Mushroom, Broccoli, Tomato and Cheddar Omelet with Orange Juice

My mom is beautiful from the inside out.  As I’ve grown older, I appreciate her now more than ever. It was nice to sit with her at church and just spend time together. Sometimes I think she knows me better than I know myself. Before brunch, we made a visit to her best friend’s house and she introduced me to her kittens, “Mr. Bing” and “Mr. Zing”. They were so playful, and cute! I wanted to scoop them into my purse and take them home. Just kidding…maybe….I do know a “Miss Truffle” who would love them .

She’s getting so big. I cry.

I was not home for Mother’s Day last year, which made the day even more special.

Dad’s Famous Cappuccinos and a slice of Blueberry Coffee Cake

My mom made her favorite blueberry coffee cake the day before for a friend. A perfect brunch treat with my dad’s cappuccinos. I spent the remainder of the afternoon reading on our porch with the sun shining though the sky lights. It was a glorious Sunday.

Three Cheers to Mom!

While I prepared dinner, my dad treated us to a glass of prosecco with fresh raspberries and a splash of chamboard. I planned ahead of time so that we could eat when we were ready and not be rushed. We sat on our porch sipping cocktails, eating cheese and crackers, enjoying a little family time before the sun set completely. It was wonderful and relaxing.

Asparagus Risotto with Proscuitto Wrapped Jumbo Scallops. Garnished with Tomato Concasse and Fresh Parsley. Served with Sauvignon Blanc.

I’ve been talking to my parents about the asparagus risotto with proscuitto wrapped scallops nearly everyday since I made it at the beginning of April. I thought it was one of the best dishes I’ve made in a long time, and have been dying to re-create it. When I mentioned it as a possible menu item for her special day, my mom approved. It was even better this time around. Food like this is always best with great company .

I made a few adjustments to the recipe. I blanched the asparagus before blending and adding it to the risotto, giving it a more brilliant green finish. I stirred in a small amount of fresh chopped parsley (from my mom’s garden!) at the end with the asparagus tips (also from my mom’s garden), the zest of 1 lemon, and cheese. Lastly, I omitted the mascarpone and used all Parmesan cheese (for 3 servings it was about 1/3 cup).

Okay…I could stare at this all day…moving on.

Carrot Cake

For dessert, my dad brought out a small carrot cake and coffee. I realize this is an awful photo but looks are deceiving! It was getting dark outside and my slice of carrot cake was heavy on the frosting. I loved it. My mom has a special place in her heart for carrot cake, and my grocery store makes one of the best I’ve ever had.

(Christmas 2010)

LOVE YOU MOM!! YOU ARE THE BEST!

Mom Love,

Nora

To Start

Local Green Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette, Apples and Poached Pears with an Apple Cider Reduction

Main Course:

For Me: Wood-Fired Pizza with Duck Confit, Bacon Lardons, Caramelized Onion, Goat Cheese, Ricotta Cheese and topped with Arugula

For Him: Griddled Grafton Cheddar Sandwich with Puree of Squash Soup and Local Green Salad

Split Desserts:

Goat Cheesecake with Raspberry Puree and Balsamic Reduction

Chocolate Chip & Cherry Bread Pudding in Creme Anglaise and topped with Whipped Cream

This was such a treat. The perfect way to spend the afternoon.

Good Eats,

Nora

Dinner: Chana Masala. Greek Yogurt. Cilantro. Whole Wheat Pizza Dough. Hermann J. Wiemer 2008 Dry Gewurztraminer.

I almost considered writing this entire post about wine. I had a glass and a half of Gewurztraminer with dinner and it made me believe that everything was right in the world. I love this wine by itself but the flavors in the Chana Masala provided me with a whole new experience.  I kept taking a bite and holding it in my mouth with the wine. Then taking a bite of food and cleansing my palate with the wine. Gewurztraminer typically pairs well with spicy food, however; I believe that the complexity of the spices I used (Coriander, Cumin, Masala, Turmeric and Cayenne) made the pairing incredible. It was a perfect balance and the most enjoyable meal I have made in a long time.

Dessert:Frozen York Peppermint Patty (and a few swipes of Sunflower Seed Butter while packing lunch.) Mint chocolate much? Love these.

Contemplating Life,

Nora

How often do you have dessert after dinner?

**I have dessert every night. Sometimes big sometimes small but ALWAYS end on a sweet note .**

Behold: Dad’s Legendary Strawberry Belgian Waffles.

Sunday is always such a peaceful day in our home. Growing up, we would always go to church as a family and come home for a special meal thoughtfully prepared by my dad. He always jokes about opening a “breakfast only” place because it is the one food genera that he is extremely good at making. (FYI, I fully support this idea. I haven’t been to a restaurant that can top his food!) I cherish this memory and in my adulthood not much has changed.

With all of the omelets (example 1, example 2, example 3) I have featured on my blog, you probably thought my memories of having Strawberry Belgian Waffles every Sunday morning were mythical. My dad received a waffle maker for Christmas one year and there was a period of time when these were a Sunday morning staple in our house. I would always get bit over zealous and pile mine high with defrosted strawberries, strawberry syrup and whipped cream.

I actually can’t even remember the last time I had a waffle for breakfast! I originally planned to have a ritual omelet, but when life gives you locally grown strawberries, MAKE WAFFLES!

I topped my waffle with 1/2 of a banana, strawberries (purchased from a small farm after our trip to the wineries yesterday), raw honey from Davis Farm (Cayuga, NY) and cinnamon.

Following breakfast, another “Cafe Dad” Sunday special was served: Extra Foamy Cappuccinos. These make me smile. In my book, there is nothing better than a gigantic cappuccino cup filled to the brim with foam and dusted with cinnamon made by my dad. In Sunday fashion, we read the newspaper and allowed the late morning to evolve into the afternoon before moving on with our day.

For the first time in weeks, we had a rain free Sunday so my dad and I FINALLY went on a bike ride.

I dusted this baby off about three weeks ago and haven’t had a chance to ride it! I’m committing to participate in my first sprint triathlon on September 19th, 2010, and have not been focused on preparing for the biking portion. We covered about 18 miles (including a walk around a near by lake and a stop at the village hardware store…don’t ask, apparently my dad wanted to “compare prices” haha!). It felt great, but I’m predicting a very sore Monday is in store for me.

After the ride I was ravenous! I had an Empire apple and a toasted slice of Miche Bread with natural crunchy peanut butter and organic raspberry jam. I brought this special “Miche” home from the bakery I work at. It is a “French Country Soft-Sourdough”, soft on the inside with a crusty exterior and made with organic wheat flour. It has a sourdough flavor unlike any other I have tried and makes the best toast!

Another week has come and gone, and I’m heading back to my “hole in the wall” apartment. I’m hoping for a “kitchen disaster” free week…NO MORE BREAKING WINE GLASSES!

I’ll See You Soon Then,

Nora

What is your favorite “brunch” food?

During the Summer I have uncontrollable cravings for barbecue sauce. When the weather breaks the 80 degree mark I simply cannot get enough barbecue sauce in my life. I went to the grocery store last night to do a quick “in-and-out” trip to pick up a few staples for the week (is it even possible to do a quick grocery store trip?). Per-usual, I ended up doing a few laps around the store to browse all of the wonderful products that I did not need to buy. My eye caught a new Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce and temptation struck. I did not need the sauce but my mind started going wild with thoughts of beautiful grilled dishes that it would be PERFECT for. I couldn’t resist, I was sold.

I think that salmon is a fish that is enhanced by just a touch of sweetness. One of my favorite ways to prepare salmon is with a mixture of whole-grain Dijon mustard and honey. I thought that a brown sugar barbecue sauce would have a similar flare and decided that the first way I wanted to use my new sauce was paired with this succulent fish.

I pre-heated my grill pan (and coated with non-stick cooking spray) to a medium heat and brushed one side of my fish with a light coating of an herb-infused olive oil. I placed the fish in my grill pan olive oil coated side down and waited about 3 minutes until the color slightly changed and it had a light, crispy coating. I brushed the top side with the oil before flipping and continued to cook the fish until it reached the internal temperature of 130 degrees (I use an electronic meat thermometer. I find when you cook your protein to the proper temperature that it has the perfect flavor and consistency.) When the fish was done cooking I brushed the top side with an even coat of the barbecue sauce.

My fish was moist on the inside with a good crunch on the outside. The barbecue sauce was a nice compliment to the fish and it was love at first bite–brown sugar barbecue sauce + salmon= match made in heaven.

For my corn I simply coated each side in a light layer of my herb infused oil and grilled it for about 10 minutes (start the corn before the fish!), turning every few minutes.

My cucumber-tomato salad was simple yet elegant. I used about 1/2 of a cucumber sliced into 1/4 inch pieces and quartered, and a handful of sliced cherry tomatoes. I drizzled the mixture with in olive oil, white wine vinegar and cracked black pepper and tossed to coat. I finished this salad with feta cheese. It was cool, crisp and sweet; an easy and refreshing summer salad combination.

I paired my meal with my new favorite summertime wine: Kendall-Jackson 2008 Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay. I have found that this wine works nicely with grilled foods, especially ones incorporating a garlic based barbecue sauce .

YUM.

Lately the  the recipe section of my brain has been going wild.  I have a few new things I want to try in the next few days so stay tuned!

Inspired,

Nora

What is your favorite sauce?

Our friends arrived around 7pm, and established themselves in our kitchen. Yes, we had two boys cooking us a fantastic meal. Aren’t we lucky? We started off with one of my contributions, a Middle Ages ImPaled Ale (IPA), while they cooked and we watched. I loved watching them cook. They are so diligent and precise. This beer is also amazing. It is so flavorful and mildly bitter. I really like Middle Ages Wailing Wench, however; my roommate isn’t particularly fond of extremely hoppy beers. I wanted her to give this one a try, and guess what, SHE LIKED IT!

So what do you get when Switzerland meets Italy? Pasta Carbonara and Orange Cream. The pasta was cooked according to directions, and drained reserving about a cup of pasta water. The sauce was a combination of Asaigo Cheese, Nutmeg, Cracked Black Pepper and Pasta Water. After the cheese mix was added, he added 3 raw eggs and bacon with sautéed onions. Cheese and bacon…what could be bad? Dinner was served with a slice of  Twisted Root (Dark German Bread) and a simple side salad. Our Swiss friend even made the dressing from scratch using olive oil, balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard. He states, “This is the only way to make it.” I also contributed a wine that I have been “saving for a rainy day”, a 2007 Hermann J. Wiemer Merlot. I fell in love with this wine last summer when I visited the Wiemer Vineyard. The Finger Lakes Region Rieslings are near and dear to my heart, but have never found a red wine as luscious as this Merlot from the area. It is a wine that makes you feel good with each sip; perfect for sharing with good company.

Dinner and conversation lasted for nearly two hours. I couldn’t believe how quickly time went, we were having so much fun. I nominated myself to do a quick kitchen clean up while the boys served dessert: Orange Cream. This was essentially whipped heavy cream with an orange sauce (orange juice, lemon, corn starch on the stove) folded in. It was so light and delicious. Our friend told us that he thought it would be a perfect dessert after our pasta/bacon/cheese dinner. It was something that his mother would make when he was a child in Switzerland. This is what I like to call food from the heart! Every dish has a story behind it, and I was happy we were able to share this with him.

We continued catching up late into the night and I didn’t get to bed until 1:30am. Good Food+Good Company= Lasting Memories. I’m probably going to be exhausted tomorrow, but I live for these moments!

Stuffed,

Nora

What is your favorite meal to prepare for company? (My roommate and I have to make them dinner next time so I need advice!! I’m thinking Mediterranean style, since this is one of my favorites!)

I arrived home around 7pm to the wonderful smell of our charcoal grill and dinner was underway. My dad prepared some POM cosmopolitans, and we chatted away outside while he cooked the pork tenderloin. My mom was hard at work in the kitchen assembling steamed asparagus and a mixed green salad: mixed greens, mandarin oranges, strawberries, sliced almonds, blue cheese and cherry-raspberry vinaigrette. I love the family aspect of making dinner. It is so much fun when everyone shares in its preparation, relaxing and enjoyable. My dad also paired our dinner with a Diseno Malbec.

Grilling  is one of my favorite things to do in the summer time. I think EVERYHING tastes better on the grill, especially on charcoal because it enhances the meat’s flavor. The pork was perfectly cooked with a slightly pink center.  Good work dad! The wine choice went really well with the meat. Diseno is dryer than most Malbecs I’ve had but has a nice smokey flavor with cherry undertones. My mom’s side dishes were so fresh and clean. I love the combination of fruit and blue cheese on salads.

Dessert was my contribution to the meal. I brought home a slice of Mixed-Berry Open Faced Tart from the bakery. It was so nice to share something from work with my parents! It was crisp and delicious!

After dessert I had the urge to plan for breakfast tomorrow morning. My mom is making cupcakes to take to lunch with our extended family, so I decided to get a jump on my cooking  around 9pm so that I wouldn’t be in her way in the morning. I couldn’t decide between biscotti and carrot cake muffins, so I made both. The biscotti were the Holiday Biscotti that I made around Christmas time and contain pistachios, dried cranberries and dried apricots. My family likes biscotti and cappuccino on Sunday after breakfast, and loved these the last time I made them so I thought it would be a nice addition. Easter reminds me of carrot cake and it is essential that I make some form of it. I decided on carrot cake muffins. I somewhat made the recipe up, so hopefully they will taste okay!My second wind just ended, and I am beat! Time for bed!

Happy Easter,

Nora

I relished in the weather as I walked outside to a local cafe to study. I sat at a cozy table near a window so I could continue to enjoy the playful sun and craved a tropical bite as I worked. I’m not really a pineapple/coconut girl, but the Tropical Fruit Tart LaraBar was screaming my name. I’ve always wanted to try this flavor, but it has never sounded particularly appealing to me until today. I LOVED IT. I kept questioning why I had avoided this flavor for so long, because I have tried every other Larabar. It was sweet and appropriately nutty. I could taste the orange and coconut the most with a slight hint of pineapple and crunchy almond. This was so satisfying, and I washed it down with an iced tea. Maybe I think I’m still on Spring Break?

After a few solid hours of work, I decided to head back to my apartment before it got dark out. As I walked, the air was a bit cooler, and it reminded me of a quintessential fall day. I love the flavors of the fall. My mom always made roasted acorn squash, turkey, stuffing, baked apples…all the warm comforting flavors you crave on a cool evening. Obviously, food carries a lot of sentiment (I miss home!) to me and I decided to make Seared Chicken with Balsamic Mushrooms, Warm Kabocha Salad and Lemon Steamed Green Beans. I seared the chicken in olive oil (about 4-5 min per side) and removed it from the pan. I then sauteed 1/4 of a Spanish Onion, added sliced bella mushrooms and balsamic vinegar until it reduced. When the reduction was a syrup consistency I topped the chicken with the mixture. For the Warm Kabocha Salad, I coated the Kabocha with olive oil and cinnamon, and roasted it for about 40 minutes. I added it to a bowl of spinach, chopped walnuts, dried cherries and dried blueberries and tossed it all together. This dinner was sweet, savory and represented every element of the fall.

I couldn’t shake my cinnamon craving, and went for a make shift apple pie. I chopped half of a Jonagold Apple, topped with cinnamon and microwaved it for a minute. I added a large scoop of vanilla ice cream and some Galaxy Vanilla Almond Granola. What a great way to end my day. This reminded me of the gigantic apple dumplings my family would purchase from the Farmers Market nearly every Saturday. We would have them for dessert after a thoughtful Sunday dinner. My mom would bake them in the oven, and the sweet-syrup-goodness would start seeping out the pie crust cover. They were always topped off with large scoops of vanilla ice cream, and it was heavenly. I’m still not sure how each member of my family was able to eat a whole one; they were so large that they only fit in our over sized soup bowls!

Memories,

Nora

Do particular foods strike memories for you?

A good meal isn't complete with out a good wine.

I have to admit, this new venture post was going to be for NEXT Sunday but I was so proud of the result that I swapped it with the one for today. My noteworthy creation: Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Rappi in a Mushroom Balsamic Reduction. Fancy, Fancy…I know. This was a new food venture times three (I think that alone qualifies a blog entry upgrade), I’ve never attempted Gnocchi, never tried Rappi and never reduced balsamic vinegar. WATCH OUT! A FEARLESS COOK IS IN THE KITCHEN!

I was extremely nervous to make the gnocchi and looked up about a thousand methods and recipes. To be healthy, and keep it real, I did half whole wheat and half all-purpose flour. I think it was a good balance, I find when you do all whole wheat flour to replace white flour the result is often disappointing. I was extremely cautious to slowly incorporate the flour so the batter wasn’t rock hard. I added cinnamon and nutmeg to the batter which gave warmth to the sweet potato flavor. After rolling and cutting the gnocchi, I broke into a sweat, dreading the thought that they wouldn’t surface, or that they would break in the boiling water. After a few minutes all my deepest fears were relieved as each little dumpling sprung up in all their glory. Not bad for a first try.

How have I never tried Rappi before? This stuff is like the gold of greens (wait that doesn’t really make sense…but you know what I mean?). It was like a mixture of broccoli, arugula and spinach. Could that sound more heavenly? It had little crunchy stems with sprouts on top, and tender leaves. The flavor was slightly piquant and peppery like arugula. It was a nice contrast to the starch laden sweet gnocchi.

To top it all off…a balsamic reduction. I sauteed mushrooms in garlic and olive oil to give this dish an earthy element, and added sweet balsamic until it reduced into a syrup. I think everything doused in balsamic is fantastic, but the richness of the syrup made this dish reminiscent of dessert– Topped off with raisins and toasted walnuts, it very well could have been a dinner sundae.

Onward Speed,

Nora

Mary’s Chili Recipe

1-1 1/2 lbs. ground beef ( I use 95% Lean)
1-2 onions (Diced)
1 green pepper (Chopped)
1 TBS cumin
2 TBS chili power
1/2 tsp. cayenne powder (season to taste)
1 TBS hot sauce (Frank’s or Tabasco)
1 32 oz. can chopped tomatoes with liquid
1 jar of salsa
1 15 oz. can black beans
1 15 oz. can of great northern (white cannelloni) beans
1 15 oz. can of butter beans (lima beans)
1 large can of light red kidney beans (32oz?)
1 large can of dark red kidney beans
1 cup of beer or wine
Olive oil
Crock pot
Shredded Monterrey Jack or Cheddar Cheese or Taco Seasoned Cheese

Add small amount of oil oil to grease a frying pan add beef, cumin, cayenne and chili power. Brown beef. Add onions and pepper. Cook for a few minutes until soft. Drain any grease from pan. Place in the bottom of a crock pot.

Drain beans in a colander to remove liquid. Run water over beans. Drain. Add to crock pot.

Add tomatoes with liquid to crock pot. Add beer or wine. Add hot sauce. Season to taste.

Cook on low 6-8 hours or on medium 2-4 hours.

Before serving check seasonings, you could add more hot sauce or beer/wine if more liquid is needed. Chili is a recipe that can be altered to the cook’s preferences for mild or hot seasonings, Cumin is key. You could increase the amount for a more savory flavoring.

Ladle into bowls, top with shredded cheese. Serve with green and red hot sauce.
Enjoy!~

–Straight from my mom’s email!

Love The Power of Food,

Nora