Not to be beat with beets

I think it's genetic. My mom doesn't like beets but my dad loves them. I know some people have expressed to me that they taste like dirt to them. No they're not eating dirt, but we've all had a taste of it thanks to eating produce that hasn't been thoroughly washed. The best remedy for this is NEVER eat them canned. Canned beets are comparable to eating canned peas - Yuck!

Also, I peel mine first and wash thoroughly before cooking.

A favorite and easy beet salad of mine.

• One bunch of beets - peeled, washed, and sliced
• 2-3 tablespoons Cecchetti orange olive oil (you can use regular olive oil, but a citrus flavor is preferable since it becomes part of the dressing)
• 1/4 cup good balsamic vinegar

Place beets, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Once at room temperature, place in a bowl (roasted oil, juices, all that magic goodness) and add the following:

• 1 orange, peeled and chopped into chunks
• 1 bulb fennel, washed and sliced thinly
• dash of kosher salt

The salad is ready to serve. You can add feta or goat cheese. I like this salad as a side dish for both beef and poultry.

Enjoy!

1-2-3 Easy Peasy

My friend Robin was visiting from Chicago and she told me about this easy salad she saw on Master Chef. I still can't believe it doesn't have dressing on it.

1. 1 small seedless watermelon, peeled and chopped (I got mine at Trader Joe's)
2. 3-4 ounces feta cheese packed in water if possible, drained (Farmers Market or Trader Joe's)
3. 1/2 bunch of Basil leaves, washed and sliced 

This is delicious and refreshing. Great salad to make and take for neighborhood BBQ or lunch with girlfriends.

Tip: This makes a lot so you can halve the recipe if you're only feeding 2-3 people because it's very perishable - although I think it gets even better on the second day!

Bon appetite!

Best thing great grandma taught me

Baked bread + Cuisinart = Breadcrumbs

OK, maybe not the best thing she taught me, but definitely in the top 5. If you're throwing away your leftover bread now, stop. Homemade breadcrumbs taste so much better than store bought and are super easy to make. (Going into fall, this can really make a difference between good meatloaf and great meatloaf.)

I usually accumulate leftover bread over a couple of months and freeze it in the paper wrap in came in, in zip lock bags. You need to freeze it before it starts getting moldy. Once a have a few bags of frozen leftover bread, thaw and place on a baking sheet. You don't need to add anything else. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until it's crusty. Cool to room temp. Then place chucks of bread in a food processor with the sharp bottom base blade and process until it's the consistency of sand. Freeze is glass jars for up to 4-5 months.

Homemade breadcrumbs are now handy to add to homemade meatloaf, mac & cheese, and all the other wonderful comfort fall dishes that made great leftovers to take to work for lunch!

Bursting with flavor

Photo taken before blossoms were cooked

A friend at work has been sharing squash blossoms with me from her mother and grandmother's gardens. It's a real treat to have an abundance of blossoms to cook with.

This appetizer or side dish needs six ingredients (2-3 servings):

• 12-13 Squash blossoms, washed, remove stems and long center pistols 
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 2 teaspoons washed and chopped cilantro (or use Italian flat leaf parsley)
• 1/2 - 2/3 cup crumbled good soft cheese (Humboldt Fog, Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam)
• 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (I use Cecchetti)
• 1 Tablespoon Sweet Cream Butter

Stuff each blossom with 1-2 Tablespoons of cheese, ginger, cilantro mixture until their very plump. Twist petals together. Heat skillet and add butter and olive oil on medium heat. Gently place blossoms in the pan. Cook 5-7 minutes until cheese is melting and blossoms are browning. Do not over cook since they will continue to cook a bit more even after you remove them from the pan.

I served these with two other salads and a blush wine. Bon appetite!

[Beef stock versus chicken provides richer flavor and gives taupe color. I should have used a green bowl for this. It would have looked prettier. It does taste yummy - if I may say so! :-)]

Spicy Latin Soup - makes approx 8 servings. 

1. ¼ - 1/3 cup Meyers lemon juice
2. ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (I like Cecchetti)
3. 3 tablespoons butter
4. 1 red onion, peeled and diced
5. 1 large potato, peeled and diced
6. 2 zucchini, sliced and chopped
7. 1 teaspoon each cumin, coriander, Ca. dried chili
8. 1 each poblano and jalapeno peppers, roasted, skinned, seeded and chopped
9. 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
10. Kosher salt

Sauté and cook the above ingredients until veggies are tender approx. 15-20 minutes on medium to medium-high heat. Stir periodically. Use an emulsifier to puree. Add:

11. Chicken free range cutlets, rinsed and cut into bite size pieces. Cook another 20 minutes until chicken is no longer pink. (I like the free range Trader Joe's. The chicken smells fresher and tastes better to me) Add:

12. 1 box beef stock (I use Trader Joe's)
13. 1 cup ½ and ½

Cook another 5-10 minutes until hot and bubbly. Stir periodically. Add:

14. 2 ears of corn, husked, kernels cut from the cob
15. 15 squash blossoms, cleaned, stems removed. Use your fingers to break loose the long pistils in the center of each flower and discard. Cut the blossoms cross-wise into 1/4-inch strips, including the bulbous base. These can be expensive so you can use 3-5. They do add a distinct and delicate flavor.

Cook another 10 minutes on simmer. Serve with sour cream. You can garnish with fresh cilantro. From start to finish including chopping and slicing, it took me about 1 hour and 15 minutes to make this. I was drinking wine at the time which may have slowed me down a bit. 

This soup freezes beautifully in glass jars for individual lunch munch servings. Reheat in microwave or on the stove top and serve with 1-2 Tablespoons of sour cream. Garnish with fresh cilantro if you have it, squash or nasturtium blossoms.