What Did You Eat?

Linguine With Zucchini, Capers, Lemon, Pine Nuts, And Herbs

Ruth at Once Upon A Feast had a great idea--Presto Pasta Night. And I'm very glad she had this idea. I realized that I haven't fixed pasta in over a month. How did that happen?  Very odd, as we usually eat pasta at least once a week.  So, thank you very much Ruth, you got me back on the pasta track.  I'm sure there will be many others making lovely pasta recipes and you'll find their efforts in the Roundup at Ruth's site this Friday.

It's been cold and wet here, not cheerful at all. One thing that brightened my mood was this simple little centerpiece of speckled baby Iris bulbs.  I love these early spring flowers and have larger Iris plants in my yard, but they are weeks away from flowering. This little centerpiece is on a small breakfast table and it makes me smile each morning as I eat my oatmeal.  I offer it for Janelle's Centerpiece Of The Month at Talk Of Tomatoes which ends tomorrow for February!  There will be better and more artful centerpieces than mine there for your consideration.

The Iris on the left whispered to me this morning, "Spring is coming!" 

Chicken And Cabbage Chowder

A month ago, Alanna at A Veggie Venture announced a great event. She decided to make February the month of Soup, Glorious Soup!  I thought it was a great idea and made a mental note to cook up a recipe for this event. But one thing led to another, and I dilly dallied and spent far too much time pondering soup recipes. Finally, I looked at the calendar and saw that February is almost over!

The weather here has been cold, wet, and windy and I wanted a hearty, filling soup.  A nice  chowder seemed perfect for the job, and I imagined something thick and creamy-- a potato-cheese or corn chowder. Then I remembered a recipe in Jasper White's cookbook, 50 Chowders for a Pheasant and Cabbage Chowder.  It reminded me of a soup my mom made when I was a kid, full of cabbage, caraway seeds, and thyme.  She used beef rather than pheasant, and it was called Hunter's Soup, as I recall.  Remembering how good the caraway seeds and cabbage were in the rich broth of my mom's soup, I decided to give Jasper's recipe a try, but I substituted chicken thighs for the pheasant.  And I wound up with a delicious soup that was perfect for this dreary, wet weather. It's humble looking, but wonderfully rich and satisfying.  If you eat it, you will gain strength to shovel snow from your driveway or sandbag your house from flood waters.  Or...vacuum the house.

My Day: Start With Tamales...End With Egg Fried Rice

Sunday was a good day. Saturday I didn't feel good, and it was cold and rainy.   But, we had sun for a good part of yesterday and everything was much better. At dawn, Bob went off to do some rowing and stopped off at a local produce stand on his way back.  He planned on just buying some pistachios, but as is often the case, came back with a bag full of nuts, cookies, fruit, and tamales.  So, we had tamales for breakfast. They were good, but not as good as the ones from the Davis Farmers Market, which are a work of art.  But, it was nice to start the day with these. I had a chili cheese and a potato tamale.  And a cookie.

Here's some of the goodies Bob bought.  Actually, he did a good job. This stand stocks lots of snacky items, and huge baked pies, which he didn't buy.  The stand is about five minutes from our house and is a good resource when the farmers market isn't open.

WCB: The Sun Came out!

Yippee!  The rain stopped and the sun came out!  So, I went outside and stretched out on the patio!  It was great.

Mom combed me and then she put my fur on the rosemary bushes, so the birds can use it to line their nests. That's kind of funny if you think about it from my point of view.

Oh yeah, there's a ground squirrel staying with us.  I know it's there, but have never actually laid eyes on it.  It was hit by a car and brought here for mom to take care of it.  This is a picture of it on the first day it was here.  It's getting better and mom is very excited because she's never cared for a ground squirrel. She always takes care of tree squirrels.  This squirrel has really long claws, for digging. So, mom named him Edward Scissorhands.  Sundance spends most of his time trying to see the squirrel, but I know that's not going to happen.

So, I went outside and ate a lot of grass. Then I......well, you know what I did after that.  Barf!

This weekend, Kate at Kate In The Kitchen, along with Bustopher and Harmon, are hosting Weekend Cat Blogging.  They have all kinds of things planned, so you should go over there and check it out!

Arugula Salad With Maytag Cheese, Pears And Candied Walnuts

Arugula salad again? Well, yes.   I had a large bag of it in my fridge, which needed to be used while still in prime condition.  I also had some candied walnuts made by a local grower.  That reminded me of a recipe from Food & Wine that combined arugula, pears, candied walnuts, and Maytag Cheese.  This is a favorite of mine, and the Food & Wine staff where it was developed.  All the contrasting flavors and textures worked together beautifully, from the sweet pears and walnuts to the salty cheese and bitter greens.   It's flat out delicous. I served it with some leftovers black bean enchiladas, and it made the meal seem almost sophisticated.

Earlier in the day, I stopped by the grocery store and my post of several days ago, detailing my addiction to chips and Cheetos, was on my mind. One part of my mind kept urging me to get some Cheetos, while another part opposed the idea.  Remembering that I've been eating high on the hog lately, I decided to forego Cheetos.  Instead, I told myself to substitute something delicious and healthy, to wipe the image of orange fingers out of my mind.  I wound up buying lovely blackberries and raspberries, to serve as counter programming. They were so far beyond Cheetos, I figured they would wipe any snack food urges out of my mind.  That was my plan.

WHB: Sicilian Chicken With Lemon, Mint and Almonds

At the beginning of the year, Julie at Kitchenography offered a wonderful summary of the best recipes of 2006, compiled by various newspapers.  As I looked at each list, one recipe jumped out at me, Sicilian Chicken with Lemon, Mint, and Almonds.  This recipe was actually chosen by the San Francisco Chronicle as one of the best recipes in the last 10 years.  I immediately knew I wanted to make this recipe because it contains one of my favorite combinations, mint and garlic.  Several weeks ago I made another Sicilian recipe, Tuna With Pine Nuts and Mint, that has become one of my favorites .  So, I suspected I would enjoy this dish.  And I did.   Very simple to make, the finished dish was wonderful, and the leftovers the following day were even better.  I made this recipe for my cousin Charmayne and her boyfriend.

Last year I made Chicken with lemon-Garlic Vinaigrette, a recipe from the Mustards Grill cookbook.  It was delicious, but very involved and labor intensive. I was reminded of that recipe because I think this recipe is it's equal, but is a snap to make, and considerably lower in calories.  I have to hand it to the people of Sicily, they have wonderful recipes.  And thank you Julie.

Because this recipe contains a large amount of mint, it's perfect for Weekend Herb Blogging, which was created by Kalyn, of Kalyn's Kitchen.  This week WHB is being hosted by Anna at Anna's Cool Finds. So, head over there this weekend and see what the other herb bloggers have cooked up.

Potatoes With Parmigiano, And 5 Things You Don't Know About Me Meme

On Sunday I made this potato dish for my cousin and her fella.   It's from the great Biba Caggiano's A Taste Of Italy and was both easy to make and delicious. In her cookbook, she states that this is a favorite recipe of her family in Bologna because it can be made in advance. That's exactly what I did, making it the night before the dinner.  You can find the recipe at the end of this post.  I enjoyed eating this dish very much.

Last week the lovely Rosa at Rosa's Yummy Yums tagged me for a 5 Things You Don't Know About Me Meme. Thank you Rosa! Here it is.

1.)  I have a annoying condition in my left eye called vitreous detachment which makes it difficult to see clearly at times.  It's not serious, but it causes problems for me several times a month. It's the reason that comments I leave on other blogs can be full of typos.  So, if I leave a comment on your blog that looks odd, just tell yourself--"Sher's having a bad day with her left eye." 

2.)  I love old movies and have a huge crush on Gary Cooper and Robert Redford.  But, my biggest crush is Cary Grant.  I can't even count the number of times I've seen North By Northwest, To Catch A Thief, Bringing Up Baby, and His Girl Friday.  Honorable mention:  Fred Astaire.

3.)  As to actresses, I also like watching older films, probably because the parts written then for women were more than just "the girl" or "the wife."   I have a copy of the film Gloria with Gena Rowlands (forget about that crappy remake with Sharon Stone). Whenever I want to perk myself up, I watch it just to see the scene where Gloria saves little Phil and threatens the mobsters with a gun yelling, "Sissies!  You let a woman beat you, huh? You little tiny nothings. You punk!"  I feel invigorated just writing about it!

4.)  I studied violin and ballet when I was a kid. We were poor and I don't know how my parents were able to afford that.  I recently gave my violin, which I've had since I was 7 years old, to Nancy's daughter, Elizabeth, who is a very good violinist. That was a nice feeling.

5.)  I adore potato chips and Cheetos, but only eat them twice a year because I have no control once they enter my mouth.  I'll consume the whole bag--no matter how big it is. So, I always walk very quickly by the snack aisle, trying not to make eye contact with certain brands of chips that whisper to me as I pass by.  I let myself buy one bag of them twice a year, and it's a big deal when I do that. I scan the choices and invariably I have a bag of Yukon Gold Chips cooked in olive oil in the winter, and a bag of crunchy style Cheetos in the spring.  I don't like distractions as I eat them.  I don't want people talking to me and ruining the whole experience. After-all, I only get to do this twice a year, so don't bug me!!

Now, if you feel the urge to confess--let's hear about you!

                  

Double Chocolate Cake

I don't bake many cakes, and that's probably no surprise to anyone looking at my haphazard frosting application. However, that's OK.  As the master cake artist Glenna reassured me, it proves that the cake is homemade.   I made this terrific Ina Garten recipe in honor of my cousin Charmayne and her handsome fella, Julius, who came to dinner on Sunday.  Charmayne and Julius just moved to Sacramento and are in the exhausting process of unpacking all their worldly goods and moving into a new apartment.  Therefore, I felt a cake was in order.   Ina Garten swears this is one of the best cake recipes she's ever made.  And it lived up to her praise.  It was delicious and easy for my rusty cake baking skills.  I made it while I was having one of my "tired" periods and the one bowl method was greatly appreciated.  The cake has one cup of freshly brewed coffee in the batter and a tablespoon of instant expresso in the frosting.  As Julius noted, it cut the sweetness nicely, but didn't announce any presence of coffee in it. 

Even Better The Second Time!

Just had to say that I made the wonderful Nigella Lawson recipe for kuchen again, but this time I used blueberries instead of blackberries.  Although I think the blackberries look prettier, the blueberries tasted better.  They seemed to "bloom" better, with more juice and flavor. Plus, there's lemon zest in this recipe, and I think it pairs well with blueberries. I made the kuchen for Nancy and she was thrilled. One reason I enjoy this recipe so much is that it's incredibly easy to make and people are so impressed with your work.   It looks like you've slaved away making it.  Not true!

I  have company coming in a few hours for dinner, so I must attend to that.  I made the Barefoot Contessa's favorite chocolate layer cake and judging by the cake batter and frosting, it will taste darn good!

Happy Chinese New Year!  Gung Hay Fat Choy!

WCb: Fashion Week

Fashion Week has been going on in New York, so mom bought a hot new litter box.  Look at this color, would you?  It's so me.

Sundance, who is into everything, came to check it out, but I pulled the old Feline Staring Game.  The one who looks away first is the loser......

..and of course, I won!