Sage Cocktail

To help celebrate Jul 4, we made the best cocktail. I couldn't help but duplicate decorating the glass with the suggested garnish just like the recipe. The whole blackberry was good to eat after the drink went down. This would be a great drink to serve at Christmas not only for the colors, but for the warm and earthly flavor that would surely take the chill out of the bones on a cold night.

What caught my eye about this cocktail recipe was the simple syrup made from fresh sage, sugar, and water (and you probably know, we have a TON of fresh sage). And of course fresh blackberries as an ingredient reeled me in.

The recipe made a lot more syrup than we needed for two drinks. I put the rest of it in the fridge and now am trying to find other recipes where it can be used. No doubt that cocktail will be made a couple more times :).  The syrup keeps in the fridge for up to 30 days.

Today I added it to iced tea - surprisingly, it was so rich, earthy and good!! I wasn't sure if sage tea would be my "cup of tea", but it was spot on. It had a subtle sage flavor, and was really different.

I'd love to add it to a baked good of some kind if I had the time to figure out how to substitute it for other ingredients. The syrup would need to replace some liquid in the recipe, as well as any sweetener.

So I'm hooked on simple syrups because it's another way I can use my herbs. I'll make a few different syrups with some of our abundant mint or lemon verbena (or maybe basil?), which I think will be terrific in either cold or hot tea.

Just Peachy

Hardy and seedy bread touched with olive oil and broiled on both sides until crunchy.

Peaches lightly sauteed and glazed with a teaspoon or so of good maple syrup for a bit of earthy flavor.

Topped with a generous dollop of plain Greek yogurt and layered with whatever goodies I had on hand at the time - sweet dried cranberries and crunchy slivered almonds.

I was tempted to run over to Bed 32 and pluck some mint, basil, or lemon verbena to mince and scatter on top, but didn't have the time. Oh, that would have been yummy.

I just can't get enough of peaches right now. We bought a bunch a few days ago and they're ripe (but not too) sweet, fragrant, and juicy. We're eating them every day.

So good!

Avocado and Tomato Toast

I admit, I have a cookbook obsession. There's nothing more relaxing then spending time perusing my favorite cookbooks in an effort to prepare good, healthy meals.

Never mind the sad fact that I'm running out of bookcase space. I've always got a pile of cookbooks strewn about the office "in rotation" waiting for valuable real estate on the shelf. It makes no difference that I've also got a spectacular resource of hundreds of virtual recipes at my fingertips and therefore don't need to buy another cookbook as long as I live. Regardless, my cookbook (and recipe) obsession will go on to some degree.

I love my latest acquisition "Giada's Feel Good Food".  Lots of super healthy meals. The recipe I made last night, "Grilled Salmon and Pineapple with Avocado Dressing", was outrageously delicious.

I doubled the avocado dressing recipe because, just from looking at the ingredients, I knew I wanted to use the leftovers today. No one has ever accused me of not thinking ahead when it comes to food.

Super simple. Another one of my "toast" breakfasts. French baguettes sliced, brushed liberally with olive oil, and broiler toasted. Straight out of the broiler they were topped with dollops of the avocado dressing and sliced grape tomatoes and eaten warm. So good.

If you like avocados, you'll love this. The dressing is pretty thick, so I wouldn't say it could be used as a traditional salad dressing. Here's the recipe straight from the cookbook.

Avocado Dressing

1/2 avocado, diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh tarragon leaves
1 small clove garlic finely chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon anchovy paste
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in food processor. Add 2 tablespoons water and process until smooth. Put in bowl and cover for 15 minutes to 1 hour so the flavors blend.

Enjoy!

Breakfast

We bought a freshly baked crusty loaf of seeded bread from Whole Foods yesterday. I stood in front of the open fridge and perused shelves and veggie drawers for the freshest ingredients I could find….and there they were...several different herbs and some ricotta left over from making lasagna a few nights ago.

A crostini for breakfast…always good! I did something similar on this post here (umm, guess I could expand on my repertoire of crostini ingredients like this or this).

Delicious!!

Ricotta and Herb Crostini

1 slice of rustic bread

1 cup ricotta (I had whole on hand, but would be just as good with part skim)

1 packed and heaping TBL (or to taste) chopped fresh thyme

1 packed and heaping TBL (or to taste) chopped fresh parsley

1 packed and heaping TBL (or to taste) chopped fresh basil

A decent squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Salt and Pepper to taste

Olive Oil

Mix ricotta, herbs, lemon juice, salt and pepper by hand until well combined.  Set aside.

Brush both sides of bread with a little olive oil.

Broil in oven on both sides until toasted.

Remove toast from broiler and let rest for a minute.

Pile ricotta mix on top of toast.

Drizzle liberally with olive oil and sprinkle on a little more salt and pepper (if desired).

Eat it all up. 

In the summer this goes great with fresh fruit and works well for an easy brunch.

Rustic Turkey Soup

How was your Thanksgiving, my friends?

We spent a quiet day at home cooking, eating, relaxing, and engaging in an abnormal amount of food-related conversation. Our rotation of Christmas DVDs played on (didn't always watch, but it was nice to hear them in the background anyway). We called family members and a few friends to catch up. In between we drank cappuccino and hot chocolate. Nice.

We were kind of sneaky and munched as we cooked, so by the time the table was set the hubs and I were not that hungry (which didn't stop us from eating a little more anyway).

Besides turkey, we roasted carrots and parsnips, and brussel sprouts. We made dressing, cranberry sauce, gravy, and apple pie.

We had a lot leftovers!  As usual, even before the meal was over, I was thinking of ways to use all the savory sides and turkey in other yummy comfort dishes. I have an aversion to discarding food, so I always try to reinvent leftovers.

Each year most of the Thanksgiving leftovers make their way into a savory, herb soup for a lighter day of eating. Besides breakfast made with leftovers this year (a modified version via this Pin), the soup is pretty much all we eat the day after (and the day after that). It's so good with the caramelized and crusty roasted veggies.

Oh, and after the soup we have a little apple pie, of course!

Rustic Turkey Soup

(I didn't give specific quantities for every ingredient.
Use what you have in the quantities you prefer.
Cooking is all about improvising!)

Sauté garlic and onions in olive oil.
Add 3 cups low sodium chicken broth and 1 cup water. You may have to add more liquid later, depending on the quantity of your turkey meat and veggies.
Add any leftover gravy (this is what makes the soup rich and flavorful!).
Bring to boil.
Add leftover veggies (add fresh too if needed).
Add shredded turkey. We like a lot of turkey here.
Bundle up a thick bunch of your favorite fresh herbs in cheese cloth and tie off so they don't escape.
Submerge the herb bunch in the soup.
Season with salt and pepper to taste (we didn't add salt because the herbs pack a punch).
Bring to boil again.
Turn down heat and let simmer until thickened a little.
Remove herb bundle.
Ladle into bowls and while soup is still hot, top with crunchy home made croutons, shredded cheddar cheese, and springs of herbs (herb sprigs are optional, but they look pretty, don't they?)

Enjoy!!

Breakfast

I make this for breakfast a lot after working out in the morning. So good, quick and satisfying.

Drizzle a little olive oil on a slice of hardy bread and sprinkle it lightly with kosher salt.
Broil in the oven on one side until golden. Remove from oven and let sit for a minute or so.
Spread ricotta cheese on the toasted side.
Top cheese with a variety of chopped herbs and sliced Kalamata olives.

I prefer to use goat cheese, but at the time I only had ricotta on hand and it was still yummy.  I also switch up the herbs a lot, using whatever I have on hand (which is sometimes just one herb).

This is good in lots of different ways. Instead of olives I sometimes top with halved grape tomatoes that have been quickly sauteed in a few drops of olive oil over high heat. Or, another favorite if I've got a sweet tooth going on is to leave off the herbs and top the cheese with warm peaches (leave on the skin, slice, and saute for a few minutes in a tablespoon of water, teaspoon or so of honey, and a few whole cloves - just long enough to give the peaches a nice glaze, maybe 3-4 minutes - let cool a bit, remove cloves, and add to top of the cheese).

I have to admit, I miss the tiny garden we tended in the backyard of our previous suburban home.  Just a modest bounty with mostly herbs and a tiny collection of vegetables. Nothing beats fresh picked herbs and foods for simple and delicious day-to-day cooking. I miss trekking out to that little plot and collecting super fresh ingredients for a meal.

Not saying I don't love my condo life. I can't imagine living any other way now. But we sure do miss that little garden at this time of year!

Our balcony doesn't get enough sun to grow much - goodness knows I've tried!

Hooray for farmer's markets and well stocked grocery stores!

Rustic Baked Eggs

Last Sunday morning I made "Rustic Baked Eggs" - a recipe I jotted down a long time ago. It was scribbled on the back of a torn piece of paper and dropped in a stack of recipes that I've collected over the years.

I was looking for something that would use the ton of fresh herbs we have in the fridge, and this looked good and easy. Although next time I make it I'll use twice the amount of herbs it called for.

As I was getting ready to cook, I realized that the ingredients called for chopped Kalamata olives, but my hand-written recipe didn't indicate when they should be added. So I sprinkled them on top of the dish (pushed them down into the mix a little) as the last step before the final broiling. Cooking is all about improvising, no matter how small it might be!

Rustic Baked Eggs

2 Tbl full fat milk
2 Tbl heavy cream
5 Eggs
2 Tbl olive oil
1 minced clove garlic
4-5 Tbl chopped mix of fresh herbs, or to taste
Feta cheese, crumbled
Kalamata olives, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper (to taste - cheese and olives add saltiness so I went VERY light on salt)

In a small bowl combine olive oil, herbs, and garlic, set aside.
In a separate dish crack the eggs.
Put butter and cream in a shallow broiler proof dish. Sprinkle with salt.
Place milk mixture dish under preheated broiler and cook until bubbly (5 minutes or so).
Remove the pan from the broiler and immediately but gently drop in eggs one at a time equally around the top of the bubbling mix. Carefull not to break the yolks. Sprinkle eggs with salt and pepper.
Drop the herb mix on top of the eggs and spread around (careful not to break a yolk, like I did).
Sprinkle the cheese and olives on the top.
Broil until eggs are done to your liking - I went for 5 minutes but to me the eggs were too done so next time I'll reduce the cooking time.

We ate it with toasted, grainy bread (we love "Harvest" loaves from Whole Foods) and our favorite morning beverage, cappuccino.

It was DELICIOUS.

There are a ton of recipes for baked eggs on the web.

Here's a similar recipe from Ina Garten that's cooked in individual gratin dishes, which I really like. But she doesn't use Feta or olives, which to me make the dish, so I'd add them for sure.

Here's another, which looks almost the same as the recipe I have.

Simple

This week I made an easy recipe from Real Simple magazine that I think you'll love as much as we did - Linguine with Summer Vegetables and Goat Cheese. I'm addicted to creamy, sharp goat cheese and have been putting it on practically everything lately.

I can't pass by the cookbook section of any store without stopping for a quick peek at the newest publications. The other day I picked up "It's All Good", and I'm excited to make a meal this weekend with two recipes - Perfect Herbed Grilled Chicken, and, Mango & Avocado Salad with Balsamic-Lime Vinaigrette.

I don't buy many cookbooks anymore (I already have way too many, and, I only have SO much room in our tiny condo :), so before I bought it I spent a good 15 minutes reading it to be sure it would meet my needs, and it did...

The ingredients were mostly fresh and easily accessible at the grocery store.

There ingredient lists weren't too long.

The recipes weren't too complicated.

The recipes were healthy. 

From this book I've already tried for breakfast - An Olive Oil Fried Egg. So easy and good.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 organic egg

Coarse Sea Salt

Heat the olive oil in a small nonstick skillet over high heat. Have a lid for the pan at the ready. Have the salt crock within reaching distance.

Crack the egg into a small bowl (I found it easier to slip the egg into the hot skillet from the bowl rather than fumbling with cracking the eggs directly into the skillet - I cook two eggs at a time)

Slide the egg into the hot oil.

Immediately sprinkle on salt and cover with the lid.

It's going to crackle and sputter loudly beneath that lid, but that's OK. No peeking allowed (seriously, don't lift the lid because it's really popping in there).

Let it cook one minute. Yes, just one minute. A few seconds more and you'll get a semi-solid yolk.

Turn off the heat and let it calm down in there for a few seconds.

Immediately remove egg.

You can serve the eggs over any good left over base from last night's dinner - stir-fried veggies or quinoa (both recommended in the recipe). I think grilled veggies would be good.

Not having left overs that would work, I slipped the eggs over a patty of freshly made loose grits before sprinkling it all with cracked pepper.

Just around the edges of the egg is a crisp skirt which adds a wonderful crunch here and there. The yolk is creamy and lusciously dip-able, perfect for dunking a chuck of toasted nutty bread into.

Add a cup of cappuccino. Call it a morning.

Simplicity and good food. That's what cooking is all about for me.

Fresh

Summer! Fresh foods!

At our table over the 4th of July holiday...

French lentil salad (lentils, parsley, chives, baby spinach, carrot greens, shallots) topped with grilled whole carrots and Horseradish Greek yogurt sauce.

Raw Kale and Swiss Chard Salad.

This with some left over Swiss chard.

Watermelon and Ginger limeade.

So, so very good!

Poached

Late at night you'll find me throwing together breakfast and lunch for work the next day. Thinking of anything more complex than cereal to take for the morning meal makes me want to run from the kitchen screaming.

But on weekends it's all about good food. I often cook a big meal for breakfast - bacon and eggs and toast from whatever bread we have on hand. Sometimes I'll whip up whole grain pancakes or fried potatoes if we've got a baked one left over from yesterday's dinner. I usually add a side of fresh fruit to round it out. Just simple, good food that'll stick to my ribs until dinner comes around.

I tried my hand at poached eggs recently in an effort to "lighten up" breakfast. I'm not enamored with the cumbersome process of delicately dropping the egg into a swirling pot of not-quite-simmering-water so that the twirl catches the egg white and wraps it around the yolk just right while it's cooking. And then there's the perfect 3 minute timing required for the best yolkie goodness. But I do love the taste results. Delicious, and much lighter than frying (which is my usual method - in bacon grease if I've cooked it - that's the way my mom and grandmother did it...don't judge:).

And whatever you do, don't judge these eggs based on shape. It's my first attempt! They're certainly not the lovely smooth round cloud-like poached creations that are served up in restaurants (or even by someone who knows what they're doing), but they were done perfectly - rich, creamy yolk and a solid white. Pretty good!