An Afternoon With Tom & Jen

I knew it going to be a wonderful afternoon when Tom said, Domaine Serene and double magnum, in the same breath. What was even better was spending a few hours with my nieces, nephew, Tom, Jen and Maddie— their sock eating black lab.

There was dinner that night and swiss chard played a supporting roll. I wasn't entirely sure what to do with it but figured sautéing it in olive oil with onion, garlic and white wine made sense. I added some of the pepita parsley pesto (recipe here) and chopped fresh tomatoes and called it good. Beth Dooley has a great basic recipe for sautéed swiss chard, just add the pepita pesto and tomato when you add the leaves to the sauté pan and you can call it good too.

Roasted Roots

If there was a theme for the summer of 2012, carrots and what to do with them would be a strong contender. We ate them raw, in cakes and quick breads, roasted in the oven, in soup, and grilled. My favorite was roasted— cut the carrots into slices, add herb salt (recipe here) and olive oil and roast at 400 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes. Use a sheet pan large enough so the carrots can be in a single layer without touching— this ensures they will caramelize properly. Hopefully, there will be a few carrots at the farmers market next Saturday, I really want to try my hand at Indian spiced carrot pickles. Maybe the carrot theme will continue into the fall of 2012??

We had a party for Ted's Mom, Anne, before she left at the end of August. I had the carrot portion of the evening covered, now it was time to think about the salad. I had picked up beets at the farmers market in Bayfield earlier in the day, Meg picked a couple cucumbers at Julie's house and I had some of Michael's Buttin' Heads feta in the refrigerator— the salad was taking shape nicely. Salad protocol is pretty simple: something green and leafy, a few vegetables or fruits and a dressing. The room for interpretation is vast and can result in something really tasty.

Spinach Salad with Roasted Beets, Oranges & Pistachios

8 - 10 ounces spinach 4 roasted beets,peeled and sliced 2 oranges, peeled and sliced into 1 inch pieces 1 cucumber, sliced into 1 inch pieces 1/2 cup pistachios 1/2 cup feta, crumbled

Salad Dressing

1/4 cup shallot, finely chopped 1 tbsp Dijon mustard 4 tbsp red wine vinegar 1/2 cup good olive oil salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Add all salad ingredients to a bowl. Add everything but the olive oil to a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Add olive oil (with machine running) in a steady stream. Just before serving, lightly toss the salad with just enough dressing to coat the greens and serve immediately.

Peter's Gazpacho In Tom's Kitchen

When Peter, a good friend and good cook, made gazpacho and invited us for dinner, I knew it was going to be fantastic. His Mom got the recipe from the LA Times in the late 70's and he's been making it for years. Peter handed me the recipe as I was leaving and it's one I'll treasure. He had emailed his sister for the recipe and her response included an update on her daughter's impending delivery. Every time I make gazpacho, I will think of Peter, his Mom and the baby that was born a few days after our dinner. When I was in Minneapolis a few weeks later, I knew exactly what to make for my family.

We spent the afternoon at my brother, Tom's, house and it was just what I needed. I am a homebody (more accurately, a kitchenbody) at heart and while I love eating in restaurants, I hadn't spent any time in a kitchen for two days and I missed it. I knew I wanted to make gazpacho and knew cooking with Tom would be a blast. He has three little girls and his house reminds me of our house when the kids were little— laughter, chaos and a few screams thrown in for good measure. There were eight kids running through the kitchen and I was in heaven.

We went to the St Paul Farmers Market and bought some of the most beautiful vegetables I had seen all summer. The colors and textures were astounding. There was a rainbow of purple carrots, bright green basil, yellow tomatoes and red peppers going into the soup; it was shaping up to be an extraordinary batch of gazpacho.

Tom is number three in the family line-up and he had the good (or bad, depending on who you ask) fortune of being born between five sisters. My other brother, Michael, is number seven and at 14 years younger than Tom, not much help in mitigating all that sisterly energy. To say Tom has been a good sport would be an understatement. Thankfully, he has forgiven or forgotten most of it (I am Cait's godmother, after all) and we have a great time when we get together. He is a great cook, has really nice knives and is super tidy in the kitchen— I was so happy to be at his house.

I was at Bill's Imports before I went to Tom's and picked up some pepitas for parsley pepita pesto (recipe here) on Epicurious. It was perfect for the gazpacho.

Peter's Gazpacho

4 cups V8 Juice 1/4 cup chili sauce 2 tbsp red wine vinegar 2 tbsp tarragon, minced 1 tbsp basil, minced 1 tbsp lime juice 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp mace 2 tbsp olive oil 1 clove garlic, minced 1 tbsp cilantro, minced 2 tsp parsley, minced 1 cup tomatoes, peeled, chopped and seeded 16 ounce can on Ro-tel 1/2 cup onion, chopped 1/2 cup cucumber, peeled, chopped and seeded 1/2 cup celery, minced 1/2 cup red pepper, minced 1/3 cup cooked carrots, minced

Add everything to a large pot and stir to combine. It should sit for a couple hours to let the flavors develop, taste for salt before serving. I made a seasoned sour cream (add chopped cilantro, minced garlic and lime juice to sour cream) to serve on top of the gazpacho with the pepita pesto.

Pretty Peppers

I will never tire of fresh vegetables— the colors, textures, shapes and smells are endlessly fascinating. I bought these pretty peppers on a hot August afternoon, a little piece of summer in my camera.

Ina's Panzanella

It's still technically summer for another week. There's time for one salad full of tomatoes, peppers and basil before we migrate to braises, stews and soups. Ina Garten's recipe for Panzanella is easy, simple and full of summery flavor (recipe here). I added Moroccan oil cured olives to the salad (one of my favorite things). They have the most lovely salty, winey and intense olive flavor and provide a nice counterpoint to the fresh flavors and textures of the vegetables.

A Long Island Evening

We spent nearly every Wednesday evening on Long Island this summer. It was the perfect mid-week break and chance to laugh, swim, hang out with friends and eat (of course). The summer of 2012 was all about the 'meal in a Mason jar' and I put a Proper Chicken Caesar Salad  under glass for this little adventure.

This particular Wednesday was the first full moon of August (there were two this year) and I was really hoping to get a decent picture of the moonrise. We anchored the boat, pulled out dinner, watched the kids swim and waited. The moon rose (right on cue) and try as I might, I still have yet to capture the beauty of a moonrise over Lake Superior.

The kids had a blast— dancing, laughing and jumping off the boat. They reminded me of otters— sleek, graceful and completely at home in the water.

The sun was setting, the moon was rising and we needed to head back to port. I looked down from the flybridge and took this picture of Charlie. It summed up everything I felt— joy, gratitude and wonder. There is nothing quite like watching the sun duck behind the hill and paint the sky shades of coral, gold and fuchsia. We were truly blessed to add this evening to our cache of Lake Superior memories.

Summer Tea

Last week, I poached a pheasant in duck fat, olive oil and red wine for a pâté de campagne, it was fantastic. But a girl can't exist on pâté alone and I try to balance my hedonistic eating habits (must be the Libra in me) with a little virtue. A few months ago, I started making a 'tea' with hibiscus leaves, rosehips and rooibos. It is an antioxidant and anti-infammatory power drink in a Mason jar and I swear it is making my wrinkles disappear. Plus, it's a beautiful, deep red color and tastes fantastic.

I use Davidson's loose leaf tea because it's organic, available in bulk and isn't terribly expensive. I put about 1/4 cup of rooibos, hibiscus and rosehips in a 11 ounce French Press, add boiling water, a few mint leaves, a tablespoon of honey and let it steep for 10 - 15 minutes. I fill a large Mason jar with ice, pour the hot tea over it and start drinking. It's a little tart but the honey and mint round out the rough edges a bit. This tea is definitely easier to drink (and prettier) than the kale and spinach smoothies I was drinking last winter. There is still plenty of room for improvement but a couple of jars of tea is a good place to start.

Pork Belly Love

I needed to clean out my freezer, it was starting to look like a science experiement— more mad scientist than Bill Nye. There were venison steaks, chicken stock, aluminum foiled mystery packages and a large block of pink salt a friend gave me three years ago. Instead of pitching everything in the garbage and achieving clean freezer nirvana from a large trash bag, I decided to eat what was salvageable (if I could identify it first). Remember when I had the Pagan dinner back in April? Well, there was a lonely and rather large piece of pork belly sitting on the second shelf, waiting for something marvelous to happen. Agave Glazed Pork Belly (recipe from Bon Appetit) was about as marvelous as I could imagine.

As luck would have it, I had a bag of dried habanero chiles in my spice drawer, a bunch of Thai chili peppers (I used them instead of the serranos) and the local IGA had fresh poblanos. I also picked up some plantains— this dinner had serious potential to be one of the best of summer 2012. Of course, my stalwart friend Tajin Classico seasoning, made several appearances throughout the meal. If they ever stop making that stuff, I'll weep hysterically.

I did take a few departures from the recipe— I grilled the entire pork belly after I braised it in the oven. I was afraid the glaze would flame up and char the pieces and dry them out. I think it was a good call— I ended up shredding the pork and pouring the left over glaze on the juicy meat. Every bite had a beautiful balance of heat and sweetness. I generously bathed the pork belly in Tajin before I put it in oven (definitely added to the spiciness), added onions and garlic to the pepper mixture and didn't add the chiles back into the glaze. It was plenty hot and I wanted my kids to eat without complaining their mouths were on fire and asking about peanut butter.

I sprinkled Tajin on the pineapple before I put it on the grill. It was a match made in heaven and complimented the pork beautifully. Grill the pineapple in a 350 - 400 degree grill for about 5 minutes per side. Remember to oil the grates (I used vegetable oil) or they will stick. The smell of warm pineapple and caramelized sugar is divine.

I made a green salad with yellow peppers, purple cabbage, red onion and quesco fresco with a lime and cilantro vinaigrette. I don't really have a recipe for the salad dressing other than combine equal parts lime juice and olive oil, some honey (to taste), Tajin seasoning (a couple teaspoons) and chopped cilantro. I made this salad for the first time for Charlie's birthday (the one with the nuclear Mojitos) and I pull it out every time I make something from south of the border.

I made white rice with lime and coconut milk, sliced some avocados, chopped cilantro and opened a couple of bottles of wine. I knew I had a winner when there was silence for 4 or 5 minutes after we all sat down. It takes a really good meal to quiet the din around my table and this dinner was a home run. It was exactly what I hoped for when I spied that forgotten slab of meat in the freezer— pure pork belly love.

Spicy Grilled Chicken And Sassy Watermelon Salad

I sound like a broken record but I love Tajin Classico Seasoning and I am constantly thinking up new ways to use it. Granted, grilled chicken isn't terribly inventive but is definitely delicious. I prefer to grill chicken thighs, they have enough skin to get crispy and are less likely to dry out. I put the Tajin under the skin and sprinkled more on top of the chicken for good measure. Put the chicken, uncovered, in the refrigerator for 4 hours (the salt helps to dehydrate the skin and make it nice and crispy after it's grilled). I always grill my chicken skin side up first because the fat in the skin will render and baste the chicken. Cook for about 20 minutes in a 300 degree grill, flipping occasionally.

In the battle of the barbecue sauces, I am on the side with a BBQ glaze with lots of vinegar. A sweet and tangy caramelized glaze on spicy chicken thighs is a party in your mouth. Brush the glaze on the chicken about 5 minutes before you pull them off the grill, you want it to be caramelized but not burnt.

Spicy BBQ Glaze

1/3 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark) 4 tbsp ketchup 4 tbsp chili sauce 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp cider vinegar 2 tsp Frank's Hot Sauce 2 tbsp Tajin Classico Seasoning 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and stir until thoroughly combined.

Watermelon and feta is a match made in heaven and it's even more heavenly when I use Sassy Nanny Buttin' Heads Feta. It has just enough salt to complement the summery sweet watermelon. Even Sadie, my pickiest eater, loves this salad.

Sassy Watermelon Salad

4 - 5 cups arugula 2 cups watermelon, rind removed and cubed 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped 1 cup Sassy Nanny goat feta, crumbled

Dressing

1/4 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed 1/4 cup lime juice, freshly squeezed 2 tbsp shallots, minced 1 tbsp honey 1/2 cup olive oil 1 - 2 tsp Tajin Classico Seasoning

Mix all dressing ingredients in a bowl and stir until combined. Dress the assembled salad and dinner is served!

Jack's Big Birthday

Okay, I am a little behind in my bloggery— summer is a demanding taskmaster and leaves me little time for sitting at my computer. Jack's birthday was the end of June and it was a big one. He turned 18. He was born eleven days before our first anniversary and has literally been with us every step of the way over the past eighteen years. He was the first of so many things: grandchild, nephew and son. My youngest brother, Michael, started kindergarten as an uncle and his birth showed me the path I was meant to travel- motherhood. Those were sweet days, we were young, newly married and freshly minted parents. It is hard to believe he is getting ready to travel his own path now, independent of us.

We had a little 'surprise' get together for Jack at Bob and Kelly's shop and arrived home to find a plate of freshly made strawberry jam and biscuits from Julie. The amazing thing about that plate of biscuits (other than the fact that it was a lovely and thoughtful gesture from Julie) was that George didn't eat them. I am not sure what she said to him but it worked. She must have super hero dog training skills.

Lately, I can not get enough steamed edamame with olive oil, Maldon sea salt and chopped mint on them. It is the first completely healthy meal that I would (and do) choose to eat time and time again. We started with a huge bowl of them on the deck while I grilled the steaks. The dogs love the shells, they need to watch their waistlines as well.

Andy's had a whole beef rib roast on sale and I knew it would be a huge hit for dinner. There is definitely an art to cutting steaks from a whole rib roast and I don't have it. The steaks weren't totally mangled but they weren't pretty. If anyone noticed, they kept it to themselves. I cut a bunch of herbs from the garden, chopped garlic and mixed it all together with olive oil and sea salt. The steaks looked a little less mangled and a little more artisanal. The finished product was perfect— tender, medium rare and flavorful.

Jack was headed out with his friends and the cake portion of the evening was over before I knew it. Rest assured, he had a piece of pie (from the Candy Shoppe) on the 'You Are Special Today' plate— I just forgot to take his picture. I was distracted by this 6 foot 2 inch man who is getting ready to start a new chapter in his life and wondering where the years have gone. Talk about bittersweet— I am so proud of the man he has become but miss the little boy he was. The minute I held that ten pound baby in my arms, I fell head over heels in love. He was special from the beginning and has brought immense amounts of love, joy and pride into our lives. It's impossible to sum up what the past eighteen years have meant to me, suffice it to say, 'I love you right up to the moon- and back'.

Nicoise In A Jar On Long Island

The phone rang at 9 am and I knew it was Renee. We talk nearly every morning and our conversations always revolve around food—Good Thyme food, dinner food or food we want to eat. One of the remarkable things about our friendship is our penchant for cooking the same thing at the same time— we are definitely psychic food sisters.  She was watching the Today show and saw Martha Stewart making Nicoise Salad in Mason jars and thought it would be the perfect beach meal. Oddly enough, I dreamt about canned Italian tuna (I really love it) the night before she called. I knew we were on to something.

I always have Cento tuna in olive oil, kalamata olives, fingerling potatoes and eggs from Spirit Creek Farm on hand. I needed to pick up spinach, green beans and a few tomatoes— I was on a tight time schedule and needed to throw dinner together quickly. The boat was leaving the harbor at 5:30, sharp. Remember what I mentioned about salads in the Emmylou post? They are the only meal I can make and still be on time (relatively speaking). Dinner on Long Island was looking better and better by the minute. I made a simple vinaigrette, assembled the lovely little jars, loaded up a cooler and headed out to another beautiful summer night on the lake.

There were a ton of kids out there, from 6 to 17 years old. They herded up and swam, staged chicken fights and played on the beach— what an amazing childhood they will carry forward. It is almost unbelievable to me, the perfection of an evening on Long Island.  Regardless of my frame of mind when I am leaving the mainland, I always return refreshed and deeply grateful. What a gift to have a reset button that involves water, sand, good friends and food right outside my door.

Nicoise Salad In A Jar

Four 3.5 ounce cans of Cento tuna in olive oil 4 eggs, hard-boiled and sliced 2 tomatoes, chopped 8 - 12 fingerling potatoes, boiled 3/4 cup pitted kalamata olives 1 cup green beans, steamed until tender firm 1/4 cup salt cured capers, rinsed 2 cups spinach, washed and dried

Vinaigrette

2 tbsp shallot, finely minced 2 tbsp Dijon mustard 1/2 tsp salt (more to taste) 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper 1/2 tsp fresh thyme 1/4 tsp fresh rosemary 1/2 tsp fresh chives 1/2 cup red wine vinegar 1 cup good olive oil

While the potatoes and green beans are still warm, toss them with olive oil, Maldon sea salt and preserved lemon (you can substitute lemon zest).

Combine all ingredients for vinaigrette, except for olive oil, in a blender or food processor until combined. Slowly add olive oil until the dressing is emulsified. Taste for salt and pepper and set aside.

Toss each salad ingredient with salad dressing (except spinach) and set aside. Don't use too much dressing, you want the salad components to be lightly dressed.

Layer the salad ingredients as follows: spinach, tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, eggs, spinach, tuna and olives in a Mason jar.

Paella, Paella

It was an epic cooking class a few weeks ago— lots of women, lots of sparkling wine and lots of paella. Sue came all the way from Frederic with an outdoor paella cooker and an enormous pan with red handles. It was an impressive set-up, to say the least. I have made paella once and am a complete novice. Sue, on the other hand, is a pro and she showed us the ropes and made a beautiful pan of paella.

There was a lot of prep— slicing, chopping and dicing. We had plenty of hands and the work went quickly. There is a particular rice for paella, Bomba— it absorbs lots of liquid while remaining firm and doesn't turn to mush. I had a couple of bags left over from my initial, and not terribly successful, attempt at paella last winter and Sue put it to good use. We did a seafood paella with a little of chorizo from the Northern Smokehaus for good measure— absoloutely delicious.

I met Sue two or three years ago when her son and future daughter in law had their groom's dinner at Good Thyme. At the time, I never would have guessed she would someday be cooking paella in my front yard. It never ceases to amaze me how the dots in our lives eventually get connected.

While I would like to say I made a seafood stock from scratch, I would be lying like a rug. I did a little research and decided upon this seafood stock. It was perfect— briny and clean tasting.  In the chaos of the evening, I didn't write down the recipe Sue used but it was a basic paella recipe— mussels, clams, shrimp, assorted veggies, seafood stock and saffron.  If I had to guess, I would say it is pretty close to this recipe.

Rice, of any kind, has always presented a challenge for me— it is either too mushy or under done and hard as nails. I like paella because the caramelized and crusty rice on the bottom is not only cool but desirable. It even has a name, socarrat. Finally, my utter lack of rice making skills would not be a hindrance in the final product.

It was another joyful evening spent in the kitchen with friends.  The house reverberated with their voices and laughter for hours after they left. I like to think we are knitting the fabric of our community one meal at a time and I am grateful for each and every moment I get to share with these amazing women.

Summer Strawberry, Chicken & Avocado Salad

Strawberry season in Bayfield is over but it was fun while it lasted. We ate strawberries all day long— smoothies, shortcakes, layered between angel food cake, on waffles and in salads. It was utter strawberry madness at the Dougherty's for two weeks in June. Bayfield is the perfect place to live if you like berries— strawberries, raspberries and blueberries are plentiful and my kids gobble them up with abandon.

Salads are a good idea when it is 150 degrees outside and you live in a 100-year-old home without air conditioning. Ted rounded up a couple window units a few weeks ago and now my dinner repertoire includes judicious use of the oven. However, when the house was a sauna, we ate a lot of salads and grilled outside.

Don't you love it when you go to the grocery store and find perfectly ripe avocados? This salad was the fortuitous result of ripe avocados from Andy's, a surplus of strawberries in the fridge and my new favorite spice, Tajin. My friend, Kathy, turned me onto Tajin (a lime and chile salt from Mexico) this spring. She used it in her jalapeño margarita (also known as the Kaboom Margarita at Good Thyme) and I was smitten at first taste. In homage to Kathy's margaritas, I marinated the chicken in tequila, lime and Tajin— it was a seriously good idea.

 Summer Salad with Strawberries, Chicken and Avocado

Marinade

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

1/4 cup tequila

1/4 cup olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 tbsp Tajin Classico Seasoning

Salad

8 chicken thighs, skin on and bone in

2 avocados, sliced

2 cups strawberries, sliced

1/2 red onion, sliced

1/2 cup feta (can substitute quesco fresco), crumbled

6 cups romaine, chopped

Cilantro Lime Salad Dressing

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup cilantro, chopped

2 tsp Tajin Classico Seasoning

1/4 orange juice

1/2 cup lime juice, freshly squeezed

3/4 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Mix together all ingredients in the marinade, place in a non reactive bowl, add chicken and marinate, refrigerated, for 4 - 6 hours. Prepare the grill and remove the chicken breasts from the marinade. Grill the thighs skin-side down for about 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Turn the chicken and cook for another 10 minutes, until just cooked through. Remove from the grill to a plate. Cover tightly and allow to rest while you prepare the salad.

Place all salad dressing ingredients, except olive oil, in a food processor or blender and combine. Slowly add olive oil until the dressing is emulsified. Taste and add salt and pepper, if necessary.

After the chicken has rested, remove the meat from the bones and set aside. Place romaine, strawberries, avocado, chicken and feta in a large bowl, add salad dressing, toss to combine and serve.  

Tuesday's Dinner

A few weeks ago, I was in Hayward at the grocery store and saw a sign for snow crab clusters for 5.99 a pound. Crab is always a good place to start when you are wandering aimlessly through a grocery store looking for dinner ideas. I grabbed red potatoes, corn on the cob and headed back to Bayfield. I am still plowing through my preserved lemons and decided roasted potatoes with fresh herbs, Maldon sea salt and finely chopped preserved lemons would be a brilliant companion to crab legs on the grill.

I have a trick to make frozen crab legs taste a little less frozen— let them sit in cold water for 30 minutes or so (change the water 3 or 4 times). It allows the stale water that is in the shell to leave and fresh water to replace it (and provide the steam when you are cooking it). I lit the grill and cooked them for about 12 - 15 minutes over indirect heat. The grill was about 300 - 350 degrees, the crab legs were already cooked and I didn't want them to dry out. Clarified butter, lemon and a couple of crab crackers made for a satisfying dinner after spending the afternoon in the car.

Crawfish Cakes For Sunday Brunch

I love Sunday brunch. I like to 'get a slow run at the day' (one of my Dad's favorite sayings) on Sunday and eating a meal at 9 am is taking things a little too quickly for my taste. I was in the throes of hollandaise withdrawal and knew that whatever I ate on Sunday needed to include that lovely sauce. I grabbed some frozen crawfish from the restaurant on Saturday night and went to bed with visions of hollandaise and crawfish cakes dancing in my head.

I have tried (unsuccessfully) to make crab cakes in the past and I entered the kitchen on Sunday morning with some trepidation.  A recipe on epicurious.com for Baltimore crab cakes looked promising— the cakes sit in the fridge to set and you coat them in breadcrumbs before frying. In the past, the cakes always fell apart in the frying pan and I hoped this technique would be the ticket to a perfect Sunday brunch. It worked like a charm—  they held together beautifully and were perfectly golden brown and crunchy.

Crawfish Cakes

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 scallions, thinly sliced

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice plus wedges for garnish

1 1/2 teaspoons blackening seasoning (I use House Bayou Blackening Spice)

1 tbsp chili garlic sauce

1 pound lump crawfish meat, picked over

3 cups bread crumbs, divided

1 tbsp thinly sliced chives

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 tbsp vegetable oil

Preparation

Whisk first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add crawfish; fold to blend. Stir in 1 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, chives, salt, and pepper. Divide into 6 equal portions. Form each into 1"-thick patties. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes (I froze them for 20 minutes).

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place remaining breadcrumbs on a plate. Coat cakes with breadcrumbs. Fry until golden brown and crisp, 3-4 minutes per side. Serve with lemon wedges.

Charlie's Birthday Dinner

Charlie wanted grilled shrimp for his birthday. What a change from a couple of years ago when the request was corn dogs and potato chips. He is eleven now and has expanded his culinary horizons to include Thailand and Coney Island. I used a recipe from Fine Cooking and it has never failed me. I always cook the shrimp on separate skewers from the vegetables. The veggies take longer to cook and there is nothing worse than overdone shrimp— it's like chewing on an eraser. A little jasmine rice, grilled shrimp and vegetables and a chile lemongrass dipping sauce— an auspicious way to usher in Charlie's eleventh year.

Spicy Thai Shrimp Kebabs with Chile Lemongrass Dipping Sauce

Grilling Sauce

1 tbsp garlic, chopped

1 tbsp ginger, peeled  and chopped

1 tsp jalapeño, finely chopped

1 tbsp scallion greens, chopped

1 tsp kosher salt

1/4 cup peanut oil

Dipping Sauce

3 stalks lemongrass, ends trimmed, tough outer leaves removed nd tender white core finely chopped

3 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

2 tbsp scallion whites, finely sliced

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped

1 tbsp basil, finely chopped

1.5 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp garlic, minced

1 tsp light brown sugar

2 tsp Sriracha chile sauce

3 tbsp water

Kebabs

1.5 pounds large shrimp

2 red peppers, seeded and sliced

2 red onions, sliced

1 package of mushrooms

Preparation

Combine all the grilling sauce ingredients in a food processor and process until combined, mixture will still be chunky.

In a small serving bowl, combine all the dipping sauce ingredients and stir well. Refrigerate until ready to use (can be made up to 6 hours in advance).

Toss the shrimp in the grilling sauce and let sit for 10 minutes. Thread the shrimp onto skewers (soaked in water) and reserve the dipping sauce. Toss the vegetables in olive oil, salt and pepper and thread onto skewers (soaked in water). Grill the vegetables over a medium hot charcoal fire and grill until done (8 - 10 minutes). About five minutes before the vegetables are done, place the shrimp on the grill, brush with the reserved grilling sauce and grill until done (about 2 minutes per side).

Serve with jasmine rice and dipping sauce.

Angel food cake with whipped cream and strawberries is a Carlin tradition and since strawberries were in full swing, Charlie decided it was the cake for his eleventh birthday. Again, I forgot birthday candles but Jack found a couple of little tapers we could light up. We decided two candles look like the number eleven, Charlie agreed.

I picked a 'theme song' for each pregnancy and Charlie's was Sweet Thing by Van Morrison and it suits him to a T. He was the happiest baby and is a joyful young man. It sounds trite but I seriously can not believe how fast he is growing up. In eleven short years, he has mastered cribbage and jumping off cliffs at Devil's Island, learned a tremendous amount about Greek mythology, has a wicked dry sense of humor, knows how to sail an Opti and is an empathetic and brave soul— we couldn't ask for more.

Fried Chicken On The Beach

I like most things Southern: grits, monogrammed stationery, bourbon, good manners and fried chicken. I bought Thomas Keller's cookbook, Ad Hoc, because I read quite a bit about his recipe for buttermilk fried chicken plus he owns the French Laundry....I had high hopes. It was good but not exactly the holy grail of fried poultry I was hoping for. The perfect fried chicken is moist with crispy skin and a golden brown crust. The Ad Hoc recipe called for brining the chicken overnight and then double dredging the chicken. It tasted fantastic but the skin was a far cry from crispy.

In the depth of winter, Bon Appetit delivered me from my fried chicken woes. The February issue featured a recipe billed as the 'only fried chicken recipe you will ever need'. Who am I to doubt the good folks at Bon Appetit? I hustled to the grocery store to buy a couple of chickens and see if I finally would achieve fried chicken nirvana. The BA recipe involves a dry rub, a single dredge in seasoned flour and a cast iron skillet— the skin was crispy, the meat was moist and I was satisfied.

After all this talk about the quest for the perfect fried chicken, I have to admit the first fried chicken I ever tasted was from Kentucky Fried Chicken. One evening when I was nine or ten, my Grandma Duffy came home with a red and white striped bucket of greasy goodness from KFC. My sister, Bridget, and I were excited to tuck into a dinner of chicken, wall paper paste consistency mashed potatoes and gravy until we took a look at the chicken. There were little feathers poking through the golden brown exterior (say what you want about KFC, they know how to get a crunchy crust on their chicken). We immediately renamed it Kentucky Fried Feathers and didn't eat it for years— I am not sure if Bridget ever ate it again. I still remember Grandma standing over the sink with a lit match burning off all the feathers on the raw chicken before she made us dinner— she was a marvelous woman.

I can't remember why I decided to re-visit fried chicken, after that traumatic experience with the fried feathers in my Grandma's den. As Minny, from the movie The Help, said, 'fried chicken just tend to make you feel better about life'. She was right, dropping a chicken thigh ensconced in buttermilk and seasoned flour in a skillet full of shimmering oil, feels like something special is going to happen. It isn't the easiest dinner to prepare. Frying chicken requires advance planning and time spent over a sizzling skillet— definitely not a 30 minute meal. Just like the sound of a champagne cork set aloft, a platter of fried chicken means I am headed to a party and it is going to be grand.

I had an idea about butter for the biscuits (you always need biscuits at a beach party with fried chicken) I was taking to the beach. God forbid we eat ordinary butter on an evening when Venus was transiting between the Sun and Earth. I placed a stick of room temperature butter in a mixing bowl and added some chopped rosemary and thyme, about 1/4 cup of maple syrup, a pinch of Maldon sea salt and cayenne, mixed it together and smeared it on a 'test' biscuit. It was delicious, sweet, hot and perfect for a picnic. I wish I wrote down the exact measurements but I was late (big surprise) and threw it together on the fly.

It was the first of the many dinners we will spend on the beach this summer and it was perfect. Perfect because the flies hadn't hatched yet, the kids were in the water, there were 2 platters of deviled eggs, we toasted Venus with Italian wine and there was fried chicken galore. Summer of 2012 is going to be glorious.

Beef Kebabs- It's What For Dinner

Lately, we have been on a kebab and grilling bender. I use the grill in the winter but it is infinitely more enjoyable to cook outside when it's warm out. Beef tenderloin was on sale at the grocery store and I put in my basket (the kids love tenderloin). I was on the fence about hacking up a nice piece of beef and skewering it. Well, I am glad I jumped off the fence—it was a delicious idea and a perfectly good use of a beautiful piece of meat.

Allegro is my absolute favorite marinade for beef. We used to buy it at Cub Foods when we were young and broke. It was the cheapest marinade they carried and made tough and cheap pieces of meat loosen up a little.  Somewhere along the line, I decided to get fancy and make my own marinades. I forgot about my old pal, Allegro. Fast forward 17 years, I was at Byerly's and there it was, not quite as cheap but as good as I remember.

Kebabs are one stop shopping for dinner. Everything is fair game as far as I am concerned— parboiled potatoes, tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, onions and red peppers. I marinate the vegetables in olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice and Montreal Steak Seasoning (another absolute favorite) for an hour or so before skewering them. I keep the grill at about 400 - 450 degrees and grill them for about 10 - 15 minutes. The cooking time may be different if you are using a gas grill or a kettle grill. I have terracotta heat diffusers in my grill and the kebabs are not exposed to direct heat.

I love red blends and this 2008 Chateau de Lascaux from the Pic Saint Loup region was spectacular. I bought it a couple of years ago and forgot it was in the basement. It was the perfect wine for dinner— spicy, tart and lots of lush fruit. Talk about a powerful trifecta— Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah are beautiful when they are blended. The good folks at Wine Spectator agree with me, it was one of the top 100 wines in 2010.

Makeshift Quiche

Sometimes cooking with leftovers from your refrigerator can make you feel like a contestant on a Food Network show. I never know what I will find. My leftover containers are typically miscellaneous plates/bowls covered with aluminum foil. It's always a surprise when I peel off the unlabeled foil and reveal the contents. Last week, I wanted quiche but didn't want to go to the grocery store. I harvested some leftovers from the fridge and came up with a makeshift but delicious quiche.

The harvest included eggs from Spirit Creek Farm, bacon from Jim's Meat Market, roasted fingerlings and asparagus, mushrooms, swiss cheese and balsamic glazed carmelized onions. I cook for a crowd every night (one of the perks of a large family). Sometimes the crowd doesn't like the results and I have lots of odds and ends left over. They will always eat anything that comes from a chicken, pig or cow, it's the vegetables that get covered in foil and put in the refrigerator.

I am a fan of Pillsbury pie crusts. They taste good, are easy to roll out and are relatively flaky. Maybe someday I will hop on the pastry making wagon but for now, I am happy to let Pillsbury make me look good. I use a tart pan with a removable bottom. I like the fluted sides but a traditional pie dish works just as well.

Makeshift Quiche

6 - 8 roasted fingerlings

1/2 cup caramelized onions

8 - 10 roasted asparagus stalks

1 cup sautéed mushrooms

6 - 8 slices of cooked bacon

1 cup swiss cheese, grated

5 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup heavy cream

salt and pepper

1 pie crust, rolled out and fitted into a 9 inch pie dish or tart pan

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine the eggs, cream, salt, and pepper in a bowl and beat until combined. Layer the potatoes, asparagus, onion, mushrooms, bacon and cheese in the bottom of the pie crust, then pour the egg mixture on top. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until the egg mixture is set. Cut into 8 wedges.

Where Is Leeann Chin When You Need Her?

I cooked many meals at home when we lived in St. Paul but take-out was an important component of our weekly dinners. Leeann Chin was always on the roster for a quick Chinese and kid friendly dinner. The cream cheese wontons were always a favorite— what's not to love about a golden crunchy exterior that gives way to creamy, melted cheese?

My sister, Annie, made them for the boys a few years ago and they were a huge hit. Will suggested we give it a whirl and bring a little Leeann Chin to our kitchen in Bayfield. As luck would have it, our local IGA has wonton wrappers and cream cheese, we were in business. It was a surprisingly easy endeavor. A dollop of cream cheese on a wonton wrapper, wrap it up, fry it up and there you go— a Dougherty version of Leeann Chin wontons in Bayfield.

Fried Cream Cheese Wontons

1 8 ounce package cream cheese - softened

1 1/2 tbsp scallions sliced thin

1 1/2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped

1 tsp Tajin Classico Seasoning (optional)

Wonton wrappers

Oil for frying

Instructions

Heat enough cooking oil to fill 2 to 3 inches in a medium-sized cooking pot. In a small bowl, mix cream cheese, scallions, cilantro until fully incorporated. Spoon approximately 1 teaspoon of cream cheese mixture into wonton, and fold wonton.

Fold wonton by brushing a little water over all of the edges of the wonton skin. Fold wonton diagonally unto a triangle. Be sure to seal all of the edges completely, this will keep the filling from running out of the wonton when being cooked. Next take the two furthest ends and press and twist those together. You may need to tack together the two end pieces by adding a little water.

When the oil is heated, you can use a thermometer and test to see that it is 350 degrees, or you may test with a small piece of wonton skin. If the wonton skin bubbles immediately when dropped into the hot oil, it is ready. Drop only 4 or 5 pieces into the hot oil. After about 1 minute the wonton will begin to brown, it will now brown rapidly, remove it when it is lightly browned. Set it on a wire cooling rack or paper towels to drain. Serve with Mae Ploy Sweet Chili Sauce (the best sweet chili sauce, ever!).