"What's in the Refrigerator" Soup

I am sick and tired of throwing food away.  Even if it's just into the compost bin, I hate it.  So, in the spirit of "Clean Out the Refrigerator Quiche", I've been salvaging bits of veggies from the produce share to make soup about once a week.  It's a healthy lunch...and sometimes for me, even a quick breakfast.)  Here's this week's edition.  But remember, it's a technique, not a recipe.  Riff on it to your heart's content.



"What's in the Refrigerator" Soup
Servings?  Depends on you...

Take one link smoked sausage (I used andouille.) and chop into half-inch pieces.  Put in a stock pot over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until barely browned.  Add one onion, chopped; four stalks of celery, thinly sliced; and four carrots, thinly sliced. Continue to saute, stirring periodically, for 4-5 minutes.

Add one bunch coarsely chopped collard greens and one-half head of cabbage, chopped.  Stir until incorporated.

Add 6-8 cups liquid.  (I used a combination of storebought chicken stock and water.) Season with whatever moves you...a bit of salt and pepper, some Italian seasoning, thyme, a bay leaf or two.  Like I said, whatever moves you.  Bring to the boil and then simmer until vegetables are softened, about 25 minutes. (If desired, add one can of white beans, rinsed and drained, during the last 10 minutes of cooking.)

Enjoy with some crusty bread and feel superior because you didn't throw food away.

Seared Scallops with White Wine-Butter Sauce

I am in that zone nowadays where I haven't been using a lot of recipes.  (Might I use that as my excuse for not posting regularly?  Or at all?)

Anyway...when I DO use recipes, it usually means checking the table of contents of several of the hundreds of cookbooks I have and laying them side-by-side.  A little bit of this. (ooo...I like that it calls for goat cheese.) A little less of that.  (No tarragon, thank you.)  The result is a wonderful amalgam.  And I have given myself permission not to try and codify them and write them down.

Right now, the kitchen is my laboratory.

That said, I DID follow this recipe step for step. It's fussier than I am up for these days, but it was a pairing for a bottle of Chardonnay that I received in my Food & Wine wine club shipment.  After going through all the steps and tasting the sauce on its own, I was disappointed.  Tasted a little tinny...too acidic.

But when all the components were put together, it was wonderful.  Use them all.  Spinach, pine nuts, and Aleppo pepper if you have it.  The dish was sublime with an almost tropical French Chardonnay.  (2013 Domaine de Grezen)

And you wonder why I still call Food & Wine my favorite foodie publication...

Seared Scallops with White Wine-Butter Sauce
From Food & Wine magazine.

2 tablespoons pine nuts
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium shallots, minced
2 cups white wine
2 thyme sprigs
1 cup fish stock
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
1 tablespoon minced chives
Salt and ground pepper
1 packed cup baby spinach
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
16 large sea scallops
1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes (optional)


In a skillet, toast the pine nuts over moderate heat until golden, 2 minutes; transfer to a plate and let cool. Lightly crush the nuts.

In a medium saucepan, heat 1 teaspoon of the olive oil. Add the shallots and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until browned, 4 minutes. Add the wine and thyme; boil until reduced to 1/4 cup, 15 minutes. Add the stock and boil until reduced to 1/4 cup, 9 minutes longer. Add the cream, bring to a boil and remove from the heat.

Strain the wine sauce into a clean saucepan. Whisk in the butter, 4 pieces at a time, until the sauce is thickened and smooth; set the pan over low heat as necessary to help melt the butter. Stir in the chives and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.

In a medium bowl, toss the spinach with the lemon juice and the remaining olive oil; season with salt and pepper.

In the skillet, heat the vegetable oil. Season the scallops with salt and pepper, add to the skillet and cook over high heat, turning once, until browned but barely cooked through, 2 minutes per side. Transfer the scallops and spinach to plates. Garnish with the pine nuts and pepper flakes. Gently reheat the sauce, spoon on top and serve.

Happy New Year!

And now let us believe in a long year that is given to us, new, untouched, full of things that have never been. -Rainer Maria Rilke

May Life for you in 2013 be Beautiful!

Housemade Sweet-and-Sour Mix

If you follow this silly little blog, you know I believe in using quality ingredients in my cooking.  I believe the same thing about cocktails.  Not only good-quality spirits (which, by the way, doesn't always mean the most expensive) but fresh juices and herbs and mixes.  Here's a perfect example. 

Don't use that nasty neon green stuff that you can buy at stores that they call sweet and sour mix.  It's nastily sweet and reminds me of antifreeze.  Instead, mix up a batch of this and keep it in the fridge.  Your next margarita will thank me.

Housemade Sweet-and-Sour Mix
Makes 2 cups.

1/2 cup simple syrup
3/4 cup fresh lime juice
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup water

Mix all ingredients together and store in a jar or bottle in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Happy Memorial Day!

As you barbecue or pool party today, please take a moment to remember all who have given their lives for their country.

Green Garlic Butter

Wow.  It's been a while since I've posted.  No worries...I'll make it up to you in the next couple of weeks with some great recipes and tips I've been checking out.




I continue to learn that it really is the simple things that can make life more beautiful.  St this time of year, it's just a matter of walking around your yard to see the things that are in bud, in bloom or in some other stage of spring-ness.  (And don't worry if you not really the one with a green thumb...I'm betting others in your neighborhood are gardeners extraordinaire.  Take a walk around the block and enjoy their gardens vicariously!)

In the kitchen, especially at this time of year and through the summer, simple is better also.  This is not the time for complicated casseroles or multi-ingredient stews.  This is the time for the freshest vegetables you can find and make them magical with the easiest of additions.  Case in point...this garlicky, herb-flecked compound butter.  It transformed some mashed potatoes the other night, but would also be delicious on fresh corn, steamed green beans, or even tossed with a little pasta.

Green Garlic Butter
Makes about 1/2 cup.

1 stick unsalted butter, slightly softened
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/4 cup chives, chopped
(Substitute tarragon, cilantro, basil, oregano, rosemary, dill, whatever you like to switch things up a bit.)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Place the butter, garlic and herbs in a food processor and process until smooth.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

A Thought to Live By...

"I don't like gourmet cooking or 'this' cooking or 'that' cooking.  I like good cooking."--James Beard

Sometime Winnie the Pooh Says It Best....

"Rivers know this: There is no hurry. We shall get there some day."

Research Proves Why I Like the Hot Tub.....

I love my bathtub.  Warm to hot water with some bubbles. 

I also have my gym ritual.  Have to have enough time after my workout to chill out in the hot tub for a few.

And now I know that it's healthy.  A recent article in the research journal Complementary Therapies in Medicine says that soaking in warm water daily for 8 weeks is more effective at easing anxiety than a prescription.  Add essential oils and you benefit even more.  Sage? Sharpens memory.  Bergamot? Relieves stress.  Not to mention the fact that the steam helps opens those stuffy sinuses and the warm water soothes body aches.

Headed to the bath now....who's with me?

(Wait...that sounded wrong.)

Rules for Relaxing....

I don't know about you all, but the holidays...even with the time off from work...just aren't relaxing.  There's cooking, decorating, wrapping, shopping...you know the drill. I love them, but I've decided that it's about time for a day off for no reason.  I'm going to schedule it with my boss soon.

And then follow these do's and don'ts I found in an issue of Real Simple.

DO:

• Have a supply of your favorite snacks ready.  Nothing too decadent, but jellybeans or chocolate will do quite nicely.
• Order in every meal.  No cooking today.
• Rent at least three movies.
• Read a good book.
• Sit down in a comfortable chair, close your eyes, and listen to your favorite album...all the way through.
• Turn the phone off. 

DON'T:

• Do any chores or feel guilty that you're not completing a project.  No drawer rearranging or closet organizing today.
• Read the newspaper.  Isolation for a day won't kill you.
• Wash the dishes or do the laundry.
• Go to the gym.  A walk around the neighborhood is allowed...for relaxation sake. It can't be a workout.
• Look at e-mail...personal OR work.  While we're at it, no blogging, Facebook, Tweeting or anything online.  Turn your computer and your smart phone off.  Period.

I feel better already.

Thought for the Week....

Courtesy A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh...

"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think."

New Years Resolutions

OK...we all have made resolutions, right? Lose weight. Be kind. Stop smoking. All the usual suspects.

But who says resolutions have to aim high? What other more simple things might we do to make our lives less complicated? Sometimes the little things can be just as important, no? Here are a few suggestions:

• Download all the pictures in your digital camera to your computer. Heck, while you're at it, add them to your Flickr account to share with others.
• Throw out all your expired coupons...and put the good ones in your glove compartment so you actually have them when you need them.
• Audit your shower stall. get rid of any soaps, gels, shampoos and the like that you haven't used in a while.
• That stack of magazines you've been saving? You're never going to get to them. Eliminate at least half of them. And recycle of course...

What other tips/resolutions can you share with the rest of us? Post them in the Comments below.

The Godfather's Wine Advice

The beginning of a New Year is an opportunity to look back...and to look forward.  I think this article from Food & Wine magazine says some great things.  Cheers!

Why Black-Eyed Peas?

Most of us, especially my fellow Southern brethren, will dutifully fix our batch of black-eyed peas for New Year's Day. We've been taught they bring us good luck. But do we know why?

Southern Living says that the tradition dates back to the Civil War. After Union troops retreated from the South after much destruction, only black-eyed peas and greens were left...to serve as animal fodder. Rich in nutrients, these humble foods allowed Southerners to survive.

This idea of family and friends coming together gratefully to look forward hopefully to a New Year continues as we count down to 2012.

No Guilt Trick or Treating....

It's coming up in a couple of days.  The holiday where kids get candy and us adults sneak a piece or two from their plastic jack-o-lanterns after the young ones have gone to bed.

But don't worry...you can do it without feeling guilty.  (Except for the fact that you're...um....stealing.)

As to the calories though, don't worry too much about it.  A recent LSU study found that adults who ate about an ounce of candy a day on average tended to have smaller waists, a lower body mass index, and a lower risk of high blood pressure.

Would someone please pass me a Reese's?

Are They Insane?

Real Simple  magazine says that 53% of 16- to 22-year-olds would rather give up their sense of smell than their favorite personal technology device.  Hopefully, they can Tweet their way through the garden pictured.  Me?  I'll be stopping to smell the roses.

Words To Live By.....

"Gastronomical perfection can be reached in these combinations: one person dining alone, usually upon a couch or a hill side; two people, of no matter what sex or age, dining in a good restaurant; six people, of no matter what sex or age, dining in a good home."-M.F.K. Fisher, An Alphabet for Gourmets

Love this.  But it means that either we need to head out to a restaurant...or four of you need to come over NOW.

We Love Julia Child.

She always said the right thing...

"You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces--just good food from fresh ingredients."

Amen, Julia. Amen.

Mini Chores...Quick Successes

Sometimes we don't have the time or energy to deal with the big things on our chore list. Like cleaning out the fridge. Or reorganizing the file drawer. Or getting rid of things in that little-used closet.

But if you have five minutes, you can still accomplish something. These mini chores are perfect when you just have a little time. Resolve to do three or four of them a week and you'll start to peck away at the big things.

• Move random files on your computer desktop to the right folders.
• Water a plant or two and wipe dusty leaves with a damp paper towel.
• Pick up five things and put them where they belong.
• Wash your pet's water bowl.
• Clear off (and clean) the top of the refrigerator.
• You know that coffee mug filled with pens and markers by the phone? Yest each one and throw out the ones that are dried up.
• Get rid of three old items in your freezer.
• Audit your medicine cabinet. Dispose of expired prescriptions, sunscreens and OTC medicines.

The Rules of Summer Eating...

We are in the hellish throes of summer here in Texas. But I refuse to let it get me down. This is a great time of year for eating...fresh ingredients prepared simply. It's really the quintessential example of the Life Should Be Beautiful philosophy. Inspired by a recent article in Bon Appetit, here are the rules of summertime eating that we'll be following from now until mid-September.

• Be lazy. Summertime ingredients don't need much manipulation to be delicious. A ripe tomato slice needs just a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt to be sublime.
  And don't cook that corn. Cut it off the cob and toss with cherry tomatoes, lime juice, cilantro, olive oil, salt and pepper. Sprinkle with a little queso fresco. And dig in. Sounds like dinner to me.
• If you planted it and harvested it, it's going to taste better than if you'd bought it. Maybe it's a tomato, a pepper or some herbs. And if YOU didn't grow it, go buy it at a farmers market and get to know the farmer/family who did.
• Here are some classic summer combinations to celebrate: melon with a little salt (or prosciutto or feta...), ginger in lemonade, minced jalapeno and the juice of a lime on coleslaw or roasted corn.
• And when in doubt, eat a tomato sandwich. Toasted bread, a dollop of mayo, a few slices of tomato, salt and pepper. Open-faced. Now THAT'S summer.