Florida Fourth of July (Corny Bean Salad)

Crunch, slightly sweet and so refreshing

To say this was a unique 4th of July is an understatement. Four months into social distancing and staying at home.  Eight months into our new life in Florida. Two months without Will and Chantal, who went first to Tampa and then to California for Chantal’s job as a travel nurse. We are working our core to stay upright and steady as our world is rocked.

Being new to a new state in the midst of a pandemic is challenging. Thankfully, we’ve become good friends with our neighbors, Anthony and Birgit who are now in their second year as Floridians. They both still work, like me, and play golf, like Steve. Plus they’re great folks who are fun to get together with for social distanced driveway happy hours and backyard BBQs. 

As the Fourth grew near, we decided the time was right to introduce our new friends, including Anthony’s Uncle Anthony (Unc) to one of our favorite meals, my Carne Asada Tacos.  Anthony, Birgit and Unc are from New Jersey and while they’ve had plenty of Mexican food, they were new to Carne Asada Tacos. I love seeing folks’ faces when they bite into their first one…. So not a Taco Bell taco!

We served up the tacos with juicy slices of watermelon and another Barnett favorite, Corny Bean Salad. I recently discovered Trader Joe’s Everything but the Elote Seasoning Blend, which combines the flavors of Mexican street corn (salt, chili pepper, cheese, chipotle and cumin) in a totally addictive seasoning. I thought it would be great in this salad — judging from the comments around the table, I was spot on!

If I do say so myself, dinner was a hit. Good friends, good food, lots of laughs, six feet apart as much as possible. No fireworks, but like any Florida summer evening, there was plenty of thunder and lightening. Not exactly Moxi’s favorite, but a great light show nonetheless.

Since you can find the Carne Asada recipe in my post from July 31, 2009, I’m sharing the recipe for the salad today.  I hope you enjoy it.

Corny Bean Salad

1) Combine in a large bowl 

• 1 can black beans, rinsed and well drained
• 1 can corn, drained
• 3 scallions, sliced (both white and green parts)
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, cut into quarters
• 1/2 cup finely diced sweet onion (look for onions labeled "sweet," "Maui," "Vidalia," or Walla Walla
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• Large pinch of salt and 10 grinds of pepper

2) Combine in a small jar:

• Zest and juice of three limes
• 1 TBS Trader Joe’s Everything But The Elote seasoning blend

  

  My latest obsession

• 1TBS Honey
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• Add olive oil equal to the amount in the jar and shake well. Taste and add salt to taste.

3) Add the dressing to the bean and corn mixture, stir well. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Chill at least 2 hours to overnight. Stir well and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper or more Elote seasoning if needed. Serve with a slotted spoon.

Enjoy.

Final (hopefully) New Home Improvement Project (Super Easy Chili Verde Soup)

The fresh uncooked corn from our local farm stand
adds the perfect pop of sweetness and texture

If you’ve been following along, you know that Steve and I answered the parental siren call, sold the place in Durham and moved to Boynton Beach, Florida — just 15 minutes from both Will & Chantal and the beach. A pretty sweet deal.

I’m fortunate to work for a fantastic company that supported my move, so work pretty much continued without missing a beat. We’ve joined a new country club (very nice, but it has some pretty big shoes to fill with Croasdaile!), met a few of our full time and snowbird neighbors and are getting into a nice routine. 

Loving sunrises and feathered
friends at the beach!

Yesterday was Presidents Day and for the first time in as long as I can remember, I actually took the day off. And a fine day it was…. blue skies, temps in the 80s and the plantation shutters for the master and guest bedrooms were delivered! A big day in deed. With many renovation chores done, we can now sit back, relax and enjoy our new Florida vibe. Sigh.

As we often do, a day around the house meant a slow cooked meal. We love love love chili verde and I’ve been noodling on this one for a while, so I decided to give it a shot. It was tasty yesterday, and I ran a quick jar of it over to the kiddos (so love being close by). But tonight it was down right amazing. Especially with the raw corn, fresh from our local farm stand. Yup, I’m gonna like this place.

I hope you give it a try. 

Super Easy Pork Chili Verde Soup

Ingredients

• 3-4 lb picnic pork, pork butt or similar large cut of pig, trimmed of most visible fat and cut into 1-2 inch  cubes.  If there’s a bone, cut as much meat off as you can and save it to help flavor the broth as you braise the pork
• 1 cup onion, 3/4 inch dice 
• 2 large cloves garlic, rough chopped
• 1 large bunch of cilantro, washed, dried and leaf portion separated from the steps. Finely chop the greens for a garnish and keep the stems whole. You’ll use them when braising the pork
• 1 16 oz jar of green salsa, medium or mild heat
• 1 10 oz small can of green enchilada sauce
• 3/4 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 box chicken stock
• 1 cup water
• Salt, Pepper
• Cooking oil (corn, canola, etc.)

Method

Heat your oven to 325 degrees

You’ll need a heavy pot, I like a dutch oven

• Season the chunks of pork with kosher salt and pepper  Don’t be shy, it’s gonna cook for quite a while.
• Heat a medium-sized dutch oven with about a half inch of oil over a medium high heat and start browning the pork in batches. Add more oil as needed. Don’t worry about the brown build-up on the bottom of the pot— it’s amazing flavor.
• Remove each batch to a bowl. If you’re lucky enough to get a bone in piece of pork, brown it as well. 
• When all the pork is browned, wipe out the remaining oil with a paper towel  (leave the browned bits!) and lower the heat to medium.  Add another table spoon of oil if you need it and sauté the onion and garlic until soft.  Then add in the cumin seed and coriander, and stir to toast in the oil for about a minute.  
• Now stir in the broth, a little bit at first to scrape up the brown bits, then pour in the water, pop on the lid and bring the liquid to a boil.  Once bubbling away, add the pork cubes and bone (if using) as well as the cilantro stems. Bring this mixture back to a light boil, turn off the heat, put the lid back on and tuck the pot into the oven for 1-2 hours (check it at 1 1/2 hours, if the pork is super tender, your’e done. If not, put it back in and check back in 30 minutes. If it’s not tender at that point, give it a bit more time (and find another source for pork. Seriously.)
• When pork to your liking, remove the pot from the oven, pull out the cilantro stems and let the pork and broth cool for a 20 minutes or as long as it takes for the grease to come to the top. If you need to serve right away, lay paper towels atop the liquid to blot away the grease. If you can put it in the fridge for a while, do so and then lift or spoon off the solidified fat. 
• Now comes the verde part! Stir in the salsa and enchilada sauce, move to a low heat on the stovetop and cook, uncovered for 45 minutes. When the cooking process is done, check for seasoning (add salt if needed, but I doubt if you will) and you’re good to go.
• Serve with a squeeze of lime and any combination of toppings such as diced avocado, chopped onion, uncooked cut-from-the-cob corn, white cheddar, jack or Mexican queso fresco cheese — anything that floats your boat!

Enjoy!

Shutters in - the guest room is ready for
our next round of guests!

Third Time's a Charm! (Dry Rub Wings & Shrimp)

Tastiest wings and shrimp - pantry ingredients and
less time than takeout!

There have been times in my life when I thought we’d sprout feathers, we ate so much chicken. For the past couple of weeks, I thought we’d sprout wings.  

It all started with first 2019 post-season game for the Dodgers against the Nats...

...Flash back to last Sunday.... While doing my weekly swing thru Harris Teeter, I saw some great looking chicken wings in the poultry season so I snatched up the last package.  

The following night, after a full day at the home office, we needed something to eat as our beloved Dodgers faced the Nationals in what we hoped would be the first of many games leading to a World Series Win. Takeout seemed like such a copout. And then I remembered -- the wings!

With minutes to spare, I threw a bunch of herbs and spices in a bowl to make a dry rub. Then I splashed a glug of olive oil on the wings, let 'em rest a bit to allow the flavors to develop and roasted those babies in a 400 degree oven.  Wowzier! They were great! And the Dodgers won! So of course, being the superstitious Dodger Fans that we are, we had to have the exact same dinner the next night for the next game.

Tuesday rolled around. Another long day at the home office.  Another game. Steve dashed off to the Teeter for more wings. Back to the kitchen…. and this time I wrote down what I did. But I also changed the recipe up a tad and, darn it, they were a bit off. The Dodgers lost that night, and eventually were eliminated by the Nationals, but I’m not taking the blame.

Now I was determined. The Dodgers may have gone fishing for the year, but not me.

So last night, for yet another game (sans Dodgers). I whipped up my third batch. Less salt. Less cumin (the first time I've ever uttered those words). More rosemary. I also thawed and cleaned some shrimp to see how my concoction works with a different protein.

Bingo!

Both the wings and the shrimp were absolutely delish and deemed blog-worthy.

So here you are…. the ingredients and the method. The measurements in the recipe below made enough for 10-12 wing halves, a couple of handfuls of small/medium size shrimp, plus leftovers that really livened up our eggs this morning and a bit more that will probably be sprinkled on roasted cauliflower tonight.  I'm sure you can make more or even less (why?), just keep the proportions the same. Store leftovers in an air-tight container.

Enjoy!

Dry Rub Wings (& Shrimp)

Dry Rub Ingredients

• 1 ½ tsp granulated garlic 
• 1 ½ tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 20 grinds black pepper
• Olive oil to coat 
• Protein of your choice: chicken wings and/or shrimp 

Method

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Place a rack on a foil-lined baking sheet and spray it down with cooking spray

• Mix the dry rub ingredients in a small bowl set aside
• Pat the wings (and/or shrimp) dry with towels to remove any moisture and then toss them with a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large bowl. If you are doing both chicken and shrimp, do this in separate bowls. Then toss everybody with enough of the dry rub to coat. I do this in stages, sprinkling the rub on a little at a time and stirring gently to make sure they are evenly coated.
• Arrange the wings/shrimp on separate prepared baking sheets and set them aside to rest for about 10-15 minutes to help the flavors develop.
• For the chicken:  Slide the trays into the oven and roast for 25 minutes. Remove, flip each one over and then return to the oven for another 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest on the wire rack for 10 minutes
• For the shrimp: roast at the same temperature but for only 8-10 minutes, depending upon the size of the shrimp. When doing both wings and shrimp, do this while the wings are resting. The shrimp can be served right out of the oven.
• Enjoy with celery sticks, sliced cucumbers, sliced red bell peppers and plenty of good quality or homemade bleu cheese dressing (we like Marie’s from the refrigerated section in the product department at most grocery stores). I also made a pesto dipping sauce by combining some pesto I froze during the summer with some mayo and lemon juice, which was amazing with the shrimp.

I bet you have all these ingredients
in your pantry!

Patience... wait a few minutes
before roasting for max flavor

Crowd Pleaser (Cilantro-Lime Pepita Dressing/Dip)

We got together with friends last night for a fantastic dinner of InstantPot  pork tacos (cooked with plums and peppers - it was amazing!), great wine and conversation that ranged the gamut from belly laughs to solving the problems of the universe. So much fun.

Ready for dipping...

When I was asked to bring an app, my mind immediately went to a crisp and cool (it's freaking hot here) veggie platter. First I thought bleu cheese dip. Then I thought yogurt ranch. And then - boom!- I thought about my very favorite dressing recipe that I created way back when we lived in Brea, California. Cilantro-Lime-Pepita dressing that is reminiscent of the fantastic Mexican Caesar Salad served at the El Torito restaurant on the hill above the town, by Brea Olinda High School. 

While I often just throw this together, I wanted this batch to be just right. So, I searched the blog and couldn't find it. Thankfully I had a copy on my laptop from when I tested it for Southerly Magazine. 

So here it is, two ways - photographed as a dip and as a dressing with grilled shrimp and garnished with Cojita Cheese. (I used to put 1/8 of a cup of the cheese into the dressing, but lately I've been leaving it out and really like the light and press taste that results. Your call to leave it in or leave it out!

.... and as a salad with grilled shrimp and Cojita cheese

Here's how you can make it: 

Dressing/Dip Ingredients

(makes a little more than 1 cup, plenty for dipping with leftovers)

• 1 large garlic clove, peeled
• 1 7oz  Greek Yogurt (full-fat, 2%, 1% or 0% - it doesn't matter as long as it's Greek Yogurt - I use Fage brand)
• 1 T mayonnaise
• 1/8 cup cider vinegar
• Juice and zest of one lime
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 1 bunch cilantro, washed, dried and stems removed (just twist ‘em off; no need to get crazy about removing every little stem)
• 1/8 cup pepitas (Mexican pumpkin seeds, found in the nut section)
• 1/8 cup queso fresco (Mexican cheese that you can crumble, available at most grocery stores), plus the same amount for garnish.

Dressing Directions:

In the food processor with steel blade:

• Blitz all of the ingredients except the cilantro until smooth
• Then add the cilantro and pulse until cilantro is finely chopped and incorporated into the mixture
• Check the seasoning and add more salt to taste if needed.

It's Haaaat (Summertime Shrimp & Avocado Lettuce Cups)

Cool and refreshing.... summer captured in a lettuce cup!

It is officially summer. And whenever the tempreatures rise like this, I have to think of the Seinfeild episode what Elaine and Jerry spend the night at Jerry's parents' condo in Florida. If you don't remember it, search for the episode titled, The Pen, and prepare to laugh. But I digress......

The temps are in the 90s now and the humidity is starting to catch up as well. I'm continually surprised at how we've adapted, but as the days get hotter and more humid, a cold dinner can be just the ticket. That’s where this dish comes in. 

I made this today so I could photograph it for the August issue of Southerly. Steve just walked in -- haaaat off the golf course -- and took a taste. Big thumbs up.

So as the temps rise, I hope you give this a try.  

Granted, you have to turn the oven on to roast the shrimp, but the results are so succulent that you’ll get over it!

Ingredients

1 lb. shrimp, (I like 16-20 size), peeled and deveined 

1 clove garlic, finely minced

2 TBS olive oil

2 ripe avocados, cut into large chunks

1/2 red bell pepper,  medium sized dice (save the other half for snacking)

1/2 orange bell pepper, medium sized dice (same as above)

3/4 cup English cucumber (the long ones sold in plastic that you don’t have to peel), medium dice

1/2 cup sweet onion, small dice

1/2 cup whole cilantro leaves

1 TBS finely chopped cilantro leaves

1/4 cup lime juice (typically 1 large lime if it’s juicy) + the zest from one lime

1/4 tsp ground coriander

Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper

1 head bib lettuce, washed, dried and divided into individual leaves. (You can also use iceberg lettuce, prepping it in a similar manner.)

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment. )You can use foil, but I prefer parchment.)

• Toss the shrimp, garlic, olive oil, 1/2 tsp kosher salt and 10 grinds of black pepper in a medium sized bowl and then tip it all out onto the lined baking sheet. Pop this in the oven and set a timer for 8 minutes. Check them when the timer goes off - if they don’t look done, set the timer for another 2 minutes and you should be good to go.  You don’t want overcooked shrimp! 

• When the shrimp are done, pull the pan from the oven and let it cool for about 5 minutes. Then pull up the paper on two sides and pour the shrimp and their juices into a glass bowl. Put this into the ‘fridge until chilled (about 15 - 20 minutes)

• While the shrimp is chilling, gently (don’t smush the avocado!) combine the bell pepper, cucumber, onion, cilantro, lime juice, coriander, 1 tsp kosher salt and 10 grinds of black pepper in a large glass bowl. Then add the chilled shrimp to the mixture, stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until ready to serve. 

• To serve, let everyone spoon the mixture into lettuce leaves and eat as you would a taco. (Or skip that whole process and enjoy it as a side salad.)

Enjoy.

Happy Graduation! (Frozen Banana Bites)

It's that time of year! And around here it seems like everywhere you turn there is a freshly minted graduate -- Duke, UNC, NC State, NC Central, Elon,  -- and that doesn't even start to include the high schools. 

One of my dearest friend's daughter Maddie is one of those grads

Bite-Sized Frozen Banana? Yes, ma'am!

and is a proud owner of a fresh new Elon MBA. To celebrate the big day, her folks hosted a party at their home a couple of weekends ago. And what a party it was!

While the event was catered, another friend and I volunteered to bring the desserts.  Those who know me well know that I'm not big on creating desserts. And making something that would be enjoyed (or not) by 50+ people was a bit overwhelming. Thankfully my cohort in dessert crime pointed sent me this recipe 

Reminiscent of a beachside frozen banana on a stick, these frozen treats are cool, tasty and actually not bad for you! They’re also super simple to make and would make a fun rainy day project with the kiddos. While this isn’t an original recipe, it’s such a crowd pleaser that I had to share. 

Here's how you make them:

Ingredients:

Makes 20 to 45 pieces depending upon the size of the bananas. They’ll keep in the freezer for a week or two, if you can keep yourself from eating them!

• 2-4 bananas (select just ripe ones — this is not a great use for super ripe bananas)
• 12 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (I use the kind you’ll find in the baking section; just be sure it is semi-sweet and not unsweetened)
• 2/3 cup chopped almonds

Method

• Line a baking sheet with wax paper and clear a space in the freezer the same size as the sheet.
• Peel and slice the bananas into 1/2 to 3/4 inch slices.
• Fill a sauce pan with about 3 inches of water and bring it to a simmer. Then place a glass bowl on top of the pan, put the chocolate in the bowl and stir gently until melted. When chocolate is smooth, turn off the heat but leave the bowl over the hot water.
• Now comes the fun part - using a fork, start dunking the banana slices into the chocolate 2 or 3 at a time. Lightly shake and tap the covered slices to remove excess chocolate (if there is such a thing). 
• Use a second fork to slide the slices onto the prepared baking sheet, sprinkle on some nuts and press them lightly to be sure they settle into the chocolate.
• Freeze until firm (abut 20 minutes) and then remove to an airtight container and freeze for up to two weeks.  Serve Frozen. 

Enjoy!

Girl's Trip (Steak Lover's Salad with Steak Sauce Vinaigrette)

They had me at "Steak Sauce Vinaigrette" - I recreated
the salad at Old Ebbitt Grill with a few tweaks of my own  

One of the things that most excited us when we moved to North Carolina was the opportunity to explore the "other" coast. As SoCal natives, had pretty much explored every nook and cranny of the western half of the country. The east coast, not so much. Moving to North Carolina was our chance to change that.  What I didn't anticipate was that we'd also expand the travel horizons of family and friends. 

Earlier this month I had the awesome opportunity to do just that, with my Bestie from the  Westie, Sheryl. Truly friends for life, Sheryl and I try to get away every year or so. And when I learned that she'd never experienced Our Nation's Capital, that pretty much cinched the destination for this year's trip. 

Besties for Life
Holly & Sheryl at Old Ebbitt Grill

Over the course of four days we walked, laughed, ate and drank our way though museums, monuments, and some amazing restaurants and watering holes. The salad recipe I'm sharing today was inspired by one of our favorite spots, Old Ebbitt Grill, which is located just a few blocks from the White House. 

An iconic DC restaurant and bar that is frequented by the powers that be, Old Ebbitt Grill is exactly what one might expect. Slightly Victorian with a bit of an "old boys club" air, but with a totally up to date vibe and menu.  

Picture perfect day at
The National Mall

Sheryl opted for the Steak Salad, and after one bite passed it over to me for a try. Wowzer! One taste of the Steak Sauce Vinaigrette and I had to figure out how to make it! 

Today, I had the opportunity to give it a shot, and deemed the result blog-worthy. The restaurant serves its version with bleu cheese and filet mignon, but we prefer New York strip and feta, so that's what you'll see below. I bet it would be good with chunks of a nice, aged cheddar or pieces of goat cheese as well. I honestly don't remember if they had pickled red onions on theirs, but I'm kinda on a picked onion kick and I gotta say, it adds a nice bit of zip. Ditto the pecans - seemed like a good way to add some crunch, so I sprinkled a few and really liked the result.

Here's how I did it:

Steak Lover's Salad with Steak Sauce Vinaigrette - Inspired by the Steak Salad at Old Ebitt Grill in Washington, DC

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the Salad:

• 2 New York strip steaks, seasoned with salt, pepper and olive oil and grilled to your liking - we like our medium rare (about 4-5 minutes on each side depending upon the thickness of the steaks) and allowed to rest under a loose piece of aluminum foil for 10 minutes. Cut the steak into bite sized pieces.
• 8 cups of mixed field greens (2 5oz bags)
• 12 asparagus spears, woody ends cut off and blanched in boiling salted water and then removed to a bowl of ice and water to chill and then cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 8-10 mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 4 oz feta cheese, cut into cubes

For the Steak Sauce Vinaigrette

• 1 5oz bottle of A1 Steak Sauce (about 2/3 cup)
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 TBS Dijon mustard
• 1 TBS honey
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

For the Pickled Onions:

• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 TBS Kosher salt
• 1 TBS sugar

For garnish - this salad need some crunch!:

• 1/2 cup pecan halves, toasted in a dry pan

Method

• At least one hour before you assemble the salad, mix the ingredients for the pickled onions in a jar. If you are doing the day of this can rest on the kitchen counter for an hour. If you are doing it ahead, you can stash it in the ‘fridge. They should keep for a week or so.
• At the same time, shake the dressing ingredients in a small jar. It too can sit out for an hour or go into the fridge for a couple of weeks.
• When you are ready to serve, toss the salad ingredients in a large bowl with enough of the dressing to coat, but not drench the greens. 
• Portion the salad on four plates, and then top with the steak, pickled onions and pecans

Enjoy!