Cucumber and Melon Salad

When I first read this recipe over a year ago I thought that the ingredients just didn't sound like they belonged together. But then I made it, and I am so glad I did. I've been thinking about this recipe quite a bit lately and almost craving it. I knew, however, that little j wouldn't like it and I didn't want to make it just for myself. Since Big J came home last night and tonight was a welcome home dinner and it was over 90 degrees with ungodly humidity, it seemed like the perfect time for this refreshing salad. I can't recommend this dish more highly. As a side note: little j had this salad deconstructed; that is: cucumbers in one bowl, honeydew in another, hold the dressing.

Honeydew and Cucumber Salad
(adapted from Epicurious)

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons rice-wine vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger root
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes, or to taste
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 cucumber, peeled and seeds removed, halved lengthwise and slice thin
2 cups 1-inch cubes of honeydew melon
2 scallions, minced
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted lightly and cooled

In a bowl whisk together the vinegar, the ginger root, the soy sauce, the sugar, the sesame oil, the red pepper flakes, and the vegetable oil until the dressing is combined well. Add the cucumber, the melon, and the scallions, toss the salad until it is combined well. Chill for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving.

Kitchen Confidential

Perhaps this post should actually be titled, "That Girl cooks but she doesn't clean!" I think I've mentioned that Big J is one amazing sous chef and kitchen cleaner. Of course he's been away for two weeks, so his services have been sorely missed. But this post is actually about our oven.

I have a confession. We have lived in this house for nearly 5 years and I have not once cleaned the oven. Now, before you totally freak out I should tell you that about a year ago we purchased a new stove. I believe that Big J cleaned our old oven a few times, and it is quite possible that he's cleaned our current oven as well. But I have never cleaned the oven. In fact, I've only cleaned an oven once in my lifetime.

So it was with some trepidation that I cleaned the oven today. And here's my issue: I really try to use "green" cleaning products, but in all honesty they don't work as well on grease. So I broke out the Easy Off oven cleaner and sprayed the oven this morning with the intent to clean it this afternoon. Did that happen? Of course not. So when I decided sort of last minute to make cornbread to go with the barbecued chicken, I realized that I'd totally forgotten.

That Girl is not getting a gold medal in house keeping. But at least I got the oven clean after dinner.

Recreating a Favorite, With Some Success

I really did not want to cook tonight. little j suggested we go out and then said she wanted to go somewhere to have noodles. Yeah, I don't think so. Thinking about what we had in the house and how to combine that into a pasta dish I decided to try to put together one of my favorite dishes from Foley Station in La Grande, Oregon. The dish, Smoked Salmon Gemelli, was always one of my top choices with its rich sauce of salmon, tomatoes, and probably something else that I don't remember. Here's my recreation which turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself.

Cavatappi with Salmon, Tomatoes, & Capers
(serves 2)

1 tbs. olive oil
1/2 onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup half & half
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 tbs. drained capers
1/4 lb. salmon (smoked or not, your preference)
4 oz. Cavatappi (weigh before cooking)
Parsley for garnish

Heat oil in medium sautee pan over medium heat. Add onions and sautee until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sautee an additional 30 seconds.

Add half and half to onions and garlic and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and continue to simmer until sauce is reduced and thickened.

When pasta is nearly done (about 2 minutes remaining) add tomatoes, salmon, and capers to the sauce.

Drain pasta and add to sauce, toss to coat. Place in a large, prewarmed bowl, sprinkle with minced parsley.

Try This Recipe

I had two bunches of chard that I needed to use and recently saw a recipe for Spinach Rice Gratin on one of my favorite cooking blogs, 101 Cookbooks. I didn't follow the recipe exactly because 1) I'm not a fan of tofu and I didn't have any in the house, and 2) I didn't have any olives; otherwise I stuck pretty close to the original recipe. And I have to say . . . YUM! Of course little j didn't eat any since she still has issues with mixed foods, but that just means I have enough left over for tomorrow's lunch.

In Search Of the Best Coffee for One

When Big J is out of town I don't even think about using our drip coffee maker except to give it a good cleaning. But that doesn't mean I don't have coffee in the morning . . . it's hard enough being a single parent, let alone doing it without coffee!

I have three methods of making coffee for myself (not including buying it after dropping little j off at summer camp): french press (or press pot), Bialetti Moka Express, and a single cup filter. In the week Big J has been gone I've used all three.

Generally I prefer using the french press, but it is an 8-cup press and, while a cup of coffee is only 6 ounces, 8 cups is just too much, I almost always leave at least a cup. Additionally, I have a hard time getting the grind just right. It needs to be fairly coarse, but with a blade grinder it is hard to get it uniformly coarse.

The single cup filter, which I often take when I travel, works okay. But it's only one cup at a time and I have to boil water at least twice. Seems a little wasteful. Also, when I used it this weekend I, again, had trouble with the grind and it was way too weak.

So today I broke out the Bialetti. We first had coffee made with the Bialetti when we were in Belgium, and I must say it makes a damn good cup of coffee. The only drawback, and it's pretty minor, is that after it cools down I have a hard time opening it up to clean it because of the vacuum seal. Again, pretty minor. But as I sit here this morning, I have to say that this is probably the best coffee I've had since Big J has been gone. It's strong, not bitter, and gives me about two 10 ounce cups without having to reheat. That sounds about right.

Oh, and my coffee of choice? Shenandoah Joe's West Coast French.

A Flutter of Butterflies

Saturday little j picked our activity so Sunday was my turn and I chose cupcake making. It was way too hot to be outside so an afternoon of cupcaking (oh yeah, I just turned a noun into a verb) seemed like a good choice. A while ago I bought Hello, Cupcake: Irresistibly Playful Creations Anyone Can Make, and even though both little j and I have looked at it numerous times we really haven't had a chance to make a batch.

And last night I knew why -- we started the cupcakes at about 1:00 in the afternoon. By 4:00 we had the cupcakes baked and frosted and the decorations complete but not on the cupcakes. We went out to grab a slice of pizza at 5:30 then came back and finished up the cupcakes which took another 45 minutes. That's a lot of time for a 5-year old to stay focused. But little j is a trooper.

Here's our process, complete with photos!

We began by making chocolate cupcakes using a recipe from Gourmet, sans the butterscotch icing. And just a note on this recipe: it calls for baking the cupcakes for 20 - 25 minutes. Way too long! Ours were baked through at 12. I am not sure if I would use this recipe again, it was a little dry, but not bad.

Here are the cooled cupcakes:


After making the cupcakes we started making the wings. We made 27 sets (15 large and 12 small) as well as antennae.


The wings were much easier than I anticipated. I piped the candy and little j made the designs with a toothpick and then added the sprinkles. (Clearly we need more kitchen space since we stored the completed wings on the piano!)

Then we made the frosting: butter cream with yellow coloring. I generally use gel food coloring because it is easier to control.


After frosting the cupcakes it was finally time to put the butterflies on. This turned out to be a lot easier than I anticipated. little j separated all the yellow M&Ms out of a big bag of the candy and I pushed two into each cupcake to support the wings. Then I set the wings on, pushing them slightly into the frosting. I added the antenna and piped chocolate frosting down the center of the wings for the body.


This morning little j and I took the cupcakes in to share with her friends at Summer Camp. She was incredibly excited and I'm really happy that we did this together. What a great mother-daughter Sunday activity!

Food Science

The true measure of someone who is totally geeked about food and cooking is how excited they are to learn about the science behind the process. I confess, that is me. So imagine my excitement when I saw that the Food Network is going to have a new show: Food Detectives with Ted Allen. The first episode, "The 5-Second Rule," airs July 27.

But it got me thinking about why I like cooking and reading about food. I'm one of those people that needs to know "why." I once had a writing professor that assigned a five-page paper and asked for an outline the week before. When I asked if he wrote outlines for short paper and he said no, I refused, telling him that if he didn't do it himself and had no good reason for us to do it then I just wasn't going to either. Take that D.A.! (Wow, serious flashback!)

But back to cooking . . . I subscribe to Cook's Illustrated which, in addition to excellent recipes, gives a detailed accounting of the process of recipe development and, in some cases, the science behind it. Lately, I have been thinking about developing my own recipes and being the researcher that I am I can't even begin to do that unless I have references at my fingertips that tell me why I should choose one ingredient over another and how it will affect the taste and/or texture.

In the spirit of food science, here are a few resources and good reads that I recommend:

• America's Test Kitchen
• News for Curious Cooks (see especially: New York Times articles)
• On food and cooking: The science and lore of the kitchen by Harold McGee
• I'm just here for the food: Food + Heat = Cooking by Alton Brown
• Good Eats with Alton Brown (I am especially enamored with food anthropologist Deborah Duchon)

That's just scratching the surface, but it's a good start if, like me, you are a total food geek.

An Easy Burst of Flavor

For the past couple of days I have had a craving for grilled mushrooms. So last night I put some mushrooms on skewers and grilled them (without oil or seasoning) until they were just a bit soft and beginning to release their juices. I flash cooked some strips of lean beef and made brown rice and steamed green beans. When the mushrooms were done I put them in a bowl and and tossed them with just a smidgen (chef-speak, no really, for a little bit) of olive oil and a sprinkling of kosher salt. They would have also been good with some balsamic as well. As it was, they were deep, earthy, and juicy. They added just the right texture to the meal. Yum!

Re-Disclosure

So two days into my twelve days and I fell off the proverbial wagon. No, I haven't had wine or any other alcohol. I haven't had non-whole grains. In fact, it's been a lot easier than I thought. With the exception of one thing: dairy. In the words of Tim McGraw, I like, I love it, I want some more of it!

And it's really not a major component of the meals, but last night I grilled some chicken and had that with whole wheat pasta, spinach and tomatoes. Not bad. But it would have been so much better with a sprinkling of fresh grated Parmesan.

Today for lunch I had black beans, diced tomatoes, and green onions. A very healthy delicious lunch But how much better would it have been with a touch (say tablespoon) of sour cream or a bit of jack cheese.

I've given this a lot of thought and asked myself why I chose this particular 12-day food thing. It's just not me. I like food. I like bold flavors and dairy is an important part of food life (at least in my world).

So, my revised plan is to go with the exchange program and add dairy products back in. As long I am following the exchanges I've set up and the exercise program then I will feel good about myself. I don't need an "expert" to (in)validate my choices.

Oh, and by the way: tonight I had a salad, lean beef, and broccoli. AND a petite ice cream cone. And guess what? No guilt. Because it all fits into my meal plan.

In the Interest of Full Disclosure

I'm starting a new meal plan tomorrow. You know how women talk about needing to take off baby weight? Well, I need to take off dissertation weight. I've been researching different plans that cover both eating and exercise.

A few years ago Big J and I did the diabetic exchange plan which was perfect. We still got to eat what we wanted, we just had to watch our portion sizes and pay attention to the exchanges. So of course I am following that and combining an exercise plan that is more focused on strength training (as opposed to hours of cardio).

My first twelve days on this plan is a "detox." Don't worry, it's nothing crazy! The plan consists of low fat proteins (chicken, lean beef, fish, etc), fruits and vegetables, complex carbohydrates (whole grains but no bread!), and limited fats (olive oil, unsalted nuts, avocado). So no dairy, bread, or alcohol for 12 days.

After the twelve days it is a twelve week plan that incorporates whole foods and a clear fitness plan. It sounds completely do-able. I found the plan in the book Strength for Life. I combined the author's principals with the exchange program. I think it will work well and I'll keep you, dear readers, apprised of my progress.

Lest you think that the new food plan will affect the food blog -- no worries! I am planning to look at my recipes and think about how I can modify them to fit or experiment with new ideas (the quinoa tabbouleh totally fits into the plan!).

Summertime Quinoa Tabbouleh

To my way of thinking there is nothing better than a fresh tabbouleh salad on a warm summer evening. About a month ago Big J mentioned that he thought it would taste really good with quinoa instead of bulgur. Genius! Here's the recipe!

Quinoa Tabbouleh

1 cup quinoa
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup coarsely chopped mint leaves
1 cup coarsely chopped Italian parsley
1/2 cup finely diced red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 plum (Roma) tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 large cucumber, peeled (optional), seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
salt and pepper to taste

Rinse quinoa in a bowl using 5 changes of water, rubbing grains and letting them settle before pouring off water (if quinoa does not settle, drain in a large sieve after each rinsing).

Cook quinoa in a 4- to 5-quart pot of boiling salted water 10 minutes. Drain in a large sieve and rinse under cold running water.

Set sieve with quinoa over a saucepan containing 1 1/2 inches boiling water (sieve should not touch water) and steam quinoa, covered with a kitchen towel and lid, until fluffy and dry, 10 to 12 minutes.

Transfer quinoa to bowl and cool to room temperature.

Whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, and minced garlic together. Toss the mint, parsley, onion, tomatoes, and cucumber with the dressing.

Add vegetables to cooled quinoa. Let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature for flavors to develop. The salad may be refrigerated, but should be takeout at least 30 minutes prior to serving.

Serves 6 - 8.

When All Else Fails . . .

We love eggs in our house. Lately little j has been on a hard boiled egg kick. I would never turn down a well made soft boiled egg. And Big J had a hard time deciding what his favorite was but finally went with an egg fried over easy.

Tonight when little j and I got home I suggested scrambled eggs and tortillas and she immediately agreed that sounded good. So I scrambled up the remaining eggs that we had from the farmers' market. little j likes hers "fresh" with salt and a tortilla on the side. I like mine on the tortilla with grated cheese, salsa, and a bit of sour cream.

We have eggs about once a week, or perhaps once every other week. I really like eggs as the main component of a dinner. In the summer eggs are particularly great because they are so quick and allow you to get in and out of the kitchen. I thought this would be a good opportunity to share one of our favorite egg dinners. I generally serve with local bread and a simple salad. Also, if you haven't had the pleasure of farm fresh organic eggs I highly recommend them. But be forewarned: Once you taste those farm fresh eggs you'll never be able to go back.

Poached Eggs with Tomatoes and Portabellas

2 Portabella mushrooms, stemmed and cleaned
1 Ripe tomato
2 Eggs
2 Slices fontina cheese
4 - 6 Basil leaves, chopped
Olive oil
Balsamic Vinegar

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Slice tomato creating two thick slices. Brush mushrooms and tomato slices with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. Place on a baking sheet and bake about 10 minutes.

In the meantime, poach the eggs.

Sprinkle the mushrooms with balsamic vinegar. Place the tomato slices on the mushrooms and top with eggs, then fontina slices. Place under the broiler until cheese melts, about 2 minutes. Top with basil.

Serves 2.