Tag Archives: food

Salad

Posted on April 26, 2013 | Leave a comment

Let’s start off with a given fact. My husband doesn’t think it’s dinner without a big piece of beef on the plate and a loaded baked potato.

So, let’s talk salad. Mixed spring greens (or arugula or whatever you think you can get away with), along with a homemade vinaigrette. I add boiling water beforehand to some raisins and dried cranberries. Dry roast a handful of pine nuts.

Then assemble, last minute. Greens and vinaigrette, nuts and berries, and some goat cheese or feta crumbles on top. Add a good loaf of bread and it’s a meal.

No steak, no baked potato. Dinner is served. Dee

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Bad Dog!

Posted on April 25, 2013 | 1 comment

Our Zoe is nine years old now. As a pup she had severe hip dysplasia and we had to have her hips amputated at six and nine months of age. After aquatic therapy (my husband sneaked her into the community pool every evening) and much walking she got better. She’s small so they don’t design titanium hips for dogs under 50 lbs. and she had to grow her own.

A couple of years later I took a serious steak and marinated it overnight. We ate half of it, at 1.5 lbs. Later I thanked my husband for putting the rest in the frig (he’s not allowed in my kitchen save getting ice, water or Dr. Pepper.

We both looked at dear Zoe, with a smile on her face and licking her paws as she had just eaten 3/4 lbs. of prime steak.

Now, we think it’s cute that she takes Jim’s towel when he’s done eating breakfast at the “bar.” This morning she placed her paws up on his chair and started licking eggs over medium off his plate. She was not in my good graces for a long while this morning.

I ran into a woman with a gorgeous dog yesterday and she was so afraid he would jump on me if I even looked at him. My dog was not there at the time. I said that while our dog is nine, we never had to train her not to jump up on people because her hips were so bad.

Live and learn! I think I need higher counter tops! Cheers, Dee

ps Feels like Spring! Finally.

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Academy Awards

Posted on February 24, 2013 | Leave a comment

On this day I would like to thank Aurora, Neil Simon and Jay Sandrich, Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase for Seems Like Old Times.

I write a cooking and other blog and have been getting a lot of hits for Aurora’s Chicken Pepperoni.

Give it up, guys, I’ll take the dogs, Aurora, if you’ll give up the recipe! Cheers! Dee

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Heavy Metal

Posted on February 24, 2013 | Leave a comment

Up very early this morning, I turned to a Guitar Center sponsored channel, trying to get back to learning acoustic guitar, and happened upon a heavy metal band.

When I think of heavy metal, I dream of the pots and pans Julia Child amassed in Paris in the 1940’a. I can not find them now, but certainly if I could no-one would be able to re-line them as needed.

I believe there is a place in this world for non-stick cookery, but that some critical work must be done with the good stuff. A saucier, perhaps? Not that I’d use one as I don’t really do dessert or butter sauces. But I was taught to clean copper with lemon juice and salt and why let that knowledge go to waste?

When I have the money and space to store good, vintage copper pans I’ll do so. In the meantime I make good food with quality pots and pans. When I get my vacation home in Tuscany, I’ll hang the good stuff. I hear that GEICO pigs are flying these days so can’t use that euphemism. Happy weekend! Dee

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Less for More

Posted on February 22, 2013 | Leave a comment

It started with SoHo lofts then grew to “soft lofts” that said, hey, it’s OK to show the HVAC and put everything out there, like stained concrete floors.

We don’t have to pay to cover it up! And they’ll pay more for it!!! Wow. Less work for more money. It’s sad to say that it didn’t only play in NY City, people have tried it across the country to varying degrees of success, depending on the real estate and stock markets over the past few years.

I am a fan of “open concept” design especially when the dishes are hidden from the dining table. That means a granite or other (non-marble) countertop with chairs that block that view.

On marble. For kitchens or bathrooms it is a mistake because it stains. Marble floors in a bathroom are very cold as well.

I can’t wait to design a home. I’d have a great kitchen and gas top, outdoor wood stove (indoor double convection ovens) and wood floors that are heated underneath, throughout the home. Otherwise it would be designed to the climate. Just hopin’ and wishin’. Dee

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Chili

Posted on February 1, 2013 | 1 comment

After a 60-degree day, it is now three and expected to go below zero before I take the dog out in a couple of hours. Luckily she should be dry after yesterday’s bath and will wear her winter coat as I will don mine with bunny hat and gloves.

I tried to make my riff on Lady Bird Johnson’s Pedernales River Chili yesterday, messing up the first moments in the meat grinder attachment and starting over.

All in all, I boned out 1.5# short ribs, de-fatted 2.5# chuck, and kept it cold. One yellow and one white onion and about 6 cloves of garlic went into the pan after going through the food processor. Then I ground the meat, after the initial hiccup, 20 minutes later the meat was still cold and I could grind it easily.

The onions and garlic were sauteeing away and after they were removed I added the meat in four batches, draining each batch and adding to a large pot with the veg. I salted and peppered every addition.

I added oregano, a tablespoon of ancho chili powder and a heaping teaspoon of cumin, and aleppo chili from Turkey. That’s what I found at Penzey’s, the most incredible herb and spice store in the USA.

After three hours, the house smelled like dirty socks (the cumin) and the chili was done. I added hot sauce and more chile beforehand for a big finish. Perhaps I’ll toast them next time in a dry pan, or try different varieties.

After a day of chili in the frig we’re having a friend over and hopefully she will offer her comments. I did make my own cornbread last time I served chili but will cheat with the boxed version this evening as I’ve much to do today.

I told you that our local grocery is selling jarred Texas “chili base” and the primary ingredient is beans! I talked to my husband’s grandmother today and told her this and she laughed! Real Texans don’t put beans in their chili.

Ten years ago, if I’d put beans into chili, I’d have been drummed out of this family before I was ever in it. Cook something today and tell us about it, Dee

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The Bug

Posted on January 8, 2013 | 1 comment

I believe I got a mild version of the flu that is sweeping the nation. It only put me down and out for 24 hours. All I know is that I took to bed at 3:00 Sunday afternoon and was ready for a light supper 28 hours later.

I steamed a bunch of green beans, then gave them a pat of butter and some salt and pepper. Normally, I enjoy a pasta such as pappardelle or tagliatelle with this dish but I’m trying to clean out the frig so we had two small baked russet potatoes, seasoned and served with a dollop of sour cream.

To my embarrassment, when we were first married nearly ten years ago (two weeks hence) I fussed and spent a couple of hours on dinner every night. Until I made chicken piccata, my version of it.

Chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, pounded out to an even thickness. Salt and pepper. Dredge in flour, place in hot pan with hot olive oil. They won’t take more than four minutes per side. Add the juice of a lemon and a few capers. That first dinner was an epiphany for me as the chicken was done in less than eight minutes and dear one, a steak man from birth, said it was the best chicken he’d ever had.

I added that chicken to my culinary pantheon with thanks to my brother for bringing the inspiration for the veal version home. Herbs are optional, a tomato fillip may be desired. But face it, dear reader, I’m cleaning out the frig!

Shhhh, don’t tell my husband I’m cleaning out the frig. I have a 5# bag of small russet potatoes and he loves them so we’re looking towards some stew, rosti, scalloped potatoes until they’re gone. He likes to think everything is brand new and frowns on “leftovers” unless it’s a meat loaf sandwich. An hours-old refrigerated burger can be sliced into a meat loaf sandwich and he won’t even ask the last time we had meat loaf.

Can I tell you what I got us for our tenth anniversary? Of course we’re not doing anything or going anywhere. It’s something I found when looking for dresses for this thing we have to go to this week. Probably not, because he may even read this once in a while. Tell you later, Dee

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The Back Yard

Posted on January 6, 2013 | Leave a comment

Someday when I’m old and grey-er, I’d love to have the entire back yard setup of grill, frig, burners et al. Today we prefer city life.

There is no back yard. So, our nine year-old dog has made her own. It started as a small space behind the dining table, but now has migrated into our bedroom.

There are only two items; a large chew bone that belonged to her many years ago that she does not chew, only transports to hide from us in plain sight; and her “Precious,” my husband’s invention she’s had all her life but we took the squeakey out.

The only other thing we can let her have is solidly frozen extreme Kong’s with peanut butter, but that’s for when we leave the house. She’s a 35 lb. Aussie mix who eats frozen raw food (lamb with blueberries, squash et al) 2X per day.

She’ll eat not only the cover of a tennis ball in two minutes, but all the rubber inside. Stuffed animals, forget it. Even stuffed animals made for the toughest of chewers are scattered, part by part, in minutes. Especially the squeaker.

So we will continue to have Zoe’s “back yard” except when I’m vacuuming. It makes her happy, as does being back on the bed with my husband after I walked and fed her. It’s the weekend. I even put down the blinds for him and will make bacon and eggs when he awakens. Cheers! Dee

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Hot Hands

Posted on December 29, 2012 | 1 comment

I’m the gal you want to put hands on a cold mold to un-mold it. While my body temperature usually is low, if I’m ill it’s normal, my hands are what chefs call “hot hands.”

I tried to make pastry dough the other day and even cutting the butter I melted it and had to refrigerate it for a few minutes. My pastry was a disaster.

It’s about 80% humidity outside but in here my hygrometer reads zero. I checked the pastry and it held together even after adding more ice water than was called for. A day later, it was crumbly and wouldn’t do anything.

Would a pate sucre or sablee be more forgiving? I recall a pastry dough at a wonderful restaurant where I could just take it out of the frig, make it into balls and press it into tins and that’s the kind of dough I like because if I was called away, I put the rest into the frig and came back to it later.

Forgive me, dough, as I melt butter so cannot make puff pastry, so I don’t bake. Also, my mother and sisters were bakers. It was up to my brother and me to take on the main course. Any ideas? Cheers, Dee

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Kitchen Safety

Posted on December 26, 2012 | 3 comments

We had a lovely Christmas dinner then dessert with friends. While I was making dinner, I was putting together my new favorite brussels sprouts and cauliflower casserole/gratin. I had steamed the veg, was grating cheese and had separately toasted bread crumbs and pine nuts.

All of a sudden the cream, reducing on the stove with shallots and herbs, boiled over behind me. I grabbed it off to another cold burner and lost a few tablespoons and spent the next 20 minutes cleaning the stovetop and steeping the cream rather than reducing it further. When I turned on the oven 20 minutes later I smelled a little gas, which is normal for the first few seconds as it fires.

We ate, then went for dessert. This morning I got up early and took the dog out and I smelled gas outside our door and when the key turned, it was horrible.

My husband had a headache from it but didn’t smell it, so I called it in right away and repairmen were here in moments. They couldn’t find out what was wrong and tested the line and everything.

Now I know what happened. I am a good cook and have graduated from two cooking schools. Just as I am adamant about cross-contamination and sanitizing dishes, I am about making certain the oven and all the burners are off, and the doors are locked.

When the cream boiled over it cut the flame to the burner but the gas was still on. I spent a lot of time cleaning the stovetop and was doing many things for Christmas dinner so even when I checked that the oven and burners were off, all the burner controls were in the vertical position but one was half-way on, still vertical but the wrong way.

These GE controls do not easily show whether the gas is on without a flame, so my husband put a red dot at the top so we could always know it was off. We have smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors but we did not know that for 16 hours we had a serious gas leak in our home.

We’ve had windows open all morning and continue to open them in windy, freezing cold for a few moments every hour or so.

Please check your gas controls. If they are badly designed (cheap) fix them so that you and your family are safe. Glad to still be here, Dee

p.s. Thank you, professional sniffer, our dog Zoe, for pointing out this issue to us. Not! Instead you slept for 9 hours but did kick me out of bed at 5:30 this morning.

Stove knobs with drilled hole filled in with red nail polish

Stove knobs with drilled hole filled in with red nail polish

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