February 2010

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Yesterday, we celebrated the Super Bowl at the Kimball’s (Adam, Jenni and Dr. Leo Marvin) .  Here is glamour shot of Dr. Leo Marvin.  He is a stud.

 

The Kimballs lived in New Orleans for a few years and are big Saints fans.  They also made some great New Orleans fare and Adam served his homemade beer!  It was super yummy. 

Cajun Jambalaya and a Craw-fish Boil!

 

Adam digging in. 

 He said to drink the juices from the head of the craw-fish once you break off the tail. Not sure that I like that a lot, but at least I tried it. 

Crawfish boil in Boise?? I was surprised too.  Apparently you can get Craw-fish at a little fish market in the north end. 

 Our friend Celia is from Alabama and she is the sweetest! 

 To complete the southern feast, she brought sweet tea and fried pickles. She said she tamed down the sweetness of the tea for all of us.  I loved the fried pickles! Her husband Tim fried them.

 

Here are Tim and Celia together.

 

Here is the entire spread from yesterday.   The Saints cookies were super cute! 

 

I had about 10 plates like this. :)

We also brought our friends Jen and Balaji. 

Of course, John Black and Jav made an appearance

My contribution was Mango Shrimp Ceviche and Caprese Sticks.  The caprese sticks are a specialty of my friend Crissie’s over at www.designeatplay.com.  SO easy and good!

 

Since it is the middle of winter and I live in Boise I chose shrimp for the ceviche.  I figured nothing good can come out of raw fish this time of year in the b-town.  It isn’t actually cooked all the way by the lime juice, only partially which is faster than typical ceviche.  

 Mango Shrimp Ceviche

1 lb. raw shrimp peeled, deveined, tails removed

2 tomatoes chopped

1 Red onion minced

1 Cucumber peeled and chopped

¼ Head of a Red Cabbage chopped

Couple of handfuls of cilantro chopped

2 Serrano peppers chopped (seeds and veins removed)

1 Cup Fresh lime juice

2 Mangos peeled and chopped

2 Avocados pitted, peeled and chopped

Salt and Pepper to tasted

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Meanwhile, chop shrimp into smaller bits like this.

Boil shrimp for 1-2 minutes. 

Remove from heat and strain, immediately place in ice water to cool. 

Once cool add tomatoes, onions, cucumber, cabbage, peppers, cilantro and lime juice in a large bowl. 

Stir well.  Place covered in fridge for an hour. 

Add mangos and avocados just prior to serving.  Salt and pepper to taste.   Serve with tortilla chips.

 

Caprese Sticks (by Crissie)

 

1 Pint Grape Tomatoes halved

4 oz Mozzarella Cheese cut into small squares

Couple of handfuls of basil cut into small pieces

Toothpicks

Balsamic vinegar

Salt and Pepper

Take one grape tomato, one small piece of basil and piece of cheese and place on a toothpick.  Assemble caprese sticks like this:

Serve on a plate drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Enjoy!

Love,

Lindzee

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I would like to tell you a little about one of my favorite restaurants in Boise, Flatbread Community Oven. Have you ever been? If not, GO NOW. It is amazing. I am truly obsessed. Fantastic wood-fired pizza (I prefer the sundried tomato, artichoke, goat cheese concoction), great wine flights for under $10, salads and the best part is that you can finish off your meal with warm homemade chocolate chip cookies and cold milk.

They also make this unbelievably good salad with chicken, apples, grapes, blue cheese and candied walnuts. Of course, the first time I ordered it, I immediately went home and tried to copy it minus the chicken. The result is this recipe, not quite Flatbread status, but it is pretty darn good. Flatbread makes theirs with mixed greens, which Jav hates, so I substituted romaine. BTW, for all you Boise peeps, I heard there is a new Flatbread going in downtown Boise on 6th and Main. Holla!

Apple, Grape and Blue Cheese Salad with Candied Walnuts

1 Cup Seedless Red Grapes Halved

1 Apple Chopped

1 Cup Candied Walnuts Chopped (Recipe Below)

 ½ Cup Blue Cheese Crumbles

 5-6 Cups Romaine Lettuce (washed, dried and Cut into bite size pieces)

Apple Cider Vinaigrette (Recipe Below)

 Mix all ingredients together.

 Pour dressing over salad just prior to serving.

 Candied Walnuts

1/4 Cup Sugar

1 Cup Walnuts

Heat sugar over medium heat in a medium skillet until it just starts to melt. You must be super careful and diligent at this point. I have destroyed many of expensive nuts at this point by burning them. Throw in walnuts and let sugar melt, but as soon as you see the sugar turning brown turn down the heat to low. Cook until all sugar is melted and walnuts are evenly coated. Remove from heat and set aside on foil. Set in fridge for 15 minutes. Serve cool.

Apple Cider Vinaigrette

3 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar

¼ Teaspoon Dijon Mustard

¼ Cup Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Mix ACV and mustard together with wire whisk. Slowly whisk in Olive Oil. Season to taste. Enjoy!

Love,

Lindzee

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Howdy! We celebrated a special occasion last night – Jav decided to quit his job and start his own business Arerra Interactive! Today was his first day being his own boss. I am so proud of him and know he will be extremely successful in his new venture.  However, if it doesn’t work out he might have a successful career in modeling.

To commemorate the occasion, I made some beef and potatoes. Jav is mostly a fan of french fries and burgers (Jack in the Box, McDonalds, Burger King) and likes to spend his day of Sabbath partaking in a tradition called “Gluttony Sunday” where he generally visits all three of these fast food joints before noon.

However, this Sunday, I decided to make a stuffed flank steak with roasted fingerling potatoes. Aren’t fingerling potatoes the cutest? They are so good too!

Their flavor is just a tad sweet and creamy. This is a very simple meal that makes it look like you spent a lot of time slaving away in the kitchen.

 Stuffed Flank Steak

 1.5-2lbs of Flank Steak

 Marinade

 ¼ Cup Soy Sauce
2 Cloves Garlic Chopped
4 Green Onions Chopped
½ Cup Brown Sugar
¼ Cup Rice Wine Vinegar
4 Tablespoons Honey
½ Cup Pineapple Juice
Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
¼ Cup Olive Oil

Pound meat with meat pounder covered with plastic wrap until ¼ inch thick. Watch out for splatters!

Blend marinade all ingredients in the blender.

Pour over flank steak in ziplock bag. Marinate in fridge for 2-4 hours.

Filling

6 Strips of Good Quality Bacon
2 Cups Fresh Spinach
2 Cloves Garlic
 3/4 Cup Parmesan Shredded
1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook bacon until partially cooked but not crisp.

Drain off grease and set bacon aside.

 In food processor, pulse together spinach, garlic, parmesan, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper until mixture resembles a pesto.

Remove steak from fridge and spread spinach mixture over the steak.

 

Add bacon pieces not overlapping on top of spinach mixture.

Roll together tightly.

Use toothpicks or skewers to hold together ever two inches.

 Slice into two inch rolls.

Grill over medium heat for 10-15 minutes until done.


This is for medium depending on your grill hotness. If you use a meat therm, I like it to read 135 degrees when I take them off the grill.

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

5 Cloves Garlic
¼ Cup Olive Oil
3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Chopped Rosemary
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Crush garlic – Remember this old thing, the garlic crusher? I love this tool.

 Mix garlic, oil, lemon juice, rosemary and salt and pepper together in small bowl.

 Pour mixture over potatoes in a roasting pan.

Make sure potatoes are evenly covered. Roast for 20-25 minutes until brown and yummy.
Serve hot.

Enjoy!

Love,

Lindzee

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