What Did You Eat?

PPN: Confetti Couscous, With Dried Cherries And Pistachios

Thanks to everyone for motivating me to stop complaining about the cherry harvest.  Your enthusiasm made me realize that this was a gift to be enjoyed.  I saw how inferior the cherries in the grocery store looked, compared to mine.  So, after giving away nearly 30 pounds to neighbors, I got busy drying, freezing, and cooking the rest. 

Years ago, back when I made my own yogurt and granola, my mother gave me a dehydrator to dry food.  A lot of dried bananas, pineapple, and apples were produced with that machine, but eventually I packed it away, where it sat on a shelf in the garage for years, lonely and unappreciated.  My husband once told me to throw it away, but I couldn't do that.  So, I was very happy to haul it down from the shelf and dry some of the cherries.  Naturally, I thought of my mother.  I wish she was still alive to see the cherries and eat this dish.  It tasted much better than I expected. The sweet cherries, crunchy pistachios, soft couscous, seasoned with mint and basil, created a most enjoyable meal.

Edamame With Mint, Almonds, And Scallions

I can't remember exactly when I first had edamame, but it was surely well into my adult years.  Frankly, even though I'm a huge fan of legumes, until then I thought soybeans were only meant for feeding livestock.  That changed as soon as I popped the first edamame into my mouth.  Now, it's one of my favorite foods.  And why not? They're good for you, super fast to prepare, and delicious. I always keep several bags of frozen shelled edamame in my freezer, for snacking or meals.  I've had different versions of this recipe, and it can be adapted to your personal taste. You can add more or less of the soy sauce, vinegar, and chili sauce, if you wish. Sometimes I add some chopped ginger root too.  You can also replace the almonds with peanuts or cashews.  I make this dish and stash it in the fridge, where it improves with age--if you can resist eating it all as soon as you make it. 

WHB: Herb Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Warning!  These wonderful pumpkin seeds are difficult to resist.  I promised myself to eat only a small amount and make them last for days. Self-control and all that yadda-yadda-yadda stuff.  Now, four hours later, half are gone.  Gone into my stomach, that is.  I should have known better, as I like savory, salty foods better than sweets.  And these pumpkin seeds were dusted with Mor-Sels, the finishing salt that Lydia sent me several days ago.  Obviously, I made this recipe, as an excuse to use that infernal salt.

The salt contains herbs, exactly which type the label doesn't say.  But, it tastes like there might be sage or thyme in it.  I decided thyme was more likely, so that's the herb I've chosen to spotlight for Weekend Herb Blogging.  WHB is the brainchild of the wonderful Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen, but is being hosted this week by the talented Briciole, where you will see wonderful herby recipes from all over the world. 

Housewarming Party For Peabody: Pesto Deviled Eggs

I almost forgot that the fabulous Peabody at Culinary Concoctions By Peabody is having a cyber Housewarming Party to celebrate the beautiful new abode she recently bought.  If you haven't been to Peabody's blog, do yourself a favor and check it out. She makes drool-worthy confections that haunt my dreams. Most people microwave a bag of popcorn for a snack.  Not Peabody.  She makes cupcakes and brownies so decadent, my heart skips a beat when I look at the photos on her blog. The deadline for the housewarming party is approaching and I was stumped on what to bring. Then I thought of the most reliable dish to bring to any party: Deviled eggs.  Oh sure, many people think they're pedestrian, but notice how quickly they disappear when you set a platter of them down on a table?  They're perfect party food, because you can hold them in your hand and nibble on them delicately with your pinky finger crooked--or toss back as many as you like, whole, in your mouth.  No danger of them dribbling crumbs or liquid on the floor, they're easily carried to nosh on, as you look at Peabody's lovely new home. 

My Favorite: Greek Yogurt, Honey, And Walnuts

For years I heard about Greek yogurt, but never found it in the grocery store. Perhaps it was there all along, but I never saw it among the dizzying assortment of yogurt in the dairy case.   Then one memorable day, I found it.  I bought a carton and immediately fell in love with the thick, smooth texture, unlike yogurt thickened with gelatin or pectin.  It's my understanding that Greek yogurt is made by boiling sheep or cow's milk, until the water content in the milk is reduced.  This concentrated milk eventually becomes a marvelous yogurt, so delicious it's one of my favorite things to eat for dessert.  I'll take a carton of it over ice cream anytime.  I like to tell myself that it's much healthier for me, but truth to tell, Greek yogurt can be high in fat and calories. But, I don't care.  There's a split of opinion among Greek yogurt fans about whole milk versus skim milk varieties. Count me in the whole milk faction, as the skim milk version tastes grainy to me.  But, I know people who swear that Fage and Trader Joe make a skim milk product equal to that made with whole milk. Well, I'll never give up my whole milk Greek yogurt.  Never!

WHB: Swordfish With Amandine Sauce (Lemongrass)

Well, this was a good day, because I prepared and ate this marvelous dish.  It definitely makes it on the list of my favorite meals for this year.  It comes from the genius Cindy Pawlcyn, who knows how to combine flavors so well.  Everything about this dish delighted me--the flavors and textures, and the simplicity in preparing it.  I'll be making this again and again.

Since it contains lemongrass, I'm making that my herb of choice for Weekend Herb Blogging.   Lemongrass used to be one of those ingredients that I would read about, but it was never in any of the grocery stores where I lived. But, now it's always in the stores around here.  And that's a very good thing, because lemongrass has a lovely floral taste that's quite distinctive.  I hope it becomes as common as bananas in groceries everywhere.   This week WHB is being hosted by Katerina at Daily Unadventures In Cooking.  Stop by her site and see all the great herby recipes in the Roundup. And make sure you check out Kalyn's Kitchen, our fearless leader's blog. Almost two years ago Kalyn created WHB and the anniversary celebration should be quite spectacular.   Who knows what Kalyn has in store?

WHB: Steal Your Heart Cheese And Nut Loaf

My cousin Debbie is a great cook, but being hampered by a tiny kitchen, she doesn't cook that often.  So, I was intrigued when she called me last year, asking if I had Deborah Madison's recipe for Cheese and Nut Loaf.  There was a note of desperation in her voice, which is unusual.  She had just returned from the Tassajara Zen Mountain Retreat and one of the meals featured the loaf, (actually a terrine).   As I listened to her rave about how delicious it was, and how she HAD TO HAVE IT AGAIN, I started to crave it myself.  I knew it must be a fabulous dish, if she was going cook it in her postage stamp sized kitchen. So, I promised myself that I would prepare the loaf someday.  But I never did, until now. Yesterday I made it, even though it meant I had to turn on the oven and bake something, which breaks my summertime rule to never cook anything for longer than 20 minutes.  Sometimes you have to turn on the oven.

The Heart Of The Matter: Spiced Walnuts

Two weeks ago Bob bought a huge sack of freshly harvested walnuts, and each day he patiently cracks and eats a handful of the nuts.  Primarily, he does it because they taste very good.   But along with their taste, he's aware that walnuts are one of the best foods a person can eat.  Nuts in general are now regarded as helping to reduce "bad" cholesterol, but walnuts also seem to have unique properties that protect blood vessels.  Research shows that walnuts reduce inflammation in the arteries after a high fat meal, and preserve the flexibility of blood vessels. The FDA has approved a "qualified health claim," that eating 1.5 ounces of walnuts per day may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. It's not surprising that many heart specialists now eat a few walnuts each day.  With that in mind, when I saw that Ilva at Lucullian Delights and Joanna at Joanna's Food are hosting an event called Heart Of The Matter, Bob's huge bag of walnuts immediately came to mind.