the same because I want to continue to be invited to her parties!!

Day 175: Old Stuff From the Fridge

We nearly always go out for dinner on Friday nights - but having been off from work since Wednesday, my internal day of the week clock is seriously screwed up.

I had a craving all afternoon for tacos, so we were planning to whip them up for dinner.  But after an afternoon full of errands and not getting home until after 8pm, I sort of lost my energy for cooking and it felt too late to head out for a meal.  So, we took the opportunity to finish up a bunch of old stuff from the fridge, like the broccoli pictured above which I had purchased at the market about a week ago.

I steamed the broccoli and paired it with a can of Amy's Chunky Tomato Bisque - one of my favorite canned soups.  I doctored the soup up by stirring in some freshly grated parmesan cheese, some black pepper, a pinch of cayenne pepper, and some dried oregano.  Warm, cozy, and ad little bit spicy - great for a chilly night!

Day 174: Merry Christmas to All!

If you grew up in a Jewish household in the US, you likely celebrated Christmas just as I always did.  Say it with me now - Chinese food and a movie!

Having married someone who is not Jewish, the Chinese food dinner has been replaced with a gourmet Christmas dinner, usually prepared at home.  But I'm not ready to abandon my idea of a traditional Jewish Christmas and so we switched things up this year and went out for a Chinese food lunch.  Or, I should say, we tried to.  I was saddened to find our local Chinese restaurant closed - especially since we phoned them up yesterday to make sure they'd be open.  And so, no Chinese food for me this year - instead, I had a tuna melt.

Fortunately I had an amazing meal in which to drown my sorrows tonight.  Late in the afternoon, we began with sparking wine, shrimp cocktail, and goat cheese with baked whole grain crackers.

After we had enjoyed that, my husband lit up the grill and began to cook a 4-rib rack of pork - low and slow.  We saw this cut of meat prepared by Guy Fieri on the Food Network a couple of weeks ago and decided to give a try as something special for our Christmas dinner.  The best part?  My husband was more than eager to be in charge of this meal - after all, it involved a huge piece of meat and the grill.  A man's dream!

My husband created a yummy homemade marinade last night and the pork bathed in it for about 20 hours prior to cooking.

Marinade:

3 T honey

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 tsp Chinese Five Spice Powder

1/4 cup whiskey

Prior to putting the meat on the grill, he strained the marinade to avoid burning the garlic, added 3 T olive oil, and used that mixture to baste the pork every 20-30 minutes.  In all, the pork spent nearly 3 hours on the grill until it reached an internal temperature of 160 degrees.

To accompany the pork, I made a simple side dish of sugar snap peas and shitake mushrooms.  The peas marinated for about an hour in the juice of 1/2 a lemon, 1 T white wine, 1 T olive oil, 1 tsp honey, 2 smashed cloves of garlic, and two shakes of cayenne pepper.  I added the mushrooms to the mix about 15 minutes before I was ready to cook them.

The whole mixture - marinade and all - was sauteed in a heavy saucepan, preheated with about 1 T of olive oil.  As they were cooking I added S&P and cooked everything for 6 or 7 minutes.

All of this was enjoyed tree-side.  Who needs Chinese food.  Merry Christmas to all - and to all a good night!

Day 173: I Am Lucky

I am a Jewish girl that married a non-Jewish guy.  That means that I get to celebrate Hanukkah AND Christmas and that is a beautiful thing.  Monday night we had our awesome Hanukkah dinner and tonight we went out for a fantastic Christmas Eve meal at Capannina, a wonderful Italian restaurant in our neighborhood.

My husband and I actually choose to forego gift giving this time of year and instead, opt to have an opulent night out with good food and fine wine.  Tonight that meal included four courses:

We went "half-sies" on two appetizers:  a beet salad with arugula, goat cheese, and candied walnuts and spicy prawns with crispy polenta (pictured).  After that, we shared an order of wild boar ragu - rich, savory, satisfying, and one of my favorite dishes at Capannina.

My entree was cioppino, which seemed to be flying off the shelf tonight.  I spotted it on several tables throughout the restaurant when we sat down and I couldn't resist the lobster lying across the top of the bowl.   The dish also contained salmon, a giant scallop, shrimp, clams, mussels, and some kind of white fish.  All of this arrived in a delicious tomato broth - so yum.

And because that dish is at least as healthy and low fat as it is tasty, I felt compelled to share dessert with my hubby.  Capannina's profiteroles have rocked my world many times in the past and are always my go-to treat when I decide to indulge in sweets there.  Five soft, cream filled globes of dough are served with two dipping sauces:  melted chocolate and caramel.  Seriously?  I dare you to name something more divine.

All of this delicious plus prosecco to start, a lovely chianti with our meal, and dessert wine when we got home equalled a perfect evening as far as I'm concerned.  Who needs presents??

Day 172: On Vacation in ALL Respects

As my husband puts it, today was my last day of work of the year.  Advertising agency life is pretty good from that perspective - most agencies close between Christmas Eve Day and New Years Day, providing a wonderful long break from the real world.

This year vacation mode set it instantly and as I left the office and headed for the bus home, I thought to myself, "Cook dinner???  No way!!"

The fact is, we had a ton of leftovers in the fridge from Sunday night and from last night's Hanukkah feast so cooking wasn't necessary anyway.  I opted to create a potpourri of leftover side dishes and pair them with a can of Trader Joe's Italian Wedding soup.  Meanwhile, my husband did some good work on last night's leftover brisket.

I know some people don't care for leftovers, but I'm a big fan of them.  It's absolutely wonderful to have a home cooked meal without actually doing any cooking that day.  And with Christmas right around the corner, I need to save all of my cooking strength!

Day 171: Low Carb Latkes. Yes You Can!

Tonight marked year 2 of our annual Hanukkah dinner celebration.  Like last year, I made a brisket, but this year's recipe was world's better than last year's.  Braised slowly with dried apricots, garlic, and several aromatic seasonings - this dish forced a delicious aroma throughout the house all afternoon yesterday.

Everyone knows that you can't have Hanukkah without latkes, but this year I tried something new - much to my husband's chagrin.  Rather than make carb laden potato latkes, I decided to try zucchini latkes.  I thought they tasted pretty good and they added a nice little bit of color to the table - but my husband thought I should have stuck with the tried and true.

Speaking of tried and true, we of course had a loaf of challah on the table tonight.  Not just any challah - challah from the amazing Noe Valley Bakery - makers of the best challah in SF.

Last minute, I panicked about not having enough side dishes so I dashed out to our local grocery store and purchased some cous cous with raisins and veggies and a stewed white bean salad.

Finally, we capped it all off with some adorable and yummy desserts from the Noe Valley Bakery:  a cupcake with blue frosting and a mini dreidel, a petit four with menorah on top, and blue star sugar cookies.

It was a great dinner and a nice celebration.  Happy holidays, all!

Day 170: You Must Try This!

Tonight's dinner was a celebration of autumn and the holiday season.  

If you read my Thanksgiving entry, you may recall that we grilled an herb rubbed turkey breast this year, rather that roasting the whole bird.  The herb mixture includes garlic, thyme, rosemary, and parsley - combined and made into a paste in a food processor.  Since Thanksgiving, I've used this herb mixture with halibut and tonight I used it with organic bone-in skin-on chicken breasts.  As with the turkey, I gently pulled the skin away from the chicken breasts and placed a thick layer of herb rub underneath.  Then, I browned the chicken in a skillet pre-heated with olive oil and then placed it in a glass baking dish to finish in the oven.  (375 degrees for about 30 minutes)

But the star of tonight's meal was the side dish.  I started with a recipe I found on Epicurious.com and tweaked it to make it a bit more dynamic and interesting.

Ingredients:

1 2-lb butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded, and cut into 1 inch pieces

1 T light brown sugar

1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

2 T olive oil

1 cup fresh cranberries

3 T unsalted butter

1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/3 cup pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped

Combine squash, sugar, thyme, and oil in a large bowl.  Season with S&P and toss to make sure squash is evenly coated.

Lay squash out in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet (spray pan with non-stick spray beforehand) and roast at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, sprinkle cranberries over the top of the squash and roast for another 15 minutes.

Melt butter at medium-low heat until browned (4-5 minutes).  

Once squash and cranberries are finished cooking, place them in a large bowl.  Pour the brown butter over the top, add the nutmeg and pistachios, and toss it all together.  Serve!

The ingredients in this dish balance each other out perfectly - sweet, sour, a little crunchy, a little salty.  It was pretty close to perfect and I look forward to making it many more times this winter.  Experimenting with recipes is fun - especially when it works out so well!

Day 169: Au Jus Girl

Did you know that jumbo steamed shrimp like the ones pictured here have 3 grams of protein and only about 15 calories each?  As if I needed another reason to continue to order my favorite appetizer at Izzy's Steaks and Chops!

It was a cold night in SF though, and so I was intrigued by the warm goat cheese salad that I had never before noticed on Izzy's menu.  Fortunately, in addition to his own salad, my husband ordered the shrimp to share as well so I had the best of both worlds.

As always, a prime rib and lots of steamed broccoli followed my appetizer.  Our waitress recognized us tonight and remembered that I prefer au jus to the normal horseradish that the restaurant normally provides to accompany prime rib.  She said that I will be known from now on as "the au jus girl" - fine by me!  I know I've been called a lot worse!

Day 168: Desperately Seeking Vegetables

Today was our annual holiday potluck lunch at the office and boy did I cram a LOT of stuff into my pie hole.  If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you know my eating style by now and may be surprised to hear that no veggies passed my lips throughout the entire party.  So, by dinner time, my body was in shock and begging for the vitamins, minerals, and nutrition that only vegetables can provide.

Actually, I wasn't very hungry at all at dinner time, but my husband hadn't been lucky enough to eat all afternoon long at his office, so we went to the Balboa Cafe for some grub.  To appease my veggie cravings, I had a cup of tomato basil soup and a field green salad.  My hubby and I also shared a side order of brussels sprouts.

The field green salad is my usual appetizer at The Bal, but tonight it served as my entree.  Baby greens are tossed with raisins, candied pecans (which I don't care for and so pick out and give to my husband), and a delicious vinaigrette.  Slices of apple surround the salad and a crostini smothered in smooth goat cheese accompanies the dish.

I can't say that this meal made me feel any better about all of the junk I'd consumed earlier in the day.  But perhaps it sets me up to get back on track tomorrow.  Dare to dream!

Day 167: Too Busy Cooking to Cook Dinner

Tomorrow is our holiday potluck lunch at work and I'm way too busy making meatballs to worry about cooking dinner.  Good thing we have leftover sausage and veggie mixture from last night!

We also had a bunch of broccoli, so I steamed that and mixed it with the leftovers.

And we always have shrimp in the freezer, exactly for nights like this.  I defrosted a dozen for each of us and then tossed them in a Ziploc bag with the following marinade:  juice of one large lime, 3 crushed garlic cloves, 3 T olive oil, 1/2 tsp sugar, a few shakes from the red pepper flake jar, and S&P. 

After about 10 minutes, I sauteed the shrimp in a pan pre-heated with some olive oil.  They cooked up in just a couple of minutes and dinner was served!

I know that they aren't being consumed at dinner time, but I would hate to deny you the recipe for my incredibly awesome meatballs.  You can get that recipe by clicking here and reading my entry from Columbus Day.  Enjoy!

Day 166: I Hate When That Happens

I assure you that this meal is approximately 1 billion times tastier than it looks.  That kind of bums me out.  Anyone know of any good food plating or food styling classes in the Bay Area?

This is actually a dish that I used to make quite often but for some reason, it fell out of my mental recipe box some time ago.  It's easy, delicious, pretty healthy, and great on a cold winter night.

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 links of uncooked spicy turkey sausage, meat removed from casing

1 medium/large zucchini, sliced into 1/2 inch thick half moons

1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips

1/2 onion, sliced thin

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 T chopped fresh oregano

.5 to 1 cup chicken broth

1 can chopped tomatoes, NOT drained

Heat a stainless steel pan coated with olive oil over medium high heat.  Once hot, add chicken breasts and brown on both sides.  Remove chicken and set aside.  Pour off most of oil from pan.

Pour about 1/4 cup of chicken broth and deglaze the pan.  Add crumbled bits of the sausage to the pan and brown.  When nearly done, add garlic, onion, zucchini, pepper, and oregano and continue to cook, mixing from time to time.  If pan is getting too dry, add a few more drops of broth.

Once all veggies are beginning to get soft, add canned tomatoes and another 1/4 cup of broth and mix.  Push veggies away from middle of pan and return chicken to the pan.  Once chicken has been added to pan, cover and surround it with the veggies.  Simmer for another 10-15 minutes, adding more broth if the liquid seems to be reducing too quickly.

Remove chicken and veggies from pot and reduce sauce by simmering on medium-high heat for a couple of minutes.  Drizzle over the top.

We had some leftover cooked whole wheat pasta from earlier in the week.  We added that to the sauce while it was simmering until it was cooked through.  I hadn't ever done this before, but it added a nice extra dimension to the dish.

So, despite an ugly presentation, this was a tasty meal indeed.  Any tips to make it as pretty as it is tasty are welcome!

Day 165: Boy Do I Regret That!!

I know, I know.  That is one nasty looking pile of food!!  I assure you that this was not my dinner and mine alone tonight.  We had a little outing with clients after work and we shared all kinds of appetizer plates at - you guessed it - Pedro's Restaurant & Cantina in Santa Clara, CA.

Some of the food was good (shrimp, chicken wings, guacamole).  Most of it was fair (everything pictured on the giant plate above).  And nearly all of it was not stuff I should be eating while on my quasi-South Beach diet.  Oh well, tomorrow is another day.

In any case, the food wasn't the priority tonight.  My co-workers and clients had a great bonding session, complete with margaritas, beer, and good laughs.  So come to think of it, this meal was a true success.

Day 164: Not My Best Work :(

I've recognized a trend.  Nights when I come home cranky, I just do not cook very good food.  Tonight was one of those nights - I was cranky to begin with and only got crankier after grocery shopping & cooking complications.   

Tonight's dinner was 5-spice crusted pork with roasted cauliflower and asparagus.  Let's start with the pork chops.  My plan had been to purchase pork tenderloin, which I have absolutely mastered.  Unfortunately, Whole Foods was out of them (huh?) and with no back-up plan, I settled for a couple of super thick boneless pork chops.  I ignored my instinct to take a mallet to those chops to flatten them out a bit and speed up the cooking time and therefore, had a really difficult time cooking them through.  I managed to get a lovely crust on the outside, but the middle was still too rare so I wound up slicing and nuking them for a minute.  That, of course, caused them to toughen up and dry up.

Despite the toughness and dryness, the flavor was good.  5-spice powder is a Chinese seasoning that is absolutely divine on pork.  If you've never tried it, give it a shot.  You'll find it in the seasoning section at most supermarkets.

Our cauliflower and asparagus side dish was inspired by a recipe I found on Epicurious.com and prepared for our Thanksgiving meal.  I sliced up a head of cauliflower and laid it flat on a rimmed baking sheet and then sprinkled salt and cayenne pepper over the top.  I laid a bunch of thin asparagus over the top and salted that layer.  The veggies roasted at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.  While they cooked, I melted 2 T butter in a small saucepan and whisked in 1 T olive oil, 1 T lemon juice, and 1 heaping tsp dijon mustard.  

Using a pastry brush, I coated the veggies with the mixture and returned them to the oven for another 10 minutes.

The only thing I really did wrong with the veggies was the over generous sprinkling of cayenne.  It was really a bit too spicy.

So lots of lessons in tonight's entry:  wield the mallet when necessary, take it easy on the cayenne, and when cranky...order in!!

Day 163: Baked Pasta, How Do I Love Thee

I'm not sure what the best thing is about this dinner.  The flavor?  The fact that it incorporates ingredients from 5 of the 6 food pyramid areas?  The leftovers, good for lunch or dinner later in the week?  It's so hard to choose...

I never make baked pasta the same way twice.  Some components are consistent:  whole grain pasta and ground turkey, to be exact.  But the additional ingredients vary based on what I have on hand.

I boil the pasta in salted water with olive oil until cooked al dente.  While that's happening, I brown 1.25 to 1.5 lbs of ground turkey (buy ground turkey breast and you reduce the fat content further!) with 3 minced cloves of garlic, 1/2 a chopped onion, diced red bell pepper and/or zucchini, red pepper flakes, 1/4 tsp dried oregano, and S&P.  This time, I also added what remained of a bag of fresh spinach leaves - maybe 2 cups, which I chopped and added once the turkey was browned.

In a large bowl, mix together the pasta, the turkey mixture, and 2 cups of tomato sauce (one of my favorite jarred sauces is Classico Tomato & Basil).

Spray a large glass baking dish with Pam (or use olive oil, if you prefer) and then add half of your pasta mixture and spread evenly.  Lay slices of provolone cheese over the top and sprinkle with shredded mozzarella.  Add the rest of your pasta, followed by another layer of provolone. Bake in the oven on 350 degrees until the cheese is melted.  Pull the dish out, sprinkle another layer of shredded mozzarella over the top, and return to the oven until the cheese is melted.

If you have fresh basil on hand, it adds great color and a punch of additional flavor when chopped and sprinkled over the top.  Or, you sprinkle some freshly grated parmesan over the top.  You can never have too much cheese.

Give this recipe a try on a cold wet day and you'll feel warm and cozy and happy.  I promise!

Day 162: Good Times, Good Friends

What a meal.  What a night.   What fun and amazing friends I have!!

My college friend Jeanne and her mom were in town for a funeral.  We had plans to meet them for dinner and I wanted to pick a place that was chill, fun, laid back, and where we could spend a couple of hours together eating and drinking wine without feeling rushed.  I chose Mochica, a great Peruvian restaurant in SOMA.

Mochica is perfect for a group of people who like to share lots of different dishes.  It was quite a meal - we shared lots of different things and had a wonderful meal and a great time.  Our meal included:

1.  Anticuchos (beef heart on a skewer!!!)

2.  Papita Rellena (Potato ball stuffed with picadillo - pictured above)

3.  Camarones Carlitos (Shrimp in red sauce)

4.  Tiradito en Aji Amarillo (Halibut ceviche)

5.  Chancho Adobado (braised pork with yucca and mashed potatoes)

6.  Paella Mochica  (paella with sausage, shrimp, and fish)

Then we had dessert:  suspiro a la limena (sweet milk caramel with meringue) and torta de chocolate (does this really require translation??).

All of this deliciousness was coupled with two bottles of red wine and some dessert wine.  We were honored to bring some lightness and laughs to an otherwise difficult day for our good friends and nothing helps that along as well as good food and good wine.

Day 161: Go Team!

I was so busy root root rooting for the home team from a luxury box at the Oracle Arena that I completely forgot to take a picture of my dinner tonight.  It consisted of:

7 hot wings with blue cheese dipping sauce, of course

1/3 of a hot dog and a little sauerkraut

lots of carrots and celery from the crudite plate

a handful or two of peanuts

4 strawberries from the cookie plate

1 beer

1 mini glass of wine

The Warriors lost but it's tough to care when you've spent the night in a luxury box with all the free food and drink you can stuff in your pie hole.  Go team!

Day 160: A Good Idea is a Stolen Idea

A few weeks ago our friend Sarah had us over for dinner.  The main course was dungeness crabs purchased pre-cooked (steamed or boiled - not sure which) at Whole Foods.  What an awesome and easy dinner idea!  So, I stole it tonight.

My husband picked the crabs up on the way home and had them cracked at the fish counter.  Meanwhile at home, I made a salad with fresh veggies picked up at the farmer's market today:  baby lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and a red bell pepper.  Then I sprinkled toasted pine nuts over the top.

I prepared the brussels sprouts as follows.  I heated up a cast iron pan with some olive oil.  Once hot, I tossed in some sliced garlic cloves and added a pound of halved sprouts cut side down.  Once the sprouts are browned, pull them out of the pan and place them in baking dish.  Toss with olive oil, garlic powder, onion salt, S&P and roast for about 10 minutes at 375 degrees and then sprinkled toasted pine nuts over the top.  Delicious.

All in all a healthy, if not original, dinner idea.  Feel free to steal it and pass it on!

Day 159: Facebook Party!

I am a Facebook addict.  I'm not revealing any big secret here for those of you who know me.  And luckily, because I work in the advertising world, I sometimes get some inside access to cool things like the Facebook holiday party, which we attended tonight.

The party wasn't nearly as much fun as Facebook itself, but the food was pretty good.  From the buffet, I enjoyed lots of crudite with guacamole as a dip, tiny little one-bit sushi, sweet and smoky mini-meatballs, and cheese.  It was pretty easy to stick with my diet at the party - I just ignored the little quesadilla bites, the crackers, and the bread and kept the sushi rice to a minimum.  

I also skipped the yummy looking dessert buffet and tried not too drool too much all over the goodies that my husband took.  The chocolate chip cookies looked like they were to die for and the brownie, sugar cookies, and cheesecake bites didn't look half bad either.  However, I managed to resist (after a mini bite of my hubby's brownie) and came home and had sugar-free Jell-O instead.  

This was our first party of the season but we look forward to much more celebrating, eating, and wine drinking over the coming weeks!  Happy holidays!

Day 158: Pretty Enough for Christmas?

When I was growing up, every Valentine's Day my mother would make a meal focused on the color red.  I remember having things like meat loaf with ribbons of ketchup baked on top, tomato salad, and cherry Jell-O.  

As our dinner came together tonight, just a couple of weeks ahead of Christmas, I was reminded of that tradition and thought that with its red and greens, this meal could serve as a nice appetizer before Christmas dinner.

I made this recipe up as I went, based on lots of other similar recipes I had followed in the past - so the ingredient list below is an estimation.  It's important to taste as you go to identify whether you need more of anything.

Ingredients:

2 cups of 2-inch pieces of fresh green beans

12 pear (or cherry) tomatoes, halved vertically

1 ripe avocado, diced

1 shallot bulb, sliced thin

Juice of 1 large lime

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp peanut oil

1 T olive oil

20 shakes of Frank's Red Hot sauce

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp soy sauce

Approx. 1 lb of high quality (searing grade) ahi tuna

Boil a pot of salted water and add green beans.  Boil until fork tender but still bright green.  Drain and set aside.

Add ingredients lime through soy sauce in a large bowl and whisk.  Taste to ensure that you like the balance of oil to acidity and make any adjustments you find necessary.

Add beans, tomatoes, shallot, and avocado to the mixture and gently stir together.

Coat a stainless steel pan with olive oil and turn burner to medium-high.  Pat tuna dry with a paper towel and season both sides with S&P.  Once oil is hot, sear tuna on both sides - this should only take 3-5 minutes per side depending on how thick the steak is and how well done you like your tuna.

Allow the tuna to cool just a bit.  Then, cut it into large chunks and add to the rest of the salad.  Mix gently and serve!

This was SO yum and incorporated lots of fresh ingredients.  We will definitely be having this again - probably not on Christmas, but soon!

Day 157: Chinese Penicillin

I woke up today and, pardon my French, I felt like crap.  By the end of the day, I felt better, but still some queasiness remained.  Whenever I don't feel particularly well, I crave a big bowl of won ton soup from our neighborhood Chinese restaurant, Country Sky.  

You may know that chicken noodle soup is often referred to as Jewish penicillin but did you know that won ton soup is Chinese penicillin?  At least it is for me!  I almost always feel tons better after a big bowl of it.

Do you have a favorite food remedy when you aren't feeling well?

Day 156: Not Baaaaaad

The chill is on here in San Francisco.  I know those of you on the East Coast have zero sympathy, but as my husband says all the time - I've gone soft.  When the mercury dips below 60 degrees, I am COLD!!

I decided to make some stew tonight and found a yummy sounding recipe on Epicurious.com.  Generally, I prefer lamb to beef in stew and this one, with chickpeas and spinach sounded like a winner.

I had nearly all of the ingredients called for - just needed the lamb shoulder, so I visited my neighborhood meat market.  What I wasn't prepared for was for him to be out of stew-able lamb.  What to do?  After talking with the butcher, I was somehow convinced to buy goat instead!!  A friend of mine has talked up goat many time before and without a clear back-up plan in mind, I just went for it.  And it was good!

Overall, I'd give the stew a "fair" rating, but that didn't have anything to do with the meat.  The dish had decent flavor, but because it didn't call for any spices, it was a bit one dimensional.  I added a couple of drops of my beloved Sriracha to the broth, mixed it up, and that really helped.

I think there are lots of tastier stew recipes out there and so I don't foresee making this one again anytime soon.  The goat?  THAT I may need to try again.  Any recipes or ideas?

Day 155: Pre-Party Sustenance

My husband's company holiday party was tonight and all that was promised was hors d'oeuvres so we thought we'd better have an early dinner before the event.

We went to Pacific Catch, an awesome seafood restaurant that we have visited for lunch quite frequently over the past couple of years, but we had never had dinner there.  Everything I've ever had at PC was fresh, flavorful, and healthy (with the exception, perhaps, for the fish & chips) and I really love this place.

Tonight I tried their daily special, which was grilled salmon with tomatillo and avocado sauce, grilled veggies, and PC's ridiculous sweet potato fries.  My husband took care of those (and teh corn) since I'm trying to maintain some semblance of the South Beach Diet.  The salmon was delicious, despite the sour cream or creme fraiche or whatever that white stuff was.  It was so good that I was well into the fillet before I realized that I had neglected to take a picture!

Pacific Catch has so many tasty menu items and it really is one of my favorite neighborhood joints.  We just may need to find our way over there for dinner another couple of times over the next 210 days!

Day 154: This is Dieting?

Well into the disaster that is the Halloween-Thanksgiving-Christmas season, I've decided that a return to South Beach is necessary.  Not South Beach, the trendy Florida destination -  South Beach the diet.  The tenets of the SB Diet are:  lean protein (fish, chicken, lean beef) , whole carbs (brown rice, wheat pasta), and good fats (olive oil, fish).

During the first two weeks of the diet (Phase 1), you are actually supposed to lay off of all carbs and alcohol.  I'm am actually jumping straight to Phase 2, where good carbs can be re-integrated and wine is acceptable.

With a menu full of different fish and healthy sides, Cafe Maritime is an ideal dinner venue.  Tonight I started with shrimp cocktail and then had spicy blackened swordfish with steamed broccoli and string beans.  To reward myself for such a healthy and low-fat dinner choice, I paired this meal with some lovely Cakebread Sauvignon Blanc.  This is dieting??

Day 153: Not Feelin' It

I just wasn't in the mood to cook up a big involved dinner tonight.  Luckily for me, we had a fridge full of veggies that I knew would roast up nicely.  This is a very easy preparation for a work night.  It takes awhile to cook, especially if you use dense firm veggies like carrots, but it's tasty, healthy, and goes with whatever protein you want to eat with it.

Our mix included cauliflower, broccoli, bell pepper, zucchini, pear tomatoes, onion, and carrots.  Everything was cut into large pieces and mixed with olive oil, chopped garlic, lots of fresh thyme, and S&P.  This mixture roasted in a large glass baking dish at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes.  Once it's done, squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the whole thing.  If you want it perfect, put the carrots in alone first for 5-10 extra minutes and then add everything else.  If you do it this way, you can cook everything else for less time.

I chose an equally easy protein to have the roasted veggie side dish.  I purchased a couple of skinless, boneless chicken breasts and pounded them thin between two layers of plastic wrap.  You can skip this step, but it helps the chicken cook MUCH faster, so I recommend you at least give it a try.  Then I seasoned the chicken on both sides with S&P and browned it in an olive oil coated pan that I had pre-heated.  Just a couple of minutes on each side, and it was done, so you'll want to cook the chicken once your veggies are done to everything is nice and hot at the same time.

If you want to add just a little flair to this otherwise extremely simple meal, you can then sprinkle one side of the chicken breast with some freshly grated parm and stick it under the broiler for a couple of minutes.

I've noticed that as the week goes on, my cooking enthusiasm wanes and wanes until Friday, when all I want to do is go out and have someone cook for and serve me.  Hey, tomorrow's Friday!  TGIF!!

Day 152: Memories of San Gennaro

I'll give you one chance to guess why I used to love the New York San Gennaro Festival.  Surely none of you think it's the insane crowds, throngs of tourists, or the silly carnival games.  Of course - it's the food!!

I know this falls into the TMI (too much information) category, but generally speaking, pork sausage just does not agree with me.  Therefore, I would allow myself the indulgence (and afterwards, the torture) only once a year in the form of a sausage and peppers sandwich at San Gennaro.  Of course, that was followed up with a nice, hot, fresh funnel cake topped with powdered sugar.  Yep - the whole outing was pretty much just one giant intestinal disaster.

Anyway - for some reason this week I was thinking about San Gennaro and realized that I could make my own delicious sausage and peppers but in a healthier way that wouldn't kill my digestive system.  I'd use turkey sausage, skip the big giant roll, and of course - omit the funnel cake.

Ingredients (serves 2):

1 onion (or, half of a purple onion and half of a yellow onion)

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

2-3 colored bell peppers, sliced lengthwise (use different colors for better presentation)

4 links of spicy turkey sausage (or sweet, if you do not care for spicy)

Approximately 1/4 cup of white wine (broth may work as well)

Olive oil

Pour a thin coat of olive oil into a stainless steel pan and heat on medium-high heat.  Lay sausages in hot oil and brown on all sides.  Remove sausages and set aside.  

Reduce heat to medium-low and pour in white wine to deglaze pan.  As wine hits the pan, it will sizzle furiously.  Use a wooden spoon or spatula and quickly rub at and release the brown bits at the bottom of the pan.  Add onion and garlic and saute until softened (6-8 minutes).

Add peppers and saute until softened, stirring frequently.  If you're afraid that things might start to burn, throw in a another couple of splashes of white wine.  It'll take awhile for the peppers to soften up, unless you have sliced them very thinly.  Mine weren't all that thin and I believe it took 10-12 minutes.  Covering the pan will speed up cooking, but just make sure you keep an eye on it so that the veggies don't burn or stick to the pan.

Once the vegetables are to the desired softness, slice the sausages in half vertically and add them to the pan with any juices that may have accumulated when you set them aside or when you sliced them.  Mix everything together and continue to cook until sausage is heated through.

This is 6 ingredients, 1 pan, and so easy.  A great mid-week meal solution and not unhealthy if you use a natural turkey sausage and limit the amount of olive oil you add to the pan.  Oh yea - and no tourists.  Bonus!!

Day 151: Most Impressive Entry Yet?

I'm not sure how to say this without sounding like I'm bragging, but...  I cooked one kick-ass dinner tonight!!!  I am really quite impressed with myself.

As you may have read in Saturday's entry, our favorite neighborhood restaurant made the unfortunate choice to mess with one of their best dishes - butterfish baked in parchment paper.  Since that is no longer a dish we will be enjoying there, I decided to take matters into my own hands and figure out how to make it at home.

I conducted some research on Epicurious.com and polled some friends and gathered enough information that I was comfortable testing it out tonight with some halibut filets - fortunately, to great success.

Our inspiration for this dish was the herb rub that we used on our Turkey last week for Thanksgiving.  I used up all of our sage last week, but I still had lots of parsley, rosemary, and thyme on hand - and of course, we always have garlic, so I recreated the rub and coated each piece of fish with that.

For such an impressive looking dish, the preparation was actually quite easy.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Cut the parchment paper into heart shaped pieces and coat the area that will touch the fish with olive oil.  Place the fish in the center of one half of the heart and start to roll up the edges.  Start with the fat end of the heart and keep rolling until you get to the tip.  Just before you complete the rolling process, throw in a tablespoon of liquid.  I used white wine, but you could use lemon juice or broth or whatever you have on hand that will compliment the herbs, spices, or accompaniments you'll be eating with the fish.

Place the closed packets on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for about 18 minutes for a thick fish like halibut.  Obviously, if you are using thinner fish filets, the cooking time will be reduced, possibly dramatically.  As always with fish, you do not want to overcook it or you'll wind up with mush and the tricky thing with this preparation method is that you can't easily check on it since it's all wrapped up.  I was glad that my first attempt worked out, but I can see how a failure or two could be possible before mastering the technique.

Our side was a mix of steamed broccoli and sauteed fresh spinach & garlic.  The simplicity and familiarity was enormously appreciated considering how stressed I was that I might have been potentially ruining the main course.

Once in awhile, it is really fun to reach outside of your comfort zone and try something new.  When's the last time you did that and was it a success?

Day 150: The Thanks That Just Keep Giving

Here we are, four days after Thanksgiving, and we are STILL eating leftovers!!  Thankfully, we polished them all off tonight.

Witness our Butternut Squash and Creamed Spinach Gratin - given new life with a topping of freshly grated parmesan cheese and thrown under the broiler.  The wild rice was still tasty, too, and only required a quick little reheat in the microwave.

Our protein tonight was not the flying kind.  I've had enough of that for awhile.  Instead, we had pork tenderloin marinated and purchased at our local neighborhood grocery store.  It's one of our favorite midweek meals since most of the work is done for us - we just throw it on the grill for 10-12 minutes and voila!  Dinner!

I must say, however, that a quickly and easily prepared dinner is not nearly as exciting as finally finishing all of our Thanksgiving fare.  Time to start planning the next holiday.  Any recommendations for Christmas dinner?