Trout for Dinner

Trout is my favorite fish.  Brett loves King Salmon best and I have to admit that it is also very good.  But there is something about trout.  It is the taste, rich without being fishy, but also the many happy memories I have of camping as a child.  My brother loved to catch fish (but not to eat them) and my mother would fry up whatever he caught on the camp stove.

Because I love the flavor of trout so much, I don’t overwhelm it with seasonings.  A simple sprinkle of salt and pepper is all that is required.

I like to saute it in a cast iron pan that has been pre-heated in the oven so when I lay in the fish, there is an instant sizzle.  You can’t beat cast iron for searing meat and fish.  And as long as your pan is well seasoned, your meat/fish won’t stick.

For our side, I cut up a delicata squash.  I love these winter squash.  You don’t have to peel them so prep is super easy.  I cut off the ends, scoop out the seeds with a spoon, and then slice each half into 1/4” half moons.  I toss them with olive oil, salt, pepper and a drizzle of maple syrup.   I roast them for about 20 minutes at 425 degrees until they are soft with caramelized edges.

Add a crusty baguette and a glass of chardonnay, and dinner was served.

...and maybe a slice of that pie I made yesterday for dessert.

Dinner worthy of Wine

Before I left my job last week, I was given a wonderful bottle of cabernet by a friend and co-worker.  I told him that I would make a dinner worthy of the wine this weekend.

I picked up some delicata squash at the market, as well as Point Reyes blue cheese.  I had an idea for a salad in the back of my mind.  I roasted the squash until it was soft and camelized, then drizzled it with honey balsamic vinegar.  I topped it with sliced apples, the blue cheese, chopped almonds and a drizzle of local honey. 

Saturday afternoon, we went to the local butcher and picked up chateaubriand.  I made a wine sauce to go with it (no, I did not use the special wine -- it was decanting on the counter, waiting for dinner).

I rounded out the meal with baked potatoes.

Dinner paired beautifully with the wine.  We drank the entire bottle; it was that good. 

Random Friday

1.  I keep forgetting to post pictures of the bread and the rhubarb berry pie I made for Easter.  I was proud of both; they came out pretty and tasted good too.  We spent Easter with some friends and shared the cooking.  I brought lamb for the BBQ in addition to the pie and bread.  Our neighbor was a bit dubious about the pie since her only experience with rhubarb was as a child at her grandmothers house, a mushy compote foul tasting thing.  My pie changed her mind about rhubarb -- it must have been the Skoog Farm rhubarb.  Kyle came up from Berkeley so that was a really nice, unexpected, surprise.

2.  I pulled my sourdough starter out of the fridge and have been feeding it.  I'm going to make a couple loaves this weekend -- a nice rainy day activity.

3.  Last year, we replaced the shower and remodeled the master bathroom because the shower was leaking, and dripping from the downstairs ceiling onto the counter.  The other day, Brett noticed that the paint on the ceiling by our breakfast nook is bubbling -- and sure enough, it's right below the tub in the second upstairs bathroom.  So, we will need to replace that.  The tile is really old (and the grout is shot, ugly, kind of green even after multiple applications of bleach).  I won't be sad to see it go -- but this wasn't in the budget.  Sigh.  It's always something in an old house. By the time we finish, we will have replaced everything I'm sure.

Cobbler Recipe

I use the same cobbler recipe all the time.  I vary the fruit from season to season, but the cookie crisp topping is always the same.  One of these days, I'm going to add some cinnamon to the topping so it is like a cinnamon cookie but I haven't done that -- yet.  I made cobbler on Sunday.  We had picked up some strawberries at the Farmers Market and I picked some rhubarb from the garden.

I set out my dish and fill it with fruit as I slice it up.  I stop when I have a nice round dome just above the rim.  This recipe works with any kind of fruit.  I've made it with apple, peach, berries and plum.  I mix my fruit; often tossing blackberries in with rhubarb or peaches.

Once I have "measured" out my fruit, I dump it in a big bowl.  You can make this cobbler in a deep dish pan like I do, or a square backing dish -- it's very forgiving.  I add sugar to taste -- use 1/2 cup as a starting point; less for sweet fruit like peaches, more for tart like rhubarb.  You can use flour (1/3 cup) or tapioca (1/4 cup) as your thickener.  I prefer tapioca because it makes a clearer filling.  But they both work well.  I usually sprinkle on some cinnamon or vanilla.  With apples, I add some lemon juice and nutmeg in addition to the cinnamon.  Play with it.

I mix up the fruit with the seasonings and pile it back in the bowl.

Next, I melt some butter in a measuring cup.  I use 1/2 stick for juicy fruit and 3/4 for drier fruit.  In a separate bowl beat one egg.  Set those aside.

In a medium bowl, mix:
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Stir them together, then add the beaten egg.  The mixture will be kind of dry and crumbly.

Pour the topping over the fruit and use your hands to spread it out towards the edges.

Then, drizzle the melted butter on the top.

Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling.
Shut the oven off, but leave the cobbler in the oven.   This step is the one that gives you a wonderful crispy crust.  In the winter, I will open the oven door a tad; in the summer I leave it closed tight.  When the oven has cooled down (in an hour or so), take the cobbler out.

And enjoy!

Weekend Cooking

During the work week, I cook our dinners from Blue Apron and Plated.  It's easy, it's fast and it's tasty.  On the weekends, I do my own thing.  Saturday we went to a Barbera (wine) festival in the neighboring county of Amador.  There were 80 wineries there, from all over California.  There was food.  There was hardly any shade.  There were a lot of people scrunched into any spare inch of shade.  It was 95.  And miserable.  I was sweating as we walked around and feeling a bit queasy.  Needless to say, we didn't eat anything.  I managed to snag a seat on a straw bale half way under an umbrella and sat there, miserable, while Brett checked out the remaining wineries.

By the time we got home, we were toast.  It was all we could do to get the chores done.  I had a bowl of cereal with cold, cold milk for dinner.

Today, was better.  We had a good ride on the horses in the early morning, ran some errands, and then hibernated in the house.  It was another scorcher.  While we were out, we picked up green beans at the farmers market, peaches (a bruised bag for next to nothing) and blackberries.  We found some Copper River salmon at the market.  Dinner was good.

The peach and blackberry cobbler wasn't bad either.

Working Woman's Weeknight Dinner

One of the women I work with is an avid cook.  We like the same kind of food (spicy) and enjoy challenging recipes.  We both struggle with weeknights, though.  After work it's hard to find the energy to cook a good meal.  At our house, we have a lot of "get your own" or dinner at the roadhouse down the lane.  So, when she told me she was using Blue Apron for her weeknight dinners -- and loving it -- I was intrigued.  She had a free batch of dinners (three dinners) she could give to a friend and asked if I was interested.  If I didn't like it, I could cancel after my free week.  I checked out the website and liked what I saw -- fresh, locally sourced food (although it is available across the US, I think) from small farms.  And interesting recipes.  Sure, I said, send me the one week free invitation.

Our box of dinners arrived in the mail today.  The packaging was thorough -- meat and fish on the bottom wrapped in ice, with the veggies on top.

There were little bags of spices, butter and nuts -- "knick knacks."

Dinner tonight was Almond-Crusted Cod on a bed of Quinoa, mint and sauteed radishes with sugar snap peas.  Sounds kind of weird, right?

It was fun -- all the shopping done for me, all the ingredients ready to be prepped, and great instructions.

Everything cooked up perfect.

And it tasted insanely good.

I'm hooked.  I'll let you know how the other two meals go.

Celebrating a Day Late

The first thing Brett and I did this morning was check on Flash.  He was standing in the pasture, in the sun at the bottom corner, with Mufasa.  He didn't look very perky, but then, he rarely does.  I went to the barn and got the thermometer while Brett pushed the hay cart out to the pasture.  Flash ambled over and nosed around in the hay while I lifted his tail and took his temperature (so undignified for a retired mounted patrol horse like Flash).  His temp was well within normal.  Brett and I grinned at each other (I think there was a tear of relief in the corner of Brett's eye), and we went back to the barn to mix up their buckets of supplements.  I wouldn't say that Flash is eating with gusto, but he did finish his bucket and eat some hay.

This evening we are celebrating Thanksgiving with a group of our friends and neighbors.  I have a turkey in the oven, bread dough rising for dinner rolls, and a pumpkin pie cooling on the counter.

Dinner is a potluck so the rest of the meal will arrive in the arms of our guests.

Its hard to feel completely celebratory, though.  We found out Wednesday that a friend of Brett's has cancer.  There are more tests being run today to determine if it has metastasized.  It's a tough one to beat.  And, another friend -- the guy who built my beautiful kitchen -- is in a coma (last we heard) at UC Davis following an off-road motorcycle accident.

Hoping all of you are happy and healthy.  Treasure your health; it can change so quickly.  This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for the good health, strength and stamina of my husband,

A Good Weekend with the Kids

Kyle and Camille came to visit this weekend.  Camille flew up from Southern California and Kyle drove over from San Francisco.  They arrived Friday -- Camillle in the afternoon and Kyle in the evening; just in time for dinner (pulled pork sandwiches and cole slaw).

Friday, before Kyle arrived, Camille made friends with Lady Gaga...

and we took Kersey for a long walk.  (Kyle and Camille took her again last night -- and Camille jogged part of the way; poor Kersey -- she got quite the work out).

Saturday, we went out to Skinner winery for a tour of the vineyards and grape crushing activities followed by wine tasting and food on the terrace.

Later in the afternoon, we scattered Sedona's ashes under the tree where she loved to chase squirrels.  We put up her memorial stone.  The artist, who we found at the farmers market, captured Sedona's beautiful spirit perfectly.

For dinner, I made clams and mussels from a cookbook Kyle gave me last Christmas.

The garlicky parsley breadcrumbs made the dish.

The kids and I ate far too much fresh sourdough bread.  But you gotta live, right?

This morning we went to Apple Hill and did some apple picking before hitting the sushi place for lunch.  Kyle is dropping Camille off at the airport on his way back home.

(photos of the winery and Kersey were taken by Camille and generously shared with me)

Cooking Club

Many years ago before I married Brett, my friend Sandie and I found ourselves divorced.  We created our own support group with two members -- just us.  We called it the Cooking Club and that's what we did.  Cook.  We took turns hosting and it was the hostess' responsibility to create the menu and buy the ingredients.  There were rules.  We had to be cooking something that was new to us and we had to have three courses.  Appetizers were usually fruit, cheese and wine while we cooked.  But the main course and dessert were challenging.  Bon Appetit was our primary source of recipes.  We both learned a lot and, more importantly, we had a good time.

We have both been happily re-married for fifteen years (Sandie) and fourteen years (Brett and I).  We moved to Aspen Meadows, Sandie moved to Pasadena and it became logistically impossible to continue.  Sandie still lives in Pasadena and now we are a plane ride away.  Tuesday, she was in Sacramento for a meeting and then spent the night here at Oak Creek Ranch with us.

And we had a meeting of our Cooking Club.

We started with a glass of wine on the front porch, looking for deer and watching the dogs in their never ending quest for squirrels.

Sandie was in charge of the main course: steak salad with parsley, mustard greens,

homemade rye bread croutons,

carrots

and a yummy vinaigrette.

I made dessert.  Rhubarb pie.  Okay, that was cheating since I make it a lot.  But I've had a craving for rhubarb pie that wouldn't stop so we bent the rules.

Yes, Lori, I used my Skoog Farm rhubarb.

Brett poured the wine and cleaned up the kitchen afterwards.  There's nothing better than eating good food with great friends.