July 7, 2016 – Ground turkey and mushroom chili

Posted on July 7, 2016 by Beebamom
Ground turkey and mushroom chili

Ground turkey and mushroom chili

One of the problems with making chili with ground turkey instead of beef is that you lose a depth of flavor. One way to combat this is to use mushrooms which add umami. I made short work of the vegetables today by using the food processor. The mushrooms, onions, Fresno chiles, poblano chile, and the red bell pepper were all chopped with a few short pulses. John assembled a teabag of herbs and spices and did the cooking. We let if simmer for a few hours. At the end we did a seasoning adjustment and John added Tabasco to make his spicier.

Today’s NYTimes Crossword was less food related than usual. Just ovens and BLTS. I know you can cook bacon in the oven but I never have more than a strip or two at a time so I just use the microwave. It’s faster and doesn’t heat up the kitchen.

NYTimes Crossword 7/7/2016

NYTimes Crossword 7/7/2016

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July 5, 2016 – Barbecue glazed chicken and homemade salads

Posted on July 7, 2016 by Beebamom

Like many people, I assume, if I am going to have potato salad and coleslaw with dinner I just stop at the deli and buy it. Although if I am asked to bring such a dish to an event, I always make it from scratch. Well, why not treat a humble dinner at home like we are guests? So I made olive oil potato salad and creamy coleslaw and John made pan-roasted chicken breast with barbecue glaze.

  • Chicken with barbecue glaze, warm olive oil potato salad and coleslaw with a mayo/yogurt dressing

    Chicken with barbecue glaze, warm olive oil potato salad and coleslaw with a mayo/yogurt dressing

    At the NY Times crossword they were eating something different-

  • NYTimes crossword, July 5, 2016, food related

    NYTimes crossword, July 5, 2016, food related

    If you are running on empty why not try some yolks on naan and wash it down with nog or tea at your local tapas place? In fact we have a new tapas place in town and we are going to try it soon but probably we’ll be washing our tidbits down with wine!

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4th of July! Or are scallops appropriate?

Posted on July 5, 2016 by Beebamom

We are passing around the plague in our family. First Nathan was sick, and then Sarah, and after spending the day with Jonathan last Friday, he called to say he had a fever and sore throat. As an elder member of this family and someone who has notoriously bad lungs, I am waiting for the other shoe to drop. Obviously the family did not get together for the 4th of July!

Since we have eaten a lot of meat lately we opted for scallops grilled on a skewer, grilled new potatoes, and chiffonaded collard greens with corn and garlic. I am thinking it doesn’t truly reflect my American hot dog and hamburger roots. Are scallops a patriotic food? It turned out okay but the scallops did not sear. I am afraid tripolyphosphate is the culprit. There was no mention of it on the frozen package but a white milky substance is what kept the scallops from searing.

Grilled scallops with new potatoes and collards and corn

Grilled scallops with new potatoes and collards and corn

I woke up too early in the excitement of a holiday and did the NYTimes puzzle online. I need to be quiet and stealthy at 5 AM! The puzzle was pretty meh and the food references, “icees” and “torte” seemed like they were only there for their convenient letters. The Wall Street Journal did not have a puzzle since it only publishes on days when the NYSE is open. So it was slim pickins’ on the puzzle front. BTW, if you are interested in taking up crossword puzzles, Monday is the easiest day. The NYT charges for their puzzles and  the WSJ does not.

Happy Fourth of July!

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July 3, 2016 – Bucatini with a quick meat sauce

Posted on July 5, 2016 by Beebamom

Boiling water for pasta and simmering spaghetti sauce were probably not the wisest choices to make on a hot day. The thing is when you wake up here in the SF Bay Area it is really quite chilly – only 55F! So when asked the fateful question this morning, “What do you want for dinner?” I responded with the following dish.

Bucatini with meat sauce

Bucatini with meat sauce

We had two bits of ground beef in the freezer which I defrosted, sautéed, and combined with herbs, onions, garlic, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste , and red wine. I added a bay leaf and a Parmesan rind to the simmer. It made enough for at least two meals.

On the NYTimes Sunday crossword they were eating something different –

Rare Kobe t-bone with polenta

Rare Kobe t-bone with polenta

It was probably made out on the grill.

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July 2, 2016 – Lamb chops with yellow rice and broccoli

Posted on July 3, 2016 by Beebamom

I finished the Saturday NYTimes  Crossword puzzle, the hardest one of the week! Sometimes a Saturday might take an hour or so and that is time not spent foraging in the kitchen for something to eat. Look at some of those answers though, 1 Across – foodcoma! I think I have had a few of those. And right nearby underneath a childhood favorite, redvines! It’s enough to make you hungry.

Grilled lamb chops with yellow rice and broccoli

Grilled lamb chops with yellow rice and broccoli

Those are pretty small lamb chops that John grilled perfectly medium rare. Most of the plate is taken up with broccoli. And that is as it should be. I really don’t need a big hunk of meat. The yellow rice is left over from last night. I added more vegetables to it so I could have a bigger portion. There was also a sauce with this but I managed to flip the container over and spill it everywhere. That would have been a good thing if it hadn’t made such a mess. There was a lot of butter in it.

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July 1, 2016 – Brain food and the Puzzle Contest

Posted on July 2, 2016 by Beebamom

Every Friday the Wall Street Journal has a crossword puzzle contest. It’s a meta puzzle based on the solution to the puzzle. It’s always tricky and John and I usually work on it together. So what better food for our mental gymnastics than fish?!

Wild sockeye salmon with yellow rice and green beans

Wild sockeye salmon with yellow rice and green beans

John  cooked the salmon mostly on the skin side and kept it quite rare in the middle. I made the yellow rice and the green beans. The green beans were cooked in a little water, oil, and a slice of ham. When the water evaporated the beans crisped up in the oil and the ham seared. (For pescetarians omit the ham.)

Brain food helped! We sent our solution to the puzzle in and hope we will win the prize this week!

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June 30, 2016 – Penne with shrimp and broccoli

Posted on July 1, 2016 by Beebamom

Here I am combining two of my favorite things, crossword puzzles and food.

Penne with shrimp, broccoli, carrots, and mushrooms

Penne with shrimp, broccoli, carrots, and mushrooms

The sauce for this penne dish consisted of peanut sauce, fish sauce, pasta water, and a few drops of sesame oil.  Using plenty of vegetables cuts down on the amount of penne you need to use.

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June 29, 2016 – Fish tacos and black beans

Posted on June 30, 2016 by Beebamom
Fish tacos and black beans

Fish tacos and black beans

We got some fresh cod from the store that John cooked to perfection.  I made the crema (yogurt, cumin, salt) and sliced some topping vegetables. For the black beans I used a tomato, onion, garlic, cilantro, Fresno chile, a little fresh salsa, and some chicken stock to thin the beans out.

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June 28, 2016 – Caesar salad

Posted on June 30, 2016 by Beebamom

I love to cut up vegetables. But I do not like to make salad. Not at all! So I am always surprised when I do make one that I think, “Hmm, this is good! I should do this more often.”

Caesar salad with shaved Parmesan and croutons

Caesar salad with shaved Parmesan and croutons

I had a bunch of romaine lettuce in the refrigerator left over from the Father’s Day celebration that didn’t happen plus some Caesar salad dressing (no anchovies) that I had bought for the same occasion. I made the croutons from the one hamburger roll left (from non-Father’s Day as well.) I diced the roll and cooked the cubes slowly in some butter and herbs and spices. I always have a hunk of parm in the house so I just used my peeler to make some shavings.

We enjoyed this so much!

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June 27, 2016 – Chickpea stew

Posted on June 27, 2016 by Beebamom
Chickpea stew

Chickpea stew

This is a favorite choice of mine for Meatless Monday. It is a combination of vegetables you probably already have like celery, carrots, and onion. Plus it is a good way to use up extra bits like the two mushrooms I added.  The only thing I picked up from the store was the kale. So vegetables, chickpeas, soup-size pasta, some herbs, and vegetable broth and/or water and you have dinner.

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