May 18
Tarrant Figlioretro food
I have posted the recipe for Mama Mediterranean Salad before-but I was just thinking about it. I am about to go on a business trip and was looking at the online menus. One restaurant features so many things I love that it will be hard to choose. Among them, crab soup and “Maryland Crab Cakes” but since the restaurant is in Atlanta and a fussy one-they won’t be anything like a real Maryland crab cake-so I am safe there. (good thing, since crab turns my chin purple-not the look for a business meeting)
Then a friend and I were discussing Virginia, Maryland, DC and my being “home sick” though home hasn’t been there in 20 years. I said flying into National was at once wonderful and horrible. It truly is one of the best places to land-at least I think so.
I explained that DC to me is the museums my parents took us to constantly. My father wanted educated, knowlegeable children and the museums were free. He saw no reason why this activity was not part of all my classmates weekends. Now it has been forever since I have been to the museums-close to the two decades since I moved away…I feel uneasy when I look at the Smithsonian sites and see that things have been rearranged, remodeled, changed but still know that I can count on that magic that those museums hold for me.
I spoke about my family’s Independence Day routine-in the city early, fruit from the fruit stall, visit the Archives, watch the parade, hear the Declaration of Independence read-complete with cannon fire. Then museum break, followed by the folk life festival on the Mall. Then grab the picnic from the car-visit the botanical gardens and use the bathroom. Then a picnic on the Capitol lawn-with the symphony, the guest stars, and fireworks over the Washington monument. Our family-in later years dressed in matching red, white and blue shirts. Usually a boyfriend or two in those years as well.
The salad linked above is part of that story-a very small part of it…but a token to remember it.
May 05
Tarrant Figlioretro food
Dinner this week (and lunches) have been a breeze. On Sunday, I made a number of salads-all vegan-to serve this week.
A cherry tomato and mushroom salad
A couscous with marinated Greek vegetables and chickpeas
A bow tie pasta salad with olives and sun-dried tomatoes
My new favorite pasta salad with broccoli and carrots
Now when it gets to be meal time, I can serve up one or two or three salads for dinner. Add a sprinkle of cheese, or a side of leftover grilled steak on top/the side if someone won’t feel “full” after “just salad”. I can put the couscous in a tortilla or on bread for a sandwich. The mushroom salad also makes a great sandwich.
I should plan ahead and cook ahead more often-it is the best eating week in months here.
May 01
Tarrant Figlioretro food
6:46. One kid hungry. Sub night.
Apr 30
Tarrant FiglioBeverages, Desserts, retro food
Today was warmish for our area. It put me in mind of summer and an ice cream soda with Old fashioned goodness seemed just right. This recipe comes from a 1968 advertising leaflet from Hershey’s-Chocolate Town Classics.
You see, back in about 1958 they created a powder “Hershey’s Instant” which is rather like Nestle Quik…except it had some issues with not dissolving easily (note the instructions on mixing powder with milk) and people liked Quik better. They attempted to revamp it in the 80s but it is long gone from the supermarket shelves. While this recipe uses that no longer available product-you could substitute Nestle Quik or Hershey’s Syrup just fine. Another option would be to use the Scharffen Berger sweetened cocoa mix-in that case-use the milk/dissolving instructions. Note the serving size is way smaller than today’s “scoop” of ice cream and enjoy without guilt.
Ice Cream Soda
3 heaping teaspoons HERSHEY’S INSTANT
2 tablespoons milk
1 scoop vanilla ice cream (about 1/3 cup)
Chilled soda water to fill glass
COMBINE…the HERSHEY’S INSTANT with the milk in a tall 12-oz glass.
ADD…the ice cream and fill slowly with the soda water, stirring gently to mix.
Yield: 1 serving
Apr 25
Tarrant Figlioretro food
Last night, I decided to once again take a look at changing my layout. The other one had problems from the beginning and they were getting worse. As I poked about and played-the new layout found me.
There is still some fussing to be done-not entirely happy with some of it. (Is anyone ever happy with a face lift the moment it happens?) Don’t be surprised if you do run into some changes but for now…I am happy with the new layout and hope you are as well.
Happy belated Sock Day.
Apr 24
Tarrant Figlioretro food
Code is poetry. Crohn’s is not.
Apr 22
Tarrant Figlioretro food
Curried what? Curried eggs-this is good old fashioned comfort food even if it seems exotic.
Hard boil 8 eggs.
2 tablespoons butter/margarine
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup white cooking wine of some nature
1 1/2 cups milk (I use skim)
2 teaspoons of curry powder or to taste
1-2 cups frozen peas
Rice or toast
salt and pepper to taste
Melt butter in saucepan. Add 2 tablespoons flour. Slowly whisk in wine and then milk. In this step you are making a basic white sauce except with a wee bit of wine instead of all milk. Allow to thicken and add curry powder.
Add chopped hard cooked eggs and peas-heat until warm. Serve over toast or rice.
Apr 21
Tarrant Figlioretro food
Tonight for dinner we are having stuffed squash. I didn’t know that 40 minutes ago. But I went into the kitchen thinking “I need to actually COOK dinner before people riot.”
Our pantry feels bare-it isn’t really but it feels that way.
I noted that the yellow squash I bought several weeks ago on a sunny spring day unlike today was still not rotted. I knew we had couscous. Cheese! We had to have cheese. We did-and a fine cheese for this last minute supper decision-a log of goat cheese with herbs and garlic.
So…I thought Eureka! Dinner! Ok, I thought I guess I should do something with the squash. Then proceeded to split them lengthwise, boil some water for the couscous, and scoop the seeds from the squash. I tossed the squash in the oven to start baking while the couscous was magically absorbing water. Then I mixed the goat cheese with the couscous. Stuffed the squash. Put them back into the oven until they are just done and the cheese I topped them with bubbled.
Real dinner-real fast. Sometimes I mix some olives in for excitement or sauteed onion, pesto or roasted peppers. It all works.
Apr 17
Tarrant Figlioretro food
Facebook’s eating up my blogging time.
Apr 14
Tarrant Figlioretro food
Tonight we had veggie burgers for dinner. Boring, plain old, veggie burgers. Yes, we had some veggies on them and I did serve my mother’s with a veggie on the side.
Tomorrow, we will have veggie lasagna. I am going to use soy crumbles in place of ground beef in an old traditional recipe for lasagna. I am also going to throw the summer squash inside.
Now the question is…should I saute the squash first…and do I make noodles on the side for the picky eater who has an aversion to lasagna? Or should I trick her with lasagna roll ups? (Please say no…I don’t like pre-cooking noodles which is required if I do roll ups.)
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