Grilled Corn with Gorgonzola, Apple, Chive Spread

9 years ago, Seth gave me a stuffed unicorn.  So soft and perfectly sized for hugging, it became necessary for sleeping.  Yes, I am aware that it is ridiculous to need a stuffed animal to sleep when you are approaching 30.

Max recently became attached to this unicorn.  And put his own spin on it, placing a sock on one and only one hoof.  It can now be found sporting an old tee-shirt of his - one featuring the solar system and a rocket ship - as well as a diaper.  You know, in case the unicorn has to go.

I guess I have to accept that it has become his.  Though now I am left without my own sleeping buddy (Seth - umm help please?).  And my sleep has been suffering as a result.

Instead of a unicorn, I can drown my sorrows in some corn on the cob.  Max's word for unicorn and corn are one and the same.  Both are referred to as "na."  And he apparently won't touch this "na."  So this is my "na."  And the unicorn is his.  If only the corn could be used as my stuffed animal.  Then everyone would be happy.

Ingredients
4-8 ears of corn

For the spread:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon grated Granny Smith apple
1/4 cup Gorgonzola cheese
1 teaspoon ground toasted hazelnuts
1 teaspoon lemon juice
lots of fresh snipped chives - for both the spread and for sprinkling on the corn

Instructions
Grill corn using favorite method.  For this batch, we brushed olive oil over the corn, wrapped it in its own husk, and placed on the grill.  Once the corn was mostly cooked (Popping a kernel produces juices), we unwrapped it and placed directly on grates to get a little char.  In the past, we've grilled the corn directly on the grates exclusively (medium to medium high heat).

In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, sour cream, grated apple, Gorgonzola, ground hazelnuts, and lemon juice.  Refrigerate until serving.  Before using, stir in a liberal amount of snipped chives and use remaining as garnish.

Date and Sesame Chocolate Bars

In Go Dog Go, there are two characters that we meet a few times throughout the book. A girl dog dons a perfectly acceptable hat and asks the boy dog if he likes her hat. He says no, and then they say their goodbyes. This happens three times, with three different hats. But the fourth time they meet is different. He finally likes her hat, and afterwards, the two drive off into the sunset together. And it isn't just any hat. It is an extravagant, an outlandish, a whimsical hat.
Objects hanging from the hat include:
- a fish
- a spider
- candy canes
- pinwheels
- a potted flower
- flag celebrating the letter "Z"
- a mouse

Though I find this to be a horrid example of interpersonal relations, this is how I feel about dried fruit. Show me some perfectly acceptable, perfectly lovely dried cranberries or cherries or grapes and I will say no, I do not like that hat. But mix the dried fruit with chocolate and more chocolate and some spices and sesame seeds and sesame paste, then finally, finally - I will like that hat.

For more snack ideas check out Cooking Light's slideshow of healthy snacks.  So much deliciousness!

Ingredients
1 cup pitted dates, chopped roughly
1 tablespoon tahini
1/2 teaspoon honey
1 1/2 tablespoons dark cocoa powder
pinch cardamom
pinch cinnamon
pinch kosher salt
1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
1-2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips
fleur de sel, for sprinkling

Instructions
Place the dates, tahini, honey and cocoa powder in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse.  Add in the sesame seeds,  and chocolate chips and pulse again.  Take the mixture in your hands (it may help to spray them with a cooking spray) and work it into a sort of "dough."  Push the mixture firmly into a square-shaped, sandwich-size Tupperware-type container.  Cut into bars.  Sprinkle the top of the bars with fleur de sel.  I like to keep these bars in the fridge.

Salmon Tacos with Mango Corn Salsa

To be honest, I haven't been feeling very inspired in the kitchen lately. I've been busy with lots of things including travel, and when I'm home I've been trying to eat the food in the freezer since it is on the verge of overflowing. But yesterday I was at the store and I found local king salmon on sale and some beautiful white corn. I thought about the mango I had and just like that, a plan came together.

Sometimes ingredients speak to you and the lightbulb goes off. I diced the mango to serve with dessert a few nights before but it was firm and a little too sour. That's not good for dessert but it's excellent for salsa. The salsa can be used with chips, with roast chicken or scallops. It's actually pretty good without the tomatoes too. I was a little undecided as to which way I preferred it, so try it both ways and you tell me which you like better!

This recipe has a lot of parts, but you can make the salsa and the sauce for drizzling ahead of time. You can even use already cooked salmon if that's what you have on hand. Even though it's cooked on the stove and not on the grill, it really tastes like summer--the fresh corn, tomatoes and salmon look like summer too. Here's to a little summery inspiration!



Salmon Tacos with Mango Corn Salsa
Serves 4

Ingredients

2 teaspoons mild flavored oil ( I use rice bran oil)
1 ear of corn, white or yellow
1/2 cup diced firm mango
1/2 cup diced tomatoes, drained
2 scallions, chopped
1/2 - 1 serrano pepper, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice, or to taste

3-4 Tablespoons mayonnaise (I used wasabi mayo)
2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 Tablespoon plain non-fat Greek yogurt

12 ounces wild salmon
Chili powder

8 Tortillas
1 1/2 cups finely shredded napa cabbage
Sprigs of cilantro, to taste, optional

Instructions

Make the salsa first. Slice the corn off the cob, you should have about 1/2 cup of corn kernels. Heat a skillet and add a couple teaspoons of oil. Add the corn and stir, cooking a couple of minutes until fragrant and sweet. Remove the pan from the stove and allow the corn to come to room temperature. In a bowl combine the mango, tomato, scallions and sliced serrano pepper. Add the cooled corn and lime juice and taste for seasoning.

Make the drizzle by whisking together the mayonnaise, lime juice and yogurt. Taste and adjust to your liking.

To cook the salmon, remove any bones and cut some slits in the skin. Heat a non-stick skillet and when it's hot, add the salmon, skin side down. Sprinkle the salmon with chili powder and cover with a lid. Cook until barely medium, about 120 degrees internal temperature. Break the salmon into chunks or large flakes. Do not overcook.

To prepare the tacos, heat a dry skillet and warm the tortillas over medium heat. When pliable and hot, top each tortilla with salmon, shredded cabbage, salsa and drizzle with the mayo sauce. Add cilantro if desired and serve.

Enjoy!

Water with Blackberries, Lime, and Mint

Life's greatest pleasures include:
- cheese
- naps with toddler (or without)
- snorting directly into Seth's ear
- Rice Krispies Treats
- couch, blankets, and favorite television shows
- a glass of cold water on a hot day
- purring furballs
- a cup of hot coffee in the morning
- dance parties with toddler
- skeeball

Few things rival the feeling of rolling a small wooden ball up a lane and into one of the pockets, attempting to earn the maximum number of points.

Maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration.  But it is seriously super fun.

And there is nothing like the happiness one experiences when tickets come spewing out of the ticket machine.  It is likely that my temperament is that of a small child.  I'm okay with that.  I can't help but get extremely, ridiculous, outrageously excited about winning tickets in an arcade and afterwards getting to pick out silly prizes.  At this point in my life, it seems unlikely that I will "outgrow" this.  I should point out that I'm not even good at skeeball.  I just love playing.

Because of my love for the game, I have even been known to have skeeball cravings.  A craving that is wildly impractical to fulfill on most of the days of life.  A craving that takes on a life of its own, and soon visions of boardwalks and arcades and Ferris wheels and fudge shops and nachos are spinning around my imagination.  On a Wednesday morning.

Since it was unlikely that I would get to play my game, I decided to do something about my other longing.  My longing for some water.  But flavored.

I'm generally completely content with regular water as my beverage.  But on this day, I was antsy for something different.  I couldn't get my skeeball fix.  But some water with fixins'- that I could do.  

On a more practical note, it's a nice way to entertain some guests on short notice.  You know, if you're into that sort of thing. 

Ingredients
2/3 cup blackberries
2 small limes, sliced
3 mint sprigs
1 cup ice
4-6 cups water

Instructions
Muddle the berries, lime and mint a bit in a pitcher.  Add ice and water.  Ridiculously easy.

Apricot Tarragon Vanilla Sundae

Over the past few weeks Max has
- repeated the word "ghost" over and over and over and over while on a ghost tour of the    Queen Mary
- pointed at a supposed "ghost" while scrolling through photos taken on said tour
- told me that the plumber is a ghost
- pointed at the water in the toilet bowl and said "ghost"
- found a ghost in a documentary about elephants
- pointed out a window, no less than three times, and said "ghost"

So, I guess there is a chance that Max is indeed connected to a spirit world.  But it seems more likely he just extremely obsessed with the idea of finding one of these elusive entities.  I should probably point out that he isn't frightened of the idea - I don't think he has the framework in place to have such feelings... Yet.  He is just zealously smitten.

And this makes me so ridiculously and extremely proud of myself. I have passed on the torch of obsession.

When we were younger, my friend and I were ardent enthusiasts of ghosts.  Like super obsessed.  We created ghost stories out of every day life, even insisting that a sibling's swimming instructor was really a ghost.  We supposedly had evidence of this fact.  Even though, you know, she was right there and visible to everyone and conducting class on a weekly basis.  This is what you do to stave off boredom.  Create elaborate stories of ghost worlds.

I've basically gotten over this.  Maybe? I still think it is fun, but, you know, I no longer believe that the swimming instructor was actually a ghost.

To celebrate my life's triumph, I made a sundae.  A sundae of vanilla ice cream, apricot compote, tarragon leaves sprinkled with a a smidgen of crisped cubes of pancetta.  A slightly unusual but nonetheless delicious accompaniment to our mom and tot conversations about ghosts.

Ingredients
scoops of very vanilla ice cream (or use your favorite recipe/store-bought version)
tarragon leaves
handful of fried pancetta cubes

For the compote:
13 apricots, pitted and halved
2 teaspoons juice from a Meyer lemon
3-4 tablespoons sugar

Instructions
To make the compote: Put everything into a pot.  Cook on low for about 8-10 minutes, until warm and the apricots start to break down.

To make the sundaes: Place scoops of vanilla ice cream in dish.  Top with the apricot compote.  Sprinkle handful of torn tarragon leaves on top.  Finish with the pancetta.

Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child Book Giveaway

If you’re a fan of Julia Child, it’s really worth reading Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child, the biography written by Bob Spitz. It covers a lot of territory, starting with her family history and fills in gaps, sharing much more than you'll find in previously written books about her. Because Child was an avid letter writer, there’s a lot of source material. But there are also wonderful anecdotes from those who knew her best--from her editor Judith Jones to her TV director Russ Morash and many other colleagues, relatives and friends. It’s an entertaining book, and has the kind of “playful romp” feel to it that typified Julia Child as well. 

An average student, with a funny voice and not much of a career track, Julia Child found her calling later in life, first in cooking school and later on television. Her story is tremendously romantic, because it was her husband who not only supported her but encouraged her in everything she did. You may be surprised to learn about the causes she supported or the prejudices she held, but it’s hard not to admire her and feel even more affection for “Our lady of the ladle” as Time magazine called her. 

I’ve got 3 copies of this massive tome to give away. It clocks in at over 500 pages and over 2 pounds; it’s a great read to take to the pool or the beach. I fully expect her risqué humor will have you giggling and her can do attitude will inspire you in your career or perhaps in the kitchen. 

Let me know your favorite Julia Child recipe in the comments or a story you have about her for a chance to win. This giveaway ends at midnight PST on May 27, 2013. One entry per person, please. I will draw a winner at random on May 28. Open to US residents only. You must leave a comment and register your email to win. Please note that when you register your comment with your email, only I will see your email.

Disclaimer: I was provided the book by the publisher to giveaway. I bought a digital copy of this book myself. This post contains an Amazon affiliate link. 

Grilled Artichoke Quarters with Anchovy Garlic Drizzle - a Picnic Potluck

I am a ruiner.  As in, I ruin things.  Usually with just a few well-placed complaints.  It can be seen as a talent.  Or a buzzkill.  All depends on your perspective.

I'm starting to think I might need to keep this tendency in check.  Just a bit.  Okay, maybe a lot a bit.

For instance, we got some Chinese takeout recently.  And ate it on a table outdoors at sunset at this super scenic area.  It was gorgeous and romantic.

Until Seth asked me how I liked the food.  My response was ehhhh.

I mean, yes, I guess I was being truthful (the food wasn't bad, and some dishes were pretty interesting, but it could have been better), but the truth isn't always the most beautiful.  It won't always bring the most happiness.  Instead I was the person bringing the party down.  My complaining really served no purpose but to sap all the romance from the scene.  Would it have killed me to just say that I love it?

So I need to work on this whole complaining thing.  Just a little.

This month's Creative Cooking Challenge comes at the perfect time.  The topic is, "potluck picnic."  And picnics, being all outdoors and stuff, can be a bit of a bugaboo.  Wonderful in theory, but a goldmine for complaints about bugs, food that shouldn't be cold, food that shouldn't be warm, etc.

That said, we are preparing grilled artichoke quarters with an anchovy garlic drizzle. It may seem like a strange choice for a picnic, but if one does the prepping and boiling of the artichoke before arriving, as well as the mixing of the drizzle, one only needs to grill the quarters on site, and finish them with the drizzle, Parmesan and parsley.  Freshly grilled, they should be hot enough to melt the cheese and make up for the long trip.  And who doesn't like grilling at the park?  Plus the drizzle has a crazy amount of flavor.  Hopefully, they'll keep my whiny side in check...

Click here to check out the entire Picnic Potluck Roundup hosted by Joan of Foodalogue!

Ingredients
2 artichokes (will make 8 quarters)
2 ounces anchovies packed in olive oil, be sure to reserve the olive oil from the package
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon ground hazelnuts
Parmesan cheese wedge and microplane, for serving
parsley leaves, for serving

Instructions
For the anchovy drizzle (at home):
Pour the olive oil from the anchovies into a small pot.  Mince the anchovies and add those in.  Stir in 3 tablespoons olive oil, the minced garlic, and the vinegar.  Over low heat, let the mixture come together for 5-10 minutes, until the anchovies have begun to melt into the mixture a bit.  Take off heat and stir in the hazelnuts.

For the artichokes (at home):
Prep we will do at home.  To start, set a large pot of salted water on the stove to boil. Using kitchen shears, trim off pointy tips of artichoke leaves. Using a large, sharp knife, cut off the top ½-inch of the artichokes and the end of each stem. Carefully remove any small leaves attached directly to the stem. Wash artichokes thoroughly under cold water to clean them off, and dry with paper towel.

For this part, you will want to do one artichoke at a time. Take your big sharp knife, coat it with lemon juice from one of your lemon wedges, turn an artichoke upside down, so the stem is sticking up and slice it straight down in half, and then in half again to make quarters. Immediately rub down all cut surfaces with lemon wedges to prevent discoloration. Take a serrated spoon, or regular spoon, and coat it with lemon juice. Scoop out the fuzzy choke in the center, as well as the inner, purple leaves. Make sure you get all of the fuzzy part out, and liberally rub down the top of the heart with lemon to prevent discoloration. I also try to cut any remaining prickly points off of the inner curled leaves to prevent poking the eater. Repeat for other quarters.

Once water is boiling, place artichokes in, cut side down, and cover with a clean cheese cloth, dish cloth, or cloth napkin. This will soak up water and ensure the artichokes stay wet while cooking. Cover pot with lid and cook about 9 minutes. When they are ready, they should be just soft enough to push a fork into the inside of the stem, but no softer. The outside of the stem should still be a bit firm.  Carefully remove artichokes and place in a bowl of ice water to halt their cooking.  Once they have cooled, thoroughly drain the water out and place in a Tupperware container to bring to the grill site.

For the artichokes (at grill site):
If using a charcoal grill, stack and light charcoal according to your favorite method. We like using a large chimney starter. The charcoal will be flaming and smoking for around 20-45 minutes.  Once 90 percent of the charcoal is ashed over, spread evenly onto charcoal rack, and place grates.  After grates have warmed up (5 minutes), scrape them clean using a grill brush.

Once your grill is ready to use, brush the artichokes with olive oil and black pepper. Adjust heat to high (350-400°). If grill grates are cast iron, rub them down briefly using a few paper towels or a cheese cloth dipped in canola oil. Place artichokes on grates, cut side down. To help them stay oriented correctly, squeeze the quarters up next to each other for added support. Close top and wait 3-5 minutes. Once the side making contact is adequately charred, brush the remaining cut side with olive oil and turn over onto the un-charred side.  Remove from heat once both cut sides have a light char.

Drizzle the artichokes with anchovy mixture, then sprinkle with fresh grated Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.