Maybe cooking is

For this lemon blueberry pie recipe, I made a few changes that completely changed the look and taste of the pie.  First, I substituted lime zest (grated limes) and lime juice instead of lemons and lemon juice because that’s what I had on hand.

Lime base while thickening.

Blueberry (boiling) and lime (cooling) sections. You can see the lime zest!

I also like my pies with top shells, but the base of this pie has several eggs in it and poses a quiche-like outcome if I chose to bake the pie. So I baked the top shell separately on top of an oven-safe pot cover and baked it alone in the oven.  Then I removed it and placed it on top of the pie.

Completed pie. Now into the fridge!

This recipe took time.  I pre-baked the crust (10 min.), stirred the lime mixture (20 min.), boiled the blueberries (15 min.), waited for both layers to cool before combining (10 min.), baked the top shell (10 min.), and then put it in the fridge to congeal (4 hours).

The result was a key lime pie base with a blueberry filling top, and very rich.  The recipe calls for 6 eggs, which create the richness, and a ton of sugar, which adds to it.  I found myself giving away slices to at least five people just to get it out of my fridge!

My second recipe this week was balsamic-soaked bacon-wrapped scallops with water chestnuts.  This is another full-bodied dish.  Although Rachel Ray calls for six huge scallops, I used medium-sized scallops and just made more of them.  I also didn’t have fresh ginger on hand, so I used about a teaspoon of ginger powder (because powder is always more potent than the real ingredient).

I pre-soaked the scallops, but only for 10 minutes.  Scallops can easily be ruined by over-marination, so whereas a tough steak should soak overnight, scallops only need a quick rinse.

Scallops soaking.

Next, I cut the bacon and placed water chestnuts on them, then wrapped the scallops.

Bacon ready for the scallops. I used wooden toothpicks to wrap them, and sometimes had to really stretch the bacon around to pin it.

I drizzled some of the marination over and then put them in the oven and turned them after 5 minutes.  I actually cooked them for about 19 minutes instead of 10 because I really wanted the bacon cooked.

Into the oven!

When I took them out, I covered them in cracked pepper and served four per plate.  Ultimate decadence.

Serving display.

Yum.

• Drink: Red wine
• Main: Bacon-wrapped scallops
• Side/dessert: A pluot

It’s blueberry season.  I went out on a limb and tried this savory blueberry sauce on tilapia.  Similar to the blueberry mixture found in the pie recipe above, this recipe called for the addition of chives, balsamic vinaigrette, and chicken broth.  I wasn’t sure how the flavors would blend together.

Blueberries and chives, which you couldn't really taste. I think there were too many types of flavors competing with each other.

While the mixture was coming together on the stove (about 20 minutes) thanks to Mitra’s stirring, I placed the tilapia in the oven to bake.

Multitasking in the kitchen!

Final dish. Although it looks great, I don't think I would repeat this recipe for the sauce. It just seemed confused.

• Drink: Red wine
• Main: Blueberry sauce over tilpaia
• Vegetable: Asparagus with lime juice
• Carb: Basmati white rice

Mitra and me ready to eat.

This upcoming week is the last one that I’ll spend in this D.C. kitchen!

Thought for the week: Blueberry Hill by Fats Domino from 1956

I have a huge rice supply to deplete before I move from the district out to the Midwest.  Since the Internet is ubiquitous, I intend to continue my cooking and blogging from Illinois.  Lucky you.

My first rice-involved dish was the cream of mushroom chicken dish.  Firstly, this seems like a great standby for quick and inexpensive weekday dinners.  Secondly, I felt creative when cooking and made minor alterations.

Although the recipe calls for the chicken and onion to be chopped, I decided to play with size.  I chopped some of the onions, and left some in large chunks, which gave it a country down-home feel.  I left some of the chicken as medallions, but I think chopped works better.

Chicken and mushroom sauce (without rice).

Here was real daring: instead of the evaporated milk, I substituted white wine.  I cooked it a bit longer on the stove to thicken the consistency (the milk would have made it thicker) and poured it over organic brown rice.  Paired with a bottle of the Chilean Terra Andina merlot, it passed the test.  Next time, I’ll put in the dairy.  Maybe.

That same evening – I was feeling ambitious – I moved to cook basmati rice with the goal to whip up Alton Brown’s Indian rice pudding recipe.  I’d already been to the grocery store and didn’t remember cardamom, so I improvised.  I dumped about 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract into the mixture for flavoring and added sliced almonds.

Basmati rice pudding with golden raisins, pistachios and sliced almonds.

Without the cardamom, the nutty rice pudding lost its exotic-ness, but made up for it by becoming Southern rice pudding and allowing the rich flavors of the nuts and raisins to stand out.  I’d probably add more cream than whole milk next time.  It is dessert, after all.

My next dish was shrimp jambalaya.  The recipe comes from Nag’s Head, North Carolina and is one of my favorites of my mom’s recipes.  This recipe is similar and is made in a slow cooker, so you don’t have to slave over the stove!  I don’t really enjoy sausage too much, but here’s another recipe from Bubba for jambalaya that ham and sausage-lovers would enjoy.

Much like Bubba, I like bacon in my jambalaya.

Mmmm... bacon.

Next I shredded my bacon, combined minced garlic and chopped onions and green peppers, uncanned the diced tomatoes, and set aside the seasonings.

Ingredient bowls of prep work.

I sautéed my veggies with the bacon in the bacon grease and then added the seasonings. After the onion became clear, I added the tomatoes and stirred constantly to thicken the mixture.

Sauteing the foundation for the jambalaya.

Finally, I added the shrimp and then rice.

You could serve this sauce over rice instead of stirring it in, but it's Southern tradition to mix it.

I doubled the bacon and shrimp, so I also doubled all of the ingredients except the rice.  Overall, I was extremely happy with this dish, but my mom’s is still the best.

Thought for the week: “Talk doesn’t cook rice.” - Chinese proverb

The recipe for apple chicken quesadillas made me raise an eyebrow.  It glossed over the preparation time for a) boiling corn (which I had never done before) and b) cooking the chicken before making the quesadillas, but I decided to go for it – entirely from scratch.  And I decided to make my friend Caitlin’s guacamole recipe, too.  And bake cookies.

Note: I’m actively trying to improve cooking several dish recipes simultaneously, with the ultimate acrobatic feat being Thanksgiving dinner (years from now).  A helpful tool to help with timing: online stop-watch.

I started by baking some store-made Tollhouse turtle cookies (not everything was homemade) while I boiled corn on the cob, instead of buying canned, for the quesadillas.

Corn boiling.

Then I moved to chopping onion, Roma tomatoes, avocado, and garlic for the guacamole.  I minced fresh garlic cloves, for which there’s a trick to using the side of your knife to smash it and remove the peel, instead of buying minced garlic.  I resorted to bottled lime juice for this recipe’s short cut.

Next, I mashed the avocado meat in large bowl (but saved the pits) and left it a bit chunky.  Next I stirred in the lime juice, Texas Pete hot sauce, garlic and salt and pepper.

According to Caitlin, “avocado needs a decent amount of salt and the only way you really tell if it’s properly seasoned is to taste it. I usually season it once at this stage and then again at the end.”

Then I  stirred in chopped onions and Roma tomatoes and shredded cilantro.  After I combined the ingredients, I placed the pits in the bowl and covered them with the mixture to keep the guac from turning brown.  Even though guacamole will keep in the fridge a day or two, Caitlin highly recommends eating it the same day it’s made.

Guacamole with delicious garlic in the background.

Next, I moved to baking the chicken breasts with a l’il olive oil and salt and pepper.  While in the oven, I chopped onion and tomatoes on the vine and sliced Granny Smith apples for the quesadillas.  I also chopped the corn on the cob I had made earlier.  Once the chicken finished, I chopped it and mixed it with the two cheeses, tomatoes, and onion in a bowl.

Chopped ingredients: before the magic happens.

Then I poured that mixture on whole wheat tortillas, covered it with apples and more cheddar cheese, and folded them for baking in the oven four at a time on a cookie sheet.  I placed apple slices on top of the tortillas to weigh them down since toothpicks weren’t available.

Quesadillas 15 seconds of fame close-up

And voila!

My chicken apple quesadilla with salsa, sour cream, and green leaf lettuce.

Quesadilla dinner with homemade guacamole and pecan-caramel-chocolate chip cookies.

Overall, the quesadillas were good, but more cheese and a stronger contrasting cheese would have been better to use.  I also probably switch to use slices of red onion, instead of chopped yellow onion, and saute them first.  To heighten the flavor contrast next time, I might bake the chicken with a sweet barbecue sauce instead of olive oil.

Just for fun.

Thought for the week: “Whoever makes two ears of corn, or two blades of grass to grow where only one grew before, deserves better of mankind, and does more essential service to his country than the whole race of politicians put together” – Jonathan Swift, 1667-1745

I hit the point last week where I was so busy with work that I didn’t have time to use the groceries I bought, let alone blog about food.  But that doesn’t mean I didn’t cook on the weekends!

The dish I made on Sunday, April 18 was Smoky Cod and Parsnip Chowder.  It is delicious, and I cut this particular recipe in half and still had enough for five servings.  I think I could have put in more cream than water, but I definitely put in more parsnip and potato than suggested.  I also used cod and tilapia, and none of it was smoky.

Soup veggies: potato, onion, parsnip and thyme (herb).

Complicated preparation steps for the soup required poaching the fish, then removing it, and two huge sauce pans in addition to a small pot. Lots of dish washing!

The chowder!

For soup, there’s usually a lot of simmering.  I thought to cook boneless ribs armed with instructions from my mom while I made the soup.  And it worked perfectly, so I had two dishes to eat during the week.  Cooking two dishes at once?  A marked improvement since January!

Boneless ribs

This past weekend, I was recovering from two weeks of a hectic workload.  Not feeling in the creative mood, I chopped some onion to saute with butter into a pan.  I added spiced chicken sausage (I can’t do pork sausage) and slices of red pepper.  On top of brown rice and with a side lettuce and black olive salad, I had an easy, simple Sunday dinner.

Chicken sausage and red bell pepper over rice

Spring view from my bedroom window.

Thought for the week: “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” – Virginia Woolf