10/1/14
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End~Of~Season Tomato Soup

End~of~Season Tomato Soup  |   Garlic & Parmesan Roasted Chickpea Croutons

Roasted Tomato Soup Collage

“I devour them in the hand; eat them raw with olive oil, salt and basil; grill them with oregano and garlic~rubbed bread; bake them with goat cheese; and occasionally simmer them as a sauce or soup…But come the first frosts, I shut the door on the tomato.  I have learned to live without them for the winter months.  Occasionally I pick a few up, normally attached to their vine, hoping for just a shadow of that warm, peppery, herbal hit.  Sometimes it is there, the ghost of a summer tomato you have grown for yourself.  But more often than not I am disappointed and feel a fool.”  Nigel Slater, Tender

 

We have yet to experience a frost here in the Bay area, in fact, afternoon temperatures have been pushing towards the 90’s these last few days, but despite the warm afternoons the changing light reminds us that the seasons are turning. At the farmers’ market, pumpkins and squash with their golden~orange hues are snatching an increasing amount of table space from the brilliant red fruit of summer… Continue reading «End~Of~Season Tomato Soup»

09/21/14

September 21st, 2014 ~ Weekly Dinner Menu

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SUNDAY

Grilled Pork Chops with Roasted Grapes & Garlic  |  Roasted Baby Potatoes  |  Broiled French Beans

MONDAY

Roasted Corn, Poblano & Onion Quesadillas

TUESDAY

Tomato Soup  with  Salt & Vinegar Roasted Chickpea Croutons  |  Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

WEDNESDAY

Curried Roasted Eggplant with Smoked Cardamom & Coconut Milk  |  Long Grain Basmati Rice

THURSDAY

Baked Honey, Lemon & Garlic Chicken Wings  |  Spinach Salad with Manchego Vinaigrette

 

 

9-20-14 Farmers Market 2 Collage

“[T]hat old September feeling, left over from school days, of summer passing, vacation nearly done, obligations gathering, books and football in the air … Another fall, another turned page:  there was something of jubilee in that annual autumnal beginning, as if last year’s mistakes had been wiped clean by summer.”  ~  Wallace Stegner, Angle of Repose

Continue reading «September 21st, 2014 ~ Weekly Dinner Menu»

09/14/14

September 14th, 2014 ~ Weekly Dinner Menu

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SUNDAY

Roasted Chickens with Rosemary, Lemon & Honey  |  Roasted Beets & Carrots with Goat Cheese & Pistachios

MONDAY

Beet Green Pasta

TUESDAY

Grilled Fig Salad with Spiced Cashews

WEDNESDAY

Grilled Pork Chops with Grapes  |  Roasted Green & Red Bean Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette

THURSDAY

Harvest Salad with Gorgonzola, Bacon & Grapes

FRIDAY

Rigatoni with Roasted Eggplant & Tomato Purée

 

9-13-14 Farmers Market Collage

Continue reading «September 14th, 2014 ~ Weekly Dinner Menu»

09/7/14

September 7th, 2014 ~ Weekly Dinner Menu

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SUNDAY

Herb~Butter Roasted Chicken  |  Haricots Verts & Freekeh with Minty Tahini Dressing

MONDAY

Chicken & Wild Rice Salad  

TUESDAY

Pasta with Sautéed Greens, Bacon & Mustard Seed

WEDNESDAY

Spinach Salad with Dates & Almonds

THURSDAY

Soba Noodles with Sweet Ginger Scallion Sauce  |  Baked Vegetable Egg Rolls

FRIDAY

Roasted Italian Sausages with Tomatoes, Peppers & Onions

Continue reading «September 7th, 2014 ~ Weekly Dinner Menu»

09/5/14
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Sweet Corn & Lobster Risotto

Sweet Corn & Lobster Risotto  |  Tomato & Arugula Salad

Intro Collage

Last Sunday I told you about this wonderful, savory corn risotto we had recently enjoyed and shared my big plans for adding some out~of~the~ordinary lobster mushrooms that I had picked up at the SF Farmer’s Market {check them out here} to that same risotto this week.  Well, I will spare you all of the ugly details, but, let me just say, those fungi {already on the short side of attractive on their best day} evolved into something scary by day three despite some expert advice.  Now, I already had my heart set on chunks of bright red~orange “meat” brightening up our pale yellow risotto, so what is a girl supposed to do when the mushrooms {which, I had been told, carried a similar flavor to the ocean~dwelling crustaceans after which they were named} take a turn for the worse?  I decided to throw “similar” to the birds and indulged in the original thing…one lovely, large Maine lobster.  

Continue reading «Sweet Corn & Lobster Risotto»

08/31/14

August 31st, 2014 ~ Weekly Dinner Menu

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SUNDAY

Baked Ricotta & Honey Stuffed Squash Blossoms  |  Za’atar Rubbed & Grilled NY Strip Steaks  |  Haricots Verts & Freekeh with Minty Tahini Dressing  

MONDAY

Omelettes with Goats Cheese & Sautéed Pink Oyster Mushrooms  |  Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

TUESDAY

End~of~Summer Eggplant Bake  |  Sliced & Seasoned Summer Tomatoes

WEDNESDAY

Summer Corn Risotto with Lobster Mushrooms  |  Tomato & Arugula Salad

THURSDAY

Perfect Fish Tacos  |  Sweet Chili Cabbage Slaw  |  Pickled Jalapeños  |  Cilantro~Avocado Cream

FRIDAY

Grilled Vietnamese~Style Pork Chops  |  Fresh Plum Salsa  |  Chopped Kale salad with Garlic~Lemon Vinaigrette

   

FM 8-30-14 Collage

Continue reading «August 31st, 2014 ~ Weekly Dinner Menu»

08/28/14
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Summer Corn Chowder {Dairy~Free}

Intro Collage

“I have a love affair with tomatoes and corn.  I  remember them from my childhood.  I only had them in the summer.  They were extraordinary.”   ~  Alice Waters

 

September is knocking at the door.  The children here are back in school and the days are becoming noticeably shorter.  But, before the lingering days of late summer become a distant memory I am savoring every juicy tomato and every ear of sweet summer corn I can lay my hands upon.  As a child growing up in Connecticut, I fondly remember helping my grandmother pick tomatoes from her garden shortly before dinner and eating them while they were still warm from the summer sunshine.  Our corn came from a local farmer {Mr. Burnham}, known for his prize~winning corn…a quaint, white, roadside stand stood in front of his property and each day he would set out for sale the ears which had been harvested a few short hours prior.  I would ride my bike to the stand and pick up just what we needed for that evening’s dinner.  In late August, we would happily make a complete dinner from these two garden gems accompanied by a simple salad.  Those flavors, indelibly etched in my memory, are synonymous with summer for me and the ones I wait all year to enjoy. Continue reading «Summer Corn Chowder {Dairy~Free}»

08/24/14

August 24th, 2014 ~ Weekly Dinner Menu

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SUNDAY

Baked Squash Blossoms with Ricotta & Honey  |  Grilled New York Strip Steaks  |  Roasted Eggplant & Red Pepper Relish  |  Roasted Summer Squash

MONDAY

Summer Corn Chowder

TUESDAY

Caponata & Pasta

WEDNESDAY

Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Gazpacho  |  Shredded Egg Salad with Avocado Bruschetta

THURSDAY

Pan Seared Sea Scallops  |  Corn Risotto in Sweet Corn Broth  |  Chopped Tomato & Arugula Salad

FRIDAY

 ~ Friday Night HS Football Game ~

8-23-14 SF Farmers Market Collage

“Like tomatoes, eggplants won’t reach their peak of quality until August and September.  At that time, look for fruit that is very shiny and firm.  The best eggplants have dense, uniformly firm, sweet flesh with small, tender seeds. Eggplants that are dull and puffy are over~the~hill, and will be bitter and full of unpleasantly hard seeds.  In the home garden, pick them when they are no more than two~thirds full size.”  

~  Alice Waters, Chez Panisse Vegetables

Continue reading «August 24th, 2014 ~ Weekly Dinner Menu»

08/17/14

August 17th, 2014 ~ Weekly Dinner Menu

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SUNDAY

Grilled Rib~Eye Steaks  |  Tomato Cobbler with Blue Cheese Biscuits  |  Little Gem Lettuces with Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette

MONDAY

Summer Corn Chowder

TUESDAY

Pesto Roasted Mushroom Burgers  |  Corn~on~the~Cob

WEDNESDAY

Dijon Grilled Chicken Thighs  |  Oven~Roasted Zucchini & Tomatoes

THURSDAY

Hot Sandwich with Pesto, Tomato & Mozzarella  

FRIDAY

Seared Sea Scallops  |  Lemony Risotto  |  Spinach Salad with Maple~Mustard Bacon Crumbles & Champagne Vinaigrette

8-16-14 Farmers Market

“Vegetables obey the seasons in a way that meat and fish simply do not.  There is a rhythm to what grows, and when it appears in the markets throughout the year.  The hearty greens, brassicas, cabbages and roots of winter give way to the abundance of flowering vegetables and vibrant colours in the spring…Summer is dominated by tomatoes; those amazing buttons of sunshine that have so many delicious manifestations.”            ~ Russell Norman in POLPO, A Venetian Cookbook {Of Sorts}

Continue reading «August 17th, 2014 ~ Weekly Dinner Menu»