Three Strange Days

So the past three days were a trial. I post this so everyone knows that every meal is not perfect. I experiment alot, and I had a good run, but got a serious thumbs down on Sunday's meal. Of course the luxurious Sat. meal pretty much set me up for a fall.

Sunday I personally loved what I made, but I really like vegetarian food and cilantro. The boy likes vegetarian food, but not so much cilantro. Sunday's meal of Asian eggplant in coriander (cilantro) sauce (he hated it) was served with Basmati rice (of course this was fine), tart mango (ewwww! too tart), a sesame cucumber salad (Actually really good flavor wise, but I prepared it wrong, and it was super wet and gushy.) and a pretty bad cold sake. I am spoiled now that I have had the nice sakis from Geisha. My goodness it was lovely to look at, but did not go over well.

Monday was basically an apology meal of a favorite and simple New Orleans special Smoked Sausage with Red beans and rice. Applause all around. Everyone under the sun makes it different. This dish is so fun because if you make it without a recipe like I do, it tastes a little different each time.

The basic ingrediants are a whole smoked sausage, an onion, as many garlic cloves as you want, and a green pepper sauted in olive oil or butter. Then you would add your beans (2 cans or 4 c soaked dried; black or red), tomatoes (5 fresh chopped or 1 large can), some liquid to cover it all with (about 1 cup broth and/or liquor such as sherry, wine or beer) and various spices, in combinations as simple as thyme and bay alone or this time as complex as thyme, bay, oregano, smoked paprika, and a chipotle pepper to finish off the combo. Of course don't forget to salt and pepper...bring to a boil and then cover, reduce heat to simmer for about 25 minutes. Taste for seasoning, I often add some hot sauce to it and then serve a scoop or two over warm rice with hot sauce on the table as well. It is a meal better suited for nip of fall or the chill of winter, as it tends to make you sweat and your nose run...but dang its good. A bizarre $3 wine from Kroger by Lost Vineyards of Italy, a Lambrusco, was bizarre, but I think I liked it. We served it chilled.

Tuesday, today was very simple. A potage froid (cold soup) made on the weekend and finished with yogurt, fresh thyme and chives and a salad of spinach, mizuma, a few krinos olives (we are becoming addicted), and a dressing of a few drops of white truffle oil and sea salt. A Sweetwater 420 finished off the meal perfectly.

We are grateful for: doggies and garden (check out those tomatoes!).

It's getting late now, and I think I need a fat free splenda creamsicle! Please let there be a grape one left...