50th Birthday Celebration

 

I had a great birthday, and thank you all for the warm wishes! Everyone is great to take time out of their day to say "happy birthday".

Here I am ready to dash out the door on my way to Chez Panisse in Berkeley. First, a rice cake with peanut butter, a glass of A. Margaine Premier Cru champagne, a gift from the owner of Vintage Wine Merchants in Santana Row.

And what is that box I am holding? It is a wireless 2 terabyte external hard drive for my computer! Who said diamonds are a girl's best friend?

I started the day with a 60 minute, very long walk on the stair mill, then a very long shower and steam. My club has a full service salon and spa, so the locker room is fairly luxurious.

Then home for two fried eggs and real toast. I honestly do not recall the last time I ate that, and I enjoyed it quite a bit!

We then drove to Berkeley where a woman walking by took our picture as we stood in front of Chez Panisse.

I started with a glass of Cremant du Jura, Andre et Mirelle Tissot, France while David had a Dolin Vermouth de Chambery. Coop had a D'Arbo sour cherry fruit soda.

Pictures are a bit dark as I didn't want to bother anyone in the restaurant with a flash.

For my first course I had Cardoon and radicchio salad with anchovy, garlic and egg.

David had baked Andante Dairy goat cheese with garden lettuces and Cooper had a Pizzetta with wild mushrooms and gremolata.

Two glasses of 2009 Muscadet de Cotes de Grand-Lieu, La Noe, Eric Chevalier.

A woman sat down in the booth right behind me and I said "Guys! That's Alice Waters! (the founder of Chez Panisse), and they said "no it's not!" Then we heard one of the other women say "So Alice, tell us about your.....

Cooper's eyes got big, it was her, enjoying lunch there right behind us.

David managed to get an autographed menu for me, wishing me a happy 50th, from Alice Waters!

Then I had local clams and mussels with saffron, leeks, and romesco sauce.

It was stunning, as you can see, I cleaned my plate.

David had fried Petrale sole with root vegetable slaw, roasted potatoes, and remoulade sauce.

Cooper had grilled Magruder Ranch pork leg with fried shoestring potatoes, charcroute rouge, apples, and juniper.


Two glasses of 2009 Touraine Rouge, Francoise Chidaine, France.

For dessert, I had a wonderful bittersweet chocolate marjolaine with cognac creme anglaise (and I am still paying for the cream, 5 hours later...damn!)

David had candied Meyer lemon ice cream with citrus compote and madeleines.

Cooper had a bowl of Churchill-Brenneis Orchards Page mandarins and Bahri dates. (He said they were the best tangerines he ever had and loved the dates, they were like none I had ever tried).

Two cups of Blue Bottle Coffee Company Chez Panisse House Blend coffee and we were done.

Done and done in. 2 hours it took, sheer bliss the entire time. It was wonderful! Then David bought me Alice's new cookbook called "In the Green Kitchen (autographed too, how convenient that she was there on my birthday!).

I told Cooper that this would be a good book for him to take when he moves out. It has the basics of creating wonderful, healthy meals. He liked this idea, he enjoys Chez Panisse quite a bit.

But, we had our sites on dinner so trooped across the street to Andronico's for fresh favas and asparagus, I would make poached salmon in herb broth, but I will write about that later.

Maybe when I retire I will become a restaurant reviewer? As you can tell, I pour my heart and soul into everything I love!

If you have never tried the Chez Panisse cafe, yet you love fresh, local, simple foods prepared so the true flavors shine, this is the place to go. I first took David here for his birthday over 25 years ago, and we have been returning time and again.

Cooper was first at the "fancy" downstairs restaurant when he was 3 weeks old, they welcomed him (and breast feeding mom) with open arms. At one point, David took him to the foyer because Cooper was crying, and we didn't want to disturb others. The waiter took David's meal away, and as soon as he sat down he brought him a new plate, freshly prepared and hot.

Chez Panisse cares about food and they care about people. Please try it someday, it will become a special place for you too.

Halibut Soup

I love soup! I made this and enjoyed it quite a bit. It is an adaptation from a recipe from my cookbook "Gourmet Nutrition" by Dr. John Berardi.

I love his recipe but didn't have all the ingredients and I rarely run to the store for something when a craving hits, I just make due with what I have.

So how did I make this?

I first started out by hitting the fish market on the way home from work for some halibut, one of my favorites. Then I went home and looked in the fridge to see what jumped out at me.

I sauteed some chopped onion in coconut oil, then added garlic, smoked Spanish paprika and a few tablespoons chicken broth.

I added a few cups more chicken broth and an 1/8 cup quinoa and then simmered about 10 minutes, until the quinoa was cooked.

I added some chopped carrots, some peas and lots of chopped dried kelp. The kelp is a fantastic flavor! Then I let is simmer about 5 minutes.

I sauteed my halibut in a separate pan until just cooked through and then poured the soup into a huge bowl, pulled the fish apart into large chunks and added it to the soup.

Soup is so easy to make, by using some strong flavored ingredients such as onions, garlic and paprika, you are guaranteed a great broth.

The peas and quinoa serve as the starch, get used to eating your soups without bread!

Pizza and Clowns

I think a lot of people may tell you I am a clown. I love to laugh, have a good time, life is too damn short to be serious about almost everything.

Here I am in the kitchen, it's Pizza day, I am making pizzas for David, he is in hog heaven, he lives for pizza day.

I make my own dough, it has to be started the day before so it can gently rise. The secret is .00 flour imported from Italy, that is really super fine flour that gives the crust a crispy texture.

If you make pizza correctly, it really isn't unhealthy. A thin crust, crushed San Marzano tomatoes spread judiciously, a few ounces of buffalo mozzarella, some basil from the garden and a sprinkle of salt and a drizzle of olive oil.

Into the 500 degree oven for about 10 minutes and then a stunning pizza!

Oh and the clowns? I read a short blurb in the paper that just made me wonder what on earth is going on!

In June, Britain's traveling John Lawson's Circus announced a series of counseling sessions for people who avoid circuses for fear of clowns. "Coulrophobia" is reportedly Britain's third-leading phobia, after spiders and needles.....

WTF?

Pizza anyone? Stick with me, we don't need no stinking clowns!

Curry Peanut Soup

Sunday afternoon it was rainy and I was in the mood for soup.  I love soup, it can warm the soul and fill the belly.

I cut this recipe out of the December issue of Oxygen magazine because it had something in it I love: Peanut Butter! It also costs $1.12 per serving, pretty darn cheap if you ask me!

I LOVED it!! I had it for meal #4 and will have it for dinner the next day. Of course, I made some changes and I will tell you about that once I write the recipe here.

Keep in mind that the nutritional breakdown is an estimate (from the magazine), because nothing is weighed, it cannot be exact. Unless you are in competition prep mode, there is no need to concern yourself with the fact that this is not exact. And, anyone in prep wouldn't be able to eat this anyway!

Makes 12 servings, ready in 40 minutes

2 Tbsps low sodium soy sauce
1 onion, chopped
2 small sweet potatoes, diced (I peeled mine)
1 large carrot, cut into half moons
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 lb small shrimp, cleaned and deveined
1 15 oz can crushed tomatoes
32 oz low-sodium vegetable broth
1 15 oz can low sodium garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped, fresh cilantro
3 Tbsps natural peanut butter
2 tsps curry powder

Heat 1/2 cup water and soy sauce in a large pot.

Add onion and sweet potatoes, cook 5 minutes over high heat, stir occasionally.

Add carrot, celery and red pepper. Cover and cook 3 minutes, stir occasionally.

Add shrimp and cook until white, 5 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes, stock, beans and cilantro.

Blend peanut butter with 1/3 cup water and curry powder, add to soup.

Stir to mix well, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Serve in 1 cup servings.

Calories 140
Fat 3 grams
Sodium 400 mg
Carbohydrate 15 grams
Fiber 3 grams
Sugar 3 grams
Protein 13 grams
Now, I didn't follow this recipe exactly, here is what I did.

I planned on making this and freezing it in single portion servings. I didn't want to freeze the shrimp (as shrimp is always frozen when you buy it anyway, it has just been defrosted).

I made the soup, omitting the shrimp. Then when I was ready to eat some, I added 1 cup of soup to a small pot and added 1/4 pound shrimp. I also want more shrimp than the recipe calls for...I found it to be a little thick, not quite enough broth for me, so in went a little tap water. I just heated it through and it was great.

Now what makes this so much more exciting (for me) is that Cooper tried it before I added the shrimp and liked it very much! David also liked it. Cooper said he would like me to get a nice, tender cut of beef, cook it so it was still pink, and then cut it into chunks. Add this to his soup instead of shrimp and he would be more than willing to have it for dinner, in fact, he said he would enjoy it very much. He liked the peanut taste and the mild curry flavor.

I made their soup with the beef, and it was great! I would eat it like that too.


So, shrimp in mine, beef in theirs and everyone gets a great bowl of soup!

I Went to a Party and came Home with Crabs

Dungeness crabs, two big fat ones! Aren't they beautiful?

If you know anything about dungeness crabs you are thinking something is a little odd, as crab season opens on Monday, November 15, the day this post will be published. That is the season for the commercial fisherman, not sport fishermen!

My son is on a club lacrosse team, and sports are very expensive. We do everything we can to keep costs down and affordable for all who want to play. 

Our biggest fundraiser is an annual fiesta with a silent auction and and a real down to earth bidding auction. After everyone has eaten, drinks are flowing, the auctioneer comes out and the donations start pouring in.

This past season we donated three 6 packs of wine along with a tasting and hor  d' oeuvres for three groups of 8. I think the total those brought in at the auction was close to $800.00.

The dinner I attended Saturday was one of those stunning donations, it brought in a sizable amount of money for the club and we had an absolute blast! 

The winner was bidding on dinner for 8, prepared at their home, served and cleaned up! We were one of the lucky couples to be invited to fill out that group of 8, which ended up being 11, and that made it even more fun.

The host is a recreational fisherman, and I don't mean a line and sinker kinda guy, he has a boat, and a big boat. He caught lots of crab Saturday morning just in time for our dinner.

And I got two big fat ones to take home with me!

We had martini's, hor d' oeuvres, soup, salad, entree, dessert and David brought along a case of wine. I think we got home close to midnight, it made it hard to get up early for the gym, so I did something I rarely do, I slept in till 6:00 a.m. 

Now the only reason why I even bothered getting up at 6 was because my son had 5 lacrosse games on Sunday, the first starting at 7:30 a.m. so I just got up with the rest of the family. Off they went to the SportPlex for the first couple games and I headed off for my shoulder workout at the gym.

I was able to get there for the third game at 10:30, they won the first three and lost the last, it was the playoff tournament for the fall season, and his team came in second in Varsity. 

An hour rest at home and he heads up to San Francisco for practice for two hours with one of his Varsity travel teams. 

But back to the crab!


Fresh dungeness needs very little done to it, I first boil it in salted water.

I boiled it until it was red in color and therefore should be cooked through, about 20 minutes, these are big crabs!

Then take them out to drain and cool.

Crab is very nutritious, and low calorie, a dieters dream. What makes it fattening is the melted butter many people dip it in, you don't need all that!

We will cut up the crab, so every leg has a piece of body, which I find to be the sweetest tasting part anyway. Then we will spread it on newspaper on the dining table and everyone can eat what they like.

My son will probably have melted butter, David will have his plain and I will squeeze lemon over it.  

On cold winter nights I will put my Tuscan grill in the fireplace and get a nice oak fire going, then make a mixture of Spanish paprika, minced garlic, olive oil and a bit of lemon, and toss the cut up crab with this, then grill the pieces till hot and crackly. 

The paprika gets a wonderful smokey flavor and your fingers retain the garlicky flavor as you pull the meat from the shells. 

Just what is the nutritional content of dungeness crab? 

3 ounces crab

94 calories
19 grams protein

1.06 grams fat

.81 grams carbs

321 mg sodium

To top it off, it's over 75 degrees, the sun is shining and it's a beautiful day. Ah we are so lucky to live in California!

CSA Delivery

When my friend gave me her CSA delivery, there were other wonderful things in there besides the Ratatouille in a Box!

The main reason why I enjoy a delivery or a seasonal option, is that it encourages me to eat things I may not pick up at the store. I hate waste, so it all gets eaten!

Most people stick to the same old foods, day in and day out. Even people who are not on a diet have their favorites they generally stick too, it's our nature.

But eating the same old thing gets boring, and when you are bored, you stray....

Eating seasonally also ensures you are eating what is ripe and best at that time of year, so you are getting the best supply of vitamins, minerals and nutrients to keep your body healthy.

I love to combine all sorts of different vegetables together,  it makes familiar vegetables something special.

Above I have carrots, pimientos de padron, chard and kale.

I roasted the carrots. Cut them up, lay them on a large cookie sheet, pop them in a 375 degree oven and stir around once in a while. I roast them about a half hour or until they are soft and starting to get a little caramelized.

The chard and kale get washed and roughly chopped, then boiled in salted water, chard about 3 minutes, kale about 6 minutes. Drain well.

The pimientos (or any kind of pepper) gets chopped, I leave the seeds in for extra heat and flavor. Then I add a small amount of coconut oil to a large skillet and saute the peppers on high heat, turn on the fan, the heat may hurt your eyes!

Once the peppers are browned and softened, I add the chard and kale and carrots into the pan, saute a couple minutes together and then it's done. 

I will use this mixture for a "bowl", and add 4 ounces chicken and 4 ounces rice. For flavor, some fresh lemon or rice vinegar is great.

I also got some beautiful beets, so here I have the finished product

 
These are washed, then placed into a small roasting an and covered with a bit of water, about a half cup, then tightly covered with foil. I roast them at the same times as the other vegetables, they can take anywhere from a half hour to an hour depending on size. You need to check them by poking with a sharp knife, the knife should slip easily into the center if they are done.

Let cool a bit then the skins scrape off easily, quarter them and toss in a bowl with salt, pepper and a few tablespoons of red wine vinegar. Let this marinade until you use them.

Beets are great in salads, or as a side vegetable.