Friday, July 31, 2009

Cooking for one...

The hubby being out of town isn't always a bad thing. I get to branch out in what gets prepared in my own kitchen! Tonight, I feasted on seared scallops, risotto with asparagus and peas (I also added a 1/4 cup shredded mint), and cucumber and tomato salad. I also picked up a bottle of Ferrari Carano Fume Blanc. I have to say, I learned my lesson about preparing the scallops in a non, non-stick pan! Stainless steel is NOT the way to go. Either that, or I did something really wrong. :-) While the risotto didn't turn out as creamy as it normally does (I dumped too much broth in on the last addition, destroyed the perfect consistancy I had going) it was still really, really good. The mint may sound like a weird addition, it was excellent.

Catching Up

I obviously have not written in awhile. Pursuing my MBA and being more conscientious of what I’m eating have put a damper on my epicurean habits. However, I do still have wonderful meals from time-to-time, and I firmly believe that low-fat does NOT mean low-flavor! So, off we go for more reports on what is worth eating in Louisville…but, fear not gentle viewers, I refuse to make this a diet blog! Food is where it’s at!

To start off, I saw a true food geek movie last night. Julie & Julia. I highly recommend for any fellow foodies. If you don’t walk out of that movie dying to try to make the bœuf bourguignon talked about, you are no foodie, begone from this blog! :-) I told my husband I want a copy of Julia Child’s cookbook (yes, I’m ashamed to admit, I don’t have it) and start cooking away. I also thought I wanted a copy of Julie Powell’s book until I went to Amazon and read the comments, as well as the first ten pages. Not so much now. In her book she seems a little…snotty…among other adjectives. But in the movie, Amy Adams is absolutely adorable and makes the character lovable. My wonderful mother came with me to see this pre-screening and we had a simple dinner of Penn Station before the show. OH MAN, their fries I could eat for days. Peanut oil and skins left on just make them for me. We both had the artichoke sandwich, but I added onions to mine. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! However, with as good as that was, their Philly cheese steak remains my favorite. While I may be a food geek, I greatly appreciate the finer points of our fast-food establishments.

I made myself an excellent dinner the other night. Roast a piece of cod in the oven at 475° with pepper and a little chili powder. While cooking, mix a tablespoon of olive tapenade (made with kalamata rather than green olives), ½ tablespoon butter, ¼ teaspoon dried basil, and a full tablespoon of Dijon mustard together. It sounds weird, but when that fish was done and hot and I spread the mixture on it…it just melted…mmmmm…I’ll never use tartar sauce again (well, maybe that’s not true!) I also boiled some red skin potatoes and steamed green beans. I tossed the potatoes with a little olive oil, salt, fresh cracked pepper, and dried rosemary. That was by far the best meal I’ve fixed myself in a loooong time. The hubby really needs to learn to expand his horizons on the eating front. I swear it is one of life’s cruel jokes to be such a food geek and marry a man that only eats chicken fingers…ARRRRGH! Luckily, he’s out of town, so tonight I plan to make myself another feast. What will be served? You shall soon see!