grilled calamari and nectarine salad

i'm pretty sure it's not cool to admit,

but i love my reality tv. and even less cool

to admit: i'm a fan of the food network.

are there food celebrities who i cannot stand?

yes.

are there recipes that make me

stand up and yell at the tv, accusing the

chefs of misleading the not-so-knife-savvy

that they can chop two onions and 3 cloves

of garlic in the time that it takes a tablespoon

of olive oil to warm itself?

yes.

are there times

that larry has to listen to 5 minutes of my

amazement that a chef will cut an avocado

and then tell us to use it as a garnish when

the stew will not be ready to be served for thirty minutes?

yes!

but, i'm still a fan of the food network.

i love that they've been a huge part of the

cooking movement, inspiring people to

get back to the kitchen, or more likely,

getting them into the kitchen for the first time.

i believe in a network that makes food fun

and cooking less of a chore and is trying,

very slowly, but surely to offer up a bit

of diversity, in the dishes and the chefs

they are offering.

and, i loved when they bit the bullet

and offered up their form of reality tv,

several years ago, with the

next food network star. i have watched

every season, and often - as is very unusual

with most reality television - my early

pick has won. (fingers crossed that the

streak continues - susie and jeff,

i'm pulling for you two.)

last year was no exception.

i loved aarti from the beginning,

as much for her fun personality

as my recent interest in indian food.

and, she herself was a food

blogger. the day after she won,

my mom texted me and said,

already scheduled the dvr to record

aarti's first show!

while i'll admit that it's rare,

these days that i'm watching tv on saturday

mornings, i'm thrilled when i am home and

am able to turn on the tv in time to catch

an episode. i always learn something or

get an idea for my own food.

and last weekend, when i caught less

than 5 minutes of her show before having

to run out to meet my family for breakfast,

that was all it took to decide what i was

making for dinner the following night.

she was pulling nectarine wedges off

a grill pan and adding them

to a bed of lemony greens, along with

garlicky squid. it was the kind of salad

i would have ordered without a second thought

on any day in a restaurant.

but, knowing that it had been nearly 100

degrees for days and that the last thing

either of us really wanted to do was

serious sunday night-cooking, this salad

seemed inevitable. in the best possible way.

while we have a grill that we use regularly,

we really wouldn't have wanted to head outside. i was so glad that

the recipe actually said to use a grill pan. sometimes,

i need a little pat on the back, a little that's-ok. and right

there, telling me that i could use a grill pan, that i didn't have

to go through the trouble of threading the teeny squid

onto soaked skewers and cook the nectarines in a basket,

that made the recipe extra appealing.

and here's the funny thing: when i cook a dish

for the first time, i obsess about it until

it's on the plate in front of me. i think about

what it will taste like, what it will look like,

if i should change the chives to scallions or

use almonds instead of pine nuts. i think about

it as i'm cooking it and still, i find myself making

changes even when i should be finished

and am one second away from

tossing it into a bowl.

but, with this recipe, there was none of that.

ok, maybe it's more fair to say there was very little

of that. i guess the truths are this:

the salad looked good.

i guess, as it turns out, i trust aarti

(i've yet to see her cut an avocado too early).

none of the ingredients were so tempting to mess with.

so, i bought the squid.

(coolest thing: the store divided the squid between

two trays: bodies and tentacles so i was able to ask

for a 50/50 ratio). i picked up two nectarines.

i grabbed arugula, a lemon and a few very juicy limes.

and that was it. the rest i had at home.

i prepared the ingredients, staying pretty close to

recipe with just a few tiny alterations. first -

and it pains me to say this - i had a lot of trouble

reading the recipe. several times, the recipe writer

in me wanted to stop, rewrite the recipe and then

make it. so, ultimately, i think i made everything

the way that it was intended, but i can't be sure.

also, there was this: the recipe called for

a couple pinches of a couple different spices and

when it comes to seasoning, i always believe

in going (carefully) bolder. and, because

we were eating this as our meal,

i added an extra nectarine.

but, i don't want you to think that i have any

complaints: we loved this salad. it was garlicky

and citrus-laced and, even with the extra spice,

still delicately kissed with garam masala.

but, all of the flavors managed to share the spotlight

without competing. the nectarines were really

amazing on the grill and the calamari, cooked

exactly as instructed, were tender and lightly

charred and easily the centerpiece of the dish.

it was the kind of summer salad, that as i was

eating it, i was thinking about the next time

i could make it. and it's the kind of dish, that

as i was writing this, larry came up and said,

that was really good. i hope we can make it again.

it's the reason that i refuse to apologize for

my love of the food network and my love of reality

tv. without either, i never would have found

aarti party. or, this salad. or, these recipes:

spicy baked onions rings

spaghetti with turkey meatballs

whole grain pasta with spinach and goat cheese

mediterranean squid stew with pearl onions, artichokes and olives

rosemary focaccia

grilled calamari and nectarine salad

adapted from aarti party

as i said, i made a few changes to this recipe, but nothing major: i upped the number of nectarines from 1 to 2 and i used a good amount of garam masala compared to what was called for, in the marinade. a couple changes that i may make next time: i was not sure how necessary the lemon juice was (it's tossed with arugula), because i thought that the lime-garlic marinade was substantial enough to carry the dish. i'm including it below, so that you can make the decision. i also, loved (loved, loved) the tentacles and i may be 100% tentacles the next time around.

ok, when i just went to write up this recipe, it turns out that i may have left out the cumin. honestly, i don't remember putting it in, but i know that i read everything several times before i started cooking, so maybe i did? (i'm sure this is instilling a lot of trust.) i'm not putting it the ingredient list because i really don't think i used it, but if you want to add it in, use 1/2 teaspoon.

3 cloves garlic, peeled

2 juicy limes, halved

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for grilling

2 generous pinches tumeric

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

2-3 pinches red chile flakes

kosher salt and ground black pepper

2 large firm, but ripe, nectarines, pitted and cut into 6ths

1 pound baby squid, cleaned (tubes and tentacles) and patted dry

4 really large handfuls arugula, washed and dried

1/2 lemon, juiced

on cutting board, very finely chop garlic; sprinkle generously with kosher salt. let sit 5 minutes; using the back of your knife, mash the garlic to form a paste. place garlic in the bowl; juice the lime into the bowl. add the cumin (if using), tumeric, garam masala and red pepper flakes; whisk in the olive oil. season with salt and pepper.

transfer 3 tablespoons garlic marinade to small mixing bowl; add squid, tossing to coat. set aside.

heat grill pan over high heat. drizzle nectarines lightly with olive oil.

place nectarines on grill; cook 1 minute on each side, or until grill marks appear. (for me, by the time i put all of the nectarines down, it was time to turn the first ones.) transfer nectarines to plate.

make sure that the grill pan is still very, very hot. remove the squid from the marinade, letting the excess marinade drip off (discard any marinade remaining in that bowl). place squid on the grill, one piece at a time. cook 6 minutes, turning once. (if you are worried that the squid is overcooking as i was, here's 2 tricks, one from aarti, one from me. from aarti: if the squid sticks, it's not ready. give it 30 more seconds. from me: take one off the grill pan and taste it.)

remove the squid from the marinade. using a sharp knife, cut bodies into rings. toss hot tentacles and rings with the remaining garlic marinade.

toss the arugula with the lemon juice. divide among plates; top with grilled nectarines, grilled squid and the marinade mixture, if desired.

buttermilk lime ice pops

i had one of those moments recently.

you know what i'm talking about -

you go into home goods,

crossing your fingers that the perfect rug

or lamp or outdoor furniture has arrived,

only to leave $7 poorer and the

proud new owner of ice pop molds.

it was kind of inevitable that they -

or something similar -

would one day find their way into our house.

larry likes cold desserts. a lot.

i'm not sure, but i think he would pass up

cake or a slice of pie or maybe cookies,

for a bowl of ice cream. a few months ago,

he was looking through the latest

williams-sonoma catalog and he pointed out

a mold machine that was very tempting,

but was absolutely overpriced. and last month,

when visiting my sister, she pulled

mickey mouse molds - procured earlier in the

year in disney - out of the freezer.

it was only a matter of time.

we are in major money watching mode,

thanks to the whole house buying/moving thing.

we cannot make frivolous purchases.

but, when i saw these molds, i knew that it

was a decision that meant more than spending

out of turn. it meant taking a stab at being

a good wife. if the tables were turned and i held

a deep love for anything icy,

larry would have bought them without pause.

he was away and i instantly envisioned filling

and freezing them, greeting him with a pop

upon his arrival. but then, it was three days later,

he was due home in about 4 hours and i hadn't

done anything. i started looking at recipes

and saw a lot more work than i was expecting:

simmering, blending straining, partial freezing.

i was not up for this.

but, then, i had one of those fortuitous moments

that i always think only happens to other people.

i saw a recipe for buttermilk and lemon ice pops.

two days before, still unsure which hamburger buns

i was going to make (these or these),

i picked up a carton of buttermilk. afterward,

i was lingering somewhere at annoyance at myself

for the unnecessary purchase and the desire to make

a chess pie, but it was still sitting in the fridge,

destonationless.

but now, ice pops.

it seemed too good to be true.

there was only one thing: lemon.

i spent a long time anti-lemon.

as you can see here, here and here,

i've grown out of that. but, i still got annoyed

this year when the irish soda bread that i picked

up was lemon-scented and i wasn't so

sure that i was up for lemon ice pops.

luckily, i love lime.

saying that i love lime is probably an

understatement. i can never have enough.

and so, buttermilk-lime ice pops were born.

have you ever tasted buttermilk?

not good, right? and, yet. i can never resist

sampling just a tiny bit, even though i always

regret it. i just can never get over how unpleasant

it tastes. yet by adding just a couple ingredients

to make a dressing or a glaze, or now, ice pops,

it's harshness turns into tangy deliciousness.

and for these,

it really is only a couple of ingredients:

lime juice,

lime zest,

sugar and salt.

you zest,

you juice,

you mix,

you pour,

you freeze and

you're done.

but, i'll be honest with you

about one thing that's not

so much fun:

then, you wait.

for at least four hours.

or, if you're like us,

you wait for three days,

because well, you are really

tired and dessert is the last thing

on your mind once you start commuting.

but when you finally take a lick,

or a bite, if that's how you roll,

i think you'll find they were worth

the wait: tangy, tart, sweet and,

yes, icy. for an ice pop, they feel indulgent,

but they're not so bad as these

things go. and, they're bordering on

mysterious. larry guessed sour cream,

cardamom and many other things

before i told him buttermilk and lime.

and, now, i think i'm up for pops

that might take a little more work.

but, it's important to say that when

i made these, i hardly felt like a slacker.

buttermilk lime ice pops

adapted from bon appetit magazine

i have a confession: i have no idea what size molds i bought. and i thought they were big, but after using them once, i'm now thinking they're normal. so when i was making this recipe, i doubled it, but it was probably unnecessary, considering i had a ton left over. my mold makes six, this recipe originally called for eight 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup capacity molds. as for the lime zest - i learned after several botched attempts at perfectly distributing orange zest in the olive oil pound cake that it's best to take a minute and use your fingers to separate, before adding zest to your liquids. otherwise, they clump up around the whisk, or just settle into lumps into the final product.

3-4 juicy limes

3/4 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1 2/3 cups buttermilk

zest enough limes to measure 2 tablespoons (this took me two limes). juice enough limes to measure 1/3 cup lime juice.

in 4-cup measuring cup or bowl with pour spout, whisk together sugar, lime juice, lime peel and satl. whisk in buttermilk. divide mixture among ice pop molds, leaving 1/4 inch space on top. add tops; cover and freeze 4 hours, or until firm.

thai basil chicken (gai pad krapo)

as someone who grew up

deathly - not an exaggeration -

allergic to eggs, it is kind of

weird for me to realize that two

posts in a row, not only involve

eggs, but feature them front and center.

but lest you worry about my

need for benadryl or a hospital

(i was lucky enough

to lose the allergy by college),

my cholesterol (we actually ate these

dinners over a week and a half apart)

or this blog becoming an

egg-obsessed one,

don't.

this recipe is all about the tender,

fragrant, basil-laced chicken.

and chicken?

that's not something i speak

so much about. seriously,

the last time i wrote about chicken,

it was july. so, be assured - if i'm

telling you about this recipe, i'm committed.

the egg?

just a coincidence.

--

i often have restaurant guilt -

not necessarily because it's so bad

to treat yourself to a night out,

but because i often find myself thinking,

isn't a perk of being able to cook

that you don't have to go out to dinner?

yes, there are dishes i'll never have the

desire to try at home, like...

ok, i'll admit that i just had to consult larry.

it just took us five minutes to come up with

something i'd never ever attempt to make.

we landed on shrimp tempura

(i am not a deep fryer, but probably

my arm could be twisted in the

right situation),

a wedding cake (see: name of blog)

and haggis (which i'd also never eat).

ok, i know that even though,

a night out is about much more than

even the food,

like getting out of the house,

socializing,

not worrying about timing

five different elements of one meal,

my point is this:

i like to try to make new things.

and this:

often it's a much cheaper,

more satisfying experience.

so when i came across this

year-old thai recipe on serious eats,

i was instantly in.

it had everything i need for

a weeknight dinner:

speed,

serious flavor,

a better-than-the-restaurant possibility

and a bonus: meat for larry.

and even though

neither of us had ever ordered

gai pad krapo

in a restaurant, i felt

assured that it is something

we could have ordered.

the good news:

this dish was incredibly

restaurant-worthy and

absolutely satisfying.

after some basic prep work:

slicing shallots,

chopping garlic,

mincing two serranos,

trimming and shortening

green beans,

i was ready to go.

as the first three ingredients

sizzled in the skillet,

i got the chicken ready,

pulled out the sugar and

flipped the cap off the fish sauce.

that was kind of it.

this dish came together simply

and as expected, with one exception.

as the chicken browned -

a very curious thing happened.

the whole mixture turned

a very dark brown,

most closely resembling

ground beef. i fished the

package out of the garbage

to make sure i hadn't made

an accidental purchase, but

no, it said chicken.

when larry walked in a

few minutes later,

he told me that everything

smelled good and then he

looked down at the skillet

and asked, is that beef?

that felt like victory to me.

somewhere in the prep,

i had also gently fried two eggs,

kept an eye on a simmering

saucepot of brown rice and

made a fish sauce-based

dipping sauce, which i'll give

you the recipe to,

but i understand if at this

point you think i've

gone overboard with

fish sauce sauces.

maybe because of

this or this.

to serve,

my eye traveled back

and forth from plate to bowl.

but, when we sat down to eat,

i was glad for piling the

rice, egg and chicken

on top of each other, rather than assembling

everything onto a plate.

it wasn't so pretty,

but, it tasted like comfort food

and like so many other cozy dishes,

it belonged in an unpretentious bowl.

i turned to larry, curious

what he would think of this

take on takeout.

after his first bite,

he turned to me and said,

this is good. this is really good.

i would order this in a restaurant.

and just like that:

a restaurant dinner at home.

thai basil chicken (gai pad krapo)

adapted from serious eats

i doubled the recipe so that we'd have leftovers - but it was one of those running around in a grocery store trying to do math and sometimes failing situations. i upped the shallots from one to three (purposely), only went with two serranos instead of four to six (purposely), upped the sugar by one and half times the original (gladly) and only bought one bunch of basil (accidentally). next time, i will probably add another serrano or two and i will absolutely use more basil. but it's up to you to decide how much you love basil and how much spice you can handle.

instead of placing it all on a plate, i opted to smoosh it all together in one bowl. i started with brown long grain rice, topped it with an over-easy egg and then, the chicken. to me, it made sense to eat them all together, but if you like your food separate, plate it up. also, about that egg, i'm not quite sure why i flipped it...it was good, but sunny-side up would have been, too.

2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3-4 serrano peppers, halved, seeded and finely chopped (you could also use less of red thai chilies if you can find them)

3 large shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

6 large cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

2/3 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2" lengths

1 pound ground chicken

1/4 cup fish sauce, plus more if desired

1 tablespoon sugar, plus more if desired

2 bunches basil, leaves only

in wok or large skillet over high heat, heat oil until shimmering. add serranos, shallots and garlic and cook 1 minute, or until nearly golden, stirring constantly. add green beans and cook 3 minutes, or until softened, but still crunchy.

add grown chicken; using wood spoon or spatula, break up the meat into small pieces. cook 5 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through, stirring often.

add fish sauce and sugar to pan; stir to combine. add more fish sauce or sugar, if desired.

add basil leaves; reduce heat to medium-low. cook 1 minute, or until leaves are completely wilted.

you could serve this on its own, but brown rice (or white) and an egg with a runny yolk will make it a complete meal. once it was on the table, we drizzled with the fish sauce mixture, below.

nam pla prik (chili fish sauce)

it almost seems silly to give you yet another fish sauce dipping sauce, but they're all a little different and you never know when you'll stumble upon one that's perfect for you. i left out the chilies, that were supposed to be in this one (but i'm keeping in the recipe), and also added garlic. and this one, really wasn't even a recipe as much as a guideline - which can sometimes be fun. if your finished sauce is too intense, add water.

3 to 4 parts fish sauce

1 to 2 parts lime juice

1 chili, finely chopped (or more)

1 shallot, thinly sliced (or more)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (or more)

whisk together all ingredients; taste and adjust seasoning.