Great Thanksgiving appetizer: Smoked salmon

We're headed to the Bay Area to enjoy Thanksgiving in a vacation rental with my mom and daughter Caryn. No cooking planned while on this vacation-- we're having Andronico's gourmet grocery cater our holiday supper. Quite a departure, but I'm feeling lazy so am very much looking forward to it.

Thought I'd offer up one holiday tip before we go, for others who may not be cooking but want to take along something easy and pretty to share with your hosts at Thanksgiving dinner. Went to a party last night and took a tray of smoked salmon (only $9.99 at Sam's Club for a 16-ounce package of "Premium Nova" variety.) I spread salmon slices on a bed of parsley, sprinkled on some fresh dill, capers, lemon juice, then served with crackers and cream cheese. Elegant and economical.

Blog tag, I'm it

At the invitation of my friend, Lori, I'll play along with a blog tag game making the rounds. There is actually mention of something related to cooking in the random facts about myself here.

Here are the rules of the game:
Link to the person who tagged you.
Post the rules on your blog.
Write 6 random things about yourself.
Tag 6-ish people at the end of your post.
Let each person know he/she has been tagged.
Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Here are six random facts about me:

1) I feel like everyone I know already knows everything about me.

2) I love every kind of food except beets and cream of mushroom soup. I will never use cream of mushroom soup in any recipe.

3) My brain is not wired to fathom the rules to pinochle. And when we visit any of my husband's relatives, they all want to sit down to pinochle as soon as we get our coats off.

4) My most commonly recurring dream is that it is the end of the semester and I have to take a math exam in a class I forgot to ever attend.

5) When I was a teenager, I drove a 1963 Triumph Spitfire. My father had bought it when he was a young father of four, to ensure that my mother with the station wagon would have to shoulder all family transportation responsibilities. My brother totaled the Triumph before we got out of high school.

6) At a party in D.C. some years back, Art Buchwald intimated to me that he couldn't stand Sally Quinn. I had found a kindred spirit.

I tag:

Dave
Maria
Lori B.
Richard
Katie

Art A La Carte: Food and drink for a good cause

Indulge me. I'd like to put in a plug for a party I'm throwing (with a bunch of my friends) for a good cause. Art A La Carte, Nov. 15, is a fundraiser for the St. James After School Program, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit that provides arts and music enrichment to fourth- and fifth-graders from low-income households at no cost to their families. It's a great little program, and I happen to be prez of the board. We work with Arts Partners, Roots&Shoots, Communities in Schools and USD 259 to give these children avenues to be creative and have fun in a nurturing environment.

My good friend David Kamerer is helping immeasurably with this. His WSU communcations students are working hard to promote the event. Other friends, including Joe Stumpe and Carrie Rengers, are donating valuable stuff for our auction (in Joe and Carrie's case, an elegant dinner party to be cooked in your own home!) David's gypsy jazz band, the Nouveau Quintet is providing music. Also Lisa Hittle of Friends University will be performing with her jazz trio. We'll have wine, excellent food (provided by the folks who run Uptown Bistro, Sabor and Oeno Wine Bar) and an art auction too, in the newly renovated Guild Hall at St. James church. Do not miss this party. Tickets are $50 ($35 of which is tax-deductible) available by sending a check to St. James ASP, 3750 E. Douglas, Wichita, KS 67208. If you're reading this blog post from so far away that you can't attend the party, consider sending a tax-deductible donation to this excellent little program. I'd be so grateful, and the kids will be grateful too.

Cook up righteous pizza with whole-wheat crust

I love making pizza. I should do it more often. One night last week, we had pepperoni, artichoke hearts and a few Kalamata olives left over from Dave's Greek pasta salad fixings. So after work, I made quick pizza crust using my food processor. I followed the recipe but used one cup of whole wheat flour, 2/3 cup of white flour. For topping, I sauteed 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion with half a chopped red bell pepper in some olive oil. I brushed my crust with some canned tomato sauce, added the onion and pepper with a few spinach leaves, a handful of grated mozzarella, the Greek salad stuff, then sprinkled some dried oregano and parmesan on top before baking. This recipe doesn't take any time to make. Try it next time you're thinking of calling for Papa John's.

Greek pasta salad is excellent picnic fare

I have not been cooking much this fall, and what little cooking I have done has all been repeat fare. After more than a year of blogging, I may have about hit my limit in terms of what I know how to cook. Or I could be just going through a slow phase. Fortunately, Dave has been picking up the slack so we've been eating pretty well. The other night we went to a potluck picnic and concert at Botanica. Robin Macy provided entertainment, and we met a group of friends who brought fried chicken, potatoes, Parkerhouse rolls, hummus, apple crisp, baklava and other good food. The ever elegant Bonnie Bing contributed a case of wine glasses so we didn't have to sip our Cabernet from plastic cups. It was a perfect fall evening and best of all, I didn't have to prepare anything myself. Dave made this excellent Greek pasta salad as our contribution:

Greek pasta salad

1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 teaspoons garlic powder
3 teaspoons dried basil
3 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 and 1/2 teaspoon sugar
5 cups cooked rotini pasta
1 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
30 grape tomatoes, halved
1 chopped red bell pepper
2 8-ounce containers crumbled feta cheese
1 cup chopped green onions
1 and 1/2 cups sliced kalamata olives
3/4 cup sliced pepperoni sausage, cut into strips

In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegars, garlic powder, basil, oregano, black pepper, and sugar. Add remaining ingredients. Toss until pasta is evenly coated. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Fruit crisp: Peaches on one end, rhubarb on the other

It's the perfect time to buy peaches. Stock up. That ain't the case for much of the year, but right now, Colorado peaches at the grocery store are juicy and perfectly ripe. I made a dessert today using a variation on my favorite easy recipe for fruit crisp. To prepare four cups of peeled, sliced peaches for this dessert, I added three tablespoons sugar and two tablespoons of flour. I used an 11-by-15-inch baking dish, and spread the peach mixture on one half. At the other end of the baking dish, I spread 4 cups of rhubarb mixed with a cup of sugar and 2 tablespoons of flour. I topped all this fruit with a double recipe of sugar-cookie crumb crust. Here's how to make the topping: With a pastry cutter, combine 4 tablespoons butter, 2 cups flour, 2 cups sugar. Add two teaspoons baking powder and 2 eggs. Stir 'til mixture is nice, crumbly texture. Sprinkle evenly to cover fruit. Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Dinner in a flash: Tuna with lemon caper sauce

Picked up some beautiful tuna steaks at the store today, and wasn't quite sure how to cook them. I found a recipe on epicurious.com that featured a lemon-caper sauce that was really simple and delicious. The steaks were pretty thick, so we grilled them (after brushing with olive oil) about 4 minutes per side. We also grilled orange and green bell pepper pieces on skewers (also brushed with olive oil) and fresh asparagus. While Dave minded the grill, I whisked up the sauce: a little lemon juice, a little Dijon mustard and olive oil, stirred with capers and some fresh parsley. All told, it took about 15 minutes to get everything on the table.

We have two grilled tuna steaks left. I think we'll have that on a nice salad for tomorrow's dinner with avocado, tomato and more fresh peppers.

Sweet potato slices offer guilt-free carbs

In my book, a near-perfect side dish is a grilled sweet potato topped with a quick sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Dave noted tonight we've pretty much sworn off bread, we rarely have rice or potatoes or pasta with dinner. We're eating lean meats, lots of veggies and no desserts unless we're hanging with friends. But one source of carbs I enjoy without remorse is a sweet potato.

Tonight I sliced a couple of sweet potatoes into thin rounds, brushed with a little olive oil, and wrapped them in foil. I split the slices between two separate pieces of foil, and then sealed those up tight. Dave grilled them over medium heat with boneless pork chops and skewered red peppers. They were perfect in about 20 minutes.

Help wanted: What do I do with these peppers?

Does anyone know what to do with these beautiful little peppers I picked up at the Farmers' Market? I am daunted by any pepper that doesn't have bell in the name...

We do buy cheap wine, but aim for quality

After a year of blogging about food, I find that it's becoming harder for me to cook something I haven't cooked before. Hence less blog-worthy material. Tonight we ate baked breaded catfish for dinner. Yum. But I've already blogged about that. Yesterday I took fresh baked French rolls to a dinner party. Would have snapped a shot and blogged about those, but that recipe is already on the blog too. Maybe I'll shift gears temporarily. Blog about wine for awhile. Cheap wine.

I love going to a big wine store (Jacobs Liquor Exchange or Grove Liquor are my favorites in Wichita) and strolling the aisles to find interesting, inexpensive selections. Fortunately, there are lots of nice, cheap wines on the market these days. Tonight for dinner we had a bottle of 2006 Yard Dog, an Australian blend of Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot within my preferred $10-or-so range. I'm not a slave to wine ratings (I was amused but not surprised by news this week calling into question Wine Spectator's standards. Check this out.) but this has garnered passable reviews. I'm gravitating toward relatively rich blended reds lately, and this one fit the bill. Dave tends to prefer something drier, lighter, but he gave this a thumbs up. This wine would go perfectly with a rich beef stew, but what do I know? It tasted dandy with catfish, IMHO. And I dig the label.

Corn, spinach and fat-free feta-- all legal on my diet

Having lost the few pounds I wanted to lose this summer, I've switched from Weightwatchers Flex Plan (where you count every "point" and feel hungry ALL the time) to Weightwatchers Core Plan (where you can eat all the fruit, vegetables, non-fat cheese and lean meat you want without adding up the points). I miss bread, I miss sweets, but I don't miss feeling like I ought to throw away my favorite jeans because I can't squeeze into them. So I'll keep this up awhile longer.

Being on the Core Plan means I could really enjoy dinner last night, of delicious stew and a salad chock full of different flavors. We had an ear of grilled corn left over from a couple nights ago. (Always grill extra to have on hand for salad.) I threw that into a bowl of spinach, tomatoes, avocado, carrots, green grapes (cut in half) and crumbled fat-free feta. I asked Dave what he thought of the fat-free cheese, and he thought it tasted perfectly acceptable. I mixed a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dressing. All legal on my diet.

I also thawed out a batch of my homemade blonde brownies to serve for dessert. But (sigh) I didn't have one.

Montana beef stew -- It's what's for dinner

Dave just got back from a road trip to Montana, and he brought back a cooler full of Montana beef from his folks' ranch near Yellowstone Park. So, when I got up this morning and saw that it was a rainy, cloudy, stay-at-home day, I decided to cook up some of that delicious meat in a slow-cooker stew.

Dave's nephew is traveling through Wichita today on his way home to Montana after working the summer in Texas. Supper with us may give him a taste of home before he actually hits the Montana border.

Montana Beef Stew

2 pounds lean stew meat
2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine
2 large sweet onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup chopped carrots
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
4 red potatoes, diced
1/4 green pepper, diced
1 tablespoon canola oil

Brown stew meat in canola oil over medium high heat. Put into a slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients. Add enough water to cover meat. Cook on high for 6 hours. Enjoy with a nice salad and crusty bread.

Eggplant tower makes a wonderful summer supper

I had such a light, lovely dinner last night at David and Deanna's house. They grilled farmers' market corn and made these delightfully simple eggplant tomato towers with fresh basil and balsamic vinegar (essentially an appetizing Caprese salad with grilled eggplant.) We had this with wonderful herb bread they'd also picked up at yesterday's farmers' market, and good wine: crisp, light Simonsig Chenin Blanc from South Africa.

I watched as my friends made the eggplant towers, though I didn't lift a finger to help:

Slice eggplant into 3/4-inch thick rounds. Brush or toss eggplant rounds in a bowl with a few teaspoons olive oil. Grill eggplant slices over medium high heat for about five minutes per side, 'til browned and cooked through. Slice fresh mozzarella in 1/2-inch thick rounds. Slice fresh tomatoes. On a salad plate, stack eggplant, tomato slices, fresh basil leaves and the mozzarella. Top with fresh basil leaves. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Origin unknown: Recipe for chewy blonde brownies

I'm having dinner with friends tonight and naturally, since I haven't been eating a lot of sweets lately, I offered to bring dessert. Not wanting to do anything too ambitious, I got to thumbing through my ancient index-card file of recipes and found this one for blonde brownies. The card is stained a little; I copied the recipe by hand probably more than 20 years ago, and I have no idea when or where I got it. These dessert bars are delicious, and very easy to make. Sorry I can't acknowledge my source.

Blonde brownies

2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2/3 cup butter
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup grated coconut

Mix flour, baking power and soda in a small bowl. Melt butter. In a mixing bowl, combine melted butter and sugar. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add flour mixture gradually, mixing well after each addition. Grease and flour a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Spread batter evenly in pan. Sprinkle with chips, nuts and coconut. Bake 30 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees, until a knife inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan. Cut into 48 bars.

Make healthy coleslaw with fresh berries and pecans

The New York Times recently included cabbage on a list of "The 11 Best Foods You Aren't Eating." Cabbage, the story said, is "loaded with nutrients like sulforaphane, a chemical said to boost cancer-fighting enzymes." I don't know what sulforaphane is, but I'm all for boosting any enzymes that might come in handy. On a related note, I've been trying to think of interesting things to do with berries. So I created this recipe, which calls for cabbage, fresh fruit and fat-free vinaigrette. It's yummy.

I'm marinating chicken in the same raspberry dressing to grill and serve with this salad for supper tonight. Should make for a pretty healthy dinner.

Fruit Coleslaw with Raspberry Dressing

1 10-ounce bag angel hair shredded cabbage
1 cup strawberries
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup raspberries
1 cup grapes
1 cup fat-free raspberry vinaigrette (I used Ken's Steak House Fat-Free Raspberry-Pecan dressing)
1/2 cup chopped pecans.

Combine all ingredients. Chill for an hour or until ready to serve.

Toss a nice salad with brown rice, beans, peppers

Yesterday I made a piquant bean and rice salad, loosely adapted from "WeightWatchers New Complete Cookbook." I say loosely because I made more than the recipe called for, and forgot to buy cilantro, and didn't use black beans because when I opened the store-brand can of black beans I had on hand-- guess what?-- inside were kidney beans. So buy the cookbook if you want the exact recipe. (It's a good resource, full of inspiring low-calorie recipes.) That said, here's how I made this salad and I have to say, it was wonderful:

Rice, bean and corn salad

2 cups cooked brown rice
1-1/2 cups cooked corn
1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
2 celery stalks
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 sweet onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped. (The cookbook recommends wearing gloves to avoid irritation. I didn't do this, but I was real careful to wash my hands thoroughly when I was done handling the pepper. Above all, do not rub your eyes when you're working with jalapeños.)
1/4 cup red-wine vinegar
1/4 cup lime juice
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

In a large bowl, combine rice, corn, bell pepper, beans, onion and jalapeno. In a small bowl, mix the vinegar, lime juice and olive oil. Pour dressing over the rice mixture and toss well. Cover. Refrigerate at least two hours.

Baked breaded catfish is a healthy way to go

We love catfish. Here's a healthy way to cook it, and you won't wind up with a big greasy frying pan to wash.

We had this last night with a nice salad and a bottle of cheap, quite agreeable Big House Red. I'll post a good (and healthy) recipe for a piquant rice and bean salad a little later today.

Baked catfish fillets

4 catfish fillets
3/4 cup skim milk
1 egg
1 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons dried or fresh chopped parsley

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray. In a shallow dish, beat egg. Add milk. On a piece of waxed paper, combine cornmeal and parsley. Dip fillets into the milk mixture, then dip to coat them in cornmeal. Place onto the cookie sheet. Spray tops of fillets lightly with cooking spray. Bake 20-25 minutes until cooked through. Serve with lemon wedges.

Dieting makes my life and my blog kinda boring

So far, I've lost 7.5 pounds on the diet I started a few weeks ago. Considering that I spent last weekend in Philadelphia eating gnocchi, soft pretzels and dessert from this aptly named bakery in Chestnut Hill, I figure I'm doing pretty good.

A typical day starts with Weightwatchers yogurt stirred with a couple spoonfuls of cardboard-flavored Kelloggs' All-Bran with extra fiber. Lunch is a big spinach salad with no-fat Italian dressing topped with a little tuna fish or chicken. Dinner is usually grilled pork or chicken or a turkey burger and veggies. It's very boring. But it's working. I reward myself with treats only if I make time to hit the gym. When I go to restaurants I only eat half of whatever I order, and I just say no to bread, though this makes me unhappy.

I will keep this up for about another month, I figure and then try to get back to eating good food I love -- in moderation. Expect my outlook and my blog posts to improve at that point. In the meantime, I am planning to bake some catfish to have with a nice brown rice, corn and black bean salad for dinner tonight. That'll give me something healthy to blog about.

The perfect Philadelphia breakfast

Just got back from a visit to the City of Brotherly Love, where I spent six years of my life before moving to Wichita. Philly may be famous for its 1,000-calorie cheesesteaks, but as far as I'm concerned, the quintessential Philadelphia delicacy is a soft pretzel. Covered in yellow mustard. For breakfast. Mmm.

Broccoli is my best friend these days

I'm still subsisting on pretty much just grilled chicken, broccoli and peppers. And for dessert, Weight Watchers yogurt. Once I lose just a few more pounds, I'll start cooking again, I promise.

Sauté zucchini with tomatoes, onion and fresh basil

Yesterday I made my first farmers' market run of 2008. It's early in the summer-- pickings were a little slim. But I bought zucchini, hothouse tomatoes, onions and a fresh basil plant to put in a pot on the patio.

Still trying to eat as right as I can, tonight I used those ingredients to cook up a veggie dish that I figure has three Weightwatcher points per serving. We had this with a nice spinach salad for dinner:

Zucchini, tomatoes and onion sauté

2 cups chopped zucchini
1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
1 cup diced onions
1 clove crushed garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
2 thin slices Italian dry salami

Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a sauté pan. Cook onion with crushed garlic clove until onion pieces are translucent, about 7 minutes. Add zucchini and tomatoes. Cut salami slices into small pieces, add to pan. Heat 7 minutes longer. Toss with fresh grated Parmesan cheese. Serves 3.

Summer diet calls for abundance of strawberries

Sorry I've been remiss about my food blog. I've been watching what I eat for about three weeks, just trying to lose a bit of weight, and it's working, though I miss bread, brie, potatoes and Tootsie Rolls.

Fortunately, I can eat all the strawberries I want. Last night for dinner I had a spinach salad with green onions, carrots, cucumber slices, a spritz of fat-free dressing, a handful of imitation crabmeat and a generous pile of strawberries. All of two Watchwatchers points. Summer's a good time to diet. Grilled vegetables with chicken, turkey burgers, salads, salads, salads, all easy to do this time of year.

A few other things I've come to enjoy -- Sargentos 50-calorie low-fat string cheese, 4-ounce containers of Dannon's fat-free yogurt, Propel flavored water, Special K 90-calorie breakfast bars. And strawberries.

You can join Weight Watchers these days without signing on for meetings. The Web site provides recipes, and allows me to keep track of daily menus and exercise. The system provides good motivation to exercise-- going to the gym or taking Bella for a long, long walk is the only way I can rack up extra food points. http://www.weightwatchers.com/.

Quick quesadillas provide meat-free protein

Dave's been cooking a lot lately, and making really delicious, healthy dinners. I'm so grateful; I'm trying to hit the gym before I come home from work, and it is so nice to arrive home after some treadmill time to find something righteous for dinner. One night this week he made pork chops with apricot glaze, and couscous with spinach. Another night he made these excellent quesadillas, which are only about 420 calories per serving. Corn and beans provide plenty of protein and a few minutes under the broiler make these nice and crunchy.

Quesadillas with black beans and corn

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
1/2 cup cilantro (I love cilantro.)
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
4 8-inch flour tortillas
3/4 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 cup frozen corn
Commercial picante sauce

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, stir and cook for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, cilantro, beans and corn. Cook five minutes. Place tortillas on a cookie sheet coated with cooking spray. Top each tortilla with 1/4 of the bean mixture and 3 tablespoons cheese. Fold in half. Spray tops of tortillas with cooking spray. Broil 3 minutes, until tortillas begin to brown. Let cool about 3 minutes before cutting each tortillas into three wedges.

Top with a dollop of salsa. Mmm.

Cheese strata with spinach is easy brunch fare

Sunday brunch is an easy party to have. You have Saturday to shop, Sunday morning to get everything ready. I invited friends from church for brunch today and made blueberry lemon muffins in mini-muffin tins (perfectly bite-sized!) along with this cheese and egg casserole. Very tasty.

Cheese strata with spinach and red pepper

6-8 slices high-fiber whole-grain bread
1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup low-fat shredded cheese (a combination of Colby and Monterrey Jack works well)
6 eggs, slightly beaten
1-1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cup uncooked spinach leaves
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper pieces
Salt and pepper to taste

Trim crust from bread; place bread in a buttered 11-by-13-inch casserole to cover the bottom of the dish. Brown sausage; drain fat. Add onion and red pepper to skillet with sausage; cook an additional 5 minutes, 'til vegetables are soft. Stir in mustard. Spoon evenly over bread. Top with spinach leaves. Sprinkle with cheese. Combine remaining ingredients; mix well. Pour over cheese. Bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes or until set. Serves 8.

Ginger adds a little zing to healthy chicken dish

Tonight I cooked up a Weight Watchers recipe for dinner. It was so good, and very easy. Took all of 13 minutes. My sister has been raving about the success she's had dropping a few pounds lately on Weight Watchers, and the online program looks great, if for no other reason than to try some of the healthy recipes on the Web site. I used the wok for this, and adapted a little to add more onion and garlic than the recipe suggested. Pineapple and fresh ginger add delicate flavor, and brown rice provides a bit of whole grain texture:

Chicken with pineapple in black bean sauce

1 pound skinless chicken breast tenders, cut into 1-inch pieces
5 green onions, chopped (use white and green portions)
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
1/4 cup black bean with garlic sauce
1 20-ounce can pineapple tidbits in 100 percent juice
Canola oil cooking spray

Heat electric non-stick wok to medium high. Coat with one spritz of cooking spray. Cook onions, garlic and ginger in the wok, stirring with a wooden spoon, for three minutes. Add chicken. Cook five minutes, stirring frequently. Add black bean sauce and pineapple with juice. Simmer five more minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Serve over cooked brown rice.

Bake marinated pork chops when grill won't light

It is pouring rain. Happy Memorial Day. We had planned to grill today, so I marinated extra thick pork chops. And then -- after a couple of storms' worth of hail and rain, the grill wouldn't light. So we had to regroup and figure out a different way to cook the chops. I browned and baked them, and they were actually quite delicious.

I didn't bother looking up a recipe for the marinade; I just sloshed various ingredients in a gallon-size freezer bag and threw the chops in. Here's basically what I did:

Baked marinated pork chops

Combine in a gallon-size freezer bag:

1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup finely diced sweet onion
1 crushed garlic clove
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sweet basil

Seal bag, shake well to combine ingredients. Add three or four thick pork chops. Shake well. Let marinate at least two hours.

In a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over medium high heat. Brown chops (with a good share of your marinated onion and garlic bits) in olive oil, three minutes to a side until well browned. Line a casserole dish with aluminum foil. Place browned chops in the foil, topping with extra pan juices and onion bits from skillet. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes.

Break from tradition with mayo-free potato salad

Today after getting home from a quick road trip, I didn't have a lot of energy for cooking. But it's Memorial Day weekend, so -- after finding that the fresh dill growing in my garden is thriving--I had a hankering for homemade potato salad. I threw some ingredients together-- potatoes, pickles, onions, red pepper pieces, olives and artichoke hearts, before I realized that the only mayonnaise in my fridge had an expiration date of June '07. So I pitched that jar of mayo and created a healthier-than-traditional potato salad. We'll grill flatiron steak and some corn on the cob to go with.

Potato salad with red pepper, hold the mayo

8-10 medium-sized red-skinned potatoes, boiled just 'til soft (about 15 minutes. Do NOT rinse potatoes after cooking)
1 jar artichoke hearts, chopped, and accompanying marinade
1/2 cup sliced black olives
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 large dill pickle, chopped
4 hard-cooked eggs, sliced
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup diced sweet onion
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil
3/4 teaspoon paprika
1/3 cup Dijon-style mustard
Sprigs of fresh parsley

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Chill at least two hours before serving.

Grilled asparagus kicks off farmers' market season

We hit the farmers' market for the first time this season on Saturday. Bought beautiful asparagus, which the vendor recommended we grill. We hadn't done this before. He suggested putting the stalks into a plastic bag with a little olive and salt and pepper, shaking that up and then laying the stalks onto the grill and turning often 'til they're just a little blackened.

Last night we had a crowd of out-of-town family here for dinner and weatherwise, it was the best spring evening we have had all year. Dave grilled up German sausage (from YB Meats-- what a great store!), asparagus, some green and yellow bell peppers. I wrapped potato rolls in foil and heated those for just a few minutes on the grill too to go with our sausage. Added some store-bought potato salad and tabouli to the mix. An easy backyard picnic. The asparagus was especially elegant.

Shrimp spinach salad is ultimate convenience food

I don't shop for dinner in the frozen-food aisle, because it's so easy to make a healthy, fresh meal quickly from scratch. The other night I threw supper on two plates in less than a minute. I started with a layer of bagged baby spinach, added some dried cranberries, a few mini-carrots, some baby tomatoes, and a few crumbles of feta cheese. I added sliced almonds, a morsel of artichoke heart and a generous layer of pre-cooked cocktail shrimp I'd bought at the fish counter at my grocery store. I spritzed on some no-fat dressing and we were set. Genuine lean cuisine, no microwave needed.

Savor easy-to-make bite-size quiche, pesto tarts

Yesterday I made mini quiches and pesto tarts to take to a dinner party. These are really easy and fun to make. To make the dough, beat an 8-ounce package of cream cheese with two sticks softened butter until well blended. Add two cups flour. Mix until dough forms. Shape into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate one hour, or overnight.

Shape the dough into golf-ball size rounds and place into a non-stick mini-muffin tin. I press the tarts into shape with a little wooden mini-tart shaper I bought from Pampered Chef. The dough is easy to work with and this little pestle is just the coolest kitchen tool. With a toothpick, poke holes in the flattened crusts and bake at 425 (400 convection) for about 10-15 minutes, until crust is golden. Let the tart shells cool a little in the pan.

To assemble quiche, mix two eggs with 1/4 cup milk. Put a little Swiss cheese in the bottom of the baked tart shells, add a little shredded spinach, finely chopped onion, bits of ham, whatever you like. Drizzle egg mixture into each filled shell with a teaspoon to fill. Season with salt and pepper.

To make pesto tarts, put a little shredded mozzarrella or Swiss cheese into the bottom of each baked shell, top with a dollop of pre-packaged pesto sauce, top with more cheese and about three pine nuts.

You can also fill the tarts with just cheddar cheese and a little pepperoni or ham, bits of bell pepper and feta, bits of chopped olive, anything that sounds good.

Bake tarts at 425 (400 in a convection oven) for about 10-15 more minutes, until cheese is melted and the eggs in your quiches are cooked. Serve immediately. Makes 3 dozen lovely mini-tarts.

Pass the Dijon: Turkey feta burgers, grilled peppers

Another gorgeous evening, and we're still on this (probably temporary) health kick, so we grilled turkey burgers for dinner, adding a few sprinkles of feta before we pulled 'em off the heat. I chopped a red bell pepper into big chunks, skewered the pieces and brushed my pepper kabobs generously with olive oil. While the meat patties cooked, Dave grilled the pepper pieces, making sure they got just a little blackened and nice and soft. They were perfect. I made a spinach, tomato and walnut salad, which I topped with a shake of low-fat balsamic vinagrette. Easy supper in about 10 minutes.

Instead of standard hamburger buns, we used nice slices of whole grain bread for our burgers. Didn't slop on any mayo, just spread with a baby bit of Dijon and some red-leaf lettuce. Delectable.

Heat up the grill on a beautiful sunny weekend

Today was warm and wind-free, so we spent all day outside with the pup and then had dinner on the patio. We grilled chicken with sweet potatoes, peppers, onions and broccoli.

With a nice cold bottle of Fat Tire, I felt like summer has arrived. I came up with a quick way to grill sweet potatoes. I cut two potatoes into home-fry-size sticks, brushed those with olive oil and then laid them flat on a sheet of aluminum foil. I folded the edges of the foil up, covered the bottom sheet with a second sheet and sealed those up. The sweet potatoes were cooked through on medium heat in about 20 minutes. Sweet potatoes provide good, healthy carbs, and I just love them. These would also be good with a few shakes of fresh-grated parmesan cheese.

Nice and healthy: Stir-fry vegetables with shrimp

I'm on a health jag. I'm determined that we are going to start eating right, every meal, every day. This resolution will not last two more weeks, I know, but for now, we've had a lovely weekend with lots of vegetables, low-calorie meals, all the right moves.

Tonight for dinner I cooked up a wok full of veggies with shrimp to serve over rice. It was easy and so good. In the 30 minutes it took to cook rice in the microwave, I chopped a red bell pepper, a sweet onion, two large chunks of broccoli, about 10 stalks asparagus, three stalks of celery. I heated some canola oil in my wok with a few sprinkles of sesame oil, then threw in all the vegetables, and cooked those on high heat for about 6 minutes. I added about 1/2 cup white wine, and three generous shakes of red pepper flakes. Then I added one pound medium-sized, peeled, pre-cooked shrimp, which I'd bought today at the grocery store fish counter. And I added a 1/2 cup bottled Kikkoman-brand stir-fry sauce.

Yum. And healthy, too.

Lebanese inspiration: Pizza on pita bread crust

Carrie Rengers forwarded me her terrific pita pizza recipe. Her husband, food writer Joe Stumpe, got this idea from someone in the local Lebanese community. What an inspiration to make quick pizza on a pita bread crust. She recommends buying pitas at N&J Bakery in Wichita. You can freeze the pita bread and thaw briefly in the microwave for 15-20 seconds, or just top pita and cook frozen.

Spread sun-dried tomato paste on several pita rounds in a thin layer. (Carrie recommends the squeezable tubes of tomato paste, available in the veggie aisle at Dillons.) Then top with whatever fresh ingredients you like: fresh veggies, diced bell peppers, olives, shredded chicken, sausage, fresh herbs, a few raisins. Add some cheese, maybe some crumbled feta or blue cheese. You can also add a few pine nuts or chopped pecans. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the pizzas and bake on a cookie sheet at 375 to 400 degrees for 5 to 7 minutes, depending on your desired level of crunchiness. "Joe likes them a little less crunchy," Carrie says. "I like them a bit more crunchy. Seriously, these are a great way to use leftovers -- the pitas don't take many toppings. And they make a fine meal (perhaps served with a salad) or appetizer. It's fun to experiment with different toppings."

Start and end the day with Irish soda bread

This month's book group selection is "Life with Mae," by Neal Shine. Great, funny book about Shine's Irish mother and their family's life in Detroit. We're getting together tonight to discuss, so I got up early this morning to make Irish soda bread for the occasion. When Dave and I were in Ireland a couple of years ago with our mothers, this was served at every meal. It's remarkably easy to make. Here's the recipe I used:

Irish soda bread

4 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup raisins

In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and 1/2 cup butter. Stir in 1 cup buttermilk and egg. Add raisins. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form dough into a round and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. In a small bowl, mix melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk. Brush loaf with this mixture. With a sharp knife, cut an X into the top of the loaf. Bake in 375 degree oven (350 if using convection) for 40 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Brush the loaf again with buttermilk mixture after first 20 minutes of baking.

March Madness in April: Quick couscous salad

Yesterday we went to an open-air concert in the afternoon with friends and then invited them to our house to watch KU play North Carolina in the Final Four. I didn't have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen during the day, so I bought nice German sausage at YB Meats (great store-- I gotta shop there more often!) to grill once we got back to the house, and before we left for the concert, I made a very quick couscous salad. Our friends contributed an elegant spinach salad and pita-bread pizza appetizers. (I'll post that recipe once I get it from Carrie.) Excellent food, and (as it turned out) an excellent game.

Making couscous salad takes all of five minutes from start to finish. Pour two boxes of quick-cook couscous into boiling water according to package directions, remove from heat, cover and let sit for five minutes. During that five minutes, chop 1/2 cup green onions, a red bell pepper, a peeled, seeded cucumber, three or four large tomatoes, a handful of fresh basil. Mix in a large bowl with 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice, 3 tablespoons olive oil and 1 cup halved pitted Kalamata olives. Add couscous. Stir well. Chill for several hours before serving. Then add 1 cup crumbled feta cheese.

The recipe made plenty, so we have leftovers to enjoy during KU's championship game tomorrow night.

Celebrate Easter with macaroon pie

Gotta blog quickly. It's 5 a.m. and I have a plane to catch-- I'm off to join my kids, brothers, sister, mom for Easter. Before I go, here's a very nice dessert to make for Easter dinner. This delectable recipe comes from my Aunt Katie. I took it to a dinner party last week and it was a hit.

Macaroon pie

1-1/2 cups crushed soda cracker crumbs (more commonly known, I guess, as saltines)
3/4 cup pitted, chopped dates
3/4 cup chopped nuts
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
4 egg whites
1 teaspoon almond extract

Beat egg whites until very stiff. Slowly add sugar. Fold in all other ingredients. Pour into well-buttered pie pan and bake 30 minutes at 300 degrees. For serving, top wedges with sweetened, almond flavored whipping cream, or (my preference) add 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract to a cup of sour cream and spread over the top of the pie. Sprinkle with sliced almonds.

Add a cup of cranberries to oatmeal cookies

I love making oatmeal cookies. I add handfuls of extras to pack them with goodness: chocolate chips, coconut, raisins and nuts. I've just made a big batch and added dried cranberries for a little variety. They're yummy. Here's the basic recipe for about four dozen cookies:

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup no-transfat Crisco
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups uncooked oatmeal (quick or old-fashioned)
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Heat oven to 350 degrees (325 if using convection oven). In large bowl or standing mixer, mix brown sugar, shortening and granulated sugar until creamy. Add egg, water and vanilla. Beat well. Add oats, flour, baking soda; mix well. Add handfuls of anything else that sounds good-- chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, dried fruit, nuts, coconut.

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto sheets. Bake 11-13 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered or freeze in plastic freezer bags.

Happy birthday: Bell pepper chicken with orzo

For my birthday last week, Dave gave me a cookbook, "Cooking Light Weeknight," along with a promise that he would cook recipes from this book on a regular basis. This was an excellent gift, as my schedule is so packed lately that weeknight cooking has become something of a challenge. Dave made good on his promise Thursday night. It was lovely to come home to find him sautéing chicken with peppers and cooking orzo with feta to go with. In the time it took him to cook this fine, healthy meal, I was able to slip into my jeans, take the dog on a nice walk, and then enjoy dinner feeling pampered and relaxed.

Feta orzo is a cinch. Two ingredients-- cooked orzo (start with 4 ounces uncooked), mixed with three ounces crumbled feta. A nice pasta variation.

Here's the chicken recipe:

Bell pepper chicken with lemon juice

4 teaspoons olive oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (Dave used a package of chicken tenders)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 cup red bell pepper strips
1 cup green bell pepper strips
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Heat two teaspoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper and red pepper. Cook chicken in oil 4 minutes to each side. Remove chicken from pan and place in warming oven.

Add remaining oil and bell peppers to pan. Sauté 2 minutes. Add oregano and garlic. Sauté 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice. Serve with feta orzo.

Look mom, no iodine: Cranberry orzo salad

We have a friend, Mike, who is being treated for thyroid cancer. For the next few days he needs to be on a low-iodine diet. My impulse when someone is sick is to take them something to eat, so I was grateful when Chris, one of the women at book group, shared some of her own experience with this illness (check out her blog entry on the topic)-- and a good link for recipes at http://www.thyca.org/. She recommended an orzo salad that I made today. It turned out so nicely that I think I will make this again and again. I didn't add any salt, although the Web site version says it's OK to used the non-iodized variety. I left a container of this, along with a card and the recipe, on Mike's porch this afternoon.

Orzo salad with cranberries

1 16-ounce box orzo pasta
1 cup dried cranberries
1 large diced red onion
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil

Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain, mix with remaining ingredients. Serve warm or at room temperature.

"United States of Arugula" alive at the olive bar

I've joined a book group -- a terrific circle of smart, funny women. This month's reading selection was "The United States of Arugula: The Sun Dried, Cold Pressed, Dark Roasted, Extra Virgin Story of the American Food Revolution ," by David Kamp. What a great read. Kamp examines how the American food scene has evolved, thanks in large measure to foodie pioneers such as James Beard, Julia Child, Alice Waters and Craig Claiborne. I loved the book-- it's a lively examination of how what we eat has changed for the better over the last 50 years.

Book group is a potluck event, and for this week's get-together I really wanted to cook something excellent to match our subject matter. But I had no time, so I decided to just stop at the store after work to pick up munchies. Cop-out, yeah. But what first caught my attention when I walked into the new Dillon's store on Douglas Avenue was the olive bar, filled with all kinds of beautiful olives, stuffed grape leaves, marinated cheese, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes. It was beautiful, and illustrated perfectly what Kamp describes in his book-- the wonderful supply of delectable ingredients available everywhere we shop, a different food universe than the landscape Julia or James or Craig inhabited when they started out in the middle of the last century. So I bought several plastic containers of goodies from the olive bar, picked up some water crackers and some goat cheese brie. Also a little jar of yummy oily sundried tomatoes. Used to be you only found this kind of stuff at Dean & DeLuca's (the founders of which were also significant characters, by the way, in Kamp's book.) Now good food surrounds us everywhere. I felt very happy.

I went home, arranged my cheese, olives and everything else in a white serving dish I'd picked up at DeHillerins in Paris. I packed this off to book group with a bottle of wine. Life is good. And food has gotten really good.

This mac and cheese suits grown-up tastes

Tonight I made mac and cheese that suited our adult tastes just a bit more than the blue-box variety I used to serve my kids. I just threw in some ingredients we happened to have on hand-- a bit of ham, some fresh spinach, three different kinds of cheese, a shot of Chardonnay. It was really quite good-- a bit lighter on the butter than a traditional recipe.

Macaroni and cheese for grown-ups

1 pound of pasta (rotini, penne, whatever you like)
2 cups grated cheese (I used a mixture of jack cheese, sharp cheddar and colby)
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 cup ham, cut into small chunks
1 fresh tomato, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1-1/2 cups fresh spinach leaves
3/4 cup white wine
1 teaspoon marjoram
1 cup milk
1/2 cup panko crumbs

Cook pasta in a large pot according to package instructions. While pasta cooks, melt butter in a deep skillet. Cook onion pieces over medium high heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in ham, spinach and tomato pieces. Stir for about two minutes. Add milk, reduce heat and stir with a whisk for about three minutes until milk is heated through. Add wine and all by 1/4 cup of the cheese. Continue stirring until cheese melts and sauce is smooth. Add marjoram. Drain pasta, and pour back into the pasta pot. Stir in cheese sauce. Butter an 11-by-13-by-2 inch casserole dish and spoon in pasta with sauce. Top with panko crumbs. Top with 1/4 cup cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Couscous is worth the price of herbs, olives

Here's the recipe I used Sunday for couscous with Greek olives. It is delicious. This recipe makes enough to serve eight or so. We had the last of the leftovers at supper tonight. I know this is not the best time of year to use fresh herbs-- they're not growing in the garden, and are plenty pricey in the produce aisle. But I splurged and bought what I needed for this. I also indulged in a nice jar of pitted, halved Kalamata olives.

Couscous with olives and fresh herbs

1 stick butter
3 large onions, chopped
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2-1/4 cups chicken broth
1 cup pitted halved Kalamata olives
1/2 cup fresh basil
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 cups couscous

Melt butter in deep saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onions, stir and cook, covered, stirring occasionally for about 30 minutes. Add ginger and turmeric. Add broth, olives, basil, mint and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Add couscous. Cover pan, turn off heat. Let stand until liquid is absorbed and couscous is tender, about 10 minutes.

Inspired by cafeteria fare: Greek chicken

I'm blessed to work for a company that provides first-rate fare in the employee cafeteria-- a good selection of healthy, nicely prepared dishes. One day last week the menu featured delicious Moroccan chicken with couscous, which inspired me to try something similar at home. I found a good recipe in "The Bon Appetit Cookbook" for chicken wth artichoke hearts (Greek, not Morrocan) and also a recipe for couscous with Kalamata olives and fresh herbs. With a simple spinach salad, this made for a nice dinner tonight just for the two of us.

Here's how I cooked the chicken. I'll blog about the couscous in my next post.

Greek chicken and artichokes

2 tablespoon olive oil
2 chicken breasts and 4 thighs, with skin and bones
2 6-ounce jars marinated artichoke hearts
1 15-ounce can chicken broth
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute chicken until browned, about 5 minutes per side. Drain artichokes, saving marinade in a small bowl. Add to the chicken: 2 tablespoons marinade, broth, lemon juice, lemon peel and crushed red pepper. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer about 10 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Stir in artichokes and 2 tablespoons of the oregano. Simmer about 5 minutes longer. Stir in remaining oregano. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Up for some variety? Try barley casserole

Craig Claiborne's "New York Times Cookbook" is an excellent resource. For years I kept a copy at my mom's vacation place in Florida, and when I was there with her last week, she insisted I take it home, since we don't use it as much as I'd thought we might when we're at the beach. It's got no glossy photos, just really lovely recipes, many of them pretty simple. So I packed it into my suitcase and brought it home where I can put it to good use.

Yesterday we invited friends over for Sunday dinner, and then circumstances dictated I had to work most of the day. So I didn't have much time to prepare anything. Dave agreed to grill pork chops, one set of guests agreed to bring a salad and our other guests agreed to bring a dessert. So my only responsibility was a side dish. Potatoes? Rice? Pasta? No, I wanted to do something more interesting. I thumbed through Claiborne's cookbook and found a recipe for barley mushroom casserole that was delightful. I love barley. It deserves better than its status as just something to throw into soup. And this was very easy to put together in the short time I had between work and my party. I used twice the barley and broth that Claiborne recommended , so we'd have enough for our party of six. Here's my adaptation of his recipe:

Barley mushroom casserole

2 cups pearl barley
1 large onion, chopped
5 tablespoons butter
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced

Melt butter in a deep skillet. Cook onion and mushrooms until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add barley and cook until slightly browned. Add two cups broth. Bring to a boil. Pour into a buttered casserole dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, add remaining broth. Cook, covered, another 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and barley is tender.

The world is my oyster, nicely breaded

I love oysters. Our church, St. James Episcopal in Wichita, celebrates Mardi Gras with an amazing all-you-can-eat oyster and beer fest. It's a tradition we wouldn't miss. Last night, after Dave and I had our fill of all manner of oysters (cooked, raw and swimming in steaming cream with fresh leeks and tabasco) we helped with post-party clean-up. And before the night was over, we scored a bucket of fresh oysters to cook at home for our Ash Wednesday supper.

Tonight I dipped my stash of oysters in ice water and then coated each in cornmeal. I heated about a cup of vegetable oil in the wok on high heat, threw in oysters about a half dozen at a time, and fried for just a couple minutes, 'til they were nicely browned. After moving the oysters to a plate, and soaking up the excess oil with a paper towel, I served them with lemon and tartar sauce. Dave made a nice salad to go with. Nice way to kick off the Lenten season, I'd say.

Almost no effort: Slow cooker ribs

Yesterday while I was drinking my morning coffee before going to church, I put together a supper of ribs in about 15 minutes. I took a short cut, using bottled barbecue sauce, so this was one of the simplest dishes I've cooked in a long time. Here's the recipe:

Over medium high heat, brown 1 pound of country-style boneless pork ribs in 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (brown for about 4 minutes, turn and brown 4 minutes more.) Chop a large sweet onion into about 8 chunks. Place ribs and onion pieces in the slow cooker. Pour one bottle of commercial barbecue sauce over the ribs. Cook on low for 8-10 hours, stirring occasionally to make sure ribs are coated with sauce.

Winter treat: Salmon & grilled potatoes

It's been so frozen cold the past few weeks in Wichita. So when it hit the high 50s yesterday, it felt like summer. After a day spent playing outside with the pup, we grilled salmon, potatoes and veggies for dinner, as if it were August.

I've blogged before about grilling tiny potatoes on skewers. Yesterday I cut red potatoes into medium-size chunks, skewered those and brushed with a generous dose of olive oil. Dave grilled these for about 40 minutes. They were great-- crispy on the outside, cooked to perfection inside. We grilled our salmon fillets in foil, after I rubbed them with excellent seafood rub that was a Christmas present from my sister (dubbed "Rub With Love," it's marketed by Seattle restaurateur Tom Douglas of Dahlia Lounge fame. Molly sent me a whole set, including rubs for steak, pork, chicken and crab cake mix. Very good stuff, available at Tom Douglas' Web site.)

I know I haven't been blogging much lately. My evenings have been too booked to do much cooking. Last weekend, however, I did make chili in the Crockpot with a pound of browned hot sausage, dry red beans that had been soaked overnight, a small can of green chilis, a big sweet onion, 2 cloves garlic and 3 tablespoons chili powder and three 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes. I cooked this on high for about 6 hours, then threw in a cup of frozen corn and heated 'til the corn was cooked. This is the time of year when I love throwing basic soup, stew or chili ingredients into the slow cooker. Makes for several days of nice suppers.

Chicken pot pie: Comfort food for company

Every time I make chicken pot pie, I wonder-- why don't I do this more often? It is so mouth-watering good. We had friends over for dinner last night and this is one of those dishes that keeps warm perfectly in the oven all through appetizers and a salad course. Here's my recipe, adapted from "The Best Recipe" from Cook's Illustrated. The crust turns out perfectly light and flaky. The filling has a subtle sweet flavor of cream sherry and thyme.

Chicken pot pie

Filling:

1-1/2 to 2 pounds chicken breast tenders
1 15-ounce can chicken broth plus water added to make two cups
3 medium carrots, diced into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large sweet onion, diced
3 celery stalks, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup flour
4 tablespoons butter
1-1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup frozen peas
1/3 cup cream sherry
1 teaspoon dry thyme
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Slice chicken tenders into 1-inch pieces. Put into a large heavy pan with the chicken broth. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cover and simmer 10 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. With a slotted spoon, spoon chicken into a large mixing bowl. Pour broth into a measuring cup. In the same heavy pan, heat vegetable oil. Add carrots, onion and celery. Saute for about 6 minutes over medium heat. Put vegetables into bowl with chicken. In the same heavy pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and stir for 1 minute. Whisk in milk, chicken broth and thyme, bring to simmer and stir until fully thickened, about 1 minute. Add sherry and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir into bowl with chicken and vegetables. Stir in peas. You can cover this and refrigerate overnight if you like until ready to use. Reheat on the stove top before constructing your pie.

Pour filling into a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish. Top with pastry crust. In a small bowl, beat an egg white with 1 tablespoon water and brush over the top of the crust. Make five 1-inch cuts in the crust to vent. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. You can leave this in the oven once you've turned it off so you can enjoy appetizers with your guests before serving dinner.

Savory pastry crust:

1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick of unsalted butter, chilled
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening, chilled
3 tablespoons ice water

In a food processor, mix flour and salt. Cut butter into 10 or so slices, sprinkle into the flour, tossing a little to coat. Pulsate for 1 second, five times. Add shortening. Pulsate again for 1 second, five times. Turn into a mixing bowl. Sprinkle water into dough. With a rubber spatula, mix water into flour mixture with a folding motion. Add a fourth tablespoon ice water if needed. Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes or overnight.

On a floured sheet of waxed paper, roll dough into an 11-by-15-inch rectangle. Fold in half gently and then unfold to cover the chicken filling in your casserole dish. Tuck in overhanging dough to make a nice edge. Bake as directed above

Corn chowder is perfect January supper

The other day I ordered corn chowder for lunch, and got to thinking I gotta cook up some of this. So today that's what I did. I didn't crack open a cookbook; I just kind of threw this together. It's yummy. It'll make a perfect wintertime supper with the fresh wheat rolls I made this morning and a green salad.

Corn chowder

1 pound bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound frozen corn
2 15-ounce cans creamed corn
5 unpeeled white or red potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 large red pepper, chopped
1 4-ounce can diced green chile peppers
2 15-ounce cans chicken broth
2 cups half-and-half
6 jalapeno slices (from a jar)

In a heavy soup pot, cook bacon until cooked but not crisp. Spoon off excess fat from the pot. Add onion pieces. Cook over medium heat until onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Add chicken broth and potatoes. Bring to boil and cook for 15 minutes. Add creamed corn, red pepper, green chiles, jalapeno slices and frozen corn. Cook 20-25 minutes. Stir in half-and-half, simmer on low until ready to serve.

Greet the New Year with Hoppin' John

For the last several years, I've adopted the tradition of making a big pot of Hoppin' John on New Year's Day. This is something I learned from friends in Philadelphia who'd spent time in the South. We love this dish, which is supposed to bring good luck in the new year. Today I used the slow cooker-- in years past I've cooked this in a big soup pot on the stovetop, which too often results in a burnt layer at the bottom of the pan. No such misfortune with my Crockpot. Here's my recipe:

Hoppin' John

1 pound dry black-eyed peas
4 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes
7 mild Italian sausages, cut into 1-inch slices
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 15-ounce cans chicken broth
2 cups uncooked white rice
1/3 cup chopped jalapeno peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 slices ham, cut into chunks

Soak black-eyed peas overnight according to package directions. In the morning, drain and put peas into the slow cooker. Add ham, tomates, broth, onions, jalapenos, garlic. In a large skillet, brown sausage in olive oil. Remove with a slotted spoon and add to slow cooker. Stir things up well. Cook on high for 3 hours. Then add rice. Continuing cooking until rice is cooked and liquid is absorbed, about 3 more hours.

You can use all ham or pre-cooked kielbasa instead of Italian sausage. This makes a lot of Hoppin' John; I suggest freezing a batch to enjoy later in the winter.