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Saturday, April 26, 2014

An AWARD 4 H Fair Pics A Pie Contest and A Steak Sandwich

Can you guess what these four things have in common? I bet you can! They are all included in the hodge podge of topics we will delve into during todays entry. Arent you excited?

I am extremely honored and appreciative to have received this award from Heather (THANKS, HEATHER!!!!) who writes the fabulous 3 Kids and Lots of Pigs. When you get a change, if you have not already done so, please hop on over and say "hi" to Heather and her brood!

Rules for Acceptance:

1. Thank the blogger who bestowed the Award upon you.
2. Sum up your blogging philosophy, motivation, and experience using five (5) words.
3. Pass the award on to 10 deserving bloggers.

I guess its hard to sum up anything with a mere 5 words, but Ill give it a go.

"Cooking dinner for one year"

In the past few months, I have been introduced to so many fantastic blogs it is difficult to narrow it down to 10. Nonetheless, these are all blogs of subtance which you are sure to enjoy.

1. A Bountiful Kitchen
2. A Southern Grace
3. AmLo Farms
4. Domestic Dame
5. Home Sweet Farm
6. Hon, Whats for Dinner
7. Lifes A Feast
8. Our Peaceful Home
9. Foodie Mommie
10. The Squeaky Grocery Cart

I was so excited to be a part of the St. Joseph County 4-H Fair this year as a judge for the Pie Contest. I feel that no one in the world is more qualified for such a task than I. I content that, practically, any tastes good when it is dusted with sugar and baked between two flaky, buttery pastry crusts. Here are a few photos of the fair and pie contest.

After a long day at the fair and eating about 14 pies, one would not believe that I would be hungry for dinner. But, it was a long hot day afterall, and the wonderful aroma of grilled onions compelled me to make a tasty grilled steak sandwich for myself for dinner.

No doubt, it was not as good as it would have been from a fair food cart, but my tiny little filet grilled and sliced and smothered with melted cheese and grilled onions and peppers was not half bad either.

Thursday, April 17, 2014

TOMATO BASIL SOUP WITH OVEN ROASTED WALNUTS AND AN AWARD

TOMATO BASIL SOUP WITH OVEN-ROASTED WALNUTS AND AN AWARD
The weather was pretty chilly for the past few days for us in Virginia. Yesterday we had some snow. It was such a glorious sight and I was in a lazy mood the whole day watching the snow. It was not a day for hitting the gym, rather I was in the mood for something piping hot and crunchy. Tomato basil soup sounded so wonderful but I did not have any fresh basil in the fridge yet brave me went right ahead to make the soup with dried basil. I know people won’t agree with dried basil in tomato basil soup where basil is the main ingredient still this soup tasted good for a quicker version. It was almost as tasty as the ones with fresh basil. I combined it with some oven-roasted walnuts. These were real good too perfect for the cold. The nuts were still warm from the oven when I had it. They were so yummy that I finished almost a half a cup of nuts. I clicked a view of the lawn from our window while having this.

TOMATO BASIL SOUP

INGREDIENTS:
Canned tomatoes, 1 can.
Red onion, medium-sized, 1.
Garlic, 2 cloves.
Olive oil.
Salt and pepper as per taste.
Chili powder (optional), ¼ teaspoon.
Basil leaves (1 bunch if fresh ones are used, 2 teaspoons if dried basil is used).
Grated parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons.
Any broth like chicken or vegetable broth, 2 cups.

PREPARATION:
Dice the onions and crush the garlic cloves coarsely. Heat a pot with some olive oil and when the oil is hot enough, add the diced onions and garlic and sauté for a few minutes until the onion is well caramelized. Switch off the stove and let it cool. Pour the contents of the canned tomatoes to a blender and add the sautéed onions to this mixture and blend everything to a smooth paste. If fresh basil is used, half of it can be added while blending and the remaining half can be torn and added to the soup while serving. Pour the blended mixture to the pot and add salt, pepper chili powder, dried basil leaves if they are used along with 2 cups of broth and 2 cups of water. Let it simmer for 15 minutes and stir in the parmesan cheese. Ladle the soups into serving bowls and serve hot with any crusty bread.

OVEN-ROASTED WALNUTS
INGREDIENTS:
Walnuts, 2 cups.
Paprika, 1 tablespoon.
Salt, ½ teaspoon.
Canola oil, ½ teaspoon.
Garlic powder (optional), ¼ teaspoon.

PREPARATION:
Put the walnuts in a bowl. Add in the spices along with salt and oil and mix everything well until each of the walnut is well coated with the spices. Transfer the nuts to a baking dish and bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes and let it cool and enjoy.

Friday, March 28, 2014

SANDRAS PAN SEARED SCALLOPS with an ASIAN DIPPING SAUCE

My absolute favorite
method in which to guarantee the most
succulently flavored scallops every time...

Servings: (4)
Prep: 10 min. |
Sear: 2 to 4 mins.

INGREDIENTS

***Scallops
- 1 lb. fresh bay scallops (or quarter larger sea scallops)
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil (as this has high smoking point)

***Dipping Sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated (or 1 teaspoon ground ginger)
- 1 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 green onion, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried cilantro
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil

METHOD

In a small bowl, add all the sauce ingredients; whisking them together. Pour into a decorative dipping sauce serving bowl, and place in the center of your serving platter, and set aside.

Pat down the top and bottom of each scallop with a paper towel (they will not sear properly if moist). Season scallops with kosher salt and ground pepper.

In a large non-stick skillet, (I prefer to use a seasoned cast iron skillet) heat to medium-high heat, add peanut oil by placing it on a paper towel folded in quarters, and wiping down skillet. Add scallops, not touching, and sear for approximately 1 to 2 minutes per side, just until golden brown (please do not poke or move around scallops or they will not sear properly). Also, cooking might slightly vary depending on size of scallops.

Place seared scallops on platter around dipping sauce bowl, and serve immediately - enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tip: I serve mine with a small container of toothpicks for dipping scallops into sauce.

Also, this is wonderful to serve as a surf-n-turf meal with grilled steak, or with steamed rice and fresh veggies, or just as an appetizer is simply divine.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

SANDRAS SALMON LASAGNA with an HERB MORNAY SAUCE

A very nice change-up to the traditional
lasagna, with this being a white
sauce and its complimenting ingredients...

Servings: (6)
Prep: 10 Mins. |
Cook: 50 Mins.

Posted by Sandra

INGREDIENTS:

***Fresh Salmon
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 tablespoon butter
½ lb. fresh salmon, de-boned and de-skinned, and cut into 1/2" cubes

***Cheese Mixture
15 ozs. ricotta cheese
1-1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1 (9 oz. pkg.) frozen, chopped spinach (thawed) and squeezed dry (and chopped again)
1/2 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
kosher salt and ground pepper to taste
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

***Herb Mornay Sauce
1 tablespoon peanut oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 crimini mushrooms, finely sliced
1 garlic clove, grated
1 teaspoon shallots, grated
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 egg yolk, mixed with
--2 tablespoons heavy cream
Zest of ½ lemon
¼ teaspoon old bay seasoning
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
kosher salt and ground pepper to taste

9 no-bake lasagna noodles
4 tablespoons dubliner irish cheese, grated (from Costco in block form – it’s to die for!)--or parmesan

METHOD

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 2 qt. square baking dish (9”x9”x2”) with oil, and place on a baking sheet (to prevent potential spillovers).

In a medium skillet, heat the peanut oil and butter over medium-heat, add the strips of salmon; cooking without disturbing for 1 minute on each side, remove to plate and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, spinach, 1/4 cup milk, beaten egg, salt and nutmeg.

In a medium saucepan, make the sauce by melting the butter over medium heat. Add the finely-sliced crimini mushrooms, grated garlic, shallots, and saute for 2 minutes; whisk in flour and cook while whisking for 2 more minutes. Slowly add milk and continue whisking until smooth and sauce starts to thicken. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk with the cream and lemon zest. Ladle a little of the hot sauce into the egg yolk and whisk to temper, then stir tempered mixture into the sauce. Season to taste with old bay seasoning, kosher salt and ground pepper to taste, and remove from heat. Flake the salmon into chunks, and gently fold into sauce, and set aside.

To make the lasagna, form layers as follows: 1/3 sauce mixture; 3 no-bake noodles overlapped; and 1/3 cheese mixture. Repeat layers two more times. Sprinkle with grated dubliner irish cheese. Cover; bake 40 minutes, and then uncover and bake for 10 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes to set. – Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tip: I served this with fresh asparagus sautéed in olive oil, freshly grated garlic, and a pinch of grated lemon zest.

Sunday, March 9, 2014

An Accidental Manicure

You know those days that start out super weird, or even kind of terrible, and then end up being just so tremendous and fun? That’s exactly how this Saturday turned out.

Megan made her way up from Roanoke to go to her boyfriend’s holiday party and prissy girls that we are, we thought it’d be so much fun to get our hair did at the newly opened Dry Bar in Bethesda (not to be confused with my experience at the Georgetown location). Despite leaving an hour before our appointment time to drive the 7 miles from my apartment to the salon, we still ended up being 30 minutes late. While I knew we’d fight some traffic on a Saturday afternoon, I didnt realize Bethesda was located in the 7^th circle of hell!!!!!!!!!!!!

Like, parking has always been an issue there. Always. It’s a small part of town with a TON of retail space, none of which provides parking to its customers, so it’s pretty much a study in Darwinian theory and, to a large extent, urban planning gone completely awry. So, even though we called the salon to notify them we’d be a little late (and here it’s important to let you know that you can’t actually CALL a Dry Bar…you can only call their answering service located god know’s where and talk to someone who sounds like your grandma tell you that they just might cancel your appointment if you’re too late), it didnt matter. When we strolled in at 2:35 for our 2:15 appointments, after parking about a half mile from the salon itself, we were rebuffed. Our appointments? Gone. Non existent. Very much like the parking in that town. When I explained to the receptionist that we tried to call but couldnt reach anyone other than an answering service, she explained that they don’t have phones in the salon because they want to be more “social.” Um. Ex-squeeze me? Baking Powder? Did I just hear you say that in an attempt to be more social, you’ve forgone one of the most DIRECT WAYS WE HUMANS HAVE TO COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER IN REAL TIME?!?!?! Hahahaha, that’s so cute.

So clearly, we were disappointed with that Dry Bar experience. Again, not to be confused with my Georgetown Dry Bar experience, which I intend to return to to use the free blow dry we got from the other location for cancelling us and refusing to find another way to make it work…Tim Gunn would not be pleased. But whatever, that was our experience, which really left us up a creek since Megan had an event that night that she specifically needed a blow out for. We were this close to throwing in the towel and going back to my place where I told her I’d just do her hair when we passed by Jolie, a spa salon offering, wouldnt ya know it, $35 blow outs. We walked in and managed to get an appointment. They only had one though and since Megan actually needed the blow out, I opted to get my nails done instead.

Despite my ongoing and entirely accurate criticism of Emily from Cupcakes and Cashmere, she does still manage to come up with great manicure ideas, so I promptly copied her latest look and asked my manicurist Xuan for the same look. Not only did Xuan shape and clean up my nails immaculately, she also picked the perfect colors and did the entire manicure with just the brushes from the polish bottles and her fingernail!

Megan and I were both really pleased with our services and celebrated our serendipitously fun day with sushi before going our separate ways for the night. I then sported my f’awesome manicure to the Grace Potter show at the 9:30 club that night and felt pretty rad about the whole thing.

I think this is what Bob Ross means when he calls something a "happy little accident."

Do you ever have annoying days turn into super wicked awesome fun days?? Do you find Emily just as annoying as I still do?? And who else loves Grace Potter?!?!

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Turn your leftovers into an Amazing Bistro Salad!

How much have you paid for a salad at a cafe or bistro? Not your boring side salad but a gourmet salad with all the best ingredients? Maybe some chicken, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, sundried tomatoes, fresh mozzarella? Maybe toasted walnuts and feta, grapes and heirloom tomatoes? You can pay anywhere between $8 and $15 for a loaded salad like that. If you make it out of your leftovers it can cost you nothing at all. Use your imagination and look through your fridge and pantry and see what you can come up with.

I had leftover chicken cutlets that I sliced, some boiled cellantani/cavatappi pasta (that didnt have any sauce on it), farmers market tomatoes, kalamata olives, fresh mozzarella, red onion, artichoke hearts with stems (from trader joes) and a great salad mix. This was a fabulous salad and I can think of so many ways to mix it up. Items that I already have on hand, roasted peppers, salami or ham slices, chick peas or kidney beans, cheddar cheese. I can go on and on! Your options are really endless.

Next time you think about throwing away your leftovers try to put them together in a way that will make a new and exciting salad!