8.29.2016

Sunday, the 21st of August, 2016

the birthday boy, center, his mom, dad and lots of people who love him
On the 21st of August, we had a killer party here at the Blystone abode for James' 40th birthday. His parents were here, from New Jersey and Seattle and many many of his close friends, along with our daughter, (the love of his life - ok, so I'm jumping to conclusions), Brynnly.
Must admit that this time around I had little to do with the cooking, but I, of course, offered much advice, which was generally ignored. HMPH!

The menu was:

1 - pulled brisket
3 - tomato-mozzarella salad
4 - watermelon-feta salad
5 - green salad
6 - lots and lots of sides
7 - birthday  cakes

What a wonderful night it was! We went late and all of us had a marvelous time! GB and I met his mom for the first time and got to spend time with his dad and James' brother and sister and other family members. Also got to meet many of his nearest and dearest friends. Just a good good time! 


~~~

See you on Sunday!

xoabb


8.15.2016

Sunday, the 14th of July 2016, COMO

From top: sliced tomatoes & basil, barbecued pork ribs, rosemary & sea-salt focaccia, teriyaki
tenderloin of venison. For dessert we had a wonderful plum galette.
Last night was the last Sunday Family Dinner for me here in COMO as I fly home tomorrow morning. As always, a wonderful evening was had by all! This time around, the cousins brought most of the food, with mom contributing her outrageous rosemary focaccia and me slicing a bunch of home-grown tomatoes and basil leaves and ~artfully arranging~ them on a plate (HA!). Cousins Tom and Cathy brought Tom's family famous ribs and a teriyaki tenderloin of venison. Curt and Pat (well, actually just Pat) brought oven-roasted potatoes, always good, and the most delicious plum dessert I've ever had! Haven't had a galette before, but I certainly will again! Of course, the evening ended with game night and, of course, once again, we girls won!


1 - Tom's barbecued pork ribs & teriyaki tenderloin of venison
2 - oven-roasted potatoes
3 - sliced home-grown tomatoes w/fresh basil

1 - Cousin Tom isn't about to give up his barbecued pork ribs recipe - I asked! As for the venison? You gotta be a hunter! Tom and his son-in-law always go deer hunting when they're in season. Though I don't think they process/harvest the meat - that's farmed out to the rendering experts - they certainly serve and eat what they harvest (read kill). The only kind of hunting I approve of. (If you hunt or harvest to put food on your table, I'm all for it!) Tom said all he did was marinate the deer tenderloin in teriyaki sauce and the roast it in the oven just till it was rare. It was delicious!

2 - Cousin Pat brought the potatoes. Easy to do - just chunk up some potatoes up, season with whatever herbs you like - Pat used rosemary, pepper and salt - and bake in a hot 450º oven for around 40 minutes. Delicious! 

3 - In the summertime, whether they're from your own garden or a farmer's market, there's nothing better than sliced tomatoes with basil leaves. Cottage cheese, especially if it's Central Dairy's, just adds to the goodness. 

4 -  MumBum's rosemary & sea salt focaccia. Talk about decadent! Mom never measures anything but always knows the right amounts to throw together to make the perfect focaccia - or loaf of bread! Go here and you'll find the recipe....it's really worth it!

5 - Again from cousin Pat. Aside from my mom's pies and crisps, I've never tasted a better dessert than this one! Absolutely delicious! Go here for this recipe that was first published by Woman's Day magazine

~~~

See you on Sunday!

Gathered 'round: cousins Tom & Cathy, Curt & Pat, mom & dad and me!

8.12.2016

Friday, the 12th of August, 2016, COMO


Our third vegetarian meal since I've been home - whoda thunk??? (Delicious!!!)

It occurred to me that every day I've been here in COMO, it's been a SFD! I'm not in my CT home, I'm not around my normal people, but every night I get to gather with my parents, and, for a week, my sister, as well, in my mind, that makes every single night SFD special! Though I hadn't figured that out until tonight, a mere 4 days until I fly back east, I do believe I'll tell you about these last few meals. 
Last night we had mom's wonderful poached chicken (which I need to write about because 1: it is absolutely delicious, and 2: you all really need to know how to make it!).
And tonight we had another veggie feast! This isn't something I ever do at home, unless the menu includes some sort of starch - GB loves his starch and he'll do without meat or fish, but only if our meal includes some sort of starch. (I agree with him 4 or 5 days a week, but every now and again, veggie meals are a-ok!)
My folks are still avid gardeners, both of foods and flowers, so most of what is on our table in the spring, summer and autumn months comes directly from their efforts. The only thing, above, that didn't come from their spot of garden beauty is the corn. (It's Olathe, CO corn - if you can get your hands on some, SCOOP IT UP!! It's beyond wonderful!) Everything else was grown about 30 feet from their kitchen; (and though their garden veggies aren't as pretty as those you find in the grocery store, their flavors far outweigh them!). So, without further ado, our menu was:


1 - chili rellenos
2 - oven-baked eggplant, okra & onions
3 - cucumber, Greek yoghurt, mint & lemon juice salad
4 - corn on the cob
5 - tomato chunks with fresh basil leaves

1 - We're not sure what's going on with Dad's poblano peppers he's raised this summer (the peppers we use in chili rellenos), but they've been hotter than holy hell! They're supposed to be a warmly surprising pepper, but not in the least astoundingly HOT! However, the rellenos were, as always, delicious. Our family is convinced that's because we BAKE them instead of frying them. Makes a world of delicious difference! For the recipe, go here.

2 - I really should include this step with the above because, outside of flaming their skins, the steps are really the same. Eggplant and onions are sliced into rounds, okra is left whole. They're all rolled in flour, then rolled in an egg/oil mixture and then rolled in panko breadcrumbs. All of the above are baked on a lightly oiled baking sheet at 425º for around 30 minutes. Major deliciousness! Here's a pic of both 1 & 2, ready for the oven:


3 - Mom made up our cucumber salad tonight - she had a little guidance from our friend Google, but it was basically her own creation. She peeled and chuncked three (they're quite small) Persian cucumbers (our home-grown skins were blemished, so off they went; store-bought ones don't need peeling), and then diced and added a small red onion. In the bowl, she then squeezed half a lemon on top, splashed on a bit of olive oil and threw on a handful of fresh chopped mint leaves, ground on fresh ground pepper and sprinkled on some salt. The last step was adding a good dollop of plain Greek yoghurt. All was mixed together and then put in the fridge to chill before being served. Here's a pic of it in the making: 

4 & 5 - Both of these are just common sense, and I know everyone is up on how to make them happen. Boil the corn and serve with butter. Slice or chunk the tomatoes, put a few fresh basil leaves on them and serve with cottage cheese or not. 

No dessert tonight, but dad got his dollop of sweets with a bowl of gelato. Nice! Another SFD meal that make all three of us feel, well, just good! Together!

~~~

See you on Sunday!

Gathered 'round: mom, dad and I

8.08.2016

Sunday, the 7th of August 2016, COMO

gathered 'round the table with the cousins for spatchcocked chicken w/sauce, cole slaw, buttered corn, home-grown tomatoes w/cottage cheese and fresh watermelon slices. YUM!
left to right: Tom, Cathy, my dad
Sunday Family Dinner once again at my parents home. The cousins came over and we were eight around the table. This night, Dad was behind schedule feeding the fish, so cousin Tom started the honors, then dad came in to add his thoughts to the process. It's always a fun night with lots of back and forth pokes and jabs and a lot of family lovin'.

Our menu was:

1 - spatchcocked chicken w/sauce
2 - cole slaw w/additions
3 - buttered corn
4 - tomatoes w/basil and cottage cheese
5 - watermelon slices
6 - BEST peach pie ever

~

1 - Spatchcocked chicken, how I love thee! It's become all the fad of late, but when I look back in my mother's 50 year recipe history, she's been doing just that for years, only she didn't have a fancy word for it and simply called it ~flattened chicken~. Go here for the recipe. You can use any fresh herbs you want. It is just so good because the breast doesn't dry out as the entire chicken is flat, so it all cooks evenly.

Here's how to carve it :-):
dad giving pointers to Tom

2 - Seester Care is family famous for her tartar sauce and her cole slaw dressing, so, of course mom and I insisted that she dress the cabbage last night. As she said, she really doesn't have any exact amounts, but the ingredients stay pretty much the same. I chopped up a bowl of cabbage (I chopped 3/4 of a medium head, enough for 8 folks), and to that added a chopped orange-green farmer's market pepper, a cucumber that was sliced length-wise, the seeds scooped out with a spoon, then halved again length-wise and sliced and a small purple onion that had been diced. That was all stirred together and the Carrie mixed in the following dressing: 

In a bowl, whisk together:
Hellman's mayonnaise, about 1/3 C. or so
cider vinegar, about 2 T.
a handful fresh parsley (didn't have any fresh dill), chopped
sugar, about 1 - 2 T. 
milk to thin if necessary
salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste

Whisk all together. Pour over slaw and mix well. Taste and correct seasonings.

3 - Cut corn off the cob and put all in a pot. Add a half stick of butter and some water. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer until done, about 15 minutes.

4 - Slice tomatoes and put on a platter along with some basil leaves; serve with cottage cheese.

5 - Cut up watermelon and serve in a bowl. 

6 - Mom made a delicious peach pie - no photos of her making it, or the finished product. Rats! :(

~
On to game-night!
and now for a rousing game of Sequence...of course the gals won!
left to right: Tom, Cathy, Carrie, Curt
~~~
See you on Sunday! 

~
Gathered 'round: mom & dad, Curt & Pat, Tom & Cathy, seester Carrie & me

8.04.2016

Wednesday, the 3rd of August, 2016: COMO

SFD as a brunch-type meal on a Wednesday
My dearest seester flew home today because, well, I'm here and we don't see each other as often as we'd like, and because our very favorite place to be is here in Missourahhh with our parents. Mom wisely decided that it would be a grand idea to have our main meal in the middle of the day, as Care would probably be hungry after a morning traveling and it also would leave more time for game night as the evening meal would be more of a snack. Sister Care is a BIG fan of salmon salad, and considering it's about 100º outside, that sounded more than reasonable to make. That night we all just ate whatever left-over we could find and then played Rummikub. We laughed and had the best time! This family meal consisted of:

1 - salmon salad MumBum
2 - sliced tomatoes w/basil leaves & cottage cheese
3 - sliced Missouri River bottom cantaloupe
4 - toast made out of home-made bread
5 - hard-boiled eggs (that no one bothered to eat)

1 - While mom used a can of alaskan wild salmon, fresh left-over salmon can be used just as well. If you've never had canned salmon before, don't be put off by the bones you might see. When you gently stir the salmon, the bones just dissolve and go away. Canned wild salmon is incredibly healthy - loaded with all kinds of nutritious goodness. And it tastes divine! Mom used red sockeye salmon, but you can use whatever brand you want - there's more than one kind out there - just be sure it's wild-caught. This salad is so easy to make!
salmon salad in the making

1 14 3/4 oz. can wild-caught Alaskan red sockeye salmon, most of the liquid drained
1/3 C. or so Hellman's mayonnaise
1 t. or so Dijon mustard
juice and pulp of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 C. or so minced celery (see above photo)
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Put salmon in a bowl and stir it gently to separate. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir gently to combine - be careful with the stirring; too vigorous and the salmon will get mushy. Serve on toast, with tomatoes in a pita, however you like it. 

2 - The tomatoes and basil were from my parent's garden. Nothing better than home-grown tomatoes in the summertime! Here in COMO everyone has the good fortune of being able to buy Central Dairy 2% Cottage Cheese. It is far and away the very best cottage cheese made. I've tried just about every brand back in CT and haven't yet found one I really like. 

3 - Got our melon at the COMO Farmer's Market. It was and is delicious!

4 - Mom and I made the bread together. No, she doesn't measure any of the ingredients for bread-making....ever. She did have me measure most of the ingredients so I'd get a ~feel~ for the right amounts, but, of course, I didn't write anything down, so will have to make more with her! Such a hardship! :)

5 - Mom hard-boiled 5 eggs (fresh from a friend that has chickens - the yolks are bright bright yellow-orange, and the whites never run when you crack one and drop it in a skillet) to put in the salmon salad. I looked at her in horror because that just didn't sound good to me at all. We ended up eating two of the eggs for our breakfast. Carrie said she always puts eggs in her salmon salad as well. 

~~~

See you on Sunday!

~

Gathered 'round: mom & dad, Care & me!