Southwestern Pumpkin Soup

Okay, I admit this was ridiculously easy. But everyone at dinner wanted the recipe, so I consider this a huge keeper and will make it again and again. This was ready, from start to finish, in about 30 minutes. No vegetable chopping, no pureeing.
It even uses canned pureed pumpkin, which I almost always have on hand. The blend of chile powders gives the soup a nice earthiness with a bit of heat too. I had a jar of Mexican crema in the fridge; so before added the grated Cheddar cheese as called form the the recipe, I drizzled over the soup a healthy spoonful of the crema. I'm not too big on cilantro, so instead of chopped, I just garnished with a couple of leaves which gave just a slight hint of the herb without overwhelming the soup's flavors.

I got this one from a three-and-a-half-fork-rated Epicurious recipe, but here's the recipe with my changes noted. Try to make it a day ahead because the ingredients taste to "raw" until they've had a chance to get to know each other a while.

The recipe yields 4 servings, but I doubled it for 8 and it was just fine.

SOUTHWESTERN PUMPKIN SOUP
3 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
1 cup whipping cream (used ½ & ½ )
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mixture)
3 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder (or chipotle chili powder) (used ½ New Mexico powder and
½ chipotle)
1/2teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
(Mexican crema or sour cream, optional)
3/4 cup (packed) grated (white) sharp cheddar cheese
Chopped fresh cilantro (garnished with leaves only)

Bring chicken stock and whipping cream to boil in heavy medium pot. Whisk in canned pumpkin, brown sugar, cumin, chili powder, coriander and nutmeg. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until soup thickens slightly and flavors blend, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Soup can be prepared up to 1 day ahead. Cool. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium-low heat, whisking occasionally.) Ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle with optional crema. Garnish each serving with cheddar cheese and cilantro and serve.

Makes 4 (first-course) servings.
Bon Appétit
October 2000
R.S.V.P.
The Watermark. Cleveland, OH

A Keeper of a Beef Stew Recipe & Rosemary Popovers

Saw a segment the other morning on the CBS Early Show on easy holiday entertaining, and a couple of the recipes were for beef stew in the electric pressure cooker and rosemary popovers. Torie Richie is one of my favorite TV chefs; a real no-fuss kind of cook, easy recipes that don't require a degree, although she and I did go to the same culinary academy in San Francisco, although in different classes.

Here are her recipes, with my changes noted. This was extremely easy with a high flavor payback for the effort. The popovers also were easy; no resting period as called for in most recipes. Just mix it up, fill the buttered popover cups and bake, starting from a cold oven. Very much worth the little effort.



(CBS) 20-MINUTE BEEF STEW

3 lb. boneless stewing beef, cut into 1-inch cubes (started w/ chuck roast, trimmed it and cut into large chunks.)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 Tbs. olive oil **
1 1/2 cups red wine (used leftover two-buck Chuck)
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 celery stalks, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 lb. new potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 Tbs. tomato paste
1 1/2 cups beef stock
3 fresh thyme sprigs
bay leaves
pinch red pepper flakes

**browned diced slab of pancetta in a bit of xvoo. Removed dice and proceeded with recipe.

In a large bowl, toss the beef with the flour, salt and pepper to coat evenly. Set an electric pressure cooker to "brown" according to the manufacturer's instructions and warm the olive oil. Add half the beef and brown on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with the remaining beef and transfer to the bowl.

Add the beef, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, potatoes, tomato paste, stock and thyme and stir to combine. Add the wine to the pressure cooker and bring to a simmer, stirring to scrape up the browned bits. (*** see notes below for change in procedure)

Cover and cook on "high" for 30 minutes according to the manufacturer's instructions. Release the pressure according to the manufacturer's instructions. If the liquid is too thin, transfer the beef and vegetables to a serving bowl, set the pressure cooker to "brown" and cook until the liquid is reduced to the desired consistency. Pour the liquid over the beef and vegetables and serve immediately.
(thickened with a butter - Wondra mixture, aka beurre manie, and added it in bits to the hot liquid and simmered until thickened the way I wanted)

*** Added veggies back to pot. Spread with tomato paste and cooked a minute. Sprinkled w/ leftover seasoned flour and cooked another minute. Then added the wine and BTAB, and proceeded with recipe.

Serves 6. Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.

ROSEMARY POPOVERS

2 eggs
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 Tbs. very finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 Tbs. very finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Butter a popover pan or the wells of a 12-well muffin pan. In a bowl, lightly whisk together the eggs and salt. Stir in the milk and butter. In another bowl, stir together the flour, rosemary and parsley. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, whisking until just blended. Do not overbeat. Fill each cup about half full and place the pan in a cold oven. Set the oven temperature to 425ºF and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 375ºF and bake until the popovers are golden, 10 to 15 minutes more. They should be crisp on the outside. Quickly pierce each popover with the tip of a small knife to release the steam. Return to the oven for 2 minutes for further crisping, then remove and serve immediately.

Makes 12 popovers. (actually, as made this only made 6 standard-size popovers)

New Favorite Brownie Recipe

Yesterday I downloaded a brownie recipe from a link on a Food & Wine newsletter. It sounded so good, I decided to make them right away. Wow! Were they ever good! The brownie was on the dense side, and the glaze was not too thick, nice and glossy, and not too sweet, having been made with bittersweet chocolate. This is a total winner and will be made many times in the future. The only thing I'd do different from the as-written recipe is to melt the chocolate-butter mixture in the beginning and the glaze ingredients over a double boiler, just to ensure that it doesn't burn over direct heat. Other than that, this is a straight forward brownie mixture, very little rise in the dough as there is no leavener such as baking powder or baking soda. After cooling in the pan, the warm glaze is poured over top, allowed to sit at room temperature for half an hour and then chilled another half an hour. We were watching the clock so we could have one right away. We were not disappointed: not too sweet, a nice dense texture and perfect with a cold glass of milk. These would probably not be pleasing if you're of the cakey brownie school, but otherwise totally yummy. They can sit, covered, at room temperature for up to a week, but come on, do you think they'll last that long? I don't think so.

Here's the recipe, adapted from Food & Wine May 2005.

MEL'S GLAZED BROWNIES

INGREDIENTS

BROWNIES:
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

GLAZE:
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
Pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS
1. Make the brownies: Preheat the oven to 350° and butter an 8-inch square baking pan. In a medium saucepan, combine the butter and unsweetened chocolate and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until melted. Transfer to a medium bowl and let cool for 5 minutes. Using a whisk, beat in the sugar, vanilla and salt. Add the eggs and whisk until smooth. Add the flour and cocoa and whisk until smooth.
2. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Transfer the brownies to a wire rack and let cool completely.
3. Make the glaze: In a small saucepan, combine the bittersweet chocolate, butter, corn syrup and salt and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, just until the chocolate is melted. Pour the warm glaze over the brownies and let cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, until set. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
4. Run a knife around the edge of the pan and carefully transfer the entire brownie to a cutting board. Cut the brownie into 16 squares and serve.
MAKE AHEAD The brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

The Cove of Palm Springs

Today we stopped in at The Cove at Palm Springs to take a look at the eight models.



Here's a video link to The Cove at Palm Springs .

Both Eddie and I were totally blown away by the thoughtful design of these homes. Definitely made for adults without kids. There really are no bad views from any of the models either. These are courtyard homes, meaning there is almost no yard to take care of, and there are interior private courtyards where most all outdoor entertaining takes place. Most plans have room for a small private pool and/or spa.



Evidently, the original plan for the development was to have a golf course, but interested parties did not like the hefty HOA to keep it up, so that was scrapped, which left all of the golf course land as open public areas, never to be developed. Again, the views from the homes are awesome!

OK Go on Treadmills video

Costco: What's Up With That!!??

So there's this new recall on Salinas Valley lettuce, specifically Foxy brand lettuce. And what do we see this morning in the produce room at Costco? You got it, cases and cases of Foxy brand iceberg lettuce. Enough said.



Picked up a pack of portabellas and roasted them using this method from a recent Sunset issue. This works great, and I'm not a big portabella fan, but I love them this way. I've made them once before and both times laid them on top of some peeled garlic cloves which helped infuse them nicely. We skipped the parsley salad and had the mushrooms sliced thinly on slices of buttered La Brea Bakery Rustique bread, the only thing needed being salt and pepper. Here's the recipe as written:


Slow-Roasted Portabellas on Parsley Salad

The balsamic vinegar brings a lot to this dish, so use a good-quality one, if possible. The small investment is worth it--a few drops go a long way. Prep and Cook Time: 45 minutes.


4 portabella mushrooms, stems removed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons good-quality balsamic vinegar
Coarse sea salt or kosher salt
Parmesan curls (use a vegetable peeler)

1. Preheat oven to 250°. Brush mushrooms with 1 tsp. olive oil and put, top side down, on a baking sheet. Bake until shrunken slightly, about 30 minutes.
2. In a medium bowl, toss parsley leaves with 1 tsp. oil and 1/2 tsp. vinegar. Add coarse salt to taste.
3. To serve, divide salad among four plates. Slice portabellas and arrange on salad. Drizzle with remaining olive oil and vinegar. Sprinkle with salt and add parmesan curls on the side.
Note: Nutritional analysis is per serving; Cholesterol data not available.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

Pork Braised in Guajillo Chile Sauce (Puerco en Chile Guajillo)

I'm not really sure from which site I downloaded this recipe, but when I saw it I knew it was one I wanted to try. So the other day while at Costco, Eddie spotted a large 7-lb. package of pork shoulder strips. I thought of this recipe; he thought sausage rolls. So we split the pack 3 : 4. He pulled out the Kitchenaid meat grinder and and ground up his three pounds, added that to lots and lots of chopped onions, salt and pepper, spread it out onto puff pastry and baked it up to a golden brown. Slicing them right out of the oven works best and then we got to sample them. Yummy Yummy!

The next day I started Daisy's pork braise by trimming away excess fat and cutting the strips into about two-inch chuncks. Into the pot with water to cover and salt, brought it to a boil and simmered for about an hour. I could have finished the dish then, but I was out of some ingredients, so I cooled it, stored it in the fridge for a couple of days and finished it off Sunday morning after a quick run through the grocery store. I could not find guajillos, so I substituted half pasillas and half New Mexican.

So, okay, the timer just went off and I took a quickie break to check the stew. The meat is falling apart tender, the sauce is a beautiful burnished red color, and the taste is fantastic -- the flavor is definitely New Mexican but it's not very hot. It needed some salt, so that finishes it. I'll let it sit until dinner tonight and serve it with some brown rice, black beans and crumbled cotija cheese over everything. If we're feeling cocky, maybe we'll scoop it all up into a whole-wheat flour tortilla. Not this time becauase we don't have any on hand, but next time I'll be sure to have a good Mexican beer on hand.

Daisy Cooks! is one of my favorite PBS shows, and I may have to make a trip to the library to give her book a try before deciding to actually buy it.

Makes 8 servings

4 pounds boneless pork shoulder or butt, cut into 2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons fine sea or kosher salt
1 bay leaf
10 guajillo chilies
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large Spanish onion, peeled and cut in half through the middle
3 fresh plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise through the core
¼ cup canola oil or lard
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Pantry Notes: Guajillo chiles are the dried version of fresh mirasol chiles. They are long, tapered, and wrinkled, with a reddish-brown color. They are fairly spicy and available in specialty stores or by mail/internet. (See Sources.) Toasting the chilies brings out their flavor and blackening the onions and tomatoes brings out their natural sweetness. A little work up front that pays off big time down the line.

**as made: could not find this time guajillos; so used 5 pasillas, 5 New Mexico chiles

1. Put the pork in a heavy Dutch oven large enough to it comfortably. Pour in enough cold water to cover the meat by 2 inches. Add 2 tablespoons salt, drop in the bay leaf and bring the liquid to a boil. Boll, skimming the foam from the surface as necessary, for one hour.
(as made: cooled, transferred to fridge and finished 2 days later.)
2. Meanwhile, pull or cut the stems off the guajillo chilies. Tap out the seeds. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add half the chilies and toast them, turning with tongs until they start to change color and crisp up a bit, about 4 minutes. Heat them gently so they don’t burn. Lift them out into a bowl and repeat with the remaining chilies. Pour enough boiling water over the toasted chilies to cover them. Soak until completely softened, about 20 minutes. (top with small saucer to hold under the liquid) Drain well.
3. While the chilies are soaking, wipe out the skillet with paper towels. Put the onion and tomatoes cut sides down in the skillet. Cook, turning the vegetables as often as necessary, until the tomatoes are blackened on all sides and the onions are blackened on both flat sides. (quickly blackened tops under the broiler)
4. After the pork has been cooking 1 hour, ladle off 2 cups of the cooking liquid and pour it into a blender jar. Add the onions and puree until smooth. Add the chilies and tomatoes and blend until smooth. Ladle off another 2 cups of the cooking liquid and set aside. Drain the pork, discard the remaining liquid, and wipe out the pot.
5. Set the pot over medium-low heat and add the oil or lard. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour the chili sauce into the pot slowly. As it comes to a boil it will thicken. Stir well, especially in the corners, to prevent the sauce from sticking and scorching as it thickens.
6. Return the pork to a simmer, cover the pot and cook until tender, about 1 hour. While the pork is cooking, there should be enough sauce to keep it moistened. If not, add reserved pork cooking liquid as needed. Serve hot.

Hello again

I saw this photo of the dinosaurs out in Cabazon and just had to post it. Before moving to the desert, I always knew we were getting very close to Palm Springs when we spotted them. Nowadays, they're not quite so visible from the I-10 freeway with all the development going on out that way.

Well, I apologize for such a long break between entries. We took a little trip to Las Vegas, so between that and just being lazy about making an entry, there's this big time gap. We have actually eaten and cooked, so don't think we're starving here by any means. We went WAY off our diet while in Las Vegas, but with the coupon book we got from the hotel, it was just too dirt cheap to eat anywhere but at their buffet. It turned out to be one of the best we've tried, and I had no negative comments to offer. The best strawberry shortcake I've ever had.


We tried the nearly new South Coast Resort and Casino located at the far south strip area, about 5 miles or so from the heart of town. No biggie, though, because we hardly ever do the stip anymore. Four nights, $59 per night; a real deal! With the coupons and all for two-fer meals and free drinks, we didn't spend that much. We did, however, eat too much. That said, we plan on going back for Christmas, especially with the 25% off coupon we got upon checkout. For such a reasonably priced room it was a knockout: very luxurious bed, sitting area and -- drum roll -- 42-inch plasma TV. We could barely tear ourselves away from that to go do other things. The midnight breakfast specials at the coffee shop are insanely cheap: e.g., $2.95 for a 6-oz. NY strip steak, two eggs, hashbrowns and toast. Who can say no to that?

We're getting back into cooking again, and this morning I threw together what turned out to be something like a minestrone, not that it started out that way. Just this and that sitting around. Saffron oil, onion, garlic, canned tomatoes, hand crushed, homemade chicken stock, small pasta, frozen roasted corn, garbanzo beans, butter beans, green beans, a couple scoops of sun-dried tapendade. Yummy!

A Perfect Late Summer Evening

Okay, I know it's still around 100 degrees during the day, but it's actually getting to be bearable after the sun goes over the other side of San Jacinto Mountain. It's also getting to be near that time of year when I crave heartier dishes that seem to pair well with the season's fruits. So we bought a pork loin roast at Costco and I decided to brine it and roast it on the Weber rotisserie. This is a combination of a few recipes I've had sitting around, and here's how I did it:

Brined Spit-Roasted Pork Loin with Orange Marmalade

Brine Mixture

1 quart apple juice
5 quarts water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup kosher salt
1 tablespoon coriander seeds, toasted
1 tablespoon fennel seeds, toasted
1 teaspoon chili flakes
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
3 large springs fresh thyme
4 bay leaves, crushed


4 pound pork loin roast, tied

Combine brine ingredients in a large pot. Submerge pork loin; refrigerate for 4 hours. Remove, but do not rinse. Pat dry and allow to come to room temperature.

Set roast on rotisserie rod securely. Season well with freshly ground black pepper. Rotisserie roast with cover closed. Heat should be around 325 - 350 degrees. Start glazing about halfway through cook time. Remove and allow to rest when internal temperature reaches about 150 degrees. Total cook time is approxiamte, but estimate about 1 1/2 hours, at least.

Meanwhile, make the glaze.

Saute 3/4 cup sliced shallots in olive oil until they start to caramelize. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary. After a few minutes, add 1/2 cup orange marmalade. Combine well and remove from heat.

I served this with a homemade savory applesauce, potatoes dauphinoise, and ended the meal with roasted pears with brown sugar and vanilla ice cream (Everyday Italian recipe).

All of this on the patio with good friends, cooling temperatures and lots of good wine made for a really nice evening.

Happy 5767

Brined Rotisserie Chicken

Last week while at Costco, our eyes were bigger than what we could actually accomplish in a week's time; consequently, we ended up buying WAY too much meat: one five-pound boneless pork loin, a package of two pork tenderloins, package of three whole chickens, package of two large chuck roasts. Pheww, I don't think I've fogotten anything. Later this week, I'll type out the recipes for what I did with one of the chickens, the pork loin and one of the chuck steaks. The tenderloins are vac-packed, so I don't feel under the gun to get them cooked right away.

But the remaining two chickens were staring at me every time I opened up the large fridge out in the garage, and time was awasting. I've brined lots of whole chickens before, and this is the brine I like best. A single recipe would be 1/4 of all the ingredients, which is the way it was originally was written, but even doulbing the ingredients is not enough to cover the birds, so I quadrupled it and that was perfect. Here's the brine and the amounts I used. One-fourth would be fine for cut up parts, and brine time should be reduced to about an hour or so.

BRINE

1 quart apple juice
3 quarts water
1 cup kosher salt
8 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped (save bean for your sugar jar)

Brined for 3 hours, then rotisseried.

There were some fresh herbs sitting around, so I made a mixture of parsley, thyme and rosemary from the yard and added lots of coarsely ground black pepper. To bind it, I added EVOO and spread it all over the birds, inside and out. After trussing the legs, I set up both chickens on one rotisserie rod; I just happen to have an extra sets of forks, so doing two is no problem. I set the Weber on M-O-M (medium-off-medium) and let it come up to temperature. I felt this was a bit too hot, about 370 degrees, so I lowered it to medium low on the front and back burner and left the middle one off. The birds reached a perfect 160 degrees after about an hour and fifteen minutes. After letting them rest a while, they were perfect and fantastically juicy.

Nothing better, and we have dinner for two nights. The carcasses I'll save and use to make a rich dark chicken stock for soup or risotto. How frugal is that?

Pandora

Thank you, David Lebovitz, for mentioning Pandora in your latest blog entry. I did not even know it existed until tonight. My newest obsession!

Sweatin' to the Curry

Not too long ago, while checking out some new sites, I came across the Global Gourmet site. The archives hold a lot of cookbook reviews, with a few recipes thrown in for you to try. If you like trying global cuisine, and dishes you don't normally make, check out this site.

This recipe for Red Curry Beef with Potatoes comes from The Simpler the Better; Sensational One-Dish Meals by Leslie Revsin with Rick Rodgers. If nothing else, the cover photo of risotto with shrimp is enough to at least check the book out.

This was truly a one-pot dinner, although not quick cooking; known to be a tough cut of meat, chuck needs a good amount of time braising to become meltingly tender. I opted to throw in with the browning onions a sliced-up green bell pepper and a couple of sliced garlic cloves. The finished dish was quite spicy and had a moderate amount of heat, although very manageable when served with a dollop of sour cream or, as I had on hand, yogurt cheese (drained and thickened low-fat yogurt).

This makes four good-size servings and could probably be made and frozen for a desperation dinner down the road. I'm not sure: how do dishes made with coconut milk freeze? Having been on a low-carb kick the past couple of months, making a dish with potatoes was a real treat, and I didn't feel guilty as each serving had probably less than one red potato in it. A glass of New Zealand Marlborough district saugignon blanc paired well with the dish. The stew had lime and citrus flavor, and the wine had distinct grapefruit overtones. A better match, I feel, would have been a dry riesling.

The heat and spiciness in the recipe come from the three tablespoons of red curry paste. Once again, Palm Springs proves itself to be a culinary backwater town; I had to go to three supermarkets to find curry paste. The recipe called for three, but next time I think I'll tone it down by starting with only two and go from there. In this case the advice we've all heard rings true: you can always add more, but once in there, you can't take it out. One other thing: I used fish sauce, which I had in the cupboard, because it gives the dish that authentic Thai flavor.









Here's a copy of the recipe from The Global Gourment.

Red Curry Beef with Potatoes
4 servings

Here's another recipe that uses red curry paste, one of my favorite ingredients. In fact, it is probably the most famous use for red curry paste—a luxuriously spiced beef stew with chunks of potatoes.

2 large onions
1-1/2 pounds red-skinned potatoes, peeled
2 limes
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons red curry paste
Two 13-1/2-ounce cans coconut milk (do not shake cans)
3 tablespoons soy sauce or fish sauce

Prep

Cut onions into 1/2-inch-thick half-moons. Cut potatoes into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Grate zest from limes. Juice limes; you should have 2 to 3 tablespoons.

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven or flameproof covered casserole over medium-high heat. In batches without crowding, add beef and cook, turning occasionally, until beef is browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer beef to plate.

2. Heat remaining tablespoon oil in pot. Add onions and reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions soften, about 5 minutes. Add curry paste and 2 tablespoons thick coconut "cream" (the thick liquid that has risen to the top of the canned coconut milk). Mix well and cook for 30 seconds. Return beef and any juices on plate to pot. Whisk coconut milk in cans to combine milk and remaining "cream" and pour into pot, along with soy sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 50 minutes.

3. Add potatoes to pot and cover. Cook until both beef and potatoes are tender, about 35 minutes. Add lime zest and juice. Serve hot.

Simple tip

Don't confuse coconut milk with cream of coconut (such as Coco Lopez). The former is unsweetened, while the latter is used only for making piña coladas and some desserts. However, the thick, rich paste that rises to the top of canned coconut milk during storage is similarly called "coconut cream." The question is what to buy? The answer is coconut milk.

Variation

Add 1 green bell pepper (seeds and ribs discarded, pepper cut into 2-inch long strips about 1/2 inch wide) and 2 finely chopped garlic cloves to the pot with the onion.

Spanish Baked Chicken

I recently posted a few recipes I'd be making in the near future, and Elise's Spanish Baked Chicken was first on the list. After cutting up a whole chicken, I let it marinate a day in the raisin, olive and vinaigrette mixture.

Last night I added a handful of extra garlic cloves, some white wine, a sprinkling of brown sugar, and popped the dish into the oven for about an hour, just until the skin was nicely browned and the sauce was slightly reduced and fragrant.

On the side I made pan-steamed broccoli. Separate the broccoli into florets. Heat over medium-high heat a film of olive oil. When shimmering, briefly saute a sliced garlic clove and then add the florets and stir fry a minute or so until starting to brown. Toss in a quarter cup or so of water, cover and let it steam until it's bright green and crisp tender. Finish with a pat of butter, salt and pepper.

Here's the recipe, slightly adapted. Thank you, Elise. This is a winner.

Spanish Baked Chicken

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Dash of pepper
3 bay leaves
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup sliced pitted green olives
3 pounds chicken parts
handful of extra garlic cloves, peeled
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup dry white wine

1 In a medium bowl combine the olive oil, vinegar, oregano, salt, garlic powder, pepper, bay leaves, raisins and olives. Prick the skin of the chicken with fork tines and add to the marinade, coating well. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

2 Preheat oven to 350°F. Place chicken in a 12x8x2-inch baking dish. Combine wine with the marinade and pour over chicken. Sprinkle chicken with brown sugar. Scatter the handful of garlic. Bake uncovered at 350°F, basting occasionally, until chicken is tender, about 50 minutes. Remove bay leaves.

Serves 4

Dangerous Candidate

I don't live in Florida, and I don't usually get political, especially on my food-oriented blog, but this woman is just unbelievable. Can we say ignorant and bigoted?

Floridians? Wake up!

Enough said.

Favourite Kitchen Gadget Round-Up Now Available

The Favourite Kitchen Gadget Round-Up over at Posie's Place is now available.

Favorite Kitchen Gadget

Posie's Place is hosting a Favourite Kitchen Gadget event. I've managed over the years to curb my gadget mania (the drawers won't hold any more stuff) because I have everything I could possibly use or need. That said, it is truly difficult to chose a favorite item, but one thing I could not do without is my bench scraper, which I've had for at least 20 years. Besides this metal scraper, I have about six more, all of which are white flexible plastic, and these too are indispensible.

This is what Wikipedia has to say:

A bench scraper is a tool used by bakers to manipulate dough and to clean surfaces on which dough has been worked. It is generally a small sheet of stainless steel (approximately 3"x5" or 8 cm x 13 cm) with a handle of wood or plastic along one of the long sides. A baker uses this tool to help pick up, turn, and portion dough. When finished, the bench scraper can be used to scrape up the little bits of dough that have dried onto the kneading surface during the forming process. This tool is alternatively refferd to as a "dough cutter," "dough knife," "pastry cutter," and "pastry knife."

In addition to its intended use with dough, it's an excellent picker-upper. This is its main use in our kitchen, moving a good amount of chopped meat or vegetables from the chopping block to the stovetop. I have to admit occasionally a morsel will fall to the floor, and when the dogs were alive, they'd get a well-deserved treat. Since then, though, I've noticed a lot more crumbs, etc., on the floor, which needs cleaning a lot more often.

Also on the list would have to be at the dozen or so different sizes of heat-resistant spatulas, mostly coming from Cost Plus. I tend to use these nowadays even more than wooden spoons; they're great for stirring around the "corners" of a saucepan or scrambling eggs.

In the past few years, I've renewed a relationship with the good old blender. Smoothies, pureed soups, pureeing simmered chiles for Mexican sauces, and cold soups for our desert hot weather are all good uses.

Thinking for a moment on some of the other most often used gizmos in our kitchen, I'd say the garlic press, toast tongs and lemon and lime presses are all used a lot.

I can't wait to see what everyone else submits as their favorites.


favourite kitchen gadgets

Podcasting: KCRW's Good Food

It seems like every Saturday when I'm out doing errands, and KCRW's Good Food is on, I reach my destination before the show's over. And I just hate that! It's such a good show. Now I've discovered Good Food can be downloaded as a Podcast from iTunes for free. Not owning an iPod, I just listen to it on the computer. What a find; so interesting and informative. Check it out, along with all the food-related podcast programs available from iTunes. I swore I'd never get an iPod, but now.... ?

The Onion, New News Source

Bush Urges Nation To Be Quiet For A Minute While He Tries To Think

Check out this important article from The Onion. Articles from the site can be sent to your blog or saved for podcast later. There are some funny articles, so check it out.

Also, check out some of the podcast-able cooking talk shows accessible from iTunes.

A Few Things I Intend to Make Sometime Soon

I've copied and saved for future cooking sessions a couple of really great recipes from the blog Simply Recipes. The first is Jalapeno Pepper Jelly. Elise used a base of whole chopped apples and jalapenos to yield juice to which sugar is added. The pectin from the whole apples is enough to jel the mixture, so commercial pectin is not needed.

I've been a fan of hot pepper jellies for years and use it on a variety of foods. If you can find it, it's especially tasty on top of a neutral cracker topped with a horseradish-type cheese. I prefer it instead of cranberry sauce on my turkey sandwich. And for breakfast on buttered toast, fantastic.

Okay. Moving on to another of Elise's entries. Summer Pea Soup is just what I like to make when it's hot and all you need is a quick cook and the blender. I can definitely see this one being made for company.

Finally, there is Spanish Baked Chicken. I love Spanish cuisine, and this has many of the ingredients I look for. It looks like a simple dish to prep, and the payoff has to be out of this world. My mouth is dripping just thinking about this one.

Thank you, Elise!

Funny Videos: Flight 405

Okay, I admit it. I've become slightly obsessed with home video sites, such as You Tube and Veoh. As an example of a really well-made clip, here's Flight 405. The special effects are professional and there's a nice punch at the end, so stick with it because it's worth it.

A Mingling of Tastes: The Frittata: Variations on a Brunch

A Mingling of Tastes: The Frittata: Variations on a Brunch

Lucee's Recipe Box

Matt from Matt Bites recently wrote an entry about finding his partner's grandmother's 100-year-old recipe box, just chock full of goodies. I can just imagine.

Well, he's inspired me to upload a few pictures of my mother's (Lucee) recipe box which I snatched from the remaining items of her household. Most of these recipes I would never consider making, but they do definitely tell a lot about what people were cooking back in those days. Lots of casseroles, Jello salads, dishes containing other packaged or canned items. I do enjoy leafing through them and seeing Lucee's handwriting, and that of our relatives and her girlfriends. Even one handwritten in my dad's chicken scratch printing he was famous for, a recipe for cracker blintzes, a recipe I think my grandmother made up, sort of a Depression-era desperation dinner using what was left in the ice box and pantry. Also, there's the stray newspaper clipping of some recipe which probably was never made, but was saved with good intentions. Don't we all have a pile of those sitting around somewhere?


Also here are a couple of shots of a CD Eddie's friend George from Newcastle, England sent us the other day. I'd never heard of this group, The Puppini Sisters, but, wow! , it's great, especially if you like '40s-style music, a bit campy but very very good. A cross of the Andrew Sisters, Bette Midler, Carmen Miranda and Blondie.


Here's what's written about them from Amazon.com :

Every now and then something comes along that causes a massive "Why on earth didn’t I think of that?!" reaction. Something original and quirky, that fills a gaping void and that appeals to just about everyone. Ladies and gentleman, it gives us great pleasure to welcome on to the world stage: The Puppini Sisters. Dressed with 1940’s glamour, The Puppini Sisters perform tongue-in-cheek classics in three-part close harmony. Their album, 'Betcha Bottom Dollar', is
one of the most accomplished, eccentric and original albums of the year - ready for a general public that won’t know what’s hit it but will thoroughly enjoy being ambushed! In the tradition of the greats, The Puppini Sisters have worked their own vibe and stuck to their guns, and the result is a work of pure genius. Tracks range from well known favourites such as Mr Sandman, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B and In The Mood, to more diverse covers such as I Will Survive, Wuthering Heights and Morrissey’s Panic.

New Favorite PBS Cooking Show - Joanne Weir's Cooking Class

My new favorite cooking show is Joanne Weir's Cooking Class, now showing on PBS channels. The first episode I've seen focused on basic risotto techniques. This series features a student cooking alongside Joanne, which is a bit different from a lot of shows. Joanne's bubbly personality comes through in her casual and straightforward teaching style. Techniques are explained and shown so that a beginner cook will not be intimidated. In fact, there were things to be learned, even for experienced cooks such as myself. For example, when the risotto is done, Joanne recommends covering the pot and letting it sit off heat for five minutes to completely absorb the remaining stock. I've set the DVR box to record all the episodes so I won't miss any of them. Like I need one more cooking show to watch! Actually, I do because the Food Network has mostly reruns and the newer shows don't really interest me because they seem to be more lifestyle and travelogue type programs which I can get on other channels. Heads up, Food Network! You're losing a longtime watcher here if you don't shape up.

Tags

FoodCookingFood and Drink

New Video Clip Site

I received a funny clip, which I cannot embed here because of its adult content, but here's another one which I can show. The site is called Veoh and is like You Tube, but a bit edgier. Enjoy.


No dinner worth mentioning from last night due to a glass of wine too many at Hunter's.

Eggs Poached in Basil Tomato Sauce

For breakfast this morning, Eddie poached eggs in this sauce we picked up at half-price at Cost Plus. I must say, this is by far the best-tasting, freshest bottled sauce I've ever had. No hint of commercial bottled sauce flavors. He gently warmed the sauce, then cracked the eggs over and brought it to a simmer, covered, until the yolks were still a bit runny. Unfortunately, we did not get to enjoy them with a nice toasty slice of country bread. Nonetheless, it was delicious. We plan on getting back down to the Cost Plus store soon to scoop up the remaining half-price bottles. Next we'll try the bottle of puttanesca sauce, which no doubt will be on the spicy side. These sauces are nice to have around for a quick pantry meal, and getting an otherwise gourmet type of sauce at a good price only makes it better.

Beef Stew with Almonds & Olives

I had this recipe in my to-try file, and since we're still on the low-carb kick, this looked like it would fit the bill. One thing that drew me to the recipe was the odd procedure of starting out with the onions, garlic, meat and some water together in the pot and basically cooking it until the liquid is evaporated and has formed a nice brown layer on the bottom of the pot. An inexpensive dry sherry is fine -- I used what I had on hand; a bottle of screw-top Gallo brand -- and the addition of the spices along with the blanched almonds and olives gives this stew a distinctly Middle Eastern or Southern French flavor. This will definitely be made again, especially since it can be made a day ahead and reheated; the flavor only improves. We had it with green beans, but for more normal eating times, I would have made rice or simple boiled new potatoes to sop up the yummy sauce. The serving yield is for 6, but not in our world. This makes just enough for 4 servings, so next time I'll double it and freeze half.

Beef Stew with Almonds and Olives

(Adapted from Sunset magazine, October 1998)

2 pounds fat-trimmed boned beef chuck
1 onion (8 oz.), peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
2 fresh or dried bay leaves
1 tablespoon bacon fat, if available
2 cups fat-skimmed low-sodium beef broth
2/3 cup dry sherry, divided
1/3 cup blanched almonds**
1/2 teaspoon dry thyme
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup calamata olives, pitted
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1. Cut beef into 1-inch cubes. Place meat, onion, garlic, bay leaves, and 1/3 cup water in a 5- to 6-quart pan. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover, reduce heat to medium, and boil 20 minutes. Uncover and boil over high heat, stirring often, until juices evaporate and a dark brown film forms in pan, 10 to 15 minutes. Add bacon fat.
2. Add broth, 1/3 cup sherry, and almonds, thyme and cinnamon; stir to release brown film from pan. Return to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour. Add olives. Cover and simmer until beef is tender when pierced, 10 to 15 minutes longer.
3. If more than 1 cup liquid is in pan, boil, uncovered, over high heat until reduced to 1 cup. Mix 1/3 cup sherry with cornstarch. Add to pan; stir until boiling.
Allow to cool, cover and chill overnight.

Reheat. Pour into a bowl; sprinkle with parsley.

Yield: Makes about 6 servings

** to blanch the almonds: bring water to boil in small saucepan. Drop in the almonds. Boil for about a minute. Drain. Rinse with cold water. Peel off the skins.

Laughlin, Nevada

The other day we took a spur-of-the-moment on-a-whim trip to Laughlin, NV. The drive was uncrowded and offered lots of spectacular scenery. We packed overnight bags in case we wanted to stay. When we arrived in town, we were really hungry, so we had a decent brunch buffet at Harrah's resort. After lunch and driving through town to get the lay of the land, we settled into a great room at the Flamingo, soon to be known as the Aquarius, as the hotel was purchased in May by the Las Vegas Stratosphere outfit. It will have a complete makeover and be done by November. Although the public areas of the hotel seemed a bit tired and well-worn, the room was just the opposite: clean, very light with floor-to-ceiling windows with a full river view, and a very efficient and silent air conditioner. We don't gamble much at all, so we can't see staying more than a day and a night, but would definitely return. Way more for your money than in Las Vegas. Of special note was our dinner in the steakhouse of the Edgewater Hotel.
Also worth mentioning was the breakfast buffet at the Flamingo for only $6.50, which would have been a dollar less with the casino club card.

Braised Pork Chops with Caramelized Onions, Raisins & Pine Nuts

The other day at Costco we picked up one of those mega-packs of boneless loin pork chops. I'm always at a loss what to do with so many; it can be a bit overwhelming, as many of you know. Geez, there are only two of us in the house. How much pork can a person consume?

I've had this recipe for Braised Pork Chops with Caramelized Onion, Raisins & Pine Nut Ragut that's been sitting around long enough, so I decided to give it a try. The recipe came from the California Raisin Marketing Board website, which has a rather nice recipe database with a comprehensive search engine, including lots of recipes by well-known restaurant chefs.

Let me say right off here that when I opened the package of chops, I was shocked by how thick they were. There's no way to tell without unwrapping them to know, but each one is almost like a mini pork roast -- at least 2 inches thick, some even more. So I halved them to make thinner chops and then brined them as follows:

6 cups water
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup table salt

Stir this until dissolved well, add the chops, refrigerate for about an hour or hour and a half, and then drain and rinse the meat and pat dry.

The recipe as written has the meat browned, then braised in the oven. I didn't want to turn on the oven for an hour (it's already 109 degrees outside); so I decided to try making it in the slow cooker. Well, let me tell you this turned out great, in many ways. The flavors were balanced, a nice sweet and sour tang; the ragut of onions, raisins and toasted pine nuts was just right with the mild-flavored pork; and best of all, dinner was ready and waiting when we decided to have it. All the clean up was done well ahead of dinnertime, so all we had to do was the dinner dishes. Easy, Easy. Here's the recipe, with my notes as I made it yesterday.

Braised Pork Chops with Caramelized Onion, Raisin And Pine Nut Ragu
by: Chef James Perillo


• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 6 center cut pork chops, seasoned well
• Salt and pepper

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 large yellow onions, (I sliced them with food processor)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, leaves only, chopped (used 1 teaspoon dry)
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1 cup California raisins
• 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 2 cups chicken stock (used only 1 cup in slow cooker)
• Salt and pepper

Heat a heavy-bottom saute pan very hot, add olive oil and sear pork chops until golden brown on both sides. Remove chops and set aside. In the same pan, add butter and onions and saute until caramelized. Add bay leaves and thyme; deglaze with cider vinegar. Reduce by half. Add California raisins, pine nuts, and chicken stock and bring to simmer. Place pork chops in a buttered casserole dish and spoon ragu on top. Cover casserole dish and place in 350°F oven for approximately 1 hour. Check to make sure pork chops are tender.
Serves: 6

As made on 8-10-06:

Caramelized the onions first. Added 1 t. dry thyme and bay leaves along with raisins and toasted pine nuts. Deglazed and reduced with the vinegar. Emptied pan into a bowl.

Browned 6 brined boneless chops, seasoned only with black pepper.

Set chops in bottom of crockpot. Topped with onion ragout. Added only 1 cup stock.

Set on low and will check after 4 hours.

Next time I'll check the dish after 3 1/2 hours; they'll be even moister.

Cherry Frozen Yogurt

Recently I saw a recipe for frozen cherry yogurt on The Amateur Gourmet. Cherries have been on sale so I bought up a couple of bags, one for the frozen yogurt and one to munch on, and pulled out of the close the ice cream maker.

Tags: ice cream, cherries, David Lebovitz

Curry Chicken

Continuing with our low-carb eating this week, I finished off a value pack of chicken with my favorite curry in the world. This recipe came from 500 Low-Carb Recipes by Dana Carpender. I've made several recipes from the book, but I keep coming back to this one. Believe me, this is just about foolproof and takes about 10 minutes to throw it together. The recipe calls for chicken quarters, which I've used, but since I had on hand boneless/skinless, that's what I used. The sauce is to die for and I always make extra to put over the chicken or, when not watching carbs, over fluffy rice. I used enough sauce to bake the chicken, and then I reduced the remainder in a sauce pan for later, just in case we run out. While in the oven, the sauce reduces, thickens and takes on a nice golden hue. To finish it off, I fire up the broiler to brown the top of the chicken. To finish off the plate, I'll make steamed broccoli. This is about as easy and as good as it gets. Total winner!

Curried Chicken
(adapted from"500 Low-Carb Recipes" by Dana Carpender)

4 or 5 chicken quarters, cut up and skinned (be sure to remove the skin, or else it will turn out limp and flabby)
1 medium onion
1 tablespoon butter
1 rounded tablespoon curry powder (I prefer Madras brand)
1 cup heavy cream
4 cloves garlic, crushed (or to taste; I use more)
1/2 cup water
(I added: healthy pinch cinnamon, healthy pinch cayenne pepper)

Preheat oven to 375 (350 for boneless breasts)

Arrange chicken in shallow baking pan; chop onion and scattter over the top.

Melt butter in skillet and saute curry powder a couple of minutes, until fragrant.

Mix together and pour over the chicken the cream, garlic, water and sauteed curry powder.

Bake uncovered 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes (less for boneless), turning the chicken every 20 minutes so the sauce flavors both sides.

Arrange chicken on platter.

Pour sauce into blender and blend until smooth. Add more cream or water if necessary to get smooth consistency. Check for seasonings.

Serves 4
5 net carbs, 42 grams protein per serving

Chicken Capri with Low Carb Coleslaw

After last night's unexpected invitation to dinner at a friend's house (the green chile enchiladas were fantastic!), we're back on track today with our carb-watching routine. I saw this recipe on the South Beach Diet site and saved it for this week. One or the other local markets always has on sale boneless skinless chicken breasts, and this looked tasty. Also, we had the ingredients in the house, so that saved me another trip to the store this morning. The chicken came in a large package of five really large breasts, so I'm only making two for tonight and will save the other three to make my version of chicken curry for tomorrow or Friday.

Instead of dragging out the food processor, I just used a fork to combine the ricotta and spices. I sauteed the chicken a couple of hours ahead of dinnertime and set them aside. All that was needed later on was to fire up the oven, cover the chicken with the ricotta mixture, the tomato and the mozzarella and bake them off. Easy Easy.

As a side, I made coleslaw with what was sitting around. The nice cold and crunchy textures from the cabbage and apples really hit the spot. With the leftovers, I'll wrap it up in lettuce and turkey slices for a midday snack.

Chicken Capri
(from South Beach Diet site)

Serves 4

1 cup reduced-fat ricotta cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup crushed tomatoes
4 slices reduced-fat mozzarella cheese

In a blender or food processor, combine the ricotta with the oregano, salt, and pepper. Process to blend. Rub the chicken with the garlic powder. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 12 minutes per side. Place the chicken breasts, side by side, in a large baking dish and allow to cool. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spoon 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture and 1/4 cup tomatoes onto each chicken breast. Top each chicken breast with 1 slice mozzarella. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion of a breast registers 170°F and the juices run clear.

Recipe from The South Beach Diet Cookbook.
Nutritional Information:
340 calories
20 total fat (5 g sat, 15 g mono)
115 mg cholestero
l6 g carbohydrate
44 g protein
1 g fiber
470 mg sodium

Waldorf Coleslaw

(Based on recipe of George Stella's)

1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup heavy mayonnaise
1/3 cup sugar substitute (recommended: Splenda)
1/2 cup shelled walnuts, coarsely chopped , toasted in microwave until fragrant
2 tablespoons pineapple vinegar
1/2 head of cabbage and 1 small carrot, shredded
diced green apple and 1 spear pineapple, diced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon celery seed

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients, tossing to combine. Chill for 2 hours before serving.

Quick Cioppino

I wanted to use up some shrimp and fish from the freezer, and most of these ingredients were already in the pantry. For the salsa, I used up the remaining fire-roasted salsa from Costco. The recipe did not call for it, but all the cioppino recipes I've seen in the past called for fennel, so I added half a sliced head for the added licorice undertone. Instead of the bagged frozen peppers mix, I used two green bell peppers chopped into large chunks. There was just enough Kendall Jackson sauvignon blanc, and although it's a little pricey to be throwing into a stew, it gave the sauce just the right amount of acidity needed to go with the tomatoes and seafood. I used only about 2/3 of an 8-oz. bottle of clam juice, as I find it to be a bit overwhelming, and made of the difference with some water. Fresh sea scallops along with leftover frozen shrimp and cod from Trader Joe's will be added just before serving. This will avoid overcooking the fish and making it tough. I had intended to buy some clams to add in too, but just six of them came to almost $6.50 at Stater Bros. market, so I gave them back to the guy behind the counter. This has a real kick of spice from the salsa, and I forgot and added a dash of crushed pepper flakes; so this is good and spicy. Lemon wedges on the side if needed complete the dish.

Usually we'd have chunks of buttered sourdough or French bread, but we're trying to cut down on the carbs for a while; hence, the sugar-free strawberry Jello for dessert with quartered strawberries added. Perhaps just a splash of fresh cream on top???





Shortcut Cioppino

Recipe courtesy of Dinners in a Dish or a Dash by Jean Anderson (William Morrow)

Yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups coarsely chopped fresh or frozen onions (about 2 medium-large yellow onions)
Half of a 1-pound bag frozen bell pepper stir-fry mix (red, green, and yellow peppers; do not thaw)
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 large whole bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1 teaspoon dried basil, crumbled
One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, with their liquid
Two 1-pound jars chunky salsa (as mild or hot as you like)
Two 8-ounce bottles clam juice
1 cup dry white wine such as a Verdicchio or Soave
1 pound boned and skinned halibut, haddock, or cod
1 pound shelled and deveined medium-size raw shrimp or 1/2 pound each shrimp and lump crab or sea scallops, these halved if large
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in large kettle over moderately high heat 2 minutes. Add onions, stir-fry mix, garlic, bay leaves, oregano, and basil and cook, stirring often, until onions are golden, 8 to 10 minutes.
Add tomatoes, salsa, clam juice, and wine; bring to simmering, adjust heat so mixture bubbles gently, and cook uncovered just until flavors meld, about 20 minutes.

Add halibut and shrimp and cook uncovered just until shrimp turn pink and fish almost flakes, about 5 minutes.

Remove bay leaves, season to taste with salt and pepper, then serve with rough country bread.

Copyright © 2006 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved

Quick Trip to the Beach

Tuesday morning Eddie and I set off for a short trip to Laguna Beach. Our friends who recently moved to Arkasas are housesitting in the Temple Hills area of town, and we were lucky enough to be invited down for a couple of days. I hadn't been over that way in about seven years, so I had to brush up on the directions. The new toll roads through Riverside and Orange counties are fantastic. They cut out a huge chunk of distance and save a lot of time too. Anyway, the house we stayed at is way up in the hills with a panoramic ocean view from the front terrace.

We took a ride in the afternoon to San Onofre State Beach, which is in the shadows of the nuclear power plant. It was quite a walk down to the beach, which made the very comfortable water even more inviting. Just right, and not so cold as it is up the coast.

For dinner, Stan made a farfalle with a walnut pesto, which we really enjoyed out on the front patio area. The fog had rolled in and it would have been too cool on the back terrace.



On our way out of town the next day, Eddie and I had lunch at Johnny Rocket's. Two double burgers, two malts and an order of fries came to almost $33, but I must say the burgers were the biggest I've ever seen and I couldn't finish mine. So I guess for a one-time thing it's okay to splurge.

It was nice returning to the desert, even though the heat and humidity have not abated. The swimming pool temperature hit an unbelievable 100 degrees. All we had to do was turn on the bubbles in the spa, no extra heat needed.

We're looking forward to less humidity, which is forcasted for the beginning of next week, and it can't come a day too soon for my taste.

Got Corn?

The other day we picked up a dozen ears of corn from Costco. Also, I've had a hankering for corn chowder for a while, so since we're going to the beach tomorrow for a couple days, and the corn won't wait any longer, I made a batch of chowder this morning. I'll put it in the fridge, and it will taste even better after a couple days' sitting. The roasting step with butter sweetens up the kernels even more and gives a nice toasty flavor to the finished chowder. I added a pinch of cayenne pepper in the pureeing step to give a bit of a kick, and I'll re-season just before reheating and serving. Also, I'm not going to add the cream until that time, as cream once boiled may curdle. Yuck!

Notice that this is not high in calories, even with the cream; so go ahead and enjoy a big bowlful. A nice salad would complement this just fine, perhaps tomatoes and zucchinis from the garden, both of which should be plentiful just about this time of summer.

I got this recipe from the Simi Winery website.

ROASTED SWEET CORN SOUP
INGREDIENTS:
-- 10 to 12 ears of corn, unshucked -- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter -- 4 large garlic cloves, unpeeled -- 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock -- 2 cups water -- 1 large baking potato, peeled, cut into eighths -- 4 teaspoons cornmeal -- 1 cup heavy cream -- Salt and pepper -- Basil oil and basil sprigs (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS: Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Pull back husk partway on each corn ear. Using all the butter, put a small piece inside each husk, replace husk, and place ears in a single layer on a baking sheet (or two). Scatter garlic around ears. Bake 20 minutes.
Let cool, then peel garlic and shuck corn. Scrape kernels from cobs and set aside 2 cups. Reserve 6 of the cobs.
Combine stock, water and 6 corn cobs in a large pot. (Cut cobs in half if necessary.) Add peeled garlic and potato. Simmer until potato is soft. Discard corn cobs.
Transfer mixture to food processor. Add corn kernels (except reserved 2 cups) and cornmeal; puree. Return puree to pot and stir in cream. Thin, if desired, with a little stock. Heat just to a boil. Stir in reserved corn kernels. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve immediately, garnishing, if desired, with a swirl of basil oil and a basil sprig.
Serves 8.
(c) Mary Evely, Simi Winery
PER SERVING: 295 calories, 6 g protein, 32 g carbohydrate, 18 g fat (11 g saturated), 57 mg cholesterol, 29 mg sodium, 4 g fiber.

Road Trip to Las Vegas and Tucson

Hello to everyone again. I've not posted in a while. The computer has been at Gateway for a repair, and then it was lost in the delivery system for over a week, but it finally arrived back home on Monday, and things are all loaded again and seem to work fine. Fingers Crossed!

After Demi died, we took off on a much-deserved roadtrip. It was great to get away, but it was filled with some sadness knowing that we would have no frantic hello's waiting for us when we returned home. Of course, we are now in no hurry to rush home to relieve a dogsitter.

Anyway, we headed up to Las Vegas for five days. The weather was nice and dry, hot of course, but we're used to it. One thing, though: smoke from the big Yucca Valley fire drifted directly over Vegas and that made for some beautiful sundowns and sunrises -- just like being on another planet.

Eddie and I don't gamble, so that's no big draw for us, but we do like to just relax and see what's going on around town.

One place I must pass on to everyone is Terrible's Casino at the corner of Flamingo and Paradise. The coffee shop upstairs near the bingo room is a real find. The menu is varied and priced right. If you lived in town, you'd be eating leftovers for lunch the next day, guaranteed. Between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. they have a late night breakfast menu which is not to be believed for the amount of food and the cheap prices. Do not miss this one.

Our friends Brian and Don who live in town told us if we liked the Wynn Hotel that we'd flip over the new Red Rock Resort. It's on the far west side of town, way out on Charleston near the 215 Beltway highway. We drove out there midmorning and it looked like it wasn't even open. But it was and parts of the resort are still being worked on. We tried the buffet for an early lunch, it was quite good. I must say, though, that the Vegas buffets have all started to look and taste alike. So not bad, but not fabulous either. But you must go out there and see the place. It will knock your socks off!

On Friday we left early and drove to Tucson for a few days there. I had never driven that route before, U.S. 93, and I didn't know what to expect. A lot of U.S. highways are one lane each direction, but this was really nice. They're upgrading the road, even a new bridge over the Colorado to avoid having to cross the Hoover Dam. The scenery was spectacular and the road was very uncrowded. We especially were taken with the town of Wickenburg, AZ. Just like you'd expect a small town to look like, and it's only about 50 miles to central Phoenix.

When in Tucson, we ended up staying at a place called the Smuggler's Inn. Our usual place, the Radisson Suites, was fully booked, as were most other places, due to a Jehovah's Witness convention in town over the weeked. For $55 a night it was just fine, but the place had an eerie, not occupied and uncared-for feel to it. No complaints, though; it came with a daily cocktail and buffet breakfast, so it really was a bargain. When checking out, I asked the kid behind the desk, "What's up with this place? Is it being sold, or what?" And in a soft voice he said it had been sold and that the 31st of July is their last day. So that explained everything. Next time in Tucson the building will probably we bulldozed and an office already on its way to completion.

We were lucky enough to experience a real summertime monsoonal evening thunder and lightning storm. It was awesome!!

Palm Springs has had record-breaking heat, yes, even for us, and it's been a bit of a challenge. Yesterday's high was 120 degrees. Last night at 11:30 it was still 102 degrees! Today it's forecasted to be about the same, so I expect more indoor activities again.

We've been too hot to cook, so thank goodness for the freezer which is filled with enough goodies to last through World War III.

That's it for now, and I'll try to post more often.

Bad and Sad News

Our laptop went on the fritz and is being looked at by Gateway. It should be returned today or tomorrow. We've done a fair amount of cooking lately, but nothing worth mentioning. Heat-survival cooking -- cold foods, things made in the portable convection oven, the pressure cooker, etc.

The new Electolux fridge is working out. Since then, the Northland all-fridge in the garage started acting up. Sears took a look at it and estimated a new condenser would be about $900, and Northland Inc. sells new ones, same model, for about $1200. So we got another new fridge last week, and it should make a huge difference in our electiric bill. The old one rarely shut off, and the new one is off quite a bit.

Now for the bad news: we had to put our Schnauzer Demi down two weeks ago. We knew it was coming, but that didn't make it any easier. He was a great pet and friend for almost 15 years and we'll miss him terribly.

Going to Las Vegas next week for a little R & R after the ordeal of putting a friend down. As if it isn't hot enough here in Palm Springs!! Go figure.

More on our trip next week.