a rat, a dog and a fish...

ratatouille.  


chopsticks looks up, "we've already seen that movie."  


ojp stops, "a friend for me, dad?!" 


no, not the movie.  and, no, ojp, we're not getting a rat for a friend.  i am going to play with the concept of ratatouille, however.   plus, chopsticks is craving fish.   let the experiment begin.


the menu (08july10):

• paprika dusted fish (pan sauted)
• ratatouille croquette
• avocado puree
• siracha oil drizzle
• potato chips (sliced red potatoes, home fried)

the croquette didn't stay together as well as i had hoped (add an egg next time, spoon), but the taste was spot on.  

a week of misses

let's be honest, i took a few days off and settled into the concept of relaxing.  all the grand intentions of playing mad scientist with the bounty of produce from the last week were replaced with the sound of vuvuzela's and some time in the sun.


our story begins last friday.  the super hot days had sparked a want for spicy food.  sure, we had plenty of peppers to use, but i was thinking chipotle... and peaches (small aside, grilled fruit is definitely high on my list of ways to eat fruit).  


the thought:

• chipotle and peach marinated chicken
• grilled peaches
• grilled corn with ancho chili butter 

started mixing, marinating and ready to grill.  i was so ready to come back to the lightly charred chicken (used some honey and peach preserves in the marinade to balance the spiciness of the chipotle) only to find the gas had gone out on the grill.  so frustrating and had to finish off the chicken and the corn indoors.  the finished results showed promise, but really needed a bit of work before we were comfortable posting the "chopsticks approved" recipes.

failed meal attempt

leaving us still hungry, we chopped up the squash and made some more baked squash fries.

fast forward to sunday.  after a fun visit to the farmer's market the previous morning, it was time to attempt some gazpacho.  had some great looking tomatoes and the jalapenos (2 small ones) and had picked up some herbs, cucumber and other fine fixin's.  chopped, blended and let it sit overnight for lunch.


remind me next time to cut down on the jalapeno... wow.


wait... a success story?!  after having picked up some mahi mahi at the farmers market, we thought:

• mahi mahi tacos, topped with 
• sliced avacado and
• smoky poblano and strawberry salad

surprisingly, something we did actually turned out this week.  too bad we started eating before taking the time to snap a picture for you.... i blame chopsticks.


for desert we sliced open the sprite melon.  having never heard of one, let along having tried one before, both chopsticks and i were rather intrigued by this thing.  turns out, it's pretty darn good.  mild, but perfect for summer.

sprite melon

that wraps up this addition of "a week of misses."  hope to see you next week for a better go of it.

a story about pickles

imagine that you're craving a pickle...  you are excited knowing you had just bought some the other day.  you open the fridge, wade through the mess in there and find the jar.  you open it... wait.... what is this?!  a pickle with a bite out of it?!

chopsticks!!!!

true story... needless to say, i didn't get my pickle that day...

but i do have a cucumber this week.  i'm not going to venture into the world of pickling, but, with the heat today and, given that it was a friday, i'm want something summery, light and refreshing.

the menu (14may10):

• cumin and chili crusted halibut with green gazpacho (served with some toasted bread)

two weeks behind

ok, ok... it was a new idea, so i'm a bit (two weeks) behind... and, well, i can't remember everything i've made with the first two boxes, so here's a quick recap from what i can actually remember:

week 1:

• we'll call this the "oh my god, what am i going to do with all of this" box
• i know there were strawberries were in the box, i can see them in the picture...  but i don't remember really ever seeing them (glances at chopsticks)
• grilled asparagus (brush with olive oil, salt & pepper and garlic powder and grill)... so, so good
• sorry to report, but the cabbage did not find a home this week... it gave me a dirty look when i put it in the fridge... sorry buddy
• didn't realize that spring onions were ever this big; but wow were they good.  they made their way onto the grill and then sliced into some salsa.  one made its way into the lettuce wraps
• bibb lettuce = chicken lettuce wraps of course.  i'll spare you all the recipe... we ate it... but it wasn't the best offering ever.  we'll rack that one up to experimentation
• beta sweet potatoes - these things were UGLY but delicious.  i diced these up into cubes and roasted them.  one batch chili roasted; one "plain" (little salt, pepper and olive oil).  i'm still holding out hope we see these come back in another box as the season progresses

week 2:

• more peanuts?  thinking maybe we should start one of those bars in our house and just throw the shells on the floor.  olive (our dog, aka ojp) would be in heaven.  went ahead and roasted a bag full and used them as a snack
• romaine automatically meant grilled caesar salad 
• one of the voices in my head says "grill. the. asparagus."  i quickly question if i should start cutting down corn fields and playing baseball... instead i oblige and grill up some asparagus and serve it with some pan seared fish
• we're getting smart about the strawberries as they keep flowing in... hulled and into the freezer for later use
• the voice is back telling me to roast the potatoes...  i resist the temptation and decide to launch myself into the internet to look for some inspiration (maybe i should be looking up something about voices in my head while i'm there too).  inspiration finds me (google, you have helped me once again) and my adventure with sweet potato salsa begins.  served with some pan seared fish and wilted spinach.  

whew...