How to keep your silver jewelry from tarnishing

How to keep your silver jewelry from tarnishing

This inexpensive school supply can keep your jewelry from tarnishing. Just place a stick in your jewelry box where you keep you silver. It's not foolproof, and things will tarnish slightly over time, but I have had jewelry stay bright for well over a year.


About 79 cents at Staples. A steal! Plus, no chemicals.

Tilapia Fish Tacos with Arugula

This is from Giada De Laurentiis' new book, Weeknights with Giada. She has become my number two go-to author for great recipes**. This makes a generous amount of filling for eight tacos. These were soooo good. My son ate six of them. My husband ate three..I had two. Satisfying, but healthy and light...and definitely yummy. We will have them again. And again.

Tilapia Fish Tacos with Arugula

Serves 4

3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling

6 tilapia fillets (about 1 pound total)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2–3 limes)

1 tsp salt

2 , avocados,halved, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 mangos, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

6 scallions, white and pale green parts, finely chopped

4 cups arugula, coarsely chopped

3 T chopped fresh cilantro (I used more)

1 cup creme fraiche or sour cream (I used light sour cream)

2 T wasabi powder* (I used 1 T. and it was plenty spicy)

1/2 tsp kosher salt

8 6-inch corn tortillas  (or more!)

*We found it in the Asian food aisle at Giant.

Directions

For the filling: In a large, nonstick skillet, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Drizzle or brush tilapia fillets with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Arrange the fish in a single layer in the pan and cook until the flesh is flaky and cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Set aside to cool slightly. Cut into ¾-inch pieces

In a large bowl, whisk together the 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the lime juice. Season with salt, to taste. Add the avocados, mangos, scallions, and arugula. Toss until all the ingredients are coated.

In a small bowl, mix together the creme fraiche or sour cream, wasabi powder and salt until smooth.

To warm the tacos, heat in batches in a dry skillet. Or, if you have a gas range, cook directly over the flame, turning occasionally for about 30 seconds with tongs, until each side is warm. Watch out… they burn quickly if you don’t keep an eye on them.

To assemble the tacos: Put the tortillas on plates, divide the mango-avocado mixture among the centers of the tortillas. Top each with fish. Spoon about 1 to 2 teaspoons of the wasabi cream mixture (or more if you like) on top of the fish and serve.


**See my September 2011 post to see who's number one.

My two favorite scallops recipes

We use our gas grill year-round. If you don’t have one, you can sear the scallops in a pan on top of your stove. Make sure you use your kitchen fan…otherwise your house will smell like fish.

Scallops with Tropical Salsa

Feel free to substitute any of your favorite exotic fruits for the pineapple and mango in the salsa. Be sure to use large, plump sea scallops rather than small bay scallops when preparing this dish. Take care not to overcook the scallops, which can toughen if exposed to heat for too long. When properly cooked, the scallops will remain tender and moist.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup diced pineapple

1/2 cup diced mango (I’ve used nectarines)

1/2 cup diced cucumber

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

3 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro

4 tsp. fresh lime juice

1 jalapeño chili, seeded and minced

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

16 sea scallops, about 1 lb. total

Directions:

In a bowl, combine the pineapple, mango, cucumber, bell pepper, cilantro, lime juice and chili. Toss well to form a salsa. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Brush scallops with olive oil. We grill them on a grilling tray to keep the scallops from falling through the grate. They are widely available.

(Original recipe calls for searing on top of stove.: Heat a large nonstick fry pan over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with nonstick cooking spray. Season the scallops with salt and pepper. Add half of the scallops to the pan and sear, turning once, until golden brown on both sides and opaque throughout, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer the scallops to a warmed plate. Keep warm while cooking the remaining scallops in the same way.)

Divide the scallops among warmed individual plates. Spoon the salsa over the tops, dividing it evenly. Serve immediately.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Lifestyles Series, Fresh & Light, by Lane Crowther (Time-Life Books, 1998).

Grilled Scallops with Avocado Cream and Salsa

The Avocado Cream tastes so rich, you'd never believe it was made with fat-free yogurt!

Prep Time: 20 mins.

Marinating Time: 60 mins.

Cook Time: 20 mins.

Servings: 6 as a main course

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp olive oil

3 Tbsp fresh lime juice (divided)

3 tsp grated lime zest (divided)

¾ tsp salt

½ tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

32 sea scallops (about 2#)

4 (8-inch) flour tortillas cut into eighths (32 wedges)

2 firm, ripe avocados

½ cup finely chopped red onion

¼ cup plain low-fat or no-fat yogurt

2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce

¾ cup salsa

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 Tbsp of oil, 2 Tbsp of lime juice, ½ tsp of grated zest, ¼ tsp of salt, cumin, and pepper. Add the scallops and marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the remaining 2 Tbsp of oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the tortilla wedges in batches and cook until golden brown on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain the wedges on paper towels.   (Or, if you have a gas range, you can heat the tortillas directly over the flame with no oil. Remove when they just start to char.)

Peel, pit, and coarsely mash the avocados in another medium bowl. Stir in the onion, yogurt, and remaining lime juice, zest, and salt.

Heat gas grill. When hot cook scallops using grill tray.

(If you don't have a gas grill: When ready to serve, preheat the grill or broiler. In a broiler pan, cook the scallops about 3 inches from the heat until cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes.)

To serve, spread 2 tsp of avocado cream on each tortilla wedge. Top with 1 Tbsp of lettuce and 1 scallop, and finish with about 1 tsp of salsa. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Adapted from Newman’s Own Cookbook by Paul Newman and A.E. Hotchner

Joe Tresnak's Crabcakes

I grew up in Baltimore where Blue Crabs are an essential food group of their own. My father, Joe Tresnak, started feeding me the meat from steamed crabs when I was barely old enough to sit in a high chair (but not the requisite accompanying Natty Boh beer). By the time I was 6, I could pick a steamed crab by myself. Suffice it to say, crabcakes have always been a part of my life. 

For years, my husband, Bill, would order crabcakes in restaurants from Virginia to Maryland to Delaware. The menus often claimed they were “the best crabcakes in Maryland”, “the best crabcakes on the Eastern Shore”, or “the best crabcakes from you-name-it”. Bill’s assessment was always the same… “They’ve obviously never tasted yours, Kath.” To which I'd reply, “Thanks, hon.”

This recipe was originally printed on the back of the Old Bay can. Old Bay has since changed it, so don’t bother looking. Over the years, I have made a number of changes to improve the consistency, make them less salty, and make them healthier by using olive oil for cooking. Everybody who’s ever tasted them says they're THE BEST.

Not long ago, I started serving them with a Lemon-Caper Sauce invented by my friend, Joan Crowley. This sauce makes these crabcakes even better! Joan is a fantastic cook! 

Joe Tresnak's Crabcakes

1 pound crabmeat

2 slices bread, chopped fine in a food processor

1 tsp Old Bay

¼ tsp salt

1 Tbsp mayonnaise

1 Tbsp Worcestershire

1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 Tbsp baking powder

2 eggs, beaten

Light olive oil (I use olive oil because it is healthy, but I use the light variety because it has little olivey flavor of its own)

Pick through crabmeat thoroughly for shells. Mix with bread crumbs.

Combine other ingredients in bowl. Add to crabmeat, and toss together until evenly distributed.

Form into flattened cakes, approximately 2-½ to 3 inches in diameter. Place on a plate and refrigerate for about an hour. (This will help bind the cakes so they don't fall apart when cooking.)

Pour about 1/8 inch light olive oil in large frying pan. Sauté in light olive oil until browned. Refresh oil as necessary when turning, or if you need to cook more crab cakes. Drain on paper towels.

Joanie’s Lemon Caper Sauce

1 cup + 2 Tbsp light mayonnaise

4 ½ tsp drained capers

4 ½ tbsp chives

3 tbsp lemon juice

1 ½ tsp grated lemon peel

Combine all ingredients. Serve in a small bowl.

Fantastic Vegetarian Chili and Puttanesca

I bought Gwyneth Paltrow’s cookbook after reading a review. She dedicates this book to her late father in memory of the many fun times they spent cooking together. Her recipes are all healthy—many of them vegetarian, but not every one. (Just no red meat.) I’ve made a number of recipes from it, all of them good.

This week, I tried her Vegetarian Chili. So good. So good for you. The flavor is so rich and satisfying, you’d never believe it’s made with only veggies and beans.  It ranks up there with my Guy Fierri recipe for Turkey Chili. I'll send you that one if you like.

I also particularly love her Penne Puttanesca.  I’m posting both recipes here for you. Enjoy!

Vegetarian Chili

“My kids like this chili with rice,and we grown-ups top it off with a tablespoon of creme fraiche (or yogurt), some chopped scallions and cilantro, and a dash of hot sauce.” — Gwyneth Paltrow


2 tablespoons extra virgin

olive oil

1/2 large yellow onion, peeled and finely diced

1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice

1/2 large red bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, cut into 1/4-inch dice

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

3/4 teaspoon mild chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground

black pepper

1 teaspoon chipotle in adobo *

1 – 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes with their juice

1/2 cup French lentils, rinsed and drained

1 – 14-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 – 14-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Big pinch coarse salt

3 tablespoons tomato paste*


Heat the olive oil in a medium soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, and black pepper. Cook, stirring, for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened. Add the chipotle and stir to combine.


Turn the heat up to high, add the tomatoes and their juice, crushing them a bit with your wooden spoon, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 40 minutes.


Add the lentils and beans. Fill one 14-ounce can with water and add it to the pot, along with the salt. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 40 minutes.


Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 20 more minutes, or until the lentils are soft and the flavors are melded.


Serves 4 

Active preparation time: 1/2 hour


Total preparation time: 2 hours

My tip for chitpotle in adobo... you will never use a whole can without blowing the back of your head off. I buy a small can, then separate individual chilis...or half chiles depending on the size...and freeze them in individual snack-size zip-lock bags. Do the same with small portions of tomato paste—1–3 tablespoons per bag.

Penne Puttanesca

3/4 pound (3/4 box) penne

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

Pinch red chile flakes

5 olive-oil packed Spanish anchovies

1 heaping tablespoon salt-packed capers, rinsed

1/3 cup pitted niçoise olives

2 cups Basic Tomato Sauce  (I use Rao's Tomato Basil—THE BEST you can buy in a jar)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for serving

A few tablespoons pasta water, to thin

1/4 cup torn fresh parsley, for garnish

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt generously. Drop in the penne. Cook according to package directions.

Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat and add the garlic and chile flakes. Cook for about 1 minute, adjusting the heat if necessary to avoid burning the garlic. Add the anchovies and stir for another minute, or until they begin to break down. Add the capers and olives, crushing them gently with the back of a wooden spoon, and cook for 1 minute, or until quite fragrant—it should smell divine. Stir in the tomato sauce and black pepper. Turn the heat to high, bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium and let it bubble for about 10 minutes, or until quite thickened. The penne should be perfectly cooked at this point. Drain pasta, reserving a few tablespoons of pasta cooking water. Add pasta to the skillet with the sauce and stir to coat, adding a bit of the pasta cooking water if necessary to get the sauce to the right consistency. It shouldn't be too thick, but also not too soupy. Scatter the parsley over the pasta, add a bit more fresh black pepper, and serve.

Make it vegan: Leave out the anchovies.  (I advise to leave them in.)

Serves 4. Active & total preparation time: 15 minutes

You can make the sauce ahead of time. 

A Great Garlic Press

My garlic press died. I guess it was time…I’ve had it since my first year out of college, and I had used it a lot. I decided to ask Nancy Pollard, the owner of La Cuisine, for a recommendation. In case you’ve never been to this shop in Old Town, it’s worth a trip.

Here's some info from their website:

For 29 years La Cuisine—The Cooks Resource has offered the finest cookware, carbon and stainless cutlery and top quality kitchen gear for the amateur and professional chef. Nancy chooses brands that offer exceptional quality as well as classic design. However, there is another ingredient to La Cuisine’s impressive inventory. Nancy calls it “innovative traditionalism”—the ability to balance the timeless and proven with the best that technology has to offer. La Cuisine’s selection of hard-to-find brands includes superior American and European manufacturers. They test the products that they sell, on the premises!

Located on one of the prettiest and quietest blocks in Old Town (behind City Hall) and housed in an old grain warehouse that dates to 1810, La Cuisine has become a destination in the Washington area. Food and Wine magazine recommends La Cuisine in their December 1999 edition. It is a beautiful store that gleams with copper, stainless and good taste. 

La Cuisine is not the prototypical kitchen/ cookware/ appliance store. This is a high end cookware experience. It is focused on quality cookware and interesting cookbooks. You won’t find a lot of knickknacks that you don’t need.

You will find a extensive selection of the finest dry goods such as Cassoulet’s Beans and Fortnum and Mason teas. Panel Chocolates are a specialty at La Cuisine. If you haven’t tried these chocolates, you simply don’t know what you are missing. Ask about the chocolate war, it’s an interesting little competition that you can get in on yourself, if you have the talent. Visit them on-line at http://www.lacuisineus.com/.

But I digress. Nancy recommended the Zyliss Susi Garlic Press. There are two sizes. The smaller one, Susi 2, is the one I bought. It holds 2–3 garlic cloves, and the best part: you can mince the garlic without peeling the cloves! It does not come with a separate cleaning device, but I have had no problem cleaning it up after use. It is also much easier to squeeze than my old one! 

This garlic press is available elsewhere, but if you're in Old Town, La Cuisine would be a fun place to visit. 323 Cameron Street.

Charleston ... city of fabulous architecture and food

We travelled to Charleston for a long weekend with friends in early October. What a great city!!  We had a jam-packed weekend:  Taking a horse-drawn carriage tour for a historic overview of the city. Shopping on King Street for antiques and clothing. Scoping out three different beaches (Isle of Palms was my favorite). Researching cool real estate opportunities in Mount Pleasant...here are photos of I'on, a planned community in Mount Pleasant, across the Cooper River via the Ravenel Bridge:

Ravenel Bridge

Two images from I'on in Mount Pleasant

Nathanial Russell House

We also toured the historic Boone Hall Plantation, the Nathanial Russell House with its graceful floating staircase, as well as the Edmunston-Alston House overlooking the Charleston Harbor.

In addition to its beautiful architecture, Charleston is known for its food. And we did our best to sample as much as we possibly could!  Here are a few of the places we dined:

Basil

A cool, fun Thai restaurant with great food.  Beautiful presentation. Don’t miss the Tom Kha Gai (a soup made of sliced chicken breast in coconut milk with galangal roots, lime leaves, lemon grass, mushrooms, cilantro and scallions). Enough for two. Also try the Fresh Basil Rolls…shrimp, rice noodles, bean sprouts and lettuce, wrapped in a transparent rice paper wrapper with a basil leaf showing through the wrapper, served with a special sauce.  Numerous mains to choose from, too.  We had the Basil Duck. Yum.

Magnolia’s Uptown/Downsouth

Memorable Southern cooking.  Our lunch menu favorites:  

• Fried Green Tomato BLT with Lump Crab Sandwich 

• Shellfish Over Grits...sautéed shrimp, sea scallops and lobster over creamy white grits with lobster butter sauce and fried spinach 

Cypress

Cypress

Comtemporary Southern cuisine with an Asian edge. Flying saucer shaped lighting in the ceiling changed colors throughout the evening.

Husk (NOT!!)

We managed to score reservations for this restaurant voted Number One New Restaurant in 2011 by Bon Appetite magazine.  In my opinion, they try way too hard to be trendy and hip.  Deep-fried chicken skins… fried pig ears… Come ON!!!   Main Courses equally strange…and not very good to boot. But we paid dearly for that meal.  Never again.  A black eye for Charleston.  I’ve included it on my list here solely to save you the pain.

Some of best food we had was at some of the most casual of venues.

Poe’s Tavern

We ate outside on the patio at this cute little café on Sullivan’s Island. The Island inspired Edgar Allan Poe to write “The Gold Bug” while he was stationed there during his time in the army. Amazing burgers—eleven different kinds!!!  An absolute must if you go to Charleston.  Make sure you order a side of the onion straws. The most thinly sliced onions, dipped in a light batter and deep fried.  I am a huge onion ring fan and these were by far the best I have ever had.

The Hominy Grill

A great place for breakfast. Get there when they open, or you will be waiting in line.  The weather was sunny and clear, so we ate on the patio.

I had the Shrimp and Cheese Grits.  So great, I asked if they had a cookbook with the recipe…and they did.  Here is the recipe from my signed copy by Chef Robert Stehling.  He’s been making this recipe for more than 20 years.  I will probably make it for another 20.

Shrimp and Grits

Cheese Grits

(serves 6)

Ingredients

4-1/2 cups water

1 cup stone ground grits

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

3 tbsp butter

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1/2 tsp Tabasco

Preparation

Bring water to boil in medium saucepan over high heat. Whisk in grits and salt. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until grits are thickened, approximately 35–40 minutes. Remove from heat. Add cheeses, butter, pepper and Tabasco. Adjust seasoning as desired.

Shrimp 

(serves 2–4)

High heat will keep this dish from getting mushy, but be careful not to overcook the shrimp (they cook fast)!

Ingredients

3 slices bacon, chopped

1 pound shrimp peeled and deveined

2 tablespoons flour

1-1/4 cups sliced mushrooms

1 large garlic clove, minced in garlic press

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco

1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions

Preparation

1. In medium skillet cook bacon over low heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Reserve 1-1/2 tbsp fat in skillet…adding peanut oil if needed.

2. Toss shrimp in flour. Shake off excess.

3. Cook shrimp in fat over medium-high heat until them begin to turn pink…one minute or less.

4. Add mushrooms and bacon.  Cook another minute.

5. Add garlic, but do not let it brown.

6. Finish with Tabasco, lemon juice and onions. Remove from heat.

7. Serve immediately so the shrimp do not overcook. This is a very fast sauté — only about 3 minutes cooking time total.

WOW!