Summertime Dinner

Summertime Dinner

To me, dinner is the meal that is served around 6 PM. I don't use the word supper. It has always confused me. Breakfast is the first meal of the day, lunch is the second meal of the day (unless you are a Hobbit), and dinner is the third and final meal of the day. Living in the South can be so confusing sometimes.
Why does summer seem to go by so quickly? Why can't we grow corn, tomatoes, raspberries, and okra in Zone 7 year-round? That would be dreamy. But hold the mosquitoes.
Tonight was one of those nights the hubby and I will talk about all week long. First, he put on my favorite cologne, eau de charcoal. Basically, he grilled a flank steak. It was his first endeavor and he completed it with much success. It came out brown on the outside and pink on the inside.
For the first 32.25 years of my life, I have only eaten grilled meat with very little pink in the center. However, tonight, I was convinced to try it with very little that was NOT pink. Oh Yum. Double Yum. The resident five year old is proving to have a more sophisticated palate than myself and didn't complain about the pink meat. In fact, he ate 2 fajitas with the pinky goodness rolled up inside of it.
Corn has been hit or miss this season. Thankfully, tonight's corn, curtesy of the local Kroger, was a hit. It was prepared in a style that I was only recently introduced to. Pan-seared Corn on the Cob. Do not read any further if you want to retain your summer figure. My method of coping with the situation was to buy a bathing suit with ruffles and rushing to hide my corny curves. I'm serious.



And finally, no dessert tonight. With fried okra from the garden, who needs dessert?


Pan-seared Corn on the Cob
1 TBSP vegetable oil
4-5 ears of fresh corn
6 TBSP of water
3 tsp of apple cider vinegar
1-2TBSP butter
2 minced cloves of garlic (I use it out of a jar)
chopped Italian parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Choose a pan/skillet that will allow all ears of corn to touch the bottom of the pan. Find a lid that will fit. Combine water and vinegar in small ramekin. Set aside. Heat oil over medium heat, or a little less. Add corn, TURNING every 2 minutes until browned in spots. (5-7 minutes of total cook time) Add the butter and minced garlic. Cook 10 seconds. Pour in water/vinegar mixture and cover for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle with chopped parsley, salt and pepper. Allow 2 ears per person.

Fried Okra
Cut enough from the garden to fill the bottom of your iron skillet. maybe 1/2-3/4 lb? Wash, trim off ends. Cut into 1 1/2 cm pieces. Roll the cut pieces in cornmeal. Heat an iron skillet over medium heat. Add 2 TBSP of organic all vegetable shortening (Crisco-like product). Add breaded okra, turn every 2-3 minutes for a total of 12 minutes? At this point, it should "look done." Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve immediately. You may to salt a little more. You may need to add a little more shortening halfway through the process. The okra should be tender, but not soggy with oil and have a few black spot from where it has cooked in the pan. And remember what Julia Child said, "don't crowd the item, or it will never brown." This amount serves 2 people in our house.

Green Eggs and Ham

Our little guy has been studying Dr. Seuss at his preschool and of course we read some of the books at home from time to time. So one night last week, we had green eggs and ham. Well, the kids had green eggs and pink ham and the adults had green eggs and ham in the form of a quiche. I made a quick smoothie with some raspberry sorbet, yogurt and a banana. It was inspired by the Yink's ink drink in One fish two fish red fish blue fish. It was a hit with both kids.

"Say! I like green eggs and ham! I do! I like them Sam-I-am! blaaagghhk." Phillip took a bite of spinach and put it in his cheek as he mustered up as much enthusiasm as anyone could and successfully quoted a line from the famous book. Sadly, he was not as successful in swallowing the spinach. I tried so hard to keep from laughing at my little guy. He tried to convince himself like Sam that eating green eggs and ham was an enjoyable experience. It wasn't so pleasant, but at least he tried it. Then he proceeded to scrape the spinach off of the egg white and eat only the egg white and ham.

No gags or complaints were heard out of baby girl. She ate everything on her tray. Her green eggs consisted of mashed potatoes that had been blended with some steamed spinach. I used my handy little cookie scoop (mentioned in another entry) to get a perfectly-rounded "green yoke" on her egg white.


We couldn't understand why he was looking at the book at the table. Moments later, we realized he was memorizing a line that he was going to proudly quote to us.

Enjoying the pink ink drink, but not so certain about the green eggs.



Can you believe her mother put a feather puff on her head because it made her look like a Yink?

I am not a Yink. Thanks Mom.


Grown Up Green Eggs and Ham-It makes for great leftovers, too!


the ham and veggies are diced and ready to go

1. Spread the love, I mean the ham.

2. Spread some more love aka sprinkle the cheese

3. Top with bell pepper, onions and steamed spinach (I didn't steam the spinach and it didn't cook down much in the quiche.) Not the time to try a short cut =)

4. Pour the milk/egg mixture over the veggies

5. Top with grated Havarti

The puffy result after baking for 45 minutes.

Green Eggs and Ham Quiche
1 lb of cooked ham (in small diced pieces)
1 green bell pepper-finely diced
1/2 onion-finely diced
5 oz. steamed spinach (drained)
1 c. (4-5oz) shredded cheddar cheese
2 oz Havarti
1 1/2 c milk
1 c Bisquick
3/4 c sour cream
4 eggs
pinch of each: salt, pepper, garlic powder

Spray a 2-quart round baking dish with cooking spray/PAM. Sprinkle the ham, cheese, spinach, green pepper, onion. In a blender, combine the milk, Bisquick, sour cream, and eggs. Blend for 10 seconds, scraping the sides once. Throw in the salt, pepper, and garlic powder and blend another 5 seconds. Remove and pour the mixture over the ham and vegetables. Sprinkle a little Havarti cheese on the top. Bake in a 350 oven for 40-50 minutes. Make 4-6 adult portions.

Snow Daze

It snowed today. Again. I was feeling sorry for my situation and decided to look up the weather in Russia. In Yakutsk, Russia, it is currently -31, but feels like -46. Tomorrow night it is supposed to be around -50 with partly cloudy skies. How do they know what the difference between -31 and -46 feels like? Uhm, I'll consider my 3 inches of snow and 19 degree weather a blessing.

So, with another day out of preschool, I must think of some project to occupy our time indoors tomorrow. My grown up project started tonight as the kids were going down for the night.
Christmastime was a little hectic and I didn't get around to my tradition of making cream puffs. This evening I spent some additional time and made swan cream puffs. I have romantic memories of my time in France when I would leisurely stop at a patisserie and admire their confectionary creations. Phillip got confused and called my creations flamingo cream puffs. My dreamy romantic bubble just got popped by thoughts of a brightly colored pink flamingo flying over me with cream on its beak.

like what we have outside, the swans received a heavy dusting of snow, or powdered sugar

On another snow day in January when we were confined indoors, we made marshmallows. The recipe is found on Martha Stewart's website. It wasn't difficult, but a heavy duty mixer is necessary for the project. The instructions were perfect, except for one minor detail. It is found below. Oh, and about the cookie cutters that you select...here's a hint, the less intricate ones, the better. We had the most success with simple shapes. These last 5 or so days. Be sure to store these in an air-tight container.

nice texture after 12 solid minutes of mixing.

Martha lied. Her instructions say to use an offset spatula to spread the marshmallowy goo. It sticks to that. (see what he is holding in his right hand?) I sprayed a rubber spatula with cooking spray and it worked much better.

8 hours later he cut out shapes

polar bears, angels, snowmen, and airplanes

They make a nice garnish to a hot chocolate (or coffee) and take a long time to melt.

We've been back a week, but I am still thinking about what fun we had in California. Then I remembered a couple of the souvenirs that I had purchased.

Phillip's souvenir. How ironic, it's a snow globe.

Here is my souvenir. I'll be drinking lots of hot tea tomorrow.

So, what do you do when you are stuck indoors on a snowy or rainy day?

A Quick Trip to Cali

1994 and I hurt. I am not going to smile. I am not going to smile, I am not going to smile.


This wasn't my first trip out to the San Francisco area. I've been going once a year since I was a teenager. When I was fifteen, I got braces. Wait, a couple of days before Thanksgiving when I was 15, spacers (aka painful rubber bands) were put between my teeth. We flew to SF the day before Thanksgiving. Excruciating headaches ensued and a lack of chewing abilities followed me through the weekend. My options for nourishment included such delicacies as mashed potatoes, applesauce, and pudding. I'd like to take a moment to thank my mother for scheduling that horrific and painful procedure 2 days before Thanksgiving.
So, my siblings and I flew out to Cali. This was pre-9/11, so I had an ice chest with jello and pudding cups to sustain me on the flight across the country. A passenger across the aisle asked me what I was carrying in my blue Coleman ice chest. Feeling mischievous, I told her that I was a courier for an organ transplant company and that there was a heart inside the ice chest. I didn't think she would take me seriously. Apparently she did, and spread the word about my "job." Upon landing in California, the people seated in the 3 rows in front of me parted ways, so that I could exit the plane before them with "the heart" in my Coleman.

Fast forward to 2011. With teeth somewhat straightened out and no headaches, I set off for California once again. This time I visited a dear friend from college. My friend, my 2 children and I began our adventures in San Francisco. The first stop: to get focaccia bread. My 4 year-old says fah KAHtch yuh with a slight Southern twang.
Not just ANY focaccia bread, but this kind comes from a bakery in the North Beach area (Little Italy) of San Francisco. Each heavenly slice measures 168 cubic inches (12x14x1). The light and fluffy bread serves as a canvas for the robust tomato sauce and green onions. Only somehow it doesn't feel light and fluffy 3 hours later after I've, I mean you've consumed a mere 84 cubic inches of focaccia. It is necessary to go in the morning. Business hours are posted on the door, but when they run out of glorious goods, they close up shop for the day.

When we arrived back at my friend's house, she removed the remaining slices from the butcher's paper and put it in a plastic container. We rationed it over the next 3 days. On the day that I left, she offered to put it in a Ziploc for me. That was after she cut off a portion of the rationed amount to keep for herself. A ziploc wasn't going to help this focaccia make the long trip back to Tennessee in a suitable manner. I came prepared and had planned for this moment. I disappeared, but quickly emerged from my guest room with a circa 1972 Tuperware meat marinater in hand. This antique piece of American plastic was the perfect piece to protect and transport my focaccia.
This is the precious cargo.
This is the indestructible container that carried the precious cargo.


On Saturday we went to the Farmer's Market that surrounds the Ferry Building. There is a Sur La Table store in the Ferry Building. (sigh) I feel about Sur La Table like most people do about IKEA.
oranges picked that morning




Then, Phillip and I walked down Pier 39 to see the seals.


Next, we ate a late lunch at a restaurant in Ghirardelli Square. I ate crabs cakes topped with fried parsnips while seated at a window that overlooked the Bay. It was a lovely view.

I don't like parsnips. But then, I had never had one fried and on top of a crab cake.


Shari and Alexandra played and we all enjoyed the view.



Then we stood in line for 45 minutes to ride the Cable cars to the end of the line and back.

we were able to see the workers turn it around

Two days later, we went to Napa. We walked through a few expensive stores, bought a toy airplane, and went to the park. It was a beautiful sunny day and a nice park, but I forgot to take a picture. Oh yes, and we got a few goodies from Bouchon bakery. Alexandra ate her first madeleine, I mean ate my madeleine, and Phillip chose a chocolate eclair. Shari ate the most divine tarte au citron. I wish I had transported a few of those back to Tennessee. By the way, the owner of Bouchon bakery also owns the Bouchon Bistro and The French Laundry. His name is Thomas Keller and if you watch the extra selections on the Ratatouille DVD, you will discover that the cooking scenes were created based on his cooking methods.


He's happy with his chocolate eclair from Bouchon bakery


enter at your own risk


I have lots to smile about!

This blog is dedicated to Shari T. We miss you!

Have a Crepe Day

Picture it...Paris, France, July 1996. It is a warm and sunny day. A young language student has just finished her university classes and is between visiting art museums when she decides to stop at a little stand just steps away from the sidewalk of the busy street to purchase a crepe. That same student leisurely and happily winds her way down the streets, almost skipping along the banks of the Seine eating her crepe, enjoying the bright sunshine while not giving much notice to the pedestrians walking in the opposite direction. Some of them look at her with wide eyes. Others toss snobby looks her way. She assumes they are envious of her Crepe Nutella and wonders why they don't spend a few francs and indulge for a few minutes on one of France's best culinary creations. She shrugs off the looks and cheerfully continues her stroll through the City of Lights, attempting to drink in the moment of where she is and savor each bite of crepe. Then it happens, she immediately becomes paralyzed. Her feet freeze, her heart races, and shortness of breath follows. Slowly, she turns her head to one side. A gasp is released as she stares into the shop's window. She sees her reflection in the glass as well as glops of Nutella above her lips, to the side of her mouth, and a smeared patch of it on her chin. She is mortified...until she finds her unused napkin given to her by the crepe vendor. Still using the shop's window like a bathroom mirror, she promptly removes the excess Hazelnut Chocolate sauce from her face. Satisfied with the results, she continues on her happy journey through Paris, eating her crepe AND frequently pausing to wipe her face. She passed her language class, moved to Africa for 1 year, got married, and now lives in Franklin, TN.
She hasn't been to France in almost 4 years, has eaten 5 crepes this week, and if she eats any more, you may have to roll her out of the house. But that is only after the snow melts and only while her kids are napping...at the same time...which is next to never. The end. Have a crepe day. =)

Crepe Batter for sweet-style crepes
1 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c milk
dash of salt
1 egg
Combine all ingredients and whisk until there are no lumps. Let batter rest 10 minutes or place in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Heat a large non-stick skillet (8 inches or more) or crepe pan over medium heat. When it is hot, rub your stick of butter over it, lightly coating the pan. The next part requires some fast moves with your hands and an agile wrist: Ladle 1/4 c of the crepe batter into the pan. Quickly tilt the skillet side to side to evenly coat the pan. Cook until the crepe has dark brown spots on the bottom and the outer edges begin to crisp and curl up. Peek under the crepe with a silicone or plastic spatula. Carefully turn the crepe over and cook for 30 or so seconds. Place on a plate and cover with foil or serve immediately. Repeat the process with the remaining batter. Yields 4-5 crepes.
When placed on the serving plate, put 1-2 heaping teaspoons of Nutella on only 1/2 of the crepe's surface. Fold in half, then in half again. Dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately! Blackberry, strawberry, or raspberry jam makes for a nice filling with Nutella, too. And freshly whipped cream is good on top, and fresh berries, and...



edges are crispy, ready to flip

30 seconds on this side


smear Nutella on half *I've found that by using the backside of a teaspoon, Nutella spreads smoothly. A butter knife may cause it to tear.
fold in 1/2


fold again

Good with a glass of milk

Imagine him with long curly hair and a messier face. That was me in 1996.


Crepe Batter for savory-style crepes
1 c all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1 c milk
pinch of salt
3 TBSP melted butter
1/2 c club soda
In a mixing bowl, whisk together all ingredients to form a smooth batter (no lumps). The batter will be much thinner than pancake batter. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Heat a large non-stick skillet (8 inches or more) or crepe pan over medium heat. When it is hot, rub your stick of butter over it, lightly coating the pan. The next part requires some fast moves with your hands and an agile wrist: Ladle 1/4 c of the crepe batter into the pan. Quickly tilt the skillet side to side to evenly coat the pan. Cook until the crepe has dark brown spots on the bottom and the outer edges begin to crisp and curl up. Peek under the crepe with a silicone or plastic spatula. Carefully turn the crepe over and cook for 30 or so seconds. Place on a plate and cover with foil or serve immediately. Repeat the process with the remaining batter. Yields 4-5 crepes.

While crepe batter is in the refrigerator, Chop the vegetables/ prepare the interior.
I used fresh spinach, grated swiss cheese, sauteed onions and bell pepper, and sliced ham. I added mushrooms to my husband's filling. Cook 1 crepe according to the instructions above, then on only 1/4th of the crepe's surface, layer the filling. Drizzle a little of the savory sauce or any sauce of your choice. Fold the crepe in half, then in 1/2 again. Cook for 1 minute on each side or to melt the cheese and crisp the exterior. Place on a plate, drizzle with a a little more sauce and serve immediately.

Savory Sauce (thrown together while batter was chilling)
1/3 c whipping cream
1TBSP Italian dressing
1/2 tsp grey poupon mustard
8-10 dashes of Texas Pete
3 TBSP BBQ sauce
dash of garlic powder
Mix all ingredients in a small non-stick skillet or small non-stick pan. Bring up to medium heat, when a boil forms, reduce to low, stirring frequently with a wood spoon. Allow it to reduce a little.



my savory filling sauteed peppers, onions, swiss cheese, ham, and fresh spinach

My husband's filling with the addition of fungi


melting the cheese and crisping the outside

ready to eat

This post is dedicated to my sweet friend and follow crepe-eater Emily P.