Archive for August, 2008

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It’s Been an Award Winning Week!

Saturday, August 30th, 2008

Literally!

I’ve been given two separate blog awards this week.

The first one comes from Apples and Butter. She has bestowed upon me a Beautiful Site Award. This one is extra special to me because it is my very first ever blog award!

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Thank you ever so much Jessica!

If you haven’t been over to Apples and Butter…you really should check her out. She has some of the best food photography skills out there.(in my humble opinion) and her food is fantastic! (most of my “want to try” recipes come from her site)

My second award came with strings attached. The award came from the eclectic Dave over at Dave’s Cupboard. He’s the only other foodie out there that has just as “weird” taste as me. I always look forward to reading his site. There’s never a dull moment.

Dave has given me the Brillante Weblog Award.

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The Strings attached are that I have to list 6 factoids about myself. So here it goes…..

1. I truly HATE wet wood. I can not stand to touch it in any form. Especially wooden spoons from the dishwasher, wet knife handles and most of all bare feet on a wet patio deck. It just gives me the heebeegeebees. For fun, my boyfriend likes to chase me around the house with wet wooden spoons. He gets great satisfaction at creeping me out.

2. I read two to four books a week. I just can’t help myself. This week I’m reading Stiff by Mary Roach and 1001 Books for Every Mood by Hallie Ephron. I’m trying to cut back on the cost of my reading addiction by visiting and supporting my local library instead of buying so many new books. But if there is a book that I read and fall in love with I always go out and buy it.

3. I’m a habitual list maker. I even go into work a half hour early to make my lists for the day. Lists are the only way for me to keep my mind focused. Otherwise it goes off in a million different directions.

4. When it comes to cooking I feel that the best food is simple food. It doesn’t need a million different ingredients or complicated steps to be fantastic food. I swear by fresh ingredients (local if possible) and simple preparation.

5. I collect vintage cookbooks. My oldest is from 1847. My favorites are from the 1940’s.

6. I am fascinated by serial killers. I know this creeps most people out, but I just can’t get enough. I am intrigued at how the human mind works and what makes a person go from the point of thinking about killing someone to actually being able to do it. I’m addicted to Court TV (TruTV now, sorry) the Investigation Discovery Channel, Forensic Files and all of the true crime that I can get my hands on.

Now that everyone thinks I’m a complete weirdo…..

I’d like to thank Jessica and Dave again. It makes my heart happy to be recognized by my peers.

I hope that everyone has a enjoyable and safe holiday weekend!!

Posted in Apples and Butter, Awards, Dave's Cupboard | 6 Comments »

Home Alone – Foodie Style

Thursday, August 28th, 2008

 

What does a foodie eat all week when she is home alone? You would think that I would have spent the week eating all of the foods that I adore. The ones that my boyfriend won’t touch with a ten foot pole. Livermush, souse, kidney pie, braunsweiger, head cheese and lima beans. It should have been a week for my culinary indulgence. Instead I chose to munch on sunflower butter and grape jam sandwiches, bowls of Barbara’s Puffins, pancit noodles and left over hot wings.  It’s amazing on how little I want to cook when there is no one to share it with. It takes all of the joy out of it for me.

I’ve had a week full of solitude. That is unless you count the cats. I’ve spent my nights reading and watching The I.D. Channel. My idea of a perfect night home alone!

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And what was for dinner tonight? Risotto balls with herbed Alfredo sauce.

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I couldn’t even begin to give you a recipe….I picked them up at the deli. (ssshhhh don’t tell anyone)

Thank goodness I pick Phil up at the airport in the morning.  Besides the fact that I miss him like crazy….I might actually get ambitious in the kitchen. I’m thinking that a nice pot roast (man food) and homemade honey wheat bread would be a good welcome home gesture.

My website has now officially been given it’s overhaul. I think that Tom over at Citrine Design did a FABULOUS job of capturing my personality! If you ever need some web design work done I most highly recommend Citrine Design.  Thank you Tom…you’re the BEST!

Tonight my dilemma is…do I bake bread or read Hannibal?  Decisions, decisions.

A room without books is like a body without a soul.
~ Marcus T. Cicero ~

So….what are you reading this week?

Posted in Citrine Design, life | 3 Comments »

Summer’s Last Hoorhah!

Sunday, August 24th, 2008

In my little corner of the world summer is finally winding down. Next weekend will be the last for the tourists until next summer. Life at the Shore will finally return to some sort of normal. It won’t take me 20 minutes to get out of my driveway or twice as long to get to work. Life will return to a slower pace. I’ll be able to go to the ocean and walk on the boardwalk along with the other locals…all with big smiles of relief on their faces. There is no doubt that our local economy depends strongly on the tourists, but in the summer months the locals are pretty much held prisoners in their own homes. The end of summer is a time for celebration, time to relax and to finally enjoy the beautiful area where we live. So today I’m celebrating the end of summer. And what better way to celebrate than by combining my favorite summer produce and making a BIG salad!

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Summer Couscous Salad

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 cup uncooked couscous

1 pint grape tomatoes

1 yellow squash, cut into small pieces

1 zucchini, cut into small pieces

1 small can of black olives, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons fresh Greek oregano

1 can garbanzo beans

1/4 cup of water

juice of 1 or 2 lemons (depending on how tart you want the salad)

3 tablespoons good olive oil

2 teaspoons of Greek seasoning (I recommend Cavenders)

crumbled feta cheese for serving

Bring chicken broth to a boil. Add couscous, stir and cover. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff the couscous.

Lightly saute zucchini and yellow squash pieces. Just long enough to become lightly tender and bring out the color.

In a large bowl combine couscous, squash, tomatoes, olives, oregano and garbanzo beans.

In a small bowl combine water, lemon juice, olive oil and Greek seasoning. Mix well and pour over couscous. Toss to coat. Serve room temperature or refrigerate for two hours to serve chilled.

Great garnished with crumbled feta!

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How do you celebrate the end of summer?

Posted in couscous, salads, summer | 7 Comments »

Ugly Food

Saturday, August 23rd, 2008

Before I get to the ugly food….please excuse the dust and construction on my site. Life, Lightly Salted is in the process of getting a much needed face lift. The guys over at Citrine Design are giving me a new look. I left the whole project in their hands and I’m really excited to see what they come up with.

Now for the ugly food. We all have a dish that we make that tastes like heaven and looks like hell. You know the one…you use the best ingredients, the freshest spices and then throw all your love into your creation only to end up with a dish that you need to serve with a side dish of blindfold. Today I’m going to share my ugliest food with you.

Mu Shu Pork

1 lb pork tenderloin, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons white wine
4 tablespoons fresh soy sauce
8 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon chili paste with garlic
2 large eggs, beaten
1 head napa cabbage, thinly sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
4 green onions, thinly sliced
fresh ginger, peeled and minced (about 1 inch worth)
1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with
2 tablespoons water

In a small bowl, combine the pork, 2 tablespoons of the wine, 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil, and half the garlic. Toss together an set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and sherry, the stock, 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil, the sugar, chili paste, 1/2 tsp of the salt, and black pepper to taste. Set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a wok. Add the eggs and stir-fry until they become firm. Transfer the eggs to a large bowl.

Add another 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the wok and heat. Add the cabbage, mushrooms, and green onion.
Saute the vegetables until they begin to soften. Add the remaining garlic, the ginger, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt,
and continue to cook for another minute, or until the garlic and ginger are fragrant.
Transfer the mixture to the bowl containing the eggs.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in the wok, then add the pork and its marinade and stir-fry until it is almost cooked.

Return the cabbage and eggs to the wok along with the sauce. When the sauce boils, add the cornstarch mixture and cook until the sauce thickens.

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Mu Shu is normally served with peking pancakes, but I love it served over a bowl of jasmine rice instead. The fragrant jasmine rice pairs perfectly with the fresh flavor of the mu shu.

So, tell me….what is the ugliest dish that you make?

Posted in basics, cheap eats, ugly food | 2 Comments »

Back to the Basics

Tuesday, August 19th, 2008

There it was…staring back at me from the cold case at Trader Joe’s. A container of fresh ricotta. I haven’t used ricotta in a very, very long time. In fact I think that the last time I used it was in a cake recipe five years ago. Looking at that container of ricotta I turn to my boyfriend Phil and ask him…”what the heck could I use that for?” With a smile he instantly says “stuffed shells!” I think for a few minutes and realize that the last time I made stuffed shells had to be at least ten years ago. Stuffed shells were one of the first things that I learned to cook by just throwing ingredients together. I never followed a recipe. They are one of those dishes that you make by looking in your fridge and saying….”hmmm, bet that would be good if I stuffed it in some pasta”. I’ve made them with cheese, with meat, with all veggies and I’ve even stuffed shells with a chopped Italian green salad. After all this time of not making stuffed shells I decided to go back to the basics.

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Not following any set recipe I threw together
one small container of fresh ricotta
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 package of frozen spinach, thawed and drained
garlic powder
Italian seasoning (I recommend the Cento brand)

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Then I cooked a pound of jumbo shells and went to work stuffing. I’s forgotten what a sticky messy job it really was.

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I covered the shells with my favorite red sauce , sprinkled extra mozzarella on top and baked for 45 minutes.

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Stuffed shells are so simple to make not to mention delicious. Such a basic food. I wonder why I haven’t made them in ten years?

Posted in Trader Joe's, basics, ricotta cheese, stuffed shells | 11 Comments »

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