A Hungry Bear

strawberry mojito

Last week we received no fewer than four (4!!) pints of strawberries in our fruit and vegetable delivery from our CSA (TaylOrganic Farms). And they were fat, juicy, perfect strawberries, too - almost too good to eat any other way but plain. But I did manage to spare a few to make one of my favorite summer drinks, a strawberry mojito. It’s really simple - just smash up a couple strawberries with some sugar and mint leaves, add rum and club soda, and slurp away.

Cast of characters: 3-4 strawberries, 3 sprigs of mint, 1 tablespoon simple syrup (or you can use sugar), 1 lime, white rum (I like 10 Cane), club soda. (more…)

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thai barbecue ribs

Food & Wine did a huge spread this month on thai dishes from a restaurant called Pok Pok, in Portland. I was so excited to see it - I actually ate here last year with several coworkers. I remember thinking it was quite possibly better than 99% of the meals I’ve had in Thailand - a strong statement! So it was amazing to me to have all these great recipes, directly from one of my favorite restaurants. The first thing I had to make were these barbecue ribs with whiskey marinade (adapted slightly for portion sizes, and to make them a little milder). (more…)

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1 rotisserie chicken, 2 dinners: mexican salad

Here is the salad we had with the second half of the shredded rotisserie chicken meat last week. Over a bowl of naked mixed greens and baby romaine, I put some cubed queso cheese, chopped avocado, diced onion and a bit of sweet corn (the frozen bagged kind, thawed and drained). For the dressing I just used some black bean and corn salsa, and a big dollop of sour cream. This is the kind of dinner I don’t have more than 5 minutes (or brain cells) to plan.

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1 rotisserie chicken, 2 dinners: greek salad

You can either call this a lame post (it’s not a recipe), or it might be helpful since it’s a good emergency meal idea to keep in the back of your mind next time you don’t have time to cook. Either way, it’s just something that we’ve been doing a lot of lately and I wanted to share. We’ve been trying to eat a little extra healthy the past couple of weeks, and I’ve had to get creative with salads since my normal last minute meal ideas usually involve pasta. For 2 nights in a row last week, we ate a rotisserie chicken over a bed of greens, dressed with a “theme” of ingredients that I could find in my fridge and pantry.

On your way home from work, just pick up a single rotisserie chicken plus a big bag of baby spinach (if you know you’ll need an emergency meal 2 nights in a row like I did, go ahead and get a bag of romaine or mixed greens too, for the next night).

For this version of “greek salad”, I started by dressing the baby spinach. Just a little olive oil and balsamic, then tossed together. Divide the greens onto 2 plates. Shred all of the chicken, and reserve half of the meat for the following night. I diced up a tomato, some kalamata olives, part of a cucumber, some artichoke hearts, and part of a red onion. I also added some pine nuts and some crumbled feta cheese. If I had any, I could have also added bell peppers, or roasted red peppers, or even some pepperoncini. I like to lay all the toppings out like this until I’ve covered the greens, then mix everything up when I eat it. I think it’s so I can keep track of what I’ve added. Tomorrow I’ll show you the “mexican” salad that I made with the other part of the chicken…

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pimm’s cup

When I first read about a drink called the Pimm’s Cup, I think it was Bon Appetit… It was suggested for an outdoor grilling party, and it sounded like grown-up PJ. (Is PJ a universal high school experience? A bathtub full of Bacardi 151, fruit juices, and pieces of every kind of fruit you can get your hands on - normally followed by a 2-day hangover…) I don’t think I ever want to see PJ again, but I’ll try a new drink for the sake of blog research. I looked up the definition of this drink, and was surprised to see how popular it is, especially in the UK. According to most recipes I could find, it is made with ginger beer (a strong form of ginger ale), sometimes lemonade, and always with a piece of cucumber. There doesn’t seem to be a wrong way to make it.

Cast of characters: Pimm’s #1 (a liquor made with gin, plus citrus and other secret ingredients), orange, cucumber, lemon (or lime), 1 bottle ginger beer, splash of club soda, sprig of mint, simple syrup (or use lemonade in place of the lemon + simple syrup). (more…)

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lisa’s barbecue beef brisket

I finally got around to making A’s mom’s recipe for barbecue beef brisket (about a month ago, when A requested brisket, I tried a spice-rubbed, grilled and roasted version, which was pretty good). Since Lisa’s secret barbecue sauce was involved, this wasn’t much of a competition actually. Her recipe was the favorite, hands down (but A loved having to taste-test 7 pounds of brisket to “help” me out). Seeing as how this was made by a mom to feed 3 hungry boys, you can be sure there’s no extraneous time-consuming prep steps. This only took about 5 minutes to get it ready and into the oven, and then all you have to do is try and survive a couple hours with the smell - the liquid smoke is torture if you’re hungry - before you can eat.
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chicken apricot and watercress salad

Even though we’re on a health kick around here for a few weeks, I’m determined not to get bored with salads. Because when I’m bored with what I’m eating, I start frying and making pasta and cakes and such. This article in Bon Appetit (which I already blogged about when I made the steak salad with chimichurri dressing last week) came through again - I mean, grilled chicken + salad has the potential to be the most boring dish ever. And yet it wasn’t at all - salty feta, sweet apricots, tangy shallot in the dressing, crunchy almonds and plenty of heart healthy grapeseed and walnut oil kept things interesting. I clocked this at about 30 minutes (including the time I spent grilling the chicken), so it’s perfect for weeknights. (more…)

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gordon’s cup

I will be drinking this all summer. And I strongly suggest that you whip up a batch of simple syrup and make these right now (as in, happy hour Friday, not as in, whatever exact moment during the workday that I happen to click “publish” on this post).

Even A, who only drinks single-malt, had one taste of it and asked “could you make me one?” (He eventually gave up halfway through when the night started cooling down and the smell of single malt became more appealing than crisp cucumber and tart lime - he has basic tastes.) (more…)

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fried smashed potatoes

This is my punishment for sandbagging I guess. I have been meaning to blog about these amazing potatoes for a while, and am only getting around to it now… the week that we’ve sworn off anything but meat and salads for dinner. Just seeing these pictures - fried salty carbs - makes me want to cry. Our daily breakfast of mojitos during last week’s vacation were great, but I would give anything for just one of these little fluffy-but-crispy pillows of goodness right now. (more…)

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chimichurri steak salad

I absolutely love this recipe - and the entire article where I found it in Bon Appetit (15 quick meals). After our indulgent 14000 calories/day trip to South Beach, I’m under strict orders to cook only vegetables and protein for dinner. I could either steam some broccoli and grill some chicken and fall into a deep culinary depression, or use the opportunity to try some new salads. I chose option B, along with lusting after the foster’s mac and cheese that I made *before* our trip and won’t be made again under this roof for at least a month… At least there’s still steak, and fresh mozzarella, and a simple chimichurri-esque dressing that I could make from my own home grown herb garden! (more…)

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