....is a Mediterranean Couscous Date

 

1 Dozen Olives, Halved
1/4 Onion, Diced
1/2 Zucchini, Diced
Rotisserie Chicken, Sliced*
1 can Artichoke Hearts, Drained & Diced
1 Tomato, Diced
1/2 Cup Feta
1/2 Cup Chickpeas
1/2 Lemon, Juiced
Cook couscous to package directions (replace required Water with Chicken Broth). Then stir in everything else.

Original Mediterranean Couscous Recipe
*Ingredients from here up differ from original recipe.

....is a Prejean's Andouille Gumbo Date

Makes 5 quarts

¼ Cup Corn Oil

1 lb Andouille Sausage, Sliced in ¼ in. Circles

¾ Cup Onion, Diced

½ Cup bell pepper, Diced

¼ Cup Celery, Finely Diced

½ Rotisserie Chicken

2 Tbsp Paprika

¾ tsp Black Pepper

¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper

1 Bay Leaf

2½ Quarts Chicken Stock

½ Cup Plus 1 Tbsp Dark Roux

2 tsp Kitchen Bouquet

3 Dashes Tabasco

3 Tbsp Green Onion, Sliced

Rice

First you make a Roux (a really Dark Roux)*
 
Heat Vegetable Oil to hot and maintain heat in an 8-quart cast-iron or other heavy pot over medium-low heat.

Meanwhile, in a nonstick skillet, brown Andouille Sausage, then add to oil in the cast-iron pot. Repeat process with Cajun Sausage, Onion, Bell Pepper and Celery, Rotisserie Chicken, sautéing each ingredient individually and transferring each ingredient to the cast-iron pot as it is browned.

Add the Paprika, Black Pepper, Cayenne and Bay Leaf to the pot and stir. Mix in stock. Stir in Roux until blended. Bring to a boil and cook 40 minutes, stirring attentively.

Add Kitchen Bouquet, Tabasco and Green Onions and stir well. Simmer 5 minutes longer. Serve hot over cooked rice.

*I assume you make the Roux first since most recipes from South Louisiana start this way.

OPTION (one we took) - For simplicity and availability of ingredients, some deviations from the original Prejean’s recipe could still work. Substitute chicken and/or turkey for the quail and pheasant breasts. A pre-cooked Rotisserie chicken may be a great option (one less thing to deal with).

....is a Dark Roux

This Recipe was taken straight from this link: 
http://www.cookinglouisiana.com/Cooking/Making-a-Roux.htm

"For a gumbo I use about a 1/4 to 1/3 cup of flour per gallon of gumbo. That's just
a general rule of thumb I use to get the consistency I like. Some people like thick
gumbo and some like thin. If in doubt, cook more roux than you think you need
and take some out before you start putting the other stuff together. You can then
add more roux if you want a thicker consistency.

If you are a beginner at rouxs start out with a half flour, half oil mixture. The more
oil you use the less likely it will burn too fast. As you get better at it you can use
less oil. Add the oil and flour to the pot and set the fire on medium. My best rouxs
were made in a cast iron pot or cast iron skillet. Using a spatula, stir the roux
scraping the entire bottom of the pot every time. Using a spatula allows you to
move all of the mixture around and you don't have to make more than a few passes
to do it. Stir the mixture every 15 seconds or so. The roux will bubble at first then
will get smooth as it cooks.

WARNING.. Don't be tempted to walk away and do
something else, if the roux burns at any point during the process, it is no good.
Once the roux has turned a medium brown lower the fire just a little. Keep stirring
as you were before. You will notice with each stirring the roux gets a tiny bit more
brown."

....is a Spicy Corn Soufflé Date

Soufflé di Mais Piccante

2 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Flour
Scant 1 Cup of Milk*
1-1/2 Cup Parmesan
3 Eggs, Separated
2 Cups Canned Sweetcorn, Drained
1/2 Bell Pepper, Diced
1/2 Fresh Chile, Finely Diced
Paprika
Salt & Pepper

*I learned a new cooking term: 'scant means "No more than" in cooking parlance. So, don't add one drop of milk more than 1 cup.' and then I learned another new word: 'Parlance: A particular way of speaking or using words, esp. a way common to those with a particular job or interest.'

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees. Grease an 8x8 pan with butter.

Melt the Butter in a small pan over low heat, stir in the Flour and gradually stir in he Milk.

Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened and smooth, then remove from the heat, stir in Parmesan and let cool slightly.

Beat in the Egg Yolks, one at a time.

Stir in the Corn, Bell Pepper, Chile, Paprika, Salt and Pepper.

Stiffly whisk the Egg Whites and fold in. Spoon into the prepared dish and Bake for 20 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 5 minutes more.

CPB.

 

Mine.

....is King's Hardware

Kings Hardware
5225 Ballard Avenue Northwest, Seattle, WA 98107

Not a Buffalo Burger & Fries.

....Samdura & Coffee

Samudra Yoga 
1223 McKenzie Avenue, Bremerton, WA

Coffee, Tea & Treats.

 How can you go wrong with Adirondack Chairs?

....is the Citizen

Citizen Queen Anne
706 Taylor Ave N, Seattle, Washington

A nice deck on a sunny day.

Pulled Pork with a little Creme Fraiche and Chips. Sangria on a sunny day.

....is Pesto Pizza

I made the Pesto from scratch and tried a new Dough.


Pesto
1 Bunch Basil
1/8 Cup Pine Nuts
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Sun Dried Tomatoes
2 Cloves Garlic
1/3 Cup Parmesan
Salt & Pepper

 Basil.

 Pine Nuts, Parmesan & Sun Dried Tomatoes.

A little blending in my mini-food processor.

Wanna make it creamy? Scoop in some Greek Yogurt. Sound weird? Yup. And yummy.


Dough
2-1/4 Cups Warm Water, Divided
2 Tbsp Sugar
2 Tbsp Yeast
About 5 Cups Flour, Divided
1-1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Salt

Whisk 3/4 Cup Water, Sugar, & Yeast in a large bowl and let stand until surface has a few little bubbles and is creamy, about 5 minutes. Add 1-1/2 Water, 3-3/4 Cups Flour, Olive Oil and Salt, til smooth. While stirring gradually add up to another cup of Flour until the dough starts to pull itself away from the edges of the bowl.

Kneed the dough on a generously Floured surface until elastic and smooth, about 8 minutes of hard work. Dust the surface with flour as you go, don't let it stick.dust with flour and place in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it sit in a warm spot until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours.

....is a Stuffed Bell Peppers Date

Makes 4 Servings:
2 Large Bell Peppers
½ Cup Onions, Diced
¼ Cup Celery, Diced
¼ Cup Green Bell Peppers, Diced
1 ½ Tbsp Olive Oil
¾ lbs Ground Beef or Turkey
1 Medium Size Eggplant, Peeled and Cubed
Salt and Cayenne (or other seasoning) to taste
Fine Dried Bread Crumbs
Grated Parmesan Cheese

 Slice the bell peppers in half lengthwise, remove the seeds, rinse under cool water and set
aside.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onions, celery, and chopped bell
pepper, stirring, until they are soft and lightly golden, 6 to 8 minutes.

 

  Add the ground beef and cook, stirring, until the beef is brown and all the pink has disappeared.

Add the eggplant, season with salt and cayenne, reduce the heat to medium low and cook, covered, for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally and mashing the eggplant with a fork as it cooks. The eggplant should be quite soft. If the mixture becomes dry, add a little water from time to time to keep it moist.

Remove from heat, then add enough bread crumbs to bind the mixture slightly. Cool for about
10 minutes.

Fill the bell pepper halves with equal portions of the mixture. Place the filled peppers into a
shallow baking pan and add just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. Bake at 350
degrees for about 30 minutes.

If you like the peppers to be a little softer, you can blanch the bell peppers (before filling, of
course) in boiling water for about 30 seconds, or just enough to soften them up a bit.

 

 CPB.

Mine.

Day after Scramble with the left over Stuffing.

....is a Hot Niçoise Salad Date

A Meal Made for Two
1/4 lb Fresh Green Beans
1/2 Cup Cherry Tomatoes
1/4 Cup Black Olives
Fresh Basil
1 Yellow Bell Pepper
2 Tuna Steaks
2 Eggs
1 Lemon
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

 CPB.

Mine.

Preheat the oven to 400 and when it gets up to temp or just before put the bell pepper whole on a the baking pan (same one we'll use later) drizzle with olive oil. Leave it in for 10-15 min. While you're doing the rest of the prep.

Halve the tomatoes. Toss the asparagus, tomatoes, olives and about 4 Tbsp of olive oil. Tear the basil in halves or thirds. And place it all in your  baking pan.

Ok back to the bell pepper. (I'm kinda make this up as I go because I'm trying to simplify it from the recipe.) So it should have softened some, cut it in half and take out the seeds (careful not to burn yourself!). Cut each half it into strip of 6ths or 8ths. And toss it all in the baking pan.

Take the Ahi Tuna Steaks and rub them (or drizzle if you don't want to touch them) with olive oil and then salt and pepper both side. Lay it amongst the veggies.

Crack the eggs into your brand spankin' new ramekins. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Put them in the baking tray too. This is a one pan, two ramekin type meal. Save on dishes.

Put everything the oven for 13 minutes or until the eggs are set and the tuna is cooked thru (it will flake) but is still moist.

Pull the pan out and squeeze lemon over everything and serve.

 CPB.

 Mine.