My Garden Success

Harvested Mache

I was reading some advice about yoga the other day. To paraphrase it said celebrate your successes (that your body can do) instead of pointing all the things that your body can't do.

So in that vein my surprise success this spring in my garden is a plant called Mache (with an accent over the e). Also known as corn salad and typically it is grown in the earliest of spring as it is a cold tolerant leafy green.

So who knew it would be hardy enough to take on our very hot spring. I mean it's been HOT! Over 19 days of 85 degree heat or higher in the last month. Plus back when these seeds first sprouted, the birds thought I was serving a salad buffet.

So Mache - I'll be growing this tasty green again!

Growing under the artichoke

Earth Day Pizza

Sunday Dinner - Italian Style

Sunday is perhaps the most relaxing day of the week for me. Usually we don't go anywhere, and I cook. Both of which suits me just fine.

Last Sunday I planned to make a stuffed beef roll called Farsumagru with pasta and sauce. It is sort of based on The Frugal Gourmet's recipe, except I used no meat or eggs or cheese in the stuffing, just bread and vegetables, and the sauce was my onion and garlic version.

The wine is a Vina Robles Cabernet. After it opened up with a bit of oxygen, it paired well with the meal.

What is your favorite Sunday dinner?

Tempura Tales

One of my favorite dine out foods is tempura - shrimp being most sought out. I would like to make it at home and I've tried to with various degrees of success.

I mean after I had shrimp tempura one week and this seafood the next, I knew I had to try again at home. I have a deep fryer and all the ingredients, so blam! Super Bowl Sunday I made red pepper, asparagus, and shiitake tempura.

I used a rice flour and club soda batter recipe that I found online, and it worked pretty well for the shiitakes anyway. There are no pictures from this event because I was afraid to touch my camera. Hot oil, tempura batter, stress. It wasn't pretty, folks.

So I leave you with what is pretty - to me anyway. Salmon! Yum!

Shrimp Cocktail

I was inspired by Alton Brown's Good Eats episode on shrimp. Typically I will buy cooked shrimp from the grocery store and pour cocktail sauce on it and eat it, and hey - that's fast food that's good.

But Alton said never buy cooked shrimp. Never! Buy uncooked and do it yourself.

So I gave it a shot.

Unpeeled, but deveined, with tails, but no heads. Frozen.

After they were thawed, I brined them in 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup salt, and 1 cup hot water that was allowed to cool first, and added a tray of ice cubes for 15 to 20 minutes. Drained and dried with paper towels. Lightly oiled and placed on a baking sheet. Cooked at 350 degrees Farenheit for 13 minutes. And thrown into a ice cold bowl to stop baking process.

Peeled. Arranged. Sauce (out of a jar, shhhh). Light squeeze of lemon.

Results? So very very tasty compared with pre-cooked shrimp (which are kind of salty and rubbery now that I think of it). Definitely worth the effort!

French Toast Stars At Brunch

Sometimes just changing the shape of something ordinary makes it interesting and fun. Here is my Sunday morning brunch. I'm experimenting with the star shape and found a use to scarf down some day old bread. Little stars were more likely to loose their pointy things, and larger stars cooked more evenly. Larger stars win, however every star was eaten.

mmmm maple syrup

An easy and quick trick to warming up just the right amount of syrup is to use a delightful shot glass from San Diego. Fill as desired. Heat up water in small Pyrex custard dish in the microwave, and set shot glass filled with syrup in warmed water for a few minutes. Perfect temperature and perfect amount.

Thanksgiving 2012

 
It was certainly a nice one. We fed our cat and the neighbor's cats and ourselves. I made a pot pie with the leftovers tonight and it was all too good. We had some fine wine from a local vintner which I'll be sure to blog about soon. Just a truly pleasant day with some nice guys. You know what I mean?

Saturday's Lunch

A Saturday self-portrait, completely unintentional, to go with my grilled cheese and tomato soup comfort food. I wish it was a rainy day.

An SLT w/J

Last weekend I got a craving for a BLT. It's a perfect sandwich for the end-of-summer feeling. The Mister, however, cannot eat bacon, so for his perfect end-o-summer sammie, I substituted steak for the bacon and added a few pickled jalapeños. He said it was delish!

Hot August Days

Just a cool refreshing margarita to accompany some Malibu Chicken strips. A light summer lunch with some Malibu sauce, in the heart shaped container, to go with the chicken this time.

Malibu chicken - All rolled up

When I was in high school, my best friend had a boy friend who was a few years older than us. He worked as a parking lot attendant and collect lots of one dollars as tips.  In the evening he would come over to my friend's house with a wad of money. She would then beg him to take her to Sizzler where she loved the cheese toast. Often I would go along for a ride and ended developing a certain attraction for the Malibu Chicken. Somehow I remember as a roll. So here it is

Pounded out a boneless, skinless chicken breast. My trick is to do this between two sheets of saran wrap.

Layer slices of ham and swiss cheese.

Rolled it up and secure with tooth picks.

Dip rolls in beaten eggs and bread them with Panko crumbs.

Bake until done. Served here with avocado, lime, and sour cream.

Everyburger

These are little crackers with chocolate in the middle made to look like burgers. From Japan.

July Food Swap

I was so very excited to participate in the pen pal foodie food swap. Here is my summery card that was the pen pal part. Don't you just love sunflowers? And that color blue - it's like the sky on a crisp day.

This is what I received. I requested savory, though I hinted I special like of jam. Thus, crackers, chips, peanuts, dip mix, and mango salsa, and peach (!) jam. Yay!

This is what I sent. All locally grown products. Almond bark, honey, chocolate almonds, cashews, pistachios, pomegranate jelly, and apricots.