What's Cooking (Take Four)

Chocolate bunnies are da bomb!

Solid only, never hollow!

Today: Shrimp spring rolls, Vietnamese meatballs, beef pho for me, chicken bahn mi for Edie.

Forgot to mention it was at a restaurant I've been wanting to try for a long time.

Last night I made Bengali masoor (red lentil) dal. Tonight I'm making andouille and tasso jambalaya.

Regarding chocolate bunnies, I saw a cartoon with two chocolate bunnies, one of which had its tail bitten off and the other its ears bitten off. The caption reads, "My butt hurts!" "What?"

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Funny one, Paul.

Tonight my brother and BIL are coming for dinner. Chris and I were discussing our childhood steak experiences yesterday morning--he preferring our dad's heavily marinated and barbecued filet mignons and me preferring grammy's broiled top sirloins with butter. As the day wore on I was reminded of how much Grammy loved easter and would spend that holiday with us, always bringing chocolates for everyone else and a box of Jordan almonds for me, the non-chocolate eater. So the menu kind of wrote itself: salad (soft lettuces in a deeply mustardy vinaigrette topped with grated egg), steak topped with butter, scalloped potatoes (Savoy style, a Julia Child recipe), roasted carrots and radishes because that's what rabbits eat, and for dessert a chocolate bunny and some eggs from a local chocolatier (who uses Callebaut chocolate).

It was an all roasted meal for us tonight. Roast chicken. Roasted fingerlings. Asparagus, mushrooms, favas, shallots, with fresh thyme. Roasted. Special bonus: the remodel isn't complete, but the oven and range are all set up so for the first time in a year, the house smelled like someone was cooking.

As a child, I could never eat a chocolate bunny. Grandpa raised rabbits, and I could never eat them either. It made me cringe when my girlfriends bit the ears off of a chocolate bunny—YIKES.

[We had a full table and a menu planned for Easter (I was in charge of ham, appetizers, asparagus with gribiche sauce; Betsy was on deviled egg duty; guests were bringing scalloped potatoes , salad, dessert, etc). Then as I was getting ready to purchase our ham our hostess for Sat night announced she was serving ham instead of skirt steak. We revised plan (well, just substituted leg of lamb for ham).
I usually do leg of lamb with anchovy/garlic/rosemary, but for change of pace slathered with yogurt with mint, ground cardamom, & orange zest. I really liked results (and I like that if you do a leg of lamb rare due to shape there is plenty of medium rare & medium for those that prefer).
I loved the sauce gribiche but erred a bit on side of undercooking asparagus. Everyone said they liked, but I should have steamed one or two more minutes.

[Jenise]

Last night's dinner: a cucumber. Sliced and dressed with a little O & V, sure, but that was it. Such is widowhood.

...erred a bit on side of undercooking asparagus. Everyone said they liked, but I should have steamed one or two more minutes.

Yes, it can be tough to get back in the swing of timing asparagus, and one does err on the undercooked side.

[Jenise]

Last night I made a hamburger salad. Dressed some romaine with O&V, topped with crumbled hamburger meat out of the frying pan, garnished with halved cherry tomatoes. Prep time: five minutes. I'm really living it up!

...erred a bit on side of undercooking asparagus. Everyone said they liked, but I should have steamed one or two more minutes.

Yes, it can be tough to get back in the swing of timing asparagus, and one does err on the undercooked side.

90% of the time if I am in charge of asparagus I grill. Steaming I did the insert knife thing, but I misjudged, though I'd rather undercook than over.
Jenise, the hamburger salad sounds better than a cucumber (not that I don't like cucumbers)

Spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam. That's what we had tonight.

Last night I made a hamburger salad. Dressed some romaine with O&V, topped with crumbled hamburger meat out of the frying pan, garnished with halved cherry tomatoes. Prep time: five minutes. I'm really living it up!

Sounds delish, Jenise. This week I was craving gr. beef, marinara sauce, and parmesan. I found a
97% lean organic gr. beef package in the freezer and browned it in the pan with onions and garlic. Added Silver Palates Low Sodium marinara, with a bit of Dolan Vermouth, red pepper flakes, oregano, and let it simmer on low, then tossed in Conchiglie pasta and mixed well so the sauce and meat could find their way into the delightful pasta holes. Topped with shredded Parmesan and enjoyed. Very tasty, and I had something different for lunch this week.

Spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam. That's what we had tonight.

Baked beans were off?

-Paul W.

Took a trip down memory lane yesterday, looking through my family recipe binders. Came across Balsamic Roasted pork tenderloin from Pat in NoCal and from Michael in Phoenix from a website called Eat.at. So I marinated a tenderloin in balsamic vinegar, olive oil fresh garlic, steak seasoning, fresh rosemary and thyme leaves. It will be oven-cooked on high heat. I also made my mom's family risotto recipe, which I wrote when I was 19 years old, as she talked me through it. Sauté onion in butter, add fresh sliced mushrooms and garlic, then rice and stir. Vermouth, and chicken stock are added along with Beau Monde, and Poultry seasoning and cooked with lid on on low heat until the rice is done. My veggie will be an eggplant cooked with a little evoo in the pan until browned on both sides, then homemade tomato sauce on top with a bit of Parmesan. Put the lid on until the cheese melts. No breading, or egg dip.

Our town has been doing Cool April Nights for over a week, and it has been fun seeing the cars come into the neighborhood, plus the many Show and Shines all over town.

I'm making sambar tonight.

-Paul W.

Made a gnocchi gratin seasoned with sage and nutmeg, with added champignon mushrooms, spinach, and the shredded meat from two turkey thighs. Very easy and very good.

Gong bao ji ding (aka Kung Pao chicken), but made with cashews instead of peanuts, tonight.

-Paul W.

Tonight will be Sichuan ground pork with minced hot chiles, a dish from The Chinese Cookbook by Craig Claiborne and Virginia Lee. Claiborne calls this a dish "to make strong men cough, and Texans, unless they are of the proper ilk and enthusiasm, weep capsicum. Heed well this warning." It's one of my perennial favorites.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

On Saturday night I dined with friends in Los Angeles. Lots of wine. Then after everyone else left (I was staying over), my host whipped out a bottle of scotch and invited me to join him. In the cold light of day I know that I can't mix grape and grain, but I'm out of practice and totally forgot so when invited, went "Sure!" That was two days ago and I'm still hung over.

Dinner last night was a medium coffee and small fries at the closest McDonalds to the Paine Field airport in Everett that I flew into at 9:00 last night. It had been my intention to skip dinner altogether but by the time I got my car out of Parking Lot Hell at the airport I sensed I should probably put a little something in my tummy, not so much to feed myself as stave off other hunger on the two hour drive home. Slept badly once here, so I skipped breakfast this morning before going to the dentist and afterward got a few hot chicken tenders out of the supermarket deli at my next stop and ate those on the trip home. Once home I ate a pint of strawberries. Dinner? No interest.

I have not figured out a dining schedule yet for Jenise 2.0 and at this rate it may never happen.

But in the meantime I did carve up an 8 lb ham which has been poaching for about two hours with meat and stock destined to become a jambon perseilles terrine for Thursday's pinot noir lunch at Bill's, and enough to make a second one for another event on Saturday to celebrate my wonderful husband. So I'm actually cooking something.

Jenise, I have a good friend who also recently lost her husband. She is a good cook and cooked for herself and her husband healthy meals. Now, when I ask her what is for dinner, I usually am told she has no clue. She has stopped eating meat and has offered no reason for this. Many times when I ask what she is eating, she will say," I just had a bowl of cereal." I worry for her. It is so important to keep your body well fed during stressful times. I was also wondering if you are considering moving back to LA? From what I have read here, you have formed great friendships where you are, and that is very important, as well. I've lost all my close friends, except for the one I mentioned above. I have good neighbors and we watch out for each other, but it is not the same as a very good friend.
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[Jenise]

Last night I also ate strawberries. Today I was going to break the mold and do a real dinner with pork chops I bought just for the occasion, but then my brother swung by and we went out for lunch and there goes my appetite. Dinner tonight? Strawberries.

Strawberries.

Splashed with a couple spoons of Grand Marnier?
Drizzled with balsamico?
Or just sprinkled with powdered sugar?

I always drizzle my strawberries with balsamic—who knew this would be a thing so many years ago! It is also tasty on many other fruits.