Greek Potatoes & Steak

Before my brother went back to his apartment & his last six weeks of college, we all went out to eat for a last celebration & for Greek food. Which is why a few days later, when I was cooking steaks for my husband & I, Greek potatoes came to mind.

Essentially to make Greek potatoes: peel & half potatoes, add olive oil/water mixture in a baking pan; toss potatoes in plenty of minced garlic, salt, pepper, & oregano.

For the steak I used a recipe from our local grocery store, "Chef Don's Skillet Steak & Mustard Sauce".

Begin by rubbing the steaks with Worcestershire sauce & browning them on high heat in butter. Once steaks are set aside add salt, pepper, one quarter cup finely chopped shallots, minced garlic, then carefully add one half cup red wine. Add one cup beef broth & bring to a boil for three minutes. Add one cup heavy cream & cook until sauce begins to thicken. Then whisk in two tbsp Dijon mustard. Return steaks to the pan & cook to desired rareness.

Nothing like Steak & Potatoes on a Midwestern snowy-type spring night.

Favorite Song (first heard on my favorite radio station): Lykke Li- Get Some

Strawberry Smoothie

And for a late afternoon snack a recipe from Simply in Season.

Basically just strawberries, plain yogurt, & milk sent for a whirl in the food processor.

The recipe called for honey, which I would have preferred. But since we were out of honey, I used a few tbsp of sugar.

Airy, sweet, fruity.

Favorite Song (first heard on my favorite radio station):

Villagers- Set the Tigers Free

Crab Salad Croissants

My husband and I shared a lazy Sunday. And these light & flavorful sandwiches were just the thing for our brunch.

This is another recipe from Simple & Delicious. It calls for imitation crab, but I splurged for a can of real crab meat. I strongly dislike the imitation stuff.

For the crab salad, mix: around eight ounces crab, 1/2 cup mayo, 1/4 chopped celery, two tbsp shredded cheddar, one tbsp finely chopped onion, one tsp mustard, dill weed, salt, & pepper.

Serve on croissants with lettuce leaves.

Favorite Song (first heard on my favorite radio station):

The Bony King of Nowhere- Alas My Love

Spicy Cheeseburger

I strayed away from my Simply in Season book. It doesn't really feel like spring today, with the snow & all. Also, I was jonesing for a burger. So we tried a recipe from another book, Simple and Delicious.

Basically, you mix onion, garlic, lemon juice, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, & cayenne. Then add ground beef. Melt pepper jack cheese on the burger when grilled. Then serve with tomato, lettuce, & mayo.

It's been a good week with my brother here; we will be sad to see him leave today. But for now we eat hot & juicy burgers, bunker down, & game.

Favorite Song (first heard on my favorite radio station): Laura Marling- Rambling Man

Green Soup

Also found in Simply in Season as "Velvety Vegetable Soup". This soup was not at all what I expected. I thought it would be crisp & light. Instead, it was more like a baked potato with wonderful herb & garden notes. I rather liked it, and went back for more. We had plenty of spinach for dinner!

The recipe makes about seven bowls and takes a little over a half hour to prepare.

I was especially happy that it featured leeks. I don't have them very often, but when I do... I like their sweet-vaguely onion layers. Washing them gently in a bowl of water. The feel, look, & smell appeal to me as much as the taste. Fresh spinach is also quite appealing.

1. Heat one chopped medium onion, four cups diced leeks, and a few diced stalks of celery in one quarter cup olive oil over medium-low heat for fifteen minutes.

2. Add two tablespoons fresh thyme & one tablespoon fresh rosemary (or thyme). Salt & pepper to taste.

3. Add four cups broth and three cups diced potatoes. Cover & simmer for fifteen minutes.

4. Add one chopped bunch of spinach & simmer for five minutes.

5. Blend in small batches in the food processor. Add one half cup milk if desired.

6. I garnished with celery leaves & plain yogurt. Some other suggestions were sprigs of fresh herbs or chive blossoms.

I also had the great luck of discovering the video below.

This has truly been a week of reawakening for me. Rediscovering what gives my life meaning. Being refreshed by the spring breezes, both the warm ones & the crisp ones.

I am enjoying the distractions the world offers from whatever-it-is that my brain typically thinks it's going to figure out through worry. Eternal life perhaps? When all around me there are reminders that life is a changing thing, not something I can keep in a jar.

I hope that wherever you are & whatever you are having for dinner, that you are able to breathe deeply & listen quietly-mesmerized from time to time.

Favorite Song (first heard on my favorite radio station): Hammock- Breathturn

Beer Cheese Sauce

This week is my brother's spring break, and we've been making old favorites every night. Except of course the nights when he's been cooking us things like Scottish eggs or Chicken-Cheese Chili. Both delicious! This should somewhat explain my lack of posts here.

Last night we made another old family favorite. My husband says I introduced it to him it, and thanks me for it.

I don't know exact measurements, because I stopped using them many years ago. I know that many recipes call for chicken broth, but traditionally I have not added that ingredient.

Basically, I minced a carrot, a stalk of celery, about one third cup onion, & a large clove of garlic. Then I sauted them in oil or butter for around five minutes.

I recommend from here adding flour and make a roux. Then slowly add half a bottle of amber ale & then milk to desired consistency. Really any light beer or ale will work, I think. But amber ale is preferable, to me.

I also added red pepper & garnished with fresh basil.

Also, on another note. Thank you very much Ellie for featuring my blog. When you get a minute you should check Ellie's blog out. She is passionate about Italian food!

Favorite Song (first heard on my favorite radio station):

Nathaniel Rateliff- Once in a Great While

Wild Mushroom Sauce

Shiitake mushrooms, until recently, seemed a bit too expensive to me. I hadn't realized yet that while the mushrooms sold for something like twelve dollars a pound, they are really lightweight. Makes sense. The upshot is you can get a big bagful of these for much less than twelve dollars.

There are few things I like more than a good mushroom. Shiitake mushrooms are very good mushrooms.

So I tried a sauce of them from Simply in Season:

1. Saute in one tbsp oil, one quarter cup chopped onion. Add one heaping cup of chopped mushrooms.

2. Add one half cup water, cover and simmer for fifteen minutes.

3. Add soy sauce, pepper, & fresh thyme.

4. Dissolve four tbsp cornstarch in one quarter cup water, add. Stir in until sauce is thickened.

I was pleased at how much the Shiitake flavor was featured. The texture was also nice.

Favorite Song (on my favorite radio station during prep time): Unkle Bob- Brighter

Post Pi(e) Day

It was Pi day yesterday, a holiday which my husband favors. We celebrated by giving pieces of pie to his coworkers, & having my parents over for some pie. And also, of course, having pie ourselves including most of a little one still sitting on our counter today.

Since strawberries are plentiful right now, & on a whim, I decided to bake strawberry-blueberry pies. When I was a kid I would often make blueberry pies out of clay, fastidiously rolling each tiny blueberry. But I've never actually baked any berry pies until yesterday. And I mostly winged it.

I did use a recipe for the crust, curious to see what Simply in Season pie crust was like. It was delightful. Flaky with a hint of crisp. It was my kind of crust. And I sprinkled some cinnamon sugar on top before baking the last few pies, which sent it over the top for me.

Other than the crust, I roughly chopped the strawberries, poured in some blueberries, tossed them in a few tbsp sugar/cinnamon/nutmeg mix.

Then I baked the whole thing at 375 for about an hour.

Favorite Song (on my favorite radio station during prep time): Emily And the Woods- Nietzsche

Peas Stirfry

Ginger, garlic, sesame, peas. That's all. And that's wonderful.

Especially if you're in the pre-spring mood, just hoping with anticipation. Like I am.

Heat two tablespoons oil.

Cook one tbsp minced ginger & two minced cloves of garlic in it for one minute.

Add one and one half cup each of snow peas & snap peas. Cook for five minutes.

(The recipe from Simply in Season has you add peas for a "three pea stirfry" after four minutes, but I didn't.)

Add one teaspoon each soy sauce & sesame oil. Stir to coat evenly.

Add toasted sesame seeds & salt to taste.

Favorite Song (on my favorite radio station during prep time):

Jill Barber- All My Dreams

Spring Celebration Soup

A quick-make soup, consisting of clean & fresh flavors.

I adore asparagus. When it's cooked properly to crisp-tenderness. And paired with lemon juice.

1. Sautee garlic. Then add carrots & green onion. Sautee for five minutes.

2. Add asparagus, veggie broth, & lemon juice. Simmer gently for around five minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender.

3. Add watercress & salt. Heat for one minute.

4. Garnish with fresh basil & shredded swiss.

I am ready for Spring!

Favorite Song (on my favorite radio station during prep time):

The Leisure Society- Last of the Melting Snow

Dandelion Bacon Salad

Dandelion Greens are quite likely my least favorite vegetables. I am not one for bitter tastes, as a general rule. And anyhow there are so many other more delightful greens.

However, out of curiosity I decided to try this recipe from Simply in Season. I figured, if a recipe from this book doesn't make them palatable then I'll just be done with them forever.

The result was actually quite tasty. I think it was the lemon juice which offset the bitterness. It is still not one of my favorite vegetables, but I do think I will find myself craving this salad from time to time...

Blend one quarter cup lemon juice, one quarter cup sugar, a pinch of salt.

Stir in one half cup evaporated milk.

Fry four slices of bacon, crumble, set aside.

Remove all but one tablespoon of bacon fat. Add one tbsp flour to the pan. Stir until smooth.

Slowly add the lemon mixture. Heat & stir until thickened.

Turn off heat but leave pan on burner.

Add eight cups of dandelion greens & stir gently to coat.

Garnish with bacon & hard cooked egg.

Favorite Song (on my favorite radio station during prep time):

Timber Timbre- Trouble Comes Knocking

Strawberry Bread

You've got to try this! The crust is crisp & the rest is fluffy & it all truly melts in the mouth. The sweet acidity of the strawberries is not overpowered by sugar & pairs well with cinnamon.

This bread also goes well with one of my favourite beverages, chai tea.

These beautiful plates were a Valentine from my sweet husband. They each have two unique birds on them. (I am a bird watcher.)

I've been waiting for a good day to feature them on here. And today we are in for a treat, because I found strawberries for rather cheap! Some rather nice looking ones. And here's hoping that means Spring isn't too far around the corner.

This is the first recipe I've tried from Simply in Season's Spring section...

1. Combine one and one half cup of flour, two tsp ground cinnamon, one half tsp salt, & one half tsp baking soda.

2. Combine in large bowl two eggs, one and one quarter cup mashed strawberries, two thirds cup of oil, & three quarter cup of sugar.

3. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.

4. Bake in greased pan at 350 for one hour or until toothpick comes out clean.

Favorite Song (on my favorite radio station during prep time):

J Tillman- No Occasion