The Dinner Project: Week 24

Monday, June 20 – Leftover lasagna & corn on the cob

Tuesday, June 21 – A potato empanada & chicken tamale from Karla’s while working at the 12 South Farmers Market

Wednesday, June 22 – Homemade pizza with Dani & Adam, topped with mushrooms, zucchini, caramelized onions, garlic & tomatoes. The. Best. Pizza. thanks to Dani’s crust (photo above)

Thursday, June 23 – Kenny’s Kentucky Rose cheese on a baguette

Friday, June 24 – Cardamom-roasted cauliflower; sauteed shrimp with curry, lime & coconut

Saturday, June 25 – Green Wagon Summer Block Party! Drew & I split a grilled cheese with Benton’s bacon & some type of delicious fig chutney on it from The Grilled Cheeserie food truck; slice of marinated watermelon

Sunday, June 26 – Sauteed slabs of soy sausage from the farmers market; peanut lime cabbage slaw; zucchini cakes with yogurt dill sauce

 

The Dinner Project: Week 23

 

Fried rice is my new favorite. After making it for the first time a few weeks ago, I’m totally hooked. And not just because it’s so easy to make and uses up that cup or two of leftover rice that I always forget about, but simply put, it’s just damn good. I am at a loss for any other way to describe it. You’ll have to make it and see for yourself. Enjoy!

 

Spicy Fried Rice with Bean Sprouts, Chicken and Peanuts

Adapted from Mark Bittman’s The Food Matters cookbook

Preparation time: about 15 minuts

Cooking time: about 20 minutes

Serves: 4

 

You can follow this recipe to the T or use it as a loose set of guidelines using whatever is in your fridge, as I did. I had some spicy pork sausage from the farmers market and a bunch of kale, so I used the variation below but added kale as well. Also, I didn’t have any coconut milk, peanuts, basil or chiles and I’m sure that with those ingredients it would’ve been even more spectacular, but it honestly didn’t feel like it was lacking in any way without it. Mark Bittman also says that this recipe is great with leftover barley or quinoa, so feel free to mess around with ingredients. That’s what makes fried rice so awesome, you can pretty much use anything and it will always be delicious. My kind of recipe.

The variation that Mark Bittman suggests is this: Spicy Pork Fried Rice with Carrots, Pork and Peanuts. Use 2 grated carrots and pork instead of the carrot, bean sprouts and chicken.

 

3 Tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 cup sliced scallions

1 carrot, chopped

3 cups bean sprouts

8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, cut into pieces of the same size

1 Tbsp minced garlic, or to taste

2 cups cooked long-grain brown rice, preferably chilled

1 egg

1/2 cup coconut milk

2 Tbsp fish sauce

Salt and black pepper

1/4 cup chopped peanuts

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, preferably Thai

1 or more small fresh hot green chiles (preferably Thai), seeded and sliced

Lime wedges

 

1. Put 1 Tbsp of the oil in a large skillet over high heat. When it’s hot, add the scallions, carrot and bean sprouts and cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften and begin to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Lower the heat if the mixture threatens to scorch. Transfer vegetables to a bowl with a slotted spoon.

2. Add another Tbsp of the oil to the pan, followed by the chicken pieces; cook, stirring occasionally, over high heat until the chicken is no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Add to the bowl with the vegetables, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible.

3. Put the remaining 1 Tbsp oil in the skillet, followed by the garlic. About 15 seconds later, begin to add the rice, a bit at a time, breaking up any clumps with your fingers and stirring it into the oil. When all the rice is added, make a well in its center and break the egg into it; scramble it a bit, then incorporate it into the rice.

4. Return the chicken and vegetables to the pan and stir to integrate. Add the coconut milk and cook, stirring, until most of the liquid has boiled off, just a minute or so. Add the fish sauce, then taste and season with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and stir in the peanuts, basil and chiles. Serve with lime wedges. Enjoy!

 

Monday, June 13 – Roasted red peppers, tuna & lentils in a dijon viniagrette (recipe from Fine Cooking magazine. Yum)

Tuesday, June 14 – BBQ smoked pork sandwich from Clear Creek Smokehouse, while working at the farmers market

Wednesday, June 15 – Farmers Market Sandwich: A fresh piece of bread topped with pimento goat cheese, sauteed kale, sliced garlic and a delicious fried egg (this is my go-to easy meal when I get back from the farmers market)

Thursday, June 16 – Dani made teriyaki stir fry with brown rice, tofu, kale & a lot of other delicious stuff; dessert of brown sugar shortbread topped with fresh blackberries and whipped cream (all from the farmers market)

Friday, June 17 – Falafels from King Solomon; Dani made the best ever strawberry rhubarb pie. She’s the best baker evs.

Saturday, June 18 – We split fish and chips at Batter’d & Fried

Sunday, June 19 – Lasagna from Alfresco Pasta

The Dinner Project: Week 22

I just started reading Secret Ingredients: The New Yorker Book of Food & Drink, a compilation of articles from The New Yorker, some dating back as far as the 1940s and all having to do with eating in some way. It’s a great book, full of distinct points of view and personality, rich, witty writing, knowledge and humor. If you’re a fan of good writing as well as food, you should get yourself a copy.

It’s been a relief, in a way, reading this book. I get stuck in ruts sometimes, reading the handful of foodie blogs I’ve come across over the years, four to be exact, so not quite an entire handful. I am not the type of person who has too many blogs to keep up with, the same goes for cookbooks, of which I have eight. When I’m into something, I’m all in, and I don’t do well with a lot of clutter. Especially in my mind.

Like this sandwich I made myself for lunch today. I am all about this sandwich. I almost bypassed lunch entirely, instead opting for a handful of peanuts, a grapefruit, a few pickles and whatever else I could rummage together, but then I came to my senses and thought of what better company I’d be to myself if I ate a proper meal.

Besides, my fridge was full of bounty from the farmers market so I sauteed some garlic slices, added some yellow squash, a handful of kale and a few yellow cherry tomatoes, sprinkled it all with salt and pepper, put it on top of a piece of fresh bread that I’d smeared with pimento goat cheese and there you have it. Lunch. Delicious, delicious lunch.

Sometimes I feel like a poser having this space here where I write about food. Some of these blogs I read, they could run circles around me with their rich descriptions of taste, flavor, smell, texture. I, on the other hand, tend to sum up most meals as: Delicious. Or delicious, delicious to really make my point and add some heft. Perhaps I should start reading a page of the dictionary before bed.

Last year, on June 14th actually, I started this here Manney.time. I remember being at a crossroads where I was sick of constantly thinking about wanting to write, rather than just writing. Actually, it has occurred to me while writing that sentence that I am still at this exact crossroads one year later, just at a different level. Some things never change, they just evolve.

Rather than starting this blog with an agenda, from the get-go I decided to leave the door open and simply follow my interests, of which I have many. But no matter what, no matter how hands off my approach seemed to be, I always came back to food. I still find it a bit perplexing since I am not that person who stood on a stool next to their grandmother at four years old, watching while she made her famous spaghetti sauce or dumplings, learning how to add a dash of this or a little of that to get the flavor just right, with generations of cooking knowledge passed down to me. I’ve pretty much just been winging it.

It has actually never really been all about the food itself for me. Don’t get me wrong, I love to cook and I love to eat, but when I sit down to write about it, it doesn’t come naturally to describe the subtle nuances of a fried caper or the complexity of a rich cream sauce or the simple sophistication of a single clam. I love to read writing like that, but for me, I am most drawn to the overall experience with the actual finished dish being more the like the grand finale, the icing on top of an already delicious cake.

In August we’re going to have a full house here with Kimberly and Ryan and Amber and Simon. The six of us have been friends for nearly 10 years, and within that decade we’ve met up in various combinations in Boulder, Minneapolis, Michigan, Portland, Seattle and Nashville. And here’s hoping to add Rome and Belgium to the list in the not too distant future.

We’ve cooked a lot of incredible meals together over the years. In fact, I’d say about 90% of our time together revolves around a leisurely breakfast, reading books and magazines, mac books and mac book pros, countless games of euchre, long walks with cameras around whatever city we happen to be in and then figuring out a tasty dinner that takes us well into the night.

Without a doubt, our meals are always really good and a few them still stick out in my mind. Like our breakfast one morning in Portland of fried green tomatoes and baked eggs, the big pan of roasted mussels we ate on the floor of the living room with a loaf of crusty bread, roasted salmon and lentils while sitting around the coffee table in our apartment in Seattle, looking out over the city.

And while I say that it’s never really been all about the food itself for me, without it, our times together just wouldn’t be the same. It’s nice to have a focus, to take the time to savor and appreciate, to collaborate and create. But in the end, even if everything was burned to a crisp or tasted the way beet borscht smells, it wouldn’t necessarily matter all that much. We’d probably just pour another glass of wine, order a pizza and pick up where we left off in our game of euchre, the remixed Nina Simone album playing in the background. In case you couldn’t tell, I can’t wait for August.

The Dinner Project: Week 22

Monday, June 6 – Salad with grapefruit, blue cheese & sunflower seeds; sauteed asparagus

Tuesday, June 7 – Smoked chicken from Clear Creek Smokehouse; watermelon slices

Wednesday, June 8 – Dinner of appetizers with the neighbors! We made a salad of the first yellow cherry tomatoes of the season mixed with fresh basil, some salt, pepper & olive oil; homemade bread with garlic herb goat cheese. Dani & Adam made hummus with carrots; fried polenta rounds topped with garlic, cheese & rosemary. So delicious!

Thursday, June 9 – Impromptu dinner at Margot with Johnny & Tara! Best. Ever. We shared a cheese plate with fresh mozzarella; pan seared duck with pickled peaches, arugula & cornbread croutons; for dessert we had blueberry gallete & chocolate mousse pie. Margot is my new favorite restaurant, the menu changes nightly & she uses as many local ingredients as possible. I highly highly recommend it! I still dream about this meal.

Friday, June 10 – Pork fried rice with carrots, garlic & kale

Saturday, June 11 – Benton’s bacon green chili mac & cheese from Alfresco Pasta

Sunday, June 12 – Soft corn tortillas filled with sauteed onion, chard & a bit of leftover pork sausage from Peaceful Pastures

The Dinner Project: New York, New Jersey & Beyond

I’ve missed a couple Dinner Projects here these last few weeks. But rather than go back in time, I figure we might as well skip ahead to the good stuff: New York. Delicious, delicious New York. And New Jersey.

Spring Lake, NJ

Saturday, May 28

Dinner at Aunt Jean’s! Roasted chicken, mixed green salad with tomatoes and capers, seaweed salad and corn bread. Apple pie and ice cream for dessert. The best way to end a long day of driving.

Sunday, May 29

Breakfast: Whenever I’d spend the night at my aunt Jean’s house in Rutherford, NJ, I’d wake up to Entenmann’s Crumb Cake. It was one of those New Jersey specific memories, something we could’ve also had in Michigan if we’d wanted to, but never did. Like Lemon Italian Ice on the Jersey Shore. So on Sunday morning, my aunt Jean, Drew and I feasted on crumb cake, eggs, bacon, peaches, english muffins and coffee while sitting around the kitchen table sharing stories and catching up on life. It was lovely.

Lunch: That afternoon we drove down to Spring Lake, on the Jersey shore, where we used to go most summers as kids. Other than there being giant houses where years ago there were none, it was just as I remembered. On our way out of town with my sister Laura, we picked up some subs in Belmar, the next town over. Oh man, that was the best sandwich ever. I now understand why New Yorkers freak out over Zingermans.

Dinner: We spent the night at Drew’s friend Sal’s place in Queens. He and his wife Sam cooked us chicken and rice with homemade peanut sauce. Delicious.

Monday, May 30

Breakfast: We got up that morning, walked to Dunkin Donuts for coffee, picked up a few things at the store and came back to Sal and Sam’s apartment and made them breakfast: scrambled eggs with feta and mushrooms, french bread and grapefruit.

Lunch: That afternoon we drove out to Long Island where Drew grew up from 7th to 12th grade. We had a slice of pizza in Northport, it was piled high with fresh mozzarella, roasted red peppers, basil and roma tomatoes.

Dinner: We spent the evening at Drew’s old friend John’s place. He and his wife Jaclyn went all out and grilled up a feast. We had kabobs with spicy sausage, peppers and french bread (grilled bread is kind of super delicious); grilled squash, mushrooms, campari tomatoes and corn; wild rice and feta salad. Oh, and for an appetizer we had grilled feta. You should make it. It’s incredible. Take a piece of tin foil, dribble some olive oil on it, place a big block of feta on top, strategically place some fresh thyme on top, fold the tin foil all around, grill on low heat until all warm and melty in the middle, serve with toasted pita.

Tuesday, May 31

Breakfast: The quintessential New York breakfast sandwich – eggs and bacon on a kaiser roll. I still dream about it. It’s all about the roll.

Lunch: That morning we took the train into the city and had lunch with Laura near her office in the Financial District. This little street reminded me of something out of Europe, we sat there under an umbrella and ate pizza with mushrooms and spinach alongside a Corona.

Lunch in the Financial District

Late Afternoon Snack: After lunch we walked from the Financial District along the East River, over the Williamsburg Bridge and into Brooklyn where we ended up at a little hole-in-the-wall and ate Korean BBQ tacos and kimchi. Yum.

Korean BBQ Tacos

Dinner: We met up with my brother Dave in Williamsburg where I had a pulled pork sandwich. It was good times!

Wednesday, June 1

Breakfast: We spent the night at Sal and Sam’s again. That morning Sal cooked us scrambled eggs and homefries. I love breakfast.

Lunch: That afternoon we took the train back out to Long Island to pick up our car. We had to have one last deli sandwich on our way out town so we stopped in Cold Spring Harbor and sat on a bench overlooking the water, sandwiches in hand. Is there anything better than prosciutto, provolone, oil and vinegar on delicious bread? Maybe an egg sandwich on a kaiser roll. Or pizza. It’s a tough call when picking favorites in New York.

We ate our last deli sandwiches on a bench right here

Dinner: Our last night on the East Coast was spent eating sushi with my Aunt Jean and cousin Mary Beth. It was such a great feast with seaweed salad, tuna rolls, tempura, edamame, eel, etc. Best dinner to end our trip, just as the dinner we had when we arrived was the best way to start our trip.

Thursday, June 2

Breakfast: We had a leisurely breakfast with aunt Jean; eggs, bacon, english muffins, coffee, cherries and peaches. She said she didn’t want us to leave hungry, so we didn’t.

Dinner: We took the Blue Ridge Parkway for about 70 miles through Virginia and camped along a creek. It was some of the most beautiful camping I’ve done in a long time. If you’re ever driving through Virginia you should hop on that parkway for a while. It’s absolutely breathtaking. Oh, and for dinner we made smoked salmon sandwiches then sat with our feet soaking in the creek for a while.

Our camping creek

Friday, June 3

Breakfast: Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, gas station coffee.

Lunch: Veggie sandwiches from Subway

Dinner: Home sweet home! It’s always nice to cook for the first time when you’ve been away for a while. We didn’t have much food but we scrounged together a sort of asian vegetable lo mein type of meal. We had a bag of frozen asian veggies, a teriyaki-ish sauce and some angel hair pasta. Then our neighbor Dani made the best vegan blackberry cupcakes with chocolate icing. She is the best baker ever. No joke.

The most delicious cupcakes ever

The Dinner Project: Week 18

The East Nashville Farmers Market has officially begun, which means so has my CSA. And oh man, having a CSA is pretty sweet. The box I came home with last week included strawberries, green onions, garlic, broccoli, lettuce, spinach and a boatload of chard and kale. Now I eat delicious vegetables all the time and I don’t even have to think about it.  The only overwhelming thing about it is looking in your fridge and seeing the bounty you have to go through before next weeks box. But lucky for our new neighbors, they get to reap the benefits of us having too much of a good thing.

By the way, I’ll be writing monthly articles and recipes for the East Nashville Farmers Market this season, so please stop by our blog if you’re interested. It’s a great market!

farmers market salad

Monday, May 9 – Hummus & tomato sandwich at Bongo, then a beer afterwards while watching the Celtics lose in basketball

Tuesday, May 10 – Chickpeas with tahini, lemon & cilantro in a corn tortilla

Wednesday, May 11 – Opening day of the East Nashville Farmers Market! A lovely salad of lettuce, radishes, orange slices, avocado & sunflower seeds, topped with a poached egg; a side of sauteed asparagus; hummus and sourdough bread (photo above)

Thursday, May 12 – Lasagna from Alfresco Pasta (so delicious! I never had any strong feelings toward lasagna, but now I do)

Friday, May 13 – Leftover lasagna from Thursday

Saturday, May 14 – Salad with radishes, toasted sunflower seeds, avocado, topped with a poached egg

Sunday, May 15 – Spinach mozzarella roasted garlic ravioli topped with marinara sauce from Alfresco Pasta (you should buy this next time you’re at the farmers market. best.pasta.ever)

The Dinner Project: Week 17

I meant to post this last week but somehow time has slipped away yet again. The girl whose Dinner Project I read last year would post her dinners from the week every single Sunday night, without fail. Ever. As it turns out, I am not one of those people. But I do have good intentions and that has to count for something.

So what I have for you this week is a photo of a llama and a recipe for a cold avocado soup that is quite simply one of the easiest, most delicious soups I’ve ever made. I wish I had a photo of the soup, its light minty green hue was so pretty, but I started eating it before I even thought of getting my camera out, so the photo of this llama will have to suffice.

This llama was part of the petting zoo for the opening day of the East Nashville Farmers Market last Wednesday. There were a million little kids running around petting the bunnies and goats but this guy wanted none of it. It just sat there with this exact look on its face and that weed hanging out of its mouth for the entire three hours. I think llamas are my second favorite animal after goats. Especially baby goats.

the greatest llama ever

Cold Avocado Soup with Chile-Lime Pepitas

Adapted from Deborah Madison’s recipe in Fine Cooking

The store we were at was out of pepitas (pumpkin seeds) so we topped it with fried chickpeas instead and it was delicious.

Preparation time: about 20 minutes

Cooking time: about 20 minutes (you cook the onion, char the poblano and toast the pepitas, the rest is just blended up)

Serves: 6

1 medium poblano chile

1 small white onion, sliced into 1/4 inch thick rings

2 medium firm-ripe avocados, pitted, peeled and cut into large chunks

2 1/2 cups lower-salt chicken or vegetable broth

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 tsp chopped fresh marjoram or oregano (optional)

2 TBSP chopped fresh flat-leaf parsely

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from 2 medium limes)

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

1/8 tsp chile powder

1. On a gas stove, turn a burner to high and set the poblano directly over the flame, turning with tongs, until completely charred, 5 to 8 minutes. Alternatively, on an electric stove, heat the broiler on high and char the poblano on all sides on a baking sheet placed directly under the broiler. Put the poblano in a bowl, cover and set aside to steam and loosen the skin. When cool enough to handle, peel, seed, and cut the poblano into 1/4 inch dice.

2. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, add the onion and cook, turning a few times until soft and browned in places, about 5 minutes.

3. In a blender, puree until smooth all but 1 Tbsp of the poblano, the onion, broth, avocado, cilantro, parsley, marjoram or oregano (if  using), 2 Tbsp of the lime juice, cumin, coriander, and 1 tsp salt. Blend in the yogurt. Season to taste with more salt. Chill well.

4. Heat oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the pepitas and cook until they begin to pop and color a bit, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp lime juice, the chile powder, and 1/8 tsp salt and stir until the juice has evaporated, leaving a film on the pan.

5. Season the soup to taste with salt and thin with broth if necessary. Divide among 6 small bowls and garnish with the pepitas, the remaining poblano and a few pinches of chile powder. Enjoy!

The Dinner Project: Week 17

Monday, May 2 – Cold avocado soup topped with fried chickpeas (recipe above. go ahead, make it right now. you will love every bite. )

Tuesday, May 3 – Smoked brisket & BBQ sauce from Clear Creek Smokehouse (the latest delicious business from Chris who owns Alfresco Pasta)

Wednesday, May 4 – Chickpea salad with grapefruit

Thursday, May 5 – Ladies night at The Green Wagon – wine and snacks

Friday, May 6 – BBQ with our cool new neighbors! Grilled veggie fajitas, homemade mango salsa & guacamole; cucumber, peanut & coconut salad

Saturday, May 7 – Soft corn tortillas filled with garlic chipotle shrimp, sliced avocado & cilantro

Sunday, May 8 – Our first time selling pasta at the Chattanooga Farmers Market, it is quite a cool market! We had a couple tacos at Taco Mamacita before our drive back to Nashville

The Dinner Project: Week 16

Last week, after three days of rain and thunderstorms, Drew and I skipped town and went camping for the night at Foster Falls. If I haven’t said it before, I’ll say it now, Tennessee is so very very beautiful. And everything always tastes better when cooked over a fire. Especially steak.

Foster Falls

We walked over this bridge to get to the falls

The bridge went over this river

Looking down

Looking up

We came back from our hike and drank a beer

Then Drew carved up some sticks for us to cook steak

These sticks, to be precise

And I set up the tent

Zucchini

Corn

Guacamole for the fajitas

Camping spices: oil, salt & pepper

Our dinner cooking over the fire...it was so delicious

The Dinner Project: Week 16

Monday, April 25 – Brown rice salad with garbanzo beans, tuna, pumpkin seeds, green onion, parsley, olive oil & lemon

Tuesday, April 26 – We split a burger and a chicken sandwich at The Edgefield while playing darts and watching basketball

Wednesday, April 27 – Pearled barley pilaf with shrimp, broccoli, jalapeno, parsley & cashews (pearled barley is my new favorite grain!)

Thursday, April 28 – Camping at Foster Falls! Steak cooked on a stick over the fire, zucchini wrapped in tin foil & cooked over the fire & fresh guacamole all wrapped up in a flour tortilla; ears of corn wrapped in tin foil & cooked over the fire; dark chocolate with hazelnuts for dessert (Delicious! Everything tastes better cooked over a fire)

Friday, April 29 – Fried eggs & roasted potatoes

Saturday, April 30 – Amy Delvin’s Wedding! Roasted chicken, beef stew, corn bread, collards, etc. For dessert: strawberries dipped in chocolate, shortbread & lemon bars

Sunday, May 1 – Hummus pancakes with Mediterranean spices (from Mark Bittman’s The Food Matters cookbook, I highly recommend this cookbook. Everything I’ve made from it has been absolutely delicious)

The Dinner Project: Week 15

When my friend Jasmine was visiting a few weeks ago she kindly asked me why I seem to be obsessed with eating corn tortillas. Or to put it more accurately she said, “What. Have you never eaten a corn tortilla in your life or something?”  So that night I took her to the Mas Tacos food truck, which is where it all began for me, and I’m pretty sure she walked away with a full understanding why the corn tortilla is, in my mind, the greatest food vehicle for anything delicious. Mas Tacos has seriously perfected the art of the taco.

I mean, I only write my dinners down here, but in all honesty, I probably eat some version of a taco at least three or four times a week. That may be partly due to the fact that corn tortillas come in bags of about 100, so really, you have no choice but to eat them on a regular basis. But I think the real reason is that it is one of the easiest meals you could possibly make, it’s pretty healthy depending on what you put in it and you can experiment however you like, adding a little of this or a little of that, based on what’s leftover in your fridge.

Here are some of our favorites that we’ve experimented with these past few months: caramelized onion & chard; chipotle shrimp & mango salsa; grilled steak & onions; pulled chicken & kale; etc. Jazz ’em up with a little queso fresco, sour cream, yogurt sauce or salsa and you really can’t go wrong.

The thing I’ve discovered about myself through this dinner project is that when I find something I like that works for me, I stick with it. And the more I can avoid getting stuck in a rut, the better, so experimentation is key. And experimentation with a high chance of success, is even more key. You’d have to seriously screw up the sauteing of a bunch of vegetables and/or meat and topping it with some type of sauce and/or salsa to have it not turn it out pretty well. I have also discovered that I am not one of those types of cooks to be like, “Oh well, dinner was a failure again but at least I tried something new.”  To me, there is nothing worse than being excited about a meal, most likely being hungry while cooking it and then discovering with the first bite that it probably shouldn’t have even been a published recipe in the first place. I like to try new recipes but I also like to be pretty sure they’ll work, like having someone vouch for their success. It’s revelations such as these about myself that pleasantly remind me that I am definitely my mother’s daughter.

Monday, April 18 – East Nashville Business Mixer at Cooper’s on Porter: appetizers of hummus & pita, salmon mousse on crackers, a deviled egg, one delicious cake pop & a beer

Tuesday, April 19 – Black beans with tahini sauce, mixed with brown rice (beans and rice never tasted so good)

Wednesday, April 20 – Leftover falafels we made from a box wrapped in soft corn tortillas with fresh spinach from the farmers market, topped with yogurt, green onion, lime and garlic sauce (photo above)

Thursday, April 21 – Green barley pilaf with chipotle lime shrimp (Y.U.M)

Friday, April 22 – Stuffed cabbage rolls (very delicious and old worldy tasting)

Saturday, April 23 – Dinner that we cooked at Stuart’s place: soft corn tortillas filled with chipotle chicken, sauted onions & spinach, topped with sour cream and salsa

Sunday, April 24 – Easter! Fish & chips with Stuart at Batter’d & Fried (right up there with the fish & chips I’ve had in Seattle)

The Dinner Project: Week 14

It’s hard to believe it’s been just about a year that we’ve lived in Nashville. The actual move-in date was April 30th, 2010, the day before the 1000 year flood. No one knew it was going to flood that weekend, the forecast called for the usual springtime storms, but a few hours after we emptied our car that Friday night it started raining. And the rains didn’t stop until Sunday night.

It’s a curious thing to move to a new city the day before a natural disaster. Drew and I didn’t know a single person, we hardly had any idea about our neighborhood let alone the rest of Nashville, we didn’t even know how close we were to the river that was flooding, which, as it turns out, was only two blocks away.

On Monday morning when the rains finally subsided and the sun came out, we walked down to the river. The river that now spilled up onto street, passing through businesses and warehouses on its way, water covering doors and windows, cars floating in the now submerged parking lots. You could walk up the street perpendicular to the river and see the backyards of houses all the way up the road drowning in eight or ten feet of water. It was hard to fathom the scope of the damage. Seeing as that we didn’t know anyone, we had no one to call to find out what exactly was happening in the city, which places got hit and which were lucky. And at that point the names of other areas meant nothing since we had only the day before found out how to get to our nearest grocery store.

Since we had some time on our hands, and since there is nothing worse than feeling utterly helpless in the face of disaster, we spent a couple days volunteering with various flood relief efforts. The first day was spent on a street somewhere in Nashville that ran along a creek, a creek that had never flooded in the 45 years that many of the residents had lived there. Hardly anyone had flood insurance and every single house lost everything. The street was lined with piles of soaked carpet, waterlogged furniture, mattresses, couches; garbage bags full of clothes and picture albums, mementos and tchotchkes. People were hanging outside on their lawns, searching through their belongings pulling out anything that might be able to be salvaged, waiting to hear back from their insurance companies.

The next day we went to a small apartment complex in a very poor side of town, apartments where all the tenants were on disability and food stamps, people who had hardly anything to begin with and now had even less. One man we talked to had finally moved into his place after years of being homeless and living out of his car, now, he told us, he was grateful his car didn’t get flooded so he’d have somewhere to sleep. We spent hours that day cleaning out the apartment of a man, Joe, who told us that he and his wife had woke up early Sunday morning to find water pouring into their place, it would reach over four feet before it finally subsided. We worked side-by-side with Joe going through his stuff, throwing out the things that were ruined and making a stash of things that could be saved, like the photo of he and his wife on their wedding day, she in a bright red dress and he in a matching red suit.

Despite how incredibly overwhelmed I felt that week, our very first week in Nashville, what I remember most is being in awe of people’s resilience. It was profoundly humbling and I think about it often, especially when life can feel confusing and uncertain.

As much as I don’t wish the flood happened for the sake of so many people who lost so much, I’m grateful that it threw us headfirst into living here since moving somewhere new can at times be very self-absorbing. In some ways it feels like we’ve been here a lot longer than a year, and in other ways, like when I have to use GPS to get pretty much anywhere that’s not in East Nashville, everything still feels brand new. And perhaps it will always feel a little bit like that, I hope so. I really like Nashville.

Monday, April 11 – Peel ‘n eat shrimps; salad of cucumber, tomato, lime, cilantro & peanuts; grapefruit slices

Tuesday, April 12 – Spicy coconut chicken soup, red cabbage slaw & chocolate truffles for dessert (this meal was courtesy of my friend Jenny, who is a phenomenal cook. I took some photos for her non-profit Feast in exchange for this totally delicious dinner. photos of the truffles above. best.truffles.ever)

Wednesday, April 13 – Soft corn tortillas filled with sauted onions, turnip greens, feta & salsa

Thursday, April 14 – Mushroom & roasted garlic risotto

Friday, April 15 – Chipotle carnitas burrito

Saturday, April 16 – Medley of leftover pasta mixed with sauted spinach, green onions & garlic

Sunday, April 17 – Thai Pookhet take out – green curry with chicken, pad thai with tofu & spring rolls with shrimp

The Dinner Project: Week 13

I don’t have time to write much here today. Except to tell you that you should totally make this salad, with or without the watermelon. The watermelon was a last minute addition by my friend Jasmine, something I never would have thought to add, and it brought the whole thing up to a level of pure summery bliss. And doesn’t it make it look pretty? But don’t feel like you have to use the watermelon, even with the cucumbers on their own, this salad is lovely. I’ve made it many many times over the years and I keep coming back to it. And did I mention it’s easy? So very, very easy. Hope you enjoy it!

Cucumber Watermelon Salad with Peanuts, Cilantro & Coconut

Preparation time: about 15 minutes

Serves: 4 – 6

 

3 cucumbers, peeled (or leave a couple stripes, as I like to do), seeded and chopped into bite-size pieces

1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts

About 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut

The juice of a lemon, about 2 or 3 Tbsp

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Some chunks of watermelon, if so desired

A pinch of sea salt

 

1. Chop it all up and mix it all up and enjoy!

 

 

Monday, April 4 – Garbanzo beans mixed with ginger, lime juice, sour cream, turmeric, cumin, garlic, cilantro & green onion, eaten atop a crostini

Tuesday, April 5 – Same meal as Monday but mixed with quinoa instead

Wednesday, April 6 – Pasta with olive oil, shrimp, garlic & cilantro

Thursday, April 7 – Mas Tacos – one fried avocado taco that literally melted in my mouth it was so delicious, and one cast iron chicken taco. And a couple sips of Jasmine’s agua fresca that was the most refreshing drink ever

Friday, April 8 – BBQ at our place! A salad made of cucumbers, watermelon, cilantro, peanuts, lemon and unsweetened coconut (photo & recipe above); grilled corn; slices of watermelon; grilled chicken skewers with rosehip jelly glaze (the rosehip jelly was part of my payment for taking some band photos a few days earlier). Oh, and for dessert, champagne mixed with blood orange sorbet, perhaps the best way to end a meal as delicious as this one.

Saturday, April 9 – Bolton’s Hot Chicken, a Nashville favorite

Sunday, April 10 – Nothing. Late lunch