Pre Christmas with Family

So last weekend we were privileged enough to spend the day for the first time in ages with Kevin's WHOLE family, minus one nephew-in-law (my favorite nephew-in-law, for the record! Missed you, David!).  My sister-in-law, Edith, is a fabulous cook and we feasted on a divine lamb stew and delicious kale salad from her garden.  Super yummy and not a drop left.  Also, treated to a special treat...a Gearhart's chocolate cake (notice the 24 karat edible gold on top)!  Divine!  Great job, as always, Edith!  Wish we had taken more pictures.  Love you all!  

Christmas 2015

Christmas dinner....My first big attempt at my regular kind of cooking for a group since my injury.  Turned out great despite my respite.  Matthew's favorite party mix (he tells me "it's the reason for the season") along with a fresh-from-our-garden cauliflower, fresh fig and olive appetizer started the feast.  Followed by Ruth's homemade parsnip soup which was super yummy and a divine grilled Caesar salad that I recently discovered at The Belvedere Inn in Lancaster, PA.  I've never had any salad quite like it.  Lightly grilled romaine topped with a homemade Caesar dressing, Parmesan Reggiano and homemade croutons, served straight off the grill.  Super simple, and a conversation piece, for sure.

Second course...Delicious Craig County lamb shoulder roast (thank you, Jaimie Oliver) served with a caper gravy and fresh mint,  risotto with butternut squash oil drizzled on top, mixed petite potatoes, and two new salads from, yet again, Yotam Ottolenghi.  The first, a warm lentil, radicchio and walnut dish with manuka honey.  This dish could be a meal in itself.  The bitterness of the radicchio paired beautifully with the sweet honey.  The warm lentils, the grilled radicchio in combination with the honey spiced walnuts, shaved pecorino cheese, basil, dill and parsley again reminded me of why I love Yotam's creativity.  I am not experienced enough to know how to pair so many tastes together and make them work; three spices are about my limit.  Yotam is a genius at this.

The second salad was a cold tomato and roasted lemon salad.  Lots of flavorful tomatoes, pomegranate seeds, and red onions tossed with a reduced pomegranate syrup, mint leaves, parsley and blanched lemons slices that are then dried in the oven.  All this makes for one very flavorful and colorful salad.  

All this delicious food was too much for us to enjoy the beautiful chocolate cake my dear friend, Eva, gave us.  Not to worry...we will save it for another day!  My little broken wings were totally worn out, but I can still dream of getting back in the kitchen.  I never was one for baby steps!  

Merry Christmas and God bless us every one!!!

According to Matthew..."Party mix...the reason for the season."

NOPI

I did it!  I did it!  After six weeks of healing my two broken wrists and receiving very generous meals from friends every day, like manna from heaven, I decided to test my two little paws and open a cookbook and try something new.  I truly haven't stepped foot in the kitchen since my accident other than to be served by friends.  I promise, it felt like a crack addict getting their first hit once they leave rehab (seriously!).  I hope my former culinary crushes will forgive me as I once again gravitated to my current crush, Yotam Ottolenghi, and his newest cookbook, NOPI.  Named after his London restaurant, Yotam makes no excuses when he begins with a disclaimer that this is a restaurant cookbook, not so much for the home kitchen.  OnThe Morning Show the other day Yotam said this book is not for the faint hearted, but not insurmountable.  In fact, he really got my attention AGAIN when he said this cookbook is designed to challenge you.  Game on, Yotam!

While I found a degree of complexity to the recipe, I did not particularly find it to be any more difficult than his other cookbooks, Plenty More and Jerusaleum.  More to the point is the long list of ingredients one must have.  Like all of his recipes I have tested so far, Yotam chooses ingredients that I would not have necessarily thought to put together.  In my mind, that is his brilliance...and THAT takes me to a new level.  Tonight's fare was Lamb Meatballs with Warm Yogurt and Swiss Chard.  Yotam, you had me at "lamb" and "yogurt"!  Combine all that with a combination of cinnamon, coriander, allspice and mint and my tastebuds were screaming!  Top it all off with fresh pomegranate and cilantro and I was drowning in a symphony of flavors.

While my wrists continue to heal I will continue to enjoy the next month of lovingly prepared meals that are scheduled to arrive, but secretly I will be dreaming of Yotam, a good glass of red wine and several hours of cooking in the evenings.  How long will the "hit" last???!

1kg lamb mince

150g fresh breadcrumbs 
70g pine nuts, toasted
1 tsp ground cinnamon 
2 tsp ground coriander 
½ tsp dried mint
4 tsp ground allspice
4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
Coarse sea salt and black pepper
60ml olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely diced
300g Swiss chard, stalks and leaves separated, leaves roughly shredded
300ml chicken stock 
40ml lemon juice
500g Greek yoghurt
1 tbsp cornflour, mixed to a paste with 2 tsp water
1 egg, lightly beaten
Seeds of 1 medium pomegranate (optional)
20g coriander leaves, roughly chopped

Put the first six ingredients in a large bowl with half the allspice, half the garlic, two teaspoons of salt and half a teaspoon of black pepper. Mix to combine, then shape into 5cm-wide meatballs weighing 50g each. You should make about 24 balls.

Heat two tablespoons of oil in a medium saucepan, add the onions and remaining garlic and fry on a medium heat for eight to 10 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the onions have softened but not taken on any colour. Add the chilli and chard, cook for two to three minutes, until the chard has wilted, then stir in the remaining allspice, the stock and the lemon juice. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat.

Put the yoghurt, cornflour paste and egg in a large bowl with 150ml of water. Whisk to a smooth paste, then gradually spoon in the hot chard mixture, stirring well after each addition, until well combined. Stir in two teaspoons of salt and a good crack of black pepper, and set aside.

Pour the remaining oil into a large, high-sided saute pan on a medium-high heat. Add half the meatballs and fry for four minutes, turning a few times so they brown all over. Remove from the pan and repeat with the remaining meatballs, adding a little more oil if need be.

Wipe down the pan and pour in the yoghurt sauce. Bring to a very gentle simmer on a medium-low heat – it should barely be bubbling – and stir continuously in one direction to prevent it curdling. Return the meatballs to the pan (they should just be submerged in sauce), cover and cook on a low heat for 20–25 minutes, until cooked through. Serve at once, sprinkled with pomegranate seeds, if using, and coriander.

Thanksgiving 2015 with an Asian Flair

 Thanks to Cheng and Maria for the delicious holiday meal.  Not only did we have the traditional fare, but Cheng, a former restaurateur, made two meals!!! This was such an awesome treat! Cheng, I cannot wait for the personal Thai cooking classes!   I took just a few pictures to remember your delicious Asian cooking.  Sorry I missed taking pictures of the dumplings, crab balls and other appetizers, as well as the turkey and all the fixings.  We enjoyed sharing the holiday with your family and friends.  Thanks again for having us!  Maria, maybe we can take a few cooking classes when we go to Singapore!!!

Rough weekend, great food

So it was a fabulous weekend until my Dancing with the Stars partner proceeded to drop me and I broke both wrists.  Amazing all the good food my friends have been dropping off today.  Tonight was corn, cauliflower, butternut squash soup from Ruth and Matt.  Thanks, guys!  Love you!

Feast revisited...

One of my favorite lunch spots in Charlottesville is a special little place called Feast.  Love to recreate my favorite sandwich, rosemary ham shaved super thin, goat cheese, arugula, spicy plum chutney on ciabatta bread and toasted....melt in your mouth awesome!  Paired with nice wine...what could be better?

Bon appetit!!!!!!!!!!

Happy birthday, Henry!!!!!!

OK, so today was my brother in law's birthday and he wasn't here to celebrate, so I cooked an awesome meal for him and had Matthew and Ruth over to enjoy in his absence.  Once again, Yotam Ottolenghi pulls out a winner (or two)!  His cookbook, Plenty More, is a vegetarian orgy and the pictures are beautiful enough to make you want to never eat meat again.  Tonight's fare consisted of Tart Apple and Celery Root Salad which had a pungent, sweet-and-sour taste....very crisp and yummy!  Followed by a fabulous main course of Legume Noodle Soup which is an Iranian derivitive of a Persian dish.  It is touted as "the Iranian answer to minestrone", but again I say, "the peasants sure eat well in other countries!"  However, it is interesting to me that something labeled as peasant food requires nothing short of 19 ingredients.  Suffice it to say I went to the store three times during the two day course of making this meal.  It was well worth it and I will definitely be making this again!  Chickpeas, lima beans, split peas, turmeric, spinach, lots of fresh spices, linguine, sour cream, lime.....interesting combinations that all work very well together.  Happy birthday, Henry!  We all had seconds in your honor!  Hugs!!!!!!!

Saturday night southern style

Made a recipe my sister in law, Karla, shared with me years ago.  Pork chops in gravy, sour cream and french fried onions....Southern comfort food that really sticks to your ribs. Roasted new potatoes and wax beans rounded out the meal. Had Jay over to enjoy as his wife is in the middle of a corporate relocation and he hasn't had many home cooked meals in a while.  The air was crisp and the kitchen smelled good.  I so love this time of year and the warm soups and stews, etc.  Life is soooo good!!!!!

Friday night fun!!!

After work drinks with the girls....headed to The Quarter downtown, a Cajun restaurant, and had the spiciest, best Bloody Mary ever!!!!!!!  All future Bloody Marys will certainy pale in comparison, which is the problem once you have had the best!  Glass was rimmed with Old Bay, cayenne pepper, and who knows what else...but my mouth was super happy (and, as a bonus, my sinuses were super clear!).

Then headed to Cafe Asia with Kevin for some rocking awesome sushi and some yummy Pho Soup.  Always good!  Perfect way to end one week and start a weekend!  Cheers!!!!!!

Butternut squash thai soup

Loved this yummy concoction of butternut squash, mushrooms, red peppers, coconut milk, limes.....not what I would have thought to mix together, but very tasty.  Kevin found this recipe in the paper and did the shopping so I was happy to comply.  Sometimes I just need a little inspiration....

Flank Steak done a new way - Bulgogi style

OK, so I have tried flank steak done a number of ways now, all delicious, but this one was another new one tonight and was met with rave reviews.  A friend told me about this and I decided to give it a try.  Very different, but delicious.  Super easy.  Served rice and meat in a cool lettuce wrap.  Very refreshing with a kick from the red pepper flakes.  Played all day and whipped dinner together in an hour for friends.  A few bad pictures, but I am including the recipe link.  It was much better than it looks!  Bon appetit!!!!!!

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/148831/super-simple-super-spicy-mongolian-beef/

Sunday with the ladies.....

Nice lazy Sunday with the ladies for a fabulous brunch at Local Roots, a local farm to table restaurant.  Best Bloody Mary I've had in ages!  Opted for the local beef burger with a fried egg on top....(becoming one of my favorite ways to eat a burger!).  Cooked just right...nice and messy.  Followed by a trip to our local small theater to view the movie Holmes in an intimate screening room...perfect for the movie and us girls.  Great way to start my week.  Home to cook for friends tonight.  At this rate I'm going to have to kick up the running!!!!!!  All I do is eat and drink these days! Cheers!!!!!!

Saturday night in....

It has been a crazy, busy week...so much so, in fact, that I just wanted to be in my own kitchen cooking tonight.   Nothing else would pacify me.  Super simple dinner, great tastes that all go great together, just me and my hubby...couldn't have been better...crashing early for another busy day tomorrow.  Crab cakes with forbidden rice, lima beans and lemon crunch ice cream from my favorite local dairy, Homestead, sprinkled with crushed ginger snaps.  God, thank you for the many blessings!!!!

Coach and Four

Julian, you outdid yourself!  Grouper with lemons and capers, served over wilted spinach and topped with roasted tomatoes.  Yum!   Thanks for taking such good care of us!  

Ladies Night Out and Andrew

I love a short holiday week, but still cannot wrap my head around that it is already Wednesday night!  Wasn't it just "Monday"????!!!!  Love these girls, Madeline and CJ!  Both birthday girls!  Happy birthday, ladies.  Thanks to our favorite bartender at River and Rail, Andrew.  You always pick the best wines for us!  I will definitely be putting this one on my list!  One of my favorite things about ladies night out....leftovers!!!  No big fancy meal to share tonight.  Hugs, Heidi

Post holiday dinner

OK, busy day at the office, but that doesn't deter me.  Home at 7:30, dinner at 11:00.  Grilled steaks with mushrooms, smashed cauliflower, tomato tart....this is beginning to sound monotonous.  Do not fear...this may be the last tomato tart of the season as the vines are just about dead.  Plan to enjoy as long as possible.  Thanks be to God for the bounty.

Holiday weekend

Putting the cooking class to the test.  Pad Thai.  Spicy, but so yummy.  I love the different ethnic comfort foods. Friday night trip to my favorite microbrew, Chaos.  We all have our creature comforts!