Belated Berry Loaf

 Our family was in two different places for the occasion of our son Harvey's 27th birthday, so we decided to celebrate belatedly. The rule in our house is that we get whatever kind of cake/pie/dessert we want for our birthday. When he mentioned something in the berry and/or lemon category, all eyes (including mine) turned toward me. I love this category! 

Pamela had already done her part by harvesting some blackberries from the very prickly bushes that have overtaken much of the grounds at Cloverfield. This will be our last season in Bridgewater, as we are consolidating our households to Whalinghouse, our little weekend home by the sea. But I digress (per usual).

In this case, I started with a google search of the key ingredients ("raspberry" is a better search term than "blackberry" for some reason) and landed at AllRecipes, where I would usually have started such a search. I found its Lemon-Black Raspberry Bread to be the simplest option and I followed it nearly to the letter.

My small exceptions: 

• I "greased" the loaf pan with a lemon-infused olive oil.
• I zested two lemons (with a carrot peeler) and then squoze both of them for lemon juice. I poured that juice through a strainer to catch the seeds.

As with many posts on this blog, I realized that the final product would not make an interesting photo, but this tableau of the dry ingredients appealed to me (pun intended).

Loaf, in progress

As I write this, the loaf is on the counter and the glaze in the fridge, as we head out for futher celebrations -- to see the elephants of Newport! 

Mango Trifecta

Once Pam noticed that today was National Mango Day (as she is the one who usually remembers to check the National Day Calendar), we swung into action. We both celebrated, but since I am far more obsessive about tropical fruits than she is, James is the writer on this momentous day. 

As Pam mentioned over dinner, I had mango for all three meals today. Yes, we are people who tend to eat three actual meals most days. 

Our breakfast was an unusual weekday pancake and bacon breakfast, but with our very usual Chobani yogurt. I have the mango cup quite often, as I did today, with Pam's delicious home-made granola.  

We had a light lunch of fresh mozzarella, fruit salad, and crumpets (the muffin, not our dog). Pam made the fruit salad with estate-grown blackberries and a mango vinegar. We also opened a jar of Melinda’s Whole Fruit Preserves Mango Habanero Pepper Jelly to put on our buttery crumpets. It packs a punch -- even we Southwestern types were glad of the butter and soft cheese to cool down this jelly!

And now to the main course. I first checked this blog for mango-chicken recipes, but found only stir-fried and fried-rice recipes. They are all good (feel free to search), but we were in the mood for something else. 

So I went to AllRecipes (as I often do) and found a simple Orange Mango Chicken recipe. I started some rice and then followed the recipe almost to the letter, except that I used half the chicken it calls for, twice the mango, and was a little heavy with the spices. I cooked the sauce long enough to reduce it considerably -- I will just use less juice next time.

I seasoned the chicken while it was still in our indispensable cast-iron skillet, and I returned it to the skillet along with the sauce to make sure it was warm at then end. I then put the chicken on each plate of rice and spooned the fruit and sauce over it. Using local, organic chicken probably helped to make this a tender, delicious way to finish the day! 

And in this case, my own photo was blog-worthy!

Pam's Sublime Turkey Burgers

Sometimes you just have a good idea and have to implement it. The inspiration for this recipe came from the fresh mint growing in our garden. I have used mint before in turkey burgers, and remembered that I also have drizzled said burgers with lemon juice. I took this idea to the next level by making my own mayonnaise using lemon-infused olive oil.

For two burgers I used:

1/2 lb. ground turkey
a few dashes each of salt and pepper
about a dozen fresh mint leaves, minced
a few shakes of crumbled feta cheese

Patties were hand formed and cooked on the stovetop.

For the mayonnaise I used

1 uber-fresh local egg gifted by a friend
1 dollop of lemon-infused olive oil
1 dollop of basil-infused olive oil
a few shakes each of salt and pepper

The ingredients were put in the blender and mixed until emulsified. The result was a bit heavy on the olive oil taste, so I added some more salt until there was a better balance. 

Burgers were placed on sesame buns and topped with the mayonnaise.

We enjoyed this on the back deck with some white wine and potato chips. Bats and birds helped to create an ideal atmosphere. The evening was complete when we got to watch the best back-yard lightning-bug show so far this season.

Chicken Breasts in Cherry Sauce

I adapted this recipe from the New York Times Cooking Pages recipe Duck with Cherries and Red Wine Vinegar. Besides substituting chicken for duck, I also substituted Dr. McGillicuddy's Cherry Liqueur for the Cognac (it seemed like the thing to do when I found the almost empty bottle in our liquor cabinet).

I was pleased to discover that we had all the other ingredients on hand (or at least reasonable facsimilies thereof) so I didn't need to do any shopping.

I started by grinding the fennel, clove, peppercorns, and bay leaves in our handy spice grinder. Our allspice was already ground so I just added that to the mix after. The breasts were seasoned and left for several hours to meld.

I started the sauce ahead of time as well with red wine vinegar, Malbec, sugar, chicken broth, cayenne pepper, fresh ginger and salt.

Once it was time to prepare dinner it didn't take long. The chicken breasts were placed in a skillet and cooked on each side for seven minutes. I finished the sauce with butter, more sugar, whole (pitted) cherries, and the cherry liqueur. 

The chicken breasts were sliced, plated, and served with cherries and sauce. I air fried some frozen sweet potato fries as a side dish, which made for a very colorful presentation. The meal was paired with the same Malbec I used in the sauce.

Very tasty!

A Birthday Celebration

James turned 61 last week - a cause for celebration! He always likes to have a cake made with lemon so I found a recipe for Lemon Ginger Bundt Cake online. I think our baking powder may be past its prime because the cake didn't rise as much as I would expect. It was still good. No one complained.

For the birthday dinner I prepared Creamy Fish with Mushrooms and Bacon from the New York Times cooking pages. We picked up some Halibut from our favorite fishmonger Kyler's Catch in New Bedford. I substituted sour cream for the heavy cream but otherwise followed the recipe. The meal was served with Kyler's fresh baguette (a must whenever we go). It was enjoyed by all.

Maple-Baked Salmon

A most appetizing dish (mine looks even better than the NYT photo!) pictured here with Greek Lemon Potatoes

Living as close as we do to the Atlantic Ocean, seafood is a perennial favorite of ours. Living in New England also makes us big fans of maple syrup. What choice did I have than to make this? From the New York Times Cooking pages Maple-Baked Salmon was a crowd-pleaser (the crowd in this case being me and James). We also are big fans of cilantro (which I know for some is a non-starter). We loved all the flavors and will definitely make again.

Marry Me Chicken

Although James has already married me, this dish looked tempting enough to make him realize he would marry me all over again. It worked.

 https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1024503-marry-me-chicken

Something for everyone

Pasta with Bacon, Cheese, Lemon, and Pine Nuts is described in the New York Times Cooking pages as "a modular meal". With pasta as a base and a variety of garnishes to pass around, diners can add as much or as little of each ingredient as they like. I used fettuccini as the pasta which turned out to be a good choice. Toasted pine nuts, cooked bacon, chopped fresh mint, red pepper flakes, grated Parmesan, and lemon zest were placed on the table in their own vessels so each of us could take as much as we wanted. Both James and I used all the "add-ons" but we were each able to decide how much of each according to our own tastes. Note that my labels include both "bacon" and "vegetarian" which illustrate the versatility of this recipe.

A very good and satisfying meal. We will likely try it again in the summer.

Fancy Comfort Food - Chicken with "a tangle" of noodles

One-Pot Creamy Chicken and Noodles comes from From the New York Times Cooking Pages. It is rather simple, and really is prepared all in one pot, however, it does take two hours. I started by putting some lemon-infused olive oil into our indispensable cast-iron cook pot, placed the whole chicken in, and then dotted with butter. The chicken was seasoned with salt, and lemon pepper (inside and out), and a bit of Paremesan rind was also put inside the cavity. A bunch of garlic cloves (still in their sheathes) were added to the pot as well. This baked in a 500 degree oven for 30 minutes. Then pot was removed to the stovetop, garlic cloves were crushed, and 5 cups of water added and brought to a simmer. Meanwhile the oven temp was lowered to 400. The chicken was placed back in the oven and baked for another hour, whereupon it was again removed to the stovetop so more water, and egg noodles could be added. The noodles and chicken boiled until the noodles were softened and then fresh rosemary was added to the pot. After five minutes several tablespoons of sour cream were added. 

We brought this most appetizing pot to the table with fanfare. I don't believe it would have been possible to have prepared a more tender chicken. We both had seconds, and are looking forward to enjoying the leftovers today for lunch!

Lobstah Mac

Brazenly stolen logo in lieu of a photo of this meal, another that tasted
far better than it looked.

 As we enjoyed this meal (spoiler alert -- this was fantastic), our son asked why I had decided to make it. I did not have a specific inspiration, but it seemed like a special meal that I could pull together with modest effort -- fancy comfort food, if you will.

It was expensive, of course, but I kept reminding myself of the cost and portion size if three of this were to have this in a sit-down restaurant. My only hesitation was that I have tried non-from-a-box mac & cheese before with fairly poor results. A prudent chef would try some plain mac & cheese before involving an expensive add-in, but I decided to trust my instincts. And the internet.

Searching for mac & cheese recipes, I found several options, including one that referenced the plethora of existing options, almost apologizing for adding to the pile. I checked a few different recipes as I prepared this, but that humble poster was my main inspiration. Here is how it played out:

1. Procured lobster from the incomparable Kyler's Catch. I got 2/3 of a pound of mostly tail meat with some claw mixed in for $40. I cut this into 1/2-inch chunks. I told the dog she was not getting any at these prices, but she talked me out of the rubbery tips of a couple claw pieces. She did not seem to be insulted by receiving the less desirable cuts.
2. I heated the oven to 325F and lightly oiled a lasagna pan.
3. I shredded a close to one pound of three cheeses: Monterrey jack, Colby, and sharp cheddar. 
4. I cooked one pound of penne, al dente. A little less cooking is fine -- overcooking is to be avoided. I tossed the pasta with a bit of olive oil and let it rest in the colander while I prepared the sauce.
5. To economize just a bit on dishes, I returned the pasta pot to the stove and using the very lowest heat, melted one stick of butter.
6. Once the butter was melted, I gradually mixed in 1/2 cup of flour. I would normally have used a whisk, but this worked very well with a silicone spatula -- the real hero of this operation.
7. Again keeping the heat very low, I mixed the butter and flour until it was thick and bubbly. I then slowly poured in about 2 cups of milk. Most recipes call for a combination of half-and-half and whole milk. I found that 2% worked fine. Setting some milk aside on the counter early would have been a good move, because this had to heat from a relatively low temperature. 
8. It was only a few minutes, though, before I had a nice, thick sauce. I added black pepper and dry basil. With lobster as with scallops, I like minimal seasonings. But this would be the time to add Old Bay or any other desired spices.
9. I then stirred in about 3/4 of the shredded cheese, with heat still very low. I adjusted it by adding just a bit of milk until the consistency seemed right in my completely amateur opinion.
10. I then stirred in the reserved pasta until coated thoroughly. 
11. I folded in the lobster gently and then transferred the entire contents to the casserole dish. I sprinkled the remaining cheese evenly over the whole dish. 
12. I baked for 25 minutes and rested it in a warm area for 10 more.
13. While the lobstah-mac rested, I cooked some peas for nutritional balance.

This was both delicious and filling -- a great platform for Tabasco and accompaniment to some nice white wines. And I should not have worrried so much about portions. This made dinner for three, and we are about to sit down to lunch with the rest. 

Turmeric-Black Pepper Chicken with Asparagus

 

A search for what to do with some leftover asparagus led me to this recipe from the New York Times Cooking pages. Everything was cooked in my indispensable cast-iron skillet.

After cutting chicken breasts into small pieces and tossing with a mixture of flour, turmeric and salt I cooked them with some oil for three minutes on each side. Chopped asparagus was added and then a mixture of water, honey, and pepper. Lastly some rice vinegar was added.

A relatively quick, easy, delicious, and nutritious weeknight dinner.

Chicken Stew

 After deciding to do "something with chicken" I remembered seeing a recipe online for chicken stew. I don't remember where I saw it, but I figured that if I found any chicken stew recipe it would do. A google search brought me to Food52 "Chicken Stew with Potatoes, Carrots, and Celery". Since I had potatoes, carrots, and celery on hand I figured it was a good choice. However, I discovered that the baby carrots had gone past their prime and had a bit of a slime on them. No worries, I simply added mushrooms instead (since I already had some of those).

I seared two boneless, skinless chicken breasts in my indispensable cast-iron stew pot, and then removed them to cut into small chunks. The chicken was set aside while I prepared the rest of the stew. Diced onion and garlic were cooked along with some herbs. I used sage, thyme, and a pouch of something I found in the spice drawer called "Winter Savory" - no clue what was in it. Next the celery and mushrooms were added to the pot.

Once the vegetables were cooked I added flour and vegetable broth. The recipe called for chicken broth, but I didn't have any. The vegetable broth was left over from the weekend's salmon recipe.

Finally the chicken chunks and potatoes (cut into bite-sized pieces) went in. Everything simmered for 20 minutes until the potatoes were fully cooked.

A warm cozy dish for a cold winter's eve. Made for some dandy leftovers too.

Creamy Tuscan Salmon

A rather delicious-looking photo and recipe showed up recently on my Facebook feed from a sponsored site. When I clicked on it I got a message that the information was for "members only" with an invitation to sign up.

Nope. 

Something I know to be true is that recipes are not copyrighted so I figured there was probably a similar recipe (in fact more that one) available on the interwebs.

Yep.

A simple google search brought me to eatwell101 for their Creamy Tuscan Salmon recipe. The site says that it comes together in 20 minutes or less. I'd say it took about 25 minutes, but still a rather quick meal.

As we almost always do for seafood we started with a visit to Kyler's Catch for some fresh salmon. I followed the directions to pan-cook the fish, and  then remove from the indispensable cast-iron skillet. I  then melted butter and added the diced garlic, and then onions to sauteé. Next went in some vegetable broth and sun-dried tomatoes. The sauce cooked down a bit and then I added heavy cream and baby spinach leaves and cooked until the spinach was wilted, and then added some shredded parmesan cheese. The fish went back into the skillet with the sauce and I let it heat for about a minute more before serving. There was some leftover mashed potatoes in the refrigerator which we heated and served as a side dish. 

So creamy and tasty (and pretty). Three people sat down for the meal and three clean-plate rangers left the table.

Ricotta Pasta Alla Vodka

This recipe turned out to be a combination of a Vodka Penne recipe that I've been using for about 25 years and a favorite from the early days of this blog Spaghetti with Tomato, Bacon, and Onions.

Ricotta Pasta Alla Vodka comes from the New York Times Cooking Pages. It is more time consuming and a bit more complicated than either of the other two recipes, and not good enough to be worth trying again. I will admit to using a bit too much of the red pepper flakes, but even had I not been heavy handed there, it would have still been just an ok dish.

I was able to use some leftover ricotta that I had from making lasagna on New Years Eve, and it didn't require me to buy any additional ingredients, an important part of my recent meal planning since I don't want to go to grocery store while I am recovering from a bout of Covid.

This was a dinner for one while the rest of my family is traveling. I made enough to have leftovers for lunch today.

Smashed Potatoes with Bacon, Greens and Cheese

December 30 was National Bacon Day. Luckily we had some bacon and I found this simple "no recipe" for Smashed Potatoes with Bacon, Greens, and Cheese recipe using some of the other ingredients we had on hand. We used bacon, cheddar /gruyere, kale, and avocados to make this colorful, flavorful, and easy lunch.