Super delicious with minimal prep time, giving the cook plenty of time to enjoy a glass  of wine and  the company of friends and family! Perfect for any summertime grilling occasion.

I prepared this quick and very easy marinade for grilled chicken when my family was here for Chloe’s graduation Served with grilled russet potato wedges and a simple organic greens salad topped with succulent Satsuma mandarin oranges and a light balsamic dressing and you’re set!

Sweet and Spicy Grilled Chicken

4 tablespoons canola oil

1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon smoky paprika

juice and zest of one Satsuma mandarin orange

1 whole chicken, organic, cut into 8 pieces*

Serves 6

Heat grill or barbecue to medium-high heat.

While the grill or barbecue is heating up, place chicken in a glass baking dish or divide between two gallon size baggies. Whisk all ingredients for the marinade in a glass bowl – reserve 2 tablespoons for basting during grilling. Pour over chicken, turning to coat. Let stand 10-20 minutes, turning occasionally.

Sprinkle chicken with salt, remove from marinade and grill, turning once, about 15 minutes total. The legs and thighs may take a few minutes more than the breast pieces.

*Cut large breast pieces in half so they’re about the same size as the thigh pieces.

Enjoy

Watermelon and Cucumber Salad with Feta Cheese

When I drove to Bommer Canyon in Irvine last Saturday to interview Chef Ryan Adams of Sorrento Grille, prior to the Slow Foods 2nd Annual Bommer Canyon BBQ, I did it because the Slow Food principles mesh perfectly with what I advocate on this website.  My mission is to promote cooking at home and sharing meals with family and friends to connect in an increasingly hectic world and to share cultural traditions and recipes with people like me who consider good eating one of the important pleasures in life. Pretty simple, right? Well, I had no idea what an exhilarating evening of fine food, marvelous music, and wonderful people I would encounter in this pastoral oasis in the midst of bustling Orange County.

If you actively participate in, agree with, or try to do any of the following actions, then you’re a Slow Foodie, too!

• Eat locally and sustainably
• Eat fresh, seasonal foods
• Shop at farmers’ markets
• Enjoy food with your family and friends
• Eat together at home

Chef Ryan generously donated his time and expertise to create a bright, fresh menu inspired by old-fashioned fair food, beginning with the summery Watermelon and Cucumber Salad above. Sponsors included Whole Foods, Mary’s Free-Range Chickens, and local suppliers that source Sorrento Grille in Laguna Beach. The wine for the evening was generously provided by Quivira Vineyards and Winery in Sonoma County and guest speaker was none other than food activist, Jill Richardson, author of Recipe for America.

Grilled Corn and Fava Bean Succotash

BBQ'd Mary's Chicken with Warm Heirloom Potato Salad

Irvine Strawberries with Grilled Lemon Biscuit

Our everyday lives can be enriched by taking time to slow down and enjoy life with family and friends. Living the slow life with food as the focus is as rewarding as it is easy, and it can be done daily by each one of us. Here are just a few pleasures you can enjoy:

• Visit a local farmers’ market
• Start a kitchen garden
• Make pasta from scratch one night
• Invite a friend over to share a meal
• Squeeze your own lemonade from the fresh fruit
• Create a new food memory for a child! Bake with your child or teach them to plant seeds for a meal.
• Trace your food sources
• Linger over a glass of wine and a slice of cheeseJoin a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) in your area
• Decide to eat lunch sitting down instead of standing up (or while driving)
• Visit a farm in your area
• Learn your local food history! Prepare an authentic regional dish or discover a food that is celebrated by your culture.

Slow Food Orange County is a local chapter of Slow Food U.S.A. which works to carry out the Slow Food mission on a local level. The Orange County convivium is a member-supported organization made up of a diverse group of food enthusiasts. Members include home and professional chefs, growers, wine connoisseurs, and lots of ordinary people who enjoy cooking and eating good quality food and wines.

Tender baby romaine from the garden.

What would highlight the vibrant greens?  I was thinking a simple presentation with a bold flavor …

My taste memory responded with an instant craving for real, blue cheese dressing – rich and creamy with big chunks of  tangy blue cheese. The kind that flows and hasn’t been thickened with xanthum gum or modified food starch.

It just so happens that I splurged on Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc at Home cookbook and was waiting for the perfect opportunity to leisurely leaf through thiswonderful collection of family meals and everyday staples, “delicious approachable food” that Keller promises are “doable at home, no immersion circulator required…” .

As the renowned chef and owner of legendary Napa Valley restaurant The French Laundry in Yountville, CA, Thomas Keller is not a name normally associated with “accessible” or “home cooking”.  Ad Hoc at Home is touted as the long awaited book for home cooks where the revered chef has turned his imagination to the American comfort foods that we all know and love. Here is the first of many recipes I’ll share with you from this gorgeous cookbook.

Blue Cheese Dressing

Adapted from Ad Hoc at Home

1 cup Aioli

¼ to ½ cup buttermilk

½ cup sour cream

1 teaspoon minced shallots

1 teaspoon minced flat-leaf parsley

1 teaspoon minced mint

8 oz. crumbled blue cheese

Kosher salt

For the Aioli:

Ingredients: 1 whole garlic head, 1 cup canola oil, 1 t. fresh lemon juice and 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Chop end off whole garlic head, peel individual cloves. In a heavy saucepan add the cloves to 1 cup of canola oil. Heat over very low heat (not even a simmer – you should see only very small bubbles in the oil) for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool. Remove cloves from oil and reserve for another use. Put two egg yolks into a mini food processor*, very slowly add 1 cup of the garlic oil through the tube on top while processing, blending until emulsified (oil and liquid are thoroughly combined) and thickened. Add 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice and 1 teaspoon kosher salt.

*Alternately, you can place the egg yolks in a glass mixing bowl and use an immersion blender.

For the Dressing:

Transfer aioli to a glass mixing bowl, whisk in ¼ cup buttermilk, sour cream, shallots, parsley and mint. Add 8 oz. of crumbled blue cheese. The dressing can be used now or refrigerated. Before serving, take a spoonful of the dressing and pour it back into the bowl – it should run freely. If it is too thick, add additional buttermilk as necessary.

Makes about 2 cups. Dressing may be refrigerated in a covered container for up to 1 week.

Enjoy Shown served with all natural Seneca Crisp Onions for a delightful crunch and added texture.

Blue Cheese

With fresh spinach from our garden, some chopped yellow peppers, and smoked paprika for an aromatic smoky flavor, extra containers of steamed rice from the previous night’s Chinese takeout is transformed into a delicious vegetarian meal. Grilled peaches add a touch of summer sweetness and a lovely contrast to the spicy warmth of the paprika.

Heat 1 tablespoon peanut oil in a wok or large skillet over med-high heat, add one chopped yellow pepper and saute for 2-3 minutes until softened, stir in 2-3 cloves chopped garlic, cook for another minute.  Add 4 cups of fresh spinach (or two 8 ounce packages), continue stirring until spinach is wilted. Remove the peppers, spinach, and garlic from the pan and set aside.

Add another tablespoon of peanut oil, add a teaspoon of smoked paprika to the oil, stir in two containers of chilled steamed rice* and fry until golden brown, tossing or stirring frequently so the beautiful crimson color of the paprika is evenly distributed. Stir in the peppers, spinach, and garlic.

Enjoy

*Note: Refrigerated leftover rice produces the best fried rice because it’s drier, if you cook your own rice, be sure to chill it (uncovered) before frying so it doesn’t clump up.

♬♩Schooool’s out for summmerrr♬♩And our house was exploding with excitement and euphoria last week, as our offspring graduated from high school with family from distant lands here to celebrate and witness the watershed event. The house has returned to normal – just the three humans and our two canine and feline masters. It’s Monday and I’m sitting in front of Mac and inspired to write about…. Hula Pie and Copper River Salmon!

After lunch at Duke’s in Huntington Beach to celebrate the June birthdays of my mom and brother, where honorees are surprised with an enormous piece of deliciously gooey Hula Pie (large enough for four people if the birthday boy or girl is willing to share), a light dinner was definitely in order.

Hula Pie at Duke's

We enjoyed a late dinner of fresh Copper River Salmon grilled with a light soy and brown sugar glaze (which is how my daughter came to enjoy fish years ago) and served with a simple salad of organic greens. The anticipated arrival of Cooper River Salmon in markets each spring pales in comparison  to the rabid reception it received as the peachy-colored length of flavorful goodness, all crisp  grill marks and glaze glistening, was gently and ceremoniously transferred from grill to platter to table. Barely able to keep salivating onlookers at bay, I decided to forego the usual photo session… so didn’t capture the masterpiece  digitally for you.

In case you’re wondering why I’m going on about a piece of fish, Cooper River Salmon is the number one fish in Alaska and the world because of its taste and quality and has a very short “season” of availability. Wild salmon migrate up river each spring to spawn and the journey up Alaska’s Copper River is the most rugged of all.  To endure their trek, the salmon store extra fat and oils and it is this high fat and oil content which  imparts a flavor and quality that is unequaled – its also the kind of fat and Omega-3 oils that your cardiologist recommends.

Hopefully, it counteracted the effects of the Hula Pie on our circulatory system – Life is all about balance

Here’s the recipe for Chloe’s favorite Soy & Brown Sugar Glaze for Salmon:

3 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons Dijon or Chinese-style hot mustard

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

Enough for two to four  8-ounce salmon fillets, depending on how much sauce you like on your fish.

Heat grill to medium-high heat. Combine all glaze ingredients. Brush the salmon with the glaze. Place salmon on the grill (skin side down if  they’re skin-on) and grill until fish is opaque – about 8 minutes for ¾-inch thick fillets. Brush remaining glaze on the fish midway through grilling to keep it moist. I usually don’t turn the fish and it cooks through just fine. Be careful not to overcook – nothing is worse than dry fish. Better to remove it from the grill, if the fish flakes under pressure from a fork, but is not done to your liking in the middle, put it back on the grill for another minute.

There are a number of online sites where you can order smoked or fresh Copper River Salmon. Photo credit: Northwest Seafood.

P.S. Wild salmon is a sustainable seafood and listed as a Best Choice on Monterey Bay Aquarium’s list of seafood recommendations.

Are you trying for a more plant-based diet?  Want to include more veggies but grow weary of salads?  The abundance of fresh produce at the farmer’s market looks so inviting but always ends up mushy in the crisper drawer? Look no further than your back yard, patio, or balcony!

Its grill season, not only here in So Cal, but all across the nation – so grill those colorful orbs of goodness! There’s no easier or better way to cook vegetables and it brings out the flavors like no other method. Fire-blackened and seasoned with its own juices, the high heat of grilling carmelizes the plant sugars and evaporates much of the moisture that can result in the limp tasteless vegetables that we’ve all experienced . You can turn pale to perfection in minutes! Minimal prep time: washing, slicing, slather on some olive oil mixed with the juice of a lemon or lime and a teaspoon of your favorite dried seasoning (or a few tablespoons of chopped fresh herbs if you picked some up at the market or from your herb garden).

From pale...

Oil your grill rack by using a saturated paper towel or spraying with nonstick spray. Heat the grill to medium-high. You can place the sliced vegetables directly on the grill,  use a grill pan,  or do as I often do: place the veggies on a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil on top of a cookie sheet and slide it onto the grill rack. If you use aluminum foil, you can slide the entire sheet off using a heavy duty mitt and the same cookie sheet.

Any vegetables can be grilled. Potatoes and corn* take the longest – 8-12 minutes, brown on one side and then turn. Peppers take about 6-10 minutes. Squash, asparagus, mushrooms, onions, and green onions require only about 5 minutes or the time it takes to make beautiful grill marks.

*For corn, you’ve got to use butter! Mixed with some chopped garlic and minced fresh parsley (or basil, dill or tarragon). When grilling corn, many people like to soak them in the husk and grill with the husk on, but this steams the corn,  so I prefer to grill them “huskless” on top of aluminum foil to protect the kernels from becoming too brown.

to perfection!

A showcase side dish for any meat or fish – Father’s Day and 4th of July here we come!!!!

Enjoy

The food blogging world has revealed to me a world of amazing culinary enthusiasts, writers, photographers, and just plain good people.  I’m able to savor homespun regional cooking, artful desserts, and exotic foods from around the world through the lens of the cameras that reflect their unique perspective and from the keystrokes which are the conduit of expression of some truly talented writers.

One sweet, sincere and beautifully written blog that I’ve come across is that of  the aptly named, Apples and Anecdotes, where Monet bakes her way through graduate school and we readers would gratefully lick the crumbs from her counter top Her rustic breads, homey muffins, and divine desserts have inspired me to stock up on flour and try my hand at baking – that and the fact that the chief baker in my house is soon off to college!

Strawberry Poppy Seed Muffins

3 cups  all-purpose flour*

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 Tbsp poppy seeds

8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

3/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 Tbsp lemon zest

1 cup chopped strawberries (fresh)

* I used white whole wheat flour to add a little more fiber and substituted applesauce for some of the butter and sugar in Monet’s recipe.

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and grease or line a 12 tin muffin pan.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, poppy seeds, and salt and set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together, beating until fluffy Add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated after each one. Beat in the lemon zest.

4. Beat in one third of the dry ingredients until just mixed. Beat in one third of the yogurt. Beat in a third more of the dry ingredients. Beat in a second third of the yogurt. Beat in the remaining dry ingredients and then the remaining yogurt. Do not over beat.  Gently fold in chopped berries.

5.  Distribute the muffin dough equally among the tins. Bake until muffins are golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and after 5 minutes, remove  from pan.

Makes 15-18 muffins

With strawberries, applesauce, yogurt, and the white whole wheat flour these light and tasty muffins are  much healthier than a store bought muffins (which are super high in saturated fat, partially hydrogenated oils, sugar, and high fructose corn syrup) and are munchable for breakfast on the go, after school snack, or a bit of sweet following supper.

Enjoy

Last weekend couldn’t have been more perfect: strolling down The Strand overlooking the Huntington Beach pier, bright sunshine replacing the June gloom of earlier, watching artists conjure beauty from  slabs of concrete while sipping cold craft brews  and munching on – you guessed it – hot dogs, all for a genuinely worthy cause!  This delightful day of Art, Brews, and Bites was coordinated by ChrisAnn Richards of Wine Lab Newport and CIM Group to benefit the The Boys and Girls Club of Huntington Valley, the largest provider of youth related services in our community.

Here’s a little slideshow in case you missed it…. but you’ll have to make a beer run to get the full effect

Artists began their sidewalk creations in the morning and in another area the Boys and Girls Club,  with the help of Patty Schwartz who does Craft Events for Kids,  had a table of fun giveaways and  chalk for the younger set to share their creativity. Upstairs in the Shorebreak Hotel courtyard, adults enjoyed the fine IPAs and ales of craft brewers, Stone Brewing Co. and Green Flash Brewing Co.

Stone Brewing, known for “big character” beers, located in Escondido, CA offered tastings of their Stone IPA, a Southern California interpretation of a classic British pale ale, and Arrogant Bastard, billed as an aggressive beer “which you probably won’t like because it is quite doubtful that you have the taste of sophistication to be able to appreciate an ale of this quality and depth”. From Green Flash Brewing we had Hop Head Red Ale, and Le Freak, a zesty “out of the box” convergence of beer styles where American Imperial IPA meets Belgian Trippel.  We also were able to taste Devotion and Lost and Found Abbey Ale, described as “rooted in the Monastic and artistic Belgian brewing traditions each of these beers is available year-round for the enjoyment of Sinners and Saints alike”,  from The Lost Abbey by Port Brewing Co.

Did I mention the band? While sipping brews, noshing on dogs, and basking in the sunlight – the sensual sounds of Sombra Quieta filled the air.

Even though She’s Cookin’ has been posting quite a few meatless, vegetarian, and even vegan dishes – the man of the house, affectionately referred to as The Don, is a meat and potatoes kind of guy and, especially after traveling abroad, craves a succulent steak with a big ‘ole baked potato and all the fixins! Often times his craving is satisfied with a visit to Mastro’s Steakhouse in Costa Mesa where he can indulge in a prime, aged steak served on a 450° manly-man platter along with a monster shaken-not-stirred Ketel One martini or a selection from their extensive wine list (past favorites include Sea Smoke Pinot Noir and Frank Family or Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon).

But most of the time he enjoys being the master of his own grill, so off to the market I go looking for the best choice grade steak I can find. Prime grade steaks are available in finer meat markets or butcher shops such as Beef Palace in Huntington Beach or The Meat House in Costa Mesa. On this day, I was picturing juicy, red, thinly sliced steak flavored with a spicy southwestern rub and was satisfied with a nice cut of choice top sirloin from Henry’s meat counter. If you thought grades were only given in school, you can learn about the USDA beef grading system and what cuts are the best for grilling.

For grilling you should buy a steak that is at least an inch thick, apply the rub* about an hour before you plan on grilling it, and leave the steak out for an hour or so to bring it to room temperature – I know what you’re thinking, but trust me on this one. The executive chef from Morton’s Steakhouse recommends sitting steaks out two hours before grilling – so listen to him and hear some other tips for the perfect grilled steak.

Serve with grilled veggies and a baked potato with all the trimmings and you da man! or the wo-man.. Enjoy

* I used Awaken Savor’s Southwestern Sunset BBQ Rub – about two tablespoons with a ½ teaspoon more cayenne pepper cuz I like a little heat!

Unlike the rest of my family, I could eat spinach every day with practically anything! Most of the time I sauté it with a bit of olive oil and, of course, red pepper flakes for a bit of zip. But last week, we celebrated the first spinach harvested from our garden in a delicate puff pastry tart where vibrant green leaves mingled with the earthy flavor of roasted baby portabella mushrooms and scallions.

Mushroom and Spinach Tart

(adapted from Body + Soul)

8 oz. cremini or baby portabella mushrooms, sliced

fresh from the garden

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

6 scallions, ends trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces

About 3 cups of fresh spinach (or 5 oz. bag), thick stems removed, washed and spin dried

1 sheet of puff pasty (there are 2 in a box)

6 ounces of feta cheese

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

½ cup milk (I used 1%)

1 tsp. Herbs de Provence

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On a baking sheet, toss the mushrooms with 1 tablespoon oil, sprinkle with salt. Roast for 10 minutes. Toss in the scallions and roast for 10 minutes more. Push the mushrooms and scallions to the side and pile the spinach on the empty side of the baking sheet, roast until wilted, about 3 minutes. Remove baking sheet and allow to cool.

2. Spray an 11×7 rectangular tart pan with removable bottom (or a 10-inch round pan) with canola oil or brush lightly with some of the remaining olive oil. Roll out the puff pastry dough into a 12-inch round. Lay it over the tart pan, gently push down, and fold over any “overhang” and press into the sides. Make tiny slash marks on the bottom crust.

*or weight with another baking dish to prebake crust

3. Crumple a double layer of aluminum foil the size of the bottom of the tart and fit into the crust to weigh down the center.* Place on a baking sheet and bake until edges are golden and beginning to set, about 7 minutes. Remove the foil and bake the crust until golden all over – about another 3 minutes. Remove tart pan from oven, but leave the baking sheet.

4. Reduce heat to 375 degrees. Whisk together the feta cheese, eggs, milk and herb seasoning. Spread the vegetables over the crust and pour egg mixture on top.

5. Place the tart back on the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until egg custard is set. Remove from oven. Allow tart to cool on wire rack for 10 minutes before removing the tart from the sides of the pan. Cool 10 minutes more, until ready to serve. (If not serving immediately, slide the tart off the bottom and onto the wire rack.)

Serves 4 | Enjoy