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.