Category Archives: Uncategorized

Salmon Lox Pasta with Roasted Pine Nuts, Parsley and Artichokes

Every year during the holidays, my office receives a few boxes of smoked salmon lox as presents. They are too cumbersome for my co-workers to take home so I often end up with them, usually giving one to a friend who is going home for the holidays, and either serving the other one at a party or coming up with interesting recipes. This year we decided to make half of it into a pasta dish.

Salmon lox topped farfalle with artichokes, pine nuts and parsley in a lemon and wine cream sauce. Drool.

Salmon lox topped farfalle with artichokes, pine nuts and parsley in a lemon and wine cream sauce. Drool.

It was fun to play with the salmon’s pretty color and combine it with the earthy color of roasted pine nuts and the striking green of parsley. We began by sauteing garlic and onions and simmering a quarter cup of white whine and some lemon juice. Lemon rind was added for additional zest. Continue reading

Churros Con Chocolate at Casa Aranda, Malaga, Spain

Growing up in what was a Spanish colony for 300 years, one would think that I would have grown up with ready access to churros con chocolate, but I didn’t. There was one restaurant I knew I could get it (Dulcinea), but other than that, if I craved churros, I had to make it myself, which I did once when I got my first pastry bag and decorating
tips. I deep-fried some curled and etched batter and dusted it with sugar and ate it heartily. There was no time for chocolate.

Churros dipped in thick, rich chocolate. Drool.

A week or so ago we were in Malaga, Spain, looking desperately for what was to be our first meal of the day. The first open restaurant we saw that Sunday was still warming up when we ran into a very crowded street cafe. The cobblestones were lined with discarded tissues, wax paper and cigarette butts. To and from the kitchen busy waiters
carried cups of chocolate and plates of gigantic churros and we found ourselves a table to share some treats.

Out came three cups of chocolate and a steel plate of churros which we dipped and ate. The chocolate was thick, rich, and not so sweet. The churros were not sweetened and were simply deep fried large loops of donut dough. We fell in love and wanted to stay there all day but the cafe was closing at noon. With warm bellies we got up from our seats and walked around until we got hungry for our next tapas meal at El Marisquero. Continue reading

Stuffed Peppers and Zuchini Boats

Do CSA shares rock? Of course they do, especially if you don’t pay for them. 🙂 We’ve had some friends take vacations coinciding with their CSA pickup dates and we’ve diligently made use of their haul. This dish came about because of the desire to use the amount of produce we had accumulated in our fridge from these harvests.

Dinner tonight: Stuffed pepper, stuffed zuchini, and a side of greens and beets.

These stuffed peppers and zuchini boats used our pepper and zuchini stash all in one blow. Otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to realistically use all of that bulk.

The filling of ground meat is browned along with onions, seasoning, and carrots and diced peppers for color. Continue reading

Dog Onesie From A Shirt Sleeve

When I got my dog, I promised to never be one of those dog owners who dressed up their pets in ridiculous outfits. But Cooper the schnoodle got spayed the other day, and promptly began licking her stitches. To avoid having her wear a cone (an Elizabethan collar), I decided to see if a body suit would help keep her away from opening up her incision.

I grabbed an old long-sleeved shirt and cut it according to her body length and appendage locations. Continue reading

We’re On Vacation!

I know, it seems like forever but I’m going to be in Asia for a month. But I’m gathering more material for DJ! 🙂  See you soon!

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