Oh, Do You Know the Grocery Man?

More importantly, have you formed a relationship with the person at the seafood counter, meat counter, or the produce manager?  If not, well...you should.

Today I went to Fresh Market to purchase some groceries.  As I strolled through the produce aisles, the Produce Manager pointed me in the direction of the shitake mushrooms that he had just put in the bin (they are sold in bulk at FM).  Those will be in one of my meals later in the week.

As I approached the Seafood Counter, I could tell that the Fishmonger remembered me.  That smile you get from someone when they recognize you, but don't necessarily know your name.  On my last visit we had struck up a conversation about all the places we had lived.  He and his wife had just moved back to Indianapolis from San Francisco, and I was very jealous!  So, as I was making my seafood choices he mentioned that he and his wife had just tried a sushi restaurant and that my hubby and I should try it.  When your fishmonger recommends a sushi restaurant and he has lived in San Francisco, you trust his judgement.  We will be visiting the place he mentioned, and I will report back to you on it.  He also told me that the tuna was great today, which was obvious just by looking at it, but I appreciated him pointing it out, none the less.

At the Meat Counter, the Butcher and I had never met before.  So I joked around with him a bit and then asked him what was good today.  Of course at first you get the standard, "It's all good!"  But with a little more prodding I was able to find out that there was some great lamb sausages available today, and that I should wait til Saturday to get any beef because there is an "event" happening.  So, even though I did not purchase anything at the Meat Counter today, I walked away with a wealth of knowledge.  Had I not already had so much perishable seafood in my basket, the lamb would have come home with me for sure.

The point here, is that you should get to know these people if you are able to shop in a store where you can actually talk to them.  Joke around with them.  Let them know what level of foodie or chef you are, and they can sometimes point you in the direction of some fantastic food, and often get you the best value for your money!

So, what is in the basket today?

From the Produce Department we have (all Organic unless otherwise noted):

Shitake Mushrooms

Baby Portobello Mushrooms

Boston Lettuce

Green Beans (not organic)

Carrots with their tops

Red Beets with their tops (this is a two for one veggie: greens and beets)

Baby Spinach

Red Pears

Aurora Apples (my new favorite)

From the Seafood Department we have (all Wild and Fresh)

Sashimi Grade Tuna

American Shrimp

Blue Mussels

As I type the mussels are in a bowl of floured water so that they can purge.  They were quite muddy when I got them home, so I knew they needed it (remembered they are wild, not cultivated), plus all their beards were in their shells, and the purge helps to get them to spit their beards out (so to speak).

We have decided this is the year to really start paying even closer attention to what we are putting in our bodies.  Our intent is to buy more organic produce, and more wild seafood, grass-fed meats, and free range poultry.  I discovered an amazing food co-op here in Indy for the meat and poultry, and I can't wait to get my first delivery of meats in March.  I will be writing more on that soon as well.

That is all for now, as the mussels are calling my name!

Easy Shmeezy, Pesto Pea-zy

They say that variety is the spice of life, but how about using some spice to put some variety in your life?

My latest spice obsession has been Smoked Paprika.  I put it on everything.  I have always been a fan of regular paprika.  Most people associate it with the red color on deviled eggs, but it really is so much more.  It tenderizes, and adds peppery flavor.  I just love it.

So, when I saw Smoked Paprika in the store a while back, of course I picked some up.  It adds smokiness to foods without the funkiness of cumin.  It is so versatile!  You haven't had sweet potato fry perfection, until you have put Smoked Paprika on your sweet potato fries! When you grill fish for fish tacos, add a little Smoked Paprika, you are gonna love it!  Then of course there is garlic aioli with Smoked Paprika...yummmmy!  The list goes on and on, but here is how I am using it today!

Take a pound of boneless skinless chicken thighs, Smoked Paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Cover the chicken thighs with all the spices (about a tsp each of SP and G, and 1/2 tsp each of the S&P), and let it marinade in the fridge for the day.

Put a cast iron skillet on medium heat, and add a little of your favorite oil (Coconut Oil here).

Cook for 8 minutes on the first side.

Cook for 6 minutes on the other side.  Make sure to check your chicken for doneness, as the size of thighs and heat of your pan may vary from mine.

Serve it up for some total deliciousness!

Tonight I am serving mine with Pesto Pea Salad on page 77 of Barefoot Contessa at Home,

Spinach, Peas, Pesto, and Parmesan with Walnuts (my improvisation).

Easy, Shmeezy, Pesto Pea-zy!

Try toasting the nuts in the microwave.  I left out the salt, because I felt that between the pesto and the parm there was already plenty of salt in the dish.

...and Wanna Be's Oven Roasted Veggies.

Oven at 475.  Red Peppers, Onions, and Mushrooms on a pan with olive oil, sea salt, and fresh cracked pepper.

Tonight Marcus cut up the mushrooms.  Yes, with a real knife.

Cook until brown and caramelized (about 20 minutes).

Enjoy.

No making fun of the McDonald's plates!  We WERE adding a little spice to our meal!

 Then when you are reading a good book after dinner, get leftover salad out of the fridge and enjoy while reading.  He ate the WHOLE thing!

Easy Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese Croutons

Mmmmmm!  When I first read those words on the page, I knew this would be one of the first recipes that I made for my family.  In case you haven't noticed, soup has been really popular around here lately, and any way that I can get more tomatoes in to my fellas makes me a happy gal!  This recipe is comfort food in a bowl, that will take you back to the days of eating canned tomato soup, but it is much more sophisticated.  This recipe is on page 56 of Barefoot Contessa Foolproof.  You should give it a try, you WON'T be sorry that you did!

Tomatoes, onions, garlic, chicken stock, and pasta.  What could possible be bad about that?

Home bubblin' pot of yummy!

Adding a little heavy cream never hurt anyone, right?

Time to make the croutons!

Plate it all up!

Now enjoy the deliciousness!

All I can say is that this was really delicious!  The saffron totally makes the soup, so if you don't have the saffron, step away from the recipe.  If the cost of saffron seems prohibitive, try looking for it at TJ Maxx, they usually have little jars of it on the cheap, and they are always fine quality. 

There were two things that I did different.  First, I mistakenly grabbed a can of Trader Joe's Marinara instead of crushed tomatoes.  After reading the ingredients on the can, I decided to just go with it, and I have total faith that it didn't change the taste of the soup any.  Second, I could not find Gruyere cheese anywhere, all I could find was smoked Gruyere   I decided that the smokiness might not play well with the saffron, so I opted to make the croutons with a cheddar and mozzarella  blend.  There is NO doubt in my mind that the Gruyere would have made this already terrific dish even better, so next time I will make sure that I have it on hand, but my improvised croutons were still a big hit.  One other little minor thing that I did, to make it more appealing to my kiddo, I used star shaped pasta instead of orzo.  Worked like a charm.  First time the kid has ever asked if he can take leftover soup in his lunch!