We were looking to buy a small fish to grill for the weekend and when we got to Market Street we didn't see any. But, after talking with the associate in the fish department, she happened to have some in the freezer that someone ordered the large quantity the same week. We got very lucky! We just seasoned the fish with salt and olive oil and cooked it over the coals with asparagus and potatoes. We made wild rice with fresh cilantro on a side. And for desert, we bought the sponge cake from Market Street and made pineapple and strawberry cake.

Grilled Salmon with Wild Rice and Asparagus

We are enjoying our charcoal grill so far and we use it almost every weekend. This time we purchased salmon from Market Street and grilled the filets on a cedar plank. First, we soaked the cedar in red wine and water for two hours. The salmon was seasoned with salt and pepper then placed on the cedar plank and onto the grill. The coals were set at the lowest position. The salmon was cooked until it just began pulling apart, but not so long as to dry out the meat. The cooked salmon had a wonderful flavor, and infusion of the wine, cedar, and the salmon's natural oils.

Simple Pasta with Poultry Sausage and Asparagus

On Sundays we make a big meal and eat it throughout the week. However, by the middle of the week, we usually have run out or prefer making something different to change things up a bit. I created this quick pasta recipe and it became our favorite pasta dish.  I used whole wheat pasta, poultry sausage, plum tomatoes, and asparagus. First, I cooked the sausages in a covered pot with little bit of water. Once they were cooked and the water was evaporated, I added olive oil and pan fried the sausage with onions. I then added fresh plum tomatoes, and asparagus and simmered it together. Finally chopped garlic, cilantro, and parsley were added, with salt and pepper to taste. Simple, quick, and delicious!

Shrimp and Scallop Stir-Fry

It's always fun to make a stir-fry. My favorite part is that I get to clear my fridge by using as much vegetables I can find. You can really make a unique dish every time. It always feels refreshing biting on a crunchy vegetables. This time we invaded our friend's kitchen and cooked this delicious shrimp and scallop stir-fry with fried brown rice. Our vegetables of choice were mushrooms (baby bella, shiitake, and oyster), baby corn, snow pees, onions, and scallions.

And voilà! 

The dinner is never complete without a desert, so we made Shoo! I promise to post the recipe soon.

Quail

Quail has always had a special place in my heart. In Georgia, during the hunting season, my friend used to bring me a bunch of birds and we would pan fry them. We have a great quail dish in Georgia that you can order in restaurants which is cooked in a clay pot with tomatoes (see the image below). The image of a live quail is from a village where my relative was breeding them.

We were able to buy frozen quail in the market. We marinated the quail (deboned) in vinegar, onion, olive oil and pan fried it in cast iron skillet with fresh tomatoes, wine, and fresh cilantro. We served it with buckwheat on the side. 

Beef Stew with Vegetables

This recipe was adapted from a stew in James Beard's American Cookery. The stew incorporates black beans turnips, pearl onions, leeks, green beans, potatoes, and parsley. We added Madeira to the stew which added a very unique flavor.

We made strawberry and pineapple angel food cake for desert which is super easy to make. We bought the angel food cake and pimped it out at home. You'll need to slice the cake in two, which is very easy with a knife. In the meantime, marinate the fresh strawberries in sugar and liquor for couple of hours until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Spoon the leftover juice over each half of the cake (see bottom left of image below). Next, we made a Georgian cream for the filling. We placed the crushed pineapples in the center and decorated the top with strawberries.

Bouillabaisse

As I mentioned many many times, my mother is a superb cook. She can make a large pot of soup in less than half hour, while making other things simultaneously. She is a great multitasker when it comes to cooking, but she tends to accumulate piles and piles of dishes that I have to clean up. Brian and I like to clean up as we go, but that's not the case with my mom! Regardless, she is the best and I have a lot of learning to do from her. Anyhow, this time, mom made this yummy bouillabaisse.

For desert, mom made a delicious Georgian pastry called White Bear. It's a three layered pasty with strawberries, raisin and walnuts (you can substitute different fruits, such as peaches and apricots).  There is nothing comparable to Georgian pastries in the US. The type of cream used in the filling loosely translates to "boiled cream" in English. It's made with milk, flower, butter, and vanilla. The White Bear is dense but soft and fluffy at the same time.

Brian's Homemade Chicken Soup

Today, Brian made this yummy chicken soup from scratch. He likes to make his own chicken stock the night before and finish up the next day. Growing up, I was used to having potatoes in my chicken soup, but Brian likes to use parsnips (and sometimes turnips) instead. I think it's a good idea since potatoes crumble and are starchy. Nothing is better than coming home and indulging on a bowl of homemade chicken soup after a cold day.

Roasted Bone Marrow

Dogs like bones. We do to. Bone marrow is the elixir of life. Humans evolved large brains in part by adding bone marrow to their diet, it has remained an important part in many cuisines ever since. Bone marrow has a simple, but tricky preparation. The bones (beef) must first be washed thoroughly. They are then placed in a baking pan and lightly seasoned with salt, pepper and EVOO. Cooking time is short, somewhere around 15 minutes at 450 degrees, but don't quote me on that.

The real trick to is to remove the bones from the oven before the marrow completely melts away. That's the danger. When you lift the bones from the pan, if the marrow stays in the bone, you're doing okay.

The next tricky part is actually eating the marrow. We like to spread the marrow on toast with some herbs and EVOO. However, we didn't have spoons narrow enough to fit in the bone, so we poked it out with chop sticks! Mmmmmm.

This meal was served as an appetizer to salmon, kale, and brown rice. 

Chinese Hot Pot

Our friend Chris invited us for some hot pot which we hadn't tried before. It was amazing! Below are the raw ingredients he used: lettuce, dumplings, tofu (two different kinds), mushrooms, seaweed, diakon, and beef.

We definitely need to invest in a hot pot! We drank "Black and Gold" sake and it turned out to be the best one we've had.

Homemade Sushi

My friend Ania and I were craving for some homemade sushi and finally we got together to make it. We got cucumbers, avocados, smoked salmon, and creme cheese. If you haven't tried to make sushi yet it is lot of fun! There are plenty of step-by-step guides on internet. We used makemysushi.com for inspiration.

Besides sushi, we made fresh raspberry basil margaritas. We smashed raspberries and basil together then added Wegman's Organic Raspberry Lemonade and tequila. It was really tasty!

 And voilà!

Souzi (Georgian Beef Stew)

This is one of my favorite Georgian dishes that my mother makes. The ingredients include: cubed beef, onions, peas, tomatoes, bay leaves, cilantro, basil, green peppers, and freshly ground black peppers. Mom usually makes mashed potatoes and serves them together. I can eat this any day, even writing this post makes my mouth water.

Fresh Summer Sandwich with Vegetables and Salami

This lunch idea was one of my spur of the moment creations. I grabbed radishes, tomatoes, cilantro, garlic, cheese, cucumbers, Wegman's salami slices, and Brian's challah bread. I pan-fried salami, tomatoes, and cheese and then topped it with cilantro. Then I put them between two pieces of toasted challah. It came out very fresh and very tasty!

Extra Virgin Pomodoro Toss with Shrimp & Clams

This was Brian's recipe from Extra Virgin Pomodoro Toss + Shrimp but we added a few variations, including clams and kale. yummm!

Egg in the Basket

Brian never disappoints when making breakfast on Sundays. I wake up expecting something creative on the table. This time Brian made egg in the basket and, on the side, we had peaches, strawberries and blueberries, fresh from the market.

Swordfish

Another beautiful day to eat on the deck. My mom pan-fried swordfish, steamed asparagus, and baked potatoes. We began the meal with borsh. I will post my Mom's borsh recipe soon. 

Mother's Day Dinner

It was so beautiful out on Mother's Day that we simply stayed in and made a meal for my mother. Brian made his famous bison-beef burgers on garlic and olive oil buns. We also had steamed green beans, fresh tomatoes sprinkled with cilantro, pan fried potatoes (my favorite), and vino. Perfecto!

Beet Juice Fusion

Let me just say that Jack Lalanne’s Power Juicer is probably the best thing we have in the kitchen! Since I was a little girl, I remember my mother juicing up some beets and apples then making us drink the sweet delight. And now, at least once a week I try to do the same. But now I enjoy it! The beauty of the juicer is that you can use whatever you wish or have in the fridge that day.

I used the following ingredients in the juicer: beets, carrots, celery, apples, and kiwi.

I don’t think there is anything on earth healthier than drinking this glass of GOODNESS!

Chicken & Prosciutto Roll

Brian was feeling creative today! Three organic Wegman's chicken breasts were flattened on the cutting board. Garlic infused EVOO was spread on each flatten breast. Two pieces of Wegman's prosciutto, sage, rosemary, white onion, green onion, and mozzarella cheese were placed on top. The breasts were rolled up and tied with a piece of twine. The rolls were browned in a iron skillet then finished in the oven. We had fresh tomatoes, cilantro, and orzo on the side. Mmmmmmmmmmm! First class meal!

Lemon, Chicken and Orzo Soup

We found this recipe on tarteletteblog.com. You can view the recipe here. The soup came out very tasty. We will definitely make it again. For a side dish we toasted freshly made bread with mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, paprika, and pepper. We also bought olive oil potato chips with rosemary by Good Health Inc., which were pretty incredible.

Brian made this bread. It is mostly white flour with a smidgen of rye and whole wheat.