What Did You Eat?

WCB: It's Me!!!!

Upsie spends all her time outside now. I think she's avoiding me, just because I like to chase her tail. Have you seen the size of her tail??  How could you not chase it??  I'm just a kid. That's what I do.  I chase things.  So,if she's going to go waving that big feather duster in my face, a guy's gonna do what he has to do!

So, this is my first Weekend Cat Blogging!  Cool!  It's being hosted by D, Boots and Tess at The Hidden Paw.  Head over there for the Roundup starting this Saturday.  I can't wait to see all the other rocking cats.

Centerpiece Of The Month

Nothing like waiting until the last minute!!  Janelle at Talk Of Tomatoes has a lovely event, Centerpiece Of The Month, which enables us to bring a little artistry into our homes.  Well, some people use artistry.  I'm doing good by sticking some plants into a pitcher. Actually, I like this centerpiece because it contains clippings of plants from my yard.  Spring is a good time here in Northern California. It's warming up and everywhere you look, plants are blooming with flowers.  As well, everywhere you look people are sneezing and blowing their noses from allergies kick started by a myriad of different types of pollen.  We love landscaping here in Davis. 

My centerpiece contains a few branches of rosemary, which have little blue flowers and lend a wonderful scent to the room.  The red flowers are centranthus, a perennial wildflower that tolerates drought and poor soil.  I planted several tiny slips of it 4 years ago and they're now flourishing in big, robust plants that flower from spring through summer.  The red berries are from a nandina or Heavenly Bamboo, one of the most reliable plants to grow in the Central Valley.   It's a strange, but gratifying experience to feel my spirits lift every time I see this pitcher of plants on the table.  But, my mood shifts drastically when I catch Sundance sitting on the table, trying to pull the plants out of the pitcher.  Ah well, that's life--a mischievous cat tries to rearrange your centerpiece sometimes.

Head over to Janelle's site and see what other centerpieces are on display. She should have a Roundup soon. And maybe you will make your own centerpiece next month?

 

WHB: Asparagus & Rice Soup With Pancetta And Basil

You would suspect this recipe was a great success, if you heard the noises I made eating it. But, I was very hungry, suffering the effects of moderate food consumption, otherwise known as starvation.  So, it's no surprise that I loved this soup. But, Bob began making his own noises of satisfaction, and enthusiastically exclaimed, "This is good." So I knew my pitiful state of deprivation hadn't misled me.  This superb soup comes from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook, and good as that compendium may be, a glance at the recipe wouldn't lead you to expect it was going to be this fabulous. It just goes to show, you never know how the flavors will play out. 

I've always loved basil with asparagus, so I altered the recipe a bit, adding some of it.  I seem to be on a basil kick.  It was my featured herb last week too. The asparagus and basil are so plentiful right now, with the advent of spring.  Soon, it will be summer, which brings the ultimate combination, tomatoes and basil.  I always plant a lot of it, which I often regret when it runs riot in my garden, needing to be pruned constantly.  This basil recipe is for Weekend Herb Blogging, which has returned home to Kalyn at Kalyn's Kitchen.   Check out her Roundup, to see all the herby recipes.

Presto Pasta Night: Swordfish With Orzo, Pistachios, And Olives

I always keep a package of orzo tucked away in the pantry. It's one of the foods I turn to when I'm drawing a blank on what to serve for dinner.  It's easy to prepare, but the shape often makes the meal seem a little special.  I enjoy watching people eat it for the first time. They're usually confused, wondering if it's some sort of odd rice.  But, it's pasta and that means it's perfect for Presto Pasta Night, which was created by the lovely Ruth at Once Upon A Feast.  Each Friday, pasta lovers gather at Ruth's site and share delicious recipes. She will have the  Round-up of the dishes on Friday, so do check it out.

This recipe is a Food & Wine magazine staff favorite. I have a feeling these are recipes that the staff prepare at home after a hard day, so they're always reliable and simple to make.   I changed this recipe slightly to make it a little lower in calories. I'm still in rehab, after-all. 

Rehab Food: Thai Beef Salad

Pie Weekend is still haunting me, and this coming weekend I'm having Palm Sunday dinner with Nancy and her family.  There should be all kinds of high calorie foods there. In fact, I'm supposed to bring cupcakes.  So, I'm trying to be careful with my meals right now.  Often, when I've had delicious fatty  foods, my body clamors for MORE whipped cream, MORE chocolate or MORE cheese. It doesn't want the party to end.  So that part of me was sent off to a little room in my brain, where the word "Rehab" is written on the door.  Like Britney Spears, there is always the possibility that it will bolt from Rehab, sans panties, seeking out cream pies. But for now, it's going with the program.

One of my favorite low calorie meals is Asian salad.  I enjoy the tangy, sweet and sour flavors of the oil free dressings on these types of salads.  My favorite version of this type of meal is the terrific Vietnamese Chicken Salad from Hot Sour Salty Sweet by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid.  But, I rarely cook beef, so I decided to try this Thai Beef Salad from Sunset magazine for a change of pace.  It's low in calories, and the dressing is very good. But, my favorite is still the Alford recipe.  You can use leftover steak, but I also think shrimp or grilled mushrooms would be good too.

I'm Recovering Just Fine

On Saturday, Bob went to Sacramento and happened to spy The Real Pie Company.   This marvelous bakery has already been featured in Sacatomato, but I've never given in to my innate pie lust and visited it--because I have no control around a properly made pie.  Bob went in to investigate it and came home laden with four different specimens.  My cousin Charmayne was coming to visit me on Sunday and he said the pies were intended for that occasion. 

Well, I freely admit that I ate the banana cream and coconut cream pies. It's a well established fact that freshly made cream pies MUST be eaten on the day they're made. (The next day Charmayne said she's never heard of this rule.)  Let me tell you about the whipped cream. It was like a cloud.  No strange stabilyzers that leave a waxy taste in your mouth, just a beautiful mound of perfection.  They were small pies, and that's how I justify it.  I could have eaten the meyer lemon meringue pie, as well. But Bob didn't buy one of those. 

The apple galette and the almond,fig, ginger tartlet did survive long enough to be served the next day when Charmayne was here.  The tartlet was the best of all, a delicious combination of flavors and textures. And the galette was just the way it should be, flakey crust and great filling. 

The rest of the week will be modest portions and no snacking.

Snapper With Sweet Pepper Sauce and Garden Greens

It's early, but I think this will be one of the best recipes I prepared, when I look back at the end of 2007. It's fabulous-- swooningly good, easy to prepare, and appealing to the eye.  Most of it can be prepared in advance and would be easy to serve to guests.  There is one big problem and it wouldn't be fair unless I was honest and warned you. The sweet pepper sauce is delicious, and you'll be tempted to drink the entire amount and make the dish without it. The sauce is so wonderful, I'll find as many ways as possible to use it in the future.  It would make a fabulous soup, served in demitasse cups or shot glasses.   The recipe is from the new Cindy Pawlcyn book Big Small Plates, which is full of amazing recipes.

WHB: I Apologize, Michael.

Dear Michael Chiarello, I apologize. I've been critical of you in the past. Not about your looks. Never about your looks.  I've complained that while your recipes are delicious, they always take much longer to prepare than expected.  Well, today I made your Tuscan White Bean Soup, With Pesto and it was very easy to make.  I didn't wind up spending hours in the kitchen, muttering epithets about you or picturing you drawn and quartered in a vineyard.  This was a lovely recipe and the soup was delicious.  Since there's basil in it, I think it makes a good submission for Weekend Herb Blogging, which was created by Kalyn at Kalyn's Kitchen, but hosted this week by Kate at Thyme For Cooking.

Each year during spring I begin thinking a great deal about two items for my garden:  Tomatoes and basil.  I love to plant different basil plants, to use in cooking and for their beauty in the garden.  Purple and green colored basil looks lovely planted with flowers.  This recipe calls for pesto which, according to Wikipedia, comes from Genoa, Italy.   In the summer I always try to make pesto in bulk. It's easily frozen in cubes and will retain its wonderful flavor for months in the freezer. The cubes can then be tossed into soups, stews, or other recipes.

WCB: Squirrel Report

Today I hid from Mom and listened to her call me and watched her search the yard.  Finally, I came out of the bushes and let her "find" me. 

Then I played Kill The Branch for a while.  Sundance wouldn't pose for a picture.  He was too busy racing through the house, jumping on tables and knocking over glasses and lamps, etc.  But, I know what most of you want. You want to see the squirrels--because they're so freaking CUTE.  So here they are.  Remember they won't look like this for long.

Presto Pasta Nights: Burmese Noodles

Yesterday was the first day of spring, so I had the traditional Burmese Noodles to celebrate. I'm sure everyone remembered that spring is always ushered in with Burmese Noodles?  No? Well, in our house it is.  So, you might want to take a gander at this dish and serve it next year.  It has pretty yellow noodles, from tumeric, and bright green snow peas.  Plus, I took my frustrations out by pounding the curry paste in my mortar and pestle.  Frustration caused by waiting for the cable company to send someone to fix my television reception for the second time this week.   Then the problem cleared up just before the repairman arrived, leaving him convinced I'm a liar or an idiot. 

But, I'm not going to linger on that. Let's just focus on the noodles. It was very cheerful and perfect for Presto Pasta Night, which is held each week at Ruth's site, Once Upon A Feast, on Fridays.   So, stop by her site and see all the great pasta recipes. Maybe you can whip up some pasta for it too.