Napa #3

So I decided I could call this post Napa #3 as I had refrained from calling either of my first two posts Napa #1 and Napa #2.  For obvious reasons.

The official title of my 3^rd Napa experiment was “Steamed Organic Eggs with Green Garlic, Asparagus, and Spinach with Pain de Mie Croutons”.   If they had simply added “Salt and Pepper” in the title you would pretty much have the entire ingredient list.  But I guess they wanted to save something for a surprise.  Hehe.

Anyway, I went on a quest for green garlic and was not able to find any before the asparagus and spinach I had purchased were nearing their expiration.  I did the unthinkable-I substituted plain old garlic.  I’m making a list of elusive spices and veggies and going to add them to next year’s garden. 

The recipe was pretty simple-sweat the garlic, add the asparagus and the spinach.  Wilt the spinach.  Add some salt.  Brown the croutons.  Cool the spinach.  Wait, cooling wasn’t mentioned in the title!  Dang it!  That was the surprise they threw on me.  Hmmm…..guess I’ll cool the spinach and this will be lunch tomorrow. 

Tomorrow lunch rolls around and finally I’m so close to tasting the fruits of my labor that I can smell it!  Actually I think it was the strong aroma of all the garlic. 

I toasted up a fresh batch of croutons while the eggs steamed because the ones I made the night before were eaten.  Right out of the skillet.  I’ve been making homemade croutons for years.  Whenever I serve them they come with a warning-once you eat a homemade crouton, you will forever be a crouton snob.  If you eat a homemade crouton, do not hate me.  I did not force feed you.  You willingly ate them after you were warned.  I serve homemade caramel with the same warning. 

Finally!  The dish which has taken as long to make as it has to type the title, is ready.  It was ok and there were certain elements I loved.  The croutons of course.  And yes the asparagus and spinach with garlic was delicious and would make a great side dish on its own.  Somehow though, when I put it all together, it just didn’t take any of it over the top.  So I rated it a 3.  My husband wouldn’t even try it and the fact that it had asparagus, it was already starting at below zero for him. 

Now, to find some fava beans for the next recipe.  

The Best Grilled Zucchini

I love grilling during the summer months.  With the scorching temps we’ve had it is nice to not turn on the stove and heat up the house.  Side dishes are one of those things that I always forget about making on the grill.  But not tonight.  I had a huge zucchini that I got at the Farmer’s Market and used it to make, quite possibly, some of the best grilled zucchini I’ve made.

When my husband bit into it and said, “It tastes like the grill”, I knew it what he meant and that it must be good.  It had that perfect grilled flavor and while it was cooked, it still had some texture and was not mushy.  They were the perfect complement to my herb marinated grilled chops and were the star of the meal!

The Best Grilled Zucchini

1 Large Zucchini (I used a Green Tiger)

1/3 Cup Olive Oil

Fresh Cracked Pepper

Smoked Sea Salt

Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese

Preheat grill to 350 degrees.  While grill preheats, slice zucchini into ¼” thick discs.  When grill is ready place zucchini on grill and brush each with olive oil.  Sprinkle with pepper and smoked sea salt.  Close grill and cook for 5 minutes. 

Flip zucchini and sprinkle each disc with approximately 2 tsp. fresh grated parmesan.  Close lid and cook until cheese is bubbly-about 2 minutes.  Serve warm.

National Sugar Cookie Day

I can’t think of many desserts more basic than the sugar cookie.  And yet with all their simplicity, a hot, fresh from the oven sugar cookie, is simply irresistible. 

One of the first cookies I remember making with my grandmother is a sugar cookie.  More specifically, we made “tea cakes” which contain the same basic ingredients as a sugar cookie.  The tea cakes we made were always soft whereas sugar cookies may be soft or crunchy depending on the recipe.  There are many different variations of the sugar cookie but they all start with the basics-flour, sugar, eggs, butter and vanilla.  Basic.  Simple.  Delicious.

When working on recipes for taking a plain sugar cookie to the next level, I didn’t want to make it complicated.  After all, the main appeal of the sugar cookie is the simplicity.  So I’ve kept my variation to the addition of just one ingredient-Chai tea. 

There are three ways to get that yummy Chai tea flavor into your sugar cookie.

1.       When making up your dough, simply add a packet of Dove Chocolate Discoveries™ Spiced Chai Tea to your dough. 

2.       Or, stir a packet of Dove Chocolate Discoveries™ Spiced Chai Tea into ½ cup sugar and sprinkle on cookies before baking.

3.       And for the ultimate Chai tea flavor, add a packet to your dough and sprinkle them with Chai tea sugar.

I also created a filling for cooled Chai tea cookies.  But, um, did I mention that fresh, hot from the oven thing?  Chai Tea Sugar Cookies take irresistible to a whole new level…….