You Are Invited to My New Blog!

Thank you for your interest in 365daysofdinner.com. This was my first blog and I'm proud that I saw this major project through for an entire year. There are lots of great recipes and restaurant reviews here and I hope you find what you're looking ofr.

This fall, I launched my new blog, TheEnthusiasticEater.com and I invite you to pay me a visit there. This blog allows me to talk about my passion for food, wine, and travel whenever the spirit moves me. I hope you'll check it out, maybe become a follower, and leave a comment from time to time.

Happy eating!!

Summary: Time Flies When You're Eating Well

About 1 year and 3 days ago I had the idea to document my dinners for 365 days straight. I had been tossing around the idea of starting a blog and this seemed like a unique and fun first blog topic.

It's hard to believe that a year has gone by already and that I followed through and wrote an entry each and every day for 365 days!! It was fun, frustrating, exhilarating, exhausting and in the end, quite satisfying.

I'm proud to say that 176 of those 365 dinners took place at home (not including takeout - more on that below) and that I cooked all or part of nearly all of those meals (there was the occasional can of soup or bag of edamame as dinner - these meals do not count as "home cooked"). I feel that that is a tremendous accomplishment for someone who works full time.

Some of my favorite recipes that appeared during the past year are:

Moroccan Chicken with Quinoa

Picadillo

Mustard Crusted Lamb Chops

Chicken Parmesan

Grilled Strip Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

Three Meat Meatballs

Salt Roasted Shrimp with Lemon Honey Dipping Sauce

Parchment Wrapped Halibut

Chipotle Pork Tenderloin

Sausage & Peppers

Zucchini Tart

The remaining 189 non-home cooked dinners break down as follows:

140 at a restaurant (read on for those highlights)

16 takeout

15 cooked for us by a friend of family member

6 in an airplane or airport

4 at a sporting event

4 at other kinds of events (including 1 wedding)

3 at the office

1 room service while traveling on business

I had dinner at 66 different restaurants this year but some restaurants deserve recognition for having fed us very well.

Bistro Aix: 15 visits

Isa: 11 visits

Izzy's Steaks & Chops: 11 visits

Capannina: 9 visits

Balboa Cafe: 7 visits

Cafe Maritime: 5 visits

Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen, Mezes, Osha: 4 visits each

Additionally, we had the opportunity to dine at Chez Panisse and Zuni Cafe this year - two legendary Bay Area restaurants that are not to be missed.

The picture of this entry is a scan of a calling card I left behind (when I remembered) at restaurants throughout this year - my husband's brilliant idea.

Speaking of my husband, who was mentioned often throughout this blog - I want to thank him for his tremendous support this year. He often reminded me to take a photo of my plate and no matter how hungry he was or how eager to dive in to his plate, he was always patient while I did so. He also served as awesome tech support for me throughout the year, especially when my old site refused to be updated and I had to move things over to Blogger. Although I won't be documenting it on a daily basis any longer, I promise him tasty, adventurous, and/or fun dinners for many years to come.

And of course, I want to thank all of the readers of this blog. Whether you read my entries regularly or only once in awhile, I truly appreciate it. Another blog is to come one day soon, so check back for the URL. I'm still tossing around some ideas.

Meanwhile, I wish you many delicious dinners of your own!! Happy eating...

Day 365: Last Hurrah

My husband and I brainstormed lots of ways to conclude this blog but in the end, I decided to keep it simple. For dinner, we returned to the restaurant we visited the most times over the past year and then went to another local spot for one of my very favorite desserts.

It's kind of amazing to remember that we lived in our neighborhood for over a year before we checked out Bistro Aix, just 2 blocks from our house. But, ever since that first visit, we have not been able to stay away. The menu features several staple dishes that we have come to love and in addition, some dishes that come and go depending on what's in season. No matter what we've ordered, we've never been disappointed and tonight was no different.

I went with my favorite Bistro Aix salad, spinach with baby beets and goat cheese. Yummy. For my entree, I decided to go with something new: grilled yellowtail with creamed corn and a small salad. Every element of the dish was delicious but the corn was downright addictive. Had they wheeled a vat of it to the table, I would have dived right in.

Thank you to Bistro Aix for serving me so much amazing food over the past year. As it turns out, this blog is ending at just the right time. Bistro Aix is about to close for renovations for at least 6 months. What will we do??

For dessert, we walked a couple of blocks to Mezes and bellied up to the bar for galaktobouriko and a class of Samos (Greek dessert wine). Galaktobouriko is similar to baklava, but with custard so it isn't as dry. It arrives doused in honey - the whole thing is so sweet that I feel my skin vibrating. I love it.

So...that's it. A wonderful meal to conclude a year of mostly wonderful dinners. Stay tuned for a summary of the year. And thanks for reading!

Day 364: Empty Cup, Full Belly

Uh oh. In my haste to get this delicious chili into my tummy, I completely forgot to photograph it. Imagine a thick, dark mixture of beef, beans, and tasty spices and seasoning, with cheese sprinkled over the top. As you can see, I brushed off the chopped raw onions.

I paired my chili at tonight's Giants game with hefeweizen, my favorite type of beer. An hour of so later, I followed it up with some caramel corn - a hand made specialty at AT&T Park and a treat I can never pass up. For a photo of this ridiculous, mind blowing dessert, check out entry #344, "Go Team!". In this case, though, seeing is not believing. To understand why I go on and on about this stuff, you must try it for yourself.

One day to go!!

Day 363: This Blog's Final Discovery

My husband and I recently discovered the show "Check Please Bay Area", which is produced by and airs on the PBS affiliate here in NorCal, KQED. The show features three guests who each talk about their favorite Bay Area restaurant and then the other guests go and visit it and each reports on their experience.

We recently saw an episode that featured Sociale as one of the three restaurants. Intrigued by the menu and the garden ambiance, we decided we needed to check this place out.

I was taken with the place upon arrival. We had to walk down a narrow tree lined alley which let us out at Sociale's garden patio. It was a bit too chilly to sit outside, so we were seated indoors. The service was stellar - prompt and super friendly.

One of the dishes on the appetizer menu is deep fried olives stuffed with fontina cheese. I needed to try this (pictured). Unfortunately, it was disappointing. It tasted like super salty olives. The cheese didn't come through at all. I ate two of the eight on the plate, my husband ate one, and the remaining five were uneaten.

Next I had a salad of prawns, peaches, and cucumbers. All of the ingredients were so fresh - super crunch cukes and the peaches were so sweet and delicious. I loved it.

My main course was pappardelle pasta with duck, peas, and truffle oil. This dish was rich, savory, and luscious. I'd order it again in an instant, although the menu contained lots of other dishes that I'm interested to try as well.

It would have been great if I'd had any room left for dessert - the goat cheese cheese cake sounded so interesting - the apple and quince tart sounded delicious, and the beignets with blackberry glaze sounded amazing. But alas, I was way too full. But we'll be back. Not in time to tell you the details - but that just means you probably need to check this place out for yourself.

Day 362: Thanks for the Memories, Balboa!

One of the restaurants we've visited most frequently over the past year (and since moving to SF 2.5 years ago), is the Balboa Cafe, a staple in our neighborhood.

As I've done during nearly every other visit to The Bal, I ordered the field green salad (mixed greens, raisins, sliced apple, candied pecans, and a crostini smeared with goat cheese) and the fish dish. The Bal always has a fish option on the menu, usually either halibut or salmon, plated on top of seasonal vegetables. The cooks at the restaurant really know how to cook fish. There is always a beautiful crust on top while instead remains soft and moist.

Tonight's fish option was halibut with fresh spinach and fingerling potatoes and crabmeat beurre blanc. I asked the restaurant to leave the potatoes off and double the spinach, which they gladly did (and always do for me). This was a delicious meal, due in no small part to the buttery crabby sauce which was absolutely divine.

Thank you, Balboa Cafe for serving so many amazing dinners to me this year. I look forward to continuing to enjoy your food for many years to come!

Day 361: Best Deal of the Blog

As this blog comes to a close, I find myself reminiscing about the great things I cooked, ate, and discovered over the course of the past year.  One of my best discoveries by far, is Costco's $4.99 rotisserie chicken.  This bird is juicy, succulent, savory, and cheap!!  And, perfect for a night when you can't/don't want to cook.

Tonight was one of those nights.  I had planned ahead that I would go to the gym after work, which means that the earliest I would get home is 7 or 7:30.  So, my husband and I agreed that he would stop off at Costco on his way home.

When we take the easy way out on one piece of the meal, I like to cook another.  Tonight, I sauteed up some sugar snap peas that we had purchased at the farmer's market over the weekend.  I used a non-stick pan so that I didn't need much oil.  After heating up some olive oil, I sauteed the peas with S&P and a little bit of cayenne - I love the combination of sweet and spicy.  I let them cook over medium-high heat for a good 10 minutes, stirring them often.  This allowed them to soften up but still maintain a little bit of crunch.  Yum.

I find that this kind of dinner is a terrific compromise of easy, cheap, but with a homemade touch.  And for $4.99, you just cannot go wrong! 

Day 360: What Happens When I Do Not Have a Plan

It's too bad that I had to create such a terrible meal during the last week of this blog.  The problem was that I really didn't have a plan when I went to the market - that hardly ever works out.  All I knew was that I wanted to use some of the items purchased at the farmer's market this weekend to make something healthy.  I accomplished that, but unfortunately, it wasn't very tasty.

I purchased some tilapia to make fish tacos and marinated it for about 1/2 hour in a mixture that included the juice of 2 limes, sliced fresh ginger (a 1 inch piece), a sliced jalapeno (seeds and all), 2 smashed garlic cloves, 1t sugar, and 2T olive oil.  The marinade was really tasty - but the fish just didn't suck up enough of the flavor.

I made two toppings to go in the tacos.  The first was simple - I purchased some tiny little cherry tomatoes and sliced them in half.  That's it - but their freshness added a lot of great flavor.

The zucchini we purchased at the farmer's market served as the second topping.  I ran it across the large holes of a box grater and sprinkled it liberally with salt to soften it up and pull the extra liquid out.  I placed it in a strainer and pressed the liquid out every several minutes.  Then, I mixed it with the juice and zest of a lemon and seasoned it to taste with S&P.  This was meant to be a substitute for cabbage, which what one would normally use on a fish taco.  But I've found that we found up throwing half the head of cabbage away the last few times so I thought I'd try this since we already had the zucchini.  It actually wasn't bad - but when the fish in the fish taco isn't too tasty, all the delicious toppings in the world can't save it.

Okay...my commitment to you - readers who have stayed with me for nearly a year - is to create and/or eat nothing but GOOD food for the last 5 days of this blog.

Day 359: Most Nutritious Dish Ever?

Recently, I read that kale is the most nutritious vegetable out there so I've been determined to try to prepare it.  Those stiff, tough leaves have always intimidated me at the farmer's market, but this weekend I decided to give it a go.

I found a recipe for kale and beans on Epicurious and followed it with the following exceptions, per some reviews from people who had prepared it before:  1/2 cup of chicken stock instead of a full cup, 5 cloves of garlic instead of 3, and 2 tsp of sherry vinegar instead of 1.  If you're looking for a hearty vegetarian meal, simply replace the chicken stock with veggie broth and you're sure to enjoy this dish.

I served the kale and beans over some lemony steamed quinoa - another super food that seems to have become a buzz ingredient lately.  Quinoa is a whole grain that packed a protein punch.  I've tried making quinoa lots of different ways and this is my favorite, as it's always light and fluffy.

Boil water in medium sized pot.

Rinse quinoa under cold water and place in boiling water for 10 minutes.

Drain quinoa in a metal strainer.

Bring a couple of inches of water to a boil in the pot and place the strainer over the top.

Cover strainer with a dish towel and then the pot lid.

Steam quinoa for 10 minutes.

Remove pot from the heat and remove the lid, leaving the towel in place.

Let quinoa sit for 5 minutes and then flush with a fork.

You can use quinoa as you would rice or couscous, plating saucy foods over the top.  Or, you can toss it with olive oil and the juice and zest of a lemon for a light, zesty side dish.  This is what I did tonight, scooping the kale and bean mixture over the top.  I found the freshness provided by the lemon really lifted up the overall dish.  The way I look at it, kale + quinoa = possibly the most nutritious dish ever!

The (animal) protein that I choose to serve tonight was lamb chops.  I seasoned the rack with S&P and browned it in a pan with hot olive oil.  I then transferred the rack to a baking sheet, coated it with a mixture of minced garlic, finely chopped rosemary, and olive oil, and baked it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.  Admittedly, I overdid it a bit.  It was still flavorful and juicy, but lamb should be served medium-rare and mine was medium-well.  This is a result of my desperate fear of poisoning my husband - I figure better overdone than underdone.

All in all - a very successful meal.  The kale was a hit, so I plan to purchase it again in the near future.  Any favorite kale preparations?  Please leave a comment with the details.

Day 358: Geez Louise - That Was Tasty!!

I had the urge to leave the 'hood for dinner tonight so we tried a restaurant we had never been to in Russian Hill - 1550 Hyde Cafe & Wine Bar.  Looking at their menu online, the numerous salads and fish entree appealed to me.

I loved the restaurant's setting right away.  It's small with simple decor - warm and welcoming with a very friendly staff.  The menu is somewhat limited - about 5 appetizers and entrees to choose from, but the menu changes regularly to reflect what's in season.

My salad was composed of baby greens with bing cherries, toasted almonds, and fiore sardo cheese.  I'd never tried fiore sardo before and as it turns out, this sheep's milk cheese was too strong for me.  When I ate it with a bit of each of the other components of the salad, it was okay - but otherwise it was just too much.  I wound up giving most of it to my hubby.  On the other hand, the almonds were among the most delicious I had ever had. 

I followed up the salad with salmon, served on top of a mix of fresh chickpeas, corn, and spinach.  I absolutely loved the veggies - the fish was okay.

The star of the meal, though, was dessert.  I rarely indulge in sweets after dinner but tonight's special could not be ignored:  nectarine and chocolate bread pudding with almonds, topped with vanilla ice cream.  Geez Louise - this dish was ridiculous!!  It had the perfect amount of chocolate and the nuts offered a bit of crunch.  It could have used a bit more nectarine, but it was amazing.

I adore restaurants that support local farmers and change their menu frequently to include seasonally relevant dishes.  We'll definitely be returning to 1550 Hyde Cafe and I'm glad I was able to include them in this blog before the 365 days are up!

Day 357: Last Entry From The Lovely Isa

I have mixed emotions as I approach the end of my blog project.  On one hand, it's been stressful to keep it up, knowing that I had to write an entry each and every night, regardless of how boring my dinner was or how tired I was.  On the other hand, 365daysofdinner.com has challenged me to cook and eat more interesting food and has served as a fun and interesting reflection on a year of my life.  

As I wind things up, I am trying to fit in one last visit to all my favorite restaurants.  Beginning Sunday, Isa closes for its annual summer vacation so tonight is my final entry from my very favorite neighborhood restaurant.

If you've been following along for the past year, you know that Isa is a shared plate place.  There are two dishes that we always get:  baked goat cheese with tomato, basil, & pine nuts and the scallops with pureed potatoes and fresh asparagus.  Our other orders vary, as does the menu, to reflect what's in season.

Our other dishes tonight were lamb chops with diced eggplant and red bell pepper (yummy), gulf shrimp sauteed with lemon and garlic (yummier), and grilled yellowtail with zucchini, red bell peppers, and olives (yummiest!!).  Honestly - that yellowtail is so good that I could eat it at least 3x per week and never tire of it.  

Of course, we will continue to regularly dine at Isa because WE LOVE IT!  But as far as this blog is concerned, we big Isa farewell and offer many thanks for the delicious dinners they served us over the course of the past year!

Day 356: Cooking From Scratch For The 1st Time All Week

It's been awhile since I prepared fish at home and I've eaten some pretty unhealthy food this week, so tonight I roasted halibut, topped it with fresh tomato & basil, and steamed some broccoli.

I cooked the fish simply - seasoning it with S&P, drizzling it with olive oil, and baking it at 375 degrees until it was cooked through (about 15 minutes).

My topping was made from one hothouse red tomato, about 10 yellow pear tomatoes, 10 julienned basil leaves, 1 small shallot (chopped), about 2T balsamic vinegar, about 1T olive oil, and S&P to taste.  I spooned the mixture (and the resulting liquid) over the top of the fish.

This whole dish took maybe 30 minutes to make.  I made the topping while the fish cooked and threw the broccoli into the microwave to steam in the last couple of minutes.  Easy!

Day 355: All I Deserve

I had Denny's for lunch.  It may surprise you (unless you went to college with me) to find out that I absolutely love Denny's.  For obvious reasons, I don't indulge this love often so today's lunch was a real treat.  But, payback was that I needed to keep dinner to a minimum to make up for it.

Actually, The Super Bird sandwich and fries that I had for lunch were still sticking to my ribs six hours later and so a light dinner was all I really wanted.  I boiled up a bag of edamame, seasoned it with salt, and that was that.  Now that's balance!

Day 354: Cook It To Death!

Two of my favorite Greek restaurants, Ethos in NYC and Mezes here in SF, offer a dish that I love - green beans stewed in tomato until they practically fall apart if you look at them too hard.  Normally, I prefer my veggies to have some crunch left in them after cooking, but there's something about those beans that makes me so happy.

We have managed to figure out how to make this dish fairly well at home.  Fresh green beans, pressed garlic cloves, a can of tomatoes, a few splashes of white wine, and lots of time and you can have these delicious beans too.  Just be sure you cook them to death!

Like last night, I took the easy way out with the rest of our dinner.  I purchased some pre-made meatloaf from the deli counter at one of our local grocery stores and just reheated it at home.  It was delicious!  Sometimes I really buy into the "why make it when you can buy it" concept!

Day 353: Some Assembly Required

To be honest, tonight's dinner was more assembled than cooked.  I purchased some fresh pasta (cooks in 2 minutes!), a package of Aidell's chicken/turkey meatballs, and some shaved parmesan cheese.  All I needed to do was make some quick sauce and prepare the pasta & balls as suggested on their packages and presto - dinner is ready!

To make the sauce, I threw a package of cherry tomatoes and two pressed garlic cloves into the food processor and pulsed it until the tomatoes were crushed.  Then I threw all of that into a pot with a couple of splashes of white wine, a few pinches of dried oregano, and S&P.  I brought all of it to a boil and then allowed it to simmer with the meatballs for about 15 minutes.

Then came the assembly.  I mixed the cooked pasta with the sauce and meatballs in the pot I had used to cook the pasta.  I then sprinkled in a generous dose of the parm and gently mixed it all together.  Once plated, I sprinkled some more cheese over the top.

So - very little of tonight's dinner was made from scratch - but it was tasty, easy, and healthful.  On busy work nights, sometimes that's the best you can do but I think you should be proud about making dinner at home no matter what you make.

Day 352: Too Pooped to Cook

What a hectic weekend!  Having been on the go from Friday night through early this evening, I was unprepared (and unenthusiastic) for dinner.  So, I popped the lid on a can of Trader Joe's lowfat chicken noodle soup and heated it up with ground pepper.  I also cut up some veggies and dipped them into Trader Joe's spinach dip.  Dinner was ready in no time, with little effort and clean up.  Gotta love that!

Day 351: The Steak-Free Streak is Finally Broken!

The last three times I went to Izzy's Steaks & Chops, I ordered fish.  Fish!  At a steak restaurant!  For some unknown reason, I hadn't craved my beloved prime rib dish on any of these occasions.  I hoped this trend would end, because that prime rib is SO good - finally tonight, my old craving returned, so off to Izzy's we went.

As always, I started with the prawn cocktail which is served with Izzy's amazing house made cocktail sauce.   After that, I had the prime rib with steamed broccoli and ate every savory, meaty bite.  Yum!  

Day 350: Sushi - Well Lit & Tasty

Before I even get into the details of this meal, can we just talk about how beautiful this plate looks?  We had a window seat at Asa and the natural light just hit the food perfectly.  I mean, this is food magazine cover quality!

I was treating my hubby to dinner tonight for helping out so much and for being so patient when our house was Grand Central this past week.  We had three different sets of guests over the course of a week.  It was fun, but hectic.  He chose Asa, our favorite neighborhood sushi restaurant.

At Asa, we primarily eat rolls, usually accompanied by some salmon sashimi and edamame.  Our favorite roll is the Red Dragon, the one to the far left in this photo:  tempura shrimp through the middle, spicy tuna and eel on top and tobiko on top of that.  I adore tobiko - those crunchy little eggs just make any roll better.

We also regularly enjoy the Honey Roll, on the right on the plate - avocado and tobiko inside and salmon on top.  The new roll we tried tonight was First Love (middle of the plate) - spicy hamachi (yellow tail) inside with eel and salmon on top.  For me, it was just shy of being too spicy, but it was good.

After this beautiful, classy meal, we went and saw The Hangover, which was neither beautiful not classy but it was freaking hilarious.  Feel free to steal out date night plan for yourself!

Day 349: Fig F-Up

I had designed tonight's menu around some fresh figs I purchased a couple of days ago.  I thought it would be tasty to make a fig and goat cheese salad, served alongside lamb chops.

When I got to the store, however, there were no lamb chops!  I didn't see anything else that really appealed to me in terms of a cooking from scratch so I went with some store made turkey meatloaf that just needed to be cooked up.

Then I got home and realized that somehow, the figs I purchased had been thrown away!  They were in a brown paper bag, which I think was mistaken for a compost bag.  BUMMER!!  Fortunately, we had a package of vacuum sealed baby beets, purchased at Trader Joe's a few weeks ago.  Beets and goat cheese are a beautiful combination, so I simply swapped out the invisible figs for the beets and the salad was still tasty.

Rule #1:  always have a back-up plan (or at least have a well stocked pantry and be quick on your feet!).

Day 348: Healthy Detox

I'm not sure what it is about having houseguests, but it invites terrible food behavior from me!  Last night we said goodbye to our last guest after a week-long full house during which time I consumed a crazy amount of ice cream, burgers, and of course, booze.  Now it's time to detox.

For dinner tonight, I purchased some quinoa salad from our local store, sauteed fresh asparagus with spring onions, and grilled a swordfish steak.

The fish was prepared simply - I seasoned it with S&P, drizzled it with olive oil, and squeezed the juice of half a lemon over the top.  Then hubby grilled it.

The asparagus was easy too.  I sliced up 2 spring onion and sauteed them in warm olive oil until they were golden.  I cut the asparagus in half and through it in the pan with S&P and a few splashes of white wine.  After 5 minutes on medium-high heat, it was ready to serve.

I feel lucky to actually enjoy healthy foods - especially fresh veggies and fish.  Here's to getting back to my normal regime!

Day 347: Celebrating Wedded Bliss

My husband and I went to Spruce tonight for dinner to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary in style.

Spruce is a beautiful restaurant in the Presidio Heights section of San Francisco. We particularly enjoy their charcutterie and cheese platters and so always start and end our meal with them, respectively. In between, I enjoyed branzino (a mild white fish) served over mashed avocado with an olive caper sauce. It was light, savory, and really delicious. But back to the meat and cheese...

Spruce makes their own charcutterie, which we think is pretty cool. The platter tonight included a duck pate (I love it - my husband won't eat it - lucky for me!), a few different pork salamis, soppresetta, and cured pork tenderloin. I enjoyed some of the meats more than others, but that was okay since I had that lovely pate all to myself. We ordered an arugula, fresh cherries, and goat cheese salad to accompany the charcutterie because a little green on the side can make a person feel a lot less guilty about all the fat she is putting in her mouth!

For the cheese course, we ordered the European plate which included five types. The blue cheese (Valdeon Leon) from Spain was my favorite, followed by the crumbly sheep parmesan-like (Durgali) one from Italy and the Italian goat cheese.

All of this goodness was washed down with a really excellent Chateau Montelena Estate cabernet that my husband had acquired for the occasion. He's good like that. Glad I married him!!

Day 346: Protein Galore

Having cooked up a lot of food for guests on Friday and again on Sunday, we had tons of leftovers in the fridge. Our current houseguests decided to go out for dinner, giving us the opportunity to polish off all of the food that had accumulated in the fridge.

Friday's flank steak was still delicious. Sunday's pork tenderloin and grilled chicken had dried out a bit and lost some flavor, but dipping them in Tabasco Sweet & Spicy Pepper Sauce helped.

To go with all of this protein, I sauteed some baby broccoli with garlic and white wine. No meal is complete without something green on the plate!

Day 345: Proof That I'm Kind of Over It

I'm just 20 days away from wrapping up 365daysofdinner.com and it shows.  For the second time in a week, I forgot to take a picture of my dinner tonight.  Fortunately, we had leftovers that I could capture to help tell the story of this meal.

We had a couple of houseguests leaving late tonight and new ones arrived early in the day so we had a big dinner together.  To satisfy everyone, we grilled up a bunch of different things:  chicken breast, pork tenderloin, and spicy turkey sausage.  I also made a big salad with baby greens, cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper, and blanched zucchini that was leftover from the tart I made on Friday. 

Everyone enjoyed the meal, which was of course accompanied by lots of wine and a delicious local SF treat, It's-It ice cream sandwiches.  Friends, good wine, and tasty food.  What more do you need in life??

Day 344: Go Team!

I must have gotten swept away in the action tonight at the A's vs. Giants game, because I forgot to take a picture of the awesome sandwich I purchased for dinner.  A friend and I actually each ordered a different sandwich and then swapped a half with each other so I got to have a turkey sammy and a brisket one.

Luckily, I remembered in time to capture a picture of our dessert - freshly made caramel popcorn.  This stuff is addictive.  If you are ever lucky enough to find yourself on the Club Level at  AT&T Park, take yourself immediately to the caramel corn booth.  It's worth every calorie!

Day 343: An Oldie, But a Goodie

The recipe for this tart is from the May 2006 issue of Saveur magazine.  I made it several times for dinner parties when the magazine first came out, but then forgot about it.  Tonight we were having some friends over, so I brushed the dust off the issue and made this delicious tart again.

I'll warn you - this recipe isn't difficult, but it takes a long time to pull it together.  But it is so yummy, so it's worth it, especially if you're making it for people who will appreciate it. 

The main course tonight was flank steak (2 lb), marinated for 6 hours in this delicious mixture and then grilled:

1.5T freshly squeezed lime juice

1T olive oil

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1t hot chili paste, like Sambel Oelek

1/2t grated or minced ginger

1/2t honey

Finally, we had some grilled figs, which are a seasonal specialty that I absolutely love.  Fresh figs are lightly coated with olive oil, then seasoned with S&P, and grilled for a couple of minutes over medium-low heat.  Simple, but amazing.

I encourage you to try any or all of these recipes!

Day 342: Pretty Pile of Pasta

This beautiful bowl of pasta was a snap to put together and so tasty!  It all started with a package of fresh egg pasta, which only had to boil for 2 minutes!

Rather than sauce, I loaded this pasta with the full flavors of fresh ingredients like heirloom cherry tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, chopped basil, and lots of grated parmesan cheese.

I tossed a pound of cherry tomatoes with about 2T olive oil, 3 cloves minced garlic, and S&P and laid it all out in a single layer in a glass baking dish.  This roasted at 350 degrees for about 30 hour - until the tomatoes began to burst.

Another 4 cloves of minced garlic was sauteed with 3T olive oil and a few shakes of red pepper flakes over low heat for about 5 minutes, until the garlic was softened and mellowed out.

In a separate pan, 3T of pine nuts were carefully toasted over low heat.

When everything was ready, I cooked up the pasta (2 minutes!), drained it, and returned it to the pot.  I then added the tomatoes, garlic/olive oil, and nuts to the pot with it, along with about 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese.  Taste and add S&P as you feel is necessary.  

Serve, sprinkle a good dose of freshly chopped basil over the top, and enjoy!

Day 341: Oops, I Did It Again

Dinner was such a rush tonight that I forgot to take a photo of my dish!  When I've made this mistake in the past, I either pulled a photo of the restaurant down from the web or used a photo from my library if we had been to the restaurant before.  Tonight I got nothin'.

We had tickets to a sneak preview of The Taking of Pelham 123 and grabbed a quick dinner beforehand at the food court of the San Francisco Centre mall.  This is no ordinary food court full of fast food joints.  This is San Francisco, so of course the food court is something special with a high end choice to suit every mood:  sushi, Thai, Korean, deli, burgers, soup, Mexican, and the list goes on.

We opted for Thai because we had less than 1/2 hour to eat and get to the theatre and that seemed like the quickest option.  I had a two item combo with steamed rice and chose pineapple chicken curry and sugar snap peas with fried tofu.  Both were yum.

The highlight of the night, however, was the movie.  Humor + suspense + a demented John Travolta = a fun flick.  Check it out at a theatre near you!

Day 340: Nectar of the Gods

The focus of tonight's dinner was wine.  You've gotta love that!

Pey-Marin, a Marin County winery that we discovered a few months ago was hosting an evening at our favorite neighborhood wine bar, Nectar.  On offer was a 4-wine flight:  sauvignon blanc, pinot noir, merlot, and syrah.

To go along with the wine, we ordered several small plates of food:

> Phyllo dough triangles stuffed with blue cheese and spinach

> A mixed green salad with beets, almonds, and a minty dressing

> Tuna tartar (pictured)

> Ricotta gnocchi

> Charcuterie and cheese plate

All of it was delicious, but the highlight was the prosciutto on the charcuterie plate.  It was so soft and savory - among the best prosciutto I've ever had.

In terms of the wine, surprisingly my favorite was the merlot.  This is normally a grape I do not much care for but this one was so tasty that we bought 3 bottles!  Yum, yum, wine is fun!  

Day 339: When in Doubt, It's Taco Time

This is one of my favorite work night dinners.  It's takes little time and effort to bring it together and it's so yummy.

I normally make tacos with ground turkey since it's leaner than beef and cook it as suggested on the McCormick's taco seasoning packet.  After slicing some iceberg lettuce, chopping some ripe tomatoes, grating some sharp Tillamook cheddar, making guacamole, and warming up some tortillas, it was chow time.  If you want, you can save time by buying salsa and guac at the store rather than preparing the tomatoes and avocado yourself.

Guac is easy to make, though, and if you've never tried, you really should.  Here's my recipe:

1 large ripe avocado

Juice from 1 lime

1T light sour cream

10-15 generous shakes from the Frank's Red Hot bottle

Salt to taste

Scoop the avocado out onto a cutting board and mash it with the back of a fork.  Transfer it to a bowl and mix it with the rest of the ingredients.  I told you it was easy!

Day 338: Big Asian Flavor

This is a recipe I made a couple of weeks after beginning this blog.  I made it with chicken & snowpeas the first time and thought it was amazing.  Tonight I made it with pork tenderloin, red bell pepper, and frozen peas and it was good.  I think you could use any protein and veggies you like - it's the marinade and sauce that makes this dish so tasty.

Marinate your protein of choice in the following mixture.  This is enough for a pound of meat, cut into bite sized pieces:

> 2t cornstarch

> 1T soy sauce

> 1T + 1t rice wine vinegar

> 1t sesame oil

> 2T water

Whisk all of that together and put it with the meat in a Ziploc bag.  Allow to marinate in the fridge for at  least 2 hours.

Brown the meat (without the marinade) in a hot pan with some olive oil.  Remove from the pan and set aside.  Deglaze the pan with a couple of splashes of chicken broth and saute 2 cloves of minced garlic for a couple of minutes.  Add whatever veggies you have selected for the dish and cook until they are at your desired crispness.

Add back your protein and the following sauce mixture:

> 1T cornstarch

> 2T soy sauce

> 2T rice wine vinegar

> 2t sesame oil

> 1/3 cup water

> 1/3 cup chicken broth

> 1.5 tsp sugar

> 1/2 tsp salt

Bring everything to a boil and then simmer until sauce is reduced to the desired consistency.  Scoop mixture (with sauce) over rice and enjoy!

I love this dish and I hope you do, too!

Day 337: Three for Three!

I'm a carnivore.  I swear I am.  But you sure wouldn't know it by looking at my last three entries from Izzy's Steaks & Chops.  I had swordfish every time.  What's up with that???

My excuse this time is that I'm still recuperating from a wisdom tooth extraction gone bad.  I can only manage to eat food that require little chewing and fish really seems to fit the bill.  As much as I would love to tie into a prime rib right now, it just isn't in the cards.  So, I went with good old swordfish with a side of creamed spinach and steamed broccoli, which I cut into tiny pieces.

The one thing that very rarely changes about my Izzy's visits is my appetizer order.  The prawn cocktail comes with 5 enormous prawns and Izzy's own cocktail sauce and is completely irresistible.  It's one of those dishes I dream about.

Next time I'm craving red meat, I'll have to find my way to Izzy's for my beloved prime rib.  It'll probably taste better than ever.  Absence makes the heart grow fonder!

Day 336: Seeking Softness

I'm having a rough couple of weeks.  First, I seriously cut my thumb while slicing eggplant for moussaka.  Then, a few days later, I had a couple of wisdom teeth extracted.  Now, I've found out that there's an infection at one of the extraction sites, which is why I continue to experience a lot of discomfort on one side of my mouth.  So, I continue to try to eat mostly soft foods or to cut things into very small pieces.  With all of this in mind, we went to Isa for dinner tonight.

At Isa, diners are supposed to share all the dishes they order.  My husband and I love to eat that way since we both get to try more things, so we love Isa.  Tonight we ordered:

> Tuna tartar (small pieces of diced tuna, served over mashed avocados)

> Baked goat cheese with tomatoes, basil, and pine nuts (wonderful - and soft - when smeared on the soft insides of Isa's baguettes)

> Scallops with mashed potatoes

> Grilled yellowtail with sauteed zucchini and artichokes

> Flat iron steak with roasted potatoes (I had a couple of bites, but this was mostly consumed by my hubby)

I didn't struggle too much through any of this and the yellowtail, a new dish on the menu, was absolutely amazing.  It was very simply prepared, with the fish left rare in middle, and the whole dish was full of fresh flavors.

It's probably going to be another few days until I'm able to eat normally again.  Fish seems to be the best solution, delivering yummy and healthy protein with minimal chewing required.  Soups, noodles, and well cooked veggies work as well.  As long as I can keep a nice variety of food on my plate, I'll be okay.  Food boredom is the worst!

Day 335: A Mix of Old & New

Tonight's dinner was composed of one leftover and two easily prepared "new" elements.  Last night's leftover rice pilaf served as a bed for chipotle pork tenderloin, with roasted vegetables on the side.

I've made this pork several times before.  It's super easy and nice & spicy.  Slice the pork from end to end lengthwise - not all the way through - just enough to fold it back like a book.  Spread 2 finely minced chipotle peppers throughout the inside of the pork and fold it back over.  Tie it off on each end and in the middle with some kitchen twine.  Pat the outside dry and season with S&P.  Brown it on all sides in hot olive oil in a stainless steel pan and then place in a roasting dish.  Roast at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Our veggie side dish consisted of 1 fennel bulb and 2 shallots (both cut in eighths, keeping the knot in tact), 1 bunch of asparagus (trimmed), and a few handfuls of sugar snap peas.  All of this was tossed in a little olive oil and S&P and laid out in a single layer on a baking sheet and roasted for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

An easy and tasty meal.  Why not cook at home when it's this easy?

Day 334: Fab Fruit Salsa

Dinner tonight was grilled chicken breast with pear & jalapeno salsa with rice.  The rice was a Near East mix - the toasted almond rice pilaf to which I added a cup of defrosted peas for color and added nutrition.  I prepared the mix as suggested on the box, substituting chicken broth for the water, and the stirred the peas in after it was finished cooking.

The chicken was prepared simply.  I hammered it relatively thin and seasoned it on both sides with S&P.  After drizzled olive oil over it, my husband grilled it.

The chicken wasn't marinated because I wanted to serve it with some pear salsa on top.  I love making fruit salsas - the possibilities and combinations are endless.  The recipe for tonight's was:

1/2 bosc pear, finely diced

1/2 anjou pear, finely diced

1 small jalapeno pepper, minced (kept 1/2 the seeds to maintain some heat)

1/4 large shallot, minced

Juice from one lime

S&P to taste

It's great if you can allow the salsa to sit and come together for at least an hour before eating.

This whole meal took only about 1/2 hour to pull together and it was healthy and delicious!

Day 333: Cooking One Handed

Tonight was the first night I truly attempted to cook dinner since sliced off the tip of my thumb last Monday.  I made stuffed peppers and did a pretty good job, too!  This is a recipe I made up as I went along and I didn't measure anything out so the quantities here are estimated.

Ingredients (serves 2):

2 bell peppers (color of your choice), halved, seeded, and white bits removed

3/4 lb. lean ground beef

1 small shallot, minced

3 large cloves of garlic, sent through a garlic press

1/4 cup chopped sweet pear or grape tomatoes

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and gently mix all ingredients (except the peppers and cheese) in a bowl.

Place peppers on  a greased baking sheet or pan.  Fill peppers with meat mixture.  You don't have to press very hard - just place a loosely packed mound of meat in each pepper half.

Bake peppers for 40 minutes.  Sprinkle cheese on top of each pepper and continue to bake until melted.  Sprinkle another round of cheese on top of each pepper and turn broiler on.  You don't have to move the pan to sit directly under the broiler - just having it on with allow the cheese to brown a bit on top.  Watch it carefully to ensure it doesn't burn.

I wish I had served this alongside a salad, but in any case it was tasty.  Hope you enjoy!

Day 332: Doing Our Part

With the economy in the toilet, we've been doing the same thing many Americans have been doing - eating more at home.  In response, restaurants have had to offer incentives to drive diners through their doors and Jardiniere is no different.  For the past couple of months, they have offered a prix fix menu on Monday nights - three courses with wine pairings for $45 per person, each week focused around a different theme.

We first explored Jardiniere's Monday night menu about a month and a half ago when it was built around the arrival of spring.  We returned tonight - you know, to do our part to help improve the economy - and enjoyed their "Chinoiserie" menu (Chinese focus).

The first course was shrimp and hearts of palm dumplings with veggies in Shang Tong broth (pictured).  I looked up Shang Tong online and believe it means "superior stock/broth" but I didn't much care for it.  The dumplings and vegetables were tasty, though.

The entree was divine:  five-spice roasted duck leg with insanely crispy skin, served with green beans, spring onions, and apricot scented jus.  I absolutely love the flavor of five-spice.

Dessert was a plum tart with black sesame ice cream.  On its own the ice cream just tasted odd, but it paired well with the tart.  I was impressed that the tart was just fruit and crust - no custard or creme.  None was needed - those plums were so juicy and velvety on their own.

A Monday night splurge definitely means we have to be more economical during the week, but it was definitely worth it.  If you live in SF and are looking for a really good meal, check out Jardiniere's Monday night prix fix.  It's a great, (more) affordable way to experience a wonderful restaurant.

Day 331: Too Full For Dinner!

We had a late lunch in wine country this afternoon and neither of us could work up much of an appetite for dinner, so I cracked open a can of Progresso chicken and wild rice soup.

Since dinner was such a snooze-fest, I'll let you know about our lunch at Diavola in Geyserville. We had checked this place out shortly after it opened last summer and since we were in the area around lunchtime today, we grabbed the opportunity to enjoy their tasty pizza again. We shared two different ones - the Margherita and the Inferno. As the latter's name suggests, it was good and spicy due to the hot Italian peppers included in the topping.

Pizza is a real treat for me. I probably eat five times a year at the most. So when I splurge, it needs to be worth it and the pizza at Diavola surely is. If you're passing through the tiny town of Geyserville in Sonoma County it's well worth the stop.

Day 330: Still Gumming It

Still on the road to recovery after my wisdom tooth extraction yesterday, I opted for a wholesome and soft dinner of grilled salmon at Capannina. It was served over a bed of artichokes, olives, and thinly sliced zucchini. The menu description said it was "pesto crusted" but I didn't get much pesto flavor. The dish was excellent in any case.

Lucky for us, it's still zucchini blossom season, so we ordered the special appetizer - said blossoms stuffed with cheese and lightly fried. Yum yum delicious.

Day 329: Mush Mouth

I had my last two wisdom teeth extracted this morning.  Fun!  After a day of smoothies and broth I was hungry and ready for some real food, but needed to be careful to find something soft.  We headed to Luisa's for their divine eggplant parmesan.  I've had this dish many times before and I love it, especially when the waiter generously grates parm over the top!

I had been planning to begin the meal with soup, but I noticed a new meatball appetizer on the menu.  Soft minced meat?  Sounded perfect to me!  They were delicious and easy for me to consume once chopped up into small bites.

I expect that I'll need to continue to find more tooth/gum friendly foods tomorrow.  Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.  Leave a comment if you have one.

Day 328: Perfect Night For Takeout

Takeout was invented for nights like tonight.  I didn't get home until after 8pm and my thumb is still healing from Monday's kitchen accident so cooking was just simply not going to happen.  We hadn't supported our favorite neighborhood Chinese restaurant in a long time, so Country Sky takout it was!

Primarily, I focused on my favorite CS dish, Spicy Prawns with Mango.  In addition to the obvious ingredients, this dish includes mushrooms, broccoli, and zucchini.  Over brown rice it makes for a very yummy, quite spicy dinner.

I also allowed myself a treat in the form of the Singapore Style Noodles that my husband ordered.  These super thin noodles are tossed with curry seasoning, pork, chicken, shrimp, fried egg, and veggies.  It is really amazing.

Of course, there is always a dessert when you have Chinese food - the fortune cookie.  Despite the fact that most of the time these days you don't get a fortune (you get a proverb or a friendly suggestion to do something), these are still tasty treats that I always look forward to.  Hopefully my real fortune  is "your thumb will heal quickly"!

Day 327: Tastes Like Play Doh!

You know how you don't fully appreciate something until it's gone? Well, that's kind of how this week has been for me since lopping off a good chunk of my thumb on Monday. I just never realized how critical that digit is, especially when it comes to doing things in the kitchen and around the house! Certainly, it affected our dinner tonight.

I decided to make something easy and that didn't require any chopping. I sauteed up some shrimp in olive oil and then removed them from the pan and set them aside while I cooked the veggies. Normally, I would have chopped the garlic, but instead I pushed it through a press. I added some white wine, a bag of snowpeas from Trader Joe's, and S&P and sauteed everything for about 8 minutes on medium-high heat. Then I returned the shrimp to the pan and mixed everything together .

Because it was late and I was looking for the easiest possible solution, I made Casbah couscous rather than brown rice or quinoa. Unfortunately, it tasted like Play Doh and really ruined my already uninspired dish. Even all the Sriracha in the world couldn't help this dinner. I won't be buying that product again!!

This thumb is going to need some time to heal so I'm going to have to figure out how to feed my husband tasty meals despite my handicap. Any ideas for a thumb-free dinner are much appreciated!

Day 326: How to Get Out of Cooking Without Even Trying

Here's a tip.  If you get tired of having to cook and clean up, just cause some serious bodily harm to yourself and your wonderful hubby is bound to step in.  At least that's how it works in my house!

Last night I cut my thumb rather badly while preparing dinner.  24 hours later it's still sore and generally in rough shape so there was no way I could cook tonight.  So, we picked up a couple of NY strip steaks and some two types of orzo salad.  My husband grilled up the steaks with a simple seasoning of S&P and dinner was ready lickety split.

I love to cook and so expect this whole thing to get old kind of fast.  But I think another few days of having dinner cooked for me instead of by me is going to be quite okay.

Day 325: Human Blood Optional

Trader Joe's had some beautiful eggplant yesterday and so the plan was to make moussaka for dinner tonight.  Rather than slice it by hand, I thought I'd use a mandolin that I purchased years ago but never used.  So, instead of slicing BY hand, I sliced MY hand - took the tip right off  my right thumb.  

For me, this meant a lot of blood, pain and discomfort and a potentially deformed thumb for the rest of my life.  For my husband, it meant that he needed to finish making dinner (after attending to my wound like a pro).

He did a marvelous job.  The dish was delicious, despite the disaster beforehand.  The recipe we used was from page 514 of the amazing Gourmet cookbook.  I'd love to provide the recipe for you, but typing is a challenge right now.  Buy the book.  You'll love it.

Day 324: Italian Feast

During our weekly visit to Trader Joe's today, I found some beautiful basil and decided that dinner tonight would involve homemade pesto.  Pesto is so easy to make.  The following recipe makes enough to stuff four chicken breasts, but if you want to make it as a pasta sauce, you should probably double it.

Pesto:

1 packed cup of basil leaves

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1.5 T pine nuts

1/2 + 1T freshly grated parmesan cheese

1 T butter

S&P to taste

Place basil, oil, garlic, and nuts in a food processor and mix until smoothly, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl from time to time.  Add cheese and butter and mix again until all ingredients are blended.  Add S&P to taste.

Pre-heat your oven at 375 degrees.  Slice the chicken lengthwise through the middle, being careful not to cut all the way through.  You want to be able to fold the chicken back like a book.  Once folded back, coat the inside of each chicken breast with about 1T pesto.  If you'd like, lay some roasted peppers over the pesto and fold the chicken back up again.  Place the breasts in a greased baking dish and smooth about a teaspoon of pesto over the top of each breast.

Bake the chicken for 25 minutes and then sprinkle some shredded mozzarella cheese over the top of each breast.  Bake for another 5-8 minutes or until the cheese is melted.  Add another sprinkling of cheese and place the dish under the broiler until the top is browned.

Our side dish was sauteed baby broccoli (known as broccolini at Trader Joe's).  I first cooked 3 cloves of chopped garlic in olive oil over medium-low heat for a couple of minutes.  Once they were softened, I added the broccoli, a few splashes of white wine, and cranked the heat up to medium-high.  I added more wine every couple of minutes when the pan got dry to ensure that the garlic didn't burn.

The best part of tonight's dinner?  It's Sunday but there's not work tomorrow!  Enjoy your Memorial Day, everyone!

Day 323: Liquid & Solid Experimentation

I want to love oysters.  People who like oysters are cool and living here in Northern California, loving oysters seems like the right thing to do.  I've had little experience eating them, though, and I have a mental barrier that says "oysters are snot-like".  So, I've decided to try them when the time and place is right and when I'm feeling adventurous.  Tonight was one of those nights.

After an exceedingly lazy day during which we hardly left the house, we ventured out of our neighborhood for dinner to try a new restaurant, Bacar.  I ordered the field green salad and one of each of the two oysters they were offering tonight:  Beausoleil (from New Brunswick, Canada) and Point Reyes (from California).  Surprisingly, I preferred the oysters over the salad, which I found quite bitter.  I squeezed some lemon juice over the oysters and spooned a bit of cocktail sauce on top and even chewed the flesh rather than just swallowing them whole.  Both were good but the Point Reyes, with a fresh flavor that I really enjoyed, was the better of the two.

For my entree, I chose a lamb dish with middle eastern component:  preserved lemon, harissa, and olives.  It was only after ordering that I found out that the dish feature lamb "three ways":  the loin, a lamb sausage, and braised lamb belly.  I was a little worried about that last one, but all of them were really good.

After our entrees we shared a cheese plate and my husband ordered a flight of Scotch.  Brown liquor (scotch, bourbon, whiskey) goes in the same category as oysters - things I currently do not enjoy but which I desperately want to want to learn to love.  My husband quite likes his brown liquor, though, so I always take the opportunity to sip his.  Two out of three were okay, but I still have a ways to go before I love them.

Still, it was a successful night overall.  It was fun to get out of the neighborhood and try a new restaurant and lots of new things, both liquid and solid!

Day 322: Chilling with Jen

A dear college friend is in town just for one night, so we wanted to take her somewhere that we know is good and that's not too noisy so we could catch up.  We decided on Bistro Aix.

After the delicious beet and goat cheese salad (one of my fave appetizers)  I had a bowl of spaghettini with tomato, basil, and grana padana cheese.  Then the three of us shared two desserts:  tarte tatin and chocolate cake.

As always, everything was delicious and it was great fun to hang out with my friend, whom I hadn't seen in almost two years!

Day 321: Leftovers Supreme

With lots of tasty things in the house, there was no need to buy anything for dinner tonight.  Instead, I made a warm quinoa salad with the following items that we had on hand:

- vinaigrette made from juice of 1.5 lemons, 2 T olive oil, and S&P

- leftover rotisserie chicken

- corn scraped off a leftover cob

- half a bag of frozen spinach, defrosted (this is easy to do by running it under lukewarm water)

- some chopped up roasted tomatoes

- a handful of sliced almonds

Lots of tasty things could have gone into this dish:  frozen peas, crumbled goat cheese, chopped avocado.  Whatever!!  It felt good to use up some stuff we had on hand and to create such a tasty and healthful dinner.  Leftovers rule!