Ham & Cheese on the panini press

A panini press makes most sandwiches taste even better!

One half mayo, one half dijon mustard. Layer ham. Layer cheese (today it was American).

Top with some meslun lettuce. Top with whatever tomato slices you have.

Top with dill pickle sandwich slices, top with banana pepper slices.

Pin with a toothpick on each side and slice!

Breakfast Sausages

Making your own breakfast sausage patties is really easy and you can pull them out and use them from the freezer in a snap!
I like to use gloves during the meaty preparation.
Use 1 Tablespoon seasoning to 1 Pound of ground pork.

Sizzle, sizzle! Cooked in canola oil about 3 minutes on each side.

Flip!

This is our seasoning mix. Penzey's is a really neat store if you like spices. It is located on Mass. Ave. in Arlington, MA.

Ready for the freezer bag!

To eat at breakfast: Dampen a paper towel folded in half. Line bottom of bowl with towel, insert desired patties then fold over the top half of towel. Microwave for 1-2 minutes. Top with some jarred horseradish!

Oysters then Sea Bass with Fennel, Olives and Roasted Tomatoes

I LOVE oysters! Have never met an oyster I didn't like! Their briny taste and gooey yet firm texture is sublime. I'll never forget my oyster feast in Victoria, B.C., a total of over 65 specimens from all over the world, between two people! Today's modest "feast" were 3 oysters hailing locally from Duxbury, MA.
They were .99 each at Whole Foods. Shucking is a skill better learned first-hand. You just stick a pointy (or oyster knife) into the end to "break the seal" Then you carefully scrape the muscle off on both shells to release the oyster. This afternoon since it was SO COLD out, I decided to only go to one destination. The place I really wanted to go to and get a whole sea bass at: Wulf's Fish Market. Going there would have involved more than I was in the mood for (Harvard Ave. traffic at 4pm). I went there once before and they did the best job, in a quite personable manner, even enthusing the tot.
We have a slurper! Tried twice! I asked him if he liked it (only drank the brine since I am so selfish about these things and he doesn't yet realize it) and he said, "Yeah, Mama! More?"
Fennel, in case you were wondering.
I chopped off the bottom to make it fresh (this sucker was rinsed beforehand, of course) and find the nifty mandoline to be the best way to slice it up quickly. Feel free to use a knife. Please, sharpen it first. We like to keep our knives sharp. This is primarily Alex's duty and I have a feeling it is in his blood, since his great-grandfather was a Brighton butcher (and a dull knife is far more likely to cause injury).

Fennel being sliced thinly on the mandoline. Leave the top on so you get a good grip. It tastes quite like licorice (I can't stand that taste) but once roasted, it's flavor is transformed to something sweet and savory.
Roasted tomatoes should be made with good tomatoes! It is difficult to tell by looking at them but the small ones pack more punch, it seems.
Place tomato halves (I use 3 tomatoes for 1 person & a toddler) in a small bowl that you can cover.
Sprinkle with olive oil, marjoram (dried), sugar, salt, and pepper; put on lid and toss to coat.
Arrange tomatoes cut side up. I lined a pan with Reynold's "nonstick" foil for easy cleanup.
Turn on and roast in the toaster oven at 425 until tender, 20 minutes.
So, onto the bass experiment. Both times I made this, it came out fabulously. But both times I was working with a whole fish. Using a delectable filet was not that difficult, but it was almost too rich and dense. I will definitely make this again with a whole fish, but less likely with a $10. filet. I encountered bones (to be expected) but, lil' guy had a pit in one of his olive parts! Pits inevitably sneak through. Only way to make sure is to do the olive prep yourself! Oh well.





Mediterranean Bass with Fennel and Olives

Serves 1.5

1" filet of Mediterranean bass
olive oil
1 fennel bulb and a sharp knife or a mandoline to slice it thin.
1 lemon and a zester
6-8 kalamata or black olives, pitted and halved (I used chopped mixed olives)
1 Tbsp chopped fennel fronds (the green parts of the bulb that look like dill)
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 450F. Use an iron skillet or wrap a broiling pan with foil.

In a broiler pan, toss sliced fennel with 1 Tbsp olive oil, lemon zest, and salt to taste. Cook in the middle of the oven until fennel just starts to soften and brown, about 5 minutes. (Make sure to check after 4 minutes and toss around using tongs.)

Rinse the fish and dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper and place in the broiler pan with the fennel. Pile fennel on top of the fish and drizzle with a little oil.

Turn the oven to broil.

Set the fish under the broiler for a total of 5 minutes. Halfway through, turn the fish over using tongs. Watch the fennel carefully. If it starts to burn, rearrange fennel slices so that they brown on the other side.

Check if the fish is done. It is better to be a bit underdone at this point since it will continue to cook.

Add the olives pan, toss with the fennel and let the fish rest for 5 minutes.

Plate it up! Sprinkle with fennel fronds and serve with good bread, in this case, Trader Joe's Tuscan pane.

Toddler Dinner: Ikea Swedish Meatballs & Mixed Veggies

This is super easy and fully satisfies him every time. First, get your hands on a beg of Ikea's frozen swedish meatballs.
Put 3 in a microwaveable bowl (white ramekin on left) with a splash (less than a teaspoon) of water. Zap in the microwave for a minute or two. Take a sharp pointy knife and stab them into the dinner dish. Use knife to cut them into bite size pieces (1/4ths). Test temperature and zap more if necessary.
Next, make the sauce. Assuming you are left with some meaty juice in the ramekin, add a drop of the classic toddler food, ketchup, then a nice dollop of sour cream. Stir together with a fork then microwave for ten seconds or so, to warm.
Call in your hungry one: "Dinner's ready"! (No response.)
"Meatballs!" And he came bounding in!
While meatballs were being devoured, a pang of mommy guilt struck, in that I was not offering him any vegetables. We always seem to have a bag of mixed veggies. Birds Eye Classic Mixed Vegetable are, in my opinion, the best: carrots, peas, green beans, and corn.
I used the same ramekin, rinsed, and filled with veggies, a dash of water and a pat of butter. Microwaved for a minute, stirred, then a minute more. Keep in mind this is a toddler portion so it's going to cook much more quickly. Test temperature and dump in now-consumed meatball bowl. Good stuff! On a side note, in case you are wondering, Ikea's children's toy silverware (stainless steel) is perfectly sized and we use them as actual eating utensils.
The reason I wasn't cooking dinner: too many cheese & crackers! Alex brought home cheese spread and caviar from work. An odd combination but hey- it worked! Maybe I'll come up with a better way to use up this caviar.

Sausage and Kale Soup

Bragging, once again, on "dent bin" specials: $1.49 chicken stock, $.49 for a large can of whole tomatoes..... Even better, once I was home, I saw the clerk (to whom I informed it was kale) rang up the greens as collards ($1.50/pound less). Perhaps that helps make up for the $7 celery root purchased the day before?
Though pictured, Alex removed the jarred garlic and replaced with several cloves of fresh. What was I thinking?
Something about jarred garlic is definitely "off". It has the taste of dead ants.
(I know this from experience.)
LOVE the (free) measurement app on the touch in which I could easily figure out how many quarts are in 32 oz (1!)... We added two more cans of Swanson's low-sodium chicken broth.



We sliced up last night's leftover sausage then rendered it further to brown, both sides (and in two batches to avoid overcrowding).

We had to transfer the soup to a larger pot, the dutch oven was too small!

This soup is soooooo delicious!!!

The recipe:
Sausage and Kale Soup
Serves 6

1 1/2 lb fresh sausage, sweet, hot or, in this case, Polish
1 lb fresh kale, washed and torn into small pieces (stems removed)
1 lb. all purpose potatoes, cut into cubes
1 onion, cut into thin half-moons
2 carrots, sliced on the diagonal
6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons butter
2 quarts chicken broth
1 can whole tomatoes, chopped and juices added
16 oz can of rinsed kidney beans.
Black pepper, freshly ground
Pinch of salt

Boil sausage for 45 minutes. Dump out water an turn on oven broiler to preheat. Brown sausage in a cast iron skillet under the broiler for 2 minutes, flip, then 2 minutes, flip then 2 more minutes. Set sausages on a plate to cool and drain off fat.
Cut into 1/2 inch slices; fry to lightly brown both sides in the large skillet.

In a large stockpot, add the oil and butter, sauté onions, carrots, and garlic for a couple of minutes. Then add potatoes and broth, simmer, partially covered for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked.

Drain the can of tomatoes' juice into the stock pot (use a spatula or spoon to keep the whole tomatoes from falling in). Roughly chop them up and add to the pot.

Also add the kidney beans and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the kale and cooked sausage; simmer for an additional 5-10 minutes. Season to taste (may need pepper but probably not salt).

This is a very hearty and delicious soup. Serve with fresh bread and your favorite beverage.
I like Wachusett Brewing Companies' "Green Monsta Ale."

Parsley, Fennel and Celery Root Salad

This salad is a great palate cleanser during a heavy meal.
Think: Thanksgiving and Christmas.
And in this case, it was the only vegetable (other than mushroom contained in the koldunai and the potato kugelis).
This recipe is, perhaps, the only one I know of using parsley as a main ingredient, where you ingest copious amounts.
Green veggies are good for you and parsley is known to be high in vitamin A, K and C.

At Tevukas' Lithuanian feast, we enjoyed koldunai (dumplings), pickled herring, kugelis, desros (sausage), sauerkraut and, for dessert, Šakotis (tree shaped cake).

The recipe is on page 146 of the Gourmet Cookbook (2004).
It's so good, it has been requested more than once and I think I've made it ten times now!
A mandoline is handy and can make very thin slices. Above, fennel bulb is sliced thin as possible, then cut in quarters.
Below, celery root is peeled then sliced on the mandoline.

Once sliced, cut into matchsticks.

A large shallot is minced (2 tablespoons) and added to 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, 3/4 teaspoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of ground pepper and 1/3 cup olive oil (use your best).

This is a tasty olive oil for only $5.99. I have been known to "splurge" and spend $20 on a great tasting olive oil.
This is probably the only time I use the hand mixer: to attach one whisk and use it to emulsify! It does a much better job than I do by hand and is easy enough.

Emulsified!

I dumped the dressing mix over the bowl of celery root & fennel to "marinate" while I hand plucked all the parsley leaves (leave out the stems) from a bunch of flat-leaf and curly-leaf parsley.
The best way to put this together is to use your hands and really toss it around to blend nicely.
I like to serve it in a special hand-turned, Vermont-made wooden bowl.

Tevukas hard at work, serving up dinner. Besides Alex, you can see 98-year-old Bobute, turned towards the food. She is the great-grandmother of six!
The empty chairs are Andrew and cousin June's, who were busy chasing each other around.