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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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!

Day 316: A Real Seasonal Treat

Tonight's dinner with my visiting in-laws was full of tasty treats, but the greatest of all was the stuffed squash blossoms that I had as my appetizer.  Filled with fresh mozzarella, lightly fried, and plated with drizzles of tomato sauce and pesto. 

As I almost always do when we go to Capannina, I ordered fish.  Tonight it was sea bass served with cherry tomatoes, asparagus, and grilled polenta.  Yummy.

And because we had special guests, we decided to splurge and have dessert. Of course I insisted on an order of Capannina's to die for profiteroles.  These light creme puffs are served with two dipping sauces - chocolate and caramel - and they are heaven on earth.  My hubby's choice was molten chocolate cake with hazelnut ice cream.

This was a treatful night indeed.  Squash blossom season is a short one - I'll have to try to get back to Capannina again before it's over!

Day 303: Fueled for the Week

If fish is brain food, then I'm fueled up for the week!  Last night I had grilled salmon at Capannina and tonight I made roasted halibut with tomatoes and roasted asparagus.

Asparagus is in season right now and it's more delicious to me than ever this year.  I've been gobbling it up at every opportunity.  Tonight, I mixed it with 2 cloves of minced garlic, about 1 tsp olive oil, and S&P and roasted it in a glass baking dish at 450 degrees for about 10 minutes, mixing it once midpoint.

The fish was just as easy.  I chopped up some "Greek style roasted tomatoes" that I had purchased at our local grocery store.  After seasoning the fish with S&P, I placed them in a baking dish and covered the top of them with the chopped tomatoes.  Then I drizzled olive oil over the top and roasted the fish for 15 minutes at 450 degrees.

This was such a healthful and tasty meal.  A great start to the week!

Day 302: I Will Steal This Plating Idea!

When I ordered the grilled salmon with roasted eggplant raviolini tonight at Capannina, I expected to get some little mini raviolis.  Instead, I got one large ravioli, which served as the cushion for my fish.  Genius!

If you've been following this blog awhile, you know that plating is not my strong point.  So, anytime I encounter interesting ideas like this, I file them away in my mental cookbook.

It goes without saying that this meal, like all that I have had at Capannina, was not only visually impressive but delicious as well.  That's what keeps up coming back!

I should note that I started the meal with the soup special:  puree of asparagus and artichoke with polenta croutons.  I tried this soup for the first time a few weeks ago and it was to die for and another visual stunner.  Click here to see it for yourself.

Day 301: Little Bit of This, Little Bit of That

One reason I love Isa is that no matter what you're craving, they can deliver it.  The plates there are smaller and are meant to be shared so you can have a little bit of this, a little bit of that.

There are a couple of items that we order 100% of the time:  baked goat cheese with tomatoes, basil, and pine nuts and sea scallops with asparagus (or brussels sprouts, depending on the season) and mashed potatoes.  From there, we choose another couple of things to suit our mood.

Tonight I had a mild craving for carbs, so we had a bowl of spaghetti with truffles and cheese.  We rarely order the pasta at Isa so this was a nice change and a great treat.  We also had spicy tuna tartar with avocado and roasted duck with braised cabbage.  Like I said...a little bit of this, a little bit of that.  And all of it delicious!

Day 289: Spring is Here and It's Delicious

So much good produce is in season now:  asparagus, artichokes, and peas.  So, for our salad tonight, I decided to forgo lettuce and spinach and those usual leafy greens and instead, used pea shoots.  If you haven't eaten pea shoots before, they are light, crisp, and taste just like sweet peas.

I also quartered a couple of handfuls of heirloom cherry tomatoes.  There were red, yellow, and dark green ones - each with its own flavor.  I also added a cucumber, a red bell pepper, an avocado, some celery, and a couple of baby beets.  Instead of using a bottled dressing, I made my own using the juice of a lemon, about 1.5 T olive oil, about 1 tsp sugar, and S&P to taste.  

For our protein, we took the easy way out.  Our local grocery store sells marinated pork tenderloin that had been pounded flat and it is delicious, especially when cooked on the grill.  So...that's what we did.

This was an easy, fresh, flavorful, and healthy dinner.  A great start to the week!

Day 284: Tuna Tuesday

According to Anthony Bourdain, Tuesday is one of the best days to buy fish so off I went to the market today to see what looked fresh.  I walked out with a couple of pieces of great looking ahi, two nice sized bok choys, and some prepared "Greek style roasted tomatoes".

I sliced the bok choy crosswise, thinly at the end where it's thicker and wider through the leafy part, since those thinner pieces would cook more quickly.  Then I was sure to clean the pieces thoroughly.  Bok choy is like celery - it collects lots of dirt between the layers, so you really need to clean it carefully.

I took the tuna, cut it into 1 inch cubes, and tossed it in a Ziploc bag with the juice of a lemon, 2 T olive oil, and a good dose of S&P.  

After heating up some olive oil, I added 3 cloves of minced garlic and a thinly sliced shallot to the pan and sauteed them over low heat until they were softened up (but not browned).  Then I added the bok choy and 2 T white wine, turned up the heat to medium high, and covered the pot.  After about 5 minutes, the bok choy was softened but still had a little crunch.

I removed the bok choy from the pan and set it aside in a large bowl.  After pouring the liquid from the pan into the sink, I drizzled some olive oil into the pan and heated it on medium-high heat.  Once hot, I added the tuna and sauteed for about 4-55 minutes, stirring the cubes every minute or two.  Once cooked, I tossed the tuna into the bowl with the bok choy and some of the diced Greek style roasted tomatoes.

Assuming I can find those tomatoes again, I will definitely make this meal again.  They added a really nice salty, acidic note to the dish.  And as Anthony said, buying seafood on Tuesday almost always assures the freshest most flavorful fish.

Day 272: Feeding the Monster

I have a cat named Monster, but he is not what I'm referring to in this entry's title.  I'm referring to my noisy, growling tummy!!  I was absolutely famished tonight!

First, we attempted to go to the Balboa Cafe but there was an hour wait to sit down.  So, we walked a couple of blocks to Bistro Aix where two great surprises awaited me.  First, I ran into an old friend whom I had not seen nor spoken to in ages - and since there was a short wait to sit down, we were able to catch up.

The second surprise was tonight's special:  Spaghetti with Maine lobster, tomatoes, and basil.  Lobster?!?  Just what the monster ordered!!  Not only was the dish delicious, but it was loaded with lobster and only cost $25!  The monster and my wallet are super happy tonight!

Day 271: Can You Spot My Secret Ingredient?

The goal tonight was to use up a bunch of items that we had on hand:  cherry tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, spinach, and a fennel bulb.  I decided to make some whole grain pasta and toss in those items and some others that we also had:  garlic, parmesan cheese, and my favorite secret ingredient - white wine!  The only thing I actually had to purchase was some spicy turkey sausage.

I mixed the tomatoes with two large cloves of pressed garlic, about 1.5T of olive oil, and S&P and poured everything into a square glass baking dish.  The dish went into a 375 degree oven.

Next, I set the pasta water to boil (with salt & olive oil, of course) and cooked the pasta until al dente.  While that was happening, I prepared the rest of the dish.

I chopped up two links of spicy turkey sausage and thinly sliced the fennel.  These ingredients went into a large saute pan that had been pre-heated with a light coating of olive oil.  I also added about 2-3T of white wine and stirred frequently, cooking the mixture until the fennel was softened up (about 10 minutes).  

Then, I rough chopped four large handfuls of bagged baby spinach and added them to the pan.  The tomatoes had burst in the oven by the time the spinach was wilted, so I dumped them into the pan with everything else and cooked the mixture for another couple of minutes.  Then the cooked and drained pasta went into the pan and I cooked everything until the pasta was heated through (the noodles had finished before my sausage and veggie mixture, so I had drained them and rinsed them in cold water to stop the cooking process).

Finally, I tossed in about 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese and mixed everything together again.  Once the pasta was plated, I sprinkled another healthy dose of cheese over the top and some chopped fresh basil leaves over that.

This was a decent recipe - not one of my favorites, but a tasty and well-rounded meal with whole grain, protein, vegetables, and calcium.  The best part was, it enabled me to use up a bunch of stuff we had on hand just in time for the weekend.  Because you know I don't "do cooking" on Friday or Saturday nights.  Speaking of that, any restaurant recommendations to share?

Day 268: Balancing Act

We had a killer lunch today.  We ventured down to Pacifica and had loads of yummy eats at Gorilla BBQ, recently featured on the Food Network show Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives.  After pulled pork, BBQ chicken, mac & cheese, cole slaw and cornbread I just knew that the system was going to demand some light, healthy fare tonight.

Fortunately, our friend Julie invited us to her place for dinner and she made a delicious, low fat meal.  She pan fried tilapia filets and served them over steamed spinach with some baby heirloom tomatoes that she had sauteed in olive oil and garlic.

We finished the meal with some tiny assorted fruit tarts and mini eclairs from Emporio Rulli, which has become my de facto source for beautiful and tasty sweet treats.

So the name of the game today was balance.  It's okay to splurge and have some fun - hell, when it's BBQ, it's a must!  

Day 261: Double Recipe Entry

I make damn good meatballs and today's you're lucky day because I'm going to give you the recipe.  Usually we eat them without pasta, but tonight I boiled up a little bit of whole wheat spaghetti.  I also made some baby broccoli as a side dish and it was beyond delicious.  All in all, a stellar meal tonight.

Meatballs:

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/3 cup bread crumbs or panko

1/2 cup cold water (or beef broth if you have some handy)

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

1/2 cup grated parmesan

1 lb lean ground beef

1/2 lb ground pork

1/2 lb ground lamb

Place first four ingredients in large bowl, stir together, and let sit for 5 minutes.

Pour a thick layer of olive oil into a pan and place it over a medium-high burner.

Add garlic, parsley, and parm to the egg mixture and mix everything together.  Add meat and use your hands to gently mix everything together.  If it seems too wet to hold together, add some more bread crumbs until you're happy with the consistency.  

Place two jars of your favorite tomato sauce in an oven proof pot and place in the oven at 225 degrees.  I like Classico and use some combination of their tomato basil, roasted garlic, or spicy tomato flavors.  Of course, you can make your own sauce if you prefer, but having tried that a couple of times, I find it's way more effort than it's worth for this particular recipe.

Make balls out of your meat mixture.  I like to make larger ones because you can get them all fried in fewer batches.    I get about a dozen and a half large meatballs out of this recipe.

Place a batch of meatballs in your hot oil and cook until browned.  Turn them and allow the other side to brown and then place them in your pre-heated sauce.  Once all of your meatballs are in the sauce, allow them to cook uncovered for an hour and a half.

Upon serving, grate some more parm or melt some mozzarella over the top.

Baby Broccoli:

1 package of fresh baby broccoli (we purchased ours at Trader Joe's)

2 large cloves of garlic, minced

1 small shallot bulb, chopped

1/4 cup white wine

Pour a thin coat of olive oil into a pan and warm over low heat.  Add garlic and shallot and saute for a couple of minutes until soft and fragrant.

Add broccoli, season with S&P, and turn heat up to medium-high.  Add half of the wine and stir everything together.  Add the rest of the wine a couple of minutes later, or when you see the initial bit has evaporated.

Stir frequently and cook until broccoli is at the desired doneness.  I like mine to still have a lot of crunch.

This dinner definitely takes some time to prepare, which is what makes it perfect for a Sunday night.  If you're cooking for two, then you will also be blessed with some yummy leftovers which will make dinner preparation a lot easier one night during the week.  Enjoy!