Lemony Quinoa Risotto

Well, hello! I thought we were in need of something a little more upbeat after that last post. No? How about Fall? That seems to cheer everyone up. I'm wearing a sweater today; I wore a Giants sweatshirt while walking the dog this morning (Yes, the ones going to the World Series TONIGHT. Oh, you didn't hear that? You must be a Dodger fan. Sorry about that.) I loooove me some cozy clothes. And cold weather food...the kind that often leads to the need for cozy clothes, unfortunately. Know what else makes me happy? Risotto. And playing with new recipe ideas. Lemony Quinoa Risotto, this time. I started with a mushroom risotto recipe on the back of my quinoa package and jumped off from there, ditching the mushrooms and creme fraiche and instead bumping up the garlic, adding lemon, and tying in the cream cheese I used for my Spinach & Feta Stuffed Chicken (Which I totally made up, recipe also below). And it was Delicious. Capital D. I used 2 tbsp cream cheese, but you'd be fine with 1 tbsp, depending on how creamy you like this sort of thing! Also, I totally forget how annoying stirring risotto can be. Pro*-tip: Grab a chair and hang out with some wine while you do it. *I am not actually a pro. I just like to sit. And drink. Lemony Quinoa Risotto Half an onion, chopped About 1 tbsp minced garlic 1 tbsp Olive Oil 1 cup rinsed quinoa 1/3 cup vermouth (or white wine) 3 cups chicken stock/broth zest of half a lemon 1 tsp lemon juice 1-2 tbsp light cream cheese salt and pepper to taste Saute onion and garlic in OO for a couple minutes, then add quinoa. Move all of that around for a few minutes, til the quinoa starts smelling a little toasty. Over medium high heat, add the vermouth and stir until it’s almost all evaporated. Then add half cup broth, stirring often, until mostly gone. Repeat, half a cup at a time, until the quinoa pops open (each grain will have a halo-type look to it). It’ll take 20-25 minutes or so. It may take more than 3 cups. It depends on how high your heat is, how much you stir, etc. It usually works for me right around there. Once the last of the liquid is evaporated, stir in the lemon zest and juice, then turn heat to low and stir in the cream cheese. Season to taste. Serve hot. For the chicken, I stuffed the breasts with a mix of: 1 package frozen chopped spinach, steamed, then squeezed as dry as possible A bit of minced garlic a couple oz of light feta 2 tbsp light cream cheese 1/2 tsp dried thyme Zest from half a lemon Salt and pepper breadcrumbs Seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper, and rolled it in some bread crumbs. Cooked at 375 for 25 minutes. If you don't have/want breadcrumbs, all good. Hubs just made some last week and I'm trying to use them up.

And I wanted to order take out.

What is it about the colder weather that makes me so freakin' lazy? I just want to be in a sweatshirt and cuddled up in bed with a book, the couch with my hubs, or in the comfy chair with my bebe. Cooking is so not on the agenda.

So once we got E down last night, I asked the hubs what he wanted to do for dinner, hoping he would say he'd go pick us up some salads...Alas we're broke and he's way more as lazy as I am in the evenings, so he shrugged and said, "Isn't there chicken?"

Siiiiiiiiigh. Yes. There is chicken. And I suppose we can do something with it. Panko "shake and bake," you say? Fine. And I'll make some risotto. No, it's fine, it's really not that hard. Just come help me with the chicken...

And this was the result. Holy crap. It's a little monochromatic, but the chicken was crispy and delicious, the risotto was ridiculously flavorful. And this is why pantry meals win.

Bacon & Thyme Risotto (for two)
olive oil
3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup arborio rice
1/4 cup vermouth (or sherry or white wine)
2 cups chicken stock (bouillon)
1-2 tsp bacon bits
Sprinkle pepper
Dash dried thyme
Sprinkle Parmesan cheese

heat a bit of olive oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and rice and saute about 2 minutes. Add vermouth and let cook out, a couple of minutes, stirring frequently. Add bacon, pepper, thyme and about a half cup broth and keep stirring frequently until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add another half cup of broth and repeat. Repeat. Repeat. It should take about 20 minutes or so. Maybe more.

Sprinkle with parmesan and serve hot.


Crunchy Herbed Chicken
2 6oz chicken thighs or breasts
About 1/4 cup flour
Salt & pepper
1 egg
About 1/4 cup panko
About 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
pepper
dried thyme
dried oregano
dried basil

Arrange three deep plates. In the first, combine flour, and a good pinch each salt and pepper. In the second, whisk an egg with a fork. In the third, combine panko, breadcrumbs, and a good pinch each of pepper, thyme, oregano and basil.

Rinse chicken and pat dry. Dredge in flour mix, then dip in egg, then dredge in panko mix.

Bake 20 min at 350. Turn up to 400 and bake 5 more.

Just throw it in there and cross your fingers.

So you bought a whole head/bag of shredded cabbage for the cup needed for Posole and don't know what to do with the rest, huh?

I figured I better improvise or it would be yet another half used bag of vegetable, rotting in my crisper. So I threw it in a cucumber salad and hoped for the best. And it worked—it got raves from the hubby and I thought it was fantastic. We had it with steak, but it would be good with some sort of Asiany chicken or fish, too. Something fairly simple-this has a lot of flavor.

Cucumber Peanut Salad
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground chile paste like Sambal Oelek (or to taste)
Medium squirt fish sauce (or 1/4 tsp salt)
1 large cucumber
1/4 cup roasted peanuts, finely chopped (I used the food processor)
Decent handful chopped cilantro, including the stems
3 green onions, just the light green/white parts, sliced
About a cup of shredded cabbage
1 green onion (the green part), thinly sliced (to top)

Combine vinegar and sugar (and salt, if you're using it) in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat until all is dissolved. Turn off heat, add chile and fish sauce, and set aside to cool.

Peel cucumber and halve longways. Use a spoon to drag down the middle, removing the seeds. Slice into fairly thin slices and place in small bowl. Pour dressing over cucumber, and toss gently to coat. Put cabbage into a medium/big bowl, and top with cucumbers and sauce from the small bowl. Add peanuts, cilantro and green onion, and toss just before serving. Top with remaining green onion.

Is it still gourmet if it's easy?

When hubby asked what I was making and I told him Prosciutto Spinach Salad, his response was "ooh, gourmet."

Which got me thinking...exactly what makes a meal gourmet? Is there, like, a gourmet qualifier?

Here is how the MacMillan Dictionary defines gourmet:
Gourmet food: of a very high quality.
Gourmet cook: someone who can make very good food. 

Well. Glad we got that straightened out. Thank you, MacMillan dictionary, for that riveting and completely non-subjective definition. Sooooo. I guess the moral here is that this salad is awesome (yet super easy) and you should make it, because people will think you're gourmet and shit.

Prosciutto Spinach Salad
1 3oz pkg prosciutto
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
Spray oil
Fresh pepper
Asparagus, trimmed and cut in half or thirds
Baby spinach, one package
About 1/4 cup basil, thinly sliced
Juice from half a lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tap brown sugar
Parmesan cheese

On a lined cooking sheet, lay out prosciutto slices and sprinkle with tomato halves.

Coat lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle all well with fresh pepper. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. Let cool and break prosciutto into pieces.

Bring some water to a boil and drop in asparagus. Let cook about 5 minutes, drain, and rinse with cool water.

In a medium bowl, combine the dressing ingredients: basil, lemon, oil and sugar and whisk until sugar is dissolved. (or stick it all in a jar with a lid and shake it til dissolved, like I did.)

On large salad plates, spread out baby spinach and top with asparagus. Arrange prosciutto and tomato, and drizzle with dressing. Finish with a dusting (or more!) of parmesan. Voila.

Extra Schlooppy for you.

So I have a confession...I've eaten Sloppy Joes like, twice in my life. I have no idea what they're supposed to taste like. And I have no idea what the appeal is. I mean, it's ground meat and onion and sauce...just make a burger. That way you can have lettuce and tomato on it and it's somewhat more balanced and tastes like grown up food. I just don't get it.

Me: So? Whaddya think? Are they good?
Hubby: Oh, yeah, they're good.
Me: Huh. (Examines my Joe carefully.)
Hubby:...what about you? Do you like them?
Me: I...I don't know...I'm very confused...

Anyway, he had two. One was plenty for me, but I was all over the Asian slaw I made for the side. So, you know, here are both recipes.

Crock Pot Sloppy Joes
1/2 a green bell pepper, chopped
half an onion, chopped
1 lb lean ground beef
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp brown sugar
a good squirt mustard (2 tsp or so)
One cup of ketchup
Good pinch each of S&P (1/4 tsp each?)

Spray a pan lightly with cooking spray and sauté onion and bell pepper for a couple of minutes. Add beef, and cook over medium high heat until brown, 5 minutes or so. Place in crock pot and stir in remaining ingredients.

Cook on high for 4 hours (or however long you've got). Serve on lightly toasted buns.

Asian Coleslaw
2 tbsp reduced fat peanut butter
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
Small piece of ginger (about the size of a garlic clove), minced
1 tbsp peanut or canola oil
About 3 cups of coleslaw mix (cabbage, red cabbage and carrot)
half a bell pepper, thinly sliced and halved
handful of cilantro, chopped

Combine peanut butter through oil and set dressing aside. Mix veggie mix, bell pepper and cilantro, then toss with dressing right before eating. It gets a little soggy for leftovers, so keep that in mind.

Olive Cheese Bread

I cannot get enough bread these days. My absolute best friend is currently the Il Fornaio loaf at Fresh & Easy. It's the best heat and serve loaf ever. Ever. And they come in full loaves and little personal sized ones if you're not planning on gorging yourself (right.). Carb heaven, let me tell you.

And what makes fresh bread better? Cheese. And Olives. Obviously. Damn it, Sam.

No joke, these are ridiculous. Maybe you don't need to pile them as high with olives as we did, but if you do, I'm certainly not going to judge...

Olive Cheese Bread
2 to 3 minced garlic cloves
olive oil
1 shallot, thinly sliced
Regular or reduced fat crumbled blue cheese or gorgonzola
Kalamata olives, chopped

Heat over to 425.
Cut bread in half, lengthwise, and lay crust side down. Drizzle olive oil lightly over bread, then sprinkle with garlic, using a knife to spread it out a bit. Arrange shallot in an even layer across bread halves. Top with cheese and olives, then bake about 15 minutes. Serve hot.

There's a baby in there. It's not just steak, I swear.

It's really not fair to be pregnant over the holidays. I feel like all I've done lately is eat, and I'm getting weighed—by a doctor, no less—every two weeks. It's just not right. When I cook, I can at least control some of the potential damage, but it's still hard. Especially when the hubby requests New Year's Eve dinners that are "like we went to a steak house without having to actually going to one." Right.

He specifically requested creamed spinach, which I'd never made before, surprisingly...I love that stuff. We're not the only ones, right? It's delicious. And so is this recipe. Thanks to Anne Burrell for providing the base. Thanks to me for making it way less fattening. (Without the cheese—which I did not miss at all—and with light milk and butter, you can cut out 230 calories and 23 grams of fat.)

By the way, no judging the ginormous potato and piece of steak on the plate. I feel the need to point out that I ate less than half of each. I needed to save room for a berry tartlet. Priorities, you know.

Creamed Spinach
Olive oil
Cooking Spray
2 pounds washed baby spinach (bagged is easiest)
One large shallot, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons light butter (butter/canola mix)
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup 1% milk
About 1/8 tsp nutmeg
sea salt

Coat a stock pot with spray and heat over medium. Add spinach and cover, stirring and tossing often until mostly wilted, then remove spinach to a colander to drain. You may need to do one pound at a time for space reasons.

Add a splash (about 2 tsp) of olive oil to the pot. Add shallot and saute about 3 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and saute another 2 minutes. Add butter and allow to melt. Using a whisk, stir in flour. Cook, moving around constantly, 4-5 minutes.

Slowly whisk in milk and nutmeg. Stir frequently, allowing milk to come to a boil, then reduce heat immediately to low and continue whisking about 5 minutes or until thick. Add salt to taste, around 1/2 tsp or so. Stir in spinach. Serve hot.

652 calories total
8 servings/81.5 calories
6 servings/109 calories
4 servings/163 calories

Mexican rice, chipotle style

Oh, good god, there is still so. much. chipotle. in my fridge. I have been searching for ideas, making up my own recipes, and doing everything I can to not just chuck the leftovers, and still. It's like I haven't even made a dent.

This was an easy one—I figured I'd just try substituting chipotle for chili powder in Mexican rice, and...I have no idea what I was just talking about. I'm flipping channels as I write, and the Duggar family makes me lose my appetite. And now they're invading other countries, which is sure to do wonders for our reputation. These people are so...weird. I mean, the whole treating the vagina like a clown car aside, they're just weird people. And seriously, Michelle. If you would just agree get your hair done by a professional, I'd pay for it. And Jim Bob, just...shhhh. Just shhhh. Stop telling everyone they "drive on the wrong side of the road." It's England. They drive on that side. It's their right side. Just. Shut. Up.

Anyway, rice. This got really spicy really quickly, but a squeeze of lime and a dollop of greek yogurt evened it out and gave it an interesting creamy texture.

Served with sauteed chicken breasts seasoned with salt, garlic powder, lots of fresh white pepper and oregano.

Chipotle Rice
Olive oil
1 small brown onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 chipotle pepper, minced
About 1 tsp cumin
good pinch each salt and pepper
1 cup rice
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup water
1 can diced tomatoes, mostly drained
lime juice (opt.)
Greek yogurt (opt.)

In large saute pan or soup pan, heat a bit of olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, and saute about 3 minutes. Stir in chipotle, cumin, salt and pepper and then add rice, continuing to saute another few minutes.

Add broth, water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover. Let cook 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit 5 minutes before serving.

I have no idea what they really eat in Cambodia.

As you know, I love me some Cambodian Kampot pepper...and I'm always intrigued by the recipes that Pepper Project posts on their Facebook page. So when I saw one for black bean and corn salad, which reminded me of a similar salad I've made and loved, I jumped on it. Plus, the parents were in town for the evening, and I wanted to try something good yet reasonably safe...my parents claim to be adventurous, but then I'll discover that my mom doesn't like fish. Or goat cheese. Or cucumber. Sooo...

I changed this up a bit from their recommended recipe (which they don't have posted for me to link to) and it was delicious and super easy. My mom went home ready to make it the very next day. The flank steak was easy, too. I rubbed the herbs and spices on the night before, let it set in tupperware over night, then handed over to Hubby, since he's the grillmeister.



Cambodian Bean & Corn Salad
1 can corn, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
About 3/4 carton cherry tomatoes, halved
About 1 tsp. kampot pepper (or just use freshly-ground black pepper)
About 1/2 to 1 tsp. cumin
Small handful chopped cilantro (less than 1/4 cup)
1 green onion, thinly sliced
Dash olive oil (less than a tsp.)
About 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Juice from half a lime
Dash of salt to taste

Combine all, serve. I think you can handle that.


Pepper-Garlic Flank Steak
1 tbsp canola oil
3 minced garlic cloves
2 tsp fresh, chopped oregano
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp kampot pepper
About 1 tsp salt (I actually used about 1 tsp+ course grain sea salt for the rub, and then lightly sprinkled regular salt on right before grilling, so adjust accordingly)
Flank steak (I think mine was around 20oz)

Combine oil through salt. Rub mix all over steak, place in tupperware or large ziploc, refrigerate as long as possible (at least a few hours). Spray grill with cooking spray, and cook over high about 3-4 minutes a side or until cooked as you like. Slice thinly widthwise (across the grain) to serve.

Herbed Roasted Butternut Squash

I keep hearing that people don't like squash. And I have to say...really? If you're one of said squash-haters, please share your beef (so to speak, you probably like beef). Cause I don't get it. I think most types of squash are quite delish, especially when cooked with herbs and/or spices. Yum. So when I was searching for something interesting to do with butternut squash as a side, this one jumped out at me. Roasted with whole garlic and thyme? Done.

And wow. It's not often dinner smells amazing right off the bat. But literally, this one started beckoning my nostrils after...well, how much time does it take to change laundry from the washer to the dryer? I popped my squash in the oven (adjacent to the back door, which is three steps from the garage door, which is two steps from the washer/dryer), changed the laundry, and what, two minutes later? The house smelled fab. I'm guessing it's more the smell of the chicken in the oven, but even the monsters were hanging out in the kitchen. Yuh-uh-um.

Super easy, too, if you do it the Pammy way (aka the Sandra Lee/cheat it way). Try it. Especially if you don't "like" squash. Trust me here, ok? Roasting makes it caramelize just enough to add a tad of sweetness, while the herbs and garlic give it big-kid flavor.

Oh, and I used the convection/toaster oven for this, so I only cooked it for 35 min total at 375. If you are using the regular oven, follow the given directions.


Bay and Thyme Roasted Butternut Squash
1 lb package pre-cubed butternut squash
1 package pre-peeled whole garlic cloves (aka, about 8 of them. If you're not hugely into garlic, remove before serving)
olive oil
good pinch pepper (1/8 tsp ish)
salt (1/2 tsp or more) kosher salt
3 or 4 springs of fresh thyme
2 large bay leaves

Preheat oven to 450. Combine all in bowl, tossing to coat. Spread onto small pan (in one layer), and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, stir, and put back in oven for another 25 minutes or until cooked.

Remove bay leaves and big thyme stems before serving. Great with roast chicken (totally store bought, btw) and a green veggie. Yes, I'm back on a diet. Even Ramona wanted some. Though, really, when doesn't she...

Moroccan Beef and Butternut Squash Tagine

I'm still not feeling great, but after spending 18 hours in bed, I had to at least try and be productive. So I vacuumed, I cleaned the bathroom, I washed sheets...the essentials.

As a sidenote, I've also been putting the new TiVo Premiere to good use. This thing is amazing, and it's not even hooked up to cable yet! (apparently only 4 service guys in Kern County are familiar with TiVo Premiere, which requires a special cable card instead of the normal cable box. I am not joking. Couldn't get an appt for 3 weeks.)

You know I love Netflix. And I also love my TiVo. So the fact that this combines the two makes me oh-so-happy. (It streams Netflix and blockbuster on demand, pandora, YouTube, picassa, etc. etc. etc.)


Ramona helped set it up. Good god, every cat toy we own made it in this shot. Spoiled little shits.

Anyway, I have discovered the show Bones about 6 years late, and since Netflix carries the entire series on demand...it's embarrassing/disgusting how many epis I've watched this week. So to sum up, I love Netflix, I love TiVo, and I love Bones...and I'm not entirely sure what my point was there. And I love making the most of being sick? Sure. Moving on.

Being sick also means soup and not cooking. But since I bought meat for stew 3 days ago, I figured I better use it asap. So the Moroccan Beef and Butternut Squash Tagine I saw in Cooking Light it is.

I wish you could smell my house. It's cinnamony and spicy, garlicky and meaty.


(Yes, I shot from this angle so you can see my new adorable kettle. Everything in my kitchen is becoming orange and red and I love it.)

Here is the recipe I took this from. My only changes were pre-cut butternut squash, a bit of extra garlic and all spices, parsley instead of cilantro, and using a cheaper cut of meat. Problem with cheap meat, however, is that you've got to cook it differently.

Instead of only cooking 5 minutes once the tomatoes boil, I turned the heat to low, covered it, and let it cook slowly til soft for about an hour. Then I put in the squash and cooked until they were done. I also added a small mixture (a tbsp or so) of cornstarch and water to thicken it before I added the squash.



I chopped some extra shallots and garlic when I was prepping the stew, and sautéed them quickly for a couscous (below) to serve.


Herbed Couscous
1/2 cup couscous
1 cup broth
1 chopped shallot
2 chopped garlic cloves
1 thinly sliced green onion
About a 1/2 tsp fresh chopped thyme
Small handful chopped Italian parsley

Add the broth to the sauteed shallots and garlic, bring to a boil, then add couscous, turn off heat, cover, and let stand 10-15 minutes.

Add herbs. Add salt if you'd like (or are having it on its own), but with the Tagine it really doesn't need it.

I promised.

Every time I pass the portabellas at the grocery store, I pause and try to figure out how to get away with adding them to my dinner plans—especially if I'm already wanting to grill.

They're just so versatile...as long as I start with tomatoes and garlic, I've found you pretty much can't go wrong. Plus, they take like 10 minutes total. Especially if you cheat and buy pre-diced tomato.


Stuffed Ports
About a cup diced tomato
A couple tbsp chopped chives
1 tsp or so fresh thyme
1 tbsp or bacon pieces (the bottled kind)
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp of so goat cheese
Splash olive oil
Splash balsamic vinegar
S&P to taste
2 portabella mushrooms, gills and stem gently removed
Olive oil
Balsamic
Low sodium soy sauce

You know the drill. Mix tomato through salt and pepper.

Place mushrooms in shallow bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, vinegar and soy. Turn to coat.

On a hot grill, cook over high, gill side down, about 4 minute. Brush with some of the remaining marinade. Turn over, brush that side.

Carefully spoon in tomato mix. Grill another 5 minutes. Serve hot.


-posted out of laziness from my iPhone.

How is it 98 degrees still?

Might as well make the most of it and BBQ with friends, yeah?

I love this recipe for so many reasons: it reminds me of my mom, it's super summery, and it's easy. There's chopping, yes, but a rough to small chop is fine...the onion is really the only thing that needs a finer chop.

I actually boiled the eggs in with the pasta to save from cleaning two pots. You have to rinse the pasta anyway...so why not.


Mom's 'Macaroni' Salad
One package small macaroni noodles (the ones shaped like jujubees)
Two tomatoes, chopped
One can of olives, sliced or chopped
Two hard boiled eggs, cooled and chopped
Three stalks celery, chopped
Half a small red onion, finely chopped
About 3/4 cup light mayo
Salt and pepper

Boil a few quarts of water in a stock pot (enough for all the pasta), add pasta and cook according to directions-10-12 min or so. Drain well, put in large bowl and chill in the fridge.

In medium bowl, combine tomatoes, olives, eggs, celery and onion.

When pasta is cool, mix in mayo, and then stir in tomato mix. Salt and pepper to taste, chill til ready to eat.

Eat with anything worthy of other BBQ food, summer food, or otherwise. And friends, obviously.

-posted out of laziness from my iPhone.

As long as my cooler's on, I'm making summer food.

This got a "this is good" not once, but twice during the meal. Agreed. I intended on making it with steak, but decided/was persuaded to leave it in its marinade and BBQ some chicken instead. Summery, no?



The original recipe calls for pine nuts and haricot verts...but my bank account said nuh-uh. One day I'll try it and compare. Til then, this will do just fine.



Green Bean, Tomato and Basil Salad
(adapted from a Cooking Light recipe)

Package green beans (about 12 oz)
Package grape tomatoes, halved
One shallot, finely chopped
Juice from half a lemon
Lemon zest (1 lemon)
1 tbsp honey
About 2+ tbsp 0% Greek yogurt
Salt and pepper
Large handful chopped or ribboned basil
About a tbsp slivered almonds, toasted or plain

Cook beans until almost cooked, rinse with cold water and drain.

In a large bowl, mix juice, yogurt, honey, salt (1/4 tsp or to taste) and a bit of pepper. Add tomatoes and beans. Toss. Sprinkle with basil, zest, and nuts. Toss gently to serve.



-posted out of laziness from my iPhone.

I can have potato salad and potstickers for dinner if I want to.

So, my grandma was from Oklahoma. (Well, one of them was; the other was from Kansas, which, really, is kind of the same thing) And like many grandmas, she passed down a couple of recipes that my mom's side of the family has kept firmly in rotation. I'm not entirely sure if it's because of tradition, love, or some sort of otherwise commitment...either way, Grandma's potato salad rocks...not to say I don't douse it up a bit; it's just that I'm introducing it to this generation (and not to be insensitive, but most of my family recipes-from both sides-are good as nostalgia, but need just a bit of updating).

Or something like that. I loved the original, I just realize now that mayo is not exactly my friend, so I cut that WAY back and added a couple small things to substitute (see optional items).



Grandma's Potato Salad (kinda)
About 6 largish red potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
1 small red onion, chopped finely
3 hard-boiled eggs*, chopped (I remove the yolk from 2 of them)
About 4 celery stalks, trimmed and chopped small
3 tbsp mayo (or to taste)
salt and pepper to taste
dash of garlic powder, optional
a couple dashes Tabasco, optional
Squeeze of lemon juice, optional

Put potatoes in large pan, cover with water and a large pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, cook about 10-15 minutes or until just cooked (It's not scientific, taste it!). Drain, rinse in cool water.

While that cools, do the rest of the chopping/cooking if you haven't yet.

Combine everything. Be gentle to not mess up the potatoes, but don't worry too much if you do. Perfection is overrated.

Chill. Enjoy with BBQ'd food, steak, chicken, or anything else that screams summer. Even pot stickers. Especially if you're home alone. Cause I won't judge if you eat a whole (small) package if you do. (In which case, you win. Pot-stickers should be consumed far more often).



*Boil about 10 minutes. Let sit, them cool and peel eggs. Or however you do eggs. Mine come out right about half the time. This time I cooked on medium about 20 minutes and it never boiled, but they were cooked perfectly. I consider eggs one of my Achilles heels, so if you have any tips, send 'em my way.

I love that he loves his veggies.

So this is pretty much a daily convo at our house:

Pammy: Hey, babe, does anything sound good for dinner?
Hubby: Uhhhh, nah. Whatever you want!

And while I appreciate the agreeableness, it gets awfully old to have to brainstorm every day. So imagine my surprise this weekend when he, seemingly from nowhere, asked his mom what was in her broccoli salad. Why? "I've been craving it."

Uhhh, you have?? Ok...I can totally make that happen. And did, even though my recipe given to me was as follows: Broc, tomato, red onion, mushrooms, Bernstein's dressing, cheese. Hmmm. Cryptic even for me. So I guessed. And judging by his reaction (and speed in which the leftovers disappeared), I guessed well. So for my future reference, as well a little summer delight for you...voila.

Broccoli Salad
Combine:
Medium head broccoli, washed and broken into bite sized piece
About 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced and then roughly chopped
Half a package sliced mushrooms*
4oz of cherry tomatoes, halved, or 4-5 campari tomatoes, halved then quartered
A afcouple oz feta (or any cheese, really). I used about half the package
Hefty pour Bernstein's Italian dressing to coat

Let marinate a bit. Even better the next day, so no need to be in a hurry to eat this one.

*For the rest of the meal, I marinated some chicken in the same dressing, and then sauteed some garlic and the rest of the mushrooms. Then sauteed the chicken with the mushrooms until done.

I'm melting.

It's hard to cook when it's 105 outside. My options are fairly limited-I mean, I can BBQ, but that means I have to go outside. And I can make something on the stove, but its already so hot in my kitchen I don't even have the light on.

See, we don't have a/c. We have what's called a Master Cool. Which is basically a glorified swamp cooler. Which, if you live in a normal climate and don't know, is this. We run it all night, so by morning the house is wonderfully chilly...it's the coming home from work part that's quite literally hellish.

But we'll survive. I grew up in heat, and even though seven years in San Diego completely spoiled me, I re-acclimate ok. As much as I don't want to.

And so, armed with the new issue of Cooking Light, I made my menu for the week. Of course, I could have started off with a no-cook meal, such the caprese I made this weekend:


Buuut I'm a glutton for punishment. I opted for a Baked French Onion (recipe courtesy the Parallel, who I am happy to say is writing not just one fabulous blog these days, but two. Who got the recipe from her sister, I believe...I do adore the MacVittie fam...) and wine-steamed chicken stuffed with gorgonzola and topped with a balsamic-honey reduction. Oh. Yes.


Hot? Yes. Worth it? Um, yessss. And now, I'm off to run through the sprinklers before taking my third cold shower of the day.


Baked French Onion
White onion
Beef bouillon cube
1 tsp butter
1 slice Swiss cheese
Tin foil
Parsley, to garnish

Easy. Cut ends off onion and peel it. Take a melon baller or small spoon (a teaspoon worked well) and scoop a hole in one end.


Place bouillon cube and butter in the hole. Top with cheese(break it up a bit). Wrap in foil, hole side up.


Either BBQ on med-high or bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. (I used the toaster oven.)

Not exactly the prettiest once you cut into it completely, but ridiculously easy and just as delicious as if you'd made soup. And way less time over a stove.


-posted out of necessity from my iPhone.

Apricot Pork Chops with Blue Cheese Asparagus Salad

On days like this, when I'm trying desperately to remember what I made and how, my savior is delicious.com. Do you guys use it? It's so awesome. I could use it to bookmark anything, but being called, you know, delicious...I only save recipes. It saves the day constantly. Love it.

And that's my endorsement of the week. On to important things, like this gorgeous little number...

Apricot Chipotle Pork Chops
One pork loin
1 cup apple cider
About 2 tbsp salt
black peppercorns (about 8)
1 1/2 cups apricot preserves
2 tbsp rum
About 2 chipotle chiles, minced (the kind in adobo sauce)

In large ziploc or bowl, combine pork, cider, salt and peppercorns. Refrigerate an hour or more.

In bowl, combine preserves, rum and chile.

Grill pork about 10 minutes a side or until cooked to 145 degrees (use a meat thermometer). Baste with preserves before you turn it the first time, and then again about 5 minutes into the second side. When it's done, cover with foil and let sit about 10 minutes. Baste again before serving, and slice. Serve with preserves.


Blue Cheese Asparagus Salad
Adapted from a Cooking Light recipe

one bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into (2-inch) pieces
salt
One shallot, minced
About 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
About 2 tbsp olive oil
grated lemon rind (one lemon worth)
fresh pepper
2 oz (1/2 cup) gorgonzola cheese (or blue)
One package mixed salad greens

In medium soup pan, bring water and a couple pinches of salt to a boil. Add asparagus, cook about 2 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water.

Whisk together a pinch of salt, shallots, vinegar, oil, lemon and a couple dashes fresh pepper in a small bowl. Stir in 1/4 cup cheese.

Combine asparagus and greens in a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.

Spanish Style Asparagus

Spanish Style Asparagus
Adapted from a Cooking Light recipe

Fresh parsley
One shallot, roughly chopped
salt
2 garlic cloves
About 3 roasted piquillo peppers, chopped (They come in a jar—roasted red peppers work, too)
Half a seeded plum tomato, chopped
About a tbsp rice vinegar
olive oil
Dijon mustard
fresh pepper
One bunch asparagus spears, steamed or broiled and cooled
1 hard boiled egg (just the white is healthier)
A tbsp or so drained capers

Place parsley, shallots, large pinch salt, and garlic in a food processor or blended and chop until as small as possible. Transfer to bowl, stir in piquillo peppers and tomato. Add vinegar, a splash of oil, a small squirt of mustard, and black pepper to taste, stir well. Place asparagus on serving dish, and drizzle with pepper mixture. Toss just a bit (without making a mess of the serving dish).

Chop egg white. Sprinkle egg, capers, and a bit of chopped parsley evenly over asparagus.

Latkes and other reasons I wish I were Jewish

The secret to making good Jewish food as a non Jew? Using a box (seriously, the Matzo Ball Soup mix is fantastic). Oh, and Google.

I found this Latke recipe on NYCNosh.com, and only made a couple adjustments. They could have cooked longer and at lower heat than I did, so I'm going to include their directions on that part and recommend you do as I say and not as I do. Just call me your own personal guinea pig.

Latkes
3 large or 4 medium potatoes, peeled
1 onion
2 eggs, well beaten
1.5 Tablespoons matzoh meal (or flour-I used Bisquick)
large pinch salt (a little less than a tsp)
1/4 tsp pepper


Cut half of the potatoes into small chunks. Boil in salted water until tender (about 20 minutes) and mash. Sprinkle flour on top of this.

In a large bowl, shred the onion. Then shred the other two potatoes into the onion, and mix. Get a clean kitchen towel or cheesecloth, place the shredded potatoes and onion in the middle, then squeeze as by twisting until no more liquid can be extracted. Return to a dry bowl and add egg, pepper, and salt. Add the mashed potatoes and mix.

Form into palm-sized patties that are about 1/2 to 3/4 inches high. Fry these patties in 1/4 to 1/2 inches of corn oil (do NOT use olive oil) . The patties will need to cook for about 5 minutes on the first side, so if they do more than go slightly brown after a minute or two, your oil is too hot. Flip after five minutes with a spatula and fork and cook on the other side for about 2 minutes, or until dark golden brown. Drain thoroughly on paper towels. Serve with applesauce, salt, and sour cream. Makes approximately 10 latkes.