What Did You Eat?

Poached halibut in lemon-thyme broth

Yesterday lived up to the usual March weather madness we have each year in Northern California. I know, it isn't March yet. But, I'm not going to quibble over a day or two.  The rain was torrential and the Emergency Weather System repeatedly warned us that flooding and 60 mile per hour winds were on the way. And I was out and about in all of this for most of the day, without an umbrella or rain coat.  By the time I made it back to my wonderful, dry home, I wanted something fast and warm.  To be honest, my mind kept running a loop of nachos over and over.  Ahh, nachos.  But, I remembered seeing a picture of poached halibut in Martha Stewart Living last year that looked interesting, healthy--and fast.   And it was very fast, only taking me around ten minutes in total.

Weekend herb blogging: split pea soup with rosemary croutons

When I first moved to California, the number and size of rosemary shrubs growing almost everywhere surprised me.  The only rosemary I ever saw while living in the Midwest and the South was modest sized plants growing in little pots. Here, the shrubs quickly grow quite large unless restrained with vigorous pruning. I'm pretty lax in my pruning, so the rosemary growing in my backyard is out of control and starting to remind me of kudzu. 

In honor of Herb Blogging Weekend started by Kalyn, I made split pea soup, with rosemary croutons. This soup doesn't look or taste anything like traditional split pea soup.  The broth is lighter in texture, but full of flavor.  It's hard to choose between the two versions, so I won't.

Weekend cat blogging 38

Besides Upsie, I have outside cats.  Several years ago my next door neighbors moved away and...."forgot" to take their two cats, Muffin and Pumpkin, to the new residence. Fortunately, both cats have many fans in the neighborhood and are being raised by a village, so to speak.  Above is Pumpkin, who is a bit cautious. He seems to have arthritis and I often bring him inside during bad weather. He likes to be outside most of the time, but I think both cats will need to change their orientation soon and accept indoor life, because they are getting on in years.   

His constant companion is Muffin, who has Pumpkin's back and makes sure none of the other cats in the neighborhood intrude on their territory.  Both cats are very sweet and well known in the neighborhood. And yes, they have been neutered and spayed. 

Head over to Eatstuff and look at all the other kitties! 

Top ten favorite foods

Last year, I made this tart with tomatoes I picked from my garden.  It was so good, I still think about it, and look forward to making it again when I have vine ripened tomatoes.  The picture was taken before I baked it, when it was easier to see the four different types of tomatoes I used.   Unfortunately, after it was baked it was hard to distinguish them from each other. 

Rosie, of the fabulous  Bitchin' In The Kitchen With Rosie  tagged me with a Favorite Foods meme and vine ripened tomatoes is the number two choice on my list below.  Go over to Rosie's blog and check out her list. She'll make you laugh and hungry all at the same time.

Here is my official Favorite Food List:

Salmon therapy

On Monday I met my new dentist, who was just as competent and nice as I was led to believe.  I learned several things from her. First, the Glide dental floss I use isn't effective in removing plaque from my teeth.  Second, despite that, I have good dental hygiene habits and a nice bite.  Third, I may need root canal surgery in the near future.  Let me just say that I have a list of things I never want to experience--and root canal surgery is number six on that list.  My friends who've had a root canal tell me it's a piece of cake, not a big deal and totally painless.  Yadda, yadda, yadda.  The rational part of my brain accepts that they're telling me the truth. But, I don't usually pay attention to that section of my brain in times of high anxiety.  Right now, my brain is run by squirrels juggling with knives.

As I left the dentist's office there were two surefire ways to deal with this news. I could eat something extremely bad for me, which would most likely be high in fat and salt.  That usually tranquilizes me better than two Xanex tablets.  Or, I could have salmon.  I love salmon, and wouldn't feel disgusted with myself the next morning for eating it.  I'd feel proud for dodging a high fat/salty bullet.  So, I chose salmon. However, if I find out for sure that I'm having the root canal, a huge bag of Yukon gold potato chips will be on my agenda.  And an In & Out Burger.

Confessions of a bread addict

For years, I baked bread every week.  My friends were amazed at the loaves of rye, whole wheat, potato, oatmeal and sourdough bread produced in my kitchen. I amassed a library of books to learn all I could on baking techniques, including one detailing how to build a bread oven in my back yard. Oh, I had plans.  I imagined baking fabulous artisanal bread in my backyard and hosting parties, where people would admire the bread.  But, that's all in the past. I stopped when I realized that I needed to cut back on my bread consumption.  I'm not anti-bread by any means. I'm an addict, seriously addicted to freshly baked bread.  If I didn't stop, they would find me face down in the gutter, clutching the remnants of a walnut levain.  So, I stored my bread pans in the bottom of my cabinet and haven't baked a loaf in over a year. I'm a little shocked reading that. 

On Sunday, I decided to make a quick bread.  I rarely go off the deep end with them.  In fact, I've spent hours in close proximity to banana bread and wasn't tempted at all.  I decided to make beer batter bread because, for some reason I can't fathom, cooking with beer is fun.   I usually have a silly grin on my face when I add it to a recipe.  No, I'm not addicted to beer.  It's strictly about the yeast bread, man.

WCB#37

Every holiday Upsie assists us with opening presents.   She is a service cat (in her mind).  We stick all our bows from the presents onto her.   Then she tries to knock all the presents off the table.  It's a tradition.

Fennel, mushroom and parmesan salad

Fennel is one of those misunderstood foods, like anchovies.  For years, I avoided it because cookbooks described it as tasting like licorice. If you hate licorice, and there are lots of us out there who do, fennel avoidance will be the name of the game.  Fortunately, I eventually summoned some courage and ordered braised fennel at a restaurant.  Imagine my surprise!  It tasted delicious.  Yes, there is a faint taste of anise, but it's not objectionable at all.  And combined with other flavors like olive oil and parmesan, it's flat out delightful and one of my favorite vegetables now.  Who knew?

Last night I made a salad of fennel, fresh mushrooms, and parmesan.  And this morning I tried to persuade my friend Glenna to give fennel a try. But, she hates licorice and is reluctant to take a chance with her taste buds. And so it goes.  I understand. 

Creamy corn soup with chipotles

Even though this soup looks and tastes very rich, there isn't a drop of cream in it. Instead, low-fat milk and  pureed corn provide a creamy mouth feel and the illusion that it's high in calories.  I first tasted the combination of sweet corn and chipotles years ago in a bowl of corn chowder served at The Tree Room restaurant at the Sundance resort in Utah.  The rest of the meal is lost to me now. But, I always remembered the taste of the corn and chilies.    This recipe isn't as good as that first bowl at Sundance, but maybe nothing will ever measure up to that memory--not even the original bowl itself.

Book club: sugar cookies and stuffed baby squash

Monday night I hosted my book club discussion of Truman Capote's Breakfast At Tiffany's and other short stories.  It's been years since I read Breakfast At Tiffany's and In Cold Blood.  I enjoyed reading those books immensely, but the passage of time had blurred my memory of his work.  So it was a pleasure to read his short stories and rediscover the way Capote tells a story. 

As the book club meeting was the night before Valentine's Day, I incorporated that into the food I served.  In particular, I made my first dipped sugar cookies. I know that's old hat to most people, but I've never been one to decorate my cookies beyond sprinkling some finishing sugar over them.  Armed with my Martha Stewart recipe for sugar cookies and my new Wilton decorating kit, I entered the fray.