Quick Chard Bruschetta

I came home late from teaching and wanted something yummy to go with a glass of red wine.

1. Thinly slice up some Russian Kale
2. Heat too much olive oil in a pan.
3. When hot, add kale and stir. Once it looks kinda fried and bright green (i think about 5 minutes), add some Fire Raisins and continue to cook until raisins plump up. Squeeze some lemon on the greens and remove from pan and put in a bowl. Grate Parmesan into warm greens and stir.
4. Add some more olive oil to the pan and "pan toast" up 2 slices of Pane Rustica Bread till desired toastiness is achieved.
6. Rub Toast with a cut piece of garlic.
7. Place toast on a plate and pile greens on top. Good Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper.

Eat with a knife and fork. Goes well with Bill Moses's Casa Barranca 2006 Pinot Noir.

Oven Roasted Heriloom Tomato Pasta

Any juicy fresh tomato will do, but I had heirlooms.

1. Preheat Oven to 350
2. Core and Cut 5 or 6 Tomatoes in half. Put on baking sheet cut side up. Drizzle olive oil and grind fresh pepper on them. Put in oven for about 50 minutes, until they look a little dry on the top.
3. Meanwhile, start your pot of salted water.
4. Finely Chop 1/2 a red onion. I would have used Shallot if I had it.
5. Mince 1 clove of garlic.
5. Sliver lots of fresh basil. (I probably slivered a cup).

6. When tomatoes are done, roughly chop them up and throw in a big bowl with the onion, garlic and basil, some olive oil and lots of good salt and pepper.

7. Cook pasta. Tonight we used the egg pasta from Farmer and the Cook.
8. Drain Pasta and Toss with Tomatoes.

Serve. Yum.

Thomas Meyerhoffer Returns Home

Our pal thomas showed up yesterday night for 2 days. I love when Thomas comes to visit.

Tonight we made this:

Grilled Scallops on Fennel, Radish and Lemon Salad

1. Start the grill.

2. Prep the giant diver scallops from Ric and Alicia with a little olive oil,pepper and salt. 3 to a skewer.

3. Slice some Pink and Red French Radishes and bulb of Fennel super thin and toss with a little lemon zest, lemon, olive oil, fresh ground pepper and good salt. Divide among 3 plates.

4. Finely chop some Tarragon.

5. Grill Scallops Perfectly like Eric did tonight.

6. Arrange scallops on the fennel salad, sprinkle tarragon and serve with a lemon wedge.


Yum. Then me and Thomas had vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce.

Surrender to the Meat Party: A Cooking Anxiety Dream

Had my first dinner party anxiety dream last night. Compelled to share it. Reveals my cooking control freak perfectly.

I had invited a group of people over to my house for dinner, but had been somewhat lame in making sure to invite everyone and not committed enough to really make sure they were coming.

Instead of preparing for the dinner party, I spent the day snorkeling with Allison and giant earthworms underwater. (This was a whole separate bizarre chapter of the dream).

When it struck 6:00pm, the time when people were supposed to be arriving, I had not yet started to cook anything. Of course, I had bought ingredients to that would require at least 5 hours to prepare and I was debating what to do, I resolved that we would all just get burritos at Jim n' Robs.

When I came downstairs, my little brother Geordie and friend John Fonteyn had cooked up all the food, but not in the way I would have. They had created a 1950's style meat fest. All the food looked like those funny colorized photos from the late 50s, early 60s cookbooks. So as I was scanning the crown roast with ham cold cuts tucked inside, the dried up pork chops slathered in ground beef and onions, the roasted chickens all torn up in caveman portions, and the maraschino cherry pot roast, I was in suspension between feeling grateful and frustrated. Dinner had been made unasked and lovingly, but it was not the way I wanted it. People were already arrived and more were coming, and I was going to be judged on the food.

The tension was unbelievable. And as I watched John from Krotona, a strict vegetarian, scan the offerings and not find anything, my sense of failure was immense. I woke up feeling helpless and ungrateful.

The advice I am gleaning this morning:
1. When you put something in motion, it will happen and you better show up for it.
2. If you are going to insist on doing it all yourself, then really do it.
3. But instead, why don't you notice the support that is there for you and work with it.
4. Your ideas about the way things should be will keep you from growing.
5. Soften your food snobbery.
6. And say thank you.