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!

Chicken, Poblano, Avacado & Shallot Quesadillas- March 28, 2010

Going on the Mexican theme again, I decided to try a different quesadilla. Quesadillas are very easy and fun to experiment with. Use a nonstick pan or butter/oil the tortillas in a regular pan. Add whatever you like, but just remember to use a cheese that will melt and bind it together. For example, if you're using goat cheese, use something else mild in addition, like mozzarella, to bind the quesadilla together. This combo was delicious. We roasted the poblanos, sauteed the shallots and grilled the chicken. Then its just as easy as assembling them and cooking (and flipping... which I left to my husband) them. I usually serve them with salsa & sour cream. They are great the next day too.

Tu Y Yo Mexican Cuisine in Needham, March 27, 2010

Last night I visited friends in Needham and we went to Tu Y Yo Mexican Cuisine. It is less like a typical Mexican restaurant and more authentic/gourmet, with things like mole sauce and even grasshopper tacos. I love chili rellenos and so I tried their spin on one- a poblano filled with shrimp & goat cheese and topped with a red pepper sauce. Delicious!

Spice-Rubbed Tenderloin with Grilled Poblano & Okra- February 27, 2010

One of my favorite things to do while in Texas is go to the grocery store. I love the subtle cultural differences and the fact that they have a much larger variety of produce than anywhere around us at home in the winter. My husband cooked tonight and as usual the filets were cut and prepared perfectly. We got a whole tenderloin at Costco, which we do often as you can cut the steaks yourself and you get more for your money. The okra was out of this world- something we so rarely find fresh at home.

Horne's Mixed Green Salad Du Jour- February 21, 2010

We often make "meal" salads. Basically, we use a meat (usually chicken or some cut of beef- tenderloin, flank) some mixed greens (spring, baby, mache), grilled veggies (peppers, squash, onion), cheese (goat, blue, Parmesan), nuts (walnuts, pepitas, almonds) and of course some grilled ciabatta bread brushed with goat butter. We always make our own dressing- some sort of vinaigrette.
Tonight we did grilled chicken with a light rub, grilled poblano pepper, grilled onions, a little blue cheese & walnuts. My husband made a blood orange vinaigrette, and we had a pinot noir. Yummy!