Last hurrah

I've been looking for an excuse to make macaroni and cheese all week.  I took the turkey thigh out of the freezer and planned to make for dinner Friday along with a dozen deviled eggs per my son's request.   Friday night I was invited to try "pizza" at Earth with a couple of friends so I postponed my "turkey dinner" until tonight.

It almost didn't happen because I didn't leave my 9am meeting until 3pm and I hadn't seasoned the meat and needed to stop at WF.  Fortunately I was able to adjust my plan to make the turkey in the pressure cooker instead of the oven.

I enlisted my daughter's help with cutting up the cheese and filling the eggs...I seared the turkey on both sides then added some french onion soup broth (this is going to be my new short cut) and cooked under pressure for 35 minutes while the macaroni baked.

As I was calling everyone down for dinner I realized I never made a vegetable, I grabbed a bag of frozen green beans and cooked them in a quarter cup of the french onion broth.

Egg nog was the perfect after dinner beverage.

Indescribable

I have no idea what we had for dinner. My intention was to braise the ranch steak because that's what was recommended online.  When I realized the portion size wasn't nearly enough for a 4 person meal I added red lentils.

Then I went down a totally manic path, literally adding a little of this and that. The kids couldn't decide if it was Eritrean or Indian but they both had seconds.  My husband wasn't sure what flavor I was going for and thought it was an attempt at a mild Indian dish.  I had no answer to his question because of the array of spices I used.

Another point of confusion for him was the potatoes, he didn't understand why they were mashed.  In my mind they were an absorber for the "gravy."  Once the pot was simmering I had to figure out a starch - potatoes, rice, or couscous. I ended up with what my daughter called mashed potato dumplings. That's because the potatoes were gummy due to overcooking & over mixing.  Though I would never recommend them served alongside turkey or roast beef, the texture worked as an excellent base for that lentil concoction.

Terrain

While I enjoy the fruits of the marsh, the one thing I miss in the Low Country is meat because it seems like there's only pork and seafood.  I thought about beef the entire ride home and finally made a flat iron steak Monday.

I marinated it with a simple garlic rub, put sweet potatoes in the oven, and made deviled eggs on the side.  4 minutes on each side in an extremely hot grill pan produced meat that was unbelievably tender and succulent.

Sensational simplicity

I'm not sure why but we always have quiche when we visit SC.  Last night I did a spinach quiche (mostly cheese & spinach, heavy cream, and only 3 eggs); sauteed shrimp with garlic; and steamed oysters.  The oysters were so good my daughter questioned why we bother with mussels.  Because we don't live in the Low Country.

Because I have nothing but leisure time, I've been reading The Post & Courier all week.  There were several Charleston restaurant reviews and one mentioned purloo, which I had to Google to figure out that it was basically a jambalaya.  An excellent option for our last vacation dinner.

We went to Whaley's for lunch, the scallops were as succulent as I remembered; then a walk along the beach.  I was stuffed so I didn't get started on dinner until 7.  Sauteed onions, garlic, green pepper, tossed in the last beef sausage, a diced tomato, then simmered in broth while I peeled and deveined the shrimp.  I added the shrimp then served over grits (rice is the appropriate starch) with the leftover okra on the side.

Not only was I able to use up the remaining groceries but it was simple to make yet bursting with flavor. There's nothing like Low Country cookin',

Boil blitz

I took a ride to Bluffton today to pick up some oysters...although there were plenty of oysters along the way, I felt compelled to patronize the company that's been in business since 1899 and those May River oysters are delectable.  I spent $30 on a dozen select oysters, 12 oz of shucked oysters, and a pound of crab claw (cocktail style).  I left there to get shrimp from Blue Water Seafood in Ridgeland based on a Yelp review; I was underimpressed but I bought 1.25 pound of head on 16/20 shrimp and 2.5 pounds of 26/30s for another $30; bringing my total seafood purchases to $80.

I deviated slightly from a traditional low country boil because I couldn't resist sauteeing onions, garlic, and tomatoes before I added the smoked beef sausage, potatoes, and corn on the cob.  I seasoned, brought to a boil, then added shrimp boil, the head on shrimp, and finally the oysters and crab claws after I turned off the heat.  Of course we had okra on the side.

Needless to say, we enjoyed every bit.

Authenticity

Since I'm in the Low Country I thought it best to go back to the basics with tonight's dinner...it's been awhile since I've made straightforward food, so it took a little thought but the result were delicious.

I baked a chicken that I marinated in seasoning & Oduls; made macaroni & cheese (with cheddar, elbows, & eggs) - I haven't used an elbow noodle in probably a decade and haven't used eggs in mac & cheese in ages; and collards that I picked up from King's for $2.75.  For the life of me I couldn't remember what to do with the collards so I sauteed onion, garlic, and green pepper, added in smoked beef sausage, then simmered the collards.  The food was honest and easy.  

No trip to Edisto is complete without a King's Market key lime pie for dessert!

Travel lag

My schedule has been so hectic over the past few weeks that I am just settling into vacation on day 2.5:  relaxing, biking, walking along the beach, and of course eating.

Our first stop was Baker's (motto: friends don't let friends eat imported seafood) for shrimp $6/pound (approximately 16/20 count) and colossal scallops. Dinner Saturday night was leftover Bojangle's and seared scallops.  Sunday breakfast - shrimp & grits of course.  Monday brunch - whiting (not filleted), shrimp & grits.

Looking forward to Whaley's for dinner and trekking to Blufton tomorrow for superb shellfish treats.

Keema

If there's one thing I've learned from this cow share, it's how to be creative with ground beef.

Today I made keema biryani and it was unbelievably delicious; my family declared that they prefer it to chicken biryani.
 
I was able to throw the dinner together in about an hour. I prepped the rice then sauteed the onions and tomatoes for the curried okra (which ended up with quite a kick). I sauteed onions, whole spices, ginger garlic paste then browned the keema. I mixed in yogurt and red pepper then layered the meat with rice and topped with saffron milk, lemon juice, onions, cilantro, and mint. 

I stuck that in the oven for 15 minutes while I tidied up the kitchen, then we dove in and finished off our meal with mango lassis. 

Gentrified

I've been wanting to go to Maine for the past few years but haven't committed to the drive through New England. I want to go in August so we can see the puffins but I'm also dying to sink my teeth into these $5 lobsters everyone talks about.

Apparently this all happens along Route 6 and it just so happens that in the gentrified Fairmount section of Philadelphia there's a brand new restaurant bearing the same name.  It was by chance that I dined there Friday night. I was on my way to meet a former coworker when I saw a neon crab on a sleek building and decided to go in and take a look despite the neon sign.

Inside was a bustling crowd of gentrifiers. They decor was exactly what I would imagine I would find along Route 6. We decided to give a try. The customer service was spectacular and the food was pretty good.
 
I went with the specials, scallop & lobster boudin as an appetizer and a whole grilled snapper as my entree. My friend ordered monkfish and brussel sprouts.  We shared Johnny Cakes that without the accompanying condiment would have been less than desirable. While we were waiting for the JC, the chef sent out the blue fish dip that was surprisingly delicious.

I think I may have found a place to visit when I want fresh, line caught seafood and a casual atmosphere.

Blessing in disguise

This morning I planned to make absolutely nothing for dinner.  Fortunately a friend coaxed me out of idiocy and suggested a one pot meal.  Considering that it was going to be a long day (early riser basketball in the morning and ice hockey practice in the evening), it made sense to be proactive.

After an impromptu lunch meeting at Lemon Grass, I went to WF planning to grab some packs of chicken drumsticks.  Imagine my surprise when they were no longer on sale and the price had increased substantially.  Left with no choice, I purchased a family pack planning to put a spin on my grandmother's "chicken wings & sauce" dish. 

It took less than an half hour to toss the ingredients into the crockpot - diced tomatoes, onions, garlic, seasoning; topped with chicken and more seasoning, sauteed onions, garlic, and peppers; and a jar of arrabbiata sauce for good measure. 

Cooked it on high for 4 hours...perfect timing...we walked through the door and had it over linguine.  Dinner time was a medley of slurps.

Across the pond

I bought the hake only because it was wild caught and on sale at WF ($6.99/lb), as a protein fish has become a little too rich for my blood so we haven't had much of it recently.  The guy said it was like cod so I figured I would take a stab at fish n chips.  I love fish n chips, done right.  New Deck on Penn's campus used to have decent fish n chips (heavy on the batter), Dock Street on the other hand was a mess when I went last spring.  The grease was filthy and the fish seemed previously frozen.  The best by far was Betty's...so that's what I was aspiring to as I haven't been to London in two decades.

We didn't get home until 530 yesterday, so I was glad I was cutting corners.  I had a bag of cole slaw mix and a box of fish n chips mix hence I spared myself significant prep time. I mixed up some mayo, lemon, sugar, and trocamore for the cole slaw then put that in the fridge while I started home fries.  Then I mixed up the batter, dipped the lightly seasoned fish and fried.  I was a little heavy on the batter but it was very good. 

Clearly the key to fish n chips is high quality to fish. 

Indian quickie

I stopped in WF Saturday morning and skinless legs were on sale; it was worth the extra 30 cents per pound because it saves a step when making tandoori.  I grabbed some hake fillet because that was on sale as well. 

Saturday (and Sunday) was a bit hectic but I managed to make it to International Spices to pick up a few things and was able to have dinner ready by 630.  I marinated the tandoori in the marinator while I prepped everything else. 

I made a rice pilaf that was reminiscent of biryani (fried onions, tomatoes, garam masala, ginger garlic paste) and a scaled down aloo baingan (onions, tomatoes, ginger garlic paste, seasoning). 

Unlike the hamburger patties we had for dinner last night, Saturday's meal was fabulous.

Finally

Today was a rare occasion - I had nothing scheduled and was home by noon.  This was after a meeting, a trip to DiBrunos, Reading Terminal, and Trader Joe's. I was so tickled that I came home, brewed a cup of coffee then got started on dinner. 

I had a chuck roast and wasn't using a crock pot nor a pressure cooker...I was going old fashioned with the range.

I seared the meat, sauteed onions and celery, then added tomatoes carrots and potatoes.  I cooked it in the oven for 3 hours and the gravy was absolutely delicious...the brie ciabattini was perfect for sopping it up.

Back on the block

It felt good to step into DiBruno's today...its like being transported back in time.  Zeke was there so of course I received top notch customer service.  I suppose I could easily go to Suburban Square but I like the feel of 9th Street.

I wanted a brie because that last fiasco I bought just didn't cut it and its' still in the fridge. He suggested that I melt it on garlic bread...an excellent plan for unwanted cheese. I bought some ciabattini so that I can serve it with tonight's dinner. 

He had the moses sleeper in stock but upgraded me to harbison @ $30/lb and it's the best brie I've ever tasted.  Of course I bought primadonna...he said its a chemical in the packaging that is the source of controversy for naturalists. 

I went all out with the $40/lb aged pleasant ridge reserve, a Wisconsin gruyere that continues to win awards...of course I bought just a sliver. He recommended that I read about it in the Mastering Cheese text.

Finally I purchased a New York aged cheddar for the kids, @ $10/lb, it beats seaside hands down.
I hit the jackpot with the family blend decaf that I didn't know existed and have brewed two cups this afternoon.

An excellent shopping experience as always.

Crabtastic

I enjoy Maryland blue crabs but I have never cooked them.  My husband was offered a deal on crabs so I thought it might be nice to get a bushel and share them with friends.  I was never able to set anything up but he ordered a half bushel anyway for me. 

Of course I went into a panic because that's a lot of crabs for one person; so I phoned a friend but I wasn't convinced we could finish them.  I was definitely laboring under a misapprehension. 

I found several recipes online and decided to compare methods - I did a vinegar-beer steam and a water-beer-garlic-cayenne steam...the vinegar produced a superior flavor. 

We ate, I refilled the pan...2 hours later we were cleaning up saying next time we need a full bushel.

Black Friday Special

Thanksgiving seems to be all about indulgence - indulging on good eats on Thursday and indulging on consumer goods on Friday.  The excess is almost counter intuitive to the premise of giving thanks, but these are the times in which we live. 

I had sweet potato pie for breakfast, leftovers for lunch, another piece of pie after lunch...but I wasn't satisfied...I wanted poultry.  I thought about roasting a duck but I was hesitant because of the oven door glass fiasco. 

At 4pm I decided to brave the crowds and head to Godshall's...I was pleasantly surprised to find Reading Terminal navigable.  I placed my order and the kids were pressuring me to buy a turkey, which of course we don't need, so they suggested a turkey breast.  I went with a boneless turkey thigh because I didn't want leftovers.

I was home by 5pm, seasoned the turkey and put it in the marinator.  I had some miscellaneous veggies in the fridge so I put the sweet potatoes in the oven then made a medley of kale, cabbage, and carrots.  I browned the thighs, sauteed onions and celery, then I cooked the thighs under pressure for 25 minutes.  The gravy was delicious...I followed that up with a slice of sweet potato pie. 

Delicious simplicity

I'm finally beginning to realize that food doesn't have to be complicated to be appreciated...it just has to be fresh.  Slow food doesn't necessarily require a lot of preparation time; all you need is a stove, pots, and simple ingredients that can be found on supermarket shelves.

Today I had a quick impromptu lunch with my friend.  The majority of our time was spent standing in the Falafel Nazi's line.  We didn't mind because it gave us a chance to talk and we enjoyed the food. 

Today's offering was essentially the same as last week but the cart was slightly different:  most of the garlic had been replaced with red pummelos that proved to be quite a curiosity for the folks standing in line and there was a box of potted sakura mixed cress which made me wonder if he grows the greens that act as a bedding for the platter.  Despite the lack of interaction with the chef, it is clear that he takes pride in the food that he serves and that goes a long way. 

Once we received our platters we scurried off to eat as we only has 10 minutes before her next meeting but both agreed that the food was plentiful and worth the wait. 

A piece of Persia

Wednesday my cousin forced me to take a 6lb can of apricots.  We eat lots of dried apricots and I've had some decent desserts but 6lbs of apricots, that had essentially been cooked and dropped into a sweetened liquid, was foreign territory. 

Since Eid was approaching, I decided to figure out a dessert, so yesterday I made an apricot pie and a batch of apricot sorbet.  We fasted yesterday so the sorbet turned out to be a nice treat; and the pie ended up being dessert for eid lunch.

I wanted to make a lunch that complimented apricot pie so I made an interpretation of a chicken couscous.  Between fajr & salatul eid, I set up my crockpot of sauteed onions, garlic, and ginger; seared chicken; carrots and haricots verts.  When we returned from the Gazillion Bubble Show, I made the couscous and served the lunch followed by the pie and chai tea lattes.  The only thing missing was friends to share with.  We're dashing out to Universoul but hoping to connect with friends for dinner. 

Falafel Nazi

I was way too excited when I drove past 20th & Market and noticed a short line at the food cart.  I pulled over and called my friend to confirm the location and price and then scoured my wallet for $8. 

The aroma of grilled food filled the air as I walked back to the intersection.  I stood in line and nervously awaited my turn as I watched people receive their food, almost in lockstep.  Everything that my friend had told me about the standardized service was true:  no talking in line, no special requests, you hand him the money and he hands you the food, anything else could send him on a rant.

The cart was clean and lined with potted mums and fresh heads of garlic, the arrangement was anchored by a cinderella pumpkin and a ginger plant served as the centerpiece.  The "falafel nazi" whistled and bobbed his head to the Arabic music that was blaring.  No one said a word. 

I approached with trepidation when it was my turn, my heart was pounding as I watched him put the food on the platter.  I was shocked when he smiled at me; when he smiled again, the guy behind me looked confused.  He smiled once more as we exchanged the food for the money and that's when the coins dropped.  I was afraid that perhaps he wouldn't give me the food because I had broken protocol with loose change.  I muttered an apology and the salaams and he mumbled a response.  I scurried away with my skin in tact. 

I couldn't wait to get home to unwrap my purchase.  Everything had slid around a bit but it was very delicious.  A bed of greens (maybe oakleaf lettuce) was topped with yogurt sauce and hummus; a side of chick peas & pearled couscous; a grilled piece of baguette; with grilled chicken, grapes, and something akin to falafel. There was also pita and a plum in the bag.  For a minute I thought I was back in Al Ain.

Easy does it

For the life of me I can't figure out why my days have been so hectic.

I made sirloin for dinner Wednesday; Thursday it was every man for himself and Friday I planned to make spaghetti but...

I spent the entire day working on a presentation (of course I had to read all of the source material).  I had just sauteed the onions and garlic when my friend called at 5 to say she was getting on the train. I was supposed to pick her up at 550, drop my son at soccer, then head to see Angela Davis at 630. It was all in the same area but the problem was I needed to cook and take a shower.

Miraculously I got the meat browned and the sauce simmering by 515 and asked my daughter to boil the noodles while I was in the shower...which she did, past al dente.  Somehow I made it to 30th Street by 6 with 3 containers of spaghetti.  She ignored my "rush job" disclaimer and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Saturday I was out the entire day and part of the night so dinner was a frozen pizza I picked up from WF.
Sunday we had a simple yet flavorful meal that took less than 30 minutes to prepare. Cod, pearl couscous, and broccoli. The only reason I made cod is because my grandmother ordered it the last time we went to Cracker Barrel...apparently cod was quite popular when she was growing up in Baltimore. 

My daughter requested that I pan sear it (clearly too many episodes of Chef Ramsey), I obliged and was quite pleased with the results.  The fish is flaky and almost sweet.  I think it's the same fish that Betty's uses...maybe I'll make a batter and serve fish and chips next time.

Balacing the beans

Abay has returned from Eritrea WITHOUT the Jebena!  I've been looking forward to learning to prepare and serve coffee the traditional way but unfortunately my green coffee beans will have to wait.  In the interim I've been able to clearly define my coffee preferences.  As promised, Zeke got the details about the DiBruno's Family Blend and now I know why I love it - Indonesian beans are my favorite (I don't know much about Honduran beans) and the roast level is precisely where I like it - full city/vienna - resulting in shiny beans and a great body.  I tend to avoid the charred bitter after taste of beans roasted at higher temperatures, unless it's a finjan al qahwah. 

I'm looking forward to experimenting at home but the missing jebena is not my only dilema.  I'm trying to cut caffeine so I've been blending 2/3 decaf beans with 1/3 regular beans.  The results have been pretty good but I think I need to get a slightly better decaf bean.  I think I may try OVC when I replenish my supply. 

Experience matters

I've become complacent with my metropolitan brie - it's fantastic for breakfast or a light dinner if coupled with almonds and a piece of fruit...honey crisp apples or red grapes are nice compliments.  The problem is, buying it has become a non-event.  I walk up to the cheese counter, grab my wedge and go...it just feels wrong.  I made the mistake of trying to engage the clerk at the South Street WF Friday night...needless to say I won't be stopping there for cheese.

I finally made it back to DiBruno's...it's the first time I noticed that the cheese is wrapped in plastic.  I was with my aunt so of course she bought olives, sund drieds, and prima donna...they were out of her French Swiss.  I ended up buying a few pickled assortments - I think peppadews are my new favorite (my daughter stuffed hers with the seasoned mozzarella balls), the house brie (almost spreadable), and the moses sleeper, a Vermont brie with a decent rind.  My daughter's on a cheddar kick so she got Beechers Flagship Reserve in honor of American Cheese month (maybe I should pull out the panini press). Matt's enthusiasm has increased and he even introduced us to a nice aged gouda...but it's just not the same without Zeke. 

I think my daughter's foreign languages (Latin & French) are becoming a bit too experiential.  Yesterday she wanted me to buy the crepe kit from Williams Sonoma.  Today it was Nutella in convenient serving size packs, but of course she needs croissants from WF to go with.  The worst part is she wants me to bring her to DiBruno's every Friday. 

Patty surprise

I think that we are finally eating within out means...eschewing our filet mignon taste to fit with our ground chuck money.

Sunday I made salisbury steak with mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts. The kids love brussel sprouts, my son likes to sword fight with the stalk.   I think brussel sprouts were one of my dads favorite vegetables but I didn't know they grew on a stalk until I got them in my CSA share a few years ago.  As long as they're not over cooked, they're simply delicious.

Tuesday I sauteed chipped steak with onions, topped with montery jack and steamed broccoli on the side.

Wednesday it was patties again.  I wanted to do a red gravy (sauce) but couldn't mentally reconcile that with potatoes so I did pasta with sauteed asparagus. I pan grilled the patties and topped the pasta as if it were a meatball. 

I don't think I cooked again until I made pancit on Saturday using frozen chicken thighs, a kohlrabi, and some bok choi that was lingering in the fridge. 

I'm embracing the reality of the economic downturn. 

Alternative

My daughter wanted to get out of the house so I suggested a walk along Kelly Drive followed by ice cream sundaes.  After a failed attempt at jogging (5K in 3 weeks), my daughter thought sundaes might not be a good idea and suggested smoothies instead.

I had a better idea - cocktail. 

Pureed mango, pureed strawberry, topped with raw agave, light cream, bananas, almonds, and pistachios...absolutely divine.

I followed my "dessert" with scrumptious spinach & asiago ravioli.

Oops

After my walk this morning I stopped in WF to refill the water, get a piece of brie, and grab something for lunch (it's Thursday so I have to plan lunch in the morning).  I ended up getting a bag of brussel sprouts because they were on sale and the ones we had for dinner last night were very good and some other miscellaneous items.  I also decided to diverge from burger night and make my grandmothers version of chicken caccitore in the crockpot before I head out the door. 

I headed to the cheese department and grabbed a piece of seaside for the kids and tasted an australian aged cheddar that I was hoping would be just as good but it was salty.  Then I asked for prima donna and the clerk offered me parrano as an option.  I asked for a sample and it was very nice.  I have gone to WF and frequently asked for prima donna and have been offered a range of aged goudas but this one hit the spot and it's cheaper.  I found a rind of robusto (parrano's cousin) in the fridge from June...I must had gotten distracted by the cherries. 

That's when I saw Brandon and started hassling him about the plastic wrap...he gave me some waxed paper to shut me up.  Then I told him how ridiculous it was that they never have prima donna...he enlightened me - there are some unnatural ingredients in prima donna hence WF doesn't carry it.  We talked a bit more and I learned that he's the head cheese guy and also makes  the mozzarella for the store.  He admitted that there any store associate can work in the cheese department but said that there are 3 people who know quite a bit about cheese.  Brandon reads the Cheese Primer and knows more about cheese than I initially gave him credit for.

Faux pas

I made two colossal mistakes yesterday.  First I drove by 9th Street and forgot to stop at DiBrunos and then I bought a piece of le petit 60% brie from Whole Foods.

The kids were happy to go to WF because they wanted more seaside cheddar.  My daughter inquired about other similar cheddars but since she wasn't talking to a cheese monger she wasn't able to broaden her repertoire.  I did ask why they suffocate the cheese by wrapping it in plastic, he said it was so that customers could easily see and buy what they wanted but offered to rewrap my purchase in wax paper.  He did agree that plastic wasn't a good choice for the bries and blues.  The crazy thing is that they sell cheese paper.

The second mistake was the brie.  The other day I struck up conversation with two Parisienne women and I noticed they had le petit in their shopping basket so of course I decided to be authentic and eschew the metropolitan brie that I've come to love.  I was foolishly impressed that it was so soft and squishy.

As soon as I arrived home, I unwrapped the cheese and was almost overcome by a pungency that bordered disgusting.  I convinced myself to forge ahead into authenticity so I cut a decent hunk to eat with some grapes.  It tasted as bad as it smelled.  I told myself that there would be a few bumps on this cheese path but when I returned to the kitchen and the smell was still lingering, I had no choice but to return the remaining brie to WF and get the metropolitan. 

Habitual Habesha

Folks were kind of expecting me to make a carrot cake to mark my daughter's 13th birthday but there was no time for that.  I did however make one of her favorite meals - qulwa and okra.  She probably could eat habesha food daily and she often comments about the simplicity of it - free from common allergens. 

My days have been flying past me and today was no different.  I took beef cubes out of the freezer on Saturday with the intention to cook them Sunday but that didn't happen.  This afternoon I had a small window in which to cook so the only thing I could do was improvise. 

I had to figure out how to do what should be a slow cooked meal in a pressure cooker.  I'm not a fan of the qulwa stir fry because I prefer simmered.  I sauteed the onions, tomatoes, and berbere and let that simmer while I cut up the meat.  I turned off the pot, ran a few errands then returned home and put the meat in the pot and turned up the pressure.  By the time I cooked the okra the meat was ready...we set up the injera, then dug in. 

Fast food

I have been on a bit of a whirlwind this weekend and have been eating on the run as a result. I took a pause and sat down at Manakeesh for lunch yesterday; their baba ganouj is delicious. After more errands we stopped by Le Bercail to see if it was the same as Soliel de Minuit (the owner called me last week to announce the grand opening that we have been awaiting since February).

I like poisson but my daughter prefers dibi; since she was paying, that's what we had. There doesn't appear to be a standard for this cuisine, it varies from place to place and chef to chef but this was decent; I'll make my final determination once I try the poissson, yassa, and okra.

This morning my husband was complaining about the liver I didn't make for dinner last night. Despite the fact that I had to get the kids to Sunday school in Devon by 10:15, at 8:30 I decided to prepare the liver for breakfast.

I quickly seasoned and put it in the marinator while I started the coffee and sliced onions. I noticed a half bag of red potatoes so I thought homefries would be a nice addition particularly since the kids wanted chocolate chip pancakes but we had no eggs.

By 930 we were walking out the door with our breadfast in to-go containers. 

Faux flatbread

I had taken a pack of ground beef from the freezer so I had to come up with something tasty for dinner that didn't involve noodles.  I took a shot at a kafta flatbread and had decent results.  I mixed the beef with cumin, cilantro, mint, onions, garlic, cloves, coriander, and other seasonings and let the concoction sit for 10 minutes or so.  I wasn't confident that I had the right blend of seasonings but I had to go with my best guess as I've never cooked Lebanese food before. 

I had my daughter roll out a TJs refrigerated pizza dough then I flattened the meat onto the dough...I couldn't decide if I should brown it first but I thought it wouldn't take long since I was using grassfed meat and the oven was very hot.  It was finished in less than 10 minutes and I topped with pickles and olives (tomatoes aren't really in season).  I think I'll try a lebnah and zatar version for breakfast this weekend. 

For dessert I attempted to make a cocktail - a refreshing Lebanese fruit, cream, and nut drink.  I really had no idea as to how to construct the drink or what kind cream to use so I assembled it like a parfait:  pureed strawberries, evaporated milk (might go with condensed next time), crushed almonds, pureed mango, crushed pistachios. 

Although I forgot to make a veggie on the side, dinner was pretty darned good. 

Noodle blitz

I am all noodled out.  Saturday I showed my Girl Scouts how to make spaghetti and meat sauce.  We were away and didn't have a lot of seasonings so we bought a jar of sauce and despite their initial protests we sauteed an onion, two heads of garlic, and a red pepper and let that simmer with the meat in the sauce for 10 minutes or so; needless to say they were quite pleased with the results. 

Sunday I tried Vietnam Cafe with my daughter.  I suppose the proximity of Vietnam to Thailand explains the similarity of the ingredients, but the taste is different.  The menu is 75% pork and I wasn't keen on farm raised shrimp so our pickings were slim.  The Muc Nuong Xa (grilled squid) was absolutely delicious and although the Cha Gio Chay (spring rolls) were more flaky than crispy, they were a bit disappointing.  The Hu Tieu Cai Thap Cam was a rice noodle soup with a clear broth was very good with the jalapenos, bean sprouts, and lime served as condiments.  The Ga Chanh was essentially a general tso's chicken and broccoli; totally disappointing - the server admitted that it was an Americanized version of the authentic dish.

For lunch Monday I went to Lemon Grass and had my regular - pad kee mao...I'm starting to wonder if I should add tamarind to my sauce so that I can reproduce the flavor at home.  I was able to pull off a $7 dinner last night of spaghetti topped with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and peas that I simmered in an arrabiata sauce - absolutely delicious and no one seemed to mind the missing meat because they were preoccupied with the missing dessert. 

Finally today I went to Thai Kuu with a friend, and as I suspected it was Americanized cuisine despite the claims on their website.  The tell tale sign was the duck sauce that accompanied the spring rolls.  Of course I had tom kha and pad kee mao and it was good but not bursting with authenticity.

I think I've had enough noodles to last for awhile.  Tonight dinner will be a bit of a scavenger hunt...I plan to finish off the piece of seaside cheddar that I picked up this afternoon. 

Enhanced

Miraculously I did not have any cheese cravings today.  I had my morning apple and brie and was fine for the remainder of the day. 

While I was in south philly, I stopped by the store to get a few things.  There was an entire wall of noodles, I suppose to supply the range of Asians in the area.  The pancit noodles were half way down the aisle, and the Thai noodles were a few feet further.  I wish I had picked up the basil and cilantro but I hadn't planned on needing them anytime soon.

I was finished with my hair appointment sooner than expected, this enabled me to cook dinner...it seems like I haven't cooked in ages.  I had taken chipped steak out of the freezer but I wasn't sure if it was going to work for cheesesteaks (sometimes chipped steak is cut too thick) so I thought I'd do a Korean style stir fry but ended up making pad kee mao since I had the rice flakes.

We enjoyed our meal but now I have a bit of a conundrum on my hands - the sauce for pad kee mao is basically a concoction of 4 sauces; although i made sure to avoid MSG, each sauce is loaded with sodium, hence the dish might as well be ramen noodles...maybe not that bad, but bad enough.  Fortunately we maintain a low sodium diet.

From cherries to cheese

I'm starting to think I've substituted my cherry addiction with cheese.  It's to the point now that I'm satisfying my hunger with cheese and a piece of fruit.  According to Mastering Cheese, the tyrosine in the cheese is fostering this addiction. 

I dashed to Whole Foods this evening between dropping my son off at soccer practice and heading to my daughter's second back to school night.  I bought concord grapes because they reminded me of the grape juice I used to drink as a child - I think this was a mistake though because my lips started itching, I kept eating them anyway, until my throat started to itch; I also picked up the metropolitan brie, but then I thought I should try something new - I met someone at the doctor's office yesterday that recommended Carlino's cheese shop and wished me well on my cheese journey - so I picked up delice de bourgogne and foolishly asked the clerk to help me distinguish between that and the brie.  He stated the obvious - it's softer and creamier - duh.  It was actually saltier, almost like a luxurious lebnah.

It's definitely time to move on from Whole Foods and perhaps brie.  Something about buying cheese at WF seems sanitized - the wonderful cheese smell is absent, largely because it's all wrapped in plastic...sucking the life right out of it.   

Addict

I have such an addictive personality. Every page I read in Mastering Cheese leaves me wanting more cheese. Fine cheese. I'm even seriously considering going to the blue cheese event at Tria next month.
Last night I went by Whole Foods on my way home from Brooklyn to get another piece of metropolitan brie, its buttery and smooth. I had a piece with an apple for my evening snack and repeated that with coffee this morning. It sustained me for 3 hours.

For my mid morning snack I decided on cheese again so I went to the Whole Foods in Plymouth Meeting and got a small piece of the cloth wrapped cabot cheddar because it was on sale, an apple, some trail mix, and a bag of Swing coffee.  Then I was faced with the cheese dilemma (and of course I didn't even bother to ask the clerks) - the pieces of metropolitan were too big so I went with soignon, a goat brie, because the piece was small enough for a single serving. It was nice but the rind was a little too thick for my taste.

Yup, totally strung out on fruit and cheese...for now.

Grazing grads

When I headed out the door towards a gathering in Brooklyn I realized that I was empty handed. I could have grabbed the cookies I made for the secretaries at my kid's school but then I would have had to make more so my only solution was a cheese plate.

I've never made a cheese plate AND I'm on a budget so I went basic: grapes, almonds, a domestic brie, and a bottle of pelligrino in case there wasn't a nonalcoholic option.  Buying cheese at Whole Foods is a non event - I wasn't confident that the "clerk" would be able to direct me to something worthwhile so I went inexpensive with metropolitan...it seemed ludicrous to pay a premium at a retail chain.

While we chatted about flooding vulnerability, urban farming, GMOs in Argentina, and the potential impact of nanontechnology; I grazed almost continuously on hummus, watermelon, sun golds, cheese, and the other snacks.  I followed that by a lemon verbana mint iced tea and a cup of potato leek soup (I had to pass on the chorizo/kale). I was literally stuffed by the time the panqueques con dulce de leche was presented but I had to oblige because it was authentically Argentinan.

Grazing beats snacking any day.

Chasing cheese

I have enjoyed cheese since I was a child, blue cheese in particular. When I think of good mac and cheese Its ooey gooey and made from a nice blend. I'm particular about pizza because nothing's worse than cheap mozzarella.

I didn't really begin to experience cheese until 10 years ago when I fell in love with prima donna and was introduced to asiago.  There are cheeses that I'm not fond of so when I'm at an event with a decent cheese plate I usually go for bries and blues with a bit of fruit.  However, it's been hit or miss when I buy cheese from TJs and try to pair it up with something.

In hindsight that seems wrong. If I won't buy "fresh" meat from TJs, why do I buy cheese.  It wasn't until I started reading Mastering Cheese that I realized should be thinking about cheese production the same way I think about meat production. It never occurred to me that a dairy cow would be fed something other than grass. I suppose that's why you can obtain "fine" cheese for a fraction of the cost.  I don't want my liquid dairy products made from cows treated with hormones and the same extends to cheese.

The book arrived today so I thought I'd read a bit before bed and thought how nice it would be to eat my last bit of brie with some cherries but when I went to the fridge I remembered that I had gobbled it all up. Its a good thing that I only buy 1/4 pound pieces because otherwise I'd be a cheese glutton.

This book has my name all over it. Its organized similarly to a textbook but written in an accessible narrative and its kind of set up like a self study course. After reading just one chapter, I've already learned quite a bit -cheese is jam packed with nutrients.  And now I know I don't have to force eggs on myself; instead I can opt for a piece of cheese and fruit and start my day off right, Mediterranean style.

I'm clearly going to have to reevaluate my budget.

Saturday night shanks

I'm really liking the randomness of this cow share.  Once weekly I send the kids to the freezer to get a pack of burgers, a pack of ground beef, and a roast or a steak.  I organized the freezer so that these items can be easily accessed - the liver and tail are on the door and everything else is organized by shelf.

I was finished earlier than expected today and I have to run to Brooklyn tomorrow so I thought I'd make the roast for a late dinner.  The roast was actually soup bones (ossobuco style).  As far as I know ossobuco is made with veal (and we all know how horrendous veal production is).  Nevertheless, I have no idea about the flavor and didn't feel like looking it up, so I went with what I knew, a stew. 

I seasoned and seared the meat, sauteed onions, carrots, and celery, added a bit of pasta sauce (because it was in the fridge leftover from my daughter's raviolis), and broth.  Then I let it cook and tossed in a clove and a sprig of thyme.  We ate it with cabbage and butter steamed potatoes.  Now that I write this, it sounds like a strange combination, but I'm literally just pulling meals together and everything was very flavorful.  Not a bad $12 meal.

Those shanks made some savory gravy.

Portion control

This budget thing is working out well.  Our dinner was less than $7 and we were all satisfied.  Yesterday I bought ONE bbq seasoned split chicken breast on sale at Whole Foods.  It was slightly over a pound so I thought we would be able to have decent portions.  Our sides were yellow grits and collards. 

We've been eating so much beef that the kids assumed it was a roast and since we rarely eat chicken, their next guess was fish.  That Le Creuset grill pan does a spectacular job with meat. 

To my daughter's chagrin, there were no cupcakes for dessert.  I did however brew raspberry riot & lemon youkou, added some raw agave and cold water and sipped it from my argo tea jar.

Prosperous palette

I knew I was in for trouble when my aunt suggested that we "run down 9th Street" - of course that meant a trip to DiBrunos.  She bought her olives, tomatoes, and peppers and I bought seafood blend and artichokes.  Then we started the cheese ordeal.  I call it an ordeal because she never knows what she wants and her palate seems to change from week to week.  Fortunately Zeke is not only patient, but he is knowledgeable enough to provide an array of samples that will guarantee a couple of sales.

The French gruyere was more subtle than the Swiss counterpart because like wine, coffee, and chocolate - cheese is also impacted by terroir (cows are what and where they eat).  Today I went domestic with noble road, a raw milk brie style cheese from Pennsylvania - even the rind was delicious; and cabot's clothbound cheddar.  Needless to say, I ate it in one sitting and finished it off with a cup of decaf.

When you cross the threshold into DiBrunos you are transported back to a time when purveyors of food engaged with their customers.  These cheesemongers know their stuff such that I learn something new with each visit. 

Because I've only scratched the surface with cheese, Zeke recommended "Mastering Cheese" so that I can learn more - I've already placed my order on Amazon (I know that's a bit of a contradiction).  The only problem I have is that cheese is paired with wine or beer so I will have to find non-alcoholic alternatives to thoroughly enjoy the experience of cheese.  Izze, spritzers, sparkling cider and grape have always seemed a bit too overbearing.   Perhaps I'll have to learn a bit more about pairings or sample vignette or one of those fancy pants sodas like dry, gus, or 12...something with a bit more zing than varietal grape juice.

Multigrain

I've been trying to be a bit more frugal when it comes to meals.  I've been accomplishing this largely by making meals out of what's available at home.  This cow share forces you to experiement with various cuts of meat.  We had delmonico steak Monday night for dinner and it was very good of course - lightly seasoned so that we could enjoy the flavor of the meat and savor the fresh killed smell.  The only issue was that I hadn't planned the side dish. 

Eating rice again didn't seem like the best plan and we didn't have any pasta.  I wanted to try to make risotto because that's what they do on Hell's Kitchen, but my internet search led me to believe that using jasmine or basmati would be disastrous, so I used oatmeal.  Not the real stuff (steel cut), the old fashioned (flattened groats) cooked in broth, then tossed with sauteed onions, peas, and parmesan added for flavoring. 

Savory oatmeal is definitely a side dish worth perfecting.

Scraps & sweets

I still haven't made it to Hmart but that's just as well because I was forced to utilize the remnants of the refrigerator.  I did a fried rice for lunch with onions, garlic, ground beef, a bit of oyster sauce, carrots, celery, and frozen peas, and a bit of tamari.  Everyone loved it. 

We desperately needed a dessert so I did a brownie cupcake based on the Ghirardelli recipe on the baking chocolate bar - I just added milk and baking soda to make them more "cake like."

The biggest problem I've been having with this cupcake maker is the tops- my last few batches have come out flat - perhaps it's the whole wheat flour, or maybe I'm not filling them enough - but they always need icing to make them look like something.

I couldn't think of a complimentary icing- marshmallow fluff or caramel might be nice but I didn't have either in stock, so I thought about a caramel glaze but that wouldn't serve the purpose of providing height so I did a brown sugar cream cheese icing (yes, I'm running cream cheese in the ground) and I topped it with a morello cherry.  Needless to say, I had several...now I need to figure out what's for dinner. 

Ciao!

I was planning to boycott the kitchen until I went to Whole Foods to get a water refill and my friend asked what I was making for dinner...she was shocked when I said nothing and as I tried to explain my rationale I realized that I needed to suck it up and throw something together. 

I wanted to go meatless since we've been consuming so much beef so I thought a pasta with some sort of bean would be ample.  I knew I had a half box of capellini, so I decided on a white sauce - she suggested green peas so we read the nutrition facts and there are 4 grams of protein per serving.  Then she said, "too bad you don't eat pork because prosciutto would be great" - I told her I could substitute with turkey bacon and that's exactly what I did. 

Garlic, onions, cream cheese, half & half, mozzarella and peas over capellini with one piece of bacon on the side.  It wasn't the prettiest meal but my daughter said "it tastes way better than it looks" as she helped herself to thirds. 

Roving gourmet

On the surface my friend and I are an odd couple - there's age, culture, occupational, religious, and ethnic differences, however we mesh philosophically and intellectually...and we have a great time when we get together.  Unfortunately this isn't often because she moved to the west coast and has been traveling the world and working on reality tv sets for the past 5 years.

We were going to meet up for coffee but I had my one cup allotment this morning so La Colombe was not an option.  We headed to Center City and she suggested Tria.  I said ok but got a little nervous as we approached a wine-beer-cheese cafe.  We sat by the window and ordered water.

We ordered 3 bruschetta and enjoyed the brie and cherry combination so much that we ordered another.  We shared a smoked chicken and cheddar sandwich because she wanted to support local (Lancaster) cheese.  And the dessert was absolutely delicious - banana, caramel, and mascarpone panino.

From start to finish the meal was relatively inexpensive with appropriate portions.  Not to mention the great conversation I had with one of my favorite people. 

I plan to recreate the bruschetta with a bit of brie and the morello cherries in my fridge or perhaps some hydrated dried cherries. I also suspect that the dessert will become a household favorite.   

A quick treat

Yesterday I went to DiBruno's with my aunt and was captivated. I haven't been there in years but as soon as you walk in the door you are greeted with an assortment of pickled treats and the pungent aroma of cheese.
I quickly told myself I wasn't going to buy anything. I fell in love with primadonna at DiBrunos almost 10 years ago, but I couldn't resist and decided to get a stuffed grape leaf and some seafood mix as a light snack.

I made the mistake of inquiring about the roaster of their house label coffee beans and I was sold when they said One Village, so I bought a bag of the family blend. 

My aunt tasted so many olives and so much cheese that she was stuffed by the time we left. She kept giving me stuff to try - I liked the gruyere, didn't care for the emmental, and parm regg is far too dry to eat as a snack. Then I messed up and had midnight moon, a goat gouda. I love chevre cheese but this was beyond expectations so I bought a piece AND a piece of primadonna. 

I came home home and brewed an excellent cup of coffee then went into sticker shock when I saw that midnight moon is $28/pound.

As seen on TV

My father-in-law is the king of gadgets.  He orders tons of stuff from infomercials and because I like to cook, he often sends me kitchen gadgets, many of which unfortunately are still in the package or haven't been used in years.  Saturday I received an Infrachef in the mail and I knew it came from him.  After dinner last night, my grandmother and I checked it out and it seems that it's basically a countertop convection unit powered by halogen, which is quite hot considering that headlights are halogen.  I will probably try it out to make a stew or perhaps steam fish. 

Then I remembered the Magic Bullet that he sent years ago that's still in the closet and the juicer that came in May 2008 (according to the postmark).  I said that I would pull these gadgets out and take a closer look.

There's no time like the present...

My son came home today very excited about the groothie he had in school.  He said it was delicious and that he wanted to get one everyday, I wasn't surprised since he loves Naked's Green Machine.  Of course that prompted me to whip out the juicer.  And I was pleasantly surprised that it was a Jack LaLanne Power Juicer that apparently produces less pulp and is easier to clean than standard juicers and it provides pointers about how to use the pulp (which I'm eager to try).  I  read through the recipe booklet and settled on my standard - carrot, ginger, apple and maybe a bit of lemon and beet for good measure. 

A word of caution...

As usual, I went into research mode so that I could optimize my juicing and then decided to put on the brakes when I came across all of the responsible juicing tips on the Juicing Book website - don't overdo it and be careful about mixing fruits & veggies (my dad used to have the same warning about my COSI's signature salad).  Both the groothie and the juices promoted by Arnold's mix kale with fruit so I guess I need to look into that a bit more.  Anyway, a word to the wise is sufficient, so instead of rushing out and buying veggies in bulk, I'm going to take it easy and see how the week goes.

Early Start

My son took a rump roast out of the freezer Friday night and I realized this morning that I wasn't sure how to make it.  I know that it's a less tender cut but I was torn because grass-fed beef contains less fat and requires a shorter cooking time so my only solution was to use the temperature probe. 

I didn't want to over power the meat with flavoring so I rubbed it (tomato & garlic paste & everyday seasoning) while it sat out of the fridge.  I created a bed of sliced onions tossed with grapeseed oil; added a 1/2 cup of water, then poured a little mustard vinaigrette over the beef.  I sprinkled with kosher salt then cooked on 500 for 30 minutes.  There was one snafu - aapparently setting a wet pot on a hot oven glass results in a crack.  The inside glass on my oven door is now cracked but according to the various online forums, it's still safe to use.  I will call Kitchenaid tomorrow to order a replacement. 

After 30 minutes, I reduced the temperature to 275 and before I knew it the beef was done.  I had started early because I assumed it would take a long time, but my meat was ready by 11am.  Next time I would probably drop the temperature to 250 to account for the convection and possibly extend the cooking time.

When I called my grandmother to invite her over I told her that I had no sides and would have to dash to the store.  She told me to go back to the fridge to try to pull something together because it didn't make sense to run to the store and buy something.  I had corn on the cob, a bag of frozen haricots verts, a bag of baby carrots, and a bag of sweet potatoes that had seen better days. 

I sauteed the green beans with onions, garlic, and tomatoes; pressured cooked the carrots and potatoes in fruit juice; and roasted the corn-on-the-cob in the oven.  I made a gravy out of the onions and drippings to heat the meat.  The meal really came together and the best part was that we ate by 4pm (I haven't eaten Sunday dinner that early in ages).

Unfortunately my grandmother didn't have enough notice to bake a cake but because everyone expects her to come bearing dessert, she stopped and bought a sweet potato pie and a rum cake.  The dessert wasn't bad but it wasn't anything to write home about either.  Homemade and store brought (or box) cakes are two entirely different things.  My son decided to read the ingredients and boy were we in for a shock.  My grandmother kept saying - why do they have to put so much stuff in it?  Shelf-life, texture, and cost were the only possible explanations.  Next time, she'll just pick up ice cream.

Minced

I am not a fan of minced meat - I think it's the texture.  And other than shepherd's pie, stuffed peppers, or burgers, we didn't really eat much of it when I was growing up.  This is why I was a little overwhelmed when I received 10 pounds of ground meat in my cow share.

I had a rather hectic day and wanted to prepare something relatively quickly.  I thought that ground meat would go nicely with the biton pancit noodles I had in the pantry so that became the dinner plan.  My son and I cut up onions, garlic, and baby carrots.  I had a bag of shredded cabbage in the fridge that was on its last legs so I put threw that in the pan after the meat browned. 

I think just about any protein goes well with pancit and this was some good tasting beef.

Cookie cake

Ghirardelli chocolate chips were on sale at Target so I bought a bag and a bar thinking that I would make brownie cupcakes.  Then I thought how great it would be if I could make chocolate chip cupcakes.  I haven't had a chocolate chip cupcake or muffin that appeals to me - the cake part is always wrong. 

I decided to transform my cookie recipe into a cupcake recipe by just altering the proportions.  I got a little carried away when I decided to go multi grain - I used unbleached white wheat flour, barley flour, and ground oats - this resulted in an almost cookie like texture that I haven't yet decided I like.  The flavor is exactly what I was looking for, although I wonder if I might need to reduce the amount of chocolate chips. 

I couldn't resist making a chocolate cream cheese icing - it was delicious and really set the cakes off.  I'm not sure my son likes it because he commented that it tastes similar to the other icings I've made - what can I say, I'm not a buttercream girl.

Bessie

I was overly excited when I picked up my cow share today.  I don't know if it was because I'll be sinking my teeth into some quality beef or just the idea of supporting local food production.  The down side is the cost - if you cross the Atlantic below 30 degrees, a "grassfed" cow is $300 rather than $2600.

I have 1/8 (40 pounds) of a cow, half of which is ground meat and patties and the other half is steaks and  roasts.  In addition I have the tail and quite a bit of liver so I'm good to go.  The deep freezer I bought 10 years ago is back in use. 

I am designating Thursday as burger or salisbury steak night because I'll be working and that'll be an easy meal (probably with a frozen veggie).  I'm also going to have to have a spaghetti night but I would like to mix it up a bit by ethnicizing (yes I just made up that word) the meat sauce, varying the shape of the noodle, and rotating the vegetable.  I think my first dish might be a bechamel, then maybe some version of a pastitsio, and maybe even a nacho lasagna. 

Now that I think about it, there's plenty to be done with ground meat other than meatballs and meatloaf.  I could go Asian with wontons or lumpia.  And I'm sure pancit with ground beef would be tasty - I could put that in my pasta rotation. 

I'm so hyped!

Brokering crops

You learn something new everyday and I just learned about the guy that gets crops from global farms to supermarket shelves - it never occurred to me that there's a guy, a produce broker. But I guess there's always a guy that pulls the deal together, particularly with commodities.

He's based down at the food distribution center, negotiates pricing with farmers, and provides quality produce to retailers by doing quality control - particularly for those fruits that continue to ripen after picking.  Now it's even more clear why the hood gets seconds - it's all about the broker and I'm thinking there's less leverage in the hood.

I was so excited I couldn't contain myself and although I am a proponent for local produce I couldn't resist requesting onions and garlic and anything interesting that comes about.  I started thinking about how great it would be to have an endless supply of weekly produce - we could really step up our vegetarian game.  I  am so fascinated that I am trying to compile questions so that I can learn more about the transportation side of global agribusiness.

The kicker is, his wife, whom I met today only buys frozen veggies because she prefers to cook them in the microwave. I couldn't believe someone would turn down the pick of the litter, right off the boat, for flash frozen.

Seashore fare

When we go on vacation I generally try to buy local foods and cook daily to save money and to have something decent to eat; sometimes dining out gets old. This weekend we did a very quick getaway so we bought only snacks and breakfast items. My friend had recommended two must eats so that was our plan.

Saturday we went to On the Bay seafood for crabs (it was actually across the street from the bay). We spent $75 for my crab feast (I ate a dozen and a half), scallops, oysters, crabcakes, and sides. Everything was very good. The only problem was the selection of drinks - they had fruity malt cocktails and fountain soda; no sweet tea, no lemonade.  I guess that's what's available in a resort town.

Several hours later we were a little hungry so we decided to grab a pizza but this was no easy feat. There are pizza places all over town but there was no way to figure out which was going to have a decent sauce, crust, and cheese.  I looked through the guide and narrowed it down based on the menu selection (I wanted a pizza place not a place that had pizza on the menu) and how many inches they were passing off as a large pie (a real pizza place sells a 16" as a large). Then I went to Yelp for reviews and settled on Billy's which ended up being a good choice.

Sunday, after a full morning we needed breakfast and decided to go to Layton's because we thought you can't go wrong with a place that serves breakfast all day. When we arrived there was a crowd and we became apprehensive about the service so again I went to Yelp and subsequently ended up going to Brass Balls, a place I would've never visited because I assumed boardwalk food is subpar and the name is a bit seedy.  Everything was surprisingly good and it was nice to have a view of the beach. 

We ended our getaway with a visit to Shrimp on the Boat per my friend's recommendation. This was a disappointment. The carolina shrimp were fresh but over steamed. The gumbo was bland and the scallops were hood. We did buy 2 raw pounds (head on) and I cooked them today.

The one place I wish we had time to visit was The Shark, looking at their website, it seems that they might be the only place that takes food seriously in that town AND they source locally when they can. I found inspiration in their menu and whipped up a few tasty treats today.  I have embraced Old Bay.

I did a chesapeake inspired pasta dish - made a marinara from the local tomatoes I purchased on the way home, sauteed "bay" shrimp, and sauteed zucchini and served it over penne.  I also made a stock from the shells and heads (since I paid for them) - I added a few splashes and this added dimension to the sauce. 

I followed this up with a batch of banana cupcakes - we had some very over ripe bananas and I didn't want to make banana bread or banana muffins, so I made less dense cupcakes - they were very good and I ended up substituting barley for half of the wheat flour because I ran out so I'm going to postulate that they were a tad "healthy" despite the vanilla bean cream cheese icing. 

Later in the evening I realized there was nothing for dinner and our cupboards were looking a bit empty.  I boiled half a box of capellini, sauteed some onions and garlic, added half a bag of seafood mix and half a bag of chopped spinach, let that steam and then added butter, heavy cream, and the remnants of cheese I found in the fridge (romano, parm, provolone, and mozzerella).  The result was a nice pasta dish that my son said reminded him of quiche. 

Uninspired

I'm ready to move beyond ethnic cuisine but just can't seem to find any inspiration.  I was able to improve my biryani by combining the Indian yogurt based method with the Pakistani tomato based method - it really kicked up the flavor. 

I've been thinking alot about my specialities - it used to be roasted chicken but I'm not really a fan of chicken anymore...I do like whole roasted fish; I actually love fish but I'm not sure I've developed any flagship sides.  I think I'll experiment with that in the weeks moving forward. The issue is that fish is substantially more expensive than chicken. I will also be consuming more beef as I bought a share in a cow - 40 pounds will be delivered on Wednesday and I'm looking forward to it. 

I did stumble upon a bit of inspiration with a BabyCakes Deluxe cupcake maker.  I saw it in BJs and asked my cousin about it - I think it's what inspired her to perfect her cupcakes and open up a shop.  I don't care for the texture of the cupcakes I make so I thought that this would help me step it up but I had to ask myself if I really needed another kitchen gadget.  I got it as an Eid gift and made a batch of cupcakes on Thursday.

I've been wanting a slice of lemon pound cake for months so I decided to make lemon cupcakes.  The cupcake maker came with some recipes so I adjusted the vanilla recipe by adding lemon juice and zest and substituting the sour cream for cream cheese.  The lemon icing recipe was basically a lemon buttercream and I actually prefer a glaze on my lemon stuff but I thought it would look odd so I made a lemon and vanilla bean cream (similar to what you would find on a strawberry shortcake) and it totally hit the spot.

Fish in a flash

Flash frozen fish is a great staple item.  In a pinch you can make a relatively decent meal.  At 6pm last night it occurred to me that I had nothing prepared for my husband and son (my daughter was at a friend's iftar).  Our refrigerator and freezer were pretty bare because I don't like to stockpile food during Ramadan. 

I grabbed the whiting and a bag of peas from the freezer and made a quick pancit with the canton noodles I had in the pantry. 

My friend not so subtly suggested that I make fish or wings and invite her and all of her kids over for an iftar tonight.  I might have went for it but I had already arranged a potential iftar for tonight.  I had convinced my other friend to make samboosa (and of course shorba) because I hadn't had samboosa since last Ramadan. 

I wasn't sure if she was going to make anything else so I thought about what I could bring that would compliment her dishes and suit their tastes.  I made salmon stew.  I knew I couldn't go wrong with fish, onions, and tomatoes.  I even added a teaspoon of bebere for good measure. 

I threw in some frozen chopped spinach and the remaining frozen peas for a hearty simple dish served over yellow grits.  Coincidentally my friend also made fish - fried fillets with rice and green peas.  Our iftar was simple yet filling - of course it's always nice to be in the company of friends. 

A new twist

My friend was somewhat offended when I referred to her pasta dishes as an Eritrean twist on classic Italian.  She insisted that her lasagna and spaghetti were "regular" and I insisted that they were far too savory to pass for Italian. 

We hosted a Girl Scout iftar on Monday and spaghetti was on the menu.  I agreed to make meatballs to make it a bit more hearty but I knew they needed to compliment the flavor of her spaghetti rather than be a typical Italian meatball.  The good thing is that although we would be serving Arabs & Indo-Paks, both cultures are familiar with a form of meatball so I felt confident that people would eat them. 

The kicker is I don't eat meatballs and have never made them but I didn't tell her that because I didn't want her to panic.  I thoroughly enjoyed the meatloaf I made so I essentially used the same recipe, substituting Italian seasonings for the onion soup mix and adding fried onions.  On Sunday my mother and I mixed 26 pounds of freshly ground beef which produced 360 meatballs.  Monday I cooked them on convection roast for about 20 minutes per batch (I checked each tray with a temperature probe to confirm doneness).  While they were cooking I simmered a savory sauce based on her recipe. 

Alhamdulilah, the food was a hit and this will be our new menu for our annual iftar.  What's more, she acknowledged that her sauce was a bit ethnic and we both agreed that worked out just fine for the crowd

As a bonus we were able to feed 80 homeless people the following day with the leftover pasta and fresh salad.  That's what Ramadan is all about!

Gravy

I picked up a pack of chicken thighs from Whole Foods on Tuesday with the intention to make smothered chicken Thursday.  Yesterday my entire afternoon slipped away from me because I was dealing with the vulturism that emerges after someone dies.  It was time to break the fast and I had no iftar.  Fortunately I had skinned and seasoned the chicken earlier in the day so all I had to do was cook it.  My only option was the pressure cooker.

I have never made smothered chicken in a pressure cooker but I figured it couldn't be that bad.  I sauteed the onions, then browned the chicken.  I poured off the oil, put the onions on top the chicken, added some water and a packet of gravy mix I had picked up from Whole Foods.  I let that cook on high pressure for about 6 minutes while I sauteed more onions, made some rice and a bit of gravy from the oil.  I threw some frozen petit brussel sprouts in the microwave and we were eating within 20 minutes. 

My mom was pleasantly surprised.  The gravy was fantastic.  And we topped it off with fresh squeezed lemonade!

Transatlantic fusion

It was finally time to cook the rockfish I picked up from Whole Foods last month.  When I seasoned it this morning I realized that it wasn't as big as I had remembered.  It was 4lbs, essentially the size of 2 whole fish, enough for a typical night's dinner.  I had invited a friend over for iftar and it was possible that my mom would stop by so I needed to figure out a plan to make the food stretch. 

I was tempted to go to the regular market to look for a reasonably priced wild caught fish but I couldn't bring myself to do it.  After my morning walk I went to Whole Foods and there was nothing available at a price point I was willing to pay - other than wild caught shrimp, which I happily bought for suhoor.  I decided that I would go with salt fish and pumpkin as my filler and that's when I realized that winter squash was not yet in season. 

I can't remember where I bought my last pack of baccalao so I headed to the Caribbean grocer and began to panic that it would be some farm raised crap from China.  It was - $3.99 for Atlantic cod from China (I was confused by that) and $6.29 for wild caught cod from Canada.  Of course I went for the wild caught.  I also picked up a kabucha (a starchy pumpkin reminiscent of an acorn squash). 

I did okra, corn muffins, and the salt fish...I cooked the fish on convection roast then sauteed a topping that had influences from my experiences with the Caribbean escabeche and the Malian poisson.  Everything was very good and surprisingly plentiful. 

Homestyle

I'm feeling pretty good about the two most recent meals I prepared.  Friday night I made tandoori chicken (in the convection oven, not a clay pot), rice, and okra. I snazzed up the rice by making it like a pseudo biryani - While I soaked the rice, I sauteed cinnamon sticks, cardamon pods, peppercorns, and black jeera.  I added the rice and a ton of fried onions to the pot, brought to a boil then simmered.  The aroma was awesome, as was the taste.

For the weekend we followed our usual routine of community iftars, but it's nice to be back in the kitchen.  The only problem is that I forgot to take something out of the freezer and this morning I discovered that I only had ground beef and ground turkey.  I was talking to my mom and she suggested meatloaf.  The problem was that I'm not a huge fan of meatloaf and I haven't cooked one in ages. 

I looked online for inspiration and found none.  Then I thought about the "Eritrean lasagna" and went from there.  I mixed the beef and turkey with parsley, thyme, lots of garlic, berbere, onion soup mix, and tomato sauce.  In hindsight I wish I had threw some fried onions in as well.  Towards the end of cooking I brushed it with a glaze that I made from ketchup, worcestershire sauce, chili sauce, and honey. 

We ate the meatloaf with the 5 pounds of mashed potatoes my aunt made and sauteed cabbage & carrots.  Everything was devoured and absolutely delicious.  I think this is one of my new comfort meals.  My mom even suggested that I use the same recipe for meatballs.

Taboo

Food taboos exist in a variety of cultures and religions.  For me, pork has always been a biological taboo because of the parasites it carries that can be transmitted to humans.  However in controlled conditions pigs can be grown with relatively clean meat and if cooked thoroughly parasites can be killed.  But that's the case with lots of meat products in today's factory system - raw and undercooked can mean a brush with death.

So what is clean?  It depends on if you're talking biology or Leviticus.  It is clear that many of the dietary laws in Leviticus 11, make a lot of biological sense, particularly for the period. 

I have been asked a million times why I eat "shellfish" - the assumption being that they are scavengers and many correlate them to undesirable insects.  I'm no biologist but I do have a basic knowledge of scientific classification, and while mollusks are distantly related to snails and slugs, and crustaceans are distantly related to insects and arachnids - they are not the same.  In fact, they only have the phylum in common and follow a different trajectory down two ranks to order.  Not to mention that attempting to apply terrestrial rationale to marine animals can be tricky.

The biggest issue is that people overgeneralize and apply terms such as scavenger loosely without understanding the organism's role in an ecosystem and what they are scavenging.  I love the flesh of filter feeders such as oysters, mussels, clams, and scallops.  I also don't mind squid, which falls into a different class of mollusk.  My concern is their ecosystem because whether or not you have fins or scales, if you're swimming in a filthy habitat then you're certainly not clean.

Comeback?

Tonight I made a pan of baked penne and topped if off with some matcha ice cream that was more like a green tea frappuccino because I didn't have time to let it ripen in the freezer.  My husband proclaimed that I'm back. I'm not sure if he means back from bereavement or back from the 7-10 year LG hiatus.

Lately I've been thinking about resurrecting Lazeez Goodeez.  I've been inspired by my cousin who is opening up a cupcake shop on Roosevelt Blvd and an acquaintance who has launched a website to sell her pound cake.  Sometimes you just have to go for it. 

This fall I will be relatively underemployed so I might as well give it a shot - carrot cakes, apple dabbles, and perhaps chocolate chip cookies. 

Reimagined

I had no choice but to snap out of the rut I've been in since my dad died.  After 16 hours of fasting, it's nice to have an enjoyable meal for iftar.  We're on a tight budget so I needed to work within the framework of what was available in the fridge. 

I thought about making a gravy for the chicken my mom had roasted, or even some sort of soup.  I already have turkey salad that I made last Thursday so I wanted to do something a little less mundane.  Stir fry seemed like a good solution.

I knew I wasn't ready to do a whole bunch of prep so I went to TJ's and bought shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, and peeled garlic.  My plan was to make a quick version of pad kee mao as I had rice flakes in the pantry.

I was able to recover 4 cups of chicken from the carcass.  I cut up an onion and the equivalent of two heads of garlic, then began soaking the noodles as directed.  I mixed up a surprisingly nice sauce (fish sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, lemon) then heated up the chili oil in the skillet.  I felt a bit exhilarated as I began to cough from the heat. 

I got a little nervous that the 8 ounce package of noodles wasn't going to be enough so I also boiled some capellini for good measure. 

I turned up the flame and quickly tossed in the onions and garlic, then the veggies.  I pushed the veggies to the side and poured in the sauce, I let it smoke then stir fried the noodles, creating two seperate dishes.  We thoroughly enjoyed it and my husband declared it as one of his new favorites. 

Lasagna with love

After my father's memorial gathering on Thursday, my sister commented that I have really good friends.  She's absolutely right.  Two of them were on their feet for the entire gathering and the Muslims came to support me despite their fasts.  I can't thank them enough.  My Eritrean friend really stands out.  She is more like her mother than she realizes.  Since my dad died last Thursday she has been desperately trying to do something to help me.  Something, anything to help.  I told her that she could best help me by taking care of her 6 kids, especially because one of her twins is sick.

Because I wasn't fasting earlier in the week, she invited me over for beef zigni for lunch.  That the first sign that she was becoming Abay.  The meat and onions were cut up small and we ate together - eating together is a big deal to Abay.  When I left, I told her that she could relax now that she had finally did something. 

She asked about the menu as if she was going to try to cook something.  First of all, she has too many small children to pull something like that off.  Secondly, it was a menu based on my Thanksgiving favorites, which is outside of her expertise.  Her flagship dish is lasagna and of course zigni.

Thursday night she said that she would make lasagna for us for Friday.  I thought that was an admirable gesture but considering that her baby had an appointment, I didn't think it would come to fruition.  When she called Friday saying that she would have the lasagna ready by 630 I was shocked.  My husband was excited because I have barely cooked anything this week.

I've seen her lasagna many times but I never ate any because it doesn't really look like lasagna because it's dark and very saucy.  I knew it had to be good because the Italians colonized Eritrea and it's her flagship dish.  I put the lasagna in the oven for 40 minutes as instructed and the aroma filled house, letting us know that people still live here. 

We ate it with string beans and it was absolutely delicious.  It doesn't taste like traditional lasagna...my husband called it African lasagna...but you could taste the love she was trying to send my way.  The next time I make lasagna, I'm going to use her recipe - the spices & the love.

Breakfast of champions

I am too tickled with the breakfast I made today.  We're winding down our visit so we're just cooking what's on hand.  I had a pack of Wellshire's uncured beef bacon, a few eggs, and some fruit.  I'm not a fan of eggs but my aunt used to make a turkey bacon and fried egg sandwich on raisin bread with strawberry jam so I thought I'd go with something along those lines. 

I went out in search of english muffins because I didn't want to buy a loaf of bread and I was certain it would all contain hfcs anyway.  I ended up buying a small artisan baguette which I cut into 4 pieces and topped with some bananas that I caramelized, a fried egg, and a piece of bacon.  It was an absolute toetapper. 

As seen on tv

It's a good thing that I don't watch a lot of television...I'm clearly easily influenced.  I've been flipping between Animal Planet and the History Channel all day and the Modern Marvels just kept sending me into the kitchen - watching the episode about the potato chip had me popping corn on the stove; the cheese episode send me for a few slices of aged gouda; and finally ice cream inspired me to make a quart of nectarines and cream. 

We brought a few nectarines from home and three have been sitting in the fridge since we got here...they were soft and a bit mushy so it was clear that no one was going to eat them.  I had half & half and sugar...all I needed was heavy cream.  I walked to get some and was almost tempted to buy some vanilla but I prefer the paste for ice cream so I passed.  Fortunately the molasses still contained in unrefined sugar added a bit of umph. 

I think that was lunch...having leftovers for dinner and will probably make the cantaloupe sorbet for dessert.

Mason-Dixon

This summer we weren't up to taking that drive into the Carolinas.  Instead we opted for National Harbor.  I've previously mentioned that I am not necessarily a fan of this pseudo public place - I can't help but wonder if there has been a negative impact on the residents of Oxon Hill having access to the waterfront.  But, it's a great change of scenery.

The one good thing is that there is both a Whole Foods and Trader Joe's located in Old Town Alexandria - I have not been able to locate these stores in the parts of South Carolina that we frequent - maybe because the demand is not there.  I suppose the reality is that these stores appeal to folks of a particular demographic who have been disconnected from food production. 

Upon arrival we went to both stores to get our basics but I did not buy any produce because my master plan was to procure it locally since I had crossed the Mason-Dixon line into the South. I did however get ground beef and a butterflied leg of lamb from Whole Foods.  I went to Maine Street Fish market for our traditional dinner and bought some Carolina shrimp and was a bit dismayed at the limited selection of wild fish. I think my fear is to the point that if it's not coming directly out of the water, then I am only buying from Whole Foods.

The DC Metropolitan area is quite urbanized but fortunately I was able to locate a "farm" just a few minutes away in Clinton, MD.  Miller's Farm put me in mind of the family farm stores in our area.  I bought kale, okra, vidalias (obviously not local), dried cayennes, cantaloupe, and sugar baby watermelon - $20.

After a misguided trip to Annapolis to inject money into the economy via Nordstroms and Borders we arrived back at 915p.  The kids got into the pool and I went ahead with dinner as planned.  I seared the lamb and cooked it in the oven for 30 minutes.  I carmelized onions, added tomatoes, and cooked the best okra I've had since I can remember.  I also made the kale and a watermelon sorbet.  Today I'm planning a cantaloupe sorbet.

I've been watching America Eats on the History channel - salty snacks, sodas, and ice cream.  I think my next experiment is going to be soda syrup.