This is a beautiful Canna with a variegated leaf, under planted with verbena, potato vine, mini petunias, lantana, spurge, angelonia, wire vine, succulent vine, and agapanthus… all plants that thrive in the sun.
Looking for a fresh salad, roasted chicken, burger, or gyros? Then take a trip to Cross Rhodes. The Greek salad is perfect, well priced and you can have gyros or grilled chicken as a topper. There is nothing fancy about this stop but the food and pricing makes it a place to go. It’s located on Chicago Ave. in Evanston right by the “Main” Purple Line stop.
Fresh corn from the market… yum!! Again, I love corn on the cob, corn soup, corn in Mexican lasagna, and corn salad.
Here is my recipe for Corn Salad:
INGREDIENTS:
• 4 ears of fresh corn (cooked and corn sliced off the cobb)
• ¼ cup of chopped cilantro
• ½ red pepper chopped
• ½ cup of chopped ripe tomatoes
• 1 cup of organic garbanzo beans drained
• 1 cup of organic black beans drained
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup of lime juice
• 2 tsp red wine vinegar
• ¼ cup of grapeseed oil
DIRECTIONS:
• Mix the first six ingredients in a bowl. Whisk the lime juice, oil, vinegar, salt & pepper. Mix with corn, veggies & beans.
This is a start to many other options… I add beans for the protein but you can eliminate. The cilantro gives this a Mexican flavor but changing it up to add basil and pine nuts works too. I have added chopped red onions, cheese, avocados… there are so many options to make this dish your own. Go to the market and enjoy the many combinations and possibilities! This is what makes summer cooking so fun!
value wine of the week: nobilo sauvignon blanc regional collection 2011
July 17th, 2012 | Posted by in WINE - (2 Comments)Let me tell you about one of my all time favorite “go to” white wines. Nobilo is a New Zealand winery specializing in Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region. Grapefruit, lemon, green apple, honeydew, and a crisp acidity typify the Marlborough style and no one draws these characteristics out of this varietal more consistently than Nobilo.
Almost every year this wine scores between 88-90 points and can be found for $8-$10. This year it received 89 points.
This is your perfect summer time refresher. It is very versatile. We love it with an appetizer of sun dried tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, roasted red peppers, and basil on crusty baguettes. It’s awesome with any white fish or garlic and oil based pastas.
Oh, and by the way Nobilo also produces a wonderful Pinot Noir. But I’ll save that for another post.
Summer cooking has another feel and taste. The availability of fresh locally grown produce defines my cooking style and menu. My favorite early morning adventure in food is visiting the local farmer’s markets. I am always overwhelmed by the amazing variety of fresh vegetables, herbs, and fruits. Most of the recipes I have recently posted are inspired by my market finds. My meals are always a mixture of fresh ingredients newly purchased and ready for tasting! When making summer protein it’s all about grilling. Whether it’s a burger, chicken, or fish… I am grilling! My latest favorite great tasting inexpensive meat is boneless, skinless chicken thighs, marinated or barbecued & grilled. This is the easiest meal ever and goes with all your fresh veggies. I also can’t get enough of grilled stone fruit. Take a fresh peach, cut it in half cutting out the pit, and drizzle with a bit of maple syrup or brown sugar. The peaches are sweet and bursting with flavor. The grilling process enhances this wonderful fruit. When it’s hot we don’t want to eat heavy foods so making your meal simple but tasty is the answer.
recipe: asian meatballs & sesame lime dipping sauce
July 16th, 2012 | Posted by in Entrées | RECIPES - (0 Comments)
This is a recipe from Gourmet magazine. It is so easy and the taste is amazing with great flavors. I served the meatballs as a main course but it can also be used as an appetizer. When you are serving this as a main dish you can accompany it with steamed rice, grilled vegetables, and fresh fruit.
INGREDIENTS:
• ¼ cup of whole milk
• ¼ cup of fine dry bread crumbs
• ¾ lb ground pork
• ¾ lb ground veal or beef
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• ½ cup of canned sliced water chestnuts rinsed, drained, and finely chopped
• ½ cup of chopped cilantro, plus ¼ cup of sprigs
• 5 tbsp of soy sauce, divided
• 4 tsp of Asian sesame oil, divided
• 2 tbsp of fresh lime juice
• 2 tbsp of water
• 3 tsp of sugar
DIRECTIONS:
• Preheat oven to 500˚F with rack in the middle.
• Pour milk over the breadcrumbs in a large bowl mix. Add the ground meat, egg, water chestnuts, and chopped cilantro.
• 1 tbsp of soy sauce, 2 tsp oil, and ½ tsp of salt, mix with your hands till well combined shape into balls and arrange meatballs in a glass baking dish (9”x13”) about ½ inch apart.
• Bake until cooked through approx. 15 minutes.
• Stir limejuice, water, sugar, 4 tbsp of soy sauce, and remaining 2 tsp of sesame oil mix till sugar is dissolved to make the sauce.
• Transfer the meatballs to a serving dish and drizzle 1 tbsp of sauce over them and sprinkle with cilantro sprigs. They can be served over steamed rice.
My family ate every last one, in fact I could have made another batch… sooooo good! Enjoy!
recipe: cheesy baked cauliflower
July 13th, 2012 | Posted by in RECIPES | Side Dishes - (0 Comments)
This is so simple and delicious! Take a whole head of cauliflower and slice rounds as flat as possible. Some will fall off in small pieces, use this too as it all tastes good. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 400 degrees until cauliflower is crisp and slightly browned on edges (You should turn vegetables to cook evenly.). When done add ¼ cup of freshly chopped chives, 1 tablespoon of chopped thyme, kosher salt to taste, and ½ cup of grated sharp cheddar cheese. Put in oven for 2-3 minutes more and serve. This is an excellent easy side dish. Enjoy!
value wine of the week: rosemount shiraz diamond label 2010
July 10th, 2012 | Posted by in WINE - (2 Comments)
Rosemount Estate is a large Australian winery that produces multiple levels of many varietals. Their Diamond Label is their entry level series. This Shiraz was the first Aussie wine I was introduced to about 15 years ago and I was amazed at how good it was for the price point.
Rosemount has a hit with the 2010 vintage. It recently received 89 points from the Wine Spectator, and even better yet I found it for $5.99. It is widely available with 110,000 cases produced so you should be able to find this for between $6-$8. This is a wine that should be drunk now through the next couple of years.
It is very smooth and fresh, delivering classic Australian fruit. I served this for 3 other couples last week when we cooked burgers on the grill and it was a big hit. When I told them the price their eyes got pretty wide.
A note about wine ratings: The Wine Spectator uses a rating scale as follows:
• 80-84 = Good
• 85-89 = Very Good
• 90-94 = Outstanding
• 95-100 = Classic
So you can see that this vintage of the Rosemount Shiraz Diamond Label is considered very good and on the verge of outstanding by those who evaluate wines for a living. Enjoy.
If you haven’t yet figured it out I have a sweet tooth. It’s a fact… I know I should curtail my dessert addiction but sometimes (most times) I need just a little bit of sweet. This recipe from the food blog “smitten kitchen” is a winner. I love scones in the morning and with summer’s fresh berries it tastes divine! If you like strawberry shortcake then you’ll like this recipe. You could add some fresh berries and whipped cream and you have a dessert.
INGREDIENTS:
• 2 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder
• ¼ cup of sugar
• ½ tsp of salt
• 6 tablespoons of cold butter, cut into cubes or shredded
• 1 cup of very ripe strawberries, chopped
• 1 cup of heavy cream
DIRECTIONS:
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Whisk all dry ingredients and then add butter until it resembles a crumbly meal.
• Mix in strawberries gently using a rubber spatula. Don’t worry about mixing; dough should be handled as little as possible.
• Generously flour your counter and place dough on there, rolling out dough with your hands, about ¾ inch thick.
• Cut out scones or baskets to your desired sizes, approximately 2 ½ inch rounds.
• Place on baking sheet and bake. Scones are done when the edges are browned
• Cool and serve.
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