Spring has Sprung

Cleg and I created and planted several new flower beds last spring.  Cleg went crazy at the end of fall, and bought out all the drastically reduced flowers and bushes!!  I think he planted 30+  rhododendron. It has been fun this spring to see all these plants emerge!!  And, we only lost a few!

"Snowball" Viburnum

Cleg's blackberries

Heuchera "Carmel"

Rhododendron

Spinach

Other than fennel, fresh spinach is my other new favorite vegetable.  I have made this recipe numerous times, using fresh spinach.  The recipe calls for frozen.... but it is much, much better with fresh.  Just use a whole bag, and chop it before you saute it.  It will only take 2-3 minutes to cook the spinach.

Chicken Florentine Style

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Salt & freshly ground pepper
• All-purpose flour, for dredging
• 6 T. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 T. shallots, sliced
• 1 T. chopped garlic
• 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 T. chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 2 (10-oz) pkg frozen cut-leaf spinach, thawed, drained.... or 1 Bag fresh spinach, chopped

Sprinkle chicken with salt & pepper.  Dredge chicken in flour to coat slightly.  Shake off excess flour.  Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a heavy large skillet over medium heat.  Add the chicken and cook until brown, about 5 minutes per side.  Transfer chicken to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the same skillet over medium heat.  Add the shallots & garlic & saute until the shallots are translucent, stirring to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet, about 1 minute.  Add the wine.  Increase the heat to medium-high & boil until the liquid is reduced by half, about 3 minutes.  Add the cream and boil until the sauce reduces by half, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Stir in the parsley.  Season the sauce with salt & pepper.  Add the chicken and any accumulated juices to the sauce, and turn the chicken to coat in the sauce.

Meanwhile, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in another large skillet over medium heat.  Add the spinach and saute until heated through.  Season the spinach with salt & pepper. Arrange spinach over a platter.  Place the chicken atop the spinach.  Pour the sauce over and serve.

Serves 4

Tuscan Vegetable Ragout (ragu)

I cooked this after I posted the recipe.  It is so colorful and tasty!!  Cannot wait for fresh tomatoes.

Fennel... Fennel

Have I ever  told you how much I love fennel?  It is a great vegetable.... you can eat it raw or cooked.  I added it to my beef stew all this past winter.  And I usually roast it with bell peppers and onions tossed with olive oil.  Anyway, here is a great fennel salad that I got from The Cooking Channel..... Laura Calder's show "French Food at Home".  Take a look at the recipes from her show. They are simple to cook, and very tasty, and always fresh ingredients.  I will post another recipe of hers in a few days.  The toasted pine nuts add a nice crunch.

Roasted Fennel Salad

• 1 fennel bulb, fronds reserved
• olive oil, for frying
• Fleur de sel (sea salt) & freshly ground black pepper
• 1 orange
• 1/2 small red onion
• Handful small black olives
• Handful toasted pine nuts
• Zest & juice of 1 lemon

Trim the fennel, reserving a handful of green fronds.  Cut into slices about 1/4 inch thick.  Heat a little olive oil in a saute pan, and, working in batches & seasoning with salt and pepper as you go, fry (or saute) the fennel on both sides until golden & tender.  As fennel is done, arrange on a serving platter.

Zest the orange and set the zest aside.  Remove the skin with a sharp knife, taking care to remove all the white pith from the fruit.  Discard the peel.  Cut out the orange sections, arranging over the fennel.  Squeeze the orange juice over the whole salad.

Slice the onion into paper thin rings & arrange over the salad.  Scatter the pine nuts and olives over salad.  Squeeze over lemon juice, to taste.  Drizzle a little more olive oil.  Finally, scatter over the reserved fennel fronds.  Serve.

Serves 4

Sirloin Sliders

This is a great grill recipe, and our weather calls for these now.  I have made these twice in the last 2 weeks.  I got this recipe from the Food Network, recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse.  These are also tasty as leftovers!

Sirloin Sliders with Crispy Bacon & Creamy Horseradish Mayo
Yield:  4 servings


3/4 pound ground chuck (this is needed to provide some fat!)
3/4 pound ground sirloin
2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup minced onion
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp + 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 T. sour cream
3 T. prepared horseradish
12 dinner roll-sized small buns, split in 1/2
2 T. melted butter for  brushing buns
6 slices bacon, cooked crisp, drained, broken into 2-inch pieces

In mixing bowl, combine the chuck, sirloin, garlic, onion, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper. Mix gently but thoroughly to combine.  Using a 2-ounce ice cream scoop, divide mixture into 12 scant 2-ounce balls of meat.  Using your hands, shape to form small patties about 3 inches wide and 3/8-inch thick.  Place on plate & cover with plastic wrap.  Allow to sit in refrigerator at least 1 hour and up to overnight for flavors to mingle (an important step!).
In a small bowl, whisk together mayo, sour cream, horseradish.  Season with remaining 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp pepper.  Place in non-reactive bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 3 days in advance.   (Note: I use more horseradish.... taste to decide!)

When you are ready to cook the burgers, preheat grill to high & lightly butter cut sides of buns with melted butter.  Wrap buns in foil & place on coolest part of grill.
Grill burgers about 2 minutes per side for medium.  Transfer to the warmed buns & garnish with crispy bacon.  Spoon a dollop of horseradish mayo on top of bacon, then place top portion of bun over all.
(I spoon mayo on bun.... it is easier... use a generous amount!).

Note re: Buns:  Pepperidge Farms does make Slider buns... if you can find them.  Otherwise, I buy rolls from the deli.

I'm Back!! with more recipes

Wow... I cannot believe it has been over 3 months since I last posted.  I must do better.  All is well here, and I have been cooking a lot.  I have spent a lot of time reading other food blogs and going back thru old recipes.  Here is a tasty vegetable recipe that I have cooked several times.  It is also very colorful!  Think how good this will be in the summer with tomatoes and zucchini right out of the garden.

Tuscan Vegetable Ragout
2 tsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 zucchini, halved lengthwise & cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 8-oz can diced tomatoes, undrained (I used 14.5-oz can)
1 15.5-oz can cannellini beans, drained & rinsed (original recipe calls for 2 cans)
1 15-oz can artichoke hearts, quartered
2 Tbs. coarsely chopped Kalamata olives (I used more)
1 Tbs. capers, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or basil
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat.  Add garlic & zucchini, cover & cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in tomatoes, beans, & artichoke hearts.  Cook until veggies are tender, about 15 minutes.
Add olives, capers, and half the parsley.  Season with salt & pepper.  Serve sprinkled with remaining parsley.
Serves 4 ( recipe from "Vegetarian Times")