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Oh yum, such a comforting dish.

Yum! Love Risotto almost any way it is fixed. My fav is mushroom with a hint of truffles.
mike

Tonight we had a seared and roasted rib eye steak, Yukon Golds in very thick slices and roasted in EVOO, and pureed Blue Hubbard squash from the freezer. We washed all down with a Knapp Finger Lakes Merlot. Time for a Knapp!

We love roasting a whole chicken, because we can do so many things with it after, especially with a busy week coming up. So, tonight is one of our faves, a Patricia Wells roasted chicken that is turned four times during the cooking process, and has a butter and fresh herb mix rubbed under the skin and all over the chicken. Roasting along with the chicken during the last hour will be young carrots and parsnips. I made a mashed celeriac/potato, roasted garlic, and chive dish, and a Japanese Napa cabbage salad with a miso/soy/lime dressing.

Just went to see Dr. Michael Roizen speak at our club. Came home and ate brown rice and Swiss chard sautéed in a little EVOO.
I don't think I"ll ever eat sugar again.

Please tell more Carrie, about what you learned. By the way, how did you make the brown rice taste good? I have a cousin who eats it for breakfast. On a family outing one time, I almost gagged when I caught a whiff of the brown stuff in her bowl. I love all types of rice, but mine are usually have one or two ingredients that add lots of aromatic flavors. Wine, home made chicken stock, fresh herbs, real Parmesan, or veggies. Brown rice is challenging for me.

It was fascinating Karen. He is a genius. Of course, the worst things we can eat are: 1) Sugar, 2) Saturated fat. He recommends that we completely eliminate all red meat from our diet. He recommends one glass of alcohol (he said any alcohol will do, not just wine) for women and two for men per day. No more than that though. He said everyone should get a pedometer and walk at least 10,000 steps per day. Get your heart rate up to 80% maximum for 21 minutes at least three times per week. I found this short version of his presentation. I found the first part about our artery repair system, extremely interesting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVbAa5p61bM He writes the "YOU" books with Dr. Oz. They are great. Full of terrific information about living a healthy life. He gave us his lastest "YOU Being Beautiful" and it's really more about health than beauty. I love it. They are very cleverly written. http://www.doctoroz.com/books/all?type=you.

RE: Brown rice, I used Lindburg brand short grain. I tried making it sort of like a pilaf. Sauteed it with some shallots, chopped pecans and some whole grain vermicelli (broken into small pieces) until it all browned slightly, then added chicken broth and some chopped Italian parsley and followed the cooking instructions from there (bring to a boil, cover then simmer 45 minutes.) It was REALLY good.

[Jenise]

Tonight we had a seared and roasted rib eye steak, Yukon Golds in very thick slices and roasted in EVOO, and pureed Blue Hubbard squash from the freezer. We washed all down with a Knapp Finger Lakes Merlot. Time for a Knapp!

You're not helping me squelch the rare-beef jones that has been building in my head for some time. May have to give in today!


What we had last night: I had a big container of onions I'd sweated down lightly for use in a breakfast dish yesterday that I didn't end up doing after all. So where last night I had planned to make spaghetti of some sort, at the last minute I decided to turn those onions onto a French onion soup. It was purely conventional: beef broth, thyme, some garlic too, white vermouth, yada yada. And at some point, I managed to taste it after pinching off a piece of the cinnamon-espresso coffee cake I'd made for breakfast, and the coffee flavor with the onion was one of those moments. Very unusual and VERY compelling. And that was all it took to set me off in a whole new direction, creating a soup I called an "onion cappucino". I pureed the conventional onion soup with espresso powder and sour cream, thickened it just a little, then made a creamy foam to go on top along with some croutons of multi-grain bread pan fried with a little butter and white truffle oil. In a linear sense, the flavor progression was onion and thyme, complex beef stock, a hint of truffle and then a satisfying, lingering coffee essence. It was one of the most refined, complex soups I've ever eaten.

And the huzz was apparently no less smitten. He woke up this morning, rolled over, and his first words were: "You ARE going to write a tasting note about that soup, aren't you?"

For a "cold" California night.

[Jenise]

For a "cold" California night.

Looks divine, Jason. Bean soups have no equal when it's cold. That's red kale on top?

[Robin Garr]

Frittata with local free-range eggs, fresh spinach, piquilla peppers, green bell peppers and lots of garlic.

"onion cappucino". I pureed the conventional onion soup with espresso powder and sour cream, thickened it just a little, then made a creamy foam to go on top along with some croutons of multi-grain bread pan fried with a little butter and white truffle oil. In a linear sense, the flavor progression was onion and thyme, complex beef stock, a hint of truffle and then a satisfying, lingering coffee essence. It was one of the most refined, complex soups I've ever eaten.

I think you need to put a pint of this into a tupperware and mail it to me. Otherwise, I... I... I don't believe you!

Looks divine, Jason. Bean soups have no equal when it's cold. That's red kale on top?

It is some type of kale ... can't remember which

Jason

[Jenise]

I think you need to put a pint of this into a tupperware and mail it to me. Otherwise, I... I... I don't believe you!

Enchiladas tonight with 2 kinds of roasted chili's, and tomatillo sauce. A salad of arugula, cukes. celery, roasted almonds with cocoa vinaigrette.

[Jenise]

Karen, tell us about that cocoa vinaigrette.


Dinner here tonight is going to be crab cakes on mache lettuce paired with canapes of dense, thin whole grain European 'bread' topped with goat cheese and lox-style salmon.

Here is the basic recipe:

Baby arugula (I used from my garden, the new shoots coming in now are really full flavored)
Sliced, roasted almonds
Celery
English cucumber

Vinaigrette

1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp, unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup good fruity evoo
1/4 cup balsamic (I like Trader Joe's balsamic from Modena for everyday use, it is not like syrup)
Shaved Parmesan for garnish
Dress salad with enough dressing to coat only

[Jenise]

Very interesting dressing, I'll have to try that. Might be something to consider for next week, too, when I'm helping a friend prepare a multi-course dinner for a Merlot tasting.

Speaking of wine, tonight's the neighborhood tasting. I'm taking a platter of barely cooked haricot verts that I'll dress with a sundried tomato vinaigrette and top with a wide swath of feta cheese.

Tonight is a simple pasta dish with Linguine, sea scallops and calamari steaks cut into chunks with a white wine, lemon, butter and garlic dressing and garnished with sweet basil. Salad of arugula, mizuna, red leaf lettuce, and other assorted greens from the garden, cherry tomatoes, Asian cuke, green onions with a lemon, hazelnut oil vinaigrette. I have a nice rosemary, olive oil baguette to soak up some juices!

Karen,
Not familiar with calamari "steak". Is it a section of the body, flattened into a square or rectangle or a fat ring ?

[Robin Garr]

Thai-style red coconut curry with broccoli, onions and tofu.

Karen,
Not familiar with calamari "steak". Is it a section of the body, flattened into a square or rectangle or a fat ring ?

Calamari steaks are usually known as "Grande Calamari" (or sometimes, "Humboldt Squid"). It is the squid body cut into segments and flattened. Mine came three to a package and are already tenderized. I cut the round steak into strips and then into bite size chunks. They only took about two minutes to brown and were done. Excellent flavor and so buttery, and were great with the sea scallops in my pasta. I love calamari steaks....not so much the rings of calamari however. They are a visual "ick" to me. In fact, the steaks are the only way I have ever had them. I first saw the rings at our new seafood market when they opened.

[Jenise]

Having friends over for dinner tonight. Had planned on lamb but not how/why or what to do about the other courses because I didn't have a theme and without a theme I have no parameters within which to gain traction. I never just make this and that and that because they're good--there has to be some symbiosis or inherent attraction even if I'm the only one who knows it's there.

I had to make an unexpected trip to Seattle on Thursday and while there killing time I made a stop at Uwajimaya, the coolest Asian grocery store ever. And there I found the needed inspiration which had been staring me in the face all along like Dorothy's ticket back to Kansas: onions and garlic. After all, I'd made one course, that divine onion-espresso soup earlier in the week. That will be the second course with a pinot noir. First course will be bibb lettuce, escarole, radish sprouts and fresh chives in a chopped shrimp vinaigrette with chardonnay, and third will be Dukkah-crusted rack of lamb, smoked paprika-roasted cippoline onions, pea vines with garlic, garlic-fried fresh hedgehog mushrooms and a zinfandel reduction. All that will be served with an older Washington cabernet. Another guest is bringing a dessert to pair with the 1979 port I'm pouring.

Having friends over for dinner tonight. Had planned on lamb but not how/why or what to do about the other courses because I didn't have a theme and without a theme I have no parameters within which to gain traction. I never just make this and that and that because they're good--there has to be some symbiosis or inherent attraction even if I'm the only one who knows it's there.

OMG, that is something I usually do when entertaining, never the theme per se, but maybe featuring one ingredient that enhances each dish. Usually, I make this or that, but they must be very good this or thats! Sometimes, I do Mexican, Portuguese, Cuban, French, Italian....but it is rare that I will do all the sides from that theme. Your dinner sounds lovely.

I love Uwajimaya. Linda Stradley took me on a shopping excursion there. I spent a lot of money ....had a ball!

[Robin Garr]

Plant-based BelgIan-style carbonnade à la flamande made with Gardein "beefless tips," deeply browned onions and garlic, Dijon mustard and fresh thyme and Upland wheat beer.

Tonight was chicken breasts pan sauteed in an orange glaze: 1/2 cup orange juice, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp mustard, zest from 1 orange, tarragon, s+p simmered briefly; then introduce the breasts and, later, orange segments; when done, remove the breasts, add a splash of wine and a pat of butter to finish the sauce. Served over couscous. I used blood oranges so I got beautiful color and a 'darker tone' to the flavors. A good Saturday-of-Valentine's-Day dish.