Food goodness

Last night, I was checking out the links that Shannon put on the sidebar -- and adding my own -- and I clicked on one I'd never seen before: The Savory Notebook. Her peanut butter category was my first stop, and I wound up making this for dinner last night with tofu instead of tempeh. I was initially skeptical about making the two separate sauces, but it turned out to be a great idea -- when I usually make peanut sauce, I never like how heavy and gloppy it is on the vegetables and protein. The stuff that's stirred into the noodles is always perfect, but alone it's weird. This solved the problem perfectly -- after I cooked the tofu the way I always do, I added some of the light sauce with scallions and some random greens, then sauteed a huge bunch of green beans with another portion of the sauce, with the lid on. Which I guess is steaming. Whatever. Anyway -- it was good, and there are no leftovers today because my roommates liked it so much that they ate it all. Here is th...

And we're back! I (and I think Hefk, too) skipped last month... somehow I couldn't seem to find the right number of back-to-back hours for the no-knead bread. The schedule doesn't work quite right for me and, frankly, the kneading is one of the things I'm most in love with about the whole aesthetic of bread-baking. Which, after today's farmhouse white experience, I am officially totally in love with. I want to put a ring on its finger and whisk it away to the honeymoon suite. I again tried Susan's version ; like the people she talks about in the entry, I am someone who pretty much never eats white bread, but this just looked too good. And the whole experience was great! I don't really have any comments except that it was a really nice way to spend a pre-holiday-weekend Friday afternoon, the process was fun, the bread looks delicious and smells unbelievable and I'm having trouble waiting the recommended 40 minutes after pulling it out of the oven to start...

I read this food blogger who says if you've got the blues, get yourself into the kitchen and start cooking. And eat a mango while you're at it. I've had a serious case of the blahs for a little over a week now, and I haven't been cooking nearly as much as I used to. I'm not saying the two of them are related, but I'm making a conscious effort to get back into the kitchen and make some good food. Tonight we started off on the right foot with marinated beef tenderloin, which Ernie grilled, skillet-fried potatoes and onions and roasted asparagus. I've had my eye on some chickpea curry recipes for a while now, and none of them seemed quite right to me. So I took what I liked the best from each of them, and created my own. This should be a tasty lunch tomorrow, over some leftover rice. 1 can chickpeas (or two) 1/2 c. -1 c. chana dal (dried split peas) 1 can tomatoes (no salt added) 1 onion, diced curry paste I cooked the chana dal in water for about 30 minutes or...

From the Washington Post , made for Hefk's sprinkler this weekend... Makes 4 to 6 main-course servings. 8 ounces rotini (corkscrew) or any similarly shaped pasta (I used this weird twisty stuff called Trottore from Trader Joe's) 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch dice 3/4 pound plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded ad cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch dice* 10 to 12 medium or large basil leaves, coarsely chopped 2 scallions, white and tender green parts, finely chopped 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, or more to taste Salt and freshly ground black pepper In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until it is done, but still a little firm to the bite. Drain and rinse with cold water until the pasta is completely cool. Let it drain for a few minutes and transfer to a large bowl. Add the mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, scallions, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste, adding more vinegar if desired. Serve immediately, ...

There hasn't been a lot of experimentation with new recipes in our house lately. Most of the time I'm so tired by the time I get home from work we're lucky if I throw something together that makes sense. I've been doing some menu planning lately, though, so maybe the return of new and exciting recipes is at hand. In any case, Ernie made this salmon a few weeks ago, and it was very tasty. I keep meaning to post the recipe, and forgetting. Super easy to make, and very quick -- both bonuses in our books. Snappy Salmon Fillets (found on the back of the Kikkoman's bottle) 1/2 c. soy sauce 2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar 1 tsp. grated fresh lemon peel 1/4 c. lemon juice 4 salmon fillets, about 6 oz. each lemon wedges Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, lemon peel and juice; pour over salmon in large plastic bag. Press air out of bag, close top securely. Turn bage over several times to coat all pieces well. Marinate 30-40 minutes, turning over once. Broil (or grill) salmon 3-4 minu...