Vegetarian

Larry requested these burgers from the latest issue of Fine Cooking. They were delicious served without buns but with an tomatillo & avocado salsa.

• Mexican Black Bean Burgers (Fine Cooking #94, September 2008, p. 51)
• Tomatillo & Avocado Salsa (Fine Cooking #94, September 2008, p. 51)
• Grilled Sweet Potatoes
• Butter Lettuce Mix with Buttermilk Herb Ranch Dressing (California Pizza Kitchen Pasta, Salads, Soups and Sides, p. 23)

We had a few people over for a post-July 4th barbeque: Assana, Dan, Chris, Tony, Janett. This chicken was excellent, and I think it would make a great chicken salad. We used both breasts and thighs. I hadn't made the zucchini roll-ups before but we liked them a lot. Janett and Tony brought a pumpkin polenta and Chris brought curried lentils and roasted veggies in a tomato sauce - all really good.

• Grilled Zucchini & Goat Cheese Roll-Ups (Fine Cooking #51, July 2002, p. 55)
• Goat Cheese, Pesto & Sun-Dried Tomato Terrine (Fine Cooking #61, Holiday Baking 2003, p. 98c)
• Moist Mustard-Rosemary Chicken for a Crowd (Fine Cooking #65, July 2004, p. 86)
• Quinoa with Roasted Red Pepper Dressing (Whole Grains Every Day, Every Way, p. 156)
• Black Forest Trifle (Fine Cooking #69, January 2005, p. 58)

Wine:
- Loma Prieta 2000 Zinfandel (Lodi, California). Assana brought this yummy Zin to start us off for the night.
- Sextant 2004 Wheelhouse Zinfandel (California). Delicious as always.

Another test recipe from Cook's Illustrated. I used whole wheat penne. There are so many good butternut squash and sage recipes out there, I probably won't make this one again.

• Pasta with Butternut Squash and Sage (Cook's Illustrated Test Recipe)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)

These falafel patties are actually made with pinto beans and include jack cheese and cumin. They're easy to make and delicious. We loved the avocado spread, too - we served them up with leftover soup from last night. The patties would be great homemade veggie burgers, served on a whole wheat bun. Just before dinner I whipped up these shortbread, which are thin and crisp and contain ground rolled oats. They're really tasty - they remind us of an oat topping on a fruit crisp. I added a note to this entry on the cheese we had before dinner, because it's really nice.

• Arina Goat Cheese Gouda
• Southwestern Falafel with Avocado Spread (Cooking Light, August 2005)
• Scottish Shortbread (King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking, p. 332)

I used up the last of the Meyer lemon bounty by cutting the lemons almost all the way through into quarters, packing them with Kosher Salt, and stuffing them into jars with lemon juice to cover. These will stay on a shelf for four weeks. I'll turn them every day. After this, the lemons can be used whole after rinsing the salt off. The rind becomes soft, especially since Meyers have thin skins.

• Preserved Lemons (Fine Cooking #53, November 2002, p. 34)

We decided on a quick dinner tonight, soup again. This soup is good but I've made better tomato soups. At first it was a little bland. Salt helped, but I think I like my tomato soup with a bit more body.

• Tomato Soup with Fennel, Leek & Potato (Fine Cooking #91, March 2008, back cover)
• European Peasant Bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)

Larry made dinner yet again. He wasn't sure about this soup, but as soon as he added the lime juice all of the flavors came together and it was delicious.

• Black Bean Soup with Chile, Coconut Milk and Lime (Vegetable Soups from Deborah Madison's Kitchen, p. 60)
• Whole Wheat Tortillas

Another Cooking Light recipe, pretty good although kind of on the edge for me. It leans towards the semi-homemade genre. I didn't feel like I was really cooking as I poured canned goods and pre-shredded cheese onto the no-bake noodles.

• Tex-Mex Lasagna (Cooking Light, June 2004)

Jay brought his brother-in-law Raj to dinner tonight since he was in town for a few days. Dinner was good - I really like these burgers, and macaroni and cheese is good any time. The pound cake was good, but I think I've made better.

• Goat Cheese, Pesto & Sun-Dried Tomato Terrine (Fine Cooking #61, Holiday Baking 2003, p. 98c)
• Wild Mushroom "Burgers" (Mustards Grill Napa Valley Cookbook, p. 151)
• Classic Macaroni & Cheese (Fine Cooking #23, November 1997, p. 40)
• Roasted Green Beans with Lemon, Pine Nuts & Parmigiano (Fine Cooking #82, December 2006, p. 55)
• Bourbon-Glazed Brown Sugar Pecan Poundcake (Fine Cooking #88, November 2007, p. 62)

Larry requested his favorite vegetarian chili for dinner tonight, which is super easy and fast to make, especially when paired with our favorite packaged cornbread. For dessert, I scratched my baking itch with chocolate brownie cookies, very tasty. The recipe for the cookies is also in Fine Cooking's Chocolate 2006 special issue.

• Spicy Two-Bean Vegetarian Chili (Bon Appétit, November 2002)
• Napa Valley Pantry World's Best Cornbread
• Chocolate Brownie Cookies (Fine Cooking #34, September 1999, p. 49)

Jay came over for polenta lasagna, salad, and the ever-delicious garlic bread tonight. The lasagna recipe is written to be very convenient, using processed foods - not my favorite, but I used good-quality ingredients (such as organic jarred marinara sauce) and it turned out to be delicious. Next time I may use a flavored polenta. This is written as a vegetarian recipe, but I decided to use turkey Italian sausage instead.

Our salad was perfect. Larry picked the dressing, and I added chives and fresh tomatoes. The dressing recipe is also in Fine Cooking's Cooking Fresh 2005 special issue.

• Polenta Lasagna (Cooking Light, October 2005)
• Butter Lettuce and Radiccio with Chives, Tomatoes & Lemon Poppyseed Dressing (Fine Cooking #51, July 2002, p. 48)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)

Wine: Ridge 2001 Syrah/Grenache (Dry Creek Valley, California). Yum. Really big and oaky.

A quick weeknight dinner tonight - I made this pasta using whole wheat linguine. The pasta was pretty good, kind of different.

• Pasta with Caramelized Onion Trio, Arugula, and Mozzarella (Cooking Light, April 2005)
• Hearts of Romaine with Caesar Dressing (The Best Recipe, p. 42)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)

I kind of like breakfast for dinner. I'm not a huge fan of scrambled eggs, but these sounded good - and they were. This is a good, easy dinner. It was late so we whipped it up quickly, but it would be nice with a mixed green salad. This recipe is from the Splendid Table web site - I listen to the podcast every week.

Luxury Scrambled Eggs
Keep the eggs tender by slowly scrambling and not overcooking. A heavy non-stick pan is a great help here.

Serves 3 to 4

* 1 large scallion, thinly sliced
* 1/2 tightly packed tablespoon curly parsley leaves, chopped
* 1/2 tightly packed tablespoon fresh basil or tarragon leaves, chopped
* 6 large eggs
* 2 tablespoons heavy cream
* 3 ounces cream cheese, cut into about 3/4-inch pieces
* Salt and freshly ground pepper as needed
* 2 tablespoons butter

1. Combine the chopped herbs. In a medium bowl use a fork to loosely combine the eggs and cream. Stir in cream cheese, the herbs, and a little salt and pepper. Eggs do not have to be completely uniform.

2. In a 10-inch heavy non-stick skillet melt the butter over medium heat. Add the eggs and stir with a spatula for a few seconds.

3. Lower heat to medium low and keep stirring, scraping up any egg sticking to the pan, for 3 minutes, or until large curds form. Eggs can be served almost wet, moist yet approaching firm, or quite firm.

• Luxury Scrambled Eggs (The Splendid Table)
• Multigrain Country Loaf with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)

Wine: Sauvignon Republic 2006 Stellenbosch Sauvignon Blanc (Stellenbosch, South Africa). Sauvignon Republic sells wines locally, but sourced from all over the place. I like this SB - for a white wine, it's nice. Good with eggs.

I had such high hopes for this dish. I love tofu, and the dish is on the healthy side with a bunch of veggies. Plus, it has hoisin sauce, one of my favorite Asian flavorings. It was also listed as a Food & Wine staff favorite.

I had a lot of problems getting the panko to stick to the tofu. If it had stuck better, it would have been more flavorful. I also think I'd like more bok choy, fewer mushrooms. I probably won't make this again.

• Crispy Tofu with Noodles (Food & Wine, February 2007)

I've actually had a craving for these mushroom burgers lately - amazing since I really don't like mushrooms. But since the mushrooms are chopped and sliced and formed into patties, it's not like eating mushrooms at all. And they're really good.

Larry suggested macaroni & cheese, which made me really happy because I love it and I love making it.

• Wild Mushroom "Burgers" (Mustards Grill Napa Valley Cookbook, p. 151)
• Classic Macaroni & Cheese (Fine Cooking #23, November 1997, p. 40)
• Baby Spinach Salad with Turkey Bacon, Candied Walnuts, Grape Tomatoes, Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil

Wine: Parker Station 2003 Pinot Noir (Central Coast, California). An incredibly cheap yet yummy Pinot we picked up at at tasting at The Grapevine, made by Fess Parker Winery. It's the kind of Pinot that should be opened soon after purchase - fruity and friendly.

Larry requested a pasta with tomato sauce for tonight's dinner since we both have races tomorrow (Muddy Buddy for him, Mermaid Triathlon for me). I was all for it, because honestly, I love a simple dish of pasta, tomatoes, garlic and basil. I used whole wheat spaghetti and we skipped the wine since I was already dehydrated from a week in Denver.

• Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce with Garlic and Basil (Italian Classics, p. 151)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)

A week of travel and eating out, and I was craving something home-cooked for dinner. I made plans for dinner on the flight home - I had the current issue of Gourmet with me. I used Trader Joe's whole wheat pizza dough to make preparation even easier. These were yummy!

• Arugula and Ricotta Calzones (Gourmet, February 2006)
• Trader Joe's Spinach Salad

I prepped everything for this pizza yesterday, and we picked up refrigerated whole-wheat pizza dough at Trader Joe's. This is supposed to make one pizza, but it made enough filling for two. It was pretty yummy.

• Roasted Fresh Corn, Poblano & Cheddar Pizza (Cooking Light, July 2005)
• Trader Joe's Spinach Salad

Wine: Thumbprint 2003 Beasley Vineyard Zinfandel(Dry Creek, California). A really nice Zin from a relatively new producer. They have a very nice, hip tasting room in downtown Healdsburg, and the folks there are really nice too.

It was late but I was determined to make dinner tonight. This baked pasta was pretty quick to make. It was good, not super yummy. I used jarred roasted red bell pepper instead of fresh because I was out, and penne instead of cavatappi.

• Cheesy Baked Cavatappi with Onions and Peppers (Cooking Light, June 2005)

Wine: David Bruce 2000 Wirz Vineyard Cabernet Pfeffer (Cienega Valley, California). Interesting wine. Not bad.

Arun, Carol and Jay were here for dinner. Standard vegetarian fare, although looking back at old entries, it looks like I served this when Arun was here two years ago.

- I really loved the dip. It had quite a garlic-y bite to it, but it was delicious and creamy and perfect on the plain little toasts.
- I've just about perfected the corn bread recipe. It has to cook for an hour. Trader Joe's frozen roasted corn. Cast iron skillet. The only thing I forgot this time was to add diced jalapeño, and we really missed it.

• Chive and Pine Nut Dip with Sourdough Toasts (Gourmet, June 2005)
• Spicy Two-Bean Vegetarian Chili (Bon Appétit, November 2002)
• Corn Bread (The Bread Baker's Apprentice, p. 151)
• Chocolate Oblivion Truffle Torte (The Cake Bible, Rose Levy Beranbaum, p. 84)

Wine:
- Four Vines 2002 Maverick Zinfandel (Amador County, California). This is a favorite inexpensive Zin for us. I think Arun and Carol liked it better than the other Zin - lighter, less in-your-face.
- Gamba 2004 Old Vine Estate Zinfandel (Russian River Valley, California). This was just released yesterday - Larry and I went to the Gamba release party at Uncorked! last night. This is drinkable now. It's not as fruit-forward as their Moratta Zin.
- Carol Shelton 2001 Black Magic Late Harvest Zinfandel (Rockpile, California). Yet another excellent wine from Rockpile Vineyard. This late harvest wine only has 2% residual sugar (and 17% alcohol!) so it's not cloyingly sweet.

Kent, Barbara and Steve came over tonight for one last ZAP leads meeting. It's always a good excuse to get together and eat and drink good wine.

- This was the first time I used frozen dough for the Cheese Sablés. It was left over from the last time we had this group over. I took it out of the freezer on Sunday. It worked out nicely.
- The onion dip was good, like a nicer version of the one made from onion soup mix. The pita chips were excellent (I used whole wheat pitas).
- The stew was easy to make and since I had everything prepped the night before it was hardly any work at all. Everyone liked it, but it really wasn't something I loved. Larry likes my veggie chili better. The polenta triangles are pretty bland, but perfect for the stew - good texture for soaking up the stew.

• Manchego Cheese with Quince Paste
• Red Grapes
• Istara and Stilton
• Golden Onion & Thyme Dip (Fine Cooking #61, Holiday Baking Winter 2004, p. 98C)
• Pita Chips (Fine Cooking #61, Holiday Baking Winter 2004, p. 98C)
• Mrs. Lenkh's Cheese Sablés (Fine Cooking #74, November 2005, p. 10)
• Black Bean and Sweet Potato Stew with Chilies and Polenta Triangles (Bon Appétit, October 1998)
• Triple-Chocolate Cheesecake (Fine Cooking #57, May 2003, p. 53)

Wine:
- Rosenblum 2003 Eagle Point Zinfandel (Mendocino County, California). One of my favorite wines from Rosenblum. A really yummy nose, and just plain good all around.
- Copain 2003 Arrowhead Mountain Zinfandel (Sonoma County, California). A bit closed at first, but it got better once we decanted it and had some food with it. Needs more time in the bottle, I think.
- d'Arenberg 2003 The Galvo Garage (Australia). Really nice meritage.

A quick post-Superbowl meal tonight - once everything is prepped, this cooks up in just a few minutes. And it's good, too. Larry liked it. It made a mess of my pan, though.

• Stir-Fried Noodles with Tofu, Scallions & Peanuts (Fine Cooking #77, March 2006, p. 60)

Jay was here again for dinner, although this was a bit too spicy for him. I could cut back on the chili powder for him. This is so quick to make, and Larry absolutely loves it, especially leftover.

The corn bread requires an overnight soak for the cornmeal and buttermilk. I decided to experiment and only soaked it for two hours. It was still delicious but I still had the same issue with it needing extra time to cook. This time I cooked it in cast iron, and I think it was better this way. I also added diced jalapeño pepper again.

• Spicy Two-Bean Vegetarian Chili (Bon Appétit, November 2002)
• Corn Bread (The Bread Baker's Apprentice, p. 151)

Kent, Barbara and Steve came for an after-work ZAP leads meeting tonight. We've been ZAP volunteers for many years now, and we're all working the Good Eats and Zin event for the upcoming Zinfandel festival. I did most of the cooking after work the night before, so mostly all I had to do was throw the cornbread together and heat up the chili. Everyone raved about the food (we need to have them all over more often!).

- I made the Cheese Sablés a bit smaller this time, and Larry liked them much better. I have to agree. I used my smallest biscuit cutter. I made the dough the night before, so I just rolled them out and cut them before popping them in the oven - they were warm and toasty when everyone arrived.
- I chose vegetarian chili because Kent is a pescatarian (although he's flexible enough about it to just eat whatever the host serves). Anyway, Larry and I both love this chili so I didn't mind making it at all.
- I've been on the hunt for the perfect cornbread. Amy made this one recently, and although she wasn't especially enamored with it, she thought I might like it. Boy, was she right. And Larry, he can't stop talking about how wonderful it was. The only issue I had was that it took much longer than 30 minutes to cook through - more like an hour.
- This torte is my idea of the perfect chocolate cake. Mmm, pure chocolate. And it's pretty easy to make, and elegant. And my co-workers love it when I bring the leftovers in the next day.

• Manchego Cheese with Quince Paste
• Red Grapes
• Smoked Trout Rillettes (Fine Cooking #42, January 2001, p. 44)
• Mrs. Lenkh's Cheese Sablés (Fine Cooking #74, November 2005, p. 10)
• Spicy Two-Bean Vegetarian Chili (Bon Appétit, November 2002)
• Corn Bread (The Bread Baker's Apprentice, p. 151)
• Chocolate Oblivion Truffle Torte (The Cake Bible, Rose Levy Beranbaum, p. 84)

Wine: There was a lot of wine flowing, of course, because we're all Zinfandel lovers.
- Renwood 2002 Fiddletown Zinfandel (Fiddletown, CA). Kent brought this.
- Rafanelli 2000 Zinfandel (Dry Creek Valley, CA). This came from our cellar - a good, solid performer.
- August Briggs 2000 Zinfandel (Napa Valley, CA). Steve and Barbara brought this bottle.
- Sapphire Hill 2002 Winberrie Zinfandel (Russian River Valley, CA). Also from our cellar, and I think it was the favorite of the evening.
- Navarro 2000 Pinot Noir Juice. I was under doctor's orders not to drink, so I had this juice. It's been in our basement for a few years, and I think it's gotten sweeter since we bought it. It's good, but was very, very sweet. A good option for people who don't drink.

Tonight was veggie night - something relatively light in preparation for all of the eating we plan to do over the long weekend. I love spaghetti squash, but I don't make it that often. I had never made it in the microwave, and it was easy, and good! But it's important to stick the squash a few times so it doesn't explode.

I replaced half the butter in the recipe with olive oil. I cooked the romanesco broccoli in the convection toaster oven, the same way I make cauliflower. I love romanesco broccoli! Larry and I both liked the squash. Not super fabulous, but good. He thought it needed more spices. I think I like spaghetti squash with marinara sauce better.

• Spaghetti Squash with Moroccan Spices (Gourmet, February 2002)
• Roasted Romanesco Broccoli

Wine: Deaver 2002 Zinfandel (Amador County, California). A decent little Zin, a good everyday wine.

We had Steve over for dinner tonight. I've made the meat lasagna from this article a couple of times, and it's excellent. I decided to try the veggie version this time, even though I'm not that crazy about eggplant. The recipe makes three lasagnas - eat one, freeze two. The lasagna was good, but I don't think Larry liked the briny characteristic of it that much.

• Sicilian Vegetable Lasagna (Fine Cooking #44, May 2001, p. 38)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)
• Wilted Spinach with Sauteed Garlic and Dried Cranberries

Wine: David Bruce 1999 Ranchita Canyon Sangiovese (Paso Robles, California).

I've been wanting to make this ever since I read about it on 101 Cookbooks. After I read another article on homemade ricotta in a spring issue of Cooking Light, I decided to finally make a batch. I followed the directions in Casual Cooking rather than Cooking Light. The main deviation in Cooking Light is the ingredients: the addition of salt, the use of 2% milk, and a higher ratio of milk to buttermilk. Casual Cooking uses whole milk, but I decided to use 2%.

This couldn't be easier. I had some question about whether or not I stopped stirring soon enough. I'm pretty sure I didn't, because I ended up with some curds that didn't float to the top. I drained the ricotta minimally, and ended up with a soft, creamy texture. And really, really yummy. I could have sat there and eaten the whole thing with a spoon.

The only downside to making this is that there's a lot of wasted product - a gallon of milk and a quart of buttermilk ends up making 3-4 cups of ricotta.

• Homemade Ricotta (Michael Chiarello's Casual Cooking, p. 39)

Very easy, and very good. I'd prefer to make up a bit of my own salsa for this, but I used jarred in the interest of time. I will add more corn next time. I used Trader Joe's frozen roasted corn and it was excellent. I normally don't use light sour cream, but I did this time and it was fine in this dish. Larry loved this bake.

• Black Bean Burrito Bake (Cooking Light, March 2003)

Wine: Bridlewood 1999 Zinfandel (California). I opened this wine to have a glass while I made dinner. I've never had Bridlewood, but it's a nice wine. Good balance, lots of body.

I've been waiting for corn and tomato season to make this tart. I have a ton of basil in my herb garden right now, so it was a perfect night to make this. It was really delicious. I love the crust - very light and buttery. Larry loved the filling, but wasn't as crazy about the crust as I was. The recipe is also in Fine Cooking's Cooking Fresh special issue.

• Savory Tomato, Corn & Cheese Tart with Fresh Basil (Fine Cooking #40, August 2000, p. 68)
• Spring Mix Salad with Walnuts, Dried Cranberries and Raspberry Viniagrette

Fiyaz and Jay were here for dinner. There was fresh asparagus at the Farmer's Market this weekend, and despite my distaste for the stuff, I bought some anyway and used it in the pasta. It didn't flavor the dish too much. I picked mine out and gave it to Larry.

- The pasta dish was good, not fantastic. I made the caramelized onions yesterday, and they were really, really good. I made a huge batch. I used whole wheat penne for the pasta, although the recipe called for gemelli (I was out).
- The salad recipe was one I liked from last week's class at Home Chef. I liked it in class, but tonight I looked at the recipe, and thought that 3/4 cup of sherry vinegar was way too much. I cut it in half and still thought it was too tangy. Won't make this again, although I like the idea of a warm salad.
- Both the pasta and salad called for pancetta. Fiyaz doesn't eat pork, so I used turkey bacon instead. Not quite the same, since the turkey bacon is smoked, but still good.
- The mousse was really, really easy to make and everyone liked it. But it was too rich for me - I could only eat a tiny portion. And after time in the refrigerator, it got kind of dense.

• Penne with Asparagus & Caramelized Onions (Fine Cooking #71, May 2005, p. 62)
• Warm Escarole and Butter Lettuce Salad (Home Chef, Essentials II Series)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)
• Quick Chocolate Mousse (The Best of Fine Cooking, 101 Quick & Delicious Recipes, p. 104, adapted from Fine Cooking #54)

Wine: 2001 Martin Family Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley, California). Pinot probably wasn't the best match for dinner, but I really didn't feel like a white. This is a nice wine, very reasonably priced. The Martins are nice people, too.

I was looking to make something light and fast tonight, since I didn't start dinner until 8pm. I've been wanting to cook out of this cookbook since I received it for Christmas, so this was the perfect opportunity. Dinner came together very quickly - within 20 minutes, and it was really good. I didn't have Thai red curry paste, so I used a jarred curry paste from the Indian grocery around the corner.

• Silken Tofu in Spicy Red Coconut Sauce (This Can't Be Tofu!, Deborah Madison, p. 80)

I love Deborah Madison, and her Local Flavors cookbook is one of my favorites. This appealed to me because Larry and I both love fennel, and the dish is very simple, mostly just fennel and lemon and pasta. The salad was good, too, but Larry said it's not something he'd want all the time. He's not crazy about endive or stilton.

One note about the recipe: it calls for two tablespoons of butter in the ingredients list, but the instructions only refer to one tablespoon. I used two, but it would have been fine with one, I think.

This menu was somewhat of a tribute to Deborah Madison and Greens Restaurant. Deborah Madison was the founding chef of Greens, and Annie Somerville, who trained under Deborah Madison, is the current chef at Greens.

• Pasta with Golden Fennel (Local Flavors, Deborah Madison, p. 47)
• Winter Greens with Apples, Pecans and Stilton Cheese (Fields of Greens, Annie Somerville, p. 16)

Tonight was vegetarian night, after last night's steak (Jay came for dinner). This was a nice vegetarian meal, but by no means low-fat. The strata was really nice, and very easy to make. None of us liked the broccoli rabe. It was too stalky, and Larry didn't like the balsamic butter sauce. This is the second time I've made one of the menus out of this cookbook, and both times the side dish has been mediocre. I'm disappointed, because I like having the menus laid out for me and I like the way this cookbook looks and is laid out. I have a hard time coming up with vegetarian meal plans.

• Tomato Goat Cheese Strata (Fresh Food Fast, Peter Berley, p. 262)
• Broccoli Rabe with Balsamic Brown Butter (Fresh Food Fast, Peter Berley, p. 265)

Jay was here for dinner tonight, and he requested "something vegetarian, not pasta". After consulting with Amy and coming up with a really yummy menu, I completely changed course and decided to cook out of a cookbook I got for Christmas, "Fresh Food Fast". I like how the cookbook is laid out - vegetarian menus, arranged by seasons. The menus can be prepared in less than an hour, and each menu lists a game plan, equipment needed and a market list.

- The lentil soup was very good. Kind of earthy, and easy to make.
- The risotto gave me some problems because I didn't really read the recipe before I started. The recipe calls for cooking the risotto in a pressure cooker - whoops, I don't have a pressure cooker. I contemplated how to cook it: like regular risotto, stirring constantly and adding water as it's absorbed until the barley is cooked, or by adding the boiling water all at once, covering it, and only stirring and adding water as it's absorbed. I decided to use the second method, and the barley took about an hour to cook this way. Both Jay and Larry really liked this dish, although Larry though it would be fine without the goat cheese (which turned the risotto pink-ish due to the red veins in the chard).
- The slaw was just okay, a bit bland. I didn't have raisins so I used currants instead. I probably won't make it again.
- The pie was difficult to make. The method for blind baking the crust was awkward and resulted in it shrinking considerably. There was so much topping (half would have sufficed), that it completely covered the crust anyway - it was pretty much like a regular crisp. At any rate it was pretty tasty. Larry and Jay both really liked it.

• Hearty Lentil Soup (Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, Deborah Madison, p. 224)
• Barley Risotto with Golden Beets, Swiss Chard & Goat Cheese (Fresh Food Fast, Peter Berley, p. 174)
• Fennel-Cabbage Slaw with Raisins and Apple (Fresh Food Fast, Peter Berley, p. 175)
• Blueberry Crumble Pie (Lobster Rolls & Blueberry Pie, Rebecca Charles, p. 108)

I cooked for Jay, his brother Arun, Larry and his dad tonight. Arun is vegetarian, and we had rain today so I wanted something hearty and comforting for dinner.

- This braise has many parts, none of which is very difficult. Everything can be made ahead of time and reheated before dinner. I doubled the lentils. I used French green lentils since I couldn't find black lentils. It's an excellent vegetarian meal, and the presentation is nice.
- I love these pot pies, but the dough is very difficult to work with. It's very dry and crumbly and I complain about it every time I make these. In the end, it always comes together. This cookbook isn't that well written, but I've liked everything I've made out of it. I love how these seem to be just regular little molten chocolate cakes, but in the middle is a fresh raspberry surprise.

• Hummus (Fine Cooking #10, August/September 1995, p. 66)
• Braised Root Vegetables with Black Lentils and Red Wine Sauce (Local Flavors, Deborah Madison, p. 223)
• Celeriac & Yukon Gold Purée (Fine Cooking #48, January 2002, p. 55)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)
• Chocolate-Raspberry Pot Pies (Just a Bite, Gale Gand, p. 228)

Wine: 2000 Testarossa Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia Highlands, California). Lovely and soft.

• Ziti Baked with Spinach, Tomatoes and Smoked Gouda (Cooking Light, March 2004)

I didn't leave for the grocery store until 5:45 tonight, and I still had dinner on the table by 7:15. Larry thought this frittata had more dill than last time, so he didn't like it as much this time. I liked it, but I like dill. I used an egg substitute for seven of the eggs, plus two regular eggs. This is a nice dinner for a weeknight.

• Arugula, Feta and Dill Frittata (Fine Cooking #50, April/May 2002 p. 82b)
• Herb-Baby Lettuce Salad with Cherry Tomatoes, Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil

I made these last night to have for lunch today. It's from one of the same Cooking Light articles I've been cooking from, one on taking lunch to work. The lentils aren't vegetarian, but I could have used vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. The wrap was a little soggy, probably because I sliced the cucumbers the night before and stored them in water. I dried them off, but still. This was okay, not something I'll make again.

• Lentil Dal Wraps (Cooking Light, August 2004)

We picked Jay up from the airport tonight and brought him home for dinner. Labor day is a traditional day for grilling, but somehow I got it in my head I was going to do a vegetarian lasagna. Lots of cooking, a hot day and no air conditioning isn't very pleasant, but it wasn't horrible. Both recipes are featured in Fine Cooking's "Dinner with Friends" issue. The lasagna recipe differs slightly from the original in that the original uses 4 oz. mozzarella vs. 10 to 12 oz. in the re-released version.

- Although this lasagna is vegetarian, it is far from low fat. It's got lots of butter and cheese in it. I love fresh mozzarella. I don't like zucchini so I was worried about how much I would like this. It was okay, a bit too zucchini for me. Jay and Larry really liked it. It took some time to put together, but I did it early in the day so I just had to reheat it before dinner. I made a full recipe, and it made quite a bit.
- I used cannellini beans for the bean salad. The article suggests making bruschetta with the beans, but I like just bean salad. I left out the jalapeño, since Jay doesn't do spicy. The beans weren't bad.

I made this last night so that I could bring it to work for lunch. It's interesting. Not fabulous. I love bulgur, and I love chickpeas. I had to add more salt to this. It was fairly quick to make, about a half hour. It might be a nice picnic item. I had Jay try it, and he liked it.

• Moroccan-Spiced Bulgur and Chickpea Salad (Cooking Light, August 2004)

I love rice noodles, and I like tofu a lot too. I was looking for something quick and vegetarian tonight. This was good, not fabulous. I'd double the sauce mixture next time so the flavors are more pronounced. Larry agreed that it was missing something. It came together in about 45 minutes.

• Rice Noodles with Tofu and Bok Choy (Cooking Light, June 2003)

Since we have an abundance of wonderful heirloom tomatoes from our garden, I've taken to slow roasting them. This is an excellent method of cooking tomatoes. I threw a bunch in the blender the other day and made a sauce for pasta - it was really good. I didn't add anything to it, although basil would have been nice. I'd like to use these on grilled cheese sandwiches. Roasting the tomatoes makes them really sweet and concentrates the flavor of the tomatoes.

• Slow-Roasted Summer Tomatoes (Fine Cooking #66, September 2004, p. 60)

The article on grilling pizza in the latest issue of Fine Cooking got me thinking about pizza tonight. It was just me for dinner, but grilled pizza is an excellent meal for one. I used to do it all the time when I lived alone. I've been grilling pizza for many years. I think the first time I did it was when another article about grilled pizza came out in the June/July 1996 issue (#15) of Fine Cooking. I didn't follow a recipe tonight, just picked up pizza dough from Trader Joe's, and put fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and basil on top. Excellent. Some of the toppings in the newest article look pretty good - I'd like to try those sometime.

It looks like we're nearing the end of our beloved Pimientos de Padron. I only had about ten in my last harvest. There are a few more blossoms on the plants, but I expect our supply to dry up pretty soon. Next year, more plants.

• Sauteéd Pimientos de Padron
• Grilled Pizza with Fresh Mozzarella, Tomatoes and Basil (Fine Cooking #66, September 2004, p. 34)

Wine: Rafanelli 1999 Zinfandel (Dry Creek Valley, California).

Renee is in town this weekend, so we had her and Jay for dinner. We haven't seen Renee for over a year, so it was a nice night of catching up.

- I hadn't made these mushroom burgers for a year, but I really should make them more often. They can be made ahead of time and are really good. I like them even though I really don't like mushrooms. Tonight I didn't make them with the garlic aioli and basil pesto like I usually do - we just had sautéed red onions, arugula and the regular condiments. They're not your typical mushroom "burgers", which is usually just a grilled portabella mushroom. These are a mixture of chopped and sliced mushrooms, with cream cheese and bread crumbs to help hold them together. They're very meaty.
- Jay really liked the zucchini salad, although he said it had too much pepper. Larry wasn't overly enthusiastic but still said he'd want it again (he especially liked the corn). I liked it because it didn't taste like zucchini.

• Wild Mushroom "Burgers" (Mustards Grill Napa Valley Cookbook, Cindy Pawlcyn, p. 151)
• Zucchini, Tomato and Corn Salad (Gourmet, August 2002)
• Grilled Cherry Tomato Pasta with Crisp Breadcrumbs and Basil (Fine Cooking #46, September 2001, p, 51)

Wine: Rafanelli 1999 Zinfandel (Dry Creek Valley, California). Great wine - excellent with the burgers, bright fruit just like I expect from a Zinfandel.

I tried out my new Villaware Panini Grill today. I made sandwiches for lunch - tomatoes, pesto, and sharp white cheddar cheese on sourdough bread. They were excellent. I also made some appetizers for Jay and Larry before dinner - just mushrooms, olive oil and salt on sourdough. I think they look really nice. Jay and Larry thought they were good, not fantastic.

- This bean salad is one of our summer staples. It's really good. I've never actually made the tuna confit part of the recipe - I just use albacore that I poach in olive oil, lemon slices, rosemary, salt and pepper.
- I absolutely loved these popovers. They were really easy and come together quickly in the blender. I'd like to try some of the variations - herbs, parmesan, etc. Jay and Larry thought they were okay, but they don't love popovers like I do.

• Cremini Mushroom Toasts (Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book, Nancy Silverton, p. 17)
  
• White Bean Salad with Fresh Tuna Confit (Fine Cooking #46, September 2001, p. 69)
  
• Popovers (Fine Cooking #50, May 2002, p. 44)
  
• Hearts of romaine with Caesar Dressing (The Best Recipe, p. 42)
  

Wine: David Coffaro 2002 Pinot Noir (Sonoma County, California). Good everyday Pinot. A bit young and closed, but nice.

Jay came for dinner tonight. I decided to do something vegetarian since I had a lot on hand, especially a new stock of fava beans from Planet Organics.

- I added Herb Dumplings (tarragon) as suggested. The dish was okay. Larry thought it was "missing something". I liked the dumplings. I think the dish would make a better side dish than main dish, although I thought it was a lot of work.
- Tonight's crisp was blueberry, blackberry and cherry. I used a lot more blueberries than last time, since it seems as though that's what really makes it good. I'd like to do a peach-blueberry crisp while peaches are in season. I did the standard topping tonight instead of adding oatmeal like last time. I think this is one of the best desserts I make, and it's easy and fast to boot.

• Young Root Vegetable Braise (Local Flavors, Deborah Madison, p. 203)
• Herb Dumplings (Local Flavors, Deborah Madison, p. 66)
• Baby Arugula and Baby Spinach Salad with Grape Tomatoes, Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar
• Cherry-Blackberry-Blueberry Fruit Crisp with Crunch Crisp Topping (Fine Cooking #51, July 2002, p, 52)

Larry and I went to a book signing at Books Inc. last night - Christopher Kimball of Cook's Illustrated is promoting their new book, Baking Illustrated. I looked through Baking Illustrated, and it looks good - but I was more interested in the third America's Test Kitchen Cookbook. Mr. Kimball doesn't seem to be a warm, engaging person. That just may be how he is in crowds, but I wasn't impressed. Nonetheless, I like Cook's Illustrated - I think the recipes are as reliable as those in Fine Cooking, just not quite as interesting. One of the recipes in Baking Illustrated got me craving calzones. I found the same recipe on the web site (available to subscribers, I don't think the recipe ever appeared in the printed issue).

- I cut the six-serving calzone recipe in half, but still only made two calzones. They were huge, and Larry and I just split one between us. They were excellent. The recipe has a couple of variations, but this is the one that appealed to me most. I've never made calzones. I skipped the pizza dough part of the recipe, and opted for Trader Joe's pre-made dough. I hate making pizza dough, and have always just gotten it from a pizza parlor (many sell raw dough). It's cheap, good and fast.
- The tomato sauce for the calzones was really good. It took fifteen minutes to make. I want to make it during the week - it would be great with capellini.
- The spinach salad was good, but we both like the other warm vinaigrette I've made in the past - this one didn't have mustard in it.
- There was a dark chocolate tasting at the book signing last night. We had a lot of chocolate left over, so we decided to open a bottle of port to go with it,

• Ricotta Calzones with Red Peppers, Spinach and Goat Cheese (Cook's Illustrated, September/October 2003)
• Simple Tomato Sauce (Cook's Illustrated, September/October 2003)
• Wilted Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing (Inside America's Test Kitchen, Cook's Illustrated, p. 101)
• Dark Chocolate (Baker's, Ghirardelli and Scharffenberger)

Wine:
- David Bruce 1999 Ranchita Canyon Sangiovese (Paso Robles, California). Good everyday Sangiovese. We have another nine bottles of it still.
- Teldeschi 1997 Zinfandel Port (Dry Creek Valley, California). Not bad. It was one of the first bottles of wine Larry and I bought together.

Jay was here for dinner tonight. I decided to do something vegetarian, because we had a lot of produce from our organic delivery last week. Once I saw the photo of this in the cookbook, I couldn't resist.

- The vegetables and lentils are as good as they look in the photo, and they were easy to make. I did most everything ahead of time. This is a good dish for company.
- I've never used celery root before, but I liked the earthiness that it added to the potatoes. I'd definitely make this again. It went great with the veggies.

• Braised Root Vegetables with Black Lentils and Red Wine Sauce (Local Flavors, Deborah Madison, p. 223)
• Celeriac & Yukon Gold Purée (Fine Cooking #48, January 2002, p. 55)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)

Jay, Martin and Hilary came for dinner tonight. I made an appetizer because I'm always looking for something yummy and easy.

- I tasted the mushrooms despite my aversion to eating fungus. I liked the filling, but not the mushroom. Everyone liked these. They're good to make ahead. Although they're in the Quick & Delicious section of Fine Cooking, I wouldn't consider these quick. Too many things to prep.
- The souffles were good, but not as good as the first time. I probably won't be making these again unless we have vegetarians over for dinner. They're a lot of work, even though all of the work up to the final baking can be done ahead.
- I made glazed carrots (thanks for the advice, Amy!) using a mixture of white carrots and regular carrots. It was a nice mix.
- Martin bought a marble burnt almond cake from Dick's Bakery in Willow Glen. Oh yum.

• Parmesan and Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms (Fine Cooking #63, Feb/March 2004, p. 82C)
• Twice-Baked Spinach Soufflés (Fine Cooking #28, September 1998, p. 62)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)
• Glazed Carrots (Fine Cooking #42, January 2001 p.24)
• Marble Burnt Almond Cake

Wine: Forth 2002 Sauvignon Blanc (Mendocino County, California). Jay doesn't like this wine that much, probably because it's a little off-dry. But it was a nice wine with the soufflés.

Jay was here for dinner tonight. Larry requested a light pasta dish tonight, so I went back to an old cookbook that has some good, reliable pasta dishes in it. The cake is really nice - not too sweet, almost like a quick bread rather than a cake. I'm surprised that it turned out as well as it did - I used the wrong measuring cup and put a cup and a half of sugar into the batter rather than a cup. I noticed the mistake after it was in the oven.

• Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes (Rose Reisman Brings Home Pasta Dishes, Rose Reisman, p. 40)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)
• Spinach and Arugula Salad with Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar and Grape Tomatoes
• Lemon Tea Cake

Wine: Acorn 1999 Sangiovese (Russian River Valley, California). Nice wine. A lighter-style Sangiovese, very drinkable.

I'm apparently on some sort of souffle kick.

- These were a bit of work. Again. As usual, they key is to be well-prepped. But since they're twice-baked, they can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before the second baking, which is short. They were really good. We just had these, because Larry had to be somewhere tonight so he was in a hurry.
- I had some extra berry soufflés from last night, saved in the refrigerator. They were just as good.

• Twice-Baked Spinach Soufflés (Fine Cooking #28, September 1998, p. 62)
• Berry Soufflés (Fine Cooking #19, March 1997, p. 71)

Wine: David Coffaro 2002 Sauvignon Blanc (Dry Creek Valley, California). Yum - finally, a California winemaker that's making a New-Zealand style Sauvignon Blanc. Very nice.

I'm minimizing my cooking this week, in preparation for the big feast on Thursday. Tonight we tried Quesadillas with a twist. I liked the black beans in this. I wasn't overly crazy about the goat cheese, even though I really like goat cheese. Larry liked them a lot.

• Black Bean & Goat Cheese Quesadillas with Guacamole (Fine Cooking #62, January 2004, p. 86c)

Amy had mentioned that she did a butternut squash dumpling recipe that was on Good Eats, and I've been wanting to try it. The recipe on the Food Network site could use some work. I happened to have a copy of the Squash Court episode, so I went from that rather than the recipe online.

- The dumplings turned out good - they were easy to make and didn't take a whole lot of effort. The secret with the sauté step is to have plenty of butter and a very hot pan so the dumplings get brown and crisp on the outside. It made a lot of dumplings, so I froze about half of them and put the rest in the refrigerator after I had par boiled them.

• Butternut Dumplings with Brown Butter and Sage (Good Eats, Squash Court)
• Baby Spinach Salad with Croutons, Cherry Tomatoes, and Brianna's Poppyseed Dressing

Jay and his brother Arun were over for dinner. Arun is a vegetarian and Jay doesn't eat spicy food, so I had some restrictions on what I could make. I decided to make the vegetarian chili again, since it was so good last time. I set aside a non-spicy portion of the chili for Jay like I usually do.

- I've been on a Cornbread Quest for the past couple of years. I'd like to make a skillet cornbread that's as good as the cornbread at Bandera in Los Altos. So far, I haven't succeeded. Theirs has corn and jalapeños and cheddar cheese in it for sure. It's also pretty sweet, and has a yummy crust. This recipe came close as far as flavor and texture, but it's a Southern cornbread so it wasn't very sweet. I also think I could mimic the Bandera crust with a last-minute brushing of honey butter over the top, maybe five or ten minutes before I take it out of the oven.

• Spicy Two-Bean Vegetarian Chili (Bon Appétit, November 2002)
• Double-Corn Tex-Mex Cornbread with Cheese & Green Chiles (Fine Cooking #20, May 1997, p.47)

Wine: Ridge 1999 Buchingani Ranch Zinfandel (Sonoma County, California). Yum - Ridge does a fantastic job with their Zins. This one is big and jammy, just like I like them.

I didn't even start to think about dinner until about 5:45 tonight, so I needed to do something quick, with ingredients already in the kitchen. This was very easy and very good. I love creamy tomato sauces.

• Penne with Tomato Vodka Cream Sauce (Fine Cooking #50, May 2002, p. 48)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)

David Bruce 2000 Shandon Hills Petite Sirah (Paso Robles, California). I opened this bottle last night. This is a terrific wine. We don't drink Petite Sirah very often, but whenever we do, we like it.

I was unsure about how this frittata would taste. Sometimes feta can be a bit overwhelming, and I wasn't sure about how cooked arugula would taste. It turned out beautifully and the dill was very subtle. De-stemming the arugula took a bit of time, but other than that it was very quick and easy.

• Arugula, Feta and Dill Frittata (Fine Cooking #50, April/May 2002 p. 82b)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)

Wine: Villa Maria 2002 Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand).

I wanted to make something similar to a dish Amy had at Central Market when I was in Austin last week.

- I marinated firm tofu in soy souce, garlic, and Asian hot sauce. I put it under the broiler, but there are a couple of things I'd do different next time. First, I'd broil it ahead of time so that it's served at room temperature. Second, I'd broil it longer. I had to turn it over once to cook both sides thoroughly.
- The Asian Slaw was excellent. I cut back on the peanut butter, because I just don't like peanuts. I used Napa cabbage instead of plain cabbage. This could be a very quick salad with bagged cabbage - I saw one at the store with red and green cabbage and carrots.

• Broiled Marinated Tofu
• Super Slaw (Bon Appétit, July 1998)