Letters to Dee Dee

Veal Osso Bucco with Yams and Sage

2008-11-13T17:36:00.000-08:00

Oh my good Lord!!! Can there be anything more delicious?? This must be Nirvana, pure bliss: the tastiest comfort food that has reached my mouth in years, on the back drop of the most spectacular sunset of the year. Oh I just HAVE to share it with you. Yams were on sale and the veal shanks looked good enough to eat right out of the display at Whole Foods. But how to put it all together? Think SAGE. Add a bottle of Alsatian style Pinos Gris, and VAVOOM!!! Wake me up next week.

3 pounds (4 pieces) veal osso bucco

sea salt

course ground pepper

dry sage

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons canola or grapeseed oil

1 brown onion, diced

2 medium carrots, diced

2 medium stalks celery, diced

2 cloves garlic, one crushed

1 bay leaf

2 sprigs thyme

2 sprigs parsley

4-5 fresh sage leaves

1 bottle semi-dry white wine

more salt and pepper to taste

2 medium yams, cut in 1" cubes

8 oz mushrooms, sliced

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

salt and pepper to taste

Sprinkle shanks generously with salt, pepper and dry sage. Allow to rest at room temperature for one hour. Meanwhile, heat oil in heavy oven-proof cast iron casserole that has an oven-proof lid. Sprinkle half of flour over shanks and place in the screaming hot pot, floured side down. Flour the other side and sear. Set shanks aside. Reduce heat, add diced onion, celery, carrot, bay leaf, half of thyme and half of parsley and the crushed garlic clove to the pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until soft. Add wine and scrape up stuck good bits. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and add remaining herbs with meat and yams. Place in 325 degree oven, and cook covered for 2 hours.

Meanwhile, heat butter and oil over medium high heat, add mushrooms, thyme, salt and pepper. Saute for 5 -10 minutes and add to the delicious pot in the oven. While you're in the oven, taste and adjust seasoning. Then allow the pot to go nuts with flavor in the oven for another half hour or so. Be prepared to feast on the best comfort stew you've ever had.

Lavendered Chanterelle Soup

2008-11-07T17:44:00.000-08:00

It's been so long that I forgot my password! Politics just got too heated and my Facebook habit was out of control. But I'm back. I actually have a dinner party coming up, and I had to plan a menu today. As I was strolling through Costco, where I purchase my whole tenderloin of beef, I found a one-pound package of chanterelle mushrooms for $8.99 which inspired me tremendously. These are ordinarily upwards of $30/lb at my usual produce shop.

1 pound Chanterelle mushrooms

juice of half lemon

2 tablespoons butter

1 sprig thyme

1 sprig lavender

1 small shallot, diced finely

1/4 cup white wine

1.5 cups milk

salt and pepper to taste

Brush the dirt off mushrooms and trim off the stems. Place in a food processor, sprinkle with lemon juice and coarsely grind. Melt butter over medium high heat in a 5-qt casserole. Add shallots and cook for one minute, then the ground mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until the mushrooms give up their liquid. Add the herbs and cook until all the liquid has evaporated. Add wine and stir up the stuck brown bits, cook until the wine completely evaporates, then reduce the heat to medium and add the milk. Remove the herbs. Combine well, bring to boil, taste and adjust seasoning. Reduce the heat and cook a few minutes until well blended and slightly thick consistency.

Farro and Veggies

2008-10-14T13:37:00.000-07:00

The California fires have colored the air brown. It's hard to breathe or even think. The kids ate burgers out of the freezer, and suddenly the day was over. With only half an hour to spare before my husband got home, I realized there's nothing to cook! I found a bag of farro in the pantry and a bag of frozen mixed veggies in the freezer.

Boil 4 cups of water and add a teaspoon of salt. Stir in 3/4 cup farro, reduce to a simmer and cook for 40-45 minutes to desired tenderness. If the water boils off before the farro is cooked, simply add a bit more. Add frozen veggies, seasoning, cover and cook until veggies are hot.

I made two eggs, medium over and served on top of a mound of farro with veggies. The runny yolks yummified the whole thing beyond belief. Cracked pepper just took it over the top.

Butternut Squash Souffle

2008-10-07T12:55:00.000-07:00

I think I owe you a recipe from last week and a game plan for this week. Somehow I doubt anyone has been holding their breath, at least not for recipes. The news has just been too riveting to take time out for cooking or even eating properly. I've been ordering in high calorie comfort food, and noshing constantly (anything tastes better than my own nails). Tonight is a special occasion though, one that deserves a little something special. I will make my own high calorie comfort food to fuel us as we watch the second presidential debate.

I love this season (the annual climate season). The sunsets are redder, the ocean sounds louder and the air smells clean. Skeletons, ghosts and musical tomb stones abound. We painted my house this time last year. I had a crew of 20 men crawling up and down the walls outside, slathering orange, black and pink all over. We must have thought Halloween would go on all year...

Or it could have been the butternut squash juice cocktail. My friend Chris told me about it. I simplified her recipe and juiced raw butternut squash and serve it over ice with a generous splash of velvet falernum and rum.

At any rate, I reconnected with the butternut squash after years of giving preferential treatment to the kabocha squash. Here is a recipe I developed for my Thanksgiving meal last year, one of 11 courses.

12 oz roasted butternut squash flesh (Cut up a butternut squash, scrape out seeds, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, and roast in a 425 degree oven for one hour. Then scoop out the flesh from the skin using a spoon.)

3 egg yolks

pinch nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup milk

3 egg whites beaten to stiff peaks

Cook flour and butter together until smooth. Add milk and cook until thick. Allow to cool in the bowl of a food processor. Add squash, egg yolks and spices, process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl. Using a spatula, fold the beaten egg whites gently into the squash mixture, careful not to deflate. Pour into a generously buttered souffle dish, which is set in a large baking dish with boiling water up to about half-way up the souffle dish, and bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes or until set. You may use ramekins, keeping in mind that the larger the baking dish, the longer the cooking time in a cooler oven.

For 4-oz ramekins, bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, until set. Make sure you use butter on the dish so the souffle can slide up and rise over the top of the dish.

Chicken and Rice with Broccoli, No-mayo Cole Slaw and the rest of the week

2008-09-29T14:39:00.000-07:00

Another week, another whole chicken and some kind of fish, wondering what vegetables to get for the next four nights of dinners. This whole chicken thing works really well for me. I separate the white meat from the dark and get two separate meals. If I'm really running out of ideas, I make stock of the bones and serve soup one night. So here we go for this week's meals:

Menu: Chicken and Rice with Broccoli, Sea Bass with vegetable and rice, Potato Leek Soup with No-mayo Cole Slaw, Matzo Ball Soup with Noodles

Shopping/Pantry:

Whole Chicken

Chilean Sea Bass Steaks

4 Yukon Gold or Purple potatoes

3 fat stalks (or equivalent) leeks

1 jalapeno pepper

brown miso

green cabbage

red cabbage

5 carrots

celery bunch

onion

apple

broccoli

tomatoes

rice (basmati or brown basmati will do)

canola oil

honey

vinegar

salt, pepper

fresh parsley, thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns

Prep:

Monday: Peel the skin off the chicken and cut the breasts out, set aside. Place remainder of chicken in a stock pot with 2 carrots (peeled and cut in one-inch segments), 2 stalks celery cut in one-inch segments, 1 peeled and quartered onion, 1 teaspoon peppercorns, 1 bay leaf, 1 sprig thyme and 1 sprig parsley. Fill the stock pot with cold water to cover chicken by one inch. Bring to a boil, and immediately reduce to a slow simmer. Remove all the foam from the top and allow to simmer for another one and half hours.

Cover the sea bass steaks with brown miso paste and sliced jalapeno; cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.

Prepare Chicken and Rice with Broccoli:

2 chicken breasts, cut in one-inch strips

salt and pepper

1 tablespoon oil

1/2 onion, sliced thinly

2 medium tomatoes, cut in eighths

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/4 cup white wine (optional)

1/2 cup chopped broccoli crown

1 1/4 cup white or brown basmati rice

1 3/4 cup water

Heat the oil in a medium skillet that has a lid until very hot. Season chicken strips heavily with salt and pepper, and sear in the hot oil. Reduce the heat and add the onions and cook until the onions are soft, add the tomatoes and wine, if using, and deglaze the stuck bits (with juice of the tomatoes and/or wine). If using wine, increase the heat and allow to boil for 2-3 minutes to evaporate the alcohol. Add the broccoli, rice and the water and the garlic, reduce heat and cover tightly. Cook for half hour until the rice and chicken are cooked through.

Drain the chicken stock into a large bowl, save the cooked chicken on a colander and allow to cool. Pick the meat off the chicken and save separately. Cool the stock and save in 1-quart containers. Keep 2 containers in the fridge for this week and store what remains in the freezer.

Tuesday: Take the miso and jalapenos off the sea bass and roast in a 450 degree oven for 20 minutes, until done. Meanwhile steam your favorite veggie and cook a pot of rice on the stove.

Wednesday: Follow recipe for Potato Leek Soup blogged in February.

Make No-mayo Cole Slaw:

Combine together:

1.5 cups shredded green cabbage

1 cup shredded red cabbage

1 carrot, grated

1 apple, grated

1/4 cup red raisins (optional)

For the dressing, whisk together the following:

1/3 cup mild vinegar such as rice vinegar or champagne vinegar or verjus

1 tablespoon light honey (color)

salt and pepper to taste

Pour dressing on the mixed veggies, cover and refrigerate for half an hour before serving.

Thursday: Make Matzo-Ball Soup. Recipe will be posted.

Turkey Lasagna

2008-09-24T14:13:00.000-07:00

1 package fresh lasagna noodles from refrigerator section of the store

For the bechamel sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flower
2 cups hot milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper
pinch nutmeg

1 recipe meat sauce made with ground white turkey meat (see previous post)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Prepare bechamel sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring, until a light paste forms. Whisk in the milk and cook, stirring, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Spread a 1/4-inch layer of bechamel sauce at the bottom of a 13x9 inch baking dish. Arrange one layer of lasagna pasta on top. Spread a 3/4-inch layer of meat sauce on top and drizzle all over with bechamel sauce and sprinkle 1/3 cup of mozzarella cheese. Top with another layer of lasagna pasta. Repeat with another layer of fillings as above. Top with a final layer of pasta and sprinkle the last of the cheese. Cover with foil and bake at a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes until pasta is cooked through and the cheese melts. Remove the foil during the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Serve with a simple green salad.

Extra bechamel sauce is a blessing. Save it for home-made mac and cheese (add your favorite cheese to it while warm, and your favorite cooked pasta).

Another week of dinners: Salmon, Chicken, Lasagna

2008-09-22T19:30:00.000-07:00

Alright, it IS a challenge. Though we have stopped eating gourmet, we have not yet descended into the realm of Campbell's soup casseroles. Nothing against Campbell's soups or casseroles for that matter, it's just that I always imagined there would be time and energy for daily fresh shopping and hours of cooking. After all, that's what used to relax me.

Nowadays there is no rest for the proverbial weary. I have been so tired all the time, that I actually went to my doctor and started a whole work-up for a variety of conditions. As it turns out, I'm just tired from getting up early and doing a lot. And just as I'm finding out that I have too much to do, my band is supposed to debut at a street festival on Saturday. Though we're playing a short set of covers, we still have to rehearse every day this week.

Thank goodness we were too tired to dine out this weekend. My husband procured dinners for us from our local favorite joints. So we ate several incarnations of left-over chicken this evening. Tomorrow I will shop for food. I will probably just get staples for the week such as eggs, milk, chocolate milk, lemonade, yogurt smoothies, fruit and veggies. We will probably run out or order in rather than cook dinners. If I were to cook, I would need the following:

Shopping List/Pantry:

Salmon filets

Whole Chicken

Ground white turkey meat

carrots, celery, onion, garlic

yukon gold potatoes

crushed tomatoes in a can

parsley, thyme, bay leaves, basil, oregano, paprika

peppercorns, red pepper flakes

lemon

milk

flour

fresh lasagna pasta

mozzarella and parmesan cheese

olive oil

buttermilk

White wine

Chinese Black Rice

Salad greens

Vegetables for steaming, such as broccoli, asparagus, green beans.

Menu: Salmon with Forbidden Rice; Baked Chicken Breasts with Roasted potatoes; Chicken Stew, Turkey Lasagna

Day One: prep as below, and make Salmon with Forbidden Rice

Day Two: Peel potatoes, cut in quarters, sprinkle with olive oil, salt, pepper and minced garlic (optional) and spread on a cookie sheet covered by aluminum foil or parchment paper. Then remove chicken breasts from marinade, roll into a mixture of equal parts bread crumbs and parmesan cheese, place on another cook sheet, also protected by parchment paper or foil. Bake both sheets in a 375 degree oven for half hour or 45 minutes until chicken is cooked (internal temp 165 degrees).

Day Three: Follow recipe for Chicken Stew blogged in April

Day Four: Recipe to follow for turkey lasagna

Day One Prep: Make turkey meat sauce for lasagna. Separate chicken into breast filets and thighs and legs. Soak chicken breasts in buttermilk.

Turkey Meat Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 onion, finely diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 pound ground turkey

1 can (14 oz) crushed tomatoes

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil on medium high heat, then add onions. Cook until translucent, then add garlic and cook one minute longer. Add the ground turkey, pinch of salt and pepper, mix and brown the meat. Add tomatoes and herbs, cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes, until turkey is cooked through and the sauce thickens. Taste and adjust seasoning. Cool completely, cover well and refrigerate.

Buttermilk Marinade

2 cups buttermilk

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 teaspoons paprika

1/4 teaspoon cayenne (optional)

Combine all ingredients, and place in a glass dish. Drop chicken breasts into the marinade. They should be covered completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Salmon Filet

Sprinkle filets with lemon juice, salt, pepper and pepper flakes. Allow to sit while the oven heats to 375 degrees. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes to desired doneness. Meanwhile cook rice according to instructions that come with it. Steam your favorite vegetables or serve with a green salad.

Easy Breezy Coq au Vin

2008-09-17T16:10:00.000-07:00

4 chicken thighs, or two legs, two thighs (may include wings if you like)

2 medium carrots, 1/2-inch dice

2 stalks celery, 1/2-inch dice

1 medium onion, 1/2-inch dice

1 sprig thyme

1 sprig parsley

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon peppercorns

1 teaspoon salt

1 bottle dry red wine

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove garlic

8 oz pearl onions

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon water

pinch salt

Tie peppercorns in a piece of cheesecloth, or place in a pouch with parsley, thyme and bay leaf. Put chicken, vegetables, herb package, salt and wine in a bowl and marinate in the refrigerator for up to two days.

Drain the vegetables and chicken out of the wine and remove the herb package. Blot the chicken parts dry with a paper towel and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a 5-quart dutch oven on medium high, then add the chicken parts and brown on all sides. Set chicken aside. Reduce the heat to medium and add the vegetables, stir up any brown bits left from the chicken and cook for 10 minutes until soft. Grate in the clove of garlic, then add the chicken parts, herb package and wine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer gently for 45 minutes - one hour until the chicken is tender.

Meanwhile, peel the pearl onions by cutting off the root ends and making a plus sign cut where the root used to be. Drop onions into a pot of boiling water for about one minute, then remove. Squeeze the inside part of the onion out of the outer layer and skin. Place onions in a small (8-inch will suffice) skillet along with butter, water, salt and sugar. Heat gently on medium low heat, shaking the skillet, until the water evaporates and the onions caramelize in the sugar and butter.

Add the onions along with the caramel to the chicken in the last 15 minutes of cooking time. Before serving, taste and adjust seasoning.

Pass crusty baguette and serve with a simple green salad.

Chicken and Dumplings + prep for next three days

2008-09-15T12:07:00.000-07:00

It's official: school with a capital S has started now that we are in first grade. There is homework, there needs to be a healthy dinner every night, good breakfast must be served before I'm even really awake every morning, and lunch needs to be packed for two. It used to be easy for me to browse the markets, examine the veggies, muse on my ingredients and put together a recipe for the blog. Those were the days... Now I have less time for shopping, cooking or writing. So here's the new strategy: shop on Sundays and prep on Mondays for dinners Monday - Thursday. Let's give it a whirl.

Menu: Chicken and Dumplings; Pasta and Meat Balls; Miso Black Cod; Easy Coq au vin

Shopping List:

Whole Chicken

1/2 pound black cod

1 pound ground white meat turkey

2 onions, 4 carrots, 1 bunch celery, pearl onions, 1 cup button mushrooms

a vegetable you like which you can steam to serve with miso cod and rice -- i like bok choy

parsley, thyme, bay leaves, sage

Sake, Mirin, White Miso

1 bottle dry red wine

1 medium jar pasta sauce

corn meal

milk, buttermilk

grated parmesan cheese

From your pantry:

olive oil, salt, pepper, baking powder, baking soda, flour, pasta, rice, chicken stock

Monday Prep:

Marinate cod in miso: Combine 2/3 cup miso, 1/3 cup mirin and 1/3 cup sake in a saucepan, mix over medium heat until combined. Cool completely before adding black cod, which should be cut into 4 equal segments. Marinate up to three days.

Prepare meat balls: Follow recipe on post titled "No-fuss Pasta and Meatballs" in July

Marinate chicken legs, thighs and wings for coq au vin: Cut 1 onion, 2 carrots and 2 stalk celery in 1/4-inch dice. Add with 1 sprig parsley, 1 sprig thyme, 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon peppercorns, 1 teaspoon salt and chicken parts to a large bowl. Pour a bottle of red wine to submerge the pieces. Cover and refrigerate.

Monday follow recipe below for chicken and dumplings.

Tuesday put on a pot of water, cook pasta and reheat the meatballs. Serve with a salad.

Wednesday cook a small pot of rice (I prefer black rice). Remove the black cod pieces from the miso marinade and wipe most of the marinade off. Broil, skin side up for 7-8 minutes until cooked through. Serve over rice with a side of you favorite steamed vegetable.

Thursday recipe for coq au vin will be posted.

Chicken and Dumplings:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 stalk celery, sliced

1 medium carrot, diced

2 sprigs parsley

1 small bay leaf

1 chicken breast (both halves), cut in bite-size pieces

1/4 cup white wine (optional)

4 cups chicken stock, vegetable stock or water

Dumplings:

1 cup flour

1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried herb of your choice, rosemary, basil, sage, thyme (optional)

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon olive oil

Heat the oil on medium heat in a 5-quart casserole. Add the onions, celery and carrots and cook for 3-4 minutes to sweat. Add the chicken, salt and pepper, raise the heat to medium high and cook until the chicken looks opaque on all sides and all the liquid has evaporated. The flavors are now concentrated. Add the wine, if using, and stir to dislodge any stuck bits. Cook until the liquid evaporates again. If you're not using wine, simply add the stock or water and scrape up the stuck bits. Cover and cook for 10 minutes to cook the chicken through and marry the flavors. Taste and adjust seasoning.

While the chicken is cooking in the stock prepare the dumplings. Combine dry ingredients, mix in buttermilk and oil just until mixture comes together. When the chicken is cooked through drop the dumplings, by rounded tablespoons, into the liquid. Cover and allow the steam to cook and fluff up the dumplings for about five minutes.

"Soccer Mom"

2008-09-12T16:54:00.000-07:00

So I'm finally getting indoctrinated into the ways of AYSO. It's a bit late, I'm finding out, as my first-grader's team-mates have already been at this for a couple years. There have been a multitude of opportunities to embarrass myself. It all started when my 42-year-old eyes misread the snack assignment list, and I showed up to the first game (bright and early on a Saturday morning) bearing a cooler filled with a gourmet assortment of mini-sandwiches which I had whipped my husband into assembling at 7 am. We also cut melon wedges and packed the cooler with a variety of drinks. We arrived "on-time" to discover that the kids, having already practiced for half an hour, were discussing strategy with their coach. Then, we saw another cooler there, which I figured must have just been for the coach's personal use. When it was opened at "quarter" time, the kids swarmed around the little bottles of water and mixed bag of chips inside. Eventually I was advised that I wasn't due for providing snacks until the end of the season and to keep the snacks "simple" and be easy on myself. So it was the coach's turn to bring snacks. I spent the next quarter trying to explain how my silly aging eyes read the coach's last name as mine. The next time, my faux pas was donning my son in full uniform for week night practice. Moron, two for two. Can't wait to see what I'll do next time.

Now I understand what my friend meant three years ago when he advised me to enroll my kids in AYSO before age 5. It was so I wouldn't be the "Freak Mom" on the team when he is 7. But it is quite overwhelming, indeed a big deal, and parents have a lot of duties, and there is a lot to do and a lot to think about. I think by the end of the season, I will have had my first training toward running for vice president of the USA.

Altamour and Philip-Lucas

2008-09-08T19:31:00.000-07:00

No. Just in case you were wondering. Their arrival did not dampen the pain from the loss of Chester. But I oh love them so much!!

Summer Garden Paella

2008-08-27T13:10:00.000-07:00

I've been cleaning out my pantry and coming across all sorts of enticing ingredients. The Valencia rice really caught my eye, because I had just had to struggle with the paella pans to get to the 3/4 sheet pans in my vertical storage cabinet. I have many recipes and even full books on
paella, but I wanted to keep things simple and use what I had on hand. So foraging into the fridge I found a chicken breast. On my vines in front of the house, I found eggplants, a green bell pepper and several ripe plum tomatoes. There is an assortment of basil plants in the herb garden to complement, and a ratatouille paella starts to take shape.

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes, seasoned with salt and pepper
1 small eggplant, diced
1/2 small bell pepper, diced
4 medium plum tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons shredded basil leaves
1 clove garlic
1 cup rice
1 1/2 cups water
salt and pepper to taste

Warm the olive oil in a small braising pan over medium heat, then add the onions and cook until translucent. Add the chicken cubes and raise the heat to medium high, until chicken is slighly browned. Keep the onions moving so they will caramelize without burning. Reduce the heat back to medium. Add the eggplants and peppers, and cook for two minutes, then grate in the garlic and cook one minute longer. Add the tomatoes, cover and cook for 5 minutes until the tomatoes are soft. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Then add the rice and water, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook over low heat for 20 minutes until the rice is cooked and the water is absorbed.

Filet of Soul

2008-08-23T15:41:00.000-07:00

I miss Chester. Sometimes a lot. Suddenly I need there to be souls, like the part of a living being that goes on living indefinitely. Not just the energy that moves through the universe; I need there to be a conscious soul that can look down and know that I loved him, and one who can move on to a happier life, more like the one he truly deserves.

I've been spending a lot of time alone in the dark midnight/early morning hours thinking about Chester and souls. What a relief it would be to communicate with invisible beings beyond us who know more than we do and those who have the full understanding of the meaning of life. How heavy it feels to know that this is our only life, our only chance, with no omniscient and loving beings supporting us from the invisible worlds beyond. Then suddenly soul becomes the part of a living being that feels compassion for other living things; the part of us that compels us to create a meaningful change that lives beyond us, even when we completely cease to be.

So is Chester really out there, getting married and saying "hello" to me from way up high, like my children say? Or is Chester in me, forever having changed me, slowed me down, made me more aware and compassionate; has created in me a Me that is more valuable to You?

Pistachio Pesto Pasta Salad

2008-08-19T15:13:00.000-07:00

There was a delicious summer in my childhood when we had just moved into a house that took my parents three years to build. The house was fabulous; it was designed just for us, and included a music room. We had a lot of parties, and my parents let me loose with my friends and cousins all summer. I was especially fortunate to see a lot of a close cousin who grew up with me, but had moved to another city a few years prior. My father gave me two Abba records to encourage my use of the music room. That summer became the summer of Abba, carefree, joyful and rich with great company. Recently I rediscovered all those precious tunes that became the soundtrack for the happiest time in my childhood.

So I had a beach party last weekend, and invited all my family, aunts, uncles and cousins who were a part of my summer of Abba. I played the music all day long and by the end of the day, as I played backgammon with my father, I could sense my late grandfather watching with his quiet smile.

We ate casually, burgers and all that goes along. I did make a pistachio pesto pasta salad:

For the pesto:

1/2 cup unsalted and unroasted shelled pistachios

3 cloves garlic

1/2 cup loosely packed basil leaves

1/4 - 1/2 cup grape seed oil

salt and pepper to taste

First grind the nuts in a small food processor, then add the garlic and process. Add the basil leaves and start the motor. Stream in the oil until desired consistency is reached.

Taste and season with salt and pepper. I make pesto with different combination of nuts and herbs, like pine nuts and basil with arugula, or walnuts and cilantro. I also always add some kind of hard cheese, usually parmesan. For this dish, I crumble feta cheese into the pasta after adding the pesto, so I have not added any cheese to the pesto.

Prepare 1 pound pasta of your choice, drain and cool on a cookie sheet. Mix in the pesto and crumble a 7-oz packet of feta cheese (I prefer Valbreso) into the mix. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Crab and Corn Tamale

2008-07-29T18:54:00.000-07:00

Whether in a chowder or a croquette, crab and corn are such a happy couple. They pull out all sorts of sweetness in eachother while corn adds crunch to succulent crab, oh my. So why not in a tamale?

Simply prepare the masa exactly as described in the post titled "tamales." Then fold in 2/3 cup cooked corn kernels. Assemble tamales as described with the following crab filling.

6 oz lump crab meat

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon grainy mustard

1 teaspoon finely chopped chives

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients.

Steam tamales for 30-45 minutes until done. Enjoy.

Naked Dinner

2008-07-24T18:20:00.000-07:00

Having a garden full of fresh summer veggies and herbs has made me crave even more the true essence of food. Don't mask the flavor, don't hide it behind butter. Instead, underscore it with a little salt or marry to a compatible partner. As in the movie Ratatouille, cheese has a musical and graphic flavor, so does strawberry. When you marry the two you get a colorful symphony of squiggles and shapes.

I don't boil anything anymore. I roast corn in its husk, untouched, unpeeled, without even peaking inside to see if all the kernels are there. I steam my artichokes. I make ratatouille a lot. A tablespoon of oil becomes the flavor canvas for true unaltered onion, garlic, eggplant, pepper and tomato, aka summer in a pot. Basil or thyme blend, like a cotton ball over pastel.

Steak seasoning has its place, but not on any great cut of meat. A sprinkling of salt and a couple turns from the pepper mill is all it needs. The steak sits at room temperature for half an hour, softening, warming up, taking in the seasoning, so that it can surrender it's tender umami and rich juices after a light grilling.

Tonight we're grilling filet mignon with a side of ratatouille and roasted corn on the cob. We're starting with steamed artichokes, no clarified butter, no dressing, just pure creamy nutty artichoke pleasure.

No-fuss Pasta and Meatballs

2008-07-21T18:03:00.000-07:00

I truly start the day with good intentions. When I hit the market in the morning, I view the meats and produce with my inner chef's eye, all the while picking the best products and putting flavors together. Then I come home. Putting the food away in itself seems to be exhausting, and oddly satisfies the craving to actually produce a meal. Plus these are long summer days when my husband gets home with the sun still in the sky. He loves to walk into town and grab a bite. So the food sits there. And every day it sits there, a new meal idea evolves where an the ingredient that's gone bad is replaced with a pantry item. Eventually the whole thing makes it to the trash, bit by bit, and when the milk runs out it's time to go to the market again.

The milk ran out two days ago. My kids ate their cereal dry this morning, then I went to the market. The wild king salmon from a river in Alaska looked amazing. I got some. Then I grabbed half a pound of ground meat for the kids. I thought I might marry it to the open jar of marinara sauce in my fridge. I bought a box of interesting pasta to intrigue the kids. I always have a few different varieties on hand, and each time they eat one I make sure to buy a few more.

2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs

1 tablespoon milk or cream

1 egg

1-2 tablespoons grated parmesan

2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley or basil or mix of both

1/2 pound lean ground beef

1 tablespoon canola oil

1/2 jar store-bought pasta sauce of your choice

Put bread crumbs in a bowl and sprinkle with milk. Let soak for a few minutes while you beat the egg. Add the egg, cheese and herbs and mix well. Add the meat and work lightly with your fingers. Form golf-ball size balls. Heat the oil in a dutch oven or casserole on medium high heat. Add the meat balls with plenty of room around each. Do not handle them too much or they will fall apart. After a couple minutes, when a crust has formed, use a spoon to roll each ball one turn. When a crust forms, you may need to roll one more time if there is still a raw side left. Then empty out the oil and add the pasta sauce. Gently scrape up stuck bits, reduce heat and cover. Cook for 5 minutes, the gently roll each ball over once and cook another 10 minutes until done.

Chicken Noodle Soup with Sage

2008-07-17T17:12:00.000-07:00

It's been cloudy all day. Of course, sunny California will be cloudy the day after I buy a plant that requires full sun. The first day I kept changing its location, following the sun. It's a good thing there's no sun today, it frees up a lot of time. In fact, I can even try to stare at the chicken breast in the fridge and ruminate about how it will turn into dinner. Clouds, chicken, extra tomatoes on the vine, green beans slowly softening in the bottom of the veggie drawer, all the makings for a great soup.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 stalk celery, sliced

1 medium carrot, diced

1/2 cup green beans, cut in 1-inch pieces

4 small plum tomatoes, diced

2 sage leaves or 4 basil leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley or two sprigs fresh

1 small bay leaf

1 chicken breast, cut in bite-size pieces

1/4 cup white wine or 1 tablespoon vinegar

4 cups chicken stock, vegetable stock or water

1/4 pound your favorite noodles for soup

salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil on medium heat in a 5-quart casserole. Add the onions, celery and carrots and cook for 3-4 minutes to sweat. Add the green beans and cook two minutes longer, then add the tomatoes and herbs and cook until the tomatoes start to soften (another two minutes). Add the chicken, salt and pepper, raise the heat to medium high and cook until the chicken looks opaque on all sides and all the liquid has evaporated. The flavors are now concentrated. Add the wine and dislodge any stuck bits. Cook until the liquid evaporated again. Now you have added some acidity. If you're not using wine, simply add vinegar with the stock in the next step. Add the stock, cover and cook for 10 minutes to cook the chicken through and marry the flavors. Add the pasta and cook through.

Why sage? Especially when basil complements tomatoes so much better? A few days ago I asked my Dad to get some thyme for the gallette from my garden. First time he returned with a sprig of rosemary. Then he came back with a couple sprigs of lavender and a few sage leaves. Eventually he got the thyme, but I wound up with some drying herbs on my counter. I decided to use the sage in this soup, and it added a surprisingly pleasant holiday aroma.

By the way, if you're using a good chicken or vegetable stock, you may delete celery and carrot. Onions, celery and carrot are the trio required to make soups, and your store-bought (or home-made) stock will already have those aromas infused in it. Even though onions and bay leaves are also already in the stock, I always include them when I poach chicken in any liquid.

Eggplant and plum tomato gallette

2008-07-15T08:40:00.000-07:00

Summer harvest has begun. My eggplants are ripening on their vines and I pick fresh plum tomatoes daily. I was thinking of making ratatouille, but my bell peppers haven't grown yet and I had no zucchini or squash on hand. I decided to make a partial ratatouille in a gallette.

For the filling:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 1/2 cups eggplants cut in 1/2-inch dice

1 1/2 cups plum tomatoes cut in 1/2-inch dice

1 clove garlic, minced

2 sprigs thyme

salt and pepper to taste

Heat a medium skillet on medium heat. Add onions and cook for 2 minutes until translucent, add the eggplants and cook another 2 minutes. Then add the remaining ingredients and continue to cook uncovered for 2-3 minutes until the tomatoes start to soften. Cover and cook for 10 minutes on low heat until cooked through. There should be very little liquid. Remove thyme stems and allow to cool.

For the pastry:

5 oz unsalted butter, cut in cubes and cold

9 oz all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 egg yolks

1/4 - 1/3 cup cream

Keep in mind that this dough should be handled as little as possible for a brittle pastry. Combine the flour and salt and butter in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse for about 20 seconds until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Add the egg yolks and pulse to combine. With the motor running, drizzle just enough cream to get the dough to start forming a ball.

To assemble:

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Turn the dough onto a piece of parchment paper that will line your cookie sheet. Roll out to 1/8-inch thickness. You should end up with roughly a 12x8 inch rectangle. Spread the filling on the dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Sprinkle with cheese if desired. Fold the border onto the filling, leaving roughly a 9 x 5 inch rectangle of filling open in the middle.

Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes until the dough cooks through. It will be slightly darker.

Tamales

2008-07-14T09:50:00.000-07:00

I found a jar of stone-ground blue cornmeal at Surfa's the other day. Then I got a hankering for making tamales. Thanks to an upcoming Hollywood Bowl event, I now have an excuse. Tamales are supposed to be labor-intensive, and food to slave over for special occasions. It doesn't have to be that way. Follow the KISS principle: keep it simple and stupid. Make a filling or two and set aside, even a day or two ahead.

You may use any filling you like: left over pulled pork, or roasted chicken, or vegetables and cheese, etc.. Just make sure it's cooked. I simply sprinkled some chicken thighs with salt and pepper and baked them at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Then I took the skin and bones off and shredded the meat. I added a bit of my special rib seasoning (please see post titled Baby Back Ribs). If I had more energy I would have used minced garlic, minced jalapenos and lime instead. I filled half of the tamales with a 1 x 2 inch block of cheddar 1/4 inch thick, topped with a slice of pickled jalapeno.

For the masa: (this recipe is enough to make about 20 small tamales)

2 cups finely ground cornmeal (or "masa harina")

1/2 cup softened butter or lard

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

pinch chili or other spice, chopped fresh herbs, dry herbs (optional)

Combine cornmeal, salt and baking powder. Beat the butter or lard using an electric mixer, then add 1/4 of the dry mixture followed by 4 tablespoons warm water. Beat until combined well. Add another 1/4 of the dry mixture followed by 4 more tablespoons warm water and beat. Repeat two more times until all the dry ingredients are incorporated into the fat. Depending on your filling, you may flavor the masa with spices, fresh or dry herbs or corn kernels. I added chopped chives and basil flowers to compliment my chicken. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Soak corn husks in warm water for 10 minutes until pliable. Smear a tablespoon of masa (a 2.5-inch square about 1/4 inch thick) in the middle of the corn husk. Add a tablespoon or so of filling, then roll the corn husk vertically so the masa square encloses the filling on two sides. Fold the top and bottom of the husk over and tie around the middle.

Line the tamales vertically in a the basket of a steamer (any steamer and large pot will work). Steam the tamales for 30-45 minutes until the masa cooks to the consistency of pancakes.

There will be dinner on me

2008-07-03T14:26:00.000-07:00

I'm grateful June is over. Somewhere between "Chester kindly picked the best time to get sick, because I had too much to do to get depressed" and "I was too busy to notice Chester was sick" lies a stack of fond memories and piles of guilt.

Learning to live without Chester makes me look like the character in the quit-smoking commercial, where everything he attempts to do is awkward. He irons his clothes after he puts them on and the announcer says something about learning how to live life without cigarettes. Yesterday my son played tennis with bare feet because I failed to pack white soled tennis shoes. Today he played tennis in his swim trunk and rash guard because I failed to pack clothes. I routinely have been failing to make dinner. I can't seem to get past cutting the onions.

Even in his death Chester has been a gift that keeps giving. These gifts are mostly life lessons like learning to live without regret, value my loved ones, slowing down, paying attention, etc.. Then there is the gift of rapid weight loss. But the most important gift is that I am lovingly surrounded by hugely supportive friends. When I get through this I will invite you all over and cook you a lavish dinner. Meanwhile, back to the cave for more grieving...

Thank You

2008-06-27T16:04:00.000-07:00

... for all your kind words, warm thoughts, emails, calls, cards, flowers and tears.

Final update

2008-06-25T21:50:00.000-07:00

The biopsy results were good. No cancer. But Chester couldn't hold down his tube feedings. The second time he vomited we took him back to the hospital for fluids. His labs revealed that his bile duct is probably closed and needs more extensive surgery. After much contemplation, we decided to go forward. Without surgery he would surely die. Though he may not survive anesthesia, he would have a chance of prolonged life if all went well.

When we went to visit him, his unusually high level of animation confirmed that treating him was the right answer. He greeted us for a few minutes, then died right in my arms, as though he were waiting to say goodbye. This is him, after his last vocalization, gently biting my arm.

Chester is home

2008-06-24T21:05:00.000-07:00

I worked in the garden today with the front door open. The absence of Chester running through out into the yard, rolling around on the warm concrete with his blue eyes tightly shut, along with the lack of worry about him straying too far hit a note deep in me which caused an explosion of painful emotion.

I am generally much more content to have Chester next to me, even though he is lethargic, unengaged, non-vocal, with his third eyelid half shut, and smells horrible. As long as I don't look at the cat food still in his bowl from when he could eat vittles, I can be grateful that he is not yet a box of ash.

I took him out and laid him in the sun next to me while I returned my calls for the day. It was nice to slow down and just be with him, even for a few minutes. I need to do more of that.

What's up doc?

2008-06-24T14:33:00.000-07:00

I keep waiting for some news to share, but the sh@# continues to circle over my head in holding pattern. I spent Friday making seven different appetizers and turning my house into a casino game room while the vets opened my cat up in search for cancer. I bit my nails, dry-heaved and hyperventilated all day long. Finally at 6 pm it all came to a head. The guests started arriving, the vet called to say they found cancer and I tripped on the glass staircase and shattered a rung.

Despite my wishes to euthanize in the event of a malignancy, the cat was closed up and I was promised excellent pain management for him. Two days later he was released to me for hospice care. I haven't slept much since; on my right lies the angst of his suffering and the prospect of losing him forever, and on my left lies a sick cat who requires tube feedings and meds around the clock. I startle every time the phone rings. Is it the surgeon calling with the biopsy results, or will Chester get another stay on his execution?

On a positive note, my husband tremendously enjoyed his surprise birthday party Friday night and inadvertently made a hero of himself the way he so kindly reacted to the broken stair, "Are you OK honey?" My son's beach party unfolded without a hitch the following day. I had a good time, even with thoughts of Chester persistently gnawing on my emotions.

more Chester, more graduation, still no recipe

2008-06-19T18:18:00.000-07:00

So Chester's doing better, but his labs are getting worse. It appears that he has an obstruction in his biliary system. If he were human, they would take out his gall bladder through a small hole in his abdominal wall. But no, the poor sick thing will need an open abdominal procedure, and they will do microsurgery on his gall bladder to save it. AND he is anemic, so he will require a blood transfusion first. The vet is optimistic and feels the only reason to euthanize would be cost. Too bad he doesn't have Blue Cross. I guess I can always pawn my wedding ring...

So three graduation ceremonies and a river of tears later, my headache has become the size of the Pistol Star, and it's got every pain reliever written all over it (to no avail). I'm throwing two parties in the next two days and I have to transfer the cat to another hospital across LA for his surgery tomorrow, all this with two kids. I'm about to supernova.

update on Chester

2008-06-17T18:47:00.001-07:00

His ears are yellow and his blue eyes have turned green. He barely moves or even blinks. His liver ultrasound and biopsy show no signs of malignancy. This is just plain fatty liver, which is from not eating, which could be from stress, possibly the stress of introducing a new pet into the household. I will continue to pull my hair out.

butterfly party and kinderthon

2008-06-16T13:10:00.000-07:00

Now that I've ranted about graduation, let me rave about two great traditions, one in each of my kids' schools.

The Butterfly Party is a fun-filled event with bouncies, shaved ice and tattoos, and the entire school is decked out in butterfly decor. A "cocoon" is set up where the kids individually emerge from, clad in butterfly wings which are really super-extra-large coffee filters. The kids spent all week morphing those filters into colorful wings while they learned about the concept of metamorphosis and growth. This is a memorable event with no celebration, reward or unnecessary pressure, yet still draws tears from the peri-menopausal ones amongst us. Thank goodness for my friend Nancy, whose beautiful face always makes me happy. I told her the painful details about Chester, and she burst into laughter, "What's with you and all the fatty livers?"

At Kinderthon a track is set up on the soccer field, and the kinders run for half an hour non-competitively. All the other kids in the school come to cheer them on. They sit in the periphery and high-five as many little hands as they can in a symbolic "welcome." This is another wonderful tear-jerking tradition. Once again it's my supportive group of moms mingling in the center of the field who keep me from falling apart.

Thank you all for your kind emails and phone calls about Chester. What would I do without you?

Chester

2008-06-15T16:39:00.000-07:00

My loyal bed partner of 13 years is in the hospital. It doesn't look good. He woke me up when he missed the mattress last night and let out a howl. He was exceptionally light to pick up, laid lifelessly in my arms, and put forth his best effort to make a purr. He started to fall one side every time he tried to move, then I had to take him in. The day has gone by more slowly than a usual Sunday. Thoughts and memories dominate.

The sadness is picking up harmonics from several losses ago. One such was a mentor who called Chester and his littermates "perfect genetic specimens." That mentor died three years ago at a way too young age from a stroke. Chester then picked up an added role as souvenir.

Princess Tea Party/Kindergarten Graduation

2008-06-09T09:21:00.000-07:00

Weeks of anticipation and planning blossomed into a two-hour colorful flurry of friends in gowns circling around my girl. Come Monday morning all the princess charm is gone. I sit with Bose headphones protecting my ears from the intense squealing over strawberries, wondering if princess parties are wrong. Next week she "graduates" from preschool and he "graduates" from kindergarten. Who came up with these most asinine ideas, right up there with applauding baby's burp? What happens when all these self-appointed queens and kings come into power? Will this uber-entitled bunch have any capacity for compassion, or will they all want one another's head on a platter?

By the way, I hired Lil' Stars to entertain the girls. They were professional, talented and punctual. I highly recommend them.

Back to graduation. I have yet to be convinced that there is something positive about making ceremonial events out of routine growing-up steps. "Graduation" refers to completion and termination, and inherently encompasses a certain sense of loss. We typically say good-bye to certain people and ways of being. We also refer to graduation as "commencement," implying the start of a new era, which bears a sense of anticipation.

I know from speaking to the teacher (and some parents) that our kids are experiencing varying amounts of anxiety about all this. Some are even losing sleep! I wonder if this pressure is necessary, especially when they are merely moving from one classroom to another as they will again five more times at this school. They will see the same classmates, staff, playground and buildings year after year. There is continuity in what they learn, and they are certainly far from completing this type of education.

Sometimes I think it's a sort of forum for parents; an opportunity to appreciate the passage of time and a chance to grieve our kids separating further from us. Maybe we need to do this as a group, so we all get a chance to wet a tissue and release sad feelings. Our babies are growing up. Of course I'm not going to cry, unless I catch Dee Dee sniffling.

Absent-minded professor husband

2008-06-05T12:07:00.000-07:00

I'm really getting worried about everyone's brain. There is not a day that I don't hear about difficulties with memory outside of my office. Last night my husband huffed out the door, upset because he thought I hadn't told him about the upcoming open-house at my son's school. In fact, we'd talked about it at length last week with friends who tried to solve his scheduling puzzle. Since there was no error message in red letters warning me that his autosave had failed, I had no idea the info never made it into his hard drive. Furthermore, I had asked him to pick up mini-bagels and a tub of cream cheese for this morning's kinderthon (more on that on another post). I finished slicing the bagels with a few minutes to spare before the mad rush out the door, to find that there was no cream cheese. It was forgotten in his trunk! I knew this was coming years ago, hence I planted blueberry bushes in the front of our house. It's time to get back to eating veggies and fish, and start playing cards. Click here if you also are concerned.

Now to answer your question. What did we name the rat? And why did I name him when it's my kids' pet?

The bulk of my adult reading material is rat literature. I spend my days teaching about what we have learned from rats and applying rat principles to humans. When I first held that little creature in my palm, I fell in love with the prototypical foot soldier of science. We would still have a 40-year life expectancy if it wasn't for Them. To honor all his brethren, I gave him the quintessential name in science: Albert. This is one rat whose hippocampus will not be probed, nor any of his genes knocked out.

Special hot chocolate

2008-06-03T15:10:00.000-07:00

Between two cats and a rat, we have now become the House of Turds. It's one big psychosis, because the fight is over who gets to clean it up. My kids watch the rat's butt, waiting for a poop to scoop. There must be a way to extend this to other chores, such as tidying their rooms. Now as it happens, the rat likes me. He does not want to be handled by the little ones, no matter how we direct him. This morning, after much persuasion, he spent 30 seconds on my daughter's chest before finding the safe haven on her head.

It's nuts here. They are under-grounding utilities in my neighborhood. Last week they dug up our already underground phone line and shorted the system. We haven't had a land line for two weeks, and since we don't get cellular reception here, our Mercury has been officially in retrograde. Furthermore, three construction men guided me around their vehicles and straight into a short wall that took off my from bumper. Today, they dug outside our garage without any forewarning, and I've been banned from driving all day. I walked the boy to school, walked the girl to lunch, voted on the way, and walked the boy back from school. Thank goodness for the double shot of Belvedere I took to help smooth out the knots in my day.

All I want is to curl up with a cup of special hot chocolate tonight, so thick and creamy that it will coat my entire digestive tract.

1.5 cups milk (I use 1%)

1/2 cup heavy cream (to make up for the 1%)

3 oz Valrhona dark chocolate (get the highest % cocoa you can find)

1 stick cinnamon

pinch cayenne

Place all ingredients in a saucepan and watch carefully as you slowly bring it to a boil. Take off heat, allow to steep and for the chocolate to melt for 10 minutes. Remove cinnamon, stir and serve to yourself and your sweetheart, or just to yourself and to yourself again. After all, you are the one who deserves it most!

Champagne-brined Grilled Chicken Breasts

2008-06-02T19:39:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning I woke up to the pitter patter of my kids' bare feet running up the hall to our bedroom. Then there was a lot of commotion and whispering about a pet. What pet? We have two cats and 16 koi fish. "It's a kid thing," reassured the child psychologist husband, "they are at that age where they need to take care of something." How about themselves? Their rooms? The boy couldn't even be responsible for his karate belt, which he lost immediately after it was striped. To my chagrin, they settled on a turtle. The next few hours were spent on the internet and phone trying to figure out where to get a pet that turns out to be pretty difficult to locate. I thought we'd just drive down to Turtle World, or across the street to Turtles Are Us. The day quickly got by us and we were left petless at dinner time, with two weepy and hugely disappointed kids. Honey make a deposit into their therapy fund.

The next day, naturally, turtle acquisition was top priority. No place near us carried anything having to do with turtles other than a sign stating that they carry bacteria that's harmful to humans. Meanwhile we did encounter a rat that was exceptionally cute...

What do to with left-over Champagne? How about brining chicken breasts in it? The turtle hunt stole most of my afternoon and I found myself with very little time to marinate my chicken breasts before grilling them. So I doused them with Champagne. There were some pieces sticking out of the liquid, so I dissolved some salt in hot water, allowed it to cool and added it to the mix. Now the breasts were completely submerged, getting delicious with the acid and aroma and salt. Off the grill, at 165 degrees internal temperature, they were unbelievably juicy and flavorful. You ought to try it! Make sure the salt water is very salty. My formula was 1 cup water, 1/8 cup salt and 1 1/2 cup champagne. You can add pepper and other seasoning too if you like.

Mini Quiches

2008-05-30T10:21:00.000-07:00

It's been 3 days and I already feel it. The back pain is gone, I feel lighter, and (even though I'm not supposed to go on the scale) the numbers support a small loss (or gain depending on how you look at it). What's most striking is how much more I used to eat; no wonder I was gaining weight. The unfortunate part is the feeling of hunger which I do have to endure a few times a day. The hardest time is at night though. Going to bed hungry must have some inherent discomfort that is anthropologically driven.

Eating in restaurants is particularly easy. I order salads that are made with leaves and veggies, hold the dressing, cheese, meats and croutons. I ask for a chicken breast or piece of fish to be grilled to put on top and a side of vinegar. I drink hot tea with half a teaspoon of honey when I get snack attacks despite snacking. These cravings will subside in a week or two. Adding some weight training helps me to consider food as fuel. It will also increase my metabolism slightly. I do have to admit that I miss running. All this would be unnecessary if I could just get moving. Darn that bunion!

Meanwhile let me tell you about mini-quiches. This is so easy and versatile. You can even throw a cocktail party around these scrumptious bites. Take a stack of flour tortillas, and using a round cookie-cutter, make 2-inch circles. Stuff the circles into an oiled mini-muffin pan. Then put a teaspoon of your favorite filling, maybe some cheese if it goes with your filling, and pour custard into the little cups. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes until the custard is set. You can eat these warm or at room temperature.

Custard:

4 oz heavy cream

1 egg

salt and pepper to taste

dash cayenne (if using a meat or chicken filling)

dash nutmeg (for vegetable fillings)

Examples of filling:

Shredded chicken with jalapenos and jack cheese

Sauteed mushrooms with swiss cheese

Chili with cheddar cheese

Carrots, peas and blue cheese

the sky is the limit

Weightwatchers Online

2008-05-28T14:54:00.000-07:00

I'm still enjoying the steady stream of compliments, not just about my face, but my arse too. This is the same butt that was bouncing a few months ago, when I was about 5 pounds lighter than I am now. Now it is coming across more shapely. The only problem is that I have a chronic back pain thing, which goes away completely below a certain weight. I am now over that majic number and I ache all the time. If it was just my back I could probably take it, but this is on top of the grawing bunion. Also, I got to this number by eating the way I've been the past few weeks. I need to stop, even if it's just to maintain my new shapely state, which by the way has a lot less cellulite. Was it the cream?

So the miracle diet is really weightwatchers. It is merely a new way of mindful eating, without deprivation. I do it online; it's easy and discreet and I have all the tools I need to figure it all out.

Now I just have to figure out how to get moving despite the darn bunion. The MBT sneakers are great, they make me want to constantly walk. They do not do much for the bunion though, so I walk around all day and lay in bed with my foot throbbing all night. Any ideas?

Grilled Vegetables

2008-05-27T09:58:00.001-07:00

I guess "summer" is now here, as kicked off by Memorial Day. We had a pretty cool weekend. Even though the forecast was gloomy, we did assemble our grill. My favorite grill is a small coal-burning Webber. To me, grilling outdoors is about placing the food over fire. I have an indoor grill for indirect heating over hot stones, as well as a well-seasoned grill pan. It doesn't make sense for me to invest in a large gas-burning out-door kitchen, when all I want is fire on my food. $80 later, the perfect grill + $10 for the chimney charcoal starter. Our friends brought over the yummiest steaks, well-seasoned and delicious. They also sauteed mushrooms and onions in butter with a secret spice mix, finished with a splash of wine for depth. Heavenly. My contribution was grilled vegetables. I used asparagus, sliced portobello mushrooms, eggplant and zucchini rounds, thick slices of vidalia onions and roma tomatoes cut vertically in half. I made the following marinade and poured it over the veggies one hour before grilling, then placed them on the grill with 1/3 the amount of coals that a man would feel is necessary to cook steaks.

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (you may use lemons if you like)

1/4 cup fresh chopped herbs (I used basil, thyme and parsley in equal portions)

1 clove garlic, minced, optional (I did not use this)

2 teaspoons salt (I used smoked sea salt)

1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional (I did not use this to keep it kid-friendly)

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup grapeseed or canola oil

Combine all the ingredients except the oil. Whisk the oil in a steady narrow stream (this will help the oil combine with the citrus juice. You may use a teaspoon of mustard to help emulsify the oil if you like.

Pour the marinade generously over the vegetables and allow to sit at room temperature for one hour before grilling on low fire.

MBT

2008-05-22T20:45:00.000-07:00

Masai barefoot technology. These are my new everyday shoes. My husband got the same exact shoe (even though he is not a lady). These shoes are meant to maintain good posture and work out your core as you walk. They certainly have encouraged me to keep moving. The bunions hurt way too much to do much more though. I seem to be on a weight gain expedition any way. I just can't stop eating sunflower seeds in bed. Especially last night, American Idol Finale, with a fabulous performance by George Michael, cracking seeds in between sniffles. No worries, the bigger butt in the morning just provides more padding to sit on as I replay the performance over and over on youtube. More sniffles and more seeds.

So here's my version of poulet au vin rouge.

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 whole chicken

1 tablespoon flour

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 sprigs thyme

2 sprigs parsley

1 large bay leaf

1 cup red wine

2 cups vegetable or chicken stock

1 tablespoon butter + 1 teaspoon canola oil

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups whole fingerling potatoes

Sprinkle chicken all over with flour, salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy casserole over high heat and sear the chicken on all sides. Set aside. Reduce heat to medium and cook the carrots, celery, onion, thyme, parsley and bay leaf until soft. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the red wine and scrape up any stuck bits. Allow the wine to boil for a minute or two, then add the stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook, covered, for one hour. Meanwhile, heat the butter and oil mixture in a skillet over high heat. Add the mushrooms, salt and sugar and cook on both sides until they release their juices. Add the potatoes and cooked mushrooms to the pot and cook half an hour longer (1 1/2 hours total). Enjoy.

Gorgonzola-Cherry Risotto

2008-05-20T17:41:00.000-07:00

The dinner party on Saturday was a lot of fun. The hot chocolate was thick and divine. I highly recommend it. Just add equal parts milk, cream and chocolate to a saucepan, bring to a boil, then turn off the heat and wait for the chocolate to melt and stir really well. You may add a stick of cinnamon and/or a chili pepper or vanilla bean or lavender leaves or orange zest, or whatever other flavor you want to infuse. Yummy.

Last minute I needed something to serve next to the filet mignon, and I happened to have some pitted cherries in light syrup in my pantry. I always have special rice for risotto and chicken stock on hand too. For dinner parties, it's a good idea to make the rice ahead, only to a point where it is almost done. When it's time to plate the dish, reheated it, add the last cup of warm chicken stock and cook it through (the rice should feel chewy, not soft).

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1 shallot, minced

1/3 cup pitted cherries in syrup, drained and diced in 1/4" cubes

1 cup risotto rice

1/4 cup white wine

1 quart chicken stock, simmering

Gorgonzola (or blue cheese of your choice)

Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat and add the shallots. Cook, stirring, for a few minutes until soft, then add the cherries and cook a minute longer to heat the cherries through. Add the rice and raise the heat to medium high. Cook, stirring, for two minutes until the rice is hot and opaque. Add the wine (expect a big sizzle) and cook, stirring until almost dry. Add the chicken stock in 1/2 cup increments, stirring after each addition until it is absorbed. When the rice is done, it should be al dente and creamy.

Put a 1/4-cup scoop of rice in each bowl and top with a teaspoon or two of gorgonzola cheese. The cheese should melt on top of the hot rice and get really beautiful and delicious.

strike is over?

2008-05-16T10:27:00.000-07:00

I had no idea that I could go so long without cooking!! I did make a mother's day meal for my mother-in-law and my mother. Since I am a mother too, and kind of just wanted to relax over the weekend, I made really simple dishes. I got a lot of help from my Dad and my husband. They peeled all the potatoes and asparagus and cleaned and chopped the mushrooms, not to mention washing all the pots. We started with potato leek soup (which my husband graciously pureed), then mushroom ragout over creamy polenta, then salmon stuffed with asparagus, and finished with cupcakes. My brother cut me off after my second glass of champagne, when I started raving about being on strike with the cooking thing.

Tomorrow is a big day. I am cooking. In fact I already started. I made the confit biyaldi (the ratatouille recipe featured in the movie "Ratatouille"). We will have an amuse of scrambled scallops and caviar before this dish. We will follow with truffled quail, from the movie "No Reservations." Then my signature lavender filet mignon, salad and dessert. I will serve hot chocolate as it was prepared in the movie "Chocolat," with beignets on the side. I suppose I can give you my recipe for lavender filet mignon.

uncut beef tenderloin, about 6 - 8 oz per person

fresh cut lavender leaves

olive oil to drizzle

salt and pepper to taste

food-safe plastic wrap (without PVC)

thermometer

a pot that is large enough to submerge the entire tenderloin

a skillet large enough to sear the entire tenderloin

1 cup port wine

1 stick butter, cut into 1 inch cubes

salt and pepper to taste

Lay the tenderloin on a piece of plastic wrap that is large enough to wrap the filet in. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and lay lavender leaves all over it. Wrap very tightly, twist the ends and tie so they will remain closed when submerged in water. Allow to marinate a few hours, or over night.

Fill the large pot with cold water, so that the filet can be submerged completely without overflowing. Bring to 145 degrees F. Add the filet (plastic wrap and all) and maintain the water at 140 degrees F for one hour or more until the internal temperature of the filet is to your liking (125 degrees for rare). Remove the meat from the plastic wrap. Heat the large skillet over high heat. Sear the filet on all sides quickly and allow to rest. Meanwhile, take the skillet off the heat and add the port wine. Scrape up the good bits, then return to medium heat and reduce the wine to a syrupy consistency. Turn the heat off and whisk in the butter one cube at a time. Strain, adjust seasoning.

Cut the filet into 3/4 inch thick slices and serve with a spoonful of port wine sauce.

luvin the skin i'm in

2008-05-05T14:10:00.000-07:00

I haven't written in a while, simply because I haven't been cooking. Nor shopping (for food). I've been eating out, staying out of the sun, gaining a little weight and buying larger clothes. That's what happens when you eat out all the time. But I must be looking fine, because I get more complements than ever. Is it the Fotofacial? Botox? the few extra pounds? not cooking? Who knows? I'm just loving life right now, despite the bunion.

Tonight I took the kids to McDonald's. They're happy, which means I can relax. I even put on a pot of choucroute garni for my husband and me. The pots and spices sang me a little chorus, "welcome back! welcome back!" Well, I'm not sure if I'll be staying long, but I will keep you all posted when I get inspired about food.

Meanwhile, I'm pursuing music and tending to my garden. Did I mention last month how much gardening I did? I tilled my strawberry patches and pruned the blueberry bushes. I planted tomatoes, eggplants, artichokes, melons, all sorts of peppers, and a variety of herbs. I fertilized and pruned my fruit trees (tangerine, kaffir lime, guava, fig, mulberry and avocado) and planted a new loquat. I mulched everywhere, twice. It's simply beautiful now. I'm exhilarated to watch everything grow.

getting "Work" done

2008-04-24T18:47:00.000-07:00

A year ago I bid on a "Fotofacial" coupon at a silent auction. Three years ago, a friend tried out her new machine on me and got rid of all the pregnancy spots and broken blood vessels on my face. The fine lines disappeared too, and my skin became a bit tighter and overall much more youthful. As part of my continuous flow of gifts to myself to keep my weight loss momentum going, I decided to cash in my coupon. The place is called GR8SKIN. The doctor is Bradley Friedman. The staff is wonderful. They have ALL the newest products and procedures, and most importantly, Dr. Friedman is the most experienced in this field of all the doctors I have interviewed. I thoroughly enjoyed my consultation, then got a microdermabrasion, then the Fotofacial, and then some Botox!! I can't believe I did that. I had promised myself that I would never do that! Anything but that!! But it was the right thing to do. If I ever was going to do it, this was the place and Dr. Friedman was the person. I'm so happy about this whole thing!

Now the visit to the orthopedist wasn't as successful. I took my bunion in, and brought it back with no real miracle or solution. I am to endure pain. Whether I avoid high heels, wear orthotics, limit my time on my feet or not, it will progress and it will hurt. Nothing will reverse it or even slow it down. Eventually I will need surgery, which by the way will keep me out of commission for four months. How depressing. Maybe I should have Dr. Friedman put some Botox in it!

So I decided to lick my wounds, stand up tall (after all I got some Botox yesterday), and come up with a plan. I will exercise hard, wear whatever shoes I like, including stilletos, I will take anti-inflammatories for the pain, and I will work those feet until they drop. Then I'll get surgery and rest for four months. Maybe by then I'll be old enough and rich enough to just lay on a beach in Hawaii the whole time.

Rib-eye Steak

2008-04-22T18:46:00.000-07:00

Strange weather. Is it hot? Is it cold? I was freezing all night despite heavy night sweats. Today the sun was smoldering, but a cold breeze gnawed on my nerves. Sweater on, sweater off all day long. Then my fingers started to ache, and my lower back, and then my belly. Oh forget the fish and the run and the cellulite stuff. All I want is to cozy up to a juicy steak and some form of spinach! It's a woman thing; now I know why "Horton Heard a Who" made me cry yesterday.

2 rib-eye steaks, about 10-12 oz each

4 tablespoons soy sauce (I have mushroom flavored thick soy sauce I get from an Asian store)

2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

Splash the steaks with soy sauce, then sprinkle with pepper and allspice on both sides and allow to marinate at room temperature for 30-40 minutes. Preheat the grill (or grill pan) to medium high heat. Cook on each side for 5 - 10 minutes (depending on how well-done you like your steak). Remove from the grill and allow to rest a few minutes before you devour.

Meanwhile, steam a bag of pre-washed baby spinach for a few minutes, and boil a few baby potatoes. Fingerling potatoes, baby rose or gold potatoes will melt in your mouth after 30 minutes of cooking in boiling water. We just drain and eat ours, but feel free to drain and smash yours, skin and all, with a sprinkling of sea salt and a splash of truffle oil. Oh, have you ever seen heaven on a fork?

Black Bean Soup

2008-04-21T17:54:00.001-07:00

Cellulite cream is a dream, compared to coffee grinds that is. My friend has found a natural and quite effective solution to cellulite. She mixes ground coffee with vitamin E and scrubs it on. Wraps in plastic wrap for an hour. She loves it, and apparently so do a lot of others. There are numerous references to this treatment on the internet.

Sometimes I crave soup, just watery vegetables floating around in a simple broth. This is usually after a particularly decadent weekend. Other times I want a hearty rib-sticking black bean soup. Simply soak the beans, then simmer them slowly for a long time, or put them in a crock-pot in the morning and come home to delicious hot piping dinner after work.

1 cup black beans

water to soak

1/2 onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon dry oregano

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds, crushed

1 quart vegetable or chicken stock (Stock is made with aromatic vegetables, so this saves you from having to aromatize your soup with carrots, celery, onions, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns. If you choose to use water, keep in mind that you have to mince the veggies fine enough to be the same size as the beans, but add them late enough in the cooking time so they don't over-cook)

Pick the beans and remove the debris. Place the beans in a clean bowl and fill with cold water about 2 - 3 inches over the beans. Soak overnight. This step assures complete cooking of the beans and most importantly takes the music out of the fruit. The next day, discard the soaking liquid and rinse the beans. Place the beans in a crock-pot with remaining ingredients and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

After the beans are cooked, add salt and pepper to taste. A little hot sauce or a chipotle pepper won't hurt if you like your beans spicy. Enjoy.

Tropical Salmon

2008-04-18T07:53:00.000-07:00

The cellulite cream regimen is going really well. I imagine vigorously massaging my body three times a day burns quite a few calories. I'm still encouraged, preparing fish dishes, walking places and avoiding major desserts. I do need to do more though. So I bought a pair of snug fitting slacks. That ought to kick my rear in higher gear, I hope. It is a strange phenomenon. I know what I need to do, it always works, it won't take long, but there is always the initial struggle. And my mind wonders, "what is Fucoslim? can it replace cardio?" I will never know, because in the end, cellulite cream is as far as I will go. Maybe new running music will help get me out there.

Tropical Salmon

1 teaspoon grated ginger

2 teaspoons grated garlic

1 tablespoon finely minced spring onion

1/2 teaspoon orange zest

juice of 1/2 orange

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

4 salmon filets, about 6 oz each

Mix all the ingredients except the salmon together in a small bowl. Taste and add more soy sauce if you like it saltier. Place the salmon filets in a baking dish that fits them snugly. Pour the marinade over the filets and allow to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes until the oven is ready. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake the filets for 30-40 minutes (depending on the thickness). The liquids will mostly evaporate and leave a delicious glaze on the fish. Serve with steamed spinach and brown rice.

Cellulite Cream??

2008-04-17T08:02:00.000-07:00

I got to work early yesterday and noticed that my hands felt really dry. I walked over to CVS to get some lotion. An older lady who works there found me indecisively picking up bottles and putting them down. She approached me with a communique in her hand. Her glasses on the tip of her nose, she showed me all the rave in print about Nivea's new "Good-bye Cellulite" patch and cream system. "Tyra will be promoting this in May," she warned, "It will fly off the shelves then." It is recommended to apply one patch to each problem area for eight hours 2 - 3 times a week, and apply the cream to those areas 2 - 3 times a day. Noticeable change is promised in 4 weeks. What's there to lose?

I had another rather long break in my day, and instead of parking myself at Kate Mantilini for a feast of corn chowder and mac and cheese, I walked 20 minutes to the nail shop, got a mani-pedi and walked back. With clean nails, soft skin, empty stomach and cellulite patches all over my body, I feel like a million bucks this morning! It's the small gains...

What to eat tonight though? It has to be easy because I don't want to chip my nails. That rhubarb was so good, I think we'll stick with it again. Here's Grilled Shrimp Cocktail with Rhubarb Soup:

Rhubarb Soup:

4 Stalks rhubarb, peeled and cut into 1” lengths

Juice of 3 blood oranges (if using regular oranges, delete sugar)

2 T sugar

3 cloves

2” piece of cinnamon bark

5 cardamom pods, crushed

salt and pepper

Bring all ingredients to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until rhubarb is soft, about 5-7 minutes. Cover and steep for 15 minutes. Remove cloves, cinnamon and cardamom and puree with a fork. Serve hot in a martini glass, with grilled shrimp arranged on the rim.

To grill the shrimp, marinate peeled and deveined shrimp in fresh lemon juice, sea salt, fresh ground pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes for 15 minutes at room temperature. Grill on an open flame or grill pan for 2 minutes each side, until pink.

Back on Track

2008-04-15T15:20:00.000-07:00

OK so I've been off track. Burgers, ribs, margaritas, nachos, fries and mac-n-cheese have been my staples. I have been considering the constant hand-to-mouth motion "exercise." Then we had a very hot weekend. My kids desperately wanted to go to the beach. Hmmm, the bikinis won't fit. What do we do? We certainly don't get mad and drown the upset in a bag of Cheetos. No, we get even. Here's how: I marched my fat arse to the corner bathing suit store and bought myself a drop-dead gorgeous one-piece. Ahhh retail therapy! It was so energizing that I did squats every other block all the way home! On the beach I held the plank position several times, aiming for two minutes each time. This all really empowered me to combat the urges for pizza and eat sushi instead.

Tonight I will make a salad. I will grill small whole fish (perch). I will steam an artichoke and sprinkle it with lemon juice. The artichoke will eat like a busy snack instead of kettle corn. For dessert I will serve fresh strawberries. I will also put on my pedometer and aim for 10,000 steps a day. Sometimes a change in lifestyle takes a little while to register in a tangible way. In the meantime, to keep up the enthusiasm, I will infuse little self-improvement steps every few days; a fresh haircut, a pedicure, a new fragrance.

Now do I regret my recent bender, the steady stream of junkie bar food? Not at all! Because in a couple weeks when I slip last year's bikinis on, it will all be OK!!

Are you in?

So here's the healthy and tasty sauce for the fish. The rhubarbs at the farmers' market looked amazing.

I first peeled them. You can struggle with a vegetable peeler, or slip the tip of a sharp paring knife under 1/4 inch segments of the very thin skin and slide the knife to the end, removing the

skin in 1/4" strips.

Then I cut them in 2-inch segments and put them in the pot with equal amount of strawberries which I cut in quarters. I added a splash of cane juice (optional), a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper from the mill, then covered and allowed to simmer for 20 minutes. The rhubarb and the strawberries disintegrate and release a tremendous amount of delicious tart juice. All you have to do is stir to get a saucy consistency.

Chipotle Cherry Chicken Wings

2008-04-08T11:33:00.000-07:00

Buffalo style wings are made by deep frying chicken wings, then coating them with a sauce made of butter and Tabasco. My take on this all-time favorite packs heat, smokey spice and tangy cherry flavors without any fat from butter, deep frying or even chicken skin!

2 pounds chicken wing drummettes, save the flat part and wing tips for stock

juice of one lemon

1 tablespoon salt

1/2 tablespoon pepper

1 bottle (32 oz) cherry juice, preferably with no sugar and definitely no other sweetener added

salt and pepper to taste

0.5 - 1 oz dried chipotle peppers

1/2 cup boiling water

Prepare chipotle sauce: Place the chipotle peppers in a glass bowl. You may break them apart and remove some seeds to make it milder. Remember the heat is in the seeds and ribs. You can control this by leaving as much seeds and ribs out as you like. At this point, you may also remove the stems. Cover with boiling water and allow to soften for half an hour or longer. Then puree the mixture in a blender or food processor. You can keep this sauce in a jar in the fridge for a few months and use it in many other dishes, like barbecue sauce, chili, etc..

Prepare cherry and chipotle mixture: Place cherry juice in a 5-qt non-reactive casserole, bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer until reduced to more or less 1 cup (8 oz). It takes a relatively long time for the syrup to thicken, but once it does, and gets big frequent bubbles, it can burn very quickly. Please keep an eye on this pot! When thick enough to coat a spoon, remove from heat and pour into a large bowl (large enough to toss the wings in it). Add a spoonful of the chipotle sauce, mix well and taste. Adjust seasoning by adding salt and pepper, and adjust heat by adding chipotle sauce a little bit at a time to your liking.

Prepare the wings: Using paper towels, pull the skin off the chicken wing drummettes. Place in a bowl and toss with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F while the drummettes marinate at room temperature for 20-30 minutes. Then spread the wings in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, until internal temperature is greater than 165 degrees and the wings look crispy. Remove from the oven and put wings in the bowl of chipotle-cherry sauce. Toss well to coat all the wings. Serve immediately.

Baby Back Ribs

2008-04-07T15:23:00.000-07:00

I love lazy Sundays, when a few close friends come over and make themselves at home. It's almost no fuss to put out a rack of ribs, some chips, veggie plate and pass beverages. I'm blessed to have finally fine-tuned my secret rub. I mix up a large quantity and replenish it frequently. I buy my spices from Penzey's. I think we all should have a secret spice mix. In my opinion the key ingredients for a great chili/rib/tri-tip type of rub are:

salt (you may use smoked salt if you like smokey meats)

black pepper (as flavor enhancer)

garlic powder

onion powder

paprika (color and flavor)

cayenne, chipotle, arbol or other hot pepper (for heat)

herbs (like basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, whatever essence you like)

nutmeg, cinnamon, mace (a tiny bit of one of these for a hint of sweetness)

Play with the amounts as you experiment and make sure you write it all down, especially the end result and what you would do differently next time. It's truly a fun journey. Within a few months you will have your perfect secret spice mix.

So, buy your racks of baby back or spare ribs (spare ribs are slightly tougher than baby backs, but I prefer them, since I cook them for a very long time at low temperature). Make sure your butcher removes the membrane (they have a special device). Rub your spice mix generously all over the racks, wrap tightly and refrigerate overnight.

9 hours before you want to serve them, preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Position the ribs on the middle rack and allow to slowly cook for at least eight hours. Yummmmy!

BBQ Sauce for dipping (you may mop some on the ribs in the last half hour of cooking if you like, or just pass around the table for optional dipping)

1/2 tablespoon canola oil

1/2 medium onion, finely diced

2 - 3 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 12 or 14-oz can tomato sauce or pureed tomatoes

1/3 cup reduced pomegranate juice (a concentrated syrup, available at Whole Foods or the ethnic section of some grocery stores)*

1/3 cup black strap molasses

Hot Sauce (any will do, for example Tabasco, pureed chipotle in adobo, use your favorite)

Salt and Pepper to taste

your secret spice mix or whatever rub you have on the ribs (optional)

Heat the oil in a non-reactive saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic (you may use whole cloves and simply grate them into the pot, instead of mincing them) and cook for another minute. Add the tomato sauce, pomegranate reduction, and molasses and mix well. Reduce the heat, cover and allow the mixture to cook for 15 minutes until all the components come together. At this point, have some tasting spoons on hand. Add salt, pepper and hot sauce in small increments and keep tasting until you get the flavor you like. You may even need to adjust the sweetness by adding more molasses, or the acidity by adding more pomegranate reduction. You may add some of your secret spice mix to tie the sauce in with the rub on the ribs. Use small amounts and keep tasting until you find the right balance.

*In the absence of pomegranate reduction apple cider vinegar will work. Just be sure to use only a tablespoon at a time so your sauce doesn't get too tart!

Chicken Stew

2008-04-03T10:23:00.000-07:00

I love making this simple chicken stew because of all the flavorful nutrients. Tomato products are good for my husband's prostate and heart and provide vitamin C for boosting immunity; carrots provide vitamin A, onions and garlic lower cholesterol and blood pressure, good for the heart. All of these vegetables are reported to have anti-cancer phytochemicals. It's probably best to pour a glass of your favorite beverage, turn up your music and spend 15 minutes chopping the vegetables before you get the pan on the fire. Makes for a much more enjoyable cooking experience.

1 chicken, skinned and cut into legs, thighs, wings and 2 breast halves (or 6 thighs)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

pinch cayenne

1/2 tablespoon canola oil

2 medium carrots, diced

2 sticks celery, diced

1 medium onion, diced

generous pinch of salt

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

2 sprigs parsley

1 sprig thyme

1/4 cup white wine

1 cup chicken stock, vegetable stock, water, OR 1/2 14-oz can tomato sauce/diced tomatoes

more salt and pepper to taste

Whisk the teaspoon of salt, half teaspoon of pepper and pinch of cayenne into the flour and mix well. Sprinkle all over the chicken parts until lightly and evenly coated. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a deep skillet fitted with a lid until very hot, and add the chicken parts in one layer. Do not over-crowd, and do not touch the chicken for at least 2 minutes, until it can easily slide. Turn over when golden brown and sear the other side. Remove chicken from the skillet when done and hold in a bowl. Reduce the heat beneath the skillet to medium, and add a bit more oil if the pan is completely dry. Then add the carrots, celery and onion. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and cook for 5 -7 minutes until soft. Add garlic, bay leaf, thyme and parsley and cook for 2 minutes longer. Do not let the garlic brown! Add the wine and scrape the bottom to loosen any brown bits. Let the wine simmer for 2 minutes, then add the liquid you're using. When it comes to a boil, immediately reduce heat to low and add the dark meat. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, then add the breasts and cook, covered, 20 minutes longer until the meat is completely cooked (internal temp of 170 degrees F). Adjust seasoning. Serve hot and pass crusty bread.

Noodle Bar/Chicken Soup Deconstructed

2008-04-01T08:42:00.000-07:00

Healthy, delicious and interactive, the noodle bar can be fun for the whole family. My friend, Chance, made a delicious Asian broth by putting a whole chicken, an onion, a stalk of lemon grass, 2 kaffir lime leaves, dry chicken bouillon, 3-4 cloves of garlic, several spoonfuls of sugar and a drizzle of fish sauce in a big pot of cold water and simmered it for 2 hours. Meanwhile we shredded cabbage and cucumbers, chopped cilantro and green onions, and peeled the meat off the chicken. Then she made a pot of rice noodles. All these components were laid out with 4 different Asian sauces, and the guests assembled their own bowls of soup. I love to adapt this idea for a week-night dinner, especially when a play date turns into a casual dinner party. With finicky eaters like my daughter who loves carrots and noodles, and my son who only eats chicken and broth, we usually "deconstruct" our chicken soup anyway!

You could make Chance's broth, or the broth as I described in my post from 2-11-08 called "Monday Night Chicken Soup," or any other broth you like (even store-bought). Shred some chicken meat, either from your home-made broth, or a freshly grilled breast, or leftovers, or a store-bought roasted chicken, or wherever you can find chicken meat in your home.

Then get a large pot of water boiling and add a handful of salt, as though you're making pasta. Throw in cut-up veggies one type at a time, such as very thinly sliced carrots, celery, corn kernels, frozen peas, broccoli, whatever else you like. Thinly sliced veggies take only a few minutes to cook. I err on the crunchy side to keep them fresh and interesting. Be careful not to over-cook!! You can fish the cooked veggies out with a small strainer. Then cook some noodles, maybe two different kinds, like stars and orzo. Set all the individual soup components buffet-style. The kids may assemble their own bowls, and you can ladle some broth into their bowls one they are seated. You may even include smaller bowls of herbs, pesto, lemon wedges or other condiment for the brave kids in the bunch.

By the way, I definitely can talk about honey for an hour. Probably the long and short of it is that it is a sweetener, and all sweeteners have more or less 50 calories/tablespoon. Some believe that the "benefits" of honey aren't enough to make it superior to other sweeteners. Others believe honey has magical qualities such as the ability to heal cancer. For sure, there are antioxidants in honey; darker ones are better in that area. There are also antiseptic qualities in honey. Manuka honey, from

the tea tree blossom (only in bloom for six weeks in New Zealand), is best known for those qualities. Royal jelly, which is what the queen bee eats, has B vitamins and proteins and also has antibacterial qualities. Goes without saying though, that you should avoid all these products if you're allergic to bees.

Chicken, Pomegranate, Walnuts

2008-03-30T16:48:00.000-07:00

What a bizzzzzzy weekend! Starting with the chili cook-off on Friday, then a party at my house on Saturday, and finishing with a birthday party at Lucky Strikes bowling lanes on Sunday, now I need a vacation!! Here's how it all turned out:

I showed up late to the chili cook-off and people had already been tasting and voting for half an hour. I missed a big pot full of votes! I was SO bummed. This was all my son's fault. He had not done a stitch of homework all week (due on Fridays), so I got caught up helping him and couldn't get it together for the competition.

The party was a lot of fun for me. One of the moms in my son's class is a Chef. She came over and put together a noodle bar, with slow cooked broth, variety of noodles, veggies, herbs and sauces. I, in turn, heavily rubbed 6 racks of baby backs with my Big Wooden Spoon Seasoning, marinated in fridge overnight, and baked in a 200 degree oven for 9 hours. Then I made a pomegranate-chipotle BBQ sauce for dipping. We got great reviews on the food!

Lucky Strikes Lanes was a HUGE disappointment. The snail-paced food service (one and half hour wait for a hot dog), the negligent waitress (did not bus the area at all the entire duration of the party), disorganized management (reneged on previously agreed upon terms, such as substituting bottled water for soda for the kids, didn't have all four reserved lanes ready on time, failed to provide props such as bowling pin and sharpie for birthday girl, etc), unprofessional manager called Alicia, who "vented" to her staff about the host (she had no idea the host was right behind her and heard everything), all made the experience really stressful for our friends. No more Lucky Strikes until they change their ways.

Tonight, I will cook a recipe from my cookbook. This is a healthy dish, rich with heart-healthy omega 3 fatty acids from walnuts (you may use a mix of almonds and pecans if you prefer the mono-unsaturated fats known to lower belly fat), antioxidants from reduced pomegranate juice, and juicy chicken. Serve this delicious sweet and sour dish over a scoop of brown rice (which apparently is a "resistant carb").

1 cup ground walnuts

1 chicken breast cut in 1” strips

1/4 cup pomegranate syrup, available in specialty or ethnic stores -- Whole Foods carries this!

1 cup water

Salt to taste

Sugar, to taste, optional

Heat a 3.5 quart casserole over medium high heat. Stir in the ground walnuts and toast for one minute to start releasing the oil and deepen the walnut flavor. Add water, pomegranate syrup and salt. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add chicken and cook another 30-40 minutes until thick like gravy. It will be watery, with the nuts floating around for a long time. Be patient, it will eventually get cohesive and the color will become brown when it is done. This dish needs some attention and an occasional stir so as not to burn the bottom. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add sugar if it tastes too tart for your palate.

Dog House

2008-03-26T20:21:00.000-07:00

My turn. I messed up. It's the beginning of my chili competition season. We had dinner at a local restaurant and the plan was for me to quickly pick up my meat at Whole Foods while the rest of the family got Pinkberry yogurts "to go." The idea was to hurry home so they could snuggle up with their yogurt and watch a movie while I prepare the meat for Friday's competition. Great plan, until I ran into a woman who looked overwhelmed by all the different types of honey. Eventually she asked me what I thought and I told her. An hour later, she had heard way more about honey than she ever bargained for, and my family was melting in the car waiting for me -- children, frozen yogurts and all. Oops. Big oops. Dog house.

So I'm entering my Cherry Merlot Chili into the preschool cook-off on Friday. It's fun, easy and great practice for the International Chili Society competitions coming up later in Spring. No, I will not post the recipe, or any of the other ones I've developed for competition. Here is one I'm willing to share though:

3 pounds tri-tip roast, cut up in 1/2-inch cubes

1/4 cup pre-mixed dry rub of your choice (any spicy BBQ rub, Emeril's Essence, a mixture that includes salt, garlic powder, paprika or chili powder, cayenne +/- dry herbs will do)

1 tablespoon or more canola oil

1 large yellow onion, finely diced

1 bell pepper, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 large can pureed tomatoes

1 - 2 tablespoons hot chili powder

salt and pepper to taste

Work the dry rub into the cubed meat with your fingers and wrap tightly. Marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours or more. I like to do this at night, after dinner, when all is quiet. The following evening I put the rest of the recipe together and allow the chili to cook in a slow cooker (crock-pot) over night.

The next day: Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over high heat, and sear the meat in batches, and place in a crock-pot. Do not over-crowd the skillet! Crowded skillets make the meat cook in its own juice and not sear. After all the meat is seared and waiting in the crock-pot, reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and bell peppers (add more oil if necessary) and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook a minute longer. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, another minute to eliminate the metallic flavor of the tomato paste. Then add the softened vegetables, tomato puree and chili powder to the meat in the crock pot and cook on low for six hours. Towards the end of cooking time, taste and adjust seasoning.

Have fun! Play around with hot sauce, various spices, chiles, whatever is in your pantry, or whatever intrigues you at your specialty store!

Steamed Clams

2008-03-25T16:54:00.000-07:00

It's Tuesday and I could be wandering around Farmer's Market, browsing the usual selection of over-priced goodies and lugging around heavy bags. But I would be feeling good about buying "local" and I would reward myself with a $10 whole roasted chicken. By happenstance I forgot it was Tuesday when I headed over to Whole Foods. Luckily not only they sell several varieties of $10 whole roasted chicken, but they also support all sorts of "local" items, from produce to groceries. Today was particularly fortunate, because they offered a $5 BBQ chicken plate, with salad, drink, fruit, cookies and a bag of veggie chips to support Whole Planet: Tuesday night dinner.

To complement my fresh no-fuss healthy dinner that makes me feel good about supporting the World as well as Local, I will steam a bowl of Manila clams. Yummmmmy! Shallots, garlic, red pepper flakes and white wine are always in my pantry, and parsley grows in my front yard (with thyme, rosemary, lavender, basil and oregano).

1 lb Manila clams (they're the small ones)

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/4 cup finely chopped red pepper (optional)

1/4 cup finely chopped shallots

1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 cup white wine (whatever is open, as long as it's still good)

1/4 cup chopped parsley

salt and pepper

Rinse the clams in cold water and scrub the sand off with a brush as soon as you get them home from the market. Live clams close tightly if you knock on them. Discard ones that don't close. Place the live clams in a bowl of cool (but not icy) water for 20 minutes or so, so they will release any sand they might be harboring inside.

Heat a 3-quart saucepan which has a lid over medium heat. Swirl in the olive oil and add the peppers if using, shallots, red pepper flakes and garlic. Cook for a few minutes to soften, then add the wine and parsley. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a slow simmer and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the clams and cover with the lid. Cook for about 5 minutes until the clams open wide. Discard ones that stay closed. Be careful not to overcook. Pass around crusty bread to dip in the delicious broth.

If you want to serve this dish as a first course to company, I recommend accompanying it with garlic-parmesan bruschetta: Diagonally slice a crusty loaf of your favorite bread in 1/2 - 3/4 inch slices. Brush both sides with olive oil and place under a broiler (or on top of a hot grill) for 1-2 minutes on each side, until light brown. When still hot, but cool enough to handle, rub a clove of garlic on one side of each piece, and sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese.

Buttermilk Panna Cotta

2008-03-24T20:41:00.000-07:00

One of the most delightful desserts is panna cotta, or cooked cream. Heavy cream is cooked with sugar and vanilla, gelatin is added, and it sets in the refrigerator. For those of us who care about saturated fat, there is good news! Substituting most of the cream with buttermilk significantly reduces the fat without compromising any creaminess.

2 cups buttermilk

2/3 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 packed powdered gelatin

1/4 cup cold water

Warm the buttermilk and sugar over medium heat, stirring, just until the sugar dissolves. Allow to cool and add the vanilla. Meanwhile sprinkle gelatin powder over cold water and allow to bloom for 10 minutes. Then gently warm the cream over low heat for a few minutes (it should feel warm to your finger, but not hot). Dissolve the bloomed gelatin in the warm cream. Combine buttermilk mixture with cream mixture and stir to blend. Pour into serving vessels and refrigerate at least three hours to set. Keep in mind that gelatin has to "bloom" in order to be active, dissolves best in warm liquids, but can lose it's power to gelatinize if over-heated.

The image is of buttermilk panna cotta, cucumber-lime gelee and rose sorbet in a shot glass.

Zinfandel Braised Lamb Shanks

2008-03-23T20:22:00.001-07:00

Nobody is more lamb-phobic than my brother (and aunts and uncles and cousins and parents as it comes to pass, unbeknownst to me). It seemed like most of them were too frightened to take a risk on my contribution to the Easter meal, until I guilted them into trying a bite. They are all aversive to the strong gamey taste of lamb, which I also don't care for. Here is how I discovered to bring out the beauty in spring lamb. There was no meat left on any of the bones before I had a chance to take a picture for you.

4 lamb shanks, about 3/4 pound each

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tablespoon dried ground mustard

1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary

1/4 cup chopped fresh thyme

1 tablespoon sea salt

1/2 tablespoon fresh ground pepper

1 tablespoon canola oil

1/4 cup finely chopped shallots

1 bottle Zinfandel wine

1 bay leaf

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

2 sprigs fresh thyme

Sprinkle shanks generously with lemon juice, mustard, salt, pepper, chopped rosemary and thyme. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours or so. Remove from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature for 30-45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat a cast iron oven-proof casserole, which has a tight-fitting lid, for two minutes on medium-high heat. Swirl in the canola oil, then brown the shanks on all sides. Reduce the heat to medium and add the shallots. Cook until shallots start to brown, then add the wine and stir up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the bay leaf, rosemary and thyme sprigs. Cover tightly and transfer the pot to the oven. Cook undisturbed for 3 hours. The wine should be reduced to 1/2 cup and the meat should be fall-off-the-bone-tender and your guests should be falling over themselves to get a second serving.

Black Cod Misoyaki

2008-03-20T12:32:00.000-07:00

Cranky cranky cranky was I all morning. It all started when I encountered the black Ford Expedition. This unaware woman is parked outside my daughter's preschool every day with her engine running. She's always there when I arrive, while I sign my daughter in and chat with her teachers (sometimes this can take 20 minutes), just sitting there with her engine running. It makes me wish that gas prices would reach $15/gallon. Maybe unawares like her will be forced to trade in their SUVs for bikes.

Moving right along, hissing and snapping at everyone and everything in my way, I realized that I hadn't eaten yet. So I took my own advice: eat a small amount of protein every three hours. I pulled into a local joint and enjoyed 2 eggs over-medium with whole wheat toast. Aah, relief!

Keeping up with protein intake every three hours, I have to come up with sources besides nuts, string cheese, yogurt and smoked salmon to keep things varied. Today I discovered bee pollen. Each tablespoon has only 25 calories and 2 grams of protein. Just two tablespoons fit the bill. I like the taste so much that my challenge is not eating the whole bag.

On to the real reason for this blog, a healthy recipe: I was entranced by this dish the first time I ever dined at Matsuhisa. 15 or more years passed before I found various recipes on how to make it. The following works really well for me.

1/4 cup sake (regular cooking sake from the ethnic section of the grocery store is fine)

1/4 cup mirin (also found in the ethnic section)

1/2 cup white miso

2 6-oz filets black cod

Combine the sake and mirin in a saucepan and gently bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and patiently whisk in the miso, working out the lumps. Place in a small shallow bowl which fits the filets snugly and allow to cool completely. Then sink the filets into the miso, cover completely with the mixture and refrigerate for 2-3 days.

Remove the filets from the miso mixture and wipe off the excess marinade. Broil for 15 minutes, skin side up. The result is a melt-in-your-mouth white fish with a caramelized crispy crust... Did you really think my kids would eat this stuff?

Decibels

2008-03-19T20:11:00.000-07:00

Is it because I worked all day out in the real world with real adult people, engaging a creative scientific part of my brain, being appreciated and knowing that I've actually done a good thing? or is it just plain exhaustion? Why do I feel like cutting my ears off so I won't have to hear 120 decibels of my son going ballistic with my husband singing soprano in his falsetto to get him to calm down?

Thank God for Choucroute Garni. I failed to tell you that yesterday, as I was sipping on a smokey buttery glass of Dumol Chardonnay, watching the sun glisten off the Pacific waves, in between writing you about the fish I was going to eat, I cut onions and garlic and glorious chunks of pork products. By the time he got home, the house was perfumed with Choucroute and I was comfortably toasted. No, we can't eat that tonight!! It has to cool down and chill overnight! Really, it's part of the recipe! It has nothing to do with the fact that I want to come home to a steaming bowl of hot, smokey comfort after work. OK, it would have been cruel not to let him try a bowl.

Since Nancy never did send over Grandma Fanney's recipe, last night I ate a whole bag of sunflower seeds in bed with the news. They were salty and the scale registered at 60% water this morning. After that and tonight's Choucroute, I think I might have to fill my bathtub with cranberry water, attach a hose from it to my mouth, and sleep on the toilet tonight. Maybe I'll stop being thirsty by the morning.

coming soon... Irish Soda Bread

2008-03-18T17:16:00.000-07:00

So now there are resistant carbs. They're supposed to help us lose weight by blocking the absorption of starch in the intestines. Black beans, potatoes (and yams), corn, bananas, and brown rice are such carbs. Isn't life just great? You can't put a price on feeling full, like only a carb can accomplish.

Irish Soda Bread is not a resistant carb, but it's been ubiquitous as we approached and passed St. Patrick's Day. I got my daily quota at Whole Foods where they left samples out for weeks. Now this recipe is not just any Irish Soda Bread. It's Grandma Fanny's, courtesy of my friend Nancy. Of course you would never imagine that she's ever eaten any by the way she looks -- it must be those sand dunes!!

As for dinner, tonight could've been a great night for Farmers' Market roasted chicken, but Bristol Farms had irresistibly fresh steelhead (fish filets that look like salmon). I will chop up some fresh rosemary, because my plants are growing unruly, add some salt and pepper and bake it at 450 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes. On the side, I will serve thick slices of heirloom tomatoes (high in vitamin C, lycopene, good for heart and prostate health) with a drizzle of flax seed oil and basil chiffonade (cut in ribbons). Then I won't feel bad about munching Irish Soda Bread in bed while watching the news...

Leftover Magic

2008-03-17T10:12:00.000-07:00

Dee Dee can cook!! In fact, she cooks very well. We had the pleasure of dining at her home on Friday. We feasted on an incredible flank steak marinated in a secret family recipe with caramelized onions and horseradish sauce. A delightful medley of vegetables and crisp salad shared the spotlight. I was honored to browse Dee Dee's beautiful handwritten recipe book from her mom. Thank you Dee Dee!!

I, in turn, had a full day of cooking on Saturday. I started at 9 am, baking onions so I could stuff them with a roasted pepper and onion mixture, peeling and blanching asparagus so I could stuff them into salmon filets, slicing beets for a risotto, making panna cotta and gelee so they would set before the guests arrived, and so on. It is relaxing for me to sequence a number of procedures, constantly working with my hands, hours on end, timing every step so every dish is served fresh without frenzy at dinner time. It is an art, and I am far from perfecting it, but I love to practice.

The side benefits are that I have 4 stuffed onion shells, a whole skinless chicken breast on the bone with only 6 oz of meat missing, and one entire bunch of blanched asparagus. It looks like Monday night dinner to me.

I can make a soup of the chicken remnants (see blog entry 2/11/08 titled "Monday Night Chicken Soup") and serve it along with the other leftovers. OR I can make Chicken Asparagus Roulade.

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2-inch thickness between two sheets of oiled plastic wrap
one bunch of thin asparagus
salt and pepper
olive oil for the dish and to drizzle
dried tarragon (optional)

Cut off the tough ends of the asparagus, peel them from the head down and steam them for 5 minutes. Season the pounded breast meat, place a row of steamed asparagus spears along the cutlet at 1/2-inch intervals and roll the cutlet into a log. You may use toothpicks to keep it rolled. Then put the logs in a baking dish that is brushed with olive oil, drizzle more olive oil on top, maybe a sprinkling of dry tarragon, salt and pepper, then bake it at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. The cooked logs may be sliced and served with asparagus vinaigrette.

2 raw asparagus spears, cut into 1" segments
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

This recipe is adapted from Michel Richard. Place asparagus, water and oil in a small saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until the asparagus is very tender and all the water evaporates. Place cooked asparagus in olive oil in a small food processor, and puree until smooth. With the motor running, stream in the vinegar. Season to taste.

Oil-poached salmon

2008-03-13T16:36:00.001-07:00

It's working. No, we can't possibly stick with the whole program. We simply follow a new rhythm of drinking more water (via cranberry addition), choosing lean protein, lots of greens, fruit and mono-unsaturated fats. We dress our salads and veggies with flax seed oil as much as we can, we try to eat nuts or avocado daily in moderation, and most importantly we exercise regularly. For me, the numbers on the scale are pretty much the same, but I feel tighter, my clothes fit more loosely, and I'm in a better mood. For him, who knows about the liver or the scale; he just looks HOT. This healthy living thing sure wakes up ALL the senses...

Dinner should be a major celebration. It should be at a sushi place. And it should be mostly sashimi and a cup of miso soup. Save the nori, maki and nigiri for when you celebrate the numbers! Light beer today, sake next time.

For those of us not celebrating, there's always salmon. I'm always looking for a way to cook fish without losing the juice to the environment. Poaching in oil keeps the fluids inside the fish, and the kitchen smelling clean. Just be patient in keeping the temperature as stable as you can.

I like my salmon cooked to 120 degrees F, so that is where I keep the temperature of my oil. If you like your fish more well-done, keep your oil a little hotter, like 130 or 140 degrees F. Reaching and maintaining your target temperature is the fun part about making this dish.

Poach for 30 minutes for the internal temperature of the fish to reach the temperature of the oil. Don't be afraid to stick the thermometer in the filet to check if you're not sure!

2-4 filets of salmon

1-2 cups light olive oil or corn oil

juice of a lemon

salt, pepper

Marinate the fish in a sprinkling of lemon juice, salt and pepper for half an hour at room temperature. Place the filets in a snug-fitting saucepan. The more you're able to crowd the fish, the less oil you will need. Pour the oil over the filets until they are covered by 1/8-1/4 inch. Place a thermometer in the saucepan and set it over very low heat. You may need to remove the saucepan from heat periodically to maintain the temperature you desire. You may even need to add more oil to cool the oil if the temperature is rising rapidly. Gently remove the filets and allow the excess oil to drain before you serve them.

Steamed broccoli dressed with flax seed oil and a squeeze of lemon can be the perfect accompaniment to this simple dish.

Vegetable Risotto

2008-03-12T08:23:00.000-07:00

I realize that I have not posted many recipes for carbs yet. If your snack patterns are anything like mine, you're probably getting your carb needs met throughout the day without having to add a starch side dish to your dinner. If that is not the case, then I recommend sneaking in some beneficial veggies (or fruit) that you don't eat on a regular basis (beets, asparagus, mushrooms, etc) into the carb.

Partially cook that vegetable if it is not a quick cooking one (drop beets in boiling water for 5 minutes and drain, or saute the mushrooms until they lose their juice). Choose a cheese that matches your vegetable (bleu cheese crumbles with apples or pears, goat cheese with beets, gruyere for mushrooms, or grated parmesan cheese since it is generic and works with everything).

You may also add shrimp, scallops or other fish for a complete meal. Quick-cooking seafood may be added raw with or in lieu of the vegetables. Alternatively, fully cooked seafood can be stirred in at the end with the cheese.

The key to making risotto is preparing yourself for 20 minutes of stirring . Get everything you need ready and line them all up by the stove. Put on some music and get lost in fantasy as you stir, stir, stir.

1 teaspoon canola oil
1 shallot, finely minced (about 2 tablespoons)
1 cup arborio rice
1/4 cup white wine (or red if it matches the color of your vegetable)
3-4 cups chicken or vegetable stock, simmering on another burner
1/2 cup diced and partially cooked vegetable of your choice
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Bring the stock to a boil in a saucepan and keep on very low heat on a burner that is within reach. Heat a 3-quart casserole or saucepan on medium heat and add the oil, followed by the shallots. Cook the shallots for one minute and add the rice. Cook the rice, stirring for two-three minutes until very hot and opaque. Add the wine (it should sizzle violently). When the wine is almost all absorbed, add about 1/3 cup hot stock and stir until almost absorbed. Add the vegetable and another 1/3 cup stock and cook stirring, until almost all absorbed. Keep adding stock 1/3 cup at a time, stirring until it's almost all absorbed, for about 20 minutes, until the rice is cooked but still chewy and firm. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve right away with a lightly dressed green salad.

Bounce no more!!

2008-03-10T16:57:00.000-07:00

Either I got used to that strange sensation of a poorly strapped weight attached to my behind, or it actually got tighter after 3 days on the sand dune. The weight is still there, just more tightly strapped. Flushing on ahead, loving flax seed oil, cranberry juice mixed in my water and lean proteins.

Here's another recipe which is supercharged with nutrients, out of my cookbook:

4 large eggs, slightly beaten (use omega-3 eggs if you can)

8 oz frozen spinach thawed and thoroughly drained

2/3 cup cilantro, 1 1/3 cup parsley, 1 1/3 cup green onions, finely chopped

½ cup coarsely ground walnuts

1 t salt

1/2 t pepper

¼ cup canola oil

Mix eggs, greens, walnuts and seasoning in medium bowl to form a thick batter. Heat the oil in 9” heavy nonstick skillet to almost smoking. Pour batter and spread quickly in skillet and even it out. Quickly shake the pan to ensure that the oil is creating a barrier between the batter and the pan. Allow crust to form about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to low and cover the skillet with a heavy lid. Cook for 20 minutes, or until the batter is set. Then, cut in four pieces so that you may carefully turn it over and cook the other side 5 - 10 minutes on medium high, uncovered, until a crust is formed and the herbs are cooked through.

12 + Highland

2008-03-07T15:04:00.000-08:00

Are you old enough, or have you lived here long enough to remember "12th Street?" That difficult- to-remember-because-I-was-too-wasted-by-the-time-I-got-there raunchy little bar and dance place has cleaned up BEAUTIFULLY and is now the finest dining you can find in our area. Granted, the owner admits that it is "almost" fine dining. The food is top notch, yet TVs had to be installed to appeal to our not-so-sophisticated town. People were freaked out about the wait staff unfolding napkins on their laps!!

For us who watch our fatty livers and/or bouncy butts, this restaurant is PERFECT for lunch. Those in your party who don't care can indulge in a plethora of delicious creations by Chef Armand, while you can actually choose from a menu of guilt-free items (most restaurants may have one item which has to be grossly modified). Next time you ladies lunch, you know where to go. I'll see you there. Did I mention the owner is a 33-year-old athlete who used to be a USC football star? See you at 12+Highland!

P.S. I have been climbing sand dunes, even without wine or Nancy. My clothes are already fitting more loosely. Next week I will run just to measure the jiggle factor. I bet it will be much lower. Funny how exercise truly works!

Ice Cream and Kettle Corn

2008-03-05T19:23:00.000-08:00

I know that a big bag of kettle corn is not on the Fat Flush Plan. Neither is a chocolate flake ice cream cone. But then again, I don't have a fatty liver; I just have a bouncy butt. Am I so vain, as to deprive myself of a FLAKE bar turned into ice cream? AND on a night when I come home to a wet bed from my daughter's pee the night before? I need Something to soften the blow when I let her know that she may NOT come to our room tonight, no matter how scared she is, because we don't have the protection of a mattress cover. Either that, or I have to stay up and do laundry, which means I need Something for that. Why's a five-year-old peeing anyway? More of a little Something please.

I did really well today though, minus the Somethings mentioned above. I ordered grilled chicken on a salad of spinach and onions, with no dressing. I ran-walked for one hour. I drank cranberry water. Tomorrow I will climb sand dunes, if Nancy promises me a glass of wine after. More Something. Maybe by tomorrow I will be over it and won't need Anything. But then again, tomorrow is Thursday, my armpit of the week, and I can't wait to see how the house was "rigged" while I w

as at work today.

Here's a gift of a recipe for you tonight, just for putting up with my Wednesday night rants. I assembled these last weekend and stuck them in the freezer for a special (or lazy) dinner. It is low-fat, heart-healthy Sun-dried Tomato and Pesto Chicken Roulade. You will feel like a 5-star chef with almost no effort.

2 chicken breasts

1/3 cup shelled pistachio nuts

1 clove garlic

2/3 cup loosely packed basil leaves

1 inch cube of parmesan or manchego cheese

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped

Place the chicken breasts, one at a time, on a cutting board covered with plastic wrap. Cover with a second piece of plastic wrap, and pound with the smooth side of a meat pounder, or the back of a small saucepan, until 1/2 inch thick. This is my favorite part; as you see it's quite therapeutic!

Then make the pesto. Or use store-bought stuff. In a food processor grind the nuts first, then add the garlic clove and cheese and process until chopped, then the basil leaves, and finally add the olive oil while the motor is running. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, and red pepper flakes if you're feeling adventurous. Then spread a generous layer of pesto over each breast and sprinkle with a generous layer of sun-dried tomato bits. Then roll each breast tightly and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least one hour to help it hold it's shape.

Bake the roulades in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F for 30 minutes, or until internal temperature registers 165 degrees F. Allow to cool slightly, and cut into 1/2-inch thick discs. Serve on top of a tablespoon of roasted red and yellow bell pepper sauce (ask me for recipe if you're interested), or store-bought marinara pasta sauce.

Photos will be included tomorrow night, when I bake mine.

The Whole Fish

2008-03-04T13:46:00.000-08:00

All this talk about bouncy butts got me motivated to tighten mine. Forget the bra. When I was in college, I gained an unsightly 30 pounds in the first semester. One of my classmates, a high school track star, made me her project. She would run me around the track, shouting, "Jiggle it right off!" She's right. I got my arse on the strand for an hour and alternated jiggling and walking. I figured anything over 20 minutes is "gravy." At 20 minutes, a great song came on my ipod (and the endorphins must have kicked in, because I started having fantasies about singing and ice skating), so I thought I'd run 10 minutes longer. Then I hit a long down-hill stretch, which kept me going for another 15 minutes past my home. Now I feel like a MILLION bucks!!!

What I love about whole fish is that it's small and swims not that deep, so it doesn't accumulate mercury like the huge low-swimming varieties. Also, I can look in its eyes and examine its gills to make sure it's fresh. Then the fish monger does his magic, and all I have to do is season it, stuff it and cook it. Salt-crusting is my favorite way to cook whole fish, because it's the best way to keep the moisture in the flesh (as opposed to let it evaporate and perfume the house). However tonight is super-

Tuesday-two. Not only we have popcorn and election returns on the schedule, but I work tomorrow. No fussing with egg whites and messing up the stand mixer. We're opening all the windows and turning on the kitchen grill.

1 whole Branzino, Thai snapper or other 1-pound fish (2 if you're including kids)

Juice of half lemon

1/4 bunch parsley

1 clove garlic, sliced

salt, pepper

1/2 teaspoon olive oil

While the grill is heating to medium, rub the lemon all over the fish and squeeze it inside the belly. Sprinkle the fish all over with salt and pepper, and then stuff the garlic slices, parsley and what's left of the lemon-half (you may need to cut it up a bit). Allow the fish to sit for 10-15 minutes to absorb the flavors, and then grill on medium heat for about 15 minutes on each side. Since "medium" is open to interpretation by each individual grill, please keep an eye on the fish so as not to overcook and dry it out.

Meanwhile, you may steam some broccoli spears or baby squash, or cut-up zucchini or whatever steamable green you may have in your fridge.

Toss some romaine lettuce (on the list of veggies in the fat flush book) together with parsley (you'll have some left over from stuffing the fish) and green onions or regular onions or shallot and dress it with flax seed oil and lemon juice.

Butt Bra

2008-03-03T12:45:00.000-08:00

My friend Lisa took me out on a nice walk today. I decided to run back, because I needed to pee really badly from drinking all the cranberry water. I haven't run in a while, so I was anticipating cramps in my side, shortness of breath, and all that goes with deconditioning. As I whizzed past all the public restrooms (not really), I noticed that my only ailment was a nagging ache in my cheeks from all the bouncing! This has never happened before. I wonder if it happens to anyone else. Will there be a market for butt bra if I design it?

Onward with the fat flush. A lot of cranberry water, lean protein atop fresh greens that are dressed with flax seed oil and lemon juice. Two fruit snacks a day.

It turns out that not all vegetables are allowed for freestyle grazing: only one carrot per day. Thankfully, I found the biggest carrot in LA, growing in my Dad's vegetable garden.

Salmon is the king of omega-3 fatty acids, so that's what we'll eat tonight. We will each eat 4 oz, cooked, on top of braised spinach.

12 oz salmon (more, if including the kids)

juice of half lemon

zest of one lemon

very small pinch of salt (fat flush recommends no salt)

very small pinch cayenne (no chiles on fat flush; cayenne is ok)

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 shallot or 1/4 onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 bunch spinach, washed and roughly chopped

juice of half lemon

1 tablespoon flax seed oil (1/2 tablespoon for each diner)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (if not using a broiler). Place the fish filet on a cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil and sprinkle with lemon juice, lemon zest and seasoning. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or broil.

Meanwhile, heat a saucepan that is fitted with a lid over medium heat. Add a teaspoon of olive oil and shallot (or onion) and garlic, and cook for one minute. Add the wet spinach leaves, stir, cover and cook for 5 minutes, until wilted. Remove from heat and toss with lemon juice and flax seed oil just before serving.

Flushing Some Fat

2008-03-02T10:45:00.000-08:00

The fat flush plan can be pretty simple. Drink a glass of cranberry water with flax meal spinning in it upon awakening and before going to bed. Drink a cup of warm water with juice of half a lemon before breakfast, drink a glass of cranberry water 20 minutes before and with every meal, and two extra glasses in the afternoon. The meals are easy too: lean protein with vegetables plus flax seed oil and lemon juice. The book is really well-written and easy to follow if you want the details.

We were able to follow the plan until the afternoon, when the idea of being on a diet kicked intense snacking into high gear. Then we were invited to a wonderful couple's home, where he is a self-proclaimed chef and fed us an unbelievably delicious North African 4-course meal. We'll start the plan tomorrow, and I will be posting plan-appropriate recipes. Meanwhile, we will order undressed salads with grilled chicken, carry around a bottle of flax seed oil, and get used to the cranberry water routine.

Flushing Fat

2008-02-29T21:15:00.000-08:00

So now we have a fatty liver amongst us. We are going on the Fat Flush plan. I take that back: I am going on the plan. However I am NOT the owner of the fatty liver. And I am NOT going to force any livers into health. In fact, my concerns for promoting health in the family have been misconstrued as "controlling," to the point that my 5- and 6-year old kids are "protecting" the Fatty Liver. I spent the day reading, researching, collecting the ingredients and bracing myself for two weeks of hard work and deprivation. Not a single "thank you." Instead, I have been deemed "controlling." So, I lick my wounds, pick myself up and forge ahead. So here it is, the list of items I bought to start the plan. Who's joining me???

click here to purchase the book

Unsweetened cranberry juice
Ground flax seeds
Flax seed oil
Black currant seed oil (GLA)

Tonight I will add 4 oz unsweetened cranberry juice to 28 oz water.
Tomorrow morning I will add 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds to 8 oz of this cranberry water and guzzle it upon awakening.
I will drink 8 oz warm water with juice of half a lemon before breakfast.
Maybe I'll start on Sunday.

Potato-Leek Soup

2008-02-28T19:05:00.000-08:00

My six-year-old asked me recently, "What day is the armpit of the week for you?" That would be Thursday. I have a zillion work-related tasks from working the day before, and two days worth of home responsibilities from not being home. That is because not only none of my house-work gets tended to while I'm gone, but the house gets booby-trapped (see post titled "Chocolate Truffles). It's a good thing my husband's favorite food is the easiest thing to make, because my motivation is NOT inspired by wanting to please him. And his image keeps getting published sideways... no matter what I do.

1/2 medium onion, chopped (optional)

3 medium leeks, chopped (4, if not using onion)

2 large or 3 small russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 quart chicken stock (or water)

salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a 5-quart casserole over medium heat. Add the onions and leeks, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook for 5-10 minutes until soft. Add the water or stock and potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook covered for 30 - 45 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Adjust seasoning. The soup is ready to eat.

At this point, I turn off the heat and use a big wooden spoon (my favorite utensil) to slightly crush the potatoes. The soup may also be pureed (carefully, in small batches, in a blender). The blended soup may be served chilled. You may use a spoon of creme fraiche and a sprinkling of chives to garnish.

Our Farmers' Market

2008-02-26T17:03:00.000-08:00

Finally our Farmers' Market has become worth going to. After becoming accustomed to weekly walking trips to the Santa Monica and Venice markets, I was delighted when ours opened here. I thought I could replicate my much missed life on the West Side, walking everywhere, cooking new and rare produce, meeting friendly farmers and food purveyors, ...

Of course it didn't take long to realize that there is nothing at our market that can't be found at Whole Foods at a better price AND without having to deal with the mean olive lady. I kept going anyway, for the best apples ever from Ha's Apple Farm and the fresh fish. One day the fish guy sold me escolar without warning me that one may not be able digest the oil, and it can have a Xenical-like effect!! I stuck the escolar in my freezer and stopped going to the market altogether, until today I decided to kill some time there.

I discovered cheese, sausage and kimchee. Dave's Korean Gourmet alone makes the market interesting. Try ginger kimchee for a tasty way to clear your sinuses. Sweet radish kimchee, marinated lotus root, baked tofu, all sorts of deliciousness are served by a smiling, courteous team!

Further, I picked up a roasted whole chicken (just $10), hot corn on the cob with its accouterments, a bag of kettle corn for dessert, and called it "dinner"!!

Fish Sticks -- Not!

2008-02-25T12:53:00.000-08:00

My kids love to get their hands dirty in the kitchen. My daughter loves slippery textures and my son loves powdery ones. Everyone loves breaded and deep-fried foods. Here, we make an assembly line, flouring, dipping in egg and breading, and then we bake. We don't fry, yet we don't sacrifice any flavor. And we all have loads of fun.

Farm-raised Tilapia filets are mild flavored, manageable in size, and economical. They thaw quickly if you freeze them in a single layer. Chicken tenders work well with this recipe as well.

4 Tilapia filets
1/4 cup flour
1 slightly beaten egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs
salt, pepper
paprika (optional)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Place the flour on a flat plate, the egg in a shallow bowl and the bread crumbs on a plate. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and a small pinch of paprika to each and whisk to combine.

The beauty of using kids for the following steps is that you get to use separate hands at each "station," and no hand gets "breaded" and hopelessly difficult to wash. One hand can dip a filet in the flour and shake off excess (leaving a very thin layer on the fish) and then drop the floured fish in the egg mixture. Another hand can fish the filet out of the egg mixture, allow the excess to drip back in the bowl and then drop the filet in bread crumbs. A clean hand can shake the plate to coat the filet with crumbs, and then place it on the prepared cookie sheet. Once all the filets are prepared, drizzle with olive oil and bake for 30 minutes until golden and crispy.

I usually am able to negotiate with the kids to eat a side of steamed broccoli, since the main course is breaded and tastes fried.

Salt-encrusted Whole Fish with Greens

2008-02-24T19:57:00.000-08:00

It's official now, and there are lab values to prove it. We are getting older. I have to feed my husband even more healthfully. This time, I think he will be diligent on his own when I'm not watching. Labs. Scary.

A whole striped bass, Thai snapper or branzino is a perfect portion for two. Buy the freshest fish, with clear eyes and red/pink gills. Ask the fishmonger to "dress" it for you. All you will have to do is season it, cover it with a salt paste and stick it in the oven while you prepare the veggies.

4 egg whites

1 cup salt

1 whole fish, about 1 lb

coarse salt

fresh ground pepper

zest of a lemon or blood orange

juice of half a lemon or blood orange

1 bunch fresh spinach or swiss chard

1 bunch green onions

1 teaspoon olive oil

salt, pepper and red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Beat egg whites for a minute at high speed until frothy, and then stream in the cup of salt. Continue to beat on high speed for another two minutes until thick and able to hold its shape.

Season the fish with citrus juice, zest, salt and pepper. Place on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. Cover the fish completely with the salt and egg white paste. Bake for 40 minutes. Crack the salt crust and simply peel it off the fish, and then serve the juicy white filets on top of greens.

For the greens, wash and roughly chop spinach or chard leaves. Allow to drain in a colander. Slice the white parts of the green onions. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a shallow pan that has a lid. Add the green onions, salt pepper and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 - 2 minutes until caramelized. Add the wet spinach or chard, stir and cook covered for 3 - 4 minutes until somewhat softened, but still green. Uncover and cook one minute longer for the water to evaporate. Enjoy warm.

From My Cookbook

2008-02-20T19:17:00.000-08:00

It's Wednesday again. I pulled my achy arse out of bed and dragged into work. I have a feeling that the cough and sniffles will be with me for a while. It is cold and grey out. This is the perfect weather for a stew, but not the kind with big chunks of meat and fat. My stomack is out of practice, after a week of almost no activity. Tonight is the perfect time to make the stew my mother made for me when I was little.

Here it is, straight out of my cookbook, soon to be published:

T olive oil

1 medium brown onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 ½ quarts cold water

1 cup rice

2 cups chopped green onions

1 cup chopped cilantro

1 cup chopped parsley

8 oz frozen chopped spinach

1 tablespoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

½ can garbanzo beans

½ can white beans

Heat a 5 quart casserole over medium high heat for one minute, and then add the oil. Add onion and sauté until golden brown. Add the garlic and cook for one minute longer, without letting the garlic brown. Add water and rice, and then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook, covered until the rice is done, about 30 minutes. Then add the herbs and spinach, salt and pepper, and cook covered until the herbs are cooked through, about 1 hour. Add the beans and cook another 5 minutes until heated through. Adjust seasoning. Swirl a tablespoon of cold plain yogurt into a bowl.

Seared Scallops on Creamy Polenta

2008-02-19T15:32:00.000-08:00

Hello World! Today is my first day out of bed since Valentine's Day. After four days (six according to my husband) of laying in bed and sampling a variety of store-bought and canned soups in between fever and chills, I am up. And I have to pay. It is my turn. But my energy level is still quite low. Doing laundry left me with not enough to get to the store. Good thing I have milk, cornmeal, salt and pepper. Good thing there's always scallops and shrimp in my freezer.

An hour before dinner I will put 6 scallops in a zip-lock bag (they're huge). I will fill the sink with cold water and sink the bag of scallops in it. I will need to weight it down with a pan or something. Half an hour later, I will have thawed scallops, the same as what I would buy at Whole Foods. In fact, that's how I got mine. I just asked the fish monger to give me a whole bag of whatever it is they're defrosting and selling us, frozen.

6 large scallops

1/2 lemon

salt and pepper

1 teaspoon canola oil

2 cups low-fat milk

1/2 cup corn meal

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (optional)

1/2 teaspoon saffron threads (optional)

Prepare the scallops. Remove the little piece stuck to the side of each one and discard. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with fresh lemon juice, generous amount of sea salt and a couple turns of the pepper grinder. Toss to coat and let rest at room temperature while you make the polenta.

Heat the milk gently in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. You may add saffron, turn the heat off, cover and allow to steep 5 - 10 minutes. Then remove the saffron threads (fish them out with a strainer), turn the heat on and proceed. Or skip the saffron. When bubbles form around the milk, whisk in the cornmeal in a thin stream. Cook, mixing with a spoon for 15 - 20 minutes until the cornmeal is soft and the mixture is as thick as batter. If the mixture thickens too much, just add more milk. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

For those not interested in saffron, you may add cheese (before seasoning). Gorgonzola, fontina, cheddar, parmesan, whatever you like. I prefer saffron to cheese personally.

Set the polenta aside, covered, while you sear the scallops. Heat a skillet over medium high heat for 3 minutes. Swirl in the oil to cover the bottom, and then add the scallops in a single layer. They will stick to the pan! Allow them to cook undisturbed for 1-2 minutes until they caramelize and release the pan. Turn over and cook the other side.

Spoon the creamy polenta into bowls and "float" the scallops on top. You may drizzle with balsamic glaze (you may buy this in a store), lemon juice, or basil oil. You may garnish with fresh minced parsley or diced red peppers. I personally prefer a small drizzle of balsamic reduction (it brings out the caramelization flavor and sweetness in the scallops and it requires no preparation).

Chocolate Truffles

2008-02-14T10:04:00.000-08:00

I usually feel "under the weather" the day after work. The house gets booby-trapped every Wednesday while I'm gone. There's one square of toilet paper left on the roll, 1 tablespoon of milk in the bottle, and nothing is in it's usual place in the kitchen. Last night, I started my "under the weather" early. Got home with body aches, chills and my throat felt like I'd swallowed chards of glass.

Clearly I will not be romancing this evening, and I certainly won't be anywhere near the kitchen. Five years ago I had similar symptoms on V-day. My daughter was a breast-feeding infant, and I wound up with mastitis. My husband was very kind and supportive that day. A few months later, though he let me know how upset he was that I didn't get him "so much as a pencil." So I compensated for his birthday.

The following is a recipe that thrills kids. They get gooey and messy and make something yummy. It's fun for the moms because you can let your imagination run wild and make this with whatever variety of chocolate or flavoring you like.

8 oz chocolate, cut up
1/2 cup cream
2 tablespoons liqueur (frangelico, amaretto, grand marnier, framboise, etc)
OR 2 teaspoons vanilla, mint, orange, almond, or other flavoring (sold near the vanilla)
1/2 cup cocoa powder, and /or chopped nuts of your choice

Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until bubbles form at the edges. Pour the hot cream onto the chocolate pieces (which should be sitting in a bowl). Mix gently to melt the chocolate, then stir in the liqueur or flavoring, and then pour the mixture in a baking dish (about 1/2 - 1 inch layer). Chill for 2 hours until hard.

Using a melon baller or teaspoon, scoop up chilled chocolate mixture and form into a ball. Drop the newly formed ball onto a plate of cocoa and/or nuts. Shake to coat. You can keep these truffles in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator up to one week (if you can stop eating them).

One-Step Fish

2008-02-12T18:49:00.000-08:00

I work Wednesdays, which means that I wake up at 5:30 and leave the house by 6:00. Tuesday dinner has to be quick and easy so I can get to bed early. I try to make fish and serve it with vegetables (cooked or raw) several times a week, and the following is a preparation that works well with most fleshy fish. I vary it using different herbs and spices, but basically follow the same principle.

Salting the fish and letting it rest at room temperature for 15 minutes tends to bring the "ocean" back to the fish. One way is to oversalt it and let it rest, then completely rinse it before continuing with the recipe. I like to do this in one step, as follows.

6 oz fish per person (Chilean sea bass, kampachi, salmon and snapper are all good candidates)

1 juicy lemon

sea salt

fresh ground pepper

red pepper flakes (optional)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Lay the filets skin-side down on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. Squeeze a generous amount of lemon juice on each filet, sprinkle with a generous pinch (about 1 teaspoon) of coarse sea salt (less if you're using fine salt), ground pepper and small pinch of red pepper flakes. Allow to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes (usually the time it takes for the oven to get hot). Bake the fish for 30 - 45 minutes, depending on how thick the filets are.

*In addition to or in lieu of red pepper flakes, try experimenting with sumac, tarragon, saffron, varieties of thyme, and whatever looks interesting to you at the market. You may also squeeze blood oranges, lime or grapefruit instead of lemons over the filets.

Valentine

2008-02-11T17:41:00.000-08:00

Got kids? Valentine's Day is on a school nite? You're not members of a club that offers a six-course meal with a separate "mid-week movie-night" for the kids? You need something simple and elegant, that says "I love you," to the whole crew. This is Thursday decadence that we will compensate for one night over the weekend. We will eat meat, butter and other weekend fare, knowing that Monday Chicken Soup principles will be followed on Friday or Saturday.

Here are recipes for surf, turf and potatoes. Either are good alone as week-night meals.

SURF:

1 lobster tail in shell (2 if doing just surf, or including children)

1/2 lemon

pinch red pepper flakes

salt and pepper

Cut the lobster tail in half lengthwise, using kitchen shears for the top and bottom of the shell and a sharp knife for the flesh. Squeeze the half lemon over the two halves, then generously sprinkle with salt, lightly with freshly ground pepper and few pepper flakes. Let sit at room temperature for 15 - 20 minutes. Grill lobster tail halves flesh side down, then turn over and grill shell side, then turn and grill remaining side. Be careful not to overcook lobster tails.It takes only 1 - 2 minutes each side. Serve in the shell.

*The same preparation can be applied to peeled and de-veined jumbo shrimp, which only needs to grill for 2-3 minutes.

TURF:

3/4 pound beef tenderloin (larger if doing just turf or including kids)

1/2 stick(!) unsalted butter

1 teaspoon canola oil

2/3 cup black cherry juice (preferably unsweetened)

salt and pepper

ground allspice (optional)

Allow butter to soften at room temperature. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Prepare the filet mignon by rubbing with 1 tablespoon softened butter, then a generous sprinkling of salt and freshly ground pepper and a small pinch of ground allspice (optional). Allow to sit at room temperature for 30 - 45 minutes before cooking.

Heat a heavy oven-proof skillet over medium high heat for 2 - 3 minutes. Swirl in the oil and tilt to cover the pan, and then sear the meat on all sides (1 -3 minutes per side). The meat will stick to the pan at first, but will release when it is ready to be moved. Please leave the meat undisturbed while searing, and do not struggle to turn it over. Immediately after turning the meat onto it's last unseared side, put the skillet in the bottom of the oven for 5 - 10 minutes, depending on desired "doneness." I like mine on the rare side of medium-rare or internal temperature of 125 degrees F. My probe thermometer is one of the top five kitchen essentials I cannot live without. I simply poke it in the center of my meat and keep an eye on the temperature as it cooks. Make sure to allow the meat to rest for 10-15 minutes, covered loosely with a foil, when it comes out of the oven.

*New York Steak will work equally well in this recipe. Get a thick cut, as you will serve it sliced with spoonfuls of sauce just as you would with the filet.

While the meat is in the oven, prepare the sauce. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the cherry juice to the pan. Scrape up any caramelized bits into the cherry juice and gently simmer for 5 minutes, or until small consistent bubbles cover the surface and the juice is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and whisk in remaining butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Strain the sauce into a bowl, taste and adjust salt and pepper (you may add a tiny tiny bit of cayenne pepper if you enjoy heat).

Herb-roasted Potatoes:

2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, skin on, roughly cut in 1-inch cubes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh minced (or 1/2 tablespoon dry rosemary, thyme or Herbes de Provence)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (same temperature necessary for the filet mignon). Toss the potatoes in a bowl with olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs. Spread onto a cookie sheet and roast in the middle section of the oven for approximately 30 minutes, until golden.

Note that the meat will finish cooking in the bottom of the same oven for 5-10 minutes, so you can coordinate. In fact, this would be the order I would follow for this meal:

1. Butter and season the filet and let it rest at room temperature.

2. Make green salad without dressing it.

3. Get the potatoes in the oven.

4. Cut and season the lobster and let it rest.

5. Sear the filet and get it in the oven.

6. Make the sauce.

7. Remove the filet from the oven and let it rest. The potatoes may need to come out too.

8. Grill the lobster while the meat is resting.

9. Dress the salad just before serving.

Monday Night Chicken Soup

2008-02-11T07:28:00.000-08:00

Monday is the best day of the week. It's my day to recover from the weekend. The kids are back in school and there is no scheduled activity. The weekends have a hurricane-like effect on the house. Mondays I put my kitchen back together, cleaning every "toy," oiling all the cutting boards, polishing the steel, and so on. It is meditative.

Monday food is particularly easy, because we are all satiated from eating everything that wasn't nailed down over the weekend (my only food rule on weekends is to go with the flow). So Mondays are about fresh fruit, raw vegetables, yogurt, and chicken soup.

1 whole chicken (I like Mary's air-chilled natural chicken)

1 onion, peeled and quartered

2 stalks celery, cut in 1-2 inch pieces

2 medium carrots, cut in 1-2 inch pieces

1 sprig parsley

1 sprig thyme

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon black pepper corns

salt

1/4 - 1/2 package noodles

2 cups mixed vegetables, cut up -- I try to use up what's left over from the weekend. Broccoli, leeks, tomatoes, cauliflower, fennel, squash, more celery, carrots, onions, a package of mixed veggies from the freezer, anything goes. In fact, the variation in the veggies is what allows me to repeat this soup every Monday.

Remove the skin from the chicken and discard. I just pull it off with my hands. Sometimes it helps to grab the skin with paper towels. Rinse the chicken and place in a stock pot with the rest of the ingredients except salt and noodles. Fill with water to 1 inch over the top of the chicken (about 10 quarts). Heat gently over medium heat to a simmer, uncovered. Skim off any foam that may rise to the surface. Reduce heat and simmer very gently on low heat for 1.5 hours, uncovered, until chicken is tender. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside to cool slightly. Strain the broth into a casserole large enough to hold it (5 quart casserole usually works), and discard the solids. Add the noodles with 1/2 tablespoon salt and cook on medium heat until they al dente. Meanwhile pull the meat off the chicken in chunks. Add to the pot with the vegetables and cook 15 minutes longer, or until all the vegetables are cooked. Taste and adjust salt.

By the way, this is the recipe for chicken stock. For stock, use only bones and no salt. Strain the stock into a large bowl that is sitting in a larger bowl filled with ice and water, to cool it quickly. Refrigerate it over night, so the fat solidifies on the surface. After removing the fat, you may strain the stock through paper towels and store for 6 months in the freezer (freezer bags work well).

Super Tuesday Choucrout Garni

2008-02-09T16:52:00.000-08:00

Super Tuesday was a cold day by LA standards. All I wanted to do was to get in my flannel jammies and watch the election returns. I had only enough left over chicken noodle soup from the day before for the kids. That was a good thing, because it meant that I could make something adult for my husband and myself. I wanted something that would cook itself with minimal effort from me, since my eyes would be glued to the TV during prep. I scoured the fridge and found an unopened jar of sauerkraut, a hunk of smoked pork loin and a smoked sausage of sorts, both pre-cooked and vacuum-sealed, which I got at the Farmer's Market last week. I remembered I had a ham hock in the freezer, and a bottle of dry muscat gifted to me earlier that week. All the ingredients for easy, no-fuss choucrout garni, without having to leave the house!!

1/2 tablespoon canola oil

1 medium onion, sliced thinly

2 cloves garlic

3 cups dry Riesling (or 2.5 cups chicken/vegetable stock + 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar)

1 teaspoon juniper berries

2 bay leaves

1 large jar (about 2 -3 cups) sauerkraut, drained and rinsed in a colander

ham hock, cut-up sausage, or any other pork product you may have on hand

Heat the oil over medium heat in a dutch oven. Cut the onion in half through the root end, peel and trim off the ends, then cut thinly in half moons. Add the onion and cook for five minutes until translucent. Grate the garlic cloves into the pot and cook a minute longer (a Microplane grater is a God-send for this). Add the wine and bring to gentle boil. Add the juniper berries and bay leaves and cook for 5 minutes longer. Add the uncooked pork parts (I added the ham hock) along with the sauerkraut and cook on low heat for 2 hours, until tender. Add the cooked pork parts and cook 30 - 45 minutes longer. Taste and adjust seasoning. Be careful not to oversalt, as prepared pork products tend to contribute a considerable amount of salt.

Potluck Mac-n-Cheese

2008-02-08T15:06:00.000-08:00

I don't cook dinner on Fridays. I take the night off, usually because the weekends are packed with creative and complicated culinary adventures. Today is an exception. My daughter's preschool teacher is retiring, and we love him enough to break my no-cooking-on-Friday rule. I will even miss the ladies' get-together at Lisa's, which is another occasion worthy of Friday cooking.

This afternoon I made a grown-up mac-n-cheese to complement the home-made empanadas and taquitos that a particular student's grandmother always brings to school potlucks. I checked out my arse in the three-way mirror at Lulemon Athletica today, and discovered that the past two weeks of experiencing hunger 75% of my waking hours has paid off, so it's safe to have a plate myself.

1 lb whatever pasta you like

sea salt

8 oz unsalted butter (1 stick)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups milk

3 cups shredded whatever cheese you like

pinch cayenne or pinch nutmeg (depending on the cheeses you use)

1/2 cup bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Bring 5-6 quarts of water to a rolling boil, then add 2 tablespoons sea salt and the pasta. While the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce. Melt the butter in a casserole large enough to hold the cooked pasta, and pour half of it in a bowl for later. Whisk in the flour and cook over medium heat, stirring until bubbly. Whisk in the milk and continue cooking and stirring until slightly thick. Remove from heat, stir in all but 1/4 cup of the cheese and cayenne or nutmeg. Taste and adjust salt.

Drain the pasta when cooked to al dente, and add it to the pot of sauce. Toss to coat, then pour into a buttered baking dish. Choose the size of the dish according to how much crust you want. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the pasta, then drizzle with remaining melted butter and cheese. I used smoked fontina and aged cheddar cheese, cayenne, and panko (bread crumbs).

Bake at 375 degrees until the crust is crispy and golden.

Chinese New Year

2008-02-08T08:09:00.000-08:00

I woke up with all sorts of ideas yesterday. The kids have been excited about the Chinese New Year and want to go to China for the day. I decided to roast a whole duck and make dumplings, and pass out red envelopes with chocolate coins. But the ducks at Whole Foods were frozen solid. I bought a pork tenderloin and some Granny Smith apples instead. By the time I picked up the kids from two different schools, my son was sopping wet and ravenous and my daughter had her usual post-preschool blues. As this was the perfect recipe for a melt-down, I just pulled into China Grill. The kids ate grilled chicken with steamed vegetables and rice, and I ate Duck a la Peking (after dumplings). I made them try my food, and we brought duck home for my husband.

If I were to make the pork tenderloin, this is what I would have done:

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut approximately in 1/2-inch cubes

1/4 cup golden (or red) raisins (optional)

pinch cinnamon (optional)

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 tablespoon sugar

1 pork tenderloin

salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place raisins (if using) in 1/2 cup warm water. Remove pork tenderloin from the refrigerator, sprinkle with salt and pepper and let it rest at room temperature. Prepare apples. Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil over medium heat in a skillet. Drain the raisins, and then add them to the skillet along with the apples, sugar and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until the apples are soft. You may add a pinch of cinnamon if you like.

Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in a heavy oven-safe skillet over medium high heat. Add the pork tenderloin and sear on all sides. Put the skillet in the preheated oven for 5-10 minutes, depending on how "cooked" you like your pork. I use a meat thermometer and cook until internal temperature of about 145 degrees. Remove from the oven and allow to rest while setting the table, making a salad, rounding up the kids, or whatever else. Serve slices of tenderloin topped with warm apple mixture and green salad.