What I Have Been Up To

Hello, gentle readers and visitors of my humble little blog. Let me start off by telling you that I greatly appreciate each and every view and I apologize for my absence.  While I have not been writing much lately, I have been cooking, and I would like to share with you photos and brief descriptions of a couple of dishes I have been enjoying. I will make them again, and will provide full recipes in October.  Thank You for your patience!  Enjoy!

Grilled Pounded Chicken Cutlets with fried sage leaves, red and white onions.  The top and bottom of the pita envelope is spread with a creamy champagne vinaigrette with feta cheese. THIS was tasty and tangy!

Sorry, folks. I am unsure how to turn that top photo around. But in it, I show you that I use fresh red onion, garlic, Fresno Chilis, a Serrano Chili, and a variety of spices, including: freshly ground cumin seed, Caribbean Jerk Spice, paprika, ground ginger, fresh ground coriander seed, a pinch of fennel seed, and dried garlic and onion (added at the end of braising).  I let my small roast sit out for about fifteen minutes at room temperature, covered with the rub. I seared it in my high-sided pot in Grapeseed Oil, followed by braising in homemade chicken stock, chilis, whole garlic cloves, and quartered red onions.  I also threw in a shallot I'd had hanging around.  I shredded after braising for two hours, and made tacos!  Incredible flavor!

Next........This was this week and one of my new favorites........

This is my marinated, grilled and sliced skirt steak (so tender!!!) over garlic and herb baguette, which was toasted and topped with an Italian cheese combination, and drizzled with Pomegranate glaze.  I served garlic, parm-cheese roasted broccoli. The skirt steak was marinated in extra virgin olive oil, fresh finely chopped garlic, paprika, Caribbean jerk spice (a new favorite), black pepper, cumin seed, and ground ginger. After about thirty minutes, I grilled the skirt steak.  I sliced it at an angle against the grain, and oh wow, how tender and sinfully tasty and fragrant it was!  Atop that toasted bread with melted cheese and pomegranate glaze drizzle, it was amazing.  The broccoli was roasted in evoo and fresh garlic, and topped with fresh grated parmigiano reggiano cheese. 

 This photo is from my first attempt at making this dish.  This is a great picture of the baby Klondike potatoes I used.  I boiled them first in salted water with two whole crushed garlic cloves (unpeeled) until fork tender, then fried in a tablespoon of evoo and a tablespoon of butter, with dried rosemary, garlic and dried thyme.  The potatoes soak up the flavors and seem creamy when you pop them into your mouth.  I done well there!

My second time making this dish, and the best attempt.  The skirt steak was even more tender than the previous time, the potatoes just as creamy and herbed, and the broccoli, crispy and garlicky. My friends' dinner service was just beautiful and perfectly clean, as if we were in a restaurant.  It felt very fancy.

I hope you have enjoyed viewing some of the recipes I have been working on.  Look for the full recipes between now and early October!  I am back to work (I am very lucky to have the summer off, so I had much time to play in kitchens and enjoy leisurely cooking) and have a very full schedule.  I appreciate your patience, and I look forward to posting the recipes soon!

Thank You!