Wednesday, January 30, 2013

It was a dark and stormy night.....oops, wrong genre!

Well, it has been cloudy and rainy the last two days. I feel sympathy for the people who come here for only a week and part of that week it is raining. Kind of puts a crimp in your style. It rains so little in Nevada that I never mind when it rains. And of course, this is a working vacation for me.

Since it was raining, I did some baking. Chocolate chip cookies and Olive Oil Coffeecake. It is always a challenge baking when going between high altitude and sea level, but I think I am getting the hang of it. More leavening is needed at sea level than at a high altitude. Most recipes seem to be written for sea level or close to it. Just use less yeast, baking soda or baking powder when baking at high altitudes and things turn out well.

Lunch on Monday was Broccoli-Cheese Pie. Since this is a rental unit, you kind of use what's available. I found a 6 inch by 6 inch square glass pan, and that became my "pie plate". It worked out just fine.

As it was raining, we stayed indoors with occasional outings to the lanai (patio) outside the condo. There is such a beautiful view here! I am always amazed by it.

Monday dinner was Balsamic Chicken with Baby Spinach and Couscous. An easy dish from Ellie Krieger (Food Network) that appeals to everyone.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved
8 ounces baby spinach
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup low-sodium canned chopped tomatoes with juice
2 cups whole wheat couscous, cooked




Directions

Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken and cook about 4 minutes per side, or until cooked through and juices run clear. Remove the chicken and set aside. To the same pan, add the spinach and cook just until wilted, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. Lower the heat to medium and add the balsamic vinegar and chicken broth to the pan and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any browned bits. Add the tomatoes, bring to a simmer and cook 3 to 5 minutes.

Place the couscous in a serving bowl. Top with the spinach, chicken and balsamic-tomato sauce.

Dessert on Monday was Coconut Rice Pudding made with coconut milk (you'd think it was made with actual shredded coconut, but that is optional in this recipe). I had bought coconut milk for a dish on Tuesday evening, but knew I would have a lot left over, so decided to utilize it for another purpose. Since I am only here two weeks, I am trying to build meals around similar supplies so I am not wasting much, if anything. Serve it in a special bowl (in my case a martini glass). I try to pay attention to plating of food because we eat with our eyes first, then our mouth.

Using every bit of food we bought is important to me not just because groceries are expensive enough in Hawaii. There was also a story on evening TV news that covered the amount of food Americans throw away. It is astounding the amount of food we carelessly throw away!

The weather was suppose to clear on Tuesday. Although it appeared at first the clouds were dissapating, it gradually became cloudy again and rained most of Tuesday afternoon. We took a walk during what we thought was a break in the clouds, but ended up soaked by the time we got back to the condo. Oh, well! It's only water.

Tuesday lunch was a Pan Bagnat (recipe courtesy of Laura Caulder from the Cooking Channel). It is a sandwich which starts with a French baguette filled with marinated sliced tomatoes, red onion and fresh basil leaves, sliced hard boiled egg and sliced black olives. The baguette was hollowed out then rubed with half a clove of garlic, then sprinkled with olive oil. The longer you let it sit, the better it gets as the olive oil and vinegar seep into bread. Yum!

Dinner was Papaya Rice Salad with Grilled Shrimp. The recipe (from Cooking Light magazine June 2005) calls for mango not papaya but we couldn't find any mangos! So, you improvise with something similar but more readily available. I guess one thing I learned in cooking school, was if you don't have exactly what is needed, use what is available. Although that takes some thought because you need to realize what foods will work together and taste just as good and what won't work together. We repeated the Raspberry-Chocolate Truffle tarts for dessert last night. It is nice to know that the tarts will hold up for a good number of days without losing their good flavor!

I am taking an online nutrition class through Coursera. The class started Monday, the 28th, and lasts for six weeks. And the best part? It's free!! More and more classes are being offered online for no charge and being taught by some of the best professors in any given field. You cannot get a college credit for them, but you can learn more about topics of interest to you. Their website is www.coursera.org if you'd like to check it out.

And here it is Wednesday. The clouds have almost disappeared and the sun is out. I can see why Hawaii is called "paradise". I made some French toast for breakfast this morning. There was some sliced sourdough bread that was bought before I arrived and it seemed a good thing to take advantage of (little or no waste, remember?). I mixed up a custard (1 cup of half & half, two eggs, 1/4 cup of sugar, a splash of vanilla and a pinch of salt), dunked the bread slices (I have to admit, I like thick sliced French or Italian bread for French toast but I used what I had) and cooked them on the stovetop until browned on both sides. It certainly cooks more quickly when you work with thin-sliced bread! A few raspberries for garnish, pass the maple syrup and voila! Breakfast in less than 15 minutes.

After breakfast I cooked some white beans which will be used for a lunch salad today as well as two other recipes over the course of the next week. Would you believe there were no canned cannelini beans at the market? My solution? Start from scratch with dried white beans and cook them myself (I haven't done that in a while, lol, as well-rinsed canned white beans-or garbonzo beans for that matter--work just as well). Lunch today is a Five Minute Salad (again courtesy of Ellie Krieger) with lettuce, white beans, tomatoes, and goat cheese served with a balsamic vinaigrette. Nice and light, as we are going out to dinner tonight at the Banyon Tree restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton tonight (a girl has to have at least one night off a week!). I am looking forward to that! The food is superb there!