Blue On Highlands

So, my Mom came to visit and her rule was, no cooking! I got one pass to make my pizza, but after that, we hit the town. My love of food, fresh ingredients, cooking, and wonderful meals comes from both my parents. We ate dinner together every night. I really enjoyed having my Mom visit and we did go to gym everyday to help offset our meals out. One night we went to Blue On Highlands. I have eaten their takeout quite a bit as one of my clients likes to order out there. In fact the week before I had salmon that was to die for (okay I got 1/2 a salmon order as my little friend L. ate the other half). My Mom got the duck. It was very good. I got the braise short ribs (sorry no photo, my camera ate it). It was way to salty and I should have sent it back, but I was so hungry, and I was delusional into thinking that it would get better. The service was spotty, we had to chase down the waitress a few times. My coffee was refilled with cold coffee, so I had to toss the whole cup. I don't think I'll be going back anytime soon for dinner, the bar however is another story.

Ohhhhh, this is so good....(and I need a name for the dish)

I have developed a fondness for the spice Za'atar. When fresh fig season hits, I try to use them as much as I can. So this is an evolution to a wonderful dish. I mixed some Za'atar with olive oil say two two tablespoons of spice to almost two of oil, it should be a runny paste. Then I got super fresh pita from Russo's it was still warm. My first pass was just the Za'atar with the oil spread over the pita with some goat cheese. Cook at 400 for 10 minutes. I used way too much spice, so go lightly, this stuff packs a punch.



Take two, I sauted shallots in a little olive, then added about 3/4 cup mushroom very small dice, when they are almost done add the same amount of fresh figs same dice. After the figs are warm, add about one tablespoon balsamic vinegar. When the vinegar is reduced, taste mixture and season with a little salt and pepper. This time I used less Za'atar and oil mixture, I spread a very little over the entire pita. Add mushroom, fig, and vinegar mixture dot with goat cheese. Cook at 400 for 10 minutes.

My friend E, said, "You should sell this recipe, this is best." Praise from a teenager is worth twice adult praise.

So.....I'm not sure what to call this creation.

1) Fig, Mushroom, Balsamic Vinegar Reduction Goat Cheese Pizza (what a mouthful)
2) Za'atar Pizza
3) ?????

Any ideas?

Gravy Train

A colleague at work is recovering from hip replacement ( a little ironic for someone who works on an orthopedic unit). But my favorite get well gift is a home cook dinner delivered. Sometimes, I do a drop off, then call when I'm a block away. Here is my get well dinner, grilled salmon, mixed greens salad, avocado ranch salad dressing and lemon cookies (thanks Brown Eyed Baker). I try to make the meal to what the person likes and what they can eat during their recovery.

What do you like to make for get well meals?

Ooops

I wanted to make some lentils. I soaked them, they were spit, so I know that I didn't need to cook them too long. But I left them just a little too long, and viola....mush. No every dish is a success. So some nights you just have to have the fall back, cereal.

Ribs in the Crockpot

So, I've been using my crock pot for soups and stews, but I've been wanting to try ribs. So, one afternoon, I put in pork ribs, some coke, beer, and soy sauce, let it cook 8 hours, then browned it under the broiler with BBQ sauce, with some extra for dipping fries. Yum, yum, yum.

Broiled Grapefruit

I know some of you are not fans of grapefruit, and I respect that, I might think you are wrong, but I can respect your opinion. Now that fall is creeping winter here in New England, I am in the middle of the when to turn on the heat battle. To help me hold of a little longer in this battle, I have been thinking of ways to keep my oven working. Here is something that I have wanting to try. I used a red grapefruit, cut in half, sprinkled with brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg then I broiled it for a few minutes until the sugar was brown and gooey. This was yummy. It also has lead to a new search--broiler pan--as my rental apartment has long been divested of the original. Try this on a lazy morning, but try to avoid spilling on the paper.