Devon's Cooking...an Italian Dinner Party

After a couple of weeks of easy dinners, I feared that perhaps I was getting lazy... so, to assuage my fears, I lined up a great menu for the small dinner party we had on Saturday night in honor of Brandie and Christian's visit to San Diego. Inspired by Liz Slo, I decided to make a drink to start us off and the menu grew from there. I decided to go with Pluot-Prosecco Fizzes for our drink, gourmet pizzas and cheeses for our appetizer, a grilled veggie salad with a mustard-lemon vinaigrette and homemade pasta with fava beans, tomatoes and sausage for our main course, and macerated nectarines with a ricotta-vanilla cream and pine nut brittle for dessert. It was a CRAZY day of cooking, especially since my pasta machine was having some serious issues (causing me to have serious frustration) and since I might have been a little overly ambitious given my time constraints. Lucikly, I had Brandie as my sous chef, and Dave as my barbeque-guru and pizza dough-maker to help out! It all tasted great at the end of the day and we had a tremendous time! And all that food provided a nice base for the Mules we had at Starlite afterwards!

PLUOT-PROSECCO FIZZ
Ingredients
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 lemons
1 pound Pluots (4 to 6 small), halved, pitted, coarsely chopped
1 750-ml bottle Prosecco or cava, chilled

Directions: Bring sugar and 1/2 cup water to boil in small saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil 1 minute; remove from heat and cool. DO AHEAD: Simple syrup can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Using vegetable peeler, remove lemon peel (yellow part only) lengthwise in eight 1/4- to 1/2-inch-wide strips and set aside. Juice lemons. Place Pluots, 6 tablespoons simple syrup, and 2 tablespoons lemon juice in food processor; puree until small flecks of Pluot remain. Strain.
Measure 3 tablespoons Pluot puree into each of 8 Champagne glasses. Fill with sparkling wine. Drizzle 2 to 3 drops lemon juice over. Garnish with lemon peel.

PIZZA WITH FIGS, GORGONZOLA, BALSAMIC AND ARUGULA (adapted from Bon Appetit magazine)
Ingredients
1 pound pizza dough (you can buy fresh pizza dough at Trader Joe's or, even better,
you can make your own-- we LOVE this Wolfgang Puck recipe--http://www.wolfgangpuck.com/recipes/view/3391/pizza-dough-- and it makes two pizza doughs, enough for both of your pizzas!)
8 oz. crumbled gorgonzola
6 small fresh Kalmyra figs, sliced in 1/4-inch slices
2 Tbsp fig basalmic vinegar (get this at Whole Foods)
1 Tbsp EVOO
8 cups arugula

Directions: Preheat oven to 450. Roll out dough and place on greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with gorgonzola and grind a little fresh pepper on top. Bake pizza until crust is brown on bottom, about 10-15 minutes. In the meantime, drizzle 1 Tbsp of vinegar over figs and set aside. Once crust is browned, arrange fig slices on top and put back in oven for about 1 minute. Transfer pizza to cutting board and, while cooling, mix olive oil, 1 Tbsp of vinegar and toss with arugula. Place arugula on pizza slices and serve.

GORGONZOLA, PEAR AND PROVOLONE PIZZA
Ingredients
1 pound pizza dough
2 ripe pears, thinly sliced
5 oz. crumbled gorgonzola
1 package provolone cheese
1/4 cup crushed walnuts

Directions: Roll out pizza dough on prepared cookie sheet. Sprinkle gorgonzola over crust, then layer pear slices, then provolone slices, and then sprinkle with walnuts. Bake pizza until crust is browned and cheese is melted, about 10-15 minutes.

GRILLED VEGGIES WITH MUSTARD-LEMON VINAIGRETTE
Vinaigrette Ingredients
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Vegetables Ingredients
20 asparagus spears, each trimmed to 5-inch length
8 green onions, green tops trimmed
4 medium zucchini, each cut lengthwise into 1/4- to 1/3-inch-thick slices
2 large ears of corn, husked
4 medium heads of Belgian endive
2 small heads of radicchio, halved through core
6 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
Olive oil (for brushing)

Directions for vinaigrette: Combine first 9 ingredients in medium bowl. Gradually whisk in oil; season with salt and pepper.
Directions for vegetables: Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Arrange all vegetables on baking sheets. Lightly brush all vegetables with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill asparagus, green onions, zucchini, and corn until lightly charred and just tender, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes for green onions, 8 minutes for asparagus and zucchini, and 10 minutes for corn. Return vegetables to same sheets. Grill endive and radicchio until lightly charred, turning often, about 8 minutes. Transfer to baking sheets with other vegetables. Place tomatoes, skin side down, on grill and cook until just charred, about 3 minutes. Turn tomatoes; grill until just beginning tosoften, about 1 minute longer. Transfer to sheets with other vegetables. Cut asparagus, green onions, and zucchini crosswise into 1-inch pieces; place in large bowl. Cut corn kernels from cobs; add to bowl. Cut endive in half lengthwise. Remove cores from endive and radicchio. Chop into 1/2- to 3/4-inch pieces; add to bowl. Coarsely chop tomatoes. Using slotted spoon, add tomatoes to bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

FRESH PASTA WITH FAVA BEANS, TOMATOES AND SAUSAGE
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1/8 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1/2 pound Italian sausages, casings removed
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 3/4 cups chopped plum tomatoes
1 cup shelled fresh fava beans (from about 1 pound), blanched 3 minutes then peeled
3/4 pound fresh pasta sheets, cut as desired, or dried egg fettuccine (I made homemade pasta and cut it in a "style" called maltagliati (badly cut) pasta (because my stupid pasta machine was having issues cutting it into actual fettucine), which means you just take a knife to your pasta and cut into triangle-y shapes. It actually turned out pretty cool)
2 tablespoons finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese plus additional for passing

Directions: Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add next 3 ingredients. Sauté until onion is translucent, about 6 minutes. Add sausages; break up with fork. Sauté until brown, about 3 minutes. Add wine; simmer 1 minute, scraping up browned bits. Add tomatoes and fava beans. Sauté until tomatoes soften, about 5 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to same pot. Add sauce to pasta. Toss over medium heat until sauce coats pasta, adding reserved cooking liquid as needed if dry, about 2 minutes. Mix in 2 tablespoons cheese. Transfer pasta to bowl. Serve, passing additional cheese.


MACERATED NECTARINES WITH RICOTTA-VANILLA CREAM AND PINE-NUT BRITTLE (adapted from Gourmet magazine)
Ingredients:
3 nectarines (about 1 lb.), cut into wedges
1/2 cup plus 4 tsp sugar, divided
1 tsp fresh lime juice
1 cup ricotta (I used partially-skim)
1/4 cup whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted (you can buy toasted pine nuts at Trader Joe's)
1/4 cup mint leaves

Directions: Toss nectarines with 1 tsp sugar and lime juice in a bowl and let macerate, stirring occassionally, about 15 minutes. In the meantime, puree ricotta, whole milk, vanilla, and 3 tsp sugar in a blender. Transfer to a large bowl and pop in freezer, stirring after about 10 minutes; put back in freezer for another 10 minutes until thickened. Line a cookie sheet with foil. Bring water and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil, without stirring, swirling pan occassionally, until medium amber, about 10 minutes. Watch this step closely, because it is WAY too easy to burn this (I did so 2 times before getting it right!). Stir in pine nuts, then immediately pour onto foil-lined cookie sheet. Spread as thinly as possible with rubber spatula and let sit until set, about 5 minutes. Peel foil off and break into pieces. To put together dessert, place a few nectarine slices in small bowl, drizzle with 1/4 of ricotta cream and place a large chunk of brittle in. Add a few leaves of mint and serve!

Devon's Cooking.. Orange Baked Chicken and Turkey with Feta-Tomato Sauce

I'm watching an old epsiode of "The Soup" right now and Seth Green is on promoting "Robot Chicken." I have no idea what Robot Chicken is (nor do I care to see Tila Tequila singing about it), but this is the perfect intro to my blog this week. Why, you ask? Because on Friday night Dave and I went with Melissa and Derek to see Joel McHale, host of the amazing E! show, "The Soup," at Humphrey's by the Bay (he was hilarious, by the way. Well done, McHale.) And, more importantly, because it was poultry week at the Atchison house this week... no particular reason, but Dave was craving some bird. Even better, these are two of the easiest, quickest recipes around, which helped because I finally made an appearance at work this week after 5 weeks of being "absent."

ORANGE BAKED CHICKEN
Ingredients
2 Tbsp orange juice
2 Tbsp Grey Poupon (or other Dijon mustard)
1/2 tsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
3/4 cup crushed whole wheat crackers (to crush, just place the crackers in a plastic baggie and hit repeatedly with a rolling pin or crab mallet... good if you're frustrated about going back to work!)
1 Tbsp grated orange zest
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
4 three-ounce chicken breast pieces

Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine orange juice, mustard and soy sauce. On small plate, combine cracker crumbs, orange zest, onion powder, and pepper. Dredge the chicken in the orange juice mix, then roll the chicken in the cracker crumb mixture; place on wax paper-covered cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes, turn over and bake another 15-20 minutes, until chicken is cooked all the way through.


TURKEY WITH FETA-TOMATO SAUCE
Ingredients:
4 sun-dried tomato halves (either dried or packed in water, not oil-packed)
1/2 cup boiling water
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 scallion, minced
minced garlic (as much as you like)
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 package Jennie-O turkey cutlets

Directions: Spray broiler rack with Pam; preheat broiler. In a small bowl, combine tomatoes and boiling water for about 2 mintues (until tomatoes rehydrated). Drain and finely chop tomatoes; return tomatoes to bolw and stir in cheese, scallion, garlic, basil and oregano. Broil turkey 4 inches away from heat for 4 minutes. Turn turkey over (flip the bird?!?!) adn top with cheese mixture. Broil until turkey is cooked through and cheese starts to melt (about 4-5 more minutes).

Devon's Cooking....Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs and Honey Cake

Phew! It has been an insanely busy summer, as you can see on this blog. We came back from the East Coast, had 4 days back and then we were off running again! First up was Dave Cam and Amy's wedding in Irvine, California (ah, finally, a local wedding!). The rehearsal dinner was an absolute blast (with great live music), tanning by the hotel pool while the boys got ready for the wedding was relaxing and lovely, but the wedding truly took the cake (har, har... my punning is superb). Dave and Amy got married at this amazing venue called Rancho Las Lomas...there was a white tiger roaming (his cage), parrots squawking, and a mariachi band to help us get in the mood for a beautiful wedding ceremony. We danced the night away after the wedding and then enjoyed a delicious brunch the next day. No cooking for me all weekend unless you count the microwave popcorn I made Sunday night.

Gordon came back with Dave and I on Sunday to spend a couple of days in San Diego. We had so much fun with Gordo-- on Monday while poor Dave had to work, Gordon and I explored the beaches. We went to Ocean Beach for fish tacos at South Coast Bar & Grill (the best!), headed over to Wavehouse in Mission Beach for beers, sun and fake-wave-surf-watching, and finally to Sneak Joint (a great new little spot in Pacific Beach featuring the former sous chef from Oceanaire) for cold beer and yummy snacks. We then met Dave at our old favorite downtown haunt, The Neighborhood, to complete our San Diego journey! Tuesday was leftovers and farewell to Gordon, and then we were off early Wednesday morning to Vancouver.

Dave and I have been to many different places around the world, but have never been to much of the Pacific Northwest... so we decided to go on vacation (because we so desperately needed a trip somewhere??) to visit Vancouver and Seattle. In Vancouver, we had a great time eating wonderful food and enjoying a beautiful city! We took the train down to Seattle on Thursday night and, after a gorgeous journey with some amazing scenery, we headed to our old San Diego friends, the Frisches, new house in Seattle. While there, we saw Pike's Place Market, downtown Seattle, a few of the cool and trendy neighborhoods... and bees! Bees, you ask? Yes, bees! Kevin and Margaret's neighbor has bee hives, so he lent us some bee suits and let us watch while he inspected the hives-- we even got to see a Queen Bee laying eggs! And we got a bonus jar of honey--Dave's favorite! More on the honey later.

On Saturday, the four of us got in the car (with our reckless chauffer, Kevin, leading the way) and headed up to wine country to meet up with my old Boston roommate, Kate, her boyfriend Matt, and their dog, Barlow. We checked into a great little boutique hotel that, conveniently, was next door to various wine tasting rooms and Red Hook Brewery. We went to Columbia winery, where we got to meet up with Dave Camarillo's aunt who works there (thanks, Linda!), to 2 additional winery tasting rooms and then to Red Hook for the brewery tour and beer! Great times. From then on, Kate, Matt and Barlow were responsible for us.

We journeyed to Bainbridge Island, where Kate and Matt live, on Sunday and I decided to cook for us Sunday night (finally, the recipe is almost here). I made spaghetti and turkey meatballs (the picture of Matt holding his shirt in a ball is supposed to symbolize the meatballs in his stomach-- we forgot to take a picture until all the meatballs were gone!) and a caprese salad.

CAPRESE SALAD
Ingredients:
2 cartons grape tomatoes
1 carton balled mozarella
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1 Tbsp balsalmic vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil

Directions: Mix all ingredients in large bowl and chill unti ready to eat.

SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS
Ingredients:
6 portions lean ground turkey (about 1 1/2 lbs)
2 egg whites
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup water
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat oven broiler. In a large mixing bowl, combine turkey, egg whites, breadcrumbs, water, onion, garlic, parsley, basil and black pepper. Mix ingredients thoroughly and then shape into 1 1/2" diameter meatballs. (makes approx 30 meatballs). Arrange meatballs on a baking sheet and place under broiler for 10 to 12minutes, turning occasionally until they are browned on all sides. Serve with cooked spaghetti (or any other pasta) and marinara sauce (see earlier blogs for my sauce recipe).

We also decided that instead of shipping that delicious fresh honey home, we should use it in Seattle...so I made a honey cake for dessert... this is SO good!

HONEY CAKE
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups honey
3/4 cup canola oil
1 cup strong brewed coffee
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar

For the glaze:
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Oil a 12-cup Bundt pan or 13 x 9-inch rectangular cake pan. First, make the cake: Combine the honey, oil, coffee, and vanilla in a small saucepan and heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is well blended. Remove it from the heat and let cool. Place the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, coriander, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and stir to blend. Place the eggs and sugar in a medium-size bowl and beat with a mixer on medium speed until the mixture is pale yellow and very thick, 5 minutes. Pour the honey mixture into the egg mixture and beat until well incorporated, 2 minutes. Stop the mixer occasionally and scrape down the sides until fully incorporated, 2 minutes more. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake until the cake springs back when lightly touched with your finger and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then place the pan on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Run a long, sharp knife around the edge of the cake and invert It onto a rack to cool while you prepare the glaze. Place the honey, sugar, and butter in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove the glaze from the heat. To glaze the cake, place it on a serving platter, Use a fork to gently poke holes all over the top of the cake. Brush on the glaze, letting it seep into the holes and down the sides. Serve the cake at room temperature.

After this meal, we needed some serious exercise. So the next day we got on the ferry, headed into Seattle and then made our way to Mt. Ranier. Awesome. We had a great 5 mile hike that Kate insisted would have "very little snow on the trail, if any." She lied, but we're sure glad she did! We had fun falling on our butts, learning to ski in tennis shoes, and otherwise enjoying the amazing scenery at Ranier. Five hours later, Dave and I, and a pound of sweat each, boarded our plane and headed back to Home Sweet San Diego. Thanks Margaret, Kevin, Kate, Matt, Barlow and the nice Canadians ("take off you hosers") for a wonderful five days!

Devon's Cooking...Chickpea and Brown Rice Veggie Burgers with Tomato Salad and Summer Vegetable Curry

Home, and settled at last (by "settled," I mean that I had a chance to unpack our suitcases and start a load of laundry), I decided to head up to Riverside to see the fam! I got to spend the day shopping with my Mom, hanging out with my sis-in-law, Sarah, and my gorgeous nephew Joshua, chillin' with my sister and playing with Gavin and Derek, and having dinner with my Mom and Dad before heading home to sleep in my own bed. Needless to say, after a day like that, following 3 weeks of traveling, I wasn't cooking Monday night.

But now that I'm over my lazy thing (see my Cheatin' Salad post below), I'm trying to get Dave and I a week of healthy eating (since we have Dave Camarillo's wedding coming up this weekend and then 5 days in Vancouver and Seattle the following week!). And for some reason, veggies and veg food just sounds amazing (this is what happens when "french fries" have become something of a food group for you). So both dinners I am making this week will be vegetarian. As a side note, save the leftover brown rice and chickpeas you have from the burger for the stew.

Since we've been on a burger kick (I mean seriously, have you noticed how many burger recipes are on here? What can I say-- they come in the perfect package! Remember, "french fries" is now a food group for me...), I decided to try out another vegetarian burger recipe. For the second half of the week, I used up all of our farmer's market fare to clear out our refrigerator... and the curry I made turned out pretty awesome, if I do say so myself.


CHICKPEA AND BROWN RICE VEGGIES BURGERS WITH TOMATO SALAD
Ingredients
BURGERS
1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
2 Tbsp dried bread crumbs
3 Tbsp shredded carrots
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 medium green onion, finely diced
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 large egg white

TOMATO SALAD
1/2 cup cucumer, diced
1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced
2 Tbsp red onion, thinly slivered
1/4 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions: To make burgers, put chickpeas into food processor and process for about 30 seconds or until a coarse texture is reached. Add rice and pulse again to combine, about 10 more seconds. Spoon mixture into large bowl. Add bread crumbs, carrots, parsley, scallion, lemon zest, coriander, salt and pepper; mix to combine. Add egg white and mix to combine. Refrigerate about 10 minutes or up to overnight. To make the salad, combine ingredients in medium bown and set aside.

SUMMER VEGETABLE CURRY (no photo because it was sort of ugly and I sort of forgot!)
Ingredients:
1 large onion, finely chopped
crushed garlic (as much as you like)
1 piece ginger root (1 inch long), peeled and finely chopped
2 Tbsp curry powder
1 lb. butternut squash, chopped
1 small head cauliflower, broken into florets
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 lb. uncooked string beans, chopped
3.5 cups canned tomatoes, chopped
2 cups vegetable broth
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
3/4 cup chickpeas

Directions: Sautee onion, garlic and ginger in the biggest saucepan you have, about 3-4 minutes until softened. Add curry and stir to combine; then add vegetables, canned tomatoes, broth and half of your parsley. Stir and heat until boiling, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Mix in brown rice and chickpeas (leftover from the burgers) then season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with remaining parsley.

Devon's Cooking...Cheatin' Salad with Warm Roasted Chicken

After a great time in Washington, DC (and more importantly after getting 2 hours of sleep and then getting up at 4:00 a.m. to fly home!), Dave and I were looking forward to a home-cooked, but low-cal and low-effort dinner for Sunday night. I made one of my absolute favorites and it's so easy, it's like cheating! To compensate for such an easy meal, I did bake some biscuits, but they're the super easy, super good for you kind (see below for the recipe). Enjoy!

CHEATIN' SALAD WITH WARM ROASTED CHICKEN
Ingredients:
1 rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, with meat pulled off
1 head red leaf lettuce
1/2 carton grape tomatoes
2 oz. goat cheese
1/2 cucumber
1 sweet onion, sliced and grilled in a sautee pan

Directions: Put all ingredients on a plate and enjoy!


EASY BISCUITS
Ingredients:
2/3 cup self-rising flour (very important that you use self-rising!!)
1/3 cup nonfat milk
3 tsp. plain or vanilla yogurt

Directions: Preheat oven to 425. Mix all ingredients and form into 4 balls on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper for 10-12 minutes or until brown on the bottom.

Devon (and Liz) are Cooking...Wounded Maries

After our amazing trip to Annapolis, we capped off our trip with a couple of days in Washington, DC. We stayed with Liz and Jeff (of amazing wedding fame) and made the most of our short 36 hours in our nation's capital. On Friday night, Tommy and Emily (of Tommy and Emily, DC roofdeck fame) helped us have the experience of a lifetime when they took us on a private tour of the West Wing. We got to see amazing artwork, the presidential rose garden (which, incidentally, had very few roses in it), the press room, the West Wing bathroom (my bathroom had an empty roll of toilet paper in it-- a sure sign that there's a recession going on!) and the Oval Office. It was pretty amazing! We also had a great dinner at Bourbon which, surprise, surprise, has a lot of Bourbon on the menu...but they also have TOTS! Sold.

On the 4th, Liz and I went for a great hike/rock-climb in Maryland and while on our outdoor zen jaunt (with Long Island women bitching about how hard the rocks were to get up-- stairmaster and rockclimbing apparently are NOT the same thing), we were inspired to make a 4th of July cocktail. We settled on homemade bloody marys which turned out so well-- the best drink I have ever had! We used fresh tomatoes and, subsequently, were "missing" the viscosity we're used to in Bloody Marys, as well as the canned tomato taste ("I wouldn't say we were missing it, Bob."), and thus decided that a new name was in order. Our new name was Wounded Maries, in homage to the weak bull fight that Jeff and Liz saw in France. Make this drink.

WOUNDED MARIES
Ingredients
6 lbs ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
6 celery ribs, coarsely chopped + 8 ribs to garnish
2 cups coarsely chopped fresh parsley
4 Tbsp Kosher Salt
3 Tbsp bottled Horseradish
3-6 tsp tabasco
3 tsp fresh lemon juice
3-6 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
fresh ground back pepper
16 oz. ice-cold vodka

Directions: Using an immersion blender (or a regular blender, but you'll have to mix in batches) blend tomatoes, celery, parsley and 1 Tbsp Kosher salt. Chill at least 1 hour. Strain out the juice using a food mill or a sieve and discard chunky leftovers (or make a yummy gazpacho or tomato sauce out of the leftovers). Mix remaining salt, horseradish, tabasco, lemon juice, Old Bay, worcestershire sauce, and black pepper. Taste and add in any taste you think is missing. Incorporate vodka and serve in salt and pepper-rimmed glass mugs with lots of ice and a sprig of celery. Cheers!

Devon's Cooking...Herbed Turkey Burgers

At last, we are back from our long travels! I had a great time learnin' at my summer institute, but the real fun started when Dave and I began our East Coast tour. We went to NYC and enjoyed amazing weather, drinks and fun with the Ranfords (Ran-Atches were back in business with the new addition of Alec!), an amazing dinner at Craft, lunch with Soon and Alka...good times! Then we headed to Annapolis to hang with Gordon at the Avery's amazing house! Though we filled up on Painkillers (YUMMY drink made with 2 oz. dark rum, 1 oz. coconut milk/cream, 4 oz. pineapple juice, 1 oz. orange juice), crabs, long-neck clams, soft-shell crab sandwiches (this was just for Gordon and I, of course), and some amazing Irish food, I did make one night of healthy dinner. We had herbed turkey burgers, sweet potato fries and baked zucchini and onions (and a side of scotch that tasted of "tiny cigars" according to Dave).



HERBED TURKEY BURGERS
Ingredients
1 lb. ground skinless turkey breast
1 onion, finely chopped (I usually use 2-3 TBSP dried minced onion because the burgers stay together better that way)
¼ cup + 2 TBSP seasoned dried bread crumbs
3 TBSP minced parsley
3 TBSP reduced-cal mayo
1 TBSP minced basil
2 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp coarsely ground black pepper

Directions: Mix all ingredients. Shape into 4 patties and grill 5-6 minutes each side.

For the Sweet Potato fries, cut up 2-4 sweet potatoes into french fry-shaped sticks, place in large bag with 2 tsp olive oil, kosher salt and cinammon; shake well. Put on greased cooking sheet and bake at 400 for about 45 minutes, until really tender and brown. For the baked zucchini, slice zucchini and sweet onions thinly, place on baking sheet and spray with Pam or drizzle with olive oil. Add dried parsley, oregano, garlic salt, pepper and anything else that sounds good and bake at 350 until tender.