I’m probably going to have to break down and get a salad spinner this year and maybe even a toaster.  After completely exhausting myself last year hand making nearly everything from scratch, I’m looking for ways to bring back the KISS (keep it simple, stupid) plan to at least some of our meals.  When I make toast for my kids or husband I burn approximately six slices for every one that’s edible.  I know you *can* make toast in the oven, but apparently that’s not my strong suit.

As I was cleaning out my refrigerators this morning, I was trying to think of a system where I could *easily* keep track of what’s in my fridge and therefore what I can make.  It’s all well and dandy if I can see that I have a red bell pepper then use my search box to utilize it, but what if it falls to the bottom of the drawer?  Maybe in five years I can pay for my groceries with my iPhone, then automatically add ingredients and quantities to my kitchen database, then click a button on my website to suggest all the recipes I can cook for dinner.  Wouldn’t *that* be convenient? ; )

Homemade croutons from a stale baguette are sooooo much better, but a box will do in a pinch.

Chopped Romaine Salad with Lane’s Favorite Vinaigrette Recipe

(serves 8 as a side dish)

Leaves from 1 and 1/2 hearts of romaine lettuce

2 cucumbers

sea salt

fresh ground pepper

Parmesan cheese

croutons

Lane’s Favorite Vinaigrette

Rinse romaine leaves and gently pat dry.  Chop into 1-inch segments.  Peel cucumbers, then halve lengthwise and slice into 1/2 inch segments.  Gently sprinkle cucumbers with sea salt and  pepper.  Use vegetable peeler to shave slivers of parmesan cheese into Romaine lettuce.  Sprinkle with croutons, then add the seasoned cucumbers.  Top with vinaigrette and toss with tongs.

Lane’s Favorite Vinaigrette Recipe

(makes approx 1 cup of dressing)

3 and 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar

3 and 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

7 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp chives

1 tsp Murray River Salt

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp onion powder

12 turns fresh ground pepper

3 shakes dry mustard

Combine all ingredients, then whisk with a fork to combine.  Serve immediately after stirring.

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program, I received several coupons from Fresh Express redeemable for one free bag of salad each and the challenge to create a recipe featuring the salad.  I jumped at the chance as we already eat a lot of Fresh Express Salads around here.  My favorites include the Baby Spinach, the 50/50, and the Fresh Herb Salad.  Any of those three would create a terrific base for this crab cake salad, but can you think of anything more tender than a 1/4 pound of lump crab meat?  A cake like that deserves a bed of pillows provided by tender baby spinach leaves.  If you’d like to give this salad a shot, or come up with a fresh salad creation of your own, post a comment and I’ll mail you a coupon for a free bag salad, compliments of Fresh Express.

Did you read that right? Yes, 1/4 pound of lump crab meat.  I use the super lump crab meat from Costco.  It’s $13.99 a pound compared to the fishmonger’s $25 a pound.  There are almost never shell pieces mixed in and it tastes and smells delicious, sweet, and delicate.  I cooked these in about 2 teaspoons of olive oil in my Calphalon Unison Slide Non-Stick Griddle.  Crab meat is so tender, frying crab cakes in loads of oil is blasphemous.  This non-stick griddle has such a slippery surface, you can use very little oil when browning, but not run into any sticking or falling apart issues, just be sure not to flip before your first side is completely browned.  As an added bonus, the Unison line is dishwasher safe!

Crab Cake Salad

1 pound super lump crabmeat

1/2 a large white onion, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp olive oil

1 egg

2 tbsp mayonnaise

2 tbsp capers

3 tbsp Italian Parsley, chopped

3 tbsp panko

1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning

cayenne pepper

1 tsp kosher salt

12 turns fresh ground pepper

panko for coating

olive oil

1 bag Fresh Express Baby Spinach

In a large bowl, pick through crab meat and remove any shells you find.  In a saute pan over medium heat, add olive oil, then onions.  Cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add garlic.  Cook one more minute, then add mixture to the crab.  Add egg, mayonnaise, capers, parsley, and panko to crab mixture.  Add old bay, 3 dashes of cayenne from shaker top, salt, and pepper.  Mix all together, then divide mixture into four equal portions.  Form each portion into a round disk about 1 inch tall.

Preheat oven to 300.  Cover the bottom of a rimmed plate with panko.  Place crab cakes one at a time on panko, then coat completely in panko crust.  Heat a non-stick griddle over medium high heat.  Add two teaspoons of olive oil and swirl to coat.  Brown the crab cakes on one side for about 4-5 minutes until lightly browned.   Turn, then brown the second side for 3 minutes.  Add small bits of additional olive oil if pan looks dry.  Move pan to oven and bake 5 more minutes.  Serve over a bed of Fresh Express Baby Spinach, top with blue cheese and Sherry Vinaigrette.

Sherry Vinaigrette

4 tbsp sherry vinegar

6 tbsp olive oil

4 tbsp water

2 tbsp honey

1 tsp kosher salt

12 turns fresh ground pepper

Combine all ingredients and whisk like crazy.  Serve.

So buttermilk cornbread it was.  I bought the buttermilk for a remake of the biscuits found here.  I had altered the original recipe – which turned out well on the initial run.  While in Florida, I found the Lily White flour biscuit people are always raving about so I brought some home.  In a non-scientific method experiment, I not only used the different flour, but also used the original recipe’s cream of tartar.  The result was dismal.  Edible, but so not worth the effort.  These results are frustrating as well as tiresome to a home chef.  So I decided possibly the buttermilk was the culprit – that perhaps my homemade buttermilk wasn’t enough to over take the cream of tartar flavor.  When I saw the 95 cent buttermilk at the strange Kroger, I hopped on it.

As for the salmon, I’ve mentioned before, but if you own a Lean Mean Grilling Machine – by all means cook your salmon on that!  Or spend the 30 dollars to get one.  If not, it still works, but it’s loads easier on the Lean Mean.  I’ve currently lost mine, but it’s somewhere in this house, and I vow to find it again.

Brianna’s Salmon

1 c. Brianna’s French Vinaigrette

1.25 lb Coho Salmon

kosher salt

Olive oil

Preheat oven to 350.  In a glass dish, place salmon skin side down.  Sprinkle with Kosher Salt, then pour French Vinaigrette over the top.  Marinate for 15 minutes – no more – marinades cook salmon!  Heat a grill pan on medium high heat.  Brush grill pan with olive oil, then place fish flesh side down, cooking until opaque 30 percent of the thickness.  Flip to skin side.  Cook in oven until opaque throughout.  About 10 minutes total for 3/4 inch fillets.

Buttermilk Cornbread

(note I have a very large cast iron skillet.  If yours is 9 inches or smaller – half this recipe)

6 tbsp canola oil

4 c. white self-rising cornmeal

1 tsp. baking soda

3 c. buttermilk

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 425.  Add canola oil to a large cast iron skillet and place in the oven for 3 minutes.  Combine cornmeal and baking soda, then mix with buttermilk and eggs.  Pour hot oil into mixture, stir then pour back into hot cast iron skillet.  Bake for 22 minutes – or until edges are gently brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Serve with real butter.

The original recipe was created by Bill Bayley in 1947. Mr. Bayley was a restaurateur and guarded his recipe for years until it was eventually published in the 1964 edition of the Junior League of Mobile’s cookbook. I’ve adapted the recipe slightly from Wesson vegetable oil to grapeseed oil, since I just can’t stand to use vegetable oil anymore. Grapeseeed was a great substitution since it’s lighter than olive oil and has such a delicate flavor. I also added chopped chives for color. This salad would be lovely at a luncheon served on a bed of butter lettuce, but I generally serve it with crackers as an appetizer.

I used the Whole Foods Whole Catch Jumbo Lump Crabmeat, but you can also use Costco’s lump crab meat for about half the cost. The advantage to the Whole Foods line is that in two containers – there were no shells at all to pick out. If you haven’t prepared lump crab before after rinsing, just squish the lumps between your fingers to ensure that there are no shells left and separate the crab meat.

I keep promising photos of my mountain adventure so here are a few. I’m hitting at least four outdoor concerts a week. This is actually from the Wednesday Deer Valley free concert series – that’s my son Quentin after he spilled his grandmothers red wine all over his shirt.  Trust me – wine on the side of a mountain can be tricky.  You absolutely have to have these wine bottle and glass holders. 

And this is my best friend Lisa who brought her boys out to stay with me for awhile.  These concerts are a cornucopia of dining al fresco, friends, wine and children running around everywhere.  And here’s me – at the top of the mountain.  I’m spending my days hiking in the quiet and planning luxurious picnics for my evening outdoor concerts.  Rough life, eh?  I highly recommend it for your mental health!

West Indies Crab Salad

1 and 1/2 large yellow onions, very finely chopped

1 lb. jumbo lump crabmeat, picked through for shells

4 oz grapeseed oil

3 oz apple cider vinegar

4 oz extremly cold ice water

1 and 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/8 tsp finely ground black pepper

2 tbsps chopped fresh chives

In a bowl, layer half the onions, then top with the crab meat, then the other half of the onions.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, vinager, and water for the dressing.  Pour over the crab mixture  and let marinate in refrigerator 6-12 hours – the longer the better.  An hour before serving, stir, add the salt, pepper, and fresh chives.  Stir again just before serving.

Serve on a bed of butter lettuce or on crackers as an appetizer.

Garlic scapes are the early flower sprouts that come at the beginning of the garlic season before the bulbs are mature enough to harvest.  Kind of like how some gardeners advise you to trim your basil before it goes to seed in order to encourage the plant to keep producing big leaves, some gardeners trim the scapes to encourage the plant to focus on growing hearty bulbs.

Scapes have a more delicate garlic flavor, and in theory, can be eaten raw if harvested before they curl.  Mine of course were curly and too tough to eat raw, but did fabulously when trimmed, chopped and sauteed in olive oil.  We added ours to a salad, but thought we could eat just a plate of them straight.

I also got fresh salad greens from Chad’s Produce, 2009′s Best Farmer in Utah Award recipient, featured in our salad.  They were quite delicious.  And zucchini from the first person I’ve met in Utah who wasn’t very friendly, I’ll be sure to try another zucchini farmer next week.  The most amazing thing to me was the number of sustainable fish purveyors at the farmers market.  I didn’t purchase anything from them or really even check them out, I was just surprised to see at least 4 fish stands present.

Sauteed Garlic Scapes

Bunch Garlic Scapes, rinsed, trimmed, and chopped

Olive oil

Flake salt

Pepper

In a cast iron skillet over medium heat, add 2 tbsps olive oil and garlic scapes.  Sautee about 10 minutes, until color starts to change and scapes become fragrant.  Test, if they still taste to peppery, saute a few more minutes, then season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve in a salad or as a topping for steak, chicken or fish.

I wrote about the Mama Houdyshell chicken recipe here.  This was super easy dinner night, so I didn’t even make the chimichurri sauce. We accompanied it by our favorite canned black beans lightly sprinkled with my favorite Murray River Pink Salt.  For our salad, we had baby spinach, topped with kirby cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, blue cheese and a combo dressing of Brianna’s Blush Wine Vinaigrette and the Garlic Balsamic vinaigrette I wrote about the other night, recipe found here.  The Balsamic dressing was even better the second time, as dressings and sauces often are.

My husbands life-long best friend and his wife bicycled over to share our meal, as they often do on Fridays, and we even managed to have a lovely patio dinner with complete with intelligent conversation.  I do need to correct some misinformation I relayed, however.  Nutrition and food science have long been a hobby of mine.  In college, I did about 1.5 years seriously pursuing my nutrition degree, which was by far my most pleasant education during my years.   Misguidedly, I switched to my MIS major, because computers/technology had such better income and job stability prospects (HA!).   Anyway, I soaked up those nutrition classes like a sponge and I am almost certain that I’m remembering this accurately as taught, so perhaps research has changed or perhaps my google linguistic skills are just not yielding the desired results.  Anyway, tomatoes are high in lycopene, which studies have shown to have a preventative effect for some forms of cancer, most notably prostate cancer.  And though I can find no documentation on it, I swore I was taught that the jelly surrounding the tomato seed contained the highest amount of lycopene.  Anyhow, 2005 studies led the US FDA to severely limit the claims made concerning lycopene and cancer prevention in favor of encouraging people to simply consume whole tomatoes as they make contain some as of yet undiscovered cancer preventing compounds.  So I don’t know the real story other than – tomatoes are good for you, and likely a diet high in these and other fresh fruits and vegetables as opposed to say oreos and cheetos should provide some level of cancer prevention.  But that’s just plain common sense anyway.

Ruth’s Chris

The artichokes were added because they were beautiful and giant.  Normally at Ruth’s Chris I would have ordered the creamed spinach – if you’re craving that, you can find my version here.  I eat my artichokes with melted butter, Cory likes them with mayonnaise.  The idea of eating anything with mayonnaise is absolutely horrifying to me, but some people seem to like it so that’s an option.  Every now and again I run into someone whose never eaten an artichoke like this.  Just in case that’s you, you don’t eat the whole leave, just scrape the fleshy part with your teeth, then discard the rest.  GourmetSleuth has a better description here.

Sliced Tomato, Onion, and Blue Cheese Salad

2 beefstake tomatoes, sliced

1/2 a red onion, sliced into rings

blue cheese

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar

1/2 c. olive oil

1/4 c. water

1.5 tbsp garlic, finely chopped

1/2 tsp Murray River salt

8 turns fresh ground pepper

Alternate slices of tomato and onion, top with blue cheese.  For the vinaigrette, combine vinegar, oil, water, garlic, salt and pepper.  Drizzle over salad.  Save remainder for future use.

Braised Artichokes

2 artichokes

water

4 cloves garlic

Trim stem from artichoke to make a flat bottom, trim top 1/4 inch of leaves off, then clip the remaining tips off with scissors to cut off thorns.  Place artichokes in a large pan, then fill with an inch of water.  Pour lemon juice over artichokes and add garlic to water.  Bring to a boil, cover, and cook for about an hour – or until leaves pull out easily and are tender.  Be sure to check pan periodically to ensure you haven’t boiled off all your water, add additional water as needed.