Chive Talkin'

These are not my actual chives. Mine were flattened in the last driving rain.  I got the pic off Wikimedia Commons.
 It's by Jerzy Opiola.

You need to get some chives.  Don't buy them from the grocery store.  Go to a nursery or farmer's market or farm stand that sells that sort of thing and buy an actual chive plant.  They're listed as zones 3-9 which basically means you've got a shot at growing them pretty much anywhere in the continental US.  Also they're annuals which means basically, you ignore them when they unceremoniously die in winter, because come spring, they will come right back up and you will have fresh new chives. 

But this is not a plant blog.  I most definitely do not have the gardening skills for that.  This is a food blog.  Which means the main reason I am urging to go out and get some chives is because they are delicious.  I have been eating them nonstop for the past week and I have no intention of stopping anytime soon.

So far I have made:

Scrambled eggs with cheddar and chives (also a cheddar and chive omelette) - Amazing

A salad dressing with chives, chervil and dill - So fresh and delicious

Mashed potatoes with cheddar and chives - MMMMMPHGRRR GIVE ME ALL OF THEM

Egg salad with chives - chives+eggs 4eva

Next on the agenda:

Chive biscuits - Ina Garten's got a recipe I'm eyeing

Chive butter  - when the season starts to wrap up, I'm going to make sure I make a ton of chive butter and freeze it.  Making an herb butter is actually pretty simple. You just soften the butter (in this heat that can't be too hard), fold in your snipped herbs, roll the whole thing into a log (basically, put the blob on plastic wrap and use the plastic wrap to roll it), pop it in the fridge.  Here, Martha will explain: Compound Butter

What do you do with chives?  

What to Make for EVERY BBQ This Summer

If you have a grill, there is a very good likelihood that at some point this summer, you will be called upon to cook things on it.  For other people.  Now, you can go with hot dogs, or your standard pre-formed burger patties or maybe even some soon to be dried out sausages.  Or you could make these incredible wings.  They are spicy, crispy and will have people quite literally licking their fingers.  The rub is easy and versatile, you can use it on thighs or a whole cut up chicken if you prefer.  It hasn't failed me yet and I've been making these nonstop for the past year.

BEST CHICKEN RUB EVER
enough for 40 wings

INGREDIENTS:
40 wings

1 T +  t kosher salt

1.5 T paprika

1 T brown sugar

1 T cayenne

DIRECTIONS:

I have a gas grill, so I preheat it and make sure the grate is clear.  I like the temp to be between 400 and 450, but I keep an eye on it.

Inspect your wings.  Make sure they are cut up as it will only be messier once you add the spices.  Wings will either have one or two joints.  If they have two joints, the scrawny little end is a wing tip and can be thrown in a plastic bag and tossed in your freezer for later use making chicken stock. If there is only one joint, just cut there.  Many wings are sold already cut, so that makes life easier.  If they're cut, just trim off any weird ook or feathers and you're good to go.  Pop them in a large bowl (give yourself enough room to toss them).

In a small bowl, mix together the kosher salt, paprika, brown sugar and cayenne.  Sprinkle this over the wings while tossing them to coat completely.  Pop the wings on the grill and leave them there for 7 minutes.  Flip them and leave them there for about 5.  Do a quick temperature check, I look for around 165, but you can check poultry standards elsewhere if you like.  When they are done (juices run clear, temp is correct), pull them off the grill and serve.  

Nana turns 90

Only a few days after Christmas, my grandmother celebrated her 90th birthday.  It was lovely having her for the holidays and for her special day.  You would never ever guess she is 90; she spent the visit watching and playing with the little one and hopefully, eating well.

My mother was kind enough to cook the main course, steak, since I have such limited experience with it.  I'm pretty sure we had mashed potatoes (there you go, it's been less than a month and already I have no memory) with it.  And I provided the brussels sprouts.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS
altered only slightly from the amazing Balaboosta cookbook - I can't wait to use more recipes from it!

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb Brussels sprouts
1/4 C honey
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 gala apple, peeled cored and grated
2 T olive oil
sprinkle of kosher salt

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat your oven to 425.  The original recipe calls for 400 but my oven needed to be hotter.
Cut the bottoms off the brussels sprouts and then peel off the outer leaves.  This takes a reasonable amount of time and also reduces the amount of brussels sprouts you have by a lot.  I gave them a good rinse too.  Then I patted them dry, laid them on a sheet pan and tossed with the garlic, honey, olive oil and then sprinkled them with salt.  I added the apple last because you really don't want the fruit on the pan, if you do it that way, it will just burn on the pan.  If it's on the sprouts, it drips down its juices which is much better.

Pop the tray in the oven and roast until tender.  The outside will get a nice crisp on it, but they shouldn't be super crunchy throughout.  I tossed them a few times to get more of a crisp on the outside and to make sure the apple-y parts were okay.  The recipe called for a shorter cooking time than I used. Mine needed at least 40-45 minutes to be finished, so watch yours and taste test frequently.

Christmas Dinner (belatedly)

I very much meant to keep up with my posting but I'm afraid I got buried under and avalanche of hosting and cooking duties.  And toys, never forget the toys. I even neglected my photography, so you're getting recycled everything here.

Our menu was:

Duck Breasts
Scalloped Potatoes 
Roasted Carrots, Turnips and Fennel (with Bonus Parsnips)

It sounds fancy.  It tastes fancy.  But it was actually very simple to make.  The potatoes and roast veggies tend to themselves in the oven while you make the duck breasts so you really don't have to
split your focus.

Recipe Alterations:
I added an extra potato to the scalloped potatoes and therefore it needed to cook longer.
I didn't check the carrot and turnip recipe before going to the store and remember it as carrots and parsnips instead.  So I had to go back out for turnips and fennel and then just added the parsnips anyway.  It was still delicious.

What did you serve on Christmas (or eat, if you're not the chef)?  Also, do you have a traditional menu that you have every year or do you change things up?