Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Grllled Chicken Salad


The dog days of summer are here. This was something that I had one recent night out at Not Your Average Joe's. This is spinach, grapefruit, mango with arugula and spinach with a mango dressing. And the grilled chicken on top made it a complete meal. I would have added a bit more mango, but this was a hit. I was struck by the less is more rule here. I have been cutting back on what I'm adding to my salads.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Pasta Salad

So one of my co-workers from the hospital had a pasta salad and she got me thinking. So when I got home I started my own voyage on the Summer O'10 pasta salad. This is my first try:

Pasta cooked and cooled (I like penne)
Cherry tomatoes cut in half
Fresh Spinach
Fresh basil
goat cheese
Trader Joe's Cilantro Dressing
Candied Pistachios*

So, it was yummy, but the goat cheese was a bit off. So watch for varriation on this theme.


Candied Pistachios (from Food and Wine)
    1. 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
    2. 1 1/2 teaspoons hot water
    3. 1/4 cup shelled pistachios
    4. 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar (I used brown sugar)

    Directions

  • MAKE THE CANDIED PISTACHIOS: Preheat the oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, stir the granulated sugar with the hot water. Add the pistachios and turbinado sugar; stir to coat. Spread the pistachios on the cookie sheet and bake until crisp, about 8 minutes. Let cool, then break into pieces.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Grilled Fruit

I have been grilling a lot. I made this for dessert, just grilled fruit with vanilla ice cream. It was pineapple and mango, it takes a bit to get the pieces just right, you want to cut the mango big and the pineapple thick. My little friend L. did the plating.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Next to the stove must haves

What do you have right next to your stove? Here is what my Dad has:
Spoon Rack
Honey (I love this dispenser)
Salt Mill (can you see the small bowl under the
mill? This help catch the stray grounds)
Pepper Mill
Olive Oil (in pour bottle and mister)
Tooth picks (for the cake testing or emergency
dental floss)
Powered Sugar (just in case you have found
zeppoles unsugared)
Container of Utensils (these are mostly wooden
spoons, the tongs are in the
drawer below).

Monday, July 12, 2010

Pantry Organization


More from Dad's house. This could be an ad for the Container Store. What I love about this is how easy it is to find anything in his kitchen. When I was there last, he could give me directions to get anything I needed while he was recovering from surgery. One bonus tip, don't mix whole wheat and regular pasta, they have different cooking times.

Pot Racks

So, this is the pot rack at my Dad's house. He has a wonderful island and this is how he keeps is many pot organized and within reach. It is at an odd angle, so I could fit them all in. It took a stud finder and a lot of drilling to make sure that all the weight could be supported. Do you have a pot rack at home? I'd love to have one, but my old plaster walls wouldn't support it.

Dad's Spice Cabinet

My love of all things kitchen/food/gadgets comes from my Dad. He is one of the best chef/grill masters/gadget kings I know. In the apartment where we lived for 15 years in NYC, kitchen was a generous term for the space under the stairs. We had one 1/2 drawer and fridge only slightly larger than the average dorm size beer holder.

When my Dad moved back to Colorado, one of the things that he has loved is having a large kitchen to cook in. I love to visit and each visit brings a new show and tell for the latest and greatest gadgets. Here is the spice cabinet:


As a vertically challenged person, I have to love, love, love this!

I'm curious as to what other people have for their spice solutions?