Outnumbered 3 to 1: Join the #bb4me Twitter Party January 8th

Outnumbered 3 to 1: Join the #bb4me Twitter Party January 8th

One Aquarius Mama: Nothing is a Coincedence

One Aquarius Mama: Nothing is a Coincedence

Crazy Good Summer Corn

How fast did the summer go? All summer long I have been cooking up a storm, taking photos, and well, not blogging. My MIA is driven by 1) time and 2) a new camera. Time is obvious, who has enough time in the day? But a new camera? Shouldn't that be a help? Well, my new camera requires me to learn a new way to download photos... this is a WIP!

But I digress, and let's talk corn. Is there anything better than summer corn? How do you cook your corn? In my family, we think we have THE way to cook corn, the Lichten way, taught to us years ago by the Thorps...

Shuck the corn, and get off as much/all the silk. Fill a large enough pot with cold water (leave room for the corn and milk - you'll see). Bring the water to a boil. Add the oorn, and bring back to a boil. On this second boil, add milk (any kind) like you would put milk in your coffee, cover the pot, turn off the heat, and let set anywhere from 10 minutes to hours... the corn will be so sweet - no need for butter... Enjoy!

Summer Grilling... skirt steak, roasted veggies, and crunchy baked potatoes

While I love to cook, I really love to be outside playing with my son and family.  Especially at the beach in the summer, who wants to be inside cooking?  Here is an easy and tasty way make a great dinner, while you play outside all day!

Today we picked up some skirt steak at Cromer's Montauk Market; looked beautiful, well as beautiful as raw meat can look I suppose.  I seasoned it with some crushed garlic, 4 cloves, sea salt, and fresh ground pepper.  Put it in a plastic bag and let it sit (in the fridge).   Have you ever had skirt steak?  It is one of my favorite cuts of meat...  if it is made right, that is - otherwise you might as well be eating your shoe (meaning tough as leather, yuck!)

In another plastic bag I put sliced mushrooms (bought them from the store that way, easy), one sliced vidalia  onion, 1 small yellow and 1 small green summer squash.  Added a little Italian Dressing, and put in the fridge.  (I usually make a little more than I need so I can make into another dish the next day)

And lastly, took some baking potatoes, washed them, poked them with a fork, rubbed them with a little olive oil, sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper, and wrapped them in tin foil.  Put them on the grill and let them sit all day - I love them this way, the skin gets really crunchy.  (I always make a few extra for the next day - split them in half, and put them on the grill - they crunch up great!)

Then I spent the day boogie boarding with my son - surf's up!

After a great day on the beach, we (meaning my husband) grilled the meat and the veggies to perfection! A delicious dinner!!!  Enjoy!

(Photos to come...  camera technical issues...)

Extending the Weekend... Sunday Night Cocktails with Friends

Doesn't the summer seem to fly by, especially the weekends?  One thing we have tried to do is something casual on a Sunday night to extend the weekend...  tonight, cocktails (and a nosh of course) with the neighbors.  

Soft cheese (Explorateur Triple Creme Cheese), Dalmatia Dried Fig Spread, baguette (to tear), and Pepperidge Farm Butterfly crackers (my son LOVES them!)  We served a chilled a pinot grigio - so light, a little tingly on the tongue, perfect for a warm summer night.  Actually, we ended up skipping dinner...  or rather, this was dinner!

Enjoy!

Photos to come...  promise!

Summer Night - Coffee Tauk and Gelato

Tonight we took a stroll into town, what a great way to end a summer day!  Our aim was multipurpose... linger the day, get some fresh air, walk off some of our delicious dinner, and of course, to get some wonderful gelato at Coffee Tauk (the new, great, much needed coffee shop in Montauk.  Get it?  Coffee in Montauk, Coffee Tauk - hee hee, I crack myself up).  If you are interested, you can find them on Facebook...  they even have free wifi, which I made use of today when Cablevision was having issues... but I digress.

Back to tonights obsession, gelato.  Did you know that gelato is healthier than ice cream?  This totally shocked me...  how could gelato, which tastes richer and creamier that high end ice cream be less fattening?  Well, it is, and let me explain more.  Ok, first I readily admit, an apple is a healthier option than both.  But that isn't really the point...  While neither gelato nor ice cream is a health food, gelato is better for two reasons:  1) less fat content and 2) less calories overall.  And for me, a smaller serving of gelato is needed to satisfy me - so I think that is a third reason, if we are keeping count.

We were wildly successful in our stroll...  we enjoyed our chocolate gelato sitting outside...  another night in paradise!

(Photos to come....)

Roasted Veggies en Croute

This is a family and friend favorite...  I love it because I use left over roasted veggies (any kind) some type of cheese (any that I have on hand - low fat mozzarella always a good choice), and Pepperidge Farm Frozen Puff Pastry (always have some on hand)...  this can be used as a great side dish or as an appetizer...

Defrost Puff Pastry:  I usually defrost one or two sheets.

Roll out, or unfold one sheet.  Place left over roasted veggies - this time I had eggplant and peppers.  I also added some baby spinach and slide mushrooms.  Then sprinkled on a little cheese (use as much as you like).  Fold the puff pastry around the veggies; trim off any extra (cut with a scissor).  If there is a special occasion, I make a decoration out of left over puff pastry (use a cookie cutter or a scissor).  Then bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  (Can be made ahead of time, stored in the fridge, and cooked prior to serving.  Bring to room temperature before putting in the oven.)