Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

A good side dish is always welcome on a dinner table.  Sometimes it as simple as sautéed green beans. But I am trying to incorporate unusual combinations in our diet.  Everyone loves corn, but how many people love swiss chard?  In an effort to include it, I made this corn gratin that has all of the friendly flavors of corn with the brightness of healthy chard and nutrient rich red peppers. For more on healthy eating, read this new post about Budpop supplements.

We decided to have this with our Chicken instead of potatoes.  A salad rounded out the meal.  Three days to go on the diet marathon.  David is looking forward to enjoying the 4th of July with family without restrictions.  View some of our previous family get togethers.

Needless to say, he will not be sticking to a diet.  We always have a blind wine tasting that involves many wine choices.  (By the way, the plastic bottles on the right are for the kids juice tasting).  So many funny pictures.

I don’t think any of the adults had this reaction to the fine wines that we were tasting.  Maybe this year we should give the kids  better choices.

But this was a very good choice for dinner tonight. Hope you give it a try.  Would look pretty on your holiday table.

Happy 4th of July.  Will see you next week.  Enjoy!

CHARD AND SWEET CORN GRATIN ( The New York Times )

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 generous bunch (3/4 to 1 pound) Swiss or rainbow chard, stemmed and washed
• Salt
  1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• Black pepper
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup milk
• 2 to 3 ounces Gruyère, grated (1/2 to 3/4 cup), to taste
• Kernels from 2 cooked ears sweet corn (1 1/2 to 2 cups)
• 1 ounce Parmesan, grated (1/4 cup)

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 2-quart baking dish or gratin.
2. Blanch chard: Bring a large pot of water to a boil while you stem and wash the chard leaves. When the water comes to a boil, salt generously and add chard leaves. (Set aside stems for another use, or discard.) Blanch 1 to 2 minutes, until tender but still bright. Transfer to a bowl of cold water, then drain thoroughly and squeeze out excess water; chop medium-fine.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet and add red pepper . Cook, stirring, until pepper is soft.  Add garlic and cook  30 seconds to a minute, then stir in rosemary, thyme and chopped blanched chard. Season with salt and pepper and stir over medium heat until chard is nicely coated with oil, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
4. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir in chard mixture and Gruyère. Stir in corn and mix well. Scrape into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle Parmesan over top and drizzle with remaining olive oil.
5. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until nicely browned on the top and sides. Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.

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We have a weight loss contest going on in our household.  David and one of our New Year’s Eve gang friends, Barbara, have challenged each other to lose 15 pounds.  The first one to do so will get a monetary reward.  They both have been struggling since January 1st with a weigh-in each Monday.  They are both getting close.  It is down to just a few pounds each.  But they have decided to extend the contest to 20 pounds lost.  Needless to say, I have been challenged to put healthy low-fat food on the table.

Cooking Light came to the rescue with this Margarita-Braised Chicken Thighs recipe.  The spiced flour coating made the thighs crispy.  The tequila sauce, onions and tropical fruit added juiciness to the oven braised dish.  It was a real winner.  It was also quick and easy.  I served it with farro and broccolini.

We had this for dinner last night.  It may have done the trick, because David’s weigh-in this morning indicated 4 pounds to go to reach the 20 pound goal.  I hope no one gives Barbara this recipe.

MARGARITA-BRAISED CHICKEN THIGHS ( Cooking Light )

1/2 cup flour
1 Tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
Cooking Spray
1 cup thinly sliced onion (about 1 medium)
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup tropical dried fruit (I used a combination of cranberries and pineapple)
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup tequila
1 lime, thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Combine first 3 ingredients in a small baking dish.  Sprinkle chicken with salt; dredge chicken in flour mixture.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.  Transfer chicken to a baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Add onion to pan; cook 3 minutes.  Add garlic, and sauté 1 minute.

Combine fruit, juice, and tequila in a microwave-safe dish, and microwave at high 2 minutes.  Pour fruit mixture into pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.  Cook 1 minute.  Pour onion mixture over chicken; top with lime slices.  Bake at 400 degrees F. for 20 minutes or until chicken is done.  Yield: 4 servings.  350 Calories.

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One of the harbingers of Spring for me is my get together with blogging buddy Penny of Enjoying the Simple Things.  While we were shopping my crock pot was ready and waiting to offer these herb flecked potato wedges to accompany David’s grilled meat and a quickly tossed salad.

Our first stop on our antiquing outing is always The Screen Door.  It is one of our favorite antique malls for unique finds.  This wire wall hanging was tempting, but we passed on it.

We saw this Chateauneuf du-pape bucket at another place.  I am now thinking that I should have bought this.  I can just see it filled with greenery or fresh or dried flowers.

Shopping works up at appetite and we always have lunch on the patio of Fig, our favorite French bistro. I ordered the very un-French Pappardelle Bolognese.  It was creamy and studded with delicious sausage.

Penny ordered the salmon with potatoes and fresh peas drizzled with a mustard cream sauce.  Fig does the best job with salmon.  It is always flaky and cooked to perfection.

It was good to come home to these tender and tasty potato wedges.  This recipe is good for a crowd too.  I love recipes that cook themselves so I can concentrate on other parts of a meal.

CROCK POT POTATO WEDGES (The Magical Slow Cooker)

• 3 lbs. small red potatoes (about 8 cups after being cut)
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• ¼ cup parmesan
• more parmesan for serving

1. Wash and cut the potatoes into wedges. Add to the slow cooker. In a small bowl mix together the olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme and oregano. Pour this over the potatoes and stir. Sprinkle over the parmesan cheese.
2. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time.
3. Sprinkle with additional cheese for serving if desired.

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In a twist of fate, serving beef stew in sunny Florida turned out to be just the right thing to do.  With company coming, I wanted to make my Guinness Beef Stew in honor of St. Paddy’s Day but had reservations about serving stew in 80 degree temperatures.  On cue a cold front swept through and temperatures were in the 40’s and 50’s.  We ate this warming stew on the patio wearing sweaters.

My Guinness Beef Stew is best cooked the day ahead so that you can remove the solid fats that come to the top.  This also allows the stew to develop greater flavor.  It incorporates Guinness Stout, Beef broth, carrots, celery, onions and the beef.  Cooked slowly the meat becomes very tender.  I usually serve this with mashed potatoes garnished with buttered breadcrumbs.

Instead of Corned Beef and Cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day, you may want to try this Guinness Beef Stew.  Guinness is an Irish Stout developed by Arthur Guinness in his St. James Brewery in Dublin, Ireland.

We will be heading back to North Carolina over the weekend.  It has been a relaxing 6 weeks in New Smyrna Beach Florida.  We have enjoyed it so much that we will be returning next year.  Finding short term rental properties is challenging in this popular community.  We were lucky to find this charming Spanish styled bungalow for our next visit.  The owners are a delightful couple and we feel honored that they are willing to allow us to rent their vacation home.

GUINNESS BEEF STEW

2 1/2 to 3 lbs chuck roast, cut into large cubes
3 Tbls olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
3 large carrots, cut into large rounds
2 to 3 Tbls flour
1 16 oz can Guinness Stout
1 14.5 oz.can beef broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste

Dry and salt and pepper the beef cubes.  Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven.  Brown the beef in batches until nicely browned.  Remove beef to plate.  Add the vegetables to the pot and cook over medium heat until softened.  Add the flour and cook for a few minutes.  Return the beef to the pot and pour in the Guinness Stout and the beef broth.  Add the flavorings and bring pot to a boil.  Cover with lid and place in a preheated 325 degree oven.

Braise the stew for 3 to 3 1/2 hours.  It can be served at this point, but it is better to let cool and then place in the refrigerator over night.  Remove the solid fats that have accumulated on the top.  Put the stew back into a preheated 325 degree oven and cook until heated through.  Serve with mashed potatoes or Colcannon.

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We picked up some fresh shrimp at the Farmers’ Market last week.  It was expensive.  I decided to use the shrimp sparingly over several meals. By combining it with rice and beans we hardly missed the quantity of shrimp with the quality of the overall dish.  This made a perfect luncheon meal.

The white bean mixture includes canned diced tomatoes and jarred pesto; easy to pull together.  I used left- over Caribbean rice, but you could use any type of rice that you would like.

I know it has been a while since I have published a blog post, but I have been spending very little time in the kitchen. There are so many great restaurants in New Smyrna Beach that we have been eating out quite often.  The above picture was taken with our friends Mark and Ruth at Riverside Grill on the Indian River (IntraCoastal Waterway). Most of the boats going under the drawbridge were headed South.  Winter doesn’t want to give up and it is going to be much colder even here next week; just in time for bike week.

I’m hoping to post a recipe for my Guinness Beef Stew in honor of St. Paddy’s Day soon.  I am making it for friends next week.

In the meantime, hope you enjoy this easy Shrimp Bowl recipe.

SHRIMP BOWLS

3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 can diced tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
1 15 oz. can cannellini beans, drained
1/4 cup jarred pesto sauce
8 oz. shrimp, peeled and deveined

Cooked rice of your choice

Heat 2 Tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook until shallot is softened.  Add tomatoes with their juices and salt and pepper to taste.  Cook until sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.  Reduce heat to low, add beans and the pesto sauce.  Cook until heated through.  Remove bean mixture to a bowl.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in skillet over medium high heat.  Add shrimp and cook, stirring often until shrimp os cooked through, about 3 minutes.

Add cooked rice to 2 bowls, top with bean mixture and place cooked shrimp over all.  Serves 2.

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