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.

Meals 144-150

05/23 i'm playing hookie from work today to spend a little more time in chincoteague with my boo. this place has clearly come a long way....it has a taco truck! and one run by hipsters!!! this place was within easy walking distance to our little rental cottage. and the taco combinations here are intriguing and delicious. i had already scoped the place for lunch, and very much enjoyed their falafel taco with candied mint, and their scallop taco with grapefruit salsa. tonight, for my meatless monday dinner, i went back to get their cauliflower taco. like any good taco truck, the lines here can get a little long, but if you are ever in the area? it's worth the wait. they make their own tortillas in house, and it makes all the difference.

http://www.picotaqueria.com

05/24 apparently i didn't get my fill of crabmeat while at the beach, because tonight....there's more! a simple crab salad stuffed avocado. crabmeat tossed with yogurt, cilantro, scallions and a little lime juice. placed in a perfectly ripe avocado. and that good people, is all! a simple, quick, and very tasty meal!

05/25 tonight my office hosted a dinner at a nearby restaurant, american tap room. this is a great place for a crowd. the menu has enough variety that anyone can find something they like. and the beer selection is extensive. fancy enough to be appropriate for a business dinner or date (it was one of tony and mine's first). but casual enough for a good happy hour (as i have attended a handful of times). we had a group of 8, and a wonderful time. appetizers of pretzels with cheddar ale dip and lettuce wraps. and a meal of scallops on creamed corn. the scallops were wonderful! and i never gave much thought to creamed corn before, but i was very much impressed. i'll have to add this to my list of "recipes to try"!

http://americantaproom.com

05/26 it was an abnormally late day at work tonight, so there wasn't anytime to go to the store, never mind time to put together a meal. luckily i had a beautiful assortment of cheeses in the fridge, and some fresh fruits. which was perfect for throwing together a simple cheese plate! a whisky cheddar, a roquefort, a jarlsberg, a pecorino, and goat cheese with pepper jelly. just a little sample of each. quick. easy. and a perfect way to unwind after a looooooooong day.

05/27 tomorrow is my dear friend shannon's wedding. at which i am most honored to be a bridesmaid! so tonight was the rehearsal dinner. this is my first time being an attendant at a catholic wedding, so i REALLY needed the rehearsal. it's like calisthenics. stand. sit. stand. kneel. stand. sit. stand. kneel. bow. i feel like i need one of those charts that football coaches draw up. with lines and x's and squiggly marks. *fingers crossed* i'll remember it tomorrow!

the post-rehearsal dinner was at a restaurant near the church. a lovely restaurant, "black bear bistro", with a basement room set aside for the family/bridal party. they set up a buffet with some of their customer favorites. shrimp and grits. pasta with sausage. and a "sweet tea chicken" served over mashed potatoes. it was very similar to a chicken marsala. a wonderful sweet and savory sauce with mushrooms. everything else was good. but this was amazing. and mashed potatoes!! i'll have to come back here and check out the rest of their menu....

http://www.blackbearbistro.com

05/28 today was the wedding! it was a lovely day. the weather was sunny and warm. the ceremony was sweet and charming (and relatively smooth with the choreography). the reception was held at a local winery. "the winery at la grange" is actually one of my favorite in this area. it has gorgeous grounds. overlooking rows of grapevines that surround beautiful historic brick homes. they had set a tent up for the wedding party against one of the tasting areas.

the catered food was an absolutely adorable spread of sliders and mini sandwiches. perfect for an afternoon outdoor reception! here's my plate with a taste of everything. potato salad. corn and avocado salad (yum). a little biscuit with ham. a chicken salad lettuce wrap. roast beef and arugula on brioche. and......mini lobster rolls. yes, i grabbed two. i love lobster rolls! maybe it's because i never have them? so they're a novelty? i may have ended the night with sneaking a couple of these home....no judgement.

of course there was cake. a unique vanilla cake with blueberries and browned buttercream. it was delicious. really it was. but....that was not nearly as exciting as the fact that there was a coldstone truck set up!!!  here are three of us bridesmaids with the lady of the day enjoying our sweet treats. shannon let us each pick our own style of dress. she asked that we wear "light grey", "knee length" and "bright shoes". the rest was up to us! i think it ended up being a very fun look for us all. and the bride's dress? the dress that really matters? was gorgeous. light and airy and whimsical.

and of course a wedding at a winery means....wine! cheers to all!

05/29 tomorrow i'll be up at the compound celebrating my dad's 75 birthday....and i know the meal there won't be a "meatless" one, so i'm swapping out tonight's meal for a meatless option in it's place! more fritters! these are sweet potato and corn cakes. with a side of mango avocado salad. the sweet potato is seasoned with cumin, chili powder, garlic, onion powder and oregano to give them a "southwest" flavor. tossed with the sweet corn, scallion, cilantro, bread crumbs and a beaten egg. cooked in a skill with a little olive oil. just until golden. if i've learned nothing else from this year's experiment, i have learned you can never go wrong with fritters for a meal!

Meals 137-143 (and "the other woman")

05/16 with all the asparagus that is in season now, i made a lightened up version of cream of asparagus soup tonight. bright green asparagus pureed with leeks, green peas, garlic, parmesan and greek yogurt. i was a little dubious of this recipe. i love roasted asparagus as a side, but as a soup? i wondered if it wouldn't be overwhelming. it actually makes for a very pleasant soup. the yogurt adds a wonderful creamy texture without too much fat. and the combination of leeks and green peas balances the asparagus beautifully. and something this green, must be good for you!

05/17 tonight's meal was a very simple salad. bacon, avocado, tomatoes and red onion on a bed of spinach. nothing fancy. but sometimes the simple meals are the best!

05/18 i frequently order fish tacos if i see them on a menu. especially if it's a grilled fish, not fried. they almost always come with some type of spicy/cream sauce that is addictive. and the crunchy cabbage slaw is such a wonderful addition! tonight i made them at home with a grilled mahi mahi. the sauce was a combination of cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, lime juice, cilantro and yogurt. and a little drizzle of sriracha on top. i coated the fish in a little of the seasonings as well before grilling it. and it came out perfect! wonderful flavors, and not too heavy.

05/19 i'm slowly going through all the different combinations i have of asian flavored chicken meals. tonight's was an orange ginger chicken. pieces of chicken breast sautéed in a reduction sauce of orange juice, chicken broth, ginger, soy sauce and red chili paste. a little orange zest and a few sesame seeds on top add the extra touch to this meal. and the side of broccoli perfectly soaked up the extra sauce!

05/20 tonight was tortellini tossed with spinach, tomatoes and a little of the italian sausage i had leftover.

05/21 ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to the entity i refer to as "the other woman". the antares. a supply rocket that launches from NASA's flight facility wallops island, just off the edge of chincoteague at the eastern most part of virginia. this sleek and intimidating entity is what often draws my tony away from me (hence the moniker). he frequently has to travel to the launch site while the engines are being tested. and this weekend is one of those tests. as much as i hate to have him out of town, at least chincoteague makes for a nice weekend trip! so i packed up the pooch and we headed to the island for the weekend.

it wasn't the most ideal weather for a weekend at the beach. it was actually cold and rainy much of the time. here you see the harsh grey skies and barren water front. all the same, it was an excellent weekend. i rather enjoy having the beach to myself! 

one of the best parts of being down here is being near all the wonderful fresh seafood. tonight we ate at "ray's shanty". a local haunt decorated with wood paneling and beach paraphernalia. it's just what you would expect. cheap beer. cheaper wine. shrimp sold by the bucket. no linen table cloths, just paper place mates. but....amazing seafood! tony always gets the blackened tuna here. and it is a MASSIVE piece of tuna. i opted for the crab cake (broiled of course). they were tasty, but i am sad to say, lacking in old bay. really virginia? get it together and put old bay in your crab cakes!!!!! aside from the seafood here, it's worth mentioning that ray's shanty has down right addictive hush puppies. i swear they have a deep fryer that has been blessed by the pope. these little golden nuggets are fantastic!!! sadly, i didn't get a picture of the wonderful little joys of deep fried corn bread....

but i did get a picture of our brunch! more crab cakes!!!!! this was at bill's. a little more upscale restaurant that was an easy stroll from our cottage. another gorgeous crab cake nestled on a toasted english muffin and topped with a perfectly poached egg. and the hollandaise....oh the wonderful decadent hollandaise. perfectly crips home fries. bright red strawberries. i love a good brunch. a lazy morning spent eating decadent foods. and this brunch, was one of the best i've ever had!

05/22 to offset the heavy foods we've been eating, tonight i made a turkey and quinoa burgers. topped with a sriracha mint yogurt sauce, and next to sides of steamed green beans and glazed carrots. it was nice to end the week with something a little healthier!

Meals 130-136

05/09 for tonight's meatless meal i wanted to try something i had seen a few times on pinterest. sweet potato nachos. i love sweet potatoes. i love nachos. but i never though of combining the two. i was most pleased with the result! the hardest part was making the sweet potato chips. even thinly sliced on the mandolin, they took a loooooooong time in the oven at a low temperature to get crisp. worth the wait though. before baking i had tossed them with olive oil and a few spices like cumin, chili powder, garlic and oregano to add a nice flavor. once they had cooled a little i sampled one. two. three. i had to stop myself from eating all the chips as they were! i laid them on a plate as a base for the copious toppings i had. black beans. corn. cheddar. scallions. cilantro. salsa. sour cream. and avocado. oh how i do love me the avocado. all together it made for a very filling meal. and now that i know how to make the chips? i foresee them appearing as the side dish to many future meals. sorry for the blurry picture!!!

05/10 during my travels in italy, i saw the combination of sausage and kale rather frequently. often in soups. sometimes over pasta. tonight i decided to try the combination on spaghetti squash. a spicy italian sausage pairs rather nicely with the bitter green of kale. it balances the flavors out quite nicely! i added a few mushrooms and tomatoes that i needed to use up, and tossed it all with roasted spaghetti squash. despite the sausage as a component, this meal was actually relatively light. and much heavier on the veggies than the meat. so no guilt!!

05/11 it's may. the second week of may. and we are still in the middle of cold, rainy, grey weather. it is most disheartening! given the dreary weather i opted for comfort food tonight. i can't even remember when or where i saw this recipe for crock pot "swiss steak". but i've had it for years and never tried it. there are a million recipes for swiss steak. all of which involve slow cooking with a great deal of moisture and a typically tough cut of meat like flat iron steak. most use tomatoes, but this one uses onions and beef broth. the addition of paprika, mushrooms and sour cream to this dish made it almost like a combination of beef stroganoff and hungarian goulash. and those are both wonderful comfort food dishes! so i figure tonight was a good night to try it. and on a bed of creamy mashed potatoes. the flat iron steak i used came out SUPER tender and delicious. the sauce was a little on the heavy side, but made for a nice gravy on the mashed potatoes.

05/12 there have been so many recipes i've made that were variations of stuffed chicken breast. tonight i wanted to use a different base. stuffed tilapia! a filet of tilapia stuffed with chopped broccoli, a beaten egg, a little parmesan, a bit of cream cheese, some spices and a few tablespoons of breadcrumbs. baked just until the tilapia became transparent. it was actually a really nice alternative to the chicken i've been using. i love the versatility and light texture of tilapia. for a side i made a strawberry basil salad. since we are in strawberry season, i want to take advantage! a little balsamic drizzle and a few cucumbers makes this salad a light and rather refreshing side dish.

05/13 tonight's meal was sort of a "deconstructed sushi". i got the idea from a recipe on skinny taste for "spicy shrimp stacks". but rather than try for the neat pretty stack? i just went for a free style bowl presentation. a base of brown rice drizzled with soy sauce. a layer of fresh avocado. shrimp that was tossed with a little mayo and sriracha. and a topping of scallions and sesame seeds. all together the flavors and textures were that of some of the best "americanized" sushi rolls i've had! next time, i want to try this with a sashimi-grade tuna......

http://www.skinnytaste.com/spicy-california-shrimp-stack/

05/14 tonight was one of my personal favorite meals. seared scallops served on a bed of parmesan risotto with a side of asparagus. i love everything about this meal! it all hinges on having good quality sea scallops. and quickly searing them quickly in a HOT skillet with a little bit of butter and white wine. the natural sweetness of the scallops comes through and the texture is one that melts in your mouth. and you can never go wrong with a good risotto. i start with a base of garlic, onion and shallot. then the arborio rice. a little white wine. and chicken broth. finish it with some parmesan and a little parsley. and this is definitely the season for fresh asparagus! quickly roasted to keep that little bit of crunch in the stalks. and the gorgeous green color. such a very wonderful meal!!!

05/15 we have a small farmer's market here in town that sets up every thursday morning. only a handful of vendors set up. but there is one particular vendor that i am obsessed with, and was very happy to see had returned to set up this year. "the lambs quarter". a farmer/butcher from calvert county that comes here to sell his wares. and he makes the most AMAZING sausages. chorizo. cheddar brats. spicy italian. everything i've bought from him is amazing. tonight i took the spicy italian sausage i had just purchased and sautéed it in a skillet with some sliced sweet onion and red peppers. amazing flavors! so simple. but when the ingredients are this good? you really don't need much! if you should ever find yourself in calvert county, i highly recommend you pay the farm a visit......

http://thelambsquarter.com

Meals 123-129

05/02 after two weeks of vacation (and vacation eating) i really want to focus on healthier meals this week. lean meats and LOTS of veggies. to start the week off i made a thai coconut curry tofu. i know, i know. tofu has a bad reputation as being a mushy bland sponge in food. and to be fair, it really is bland. which makes it ideal to soak up the wonderful flavors of red curry, fresh ginger and thai chili that are in this dish. i've also learned over the years that the mushy texture tofu can be made infinitely better if it's sliced thin and baked at 300F for about 30 minutes prior to adding it to dish of choice.  this bakes out a great deal of the moisture that the tofu is packed in, and yields a much firmer and more pleasant substance.

it's crazy that a dish that is not only vegetarian but *gasp* VEGAN can be so rich with flavors. that's the best part of thai cuisine! it can be so tasty and so healthy!! look at all the colorful vegetables in this dish. ripe tomatoes, yellow bell peppers, bright bok choy, earthy shiitake mushrooms, herbaceous cilantro....all swimming in a savory rich broth of coconut milk, curry and red chili paste. this would be great served over rice, but i usually just eat it as a stew. and it's even better the next day for lunch!

05/03 last night was thai cuisine, tonight was indian! i found a crockpot recipe for chicken tikka masala that i've been wanting to try for a while. tomatoes, onions, garlic and a handful of spices create a bed for diced pieces of chicken breast. this would probably have more depth of flavor if i had used chicken thighs, but i was trying to be on the calorie conscious side. after everything is cooked through, just add a little yogurt to give the dish a creamy texture, and top with cilantro. like last night's meal, this would've been great over rice. but i opted for roasted chickpeas instead, to add a little "crunch" to the meal.

roasted chickpeas are probably the most genius thing to have come from the "low carb" trends. drained and rinsed canned chickpeas, tossed with a little olive oil and baked for 45 minutes at 400F. (be sure to shake the baking pan halfway through). they get this wonderful golden color and a little *crunch* in texture. the flavor is rich and buttery. and they take very well to seasoning! i usually throw a little sea salt and rosemary on mine. but they are also amazing with a sprinkling of old bay!

05/04  i took advantage of the break in our rainy weather, and used the grill tonight to make some steak and veggie kabobs. there was a sale on some beautiful rib eyes, so i cubed them up and skewered them with chunks of peppers, onion, tomatoes and mushrooms. i doused everything with a simple marinade of soy sauce, garlic and ginger. just enough to add a hint of flavor, but not so much to overwhelm the natural flavors of the fresh ingredients. and since it's spring time? that means fresh asparagus for a side!!! crisp, beautiful, green and wonderful asparagus!

05/05 i looked into my repertoire of stuffed-chicken breast recipes to find one i hadn't made yet. buffalo stuffed chicken jumped out. i start out as i have so many times before, with a flattened piece of chicken breast. this time i stuffed it with a little cream cheese mixed with bleu cheese dressing, chopped celery, chopped green pepper, chopped carrot, and a healthy pour of buffalo sauce. then each piece is rolled up and placed in a baking dish. smothered with more buffalo sauce and a sprinkling of cheddar cheese, these little guys are baked at 375F for 40 minutes.

for a side i did a little twist on a wedge salad. because nothing goes better with buffalo sauce than bleu cheese! i used a base of spinach instead of the typical iceberg lettuce in a wedge salad (i gotta get the iron where and when i can!). then topped it with tomatoes, red onions and crumbled bacon. then a pour of bleu cheese dressing and a drizzle of buffalo sauce to mirror the flavors of the chicken. mmmmmm. the salad alone would've made for a satisfying meal!!

05/06 tonight was a date night with my boo! we went to our go-to spot, the breeze. we always see their pizza on the menu, but have never actually tried it. so tonight was the night to do so! we ordered their margherita style pizza, but upped the ante by adding meatballs to it. now, having just returned from my recent trip to brooklyn, my expectations were low. i know that sounds snobbish. but let's be honest. no "new york style" pizza outside of new york is really going to measure up. this one was ok. decent. not bad. but.....it wasn't "new york". still, a wonderful evening out with boo!

05/07 being from maryland (and close to the bay), i grew up with a lot of rockfish (a.k.a. striped bass.....or stripers....not to be confused with strippers as my phone likes to autocorrect) on the table (the stripers not the strippers). i never really appreciated the delicacy of this fish until i was older. it turns out? it's one of tony's favorites. so whenever i see it in the store (which is sadly very rare in virginia) i make sure to grab a piece for dinner. i like to keep the prep on this fish simple. a little olive oil, a sprinkle of old bay, and a few minutes on the grill. that's it. rockfish has a relatively delicate flavor, so it shouldn't be overwhelmed by heavy sauces or spices.

since the main course was one of tony's favorites, i decided to carry through with some of his favorite sides as well. this has become a "boo appreciation" meal. the bleu cheese cole slaw? always a hit. spinach quinoa patties? can never go wrong with those. and sweet potato fries? mmmmmm. sweet potato fries. a happy plate, a happy boo!

05/08 happy mothers day to all the mothers out there! i went up to the compound to see mamacita and  give her a mothers day hug. we had a nice afternoon feast of fried chicken, grilled brats and fresh strawberries. in the maryland/virginia/delaware area there is a chain of convenient stores called royal farms. and they have the BEST fried chicken. seriously. at a gas station. it's amazing! beside the good food, it's always good to spend time chatting with the family!

hard to believe it's already over a week into may. crazy how the year is flying by!