Month: June 2010

Catch-up

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Leaving Seattle.  Obviously on vacation…..
Seems like I’ve had no time at all since we got home from Alaska…  We’ve had house guests twice and Dave has traveled a lot.  I’ve played big catch-up in the yard…and have a new herb garden in on the north side.  I’ve been busy with physical therapy (regaining some upper-body strength) and added hearing aids to my wardrobe. 

Summer in the hood is hot this year.  It’s our second week of mostly 90’s and I don’t remember that ever.   I’ve spent a really lot of time watering… and watering.  Some pots have needed watering twice a day.  Who could have figured?

Meantime, I thought I’d use this blogpost for some pics so you can see what’s been up around the 2-dog kitchen and other places:

Right:  My French class came to dinner…

I’ve been trying to get a good loaf of rye bread.  Still working on it.
Another try at a leftover fish salad.  This one was with cold grilled tuna and a mustard vinaigrette. Yum.
Here are a few from the trip:
With the fish at Pike Place Market in Seattle—Veggies, too.
Going to dinner…
Someone else was cookin’
Me and the glacier….
Fishing for crab…
And eating it.
Leftovers..

This spruce pic taken during a macro-photography class in the rain forest.

Edible spruce tips…
I ate some.  Guide said she makes sorbet from them.  Hmmm.
Taken during a photography class in a small boat on the ocean…   ah, whales.
We clean up well.
More later…  2-Dog Kitchen under signature….
Be patient; I’ve got some great summer recipes. 
Tonight I grilled some wahoo on lemon slices and topped it with homemade “pickles”…
Sing a new song,
Alyce

Cooking with Music

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(Chocolate Mousse the easy way!)

Today was the first summer session of Cooking with Music at my house, which is a group of lessons or classes that combine food, culture, and music from specific countries or cultures.  French was first up–

MENU CHEZ MORGAN

Hors-d’oeuvres (appetizers):   Fromage avec pain  — Cheese with Bread
Entree  (First Course)  Salad Printemps avec vinaigrette dijonnaise-  Spring Salad with mustard vinaigrette or….Everyday Chopped Salad (from Jamie Oliver’s Ministry of Food–we used the on-line video)
Plat principal  (Main Course)  Quiche  -Cooking with Music Quiche (Lesson on Pate Brisee; quiche w/ bacon and pruscuitto)
Dessert (Dessert)  Mousse au Chocolat -Chocolate Mousse with Whipped Cream and Strawberries

Beginning French Lesson was a great online video from Alain Le Lait

We began with

Bonjour!
Comment ca va?
Bien!  Tres Bien!  Et vous?
Pas mal.

And so on.

(Alain:  They loved Josette!)

I passed out notebooks and each student had a different color and their photo on the front.  Inside were maps of the world, Europe, info on the country of France, links to all of the sites we used in the lessons, all of the recipes and notes, and some coloring pages for the younger ones.

We went over the geography of France first.  Where was it?   While we did that, we listened to French folk songs…  But soon, if we wanted to eat before supper time, we needed to begin.  We made the mousse first and got it in the frig.   Next, we learned to make pastry dough ( Pate Brisee) and quiche filling.  That went in the oven while we watched a video on how to make chopped salad and made the salad.  Table set.  A little cheese.  Lunch was served.   It began to look like a piano lesson was going to have to be another day.

Merci! Merci!  to Jacque, Joel and Ellen.  Good cooks all!!!!
What are you cooking for Father’s Day?

Here are a few highlights.

Working on liquid measuring technique

Using Le Creuset cookware on a gas stove…

Hot stuff in a Krups blender….
I get the taste test!
I want to see.
We all work together.
How to fill a quiche without spilling the filling.
Maybe.
Ok, How did Jamie chop cress?
Should we watch the video again?   Watch those fingers!
Oh, yeah.  That’s a chopped salad.
Hey, I made that quiche!
At the table…finally!
Oh, by the way, you need to put a grace to music.  Here are the words:
Come, Lord.  Teach us to care, share and be grateful.  And most of all, teach us to love you and all you love.
We got a tune we’re workin’ on.
We did it!
Et voila! Mousse au chocolat:)  Another French food convert.
We’ll have the piano lesson with French music another day!  Phew.
A bientot!

Cantaloupe Salad

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It’s not quite cantaloupe time here in Colorado, but we do finally have some good FexEx cantaloupe available at the store.  I tend to buy a half.  I then wonder why I didn’t buy a whole after I cut some up.  So last time, I bought a whole, and then had to figure out what to do with it.  Here’s what happened:

Cantaloupe Salad 
serves 2

2 pieces cantaloupe, each about 1/4 of a smallish cantelope, sliced to eat, but left on rind
1 cup baby arugula or other spring greens
1/2 lemon
Kosher salt; fresh ground pepper
2 strawberries
2 blackberries or blueberries
1/8 cup parmesan (or other sharp, shreddable cheese), shredded (2 tablespoons)

Arrange on each of two salad plates 1/2 c fresh arugula.  Top each portion with a piece of cantelope and add a couple each of the strawberries and blackberries.  Squeeze lemon over all and dust with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle with shredded cheese.  Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette (below.)

Balsamic Vinaigrette (or use your own recipe or a store-bought bottle)

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon shallots or garlic, minced
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Place all ingredients in jar and shake well. Store in refrigerator up to one week.

{printable recipe}

 

Sing a new song; make a new salad,
Alyce