You want to eat where???

That was the most memorable saying of our road trip last year as I navigated the grandpa Buick into a gravel parking lot outside of Malibu. "You want to eat here???"

Shawn quickly pointed out that the "here" had a Port-o-Potty in the parking lot, mismatched picnic tables under a torn tarp and some rather scary looking gentlemen on Harley's out front - not the type of place I normally would frequent.

I swore to him that this would be the best meal of his life (having been here a few times before) and we ordered the seafood platter. Everything fried....everything made more delicious by THE MOST AMAZING tartar sauce you will ever taste. Their secret ingredients....pickle juice and hot sauce. Plus you can sit on the picnic tables and watch the surfers across the street (after a disastrous outing with a windsurf board, this will be as close as I'll get to hanging 10).

So now in our 3rd straight week of -20 celsius (or colder) and there is still snow on the ground and we have no holidays where we get to go somewhere hot this year (stupid house), all I could think about today was this tartar sauce. (Ok, and my sore throat).

I've been tinkering with the recipe all year - and I still can't get it quite right (although a close proximity today with the addition of horseradish and not hot sauce).

Now, if I could only get Shawn to use the spray bottle filled with salt water to gently mist me while I eat in front of the fan watching a surfer movie........maybe I could squint and believe I was back in Malibu and not the great white north.

Tartar Sauce

1 cup light mayonnaise

1/3 cup of relish (or more)

a few shakes of dill pickle juice

1/4 tsp horseradish

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Mix together and chill for 30 minutes before serving

Pan Fried Fish (adapted from Bon Appetit)

yield: Makes 4 servings plus leftovers

Ingredients
2 pounds 1 1/2-inch-thick halibut
1 3 1/2-ounce package panko (Japanese breadcrumbs; 1 1/2 cups)
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 large egg whites
1/4 cup dark ale or non-alcoholic (such as O'Doul’s)
3 tablespoons (or more) extra-olive oil

Preparation
Cut fish into 4x1 1/4-inch rectangular Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Combine next 5 ingredients in large bowl.

Whisk egg whites and ale in medium bowl. Add fish to ale mixture and turn to coat; shake off excess, then turn fish in panko mixture to coat all sides. Place on plate.

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of fish sticks. Cook until golden and just opaque in center, about 2 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining fish sticks, adding more oil to skillet as necessary. Transfer fish to paper towels; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Little green balls of.....

Snot. Yep, not a recipe hits my table that has peas in it where Shawn doesn't comment on their uncanny resemblance to snot. He also has some rather vulgur sayings when it comes to canned tomatoes, but I'll save that for when I torture him with another recipe. And to be really fair, this recipe has cooked carrots in it as well - my least favourite vegetable on the planet.

The biggest challenge after a long day of work is trying to find recipes that I can get on the table in under half an hour - most nights we don't eat dinner until close to 7:30 or 8 p.m. Since we moved out of the city I find that I have to be prepared for meals a week ahead of time - no more running across the street for sushi or Indian food. So while I'm still looking for a decent fishmonger to get sushi grade fish from, making Indian food I've seemed to master. Most of the really good recipes take a few days (tandoori chicken and butter chicken being the favourites)...but if you are craving quick Indian food, this fills the bill.

As usual, I forgot to buy the cilantro, but the recipe tasted pretty good without it and was on the table in under 30 minutes!!

Shortcut chicken biryani (adapted from Chatelaine, Jan/09)

Preparation time 15 min Cooking time 28 min Makes 3 to 4 servings

1cup (250 mL) frozen peas
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 carrots, diced
6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs or 3 skinless, boneless breasts
1/4cup (50 mL) biryani curry paste
1cup (250 mL) basmati rice
2cups (500 mL) water
1/2tsp (2 mL) salt
1cup (250 mL) coarsely chopped cilantro

1. Measure out peas and leave at room temperature. Prepare vegetables. Lightly coat a large saucepan with vegetable oil and set over medium heat. Add onion and carrots. Stir occasionally until onion has softened, 3 to 5 min. Meanwhile, cut chicken into bite-size pieces. Add to vegetables and sauté until lightly golden, about 5 min.

2. Add biryani paste and stir until chicken is well coated. Mix in rice, water and salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Stir, then reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, for 15 min.

3. Then mix in peas. Cover and continue to simmer until water is absorbed, from 5 to 7 more min. Remove

The wrath of Turkey.......

Unfortunately, things don't always turn out the way you want them too and this Christmas was no different. A wicked snow storm on the coast prevented the in-laws from visiting like they had planned.....I was left with a sad husband and a rather large turkey. Thankfully the neighbors were partaking in xmas dinner too.....but a 20 pound turkey is an awful lot for a few people.

As with xmas's past...the turkey needs a name...specifically a boy name that starts with a T. Yes, there is some underlying evilness associated with this....but that's ok - my friends and family know that taking out my aggression on a plucked 20 pound turkey is much more healthy than attempting to pluck my arch-nemesis.

Troy was cooked without stuffing (blasphemy according to my mom) a la the Barefoot Contessa method. Probably the best turkey I've ever had. Note the bottle of Jim Beam....every good turkey deserves a bourbon basting! 20 pounds and 2 huge baggies full of leftover turkey later......what to do? There is only so many turkey sandwiches I can eat. So Turkey Tetrazzini it is - not a bad use of all the dark meat that was left (apparently the husband can continue to eat turkey sandwiches).

I recommend making the fresh bread crumbs - ever since I figured out how to use my new food processor the icky dried bread crumbs from the grocery store have gone the way of the dodo bird.

Turkey Tetrazzini - adapted from Cottage Living

Yield
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients
5 tablespoons butter, divided
1 (8-ounce) package sliced baby bella (cremini) mushrooms
4 green onions, chopped (about 2/3 cup)
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup half-and-half or evaporated milk, at room temperature
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 cup sherry or port
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cups hot cooked fusilli or gemelli
3 cups cooked turkey, diced
1 cup fine, fresh (soft) breadcrumbs

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 375°. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large, deep, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and green onions, and sauté 8 to 10 minutes or until soft. Transfer to a large plate.
2. Melt 2 more tablespoons butter in skillet, and add flour, stirring until smooth, about 1 minute. Add chicken broth and half-and-half. Cook, stirring occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly thickened and smooth. Remove from heat; stir in 1/4 cup Parmesan and next 3 ingredients. Fold in mushroom mixture, cooked pasta, and turkey. Return to medium heat, and cook until thoroughly heated.
3. Transfer to a lightly greased 11- x 7-inch (2-quart) baking dish. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter; mix in breadcrumbs and remaining 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Sprinkle topping evenly over dish. Place on middle oven rack, and bake 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbling and beginning to brown.

Initial foray into blogging

I love to cook. Simple as that - after a 12 hour work day nothing is as relaxing as making a great meal for Shawn and I. And after many repeated requests for pictures and recipes by friends and family, I decided to spend 2009 blogging my way through my kitchen triumphs and mishaps (and all mishaps tend to involve the KitchenAid at warp speed). Let me know what you think of the blog and if there is anything I should change. I read approximately 15 different cooking blogs daily (and way too many cooking magazines each month) so my stash of recipes is large!

My goal is to make 4 new recipes a week (if not more).....and really now that I think about it - deciding to start this at the same time I start year end at work (accountant's nightmare) probably wasn't wise.

I love breakfast/brunch - more specifically, I love going OUT for breakfast. But we woke to another large snowfall this morning (seriously it can stop now) and I opted to create my favourite breakfast at home - Smoked Salmon Hash with Poached Eggs
Very quick to pull together and on the table in under 20 minutes!

Let me tell you...I think I may not be going out for breakfast much - this tasted just as good, if not better, than my favourite diner in downtown Calgary :)

Salmon Hash (adapted from Bon Appetit - Oct/98)

Ingredients
6 ounces smoked salmon, cut into strips
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
3 tablespoons drained capers
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound frozen hash brown potatoes

Mix salmon, onion, capers, 3 tablespoons sour cream, horseradish and mustard in medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Melt butter with oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add potatoes and cook until golden brown, breaking up with spatula, about 12 minutes. Stir in salmon mixture and cook just until heated through, about 2 minutes. Season hash to taste with salt and pepper. Divide among 4 plates. Top with a poached egg (or 2 if you are my husband).