Sliders for Kids & Grown Ups

Hello, it’s been awhile!  The summer has been absolutely insane so I’m hoping I can catch up on some posts this week.

A couple of weekends ago I had a few cousins visit with their little kids, age newborn to 3.  Not being a parent myself, I wasn’t sure what to make.  I just knew that it had to appeal to both big and small people and wouldn’t take too long to set up since we were going blueberry picking right before lunch.  I also wanted the food to be fun and flexible.

I didn’t quite make the timing right (we ate close to 2pm) but at least it tasted good.  We were hit with a huge downpour right after we left the blueberry orchard so Hubby started these on an electric grill, then finished them outside when the rain slowed down.

Recipe for a Simple Slider Party

Protein (2 oz. each)

• Ground beef patties
• Ground turkey patties
• Black bean patties (I didn’t get a chance to make these; when I do I’ll put them in a later post)

Toppers

• Basil leaves
• Leaf lettuce, torn into small pieces
• Tomato slices (plum or cherry)
• Cheese (slices off a cheddar brick are the perfect size)

Condiments

• Ketchup
• Roasted red pepper mayo (I roasted a red bell pepper under the broiler, peeled the skin off, diced the pepper and mixed into light mayo)

Grill the patties and serve on slider rolls.  Wouldn’t you know it, they actually SELL slider rolls now??  I found out after I ended up making my own.  We also had corn on the cob (the right way if boiling is 3 minutes only!!!), and a great spinach and strawberry salad that my cousin made.

For dessert, I made peach yogurt popsicles.  Puree sliced peaches and whole milk yogurt with lemon juice and a little sugar.  Pour into molds, freeze, and watch the kids go nuts!

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A Day for Dads

When dreaming up what to make for our fathers at this year’s Father’s Day Dinner, I started thinking about those little thought bubbles you see in cartoons.

These would be our Moms’ thought bubble words: mild, roasted, grilled, steamed, white meat (i.e. chicken or fish), garlic free, low sodium

And these would be our Dads’: fried, grilled, red meat (i.e. beef beef beef), spicy, peppery, salty, garlicky, FRIED

So on the one day a year the fathers actually get the say (well, according to my mom, such a day doesn’t exist), we dedicated the food to what our Dads dream about.

What Did We Cook?

We definitely enjoyed this meal European style – started around 12:30 and ended at 5. The slow pace really helped, since as usual we made too much food.

We recently found a primo fishmonger at one of the indoor farmers’ markets that bests the one near us. He gladly brought down some fresh calamari from the shop just for us. When he took it out, he asked, “So how are you guys going to cook it?” I said, “Ummm…fry it”, anticipating the noticeable cringe from the man who just sold us these beautiful babies. He goes, “Do me a favor. Grill some of them in lemon, basil, salt and pepper. For the fried ones, I like to soak them in buttermilk first, then dip in Wasa flour.”

We guiltily took the calamari home and thought it best to follow his wishes. Well, I couldn’t find the Wasa flour, but I think we did him (and the squid) justice:

The fried calamari was accompanied by a slightly spicy marinara that I made from plain tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and fresh oregano and basil. The entire 2 pounds were consumed in about 3 minutes. Great props to the guys at Metropolitan Seafood (metroseafood.com)!

The main course was an array of fresh vegetables topped with a juicy ribeye steak. Veggies featured were peas (my first time ever using fresh peas), zephyr squash (half green and yellow on the same squash), kohlrabi (sliced thinly and hiding under the steak), and vidalia onions (not local yet, and of course fried). The plate was garnished with some local micro arugula pea leaves, which are AMAZINGLY delicious and beautiful.

Wish I had taken a picture of the ribeye. It was encrusted with a mix of peppercorns, coffee beans, rosemary, and parsley – all ground up in the coffee grinder Hubby never uses. Extra crust for Hubby’s Dad. The sauce was a balsamic reduction with black cherries, cherry preserves, red wine, and honey. Mmmmmmm I think it’s the sexiest sauce I’ve made to date.

Last but not least, we had dessert. Sorry guys, I didn’t make the ice cream this time around, but we did stick to local goods. Hubby grilled some super sweet pineapple skewers with just a touch of local honey. We tossed in some blueberries that we picked the day before for some added color. It was a perfect, simple ending.

I think we had people leaving with happy thought bubbles.

Happy Father’s Day!

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Basil is where it’s at

My husband grew up eating loads of fresh basil and pesto thanks to his family’s savvy gardening skills.  My grandmother had an awesome Chinese vegetable garden when I was little, but once she passed away anything that made an attempt at cultivation in my parents’ yard sadly suffered from lack of care.  I was so glad when we got married and Hubby brought his well-learned plant knowledge to our home.

In past years, it was all about the Italian basil.  It’s really the only kind of basil you get from your typical local Home Depot/Lowes/nursery.  I love it and I crave it – but what I’ve really wanted since last summer was some Thai basil.  The very smell makes my mouth water because I think about Thai noodles, basil beef, and all those other dishes evoking that distinctively sweet but slightly licorice flavor.

Along our decently long daily commute, Hubby and I pass a town that is literally a post office, butcher, general store, restaurant, and plant nursery.  But what a town!  Barbara, who with her husband both lives on top of and runs the nursery, sells the most sumptuous vegetation we have ever come across.  She sells mostly decorative plants – we’ve had many compliments on the unusual shade plants purchased from their little store, but also a variety of organic herbs.  When I asked her if she could get Thai basil, she was super excited and ended up purchasing 12 different kinds of basil from her grower!

We ended up coming home not only with the Thai basil, but also Christmas basil (cinnamon flavor), and lime basil (smells and tastes like lime juice poured on a basil leaf, incredible).  It is amazing how much these babies kick up your meals.

Here’s a recipe for some wonderful lettuce cups I made the other day.  Note that there are peas in the picture but that’s because we mixed it together with the meat for leftovers.

Bison Thai Lettuce Cups

Original Recipe

Makes 4 large servings

1 small onion, small dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup shiitake mushrooms, small dice
1 lb. ground bison or lean beef
1/4 cup Thai basil, chopped (if you don’t have any, try adding some lemongrass and a bay leaf instead – pick them out before eating)
1 T cilantro, chopped
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
Juice from 2 limes, divided

1 T cornstarch
2 T water

Salt and pepper to taste

Serve with:
12 large lettuce leaves (we prefer romaine but you can wrap them with a softer lettuce)
Thai basil leaves
Lime wedges
Sriracha chili sauce
Bean sprouts
White rice

Saute onions and garlic (also lemongrass/bay leaf if using instead of basil) in 2 tsp olive oil over medium heat until soft but not brown.  Stir in half the lime juice.  Add mushrooms and bison/beef, breaking up the meat into small chunks.  Once meat has browned, add in Thai basil, cilantro, red pepper flakes, and remaining lime juice.

Stir cornstarch and water together in a small bowl until starch is dissolved.  Stir mixture into the meat and cook until sauce thickens.  Add additional water if too thick.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Remove lemongrass and bay leaf if applicable.

Serve on top of lettuce leaves with extra lime, basil, bean sprouts, and a squirt of hot sauce.  White rice on the side is a great addition.

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