Amy

Batting 1000

Dec 202010

Yes, I am still around. Yes, I still cook on occasion and I even go out to eat on occasion. I still obsessively take pictures of it all. Obviously, I have not been obsessive about blogging! I can’t believe that I haven’t blogged since August! I have tried to a couple times and just haven’t had motivation. I feared that I lost my “blogging mojo.” Now I am off for two weeks for Christmas Break and am hoping to find that mojo and start blogging again. I have a bunch of pictures, some are even edited and organized on flickr! All I need is to find the words and post them. I will be sharing some pictures and stories over the next week or two, including our trip to Philly for Labor Day weekend. There is a story there about a “life changing sandwich” that needs to be told!

So, why have I been the absent blogger of late? The school year has been pretty crazy and kicking my butt. On top of that, I am taking classes online through UNC-Chapel Hill and that program is also kicking me in the butt! With all this butt-kicking, I have not had the time, energy or motivation to get on here! I just completed semester four (of five) semesters in the UNC program and was happy to hear from a friend in a previous cohort that the fifth semester is a “little slower paced” than the fourth was.

Corky and I were planning on traveling to Phoenix for the holidays, but at the last minute we changed our plans. We are here in good old Lansing, Michigan for the holidays and have a list of things to get done over my break. Some are not fun, such as cleaning out closets and “simplifying” our possessions. Others are very fun, such as spending some quality time together, getting out of the house for exercise for both us and the furry four-legged member of our family and heading to Detroit for the Christmas Market at the Eastern Market on Thursday. I also added several items to the list last night which all involve cooking and blogging.

Yes, I really did this to my dog. Can’t you just hear him say “Oh no, you di’int.” One more thing I can check off the list: humiliate Hobart, check!

I started off the cooking adventure yesterday and am happy to say that so far, I am batting a thousand! As many of you know, Corky and I do not always agree on what to fix for dinner! “Why do you have to try all these new things?” “Can’t you just make something simple.” The man could live on Chicken Parmesan, Chicken Fajitas and an occasional Burger or Cheese steak. I made cheese lasagna last night which got the “thumbs up” from him AND I recreated the red pepper walnut spread we had at Jolly Pumpkin in Ann Arbor and he loved that too. Of course now I am feeling a little cocky and think I can do no wrong!

The last time we were at Jolly Pumpkin, we had an appetizer at the bar and ordered the Grilled Flatbread with Three Spreads: hummus, edamame and red pepper walnut. They were all delicious, but our favorite (yes, we agreed) was the red pepper walnut. I even tried to get some information out of their Executive Chef, Maggie and the only hint she offered was that it “had cinnamon” in it. I found this recipe online from Gourmet and decided I would start there and tweak the seasoning a little it to try to come up with something close to the delicious spread we had in Ann Arbor. I haven’t been to Jolly Pumpkin in several months (maybe that needs to be added to the Holiday Break TO DO list?) so I don’t know if it is really that close to their dip, but it was really good and I will continue to make it. I have to say it is “inspired” by the red pepper walnut spread I had there that day!

print recipe

Adapted from Gourmet and inspired by Jolly Pumpkin Café & Brewery

· 8 ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained

· ½ cup fresh bread crumbs

· ½ cup toasted walnuts

· 1 ½ teaspoons red wine vinegar

· ¼ teaspoon cumin

· ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

· 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I used Penzey’s Black & Red Spice)

· Salt to taste (I used Vulcan’s Fire Salt from The Spice House, since I used mixture of cayenne and tellicherry black pepper)

· 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Place all ingredients except olive oil and salt in food processor. Process until nearly pureed. With motor running, add olive oil in a slow, steady stream and process until smooth. Taste and add salt if needed. Adjust seasoning with additional cayenne if desired.

Makes ~1 ½ cups. Serve at room temperature with grilled flatbread, crackers or vegetables.

Summer Salad…Part 5?

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Aug 272010

I have made a lot of salads this summer. A salad that is light on the refined carbs, high in protein and filling makes the perfect summer meal for me. There was my remake of the Raw Asparagus Salad I had in Orlando which was not a meal type salad, but a more of a delicious side salad. Then there was the Spring Milk Cheese Salad with Dates that I keep planning on making again before the Beemster Graskaas Cheese leaves the market. Yesterday I blogged on my discovery that the combination of Watermelon and Feta is truly delicious and not as odd as it sounds! Earlier this week, while pouring through my subscriptions in Google Reader, I came across another salad that I knew would be on my table in short order. Meeta from What’s for Lunch Honey posted a recipe for an incredible Garlicky Marinated Halloumi Cheese with a Roasted Tomato Quinoa Salad. I had most of the ingredients on hand and could not wait to try this recipe.

This was a perfectly delicious dinner the other night. I followed the recipe’s suggestion and only fried enough halloumi for one serving when I made it. The only change I would offer is that if you don’t plan on serving all of the salad in one sitting, to not add in all the roasted cherry tomatoes. Add them to the individual servings after plating it. They give up a lot of liquid when mixed with the salad which is delicious the first go around but doesn’t make for very good leftovers!

Thank you Meeta, for posting this delicious recipe and inspiring a great dinner for me this week!

Watermelon, Feta and Black Olive Salad

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Aug 262010

I have had this recipe bookmarked in one of my favorite cookbooks for two years. I kept reading other posts about how watermelon and feta cheese taste incredible together, but I just didn’t believe it! After a recent string of blog posts with similar combinations, I thought…I need to finally try it. I went back to that cookbook, Forever Summer by Nigella Lawson and read it over again. I have to admit that I have a special place in my heart for Nigella Lawson. You could call her my “girl crush”…well her and Rachel Maddow, but that is a story for another day. If there are any women I would “jump the fence” for it be one of them.

I am not going to post the recipe here on my site, as my description of how to make this salad would pale in comparison with her description. The way she describes food is truly beautiful. From steeping red onions “cut into very fine half-moons” in lime juice to “diminish their rasp” and the description of pouring “now glowingly puce onions” onto the salad are truly food porn to me. You can read her original recipe here on her website. I warn you though…you may have a girl crush (or boy crush) after reading her recipe too.

WOW. I don’t know what I was waiting for. The flavors in this salad are incredible. The clean taste of the herbs blend with the sharp cheese, red onion and sweet watermelon in a way that I would never have imagined and can’t even think of how to describe. You honestly must try this. Next time, I will go a little lighter on the olives and cut both the watermelon and the feta in a little less rustic fashion. That way it will be a little easier to get the “perfect bite” on my fork with a taste of each element of the salad.

The Summer of Broccolini

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Aug 252010

For the past two summers, Corky and I have had a half share at a local CSA, Titus Farms. This summer when it came time to sign up again, we had no idea what we were doing this summer. I had been hoping to travel more and we decided to forgo the CSA membership in favor of weekly shopping trips to the local Farmer’s Markets. As it turned out, we did not end up traveling as much as we had hoped and we could have easily bought our regular half share. I have missed the regular pick ups with Titus Farms, but have seen them several times over the summer at the Meridian Farmer’s Market in Okemos.

As a result of this produce change, I have eaten a lot less beets and greens this summer! I have more than made up for it with broccolini though! I love this vegetable. Broccolini looks like broccoli’s taller and skinnier cousin (the skinny bitch). It is really a cross between broccoli and kai-lan or Chinese Broccoli (which, incidentally is also delicious and often found on the menu at dim sum restaurants). It is delicious and good for you! If you have been eyeing it in the market and have not tried it, I urge you to do so! If you are in the Lansing area, you can get it every week at Bella Harvest at the Lansing City Market and I have seen it on occasion at Goodrich’s Shop Rite in East Lansing, as well. If you have a Trader Joe’s in your area, they carry both a conventional and an organic fresh broccolini in the produce department.

I could post for several days on different ways I have prepared this awesome new favorite vegetable of mine. My favorite is on the stove top or roasted in the oven after tossing it with olive oil, freshly minced/pressed garlic, salt and pepper. You can roast it or sauté it until it is crisp tender and the heads are almost caramelized. I have also put it on the grill. If you grill it, you must watch it closely and make sure the oil you toss it with doesn’t cause the flames to flare up too much. I ended up with some discolored, slightly “blackened” broccolini because of this from my gas grill, as you can see in the picture below! It tasted great, but was not the prettiest thing to look at. The broccolini was served with a Trader Joe’s Roasted Garlic Chicken Sausage and Tuscan Beans with Tomatoes and Sage. This was truly a great meal. The Tuscan Beans recipe can be found here at the blog of a fellow food blogger and member of the Michigan Lady Food Bloggers, Noelle. When she blogged on this simple “go to” meal, I immediately bookmarked it and knew that it would be on my table soon! It is simple and delicious and I highly recommend that you try it…AND the broccolini!

Summer Comfort Food: Mom’s Zucchini and Pork

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Aug 242010

We always had a huge garden when I was growing up. With a garden comes a ton of zucchini and the need for creative ways to use it. This was one of my mom’s favorite zucchini dishes and one she made more than anything I can remember other than her Zucchini Bread. Last week I got a craving for it and had to make it. It turned out great and just like I remember it. I think I spiced it with a little heavier hand than my mom did, but it was as delicious as I remember it being. I consulted with my sister, Clare and we both agreed on the general ingredients. When she makes it, she often adds other vegetables to it that she might have on hand, such as fresh mushrooms or banana peppers. She also makes hers a little saucier than my mom did and serves it over rice. I like mine just as is with a little grated cheese on top. I picked up more zucchini and tomatoes at the market this weekend and plan on making another big batch and taking half of it to my mom. I believe this recipe could be listed in the “freezes beautifully” section…bonus points to anyone who can name the movie that line is from!

The amounts listed in this recipe can really be considered recommendations. This recipe is very forgiving and you can vary the amounts of zucchini and tomatoes to your liking (or your garden’s bounty) or add other vegetables, like my sister Clare does! I ate this topped with a little Hot Pepper Asiago that we picked up from Hill’s Homecured Cheese at the Lansing City Market. You can serve it plain, serve it on rice or top it with a little grated Asiago or Parmesan!

Zucchini and Pork (printable recipe)

serves 4 – 6

12 ounces lean pork, cubed
2 T cooking oil (I used Zoye soybean oil)
1 cup sliced vidalia onion
4 cloves garlic, pressed
6 – 8 cups sliced zucchini (split in half and then slice in 1/2 inch slices)
6 – 8 cups chopped tomatoes (I used a variety of yellow, red and roma tomatoes)
1 – 2 t smoked paprika (I used Hot Smoked Paprika)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat cooking oil in large dutch oven or frying pan. Add onion slices and garlic and saute until onions are translucent. Add pork and cook until no longer pink. Season with smoked paprika, salt and pepper and stir to incorporate well. Add zucchini slices and cook for several minutes, until they start to soften. Add tomatoes and stir to blend mixture. Turn heat down and allow mixture to simmer, stirring frequently to break up tomatoes and allow tomatoes to cook into a sauce. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Waterfront Bar and Grille, Lansing City Market

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Aug 232010

I was excited to find out that a restaurant was going in at the Lansing City Market. I love grabbing some chicken salad at Aggie Mae’s Bakery or some soup at Seif Foods, but sometimes you want a sit down meal with a waitress and the prospects of a beer or glass of wine at the market was a huge draw!

The Waterfront Bar and Grille opened this summer and I finally got a chance to eat lunch there last Saturday. Corky and I met up with our friend Karen and had lunch at the bar before doing our weekly produce shopping. The menu was limited to four offerings on this date, but we were told the menu will be expanded soon. There was a pulled pork sandwich, a roast beef sandwich and two quiches, zucchini marinara and bacon. We opted to order the bacon quiche with a green salad (fruit salad also available) and the two sandwiches and share them all. Here is our report card.

This was good! The quiche was done perfectly, the salad fresh and the blueberry muffin delicious. The Waterfront Grille sources their vegetables from the market vendors and the muffin is from Aggie Mae’s Bakery.

The roast beef sandwich was on bread from The Grain Market with cheddar cheese and horseradish sauce. The beef was a little dry, but the sandwich was overall good.

The pulled pork sandwich got everyone’s vote for the favorite of the three lunches. The coleslaw was pretty darned good too. It was crisp and didn’t appear to be mass produced, like most places.

Overall, we had a great meal at The Waterfront Bar and Grille. The location is convenient for people who work downtown and for visitors to the Lansing City Market. There is outside seating on the patio and plans to expand to an upper floor in the future. It was a great lunch to accompany our regular trip to the market. With the patio seating on the river and the full bar with a good beer selection, it would make an ideal happy hour spot too.

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Amy

Batting 1000

Summer Salad…Part 5?

Watermelon, Feta and Black Olive Salad

The Summer of Broccolini

Summer Comfort Food: Mom’s Zucchini and Pork

Waterfront Bar and Grille, Lansing City Market

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