Thursday, July 31, 2008

Metro Kathmandu

Metro Kathmandu
Arrive at 311 Divisadero in San Francisco, CA and you are greeted by owner Roshan for the gastronomic treat of your life. The food is prepared on site with authentic recipes of Kathmandu with the freshest high quality ingredients. The chef is native of Kathmandu as well as the former home of owner Roshan. It just can't get anymore authentic than that unless you make the trip to Nepal yourself. We consider a dinner at Metro Kathmandu a must with each trip we make to San Francisco. The food is worth the highest recommendation. I will describe the many tastes we enjoyed.
Chicken Pakoda and Vegetable Momos
Strips of chicken are dipped in spicy garbanzo bean flour and served with a sesame-tomato chutney. The Vegetable Momos are steamed dumplings stuffed with spinach, onion, cauliflower, cabbage and curry spice.
Chicken Momos
Steamed dumplings stuffed with Natural Free Range ground chicken, curry spice, onion, garlic, and ginger and served with the sesame-tomato chutney.
Mixed Vegetable Curry, Saag Paneer, 
and Lamb Saag
The Mixed Vegetable Curry which is a vegan dish is prepared with seasonal vegetables, tomato, onion and curry spices. Saag Paneer is prepared with chopped spinach and homemade cheese cooked with onion and Napali spices. The Lamb Saag is the most tender chunks of lamb cooked with spinach and tomato.
Roshan presents Don with one of his bottles of French Wine.
Happy Birthday Don!
Meet Roshan the owner of Metro Kathmandu. A wonderful birthday meal was celebrated with the family on Tuesday evening at the restaurant. Do not think of all Nepalis food as being spicy hot. Think of the food as pleasantly flavored with special spices, not bland but most of all a delicious and wonderful experience. The word Vindaloo on the menu indicates a spicy hot dish. Check out the restaurant and menu. There are no disappointed customers who stop by 311 Divisadero in San Francisco.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Don Celebrating A Birthday

Happiness Is...... The Grandchildren Dine With Donna & Wine With Don Mary (center) with Daughter-in-law Susan and her sister Karen Barbara and Anne Sam, Laura , and Veronica Katie and Rachel Philip, Jacob, and Olivia Veronica, Anna, and Charlotte
Last evening we met with family and friends at Metro Kathmandu, 311 Divisadero, in San Francisco for a little Birthday warm-up. It was just a great time to be together to celebrate. Our real celebration will be next Saturday. Stay tuned!

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Italian Plum Tart

Italian Plum Tart
Today is my husband's birthday and the family will celebrate this great day with a "Birthday Plum Tart"!
Ingredients:
Crust
1 1/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
plus more for dusting
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
7 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into very small pieces and chilled
***
Filling:
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 pounds plums (about 24 small prune plums or 12 small black plums)
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
Vanilla ice cream for serving
***
Directions:
Crust: In a medium bowl, stir together flour, sugar, and salt until combined. Using a pastry blender, two knives, or your fingers, cut or rub butter into dry ingredients until mixture resembles a coarse meal. (Work quickly to keep butter cold.) Using a fork, stir in 3 or 4 Tablespoons cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, adding just enough for the dough to hold together without becoming wet. OR combine flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Add butter and process until the resembles coarse meal. Drizzle in cold water; pulse just until the dough begins to hold together. Turn dough out on clean surface and flatten into a 6 inch disk. Wrap in plastic and chill 1 hour or up to 1 day.
***
Preheat oven to 425. Roll out dough on a floured surface, making it 11 inches round. Fit into a 9" x 1" round tart pan with removable bottom, pressing snuggle into corners of pan. Roll a rolling pin over top of pan to trim off excess dough. Cover with plastic and refrigerate or freeze for 15 minutes.
***
Pierce bottom of shell all over with a fork. Line with foil and fill with pie weights or dry lima beans. Bake 5 minutes or more, or until golden (if crust puffs up, press down with back of spoon.) Place on a rack to cool.
***
Filling:
In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Sprinkle 1/3 cup sugar mixture on pastry bottom. Slice plums and arrange in concentric circles on top. Sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture on top. Sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture and dot with butter.
***
Bake 10 minutes. Reduce oven to 350 degrees and bake until mixture begins to bubble around edges, 30 to 35 minutes. If crust begins to bubble too quickly, cover with strips of foil. Cool on rack and serve warm with vanilla ice cream. One 9" tart makes 8 to 10 servings.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Lotus of Lake Erie

The Swans With Their Cygnets Among The Lotus The Lone Lotus, A Thing Of Beauty Harbor's End Of East Harbor
Click on photos to enlarge
After mass today, my husband and I drove over to the edge of the harbor to view the Lotus in bloom. These non-native plants first appeared a few years ago. The beauty they share with those who love Lake Erie appears for about two weeks at the end of July. The season is much too short and their images are seen in the paintings of Lake Erie by so many artists and also photographers.

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Myers Family Reunion

click on photo to enlarge
Family Reunions
The My husband's family is a very unusual family in the sense that cousins are best friends and always so happy to get together. We always look forward to these reunions as the two cousins who plan the event do such an outstanding job. It is always interesting to learn what is new with each family. One cousin drives from California to attend. Cousins attend from far and near. Goodness, age never seems to be visible. I think somewhere in the genes, the fountain of youth was absorbed. So much fun!!!

Friday, July 25, 2008

Happy Birthday Don

Happy Birthday Don
Tuesday is my husband's birthday. We will be celebrating back in California with our children. Tickets arrived yesterday and Monday we are on our way to celebrate with the family. Nothing is more fun than watching the little grandchildren talking about the birthday number. I should add that nothing is more fun than grandchildren.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Blueberry Grunt

Blueberry Grunt
I enjoy blueberries in any recipe and any way. I found a wonderful Blueberry Soup on another blog ,"Ginger Beat". Yesterday I received my Cooks Country Magazine with another wonderful recipe I will share. I really enjoy this magazine as it give so much research with the recipes it prints. I was intrigued to learn Maria Rundel popularized the idea of cooking sweetened dumpling dough in water to make quick puddings in her "A New System of Domestic Cookery" (1807). Later, the dumplings were dropped in hot stewed fruit and the dessert was given names like "slump" for its sloppy appearance and "grunt" for the sound it made as the fruit bubbled beneath the dumplings. Interesting? I thought so.
Blueberry Grunt
Filling:
8 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 Tablespoons water
1 teaspoon grated zest
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Topping:
3/4 cup buttermilk
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
***
For The Filling:
Cook 4 cups blueberries, sugar, cinnamon, water, and lemon zest in Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture is jam-like, 10 to 12 minutes. Whisk lemon juice and cornstarch in small bowl, then stir into blueberry mixture. Add remaining blueberries and cook heated through, about 1 minute; remove pot from heat. cover, and keep warm.
For The Topping:
Combine buttermilk, butter, and vanilla in measuring cup. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 6 Tablespoons sugar in large bowl. Slowly stir buttermilk mixture until dough forms.
***
Using a small ice cream scoop or 2 large spoons, spoon golf ball-sized dumplings on top of warm berry mixture(you should have 14 dumplings). Wrap lid of Dutch oven with clean towel(keeping towel away from source of heat) and cover pot. Simmer gently until dumplings have doubled in size and tooth[pick inserted comes out clean, 16 to 22 minutes.
***
Combine remaining sugar and cinnamon in bowl. Remove lid and sprinkle dumplings with cinnamon sugar. Serve immediately. Serves 12

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Sandusky Ohio

Cedar Point Amusement Park Across The Bay A Tame Squirrel In Battery Park A "Small" Size Ice Cream Cone At Toft's Dairy A Trip Down Memory Lane
Tonight we met family for dinner in Sandusky Ohio. Following our dinner, we strolled the pier and docks along Lake Erie. Visible were the roller coasters at Cedar Point Amusement and the lights. We strolled along the lake front of Battery Park. Treating everyone to Tofts Dairy for the best ice cream anywhere ended our evening.

The origin of Toft's Dairy dates back to 1900. The photo of the milk wagon is an authentic delivery wagon from the early years of the business. Several years ago when I was a student nurse, my best friend and I would go to Toft's for an ice cream cone if we scored a 100% on our exams of the day. If we didn't score a 100% we thought we needed a cone for consolation. When we graduated from our nursing program, the two counter servers gave us T-shirts that said, "Where's The Ice Cream". On the back of the shirt, Toft's Dairy was printed.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Happy Birthday Anne


Happy Birthday Anne
Our second born, a daughter named Anne Marie, celebrates another year today. Anne lives near us in California. Anne and husband Greg are the parents of Veronica, Charlotte, and Olivia. Happy Birthday Anne.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Jody McCallum & Company Art Gallery

Due to their bankruptcy filing and the financial loss for my art sold with no payment to me I have removed the contents of the blog.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Eggs Hussard


Eggs Hussard
Wednesday morning I prepared breakfast with a favorite of 35 years. The first time I had this dish was at Brennan's Restaurant in Dallas Texas. I had not given previous thought to photographing the dish or I might have staged it differently. The fruit was on the table in dishes. This was a last minute quick grab the camera before it gets too cool to eat. I wanted to share the recipe.
***
Sauce:
6 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 Tablespoon butter
1 cube chicken boullion
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup half and half
1 Tablespoon flour
1/4 cup water
1/2 cupMonterey Jack Cheese
Salt and Pepper
***
poached eggs or fried eggs
Canadian bacon
toasted English muffins
***
Directions:
Saute mushrooms in butter. Add 1/4 cup water and bouillon cube; stir until dissolved. Stir flour into water making a roux and add half and half . Stir into mushrooms and cook until sauce is thickened. Stir in cheese, stir until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
***
To serve: Place heated Canadian bacon on toasted muffin, top with an egg and sauce. It is simple but delicious!

Friday, July 18, 2008

Lee and Me

Lee and Me
This week I had a pleasant visit with a high school classmate. Lee returned to our hometown last weekend for a family reunion. She arranged her schedule to have a couple of days to spend with me. When we were in high school I was often asked if we were sisters by people who did not know our last names. Fifty years later Lee still has her effervescent smile and scintillating sense of humor. It is so nice some things never change.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Reading A PLU Code On Food

A Conventionally Grown Peach
My friend Barbra sent me an email with information on the PLU stickers. I googled it and copied the information as I thought it was worth reading and knowing. Have you ever wondered what those PLU (price look up) codes mean on the stickers that come affixed to your fruits and vegetables? The folks over at Sprig.com have put together a video that walks you through the basics of how to read the codes. When the code is printed with just four digits, it means that you are holding a conventionally grow product. Organic products have a five digit code that always starts with the number nine. Genetically modified produce also has a five digit number, but it always starts with the number eight. Now you can tell with just a glance if the apple you just picked out of the bin is conventional, organic or GMO. This is particularly handy for those times when the display has gotten a little messy and you can't tell exactly where one pile ends and another starts.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

The Girls With Grandmother Faces

The Girls With Grandmother Faces
click on photo to enlarge
This is the year of our 50Th High School Class Reunion. Several of us have other plans making it impossible for us to attend. A classmate and friend Lee is visiting with me for a few days. I thought if I could contact some of the classmates living back in our hometown, Lee would have the opportunity to visit with some of them since she also will not be able to attend the reunion. What a great time we had this afternoon at lunch and a stay in the park.

From left to right: Ruthie, myself, Mary, Caroline, Charlotte, Barbara, Lee

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Top 12 Fruits And Vegetables To Be Least Contaminated

The 12 Vegetables and Fruits least contaminated with pesticides. Notice on this list are fruits and vegetables with thick peels or skins. Asparagus Avocados Bananas Broccoli Cauliflower Corn, nearly all corn is genetically modifed Kiwi, Mangos,

Onions Papyas Pineapples Sweet Peas

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Cinnamon-Oatmeal Blueberry Pancakes

Cinnamon-Oatmeal Blueberry Pancakes
Ingredients:
2 cups "complete" pancake mix (requires adding only water)
1/4 cup quick (not instant) oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups water
1 teaspoon plain vegetable oil, for cooking
1 cup blueberries, or to taste, fresh or frozen
1 cup maple syrup for serving, or to taste
***
Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a medium mixing bowl, place the pancake mix, oats and the cinnamon. Stir to mix well. Add the water and stir just until the lumps disappear. (batter will be slightly lumpy) Heat the oil on medium-high in an extra deep 12 inch skillet or pancake griddle. Pour about 1/4 cup batter onto the hot griddle for each pancake, cooking three to four per batch. (More or less batter may be used for each pancake as desired.) Immediately sprinkle some blueberries on top of each pancake. Cook 1 too 1 1/2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Place the cooked pancakes in the warm oven and continue to cook in batches until all of the batter is used. Serve at once with maple syrup, if desired.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Ballads of Lake Erie

On Friday evenings one can enjoy Concerts In Stenson Park on the waterfront at Port Clinton. We went to dinner with Barb and George and told them about the wonderful concerts we have enjoyed so far this summer. Well we were all psyched for the concert where locals share their talent. George claimed his knee was bothering him, so he and his wife walked around the area. Don tried to tell me we should leave but I thought it would be rude to leave so we stayed. I should have apologized to Barb and George but I did ask what would we have done back at our homes if we had not stayed for the concert.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Lake Erie

Lake Erie Waterlily
Last evening we boated to Kellys Island for dinner to celebrate a neighbor's birthday. The waterlilies were in bloom and so beautiful just floating on the surface of the water in our marina.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Perch Fillets

Taken from the back of our boat, our favorite Perch fishing spot is south east of Kellys Island. I bread the fillets with beaten egg and soda cracker crumb. The fillets are then fried in Mazola Corn Oil and I do have a secret I will share.
Perch Fillets
Lake Erie Perch is a highly sought after fish found in Lake Erie. We spend summers on Lake Erie and sport fishing is what brings a large tourist dollar to the area. When we moved to California, we decided to keep our boat and place at Lake Erie. My husband connects with his former business associates and friends usually twice a week for outings, weather permitting.
Last evening we took perch to the home of a cousin who is house-bound with declining health for a perch dinner.
The Secrets I share, Bread the fish and refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour or more. I usually try to refrigerate the breaded fillets for an hour or more. This will make the breading adhere to the fillets and the breading will remain crisp when frying. Another tip. Do not crowd the skillet as this causes a steaming effect.
***
Important: Fry flesh side down first, as soon as they have turned golden, turn to skin side down. Just as soon as the breading cracks with the flesh flaking, the perch are done frying. Remove from the skillet. I place folded paper towels on a platter to absorb any oil from the frying.
Frying skin side down first causes the fillets to curl and the flesh is not cooked evenly when turn fillet is turned.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Food And Its Benefits

I received this in the form of an email and thought it was interesting enough to pass along! God left us a great clue as to what foods help what part of our body!God's Pharmacy! Amazing! A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... and YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes. A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food. Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food. A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function. Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.Avocadoes, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them). Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility. Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics. Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries . Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts. Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Food In Art

Food In Art
I received a very clever email from a dear neighbor of mine from California. Renate is from Germany and an excellent cook. We are so lucky to know her. I would highly recommend that you take a couple of minutes to look at the unique scenes. I am sure you never though of food in this art form before. Try this site:
Lebensmittel_im_Bild.pps

Monday, July 7, 2008

Milano Monday

Milano Monday
The buildings are the hunting lodge of the 15Th century Duke of Milano, Italy. We celebrated Anna's First Communion with a fabulous dinner in the garden.

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Confetti Coleslaw

Confetti Coleslaw
Christopher Kimball from the magazine Cooks Illustrated developed this great sounding recipe. When my company arrives at noon, I will have a bowl of this recipe prepared for lunch. Lake Erie Perch has to have coleslaw to accompany it on the menu.

Ingredients: Makes about 5 cups

1 pound green cabbage (about half a medium head), finely shredded

1 large carrot, peeled and grated

1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter

2 tablespoons peanut oil

2 tablespoons rice-wine vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon honey

2 medium garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

One 1 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger

1/2 jalapeno, seeded

4 medium radishes, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

4 medium scallions, thinly sliced

***
Directions:
Toss cabbage and carrot with 1 teaspoon salt in a colander or large mesh strainer set over a medium bowl. Let stand until cabbage wilts, 1 to 4 hours. Rinse cabbage under cold running water (or in large bowl of ice water if serving slaw immediately). Press, but do not squeeze, to drain; pat dry with paper towels. (Cabbage can be stored in a resealable plastic bag and refrigerated overnight.)
***
In the bowl of a food processor, puree peanut butter, oil, vinegar, soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger, and jalapeno until a smooth paste is formed. Toss cabbage, carrot, radishes, scallions, and dressing together in a medium bowl. Season to taste with salt. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Friday, July 4, 2008

Copycat Chipolte Chicken

Copycat Chipotle Chicken
For those of you who like the food served at the Chipolte Restaurants and want to serve it at home, I have found a copycat edition of chicken that does taste like the chicken served at a Chipolte Restaurant. Spice up your next "South Of The Border" Dinner Party!
Ingredients:
4 servings 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 Knorr chipotle cubes or 2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
***
Directions: Put the chicken in a gallon-size zipper-top plastic bag. Add the oil to the bag, seal it and toss and turn the chicken pieces inside the bag until they are well coated. Mix all of the spices in a small bowl, crushing the chipotle cubes with the back of a spoon. Add the spice mixture to the bag, seal it, and toss and rub the chicken through the bag to coat well with the spices. Refrigerate the chicken in the bag for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
***
Heat a grill to about 400 degrees. Grill 5 to 6 minutes per side, until the chicken is cooked through but still tender. Remove from the grill and serve. (The chicken may be cut into bite-size chunks for use in burritos or other recipes.)

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Asparagus With Hazelnut Vinaigrette

Asparagus With Hazelnut Vinaigrette
Ingredients:

2 pounds fresh asparagus
2 tablespoons diced red pimiento
2 tablespoon crushed toasted hazelnuts

***

HAZELNUT VINAIGRETTE
1/3 cup roasted or cold-pressed hazelnut oil
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon capers
1 finely minced green onion
2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
***

Directions:
Choose thick spears of asparagus. Align the asparagus at the tip end in a straight line. Creating pieces of equal size, cut away about 1 inch of the tough stalk end. Steam the asparagus, standing up in a tall covered pot or in a shorter pot with a hood created from aluminum foil. Steam in water that has a depth of about 1 inch. Steam for 5 minutes or until tender. Rinse immediately in ice water.
***

Whisk together all of the vinaigrette ingredients, mixing well. Arrange the asparagus on a platter and pour the vinaigrette over it. Chill 30 minutes before serving. Top with diced pimiento and hazelnuts, and serve. Serves 6 to 8.