Thursday evening meal

Everyone needs a simple one once in awhile and that is what I did tonight. Totally simple, totally yummy.

Linguini with sauteed garlic in olive oil, spinach salad and a great glass of RED!!!

Cook the linguini until al dente, heat olive oil in a pan and add as much sliced garlic as you like I use a whole large one for a single serving (about 1/2 pound of dry pasta).  When the garlic is cooked soft, but not overly brown add the pasta and toss.  Use a bit of the pasta water for moisture.  Grate in a bit of parmesan cheese and toss again.

Spinach salad:

Put spinach in a bowl, add strawberries or whatever fruit you like, a pinch of salt and pepper and some red onion or shallot.  Top with a dressing of vegetable oil or EVOO, a pinch of paprika, salt, pepper, shallot, red wine vinegar, and a pinch of sugar.  Top the salad and enjoy.

NO PICS  sorry I ate it before I remembered I hadn't taken a pic.   It is so simple though you don't need any.  ENJOY

busy, busy, busy

I can't believe how incredibly busy a person can get during the week.  With long 12 hour work days and a few picked up extra shifts it doesn't leave much time for much.  I have been out a lot lately, so haven't been at home to cook, but today I needed a good lunch so just did it!

I have been eating so bad lately...way too many desserts!!!!     "big smile".

Todays lunch for work is sauteed eggplant with sliced heirloom tomato, mozzarella slices  and grilled onion, garlic and sweet peppers, topped with a basil pesto..(no parmesan cheese in this one though),  steamed and sauteed carrots and green beans and a grilled fig topped with fresh ricotta and a little greek yogurt and lemon zest with honey.

eggplant with mozzarella

EGGPLANT:

Just slice the eggplant and blot it dry...grill it until golden brown with a pinch of salt on each.  Saute up some chopped onion, garlic and sweet peppers.
ASSEMBLE:
Lay down a tomato slice, place eggplant on that then a slice of mozzarella.  Do this 3 high top with the onion saute and spoon on a bit of pesto.

CARROTS AND STRING BEANS:

Finished lunch

Steam string beans and whole carrots with some fresh herbs thrown in...be sure to start the string beans first then add the carrots as the string beans take longer.  When al dente swirl them in some melted butter of your choice ( I like flavored butters that I make).  Put them on the plate just like they are..Sprinkle on a bit of kosher or sea salt and enjoy.

FIGS:

All you do is half the figs, grill them until they have some lines (on the cut side) top them with a bit of fresh ricotta mixed with lemon or orange zest and a spoon of greek yogurt blended, sprinkle with a pinch of nutmeg and bon appetite!!!!

That's it folks....my work day dinner!

Post graveyard dinner

Wow, I am pooped from my graveyard shift last night.  This was a horrible night for traumas and just a lot of patients.  My aching back is keeping me from even wanting to cook, but I got a bit hungry tonight so decided on a favorite polenta dish that I have made quite a bit in the past.

I tend to like the Pheasant brand of polenta, it has a much creamier constancy than many of the others like "Bobs" etc.  I always use it and my polenta is pretty darned good.  Of course, the tons of butter and parmesan don't hurt!!  Big smile!!!!!

Polenta with marinara and herbs:

To start I must say I usually use italian sausage grilled on top of this with the marinara, but didn't have any tonight and my body just hurt too much to even go to the store, so I used what I had on hand.

To start follow the directions on the Pheasant package for basic Polenta.  Be sure to stir it a lot with a whisk to keep it heading toward that creaminess.  It will never be completely smooth, because polenta has a bit of grit to it.  That's why they call it Grits in this country...I usually use half water and half vegetable or organic chicken stock to cook it in.  Be sure you add salt or it will be flat...just like when you make cream of wheat or any cooked cereal.  It takes about 30 minutes.  Near the end take a big glob of butter and stir it in, and when it becomes done stir in a nice amount of parmesan cheese.  I rarely use less than 1/2 cup grated and usually more.
Let the butter melt and the parmesan melt in stirring constantly. Splash in about 1/3 cup of cream or milk and whisk hard for a minute. Scoop out a serving onto a plate or into a bowl and spoon on your marinara (mine still left over from pizza night). Top that with some fresh chopped herbs and a bit of EVOO and some more parmesan. This is not a calorie free dish done this way, but you don't need a huge amount and it is so comforting.   Poor a good glass of wine or a nice beer and enjoy.  AAH I feel so much better.  Now time to settle in and watch Monday night football...I am leading my league right now for this week, but I think it won't last past tonight.

Saturday morning Sept. 18

Homemade yogurt
generally a bit runnier than store bought

Simple breakfast since I have been eating way too much lately. Of course I always start off with a good cup of coffee, which was no exception today.  Today I decided to start with a good cup of homemade yogurt plain..I didn't add a thing.  I then sliced some ciabatta (my favorite bread for toast) and spread on some truffle butter.  This is what makes it special!  Grated on a bit of parmesan and ate it with the yogurt...It was just right!

truffle butter

grate on the parmesan

Ready to eat

Ending my Friday

No cooking at home tonight.  I took Maddie (the dog) for a walk at San Rafael Park then made our way to the Great Basin Brewery for a beer (yummy wheat beer) and a cob salad...devine!  From there we made our way to B and R for a double scoop....good thing I went on that bike ride early today.  The rest of the night will be "foodless".

Maddie and I enjoying our brew at Great
Basin Brewery!
Football tonight UNR vs. CAL so
I'm supporting with my cap since they
were sold out!

Hope you all enjoy your weekend, I won't be cooking much since I'm out Saturday night and work graveyard on Sunday..ICK!   Good eats and good drinks...ENJOY

Day off delights

Awesome toast, with eggplant,cheese, onion
and cherry tomatoes with sauce.
Oh I added some olives

Even Maddie wants some

Friday is here and it is my day off.  It is really nice only working 3 days a week because that gives me lots of time to get all of my chores and have extra time to do some cooking.  This morning I started the day off with a cup of coffee (a yummy Peetz house blend) and some homemade yogurt...I love homemade yogurt, it has such a different texture, more real.  It is just incredibly satisfying. I went for a good 14 mile bike ride around my neighborhood and so was pretty hungry when lunchtime rolled around.  I am on an open-face sandwich kick lately so I made one.  This time I had some tomato sauce leftover from Pizza the other night, so I used that, I also had a really nice white eggplant that was ripe enough in the garden and some super good cheese that Lenni and Justin left when they were here, plus some very sweet cherry tomatoes on the vine, and a yummy sweet onion.  Wow, I sauteed up the eggplant and put a light saute on an onion slice.  Toasted some ciabatta, heated up the tomato sauce and sliced the cheese and cherry tomatoes.  When the bread is toasted, smear on the sauce, lay on the eggplant and place the cheese on top of it. (A soft white cheese works best, or feta might taste good) lay on the onion and the cherry tomatoes.  If you don't like this I'll eat a bowl of oatmeal!!!  Which if you know me makes me gag.   Yum, I wish I had a grilled peach filled with marcapone and whip cream to go with this.

Pizza with Jessica

 

My great niece Jessica and I finally had the same day off so we could get together for dinner and a movie.  Dinner was fun, the movie was not so good.  Don't worry about getting "The Bounty Hunter".
I decided to make margarita pizza, it was really pretty good for a quick dough.  No time for the long rise type.

The ingredients

Pizza:  I just think that your favorite crust is fine whether you make it or buy it.  Whole foods has a dough that you can get in their deli pizza area that is great.  I like to make a reduced marinara for the red sauce, it works very well.  Just use a couple cans of tomato sauce, about 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, chop some onion, garlic, and a combo of herbs like oregano, thyme, parsley, rosemary.  Saute the onion and garlic and mix them with the herbs into the tomato sauce.  Simmer until reduced to a thick sauce.  I also add a pinch of sugar to the tomato and some salt and pepper.

Slice some tomatoes thinly, chefanaude basil, pat a log of fresh mozzarella dry and slice the pieces about 1/8th in. thick,        

Roll dough and spread on
tomatoe sauce

Preheat the oven to 450-500 degrees, roll out your dough, spread on the sauce, place the mozzarella and tomatoes evenly but not touching each other over the top, you can also use some parmesan grated if you like. Sprinkle on some olive oil and place it in the oven until golden brown.  When the pizza is done top it with the fresh chefanaud of basil.  Pour your favorite beer or wine and munch away.

The final product

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001199.html
This is for a great crust.....

Tuesday lunch

A busy day getting the dog and trying to get ready for work.  The cats are driving me crazy since they haven't had any company for 5 days and Maddie is mad as hell because I am getting ready to leave for work.

The mad day lunch consists of super simple.

Fennel and orange salad and sauteed oysters breaded with homemade breadcrumbs.

Fennel salad:

Slice thin as much fennel bulbs as you like, and add a little of the frond of the fennel.

Make orange wedges  by cutting between the skins of each wedge

Add a little red onion slices and some salt and pepper.

Squeeze a tiny bit of lemon and then a bunch of orange juice toss and its ready.

Oysters:

Oysters

Find your favorite oysters, dunk them in milk and egg then in any breadcrumbs you like. I usually use Panco, but today I didn't have any and I used some of my breadcrumbs made earlier.  Put any herbs or spices you like, I used a little chipotle chili, and some cumin with salt and pepper.  Saute them until golden brown and place them on a bed of lettuce.  

EAT IT UP!!!

Monday Sept 14

The sun has set on a
wonderful week with family and friends.
I miss them all terribly!!!

Hey everyone, sorry for no posts lately.  I was in Las Vegas trying to compete (only with myself) in the Amica Sprint Triathlon.  Yes I finished, but needless to say there was NO cooking.   Watch for posts, since I"m back......

TOMATOES

I think the only thing I will like about the up and coming winter is the time I will have to cook different food.  In the summer the food is divine, but I am so busy that I stick to the fresh stuff like tomatoes, salads, fresh veggies etc.  In the winter my dishes are way more varied because I have so much more time in the kitchen.  I am looking forward to posting lots of warm, rich comfort food this winter, but for now here is a fine snack.  For now though, here is a great very refreshing snack for midday or a nice appetizer for dinner.

HERE ARE YOUR INGREDIENTS

A VERSION OF CAPRESE:

ONE OF MY FAVORITE
MOZZARELLA'S , WHOLE FOODS
YOU CAN FIND IT 2 FOR $5.00 WHEN
IT IS ON SALE!

Slice as many tomato pieces as you want.  Slice fresh mozzarella (please buy the good kind floating in liquid not the packaged if at all possible), and   cheuffanade  a few leaves of  basil . Cut a small piece of fresh lemon.   Place the tomatoes on a plate, salt and pepper the tomato, lay on the mozzarella and top with the basil.  Drizzle olive oil over and squeeze a bit of lemon juice on top.

FINISHED PRODUCT...TOO GOOD
FOR WORDS!!

Normally with Caprese one would top drizzle EVOO and some really good Balsamic, but for this one I wanted it a bit fresher and the lemon juice hit the spot. Of course this will go great with a nice glass of lemon water, or a good glass of your favorite white wine or rose...Be careful with rose, try to get a good European variety.  NO PINK CHABLIS PLEASE!!!!!  
http://www.victoryseeds.com/information/why_heirloom_tomatoes.html

Tina Wall http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0F8x4i5GYE&feature=related

This just came from Facebook:  it is very much worth your while to watch it.  Those who eat sushi or just buy your food in a market..read the package, ask the chef where it is from!!!  Your life may depend on it.  

Bread

Sperlonga bread, like ciabatta,
purchase at Wholefoods.

We all buy bread in the market, and some  make it from time to time.  The problem with bread is that there is so much crap out there.  What should there be in bread?  Think back to the days, if you can, when bread was made from scratch by the cook in the house , whether it was a grandma, a mother, an aunt or one of the guys.  What were the ingredients?  Here they are, pure and simple:     flour, water, yeast, a pinch of salt. and maybe a pinch of sugar.   So, if you pick up a loaf of bread and you read 10 to 15 ingredients on the label then you know you are just filling your system full of "crap".  Here's my montra.  Spend more money, get more good out of what you eat.  You are eating this stuff....do you really want to fill your system full of chemicals, or just plain, good food.  I don't really care if you like white bread (do always try to get bread with at least unbleached flour), or wheat, or whole grains.  You can get good, quality white bread if you either make it yourself, or find a good baker.  Sara Lee etc. is not the place to look!!!!!

Breakfast:
2 pieces of Sperlonga one with egg, one with avocado spread.  (Sort of like guacamole)

One piece with avocado topped with
tomato, the other with a
fried egg.

Fry an egg, make it so the yolk is just barely able to run since you will have it on the toast.
Make a spread or just slice avocado
     simple avocado spread would be avocado mashed, a bit of lemon, pinch of salt and pepper, a dash of cumin or anything else you might like to add.  I just made the simplest one with a dash of hot sauce.

Keep the yolk  so it
runs slowly so you
can eat it on the bread!

I toast the bread, spread a little avocado on one bread with a bit of sliced tomato, on the other I just have the egg.  I get plenty to eat, but only have one egg.  It is quick, yummy and a healthy way to start your day.   Please cook with olive oil whenever possible it adds great flavor to the food and is much healthier than many.  The only time I use other oil is if I need to have a super hot pan for searing.  At higher temps, olive oil will smoke too much.

Here's my breakfast today..a normal egg and toast yes, simple but yummy none the less.