The Chew Got It Right with Marrow-naise

I'll admit it. I'm addicted to The Chew. It all comes down to my love for Michael Symon. I totally have a foodie crush on him. The man is no Rob Pattinson, but when he cooks, he is wayyyyy hotter than Rob, hands-down. And better yet: he's Cleveland-proud, like me.

Seriously, I'm truly fascinated by the idea of The Chew, a daytime talk show that revolves around all things food--from fitness to recipes to politics to family connections and much, much more. The show is a true testimony of food's cultural, social, environmental, political, psychological, and sociological power. It's a truly brilliant idea. And while I'm still getting used to Clinton's quirkiness, I gained a lot of respect for him the day he took a stand against the Kardashian divorce (See Nov. 1st's Tweet or episode of The Chew.) But I find Mario and Michael to be wonderfully engaging hosts, and I'd love to see more of Carla's authentic, yogi self and Daphne's learning to love meat and trying new foods. All the hosts offer something important to their audience. I could go on, but I don't have the time right now, my loves.

What I need to address in the few minutes I do have between grading and conferencing is this: Michael Symon's Marrow-naise, homemade mayo with garlic, lemon juice, capers, parsley, and beef bone marrow. When I saw Michael make it last Monday, I drooled and swore I would make it on Saturday night as part of a special meal for FD.

Bearing in mind  Ruhlman's Twenty and the several suggested ways to home-make mayo, I chose my immersion blender with the whisk attachment. Usually when I make mayo in my stand-mixer, it breaks. Not this time. This time it held together and made the most luscious mayo. And the roasted bone marrow only elevated its richness and accentuated our strip steaks. Not to brag, but I think I've mastered the perfect sear and bake for my steaks that surpasses almost all restaurants, so I was extremely pleased when FD sliced into this perfectly cooked medium-rare steak, spread with marrow-naise, and sighed that glad-to-be-home-with-my-baby sigh. With a side of roasted sweet potatoes with dried kale and herbs and smashed brussels sprouts, we enjoyed a delightful Saturday night dinner. 

I have a feeling the only cook would have out-cooked me that night was Micheal Symon himself.

Homemade Dried Chili Dust (aka Fairy Dust)

I know I just blogged about the fairy dust, but I can't help myself from doing it again.

Last night I blanched some brussel sprouts and then roasted them in rendered bacon fat, garlic, and fairy dust.

With braised beef brisket and mashed potatoes with roasted garlic, it was quite the Sunday feast.


What's funny is I don't usually mind rainy Mondays and work-weeks that involve teaching during the day and grading at night. But today I'm kind of bitter the weekend is over. I wanted more time to experiment with fairy dust. I have a pork tenderloin that should be rubbed in fairy dust and slowly roasted. I have a boring goulash recipe that would explode with flavor by adding some fairy dust. I want to concoct a dessert that brings together savory and sweet with some heat from fairy dust.

I just need more time.

At least another round of chili peppers are drying on the bookshelf in my office. Being enveloped in the slightly intoxicating smell makes me feel a little better. And feeling my sinuses clear out and tears well up in my eyes from their drying reminds me that there's next weekend--something to look forward to all week long.

Fairy Dust (aka Homemade Dried Chili Flakes/Powder/Dust/)

1 food dehydrator
As many chili peppers you have on hand. The more, the bigger the batch.

Wearing gloves, cut the stems away from the peppers, slice the peppers in half, keep the seeds and membranes in tact. Place peppers seeds-side down on the trays. Dry for 48-72 hours, until pepper shrivel and are dried through. Grind peppers in a spice grinder or coffee bean grinder. Store in a small jar for up to 6 months; though it's doubtful the fairy dust will last that long.

Avocado Kick

I love avocados. Their shape. Their color. Their creamy texture. Their light fruity flavor.

Everything about them makes me happy.

And when I eat them, I'm even happier.

After having a raw kale salad with avocados at a dinner party, I had to make it at home so I could eat the whole thing myself. (Okay, I did share with FD, but I finished the salad the next day by myself.) And I'm thinking I might make it again for dinner tonight. It's my new fav, as if you couldn't tell.

While reading Local Flavors by Deborah Madison I found yet another recipe with my silky green addition. The Tomato and Avocado Salad with Lime-Herb Dressing is one of the best summer salads I've made this year. Probably because I used my first batch of the heirloom tomatoes I've waited all year to taste again. (I just can't bring myself to buy fresh grocery store tomatoes, so when summer comes I overeat real fresh tomatoes.)

Bleu begging for the Tomato and Avocado Salad

This Tomato and Avocado Salad has crunch from the lettuce and peppers, creaminess from the avocados, juiciness from the plump tomatoes, and heat and spice from the dressing. I adore it. What follows is an adaptation from Madison's recipe:

Lime-Herb Dressing
1 T chopped mint
1 T chopped basil
1/2 c chopped cilantro
4 T olive oil
1 jalapeno chile, finely diced
3 T fresh lime juice
1/4 t sea salt

The Salad
1 1/2 lbs tomatoes (use a variety of cherry, slicers, or paste tomatoes), cubed into bite size pieces
1 large avocado, peeled and cubed
1 cucumber, peeled and cubed
1 sweet pepper, cubed
1 small red candy onion, finely diced
2 cups lettuce, shredded (I used a mix of Red Amaranth, tri-color Amaranth, Oracle, Wild Spinach, Malabar Spinach, and Romaine.)
sea salt
2 oz feta cheese, crumbled

1.) Combine all the dressing ingredients in a bowl. Taste to make sure there is enough acid.

2.) Put bite size pieces of tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, and pepper into a large bowl with the onion. Add the lettuce and a few pinches of salt. Toss, add the dressing, toss again. Add feta cheese before serving.

For any salad with avocado, I usually add it individually to bowls. This way if any salad is left over, the avocado won't brown in the salad. If I have any avocado left over, I wrap it tightly in cling wrap and keep it in the fridge. It usually lasts one day. I cut away any brown spots before eating.

What are your favorite avocado recipes? I need more!

Stuffed, Part II

After making my Hot Pigs in a Summer Couture Wrap, I had about 4 cups of the filling leftover and one huge zucchini that was a gift from my friend Sarah.

Even before all the storms last week and this weekend, I saw a flash a fate-lightning that led me to this recipe: Stuffed Zucchini.

For my Stuffed Zucchini, all I did was cut a LARGE zucch in half, lengthwise, spoon out its seeds, add my filling from the Hot Pigs in a Summer Couture Wrap, drizzle a little local tomato sauce in the pan before and after putting the stuffed zucch in it, grate some of CJ's Farmstead Cheddar on top of the stuffing, and cover the pan with foil.

Again, I baked it on my grill for about 40 minutes on indirect medium heat. (Please see the note from my previous post.) And it turned out AWESOME.

Truthfully, the BIG zucchs are perfect for stuffing but they are a bit overwhelming to eat. I want you to know it's okay to eat half a half and then the filling from the other half and then see how full you are. If your stomach is full, you can grate its leftovers into a lunch salad or grate it and put and freeze it. No worries.

What's awesome is zucchinis have fed us two solid meals in two days in a row with abundant leftovers.

I can't complain.

Stuffed, Part I

"Turn your back on the little zucchini for just a few minutes and they grow into baseball bats," said Epicurious recipe review A Cook From NH.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

This growing season there so many summer squash I can barely grate it and freeze it enough before some more finds its way into our kitchen again. Be it from the community garden, a friend's garden, the farmers market, or the local farmer we order produce from, zucchini has aimed its target at me. And like a good cook, I'm up for the challenge.

On the Epicurious website, I found this recipe for Cabbage Stuffed with Beef, Zucchini and Herbs. While all the ingredients sounded like a perfect fit for my crisper drawers, the recipe reviews were something left to be desired.

But I braved it and tweaked this so-called bland recipe into a keeper. At least I feel confident saying that after getting the approval from our gracious neighbors and friends A & J who dedicated their Saturday night as taste testers.

What follows is the very revised version of the recipe from Self magazine using quite a bit of the comments from A Cook from California. I also must thank my mum-in-law Sally for giving her original pigs-in-a-blanket recipe that I used as a foundation.

Note: The baking instructions are clearly for summer. Being this last week Bowling Green only saw temps in the higher 90s, there was NO way I was going to turn on the oven. So I turned to my grill. I baked the cabbage rolls over indirect medium heat for 50 minutes. To get indirect heat on a charcoal grill, place a disposal aluminum pan in the middle of the charcoal tray. Fill the open space around the pan with 2 layers of charcoal. Bake the rolls in another disposable pan. (After cooking you can either recycle the pans or wash them for re-use. It's up to you.)

Hot Pigs in a Couture Summer Wrap (aka Pigs in a Blanket--Summer Style)

Suggested albums while cooking: The Beatles White Album, especially "Piggies" and Jay Farrar and Ben Gibbard's One Fast Move Or I'm Gone.  (Thanks, Jenn!)

1 large head of local cabbage
1 medium local zucchini
1 medium local summer squash
1 small local eggplant
1/2 bunch of kale
1 can diced tomatoes (local), drained (reserve juice)
2 medium local onions (red or white or mix)
3 local garlic gloves, minced
1 lb local, grass-fed ground beef
1 T each fresh local basil, parsely, thyme, & oregano
2 T organic olive oil, divided
1 c cooked rice
pinch of cloves
pinch of nutmeg

Sauce:
1 can zesty tomato soup (local) with 1/2 water, mixed well, and all of the herbs with some leftover for sprinkling.

Begin by cooking rice. Use wild grain rice, jasmine, minute brown rice, etc. Whatever you have on hand that floats your boat.

While rice is cooking, blanch cabbage. From the top of the head cut a straight incision that goes through the head (so surgical, I know) but that does not cut away any leaves. Blanch for 5 minutes or until bright green. If inner leaves aren't blanched enough, you can always re-submerge. Of course, you'll have ice cold water on hand to stop the cooking immediately after the head has been blanched. Set aside to drain and cool after ice bath. After cool, half and core cabbage, carefully tearing away leaves. Set leaves aside to dry and drain.

In an large non-stick skillet, brown ground beef with 1 T olive oil, salt, and pepper. Drain. Set Aside.

Saute onions and garlic until soft. Add squash, zucchini, eggplant, diced tomatoes, cloves, and nutmeg with a little of the diced tomato juice (I'm sorry I'm not technical like Cook's Illustrated). Cover and cook until soft. Add kale for last two minutes and cover again.

Stir in meat and cooked rice with veggie mixture.

Trim cabbage leaf veins so they are easier to fold. Be sure not to cut leaves.

Hold a leaf with the core side towards you. Add a bit of meat in its cup. Roll once, then fold in the sides and roll until it's covered. Place seam side down in a pan where the bottom is lightly covered with sauce.

Repeat until cabbage leaves are gone. (Recipe can be doubled and frozen, if you so wish.)

Pour remaining sauce over the rolls before covering with the pan with foil. 

Bake on the grill according to the above note. If baking in the house, preheat the over to 350F and bake for 45-60 minutes.

When done, as the French say, "Mange!"

For dessert, consider homemade brownies! Our friends made-from-scratch their brownies using a recipe from How to Boil Water.  As a brownie fanatic all I can say is that they were AWESOME, especially after they added whipped cream and Baileys to them.

Cheers to a fantastic dinner party!

Summer Salads

During the height of all this fresh produce and these insanely hot temperatures, all I can actually do without feeling veggie-overwhelmed or passing out from the heat is make raw vegetable salads. These refreshing, chilled salads make great main courses (if you increase the portion size) or they are perfect side dishes for grilled meats.

This past week I harvested a few cukes from the community garden after my weeding shift. I came home, flipped through some cookbooks for ideas, and decided on a cucumber mint salad. Dressed with olive oil, yogurt, and lemon, this salad was a breeze to make and felt like eating a cool breeze on a hot summer day.

Perhaps my favorite summer salad has been Moosewood's Raw Veggie Salad. I cleaned out our crisper drawers making this salad. Diced beets, carrots, broccoli, zucchini, spinach, cukes, and herbs in a oil-vinegar dressing. That's it. Really awesome, healthy, and light.

Also, I've been digging on Water's Lentil Salad, Food and Wine's Santa Fe Quinoa Salad, and a lot of fresh green salads.

A few recipes I'm planning for these upcoming weeks: Raw Kale Salad, Michael Symon's Zucchini Crudo, Deborah Madison's Tomato and Avocado with Lime-Herb Dressing, and the Summer Pasta Salad with Tofu from Everyday Food July/August 2010.

I hope these salads help you stay cool!

Sans Hood

Finally, I was brave enough to get the perfect sear on our ribeye steaks. I heated my cast iron skillet until it was smoking hot, brushed the bottom with a sliver of butter, and slipped in our grassfed friends.

In two seconds the whole house looked like a Halloween haunted house--fog machines in full effect. And not one smoke alarm went off. Nice.

I opened all the windows. When I flipped the switch for the useless, loud kitchen fan, I thought to myself, "When I grow up I'm getting a hood in my kitchen."

I swatted away the smoke so I could actually see the steaks as I flipped them after two minutes. After another two minutes I popped them in a 400 degree oven for 6-8 minutes. They were restaurant quality, but it took me two hours to air out the house.

I was proud of the side too: potatoes, brussel sprouts, carrots, and turnip dressed with olive oil, basil, orgeano, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. I baked them for 25 minutes. They were amazing.

For a weeknight meal, I was really proud of myself. But now I'm obsessing over hoods. I thought I had expensive taste, but this is ridiculous. I'm learning quickly if I ever build a kitchen it will cost more than the actual house...

Dinner: A Disaster Saved

My family is furious that I eat tofu because that means FD eats tofu.

I think it's funny.

But interesting.

I like tofu because it's a mystery. What do you do with something that's so wet and bland, something that can take on the property of any flavor it marinades in? And it's a challenge for hardcore meat-eaters. I recognize the environmental impact we can have by eating vegetarian at least once a day. We love meat. We buy local meat. We buy grass-fed. But even our happy grazing cows, chicken, pigs, lamb, turkey, duck, and other animal friends need a break. And I can use a break from them too.

So, I tried this Tofu with Gingered Greens recipe from Moosewood. (Keep in mind I'm an animal advocate. In the most life-cycle of senses...It's the only website that had the original recipe.)

While I've had a lot of success with Moosewood recipes, several friends of mine haven't. I can see why. Seriously. I mean this in the most lovingly way, but a bunch of weed-smoking hippies creating vegetarian recipes? That sounds more like failure more than success, at least to me. High people will eat anything. Right?

From the moment I started this recipe it was a disaster. You know, the kind where your kitchen is smoking and you have the fire extinguisher in hand.

The downsides: I will never again broil tofu in its marinade. (WTF? The smoking pan is still outside on our driveway.) I just decided cilantro wasn't the herb to use. (Again, WTF?)

So here's my revision of Moosewood's Recipe:

Tofu Marinade:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/8 cup rice vinegar
1 1/2 T brown sugar

1 15oz tofu cake--well drained

1/8 cup vegetable oil
2 t grated fresh ginger root
3 cups coarsely shredded bok choy, kale, Chinese cabbage, or Swiss chard (we used turnip greens and kale)
2 T fresh lemon
2 hot peppers, seeded and minced

In a small saucepan, bring the marinade indgredients to a boil. Simmer for 1 minute and remove from heat. Cut the block of tofu into 1/2 inch slices, then cut slices into 1 inch squares. Pour marinade over tofu and let set for 10 minutes.

Get basmati rice started.

Heat skillet to medium-high. Pour in oil. Add tofu. Fry for 10 minutes total or until browned. Put in plate and set aside.

Clean out pan while hot. Set back on stovetop. Pour in oil. Add ginger. Add greens. When greens start looking "bright" add hot peppers. Cook peppers until done and greens until wilted.

Stir tofu into greens until rewarmed.

Serve over rice.

(I thought it needed more of a sauce, but FD liked it as is. I thought it was okay. Like I said, it was a dinner disaster saved.)

While writing this post Dan put on the Oak Ridge Boys. He's very happy.

Even More Kale

I'm hooked. On kale. It's bad.

This delicious kale soup recipe from my dear friend Lynn in West Virginia only perpetuates my kale craving.

Bean Soup With Kale

1 tablespoon olive oil or canola oil
8 large garlic cloves, crushed or minced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 cups chopped raw kale
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 (15 ounce) cans white beans, such as cannellini or navy, undrained
2 (15 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons dried Italian herb seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup chopped parsley

In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add garlic and onion; saute until soft. Add kale and saute, stirring, until wilted. Add the broth, beans, tomato, herbs, spices, and salt and pepper. Simmer 20 minutes. Ladle into bowls; sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Cabbage Roll Crockpot

I've never really fan of cabbage. Until recently.

And I've never really been a fan of cabbage rolls. Until recently.

This dish is how I became a fan of both. My sister-in-law Tracie shared it with me last fall, and since then we're addicts for it, especially when the time comes that we can see our breath while walking Bleu Dog.

What I love most about this dish is we all the bitter and sweet from the cabbage and the tang of vinegar of a cabbage roll without all the messy rolling and the time to takes to roll.

Tra's Cabbage Roll Crockpot

The Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 small onion
4 cups of chopped cabbage
1 green pepper, chopped
1 cup uncooked brown Minute rice
1 cup of water
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 can undrained diced tomatoes
1/2 c ketchup
2 T red wine vinegar
2 T sugar
1 T Worcester sauce
1 1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/4 t garlic powder

(optional: a dash of cinnamon, fresh oregano or parsley, and/or grated nutmeg)

The How-To:
1.) Brown beef and onion in skillet and drain. Put in crockpot.
2.) Add cabbage, green pepper, and rice to crockpot.
3.) In bowl combine water and tomato paste. Pour into crockpot.
4.) Add remaining ingredients to crockpot.
5.) Stir until mixed.
6.) Cover and cook on Low for 3 hours.

To serve: Dish up into soup bowls. Or put onto mashed potatoes with a side of corn.
With the leftovers: Consider making a pot pie. I think I'm going to try this soon.
If there are even more leftovers: Freeze it.

A Simple Little Dinner I'm Quite Proud Of

I don't just get comfort from "comfort food." All food comforts me. Cooking comforts me. And I embrace that, especially on days I can't (for more reasons than one) articulate the exact reasons why I'm sick and tired, achy, bitchy, pissy, whiney, exhausted, done-with-it-all, etc., etc.

Today was one of those days I came home from work and just needed to decompress with a counter-shark lab at my feet, a glass of wine (the best $6.99 wine I've ever had in my life!), some stellar recipes, and my LeCreuset.

Suddenly, all became right my own silent little-world-bubble.

Tonight I made Lamb Chops with Yogurt Sauce (Everyday Food), Lemony Shredded Brussels Spouts (Everyday Food), and Baked Carrots and Parsnips (Jamie Oliver--At this point can I cook a meal without using one of Jamie's recipes???).

I was quite pleased with how everything turned out. (Even though I wish the picture showed the true colors a bit better...)

This completely local-foods meal took me 40 minutes to prep and cook. That's rad. And I didn't use a different skillet for the brussels sprouts. While the chops were resting I cooked up my precious little cabbage heads in the same skillet I seared the lamb in so they took on a little more flavor. And lemon. Thank God for lemon. It pulled this whole meal together. And mint. The yogurt sauce calls for cilantro, but I couldn't bring myself to by that plastic-container-crap from the grocery store. So I used our crazy-ass mint (from our organic gardener) that won't die no matter what. And it was awesome! I also used a red candy onion (from the same organic farmer) rather than a shallot, and it was perfect too. All the flavor in the sauce brought out the lamb's flavor. --I'm thinking next year I going to buy a lamb--

Writing this post kinda makes me want to eat it all over again. Right now.

Luckily, I've learned to control myself through Weight Watchers...

Pork: My Favorite White Meat

Last weekend, FD and I picked up our half hog from Luginbill Farms in Pandora.

Petunia the Pig.

She's one tasty treat.

I made Jamie Oliver's Spicy Pork and Chili-Pepper Goulash with one of many shoulder roasts. This recipe was fantastic, but it was truly even better the next day and the day after that. The trick to this recipe is to make the sour cream with parsley and lemon zest. The sour cream helped to cut the heat a bit and lemon brought out the taste of the pork. We made basmati rice with ours, and its nutty flavor added another layer to the dish.

It's been a busy last few weeks, which is obvious based on how little I've been posting. So any make-ahead dinners I can make I'm making. I will make this one again and again, especially when I have tons of hot peppers I need to use.

Jamie Oliver is one of my favorite chefs right now too. Yes, partly because he is HOT! But mostly because I feel like our food values are most compatible. He's really into local, organic, free-range, sustainable, from the wild, including mushrooms and game, foods. And his recipes, while a bit more intuitive than Cook's Illustrated, always turn out for me. Always.

And I feel like I learn something new about them each time I make them. I like that. And I like him. He seems like a cheery mate.

And he makes me feel cheery, even when I'm stressed out and busy.

Dinner: Monday Night Walleye & Summer Veggie Gratin

When it comes to improvising, I leave it to FD.

I need a recipe.

He just needs his endless imagination.

Dinner tonight: Maumee River Walleye simply crusted in curry powder and fried served with herbed, stemmed potatoes, and summer vegetable gratin.

This meal was perfect.

(For the summer vegetable gratin, refer to America's Test Kitchen Cooking for 2 2009 for the smaller version without bread crumbs.)

Seriously, what would I do without FD? But what would he do without me? I did make some awesome side dishes.

Dinner: Moussaka

During our routine Monday morning walk, Babs and I were discussing dinner possibilities. I had these two gorgeous eggplants that I needed to use before our next produce delivery this Wednesday. I thought about making the Jamie Oliver pasta, eggplant, mozz recipe again or the Cook's Illustrated eggplant parm for two recipe again.

I think that's my downfall as a cook; I like to make the same things again and again to improve on them and because I know they're tasty treats and I know how long they take to make. And Babs knows this repetitive recipe trick of mine, so she recommended Moussaka.

My tummy rumbled, and I knew what was for dinner. Thanks, Babs!

I went online and found this Tyler Florence recipe. It seemed easy enough. And it was easy, just like difficulty level suggests. However, it's very time consuming. This is not a dish I would prepare in a flash. It look time prepping the eggplant and other ingredients. (Granted I'm slower in the kitchen because my knife skills suck and trying to cook with a wounded finger slows everything down.) After prepping the dish must bake for 30-40 minutes, which takes time but it's time that can be used to clean the kitchen and put together some peach fruit crisp (more on that dessert later). Overall, though, time was the only drawback.

This dish turn out stunningly! It had so much flavor and really was much lighter than Moussaka I've had at several restaurants. Because Tyler's recipe calls for feta, it wasn't heavy or overwhleming with bechamel. Also, I used ground beef instead of ground lamb because it's what we had on hand, and it was perfect--not greasy like other times I've had it. We had only 2 smaller-ish eggplants, so I halved the recipe and made one layer of eggplant, one layer of meat, and topped it with the cheese and breadcrumbs; doing it this way totally worked! I added a few pats of butter on top my breadcrumbs too to avoid them drying out. The only addition I would make in the future is to add fresh mint if I was using lamb. We served our moussaka with malabar spinach with roasted garlic and fresh lemon, which really brought out the lemon & garlic in the casserole. (Again, sorry for the bad pic! I'm using my phone's camera.)

Added bonus we have a lot of leftovers, which is great because we don't have time to cook dinner for the next couple of nights. Luckily, I have a feeling that this dish is even better leftover...

Sunday's Dinner: Roast Chicken

Every time I hear "roast chicken" I imagine, in the movie version, Frodo and Sam talking about needing herbed salts "just in case," even though they're lost in the middle of Mordor...

My all-time favorite dish to make, the one that always comes out perfect, and the one that always taste great, is my roast chicken. I use Jamie Oliver's recipe, and it's fantastic. I always use a whole chicken from Luginbill Farms, and they are always so tasty--I assume because they're free of all those gross hormones & antibiotics.

Last night, though, I did make one revision. I added turnips with the potatoes ("boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew"). Those turnips were mind-blowing, so buttery and crunchy. I'm definitely going to add those little angels every time I make this dish from now on.

Sadly, the broccoli was just there for some green. We should have had a salad instead. Because the broccoli just didn't stand up to the richness of the chicken, potatoes, and turnips.

~

While the chicken was roasting I couldn't stop craving Fall. Even though it was 70 outside (with for August in Ohio is pretty darn good!) I wish it was even cooler and that the leaves were turning. I'm ready for my favorite season and the hearty dishes that come with it.

Our chicken was our last meal of summer, the one before we meet our students and head into a new academic year.

And what's perfect about roasting a whole chicken on Sundays is that we have "cook-ahead" leftovers to last us most of the week. (Chicken salad sandwiches, cooked chicken for quesadillas, chicken to throw in with pasta and pesto, etc.--quick home-made meals!) Because we teach late, have evening student conferences or a night yoga class, we try to do two "cook-aheads" a week so we avoid eating carry-out or dinner at a restaurant. It's all about saving money and time when the semester starts. This cook-ahead ritual has worked really well for the past two years. And it's allowed us to more frequently visit fine dining restaurants we love, such as Revolver.

I guarantee more cook-ahead recipes to follow. Stay tuned.

For now, good luck to all those starting school!

Author's Note: The roasted whole chicken was golden and gorgeous. I'm sorry my phone's camera didn't accentuate its beauty.

Friday Night Dinner: Lighter Pasta with Vegetable Sauce

Dinner this past Friday was eventful.

After going to Melt, FD and I weren't all

that hungry until around 8 p.m. when I started making this seemingly easy and light dish from America's Test Kitchen Cooking for 2 2009 issue.

Yes, it was light and tasted fine enough, but I'd make many revisions to it. First, I was use a zucchini, not a patty pan squash. While the patty pans are absolutely pretty and spaced-out with their UFO shapes, they didn't add a lot of flavor to this dish. In fact, we couldn't barely taste them at all. Because I didn't have a red pepper, I used a green one, which after cooking tasted a bit bitter. And I used Malabar Spinach instead of baby arugula because, again, it's what I had on hand, and the Malabar Spinach made the dish a little bitter too. I did sub the carrots with green beans and that worked really well. I really liked this dish, but I would stick to the ingredients a bit more if I make it again.

The one thing I learned from this dish, though, that I will never forget is how to clean a knife cut better. Because I'm a novice cook, my knife skills aren't all that great. Meaning, I cut myself a lot. And when I cut myself I wash out the wound with warm water and soap, pour some rubbing alcohol or peroxide on it, slap a Hello Kitty Band-aid on it, and call it a day. While halving the cherry tomatoes, of course, I cut the tip of my middle finger on my left hand. I did my usual routine, made sure all the food was uncontaminated and the washed the knife and cutting board and got back to work. No big deal. The next morning I took off my Band-Aid to find my finger was red, swollen, tingly, and oozing clear liquid. After a trip to the ER the doc confirmed I had a fingertip infection. The nurse wrapped up my wound to make it look way more serious than it really is. I'm not exactly sure how my finger got infected. I'm thinking it's because I didn't change my bandage after washing dishes...

The perk to all this finger-infection-drama is I like the extra attention, especially from FD who has become the official dishwasher.

Lighter Pasta with Garden Vegetable Sauce

Ingredients:

1 T EVOO

1/2 zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 in thick

1/2 cup cherry tomaotes, halved

1 carrot, peeled and grated on the large holes of a grater

1 small onion, sliced thin

1/2 medium red pepper, cut into 1/4 in pieces

Table salt

1 1/2 T tomato paste

2 garlic cloves, minced

Pinch of red pepper flakes

3/4 c chicken broth (or veggie broth)

1/4 lb rotini pasta

1 1/2 c baby arugula

2 T chopped fresh basil

Directions:

Heat 1 t of oil in 10-in non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the zucchini and cook, about 3 min. Add the cherry tomatoes, toss to combine, and cook until slightly wilted, about 1 min. Transfer to large bowl.

Add 1 t more of oil to skillet. Over med. heat wait for oil to shimmer before adding carrot, onion, bell pepper, and 1/8 t salt, cover and cook until veggies soften, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and continue to cook until fragrant, about 30 sec. Stir in the broth, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 1 min.; cover and set aside.

Meanwhile, boil pasta according to box directions. Reserve 1/2 c of cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to the pot.

Add the zucchini/broth mixture, arugula, basil, and 1 t oil to the cooked pasta and gently toss. Cover and let sit 1 min. Season with salt & pepper to taste. And adjust the consistency of the sauce with the reserved cooking water as desired. Serve, passing the Parm cheese separately.

Dinner: Eggplant Parm

I don't normally like to brag.

Fine, if you know me, you know I brag.

And this dish is worth bragging about: Eggplant Parm from the America's Test Kitchen Cooking for 2 2009 magazine.

It was perfect for me and FD. A perfect serving for two.

And it rivaled any restaurant Eggplant Parm.

Who knew I was so awesome? ;)

I firmly believe the tricks to this recipe are:

a.) Follow the instructions on how to make your own sauce. It's perfect for the dish!

b.) Make your own bread crumbs as the recipe instructs.

c.) Layer the eggplant as the recipe directs you to do.

d.) Invest in some good non-stick oven ready cookware. Our Le Creuset is the best cookware investment I have made--ever. And the thought that it will last long enough for my one-day grandchildren to inherit makes me tear up.

For a side we had fresh organic broccoli from our local farmer. I followed her advice to steam the leave of the head of broccoli. (Yes, our broccoli looks like "real" broccoli; I didn't believe it at first either.) The greens were a bit bitter, which I enjoyed but FD did not.

I love how pretty it all looked on the china, though.

Yes, I'm going to brag.

Damn, this meal I made was the bomb. I will make it again when I need an ego boost.

Dinner: Venison Tacos

Another FD creation:

Venison with Wick Fowler's Taco Seasoning

Shredded Malabar Spinach (picked TODAY)

Shredded Carrot

Sliced Heirloom Tomatoes (picked TODAY)

Diced Sweet Onion

Blue Spice

Blue Basil

Shredded Grass-fed Aged Cheddar

= fiesta in my mouth.

App: Amuse Goose

Amuse Goose created by FD:

Grilled & Seasoned Wild Goose Breast from FD's collection

Bacon

Organic Whole Wheat cracker

Fresh Blue Basil

Fresh Orange Mint

Bleu Cheese

= Mind blowing party in my mouth

Meals, etc.

Sunday dinner: BLT with maple brushed hormone-free bacon, Homestead Gardens lettuce, Haslinger's Tomato, and garlic roasted Mayo on Zingerman's Brewhouse Bread. On the side: Moosewood Oven Fries.

Confession: The bacon was so good, FD and I put away one pound of it within 6 hours.

Though it sounds gross, it was absolutely divine.

Monday dinner: Biaggi's with our beloved friends Frank and Christine who moved to Delaware today. Breaking bread with them and guzzling two bottles of 14 Hands was the perfect way to send them off. The dessert sampler took the cake though. (Pun intended.) We can't wait to visit them and experience the Delaware food scene. Much love, you two; BG won't be the same without you. You're missed sorely, especially your hotchney, little plaid-clad man.



Tuesday: afternoon snack. Donna and Kelly in GSW got me this "Thank You" Hello Kitty cake for my work as Assistant Director this past Spring and Summer semesters. A very cute tasty chocolate cake treat. Thanks, ladies. I'm excited to step into my new role as Instructional Assistant.




Tuesday night: Happy Badger Food Club Tofu curry with Homestead Gardens fingerling potatoes, onions, and blue spice, chili-ready diced tomatoes, and tons of curry powder from Calico, Sage, and Thyme. Drank Calder's skimmed milk with one to cut the heat.












Tonight: FD-caught Maumee River Walleye with butter, garlic, and white wine reduction; sauteed Homestead Gardens spinach; and Homestead Gardens fingerling potatoes with orange mint, parsley, chives and oregano.

Just want to thank Ben for bringing my veggies to the office today. I can't express how happy it makes me to get local, fresh veggies in the middle of work chaos.

And I have to point out that FD noticed that instead of Hunan at the Falls in my "Out To Eat" links, I have Human at the Falls. (As I've said, I'm the Queen of Typos.) I guess if this blog was McCarthy's The Road, that typo might make some more sense.

More food adventures coming soon! Stay tuned!