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eggplant

Salads

Spicy Bean Sprout Salad

This is so easy, I’m almost embarrassed to tell you about it.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone and I hope every eats and enjoys the day without worrying about calories. When I decided to post this Asian salad it brought back memories of The Christmas Story (movie) (not this recipe but Chinese food) and how the dogs got into the house, ate the Christmas turkey and the family had to go out for Chinese food for Christmas Day. Well, that won’t happen at our house but this is a great little starter appetizer/salad to serve if you are doing anything Asian.

I love small plate restaurants, especially when you order lots and lots of small plates which we did the night we ate at this Japanese bar in Northbrook, IL. and this bean sprout salad was served to us when we first sat down.

I’ve had some unusual small plates recently — pig tail in Austin at Swift’s Attic and also Pig Cheeks also from there. The Pig Cheeks were great because they were fall off the jaw tender (ha, that’s funny) and served with crispy toast that we spread with fig jam, then Dijon mustard, then the shredded braised spicy pig cheek. Yum. Blistered shishito peppers is another small plate we have tried. Even though I have made those several times (after having them in Vego, Spain) I will always order them in a restaurant. Fried Eggplant Chips with Honey Drizzle was a small plate that we had in Seville, Spain and I had to recreate it as soon as we got home. We’ve tried tripe also on a small plate; I was glad that was a small plate.

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Entree/ Fish/Seafood

Salmon with Mustard Sauce

And an extra mustard sauce recipe to boot!

If you are looking for something quick and delicious to make during this busy Christmas season, this should definitely be on your list of “must” try recipes.

There are still a few packages of Alaskan salmon in our freezer that my husband caught a year ago and I am getting a little reluctant to cook it because once I do it will be gone and I will be back to buying it from the grocery.

While in Austin after the birth of number 5 grandson last May, (wow that was 8 months ago) his Grandmommy took GA and I to lunch downtown. We had a great lunch at a little Italian restaurant close to her work. I, of course, had eggplant parmesan which is hard for me to ever pass up. She had a salmon topped with a mustard sauce which looked so good. I could just taste the tartness of the mustard with little twinges in my cheeks. After being offered a taste a couple of times I finally did taste it and the sauce was bold and creamy. They called the sauce a Mostarda sauce but a Mostarda sauce has fruit and mustard; and this had no fruit so I turned to the Internet for a mustard sauce for salmon.

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Appetizers/ HotApp

Fried Squash Blossoms

My first attempt but not my last!

Aren’t they beautiful. I may have to plant some squash just so I get some blossoms to fry.

These flowers don’t go in a vase. This past weekend a friend, Kathy and I finally got together for a trip to Houston’s Urban Harvest Farmers Market. We haven’t seen each other for a while but stay in touch through texting. I should be better and try to actually pick up a phone and call than typing into the phone things that sometimes don’t make a bit of sense. I’ve even gotten worst and use the voice activated texting, which believe me, does not come out right sometimes and I’m sure my text leave friends thinking “what in the world is she saying.” We both worked at Williams Sonoma for about six years and shared our love of food while working together so we are never at a loss for something to talk about.

Who doesn’t like farmer’s markets especially when you find a vegetable or product you have not tried before. On this trip it seems like everyone had squash blossoms and they were so beautiful and they were screaming from their cute little ruffled lips to jump into my bag. We also saw some beautiful potato greens (leaves) that a lady told me could be cooked or put into salads. They were very interesting and will be on my list the next time there. I also bought some portabella mushrooms which I used the tiny squash on the end of the squash blossoms as the filling for the Squash Stuffed Mushrooms.

A few graffiti eggplant and some organic ground beef also jumped into my basket while there and I’m sure I can come up with some yummy to do with those also.

So, after a day of looking over freshly grown produce and other products the farmers were selling, lunch was at Tiny Boxwood in Houston. I have never been there and I loved the little place and a bonus was there’s a nursery right next door. As Mr. Rogers use to say, “It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood.”

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Entree/ Game/ Pork

A Very Good Cassoulet

This was fantastic and so good on a cold winter night.

I was hoping to try this in France last Spring but there were so many other things to try and I had already made this a couple of times so it didn’t bother me that it wasn’t on my list of “tried things” while there.

Did you grow up (or still do) eating white beans in a bowl with a big chunk of corn bread on the side (please don’t say sweet cornbread) with maybe some chow chow to add to your beans. We did and they were the best beans you could possibly hope for at the time. A few years ago, my dad showed my husband how he had started making beans. He would soak the beans over night and then he would put the beans in a pot (he used a pressure cooker) with a couple of country style ribs (or backbone depending on where you live) and a ham hock.

Then along came Cassoulet (new to me). A word I had heard but never paid much attention to. I had never had the dish before our French Country Feast a few years ago. It was fantastic. A cassoulet is a stew made with white beans, sausage, duck confit, sometimes lamb, ham hocks and ham bone. Now, how could that not be an out of this world dish.

This recipe may take hours in the making but it will well be worth it in the end. I would either serve my mother’s cornbread recipe or a crusty French bread with this. There are so many recipes on the Internet for cassoulet and methods of making it. I would suggest reading a few before trying this recipe. In the end though, how can you mess up beans and a bunch of different kinds of meat. The end results will be great, no matter what you put in it.

BLAST FROM THE PASTFried Eggplant Chips with Honey Drizzle was an appetizer we had in Seville, Spain. Very delicious. I was excited to see that 2,600 people have looked at this recipe. Back in March I had 1,600 views — WOW. I really get excited when I think how many people just happen to find a recipe of mine through a google search.

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Appetizers/ ColdApp

Baba Ganoush

Baba Ganoush. What a funny sounding name.

I can’t say that I have always known what Baba ganoush was. In fact, I am sure, at one time or other, I probably thought it was something some sheik in the Sahara dessert was yelling from his tent — “hey, bring me my baba ghnoush”. As far as I knew that could have meant his slippers, his camel, or his wife. I never really gave much thought to what it was or what you did with it.

Then one time I remember seeing this dip and thinking it was hummus and was told it was Baba Ganoush and it was made from eggplant.

So today I found myself with an eggplant (I was going to grill) that had been sitting out on my counter for a couple of days, and my husband doesn’t liked grilled eggplant anyway; so instead of making something he probably wasn’t going to eat, I decided to try this Baba Ganoush recipe. I had the tahani, lemon, garlic, olive oil and even some very nice pita I had bought down in Houston. So, why not make a little appetizer we can enjoy out by the pool at the end of the day while hub’s grilling our pork chops. Oh, how I like summer and nice weather here in Texas (when it isn’t scorching hot) and the main reason is that my husband does most of the cooking outside and he still LOVES his Kamoto Joe ceramic smoker.

Sometimes this dip is called Caviar d’aubergine and is a very tasty and easy to make spread that can be made several days in advance as it only improves with age. Hope you will try this.

Do you have your favorite dip/spread that guests drool over? If so, leave a comment on what they are.

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Side dish/ Vegetables

Grilled Vegetables with Balsamic Dressing

Can be prepared ahead of time and just waiting for your guests.

Whatever you are planning for your Memorial Day celebration, these vegetables are easy to make and will be a hit at your party.

I loved grilled vegetables mainly because I don’t have to cook them. Usually, anything grilled falls on my husband. For this recipe though, I decided to do them on my cast iron grill top inside because sometimes my husband tends to over grill vegetables leaving them charred and burned.

I did make a cool discovery doing these vegetables. I used my waffle cutter to cut my vegetables. So when I put the vegetables on the flat top grill, the waffle cut of the vegetables left marks on them like they had been done over a grill.

For some reason every time I make grilled vegetables (and I posted some roasted root vegetables back in the fall) I can never get a good picture of them. They taste wonderful but do not photograph well. I’m thinking if you see a beautiful picture of roasted or grilled vegetables in a magazine, the photographer must have waved his magic wand and created some magical setting that took a great picture of a heap of grilled vegetables. Maybe a little torching, painting with oils, I don’t know but I want to eat mine, not just look at them.

So I hope you will try this recipe even though the pictures don’t do justice to the recipe.

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Side dish/ Vegetables

Rosemary Roasted Vegetables

Thanksgiving day roasted vegetables.

Can’t you just smell fall in the air, looking at these roasted vegetables. This is the time of the year in Texas that I start feeling like it is fall. Some of the leaves are falling, a few trees may be changing colors, and the temperatures have gotten out of the 80’s and 90’s, and these wonderful vegetables can be found very proudly sitting in the produce isle just begging you to buy them.

Some graffiti eggplant, golden beets, red beets, miniature onions, maroon carrots, a few potatoes and Brussels sprouts.

I do roasted vegetables just about any time during the year but for some reason it seems like they are perfect for the fall season.  All the beautiful colors and shapes that you find in your produce section just makes you want to gather up a bunch and take home to roast for dinner.

Recently, I was at gourmet grocery waiting to take a class in their Viking Cooking School. I had some time to kill and I love walking around in this store so I was looking for some vegetables to cook for dinner.

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Food Stories

A day at the farmer’s market.

Buying local and fresh is always the best!

Ya know, there is just something about going to a farmer’s market that feels so good. I think I get that feeling because I know I am getting fresh and locally grown food by people who really care about what you are eating.

Years ago, we use to get excited just seeing a farm stand along the highway. We always knew their produce would be the freshest available in the area.

I just finished a book, Summer House, and loved reading about this girl’s farm stand, how all the locals at Nantucket would stop to buy her flower bunches for $70+ and about all her organically grown produce. Reminded me of how excited I get when I go to a Farmer’s Market. I’m looking forward to going to the Boqueria market in Barcelona in September while we are there. The first mention of this market dates back to 1217. I understand from a friend that I will see fruits and vegetables that I have never seen before.  Believe me, I will have camera in hand.

This past spring we were in Chicago visiting our son and daughter-in-law (baby boy arrived YESTERDAY!) and one day we went to the Green City Market in Lincoln Park. It was too early for a lot of the summer vegetables like tomatoes, squash etc. but talk about a variety of vendors! There were people selling homemade crackers, cheese (and even cheese curds), micro greens, veal, tongue, BRAINS, fried donuts, potatoes, PURPLE asparagus, onions, flowers. I love seeing people take their dogs on these outings and there’s always a dish of  water out for the dogs so they have something to drink.

Every Time we go to Austin to visit our other son, his wife and their baby and our daughter we always make a trip to the Barton Creek Farmer’s Market knowing that our dinner that night will be fresh off the farm. We  were there over July 4th weekend. Things for sale that day included, squash blossoms, meats (we bought pork cube steak), butter, breads, corn, flowers, honey, all kinds of peppers, cupcakes (of course we had to have some of those). There were several music groups that entertained during the day.

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Appetizers/ ColdApp/ HotApp

Mezze Table

Mezze, tapas, muqabbilat, dim sum, hor’devoures, or simply “apps”.

(The 2010 February Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Michele of Veggie Num Nums. Michele chose to challenge everyone to make mezze based on various recipes from Claudia Roden, Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Dugid.)

What ever language you may say this word in, “mezze”, tapas, muqabbilat, dim sum, hor d oeuvres, apps, we are talking about small portions of food eaten before a meal or in place of a meal.  Mezze is a selection of Greek and middle-eastern small dishes served in “mezze” portions (like tapas.) Typically a mezze might include things like hummus, baba ganoush, pita, olives, dolmas, maybe some grilled vegetables or a kabob. A mezze table would have several small dishes served all at once. If you love grazing at parties, you will love this style of eating. All kinds of things to nibble on. Try this for your next party, or any get together with friends. Everything can be made in advance, making the party an easy one to put together. All you need to do is open your wine, beer or whatever beverage and enjoy.

My menu for my messe table:

Pita Bread
Hummus
Bacon Wrapped Dates with Blue Cheese
Eggplant Caponata
Spanakopita
Tagine Spiced Grilled Quail
Israeli Cous Cous (I bought this ready made)
Herbed New Potatoes
Chocolava

 

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sides

Pasta:

Firey Angel Hair Pasta

Israeli Couscous with Tarragon

Pesto Pasta with Peas

Zucchini and Whole Wheat Pasta with Pinenuts

White Cheddar Mac and Cheese with Truffle Oil

Potato:

American Fried Potatoes with Onions

Bacon Wrapped Sweet Potatoes

Cheesy Mashed Potato Pancakes

Creamy Red Potatoes with Snap Peas

Herbed Potato Window Panes

Jalapeno Potato Salad

One Potato, Two Potato, Three Potato, Four

Fingerling Potatoes with Preserved Lemons

Fried Smashed Potatoes with Lemon Thyme

Mashed Potatoes with Mushrooms

Parsley Fingerling Potatoes

Potatoes Colcannon

Potato Dominoes

Potato and Green Bean Salad

Potatoes Pave

Potato and Poblano Gratin

Rosemary Potato Swirl

Sweet Potato Hash

 

Grains/Rice:

Bacon Cheddar Green Chili Grits

Bacon and Tomato Cheese Grits

Butternut Squash Risotto with Crispy Pork Belly

Cuban Style Brown Rice and Black Beans

Forbidden Black Rice and Mushrooms

Green Pea Risotto with Pan Seared Halibut

Grits with Corn and Goat Cheese

Lemon Parsley Rice

Mexican Rice with Cheese

Red Ginger Rice and Chick Peas

Sweet Corn Risotto with Blue Cheese

Sweet Corn Risotto with Goat Cheese

Beans/Legumes:

Vegetables:

Asparagus Coins

Asparagus with Egg and Bacon

Asparagus with Orange Sauce

Asparagus Squared

Baby Bok Choy with Brown Butter Garlic Sauce

Baby Carrots with Dried Apricots

Baby Eggplant with Pine Nut Salsa

Balsamic Cippolini Onions with Tomatoes

Balsamic Glazed Asparagus with Pearl Onions

BLT Stacked Green Tomatoes

Bok Choy and Peas

Brussel Sprout and Date Salad

Brussel Sprouts with Squash, Bacon and Raisins

Candy Stripe Beet Greens

Caramelized Mushrooms

Cauliflower Couscous

Cauliflower Mash with Kale

Cauliflower “Potato” Salad

Cauliflower Steak and Onions

Charred Broccolini with Hazelnuts and Raisins

Confetti Maux Choux

Cream Spinach with Glazed Mushrooms

Creamy Kale au Gratin

Elote (Spiced Mexican Corn)

Eggs Foo Yung (Shrimp)

French Breakfast Radishes and Baby Carrots

Fried Brussels Sprout Leaves

Fried Green Tomatoes with Black Eyed Pea Vinaigrette

Fried Green Tomatoes with Ravigote Sauce

Funky Corn with Pickled Fresnos and Aioli

Grilled Tomatoes and Onions

Grilled Vegetables with Balsamic Dressing

Hatch Corn and Chile Cheese Pie

Honey Lime Carrots and Radishes with Cilantro

Julienned Vegetables (with Tuna)

Lemon Basil Cauliflower Steaks

Lemon Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Sesame Seeds and Raisins

Parmesan Baked Tomatoes

Pesto Cauliflower with Arugula Salad

Pickled Roasted Golden Beets

Pickled Yellow Squash

Pistachio Zucchini Fans

Red Chard and Pine-Nuts

Refried Beans

Roasted Beet Napoleons

Roasted Cabbage Steaks

Roasted Onions with Cheese Topping

Roasted Rainbow Carrots and Green Beans

Roasted Serrano and Jalapenos on our Grill Partner

Rosemary Roasted Vegetables

Sauteed Cabbage and Kale

Savory Cabbage with Caraway

Smashed Brussel Sprouts with Pistachios

Spinach Dal (Dhal, Dhall)

Spring Peas with Dates and Walnuts

Squash Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Stephanie’s Magic Beans

Stir-Fried Asparagus and Shitake Mushrooms

Stuffed Butternut Squash

Swiss Chard and the French Market

Thin and Crispy Onion Rings

Tipsy Beans

White Mash with Crispy Shallots

Yellow Squash and Friends

Zucchini Corn Boats

Zucchini Tomato Boats

Other:

Macadamia Nut Pineapple Casserole

appetizers

Hot Appetizers:

Asian Chicken Skewers

Baby Eggplant with Pine Nut Salsa

Bacon Jalapeno Cheddar Frico

Bacon Wrapped Brussels Sprouts

Bacon Wrapped Dates with Balsamic

Bacon Wrapped Sweet Potato

Baked Goat Cheese with Tomatoes and Pesto

Balsamic Mushroom Panini

Bang Bang Shrimp

Bar-B-Q Shrimp

BLT Stacked Tomatoes

Buttermilk Fried Quail Legs

Cambozola, Apple and Prosciutto App

Caramelized Mushrooms

Cheese Souffle Puffs

Cheesy Bacon Caraway Toast

Cheesy Baked Olives

Cheesy Mashed Potato Pancakes

Cheesy Stuffed Baby Bells

Classic Falafel with Tzatziki Sauce

Coconut Shrimp Wontons

Corn and Crab Fritters

Cornbread Jalapeno Poppers

Crab Cakes with Red Pepper Horseradish Sauce

Crawfish Hushpuppies

Crispy Aspargus Straws

Crispy Buffalo Wings with Two Sauces

Crispy Salt and Pepper Shrimp

Crunchy Firecracker Shrimp

Dijon Ham and Cream Cheese Biscuits

Duck Confit

Duck Crepe with Port Wine Cherry Sauce

Edamame with Garlic and Soy

The Best Egg Rolls

Eggplant Capanota

Elote Dip

Escargot in Parsley-Garlic Butter

Fontina and Mushroom Tarts

Fried Avocado with Spicy Dipping Sauce

Fried Brussels Sprout Leaves

Fried Deviled Eggs

Fried Eggplant Chips with Honey Drizzle

Fried Squash Blossoms

French Fried Beets with Japanese Mayonnaise

Garlic and Oregano Naan

Grilled Peach and Prosciutto Kebabs

Grilled Shishito Peppers with Garlic Aioli

Hawaiian Coconut Shrimp with Orange Marmalade Sauce

Hawaiian Pork Sliders

Herbed Potato Window Panes

Hot Spinach Dip with Tomatoes and Herbed Pita Chips

Hushpuppies My Dad’s Way

Italian Stuffed Mushrooms

Jalapeno Cocktail Pie Squares

Jalapeño Popper Spread

Jalapeno Quail Legs

Little Bites Mezze Table

Macadamia Nut Encrusted Goat Cheese

Mini Corn Dogs with Mustard Dipping Sauce

Mini Grilled Pork Skewers

Momofuku’s Steamed Buns and Quick Pickles

Mushroom Asparagus Tarts

Mushroom Turnovers in Cream Cheese Pastry

New American Feast — Tasting Menu

Oyster BLT Amuse

Parmesan Bacon Wraps

Parmesan Crab Grilled Oysters

Parmesan Shrimp Toast

Pecorino Cheese Pudding

The Perfect Antipasto Platter

Pork Belly, Apple and Maple Glaze Crostini

Pork Belly (PBLT) Bites

Pork Fries with White Bar-B-Q Sauce

Pork Satay with Three Dipping Sauces

Potato Cakes & Smoked Salmon

Proscuitto and Gruyere Palmiers

Proscuitto Wrapped Asparagus with Parmesan and Lemon

Roasted Serrano and Jalapenos on our Grill Partner

Rosemary and Blue Cheese Wafers

Salmon Cakes with Edamame and Wasabi Topping

Sausage Cheese Dip

Scallops and Shrimp in a Jalapeno Bourbon Cream Sauce

Shrimp Corn Dogs with Blueberry Mustard

Shrimp Wontons

Smoky Hot Redfish (or Whitefish) Dip

Soppressata and Cheese in Puff Pastry

Spanakopita

Spicy Potato Samosas

Sugar Cane Skewered Shrimp with Bacon and Pineapple

Sweet Potato Biscuits with Ham and Orange Marmalade

Tandoori Chicken Thigh Kabobs

Thai Chili Calamari with Orange Gremolata

Tomato Phyllo Pizza

Truffled Parmesan Frites

Walnut, Fig and Goat Cheese Phyllo Rolls

Cold Appetizers:

Avocado Bacon Canapes

Avocado Chicken Salad

Avocado Lime Shrimp Cups

Avocado Melon Salsa

Avocado Salmon Stacks

Baba Ganoush

Beefy Roasted Red Pepper Spread

Calico Shrimp Dip

Cheese Stuffed Rigatoni Bites

Chicken Avocado Spread

Chicken Stuffed Sea Shells

Chicken Liver Pate with Cognac Gelee

Cobb Deviled Eggs

Coconut Banana Puffs

Crab Cakes with Red Pepper Yogurt Sauce

Crab Shrimp and Endive Appetizer

Cranberry Avocado Salsa

Crawfish Spread

Cucumber Sandwiches

Deviled Egg Salad and Asparagus Tartines

Domaine Chandon Blue Cheese Spread

Egg Salad with avocado on Baguette

Egg Salad Baguette

Feta and Sun-dried Tomato Torte

Fromage Fort

French Breakfast Radishes with Baby Carrots (see sandwich)

Fig and Cheese Bruschetta

Garden Vegetable Terrine

Giardiniera Bruschetta

Gluten-Free Cheddar Cheese Crackers

Goldenrod Finger Sandwiches

Green and Yellow Tomato Salsa

Grilled Flank Kebabs with Chimichurri Sauce

Honey Pecan Stuffed Snow Peas

Honey and Pistachio Goat Cheese Appetizer

Huancaina (Peruvian Spicy Cheese Sauce)

Hummus

Jalapeno Blue Cheese Spread

Jalapeño Shrimp Tostones

Layered Shrimp Pie

Little Bites

Mignonette Sauce for Oysters

Oeuf Mayonnaise

Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Peanut Noodle Salad

Pepperoni Olive Kebab

Pepperoni Stuffed Black Olives

The Perfect Antipasto Platter

Pickled Mustard Seed

Pickled Shrimp in a Jar

Pimento Cheese

Pimento Cheese Bruschetta

Pink Heart Egg Finger Sandwich

Poke, Masubi, & MaiTais

Prosciutto Rolls with Fig Preserves

Pumpkin Bacon Spread

Red Fish Dip with Toasted Crostini

Roast Beef Rose Tea Sandwiches

Roasted Beet Napoleons

Rosemary Goat Frico

Rosemary Lafa bread and Hummus

Rosemary and the Goat

Salmon Martini

Savory Pecans

Shrimp Cocktail Sauce

Shrimp and Mango Pintxos

Smoked Cured Egg Yolk

Smoked Salmon with Boursin

Smoked Salmon on a Chip

Smoked Salmon Stacks

Spicy Glazed Nuts and Pretzel Mix

Spicy Shrimp and Guac Bites

Sushi Challenge

Thai Tuna Wonton Chip

Tomato Crostini with Whipped Feta and Aviation Cocktail

Tuna Tartare Nachos

Vivian Howard’s Party Cheese Ball

Watermelon Feta Squares

White Bean Hummus

Tapas:

Bacon Wrapped Dates with Balsamic

Fried Eggplant Chips with Honey Drizzle

Pork in Whiskey Sauce Tapas

Spanish-Style Tomato Toast (pan con tomate)

Amuse Bouche:

Bacon and Eggs

Bacon Wrapped Sweet Potatoes

Little Bites

Shrimp Boats (Shrimp Cocktail Sauce)

Tomato Crab Amuse Bouche

Watermelon Amuse

Garnishes:

Cabbage Flower

Citrus Flower

Dried Pineapple Flowers

Preserved Lemons

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer Garnish

Turnip Rose

Marmalades and Other Stuff:

Tangerine and Kumquat Marmalade

Appetizers/ ColdApp/ Sauces

Green and Yellow Tomato Salsa

Good friends, good wine, good food, what more could you want…

We had the perfect dinner a couple of weeks ago.   A good friend came over while her husband was out of town in Colorado.    We swam, cooked, ate, drank a lot of wine and had a deliciously good time.  We love cooking together and trying out new recipes.  I don’t think we have ever cooked anything together that we didn’t think was fabulous.  When we do our day after Thanksgiving feast, we always come up with some great things to try.

This was the first time to use our new teak dining table and  my new hanging lanterns and it all made for a perfect evening.

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