Tim's Delicious Soup

Last night Tim made us some grilled cheese with Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup. It was delicious! We still have alot left so we will both have this for lunch all week probably. Which works out great really! He was inspired by a small restaurant we went to in Ohiopyle a couple times this summer. Theirs had cheese and tortilla strips on top which we left but it was still so good.

brands are for blue jeans

The other day, someone made the argument that I should shop at Aldi's because a lot of their products are name brands with a generic label.  I'm trying to think of how this helps me.  I'm trying to buy as much non-labeled food as possible - fresh food from the local farmer; ingredients from the bulk section to make my own muffins, cookies, and breads; bulk lentils and grains.  It's not to say that I don't have a decent selection of labeled foods in my kitchen, but I can say that they are probably not the most popular brands.  I simply want to ensure that I can identify (and want to put into my body) each of the ingredients on the label.  I recognize that this philosophy has become a luxury in our country and I continue to be baffled by how difficult it is to get back to basics.  We are now in a situation where branded food as a staple is a sign of a wealthy country.  Why is it that people in a poor country eat more fresh food than poor (and wealthy and everyone in between) people in a wealthy country and how can we get fresh food to people in this so called "wealthy" country?

Sorry for the rant, but at least it's about food.

move over moosewood

There's a new (almost) vegetarian restaurant in town and it seems that most of their ingredients are local.  Check out my beet (local) and goat cheese (local) pizza.  They offer the full selection of Ithaca beer along with several other options I hope to try another day.   As a colleague pointed out, it's also one of the few places in town where you can get a dinner entree for $12-16. 

Unfortunately we got ahead of ourselves and ordered two appetizers so we didn't have room for dessert.  Fresh cut french fries with three dipping sauces and a very garlicly artichoke dip got us started.  For those of you who enjoy eating meat or enjoy dining with carnivores, you will be pleased to know that a decent selection of local burgers, pork chops, and chicken items are available.  Kyle got his hands dirty with whole bbq chicken wings - just spicy enough to make his hands and eyeballs tingle (oops-remember, hands away from face), but not enough to give him hiccups.

It's been a while since I posted something. What can I say, I've been cooking a lot! So, my excuse is too much cooking and not enough writing.

I can start off with the dish that Emma mentioned, the fried catfish, which was one that I would definitely do again. Although, I would keep it more simple. I usually do the catfish with just corn meal, that's it. This time I tried to get fancy and coat with other spices and then drip some bacon grease after. Needless to say, I would just do the corn meal next time. Oh, and can't forget the hush puppies, I think I'll include that the next time as well.

Then there was the next evening where we had another couple over and coconut curry chicken was served over rice lentil basmati rice with roasted and candied cashews on top . Not bad, but once again, I would ditch the lentils and keep it simple.

Monday, there was the butternut squash soup recipe from the back of the Silk box - delicious. That is one soup that tastes wonderful pureed. And I can't forget to mention the roasted golden, blue, and fingerling potatoes harvested that day from our garden. Yep, we died and went to heaven. Idaho would never believe the quality of the potatoes grown in Pittsburgh.

And last night we had beef chili made from homemade vegetable stock, which was made from stalks of collard green and brussel sprout plant. I unknowingly put in a pepper from our garden that was a little too spicy for Debbie so I had to make another batch and cut it. So, we'll be having the chili again, sometime in winter when we pull it from our freezer.

Pretty Colors

Tonight I made a deliciuos dinner! I was a little worried at first because I thought it would be bland but, i kept forgetting about the other ingredients that I would later add. It was also very healthy! There were a variety of peppers as you can see. Along with onions and garlic. I used rotini noodles which were cooked in chicken broth and this made them so much more delicious! I love pasta in any meal! The rest of the flavoring came from chili powder. And of course there had to be meat involved! I put ground turkey in this as well. It was all so juicy, flavorful and delicious. There was a tiny bit of sugar and vinegar as well but I don't know that they played as big of a part. We had some awesome breadworks buttered bread with the meal as well! I had some grated romano cheese out with the meal which we sprinkled on. We didn't put alot on though because it wasn't really needed. It was delicious without the romano.

Mmmmmm.....Fried potatoes from the other day! Not too much to say about them other than they were delicious!We had them last week for dinner one night I think. They just had salt, pepper and some garlic garlic seasoning from Tastefully Simple on them.

Today Tim & I had some running around to do. He had his first experience at Construction Junction and loved it! We got some ideas for an outside grill that he would like to build. Then, Tim had another first....we went across the street to the CO-OP. He loved it there as well of course. His biggest excitement was that they had the salsa he loves and Boysenberry Spritzers. They stopped selling that flavor at Whole Foods a while ago so he was happy to find another store around here with Boysenberry.We then went to Bloomfield for some Thai. We went to Thai Cuisine, Tim had never been there before and I knew how delicious it is! He got the Winter Curry and I got Pad Thai....both awesome! The spring rolls for an appetizer were delicious too!

Dinner with Bobby & Debbie

Tim & I went over for dinner last night and turns out Bobby is a wonderful house wife! He made hush puppies and catfish. To accompany those we had collard greens and brussel sprouts from the garden. Then, for dessert Debbie made an awesome apple pie! Surprisingly I liked the greens. The photos are Bobby making some catfish and the apple pie.

thin mints

Did I tell you that I found a recipe for thin mints?  I plan to try this very soon. Can't wait!  I'll let you know how it goes!

paw paw

I tried a new fruit yesterday!  Bronwyn has been talking about the paw paw for a week or so. Apparently it's all the rage in her lab.  Paw paws are native to North America but they don't seem to travel well, which may explain why they are not well known and readily available in markets.  If you are able to find some, I highly recommend trying it. It has more protein than most fruits and it's a nice change from the usual mix. The pulp can be scooped out with a spoon and has a custard-like texture.  I found the taste to be sweet and tangy, like a kiwi-flavored creamy pudding, but healthier.

sunday in the kitchen

Stewed fruit - inspired by the innkeeper/chef at the William Henry Miller Inn.  Saturday night I filled the crock pot with peaches, plums, pears, cinnamon, nutmeg, a good dose of ginger brandy and a splash of oj.  Set on low overnight and viola - stewed fruit!  Yum!  Also good with cherries, apples, or dried cranberries.

For lunch, a Jamie Oliver pasta recipe.   Saute leeks and peppers in a EVOO or butter, add cooked pasta, smoked salmon, and a container of marscapone cheese.  More Yum!  Serve with salad and a crusty bread and you have a meal sure to impress.  I learned about this one from Bronwyn and it was actually as easy as it sounds.

We were too stuffed for a full dinner and the bread wasn't going to be good the next day, so I made some bread pudding.  Melt butter in a ceramic dish. Layer bread. Perhaps drizzle with some liqueur (I happened to have a near empty bottle of Chambord). Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Cover with a mixture of egg, sugar, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and coconut.  Yum!  Inspired by Madeline's Restaurant. 

I find I'm much more inclined to copy a food dish I've already tasted and know I love compared to something I simply read about or imagine.  What does that say about me?

everybody loves dinosaur

How delicious does this look?  You need to experience Dinosaur Bar B Que.  We should allow time for a trip to Syracuse for some mouth watering bbq - pulled pork, cajun catfish, or drunken shrimp - the next time you visit.  This is the place with the great cornbread that I now copy.  Not only is everything seasoned just right at this biker bar, but they use local produce and even make the pumpkin pie and cheesecake from fresh pumpkin.  Too bad we were full after finishing these huge platters of goodness.
http://www.dinosaurbarbque.com/index.php

cheddar parsnip

I'm still thinking about the cheddar parsnip soup I almost didn't get yesterday.  Every Monday morning I check the Temple of Zeus soup menu on-line and all week I was looking forward to cheddar parsnip.  Yesterday morning, after inviting friends to join me for lunch, I passed by Zeus and immediately noticed that the chalkboard did not list cheddar parsnip as the soup of the day.  Naturally, like the food freak I am, I inquired.  I was able to maintain my composure, but the whole time I was thinking that I may not make it another day and may have to make a Wegman's run so I could make my own soup at 9:00 at night after seeing Toni Morrison (who, by the way was delightful). The cashier didn't understand the importance of the question being asked, but the chef didn't take it so lightly and assured me cheddar parsnip would be served that afternoon.

It was exactly as I remembered (keep in mind that it had not been on the menu all summer, so it was a serious case of withdrawal). Try some at home: http://www.arts.cornell.edu/zeus/.