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​I love kitchen gadgets and different kinds of cooking tools. For example, one summer sale at Williams-Sonoma,  I purchased a small grill top smoker. I used it only once this summer. I'll blame the 90 degree plus days as the reason I didn't use it as much. Another gizmo I purchased was a steel grill meat loaf pan. I believe my husband talked me into this one. It has an exterior pan with an open bottom and an insert that is perforated metal. Thank goodness I have a small kitchen and limited storage, otherwise I would have even more gadgets!
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I like one pot suppers because it makes preparation and clean up easier. Also, recipes done in one pot build upon layers of flavor. Recently, since the weather was a bit cooler, I dug through my recipes to find a one chicken dish that was in the January 2001 issue of Gourmet Magazine. The recipe is Spanish-Style Chicken with Saffron Rice or Arroz con Pollo. 

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Finally, we had our hamburger tasting last Saturday night. My brother was down overnight and my son and his girlfriend were part of the tasting too. We sampled Vrola 6 oz. USA choice cut hamburgers (85% lean) that I purchased from Delicious Orchards, LaFrieda Original Blend burgers (flat iron, brisket and short rib beef from American Black Angus Beef) and Schweid & Sons C.A.B. All American Burgers (made with certified Angus beef both) purchased at Shop Rite at Wall Town Center.
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Last week we met our friends for dinner at Blend on Main in Manasquan. We had reservations for 5:45 p.m. and found the dining room quiet after the summer crowds had departed for the season. Blend has a very nice and spacious dining room. There is also outdoor dining available for those for prefer dining al fresco. Blend also is BYOB, which is a very nice feature.

We perused the regular menu and I found several items which caught my eye. Wednesday is Lobster Palooza Night. They offered a special lobster dinner for $24, which included a whole 1.25 pound lobster, corn, red bliss potatoes served with drawn butter and lemon. To go along with the special, Blend had special appetizers of lobster bisque and lobster salad. Special lobster entrees included a lobster tail dinner, lobster risotto and lobster mac n cheese.

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Today is the official back to school day for children in my neighborhood. The days are beginning to feel like fall. I've noticed that the local grocery stores have field mums.

With that in mind, there's a dish I make every fall and winter since it appeared in the April 1999 issue of Gourmet Magazine. The recipe is Swedish Turkey Meatballs with Egg Noodles. It's a good do ahead dish and I've even made it when I was still working in a school. It contains basic pantry items, but you'll need to make sure that you have on hand egg noodles, beef broth and medium-dry sherry. Instead of beef broth, check out Williams-Sonoma's beef stock concentrate. Right now it's not showing on their website, but as the fall season progresses, hopefully they'll have it back in stock.
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Update September 6th - This recipe from William-Sonoma was developed for a specific type of pan. When make I frittata's, I would cook the eggs and let them set a few minutes. Using a rubber spatula, I begin lifting the edges so as to the the raw egg mixture fills in under the cooked eggs. When I have just about all the raw egg under the setting frittata, I cover the pan to let then frittata finish cooking. I also put the frittata under the broil to ensure the eggs have cooked thoroughly.

As I mentioned previously in this blog, our dog Daisy, is up before the sun is up these morning s. As much as I would like an omelette for breakfast, I need a cup of coffee to make anything more involved than oatmeal. With still more heirloom grape tomatoes left from my son, I wanted to use up the tomatoes before they spoiled. With summer winding down, I decided on another frittata using my some of my favorite ingredients would be delicious this morning.
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My son had a second harvest of grape size heirloom tomatoes. With this latest quart size bowl he gave me, I was a bit stumped has to what to make with them. As I had to work until closing Saturday night, again I needed something quick and easy to prepare. Searching through my folder of breakfast recipes, I came across one for a frittata from Gourmet Magazine, May 2001. The recipe, Tomato, Garlic and Potato Frittata sounded appealing for supper. I was also able to utilize the abundance of basil growing in my garden. 
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Today is my husband's birthday. The only thing he wanted was dinner with his children; he got half of his request. Our daughter and son-in-law aren't able to make it this evening, we'll FaceTime with them later. My son and his girlfriend will join us at Sea Grass Restaurant in Ocean Grove. We love the food at Sea Grass as it is consistently delicious, service is great and the staff is very accommodating. It's my husband's favorite restaurant. Did I mention that it's BYOB?
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Saturday I worked until closing. My husband and I weren't going to go out, so a quick, easy meal had to be considered. Recently we were watching America's Test Kitchen cooking show on Create TV, when they demonstrated a braising method for cooking fish. The recipe is Braised Halibut with Leek and Mustard. I didn't have halibut, but did have frozen cod that I purchased at Whole Foods when it was on sale a few weeks back. 
​As the recipe serves four, a halved the recipe for just my husband and I. Planning ahead, I was able to purchase two large leeks at Delicious Orchards at $2.49/lb. I sliced and cleaned the leeks before leaving for work so that helped when it came time to cook dinner. The other recipe ingredients I had on hand was butter, Dijon mustard and white wine. 

Before work I went Joe Leone's in Sea Girt to get some mozzarella to make a tomato and mozzarella salad. I must say Joe Leone's mozzarella was very creamy and velvety in texture. It is, however, a little more expensive than other homemade mozzarella's I've had, $10.49/lb. I made the tomato salad when I got home from work. I merely dressed the items with EVOO, sea salt and basil. Magnifico!

Dinner was on the table in about 45 minutes. By the way, the fish was delicious!

Braised Halibut with Leeks and Mustard
From America’s Test Kitchen Season 16: Braised to Perfection
 
Serves 4
 
We prefer to prepare this recipe with halibut, but a similar firm-fleshed fish such as striped bass or sea bass that is between ¾ and 1 inch thick can be substituted. To ensure that your fish cooks evenly, purchase fillets that are similarly shaped and uniformly thick.
 
Ingredients
4 (6- to 8-ounce) skinless halibut fillets, ¾ to 1 inch thick
Salt and pepper
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced thin, and washed thoroughly
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¾ cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon lemon juice, plus lemon wedges for serving
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
 
Instructions
  1. Sprinkle fish with ½ teaspoon salt. Melt butter in 12-inch skillet over low heat. Place fish in skillet, skinned side up, increase heat to medium, and cook, shaking pan occasionally, until butter begins to brown (fish should not brown), 3 to 4 minutes. Using spatula, carefully transfer fish to large plate, raw side down.
  2. Add leeks, mustard, and ½ teaspoon salt to skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until leeks begin to soften, 2 to 4 minutes. Add wine and bring to gentle simmer. Place fish, raw side down, on top of leeks. Cover skillet and cook, adjusting het to maintain gentle simmer, until fish registers 135 to 140 degrees, 10 to 14 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using 2 spatulas, transfer fish and leeks to serving platter or individual plates. Tent loosely with aluminum foil.
  3. Return skillet to high heat and simmer briskly until sauce is thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat, stir in lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over fish and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediate with lemon wedges.​

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As I mentioned in a previous post, Monday night's supper was going to be scallops. I swung by Whole Foods on the way home from work and picked up a pound ($18.99/lb. through August 30th). I merely dredged them in Wegmans basting flour and sauteed them in my non-stick skillet with some butter. To round out the meal, I used my grill pan to cook 1/4" sliced NJ zucchini (Delicious Orchards $0.89/lb.) and brown rice. My daughter gave me a small amount of spinach she had in her refrigerator, so I steamed that as a bed for the scallops.


​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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