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 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 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 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 318: Triple Threat - Tasty, Pretty, and Easy!

With a giant vat of leftover slaw in my fridge, I wanted to do something more creative than just serve it as a side dish (every day for the next week!). Fish tacos are often served with some shredded cabbage over the top and I've been meaning to try to make them myself for ages, so that's what we had for dinner tonight.

I used a mild white fish, similar to red snapper. I cannot remember what type of fish it was, I'll update this once I do! After patting it dry, I sprinkled ground cumin, dried oregano, and S&P on each side and rubbed it into the flesh. Then, after heating up a thin coating of canola oil in a non-stick pan, I pan fried the fish for about 2.5 minutes per side, transferred it to a plate, and flaked it apart with a fork.

Of course, I also made some guacamole. I like my guac a little bit chunky, so I scoop out the flesh onto a cutting board and mash it with the back of a fork. I then transfer it to a bowl and mix it with the juice of a lime, 2 heaping tsps of light sour cream, a few good shakes of Frank's Red Hot, and S&P.

Our final taco accompaniment was pickled red onions. These are so easy to make, can last in the fridge for several weeks, and add a nice little tanginess to fish tacos. All you do is thinly slice a red onion and submerge it in red vinegar. Leave it for at least 1/2 hour before you consume.

I assembled my tacos as follows: a good smear of guacamole over the top of a warm corn tortilla, about 1/2 dozen slices of pickled onion, a couple of spoonfuls of fish, and the slaw on top. This was such a tasty meal and so quick and easy to prepare. Even if you don't have leftover slaw, you can still just slice up some cabbage and maybe use a few additional slices of pickled onion. Yum!!

Day 317: Summer!

Our dinner tonight reflects the summery weather we've had here this weekend.

First of all, we had our first corn on the cob of the season! I saw it at the farm stand and just couldn't resist it.

We also had some yummy roasted asparagus. I cut the stalks into 2 inch pieces and tossed them with some olive oil, S&P, and 2 shallots which I had peeled and cut into sixths. All of this was spread out on a baking sheet and cooked for 15 minutes at 375 degrees.

For a colorful pop (and lots of good vitamins and minerals) I made a slaw: half a head each of red and green cabbage (sliced thin), 3 large carrots (shredded), and a large red bell pepper (julienned). The vinaigrette I made was 1/3 cup red wine vinegar, 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1/3 cup canola oil, and some cracked black pepper. This was whisked well together and poured over the top of the veggies. I then tossed it all together with my hands. It's ideal to make this several hours before you are going to serve it, to allow the veggies to soften up a little bit and absorb the flavors from the vinaigrette. Just before serving, sprinkle some thinly sliced green onions over the top.

The final element of our dinner, and unfortunately - the most disappointing - was our grilled herb crusted turkey breasts. We had made this very dish for Thanksgiving and it was wonderful but tonight - not so much. It was SO dry!! We think we made the dish the same way we did the first time and the only thing we can think of is that we had a gravy to go with it last time. Maybe the turkey was dry then too and we just didn't notice because of the gravy.

Fortunately for us, our kind guests (my in-laws and a friend) ate every bite and didn't flinch. Not sure if that was out of politeness or because we'd filled them up with so much good wine that they didn't care. In any case, we thank them for their great company!

Day 304: Rivers of Cheese

Is there such a thing as too much cheese.  I think not!  

Tonight I made enchiladas using leftover chicken from a soup I made over the weekend.  I shredded the meat and mixed it with 1/2 of a finely minced and sauteed onion and a can of black beans (rinsed).

I heated a can of enchilada sauce over low flame and added a couple of dashes of cayenne pepper to up the spiciness.  Once it was warm, I dipped a corn tortilla in the sauce and then placed some of the chicken mixture across the middle of it.  I sprinkled some shredded cheddar cheese on top of the filling and rolled the tortilla as tightly as I could without tearing it.  I then laid the enchilada, flap side down, into a baking dish that I had coated with some of the enchilada sauce.

After repeating this exercise with five more tortillas, my dish was packed full.  I sprinkled some more cheese over the top, then poured the remaining enchilada sauce over everything, and then sprinkled what was left of the cheese on top of that.

The dish was baked for 20 minutes at 350 degrees and when I pulled it out of the oven, beautiful rivers of cheese flowed between each enchilada, the tortillas were softened, and the filling was warm.  Perfecto!

One of my favorite things about this dish is that it can be made with any filling and cheese you like.  You can also adjust the spice level by buying milder or hotter sauces or by adding cayenne pepper.  It's a great way to use leftovers you have on hand and it's easy to make and comes together quickly.  And...there are the rivers of cheese to consider!!

Day 288: Zuni Cafe's Famous Chicken

After two and a half years of living in SF, we finally made it to the famous Zuni Cafe.  Zuni Cafe opened 30 years ago and is cheffed by Chez Panisse alum Judy Rogers.  It is a legendary place and it's hard to believe that it took us so long to check it out for ourselves!!

Any time I've heard someone talk about Zuni, it is usually coupled with mention of their chicken for two.  It is a whole chicken (cut into pieces), roasted to order with a bread stuffing with currants and pine nuts.  Mustard greens are tossed over the top.

You know when things are talked up so much that you automatically assume that there's no way that they can live up to the hype?  Well, this was one of those times, only it TOTALLY lived up to the hype.  Perfectly seasoned.  Crispy skin.  Delicious accompaniments.  When can I have it again?

Of course we had a couple of starters before the miracle chicken:  fried cauliflower, onions, and capers (fair), breasola with grilled fava beans (I did not care for this), and polenta with marscapone & parmesan cheese (um, YUM!).

Believe it or not, after all of this, we also had dessert.  I was very intrigued by the caramel and balsamic vinegar ice cream, which was most sweet but also a bit sour-tangy.  

What a meal!  And excellent service, too.  Our waiter was a recently relocated New Yorker, like us, and we enjoyed reminiscing about all the great food offered there.  When we go back to Zuni, we will definitely request Jeff as our server.

Day 262: Playing Hooky

I took the day off of work today and whenever I do that, I feel that I owe my hard working husband a good home cooked dinner.

We hadn't had lamb in ages, so I made mustard crusted chops.  This is an Emeril recipe that I've made many times before and it's also a hit.

To go with the meat, I made parmesan polenta and sauteed brussels sprouts.  

Polenta (for 2 people):

Boil 2 cups of salted water.  Slowly stir in 1/2 cup polenta and 1T butter and stir constantly until thickened, approximately 4-5 minutes.  Transfer polenta to a metal bowl.   Boil a couple of inches of water in a pot, place the bowl over the top of the pot, and cook the polenta in this double boiler for about 20 more minutes, stirring frequently.  If you'd like, just before serving, you can stir in some grated parmesan cheese or soft goat cheese for added richness and flavor.

Brussels Sprouts:

Trim the sprouts, removing the other layer of leaves, and cut in half vertically.

Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a stainless steel pan over medium heat.  Place the sprouts in the pan, cut side down.  Sprinkle with salt and allow to cook for a few minutes until the cut side is browned.

Stir the sprouts and turn the heat up to medium-high.  Add a few splashes of orange juice and stir again.  Allow to cook for a few more minutes until sprouts are to the desired doneness.  s

I didn't work hard at the office today but I put a damn delicious meal together, so I'm not a complete slacker!

Day 218: Last Night in Costa Rica

We've had a tremendous time in CR and I am really sad to be leaving tomorrow. But, I'm also looking forward to the next leg of our trip - Panama!

To begin to get myself integrated into that new culture, I started tonight's dinner with sancocho, described on the menu as a traditional Panamanian soup. It was so simple but so YUM!! Basically, it is chicken soup with chunks of chicken and potato. The broth was so rich and flavorful, though - much tastier than most chicken soups. I think they must cook it long and slow with potato and corn, with the starches from those veggies adding the richness.

Next, I had some grilled shrimp marinated in garlic. They were good, but not great. Or maybe the super delicious soup just ruined me for anything that followed. Although, to be honest, I splurged and had dessert tonight - traditional Costa Rican rice pudding (which was relatively undistinguishable from US rice pudding) that was very yummy.

I should mention that this meal took place at the restaurant at the lovely Villa Blanco Cloudforest Hotel and Spa where we spent our final night in CR. Unfortunately, we only had one day to spend here and the rainy weather continued, preventing us from fully enjoying the cloudforest itself, but the hotel experience was really nice and we definitely plan to return for a longer period of time one day, hopefully in the near future.

Meanwhile, tomorrow we move on to Panama. What tasty treats await us there, I wonder?

Day 206: A+ for Plating!

Finally!  Plating that I can really be proud of!  And this dinner was as easy as it is beautiful!

It all started with a ham steak.  These come in packs of three at Costco and just need to be re-heated.  We usually do this on the grill, but have also chopped it up and cooked it in a skillet before adding it to an omelette or a frittata.  These steaks are perfect for work-night dinners as most of the work is done for you.  Plus, they are low in fat and therefore offer a good dose of lean protein.

Our side dish also had a good head start with a roll of polenta that we purchased at Trader Joe's.  For easy preparation, you just slice it up into discs and pan fry them in olive oil or butter.  But as much as I love polenta, I admit that it relies heavily on the flavors infused by other ingredients.  So, I made a delicious tomato-mushroom mixture to go with it.

Ingredients:

1 T olive oil

1 T butter

3 gloves garlic, pressed

1 T fresh thyme leaves

1 dozen large cremini or white button mushrooms

1/4 cup white wine

2 vine ripened tomatoes, chopped

S&P to taste

Heat olive oil and butter in a non-stick pan over medium-low heat.  Once hot, add garlic.

Saute garlic for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add thyme, mushrooms, and white wine and turn heat up to medium-high.  Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms have softened (approx. 5 minutes).

Add tomatoes and S&P and cook for another 3-5 minutes, until tomatoes are softened and mixture is to desired consistency.  Taste to make sure you have the desired amount of S&P.  Remove mixture, separating solids from liquids and set aside.

We added a little more oil to the pan to fry the polenta cakes.  Once they were browned on both sides, I stacked the mushroom & tomato mixture with the polenta cakes in alternating layers, starting and finishing with the mushroom/tomato.  You can then drizzle the stack with the liquid you set aside - if it's thin, consider reheating it and simmering it until it's thickened up.

I was really happy with the visual effect and by the way - it isn't just pretty, but tasty too.  I will definitely make this again next time we entertain.

Day 197: Thanks, Julie!

Our friend Julie hosted us for dinner tonight with a yummy and healthful meal.

Lemon slices tucked underneath the skin infused the roasted chicken with a fresh citrusy flavor and ensured the meat stayed moist.  Yum!

We had two side dishes as well:  steamed asparagus with sauteed mushrooms and corn pudding.  The corn recipe came from a recent issue of Cooking Light magazine and was really tasty.  Oyster crackers crumbled on top added some nice crunch - and it was served by spooning it out of the baking dish.  It seemed like a great dish to serve at a dinner party.

I love having dinner at other people's houses - I always learn something and add a new trick to my cooking repertoire!