Cabbage, Fennel and Apple Slaw

I WISH I had taken a picture of it, because it was pretty.  But, I didn't know it would taste so yummy or that Captain would say, "This is the best salad you ever made!"  He's begged me to make it again and has laid claim to the small portion of leftovers.  Who knew a kid could love cabbage, fennel and apples so much!

Anyway, here's the recipe, as best I can remember it:

Dressing:
3 Tablespoons oil
2 1/2 Tablespoons vinegar (I used a lemon-thyme infused vinegar my friend, Kristina, made for me!)
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1-2 teaspoons sugar

Salad:
4 cups shredded cabbage
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced crosswise
1 Tablespoon chopped fennel fronds
2 firm Fuji apples, julienned

Whisk together dressing and add to salad.  Toss to coat.  Sea salt to taste.

We enjoyed this tonight with grilled steaks and mashed potatoes.

Summer Eating

Round about October when the Autumn weather turns a tad chillier I'm in the mood for stews and thick soups and things that bubble in the crockpot all day.  By the time Winter is in full swing I want to put everything in the oven, cover it with cheese and bread crumbs.  I enjoy things roasted and toasted and served with something deep and rich to drink like a hearty red wine.

Awwww........but in the Summer it's a different story.  I want to eat things full of color, crisp and vibrant.  If it can be cooked on the grill outside it will be.  Whenever possible we pluck a few things from the garden, just minutes before we prepare the food.  The meals are lighter, but we linger over them.  We often eat outside.

Homemade pizza on a whole wheat crust.
Goat cheese with tomatoes and basil straight from the garden.

Homemade pizza on a whole wheat crust.
Goat cheese with fresh grilled corn and jalapenos.

I make a lot of pie in the summer. 
Here's an unbaked blueberry and strawberry pie
with a crumb topping.

Grilled lamb steaks.
Millet Salad
(millet, yellow bell peppers, green onions,
cucumbers, and feta with a lemon and basil dressing).

What to eat after church when everyone is so hungry
and you only have a few minutes to throw it together?

Caesar Salad (romaine, anchovies, kalamata olives,
artichoke hearts and Parmesan Romano cheese)

Cheese toasts

Am I the only mother whose children beg her to buy brussel sprouts?

Served with grilled dill salmon

Most people I know who hate brussel sprouts have only had some strange version of frozen or canned and reheated.  I wouldn't like them either in that case.  We eat them a variety of ways, but here is a simply way that I bet you'll like:

Lightly steam the brussel sprouts until they are a vibrant color, but not soft.  Heat oil in a wok or large skillet until quite hot.  Carefully, dump the hot steamed sprouts all at once into the oil and toss until they are all dark and toasty on the outside.  Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

My most recent obsession: Jalapeno Poppers. 
Seriously, I've been eating these several times a week!

These are stuffed with Port Salut and wrapped in uncured applewood smoked bacon.

Puttanesca and Herb Green Salad

If you've never tried Puttanesca, I highly recommend it. A welcomed break from marinara and alfredo, which seem to be the only two pasta sauces with which Americans are familiar.  Although it does have tomatoes in it, it is really nothing like a marinara, which is sweet and heavy.  Puttanesca is bitter and briny and wonderful.  Quite oily and perfect with a crusty bread!  Gana much prefers it to other tomato based sauces.  There is a very decent recipe here: Puttanesca I.

Comfort Food

My Grandfather recently passed away.  Not living in the same town anymore I wasn't able to help much with funeral preparations.  So, I volunteered to cook.  It was an act of love for my Grandpa whom I love and miss dearly (he loved to eat), for my Grandma, and for my Mom.  And, to be honest, it was something I did for myself.  I needed some good comfort food and cooking is therapeutic for me.

I had some lovely help the day before with prep, namely my cousin Liz and my Aunt Becky.  Several ladies of my parents church pitched in and made dozens and dozens of delicious cookies and served the day of the funeral.  I cannot thank them enough.

Feta Olive Tarts with Rosemary

Antipasti

Breadsticks (from Trader Joes) with roasted garlic

Layered Salad

Baked Ziti

Homemade french bread with whipped butter and herbs

Cookies, lovingly made by the women of The Revival Center

Cheesecake and fruit

 "I sometimes think the chef end of cooking is not the real end of cooking.  Cooking is all about homes and gardens, it doesn't happen in restaurants."  --Delia Smith

Food has a way of bringing people together.  Diners let their guards down over the appetizer.  Over the main course cares ease and the mind starts to be refreshed.  Over dessert and coffee people bond and heal and share their lives.  Sometimes it feels as if one had the right menu we could reconcile the world.

Fresh

Look at this lettuce from our very own winter garden! (My apologies to the folks still covered in layers of ice and snow who cannot have a winter garden.)  I also have some broccoli, cabbage, arugula, mesclun, and onions.  Eating something this fresh is not only satisfying to the taste buds, it's soul satisfying, too.

Lavender Champagne Rice

Pork Loin Medallions,
Carrot Bean Sprout Salad with Wonton Crisps,
Lavender Champagne Rice

The pork was forgettable.  The salad was good, just because the dressing was so tangy and sweet (a little lemon vinegar, honey, spices).  But the rice was out of this world!  Unfortunately, that is the food in the background instead of front, center and focus!

It was a basic rice pilaf.  When I sauteed the onions to start, I added about a tablespoon lavender.  (Do this on LOW so you don't burn the delicate lavender!).  I replaced about half the liquid with champagne which we had leftover from our New Year's celebration.

It was so very tasty, I am definitely going to make it again!

O! The immense pleasure of eating something that was attached to earth not 10 minutes ago

Mixed herb salad from home-grown, freshly picked herbs.

Basil, arugula, and cilantro

Easter Eats and Drinks

Easter Menu:

Honey-Baked Ham (lovingly brought by our guests!)

Carrot Souffle

Mache salad with sugared pecans and blue cheese

Challah

Relish Tray

Drinks:

Sangria with frozen fruit (to sip while we cooked and played outside)

Rober Mondavi Riesling with dinner for the adults

Apple Limeade with dinner for the kids

Dessert:

Bavarian Chocolate Torte

Coffee

THE RECIPES

Carrot Souffle

2 cups cooked carrots

1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
2 heaping tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat carrots with mixer or in blender. Add all other ingredients and beat well.

Bake at 350F for 30 minutes or until set.

Sprinkle with chopped walnuts or pecans. Bake five minutes longer.




Mache Salad
(followed losely from Outdoor Entertaining by Williams-Sonoma)

Pecans:
1/2 cup (2oz) pecan halves
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

Vinaigrette:
1 shallot finely chopped
1/3 cup (3 oz) olive oil
2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Salad:
4 oz. mache (mache is sometimes called Lamb's Lettuce.  If you can't find it, arugula or baby spinach would probably make a good substitute)
4 radishes
1/4 lb. blue cheese crumbled

To prepare the pecans:
Preheat oven to 350F.  Rinse the pecans in a sieve and set aside to drain.  In a small bowl combine the sugar and dry mustard.  Add the pecans and toss until evenly coated.  Spread the pecans on a baking sheet and toast in oven for about 10 minutes or until dark brown.  Set aside and cool completely.  Better yet, make in advance, up to a week and store in an airtight container.

To make the dressing:
Whisk together all the vinaigrette ingredients.  Let stand for 30 minutes or up to four hours to blend the flavors.

To serve the salad combine the mache leaves and thinly sliced radish slices in a bowl.  Drizzle with vinaigrette (I had dressing left over, so be careful not to over dress the salad) and toss evenly to coat.  Top with the pecans and blue cheese.

Casual Entertaining

This past weekend we decided to throw together a little backyard shindig for no particular reason. No birthday. No holiday. We just wanted to let our hair down with friends--relax without any agenda.


So, we set up the fire pit in the back yard. I threw together some salads, fried chicken and hot dogs. Some guests also brought some yummy grub to share. Delicious and fun!

We told people to come any time after 4pm. We didn't actually get to bed until close to midnight. It was so enjoyable around the fire, that no one wanted to leave and we didn't want them to either!

The children played in the tree house and all over the yard. About 10:30pm I put on some VeggieTales for them so they could simmer down and give the neighbors a little break from the hysterical laughter and playful screaming. :-) A little winding down before they went home.

Here are some not-so-great pictures of the food. Trust me, the food was better than the pictures!

The best fruit salad! The sauce is what totally makes it addictive!

Red or white?

See those glasses on the table. I'm so excited about them. See, I have some lovely and delicate stemware that I did not want to take outside to the bonfire. So, on Friday I went to the thrift store just to see if there was anything there. I knew I couldn't spend much, so I prayed that God would lead me to a great deal. I found plain (and a little bit sturdier) stemware--12 pieces for $6.00! What a blessing!

Also if you notice the very beautiful and clever chiller the bottles are in....I got it from Taste of Home Entertaining. My mother is a rep. Everything there is both beautiful and clever. Visit her website here.

Buttermilk Twice-Dipped Fried Chicken Tenders

Also in the background you can see Chinese Cashew Cabbage Salad.

Here are the recipes:

Fruit Salad

Prepare the dressing:

Dressing:

2 T. butter

4 Tablespoons lemon juice

3 T. cornstarch

1 cup sugar

1 1/4 cup water

3 egg yolks

Heat in a saucepan over low heat, until thick, stirring constantly. (This scorches easily. So, do not leave it for a second!)

Cool.

Dilute with heavy cream to desired consistency.

While sauce is cooling prepare a bowl of fruit. The sauce is enough for a very large bowl.

Pour sauce over prepared fruit, stir gently to coat. Serve.

Cabbage Salad

1 package ramen noodles, crushed (Throw away seasoning packet!)
10 ounces cashew pieces
1 head green cabbage, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoon soy sauce

Toss together cashews, cabbage and green onions. In jar with tight fitting lid shake together sugar, oil, vinegar and soy sauce. Pour over salad. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let flavors blend. Before serving mix in ramen noodles and toss well.

(Don't add the noodles too early if you like that fun crunch!)

Buttermilk Twice-Dipped Fried Chicken Tenders

(I usually play with a recipe so much that I don't feel I need to site the original source. What it ends up being doesn't really resemble the original recipe much. However, this recipe is completely take from Rachel Ray. It's great! Yummy hot or cold. I think it's a perfect picnic food. Click here for the recipe.)

Post-partum Meal

I love being in community with other believers. We take care of one another. So many times people have brought me meals. I was able to return the favor recently and make a meal for a post-partum family in my church.

Quiche

(Made with Jack cheese and brie.)

Curried Chicken Salad

Ingredients
1 orange
3 cups cubed cooked chicken (about 1 pound)
1-1/2 cups seedless red grapes, halved
1/2 cup chopped jicama
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup lemon-flavor yogurt
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon red curry paste
small papayas, peeled, bias-sliced in half lengthwise, and seeded (optional)
Fresh chives (optional)

Directions
1. Peel and segment orange; halve or quarter each segment. In a large mixing bowl, combine orange, chicken, grapes, jicama, and celery.

2. For dressing, stir together mayonnaise, yogurt, soy sauce, and curry paste in a small bowl. Pour dressing over chicken mixture; toss lightly to coat. Cover and chill for 1 to 24 hours.

If desired, serve in papaya halves and garnish with fresh chives. Makes 6 servings.