‘Tis the Seasonal Produce

 

Napa cabbage + apples + sweet potatoes = seasonal Sunday dinner. Tonight I played catch-up with some of Capay’s recent produce deliveries. The result was an improvised, colorful menu of light dishes – perfect for a lazy Sunday:

• Salad with Napa cabbage (shredded), diced apples, sliced pecans and poppyseed dressing
• Turkey burgers with apple slices and melted cheddar on sourdough
• Mashed sweet potatoes with butter and honey (same method from Thanksgiving)

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine

Dinner and Beer for $15

Tied House + $1 Half Pint Night = Cheap Date. Mountain View’s own resident brewery, Tied House (@tiedhouse on Twitter) recently started promoting $1 half pints on Thursdays starting at 8:00 p.m. If that’s not a good enough excuse for a night out, they also have a two-item menu for $10. So even if you’re a complete lush, you can get out the door for under $20. Not too shabby!

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine

Meatballs & Honey

Turkey meatballs + honey = gooey goodness. My standard recipe for turkey meatballs was missing a key ingredient this week, so rather than gambling with expired eggs I used honey for the “glue” that holds the meat and bread crumb mixture together. The results were moist meatballs with a pleasantly sweet flavor. (I didn’t overdo it – just drizzled probably 1/4 cup’s worth in the bowl.) Plus, I added dried oregano, salt and pepper.

I also credit the baking method – rather than frying in olive oil, I baked the meatballs in a pyrex dish. Healthier to boot!

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine

Yam I Am

Yams – skins + butter + brown sugar + marshmallows = the extent of my cooking this holiday. I still don’t know the difference between yams and sweet potatoes (if there is one), but tonight I discovered how easy this classic Thanksgiving dish is to make.

Boil the yams with skin on, wait for them to cool enough to be handled, peel the skins off, and place in a bowl or the pot you used for boiling. Add 1.5 cubes of butter (sliced melts faster), sprinkle about half a cup of brown sugar, mash it all together, and spread evenly into a casserole dish. Then sprinkle one layer of tiny marshmallows over the top and bake until golden brown. Easy!

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine

Supper Club Slideshow

Every year we make an annual trek to Matt Woolston’s Supper Club in Sacramento. Words don’t really do the 7+ courses justice, so here’s the November menu – in pictures. (Photographed mid-carnage, in some cases!)

Vegan BLT; Maine Lobster Broth with Savory Swizzle Stick

Arugula & Chevre in Chive Crepe on Dueling Beet Emulsions with Rainbow Micro Green Salad; Crispy Leg of Muscovy Duck Confit on Heirloom Squash Risotto with Pomegranate Jus

House Butter-Basted 5 Dot Ranch New York Strip on Blue Cheese Papparadelle and Smoked Tomato Garlic Broth

Torched Presidente Brandy-Poached Foothill Bosc Pear and Frangipane in Bittersweet Chocolate Tart Shell on Morello Cherry Coulis; Selection of Artisan Cheeses with Port Poached Pear, Rosemary Walnuts, Micro Mizuna Salad and Baguette

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine

Groceries Gone Wild

Safeway grocery delivery + order history = lifesaver.  Every Sunday I put together my grocery list in real-time, while shopping on Safeway.com from the comfort of my living room. If you don’t mind paying $10-12 for delivery charges and staying home for the delivery window, it’s totally worth the splurge. (In my opinion time is money and weekend relaxation is of the essence.)

Plus it’s nice to shop while you can check your cupboards and fridge so you don’t forget anything. Even better, Safeway stores all your shopping history in one list, so you can easily add items to your cart that you’ve purchased before. If you’re an early bird and place an order before 8:30 a.m, you can sometimes get it that evening. (I usually shoot for Monday nights between 7-9 p.m. and orders often show up right at 7:00.)

If you’d like to give it a whirl, you can get free delivery for 60 days, courtesy of my neighbors at ILoveMV.org (@MountainViewCa). Here’s the special coupon code: XEG483 ($100 minimum)

If you’re curious, here are some of my standard weekly items. I’ll show you mine, if you show me yours!

• Milk
• Soy milk
• Tillamook cheddar
• Fresh mozzarella
• String cheese
• Pre-washed spinach leaves
• Broccoli
• Tomatoes on the vine
• Pineapple salsa
• Santa Cruz Sourdough
• Lean ground turkey
• Ravioli
• Dried apricots
• Almonds
• Toasted Head Chardonnay

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine

Birthday Enchiladas

Tomatoes + ground turkey + tortillas + cheese = birthday enchiladas at the Jackson house. For 7 years I’ve celebrated various family birthdays with the Jackson family, and my mother-in-law always whips up decadent enchiladas for the occasion. Since David and I spent his birthday in Mountain View, he requested the traditional recipe just like home.

I love a good challenge in the kitchen. So I picked up all the ingredients and went to work on three burners – quite the multi-tasking experience. The shorthand version is this:

• Combine 1 can tomato sauce, 1 large can diced tomatoes, and 1 can tomato soup in a sauce pan with two cloves of garlic, plus 2 tbsp. butter, 1/2 cup of chopped onions, a pinch of salt, chili powder, and sugar. Simmer for 30 minutes. (I forget tomato sauce and,  funny enough, V8 juice was a perfect substitute.)
• Meanwhile, brown 1 pound ground turkey or hamburger; drain and add 1/2 cup chopped onions, 2 tbsp butter, 1 clove minced garlic, pinch of oregano, salt and cumin.
• Fill 7-10 tortillas (I used the burrito size) with meat and grated cheddar cheese; roll each tortilla and fit snuggly in a baking dish (I use pyrex) – you can use a toothpick if necessary to hold it all together.
• Once the dish is filled with enchiladas, pour the tomato mixture over the top and sides (and lift the tortillas slightly to allow some sauce to run underneath to prevent sticking.
• Sprinkle a generous amount of grated cheese and sliced black olives over the top.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool slightly, and enjoy! (The Jacksons serve it with French bread and spinach salad with poppy seed dressing, candied pecans, and cranberries – for a truly gut-busting meal.)

The best part? Leftovers for days. Literally – we ate them for three days.

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine

Pumpkin Meatballs

Pumpkin + ground turkey + mushrooms = delicious meatballs. I regularly stock my fridge and freezer with ground turkey for instances when burritos or meatballs call our name. Tonight, while I went to town prepping meatballs, I serendipitously set my sights on the Sugar Pie Pumpkin that came in our bi-weekly Capay delivery.

Meatballs require moisture, whether it’s bread crumbs or egg whites, so pumpkin is the perfect seasonal addition. I simply scooped out the seeds and added the fleshy portions to my meatball mixture. I roasted the remaining pumpkin slices in the oven, just like you would with butternut squash.

I served the meatballs with Healthy Harvest pasta, topped with olive oil and parmesan. Delish! (The pumpkin will be saved for another time – unfortunately I had a small thumb casualty when attempting to peel the skins.)

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine

Bringing Home the Bacon

Black bean soup + broccoli + mashed potatoes = just add bacon! In my quest to eat healthy this month, I’ve had a lonely package of bacon sitting in the fridge, waiting to expire. In a last ditch effort to use it on this lazy Sunday evening, I dug up a couple of bacon-based recipes from one of my old favorites, Epicurious (which recently released a free iPhone app). The results didn’t compromise my diet, and David cleaned his plate:

• Black Bean Soup – My paraphrased version left out the jalapenos, oregano, bay leaf, thyme and cilantro; and since I used canned black beans instead of dried, I cut back on the simmering time (1 hour vs. 2.5). I also used homemade (frozen) chicken broth, defrosted in the microwave.

 

• Broccoli with Hot Bacon Dressing - I left out the vinegar and raisins.
• Mashed Potatoes -  No surprises; standard butter, 1% milk, salt & pepper recipe.

 

I may have dodged a grease fire in the process, but I did learn a nifty trick for cooking bacon when you need to collect the fat for use later: layer the strips of bacon inside a wok or coffee filter-shaped sauce pan. Plus, the slanted angle seemed to prevent a lot of the typical splatter that happens in a flat frying pan.

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine

Health and Home

After traveling for almost half of September, I am ready to get my body back in check. Before I get into the nitty gritty discipline stuff, I’d like to take a moment to highlight some of the amazing meals I had in Vegas and NYC:

Italian was the cuisine of choice – I made repeat visits to Fiamma (remember the amazing black truffle crema I wrote about in July?); and Morandi, where the Orecchiette con Salsiccia e Piselli was divine. I also had a delicate bolognese at Japanese-influenced Basta Pasta; and last but never least, I shared Macaroni and Cheese at Joe Allen (because I will never deny M&C on a menu).

With all the gluttony out of the way, it’s time to whip myself back into shape - so I can enjoy cooking without calorie counting again. Which means precisely that: watch your calories. It’s that simple. Fortunately, I have a nifty iPhone app, “The Daily Plate“ to help me track my daily intake and exercise, courtesy of LiveStrong. And I will also tweet my daily menu and activities to help me stay motivated and accountable.

Follow me at @dinnerwithdavid on Twitter if you aren’t already! Suggestions and feedback always welcome.

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine