Category: Eat

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An Amazing Mango Black Bean Salsa

Mango Black Bean Salsa
Mango Black Bean Salsa

I’m not exactly sure where this recipe originated otherwise I’d give credit to the genius that concocted it!  We had this salsa last weekend and it is totally awesome.  This recipe is the most recent addition to my list of healthy snacks to keep on hand along with hummus and good old regular salsa.

  • 16oz canned black beans, drained & washed (1 can)
  • 2 Mangoes, peeled & coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 Cup finely chopped Red Onion
  • 1 Jalapeno, stemmed, seeded and finely diced
  • 1/2 Cup coarsely chopped Cilantro
  • 1/2 Cup fresh Lime Juice
  • 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
  • Salt & freshly ground White Pepper

Combine the first 7 ingredients in a bowl.  Season to taste with salt & white pepper.

This salsa gets better the longer it sits as the flavors blend together.  The hardest part of this recipe is cutting up the mango.  If you’ve never cut one up before, the seed is shaped more or less like a disc and runs up and down, so the best strategy is to peel it first and then slice it lengthwise down the side trying to get as much of the flesh as possible.  It’s kind of like filleting a fish, so get the two sides off then try as best you can to slice the rest of the flesh around the seed.

The other thing that really makes this salsa visually appealing (that’s every bit as important as the taste of the dish itself!) is to wash the black beans after draining them.  Otherwise you’ll end up with a kind of gray residue that takes a little of the vibrancy out of the dish.

The recipe calls for white pepper, but you can use whatever you have on hand.  But the white pepper does have a different taste and compliments this dish perfectly, so if you’ve got it, I recommend using it over black or telicherry.

Enjoy and let me know what you think if you try it!

 

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Another Great Tilapia Recipe

With spring upon us, I’ve been turning my date night meal thoughts to seafood.  For me, the lighter fare seems to fit with the growing southern heat, instead of the heavy dishes I tend to gravitate towards in the fall and winter.  Also, I’m really trying to adjust my diet so that it’s more heavily weighted toward something healthier.  And when I find something that’s both tasty & reasonably healthy, I’m totally stoked since I get that gourmet meal feeling without the guilt of loading up on calories.

I also recently acquired an old counter-top electric grill and I’ve been wanting a good excuse to try it out.  So tonight, fish is back on the menu, specifically tilapia.  Easy to find, versatile, not fishy & relatively inexpensive is a combination that’s hard to beat.  We’re pairing the tilapia with asparagus and for dessert a bistro style dish of roasted pears and blackberries served with Greek yogurt.  Part of this meal is a slight variation of a Bobby Flay recipe and the other I ran across in Bon Appétit, served with my own twist.

Tonight’s Menu

Entreé: Grilled Tilapia with Lemon Butter and Capers, served over a bed of Orzo
Side Dish: Grilled Asparagus with Caper Vinaigrette
Beverage: with Savignon Blanc and, of course, La Croix sparkling water
Dessert: Roasted Pears & Berries, served with Greek Yogurt

The Flow

There are a couple “make in advance” parts to this recipe (my make in advance means before diner while Laree’s getting the kids to bed):  the lemon butter and the vinaigrette.  You’ll probably want to start with the lemon butter since it will need to spend some time on the stove.

You’ll also need a dessert strategy for this meal.  Since this is something you’re going to want to serve hot, you’ll need to decide if you want dessert cooking while you’re eating or if you want to wait and cook this after dinner.  It takes about an hour, mostly cooking time in the oven, so plan accordingly.

This is one of those meals in which there’s a lot going on even though it goes pretty fast, so it really helps to do some ingredient prep up front.  In preparation for cooking, take a stick of unsalted butter and cut it up and leave it out to warm to room temperature.  Go ahead and wash 4 tilapia fillets and pat dry and lay them out in a casserole dish or on a plate big enough to hold them.  Put that out of the way or in the fridge.  Chop up 1/4 cup of fresh parsley leaves as fine as you like & set aside.  This will get mixed in with the orzo for a nice contrast.   Drain 1/2 cup capers and set aside in a ramekin.  Drain another 2 tablespoons of them for the vinaigrette.  Trim enough asparagus for the meal and lay it out on a plate or something that you can pour oil over.  It’s really good so err on the generous side.  Organize your other ingredients.

Zest 1 lemon (I managed about a tablespoon and a half), juice it and one other and chop up a small shallot and combine, along with 1/2 cup white wine (I used the same Savignon we were drinking) in a saucepan cook over high heat until it’s reduced to about half.  Bring it to a medium boil since the highest heat will cause the liquid to froth up and you’ll have lemon zest all over the sides of your saucepan.

While that’s cooking whisk up the vinaigrette by taking 3 Tbs of white wine vinegar, 2 Tsp of Dijon mustard, 1/2 Tsp salt, 1/4 Tsp of (preferrably fresh ground) black pepper in a small bowl, then add 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of olive oil until it’s well mixed and stir in 2 tablespoons of drained capers.  Mix it up real good 🙂 and put the bowl in the fridge to chill.

If the lemon juice & wine mixture hasn’t reduced yet, go ahead and get a larger pot ready to boil the orzo.  If it has, take the saucepan off of the burner to let it cool.  10-15 minutes is fine. Then whisk together a couple tablespoons of heavy cream, the stick of butter and the wine mixture in a small bowl and season with salt & pepper.  Be careful, it splashes if you’re stirring it with a whisk.  Then stick it in the freezer to chill quickly.  Make sure the pot for the orzo is on and heating up and cook the orzo as soon as the water is ready.

Heat the grill to high heat.  I’m assuming you’re using a non-stick grill, but if not or if you’re grilling outside on a BBQ, you’ll want a fish basket for this so your fillets don’t tear up.  Brush the fish on both sides with olive oil and season with salt & pepper.  Toss the asparagus with the canola oil and season with salt & pepper.  Get the vinaigrette out of the fridge, make sure the colander is close at hand for the orzo, get the lemon butter out of the freezer so it can start to warm back up & get plates ready…

We’re going to go quickly from grill to plate.  When the orzo is cooked al dente (about 8 minutes), drain and toss with 3-4 tablespoons of the lemon butter, the parsley and some salt & pepper.  Grill the tilapia fillets 3-4 minutes on each side until they have a nice char pattern or are lightly golden.  Also, grill the asparagus until tender.  It will probably take about as long as the fish.  Plate the meal by making a bed of the orzo and placing the fillets on top.  Top each fillet with some of the lemon butter and some capers.  Serve the asparagus drizzled with the vinaigrette and scoop some capers over as well (they tend to sink to the bottom).  Serve with the beverage of your choice.  I suggest a sparkling water & glass of savignon blanc.

Dessert

The original recipe for this is from the March 2011 Bon Appétit, but I modified it a bit since I liked the concept, but not the actual recipe in the magazine.

Mix the sugar and the vanilla extract until well combined.  You can do this with a bowl and a fork.  Pre-heat the oven to 425°F.  Generously butter a baking sheet or cake pan.  Toss the pears, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of the vanilla butter in a bowl or ziploc bag until well coated.  Place pears, 1 cut side down, in the baking dish & roast for 20 minutes.  Turn pears to the other side down, sprinkle with 2 more tablespoons and roast another 20 minutes.  Turn pears skin side down, sprinkle with another tablespoon of sugar and broil until they begin to caramelize.  Toss berries with 2 tablespoons sugar, arrange around pears and broil until berries begin to release their juice.

Server pears and berries, with juices, and top with dollop of Greek yogurt.

The Ingredients

Tilapia

Tilapia – 4 fillets, usually about 1-2 lbs
Lemons – 2, zest one of them and juice both of them
Parsley leaves – 1/4 cup
shallot – 1, small, finely chopped
White wine – 1/2 cup
Splash of heavy cream or Half & Half
Butter – 1 stick, unsalted
Olive oil – 3 tablespoons
Capers – 1/4 cup, drained
Orzo – 1/2 lb
Salt & Pepper (preferably freshly ground)

Asparagus

Asparagus – enough to eat, try 1 lb
Olive Oil – 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons
Canola Oil – enough to toss asparagus, try 2 tablespoons
Capers – 2 tablespoons, drained
White Wine Vinegar – 3 tablespoons
Dijon mustard – 2 teaspoons
Salt & Pepper (preferably freshly ground)

Dessert

1 cup sugar
1/8 tsp vanilla extract
2 Bosc pears, quartered and cored
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
A handful of frozen berries (Blackberries, Blueberries & Raspberries is common)
Plain Greek Yogurt

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Sun Dried Tomato, Basil and Feta Bruschetta

Quick & Simple

When I’m looking for a quick and simple appetizer for dinner, a bruschetta seems to be my go to option these days.  Probably because this is like a favorite pair of jeans that you can dress up or dress down depending on the mood and what ingredients that I have on hand.

My Newest Recipe

I threw this together last night just on a whim and it turned out great.  I love the flavors of sun-dried tomatoes, basil & feta cheese.  I also did this same thing with Gorgonzola and it was equally as good.

  • 1 baguette or loaf of French bread (depending on what size you want your bruschetta)
  • Olive Oil
  • Sun dried tomatoes (the kind in the jar in oil work great!)
  • Fresh Basil
  • Feta Cheese (I prefer the feta that comes in brine, but any will do)
  • Kosher Salt
  • Pepper (preferably fresh ground)

Directions

The directions for this boil down to putting the ingredients in a bowl, season to taste and then put on the baguette slices.  But here’s my attempt at something that at least sounds a little more official…

Slice baguette diagonally into slices between 1/2″ – 1″ thick (this really depends on how you like it).  Slice as many slices as you plan on eating.  If I’m making a date night appetizer for 2, that usually means 8-10 slices.

Arrange baguette slices on a baking sheet and brush tops completely with olive oil.  This creates a moisture barrier that keeps the juices of the bruschetta toppings from making the bread soggy.

Bake in a 400° oven until crispy, but not burned.  If you’re in a hurry, you can broil the baguette slices, but you really need to keep an eye on them so they don’t burn.

While you’re waiting on the little toasts, you basically want to prep the bruschetta toppings by putting the sun-dried tomatoes, chopped basil and feta in a bowl and season to taste.  I usually use about the same amounts (measured by mass, not weight) of each of the three, but this is where you want to eyeball it.  For me that usually works out to 3-4 forkfuls of sun-dried tomatoes, about 1/2 of the basil that comes in one of those pre-packaged fresh herbs packets at the grocery store and 3-4 spoonfuls of feta for my 8-10 slices.  Chop up the basil.  If you’re using the sun-dried tomatoes in oil, there will probably be enough oil dripping off the tomatoes to moisten the mix.  If not, drizzle a little olive oil in the bowl.  Don’t forget the salt & pepper.  Stir to mix and spoon on the baguette slices.  Arrange in some cool pattern on an aesthetically pleasing serving dish and serve with wine.  You’ll thank me.

The beautiful thing about this fast & easy recipe is that if you’re running short of topping for your slices, you can mix up more on the fly!

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The Best Chi Tea Recipe I’ve Found

Try Chi! A Classic Recipe for Chi Tea

I have recently been thoroughly enjoying a re-discovery of Chi Tea.  Yea, I know it’s been all the rage at coffee shops all over the place for what, years now?  And I’ve tried it too, and never really got it until I ran across this recipe and made my own.  I think the difference is the milk.  It’s just not the same with water…

Here’s What You Need:

  • Cardamom pods (really just the seeds from 2 of them)
  • Star Anise
  • Cinnamon stick (I use half if they’re long like the one in the picture above)
  • Black Peppercorns
  • Cloves
  • Black Tea
  • Fresh Ginger
  • Water
  • Milk
  • Some kind of strainer (yes, you need it)

Here’s What You Do

To make your chi tea, Bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a small pot.  While you’re waiting on the water to boil, use a mortar and pestle (anyone know which is which?) to grind up the seeds from 2 cardamom pods, 1/2 cinnamon stick, 1 star anise, 2 black peppercorns and 3 cloves.  You don’t have to make them powder, just smash ’em up real good.  When the water boils, add 1 cup milk, heat to boil, remove from heat and dump in the spices, 3 teaspoons of black tea and one slice of fresh ginger.  Steep for 3 minutes and then strain into 2 teacups (or 1 really big cappuccino cup).

You certainly can boil the milk & water at the same time, but I found that sometime the milk will scald the bottom of the pot and make cleanup a pain.  And I’m all about easy clean-up.

Why Should You Like Chi Tea?

Well, aside from the obvious fact that it’s delicious and totally rocks, there’s evidence that cardamom counters oxidative stress and enhances the function of natural killer cells, and may even play a role in preventing certain cancers.  So get yourself on the chi tea band wagon with this awesome recipe.  You’ll thank me.

Another Freebie Tip…

Spices can be expensive.  But I’ve found if your grocery store has a good selection of Mexican/Latino foods, you can usually find spices there for sometimes half the price of the McCormick’s and Spice Island stuff in the traditional spice aisle.  Look around… you might save a few bucks.

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Eat

The Best Greek Salad Dressing I’ve Found!

We’re still trying to eat a little healthier and going after some lighter fare for our Date Nights.  Not that we’re totally eating diet food, but we are trying to scale back on the butter rich appetizers and heavy red meat and sauce reductions!  So for our Date Night Dinner this Saturday evening, we went with a little Mediterranean fare starting with a Greek salad.  That’s what I want to talk about here.

Dinner was baked Greek-style fish and roasted baby red potatoes, but that was as easy as it gets…  Baked 4 fillets of tilapia coated in olive oil & Cavendars Greek Seasoning on 450° for about 10 minutes (for 1 inch thick fillets) and also roasted a handful of quartered red potatoes (also prepared in olive oil and Greek Seasoning). Brutally easy and really good.  That’s a recipe for success!

But the salad was noteworthy because of the salad dressing.  I’ve been trying out a variety of salad dressings for a while for Greek salads, both store bought and prepared from scratch and I’ve been yet to approximate any of the red wine vinegar dressings that I really like.

There’s the dressing from Nabeel’s that totally rocks.  Then there’s one of my all time favorite red wine vinegarettes from Leonardo’s.  It doesn’t get any better than that.  Then there’s one of my new favorites at Joe’s Italian.  It’s in the same league.  But my homemade versions and Newman’s own (despite the contributions to charity) just aren’t there.

So I was poking around on-line for something that might work, since I was really in the mood for a good salad and ran across what is now going to be my “go to” house dressing on allrecipes.com.

Here’s the recipe, and you can also link to it on allrecipes.com and while you’re there, check out the totally cool feature that lets you scale this recipe up or down as you need (in my case I made 4 servings):

  • 3 tablespoons and 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard (I didn’t have any Dijon-style, so I used some spicy brown mustard.  It was great and I imagine it will be even better next time when I make it with the Dijon style!)
  • 1/4 cup and 1 teaspoon red wine vinega

And here’s a little something that’s very cool on AllRecipes.com:

We topped this off with a dessert of Greek Style yogurt and honey.  That makes for a lighter and really delicious finale to a great Mediterranean Date Night Dinner.  Bon Apetite!

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A Post Holiday Date Night Dinner

After eating so heavy throughout the holidays, I’m always ready to try some lighter fare in January and this weekend we’re back to seafood.  We had a pretty busy Saturday so that meant by the time we got around to talking about dinner, it was after 4:00 in the afternoon and I went for my “go to” meal of tilapia.  I’m calling the entree Pan-Seared Panko Tilapia.  We often have grits as a side dish for seafood, but I’ve been itching to try my hand at a soufflé, so I attempted a Pepper Jack Cheese Grits Soufflé and then added an Arugula Salad.

I’ve been on this appetizer kick for a little while so I wanted something that was light but had a little kick to it.  As I wandered around the grocery store, I thought some bruschetta would be just the thing, so I cobbled together some stuff to make a Spicy Shrimp & Arugula Bruschetta.

Appetizer: Shrimp & Arugula Bruschetta

This is one that I totally made up while walking around the grocery store.  It has a southwestern flare to it and a bit of a kick.

  • 1 Baguette or some french bread
  • Some Olive Oil
  • Enough shrimp for 2 people preferably peeled and deveined (I used 1/4 pound and it was just about right… remember, this is an appetizer.  If you go with the french bread over the baguette, you’ll need a little more of just about everything since the slices are bigger.)
  • About 1/2 can Lime & Cilantro Ro*Tel (yep, right out of the can, drained)
  • A handful of Arugula (slightly chopped)
  • Salt & Pepper (preferably course kosher salt & freshly ground pepper)
  • Some white wine

I prepared the bruschetta before even thinking about getting the main dinner together.  I’ve started doing this with the appetizer so we could decompress from the “getting the kids down” ritual and take the edge off our appetite.  Especially since I knew this evening it would take a little while to cook the main course.  Not to mention it’s better not to drink the wine on an empty stomach if I want dinner to turn out decent!

Slice the baguette diagonally into about 8-10 pieces or however many you think you’re going to eat for the appetizer.  Brush each piece with olive oil and arrange on a baking sheet.  We’re going to bake these at 350° until just before they turn brown (keep an eye on them!).  The olive oil forms a kind of protective coating so the juices of the topping don’t get them soggy.

In a small frying pan, heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil and saute the shrimp (peeled and deveined) until pink.  Add a little kosher salt & pepper to the shrimp while sauteing.  Remove to a plate for a few minutes.  We’re going to add it back once we’ve cooked the other ingredients and we’re going to chop them up a little, so get a cutting board ready.  Add the drained Ro*Tel to the pan and swish it around a bit with the oil.  Pour in some white wine, around 1/4 cup, and let it reduce, stirring it around.  As it reduces but isn’t yet dry, add the shrimp back (chop it up a little into chunks if you haven’t already), and add the arugula (it should be coarsely chopped too).  Sometime while you’re doing this you’ll need to take the baguette slices out of the oven and set aside (keep a hot pad ready!).  Toss ingredients together until the arugula is slightly wilted, then remove from heat and spoon over the baguette slices.  Arrange them on some cool looking serving dish and serve with a white wine like a savignon blanc.

Main Dish: Pan Seared Tilapia with Pepper Jack Grits Soufflé

The Grits

First I’m going to prep the grits since they will bake for around 40-45 minutes.  This was a challenge for me since all the recipes I found for a similar souffle made a lot… usually calling for at least a cup of grits.  If you’ve never cooked grits before, that’s a ton of grits.  For my purposes, I’m cooking for two, so here’s my modified version.  You’ll probably need to play with it a little and it still makes too much.  I just threw the extra away.

Soufflés are basically made using egg yolks and egg whites to make the dish puffy and light.  So the basic process is to make the grits, add the flavoring of your choice (in this case pepper jack cheese flavor) then the beaten egg whites and bake until fluffy.  If it were always that simple…

  • 1/2 cup grits
  • 1 1/2 cup water
  • salt
  • 1/4 stick of butter
  • 1/2 cup pepper jack cheese (more or less to taste)
  • 2 eggs, separated
  • Dash of cayenne pepper (if desired)
  • Some 1 cup ramekins, greased (custard dishes will do, but ramekins look a lot better)

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Cook the grits per the package directions.  I used Quaker grits with the 2 serving directions and it was still too much.  Cook the grits until smooth.  Add butter, pepper jack cheese and egg yolks (and cayenne if desired).  Remove from heat and stir until smooth.  Let the grits cool while you prepare the eggs.    Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form but they are not dry.  After the grits have cooled for a few minutes, gently fold the egg whites in, but don’t mix too much.  Spoon grits mixture into the ramekins, place them on a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes until puffy and golden brown on top.  Keep an eye on them, every oven is different.  This will probably make around 6 ramekins with grits left over.

The Fish

While the grits are baking, prepare the fish.  I’ve found that 4 fillets at the grocery store is fine for 2.  Sometimes we have a fillet left over and sometimes we don’t.  Tilapia is great because it’s a mild fish that most folks like and it’s also usually pretty cheap at the super market.  Smell it before you buy though.  Don’t be embarrassed to ask.  Trust me, you don’t want to eat fishy fish for your date night dinner.

  • 4 Tilapia fillets
  • Olive oil
  • Panko bread crumbs
  • White Cornmeal
  • Parmesan cheese (plain old grated Kraft will do just fine)
  • Cracked fresh pepper
  • Some buttermilk or a couple egg whites (whichever you happen to have on hand… this is for the wash to coat the fish)
  • Lemon slices (for the garnish)

You can bake or pan fry this dish, but tonight I pan seared it because I wanted to little more of a crunch to the fish.  I guess that kind of matched the appetizer and also is a sort of balance for the fluffy grits and the salad.

Wash the tilapia and pat it dry with paper towels.  When the grits have about 10-15 minutes, add a few tablespoons of olive oil to a frying pan and heat over medium to med-high heat.  Combine roughly equal parts of the panko bread crumbs and the cornmeal.  Probably 1/3 cup of each will do for 4 fillets, but you basically want to have enough to coat the fish.  Add about half as much grated Parmesan cheese along with enough cracked fresh pepper to where you can see the specks and mix it all up in a bowl or something that is big enough to make sure you can evenly coat the fillets.  I usually use a glass pie shell, which is convenient since it doesn’t take up too much space in the dishwasher.  Soak the tilapia fillets (I usually do 1 or 2 at a time) in either a bowl of buttermilk or beaten egg whites to coat thoroughly.  Dredge the fillets in the panko/cornmeal/Parmesan cheese mixture until evenly coated on both sides and pan sear for 3-4 minutes on each side or until the fish is thoroughly cooked.  The breading should be slightly golden brown and crispy.  Remove to a plate with a paper towel.  Sear remaining fillets.

The Salad

This salad is probably too simple.  Just some Arugula, some fresh grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (you can use the stuff out of the shaker, but for presentation the fresh grated looks and tastes much better), and the salad dressing of your choice.  For this recipe I prefer Brianna’s Real French Vinaigrette (the one with the artichoke on the front), to me it’s the perfect compliment for the peppery arugula.

Then plate, serve and enjoy, again with that same Savignon Blanc if you have any left over after the appetizer and make it a Date Night!

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Steak Night with a Twist

Do you ever feel like you’re in a rut?

It seems like Laree & I have been in a “steak night” rut for quite a while.  In fact, it seems like since school started in the fall, that we haven’t gotten caught up and that our Saturdays have been packed with either projects that didn’t get done during the week or with some of the activities that we’re over-committed to that my usual ritual of thumbing through the latest issue of Bon Apetite for recipe ideas has gone totally by the wayside.  So, as you can probably imagine, we get to 5:00 on Saturday evening & we are looking at each other saying, “What do you want to do for date night?”

Sure, we’ve been through some ruts before, like the “Chinese Take Out” rut and the “Let’s Just Have Fish Again” rut, but those are usually short lived.  But it seems like this fall we’ve really been through a long rut… Steak Night.  I guess part of the longevity of the steak night rut is that we both really love a good steak and if you’re going to have a fall back routine, throwing a steak on the grill isn’t a bad one.  But after what seems like many weeks now, as much as I love steak, I’m starting to yearn for a different experience, or at least something to kick it up a notch.

And so, again around 5:00 on Saturday, when I finally remembered to think about our Date Night I had my yearning for something different.  And again, no time to prep.  The conversation goes something like this:

“Have you thought about what you want for date night?” (as if to say, “hey, I’ve been racking my brain and haven’t come up with anything”. Yea, right!)
“Hmmm, I don’t know… Let’s think…”
“Well, we could always do steaks again.”
“You know I always love a good steak.”
“Ok, let’s just do steak.  What do you want with your steak…”
And so it continues…

And again, I find myself at the neighborhood grocery store wandering around, with no plan, thinking about what would go with steak that we haven’t already had too many times.  And so, I had an idea that turned out pretty good and kicked it up a notch.

First, I have to say that in addition to our steak rut, we’ve been in a sweet potato rut.  It’s like the domino effect.  We love steak and so that’s the fall back plan.  And in my opinion, nothing goes with a steak quite like a sweet potato, they become the secondary fallback plan.  I usually like to bake a sweet potato in the oven at 400 degrees for something like a hour and 15 minutes until it’s totally mushy inside.  Kind of the standard approach.  Did that last week.

This week we’re still going to do sweet potatoes, but tonight I’m going to cut them in chunks and season with cinnamon sugar and rosemary.  There’s a nice fall balance there to go with the season.  I’m going to drop my chunks from 2 sweet potatoes (after I’ve skinned them) into a large freezer bag.  I’m using canola oil tonight instead of my usual olive oil, because I think the olive oil clashes a little with the cinnamon.  Then I’m going to season liberally with both the cinnamon sugar (just cinnamon is fine too but I want to get them extra sweet) and rosemary leaves.  Then I’ll place them on a baking pan in the middle rack of my oven and bake them on 400 degrees until they get a dark brown crispy crust in places, usually about 25 minutes or so.  Keep watching them so you get the texture and color how you like. This part is totally personal preference.  Don’t forget to shake the pan a couple times during cooking, just to rough them up a bit.

Asparagus with Pancetta

Since my mom always taught me to have something green, and because green contrasts so nice with the orange of the potatoes and the brown char-grilled steak, I’m adding asparagus to tonight’s lineup.  I love oven roasted asparagus with a little olive oil, kosher salt & cracked pepper, but tonight I’m going to add a little twist.  I picked up some pancetta in the deli section.  Pancetta is basically an Italian bacon and it’s pretty expensive per pound, but I’m just getting enough, sliced paper thin but not falling apart, to wrap around the stems of my asparagus, probably something like 3 oz or 15 slices.   This is going to lend a nice subtly smokey flavor to my asparagus.  I’m simply going to roll them around the stems of my asparagus – they’re not big enough to wrap the entire asparagus and that’s not the look I want anyway – sprinkle them with kosher salt & fresh cracked pepper, and bake them when my potatoes are done for about 10-15 minutes, again depending on how much you want them done.  I like them before the asparagus starts to turn brown from baking and still have a little crunch to them.

As for the steaks, that’s simple.  I usually buy supermarket steaks and I prefer ribeyes, but I’ll take a New York Strip too and if the cut is good, maybe they’re an inch thick.  Grill those guys over a layer of gray charcoal for 4 minutes on each side for medium rare (my preference) or 5 minutes for medium (Laree’s preference).  Remember, different grills cook differently and it depends a lot on the thickness of the steaks.  Just find your sweet spot and remember it.

I’ve started the potatoes as soon as i got back from the store and could get them cut up.  They take the longest.  Then I can lend Laree a hand getting the kids down early.  I know my coals will take about 25 minutes to get good and hot and that’s good for some talk time with Laree.  I’ll plan on putting the asparagus in just before I actually start cooking the steaks.  We’re hungry & have a little time to kill, so I’m thinking appetizer!

My Antipasto Board

Here’s something you may want to try, or take the idea and run with it.  I’m going to surprise Laree with an antipasto board tonight.  Since she loves pickled stuff, I’m going with a sweet and sour idea.  Some sweet baby gherkin pickles, some kalamata olives (both out of the jar) and some extra sharp white cheddar cheese squares (the supermarket was a little weak on artisan cheeses tonight).  I arranged these guys in nice little piles on a wooden cutting board for a nice rustic look. Make sure to put the pickles and olives on a paper towel first to absorb the juice.  We don’t want a big puddle on the cutting board taking away from the effect!

Add a red wine with some kick to it like a Cabernet Sauvignon and a bottle of San Pellegrino or whatever sparkling water you prefer, a couple candles, and whatever playlist you think fits the mood (tonight mine is Norah Jones and Alison Krauss) and make it a Date Night!