Wednesday, September 7, 2011

What We Ate


 In order to distract myself from the glaring fact that being back at work means working, I'm going to think about food.

I'm roasting a chicken and the house smells like home.  Last night we had the first soup of fall: white beans, kale, potatoes, turkey sausage, onions, carrots and garlic simmered in chicken stock and served with gratings of Parmesan.  Add in lashings of rain and high winds and a warm baguette.....oh what a night.

But what did we eat on vacation you ask? 

Food, glorious food, grilled, smoked and toasted.  Cape Cod with Susan and Gerry: pasta with shrimp, flank steak and my absolute favorite smoked chicken.  It was marinated overnight in a dry rub then smoked over apple wood. Must get recipe.


Connecticut: Ga-huge  lobsters served with melted garlic butter and a salad and eaten by candlelight.


Fire island?  Ribs and biscuits baked on the grill the first night. Next day lunch was our annual  Ricotta al Forna, recipe from Rogers and Gray's Italian Country Cook Book.

Fortunately we had no power so I was able to stand on the deck in the sunshine under a tangerine umbrella chopping herbs and grating cheese.

GG propped the pan up on a couple of bricks, pulled down the cover of the grill and it baked perfectly.

There was grilled rack of lamb for lunch on Friday and a blackberry crumble for dessert on Saturday.



 Many delicious reasons why you should only vacation with very close friends who love you regardless.  And why you should remember to pack a long shirt and a few sarongs as beach " coverups".


 To cover up from the sun and that small helping of salted caramel ice cream.

12 comments:

  1. I'm still trying to banish my Labor Day Weekend Stomach from the premises.

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  2. Good food and good friends, it doesn't get any better than that. - The soup you had last night sounds very close to a Portuguese Kale Soup recipe that I like from, Nantucket Open-House Cookbook by Sarah Leah Chase, perfect for a fall evening.

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  3. Glad you had a lovely holiday. All that food reading is making me hungry now. Your soup sounds amazing! Love Linda x

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  4. I'm suddenly disappointed with my oatmeal.

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  5. Salted caramel ice cream? Oh, my! food surely brings folks together - especially when gathered around the grill. didn't you love cooking on the grill? it's the only part of Urban Camping that I like.

    Glad you are home. xo

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  6. One of the best meals I ever had was when we had no power at a cottage I was at for a girls weekend. I had made a chicken stew with biscuits to bring and we had to heat it on the woodstove and lay the biscuits on top to cook. It was fabulous!

    Your meals look scrumptious!

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  7. Soup already? You and Miss P gettin' into the autumn spirit. I'm still milking the tomato harvest from our nearby farm... just not ready to get cozy. As a vegetarian I must say that grilled chicken and lamb look goooooood!

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  8. that is some serious comfort food i'd say. are you comfortable now? nothing beats good food mixed with good friends.
    xo

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  9. LPC, well don't send it my way!

    Sheri B.,I have both her cookbooks I'm off to check if she has any interesting additions.

    Linda, just home from work and it's making me hungry too. What's for dinner?

    AUC,I'm often disappointed with my oatmeal:)

    Webb, Me too! Oh i like the gathering of flowers just before the hurricane also. but not the gathering of water to flush toilets.

    Razmataz, Now you've made me want chicken stew. See how susceptible we are...

    Shelley, It's been raining here since Monday and Tuesday night was chilly, soup chilly. rain still here, chill gone. Thank you for not judging meat eating.

    Janet,Totally comfortable. And hungry:)

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  10. Oh my word, all sounds very tasty Jane, especially the ice cream! :) x

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  11. Jane, I was humbled when I stumbled as a Vegan. Three weeks and couldn't, no didn't want to live without cream in my coffee. Roast Chicken? Brined and charred? mmmm mmmmm!

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