Posted by RenaissanceTrophyWife on January 18, 2010
“In the depths of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” -Camus
In the depths of a chilly winter, I wanted a contrast to all the squash-focused and root vegetable dishes, and hearty meals that mark the season until the groundhog sees his shadow. Since it’s crab season, I decided to take on a different kind of work this weekend– shelling my own fresh crab. Yum!
I picked up 3 smallish crabs, planning at first to make crab cakes with cucumber-mango salsa, but then decided to go with a less work-intensive version. The crunch of cucumber goes so well with the softer mango and the sweetness of the crab. And I love a kick of pepper to spice things up– just the thing to satisfy a warm weather craving!
Summer Crab Salad
All the proportions here are approximate and can be adjusted to taste.
1/2 large English cucumber, peeled and diced
2 mangoes, peeled, pitted and diced
1/2 lb crab meat (Approximately 1.5lbs whole crab)
1/2 tsp cayenne powder
1/2 tsp paprika
juice of 2 limes
sea salt and pepper to taste
Prepare the cucumber and mangoes first, and toss with salt, cayenne, and paprika before letting it rest in the fridge. The cucumber will release water while you shell the crab; drain the excess liquid when you are ready to add the crab. Fold in the crab, dress with lime juice, adjust seasonings. Serve on a bed of lettuce with fresh French bread on the side.
Posted in Apple a Day, Domestic Diva | Tagged: cooking, crab, food, salad | 2 Comments »
Posted by RenaissanceTrophyWife on November 25, 2009
I’ve been cooking at home quite a bit, especially as the nights grow colder. This weekend was supposed to be the last nice weather before a storm system moves in; the weather station got it half right. Saturday was beautiful, but Sunday was cold and gray.
What better time to take advantage of a clean kitchen and stocked fridge?
Here’s what I made:
Sat evening:
- Homemade turkey meatballs with freshly chopped herbs – I made meatballs instead of patties so they could be packed easily as part of a bento lunch. We ate quite a few of them as finger food hot off the stove– oops!
- Teriyaki chicken tenders – These aren’t McNuggets; they’re the small piece of chicken that usually comes attached to the breast. I like buying packages of the tenders at Trader Joe’s since the greater surface area to volume ratio allows max flavor penetration from the marinade. Plus, the tenders cook more evenly and are perfectly sized for incorporating into sandwiches or salads.
- Steamed broccoli and cauliflower – 1 head each. I peeled the broccoli stems and sliced them thinly on the diagonal, and steamed them as well. They add a great crunch to salads!
Sun evening:
- Homemade pizza – dough from scratch using Mark Bittman’s recipe from How to Cook Everything. Yum! Toppings included meatballs (from Sat), mushrooms, veggies, and some light mozzarella.
All ready for the oven!
- Tzatziki – a Greek cucumber and yogurt dip that is fantastic on its own or with pita bread. Super easy to make: peel and slice cucumber using a mandoline. Add salt to cucumber, wait an hour, press out excess water. Add greek yogurt to cucumber mixture. Eat and enjoy.
- Oh yeah, and I made eggs benedict as breakfast-for-dinner as well, per the bf’s request.
It seems like a lot of food when I list it out like this, but really it was all very simple and took minimal time– maybe an hour total each night? And now I have a ton of healthy, prepared food in my fridge all ready for work lunches.
Seriously, a few years ago I’d have laughed my ass off at the idea of me cooking for any reason other than a party or special event. But now I look at prepared items in the grocery store and think, “I could make that at home, for less money and with healthier/organic ingredients.” So I do– and it’s immensely gratifying, even for simple meals. Ok, ok, I know I’m kinda behind the curve when it comes to the domestic arts, but we’ve all got to learn sometime. And the stuff I used to have to plan is now second nature.
What next? I’ve also been entertaining the idea of making bento boxes for the bf and myself, but I’m not so sure it fits our eating habits well. (FYI: a bento is basically a boxed lunch that is supposed to be nutritionally balanced, with a diversity of colors, textures, and flavors.) More on my attempts at this later…
Anyone else end up cooking (and eating) more during the winter? Guess the hibernation urge is strong even in California.
Posted in Domestic Diva | Tagged: cooking, food | 3 Comments »
Posted by RenaissanceTrophyWife on May 25, 2009
The weather’s warming up and all sorts of veggies and fruits are in season… I love the beginning of summer! City Girl’s cucumber watermelon cooler and Smitten Kitchen’s asparagus/goat cheese/lemon pasta got me jonesing for those hot summer nights that haven’t quite reached the West Coast yet… you know, the ones where you lie around basking in doing nothing.
Speaking of doing nothing, it’s pretty easy to achieve in the kitchen when you’ve got a bunch of produce and can just throw things together. I always have salmon (flash-frozen wild alaskan from Costco) on hand because it’s tasty, easy, and good! Since I was resisting the lure of Whole Foods one weekend morning, this was our brunch: pan-grilled salmon with wasabi (canola) mayo, avocado, and tomatoes on a toasted English muffin. I popped some potato wedges with herbs and parm in the oven before prepping the fish, and voila– lazy Sunday brunch! It’s pretty healthy too, what with all those omega-3s and monounsaturated fats… enough that a small grating of cheddar didn’t hurt.
At first I was debating about putting this up since it’s not really a recipe, per se, but I was drawn to the colors and the sheer simplicity. Honestly, during the height of summer I probably could subsist on caprese salad, fruit, and grilled veggies alone; the less stovetop cooking, the better! Mmmm, heirloom tomatoes and sweet corn…
What’s your favorite “taste of summer” food?
Posted in Apple a Day, Domestic Diva | Tagged: brunch, cooking, food, healthy, lunch, salmon, sandwich | 3 Comments »
Posted by RenaissanceTrophyWife on May 13, 2009
Leggero: quite an apt description for this subtle and sophisticated wine.
Now, I’m a girl who likes her sweets, but sometimes moscatos are too syrupy even for me. The Ravenswood Leggero is effervescent and light, great as a palate cleanser and versatile enough to be paired with any number of desserts or cheese plates. What’s truly amazing is how the fruit lingers on the palate– I adore the finish. It’s absolutely memorable but not cloying or overpowering, a tough balance to find.
More fun with moscato:
Freeze and shave down into a sinfully sophisticated sorbet
Pour over fruit for a dessert
Substitute for mimosas during a lazy brunch
Apparently, this bottle will even keep for 2-3 weeks in the fridge after opening. I laughed because there’s no way it’d last that long for us, but good to know anyways.
Only available at the Ravenswood tasting room, it’s well worth a stop if you’re anywhere in the vicinity.
Do you have a favorite dessert wine?
Posted in Domestic Diva | Tagged: moscato, review, vinotes, white, wine | Leave a Comment »
Posted by RenaissanceTrophyWife on May 1, 2009
This is a great little summer red– light enough for easy drinking when it’s warm out, but the moderate acidity, medium body, and a nice spicy flavor with subtle cherry notes make it a great pairing for anything from pizza to poultry or meat dishes. Honestly, it’s quite versatile and ups the ante of a meal without taking too much thought.
And another point in its favor? We picked this up at our local wine shop for just under $8. (Ok, so we snagged a few bottles, not just one.) Great value and quite a little gem! Stock a few at home, there’ll be plenty of opportunities to open it over the coming months.
Posted in Domestic Diva | Tagged: italian, sangiovese, vinotes, wine | Leave a Comment »
