It’s been a week of leftovers and meals out except for one night when I made an old favorite – southwestern turkey and sweet potato skillet. Heat olive oil in a big high-sided pan and start adding these ingredients, letting each set cook before adding the next.
- ground turkey
- chopped onions, red bell and poblano peppers
- minced garlic
- sweet potato cubes, ground cumin, smoked paprika, dried oregano, chili powder, minced chipotle en adobo, chicken broth
- black beans, corn, sliced spinach – and/or other greens, I added pac choi this time too
- grated cheddar cheese
- chopped cilantro
If you ever come over for dinner, remind me to make this for you. So good. And easy!
Yesterday, I was going to spend some time in the kitchen but never did. It was one of those dark and rainy days meant for curling up and reading on the couch with sports and movies on the TV in the background. It was exciting to see Justify win the Preakness, but another horse excited me even more. Did you see Bravazo’s kick at the end? If he’s in the Belmont, that’s a horse I’d put money on.
Jim picked up some pulled pork BBQ from Charlie’s BBQ & Grille in Clayton, really Cleveland, my town that’s not a town, but whatever. Man, it was good. If you’re local and haven’t tried it yet, don’t wait as long as we did. The place has been there for years but we rarely get takeout—our mistake.
My CSF from Locals Seafood starts next week – community supported fishery, like a CSA except with fish. I look forward to getting two pounds of fresh local fish and shellfish every week, and not knowing what it will be until the night before.
On My Menu
Tonight, we’re having a simple lemon chicken dish for dinner along with cannellini beans made with carrot top pesto, and buttered local sugar snap peas.
When I’m in the mood, I’ll make a few other things today or later this week:
- Quick pickled daikons, watermelon radishes, cucumbers and carrots – I’ll compare my regular recipe to the ones in Can It & Ferment It (only $1.99 right now) and in Asian Pickles.
- Rye scones with smoked gruyere and caramelized onions – I have three packages of rye flour in the freezer that need a purpose, time to start baking.
- I saw a reference to the date ranches in southern California and got a yearning for a date shake. This gingerbread date shake and this coffee date shake look interesting.
I love dinner salads any time of the year but especially in the summer. Yes, I know it’s not summer yet but down here in North Carolina, summer weather arrives in the spring—although as I write this it’s cloudy and 73. This chipotle chicken cobb salad with cilantro vinaigrette may make an appearance this week.
We’ll have fish on the menu Thursday and Friday night along with kale, beets and other farm veggies.
I’ll report back next week on what I end up making.
eCookbooks and Food eBooks on Sale
Act quickly if any of these interest you, ebook deals last a day, a week, or sometimes longer. Click on the title to get to the Amazon deal. Blurbs are from Amazon unless otherwise credited.
Many of James Beard’s cookbooks are on sale for $2.99 right now. His name may sound familiar to you because his foundation’s award ceremony happened earlier this month. His cookbooks are “of his time” but he’s an engaging personality and gifted cook, well worth reading, if that’s your kind of thing.
- The New James Beard
- The James Beard Cookbook
- James Beard’s Menus for Entertaining
- Hors d’Oeuvre and Canapés
- Beard on Birds ($2.51)
- Beard on Pasta
Delights and Prejudices by James Beard ($2.99)
A richly evocative memoir from the man whom the New York Times dubbed the “dean of American cookery,” recalling the flavors of his past. From devouring a raw onion as an infant to scouring the globe in search of local flavors as an adult, Delights and Prejudices is full of witty and illuminating stories that open a door into the world of one of America’s first and perhaps greatest epicures.
Packed with more than one hundred fifty recipes, including corn chili soufflé, fried oysters, and peach preserves, this very personal account of his life is as close to an autobiography as Beard ever penned. For those who love to cook or simply love to eat, there remains no better teacher than James Beard.
Love and Kisses and a Halo of Truffles: Letters to Helen Evans Brown by James Beard ($2.99)
[I’m in the midst of reading this again. This man’s drive and stamina in the kitchen astounds me. He is inspiring.]
Renowned culinary master James Beard and his dear friend, chef Helen Evans Brown, shared both a love of food and a keen insight into the changing palate of American diners. In this twelve-year, bicoastal epistolary exchange of three hundred letters, Beard and Brown offer not only tidbits of indispensable culinary guidance but also two fascinating perspectives on cooking. Whether swapping recipes for dishes like chocolate crepes and roast duck, trading descriptions of delicious meals, or exchanging stories about their travels, Beard and Brown bring their world to vivid life, and their letters provide a unique snapshot of a culinary love affair that is guaranteed to delight epicureans of all stripes.
Can It & Ferment It: More Than 75 Satisfying Small-Batch Canning and Fermentation Recipes for the Whole Year by Stephanie Thurow ($1.99)
Stephanie explains the differences between the canning and fermentation processes, emphasizes the importance of using local and organic produce, describes canning and fermenting terminology and the supplies needed for both methods, and offers more than seventy-five fun and easy recipes for every season. Readers will learn how to preserve each fruit or vegetable in two different ways; each can be enjoyed water bath–canned or as a healthy, probiotic-rich ferment.
The Banh Mi Handbook: Recipes for Crazy-Delicious Vietnamese Sandwiches by Andrea Nguyen ($1.99)
Created by Vietnamese street vendors a century or so ago, banh mi is a twist on the French snack of pâté and bread… Opening a new realm of flavor for anyone tired of standard sandwich fare, The Banh Mi Handbook presents more than fifty recipes and numerous insights for crafting a wide range of sandwiches, from iconic classics to modern innovations… Respected food writer Andrea Nguyen’s simple, delicious recipes for flavor-packed fillings, punchy homemade condiments, and crunchy, colorful pickled vegetables bring the very best of Vietnamese street food to your kitchen.
Mastering Pasta: The Art and Practice of Handmade Pasta, Gnocchi, and Risotto by Marc Vetri and David Joachim ($2.99)
The respected master of Italian cuisine finally shares his vast knowledge of pasta, gnocchi, and risotto in this inspiring, informative primer featuring expert tips and techniques, and more than 100 recipes. Vetri’s personal stories of travel and culinary discovery in Italy appear alongside his easy-to-follow, detailed explanations of how to make and enjoy fresh handmade pasta… Loaded with useful information, including the best way to cook and sauce pasta, suggestions for substituting pasta shapes, and advance preparation and storage notes, Mastering Pasta offers you all of the wisdom of a pro… Mastering Pasta is the definitive work on the subject and the only book you will ever need to serve outstanding pasta dishes in your own kitchen.
Cook Simple: Effortless Cooking Every Day by Diana Henry ($2.99)
Diana Henry shows you how to turn everyday ingredients into something special with the minimum of effort. Cook Simple is packed with over 150 recipes and ideas…that offer simple ways to make every meal spectacular. Diana dedicates a chapter to each of 12 everyday ingredient groups: chicken, chops, sausages, leg of lamb, fish, leaves, summer veg, winter veg, pasta, summer fruit, winter fruit, flour and eggs. Each recipe takes only minutes to prepare with ingredients easily sourced from your local supermarket.
New French Table by Emily and Giselle Roux ($0.99)
Simple family food forms the heart of French gastronomy…French food is not only easy and approachable, but light, fresh and bursting with flavor. From the provincial home cooking of the Ardeche to the sweet treats of Brittany, this unique collection of recipes shows how the French kitchen has evolved to suit a modern lifestyle – with delicious recipes for every day; family dinners; lighter soups and salads; new trends; international influences; and big feasts to feed a crowd.
Looking for more e-cookbook and ebook deals? Check out previous lists, some are still on sale.
Creative Commons licensed image by James Wei (fish market) and foodism360 (beets) via Unsplash.
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Grabbing the Gusto 
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