Memorial Day

 
 
 
  
Rob and I and the dogs enjoyed a fun, relaxing Memorial Day weekend. The weather here in Ventura was incredible, which isn't always the case because it can be foggy this time of year.

We spent a lot of time by the beach and I took a bunch of photos just for the fun of it.

Eating healthy

First, I wanted to put some pictures of a rainbow that appeared outside our back door. We have beautiful rainbows here. I think it's because we're surrounded by hills, which hold low-hanging rain clouds when the sun comes out. We're supposed to get some rain Sunday, which is almost unheard of here in Southern California.

I'm not sure if it's because of the persistent fog that's been hugging the beaches for the past few weeks -- we went straight from rainy weather to fog and, now, back to rain. But the sun has been as scare as it's ever been sine I moved here. That and the fact the Rob and I are fighting colds, me with more success than he, has made us feel health conscious, or at least fatalistic enough to realize that we need to worry about what we eat. That's not to say that we eat fried foods when the sun is out, but gloomy days make me want comfort food -- healthy comfort food.

So I whipped up some chicken cacciatore. I love this dish. It's easy to make. Inexpensive. Healthy and tasty. I serve it with Dreamfields pasta, which cuts the effective carbs and makes pasta a great, low-fat addition to any dish. I toss the pasta with a bit of extra virgin olive oil and grated Parmesan cheese.

Chicken cacciatore

1 package of six chicken thighs
3 tablespoons canola oil
garlic powder
onion powder
pepper
1 large bell pepper coarsely chopped
1 onion coarsely chopped
1 pint mushrooms, sliced
1 large can Progresso crushed tomatoes with added puree (don't use the flavored purees)
5 bay leaves
2 tablespoons dried oregano

Heat oil in non reactive skillet or Dutch oven. Sprinkle chicken thighs with garlic and onion powders and pepper. Brown on both sides in oil. Which thighs are golden brown, add peppers, onions and mushrooms and cook until starting to soften. Drain extra oil. Add tomatoes bay leaves and oregano. Simmer, covered, for about 45 minutes. Serve with pasta.

Grand Trio of Spring or Eating Ferns

 
  
I saw the ad on Epicurious and I couldn't resist. The offer was for something called the "Grand Trio of Spring" offered by Earthy Delights, http://www.earthy.com. This consisted of morel mushrooms, fiddlehead ferns and ramps.

Other women go weak in the knees for a great pair of shoes -- me, I come unglued with cool, new foods.

I'd heard of fiddlehead ferns, and had gone so far as to buy some at Whole Foods (which is incoveniently located more than 30 miles away because the demographic/marketing geniuses have decided our community isn't "upscale" enough to support a gourmet grocery -- grrrrr). But I never cooked the ferns I kind of looked at them for a few weeks and then threw them out. I was intimidated. I'd had a similar experience with morels a couple of years back. I stumbled on them at the local farmers market and bought them. But by the time I went to use them, just two days later, they had gone bad. I sometimes forget how perishable truly fresh food can be.

But these ingredients, along with the ramps -- billed as wild leeks -- piqued my interest. And in the middle of the night, when my husband wasn't around I ordered some. It turns out I'd actually pre-ordered them and it took about a month until the order was ready to ship. You had to promise to be home to receive it, or Earthy Delights wouldn't guarantee the shipment. Right now that's no problem for me.

I received my package Thursday and called some close friends and my daughter and her boyfriend over for a dinner featuring my Grand Trio of Spring. I'd already decided -- during the preceding month I'd given it a lot of thought -- that I wanted to incorporate them into a Gruyere/Parmesan souffle. I also had a bunch of artichokes from my backyard. I've made the happy discovery that artichokes thrive with neglect -- my kind of plant.

I envisioned a meal with artichokes served with various sauces -- hollandaise, and a variety of dips from Trader Joe's: Spicy pepper dip, spicy hummus, garlic hummus. I added some frozen taco appetizers from Trader Joes as a last-minute nod to Cinco de Mayo.

I invited everyone over for 8, but Kim and Dennis didn't show up until about 15 after, which is about normal for them. Rob was going to be home late and Lindsay was at the hospital watching the 16-year-old sister of a friend have a baby. I was able to serve the hors d'ouevres and chat. When Rob came home, I was able to start beating the eggs for the souffle. I had everything else ready to go. But the souffle took it's time, and it wasn't served until about 10:38 p.m.

This is such a thing with me. The food just doesn't seem to want to cook in the time allotted. Oh well, at least everyone has a good sense of humor.

The Grand Trio souffle was worth the wait and everyone loved it. Well, everyone except Rob who kept running around going, "You're going to serve people ferns???" He pretended to eat the souffle with a minimum of retching sounds, but it was a bit out of his small culinary circle of foods. Thank God for peanut butter and jelly or the man would starve to death.

To make the Gruyere/Parmesan souffle go to the April 6, post on this blog: Expanding My Horizons. Make the souffle as directed, but fold in about two cups of the sauteed ferns, mushrooms and ramps, cooled, as the last step before cooking.

Springtime in Ohio

Rob and I went to Bellbrook, Ohio, to visit our grandson, Cody. He's six weeks, and completely adorable -- the cutest little baby ever.

Okie dokie, enough proud grandparent jabbering.

We had perfect, spring weather in Ohio. It really doesn't get much nicer. But I still wanted to come home to Ventura. I lived in Ohio for 14 years and formed a rather negative view of the state as a whole and the Dayton area in particular. First, there's the crappy weather. Sure, there are a few good days. But for the most part, it's overcast, too hot or too cold.

The architecture in the area is hideous, comprising square brick homes, Tudor monstrosities or aluminum siding gothic. The people, while seemingly gracious, tend to be clannish and unaccepting, or at least this was my experience.

But Ohio in the spring is lovely. And we arrived just in time for the lilacs, which are my favorite flower. We were able to travel through the countryside, which was all bucolic and Amish. We visited my brother and sister in law with the baby at his house out in the middle of nowhere, and the scenery was as nice as it gets.We also ended up hiking on another occasion in Yellow Springs (where Dave Chappelle lives, but we didn't see him).

One of the things I enjoy doing when I visit my daughter is to make big dinners that they can freeze. The last time I was there I made pot roast and lasagna. My pot roast recipe has been perfected over the years and yields an unbelievably delicious result. Some foodies would cringe at the use of onion soup mix, but it really adds to the depth of the flavors.

Pot Roast

1 3 to 4 pound chuck roast, well marbled (you can use any inexpensive cut of meat, but the chuck works best)
1 package Lipton onion soup mix
2 tablespoons flour
Carrots, peeled (I use the pre peeled little ones)
4 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
4 turnips, peeled, and cut in half
Red potatoes, cut in half or in quarters depending on their size
4 to 5 bay leaves
1 cup red wine
2 cups water

Preheat oven to 295 degrees.
Using a Reynold's oven bag, turkey size, place roast inside along with flour and soup mix and shake. Add all the vegetables. Close bag with supplied tab and poke bag several times with a knife. Place in a roasting pan and cook in oven for about three hours, or until meat falls apart.