Chicken Dill Salad Served with Mustard Vinaigrette Green Beans
Six months since starting this food blog, writing about food has become an unexpected newfound passion. The topics in my mind about food are as diverse as the spices on earth. Let’s talk from morning to night about ingredients, the environment, health, food, nutrition and recipes… on another day. This week there is little time for an all day conversation about these ravenous topics. As this post is being written, a silent prayer is being chanted: “Please, God, let this food post about the Chicken Dill Salad be short and savory. Taxes need to be filed, a design proposal, dinner for tonight that I have no idea…”
Viola, prayer granted! As this is a quickly written post, so is the recipe.
Apple Fennel Salad with Grilled Cheddar Cheese and Apple on Raisin Cinnamon Bread Sandwich
The chefs on the FoodNetwork’s show, Chopped, do wonders at the strange ingredients presented to them. One show used canned jackfruit. Another show had the chefs make an appetizer with live eel, peas and ugly peaches. On the show, they’re three rounds: an appetizer, a main course and the dessert. After each round, a judgment is made. The contestant’s dish that’s on the “chopping block” after the silver dome is lifted, is eliminated from the competition. The winner takes home a $10,000 prize. These chefs are brave to display their knowledge and skills in front of the camera. There are no factors that would give one chef a competitive edge. It’s creativity that wins the game. Read more →
Morning Glory, also known as Water Spinach or Swamp Cabbage, is a beautiful green that also blooms bright flowers. Don’t become too excited and start picking leaves from vines, unless horticulture is a profession. Besides, the plant of familiarity that wraps around building and fences is of another family, and it’s poisonous to eat. The Morning Glory for this recipe is different, for it’s a semi-aquatic plant, in which it is also known as a leaf vegetable–such as kale, cabbage, and collards. It easily grows around waterways and in tropical regions, thus it’s known primarily as a Southeast Asian ingredient, especially in Thai dishes. Read more →
The day was scheduled for a visit to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, walk around Central Park, stop by a grocery store and cook a quick meal. It was a good plan for a mild, sunny day. As one would figure out, weekend plans are rarely carried out when different variables come into play.
The trip to the museum turned out to be a headache, because the trains were problematic. Upon our arrival at the museum, our nerves were quickly soothed upon entering the ancient Egyptian exhibit. People in that time period, spanning thousands of years ago, had a beautiful style seen in their clothes, architecture and art. The bolts of linen, miniature sculptures, jewelry and thong sandals are still styles in our culture today. Even their cooking utensils were elegantly carved. We were so intrigued with the exhibit; Central Park was seen from a window.
As the sun was setting, the temperatures were declining to remind us that it was still early spring. We were too tired to stop at a grocery store en route home. Saving the grocery list for another day, we ate out instead. The day’s schedule didn’t work out well, but it was nice to share a bottle Pinot Noir while talking about the ancient Egyptian exhibit.
The next day, another plan was set into action after leaving work. A quick stop to the grocery store and making a simple meal by the early evening was a goal. Again, more subway problems occurred, for the train was stalled in a station for 15 to 20 minutes. The grocery store lines snaked around the aisles. Dinner started when day turned into night. Luckily, this meal was fast to prepare. Including the prepping time, it was served in 30 to 45 minutes. It was the planning that took forever.
It’s an important day for the boyfriend, for he has to be up at 5:30 a.m. and out of the house in an half hour. Since, he wakes me up with him, its best to make use of the time by making a quick breakfast.
Think breakfast can be prepared and cooked in less than 10 minutes? It can be done. He was sitting at the table thankfully eating a healthier breakfast than the bodegas around the corner. I was back to sleep as he was walking out the door.
