What Did You Eat?

BBB: Sullivan Street Potato Pizza

Several years ago, I bought Maggie Glazer's magnificent book, Artisan Baking and fell in love with two recipes.  The first recipe I made was Hi-Rise Corn Bread, which launched Tanna and me into a frenzy of one upping each other in different ways to eat those heavenly yellow loaves of bread.  I think she won the contest with her toad in the holes.  The other recipe that I longed to make was the Sullivan Street Potato Pizza, named after the bakery that produces it in New York City.  It looked wonderful in the book, a foccacia like bread topped with a mountain of thinly sliced potatoes, onions and chopped rosemary.  After years of procrastination, I finally made it, thanks to the Bread Baking Babes, and Tanna, our hostess for this month.

Several of the Babes made the pizza before my attempt, and I knew that the crust was proving difficult.  So, I was forewarned when I chose to make the pizza for dinner with my cousins, Charmayne and Keith.  I can't say that the pizza was a marvelous as the Hi-Rise Cornbread, but it was quite a hit at the dinner.   

WHB: Asparagus, Potato, And Dill Soup

It's officially spring, and coinciding with that are massive piles of asparagus in the grocery store and farmers market.  The delicious green spears that recently cost as much as $4 a pound are now priced at $1.40 a pound.  Great news for me, I can indulge my asparagus lust in all sorts of ways.  I've always enjoyed asparagus soup, but usually prepare it with a roux base.  My favorite recipe is an elegant and silky smooth version from Julia Child, which I often served for company.  This recipe uses potatoes, rather than flour, to give a thick consistency.  It's heartier than Julia's and very filling.  I made this soup today and realized it would be a nice soup for Easter, so I used eggs for the garnish.  The herb I chose was dill, but basil, thyme and tarragon would work beautifully too.

WHB Anniversary: Potato Fritters With Sweet Pepper Relish (Cilantro)

Well, here it is--the second anniversary of Weekend Herb Blogging at Kalyn's Kitchen!  My, how it has grown since Kalyn first started it.   She's done a splendid job, and it's been so much fun to see how this event, and her blog, has evolved in such a short period of time.  I wanted to make something special for the celebration, and spent several days looking at my favorite cookbooks and magazines. This year Kalyn suggested we do something with an herb and at least one vegetable, a Double Delish recipe.  Finally, it came down to Deborah Madison's recipe for Potato Fritters and Sweet Pepper Relish. It was the perfect way for me to celebrate WHB, as I haven't had potatoes in quite a while, and my Irish genes were suffering. The recipe also includes my favorite herb, cilantro, as well as quite a few vegetables.  The fritters contain scallions and the confetti cut relish is full of sweet yellow and red peppers.  I think this fulfills the Double Delish requirement, it was certainly delicious.

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!

                  

WHB: Rosemary And Orange-Glazed Chicken With Sweet Potatoes

As I was making this dish, I had a nagging feeling that I'd seen it before on another blog.  So, I Googled it and found nothing. Then I checked some other blogs, thinking I had seen it on them.  Again, nothing.   If anyone made this, let me know.  It's driving me crazy.

This dish was featured in Diane Rossen Worthington's, Seriously Simple, and it was seriously easy to make.  It's the kind of recipe that assembles quickly and goes into the oven, emerging later full of flavor, with a beautiful aroma.  A lot of the flavor and aroma comes from rosemary, which grows with abandon in my backyard.  With the exception of mint, I don't know of a more enthusiastic plant. Plus, it tolerates extremes in temperature, both hot and cold.  And it can outlast most droughts.  I once had a rosemary bush that was rarely watered, it but  flourished.  This admirable herb is perfect for this week's Weekend Herb Blogging, created by the lovely Kalyn, but hosted this week by Swank Catering.  Please check out her site this weekend, to see all the wonderful WHB participants.

Ruth's Chris Sweet Potato Casserole

Several years ago, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse came to Sacramento and my friends and I went there to see what all the shouting was about.  I'm usually not a big steakhouse fan, but I thought Ruth's Chris was pretty darn good.  They have some of the best seared tuna I've ever eaten. Yes, I found the best tuna at a steakhouse and it was cooked (barely) perfectly.  While I was there, I noticed most of the tables had ordered small dishes of the restaurant's famous sweet potatoes and people were going batty over it.   So, I ordered some too.  I know, tuna and sweet potatoes?  Crazy. The potatoes arrived in a very small dish, but were so  incredibly rich I told everyone at the table that I needed help finishing them.   

Last Easter I found a recipe for the sweet potatoes and brought them to my friend Nancy's Easter dinner.  They were an enormous hit, so she asked me to make them for Thanksgiving dinner at her house this year.  I also decided to make a batch for myself, and freeze them to use during the upcoming Christmas holidays.  While the sweet potatoes were baking, I suddenly discovered that I had forgotten to mix in the melted butter.  Not to worry, the dish was very nice--and substantially lower in calories. 

WHB: Chicken Stuffed With Rosemary Served With Roasted Root Vegetables

Bonjour, mes amis!!  My name is Maurice and I come from France.  Several months ago a woman I think you all know, named Sher, saw me in Williams Sonoma marked down to half price. It pains me to say that I was on sale!  Mon Dieu! Such disrespect!  In France it's well known that there is no finer cookware than me, a Staub La Cocotte.   You have of course noticed I am shaped like a chicken, and so heavy I can also be used for weight training and self defense.   When Sher bought me, she said I was just the thing for cooking a chicken and stews and so forth. Then she put me on a shelf and there I sat, collecting dust. Look close, I think you can still see the dust.  Tsk.  Finally, she pulled me down from the shelf and used me for the first time today---to cook a chicken of course.  I can see she will have to be brought along slowly, to learn how to truly utilize my abilities.  I do take some satisfaction in knowing that I was used for a special event called Weekend Herb Blogging, which was started by a lovely woman named Kalyn at  Kalyn's Kitchen.   This week WHB is being hosted by Nandita at Saffron Trail. 

Weekend Herb Blogging: French Quarter Potatoes

It's interesting how viruses have their own "personality".  My husband brought this one home from work last week. He was just coming down with it, and although I tried to give him a wide berth after that announcement, (I hate being sick) I caught it, of course.  They name hurricanes, so I named my virus Clyde.  I've been checking with other people in different parts of the country, and they seem to have Clyde too.  In fact, my cousin Kathy, who lives in Mississippi, has exactly the same symptoms as me.  Here they are:  No fever, slightly stuffy nose, headache, sore throat, fatigue, and chest congestion.  And my taste buds have vanished.  I can't taste or enjoy food, with the exception of soup.    

I've been making soup for the last few days, but decided to make something different that would be easy and tasty. This recipe for French Quarter potatoes has lots of herbs, spices, garlic, cayenne pepper, and andouille sausage in it.  My husband said it was very good.  Unfortunately, I couldn't taste anything in it, not even the four Turkish bay leaves from Penzeys. If my taste buds hadn't decamped for parts unknown, I would have been able to appreciate their woodsy taste.  So, I dedicate this dish to my memory of bay leaves.  And it is Weekend Herb Blogging created by the lovely Kalyn .  She's still cleaning up from the anniversary party, I think.  This weekend hosting duties are being handled by the divine Ruth at Once Upon A Feast.  If you go to her site you'll find bloggers much more lucid than me.  I host next week, so I hope Clyde has left my premises.

Baked Sweet Potatoes With Poblano Butter

Well, cilantro was the big winner at the big Weekend Herb Blogging bash.  I suspected  it would come down to cilantro and basil, but expected the latter to win.  I always have several bunches of cilantro in my fridge and one of them came to my rescue today. I was too tired (and my throat hurt) to do anything that required much effort.   A basic meal was in order--baked potato and pan broiled fish.  But, a sweet potato filled with bright green poblano butter made it more interesting and gave the (false) impression that more thought and effort had gone into fixing the meal.   And the green chile butter looked lovely against the orange flesh of the sweet potato. It was mild, but loaded with garlic and cilantro, so that each bite of the potato was savory and sweet.  Very nice.

Weekend Herb Blogging: Salmon, Red Potato and Asparagus Salad

It's Weekend Herb Blogging time.  Last weekend WHB was off having a great time in Italy, but it's back in Utah with its creator, Kalyn, who has a slew of herb recipes from other bloggers at her site.  Check it out, you'll be glad you did. My recipe for this weekend features fresh dill, which is one of my favorite herbs. Although said to be extremely easy to grow, I've never had much success with it.  I don't harvest it as conscientiously as I should and it goes to seed on me far too quickly.   Fresh dill tastes good with fish and potatoes and is perfect in this salad made with salmon, new red potatoes and asparagus.  It's easy to make, delicious, and very healthy for you.