Seafood

I've been eyeing the beautiful steelhead fillets at Whole Foods for a while now, so we finally decided to try it. Neither Larry or Jay had eaten steelhead before either, so I decided to just broil it with some salt and pepper. It was delicious! Kind of buttery and a little rich. The flavor is similar to salmon but not as strong.

• Broiled Steelhead
• Potatoes Fondantes (Fine Cooking #64, May 2004, p. 59)
• Sautéed Spinach with Garlic and Olive Oil

Wine: Copain 2004 Cerise Vineyard Pinot Noir (Anderson Valley, California). Not Larry's favorite, but I love Copain wines more and more.

A fairly quick dinner tonight. I had planned on doing something different with the green beans but was too tired so I just tossed them with sliced shallots, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper, then roasted them. The scallops were good, nothing overly special.

• Seared Scallops With Tarragon-Butter SauceGourmet, March 2008
• Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes with Chives (Fine Cooking #81, November 2006, p. 61)
• Roasted Green Beans with Shallots and Garlic

Jay wasn't in town tonight, so we invited our neighbor Chris over for dinner instead. We probably won't be having much more salmon this year due to the cancellation of the season, but this was really good. I love lentils. I thought the idea of the potatoes was good, but they weren't as creamy as I like my potatoes. We all loved the tart, though.

• Salmon With Lentils And Mustard-Herb Butter (Gourmet, March 2008)
• Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes With Caramelized Shallots (Epicurious, November 2007)
• Butter Lettuce and Radiccio & Lemon Poppyseed Dressing (Fine Cooking #51, July 2002, p. 48)
• Honey and Pine Nut Tart (Dolce Italiano, p. 145)

Wine: Copain 2004 Hacienda Secoya Pinot Noir (Anderson Valley, California). Copain Pinots are becoming a favorite for me, and nothings more perfect with salmon than Pinot Noir.

Jay wasn't in town tonight, so we invited our neighbor Chris over for dinner instead. We probably won't be having much more salmon this year due to the cancellation of the season, but this was really good. I love lentils. I thought the idea of the potatoes was good, but they weren't as creamy as I like my potatoes. We all loved the tart, though.

• Salmon With Lentils And Mustard-Herb Butter (Gourmet, March 2008)
• Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes With Caramelized Shallots (Epicurious, November 2007)
• Butter Lettuce and Radiccio & Lemon Poppyseed Dressing (Fine Cooking #51, July 2002, p. 48)
• Honey and Pine Nut Tart (Dolce Italiano, p. 145)

Wine: Copain 2004 Hacienda Secoya Pinot Noir (Anderson Valley, California). Copain Pinots are becoming a favorite for me, and nothings more perfect with salmon than Pinot Noir.

I have been wanting to make these scallops ever since I saw the recipe, but I was waiting until I could get fresh peas, which I love. This recipe makes a lot of puree, and it could probably be halved. It was really good, though. We were surprised that we liked the potatoes so much. I tend to like potatoes that have been roasted, with that nice brown and crisp exterior. I used fingerlings for these and they turned out delicious. Very buttery and creamy.

• Seared Scallops with Pea Purée, Crisp Pancetta & Gremolata (Fine Cooking #92, back cover)
• Braised Fingerling Potatoes with Thyme & Butter (Fine Cooking #91, p. 42)

Tonight's dinner was a little rushed at the end - it seemed like prep took me forever, and then the last ten minutes I was doing everything at once. Everything somehow finished on time and was good, though. Larry and Jay liked the salmon a lot. I had waited to make this so I could gather some specialty ingredients for it - sumac powder and fennel pollen. Both optional, but I'm glad I waited. The sumac is an interesting spice. The fennel pollen gets sprinkled on top just before serving. And the green beans? I took about 3 on my plate, because I don't particularly like green beans, especially sauteed crisp-tender like this. But these were good!

We also really liked the cake, although it could have spent a few minutes less in the oven. I had a hard time judging doneness for some reason.

• Spice-Rubbed & Sear-Roasted Salmon with Honey-Glazed Fennel (Fine Cooking #92, May 2008, p. 49)
• Sauteed Green Beans with Roasted Red Pepper (Cook's Illustrated Test Recipe)
• Smashed Red-Skinned Potatoes with Boursin & Scallions (Fine Cooking #56, March 2003, p. 47)
• Citrus-Glazed Polenta Cake (Dolce Italiano, p. 86)

Wine: Loring 2004 Gary's Vineyard Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia Highlands, Californa). I like this wine, but I think it's a little too Pinot-y for Larry.

Yet another really good meal tonight. It was just Larry and I since Jay's out of town. Everything was so easy to make. We loved the potatoes, and the carrots were very sweet but delicious. The halibut, newly in season, could have been cooked plain with just salt and pepper, but it was good like this too. The recipe called for cod, but it was perfect with halibut (the recipe is also in the cookbook Cooking New American.

• Halibut Fillets with Mustard-Tarragon Crumb Crust (Fine Cooking #12, December 1995 2007, p. 49)
• Baby Yukon Potato Salad with Shallots, Chives, Bacon & Lemon Vinaigrette (Fine Cooking #91, March 2008, p. 43)
• Maple Pan-Roasted Baby Carrots (Fine Cooking #85, May 2007, p. 53)

Whole Foods was fresh out of halibut, so I went with my other favorite fish - sustainable Chilean sea bass. We loved the flavors in this fish and I actually think the sea bass was a better choice. We really liked the cabbage, but I will never make it again because the process of cooking fish sauce at a high temperature about killed us (noxious odors and we couldn't stop coughing).

• Chinese Five-Spice Chilean Sea Bass with Pickled Red Pepper & Ginger (Fine Cooking #92, May 2008, p. 47)
• Stir-Fried Napa Cabbage with Garlic, Fresh Chile & Basil (Fine Cooking #84, March 2008, p. 56)

This recipe called for Haddock or Cod, but halibut season just opened up so I picked halibut instead. We loved this dish. Lucky Amy got to try it early as a Fine Cooking tester, and even got her name in print in the magazine! The mashed potatoes were good, but I prefer the buttermilk mashed potatoes I usually make instead.

• Sear-Roasted Halibut with Horseradish Aïoli & Lemon-Zest Breadcrumbs (Fine Cooking #92, May 2008, p. 48)
• Butter Lettuce with Creamy Black Pepper Dressing (Fine Cooking #51, July 2002, p. 48)
• Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes (Fine Cooking #92, May 2008, p. 60)

Wine: Ramazzotti 2005 Zin-Giovese (Dry Creek Valley, California). The article suggested a rosé, which we don't buy a lot of - but this one was nice with the fish.

This fish was good, but not something I'd make again. The batter was a little odd in texture and wasn't crisp enough. The potatoes were really good, though.

• Oven-Fried Beer Battered Fish (Cook's Illustrated Test Recipe)
• Garlicky Roasted Potatoes with Herbs (Cooking Light, December 2006)

This chowder was really easy for a quick weeknight meal, and very tasty too. Definitely something to make again. I keep canned crab on hand that I get at Costco, Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. My milk curdled a little bit because I let it boil. Still good.

• Corn and Crab Chowder (Bon Appétit, January 2008)

This fish looked good, and Larry and Jay thought it was okay, but I didn't like it. I used Chilean sea bass from Whole Foods (instead of cod), usually one of my most favorite fish. This method of preparation left the fish too moist. Plus I don't like mushrooms. The fennel was good, and the orzo was excellent. I love orzo. These cookies are a big hit, too. Very chocolate-y.

Chocolate chews
From Tassajara Cookbook, by Karla Oliveira
Makes about 4 dozen

1/2 pound semisweet chocolate
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
3/4 teaspoon instant coffee
3 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In double boiler, melt together the semisweet and unsweetened chocolate, butter and coffee. Meanwhile, beat eggs and brown sugar together until light in color and thick. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.

Let chocolate mixture cool slightly and then whisk into eggs and sugar. Stir in vanilla extract and then gently fold in dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoon onto a greased cookie sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

• Cod with Mushrooms, Garlic & Vermouth (Fine Cooking #90, December 2007, p. 86a)
• Orzo with Lemon, Garlic, Parmigiano & Herbs (Fine Cooking #90, p. 44)
• Braised Fennel with Tomato, Green Olives & Capers (Fine Cooking #90, p. 50)

Just a nice bit of halibut for Larry, Jay and I tonight, cooked stove-top on the grill pan. I love halibut this way, and it's got such a delicate flavor it really doesn't need anything besides some salt and pepper. This corn saute was our favorite out of the three I've made recently. The roasted veggies were pretty good like this.

• Pan-Grilled Halibut
• Corn Sauté with Ginger, Garilc & Fresh Cilantro (Fine Cooking #87, September 2007, p. 37)
• Roasted Root Vegetables with Moroccan-Style Spice Rub (Fine Cooking #88, November 2007, p. 56)

Wine: Parker Station 2005 Pinot Noir (Central Coast, California).

Tonight was a quick dinner for Larry, Jay and I. Seared scallops and spinach are always quick, plus they're both healthy and yummy. Larry threw some sweet potato slices on the grill. I made another test recipe for Cook's Illustrated. Spice cake is a favorite of Larrys. This was pretty good, not the best. I wasn't that crazy about the cream cheese frosting.

• Seared Scallops
• Grilled Sweet Potatoes
• Wilted Spinach with Garlic
• Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting(Cook's Illustrated Test Recipe)

Amy and I had these sandwiches the first time when she was visiting and we went to the Ferry Plaza farmer's market. Chef Chad Callahan was showing a demo, and we got big samples of the sandwiches. I really like these because they're different. I made these up ahead of time and stored them tightly wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator until it was time to eat them.

Saigon Salmon Sandwiches
(makes 4 servings)

Marinade
1 cup teriyaki sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup fish sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
4 oz. fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
3 scallions
3 large cloves garlic

Sandwiches
4 wild salmon fillets, without skin (about 5 oz. each)
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
4 tablespoons tartar sauce or mayonnaise
4 Acme torpedo rolls or solft rolls, lightly toasted
2 cups grated carrots
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
1 bunch cilantro

1. Combine the marinade ingredients in a blender and puree until the aromatics are minced finely. Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 5 days to allow the flavors to meld.

2. Set aside 1/4 cup of the marinade. Immerse the salmon fillets in the remaining marinade and refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours.

3. Remove the fish from the marinade; sprinkle with the black pepper and brush evenly with the oil. Grill or broil the chicken over medium high heat for 5 to 7 minutes, or to desired doneness.

4. Spread the tartar sauce or mayonnaise on the top halves of the rolls. Layer the carrots and jalapeno on the bottom halves. Place the salmon on the vegetables, drizzle with the reserved marinade and top with the cilantro.

• Saigon Salmon Sandwiches (Fish, Sausaulito)

Tonight we had Susan plus her three kids, Edith and Jay over to celebrate Jay's birthday. We grilled up some plain chicken breasts for the kids, and the adults got yummy seared salmon and spinach. This cheesecake is really delicious.

• Smoked Trout Rillettes (Fine Cooking #42, January 2001, p. 44)
• Seared Salmon on Baby Spinach (Bon Appétit, April 1999)
• Crisp Herb-Roasted Fingerlings with Scallions (Food & Wine, April 2004, p. 127)
• Butter Lettuce and Radiccio with Chives, Tomatoes & Lemon Poppyseed Dressing (Fine Cooking #51, July 2002, p. 48)
• Triple-Chocolate Cheesecake (Fine Cooking #57, May 2003, p. 53)

Wine: We served three Pinots from three different producers, all out of the Russian River Valley. They were all delicious.
- 2003 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley, California)
- 2005 Sonnet Kruse Vineyard Pinot Noir (York Mountain, California)
- 2002 David Bruce Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley, California)

This quick weeknight dinner, and it was really good. We loved these burgers. Definitely a make-again.

• Wasabi Salmon Burgers (Eating Well, June/July 2005)
• Butter Lettuce and Radiccio with Tomatoes & Lemon Poppyseed Dressing (Fine Cooking #51, July 2002, p. 48)

I instantly knew I would like this salad when I saw the recipe. Crab, shrimp, avocado, butter lettuce and toasted coconut. Yum! Larry even liked it - even though he's not crazy about coconut. It added a nice bit of crunch and sweetness. I want to make this again.

• Coconut Crab & Shrimp Salad (Cooking Light, October 2005)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)

Jay was here for Sunday dinner as usual. The fish was excellent, but I used halibut instead of flounder (not available). The peas were to die for. I picked up a bunch at the farmer's market. Larry especially liked them. I'm a huge fan of bread salads, but none of us were that crazy about the fattoush.

• Broiled Flounder with Parmesan "Caesar" Glaze (Fine Cooking #65, July 2004, p. 65)
• Fattoush (Fine Cooking #15, July 1996, p. 35)
• Fresh Peas with Lemon and Chives (Fine Cooking #45, July 2001, p. 46)
• Lattice-Top Blueberry Pie (Fine Cooking #65, July 2004, p. 68)

Wine: Rosenblum 2005 Rousanne (Santa Barbara County, California). Rousanne is one of the few whites that I really like. This is a really nice wine, floral and spicy, and perfect with dinner tonight.

This was a relatively quick weeknight dinner, but we weren't crazy about the shrimp. I like my shrimp seared or sauteed or broiled or grilled - something that will brown it a bit on the outside. This dish probably would have been better broiled. The fennel-feta-tomato combination was good, though.

• Baked Shrimp with Fennel & Feta (Fine Cooking #73, September 2005, p. 86C)
• Creamy Parmesan Orzo (Cooking Light, March 2004)
• Sauteed Spinach with Garlic

Jay and Larry both loved the sea bass (as usual, the sustainably-raised version from Whole Foods). I liked it but I thought the cumin was a little overpowering for the delicate flavor of the sea bass. Larry's really into cumin right now. We all really liked the salad a lot too.

• Cumin-Crusted Chilean Sea Bass (Cooking Light, December 2001)
• Spinach, White Bean, and Bacon Salad with Maple-Mustard Dressing (Cooking Light, March 2003)
• Smashed Red Potatoes with Basil and Parmesan (Fine Cooking #70, March 2005, p. 51)

Wine: Williams Selyem 2004 Sonoma County Pinot Noir (Sonoma County, California). Yum, I love this style of Pinot Noir. Soft and tastes a little like a sour cherry candy, with a bit of spice.

We were just so-so on the linguine tonight. I don't know what it was about it. Larry said he didn't like the chorizo - but it's the good Spanish chorizo I normally buy. I thought there was too much linguine (I used whole wheat, by the way). I made half a recipe, which should have served 2-3, but I think we could have served two more people. I don't like having leftover seafood.

• Linguine with Shrimp & Chorizo (Fine Cooking #83, January 2007, p. 82A)
• Butter Lettuce with Poppy Seed & Tarragon-Crème Fraîche Dressing (Fine Cooking #86, July 2007, p. 49)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)

This was a good weeknight dinner. We both really liked the shrimp. The recipe is also in Fine Cooking's Quick & Delicious 2006 special issue. I used bagged frozen shrimp from Whole Foods - already cleaned but not peeled. Even faster, the bagged frozen shrimp from Trader Joe's is peeled and cleaned.

Jay was here again for the last of the weekend's halibut. This was also good, but I like the crust from last night's a little better. The tzatziki was especially tasty. I need to make this orzo more often. It's very flavorful and satisfying.

• Fennel-Marinated Halibut with Fennel Tzatziki (Cooking Light, September 2002)
• Wilted Fennel & Spinach Salad (Fine Cooking #63, Feb/March 2004, p. 83C)
• Creamy Parmesan Orzo (Cooking Light, March 2004)

Wine: Grk 2005 (Korcula, Croatia). We picked up this white wine last fall in Croatia. We got one of the last bottles of the 2005. This wine was allegedly brought to the region in 500 B.C. It's from the Lumbarda region of the island of Korcula (an absolutely beautiful place). This wine is pretty famous in Croatia. I liked it.

This is an all-Jay weekend - he was here for dinner again tonight, since I bought over two pounds of halibut today. I love halibut and this dish is really delicious.

• Cornflake-Crusted Halibut with Chile-Cilantro Aioli (Cooking Light, March 2004)
• Butter Lettuce with Poppy Seed & Tarragon-Crème Fraîche Dressing (Fine Cooking #86, July 2007, p. 49)
• Oven-Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Onions (Cooking Light, December 2002)

Jay was here for dinner tonight. No real plan for dinner, other than I wanted to make fish and the chocolate mousse that had been calling to me from the latest issue of Fine Cooking. The halibut was good - if I make it again, I'll cut back on the sherry vinegar. The potatoes (recipe also found in Fine Cooking's Quick & Delicious 2004 special issue) and gratin (recipe also found in Fine Cooking's Side dish 2007 special issue) were also good.

The mousse was a big hit. Not only was it really, really easy to make, it was utterly delicious. Jay especially loved it.

• Sear-Roasted Halibut with Roasted Red Pepper Purée (Fine Cooking #85, May 2007, p. 84A)
• Butternut Squash Gratin with Onion & Sage (Fine Cooking #17, November 1996, p. 44)
• Pan-Fried Red Potatoes with Pancetta & Rosemary (Fine Cooking #71, May 2005, p. 10)
• Bourbon-Chocolate Mousse (Fine Cooking #85, May 2007, Back Cover)

Wine: Sea Smoke 2002 Botella Pinot Noir (Santa Rita Hills, California). Excellent, excellent wine. Our friend Ralph gave this wine to Larry for his 40th birthday. We've managed to purchase two bottles of this in the past and have absolutely loved it. It's relatively inexpensive, but so difficult to get. We're on Sea Smoke's mailing list, and were only allocated one bottle last year. This vintage has bright cherry fruit and is really well-balanced.

After a week of mediocre cruise food, I was really ready for a homecooked meal. I picked up some (previously frozen) king salmon at Whole Foods - fish sounded good. This dish was easy to make, and the sauce was nice with the potatoes. It didn't really wow me - or Larry or Jay, either. I think I like salmon seared better, so it gets that crispy crust. I like my regular wilted spinach better too - just garlic and oilve oil. These are my favorite mashed potatoes lately - heavy on the buttermilk, light on the butter.

I've been craving crab, and since I love avocado I thought this salad would be yummy. It was good, but not as good as I had hoped. I don't know, it needed something more.

I was all set to make a pork roast tonight, and at the last minute decided on halibut instead. I love fennel and tomatoes together. Everything was really good, even the Brussels sprouts. I made one substitution and used pecans instead of hazelnuts, since I'm not a halzelnut fan. All of these recipes are also in Fine Cookings Quick & Delicious 2006 special issue.

• Halibut Braised in a Tomato-Fennel Broth (Fine Cooking #60, November 2003, p. 55)
• Red Potatoes Roasted with Onions, Thyme & Sherry Vinegar (Fine Cooking #70, March 2005, p. 53)
• Browned Brussels Sprouts with Hazelnuts & Lemon (Cooking New American, p. 193)

Wine: Sapphire Hill 2003 Reserve Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley, California). A nice Pinot. The folks at Sapphire Hill are really nice and make pretty decent wine.

I picked this out only because I happened to have this issue of Fine Cooking sitting out. I've suffered from an icky cold all week, and by the time I finished cooking I just wanted to go to bed. So Jay and Larry got to enjoy this meal without me. They said it was good - especially the ragout and the salad.

• Chicken & Shrimp Ragout with Curry Spices (Fine Cooking #64, May 2004, p. 63)
• Toasted Almond Rice (Fine Cooking #64, May 2004, p. 63)
• Spinach & Cucumber Salad with Yogurt-Mint Dressing (Fine Cooking #64, May 2004, p. 63)

Jay was here for dinner tonight, so I made fish - he usually prefers fish to meat, and I realized I hadn't made salmon in over a year. It's so difficult to make the right choices when it comes to fish. Tonight I picked up previously frozen king salmon, which is still in abundant supply. This was an excellent dish - I loved the beans and kale.

• Broiled Salmon with a White Bean, Kale & Bacon Ragoût (Fine Cooking #63, March 2004, p. 82c)
• Roasted Cauliflower
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)

Wine: Williams-Selyem 2001 Russian River Pinot Noir (Russian River , California). Yum. So glad we're on the mailing list at Williams-Selyem.

I was craving fish tonight. We don't usually eat Chilean sea bass - unfortunately, my favorite fish is on the "don't eat" list because it's overfished. So I miss out. However, Whole Foods just started carrying it (previously frozen) from a sustainable fishery. And oh, how I missed it. Really, really good. I loved it in this dish. The fennel was creamy, and the spicy tomato set it off really nicely. The kale was good, too - I used dino kale, as usual.

• Chilean Sea Bass, Fennel, Tomatoes (Gourmet, March 2003)
• Kale with Pancetta & Marjoram (Fine Cooking #81, November 2006, p. 85)

Jay came for dinner - I made the rest of the dishes from the tapas party, and added the butternut squash salad again, because I thought Jay would like it (he did). Both Jay and Larry thought they would rather have plain chocolate instead of the toasted bread with chocolate, but I liked it. The shrimp was okay, a little bland.

• Seared Shrimp with Pimentón & Sherry (Fine Cooking #81, November 2006, p. 82)
• Roasted Butternut Squash & Pear Salad with Spiced-Pecan Vinaigrette (Fine Cooking #81, November 2006, p. 58)
• Toasted Bread with Chocolate (Fine Cooking #81, November 2006, p. 82)

Wine: Sapphire Hill 2001 Reserve Chardonnay (Russian River Valley, California). Drinkable, but nothing fantastic.

Jay was here for dinner tonight. I didn't have any pineapple juice concentrate, so I used orange instead. The whole dinner turned out really well, and Larry especially liked the green beans. The recipe calls for asparagus, which I hate - so I used young, tender green beans instead. The bamboo rice didn't especially impress Larry and Jay. It's pretty, and tastes kind of like green tea, but it's not a showstopper. The scallops and green beans are also in the Fall 2003 Quick and Delicious special issue.

• Seared Scallops with Pineapple-Ginger Sauce (Fine Cooking #50, May 2002, p. 82b)
• Ginger-Sesame Green Beans (Fine Cooking #45, July 2001, p. 46)
• Oven-Roasted Cauliflower
• Bamboo rice

Wine: 2003 Sapphire Hill Bastoni Vineyard Palomino (Sonoma County, California).

For Jay's birthday, I made him halbut on the grill pan (yum), and he requested something chocolate-y for dessert. No problem there. The Chocolate Pot Pies are always a hit. He also mentioned that he had a good hot bacon vinaigrette on a spinach salad at a restaurant recently, so I thought I'd try this recipe - it also has roasted sweet potatoes in the salad, and it's really good. I'm on a salad kick lately.

• Pan-Grilled Halibut
• Spinach Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Hot Cider-Bacon Vinaigrette (Fine Cooking #13, February/March 1996, p. 36)
• Summer Wheatberry Salad (Fine Cooking #28, September 1998, p. 39)
• Chocolate-RaspberryPot Pies (Just a Bite, Gale Gand, p. 228)

Wine: Pisoni Estate 1999 Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia Highlands, California). We picked this up a few years ago at a liquor store in Monterey. It wasn't a wine that was easy to get, nor was it inexpensive. However, it was a little dissappointing. Not that it was a bad wine. But a Pisoni-made Pinot from Santa Lucia Highlands? I expected fabulous.

I picked up some fresh halibut yesterday, not knowing how I was going to cook it tonight. A glance at this issue of Fine Cooking revealed a yummy-sounding recipe for halibut along with recipes for potatoes and a salad. Jay was here for dinner, and he and Larry liked everything.

The dates were an experiment based on a dish we had earlier in the month at a restaurant. I only used a drop of honey in the cheese mixture, but they were still very sweet. Good, but I think I prefer dates stuffed with goat cheese.

I thought the potatoes were good, especially since they had no butter. I loved the sage with the halibut but wasn't that crazy about the prosciutto wrapped around it. I loved the salad because it was different, and I obsess over finding interesting salads. I especially love Boston lettuce and I liked the texture that the hard-boiled eggs (pushed through a fine sieve) added to the vinaigrette.

Larry requested the crisp, but I didn't have any. Reports came back positive. I thought it was a good dinner overall, especially since I didn't even start making it until 6, and we were at the dinner table by 7:30.

• Lemon Mascarpone-Stuffed Dates (Food & Wine, January 2006)
• Prosciutto-Wrapped Halibut with Sage Butter Sauce (Fine Cooking #75, Holidays Winter 2006, p.90c)
• Smashed Parslied Potatoes (Fine Cooking #75, Holidays Winter 2006, p.90c)
• Boston Lettuce Wedges with Mimosa Vinaigrette (Fine Cooking #75, Holidays Winter 2006, p.90c)
• Blueberry-Cherry Fruit Crisp with Crunch Crisp Topping (Fine Cooking #51, July 2002, p, 52)

Jay was here for dinner tonight, and we decided to have halibut again since it was so good last week. The recipe calls for Swordfish steaks, but I used Halibut fillets on the grill pan instead. I'm not that crazy about swordfish - and anyway, imported swordfish is on the "avoid" list at Seafood Watch. This was really tasty. The recipe is also in the Fine Cooking Fall 2004 Quick & Delicious special issue. The spinach was too cooked for my taste, but Jay and Larry really liked it - I definitely need to make more next time. This recipe is also in the Fine Cooking Fresh 2006 special issue.

• Halibut with Browned Butter and Red Pepper Sauce (Fine Cooking #52, September 2002, p. 86B)
  
• Spinach Braised with Chickpeas (Fine Cooking #56, March 2003, p. 82C)
  

Jay came over for dinner tonight. Halibut is in season, so we put some fillets on the grill and made a nice sauce to go with it. It was really good. Paired with a bunch of grilled veggies, it was a really, really nice dinner.

• Halibut with Tomato-Tarragon Cream Sauce (Weber's Art of the Grill, p. 127)
• Grilled Asparagus, Sweet Potatoes and Summer Squash

Wine: Rio Seco 2003 Roussanne (Paso Robles, California). Larry and I picked up this nice wine on our last trip to Paso Robles. It's a good summer wine.

Amy and I made seared scallops for dinner, and we even let Gary have some too. We picked an herb butter sauce for the scallops so we could soak up the sauce with more Ciabatta. The secret to perfect scallops is to buy dry (untreated) scallops, dry them off carefully, and try to get the freshest, most sweet smelling scallops possible. Central Market came through with nearly perfect scallops. We also picked up some marinated fresh mozzarella and used the oil to dress our salad greens.

• Seared Scallops with Herb Butter Sauce (Fine Cooking #72, July 2005, p. 49)
• Ciabatta (No Need to Knead, p. 49)
• Salad Greens with Marinated Fresh Mozzarella

Wine: Kim Crawford 2004 Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand). Yum - I think New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is my favorite white wine.

I was kind of hoping for flounder tonight, but Whole Foods didn't have any. So trout it was for Fish Friday. This was good, but not good enough that I'd make it again. I much prefer the mustard-crusted trout that I make from Cooking Light. I think Larry felt the same way.

• Roasted Trout with Lemon & Walnut-Browned Butter (Fine Cooking #78, May 2006, p. 86C)
• Roasted Cauliflower
• Red Potatoes with Butter and Dill

Jay was here for dinner tonight, and this meal was easy, easy easy. The trout can be prepared in about ten minutes, and so can the potatoes. Larry loves these potatoes. The trout ended up with some sunflower seeds on top because the bread I used was whole wheat with sunflower seeds.

Mustard and Herb-Crusted Trout
1 1/2 (1-ounce) slices sourdough bread, torn
2 (6-ounce) rainbow trout fillets
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2 lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 450°.
Place bread in a food processor; pulse until crumbly. Place the trout, skin side down, on a jelly roll pan coated with cooking spray. Combine mustard and tarragon; spread over top of fish. Sprinkle fish with breadcrumbs and paprika; lightly coat with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve with lemon wedges.

Yield: 2 servings (serving size: 1 fillet)

• Mustard and Herb-Crusted Trout (Cooking Light, December 2003, p. 208)
• Skillet-Roasted Rosemary Potaotes (Fine Cooking #62, January 2004, p. 18)
• Sautéed Spinach with Garlic

Wine:
- Sapphire Hill 2002 Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley, California). Unremarkable. More of a weeknight wine.
- Rosenblum 2003 Rosie Rabbit Late Harvest Zinfandel (California). Yum, yum, yum! We had this yesterday at a Rosenblum open house (they have one every quarter). Jay brought this over and it's really yummy.

Jay was here for dinner tonight, and it was an especially good meal. Larry and I picked up salmon and apples at the farmer's market, and I made the delicata squash and spinach because that's what I had in the house. Yum!

- Larry and Jay both loved the salmon and squash, and so did I. Larry says it's a definite make-again. It was really quick and easy to make - always a plus. I loved the creamy tarragon sauce and the shallots.
- I love delicata squash, and it's perfect this way - just sautéed in olive oil and seasoned with salt, pepper and fresh parsley. Deborah Madison rocks.
- I was thinking about making an apple dessert - turnovers in particular. I mentioned it to Larry, and it turns out that apple turnovers are one of his very favorite foods. How did I not know this after all these years? I used Mutsu apples for the turnovers, the only apples I ever use for baking (also known as Pippin). The turnovers were pretty easy to make, although a few of them started to fall apart in the oven. I was torn between this recipe and one in Baking Illustrated. The Baking Illustrated recipe used grated apple and the pastry looks flakier. I ended up choosing this one because the pastry needed less time in the refrigerator. And I'm not sure about using grated apples, although I trust Cook's Illustrated recipes. These were really, really delicious. Not too sweet, with a light and flaky pastry.

• Seared Salmon on Baby Spinach (Bon Appétit, April 1999)
• Delicata Squash Rings (Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, p. 440)
• Apple Turnovers (Fine Cooking 41, November 2000, p. 81)

Wine: Martinelli 2001 Bondi Home Ranch Pinot Noir. Yum. We drank the whole bottle. Pinot and salmon were made for each other.

My friend Scott strongly hinted that he would love for me to make him some of the Sweet Black Pepper Fish that he saw on this site last week. I complied, because I love getting requests for dishes (no menu planning), and this one was really easy to make.

-I used orange roughy, because the grocery only had halibut steaks. I think I like this with halibut better, but it was still good. Also, I think this dish benefits from big chunks of cracked pepper.
- I've wanted to make these cookies for a long time, and once I saw that Amy had made something similar, I became obsessed with making them. Amy's recipe came to her via Cookie Madness. I like that hers are more shiny - probably from using egg whites instead of whole eggs. Mine included a bit of butter and a LOT of chopped bittersweet chocolate (along with regular sugar). It was also a batter, not a dough. I tried three methods of dropping them onto the cookie sheets: using a pastry bag and large decorating tip (ick - nuts have to be chopped tiny to use this method, and it was way too messy), using a tablespoon (hard to make nice round piles of batter), and finally a small scooper. The scooper was the winner. I didn't think I'd like the pecans that much, but they are nice in the cookies. These are really my kind of cookie. Luckily I gave most of them away (Scott and Brian were the lucky recipients), because I can't keep my hands off of them.

• Sweet Black Pepper Fish (Cooking Light, January 2004)
• Wilted Spinach with Sauteed Garlic
• Chocolate Brownie Cookies (Fine Cooking #34, September 1999, p. 49)

Larry picked this fish recipe out of Cooking Light's Simple Summer Suppers special issue. I figured I needed to make it, because I had marked the same recipe out of the magazine earlier this year. It was excellent. Larry raved about it, and wants me to make it again soon. I used halibut for the fish (my favorite). This was amazingly simple to make.

• Sweet Black Pepper Fish (Cooking Light, January 2004)
• Sugar Snap Peas with Ginger and Shallot

Wine: Ridge 2001 Lytton Estate Grenache (Dry Creek Valley, CA). This wasn't our dinner wine, but our "cooking" wine. It's nearing its end so I wanted to open it while it was still good. And it was. Fruity and very food-friendly.

I had one of those rare bad cooking nights tonight. However, the most important part turned out well - the dessert. I had it in my mind that I wanted to do fish tonight. Larry and I picked up The Turtle Bay Cookbook last year in Monterey - the authors were doing a cooking demo and a book signing at at cookware store. We had eaten at the Turtle Bay Taqueria a couple of times during our trip.

- My fishmonger didn't take the skin off of the mahi mahi. Instead of trying to cut the skin off (I really, really don't like cooking fish with the skin), I decided to use Amy's trick of broiling it on aluminum foil, so the skin sticks to the foil and the fish comes right up. I had all sorts of issues with this fish. The crust started to burn before the fish was thoroughly cooked. The skin didn't stick to the foil. This dish might have been better with halibut.
- The peach butter was odd. It didn't help that I completely forgot about it and we didn't have it with the fish at all. But when I made it, the texture was odd. Too much juice in the peaches, I think. It's been in the refrigerator all day and still is a bit goopy.
- The beans. Oh, where can I start. I usually have good luck with Bobby Flay recipes. These had a nice smoky flavor. The recipe says to cook them for an hour at 300 degrees. They have a cup of rum in them - how is all that alcohol supposed to cook off at 300 degrees? It didn't. After a half hour I finally paid attention and looked at the beans - still very saucy and smelling like rum. I bumped up the temperature to 425 so I could cook my crostata at the same time.
- The crostata was delicious and gorgeous. The puff pastry is so buttery. Larry thought it would be better with apples - in time, I will make another one. I just wanted to have one last dessert with summer fruit before I move on to apples.

• Carribean Spiced Mahi Mahi with Habanero-Peach Butter (The Turtle Bay Cookbook, p. 195)
• Honey-Rum Baked Black Beans (Bobby Flay's From My Kitchen To Your Table, p. 76)
• Peach Crostata (The Zuni Cafe Cookbook, p. 498)

Wine: Rodney Strong 2001 Chalk Hill Chardonnay (Sonoma County, California). Wow - surprisingly good. We don't usually like California Chardonnays, but this one is excellent, well balanced and not over-oaked.

This recipe uses the barbecue pork I made earlier in the week, in addition to shrimp and veggies. It was really yummy. I made my own curry powder (slightly spicy) and the noodles had just the right amount of heat. Larry really liked this dish.

• Singapore Noodles (Fine Cooking #74, November 2005, p. 65)

Another fast dinner tonight. Just salt and pepper (my favorite seasonings) for the halibut, and I cooked it on the grill pan. It was excellent. I picked up some Taboulli salad from Whole Foods on my way home. We finished the last of the one-pound carton of spinach I picked up two nights ago.

• Pan-Grilled Halibut
• Wilted Spinach with Sauteed Garlic
• Taboulli

Tonight's dinner was yummy, and came together in 15 minutes. I was craving scallops.

• Pan-Seared Scallops
• Wilted Spinach with Sauteed Garlic

This recipe is also in the latest Cooking Light special issue. Jay was here for dinner so we decided to make fish. Larry did most of the prep. The salmon was okay. Not fabulous. I've had better.

• Salmon with Orange-Fennel Sauce (Cooking Light, September 2002)
• Grilled Cherry Tomato Pasta with Crisp Breadcrumbs and Basil (Fine Cooking #46, September 2001, p, 51)
• Wilted Spinach with Sauteed Garlic

Wine: Williams Selyem 2001 Russian River Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley, California). Williams Selyem is a well-respected producer of Pinot Noirs. It takes six months to get on their mailing list (we're on it), so we have several of their wines. Larry was underwhelmed. I thought this was a nice Pinot, less fruit forward than I like but still nice. If I remember right, it is one of their lower-priced wines. It would have benefitted from a couple more years in the bottle.

Larry and I picked up some really nice wild salmon at the farmer's market this morning, so I make it for him and Jay for dinner. They both loved it. Although the salmon has Asian ingredients in it, it isn't so much that the entire meal needs to be Asian-themed.

The recipe for the salmon is also in the recent Cooking Light special issue, Simple Summer Suppers.

• Miso-Glazed Salmon (Cooking Light, November 2002)
• Crisp Herb-Roasted Fingerlings with Scallions (Food & Wine, April 2004, p. 127)
• Roasted Cauliflower

Wine: Sonnet 2003 York Mountain Kruse Vineyard Pinot Noir (Paso Robles, California). Love this wine. Perfect with salmon.

Amy and I made dinner for Jay and Larry tonight. We used frozen scallops, since the fresh sea scallops at Whole Foods were so pricey. Everyone really liked this dish. We had to add a bit of water to the lime juice in the pan in order to fully deglaze it.

• Scallops with Lime and Spinach (Fine Cooking #7, February/March 1995, p. 34)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)

Wine: Sapphire Hill 2001 Chardonnay. A nice Chard. We all enjoyed it, and it went well with the scallops.

Amy and I decided to make an easy salad for dinner tonight, since we're still recovering from last night's tapas party, and we're getting ready for another party tomorrow night. This was really easy and light. We both thought there was too much oil in the dressing, and Amy thought it needed something.

The recipe is also in the first Quick & Delicious special issue (green cover), and there are some slight differences - that recipe calls for canned beans instead of dried, and adds shrimp, to make it a main-dish salad. We decided to add grilled shrimp, but marinated it first using the recipe for Chili Lime Shrimp from Gourmet.

• Black Bean & Corn Salad (Fine Cooking #40, September 2000, p. 45)

Amy and I made tapas for eight tonight - we had Les, Katie, Rafael, Mark and Catherine over. Rafael is from Spain, so the pressure was on. We had a fairly ambitious menu, but we were well prepped and everything came together easily.

- I've made Patatas Bravas in the oven before, and I may try that method next time, but with the same Bravas salt and red sauce from this recipe.
- The mushrooms and mini-chorizos were both a big hit. The Sausages in Sherry, not so much. We got the mini-chorizo at The Spanish Table.
- The cava sangria was excellent (recipe follows). The recipe is from Jaleo, a tapas bar that Larry and I visited in Washington, DC last year. It called for a Spanish liqueur called Licor 43. It's made with vanilla and spices and is excellent. We used an very reasonably priced cava that a staff member at The Spanish Table recommended, called Parxet Cuvée 21 Brut Cava.

Jaleo Cava Sangria

Makes 1 Liter

1 bottle of cava sparkling wine from Spain, chilled
3 oz. Licor 43
3 oz. Brandy
3 oz. White Grape Juice
500 cl. Ice
3-4 Fresh Strawberries
1/2 of a Fresh Peach
4-5 White Grapes
1 bunch of Fresh Mint

Cut the fruit into bite-size pieces (or smaller). Pour the ice into a 1-liter pitcher (or larger). Slowly pour the chilled cava down the inside of the pitcher and not directly overthe ice (to keep the bubbles from fizzing away). Pour the Licor 43, brandy and white grape juice into the pitcher. Add the fruit and mint.

- We thought we would cook the shrimp in the oven. We both agreed it would have been better on the stove (according to the recipe).
- The pudding cups were excellent. I love orange-flavored chocolate. And the small ramekins were perfect.

• Fried Squid (César, Oliver Said, p. 161)
• Patatas Bravas (César, Oliver Said, p. 124)
• Alioli (César, Oliver Said, p. 195)
• Catalan Mushrooms with Garlic and Parsley (Fine Cooking #46, September 2001, p. 37)
• Gambas al Ajillo (Tapas, Penelope Casas, p. 13)
• Sizzling Sausages with Sherry (My Kitchen in Spain, Janet Mendel, p. 261)
• Manchego Cheese with Membrillo
• Istara Cheese
• Pau Goat Cheese
• Piminetos de Padron
• Mini-Chorizo
• Crema de Chocolate (César, Oliver Said, p. 191)

Jay was here for dinner tonight. I was craving fish. This was okay, not great. Jay and Larry liked it. I thought the cod was too delicate to flip in the pan, and I didn't like something about the herb mixture.

For the spinach, I sauteed some garlic, added the cranberries to warm them up, then removed the pan from heat and added the spinach and salt and pepper. Yummy.

• Pan-Roasted Black Cod with Herb Rub (Fast Fish, Hugh Carpenter, p. 26)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)
• Wilted Spinach with Garlic and Dried Cranberries

Wine: Rosenblum 2001 RustRidge Chardonnay. Not bad for a Chard.

Larry wasn't sure about this fish dish at first, but it grew on him. I really liked it. Different than the usual fish. The potatoes were excellent as usual - one of my favorite ways to have fingerling potatoes, and the yummy byproduct is some nice herb-infused oil.

• Halibut Fillets with Pine Nut & Parmesan Crust (Fine Cooking #12, December 1995/j January 1996, p. 49)
• Roasted Cauliflower
• Crisp Herb-Roasted Fingerlings with Scallions (Food & Wine, April 2004, p. 127)

Wine: David Bruce 2001 Truchard (Carneros, California). I love David Bruce Pinots. This is typical of the winery style - up-front fruit, ripe, concentrated, elegant. Yum, yum. We drank the whole bottle.

Jay was here for dinner tonight. I've been meaning to make this dish for several weeks, but I've been unable to find grouper. It would also be good with halibut, cod, or any other firm white fish, but I really wanted to try grouper. The dish was easy to make, although I needed to add a bit more olive oil to the pesto in order to get it to puree in the blender. The mini food processor may have worked better. I used a bamboo steamer to cook the fish - it took about 20 minutes to steam, much longer than I anticipated. Both Larry and Jay really liked this dinner. The recipe for the grouper is also in Fine Cooking's Quick and Delicious special issue (the one with the red cover).

• Steamed Grouper with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto (Fine Cooking #15, July 1996, p, 53)
• Mushrooms & Spinach with Soppressata Crisps (Fine Cooking #62, January 2004, p. 49)
• Orzo with Butter and Pecorino Romano

Wine: Crane Canyon 2001 Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley, California). Not bad. Nothing special. From a small producer.

I bought beautiful scallops at Andronico's this weekend. Huge, and very sweet smelling. This dish was excellent - Larry and I both really liked it. It's only got a few ingredients and is easy to make. I made extra walnuts for snacking. The recipe calls for savoy spinach, which should be in season now, but I couldn't find any. I used baby spinach instead. This recipe is also in Fine Cooking's new Cooking Fresh special issue.

• Scallops with Lime and Spinach (Fine Cooking #7, February/March 1995, p. 34)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)

Wine: David Coffaro 2002 Sauvignon Blanc (Dry Creek Valley, California). Nice with the scallops. Decent for a Sauvignon Blanc. More in the Australian style rather than the grassy Californian style.

Jay was here for dinner tonight. I haven't made this meal for about a year and a half, when Amy was here for Big Kahuna. I thought salmon would be nice since it's in season again. I didn't feel like cooking tonight, so it took me forever to put everything together. We had leftover crab cakes (the mix will keep nicely overnight).

• Crab Cakes with Chipotle Aioli (Viking Home Chef, Fabulous Fish & Shellfish class)
• Salmon with a Ragoût of Lentils and Root Vegetables (Fine Cooking #57, March 2003, p. 40)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)
• Winter Greens with Currants, Pine Nuts and Brown Butter (Fields of Greens, Annie Somerville, p. 254)

Wine: 2001 David Bruce Bien Nacido Pommard Clone Pinot Noir (Santa Maria Valley, California). A really nice, classic Bruce Pinot. Perfect with the salmon.

I was going to make this hash this weekend, for breakfast, but never got the chance. Since Larry's not a big fan of hash, I made it tonight, just for myself. I think I like traditional corned beef hash better, even though I don't really like corned beef on its own. Something about that mix of salty-crispy meat and potatoes really appeals to me. The salmon hash was good, though - the dilled créme fraîche was really yummy. I just had it plain, without a poached egg on top.

• Salmon Hash with Dilled Créme Fraîche (Fine Cooking #56, March 2003, p. 51)

It was just me for dinner tonight. This is a nice one-person meal that's quick to make and really yummy. I love seared scallops.

• Seared Scallop Salad (Fine Cooking #44, April/May 2001, p. 90)

Jay was here for dinner tonight. Halibut season is upon us, so Larry and I picked some up at Costco this morning. At 6pm, I really had no menu plan and started digging in the pantry and refrigerator. The halibut was excellent, the orzo was yummy, and the beets were really good also. Amazing how a simple, last-minute dinner can turn out so well.

Larry and Jay had some of the leftover roulade after dinner. Larry said it's definitely better the next day. Jay seemed to really like it.

• Grilled Halibut with Creamy Guacamole Sauce (Gourmet, October 1992)
• Orzo with Butter and Parmesan
• Oven-Roasted Baby Red, Golden and Chiogga Beets

Wine: Eric Ross 2001 Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley, California). A nice everyday Pinot we got through Locals Tasting Room.

I love bulgur, but this dish wasn't anything special. It was a decent weeknight dish. I'd characterize it as typically Cooking Light: good, not fabulous. Larry really liked the shrimp but thought the risotto was just okay. I skipped out on the garlic bread tonight, but I had a bite of Larry's - so good.

• Lemon-Mint Bulgur Risotto with Garlic Shrimp (Cooking Light, March 2005, p. 127)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)

I needed to do something with the leftover salmon from Sunday night. I didn't exactly make this recipe, just the salmon burger part. I used pesto from Trader Joe's, and the only other ingredient in the burgers was salt and pepper. We had the burgers on toasted whole-grain bread with mayo and microgreens. Very good, but they'd be better grilled since the aroma really stuck around the house.

• Salmon Burgers Provençale with Tomato Relish (The Carefree Cook, p. 84)

We had our regular grilled salmon tonight (Jay was here for dinner), but instead of marinating in honey (along with garlic, soy sauce and green onion), I used maple syrup. Larry and I both think honey works better. We had potatoes and salad leftover from last night, and I decided to try something different with the rest of the Brussels sprouts that were still in the refrigerator. Everyone liked these. I didn't have pancetta, so I used Niman Ranch cured bacon - which was a fairly significant change to the recipe, but it was still pretty good. Oh, and I didn't add the water at the end of the recipe.

I had all sorts of problems with these cookies. I really wanted them to turn out, because I had something similar from Central Market the last time I visited Amy in Austin. The dough was way too dry - I reviewed what I did, and don't see anything different - except I weighed my flour like I usually do, instead of measuring. I usually calculate 5 ounces per cup - maybe that was too much? Larry thought these tasted just like the tops to my chocolate pot pies. The spice is very subtle - I'd like to add a bit more pepper.

• Grilled Salmon with Garlic, Green Onion, Soy Sauce and Maple Syrup
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Garlic and Pancetta (Gourmet, January 2001)
• Smashed Red Potatoes with Basil and Parmesan Fine Cooking #70, March 2005, p. 51)
• Spinach & Basil Salad with Tomatoes, Candied Walnuts & Warm Bacon Dressing (Fine Cooking #70, March 2005, p. 55)
• Spicy Chocolate Cookies (Real Simple, November 2004, p, 258)

Wine: David Bruce 2000 Brousseau Vineyard Pinot Noir (Chalone, California). Oh, so yummy. Much more full bodied than last night's Pinot, but still had hints of cherry.

I've been wanting to make these scallops for a while now. They're really good, and the sauce is a breeze. The recipe calls for homemade Roasted Jalapeño-Tomato salsa (from the same cookbook), but I used Frontera Jalapeño-Cilantro bottled salsa instead. The recipe can also be found on the Frontera Kitchens web site, here. Larry thought the sauce would be really good with chicken.

I've been using my new convection toaster oven (Cuisinart) to roast cauliflower, tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper. It turns out really well - almost melts in your mouth, toasty brown on the outside and tender on the inside.

• Seared Sea Scallops with Jalapeño Cream (Salsas That Cook, Rick Bayless, p. 106)
• Roasted Cauliflower

Larry's dad is still here so I made dinner again last night. I followed Amy's example and used halibut instead of cod tonight. It was good, and the halibut holds together better than the cod. I had a head of regular cauliflower and a head of purple cauliflower. No taste difference, but I liked the way it came out (visually).

• Pan-Seared Halibut with Creamy Fennel Ragout (Gourmet, December 2003)
• Roast Cauliflower with Shallots, Tarragon and Lemon (Fine Cooking #50, May 2002, p. 52)
• Warm Spinach Salad with Bacon, Walnuts & Ricotta Salata (Fine Cooking #53, November 2002, p. 94C)

Wine: Forth 2002 Sauvignon Blanc (Mendocino County, California).

This is what Larry picked out for last night's dinner. Unfortunately, I fell asleep right around the time I should have been making dinner, so it didn't get made. I made it for my lunch today, instead. I used farmed salmon, from Trader Joe's. It was a nice, mild fish - Norwegian farmed. This was really easy to make, and I like the top-of-stove to oven roasting technique. Larry really liked it.

• Indian-Spiced Roast Salmon (The Best of Cooking Light, Quick and Easy Around the Clock, p. 82)

I wanted fish tonight, and was close to making an Asian-inspired recipe with a white fish. The fishmonger at Whole Foods suggested rock cod as a substitute for (very expensive) striped bass. At the last minute, I decided to make this recipe instead. I had two bulbs of fennel in the refrigerator, so I made a full recipe of the ragout. It wasn't exactly low-cal, but it was excellent. We mainly ate the fennel and skipped eating most of the creamy sauce. Larry loved this dinner. It was really easy to make and came together quickly.

• Pan-Seared Cod with Creamy Fennel Ragout (Gourm