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It’s been almost four weeks since my hip replacement surgery. Sitting still is not something I can easily do. I was, in my mind, very good the first two weeks of recuperation. Since then, I’ve been able to move better and being careful at what I chose to do.
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I’ve missed cooking during this time. The meals that we prepared were easy and unimaginative. However, as my recuperation progresses, the meals are getting better. Some of the things I have made in the past, but I do have a few new ones. I was able to try out some these recipes on my family this weekend.

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Currently I am laid up recuperating from total left hip replacement. The recipes given here today were prepared prior to my surgery. Hopefully, in two weeks or so, I'll be walking with a cane and will be more mobile.

For those who live near the water, June brings Father’s Day, graduations, June brides and summertime company.  I’m still experimenting with new frittatas for my husband. The two most recent preparations were Shiitake, Fontina and Prosciutto Frittata from an old issue of Buon Appétit Magazine (no date on torn out page) and a Crust-less Broccoli Quiche (Cooking Light Magazine, July 2003).
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My son loves to fish. Be it off the jetty or on the ocean he’ll spend his summer days fishing whenever he can. Last week he was fortunate to have a friend invite him on their boat. They left the marina at 6 AM and by 7:30 had caught their limit. My son caught three large strip bass. Lucky for me and his sister, he was kind enough to give a large fillet to each of us.
 
I prepared mine the other evening very simply to let the freshness of the fish shine through. I made my fish en papillote, meaning I placed the fish on a sheet of parchment and proceeded to enclose the fish in a pouch. I did this to keep the fish moist as it baked in the oven. I seasoned the fillet with salt, pepper, EVOO, a sprinkle of panko breadcrumbs and fresh chopped  parsley.
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For my birthday and Mother's Day my son and his wife gave me dinner at my choice of restaurants. As I was to be laid up for a while following hip surgery, I asked them if we could roll my birthday and Mother's Day gift into one and they suggested going to Heirloom Kitchen in Old Bridge, NJ. My son recommended that we sit at the chef's counter for dinner which would afford us a view of the meal preparation and interaction with the chefs.
 
Neilly Robinson is the founder/partner/general manager of Heirloom Kitchen. Neilly is an accomplished baker and prepares breads daily for the dining room.  Neilly's partner and Heirloom's executive chef is David Viana. The menu for this restaurant is driven by seasonal ingredients by a chef who gives his interpretation of American cooking. Chef Viana is a 2018 James Beard Award semifinalist. 
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​We survived our first official weekend of summer. Despite the heavy rains at the Jersey shore on Sunday, Thursday through Saturday were beautiful weather days. If you live at the Jersey shore, you see an uptick in summertime guests. This past weekend my daughter and granddaughter came down for several days to take advantage of the beautiful weather. 
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​It’s Memorial Day weekend and you’ve been invited to a barbecue. Being the congenial friend, you offer to bring a side dish. No hostess wants to be checking the oven for a side dish that has to be reheated, nor do they want to worry about the heat spoiling salads with mayonnaise. Well, I have the perfect potato salad for you. 
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Although my daughter celebrated her 30th birthday last June, she and I finally got to share her birthday dinner. Last fall I gave her tickets to see the Broadway play, "Hamilton." We were to do a pre-theatre dinner, however, there was a slight change in our plans and dinner was postponed.
 
Fast forward to 2018, I gave her the option of lunch at DelPosto in New York or somewhere else. She decided that she wanted to try Modine in Asbury Park. I had just been there in late April to celebrate my daughter-in-law's birthday.
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​With the arrival of warmer weather, soft shell crabs are coming to market. While shopping at Wegmans today, they had in their fish case cleaned soft shell crabs for $6 ea. However, I went down the aisle a bit and saw they had a package of two pre-cooked, tempura coated soft shell crabs for $10. I couldn't resist an easy meal, so I picked up a package pre-cooked crabs for myself. The soft shell crabs had to be heated in a 350° oven, 10 minutes per side. Since my husband doesn't care for soft shell crabs, I picked up a half pound of scallops for him ($14.99/lb.).  I prepared the scallops using Wegmans Pan Searing Flour ($2.99) and sautéed them in a bit of butter and extra virgin olive oil.
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My husband’s cousin was passing through New Jersey on her way to pick up her daughter from college. She planned an overnight visit with us, which was so thoughtful of her as we haven’t seen in a very long time.
 
In preparing for her visit, I decided to make a British-style currant scone, a recipe from America’s Test Kitchen which looked very easy to do. The first part of the recipe is done in the food processor. I made the scones from start to finish in under an hour. As soon as they came out of the oven, I couldn’t resist breaking into one. The scones had a delicate, soft texture and a fine crumb. They were enjoyable without the addition of jam or clotted cream.
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​In building a rotation of breakfast egg dishes for my husband, I came across a recipe for a Baked Asparagus and Yellow Pepper Frittata from the April 1999 issue of Gourmet Magazine. This recipe seemed appropriate as it being spring and asparagus is now in season. Besides the asparagus, the frittata has yellow bell peppers, a zucchini and some fresh flat leaf parsley for brightness. There is a small amount of heavy cream, but with 10 eggs a little richness will go a long way. 


​meet donna

A former teacher, shop-a-holic, empty-nester redefining quick, family approved dinners.

​If you have questions or comments, click on the envelope icon above to contact me directly. 

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