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.