I've Been Sick . . .

I woke up on Sunday morning, got out of bed, walked to the kitchen, and got incredibly about-to-pass-out dizzy. I made it back to bed and tried to figure out if I had accidentally ingested vodka during the night but saw no evidence of it, so started exploring other reasons for a sudden onset of dizziness. While I was contemplating the bedroom ceiling, I became aware that I was really, overwhelmingly tired, even after about 10 hours of sleep. The longer I stayed in bed, the worse I felt, and finally blossomed out with a fever, cementing the undeniable fact that I had . . . a virus.

The thing with viruses is you're never sure just which direction they're going to take, so I dosed myself and my stomach gingerly all day and hoped that this would be a fly-by-night 24-hour variety that would just make me feel unwell and then politely go away.

Needless to say, I did no cooking on Sunday OR Monday, which was my fever-free day. I still felt like I'd been run over by a fleet of Ford F-150's. I had every good intention of going to work today, truly I did, but my body had other plans that obviously included staying in bed, so I did.

However, as an old-fashioned girl raised by a traditional Greek mother, I can vouch for the medicinal qualities of a good hard liquor when one's stomach is feeling less than stellar. MacAllen 12-year-old Scotch has been my best friend for the past two days -- not gulped, but sipped in order to soothe the Mt. Vesuvius that's rumbling in my digestive tract.

Even when I'm not sick, I like a good single-malt Scotch, straight up, no diluting ice or tonic or water. I love the smoky overtones and the different flavors; just like a great wine, great Scotch has a complexity that should be savored (even if you are sipping it to keep from throwing up). At this moment we have three brands in the liquor cabinet (a/k/a the top shelf of the pantry): Glenfidditch, MacAllen and Laphroaig. MacAllen is the smoothest and most delicate of the three, and therefore my choice for medicinal purposes. Glenfidditch has a stronger flavor with a more pronounced oak finish. Laphroaig is the bad boy of the trio. It is unabashedly peaty and vibrant with oak and sock-it-to-you flavor that some people find unattractive in a Scotch, but I appreciate because of the wild Scottish isle where it originates. Tasting that Scotch, you can feel the North Sea winds whipping the trees on the island, and the wild beauty that is part of Scotland's many charms. That's my go-to Scotch on a cold winter night after a leg of lamb or rib roast with Yorkshire pudding.

The Perfect Storm

Well, it's not a storm, but it is perfect. After attending Comic Con with the family and going to the grocery store with a nonexistent budget (can we say "credit card until payday"?), I came home and . . . relaxed. Fixed a rum and juice and cut up a whole chicken to marinate in white wine and white pepper for fixin' a la Kirby tomorrow. Cleaned 10 chicken breasts and froze them for use during the week. Waved goodbye to Jennie (Claire's house) and Chris (Darrell's house for the Cowboys game), traded extra 14-year-olds (Mark went home/Greg showed up), and made fettucine Alfredo with shrimp and peas (Required Vegetable) for dinner.

Somewhere in all this I opened one of the last two bottles of reduced-down-to-$6 Marqués de Cáceres Rioja Rosé wine and found out to my delight that "Music and Lyrics" was playing on commercial TV. (I'm singing along -- aren't you glad you aren't here with me?) I have eaten, am contemplating making some brownies (from a mix, no extra additives so get your mind out of the gutter), and life is good.

I watched "Top Chef" while cooking dinner, which is always inspirational -- great show. It's not the precise, write-it-down type of recipes that you need, but the spark that gets YOUR creativity going, and "Top Chef" does it for me. What did I like about that anniversary dinner? Basil? Then add it to the mix. Garlic is ALWAYS good. Got shallots? Throw it in. A little wine, a little cream, sprinkle in fresh grated Parmesan, and voilá! Dinner is served.

And at some point, some day, the temperatures in Dallas, Texas will become bearable. Cheers, y'all.

Thursday Night Wine Tasting At Parker Wine Cellars!

You know, I'm really starting to look forward to Thursday after work. Taekwondo lessons are done for the week, I'm not in a hurry to whip up a meal, and Jeff Stuart at Parker Wine Cellars has something delicious to taste on the way home. This week the wines were from Chile and VERY reasonably priced -- all three of them were under $20. Three wines from Vina Falernia were featured (and I'm quoting Jeff because he has better wine words than I do):

'09 Pedro Ximenez~ Pale straw yellow in color, brilliant with a very attractive nose with floral and aromatic notes that are fresh and clean. A nice medium body with a balance of acidity, minerality and fruit that finishes slightly dry with a lingering of aromatic fruit. Almost a perfect apertif, but will work well with seafood and light chicken dishes. MY NOTE: This is made with the grapes that are used for sherry, and it's a very nice, crisp wine reminiscent of a sauvignon blanc.

'06 Syrah Reserva~ Blended with grapes from three different vineyards, this nice little wine shows up with a bright distinct darkish red color with a nose that hints of violets and pepper spice. Medium to full bodied, the palate boasts of blackberry jam, black pepper, and hints of oak and a wee bit of mocha. The finish lingers and stays with you almost until the next sip comes along. MY NOTE: This is a very nice syrah and can hold its own quite well with higher priced bottles.

'06 Carmenere Reserva~ Using grapes that are partially dried, this fantastic little wine shows up deep and dark purple in the glass with a nose of sweet chocolate and ripe plum. The palate shows hints of vanilla, black cherry and some earthy pipe tobacco that finishes with a balance of length and depth that shows that this juice is far from wimpy and can work well on its own or with a hearty dish. MY NOTE: This was my favorite of the three, which surprised me. I've tried another wine made with partially dried grapes and I didn't much care for the overly intense flavor, but this wine had the most amazing aroma and taste. I would have been quite happy, like Ferdinand the Bull of childhood story fame, to just sit quietly and smell. (Ferdinand smelled the flowers, just in case you were wondering what kind of children's book I was reading.)

After that lovely oasis between work and "what's for dinner, Mommy?" I went home and made dinner. Jackson wasn't up for fish so he got chicken strips, steamed broccoli and French fries. The rest of us had tuna. Chris likes it blackened, so I did that recipe for him, with a side of sushi rice, and Jennie and I had spicy tuna sashimi. I couldn't find any nori to make the spicy tuna into a traditional roll, so I just served it over the sushi rice with sticks of fresh cucumber on the side. It was very light and refreshing, a good summer's day dinner.

I made it through another week of grim budgetary restraints without succumbing to the temptation to get take-out, so I shall go pat myself on the back now. À BIENTÔT!

Not Boring At All -- Yay Me!

Thanks to rush hour traffic that caused me to crawl home at an average speed of 15mph, I didn't have a whole lot of time to fix dinner before the taekwondo run, so as soon as I got home, the food started flying. I preheated the oven to 400 degrees, thawed out three chicken breasts and one piece of puff pastry, chopped a shallot and three cloves of garlic, chopped mushrooms, threw some noodles into boiling water, and got ready to cook. I cut the chicken breasts in half, seasoned them, and browned them on both sides while sauteeing the onions and shallots in the pan. I added white wine and actually did a pretty good reduction because I distracted myself by rolling out the puff pastry (after dividing it into six pieces). One half of a chicken breast went on each piece of pastry and then I added cream to the white wine reduction and made a nice little sauce, which I spooned sparingly over the chicken. The pastry was wrapped around each piece and popped into the oven. Olive oil, salt and garlic powder on the now finished and drained noodles. Mushrooms went into the pan in which I browned the chicken, with a little extra olive oil, so they could absorb what was left of the sauce. By the time they were done (added a little white wine to those too), the chicken was ready, so I threw everything onto plates and announced that dinner was served.

I didn't make enough chicken. The last time I did this recipe (my own invention, as far as I know), everyone said the chicken was really rich and no one could eat more than one half of a chicken breast, so I thought I'd have leftovers. I did not take into account Jackson's growth spurt and a hard second day at school. He inhaled three of the six, Jennie had two, and I was lucky to get one piece. Good thing Chris wasn't home for dinner or one of us would have gone hungry!

I like it when I surprise myself.

It's Going To Be A Boring Week

I mean, literally, what does one say about hamburgers and spaghetti? I made burgers on Sunday night and spaghetti last night. The budget is holding steady and I'm managing to feed the family -- the challenge is to be creative about it.

I bought the 1/4-lb. pre-formed lean hamburger patties from Albertson's (the ground meat they sell at the butcher counter is ground there in the store as opposed to the pre-packaged stuff in the bins that comes from God knows where -- see "Fast Food Nation" if you want a good scare) and seasoned them with Worcestershire sauce and Cavender's Greek Seasoning. Usually we each have our preferred way to fix our burgers -- Jackson and Chris like cheese (American), Jennie and I don't; Jackson likes his burger dry with no condiments; Chris likes his practically mooing rare with mustard, onions and pickles; Jennie likes to fix her own; and I vary between lettuce, tomatoes and mayonnaise, or mustard and sweet relish and onions.

Sunday night I decided to get mildly creative, so I sauteed mushrooms in one pan, and onions in another pan with a little balsamic vinegar thrown in. I put Swiss cheese on the burgers along with the mushrooms and onions and a little Dijon mustard. Nothing earth-shattering, but it was tasty and made a change. Corn on the cob and French fries rounded out a very American dinner.

Unfortunately, we couldn't wait for the salmon with cream sauce to open the chardonnay so consumed it with the burgers. Not a perfect match, but a lovely wine nonetheless.

Last night I did the absolute easiest dinner of spaghetti and meatballs and hot Italian sausage. A glass of chianti rounded that dinner off nicely, along with a loaf of hot Albertson's French bread. I believe Jackson and his friend Greg have entered the Bottomless Pit stage of their growth, so they finished their spaghetti and meatballs and most of the loaf of bread in record time, supplemented it with yogurt, and had a light snack after taekwondo.

Tonight will probably be chicken, so I may troll through Epicurious.com for inspiration, or fall back on old favorites. Ugh, I think I'll feel more energized about cooking when the weather cools off!

Let Them Eat . . . Peanut Butter

After paying for two unexpected prescriptions during the week, I found myself this morning with about $100 to spend on the week's groceries, and school is starting on Monday, which means 10 school lunches (2 children x 5 days). After last week's accomplishments, however, I set out with a confident heart and spent (wait for it!) $92.51! Granted, I didn't buy any meat except for four 1/4-lb. burger patties and 1 lb. lean ground beef for meatballs, so that helped, and Albertson's is now running their "10% off on Cowboys Game Day" special, which makes me follow football with more interest than I normally would. Oh, I don't dislike football, and I always associate football season with lovely golden autumn days, cool weather, and third quarter naps -- it's just not the entire focus of my life, except for the 10% off thing. I have to wear a football jersey to get the 10% off, though, but it's worth it.

Dinners this week are going to be kind of uninteresting, but I'll see if I can jazz them up a bit: hamburgers, spaghetti, chicken breasts (presentation TBD), seafood (tilapia and mussels), and nachos. Anybody who doesn't like it knows where the peanut butter is. School lunches will be kind of boring too, but all the basics will be there (sandwich, chips, fruit, dessert), so the kids won't starve despite inevitable protestations to the contrary.

Dinner tonight was an experiment. At some point a TGI Friday's frozen dinner had been purchased: Cajun Shrimp and Chicken Pasta. This seemed like a good night to try it out. It was surprisingly good, with only 280 calories per serving. The package served 2 1/2 people, which was pretty much correct. It satisfied two teenagers and one hot, tired mama, along with some garlic toast made from two-day-old Albertson's French bread. As a quick and good-tasting dinner, I'd recommend it and will probably buy it again. Wine recommendations? Whatever you have on hand that you haven't already labeled cooking wine!

Wine Tasting at Parker Wine Cellars!

You know, I'm going to have to start learning some of the handy words and phrases used by oenophiles to describe wine, because I fear I'm repeating myself, and I hate doing that. Furthermore, unless it's REALLY bad wine, I'm not going to sample and spit it out as I've seen others do. I mean, what a total waste of WINE! It's somehow sacriligious, at least in my most humble (and slightly tipsy on occasion) opinion. Oh well, I may spit if I'm sampling more than three wines -- yeah, right! I swallow.

Tonight's wine tasting at Parker Wine Cellars was quite intriguing and we liked two of the three wines well enough to purchase a bottle of each. The origin of the wines really fascinated me, and I'm going to be lazy and quote from Jeff's email invitation: "Venturing out into California Wine Country dressed as a pirate has its advantages, people eye you cautiously and the wines you find are ripe for pillaging. Treasure Hunter Wine is put through a painstaking examination process from a panel of nine called the 'De-Vine Nine.' Made up of top sommeliers, winemakers, and restaurateurs the panel is the top of their respective fields and they pour through hundreds of wines before they allow the Treasure Hunter name to be branded in blood on the bottle. 'The truth is wineries have excess supply so we ramp up our pirate gear and go through our review process – if it passes the De-Vine Nine process we buy it,' shares Andrew Lerner, Owner and Partner of 3 Finger Wines, the Corporate namesake of Treasure Hunter. 'Rather then bottle too much wine or try to lower their well-deserved price we “liberate” the wine and bring it under our Treasure Hunter label. You get great wine; the winery doesn’t lose their reputation or lower their prices.' Hunter Vogel, also an Owner and Partner of 3 Finger Wines goes on to say, 'It is a win-win situation. Who wins? The wineries win because they don’t to make more wine then they can sell, Treasure Hunter wins because we get world class wines for a bargain, and the customer wins because they get to enjoy wines at a price that is 1/3 to 1/5 of the normal price.' Remember, each wine is a one-time offering and represents an extraordinary opportunity. They hunt down the treasures and you drink the booty!"

The Dry Creek Chardonnay '08 was absolutely delicious and a bargain at $17.99. It had a wonderful bouquet and a lightness that was surprising for a chardonnay. Jeff says: "Opulent and toasty, the palate is full of white peach, honey and toasted almonds, and the finish lingers for what seems like minutes." Works for me. This is an OUTSTANDING wine, and you know I'm not a huge white wine drinker. My mind is already calculating what I'm going to cook to accompany the wine. I might make a Greek island recipe for shrimp that has red pepper flakes and feta cheese in it, if I can find the recipe.

The Castaway '07 was a blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and syrah, and I wasn't that impressed. I've noticed that if there's too much of a blend, a defined flavor can be lost, and that's what I thought about this wine. It was just . . . red wine. It wasn't bad but I couldn't discern any particular flavors. Maybe my palate isn't that well developed, but HEY -- this is my blog and I write about what I like, so in this case that's what matters. And I didn't particularly like The Castaway, so I'll move on to Wine #3, which was a winner.

Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena Napa '08: This, like the chardonnay, really stood out to me. The flavors were perfect -- not too subtle but not overpowering, just a wonderful harmony of cherry and cassis flavors offset by a delicate hint of oak. It was over budget at $23.99 (my budget, anyway) but well worth it. Definitely a steak with this one (possibly herb crusted tenderloin, once I get off this budget crunch).

And I was good -- I went home and made dinner. As I drove home, I thought hopefully of leftover quiche. Nope. Jennie ate it for lunch. The vichyssoise was past its prime. Jackson ate the leftover fried rice for lunch yesterday and I was a little hesitant about the remnants of 3-day-old fried rice. So I offered nachos and was rewarded with "yes" by everyone.

Nachos are very family specific and what we like someone else may not. This works for us: the requisite tortilla chips spread with refried beans (I like Rosarita's Vegetarian Refried Beans because there's no animal fat in them, so they actually have some nutritional value), topped with Albertson's Mexican Cheese Blend (the one WITHOUT the jalapenos), and chunks of grilled fajita chicken from the freezer. Pop into a 400 degree oven until the cheese melts, and you're ready to eat. I made guacamole too, which provided another sort of vegetable to assuage my motherly conscience.

Here's another tip: When you buy a package of boneless skinless chicken breasts, it pays to clean and freeze them individually, but it's also handy to take a few of them and grill with fajita seasoning and THEN freeze them. That way you have already cooked chicken for any recipe that calls for it, like for nachos, or quick enchiladas, or grilled chicken sandwich -- the possibilities are endless.

Jury Duty and Quiche

Well, it just looked too pretty, so I HAD to take a picture of the quiche!

Today I had jury duty, which I really didn't mind because jury duty in Collin County, Texas is well organized, not too crowded, and in the beautiful city of McKinney. I did not get picked to serve on a jury, so I had a pleasant hour reading my book (Dean Koontz's "Brother Odd") before they told me to go home.

That gave me plenty of time to make the leftover ham into a Ham, Leek, and Three-Cheese Quiche. Instead of reciting the whole recipe, I'll just give you the Epicurious.com link: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Ham-Leek-and-Three-Cheese-Quiche-234261. This is a GREAT recipe and not too hard once you get into it. Instead of shredding the three cheeses suggested by the recipe, I used three cups of Albertson's Italian cheese blend, which had two out of the three suggested cheeses in it anyway.

I used the leftover ham and the crème fraîche that I made on Sunday in the quiche, so I'm still on track to stick to my cheap but nutritious menu for the week. And I made my own pie crust.

My mother always made her own pie crust, disdaining any store-bought ones, and I agree with her. The ones from the store always have a funny cheap shortening taste to them, in my opinion, and it's REALLY EASY (hear me, people!) to make your own, especially if you own a food processor. Here's the recipe from the old Betty Crocker cookbook, for a two-crust 9" pie crust:

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup margarine
4 Tablespoons cold water

Process the flour, salt and margarine on high and then, while it's rotating add the water, 1 Tablespoon at a time, just until the mixture rolls up into a ball.

Separate the dough into two balls. Put a nice layer of flour on your counter or wherever you're going to roll the dough out, and sprinkle flour on the dough. Roll it quickly with a rolling pin until you get it thin enough to put in a pie plate, carefully fold it in half and lift it into the pie plate, unfold it, and crimp the edges. There you go, homemade pie crust!

A FEW TIPS: If you're making a sweet pie, add 1 Tablespoon of sugar to the pie crust mix. Since I was making a savory pie today, I omitted the sugar. Also, even though I didn't need two pie crusts, since this is an open-faced quiche, I always make the two-crust recipe and roll out both, freezing one in an aluminum pie pan. That way when the mood hits you to make a quiche or a chocolate pie, all you have to do is reach into the freezer and pull out your very own ready-made crust.

Jennie and I are the only ones who truly like quiche, so we had some for a late lunch. For dinner, though, I had that chicken. I decided to cut it up and grill it. I looked around for some marinade, had none, so just threw some Worcestershire Sauce on the pieces and let them sit in the fridge until I was ready for them. During the last five minutes of grilling, I brushed the barbecue sauce on, so it wouldn't burn, and it came out quite well. We had a bottle of Bogle 2007 Petite Syrah that was delicious!

Tomorrow is wine tasting at Parker Wine Cellars, and I'm really looking forward to it. Dinner, on the other hand, since it's Thursday and I'm starting to run out of steam, will probably be nachos and/or barbecue sandwiches, pulling ingredients from whatever I have in the freezer. Or quiche, if there's any left!

So Far, So Good, But It's Only Tuesday

Following through on the Shoestring Budget Plan, last night was chicken fried rice and the leftover mussels from Saturday night. Tonight, since Jackson had to be whisked to taekwondo for testing at 7:30, we did spaghetti. I had meatballs in the freezer for Jackson and the already cooked Italian sausage for those who prefer spicier fare, so all I had to do was boil water, heat the sauce and dinner was ready. A nice glass of Fetzer cabernet sauvignon (a/k/a House Wine) rounded out the meal for me, and we were off to taekwondo, where Jackson did his moves, broke a board, and moved on to the next level. He's getting really close to being a black belt!

As for the meatballs, I use my mother's basic recipe and jazz it up a bit. Take 1 lb. ground meat (the leaner the better -- I usually get ground sirloin) and put it in a bowl with 1 egg, a healthy amount (1 cup maybe?) of Italian style bread crumbs (Mom used to shred stale bread but that's WAY too much trouble and I like the extra seasoning kick you get with the Italian style bread crumbs), salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasoning. I'm proud to say that I've been doing this long enough that I can just throw things in without measuring, which may give some of you a total conniption, but play around with it until you get a mixture that you like and before you know it, you'll be throwing it around too.

Mix it all up with your hands -- this is the fun part and makes me feel like a kid with Playdoh again -- and form the mixture into 12 or 14 meatballs. Find a frying pan that will hold all of the meatballs and pour olive oil in it (enough to cover the bottom of the pan nicely but not enough to drown the meatballs -- this is not a deep frying exercise). Heat the olive oil and put the meatballs in when the oil gets hot. Brown them on at least two sides on high heat, and then cover the frying pan, turn the heat to medium, and putter around the kitchen or have a drink of wine for a few minutes. If you're making spaghetti at the same time, that's a good time to turn on the pot of water and heat it up.

After about 5-10 minutes, lift the lid and cut one of the meatballs to see if it's cooked. No need to cook them dry since you're going to dump them in sauce and heat them up all over again anyway -- and nobody likes a tough meatball -- so just make sure they're not raw in the middle, and you're done!

Meatballs may not be elegant, but they are quite handy to have in the freezer when you have to make a fast meal of spaghetti or meatball sandwiches.

Tomorrow I have jury duty so if I get home early I'll tackle the chicken and might even make the quiche. Still can't figure out what I want to do with that chicken . . .

Ham and A Bunch of Other Stuff

Yesterday I bought the food. Today I cooked and cleaned and got ready for the week of home-cooked, reasonably priced meals. Oh, okay, so I took off long enough to go see "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World," which was an AWESOME movie. I highly recommend it. I think of it as the gamer's version of a musical. You'll understand that cryptic comment after you see the movie.

This morning I started the cooking marathon by mixing up a batch of creme fraiche (1 pint of heavy whipping cream mixed with 2 Tablespoons of buttermilk, covered and left in a warm place for 12 hours) and leaving it on the windowsill. There's no lack of warm places during August in Texas.

For dinner I made the ham that I bought yesterday. I soaked it overnight in a pot of cold water, which makes the ham less salty. A couple of hours before dinner, I put it on to boil with a mixture of white wine, two bay leaves, a small onion with three cloves stuck in it, and water to cover. The ham simmered for about an hour and a half until the bone looked a little separated from the meat, and then I put the ham in a pan with about 1/4 inch of the cooking liquid in it. I mixed a glaze of 3 Tablespoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, and 2-3 tablespoons honey and applied it to the ham. (Meanwhile, I had little red potatoes roasting in the oven, and baked beans heating up on the stove.) The ham went into a 375 degree oven with the glaze on it for about 20 minutes until everything melted, got crispy and smelled delicious. Dinner was served.

While the ham was boiling, I also made vichyssoise, cleaned and individually froze the package of chicken breasts that I bought yesterday, and cooked and froze the package of Italian sausage. This type of prep doesn't take a lot out of me on the weekends when I spend the afternoon in the kitchen anyway, but it's invaluable to have it done before the week begins. Besides, I was rocking a glass of Cruzan rum and orange juice and watching "Big Trouble" on TV, so the time passed pleasantly with only a few brain glitches ("what did I come into the pantry for again?").

Leftover ham will go for sandwiches and, hopefully, a quiche aided by the creme fraiche and chopped leeks that I saved back from the vichyssoise. Yesterday I made a pot of rice, which will turn into chicken fried rice tomorrow night or Tuesday.

I'm still trying to decide what to do with the whole chicken. I might roast it English style, with mashed potatoes and peas, or make Puerto Rican arroz con pollo. Decisions, decisions!

I'll let you know!

Shut Up And Eat It

That's going to be my new mantra for the next couple of weeks. After paying my share of the bills, which included some extras this time ($75 for a high school parking pass, $80 for the yearbook, $29.95 for pictures, $5 for badge, $22 for Spirit wear, etc., etc., etc.), I was left with $433 for food for the pay period (three weekends, two full weeks and a couple of days) for a family of four. Considering I usually spend $250-$300 per WEEK on food, this is quite a challenge.

First thing to do is plan a menu . . . and stick to it. That's a challenge during the week when work schedules are capricious, taekwondo is fixed and immutable, and my imagination fizzles by Thursday. It helps to have a list.

Tossing gourmet items like tenderloin and scallops off the list, I tried to think "cheap, nutritious, and easy to prepare." I also thought about the best way to obtain the food -- some supermarkets are cheaper than others, and no supermarket has the best prices on everything. I went to Fiesta Mart for my vegetables, a $7.99 box of mussels and an $8.88 package of six little frozen tuna steaks. Those would provide a couple of meals, and seafood in this hot season is always welcome. Fiesta has the BEST prices on vegetables and a great seafood selection. I also purchased leeks (vichyssoise -- great light lunch).

From Fiesta Mart, I went to Wal-Mart Neighborhood Grocery. I really love shopping at Albertson's, where I know every aisle and can usually find everything I need, but they tend to be expensive, so if I really and truly care to save money, I'll go to Wal-Mart for most of the canned goods and prepared foods. The entree items I picked up there were a large package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts (kung pao chicken, chicken fried rice, balsamic chicken, grilled chicken nachos), a whole chicken (Kirby's chicken recipe or grilled chicken) and a package of hot Italian sausage (spaghetti or lasagna).

The last stop was Albertson's, because there are some things I just can't find anywhere else, and I wanted a ham. Cook's Ham (get the butt, because there's more meat on the butt than the shank, even though the shank is cheaper by the pound, and it's more fun to ask the butcher if he has a bigger butt in the back) is usually pretty cheap and makes one lovely dinner and lots of lunches, not to mention a quiche, which is what I have in mind for it.

Total cost: $176. A bit over what I was hoping to spend, but that included the $32 of preemptive school supplies that I had to buy at Target. Plano ISD provides rigid lists of school supplies required all through elementary grades, but those helpful lists sort of trail off in the upper grades, so Jennie and Jackson (grades 11 and 9 -- I can't believe it!) have to wait until school starts before knowing what they will need. However, they feel more prepared with a couple of packages of notebook paper, pencils and pens to start off with.

Dinner tonight consisted of homemade foccacia, grilled tuna, baked potato, salad, and mussels and a bottle of the Marqués de Cáceras Rosé. Tomorrow I'll make the ham for a proper Sunday Dinner -- it's a good recipe, and I will share!

Chianti, Religion, and Friends

Traditions are wonderful things. Some of them we inherit, like the type of cranberry sauce that MUST be served at Thanksgiving, and others are created in the course of our lives to commemmorate events that are important to us.

The 1998 Chianti that is pictured in a slightly fuzzy fashion (used my Blackberry's camera instead of my Canon) is just such a tradition. On August 9, 1998, my friend David walked away from the incredibly strict and cultlike religion in which he had been raised. That year he bought many bottles of wine and every year since, on the anniversary of his liberation, he has opened a bottle with friends to share with them his celebration of freedom. Those of us who also were once part of that religion share the joy with him, as well as a really great bottle of wine. This year was no exception. In addition to David's anniversary, my friend Sheila -- also a refugee from Jehovah's Witnesses and a friend of mine from childhood -- was visiting Dallas to promote her latest mystery novel, "Last Writes," which has its setting in a religious cult with some very familiar overtones.

Of course I had to have a party! It wasn't as large as some I've had in the past, most notably a few crawfish boils that are still talked about in the neighborhood and on the Internet (mine was NOT one of the bare butts on the front lawn -- just sayin'), but it was fun, a warm gathering of friends both new and old.

In addition to David's bottle of wine, Margaret made several shakers of pomegranite martinis (mixer from World Market, add vodka, Triple Sec, lime juice, ice and shake until your fingers are numb), and I made balsamic chicken breasts, pasta primavera with cherry tomatoes and asparagus and chopped garlic and basil, salad, and fresh rolls. My friends Willie and Kirby brought a selection of pickled veggies from Central Market, and the cherry tomatoes and basil came from Margaret's garden (since my basil plant mysteriously disappeared -- I blame the rabbits).

For dessert we had an oldie but a goodie: Harvey Wallbanger Cake. I know I'm dating myself by even knowing what a Harvey Wallbanger is (vodka, Galliano and orange juice), but the combination makes for a wonderfully fragrant and moist cake. What you need is a box of yellow cake mix, a box of instant vanilla pudding, 4 eggs (forget the diet and just deal with it), 1/3 cup vodka, 1/2 cup Galliano liqueur, 1/2cup orange juice, and 1/2 cup oil (I use canola, but that's just me). Beat the hell out of it for a few minutes and then pour into a greased and floured Bundt pan and back at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Let it sit in the pan for 5 or 10 minutes and then turn it onto a wire mesh thing to cool off. Frost with 1 cup powdered sugar (sifted so you don't get lumps) mixed with 1 tablespoon orange juice, 1 teaspoon Galliano, and 1 teaspoon vodka. It's really delicious and stays moist for a few days (if it lasts that long).

Sharing time and good food with friends is the best tradition of all.

I Was Not Kidnapped By AA -- I've Been Busy

I've been drinking and cooking and playing hostess to a dear friend of mine who's an author (Sheila Lowe) and who came to Dallas for a book signing of her latest mystery novel, "Last Writes." What with one thing and another, by the time I opened up my computer at the end of the day, I was too knackered to write anything. However, I did enjoy myself, hope Sheila did too, and I experienced -- for the first time in a long time -- BEER.

I'm not much of a beer drinker, except when I'm in England, as I love the stouts and dark beer served in abundance in the equally abundant pubs. That's a drink you can really wrap your mouth around -- none of this light stuff that has about as much taste as tap water with a squeeze of lemon.

Anyway, the book signing was at Legacy Books, an independent bookstore that regretfully is about to close up, and after the signing a group of us went to Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant for a bite of supper and a drink. The Kobe sliders sounded perfect and I decided, since this was a brewery after all, to depart from my usual vineyard preference into the realm of micro-brewed beer. The waitress helpfully steered me to the beer sampler, which gave me a chance to try all of their offerings. From left to right (almost did "write" -- still under Sheila's literary influence!), I tried Golden Export, Hefeweizen, Czech Lager, Marzen and Schwarzbier. The last, being dark, was my favorite. It's advertised as having a "dry, roasted finish," and did indeed have a fresh-ground coffee aroma. The flavor hinted of chocolate (always a good thing).

Surprisingly, the Golden Export was my other favorite. I didn't think I would like that one, as it was the lightest of the five, but it had a fresh flavor almost reminiscent of champagne, and was very refreshing.

The rest of them were just . . . beer. And to quote Forrest Gump: "That's all I have to say about that." I'm still a wine drinker. But it's fun to try something different!

I didn't do much cooking while Sheila was here -- we were running from interview to book signing to the JFK Museum, all over town, but I did cook a nice dinner for friends last night and I hope to post about that tomorrow after I catch up on sleep. There was a really good bottle of wine that night too!

Fess Parker's Second Career -- Sorry About The Camera

I love my camera. It's a Canon Powershot SD 700 IS and it has taken some wonderful photos for me; however, since it's a pocket camera, the flash can be capricious, such as when attempting to photograph a white label on a bottle of red wine in a dark restaurant. Sorry about that.

FINALLY, after wanting to go there for well over 25 years, I was treated to dinner at The Grape, a local wine bar/restaurant famous for its wine selection, mushroom soup, and ambience. It was indeed lovely, but instead of ordering glasses of wine, we contented ourselves with one wonderful bottle of Fess Parker 2007 Syrah from Santa Barbara County.

Fess Parker, for you old-timers like me, played the parts of Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett for Disney WAY back in the 1950's and 1960's. Once that career had run its course, he turned to making wine, which was a good thing for him as well as the wine-drinking world.

I love syrah or shiraz for the spicy undertones, and Parker's Syrah does not disappoint. Neither did the Braised Lamb Tartines that I had for an appetizer: French bread croustades topped with shredded roasted lamb, roasted garlic, sweet onion jam and oven roasted tomatoes. I am definitely going to have to try that.

My Greek mother taught me how to make leg of lamb, and I still love and follow her recipe. Stab a leg of lamb (bone in) at least six times with a small knife (which, depending on your mood at the moment, can be disturbingly satisfying), and stick slivers of garlic into the slits. Rub the leg with olive oil, drizzle some red wine over it, and sprinkle generously with Cavender's Greek Seasoning or a combination of salt, pepper, garlic powder (yeah, I overdo it but I love garlic!) and dried herbs or fresh, depending on what you have. Broil the leg for about 10 minutes until it gets seared and then turn the oven to 350 degrees and cook for 1/2 an hour per pound of meat. Next time I may snag some leftovers and try those tartines.

Mom always served her lamb with potatoes roasted in the pan juices. I make Yorkshire Pudding using some of the grease that collects from the roast, using a recipe from Mom's Betty Crocker Cookbook that she received as a wedding present in 1948.

To make a proper Yorkshire pud: Whisk together 1 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 eggs and 1 cup of milk. Pour a little of the sizzling grease from a roast (lamb or beef) into the bottom of a casserole or large souffle dish and then pour the batter on top. Bake at 425 degrees for 35 minutes or until it's puffed up and nicely golden. Make your family look at it and admire your handiwork when it comes out of the oven because it really looks very pretty but starts to lose its height almost immediately.

It's Thursday: Wine Tasting at Parker Wine Cellars!

Regretfully, I missed last week's tasting because of work, but I was determined to go this week. It's a nice tradition, and I like the fact that it's on Thursday, neither smack in the middle of the week or bumping up against the weekend. And on this 100+ degree day in Dallas, after fighting traffic at a crawl all the way up North Central Expressway, it felt good to step into a cool, well ordered wine emporium, greet Manager Jeff Stuart, and sample three wines from California, which, unlike Texas, is having a beautifully cool summer.

This week the featured wines were from Bernardus: a 2008 Chardonnay, a 2007 Pinot Noir, and their classic 2004 Marinus. The chardonnay and pinot noir are from Monterey County, and the Marinus from grapes grown in upper Carmel Valley.

I think I'm starting to like chardonnay, or at least some of the chardonnays I've tried lately. This one was extremely good, with a near-perfect balance of crisp and rounded mellow flavors. The pinot noir was light and delicate, but the Marinus won me over. (Naturally, it was the most expensive -- I have a knack for that.) The 2004 Marinus (to quote the back of the bottle, because they say it better than I can), a "California grown Bordeaux-style wine, is a blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, petit verdot and malbec grapes from our vineyards in the upper Carmel Valley." Since it was so delicious, budget rules were broken and the wine was purchased.

In addition to the wine tasting, Jeff does a weekly WttA ("Wine to talk About") and this week it's "the 2004 Lan Rioja Reserva, a blended Tempranillo which The Wine Spectator says: (is) a 'Smart Buys' designation and #52 on the 'Top 100 of 2008.' A silky texture carries expressive flavors of black plum, violet, licorice and smoke in this focused, balanced red. Has good intensity yet remains vibrant and accessible. Drink now through 2012. Score: 90." Yeah, that one is now in my wine rack too.

After that refreshing stop I went home with the firm intention of cooking the chicken, and discovered to my chagrin that the old refrigerator in the garage, while still capable of keeping meat and ice cream frozen, totally sucks in the art of simple refrigeration. Granted, the garage is probably the same temperature as the great outdoors -- over 100 degrees -- so the refrigerator has a challenge, but I did expect better things from it, and certainly not what I smelled from that package of chicken.

Alright, I'm resourceful, I can cope, so I tossed the chicken and rummaged around the freezer for an alternative, coming up with a few lamb chops and a salmon filet. Thinking "grill" and "hickory wood chips," I happily started defrosting and fired up the grill. I seasoned the chops and salmon, went outside intending to put the wood chips on to start smoking, and noticed that the temperature on the grill . . . was dropping. Out of propane.

Okay, that was worthy of a few choice words in a couple of languages. I went inside, changed the oven from Bake to Broil, stuck the chops and salmon in there, finished the macaroni and cheese, made salad, and still had dinner ready to eat within 45 minutes of the Stinky Chicken Discovery. We watched "Kick-Ass," and I thought smugly that Superheroes have no powers compared to what I can dish out when I'm trying to cook.

Of Course I Didn't Make the Chicken!

Or, as the poet Robert Burns said: "The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men,
Gang aft agley," which, when translated to vernacular English, means "dammit, I got home too late to barbecue the chicken."

It was a good idea, though, but I worked later than I thought, traffic was bad, and Jackson had taekwondo at 7:45 tonight. I walked in the door, said "spaghetti and meatballs" in an authoritative voice, and put water on to boil. Twenty minutes later, thanks to the magic of Prego and homemade meatballs from the freezer, we ate.

Of course, I'm the odd one out about spaghetti, since I prefer it with olive oil and a bunch of veggies, and tonight was no exception. I threw mushrooms in the olive oil with chopped fresh garlic (I don't think Edward Cullen will fall in love with ME anytime soon), sauteed it for a few minutes, and, while still hot, threw in chopped fresh tomato and basil. A bit of salt, and since the avocado on the counter was calling to me, I cut that up and dropped it on. I finished everything off with shredded Parmesan cheese.

Avocado has such a lovely creamy taste that I'll eat it with almost everything, and I have a really good guacamole recipe too. Credit where it's due: Boudro's Restaurant on the Riverwalk in San Antonio was the source of this wonderful guacamole. Every summer for three years in a row, I went to San Antonio to host a big client party, and I always made it a point to eat at Boudro's. If you get to San Antonio, you should too -- their food is amazing. I could go on for two pages about the fried oysters, but we're talking about guacamole right now. They do it tableside, and I took notes. You'll need:

two ripe avocados
juice of 1/4 orange
juice of 1/2 lime
chopped cilantro to taste (I use about a tablespoon)
chopped red onion to taste (again, about a tablespoon)
a sprinkle of salt
fire roasted tomatoes and chipotle peppers* (about a tablespoon here too)

*A note on this one. Boudro's does their own roasting of the tomatoes and peppers, but that's WAY too much work. I found La Herdez Salsa Casera in Albertson's, and it provides almost the same flavor.

Anyway, dump everything in and mix it up, mashing the avocados to the consistency you're comfortable with. I like chunks -- my daughter likes smooth. We settle somewhere in the middle.

It's a great summertime treat!

Leftovers

We had plenty of leftovers from last night's dinner of balsamic chicken, asparagus, mushrooms, and pasta, so I tossed it all together, drizzled some balsamic vinegar over the lot, and took it to work. That was lunch AND dinner, as I had to stay late to coordinate an office move. The pasta, by the way, was not the spinach tortellini, but some whole wheat penne pasta that I'd made as an alternative for the non-spinach lovers of the house -- turns out they're non-whole-wheat-pasta people too, dammit. Oh well, more for me. It was great at room temperature. Of course, considering my alternative was microwave popcorn, I'm probably a little less than objective.

Now I'm pondering what to do with the whole cut-up chicken that's in my refrigerator. If I was properly motivated (which I'm not), I'd prepare something the night before that could be popped into oven tomorrow, but it's 10:15 p.m., and I'm comfortable on the sofa with my laptop. However, a cut-up chicken doesn't take too long to cook (about 45 minutes at 375 degrees), so I may just partially bake it tomorrow evening and then pop it on the grill with one of those wood chip packets and some barbecue sauce. I think that will work nicely and won't be too much trouble, especially if I can persuade the first person home (not I) to pop some potatoes in a 400 degree oven (30 minutes on each side and you have a nice baked potato). There's fresh corn in the fridge, so I'll drop a few ears in a pot of boiling water, cover it until it comes to a rolling boil, and then shut off the pot. You can leave it for up to 30 minutes like that and have perfectly cooked corn when you're ready to serve it.

Sounds like I'm ahead of the game for a change! Which probably means that something will go wrong . . . .

A Final Note on Chardonnay

Southern Point Chardonnay, to be found at WALGREEN'S (you heard me!) for $2.99, is a really good bottle of wine. Granted, I liked Red Bicyclette better, but that's because I'm a sucker for French wine and it was dryer than most chardonnays. However, Southern Point (did I mention that you buy it at WALGREEN'S?) is a nice, traditional chardonnay with a slightly but not overly sweet bouquet and a clean finish. I also bought a bottle of their cabernet sauvignon and will dutifully report back to you when I open it.

Tonight we finished up the Australian Wild Ferment chardonnay, which tasted a lot better to me after my day at work. Suffice to say, Monday lived up (or down) to its reputation. I made Balsamic Chicken Breasts for dinner, along with spinach tortellini, roasted asparagus, sauteed mushrooms, and garlic toast. The Balsamic Chicken Breasts are a marvelously easy recipe that I got from Epicurious.com, and you can look it up, but if you're too lazy, I'll tell you how to do it: marinate four boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a pan containing about 1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar, a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, salt, pepper, and Herbs d'Provence. They don't have to marinate very long -- I put them in while I was putting the water on to boil for the spinach tortellini and getting the asparagus ready to roast. Fire up the grill and cook the chicken breasts. When they're almost done, spread blue cheese or feta or nothing at all if you're not a cheese type person on the top side of the breast and let it melt for a minute or two.

The balsamic vinegar keeps the chicken breasts incredibly moist and flavorful. Whatever leftovers you have can be reheated quite nicely the next day for lunch or dinner.

I'm off to a good start this week -- let's hope I don't get a case of cooking ennui by Thursday!

Around the World in One Meal . . . and Chardonnay

This post is dedicated to my friend Jerry Anderson, who asked me to review reasonably priced chardonnay. I'm not a big fan of chardonnay, but I like Jerry, so while I was out grocery shopping yesterday I picked up a couple of bottles. One was from Australia: a 2006 Yalumba Eden Valley Wild Ferment Chardonnay, which I picked up on sale for $6.99 at World Market. The other was a French chardonnay: 2007 Red Bicyclette Chardonnay.

Since the temperatures zoomed to almost 104 degrees today, it seemed that something light and interesting was in order. My daughter suggested sushi.

I learned how to make sushi from a kindly sushi chef at Whole Foods who walked me through the steps of making a California roll. The hardest part, in my opinion, is getting the sushi rice to the right consistency and making it into the proper shapes without having rice sticking all over your fingers. I haven't quite mastered that, so rice was flying everywhere and I discovered to my annoyance that this was one thing the basset would NOT clean up for me. However, I managed to make tuna sushi and spicy tuna rolls. The secret to spicy tuna is a mixture of chopped raw tuna, mayonnaise, chili oil, and a splash of sesame oil. It's not traditional Japanese cuisine, but it is delicious!

However, the sushi didn't look like it would adequately feed the three of us who enjoy raw fish, and I had a non-sushi eater to feed as well, so I left Japan and turned to the Mediterranean for inspiration. I had half a box of mussels left over from the last seafood extravaganza, so I did the garlic/shallot/bread crumb topping and put them in the oven along with some French fries for Jackson. On the stove I boiled shrimp with Cajun seasonings and, in another pot, an ear of corn (again for Jackson, my very American kid). And garlic bread (just in case anyone was still hungry). This is how a simple meal ends up getting a little TOO complicated. It was an eclectic meal, to say the least!

Meanwhile, back to the chardonnay. We opened both bottles tonight so we could do a side-by-side comparison. The Australian Wild Ferment was, indeed, wild. The taste, to me at least, was rather harsh -- not quite cooking wine, but not something I would go out of my way to drink again. The French Red Bicyclette, however, was quite nice: fresh, not syrupy, but not a light white wine, which appealed to me (the red wine drinker). I'd definitely buy this one again and it was under $10 at Super Target. Alice Waters also makes a good, reasonably priced chardonnay.