Wait, I believe that’s someone else’s slogan.

But I ask you:  what better way is there to finish off a long, frigid week than with a big bowl of Salmon Chowder?  It’ll warm your belly, bring a smile to your face, and defrost your outer abominable snowman.

Hope I’m allowed to make such claims.  Maybe I should just stick to the topic at hand.

I didn’t deviate much from the original recipe, other than that I didn’t add the fresh lemon juice at the end.  I was feeling lazy.  Also, I did substitute a leek for one of the two cups of scallions – I was feeling sorry for it, sitting all by its lonesome in my produce drawer.  Oh, and I added a little bit of flour to thicken things up a little bit…so looking back, I guess I did deviate after all!  I’m a deviant, what can I tell you.

Now, you could cut back on the fresh cream if you were so inclined…if say, you’re in the ‘less is more’ camp.  You won’t find me in that camp.  Less is not more.  Less is less.  More is more.  Thank you.

Now you know that I’m both indulgent and deviant.  Hope we can still be friends.

SALMON CHOWDER

Serves: 6

Source:  epicurious.com

• ½ lb. red potatoes (for me this was four medium, and these are on sale)
• ½ lb. sliced bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4” strips
• 2 c. chopped scallions (2 bunches)
• 1 c. frozen corn, thawed
• 1 T. finely chopped garlic (3 cloves)
• ½ t. dried thyme
• ½ California bay leaf
• 1/8 t. dried hot red pepper flakes
• 1 ½ T. flour
• 3 c. whole milk
• 2/3 c. heavy cream
• 1 lb. salmon fillet (I used the sale wild-caught sockeye)
• ½ t. salt
• ¼ t. black pepper
• 2 t. fresh lemon juice

Cut potatoes into ½ inch cubes, then cook them in a 1 ½ quart saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender, 8 -10 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

Cook the bacon in a 5 quart Dutch oven over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 8 minutes.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain.  Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from pot, then cook scallions, corn, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and red pepper flakes over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the scallions are tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the flour to the pan and cook, stirring, for two minutes.  Gradually whisk in the milk, and bring just to a boil.  Reduce heat to moderately low, then add the cream, potatoes, salmon, bacon, salt, and pepper and cook, gently stirring occasionally, until salmon is just cooked through and begins to break up as you stir, 5 to 8 minutes.  Stir in the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.  Discard bay leaf before serving soup in heated bowls.

“There’s no food in this house!”

“I’m starving!”

“We have nothing to eat!”

“Don’t you work for a grocery store?!” Wah, waah, waaaah.

They were right; it was grim.  But I took a closer look and found half a bag of potatoes (left over from last week’s pork roast night), some shredded cheese, and a few slices of bacon.  Who knew these meager ingredients would turn out to be the makings of a lunch that would knock the socks off my three hungry punks?

I did have to fend them off with Go-gurts and goldfish for the hour it took to bake the potatoes.  But they all agreed, lunch was worth the wait.  And it was such a hit, I’m sure I’ll be making these potato skins again the next time I have half a bag of russets hanging around.

Looking ahead to next weekend (because really, is it ever too early to start thinking about the weekend?), these spuds would be an excellent, easy, and CHEAP addition to your Super Bowl spread.  That’s assuming you’ll be watching the game.  I’ll watch it too, I guess – though I couldn’t care less which team wins or loses.  For me, the Super Bowl is a good excuse to get together with my favorite neighbor friends and drink beer on a mid-winter Sunday afternoon.  Of course, the junk food and commercials are fun too.

Have a great week, everyone!

STUFFED POTATO SKINS

Serves:  6 as an appetizer

Source:  adapted from epicurious.com

• 3-4 medium russet potatoes (grab a bag while they’re on sale through Tuesday)

• Cooking oil

• 5 slices of bacon

• 2 c. your favorite shredded cheese
• ¼ t. cayenne pepper
• 1 T. chopped fresh parsley

• 2-3 scallions, thinly sliced
• Sour cream for serving

Preheat the oven to 425.  Scrub the potatoes and rub them with cooking oil.  Place them on a baking sheet and bake them for one hour, or until tender.  Remove potatoes from the oven and allow them to cool.  Maintain oven temperature.

While the potatoes are cooling, place the sliced bacon on a baking sheet and bake them until browned and crispy, about 7 minutes per side.  Transfer bacon to a paper-towel lined plate to drain.  When cool enough to handle, crumble bacon coarsely.

In a medium mixing bowl, toss together the shredded cheese, crumbled bacon, cayenne pepper, and parsley.  Set aside.

Slice the potatoes lengthwise into quarters.  Use a spoon to scoop out the pulp, leaving about half an inch of potato in the skin.  Place the skins on a lightly oiled baking sheet (pulp side up); season with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle the cheese and bacon mixture on the skins.  Bake the potato skins for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and skins are beginning to crisp.  Transfer to a serving platter; sprinkle with sliced scallions, and top with sour cream if desired.

I had such a chuckle this morning when I turned up to spin class and the instructor had a New Year’s resolution playlist. So cute.  Halfway through the class (right about the point where you feel like you’re gonna fall over and d-i-e die), Weird Al came on with his Grapefruit Diet song.  So, I just had to laugh.  Or else I was gonna cry!

(Grapefruits are on special this week, by the way – in case you’re inspired to give that old diet a try.  The woman on the bike beside me said she did it for a week in her twentys and hasn’t eaten another grapefruit since.)

I might stock my fruit bowl while grapefruit are on special, but I’m not about to fall off the grapefruit deep end.  Wouldn’t be too interesting to blog about, would it?  I am planning on lightening up a little bit though, so I made one of my favorite meat loaves this weekend.   This recipe makes a huge meat loaf, just so you know.  I usually make the whole thing, then divide it in half and freeze one for a rainy day.  Leftovers make fabulous sandwiches!

On the side we had simple steamed asparagus (on sale), and some lovely parmesan smashed redskin potatoes (also on sale).  It was a great dinner!  Enjoy!

TURKEY MEAT LOAF

Serves:  8-10

Source:  The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, by Ina Garten; pp. 138-139

• 2 large yellow onions, diced
• 2 T. good quality olive oil
• 2 t. kosher salt
• 1 t. freshly ground black pepper
• ½ t. dried thyme
• 1/3 c. Worcestershire sauce
• ¾ c. chicken broth
• 1 ½ t. tomato paste
• 5 lbs. ground turkey breast (on sale)
• 1 ½ c. plain dry breadcrumbs
• 3 extra large eggs, beaten
• ¾ c. ketchup

Preheat oven to 350.  In a medium pan, over medium heat, cook the onions, olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme until the onions are translucent but not browned, approximately 15 minutes.  Add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste and mix well.  Allow mixture to cool to room temperature.

Combine the ground turkey, breadcrumbs, eggs, and onion mixture in a large bowl.  Mix well and shape into a rectangular loaf on an ungreased baking sheet.  Spread ketchup evenly on top.  Bake for one hour, or until the internal temperature is 160 degrees and the meat loaf is cooked through.  Allow to rest for five minutes or so, then slice thickly.  Serve hot, at room temperature, or cold in a sandwich.

PARMESAN SMASHED POTATOES

Serves:  6-8

Source:  The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, by Ina Garten; p. 158

• 3 pounds red potatoes, unpeeled (on sale!)
• 1 T. plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 ½ c. half and half (I used whole milk)
• 1 stick butter (I used half a stick)
• ½ c. sour cream
• ½ c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• ½ t. freshly ground black pepper

Cut the redskins in half if they’re on the big side.  Place the potatoes and 1 tablespoon of salt in a 4-quart saucepan with cold water to cover.  Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer covered for 25-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are completely tender.  Drain.

In a small saucepan, heat the half and half and the butter.

Put the potatoes into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix slowly for a few seconds on low speed to break them up.  Slowly add the hot cream and butter to the potatoes, mixing on the lowest speed (the last quarter of the cream and butter should be folded in by hand).  Fold in the sour cream, Parmesan cheese, the remaining salt, and pepper; taste for seasoning and serve immediately.  If the potatoes seem to thick, add more hot cream and butter.

I think we should take a break. Heaven knows I’ve enjoyed our time together and lovely memories of you will linger on (mostly on my thighs). Fondly I’ll remember you, dressed in rich gravy – you, with creamy mayonnaise and crisp lettuce on toasty nine grain bread – you, in a steamy, homemade broth with thick egg noodles and chunks of carrots. It’s been fun. But it’s time for me to move on. It’s not you, it’s me.

Goodbye doesn’t mean forever,

Leah

Got that off my chest, what a relief. Breaking up is never fun or easy.

As you can tell from my “Dear John” letter, I’ve had just about enough turkey – and I’m sure you’re all on poultry overload by now too! Last night I decided to go the fish route with the tilapia that’s on sale this week. I came across this recipe a few months ago and have been meaning to try it ever since.

It contains an unusual ingredient that I hesitate to reveal. But since I’m soul-searching today, I guess I’ll divulge that this fish is, in fact ‘crusted’ with…

Boxed potato flakes.

I know, I know! Don’t go hatin’! I don’t even know why I have these in my pantry but they’re there. I must have been having a lazy moment a while back and didn’t feel like mashing my own potatoes. Don’t go judging me. It probably won’t happen again.

Anyway, if you do happen to have some boxed potato flakes in your cupboard, and frozen tilapia fillets in your freezer, then chances are, you already have the ingredients on hand to make this dinner! I managed to pull this dish together in under 30 minutes.

I thought it was pretty good, I have to say. The honey-mustard mayonnaise is an interesting alternative to traditional tartar sauce, and the potato flakes create a crunchy coating on the fish. The same procedure could easily be used on any other type of white flaky fish.

Enjoy!

POTATO CRUSTED TILAPIA

Serves: 4

Source: oceana.com

• ½ c. mayonnaise
• 2 T. Dijon mustard
• 1 – 2 T. honey (adjust this according to your taste)

• 4 tilapia fillets, thawed if frozen, patted dry with paper towels
• ½ c. flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ½ c. milk
• ½ c. potato flakes
• ½ c. bread crumbs
• Neutral cooking oil

Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Have handy three shallow bowls or pie plates. Set up a breading station as follows: In one shallow bowl, place the seasoned flour. In another bowl, beat the eggs and the milk together. In a third bowl, combine the potato flakes and the bread crumbs. Line up these bowls near your cook top.

Place a large sauté pan over medium high heat and add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. While oil heats up, season the tilapia with salt and pepper to taste. Dredge one fillet in the flour, shaking off excess. Dip the fillet in the egg and milk mixture, then dredge the fillet in the potato flake and bread crumb mixture. Repeat with the remaining fillets. When oil is hot (a pinch of flour will bubble immediately upon contact with the oil), carefully place the fish into the pan. Saute for about 2 minutes; carefully turn fish. Saute for an additional minute or two, or until fish is a lovely golden brown on both sides. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to briefly drain. Serve tilapia with honey-mustard sauce.

I couldn’t resist, even though I’m supposed to be off of my foot. But the beauty of this recipe is that it’s QUICK and EASY, and requires almost no prep work (ie, little time spent standing over a cutting board). Let’s just don’t tell my friend Dr. M. that I left the couch for a wee bit of time today. He’s not the sort you really want to tangle with. It’ll be our little secret!

You can’t possibly mess this up. Fiddle with it until it tastes the way you want it! Though the soup is easily doubled, it isn’t really freezer friendly. However, it gets better as it sits overnight, so if you have any left, you should send it with your husband for lunch tomorrow!

You’ll notice the potatoes aren’t actually baked. I’m sure the name must have come from all of the traditional potato toppings that really make the soup. My punks adore it; hope yours will, too!

LOADED BAKED POTATO SOUP

Serves: 4

Source: ??

• 2 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and diced (this was about 6 of the sale russets)
• 3 c. chicken broth (plus additional to thin if necessary)
• 1 c. half & half (or so, adjust this to your taste)
• ½ c. sour cream (again, adjust this to your taste)
• ½ c. shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (there’s a medium cheddar on sale this week if you don’t mind grating it yourself!)
• 4 sliced scallions (green tops only)
• 6 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
• ½ t. garlic salt
• Salt and pepper to taste

• Garnishes: Additional shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, cooked and crumbled bacon, sliced green onions

Combine potatoes and broth in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Let cool slightly, then transfer potatoes and broth to a blender or food processor – or, if your blender is broken like mine, use a stick blender. (* SEE NOTE on blending hot liquids). Blend until fairly smooth with some small chunks of potatoes remaining.

Return mixture to saucepan and bring back to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir in half & half, sour cream, cheese, green onions, bacon, garlic salt, salt and pepper. Adjust the thickness of the soup with additional chicken broth if necessary. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes more. Spoon into heated soup bowls and allow diners to top with garnishes as desired.

NOTE * BLENDING HOT LIQUIDS 101: If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ve heard it before. Unless you enjoy cleaning soup off of yourself, your cabinets, and your ceiling, please, please, please do not 1). Fill your blender to the top with hot soup, and then 2). Put the lid on tightly, and then 3). Turn it on full blast. I’m telling you these things because 1). I like you, and 2). I don’t want your scalded self and your messed up kitchen on my conscience!

Instead, fill the blender about 2/3 full with the soup. Cover loosely with the lid, then hold the loose lid in place with a folded dish towel. Start the blender on low; allow the steam to escape, then gradually increase the speed. Safety first, my friends!

I’ve never done a fish “fry” at home before just now, mainly because I’ve been leery of 1).  The scary amount of oil required for the actual deep frying of fish and 2).  How the frying process can smell up the house for days on end.  This oven frying method yields both crunchy fish and fries, without a ton of oil, and without the smelly smell.  The cod is so mild, even my punks who ‘don’t like fish’ were be persuaded to give it a try, and the fries turned out so well, I might never buy another frozen bag again!

You will be blown away by how easily this dinner comes together!  You’ll also be shocked at how incredibly cheap it is to make: five pieces of cod: $5.50;  three HUGE potatoes: $1.29.  Fish and chips at home on a weeknight in under 45 minutes?  Priceless!

I would use this method again for fish sandwiches, we all loved it!   I hope you will too!

The cod that’s on sale this week is frozen.  To thaw it, transfer the pieces to a large ziplock bag.  Fill your sink partway with lukewarm water and place the bag with the fish in the water.  Let it float in there for an hour or so, then drain it and pat it dry.

CRISPY OVEN-FRIED COD

Serves: 4

Source:  The Gourmet Cookbook, edited by Ruth Reichl; p. 301

• ¾ c. fine dry breadcrumbs
• ¾ c. yellow cornmeal
• 1 t. salt
• ¼ t. cayenne pepper
• 4 – 6 oz. pieces of center cut cod fillet (the cod that’s on sale is not center cut, but you could trim it if you wanted everything to be really perfect and pretty)
• 2 large eggs
• 6 T. vegetable oil

• Lemon wedges, parsley sprigs, and tartar sauce as accompaniments

Put a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Combine breadcrumbs, cornmeal, salt, and cayenne in a shallow pie plate.  In a separate shallow dish, beat the eggs together to combine.

Pat the fish dry with paper towels.  Season both sides with salt and pepper.  Dredge fish in the breadcrumb mixture, then dip fish in eggs, and dredge again in the crumbs.  Transfer to a plate.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy, oven-proof skillet over high heat until oil is very hot but not smoking.  Add the fish and fry until underside is golden brown, about a minute.  Gently flip fish over and cook until golden brown on second side, about another minute.  Transfer skillet to oven and continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes.  Serve with lemon, parsley, and tartar sauce.

ROASTED FRENCH FRIES

Serves:  4

Source:  The Gourmet Cookbook, edited by Ruth Reichl; p. 568

• 1 ½ lbs. russet potatoes (about three large), scrubbed
• ¼ c. vegetable oil
• ½ t. salt (I used Lawry’s Seasoned Salt)
• ¼ t. freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.  Trim a small slice of potato off of one side so that it lies flat on your work surface.  Cut the potatoes into 1/3 inch thick slices, then cut into 1/3 inch thick sticks.  IMMEDIATELY (this is important) toss with the oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl, then spread potatoes on a large rimmed baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes.  Loosen potatoes from bottom of pan with a metal spatula, turn them over, and spread out again.  Bake until crisp and edges are golden brown, about 10 minutes more (I tossed mine again at this point and let them go another 5 minutes; we like them on the crispy side).  Serve right away.

I’ve tried for several years to make the traditional lamb gyros at home, but I always come up short; the at-home version never tastes nearly as good as what you’d find at an authentic Greek restaurant, or from a street vendor for that matter.  So, I’ve thrown in the (dish) towel on the lamb version for now, and make my gyros with chicken instead.  This version is pretty darned good, I have to say.  Five out of five members of the DamFam love them — even No Thank-You Boy, who doesn’t like a da’gum thing these days… so that says a lot!

The prep work here is minimal, but the flavors are big – the chicken is marinated for a short time in a simple blend of olive oil, cumin, garlic, and oregano.  After a quick trip under the broiler, we’ll layer on a creamy yogurt feta sauce, top it with some crunchy cucumbers, lettuce, and tomato, then wrap it all up in a warm, fluffy pita.  I’m famished, aren’t you?

As for a side dish, I’m going to toss together a simple veggie roast of Yukon Gold potatoes and fresh asparagus.  We probably don’t need much of a starch since there’s bread in the main course, but I have half a bag of Yukon Golds hanging around, and I need to use them up.  Because honestly, allowing good potatoes go to waste is a travesty, any way you slice it.  Also, this blogger never met a potato dish she didn’t like.

Actually, I’ll retract that.  This blogger despises her mother’s German Potato Salad.  Just keepin’ it real…(and I do apologize, Mom … the rest of your cooking is stellar)!

And by the by, if anyone has a good lamb version of gyros they’d like to share (like say, if you’re a certain reader whose family owns a lamb and veal business), feel free to chime in.  You know who you are!

Enjoy!

CHICKEN GYROS WITH YOGURT FETA SAUCE
Serves: 4

Source:  The Deen Bros. Cookbook by Jamie & Bobby Deen, and Melissa Clark.  Pp.178-179.

• 1 ½ lbs. chicken cutlets, sliced in half lengthwise ** see note below **
• 3 T. olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed, more if you’re big on garlic
• 1 t. dried oregano
• 1 t. ground cumin
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 container of plain yogurt (Dannon is on sale), or Greek yogurt
• 2 oz. crumbled feta cheese (Athenos brand is on sale)
• ¼ c. minced red onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 ½ T. chopped fresh dill
• 2 t. freshly squeezed lemon juice (fresh, please – we’ve had this discussion)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 4 slices pita bread (I love and adore Kangaroo Brand), warm
• Shredded romaine (on sale)
• Diced tomato and sliced cucumber for serving

In a large bowl, place the chicken, oil, garlic, oregano, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste; toss to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, feta, red onion, garlic, dill, lemon juice, and salt and pepper.  Set aside to chill until serving time.

Preheat the broiler.  Spread the chicken cutlets on a baking sheet.  Broil 6 inches from heat for 6-8 minutes, flipping halfway through the cook time.

To serve, divide the chicken, sauce, lettuce, tomato, and cucumber evenly among the warmed pitas.  Fold and serve.  Pass additional sauce at the table, if desired.

** NOTE ** to make the cutlets, place a chicken breast on a work surface and carefully slice it in half horizontally, forming two thin slices of chicken, then cut the slices in half top to bottom to form four long pieces, gosh I hope that makes sense!)

ROASTED POTATOES & ASPARAGUS WITH PARMESAN

Serves:  4

Source:  Epicurious.com

• 1 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1” pieces
• 1 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1” pieces
• 3 T. olive oil
• 1/3 c. Parmesan cheese (I’m using the shaved Parm’ that’s on sale this week)

Preheat the oven to 450.  Place rack in upper third of the oven.

Toss together asparagus, potatoes, oil, and ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a large shallow baking pan, spreading evenly.  Roast, stirring once, 20 – 25 minutes.  Sprinkle with cheese and roast until cheese is melted and golden in spots, about 3 minutes more.

I know you’re probably going to stop by the Store at some point today to take advantage of the great prices at the one-day meat and seafood sale.  If you haven’t already made a plan for dinner tonight, here is a delicious meat suggestion: pork tenderloin is on special for 2.99/pound (I’ve been told it’s in a value pack of four).

Unfortunately for me, I bought it yesterday when it wasn’t on sale, broke my rule, and paid full price.  But I was willing to do that for you, because I wanted to tell you about it today.  No need to thank me.  I’m here to help.

Anyway, even at full price ($4.99/pound), pork tenderloin is still a relative bargain in the meat department, but it can be boring and dry if it’s not handled properly.  A flavorful marinade can help it tremendously, and this recipe is my favorite preparation; it’s sweet, salty, and garlicky, and even if you have to skimp on the marinating time, it still imparts a delicious Asian flavor to the meat.  I only had three hours yesterday, but it came out great.

As you can tell from the photo, I paired the pork with some creamy Wasabi Mashed Potatoes (Yukon Golds are on sale) and crunchy Sesame Sugar Snap Peas (also on sale).  It was a terrific week night dinner, but could easily be served to company as well.

The leftovers make a great lunch – I’m eating the photo shoot right now!  Enjoy!

HONEY-GINGERED PORK TENDERLOINS

Serves:  4

Source:  made with little adaptation from epicurious.com

• 2 – ¾ lb. pork tenderloins
• ¼ c. honey
• ¼ c. soy
• ¼ c. oyster sauce
• 2 T. brown sugar
• 1 T. minced fresh ginger
• 3 large cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 T. ketchup
• ¼ t. onion powder
• ¼ t. cayenne pepper

Pat pork dry and place in a large ziplock bag.  In a large Pyrex measuring cup, whisk all of the ingredients together and pour the marinade into the bag.  Turn the pork well to coat.  Chill pork, covered, for at least 8 hours and up to 1 day, turning several times.

Preheat the oven to 425.  Allow the pork to come to room temperature while you’re preheating the oven.  Line a 9×13 pan with foil for easier cleanup.  Remove the pork from the marinade and allow excess marinade to drip off.  Place in the pan (I set mine atop a small rack inside the baking dish).  Roast pork for 25-30 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer registers 155 degrees.  Remove from pan, transfer to cutting board, and tent with foil.  Allow to rest for ten minutes (don’t skip this step) before slicing thinly and serving.

NOTE:  Since you probably will be buying a value pack, consider doubling the marinade and dividing the four tenderloins into two large ziplocks.  I like to press out all of the air in the second bag, and stick it in the freezer for a rainy day.  Remove it from the freezer to the fridge 24 hours ahead of when you’d like to serve it.  I’ve done this several times and it’s turned out great!

SIMPLE WASABI MASHED POTATOES

Serves:  4-5

Source:  Leah

Don’t let the wasabi scare you, these aren’t at all spicy.

• 6 small to medium-sized Yukon Gold potatoes (from a 5 lb. bag, on sale), peeled and cut into quarters
• 1/3 c. whole milk (more if you like your potatoes a little looser)
• 3 T. butter (more if you’ve taken your Zocor today)
• 1 t. wasabi powder combined with 1 t. water to form a paste
• Sea salt to taste

Place the potatoes in a stock pot and fill with enough water to cover by about an inch.  Add a generous tablespoon of salt to the pot.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes.  Drain potatoes well and return to the pan.

Place milk and butter in a microwaveable bowl (I use a glass Pyrex measuring cup) and heat until butter melts.  Whisk in the wasabi paste bit by bit, until the milk mixture achieves a subtle wasabi flavor (I used all of it).  Add this mixture to the potatoes.  Using an electric hand mixer, mix/mash the potatoes until you reach your favorite consistency.  Season with salt to taste.

SESAME SUGAR SNAP PEAS

Serves:  4-6

Source:  epicurious.com

• 1 lb. sugar snap peas, stringed (on sale!)
• 1 t. toasted sesame seeds
• 1 t. sesame oil

Bring ½” of water to a boil in a shallow pan set over medium-high heat.  Place a steamer basket and the snap peas in the pan, cover tightly, and steam for 3 minutes.  Transfer to a serving dish.  Drizzle with the sesame seeds and oil, and season with salt to taste.  Toss to coat.  Serve immediately.

No, I said. We’re not carrying in, OR going out.  And if you can’t all agree on anything, then I’LL make the call and you’ll really be sorry, because left to my own devises, I’ve been known to choose tuna noodle casserole, which everyone in my house (except me) despises, the hub’ included.

From the backseat, my youngest yelled out, “QUICHE!”

“DONE!” I said.  And would you believe it?  Those other two punks didn’t even complain.  Which means, in a sense, they AGREED!

So there it was. QUICHE.  Economical, easy, and most of all delicious, quiche is one of my favorite meals to make for either dinner or brunch.  The kids like it pretty straightforward, so I make one with diced ham, potatoes, and shredded cheese.  For the hub’ and myself, I make a simple bacon and leek filling.  Both preparations are terrific, and when you see how many of the ingredients are on sale this week, you’ll be sold too!

I paired the quiches with a fresh fruit platter of sliced watermelon, cantaloupe (AMAZING), and red grapes.  Sometimes I make homefries too, but I skipped them this time because of the potatoes in the quiche.

If you have the luxury of time, quiches are easily made earlier in the day.  It re-heats quite well and is perfect for those dinners when your family members are eating in shifts…and leftovers are great for breakfast!

ENJOY!

QUICHE TWO WAYS

Serves:  4-6 with leftovers

SOURCE:  loosely adapted from foodandwine.com

• 1 package pie crusts (I like the Pillsbury ones in the red box)
• Pie weights or dried beans (don’t skip these or you will be sorry.)
• 2 large red skinned potatoes (on sale), small dice
• ½ lb. bacon (I used the sale Boar’s Head), 1/2 “ dice
• 1 package of ham steaks (sale Sendiks brand)
• 2 small leeks, white and light green part only, thinly sliced
• ½  lb. white cheddar cheese (I used a block of the Sale White Cheddar and grated it myself)
• 8 eggs (Sparboe brand, on sale)
• 2 ½ c. half and half (or cream, if you really want to gild the lily)

Preheat the oven to 425.  Place the pie crusts in two 9” pie plates, crimping decoratively if desired.  Line each crust with a piece of tin foil; fill the foil with the pie weights or the dried beans, scootching the weights or beans up the sides of the crust to avoid the dreaded ‘shrinkage’.  Place the crusts in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove the foil and the weights and set aside.  Reduce oven temperature to 375.

Meanwhile, place the diced potatoes in a glass baking dish.  Season with salt and pepper, and cover dish with a damp paper towel.  Microwave on high for 4 – 5 minutes, or until cooked through but not falling apart.  I stopped to stir them around a bit, mine needed a full 5 minutes.  Set aside.

In a large sauté pan, cook the bacon over medium high heat until browned and crispy.  Remove the bacon and transfer to a bowl.  Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan.  Sauté the leeks in the bacon fat; seasoning with salt and pepper to taste, until leeks are softened but not browned, about four minutes.  Transfer the leeks to the bowl with the bacon, and toss to combine.

In large Pyrex measuring cup, beat the eggs and the half and half together.  Season with salt and pepper.

Divide the potatoes equally between the two pie crusts.  For the Ham and Cheese Quiche, top the potatoes with the diced ham and then half of the shredded cheddar.  For the Bacon and Leek Quiche, top the potatoes with the bacon/leek mixture, and then the other half of the cheese.  Pour the egg mixture over each quiche, dividing equally.  Place quiches to the oven; bake for 30 minutes.  Transfer quiches to a rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing into wedges and serving.

I’m going to play along with the heat and humidity by whipping up this simple and light grilled seafood supper for the DamFam tonight.  This meal is ideal for a day like this; there is very little prep work involved, practically NO dirty dishes, and I won’t even have to fire up the oven (well, actually that’s not quite true; I think I’ll heat up a baguette to soak up the yummy sauce).  The long and the short is that I’ll have plenty of time to laze around, sipping lemonade on ice and enjoying the heat of the day.  Later on, I’ll put the Husband on grill duty.  He’s gonna be all over this recipe; I’m pretty sure the sight of foil packets will send him di-rectly down memory lane with sweet visions of his days at Boy Scout camp.

This recipe (originally found in Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food Magazine) makes great use of the sale tilapia (the same I used for the tacos a few days back) as well as those ridiculously cheap redskinned potatoes (hello….39/pound?).  You certainly could use the sale Bos’n Cleaned Shrimp, but for this dinner, I prefer to use larger shimp.  I’m going to splurge and go for 16-20 count, which I can easily justify because I don’t need that many of them for this recipe.

Ask my husband – I can justify just about anything.  It’s a gift, what can I say.

The original recipe calls for a making a dill compound butter (don’t be scared!) which is really good, but because I stupidly forgot to grab dill when I was at the store, tonight I’m going to use a slightly different riff.  It’s the same basic idea, but with Old Bay seasoning instead of dill.  Directions for both butters are included; feel free to go with the one you like.  No need to thank me.  You know I live for this stuff.

Despite how simple these packets are to pull together, I would TOTALLY be comfortable serving these to guests!  In fact, I’m going to pop it into my menu rotation for entertaining out here at the cottage.

Happy summer, all!  Enjoy!

GRILLED SEAFOOD PACKETS

Serves: 4

Source:  Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food Magazine, July/August 2007 issue.

For the dill butter:

• 2 T. butter, room temperature
• 2 T. finely chopped fresh dill, plus additional sprigs for garnish
• 1 small clove garlic, pressed or very finely minced
• Coarse salt and ground pepper

For Old Bay butter:

• 2 T. butter, room temperature
• ½ t. Old Bay Seasoning (adjust it to your taste)
• 1 small clove garlic, pressed or very finely minced
• Coarse salt and ground pepper

• 8 oz. redskinned potatoes, scrubbed and very thinly sliced (I’m serious)
• 1 lb. skinless cod fillet, cut into 4 equal pieces (I used the sale Tilapia)
• 8 oz. uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 12, which is 3 a piece…did I mention math is another of my gifts?)
• 2 ears corn, husked and quartered
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced, plus additional wedges for garnish

Heat your grill to medium.  Decide which compound butter you’d like to use (or do a little of each — whatever makes you happy!).  The instructions apply to either:  In a small bowl, combine  well 2 T. butter with either the chopped dill or the Old Bay, and the garlic.  Season with salt and pepper and voila, you just made a compound butter, you sassy thing!  Taste it, admire it, set is aside.

Fold four 14-inch squares of heavy-duty aluminum foil in half, forming 4 rectangles.  Assemble packets:  spray on one half of each of four folded pieces of foil with a little Pam; arrange your VERY THINLY sliced potatoes in a single layer, top with the fish, then the shrimp, dividing all ingredients evenly among the foil pieces.  Place two ears of corn on the side.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add a dollop of the compound butter and two lemon slices.  Fold foil over ingredients, and crimp edges tightly to seal.

Place the packets on the grill, with potato layer on the bottom.  Cook, rotating (but not flipping) packets occasionally, until fish is just cooked through and potatoes are tender, 15 minutes.

Remove from grill.  Slit packets to open, and transfer contents to individual plates.  Garnish with additional dill sprigs or lemon wedges.