the Smiths come to visit

Ben’s parents came to visit this weekend and we are consequently still full. When parents indulge us with a visit, we really ought to warn them of the culinary adventure we have planned for them in advance. We practically dined out every meal, save the breakfasts I cooked myself merely so that I would not have to start the day out with a post-meal nap (plus I absolutely love having family/friends around my table). Hawthorne, Blacksmith, Torchy’s, Corner Table, Lucille’s. I married well! Truly though, I am reminded of my good fortune in marrying Ben each time I am privileged time around his family. I mean, as if they did not already indulge me enough by raising me the best husBen imaginable, they also are such easy and kind people to be around, always ready to love us well. What a world!

Breakfast Pastry

2 cups buttermilk baking mix (Bisquik)

Half of an 8-oz. package cream cheese

¼ cup butter

1/3 cup milk

½ cup raspberry or strawberry preserves

Icing

¼ cup chopped nuts (pecans or almonds)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place baking mix in a large bowl. Cut cream cheese and butter into baking mix with a pastry cutter or fork until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in milk and knead 8-10 times, adding more baking mix if necessary.

Turn out dough onto a lightly greased baking sheet and press into a rectangle. Make two -inch cuts at 1-inch intervals along the long sides of the rectangle. Spread raspberry preserves down the center of the dough. Alternately fold the edges over to resemble a braid. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

Drizzle icing over cooled pastry and sprinkle with nuts.

Icing

1 cup powdered sugar

1 ½ Tbsp. milk

½ tsp. vanilla extract

Whisk powdered sugar, milk and extract in small bowl and stir until blended and smooth.

sister and such

Checking in from our adventures in new parenting. Sister seems to be misinterpreting her cozy cage as her personal toilet (much to our embarrassment on this special day when our friend Mel stopped by to let her out). She has thankfully started to sleep through most of the night…or perhaps husBen and I are getting used to our quality earplugs. Quimby moved past his jealousy phase and seems more content in the “I don’t care if we keep that thing, because I am clearly still more attractive” phase, which we welcome with full gratitude, as we were really fearing his persistent disdain for our decision.

In short, we are doing all right over here. The lack of sleep and constant washing of either Sister or her bedding is worth it and somehow still based in joy. She is just so darn cute and dependent on us that we are able to respond consistently with love, even if occasionally admixed with exhaustion/confusion. I imagine this teamwork approach as a microcosm of what our future child-bearing years will look like—my pseudo-feminist self has always harped on equality in marriage, but this new puppy confirms my hopes for that goal. Once again, I find myself so thankful for husBen.

I know it is one week late, but we plan to finally celebrate Valentine’s Day tomorrow night with a new restaurant and a great bottle of wine. Guess what? We don’t even need a babysitter! Quimby’s got it under control.

relax and eat well

This past weekend, husBen and I drove down to the bay for a relaxing weekend. We needed some time away from this busy city and the busyness I/we create for ourselves here. Our friends the Roesers and their two young boys indulged us the trip and showed up for one night too. Immediately upon arriving I started whipping up dinner, coraling the puppy, and trying to passively boss Ben around to help me accomplish this dinner I had planned in my head. Hold up. Seriously, who am I? We were supposed to be on vacation. Within half an hour there, I had begun to settle down, because the bay house just has that power over us. We got hot cioppino and crusty bread for dipping on the table, alongside a beautiful salad and some darn good wine. The youngest member of our dinner party even offered to bless the meal, with his eyes tightly squinted and very papal hand waving over all the things he thanked God for, “mommy, daddy, Mr. Smith, the food”  (maybe even Quimby, sometimes I could not tell what he was saying actually).  After dinner the boys ran around and around the house, wearing out Sister until she passed out like she lost a game of freeze tag. So cute and especially crucial to husBen and my night of sleep. Hey, we bought a puppy for our dog, maybe we should buy a toddler for our puppy…

Enjoy!

Cioppino with Shrimp, Mussels and Italian sausage

½ cup olive oil

2 large fennel bulbs (bottom chopped into 1/2-inch slices)

6 garlic cloves, peeled and diced

1 sweet onion, chopped finely

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. black pepper

2 pounds spicy Italian turkey sausage, casing removed

3 cups dry white wine

1 (28-ounce) can fire-roasted, diced tomatoes

2 bay leaves

1 can tomato paste

5 cups chicken stock

2 pounds large shrimp, de-veined

1 pound bay scallops

15 mussels

¼ cup julienned fresh basil leaves

2 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves

1-2 bunches Italian parsley, chopped

French bread

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add fennel, garlic, onions and red bell pepper and saute until vegetables are soft. Add salt and black pepper. Add sausage and cook until done. Break into bite-size pieces. Add white wine and stir with a wooden spoon. Add tomatoes, bay leaves, tomato paste and chicken broth. Stir until combined. Bring to a simmer for 20 minutes. At this point, you can wait to add seafood until ready to serve. (Refrigerate if preparing later). Bring to a boil. Add shrimp, scallops, mussels, basil, thyme and parsley. Cook seafood for eight minutes. Mussels' shells will open when done. Remove bay leaves. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve with crusty French bread. 

Thanks for this fabulous recipe Mom!

Green Bean and Goat Cheese Salad

1/2 pound green beans

1 shallot, minced

small handful of Italian parsley leaves

2 Tbs. sesame seeds, toasted

3 Tbs. sliced almonds, toasted

1 box (or bag) of mixed greens

1/4 c. chevre (goat cheese), crumbled

2 Tbs. lemon juice

2 Tbs. white wine vinegar

1 Tbs. whole grain mustard

1/4 c. olive oil

salt and cracked pepper

Snap ends off green beans and slice crosswise into ¼ inch “coins.” Blanch by adding to rapidly boiling water for 30 seconds, then plunging into ice water.  Let sit in ice water for about 10 minutes, then drain and dry.  Place green beans in a bowl with minced shallot, parsley, sesame seeds, almonds, greens, and crumbled goat cheese.  Set aside.  In a smaller bowl, whisk together lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, and olive oil until emulsified.  Add dressing to salad and toss to coat evenly.  Sprinkle with salt and freshly cracked pepper to serve.

puppy love

husBen,

I am the lucky one.

I never imagined a love such as this, with a man such as you! My admiration for you has grown over the years of our marriage as I have learned the depth of your love, the extent of your capabilities, and the exhaustive nature of your service.

I love you,

h

we are in love!

oh heyyyyy

Friends, let me introduce the newest member of our little family… Sister. It has been a week of change and transition in this household, with the adjustments expected for a 7 week-old puppy. It is amazing how love for a person, even when it feels complete and satisfactory already, can expand and newly astound us. Let me just take this sappy Valentine’s moment to laud my dear husBen for the amazing “dad” he has been this week, waking up at all hours of the night to take Sister out, taking her to the vet (with the help of our indulgent friend Mel), and orchestrating the hopeful bonding moments between Sister and Quimby dog, while I crammed for my obgyn shelf exam (its tomorrow). I did not know I could love him more than I already do…but hey, thanks Sister, for making it evident that I can!

More blogging later…I better call my mom now and tell her before she reads this…

affirmation

Do you ever have those moments where you need to feel good at something? I mean, you need to create something right now just to prove that you can, need to tangibly affect change just to feel the importance of your hands, or need to accomplish something just for the affirmation that you are capable? Sometimes I feel those moments. And so I cook.

Would it be dramatic to deem my kitchen sacred ground? My pots and my pans remind me who I am; the food as my medium encourages me in my creative nature. I am always excited to attempt a new culinary challenge, but whipping old favorites (especially personal requests for such) brings me joy all the same.

And then Ben asked for shrimp corndogs. I woke up post call on Super Bowl Sunday circa 2 pm and we were set to be over at friends’ house at 5, said appetizer in hand. I was certain only my mother (and Haven restaurant here in Houston actually) knew how to make shrimp corndogs, but I was not about to admit I could not pull it off. After searching the good ol’ world wide web for a bit, I found a few recipes to combine and they turned out deliciously! Not so daunting after a good effort (and a helpful sous-chef). Good luck and enjoy the sense of accomplishment!

Shrimp Corndogs

30 + jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined

wooden skewers

plenty of vegetable oil for frying

kosher salt

Batter

1 ¼ cup cornmeal

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

4 scallions, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon oil

1 cup milk

1 cup buttermilk

Directions: Fill a pot with enough oil to reach a depth of 3 inches; heat over medium-high heat until it registers 350 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer (I often just flick a drop of batter into the hot oil and make sure it starts promptly frying/bubbling but does spatter or immediately burn…if you don’t have a thermometer).

Thread each shrimp onto its own skewer. Whisk together the dry ingredients of the batter then add in the wet ingredients and mix until well combined (no clumps!). You can add/withhold some of the milk if you want a thicker/runnier batter. Coat shrimp, one at a time, in the batter, then fry (I put about 6 skewered shrimp in my hot oil at a time) for about 2-3 minutes or until golden. Remove shrimp corndogs to a rack (or a paper towel lined plate) and sprinkle with kosher salt.  Serve hot with remoulade sauce!

Remoulade dipping sauce

¾ cup mayonnaise

1 lemon, juiced

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon horseradish

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon Tony’s Cajun seasoning

Mix well and refrigerate. Serve chilled alongside shrimp.

chicken...because that is what we have

I write you, dear readers, from my post at the triage desk at the hospital as I am on call tonight. Since my diet here consists of mostly pizza that the attending so kindly orders for us and M&Ms that I sneak from the office, I usually end up making an HEB list around 2 AM of ingredients for healthier meals I am going to start making tomorrow. Always tomorrow. Right now I just need my carb and sugar load to carry me through the night. 

This chicken is actually great because it requires no such stop at HEB when driving home post call; you probably have all these ingredients stuffed away inside your pantry and fridge already. If the sound of ease is not enticing enough, I can also boast that this packs more nutrients than...wait for it...pizza and M&Ms. Enjoy.

One Skillet Chicken

2 cups baby portabellas, sliced

2 cups san marzano tomatoes, whole

1 zucchini, shaved in thick slices

1 whole head of garlic, cloves peeled

Marinade: milk, a few drops liquid smoke, 1 tablepsoon balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Prep marinade by mixing milk (enough to cover chicken) with remaining ingredients, then submerge chicken and refrigerate for 1 hour. Heat oven to 375. Heat up a skillet with olive oil to high heat, then sauté garlic for 30 seconds. Remove garlic and sear each chicken breast on both sides in hot oil. Remove chicken and add vegetables, salt and pepper. Sauté briefly, just to evenly coat vegetables in olive oil. Add chicken back to skillet (nestle it down in between all the veggies) and put whole skillet in oven for 20ish minutes (it is done when it registers 165 degrees on a meat thermometer). Season to taste with salt and freshly cracked pepper.