Huli-Huli chicken from Cook Real Hawaii by Sheldon Simeon. Another winner-winner-chicken dinner. Served with some tomatoes with horseradish milk ice. Together, the main and side were sweet, salty, spicy, filled with umami goodness.
Marinating the chicken in Shio Koji overnight made all the difference. I’ve never had such a juicy chicken after grilling on a hot grill for an hour. Normally, my chicken is on the way to dry town. Well, at the least the breast meat is. But not this one. It was noticeably tender and juicy.
Had a campari spritz to wash it all down, adding a bitter note as well. Such a well rounded dinner.
Fusilli in a tomato sauce made with melted anchovies, shallots, pancetta, RPF, red wine, tomato paste, canned Italian tomato filets, and feta. Cooking time was def longer than the pasta package indicated.
Arugula & lamb’s lettuce dressed simply with lemon oil & lemon juice, s&p and a generous shower of parmiggiano reggiano, then tossed with shrimp. I don’t know why I go out for Italian food, TBH
Thanks @ChristinaM ! I have to look into it.
I am really excited about getting a movable base where we can move the head and feet up and down. What a difference from laying flat. It really relieves the pressure.They are delivering the bed as we speak. I can’t wait to get a good night’s sleep (although it might take some time to break in the new mattress).
The SIL has relocated to India to work for a friend. The missus has gone to visit for a month. I couldn’t get the time off , but as it’s Jubilee weekend with a rejigged and extra bank holiday I’m renting myself a summer house for the week in North Devon. Tiny ill equipped kitchen but I managed to pull together , poached salmon, spinach, potatoes and a beurre blanc of sorts ( had to use spring onions rather than shallots as I bought some for an dish later in the week and didn’t want to waste either). OK for a dish from a kitchen in a holiday rental.
I made about a third of the recipe, going heavy on the asparagus and using 1 qt. of liquid. That made about 5 servings overall - enough for a big dinner for both of us last night and a small bowl for lunch today. Leftovers were slightly thicker as the rice had broken down, but really tasty after sitting overnight.
Since the last 3 days were an “oot-and-aboot” weekend, I took it easy today. Slept in, read, cuddled with the cats when they decided they wanted cuddling. Plus, Main Street in my town was closed for their Memorial Day parade, so I was kind of locked into my complex from 11a.m. to 2/3 p.m. until it was all cleared.
Dinner was easy-peasy: a perfectly done medium-rare cheeseburger with caramelized onions on a toasted TJs brioche roll, a Caprese salad (needed more salt, but the basil plant I repotted has produced good basil!), and broccoli-cashew salad (tiny broccoli florets, minced red onion, chopped cashews, raisins, and chopped crispy bacon with a mayo, sugar, cider vinegar and s/p dressing).
There was wine on a Monday. Because Tuesday is another day off for me (except for emails).
We barbecued with friends. They made black and blue burgers (topped with more cheese ) and a watermelon-feta salad. I made zucchini carpaccio with hazelnuts, jeweled rice salad with clementine dressing, cashews, and dried cherries, and classic macaroni salad. We also brought a strawberry rhubarb pie. And there was lots of wine, including a nice skin-fermented Pinot Gris I got from Naked Wines.
Santa Maria-ish tri-tip. I put my cast iron skillet on the grill to heat and seared on all sides, moved it off the heat, added alder chips (no red oak) covered the grill and pulled it at 130 degrees. Served with canned and doctored pinquito beans, mixed greens salad with tomato, avocado, red onion, blue cheese, ranch dresssing and toasted garlic/butter baguette.
…which mentioned roasting rather than blanching. I went with slices for more flat surfaces.
Today I had a birthday “supper” at Mustard’s in Napa; husband’s favorite so he knew that’s what I’d want
Many things were good, but I just can’t seem to get a medium rare burger anymore! I established eye contact with the waiter and implored him. “Please” I said. "Not medium. " Oh well. Husband’s NY strip steak was a perfect medium rare, instead of the medium he’d ordered, so I brought what he wouldn’t eat home along with mey mostlyuneaten burger! Yay! Maybe I can salvage it at midnight.
There was great pinapple upside down cake, but I couldn’t finish at 2:30 PM. Husband didn’t finish his either. I put ice cream on it, and brought his home in the same box. He hates that!
Dinner was very late bec I spent the time I should have been cooking chatting with a friend…
So scrambled-together dinner was a big. warm salad of shaved Brussels sprouts (with red onion, garlic, smoked paprika, aleppo flakes) topped with roasted butternut squash (garlic, garam masala, cumin), with a generous sprinkling of sunflower seeds, parmesan (unnecessary in retrospect, and a drizzle of pomegranate molasses which were just the finishing touch the squash needed.
Quite delicious for a use-up-the-produce meal that came together without much thought.
Last night I made a riff on Nigella’s riff on Bengali fish bharta (literally: mash). Made a fresh batch of quinoa+rice to go with while the fish fingers baked.
I made the onion-ginger-garlic-green chilli-mustard base and then added lots of broccoli slaw to it and adjusted flavoring. When the fish fingers were nice and crisp, I added them to the pan with cilantro, broke them up and tossed lightly to distribute the seasoning without making them soggy. Ate with quinoa+rice.
Oven-roasted brown mushrooms (with rosemary, thyme, smoked paprika) with a taleggio-infused bechamel sauce served with mashed potatoes (with parsley and tarragon) and baby arugula salad with an olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, agave nectar vinaigrette (the recipe was calling for chickweed and garden cress but both are impossible to get anywhere)
Yesterday I met a friend for what was going to be one round of drinks at a bar overlooking the water. Yes, summer is here…and so is the traffic and crazy crowds. One drink turned into two, and then a round of drinks was bought for us by someone who recognized me from Instagram-- my ego needed that! Tanqueray and Tonic for me, a Bay Breeze for my friend. There were nachos as well.
Not in a cooking mood, I ordered Chinese for the BF and I. And maybe I had another G & T. A rare Sunday off for me it was.
Today we both worked but got out early enough to catch some sun at the beach. Came home and I made burgers. White American Cheese for both of us. However, I had the strangest craving for yellow mustard AND ketchup, so there’s a little of both under my patty. Grilled asparagus for good measure and to get a vegetable in there.
As you’ve seen ad nauseam, we eat tons of self-caught fish. Most of it is usually filleted as that is what the Captain prefers. On Sunday, Mr Bean asked if we could have a whole one as I got it in my head that I wanted to grill a whole fish. Type didn’t matter as long as it wasn’t a fluke/flounder.
Black sea bass stuffed with lemon and thyme then grilled on a bed of fresh thyme. Delicious. I hope there will be more over the summer.
(although it might take some time to break in the new mattress).
) and a watermelon-feta salad. I made zucchini carpaccio with hazelnuts, jeweled rice salad with clementine dressing, cashews, and dried cherries, and classic macaroni salad. We also brought a strawberry rhubarb pie. And there was lots of wine, including a nice skin-fermented Pinot Gris I got from Naked Wines.
