Meals 165-171

06/13 tonight tony and i had tickets to see flight of the conchords at wolf trap; a local venue that not only brings in fantastic acts, but has amazing lawn seats for decent prices. the best part about sitting in the lawn here? is that they encourage picnicking, and aren't restrictive to what you bring! with the weather being so hot, i thought it was a perfect occasion to make a watermelon gazpacho. a savory cold tomato and cucumber soup with just the perfect amount of liquid and sweetness offered from the melon. very refreshing for an evening outdoors!

06/14 today i knew i was going to be stuck late at work, so tony kindly agreed to get dinner prepped and ready! remember my ravings about the butcher that comes to our local farmer's market? well tonight we used another of his amazing wares. i had frozen some cheddar bratwurst that i had purchased a few weeks ago. tonight they were thawed out and boiled in beer for a few minutes (just until the insides were no longer pink). then they were ready for the grill! a little spicy mustard and a toasted bun? and these beautiful brats are one of my favorite warm-weather meals. i had some 3 bean salad and coleslaw leftover from sunday's dinner, and they made for the perfect sides!

06/15 it just so happens that we had tickets for a second show at wolf trap tonight! a group of our friends were getting together to see bare naked ladies. with the open acts being howard jones and orchestral maneuvers in the dark. holy 80's throwback batman, HoJo and OMD? i was way more excited to hear "tesla girls" live than to see the headlining band. i remember my older sisters seeing OMD open for Depeche Mode in 1988, but i was too young to go with....and was so jealous. nearly 30 years later, i finally get my chance!!!! since it was another late day of work, i had no time to prepare anything for tonight's picnic. so it became a "grab and go" type of meal. tony went to our local wegman's and picked up some sushi. delicious, easy, and perfect!


06/16 i had the smallest bit of pulled pork left in the fridge, and wanted to use it up tonight. i saw this idea and was inspired! pulled pork and bar-b-que sauce used to stuff a baked sweet potato. why did i never think of this? the flavors married so well with each other! i will have to keep this idea in mind for future leftovers......

06/17 i had a craving for fish tacos tonight, but realized i had made them just a few weeks ago. so going by the rules of "no dinner twice" i've set for myself? i had to find a compromise. so tonight's version was a "fish taco salad". a bed of cabbage and romaine, red peppers, red onions, tomatoes and a spicy grilled mahi mahi. of course the quintessential part of this....is the spicy creamy sauce on top. i didn't even miss the tortilla!

06/18 one of the best parts about our town, is the fact that it has a large indian and pakistani population. and that means.....AMAZING indian restaurants!!!! tonight tony and i got carry out from our favorite of these restaurants "paradise". they have an appetizer of gobi manchurian (sweet and spicy cauliflower) that is addictive. that is a mandatory order whenever we go. for our main dishes we split an order of the aloo palak (spinach with potatoes) and malai kofta (vegetarian croquettes in a savory yellow sauce). everything here is always so perfectly flavorful, without being overwhelmingly spicy.

06/19 a warm and sunny sunday! tony has been having a hankering to bring the smoker out of storage and get a nice piece of brisket. so we picked up a lovely piece of cow, got it nice and spiced and put it to rest in a warm bed of hickory and mesquite smoke! i made up a batch of smashed potatoes to sit as a side for the smokey delicious meat. and of course the savory and sweet mop sauce to top everything off!

to bring some vegetables to the meal, i made one of my favorite go-to summer side dishes (yes, i know, summer isn't technically here....yet....but still) panzanella. this is a wonderful and light salad that i learned to make while i was in tuscany. a combination of bright red tomatoes and toasted bread. it is a great way to use up the sweet local cherry tomatoes that are starting to show up at local farm stands. and also the best way to get rid of any bread that's starting to stale. here's the recipe i've been using:

for the bread
4 cups cubed bread (i like a sourdough)
2 Tblsp olive oil
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp fresh rosemary (chopped)
1 tsp fresh thyme (chopped)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
*toss together and toast at 400F for ten minutes

fort the tomatoes
2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
1 large bunch basil, ribboned
1 shallot, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
*toss together

-toss bread and tomatoes together and let sit for 10 minutes prior to serving. this gives time for the juice of the tomatoes to soak into the bread without making it soggy.

look how bright and colorful this turns out!

Meals 158-164

06/06 i am always and forever looking to improve my techniques at making pie crust. and i am a believer that a skill not used is a skill lost, i.e. "use it or lose it". so i try to make a pie crust every so often. i do love a good fruit pie, especially if it's sour cherry. but i actually prefer a savory pie. and for tonight's "meatless monday meal"? the savory pie du jour was a cheddar broccoli quiche. it was actually broccoli....and every leftover vegetable in my fridge that needed to be used up. that's what so wonderful about quiches. you can put pretty much anything in them, pour some beaten egg over top, and bake! the warm, flaky, buttery crust makes it a delicacy. and a meal that will double as breakfast for the next few days. *a piece of advice for a re-heated piece of quiche. or reheating anything that has bread or crust. put a cup of water in a pyrex cup in the microwave next to the dish. it keeps the starchy portions from drying out. and it helps if you can reheat at 50% power*

for a side i made a very simple salad of spinach, spiced pecans and fresh berries. i fondly remember a little french cafe in new york near one of the theatres i worked at. one of their cheapest meals was the "quiche of the day and mixed green salad". and as i was in the midst of my starving artist days? the cheapest meal was always the one i opted for. this meal was always perfectly filing. a lovely balance between the crisp salad and hearty quiche. so i harkened back to this meal for tonight's dinner!

06/07 my mom and sister are coming to visit later tonight. as i know we will be up late chatting and snacking, i made a very simple dinner. salmon in a mustard dill sauce with a side of roasted tomatoes. the sauce for this tastes decadently creamy, but is actually quite healthy. greek yogurt mixed with fresh dill, dijon mustard and a little lemon juice. it was a meager meal....to make room for the requisite snacks that come with "girls night"!

i set out a plate of cheese, crackers, dried apricots and grapes. the cheese is a "salted caramel wensleydale". a savory/sweet combination that is absolutely amazing combined with fruit.

and no girls night would be complete without....CUPCAKES!!!! since i wanted a variety, i figured it was easier to go to a local bakery and buy tonight's treats rather than make them myself. i split them all into quarters so we could each sample the different flavors. from left to right, top to bottom, the contenders are:  lemon, strawberry champagne, nutella, red velvet, kaluha, and oreo. my personal favorite? definitely the lemon!

06/08 there is a sad lack of thai restaurants near my home town. since my mom and sister were here for dinner? that's what we decided to have! i took them to the nearby thai luang (one of my favorites) to indulge in the cuisine. we all split an order of the house dumplings. and each got a different dish that we swapped back and forth from. my mom got the red curry with chicken. a delectable broth of red curry and coconut milk that covered thin pieces of tender chicken, sliced eggplant and bamboo shoots. amy got the shrimp pad thai. here their pad thai isn't overly sweet like at some places. i could eat pad thai daily and never get tired of it! but tonight i got the spicy drunken noodles. and boy were they serious about the spicy part! so to cool our respective palettes we ended the night by splitting an order of mangoes and sticky rice. one of the most genius desserts ever created!

06/09 after the indulgences consumed with my mom and sister's visit, i kept tonight's meal fairly simple. i made a mediterranean wrap. a small flour tortilla with a spread of hummus, tzatiki, cucumbers, roasted red peppers, black olives, tomatoes and feta. all wrapped up and ready to go!

06/10 i've been seeing a lot of "copy cat" recipes for the bang bang shrimp served at bonefish. i've only ever had the dish once, but the memory of the sweet, creamy, spicy sauce definitely stands out in my mind! so tonight i compiled a few of the recipes to create a wonderful dish of sautéed shrimp tossed in a combination of greek yogurt, mayonnaise, sriracha, sweet chili sauce and scallions. it was actually very quick and easy to throw together. and a phenomenal balance of textures and flavors.  the addition of the greek yogurt to substitute part of the mayonnaise lightened it up significantly. and actually added a nice tangy flavor.

as a side dish i made something i've been wanting to experiment with for a while. oven baked "fried green tomatoes". well....actually these were tomatillos. i was hoping to find green tomatoes at the farmer's market but struck out. though i read many reviews that tomatillos make a good substitute, so i gave them a try! i had never even heard of fried green tomatoes until i moved to atlanta. and it took me a while to try them. they sounded so....weird. tomatoes are squishy, why would you fry them? but after i had my first bit of a cornmeal crusted fried green tomato at the flying biscuit cafe in candler park i was hooked. since then i've ordered them whenever i've had the chance (which is far and few between when you don't live in the deep south). i figured the crispy, slightly sweet, slightly tangy and slightly spicy creation would be a good side car to the shrimp. i am happy to say, i was not wrong! i mixed the cornmeal and breadcrumbs for these guys with old bay which added a wonderful flavor that complimented the heat of the shrimp. i opted for an oven baked version to be health conscious. maybe they weren't as crispy as if they had been fried. but they were still good! next i want to use these as part of a "blfgt"....bacon lettuce and fried green tomato sandwich!

06/11 i had a fair amount of shrimp left over from last nights meal, so tonight i threw together a salad and topped it with those wonderful spicy crustaceans. i added some sweet corn and bacon to bring extra flavor and texture to the salad. the shrimp were just as good the second day!

06/12 at least once a summer i make a batch of pulled pork bbq. i guess technically it isn't summer yet, but it sure feels like it! so i turned on the crock pot and put a beautiful pork tenderloin on a bed of sweet onions to slow cook for the day. i know pulled pork is usually made with pork shoulder, but i was trying to cut out a little fat and add extra flavor. when i slow cook this recipe, i pour in a bottle of ginger beer, which not only adds and excellent flavor, but provides enough moisture to keep the tenderloin from drying out! once it's tender enough to shred with a fork, all it needs is a little bbq sauce! this has consistently been a successful meal over the years. pulled pork always calls for a side of cole slaw. and personally? i like a three bean salad. and i'm not ashamed to admit, i use the kind from a can! i find that hanover brand has an excellent three bean salad. the strong bite of vinegar and the sweetness of the sauce pairs perfectly with the pork and cole slaw!

Meals 151-157

05/30 today we celebrated my father's birthday (two days late) in true maryland style. with a crab feast. picking and eating blue crabs can be a daunting experience. a table piled high with scary crustaceans that look like bright orange angry shelled spiders creatures. clouds of old bay seasoning that makes sure every single knick and paper cut you didn't even know you have turn into burning searing flesh wounds. sharp knives and wooden mallets that send pieces of shell into shrapnel. the surgical precision required to open the crabs and remove the meat inside. the wonderful, sweet, buttery meat that makes all the other dangers worth the trouble. i don't even know how or when i learned to pick a crab. i think it's a knowledge you are born with if you are born in maryland. like a geographical dna imprint.

anyone who's been to a crab feast understands the catch 22 of crab picking. the amount of energy exerted in getting the meat out of the crab? is more than the caloric energy yield from the meat inside the crab. which means.....the more you eat......the hungrier you get. so no meal can be made of crabs alone. you have to have a mountain of sides to stay satiated. steamed corn being almost essential. fresh seasonal fruits like cantaloupe (or lopes as they're advertised on farm stands here) and strawberries. any type of picnic side such as cole slaw, potato salad, or macaroni salad. and you definitely want something hearty like fried chicken, hot dogs, or as we had today....hamburgers.

then you situate yourself around your friends and family, grab a mallet and knife, and prepare for an afternoon of eating and chatting! and dodging rogue shells......

05/31 i am determined to work avocados into as many meals as i can while they are in stores and in the prime of ripeness. tonight was a simple "southwest chicken salad". rotisserie chicken on a bed of greens with black beans, pepper jack cheese and sliced avocado. sometimes a hearty salad is the perfect meal.

06/01 tonights meal came from a suggestion a coworker of mine had. she has four kids, so is always trying to find meals that will appeal to a table full of picky eaters. she told me about this creation and it sounded so good, i had to try it. and it involves a stuffed chicken breast, which i am always a fan of! this particular chicken breast is stuffed with prepared dressing (i won't lie, i used stove top tonight for convenience sake), and covered with a can of condensed cream of chicken soup. then baked at 400 for 45 minutes. served with a side of green beans it makes for a hearty comforting dinner. very reminiscent of thanksgiving! the soup keeps the chicken tender and moist, and creates a type of gravy.

06/02 i saw this recipe a while ago and was dubious. but intrigued enough to give it a try. seared scallops served with a "strawberry salsa". the salsa is simply diced strawberries tossed with shallots, basil and balsamic vinegar. a very simple garnish. and since it's peak strawberry season, i figured this was a good night to give it a shot. it turned out much better than i anticipated! the vinegar and shallot balanced the strawberries nicely so they didn't overwhelm the delicate scallops. and combined with a side of asparagus, it made for a light and flavorful meal!

06/03 oh sweet avocados, how i do love thee. i remember there were some nights my mom would make blt's for dinner. simple delicious blt's. as a kid i saw them as a treat. as an adult i realize they are not only a treat, but super simple to make! tonight i decided to combine that wonderful idea of a simple blt with my beloved avocados. bacon and avocados. best friends for life! i also added a few slices of smoked salmon. because.....well it's tasty. all of these wonderful ingredients on a toasted piece of pumpernickel. not the most complicated of meals. but a fantastic combination of flavors.

06/04 this weekend is the annual town festival. you know the kind of event where they set up a ferris wheel in the municipal parking lot, carnival games along the downtown sidewalks, and vendors offering every variety of fried food you can think of? every year we stroll through mostly for the people watching. of course we have to sample at least one of the offerings of grease laden options. last year it was the "red velvet fried oreos". oreos dipped in red velvet cake batter. deep fried and drizzled with cream cheese icing. those? where unbelievably good. this year i opted for savory over sweet. i'm always jealous of the plates of "ribbon fries" i see walking around. thin slices of potatoes flash fried and piled on a plate with melted cheese, ranch dressing and bacon bits. they're like super crisp kettle gigantic kettle chips. so this year i finally got a plate of my own. omg. SO GOOD!!!! luckily i had help from tony and our friend chuck. or this plate may have put me into a coma. worth it.....

06/05 we took advantage of the grill tonight to make some burgers. not just a plain burger....no no. these are stuffed with bleu cheese! lean ground chuck mixed with one packet of lipton onion soup mix and an egg. then formed around about 1 oz of bleu cheese. and grilled barely past medium rare. served on a toasted bun with lettuce, tomato and red onion. tastes like summer!! and since the grill was on, we threw on some portobello mushrooms that were marinated in balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, oregano, olive oil and soy sauce. and a few oven baked onion rings on the side.