I don't know; just buy some fish and we'll figure something out.

This is frequently my answer when Nate calls me from the store to ask if I have any plans for dinner. Now, sometimes I do have plans, and I am ready with a list, but some much more often I am totally distracted at work or have worn myself out mowing our postage-stamp of a lawn in the 117 degree sun...and I just can't get motivated to plan something. Happily, some of our best dinners are borne of this menu apathy, and tonight was one of those nights.

I will admit to having a pretty well-stocked kitchen, so I realize that the throwing together of this meal might require a trip to the store for many people. But hey, I like to eat, there you have it.

Menu:
Fish Tacos with Grilled Pineapple and Chili-Honey Butter
Kitchen Sink Beans


Fish Tacos with Grilled Pineapple and Chili-Honey Butter

Fish tacos. So easy. Infinite variations. You basically cook some fish/shrimp, put it in a corn/flour tortilla, and top it with something crunchy (cabbage, lettuce, zucchini, shredded cucumber, shredded carrot) and something sweet (pineapple, mango, mango salsa, peach, etc) and something creamy/cheesy (avocado, cheese, sour cream...). Enjoy. Maybe if you're feeling particularly fancy, you'll marinate the fish in lime juice or sprinkle some chili seasoning on before you grill.



serves 2

1/2 lb cod or other firm white fish, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 medium zucchini
1 c pineapple, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 lime, cut in half
2 T chili-honey butter
6 corn tortillas
shredded green cabbage
sour cream
salsa

1. Thread two skewers with the pineapple chunks.
2. Cut the zucchini in half. Using a vegetable peeler, mandoline, or really sharp knife, shave the zucchini lengthwise into very thin, flexible strips. If you use a knife, you might not be able to get the strips thin enough to fold; if that happens, they'll be more flexible if you blanch them in boiling water for a minute or so.
3. Thread the fish and the zucchini onto skewers, folding the zucchini like an accordion and squishing it between fish pieces.
4. Melt the chili-honey butter in the microwave for about 15 seconds. Squeeze the juice from half of the lime into the butter.
5. Heat the grill to medium and grill the skewered fish and pineapple for 2-3 minutes per side or until done. Baste all of the skewers with the chili-honey butter as they cook.
6. When you are ready to fill the tacos, warm the tortillas in the microwave for 20 seconds; cold corn tortillas are stiff and will break if you try to fold them.
7. Divide the fish, zucchini, and pineapple among the tortillas, squeeze the remaining lime juice over them, and top with the cabbage, sour cream, and salsa.




Kitchen Sink Beans

So, Trader Joes makes canned Cuban-style black beans that are really good. This was my last-minute attempt to replicate them after I realized that we didn't have any in the pantry (so perhaps I am not that well-stocked...)

serves 2-3

1 15-oz can black beans (or pinto, or whatever, really)
bits and dregs of almost-empty jars of salsa from the back of the fridge
salt
chili powder/adobo seasoning/taco seasoning...or whatever seasoning tastes good

1. Heat the beans in the microwave for about a minute.
2. Stir in as much salsa, salt, and seasoning as you need until it tastes good.
3. Serve inside or alongside the tacos.

Nyuk nyuk nyukki.

For some reason, I've been thinking about gnocchi for the past several days. Not sure why. Who am I to question?? So today's another day off waiting for floor progress to be made (finally! it's actually being installed as I type!!) and what else can I do around the house but cook and clean?

Well, I cooked, anyway.

Today's adventure in the kitchen was brought to you by both Padma Lakshmi and Lidia Bastianich; unlikely companions, I know, but their books are good and I wanted to eat the food they write about.

I have made gnocchi once before and it was a dismal failure. I tried making a recipe for beet gnocchi several years ago, and the dough was too soft and the whole mess ended up looking like a pile of slimy pink brains on my plate. It was disgusting. So naturally, I thought I'd try it again! Only this time I made it with sweet potatoes, so at least I would avoid the whole zombie aspect of my last attempt. I'm proud to say that it was a success this time around.



I also took the liberty of doing a little experiment just for you, Elaine...and also to try to use up, yep, more whole wheat pastry flour. That bag, I swear, has become my own little modern-day Miracle of Hanukkah. It's bottomless! I made one batch of gnocchi with white flour and one with whole wheat. The white flour version is a touch firmer, but the taste is virtually the same and the whole wheat version is a little better for you. I'd do it again with wheat.

But not brains.

Offerings:
Chai Latte
Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Chili Honey Butter
Sauteed Spinach with Garlic

Chai Latte
from Tangy Tart Hot & Sweet by Padma Lakshmi

I am not a big chai latte lover at coffee places. They're always too, I don't know, cloying or something. So don't ask me why I thought I'd try it at home...but there was something about the ingredient list that jumped out at me, so I forged ahead. Plus I thought it would be nice to have a chai-smelling kitchen for the morning. Padma has not steered me off course yet, and this was no exception. I am now a convert, but I'll continue making my own, thanks.

makes 4 1-cup servings

4 cups water
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground cloves
3 tsp loose black tea
2 tsp honey
3 tsp brown sugar
1 cup while milk (I used skim, but whole would be downright dessert-y; definitely splurge if you're making this at Christmas)

1. Bring the water, ginger, cardamom, and cloves to a boil in a medium saucepan.
2. Reduce heat to a simmer and stir in the tea, milk, sugar, and honey. Steep and stir for 2-3 minutes.
3. Strain into 4 mugs. Serve with whipped cream if you've been particularly well-behaved. Or even if you haven't!


Chili Honey Butter
from Tangy Tart Hot & Sweet by Padma Lakshmi

Seriously, if you don't absolutely want to lick out the bowl after you've made this, there's something wrong with you.

1 stick unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 1/2 T honey
1 tsp cayenne pepper (I used ground chipotle)
salt

1. Stir all the ingredients together and add salt to taste. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
2. Spend the rest of the day wondering why, oh WHY, is butter so bad for you? Gah.


Sweet Potato Gnocchi
adapted from Lidia's Italian-America Kitchen by Lidia Bastianich



I made several changes to Lidia's original potato gnocchi recipe, and I've written it as I made it. The instructions look long and daunting, but really you're just making a soft dough and then rolling it into ropes to cut into gnocchi. Don't wear fancy jewelery for this.

makes approximately 6 3/4c servings

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
2 large eggs
3/4 tsp salt
dash pepper
2 3/4 cup white flour or whole wheat pastry flour, plus more as needed

1. Preheat the oven to 450. Pierce the potatoes with a fork, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake for about an hour or until soft.
2. Let cool until you can safely peel the skin off (it will just slip off).
3. Put the potatoes through a ricer (or mash them really well; don't try to make ghetto potatoes by smushing them through the holes in your colander, it's just not worth the mess.)

Theoretically this should work...


Ugh. Ick. Glop. Emergency trip to Bed Bath and Beyond for a ricer.

4. Spread the potatoes out in a thin layer to allow as much moisture escape as possible.
5. When the potatoes are cool, whisk the eggs, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Add a little bit of flour to the eggs and stir to make the eggs thick an un-runny.
6. Pile the potatoes on a floured board and make a well in the center. Pour the egg mixture into the well and knead with your hands to incorporate. This is going to be messy!
7. Add flour, a 1/2 at a time, and knead until you have a soft, slightly sticky dough. Lidia says not to knead for longer than 10 minutes and to add just enough flour so it's not terribly sticky. The more you knead, the stickier it'll get, and the more flour you'll have to add.
8. Divide the dough into 6 portions.
9. Using floured hands, roll each portion out into a 1/2" diameter rope. Cut the rope into 1-inch pieces.
10. Roll each piece into a ball. Using your thumb, press each ball gently onto the tines of a fork to make little indents (like peanut butter cookies). Use flour as needed to keep the gnocchi from sticking to your thumb and the fork.
11. Cook them immediately in boiling water for 5 minutes, or freeze them in a single layer and store in a plastic bag for later use. Serve with Chili Honey Butter, parmesan cheese, sage butter, or any other delectable topping.


Getting ready for the freezer.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Aaahh I have nothing witty to say tonight. On to the food.

I had two chicken breasts defrosting in the fridge and nothing exciting planned. I needed something quick that could be thrown together after getting home from a late day at work (which usually means walking in the door at 7:30 at the earliest). I found this recipe on EatingWell.com and it fit the bill.

It helped tremendously to have Nate get things started when he got home (thanks, man) so we could brine the chicken and use the grill, but you could easily skip the brining step, use boneless breasts, and either broil or saute them for speed. I just happen to prefer brined* chicken breasts, and I really like to grill.

The chicken recipe originally called for drumsticks, but I used bone-in, skinless breasts and drizzled the dipping sauce over them just before serving. The glaze is sweet and has a subtle hint of mint, and would probably also be really great on grilled shrimp, grilled fruit, or maybe even grilled pork tenderloin.

*a note on brine: I will now grill chicken and shrimp only if they've been brined first. It keeps the meat so moist and juicy, you pretty much can't dry it out, which is always a danger with chicken and shrimp. A 30 minute brine for each is really all you need, and I usually stick with salt and sugar. Sometimes I'll throw in maple syrup, or a lemon, or some chili powder...I don't know if I can actually taste the difference, but it makes things seem fancier.

Menu
Sweet and Sour Chicken Breasts
Corn on the cob
Grilled pineapple
Steamed broccoli
Sliced tomatoes
Grilled Peaches with Honeyed Ricotta

Sweet and Sour Chicken Breasts
adapted from EatingWell.com



Chicken
4c warm water
2 T kosher salt
2 T sugar
2 bone-in, skinless chicken breasts

Glaze
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cider vinegar, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

1. Stir the salt and sugar into the water and dissolve. Place chicken in a bowl, pour the brine over it, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. Heat the grill to medium and grill the chicken until done, about 10-15 minutes per side.

3. While the chicken cooks, make the glaze. Whisk together the orange zest and juice, water, honey, 1 T vinegar, 1/4 tsp salt, and coriander in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 1 tsp vinegar and add slowly to the orange juice mixture, whisking constantly until thickened, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and stir in the mint.

4. Slice the chicken and drizzle the glaze over each serving.



Grilled Peaches with Honeyed Ricotta




1 peach, just ripe and still firm, halved and pitted
2 T part-skim ricotta cheese
1 tsp honey
1 tsp chopped mint

1. Mix together the ricotta and the honey and place in the refrigerator.
2. Place the peach halves on the grill, cut side down, for 3-4 minutes or until grill-marks appear.
3. Serve the peaches warm with a dollop of the ricotta mixture. Sprinkle with mint.

I has a hard life.