Family, Friends & Food!

Is there a better combination for a great time?  Thanksgiving was all that and more.  We traveled "over the pass and across the prairie" to my cousin's house in Central Washington.  The snow covered trees and hillsides on Thanksgiving morning made a beautiful and sunny drive.  About two dozen people gathered around noon, each with some food to share.  In addition, there was all the family updates to collect, interesting people to meet, stories to exchange and laughter to share.  Ages ranged from 16 months to 91 years spanning four generations.  There was turkey and a beef roast to share center stage and side dishes and desserts that didn't seem to end.  It was a great day!

When I asked about what we should bring, vegetables was the request.  I needed a recipe that would be road worthy and could be made ahead of time.  Roasted Vegetables met both criteria and, having prepared them before, find them very tasty.  I consulted a few websites and found a great "how to" in http://www.salon.com/ of March 12, 2010.  I had no idea a Brussels sprout could taste so good!

Roasted Vegetables

You can roast just about any vegetable.  Each vegetable will respond to different oven temperatures and/or time in the oven.  It helps to cut mixed vegetables in sized pieces where they all will cook in the same time.  This may take a little trial and error.  Think asparagus (whole or two inch pieces), bell peppers (one inch chunks), broccoli  and cauliflower (1 1/2 inch diameter florets), Brussels sprouts (halve or quarter), carrots (diagonal 1/4 inch slices), eggplant (1 1/2 inch chunks), green beans (whole), onions (1/2 inch wedges broken apart), yams/sweet potatoes (one inch pieces), tomatoes (Roma type, quartered) and zucchini ( 1/4  inch slices) to name the more common.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Place the cut vegetables in a large bowl.  Add salt, pepper and olive oil --mix thoroughly.  The vegetables should have a sheen from the olive oil and plenty of salt and pepper.  Taste a piece.  You should be able to taste the salt, pepper and olive oil.  Spread the vegetables out in a single layer on a foil or parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.  Place in the oven and check in 10 minutes.  The vegetables should start to show browning.  That is the caramelizing taking place.  Flip the vegetables over and return to the oven.  Check every few minutes and taste a piece--it should be tender-crisp to fully tender, depending upon your preference.  They may need five to 10 minutes more after flipping.

Roasted vegetables taste great as is, but enhancements are nice too.  Balsamic vinegar, toasted nuts, fresh herbs, dried fruit and, of course, grated cheese.  This is an amazingly tasty and easy way to cook vegetables--I've been a "roasting fool" since Thanksgiving!  Enjoy getting your recommended daily vegetable servings!

Fall Is Here! Winter Is Coming!

We are already mid-way through fall! Our front yard was especially beautiful a few weeks back.

Daylight saving time has ended, darkness occurs in late afternoon and my thoughts turn to soups and chowders for dinner. Nothing like getting home, shutting the door behind you and knowing you don't need to go out again tonight. For dinner? Autumn Vegetable Chowder! It is easy to make, takes about 30 minutes to prepare and usually the ingredients are on hand.

I've prepared this recipe many times since I found it in Sunset magazine in the early 1980's. I've shared with rave reviews in return.

Autumn Vegetable Chowder

1 T. olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 c. thinly sliced carrots (about 3 carrots)

1/2 c. thinly sliced celery (about 2 stalks)

2 c. diced unpeeled potatoes (about two large Yukon Gold or red potatoes)

1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice

1 1/2 t. Worcestershire sauce

1 lg. chicken boullion cube

4 c. whole or 2% milk

Salt & pepper to taste

1/4 c. chopped parsley

3/4 c. sharp Cheddar cheese, grated

In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until limp, about 5 minutes. Stir in carrots, celery, potato, tomatoes, bouillon cube and Worchestershire sauce. Cover and cook on simmer on low heat until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Add a little water if it seems too dry. The vegetables should "sweat" until done. Add mile and heat slowly until piping hot. Take care to not boil the milk. Season with salt and pepper and add chopped parsley. To serve, ladle into bowls and sprinkle the Cheddar cheese on top.

You can add 1 c. cooked chicken, turkey or ham when you add the milk. You can also add fish or shellfish when you add the milk. Firm fish like halibut, cod, bass or salmon, cut into 1 inch chunks, raw or cooked. Raw or cooked shrimp or clams are also great additions. Add with milk being careful to not over cook the fish or shellfish.

With the addition of a green salad and some great bread, you have a "comfort food" dinner. Serves 4.

Nutritional data:

Without meat/fish: calories 380, protein 20 grs, carbohydrate 40 grs, fat 16 grs.

With lean meat/fish: calories 410, protein 25 grs, carbohydrate 40 grs, fat 18 grs.

Birthday Surprise!

My birthday was last month and my husband surprised me with my gift--lunch with Nancy Leson, former restaurant critic and current food columnist for The Seattle Times newspaper and all-round local foodie! www.seattletimes.com We met at Olives Cafe' and Wine Bar in Edmonds, Washington. www.olivescafewinebar.com We split two lunches--pulled pork sandwich and salmon tacos. Both were delicious!

I had such a wonderful time! We talked about all kinds of things, not just food. Two hours went by in a flash and I realized later I didn't ask her half the questions I wanted to. Her current job at The Seattle Times is writing the blog "All You Can Eat". She stopped being the restaurant critic, in part, to cut down on work hours. But she said she is working harder than ever. But how hard is work if it involves all things food??? Nancy also does a weekly piece for KPLU radio with midday jazz host Dick Stein called "Food For Thought". With those two you can't miss a few chuckles and some ideas about the food topic of the show. Check it out at www.kplu.org and click on Food. Lunch ended all too soon, but not before she introduced me to a great women's clothing shop across the street.

I told my husband that this birthday gift was a great surprise and great fun! Third time was the charm--two previous gifts were sightseeing in a single engine airplane--I got air sick, and a day at a spa--I got sick from the deep tissue massage. I think he was sweating this one.

Tasty Tuna!

I was in Ashland, Oregon recently and ate at Pasta Piatti, a cozy Italian restaurant with a dining patio on Main Street. I was in Ashland to take in the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. It was mid-afternoon on a beautiful day and my companion and I were in need of lunch. All the elements converged to make lunch a special event. We had sunshine and the temperature was in the mid 70's. There was a slight breeze that rustled leaves on the street trees. We could hear birds. The patio was raised a bit above street level, but we could see the the sidewalk and street action. Being mid afternoon, we pretty much had the patio to ourselves.


I had a salad of seared ahi tuna with marinated cannellini beans served over organic greens, lightly dressed with olive oil and vinegar. The tuna was superb! Seared just perfectly with salt, pepper and olive oil for seasoning. Wonderfully rare in the middle. The piece was cut in half with sesame seeds coating one of the cut ends and chives coating the other. It was gorgeous to look at! And it tasted wonderful. The tuna had just enough salt and pepper to give it a slight briney taste while not covering up the flavor of the tuna. I added a glass of wine to top the meal off.

Pasta Piatti has a nice website--check it out: http://www.pastapiatti.com/

If you love theatre and/or Shakespeare, seeing an Oregon Shakespeare Festival producton should be on your list of "100 Things To Do Before I Die". This year is their 75th anniversary. http://www.osfashland.org/ Ashland is a great town--all ranges of lodging and eating options, hot, dry summer weather, art galleries and a lovely park. All within walking distance. And fishing, golf, river rafting and wine tasting within easy reach. It is no wonder so many people visit every year.

A Favorite Pasta Recipe!

I'm always on the lookout for fast, tasty and healthful meals. This one-dish pasta is a favorite. It comes from Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Library "Pasta Sauces", 1994. I love the combination of salty, sweet and spicey flavors combined with one of the "wonder foods" -- leafy greens. Swiss chard is a great vegetable! It has lots of nutrients, is imprecise in its cooking time and holds fairly well in the refrigerator. I hope you enjoy it!

Pasta with Chard & Raisins
Serves 2

1/2 lb. Swiss chard, leaves and stems chopped coarsely
4 oz. dry Farfalle (bow tie) pasta
1/4 c. raisins
1/2 c. parmesan cheese, shredded
4 oz. chicken/turkey sausage or 2 links of chicken/turkey pre-cooked sausage
1 T. olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add chard, pasta and raisins. Cook 9 minutes or to al dente.

Meanwhile, crumble or slice sausage into small pieces. Saute over medium high heat until cooked through and brown.

When pasta is cooked, drain. Let dry for a minute then place in a large serving bowl. Add olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss. Add cooked sausage and parmesan cheese and toss again. Sprinkle a little more parmesan cheese over the top and serve.

You can substitute other meat or even toasted chopped walnuts for the sausage. Left over chicken works. You may want to add additional seasoning when tossing all together such as pressed garlic or hot pepper flakes. You can substitute spinach for the chard, but don't add the spinach until the final two minutes of cooking.

I'm "Blogging"!

I've had in the back of my mind the formation of a book about cooking, eating and dining, food, nutrition, kitchen and food safety, the culture of food, etc. Every day we devote time to nourishing the body. That time deserves a higher daily priority than what most of US society gives it. My idea is to demonstrate that preparing nutritious and attractive meals is easy and quick.

I learned to cook by watching my mother and grandmother. They both grew up on farms, grew much of what they ate, wasted nothing, were efficient in the kitchen and put some very tasty food on the table! My college degree is in home economics. All my life I have recognized the link between nutrition and health. In mid-life, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. My knowledge of nutrition and healthy eating has been of immense help to me in managing my diabetes.

I love to eat! But there is much more to my love affair with food than just eating. And as a co-worker of my husband observed upon seeing his home-made lunch "You don't eat. You dine!" I love the rituals based around food, the social connections made through dining, the satisfaction of preparing and sharing tasty food for family and friends and celebrating with each bite the miracle of growth from a tiny seed into an edible fruit or vegetable.

I was sharing my book idea with a friend and she said "Why not blog?" And, why not, indeed! So I'm going to take a stab at it. I hope you enjoy my postings and learn something. And I want your feedback! I'd like to know your reactions to what I've written, what worked for you and what didn't, recipies you liked or had dfficulty with, topics you would like to read about, and anything on your mind as it relates to food and eating. So, I've joined the 21st century and I'm blogging!