Yesterday was a stereotypical “Wednesday”. I now 100% understand why Wednesday is called “Over the Hump Day”. I wasn’t quite sure if I was going to make it through the day, however; I knew at 5pm I would be over half way through the week, and the rest would be a breeze.

The end of my work shift was not pretty. After julenning onions for 20 minutes, the gas had infiltrated my contacts and my eyes were nearly swollen shut. I was dancing to non-existent music and throwing my hands in the air in a “fist pump” motion while cleaning.

My co-workers were terrified. I was a hot mess.

After work I wanted to crash. Eat something simple for dinner and snuggle into my bed. Unfortunately, I had some unforeseen water damage to my phone a few days ago and had to take care of that. My phone has been dying a slow death since last Friday, and was stuck on one screen, calling/texting my contacts at random.

Bonus: I said hello to many people I haven’t talked to for a while.

My dad ventured with me, and stopped by the fish monger on the way. We came home with a working phone and fresh Halibut. WIN WIN! I was strapped for time so I simply pan-seared the halibut, finished it with oil and lemon-dill butter and served it over Swiss Chard from my mom’s garden sauteed with onion, garlic and butter. I also made a chilled chickpea-herb salad with parsley, mint, oregano, lemon, olive oil and tomatoes. Necessary Wine: Chardonnay 2008 California.

And last but not least, Peanut Butter Cup Sundae Ice Cream can make any day better. It just can, trust me.

Another Day,

Nora

Served with Wente Chardonnay

I loved this buttery, toasty wine with the succulent fish, fresh herbs and slightly salty kalamata olives and feta cheese. I’m drooling just thinking about it.

I pulled a bunch of fresh parsley, oregano and mint from my mom’s garden. I tried to be judicious with my selection,  knowing that the plants were still growing.

I tossed a handful of grape tomatoes and 1 clove of peeled garlic with Novello Olive Oil, Cracked Black Pepper and Sea Salt. Roast at 400 for 10-15 until the tomatoes start to blister. Remove from the oven, and rest while you are preparing the rest of the meal.

Prepare couscous according to directions and add finely chopped herbs, tomatoes, the garlic clove (chopped), chopped kalamata olives, the juice of 1/2 a lemon, a good drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper and feta cheese.

I served this at room temperature and thought it was stunning. It would also be wonderful chilled.

Just one more picture .

I’m off to the Finger Lakes for the day, increasing my Riesling education! Stay tuned for more!

Buy Local,

Nora

I served it in shallow bowls topped with scallion rice (extra on the side) to my parents. They were surprised how fancy it looked!

Served with a Middle Ages IPA. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: IPA is AWESOME with spicy food. I’m also very fond of IPA, so maybe I’m biased. I learned from my previous gumbo experience, and took the time to deepen the roux to a more traditional cajun style.

Over a low flame, you add 40% fat (I used oil and leftover chicken/sausage fat) and 60% flour. Stir, scraping the sides until you have a chocolate color. I watched this video that I found on the Culinary Institute of America website.

Warning: This takes time, effort and love. Make sure you aren’t in a rush when making roux.

Dessert was the last of my brownies. RIP brownie pan, you will be missed.

Earlier in the day I was praying for warm, sunny weather and made a produce-licious (you heard me right…I added the “licious” in there because it was!) lunch. Yogurt with a little piece of banana, strawberries, granola and honey. Carrots and celery with plain hummus. And a salad with mixed greens, herbs, cucumber, ruby red grapefruit, feta cheese and pistachios dressed with cherry balsamic, olive oil salt and pepper.

Breakfast was for “her and her”. It has been a long time since I made steel cut, slow cooking oats and I decided to make a double batch for my fellow oatmeal lover and mom.

Mommy and me steel cut oats with cinnamon, banana and raisins. I topped mine with crunchy peanut butter, banana slices and honey.

So I don’t keep repeating myself, I do have some new recipes coming up .  Only 2 short weeks until I pack out and head off to CIA!

Cooking Away,

Nora

Dessert: Homemade Flourless Chocolate Cake

“Ants on a Log” aka Celery Sticks with Peanut Butter, Raisins and Cinnamon

In the afternoon, I couldn’t find anything that seemed appealing for lunch, so I made a snack plate to tide me over. I decided that I’m never going to be too old to play with my food, and created: “ants on a log”. I can’t remember the last time I even thought to make ants on a log.

“Ants on a Log”, Cherry Tomatoes, Greek Yogurt with Vanilla Almond Granola with Cinnamon and Honey, Grapefruit.

Because I can’t stay forever young, my “adult” self came out later for ciabatta bread with dipping oil and zinfandel.

Ciabatta with Dipping Oil

My parents and I had an extended “happy hour” through the Kentucky Derby. When the race was over I proclaimed, “That’s it? It’s over??? 2 minutes for all of that hype?” Not to mention one man lost a million dollars. YIKES!

7 Deadly Zins

Grilled Swordfish with Salad and Broccoli

Dinner was amazing. I love a good swordfish steak, and my dad grilled it perfectly. It is still a bit cold here in Upstate NY, so we enjoyed our dinner inside. I can’t wait for warm summer nights eating on our deck with the grill right next to us. That to me is the epitome of a perfect evening.

More zinning. I normally wouldn’t think to pair a Zinfandel with fish, however; the smokey charcoal flavor from our grill with this steak-like fish that was finished with acidic lemon was a nice pair for my palate.

I’ll end this post with another flourless chocolate cake picture.Dessert was just too good to be true. The recipe called for 4 oz of chocolate so I used 3 oz of Ghirardelli 60% baking bars and 1 oz of the 70%. If you like dark chocolate you would have loved this. Perfect with ice cream and a cup of coffee.

Sweet Home,

Nora

I GRILLED 80 POUNDS OF CHICKEN!

Pan-Seared Halibut with Lemon Dill Butter. Coleslaw. Asparagus. (Not Pictured: Hermann J. Wiemer Chardonnay)

The chicken occupied 7 large trays that I lifted into the blast chiller, and later lifted them into the oven to finish. I grilled and lifted 80 pounds of chicken . There was one moment transporting a tray from the oven to the cart where I almost lost my product. It was a rather heavy tray and I did not have a proper grip. My stubborn, determined side kicked into overdrive and I made sure that did not happen. Several of the men in the kitchen offered to help. I can imaging them thinking, “What is this 5’4, little blonde girl doing.” Admittedly, I probably would have laughed if I witnessed such a scene. But I refused their help. I wanted to do this myself. My arms were sore and I smelled like God knows what at the end of the day. I came home, showered and put a dress on before driving to my parents home for Mother’s Day weekend. I forgot what it was like to look nice, and smell nice. I was also ecstatic that my parents bought fish for dinner. I was chickend-out.

Strawberries, Blackberries and Raspberries. Vanilla Yogurt and Chocolate Chips.

Shortly after dinner, I went on a dessert hunt. NOTHING WAS TO BE FOUND! I couldn’t believe it. I guess I’ve grown accustomed to having leftover blondies in my freezer and bars of Lindt Dark Chocolate Intense Mint and Hint of Sea Salt in my apartment at all times. I found some healthy berries and yogurt and gave them a nice handful of chocolate chips. It worked.

For the first time in months, I made slow-cooked steel cut oatmeal for breakfast. At the end I mixed in 1/2 of a chopped banana, a dash of cinnamon and a scoop of Greek yogurt for added creaminess. Topped off with more banana, strawberries, blackberries, almond butter and local honey. It was a lovely way to start my day of rest.

It’s good to be home, but I can’t wait for Culinary School to start!

Happy,
Nora

Pan-seared Rockfish in Lemon-Dill Finishing butter. Roasted Parmesan Baby Zucchini and Grapefruit-Cilantro Salad with Arugula, English Cucumber and Toasted Almonds.

I had a long day chopping vegetables. My 7am-3:30pm shift ended at 4:50pm and my regular 12:30pm lunch was INHALED at 2pm. We were so busy that I barely had time to think. And yes, I loved every second of it! When it comes to slicing and dicing, I still lack the speed of my co-workers and I’m still learning the ins and outs, however; I can’t wait to do this for the rest of my life. Instead of making dinner tonight, I almost picked up some take-out sushi after work. I’m behind on packing (moving in 2 weeks), and had things to do when I got home. My thoughts changed the second I passed the fish counter at my grocery store. A simple homemade meal surely wouldn’t be that labor intensive!

One of my favorite parts of my meal was the Parmesan roasted baby zucchini.

Halve baby zucchini and toss with olive oil, cracked black pepper and kosher salt. Grate Parmesan cheese over the top and roast at 400 for about 10-20 minutes.

Dessert: Copious amounts of Lindt Dark Chocolate Intense Mint and Dark Chocolate Hint of Sea Salt. My two favorites with a glass of Sparkling Rose. The perfect end to a long day.

Round 2 tomorrow!

Shake and Bake,

Nora

Asparagus Risotto topped with Prosciutto Wrapped Jumbo Scallops & garnished with Tomato Concasse & Parsley.

Licking the plate is acceptable behavior while cooking a mouth-watering meal for one. Although, Truffle (my cat) sent me a few judgmental/jealous looks. I’m a 20-something spinster and I’m okay with that.

I love risotto. The Meyer Lemon Risotto I made last week reminded me of my love for this dish. It is soothing to make and the end result is creamy and comforting. I had some leftover asparagus, and love the combination of prosciutto and  asparagus. I also love bacon wrapped scallops and thought “what the hell!?” (Pardon my French) lets wrap a massive scallop in a few sheets of proscuitto, sear it and finish it with butter and oil. It was sweet, salty, tender and crunchy. I loved it.

To Make: Overlap 2 sheets of prosuitto and place a large scallop in the center.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

Lightly flour the outside. Heat a skillet over medium and add oil. When oil is hot, add scallop seam side down. Sear until golden and flip. When scallop is done, turn off heat. Add butter and oil in the pan to baste and finish.

This meal was inspired by leftover asparagus. I cut it into 1/2 inch pieces and blended about 3/4 of them with 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth and 1/2 cup water.

At the end of the cooking process, I added about 1/2 cup of this mixture back into the risotto. It gave it a super green color and asparagus flavor.

Sometimes I surprise myself.

Asparagus Risotto

(serves 1)

• Small Bunch of Asparagus
• 2 cups Low Sodium Chicken broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 TBS unsalted butter
• 1/2 a large shallot, small dice
• 1 small clove of garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup arborio rice
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• Kosher Salt
• Black Pepper
• 1 TBS Parmasean
• 1 TBS Mascarpone
• 1/2-1 tsp lemon zest

1. Trim asparagus and cut into 1/2 inch (bite size) pieces. Reserve asparagus tips and take 3/4 of the asparagus mixture and add to a blender with 1/2 cup chicken broth and 1/2 cup water and puree. Set aside.
2. In a small sauce pan over a simmer, add ~1 cup (or more) chicken broth.
3. In a dutch oven, add 1 TBS butter. When butter is melted, add shallot to soften. Add garlic and continue cooking. (total 8-10 minutes).
4. Add arborio rice and stir. Allow to become translucent ~ 1 minute.
5. Deglaze the pan with wine and allow rice to almost completely absorb.
6. Add warm chicken broth 1/4 cup at a time. Adding just enough to cover rice, and wait until each addition is absorbed before addin more.
7. Add remaining asparagus & tips to the mixture.
8. Add 1/2 cup asparagus puree and allow rice to absorb.
9. Add Parmesan, mascarpone and lemon zest.
10. If mix is too thick, add more heated chicken stock.
11. Plate and enjoy while warm!

Risotto Is Love,

Nora

]]> http://www.livelifeeatright.com/2011/04/02/asparagus-risotto-with-prosciutto-wrapped-scallop/feed/ 1 http://www.livelifeeatright.com/2011/01/10/squid-ink-linguine-with-scallops-garlic-sauce/ http://www.livelifeeatright.com/2011/01/10/squid-ink-linguine-with-scallops-garlic-sauce/#comments Mon, 10 Jan 2011 12:00:05 +0000 Nora http://www.livelifeeatright.com/?p=6101 Pasta Sunday is back! I have been anxiously waiting to make this for days. The star of the show: Paperdelle‘s Venetian Calamari Linguine.Calamari Linguine with Garlic, Olive Oil, Red Pepper Flakes, Grape Tomatoes, Parsley, Parmesan Cheese and Seared Scallops.

I bought a few extra scallops at the grocery store on Friday night, hoping that the Papperdelle stand at my Farmer’s Market would have Calamari Linguine. I saw it on their website and just thought it looked cool. It didn’t have a distinct flavor to it (Although Truffle ran off with a noodle! She stole it right off my plate!) But the texture was phenomenal. It was tender and succulent. I will buy this again.Clos Du Bois Chardonnay

Ladies and gentleman, I feel obligated to make this a recipe post. Pour yourself a nice glass of wine and let’s get cookin!Heat olive oil in a medium sautee pan. Add scallops to sear. (NOTE: Bay scallops would be best, I had a few large scallops so I just cut them before searing. It worked.) Remove from skillet and set aside.Add a splash more olive oil and 1 clove of chopped garlic. 1-2 minutes until the garlic has softened.Add a handful of cherry tomatoes (halved), a pinch of red pepper flakes and a squeeze of lemon.Give it a little drink of chardonnay to deglaze the pan.Add pasta to the pan with a splash (maybe 1/4 cup) of reserved pasta water.Stir in a handful of chopped parsley.Plate pasta and top with scallops, more parsley and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. At this very moment I screamed–Apparently Truffle thought this looked good and stole a noodle! I expected her to go for the fish but not the pasta! Silly cat.After I cleaned up the mess and took pictures of the meal I found the culprit fast asleep. In the sink of course. I’m telling you, she is a foodie cat.The final meal (minus one stolen noodle.)

Squid Ink Linguine with Scallops and Garlic Sauce

(serves 1 easily multiplied)

• Venetian Calamari Linguine (~1/4 poundish–I just took a handful from my loot.)
• 1 clove of garlic
• 2-4 TBS Novello Olive Oil (or any good quality olive oil)
• Bay Scallops or 2-3 large scallops quartered
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
• A pinch of red pepper flakes.
• Cracked black pepper
• 1/4 Lemon
• ~1/4 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
• Parmesan Cheese.

1. Cook pasta according to directions in a pot of well salted water. Drain and reserve ~1/2 cup pasta water.
2. In a skillet, heat olive oil over a medium heat. Sear scallops. Remove and set aside.
3. Add more olive oil to the pan and garlic.
4. When garlic has softened, add cherry tomatoes, red pepper flakes, cracked black pepper and lemon juice.
5. Deglaze the pan with white wine.
6. Add pasta and a splash of reserved pasta water.
7. Add parsley.
8. Plate. Add scallops and Parmesan cheese.
9. Try not to let your cat steal any.

Enjoy Your Week!

Nora

The Melody grape is a hybrid that was created at Cornell University. It is a fairly sweet and floral wine. It was lovely with the garlic flavors and acidic lemon and tomato in this meal:Roasted Green Beans, Cherry Tomato and Garlic on Arugula with Israeli Feta. Lemon-Pepper Salmon.Israeli Feta is SO good! I love that it is creamy like a goat cheese but still has a subtle salty/briney bite! I’ve been topping my hummus sandwiches with this for lunch.Eel, Scallop and Tuna Nigiri. Tuna Maki Roll. Seaweed Salad. Melody Wine.

Melody was also a lovely wine with sushi.

2008 Sheldrake Point Cabernet Franc

I had this wine with a few dishes this week. The highlight was leftover 3 bean chili with sweet potato chips on a snowy night. Hey, when the weather outside is frightful I think it is necessary to get  comfy and cozy with a hearty bowl of chili and wine .

Dark Chocolate Almond Macaroons

I have had SO many of these in the past few days. They are delightful…I didn’t even take them to work to share. I wanted to eat them all and selfishly kept them to myself! I will be making these again in the coming weeks. My mom even requested I make them while I am home for Christmas!

Herb Baked Tofu, Feta Cheese, Steamed Broccoli, Kalamata Olives, Chickpeas, Edamame, Carrots, Cherry Tomatoes, Sprouts, Almonds, Cashews, Sunflower Seeds. Gingerberry Kombucha.

Fact: I have been eating whole wheat pita sandwiches with hummus, feta, cherry tomatoes, arugula and sprouts and an apple every day for lunch this week.

Fact: I am getting sick of them.

While running errands I did something I never do. I bought lunch. I can’t even remember the last time I had a salad but this one is a keeper! (Truffle the Kitten approved..clearly.) I also randomly was craving Gingerberry Kombucha (Lindsay I have NO clue how you make this stuff yourself!) I haven’t had this beverage in a very long time. It was off the market for a while, but it is also a bit pricey to have every day. I figured as long as I was splurging on lunch I might as well satisfy all of my cravings. LOVED IT!

Although, I did have lunch out with co-workers earlier in the week. I felt so lucky to have the opportunity to indulge in a sit down lunch with good company. You will never believe this menu:Lobster SaladPan-Seared Sea Scallops with Truffle Oil Green BeansChocolate-Vanilla Twist with Rainbow Sprinkles.

And, I had one of my co-worker’s oyster on a half shell and some “zucchini fries”.  Yes, that was a lovely day.1/2 cup rolled oatmeal cooked in 1/2 cup vanilla soy milk 1 cup water, 2 tsp chia seeds, 1/2 banana, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger. Crunchy Peanut Butter, Cranberry Sauce, Honey. French Pressed Coffee.

I am beyond happy to have oatmeal back in my life. It has been freezing here! I wake up around 5:45am to shovel the snow off of my car and this is a perfect thing to come in for! I’ve had a few bowls with pumpkin in the base, a few  bowls with Bon Maman Cherry Preserves and Almond Butter and a few with Strawberry Jam and Peanut Butter..all delicious and warming.

I have a few more cookie recipes up the sleeve of my Holiday Sweater (my goal is to have 12 recipes by Christmas) and some unique weekend dinners to share. I went to the Farmers Market today and picked up some special goodies . We are supposed to have snow storms this week, so I plan to keep warm by way of cooking!

Happy Weekend,

Nora

What are your favorite ‘cold weather’ foods?

This next step is my favorite.Turn off the heat and add the pasta to the pan. Let it swim in the buttery wine sauce for a few minutes. You will be glad you did.Plate it up! Add more torn parsley and some fresh grated Parmesan Reggiano to finish.That’s all she wrote. YUMMY.

Shrimp Scampi

(serves 1)

• Capellini Pasta, cooked to directions
• ~1/4 pound 21-25 count shrimp, peeled and deveined
• good olive oil
• Kosher Salt
• Cracked Black Pepper
• Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1-2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
• 1-2 TBS fresh parley, chopped
• ~1/4 cup white wine
• lemon juice
• ~1/2-1 TBS butter
• Parmesan Cheese

1. Prepare your pasta.
2. Add olive oil to a skillet over a medium heat. When pan is heated, add shrimp until they are pink and plump, 1-2 minutes per side. Remove to a plate.
3. Add garlic to the pan until lightly golden
4. Stir in herbs, red and black peppers, and salt.
5. Add wine and lemon juice. Scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Allow the wine to simmer until it has reduced to a sauce consistency.
6. Add shrimp back to the pan with butter.
7. Turn off the heat and add the pasta to the pan. Allow pasta to bathe in the sauce.
8. Plate and garnish with parsley and Parmesan!

Enjoy,

Nora