Category Archives: The Weekend Dish

Weekend Dish-Summer!

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I know what you want.
Cherries. Peach juice dripping down your chin. Bare feet. Sandy toes.

Chair

You want 101 days of summer.
The countdown officially begins today. 5 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.

What will you do with these 2,420 hours, these 145,440 minutes, these 8,726,400 seconds of your one precious life?

There’s no way you’ll make a to-do list. You want a game.

Scavenger Hunt

Remember summer night scavenger hunts? You and your friends split into groups then set out in the neighborhood with a list? First one back with all the loot won?  Yeah. You’d like to try that again.

Take a photo of each of the 101 Days of Summer.
Post them on Instagram. Hash tag the photos with #backyardsisters_101days

Ready. Set. Go!

Epic BBQ

1. Perfect your go-to summer barbecue meal.
2. Learn a new grilling technique. For a great veggie grilling video, click here.
3. Invite a new neighbor for dinner.
4. Eat outside. Every night. Unless there’s thunder and lightening.
5. Eat by candlelight. Every night. Outside. Unless.
6. Sit on the grass with your dog’s head in your lap.
7. Watch fireflies.  If you catch them in a jar, be sure to let them out before you go to bed.
8. Learn 5 new objects in the night sky.  The free app SkyViewFree uses an i-phone’s camera as viewfinder.
9. Plan ahead to find a dark viewing spot for the Perseid Meteor Shower, August 11 and 12.  You’ll catch the summer’s best display of shooting stars. More info here.
10. Make your own ice cream. You don’t even need an ice cream maker. Check it out here.
sunset

11. Stay up late.
12. Get up early. Photograph your days.
13. Learn the names of 5 birds in your neighborhood.  The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has an amazing library of birdcalls. Link here.
14. Take your morning beverage on the porch, patio, or near an open window.
15. Prop your bare feet on a ledge.
16. Plant one living thing, even in a small pot if you don’t have a yard.
17. Plant something you can eat. A few green onions. Parsley. One tomato plant.
18. Visit a farmer’s market.
19. Take home something you’ve never eaten before.
20. Eat it.
21. Learn to make the perfect margarita or mojito or favorite frozen treat.
22. Invite neighbors over to help you drink it.

Gammy and girls

23. Visit your mom and dad.
24. Look at photos from childhood family vacations; yours and theirs.
25. Record favorite memories either on video or audio.
26. Visit your children.
27. Look at photos from family vacations; yours and theirs.
28. Record favorite memories.
29. Create a family yearbook of photos.
30. Do one thing that scares you.

get wet

31. Swim in a natural body of water.
32. Cannonball into the deep end of a pool.
33. Play Marco Polo.
34.  Learn one new water skill: surfing, body surfing, paddle boarding, water ballet moves.
35. Teach your new skill.
36. Pick fresh blueberries.
37. Make a summer fruit cobbler. For the Backyard Sisters favorite cobbler recipe, click here.
38. Eat dinner on a blanket under a tree.
39. Walk after dinner through town or your neighborhood.
40. Listen.
Waimea
41. Hike a new trail.
42. Learn the names of 5 new native plants in your region.
43. Visit 3 new state parks. The rangers there will know the names of the plants.
44. Take a new friend with you.
45. Volunteer for a park clean-up day.
46. Tune your guitar, your piano, your cello, your drum, your voice.
47. Learn one solid song.
48. Lose your inhibition.
49. Make a campfire.
50. Sing under the stars.
51. Make s’mores.
52. Sleep under the stars.
53. Learn how to remove ticks from your dog. (Same concept applies to humans.) Great video here.
Art

54. Sketch, photograph, or journal what distinguishes your local ecosystem from others.
55. Learn 5 edible plants.
56. Learn 5 poisonous plants.
57. Learn to pack lightly.
58. Learn to clean up after yourself.
59. Learn to read a map.
60. Get lost.
61. Go to a car show.
62. Attend your state or county fair.

stevenson quote

63. Submit something: homemade beer, photography, literature.
64. Hold hands on the Ferris wheel.
65. If you win a giant stuffed panda, give it away to a neighborhood kid.
66. Visit the booths with prize-winning pies and jams and wines.
67. Congratulate the blue-ribbon winners. Ask one fine question about their process.
68. Hear an outdoor concert.
69. Watch an outdoor movie.
70. Wait for the Milky way.
71. Visit your local library.
72. Remember summer reading when you were a kid? Check out ten books.
73. Visit an independent bookstore. Buy one thing.
bookstore

74. Hear a live author reading.
75. Thank the author in person.
76. Perfect one aspect of your craft: Great openings. Killer closings. Trimming the fat from word count.
77. Slow dance under the Full Flower Moon on May 25.
78. Sip strawberry wine under the Full Strawberry Moon on June 23.
79.  Dance with abandon under the Full Thunder Moon on July 22.
80. Fish under the Full Sturgeon Moon on August 20.   For full moon name meanings, click here.
81. Invite neighbors over for a pancake breakfast.
82. Visit the housebound neighbor who couldn’t come.
83. Bring flowers, or stories, or one of your photos.

all birds and sand

84. Call your grandmother or grandfather or aunt or uncle or long lost cousin.
85. Tell them about the trees and birds and stars. Ask about the view from their window.
86. Ask about their favorite summer memory.
87. Remember to return your library books.
88. Lie on your back on the grass and watch the clouds.
89. Swing.
90. Swim again. Again. Again.

balcony art
91. Travel.
92. Learn five bits of history about one place you’ll visit.
93. Read before you go.  You can find a literary companion for more than 20 destinations from Whereabouts Press where the mission “is to convey a culture through its literature.”
94. Attend an outdoor art show.
95. Bike ride. On a beach cruiser. Along the beach if you’re lucky.
96. Learn hello, goodbye, please, thank-you and I love you in five new languages.
97. Learn how to come home.
98. Harvest and eat your one small thing standing barefoot on your own patch of ground, balcony, stone or wood.
99. Cut flowers from your yard. Take some to your neighbor.
100. Send an old fashioned hand-written note, with some herbs or fragrant leaves.
101. Set 5 small items – a shell, a rock, a poem – from your summer on your desk.

DSCN2585

Last one done is a rotten egg.
~Catherine

The Weekend Dish – Bananas Foster

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A banana tree was planted in this backyard sister’s backyard a few years ago. After noticing one in a neighbor’s front yard, and thus quelling any doubts we had about their ability to grow in our Southern California coastal climate, we decided to give it a try. Enlisting the help of a backyard son we chose a spot out near the vegetable garden, planted it and waited; with visions of Chiquita-like bananas available by a simple stroll out the back door. How excited we were when the first bunch appeared! When it turned, what we deemed a sufficiently yellow hue, we even more excitedly ran in to the house and prepared to consume this previously unimaginable treasure of a banana fresh off the tree. Peeling the tiny fruit was different from your average banana but with some effort it was accomplished and I took the first bite and was greeted by a chalky, slightly bitter, hard, dry banana. banana tree
A few chalky bananas later, we came to the conclusion that these bananas weren’t improving and were more like plantains and therefore in need of some cooking (and sugar and liquor and butter!)  Bananas Foster visions happily replaced the fresh off the tree visions. Not only is the dish delicious but it makes for an impressive sight when the bananas are flambéed right before serving.

bananas foster flameIt takes caution and finesse to execute this dish.

bananas foster flame1This definitely was an improvement for these bananas or plantains. Still, these were not the best bananas or even close. The banana tree tale ends a little sadly with the decision to remove it due to its rapid rate of growth causing infringement on the vegetable garden space and its production of little, dry, chalky fruit. The banana tree is, however what lead us to try this recipe and I am eternally grateful.

~ Susan

bananas foster

Bananas Foster

  • 1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup banana liqueur
  • 4 bananas, cut in half lengthwise, then halved
  • 1/4 cup dark rum
  • 4 scoops vanilla ice cream

Combine the butter, sugar and cinnamon in a flambé pan or skillet.
Place the pan over low heat, either on an alcohol burner or on top of the stove, and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.
Stir in the banana liqueur, then place the bananas in the pan.
When the bananas soften and begin to brown, carefully add the rum.
Continue cooking until the rum is hot, but not boiling or the alcohol burns off and won’t ignite.
Using a long handled match or barbecue lighter ignite the rum using the fumes at the edge of the pan. Make sure you aren’t leaning over the pan and aren’t wearing loose clothes. Never pour alcohol from bottle onto flaming pan because this can cause an explosion.
When the flames subside, lift the bananas out of the pan and place over the ice cream in dishes.
Top with generous spoonfuls of the sauce and serve immediately. This is also a delicious topping for waffles or crepes.

The Weekend Dish – Trifle

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We gather, gab, nosh and fête frequently. The backyard sisters take our celebrations seriously. Yes,truly, getting the extended family together and feasting are not activities to be trifled with.

photo credit: @1ofmykind

photo credit: @1ofmykind

The backyard sisters, their spouses, parents, children and often in-laws and a friend or two celebrate birthdays and holidays on a regular basis. A backyard cousin, home from college for a spring break visit, spurs us to man the party stations. Just so happens one of his favorite desserts is Trifle and lucky for him his Oma makes an impressive one. Lucky for me, I was privileged to indulge in this light and creamy delicacy that night. Not only is the layered presentation special and elegant but also

trifle-layers-1

it tastes luscious. Now I know why he loves it so; it is a perfect mix of sweet, fruity flavors and creamy, airy textures. It sure impressed this guest and I daresay it would impress yours too, and that’s no trifling matter!

~ Susan

Trifle

  • Angel Food cake torn into bite size pieces
  • vanilla pudding (recipe follows)
  • strawberry sauce (recipe follows)
  • whipped cream
  • sliced fresh strawberries

A trifle dish is the optimum container but if you don’t have one don’t let that stop you, any tall glass bowl or tall glass individual dishes can work also. Begin with a layer of the angel food cake, then spoon pudding over, next the strawberry sauce and then repeat topping it with whipped cream and sliced fresh strawberries.

Vanilla Pudding

  • 2 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 3+ tsp vanilla extract (to taste)
  • 3/4 tsp salt

Mix sugar, flour and salt in a saucepan. Mix milk and egg yolks together and add to dry ingredients. Cook over low to medium heat until thickened stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Cool and chill.

Strawberry Sauce

  • 4 cups frozen strawberries mashed
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine mashed strawberries sugar, cornstarch and water in a saucepan. Cook until thickened stirring frequently. Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla and stir until butter incorporated. Cool.

Whipping Cream

To a pint of whipping cream add either powdered sugar or agave and vanilla to taste. Then whip with an electric mixer on high speed until it holds its own shape. If you beat too long you will end up with butter.

The Weekend Dish – Checkerboard Cake

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_MG_8216Adventures and experiments in the kitchen can be challenging and fun. Trying to come up with a dish to go with this month’s theme of patterns, a checkerboard cake immediately came to mind. Never having made one and a bit uncertain about what seemed like a daunting task, I suppressed the idea for a day or two exploring other possibilities but I kept coming back to the cake and readied myself for a challenge. First, I learned there is a special pan one can buy for creating this effect, but not wanting to invest in one and, with further research, I found a video online of Buddy, the cake boss, teaching Rachael Ray how to make a checkerboard cake using cookie cutters.  Well, without circle cookie cutters, I improvised using a glass and a glass vase ( thoroughly cleaned of course ). Checkerboard cake here we come. First task is making chocolate and vanilla cakes.

_MG_8208Most cakes after cooking have a slightly rounded top, at least mine do, so to get even layers that will sit flatly on top of each other; after the cake has cooled, trim about one quarter of an inch off the top. Then cut concentric circles from the center out and you will have three circles of cake.

_MG_8211Next step is to alternate the chocolate and vanilla rings. If you have a vanilla ring on the outside insert a chocolate ring next and finish with a vanilla ring in the middle. After assembling your first layer, apply frosting. I learned a trick from the cake boss – use a bag to apply the frosting. I used a ziploc bag and cut a hole in one of the bottom corners. By applying the frosting this way, all you have to do is gently spread it around to smooth it out and it keeps it from getting full of crumbs. For the next layer, start with chocolate on the outside then vanilla and finish with chocolate in the center then add frosting again. I made a three layer cake so for the last layer I repeated the pattern of the first layer. Then apply frosting to entire cake. I could have made another layer but ran out of frosting. . . and time.

_MG_8221It’s fun cutting into the cake and revealing the impressive checkerboard pattern!

_MG_8234I made the cakes from scratch because I prefer that to mixes, but if you want you can use cake mix. I put my foot down at the frosting from the grocery store though; it’s just not as good as homemade!

 Hershey’s “Perfectly  Chocolate” Chocolate Cake  (from the Hershey’s Cocoa box)

  • 2 cup sugar
  • 1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup Hershey’s Cocoa
  • 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1-1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup boiling water

Heat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour two 9-in. round cake pans. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour into pans. Bake 30-35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, remove from pans to wire racks and cool completely.

Yellow Cake (from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook)

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder
  • 1-1/2 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup butter,softened
  • 1-1/2 tsp vanilla (I doubled this, I like vanilla a lot)
  • 2 eggs

Preheat oven to 375° F. In a large bowl combine dry ingredients. Add milk, butter, and vanilla. Beat with electric mixer on low speed until combined. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs and beat 2 minutes more. Pour into 2 greased and floured 9 in. round cake pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans until cooled completely.

“Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Frosting (also from Hershey’s Cocoa box)

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
  • 2/3 cup Hershey’s cocoa
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 tsp. vanilla

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating on medium speed to spreading consistency. Add more milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. Makes about 2 cups frosting.

I once and a halved the frosting recipe but I didn’t have enough to make a fourth layer so I would double it next time.

If you would like to watch the Rachael Ray video click here.

This can be made with different colored and flavored cakes also.

It makes me want to go play a game of checkers. While eating cake of course!

~ Susan

Weekend Dish – Chicken Lettuce Wraps

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IMG_7943chick let wrapThe chicken lettuce wrap is another study in contrasts. The warm chicken mixture is the perfect foil to the cool crispness of the lettuce, which is enhanced by the savory saltiness of the chicken mixture contrasting with the relative blandness of the lettuce. It makes a healthy, low carb and gluten-free appetizer – sure to please a varied crowd, and in the words of Lucy Ricardo, “it’s tasty too!”  They also make a yummy after school snack if you’re feeling ambitious – or happen to have some leftovers, which is highly unlikely. I discovered this the other day when making these for this post timed out perfectly with my daughter’s arrival home from school. She was thrilled and appreciative.

IMG_7919chicken let wrapsNow let’s get to it. . .

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

  • 1 pound ground chicken breast (some stores carry this, if yours doesn’t, I have put boneless pieces of chicken breast in the food processor and chopped fine)
  • 2 Tbsp canola oil
  • 1 bunch green onions
  • 3/4 cup shredded carrots
  • 3/4 cup chopped shiitake mushrooms
  • 3/4 cup chopped water chestnuts
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1/2 tsp minced ginger
  • 1 thai chili pepper finely chopped more or less according to taste

Sauce:

  • 3 Tbsp tamari soy sauce (to make this dish gluten-free you must use the tamari gluten free)
  • 1 Tbsp black bean sauce with garlic
  • 2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
  • 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp mirin
  • 1 1/2 tsp sesame oil

Combine all in a bowl and set aside for later.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, when hot add the canola oil and then the chicken. Cook and stir while breaking up with a spoon until the chicken is almost no longer pink and add green onions, carrots and mushrooms stirring for about one minute or until the chicken is no longer pink. Next, add the water chestnuts, garlic, ginger and chili and continue stirring for another 2 minutes. Finally, add the sauce and stir to incorporate and cook about a minute more.

IMG_7922chick let wrap

Wash and prepare lettuce leaves, I like to use endive because they are tender yet crisp and a nice size, butter lettuce or romaine or any lettuce you prefer can be used. Then, either serve all ready assembled or with the two components separate and let your diners assemble for themselves.

IMG_7938chick let wrap

May this weekend find you with some lucky diners at your table.

~ Susan

 

The Weekend Dish-Irish Soda Bread

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The song begins the moment first guests arrive, a ditty all four Keefes learned by heart one summer when an Irish singalong CD was our soundtrack while driving backroads from Dublin to Shannon.
(Go ahead, click play and listen while you read.)

At our house on March 17, “there’s a welcome there for you” regardless of where you hail from. We invite the intrepid and seasoned St. Patrick Day’s revelers in for a taste of tradition dating beyond our family trip to the homeland, beyond the Backyard Sisters’ mom making corned beef, back, back to the maternal and paternal grandmothers who couldn’t let a March 17 pass without corned beef and a haunting round of “Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral (That’s an Irish Lullaby) sung a capella in the kitchen.

At the O’Keefe’s Hooley on St. Patrick’s Day, “whoever you are you’re one us,” ’tis true. But there are three hard and fast rules for being a good guest.

Sing along.
Wear green.

St Pattys Day Maizie Maizie the Wonderlab.  Photo Credit: James Keefe

And kick off your shoes to kitchen jig.

kitchen danceWe take care of the rest by creating a feast based on updated versions of the Irish classics of corned beef, cabbage, potatoes; some sort of green vegetable, an ancient green jello salad recipe, and Irish soda bread.

Table Setting

The corned beef is boiled in the conventional manner, then treated with a catsup, horseradish, mustard, brown sugar, and melted butter glaze which is brushed over the beef, then oven roasted for 30 minutes at 350 to create a savory, almost caramelized coating. Cabbage is oven roasted in olive oil so it browns and remains more crisp than its boiled cousin. Potatoes are mashed, country style with roasted garlic and laced with parsley. Usually by the time I’m finished making all of this, enthusiasm and time left to make soda bread have waned.

And honestly, up until last year, for me Irish Soda Bread wasn’t anything worth troubling over. Some years I whipped up Bisquick biscuits; other times I called Pop ‘N Fresh biscuits Irish, or better yet, I passed out bread duty to guests. As the luck of the Irish would have it, last year my friend Maureen brought the bread that changed my mind about it being a second class citizen at the feast. And wouldn’t you know, this recipe is straight from Ireland by way of her mother.

Soda Bread

Eileen Shea’s Irish Soda Bread. Photo Credit: James Keefe

Here’s the story behind the bread, in Maureen’s words.

The Irish soda bread is a very fond memory from my mom, Eileen Shea. Her parents came over from Ireland and met in buffalo NY , settled in an Irish neighborhood there. My mom had been making the bread for many years, always on St. Paddy’s day, along with corned beef and cabbage if course!  I began making the bread when I had our daughters and wanted to keep the Irish tradition alive for them…. I make it every St. Paddy’s…I hope the girls will carry on the recipe when they have their own families….

It’s funny because I am out here in the desert with my Buffalo cousins , who have kept up the same tradition and actually brought us a wonderful loaf of soda bread on the plane …we have been eating it as we speak, the same recipe that our moms have shared ….

So cheers to you and cheers to Eileen and Maureen and the Buffalo cousins.  “Whoever you are, you’re one of us.”
Happy St. Patrick’s Day.
~ Catherine

Eileen Shea’s Irish Soda Bread
Preheat oven to 350

  • 4 Cups flour (scant)
  • 1 T baking powder
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2/3 Cup sugar
  • 3/4 Cup butter (chilled)
  • 1 Cup raisins
  • 2 tsp. caraway seeds
  • 1 1/3 Cups buttermilk

Mix dry ingredients in large bowl. Cut in butter. Add raisins, caraway seeds, and milk. Turn out on a floured board. Knead about one minute. (Maureen divides dough in half and makes two small round loaves.)

Bake on cookie sheet for 50-60 minutes until brown and crackled.

bread blessing

The Weekend Dish – Brownie Cheesecake

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Culinarily exploring this month’s theme of contrast, I hit upon the brownie cheesecake. It is a delicious, indulgent dessert which is a fine example when used as a study in contrasts. The white cheesecake on top of the dark brownie highlights the tonal contrast. In addition, there is textural dissimilarity between the smooth, creaminess of the cheesecake layer and the chewy, dense brownie layer. When these two components are mixed together, the result is sheer bliss.

brownie cheesecakeI had to mute my “healthy eating inner voice” for awhile and turn up the volume on the “oh this is going to be good voice”, (another contrast for me) turning a blind eye to the nutrition information as I added the 4 – 8oz blocks of cream cheese. I couldn’t help thinking of calories as I lifted the 13″ X 9″ pan taking note of the poundage. However, I can report, putting my inner turmoil aside was so worth it. This brownie cheesecake is scrumptious.

brownie cheesecakeI found the recipe on the Kraft foods recipe website but I did make a few adjustments.

Brownie Cheesecake

1 pkg. (19 to 21 oz.) brownie mix (I used Ghirardelli brand double chocolate)
4 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened. I used two neufchatel cheese (a lighter cream cheese)
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla (I upped this from 1 tsp)
1/2 cup sour Cream
3 eggs
1 cup semi-sweet morsels (Ghirardelli again)

HEAT oven to 325°F.

PREPARE brownie batter as directed on package; pour into 13×9-inch pan sprayed with cooking spray. Bake 25 min. or until top is shiny and center is almost set.

MEANWHILE, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Add sour cream; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Gently pour over brownie layer in pan. (Filling will come almost to top of pan.)

BAKE 40 min. or until center is almost set. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen sides; cool. Refrigerate 4 hours.

MELT chocolate morsels in double boiler; drizzle over cheesecake. Refrigerate 15 min. or until chocolate is firm.

You may want to slice before the chocolate becomes to firm or else it pops off the top and the presentation isn’t as nice.

I especially liked the Kraft kitchen tip at the bottom of the recipe:

Balance your food choices throughout the day so you can enjoy a serving of this rich-and-indulgent cheesecake with your loved ones.
You will definitely want to share this with your loved ones. I took half of the pan to share with some friends and even though I would love to keep the other half for myself, I dare not.
brownie cheesecakeYou will find me this weekend supplementing my exercise routine by adding another day of walking and climbing an extra flight of stairs or two, also looking for loved ones to share the goodies with and. . .  indulging in a few pieces of rich brownie cheesecake myself; savoring every bite!
Indulgently yours,
~ Susan

The Weekend Dish – The Oscars

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The 85th Academy Awards will be held in Hollywood this Sunday. hollywood sign

In honor of this occasion and sparked by a conversation with my backyard daughter, I have compiled a few recipes and ideas inspired by the best picture nominees for those of you hosting a party or simply in the mood for some culinary amusement. Most of these recipes are accessed through a link by clicking the name of the recipe and, in the interest of full disclosure, I must admit most of them I have not tried yet, but they sound good to me so I am sharing.

Argo, the Iranian hostage crisis film: as I see it there are two ways to go here, either Iranian cuisine or food from the seventies. For the Persian option Kababs and/or Persian  flatbread, and if you choose the seventies tie-in how about rumaki or break out your fondue set.

Amour, the French tale of an aging couple facing tough decisions brought on by medical circumstances: I have to go with the French themed dish here and I like the LA Times Madeleine suggestion, theirs is a pistachio madeleine  or you can stick with the traditional madeleine.

Beasts of the Southern Wild, the story of a young girl and her father in a Louisiana swamp called the Bathtub during a flood: for this one I am inspired by the Southern setting and Emeril Lagasse’s jambalaya or this cheese beignet recipe sounds good.

Django Unchained, the story of a freed slave looking for his wife with the help of a German bounty hunter: once again, using the Southern setting as inspiration, I like fried chicken tenders for this film. When I make them I dredge chicken breast tenders in a mixture of flour, salt, pepper, lots of dried sage (at least 1 Tbsp), and thyme; then add about a 1/2 inch of vegetable oil to a frying pan and heat until medium hot. Add chicken and cook on one side until browned, turn and cook until browned on the other side and meat is cooked through, about 3-4 minutes on each side.

Les Miserable, the story, set in early 19th century France, of an ex-convict, Jean Valjean, who for years has been pursued by a relentless police inspector, Javert: a loaf of French bread (since it was the theft of a loaf of bread that sent Valjean to prison in the first place) is a natural selection and this Crustless Leek and Gruyere Quiche recipe sounds delicious.

Silver Linings Playbook, the story of a man, Pat Solatano, trying to get his life back on track after being in a treatment center, for bi-polar disorder, and recently released into the care of his parents: I have to choose crabcakes here or this quick Crab and Avocado Toasts appetizer for a different take on crabby snacks and this recipe for Bacon Wrapped Dates Stuffed With Goat Cheese because it can be a date even if you only have Raisin Bran.

Life of Pi, the story of an Indian boy drifting at sea after a shipwreck on a raft with a tiger: I am going with an Indian influenced appetizer I tried recently,  Sweet Potato Lettuce Wraps, when I made these I used endive instead of the iceberg lettuce and I used ground cumin and didn’t add dried chilies to the sweet potatoes. I served it at a party and it got favorable reviews.

Lincoln, follows Lincoln’s efforts to pass the thirteenth amendment to the Constitution: according to the LA Times, it’s been said that Lincoln’s favorite dessert was apple pie so how about making some mini apple pies in his honor.

Zero Dark Thirty, the story of the hunt for and capture of Osama bin Laden: I am going to have to go with dark chocolate here and leave it at that. Choose your favorite dark chocolate.

paramount pictures melrose gate

There you have it, get busy and enjoy.

~ Susan

The Weekend Dish – Roasted Beet Salad

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DSC_0051beetsBeets, the beautiful beet, is vibrant in color.

beets

Its’ color is festive.

cut beets

When added to a salad it’s like a party in a bowl. A salad is a fine way to start a meal; leading one into the entree if you will. This roasted beet salad is a wonderfully, delicious way to celebrate Valentine’s Day, or turn an ordinary day extraordinary.

DSC_0073salad fixins

Roasted Beet Salad

6 beets, peeled and chopped into 1″ cubes
1/4 red onion
6 oz arugula
6 oz mixed baby greens
1 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup roasted pecans

Preheat oven to 400°. Toss chopped beets with enough olive oil to coat and sprinkle with salt to taste. Roast in oven until tender, about 40 minutes.
In a large bowl toss the beets with the remaining ingredients and the dressing. Serves 12.

Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbsp honey
1/4 tsp black pepper
Whisk ingredients together until thoroughly mixed. Ingredients can be adjusted to taste, sometimes, if not tart enough for my taste, I will add a splash of red wine or apple cider vinegar or will add more honey if too tart.

roasted beet saladEnjoy and Happy Valentine’s Day!

~ Sue

The Weekend Dish-Sea Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies

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One of our favorite Backyard Sister family chefs, Michele of Creamy Tomato Soup fame, returns today with her recipe for Sea Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Cookies During

A few weekends ago, I had the taste for something sweet and the time on my hands to try a new recipe. I recently subscribed to Bon Appetit, so I have had no shortage of inspiring food photos and recipes. I figured, why not give one a try? I decided to go with a recipe for Sea Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies. Whether it is in the form of sea salted caramels or chocolate covered pretzels, I have always been a fan of the sweet and salty combo.

cookie dough

Sea Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 72% cacao), coarsely chopped. Or you can use chocolate chips.
  • Maldon or other flaky sea salt

Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 375°. Whisk flour, baking powder, kosher salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl; set aside.

Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, brown sugar, sugar, and powdered sugar until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add egg yolks, egg, and vanilla. Beat, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl, until mixture is pale and fluffy, 4-5 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low; slowly add dry ingredients, mixing just to blend. Using a spatula, fold in chocolate.

Spoon rounded tablespoonfuls of cookie dough onto 2 parchment paper-lined baking sheets, spacing 1-inch apart. Sprinkle cookies with sea salt. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until just golden brown around the edges, 10-12 minutes (the cookies will firm up as they cool). Let cool slightly on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks; let cool completely.

Cookies - Finished

Chef’s Note: I cooked the first batch a little too long, so I took the second batch out of the oven earlier. To the eye the cookies almost looked undone, but they do continue to cook and harden after being removed from the heat.

This recipe made about 24 cookies, which was way to many to have lying around the house tempting me, so I shared with others. They were a hit!

~With sweetness,
Michele