Sunday Dinner

I was just talking to a friend and we were discussing her coming over for dinner. She made the comment, "but you have to cook for us" since she's heard that I cook well. I thought about it for a moment and realized that aside from picking up some side dishes (like pickles, cabbage, etc...) at the russian store, I cook 99% of the time when people come over.

If it's a last minute thing, I can order chinese food, etc... but when I invite people over, I cook. To me - that's a big part of the enjoyment.

On Sunday, the husband and I made dinner for ourselves and the monkeys. We didn't use and recipes. We made:

Salmon - the husband used salt, pepper, olive oil and covered the salmon filet in bay leaves and dill weed. Grill on a plank or salt tablet (which is what we used) and then discard the bay leaves and dill.




Heirloom tomatoes - I sliced them, added some salt, pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Green/Yellow Beans - saute with a tiny bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, lawrys and lemon juice.

Spinach - saute fresh baby greens with a tiny bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, lawrys and lemon juice.




My secret to the vegetables - only cook them for about 3-5 minutes. They get warmed though but keep their crunch and flavor!

Quick, simple dinner with friends

After working today, I invited two of my friends over for a light dinner. One brought these really YUMMY shrimp pinwheel appetizers from Costco, and another brought some amazing desserts from Porto's.

I bought some cheese 's from Trader Joe's and opened some Sprats (similar to smoked anchovies).



I found this AMAZING recipe for marinade and dressing from The Pioneer Woman. Her recipe was for Ginger Steak Salad. I made mine with Salmon instead.

Ginger Salmon Salad
Marinade:
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sherry
2 minced garlic cloves
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 lb Salmon
2 tablespoons olive oil

Salad Dressing:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 generous tablespoon fresh ginger, minced I used 1 tsp. powdered ginger because it was what I had
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced I OMITTED

8 ounces salad greens: baby lettuces, endive, radicchio, etc.
I added: Raw Mushrooms, Cherry Tomatoes, Garbanzo Beans

Combine steak marinade ingredients in a Ziploc bag. Mix and place steak into bag. Marinate for 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Combine salad dressing ingredients. Slice green onion.

When salmon is finished marinating, add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a hot skillet. Cook salmon about 1 1/2 minutes per side, or until medium rare. Remove from skillet and keep on a plate, allowing to cool slightly. Toss salad greens in 3/4 of the salad dressing. Place salmon on cutting board and slice thinly, then pour juices from the plate over the top. Mound tossed salad on a platter, then place sliced salmon on top of salad. Pour remaining salad dressing over the top. Sprinkle green onions over the salad, and add cherry tomatoes if that makes your skirt fly up. I also added raw mushrooms and garbanzo beans.

Sorry for the crappy quality of the picture. I used my cell phone.

Dinner was wonderful and so was the company. Sadly, at about 10:30pm I started feeling horribly sick and it has lasted through today (upon re-reading this I thought I would add that it is a cold not food poisoning;)). Hopefully tomorrow I'll be better.

Crockpot Cooking

Trying to keep my financial resolutions, I decided to start cooking meals to take to work again. Also, I love to cook and love to share my successes, and failures, with the blogging community.

Last night at 11pm I decided to throw off my warm blankets, and put something in the crock pot. I had been looking at this great recipe for Jambalaya, and although I wouldn't be putting it over rice, I thought that the flavors would go nicely together. Thanks to the vegetables, it's also quite healthy.

FYI - I was back in bed by 11:20pm. Gotta love that.

Crock pot Jambalaya
Posted by Dewey on the CookingLight Bulletin Board

12 oz boneless skinless chicken breast, 1/2" cubes (used 1lb. turkey legs)
2 green peppers, chopped (used 16 oz. frozen pepper blend and 2 zucchini)
1 medium onion, chopped (omitted)
2 stalks celery, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced (used pureed garlic)
14 1/2 ounces whole tomatoes, canned
1/3 cup tomato paste (subbed ketchup)
14 1/2 ounces fat-free beef broth, canned (subbed ½ water and ½ red wine)
1 Tbl dried parsley
1 1/2 tsp dried basil & 1/2 tsp dried oregano (subbed Penzey’s Pasta Sprinkle)
1 tsp Tabasco sauce (used ½ TSP)
1 tsp cayenne pepper (used ½ TSP)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 lb low-fat smoked sausage (omitted)
3 cups cooked brown rice


Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces. Add all ingredients except sausage and rice to Crock-Pot. Cover; cook on Low 8 to 10 hours (High: 3 to 4 hours). Add sausage last hour of cooking. If you want to include shrimp, add last 15 minutes of cooking. Stir in rice when ready to serve. 6 servings (big servings!)



This was REALLY good! Of course, I doubt it tastes anything like a real jambalaya (some of that is due to my changes) but it is a good comforting, healthy meal loaded with tons of vegetables!

By the way, I am submitting this for Gayle's recipe swap at http://grocerycartchallenge.blogspot.com/

I can be a normal mom

I am not the mom to do arts and crafts with my kids. I am not the kind of mom who chases butterflies through a field with her kids (like the woman who is free because she is wearing pads with wings). I am not the kind of mom who will walk along a block for a whole hour, delighting in her child stopping every two feet to look at a flower.

I am the kind of mom who would LOVE for my children to get so engrossed in a movie that they sit still for 1.5 hours (I'm still waiting for that day).

However, there is a weekly ritual I have with my kids that puts me in the "normal mom" or "good mom" category (yes, there is a person who puts moms in different categories ;)).

Since the big monkey was 2.5 years old, I have been taking her to the Calabasas Farmers Market. When the little monkey turned 3, she started coming with. They both know to stick by me and not to run away. They know which vendors we go to, and the vendors know the kids by name. In fact, the few times I go by myself, they ALL ask where the kids are and are upset that I didn't bring them.

I figured early on that if the monkeys saw fruits and vegetables in a fun setting, and got to help pick them out, that they would eat more fruits and vegetables. I don't know if our weekly outings had anything to do with it, but my monkeys are, in fact, lovers of fruits and vegetables. On any given Saturday you can see the monkeys chomping down on raw cucumbers, tomatoes, green beans, persimmons, Asian pears and other assorted fruits and vegetables.

And everything we buy is organic, which I am a big believer of.

A good friend of mine asked me "what's the deal with you and organic food?"

A long time ago, I read a number of studies that showed that pesticides and hormones in produce and meats have contributed in great part to girls going through puberty early. With my genes, my girls DO NOT NEED any help in that department. Therefore, we try to eat primarily organic and/or hormone free.

The funniest thing happen to me at the Farmers Market. I had been thinking about taking pictures of the Farmers Market for my blog but forgot my camera. So, we were at our favorite citrus vendor and up comes a woman to me and asks if she could take my picture for her....BLOG!!! My mouth opened so far down she must have thought I was a freak. I recovered and agreed. Apparently, this vendor uses bio-degradable bags and she was doing a blog post on these bags. I was so dumbfounded that I forgot to ask the name of her blog.

I'm hoping I can do a search and find it, since somewhere there is a picture of me putting citrus in to a bio-degradable bag at the Farmers Market.

So anyways, that's my one contribution to spending quality, wholesome time with my monkeys :) Whew - am I pooped!

Sunday Play Date

I love the day that we "fall back". I feel like I gain an hour for the next couple of days. I know it's all a trick of the mind, but it's one I'll gladly take.

Yesterday was one of the odd days in LA - it actually RAINED! So - instead of meeting at the park this afternoon, our weekly play date was moved to my house. I was very excited - this meant I got to cook (yes, there is a padded cell with my name on it).

We had (including me and mine) 4 moms and 6 kids!! Lot's of playdoh, stickers and temporary tattoos.

I made Roasted Green Beans with Mushrooms, Venetian Shrimp and Scallops (actually calamari rings, not scallops), Barbara Bush's Crab Dip and Chicken Tagine with Lemon and Olives and couscous. One friend brought Pizza to make for the kids, yummy cream cheese and caramelized onions in phyllo (Trader Joes) and a spinach and artichoke dip (Trader Joes). My other friend brought this amazing Thai dish of fried pancake, condensed milk and sugar (YUMMY). My other friend brought fruit salad and cherry pie. Add 3 bottles of wine (2 Chardonnay and 1 Merlot) and we had a GREAT meal!!

The chicken was quite amazing. The shrimp and calamari was fabulous and the crab dip was ok! The roasted green beans with mushrooms (and broccolini) tasted awesome but looked horrible because I cooked it on convection roast instead of bake (oops!).

Pictures and recipes (yes my pictures kind of suck):

Roasted Green Beans and Brocollini with Mushrooms
No picture because it looked nasty
Cremini mushrooms are a surprisingly good source of niacin. Roasting is a great way to cook green beans, giving them crisp browned edges and intensifying their flavor.
6 cups quartered cremini mushrooms (about 1 pound)
1 cup thinly sliced shallots
5 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed
1 lb brocollini
Cooking spray
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 450°. Combine first 4 ingredients on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with thyme and pepper. Toss well to coat. Bake at 450° for 30 minutes or until beans are lightly browned. Sprinkle with salt; toss to combine. Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 1/3 cups)
NUTRITION PER SERVINGCALORIES 107(32% from fat); FAT 3.8g (sat 0.3g,mono 2.1g,poly 1.2g); PROTEIN 4.8g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 75mg; SODIUM 310mg; FIBER 4.6g; IRON 1.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 16.7g
Julie Grimes
Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2006

Barbara Bush's Crab or Clam Dip


A family favorite at Walker's Point
1 (6 1/2 ounce) can crabmeat or minced clams - I used a 6 ounce package of fresh crabmeat.1
(8 ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
1 tbl Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp hot sauce
2 tbl chopped chives (optional)
2 tsp dry sherry (optional) Did not use

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Transfer to a 1 quart casserole dish. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Serve with corn chips or crackers.


Chicken Tagine with Lemon and Olives
From Cooking Light



A tagine is a terra-cotta pot with a conical lid used in Morocco. The stews that come from the pot are named for the cooking vessel, though you can cook them in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Serve with couscous or flatbread.


2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
12 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (used chicken breasts)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 ounce)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onion (about 2 medium)
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup pitted green olives, halved (about 12)
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro


Combine juice and chicken in a large zip-top plastic bag. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes. Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade.Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Dredge in flour; sprinkle with salt, black pepper, turmeric, and red pepper. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet with high sides over medium-high heat. Add half of chicken; cook for 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove from pan. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken.Add onion, ginger, and garlic to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Return chicken to pan. Add broth, olives, rind, and cinnamon stick; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour or until chicken is tender. Discard the cinnamon stick; stir in cilantro.

VENETIAN SHRIMP AND SCALLOPS (used Calamari rings)

Gilgamesh37 from CLBB

1 lb sea scallops (used calamari)

¼ cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper

1 Tbl (1 turn around the pan) extra-virgin olive oil

2 Tbl butter

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 large shallot, finely chopped

½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup chicken broth or stock (I used water_

1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes in juice

¼ tsp saffron threads (I used turmeric)

1.5 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined

12 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn

1 lemon, zested

Hot, crusty bread, for plate mopping

Lightly coat the sea scallops in flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Discard remaining flour. Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil (1 turn around the pan) and butter. When butter melts into oil, add scallops. Brown scallops 2 minutes on each side, then remove from pan. Add an additional drizzle of olive oil to the pan and add the garlic, shallots, and crushed red pepper flakes. Reduce heat a little and sauté garlic and shallots 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add wine to the pan and free up any pan drippings. Reduce wine 1 minute, then add stock, tomatoes and saffron threads. When liquids come to a bubble, add shrimp and cook 3 minutes. Return scallops to the pan and cook shrimp and scallops 2 to 3 minutes longer. Transfer shrimp and scallops to a warm serving dish and top with basil and lemon zest. Pass plenty of bread to enjoy the juices.