Chop Fayn

More grillin'

2011-08-03T10:11:00.005-05:00

For the second Sunday in a row, Warren fired up the grill. I hope that this is the start of a trend.

We had a ton of shrimp in the freezer and a pork tenderloin, so those were the main attraction.

However, I took advantage of the situation and asked him to throw on a few peppers I got at the MFM last week. I'd been eying a recipe in Food & Wine. With Warren handling the only part requiring cooking, I was able to do it quite easily. These yogurt stuffed grilled peppers would make a great appetizer at a party.

Warren and I ate them as we stood over the grill and watched the shrimp cook.

Since he made a ton of shrimp, I added them to my salad the next day.

And for Tuesday night's dinner, they were the inspiration for a Tom Yum style soup, chock full of tofu, veggies and mushrooms (the shrimp are underneath the broth).

Thursday the leftover pork landed on a salad.

Grilling Up a Storm

2011-07-25T20:48:00.003-05:00

Warren started to feel guilty that I hadn't posted here in six months, so he totally stepped up his game last night. He went on a grilling spree--hot dogs, beef tenderloin, corn, brussel sprouts, oysters, peaches, and figs.

Before:

During:

After:

Epic Pot Roast Tacos

2011-02-02T10:40:00.000-06:00

Warren has been in the field for weeks now. Last week, one of the other archaeologist brought a crock pot full of chili (or something) to share with everyone. Warren's boss cleverly told him that his coworker thought he was a better cook than Warren. Warren's response? "How does he know he's better than me if he's never had my cooking?" Then it came as no surprise when Warren spent the bulk of the weekend and Monday preparing a meal of epic proportions to take in the field with him this week. Luckily, he shared with his family before hitting the road!

Because most of the magic happened while I was sleeping or at work, I failed to get any good shots of the sauce that made the pot roast so exquisite. Here are a few action photos, plus the final product.

Mochi and Sweet Adzuki Beans

2011-01-04T10:10:00.000-06:00

First meal of 2011: homemade red beans and rice Japanese style--Mochi and sweet red adzuki beans--good eating for good luck!

Hot Sauce

2010-12-13T18:11:00.005-06:00

Warren made some fermented hot sauce with the habaneros that we grew in our garden this year. He added some kombucha for the fermentation, sugar, salt, ginger, and garlic.

Caramel Apple Pie

2010-11-28T15:38:00.001-06:00

Best. Apple pie. Ever.

Pickles

2010-11-01T20:51:00.000-05:00

Warren's latest batch of pickles used up the last of the CSA cucumbers.

Carnitas

2010-11-01T20:49:00.001-05:00

Pork butt never tasted so good. Warren cooked it down in a crock pot all day and then pan fried it.

Sushi

2010-10-18T12:29:00.002-05:00

Warren has been in a sushi zone and I love it.

He's been fiddling with the somen noodle rolls. He added carrots, cucumber, and sesame seeds on top.

And a first--seared beef sashimi.

Another first--a dessert roll with black rice and mango.

Shojin Platter

2010-10-11T16:50:00.004-05:00

Warren prepared the first course for our bi-monthly supper club meeting. His first component-a crunchy daikon roll-took almost a week to make! He had to dehydrate the daikon for several days before rolling orange peel inside of it. Then he had to dehydrate it some more before marinating it in rice vinegar. It was definitely worth the wait! He also make marinated lotus root and somen noodle nori rolls with a balsamic soy reduction. YUM!

Breakfast of Champions

2010-09-08T19:48:00.004-05:00

For breakfast on Sunday, Warren made omelets stuffed with beans and peppers, topped with homemade salsa, with a side of fresh tortillas.

MFM & CYFM 9-6

2010-09-06T19:42:00.000-05:00

If they're yellow, do you still call them cherry tomatoes? I don't know, but the ones we got in our Whitton Farms CSA are SO good. Yum. We also got squash, potatoes, okra, basil, green beans, and purple hull peas. (Lordy we have a lot of these!) In addition, I bought a dozen eggs and a half gallon of milk from Evergreen farms (omg I love raw milk!), Groovy Granola, and chips and guacamole from Las Delicias.

We also picked up the Majors' Downing Hollow CSA at the Cooper Young Market. It contained a dozen eggs, a loaf of bread, squash, okra, cucumbers, peppers, shitakes, pears, and a melon that didn't look like a cantaloupe from the outside but looked (and tasted) exactly like one on the inside.

MFM 8-28 + Backyard Action

2010-08-29T18:52:00.004-05:00

Red potatoes, arugula, squash, okra, green beans, purple hull peas, carrots, green pepper, and basil.

Plus raw milk, eggs, granola, peaches, and corn.

Tomato bounty from our garden.

MFM 8-21

2010-08-22T18:59:00.001-05:00

We had our usuals--potatoes, green beans, carrots, tomatoes and basil--plus a few, new and exciting items like eggplant, petite squash, and green peppers. Also I've successfully switched the kids to skim raw milk, so I bought extra this week. The Evergreen Dairy also had eggs, which was good since my usual source sold out before I got there. We're also getting quite addicted to Cucina bread.

Watermelonapalooza

2010-08-17T12:02:00.000-05:00

My friends Amy and Justin recently wrote about using an entire watermelon to make several dishes in the Memphis Flyer. After reading it, Warren waited about five minutes before he made his own version of their watermelon gazpacho.

A week later, I was inspired to make a couple watermelon treats of my own.

One of my favorite commentators on NPR was talking about her watermelon, feta, and black olive salad on Friday (Thursday?) when I was driving home from the gym. I just had to make it.

The next day, Warren made a watermelon pico de gallo from a recipe he saw in the Sacramento Bee at his brother's house. It's amazing how the watermelon blends in with the tomatoes.

I couldn't let him outdo me, so I went all out and made watermelon sorbet! All I had to do was blend up some watermelon with some lime juice, strain it, and add a little simple syrup. So easy and so good!

MFM 8-14

2010-08-16T20:03:00.003-05:00

This week's CSA had some really nice looking cucumbers, more potatoes, carrots, basil, tomatoes, green beans, green peppers, and purple hull peas. I also picked up a couple dozen eggs, some raw skim milk, two baguettes, a cheddar jalapeno loaf, and some chips from the Las Delicias booth.

With a bunch of lovely tomatoes and jalapenos in our CSA haul, and chips for dipping, I set out to make salsa. I cut the tomatoes a little too big, so I think it was actually more of a pico de gallo. I left in some skin and it had a nice spice to it.

I ate a lot on the chips, but for Warren I put some pico on leftover grilled chicken and wrapped it up the blue corn tortillas we picked up at Trader Joe's on our cross country trek.

Blueberry Gelato

2010-08-09T21:05:00.001-05:00

On Sunday I made blueberry gelato. It's the same color as my favorite cashmere sweater. Luckily it tastes a lot better.

I used this recipe, except I had to substitute a lemon for a lime.

I hope I've inspired Warren to one up me. He came home with a lot of fruit so I know he's thinking.

Veggie Burger and Gazpacho

2010-08-04T19:04:00.006-05:00

When we picked up our CSA last Saturday, I suggested that we make veggie burgers out of the purple hulled peas. Warren scoffed and said we should in enjoy them in their natural state. But I persisted and on Tuesday he made them. I believe he threw in some oats and carrots and some other things. Whatever he did, worked because they were great. He had his with a fried egg and home made pickles. I had mine with ketchup.

Here it is all put together.

To go along with it, he made some gazpacho with our CSA tomoatoes and jalapenos and some watermelon. (We were inspired by the Flyer's watermelon story this week.) It had great texture and flavor.

Potato Squash Soup

2010-08-04T18:15:00.000-05:00

Potato soup is a Team Oster favorite. This batch was made better with the addition of squash. And of course, it tastes even better with cheese and bacon on top.

Parfaits & Chai

2010-08-01T13:33:00.001-05:00

I used up some of our farmer's market fruit--peaches and blueberries--this morning in a parfait. I used Greek yogurt, a banana, and some Groovy Granola too. It was really good! On the side we had some Chai made from a Trader Joe's mix.

Pizza

2010-08-01T13:30:00.002-05:00

We have a freezer full of pesto so Warren decided to put it to use on some pizzas. He made the crusts from scratch and used some farmer's market squash for a topping. He also cut up some artichoke hearts and fresh herbs.

Farmer's Market 7-31

2010-08-01T13:26:00.002-05:00

While we were out of town we missed picking up our CSA. I was really excited to go on Saturday and get our stash. I was a tiny bit bummed that the goods hadn't changed too much, but the addition of three huge tomatoes, a small bunch of jalapenos, and two bags of purple hulled peas was exciting enough.

Banana Milkshake

2010-07-13T23:43:00.002-05:00

This is my favorite treat of the summer--frozen bananas mixed with almond butter, raw milk, yogurt, and vanilla extract. Oh and the stainless steel straw makes it super cold and extra yummy.

Carrot Cupcakes

2010-06-28T21:37:00.001-05:00

I like everything better as a cupcake. Once we fired up the oven we decided to just cook everything we'd planned for the week. I got too tired to make the frosting for these. No matter, they are sweet and yummy as is.

Peach Crumble

2010-06-28T21:32:00.004-05:00

This might be the best thing I've ever eaten.

Local Pizza

2010-06-28T21:29:00.002-05:00

Ok so we had a pre-made crust languishing in the fridge. Topped with some homemade pesto, Bonnie Blue Farm's goat cheese, and Whitton Farms tomatoes and fresh basil it was YUM.

Veggie Time

2010-06-28T21:26:00.002-05:00

Warren is a master veggie roaster--this week he roasted carrots, beets, squash, dill, and potatoes.

He is also the master of corn and squash chowder. Absolutely the best way to eat squash.

Blueberry Muffins

2010-06-28T21:21:00.005-05:00

I couldn't wait to make blueberry muffins with the fresh blueberries. I was going to use the Chubby Vegetarian's recipe, but it scared me. So, I went with this one from Alton Brown. They were really good, especially right out of the oven.

Farmer's Market Action

2010-06-28T21:11:00.006-05:00

I think I fell behind on documenting our CSA share for a couple of weeks. Oops.

This week, our friends the Majors went out of town again so we got their CSA share from Downing Hollow Farms. It featured potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, squash, beets, cucumbers, dill, basil, garlic, bread and flowers.

Look at that garlic!

Mmmm...cinnamon basil.

Our Whitton Farms CSA had basil, cucumbers, green beans, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, and sweet corn!

And then I bought a baguette, feta cheese, eggs, peaches, blueberries and granola. Only I forgot to put the granola in my bag! Doh!

Blackberry Cobbler

2010-06-24T14:45:00.003-05:00

Warren volunteered to make a blackberry cobbler with my fresh blackberries since he was going to use the oven to heat naan anyway. He used a recipe from his all time favorite, the Joy of Cooking. The blackberries were really, really tart, but the cobbler was pretty fantastic anyway.

We regretted not having an ice cream maker to make fresh, vanilla ice cream to go with it. Or blackberry sorbet.

Chicken 65

2010-06-24T14:39:00.002-05:00

Team Oster is on a major Chicken 65 kick since discovering the Maharaja Cafe. However, that kick is happening in the kitchen. Warren attempted to make it from a recipe with mixed results. We happened upon a mix at the most awesome Indian grocery ever (shh--I'll tell you about it elsewhere) and it totally did the trick. He also made some awesome palak paneer and long (ass) grain rice. We bought the naan frozen.

Pickles

2010-06-19T21:51:00.002-05:00

It's been awhile since Warren made pickles, but our Whitton Farm's cucumbers inspired him.

Shrimp Pasta

2010-06-19T21:47:00.002-05:00

My fake brother moved away last week and gave us the remaining items in his refrigerator including some nice juicy shrimp. Warren paired them with some Whitton Farm's zuchini, herbs, and mushrooms for a fantastic stir fry. He served it over bow tie pasta, but I ate some leftovers on brown rice too.

Bubble Tea

2010-06-19T21:41:00.006-05:00

Warren's been threatening to make Bubble Tea and he finally made good. He got green tapioca "bubbles" which weren't as flavorful as the black ones we get in the restaurant, and he may have put a few too many in, but the coconut pineapple banana bubble tea was still a crowd pleaser!

You do need a special, extra fat straw to fully enjoy bubble tea.

You just boil the pearls and then cool them. Easy!

Paired with some edamame, it was perfect for movie night at home.

Blackberry Pops

2010-06-07T20:45:00.002-05:00

Inspired by the Chubby Vegetarian, I ordered some fancy popsicle molds and have been trying to make some pops from fresh fruit. The problem is that I don't like adding sugar and honey doesn't seem to make them sweet enough. Warren suggested fruit juice concentrate, but I've yet to take his advice.

I like the sour and slightly tart blackberry pops I made with raw milk, yogurt, honey, and Jones Orchard blackberries.

I'm sure it's just a matter of time before Warren pushes me aside and starts making some that everyone likes.

Huevos Rancheros

2010-06-07T20:44:00.003-05:00

This is something Warren makes from time to time, but it was especially delicious with farm fresh eggs, Farmer's Market tomatoes, and the yummy garlic paste we got at an Indian grocery store last week.

MFM 6-5

2010-06-07T18:41:00.003-05:00

This week's CSA included new potatoes, squash, zucchini, basil, carrots, radishes, green beans, and a squash variety I forgot the name of. In addition we bought some Groovy Granola, McCarter's coffee, bitter leaf from Warren's favorite Asians, tomatoes, blackberries and more green beans. (I didn't see Keith put beans in our CSA bag! Doh!)

We were too late for eggs, per usual, but I plan to start getting them from the kids' school. Also I wanted to get more raw milk, but Warren talked me out of it since we hadn't emptied the bottle completely. (I was scared to drink it at first, but after mixing it in a milkshake decided it was 100% fine.)

Sonoran Dogs & Fajitas

2010-05-31T20:47:00.004-05:00

We first learned of the Sonoran Dog during an episode of Man vs. Food. We planned to roll through Arizona this summer and pick one up, but after the Sterns did a full hot dog feature in this week's Parade magazine, Warren had to have one. The Sonoran dog is a bacon wrapped hot dog in a bolillo roll topped with pinto beans, grilled anaheim pepper, mustard, mayo, and tomatoes. And not that I have to tell you, but it's awesome. We went out to the La Fiesta Market on Macon to get the rolls and couldn't resist getting some fajita meat too. So we had Sonoran Dogs AND fajitas for dinner. Don't worry, we grilled a little squash to balance everything out. (ha!)

Next up, Warren stuffs a pepper with a bacon wrapped hot dog!

MFM 5-29

2010-05-31T18:23:00.002-05:00

This week's CSA included lettuce, basil, new potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, and carrots. I also bought a few tomatoes, some peaches, and raw milk.

This week's building blocks 5-22

2010-05-22T15:55:00.003-05:00

Our Whitton Farms CSA contained some giant radishes, carrots, potatoes three times the size pf last week's, heirloom lettuce, chard, basil, snap peas and squash. Wow! I also bought some tomatoes, strawberries, broccoli, eggs, feta cheese, and a baguette. I ran out of money before I could buy any granola. And I really wanted a second baguette!

Miscellaneous

2010-05-22T15:52:00.002-05:00

Warren is freezing homemade pesto cubes from our leftover greens--reminds me of when we used to make the kids' baby food. I'm sure these pesto cubes will come in handy down the road!

Simple but delicious--a turkey sandwich on an awesome baguette from the Farmer's Market with some fresh fruit on the side.

Salad Days

2010-05-22T15:46:00.003-05:00

We are definitely eating a ton of salad these days. The best part of this one is the sorrell vinaigrette that Warren made. It may be a weird dark green/grey/black color but it is delicious.

Mmmmstrawberries and tomatoes...

Stir Fry

2010-05-22T15:43:00.003-05:00

When we first got married, Warren made stir fry all all of the time. For whatever reason, he stopped. I'm glad that the Farmer's Market haul is inspiring him again. This one contains shitakes and snap peas from Whitton Farms.

Pounded Beef and Radish Slaw

2010-05-22T15:39:00.004-05:00

Warren got some beef at the Asian market, pounded it super thin, and coated it with a lemongrass marinade. It was super tangy and delicious. He made a cucumber/radish relish and radish slaw to go on the side. Both were excellent.

We both agreed that tacos made with the leftover meat and slaw was the best creation of the week.

This week's building blocks

2010-05-16T19:33:00.002-05:00

In this week's Whitton Farms CSA we got turnips, radishes, carrots, shitakes, red potatoes, and heirloom lettuce.

While at the MFM, we purchased two dozen eggs, sugar snap peas, tomatoes, strawberries, a baguette, onions, and granola.

Tofu Stir Fry

2010-05-16T19:10:00.004-05:00

Warren made a delicious stir fry using store bought tofu, onions from the kids' school's garden, homegrown mung sprouts, farmer's market baby bok choy and baby broccoli, and Whitton Farms shitakes.

Cornish Hens

2010-05-16T19:01:00.008-05:00

When I came home from work on Tuesday, the kids thrust a Jango Fett helmet at me and said, "Pick." I pulled out a piece of paper and it read, "Big."

They were very diplomatically drawing to see who among us got a "big" cornish hen and who got a "small" one. They all looked about the same size to me, but the kids were obviously VERY hungry.

Warren made a sorrell vinaigrette marinade from our Whitton Farms CSA.

He also made sauteed turnip and radish greens with some fresh tomatoes.

FInally, he roasted a little bit of everything else we got in this week's CSA--shitakes, turnips, radishes, carrots, and potatoes.

YUM.

CSA Membership

2010-05-16T19:01:00.001-05:00

For Christmas, Warren and I bought ourselves a share from Whitton Farm's Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. This means that every week when we go to the Memphis Farmer's Market, we get a giant bag of goodies straight from the farm.

Last week was our first pick up. It was pouring rain, flooding, and threatening tornadoes, but we made it!

From Whitton Farms we got sweet potatoes, radishes, green onions, basil, oregano, sorrell, heirloom lettuce, and kale. Since we were early, I was able to get some farm fresh eggs for the first time ever and we also picked up some hydroponic tomatoes, strawberries, baby bok choy, chinese broccoli, and groovy granola.

It was a pretty hectic week so Warren didn't have a chance to spend too much time in the kitchen. I was happy to have fresh strawberries and groovy granola on my usual breakfast of Greek yogurt. I made omelets almost every day. We ate salads a lot! Warren roasted chicken one night and roasted the sweet potatoes too. He also stir fried the baby bok choy. On Wednesday he cooked a huge batch of kale that I shared with my (very happy) coworkers. On Friday he made some pesto with the basil.

We still had a ton of food in the produce drawers when I headed out on Saturday to pick up our second share! This week's bag included red potatoes, turnips, radishes, heirloom lettuces, shitake mushrooms and some more onions and herbs. In addition, I bought more hydroponic tomatoes, strawberries, goat cheese, and granola.

Oh but that's not all. Some (really awesome) friends who are out of town gave us their share from Downing Hollow Farms which I picked up at the Cooper Young Market. The Downing Hollow CSA included artisan bread, homemade jam, a dahlia plant, mushrooms, strawberries, nettles, lettuces, radishes, carrots, and more.

Our pantry runneth over!

I think we're actually a little overwhelmed. Stay tuned to see how we sort things out! And, come over for a salad!

Kombucha Part 2

2010-03-21T13:17:00.002-05:00

After the Kombucha fermented for a few weeks, it was time to bottle it. Warren added a little sugar to each bottle to so it would have some fizz. (He's going to have to update his own blog if he wants truly technical terms in here!) The kids excitedly helped with the bottling process and went on and on about how they couldn't wait to drink it.

Today they finally got a taste. Satchel declared it delicious but Jiro was less enthusiastic. Warren and I agree that it tastes a lot like Palm Wine which was a part of Warren's daily diet in Cameroon. For those not familiar with Palm Wine, think slightly fizzy and extra sweet saki.

Skirt Steak

2010-03-06T19:06:00.002-06:00

This doesn't LOOK exciting, but man, it sure tasted exciting. Warren cooked the skirt steak in a lime soy sauce marinade that was fantastic. (Thank you for the recipe, Alton Brown.) He also used the marinade on some slaw which gave it a great zing. He roasted the cauliflower and broccoli instead of steaming them and wow, YUM. No meal is complete here without rice.

Kombucha

2010-02-21T14:38:00.000-06:00

Warren is growing his own kombucha.

Sprouts

2010-02-21T14:26:00.002-06:00

Warren is always sprouting something. In fact, I'm not even exactly sure what kind of sprouts these are. Plain ol' bean sprouts? Anyways, Satchel loves them.

Fish Tacos

2010-02-21T14:22:00.005-06:00

Warren loves to cook whole tilapia. And we love to eat it.

Thursday we turned it into fish tacos. Warren spiced up the cole slaw with Sriracha, which was awesome. He also went fancy on the beans, but you can't tell from the picture.

Pho

2010-02-18T15:00:00.000-06:00

Tired of ramen, Warren made some homemade pho.

Apple Pie

2010-02-17T14:31:00.000-06:00

We ate it without taking a shot of the inside! Warren snuck in some pickled ginger which made it extra fantastic.

Brown Rice Sushi

2010-02-04T20:27:00.002-06:00

We journeyed out to the Winchester Farmer's Market last weekend and Warren spotted some Japanese brown rice. After experimenting with it in a few dishes he was inspired to make some sushi. He also busted out some soy wrappers his mom sent us a while back. He made California rolls and a few vegetarian combinations. My favorite was cucumber, avocado, and arugula.

Sukiyaki

2010-02-04T20:21:00.005-06:00

Sukiyaki was the perfect dish for last Saturday after an afternoon sledding in the park. We usually eat it at the dining room table, but it seemed extra good in the living room. The best part of the dish is watching it cook at the table. I love the meat and cabbage. The kids love the noodles and the tofu.

Huli Huli

2010-01-11T12:29:00.003-06:00

Last night, in an effort to keep from freezing to death in our house, Warren cooked up a storm. Huli Huli chicken and pork! (Hawaii's own version of barbecue, huli huli is made with brown sugar, soy sauce, fresh ginger and more.) To go along with it, he made sweet potatoes, rice (we don't have a meal without rice!), and broccoli rabe.

Leftover Turkey, Round 1

2009-12-03T20:09:00.001-06:00

Turkey Pot Pie

Thanksgiving Feast

2009-11-26T22:23:00.002-06:00

Warren spent two days cooking. Among the treats: a smoked 19 pound turkey, homemade rolls, cranberry sauce, root vegetables, asparagus, pesto stuffed shitake mushrooms, noodle kugel, and cream cheese pumpkin pie. (I made Uncle Keith's corn casserole under Warren's watchful eye.)

My sister, Tracey, graciously hosted.

I brought along a bottle of St. Germain and a bottle of Champagne. The two mixed together put everyone in a very good mood.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Mustard Greens and Bacon Mozzarella Bread

2009-11-01T19:49:00.004-06:00

At the Farmer's Market on Saturday I suggested that Warren perfect his shrimp and grits with Delta Grind Grits and Muddy Waters Shrimp. To go along with this MFM themed dinner, he also made some mustard greens he bought from the Va family. He used the leftover bacon from the BATA sandwiches to make artizen bread with bacon and smoked mozzarella.

BATA

2009-11-01T19:45:00.003-06:00

Bacon, arugula, tomato and avocado sandwich.

Creole Shrimp & Grits

2009-10-23T21:35:00.003-05:00

The creole shrimp and grits is a recipe from an ad in our very last issue of Gourmet. (Sniff.) Warren also made the Scarlet Carrot soup elsewhere in the magazine. Both were fantastic. I was partial to the grits which were made from roasted hominy, whipped cream, butter, and aged cheddar cheese!!

Atomic Buffalo Turds

2009-09-27T19:15:00.005-05:00

Warren got involved in an email recipe exchange and couldn't wait to try out the Atomic Buffalo Turds. Translated they are stuffed jalapenos wrapped in bacon. Warren added some panko to the outside for his special touch. They were fiery and delicious.

With the leftover jalapenos he made perfect jalapeno cheddar bread.

Pizza & Salad

2009-09-16T19:46:00.005-05:00

Nothing fancy, but tasty nonetheless. I wanted to try the neckbone sauce on some pizza!

Spaghetti Sauce

2009-09-14T15:48:00.000-05:00

Last night--well actually all day yesterday--Warren made spaghetti sauce. In addition to tomatoes and peppers from our garden, he used a neckbone. Yes, a neckbone.

I never would have thought it would be good, but oh yes it was. And the best part is that he somehow learned this trick from my sister (who I know for a fact did not learn it from my mom).

Mexican Fiesta

2009-09-08T19:06:00.004-05:00

After our Macon Road adventure, Warren was inspired to make a Mexican feast at home. We had pork tacos, gazpacho, rice and beans, corn, grilled veggies, and watermelon lemonade.

Short Ribs

2009-08-31T22:07:00.005-05:00

Warren is getting ready to start school, so we had our last supper: ~~Short ribs with a smoky salsa, totally tubular veggies~~, short ribs braised in red wine, with chimichurri; and oven roasted veggies (beets, carrots, and sweet potatoes); stir fried pea tendrils, and broccoli.

Red beans, wilted spinach & masa gnocchi

2009-08-16T21:23:00.003-05:00

Inspired by ingredients in our pantry and the masterful Rick Bayless. (We're rooting for him on Top Chef Masters!)

Fish Tacos

2009-08-06T22:25:00.001-05:00

Tilapia with chipotle slaw wrapped in warm corn tortillas.

Chorizo & Shrimp Pasta

2009-07-18T17:31:00.002-05:00

Thursday Warren surprised me with his version of my favorite dish at Interim. The main difference was the sweet chorizo substituted for Spanish style chorizo, which is harder. He left off the cream sauce which was fine with me considering I am watching my waistline. It was still full of flavor and very decadent. I ate it for dinner Thursday, lunch Friday, and dinner Friday!

Salad, Veggies & Polenta Lasagna

2009-07-18T17:24:00.006-05:00

I challenged Warren to make a dinner from the Farmer's Market and he did not disappoint. He started with a salad and then wowed us with a polenta lasagna with West Wind Farms sausage, feta from the goat cheese guy, and eggplant from the Ly Vu stand. On the side we had delicious veggies with a homemade vinaigrette.

Wedge Salad

2009-06-26T22:25:00.002-05:00

Warren surprised me by suggesting that we make a wedge salad at home. One of my favorite things to eat at the Cove is the Mermaid Salad, which Warren recreated much to my delight.

Sprouts

2009-06-15T20:37:00.003-05:00

Tom Kha and Masaman Curry

2009-05-28T22:44:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday, Warren and I had dinner at the Emerald, which in turn inspired him to recreate Tom Kha soup (my favorite!) and masaman curry at home. He got them both spot on.

Sushi

2009-05-16T21:16:00.003-05:00

I love sushi nights! Eel, cucumber, crabstick, crawfish, avocado, and mango in various combinations.

Fufu and Njama Njama

2009-05-16T20:53:00.002-05:00

The Cameroonian food kick continues. I didn't care for the njama njama made from manioc leaves in Cameroon, but it sure is good w/kale. Also the fufu, made from corn meal, was really really close to how I remember it. We sold the fufu as "grit balls" to the kids and it was a hit.

Bamenda Style Soya & Flatbread

2009-05-10T22:59:00.001-05:00

Soya! Soya! Soya!

2009-04-21T18:32:00.003-05:00

Warren has been charged with bringing an "ethnic" food item to his Thursday night class. Someone called dibs on sushi, so he decided to do something Cameroonian. He made soya a few years ago, but wasn't 100% sure what he did so he made a test run on Sunday night, much to our delight. The soya is just thinly sliced meat with crushed peanuts and a little red pepper. The best market food ever! (Well, next to giant grilled tilapia, that is.)

The hard part is getting the accompanying rice pancakes right. This batch tasted more like regular pancakes, so he's been experimenting with different recipes hoping to get it just right for his teacher. I can't wait to taste the results!

Lemongrass Tofu & Sauteed Pea Tendrils

2009-04-12T23:16:00.002-05:00

Warren's been perfecting his lemongrass tofu, modeled after the one I love at Saigon Le. Today he added a side of sauteed pea tendrils after trying some for the first time at Interim last night.

Shake & Bake

2009-02-12T18:51:00.004-06:00

Tonight did his version of Shake & Bake. Complete with carrots and biscuits. Considering he had a class at 5pm, I was very impressed that he made this for us. I'm considering it an early Valentine's present.

Huevos Rancheros

2009-02-08T22:40:00.006-06:00

Warren's latest creation was inspired by a mislabled can of potatoes. (He was buying black beans.) He fried up the potatoes, along with some actual black beans, and sliced bacon. Next, he fried a couple of eggs and placed them on top. Yum! Thanks, Aldi!

Pancit Bijon Guisado (Filipino Fried Noodes) & Teriyaki Chicken

2009-02-02T00:08:00.006-06:00

For our Super Bowl dinner, Warren made fried noodles (of the Filipino variety) with carrots, shitake mushrooms, and some super yummy sausage. (Satchel's friend, Jack, was here during prep and asked, "Are those wieners?") Then he glazed some chicken thighs with a teriyaki mixture. The kids were not too in to the noodles (more for me!), but they ate the hell out of the chicken.

Jalapeno Cheese Bread

2009-01-26T20:20:00.001-06:00

Warren took his artisan bread recipe and spiced it up a bit with jalapenos and cheese. Man, it was good. I love the bread recipe so much. Mmmmmm...

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Lamb, beets, & homemade bread

2009-01-18T16:20:00.001-06:00

Warren made a lamb of unknown origin in our freezer, more beets, and homemade bread. (We heard about artisan bread everyday on the Splendid Table a few weeks ago.) Needless to say, I was blown away. The lamb, the beets, the bread--everything was excellent!

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Scones

2009-01-17T17:07:00.004-06:00

Last Friday was Favorite Food Friday at Satchel's school. The theme was "What goes with tea?" Satchel and Warren decided to make cranberry scones.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Baja Surf & Turf

2009-01-12T19:26:00.004-06:00

The Smiths came to dinner on Sunday, and Warren went all out with what he termed the Baja Surf & Turf. He made salsa & guacamole from scratch. Then he grilled (broiled, actually) some seriously yummy seasoned pork from the Winchester market, pineapple, and onions, which we then wrapped up in fresh corn tortillas. He also fried some plantains, popped some mystery corn product, and made another chocolate-glazed chocolate tart, this time with a little coffee in it. I made shrimp ceviche and Colleen brought the mango margaritas.

Needless to say, waking up on Monday morning was extremely difficult.

Chocolate-Glazed Chocolate Tart

2009-01-10T17:49:00.004-06:00

Warren made a chocolate tart for last night's Cocktail Hour at the Alley's. It was so yummy! The recipe is from the Sept 08 Gourmet.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

You can tell which are Warren's yummiest creations by the lack of a shot of the plated item. We were all too busy trying to eat our slices--no one even thought to take a picture!

Prime Rib & Beets

2008-12-25T11:29:00.003-06:00

For Christmas Eve dinner at my mom's house, Warren made a yummy prime rib and roasted beets with carrots. (I love beets! This was the first time I'd eaten them roasted rather than pickled in a can!) He steamed leftover broccoli and cauliflower from the crudite tray rather than stir frying greens and sauteing brussel sprouts as planned.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Sukiyaki v2

2008-12-21T22:08:00.003-06:00

It's been over a year since Warren's made Sukiyaki! It's basically a Japanese hot pot and it is yummy!

Cheese Pizza

2008-10-29T23:24:00.002-05:00

Satchel continues to follow in Warren's footsteps...

Potato & Leek Soup

2008-10-18T10:35:00.001-05:00

Last week was Satchel's monthly "Favorite Food Friday" event at school. Satchel said the theme was "lunch" and asked if he could make his favorite potato soup. Warren obliged.

Later we found out the theme was actually "international," so Satchel passed this off as German.

Flat Iron Steak with Whiskey Mustard Sauce

2008-10-13T10:27:00.005-05:00

My family came over Sunday to partake in Warren's birthday dinner. On the menu: Flat Iron Steak with Whiskey Mustard Sauce, Parsnip Mashed Potatoes, Taragon Carrots, Fried Plantains, and Mystery Asian Greens. At first I thought he made waaaaaaaaaaay to much food, but everything was so yummy that there was barely a crumb left. Even little Jiro ate some greens!

Piggy Blankets

2008-10-10T15:17:00.004-05:00

Warren made Piggy Blankets yesterday with sausages and crescent rolls. Satchel loved them and insisted on helping make them again today.

Pork Tonkatsu

2008-10-10T15:14:00.004-05:00

Warren took his own pictures this time! This is basically Japanese chicken fried steak...except with pork and ponko!

Tempura

2008-10-06T22:05:00.004-05:00

It really is a shame that we don't have a live-in photographer...Warren made tempura last week and it rocked! He hasn't made tempura in a very long time so it was a real treat. We had shrimp, broccoli, carrots, and onions. He also did something to those cubes of tofu to make them extra yummy!

Raspberry Cheesecake Bars

2008-09-15T19:49:00.004-05:00

The elementary kids sell coffee to parents at drop off Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays in order to raise money to feed the chickens, bunnies, and various other animals at the school. In addition to coffee, the kids can bring treats to sell as well. Last year, treats usually consisted of store bought fruit cups.

This year, Warren is raising the bar...with raspberry cheesecake bars. Oh my gosh these were good!

Favorite Food Friday

2008-09-15T19:44:00.003-05:00

Now that Satch is in elementary, he gets to participate in Favorite Food Friday. Everyone who participates has to make their favorite dish themselves. (With supervision, of course.)

The theme was breakfast, so Satchel chose to make one of his favorite dishes: beans and eggs.

Although it sounds gross, it's not!

Pork Ribs

2008-09-12T19:56:00.001-05:00

When eating these Satchel asked, "Why did G-d make pigs taste so good?" He followed with, "It makes it really hard not to eat them."

Tamales

2008-09-03T14:21:00.004-05:00

Warren turned leftover pot roast into yummy tamales. He wrapped them in parchment paper instead of corn husks. This was one of those dishes that I was focused more on eating than photographing! Hence the lack of an "after" shot.