October 26, 2012 by Andrea

Fall Chicken Salad

Say “chicken salad” to almost anyone (ok, any American) and the picture that comes to mind includes diced or processed chicken and lots of mayo. Not an appealing picture at all. So here is my experiment and I’m taking back “chicken salad” so it can once again be a flavorful, delightful meal.

This was a guided experiment. I took a marinade from my Bobby Flay grilling cookbook and paired it with a variation of an Ina Garten warm salad. So … marinade of olive oil, sage, garlic, orange zest, salt, and white balsamic vinegar. Really, this is not exactly the same as the recipe in the book, but it is close enough that I’ll give full credit to the cook book on this one.

The salad required a little more improvising. I got some stunning greens in my veggie basket today (Mizula they said it was but it looked nothing like last week’s Mizula so I’m not exactly sure) that looked like arugula, and had a nice taste like arugula, so I wanted to use them like arugula. I roasted some butternut squash with olive oil and salt (nothing else) the prepped a salad of the greens, crasions, and pecans. The dressing had the purée and strained juice of two apples. Let me stop there. I am not sure what possessed me to think I could juice an apple like I do lemons, limes and oranges, but for the record, it does not work the same. So after getting frustrated with that, I used cranberry pear white balsamic for the remaining acid, added chopped sage, salt, pepper, shallot, olive oil and a dash of mustard. Mix well.

Now may also be a good time to mention that I started with only the apple juice, vinegar, salt, pepper, sage and olive oil and then tasted and added one thing at a time until it finally tasted like I wanted.

So the chicken – out of the marinade and into a large frying pan. Nothing else done to it, just let it cook.

The end result – layer the roasted squash over the salad, top with the chicken breast and generously drizzle the dressing over everything. Bob claimed it was one of my best experiments and one of the best meals I’ve made in a while. I think this is his way of telling me I am working too much, or that I should work from home more often. Either way he is right.

Happy weekend!

October 22, 2012 by Andrea

Pork tacos

I try to be creative and still stay in the parameters of Bob’s diet, my very picky pallet and general time constraints. Sometimes I hit a winner (yesterday’s beef stewish meal) and sometimes it’s just good.

Tonight was a just good. A different wrap, maybe a spinach or sun dried tomato instead of whole wheat, and a tweak to the sauce and this could be great. I took leftover pulled pork (because when do you ever not have leftover pulled pork?) and tried a vinaigrette from a Bobby Flay grilling cookbook and experimented. So … This was. A lemon sage vinaigrette – lemon, lemon zest, honey, olive oil, sage, shallots, salt and pepper. Heated up the pulled pork with a little of the vinaigrette then used the mizuna (a leafy green of a kind) as a base, then layer the pork, more vinaigrette and some tomatoes. Good, but not great.

The sauce needs a little more honey, a little more pepper and maybe a touch more salt. Change the wrap and add a little pickled onion -maybe red onion- and this has potential to be a fantastic quick meal.

Oh – the pork! I didn’t have my usual mead to braise the pork in last week so I used hard cider and chopped apples. It came out REALLY well. Moist, tender, not salty at all and totally full of flavor. Not bad for improvising.

Tomorrow’s experiment includes an orange sage chicken with rice noodles … or a butternut squash tart. If I don’t come home totally exhausted from a full day of IEP meetings and trying to get progress notes done. Hopefully the computers work all day or I may just sit down and cry.

October 21, 2012 by Andrea

Beef Stew (of a sort)

Last Sunday I was finally feeling better and had a craving for the Pork Marco Polo at the French restaurant down the street. We had not been there in a while because we didn’t like the most recent waiter. He took rude and dismissive to a new level, so we tended to go elsewhere. But I had a craving and Bob indulged me. Much to our surprise and delight, that waiter was no longer there and the manager was A) serving and B) hiring a new waitress while we were there. Happy day, I can go back to the French place (realize, when we first moved here we went once a month to every six weeks we liked it so much. But then the waiter we adored left and the new guy came in and we just stopped going).

That is a long intro to what I made today – a combination between Beef Stew and Beef bourguignon. I wanted the deep beef stew taste with the wonderful sauce of the French version. And since I read a bunch of recipes and then made it up as I went along, here is what I think I did …

Chop a few slices of bacon and fry it in the pan. Add a chopped onion and a chopped shallot. Cook it all down, remove from pan and add the beef (strip steaks I happen to have on hand) cut into cubes and most of the fat removed. Brown the beef, then add back in the bacon, onions and shallot. Add garlic – a large clove, chopped. Add some flour and coat everything, turning frequently so it doesn’t burn. Add red wine. I used a nice Zinfandel to deglaze the pan, scraping up all the good bits that stuck to the pan. Add beef broth/stock, some tomato paste and a dash of kitchen bouquet. Add thyme (cause I still have massive amounts) and two bay leaves. Stir and let cook for about an hour to an hour and a half. Add in three chopped (large cut) carrots and cook for another half hour. … I think that was it. I put it over a little barley just to add something to it. Put it over some great roasted Jersey white sweet potatoes it would be fabulous.

Not much else is going on this week. I have a weird stomach thing going on where if I move, I get nauseous. Sit still, no problem; walk, not so good. So we haven’t had a lot of other cooking experiments this week. But … As we were eating dinner one night, Bob assigned elements to each of the cats. We have Tigger who is the fire kitty. He has the flame color, is skittish and can pounce on something/someone with little notice, or sit on your lap and be warm comfort.

Leia is the water cat. (this whole thing came about because she was sitting outside in a drizzle and just did not care.). She is very laid back and go-with-the-flow in nature. She is relaxing and soft.

Gracie is air – swift, so fleet of foot you hardly notice she is there, but she is also very destructive when she wants to be (just think of the poor birds, mice and rabbits she has brought home).

That does leave Jessie as earth – the mother of all in a way. She hates having her picture taken or I’d have a new one to show off. Maybe next week.

Hope everyone is doing well…

October 13, 2012 by Andrea

Double Dose of the Cute Gene

I realized the the girls had each gotten a post recently, so I decided that Tigger needed one of his own. The cute little orange kitty that isn’t so little anymore, but he is still a sweet, cuddly-double-dose-of-cuteness kitty all the same.

For those that don’t know the story, I did not intended to adopt Tigger. He was an “I can’t leave him behind/separate him from his sister” addition when I adopted Leia and Gracie. I actually saw Tigger first, but was just enamored by Gracie. Every time I went to see them (they were 3.5 weeks when I first saw Gracie and Tigger) they were together. Each picture of her has him in it and I just decided that I had to take both. The poor boy didn’t have a name for two weeks – he was just “the little orange kitty.” But he has grown into the sweetest, cuddliest (if the most skittish) and cutest of kitties.

As a kitten he would quite literally bounce around the house (hence the name); now spends more time curled in my lap than bouncing.

Or hiding in Jessie’s toy box.

Mostly, he excels at being super cute.

The vet called him “the perfect specimen of a cat.” I like to think so.

October 10, 2012 by Andrea

Einstein Kitty

I know everyone claims their pets are smart. Everyone thinks their cat is brilliant and way above average. But Gracie really is Einstein Kitty. Leia and Tigger are average with a touch of worry thrown in at times. Gracie is so not average.

It isn’t that she opens doors – the bathroom door included – or that she opens the cabinet where her treats are kept. It isn’t that she cuddles with Jessie to ensure “mommy” loves her. It is only partly that she paws the snooze button on my alarm and reaches for the lock when she wants outside and we aren’t letting her out. That she goes for a walk with Jessie and knows to stay on the sidewalk is also only part of the reason. Gracie has learned to use the dog door as a doorbell to make Jessie bark which wakes us up in the middle of the night when she wants in; she responds to “that is an outside toy” by taking the mouse or lizard or whatnot out into the back yard – seemingly a pretty good indication that she is smart. Any of this seems to indicate some intelligence. All of this in one cat is pretty scary at times.

Yesterday I was working at home in the afternoon, trying to get caught up on some paperwork. Gracie was meowing and pawing at my leg, clearly wanting dinner. When I finally went to the kitchen for a drink, she went to the pantry, opened the door (yes, on her own), sat, looked at me and waited for eye contact then meowed in a rather insistent tone. She wanted her dinner and wanted to make sure I knew what she wanted. The eye contact was the clincher; she did not make a sound after opening the door until I looked at her and she made the eye contact.

She also likes shoes. A clear indication of intelligence.

October 7, 2012 by Andrea

Pampered Indoor Kitty

I’ve neglected the posting lately, in large part because things just got really, really busy. Busy as in so much work to do that I don’t know where to start and the more I do, the more there is to do. Almost makes one a little despondent. But then I come home, completely exhausted and see the babies and that makes it all better.

Especially Leia. When I adopted her I was warned that she is a special needs kitty who would probably need surgery to make it past two. The vet report even said she needs. “pampered indoor lifestyle.” I laugh at the indoor part now because Leia is the first one at the back door in the morning waiting to go outside. She loves hanging out in the yard and if I tried to keep her indoors, she would be upset and miserable. This little special needs kitty has done so well, she has not had a single sinus infection in five years, has not needed surgery and even has a bit of a belly from all the treats she enjoys.

She will hang out inside too, but mostly you will find her outside. And happy. And healthy. Which really, is all I want for my kitties.

I will try to be better about the posts. Hopefully I’ll have some good food, travel or pet pictures to share soon. Although the travel is really on the back burner until who knows when.

September 23, 2012 by Andrea

Atmosphere and Food in Key West

For our last night in Key West we decided to focus a little more of atmosphere than food. We wanted good food, but really, we wanted the atmosphere so we headed to The Southernmost Beach Cafe. The reviews for this restaurant were great so we decided to give it a try. The atmosphere was amazing.

I can’t say the food lived up to the reviews, but it was good. Very good. Just not great. The salad had a nice mango vinaigrette and was very fresh. Bob had a snapper that he thought was “outstanding” and I had the chicken marsala. It was good, but not the best I’ve ever had. I would assume the seafood is much better here than the non-seafood offerings, but I wasn’t willing to risk fish after the salmon incident a few months ago. So we had a good dinner with a great atmosphere (and excellent service). We decided to find dessert as we wandered along Duval, but never ended up stopping for dessert.

We did hit Krawl off Duval, a little bar that was so much quieter than the usual downtown Key West. It had an incredible beer selection – on tap and in bottles, so Bob was thrilled. (His beer at dinner was “ok”) He had a pint of something that I cannot remember and I had a nice glass of a red wine.

Since I did not get dessert either Friday or Saturday night, we skipped the breakfast at the B&B and headed to a place where I could have dessert for breakfast. It was the last day of vacation, I almost HAD to do it! Croissants de France looks like a little place on Duval, but is much bigger than the outside appears. I have to say, I had the best crepe – sweet crepe with pineapple, banana, coconut and mango. Sweet and tangy and perfect for breakfast. Bob had a banana crepe with (I think) a rum sauce.

So Key West was a great little break. We were able to relax and just enjoy the weather, the sights, the food and each other. Just what we needed.

If you want to see more pictures, take the page link on the side to Key West. I should have pictures with some descriptions up tonight.

September 22, 2012 by Andrea

Geeking Out on Cats and History

Key West is probably best known for Jimmy Buffet’s Margaretville and Earnest Hemingway’s home. While we walked past the first, we did the tour of the Hemmingway home first thing this morning. It has cats … how can I not go there first?

Hemmingway apparently lived here with his second wife and all the cats are descended from his original polydactyl cat, Snowball. There are cats everywhere.

On window ledges, in the bushes …

Just hanging out on the sofa or bed …

There were more along the paths, in the gift shop, out by the pool, in the writers cottage etc but I will refrain from posting all the cat pictures.

And no, I did not take one home … Bob wouldn’t let me. He thought the three at home and Jessie would not be happy with a new sibling.

On the way to our next stop Bob found a cute little coffee shop.

I think it was just called The Coffee and Tea Shop but I’m honestly not sure. (I only had one cup of coffee that Bob called “not bad” – enough said.) So I was so happy to get a real mocha that tasted wonderful. The lady who was there was great too. Definitely a place to go back to in the morning.

We then headed to The Little White House. Harry Truman made the old commandants quarters at the navel base here his vacation spot. Apparently several other presidents and high ranking officials have used it in the last 50 years, so much so that it is still considered a secure facility and you can’t have cell phones or cameras inside. But outside I did get a picture or two.

The house is on a gated street that has lots of private homes. It was really, really pretty. If you have the money this would be the neighborhood to live in on Key West. We don’t have the money.

One odd feature of Key West, which I had never heard if before, is the chickens. There are chickens, dozens of them, roaming all over Key West.

They are left over from the old days when there were cock fights. Now that Key West is a bird sanctuary you can’t kill them so they just roam everywhere. It’s a little odd.

We had a great find for lunch today. We just walked by Martin’s and decided it looked good for a light lunch. We were very pleasantly surprised

Bob and I each had the Caprese Wrap and I have to say – wow! Tons of flavor in here with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella and a dressing that was perfect.

We are heading for a view with tonight’s dinner. Hopefully the food is as good as the atmosphere but we figured we can’t do Key West without at least one beach front meal.

September 22, 2012 by Andrea

Key West

As the last few weeks were a little rough, Bob and I decided to take a three day weekend and head to Key West. I’ve never been here mostly because getting here is a little tricky for me. Flights don’t go direct from Sarasota – you have to fly north and then south. Too much hassle. There is the ferry, but I still haven’t recovered from the one to the Isle of Wight ( and that was absolutely worth it) and a few hours is a little much. Then there is the driving option; given my reaction to bridges it’s not a great option but we went with it. All in all there was more island than bridge so I did ok.

We found a cute little B&B to stay in:

Duval Gardens. Rooms are comfy, clean and walking distance to everything without the noise. Very quiet at night. And the staff is super nice and helpful. We lucked out with this one.

Last night we did our one planned dinner. The Internet is an amazing thing – I looked up restaurants, checked out locations, menus and reviews then made a reservation on-line. And what a find!

Santiago’s Bodgea. A tapas restaurant that had a great looking menu, walkable from the B&B and had great reviews. And they did not over promise. We had excellent food including

Cheese board. A Manchego, a double cream goat cheese and a blue. The goat cheese stole the show on this one.

Shrimp and chorizo in a garlic sauce. Yes, I ate shrimp and it was so good. I stuck with one shrimp just in case I had any reaction like I did with the salmon but nothing. Just really great flavor.

Pork with chutney. The chutney made this dish. The pork was good, but the chutney was pure heaven.

And the star of the evening / dates stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped in prosciutto. Holy cow this was amazing. The date was sweet, the goat cheese had a tangy bite to it and the prosciutto was salty making it the perfect morsel. The date also didn’t have the weird texture it can have so this may move into the top five bites of food ever. Certainly top ten, but maybe top five.

Today’s adventures include cats and history with maybe a little beach thrown in. And food. Cant wait for more food.

September 16, 2012 by Andrea

Getting back to normal

What a week. Both Bob and I had a rough week and we are very glad it is over. My week was so long I actually did not cook a single meal last week. Not one. Three back to school nights equal three twelve hour days and the two days where I did make it home “on time” just did not have me in the mood to cook.

And when things get yucky and you just aren’t feeling it, cats are wonderful. (I realized that, despite the name of this blog, I did not have a pets category. That has now been rectified.) I sat down the other evening, totally and completely drained and Tigger came to keep me company.

Another night where I just felt out of it, Gracie came for lap time.

They really do seem to know when you just need … something. Even when you aren’t sure what that is, they do.

But today I returned to cooking. My veggie basket had some interesting stuff in it this week

Collard greens, apples, lemons, ginger root ( it is huge!), acorn squash and rutabaga. I have no idea what to do with half of it, but I am sure I will figure something out. For today, I made pork tacos with a homemade salsa verde sauce. I had never worked with tomatillos before, so this was an experiment. It came out really well – Bob liked the brightness of the sauce and I liked the flavor it added to the dish. I also made a Greek chicken salad – so I can actually eat lunch for a change- and prepped the acorn squash and peppers (made the filling and stuffed them some just have to pop them in the oven one night). I may not have cooked last week, but I made up for it today.

But the best thing I made was the mango mousse. We had this at the Epcot Food and Wine festival a few years ago and it was by far the most memorable dish there. I always have such high hopes from that, but my expectations are rarely met. This one, however …. I still have dreams about it. So I tried a recipe I found and made my own.

It was close – very close – to what we had at Epcot, but not the same. It came out a little sweeter, and not as mangoy (yes, I just made up the word, don’t care it was that kind of week). Good. But I have a plan for the next time Val has access to loads of mango.

Sixteen Paws

The random adventures of Andi, Bob, and four furry creatures

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