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.
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