Goodbye

Moving on. Starting a new adventure in a new town...in yet another so-called kitchen.

And because this is technically a food blog I will blog about our last official supper with family.

Tuesday's Rice and Beans Become Thursday's Burritos

You're all smart people...I don't know if I need to tell you how to fill tortillas with leftover rice and beans, bake at 350 for about 20 minutes and serve with all the expected toppings (salsa, sour cream, guacamole). But I guess I just did anyway!

Be back in a week or so. Wish us luck!

Beer Batter Fish Fry

I pretty much love deep-fried-anything but had never attempted it at home. So on Sunday afternoon when I really couldn't face another dinner of plain, baked fish (something we do very frequently because the girls like things pretty plain) I did some quick research.

I had never really thought about making my own batter fried fish because I just assumed it was too difficult, and maybe required a deep fryer. Turns out it's surprisingly easy and no fryer needed.

Be sure to have a lemon wedge and tartar sauce on the side. "Chips" are a likely accompaniment, however, we opted for some baked asparagus and a sliced heirloom tomato with feta instead.

Beer Batter Fish Fry
Serves 4

For the batter:
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp. All-Seasons Salt or Old Bay Seasoning
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cup beer

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless, firm, white fish cut into pieces
salt and pepper
Vegetable oil for frying

Combine the dry batter ingredients in a large bowl and gradually whisk in the beer until well combined.

Fill a large, deep skillet with about 1/2-1 inch of oil. Heat to 350 degrees (I did not use a thermometer so depending on your instincts you might feel comfortable without one too...I would actually like to try this with a thermometer to see what kind of difference it might make).

Working in batches dip the fish into the batter and let the excess drip back into the bowl. Place in the oil and cook for about 3 minutes on each side.

Transfer cooked fish to a plate lined with paper towels and quickly sprinkle with salt and pepper as desired.

Afterthoughts...
Some thoughts on choosing fish for this recipe. Because I had purchased my fish before deciding how I would be cooking it I used wild Ocean Perch. It was available from a local source for just $5.99/pound.

I wasn't sure if it would work well for frying because it still had skin on it. It would have been very difficult to remove the skin prior to cooking so I decided to leave it. The perch also had some bones but I still really wanted to try frying it.

It ended up working pretty well. It tasted great but we did have to worry about the bones and I ended up separating the skin-side on some of mine (it mostly sort of stuck to the crust).

Next time I would choose something skinless and boneless. Perhaps cod or halibut. I also wonder how a flakier fish would work. I worry that it would fall apart but I'm curious to know if the batter might help hold it together.

The girls really enjoyed this too. They loved the crispy pieces of batter and the fish. It would also be fun to make smaller nugget sized pieces for them next time.

Oh yes, there will be a next time!

Steamed Maine Mussels

Although mussels are pretty affordable and actually quite simple to prepare, we don't make them very often. I think they work so well on a Saturday night because it feels a little like dining out.

A giant bowl of mussels, good wine and lots of bread (for dipping in the savory broth) feels like a weekend indulgence.



While a salad of fresh greens makes a good side dish, my daughter really wanted green beans. How could a mother refuse? So we made a favorite recipe of mine that combines lightly steamed green beans with grape tomatoes and is topped with feta cheese and basil.

Steamed Mussels
Serves 4

2 pounds Maine mussels
1 large leek
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

Rinse mussels and discard open ones.

Clean leek well and slice thinly. Saute in a large pot over medium flame with butter and olive oil for about 5 minutes. I like to brown mine a little. Add garlic and cook for another minute while stirring.

Add white wine and reduce for 2 minutes or so. Add stock and bring to a simmer. Add mussels, cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until mussels are fully open. Transfer to a large bowl and garnish with parsley.

Serve in shallow bowls with broth and plenty of fresh baguette for dipping.



I should mention that my kids will not eat the mussels. So in the spirit of weekend indulgence I made the girls some shrimp. My oldest looooves them. She ate about 12 in addition to the kid's version of the salad I made. A small portion of plain green beans, a few grape tomatoes and a hunk of feta.

Turns out that my two year old doesn't share her sister's enthusiasm for shrimp. She ate bread and butter, sipped some mussel broth and laughed in my face at the offer of plain steamed beans. I made sure she filled up on cashews and banana before bed.

Green Bean and Tomato Salad

A lovely summer salad that we especially like with seafood, such as steamed mussels.



Green Bean and Tomato Salad
Serves 4

6 cups green beans
1 Tbsp. vinegar (sherry or red wine)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup halved grape or cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped basil
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
Salt and pepper

Trim green beans and steam lightly for 1-2 minutes. Plunge in ice water and drain. Pat them dry and toss with the olive oil and vinegar. Top with the tomatoes, feta and basil. Season with salt and pepper as desired.

I Love Lemons

One of the reasons for my lemon love is how a little lemon juice can go such a long way...like it does in two of my most favorite salad recipes.

We enjoyed a Cooking Light oldie tonight. A surprisingly simple technique that is truly better than you can imagine. Their Simplest Green Salad goes perfectly with homemade-ish pizza.

And last night we had Orangette's Chickpea Salad with Lemon and Parmesan over fresh greens with cold salmon.

Happy Birthday to Me

I generally love birthdays. A day for things to seem a little more special. A day to take an extra moment to reflect on the past, savor the present and plan for the future. Maybe even a day to do something a little special whether alone or with people you love.

I'm an easy going birthday girl. I don't expect a lot of fussing or gifts. Just a cupcake or two.



Today I was happy to have my Margot say, "happy birthday, mommy" about five times before 9am. The first few times in chorus with her sister and then spontaneously while eating her breakfast and again while alone with me in the kitchen. She just looked up at me and said it. She gets it. It's just like any other day but with a rosy glow.



So this is where I am right now. I do like to think about the future, and a time when there might actually be more time for me, but for now I'll just savor.

Sort Of

2pm, back seat packed with kids, returning home from pre-school, Wee Sing Silly Songs cranking. I enjoyed brief moments of relative quiet punctuated only by the baby screaming whenever the car slowed down or stopped at a light.

As usual I started thinking about my next meal, which technically was lunch since I hadn't eaten mine yet (I forgot a fork for my park-picnic-salad). So with my salad still chilling in my Fit & Fresh I focused on dinner.

Hamburgers were on the menu. Corn on the cob, baked beans and onions rings (Alexia again...really good). Pretty simple stuff.

But my mind began to picture the hunk of red cabbage in the veggie drawer and I suddenly needed cole slaw. Since I only had red cabbage I wondered if it would work. Should I do a vinaigrette instead of my mayo-based standby dressing? Baby screaming again and I am jolted back to the reality of this crappy commute.

Back at home the baby now content and the girls deep in the grasp of The Magic School Bus I stood in the kitchen longing for an hour or two of kitchen-alone-time. I'd even be satisfied with 30 minutes.

Knowing I didn't have much time I grabbed the red cabbage and started chopping. Grated a carrot. Tossed it all with some mayo, yogurt and cider vinegar and called it cole slaw. Sort of.



Red Cabbage Slaw
Serves 2-4

3 cups red cabbage sliced thin
1 large carrot grated
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon yogurt
1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Toss everything together and chill for a couple of hours before serving. Season with salt and pepper.

And here's another sort-of-salad I threw together to go with our salmon and greens on Monday.



White Beans and Artichokes
Serves 2-4

1 can cannelloni beans drained and rinsed
4 artichoke hearts halved
1 tomato seeded and cut into "boats"

Gently combine and drizzle with really good olive oil and even better balsamic vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste. Throw in some fresh basil if you have it (apparently there was a drought and there was no basil this week at the store).

Weeknight Sangria

This Sangria might not change your life. Unless your life is particularly boring. But in case you forgot, or didn't know, I have three kids. Little ones. So I don't know if I need to explain further the reasons I need to drink on weeknights (albeit lightly) and the reasons I don't have time to fuss over, well, anything.



Weeknight Sangria
Serves 1

At 5pm fill a 12 ounce Ball jar with ice. Add equal parts OJ, seltzer and red wine (white works too).

Take a few pictures of it then sip slowly until the kids are in bed.

My Weeknight Sangria is good on weekends too when I find myself with an extra moment and an extra set of hands to help chop fruit or help hold a baby.

So if it's a weekend get out a pitcher (please make sure you have some people to share this with). Add 1 bottle of red wine, about 1 cup OJ and 1 cup seltzer (play around until it tastes right to you).

Find some fruit to chop (strawberries, peaches, green apple). Go crazy and slice some citrus and toss it in too. If you feel like getting drunk add a splash of brandy or triple sec. Serve over lots of ice and garnish each glass with a generous wedge of lime.