Thursday, February 28, 2013

The last day in February! I guess it's true that the older you get, the faster time passes. It is a gorgeous day here in Reno. The sun is shining and the temperature is in the 50's. Nice!

Since returning home from Maui, I have worked almost every day as a nurse. I have gotten some cooking in, though. It is very relaxing, a good therapy for whatever stress I have.


In honor of Valentine's Day, I made Chocolate Raspberry Brownies. Heavenly! The secret ingredient? Raspberry jam!

Jordan and I did not go out to eat for Valentine's Day. He is not a big believer in what he calls invented holidays that make you spend a lot of money. (He gets cranky about some things, but likes to gifts when you least expect it, so that's not so bad.)

I started cooking meals again for my biggest client, recently back from Maui. It is always a pleasure cooking for someone who has an adventurous palate and who gives me a lot of room for experimentation.

On the menu were things like Eggplant Pmodoro woth Pasta,

Rice and Lentil Salad (it calls for brown rice but I only had Jasmine rice so used that instead. Still healthy!)

Baked Ravioli (a quick dinner when you start with frozen ravioli).

Spiced Lamb served with Root Vegetable Mash and Pureed Peas. A good sauce does wonders for a meal. I just love experimenting with unusual flavors.

And let's not forget dessert! Zesty Lemmon Pie, made creamy by using sweetened condensed milk. Yum!

Over the weekend I made a Lemmon Layer Cake. We were invited over to a friend's house for a Bagna Cauda party. Bagna Cauda (which means "warm bath" in Italian) can be served hot or cold, but in this case, olive oil, butter, LOTS of garlic and anchovies were melted in an electric skillet. One the mixture is hot enough, you can cook meat, seafood, poultry and vegetables in it. Quite tasty, but in no way low-calorie, lol.

I brought dessert since three people with birthdays in February attended this party. Yellow cake soaked with lemon simple syrup, then layered with lemon curd between the layers. It was finished off with Italian Buttercream flavored with Limoncella and more lemon curd. No specific recipe, but a culmination of recipes and techniques.

Monday afternoon I was back working as a personal chef. Lots of good dishes this week! Spicy-Sweet

Pork Tenderloin woith mashed potatoes and glazed carrots. (I found rainbow carrots at the market and could not resist buying them rather than baby carrots for the glazed carrots!)

Dessert was an Applesauce Tart (inspired by watching an old Julia Child program). Served with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream.

There was also Saltimbucco alla Romana, Tuscan Roasted Chicken and Vegetables, Proscuitto Stuffed Chicken Breast with Green Beans, Shrimp Cocktail Salad, Southwestern Salad and Taco Salad.

I've also been working on finding the best granola recipe. Since starting my Nutrition class, I have been tryng to eat a healthy diet, including eating foods that do not have lots of preservatives. We have been learning lots during this class. Time will tell whether or not I can make it stick!

Friday, February 8, 2013

Wednesday night dinner was Seared Beef Filet with a Marsala Pan Sauce, mashed potatoes (Have I told you how much I LOVE mashed potatoes?) and Garlicky Sauteed Spinach. Lovely, such a nice cut of beef (although we did find some grissle inside once the meat was cut into that was not apparent with the meat in one piece). Dessert was a repeat of Chocolate Mousse. Chocolate-it's own food category!

Thursday, the 7th, was a very relazing day. Sunny, 80. I did funish my online Nutrition class in the morning. Lunch was Serrano ham wrapped pear slices served with Manchego cheese and crackers. One of the easiest meals to make as well as one of the tastiest!

After lunch I was scheduled for a massage! Yeah!! They were running a little late, but I stood on the walk, looking at the ocean and talking to the spa manager. I have to say, the massage therapist was excellent. I walked back to the condo (right next door to the outside area used for massage), apparently looking quite relazed and peaceful, I am told, lol!

We went out to dinner at Merriman's at Kapalua. We had a front row seat for the sunset. A girl can't ask for much more! I had a great time, dinner was great-a kale and butter lettuce salad, fresh fish with mixed grains and veggies and a Chocolate "Purse" (creamy chocolate wraped in several layers of phyllo) for dessert. Merriman's is one of the best restaurants on Maui, I have got to say. And what a view!

Breakfast this morning (Friday, February 8) was at the Westin in Ka'anapali. I did not get a picture of it, but the pool there looks straight out of Disneyland or Pirates of the Carribean. Waterfalls, two pools, palm tress galore, you get the picture! This was the view in the other direction. Not to shabby. We all had Eggs Benedict, which the hotel did a good job on (good Holladaise sauce). And Starbucks coffee (have I told you Starbucks is my favorite coffee, lol?).

The Westin is close to Whaler's Village, a big shopping center. They have a Crocs store there I wanted to check out. I need new shoes for work and Crocs are really comfortable for all day wear. I found some cute black Crocs with a band of gray/silver flowers over the instep. Cute! And even better? My boss bought them for me!! What a nice gesture!!

As we were all still full from breakfast, I spent lunch poolside. Today is my last full day on Maui......most sad, although I miss Jordan and Ah Choo. It has been so peaceful here. And I've been able to do one of the things love best: cooking! How cool is that?

I sat out on the lanai'i for a while, looking at the ocean, listening to the surf. So peaceful. The last meal I'll make here is Shrimp Scampi served over pasta and an Arugula Salad. Good stuff, Maynard!

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

The days here in Maui have been flying by! It is difficult to admit that on Saturday it is time to head home. But I won't dwell on that-isn't it more important to live in the moment? Life is definitely too short to do otherwise.

This is the second week of my Coursera Nutrition for Health and Wellness through the University of California0San Francisco. The instructor, Katie, added a short introduction video to the second week that said over 24,000 (!!!) people have signed on to this course, from over 100 countries around the world. On the discussion board, many people introduced themselves, and said they hoped to improve their English. It seems hard enough to learn nutrition in English, that I can't imagine trying to learn it in a foreign language! Learning new things daily is a good thing, though.

Tuesday morning we ate some of the zucchini muffins I made Monday evening (after the stuffed zucchini dinner). And of course, coffee. Starbucks. Has to be my favorite brand of coffee.

Tuesday's lunch was a Chickpea Salad. Chickpeas (canned: drained and rinsed well), diced yellow bell pepper, sliced green onions, diced tomatoes, diced celery, all tossed with a balsamic vinaigrette. Very healthy, vegan as well as good tasting. Nothing against any of the vegetarians or vegans out there, but I guess I still like a little meat in my diet. I guess you can take the girl out of Wisconsin, but you can't take Wisconsin out of the girl. Wisconsin-dairy state, lots of cows!

Tuesday afternoon we went to the Kapalua beach near the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. Not many people seem to go to this beach, other than surfers and people with dogs. It is a beautiful beach! It is often windy though as it open to trade winds blowing (which also whips up sand so on a windy day you sometimes feel like you are being sandblasted! Good for a natural dermabrasion, lol?). There were whales playing out in the water. One actually jumped out of the water while we were watching! I don't know about you, but I thought that was way cool! Whales are such magnificant creatures. taking a picture with my iPhone does not do justice to some of the sights here on Maui.


After we came back from the beach, I started dinner (early). I made Beef Bourginon (Laura Caulder's recipe, not Julia Child's). The beef needed two hours roasting in the oven in a wonderfully fragrant sauce of beef stock, red wine, onions and carrots and garlic, as well as a small bouqet garni. The end result was a darkly rich sauce with a garni of onions (alas, no small round/boiling onions were to be found in the Maui market), mushrooms and bacon (bacon makes SO many things taste absolutely divine!). And we finally had that cheesecake for dessert!

I was going to leave the cheesecake plain on top (I can be a purist when it comes to cheesecake!) but Grace Parisi put jam on top of her little cheesecakes.....I didn't have raspberry or strawberry jam but I DID have guava jelly! So I heated a little of it in the microwave then poured it on top of the cheesecake before I put it in the refrigerator to chill. It looked gorgeous with that red-orange color on top. And most importantly, the cheesecake tasted good (yeah!).

Wednesday (today) we went out to breakfast at Maui Fish & Pasta. Doesn't sound like a good place for breakfast by the name, but they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. I may sound like a snob, but I can cook a better breakfast. And they have the worst coffee! Too bad... But, I always like going out to breakfast, so no complaining!

Lunch was leftover Ribolita soup, pear slices wrapped in serano ham, Manchego cheese and crackers. I am trying to use up the food that is left. No sense wasting food! It's been raining off and on, sprinkles really but as the sun is out again, I am heading outside to catch some rays before they go behind the clouds again! Aloha!

Monday, February 4, 2013

Today we had small showers most of the day. Some sun did peek out, but it was mostly cloudy. Still warm though! :-)

While sitting on the lanai this morning (and I have to admit, almost any morning you can find whales playing in the ocean near shore), we saw several whales out on in the water between Maui and Lanai and Molokai. A small whale was doing what is called "lobtailing". This is done to warn other whales of danger but also to "scare" fish so that they swarm in a tighter "school" to make it easier for the whales to eat (oh, my!). It was SO cool to watch the whales as they jump out of the water or "lobtail" of just blow water into the air through their blow hole.

Before starting lunch, I made a small cheesecake to serve as dessert for the next day. Cheesecake needs to chill some before serving or it just isn't quite right. I followed a recipe from Grace Parisi whose recipe was for 12 individual cheesecakes. I had Oreo cookies left over from making the Chocolate-Raspberry Truffle Tarts, so had the crust. I had cream cheese, but no fromage blanc ("white cheese", kind of fresh tasting cheese, somewhat like creamy chevre). I substituted ricotta cheese for the formage blanc and whipped it up. I did not have any cupcake papers or foil so made a small 5 inch square cheesecake. It's for dinner Tuesday night! Here is Grace Parisi's Mini Cheescakes, you'll see mine later.

Mini Black-Bottom Cheesecakes
Contributed by Grace Parisi of Food and Wine Magazine
Active: 20 MIN
Total Time: 45 MIN
Servings: Makes 12 Tarts

F&W's Grace Parisi made several versions of these brilliant little jam–topped cheesecakes, substituting fromage blanc and other tangy soft cheeses for the usual sour cream. Some versions were sweeter, others more tart; all were delicious. In these single-serving desserts from Parisi, the rich and creamy cheesecakes are baked atop a chocolate-wafer base. You don't need any special equipment to make them—just a muffin tin and foil liners.

Ingredients:
Vegetable oil spray
24 plain chocolate wafer cookies, preferably Nabisco
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup fromage blanc (6 ounces), at room temperature
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup seedless raspberry preserves, warmed

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with foil baking cups and spray the cups with vegetable oil spray. In a food processor, crush the chocolate wafer cookies. Add the butter and process until fine crumbs form. Spoon the chocolate cookie crumbs into the prepared baking cups and press with the bottom of a glass to compact. Bake for 5 minutes, or until almost set. Leave the oven on.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar at medium speed until smooth. Beat in the fromage blanc, then add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.
Pour the cheesecake batter into the baking cups, filling them three-quarters full.
Bake the cheesecakes for 15 minutes, or until slightly jiggly in the center. Remove from the oven and spread 1 teaspoon of the warmed raspberry preserves on top of each cheesecake. Transfer the muffin tin to the freezer and chill the cheesecakes until set, about 15 minutes.
Remove the cheesecakes from the pan and peel off the foil baking cups. Transfer the cheesecakes to a platter and serve.

MAKE AHEAD The mini black-bottom cheesecakes can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.
NOTES Instead of Fromage Blanc Crème fraîche, goat cheese, lebneh or quark.

For lunch I was feeling industrious so made Croque-Madame, the French version of a ham and cheese sandwich (this particular version topped with an egg). Mine was a little unusual as I used whole grain artisan bread (tastes kind of nutty). You spread both sides of your bread with soft butter, then toast it in the oven. Once the bread is toasted, spread a little Dijon mustard on one side, layer sliced ham and shredded Gruyere cheese, then top with a second slice of toasted bread. While your bread is toasting, you can make your bechamel sauce (really more like a Mornay sauce as the bechamel gets flavored with Parmesan and Gruyere cheeses). Top your sandwich with some of the bechamel sauce, sprinkle a tablespoon or so of shredded gruyere and pop is back into the oven for ten minutes. While your sandwich is warming in the oven, soft fry an egg and place the egg on top of your sandwich once it comes out of the oven. The yolk should be soft enough that when broken, it will run out over your sandwich. Quite a decadent lunch, but well worth it!!

I did make it to the pool for a bit in the afternoon but showers finally drove me back to the condo. Still, no complaints. It is lovely here!

Dinner was Stuffed Zucchini with Tomato Sauce, another recipe from Ellie Kreiger. Healthy, easy to make (kind of easy-I had to core out zucchini without a melon baller but found some very long handled measuring spoons in a drawer that work well for this!). This dish looks impressive, although almost anything "stuffed" presents well.

I made Zucchini muffins to eat for breakfast the next day. I just couldn't toss out the zucchini I scraped out for the stuffed zucchini dinner! It was definitely a good use for leftover zucchini!

More to follow.....

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Another gorgeous day on Maui! And for Americans, today is also Super Bowl Sunday (San Francisco vs Baltimore).

Saturday morning I decided we needed French toast for breakfast. We had bananas and some leftover caramel sauce from my first night here. So, quick French toast, thin sliced sour dough bread dipped in a sweeten royal (3 eggs to 1 cup of cream). I sliced a banana, then topped it all with caramel sauce. French toast ala Bananas Foster!

The knife we bought my second day here broke after only 2 days. The blade came right out of the handle!! The tang (the end of the knife blade that fits into the handle) was only about 1 inch long, so I think that goes a long way to explain why it broke so quickly. Off we went to the store to see if we could replace it. We did not, however, go back to Foodland Farms where we bought the first one (great groceries, not so great utensils). We ended up, of all places, Longs Drug Store. Would you believe the drug store had a grocery section complete with fresh produce and meats as well as the usual things you find in a drug store!? It was facinating to see what they carried (ok, so I am easily amused). There was an isle that had kitchen gadgets and low and behold, they carried awesome Japanese knives! I asked for the least expensive (the knives started at $30 but at least the tangs were bolted into the handles-a good thing), so ended up with a knife about six inches long. It is one of the nicest knives I ever worked with. Very nice!

Lunch was a Layered Tomato Tuna Salad. They have such great tuna filets here, that instead of canned tuna, I used fresh tuna and did a quick saute and added the flaked tuna to the salad. A layer of chopped tomatoes, a layer of white beans (tossed with a little vinaigrette), a layer of tuna, a layer of chopped egg the garnished with chopped parsley and more vinaigrette. Quite a nice salad, really.

After lunch came the daily question of "Do I go to the beach or the pool?" it's becomes somewhat of a joke here. But alas, still one that needs answering as I do get a lot of free time. I actually laid out in the lounge chair near our lani'i! I am working on a great tan while I am here (even though it will not last long once I get back to Reno).

A little reading, then it was time to start dinner. Sauteed Pork Medallions in an Apple Cider-Mustard Sauce, mashed potatoes and green beans sauteed with garlic and lemon. Yum! Dessert was Carmelized Pineapple served over ice cream. They have the most amazing pineapples here. So much tastier than what you get on the mainland, although I was told it was hard to get a bad pineapple in Hawaii. I suppose so!

Today's lunch was Ribollita (an Italian vegetable soup) served with Shrimp and Pineapple chunks wrapped in bacon (I needed to use up both some shrimp and some of the pineapple). Who would have thought bacon, shrimp and pineapple would be such a good combination?

I decided on the pool after lunch but didn't stay long. The trade winds have really kicked up but the wind was irradic so I cut my pool time short. Outside our condo unit, are bushes of red hibiscus. The blooms only last a day or two, then they fall off, but the numbers of flowers is impressive. Sure can't find THAT in Reno! The rest of the afternoon was filled with reading, although I did tune into the Super Bowl off and on to watch the score.

Dinner tonight was Chicken Marsala served over pasta and a tomato salad-a small take on the Caprese salad sans cheese. Meals have been turning out well here and with all the experience I've gotten the last two years, meals come together pretty quickly for me. It helps that cooking still makes me happy. It never seems like a chore.

After dinner, we sat out on the lani'i, looking at the sky, listening to the waves crashing on the beach. It is quite soothing...

Friday, February 1, 2013

Happy Friday! Or I go "island" and say Aloha Friday! The days do seem to run together here on Maui. I have little responsibilities except cooking so this is pretty much a working vacation. I know the days because I have planned menus for the two weeks I am here and check everyday to make sure I have all the supplies I need to make each meal, but other than that....this seems like a real vacation compared to my other job as a nurse.

Wednesday evening we went out to dinner at the Banyon Tree restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, just as I said. What a gorgeous view we had. And of course, Robert (think French Rrrro-ber) was our waiter. He remembered me and was very kind in welcoming me and my friends back. (And I am very lucky to also be friends with the people I cook for, as it makes it all much more fun and enjoyable for us all.) I decided on two appetizers and a salad for dinner rather than one entree. I had a goat cheese tart with a little salad (think French small portions for everything-which in my case, works very well), Sea Scallops with Candied Bacon and Steamed BBQ Pork Buns. Kind of a random dinner, but still, a way to try many things versus one entree, as I said before. We had a lovely bottle of wine along with dinner. Dessert was wonderful! Kona Coffee ice cream with Cinnamon-Sugar Churros and a Chocolate tart. The weather was clear and the sunset beautiful from the restaurant.

Thursday dawned with cloudy skies once again. Apparently the trade winds blew the storm clouds that had passed through earlier this week, back over Maui and the big island so we had rain off and on all day Thursday. We went shopping in the morning for more groceries to finish out my stay on Maui, then returned back to the condo. Lunch was Past Carbonara, always a nice pasta choice and in small portions, a very nice lunch.

For dinner I made Braised Pork Tenderloin with Wild Mushrooms, mashed potatoes and Roasted Broccoli. I must admit, the Wild Mushroom sauce was to die for and was perfect on the pork. And what vegetables are not divine tasting when roasted in the oven? Yum!! Dessert was the last of the coconut milk rice pudding.



This morning we had a few more things to buy at the grocery store so left early to pick those things up. One thing I insist on is a good sharp knife. None of the knives at the condo were sharp at all, so we had bought an inexpensive chef knife earlier in the week. Two days later the blade and tang loosened and came out of the handle! A brand new knife! So today, we went looking for another knife. All the better knives were at least $30, but it seemed worth it. I require very little in the way of "gadgets" but I do need a sharp knife! The new knife (Japanese) works very well!

I made a big breakfast using the lobster from the other night as well as one scallop. It made for very decadent eggs! The leftover mashed potatoes from the night before, turned into potato pancakes with sourdough toast rounding out the plate.

After breakfast, it was off to the old beach we used last year while staying in Kapalua. I had forgotten how hard the wind blows there as the beach is exposed to the open sea more than most of the beaches on Maui. The wind blows the fine sand around and after a while it feels like your skin is being sandblasted! Needless to say, a shower was in order upon returning home.

As we were all still full from breakfast, a quick discussion ensued regarding what to make for lunch. We opted for a lighter fare so lunch was composed of sliced Bosc pear wrapped in Serrano ham served with slices of Manchego cheese and some crackers. It hit the spot!

I spent the afternoon finishing my Nutrition course first assignment and quiz. A lot of work is involved for a course that offers no college credit, but I have learned a lot. A lot of people have introduced themselves on the class discussion board and I am surprised to see there are people from all over the globe taking the same class. It is nice to have something in common with all those people.

I took a break after finishing my classwork and my friend snapped a picture of me "working hard" while in Maui. I sent it to my family so they could see me at "work", lol.

Dinner was Pasta with Shrimp, Baby Arugula, Olives and Feta. The fresh herbs used in this recipe made such a difference to the final taste of the dish. Another success!

Before dinner I whipped up (literally) Chocolate Mousse for dessert. This picture shows how you make due with the serving pieces you have and you just make it work. Mmmmmmm, I think everything is made better with chocolate!

Chocolate Mousse from Gourmet December 2002

Ingredients
2 cups chilled heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
7 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
Garnish: lightly sweetened whipped cream


preparation

Heat 3/4 cup cream in a 1-quart heavy saucepan until hot. Whisk together yolks, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a metal bowl until combined well, then add hot cream in a slow stream, whisking until combined. Transfer mixture to saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until it registers 160°F on thermometer. Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and stir in vanilla.

Melt chocolate in a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water (or in a glass bowl in a microwave at 50 percent power 3 to 5 minutes), stirring frequently. Whisk custard into chocolate until smooth, then cool.
Beat remaining 1 1/4 cups cream in a bowl with an electric mixer until it just holds stiff peaks. Whisk one fourth of cream into chocolate custard to lighten, then fold in remaining cream gently but thoroughly.

Spoon mousse into 8 (6-ounce) stemmed glasses or ramekins and chill, covered, at least 6 hours. Let stand at room temperature about 20 minutes before serving.