Food52

Do you know about Food52?

If not, get yourself over there. It’s where one of my favourite food writers and cooks, Amanda Hesser and her friend Merrill Stubbs cook up a storm and then tell us how they did it.

I made Merrill’s Crab Toasties for dinner last night and we loved them! I really appreciated the note about blending it lightly by hand because I would have just used a fork out of habit.  I liked being one with the crab, as it were, at least for a little while.

What surprised us was how filling they were. My fella and I can eat a heckuva lot, and when we’d each had 2 (1 english muffin, halved) and set our plates down with finality, it was a little disconcerting. Only two? But they were so delicious!!

I had read about the toasties earlier in the week and by yesterday, I couldn’t take it anymore:

Must. Have. Merrill’s. Crab. Will. Spontaneously. Combust. Without. It.

The only changes I made to it is I used only mayonnaise (no sour cream) and I added purple Thai basil (inspired by the corn chowder I had at RaviSoups in July).

Ooh was it good!

And now it’s got me wanting my Mom’s Creamed Salmon. You add canned salmon and either fresh or frozen peas to a roux and serve it hot over english muffins. It’s insanely good and soo simple to make, just like the toasties.

Today I got a notice about Jenny’s Just Good Chili, but it’s over 30 degrees outside. Give me another month and I’ll be making chili every week.  For now,  I’m in search for something savory and satisfying for dinner.

I have some Merguez sausages in the fridge.  Hmmm… I’m off to have a look and see what I can do.

Orzo with Merguez Sausage and Chickpeas, it is.

I’ll let you know how it turns out.

I’m back!

Last night’s menu:

* Fresh, local corn on the cob

* Caribbean Pork Tenderloin (with Rum, Brown Sugar and other spices)

* Warm Red Potato Salad with Creamy Lemon Basil Dressing

* Arugula, mushrooms and yellow zucchini drizzled with olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar

Still eating. Cooking, not so much.

Look, I know it seems like forever since I last wrote, but it’s not because I haven’t been eating or thinking about food every single moment of the day.

It’s just that it’s still been too hot to cook.

Sigh.  I have had some wonderful meals in restaurants in the meantime: Portuguese on College, a venison burger in Summerhill (pictured above), memorable Indian on King and again on the Danforth, Greek with an long-time friend, Korean with a newer friend, introducing my Mom to North Vietnamese cooking (she loved it!), pizza and wine with a woman I knew 10 years ago and am so glad to be reunited with.

That’s not all, of course, but you get the idea.

I’ve shifted much of my writing now over to food and now that the evenings are getting cooler, I’m starting to prepare menus and defrost things.

Get ready.

I’m back.

If you’re looking for me, I’ll be at the stove.