Spring Awakening Campanelle
I just experienced a magical moment in my ballet career. It all happened in about a 12 hour period of time, and at the end of the night, I was surprised that my delirium had not made me batty. Actually, I am wondering now if it even really happened, or if it was just a vivid dream.
I premiered a ballet that I had been wanting to dance ever since I had seen New York City Ballet do it back in 1998. Now, 11 years later, my dream had come true. I got to dance the “Strip Tease Girl” in “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue“. Read the rest of this entry »
Nearly Spring Salad
I always get confused when my favorite food magazines start to tempt me with a SALAD on the cover. Am I the only person who thinks this is weird? Yet, I still pick up the magazine and think, “Oh! Yum. A SALAD.”
What happened to braised short ribs with gremolata, a huge stack of buckwheat pancakes with a maple marionberry sauce, or a rich citrus-glazed cake.
Nevertheless. I have to say it worked. I bought the magazine on Saturday and perused through some of the recipes and it left me with this conclusion: Spring produce is coming, and I want a SALAD.
What do you crave when Spring arrives?
Chitarra with Sausage and Rainbow Chard
This is how the conversation went as Erik and I simultaneously brushed our teeth in the bathroom in the morning…
Erik: “What are you planning on making for dinner tonight, Frauline Fizz (don’t ask)?”
Me: ”I was thinking a pasta with Sausage, Feta, Currants, Pine Nuts, and (under my breath with a slight cough) Swiss Chard.”
Erik: “Oh….you know I really don’t prefer Swiss Chard, Fizz.”
Me: “Well then you can pick it out or better yet, I will eat it off your plate. (Rolling my eyes but secretly smirking inside).”
Luckily, I didn’t have to watch Erik pick out the chard! He loved this dish because the Rainbow Chard was braised with the spicy sausage and sweet onions for about 10 minutes in chicken stock. This must be the trick! I was so impressed that I could make a dish where he liked the Swiss Chard that I knew I could find other converts, like our best friend Dane. Watch out!
I think as long as food ingredients are prepared well, most people will like ANYTHING. I have eaten pork brains, veal thymus and pancreatic glands, and even goose liver. But, with fancy dish names like cervelato, pate, and sweetbreads, it would be hard to turn down these spectacular creations. I had most of these dishes in Paris. I made sure not to ask what the English translation was until I came back to the states, and researched it on Wikipedia.
That makes Swiss Chard look very tame in my opinion…..
Kylees Orzo With Dried Cherries and Feta
First and foremost, I want to tell you all that I love Mac Computers, but I have been very frustrated the past two weeks with iWeb. With Apple’s conversion to Mobile Me, I was not able to update my blog! I have tons of recipes to blog about now though! So, come back soon……
Kylee is one of those friends who I have so much in common with, we will ALWAYS have something to talk about. Like me, she is a fairly recent newly-wed (Happy Two Year Anniversary last Monday!) Because we both have dogs the same age, she is also my Greenlake walking partner. And to top it all off, she is one of my co-workers at PNB. We have spent hours talking, laughing, and of course eating!
But, most importantly, Kylee and I have the same passion for cooking, entertaining, and feeding people. When we cook together, we operate seamlessly in the kitchen just like at work. Moving in close quarters, and watching each other, but never touching.
Kylee introduced this recipe to me the other day when we were working on a new project (more to come about that later). She is good at remembering a recipe off the top of her head. As she completed this dish, she asked my opinion about seasonings, etc. I tasted it, and realized that it was perfect. Like her dancing, Her dishes always turn out sophisticated and beautiful.
Watch out for us. We are dangerous ballerinas in the kitchen.
Servings 6
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
*Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis
1 pound orzo pasta
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1/4 cup
3/4 cup feta cheese, (I use french sheep’s milk feta)
1/2 cup dried cherries
12 fresh basil leaves, torn
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Drain pasta and put the pasta on a large cookie sheet. Drizzle the pasta with 3 tablespoons olive oil, toss, spread out, and set aside to cool.
Once the orzo is cool (about 15 minutes), transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss gently to combine. Serve room temperature.
This can be made ahead, refrigerated, and brought to room temperature before serving.
Spring Salad with Feta, Radish, and Cilantro
I think I have just gotten over a bad case of seasonal depression. I never knew I could be in such a good mood just because the sun is out. And, in Seattle, that seems to be a rarity.
I found this recipe over at one of my favorite blogs, Orangette It was a delicious salad with flavor combinations I have never used before. Endive, Radish, Cilantro, Feta, and Avocado. It was a perfect end to a sunny, bright day.
We had Erik’s cousin Ryan over for dinner last night. I made this salad, mypenne carbonara, and an “experimental” dessert that Ryan was a really good sport about. Erik on the other hand was brutally honest, as always (and why I married him), and told me it did not even deserve two stars. Obviously I will not be posting about that one….
Tomato Feta Salad
Ahh! Warm Weather. That means outdoor grilling, sunbathing, and fresh summer salads. It also means TOMATOES!
Tomatoes are probably one of my favorite foods. I like them all ways, all kinds, all shapes, all sizes. However, the bittersweet and ironic part of my love affair with tomatoes is that my husband is not a huge tomato fan. He only eats them cooked or in salsa. Basically, he only eats them when they don’t taste like tomatoes. There goes my options.
I decided to make this salad for a family get together that we had over the weekend. I hoped that Erik would give this salad a try….and he did. We are making progress!
