End of Summer at Lewes and Rehoboth Beach, DE
It didn't take long for me to reunite with my beach bum gene. As soon as the warm sand sifted through my feet and my eyes laid on calm ocean rolling ashore the seemingly permanently-tensed-muscles perched on my shoulders released. What took me so long? This was one of the more relaxing vacations that we have been on since Alex arrived. Our destination was a cross-section of two small beach towns: Lewes and Rehoboth Beach in Delaware roughly two hours south of Philadelphia.
Parmesan Celery Salad Recipe
We're getting ready for an excursion to the beach. It seems to be the popular thing to do around here. Every conversation is a rotation of "we're going to... just came back from...the beach." And yet I'm feeling lukewarm or perhaps even cold to the idea. My mind is on San Francisco, New York, Portland and Boston, and if I thought bigger, Paris, London and Tokyo, places that more likely inspire excitement than relaxation. We'll put this workaholic to the R&R test this week as iPhones, iPads and Macbooks get tucked away. Will the absence of noise drive me bonkers? Will I be so tormented by the calm that I surreptitiously pull out a pile of accounting books to avoid the gentle rocking of the ocean? I certainly hope not but there is a part of me that wonders: how did this California girl not inherit the beach bum gene? Odd.
Thai Red Curry Beef with Mushroom Red Bell Pepper and Basil
I don't know about you but I'm getting pretty fed up with this summer's heat. This year's propagation of heatwave after heatwave has me staring at my suitcase, ready to pack my bags for Siberia. I'm looking forward to the days when I can comfortably make hot chocolate, slip on a thick wool sweater and snuggle with my little one without the sticky perspiration between us. Most of all I'm looking forward to that day in early autumn when I pull down my cast iron pot and instead of shooing away the heat, we huddle around the kitchen for warmth that reminded us of how good we had it this summer.
Vietnamese Rice Noodles with Peanut-Lime Chicken and Herbs
This year's dry hot weather propelled an explosion of fresh herbs in our garden. From fresh mint, basil, cilantro, oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme, tarragon to the exotic lemon verbena, every herb has been kissed by this summer's blaring heat. It has become a daily routine to trim back these plants, sharing with friends and neighbors the bounty that at times has come to feel like an unrelenting weedy monstrosity. Too much of a good thing? Yes, it is possible even for this garden lover. So I make teas, bring herby aroma therapy to the house, make herbal flower arrangements and I even compost it as a final resort.
Mexican-Style Grilled Corn
Corn is such a simple one ingredient side dish that it's hard to imagine deviating from the old standard. And yet, an uncontrollable sense of urge for variety amongst us foodies drives up to do insane things such as douse it in chili oil, give it a good sear on the grill and rolled in creamy herbed sour cream. Crazy right? But oh so delicious! Sometimes it's good to dress up and go out to town, even better when it is for absolutely no reason, and this summer's corn crop shouldn't be left out.
Chicken Dijon
Just when you thought that you had run the gamut on chicken recipes I present you with (drum roll please) chicken dijon. A favorite recipe in our house, chicken thighs are browned and then simmered in a light creamy mustard sauce that is seasoned generously with tarragon. I know it has been hot lately and you probably won't want to turn on your stove but this recipe is worth taking a bit of extra heat, if not for the flavorful and mildly tangy sauce it yields. It's a sauce that will inspire a greedy urge to mop your plate clean with a crusty piece of country bread. Yup, it's that good.
Kale Chicken Salad
If you are reading this, it means that you survived the cruel heatwave that swept over our now withering nation. Over the 4th of July holiday our family huddled under the refuge of our air conditioned home, a comfortable bubble where we were privileged to front row seats to our neighbor's spectacular fireworks show. While Alex and I were ooohing and ahhhing over the blooming firecrackers, my husband was stomping up and down the house, "Our roof is going to catch fire!" Well we survived that too.
Red Lentils and Kale in Coconut Curry Sauce
Rustic and down-to-earth, this red lentils and kale dish surprises with intriguing flavors from ginger and curry that are tamed by the creamy equatorial flavors of coconut milk.
Dim Sum at South Sea Seafood Village Millbrae, CA
I wanted to wring his neck. It was 10:30am and I was standing in line at the car rental agency in San Francisco when I received a text from my husband, "Crap, I have your driver's license. I'd drive back up but I'm in back-to-back meetings in the valley for the next four hours." "Whaaaa?! How am I going to get down to San Carlos?" After a ping pong of texts I quickly quashed it with "Of all the moronic things you have done... I'm going to kill you." I'm pretty sure I meant it.
Lemon Verbena Basil Avocado and Tomatoes
It's supposed to hit the upper 90s later this week in my neck of the woods. I can already feel the miserable humidity shoving my hair our of balance. So for the rest of the week the oven will be off, the stove will remain idle, if I can help it, and any type of cooking will be left in the hands of Mr. Grillman, with the exception of salads.
Sirloin Flap Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
One of the my favorite experiences of buying from local farmers is the experience of discovering new goodies that are sometimes not easily found in the supermarket. It's how I found the delicate oniony ramps, discovered that fava bean greens are edible and how I found out about an obscure cut of meat called the sirloin flap. Sirloin flap is very similar to skirt steak except it's leaner and from our experience more tender and flavorful. After years of sirloin flap absence because we moved far away from our favorite meat vendor, we happened across it again this weekend at a local market and we brought home the entire supply with no regrets.
Although this steak is very good by itself we made a chimicurri sauce that stood well against the grilled meat and served as a bright and bold contrast. A heady California cabernet could accomplish the same but the chimicurri offers another dimension of exciting flavors for the summer.
Mark Bittman's Chimichurri Sauce
From Food and Wine | September 2004
Ingredients
From Food and Wine | September 2004
Ingredients
- 2 cups chopped parsley
- 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 pounds sirloin flap or skirt steak
Method
- Light a grill. In a bowl, mix the parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and crushed red pepper; season with salt and pepper.
- Season the steak with salt and pepper and grill over a hot fire until the meat is charred on the outside and rare within, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a carving board and let rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice the steak across the grain. Serve right away, passing the chimichurri sauce at the table.
Garlic Broccoli Rabe Pasta Quickest Meal Ever
My little one has been tugging me in all different directions. The latest has been to ride on his grandfather's tractor morning, noon and night. And if you tell him that he can't do as he pleases he won't hear of it. Literally.
Lamb Shawarma and How to Make Pita Bread
Ah the joys of summer. Ice-cold watermelon, sweet corn on the cob and barbecue. Backyard grilling has been a mighty reward of moving to the suburbs. This and an herb garden that has exploded with the help of a recent summer heatwave has given me plenty of reasons to be grateful.
Lamb shawarma is a traditional Arabic dish that calls for an amalgamation of marinated meat that is roasted on a spit. The flavorful roasted meat is then shaved and stuffed in a pita bread, topped with yogurt, sometimes cucumber and herbs. For those of you who do not have an oven big enough to fit a hurricane of meat (boo-hoo that means me) the homemade version is simple. Meat is marinated overnight in a medley of bold spices, lemon zest and roasted garlic, grilled and then sliced for the pita bread.
'Shawarma' refers to the pita bread. On this particular day, the thought of going out in the sweltering heat to fetch a stack of flat breads had sapped the energy out of me. And given how quickly pita can be baked, 4-6 minutes in the oven, and that the humid heat outside offered a natural and optimal environment for the bread to rise, I quickly mixed the flour, yeast and water, covered the oiled bowl with a plastic wrap, topped it with a kitchen towel (to keep the sun out) and then left it outside to rise. A wee bit over an hour later, voilà! I had pita bread that was ready to roll into the oven.
Curried Chicken Salad
This curried chicken salad sandwich isn't going to win beauty contests, but it has elicited comments such as 'awesome' and 'perfect' amongst a couple of friends. Chunks of chicken breasts, celery, green onions and raisins are bound together with a honey-curry mayonnaise bringing a hint of sweetness, spice and mild herbs. I imagine this salad would also go well in a tortilla wrap.
Oven Braised Lemon Garlic Artichokes
Each year at the end of April beautiful plump fresh artichokes hit the markets and my heart skips a beat as I eagerly load my basket with globes of this vibrant green thistle vegetable. My favorite artichoke recipe is one that I make only once or twice a year, first, because the season is so short here in the northeast and two, because it can be a bit time consuming. So for the third time that had I arrived home with close to a dozen artichokes this year I sought a simpler recipe.
Philadelphia Museum of Art
When was the last time you visited a museum? We're ashamed to admit that too long ago was the answer for our family. Our move to the suburbs has brought us closer to a wide range of large and small eclectic museums, including the Brandywine River Museum, which houses one of the most comprehensive collections of Andrew Wyeth's historical American art, the Please Touch Museum, aimed at getting children involved with a wide range of physical learning activities, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which offers an expansive compilation of classic art across the world, notably Asia, Europe and our fair country. During our recent visit to the Philadelphia Museum, a special exhibit for Van Gogh was on display, which we were eager to see. However, poor planning left us crowded out of the popular exhibit as the required separate admission was sold out. Nonetheless the museum on its own offers a broad array of interesting collections.
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