Hi friends. Remember me?
I wish I could tell you with absolute clarity what prompted my hiatus from The Kitchen Scout for the past three months. Having just celebrated the blog’s 5th anniversary this past May, I surprised myself with the relative ease that I just loosened the reigns. Isn’t it funny how quickly we can start new practices or end activities that we have incorporated into our lives on a daily basis? And then you are left wondering, how did I ever live with/without this in the first place?! The time I normally would have allocated to the blog was quickly absorbed by my other interests and did, in fact, make me wonder how I ever fit cooking, writing, photography, editing, repeat into my life most weeks. But while I enjoyed my time away, I have also really missed engaging with all of you!
The good news is that I haven’t abandoned cooking all together and if you follow my stories on Instagram, then you’ve had a glimpse of much of what’s been produced in my kitchen of late. Apparently as you’ll see below, it’s a lot of chicken!
Rather than jump back in with a new recipe, this week’s post includes lots of photos and links. I wanted to include so many things, but the post was getting too long. Recipes and products are included and I’ll share books and restaurants at a later time. I can’t promise I will be here every Friday, but I will do my best! Here goes. It’s good to be back…
∼
This was the summer of seafood and chicken for our family. Although there aren’t any pictures of it, locally caught swordfish was on the menu once a week when we were in Rhode Island. Grilled with a coating of mayo, mustard, granulated garlic, lemon zest and lots of cracked black pepper, there is nothing better. Let me show you some of the dishes I cooked up that were winners and were conveniently in my camera roll! There are a few recipes that are linked to the New York Times Food Section which you may not have access to unless you have a subscription, although if you google around a bit you may find the recipe elsewhere. Comment if you’d like to see one of those recipes in a future post… Salmon Roasted in Butter
What’s not to like, especially with this gorgeous piece of wild salmon I found at Westport Lobster Company. If you have Alison Roman’s Dining In cookbook, her Slow Roasted Salmon in Olive Oil is pretty spectacular too.
Vinegar Chicken with Crushed Olive Dressing Another recipe from Alison Roman who is the “it girl” for many foodies lately…
Fettucine with Lobster and Zucchini Lobster, pasta, what else is there to say? My family was very happy. You could make this for the holidays, swapping out the summer squash with butternut…
Speaking of pasta, I also made Pasta with Spinach, Garlic and Breadcrumbs from Mostly Plants, the Pollan family’s latest cookbook that I purchased after taking a look at it first from my library (this is my usual approach with cookbooks by the way). I’ve made a few things from the cookbook that we have really enjoyed. For this dish, I added some roasted tomatoes and basil just to amp up the flavor. We also loved a recipe for Pasta with Shaved Brussels Sprouts and Parsley Pesto from the book…
Chicken with Caramelized Onion and Cardamom Rice I had this Ottolenghi recipe bookmarked, and was pleased to find barberries at one of the Armenian markets in Watertown when I was shopping with my friend, Bredt. The flavors are really wonderful here, and you can use currents instead of barberries…
Pan Fried Zucchini with Anchovy Vinaigrette I saw Giada make this dish on her show and made it asap. The only problem was I should have made more!
Watermelon Poke I had my doubts that this recipe from 101 Cookbooks would work, but it was fantastic and I made it twice. I think I may have added just a touch more spice to the poke sauce. Light and refreshing, perfect for vegetarians and much more economical than tuna!
Blackberry Farm Summer Squash Casserole I’ve had this recipe in my files since we visited the farm last Fall. When they posted a tempting picture to their Instagram of the casserole, I had to make it for my yellow squash loving husband. I also tried Reese Witherspoon’s version, found in her cookbook Whiskey in a Teacup. Both were delicious. Blackberry’s was a lighter dish, and Reese’s had all the butter cracker, cheesy goodness you might expect from this traditional southern casserole. You may be able to find a link to her recipe online…
Peanut Butter Chicken More chicken! This one I’ve made a couple of times. It’s a quick and easy weeknight meal from Jessica Seinfeld…
Sheet Pan Pesto Gnocchi I sent this recipe to my gnocchi loving daughter and told her we needed to make it asap. She agreed. Easy (especially using store bought pesto), colorful and satisfying. Perfect for a quick weeknight vegetarian supper…
Garlic Butter Creamed Corn Chicken You didn’t think I was done with chicken, did you? I cut back on the heavy cream in this recipe but it was really good and you can make it with frozen corn. Nobody will know (unless you tell them)…
These are Vegetarian Lamejun, a recipe that I may share down the road. Red Lentils are cooked with onions and some diced tomatoes, and then mixed with all the traditional spices of this Armenian pizza (usually made with lamb). Spread onto a pita, they are baked until crispy and served with a little yogurt sauce…
Korean-Style Pork Ribs – we just couldn’t have any more chicken!
Moving On! I’ve discovered the best supermarket pickles ever so keep your eyes peeled for these perfectly flavored, crispy pickles in the refrigerator section. A store I frequent in the summer was carrying them and I have yet to find them in Massachusetts. I’m thinking of asking my local market if they will stock them. They are pretty hard to beat and I’ve tried a lot of varieties because I love pickles!!!
We are a little nutty when it comes to our dog as you all know (isn’t everyone?). For her 15th birthday, she was treated like any little diva and received these fun gifts as part of her special day. She particularly liked the “Hairmes” just saying. You can find them on Amazon…
I love this sunscreen for my face…
My friend, Anne S. turned me onto this Nars Lip Oil and I’m addicted! I purchased it in two colors and it’s not sticky like a lot of glosses. Goes on smoothly and has a nice sheen…
These are the best kitchen tools I’ve purchased this past year which I suppose isn’t saying much! But when you cook with cast iron as much as I do, these are great to have to get all the bits off the bottom of the pans without harming them. Great for any pans really, including non-stick…
I love my Yeti and thanks go to my friend, Sally A. for showing me the way!
Until next time…
Hi Val – love this summer of seafood post. And I do love chicken!