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whew!
Today has been a little crazy.
The restaurant launched a new menu (and several dishes hadn’t even been seen until today … which always keeps it interesting!).
More twists and turns in the great Out West Adventure for the man and his pa ~ so we hustled over to AutoZone after work to get a diagnosis for the truck, then to Kohls for some essentials (okay, okay, I got a few new pairs of earrings … but I haven’t gotten new earrings in YEARS, so I don’t feel so bad ….), and then to the grocery store to stock up on munchies for the man’s long drive, and odds and ends for my baking extravaganza this evening.
Have you ever had one of those shopping lists that is totally random, but you’re legitimately out of things? Some of the things on mine …. grated Parmesan, dishwasher pellets (yes, we’re those kind of people), bleach, shower gel and vitamin C tablets (the man, who NEVER gets sick, is feeling under the weather … my diagnosis? Imminent vacation ….).
As the clock ticks slowly (rapidly?!?) toward midnight -and my house fills with smoke because I forgot about the kale chips baking away on the bottom shelf and just rescued them- I’m feeling content with my accomplishments.
Someone once told me that their biggest irritation with me was that I never followed through with things. And that was true about some of my “life choices” in my early twenties (I started grad school for teaching, I was gonna do real estate … you get the idea). But the criticism has stuck with me ( I have an elephant’s memory, which is a blessing and a curse) so when I say I’m going to do something, I like it when I actually do it! So …. this evening’s culinary adventures (which will be duly photographically documented when I have a minute to figure out what the problem is with uploading) ….
1. Pumpkin Roll (it’s cooling in the fridge, so the verdict is still out, but when the pics go up, the verdict will be in, and I’ll share … it’s the man’s dad’s fav, so I hope it’s at least okay!)
2. Kale Chips (This was something I wanted to try, & every recipe said the end result was amazing … I didn’t believe it but had to try it anyway … and ~ the end result was legit amazing … altho’ the man wasn’t over the moon … but this may have had to do with the blue smoke billowing in the house and the crispy edged kale chips that instigated it).
3. Brownies, Version #2 (the man and his dad need some sweets for the trip!).
So, it’s been sort of a crazy Wednesday. I”m ready for b.e.d. now.
pumpkin-licious
Well, today at my casa (and yesterday, if I’m divulging the whole truth) we are experiencing some technical difficulties with the camera and uploading pictures. I’m bummed, cuz I made some kick a$$ pumpkin bread and muffins yesterday, and I had some pretty good pics to accompany my pumpkin kitchen adventure.
Unfortunately, I’m probably gonna have to add them at a later date. Big frowny face.
But … here’s the recipe. What I love about it is that it’s enough for three loaves, or two loaves and twelve muffins (which is how I rolled). One loaf of pumpkin bread just isn’t enough!). For yesterday’s baking agenda, I used canned pumpkins, but I did contemplate puree-ing my own pumpkin. (Then I realized that all I wanted to do was sleep, so I opted for the time-saver choice).
What you need:
3 cups canned pumpkin puree (about 1 and a half 160z cans)
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
4 cups white sugar
6 eggs
4 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2 ground cloves
(I also like this recipe because it doesn’t involve nuts. I know a lot of people love nuts, and I’m sure you could easily add them … and raisins and all sorts of other stuff … but I love plain pumpkin bread, so that’s what I made!)
What to do:
Preheat the oven to 350.
1. Grease and flour your bread pans or muffin tins.
2. Mix together the pumpkin puree, sugar, oil and eggs.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Combine with pumpkin mixture.
4. Divide batter between bread pans and/or muffin sheets. *** Cook muffins for 13-18 minutes.
5. Cook bread for 45 mins to 1 hour. (Helpful hint: the top of the bread should be springy when pressed).
Voila. The delicious taste (and, side benefit!!!, smell) of fall.
Can you believe that October is around the corner? Yeah, me neither. But I’m not complaining! (I will put a request in for a drop in humidity tho!).
Happy Monday folks! I’m off to bed.
Easy peesy Jalepeno Poppers
Okay, so I’m dead tired, and it’s already past my bedtime (the Giants are winning, so the man is in a good mood, but boy oh boy, this is the longest game … ever!).
Tonight did not go as smoothly as I hoped.
First, the grocery store was not only still out of pumpkin puree (not totally unexpected, but disappointing nonetheless) but also out of polenta! Basic question ~ how does one make MNF Polenta without … polenta?!?! John and I had to visit our least favorite place … the other grocery store. You know what I’m talking about. The store you checked out once upon a time and deemed lacking in all areas before choosing your current, amazing grocery store (which did, in fact, drop the ball today… but let’s not focus on that!).
This followed us getting out of the city late, every person in Philadelphia driving like they just got their learner’s permit, and various other road blocks that, if I were a suspicious person, would have made me go “Hmmmm…..”.
This will be short & sweet, with pics to come later.
This past Christmas Eve I visited with my Italian side of the family, and they served this dish. I loved it so much, I recreated it for the man and my New Year’s Eve celebration (we’re pretty low key, but it was a great day/night).
Jalapeno Poppers
What you need:
10 – 12 small, firm jalapeno peppers
1 160z package of Philadelphia Cream Cheese (or comparable)
1/2 package of bacon (I literally cut a package of bacon in half, and wrap and freeze the other half)
What to do:
Preheat oven to 325.
1. Cut the peppers in half longway ( I cut the top off first, and then cut them in half). Clean out the seeds and interior, and wash in the sink.
2. Fill pepper halves with cream cheese.
3. Wrap in bacon. Arrange on cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until bacon cooks. (I never seem to have toothpicks that do that trick, but you can secure the bacon in place with a toothpick or spear of some sort … altho’ it’s not necessarily necessary).
4. Serve!
Just so you know, these are addictive. So if you’re cooking them, snag one before putting them out for people. I also made them for the Super Bowl this past year, and when I finally got to the food table, only 4 were left. I think of this as a huge triumph (rather than an epic disappointment) -I like contributing food people eat!
time flies!
It’s Monday afternoon already, and despite my greatest effort, I did NO baking over the weekend. We did, however, reorganize our refrigerator and our laundry room/walk-in closet, and I am very excited about that! I am hoping to amend my lack of baking this evening during the Monday Night Football game (Giants v. Rams) because one of John’s fellow Giants’ fans is coming over and I think they’ll be totally involved in the game ~ which will allow me to pop in and out while checking the oven. (Always thinkin’ ahead, says I!)
I had planned to bake on Saturday, but as mentioned above, we tackled the very necessary project of our closet/laundry area. Yesterday, after church and a baby shower, I went to the store to purchase pumpkin puree and semi-sweet chocolate chip morsels, and the shelves were empty. I’m talking, not even a single, solitary can of pumpkin puree or bag of chocolate chips. Nothing.
Was everyone baking this weekend? Seriously. I was so bummed out.
John cheered me up with a second firepit night ~ sometimes it’s just nice to relax together and talk about life, and goals, and ideas …. Then we wound down by watching the Emmys. Just as a sidenote, Ty Burrell of “Modern Family” fame is a graduate of my program at PSU. Cool, huh?
I’m hoping that tonight my grocery store will be re-stocked (I did ask at the Help Desk, and they said they usually get deliveries on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, but to call ahead to make sure that what I was looking for was on the shipment). Since we have to stop in and get ingredients to make MNF Polenta, I figure I’ll risk it.
Hopefully, I do not make that choice in error.
I realize that I haven’t blogged a recipe in awhile, so in addition to adding photos to the Polenta recipe, I am also making the easiest Jalepeno Poppers ever (they are also highly addictive!) and hopefully some Pumpkin Bread.
I didn’t realize that after awhile I would have to have a little more forethought regarding what I’m cooking and blogging about ~ I’ve run out of tried-and-true recipes, I’ve made a lot of things that I’ve always wanted to make … and doing spur of the moment cooking doesn’t really work with the heavy workload I’ve been carrying of late. So please, bear with me as I navigate through this new phase of blogging! I’m still super excited about trying new things in the kitchen, and I like sharing my recipes (they’re usually pretty easy, too, which never hurts!).
So, as always, watch this space ~ I’ll be back tonight with some yummy recipes, and probably some thoughts on football (Opening Day was so utterly painful that it’s taken me some recovery time to think about it logically ~ I hate it when the Steelers break my heart like that … luckily, they didn’t do it again yesterday, which is at least a relief until this upcoming Sunday!).
ole’ faithful
When I was 17 years old, I spent the summer in the UK, splitting my time between my mother’s youngest sister and her twin sister. It was a crazy summer that year, but my fondest memory is of a dish my mama’s twin sister made for dinner one night, just for us two. My aunt and I have an unusual bond (most people think I’m more like her than I am like my mother) and I deeply appreciate the additional “motherly” figure I’ve had in my life.
Tonight, for WeHangsDay, I did a twist on the dish I remembered with such fondness from my “yute” (if you don’t get the reference, netflix “My Cousin Vinny” with Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei ~ you won’t regret it).
So for tonight …
Tomato & Sausage Casserole
What you need:
1 bag egg noodles
3-4 tbsp Olive Oil
Freshly ground Salt & Pepper
1 can Stewed Tomatoes
1 can Diced Stewed Tomatoes
Fresh Basil
1 small zucchini (cubed)
1 small yellow squash (cubed)
Savory Sausage (your choice ~ anything will work!) (quartered)
2 balls of Fresh Mozzarella (cubed)
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/8 cup parmesan cheese
1 tsp hickory smoked salt
What to do:
Preheat oven to 350.
1. Make pasta according to the package directions. Combine last three ingredients in bowl (breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, hickory smoke salt). Set breadcrumb mixture aside.
2. While water is boiling/pasta is cooking, in a large saucepan, heat up olive oil (use medium heat throughout). Add both cans of tomatoes (juice & all!). Season witih salt & pepper.
3. Cut up fresh basil and fold into tomato mixture. (I used dried, because it’s what I had at the time ~ but fresh basil adds a sweetness that just can’t be duplicated).
4. Add cubed zucchini and yellow squash.
5. Add quartered sausage.
6. Lower heat, add cubed mozzarella.
7. Combine cooked pasta with mixture, fill casserole dish.
8. Sprinkle bread crumb topping over casserole. Cook in oven for 30 minutes, or until the juices start to bubble. Remove from oven, allow to rest for 10 minutes.
My aunt’s version is much more simple (mozzarella, basil & tomato with pasta; John and I like to mix it up and try different combinations. This one was a doozy (in a very good way!).
Voila. Bon appetite!
Hills Creek Camping Expedition
All Set Up!
When we finally got home yesterday (ugh, traffic) after our long weekend camping (I survived!), we had the great pleasure of having to pitch the tent and canopy again in our yard, so that it could dry out. When Mother Nature is feeling tempestuous, that can be a very tricky task.
Luckily, we hosed out the truck, the coolers and cleaned out the car and storage bins while the canvas dried ~ sort of ~ and we got the tent down, folded and rolled up with only a hint of dampness before the next huge raindrops began to drop.
Trunk's Full!
Fire pit!
All in all, it was a pretty successful weekend. I managed to sleep in a tent not near a house for two nights, I showered in a public restroom (complete with other users and a lovely little tree frog in my shower stall) and cook a full meal. Plus, I fried some eggs for breakfast (despite John encouraging me to make scrambled eggs, because they’re a ‘fail safe’ when camping).
Capt. Grill Master!
I’d like to add that while the whole showering thing wasn’t my fav, I did swim on multiple competitive teams, which almost always meant group showers, and I did theatre for a long time, which pretty much necessitated group changing rooms. So it’s not that I’m particularly shy about those kinds of things. It’s more about the cleanliness, and the other people who used the shower without any kind of cleaning in between. My tendency toward OCD and germaphobia is rearing it’s ugly head. That kind of stuff can really skeeve me out if I think about it too much ….
But campground showers aside, it was a pretty relaxing retreat ~ plus, we got to spend some QT with John’s side of the family, including his aunt & uncle and their respective spouses (some of my favs). Plus (**bonus!***) we made some new friends with the folks camping next door ~ which John explained is part of the culture of camping (we all learn new things every day … I thought camping was for quiet relaxation surrounded by the “comforts” *ahem* of nature. Apparently, I was mistaken).
Our Agenda ~
Saturday
Mid-Afternoon … We journeyed to WalMart (which seems to be the only store of significance in John’s hometown) to get groceries, ice, and other camping “necessities” ~ which for us included a set of Coleman tin camping plates (great deal for 4 plates, 4 bowls, 4 coffee mugs, and 4 sets of silverware) and a new 120 qt. cooler. Funny story ~ we got to the car with all our loot, and realized we had to go buy a new cooler because all our swag was never gonna fit in our original cooler. So now, we have a normal sized cooler, with wheels and pull handle, and a gargantuan cooler that John will take out West for his hunting trip in October. That’s a lot of cooler space!
The sexy new cooler
Late Afternoon … We arrived at our campsite, #77, and we started to set up. Not knowing what to do, I wandered around aimlessly while John set about getting the tent up, and organizing the firewood. He finally gave me the task of organizing the contents of our coolers (I believe to keep me out of his way, since I was most likely slowing him down).
John setting up the tent
Evening … I undertook the task of cooking my very ambitious first camping meal. My menu included marinated steaks, portobello mushrooms, asparagus, and boiled baby new potatoes. I did accomplish the meal. There were aspects that weren’t very pretty. Sidenote: Did you know that when the sun goes down, and you’re outside, the amount of visibility that you have rapidly decreases? If not, it’s a true story. All of a sudden, I was trying to cook the mushrooms and asparagus in near darkness. Needless to say, some of them got a little crispy …. lucky for me, it added flavor that was good, rather than turning 50% of the meal into charcoaled yuckiness.
Steak Marinade
Soy sauce
Ground Ginger
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
** I’d love to tell you quantities, but I don’t know. I cover the steak with soy sauce, and then I sprinkled the ground ginger on both sides, rubbing it into the steak and the soy sauce. I do the same thing with the pepper. (You don’t need to add more salt because the soy sauce is salty enough). Then I put some saran wrap over the dish I’ve poured the marinade into, and let them sit for about 30-45 minutes, flip the steaks, and let them marinate for another 30-45 minutes on the other side.
What I used for the rest of the meal ~
Asparagus
Salt, Pepper, Olive Oil, Garlic Powder; trimmed stringy ends; cooked in saucepan over medium high heat until sizzling
Mushrooms
Garlic Powder, Drizzle of Olive Oil, Salt & Pepper, drizzle of water; cook in saucepan over medium heat until they reduce down ~ taste and season as necessary
Portobellos are my favorite!
All Prepped
Potatoes
Boiled in Water, Drained, Sprinkled with Salt, Pepper & Dried Parsley
My set up
My weapons!
Late Night … Spent round the campfire, learning all about Snapper Turtles (**more on this later!) from our new camping friends/neighbors.
Sunday
Morning … We cooked a nice breakfast, and bid adieu to our new camping friends/neighbors. We discussed the plan for the day. Top of our priority list = cooking during daylight hours in the evening.
Mid-Day … We decided to take a nice long hike around the campgrounds, and the adjacent lake. John regaled me with stories from his youth, of his daredevil bicycling skills and his adventures climbing out onto a huge tree limb that dangled above the water and beaver dam (“Probably not the best idea, in retrospect,” he added, somewhat under his breath, with a sneaky smile and a twinkling eye).
Afternoon … We sent out text invitations (are there any other kind?!) to his family to come over and enjoy the afternoon weather (more mild than Saturday’s uncharacteristic 95 degrees in the shade). Slowly, everyone began to trickle in. We spent the majority of the afternoon sipping “Iced Tea” (State Park code for beer) and shooting the breeze. For dinner, John did up burgers and kielbasa, I made some guacamole, and we enjoy deviled eggs and potato salad courtesy of John’s mama.
Evening … A heated cornhole competition blazed! Everyone won, because we kept rotating teams, and it eventually got called due to darkness. We retired to the firepit.
Late Night …. This is where it gets a little iffy on whether or not I’m sold on camping. The rain had threatened to arrive all day, but held off … there were a few showers throughout the early evening, but we did okay until everyone packed up and headed out, and it was just the man and I. We crossed hill & dale to visit the shower house before bed (I’m neurotic, okay? I have to wash my face, brush my teeth and take my contacts out every night. It’s just who I am!) and when we exited, the heavens had opened, and down the water poured. And poured. And poured. We gave up waiting it out, and sloshed back to our canopy. We wrapped everything up and then made a mad dash to the tent. Which, thank you God (I really appreciated this!) was dry. And remained so throughout the night.
Misty Rain (Prior to downpour)
In John's Rain Coat
Unfortunately for us, the rain didn’t stop all morning, so in 58 degree rainy and windy weather, we tore down our campsite, packed it all up in the truck, and after a brief stop at John’s parents, we hit the road. And traffic, for the next five and half hours. Urgh.
I was so tired last night, I don’t even remember falling asleep. Hence the neglect of getting this post up.
Things I learned while camping ~
1. Footwear is key.
2. Wrap your food properly, or you’ll be throwing away a lot of groceries.
3. Sleeping in a tent can be relaxing, but it also makes you appreciate your bed so much more.
4. Camping is fun. Camping in the rain is not. Breaking down camp in the rain is downright yucky. So ~ check the weather constantly. It’ll be to your benefit.
5. There’s something to be said for taking away all the distractions of modern life, and just getting people together with some good food and beverage.
6. Pack with forethought. Throwing everything together in a hodgepodge fashion will only make camping feel frustrating (especially for OCD tendancy people like me).
7. Bring bug spray. Drink tonic water. Do whatever voodoo you believe in to keep the bugs from biting. Because man, oh man, they will.
8. Camp with people you like. It’s an up close & personal experience.
9. Don’t wear make -up (which I didn’t) … but remember that if you’re not wearing it, there’s no need to pack it.
10. Bring shower flip flops (this could be a sub-category of #1).
On a fun note, Philadelphia was under a deluge of rain all day, so for dinner tonight I did I twist of grilled cheese and tomato soup. I also made Birds’ Nest (a Trader Joe’s snack that may qualify as my #1 favorite). They haven’t been available for about a year, so when Minda called to say she’d found some, I immediately asked (very politely) for two. And we enjoyed a really nice bottle of vino.
I won’t lie. I used canned Tomato Soup (made with milk rather than water). I also used Pillsbury Crescent Rolls. I shaved some slices of sharp white cheddar and Havarti cheese, and put it across the end of the crescent dough before rolling. If you love cheese (like this lady does!) pack it in there. I thought I put enough, but it turns out, I didn’t. However, the cheesy crescent rolls were still excellent for dunking!
His and Hers
Sometimes the only think that hits the spot is soup … and doughy bread. The man and I had spent the day getting doused with rain from all angles (me moreso, because my j.o.b. requires walking around the downtown area … by 11 am I was soaked through and never really dried out).
Mmmmmm....
Progessing through the construction of cheese-filled crescent rolls ….
As a little hint. I followed the crescent roll baking instructions, but because I was simultaneously making Bird’s Nests, I put them on the bottom rack. This was a big no-no. The bottoms got a wee bit (umm… perhaps more than a wee bit?) charred. So I would suggest putting them on the top rack ~ that will allow them to cook fully without burning. I flipped mine over when I realized the error of my way, and we enjoyed them nonetheless. But as a heads up to anyone who (like me) doesn’t think of these things … it does actually matter where you put something in the oven!
Bird's Nests
If you’ve never had these little bundles of goodness, I suggest you run —not walk — run to your nearest Trader Joe’s, and pick some up immediately (before they disappear again for years!). Made with kale, carrot and onion dunked in tempura batter, you’d never know while eating them that vegetables were even involved! Delicious.
They take about 20 minutes to crispen up in the oven (10 on each side at 350 degrees … after heating the oven to 400 and then dropping it down). I have to pace myself, or I inhale them in no time!
Comfort Food!
Trust me, we were STUFFED when we were done. We didn’t even have any of the cheesecake that was in the fridge. Absolutely no room!
third time
I made Brownies again today.
I was soooo craving chocolate, and I’d been thinking about the fudgey luscious-ness of the last batch …. And all of a sudden I was pulling ingredients out of cupboards with no regard to the fact that I had packing to do for my upcoming camping expedition.
Just to backtrack a little, the reason I got a bee in my bonnet about brownies in the first place was because I’d started working in a new office, and one of my new … for lack of a better word, co-w0rkers … had made brownies, brought them to the office, and very generously shared them.
Those brownies were just … sublime. They melted in my mouth.
So I was on a mission. And I’ve tried two other brownie recipes so far ~ but now it’s time for the recipe that started it all.
And it is ridiculously easy. Seriously.
Check it Out ~
Brownies ~ Part III
What you need:
2 cups white sugar
1 cup butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
Smells so yummy!
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup walnut halves (optional)
What you do (check this!):
1. Melt butter and mix all ingredients in the order given.
2. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-30 minutes in a 9 x 13 greased pan.
** I added a bag of semi-sweet morsels. I just can’t get enough chocolate it seems!
Told you. So simple! Enjoy. I know I will! Happy Labor Day!
The verdict is in on the Brownies: Homemade Brownies II were hands down the winner. I believe this is mostly to do with Angie’s magic baking abilities. We shall see if I am as successful with round no. 2 of Brownies no. 2.
An Old Friend
I’ve had quite a lot bouncing around my mind lately, and now I’ve found myself at the end of another day, and still a laundry list of things to do a mile long.
Tonight I hosted our neighbors for dinner and made my “Old Reliable,” Quiche, served with a simple baby arugula salad dressed with parmesan cheese, olive oil and a splash of lemon juice. After being away, I find it very comforting to come home and fall back into routine. It’s sort of like an old friend (until you get a pile of work a mile high and wonder what the point of taking a vacation is …. but that’s a story for another day!).
I chose to make my quiche, because since I’ve started experimenting in the kitchen, I’ve been doing new things (who’d’ve thunk it, right?) and it’s always nice to come back to an old favorite, and know that no matter how time crunched you are, or overwhelmed with things that need to get done … or blah blah whatever … this dish is a certified crowd pleaser, and you could make it in your sleep. That’s how I feel about my quiche, and I have to say, it’s rarely (dare I say never?) let me down.
As I sit here full to the brim with the goodness of quiche, arugula salad and good, old-fashioned milk (sidenote: I drink a lot of it), I am overwhelmed with a feeling of contentedness. Maybe not everything in life is going exactly as I’d hoped … maybe I don’t have a dog (yet?!? oh please God, I’m being so very good!) … but in the whole scheme of things, life is good.
And here’s what I’m telling you (my few readers) ~ make the Quiche. Because it’s really good. And once you’ve made it, you’ll be hooked, too.
And with that, I have to say ….
The man is now home, and my eyes are practically begging to be done staring at a computer for the day … so I bid you all adieu.
Tonight’s Special Is …
Sea Scallops!
Here’s a little story about how dinner came about.
On our first day of ‘hols’ -as they are commonly referred to in the UK- we all enjoyed shrimp and steamers, procured from Barnacle Bill’s Seafood Shack. During our dinner discussion, the topic of every one’s favorite shell fish/seafood came up, and the majority of us ranked sea scallops in the top five, if not the top three. Since we’d already decided to take turns making dinner, I thought to myself what a good idea making sea scallops would be.
However, I hemmed and hawed quite a bit about what to make for a side. In the end, I chose one of my favorite side dishes, a recipe that I share courtesy of my very close friend Minda, who makes it better than anyone ~ Mashed Cauliflower.
Additionally, because as I may have mentioned, this girl cannot get enough avocado, I made my Avocado & Mandarin Orange Salad, spiced up this time with some diced red onion. Delish.
In general, dinner turned out a-okay, and it’s always a good sign when hands reach out to dole out seconds onto their cleaned plate. A triumph, Mrs. Cratchit! A triumph I say!
What was on our shopping list for Mashed Cauliflower & Sea Scallops~
Chicken Bouillon (about 2 cups)
Cumin
Paprika
1 head of cauliflower
1/4 cup Sour Cream (or in layman’s speak, a few heaping dollops)
1/4 cup Butter (divided into tablespoons)
1/4 cup Milk (not always necessary)
Salt & Pepper
What to do:
1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Break up cauliflower into small florettes, and fill a glass baking dish. Pour chicken stock over cauliflower (leaving a small amount in the bottom of the dish).
3. Season liberally with cumin and paprika.
4. Put in oven for approximately 40 minutes. Stir often, to ensure that cauliflower is not drying out.
5. When it appears to be cooked to the proper temp (aka, falling apart easily), remove from oven, and transfer florettes into mixing bowl. ** Drain out excess chicken stock.
6. Add 1-2 tbsps butter (use judgement wisely ~ you don’t want it either too soupy, or too dry!), two heaping dollops of sour cream, and mash together with potato masher. If necessary, mash in milk to achieve good consistency. The point is to try to mirror the appearance and texture of mashed potatoes as closely as possible.
7. Use hand mixer if you feel it’s necessary to smooth out the texture.
8. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
The Salad (a refresher):
*** These ingredients serve 8! Just so you know!
2 cans Mandarin Orange segments, drained
4 avocados, diced
1/2 large red onion, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
Juice of 1.5 lemons
Salt & Pepper
Handful of cilantro, finely chopped
What to do:
1. Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper together to taste.
2. Whisk in cilantro.
3. Combine mandarin oranges, onions & avocado in a bowl. Pour vinaigrette over, and fold together gently (don’t do it too aggressively or the oranges will splinter apart).
For the Scallops:
**We used 3.41 lbs of fresh sea scallops.
1. Rinse scallops in colander. Remove and place on paper towels or kitchen towels, and pat dry.
2. In a large, flat sauce pan, heat 1-2 tbsps butter and a tbsp olive oil over high heat. When the pan begins to smoke, sprinkle the scallops you are about to cook with some salt (SPRINKLE! Don’t liberally douse!), and place them in the pan.
3. DON’T MOVE THE SCALLOPS while they cook. Allow them to cook for approximately 2 minutes on the first side. When you flip them, they should be seared on the underside, and the flesh should be turning from transluscent to opaque. (** A properly cooked scallop looks vaguely transluscent in the very center when you cut through it).
4. Cook for approximately one minute on the second side.
5. Scallops should be evenly browned on both sides.
6. Serve immediately (I drizzled some of my lemon cilantro vinaigrette over each scallop to give it some added zing).
I completely and totally enjoyed this meal, but due to the hefty price tag of fresh sea scallops, John and I will not be cooking these guys on a regular basis. However, if you have the opportunity to either cook sea scallops, or have them at a restaurant, I strongly urge you to try them. Just remember as you are cooking, you don’t want to overcook the scallops! If you press the scallop and it feels firm, it’s overcooked. So err on the side of caution ~ once you remove the scallops from the heat, they will continue to cook for a little bit, because of being cooked on such high heat. Make sure the butter is slightly smoking when you pop them in the pan, and resist the urge to check them, or move them around ~ I know you can do it, because I managed to have enough self discipline to restrain myself and I am the queen of impatience!
Ready for din-din!
road trippin’
You know how sometimes, when you are travelling, somewhere along the line you loose track of the day? That happened to me yesterday, as my incredibly long Friday bled into Saturday, and when I finally collapsed in a heap of fatigue, I had lost all ability to compose rational thought.
Now, following twelve full hours of sleep (yes, twelve! I’m very excited about it!), I am ready to attack vacation with unbridled enthusiasm. But first, I’ll set the scene.
As I may have mentioned, my family shares a love for a little something called “tradition.” For most of my life, we have journeyed to Hilton Head Island for a vacation of family time, sun, sand and surf. (And good eats, and boats, and golf, as well … but I’ll get there!).
Each year, my parents would load up the car, and we would make the drive down, stopping somewhere in North Carolina to break up the drive (we have lived in many places, so the drive has not always been the same). My brother and I would know we were getting close, because billboards for “South of Border” would begin, and once we passed that, it meant that we were in the home stretch.
Now, my parents never actually stopped at South of the Border. At this point in my life, I know why ~ it’s possibly the most kitschy, commercialized, ridiculous place I’ve ever been. It was as we got older, and Dave & I started driving down separately with various friends, that the tradition of stopping at South of the Border was born.
After departing Philadelphia following an epic monsoon and switching cars along the way (three people + two golf bags + four pieces of luggage + Mini Cooper = not comfy, so my dad generously allowed us to borrow his wheels, which are very comfy), we hit the road for twelve hours of driving.
I took the wheel at 5am, so I was the lucky girl who steered us into the parking lot of the Waffle House at South of the Border (another tradition that Dave maintains with unswerving, non-negotiable regularity) as the sun was rising in the sky. Unfortunately, many of the stores were not open by the time we were done noshing, but we did get some pics.
Brekkies
Dave in his happy place
Pedro Greets you at South of the Border
After several minutes of photo ops, we hit the road again for the final leg of the journey. We had instructions to swing by the house and check out the hot tub (the ‘rents wanted to make sure it was working!) which we duly did.
nice!
Then it was off to our favorite watering hole, The Salty Dog at South Beach Marina. I began my lunch by slurping a pina colada, having a bowl of She Crab Soup (my most favorite soup in the whole word, hands down) and nibbling on some fresh Grouper bites.
The family comes together at the Salty Dog
For din din later that night (post-checking in, grocery shopping and swimming in the pool!) there was a simple spread of steamers, shrimp, and twice-baked potatoes.
For the Steamers ~
Boil a large pot of water.
Drop in steamers. Cook til they start to pop open.
Only serve clams that open up!!! Very important! If they don’t open in the hot water, they shouldn’t be eaten.
Serve with melted butter.
For the Shrimp ~
1. Boil water with Old Bay seasoning (use generously).
2. Lower the temperature of the water and then put shrimp in. Cook until fully opaque and pink.
3. ** A trick for a lot of shrimp is to do a little at a time, so that they cook in the hot (but not quite boiling water) and stay tender.
4. Serve with cocktail sauce (or a dipping sauce of your choice!)
For the Twice Baked Poh-tay-toes (a la Zia Leni) ~
Preheat oven to 350.
1. Needed: 4 medium to large potatoes, butter, chives, 1 package Philadelphia Crean Cheese. Chop up chives, allow Philly Cream cheese to soften by leaving out of fridge.
Meanwhile …
2. Cook the potatoes in the microwave until soft (depending on the potatoes, about 10 minutes). Make sure that before you put them in the micro, you poke some holes in them with the tongs of a fork.
3. When they are soft, cut them in half longwise. Scoop out the middles, leaving a nice potato skin shell to re-fill. You should now have eight potato “bowls.” Put the scooped out middles into a mixing bowl. Combine with a tablespoon (or two, depending on your love of butter) of butter, and the 8 oz package of softened cream cheese. Once it has reached the consistency you like (nice, and thick and creamy for me!) fold in chives. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
4. Refill your potato bowls with your potato mixture. Line the potato bowls on a cookie sheet, and pop in the oven for about five minutes, or until the tops of the potatoes start to brown/crisp.
5. Serve. Yum.
** If you want a fluffier potato, try whipping in some Greek yogurt in addition to cream cheese.
D5 Creation