Oven Roasted Green Beans

Who KNEW you could cook your green beans in the oven?
I have roasted plenty of veggies in the oven, over the years -
     squash, zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant, corn, mushrooms, etc. . . .  . . .but, never green beans.
And, I will try anything that will make my life just a little bit easier.
I served these green beans with the grilled potato salad (previous post),
     and a smoked, beef brisket (recipe, soon to come). 

Oven Roasted Green Beans
Inspired by Food Network Magazine

Preheat oven at 450 degrees.
Put 1/4 cup water on a baking sheet.
Place approx. 1 lb. green beans on baking sheet.
Smash as many garlic cloves as you like ( I LOVE garlic) and place them on top of the beans.
Drizzle the beans and garlic with olive oil. 
Roast approx. 20 minutes, or until beans are tender and have a slightly charred look. 
Salt and pepper to taste.

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How's it taste? 

     De-lish!

Would I use this recipe again? 

I have used it twice, and will use it many more times.
LOVE simple, easy recipes, where the main ingredient is the star of the show.

Enjoy!


 

Grilled Potato Salad !

I love potato salad, but not just any kind.
There are so many different variations.
I prefer less mayo, more mustard and lemon juice ( like my mom's ),
     or a vinegar based salad.
It's the tangy flavor that I go for.   
 

I recently combined a few of Mario Batali's potato salads . . . into one.

They were different variations of the same basic recipe,
     and with the ingredients used, one really can't go wrong. 
Because it is not a mayonnaise based salad,
     this is a GREAT potato salad to serve up anywhere.

There is a lot going on in this salad, but I love that you can taste all of the individual flavors.
I also like my potato salad to have some "crunch", and this one definitely does.
And, grilling the potatoes makes this recipe extra good.

How's it taste?   
     Really Good.

Would I use this recipe again? 
     Definitely. 
     This one tastes as good as we were hoping,
          and will be added to my list of "recipes worth repeating".

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Grilled Potato Salad
Inspired by Mario Batali

2 pounds small potatoes (Yukon Gold or Ruby Crescent)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (or 2 teaspoons dried)
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 med. red onion thinly sliced
2 celery stalks finely chopped
2 teaspoons capers

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Add potatoes, bring back to a boil, and cook for 6 minutes. 
Drain, and let cool enough to be able to handle.
Cut the potatoes into 1/2 inch slices.
Grill for about 15 minutes, turning occasionally,
      until potatoes are lightly browned and tender.

Whisk together red wine vinegar, olive oil, and Dijon mustard.

Toss together all ingredients in a large bowl, and serve warm or at room temperature.   

Keep in mind that if there are certain ingredients you do not care for,
      you could easily leave them out.
There are enough yummy ingredients in this dish that work well together,
     so there is room to mess around.    

Enjoy!

Fresh Strawberry Balsamic Basil Daiquiri

So, I was excited to try this recipe because the basil and balsamic intrigued me.
The recipe was given for one serving size,
     and I used enough ingredients to serve the four adults I had over for dinner.

When I tasted this drink, I was hoping for a "wow" factor.  Like, "Wow, this is really different and good!"

Now, granted, this is supposed to be a healthy version of a strawberry daiquiri, and it is.
There is no added sugar, though the cook's note on the recipe suggests adding up to 1/2 t superfine sugar, per serving, if your strawberries are not very sweet.

The sweet tooth of the bunch would have liked that.

I do not have much of a sweet tooth, so I prefer a drink with less sugar. 
I prefer a margarita with just lime juice and liquor - no sugar.

But . . . back to the strawberry daiquiri.

The initial taste in my mouth was somewhat . . . flat.
After taking a few sips, and really focusing on the flavors, I could taste the basil.  
Though the flavor was not strong, it did add an interesting twist.

The balsamic was barely noticeable.
Overall, the drink was good, but the added ingredients did not make it special ENOUGH.
Someone mentioned that it tasted like a healthy smoothy, which is accurate.

So, then, why bother with the liquor, at all?

I would like to try this drink again, and maybe "tweak" it a bit.
If it comes out better or more exciting,  I will let you know.
If you would like to try a go at "tweaking" it yourself,
     and come up with something good, please share!

This could be fun. 

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How's it taste?  

     Good, but disappointing.

Would I use this recipe again?   

     Yes, as a healthy smoothy.
     Not as something to impress a group of friends at a happy hour.

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Writer's note:
     I will never again forget to put the "i" after the "a" in the word "daiquiri".
    

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Fresh Strawberry Balsamic Basil Daiquiri
Recipe courtesy Ted Allen

Recipe from:  www.foodnetwork.com



Prep Time: 5 min.
Serves: 1 drink

Ingredients:
1/4 cup ice cubes
1/2 cup sliced fresh strawberries
4 T light rum
1/2 t balsamic vinegar
2 large fresh basil leaves ( plus 1 for garnish )

Father's Day Menu

We'll start with . . . Strawberry Daiquiris ! ! !

Red wine (to be determined) served with dinner.

Beef Brisket, slow cooking on the grill (as we speak).
Grilled potato salad.
Green beans, oven roasted with garlic.
Dessert - undecided.  Possibly strawberry shortcake.

How's it taste?
Check back tomorrow for the recipes and results! 

And, to all of you fathers out there, HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!! 

I Prefer Red

I am not a wine connoisseur, but I know what I like.

I prefer RED, and I drink the recommended amount.
Sometimes, a little bit more.   

That's not to say that I have not enjoyed a few bottles of WHITE.
But, as I said, I prefer RED. 

If I read the description on the label, I can most likely identify all of the flavors that it suggests.
The hint of oak or coffee, cherry or mulberry, plum, fig, or vanilla.
Dry, sweet, or full bodied.
I can take a sip and say,
 

 "Yes, I taste that!  I TASTE that oak, that coffee . . . that mulberry!"   

On the other hand, if you were to ask me to identify the flavors WITHOUT looking at the label,
     I probably could not. 
I COULD tell you whether I liked it, or not,
     and whether it was TOO dry, TOO sweet, TOO tart, or . . . quite nice.   


Recently, I have enjoyed two very good bottles of red:

     1) Tormaresca, Neprica, 2010, Puglia, Italy

          Tasting notes (CostcoWineBlog.com):  

"Nothing crazy jumps out on the nose, a little spicy, floral, but then the dark fruit flavors with some chocolate and tobacco kicks in.  Dry finish, some pepper that hangs out for a while.  Easy to enjoy." 

and 

     2)  Cholilaranch, Malbec, 2009, Patagonia, Argentina

          Tasting notes (from the label):

"Deep purple color. Aromos of ripe plum and mulberry with violet hints.  

     Ripe black fruits and fig on the palate with touches of smoke and vanilla."

I purchase both of these bottles for under $20 at Total Wine & More in Fairfax, Virginia.  

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How's it taste? 

     Both QUITE good.  On their own, OR with a meal.  

Would I purchase them both again? 

     DEFINITELY.

How's it taste?

Recently, several people have asked how my "blogging" is coming along.  
You see, I have another blog titled "Becoming Me - Upside Down"

( http://blog.becoming-me.us ),

      to which I posted my first story on Wednesday, March 31, 2010

 (cheers, cheers, clapping, clapping). 

It was something I wanted to do for myself.
Blogging, after all, is a very selfish activity. 
I described this blog (and I'm sticking with it today) as
     "My "TAKE" on life - daily observations, anecdotes, laughs . . . . . . stories",
which is exactly what it is.
If you have not read it, I suggest that you do.
I am selfish, after all.

Seriously, though, I think you will enjoy it.


For awhile now, though, I have been wanting to start a NEW blog.
A blog that focuses on something  more . . . specific.
Something that people might GO TO for advice or suggestions or ideas.  
Something, quite honestly, that (for me) does not take up as much brain power or creative energy
 (that sometimes gets zapped by my day-to-day responsibilities,
          and then I have nothing left to blog about).
Something that maybe I DO every day, or THINK ABOUT every day,
      that would be like SECOND NATURE for me to write about.

Something like breathing or laughing or . . . EATING.

So, the same night an old friend told me to write about something I know (thank you, Chris),
     I posted a unique recipe for a strawberry daiquiri on Facebook.
I love to find recipes online, most using simple and basic ingredients (for the every day kitchen).
I print them out, and put them in a file until a day when I can use them.

And, I usually do.    

Anyways, one of my friends who responded on Facebook said,
     "You might have to post how it tastes."

Ah HA!  

And, that was it.

Two years, two months after my first blog, and the numbers switched around ( May 13, 2012). . .
     the birth, the beginning, the creation of my new blog, howsitaste.blogspot.com

Welcome!

 I hope it tastes as good as we were hoping.  


And, a big thank you to Melinda!


She may not know it, but she helped me come up with the name : )