Salmon, Lobster Mushroom, Corn, Baby Tomato, Oregano
So, as you know, I can now claim myself to be a former ballet dancer. And, BTW, it feels freaking fantastic. And, can I be quite frank? I didn’t really know how I was going to react. I mean, I have been saying I am a ballet dancer for over a decade. I didn’t know if I would feel lost, like I was losing a part of myself to dethrone myself from the ballet world. But, I have only felt liberated and excited for what is next. The only trouble is, what do I call myself now? I certainly don’t feel like a Chef. Obviously.
Smoky Ham and Corn Chowder
Sunday Night Dinner. A weekly tradition. A bunch of hungry boys over six-feet tall. And me.
This is a recipe from a cookbook that I got from my mother in law, Colleen, for Christmas. I love it because it is titled “Big Night In”, which is of course right up my alley. Every single recipe in the book could be cooked for Sunday Night Dinner. And will be.
What you see to the left of the soup is a popover. Yes. I know, it looks nothing like a popover. I used popover batter and ended up putting it in muffin tins. Delicious, but definitely not “popping” over the muffin tin. Rob, however, made me make a second batch. Read the rest of this entry »
Summer Corn Chowder with Crispy Bacon
It officially feels like summer is coming to an end, and fall is sneaking up on us. It does not have to do with the temperature (it has been a solid 70 for about a week in Seattle), but there is a crispness in the air that was not there before. The sun is slowly setting faster each day, and those summer vegetables seen displayed ubiquitously in the grocery store have taken a back seat.
Summer is also over for me as it pertains to work. I have one more weekend left until the start of the new year. I start performing in two weeks and before you know it, Nutcracker will be upon us.
But back to the summer chowder….
This was an excellent example of a summer soup. Zucchini, corn, leek, and potatoes complimented each other beautifully in a creamy, but light chowder.
Pressed Chicken with Yellow Squash and Tomatoes
This past weekend we shipped the kid (Cashew) to my Mom’s, drank as much water as we could, and headed to Sonoma to celebrate Erik’s 30th birthday. We rented this amazing Italian Villa with a huge gourmet kitchen which I had planned to cook in. But, I actually did not saute or dice the entire weekend (thanks to Dane, Michael, and Eddie). We did many wine tastings, spent hours in the hot tub, and it turned out to be one of the best weekends I have ever experienced.
Well, last night, even though I was itching to cook again, my exhaustion got the best of me, which means Erik cooked. And by that I mean, he ordered a pizza.
Tonight, however, I made no excuses. I went to the grocery store to see what inspired me, and this seemed like my last salute to summer. Summer squash, corn, and grape tomatoes. I had also seen this “pressed chicken” by many of my favorite chefs, and I felt that at some point, I needed to jump on that bandwagon and try it. Enjoy!
Grilled Shrimp, Nectarine, and Corn Salad
After our Vail tour, our company has the opportunity to work with the famous Twyla Tharp for two months while she is choreographing new world premieres for PNB. I have been honored to be able to be learning one of her ballets, but I have to say that “Twyla-ing” drains me by the end of the day. Last week, I was going to bed at around 8:30 every night.
Today, however, I did not have it as rough, so I actually felt that I could stay up past 8:00 and cook. After spending about an hour at Whole Foods due to weekly grocery shopping, and Monday rush hour, I finally made it home as I anxiously awaited to cook again. I had no idea that I would become THIS ADDICTED to cooking.
I saw a version of this recipe in the August Bon Appetit. It caught my eye because of the ingredients. All of the vegetables and fruit are actually in season in August.
Market Salad with Spiced Goat Cheese
I know what you are thinking…ANOTHER salad. But, I am headed to Vail, Colorado for a Dance Festival with my company on Saturday. And, after only being back for two weeks with five weeks off, light dinners are a must.
Dancing in Vail, which is at an elevation off 8000 feet is much harder than dancing in Seattle. You lose your breath faster, and your muscles just don’t feel the same. Luckily, we have all been there before, so our company knows a little more of what to expect this time around. Last year, there was a girl who fainted, everyone had to take lots of oxygen supplements, and you didn’t see a person without a water bottle in had. This year, I am nervous because one of the ballets we do, Concerto Barroco, never leaves the stage. So, if you can’t catch your breath, you have to wait until the ballet is over. Twenty minutes. Scary.
At first, when I read this recipe off of Epicurious it made me a little curious. Spiced goat cheese and steamed potatoes. Sounds BORING, right. But, it got amazing reviews! It is loaded with ingredients which makes for interesting flavor combinations with every bite.
Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad
My friend Nazra gave me this recipe a couple of months ago. Erik and I have tried it before, but I decided to modify it before I put it on my blog. The recipe called for a sour cream based dressing, and I changed it to an olive oil based dressing. The flavors are delicious, and it takes less than 10 minutes to make.
Steak with Caribbean Salad
Corn is in season right now. They are selling it for the bargain price (ha!) of 2 husks for a dollar at my local Whole Paycheck (Whole Foods). So, because the corn looked so fresh I decided to search for a recipe where it could be the focal point. I found the salad recipe at www.cookinglight.com, and decided that a steak would compliment the side dish very nicely. Unfortunately, I forgot to put the black beans in this recipe but it was good without (what can I say…I am a flake sometimes).
Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
4 steaks of your choice to grill, recommended 1/2 lb. per person
Steak seasoning and Olive Oil to coat steaks
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 ears fresh corn, husked
1/4 red onion, chopped
1/2 jalepeno, chopped (ribs and seeds removed if you don’t like spice)
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
kosher salt, to taste
1/8 tsp. cumin
1 large mango, chopped
1/2 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups mesculin greens
Preheat a grill. or grill pan to medium high heat. Season steaks with steak seasoning, or a generous amount of kosher salt and cracked pepper and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Cook steaks 3 minutes on each side or to desired doneness. (I like mine medium rare. Also, remember that your steak has to rest for at least 10 minutes after you cook it to distribute the juices!) Once you finish cooking it, put it under a tin foil tent and let the yummy juices soak back inside the meat. If you skip this step, your steak will not be as succulent.
Meanwhile, heat vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat as well. Add garlic and saute for 15 seconds or until you can smell it. Stir in corn and cook for 4 minutes or until brown. (My suggestion is to let the corn brown by leaving it in the bottom of the pan and searing for a couple of minutes and not stir it. Then stir it again and let it brown some more. ) Add red onion, red pepper and jalepeno. Saute 2 minutes until just heated through. Place corn mixture in a large bowl and add remaining ingredients except mesculin greens. Stir to combine.
Serve steaks with mesculin greens topped with the corn salad.
