Olli's Foodie Blog

Where do the Cubans get their pork?

2012-02-27T16:46:00.000-05:00

My partner in crime with the cooking club, Doris Bloch, hosted a meeting that focused on Hawaiian and Caribbean flavors last week. I decided to do what I thought would be simple to make, which it really was, except that I had a real challenge finding an ingredient. I chose to make Cuban sandwiches, which is a lineup of pickle slices, roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, and yellow mustard on Cuban bread. French bread a suitable substitute. I was sure I had seen deli pork roast somewhere and didn't consider that a problem. After facing several supermarket deli persons' "duh, sorry" responses, I figured I'd have to actually roast a hunk of pork. Yet, when I approached Harris Teeter, they said that they would have roast pork that afternoon. When I got there after four pm, another blank stare when I asked for that pound of sliced roast pork. Turns out the roast pork they earlier mentioned was a hot hunk of roast pork scheduled to go over and join the rotisserie chickens. So, I bought it, sliced it down, layered my sandwiches and put them on the pannini machine and... became a fan of Cuban sandwiches.

But just to prove I wasn't dreaming about seeing roast pork in a deli: In my early exploratory moments, I had sent an email to Wegman's asking them if they had deli roast pork. A day or so after our party, the deli man from that incredible store called to tell me he had a very good roll of roast pork that goes for $10.00 a pound. Now I plan to get some of that because my mouth is set for a good rye bread, mustard and pork sandwich, maybe with a slice of red onion. Keep in mind, however, HP's roast pork piece weighed a pound, already cooked cost $6.99. To indulge my pricey fancies, I have to drive 10 miles to my nearest Wegman's.

New Jersey has pork stores; what's the matter with Virginia?

La Caraquena, Falls Church

2012-02-23T11:18:00.004-05:00

I occasionally watch "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" on the Food Network, hosted by Guy Fieri, and always wonder if I shall ever be near any of the many restaurants he highlights. A week of so ago he did have a local Latin American restaurant featured and it looked really interesting and the food good. So I Googled it and saw that it had been reviewed in the local newspaper and with enthusiastic comment that indicated others feel as the reporter and Guy did. How many of our readers have been there? Would like to know before I venture outside of my Reston neighborhood.

Beginning Italian Students Love Ricotta Pie

2012-02-20T23:27:00.000-05:00

My sources tell me that those taking Beginning Italian F501 recently had a foodie class where they each brought in a dish to class. The ricotta pie, made by the instructor Donna Kendall, was so good it has found its way to the doc store where all sorts of good stuff may be found. Another reason to check out this wonderful OLLI reference source. Scroll to F501 and then you too can make a ricotta pie. It sounds just terrific!

Comfort Food Class Ends

2012-02-14T09:44:00.002-05:00

It's been a few since I posted a new blog and that's because I've been distracted by the visit of my daughter Katy, here from Copenhagen just to visit with her mother. She's been here almost two weeks, quiet weeks, since I can't think of exciting things to do at this time of year that we both would enjoy. Nonetheless, she keeps busy with a book she's polishing up and what we both enjoy, eating. Yesterday she joined me in the comforts food class where we cooked shepherd's pie made with lamb and rice pudding. I think she expected to sit quietly in the corner and just observe, but it wasn't long before she was stirring and pitching in with others to save the day. It was fun for me, the students seemed to enjoy having her and final conclusion to this, the final day of the winter term for our class, the food came out really delicious. I shall miss this class as they have been a fun group.

Within a week, I plan to put the recipes from this class on doc store so that everyone can replicate them. I expect to repeat this series again next winter term with new recipes that most of us find comforting.

Fish Night

2012-02-10T13:18:00.006-05:00

This week's Fish Night was a very simple affair -- seven people and a simple crab and pasta dish. I had seen the recipe in the Food Section of the Washington Post the preceding Wednesday. Our Fish Night cocktail was really good -- something called an Apple Ginger Calvados Cocktail from a beautiful website called "Gourmande in the Kitchen." The honey ginger syrup that you make for this is a real keeper. I'm going to try to think of other ways to use it -- otherwise I might simply drink it straight from the fridge!

Last week's menu was more interesting, however, and I did not get a chance to blog about that because I did some traveling starting before dawn the next morning. Last week, our Monday Night cocktail was a Nassau Sam (using Hugo's Nassau Royale which I forgot to return to him on the preceding Fish Night). It was OK -- not very interesting. With our drinks, we munched from a cheese, olive, marcona almond platter.

There may actually have been a theme to this dinner -- four of the recipes I used are from "Essential Pepin" which is a collection of Jacques Pepin's recipes from throughout his career. He's one of my favorite TV chefs and this book is considered by many to be the best cook book of 2011, so it was a no-brainer to add it to my collection and starting cooking from it right away. We started with his Onion Soup-Lyonnaise Style which is truly wonderful and far easier to make than the classic version. I highly recommend this recipe. Then we had:

Mousse-Stuffed Trout with Sweet Vermouth Sauce -- this is also from "Essential Pepin" but I can't find an internet link that will allow me to share the recipe. This is really sad because the dish was terrific -- very, very elegant and tasty! It would be perfect for a special dinner and makes an amazing presentation. So buy the book!
"Cottage" Fried Potatoes -- just because I had some small red potatoes that needed to be used as they were starting to sprout!
Braised Endive with Olives -- I don't get much positive reinforcement for this (to say the least!), but I love trying new and unusual side dishes for my Fish Night guests. I loved this, but it was not unanimously appreciated! Again, no link to the recipe, but you can watch Jacques make it online.
Butter Glazed Carrots -- again from my "Essential Pepin." These were good, but I actually like other glazed carrot recipes better.

For dessert, with our coffee and tea, we had shortbread. I can say, without hesitation, that I have finally found the best recipe and technique for shortbread. I'm experimenting now with different flavors and seasonings. Tangy Line Shortbread? Lavender-Scented? What do you think? I'm convinced I can do even better next time.

"In Grandmère's Kitchen"

2012-02-01T14:34:00.000-05:00

I've spent the last several hours doing what I enjoy most: reading through a new cookbook. This time, the book is written by our dear OLLI friend and wife to our OLLI member George Heatley. French chefCécile Heatley has written a wonderful book, which judging from the cover blurb suggests that this is only the first volume of more to come. "InGrandmère's Kitchen: Food and Traditions from France and Around the World for the Modern Cook " is a well organized and very complete book of just under 150 pages. Bound in a spiral binding with slick covers that can be easily wiped off, this first volume is devoted to vegetables and fruit, my favorite ingredients.

Cécile begins by offering a glossary of fresh produce, describing them, how to select, how to store and prepare. Her following chapters are in these categories: soups, appetizers and salads, main courses and side dishes, desserts and finally, odds and ends. Her recipes, despite the fact that one assumes French recipes are complicated, are not complicated at all. Where an ingredient might seem obscure or difficult to find, she gives hints on either where to find it or a substitute. All written in plain English by this very French woman. In between the aforementioned chapters, she inserts personal anecdotes, historical background, and even a list of foodie movies.

Noting that the title is "In Grandmère's Kitchen" you might expect that Cécile includes ways to include the grand-kids in the cooking process. You would be right. Lovely pictures of the Heatley grand-kids begin the book, showing them peeling veggies for their grandmother's current cooking project.

What I like best about this book is that it gives me new ideas about how to cook some veggies that I've always done in the same old way. Little tips, putting something with something I've never tried before; my creative juices (sorry, no pun intended) are burbling, and I am about to run out and buy a few eggplants and a package of artichoke hearts to play with. This is a very practical book.

The price is $20 and very much worth it. Email Cécile at cecileheatley@gmail.com or grab George next time you see him on campus. Likely he'll have a few copies in the trunk of his car.

Comforting Foods

2012-01-31T17:19:00.001-05:00

My comfort foods class on Monday really worked out well. Sometimes we don't have enough time to complete the recipes because we have just so many minutes to put the dishes together. But with some advance preparation that didn't rob my students of a learning process, it all came out better than good. We had ham and bean soup and I had soaked the beans at home and also I had boiled the ham hock at the same time in a separate pot with two teaspoons of herbes de Provence. When I arrived at the cottage kitchen, I presented the group with ham stock, softened beans and hocks with meat just falling off the bones Members of the group chopped an onion, several carrots and two sticks of celery and mushed up four cloves of garlic. They stripped the ham off the bones and then everything went into one pot and cooked for an hour by which time the beans were soft and I finished off the project by using a emulsion blender to mush up some of the beans.

At the same time we put together two glorious egg custard pies. I used Pillsbury's ready made pie crust and lined two pie plates, building up the edges to make them deeper. Then mixed up eggs, milk and sugar with a little vanilla and poured into the shells, dotted with some butter and with great difficulty, one of my helpers moved the very sloppy pies to the oven where in about 35 minutes they had firmed up. Very eggy and creamy and the added whipped cream, raspberries, banana slices and shredded coconut didn't hurt this elegant dessert. I had also brought from home some from -scratch hot chocolate to further the comfort ambiance along A very happy, relaxed group of eaters.

Jersey Quality Diner in Virginia

2012-01-25T12:12:00.001-05:00

I'm a Jersey girl through and through. So when I came to Virginia over eight years ago I looked around to find a good diner like I was accustomed to enjoying in my native state. New Jersey is famous for its diners. Alas, all I could find was the Silver Diner at the two locations that I know of and they just didn't measure up.

More recently, I stopped in at the Silver Diner one afternoon and was delighted to see a very fresh menu, with local products featured in imaginative variety. So, last evening, looking for something comfortable and homey, I stopped in for dinner. Again, as I looked through the menu I could have chosen any number of dishes to fit the bill, but settled on an all-time favorite, liver and onions with bacon, mushrooms and all the fixings. It was excellent, the liver soft and moist, and even the accompanying veggies were fresh and steamed correctly. I have a thing about half cooked, half not- cooked fresh vegetables. The service was really good with a cute young waiter who seemed bent on keeping me in hot tea and checking my progress throughout the meal, but not annoyingly so. Restaurant not too crowded. Best of all, someone was feeding silver into a juke box that was playing out tunes from the 50's and 60's with understandable lyrics and a gentle beat. I recommend you grab a friend or go by yourself and give the Silver Diner at West Ox and Fair Lakes a try. Not as classy as my favorite fancy restaurants but for under fifteen dollars you get a delightful good meal. Like you can get at any Jersey diner. Tell them, "Debbie sent you."

Fish Night

2012-01-24T15:23:00.002-05:00

To celebrate Chinese New Year, we dined with some of our regular Fish Night guests at Asia Nine in D.C. They have a wonderful prix fixe menu especially for this great holiday, and the food was amazing. I can recommend it heartily! Is anyone else doing something food-wise to celebrate the Year of the Dragon?

The Soup That Keeps on Giving

2012-01-23T19:31:00.001-05:00

Today in our Comfort Foods class we made Potato and Leek soup. It came out really good, everyone seemed to enjoy it although I contend that it needed more salt. Our brownies were really comforting and for a day like today both were pitched to bring the ultimate comfort.

After the class I scurried to Reston for my 2 pm. class, Gloria Sussman's music class that I absolutely never miss, although I was late, and after I picked my way across the darkened room to the only chair available so late in the session, I sat down to enjoy the violin music that was streaming from the speakers. As I sat there, something caused me to sniff and sure enough I realized that I smelled like an onion! My clothes must have absorbed the cooking aromas from the soup. After the class, I asked the guy sitting next to me if he smelled the leek-y soup and he said he thought what he smelled was Chinese food. I made my impression. Next week 's offering may be loaded with garlic.

No More Free Juice Glasses

2012-01-21T17:10:00.002-05:00

When I was a kid, my favorite refrigerator sneaky-snack was a finger lick of pimiento cheese that came in a small glass, later recycled into a juice glass. I loved that stuff. But when it no longer appeared in our fridge, I forgot about it until more recent years when I would occasionally buy it. Pretty pricey for what it is. Then Bobbie Deen, Paula's son, brought it up on his show the other day and claimed his mother made it for his family, spreading it on grilled cheese sandwiches. I watched him put together pimiento cheese quick as a lick. A half cup of soft cream cheese, a half cup of shredded cheddar cheese, a quarter cup of jarred roasted red peppers, chopped, and a hefty tablespoon of olive tapenade. Mix it all up and lather some between bread and make yourself the most delicious grilled cheese sandwich. Gooey goodness, comfort food.

Not Your Canned Variety of Sardines

2012-01-21T10:30:00.001-05:00

I've been getting the message from my Food Network that fresh sardines are terrific. I like sardines even in cans, but when I saw them fresh and plump in the fish case at Wegman's yesterday, I decided to try them. Picked up three about five inches long and undressed, so I had to gut and debone them, but that wasn't too hard or messy.

Once that was done and I'd rinsed them, I laid them flat on a parchment covered cookie sheet and spread them with a mixture of Panko flakes, oregano, salt, pepper and olive oil. Then I topped them with a slice of lemon and wrapped my package of fish tightly envelope style and baked them for about 40 minutes . On the same pan I had put some chunks of potatoes lathered in olive oil and herbs and they roasted along with the fish.

This was a really good dinner when sided with deli cole slaw. The fish was so delicate and sweet. I shall have to do that again as this fish is supposed to be extremely nourishing and pretty cheap. I'm trying to try out new fish options.

Fish Night

2012-01-17T14:11:00.012-05:00

Among our guests this week was a friend who will be moving to Costa Rica soon, so it was good to see her and have a chance to learn of her plans and bemoan her loss to our social circle. We toasted her new adventure with our Fish Night Cocktail – a Bahama Mama. I chose this drink because one of our regular guests told me he had some Nassau Royale Liqueur, a substance unknown to me, and I wanted to try something that included it. It was pretty tasty.

During drinks, I served some cheeses that I purchased over the week-end from a shop called Arrowine in Arlington (using a Social Living voucher). Arrowine is a great place, by the way. The cheesemongers were very welcoming and helpful. We started our dinner with the (almost) ever-present green salad and then had:

Pan Fried Catfish with Crispy Mustard Crust – The recipe is from my new cookbook Good Fish. It was really delicious – a hit with all our guests. The recipe calls for char, but it seemed it would work with catfish and it was perfect. The recipe follows a technique I used to use a lot but have gotten away from – brushing a very flavorful sauce or paste on fish before breading and frying or baking it. In this case, the recipe called for a very simple sauce consisting mainly of Dijon mustard and lemon juice – yummy!
Green Beans Amandine – a great recipe from Cook’s Illustrated.
Parmesan Roasted Butternut Squash – I loved to roast root vegetables, but the last couple of times I roasted winter squash were not that successful – squash that was completely cooked before any browning or caramelization -- so I went online to try to figure out what I was doing wrong. I happened on this recipe, which is actually more of a casserole, and I can highly recommend it.

For dessert we had chocolate chip cookies with our tea. I used the Consumer Reports recipe. Sounds like a joke, right? But last year, the Consumer Reports folks offered a recipe for “The Practically Perfect Cookie” when they tested and rated store-bought chocolate chip cookies. I had always used the recipe on the chocolate chip bag and it was fine, but it turns out the Consumer Reports cookie really is “practically perfect.” Try it and let us know what you think. No need to do better next time!

Fascinating Fish Facts: Catfish produced on fish farms in this country is an excellent seafood choice. It’s not only delicious and inexpensive, but also provided to us in an environmentally sound manner. According to Monterey Bay Seafood Watch, US farmed catfish is “[r]aised in closed, inland ponds using recirculated fresh water and fed a mostly vegetarian diet of soybeans, corn and rice, [so it] is consider ed to be one of the most sustainable fish species available. Closed, inla nd ponds dramatically reduc e the risk of farmed fish escaping and spreading disease to native wild populations. Their primarily vegetarian diet, with extremely low levels of fishmeal, reduces the number of wild fish caught.” As noted, catfish aquaculture is especially cool because farmed catfish (as opposed to farmed salmon or shrimp, for example) are vegetarians, so the end product is healthier and produced at less cost to other species and the environment. I just make sure my catfish is farmed in the United States – not only for environmental reasons, but also because I’m not confident that foreign farmed fish is a safe as it should be.

Catfish farmed in Asia is often sold under the name Basa or Swai (and sometimes just under the name “Catfish” even though this is not legal) and it’s also a good choice according to many (including Monterey Bay Seafood Watch), but I avoid it. I don’t know enough about this to offer firm recommendations to others, but there are plenty of examples of foreign raised seafood that we should NOT eat (banned chemicals, unsanitary conditions, etc.), and credible reports of poor oversight by the FDA, so I just err on the side of safety – especially inasmuch as farm raised fish is even if the US product is a tiny bit more expensive.

Vinifera Wine Bar and Bistro

2012-01-14T13:14:00.003-05:00

I love to hear about restaurants that have especially great food and that are near where I live. The Vinifera is located just around the block from my place in the Westin Hotel; and so when my colleague Janet Cochran suggested that Sheila Gold and I join her at Vinifera for lunch, since it was Restaurant Week in Reston, to do some liaison business after the eating part, I was delighted. My particular choices turned out to be outstanding with a beet and frisee salad, ravioli in a chopped tomato, garlic sauce and a dessert that included a sumptuous chocolate cake. Sheila and Janet chose the alternate choice, a chicken dish, which turned out to be just another chicken dish, but they said they really liked the mushroom soup starter and Sheila, who had a fancy baked apple thing, said it was good as well. The full menu is intriguing and we agreed that we would certainly return to pay the heftier prices that would prevail on non-Restaurant Week.
I checked with my son to see if he had eaten there and he said that he'd been there for drinks and munchies (must be those little bites that are listed on the menu) and our OLLI gourmet diner Eric Henderson said he and Carol had eaten there as well and enjoyed it. So this is especially for those of you from Reston; try it out as an alternative to the many good restaurants at the Town Center.

Wasted Food Problem

2012-01-11T15:24:00.000-05:00

The other night on the Food Network there was a special show focusing on wasted food in our country. Bobby Flay and three other Food Network stars were charged with exploring the pitch-out stuff from restaurants, food markets and farms to see how extensive the discarded item problem is. The visual amount was amazing and the criteria for not being able to use certain produce, meats, and poultry is so minor when it is perfectly safe and usable. The lesson was driven home when these chefs retrieved some of it to create a variety of apparently wonderful dishes. Food is rejected because of minor blemishes, a broken wing on a chicken and current customer taste, such as for cow's tongue, and such less than popular animal parts. The photographs of piles of tomatoes that wouldn't be accepted at market made me realize how stupidly spoiled (you bet, that's an intended pun) we Americans are. TV visuals and advertising charities now let us know how children in the world are starving for lack of such as a blemished tomato and squash. It was noted that we contribute to this as we pick through the produce in the market looking for perfect specimens, little realizing that our very handling of them (thus bruising) promotes turning them into discards by future handlers. So out the door they go into the garbage pile.
I can't think of a good way to end this. Except with a period.

Fish Night

2012-01-10T12:15:00.006-05:00

Yesterday’s snow made a great backdrop for Fish Night. With the patio lights shining on the snow through the sliding glass door next to our dining table, it felt like we were part of a Christmas card as we sat down to eat. We had two newcomers for Fish Night (for a total of eight dinner guests) – I hope they will come again even though the dinner was not my best. I’m so happy that I made a couple of my go-to side dishes because I was disappointed in the fish dish and the dessert.

But the highlight of the evening, in my opinion, was the start of a new Fish Night tradition. (I guess you have to do something more than once for it to rise to the level of a “tradition,” so the jury is out on this one.) Last Monday, we decided to start having a new and different Fish Night Cocktail each week. We are generally beer and wine people, almost never (well, actually never) going for the hard stuff. But over the years we (and our Fish night guests) have accumulated odd bits of alcohol and cocktails are back in vogue, so . . . .

This week it was a Ginger Pomegranate Champagne Cocktail. Believe it or not, I had all the ingredients on hand. The internet is great, right? Anyway, everyone liked the cocktail. If I were to do it again, I would halve the amount of pomegranate syrup, as it was a bit sweet for me.

With the cocktails, I served a cracker called “Cheese Crispettes.” The recipe sounds great, but I did not care for them (very dry!) and there were plenty of leftovers, so I think I will not try them again. You might not want to rely on my taste, however. These get rave reviews online.

We started dinner with a tossed salad and then had:

Jerry’s Black Cod with Shiso-Cucumber Salad and Carrot Vinaigrette – This was from my new cookbook, mentioned in last week’s post – Good Fish by Becky Selengut. I still love the book, but this dish left me cold. Little did I know I was being prescient when I told my guests that I hoped this would not be a favorite because it takes way too much work for the end result. The fish is marinated for a couple of hours in just a little soy sauce and even less sugar, baked, served over a yummy cucumber salad and topped with a carrot juice/ginger reduction. It was fine, but I think a dish that requires a lot of prep should be outstanding.
Pilafians Pilaf – This is a great dish, one I return to again and again. It’s tasty and easy.
Cardamom and Fennel Scented Carrots – Easy and yummy.

For dessert I made an apple pie and served it with Sea Salt Caramel gelato made by Talenti. Have you tried this? It’s amazing. (I love the other flavors, too.) I buy it at my local Safeway, so I’m pretty sure it’s readily available. The gelato did a lot for the dessert course and it needed help. The apple pie was dry and not very flavorful. This serves me right because my neighbor Jack makes a great apple pie – what was I thinking in choosing to serve apple pie to him? I used the Cook’s Illustrated re cipe, which I had tried before without caring for the result, but this recipe source has never let me down before, so I assumed the problem was me. Well, it’s not!

I’ll do better next time because I’ll go back to my no-recipe recipe for apple pie – unless someone out there has a recipe recommendation . . . .

Fish Night

2012-01-08T12:54:00.003-05:00

We had six for dinner again on Monday. Hugo brought four inexpensive bubblies – champagne, proseco and two other sparkling wines -- so we could do a taste test. He had given me advance notice of this, so I had a big tub full of ice awaiting the bottles. We all tasted and were evenly divided as to which wine we liked the best! But we loved them all, and the early evening science experiment made a great start for dinner, which included:

Skillet Roasted Cod with Ravigote Sauce – The method I used for cooking the cod is one of my favorites – “Skillet Roasting.” This is a technique I learned from America’s Test Kitchen and results in perfect fish with a nicely browned crust every time. This recipe tells you how to do it, but I used this only for the technique and used Jacques Pepin's recipe for the ravigote. This was a delicious dish. The leftover sauce was wonderful on an avocado salad the next day and I’m thinking of making the sauce just to have in the fridge. It would be great with eggs, on a baked potato -- perhaps anything other than ice cream!
Company Carrots – this was good, but not great, and life is too short to eat food that is other than “great!” I know this would have been better if I had undercooked the carrots slightly, so I may give it another chance. I was looking for a new way to fix carrots. I love serving carrots because I always have then on hand, they are very healthy, and their color is always nice on a dinner table. Although Company Carrots is definitely different from my usual carrot technique, Daughter No. 1 reminds me that our guests always love the standard technique, so maybe I should leave well-enough alone.
Limas with Leeks and Walnuts – this was terrific even though I did not have any white truffle oil. It’s another new recipe for me, but I will definitely add it to my standards. There was not a lot leftover, but I ate it for breakfast the next day. Yum!
Amish Secret Rolls – I’ve mentioned these before. I love them and they are so easy!

We had ginger cookies for dessert with our tea and coffee. I don’t have a recipe for these – I just make it up as I go. But I do use “layers” of flavor. I used powdered ginger, grated fresh ginger and candied ginger. Did I mention ginger? Everybody loved these. I’ll try to do better and remember to write down the ingredients next time.

Fascinating Fish Facts: I bought myself a cookbook for Christmas – Good Fish by Becky Selengut. This was listed by the Washington Post as one of 2011’s ten best cookbooks so I couldn’t resist. I really like the cookbook, but I love Selengut’s website. It has all the things you expect on a chef’s website, but the most interesting part is the videos. You can watch Selengut clean mussels, devein shrimp, remove the skin from a fillet, and lots more. Give it a try!

A Great Gift for a Teen-ager

2012-01-01T16:14:00.002-05:00

Our OLLI friend, Michael Coyne, got in touch with me before Christmas looking for a cooking class suggestion for his teenaged grand daughter. Having taken several courses at "Cookology" at the Dulles Mall, I knew that they have a very full schedule of classes, including those for teenagers. Mike sent me a note the other night that he had given the gift class to his grand daughter and she had really enjoyed it. So for all of you grandparents, there's an idea for a birthday gift or any other occasion for a child who seems inclined to want to cook.

My "foodie" Dynasty

2011-12-30T23:18:00.002-05:00

It does appear that I am the eldest of our developing Halverson foodie dynasty. I realized this on Christmas night when everyone from myself, to my son Pete and then the grandsons participated in the creation of our Christmas dinner at Peter's house.

My teenaged grandsons provided the always required layout of dips, shrimp, and munchies. Jon, 16, made a terrific quacamole and both the boys decorated the house so that when I arrived it had all the warmth and holiday setting to make opening gifts most festive. Fire in the fireplace of course.
Even many of our gifts related to food: a large heavy duty cutting board for me to replace my very warped standby, along with an assortment of alcoholic spirits for me to have on hand because I don't keep a large inventory of something I don't drink in the house. I gave Peter Alton Brown's new cookbook, a great book for an exhaustive treatment on just about anything to do with food. Also a gift certificate for two to Cheesetique, a cheese emporium in Alexandria.

We started the meal with grandson Chris' terrific butternut squash/leek pureed soup. I don't know what he put into it but it had many levels of flavor and a touch of a kick. Pete baked a crown roast of pork with the little footie slippers on it, rich and succulent and worthy of a pic that now appears on Facebook. With that flavorful and deeply roasted vegetables with chopped apples and a tangy spinach. For dessert, our friend Janice supplied a pumpkin chiffon pie that was smooth and rich. Both kids are great helpers in the kitchen and table conversation frequently relates to food and its preparation and dinners past. Jonathan at eight years old was the traditional pumpkin pie maker for the holidays and he early earned his own chef's knife to make him useful in the kitchen. His mother is an excellent cook, so I guess these guys had no choice. My late husband was chief cook when alive and while we both had demanding careers. I don't know if a passion for cooking is hereditary, but if so, good eating goes along with it.

Fish Night

2011-12-27T11:01:00.001-05:00

Fish Night seems to have been hijacked several times in the last couple of months and last night was no exception. We had a big crowd at our house on Christmas Day for a dinner of standing rib roast (my first attempt at this -- so easy and almost fool-proof with the techniques I used) and lots of veggies. For this Fish Night, I served left-over veggies and leftover home-made dinner rolls along with a very simple shrimp dish. So, after cheese, crackers and tamarind chutney with our drinks, we sat down to green beans, scalloped potatoes and:

Baked Shrimp Scampi – a la Barefoot Contessa. Yummy and delicious – so easy and great for advance preparation.

For dessert, we had chocolate fondue brought over by my neighbors – leftover from their Christmas Eve dinner. Hooray for leftovers!

This holiday season has just wiped me out – I’m ready for the New Year when I’ll do better next time.

Fish Night

2011-12-21T09:59:00.000-05:00

I love Fish Night around the holidays. In fact, I just love the holidays, but thefood served at holiday dinners is not my favorite (to cook or to eat) so Ienjoy eating foods not generally associated with the holidays and, in my world,fish is one of those foods. Last night, it was great to eat “regular” food eventhough the house is oozing holiday décor and the smells of holiday baking. I fell back on an old standby – simple roastedfinfish with a new and different sauce. In fact, if you’re unsure of your seafood prep talents, this is the wayto go. It’s almost foolproof.

We had six for dinner – perfect for conversation around thetable, but I do admit I love a bigger crowd with it attendant commotion. Hugo brought a delicious sauvignon blanc –Spy Valley 2010. I was afraidhe had broken my cardinal rule – “don’t get me hooked on a wine that costs morethan $20” – but this wine had me fooled. It’s not costly and it's very grapefruit-y; if, like me, you love these characteristics, this is a winefor you.

We started with drinks and pistachios – the latter in theshell give us time to catch up on each other’s holiday plans and events. As a first course, I served a vegetable soupthat was leftover from my week-end comfort food cooking binge. Then:

Pan-Roasted Cod with Chorizo Vinaigrette – I love roastedmild white fish complemented with a “wow” sauce or condiment. But I just aboutoutdid myself this time; after preparing the sauce, I almost tossed it outthinking it could not possibly complement fish. But it was amazing! I can't find a link to this recipe, so let me know if you'd like to have it. Pan-roasting is a great way to cook fish. I urge you totry this preparation – because it is so easy (see below) and so delicious.
Green Beans with Lemon Vinaigrette – Is this one too manyvinaigrettes for a single meal? I didn’tthink so and no one complained! This isone of my favorite ways to prepare green beans. The recipe calls for walnuts, but I omitted them last night because themeal was already very rich.
Carrot Celery Root Puree – Here I am with the celery rootagain. What can I say? It’s in season and I love it. And it’s fairly easily disguised – especiallyin this recipe. I had only about halfthe amount of celery root called for in the recipe, so I just increased theamount of carrots. Purees are “in” theseday s. Not sure why because they arefairly boring, but this was good.
Baked Parmesan Tomatoes – Here’s where I fall off the wagonin my attempt to eat locally and seasonally most of the time. I love, love, love tomatoes and the Campari hothousetomatoes at Costco actually taste like tomatoes all year round. This is a great, simple recipe -- the finished product is shown at right.

We had banana cake with cinnamon icing for dessert – only becauseI had some over-ripe bananas that needed to be used. I can’t in good conscience give you thisrecipe because, like pretty much every banana cake I’ve made, it wasboring. I make a mean banana bread, butI want banana cake! Does anyone have agood recipe?

Fascinating Fish Facts: It’s not all that fascinating, I guess, but it’s been suggested to methat preparing fish for guests presents difficult timing issues. True, most fish dishes require cooking at thevery last minute; so how do you do that when you want to spend time with yourguests and not in the kitchen while they are having fun without you? This is especially important to me so,whatever the meal, I try to serve food that does not require a lot of lastminute attention and I do as much as I can before guests arrive.

Fish, however, really does require last minute cooking. So I rarely fry fish – it smells up the house,takes a lot of time and attention, and is not all that healthy. If you’re a backyard griller, you know thatgrilled fish is great. But I’m not, so Imostly baked or broil fish (though poaching is also a good option). If you prep the fish before your guestsarrive, you can excuse yourself just before dinner is served and bake or broilthe fish in less than 10 minutes. Thetechnique for last night’s pan-roasted cod is my very favorite and producesperfectly cooked fish with no hassle. Itsvariations are limitless.

The only other point worth making is that, when servingfish, it is especially important that your side dishes take little or no last-minuteeffort. For example, last night thepuree was done early in the day and the just popped into the microwave whilethe fish was cooking. The beans enjoyed theirhot water bath while the fish was in the oven – their seasoning having beenprepped earlier in the day so the flavors would meld. The tomatoes were made oven ready beforeguests arrived. So they were done by thetime the fish went into the oven and we sat down to eat our soup. Piece of cake!

Banana cake anyone? -- we have lots left over. If someone has a good banana cake recipe, please share and I’ll do better next time.

Plum Pudding with a Kick

2011-12-21T08:14:00.000-05:00

Now that I'm thinking about Christmas at my grandmother's house, I remember another anecdote that I could share. We always had plum pudding for dessert with an egg custard dressing, delicious and touched with a spot of whiskey. Our family weren't drinkers and certainly my grandmother wouldn't imbibe, except for the bit she would put into the dessert at Christmas time. One year as her eyesight seemed to be getting dimmer and her memory not quite as sharp as usual, my mother watched her tip the bottle into the sauce and then a few minutes later come back and do it again, with an additional flourish. As the forks plunged into this delicacy at the table, I recall eyebrows flying up, a few coughs and someone said, "wow"! My grandmother didn't seem to notice and nothing more was said. But that had to be my first encounter with the hard stuff. I was probably 11 years old.

Philadelphia Pepper Hash Returns to my Christmas Table.

2011-12-20T09:22:00.000-05:00

My Christmas dinners as a child almost always occurred at my grandmother's table in Haddonfield, New Jersey, an historical town quite close to Philadelphia. We usually had standing rib roast, overdone according to my mother's taste, but that was the way my dad's family liked it. The salad served was like cole slaw but it was called "pepper hash" and my father liked to tell of how his job was to chop the peppers for the hash, evidently quite the chore given they didn't have food processors in those days. After my grandmother died, Dad lamented that he didn't have her recipe for the pepper hash and so it no longer appeared on our Christmas table. Yesterday, I realized that we now have the internet where everyone shares old recipes and so I typed in "pepper hash". Suddenly I was met with chat about Philadlephia pepper hash; that had to be my grandmother's recipe and I was delighted to see that others were longing for it along with me. The website which proved to be full of all sorts of handy info for foodies is www.seriouseats.com.

Too bad Dad didn't have a chance to enjoy his pepper hash before the internet came along to save his Christmas dinner.

Fish Night

2011-12-13T10:22:00.006-05:00

No Fish Night yesterday because almost all my guests ended up going out of town - to a wedding in Florida or skiing in Colorado. So "Hugo" and I just went out for dinner. We planned to eat at Hank's Oyster Bar in Alexandria because they have great seafood, but we had not counted on them being closed on Mondays!

So we ended up at a nearby restaurant, but I want to mention Hank's anyway because fish lovers should definitely visit the place. They have especially good oysters, which I love! In fact, the Washington Post ran a great article not long ago about the sourcing of some of the oysters served in this restaurant. It's actually an inspiring story and I think you'll enjoy reading it.

Food Completes the Season Fun

2011-12-12T11:48:00.001-05:00

I"m sure, along with the retailers, the restaurateurs love the holiday season. Good business for them as shoppers stop off for a meal to complete or start a busy day of tracking down bargains. The spending mood is irresistible as is the desire to incorporate food into the shopping fun. On Saturday morning, I was headed out Route 7 on a shopping mission when I was about to pass IHOP. Not having had breakfast, I decided to "hop" in and munch on some blueberry pancakes. Even though I was a "party of one", the warm and lively atmosphere was embracing as I watched families park their packages beside them on the booth seat, lift the baby into the booster chair, and laugh and banter among themselves. It was a fun place to be and I was caught in the mood. I've thought of how lunch time is also the time to celebrate, when folks get together to visit and connect, and how dinner out is a must at least once during the season, probably at a more upscale place than they would normally choose, but what the heck, it's the HOLIDAYS!

Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas to all my foodie friends.

Cooking Club News

2011-12-07T11:13:00.001-05:00

So, yesterday our Cooking Club ladies, about 13 of us, gathered at Mary Jane's to enjoy our take on Winter Solstice foods. Assembled on table were such good things as kugles, potato pancakes, salmon cakes, rice pilaf and all sorts of other things, and yummy desserts, the recipe for one we all agreed would be good to have in our collection. My own contribution was chopped liver and onions; not being Jewish I had to get the recipe from my grandson's mother who is, and it went over well. I wish I didn't have leftovers because that stuff is wicked dangerous! Hopefully we can get some of the recipes onto the doc store.

Fish Night

2011-12-06T19:54:00.011-05:00

With apologies to Casablanca fans, we "round[ed] up the usual suspects" for Fish Night yesterday. I had a great time because we had had to cancel Fish Night for two Mondays in a row, and I missed the camaraderie. We spent more time than usual over drinks and unsalted almonds --- catching up and staring into the fireplace. “Hugo “ brought a couple of bottles of Vinho Verde – one of my favorite wines of late -- and we made quick work of the first one. I had a nice red wine left over from a big pot-luck dinner we had had on Saturday night with our rowing club (NVRC), so we finished that off rather than open Hugo’s second bottle – we’ll pop that cork next week! After dinner we watched the Caps game against Florida, which we had TiVo’d during dinner – the Caps certainly did their best to come back after a horrible start.

Another very simple dinner this week. I did two things I rarely do – (1) serve a main dish pasta and (2) fry the seafood -- and I must say the dish was a real hit. I started with a pasta recipe from Lidia Bastianich – she’s known for her cooking shows, though I have not seen them.

Tossed Green Salad – I made the vinaigrette with a vinegar that is new to me – Fruit Vinegar. It’s an Asian product and I found it at an Asian grocery. Not surprisingly, given its name, it has fruity sweet notes that make for a great salad dressing. I added some lemon juice to balance the sweetness. My guests heartily recommend this dressing!

Spaghetti with Breaded Shrimp (Spaghetti con i Gamberi Impannati) – This is essentially a pasta primavera served with breaded fried shrimp on top. I’m thinking it’s the best pasta primavera I’ve ever made, so the shrimp – though delicious – was almost an afterthought to me. I started with Lydia’s recipe, though I omitted the broccoli because several of the folks at dinner do not like it and its strong flavor would have permeated the entire dish. I think you could use any vegetables you like. I used the asparagus and green onions called for in the recipe, and I added some winter squash because I had gone to all the trouble of peeling one the day before and not cooked all of it. And right now Costco has some very reasonably priced chanterelle mushrooms that I could not resist, and they were amazing in the dish.

Roasted and Pickled Red, Yellow and Orange Bell Peppers – I had some bell peppers in the fridge last week that needed to be used before they spoiled, so I roasted a whole bunch of them and let them sit in a marinade until yesterday. They were really yummy and a nice complement to the pasta.

Dinner Rolls – these were also leftover from Saturday’s Potluck. They were from Costco and a lot better than you would ever think they could be. Lots of flavor for a white bread roll.

And, to complete the Potluck leftover theme, we had leftover pumpkin pie and cherry-topped cream cheese pie. If I had not done such a good job (if I do say so myself) on the pasta, I don’t think I could even take credit for this dinner!

A final cute story from the evening – probably cute only to me because I love my Fish Night guests. I had picked some amazing parsley from the little garden we have under grow lights in our laundry room. I chopped it up intending to garnish each pasta serving before I took it to the table. As often happens, I forgot the fancy final touch and started to wander around the table topping each person’s serving with a pinch of parsley. Two of my guests virtually threw themselves over their pasta bowls to protect them from the “green stuff.” I think I’ve made great progress over the years with encouraging fish consumption among my friends, but I clearly have a lot of work yet to go on the veggie front.

Fascinating Fish Facts: Almost all the shrimp marketed in the United States is frozen (or was frozen before the purveyor thawed it for sale). Shrimp are extremely perishable, so there is always a substantial risk of getting shrimp that’s past its prime if you buy fresh shrimp. I used to be able to buy fresh “heads-on” shrimp from a reliable source at a farmers’ market, but I have not seen that guy at the market for quite a while. When you buy non-frozen fish at a local store, you can be 99.9% sure that it was frozen and then thawed by the store “for your convenience.” The problem, of course, is that you don’t know when the shrimp was thawed or how long it’s been sitting, unfrozen, in the display case. I never buy this shrimp – seriously, how hard is it to thaw something?

You can be fairly confident that the shrimp you thaw yourself and then cook immediately is very “fresh.” Today, fresh wild shrimp catches are processed and frozen immediately to very low temperatures - frequently, right on the fishing vessel. So fresh is rarely better than frozen. Always buy shrimp that is still frozen – better, cheaper and more convenient in the long run.

There are two great ways to thaw shrimp:

In the refrigerator: Put wrapped frozen raw shrimp in the refrigerator to thaw, with a tray beneath it, to catch the drippings. This usually takes about 24 hours.

In cold water: Submerge the package in cold water and change the water approximately every 30 minutes until the shrimp is thawed. More often than not, I’m desperate for a quick thaw, so I will also immerse the shrimp without the packaging.

Purchasing tips from the FDA:

Don't buy frozen seafood if its package is open, torn or crushed on the edges.

Avoid packages that are positioned above the "frost line" or top of the freezer case in the store's freezer.

If the package cover is transparent, look for signs of frost or ice crystals. These could mean the fish has been stored a long time or thawed and refrozen - in which case, choose another package. (I think this is very important!)

Most of the shrimp available in the U.S. is farm raised. This is fine as long as the methods used are safe and environmentally sound. I could actually go on and on about this, but suffice it to say that you want to avoid shrimp that has been raised in “open” systems -- farms that are open and allow surrounding water to flow through the enclosures—or those that divert wastes and chemicals into the environment—pollute adjacent waterways and habitats. This includes floating net cages or ponds that exchange water with the ocean. Needless to say, the shrimp does not have the best diet when a significant part of their food consists of their own waste. U.S. fish farmers have developed closed systems to manage wastes, filtering their ponds constantly and composting wastes to keep them out of neighboring waters. Fish farmers in Thailand are also starting to do this, but the easiest way to ensure the healthiest frozen shrimp is to buy shrimp from US fish farms. More detailed information can be found on the Monterrey Bay Seafood Watch website.

I see I've gone on too long once again. I'll do better next time.

Thrifty Tuesday

2011-11-30T16:36:00.001-05:00

I'm not one to run around the days after Thanksgiving doing frantic shopping just to save a few dollars while getting my body bruised. But when a special come-on came in the mail from Kohl's offering a great sale on Tuesday and Wednesday with an additional 15% off for seniors, I found myself in the store yesterday, parked just a few steps from the door. Some of my goals were in the area of kitchen, like purchasing knives for the cottage. That paid off handsomely with two sizes of Santoku knives, one seven inch and one five inch. And then, my favorite purchase, my new toy. Many people know that I keep a Keurig in one of my upstairs bathrooms so I can have coffee right away each morning. But that leaves me without one downstairs in my kitchen and while I'm not a big coffee drinker during the day, right after supper I do enjoy an occasional cup. So, knowing that Keurig has permitted Mr. Coffee to put out their version of a one cup that is small and a bit cheaper than the big Keurigs, I got myself a real bargain. My counter collection of small electrics continues to grow. Still, I didn't get into the melee of those who fought for a $2.99 waffle iron on Black Friday.

Looking for Chinese Restaurant Recommendations

2011-11-30T13:33:00.001-05:00

Does anyone have a suggestion for a good Chinese restaurant in the Fairfax City area and surroundings? Sometimes the good ones deteriorate if they get complacent or get new chefs or owners. Still seeking one I like and might recommend to others. (Am I the only one who doesn't think highly of P.F.Chang's for Chinese cuisine?)

Please Comment

2011-11-22T12:33:00.001-05:00

I suspect there are more of you responding to the blog than we can tell from the publishing end. It's a little like shouting in the forest; if no one responds, then was the noise really made? Or something like that. Not really needing pats on the back, but it would help to know we've been read. It's simple enough to do; below the posting there's a word "comments". Click on that and a box would come up for you to type in anything you like. Like "Interesting". Or "Boring". Or "Very funny", as with Mike's poetry. Or "I have better things to do than read this stuff." Feedback, please. Thanks, DH

Food Network Talks "Thanksgiving"

2011-11-22T12:20:00.001-05:00

Whoever among you is, like me, a Food Network addict, will be interested to know that yesterday they had a terrific live two hour show late in the afternoon where maybe eight of their well -known chefs took questions from the public about different aspects of preparing the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Typically the network repeats their shows so I would expect it will appear several more times before the holiday. Of the tips offered, I found Bobby Flay's statement that he always has a pot of chicken stock on the back burner to help with various aspects of the meal including: warming the cooled meat of the bird if there is a delay, thinning out a thickened gravy and moistening the dressing if it turns out too dry. Another tip: he said he disconnects the dark meat from the white when the white meat is done because the dark takes longer; he then removes the white meat from the pan to rest and continues cooking the dark until the meat falls off the bone. I would think he would have to begin the baking with a disconnected bird as to do it after the fact would be messy. Alton Brown bakes his stuffing in a small hollowed out pumpkin; very showy. Recommendations for wines were also included.
You may want to see if you can find the program scheduled again in the next few days

Hilarious Limericks from Mike

2011-11-22T12:02:00.001-05:00

Folks ask me right off the bat:

“Have you tried rabbit?” Whereat

I say--I cook and I savour.

“But what is the flavor?”

--Well, a bit like a Siamese cat.

Some say tomato’s a vegetable.

Others are perfectly able

To call them fruit.

Why this dispute?

They’ll never grace my table.

The slots in casinos in Vegas

Are designed to make us all beggas

Without that nice fruit

We’d lose much less loot

If we substitute rutabagas.

Recipes on Doc Store

2011-11-20T15:38:00.001-05:00

The cooking basics course we just finished, Fall 2011, included quite a few recipes that I thought I would share with anyone who has an interest. I had already promised my class folks that I would put them on the Doc Store so they could print them out from there; easier than hard copy that they would have to pick up at Tallwood. And easier for me as well. Written in my long-winded style, they follow my usual method of teaching, which is conversational and not particularly rigid to a recipe. So as you read them, you have to have some imagination about measurements and awareness that trying to do the same thing twice in cooking does not always bring the same results.

Go to the website www.olli.gmu.edu and click on Doc Store in the column at the lower left of the screen. From there you will have to scroll down to my class number F903. Be prepared for eight pages of reading.

Daily Foodie E-Newsletter from Tasting Table

2011-11-17T15:51:00.000-05:00

I just signed up for TastingTable.com's daily foodie newsletters. It is a free site and promises both local food & drink postings and also national trends, reviews, etc. Could be interesting, and if not it is easy enough to unsubscribe. Has anyone else had some experience with this web site? D.

Book Review: Maya Angelou's Great Food All Day Long

2011-11-16T16:33:00.001-05:00

Two parts to this article: the joys of borrowing books through and to the Kindle and the first book that I borrowed: a cookbook, Maya Angelou's Great Food All Day Long.

You see, when I recently learned that my Kindle could be used to borrow books from our public library system, I was thrilled and following directions given to me from the library, I tried to do that. But at the end of the process, because I have an older version of Kindle, I found that I couldn't do it directly but would have to download through my computer and then into my Kindle. Son Pete helped me to do that and the cokbook I mention was the first book I borrowed.

Those who enjoy just reading cookbooks will find this one delightful with interesting recipes; so good that I shall buy the book eventually, I'm sure. What I especially enjoyed was the intro to "Soups" where she said that whenever she would come in from a long trip, right after putting the luggage down, she would go to the kitchen and create a simple soup. She wrote: " I can almost hear the walls and floorboards and carpet hum in preparation for singing a Welcome Home composition...Before long, the aroma of soup, the sheer warmth of it would permeate the house" and she would feel like she was finally at home. She would go on, "All I know is my house has forgiven me and taken me safely back into its loving care."

Our family often did just that, not a major concoction because Campbell's would do the trick. And not in the mood for a heavy meal but wanting just something, a small warming libation like soup or tea that would signal that the household was back in action and we could settle in.

To make your house your ally, start with your kitchen.

Liplicking Limberick #1

2011-11-15T12:04:00.001-05:00

Our British mum said, “I cawn’t

Cook , tho’ you’re starving andgaunt.”

(She’d steal furtive looks

At her recipe books,

Then we’d dine in a restaurant.)

Mike Mc Namara

Fish Night

2011-11-15T08:55:00.002-05:00

We had a small group of just the regulars at Fish Night again this week – in large part because one of our friends and expected guests had bad timing. Her baby was not due until Thanksgiving, but he decided to make his appearance on Sunday night! We were in the hospital waiting room with her family until very late in the evening. And my rowing buddy (and OLLI lecturer extraordinaire) were fortunate enough to get in one more row on Monday morning before the season closes. So, all-in-all, I was pressed to get Fish Night dinner on the table and relied on the tried and true – get someone else to do most of the work for you!

We had a rice cracker mix with drinks and started with a tossed green salad. Then:

· Oven Fried Tilapia – here’s a great secret, but you have to keep it between you and me. Costco sells amazing, already breaded, tilapia that you just throw into the oven for 10 minutes and your guests will rave. The only dilemma is whether to fess up. I do, but it’s hard. I want to take credit. I did serve my home-made tartar sauce. More on tilapia in a later post. (The breaded fillets freeze well, by the way. Just be sure to use them within a couple of weeks or they lose some of their excellent flavor.)
· Macaroni and Cheese – I don’t have a recipe for this. I just cook some macaroni, put it in a casserole dish and add cheese and milk/cream and seasonings.
· Roasted Maple-Mustard Green Beans – a new recipe for me. This would have been an excellent dish if I had roasted them the vegetables long enough. It definitely takes longer than the recipe suggests. The beans and carrots should look roasted before you take them out of the oven. This is a very pretty dish.

To complete my strategy of avoiding work if at all possible, my guests ate brown and serve dinner rolls and a dish of pickled asparagus from Safeway.

I tried to keep to my strategy when it came to dessert, but the cookies I had been eyeing for months at Costco were awful! So I made some peanut butter cookies at the last minute – always a guest favorite with tea and coffee.

Fascinating Fish Facts: Learning where to buy fresh fish in our area took longer than it should have because I was initially unwilling to give up on “regular” grocery stores. I don’t know how many times I ended up with tasteless or “off” seafood before I understood that stores like Safeway, Giant and Shoppers are just not able or willing to devote the effort needed to be purveyors of excellent fish.

I love to buy fish from a real fishmonger – a store dedicated to seafood. Until this year, I loved going to Slavin’s (M Slavin & Sons), just off I-395 at Glebe Road. This was a branch of the famous NYC fish market by the same name. But it was too good to be true, and it closed after about five years in our area. The Maine Avenue wharf is another excellent place to buy seafood, but I’m rarely willing to go into DC to shop for Fish Night. Does anyone know of a good fishmonger in Northern Virginia?

For now, I am delighted with Wegmans and (surprise!) Costco. Both have excellent fish and know how to handle fish to keep it at its best. I’m not buying fish anywhere else these days. I once bought from Harris Teeter and was impressed, but have not been back because I love Wegmans so much. But if you have to buy fish from a seller you don’t know, NEVER buy it without smelling it. Any reputable fish seller will gladly wave a piece of fish under your nose. They expect a discerning shopper to confirm freshness in this way. If the seller shows the slightest resistance, keep walking. How do you confirm freshness with your nose? Just make sure the fish does not have a strong "fishy" smell – good fresh fish should smell like the ocean or the beach. More in a later post on choosing fish once you get to the store – and on frozen fish options.

My daughters tell me that blog posts should have photos and I intended to try to add a photo or two to this one, but babies wait for no woman. I’ll do better next time. (No post next week -- Fish Night cancelled so the cook can pamper herself at a Mexican spa!)

Halloween Cupcake Photos

2011-11-14T14:39:00.008-05:00

Since I can't edit existing entries (see previous Halloween cupcake posting) and can't post photos to its comments, I will post photos here - to enliven the blog and give the impetus for others to add graphics.

My granddaughter and I had fun while decorating these!

Knife Advice Needed

2011-11-12T23:35:00.001-05:00

One thing those of us working in my class noted: we need quality knives, at least a few good basic chefs' knives and one or two smaller knives that take a good edge when sharpened. Those we now have were acquired from Ann Shell's thrift shop and donated when we were first outfitting the cottage kitchen, but recent efforts with even the best of those indicate that an investment has to be made. It's not likely that the powers- that- be at OLLI will underwrite this, so in lieu of a Friends of OLLI donation, I can make the purchase on my own. But I'm not prepared to pay over two hundred dollars knowing that there are some very good knives out there that will do the job. So I'm wondering if any of our blog contributors have opinions about where to look and their experience with good knives. Any help will be appreciated.

The Party's Over, for Now

2011-11-12T09:33:00.001-05:00

I find the end of any term somewhat sad and yet since it affords me more time to do other things I've been putting off, in this case for eight weeks, it's a good thing too. We had so much fun with the Basics course and those who were involved turned out to be such a fabulous group of folks, guys and gals, that I shall miss them. Except that one of our group is hosting a party next Wednesday for all of us plus several other OLLI members so we shall meet again. For my own edification, I listed all of the dishes we worked on over the eight weeks, and was astonished to find that we cooked 22, including entrees, desserts and sides. There was a baked chicken that evolved into chicken noodle soup, fried chicken and steamed fish, Swiss steak that was fabulous, eggs Benedict with real Hollandaise sauce, spaghetti sauce from scratch and now in my freezer awaiting use at the party, and any number of interesting ways to do vegetables. Desserts: baked apples, pumpkin pie and apple pie. The regrettable thing is that we ran out of time to do everything I would have liked to show my group. We never got to seafood and you can do a lot with a potato. Oh well, maybe that's for the future.

Hopefully, I can post the instructions for these dishes on the Doc Store.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Recipe Sources on the Web

2011-11-11T09:19:00.004-05:00

Suggestion: It might be fun to cite some web sites in the blog which have good, tried-and-true, generally reliable recipes.

I tend to use www.epicurious.com as my first stop. I also refer to www.allrecipes.com occasionally. Then there is www.closetcooking.com, an eclectic mix of cuisines and idea. Recently I discovered www.thefrostedcupcake.blog.com (I need to verify this URL, as I am not at my usual computer to doublecheck) for yummy cupcakes. Google is also a go-to site, as long as you add "recipe" to your search query. It is amazing how many sites that come up as a result!

Some people like to use recipes with photos attached; this is not a criterion of mine, though.

Where do you search and what recipes appeal to you?

Doris

Fish Night

2011-11-09T08:39:00.002-05:00

The usual crowd showed up for Fish Night this week – these are the folks we can count on every week. In addition to Husband and two adult daughters, we had neighbors Jack and Nancy and friend Hugo (names changed to protect the guinea pigs). It was great to see our neighbors at Fish Night because they are recently home from a vacation in Great Britain. They missed two successive Fish Nights, and we missed them. Daughter No. 2 is just back from an exhausting few days in New York, so we had lots of travel stories to talk about. Hugo brought a great bottle of white wine and a new (to us) CD to share, as he always does.

With our pre-dinner drinks, we munched on olives (from the Wegmans olive bar) and unsalted almonds. Then I served a tossed green salad with a simple vinaigrette dressing. For the main event:

· Pan-Seared Prosciutto-Wrapped Flounder. I substituted flounder (rolled up) for the cod in this recipe because it looked better to me at the fish counter. The recipe calls for a number of Wegmans-specific ingredients that you don’t need – just substitute something similar. In fact, I used some of the Tomato-Vodka Pasta Sauce I made over the week-end instead of Wegmans Sweet Red Pepper Sauce called for in the recipe. Some people really liked this dish and some thought it was “ordinary.” It certainly made for a pretty presentation.
· Mashed Potatoes and Celery Root -- just boil cubes of peeled celery root along with the potatoes and prepare as usual. I love celery root (also called celeriac), but it’s offbeat and not universally admired, especially when served by itself. In fact, I got a “thumbs down” on a raw celery root slaw last week. (I loved it!) But, I find that mixing celery root into mashed potatoes both disguises it and makes the mashed potatoes sweeter and tastier. Celeriac is an excellent source of vitamin K and a very good source of fiber. My guests loved this dish until a couple of guys learned they were eating celery root.
· Peas – just plain old frozen peas – in fact, I think frozen peas almost always taste better than fresh peas (unless the fresh peas are eaten raw right off the wine out in your own garden), and they are just as healthy. I added a little mint to make them slightly less ordinary. Everybody likes peas; Daughter No. 2 took the leftovers home.
· Slow Cooker Fennel Braised with Artichokes. This was an experiment. I found the recipe on the California Olive Ranch website. This company makes my favorite mid-priced olive oil. Fennel is another one of my favorite, slightly off-beat, vegetables, and I thought my guests might like it in this recipe. I knew I would and it’s so easy! Again, mixed reviews from the “corn and peas” guys.
· Maple Cornbread was also a first-time use of the recipe (am I brave or foolhardy?) and is from the King Arthur Flour cookbook. I added a cup of frozen corn (thawed and pulsed a bit in the food processor). The reviews were mixed. Next time I will add a bit more maple syrup and more corn.

I don’t hesitate to purchase dessert for Fish Night or make something simple like cookies. But Daughter No. 1 bought some black walnuts at a farm market recently and she suggested that we use some of them in ice cream and the idea haunted me for the last couple of weeks. Black Walnut Ice Cream. While dessert was being served, Nancy went back to her house next door to retrieve her iPad so we could enjoy the pictures she took in England and Scotland (as well as some cupcakes she and Jack had bought at Lavender Moon in Old Town Alexandria -- delicious!).

Fascinating Fish Facts: According to a 2006 global study by a team of scientists from 12 academic institutions in five countries, all of the world's fishing stocks will collapse before mid-century, devastating food supplies, if overfishing and other human impacts continue at their current pace.

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (a relatively conservative body), reports that over 25% of all the world's fish stocks are either overexploited or depleted. Another 52% is fully exploited, meaning that these are in imminent danger of overexploitation (maximum sustainable production level) and collapse.

Enough lecturing – I just wanted to explain why I try to be careful to make sure my fish purchases do not add to the problem – economic (when cod fishing collapsed from overfishing in Canada in 1992, 40,000 jobs were lost) or environmental (‘nuf said!). This is easier than you might think. The Monterrey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch puts out a great pocket guide that tells you what fish to avoid when at the grocery store or a restaurant. There is a pocket guide for our area. You can print the guide on your computer or order free cards that will be sent to you in the mail. The idea is to take it with you when you shop or dine. (I keep the guide as an app on my iPhone.)

A great National Geographic article on overfishing and its effects.

I see I’ve run on too long – new to blogging. I’ll do better next time.

Le Maitre d'Dites: An Improbable Conversation

2011-11-07T08:31:00.001-05:00

Bon soir, mesdames, and welcome to

This temple of the Cordon Bleu;

A site so frankly Francophile

We ask you stay and dine a while.

Like Immanuel Kant our Tourd’Argent

Will challenge your lingeringtaste--

For philosophy’s like gastronomy

(And neither thrives on unduehaste.)

Our warm hors d’oeuvres will soothe the nerves

While you sample our Gallic ways

Of Soupe Terrine and Boeuf sublime

And naturally, our sauce Bearnaise.

Beyond that sauce our Bouillabaisse

Would shame the chefs of oldCompagne

Our expertise is just to please:

Would you carefor un peu de vin?

And now behold, quellesurprise

Wonderful as adiligent spouse,

Like the roofs ofgay Paris,

This evening is…“onthe House”.

Mike Mc Namara

Thanksgiving Wines Suggestions

2011-11-05T08:19:00.000-04:00

Our friends Eric and Carol Henderson know a lot about wines. They've led many wine trips in Virginia to our members' delight. I asked them what they would suggest for the typical Thanksgiving dinner and here is their reply:

For roast turkey and rich side dishes such as stuffing andmashed potatoes, we like a Gewurtztraminer. This is a nice aromatic wine, oftenwith a bouquet that reminds one of flowers. It usually has a touch of sweetnessthat goes well with a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. A Riesling would also work, and one mightalso try a Viognier from Virginia. A full-bodied Viognier is also aromatic andsometimes has a touch of sweetness. Viognier is rapidly becoming one of thebest white wine offerings from Virginia wineries.

Eric and Carol Henderson

Fish Night

2011-11-04T16:30:00.002-04:00

Unless commenters beg me to stop, I’ll try to post on this blog on Tuesdays about the previous evening’s Fish Night at the Spooner Household. It started more than 5 years ago when my next-door neighbor had serious heart issues and clearly needed to work on his diet. We all know that fish is heart-healthy, but he ate no fish (mayo-loaded tuna salad doesn’t count – nor does batter-coated deep-fried seafood) and told me he hated fish. We all needed more fish in our diets, and I was confident I could change his mind.

So I invited him and his wife to come to dinner every Monday to dine on fish. The project has ballooned and now most of our friends know they can join us on any Monday, and the numbers around our table range from 5 to 20 (and, a few times, even more) each Monday. Fish Night has even gone international. My daughter’s Australian friends have done the “Fish Night” thing with their own friends and family. And our European friends know not to phone any of us on Mondays, as we will have our mouths full! I love to cook and entertain – I especially like trying new dishes, so my guests are also my test subjects for new preparations. Win-win, right?

Anyway, I'm thinking I will write a note each Tuesday about our guests, what we ate and drank, and anything else what was noteworthy about the previous night. Maybe a recipe or two? Or a mention of which foods are in season and/or local? I’m hoping to get comments and suggestions – and maybe stories by others about their attempts to eat healthy and force their friends to do likewise!

Come Saturday Morning...

2011-11-01T11:48:00.000-04:00

I have always enjoyed breakfast out, especially on Saturday when my favorite restaurant exudes a certain community feeling..families laughing and enjoying being together, the baby in the booster with dad for a change watching the little one; long married couples, he's reading the "Post", she's quietly enjoying her coffee; young couples lost in one another's presence; divorced dads feeding the kids on his weekend. I enjoy the hum of the place and the smell of bacon and fresh squeezed oranges and even good old fry in those peppery hash browns that wind up on every egg plate. You can get anything you want for breakfast, and certainly what you don't have in your own fridge at home for a nice change. The coffee is always hot and frequently refreshed, and the service welcoming and friendly offered by waitresses you want to call "Flo". I speak of my favorite morning spot for breakfast, Virginia Kitchen in Herndon on Baron Cameron Road in the Kmart Shopping Center. They are open all week for breakfast and lunch with a very nice menu for lunch too. You get the feeling with the lunch group that they eat there regularly.Their chef is very creative with his specials, my favorite so far is mashed potato omelet with sour cream and scallions; regular breakfasts come in so many combinations, it's difficult to decide whether you are in the mood for pancakes, grits, or eggs in any number of forms. I like the people who run the place and I always enjoy the comfort there on a rainy morning. It's not the place where everybody knows your name, but you still feel you are among friends.

Anything Goes

2011-10-30T15:43:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of being with a group of "foodie" friends where we shared our favorite tapas. Basically "tapas" is the Spanish word for "hors d'oeuvres" but easier to spell. New to this Spanish version that seems to have a little more heat attached, I was impressed as to how the makeup of many could have to do with what's already available in the pantry and that ties into my approach to most concoctions that I come up with, even for meals. Example: today's lunch was a sandwich on wheat bread with some leftover pastrami, havarti cheese and leftover and therefore, old, red cabbage slaw. Plowing around in my fridge, eager to get rid of the little bits of stuff, often results in some very interesting meals. I'm curious about what others may have done with their exciting finds.

Why the French Invented Perfume

2011-10-29T23:18:00.000-04:00

Our sous-chef invariably reeks
Of onions, chives and leeks--
Not that he ought to smell like a rose,
And we've never seen him eating these;
But his odor can bring one's cat to its knees.
Mon Dieu! The smell is in his clothes!

Mike Mc N

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-28T22:51:00.003-04:00

Just to restate: OLLI will celebrate Halloween on Monday Oct. 31 with pumpkin painting, pumpkin judging, cider and (ta, da) cupcakes. I am anticipating that the cupcakes will carry out the Halloween theme - as scary as I can make them! Find them in the annex on Monday morning.

D.

AB OVO

2011-10-28T22:36:00.003-04:00

Consider what precedes the chicken:

You, Colonel Sanders’, wing and leg; but

Well before thechicken, sir,

Let us discuss the simple egg.

----------

Fried today, or with Sauce Mornay,

What’s breakfast without ’em light and airy?

Scrambled, stirred, or ovenly shirred,

The egg’s one joyous cackleberry.

In breads white and rye; in cake & pie

At home with apple, pear, and peach:

Eggs lend a tang to all meringue,

And Frenchify one’s loving quiche.

Here’s the mayonnaise and Hollandaise,

And the breath of each soufflé,

A hard-boiled Yegg just won’t renege,

Nor will poached eggs resist flambé.

O! If I could depict eggs Benedict

As my ultimate, heavenly wish:

I’ve often reveled in those be-devilled.

Here’s a toast: “To the egg, the do-it-all dish”.

-------------

Dear Sanders: One Colonel to another--

Take advice I collegially beg,

Smite the chicken, hip and thigh,

Embrace instead, the humble egg.

Mike Mc Namara

Colonel, Infantry, USA (Ret.)

Business Cards Available

2011-10-26T18:25:00.000-04:00

Those folks who cater to the creative in all of us, Avery Products, have enabled me to create business size cards that include the vital information you may find useful if you want to access and then participate on this blog. I know some folks are checking it out, and I am hoping more of you will comment on what you are reading. But should you have an interest in writing something original, you need to email me at debbyhalv@aol.com so that I an invite you to author something. I wish it were easier but for now that's how it goes. I'd like us to have an active restaurant review thing going so if you've dined recently, or simply eaten, somewhere that you want to promote, do ask me to authorize you; or slip it into a comment because you don't need any permission to comment. If you use the name "anonymous", then identify yourself in the body of the comment.

You may also take advantage of the font choices at the top of the composing page to get fancy yourself . Look for my business cards in the social room or similar places at Reston and Loudoun.

Where did the crickets go?

2011-10-25T00:14:00.001-04:00

Now it may be possible that there is suddenly a cricket convention somewhere other than at my house, but I think something else happened when, after several weeks of those wild and crazy bugs hopping around my house, making chirpy noises etc., that suddenly they are nowhere to be seen. My family had just reminded me that these bugs are nasty pets so I'd best get rid of them, but before I could, I noticed that they were already gone. Simultaneously, I had put a big bouquet of Carolyn Sanders' bay /laurel in my bathroom where the bugs had collected. She had said that other bugs hate bay; maybe crickets do too. Peace at last!

Meatless in Fairfax

2011-10-24T10:47:00.002-04:00

Good to be alive in this nation

That doesn’t worship vegetation,

But loves its burgers, ribs, andchops

Ignoring verdant, fresh-fieldcrops

Who then’s responsible for all ofthese

Tiny things like Bonsai trees?

Looking at my plate, well, darkly,

All I can see is nasty Broccoli!

Fed the stuff by a diligent Mom

I thought as adult I’d come upon

A promised land of meatfilledlife;

But instead, I married a diligentwife.

Chorus:

For its steak, steak, steak,

Well-done or medium rare

Chew for goodness’ sake:

Meat’s on the bill of fare!

Mike Mc Namara

Rita's Tangy Potato Salad

2011-10-22T15:03:00.001-04:00

Awhile back, Ray Beery saw that we had a foodie blog and asked for a good recipe for German Potato Salad. I reached out to pal Rita Leake ( who recently did me the honor of bumping into me at Boston's Logan Airport as we each were making our way home from New England...another story) and she sent me this:

Tangy Potato Salad

Prep Time: 25 Minutes    Ready In: 25 Minutes
Servings: 12

INGREDIENTS:
12 medium red potatoes
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
2 dill pickles, finely chopped
2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley
3/4 cup chicken broth    3/4 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tomatoes, cubed
6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

DIRECTIONS:
1.    Cook potatoes in boiling salted water until tender. Drain; cool
slightly. Peel and slice potatoes; combine with onion, eggs, pickles and
parsley in a large salad bowl. Set aside. Heat chicken broth until warm;
remove from the heat. Add mayonnaise, salt, pepper and garlic powder; mix
until smooth. Pour over potato mixture and mix lightly. Cover and chill.
Just before serving, gently stir in tomatoes and bacon.

Looking for tried-and-true chicken recipe for guests

2011-10-22T11:49:00.002-04:00

Congratulations on your blog and thank you for the invitation to join you. I am looking for a

chicken recipe that I can make in advance and is good enough to serve guests. I have a few restrictions: I am gluten-intolerant so it cannot include any breading, bread crumbs, or pasta.

I use gluten-free flour so I can substitute that, but gluten-free pasta is not something I would serve guests. It just isn't as good as the real stuff. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly

appreciated. We have weekend guests arriving in two weeks, and I would like to have some

entrees made in advance.

A Triumph of Poaching

2011-10-22T11:37:00.000-04:00

When we had that yummy Hollandaise sauce available and it was "egg" day in class, I knew the natural dish to use the sauce was Eggs Benedict. Now, I am not a great poacher, despite years of trying every method and gadget I have found. I had to demonstrate for seven people in class, so I thought I would try something that had worked for me moderately well in the past. We have a large electric skillet that could handle the first batch of five eggs, so I squirted some canola oil in and let it come to heat. Then carefully broke the first egg and slipped it into the oil, then did it with another and then I added hot water to all but totally cover the two eggs. By that time the whites had gathered so those eggs were well on their way to success. Next, I added, one at a time, three more eggs into the watery pan. Now everything was under control; all that was needed was a lid on the pan for half a minute to cook the top of the eggs. When we removed the lid, we all raved at how beautiful they were, soft, and beautifully poached. They were ready to release to our toasted English muffins, topped with steamed asparagus, Canadian bacon and Hollandaise sauce. Sounds like an international gathering, doesn't it?

Hollandaise Helps Any Egg

2011-10-20T09:07:00.000-04:00

Carolyn Sanders returned to our class yesterday with a demonstration of how to make Hollandaise sauce. It was awesome! So we created the perfect egg dish, Eggs Benedict, with the perfect poached eggs, English muffins , asparagus and Canadian bacon. With the sauce, we really had something! Next week she promises to teach us how to make fried green tomatoes, with tomatoes from her garden. Yesterday's demonstration also included my famous mashed potato omelet with sour cream and scallions. There was a real comfort food feeling at the cottage yesterday.

Judy's Beets are Easy to Make

2011-10-14T22:10:00.000-04:00

Judy Melnotte picked up on my article where I mentioned roasting vegetables. Here's what she added:

"Roast whole beets are super and easy. Just wash and trim around the tops and bottoms.(No need to
peel.) Place in a covered Pyrex dish, add about 1" of water, and roast at 350 for about an hour. Serve with the greens sauteed in oil."

That Betty!

2011-10-14T21:53:00.000-04:00

This morning my five -year-old grand-daughter called me from Oslo, Norway, where she lives with her parents. She was in a local supermarket and very excited to share some information with me. "I'm eating American food," she said. "It's Betty Crocker," evidently a chocolate sample. Her mother reported that the little girl thinks we have really good food in America. Yes, they do have American brands in Norway... Skippy, Cheerios, and now the famous baking woman. She must be at least one hundred years old but she's still moving. Our Betty is traveling the world!

Mashed Cauliflower

2011-10-14T13:57:00.000-04:00

Ate at Coastal Flats recently and was served mashed cauliflower with fish...two asparagus were added for color. I have made it at home just like I would make mashed potatoes. Also you can find recipes by Googling mashed cauliflower. Try it for a change!

The Addition of Fresh Herbs

2011-10-13T10:52:00.001-04:00

OLLI member Carolyn Sanders graced our “Basics” class onWednesday with armloads of herbs from her prolific garden. Fresh bay leaf inthree and four foot branches filled the cottage main room with fragrance thatdefinitely improved the atmosphere. You all know about bay leaf, I’m sure, thatdried up old leaf that we typically purchase in a bottle and use for everythinglike soups, stews, pasta sauce. Carolyn says that if you lay bay leaf around inyour cabinets, it will discourage those nasty wheat bugs that can climb intoall your cereal boxes. The freshform of bay is very soft and can be cut up into little pieces known as achiffonade, and is edible in dressing recipes or scattered in those same dishesas referred to above, but since not dried, don’t have to be fished out beforeservice.

She had other herbs with her as well, including oregano,mint, basil, fennel, garlic chives, and some strange strains of herbs that areinternational in origin.

Of course, knowing what to do with these terrific plants isimportant to having them. We used fennel in a steamed fish dish and the oreganowith braised pork tenderloin and red cabbage slaw and the results were mostpleasing. What we need to do ishave a special presentation by someone in the know about how to best use theseherbs.

Meanwhile, Carolyn’s bay will continue to climb up and overher house; already, she says, it is as high as the roof.

Let's Get Cookin'!

2011-10-08T18:37:00.000-04:00

Conversation about food is universal, or at least in myworld, and this blog while it may begin as a monologue, I hope will become more“dialogue” in form as OLLI folks check it out.

For me, dialogue about food occurs wherever I go. Who couldguess what my hairdresser and my son had in common? The same recipe of what todo with kale, that curly green that often decorates the plate in restaurants,but that no one would eat in that form. Two students in my Basics of Cookingclass requested a recipe for preparation of kale and I mentioned this at myrecent haircutting and also a day or so later when visiting with my son andfamily. Both recommended roasting it with olive oil and garlic. So we will haveto try that, especially since my sixteen-year-old grandson, an enthusiasticchef on his own part supported his dad’s recipe.

Roasting vegetables is currently a favorite method forpreparing many vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant,asparagus, winter squashes, and probably many more that I haven’t tried yet.Just cut them up and spread them out on a baking sheet and coat with olive oil,salt and pepper and bake in a hot oven (400 degrees) for a short time, maybeten minutes, and the result is often sweeter than raw or nuttier in flavor thanwhen cooked in the steamer or boiled. The class roasted cut up potatoes this way for twenty minutes and theycame out crispy on the outside and soft inside. With the added enhancements ofpaprika and chili powder, the effect was awesome.

I hope the blog will feed your interests with cooking tips,recipes, poetry, restaurant reviews, seasonal market places...anything butweather reports unless a drought in the south affects the fruit supply or theprice of peanuts. I plan to addnew stuff to it regularly so I hope you will stop by often to see what’scooking in my little brain. Ifthere’s one thing we all have to do is eat; might as well enjoy a discussion onthe topic that will enhance the experience.