Tarragon and Chives

 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...

  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...

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 ...

With their amazing colors blood oranges are stunning in a red leaf lettuce salad.  I love the combination of  walnuts, fresh herbs, crisp sliced baby Persian cucumbers and French radishes in addition to the blood orange segments in a leafy salad dressed with a citrus vinaigrette.  The option of a citrus juice marinated round of soft goat cheese nestled in the salad is quite nice as well.  There are many ways to play around with variations to this bright crispy salad, I would try substituting various fresh herbs 🌿 as the weather warms up and we have more choices in the herb garden.  Life at times is good at home even during Covid and quarantine. Ingredients and Recipe for Blood Orange Salad with a Citrus Vinaigrette  Makes 2 large salads 1 large head leafy red leaf lettuce 1 bunch French radishes 2 organic Persian cucumbers 1/2 cup walnut pieces 2 blood oranges 1 cara cara orange 1 Meyer lemon 1 lime 1 small shallot, about 2-3 tablespoons minced Sprigs of G...

  Have I noticed that all my food photos have a slightly pink tint to them since I put up my Christmas 🎄 tree with it's bright red skirt around the bottom on top of a small table in the living room, Yes I have noticed that, lol 😂  Good thing I like the color pink.  I've tried taking pictures on the other side of the living room, which has the best light in the house, especially this dark time of year.   I love this cauliflower soup, which was introduced to me at a holiday cookie exchange and pot luck last year.  I have continued to make this soup with a few changes, like adding the white heirloom flageolet beans.  I love the pancetta gremolata on top, I think the combination of flavors here is the best, a true comfort winter comfort food.  I added a small amount of heavy cream with lemon juice at the end of cooking, it was a nice addition.  The heavy cream is not necessary but I wouldn't skip the fresh lemon juice and definitely don't skip the g...

  I don't really care if mac 'n cheese belongs or doesn't belong at a Thanksgiving meal but there are members of my family, who feel passionately that mac 'n cheese should be on their plate at Thanksgiving.  Along with sliced turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, cornbread dressing, rolls, cranberry sauce and green beans.  Did I forget something?  This year will be a non Thanksgiving Thanksgiving, thanks to our soaring cases of Covid.  I would be happy with elbows baked in a cheese sauce, butter flecked bread crumbs on top and a green salad with mustard in the dressing for dinner.  Maybe a glass of wine 🍷 We can have a proper Thanksgiving at another safer to gather time in the future. This baked version of mac 'n cheese is easy, no need to make a sauce on your stove, everything to make a sauce goes in the blender and I do love my NutriBullet. Ingredients and Recipe for Easy Baked Mac 'N Cheese Serves 2 generously  1 cup elbow macaroni  ...

 Shiitake Shallot Thyme 🍃  Quiche is one of my favorite home baked quiches.  Occasionally I like a meatless meal and a savory quiche filled with shiitake mushrooms served with a green salad 🥗  is perfect.  I've been making a version of mushroom 🍄 quiche, mushroom risotto or mushroom omelet for dinner forever.  I can't remember when my devotion to mushroom based meals started but this shiitake quiche fits in very well with my repertoire.  I'm getting a lot of mileage out of my fresh thyme.  If you are thinking about growing herbs 🌿 in your garden or in a pot I suggest thyme, a year round herb in California that's always contributing to savory deliciousness in my kitchen.  The quiche crust can be made a day ahead, then rolled out and baked off when you're ready to make your quiche.  I like this shiitake shallot thyme quiche for a picnic, I see a blanket and a picnic hamper out by the sea 🌊 .   If you can wait, it's very good...

  Testing one two three, are my apples ripe?  I want to harvest before the birds peck holes in the apples and make a mess of things.  I think they're getting close, maybe next week, although with this heat who knows?  The apple trees are fully loaded with the branches pulling down from the weight.  Last year I didn't get one single apple, well ok maybe one single apple but I don't know what went wrong, maybe a rain storm at the wrong time?  This year is a different story and I can't wait to pick apples, 🍎 🍏 from my backyard.   This apple salad is creamy with a Greek yogurt mustard herb dressing.  I like varying the flavor by choosing different herbs in the salad dressing.  The quinoa crusted chicken was a lot crispy this time especially since I opted for pan frying.  Because of our heatwave I didn't want to turn on the oven, the chicken is good baked in the oven but not as good as fried, big surprise there.  All in all a good lu...

  Mushroom, Walnut and Sage Pâté makes 6-8 servings I love this recipe for mushroom pâté from my friend Jean, who blogs about food, travel and succulents   at lemonsandanchovies.    Here is a wonderful recipe that is delightfully all about mushrooms.  They are cooked, seasoned and blended to perfection.  If you make it, you will love it-  fluffy mushroom clouds  spread on toasts will soon become one of your favorite appetizers.  I brought a terrine of mushroom pâté to our hosts last weekend, they loved it and asked for the recipe.  Of course, I sent this recipe over immediately and now I'm sharing it here with a few very slight changes. Recipe for Mushroom, Walnut and Sage Pâté 4 tablespoons olive oil 1 large shallot, diced 3/4 pound Cremini mushrooms, chopped .5 ounce (14 grams) Porcini mushrooms 1 cup boiling water 1/2 cup walnuts 1&1/2  tablespoons minced fresh sage, plus extra sage leaves to decorate the top 4 ta...

Marinated Goat Cheese Marinating goat cheese at home is an easy project, all you need is a glass jar, olive oil, goat cheese, herbs and a few spices. The marinated goat cheese is especially delicious when broiled until melty and served on warm toasts in a salad, which is what I made with this batch of fromages de chèvre mariné.   Traditionally small firm goat cheeses are used in this recipe but I had a log of fresh chèvre from Laura Chenel which is more on the soft side of goat cheeses.  I used a string to cut 4 rounds out of an 8 ounce original log of goat cheese.  I gently but firmly pressed the rounds into flatter shapes before stacking them in the jars and pouring in the olive oil marinade.  The leftover marinade  can be used to brush the toasts and make the balsamic salad dressing for the salades.  As you use the cheeses more can be added to the marinade. I'm throwing in a few French words to drive my spell check crazy, a fun activity during our m...

Peppers and prawns sounded so good together and then there was that leftover basmati rice from last night's poké dinner, begging for a chance to participate in tonight's dinner. If rice could speak, what would it say? Give me one more chance in a bowl guys.  I would never hold a good rice back, so come on in the water's fine. I added a cucumber relish made with cilantro, scallions, chives, rice vinegar, lime juice, sea salt and pepper, which added a pickled crunch to the dish.  All ingredients in for a successful dinner. Ingredients for stir fry rice with peppers and prawns  serves 2-3 3/4 pound prawns 1/2 red pepper, chopped 1/2 yellow pepper. chopped 1 small Jalapeño, deseeded and minced 1 medium shallot, diced Garlic clove smashed 2 teaspoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1&1/2 cups leftover rice at room temperature  Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil   For the cucu...

I've made this basic quiche recipe with several different ingredients and varieties of blue cheese, but finally settled on using Point Reyes blue cheese, because it's good and local, always a plus. The original recipe is in my favorite cookbook, Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan but I've done a fair amount of tinkering to it over the years, so here is my recipe below.  Ingredients for Blue Cheese Apple Walnut Quiche serves 6 1 9" tart shell partially baked 1 medium shallot, finely chopped 1 teaspoon aged sherry vinegar Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1 apple peeled, cored and chopped in small pieces, I used fuji or Gala 1/2 cup toasted walnut halves, chopped 4 ounces Point Reyes blue cheese, crumbled 5 ounces plain non fat thick yogurt  2 tablespoons whole milk 2 eggs   Preheat the oven to 400F Melt the butter in a small skillet over low heat and add the shallots.  Add salt and black pepper to lightly  season the shallots, cook for a...

  Tomato salad is a Summer favorite, especially with basil.  Dinner is just a whole lot better with tomatoes, sometimes I find myself slicing up a few cherry tomatoes just to add color to my plate.  Mostly I like a big sliced tomato salad, a large commitment to tomatoes, just throw myself into it.  This is a fun tomato recipe with a little crunch from the toasted pine nuts, a lot of flavor from the Sumac shallots Marinated in white wine vinegar and if you really want to go big, add soft goat cheese in big clumpy slices- perfect pillows for the shallots and sumac.  Now I'm happy. Tomato Salad with Basil, Pine Nuts and Sumac Shallots 1 large shallot, sliced thin 1 & 1/2 T sumac 1 T white wine vinegar Sea salt, pinch 2 large tomatoes, sliced 18 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half 2 T extra virgin olive oil 1/2 cup, lightly packed fresh basil leaves 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts Soft goat cheese, sliced (optional) Sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, to taste Place sh...

  Thai chicken with basil is one of our favorite Summer dinners.  I use a small harvest of my garden grown patch of sweet basil; it's green and lush when the weather turns warm.  I like to grow an Italian variety of sweet basil but I've also grown Greek and Thai basil.  It's  basically whatever I find at the nursery or farmer's market and it's early in the season so I will most likely add a few more herbs into the garden.  I like to make this dish medium spicy so I use one jalapeño pepper for two people, which is what the following recipe serves.  I also use steamed Basmati rice because it's our favorite and I make it in a small rice cooker, which makes it easy to hold if my timing is off when preparing the Thai chicken with basil. Thai Chicken with Basil 2 cups fresh sweet basil leaves, plus a few extra sprigs for serving 1 Jalapeño pepper, stemmed and sliced 1 garlic clove, peeled and sliced thin  1 T Fish sauce 2 t Oyster sauce  2 t sugar ...