Beer Braised Sweet Potatoes
2-3 small “fingerling” sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in ¾ - 1” chunks
Place the pieces of potato in a single layer deep sauté pan.
Add just a splash of water and then enough beer to almost cover.
Cover pan and cook over medium high heat for about 15 minutes, until liquid is gone and potatoes start to turn a light brown. Potatoes should be just soft through but not lose their shape. DO NOT OVERCOOK.
A note about the beer; I tend to cook this in late summer or early fall and find myself often drinking a summer seasonal ale such as the Skinny Dip from New Belgium Brewing. Something with citrus and spice flavors really tends to perk up the sweet potatoes.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Sunday, August 16, 2009
MMMMMMM
What a great weekend! Our dear dear friend Gerry (who we get to see far too rarely) made it over the mountain for our wine festival. Mega wine tasting on Friday evening, we even made the front page of the Bend Bulletin on Saturday!, we sampled as many of the wonderful big reds as we could manage. Then home for a little Chili marinated pork and mango skewers over lime, onion rice. MMMMMM
Saturday, feeling a little sheepish, we all headed up to the boat. Cool for August, we didn't even swim.
A great day of cruising the large lake and grilling some salmon anyway!
So, we have all been to the farmer market and bought too much am I right? It all just looks too good to pass up. Here is what I came up with this week to actually use all that great produce and not feel guilty about having to toss it.
about 4-5 nice yellow or white potatoes
whatever you have left from Farmers Market day.... in my case......
cook everything seperately and combine at the end in a bowl:
some great mushrooms, sauteed in olive oil and butter until really deep golden.
green beans, just steamed until crisp/tender
a couple cloves of garlic
radishes...(am I really the only one who CANNOT resist these thing?..... sliced thin
baby green onions... the kind that you can slice all the way to the end of the stock
Olive oil
Cavendar's Greek Seasoning
Zest of 1 lemon plus the juice filtered for seeds and pulp.
Cook the potatoes until just tender. Cool and slice into 1/4 inch slices.
Cut all the other veggies and mix with the hot sliced potatoes (this will steam them just enough to make tender)
Add a bit of olive oil.
Season with Cavendars, salt and pepper, the lemon zest and juice.
Coat everything so that it stays seperated and tender
Add a bit more olive oil if needed.
Serve warm.
Shall I say bon apetite?! I can't. Let me just say enjoy.
Saturday, feeling a little sheepish, we all headed up to the boat. Cool for August, we didn't even swim.
A great day of cruising the large lake and grilling some salmon anyway!
So, we have all been to the farmer market and bought too much am I right? It all just looks too good to pass up. Here is what I came up with this week to actually use all that great produce and not feel guilty about having to toss it.
about 4-5 nice yellow or white potatoes
whatever you have left from Farmers Market day.... in my case......
cook everything seperately and combine at the end in a bowl:
some great mushrooms, sauteed in olive oil and butter until really deep golden.
green beans, just steamed until crisp/tender
a couple cloves of garlic
radishes...(am I really the only one who CANNOT resist these thing?..... sliced thin
baby green onions... the kind that you can slice all the way to the end of the stock
Olive oil
Cavendar's Greek Seasoning
Zest of 1 lemon plus the juice filtered for seeds and pulp.
Cook the potatoes until just tender. Cool and slice into 1/4 inch slices.
Cut all the other veggies and mix with the hot sliced potatoes (this will steam them just enough to make tender)
Add a bit of olive oil.
Season with Cavendars, salt and pepper, the lemon zest and juice.
Coat everything so that it stays seperated and tender
Add a bit more olive oil if needed.
Serve warm.
Shall I say bon apetite?! I can't. Let me just say enjoy.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Bainbribridge Weekend
Got back late Sunday night from an incredible weekend Housewarming celebration at our friend Harry's new home on Bainbridge Island. Aside from the usual traffic nightmare stories about Seattle, a few really interesting things happened.
First, we got to reconnect with friends who increasingly seem scattered to the winds. Some we had not seen in a few years. Harry's new home is fairly huge, so accomodating the nearly dozen out of town guests did not put much strain on him. It was just so nice to see everyone again! We all arrived on Friday night, spent Saturday bumming around to some art galleries and the Saturday market, then indulged in the official party on Saturday evening. How brave of Harry to expose his Washington friends to the old crowd! I won't even try to document the food and the copious amounts of wine; suffice to say the shrimp were amazing! It was Harry Anderson hospitality at his finest. Thanks for a great time!
Almost as big a deal to me was the fact that we stopped for a couple of hours at the Seattle Boat Show before catching the ferry. And just like that, my Princess fell in love with another boat. So, we are now putting our SeaRay up for sale and seeing if we can work a deal on the other boat. At 30 feet, she should be just the perfect size for keeping on Puget Sound.
We stopped in Olympia on the way home and did some marina shopping. We found thre different places which would each be suitable for our needs, all within walking distance to the Farmers Market and restaurants, etc. Our current plan is to sell our boat, take delivery of a new boat next Spring and spend the foreseeable future weekending in Puget Sound and the San Juans.
Boat for Sale:
Please pass along to anyone you may know looking for a boat that our 2006 Sea Ray 240 Sundancer is available.
Photos are available and I am willing to meet anyone who would like to test drive while she is still in the water. Boat has been kept in fresh water since new, winters she has been kept in secure covered storage. The boat is in great shape with fewer than 100 hours on the Mercruiser 350 engine.
I'm posting ads on Craigslist as well as Boat Trader and the SeaRay Owners Club.
First, we got to reconnect with friends who increasingly seem scattered to the winds. Some we had not seen in a few years. Harry's new home is fairly huge, so accomodating the nearly dozen out of town guests did not put much strain on him. It was just so nice to see everyone again! We all arrived on Friday night, spent Saturday bumming around to some art galleries and the Saturday market, then indulged in the official party on Saturday evening. How brave of Harry to expose his Washington friends to the old crowd! I won't even try to document the food and the copious amounts of wine; suffice to say the shrimp were amazing! It was Harry Anderson hospitality at his finest. Thanks for a great time!
Almost as big a deal to me was the fact that we stopped for a couple of hours at the Seattle Boat Show before catching the ferry. And just like that, my Princess fell in love with another boat. So, we are now putting our SeaRay up for sale and seeing if we can work a deal on the other boat. At 30 feet, she should be just the perfect size for keeping on Puget Sound.
We stopped in Olympia on the way home and did some marina shopping. We found thre different places which would each be suitable for our needs, all within walking distance to the Farmers Market and restaurants, etc. Our current plan is to sell our boat, take delivery of a new boat next Spring and spend the foreseeable future weekending in Puget Sound and the San Juans.
Boat for Sale:
Please pass along to anyone you may know looking for a boat that our 2006 Sea Ray 240 Sundancer is available.
Photos are available and I am willing to meet anyone who would like to test drive while she is still in the water. Boat has been kept in fresh water since new, winters she has been kept in secure covered storage. The boat is in great shape with fewer than 100 hours on the Mercruiser 350 engine.
I'm posting ads on Craigslist as well as Boat Trader and the SeaRay Owners Club.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Damn You Mark Bittman!
I had this whole entry just about written, plus had a killer story about it. How I had spent a few hours during a rainy evening on the boat snug under the canvas, laptop blazing while sipping whiskey. Ah, what a lead-in to my lecture/rant about ingredients. Full of witty bons mott. Hell, even elegant.
Then, PM brought home a book she picked up for me at the library. Bittman's (must be said like NEWMAN with a Seinfeld snear) "Kitchen Express". After reading the Intro and "A Word About Ingredients" I just groaned and hit the delete button on my now very pale effort.
This guy started hop scotching back and forth across that line of respect last year when he was rubbing shoulders a little too literally with the likes of Claudia Basols and Gwinny while whining in the back of a Mercedes driven by Mario Batali. I know! Makes you want to either punch him or claim best friend status or both at the same time!
Damn you Bittman!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Fifty Friggin Seven
Fifty Friggin Seven...... years old that is. Today. Aahhhg!
You know, honestly I never thought about becoming deeply middle aged. I just assumed that I would be young and restless, then really old. The in between part never came into my thought process.
I won't bore you with the gory details. Suffice to say it sucks as much as you may have heard. Aches, pains, less sleep, more gut.
Of course its not all bad. I have the love of my life, a VERY good life going, a cat (whowouldathunk) two great dogs, a boat, a wonderful home and did I mention the love of my life?
You know, honestly I never thought about becoming deeply middle aged. I just assumed that I would be young and restless, then really old. The in between part never came into my thought process.
I won't bore you with the gory details. Suffice to say it sucks as much as you may have heard. Aches, pains, less sleep, more gut.
Of course its not all bad. I have the love of my life, a VERY good life going, a cat (whowouldathunk) two great dogs, a boat, a wonderful home and did I mention the love of my life?
Monday, July 13, 2009
The PrincessM
So, we walk into the boat dealer a few years back, determined to be cool, negotiate hard, get a great deal. Muriel is just a few steps ahead of me, when suddenly she screams, “They have my boat!” just as the salesman sidles up. Still, I remain determined I am going to negotiate hard. We tour the boat. We chat about possible options. We walk around a little. Things look good. Right up to the point where some other folks, just browsing, happen to step aboard the boat and Muriel (again in full voice) says, “Sweetheart, get those people off of my boat!”
What can I say, it’s a done deal.
What can I say, it’s a done deal.
Our boat is a 2006 Sea Ray 240 Sundancer. Dark Blue hull, Mercuiser 350 w/Bravo 3 outdrive.
We LOVE our boat. We have a large grill that attaches via rod holder clamp just aft of the wetbar sink.
We swim, cook, drink a little, dance a little….
We spend weekends on her, usually at Detroit Lake during the summer, Portland in Fall.
At this point in our lives we are not long time, long distance cruisers. We just enjoy our little (fast) condo on the water each summer weekend for just as long as we can before the weather turns too cold. But, really, isn't that how most people use their boats? We honestly think so. So, why are all the magazines, online and otherwise, devoted to the long distance cruiser? Are we all just trying to live vicariously? Well, maybe we just need to live.
http://www.searay.com/Page.aspx/pageId/10231/pmid/140245/240-Sundancer.aspx
We freely admit to being fair weather boaters. Cold or rain will surely see us heading home early. But, during the nice weather we really love nothing better than our French press coffee with marionberry muffins in the early morning at a totally desserted section of lake. Or an evening cocktail while a steak sizzles on the grill and we watch the other boats all heading back in to the dock and we increasingly have the lake to ourselves. Nice.
Check out this link to explore Detroit Lake, it has a ton of useful links.
For those of you who may not be familiar with the Northwest, it is simply huge. There are plenty of opportunities for boating and there are a number of large, clean lakes as well as the proximity of the Willamette River, the Columbia River and of course the San Juans.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Summer Sunday Dinner
Grilled Lemon Herb Shrimp with Herbed Rice
Fresh cool flavors perfect for a summer afternoon
We serve this with a nice crisp white wine or light citrusy beer.
Recipe By: BezonianBob
Serving Size: 3
Cuisine: PacNW
Main Ingredient: Shrimp
Categories: Summer, Spring, Grill, Main Dish
-= Ingredients =-
1 pound Shrimp ; 21-25/lb peeled/deveined
1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar - White
1 Lime ; both zest and juice
1 Lemon ; both zest and juice
2 tablespoons Ginger spice paste ; sold in produce dept.
3 cloves Garlic ; minced
1 tablespoon Fresh dill ; or 1/2 tbsp. dry
2 tablespoons Fresh Lime Thyme ; or use lemon thyme
1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
1 cup Basmati Rice
1/2 Lemon ; add juice, cut remainder in thirds
1 tablespoon Ginger spice paste
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Honey
1 teaspoon Dill
1 cup Corn kernels
3 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
-= Instructions =-
Combine vinegar, lime zest, lemon zest, lime juice, lemon juice, ginger paste, garlic dill and thyme in a bowl. Add the shrimp and coat well. Place in refridgerator for two hours to marinate.
After 2 hours add Olive oil and recoat shrimp.
Skewer the shrimp on bamboo skewers to grill.
Grill over high heat charcoal for 3-4 minutes per side.
Serve over Herbed Rice
For Rice:
mix lemon juice, ginger, dijon, honey and dill in a small bowl.
cut remaining lemon chunk into three pieces
heat olive oil over medium heat
add rice and cook, stirring frequently until rice turns translucent
add the liquid ingredients and water
add the lemon chunks
reduce to low simmer and cook for 15 minutes until nearly tender
add the corn kernels and finish cooking
To Serve:
Remove lemon chunks from rice.
Pile a mound of rice in a colorful bowl.
Drizzle with a really fruity extra virgin olive oil
place skewers of shrimp on top and take to table
Fresh cool flavors perfect for a summer afternoon
We serve this with a nice crisp white wine or light citrusy beer.
Recipe By: BezonianBob
Serving Size: 3
Cuisine: PacNW
Main Ingredient: Shrimp
Categories: Summer, Spring, Grill, Main Dish
-= Ingredients =-
1 pound Shrimp ; 21-25/lb peeled/deveined
1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar - White
1 Lime ; both zest and juice
1 Lemon ; both zest and juice
2 tablespoons Ginger spice paste ; sold in produce dept.
3 cloves Garlic ; minced
1 tablespoon Fresh dill ; or 1/2 tbsp. dry
2 tablespoons Fresh Lime Thyme ; or use lemon thyme
1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
1 cup Basmati Rice
1/2 Lemon ; add juice, cut remainder in thirds
1 tablespoon Ginger spice paste
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Honey
1 teaspoon Dill
1 cup Corn kernels
3 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
-= Instructions =-
Combine vinegar, lime zest, lemon zest, lime juice, lemon juice, ginger paste, garlic dill and thyme in a bowl. Add the shrimp and coat well. Place in refridgerator for two hours to marinate.
After 2 hours add Olive oil and recoat shrimp.
Skewer the shrimp on bamboo skewers to grill.
Grill over high heat charcoal for 3-4 minutes per side.
Serve over Herbed Rice
For Rice:
mix lemon juice, ginger, dijon, honey and dill in a small bowl.
cut remaining lemon chunk into three pieces
heat olive oil over medium heat
add rice and cook, stirring frequently until rice turns translucent
add the liquid ingredients and water
add the lemon chunks
reduce to low simmer and cook for 15 minutes until nearly tender
add the corn kernels and finish cooking
To Serve:
Remove lemon chunks from rice.
Pile a mound of rice in a colorful bowl.
Drizzle with a really fruity extra virgin olive oil
place skewers of shrimp on top and take to table
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Sun Dancing Barefoot
Welcome aboard!
Together we are about to embark on a journey involving cool boats, great food, incredible friends (including you?) music played a little too loud and laughter that draws the attention of others.
One of the things we noticed as we looked through the endless 'groups' and 'discussion boards', 'clubs' and blogs on the web was that we could not find a site devoted to those who like to spend weekends or more aboard their boat, cooking, swimming, reading and such. No, not serious cruisers, more like party cruisers.
In the PacNW we are kind of infamous for taking things seriously. Heard of the anarchists?! It carries over to most aspects of life. Hiking, rafting (have I got some stories for you!), coffee, beer, mushrooms, farmers markets, politics, writing, water use.......
So, let's talk about it. All.
By way of introduction, I am nearing the end of a varied career. I am a writer, consultant, analyst, bon vivant, aging bad boy. Looking back, the only things I regret are the things (mistakes?) I didn't do. So, what the hell, I'll do them now.
Want to come along for the ride?
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