Summer Food Goals

Does anyone else get summer fever at the supermarket this time of year?

I admire the photos my gardening friends share on social media.  June, July, August, they proudly share the bounty they've grown in their backyards or in community gardens.

When I had a yard, the most I could manage was herbs.  Born without a green thumb, I was fiercely proud of those herbs.  During the Michigan summers and falls, I could grab my kitchen shears and walk outside to gather fresh herbs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  In October, I'd try to harvest sage, rosemary, and thyme to use at Thanksgiving, just in case an early frost decided to land.

My culinary life bloomed in Michigan.  That's where I met and married G.  My mom lived an hour away on five acres of land.  For the first time in her life, she had raised bed gardens where she grew tomatoes, peppers, lettuces.  Those lettuces!  I'd never seen so many different kinds.  That was my favorite crop to to collect and take home with me.  I loved the tender leaves of oakleaf and red sails, the different colors of loose leaf baby lettuce.  All of a sudden, my salads had character!  Mom even grew kohlrabi, a vegetable that's still kind of a mystery to me now.

In Michigan, I started taking cooking classes.  I earned my culinary degree and worked at a farm-to-table kitchen.  Visiting farmers' markets became a frequent pastime.

We moved to San Francisco where I was lucky to be able to walk to the farmers' market at the Ferry Building on Saturday's.  I volunteered there and helped pick and prep vegetables and herbs for cooking demos.  After my work was done, I'd visit the stalls to do some grocery shopping and pick a pastry for my walk home by the bay.

The farmers' markets in Chicago were small, but mighty.  Now that I think about it, I could walk to the markets there too.  Was that a subconscious prerequisite for choosing a neighborhood?  The Chicago markets had excellent produce, a lot of it grown in Michigan, a stand or two with donuts or artisan bread, and great coffee.

Nowadays, I find my summer produce at the grocery store.  I'm still learning the in's and out's of Florida farmers' markets.  I look forward to the dishes that have become tradition in the summer months.  I have my usual stand-by's.  A stellar BLT when tomatoes arrive.  Daily Caprese salads when tomatoes arrive.  Summer fruit for ice cream and homemade popsicles.

Drum roll, please for this year's summer food goals:

• Attempt gazpacho.
• Make copious amounts of pesto.
• Try a stovetop shrimp boil.
• Choose something nostalgic to make from our childhoods.
• Use tomatoes galore!

Soup's On!

I'm sitting here writing this post as I eat my lunch and listen to Yola's Walk Through Fire album.

On the menu:  roasted butternut squash soup.  I'm having difficulty devoting myself to my typing.  I'd rather just hold my little crock and slurp my soup.

I sliced a butternut squash, scooped out the seeds, and slathered it with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper.  I roasted it for about an hour and fifteen minutes at 400 degrees, until it was easily pierced with a butter knife.

While the squash cooled, I sautéed half of a chopped red onion with a giant garlic clove.  Then I added smoked paprika and powdered ginger (I was out of fresh ginger.)  My ginger jar is missing its plastic cover with holes, so I put more ginger in the soup than I'd anticipated.  I crossed my fingers it wasn't too much.  Then I scooped out the squash into the pan with the spiced onion and garlic, added a can of coconut milk and simmered it, lid on, for 20-30 minutes.

I used my handy dandy immersion blender to finish the soup and tasted it...it still needed something, but I lucked out. The ginger flavor was great.  I added some salt, pepper, and cayenne.  Perfect.

I'm always about the garnish so I topped the soup with diced cilantro and scallions and sprinkled some pumpkin seeds on top.  Healthy, satisfying, and comforting on a cold winter's day.

Happy New Year!

The Christmas season is over which means the I'm-going-to-eat-all-the-cheese-and-all-the-cookies-and-drink-all-the-holiday-cocktails season is also over.

Moment of silence, please.

To reset, G and I are going to do the Whole30 program.  Thirty days of meats, seafood, eggs, vegetables, fruit, and natural fats.  (You see what I did there?  I listed the foods we CAN eat, as opposed to the list of all of the fun foods we CANNOT eat.  Me = trying to embrace the positive.)

G and I have tried the Whole30 program a few times.  Usually I don't get through the whole month.  He does and loses up to twenty pounds.  That's not annoying at all.

This time I want to commit.  I want to commit to a lot of things this year, so this will be my first challenge.

If you have any recipe or meal ideas, please share in the comments or email me!

First up for us, various salad and burrito bowls with roasted chicken or pork, sweet potato hash for breakfast, and tea instead of coffee.

Sigh.

Gratitude moment:  making gougères for New Year's Eve 2019.  Farewell for now, cheesy puffs.

Hot Chocolate

I have always loved hot chocolate.  It has been my favorite version of a chocolate fix.  As a kid, I would occasionally treat myself to a Hostess Ho-Ho.  I had a Twix and Three Musketeer phase.  A mint chocolate chip ice cream lark.  But nothing's lasted as long as my love for hot chocolate.

Growing up, my go-to hot chocolate was the Swiss Miss variety.  In college, I found some different packets of the powdered stuff...Land O Lakes, that had flavors like mint or raspberry or caramel.  On cold, dark nights in southeastern Ohio, a cup of that with some hot water courtesy of the hot plate was heaven.

When I first started to date G, it was winter time in Michigan.  I remember being at his apartment and craving a warm beverage.

"You wouldn't have any hot chocolate, would you?"

"Sure," he said.  "It's up in the cupboard.  Help yourself."

I looked for the familiar light blue cardboard box with the Swiss Miss on it, but couldn't find it.

Then I realized that his hot chocolate came in a container with a lid, marked Ghirardelli.  What was this magical elixir?  I started to read the directions and reached for the tea kettle to boil water.

"What are you doing?, " G asked.  "You use milk.  Just warm up some milk in the microwave."

Milk?  Fancy hot chocolate AND milk?  What was this decadence?  I followed his instructions and proceeded to have the tastiest mug of hot chocolate I'd ever experienced.

To this day, if I crave a hot chocolate fix, I go for the container of Ghirardelli that we always have in the pantry.

 I've never laid eyes on that Swiss Miss again.

French Onion Soup

This is a good, go-to recipe for

French Onion Soup.

Just a few small changes/additions...

I would add some garlic to the onions, maybe two-four minced cloves, depending on how garlicky you like your soup.  Then, because this has a beef stock base, I would use red wine instead of white.  It'll give the soup a much deeper, richer flavor than the white wine.

The only bread I have in the house today is whole wheat flatbread pita so I improvised some croutons.

My Snack of Choice for the Super Bowl

Couldn't resist posting this photo of my loaded nachos.

Grocery Monday

Monday is grocery day at our house.  And, yes, I do love Mondays.

I usually go to a couple of stores when I grocery shop.  One store for staples such as canned goods, condiments, maybe this week's produce.  Then a second stop for proteins and specialty items.  Here in Ann Arbor, I'm lucky to have a myriad of choices of grocery stores.  In dreary January that helps, since grocery shopping in the middle of winter doesn't deliver much excitement as, let's say, a trip to the farmer's market in June.

(Bonus points for me today...I remembered to use my own grocery bags.  I didn't leave them at home and then curse at the cash register when I realized that I left them at home.

Roasted poblano peppers.

 G and I have been enjoying homemade burrito bowls since we tried them at Chipotle during our Christmas road trip to New York.  So the first stop I made when I returned home from the store was at my gas stove top.  I placed two poblano peppers on a high flame and let them char on all sides (for about 5 minutes).  Then I placed them in a paper bag and let them sit for about 10-15 minutes.  Once I was ready to make my bowl, I peeled off the skin and then sliced the peppers into strips, discarding the stem and seeds.

Today's protein of choice was beef.  In a medium saucepan, I browned:

1 1/4# ground beef

Then I added:

1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

Then I added some seasonings:

1 T. chili powder
1/8 t. cayenne
1/3 c. water
salt and pepper, to taste

I let the beef and bean mixture sit at a medium-low heat for about 10 minutes.

In a bowl, I placed chopped Romaine lettuce, halved grape tomatoes, roasted poblano peppers, corn, cilantro, and drizzled it with extra virgin olive oil and lime juice.  Then I topped everything with the beef and bean mixture and sprinkled on some chopped green onions.

If G and I wanted to indulge more with these burrito bowls, I could add:

Guacamole
Salsa
Sour cream
Crushed tortilla chips
Pepper jack cheese or Queso Fresco, which is a crumbly white cheese similar to feta, but with a milder flavor.

It's Julia Week!

Julie & Julia, the new movie starring Meryl Streep as Julia Child, opens today and yes, I cannot wait to see it.

In honor of this event, I'm going to focus a bit on Julia this week. And joyfully so.

Briefly, some facts and some reasons why I love Julia:

Did you know that she didn't start cooking until she was 37 years old?

I started culinary school at age 36.

She didn't get married until she was 34.

I didn't get married until I was 35.

Julia's love of food and cooking blossomed in France.

My love of food and cooking took me to France.

Julia worked for the OSS and recently was outed as a spy during that era.

I...well, I've watched a lot of spy movies and I've always wanted to be one.

mmm...toast

I was about to run to Caribou for Monday Mac time when G said, "Hey, you want some toast?"

I usually hurry to the coffee shop on Mondays to clear my head and get ready for the week's tasks. Plus, Caribou has helped me out this summer with $1 coffee on Mondays. But when G offered toast, I remembered that we had a loaf of homemade sourdough bread and that stopped me in tracks.

We usually have whole wheat or whole grain bread in the house, but this week's special at the market was sourdough, so I couldn't resist. I've bought bread in plastic bags for years...who hasn't? But I don't really enjoy it. It definitely doesn't add anything to my meal experience. In fact, when we have toast from bagged bread, I leave the crusts on my plate and give them to G. Only recently have I realized that when I eat fresh, homemade bread, I eat every morsel of it and even look forward to the crust.

Why? Because fresh bread is a delicacy. The use of "real" bread makes a statement. Real bread takes a sandwich to the next level, makes French toast even better, and in the case of my toast this morning, makes me sit up and pay attention.

We have great local bakeries here in Ann Arbor so I can depend on them most of the time for fresh bread. In the winter and fall, I try to make my own. I highly recommend it; it's really not that difficult and the feeling of accomplishment is worth it (not to mention the aromas that will waft through your house). It's a good project for a Sunday. Just pick up a packet of yeast on the baking aisle at the grocery store and you're ready. All of the other ingredients are probably in your pantry already, for beginner bread baking.

But back to my toast. A thick slice of sourdough, lightly toasted, buttered, with a delectably crunchy crust. Toast with character. Toast the way it was meant to be.

Break out the Grill

We had some chicken breasts in the fridge and a hankering for barbecue so we uncovered the hibernating grill and fired it up.

We seasoned the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and basted them with our house sauce, Dinosaur BBQ sauce from G's hometown of Syracuse, NY.  Simple as that.  We finished off the meal with some roasted green beans and mashed potatoes.

Welcome back, grill!  Pretty soon you'll be my BFF again.  I think some flank steak might be in your future.

Best Meals of 2008

Favorite food moments from last year:

Breakfast pizza at the Farmers' Market in Ithaca, NY

Dinner at Zin in Healdsburg, CA

Lobster Bisque at Forest Grill in Birmingham, MI

Wine tasting with cheeses, olive oils, breads, salamis, and olives in Tuscany

Chocolate and Coffee gelato in Rome

Halibut and vegetables in a delicate lemon grass broth steamed in a tagine at school

Bouillabaisse at home with Mom, Pseudo Pop, & G

Making my guests want to eat their vegetables--cauliflower puree, roasted carrots with honey, and sauteed green beans with pecans

The moments when a meal was made for me!

Happy New Year!

Guess what one of my resolutions is?  You're right!  Blogging regularly.  Let's see how I do.

First restaurant meal this year?  Zingerman's Roadhouse.  G & I caught an Oprah show during vacation.  O's best friend Gayle traveled the country in search of the best sandwiches, two of which are here in Michigan.  Zingerman's barbecued brisket and a grilled cheese sandwich from a place in Royal Oak (near Detroit).

Since I was sick for New Year's Eve (^W$(*@%*^#^!@), G took me out on Saturday and we enjoyed the brisket and a patty melt with Swiss cheese and wild mushrooms.  Not exactly the healthiest meal, but pure heaven.  We'll try to eat chicken and vegetables the rest of the week to make up for it.

Tonight's the OH State/Texas Bowl game.  

Menu:  Chicken Green Chili from Tyler Florence

Homemade cornbread

Blah to Hoo-yah!

Last night's dinner: Chicken Caesar Salads Makes you yawn a little, right? Not the most exciting nor original dish. A boring dinner is not welcome in our house. Don't get me wrong, we get lazy, we get tired, but we really try to jazz things up whenever possible. Hence, the title of the post. I'm not talking about taking two hours to make dinner either. "Special" doesn't have to mean "I slaved in the kitchen for hours to make you this meal".  Just a little effort, a couple snazzy ingredients and dinner can become more of an occasion than a chore. I had picked up some mixed greens on sale at the market, already pre-washed, so I just piled those onto plates. I seasoned chicken tenders with salt and pepper, brushed them with olive oil, and grilled them up in the trusty grill pan (thank you, Mom-in-Law). Meanwhile, I cubed six slices of closer-to-stale bread and tossed them with olive oil and chopped fresh herbs. I always plant an herb garden in the summertime so I can just walk onto the deck and grab basil, oregano, parsley. That's not necessary though, sprinkling the bread cubes with your favorite dried herbs works fine. I popped the bread into the oven and voila! Homemade croutons. Finally, I grated Parmigiano-Reggiano onto the salads. Yes, this is a very expensive cheese. It took me years to buy some without a guilt trip. But I found a market that sells it in smaller, easier for the pocketbook, chunks. So I try to keep a wedge in the fridge and I'm always happy when I reach for it. For the dressing, I just used a certain bottled dressing courtesy of a dreamy blue-eyed actor/philanthropist. Some salad dressings require no time at all to throw together, but Caesar is not one of them. When I served dinner, I waited for G's reaction to my creation. Between the MMMs and the shoveling of salad into his mouth, I knew that I had a hit on my hands.