Back On The Road Again!

School is out and it is time for us to head out on the open road with another trip! This year our trip will be pretty simple and straight forward.

We venture to Ashland, Oregon and the famous Ashland Shakespeare Festival. We will see six shows in three days including Coriolanus, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Clay Cart, and Our Town. We will pay a visit to New Sammy's Cowboy Bistro in Talent, Oregon just south of Ashland on the old highway. We visited Ashland last summer during our trip to California and decided to become members of the festival.

On our way back north we will stop in Portland, Oregon and have lunch at Higgins, one of the top restaurants in the Northwest and the U.S. Chef Greg Higgins presents an atmosphere reminiscent of a French bistro. We have looked forward to this dining experience for some time and it will finally happen.

We will then drive on home to our beloved Bellingham in time to spend the rest of June, July and August close to home--something we haven't done in many years. No doubt we will take short jaunts to outlying parts of the Northwest. We just can't sit still that long.

So stay tuned and watch all the fun as we travel this summer, putter in the garden, make changes to our home and a few surprises.

The climax of the summer will happen in September when our kids Kate and Nick arrive home from England to celebrate their engagement at a soire in our backyard. There will be live jazz with the Julian McDonough quartet, which played at our 30th anniversary party last summer, and the menu will include King salmon on the barbie, fresh caught on my August salmon trip to Canada, roasted local red potatoes and fresh berry cobblers hand picked from the local fields.

Friends and family from all over the world will descend on our home for this party and we can't wait!

Calamari Pasta Salad

This unusual creature makes tasty main dishes, appetizers and salads. I created this salad after I found myself with a lot of leftover squid following my annual squid dissection activity with my 5th/6th grade science classes. After cleaning the squid I cut off the tentacles and sliced the mantle into ribbons. A quick fry in hot oil, followed by draining on paper towels and my squid are ready for any number of uses.

Recipe for Calamari Pasta Salad

1-2-3 pounds whole squid, cleaned
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 fennel bulb and tops
1 # ziti pasta, cooked and drained
4 T Italian parsley, coarsely chopped
2 cloves of fresh garlic, smashed and chopped finely
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 T dry red chili pepper flakes
1 T dried oregano flakes
salt and pepper

In boiling water, cook 1 pound of ziti-style pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside. Using a mandoline, slice part of the fennel bulb into thin slices. Chopped fennel tops into large pieces for use as garnish. Chop red bell pepper and parsley and place in a bowel. Add cooled pasta.

Blanch fresh green beans until slightly crunchy, then cool in iced water. Drain and add to pasta mixture.

Clean the squid carefully, slice off the tentacles just ahead of the eyes. Make sure to remove the beak parts found in the center of the tentacles. Slice the mantle or body of the squid into 1 to 2 inch slices. In a pan of hot oil drop batches of the squid. Allow to fry about 45 seconds to one minute. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt.

When cooled, add cooked squid to the pasta vegetable mixture.

In a small bowel mix 1/2 cup of olive oil and 1/2 cup red wine vinegar. Add oregano, pepper flakes, garlic and salt and pepper. Whisk until well blended. Pour over squid mixture and toss thoroughly. Refrigerate for a couple of hours and then mix again before plating up.

Place a heaping serving of the salad on plate and garnish with fennel top pieces.

Serves 6-8

Clean Out the Icebox!

Time to clean out the freezer and fridge and use up whatever is found before it is too late.

Found all kinds of goodies lurking in nooks and crannies. Based on what was found we put together a menu for a Sunday afternoon supper for Leslie's Mother who was coming over for the day.

Beef Stew

Kitchen Sink Salad with Homemade Balsamic Dressing
Apple Galette with Caramel Sauce

I found a frozen package of strips of beef, and few frozen peas in the freezer, a few lonely potatoes and carrots in the fridge all needing using up. Mom can be fussy about what she eats and how she likes it prepared. She wants her beef and veggies tender. So, I went after a good old-fashioned stew.

Beef Stew

1 1/2 pounds--Stew Beef cut into 1" cubes

1 cup--Whole Wheat Flour

3 T--olive oil

2--cloves garlic, minced

1--onion chopped into large chunks

3-4--carrots peeled and sliced into 3/4" coins

1 cup--frozen peas

1/4 pound--mushrooms, cut in half or quartered

4 cups--beef broth

2 cups--red wine

salt and pepper

Toss the cubed beef in seasoned flour. Shake off excess flour. In a large dutch oven heat olive oil until near smoking point. Toss in the flour coated beef cubes and brown off. Remove beef and drain leaving drippings in the dutch oven. Add garlic, onions, carrots and mushrooms to drippings and saute until brown. Add meat back in along with wine and broth. Cook on low for 2 hours or until beef is tender. The flour should have also helped thicken the stew. 15 minutes before serving, add frozen peas, add salt and pepper to taste. Serves 6.
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As I said, Grandma loves her veggies and especially salads. So when we make one of our Kitchen Sink Salads which are always given a fancy name when done in a fine restaurant, she loves it.

Kitchen Sink Salad

1 head--Romaine, washed and torn into 1" pieces

1--Carrot, peeled and grated

1 cup--Broccoli, cut into bite-sized bits

1 cup--Cauliflower, cut into bite-sized bits

1 c--red seedless grapes

1 c--Cucumber, sliced into thin coins

1/2 cup--walnuts, roasted (see recipe below)

This recipe does not need to be adhered to at all. Whatever you have fruit and veggie wise will probably combine to create an amazing salad. You can even toss in cheese--grated cheddar or more exotic kinds. Don't have cucumber? Don't put it in, or use something else. Be creative!

Roasted Walnuts

1/2 cup--Walnuts

1 t--Salt

1 t--Pepper

1 t--Sugar

1 T-Olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine spices and toss with walnuts on a baking sheet. Place on middle rack of oven for 5-7 minutes. Pull from oven and pour onto another plate to cool. Don't leave it on the baking sheet as the walnuts may become too done and taste bad. Pour the cooled walnuts over the top of the salad just before serving.

Balsamic Dressing

1/4 cup--Balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup--Apple vinegar

1/2 cup--Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 T--whole grain style mustard or Dijon style

2 cloves, Garlic

1 t--Oregano, fresh

1 t--Rosemary, fresh

1 T--Honey

1/4 cup--Mayonnaise

Combine all ingredient except oil in a blender. Start blender and slowly add oil. When combined pour into a jar or storage container. Dressing will last for a week in the fridge easily. ______________

Finally, Grandma has to have her dessert. My wife, who is the baker in the family, whipped up this delicious, melt-in-the -mouth apple galette with on hand items.

Apple Galette with Caramel Sauce

1--pre-made pie shell

2-3--Granny Smith Apples, cored and sliced thinly into wedge shape

1 t--cinnamom

2 T--almond paste, crumbled

1 T--butter, cut into small bits

1 T--lemon juice, fresh

1/4 cup--oats

1/4 cup--walnuts, chopped

1-egg white

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Fill the center of a thawed, frozen pie crust with sliced apples. Sprinkle with lemon juice, cinnamon and fold the crust over the apples leaving the center open. Top with crumbled almond paste, chopped walnuts, oats, and dot with butter. Using pastry brush, paint egg white over pastry. Bake in oven on middle rake for 45 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and apple mixture is bubbly.

Caramel Sauce

6 T--Butter, melted

1 cup--Sugar

1/2 cup--Whipping Cream

In a medium sauce pan on medium heat, add sugar and mix until it melts (you may add a little water if you'd like). Add butter and continue stirring until it incorporates into sugar. Remove from heat and add Half and Half continuing to mix until smooth and all ingredients combine. Mixture will foam so be careful. Allow mixture to cool a while before use as it is VERY HOT!

Special Celebration Weekend Brunch!

Our daughter, Kate, recently got engaged while on a recent trip home from England. She and Nick invited a couple of friends over for brunch and we wanted it to be special. So, my wife and I came up with what turned out to be a delicious brunch menu.

The Menu--

Mimosas--Our guests were greeted with a Mimosa, a combination of champagne and orange juice. Easy to make and a great alternative to just O.J. for those special occasion breakfasts.

Blackberry Walnut French Toast--Our recipe originally called for blueberries and pecans. But we were out of blueberry season and our frozen supply of hand-picked blueberries from last summer was all gone. We still had some blackberries and the experiment paid off. Our recipe also calls for pecans. Pecans are absolutely amazing in this recipe, but are much more expensive than walnuts, so again we experimented and the result was fantastic!

Chicken and Apple Sausage in a Calvados Reduction--I used Aidell's brand sausage in this recipe. Just about everyone loves sausage but calories and fat scare some folks away. I found this delicious product is a fantastic alternative for those who want great taste but without those fat calories. Aidell's sausage is made with chicken and comes in lots of great taste combinations.

Coconut Fruit Salad--Made with available fresh fruit, honey and coconut, this simple refreshing salad is a colorful side to the rest of the meal. Make it with whatever fruits are available in your area in season. Fresh only please! Be creative with your slicing and dicing, slather a bit of locally made honey over the top along with some fresh coconut and you are off to the islands!

Fresh Ground Coffee--Here in the northwest we are, admittedly, a population of coffee snobs. We like it fresh brewed, made from freshly roasted coffee beans, freshly ground in our own grinder and brewed just the way we like it. We use a french press coffee maker which captures more of the coffee's flavor and essential oils. French pressed coffee is usually stronger and thicker and has more sediment than drip-brewed coffee.

The Recipes

Mimosas

1- bottle fine champagne or sparkling wine

1-quart of fresh squeezed orange juice

champagne flutes

Pour the champagne flute half full of orange juice and top off with the cold champagne. Raise your glasses in a toast!


Blackberry-Walnut French Toast

1-24-inch baguette

6 large eggs

3 cups of whole milk

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup walnuts

1/2 stick, plus

1 teaspoon unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups blackberies

Butter a 9 X 13-inch baking dish. Cut 20 1-inch slices from the baguette and arrange in a single layer in the dish. In a large bowl whisk together eggs, milk, nutmeg, vanilla, and 3/4 cup brown sugar. Pour evenly over bread. Chill mixture covered overnight until all liquid is absorbed.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a shallow baking sheet spread walnuts evenly with 1 teaspoon of melted butter and salt. Toast in the oven for about 8 minutes.

Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees.

Sprinkle walnuts and blackberries evenly over the bread mixture. Cut 1/2 stick of butter into pieces adding with remaining brown sugar and in a small sauce pan heat until butter is melted. Drizzle butter mixture over bread and bake mixture for 40 minutes or until liquid from berries is bubbling.

Serve French Toast with real maple syrup or syrup infused with blackberries. A little whipping cream is delicious as well.

Serves 6 generously.
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Chicken and Apple Sausage with a Calvados Reduction

1 pound of Aidell's brand Chicken and Apple Sausage, sliced 1/2 inch on the bias

1 pound of thinly sliced Granny Smith apple

1/2 of a red bell pepper sliced thinly

1 clove of garlic, diced

1/2 t cinnamon

2 T olive oil

1/2 cup calvados apple brandy



In a large saute pan, saute the sausage until browned. Remove from pan and set aside to drain. In the remaining oil, saute the garlic adding in the cinnamon, bell pepper, apple slices and return the sausage to the pan. Cook just until the apples begin to soften. Remove food from the pan leaving pan juices and fond in the bottom of the pan.

Pour the Calvados into the pan quickly being careful as it is highly flammable. If it does not light immediately tilt the pan slightly near the burner flame and it should flame up. Allow the alcohol in the Calvados to burn itself out and reduce the sauce while de-glazing the pan.

Pour the Calvados reduction over the sausage and around the serving platter.

Serves 6

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Coconut Fruit Salad

2 crisp apples, sliced thinly

1 banana, sliced

1 cup sliced chunks of pineapple

other fruit in season, kiwi, papaya, melon, etc.

2-4 T honey

1/2 cup of fresh grated coconut

Mix fruit together with coconut and honey folding carefully with a spoon. Serve immediately.

Northwest Salmon Chowder

Our great northwest neighborhood includes the best salmon in the world, the richly delicious King Salmon. This critter is not only packed with those good-for-you Omega-5's, but it tastes like no other fish on earth. The deep orange flesh of the wild-caught King can't be mistaken for any other salmon. And once you've eaten wild, fresh King salmon, you will be spoiled forever!

Unfortuneately, due to the scarceness and the cost of bringing it to market, the price can reach upward of $20 a pound or more. For those of us in the northwest who may know someone or be fisherman ourselves, the treat of a King salmon may grace our dinner tables more frequently. For the rest of you, at those prices, using King salmon in a chowder may seem downright sacreligeous. But a good sized wild-caught King can weigh in easily at upwards of 30 pounds! And even in the supermarket they can be 12-15 pounds. So if you are looking for something to do with the leftovers from a neighborhood barbeque or want an incredible way to stretch the treat so more can sample the King's greatness, here is your recipe!

Northwest Salmon Chowder

Of course you can skip the fish stock part and just make the chowder with water and the rest of the ingredients, but I believe the rich, oily salmon fish stock as a base makes the chowder richer and much more deeply satisfying. Next time you buy a whole salmon, have the butcher wrap up the carcass for you. Freeze it until you need it or make the stock up and freeze it until needed.

For Fish Stock:

1 cleaned King salmon head and bones
8 cups cold water
3 peppercorns
1 teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf

Into 8 cups of fresh cold water in a heavy stock pot, place the head and bones of a cleaned salmon carcass along with salt, pepper corns and 1 bay leaf. Bring to boil and simmer, creating a fish stock. Pour off stock through a colander. Pick salmon meat out of the cooled carcass and set aside.

For Chowder:

1 pound red potatoes
1/2 pound sliced bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide strips
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced and chopped
2 cups chopped scallions (from 2 bunches)
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
4 cloves of finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
2 Turkish or 1 California bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes
3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 pounds of wild King salmon fillet, skin discarded and fish cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Garnish: chopped fresh chives


Cook bacon in heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from pot. Cook scallions, corn, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and red-pepper flakes in fat in pot over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender, about 5 minutes.

Add milk, cream and 5 cups of fish stock to pot and bring just to a boil. Reduce heat to moderately low, add potatoes, carrot, salmon, bacon, salt, and pepper and cook, gently stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender and salmon is just cooked through and begins to break up as you stir, 10-15 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Discard bay leaf before serving.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 45 min
Makes 8 servings

Easter Dinner Feast

Whether your family celebrates the Christian holiday of Easter or not, this is the time of year to grab up inexpensive eggs, and spiral hams are never cheaper.

Of course families with young children will traditionally color and decorate hard boiled eggs, hiding them in the house or the yard. But what do you do with them when the kids have finished with their fun? The obvious answer for most will be deviled eggs or egg salad. Quick and easy, hard to screw up and miilions of recipes on every foodie website.

As to the spiral ham, even the least secure cook would have difficulty ruining the packaged spiral hams on the market today. There is always the risk of overcooking it to the point of dried out, but following the directions carefully and utilizing the packaged sauces that often accompany the ham adds a flavorful glaze that heightens the flavor of the ham.

So, then, what more is there to say about these two Easter-time classics? Well, there are a few things to be concerned about. Here, then, is some food for thought around the Easter table.

Easter Eggs--

1) Don't leave them out in the sun to be found for hours at a time and then turn them into egg salad. If the eggs are hidden and they have been found, whisk them to the fridge to keep the development of bacteria down as soon as possible.
2) Make sure your eggs are thoroughly cooked if you plan to use them on an egg hunt. Young children shouldn't be handling raw egg as it can contain salmonella and be very serious if accidently ingested by young children.

3) Interested in saving some energy. Try cooking your eggs by placing them in a pan of cold water, bringing the water up to a boil, then turning off the heat, covering the pan and removing from the heat. Wait about 15 minutes and then run cold water over the eggs. This method also cuts down on that green layer that often develops around the outside edge of the yolk leaving a sulfur taste to the yolk.

Spiral Ham--

1) Choosing a ham that has been through as little processing as possible is a good idea. Don't automatically select that spiral ham that is on special. Look at the label. Has it been injected in some way with saline, water or other chemicals? You just want ham! So look for the one on special that is as close to the way the pig intended.

2) Toss the package of flavoring that comes with the ham. It is usually full of chemicals you don't need or want and you can easily make aglaze yourself with little more trouble than it took to tear open that package and add the extra stuff that want you to add.

3) Try one of these glazes instead:

Cider, Mustard Glaze

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup prepared mustard

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

Mix ingredients together and apply to the ham during the last hour of cooking. Baste the ham with any pan juices as well.

Orange Rum Glaze

3 cups orange juice

1 1/3 cups light brown sugar

1 orange, zested

1 bay leaf

1 cinnamon stick

2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns

8 whole cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark rum

Make the glaze by combining the orange juice, brown sugar, orange zest, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, cloves and allspice in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Continue to cook at a brisk simmer until the mixture has reduced in volume to just over 1 cup and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the rum, and set aside to cool.

During the last hour of cooking, baste the ham often with the glaze and any pan juices that have accumulated. The skin should be crisp and dark. If the skin threatens to burn before the ham is cooked through, cover the ham loosely with aluminum foil.

Egg Salad Recipe

1 dozen large hard boiled eggs, peeled

whole fat mayonnaise, fresh is best

1/4 medium red onion, diced

1 small dill pickle, diced and drained (optional)

2 T of Dijon-style mustard (optional)

salt and pepper

Peel hard boiled eggs making sure all pieces of shell have been carefully removed and discarded. Coarsely chop the eggs making sure the chunks are about 1/4 to 1/2 inch on size. Dice the onion making sure to pat excess liquid away with paper towel. Dice pickle and pat dry as with the onion. Add pickle and onion to eggs. Add a couple of healthy dollops of mayonnaise and fold the egg mixture gently until well blended. Add more mayonnaise as needed so that the salad has the wetness you desire. Everyone has their own opinion about how much mayo to add. Add mustard if desired according to how spicy you like it. Salt and pepper to taste, but remember not to overdo it. The eggs will absorb the salt and pepper and initially taste like more is needed. Let the mixture cool over night and then recheck the seasoning before serving.

Lamb Irish Stew with Guinness

This Irish Stew with Lamb and Guinness Stout is so rich and wonderful. It warms you to your toes and then some. My recipe is one handed down from one person to another and so on. I have seen it on-line and in cookbooks so I don't claim it as an original, but I do defy you to find a better supper dish for a cold Saint Patrick's Day.

3 pounds lamb shoulder with a little fat, cubed
1/2 cup flour
3 large Russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced
6 stalks celery, cut into 1/2" slices
2 large yellow onions, cut into large dice
3 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch fresh rosemary
1 bunch fresh thyme
1 bunch fresh parsley
2 quarts lamb or beef stock, or as needed
12 ounces Guinness stout
1 cup pearl barley (optional)
2 teaspoons corn starch
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For a real Irish country touch, include the barley -- cook it for 20 minutes in 3 cups of lamb or beef stock, then add when you return the meat to pot with the vegetables.

Cut off some of the parsley leaves and chop enough to make 2 tablespoons; reserve. Cut off some parsley stems, and tie them into a bundle with a few sprigs of rosemary and thyme; reserve.
Toss the meat in some flour, shaking off the excess. Season with salt and brown the meat in a little oil in a large dutch oven. Do not use a non-stick pan. Remove and reserve. Add the onions, garlic, carrots and celery to the pan and sauté, tossing to coat with the fat. Add the Guinness and deglaze, scraping up any caramelized meat juices. Add the potatoes, return the meat to the pot (and the barley if you're using it). Add enough stock to cover the barely, cook over medium heat until just boiling, then reduce heat to very low and simmer 2 - 3 hours, until the meat is tender, stirring occasionally.

Check seasonings, add salt and pepper to taste, then remove from heat, stir in parsley and the cornstarch if needed(mixed into 4 teaspoons water) and stir. Cook over low heat for a few more minutes to thicken. Serve with plenty of Irish brown or white soda bread, tea and more Guinness if you like.

YIELD: 6 generous servings

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Irish Cabbage

slices of Irish bacon, diced

1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 medium head cabbage, cored and cut into wedges or shredded
1 stick of Irish butter, melted
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

water
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Place cabbage into a steamer above the water until tender, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cook bacon and onion until crisp and carmelized in a skillet over medium-high heat. Drain and set aside. Drain cabbage, and drizzle with melted butter. Sprinkle with bacon, fried onion and nutmeg. Place cabbage under a broiler for 5 minutes until edges just turn brown. Serve in place of a salad or on the side of the stew with Irish Soda Bread.