Thursday, the 28th of July: COMO

our dinner along with 3 gorgeous dahlias from my parent's amazing garden (and a side of Cody-dog, too). 

Our dear parents have gathered many many people permanently into their lives over the years. I can't even imagine how many folks there are that call both mom and dad two of their dearest friends. Of course, considering they're both in their 90's, the number of friends in their age category has begun to shrink as a lot of those old souls have ~moved on~ from this earth. As you probably know, mom is on oxygen all the time now, and while that doesn't stop her from doing just about anything she wants to do, there are some things that limit her. Like any of their friends/family whose home involves unavoidable staircases - whether  getting up to the home, or having to climb a flight to use a bathroom. Their good friends, David & Diane O'Hagen have a home just like that, so when the time came that mom could no longer do stairs, thus couldn't go to their home any more for dinners, David & Diane suggested they start doing the next best thing: They would make and bring dinner to mom and dad  - and it's been a regular occurrence ever since. It's still their dinner, but just not eaten at their home, instead eaten 'round mom and dad's table! What a thoughtful and wonderful idea! 

Last night they were over, and being that it's hotter than Hades here in COMO, they brought a salad meal. Delicious! So, another SFD that wasn't on a Sunday!  David & Diane's menu (they asked mom to make dessert...ahem, Mom just told me she asked them if she could make dessert, and they said yes.) 

1 - chicken salad w/lots of fruit

2 - spinach salad w/Julie's citrus dressing

3 - Missouri River bottom cantaloupe

4 - Sister Schubert's dinner rolls

5 - MumBum's blackberry crisp

1 - When told how delicious the chicken salad was, Diane said she was embarrassed to take the compliment because it is so easy to make! She didn't give me amounts, as she doesn't measure any of this, just keeps adding until it ~looks right~. (She did say she used 2 chicken breasts. But...were they 2 chicken breast halves...or 2 whole chicken breasts....)

2 poached chicken breasts, cooled and torn/cut into bite-size chunks

small ruby red grapes, washed and stemmed (about 2 C.)

1 can (probably 20 oz.) pineapple tidbits (yep, that's what they're called - see here), drained

1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained and slice in half if you want (use 2 cans if you want more crunch) 

celery stalks cut in half length-wise and diced (probably 2 or 3 stalks)

Miracle Whip Original

salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

Combine everything except Miracle Whip in a bowl and gently mix well. Then begin adding Miracle Whip by the 1/4 cup or so, stirring gently (so you don't do in the pineapple tidbits) in between, until everything sort of binds together. Add as much or as little Miracle Whip as you want, but be sure it's Miracle Whip and not mayonnaise - it's a flavor thing (go here for an explanation about why it must be Miracle Whip). 

2 - This dressing recipe comes from an old friend of David & Diane and mom and dad - Julie Schewe. I grew up on this dressing - and that was in the '60's - and it's as good today as it was back then! (Mom told me that the original recipe didn't call for fresh sliced white mushrooms or orange slices, but they are now always included.)

orange peel zested from 1 medium orange (about 1/2 - 1 t.)
1/4 or so C. orange juice (from above orange)

1/2 C. grape seed or other mild oil (not olive oil)

2 T. sugar

2 T. red wine vinegar

1 T. lemon juice

salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 T. chopped scallions

1 C. sliced fresh white/button mushrooms

orange sections from 1 - 2 oranges,  (peel through pith; with knife cut out the sections - how-to is here)

fresh baby spinach leaves. 

(As you can see, the O'Hagens put everything in a glass jar. Makes sense.) Mix all ingredients (but the spinach) together. This is better if you make it at least an hour before eating so the mushrooms have some time to absorb the dressing's flavors. I think they made a double recipe of this last night. (Personally, I think adding bacon bits to the salad would put it over the top...just my humble opinion.)

When the time come to serve, Put your spinach in a big bowl, pour on the dressing and toss well. Wish this would keep until the next day whenever there are left-overs, but, alas, it won't.  

(How do you like my floating pitcher over there?)

3 - Cantaloupe that's been cut into bite-size pieces. Cantaloupe can be delicious, and then it can have little to no flavor, and it's a guessing game which one you're buying. The one type of cantaloupe that is guaranteed to always be delicious are the ones that are grown in the Missouri River bottoms/bottom lands. If you can get your hands on one, you will be supremely satisfied when you eat it. I'm sure you can find them here in COMO at the farmer's market - be sure to ask where they were grown, tho. 

4 - Sister Schubert's Yeast Dinner Rolls

For bought dinner rolls, they were good. And I love the name! I'd buy them just for that! You can find the rolls at Sam's Club.

5 - Mom made our dessert, a blackberry crisp. Of course I didn't think to take a photo until after we'd consumed it! I'm sure she'll be making one again before I go home, and then I'll take photos and write down the recipe for it. Her fruit desserts are wonderful!

~~~

See you on Sunday!

~

Gathered 'round: David & Diane O'Hagen, mom & dad, me!

Sunday, the 10th of July 2016

The beginnings of Broiled Tomatoes w/Feta Salad

Yesterday there were eight folks gathered 'round our dinner table*. And did we have a feast! Our menus generally are based on what any one of us in the family is hungry for (that usually means me, if I'm the one doing most of the cooking that night). Tonight son Bly, who lives in the city and was out for a visit, requested steak as he hasn't yet found a butcher shop close to him and his wife that has anything but meh-tasting beef. He also asked his sis to make pork belly - something Brynnly's becoming semi-famous for; it's that good. The rest that followed was, yup, what I was hungry for! 

 1 - char-grilled marinated London broil

2 - steak au poivre mushroom sauce

3 - caramelized skillet corn

4 - seared pork belly

 5 - tomatoes w/feta salad

6 - fresh ~pickled~ cucumbers

7 - no dessert - ran out of time

1 - Beef has gotten so expensive! This time, tho, I was in luck because Stew Leonard's had their London broil steaks on sale for only $2.99/lb.! London broil is a flavorful, but somewhat tough meat that just needs a tenderizing marinade and to be cut on an angle in thin slices. It's just as good as any sirloin when treated correctly. 

For the marinade: In a blender combine olive oil, worchestershire sauce, red wine vinegar, curry powder, Mister Mustard, well, mustard (Shop Rite carries it). Amounts are up to your tastes. We were grilling two 3 lb. steaks so used (but didn't measure anything) about 1/3 C. olive oil, 1/4 C. worchestershire and red wine vinegar, 4 T. curry, 1 T. mustard. Marinate for at least 1 hour before grilling. I put the steaks in an over-sized zip-lic, poured the marinade in and left the steaks on the counter so they would come to room temp.  

2 - I know, I know...steak au poivre doesn't have mushrooms in it and uses brandy and whole peppercorns. Ours didn't follow the rules! 

For our sauce: In at least 1/2+ stick of butter, we sautéed two 10 oz. packages of pre-sliced white mushrooms with half of a diced onion. As that began cooking down, 1/2 C. bourbon was added, along with 3 T. coarse-ground Tellicherry black pepper. Just before serving a 3/4 C. half & half was added and all was heated through. 

3 - Follow the link for the skillet corn recipe. This time we used frozen corn. In my humble opinion, the very best frozen corn I've ever eaten comes from The Fresh Market grocery store. It's their own store brand and comes in 2 lb. bags. We used a bag of the yellow corn and a bag of the white corn.

4 - Daughter Brynnly made the pork belly (when you purchase it, be sure to get a slab of pork belly (see photo here) and not thin cuts that won't stand on their fatty side. Our slab was about 8" x 4". Preheat the oven to 425º F. In a large iron skillet, sear the pork belly on both sides so it's nicely browned, turning frequently, about 5 minutes per side. While that's searing, make your marinade. There isn't any set marinade for pork belly, and the 3 times Brynnly has made it, she's used a different marinade each time. This time it was: soy sauce, fresh grated ginger, a touch of grapefruit zest, a dash of Mr. Mustard and grape seed oil - mix all together with a stick blender or stand blender. When the pork belly is well seared, remove it from the skillet and drain the fat from the skillet. Let the skillet cool down a bit (so the marinade won't burn), place the pork belly back in it, fat side up, and pour the marinade over it, being sure all sides get covered with it. Place in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes. When done, remove it from the skillet and cut it into bite or two bite-size pieces. Place in a bowl or small platter and serve. 

5 - This recipe came out of the cookbook ~Culinary Masterpieces~, a wonderful cookbook published  in 1993 by The Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City to celebrate the museum's 60th birthday. The whole darn book is good, but I think their tomatoes with feta recipe is my very favorite. 

Gather together fresh basil leaves that are washed and dried, fresh tomatoes, feta cheese and a balsamic dressing. Cover the bottom of your baking dish with basil leaves - be sure to cover the entire bottom. Place thickly sliced tomato slices on top of the leaves to entirely cover as well. Drizzle balsamic dressing over all, as you would a salad - not too much, not too little. Cover the tomatoes entirely with feta cheese: 

All covered with feta and ready for the broiler!

 Broil about 5" from the heat source until the feta is nicely browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let come to room temperature to serve. You can make your balsamic from scratch, but I usually just use the Good Seasons Zesty Italian packet and carafe. Use a spatula to serve this. 

6 - One of our very favorite salads! And there's just no way to mess up the recipe, because it really isn't a recipe! Follow the link here or above for the recipe. It's nothing more than slicing cucumbers, putting them in a bowl, covering them with vinegar and adding fresh-ground pepper and fresh dill (dry is fine too) - and it's just as good without dill. You add ice cubes to cover and then sprinkle salt on the ice cubes. Just make it about an hour before dinner and that way the ice has time to almost melt, making it easier to get to the cucumbers. Don't make this too far ahead as the cucumbers will be limp (not good) instead of crisp. Mikey Mig's girlfriend Christina adored these and at the end of our meal, pulled the bowl over and ate every last one left!

7 - No dessert this time. 

~~~

See you on Sunday!

~

*Gathered 'round: GB & I, daughter Brynnly, son Bly, Bly & Brynn's buddies Gilby & Mirabel, Bly's buddies Mikey Migs & his girlfriend, Christina