Lebanese pita bread

7-31-2010 Sat. warm, sunny.

WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee | pancake with Chinese leek filling | lychee | watermelon | peach
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- Japanese steamed green tea | steamed Manila clams | lychee
DINNER --- (at Me Jana Lebanese restaurant) grape leaves | hommus | feta salad | baba ghannouj |makanek (Lebanese sausage) | pita bread | Turkish beer

• the best is the pita bread, perfect fine texture and paper thin. some research and experiments need to be done to achieve that at home
  

Twisted pasta

7-30-2010 Fri. cool, sunny.

BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- ratatouille (leftovers)
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- plums
DINNER --- fennel salad | fusilli avellinesi with pearl mushrooms, wood-ear, boiled eggs, artichoke hearts, black olives and fresh fava beans | boiled orange clams marinated with Japanese pickled gourd | beer

• Fusilli avellinesi from the neighborhood little Italian food store has very nice texture, firm and bouncy. the twisted form holds the light sauce and mix well with other ingredients for a pasta salad
  

Ratatouille

7-29-2010 Thu. hot and humid, shower


BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- rice with sauteed greens and wood-ear
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- peach | plum
DINNER --- boiled new potatoes | ratatouille ( eggplant, tomato, zucchini, mushroom, green pepper, spring onion and garlic ) | sauteed green beans | red wine

little mushroom in the garden after summer rain

• Ratatouille is a big party to celebrate summer fresh vegetables.
  

Back to the kitchen

7-28-2010 Wed. hot, sunny.


BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- peach | plums
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- soy bean snack | green tea
DINNER --- fennel salad | sauteed mushroom, wood-ear, and smoked tofu with fresh tomato-shallot sauce | boiled summer greens | rice | red wine

• the kitchen back to normal with power, most food in the refrigerator out to trash
  

Indian comfort food

7-27-2010 Tue. warm, sunny.

BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- soy bean snack | peach
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- tea | plums
DINNER --- (at Francesca and Oreste's ) eggplant pakocras (Indian fritters) | curried green pepper, onion and zucchini | Naan | red pepper and fruit chutney | hot chili sauce | pappadam (Indian chickpea cracker)

• a homey Indian meal prepared by Francesca in a short notice, for us the powerless refuges

Pho and rice noddle bowl

7-26-2010 Mon. warm, sunny.

BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- refried black beans (leftovers)
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- green tea | plum
DINNER --- (at R.P. Vietnamese Deli) rice noddle bowl with grilled beef and greens | Pho

• still no electricity, 30 hours and counting...
  
  

Cooking in the dark

7-25-2010 Sun. very hot, storm


WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee | scallion pancake | watermelon | peach
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- green tea | avocado dip and chips | Sangria
DINNER --- sauteed corn, onion and hot pepper | fennel salad |

• the storm knocked out the power, cooking was done in the dark on a camping stove
  

the taste of Mexico

7-24-2010 Sat. very hot, sunny.

WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- ice tea | coconut cream bread | watermelon | lychee
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- green tea | raspberries
DINNER --- mojito | guacamole and tortilla chips || white fish ceviche with chayote | fresh salsa | flour tortilla | refried black beans | Mexican rice | stew of vegetables and pork with chocolate mole || lychee | ice cream

• Mole dulce from Mano.Y.Metate is a classic dark chocolate sauce, adds rich flavor to the stew.
  

Mish Mash Dim Sum

7-23-2010 Fri. very hot, sunny.


BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- couscous with shrimp and vegetables (leftovers)
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- peach
DINNER --- mojito | cheese platter || pan fried octopus balls | steamed vegetable buns | ma-po tofu | sauteed pea leaves with garlic and roasted sesame seeds | red wine

• a put-together small dish dinner for a hot evening
  

Kenyan food

7-22-2010 Thu. hot, sunny.

BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- ( at Swahili Village ) fried plantain | brown rice | chicken stewed in spiced coconut sauce | sauteed cabbage
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- peach
DINNER --- boiled pea leaves with minced garlic | cilantro, smoked tofu and peanuts | linguini with roasted hot pepper sauce | radish and cherry tomato salad | red wine

• Kenyan food served at S.V. is pretty mild, more like Indian than Ethiopian food.
  

Approaching Africa

7-21-2010 Wed. hot, sunny.

BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- soba noddles with mushroom and cucumber
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- green tea
DINNER --- spicy stew of green beans,bitter melon and zucchini | couscous | sauteed shrimp with ginger sauce | fennel salad | cheese plate | red wine

• North African spicy stewed vegetables with couscous, more than ten kinds of spices went into the stew.

all things cool and chilled

7-20-2010 Tue. hot and humid

BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- rice with chive flower buds and tofu (leftovers )
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- tea | cherries
DINNER --- chilled soba noddles with drunken chicken, king mushroom, spring onions and cucumber | Shanghai salsa ( cilantro, smoked tofu and roasted peanuts with chili sauce) | fennel salad with radish, cheery tomato and lettuce | wine

cool summer garden in Sweden

• all things cool and chilled to think about and to eat for a typical hot and humid day.
  

Chive flower buds

7-19-2010 Mon. warm and humid

BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- new potato and pasta
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- cherries
DINNER --- sauteed okra and king mushroom | stir-fired chive flower buds and spice cured tofu | rice marinated boiled chicken (drunken chicken) | rice | red wine

• chive flower buds have everything healthy and tasty: green, rich in fiber, subtle sweet taste of roasted garlic.
  

a Culinary visit to the Middle East

7-18-2010 Sun. hot, cloudy to thunder storm.


WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- middle eastern yogurt | water melon | scallion pancake | cherries
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- tea | green risen
DINNER --- Lebanese green olive and egg salad | Afghan baked rice with braised lamb shank (Qabili Pilau) | Armenian sheep cheese | fennel and lettuce salad | pale ale beer

olive and egg salad of the Bekaa Valley


Qabili Pilau

• slow food, whole food, learning the essential elements of middle eastern cuisine.
  

American Life

7-17-2010 Sat. hot, sunny.

WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee | coconut cream bread | water melon | strawberries | middle eastern style yogurt
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- green tea | lychee
DINNER --- fresh salsa and blue corn chips | corn on cob | sauteed bitter melon with spring onions | boiled new potatoes | BBQ chicken drumettes | pale ale beer

a sunset stage show in the garden

pair bitter pale ale with bitter melon

salsa, chips, and BBQ

• the pale ale is named " American Life" from Rock Bottom Brewery, a summer beer with special bitter flavor of hops. kind of interesting to pair it with the bitter melon.
  

an Eastern Mediterranean Dinner

7-16-2010 Fri. hot, sunny to thunder storm


BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- steamed buns with mushroom filling
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- peach
DINNER --- (at Oreste and Francesca's ) Falafel, Egyptian style green Hot sauce ( long green peppers, parsley, egyptian olives, olive oil, garlic), Italian Riesling || Rigatoni al Cavolo e salsiccia ( a peasant dish from Basilicata, eastern Calabria and Apulia, with cabbage, italian sausage, and Italian hot peppers `peperoncini a botticella') , Argentinian Red Malbec || platter of Middle Eastern cheeses: Turkish Kashcaval, Armenian Cheese, Syrian Cheese, with Turkish red hot sauce (short red peppers, onion, tomato, anise seed, oreganon, sommac, olive oil), Lebanese red wine || crepes alla rosa e ricotta, Mead honey wine

• Oreste and Francesca made an Eastern Mediterranean dinner including elements of Ancient Roman, Southeastern Italian, Egyptian and Middle Eastern cuisines. The Syrian food shop near their place sits on an American Main Street of bygone era.
  

Homemade cheesebuger with a Nowegian twist

7-15-2010 Thu. hot, sunny.

BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- steamed dumplings
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- tea| peach
DINNER --- spicy cabbage with fermented fava bean sauce | boiled pea leaves and tofu | cheeseburger with Norwegian brown goat cheese and fried red onion | mixed drink of light rum, seltzer and raspberry sorbet

• Norwegian goat cheese added a new twist on the homemade cheeseburger
  

What's been for Dinner?

7-14-2010 Wed. warm, rain.

BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- pho ( Vietnamese beef and rice noodle soup )
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- tea | plum and peach
DINNER --- steamed dumplings with filling of minced chicken, shiitake and boy choy | cherry tomato and lettuce salad | red wine

• bok choy in summer is not as good as in cool seasons, probably should try to use other leafy vegetables in the dumpling filling
• NY Times ran an article on a 12 year record of what's been for dinner by Jenny Rosenstrach: What's Been for Dinner? She Could Look it Up
  

Happy Hour beer

7-13-2010 Tue. warm, rain

BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- rice with stewed vegetables ( leftovers)
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- green tea | plums
HAPPY HOUR --- beer
DINNER --- salad of cherry tomatoes, lettuce, radish and arugula | pasta with sofrito sauce, smoked mussels and radish sprouts | boiled pea leaves with ponzu sauce | red wine

• met Ed in a local brewery before dinner and tried a couple of new summer beer.
  

Clay pot stew of summer vegetables

7-12-2010 Mon. warm, rain


BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- Egyptian rice ( leftovers )
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- tea | plums
DINNER --- sauteed green beans with black bean sauce | clay pot stew of wheat gluten, spring onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, bamboo shoots and zucchini | rice | fennel and avocado salad | red wine

• a modified summer version of clay pot stew.
  

Egyptian rice

7-11-2010 Sun. warm, sunny.

WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee | scallion pancake | middle eastern style yogurt | peaches | raspberries | water melon
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- green tea
DINNER --- fennel salad | boiled pea leaves with crushed peanuts | Egyptian rice with mushroom, shrimp, smoked mussels and eggs | wine

• Egyptian rice is short grain similar to Spanish rice used in paella, creamy but not too sticky. saute in olive oil first, then add boiling water and sofrito, cook like paella rice till al dante. We found this rice in a Lebanese food store, much more affordable than Bomba rice from Spain.
  

free style tapas

7-10-2010 Sat. warm, rain


WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee | coconut cream bread | peaches | watermelon
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- raspberries
DINNER --- steamed cockles marinated in wine and lemon juice | wine poached manila clams | avocado dip and blue corn chips | corn on cob | fennel and orange cherry tomato salad | baguette | soba with tea egg and bitter melon | white wine

• two varieties of small clams, and two kinds of corn, a free style summer tapas
  

Having fun with Japanese cooking

7-09-2010 Fri. hot, sun to shower


BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- rice with sauteed red pepper and mushrooms ( leftovers)
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- peach | Norwegian cookies
DINNER --- grilled shishamo (willow leaf smelt, Norwegian capelin) and shishito pepper | gyoza (Japanese pan-fried dumpling) | soba (Japanese buckwheat noddle) with bitter melon and cucumber | sashimi (tuna, salmon, sweet shrimp, mackerel) | mojito || cream puff | green tea

shiso, shishito pepper, bitter melon, shishamo

grilled shishamo and mini green pepper


gyoza


soba, bitter melon, cucumber


sashimi

• it is fun to make Japanese food, a collection of fine fish and fresh cute vegetables. The tiny fish shishamo is from Norway, smaller than smelt. shishito (Japanese mini green peppers) has a hint of sweetness and a texture similar to okra.
  

Italian flat bread in 40 minutes

7-08-2010 Thu. hot, cloudy


BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- rice with sauteed shrimp and bean sprouts
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- peach and plums
DINNER --- fennel salad | piadine ( Italian flat bread ) | sauteed chayote, mushroom and red pepper | stir-fried chive flowers and smoked tofu | beer

• Piadine is a stove-top thin flat bread, no yeast and no oven involved.
  

Creamy asparagus sauce without cream

7-07-2010 Wed. hot, cloudy.


BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- rice with stir-fried soy beans and green beans
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- plums
DINNER --- tomato and cucumber soup | sauteed bean sprouts | stir-fried shrimp and yellow zucchini | pasta with creamy asparagus sauce | white wine

• lower part of asparagus is usually a bit tough. a good way to use them: poach for 15 minutes, let cool to room temperature, puree in a food processor in high speed, adding a couple of spoonful cooking liquid and olive oil, it will turn into creamy green pasta sauce, without any cream.
  

Gazpacho chills the heat wave

7-06-2010 Tue. 100 F, sunny

BREAKFAST --- coffee | Pocky
LUNCH --- rice with sauteed asparagus
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- plums
DINNER --- gazpacho ( chilled soup of pureed tomato, cucumber and green onion) | sauteed green beans with black bean sauce | stir-fried tofu, soy beans, mustard green and cured cuttlefish | rice | white wine

• chilled soup of gazpacho recalls the cool mist of the waterfall in Norway
  

Mojito!

7-05-2010 Mon. hot, sunny.

WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee | scallion pancake | peaches | melon | middle eastern style yogurt
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- mojito (crushed fresh mint leaves, lime, light rum, seltzer, a dash of bitters) | "drunken" chicken ( boiled chicken marinated with seasoned rice mine )
DINNER --- sauteed asparagus | stir-fried mushroom, smoked pork, and spring onions | rice | fennel salad | white wine

mojito

mushrooms and smoked pork

• planted some mint in the garden, so there will be fresh supply for the summer drinks
  

Fireworks and cheeseburgers

7-04-2010 Sun. hot, sunny.

WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee | middle eastern style yogurt | melon | strawberries | bread | Norwegian goat cheese
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- oysters | raspberries | mojito
DINNER --- avocado dip and chips | corn on cob | cheeseburger | sauteed snap peas | beer

• homemade cheeseburgers keep the July 4th tradition. we hear fireworks popping in distance and we see fireflies flickering in the garden.
  

All roads lead to Rome

7-03-2010 Mon. warm, sunny.


WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee | baguette | Norwegian goat cheese | peaches | plums
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- cherries | Shanghai-style pan-fried mini meat buns (生煎包）
DINNER --- sauteed Roma beans | saffron rice | salt-baked Branzino ( Italian sea bass ) | white wine || strawberry daiquiri | lychee

Branzino

Roma beans

• a dinner of a Roman affair. both Branzino and Roma beans are hard to find in the US.

Feel like having a Margarita

7-02-2010 Fri. warm, sunny.

BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- rice with sauteed vegetables (leftovers)
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- tea | plums
DINNER --- margarita | baked tortilla chips and avocado dip (Guacamole) | sauteed chard and pine nuts | steamed mussels | BBQ short ribs

• a sweet and cool margarita mixed drink, a good start for the July 4th long weekend
  

Summer's delight

7-01-2010 Thu. warm, sunny.

BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- minced lamb pizza (leftovers)
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- tea | plums
DINNER --- stir-fried zucchini | curried okra | corn on cob | barbecued chicken wings | rice | fennel salad | red wine

• okra from the farmer's market is very fresh and pretty