Tarragon and Chives

Chermoula is a Moroccan marinade that packs spices  (garlic, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, cilantro) into a healthy diet.  Chermoula is especially good on a cauliflower salad and also can be used as a marinade to liven up chicken before grilling.  I prefer to use  heads of purple and/or yellow cauliflower in my salad. for the salad 1 large head of cauliflower or 2 smaller ones that include a purple cauliflower, cut into florets 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, enough to drizzle over the cauliflower 1/2 red onion, sliced about 1/4 inch thick 1 cup shredded carrots 1/2 cup raisins 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro 2 tablespoons sliced toasted almonds Preheat the oven to 400F Line a baking sheet with parchment, spread out the cauliflower(s) and drizzle with olive oil, sea salt and pepper.  Bake for about 15 minutes, add the onion slices and stir the mixture.  Roast until tender and everything is slightly charred on the edges (10-15 more minutes). ...

 Our intense, way too long heatwave seems to be winding down, finally.  Here is a recipe for cold soup for dinner for our way too hot-Bay Area's September heatwave of 2022, or one in the future.  I always thought September and October were too hot, but now...the word dread comes to mind.  So, I made this cooling gazpacho one night during the worst of the heatwave, like 112F during the day and over a 100F at dinnertime.  It wouldn't surprise me if we still have another heatwave before the rainy season which used to start in midway into October, now I'm dating myself, and we had snow in the Sierra in November. I am loving the addition of plums to my soup, instead of the usual cucumbers that are chunked up and blended with the tomatoes.  The plums came from the farmers market and were innocently sitting in a bowl, minding their own business, next to the tomatoes on my counter, when the idea to add them to the tomatoes in the soup came to me.  Plums add a ...

 We have bowls of tomatoes from our garden staged on the kitchen counter- waiting to be eaten or shared, either way-all good.  I've been on the lookout for new to me recipes using my tomatoes and this one for Greek style tomato rice is a five star ⭐️ winner.  I made a few adaptions to the original I found in a magazine that I have been hanging onto for way too long.  The rice will be fairly soupy, not like my photo which was taken the day after I served the recipe but I wanted to share because-so good.  And the day after greek stye tomato rice is still exceptional and would make a nice starter or first course before dinner.  The feta cheese on top is bomb 💣 and I loved using Ouzo instead of wine for the rice.  I used chopped early girl tomatoes, fresh oregano, shallots, Ouzo, Arborio rice, tomato paste, lemon juice, olive oil and butter in my tomato rice.  Check out my recipe. Ingredients and Recipe for Greek Style Tomato Rice Serves 3-4 2-3...

  What to make for dinner if you're over sixty; something really delicious, fresh and simple, like pasta with fresh tomatoes and a handful of arugula.  The sweet basil is a nice addition, just a few leaves on top with the freshly grated Parmesan.  I also like a drizzle of hot chili infused extra virgin olive oil over my pasta, but feel free to drizzle extra virgin olive oil without the extra kick from hot chili. I like leftovers for lunch so I tend to make extra, just like the time I went to the nursery to buy a tomato plant and came home with six tomato plants.  Now, I'm reaping the rewards with a daily tomato harvest a few steps from my back door.  I went big into the cherry tomatoes so it's a good thing we love them. I've noticed there is a ripeness window when it comes to picking the tomatoes off the vine, if you let them get overly ripe they squish in your hands and the skins get a little tough.  I like to make some version of pasta with tomatoes fairl...

Summer = Heirloom tomato + Sweet basil +White wine.  This tasty equation adds up for me.  Heirloom tomato risotto is always better made with and accompanied by Chardonnay.  We love tomatoes 🍅  I try to keep a large footed serving plate piled high with heirlooms in my kitchen at all times.  My goal is to create a steady stream of sliced or diced summer tomatoes coming out of the kitchen with no end in sight.  So, when I found a recipe for risotto using a generous amount of cut up tomatoes as well as sliced tomatoes, I added + ...make a tomato risotto to my above equation.  I made a few changes to a NYT recipe so here is my adapted recipe. Ingredients and Recipe for Heirloom Tomato Risotto   Makes 4 servings Extra virgin olive oil 1 large yellow onion, diced Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1&1/2 cups arborio rice Pinch of red pepper flakes 2 garlic cloves 1/2 cup white wine 2 cups cored and then diced heirloom tomatoes 4 cups...

  Romano beans braised in heirloom tomato sauce, shallots and garlic make an easy summer side dish -excellent served with grilled fish and potato purée.  I know because that's what we had for dinner last Saturday night.  I happily used purple basil from my own herb pots that are now watered with leftover shower water.  We have many more months of drought ahead of us in California and apparently mask wearing when in public, no not in the car. I appreciate our farmers markets more than ever, thank you farmers for romano beans and heirloom tomatoes and also myself for the fresh purple basil. Such a treat to find fresh romano green beans at the farmers market; they hold up to a fairly long, about 20 minute braise and become tender in the tomato broth from the heirloom tomatoes.  🍅 This is one of those simple good veg recipes. Ingredients and Recipe for Romano Beans with Heirloom Tomatoes and Purple Leaf Sweet Basil Serves 2-4 1 pound fresh romano beans, washed...

  Garlicky heirloom cranberry beans simmered with tomatoes, lots of garlic and fresh herbs is a summertime treat around here, especially with a generous amount of pesto spooned over the top of each bowl.  I like a grating of Parmesan cheese on top of my soup along with a few shredded leaves of fresh basil, then I'm a happy camper.  Yes, fresh homemade pesto gives extra deliciousness in every spoonful of this cranberry bean soup. Rancho Gordo heirloom beans are my cranberry beans of choice and fresh sweet basil is in just about every outside container in my garden.  The elbow pasta, carrots, zucchini and cranberry beans make one of my favorite soups a hearty meal that can be made earlier in the day and served later, anytime you like.  I made my pesto a few days ahead and kept it in the refrigerator until I was ready to put the soup together for dinner.   Ingredients and Recipe for Garlicky Cranberry Bean Soup Serves 6 8 ounces heirloom dried cranberry beans,...

 It's been so windy and cold here lately so I decided that we needed bowls of comfort food for dinner;  arroz con pollo~healthy style chicken featuring my favorite long grain brown rice simmered in diced tomatoes, onions, peppers, garlic and chicken broth.  I love all the add-ins in this recipe, like green olives, roasted red pepper, capers, radishes and cilantro.  Definitely a favorite dinner with leftovers for lunch the next day, so good.  It's also attractive, with the strips of roasted red peppers radishes and bits of cilantro strewn over the top.  We'll be enjoying this recipe for arroz con pollo again very soon, with or without the wind.  The recipe is simple and with a small amount of early preparation it makes a fairly quick one-dish dinner.  I would also double this recipe for a crowd, ie:game night. Ingredients and Recipe for Arroz Con Pollo~Healthy Style~Comfort Food Serves 4 6 garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon cider vinegar 1 tablespo...

Am I the only one with about a half cup of dry rosé wine in my fridge?  Just enough in the bottle to make rosé chicken with shallots, garlic, tomatoes and oregano?  Well if you're one of the lucky ones and also have a small amount of rosé then carry on.  Please make this highly edible chicken recipe for dinner.  Fortunately my recipe for baked chicken thighs also makes a generous amount of sauce in the pan, so it would be lovely served with a rice pilaf or French bread and a leafy green salad 🥗 just to round things out.  If you have a cast iron skillet then use it here as it is the perfect pan for a baked chicken dish with all it's tomatoes, shallots, rosé wine and herb sauce. Ingredients and Recipe for Rosé Chicken with Shallots, Garlic, Tomatoes and Oregano 🌿  Serves 4 4 bone-in skinless boneless chicken thighs 4 large size shallots, chopped 4 cloves minced garlic 2 good size sprigs fresh Greek oregano, about 30 leaves plus extra for garnish 1 generous ...

  Just for taco night; long grain brown rice never looked so good as it does simmered with all the healthy ingredients in my new recipe for Mexican rice.  I've made a few major deviations from standard Mexican rice recipes.  I use long grain brown rice, no chopped green bell peppers and no canned tomatoes-you won't miss them at all.  This Mexican rice recipe is actually fun to make using your blender, yes you will need a blender to purée all the veggies that go into this scrumptious rice dish.  I noticed it disappearing on taco night and that's why I'm going to share the recipe with you. Ingredients and Recipe for Mexican Rice Serves 8 as a side dish 4 medium large tomatoes, cut in large pieces 1 roasted red bell pepper, skinned with seeds removed and roughly chopped 1 medium onion, chopped 1 jalapeño, seeds and veins removed 2 cloves of garlic, chopped 1/2-1 teaspoon sea salt, to taste 2 cups low sodium chicken broth 1 cup long grain brown rice, rinsed 2 t...

 If I have to pick a favorite soup, it's going to be butternut squash soup.  I especially like all the possible variations of butternut squash soup and toppings.  The first time I made this curried soup version I think I fell down on my toppings, they were kind of an afterthought, just ok, not great.  The second time I made curried butternut squash soup I tried something a little more interesting and fun.  Unfortunately I couldn't take a photo with the cool 😎 toppings but I'll tell you what I did and you can take it from there.  I didn't add an apple to this soup but I would suggest trying that as well, apples go very well in butternut squash soup. Ingredients and Recipe for Curried Butternut Squash Soup Serves 6-8 2 medium size butternut squash, cut in half stringy seeds removed. 1 Yukon Gold potato 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 carrots, peeled and chopped 1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped 1/2 large red bell pepper, chopped 1 garlic clove, smashed 4 small fr...

  I'm dying here, waiting for election results.  I made a pot of minestrone soup with Rancho Gordo Classic Cranberry Beans and lots of other good things, including fresh herbs from my garden.  I just found out that the hardest core Republican I know didn't vote for Trump, wow 🤩 left it blank. I feel better and my kitchen is filled with the wonderful aroma of homemade minestrone soup.  Only a few hours to go before results start to come in from Georgia.  I'm sending positive thoughts to Georgia right this very moment, I hope they can feel them. Ingredients and Recipe for Election Day Minestrone Soup serves 8 8 ounces cranberry beans, picked over (I found a pebble), soaked over night and drained, set aside 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 cups mirepoix, yellow onion, celery and carrots, chopped 2 garlic cloves, smashed 1 teaspoon dried Italian herb mix 3-4 small fresh bay leaves 2 sprigs fresh thyme 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1/2 cup dry red wine 1 14 ounce can fire roas...

  I'm looking for you- red kuri squash.  When summer turns to fall, as the bins in front of my market fill with all the beautiful kinds of squash, like butternut, spaghetti, delicata, acorn, pie pumpkins 🎃  or red kuri, I'm thinking it's time to bake, make soup or pie.  Yesterday I made soup with the beautifully colored red kuri squash, it's so simple and rewarding.  Red kuri squash which is similar looking to a small pie pumpkin, only a deeper orange color, is known for it's smooth texture, buttery flesh and a light chestnut flavor.  I like to roast the squash after I've cut it in half and scooped out all the stringy seeds.  Then after it cools, I just peel off the skin and add it to my soup pot where I've already sautéed a few cups of mirepoix.  I add a cup of dry white wine, like a Pinot Gris and a quart of vegetable broth.  I simmer my soup until all the vegetables are tender and then zap it in my NutriBullet, I love the way it blends so...

  I'm happy with my dutch oven.  Especially when I open the heavy lid with a rooster 🐓 on top and see  fragrant short ribs braised with red wine, garlic, leeks, carrots, potatoes, thyme and bay leaves reduced to perfection for dinner.  Putting this braise together is quick and easy, slow cook in the oven for three hours et voila!  I particularly like making braised short ribs when the weather cools off, whew.  This Summer has been so hot I feel like enjoying what feels like free cool air.  I have all the windows open and I just love looking at the temperature inside my house, cool 😎  Ingredients and Recipe for Zinfandel Braised Short Ribs with Leeks, Carrots and Potatoes  serves 3- 4 4 meaty short ribs, dredged in Wondra flour, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper  2 tablespoons olive oil  4 leeks, white parts sliced in half, rinsed and cut in 1/2" pieces 6 carrots, peeled and sliced 4-6 Yukon gold potatoes, cut in quarters 2 ...

  Blackened Shrimp with Kale Caesar salad  I have been wanting to make blackened shrimp 🦐 since 2018, just kidding-I'm not sure of the exact date.  I think I've been wanting to make blackened shrimp since my husband and I went to a cooking school in New Orleans and bought a jar of their "Joe's Special" spicy cajun spice mixture.  The spice mixture smelled fragrant and I couldn't find a use by this date stamp on the jar so I figure I'm good to go with the spicy blackened shrimp.  This weeknight dinner could not be easier or more delicious 😋 if you like spicy this is for you. I had the cajun spice mixture in my pantry, but it's easy to find a version of it in your market.  I used about a pound of medium shrimp which is enough for 4 people for a starter or 2-3 generous portions for dinner or my usual favorite- enough for 2 with leftovers for lunch.  Just a note- a lightly dressed kale salad served under the spicy shrimp adds a nice leafy 🥬  coolin...

 slightly spicy minty marinated Japanese eggplant & over the top crop basil pesto Two Summer recipes and I know it's October  🎃 , but with the smokey 💨  skies and hot 🥵 temperatures, aka: red-flag  Warning ⚠️ end days of Summer I still have recipes to make and share with you.  Japanese eggplants are fun because they're easy to grow and very purple, a beautiful color. I like the way the long slender eggplants hide in their compact little bushes making you lift up their leaves and really search for your harvest.  I like the lushness of the sweet basil plants 🍃and their confidence to grow and grow right up into October.  Tomatoes are basically done and I have one more apple tree to harvest, maybe this weekend. I would make falafel and cover it with slightly spicy minty marinated Japanese eggplant.  I would also make potato gnocchi and smother it with over the top crop of basil pesto, thank you very much. hmmmm.. Ingredients and Recipe for s...

  Pasta with Rock Shrimp I almost can't make pasta anymore without adding thin slices of jalapeños, also minced parsley and most of the time grated parmesan.  Although, this pasta dish doesn't have any parmesan and shock of all shock I  didn't miss it.  I bought a half pound of rock shrimp 🍤 to make ceviche but that didn't happen, it happened later and I will get to that in a few posts.  I love capellini which is a lot like angel hair pasta.  I love angel hair pasta with fresh tomato basil garlic sauce, that might be my favorite pasta sauce, so simple and delicious. I'm sharing this recipe because it was a huge hit at my dinner table with the rock shrimp and all the other ingredients -at first bite my husband, Scott, said this is really good, it must have been the jalapeños. Recipe and Ingredients for Capellini with Rock Shrimp, Lemon, Capers and Jalapeños  serves 2-3 8 ounces Capellini pasta 8 ounces rock shrimp, peeled and deveined  1 tablespoo...

 I love to make comfort food, like soup or chowder and one of my all time favorites is a corn 🌽  chowder made at the height of the  fresh sweet corn season, nothing like it.  I always add bacon 🥓 , onions 🧅 , potatoes 🥔 , red bell pepper, butter  🧈 and cream to my corn chowder but this time I added a spoonful of chipotle paste for a nice spicy note with the sweet corn.  When I think of chowder it's usually about clams or seafood 🦞.  I used to make a traditional  striped bass chowder with onions, bacon, potatoes, butter and milk or cream, now that is a bowl of comfort food.  Using emojis reminds me of turning in written papers for school that had assignment requirements like two pages of lined binder paper double spaced, emojis would have been great filler back in the day.  So, what defines a chowder?  If you don't have access to seafood like clams, a chowder can be also be made with ingredients like, chicken, vegetables -like ...

  Tomato Cumin Tortilla Soup Tomato soup I get that but why cumin?  Because while I was seasoning the soup I grabbed what I thought was oregano to add a few sprinkles but no it was whole cumin seeds, ugh 😩  So, we have a few more cumin seeds than we originally wanted.  Oh well, it is what it is. I can't believe I'm the same age as Steve Bannon, he looks horrible and I must look great, lol 😂  Back to this soup, it's good as in tasty, easy and fast for dinner.  I crushed salty fried tortilla chips into my soup broth and then blended the entire pot, after which I added cubes of chicken, grilled corn and more salty crushed tortilla chips, also a little minced cilantro with a squirt of lime juice.  On to the recipe. Recipe and Ingredients for Tomato Cumin Tortilla Soup serves 4 1 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts, about 2-3 Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 medium yellow onion, chopped 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, or mor...

  Grilled Rosemary Garlic Lamb Chops with Flageolet Heirloom Beans We spent the weekend with our friends, Luis and Christie at their Lake County ranch.  Saturday night for dinner I learned how to marinate and grill double rib lamb chops Luis style on his back patio right next to his pear orchard, beautiful!  Don't spare the garlic, rosemary and extra virgin olive oil when you marinate the lamb chops, Luis likes to finish his chops with a generous pinch of sea salt before serving off the grill with a Spanish-style ratatouille, made with eggplant, onion, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, olive oil and garlic.  He uses the veggies from his huge backyard farm style garden ❤️  For my side dish I used heirloom flageolet Rancho Gordo beans slowly simmered with bay leaves, thyme, onions, carrots and chopped red bell pepper, for a little pop of color.  I love lamb chops with beans. Also, don't forget a glass of red wine 🍷 very important in this process.    gri...