Damn I'm good.

Sometimes I come along a recipe or an article on food and read it and think to myself..."That is bloody brilliant! Why didn't I think of that????". Then I take the recipe, most often tweak it to my liking and write about it here. Which is why I write a food blog and not for Bon Appetit. But when I do nail it, I nail it. And making up a recipe is so much sweeter when the result is better than you even expected.

A few weeks back I left on a lovely vacation with my parents and other friends There are a few unusual things about this trip that are different from my normal vay-cay's.

Number One: It was a long one...10 whole days away from home, with 4 of them being driving well over 2000 miles on the way there and back. Wheeeeeee!!!!

Number Two: I left my work phone in my desk at work. The place we were going has extremely limited cell service and I felt that the need for a completely disconnected vacation was well deserved and quite frankly very needed. After the heartburn went away I really did enjoy myself.

Number Three: Even though we stayed in a house with all the comforts of home, I did very little cooking. This is because I had two wonderful ladies (Mama & Jill) cooking for me. Here is one of the wonderful dinners they made for us. Argentine Pork Loin & Mashed Potatoes, YUM!

Number Four: The reason for number three is that I was out hunting every morning and every evening for elk with my father and our friend Bruce. This is my new favorite picture.

Unfortunately for all of us, none of the three hunters were able to bring home an elk. Multiple factors contributed to our unsuccessful hunt including the heat, the amount of water and just dumb luck. It's not that we didn't try, the stars just weren't with us this time.

We stay on a ranch that our friends own in the upper part of Colorado, it is a working cattle and hay ranch for the most part, but the land is so vast and diverse I am sure there are riches to be found on the land if you just have the patience to look. We found wild raspberries and wild mountain strawberries on a trip up to a mining camp, mushrooms grow like crazy and there are any number of different game animals to take home.

Unfortunately for me, the only four legged creature that I came in contact with daily I was not allowed to shoot. If I could, I would be a well fed woman with a stocked freezer. Bummer that there is no cow season in Colorado...those things just stand there and chew the hay or grasses and look at you.

Our hosts were so kind at the end of the trip to gift us with a fair amount of beef from the ranch (ground, steaks and roasts) to take home as a consolation prize for not bringing in an elk. Now, I know what we all say about California Cows being happy and all that....but man they have NOTHING on the cows from Deline's ranch. These are some of the fattest, grass fed, relaxed cows I have ever seen.

I brought home a little bit, leaving the bulk at my parents house since I cook so rarely these days. But tonight as the weather changes and there is a little nip in the air, I felt the need for comfort food. With very little in the house I finally came up with meatloaf for dinner but wanted something a little different than my standard.

I googled and found several fun recipes, none of which I followed, and finally found the one that was the catalyst for this post.

The thing with meatloaf is that it really does need gravy in my opinion. I can do without if I have to, but it's just kind of missing something if you don't have it. Unless of course you are talking about a meatloaf sandwich in which case ketchup is perfectly acceptable. But meatloaf in a bread pan generally leaves a fair amount of fat and no drippings to speak of to make a homemade gravy. Unless you do this.....

Hello meatloaf bed. Thank you for joining us and letting us rest upon you. Please feel free to mingle with the juices of the meat and mirepoix to create a perfect base for homemade gravy.

I think this might be my new standard regardless of what flavor meatloaf I make as it is the ultimate gravy making method.

Porcini Mushroom Meatloaf with Mushroom Gravy

1 oz Dried Porcini Mushrooms, reconstituted in 1 C hot water

1 Medium Onion-1/2 diced fine, 1/2 rough chopped

1 Carrot, Peeled and Chopped

2 Stalks Celery, Chopped

1# Lean Ground Beef

1 Egg

1/3 C Panko Bread Crumbs

1/4 C Chopped Parsley

1 T Salt

1.2 tsp Pepper

2 Slices of Bacon, cut in half

1/2 C White Wine

1 C Chicken Stock

3 T Flour with 1/4 C Water for Slurry

After mushrooms are reconstituted in water, pull out with a slotted spoon and pat dry, chop finely. Add 1/4 of the mushrooms to the carrots, onions and celery and place the mixture at the bottom of a metal pan that is suited to stove top use as well as oven.

Mix beef, egg, panko, remaining mushrooms, parsley, salt & pepper together until mixture holds together. If needed, add more bread crumbs if it is too moist. Don't overwork the mixture or it will be tough. Pat in to a loaf and place on top of vegetables in the pan. Top with the bacon slices. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. 

When done, remove meatloaf from the pan and place on a cutting board, tent with foil. Place roasting pan on he stove top and turn on low. Add the mushroom liquid and wine (not all the mushroom liquid, leave a little in the bottom to keep any grit in the container) to the vegetables and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom boiling for a minute. Pour the liquid in to a saucepan, straining out all the solids and add the chicken stock. Bring to a boil and thicken to your preferred thickness with the slurry. Season with S&P of course.

I served it with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes because what else do you serve with meatloaf, right???

It's better when you know where it came from!

I swear food really does taste better when you know where it came from, how long it's been off the vine or out of the water.

A few nights ago I finally had enough time off to get my ass back in the kitchen and cook something other than quickie meals, pre-packaged easy meals or heat up leftovers.

Simple simple simple...I had a fellow friend who was also overworked and in need of food love and girl time so I knew I didn't want to go crazy in the kitchen, but wanted to spend time chatting, drinking wine and burning our fingers gluing corks together to make corkboards.

Fresh Silver Salmon from Alaska courtesy of our friends Bruce & Jill, quick seared in a hot skillet and topped with a hollandaise sauce. Hollandaise sauce made from scratch with dad's eggs (well...his chickens eggs anyway) and dad's lemons of course.

Sliced tomatoes from Mom & Pop's garden drizzled with fig balsamic and fresh basil from a plant that is gracing my counter.

Zucchini from my friend Tiffany shredded and made in to cakes with a little cheese and other goodness.

Nothing frou frou, nothing fancy and everything probably took me about 45 minutes to prep and cook. But damn it was good. And the zucchini cakes are just as good, if not better, the second day so feel free to make extra!

Zucchini Cakes

1 Large Zucchini, shredded

1/2 of a Medium White Onion, shredded

1/2 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese

2 Eggs

2/3 cups Panko Bread Crumbs

1 T Dill

Salt & Pepper to taste

After shredding the zucchini, squeeze with a paper towel to remove some of the moisture. Blend everything together in a bowl and season to taste. If you let it sit too long it will get watery so try to do it at the last minute. Spray a large nonstick skillet with spray and fry the cakes over medium heat for about 5 minutes to a side or until browned. They can be kept warm in the oven before service.

Just flat out tasty

Every once and a while there comes along an article in a magazine or online that makes you stop and think and go hmmmmm....I could do that. But occasionally there comes an ingredient that is not part of your day to day pantry staples and you either have to figure out how to get it, how to fake it or in my mom's case, how to grow it.

Recently in Bon Appetit Magazine there was an article by one of my favorite food writers, Molly Wizenberg, that was all about "pan-fried peppers". She was in France and had these wonderful little fried peppers (in duck fat no less), but upon returning to the States could not find the exact peppers she had while overseas. She substitutes several different varieties and raved about how wonderful they were.

My mom is nothing if not committed to cooking. She will, like me, spend a day or more in the kitchen just to make one recipe that she found in a magazine for friends or family or just for her and my dad. She will order ingredients online that she may only use once a year for something and occasionally she will throw something in the ground for the sake of having it whenever she darn well pleases.

Enter the Shishito Peppers.

On average they are about 2-3" long, dark green and kind of wrinkly. They hide in the foliage of the plant, masquerading as leaves until you reach in and find there is a little weight in there. They grow pretty quickly too, once they are established, they average about 30 peppers a week on 6 little plants that are suitable for consumption.

After searching the grocery stores and farmers market with no luck, she headed to our local Green Thumb for plants and grabbed some for us and some for a friend. Only a few short weeks after planting them in and around our herb garden she was harvesting the first little peppers for a tasty hors d' oeuvre.

A quick fry in hot oil (or duck fat if you have it) and a sprinkle of salt and splash of lemon and you have an addictive little nibble with which to treat your guests. The chiles, when cooked, blister up in the pan and the flesh turns soft and silky. They have a little bit of bite and occassionally you will find  one with some heat, but rarely. Adding the lemon juice or lemon salt (Thanks to my banquet chef Bobby for that addition to my kitchen!) brings out a little bit of sweetness in the peppers.

The chiles are on the right, the ones on the left are the sage fritters which can be found on this post An unexpected treat.

Enjoy if you can, I highly reccommend adding these little guys to your garden!

I be jammin'

I love this time of year. all of a sudden there is an abundance of produce to be had. A few weeks ago I went to my grandpa's house and his Saturn peach tree was heavy with fruit so ripe you had to eat it over the sink so as not to make a mess of yourself. The ones we salvaged and brought home were made in to a peach tart tatin. The plum tree was next and what we didn't eat raw was converted in to a plum crisp by my "I don't bake" Mommy.

Everywhere I turn it seems that someone has an overabundance of something and I just can't bring myself to see it wasted. I used to process and freeze things but last year I invested in some canning equipment and a book on "how to". My first couple experiments were small, but successful. Tomatoes, fig preserves, marinara and blueberry preserves. This year I am attempting to do it in bulk and so far, so good!

From my lovely bestie Clover came about 10# of uber ripe apricots which I decided to make into jam (duh). As usual I get these brainstorms late at night and end up finishing my project after 11:00 at which point I am bleary eyed with sleep and wine. Fortunately for me the cooking goddess likes me and generally blesses my forays in to territory unknown.

This batch was the first I made with pectin, which fortunately for me shortens the cooking time substantially and also results in a shiny beautiful jam. It was extremely easy and only requires a little patience in the canning process. I also bought the pectin that enables you to use less sugar or artificial sugar as my recipe called for an insane amount of sugar in ratio to the apricots, over double what the recipe below calls for. I could feel my teeth rotting just reading it. The fruit was so ripe there was no need to go overboard on the sugar.

Apricot Jam

5# Ripe Apricots, seeded and chopped

4 T Lemon Juice

1 Package (49g) Pectin

3 C Sugar

6-7 Eight oz jars with lids

Sterilize your jars and lids and set aside.

In a heavy bottomed pan, mix your fruit, lemon juice and pectin together well and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add the sugar all at once (best if you measure in to a bowl as opposed to cup by cup) and keep stirring. Bring to a good boil, it should turn shiny and thick. If there is any foam on top, skim that off with a spoon and discard.

Pour in to jars, leaving a 1/4" gap between the jam and the lid. Screw on the lids tight and put in a canner or a large pot of water (covering lids). Boil for 10 minutes and remove.

There is a great canning kit that I got from Bed Bath & Beyond, it is cheap, but has all the essentials for picking up the cans, grabbing lids and pouring your goodies in to the jars without making a total mess of your kitchen. You can find it here . 

Enjoy!

What it takes to get me back......Guilt!

It's been a while....two and a half months to be precise, but who's counting? Apparently  you as I have gotten comments from all 5 of my faithful readers in regard to my lack of posts in the past couple months and for that I am sorry.

My only "excuse" is that I truly have not cooked much over the last month and before that very little....along with that have had little time to post anything due to crazy work schedule and social schedule.

A quick photo montage with bits and pieces to fill you in since you've last heard from me. Please know that I took these photos thinking that I was going to share with you way sooner than this. :)

First bite of summer.

My Addy chomping on her watermelon at Joey & Charlies Birthday Party.

 

Cooking lesson with Nate.

Teaching my cousins buddy how to bone and cook a chicken. Comedy.

My Moms 2nd Surprise 60th Birthday Party

Complete with a whole roasted pig in Baja. We dressed the pig up, not the caterers.

Camp meat baby!

Dorado courtesy of yours truly. Ceviche only an hour later.

Yes, that is guacamole served with chicharrones. At a restaurant know affectionately as the "Pork Palace"

Holy crap. My own personal heaven. Could have made a meal or twelve out of this but powered up and realized that a new wardrobe would be in order.

Wine tasting Vay Cay with the bestie in Paso Robles

Wine, Cheese, Meat and other goodies for lunch, our favorite!

A week and dinner with my ladies, we always eat sooooooo well together!

"Blue" Salad

Blueberries from Clovers Family (biggest & best!), Blue Cheese, Almonds, Greens, Balsamic & EVOO

Clams and Bacon (you knew it was coming)

A little onion, tomato and white wine....perfect dippin' sauce!

Pacific Oysters on the half shell

Cocktail Sauce & Meyer Lemons

It feels good to be back...more to come, I am going to go make something else for you now.

Much love and happy cooking!

Pretty food

So sorry for the prolonged absence and lack of sharing.....between work and life I have been a bit too busy to sit down and share my latest and greatest feasts and food adventures. Not to mention the recipes that go along with them.

Tonight is a short, but I couldn't resist sharing with you what mama is making for dinner.

As I sit at the counter recovering from a crazy week at work (translation: drinking wine and NOT standing up all the while singing in my head the song by Dolly Parton "Workin' 9-5" except in my case it was more like 5-9. As in 5am-9pm. Urgh), I was summoned by Mommy Dearest over to the window with a "Jen you gotta get a picture of this!"

So I got up and tiptoes over to the window to find this....

Which in turn got wrapped up so nicely to become this....

"This" is a 3 1/2 pound trout from Lake Casitas that my Dad brought home. I think it might have been as big as my bass.....but I'm pretty sure not. They are a great team, Dad brings home the food, mom makes it pretty and delicious.

Anyhoo....brain is not working so well so I am just going to share with you, eat my dinner and pass out for at least 12 hours.

Whole Fish Wrapped in Grape Leaves

Adapted from recipewizard.com

One 8-ounce jar grape leaves, drained and rinsed

1 small lemon, sliced into paper-thin rings, preferably with a mandoline

One 2 1 ⁄ 2- to 3-pound snapper of any variety: black, striped, or spotted bass; whole large-mouth bass or freshwater bass; any variety of whole drum; or whole parrotfish, orange roughy, ocean perch, tilapia, or trout, scaled and cleaned

1 tablespoon olive oil

Suzi Q Santa Maria Style Seasoning (or Garlic Salt & Pepper)

8 parsley sprigs

8 thyme sprigs

Lay three quarters of the grape leaves on your work surface, overlapping them to form a compact bed that you will later fold up onto the fish; reserve the other leaves to lay over the fish. Lay 4 lemon slices down the center of the leaves.

Score the fish skin three times in parallel, diagonal cuts on each side of the body, cutting down only about 1⁄2 inch, not through to the bones. Oil the fish on both sides with 1 tablespoon olive oil; season each side and the cavity with the Suzi Q. Place the parsley sprigs and another 3 or 4 lemon slices inside the fish's body cavity. Set the stuffed fish over the lemon slices on the grape leaves.

Arrange the remaining lemon slices over the top of the fish, then lay the reserved grape leaves over the body. Fold the bottom leaves up to cover the sides of the fish, tucking them under the top leaves to seal the fish in a grape-leaf packet. Pat to adhere, then tie in several places with butcher's twine to close the fish and the leaves in one packet.

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 F. Place a metal rack in a large baking sheet or roasting pan. Set the wrapped fish on the rack. Roast until the leaves are crispy and a metal skewer inserted through the leaves and into the flesh comes out hot, about 25 minutes. Untie the fish; discard the grape leaves and lemon slices before serving.

Lake Yes

For those of you that are local to the Ventura County are, you should be aware of a large body of water that lies within the Ventura/Ojai area and is famous for a few things.

Lake Casitas was the site for the rowing competitions in the 1984 Olympics, the rings are still visible on the docks.

Johnny Cash used to fish and drink there....and is known for the drinking more than the fishing as he was known to pass out on the boat and get "lost". Law enforcement may have been involved once or twice.

Big mouth bass fishing, some of the largest bass in the state, are recorded at this lake.

By people who know how to fish for the darn things, of course.

For people like me and most of my friends, the lake is better known as Lake "No" or Lake "No Fish" because seriously??? For 30 something years I have fished at that lake and only recently have I been successful at catching anything other than a buzz.

Yay for besties & buzzes!

But in the last couple of years there are fewer and fewer boats on the lake due to the quarantine of boats based upon the possibility of importing the rather destructive Quagga Mussel from another body of water. Quarantining your boat is quite frankly a pain in the butt to say the least but it has one very nice advantage.

Whereas on a beautiful day four years ago there would be dozens of boats on the lake all trying to hook the big one, nowadays you are likely to find 10 or less boats on the lake on any given day. Less boats = less people on them to fish = more fish willing to jump on to the end of my worm laden hook.

So far this year I've been out twice and have cruised around the lake with my bestie and fishing buddy, picnicked in sheltered coves and caught 3 large mouth bass and one bluegill. My friends did pretty darn good too, catching 2 fish each, all of very respectable size.

Large Mouth Bass!



So Proud!

 

But fishing is very hard work....so you have to come outfitted with provisions with which to keep your energy up and your morale high (in case the fish happen not to be biting). So our standard is to hit the lake with a cooler full of beverages of an alcoholic nature (morale boosters), bottles of water (to keep hydrated) and various forms of what I consider to be picnic food (ballast).

(Because one beverage might not be enought we always bring a variety)

One day it is cheese, crackers, prosciutto and fruit, the next day it might be pita chips with assorted dips, olives and spreads. Whatever the selections it needs to fit a few criteria to be considered for a boat picnic as the space is limited, cooler space is reserved primarily for beverages and damn it, I am not eating crap food just because I am on a boat doing something outdoorsy.

This last trip I went with the pita chips and dip, but also wanted some protein in the mix. A quick inventory of the fridge and a consult online and I had a perfect "entree" for us on the boat. Light and tasty, it was perfect as a munchie on my pita chips, but would also be pretty awesome as a sandwich in between some good chewy bread.

Chicken Salad with Red Grapes and a Bleu Cheese Sherry Vinaigrette

2 Chicken Breasts, skinned & deboned

3 cups chicken broth

1 cup Red Grapes, Quartered

3 Stalks Celery, diced 1/4"

3 Green Onions, chopped

1 Egg Yolk

1 T Dijon Mustard

1/2 cup Crumbled Bleu Cheese

1 T Sherry Vinegar

2 T Mayonnaise

1/2 cup Olive Oil

Poach the chicken breasts gently in the broth (not boiling), remove and cool before chopping in to 1/4-1/2 inch chunks. Mix in with the grapes, celery & onions.

In a food processor, blend the yolks, mustard, bleu cheese & vinegar. Drizzle in the olive oil bit by bit until it is blended completely. Season with Salt & Pepper to taste.

Mix in with chicken and chill. This gets even better as it sits and thinks about itself.

Salt & Pepper to Taste.

A fairy tale recipe

Once upon a time (1997 ish) in a land far far away (Los Angeles) a young and beautiful but very unmotivated girl (me) decided that instead of working as a waitress and dancing away her life in the trendy LA clubs she would go back to college (for the 3rd time) and expand on the skills as a cook that her evil mother (not really, it just makes the story sound better) had forced on her since she was a poor underprivileged child (again, fabrication to make the story more interesting). And finally one day she would become famous and cook like Julia Child on TV. And she would live happily ever after with a fat paycheck and lots of friends and admirers who not only loved her cooking but her sparkling personality.

So off to Santa Barbara did she go with dreams of being a chef fluttering about in her brain. Chop, dice, slice and plate....stir and saute and everyone would be so amazed by her skills that the years of schooling (bad word...hate school) would fly by.

Yeah frigging right.

She did chop dice and slice....and she scrubbed pots, pans, floors and grills, took apart ovens and hoods to clean and fix them and most of all learned that she wasn't as special as she thought she was. There were in the first 6 months, 60 students with the same dream. And some of them were as good as the girl (but not very many), some were worse and some were just there to waste time and space.

For the most part, the ones that stuck bonded and became friends although there were a few in the crowd that were just no fun at all and were not invited to any of the reindeer games held at East Beach, the Ranch or the Flintstone house. (Those are the ones that do not read this blog). The ones that bonded not only learned to work together, but to cook together and became a bit of a yin/yang. (you know....you pick up where I leave off....I'll fill in where you aren't able blah blah blah).

After 12 years and a separation of many many miles (Seattle to Ventura) the girl found that the bond forged all those many many years ago had not been broken and that it was just as perfect cooking with of of her lovely friends this weekend as it was so long ago at the kitchen in the ranch house on Highway 150.

After a yummy lunch in Montecito (where lovely friends Daddy paid, bonus!) and several glasses of delicious wine, they put on their thinking caps when presented with a gift of fresh Alaska halibut from the friends brother who also happened to bring organic carrots and greens from the family ranch.

Brother requested Halibut chowder, but the recipe called for too much cream, milk and butter for the girls (they were constantly watching their girlish figures of course) so they opted to do what they do best and NOT follow the recipe.

In to the pot went 1 chopped onion and some olive oil which they stirred until it was soft and browned. They added 3 cloves of garlic (which was not nearly enough for the friends VERY Italian Daddy but oh well....), 2 large shredded carrots and 3 small russet potatoes which were peeled and diced in to 1/4 inch chunks.

In to the pot went about 10oz of chopped tomatoes (canned...but fresh would work too!) and 16oz of chicken broth (you could use fish stock if you had it). Meanwhile the girls were enjoying glasses of Daddy's wine, for he has a nice cellar and a good palate and someone has to drink it, right?

Stir, stir, stir....boil bubble toil and trouble....chop up the fresh Kale (about 1 bunch if you were to get from the grocery store) that Aunt Sandy & Uncle Roland brought in to little shreds and toss it in to the pot. They then poured another glass of wine and let the stew simmer until the potatoes were nice and tender.

More liquid was needed after while (not wine silly...they had plenty of that!) so they added about another cup or so of chicken broth to the pot and then took some liquid out and mixed it with the roux (butter + flour, cooked just a bit) on the side and blended that back in to the soup to thicken it.

About  2# of fresh halibut was trimmed and chopped with care (even though the girl was questioned by Dad to see if she knew what she was doing, Ha!!) in to 1# chunks and set aside for introduction at the last minute so as not to overcook and get rubbery.

A touch of heavy cream, salt and pepper and then the halibut which was cooked ever so gently in the chowder until it was just done.

Crusty bread and a bottle of Carhartt Vineyard Pinot Noir and they all lived happily ever after! (Especially after a second helping of chowder for all!)

And maybe they were happier after a bottle of Byron Pinot Noir for the girls after a very long and trying day...but who's counting????

The End

Are you ready for random?

Some things mom and I have learned in the last few days.....

Duck fat makes a very good toe moisturizer.

Frying clams inside makes for a very slippery kitchen floor. (flip flop removal recommended)

A bushel of cherry tomatoes can be converted in to only a couple pint jars with time, heat  and patience.

Peeling apples goes much faster with two people.

My Grandma Kenton has peeled well over 24,000 apples in her lifetime for apple pie.

An extra glass of wine helps dull the pain of having to clean up after a cooking extravaganza.

After two days of chopping dicing, peeling, slicing, browning, frying, mixing, blending, seasoning, baking, rendering and packaging we have made multiple meals for ourselves and others. And damn it we had fun doing it. :)

Between the two (three when Grandma helped me peel the apples) of us we made Duck Confit (to share for the future), Chicken & Dumpling Soup (for my Bapa), Fried Razor Clams from Washington (for dinner), Oven Dried Tomatoes (to can, for the future), Mustard Braised Rabbit (for dinner-don't judge, it is freaking fantastic) and two Apple Cranberry Crisps (one for us, one for our friends).

Last week my Dad was up in the Lockwood Valley area quail hunting with a buddy and came across an apple tree with the apples falling off, littering the ground. Not being one to ever waste anything he promptly asked the owner of the property if he could liberate them. He then instructed me that I was to make something tasty with them. Once again, Dad brought me home something tasty....I do love that man!

As I am not much of a pie crust girl (more of a tart...hee hee), I went back to one of my favorite standbys for almost any fruit. The very American Crisp. Super easy to make and so perfect with less than 10 ingredients. You can tweak it any which way to suit your tastes with different spices or flavorings, different fruit, cornmeal or oatmeal instead of flour. To be really honest, they are kind of hard to mess up as long as you have the general proportions correct. The following recipe has a great autumn feel to it, the appples are still a little crisp and the cranberries add just the right amount of tart.

Apple & Dried Cranberry Crisp

From Gourmet Magazine, 1993

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cinnamon stick

1 cup water

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into bits

9 McIntosh apples (about 3 pounds)

In a small saucepan simmer the cranberries, the cinnamon stick, and the water for 10 minutes. Drain the cranberries and remove the cinnamon stick. In a small bowl blend the flour, the brown sugar, the salt, and the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal and toss the mixture well. Peel, core, and slice the apples thin and in a buttered 9- by 13-inch glass dish toss them with the cranberries. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the fruit and bake the crisp in a preheated 400°F. oven for 25 minutes, or until the apples are tender and the topping is golden.

Love my presents!

You remember when your parents would go on vacation as a kid and the best part about them coming home was when they unpacked their suitcases and gave you your presents from wherever they had been?

My parents have always been great traveling gift givers, I have cool stuff from all over the world....and totally not your run of the mill key chains, snow globes or I *heart* "whatever" tee shirts. I get stuff like Murano glass bottle openers and cheese knives from Italy, possum fur & merino wool and peacock feather scarves from New Zealand, earrings in the shape of halibut from Alaska (lucky fishing earrings!) and so many other cool and unusual gifts I can't even begin to list. But when it comes to goodies from vacation and my Dad....I always love the edibles he brings home because he is the ultimate hunter gatherer.

We get caribou, halibut & salmon from Alaska, venison, duck & rabbit from California, elk from Colorado, crawfish from June Lake and all manner of fish from Mexico. God love the man, he knows how to hunt and fish and brings home the proverbial bacon on a regular basis. If I had the ability to take time off during hunting season, I'd be with him in a shot, but I generally have to work and therefore only get to enjoy the fruits of his labors.

So at the beginning of September when hunting/fishing/vacation season opened for my Pop's, Mom and I just asked that he bring home goodies for us.

And because my Dad kicks ass, he did.

He went to Washington and brought home salmon and rock fish, turned around and went to Colorado and brought home elk, stayed for all of 4 days and drove to Baja and brought home tuna, dorado & triggerfish and is leaving in four days to go deer hunting in the sierras. He also promised to get crawdads in June Lake if he had a chance to dive.....

Have I mentioned that I love the man?????

Tonight I joined him for fish tacos where it was the battle of Washington versus Baja....or rockfish versus dorado.

Really a simple dinner, but Dad wanted to taste the fish side by side to see which he preferred fried. Me? I just wanted it wrapped up in a tortilla with cabbage, salsa, guacamole, cotija cheese & white sauce. Perfection.

Of the two fish, we both agreed the rockfish won hands down. The dorado, while perfectly tasty and wonderful, was drier-similar to halibut when fried. The rockfish stayed juicy and flaky but still held it's shape beautifully.

Cheers, here's to gifts from the sea, thanks Dad!

Thank you, my friends, for dinner!

How lucky are we to have good friends? And in addition to being good friends and keeping us amused and entertained, Brock and I are also fortunate enough to have friends that share.

With the weather holding steady and the sun shining regularly I was feeling a little summer-ish tonight and opted to take a couple of steaks out of the freezer. I paired this with the first corn of the season and a sassy little veggie salad.

In addition to the pig that is gracing our freezer in the form of sausage and loins (we've pretty much eaten everything else) we also have deer and elk in both ground form and a few steaks that our friend Tim gave to us.

To season the steaks I brought out a goody bag from another friend (Sarah!) who works for a food service distribution company. She recently met with some folks who were kind enough to give her samples (Love samples!) of some flavored oils and vinegars and some dry rubs and spices from a company called Char Crust. http://www.charcrust.com/

I *heart* Char Crust.

When I owned my restaurant it was all we seasoned our dry aged steaks with and we ordered the stuff by the 5 gallon bucket as we were known for our steaks and blew through it like crazy. It is a Mid-west company that started out inside of a restaurant that has now branched out in to a huge company. We always used the "original" flavor, but after Sarah gifted me with all of the samples, I found out that they have about 8 of them. Yay!

I chose the Garlic Peppercorn, which was delicious....I only forgot that with this stuff, you really have to dredge and pack it on to your steak/chop/rib as it is light in flavor otherwise. This rub really seals in the juices and creates an awesome crust on the outside of a steak....just sear on a high heat until it is done to your taste. The outside of the meat just caramelizes and is mouthwateringly delicious.

A little shallot & mushroom chopped up for a saute to top the steak with.....

Chopped cucumber, cherry tomatoes and sliced jicama tossed with pomegranate vinegar and arbequina olive oil from my local olive oil shop (WeOlive on Main Street in Ventura!) and a little salt and pepper.

Boiled corn on the cob with a little butter (just a smidge!) and a sprinkle of salt.


To the friends that contributed, thank you, we truly enjoyed dinner tonight!

Summer is almost here....I can just about taste it!

They call it fishing, not catching

Sitting in a boat with a hook and some bait on your line is generally called fishing (or it's an excuse to pop a beer early in the day). But it is in no way a guarantee that the fish is going to swim up and gobble your hook, and then hold on long enough for you to haul him in to the boat.

A day off in the middle of the week generally finds me running errands, hitting Target or the grocery store and spending my day in solitude. Today, however, I had plans with my Papa to go hit up Lake Casitas for a fishing date.

Or as I refer to it, Lake No. As in No Fish. Because in 30 + years of fishing at that lake, I had never caught a fish. I drowned a lot of worms, soaked plenty of power bait and soaked up the rays. But never a fish for Jeni.

Every time my Dad has come home from this lake in the last year he is filled with tales of big mouth bass, blue gills, crappie, carp and trout. He takes his buddies and his workers out on the lake and they come home with 2-4 fish apiece. Hell, my cousin Delany caught a trout there when she was 7 years old.

Me? Nada.

Bitter? Yes.

Moving on.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day at the lake, the water is as high as we have seen it for years, smooth as glass, sun shining and very few boats and fishermen to compete with. I even got a little sun on my winter whitened legs. Our bonus to this lake is the wildlife that is so tame you can all but drive up and pet it. While stalking a turtle perched on a floating log....

We encountered a family of deer making their way around the perimeter of the lake. One was kind enough to stop for a head shot.

White swans were gliding across the center of the lake, that two weeks ago was a small island inhabited by white pelicans. Now the water is so shallow you can see the big mouth bass and blue gills sitting a the bottom just waiting for you to drop a worm in their face.

So we did. We dropped worm after worm right smack dab in front of their dumb ass stubborn fish faces. And did they bite? No.

Dad tried a lure with a rubber minnow (with glitter even!) and had a bass pick it up and spit it out a half dozen times before he set the hook. Well, he kind of set the hook, because the bass jumped up and threw the hook out.

Damn it. Move to another spot.

Did I mention that we had a bet going? First fish = $5 winnings or loser buys lunch. Not big stakes by any means, but you have to understand that I have a little bit of a complex when it comes to fishing with my dad. He always catches the first and biggest fish....not just with me, but darn near any time he fishes. So just having him get the first bite just irked me.

Then as I was reeling in one of my poles to check bait and re-cast in to an area that we had seen a fish jump, my other pole bent at the tip and my heart sang! All I had to do was keep it on and get it to the boat.

I'd like to tell you an "Old Man and the Sea" type of saga, but really it was just me and Dad's cheap rod and reel set sitting on a bass boat on the shore of a lake. :)

Long story short, I hauled up about a 10# carp on a rod strung with what I think was 2# test and landed the beast!

Yippeee!!!

I won $5, which I promptly reinvested in lunch for my Dad and Grandma and I. But best of all I won bragging rights and was able to witness what happens to Dad when he isn't the first one to catch a fish. It was kind of funny.....not foot stomping, whiny baby, green eyed monster like some people would get...my Dad is anything but a whiner. More along the lines of statements like "I hope I don't get skunked" and "Maybe our luck changed!".... I could all but hear the hope and desire dripping out of his mouth.

And he finally caught a fish....and then he caught another one. So he had two to my one. We are actually bringing one home to cook as opposed to mine which is pretty much inedible. Please note the size of his hand to the size of the fish....the trick to make the fish bigger in a picture is to hold it as far away from your body as you can. But mine was bigger than both of his put together and the first fish, so I still win.

Competitive much?

After cleaning his edible fish, which happened to be about a 15" trout with beautiful pink flesh, I promptly brined it in lemon zest, salt & brown sugar and then took a nap. I love naps.

We smoked the fish very lightly and made a spread out of it to serve on little rye crackers. So simple and so very delicious.

Smoked Trout Spread

1 fresh caught pink fleshed trout, about 15" long
(or you can use salmon if it is easier, about a pound of meat)

Brine the fish in

3 cups water
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
zest from 2 lemons

Bring the brine to a boil and then cool with ice cubes. Pour over fish and let sit in the fridge for at least 4 hours, up to 24. Drain and rinse.

Smoke in cooktop smoker over alder wood chips for 45 minutes over medium heat. Remove from heat and let it sit and think about itself for about 10 minute.

Then go through the tedious process of skinning and de-boning the damn thing. This is the only part I hate. Pick as many of the little bones as you can from the meat, the rest you will be able to pick out when you make the spread.

Put the trout in a bowl and add

3T Whipped Cream Cheese
2 T Dijon Mustard
1 T Lemon Juice
1 Chopped Green Onion
1 tsp Dill
Salt & Pepper to taste.

Blend well. While stirring you may notice some more of the infernal bones that were missed in the first go-round. Be sure to pick these out so as not to choke your dinner guests.

Enjoy!