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Pink Martini "Hey Eugene!"

Cooper Boone "Dance in the Wind"

Paris Combo "Live"

Islands Burgers' Fish Tacos

AB's Swiss Steak for Dinner

I was in Von's today -- actually there to pick up a gift card for a friend's 90th birthday party tomorrow -- and meandered down the produce aisles and grabbed some fresh fruit. Cherries, peaches, grapes. Got some U Bet chocolate syrup to try making my first egg creams; can't wait for that. The syrup, seltzer and milk are all chilling for later. Then I got the idea to try Alton Brown's Swiss steak for dinner and grabbed a nice top round steak. I know he recommends a bottom round, but this works fine too. We had picked up at TJ Maxx one of those meat tenderizers he used on his show, and I wanted to try it out. So here's how I made it.

Alton Brown's Swiss Steak

2 lb. top round, cut into serving-size pieces
salt and pepper
flour
vegetable oil

Season the meat with the salt and pepper; don't skimp on the salt. Dredge in flour, tapping off the excess. Tenderize with your device of choice. Dredge again in flour, tap off excess. Heat 1/4 cup oil in pan; when oil shimmers, brown a few pieces of meat about 3 or 4 minutes on each side. Do not crowd. Remove when browned to plate. Repeat with remaining pieces.

2 onions, peeled, halved, sliced
1 green bell pepper, seeded, sliced (AB's recipe called for celer; we didn't have any.)
3 garlic cloves, minced

Add onions and bell pepper to pan. Saute a few minutes. Add the garlic.

1 tablespoon tomato paste

Add paste to the pan with the vegetables. Stir to coat. Add the garlic.

Add to the pan:

1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
28 oz. can chopped tomatoes (AB's recipe called for 14 1/2 oz can.)
1 1/2 cups beef broth (used water and a boullion cube)

Bring to a boil. Add the meat and accumulated juices back to the pan. Push the meat in so it's nestled in the sauce. Cover; transfer to preheated 325 oven. Bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until meat is fork tender.

It's been in the oven over an hour, and the house smells fantastic. Can't wait to try it with nice steamed rice and some mixed vegetables on the side.

Some Cool Places We Visited While in the Twin Cities

Mill City Museum



St. Paul Locks & Dam No. 1


The Guthrie Theater


Western Wisconsin


The Lexington Restaurant in St. Paul

Best Meal in a Long Time -- and We Only Had to Travel to Minneapolis To Get It!

112 Eatery in Minneapolis


Here's a link to a fantastic restaurant in downtown Minneapolis. One of the best meals we've had in years.

Grey Goose martinis
rioja, marqués de céceres, spain 2004
blue prawns w/ rooster mayo
lamb scottadito w/ goats milk yogurt
sea scallops w/ oyster mushrooms
stringozzi w/ lamb sugo
nori encrusted sirloin w/ ponzu
cauliflower fritters
tres leches cake

A very relaxed atmosphere with efficient and friendly wait staff. Definitely looking forward to a repeat visit.

Newest TV Addiction

This is our newest TV addiction. It's like watching a train wreck; you know it's going to happen, but cannot turn away.

Chicken legs with kumquats, prunes and green olives

Last Wednesday my brother and sister-in-law left their Tucson winter nesting spot and stopped by Palm Springs for a visit. They sold out everything in Chicago a couple years ago, bought a motor coach, hitched the Honda SUV to the back, loaded up the golden retrievers and hit the road. They rented a spot at a nice RV park in Cathedral City and just drove over for visits. The dogs loved it here, nice green lawn to do their business on, not desert sand. They were good fun and company.

While here we took Dan and Carol to the Coahella Valley Nature Preserve, an area of natural palm groves which sits atop the San Andreas fault line. Water bubbles up at that exact spot; the docent told us the seeping water from the mountains filters down, and when it hits the fault, and cannot go anywhere else, it bubbles up through cracks. Aside from the palms, there are nice hiking trails with signs explaining the surrounding plants and animals.

Friday we all took a ride up the Palm Springs Aerial Tram. Even though it was fiercely windy in town, the ride up was surprisingly calm. Very strong gusts kept us close to the building at the top, but we all enjoyed the ride. Totally breathtaking. The rotating cars ascend two and a half miles to an altitude of 8,516 feet. Eddie and I bought summer season passes for a very reasonable price of $50 each, and just two more trips up and the tickets will be paid for. We look forward to lots of time up there this summer to escape the daily heat of the desert.




That morning, before leaving, I started to prep dinner, a recipe I saw last week in the LA Times food section. I actually had kumquats in a tree on the side of the house, so I wanted to try this recipe. I browned the chicken thighs in the morning, covered and chilled them, and also did all the slicing of the vegetables and fruit. When we got back from the tram, the rest was easy to throw together.

We started dinner with sliced Campari tomatoes, sliced fresh mozarella, fresh basil from the yard, drizzled with good olive oil, seasoned only with kosher salt and pepper. Jasmine rice was a perfect starch to soak up the yummy, but limited, sauce. For dessert, I broiled sliced golden pineapple, sprinkled with brown sugar, then topped with vanilla ice cream and a swirling of reduced berry-wine puree from the freezer.

All in all, a definite keeper to be repeated again many times in the future. A good substitute for kumquats would be lemon rind, sour orange, or Meyer lemon.

Chicken legs with kumquats, prunes and green olives

Total time: About 2 hours, 15 minutes

Servings: 6 to 8

Note: Adapted from "The Santa Monica Farmers Market Cookbook." "This dish was inspired by Moroccan braises with preserved lemons and an old favorite 'Silver Palate' recipe," writes Saltsman. Serve with couscous or rice. Harissa, Moroccan hot sauce, can be purchased at Middle Eastern markets and gourmet stores such as Nicole's in Pasadena, Monsieur Marcel in Los Angeles and Surfas in Culver City.

1/2 pound prunes, or 6 ounces pitted prunes (used pitted, whole)
1/2 pound kumquats (last of the crop from the yard)
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 1/2 pounds whole chicken legs (drumstick and thigh) (used all thighs)
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large onion, chopped (used shallots)
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped (used 2)
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup mild green olives, pitted (used Lindsay ripe green pitted canned olives)
About 1/2 cup chicken stock
Harissa (optional)

1. If using prunes with pits, bring one cup of water to a boil and pour the boiling water over the prunes to soften, about 15 minutes; drain and use a scissors to pit them. Quarter the prunes. (Left whole)

2. Quarter the kumquats lengthwise, remove the seed and center pith, and if you feel energetic, cut the quarters in half again lengthwise. Set the prunes and kumquats aside.

3. In a wide pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Working in batches if necessary to avoid crowding, add the chicken, season generously with salt and pepper, and brown, turning as needed, until golden on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate. (Browned in the A.M., cooled, covered and put in fridge until dinner time.)

4. Pour off all but 1 to 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pot, reduce the heat to medium-low, and add the onion. Stir well, scraping the pan bottom to loosen the brown bits, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and soft, 5 to 7 minutes.

5. Add the garlic, stir and cook for 1 minute more. Add the wine, raise the heat to medium, and cook, stirring to deglaze the pot, until the liquid is reduced by slightly more than half, about 3 minutes.

6. Return the chicken to the pot and add the prunes, kumquats, olives, and a little salt and pepper. Stir, cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Adjust seasoning as necessary. Add one-fourth cup of the stock, and simmer covered until the chicken is very tender, about 1 hour, basting occasionally with the sauce and adding stock, if needed, to keep the chicken half-submerged in the sauce. The dish may be made a day ahead and reheated. Serve with couscous or rice. To serve with harissa, remove a little of the sauce from the chicken and stir in harissa to taste; drizzle over plated dish.

Each serving: 368 calories; 28 grams protein; 21 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams fiber; 18 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 93 mg. cholesterol; 318 mg. sodium.

(Next time double the liquids so there’s more yummy sauce. Served with jasmine rice made with part stock, part water, salt, splash of xvoo.)

Yes, There's an Upside to a Partially Defrosted Freezer!

I haven't posted for a week or so because we took a little trip to Laughlin, NV. Friends had received 2 free comps and invited us for a night, and we had received 2 free nights too and added them on. So we had four very nice days at the Colorado River, just as the big Laughlin River Run event was getting started. This is one of, if not the largest biker events in the West. All the hotels had tents set up in their front parking lots for vendors and food stands. Neeless to say, there were some very interesting (i.e., scary!) looking characters in town, and I think we got out just before all the madness was to start.

We did manage to take a little side trip to Oatman, an old mining ghost town on Historic Route 66. The wild burros come into town every day, wait for the tourists to feed them purchased carrots, and then head back to the hills at night. They're just too cute. I found this picture on Wikipedia.

So what does all this have to do with a defrosted freezer? Well..... when we got home, Eddie did some ironing and put the cooled-down iron on top of the freezer, but the cord was hanging over the front and when we went into the freezer, the cord kept the door open a bit, and this morning the temperature alarm started beeping and then we knew we had a problem on our hands. So we started taking food out and putting the still frozen things in ice chests with blue ice blocks and threw out old and damaged goods.

So here's the good part: we weeded out some old stuff and found some great things in the back where items tend to get lost and forgotten. I'm thawing out for dinner two containers of pozole from last year. I'm looking forward to that. Also, there was a package of turkey necks, so I started a stock with onions, carrots and celery. As I came across more stuff, in the pot they went. So now in addition to the turkey, there are chicken breasts on the bone, cooked chicken breasts, two bags of corn cobs, a container of chicken broth, and the usual stock herbs and spices like bay leaf, peppercorns, thyme. I threw in a head of garlic cloves too. So this should be a very complex and interesting stock. So I'll post again regarding how I ended up using the stock and some of the other goodies we came across.

Simple but Oh So Good Steak Sandwich

Last night neither one of us were terribly hungry, so we ended up defrosting a couple of Costco beef tenderloin steaks and a Wal-Mart (Yes, this is the very best there is!) French baguette. I like to get the steaks out well before cooking so they're at room temperature and also I like to season them well ahead also. Kosher salt and black pepper on each side. Half an hour is okay, but an hour is even better. A filming of olive oil in a nonstick pan, heated over medium high heat, and in they go. About 4 minutes each side. I test using the push-on-the-meat-with-tongs method. Medium rare is good for us. Then a nice rest of at least 10 minutes. While they're resting, the defrosted baguette goes into the oven to heat up and crisp up the crust a bit. Split it lenthwise, a bit of softened butter, a bit of freshly ground pepper, the thinly sliced steak. Heaven! For myself, I added a slathering of herbed fig & honey tapenade/spread, made by La Terra Fina, purchased at Costco. It's so tasty with the meat. On the label it suggests using it with: sandwiches, fine cheeses, toast, grilled meats, grilled fish, salads, chips and crackers, flat breads and pita. I hope they still carry it when this jar is empty. If not it might be fun to try a batch on my own. The ingredients are: balck mission figs, figs, onions, honey, roasted red peppers, rice wine vinegar, herbs de Provence, cornstarch, chives, sea salt. Nothing too hard to find.

Amateur Gourmet: Eggs Benedict video

Adam definetely has a future on TV. I think a great concept for Food Network would be exactly this type of show. A real hoot!

Breakfast for Dinner Night

I've had a hankering for a breakfast-for-dinner night for a while and decided to try a multi-grain waffle recipe I'd seen on the Eating Well site. I had on hand all the ingredients, except I used the suggested substitution of corn meal for wheat germ. The oatmeal soaks for a while in the buttermilk, and I think this made for a nice smooth batter. Also on hand, and in need of cooking, was the remainder of a package of Niman Ranch bacon from Trader Joe's. As our oven is caput (new one being installed tomorrow!! Keep your fingers crossed all goes well), it was a perfect time to use our tabletop convection oven. It worked out great; the bacon came out crisp without the wrinkling usually produced by pan-frying. Also, this was our first opportunity to make scrambled eggs in our new set of Circulon cookware from Costco. I was holding my breath because, to me, if the pans don't perform well on something as simple as eggs, then they have to go back. No disappointment here; no sticking, even heating, easy cleanup. Extra bonus: the extra waffles made for a delicious breakfast -- spread with peanut butter and sprinkled with chopped pecans. Yummy!


Multi-Grain Waffles
Makes 8 servings, 2 waffles each
2 C buttermilk
½ C old-fashioned rolled oats
2/3 C whole-wheat flour
2/3 C all-purpose flour
¼ C toasted wheat germ or cornmeal
1 ½ Tsp.s baking powder
½ Tsp. baking soda
¼ Tsp. salt
1 Tsp. ground cinnamon
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
¼ C packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp. canola oil
2 Tsp.s vanilla extract

1. Mix buttermilk and oats in a medium bowl; let stand for 15 minutes.

2. Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, wheat germ (or cornmeal), baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.

3. Stir eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla into the oat mixture. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients; mix with a rubber spatula just until moistened.

4. Coat a waffle iron with cooking spray and preheat. Spoon in enough batter to cover three-fourths of the surface (about 2/3 cup for an 8-by-8-inch waffle iron). Cook until waffles are crisp and golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter. (our waffle iron is larger, so I think I used about a full cup of batter for each waffle.)

Opera in the Park

Yesterday afternoon was the yearly Opera in the Park, presented by the Palm Springs Opera Guild. Fantastic event! The cool and threatening weather held out, with only a few raindrops. The young singers were outstanding as was the orchestra. Can't wait for next year's event.

What We're Listeing to Now on iTunes

If you like old Motown type of music, you've got to give a listen to Amy Winehouse, a very talented 23-year-old from the U.K.

This is a clip from YouTube and is also from her award-winning album "Back to Black."

Just found out she's appearing April 27 at the Coachella festival here near Palm Springs.

Gratin of Macaroni

I came across this recipe the other day -- don't ask me where -- from a January 2006 British publication called The Observer. The article was a "best of" list comprising winners in various categories whom were nominated by other food professionals. This was the winning recipe in the easy supper category. It calls for creme fraiche, but if that's not available, sour cream would work just fine. For a dish with so few ingredients, this was a total winner. Very easy to throw together, but I did make it ahead of time and threw it in the oven just before dinner. I'd wait next time and assemble it and bake it right away. Do not skip rubbing the garlic clove around the inside of the gratin dish; this adds a nice background subtle note. This was a side dish to leftover baked chicken and sliced campari tomatoes from Costco, but it would be fine alone or with a vegetable or salad on the side.

I've put U.S. measures inside parentheses.

Gratin of Macaroni
(adapted from The Observer of January 2006)

Serves 4

salt and freshly ground black pepper
200g large macaroni (7 oz.)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
200ml crème fraîche or double cream
60g fresh Gruyère cheese (2 oz.)
(I added about 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan)
10g butter (approx ½ oz.)

Preheat the oven to 190C/gas 5 (375 °). In a large casserole, bring two litres of water to the boil with 20g of salt. Add the pasta and cook for eight minutes. Drain by lifting it out of the water and immediately coat it in olive oil. Meanwhile, take an ovenproof dish broad enough to fit in two layers of the pasta; if it is too small, the pasta will be too deep and only a small portion of it will be gratinated. Rub the inside of the dish with the clove of garlic, cut in half. This will coat the dish with a wonderful sweet aroma.

In a bowl, mix the pasta with the cream and cheese. Season with salt and pepper and pour into the ovenproof dish. Dot the surface with the butter and put into the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes. You should have a wonderful golden gratin. For a little more colour on the top, pop the gratin under the grill (broiler).

Lunch at the Indian Canyons Golf Club

About a week ago our neighbor Ray asked us to join him and another neighbor, Ron, for lunch at the newly refurbished Indian Canyon Golf Course club house. He'd been about 3 times in the previous week and was really enthusiastic about it. Eddie's friend from Scotland Liz and her cousin will be staying with us in May, and Ray thought we'd like to give it a trial run before they got here to see if we want to take them there. Well, he was very right. No disappointments here. The room was pleasant. The help was efficient and friendly. The food was good and reasonably priced. Did I mention THE VIEW??!!! My goodness, it's breathtaking. Ray took some picts and e-mailed them that day. We'll definitely be going back soon. Indoor seating, though, as it's getting to that hot time of year and the club faces south. So there's no way you can sit outside and eat.

Red Curry Chicken with Bok Choy and Sweet Coconut Rice

This recipe came from Food Network's Quick Fix Meals show with Robin Miller. I needed an easy crockpot meal, as our kitchen appliances are in a state of replacement at the moment, actually until the 16th of April. I will definitely make this again, probably for company, as it's so easy to make. No added fat, and it can be cooled, stored, reheated on high the next day and served when needed. The rice is incredibly tasty, and I wish there had been more juice at the bottom of the pot to have with the rice.


Sesame Red Curry Chicken with
Bok Choy and Sweet Coconut Rice

Serves 4


4 cups chopped bok choy
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast halves, 4 (4-ounce) halves
Salt and ground black pepper
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup sake (rice wine)(used Mirin sweet sake)
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1/4 cup flaked coconut (used sweetened flaked)
2 cups quick cooking jasmine rice (used regular jasmine)
2 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk
1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves, for garnish (did not use)

Arrange bok choy and red pepper in bottom of slow cooker. Season 4 chicken breast halves all over with salt and black pepper and place on top of bok choy.
In a small bowl, whisk together broth, sake, sesame oil, ginger, and curry paste. Pour mixture over chicken. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. (I opted for the 3 hour time.)
In a small skillet toast flaked coconut on low heat until lightly toasted, about 5 to 8 minutes. To a medium saucepan, add rice and coconut milk and set pan over medium-high heat, bring to a simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Stir in toasted coconut. (I made rice in the rice cooker; turned out to cool after steam stopped coming out of cover's vent.)
Spoon rice onto a serving platter. Top with chicken, bok choy, bell peppers and sauce from slow cooker. Garnish with cilantro.

What We're Playing On Our iPod Right Now

Blue Coyote: Another Restaurant for the No-Return List

The Blue Coyote restaurant has gone way, way downhill over the past few years. We'd not been there in about five years. We and the neighbors decided to give it a try; we were all very much disappointed. The food was not authentic, the drinks were weak, to the point of having no alcohol, and the prices were high for what was served. We will not be returning. I must say, though, the service was pleasant and efficient.

Black Bean Soup with Ham

I came across this recipe recently from Everybody Loves Sandwiches and it was just cool enough outside that it appealed. Not to mention that all the ingredients were in the pantry and/or the freezer. I had a pack of frozen ham slices from last Easter, so that was perfect. I used Trader Joe's frozen corn which is exceptionally sweet. We had on hand a tub of fire-roasted salsa from Costco, which is nice and spicy, so much so that no extra hot sauce was needed at the end. No sour cream around, but there was a tub of Crema Mexicana, which made it even more authentic. Also we had a baggie full of finely grated dry Mexican cheese, and a tablespoon or so at service time really added a lot.

Accompanying the soup were mini corn muffins, which I had made for a dinner a while ago and froze the leftovers for future.

I wished I had had an ice-cold Mexican beer to wash it all down. Gotta get some to have on hand for those three or four times a year I actually want a beer.

This soup is a keeper, definitely, and I'll be making this again. Note: This soup improves over the course of a few days. Plan on making it at least one day, even up to three days, ahead of time.

Black Bean Soup with Ham
(from Everybody Likes Sandwiches)

2 cans black beans, drained
1 t olive oil
1 onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1/4 t chipotle powder
4 slices of thinly sliced ham
1 large tub (500 ml) of your favorite fresh salsa
4-5 c chicken stock
1/2 c frozen corn
hot sauce
juice of 1 lime
1 avocado, sliced
sour cream (optional)
1. Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a large pot. Add in onion and garlic and sautee for a few minutes until translucent. Add in red pepper, ham and chipotle powder and stir until combined. Add beans, salsa and cover with chicken stock. Cover pot and cook over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes.

2. Turn down the heat to a low simmer. Use a potato masher and mash up the beans until the soup thickens. Add in corn, hot sauce and the lime juice and give everything a good stir. Simmer for a few additional minutes until everything is heated through. Serve in bowls with slices of avocado and a dollop of sour cream.

Great Food Blog Search Feature

Today while going through some of the blogs I check out frequently, I noticed over at Kalyn's Kitchen that she had give a link to Elise's Food Blog Search page. I gave it a try, and it's really fantastic.

For instance, I put in "slow cooker" and got back dozens of hits from fellow bloggers for slow cooker recipes. Another one I did was "pork chops" (we just got a large Costco pack of bone-in chops and wanted to get some inspiration), and again pages and pages of blogged recipes came up.

This site will save a lot of time searching though entries that are of no interest for tonight's meal. Give it a try.