What We're Having Tonight:

Errr, what we had Friday night.

There are about a million ways to make this dish, but this is the one I make 9 times out of 10. It's one of my favorite winter recipes, that only requires a handful of fresh ingredients so you can throw it together at a moments notice, and, for those of us from small towns in Northern California, tastes like home.

Posole: Feeds 6-8

Ingredients:

-Pork chops, cubed (I used about a pound)

-Shredded cabbage (I just get the bag from TJs)

-Julienned radishes (Skip this if you're not up to dicing tiny veggies)

-One large yellow onion, chopped

-2 28-oz cans white hominy, drained

-1 3-oz can diced green chilies, drained (as hot as you like)

-1 28-oz can diced tomatoes (the authentic version would omit these, but I try to squeeze in a few extra veggies)

-4-8 cloves of garlic, diced

-4 cups chicken stock (even at my laziest, homemade stock is worth it. I mean come on the soup practically comes straight from the pantry.)

-Olive oil

-Salt and pepper to taste

-Chile de arbol to taste

Directions:

-In a large dutch oven, saute the onion and garlic in olive oil over a medium flame until soft. Add the pork and cook until brown, about ten minutes. Add the green chiles and stir to combine. Sprinkle with chile de arbol, salt, and pepper.

-Add the hominy, tomatoes, and stock. Bring the soup to a boil for ten minutes.

-While the soup is boiling, fill bowls with a loose handful of the shredded cabbage and chopped radishes. Ladle the soup over the cabbage and radishes, let sit for a minute or two until the cabbage wilts. Serve with sour cream, lime wedges, and avocado, chopped cilantro if you're feeling fancy.

What We're Having Tonight:

Seared Ahi with Cucumber Salad:

Not the prettiest picture, I know. But don't let the picture fool you, it actually plates up really well. The red ahi, the green and purple salad... ah! I wish I had purple and yellow plates!

One of my favorite dishes, ever, and so easy. Plus, it's healthy! We like our fish pretty raw, so if you like to make sure it's not actually moving when you eat it, up the cook time by 2 minutes per side.

So. I just use a very loose recipe. Combine all ingredients in the bottom of a baking dish:

2-3 T soy sauce

2 T sesame oil

Squeeze of half a lime

A few grates of ginger (or about 1 t, minced. Chill it in the fridge for 10 minutes and it will be so much easier to grate/ mince.)

2-4 cloves garlic, minced (This thing has really changed my life)

Optional: 2-3 t miso paste (I use red)

Mix it all together until smooth. Marinate the fish for 30 minutes. While it's marinating, heat your grill to high. You can make this cucumber salad in 5 minutes, flat.

In a medium bowl, combine:

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup white vinegar

Water to taste

Whisk it all together, then add:

3 cups cucumbers, sliced (for this, I used 2 Persian cukes and one lemon cucumber from the garden. I have made this with about a thousand different cucumber combinations and have never been disappointed.)

1/4 cup thinly sliced onion

If you're doing the lazy-mama version, (pictured!) stop here, if you're an over-achiever, add:

1/4 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper (mild version) or

1 T thinly sliced chili pepper (hot hot hot version)

Toss everything until it's evenly coated with the dressing, then let chill in the fridge for 15-20 minutes. You can also make this salad way ahead of time, if you're having people over for dinner, you can put this salad together at lunch and be fine.

Back to the fish: Lightly brush the fish on both sides with vegetable oil (helps with grilling).

Sear that bad boy for 2 minutes on each side for maximum raw-ness (pictured). Again, feel free to increase the cook time, but keep a close eye on it, as ahi loves to dry out when you're not looking.

Serve with rice, a chilled white wine, or some Thai beer! (Though, if we're being honest, Hite is my favorite).

Enjoy!

What We're Having Tonight:

Take Out Thai Food

It has been a crazy few weeks, and we're heading up to Napa on Saturday with Asia and Stas to celebrate my birthday weekend with all my favorite things... good friends, wine tasting, massages, and reading in the sunshine. I could just faint with excitement.

But, because we're moving in nine days and HAVE PACKED ALL OF TWO BOXES, we're staying in to do some serious packing before jetting off to California's mini-paradise. And that means, Thai food to go.

I will at least mix up some yummy drinks: there's really no recipe for this, I just do it "white trash style." (That's for you, Jo Mama!) Pour half a cup of chilled white wine, squeeze some lime into it, add some OJ, grate some ginger or sprinkle sugar over the top. Delish!

What We're Having Tonight:

Nothing from my kitchen!

That's because we're going out with our dear friends A and S. We're meeting downtown for Mediterranean food and sangria, across from the live flamenco bands they have across the street. It's the perfect kind of night for dinner on the patio, clinking wine glasses with friends, then walking around in the moonlight.

It makes me feel like we're back in Italy!

Image courtesy of http://my.qoop.com/

What We're Having Tonight: Spinach Pesto

Ed is not the biggest veggie-man. He'll dutifully eat a few raw ones, mainly tomatoes and cucumbers, assuming they come in salad form, but beyond that, he's not too adventurous: no broccoli, under any circumstances, no more than a bite of swiss chard followed by a gag, and brussel sprouts aren't even up for discussion.

I, on the other hand, love my veggies, in just about any form. Call it the by-product of having a nutrition scientist for a mother. To keep us both happy, we have a lot of salads, and I usually puree whatever's in season beyond oblivion, into a soup that he doesn't even suspect is mostly carrot.

When that gets old, this is my best stand by. He literally had no idea it was mostly spinach until this past Friday, when we were meeting friends for a dinner party, and running behind, so he had to make the pesto while I stuffed the peppers. He kept saying, "Are you sure it's this much spinach?" And I would smile, nod, and remind him that, Honey, I know what I'm doing.

Sneaky Spinach Pesto:

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of organic spinach leaves, cleaned
• 2-3 handfuls of fresh basil (we grow it on the patio and I basically pick both plants clean every time we make this)
• 3-8 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Small handful of toasted pine nuts
• Salt to taste
• Pecorino Romano cheese to taste (optional)

Puree everything in the food processor until smooth. Toss it with fresh pasta, use it as a dip for bread, drip it over a Caprese salad, bake it over polenta... or, like we did on Friday, make an easy party food: slice mini red bell peppers in half, fill with a spoonful of goat cheese, and top with a dollop of pesto. Bake at 350 for fifteen minutes or until the cheese bubbles slightly.

It keeps well for about a week in the fridge, in an airtight container. Ours has never actually made it that long, but I'm guessing.

Enjoy!

What We're Having Tonight: Chicken Curry

I'm so glad the weekend is here... this week was crazy!

I used to have Fridays off, but now I have class until noon and students until 6:00, so I don't get home until 6:30. But I do have a break between 2 and 3:30, and I'll putter around the apartment, cleaning up and throwing something into the Crock Pot. I love coming home to the smell of dinner!

In college, E spent a year studying abroad in the UK, and he developed an addiction to Indian food. After we started dating, curry and beer on a Friday night became one of my favorite things.

On days you have the time to do the traditional version, it's better. But, this is my lazy-mama method:

Chicken Curry: Serves 4

Ingredients:

Canola oil- ¼ cup

Yellow onions- 2 chopped

Garlic- 4-6 cloves, minced

Ground Coriander, 1 ½ teaspoons

Ground Turmeric, 1 ½ teaspoons

Cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon

Cauliflower, 1 head, cut into bite size florets

Green Beans, 1 pound, trimmed and coarsely chopped

Salt to taste

Fresh cilantro

1. Brown the chicken: In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm a few tablespoons of the oil. Add the chicken pieces, and cook until golden brown on the bottom, about 4-5 minutes. Turn the chicken and cook until the second side is lightly browned, about 1-2 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to the slow cooker.

2. Saute the vegetables and spices: In a frying pan over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add onions and garlic, sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add coriander, turmeric, cumin seeds, and sauté until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds. Add about a cup of hot water and stir with a wooden spoon, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. When it starts boiling, remove the pan.

3. Add the cauliflower and green beans to the cooker. Pour the seasoned liquid over them. Sprinkle with a few pinches of salt (Himalayan pink salt is especially yummy) and stir to combine. Cover and cook on the high heat setting for 4 hours, or the low heat setting for 8 hours.

Serve over steamed basmati rice and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Note: If I'm being really lazy, I'll skip the green beans, and just toss in a bag of frozen peas about 30 minutes before serving...

Photo courtesy of Happy Tummy at http://www.happytummyblog.com