9/2/09 Guest Drink Special...the "SURE!"- tini

My friend Mary was over this week was kind enough to bring over some yummy tropical sherberts which were just begging to be paired with a bottle of Absolute Mango that was donated to the liquor cabinet. Since she is the resident mixologist she did he honors of coming up with an amazing drink and shared the details with us all here:

We decided to drink our dessert this evening to unwind after a long, hard, hump-day and naturally, celebrate our daily achievements. Not wanting your usual run-of-the-mill beer or martinis, we took a different route and made things a little fruitier and more dessert-like. We decided to call it the "SURE!-tini".


SURE!-tini
Ingredients:
2 parts Absolut Mango Vodka
1 1/2 parts Pomegranite/Acai Iced White Tea (We recommend Turkey Hill)
1 Splash of Lemonade (We recommend Simply)
Garnish with 1 small scoop of Mango Sherbet (if in Jersey City, this absolutely must be procured at Torico's)

Instructions:
Drop sherbet scoop into martini glass
Chill vodka in shaker and strain into martini glass
Add Tea and follow with one splash of lemonade
Enjoy!

Round two....with a bit a fresh peach!

9/1/09 - Field Trip to Torico's Ice Cream in Jersey City

So after devouring about 6 lbs of fresh Fillet Mignon at dinner we decided to make a trip out to the local ice cream parlor. With too many flavors to mention it was quite the decision to make (especially after more that one bottle of wine) and a number were sampled before the final scooping


Carla - Cherry Vanilla & Mint Chip
Tova - Pumpkin Pie & Almond Coconut
Stephen (and Jeremy who wasn't available to choose)- Pumpkin Pie & Poundcake
Jess - Avocado & Pumpkin Pie
Mary - Dulce de Leche & Cookie Dough


The avocado was a big hit making Jess question her BF's skills as it made everything tingle!

I think that an ice cream maker is in my near future... I just can't resist a treat.

9/1/09 - Steak for 6!

So tonight was one of the larger crowds I have had over for a non-party dinner..... things got a little confusing as dinner time approached but I had planned most dishes ahead so it wasn't too bad. And luckily with steaks its easy as tossing them on the grill for a few minutes and serving! However as always we have our favorite vegetarian to consider so some eggplant was also served up as her tasty treat. During dinner the discussion turned into our (irrational?) food fears (dislikes? hates?) --- seems that texture is the worse offender with raw tomatoes leading the pack on most feared. Anyone out there want to share with the class the food that you love to hate?

Dinner was served family style since everyone had different tastes. I went with cold sides for the most part given the easy prep and seasonal produce available. The steak was barely seasoned with a tiny bit of Salt and Pepper then served a bit closer to medium than medium rare for my liking but luckily it still was quite tasty. The rice blend was done in the electric rice cooker (and again started a few minutes later than it should have been as we had to break into a bottle of wine while we waited for it to pop). The other two sides were a bit of "left overs" from the previous night. After our Lobster Boil we were too stuffed to consider the tomato salad so it was nicely marinaded and juicy....perfect for the 7 grain boule from Fairway. The 3 bean salad started out with beans and ended up with a bit of everything tossed in!


3 Bean & Potato Salad
1 can of red kidney beans
1 can wax beans
1 can garbanzo beans
2 c sliced cooked potatoes (baby red)
1 jar marinaded artichoke hearts
2 shallots- diced
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp fresh sage - diced
salt & pepper

1) drain and rinse the beans - place in large bowl
2) dice artichoke hearts and add
3) add remaining ingredients + 1 tbsp artichoke marinade liquid and mix




This is the vegetarian version with the eggplant in the upper left corner - all the sides were prepared the same way.

Pan-Fried Eggplant
1 eggplant - skin removed and cut in 1/2" slices
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp dry basil
1 tbsp dry parsley
salt & pepper

2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp butter

1) place eggplant slices on paper towel and salt - let sit 20 min to remove excess moisture
2) place in bag with remaining ingredients and let marinade 20 min
3) add oil and butter to hot pan - add sliced of eggplant - cover
4) flip after 5 min - cook 5 more min or until soft

8/31/09 - Lobster Boil..... hopefully not the last of the season!

Tonight we had a guest over but as always I couldn't pass up lobsters on sale at Fairway so after a quick call to determine her thoughts on lobster (a definitive yes.... though later she did admit that this was her first time eating one whole) I had four (one extra for salad tomorrow) 3lb lobsters in my cart ready to go. Of course no lobster boil is complete with out a few dozen little necks and some corn and potatoes. What kinda New Englander would I be with out a proper lobster boil

After amusing ourselves with lobster races across the counter we noticed there was one thing missing..... a pot large enough to cook everything at once! So instead of an easy one pot supper tonight ended up using quite the jumble of pots and pans to fit everything. We do have some vegetarian friends however so it was probably best to keep the corn and potatoes from the shellfish.
The lobsters went into my largest soup pot two at a time while the clams were steamed in some shallot and white wine. Corn and red potatoes were boiled up and served with some butter and old bay seasoning. Not as pretty as the blues from last night but still local (I did an epic run through the farmers market on the way home from work buying peaches, potatoes, tomatoes and corn in less than 5 min flat!)


About 20 min later it was lobster cracking time! Lets just say the clean up efforts lasted longer than the feasting..... however after removing lobster spray from all 4 walls of the kitchen everyone seems to be relaxing fully satisfied.

8/30/09 - Marinaded Pork Medallions with Purple Potatoes and Peppers

The purple peppers in this weeks CSA batch were quite the surprise. I also learned this week that peppers are considered nightshades like eggplants and tomatoes! I also have tomatillos (another nightshade) from this delivery that I need to roast as well but the heat makes me reluctant to use the oven. I had quite the array of pots and pans out today however so I am not sure it would have made a difference. The star of tonight's dinner was the nice fresh corn that is really perfect right now. We have been getting ears at the market each week as I can't resist the barrels full.


Tonight's dinner was a simple bottle marinade (Papaya, Champagne and Molasses) in the pork tenderloin for about an hour prior, then in the grill pan on each of its 4 sides for about 7 min each (with a cover on the grill pan) and then cut into thick slices and placed back on the grill for 4 min per side. I think I might try to cut it before I cook it next time however as it will be even less time with all the burners going. The purple potatoes were cubed and boiled then added to some sauteed mixed peppers and red onion. I finally have whole corn to show as my other pots were occupied and I didn't have to split them in half.



And yet another tomato salad with the remaining arugula. I can't help slicing up these nice fresh tomatoes as they don't last forever. I think that I will end up with another chance to photograph another version of the cubed, caprese salad from smitten kitchen before the end of the week.



The purple pepper meeting its demise

8/26/09 - Miso Marinaded Salmon w Lime Ginger Glaze & Asian Veg Quinoa

The was some wild caught salmon on sale this week at Fairway and since I had my fish only friend over I decided that it would be perfect. I signed up for this cooking class that featured a miso marinade and so I got the idea in my head. I looked around online and after a quick vote between some friends I had my winner. The winner ended up being from Cooking Light which is definitely a favorite for online and since I had almost everything (no limes) I was ready to go.


The recipe for the fish was actually very easy I was almost surprised at how little time it took! The salmon got a marinaded while I got the veggies ready for the quinoa. I prepped the glaze while the quinoa was resting and then made the salmon, coated in black sesame seeds, on the grill pan. I garnished the place with some Thai pepper sauce.

Miso Marnaded Salmon (I had 2.5 lbs or so)
1/4 cup red miso
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons rice wine

1) combine all ingredients into a paste and smear all over fish - let rest in refridgerator for at least 20 min

Lime-Ginger Glaze
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons ginger - shaved with a microplane

1) combine and heat in a saucepan on med -low
2) let reduce until thick 10-15 min
3) remove from heat and let sit - serve over fish or rice

Asian Veggie Quinoa
1 c quinoa - rinsed
2 c water

1 /2 green pepper - diced
1 shallot - diced
1 summer squash - diced
2 c mushrooms - diced
1 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp low sod soy sauce

1) boil water and quinoa in pan - remove from heat and cover until water is absorbed
2) heat olive oil in pan and add peppers and shallots
3) add squash, mushroom and soy sauce and combine over med heat - 10 min
5) add veggies to quinoa and serve




I recycled last nights tomato salad for this but added some fresh basil which I finally found at the farmer's market today and some Arugala and Fresh Mozzarella - I added Truffle Oil since I have had it and wanted to use it on something!

Fresh Mozzarella Salad
1/2 box Arugala
1 c fresh basil - diced
1 ball fresh mozzarella - in thick slices
2 c tomato salad
1 tsp per salad truffle oil
1 tsp per salad balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper

8/24/09 - Pan Seared Scallops w Wild Rice, Tomato Salad and Spicy Summer Veggies

Tonight's dinner was actually planned for Wednesday but plans change and so we ended up eating these delicious local scallops with a tomato salad (yay for the CSA! Farmer Rich found us some tomatoes!), a zucchini and green pepper blend and some wild grain rice. A nice delicious meal with almost every thing locally-sourced (the rice unfortunately is not from NJ)..... not bad for a city girl!



As always don't forget to get the rice cooker started especially early (40-50 min for 2 c rice) when using wild rice mixes. I should have set mine out about 10 min or so earlier because we had to wait a bit for it to pop! I can't really complain - making rice is just so easy when you use an electric cooker. The scallops were dried on paper towels and then seared in a hot pan with some oil and a bit of butter to brown them.

Mixed Tomato Salad
1 yellow plum tomato
3 zebra tomatoes
1 large red tomato
1 lemon cucumber
2 cloves garlic - finely diced
2 tbsp good olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper
basil (I couldn't find any fresh this week! what is going on so I used some that I have dried)

1) combine ingredients and place in refrigerator for at least 20 min to chill and ingredients to blend

Spicy Summer Vegetable Mix
1 zucchini - 2 " sticks
1 summer squash - 2" sticks
1/2 onion - rough chopped
1 green bell pepper - 1" strips
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp red crushed pepper
salt & pepper

1 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp shallots - diced

1) combine top ingredients and place covered in refrigerator to combine (at least 20 min)
2) add oil to pan, cook shallots until translucent
3) add vegetable mix and cover - cook 5 min
4) stir and recover - continue on med for 5 more min

8/25/09 - My CSA Share

Today was the first day this year I was late picking up my share but a few extra hours outside didn't seem to hurt anything. We got 2 full bags this week...some of the peaches didn't make it to the photo shoot! I can never resist eating one of these amazingly fresh peaches.... usually in the car on the way back!


Clockwise from the top left 2 eggplant, a yellow beefsteak & a purple bell pepper, bowl of zebra tomatoes and red and yellow plums, red lettuce, flaming furry peaches, tomatillos & 2 lemon cucumbers and a zucchini. In the center are 2 cippolini onions.

8/21/09 - Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes

Friday night turned into girly night and of course champagne and wine turned to talk of chocolate and then baked goods were needed! After finding a post on a blog for a cake made with zucchini and chocolate (but using annoying buttermilk! who keeps this on hand?) I did a quick search and came up with a recipe my pantry could handle.



This recipe isn't really healthy despite the addition of grated zucchini but I did decrease the amount of oil found in the original (1 1/2 c) and I do think that apple sauce or another sub could make it even better. These cupcakes were so wonderful because they were rich and almost creamy so be careful when baking and go for under done rather than over!

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes (12 cupcakes and 2 mini-cakes)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups grated zucchini

1) mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
2) blend in the eggs and oil, mix well
3) stir in zucchini
4) distribute into lined cupcake tins and place in over
5) bake for 30 min a 350 or till toothpick comes out clean.

taken from: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chocolate-Zucchini-Cake-III/Detail.aspx

8/20/09 - Mango Cilantro Chicken

Wow tonight's dinner was an absolute surprise winner! I haven't been feeling good and I am not sure if it is allergies or a cold so a day of rest on the couch had me feeling a little lazy. I almost agreed to have burgers made by Jeremy but I knew I had stuff to use in the fridge. I tried to describe to him what I wanted but as soon as I tried to figure out my instructions I ended up on my feet.

It had just the right amount of heat from the hot peppers but the mango and salsa sweetened it a bit. It would have been nice to marinade the chicken a little longer but it was nice and juicy even with the 20 min or so while I prepped the veggies.

Mango Cilantro Chicken
10 chicken tenders
2 tbsp island mango marinade

2 carrots - cut into matchsticks
1/2 onion - 1" slices
2 green bell peppers - 1" slices
1 jalepeno - seeds and membrane removed - finely diced
1 lt green hot pepper - seeds and membrane removed - finely diced
2 tbsp island mango marinade
2 tbsp cilantro
2 tsp fresh squeezed lime juice
1 tsp olive oil

1) marinade chicken for 20 min or more
2) heat oil in wok pan
3) add chicken- flip after 4 min
4) add carrot, onion and peppers - cover 5 min
5) add mango marinade and stir together - cover and cook 3 more min
6) remove from heat and add lime and cilantro
7) serve either on a tortilla or alone

I also added some (freshly) grated Jarlsberg cheese (which was wonderful- I am going to have to sub this for cheddar again!) and some Trader Joe's Salsa Verde