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Showing posts from July, 2010

An Ode to the Beatles-7/7/10

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If you ever want to have a thematic dinner for the Beatles The White Album, I think I've found your menu.  My grandmother used to talk about the importance of color on each plate and I failed to heed her message on this one.  Tonight's meal was good, just a bit too monochromatic.  For dinner, I made the Grilled Mahi-Mahi with Thai Coconut Sauce and the Creamy Cilantro-Lime Slaw.  As you can see from the picture, the Thai coconut sauce was bit runny but it was very good and a great addition to not only the fish but the rice as well.   Mahi-mahi is a pretty mild fish and this sauce had some wonderful flavors that complimented without overpowering the fish.  The slaw had an Asian flare (or Mexican, depending on how you looked at it) so it paired well with the fish.  The crunch of the slaw and the mild heat of the chile worked well also.  I guess it's not a very British menu for the Beatles but they traveled the world.  I'm sure they loved Asian food too. Grilled Mahi-Mahi

Lost June: Call if Found-7/6/10

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I love the month of June, don't get me wrong.  Graduations, weddings, and Father's Day are all great events.  I just don't cook much in June.  For the last two years, we've done the bulk of our summer traveling in June and it throws off any attempt on my part to cook anything of real consequence.  We headed up to my parents' house in New Hampshire on the 10th for my brother's burial service and some much needed family time.  The bulk of the first week there was dealing with the graveside service and another memorial service at his work.  This was really draining on all of us and much like when we were up there immediately after my brother's death, we had lots of food given to us and didn't do much cooking at all.  The second week was much more relaxing but Richard had headed back to Atlanta so I spent a lot of time visiting old friends and hanging out with my parents.  I made a killer strawberry-rhubarb pie one night.   I was really proud of how it turne

Fire Up the Grill-5/27/10

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Ah, the smoke of the grill means summer is just around the corner.  Let's call tonight a warm-up since all I had to do was finish off some ribs I'd slow cooked this afternoon.   I invited some friend's over so it was best I didn't need to spend lots of time tending the flames.  I'm never very vigilant and stuff gets black.  Tonight, I actually let Richard man the grill and he did well.  The recipes I cooked tonight came from a party menu in this month's Food and Wine that was hosted by a television star I've never heard of.  Honestly, I find it a bit irritating that Food and Wine loves to name drop in their articles.  I'm not really into food superstars and even less into movie stars...but I digress.  The Pincho Ribs weith Sherry Glaze were a bit hit with every one but Rebecca.  As our group's only vegetarian, she is very tolerant of the presence of meaty ribs at dinner.  These pork ribs were incredibly tender and the glaze was very flavorful. 

A Special Gift-5/26/10

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The other night I made the bulk of the Moroccan meal in this month's Food and Wine but I still had the Moroccan Lamb Stew with Noodles to make.  In keeping with the theme, I made this recipe tonight.  It was pretty labor-intensive, something that cooking expert, Paula Wolfert , is not afraid of if the recipe tastes right.  The use of powdered sugar was a bit strange at first but the bit of sweet was surprising.  I really liked this dish for its mix of rich lamb, crunchy almonds, flavorful noodles, and the aforementioned powdered sugar.  I even got to pull out a wonderful old fondue pot of my grandmother's that made this dish look great.  Sorry for the rather cloudy picture.  It really did look good.  The title for this blog came from the second recipe I'm writing about.  Last night I took some friends who just had a baby dinner.  I get a bit nervous about experimenting on friends, especially when the dish has to travel well so I just made lasagna and bought salad and bread.

8 Hours in Morocco-5/24/10

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Every time I give blood for the American Red Cross, one of the questions I must answer is "Have you been to Africa?".  Yes, I have.  I spent a total of 8 hours one day the summer of 1988 in Morocco.  This visit did not put me at risk for AIDS, an epidemic through much of the continent but it did show me a much more wonderful side of this diverse and beautiful part of the world, its food and landscape.  I've got to be honest.  I don't remember much from that whirlwind day.  We were staying on the Rock of Gibraltar for the summer as part of a youth mission project and could see the coast of Morocco every day.  One morning we caught a boat and headed to Tangier.  I remember touring a cave.  A little research shows me that it was probably the Grottoes D'Hercules as I know we looked out from the cave onto the ocean.  We then headed into the city and walked through the most colorful, fantastic market I have ever seen.  Everything seemed to be for sale in the small alle