Let The Vacation Begin!

Today was my hubby's last day of work for a week. ..it's a very exciting time because we will have a chance to do some construction on our home which will let us finally move upstairs and give our baby and us our own rooms. ...
Cooking meals this coming week may be more of a joint effort and that always has the potential of being fun (sharing a kitchen is a 50/50 risk). ...some interesting dinner ideas have already come up, like ribs. 
What's better and what's the difference between pork and beef ribs?  ...I'd love some ideas. ..from anyone out there reading this.

Tonight I made pancakes with leftover mash from last night.  It was not bad.  Also did veggies and a salad.
Made a puree with the leftover veggies. .carrots and zucchini. 
Yum.

Hubby brought home whiskey to start off the vacation celebration. .. so I bid thee adieux.

Too Much Garlic?

I was getting on with dinner prep when I realized all three things on the plate were going to have garlic. .. which is really fine for our family.  However, once o checked my stock of garlic. ..having only 5 or 6 cloves left decided to just do a regular salt-pepper-an-random-herbs-fro-cupboard mash potato.
Then I did my yummy baked chicken (see older posts) and another fatouche salad.  (Repeat salad from last night because I had fresh pita!)

Even baby M got in on some of the food. ..

Radishes and Lemons and Spice oh my!

Dinner is not really worth talking about this evening except to say that I've never really used red pepper flakes for cooking before and did not really understand how far the spice would stretch. ..
Very far. ..and I ate my stir fry with a much needed glass of milk! 

And I did a simple salad. ..with lots of radishes worth a lemon dressing.  Lemon is really good for digestion....and lemon salads ate always a pleasant thing to end dinner on in my opinion..so nice and light. .and uplifting!

Vibrant Eats

There is a new level of saturation to farm fresh food. ... I noticed it so definitely as I put together the dinner salad tonight.  Fatouche  (fatussh,fatouch,...I've seen it spelt a few ways). I love this salad. And everything in it was just picked from the earth.. (ok, everything but the pita bread. ..and if you want to be technical. .the salt, pepper, olive oil, and red wine vinegar)

..salad. .romaine, arugula, mixes, all work
1 tomato,  coarsely diced
2-4 scallions, diced
1 toasted pita (let cool and then cut or crumble like a crouton over the salad)
The dressing is olive oil and red wine vinegar. .I don't know the correct ratio,  ...I love vinegars so I do like a 3:1 ratio favoring the vinegar.  A little salt and pepper to taste..and then 1-3 cloves of my old friend, Garlic..

..the colors of the salad were just so vibrant tonight,  really makes me appreciate the food I am able to get my hands on.

My chicken was local organic. ..and my veggies were all local as well.

Then for baby M,....I busted out today's purées of sweet potato and apple and added shredded chicken to it. ..she loved it! 

.....now. ..I want chocolate. .... that however,  is a gifted box of Swedish dark chocolate mixes. ..

Star Sides

The protein on tonight's menu was a disappointment.  Between the cut itself and my transferring from the stove to oven too long. ...oy.
However. .the sides were very tasty. (the only thing worth mentioning tonight) No doubt because the sweet potato,  green beans, and red onion came from a neighboring farm. 
All you need to do to a sweet potato is bake it and put a slab of butter on it. 
I sautéed the green beans in olive oil and added some thinly sliced garlic. ..medium heat for about 5 min...I like them a bit crispy and undercooked.   Then throw all that in a bowl with some thinly chopped red onion,  pour a little balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper. .mix. .and serve warm.

I baked an extra sweet potato so I could mash it for baby girl. She loves it.  It's so yummy I imagine most babies would like it. ..

Chicky Staple

When in doubt of what to do. ..baked chicken is my sure bet.
It's amazing what a baster can do. As soon as I take the chicken out (once it hits 165) I suck up the juicy goodness in the pan before transferring to a plate. It makes such a difference. 

This is my marinade...it changes every time but. .

1/4 stick butter melted

2-6 cloves of minced garlic (varies on your passion)

And any spices you like!  

I add salt and pepper always. .. with ranges of anything and everything from cinnamon, cayenne, to your herbs.  All is good

Farm Stand

The only kind of shopping I really enjoy is for food (or cooking tools).
And as I wrote about a few posts ago I finally got to stop at my local Migliorelli farm stand in Red Hook.  I was able to get back there this afternoon (sans baby) and I could have put the whole store in my basket if I wasn't so naturally frugal. 
I have yet to buy the meat or the cheese from here but I don't think it will be long now. .

I'm excited to cook tonight. 

Leftovers & Wine

Well last night's meal was a very pleasant surprise (see yesterday's entry for a great turkey meatloaf recipe). .and we had just enough leftovers; which, with a salad side, would constitute a full meal like  it did on its original night!

...but it's Friday. ..so hub brought home a bottle of sauvignon blanc. So imagine a green plastic cup next to my plate.  I only drink out of plastic now because I am very clumsy and we don't have much glassware because of my inability to move within my surroundings. ... ha ha...but true.

No picture tonight. ..just imagine yours truly smiling.

New World Meatloaf

I grew up with meatloaf and didn't understand the stigma that apparently goes along with it.  That it's like a horrible block of meat. 
My mother used to make an Aussie style apple meatloaf... it was great and is still a fond dish to think to. .I think the best part of it was the leftovers; we would make sandwiches!

Today I cooked a turkey meatloaf with a spicy tomato jam and a side of arugula salad with a balsamic mustard dressing. 
The meatloaf featured mushrooms and bell peppers.  The recipe called for shiitake & red peppers...but I substituted with what I had. .baby Bella mushrooms and a green pepper.  It was terrific.  I will definitely cook this again.
Hubby and I both went back for seconds!

Here is the recipe via delish.com
http://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a31494/turkey-meatloaf-spicy-tomato-jam-recipe-clx0311/

Sausage On The Floor

There is a reigning trifecta that occurs most week days at 5:50pm. Baby M takes a huge leaking shit in her walker (she's nine months), the dogs are circling the kitchen floor for hopeful food preparation droppings, the timing of said dinner components are coming to a head at the same moment, and hubby is about to walk through the door.  The environment is also hot.  Between the stove or oven, the precleaning in the sink and the humidity of the east coast. ..one can get a little frazzled at 5:50pm.

I was trying a dish out of local chef's Laura Pensiero's book Hudson Valley Mediterranean  (see photo for recipe)... and pairing it with a sweet Italian sausage. 

...I lost a sausage to the floor and then forgot the gorganzola cheese until I had plated and served. 

The meal I thought was yummy. .but surrounded by a frustrated mom and cook.

Silly me...
Then as I recovered from a silly tantrum I received a fabulous book on purées for baby from my father in law and his girlfriend.
A quick and undeserved reward from the universe! 

Bruschetta Lunch...Why Not

I fell prey to fresh baguettes at the market today. ...(I've been trying to "watch what I eat" in an effort to lose a few baby pounds)
And my home is always stocked with the rest of the ingredients for a bruschetta dish. .

A couple slices of red onion, I like to dice them small.
One diced tomato.
I mince 3-4 cloves of garlic but that may be a bit much for the non-garlic obsessed palette.  (Maybe 2 is more appropriate)
Fresh basil,  6 leaves. .give or take your preference.

Mix with olive oil. ..about a tablespoon. And a few dashes of salt. 

I spread it over bread with a slice of mozzarella, broil it, and drizzle balsamic vinegar.

This is one of many ways to do this awesome dish.

Summer Salad Salute

Finally decided to stop at the Migliorelli farm stand in town.  Every time I drive by I slow down and read the colorful signs "peaches" "sweet corn" "beans" "tomatoes" (these signs are plentiful in my area as there are many farms to choose from) but my neighbors (the father and older son) happen to work at the farm so I really wanted to give it more attention, being new in town and not having formed opinions on all the local places yet.   The issue is that a moment after glancing out the window of my truck I look in the rear view and see little M in her car seat and I think of the trouble of stopping, unfastening, shopping one handed, and buckling back in ...I may sound lazy. .maybe I am.  BUT!!! I did stop today and boy do I feel cheated. ..I cheated myself that is. .there is so much good stuff there that I've been missing!  Goat cheese,  apple cider, meats, and of course a variety of veg & fruit! 
...I spent $4.60 on a big bag of arugula salad and a handful of (I think) yellow wax beans.  Like I said. .I had one hand so I just did more of an audit of what was there and will double down next time I stop.

So I did a salad for dinner (and some chicken).
Quickly boiling the beans, trimming them first, for five minutes. .rinse under cold water and then dry and stick in the fridge while continuing. ..
Then I cut some fresh basil from my garden into thin strips, red onion also cut thin.  Diced tomato, cut arugula,  add the beans (I cut them in half) ...quantity is really at your discretion and pleasure.  The dressing is red wine vinegar with olive oil and a bit of sugar and salt and pepper. 

It was so nice and light. .. will definitely do this again.  

Art or Choke?

Well. ..swing and a miss. 
I had two ingredients I wanted to use tonight with dinner: artichoke hearts and kidney beans.

Found a couple recipes online to tinker with but I wasn't satisfied. ..and then moved forward with it anyway. .

Sautéed onions and garlic. ..added rice and broth. .simmered. ..added beans, peas, and artichokes. .continue heating. ..and eat.

Let's just say. .Hungry man didn't go for seconds and I have way too many leftovers! 
Oh well... noted. 
Think I'll leave the artichoke hearts for salads in the future. ..

Tikka Masala

Felt like doing something a little different. ..
Rummaged through the cupboards...found a jar of Tikka Masala ..an extensive recipe of dicing chicken and sautéing and then adding the contents of the jar to simmer. ..

One of my favorite salads is a spring mix with red onion and tomato and a balsamic dressing.
..a little olive oil, lots of balsamic, a little mustard, honey, salt and pepper. Mmmm..

Overall dinner was fair. ..but it just made me want to go eat at a real curry house!

"Crawling off the plate. .."

Crawling off the plate rare.  That's how I like my filet mignon. Which I almost never have to enjoy because frankly I can't afford the top dollar cut and also there are only a few select places I trust to use the best meat and cook it to perfection. 

Tonight. .. we dined out at my favorite local restaurant,  Flat Iron, here in Red Hook.  This place only gets its food from local farms (and I mean actually local. ..like up the street.  Yes, I am proud to say that this is my neck of the woods. )
The plates vary based on the seasons and what is available.  I always get the filet mignon, but the sides change. . Last time there was a kind of scalloped potato and veg. .this time it was green beans with a crispy polenta. They have a few sauces to choose from but I ever only go to the garlic butter. 

M was so well behaved... I, for one of the first times since having my little darling, did not have to scarf my meal so I could tend to her.

  I ate slow. ...
...enjoying every perfectly sliced piece of red love. ... using my knife to take the garlic garnish from its metallic dish and smoothly gesture it across the beating meat and into my mouth like a conductor with their fluid hand!
Shuffle ball change. ..sip of wine.  Break a bean and dink dink the two halves onto the fork and I'm masticating a green or a yellow seasoned veg. ....back to the star. ..and repeat. ..

This is truly my all time favorite dish.  I am content.   I love also the colors on the plate.

How am I supposed to go on cooking after such a feast by my heart. ..

They also have a lovely house red wine. 
Cheers.

Cold Stove top

Well I didn't cook last night... it was nice after a long day following a hard night with the baby.
I did make a baby puree with the leftover summer squash, carrots, and potatoes - she loved it!

And I was all ready to cook tonight but my father in law and his lady friend have invited us or to eat at my favorite local restaurant. . Flat Iron! ...I'll post about it later. ...

Tabuli Salad Without Boureg?!

I love tabuli Salad.  It's a middle eastern salad that I fell in love with by way of my in-laws. I dream to make it as well as my hubby's great grandmother some day but I just don't have that something. ..I thought it was my missing the pomegranate juice. .but I recently found a bottle. .and that's still not right. ..anyway. .I digress..
So I had all the fixings ...it's mostly parsley (I usually buy 4 bunches), scallions,  a tomato, boureg (cracked wheat), and the dressing is lemon, olive oil, salt, and a dash of sugar.  You soak the boureg in water (for how long?  Well I start my prep by doing a small two fist fulls of the stuff in a bowl and well covered in water) and then I do everything else and add that in at the end by squeezing the water out with my hands. .firm but not a total choke out. 
I had opened the boureg which I keep rubber banded and then closed in a ziplok and there were moths! !! Disgusting! I just had to throw it away. ..so disappointing. .. I made the rest of it and tried to think of how I could spruce it up to match the rest of the meal. ..but overall it was a bit of a fail.  you can't have tabuli without boureg!! (It did pair with the chicken). 
I pan cooked some small yellow potatoes,  carrots, and summer squash (local yummys) ..I made all this because it's good for the baby too..I usually make extra and then I can add it to a puree tomorrow!  But give my baby girl solid bits of it tonight! 
Then the chicken. .. thighs.  I melt around 4tbs of butter in a small bowl and then add minced garlic, and any herbs and spices I have. I coat the backs and skin of the chicken then skin side upat 500 degrees for about 20-25min.  Til it reached 165 degrees in the middle.   I baste it quickly when I take it out and then let it sit for a moment while I serve up the rest of the components. 

Yummy.  This way of cooking the chicken is one of our favorites in this house. ..

The Baby Menu

So since there are leftovers from last nights meal...I will just add a salad and call it a night.  My focus instead today is on jarring some home made baby food. .

With a fridge full of great local produce I can have fun with it. .

I did one jar of pureed/minced peaches. ..they were so juicy I didn't stream them or anything ..

Meanwhile I baked a sweet potato. .at around 425 for an hour or so. .honestly, I got sidetracked, it might have been a dash longer! 
When I took it out you could tell that the insides were just perfectly mush. I forked it open. .put a little butter in and stirred it up. .I emptied half into a jar on it's own for later combinations and then took the remainder and put aside while I steamed half an apple. ..Pureed it and then mixed in the sweet potato.
M adores this sweet potato and apple mix.   In french,  potato is "pomme de terre" which means apple of the dirt. ..so when you think about it. .the combination makes perfect sense!

As a side note. .I've read that you can refrigerate (home made) baby food up to 72 hours ..personally I don't go longer than 48 hours.  Anyone have thoughts on this? 

Tomorrow. ..baked chicken thighs.  A cheap cut that you can easily make taste like a million bucks! 

No Jar Sauce!

My options for protein tonight narrowed down to frozen ground beef.  Decided to make a simple meat pasta.  It's hard to go wrong with it. .but it is filling. .and a bit carb heavy! 

I start with sautéing a diced yellow onion (sometimes I add minced garlic) in some butter. .. add the meat (1lb ground beef)  Mix till browned. ..I add in spices here like red pepper, salt, pepper,  any herbs I have like rosemary, tarragon, oregano..worchchester sauce. .a dash
Add most of a can of tomato paste ..some water. .about two of the paste cans. .pending the thickness I'm going for.  Bring too boil and then turn down to low and simmer until thickness you desire.  

I'll try to do something a little more photo friendly tomorrow. ..

Mexican Monday

So over the weekend I really wanted to make Carne asada.. assuming that the "Mexican market" that Google told me existed nearby in Rhinebeck would have the marinated meat  (I spent most of my life in southern California so I'm used to having great Mexican food and markets to choose from). ..I get to this hole in the wall (the "market" is called Mi Pequenta Oaxaca ) ...I find a couple cans lining some haggard shelving and thats about it.  (I hope that its a front for the cartel..that's the only excuse for such a weak store) Very disappointing. ... and though we did have margaritas over the weekend. .there was no yummy food to go with it!

M and I drove over to Adams Farm this afternoon and I bought some local produce and meat for the week.  They had some fresh peppers and some nice chicken so I decided to make fajitas! 
I used one green one red pepper,  one yellow onion,  chicken,  and I did use a spice packet for fajitas.  Optional toppings of cilantro and grated cheese. 
Fed my hungry man and me.  Zero leftovers tonight.  I let little M try the peppers but she was more interested in her sweet potato puree

Sunday menu

The weekend comes around. ..and sometimes Saturday night meals become "fun" meals (for me) meaning I don't cook! 
We have just started trying to be comfortable going out to eat with the nine month old. So I couldn't be happier to get to explore the range of cuisine offered in our area.  We live in Red Hook, in the Hudson Valley,  NY.
So then Sunday comes. .and I start thinking of the week of meals ahead. ..realize I haven't thought about Sunday dinner..and try to get the motivation to think of a clever no fuss meal that my hubby and baby will enjoy. 
(Not all Sundays are like this. ..but today it is. ..and is just such a beautiful day and I have a Margarita in my hand! )

I think I'll do a simple risotto  (with onion and maybe garlic) and top it with an assortment of veg.  Simple. Heavy enough but don't have to deal with meat cleanup.
The picture is of my last attempt at this meal. .it was great except I didn't shill the corn properly (and I did it before cooking it so it took so much more than just the kernel off..rendering it not pleasant to eat. ..ugh)

Myself, food enthusiast and new mother

I've tried blogging a few times...  what makes a successful blog? is it being read? Or just being relieved to have vented what one would do in a journal? Either way... by the end of those past I don't think the writings lived up to potential.. .. hm. This is a horrible way to introduce what I intend to do here.
Let me start over..
The only thing I really do religiously now is cook.  I cook six days a week and i like to capture my successes ...and sometimes failures through photos. Even though I am a photographer, I can easily reach out and grab a snap shot from my phone... more than that.. its just too much effort to do daily ...that with a baby, a husband, job, home, sanity, etc., to maintain.  I think reasons my past writings have eventually dwindled is because some things come and go. But feeding, ie taking care of my family well - will never be a fleeting past time.
I won't claim to be a chef...or anything like that.. in fact i hope in time people like me can add their own recipes to this. I want an open forum of using good food well.
I live in the Hudson Valley, NY ... its a great place for local foods (I am new to the area but not the concept) ..we live on a tight budget like many and I try to make food stretch.  Our baby, I'll call her M, is just about nine months old and I've made it my mission to expose her to a world of tastes (I secretly dream of gardening alongside her tiny hands and seeing them grow...maybe into a revolutionary chef!.. I live vicariously through the possibilities of my child now) ..I try to on night one cook a really great meal, night two, do something cool with the leftovers, all the while feeding my babe bits and pieces of what is on the table. 

If I was stranded on an island... I would be content if I had cheese, bread, garlic, and wine. I think that sums me up.   I hope to learn more about you.  Cheers.