I'm Alive!

I will be posting my blog on this web site now each week :)
I will be leaving a link here for each new entry just in case you don't remember to check the new website!

The first new Blog Entry: http://smeharbinger.net/blogs/blog-planes-trains-a-skillet-and-automobiles

Olive Salad the Holy Grail of Options

My mom created this sublime dish: OLIVE SALAD *heavenly echo of awwwww*

So simple to make and intensely versatile, we have been eating olive salad at our house for weeks. Christmas olive salad, Sunday lunch olive salad, Tuesday dinner olive salad, and school lunch boxes full of olive salad! Okay, we sound obsessed, but not really, its just soooo good :)

Olive Salad

• Green Olives (not filled)
• Black Olives (not filled)
• Zest and Juice of One Lemon
• Oregano
• Italian Parsley
• Red Pepper Flakes
• Pepper
• Olive Oil (not much, maybe a tablespoon)

Roughly chop an even proportion of black olives to green. Toss in a large bowl the olives with desired amounts of oregano, parsley, red and black pepper and lemon juice with zest.  End with a drizzle of olive oil.

 


Uses:

• Toasted multi-grain bread with spinach, goat cheese and olive salad
• A hard boiled egg, tomato, olive salad, spinach and crusty sour dough
• Whole Wheat pasta with olive oil and olive salad
• Arugula and olive salad in a pita
• Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera :)

Christmas Cornbread Dressing

Finals are completed, my dad is home after surgery, the furnace is fixed, and presents are safely stashed under the tree, now I can COOK! *does a wild 10 minute dance of joy*

So the recipe i have been dying to try for weeks now was made and was thoroughly enjoyed: Corn Bread Dressing. I used this recipe...basically, our household can never follow something step by step. Some of our own spices here, saute instead of roast, more carrots, less mushrooms etc.

So the epicurious version:http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Cornbread-Dressing-with-Roasted-Fall-Vegetables-240386
My substitutes:

• Turnips instead of rutabagas
• Special family poultry seasoning
• Saute mushrooms and garlic
• Reduced the recipe to one egg

The result: yum. Not overwhelmingly fantastic and probably not a replacement for Thanksgiving stuffing but still delicious. I will be making this every once in a while for lunch and an easy dinner, for sure!

The cornbread seemed nontraditional at first glance but besides tasting uber fab in the dressing, on its own it was wonderful. The main ingredients are corn meal and eggs resulting in a pure and lovely flavor. Next time i make the dressing I will go heavier on the parsnips and turnips to insure that their flavor isn't overwhelmed by the carrots and herbs.

I served it with an over easy egg, treating the dressing like a hash, or polish sausage, which acted as a true compliment to the home style aromas and flavors.

Anyway what was your Christmas Eve meal?

The Taste of Home: Potato Soup

          Whenever my mom stirs together this creamy kettle of warmth, nothing that was ever upsetting me has any affect. The subtle heat of chili flakes and the cool milky broth melt with the comforting potatoes and one seeps into calm contentment.

So for the recipe:

Potato Soup
serves 6-8

• 2-2 1/2 lbs of potatoes (Yukon golds are fab but your standard Idaho will work too), sliced into 1/2 in cubes
• 3 or more large stalks of celery, cleaned and chopped
• 1/2 -1 large onion diced
• 2 cups of milk
• Red pepper flakes and/or garlic chili paste
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

1. Saute the onions in olive oil until almost clear in a Dutch oven or large pot, add celery and saute.
2. Next, add the potatoes and enough water to cover. Complete with a dash of salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Leave on medium heat with the lid off until the potatoes are cooked through.
3. Once the potatoes are done, pour in the milk and garlic chili paste to taste. Bring back to heat and serve.
*optional* garnish with arugula and some whole wheat toast

3 very easy steps to heaven in a dish :)

Oh Dear...

Hello? Hello? Is anyone still reading?
Its been over a month since our last food adventure...I'm truly and heart-felt-ly apologetic.
And now the greatest food day of the year, Thanksgiving, has past me by. I did not present any such recipe for an eager Foodie to experiment with over the holiday BUT it is never to late, hopefully. I will be posting some Left-Over Recipes and, because I am celebrating another Thanksgiving today, perhaps you could still be interested in some dessert recipes??? Huh, Yeah? Never to late for dessert in my opinion and it is still fall, so why not enjoy pumpkin and other delicacies while we can.

So a "what's coming up next" list: comforting winter soup, pumpkin desserts of a variety, and the epitome of fall vegetables dressing/stuffing main dish meal.

Please don't give up on me yet!

Fish Phyllo

I don't care how you pronounce it, phyllo is one of the most delicious delicacies. With a dash of olive oil the pale dough is transformed into gold with a momentary visit from oven. Layers of flaking crisp-ness complement so many flavors and, in this case, fish. My parents invented this dish and many may be confused with the fish of choice, Basa, huh? Basa, related but no the same as the swai, originated in the rivers of Vietnam. A white fleshed catfish of pure wonder. It may be my favorite food of the sea. So light and wholesome with an engrossing melt in your mouth flavor. Tis the fish for all those who think they do not like fish. (and on a totally random note, it is apparently the mascot of Thailand)

Fish in Phyllo
set oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit

note: To warn you this recipe may be a little unclear, this is due to the surprising thickness of the phyllo we purchased. So for this recipe I called for a "rustic" thick phyllo, but if all you can find is thin you should use multiple layers.

• 2 medium fillets of Basa (or Swai, which seems to be very common in the grocery store now a days and has the same flavors of Basa) (if you're not a fish person, chicken works just as well)
• Salt and Pepper
• Lemon zest
• Red pepper flakes
• Rustic style/thicker phyllo (see note)
• 1/4 cup olive oil and a brush

Begin by cutting the fillets (with a heavy duty knife) while frozen into thirds or so. Pair up any tinier pieces into a serving you feel is justified.

Lay out a piece of phyllo, brush with olive oil everywhere (don't be frightened of oil, its important to create colour along with flavor). Add a serving of fish (or chicken) season with salt, pepper, red pepper and zest.

Take one side of phyllo, fold it over the fish and lightly olive oil (to insure the other fold sticks). Fold the other side and olive oil the edges you will fold next. Place on a cookie sheet folded side down. Repeat for however many serving you have.

Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, or until bottom is golden. Flip the fish over and bake until the other side is also crisp. Serve with sauteed zucchini, yellow squash, arugula salad (see past posting) or what ever strikes you as being fabulous. Enjoy.

A little history on phyllo (for anyone uber curious):

Phyllo first appeared in central Asia, near the of areas Mongolia and Siberia. Though not as thin as today's later phyllo doughs, it was an unleavened sheet commonly folded. Composed of water, flour and a small amount of oil, the real work comes in making it so thin. Continuous folding and rolling depicts the process until the the dough reaches the ultimate thinness. Phyllo is seen in many nation's food history, from Greece and Bulgaria to Egypt and Turkey.

I'm Still Here!

*knock knock knock* Is anyone out there? Well either way, empty space, cramped apartment, suburbia, if someone is reading this, I'm still posting :). I have just been at a stunt lately as for what to cook. Homework weighs heavy and I have no good excuse to create something new in the kitchen, BUT, inspiration has struck me again and more recipes are on there way so be prepared, be excited, be eager!