July: A month of basil!

A great list of 31 ideas for Basil from Food Network Magazine. Click on the image for the hi resolution version of the pic. Enjoy!

50 Things to Make With Pesto

50 Things to Make With Pesto

With basil in season right now, this list provides a way to use it all in the form of fresh-or frozen-pesto.

Inspiration: Summer Meals List

I made a list of my favorite summer meals, and I’d like to try to make most of these before Labor Day. The list is helping as I prepare my grocery list and meals for the week.

Here goes!

Chicken Dishes:

Teriyaki Chicken Skewers with Peppers & Onion

Chicken Chimichangas (Food Network Magazine, Chi Chi’s Almost Famous Recipe)

Grilled Chicken with Peach BBQ Sauce (Bon Appetit, June 2011)

Grilled BBQ Chicken topped with Roasted Poblanos, Fried Onions & Cheese

PF Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps (Recipe in earlier post) 

Chicken and Bacon Quesadillas

BBQ Chicken Pizza on the Grill

Chicken Wings

Grilled Chicken Satay Skewers

Other Meat Dishes:

Filet Mignon with Roasted Garlic Sauce

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Gorgonzola Sauce

Medium Rare Grilled Steak with Arugula, Olive oil, Lemon & Shaved Parmesan

Fish and Shellfish Dishes:

Crab Cakes with Mixed Greens (Cooking Light, May 2010)

Shrimp Fettucine Alfredo

Bang Bang Shrimp (Recipe in earlier post)

Shrimp Fajitas

Cajun Shrimp Boil (Making this Thursday for Dustin’s 19th Birthday!)

Lobster Rolls

Grilled Salmon BLTs

Cedar Planked Salmon with Dijon, Soy & Brown Sugar Glaze

Chile-Ginger Ahi Tuna Kabobs (from epicurious ipad app)

Bacon Wrapped Scallops with Sriracha Mayo

Mexican Dishes:

Shrimp Ceviche

Taco Salad

Shrimp & Bacon Quesadillas

Grilled Flank Steak tacos with cucumbers and queso fresco (Recipe in earlier post)

Italian Dishes:

Grilled Tomato Basil Flatbread Pizza

Sausage & Peppers Pasta

Pasta Salad

Italian Sausage Calzones

Fried Ravioli

Homemade Crab/Shrimp Ravioli

Sandwiches:

Steak Sandwiches with Blue Cheese & Peppadew Mayo (Food Network June 2011)

Meatball Subs

Philly Cheesesteaks

Grilled Balsamic Hamburgers

Lamb Sliders

Cheese & Jalapeno Bratwurst

Italian Focaccia Picnic Sandwich

Time will tell how many of these dishes I’m able to make this summer…but it’s been great inspiration so far!

Grilled Salmon with Citrus Salsa Verde

Recipe of the day: Grilled Salmon with Citrus Salsa Verde

Recipe of the day: Grilled Salmon with Citrus Salsa Verde

Crab Cakes with Creamy Shallot Remoulade

Crab Cakes with Creamy Shallot Remoulade

A light, fresh take on crab cakes just in time to enjoy with fresh greens from the garden.

For the crab cakes:

1.5 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

3 tbsp chopped fresh chives

3/4 tsp grated lemon rind

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs

2.5 tsp mayonnaise

2 eggs

3 cans lump crabmeat, drained

3 cans white crabmeat, drained

For the remoulade:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tbsp chopped shallots

3 tbsp chopped capers

4 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

Combine crab cake ingredients as listed. Cover and refrigerate up to an hour. Prepare the remoulade by combining 1/4 cup mayonnaise and remaining ingredients, stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate.

Preheat the oven to 400. Spray a large baking sheet with olive oil spray. To create the crab cakes, form six equal patties from the mixture, ensuring that each is about 3/4 inch thick. Place the patties on the baking sheet, evenly spaced. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 15-18 minutes or until cooked through. Serve crab cakes with remoulade and a side of mixed greens.

good:

Austin, Texas is already home to Whole Foods, but that won’t stop a group of entrepreneurs from founding a new grocery store right in the natural food behemoth’s backyard. While the new store In.gredients will also specialize in local and organic ingredients, there’s one major difference between this venture and its hometown competion: In.gredients promises to be the country’s first ever ”package-free, zero waste grocery store.”

The idea is so simple, it’s surprising that no one in the United States has implemented it yet. (The United Kingdom, on the other hand, got the bulk food-only Unpackaged in London last year). Just like many people bring tote bags to the grocery store, shoppers at In.gredients will be encouraged to bring their own containers to pack up items like grains, oils, and dairy. If a shopper doesn’t have his own containers, the store will provide compostable ones. It’s as if the specialty bulk food section rebelled and took over the rest of a traditional grocery store. In.gredients will replace unhealthy, overpackaged junk with local, organic, and natural foods, and moonlight as a community center with cooking classes, gardening workshops, and art shows on the side.

Read more on GOOD →

Zero-Packaging Grocery Store to Open in Austin, Texas - Food - GOOD

Garden 2011: The Beginning...

This year we planted our garden on June 6, 2011 after many weeks of planning and a weekend of cutting sod for our two new garden additions. This year, the main garden consists of 40 tomato plants and 30 pepper plants along with my “experiment” for the year, mixed greens, spinach, and other assorted lettuces. The first three days after the garden was planted were the hottest days of the year to date-we were very close to losing all our plants to the heat. With a little luck and a lot of TLC, all but two of the plants survived. They are a little behind the curve, size-wise, but are looking healthy and happy today. The two new gardens we cut in flank the main garden to the east and west. The garden to the west is Cory’s garden-he chose each of the plants and seeds and helped plant each of them. He planted a blueberry bush, strawberries, giant pumpkins and hot peppers. He did have some room left, so I did plant our cucumbers in that garden as well. When the cucumbers, pumpkins and strawberries are harvested, we plan to put in raspberries alongside the blueberry bush. I have a feeling this garden will be expanded to become our “berry field”… The garden to the east is my herb garden-or it was supposed to be my herb garden. Apparently, I purchased entirely too many pepper plants- so the plants that remained after the main garden was full (about 12) were planted here along with a few herbs (three kinds of lavender, basil, chives and parsley). As of today all the plants are doing well but we will be taking some disease-prevention measures to keep them healthy. The past few years, we have had problems with Blossom End Rot on our tomatoes and some of our peppers. I read in Organic Gardening Magazine that this may be caused by a calcium deficiency. To combat this, we have sprinkled dolomitic lime around these plants. We will also be using an organic pesticide. So far, so good…more on the garden-specifically, flowers…tomorrow!

First test post from Tumblita!

Testing new formats for posting from the ipad.

Ingredient of the Day: Mesclun Greens

Summer is finally here! 

About five weeks ago, while it was still very chilly and rainy, I planted mesclun seeds in our garden. It was probably the easiest and cheapest gardening I have ever done-and we ate the results last night for dinner! I purchased the packet of seeds at Lowe’s for only $1.

Mesclun is a mix of young salad greens, typically including arugula, leaf lettuce, frisee, endive, mizuma, oak leaf, lamb’s lettuce, radicchio, chervil, groundsel, sorrel and dandelion. Yummy, nutritious mesclun greens are easy to grow in the spring and yield 3-4 harvests in early summer. Simply sow seeds into well-worked soil by placing seeds in hand, then shaking side to side to allow seeds to fall into the soil, and cover with loose soil or potting mix. Gently water the seeds as necessary (keeping the soil moist, but not soggy) until the seeds begin to sprout. 

When leaves are 3-4” tall, you are ready to harvest. Snip leaves to a height of 1-2” to allow mesclun to re-grow for another harvest. 

Mesclun salads are among my favorites, for the mix of lettuces and greens provides a different texture and taste in each bite. Last night, I made an Italian-style salad with onion and tomato slices, pepperoni and mozzarella cheese, topped with my favorite dressing, Girard’s Italian.

Mesclun is also a wonderful accompaniment to crab cakes, bacon-wrapped scallops and any other appetizer-style dish that uses an aioli dipping sauce. The dipping sauce and especially the seafood flavor provides a sweet, creamy balance to the crunchy greens. 

Happy Gardening-and Welcome to Summer!

Scallop Sale at Whole Foods! One day only

Scallop Sale at Whole Foods! One day only

Gilt Taste Beta

Gilt Taste Beta

Gilt Taste is new online market created to grant foodies direct access to terrific artisan foods and ingredients. From Wagyu beef to handcrafted maple syrup, I’m looking forward to discovering new items and trends each week!