In My Kitchen

In My Kitchen – May 2024
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In My Kitchen – May 2024

We were gone a good part of last month so there hasn’t been as much cooking as usual. There are, however, some new things in my kitchen. This post is part of a monthly wrap-up of kitchen stories hosted by Sherry of Sherry’s Pickings. Click on the link to read what has been happening in kitchens around the world.

What have I been cooking in my kitchen? I tried a new air fryer tofu recipe from the blog Pinch of Yum, it was actually quite delicious although I haven’t tried it on my reluctant tofu eating husband yet.

Air fryer tofu

Air fryer tofu

He was out of town for a few days and this was a dinner I made for myself.

Air fryer tofu, roast butternut squash, brown rice and arugula

Air fryer tofu, roast butternut squash, brown rice, avocado, and arugula

I recently found a way to cook artichokes which cuts the time. It involves cutting them in half first, steaming them, removing the choke, then browning them (cut side down) in a bit of oil before serving. You could also pop them on the grill. I credit this one to the blog Smitten Kitchen.

Another new kitchen discovery was a way of cooking sweet potatoes. I know the pictures look like hockey pucks, but the outside is wonderfully crisp and the inside meltingly tender.

Slow-roasted, crispy sweet potatoes

Slow-roasted, crispy sweet potatoes

There are some new ingredients in my kitchen. Travel really expands eating horizons. While in Amsterdam we ate at some wonderful restaurants. At Trees we had a dish that was garnished with tiny pine cones. Who knew you could eat pine cones??? They are a Siberian specialty and I was able to order some on Amazon.

I haven’t had a chance to use them yet but will keep you posted. At the restaurant they used them to garnish a slice of smoked pork tenderloin.

The Chef Mimi Blog wrote about black garlic and a delicious pasta recipe using it with morels. I have been meaning to try black garlic for some time and her post pushed me over the edge. Although I doubt I can get fresh morels, I will try her recipe with other mushrooms.

Also new is this harissa preserved lemon.

Harissa preserved lemon

Harissa preserved lemon

I am looking forward to using it.

The ginger marmalade was new at our local grocery store. I think it will be wonderful as a glaze for chicken.

Ginger Marmalade

Ginger Marmalade

Lastly, I have to tell you about this knife sharpener. I apologize as I cannot remember where I saw it mentioned. It was probably on another In My Kitchen post. I need to tell you that this actually works. My knives have never been so sharp. Over the years I have tried many sharpeners, even electric ones. This one beats them all.

Knife Sharpener

Knife Sharpener

You can buy it on Amazon.

For my curveball (it’s a little off color) I want to show you something we saw on our trip in Prague. This is the statue created by David Cerny.

Peeing Guys

Peeing Guys

I hope it gives you a giggle.

In My Kitchen – April 2024

I am rushing to get this post out under the cut off time. Sherry from Sherry’s Pickings hosts a friendly community of bloggers who post monthly (or less) about their kitchens and/or kitchen gardens. It is a collection from around the world detailing what is new related to food, or kitchen gadgets, or simply life in general, over the past month (and sometimes longer). Click on the link to Sherry’s Pickings to read them all. Following is my own summary from the past couple of months.

Spring is finally here, but with a very slow start. It’s been cold and very wet, my vegetable garden does not look like spring. I was reminiscing over some photos of it from a few years ago, it’s a sad comparison. I was hoping to be able to cut salad greens before we leave for vacation in the middle of this month…it’s not going to happen. A dry warming trend is on schedule for the end of this week so I may be in luck when we return at the end of the month.

I have been cooking more vegetarian meals over the past couple of months as a result of being told my cholesterol is too high. Our daughter has also been spending more time with us and doing a share of the cooking, which is wonderful but probably not good for my cholesterol level. Her latest recipe has pasta cooked in the sauce rather than separately, something I have been meaning to try but not gotten around to.

Chicken sausage and cheese bake with chickpea rotelli.

Chicken sausage and cheese bake with chickpea rotelli

It was delicious, quite rich.

My husband has also been taking a turn in the kitchen. It’s tough to beat his bruschetta with cheese, sliced tomato and avocado. If we have leftover chicken or some prosciutto, those go on as well.

We have been, up to now, able to get some lovely organic tomatoes at the market. But they are looking rather pathetic at the moment.

In My Kitchen my own efforts have tended more to salads and vegetarian meals.

 

Kale Salad with Butternut Squash and cheddar

Kale Salad with Butternut Squash and cheddar

 

 

 

Linguini with Carmelized Onions

Linguini with Carmelized Onions and Pine Nuts

I was recently reminded of a cookbook written by the late Judy Rodgers from the Zuni Cafe in San Francisco. One of her most famous dishes at the restaurant is brined and roasted chicken served atop an arugula and crisp bread salad. I was surprised to realize that I had never tried it at home. It was a big hit.

Zuni Cafe's Roasted Chicken with Arugula and Bread Salad

Zuni Cafe’s Roasted Chicken with Arugula and Bread Salad

It’s fun to go back and explore history through a personal collection of cookbooks. There was a recent post on the blog Menu Mistress that inspired me to take a look at my own collection. I started with Julia Child, Michael Field, James Beard, and Roy Andres de Groot. Looking over those books again I was struck by how meat centric they were and how much cooking (and eating) has changed in the last few decades. The author de Groot even added MSG to most dishes, not something you would see today.

I have arranged my cookbook collection in the bookcase by topic, I wonder how it would look like if I arranged them on a timeline of influence and acquisition. Something to consider. We need to repaint the bookcase and they will all need to be removed for that project at some point this summer.

There are also the books that are as much memoirs and essays as cookbooks. My favorites are by the authors…M.F.K. Fisher, Betty Fussell, Laurie Colwin, Ruth Reichl, and Alice Waters. Ella Risbridger belongs in that group as well although she is much newer.

My latest cookbooks are more are vegetable, vegetarian, and salad centric.

And then there are the gardening books.

It’s a good thing that my husband has a bookcase in his office because books on cooking, gardening, and travel have pushed most other things out of the bookcase in the living room. It might be time for a purge.

Bookcase

Bookcase

It’s difficult to part with any of them.

And finally…

Did you know that this sweet and innocent looking puppy is a heart surgeon?

Shanna Feb 2024

Shanna Feb 2024

Heart Surgery…

Heart Surgery - Squeaker Beware

Heart Surgery – Squeaker Beware

It is her passion to remove each and every squeaker from her toys, usually with great precision and skill.

 

Although sometimes it takes some work to get it perfect.

This toy was labeled ‘indestructible’.

 

In My Kitchen – December 2023 and January 2024
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In My Kitchen – December 2023 and January 2024

In My Kitchen this month I have lists, lots of lists.  I bet you have them as well. For the first time in many years we are hosting Christmas dinner up in Fort Bragg. We usually have Christmas Eve dinner with good friends in Oakland, then travel back up the coast on Christmas Day. This year is different. Don’t worry, those friends are still the very best, but this year we are hosting them to our condo in Oakland prior to the big day. A simple casserole of chicken with sweet potatoes and dates was on the menu.

Braised Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Dates

Braised Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Dates

I’ve been playing with puff pastry lately. This recipe from Tara Bench (known as Tara Teaspoon) came from the cookbook Delicious Gatherings. It’s titled spinach and artichoke tarte soleil and it does look like the sun. It was absolutely delicious and wonderful way to start Christmas dinner.

spinach and artichoke tarte soleil

spinach and artichoke tarte soleil

spinach and artichoke tarte soleil

spinach and artichoke tarte soleil

The rest of the meal was simple. Baked chicken, a shaved Brussels sprout salad, and baked butternut squash.

In My Kitchen I have some new cookbooks, they are always under the tree for me on Christmas morning.

Christmas Dinner 2023

Christmas Dinner 2023

Salad Freak is not new but one of my most frequently opened books for ideas.

This dish of roasted spareribs with tomato-wine sauce from Super Tuscan was a big hit. Slowly braised they turned succulent and the kitchen smelled like heaven. This is definitely a postable recipe and perfect for blustery winter evenings.

Roasted Spareribs with Tomato-Wine Sauce

Roasted Spareribs with Tomato-Wine Sauce

New Year’s Eve was quiet, just the two of us. I made Melissa Clark’s recipe for crispy potato and sour cream tart. That, plus a simple salad and a bottle of sparkling wine, made for a feast.

Our usual New Year’s Day chili party had been canceled due to a water leak in the house.

The Friday before the New Year’s weekend we woke to see a steady stream of water coming down the wall of our bedroom. It turns out there was a broken water pipe. The insulation between the house siding and the wall had finally become saturated with water, causing it to overflow at the intersection of the ceiling and the wall. Oh my! Our angel of a contractor sent over one of his best workers to fix the problem. He was able to isolate the leaky part until it could be repaired. We lost water to one bathroom but thankfully the rest of the house was okay. However, the water had to be turned off for a large part of the weekend while repairs were underway and I was not able to do any cooking. Hence the cancellation of my favorite way to start the new year.

We were able to join in on our annual New Year’s Day hike. Here is the group in front of the waterfall in Russian Gulch State Park.

New Year's Day Hiking Group

New Year’s Day Hiking Group

 

I’m not in this one as I was the photgrapher.

In My Kitchen is a collection of posts from around the world describing what’s new in all our kitchens. It’s hosted by Sherry of Sherry’s Pickings. You can read all of the amazing blogging stories here.

It’s been stormy here and the waves are huge. I often walk the dogs along the coast and saw this amazing pod of brown pelicans a couple of days ago. There must have been a thousand of them perched on the rocks just off shore. It was an amazing sight and heartening environmentally.

Pod of Pelicans

Pod of Pelicans

This was only one of the rocky outcroppings. They were crowded on several more.

 

In My Kitchen – November 2023
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In My Kitchen – November 2023

Thank you Sherry for hosting In My Kitchen, a collection of posts focusing on what is new in kitchens around the world. You can read them all on Sherry’s Pickings.

Not a whole lot has been going on in my kitchen. October and November have been filled with travel. We stayed with friends in the California  gold country, then a reunion of our New Zealand gang at Donner Lake, then on to Mexico for a week long retreat with a girlfriend, and finally Utah to visit yet more friends at their lovely second home.

My contributions to the parties are usually wine and goat cheese from our local Anderson Valley (Mendocino County) wine region.

I did cook dinner one night for our Donner group.

Asian salad with brown rice noodles and peanut dressing

Asian salad with brown rice noodles and peanut dressing

 

The New Zealand gang minus Bob who took the picture

The New Zealand gang minus Bob who took the picture

The dogs didn’t go to New Zealand but had a wonderful time on the trails near Lake Tahoe where they were able to run off-leash. That’s me in the middle of the back row.

In my kitchen I have a selection of goat cheese from Pennyroyal Farm in Boonville, CA (in the Anderson Valley wine region). I belong to both their cheese and wine clubs. If you get a chance to visit, you shouldn’t miss this stop. They serve lunch in addition to wine and cheese tastings. Anderson Valley wineries feel like Napa and Sonoma 40 years ago, they are friendly and welcoming and you don’t need a reservation. Because the valley is cool, most wineries focus on white wines and pinot noir.

This quarter's cheese selection from Pennyroyal Farm

This quarter’s cheese selection from Pennyroyal Farm

In my kitchen I have this package of crisp red peppers. They added a nice crunch to our green salad.

Crispy Red Peppers

Crispy Red Peppers

In my kitchen I have a new chili paste. Sally at Bewitching Kitchen wrote about it recently in her blog post for Aji-Amarillo roasted chicken thighs. We eat a lot of chicken and I am always looking for new flavors. I know Amazon isn’t everyone’s favorite, but it allows me to purchase items that are not available in our rural outpost.

Aji Amarillo Chili Paste

Aji Amarillo Chili Paste

I am still trying more salad recipes from the cookbook Salad Freak. Last night I made this one with roasted Romanesco cauliflower, endive, roasted grapes and hazelnuts with a apple cider vinegar dressing. It was delicious. We had some cold roast chicken on the side.

Roast Romanesco cauliflower, grapes, endive salad

Roast Romanesco cauliflower, grapes, endive salad

I will try and post the recipe for you in the next few days.

I am finding it difficult to come up with recipes I haven’t already posted. There are a lot of them after so many years. If you are looking for something you can search the categories on the right side as you read the post. Unfortunately it doesn’t work with your phone, you won’t see it.

The New York Times published a recipe for fried rice with kimchi a few months ago. One of the commenters wrote that they made it with riced cauliflower. I decided to try it and it was very successful.

Fried Rice with kimchi

Fried rice with kimchi

I garnished it with fried shallots.

Gnocchi has appeared on our menu more frequently since I discovered that you can stir fry the fresh varieties without cooking them first. This time it was sauteed with turkey sausage.

Turkey sausage with fresh gnocchi

Turkey sausage with fresh gnocchi

It was delicious garnished with pomegranate seeds.

 

In my kitchen I have a new cookbook, a birthday present from my dear husband.

It is much more that a cookbook and I am enjoying reading about her life and thoughts about food.

From my kitchen I can see this lovely new vase, another gift for my birthday. This time from a lovely friend. I filled it with the last of this year’s dahlias.

Lastly I wanted to leave you with a couple of amazing sunsets. This one is from our last night in Utah. From our friends’ front porch looking out over the Capital Reef National Park.

And this strange cloud formation was seen from our car on the drive back to the bay area. I don’t think I have ever seen this particular type of cloud before.

It looks a bit like a spaceship or like the alien in the movie Nope by Jordan Peele.

In My Kitchen – September 2023
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In My Kitchen – September 2023

I will get this post into Sherry at Sherry’s Pickings for the monthly blogging party just under the wire. In My Kitchen is a regular collection of blog posts from around the world, highlighting what is new in all our kitchens. Thank you, Sherry, for continuing to host this long-running party for us.

So what is new in my kitchen? Not too much actually. I was sick with COVID-19 for almost three weeks, at the end of August and the beginning of this month. Not terribly sick, thank goodness. But I relapsed after taking Paxlovid, turning positive and having to isolate again. My enthusiasm for cooking waned and my dear husband took the reins. The surprise hit was a very simple dish of shredded sharp cheddar mixed with mayonnaise and spread on crisp whole-grain toast, with sliced tomatoes on top. We saw the recipe in the NY Times cooking section. It’s something that would only be fantastic with aged cheddar and perfectly ripe summer beefsteak tomatoes. It needed nothing else although he sometimes added rotisserie chicken or arugula. I will add some pictures in the future because he will be making it again, this time to enjoy with a chilled glass of wine.

Late Summer Tomatoes

Late Summer Tomatoes

This bread was a discovery. It’s from a local bakery and makes the most delicious base for those open-faced sandwiches; a mix of rye and wheat flour plus seeds.

Hanne's Austrian Seed Bread from the Fort Bragg Bakery

Hannes’ Austrian Seed Bread from the Fort Bragg Bakery

But while a languished in our guest bedroom, the dahlias bloomed. Fresh flowers cheered my days, seen from the kitchen.

Dahlias

Dahlias

Dahlias, a Sunflower and other mixed blooms from the garden

Dahlias, a Sunflower, and other mixed blooms from the garden

The zucchini didn’t stop their growth while I was away from the kitchen. We are starting to grow tired of our usual method of serving them, grilled simply with olive oil and salt. Still grilled but topped with a spicy sauce and fried shallots gave them new life.

I purchased a new cookbook while cruising the internet. I love the pictures in all of Donna Hay’s books, this one is full of healthy vegetable-heavy recipes as well.

 

I have grown tired of fumbling through my overcrowded utensil drawer for serving spoons and forks. Adding another caddy to the counter put them easily at hand.

Serving Utensil Caddy

Serving Utensil Caddy

These oil sprays came from Trader Joe’s when I was there a month ago, useful when you only want a bit of oil to glaze a chicken when it’s ready for roasting or a hot skillet.

Olive oil and avocado oil spray

Olive oil and avocado oil spray

And lastly, here is a quick photo of our new water dispenser. Our problem with a well that has been contaminated with salt is too long (and boring) to write about here. The water is safe for washing and watering plants, but not ideal for drinking. We have begun getting deliveries of water, both for us and the dogs. Here you can see me, in my COVID-19 bathrobe (I was living in that thing), taking a picture of the water cooler (and inadvertently myself).