Sweet crepes or Savory crepes? Both please!

Saturday mornings are my favorite time of the week. Cartoons o'plenty. No rushing around. The whole weekend ahead. This morning Beni woke up with a wild hair for some crepes. After briefly discussing whether we should have fruit filled or go the spinach and cheese route, we decided we really wanted both. Beni first prepped the fillings; chopped strawberries and apricots for the fruit filled, and seasoned steamed spinach with shredded cheese. Then came the soft and tasty wrappings.

The spinach crepes went into the oven for a bit to melt the cheese on top, then were sprinkled with onion.
Put 'em all together... Voila!


The strawberry apricot crepes were filled with some cream cheese and the fruit combination, then topped with "organic" strawberry syrup and fresh blueberries. The kids loved these and so did I!

Ancho Mahi with Peachy-Pico

Well this is what happens if I don't blog right after the meal... I forget the fun details!!
At least I remember the TASTE!
Below are pics of Mahi Mahi on a bed of rice topped with some funky (in a good way) Ancho pepper sauce Beni invented.
To balance out the strong pepper taste, we had a side salad topped with a peachy pico de gallo.

Sushi take-out

Not a lot going on in the Helf kitchen the last couple of days. We're a pretty busy family.
Last night was a dual effort for dinner. I boiled some angel hair pasta and heated up some Bertolli 'Organic' (3 packs on sale at Sam's), while Beni grilled some Italian sausage and steamed the farmers' market brussel sprouts. The brussels got tossed in a little butter, lemon juice, garlic powder, and fresh dill.
The Bertolli label was refreshing to read. All whole ingredients. No additives or preservatives. Tomatoes, olive oil, onions, sugar, sea salt, garlic, basil, black pepper, and oregano. Home-made sauce is the best, but that jar was not bad at all.

Tonight I was craving sushi, so I stopped off at Ichiban on the way home. The boys devoured their California rolls. I had Nigiri Hamachi and Sake (Yellowtail and Salmon) with a salad, and Beni had the Curried Beef "as spicy as it comes" per my request. Beni gave it a big thumbs up as the sweat poured down his face. I was terribly sad when Rice Village closed, but Ichiban's sushi was really good and apparently so is the curry. We'll be going back.

I'll be doing some grocery shopping in the next few days to restock the kitchen. Check back this weekend to see what Beni cooks!

Monday Night Salad

Tonight we had a hearty greek chicken salad, and it really hit the spot;
Crisp red and green lettuce, summer tomato from our visit to the farmers' market, red onion, and artichoke hearts.
The chicken breast meat was sauteed with roasted pine nuts, capers, balsamic vinegar, and of course, plenty of garlic.

Our weeknights get pretty hectic, with me not getting home from work until around 6:00 and Beni having to head off to bed around 7:30 due to waking up for work at 3:30am. I'm so grateful to be able to sit at the table with my family for however brief a time it may be and enjoy a good meal and some lively banter. Beni's meals make it happen.
On a good night there's even time to go out in the backyard together and swing or play baseball, while the days are long anyway. It's hard to get the boys in bed before dark, but I'll go give it a shot. I'm beat.

Life Happens

Well, we had a pretty good run of it. 4 exceptional dinners in a row.

Unfortunately, our plumbing had other plans for us Sunday night. Meet the culprit:

Thanks to this little rusted out havoc reeking pipe, Beni's evening was spent in the water heater closet. Well, except for when I was in the closet catching water with a bowl and a pitcher while he ran around frantically trying to get the water shut off and the pipes emptied out. It was quite a scene.
So the family fended for themselves for dinner. I ate some left over potato salad and coleslaw, and later came back to the kitchen for a spoonful of cashew butter dipped in powdered sugar. Eli had a bean and cheese burrito. Wiley had a veggie burger and some pretzels.
After Beni got cleaned up, he sat down to a nice plate of microwaved burritos and a Busch Light. Eat your heart out Emeril.

Did He Just Say Ribs Benedict?

Yes, your eyes do not deceive you. That is a picture of Ribs Benedict...











Red onions sprinkled over 2 poached eggs atop shredded smoked pork rib meat tossed in hickory-hoisin sauce and a nice chunk of corn bread.

Is that manly or what?

If You Teach a Boy to Cook... You Just Might Get Black Cherry Glazed BBQ Beef Ribs

Last night we got to host dinner for the woman I have to thank for Beni's culinary influence, his mother. I know she'll be reading, so THANKS, LAURA! I hope you enjoyed it.
Our kids definitely have an interest in diverse foods and in cooking. I encourage all you moms and dads out there to teach your kids to cook. It's a life-skill that I think has been disappearing in this age of frozen meals and fast food for the "on-the-go" lifestyles we lead. And when we're all old fuddy-duddies and become dependent on our children for care, would you rather they heat you up a frozen dinner or whip up something like this...


Saturday night's menu:
Chunky slaw made with Farmers' Market cabbage and peppers, plus carrots, white wine vinegar, and a little sugar.
Creamy potato salad made with red and gold potatoes, red onion, dill weed, olive oil mayonnaise, sour cream, and a whole garlic bulb which Beni smoked in the cooker for a while.
And the star of the show, 2 kinds of smoked ribs (and you thought we just ate healthy all the time). Traditional BBQ pork ribs and Beni's own invention, Black Cherry glazed Beef Ribs, inspired by the cherry wood he used in the smoker.

Dinner was finger-lickin' fantastic. The beef ribs had a thin crunchy layer of charred cherry glaze which instantly gave way to the tender juicy smoked meat underneath that slid right off the bone.
The fresh tartness of the slaw was an excellent partner to the sticky sweetness, and the creamy potato salad rounded out the trio of flavor combinations.

As my sons continue to grow like weeds, left-overs are occurring less frequently in this house, but when we have them, we don't let them go to waste.
You're not going to believe what Beni did with the leftover pork rib meat... for Sunday breakfast!

O Duck Eggs Where Art Thou?

Before I dive into the details of Beni's TWO amazing creations for Saturday (brunch AND dinner... I know, I know... I've got it really rough), I want to talk a little bit about where our ingredients came from, because I have another motive behind this blog in addition to just bragging about my husband. I'm here to sing the praises of WHOLE FOODS. No, not the market chain, but actual unprocessed, unrefined foods that aren't polluted with added sugar, salt, or fat.
If you're not a label reader, I challenge you to start reading them on everything you buy. For today's lesson, let's talk a minute about MSG. It's not just in Chinese food. It's everywhere.
For the most part, studies have shown it's basically harmless in adult humans when "eaten at customary levels". Glutamic acid and it's glutamates occur naturally in foods, especially when fermented or aged, but the process of extracting the ions and salts (monosodium glutimate = MSG) and injecting them into everything we eat as an additive seems really unnatural to me.
While the science community is split on whether there truly are detrimental health effects from MSG, as long as there are disagreements, it make sense to me to stay cautious; Especially when they are using words like "neurotoxic effects" and "neurodegenerative effects", and "particularly concerned with potential effects in infants and young children".
AND, for anyone out there trying to lose some weight (like me), there is a positive link between MSG intake and obesity in humans.
I'll save my story for how I've lost 40 pounds this year (even with this gourmet chef living in my house) just by eliminating certain foods for another day.
But for now, read your labels and be on the look out for words like monosodium glutimate, added flavors, artificial flavors, natural flavors (yes, they use the term "natural flavors" when in fact it's MSG, because they used "natural" ingredients that when fermented create their own MSG). This link has some other names for hidden MSG: http://www.msgmyth.com/hidename.htm

So enough preaching and back to Saturday's ingredients...
One nice thing (the only nice thing) about having children that are insanely early risers is that they get us up in plenty of time to hit the Fayetteville Farmers' Market bright and early and get to the good stuff before they run out. The weather was phenomenally sunny and cool and the square was hustling and bustling this weekend. Here's some of the loot we brought home with us:

Tomatoes, super sweet onion, cabbage, banana peppers, purple bell pepper, brussel sprouts (on the stalk! The boys were stoked about that one), and half a dozen veggie-fed duck eggs.
All but the brussel sprouts are featured in Saturday's meals.

Saturday morning's Soundtrack: Alison Krauss and Union Station (hence the O Brother soundtrack reference in today's post title) and a little Paolo Nutini.

Saturday brunch: Eggs in Tomato Sauce
If you've got leftover tomato sauce, this meal takes about 5 minutes, but we didn't, so Beni made fresh sauce blanching the tomatoes from the farmers' market and crushing them. *Note: This dish is supremely better with home-made sauce, but store-bought can be used if you must.
In a sauce pan, Beni cooked some crushed garlic in olive oil and then added the prepped tomatoes and simmered until it thickened up.

Once it was ready, he cracked each of the six duck eggs and gently slid them into the sauce (so as to keep the yolks whole). Next, the pan went into the pre-heated 400 degree oven until the whites were set and the yolks were still a little runny.

The eggs and sauce were then plated with a nice crusty piece of Ciabatta toast and topped with fresh basil and parmesan.



I sincerely felt like I was sitting down to a little piece of Italian heaven. The sauce was simple and delicious. The eggs were rich and creamy, and the toast added an ideal contrasting texture to the dish.

Needless to say we were nourished enough to last us until dinner time. Stay tuned to find out what became of that cabbage and those peppers.

Scallywag-Scallops

Why are the scallops always gone?

Tonight's dinner is a tribute to pirates (apparently). Mostly due to the plethora of Sailor Jerry's rum consumed by the adults tonight.
The kids contributed to tonight's buccaneer theme with some excited banter around pirate names at the dinner table.
Our final draft of names is as follows:
Eli is "Earshot" (because he hears everything, and holds you accountable).
Wiley wanted to be Captain Blackbeard, but after we explained that was taken, and he wasn't old enough for Captain yet, he agreed to "Wild-eye".
Papa's handle remains "Captain No-beard", and apparently Mama is now "Treasure Chesticles". "Stinky Hag" was a close second (thanks Wiley) with "Bobo-bee-boo" rounding out third place.

I had no idea what was on the menu tonight, but on my way home from work, I got a text message to pick up some cilantro, so I knew it had to be good. I picked up the cilantro (not flat leaf parsley as Beni tried to trick me into believing I had done) as well as some other staples, and as I put the milk in the fridge I got a peek at what was to come.


Scallops seasoned with chopped home-made chipotle peppers and other spices. Sliced corn tortilla strips to be fried up and seasoned, and what was essentially the makings of a fine Ceviche, but without the fish (onions, tomatoes, cucumber, spicy peppers, lots of lime, and some additional spices). Ceviche being one of my all-time favorite dishes, I knew this combination was going to be fantastic.



The final dish was plated as follows:
A bed of endive and butter-leaf salad with wings of Avacado slices; topped with the snappy salsa marinade; then crowned with the superbly crispy tortilla strips.
These ingredients laid the foundation for 4 flawlessly grilled scallops coated in the home-made chipotle marinade, and the entire dish was sprinkled with fresh cilantro (which made the meal, so big thanks to me for picking up the correct spice at the store).
Sailor Jerry would agree this was a meal fit for a pirate-king, and lucky me, it was prepared by a pirate-king that loves his family as much as his food.


Thanks for reading about what Beni cooked! I hope it inspires you to explore the infinite flavors of whole foods available to you and your family.
Taste the love!

(I'm really not that cutesy... It must be the rum talking.)

Ahi Endeavour

No soundtrack tonight, but we did watch some video of yesterday's Endeavour launch. Beni actually knows several NASA pilots!

Mama was late getting home from work and threw a wrench in the dinner mojo. BUT...
Beni, the exemplary, incomparable and six sigma certified husband of all husbands, overcame exhaustion from waking up at around two o'clock this morning to prepare another fantastic meal for everyone to envy me over.

Tonight was Seared Ahi Tuna, mildly seasoned and perfectly rare served with a cucumber dipping sauce, grilled Candy Corn, and a fantastic Greek-ish salad tossed in oil and vinegar with artichoke hearts, green olives, and capers. The cucumber and candy corn came fresh from a co-worker's garden today. The corn was sweet and juicy, and Beni's "secret" dipping sauce really tied the meal together. It was sweet, tangy, and married consummately with the piquant taste of the salad and the scrumptious tuna.

The kids LOVED it... Check out the gorgeous color of that tuna!

At tonight's table we got to hear about the boys' bowling adventure with Miss Bridget. Eli scored 100 and Wiley 99. Wiley said the man that got his ball unstuck from the gutter was really nice. Eli told me about the group of "old ladies" that were "really awesome". One of them got 5 strikes in a row. Makes me want to start a bowling league. Any takers? We could get some killer silk jackets with our names embroidered on them...

Stay tuned for updates on the next Helf delicacy! Who knows... Maybe Erin will cook something...

Punk-rock Mahi Mahi

Tonight's soundtrack: Guttermouth, Pennywise, NOFX, and Bad Religion on Pandora


The meal:
Marinated then grilled Mahi-Mahi.
Steamed broccoli with lemon pepper.
An assortment of toasted Pumpernickel and French Bread bruschetta topped with:
A spread of fresh pressed basil, olive oil, chopped olives, garlic and walnuts; Then fresh sliced red and yellow locally grown tomatoes from Ozark Natural Foods; And finally shredded Cheddar goat cheese.

While Beni cooked:
Erin and the boys let their punk tendencies loose with a brief mosh-pit in the living room.
Eli gave some commentary on the foul mouths of punk rock singers.
Wiley notified the family, "I'm a real dude".
Papa commanded, "No skankin'"

At the table:
Eli asked the difference between red and yellow tomatoes.
Beni informed us that the yellow tomatoes have a lower acid levels than red.
Erin found herself eating way to fast and blamed it on the music... and the tasty food.
Wiley told us how much fun he had watching Leonardo sing at the Fayetteville Public Library today with Bridget the super-nanny.

Review:
Though they look kind of mean, Mahi-mahi is one of my favorite fish, especially when eaten in a taco on the beach in Kauai... But grilled to perfection by my husband, to whom all other husbands should bow down, it pretty good too. It's so meaty and flavorful and flaky and delicate all at the same time.
The bruschetta was the star of my plate with bright red and yellow tomatoes that tasted just like summer should. The basil really set off the flavors while the walnuts' added a satisfying texture. And the funky cheddar goat's milk cheese was perfectly tangy and smooth. The combination was all together savory.

Did you know Goat cheeses are easier to digest than cow's milk cheeses because the fat cells are smaller, thereby more closely resembling human milk. This also allows the fat to be broken down and more easily assimilated.
Well now you know.

A note about seafood - My political agendas aside, I really urge folks to make sure and look closely at the seafood you are buying, especially if it's frozen. Check out where it's coming from. Is is wild catch or farmed? Is it local or imported? For Christ's sake, please don't buy anything from China.
Monterey Bay Aquarium has some good info on choosing seafood.
Monterey Bay Aquarium- Mahi Mahi

Thanks for reading, and come back later to see what Beni cooks next!