Yummy Things You've Consumed Lately

Two weekends ago I bought some tart cherries at our local farmers market, and they ended up in the most scrumptious "cherry crisp"...I just used my apple crisp recipe and added a bit more sugar, as the cherries are very sour. It came out fantastic, with rave reviews from every single (picky) member of my family!!!

* To pit the cherries I used a drinking straw to poke out the stone, something I learned from my grandmother long ago but never actually tried until now! Works great!

I'm thinking of trying the same thing with peaches!

Riffing on the greek theme, I made keftedes, patates al forno, pilaf and salata last night...

Recipes for my keftedes:
2 lbs ground beef
2 cups crushed tomatoes
1 cup bread crumbs
1 lg onion minced fine
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp dried mint
salt and pepper to taste

mix everything thoroughly, roll the mix up into meatballs using as little handling as possible, and fry in a non-stick skillet. Don't crowd the pan too much and keep them moving as the sugar in the tomatoes will burn and stick if they stay on one side too long.

Enjoy!

Mmmm... love to cook, love to eat!!

I recently had baked shrimp in chipotle sauce and drank peach sangria with it. So good!! I know sangria without red wine is not really true sangria but this one, made with dry rose went perfectly with the chipotle spiced shrimp.

I cook everything by recipe (I don't have the talent to cook experimentally!) so I got these recipes out of my old 'Gourmet' magazines. Their recipes can always be found on epicurious.com. Epicurious is another site (besides Basenotes) I can spend hours with.

Minted Red Potato Salad (had it today for lunch!)

1 1/2 lb baby red potatoes (1 to 1-1/2 inches in diameter), skin on and scrubbed clean.
1 *firmly packed cup of fresh mint leaves
3 Tbs red wine vinegar
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 tsp coarsly ground fresh black pepper
1/4 tsp salt + salt to taste

In a 3 quart pot bring 2 quarts of lightly salted (1/4 tsp salt) water to a boil. Add the whole red potatoes with skins on. Cook at a boil for 6-8 minutes until the potatoes are still slightly firm but done through. Remove from heat, drain. Then quickly:

..have ready: mint leaves chopped to about 1/4 inch pieces/strips. Pour the olive oil into a 2 quart or larger serving bowl, add the red wine vinegar and ground pepper and the chopped mint. Stir to mix thoroughly. Immediately, and as soon as you can handle them (still very, very warm!), cut the firmly cooked potatoes, skins on, into halves and mix lightly to cover with the ingredients in the bowl. Salt to taste. (You may want to add more wine vinegar if you like your potato salad vinegary). Let sit 2-4 minutes. Stir lightly. I like this with mushroom soup and warmed crusty bread and butter and a glass or two of cold Sam Adams beer.

Serves 2-3

*The mint will lose most of its mintyness in this process and the taste is just great!

A friend just gave us a bounty from her garden so I made a huge amount of fresh salsa ( which goes well on just about anything) and she gave us about 10 huge portabella mushrooms that I just finished stuffing and are in the oven as I type this. I also just got done making a homeade Key Lime Pie.

Crème brûlée cheesecake!

Ufff Bossanova....Creme Brullee is my favourite dessert with Crema Catalana and sherbets, and Tiramisu....lol....list continue....

This days I ate lot of walnuts....fresh fresh fresh, natural, first quality (not very usual to eat in Chile)

Bought a lot of fresh shrimps today, so for supper I made a tasty, easily made dish:

Melt butter (a lot!) and stir in curry powder and chopped parsley, then toss in shrimps, and let them get hot, but not boil. Mix it with boiled rice, have some garlic baguettes on the side, and serve with cold beer.
This is so simple, yet delicious.

Earlier today I made a Tarte Tatin, served luke warm with whipped cream added a tiny amount of Swedish Caloric Punsch (made from a base of Arrack). Yum!

just had a pint of B&J phish food on my own...

Oops....I forgot....1 week ago I ate emu eggs.....I bought one egg in 5 dollars to a friend who have emu in her farm (not cheap,lol, but was huge, like 6 normal eggs)

Was nice, but not something of other world....Very near than traditional eggs.

I work in an upscale restaurant, and yesterday i tried a new item on the menu:

LAMB'S TONGUE SALAD


It tasted pretty good, i hope the salad thought the same thing about me!

My son and wife came over for dinner Sunday (I had my granddaugher sleeping over since Saturday) and I made a lasagna. It was a very meaty lasagna with ground beef, ground pork and sweet sausage with a chunky homemade sauce with mushrooms and tomatoes, green and red peppers, onions, garlic and spices. The cheese mixture was ricotta mixed in with mozzarella and grated Grana Padano, Parmesan, and eggs. I used the no-boil Barilla lasagna noodles. I must say that it came out delicious. When my son was little this was one of his favorite dishes. Accompanied by a salad and garlic bread! Followed by a yellow cake with chocolate frosting that my daughter and granddaughter made.

I gave all the leftovers to my son since their kitchen is being remodeled and basically it's either barbecue, sandwiches or take out for the next few weeks.

cocaine mint water.

Yummy things... I love this topic!

I made a dish that is fairly simple, but tasty. Boil some chicken legs until meat is soft, and easily removed from the bone (let them cool first, or else your fingers will burn!) - shred the meat as you pull it off. Put a small amount of olive oil into a large pan (stir fry type works best!) at medium high temp - and add fresh garlic and some spicy peppers of your choice. Stir until garlic is liquified. Add meat and stir some more and then add spices of your choice. I have a spice from the country Georgia called Adzhika - perfect for this kind of dish (you should be able to find it at a Russian food store if there is one near you) however, different kinds of Curry spices are nice too. You only need to stir for a short time, just to coat the meat with all the good flavors.

I then chop some fresh green onions and tomatoes with some fresh cilantro with lime juice.

Eat with pita bread... it's really great!

I've had lamb's tounge, but not the salad version. It isn't too bad.

I had 2 slices of pizza and a 1.8 liter Big Gulp that went down nicely, especially in the summer heat.

tonight was sushi night.
my favourite is the unagi nigiri or the salmon roe sushi.

Mmm, I do love me some sushi! I had some albacore tataki & a rainbow roll not too long ago. That was a great meal.

CJ!! when are we going to have another sushi dinner? I loved Kona Grill SO much!

Moved so as not to hijack Aiona's thread.

Tonight we made a salad with shaved carrots, red kidney beans, boiled broccoli, imitation crab meat, artichoke hearts, black olives, asparagus, Shiitake mushrooms, cottage cheese, ranch salad dressing, and a bit of a mixture of avocado, olive, and flaxseed oil called Omega Plus made by a New Zealand company called Olivado. Then we had salmon sashimi with caviar and some Saint Germain elderflower liqueur. Very tasty.

I'm looking for a nice scones recipe.
Thanks a lot !

Here is my Champagne Sorbet then ...

Guys, if you prefer, you can replace Champagne by beer.
The Belgian cherries beer called Kriek is perfect if you can get hold of it.

Things you’ll need:

An ice cream maker
1/2 l of decent-quality Champagne
2/3 cup of sugar (a tea cup not a mug ! ) - or less if you don't like it too sweet which is my case.
1/2 cup of water

Step1 : Make sure the Champagne is well-chilled.
Step2 : Heat the sugar and water together in a large nonreactive saucepan until the water simmers. Shut off the heat and let cool completely.
Step3 : Meanwhile, open the Champagne and put the bottle in the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes. This recipe works best if the Champagne is as cold as possible without freezing.
Step4 : When the syrup has cooled completely and no traces of warmth remain, gently pour the Champagne into the syrup and stir until the syrup is mostly blended in. Because of the temperature difference, the two won't blend completely. Don't worry about this.
Step5 : Pour the mixture inside the ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's directions.

It takes ages to get the alcohool to freeze so don't prepare it 4 hours before your guests get at home. You should count at least 2 days.

Several years ago I watched a PBS program on a Georgia Public TV station that featured BBQ restaurants on or near 'old' travel roads used prior to the Interstate Highway system and now sustained by locals. The restaurants were in various towns all around Georgia. It showed the restaurant in operation and also how they made their own particular BBQ. I had to go to a local BBQ restaurant for diinner that night!

I would bet a search of PBS would turn it up for viewing or purchasing a DVD of same

Astaroth, I tasted the St. Germain elderflowe liqueur last year at the South Beach Food & Wine Festival and loved it. I have not gotten around to buying it yet but must do it soon. I tasted it by itself and in a cocktail (I have the recipe) which was delicious.

Go for a South African braai then ! Where are our SA friends ?

We first tasted it at The Standard Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. They have a cocktail in their restaurant/bar called the St Germain Gin Cocktail which uses the liqueur, gin, and a bit of syrup over ice. I normally hate gin, and wouldn't use it to remove stains from a rug, never mind drink it. But this cocktail was really good. After that I went straight to Vendome and bought a liter of it.

Salmon quesadillas.

A Tiramisu...it was soo good!

Come on up, Shannon! You're always welcome. We have to do mojitos & sushi again!!! And sniffing around Hall's, of course!

no recipe here. just sat and ate me some cookie dough. i love that you can buy a brick of it, premade. makes late night noshing so much easier....

talk to me at the beginning of october though, i'll have just some back from my north carolina road trip,and all my boyfriend and i are fixing on eating is regional bbq!

Chocolate dipped baklava. Did I post that one already? Can't stop eating it...

Good on you Aiona. I am glad you enjoyed them. Here is the rest of my meal. The flavors from all the dishes combine very well. Especially if you indulge in a few tips of Ouzo beforehand.

OPA!!!

patates al forno:

4 lbs. new (preferably) or red potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters or sixths- depending on their size.
1 cup olive oil
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
salt & pepper
2 tbsp. oregano
1 crushed garlic clove
chicken or vegetable stock

In a roasting pan, toss the potatoes with all the ingredients - except the stock. I prefer to set them aside for a little bit to ‘marinade’ them so the flavors get absorbed but if you’re in a hurry, don’t worry about it. They’ll still be delicious.

Add enough stock to the pan so that they are 1/2 covered. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake them for about 40 minutes at 350F. Check that they are tender. If they're still hard, bake for another 20 minutes. If you need more liquid, add more stock but just enough to cover the bottom so they don’t stick to the pan. when they are almost done, increase the oven temperature to about 400F. Remove the foil and bake them uncovered for another 20-30 minutes so they get a nice red-brown color.

Salata:

3 Tomatoes, chopped
1 Long English cucumer,
-chopped
1 md Onion, thinly sliced
1 lg Pepper, thinly sliced (Red,
-yellow or orange)
1 c Greek olives, or black
-olives
1/2 c Feta cheese, crumbled
DRESSING
1/4 c Red wine vinegar
3/4 c Vegetable oil or olive oil
1 t Basil
1/2 ts Oregano
1/2 ts Salt
1 d Ground pepper

Combine the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, peppers, olives
and feta cheese in salad bowl. Mix dressing
ingredients and add to salad. Toss and serve. Makes
5-6 servings.

Pilaf:

2 cups long grain rice \t
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped green pepper \t
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup chopped red pepper \t
vegetable stock
1/2 cup chopped onion \t
salt and pepper
1/4 cup chopped celery \t
dash of oregano, thyme and cumin
2 tbs. minced parsley \t

In a large pot, heat the olive oil. Add the peppers, onions, celery, parsley and garlic. Fry lightly then add the rice and fry it all together for a few minutes, stirring constantly so the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom. Add your spices then cover it all in the stock. Let it cook until the rice is done. You will have to keep your eye on it in case you need to add more liquid. You want the finished product to be moist and somewhat fluffy, but not dry, so when the rice is almost done, take the pot off the heat and cover tightly, letting the rice absorb the liquid

ENjoy!

I had a Kir Royale this morning.

I went home and Moms had all my favs cooked, turkey necks and rice, mac & cheese, candied yams, okra, white corn, speckled butter beans & field peas, greens, and banana pudding. Oh yeah, my Daddy made some BBQ. Let's just say I ate more than my share. I ate everybody's share lmao. I loooooove to eat!!!

While in the midst of PMS, I went to Chipotle I had a chicken fajita buritto with quac. I just happen to get there when they had replaced everthing. OMG!!!! it was soooooooo good. I went there today, but quickly turned around because the line was wrapped around the resturant and there was a family of about 12 that just walked in ahead of me.

Tonight I am scarfing down some simple antipasto...

I have some big, fat, unbrined Jumbo Spanish Queen olives that I am stuffing with creamy Gorgonzola and wrapping them in a small strip of velvety prosciutto.

Then following each one up with a bite off a pepperoncini...

and washing it back with a nice and very lightly chilled Chianti...

totally lascivious!

A bit of my local food-(Potteries) Oatcakes with tomatoes and cheese layered. not terribly exotic but very nice.
My pudding last night banana split (1 banana, 1 mango, 2 kiwis, 1/2 peach. 1 plum, 2 dollops nutella and 3 scoops Swedish Glace), I have to indulge my inner 7 year old every so often!

Blast from the past when I found these sweet Spanish millefeuils crackers coated with sugar and aniseed. I'm having to stop myself from eating them all at once, delicious!

I make my own Key Lime pie with real limes and it's my friend's favorite. Hmmmm..

post the recipe!

some fresh ripe figs from the farmer's market. Yum!

Strawberry milkshake made with Haagen Dasz
Toast with Foie Gras pate
Turkey pie

(the pie was ready made, frozen)

Yesterday, my Dear Husband found some green tomatoes at the produce stand. Dinner was a platterful of luscious Fried Green Tomatoes.

There are lots of recipes on the web, but he tells me that he simply slices the tomatoes thickly, dredges them in a mixture of four parts flour to one part cornmeal with some salt and pepper, then pan fries them in oil until nice and brown. We serve them sprinked with a small amount of granulated sugar, which provides a nice contrast to the tangy-ness of the tomatoes.

Oh, YUM!

Buffalo shrimp! I don't eat meat any more, and one of the very few things I miss is buffalo wings. Now that I've had buffalo shrimp, I no longer miss the wings.They were great with some sweet potato fires and a few pints of IPA. Heaven!

My wife made Kolak pisang yesterday; banana boiled in coconut milk and palm sugar.
Very sweet and very delicious Indonesian dessert

A bucket of chocolate ice cream, sometimes it's better to keep it simple.

Nenugal, that sounds wonderful!!!

The other day, I bought some white peaches right from an orchard, and made the most decadent cobbler you can imagine.

I have a wonderful husband. I think it's been more than a couple of days since I last mentioned this. I stayed up all night cleaning the kitchen (following our episode with the rodent), every surface, under the oven, behind the fridge, took everything out of the cabinets, washed most of those things and threw the rest away (like the 10 year old jar of mint jalapeno jelly) and finally went to bed about 4:00 this morning. So my sweetie cooked an excellent breakfast for me and lunch for him-- weed pasta with sausage ragu:


Recipe by Mario Batali. If you don't feel like making your own pasta, I think a box of tagliatelle or gemelli would work fine. Very, very yummy!

Fleur de Sel Caramel ice cream by Haagen Dazs - one of their new limited edition flavors. Chocolate, caramel and sea salt. Big YUM.

http://www.haagendazs.com/reserve/fds.aspx

Last night we had our son and family over for dinner. It was a joint effort with my husband making a pork loin and I made rice pilaf and the salad. The pork loin was a recipe he pulled from the Food network website http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/f...ipe/index.html. It was delicious. My rice pilaf recipe is very simple and I use whole grain brown rice. Saute lots of garlic, onion, and red pepper in 1/2 butter, 1/2 olive oil until golden, stir in the brown rice (I use Uncle Ben's whole grain, regular, not quick cooking) and saute a little longer. Add beef consomme and water to suit the quantity of rice you are making and salt to taste. While rice cooks, toast almonds. Once rice is ready (should be chewy but fluffy, not mushy) add the almonds and green peas (just run through water in a colander before adding). The whole meal was perfect, wish I had taken a picture.

For dessert, I made brownies and served them with Caramel Ice Cream.