Summer Dining

After several weeks spent not wanting to cook dinner at all (thanks, all-day morning sickness), I'm finally back in the swing of things and enjoying the benefits of fresh summer veggies, outdoor dining, and cooking on the grill.

Since summer is prime time for fresh fruits and veggies, I try to incorporate these into every meal. We've been loving berries of all types (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries...all the berries!!), as well as fresh corn and tomatoes. Plenty of both around here! My favorite meals include a grilled meat, steamed veggie and grilled or roasted starch/carb. These meals are simple to prepare, relatively quick to cook (under 30 minutes), and healthy, too. We've also done pizza on the grill, which was a fun test -- the dough still needs some work, though.

Here are some shots of recent favorites...

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Chili Fig Sauce      |      Grilled Prosciutto & Tomato Pizza

Pan Seared Salmon with Steamed Green Beans and Potatoes Au Gratin

Grilled Tenderloin Tail with Red Potato Wedges and Tomato, Corn & Avocado Salad

What's for Dinner? Banana Salmon

It sounds like an odd combination, but it's really quite delicious. This is a recipe my mother used to prepare, that was passed on from her mother. It's not something I prepare often (DH isn't a fan of fish unless he caught it himself), and this was the first time introducing to the kiddos! It's very easy to make and goes well with just about any green veggie. I served with broccoli and brown rice, but steam asparagus or sauteed garlic spinach would be delicious, too. They seemed to enjoy it, so I'll keep it in the rotation for the next time hubby is out of town! ;)

Salmon with Bananas & Mustard Sauce

3-4 salmon filets (I used frozen this time, but fresh is always better)

Mustard Sauce
1/2 cup Duke's mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
2 T stoneground mustard (I used the Trader's Joe brand)

• Distribute salmon filets on baking pan lined with parchment paper
• Dot salmon liberally with ripe banana slices 
• "Ice" with mustard sauce 
• Bake at 425 for 15 minutes

See that caramelization on top? The sugar in the bananas blends with the mustard sauce for a delicious creamy-sweet combo that really compliments the flavor of the salmon!

Pasta Al Fumo

When I was a junior in college, I spent a semester studying Art in Cortona, Italy. It was magical -- the food, the wine, the culture... it was inspiring! I painted or took classes during the week, traveled on the weekends, and spent most evenings enjoying the nightlife of a small Tuscan town. I have such fond memories of my time in Italy and would love to return someday. Until then, it's always fun to relive the memories by looking at pictures and, sometimes, trying to recreate the extended, casual dinners we enjoyed on those beautiful Italian nights.

As part of the program I attended  with UGA, we dined most evenings as a large group at a local restaurant called Tonino's. The food was always delicious, and one of my favorite meals they prepared was a Pasta al Fumo ("Smoked Pasta"). A brief internet search turned up this recipe from that very same restaurant! I'm sure the original Italian ingredients make for a better dish, but these American substitutions seemed to work pretty well.

Pasta al Fumo

Serves 4

Ingredients

• Extra virgin olive oil
• 2 whole garlic cloves 
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1/2 lb. Bacon
• 1/4 cup fresh heavy cream
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup Fresh milk
• 3 T cream cheese
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1.5 oz Vodka
• Pasta of choice (we use penne or farfalle, about 8 oz)

Directions

• Add two tablespoons of olive oil to the pan with whole garlic and rosemary. Sauté until fragrant.
• Add bacon and fry until completely cooked. Drain fat.
• Return pan to stove and add vodka -- stir with caution.
• Remove garlic and rosemary from the pan
• Add cream and stir. Add tomato sauce slowly -- the sauce should be a light pink, don't add too much tomato.
• Add milk and cream cheese. Stir with a whisk to blend. Add more tomato sauce if necessary. Add red pepper flakes (you can leave these out or reduce amount if you prefer less spicy)
• Cook for several minutes to blend flavors, salt to taste.
• Serve with freshly cooked pasta, top with parmesan or pecorino cheese, and fresh basil

Enjoy!

What's for Dinner? Wednesday: Red Curry Pork

Curries are one of my favorite go-to meals for incorporating a medley of veggies, whatever meat is available and quick rice or rice noodles. It can be as spicy or as mild as you prefer. The key ingredients may not be your standard pantry fare, but they can typically be found in the Asian food section at your local grocery store (curry paste, coconut milk, fish sauce).

I cooked a curry for the first time in college (Green Curry Chicken -- still a favorite), but can't recall where I found the recipe. I've prepared it many, many times over the years and the recipe tends to vary a little bit each time. It's the kind of dish you can experiment with and tweak to your taste. Don't have the vegetable the recipe calls for? Try using whatever's in the fridge! It works well with chicken, pork, beef, and seafood (shrimp is tasty). Hope you enjoy this dish as much as we do!

Red Curry Pork

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 T vegetable oil
• 1 onion, coursely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 T Thai Red Curry Paste (the brand I use is called A Taste of Thai)
• 1 lb pork filet, sliced thickly
• (I used a tenderloin from our local CSA, also a website client, Grass is Greener Meats)
• 2 cups green beans
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 can coconut milk (14 oz)
• 1 1/2 T soy sauce
• 1 T fish sauce (also A Taste of Thai)
• 2 T brown sugar
• Handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
• Rice noodles or rice, to serve

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a work or large skillet and saute the onion and garlic for 1-2 minutes, until they are softened but not browned.
2. Add the pork slices and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes, until browned all over. Add the green beans and curry paste. Stir to coat with the curry paste.
3. Add the coconut milk, soy sauce and fish sauce; bring to a boil. Simmer for 4-5 minutes.
4. Add brown sugar and stir well. At this point, you can season the curry sauce to taste (I generally add 1-2 tsp of salt, maybe a dash of pepper). You can add more brown sugar to taste -- this reduces the spiciness of the dish
5. Add the tomatoes and cook another 1-2 minutes before serving with noodles or rice. Garnish with cilantro.

The wine is a Malbec by Alamos. I generally really enjoy Malbecs and this was an easy grab from Walmart. This one was a bit tart for my taste, or maybe just because I paired it with a spicier dish. I'll give it a shot again tomorrow night with Skillet Chicken.

What's for Dinner: Taco Salad

I'll admit, I'm pretty proud of this one. For several reasons. This past weekend, DH and I went grocery shopping together for the first time in... years. Not because I don't like grocery shopping (I do) -- it's simply because we discovered in the first few years of marriage that it was one of those activities we couldn't do together. Brand preferences abound, arguments ensued. But, since it is one of those domestic tasks that DH actually enjoys accomplishing (and once I got over my own case of housewifely pride), he took over all grocery shopping a couple years ago. He really gets a kick out of finding the best deal. I'm not complaining.

I also happened to clean out our refrigerator on Saturday for the first time in.... wait, I don't want to tell you that. Let's just say it had been a while since the walls of that fridge saw bleach. Either way, thanks to this new-found nesting instinct I'm getting a lot accomplished around the house these days (and on this blog, if you haven't noticed)! So our sparkly clean fridge was ready to house the small assortment of carefully planned food items I picked out for this week's dinners. DH does the shopping but I still do the meal-planning (most days) and the goal is always healthy and tasty. Sometimes it's hard to get both. But this meal really worked!

So tonight's dinner incorporated not only a healthy dose of fresh veggies, but also a little bit of leftovers magic. Last night's dinner was Grilled Sausage Hoagies with Sauteed Red Peppers & Onions and Summer Corn Salad (with a few tweaks). I used fresh corn for the recipe (how could you not in the middle of summer!) -- a quick steam in the microwave makes for fast and easy cooking. And fresh just tastes better. I chopped up onions, red peppers and celery to toss with the corn. I then stowed away half of the mixed in tupperware for what would become a portion of tonight's taco salad. The remaining mixture was the perfect amount to serve two for the Corn Salad (note: I left out the feta cheese, it really didn't need it, although it probably would have tasted good).

Tonight when I got home from work, my first task was to prepare the yummy Mexican-cuisine-inspired dressing for the salad. This is the recipe I started with, but ended up adjusting it a little bit based on my available ingredients. Here's what I ended up with:

Chipotle Lime Vinaigrette

• 3 T lime juice (about 1.5 limes)
• 1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce + 1/2 T sauce (find it in the Hispanic food aisle at the grocery store)
• 1 1/2 tsp honey 
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder 
• 1/4 tsp onion powder 
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 
• 1/3 cup water 
• 1 T sugar  
• 1 T chopped cilantro 

Mix all ingredients together in a blender and add water or sugar to taste (will tone down spiciness if it's got too much heat) 

I was hoping to have some leftover of this dressing to use another night, but we liked it so much we used it all up! My lettuce mix included chopped Romaine hearts (I cheated and bought the bagged version), my corn-onion-celery-red pepper mix from last night's dinner, fresh chopped cilantro, 1 diced tomato and half a cucumber, diced. Lots of good veggies! I also dished out a separate portion of this salad mix into a tupperware for my lunch tomorrow... aren't I great at planning ahead? ;)

For the protein, I sauteed half a pound of ground beef with a fancy taco mix DH picked up at Whole Foods. I don't remember the brand name, but you mix it with 1/3 cup of beer -- great flavor! I tossed in a can of black beans at the end to prevent overcooking. Each element of the salad was "self serve" at the table and we topped it off with a handful of crushed Trader Joe's Soy & Flaxseed Tortilla Chips. I meant to add a little shredded cheese on top as well, but forgot. It didn't really need it. You know how I know this dinner was a success? DH went for seconds. :) This recipe is definitely a keeper. And I would use this dressing on just about any salad or maybe as a marinade -- it's the perfect combination of sweet and spicy.

Enjoy!

Autumnal Thoughts

Fall seems to have fallen upon us. Very quickly. From the dog days of summer with blistering temperatures in the 90s, the weather has turned decidedly cooler  (mid-high 60s) and that fall feeling is in the air. Fall is one of my favorite seasons and I am savouring all of the wonderful things it brings:

• Pumpkin, apple and all things spice-flavored (looking forward to trying this recipe for homemade Pumpkin Spice syrup)
• Football (although not a die-hard fan, I enjoy the idea of it... and the tailgating)
• Fall wardrobe switch -- there's a reason all the fashion mags release their big issue in September... everyone is ready for a fresh look not dictated by hot weather!
• That "new school year" feeling: I've never been able to rid my self of the sense of excitement and expectation experienced with the beginning of each new school year. An 18-year habit is hard to break.... and I love the feeling anyway! It's like the sense of inspiration that accompanies the New Year -- an emotion spontaneous and fleeting, I enjoy it while I can! 

What are you favorite Fall things? Here's a shot of a Chicago Fall scene. Though we're not seeing this quite yet, I'm looking forward to the leaves changing and some crisp Autumn morning walks in the Park! So, I leave you with this image and a favorite poem befitting the multi-hued resplendence of fall.

Photo credit: TravelSmart Blog 

Pied Beauty

Glory be to God for dappled things--
   For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;
       For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches' wings;
   Landscape plotted and pieced--fold, fallow, and plough;
       And all trades, their gear and tackle and trim.

All things counter, original, spare, strange;
   Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)
      With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;
He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:
                                     Praise Him. 

Gerard Manley Hopkins 

What's for Dinner?

It's really one of my least favorite questions. And I remember it being one of my mother's least favorites as well.... Now I understand her reasoning on a whole new level. My favorite answer to this untimely question? "Food." Or, a squinty glare (the so-called "hairy eyeball) that speaks volumes.

Yep, it'll be food. Probably edible. And you will eat it. That's my policy (ages 0 to 110+)

It's hard enough to spend an entire day working (albeit from home, but it's not like I sit around eating bonbons), but by 6:30 at night I have to know what I'm cooking for dinner, how I'm cooking it and whether or not I have the ingredients I need to cook it properly (not necessarily in that order). AND make sure the kitchen is clean enough to cook in!

My planning skills in this department are mediocre at best; about once a month I sit down and try to plan meals for the week, but something always gets in the way: Tuesday night oil painting class, Wednesday night Bible study, Thursday night work social.... Let alone carving out an hour to shop for groceries! By the time the weekend arrives, just about all I can do is dial up a delivery from the Chinese place down the street.

But that's the behavior of a young wife living in the bustling city of Chicago, right? I get a pass for now, I hope. It's still a goal of mine to integrate weekly trips to the grocery, a 7-day meal plan, and plenty of fruits and vegetables into our dining regimen. But... it's a process.

Until then, I will settle for the 2-3 nights a week I get things right. So, What's For Dinner?

Thai Red Curry Pork

There is no set recipe for this little winner, but I have a penchant for curries and they are fairly easy and healthy to whip up.

This was a red curry base (you can pick up all types of curry pastes at your local grocery: golden, green, red, etc.) that includes curry paste, coconut milk, chicken stock, fish sauce and a bit of brown sugar to tone down the heat. There are so many varieties on this sauce, it's worth testing out the recipe several times to find your own preference of heat and flavor.

I sauteed my veggies first (red pepper, carrots, red onion, garlic), then added in the pork for a nice sear, then put that whole bunch in a separate bowl to the side. Next [using the same pan to save time on dishes later] I set up my curry sauce and gave it a good simmer before adding back in the veggies/meat. I let that simmer on low for about 15 minutes (to finish cooking the meat, and let everything absorb the flavors of the curry sauce). With about 5 minutes to go, I added some frozen cut green beans for extra color and nutritional value (somewhat). A few minutes more of simmering and the curry is ready to go!

While the curry was cooking, I also soaked and boiled some rice noodles on the side. I love rice noodles for their texture (like angel hair pasta) and low caloric value! They don't have a ton of nutritional value (I have yet to find *brown* rice noodles), but they are a great "carrier" for curries and other sauces.

All in all, this meal took me about 30 minutes to prepare from start to finish. I won't evaluate the economic value... but I'm thinking it was nowhere near as expensive as ordering out from the Thai place! So, for ease of preparation and nutritional value, Thai curries are the way to go for dinner....if not once a week, at least twice a month. :)

Recipe FAIL

I wouldn't call myself a gourmet chef, and I don't really make up recipes off the top of my head... so I generally spend a little time each week perusing my small collection of cookbooks, or cooking websites for recipes that I can use for dinner. My most recent exciting discovery is The Nest website (sequel to "The Knot" for brides-to-be, prequel to "The Bump" for moms-to-be and so on... they seriously have you set up for life) filled with articles and information for newly-weds from decorating to cooking for two or buying a new home. I've had some fun searching through their recipes database and decided to try this one out last night for dinner:

Meatballs and Snowpeas

Unfortunately, it didn't work out as expected. It could have been that I'm recovering from a cold and my sense of smell (therefore, taste) is still a little off... or it could just be the recipe, but DH and I were both a little put off. I didn't even finish mine! His first comment was "Tastes like ketchup...." (and I had left the ketchup out of the recipe). I was really hoping it would be as delectable as it looks in the photo, but it was definitely a recipe FAIL. Perhaps it needs some tweaking? I'd be willing to try again with suggestions.... any takers?

Cook in the Kitchen

Our freezer is more than stocked with plenty of meat and fish from the holidays -- thank goodness for Omaha Steak and generous family members! But here's the dilemma: I don't want to cook plain ol' steak for the next two months, and I really don't have a ton of fish recipes to make use of. So...any special recipes or suggestions?

One of my New Year's resolutions is to be proactive about weekly meal-planning... didn't quite start on cue this week, but I am sitting down this morning to set out a plan for the next four evenings (weekends are freebies, except Sunday dinner). I'll keep you posted as to how things go!