California Here I Come....

Here's one. This come from one of our finer grocery stores in my area. The recipe of the day is

California Chicken Salad
Serves 4


Ingredients

3 cups Chicken breast meat, cooked, diced

2 cups Cherry tomatoes, halved

3 Scallions, chopped

1/3 cup Horseradish

1/3 cup Sour cream dip

1/8 tsp Salt

1/8 tsp Pepper

2 Avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced



Directions

In a medium bowl, stir together the chicken, cherry tomatoes, scallions and sour cream dip. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange avocado slices on four salad plates. Spoon chicken salad over avocado and serve.


The horseradish gives it a kick and the avocados make it creamy.

Enjoy
Kimberly

Don't get all "Choked" Up

There is a small deli in a small town in Northern California that is a staple among the locals. Among the variety of meats cheese, salads, sandwiches and the bottles of  Bob's Really Good Red Wine, they also serve soup.

Now according to the owner of the this local eatery, he buys the soup pre-made. All he has to do is put it in a crock pot in the morning and turn it on. He will rotate the soups depending on the day of the week and weather, but one of  the standards is An Artichoke Bisque.

Once upon a time, I couldn't figure out what the appeal of artichokes were. They have these spiny leaves that you have to scrape between your teeth to get anything out of.  Ah, but then I discovered the hearts. They are good in many things. salads, topped on pizza.... and soup...

So this afternoon I took a cruise around the Internet looking for something that sounds close to what I had at the deli, and I  think this is the winner.

Artichoke Bisque.

1 tablespoon butter

1 onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 green onion, chopped
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken broth
2 1/2 cups water
1 cup white wine
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
2 (13-ounce) cans artichoke hearts, un-drained
1/2 cup whipping cream


Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in onion and celery and, stirring constantly, cook until onion is almost transparent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and green onion and

continue to cook over medium heat until garlic is soft, about 1 minute.

Sprinkle flour on onion mixture and stir constantly over medium heat for 3 minutes.

Add chicken broth, water, wine, bay leaf, salt, white pepper, thyme and hot pepper sauce. Simmer, partially covered, for 45 minutes.

Stir in artichoke hearts with liquid and cream. Cover and simmer on low heat for an additional 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

Let me know what you think. And if your in that little deli try the bisque.

Wierd Food Combo: How to make them work

Would you ever put Chocolate on Tomatoes? Or Ants? Grasshoppers? Or how about putting cheese on Okra? Would you dip your French fries in chocolate pudding or mayonnaise? Do you know people who put hot sauce on, oh say, everything?

Try mixing Teriyaki sauce, Soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, and Worcestershire and olive oil. It makes a good marinade for beef and pork.

Back to the Chocolate and tomatoes: Heard of Mole sauce. It is fantastic on chicken. Sometimes this is how a really great recipe is created. We have all experienced it, we're chewing and tasting, chewing, and wondering to ourselves why the food tastes the way it does. You are trying to determine what is that?

Sometimes one must experiment in order to come up with just the right… zing.
Cheese on okra- When I was growing up it was the only way to get me to eat it. I would mix okra, onion tomato, turkey, and cheese. Cook it all together, and have it like a stew. Yes, my family and friends thought I was nuts.

I did go through a faze where I wanted cheese on almost everything. If the dish had meat, bread or veggies, I wanted cheese on it. Well even apples. The only thing that was not covered in cheese was Chinese and middle eastern food.
I’m still getting over my cheese fixation.

Ok back to the mole:
Here is a really good recipe. My favorite Mexican restaurant makes a chicken mole that could make you cry. It is that good. But I’m not in California anymore. Humm… wonder if they would send me a quart or two?

This is from Mexonline.com.

Mole Poblano
(Chicken with Chocolate Sauce)
• 4 tb Olive oil
• 1/4 c Raisins
• 2 Cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 ts Cumin
• 1/4 ts Nutmeg
• 1/4 ts Ground cloves
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 1/4 ts Cinnamon
• 1 Green pepper, chopped
• 1/2 ts Salt
• 3 Slices canned pimento, chopped
• 1/4 ts Pepper
• 1 ts Sugar
• 2 Large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
• Grated rind of 1 orange
• 2 Squares bitter chocolate, chopped
• 2 tb Chili powder (or to taste)
• 2 1/2 c Chicken broth
• 1/4 c Light rum
• 1/4 c Slivered almonds

In casserole, heat oil and cook garlic for a few moments to flavour oil; add chicken and brown. Remove chicken.
In remaining fat, cook onion, green pepper, pimento, and tomato over gentle heat for 10 minutes. To onion mixture, add chili powder, blending well. Add broth, almonds, raisins, seasonings, and rind; simmer, covered, 30 minutes longer. Add chocolate, stirring until melted.
Replace chicken, spooning sauce over. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until chicken is tender. Warm rum, ignite it, and pour over contents of casserole; allow to stand for a few minutes.
6 servings

adventure time!

It's adventure time! It's raining, and this is a good thing. Northern California really needs the rain. I think our reservoir, Indian Valley, is only about half full. Any way, sitting inside- I have a little cabin fever perhaps. maybe.
















Well I started going through and touching up some photos. I'm really excited because I didn't think some of the would be too dark, as they were taken inside Il Duomo di Sienna. Magnificent place, beautiful place, awe inspiring.

Actually my whole week in Tuscany was. i can't wait to go back. Who goes and only spends a week? Well that was the budget then. Next time it is a month.

When we were there, in 2006, the cathedral was getting a face lift.

I know you've heard of Sienna: that is where the famous horse race around the city is every July.

I went to Wikipedia for a little history.


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

Siena Cathedral.
The Cathedral of Siena (Italian: Duomo di Siena), dedicated from its earliest days as a Roman Catholic Marian church and now to Santa Maria Assunta (Most Holy Mary of Assumption), is a medieval church in Siena, central Italy.
The cathedral itself was originally designed and completed between 1215 and 1263 on the site of an earlier structure. It has the form of a Latin cross with a slightly projecting transept, a dome and a bell tower. The dome rises from an octagonal base with supporting columns. The lantern atop the dome, was added by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The nave is separated from the two aisles by semicircular arches. The exterior and interior are constructed of white and greenish-black marble in alternating stripes, with addition of red marble on the façade. Black and white are the symbolic colors of Siena, etiologically linked to black and white horses of the legendary city's founders, Senius and Aschius...

Well we went in June. The weather was incredible. At the villa I eat my breakfast under a haze of honeysuckle. Very special....

Thanks for letting me share.

Mistress Kimberly

http://dreamingtoday.info/

Keep dreaming.