Chicken Parmesean Burgers- May 27, 2010

I made these before a couple of months ago. Once again- delicious!
http://foodiesdinner.blogspot.com/2010/03/chicken-parmesean-burgers-march-26-2010.html

Stir-Crazy Takeout- May 26, 2010

Again one of our favorite local spots I've mentioned before. Tonight my mom and I split the bar bong (which was perfect- its huge) and my husband had the lemongrass steak, one of his favorites. And don't forget the Bopha fingers!

Grilled Chicken Breasts and Chipolte-Cilantro Carrots with Feta- May 25, 2010

This is an epicurious recipe that was light, healthy and delicious. Chipolte chilis are delicious, but I've made the mistake of using way to many of them before. Warning: they are VERY spicy! They are usually packed in adobo and canned. This recipe called for very little, so I was sure to rinse off the adobo, de-seed the pepper and I used probably less than half of just one of them. It added exactly the kick and flavor the carrots needed.

Panzanella- May 24, 2010

Mmmmmm..... bread salad. What could be better? Panzanella is quick, easy and you can do so many variations on it. Tonight I used cubed, toasted ciabatta bread, halved cherry tomatoes, red onion, goat cheese & sausage. I tossed it with a red wine vinaigrette.

Chapoquoit Grill, May 23, 2010

My dad offered to babysit while we went out tonight (another joy of the summer) so we went to one of our favorite local spots, the Chapoquoit Grill. When we lived down here year round, I swear we used to go here once a week. They're known for their thin-crusted wood-fired gourmet pizza, but Chappy has it all. Their special list is long and diverse (and we pretty much always order from it). Some of our regular favorites are the fig jam pizza (which you've seen me duplicate on the blog), the antipasto and the chocolate icebox cake. Tonight my husband had the special pizza- duck sausage & aioli, and I had the lobster papparadelle.

Filet Mignon with All the Trimmings- May 22, 2010

As my busy season begins the hardest thing for me is having less time to cook, and just when all the wonderful things come into season! Luckily, my husband and pretty much my entire family also love to cook. So tonight was a classic example of a family meal. My dad picked up a tenderloin, which he filleted out, we made some grilled potatoes, and my aunt made cauliflower au gratin (so yummy...), sauteed carrots & caprese salad. We even ate outside! Summer is here!

Blackened Grouper with Tropical Fruit Salsa- May 21, 2010

My mom picked up some grouper from Captain Marden's in Wellesley today. I think I've mentioned before what a fantastic fish store this is. My husband blackened it with the usual red fish rub he uses. I made a very simple tropical fruit salsa to go on top (jalapeno, green pepper, pineapple, mango, tomato, cucumber, red onion, salt & a little vinegar) and we served everything over white rice.

Roche Bros. Kebabs- May 20, 2010

I didn't feel much like preparing anything tonight so I purchased some meat & veggie kebabs at Roche Bros. One was chicken and one was beef but they were both marinated in their bourbon marinade, which is always yummy. We grilled them and served them with a simple rice pilaf.

Marinated Pork Tenderloin with Oven Roasted Potatoes and Sauteed Fiddleheads- May 19, 2010

Last night I marinated my pork tenderloin (I try to do so overnight to get the most out of the marinaded) and tried a little something different. I did a mustard-based marinade with a bit of soy sauce, honey & garlic. The mustard flavor definitely came through. We grilled the pork and sauteed fiddle heads to go along with it (the same recipe I used a few weeks ago with the red pepper flakes). I also made oven roasted potatoes. These are one of my favorite sides from childhood- simple and a great side to so many mains. I usually just toss halved or quartered baby potatoes in some olive oil and add salt, pepper and whatever herb best compliments the main. 375 for about 40 minutes.

Florida Pepper Blend Seasoned Flounder with Risotto & Sauteed Soft Shell Crab- May 18, 2010

I picked up some flounder and a soft shell crab for myself (my husband is allergic to them) at Kyler's Catch in New Bedford on my way home from Providence today. My husband sauteed my crab (after I lightly doused it in some flour, salt & pepper) in oil. Just the way I like them! He breaded the flounder in a delicious Florida pepper/spice blend we have and lightly sauteed that as well. I made a simple risotto as a side.

Coonamesset Farm Salad- May 17, 2010

We picked some fresh greens and edible flowers today and made a delicious grilled chicken salad with a balsamic vinaigrette. We also added roasted peppers, onions & goat cheese. Windfall Market in Falmouth actually carries a lot of the farm's fresh produce if you can't make it their yourself. They also carry (as does Jack in the Beanstalk in N. Falmouth) their bagged greens- a mixture of lettuces, Asian Greens & edible flowers.

Cheesburgers- May 16, 2010

We always love a good cheeseburger! I'm not sure I've mentioned my favorite type of fries on the blog yet. They're the Alexi brand sea salt fries. All of their products are delicious and all natural, but these are my favorite.

The Chart Room, May 15, 2010

We made our first trip to the Chart Room just down the street in Catuamet this year last night. We went early and didn't have a reservation, and its also early in the season, but usually on a Saturday night? Forget it. I had my favorite (grilled cheese and tomato on Portuguese bread) and my husband his favorite (rack of lamb). Always a treat!

Steamed Mussels with Jalapeno Sausage- May 14, 2010

Steamed mussels are one of my favorite dishes. This time we did them with a tomato base (canned, diced San Marzanos with their juice) with wine, sauteed onion and some jalapeno sausage. You have to serve them with bread to enjoy all the yummy sauce. These were good, but I didn't love the tomato base. I prefer them with just white wine and some herbs.

Pasta with Spinach, Tomatoes & Olives- May 13, 2010

This was one of those "what's in the fridge/pantry" meals. I sauteed the spinach, olives & tomatoes, tossed it with the pasta and a little pasta water and topped it with Parmesan and toasted pine nuts. Easy and delicious.

School Lunch in France Article

I read this the other day and found it fascinating. Having taught for seven years I would be known to weekly go on a diatribe about the school lunches and the many issues with them. Its interesting to see where other culture's loyalties lie as far as funding schools. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1967060,00.html

Lettuce Wraps with Soy-Ginger Chicken- May 12, 2010

I got this recipe again from the Whole Foods site (actually their app). I modified it a bit as I just used a chicken breast and sauteed it. I also added rice. It was light and tasty, but the lettuce leaves were a little small to actually manage making a wrap out of. I might try this again and get the lettuce leaves from the farm so I can just pick the big ones! My husband also made a peanut sauce to go on the wraps which really added some flavor.

Quinoa & Chorizo Stuffed Peppers- May 11, 2010

I love stuffed peppers as a meal. You can usually make them ahead and pop them in the over (although they do take a while in there). This is a Whole Foods recipe that contains all sorts of wonderful things for your body. Of course I had to go and add chorizo sausage to it, but not very much. These were delicious and you don't need your V8 when you have one of these!

Bocadillo Tortilla My Way- May 10, 2010

When I was in Spain in college we ate lots of bocadillo tortillas (yes, tortilla refers to an egg based tort in Spain). My friend and I referred to them as "carbohydrate bombs", consisting mainly of potatoes, bread and some egg. Although in retrospect I think it was less the carbo bombs and more the candy bars and alcohol that made me return home at my historic peak weight (okay pregnancy doesn't count). So inspired by these sandwiches, which I always did enjoy, I made a potato torta and served it on grilled ciabatta bread. I loosely used this recipe but used less potato and more egg (farm fresh!). My husband felt the need to spice it up with a dill-mustard he created ("It deserves an aioli"), but I enjoyed it with a little tomato and arugula.

Olive & Garlic Tapanade Pizza with Fleur Verte & Tomatoes- May 9, 2010

This is my husband's creation. We used our typical dough (I think I've now exhausted my frozen supply) and he bought the tapanade. Fleur Verte is a mild, soft cheese that many grocery stores carry. It was perfect on this mild and tasty pizza.

Coq a Vin- May 8, 2010

Aka- "Rooster in Wine" this is a very traditional peasant-style meal that we sometimes make when we have to use up some wine my husband didn't like. It does take about a bottle of wine, so its not a bad use for wine that just didn't taste quite right to you. It is a very simple dish, not quick, but few ingredients and relatively inexpensive. We just used the Joy of Cooking recipe, but they are all fairly similar.

Authentic Beef Fajitas and Stuffed Jalapenos- May 7, 2010

One of my husband's vendors, located in Laredo, Texas sent up an unbelievable amount of fajita meat, ribs, fresh tortillas and other authentic Mexican treats from his local specialty grocery store. We have only scratched the surface of all he sent and definitely need to have a party to even come close to using the rest, which is now in the freezer. Everything was unbelievable, from the flour tortillas that came raw and we cooked ourselves to the fajita meat and the jalapenos- stuffed with cojito and cream cheese and wrapped in bacon. So our Cinco de Mayo feast came- just a couple of days late!

Portuguese Kale Soup- May 6, 2010

This is one of my favorite standby's. It is quick, easy, and in this part of the country chorizo and linguica are readily available (so much so I think our local convenience store stocks them...). The farm had kale, so we picked some for the soup. I don't really follow a recipe anymore, but any basic one will do... Joy of Cooking, etc.

Stir-fried Asian Greens over Pasta- May 5, 2010

I didn't go for Mexican this Cinco de Mayo considering how much we've had it in the past week or so! The community farm we frequent, Coonamessett Farm in East Falmouth is open and we picked some fresh Asian greens today. I followed this recipe and stir-fried them and put them over pasta. Yummy and healthy!

Sloppy Joe's- May 4, 2010

This is my grandmother's recipe. I have the original she typed on her typewriter. Its classic 50's if not earlier. These are the only sloppy joe's I like- they key ingredients- sugar, grated onion, and cornflakes.
Here's the recipe:
1 lb. hamburger (ground round)
1 onion (grated)
1 egg
Beat egg, add meat and fry.
Sauce:
1 c. ketchup
1 c. water
1 TBSP vinegar
1 1/2 TBSP sugar
1 tsp. mustard
salt & pepper
1 c. Cornflakes

Mix ketchup, water, vinegar, sugar & mustard in small saucepan. Simmer 10 min. Add Cornflakes. Add sauce to hamburger & simmer 10 min.
Serve in hamburger rolls.

Sicilian Fisherman's Stew- May 3, 2010

We still had fish left over even after giving some away (a fish that size will easily feed 8+ people) so I tried a tomato-based stew. This was yummy and so quick and easy. I followed the reviews on Epicurious and was not disappointed. I will make this again for sure.

Chicken & Rice Burritos with Boracho Beans- May 2, 2010

I had so much of that rice salad left over we used it for some grilled chicken and rice burritos tonight. My husband made a fajita-type rub for the chicken, grilled it, and filled the burritos with the leftover rice salad, chicken and black beans. He served some boracho beans (Spanish for "drunken beans" as they're basically just red beans cooked in beer) on the side.

Fresh-Caught Butter-Poached Striped Bass with Southwest Rice and Corn Salad with Lemon Dressing- May 1, 2010

My husband caught his first striped bass of the season this morning. There is nothing better than fish so fresh it was caught just a few hours before you eat it. In fact, once you get used to it its hard to eat it any other way. When it is so fresh he usually doesn't do much to it, so he butter-poached it on the grill and topped it with some fresh chives. It was perfect and went well with the Southwest rice salad I had made. Here's the fish!

The Lobster Trap Restaurant, Bourne- April 30, 2010

This is our local fried fish spot and since they've redone it they now open even earlier! I noticed they also have several broiled options on the menu now. I stuck with my favorite, clam strips, and my husband had the whole belly clams. I need to take a lesson from him and order the clam roll and just not eat the roll, as the plate was WAY too much food. Much to my surprise though my son loved them too!