Just a small note about several little things....(a) the new martini glasses the parents gave us...they are chic, can be frozen in the freezer prior to use, and were a dollar each at the Goodwill!
(b) the great version of dirty martini the boy has been making lately:
Dirty Giadiniera Martinis
2 oz gin
1 oz dry vermouth
1 splash of juice from Giadiniera
shake well with ice and serve up in chilled martini glass
garnish with several pieces of Giadiniera
Giadiniera is an italien favorite consisting of pickled vegetables, frequently found on antipasti plates. Ours consists of red peppers, carrots, celery and cauliflower.
(c) On that same "pickled" note. I love very strong french cornichons, or baby pickles I get from the Farmers market. The other day I got some of the "Baby Baby" Jalapeno Kroger brand pickles and fell in love. They are @#!# awesome. So many dills just don't have enough pep for me. Another fantastic pickled item is the string beans from Stripling's. Their beef jerky is also out of this world, a great present for a dad.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Food Diary #2 Atlanta
The parents recently visited and as usual we participated in daily gastronomic indulgence.
Saturday
"Country Day"
We drove to Palmetto, Georgia and visited the Cochran Mill Nature Center, where I volunteer. We also met up with some locals there and did a photo shoot with my obliging father playing a traditional southern character involving guns, overalls and grimaces...I can not divulge much more information than that for the moment as it would spoil a surprise. Following the photo shoot we drove to the Serenbe Community, which is a luxurious live/work/play neighborhood I had my eye on, but my pocketbook off. We explored the development, had a beer at the charming Blue Eyed Daisy cafe and shop, and then dinner at The Farmhouse at The Inn at Serenbe, a beautiful, quaint, mere 18 room, B & B located on acres of green pasture, gigantic cows, idyllic lakes for rowing and quiet white clapboard porches for afternoon teas. The setting was superb.
The Farmhouse
Hmmm. For all it's reviews and hullaboo (all over the AJC, online reviews and even a mention in Bon Appetit) I expected to be wowed. It was very beautiful, and a lovely departure from the norm for a unique dining experience, but several things put our experience off, just a bit mind you.
First was the slight inconvenience of being afraid of getting lost, so we left early and arrived earlier than our reservation, but there was nothing to do until our reservation...we had hoped to perchance have an ice tea on the porch or a mint julep (though they don't have a liquor license yet...), but we were not offered anything. So we we drove back into Serenbe and had our aforementioned beer.
The meals here are Prix Fixe, three course with your choice of main course. I admit I was happy to not have to make any decisions about what to eat. It set a relaxed tone to the meal. The best part of the dinner we had was the first course, a very delicate, almost nutty puree of a cauliflower soup. All of us decided it was quite good and anticipated our main courses with high hopes, but unfortunately they were only okay. Good and fresh, but not mind blowing. We had a nice fish, rabbit tenderloin/backstrap and rabbit forequarters. The backstrap was the most delicious of the three, being juicy and tender with crisp skin. The forequarters were just too difficult to get any meat off, or perhaps they were slightly over done and the majority of the meat was too hard/crisp, in any case, the father, a frequent "chewer of bones" was not impressed with it and eyed my backstrap jealously...he was rewarded with several sweet bites. The dessert, a banana cake with chocolate sauce and bananas something like foster was nice, but again, not mindblowing.
As we enjoyed our coffee in the serene setting, the child sitting behind me began to sing. She had a sweet voice, and we all beamed at each other across the table with childhood memories aflight. However, she didn't stop singing. And five songs later her mother joined her in chorus. Our smiles turned to serious frowns. No one said a word to them. Mind you, the dining room here is very "cozy" with probably around 20 tables max in a very small room Needless to say it did not help my meal end on a happy note. If I am paying a reasonable sum for my dinner experience, I assume it will not be accompanied by an eight year old singing in my ear. If I want that, I can stay in Atlanta and go to Chili's or Joes' Crab Shack. I love kids, don't get me wrong, but I expect good behavior from both children and parents if they choose to visit a nice restaurant. Use common sense. God knows how many times I took the baby outside to calm it while at New York restaurants, so I would not disturb any other's meals. One song was sweet; the whole operetta was souring.
In any case, I would say the setting here was lovely, the freshness of the ingredients was nice (a big thing they are touting is the organic fresh ingredients from the farm, thowever our waiter did not know if the meat was organic, though he did know it wasn't from the farm...), the service was workable, and the food nice. There was a very cool open kitchen area you could peek at the cute chefs working at. I wanted to love it really badly. Probably a three star, perhaps a two when you add in how far away it is. And probably not a great place for kids. For a Prix Fixe, the price was reasonable. I might come back to stay at the Inn as the whole area is quite charming, and then I may visit the Farmhouse again, but I am not sure I would make the trip just to indulge in a meal.
Just my first impression, and I usually give a place a second chance before I pass sentence. So I suppose I should go back again. It might have just been overhyped, and I did so want to LOVE it badly.
Sunday
"Downtown Day"
We visited the glorious Georgia Aquarium late in the afternoon in hopes of everyone having left, but not so. It was very crowded. It was also incredible and beautiful and eye opening, but I think the parents needed a little more elbow room to fully enjoy themselves. The best part was a little moving sidewalk you could stand on and just look at everything. No one could push you or try to get past, and you didn't have to worry about bumping in to someone or having someone spill their cheese fries on your pants as you tried to see what the "heck was that thing?" swimming along.
We went for a walk afterwards and sat on a bench and watched the children play in the Olympic Ring fountains. Weather was spectacular. Thus calmed, we proceeded to Atlantic Station for bowling and chic bar food at Ten Pin Alley. Only to find, contrary to the web site, that it was closed! While this was somewhat disconcerting, we soothed ourselves at The Grape with several delightful vintages and perfect small plates. We waited for two other to join us and then we headed over to Geisha for its "second review". I had checked it out last month with some girlfriends.
Ironically, or not, Geisha is owned by the Dolce Group which also owns Ten Pin. When we went in there was no hostess. We waited for about five minutes and then half the group went up to the dining room and hovered around the edge hoping to catch the staff's eye (hanging out at the bar), meanwhile the other half of our party hung at the hostess desk and several less patient couples came in, waited like 30 secs and promptly walked out. Finally a gal came to seat us. The place only had two other tables seated (at 8pm) so I am not sure why they were so inattentive. Sadly, our booth smelled of sour liquor and there was "stuff" on the table. My mother immediately began talking about it and I gently chastised her. "I am sure they will wipe it up" Well, they didn't. After several assurances from waitress and her staff, finally my mom wiped it up. Interestingly, they seemed to have the same strange music issues going on as my first meal here. Switching from one genre to another. Techno to southern rock to eighties back to techno. The place is so gorgeous, it really is a shame that the bizarre music selection should detract from it. The food however was just as good and as expensive as the first time I ate here. We had a similar menu and everyone, even the non-sushi-loving father was happy. The desserts wowed everyone, and the saki flights were eye-opening and fun.
I don't get this place. The food is good, but the staff is consistently quirky, and the music bizarre. For the prices here, these things should not even be an issue...no hostess at 8pm? When a party of six is waiting? As my mom ultimately put it "I think I like Ru Sans better; its cheaper and tastes just as good if not better." And she isn't even from Atlanta...Urg. I hate that I am having unsatisfying experiences at restaurants. I guess if you have worked in them as long as we have we find things more irritating than others because we know they don't have to be that way. Sigh. We still had a nice time though.
Monday
"Eccentric neighborhood Day"
We didn't get to do anything because we were too busy chatting and going to Home Depot and what not to wander the Highlands and Inman Park. However, I wasn't going to let our laziness miss our favorite restaurant in Atlanta. We originally wanted to take the family to Shaun's which I have found wonderful on several occasions, but they are closed on Monday's, so I had bit the pricing bullet and gotten reservations at Rathbun's which was busy even on a Monday night. We stopped and met a friend at her loft at the Inman Motor Works nearby and headed over to what would become, as usual, one of the best meals ever.
Rathbuns, tucked away inbetween Cabbagetown and Inman Park on Krog street, is what I call a perfect restaurant. We have eaten here at tables, at the bar, with friends, at 5:30, 8:00, and at 11:30 (when it first opened!), and it is consistently excellent. On several occasions the chef is there walking around meeting folks (though he is probably busy with the new steakhouse now), the drinks are always strong, the service impeccable, and the food out of this world. We must have ordered a million small plates and never was there a wince from the waiter at our lack of "second mortgage" purchases, as Rathbun cleverly calls them. Of course our wine and martini consumption probably made up for that. Rathbun's has a fine dining attitude that treats all its guests, no matter how they are dressed, what they order, or how silly they behave (I was worried for a moment about the general groaning and gastronomic moaning coming from our table.) like the most important people in the world. The place feels comfortable, and at the same time special. Dining at Rathbun's is always a special treat. What did we have? Let's see:
Mediterranean Mussels, Smoked Garlic Foccacia Garlic Chive Brodo
Pan Fried Kefalotiri Cheese, E.V.O.O. & Lemon
Chicken Livers A La Plancha, Grape Molasses
Roasted Bone Marrow, Fleur de sel, Buttered Brioche & Radicchio Marmalade
Thai Rare Beef & Red Onion Salad, Cilantro
Lamb Scaloppine with Pancetta, Goat Gouda
Brown Butter Cauliflower Mash
Cabbage Carbonara
Hand Cut French Fries with Blue Cheese Fondue
Sardinian Flatbread, Carmelized Vidalia Onions, Local Golden Beets, Gorgonzola
We had a great wine, great company and great food. After dinner we adjourned to my friend's loft for port and gingered chocolate. She was a perfect hostess. A PERFECT ending to a nice weekend with the family.
Yay Rathbun! Definitely ***************.
Saturday
"Country Day"
We drove to Palmetto, Georgia and visited the Cochran Mill Nature Center, where I volunteer. We also met up with some locals there and did a photo shoot with my obliging father playing a traditional southern character involving guns, overalls and grimaces...I can not divulge much more information than that for the moment as it would spoil a surprise. Following the photo shoot we drove to the Serenbe Community, which is a luxurious live/work/play neighborhood I had my eye on, but my pocketbook off. We explored the development, had a beer at the charming Blue Eyed Daisy cafe and shop, and then dinner at The Farmhouse at The Inn at Serenbe, a beautiful, quaint, mere 18 room, B & B located on acres of green pasture, gigantic cows, idyllic lakes for rowing and quiet white clapboard porches for afternoon teas. The setting was superb.
The Farmhouse
Hmmm. For all it's reviews and hullaboo (all over the AJC, online reviews and even a mention in Bon Appetit) I expected to be wowed. It was very beautiful, and a lovely departure from the norm for a unique dining experience, but several things put our experience off, just a bit mind you.
First was the slight inconvenience of being afraid of getting lost, so we left early and arrived earlier than our reservation, but there was nothing to do until our reservation...we had hoped to perchance have an ice tea on the porch or a mint julep (though they don't have a liquor license yet...), but we were not offered anything. So we we drove back into Serenbe and had our aforementioned beer.
The meals here are Prix Fixe, three course with your choice of main course. I admit I was happy to not have to make any decisions about what to eat. It set a relaxed tone to the meal. The best part of the dinner we had was the first course, a very delicate, almost nutty puree of a cauliflower soup. All of us decided it was quite good and anticipated our main courses with high hopes, but unfortunately they were only okay. Good and fresh, but not mind blowing. We had a nice fish, rabbit tenderloin/backstrap and rabbit forequarters. The backstrap was the most delicious of the three, being juicy and tender with crisp skin. The forequarters were just too difficult to get any meat off, or perhaps they were slightly over done and the majority of the meat was too hard/crisp, in any case, the father, a frequent "chewer of bones" was not impressed with it and eyed my backstrap jealously...he was rewarded with several sweet bites. The dessert, a banana cake with chocolate sauce and bananas something like foster was nice, but again, not mindblowing.
As we enjoyed our coffee in the serene setting, the child sitting behind me began to sing. She had a sweet voice, and we all beamed at each other across the table with childhood memories aflight. However, she didn't stop singing. And five songs later her mother joined her in chorus. Our smiles turned to serious frowns. No one said a word to them. Mind you, the dining room here is very "cozy" with probably around 20 tables max in a very small room Needless to say it did not help my meal end on a happy note. If I am paying a reasonable sum for my dinner experience, I assume it will not be accompanied by an eight year old singing in my ear. If I want that, I can stay in Atlanta and go to Chili's or Joes' Crab Shack. I love kids, don't get me wrong, but I expect good behavior from both children and parents if they choose to visit a nice restaurant. Use common sense. God knows how many times I took the baby outside to calm it while at New York restaurants, so I would not disturb any other's meals. One song was sweet; the whole operetta was souring.
In any case, I would say the setting here was lovely, the freshness of the ingredients was nice (a big thing they are touting is the organic fresh ingredients from the farm, thowever our waiter did not know if the meat was organic, though he did know it wasn't from the farm...), the service was workable, and the food nice. There was a very cool open kitchen area you could peek at the cute chefs working at. I wanted to love it really badly. Probably a three star, perhaps a two when you add in how far away it is. And probably not a great place for kids. For a Prix Fixe, the price was reasonable. I might come back to stay at the Inn as the whole area is quite charming, and then I may visit the Farmhouse again, but I am not sure I would make the trip just to indulge in a meal.
Just my first impression, and I usually give a place a second chance before I pass sentence. So I suppose I should go back again. It might have just been overhyped, and I did so want to LOVE it badly.
Sunday
"Downtown Day"
We visited the glorious Georgia Aquarium late in the afternoon in hopes of everyone having left, but not so. It was very crowded. It was also incredible and beautiful and eye opening, but I think the parents needed a little more elbow room to fully enjoy themselves. The best part was a little moving sidewalk you could stand on and just look at everything. No one could push you or try to get past, and you didn't have to worry about bumping in to someone or having someone spill their cheese fries on your pants as you tried to see what the "heck was that thing?" swimming along.
We went for a walk afterwards and sat on a bench and watched the children play in the Olympic Ring fountains. Weather was spectacular. Thus calmed, we proceeded to Atlantic Station for bowling and chic bar food at Ten Pin Alley. Only to find, contrary to the web site, that it was closed! While this was somewhat disconcerting, we soothed ourselves at The Grape with several delightful vintages and perfect small plates. We waited for two other to join us and then we headed over to Geisha for its "second review". I had checked it out last month with some girlfriends.
Ironically, or not, Geisha is owned by the Dolce Group which also owns Ten Pin. When we went in there was no hostess. We waited for about five minutes and then half the group went up to the dining room and hovered around the edge hoping to catch the staff's eye (hanging out at the bar), meanwhile the other half of our party hung at the hostess desk and several less patient couples came in, waited like 30 secs and promptly walked out. Finally a gal came to seat us. The place only had two other tables seated (at 8pm) so I am not sure why they were so inattentive. Sadly, our booth smelled of sour liquor and there was "stuff" on the table. My mother immediately began talking about it and I gently chastised her. "I am sure they will wipe it up" Well, they didn't. After several assurances from waitress and her staff, finally my mom wiped it up. Interestingly, they seemed to have the same strange music issues going on as my first meal here. Switching from one genre to another. Techno to southern rock to eighties back to techno. The place is so gorgeous, it really is a shame that the bizarre music selection should detract from it. The food however was just as good and as expensive as the first time I ate here. We had a similar menu and everyone, even the non-sushi-loving father was happy. The desserts wowed everyone, and the saki flights were eye-opening and fun.
I don't get this place. The food is good, but the staff is consistently quirky, and the music bizarre. For the prices here, these things should not even be an issue...no hostess at 8pm? When a party of six is waiting? As my mom ultimately put it "I think I like Ru Sans better; its cheaper and tastes just as good if not better." And she isn't even from Atlanta...Urg. I hate that I am having unsatisfying experiences at restaurants. I guess if you have worked in them as long as we have we find things more irritating than others because we know they don't have to be that way. Sigh. We still had a nice time though.
Monday
"Eccentric neighborhood Day"
We didn't get to do anything because we were too busy chatting and going to Home Depot and what not to wander the Highlands and Inman Park. However, I wasn't going to let our laziness miss our favorite restaurant in Atlanta. We originally wanted to take the family to Shaun's which I have found wonderful on several occasions, but they are closed on Monday's, so I had bit the pricing bullet and gotten reservations at Rathbun's which was busy even on a Monday night. We stopped and met a friend at her loft at the Inman Motor Works nearby and headed over to what would become, as usual, one of the best meals ever.
Rathbuns, tucked away inbetween Cabbagetown and Inman Park on Krog street, is what I call a perfect restaurant. We have eaten here at tables, at the bar, with friends, at 5:30, 8:00, and at 11:30 (when it first opened!), and it is consistently excellent. On several occasions the chef is there walking around meeting folks (though he is probably busy with the new steakhouse now), the drinks are always strong, the service impeccable, and the food out of this world. We must have ordered a million small plates and never was there a wince from the waiter at our lack of "second mortgage" purchases, as Rathbun cleverly calls them. Of course our wine and martini consumption probably made up for that. Rathbun's has a fine dining attitude that treats all its guests, no matter how they are dressed, what they order, or how silly they behave (I was worried for a moment about the general groaning and gastronomic moaning coming from our table.) like the most important people in the world. The place feels comfortable, and at the same time special. Dining at Rathbun's is always a special treat. What did we have? Let's see:
Mediterranean Mussels, Smoked Garlic Foccacia Garlic Chive Brodo
Pan Fried Kefalotiri Cheese, E.V.O.O. & Lemon
Chicken Livers A La Plancha, Grape Molasses
Roasted Bone Marrow, Fleur de sel, Buttered Brioche & Radicchio Marmalade
Thai Rare Beef & Red Onion Salad, Cilantro
Lamb Scaloppine with Pancetta, Goat Gouda
Brown Butter Cauliflower Mash
Cabbage Carbonara
Hand Cut French Fries with Blue Cheese Fondue
Sardinian Flatbread, Carmelized Vidalia Onions, Local Golden Beets, Gorgonzola
We had a great wine, great company and great food. After dinner we adjourned to my friend's loft for port and gingered chocolate. She was a perfect hostess. A PERFECT ending to a nice weekend with the family.
Yay Rathbun! Definitely ***************.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
A Pretty Good Pub
Okay, a friend and I have been drinking at Meehan's in Sandy Springs now for almost a year! This is not one of my typical joints for hanging out as it is a bit "corporatey" for me. The boy and I ended up here for lunch while getting his passport last year.
Like I said, surprising, as it is not my style, but they have a really good beer and liquor selection, as well as REALLY good food. I have even brought the parents (mine and the boy's) here for lunch.
Traditionally I get a Boddingtons here to drink. The waiters are pretty good looking, but usually we are at the bar. Several of our favorite items are:
Ahi Tuna Tostadas
Sweet Corn & Avocado Salsa, Red Onion, with Siracha Cream
Guinness Fish Tacos
Battered Fish, Chipotle Sauce, Pico, Sour Cream in Soft Tortillas
Fish & Chips
Guinness Battered Cod, Steak Fries, Southern Style Slaw, Tartar Sauce
101 Meatloaf
Bison, Sausage & Beef, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans & Red Wine Gravy
I have to say, I have eaten at least 10 or more other things on this menu as well, and I have never been disappointed. Neither have any of my guests. The recent addition of a cheese plate was a delicious treat the other night. Quite frankly, I think this may be the only restaurant in Atlanta I have eaten at so very many times. I never thought about it before.
I love eating out, but most places I like are too expensive to eat at regularly, and the more casual places are good, but not enough to draw me me away from cooking at home. So I guess since Meehans is relatively well priced (not cheap though), close to the office, has been shared with a ton of folks, no complaints have ever been made, and the food is really very good, I have to give it *** maybe **** in the category of pubs. No attitude from the staff either.
Additionally you can dine with the kids if you want...though I always feel weird when I see one, like I am doing something naughty (like drinking too much). And there is a lovely upstairs open air patio, which interestingly, I have never made it up to. Guess we are just happy sitting at the bar downstairs where it is cool and dark.
Good Job Meehans. We Love ya.
Like I said, surprising, as it is not my style, but they have a really good beer and liquor selection, as well as REALLY good food. I have even brought the parents (mine and the boy's) here for lunch.
Traditionally I get a Boddingtons here to drink. The waiters are pretty good looking, but usually we are at the bar. Several of our favorite items are:
Ahi Tuna Tostadas
Sweet Corn & Avocado Salsa, Red Onion, with Siracha Cream
Guinness Fish Tacos
Battered Fish, Chipotle Sauce, Pico, Sour Cream in Soft Tortillas
Fish & Chips
Guinness Battered Cod, Steak Fries, Southern Style Slaw, Tartar Sauce
101 Meatloaf
Bison, Sausage & Beef, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans & Red Wine Gravy
I have to say, I have eaten at least 10 or more other things on this menu as well, and I have never been disappointed. Neither have any of my guests. The recent addition of a cheese plate was a delicious treat the other night. Quite frankly, I think this may be the only restaurant in Atlanta I have eaten at so very many times. I never thought about it before.
I love eating out, but most places I like are too expensive to eat at regularly, and the more casual places are good, but not enough to draw me me away from cooking at home. So I guess since Meehans is relatively well priced (not cheap though), close to the office, has been shared with a ton of folks, no complaints have ever been made, and the food is really very good, I have to give it *** maybe **** in the category of pubs. No attitude from the staff either.
Additionally you can dine with the kids if you want...though I always feel weird when I see one, like I am doing something naughty (like drinking too much). And there is a lovely upstairs open air patio, which interestingly, I have never made it up to. Guess we are just happy sitting at the bar downstairs where it is cool and dark.
Good Job Meehans. We Love ya.
Tater Cakes
"Tater Cakes...You got the cutest little Tater Cakes..."
This is the song we sing whenever we have potato pancakes. I discovered the world's best potato pancake recipe a couple weeks ago and made them again for breakfast this morning. So good, I think I will make them for the parents when they visit next week.
This is another chemistry lesson regarding moisture in food. Potato pancakes are always tricky because raw potatoes have so much water in them and can frequently become soggy. I have been making them forever in various ways;. Recipes will advise you to dry the grated potatoes with paper towels, or do this or that...the past few years I have added flour to your basic grated potatoes and egg, but this recipe kicks butt. Resulting in fluffy, crsipy, rich,tasty tater cakes...so good makes you want to sing...
While I traditionally serve these with nonfat sour cream and chives, some folks like applesauce. I was out of sour cream so I served them with truffled lowfat mayo...goodness this was good. Okay...This is from Cooks.com:
MAMA'S POTATO PANCAKES
3/4 c. bread crumbs (dry)*
2 1/2 c. potatoes (grated)
1 sm. onion (grated) or 1 tsp. onion powder
1 egg (beaten)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 sage
1 tsp. baking powder
dash of pepper
Mix all ingredients until well blended. Drop batter by tablespoonfuls onto hot, greased skillet. Spread the batter and brown pancakes on both sides. Serve hot with butter.* Makes 10 pancakes.
*I didn't feel like getting the chopper out for the breadcrumbs, so I used instant potato flakes, you could use cracker crumbs too, for a lazy man's substitute. I also didn't use the butter...You can always omit the onions, add in shredded cheeses or herbs...you name it.
As an aside...booked tickets to Paris today...I have been absorbed in reading "The Historic Restaurants of Paris: A Guide to Century - Old Cafes, Bistros and Gourmet Food Shops" by Ellen Williams. Of course I am taking notes and working hard to find an apartment to rent near my beloved choices. Thrilled to find that several of the places Julia Child mentions in her book "Ma vie en France" still exist, and may be visted by us!
This is the song we sing whenever we have potato pancakes. I discovered the world's best potato pancake recipe a couple weeks ago and made them again for breakfast this morning. So good, I think I will make them for the parents when they visit next week.
This is another chemistry lesson regarding moisture in food. Potato pancakes are always tricky because raw potatoes have so much water in them and can frequently become soggy. I have been making them forever in various ways;. Recipes will advise you to dry the grated potatoes with paper towels, or do this or that...the past few years I have added flour to your basic grated potatoes and egg, but this recipe kicks butt. Resulting in fluffy, crsipy, rich,tasty tater cakes...so good makes you want to sing...
While I traditionally serve these with nonfat sour cream and chives, some folks like applesauce. I was out of sour cream so I served them with truffled lowfat mayo...goodness this was good. Okay...This is from Cooks.com:
MAMA'S POTATO PANCAKES
3/4 c. bread crumbs (dry)*
2 1/2 c. potatoes (grated)
1 sm. onion (grated) or 1 tsp. onion powder
1 egg (beaten)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 sage
1 tsp. baking powder
dash of pepper
Mix all ingredients until well blended. Drop batter by tablespoonfuls onto hot, greased skillet. Spread the batter and brown pancakes on both sides. Serve hot with butter.* Makes 10 pancakes.
*I didn't feel like getting the chopper out for the breadcrumbs, so I used instant potato flakes, you could use cracker crumbs too, for a lazy man's substitute. I also didn't use the butter...You can always omit the onions, add in shredded cheeses or herbs...you name it.
As an aside...booked tickets to Paris today...I have been absorbed in reading "The Historic Restaurants of Paris: A Guide to Century - Old Cafes, Bistros and Gourmet Food Shops" by Ellen Williams. Of course I am taking notes and working hard to find an apartment to rent near my beloved choices. Thrilled to find that several of the places Julia Child mentions in her book "Ma vie en France" still exist, and may be visted by us!
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Fake Food and Avocado Soup
First a few product notes: Many folks these days try to eat healthy. I mentioned a while ago that we eat vegetarian every other day. I also tend to eat all my pre-dinner meals vegetarian; the boy does not. I am always trying to incorporate various veggie products into our meal explorations, so the other day we tried Morningstar's "Meal Starters" which were things that look like strips of chicken breast. I made "chicken" fajitas with them just like I would with real chicken, and the boy declared he would "Eat them again." This is a big win. Might I also note that Gimme Lean's "ground beef" is also a very good substitute, especially in tacos, spaghetti sauce and other highly seasoned traditional dinners. Morningstar's "chicken nuggets" are also pretty darn good if you cook them in the oven. A meat lovin' friend did not notice when I served them to him that they were not meat. (Quite frankly real mcnuggets are probably 75% soy anyway!)
Tonight's dinner was tasty and pretty simple. We had:
Chilled avocado soup with tomato and cheddar quesadillas and corn
Avocado Soup
1 avocado
1 cucumber, seeded and peeled, chopped
1 inch peeled ginger
1 clove garlic (a fatty)
1/4 lemon
1.5 c broth (veg or chicken) cooled
1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper
Puree all of the above and chill in the fridge for an hour at least.
Quesadillas
10 cherry tomatoes quartered
1 c shredded sharp cheddar
salt and pepper
2 whole wheat tortillas
Put tomatoes and cheese in tortilla, fold in half and grill on a foreman type grill for about 5 minutes, or in a saute pan. Either way, use nonstick spray on cooking surface.
Corn was just leftover from some corn of the cob we had.
On the jukebox: Traveling Wilburys, Suede, Concrete Blond, White Stripes
We are grateful for: the boy said he was grateful for me. I am grateful for white vinegar which I used to clean like everything in the house. Cheap and very effective. Whew the shine on our chrome!!! Plus, adds the boy, it smells like I am making hot wings all day long!
Tonight's dinner was tasty and pretty simple. We had:Chilled avocado soup with tomato and cheddar quesadillas and corn
Avocado Soup
1 avocado
1 cucumber, seeded and peeled, chopped
1 inch peeled ginger
1 clove garlic (a fatty)
1/4 lemon
1.5 c broth (veg or chicken) cooled
1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper
Puree all of the above and chill in the fridge for an hour at least.
Quesadillas
10 cherry tomatoes quartered
1 c shredded sharp cheddar
salt and pepper
2 whole wheat tortillas
Put tomatoes and cheese in tortilla, fold in half and grill on a foreman type grill for about 5 minutes, or in a saute pan. Either way, use nonstick spray on cooking surface.
Corn was just leftover from some corn of the cob we had.
On the jukebox: Traveling Wilburys, Suede, Concrete Blond, White Stripes
We are grateful for: the boy said he was grateful for me. I am grateful for white vinegar which I used to clean like everything in the house. Cheap and very effective. Whew the shine on our chrome!!! Plus, adds the boy, it smells like I am making hot wings all day long!
Thursday, July 5, 2007
In the Lab
Cooking is not only an art, but a science. I am fond of experimenting and sometimes my experiments go awry. Sometimes they create new and wonderful things. Tonight it was wonderful. But I bring up the science bit, because you really have to think through things sometimes before using them willy nilly. Like when I messed up the cuke salad the other day. I was too lazy to seed them and they were super-watery and made the salad too wet. I forgot how much water is in a cuke. Just the same with tomatoes. Lots of folks throw them in eggs for example and then are #$#@ed off cause their eggs are too wet. Too get rid of some of the watery aspect of juicy fruits and veggies, you seed and depulp them or you sweat them before adding them to things. Today I wanted extra moisture, so I left the pulp in in my tomatoes..well, you'll see.
We had:
Goat cheese and potato stuffed poblanos with mesclun and garden tomatoes
In General
2 large poblano peppers, roasted and skinned
Whenever a recipe calls for roasted peppers, you can either char them over a flame, say on your gas burner or in a grill, or broil on top rack in your oven. Just place the peppers near the heat source and turn them every few minutes till all the skin is charred. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn up though. Take them out and throw them in a paper bag, close it and let them sit for about 10 minutes. Take them out and rinse them under cold water, they will still be hot to the touch, so be careful. Gently rub the skin and it should just come right off. Cut a slit lengthwise and slice the top off. Gently remove the stem and seeds. Weird that this changes the flavor so much of a pepper, but there is the mystery of chemistry!
For stuffing
1-1.5 cups leftover mashed potatoes, warmed
a healthy pinch of ground cumin (a "pinch" is less than a tsp, just grab some with your thumb and forefinger. Don't be shy!)
a healthy pinch of garlic powder
salt
pepper
a handful of cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup of pine nuts, toasted in a dry pan till browned
1/2 -3/ cup chopped fresh cilantro
squirts from 1 lime quarter
1 little tube of chevre (soft goat cheese)
Mix the first 5 ingredients. Mix the rest of the ingredients in gently, don't really "stir" just mix, right before you stuff the peppers. (The mashed potatoes when reheated get a little dry, but I know the fresh tomatoes will make them just moist enough along with the cilantro when they are stuffed and sweating when the peppers are fried.)
Batter
flour for dredging
2 tb flour
1tsp baking powder
1 tb water
2 eggs yolks (save the whites)
Mix these ingredients in a bowl. Whip the two egg whites till they are stiff and fluffy. Fold them gently into the rest of the batter.
Assemble and Cook
Heat about an inch or two of cooking oil in a deep pan on med hi. Gently stuff your peppers with the potatoes and cheese. Make sure you can close them, and don't overflow them out the top. Gently roll them in some flour on a plate. Coat them in batter and gently place in hot oil. Cook first side about 2 minutes, turn to cook the other sides, and the top each about a minute. Drain on paper towels and serve with salad and a few chips.
Salad
1 tomato sliced in four pieces
Two handfuls of greens (arugala, butter, mesclun or mizuma)
drizzle with dressing of juice made from half a lime, a little olive oil, ground cumin, garlic pepper, salt, pepper, little bit of sugar.
To Drink: We had Diet Coke, but gave in later and went and got Gin for gin and tonics. Refreshing!
What we are thankful for: We are both thankful for the lovely 4th we had yesterday with a family we know. We had tons of food and played games and talked. It was very nice. We are also thankful for our wonderful country. God bless America!
Now back to my Gin...
We had:
Goat cheese and potato stuffed poblanos with mesclun and garden tomatoes
In General
2 large poblano peppers, roasted and skinned
Whenever a recipe calls for roasted peppers, you can either char them over a flame, say on your gas burner or in a grill, or broil on top rack in your oven. Just place the peppers near the heat source and turn them every few minutes till all the skin is charred. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn up though. Take them out and throw them in a paper bag, close it and let them sit for about 10 minutes. Take them out and rinse them under cold water, they will still be hot to the touch, so be careful. Gently rub the skin and it should just come right off. Cut a slit lengthwise and slice the top off. Gently remove the stem and seeds. Weird that this changes the flavor so much of a pepper, but there is the mystery of chemistry!
For stuffing
1-1.5 cups leftover mashed potatoes, warmed
a healthy pinch of ground cumin (a "pinch" is less than a tsp, just grab some with your thumb and forefinger. Don't be shy!)
a healthy pinch of garlic powder
salt
pepper
a handful of cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup of pine nuts, toasted in a dry pan till browned
1/2 -3/ cup chopped fresh cilantro
squirts from 1 lime quarter
1 little tube of chevre (soft goat cheese)
Mix the first 5 ingredients. Mix the rest of the ingredients in gently, don't really "stir" just mix, right before you stuff the peppers. (The mashed potatoes when reheated get a little dry, but I know the fresh tomatoes will make them just moist enough along with the cilantro when they are stuffed and sweating when the peppers are fried.)
Batter
flour for dredging
2 tb flour
1tsp baking powder
1 tb water
2 eggs yolks (save the whites)
Mix these ingredients in a bowl. Whip the two egg whites till they are stiff and fluffy. Fold them gently into the rest of the batter.
Assemble and Cook
Heat about an inch or two of cooking oil in a deep pan on med hi. Gently stuff your peppers with the potatoes and cheese. Make sure you can close them, and don't overflow them out the top. Gently roll them in some flour on a plate. Coat them in batter and gently place in hot oil. Cook first side about 2 minutes, turn to cook the other sides, and the top each about a minute. Drain on paper towels and serve with salad and a few chips.
Salad
1 tomato sliced in four pieces
Two handfuls of greens (arugala, butter, mesclun or mizuma)
drizzle with dressing of juice made from half a lime, a little olive oil, ground cumin, garlic pepper, salt, pepper, little bit of sugar.
To Drink: We had Diet Coke, but gave in later and went and got Gin for gin and tonics. Refreshing!
What we are thankful for: We are both thankful for the lovely 4th we had yesterday with a family we know. We had tons of food and played games and talked. It was very nice. We are also thankful for our wonderful country. God bless America!
Now back to my Gin...
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Viva Italiano and um, some pancakes
I have three little mini highlights from the past few days.First is the pizza the boy makes. He recently got into making his own pizza dough, which is great since he LOVES pizza. Big surprise that a guy likes pizza. I don't like all the grease and fat usually that come with it, so this is a perfect way to have our pizza, make it healthy, and taste WAY better that store bought.
We are still working out the cooking of it though, since it seems to have a mind of its own. We are fantasizing about a stone oven (read article in Bon Appetit this month) and the boy has been begging for a pizza stone the past year. In any case, he has been using the Giada DeLaurentiis recipe for the dough, and we vary the ingredients, but this one had spinach, olives, salami, fresh mozzarella, basil,and regular old canned spaghetti sauce on it.
Saturday I made banana pancakes from my torn up, worn down bible: Fanny Farmer's Cookbook. (The BEST source for the oldie but goodie stuff). I used the recipe below...sublimely easy and added two organic bananas that had gone too squishy, a little vanilla and some honey. We served then with honey instead of syrup and they were just lovely.
Standard Pancake recipe (Makes about 9-12)
Mix:1/2 c milk or soy milk
2 tb melted butter
1 egg
Sift: (I use a tiny metal colander for this)
1 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 Tb sugar
1/2 tsp salt
(To banana-fy, add two squished bananas to the first stuff along with a splash of vanilla and a squirt of honey.)
Mix it all together and cook, two tsp per pancake in a hot non-stick pan coated with cook spray. Don't flip until there are a lot of bubbles on the uncooked side.
Serve with honey and butter or try some marscapone or clotted cream....mmmmm.
This evening I tried my hand at eggplant parmigiana. I had never made it before, and it was really good. The eggplant came out tender with a decadent crisp crust, and the sauce was nice too. It was a tiny bit labor intensive, but not bad. We served it with a sort of "chopped salad caprese."Eggplant Parmigiana
1 eggplant
1 cup of flour or more
1 cup of romano or pecorino cheese
2 eggs
2 tb water
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
salt
spaghetti
store bought sauce + whatever you like
Slice the eggplant and salad lightly, put in colander to drain for about 30min.
Put flour in a grocery bag.
Mix cheese, eggs, water and basil in a bowl.
Boil water for 1/2 spaghetti noodles.
Prepare your sauce. I like to use store bought and then dress it up. I sauteed 5 cloves of garlic and threw the sauce in there with a cup of chopped fresh oregano, parsley and basil, about a tsp of smoked paprika and 1/2 c of vermouth. Let it simmer till time to serve everything.
Your water is probably boiling now, throw your noodles in for 10 min. and start preparing eggplant. Pat them dry wit a paper towel. Heat about 1/2 c corn or canola oil in a skillet with sides till it shimmers (on lo hi). Throw the eggplants into the bag with the flour and shake around till they are coated. Take each out, dip/coat in egg/cheese mixture and put in pan w/oil. Cook till brown on both sides.
By now, everything should be about ready. Drain spaghetti and plate it, put a little sauce on the noodles and then top with 3-4 eggplants, top with more sauce and then a little cheese.
Chopped salad caprese
Chop and mix olives, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil and a squirt of lemon juice. Taste for seasoning.
We are grateful for: The boy is grateful this class is relatively easy. I am grateful for the heat. I have been able to dry three loads of laundry this weekend on the line and not have to run the dryer. I figure I save the energy from the dryer and pass it to our poor air conditioner which is working over time.
Note to self, work on food photography skills. Too much color in that eggplant photo!
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