Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Pass the Dutchie

Smoke Joint BBQ take out
What's great about this place is usually you get two meals out of one.  Portion size has never been a popular subject with me.  But I do see the value of watching it.  If you heat only what you should eat, that's so genius to eating less. If you have to take the time to put more in a pot, heat it up to eat again, you're less apt to eat a second portion.    I've heard.
BBQ Half Chicken, Meatless Smoky Collard Greens, Jointrub BBQ aioli and green onion Corn on the Cob.  http://www.bcrestaurantgroup.com/tsj

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Avocado Dill Sauce

This is a cute little side note as a perk up idea for leftovers. Yogurt, avocado, dill whipped up makes a great little sauce with a squirt of lemon to thin with a little salt and cayenne.


Monday, June 26, 2017

All Together Now


I've been getting into these spring layered salad bowls. This is based on my obsession with 7 layer dip.  I don't know why but I've always had a fascination with that dish.  I guess it's the layering that caught my fancy.  Time and clean up, efficiency. hell, dang near everything is good reason to serve your dinner in a bowl.  I love the idea of this in a jar but that's kind of gimmicky and not as practical.  Have you tried to eat out of a jar?  That needs a flexible spoon fork hybrid possibly not yet invented.
Quinoa can take on most any flavor and you can eat it at room temperature.  In this case it absorbed the citrus vinaigrette and stayed light and bright.  A well seasoned cucumber tomato salad with dill and then charred mango sausage medallions on top.

Turn the (H)eat Around

Tomatillo Chili Verde
Actually, never sure what to call this so as not to confuse it with the more serious pork in green sauce. No, these are very distant cousins if related at all.  This is a silly little quick-style dinner soup I dreamed up to incorporate everything green.  But make no mistake it's a hearty party in a bowl.  You don't get the heat from chili powder, instead it will come from as many or little green peppers as you like. I prefer 3 Jalapeno, 1 Serrano and then bell pepper cut in chunks for texture.
Ingredients:
1lb ground turkey
Chicken stock (1 box)
Peppers (your choice, Jalapeno, Serrano, Hatch, Bell or Poblano)
Garlic - 2 cloves minced
Sweet Vidalia Onion 
1 can Cannellini Beans
cumin
Mexican oregano
onion powder
2 tsp vegetable cooking oil
salt and pepper

Use the oil to brown the ground turkey in pan with cumin and onion powder, salt and pepper.
Peel and rinse the tomatillos, cut in big chunks. Set aside.
In separate big soup pot cook chopped jalapenos, serranos, hatch or bell peppers, garlic and onion in 1 tsp oil.  Then add tomatillos, chicken stock - bring to a boil.
Add the ground turkey to the pot with tomatillos, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes.
Add can of white cannellini beans to pot,
crush some Mexican oregano and heat through.

Top with avocado, cilantro, sweet chopped onions, and lime
****Some like it classy! So if you have the time and you want to make it special you can roast the tomatillos with peppers, onions and garlic and then blend the mixture (with all juices!) before adding it to the stock.  This gives more depth.  And of course the longer you let it simmer the better.  A big dollop of yogurt stirred in at serving also adds to the richness.

Sunday, June 25, 2017

Lean Crust Pizza Slice Party

I am ashamed to say how many pizza slice parties we had in the month of June and my only excuse is that life happened.

Thursday, June 22, 2017

I'm a Loser Baby, So Why Don't You Kill Me

They should make a cookbook for depressant personalities.  If they did, this would be a great entry.  You don't have to do much of anything.  If you can get yourself in that kitchen, then you can make this quick easy delicious dinner.  Roasted Everything platter. When you roast anything, it's amazing and SO much better.  Many times, transforms the flavors entirely.  Like with tomatoes.  Red onions believe it or not are incredible roasted.  Roll in Olive Oil on a baking sheet and douse liberally with salt and pepper.  Roast at about 375 or 400.  When done just dress with a little sprinkle of Balsamic Vinegar. Dinner is done!
Plenty of time left for self loathing!

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Down By the Seaside, See the Boats Go Sailin'

Green Giant Steak Salad 
Beefed up take out.  I took the salad mix and meat from Habana To Go Steak Salad and added in all my fresh greens and re-seasoned the meat with pinto beans to make a Green Giant Steak Salad. Too good.  
The day was so gorgeous, I rode an hour before going into work and I wasn't even crying. A touch of old lady humor for ya.  Where my seniors at?!

A house or an art installation?  Hard to tell.  Red Hook and the Gowanus area is mostly nothing.  Lots of sadness, huge housing projects smack down in the middle, dusty parks, shut down baseball fields. But then it's art and inspiration, stillness and empty piers.  The best and worst of one world.









One of the last nearby places you can go and spend time completely alone with urban decay but always with a bit of dreamy manipulation.



Words can't compete with the sound of a breeze or the soft waves hitting the rocks on the pier.







Monday, June 19, 2017

Hello World I'm Your Wild Girl

I almost beat the rain home on this day.  I stopped to gawk at the incoming clouds coming up the Buttermilk Channel and lost time.  About 5 blocks from my apartment it came down harder than I've seen it rain in years.  It was so warm and felt so good to get utterly soaked. I couldn't see so I pulled over and stood in it until it let up enough to ride the rest of the way.  People were all pressed against buildings and huddled under awnings, running for shelter.  The city had a moment.  One of those where you all just stop and acknowledge each other, if only for that tiny bit of time.  Recognize that we're all just soggy varmints out here running around trying to act like we're not.
I live for those occasions.  And for torrential downpours.  For any time when people put down all their social crutches and are willing to play.
A ginormous summer salad was in order with a garlicky lemon vinaigrette.