Grillin’ like a villain

Posted on August 3, 2014 by chatty

We were eating dinner on our deck one night and the husband said, “We need a new grill”.

“Yeah, we do,” I replied. Tried to play it casual, but inside I was like “YEAH, BABY!”

You see, while I like to post pictures of food and stuff that I bake and cook, it’s the husband that does the majority of the cooking in the household. And I’ve been dying to buy him a new grill as a birthday or father’s day gift, but I didn’t want it to come across as, “hey, here’s your new toy now go make me a steak”. It would be like the husband giving the wife a vacuum cleaner as a gift (let’s assume the wife was expecting something else).

Anyway. The husband got this sweet grill and has been having a blast playing with it. I want to take more photos of the foods he’s cooking up, but I tend to dig in and not care much about taking photos. Here are a couple where I wasted precious eating time …

1) Barbecued Chicken. Still tweaking the process, but the end result was the best-tasting chicken I’ve had in ages. Chicken is chicken. We eat it often because it is relativley inexpensive, easy to prepare, and the kid likes it. But then you make it this way and you WANT to eat the skin because it’s so darn crispy delicious. And just, yeah.

Oh yeah. He also tried grilling these vegetables, too.

2) Pork chop. Ripping the meat off the bone kind of thing. The kiddo asked to have a piece with a bone, so we shared this and split half of another chop that was more like a loin? or a rib? As the husband explained the one not pictured, was similar to a rib-eye steak (only it’s pork, of course). Whatever it was, it was amazing.

Sweet grill marks!

A new grill. Like a gift that keeps on giving.

(the above pic was taken by my assistant, Kiddo).

BLTs, take 2

Posted on June 15, 2014 by chatty

“Lily, get moving, it’s dinner time”

(Kid lounging on the couch, not moving)

“Your dinner’s getting cold. I made this tasty sandwich for you.”

(no movement)

“This sandwich has bacon in it…”

(shuffle, scramble, jump off the couch, runs toward dining table)

… And that, more or less, sums up the relationship our future kindergartner has with bacon.

For this round of B.L.T.’s I used the oven to bake the bacon rather than the stove-top. This gave me more time to do other things on the stove (such as conjure up some sweet potato noodle buns, which I must say, I’ve not been able to match the patty-like texture consistently since the first time I tried to make them). The verdict from the husband is to cook the bacon longer. He and the kid likes their bacon crispy. I have a hard time cooking to their preferred crispiness, for fear of burning it, and ruining some perfectly good bacon, a treat we rarely make ourselves. I guess I’ll just have to keep practicing.

BLT atop of a sweet potato noodle patty smeared with guacamole, and a side salad

By the way, I discovered these gluten-free crackers from Wellaby’s, available at our local PCC.

I don’t normally buy crackers all that often, on account of this grain-free diet I try to maintain. Once in a while the husband will buy some multi-grain Wheat Thins (not the wheat thins I grew up with as a kid, though I was always more of a Triscuit fan). But I happen to have a couple of small jars of caviar (yes, caviar. What can I say, it was birthday month and Cost Plus gave me a 10% off anything you buy coupon. They have these little jars for like $6 and did I mention it was my birthday?) so I wanted to try something. I had had some Glutino cheese crackers at a pre-school meeting earlier in the spring and couldn’t get enough of them, but didn’t want to buy a box, as I assumed I would consume the entire contents of said box in a day. This smaller box seemed a safer bet.

Apparently, I can’t get enough of these, too. And not surprisingly, if left to my own devices, I will eat the entire box. Then have to buy another box so that others may enjoy the riches. This may have happened over the past week. This may be why I don’t buy tasty crackers all that often.

Tonight we also enjoyed this with some fancy Honey-Hazelnut Pate, a small sliver that the husband found in the Petit Fromage section in our fancy cheese counter at the fancy store. Fancy.

Like that time we went to Bar Cantinetta

Posted on June 15, 2014 by chatty

When you go off the rails on a no-grains diet, it’s essential that you really go OFF the rails. What better place to go, than a small Italian restaurant for happy hour and appetizers.

(because I’m a “dessert first” kind of gal) … Zeppole: Nutella, mascarpone, citrus sugar

Ricotta Spinach Gnudi: preserved tomato, guanciale

Fontina Fonduta: white truffle butter, baguette

All of this enjoyed with a couple of glasses of Chianti. And some good friends.

For whatever reason this post reminds me of one of the first times I ever took pics of our dishes at a restaurant. Back then it was a quirky thing to do. Now it’s like no big deal. Of course back then not everyone had a camera on their phone, or even a phone, for that matter.

Pulled Pork

Posted on June 8, 2014 by chatty

Darn Drafts folder. These have been patiently waiting to be published since Memorial Day.

I did a simple Slow Cooker Pulled Pork, using nothing but the pork (boston butt, ha ha) and some Bone Suckin’ Sauce (one jar of the Thicker Style variety). The first time I did pulled pork, I followed the recipe to a tee, including marinating the sucker overnight. This was more of a dump and go kind of thing, and believe it or not you could kind of tell the difference.

Still delicious, though. I surrounded mine in greens: a mixed salad and steamed broccoli.

Here is the pre-schooler (soon to be kindergartner, yeeks) plate … using one of her dad’s favorite rolls, the ciabatta bun from Macrina Bakery.

Summer is starting early here in Seattle. I may be putting my SC away for a few months.

B.L.T.’s and Beef-Mushroom Soup

Posted on April 27, 2014 by chatty

Often, when it cook dinner on Sundays, I spend Saturday nights in my pajamas hunting for good ideas. Sometimes I run them by the husband, sometimes I wait til morning. Last night I suggested B.L.T.’s to the husband, mainly to warn him to not eat bacon at breakfast. He was on board, cool.

For some strange reason I thought we’d need something else, so this morning I also bought ingredients for a slow cooker beef soup. Except for the beef broth, which the husband had to get during kitchen prep time. Oops.

Anyway,I bought the husband his favorite ciabatta rolls by Macrina. I bought myself a sweet potato so I could try PaleOMG’s sweet potato noodle bun. It gave me an excuse to try my new julienne slicer (thanks for the birthday gift, sue). I wasn’t confident about the sweet potato noodle bun, so much so that I didn’t use it to sandwich my B.L.T. I did a simple lettuce wrap for that. I did spread some guacamole on top, and as it turns out, it was the frikkin best weirdly prepared sweet potato recipe I’ve tried to date. And pretty easy to make, though now I wonder if I should invest in a Spiralizer. Oh, it might have helped that I used some leftover bacon fat to fry those suckers.

Husband had a B.E.L.T. (added a fried egg). I don’t know why we don’t do B.L.T.’s more often. Oh, right. Maybe it’s because the kiddo’s ended up being a “B” … But here is a pic before her deconstruction.

The beef-mushroom soup was based on the beef-barley soup from my NEW slow cooker cookbook, Slow Cooker Revolution (thanks, Sue!). It barely fit in my slow cooker, but other than that, all was well. I had a small bowl as a test, but will be eating soup at work for the rest of the week, methinks.

Soup ingredients: onion, tomato paste, thyme, carrots, mushrooms, chicken and beef stock, beef blade, crushed tomatoes.

Keep Clam and UCONN

Posted on April 7, 2014 by chatty

The nutrition challenge at my gym is over. And not a moment too soon, because yesterday I accidently stumbled and somehow fell into Molly Moon’s Ice Cream (now at University Village!). Imagine the odds. On top of that it seemed the only thing that softened the fall was a single-scoop of Stumptown Coffee ice cream in a waffle cone. I hate when that happens.That’s a lie. I LOVE when that happens.

Side note. This post is longer than usual. Skip down to the bottom for the one measly recipe I’ve included.

Anyway, this is actually a blog about home. Connecticut, to be exact, my home for the first 18 years of my life. As I’m nearing the end of my 38th year, there is some simple math here. I’ve lived outside of CT for longer than I lived in it. I’ve lived in other cities, mainly Chicago and now Seattle. And, I’ve rooted for other city’s sports teams. I was born a Celtics fan, but you can’t live in Chicago in the mid-90s and NOT be a Bulls fan (Three-Peat!). I’ve gone back to my Celtic-cheering roots, especially that time where they had my man Ray Allen there. I am somewhat of a Patriots fan. I call them my favorite AFC team. But the honest truth about my fandom there is that I have had a crush on Tommy Brady since the 2000s, and again, that pesky math will show that is a time after moved away from CT. You see, we were a basketball family.

Speaking of basketball, and here’s the moment you’ve been waiting for … I have always, and will always, be a UCONN basketball fan. It’s the only college basketball team I’ve ever cheered for. I remember the first March Madness season I watched. It was the year UCONN made it to the Elite Eight. It was the year of the “The Shot,” a full-court pass from Scottie Burrell to Tate George for the game-winning basket with a second on the clock. It was AMAZING. I’m picturing it in my head right now. I couldn’t even tell you who they were playing because, that’s not the stuff I remember. (I just looked it up. It was Clemson, and the year was 1990). All I know is it that dream season ended with an encounter with Duke and Christian Laettner. But I was hooked, along with the rest of my little state. I’ve never forgotten, and every March Madness I lug out my UCONN sweatshirt (it must be 20 years old now). My UCONN pajama bottoms (random buy from my sis), and the other swag with the hopes of capturing that feeling again. Hometown pride.

When my adopted current hometown city went all gaga for Gonzaga, when, once upon a time, the UW Huskies were actually good for a spell, I quietly nodded and smiled. Because that’s the polite thing to do. And, I’m a polite gal from the East Coast. Also, it’s easy to be polite when you know deep down that your team is way better. Am I Right?

I’m not really a trash-talker, and actually I’m kind of nervous I’ve said too much, so I’ll just go back to my polite ways and chat a little bit about food. About Connecticut food.

I thought it’d be a good idea to create some kind of menu based on Connecticut food for the first Final Four game. Problem is, the memory I have of eating growing up, was mainly Chinese food. White Rice. Ramen. Whole fish. Steamed cauliflower with these little weird dried shrimp mixed in. Fried Rice. Wontons. Etc.

I was trying to go a little more CT and less me. Oh, and add some paleo into the mix, too, since, technically Saturday/game day was still a challenge day… Here’s how I netted out.

Paleo Clam Chowder. Nearly paleo, if you’re okay with a russet potato, which I was. You could easily swap in a sweet potato but I was feeling rebellious.
Roasted sweet potatoes dusted with fresh-ground nutmeg. Why nutmeg? We’ll, we are talking about the Nutmeg State.
Cranberry Juice Spritzer

Items 2 & 3 inspired by my friend KPM/LC friend marfdaze.

The challenge here was the clam chowder. This paleo version uses cauliflower and coconut milk as its base. The coconut flavor is hidden, but the cauliflower flavor is definitely present. I also couldn’t blend it enough to be entirely creamy. I wouldn’t call it ready for prime-time, and probably not something I’ll be adding to the standard repertoire, but fun and sorta reminiscent of a hearty New England clam chowder.

I had told myself that, should UCONN make it into the national title game this year, I could celebrate by making another rendition of the delicious New England Blueberry Coffee Cake (usually reserved for summer, blueberry season) … But instead I’m gonna go for an Italian Pretzel Grinder from PCC (If you call a sub sandwich a grinder, you just might be from Connecticut) and some Cape Cod potato chips (not technically CT, but definitely a favorite of mine growing up).

Getting excited for the game tonight. Woot!

Paleo Clam Chowdah!

Inspired/Cribbed from Paleo Girl’s Kitchen.

1 head of cauliflower, trimmed into florets
1 large russet potato (or 1 sweet potato, if you want to go full-on paleo), diced
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, 1 celery stalk, diced
2-4 slices of bacon
olive oil, ghee
thyme, bay leaf
1 can coconut milk (I used light)
1 1/2 chicken broth
2 cans or 1 10 oz can of clams

Preheat the oven to 425. Steam the cauliflower 20 minutes. At the same time as the cauliflower is steaming, place the potatoes on a baking sheet, season with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast the potatoes for the same 20 minutes, stirring midway through.

In a dutch oven cook 2 slices of bacon thoroughly. Place the cooked bacon on a paper towel to remove extra grease, then chop. Using the leftover bacon fat (and some more fat, like ghee, if necessary), add the onions to saute. Add carrots, thyme, bay leaf and finally a little bit of the chicken stock to get the sticky stuff off of the bottom of the pan. Turn the heat down on the burner, then slowly add the rest of the chicken stock, then the coconut milk and mix well.

Add the bacon and cauliflower into the mix. When everything is combined and has simmered for 5 or more minutes, either use an immersion blender or transfer some of the soup into a food processor and pulse/process until smooth. I ended up doing 3 – 4 batch of soup in the food processor at a time.

Once everything is back in the dutch oven, add the potatoes, clams and strained clam juice (try to get any extraneous pieces out of the soup). Combine well, season and simmer for another 10-15.

Cook the last two sliced of bacon and use as garnish on top, along with green onions.

Lazy dinner

Posted on April 3, 2014 by chatty

Sometimes I can’t stand the thought of cooking. On days like that, sandwich-eaters could just make a sandwich. Pizza-eaters could order a pizza. I haven’t called in our usual order into our neighborhood Chinese food joint lately (pot stickers. Beef with Chinese broccoli. House special fried rice with brown rice). So what are my choices? How about a turkey burger, sans bun. I have a few frozen turkey burgers from Trader Joe’s as a just in case for days like these.
I sliced up the avocado to make it fancy, and roasted some leftover veggies.

Easy-peasy.
The non-paleo family member heated up some lime shrimp from the store and created a burrito. The non-paleo child in the family ate the burrito ingredients, without the tortilla. Makes up for her bunny pancakes from breakfast.

Baked spaghetti-like squash casserole

Posted on March 24, 2014 by chatty

File this under “tastes way better than it looks.” For this casserole dish I heavily cribbed from PaleOMG’s Almost 5 ingredient pizza spaghetti pie. What caught my eye was the pizza part of the name. But the taste most definitely reminded me of a baked spaghetti/pasta dish (yes, I know I just ranted about how this squash doesn’t taste like pasta … baked like this I need to rethink my original declaration). The kiddo, upon further investigation of her plate, actually asked, “Mom, is this… spaghetti?”

Now, what a decision point. Do I lie and say yes, with the hope that she’ll eat it? I mean, I’ve already committed a lie of omission by not mentioning the chopped onion. Do I dare test the karmic waters?

“It’s spaghetti… squash!” I exclaimed. Couldn’t do it. Eventually she would figure it out and then would use it against me, I’m sure. And fortunately for us she still ate most of her portion.

So, this is a baked casserole, made with our favorite pizza ingredients: sausage, mushrooms, onions. Rather than repeat PaleOMG’s recipe, I’m going to send you all there, and list out the tweaks I made here:
Instead of ground pork sausage, I used two Mild Italian Chicken Sausage links (approx 3/4 lb) from Whole Foods, which I cooked/browned then sliced before adding into the sauce mix.
I added sliced mushrooms to the sautéed onions, and used Italian Seasoning instead of dried basil.
I beat two eggs with 3 tbsp of liquid egg whites.
I also grated a small amount of Parm-Reg on top while it rested, which I easily could have done without. I’m playing to a mixed audience, here.

Presented with a salad and steamed broccoli.

The verdict was three thumbs up. Husband went for thirds. I probably ate more than I intended to. Reheated the next day for lunch, still great-tasting.

Not-quite quiche

Posted on March 22, 2014 by chatty

I like quiche. Homemade crusts. Eggs. Cheese. Butter and milk. Did I mention the crust. I had considered doing a sausage pizza-like casserole for dinner but the husband wasn’t feeling it. Too much pork this week, which I couldn’t argue. So. How about a crustless quiche?

I was anticipating a child revolt, so on half of the dish I grated parm-reg on top, then while it rested added shredded cheddar cheese.

Mommy, usually the quiche has something else on the bottom … Like a crust? Wow. Nothing gets by you, kiddo. Still, she ate her serving, which is always a win.

Husband also gave it the approval, though his feedback was if you don’t expect it to be quiche, then it’s fine. I often feel that way with paleoized meals, so I understand. Despite the coconut milk, it does not taste coconutty. It does get a custardy texture though. So call this a savory egg custard. Call it a not-quite quiche. Call it a tasty meal.

1-2 tbsp choice of fat (I used ghee)
1 small yellow onion, chopped
6-8 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 c baby spinach
5 eggs
3 tbsp egg whites
1 c full fat coconut milk
Salt/pepper
Nutmeg
6 or more grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

Preheat oven to 350.
Heat oil in a sauté pan, med heat. Add onions around 5-8 minutes. Add mushrooms and spinach and cook for a few more minutes. Doesn’t need to be cooked thoroughly. I’m just looking to soften and flavor. Season with salt, pepper. Set aside
In a large bowl beat eggs/whites thoroughly. Whisk in coconut milk, season and include grated nutmeg, or whatever else you want to season with, and mix well.
Coat a square casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Pour a little of the egg mixture on the bottom, enough to just cover the bottom. Add in the onion/mushroom/spinach mixture, draining as much liquid as possible beforehand. Spread it evenly around, then pour remainder of egg mixture into dish. Top with halved tomatoes.
Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Check for doneness using the toothpick test. Also, the edges should be brown and trying to separated from the side of the dish.
Remove from oven, cover and let it rest for 10-15 minutes.
Divide into quarters or eighths. Serves 4, with a salad and veggie on the side.

Kiss me, though, I’m not Irish

Posted on March 17, 2014 by chatty

I’m not Irish, but I married into the Irish, and suddenly I’m all into making this St. Patrick’s day meal. Last year was my first attempt as corned beef and cabbage, so I did pretty much a repeat of last year’s dinner. The downside for me is that it’s in the middle of my nutrition challenge (really?!). That just means, a low-point day for me. I couldn’t NOT add Guinness into the crock pot. Just had to use a little brown sugar for the corned beef. I couldn’t not make Irish Soda Bread. I mean, I could have, but this is a once-a-year meal, so I indulged.

Corned Beef & Cabbage, with root vegetables and Irish soda bread

The corned beef was a pacakged deal from Met Market, Wagyu Beef that included seasonings. The recipe from NYMSCC was quite similar to the other ones I found online. I placed red potatoes, quartered, a couple of small carrots and a parsnip on the bottom of the slow cooker then added the beef on top with additional spices. Poured in a can of Guinness then added additional water, so that the beef was just covered (per the recipe), though it seemed to me like a lot of liquid, I went with it.

Turned the SC on low for 9 hours, I took out the beef and vegetables and put them on a platter. Then added the cabbage, cut into wedges and held together by some kitchen twine. On high for 15-20 more minutes while the meat rested. Soup’s On.

The entire family enjoyed the meat and potatoes and not so much the bread. I will have to find a different version that doesn’t have raisins next time (I like the raisins, no one else does. I brought it to work for the crew to finish up and it disappeared from the kitchen pretty quickly, i suspect).

This was last night’s work. Tonight, the actual day, we had leftovers (which means no cooking for the husband three days in a row. That must be a record). As the finale the kid and I made a Green Smoothie. Recipe below:

Green Smoothie

Blend together a cup of chopped kale with a cup of coconut water. Based on what was in my kitchen 1/2 large banana, 1 small apple (peeled and chopped), a handful of frozen grapes. Blend until mixed. This made enough for two 8-oz glasses or so (see above).

This recipe idea courtesy of Pinterest! Woot.

Erin Go Bragh, as the Irish say.

Chatty Cha

dessert first

Category Archives: dinner