Seconds at Second Street

Little did I know that the best thing about our time in Williamsburg was going to be our meals at Second Street. I am usually not a fan of eating out at restaurants, so when we go on vaccations my top concern is usually where we will be eating and what we will be eating. While our first lunch of the trip was a little bit of a disappointment, we more than made up for it by finding this American bistro.

Not only was the atmosphere welcoming and family friendly, the staff was great. The bonus; the food was simply delicious. Actually the food was so good, we ended up eating all of our vacation mealss there; two dinners and one lunch! My favorite off the menu was the Grilled Romaine Salad; never has a salad from a place other than my kitchen tasted so good. I had for both Sunday night and Monday night's dinners, and that was all I ordered. The salad was so big I could hardly finish it, especially when you think of how I filled up on the freshly baked bread dipped in fruity olive oil that arrived right before our entrees. Did I mention the price was right, too? That was a double bonus. At the end of the meal you walked back to your car through the smells of freshly baked cookies and got treated to bite sized samples.

So while Colonial Williamsburg itself did not leave an unforgettable mark on me, I am going to miss my meals at Second Street. It is too bad that we live two and a half hours away. Or maybe it is just as well, because otherwise they would have had to name a table, or two, after me!

This is what the salad looked like coming out of the kitchen.

Half-way through devouring it.

"All gone," as JR would put it.

My picky little eater

I will be the first to admit; I have a picky eater. It is partly my doing; I offer her choices, and she chooses. She chooses when to eat and what to eat. She even chooses how to eat; standing up mostly when we are home. Although I have been trying to promote sit-down meals at home, I am not disciplined enough to enforce them. I pick my battles, and asking JR to sit down at a table and eat is not high enough on my list. Chairs are modern day artifacts, and I want her to continue squatting and sitting on the floor as long as she can. 

So she picks what she wants to eat. Some days, she has carrots for breakfast, others she has pasta. Some dinners consist of French toast or pancakes, while lunches can range from sliced turkey breast, to avocado to a full meal with fruit afterwards. Every day is different. Every meal brings a surprise element.  But one thing holds true, she makes the right choice every time.

I have a kid who gobbles down a legume salad, have plain asparagus and broccoli for dinner, and snack on green beans and beets; she even ate Brussels sprout once or twice. My girl eats Labneh (kefir cheese) with a spoon, drinks Ayran (a Lebanese yogurt drink), and nibbles on cheese and zaatar after dinner. She has never had a hamburger, does not know Slurpees, and has yet to set foot in McDonalds.

The above being true, when JR asks for chocolate, you can be sure she gets some; but not just any kind of chocolate. The only chocolate this little girl has a taste for is Godiva; the treat Teta brings her after work. "While other kids will have Hershey bars in their lunch boxes at school, this girl will take Govida Gems," I tease. But that's ok; I am intentionally cultivating a picky eater, even when it comes to chocolate.

Summer Salads Series ~ 4

This fourth entry in the summer salad series comes with a couple of twists: a seafood twist, and a smoked turkey twist, turning an everyday salad into an everyday meal.

Seafood Salad

This salad is so easy to make, it is almost not worth filing it in the "cooking" category. You really only need 10 minutes on your hands to make the dressing, boil the seafood, and toss them all together. This salad is a family hit; even JR loves to eat it. The sercret is all in the dressing!

• 1 pound frozen mixed seafood, I love the one Trader Joe's carries
• 8 ounce bag spring mix salad
• handful of cherry tomatoes
• 5 garlic cloves, crushed
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard

To make the dressing: heat olive oil in a sauce pan. Add garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant. Turn heat off. Add mustard and lemon juice. Whisk until well blended. Add salt if needed.

Once the seafood is cooked. Toss everything in the still warm dressing. Enjoy immediately with sliced baguette on the side.

Smoked Turkey Potato Salad

We all have favorites that just become "old" and "boring." This classic potato salad turns into a new favorite with the addition of just one ingredient; smoked turkey. I hope you like it as much as I do.

• 2 pounds boiling potatoes, unpeeled
• smoked turkey wings
• 1 small sweet onion, diced
• sour cream, 1 tablespoon
• mayonaisse, 1 tablespoon
• juice of one small lemon
• yellow mustard, 1 tablespoon
• olive oil, 1 tablespoon

Boil the potatoes until they are fork tender, but not too soft. Cut into quarters. Bone the turkey wings (save the bones and any extra meat for later). Chop meat into bite size. Make the dressing by mixing all the condiments together. While the potatoes are still warm, add the meat and onions and stir in the dressing. Serve at room temperature.



Summer Salad Series ~ 3

Carrot-Feta Salad

Having friends is a wonderful thing. Having friends who enjoy cooking as much as you is even more wonderful. But having friends whose recipe you continue making is priceless. Below is a salad my good friend Sarah made for me once years and years ago. It still has a spot in my heart and on my table.

•  one pound carrots, peeled and cut
• 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• 6 ounces black olives, pitted
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• juice of 2 small lemons
• olive oil
• paprika, to taste
• salt, to taste

Par-boil the carrots until they are tender, but not cooked through; this makes them able to better absorb the flavors. Cool slightly. Toss carrots with the rest of the ingredients. Chill at least 2 hours, or overnight. Enjoy!

cook's note: (1) this salad gets better with age and not as soon as it is prepared. So plan to make it in the morning, or the day before, to have with dinner.

Asparagus Salad

Here is another long-time favorite. I came across it in a magazine, and my then 2-person family loved it. So, I continued making it. Now, my 3-person family loves it. So, I will continue to make it.

• 1 pound fresh asparagus
• 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup sweet white onion, finely chopped
• whole-grain mustard vinaigrette, recipe follows

Steam the asparagus until tender but not overcooked. Drain, cool and add the rest of the ingredients. Toss with the dressing. Chill 1-2 hours. Serve cold.

 cook's note: (1) to make the whole-grain mustard vinaigrette you will need whole-grain mustard, white balsamin vinergar, and olive oil. Mix all three ingredients to taste until combined. Drizzle over salad.

Summer Salads Series ~ 2

Here are two more easy summer salads for you to try.
Bon Appetit.

Beet and Carrot Salad

While at the Farmers Market this weekend, I happened upon beets, carrots and one of my favorite salad ingredients, onions. Beets are very popular in Lebanon and I want to keep them as part of my family's food repertoire. Growing up, I remember having them all the time. The go-to serving method is to cut them up, add garlic lemon juice (or red vinegar) and olive oil, and serve. With carrots on hand, I decided to modify the traditional recipe. Here is my version. 

• 4-5 medium sized beets, cut into eights
• 2-3 medium sized carrots, shredded
• 1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced
• juice from 1 small lemon
• olive oil
• salt to taste

Mix all the above in a serving bowl. Enjoy at room temperature. 

 

Baby Arugula Salad

Another Lebanese favorite is arugula. It took me a long time to find the American cousin of the Lebanese "rocca". I say cousin because although the two are very similar in taste, they are not identical in shape. The Lebanse version has flat leaves while the one found in American stores is crinkled on the edges. But, it is close enough, and will suffice for my purposes.

Like beets, in Lebanon rocca is served simply dressed with onions, lemon juice and olive oil. Some people may add black olives. I chose to add dried cranberries, mushrooms, almonds and feta cheese. Here is what you will need.

• 5 ounce bag of baby arugula
• 3-4 white button mushrooms, sliced
• handful of driend cranberries, I like the orange flavored ones
• handful of sliced dry roasted almonds, I like the unsalted ones
• feta cheese
• white balsamic honey-mustard dressing (recipe below)

Toss all the ingredients together. Plate and serve.

cook's note: (1) you can also add sliced onions to the arugula salad

                    (2) to make the white balsamic honey-mustard dressing you will need store bought honey mustard, white balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. Shake, to taste, the three ingredients in a bottle. Dressing can be made ahead of time and kept, in the refrigirator, for up to a month.

Summer Salads Series ~ 1

With summer officially here, I am looking for ways to simplify my life in the kitchen without compromising taste, variety or nutritional value. In this series I will share some of the foods I pull together for my family in the hope that you, too, will find them a resource to help you through the season.

When I cook, I eyeball my ingredients and add condiments to taste. I will attempt to give proportions as precisely as I can,but bear in mind that these are just estimates and that you can adjust them to fit your family's needs.

Legume Salad

I would not have thought of this combination of legumes had JR and I not run quickly to the store one day. There, they were sampling a variety of different foods, and one of them was a dish similar to the one below. JR seemed to like it. "More," she said. I thought she was just dilly dallying so I told her I would make her more at home. And so I did. I did not have all the ingredients on hand, so I improvised and hoped she would eat it just the same. Surprisingly, JR ate one spoonful after the next and enjoyed each bite. This dish will certainly remain on my go to list.

• cooked lentils, about a cup
• cooked hummous (garbanzo beans), around a cup
• cooked navy beans, also about a cup
• diced sweet onion, to taste (I used about half cup)
• juice of one lemon
• olive oil
• salt

Mix all the above ingredients in a bowl. Serve at room temperature.

Orzo Salad

I, like a lot people, am a big fan of pasta. If you open my cupboard you will find it in different shapes, sizes, and composition. I have the usual wheat spaghetti of course, but then I have all the "others." I have garlic basil linguine, multi grain penne, corn elbow pasta, toddler-friendly tubular pasta, and whole wheat alphabet, just to name a few. But, this time I decided on orzo. Although, it takes a little longer to cook than my preferred go to angel hair, it is more versatile in salads. And, it is easier for JR to eat; with a spoon rather than a fork. So, this is what I made.

• dried orzo, 1/2 a cup
• steamed asparagus, about 12 stalks
• corn, from 2 cooked cobs
• olive oil
• shredded mozzarella, about 1/4 cup
• salt

Mix all the ingredients with cooked orzo. Serve at room temperature.

* cook's note: (1) with frozen shrimp being so versatile and easy to prepare, you can add it to either of the above.
                       (2) you can substitute any of the vegetables in the orzo salad to match what you have on hand. Broccoli, green peas, edamame, or mushrooms are some suggestions.

Sauteed Salad

Love a good salad? So do I! And how can you not. The best of everything comes together in that bowl to make for a mouthwatering beggining to a meal. And, in our house, we begin every dinner with a salad.

You cannot go wrong with a salad, I don't think. Anything can go in it without worry. You do not need to follow a recipe or stick to proportions. All you need is a lot (or a little) of ingredients and a little (or a lot) of creativity.

For a long time whenever I thought of a "salad" I thought "raw". That was until one day I had spinach that was being wasted in the fridge and no desire to eat it in its raw state. I wondered what I could do about it, without actually "cooking" it and came up with the salad below. It combines my love for sauteed onions and mushrooms and my craving for a vegetable accompaniment to my meals.

If my mom has done anything right raising me the way she did (and she did do plenty), she instilled in me a love for homecooked meals, a passion to cook, and a desire to do the same for my family.

Ingredients:

Sliced onions
Sliced baby bella mushrooms
Grape tomatoes, cut in half
Baby spinach
Lemon juice
Olive oil
Lemon-Pepper

Drizzle olive oil on the bottom of a sautee pan. Add the onions and mushroom. Cook until soft. Season with lemon pepper. Once softened, add the spinach and tomato halves. Cook until spinach is wilted. Turn off heat. Add lemon juice.
Serve!

You can also top it off with parmesan cheese or add shrimp to turn it into a meal.