summer salad

Okay, I know it's only April. But a 70 degree day is close enough for me to bust out my favorite summertime salad. So simple, fresh, delicious, and the perfect accoutrement to our delicious beef brisket burgers. Yes, beef brisket. But that will be another post on another day.

Back to salad. A go-with-anything salad. Great with fish, grilled shrimp, chicken. The possibilities are endless. Oh, it's also really very good with a grilled steak and a nice crusty bread to mop up all the goodness. And of course, a nice bottle of wine.

favorite summer salad

1 avocado, medium dice

1 small cucumber, cut in half moons, or quarter slices

1 stalk of celery, cut in half moons

Grape tomatoes (as many as you wish), cut in half

Generous handful of freshly chopped parsley

Hearts of palm (as many as you wish), cut in half lengthwise, then cut into half moons

Half a lemon

White wine vinegar

Good olive oil

Salt

Place first six ingredients into a medium bowl. Salt to taste. Squeeze half of lemon over everything. Add about 1 tsp vinegar and about 1/2 to 1 Tbsp olive oil. Gently mix. Adjust lemon, vinegar and olive oil to taste. You don't want it to be saturated in dressing, but you will know what tastes right to you.

guac

Once again, a month has flown by! My apologies for being a bad blogger this month.

I did however, manage to find inspiration in a few beautiful avocados. We enjoyed a delicious mexican fiesta with friends last night which included, you guessed it, guacamole. I learned this insanely simple version from a lovely hispanic gentleman years ago. It never fails. 

guacamole

serves up to 5 guacamole-loving people

4 avocados

1-2 serrano peppers (depending on size), finely diced, ribs and seeds intact - remove if you don't like it hot

handful of chopped cilantro

1 lime

salt

Cut avocados in half, carefully removing pit. Using a large spoon, scoop out fruit into a bowl and mash gently with a potato masher, leaving some small chunks. Squeeze half of the lime over mashed avocados and add salt, diced serranos, and cilantro. Mix together with spoon. Add more lime juice and salt according to taste. Enjoy!

grits

Ah, the simple, unassuming dish known as grits. I think they are misunderstood - especially here in the midwest. Perhaps if we spoke of them as polenta - yes, that sounds so much more refined. Well, call them what you wish, they have a lot to offer and I just love them. Especially when they're cheesy.

Lately, I have been favoring grits in lieu of mashed potatoes. Top them with gravy, and oh my my, what a treat.  

I have no recipe to share, as grits are pretty straightforward. I might suggest that you add a little dollop of margarine (yes, margarine, not butter) into the boiling water before you add your grits. But other than that, I'd love to hear your favorite way to make and serve my new favorite side dish.

heaven in a pasta bowl

Butternut squash, pancetta, and cheese. How bad can this be, I thought. Seven or so ingredients, simple enough for a weekday meal. Sold! I shall make this tomorrow.

Those were just some of the thoughts going through my head last night as I watched the "Martha Stewart Show". I know, I know. But I was intrigued by all the NYC chefs she was featuring. I'm happy I stuck around. The first chef, Scott Conant, owner of Scarpetta, made this little, tantalizing concoction that I just had to tell you about, because I just ate it. Perhaps the perfect fall dish, but trust me, you can make it now and be oh-so-happy that you did. Pair with a nice bottle of, oh, I don't know...maybe Martin Ray Chardonnay and you'll be all set.

Penne with roasted butternut squash pancetta, and sage

loosely adapted from Scott Conant

1 medium (appx 2-1/4 lbs.) butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 to 4 tbsp olive oil

Coarse salt (kosher will work)

3/4 lb penne pasta (a box of whole grain fits the bill)

1/4 - 1/2 lb pancetta, sliced 1/4 inch thick and finely chopped

2 shallots, thinly sliced crosswise (I didn't have shallots and so used 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced and 1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced)

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

10 fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped or torn

1/2 cup finely grated pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving (a MUST!)

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place squash on a baking sheet and toss with 1 to 2 tbsp of olive oil and season with kosher salt. Roast in oven until squash is browned and tender - between 15 and 30 minutes depending on your oven.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Generously salt water and add pasta. Cook until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water and drain. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat 1 to 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low. Add pancetta and cook until just crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Add shallots (or my substitute), crushed red pepper, and sage. Cook until shallots are soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add squash and penne and toss gently. Add reserved pasta cooking liquid a little at a time until moistened to your liking.

Toss in cheese and black pepper and mix gently. Serve immediately with more grated Pecorino - YUM!

my long lost blog!

How I have missed thee! The spirit of the season has caught up with me, and kept my from my blogging world. 

But a few things have been on my mind. I'm thinking about changing the blog up a bit. Perhaps much more of a food focus. You may know that I just love Sunday dinner. As a matter of fact, the past few have been quite something! So I'm considering reinventing Lipstick & Chardonnay. Problem is, my first choice for a new name - Sunday Dinner - is already taken! Aargh! What do you think about "Sunday's Dinner"?

Well, I have to make a decision. I mean, I've got rotisserie leg of lamb waiting in the wings!

Next item. I just received a "friend request" on Facebook that kind of freaked me out. Someone I met about 22 years ago on high school spring break. Nothing naughty happened, mind you! But after 22 years, really? Is it bad I didn't recoginze this persons name at first? Yikes. Not sure I want to accept this request.

And finally, I found THE cutest handbag today and wanted to share. Now, I don't think I'm a very good shopper. As a matter of fact, I'd like a personal shopper. But, one of my girlfriends had this bag - in the most beautiful blue if you can imagine...

It's from a company called Big Buddha. Ever heard of it? Darling, yes?!?

sunday dinner - rotisserie chicken with fingerling potatoes

There's something so relaxing and routine about Sunday. Lattes and Sunday Morning in the a.m.; maybe a few errands in the afternoon; a good long walk with the dog; and most every Sunday, Choppers and I make a deliberate choice to have a fantastic "Sunday Dinner".  

Today I got a new cookbook - Dinner at My Place, by Tyler Florence. How I love his recipes! Most often scrumptious, and very user-friendly. He's easy on the eyes, and I'm getting the impression there aren't enough "o's" in smooth to describe this chef. The show is cool, the website is cool, and even the music on his web site is cool. Rock on Tyler. Rock. On.

Anyway, back to the cookbook. I am already half-way through reading this one, and there are a stack of drool-inducing recipes and beautiful photos. Tonight it's the rotisserie chicken with lemon, garlic and fresh bay leaves. We are serving this with his lemon roasted fingerling potatoes (and Chardonnay!). Definitely Sunday Dinner worthy.

And the icing on the proverbial cake is dessert - which I am "rehearsing" for Thanksgiving. Chocolate Pecan Pie. God help me.

cold weather and warm meals

Our pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving was a wild success! We had 14 for dinner and fit everyone comfortably. Whew! I set two tables-one for six with black and white transfer ware atop plain white Crate & Barrel plates, accented with chocolate brown and silver; and one for eight with crystal candlewick atop deep red and white transfer ware, also with chocolate brown and silver. Glimmering and gorgeous! But no pictures. So sad.

But the stars of the evening were all the lovely and delicious dishes our friends brought. Highlights include homemade (a la Alton Brown) Green Bean Casserole. Which, in my humble opinion, is the only GBC anyone should ever eat! A dee-lish mushroom-infused dressing to accommodate our vegetarian friend, and the best damn gravy you can imagine. Choppers deep fried two turkeys. Wonderful. Oh, did I mention the pumpkin cheesecake with homemade whipped cream? Heaven.

For my part, I made my soon-to-be famous Spicy/Sweet mixed nuts (thank you Nigella!) and to-die-for caramelized onion chip dip (thank you Ina Garten!).

Last weekend was a perfect kick-off to our cold weather entertaining. There's something about a little chill in the air, just enough to warrant a cozy fire; big snowflakes lazily falling outside; a good meal (like the one in the oven right now), and of course...a bottle of Chardonnay!

Tonight's feature is a yummy Gallo Sonoma Reserve Chardonnay. Make no mistake, this is not your mother's "gallon of Gallo", or "jug of joy". It's quite nice. A good value. And it has all my favorites - oak, vanilla, butter.

The only problem is that we're having a Mexican fiesta tonight. Slow roasted pork studded with garlic and semi-spicy seasonings. I'm sure this is not the "proper" bottle of wine to serve with this meal. But I love it nevertheless.

I am open to suggestions though. Please, do tell...what would you pair with Mexican fiesta?

Summer's end salad

Sunday is my favorite day to cook. It's a bit of a ritual in our home to have "Sunday dinner" - something really yummy, indulgent, and of course, including dessert. But today, I also added "Sunday lunch" after assessing the dwindling bounty in my little garden.

Precious little grape tomatoes, and a lovely bit of basil...
Cute-as-a-button yellow teardrop tomatoes...what shall I do with these?

A simple Panzanella would be the perfect fit. So I also harvested a chubby little cucumber, threw in some red and green peppers, capers, and some red onion - that someone else grew for me. Now for the bread. I had some seeded variety on hand, and that would do. Into the skillet with you!It was delicious. And my summer tomato cravings will soon give way to something less healthy...like mashed potatoes. But until then, here's a peak at the finished product.

Okay, I can't resist sharing these with you too. While they didn't make it into the salad, the color of these habaneros is so beautiful, I felt them deserving of their very own photo!