Random Eats

Pan seared Scallops with Dill Aioli and cold Rice Salad with Sweet Peas


Artichoke and Fava Bean Parpadelle with fresh basil


Summer herbs in full bloom

Promises, promises! But I do promise to be back with some recipes very soon. I am tending to a very wily set of herbs. Basil, oregano, dill and rosemary. So expect to see some recipes for pastas and sauces with those ingredients. Also, once the 90+ heat wave breaks, I will attempt some baking. Possibly fancy fruit tart!

Takes us back to old times

The first rule of Lobster Fight Club...


There is no Lobster Fight Club!


New glasses, girl.


Avoiding the lobsters in the shadows.

My mom came up for a quick weekend in the city. What did she want? LOBSTERS! So we went down to my guy in Chinatown to get some live lobsters for my mom. He graciously said to us after handing over the very heavy orange bag, "You eat for me tonight ok?"

It is a special family past time to have lobsters. I remember my mother putting the lobsters in the bath tub. Or letting them run on kitchen floor so that the dog could bark at them. We always had fun when it was lobster night. The visceral cracking of the shells and the bad jokes that come with it. We're from New England so of course we think that gruesomely devouring a crustacean goes excellently with a hefty side dish of puns.

I made roasted potatoes and the best coleslaw my mom has tasted. And she lives in North Carolina now where they even put slaw on hot dogs. Really? On hot dogs? So, she's had a lot of slaw.

Christine's Buttermilk Coleslaw

For the slaw -
1 head cabbage, shredded
3 large carrots, shredded

For the dressing -
1/3 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons white vinegar
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon celery seed

Mix all your shredded veggies with the dressing and EAT! Even put it on a hot dog if you fancy.

You can add apples, bell pepper, and red cabbage to spice up this recipe.

A few meals

Kale in Cream sauce with whole wheat pasta

Maple Pecan Crusted Monkfish with Sweet Potato Mash

Filed under: wish, because I wish I had more time.

Here are a few snaps from some week night meals. Recipes to come in the near future! I've been dealing with some change over here at the 312 sqft HQ. I started an organic produce delivery service and it has been the time saving fairy of my life! With school, work and Ronnie, it is so nice to come home to half the shopping for the week done for you. A moved in! and then promptly left the country on business! Whew!

It's such a whirlwind and finals are looming, I am sure that there is some comfort baking coming up!

Snow Day!

Blizzard in Brooklyn


Vietnamese Sammiches


Post lunch nap

Last Friday, both our offices closed, and the snow coming down, we hunkered down and only ventured out for some provisions. Aaron got it into his head that he wanted some Vietnamese "Hoagies" He can say that having lived in Philly for a while. So we made homemade pickles and toasted up some bread. They came out pretty decent!

Vietnamese Sandwiches

1 package Extra firm tofu, sliced thin and fried
2 hero rolls
Cucumbers, sliced
Butter
Mayonaise
Siracha Hot Sauce
Cilantro

For the pickles:
1/4 cup white or rice vinegar
2 tablespoons, give or take, sugar
2 carrots grated
daikon, grated if you can find it, we just had carrots

Combine the grated veggies with the vinegar and sugar and let sit for at least 2 hours.

Toast the heroes. Put butter on both sides and let melt. Put on mayonnaise to taste, add layer up your other ingredients. Enjoy!

Classic Lasagna

That's a heavy pan!




Ronnie gets a taste.


That was pretty good, I will try to stay awake.

Making a huge lasagna on a Sunday is a great way to get ready for the week and save money on lunch. Especially for me, midtown lunches are not cheap! My lasagna is just a mess of veggies and cheeses.

Lasagna

Half a box of Lasagna Noodles, boiled
1 container ricotta
1 package mozzarella
1 jar of tomato sauce
Basil leaves
Stuff to put in it: I use mushrooms sauteed with cumin, zucchini, spinach, eggplant, fennel, and onions

Pre-heat the oven to 350. Layer it all up! Bake for 45min - 60 min or until the cheeses are melted and browned on top and the sauce is bubbling. Let sit for 15 minutes. Cut and Serve!

Valentine's Day Dinner

Why on Earth go out on Valentine's Day? Everything is over priced and over scheduled. No sooner do you sit down to your coveted reservation than they are hurriedly rushing out the door for the next table! The food is a mass produced pre-fixe nightmare. Opting to stay in is the best idea, ever. There's no rush to finish your bottle of wine, no terribly over sweetened molten chocolate cake to be choked down and best yet, no expensive cab ride home. Take you time and relax with an indulgent meal of your own choosing and prepared with more love and care than just picking up the check belies.

The menu:
Fennel and Blood Orange Salad
Chilean Sea Bass with Roasted Tomato Compote and Rosemary Roasted Potatoes
Dark Chocolate and Berries

This delicious meal was washed down with our new favorite winter refresher, The Chook Sparkling Shiraz. Crisp and dry but with berry flavors, this wine is not over whelming and is excellent slightly chilled.

Tomato Compote

Pre-heat the oven to 425. Toss a pint of grape tomatoes in extra virgin olive oil with some salt and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet. Roast for 25 - 30 minutes. Over low heat, mash the tomatoes together and reduce any left over juices until you have a relatively thick paste. Add a few capers in for a nice finish.

Rosemary Panko Crusted Cod Fish

Sometimes simple preparations can be most effective. A simple week night supper is best stuck in the oven and left while you get to run around and do other things, like snuggling, vacuuming or more snuggling.

Rosemary Panko Crusted Cod Fish

1 pound cod fish, rinsed and dried, cut into pices
1 cup panko crumbs
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
juice of one lemon
salt and pepper

Pre heat the oven to 325. In a small sauce pan, melt the butter, add the herbs, toss the panko crumbs in the butter and add in the lemon juice. Add some salt and pepper. The mixture should be damp but not wet. Press the fish in the panko, coating both sides. Place in a baking dish and bake for 20 - 25 minutes depending on the thickness of the cod fillets.

Praline King Cupcakes

Just in time for the Saints to win the Superbowl, just before Lent starts I suggest some indulgent buttery, nutty cupcakes. I whipped these up for the Neighborsman Superbowl fiesta. I made the mistake of trying to put a baby in one of the cupcakes, but I didn't have a baby. So, I used a toy soldier, but it was too big. I cut off the legs, but it still didn't fit. The tip of the gun stuck out! But if you do put in a baby or anything else, be sure to put it in after baking. No one likes the taste of plastic!

Praline King Cupcakes

yield 24 cupcakes

2 cups cake flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cups brown sugar
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup milk
3 eggs, at room tempurature
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup chopped pecans

Pre- heat the oven to 325. Sift all the dry ingredients together. Beat the butter until light and fluffy and beat in the sugars. Add in the eggs one at a time and beat thoroughly. Beat in the vanilla. Add in the sour cream and the milk. Add in the flour in thirds and mix thoroughly. Fold in the pecan last. Fill the cupcake liners 1/3 of the way and bake for 15 - 20 minutes.

For the icing:
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 lemon juice
1-3 tablespoons water
food coloring

Sift the powdered sugar. Beat in the lemon juice and add water to achieve the desired consistency. Add the food coloring to get the colors you'd like.

Sort of Southern Brunch

The new and improved 312 square feet was graced with my new crush, Aaron for a delicious brunch. Inspired by his roots in Louisville, we had a sort of southern brunch. Biscuits, kale, cheddar eggs and a hash of root vegetables rounded out an excellent late Sunday meal.

Root Vegetable Hash

2 potatoes yellow or yukon gold, sliced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 parsnips, peeled and sliced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
4 springs of thyme
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in the pan, add the shallot and soften. Add in all the rest of the veggies and thyme leaves, you can pull off the leaves over the pan. Toss with salt and pepper until the oil is covering all of the mix. Cover and let cook over medium low heat until browned and softened. You should turn the mix every so often to get the other sides browned as well.