Gift Ideas for the Foodie in your Life - Part One

Are you looking for a holiday gift for that foodie in your life, but really don't know where to start? In my next few posts, I'll share some of the things that have made my heart sing. And good news: most of them are very inexpensive!


First up: a magnetic knife rack. I never trusted those knife blocks. What's in there? At the very least the dust of the ages. The whole thing just makes me feel ooky. So when my better half surprised me with this magnetic knife rack, I was thrilled! As you can see, I have a nice little collection of knives, but if I had some extra room, I'd add my church key (that's "bottle opener" to you!) and my potato peeler. This thing is a champ. And you can get one for your favorite cook for under $11 for 12" of magnetic goodness. Trust me on this one: everyone who comes in my kitchen and lays eyes on this wants one of their very own.

My second suggestion is this flat, mesh skimmer. I originally got it to help fish out poached eggs. I hate it when my toast gets soggy from the cooking water, don't you? This does the trick. But it is good for a lot of jobs. For example, when I pop corn (in my wok!) I can use this to stir the corn while I spray butter on it. It's fabulous. It's good for fishing solids out of broth. I have had this for about 15 years and I bet I've used it 3 times a week every week since I bought it. I got mine at Williams Sonoma, but you might want to check out Amazon where I saw a nice one in the $8 neighborhood. Don't spend too much for this. You shouldn't have to!

Now, haven't you always wanted to own something by Ronco? Well, here is your chance! Let me introduce you to a little piece of heaven on earth - the Ronco ST3001SSGEN Showtime Compact Rotisserie. Yes, this is a little more expensive than the other two items in today's post, but at $80 it's still quite a bargain. This gem makes the juiciest, most delish chicken you have ever tasted, I promise you!. It takes a little effort to truss up a chicken and get it balanced on the rotisserie, but after you've done it a few times, you will be a pro. It takes about 15 minutes a pound to cook a chicken, and the drippings make a luscious gravy. I'm not a fan of those mega chickens they seem to have in the grocery stores these days. A chicken is not supposed to be 5 pounds! I find then to be rather tough. But not when they are cooked on this beauty - I guarantee they will be tender and juicy. My experience with small birds (cornish game hens, for example, that come in at a pound - pound and a half range) are not as good because they just don't take long enough to cook. But the smaller 3 pound organic free range chickens are wonderful Cleanup isn't hard because all the main parts break down and will go in the fridge. I think we use this about every other week when the outdoor cooking season comes to an end.

So, there you go: three ideas for some kick-ass presents! Next time we will talk about a noodle maker, a really nice frying pan, and mixing bowls.

Spring Pasta with Blistered Cherry Tomatoes

Vegetarian pasta dishes are usually really dull. It was the cop out of chefs made to appease the vegetarians when when they couldn't be bothered to do anything more clever. But then I saw this recipe in Food and Wine and it is really yummy! It is really is a Spring Pasta, and the flavors are wonderful.  I've probably made it 3 times this month and tomorrow will be #4. I made a few modifications to the original.

• Greens - spinach or swiss chard
• 1 garlic clove, sliced
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Flaky sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 pounds grapes tomatoes
• 6 scallions, white and tender green parts only, cut into 1-inch lengths
• 1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
• 1 pound mafaldine or other curly, wide noodles
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
• About 1/2 cup shaved ricotta salata cheese, for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. In a bowl, toss the tomatoes with  2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1/2 tablespoon of sea salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper and spread on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast the vegetables for about 25 minutes, until the tomatoes are very juicy but not broken down.
2. Meanwhile, in a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the scallions until just softened, 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the scallions to a bowl. Add the asparagus to the pot and cook until just crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the asparagus to the bowl. 
3. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until just al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.
4. Return the pasta to the pot. Add the greens and cook only a few minutes. Add the scallions, asparagus, butter,  and half of the parsley .Add the reserved pasta water and cook until the pasta is al dente. Gently fold in the roasted tomatoes and any juices and season with sea salt and pepper. Garnish with the shaved cheese and the remaining parsley and serve right away.

Pruning Class

Earlier this week, our friend Julie tipped us off that one of the garden centers was offering a class on pruning. J signed us up, and tonight we went.

Pruning is in the category of Great Mysteries for me, along picking locks, wearing makeup, and playing bridge. Our instructor was a very non-threatening person and she went over the basics.

J and Julie watch a demonstration

It seems to boil down to  a few simple rules. Use a sharp, appropriately sized clippers. That makes sense. You don't want to want to use clippers that are too small to do the job, or ones that just crush the stems. Another thing is to use alcohol to clean them between plants. I never thought of this before tonight, but of course you can spread diseases from one plant to another with your clippers.

She talked about when to prune, and how to know where the new growth would come. It was interesting and useful. And it made me think about one of my bucket list items - becoming a Master Gardener. Maybe it's time to get serious about making that happen.

Saying Prayers for Winter

My Shrine, cleaned for Losar and for Chenrezig practice for Winter

Today I'm taking a day off of work so I can stay home and do practice for my friend Winter. We believe that, on average, a person is in the intermediate state between births for 49 days. When a person is in the intermediate state, known as the Bardo, she doesn't have to deal with the baggage that a physical body contributes to the mix. So it is a good time to become enlightened. I'm praying that Winter achieve enlightenment, or at the very least, a good rebirth. May all suffering cease!

Dinner Party Menu

J and I were in Cali at the holidays, so we weren't around for our annual dinner party for our family of choice, known collectively as "The G's". So next Saturday we will have everyone over for the big blowout. Here's the menu as it stands now.

First course (Everyone let's me know their choice)
Shrimp cocktail. I have some strong fans of the classic. And I have some dishes I don't use for anything but this. Gotta use those, right?
or
Fisherman's Stew ala Felgerts: cod, mussels, crab, lobster in a saffron broth. We love this dish. I start by baking a potato, then letting it get cold, cutting it into cubes and frying in in a little bacon grease until it is golden. Then I take those out of the pan, and brown up some codfish. Then I add chopped onion, celery, and green bell peppers. When they are soft, I pour in clam juice, and some saffron. Once the broth comes to just under the boil, I add the other sea food and put a tight lid on the pan. About 3-5 minutes, the soup is finished. I put the browned potatoes in a wide soup bowl, and add the fishes and veggies, and pour the hot broth over the whole mess. It is incredible.
or

Mushroom ravioli in Truffle Sauce. I wanted to have a vegetarian option. This is actually not home-made. (Don't tell anyone!) This is from the frozen foods counter at Trader Joe's and it is really yummy.

Salad (Pick one)

Roasted beets and warm goat cheese with bitter greens served with an aged balsamic (20 year old) vinegarette
or

Cesar Salad with garlic toasts and Romano curls
or

Iceberg Wedge with blue cheese dressing

Main course

Prime Rib

Twice Baked Potatoes

Roasted winter squash with cranberries and pecans

Roasted Brussels sprouts

Cheese course
Probably will have some hard cheese, a mild brie, a Gorgonzola, and something really strong plus apples

Cookies and coffee
Thinking about hazelnut shortbreads, ginger cookies, and these sinfully good chocolate chip with salted caramel bars.

Friends

Over the river and thru the woods...

They say, "family is where you go and they have to take you in." Perhaps. But friends are people who don't have to take you in, and do it anyway.

Toby practices looking cute!

The Spread!

Pat, J, and Truddles!

J and I are blessed with really wonderful friends. On Thanksgiving we were able to share time with them. First we went to see the Diva and the Nurse. Nurse has had some health challenges this year, and we offered to cook Thanksgiving dinner at their house. They provided the turkey (very moist and delish despite worries by the cook to the contrary!) ,a wonderful squash casserole, and pumpkin pies. We brought dressing (cornbread and sausage, of course!), gravy, mashed potatoes, two kinds of cranberries, and the carrot sticks. The Diva's mother was also in attendance. It was wonderful to see her, very spry and full of cheer.

Laurie, Liz, and Pattie

After a yum dinner and a brief nap (yes, I did! And right on their couch, too boot. That's what it's all about, isn't it?) we made our way over to Laurie and Pat's where Lizzie, Missy, and Pattie had feasted. We had our choice of two pies. Not wishing to upset anyone, I had a narrow sliver of both. Can you really eat too much pumpkin pie in a day? No, I don't think so either.

I miss being with my birth family, but rejoice we have such a wonderfully loving family of choice. Here's to many more more Thanksgiving days together!

November Garden Report

Yes, we cut everything right down to the ground!

One last report on the garden for this year -- to say good by for a while! Today, Miss J and I worked in the garden, draining and wrapping up the fountain, emptying pots and bring in our Buddha statue.







I'm always sorry to see it all go. We know what comes next, don't we? Snow you say? Well yes, but eventually what comes next are tulips and daffodils.

Will the nest be occupied?

I had hoped to plant more bulbs this fall, but with school keeping me busy busy and no cash, well, we just won't be able to do that this year. But that's the best part of gardening. There's always next year!

Watch this space!

So it's not really good bye to the garden, but more like, "until we meet again!" Until then, sleep tight in your beds, my lovelies! I can't wait to see you when you awake one day next spring.