Salsa Verde – & An Amazing Movie Trailer

  

I think of this salsa a “cheat” because it’s super simple and you can put it on anything to make it seem like a “dish”  even though it’s just this little combination of herbs, olive oil, garlic and capers.  At the end of this post I’ll also give you a different version of this that’s faster but just as good.  I put this on chicken tonight

but it would be great on fish or shrimp.  I made rice to go with our chicken and honestly, it was great on the rice as well.  If you’re lucky enough to have a garden you probably have all of the ingredients at your house which is always a plus.

All these herbs are fresh not dried.

1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup chopped parsley

1/3 cup chopped chives  *it’s 1,000,000 times easier to chop chives with scissors fyi, skip the knife for this herb

1/4 cup drained capers – chopped

1 large clove garlic – minced

1 tsp. chopped thyme

1 tsp. chopped fresh oregano

1/2 tsp. chopped rosemary

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the chopped ingredients in a bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Make sure to taste it before you add the salt as the caper have their own salt and you don’t want to over do it.

Big news!  Our neighbors in the next building over had their baby!  Why is this interesting?  We can see into this couple’s apt. from our kitchen window and they caught our attention because they both walk around stark naked.  Not such a big deal but the woman was very pregnant and that’s not something you see every day.  Anyway they have their baby!  Congratulations naked neighbors!  All three of them are wearing clothes tonight in case you were wondering, a first as far as I’ve seen.

Since I’ve just outed my self as a peeping tom (does it count if they don’t have shades or shame?);

Stellar movie if you haven’t seen it and great trailer.  Funny to see how much trailers have changed.

The other version of this:

1 shallot – minced

1 clove garlic – minced

1/2 jar capers – drained

1/3 cup chopped parsley

juice of 1/2-1 whole lemon

Olive oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

In a pan add the olive oil and shallot, allow to soften and become translucent then add the garlic and capers.  Add whatever you’re going to cook, the lemon juice and throw in the parsley at the last second.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

Kids (& Dragons) Love Tacos!

I’ve been on a vegetarian kick lately.  I was a proper vegetarian for years but then added chicken and seafood to my diet just for convenience.  I still feel better when I eat in a more veggie way so I try to lean in that direction.   I have nothing against eating meat I just don’t particularly like it.   I think I’ve mentioned my kids (and I) are wild about rice and beans so 80% of the time there are some left over in the fridge which makes life easier for all of us.  While you hear about my cooking successes sadly that is not how things always turns out and even worse, sometimes what I’ve made does turn out well but the littles just won’t eat it.  Sigh.  So then it’s to the rice and beans.

2 pints mushrooms – washed, stemmed and sliced

1 yellow onion – diced

3 cloves garlic – minced

1/2 bag spinach – washed and roughly chopped

flour tortillas

guacamole

salsa

red onion

shredded cheese

left over rice and beans

olive oil

salt and pepper

In a large saute pan over medium heat add the olive oil and onions.

Cook until transparent and then add garlic.   Cook for 2-3 more minutes stirring occasionally.  Add the sliced mushrooms, salt and pepper and allow to wilt.

If you’ve never cooked mushrooms before stick with me here.  You put them in the pan and they hardly fit and it looks like nothings going on.  Add a pinch of salt and give them some time.  After a little while they’ll start to give off their water and cook down.  After the mushrooms have cooked add the spinach and taste for seasoning.

Adjust the salt and pepper as needed and remove from the heat.  In a small dry pan warm one side of the tortilla and then the other.

Remove to a plate and add a small spoonful of rice and beans, some of the spinach and mushrooms and top as desired.  I think part of the reason kids like tacos so much is that they get to customize them and kids like to feel like they are in charge (who doesn’t?).

The other reason my kids like tacos is because Dragons Love Tacos.

http://www.amazon.com/Dragons-Love-Tacos-Adam-Rubin/dp/0803736800

This book is funny and features dragons which is important if you are an almost 4-year-old boy.  We love it, I hope you do too.

Enjoy!

Pizza On the Grill! & ‘Smores!

       

It’s the little things in life don’t you think?  Husband took the last two weeks of August off and we took the nuggets to my parent’s place in Bridghampton, N.Y..

We had the most romantic family vacation.  Digging giant holes on the beach for the “kids” (Husband) to play in.  Drawing with chalk on the back patio and playing with sprinklers in the yard.  We cooked all our meals but for two breakfasts and it was delightful.  No awful trying to entertain hungry kiddos while you’re waiting for the food to come, no debating if this is the moment we should pick up the kids and run out before we’re “asked” to leave, and most importantly no terrible food.

I’ll save my big rant on avoiding  angry Hamptons vacationers for another time but very quickly, WHY are people out there so hostile?  Are we not at the beach to relax?  Apparently we are not.  Moving on.

http://www.therudehamptons.com/

 

The apex of our family love-in was pizza-on-the-grill night.  Living in NYC we don’t do much grilling but out there we decided to fire it up frequently.  I read a few years ago that you can make pizza on the grill and I thought it might be a fun thing to try with the kids.  It was SO much fun and delicious.  In the spirit of make-your-own night I also got marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate and we had ‘smores after.  BOO-YA.

I’m not a dough making expert so I went to the local pizza place and bought a round of dough.  I was a little worried they would think I was crazy or wouldn’t know what to charge me but based on their reaction people must buy dough from them all the time, who knew?

 

1 round of pizza dough for a large pie – divided into 4 pieces and stretched out as thinly as possible.  This makes personal size pizza and is more manageable on the grill.

2 cups simple marinara sauce

mozzarella – thinly sliced

parmesan cheese

olive oil

fresh basil leaves

*If there is anything else you want to put on your pizza don’t let me stop you, we kept it simple with these ingredients.

Marinara Sauce:

1 14 oz. box, crushed tomatoes

2 whole cloves of garlic – peeled and smashed

salt and pepper

olive oil

5-8 whole basil leaves

For the Marinara Sauce:

In a medium sauce pan add the olive oil and garlic.  Once the garlic is fragrant add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and bails leaves and heat until simmering.  Discard the garlic and basil leaves before using on the pizza.

For the Pizza:

Heat your grill as hot as you can.  We have an old-fashioned charcoal grill and as with most things you make on that kind of grill you are best off “banking” your coals to one side and leaving the other side empty so there is a hot and cool side to the grill.  While the grill is heating up get all your ingredients ready and have on hand a spatula and a cookie sheet.

Place the first round of dough on the oiled grill and replace the top.  Peek after 2 to 4 minutes, the top should still be kind of raw but the bottom will be cooked and toasty.  Using the spatula and the back of the cookie sheet slide the dough off the grill onto the back of the cookie sheet.  Make sure to put the lid back on the grill to keep it hot.

Turn the dough upside down so the cooked part is now the top and the raw part is the bottom.   Spread a thin layer of sauce around the top of the dough and add the sliced mozzarella, basil leaves and a generous sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

Replace the pizza on the grill for another 3-4 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the bottom is cooked.

After we ate the pizza we used the remaining heat from the grill to toast the marshmallows for the ‘smores and basked in toddler/pre schooler love.

Enjoy!

 

 

Watermelon, Feta, Basil and Black Olive Salad & A Funny Bit From SNL

I’m sticking with the theme of Summer foods.  I don’t know where you are but here in NYC we are having a wave of the most delicious weather possible.  It’s about 78 degrees, zero humidity and I looooove it.  This must be why people in California feel entitled to brag about the weather, it’s glorious and I feel clever just for leaving the apartment to enjoy it.  Since I’m reveling in all things summer I thought I’d make one of my favorite summer salads.  This dish is a bit like California (which I love by the way) since it’s just simple elements pulled together to make something much greater then the parts.  The juicy, crunchy, sweetness of the watermelon plays so well with the salt and cream of the feta and olives and the basil adds a nice hit of herb (plus the green looks pretty).

1 quarter Watermelon – cut into 1/2 in chunks

4-6 oz. feta – crumbled (Please don’t buy pre crumbled Feta, it won’t be good.  Just get a block of good Feta – I use Belgian which is creamery – and cut it into little cubes.

1/4 cup of black olives  – pitted and roughly chopped

To pit an olive use the flat side of your knife to press down on the olive and it will crack the flesh, the pit will pull out easily.

1 large handful fresh basil – cut into ribbons

Combine all the ingredients and see if you think the balance looks right, adjust as needed and serve with a splash of good olive oil.

Enjoy!!!

Spanish Ensalada – Cod, Orange, Egg and Pomegranate + the proper way to boil an egg

You know that thing

where you go out to eat, have something incredible and try to make it at home but it’s not quite the same?  This is almost that but it did turn out great.  Husband and I went on a delightful date to Brooklyn, the cooler borough, and ate at a super tapas restaurant.  I don’t love spanish food even though Spain is the foodie mecca right now but this particular dish was fab.  There are a few basic steps but it’s simple to make and really pretty.

1 piece cod (or other flakey white fish) 8-10 Oz.  – cooked and flaked

2 navel oranges – peeled and cut into segments

1/3 cup pomegranate seeds

1 cup Cerignola olives – seeded and chopped

1/2 cup pistachios (unsalted) – shelled

small handful of fresh mint – finely chopped

3 hardboiled eggs – peeled and chopped

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/cooking-tips-techniques/cooking/hard-boil-egg-00000000002333/index.html

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

sherry vinegar

In a pan over medium heat salt and pepper the fish and cook through.  Allow to cool and set aside.

To segment the orange (the fancy name for this is supreme) cut the top and bottom off of the orange.  Set on one of the cut ends and cut the peel off going from top to bottom following the curve of the fruit.

Over a bowl, cut between the white membrane removing only the orange flesh, squeeze the remaining juice into the bowl and reserve for another purpose (ie. the cook gets to drink the juice).

In a large bowl combine the fish, pomegranate seeds, orange segments, chopped hard-boiled eggs,

olives and mint.  Dress with the pistachio nuts,olive oil and a splash of sherry vinegar.

Enjoy!