Pink House

Spinach Salad - A different spin

I've been trying to make a lot of different salads in the past couple of weeks as part of my high protein-low carb diet plan. Keeping the grams of carbs and sugars low, while the lean protein high is a challenge and so I found myself re-vamping traditional main dish salad recipes. Here's one that was quite tasty:

Spinach Salad: baby spinach leaves, chopped mushrooms, grape tomatoes, chopped hard boiled eggs, 2 slices of cooked and crumbled bacon, chopped green onion.

Dressing: 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 2 T. soy sauce, 1 t. minced ginger, 1 packet Splenda (artificial sweetner), 1 t. smoked paprika, black pepper to taste. Shake up or stir and refrigerate. Pour over salad just before serving and toss.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

My favorite season to cook is the fall. I just love the fruits and vegetables of the season...brussels sprouts, butternut squash, ginger gold apples, pumpkin, etc. Yum! I love the unique savory flavor of brussels sprouts and their mini-cabbage-like appearance. It's interesting to see brussels sprouts making an appearance on gourmet restuarant menus the last few years. Who knew a homely little vegetable could be sexy? I sampled a great roasted brussels sprout dish at Marlowe in San Francisco last spring and I've tried to duplicate it at home without success. Just how DO you crisp those individual leaves? I have to settle for a simple roasting: spread out the brussels sprouts on a shallow baking dish, sprinkle with olive oil and sea salt. Roast for 30 minutes at 350 until browned.

Easy Party Appetizer

 
  
A quick no-cook appetizer for a party: arrange slices of genoa salami, fresh mozzarella, fresh tomato, fresh basil around a platter. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Serve alongside a basket of baguette slices or crackers.

Scottish Eggs or Scotch Eggs?

I've always wanted to try making Scottish Eggs. They're a bit fascinating to me because of the crispy thin sausage coating and the soft-boiled texture of the egg inside. I've always thought, "How do they make that?"

Scotch Egg Perfectly Soft Boiled Egg, Wrapped in Sausage and Deep Fried, Served w/ a Horseradish Aioli

Strangely, when we were in Scotland a few years ago, I don't think that I ever saw Scottish Eggs offered on a menu. But then last week when we were in Denver and popped into the Argyll Gastropub which is fashioned after a Scottish pub - there it was on the menu listed under Appetizers. So, we ordered one. It was pretty good. Not great, but good. It was room temp and I wondered if it should have been served warmer?

Anyhoo, I plan to make these myself soon. And I've been perusing recipes online. How about these?

From Cooks dot com: Scottish Eggs (This recipe instructs to hard-boil the eggs first. Hhmmm...)

Here's what Wikipedia has to say about the issue: Scottish Eggs

I'm liking the sound of this recipe from BBC: Scotch Eggs  (Is there a difference between "Scottish Eggs" and "Scotch Eggs"?)

Now THIS recipe sounds the best: Scotch Eggs (Take a peak at the thick sausage casing - decadent!)

Showing off Montana

This has been our summer of hosting lots of family and friends in Montana. It's been fun and very different than our usual lazy summers of golf and just hanging out.

The first 6 weeks of summer we worked on some updating to our yard and house. And the last 6 weeks of summer we've had house guests staying with us every weekend. It's been busy and a lot of fun. We've taken people golfing at our club.

We've gone to Midlife Chrysler concerts all around town (and now today heading up to hear them in Ennis, MT).

And we've gone to hear Chase McBride band shows too. There's never a dull moment.

We've taken guests to float the Yellowstone River and fished too. We even made it to the Dew Drop Inn in Absorkee this last weekend!

We've packed lunches for float trips and fishing. We've had great sunny weather, but lots of unexpected rainy days as well.

We've made appetizers, and desserts, and mixed up margaritas and gin & tonics. And gone through many bottles of wine. What better reason to share.....

We've discussed all of the important issues in life - both serious and funny. We've soaked in the hot tub while we told stories and gazed up at the stars.

We've taken multiple groups down to sample the microbrews at Carter's and to the same favorite restaurants around Billings too...Walker's, Enzo, Granary, Bin 119, and The Rex.

We've even considered watching the trains come down the tracks behind Carter's to be part of the Billings "entertainment". Surprisingly it is fun to watch with a beer in your hand rather than sitting behind a steering wheel.

It's been a fun and productive summer, but I am not ready to see it end. Not at all.

Sunday Brunch

When we had guests in August, we fixed brunch before the last couples flew out of town. On the menu:

Delicious smoked salmon that our friend caught and brought from Alaska. Served with cream cheese and crackers.

Fresh strawberries....

From scratch blueberry muffins. My 25-year old recipe has oatmeal, orange juice, and cinnamon in it.

A frittata made with ham, red pepper, onion, mushrooms, and cheese. Kind of a everything-but-the-kitchen-sink recipe, but in a pinch you can open your frig and just pull out available veggies to combine.

And mimosas to go around. With our busy schedule, it was a kind of a miracle to be able to put something on the table. A fun ending to our friends' visit to Montana.

Dinner with the Wine Maker

Last week we had the good fortune to be invited to a 7-course dinner with wine pairings with the visiting wine maker. It was hosted at our friends' house and we were asked to simply bring an appetizer to share and show up for a good time. I looked forward to it all week long. It was SO fun!

As guests arrived we were served this Rose wine (photo above). Cold, crisp, slightly sweet but not overly so. It went very well with the Grilled Prawns with Spicy Miso Dipping Sauce that I brought and the Spicy Seafood Gazpacho that another guest brought for appetizers. They named the rose wine "Vin de Porche" which means "wine of the porch" in French. Perfect served with appetizers on the patio!

As the Rose bottles were finished, the wine maker brought out a couple of bottles of Pinot Noir to finish up the appetizer course.

The hostess had set up a table for 12 outside in the yard, under a canopy with small white lights. She always sets a nice table, but I thought this was fabulous for a summer evening. It reminded me of the set-up for a formal summer wedding dinner.

I went back inside to see if I could help the hostess with dinner preparations and found she had just picked some fresh produce from her garden and was preparing it for a salad.

She picked these beautiful heirloom tomatoes from her garden just an hour before serving (still warm from the sun!) and drizzled them with some olive oil and sprinkled them with gray sea salt for the salads.

The host had set up an outside prep table in another part of the yard complete with white linens and fresh flowers. A smart idea to have your serving area outside to dish up and serve each course! Sparkling water was chilling in preparation.

Back inside, the hostess was just finishing up with salad prep and asked us all to be seated at the table. Our dinner was about to begin! I was was in heaven with all the foodie loveliness!

Our 2nd course was a cold cucumber soup prepared and brought by another dinner guest. She served it in china coffee cups and sprinkled it with the french seasoning, "Quatre Epices" and fresh dill. It was very delicious! She said that it also contained potato and onion which added a lot of flavor and creaminess.

The chilled soup course was served with Sauvignon Blanc which was so refreshing and a cool compliment to the dish. I loved it! A perfect wine for summer!

The pace of the meal was very relaxed and we sometimes got up from the table between courses and roamed around the yard and chatted while the next course was being plated. Here are the salads (remember the prep photos of these above?) being plated on the outdoor prep table.

The salads were absolutely delicious and so very fresh! A foodie's dream salad!

 

To go with our salads, they served the Reserve Chardonnay. It was a perfect compliment - so rich and buttery, but not overly oaked. Yum! Heavenly!

The main course of the evening was a beef tenderloin with blue cheese sauce, broccoli rabe, and roasted baby potatoes and onions. I'm not usually a big beef fan, but this tenderloin was utterly delicious! So tender and flavorful. I LOVED the blue cheese sauce which was rich and creamy without being too "blue". The hostess roasted both the broccoli and the potatoes in her wood-fired outdoor pizza oven (yes! she has one in her backyard!) and it added a lot of smokiness and depth of flavor to both. 

To serve with our main course, the wine maker had earlier decanted the wine: a Cabernet Sauvignon blend called Dancing Bear Ranch. It was absolutely wonderful with the beef course. Rich, inky, smooth. Perfect for sipping in between bites of juicy tenderloin. How perfect could a meal be? I almost had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't just dreaming this!

Blissful happiness and appreciative dinner guests!

 

Just when we thought it couldn't get any better, our hostess served the dessert. A beautiful light cake with vanilla bean creme anglaise and mixed berries roasted with maple sugar. Possibly one of the best desserts I've ever had. So lush and fresh tasting.  This was served with very small pours of a deep fruity Zinfandel.

After a brief rest and lots of laughing and stories, the hostess brought out a plate of chopped chocolate chunks to pass. It was creamy, dark, bittersweet, and the perfect end to the meal. It was served with a port to sip.

By now the night was late and the sky was dark, but the white lights above us were twinkling. We were warmed by delicious food and drink, friendship, and laughter. An absolute perfect evening. How lucky were we?

THANK YOU to our host and hostess, Ben and Sharon, and Dennis from Cakebread Cellars.

Grilled Prawns Appetizer

 

This is my Go-To summer appetizer recipe. I took it again last night to a party and it seemed to be a hit.

So simple: Prepare a marinade of: 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1 squeezed lemon, 1 t. smoked paprika, 1 t. Emeril's Essense Seasoning. Whisk together in large bowl. Add 2 pounds of peeled, raw prawns and gently toss until prawns are coated. Cover and place in refrigerator for up to 6 hours.

Heat up grill, skewer prawns onto wooden (soak in water to prevent burning) or metal skewers about 4 to 5 per skewer. Place on hot grill, wait about 3 minutes and turn with tongs onto other side. Cook an additional 3 minutes.

Pull grilled prawns off of skewers onto serving platter lined with lettuce leaves. Serve with a side of dipping sauce (I like Kikoman Spicy Red Miso).

My So-Called Garden

This year I only managed to plant two tomato plants in pots and three squash plants. None of them are doing very well. I'm not really sure WHY because the plants themselves are green and growing but there just is not much produce from them. When I took these two photos about a month ago it was at the height of their production apparently.

I think there there are two possible problems: not enough hours of full sun (only about 3 to 4 hours and I've heard that vegetable plants need at least 6 hours) and not well-drained soil. I stuck these up in the corner of the landscaped yard where an ornamental cherry tree had died last year. I pull the hose out and water but it seems that the water just pools immediately around the plant.

Oh well, there's always next year.

Feeding the Troops

And by "troops", I mean a a group of 20-somethings who stayed at our house for 8 of 10 days.

My versions of P. F. Chang's Dan Dan Noodles.

We hosted my son's band (and accompanying roadies) for 9 days recently while they were on tour in Montana. They arrived on a Monday evening, had one show that week, then left for Yellowstone Park for the weekend, came back on Monday, had another show that week, and then left for Oregon on Thursday morning. So they were here for 8 out of 10 days, with a 2-day break in the middle.

The challenge: Serving a breakfast buffet each morning (self-serve as you arise) and serving a full dinner each evening. Lunch was on their own, mostly eaten out but there were sandwich fixings in the frig for their use.

Before they arrived I planned out a list of breakfast options and dinner options. As we discussed the activities for each day, I decided which menu would best fit that day's schedule and headed to the store. By the end of 10 days, I checked the list and realized that I had made all of the items which I'd planned. Here's a list of what I served:

BREAKFAST BUFFETS

Scrambled eggs, cantaloupe melon, toast.

Homemade Smith River Granola, vanilla yogurt or milk, fresh blueberries. (This was repeated twice with raspberries offered as the alternate fruit)

Homemade Buttermilk Cornmeal Waffles with fresh blueberries or raspberries

Sourdough French Toast with sliced strawberries and pure maple syrup.

Cinnamon Rolls and Caramel Rolls (picked up from local bakery), honeydew melon, fried eggs to order.

Variety of cold cereals with sliced bananas, milk, english muffins and whole wheat toast.

Bacon, fresh pineapple, sweet rolls from local bakery.

DINNERS

Grilled Tri-Tip Steak, Corn-on-the-Cob, Spinach Salad

Grilled Barbecue Pork Ribs, Baked Beans, Greek Salad, Fresh Veggies & Ranch Dip

Grilled Teriayki Chicken, Sauteed Veggies, Rice

Chicken Enchiladas, Chips & Salsa, Fruit Salad

Assemble-It-Yourself Grilled Kabobs (chicken, beef, and shrimp & veggies) with rice and green salad

Pizza (ordered take out) and salad

One night we ate out

It was a lot of fun, but when they left yesterday I was totally spent on cooking and entertaining. Need a break for a few days!

DRINKS SERVED:

Red wine & white wine

Gin & Tonics with lime

Cucumber Gin & Tonics

Margaritas (twice)

Microbrew beers from Montana

Microbrewery Pub Crawl - one night we sampled the offerings at 3 different Billings Micro Breweries.