French Cuisine

Our French restaurant experience this week in the Washington D.C.-area. Mon Ami Gabi. This is scallops in brown butter with whipped cauliflower and garlic sauteed spinach. One of the best meals during our travels this week. I want to try to make a whipped cauliflower dish at home. Anyone have a recipe?

Two Turkeys

A tale of two turkeys for our Thanksgiving dinner in the D.C.-area this year. The deep-fried turkey was injected with Cajun butter seasoning. We also had a traditional turkey that was brined with seasoning, cider and orange juice and stuffed with cranberry and sausage dressing. Both were excellent!

Homemade Egg Salad Sandwich

I happened to have three hard-boiled eggs in the refrigerator and experimented with a homemade egg salad sandwich. I was also able to use more of that lovely purple shallot I featured earlier this week. I'll be making this again, soon! Scoop out the yolks, mash them with a fork and add mayo and celery salt to taste. Chop up the whites and a little bit of shallot. Mix together, spread on toasted bread and add pepper to taste before topping the sandwich. Yum!

Fish Tacos

I ordered this new menu offering at Red Robin and was pleasantly surprised. These fish tacos tasted suspiciously like my home-made ones. The only difference was that I sprinkle the shredded cabbage with lime and salt and let it sit for a few minutes before adding the mixture to the tacos. And, I bake the fish.

Cooking Challenge: Purple Shallot

A purple shallot couple arrived in my organic box delivery. Using it in my kitchen was a first. I found lots of recipes for sauces featuring minced shallots, but I didn't make anything that fancy. I diced up the shallot and added it to rosemary red potatoes as they were roasting. This purple shallot added a strong, sweet flavor.

Artsy Shrimp Tempura

Shrimp tempura and the way it's presented makes kids happy. We hit up one of our regular eateries last night - Kyoto. The sushi was extra good, and sushi chef Vincent treated us to ice cream afterwards. I love that place.

Cauliflower Favorite Side Dish

This cauliflower side dish trick is from my stepmother. Put a whole head of cauliflower covered with plastic wrap in the microwave for about six minutes, until al dente tender. Remove the wrap, lightly spread mayonnaise over the top and then layer with cheese. I used American. Cheddar is good, too. Microwave for another minute, slice into wedges and serve.