Heirloom Tomato Salad+Prosciutto on Foccacia
The air is getting brisk, and the summer is coming to an end. What is also coming to an end is the honeymoon period of my life in the restaurant. I need to get back to reality, which means not drinking massive quantities every night, and getting to bed before 4am. This is not a sustainable lifestyle if I actually want to get good at cooking.
Every night, although tempting, can’t be a party. Maybe just half of the nights. Read the rest of this entry »
My Zuni Roast Chicken Salad
This week’s goal was to spring clean. And. It. Did. Not. Happen. Oh, yes. I had lofty goals. I printed out the infamous Martha Stewart Spring Cleaning check list that includes hand-washing your dishwasher and dusting your refrigerator coils. I even cleaned my house for 3 hours on Tuesday to jump-start to process, but that ended up in a 2-hour upper back spasm. 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?
Beet and Avocado Salad with Roasted Chicken
My Mama once told me that her best conversations were had after dinner, picking at the remains of the salad bowl. 
Erik and I have yet to sit at our dinner table for a long time. I think it is the chairs. So, our picking happens in the kitchen during the cleanup. And the conversation, well not so much. For as much as I love to cook, and as much as we love to eat, and as much as we LOVE to talk, it just doesn’t happen at the dinner table for us. We are silently stuffing our faces, and racing to get to the couch to relax after our busy days.
If we need to “talk” about something, or just need time to ourselves as a couple, we go out to dinner. Then distractions like plating the food, photographing, the dirty dishes, or Cashew begging does not get in our way. We sit, relax, and talk for hours while the staff is willing to serve us, clean up after us, and offer us dessert. But, then it is inappropriate to pick out of the salad bowl. Hmmmm…..
Maybe we need to invest in some comfortable chairs.
Insalata Rustica
I just cannot believe it is already Monday again. Where did my weekend go? I accomplished the usual tasks like cleaning, filing, cooking, and resting all day on Sunday, but somehow it just seems unreal that it is already the beginning of the work week again.
My company has been franticly trying to put together our “New Works” repetoire premiering in three weeks. We are re-learning a piece we performed last year, a new ballet is being taught to us that was choreographed years ago by Mark Morris, and two never before seen ballets that are being choreographed on us right now. To do that is three weeks is quite a challenge!
Oh well, on to week two. Read the rest of this entry »
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.
Sea Scallops with Roasted Cauliflower
I was browsing through Food and Wine this morning, and I came across this recipe. At first, I have to be honest, I was hesitant. Scallops and Cauliflower- WEIRD! But, this recipe actually works!
I have recently been told about some amazing fish mongers in Seattle. I guess I never think to get my fish from a separate place other than the grocery store (and they call me a foodie). But, I think I will have to check them out! The first one is an amazing store in the University area (which means I have no excuse not to go there). It is called University Seafood and Poultry company, and it is on 13th Ave NE and 47th. In addition to their fish and poultry selections, they also sell duck fat (if you care about that kind of thing). The second is called Mutual Fish on Rainier Ave South. Both of the people who recommended these places to me swear by them and say they have wonderful service, and the freshest seafood.
The trick to scallops is to have them VERY dry before you cook them. I pat them down with a paper towel right before cooking them, and then immediately salt and pepper them. If you salt them too early, all of the moisture will come out of them and they will become moist again. Also, when cooking scallops, you have to cook them over very HIGH heat to get that beautiful brown crust. So crank up your stovetop!
Roasted Red Onion, Pine Nut and Mesculin
I am constantly looking for a new salad that does not consist of blue cheese, cranberries, and pecans. However, that salad happens to be Erik’s all time favorite. He is not a tomato and cucumber salad eater, so I have had to learn to be extremely creative. This recipe is the product of that creativity, and the desire for something new.
