Tuesday, August 25, 2009

The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dreams shall never die. - Sen. Edward Kennedy

I woke up at 2:30 this morning and saw that I had a text message from my husband who was working late. His message said that Teddy Kennedy passed away in the night. I sat there with my foggy brain and tried to absorb the news.

Teddy Kennedy was a symbol of hope, a staunch crusader for what he believed in, a tried and true Democrat, and the loyal leader of his family until the very end. He is my reference point when people ask what kind of Democrat I am. Liberal, moderate or conservative they ask...I say, "I am a Teddy Kennedy kind of Democrat."

Sen. Kennedy had his fair share and more of failures and dark hours. He made grave mistakes that laid embarrassment upon his family name. He was sought out by his opponents, who made every attempt to ruin him. And through it all, he recognized his failures, overcame the obstacles put before him and he persevered.

In the end he was a man who fought tirelessly for his causes, his country and his party. He represented his beloved state for more than 40 years in the US Senate. And, most importantly, he was a man who never failed to be there for his family. After the death of his beloved brothers, he took on the responsibility to be a supportive father figure to not only his own children, but also his nieces and nephews. While he was not perfect, he was an example of duty and honor to those you love and what you believe in.

The loss of the Lion of the Liberals and the Senate, I believe, will be felt by many in this country...Democrat, Republican, Independent and Abstainers. In our sadness, we must remember the words Teddy Kennedy spoke to us just one year ago...."The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dreams shall never die."

No matter which side of the aisle you are on...never forget to continue working for the betterment of you, your family and what you believe in. It is when we stop working and let go of hope that things fall apart. Progress is made not only through hard work , but also by keeping your dreams in close sight.

Thank you Senator Kennedy for the inspiration you have given us through the years and your undying service to this country.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Life Interrupted...


The plan for tonight was to eat dinner with my aunt, uncle, grandparents, husband and Steve (yeah...I don't know him either). Instead, I am at home watching HBO, doing laundry and thinking up recipes while Kamal is helping his dad replace their water heater....the one that decided to flood the basement this morning.

So, there will be no fresh crab enchiladas for us tonight, but there will be left overs tomorrow and after that I am thinking I will make fish tacos with green chile and avocado cream sauce. In fact, I think it is going to a be a south of the border kind of week....maybe a NY strip with chimichurri and mexican chocolate cupcakes. I feel a theme coming on! I better check out this week's sales at the market and see what inspires me.

Sometimes life is interrupted, some weeks more than others...but, hey, it makes us who we are, sometimes it even makes us better.

West Coast Crab Enchiladas


My grandmother will be the cook tonight. She is making the crab enchiladas my aunt begged for all day yesterday. The crab is crab my grandparents caught when they were in Washington. It is SO good! It is the same crab I grew up catching with my grandpa in the summers. It always makes me nostalgic when I eat this dish. I have never made it and I am not sure what all goes in it because by the time I come around it is always in the oven. Tonight is the night for me to learn...I will bring back details.

My contribution is going to be a batch of spicy green chili.

Friday, August 21, 2009

My Grassroots Approach to Menu Making

So, I have asked my fellow foodies/bloggers to help me on my journey to realizing my dream of opening Celeste Jane, a restaurant inspired by love.

I was thinking about this and I realized...what have I offered in return? Nothing.

So here is what I propose....You help me make my menu and when Celeste Jane opens I will throw a private grand opening party for my friends who helped me along the way.

What will be on the menu?

The food you helped me create, plenty of great wine and company and, of course, there will be the love!

"Love is supreme and unconditional; like is nice but limited."
- Duke Ellington

The Inspiration for this Weekend's Menu


This weekend's menu will be inspired by the hatch green chile peppers I bought at the market.

Definitely on the menu will be vegetarian chili verde, fresh guacamole, and homemade vegetarian tortillas. YUM!

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Luxurious Lasagna


I made it to yoga, which was a good thing because the salmon lasagna was not the lightest fare. What it was: creamy, full of flavor and just really good!

So here is how it went....

The Salmon:

I picked up a little over a 1/2 a pound of fresh salmon from Sunflower Farmer's Market in Denver before I went home. I was a beautiful piece of fish and only $7.99 a pound! I was thrilled and excited to cook.

When I got home I heated the oven to 350 degrees, washed and dried the salmon and salted it with sea salt. I placed the fish onto a piece of foil, which I placed onto a baking sheet.

The week before I made a sun dried tomato basil pesto that I flavored with pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, red pepper flakes and salt. I decided the salmon needed a kick, so I coated the fish with a thick layer of the pesto and put it in the oven to cook for about 30 minutes.


For the sauce, I started by heating 1 cup of heavy cream and 1.5 cups of whole milk to a simmer.

Then I blended 2 cups of fresh basil, about 2 teaspoons of rosemary and thyme, 4 cloves of garlic and a hand full of pine nuts together in the food processor. After the basil, rosemary, thyme, garlic and pine nuts were chopped I took the lid off, scraped the sides into the bowl of the processor (you must do this to make good pesto!) and pulsed the ingredients some more while slowly adding olive oil, about 2 tablespoons. The pesto smelled delicious, but it needed a kick - so I grabbed the sun dried tomato and basil pesto I used for the salmon and added about 2 tablespoons to the bowl and blended, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.

After the milk was heated and the pesto was finished I added half the simmering milk to the food processor and blended it with the pesto until it thickened. Then I placed the processed pesto and cream to the pot with the remaining milk and stirred. I actually stirred in about 1.5 tablespoons more of the sun dried tomato pesto into the sauce for some extra flavor. Then I added sea salt to taste and the juice of half a lemon. I stirred the sauce and let it thicken while it cooked at a low heat.

While the sauce thickened I toasted about a half cup of pine nuts and added 1/4 cup of the toasted nuts to the sauce and set the rest aside.

While the sauce was thickening, I chopped and sauteed 2 yellow squash from a co-worker's garden that I got earlier in the day, then I chopped 3 Roma tomatoes and about 2 cups of fresh spinach. I also grabbed 12 ounces of ricotta, salted it and stirred it together. Usually I would add one egg to bind the cheese but I forgot to buy eggs at the market....these things happen!

After the salmon was cooked through I pulled it from the oven and left the oven heated at 350 degrees for the lasagna.

I pulled the fish apart into small pieces. They were irresistible! I had to try it! I put a little bit of the salmon in a bowl and covered it with the basil sauce. It was SO good. I added some more fish and sauce to the bowl and gave it to my husband who I knew was starving, but waited patiently as I raced around the kitchen throwing ingredients here and there. I could tell from the way his eyes lit up and the bob of his head and shoulders that I did something right. I couldn't wait to get to the lasagna!

For the lasagna I used no boil noodles to save time. The kind you boil are definitely better and homemade are even better. But at 8:45 at night, after a long day, quick, easy and less mess is very attractive and many times wins over what is preferable. My thought was that if the noodles were not ideal, I would focus on the flavor and make it the center of attention.

Excuse my aside...I will continue.

First I covered the bottom of my baking dish with a thin layer of the basil cream sauce. Next, I added a layer of the noodles to cover the bottom of the dish and added a layer of sauce, ricotta, spinach, squash, tomatoes, salmon and topped it with more sauce. I added another layer of noodles and topped them in the same order and covered it with with a final layer of noodles. On top of the last layer of noodles I spread the last of the sauce and topped the sauce with a generous amount of Mozzarella, Asiago and Parmesan cheeses.


I covered the lasagna with foil and baked it at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes. After the lasagna looked close to done I removed the foil and placed the remaining toasted pine nuts on top of the cheese and baked the dish for another 15 minutes and then I broiled it until the cheese and pine nuts were perfectly browned.

I let the lasagna sit for about 15 minutes and then cut into squares and served it up! The flavors were robust and balanced the cream in the sauce perfectly. The salmon was delicious and stood out well against the heavier ingredients. And, the vegetables were nice bit of freshness in a sea of creamy indulgence!


As for the movie, we watched "I Love You Man".


The dish was heavy, the mood was light, the feeling was luxurious.

Every day I find something creative to do with my food. - Celeste Jane

Tonight I will be making Salmon Lasagna with a Lemon Basil Cream Sauce.

Originally I was going to do Salmon with Fettuccine in a Lemon Basil Cream Sauce. But I wanted to break out of the food box we are so often in. That is what Celeste Jane is all about, following the rules while making the dish your own. This is new territory and I am so excited and HUNGRY! Time for yoga, a little bit of food shopping and then to the kitchen to create!

Stay tuned for the Reality of Salmon Lasagna with a Lemon Basil Cream Sauce.

Celeste Jane, Babies, Good Food and Yoga...It's All Zen


My mind has been preoccupied lately with Celeste Jane, babies and food and somewhere in it all I am fighting to keep my zen.

My dream to open Celeste Jane has been in the works for a long time. The idea was to open a restaurant where I could spend my days focusing on good food and family. My family is big and so is my husband's...especially when you add in all the wonderful friends we call family. And now, we are working to make our family even bigger. And if all goes as planned, by the time Celeste Jane becomes a reality we will have some baby energy to add to the love.

While it is an exciting time of love, business plans, ideas and creating good food, I have a hard time staying present. It seems that the time in a day rushes past before I know it. That is why I try to fit in a yoga class as often as I can. Like cooking, yoga gives me peace of mind and is a reminder of where I am right now and that I need to relish in that place, that moment. The yoga studio is a place where I let all expectations and judgement from others and myself go.

I would like Celeste Jane to be like a yoga class...I would like it to be a place where people can go to let go...a place where judgement and ridiculous expectations don't exist. Maybe the house rules should be "While you are here enjoy, be present and only focus on the good."

So, with Celeste Jane, babies, good food and yoga on my brain I will continue my journey. And while sometimes it is easy to fly through life, I will remember that where I am and is the best place to for me to be right now and I will savor it like a good glass wine or a delicious sauce that has been simmering all day. However, on the same vein, I will never forget to keep moving forward and pursuing my reality.

“I'm always thinking about creating. My future starts when I wake up every morning . . . Every day I find something creative to do with my life.” - Miles Davis

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

The Reality of a Ratatouille & Goat Cheese Tart

So, I missed yoga, but got to the train station in time to get to the market buy my cheese and pine nuts and pick Kamal up from his train.

I went to a store I normally don't go to anymore and am I ever glad I did. I found Purple Haze Goat Cheese on sale. It is goat cheese flavored with lavender and fennel and it is delicious! The flavors match perfectly with the Ratatouille. I also picked up some fresh mozzarella to add to the tart. Because, while the goat cheese is delicious, the mozzarella melts nicely on top and gives it a nice, cheesy crust.

As soon as I got home I got to work making the crust. Here is what I used:


1 cup yellow cornmeal *
2/3 cup white pastry flour *
2 teaspoons of rosemary & thyme **
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons canola oil
4-5 tablespoons water

I mixed the first four ingredients together in my food processor and then added the butter and blended it until the mixture became chunky. Next I added the oil and water until a loose dough was created.

I pressed the dough into a 9 inch pie pan and baked it at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

While making the dough I though of my grandmother, Jewel Celeste (better known as Nan those that love her, children and grandchildren). She would make dough look so easy and when I asked her how to make it she would say, "you have to follow directions and measure when you bake." She said this because she knows that I never follow directions and I never measure. After many failed cakes and pastries I am starting to the follow her advice. Last night I was wishing she was there to help me make her dough because no one does it better than she does.

* SO What I would do differently: The crust was good, but grainy because of the cornmeal. I would use a white cornmeal to eliminate some of the graininess or switch the measurements and use less cornmeal and more flour. I got this idea from my other grandmother, Mary Jane (better known as Mama Jane to all those that she is a mama to...the list is long), who happened to call just as I pulled the crust out of the oven. After I told her the problem and she gave me a solution she said in her sweet granny voice, "Well, you'll just eat it and it will be good!"...and it was.

**I loved the herbs I added to the dough. They added depth to an otherwise bland pastry dough.

After the crust was baked I added a layer of warmed, day old Ratatouille and a layer of goat cheese and mozzarella. I continued to layer the tart until the pie pan was full, then I covered the top with mozzarella, toasted pine nuts and a dash of love.

I covered the tart with foil and popped it back into the 350 degree oven and baked it for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes I removed the foil and continued to bake the tart for about 5 more minutes until the cheese was melted and browned.

I let the tart sit for about 5 minutes, while we poured some delicious red wine and then cut the pie into 8 divine pieces. It was so delicious my husband, sister-in-law and I ate the whole thing while watching Trading Places (a great Eddie Murphy/ Dan Akroyd collaboration if you haven't seen it). Letting the Ratatouille sit a day really made a difference in the flavor. All of the herbs and spices had a chance to settle in and they married nicely. It was truly a flavor explosion when the lavender and fennel goat cheese, the herbed pie crust and the Ratatouille become one dish.

So, last night there was plenty of love in the food and in the house, which made for a deliciously comfortable night.

The Reality of a Day

I start each day with such expectations and I would say about 35% of the time they are realized. Plans for today...leave at 5:00, go to yoga, go to the market and go home and make my Ratatouille Tart.

The Reality:

I am going home late, missing yoga and missing time with friends. Life is not always as planned and there is a beauty in that, however, it would be nice to spend some time on my yoga mat. But, I suppose I should listen to my yoga teachings and go with the flow, let go of what I cannot change. Maybe tomorrow I will be rewarded with a yoga class and a walk at Wash Park with my dear friend Melinda.

What I do know about today is that I am going home to make a crust for my tart. Eventually my husband will be there and so will my adorable sister-in-law. They bring such light to my life and I am excited to share my new creation with them. And if the crust doesn't work and the tart doesn't make it to the table we will still laugh and enjoy being together. And at the end of the long day, maybe I will make it to the gym after or maybe I will just curl up on the couch with a book.

Ratatouille & Goat Cheese Tart




Since I made enough Ratatouille last night for a party of 6 and it was just a party of two, I am going to use the rest in a tart. I have never made a cornmeal tart crust from scratch, but I will be doing that tonight. And for tonight's creation, the key ingredient will be GOAT CHEESE. Yes, tangy delicious goat cheese!

Leave work around 5, go to my favorite yoga class to work up an appetite, grab some goat cheese at the market and head home to revive the ratatouille with a cornmeal crust, goat cheese and a lot of LOVE!

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

How could I forget the love?

I got started on the Ratatouille and Herb Crusted Halibut as soon as I got home...at 8:30. I was hurried, exhausted and my inspiration had left me. But I was determined, so I decided to make a big meal in a little time.


I started with the Ratatouille because I knew that the ingredients needed to hang out with each other for at least an hour. I knew this and, at the same time, I also knew that if we wanted to eat before 11 they would realistically only cook together for about 30 minutes. Determined, I forged ahead anyway.

I heated olive oil in a dutch oven and began to chop like a mad woman. Red onion, garlic, eggplant, zucchini and fresh tomatoes. I chopped it all and threw in the onions first, then the garlic, next the eggplant, after that the zucchini and then the tomatoes. I salted and stirred and salted some more.

After it all cooked down I opened a can of whole tomatoes and a can of tomato sauce and tossed that in and for fun I followed with a can of chickpeas. The pot was cooking and bubbling and the ingredients seemed to be have a good time. But when I lowered my head next to the pot and inhaled a rush of boredom came over my senses.

It was time for the key players...that's right, the basil, rosemary, thyme and parsley. Like soldiers they marched in to save the day. Quickly I threw in a bunch of chopped fresh basil, crushed thyme, ground rosemary and dried parsley. As I stirred them in I could smell the flavor party begin. Then, for some extra added spice I tossed in a couple tablespoons of sweet paprika, a few dashes of hot cayenne pepper and more salt to taste.

I was exhausted and there was still fish to prepare. I really wanted to stop with the Ratatouille but I was on a mission. With a sigh and a smile I grabbed the halibut out of the bag, some plain bread crumbs from the pantry and went for the Dijon, butter and my key players.

I heated a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a pan. Added a handful of the key players to a bowl of plain bread crumbs, set them aside and melted two tablespoons of butter and stirred in a tablespoon of Dijon, then I mixed in another handful of my herbs for good form.

Then it hit me! I forgot to let the fish soak in milk while I cooked the Ratatouille. I was frustrated by that omission because soaking the fish really makes a difference in how it tastes (a great tip from my Mama Jane). But, I didn't have time for regret, so I washed and dried the fish and removed the skin. I sliced a pound of halibut into 6 chunks and salted each chunk with sea salt. Then I rubbed each piece of fish with the butter/herb/mustard mix and coated them with the breadcrumbs. After all 6 were buttered and breaded I took a minute to breathe and smell the Ratatouille. I took a taste and stirred the pot while the olive oil heated. It was tasting good, but needed time.


After the oil was hot into the pan the fish went, 3 chunks at a time.

The fish cooked to a golden brown while the Ratatouille bubbled. At about 10 pm I finally got to place a good bit of each dish on a plate with a generous slice of fresh french bread. Kamal and I were both relieved as we sat down to eat. We didn't have much to say as we were pretty tired. It is always sad when the excitement of the kitchen stays in the kitchen. But some nights that is just how it goes.

The meal was good but it was not great. In my rush to make the meal I had imagined all day I forgot the most key player of them all...the love. So, as I sit here, my eyes closing as I type, I am thinking about the next time I make Ratatouille and Herb Crusted Halibut. I promise myself I will take two hours or maybe even four and I will enjoy each smell and flavor that goes into the Ratatouille pot and onto the fish. I will add less determination and add more of my heart and soul. It will be the same idea but with more balance. Next time I make this meal I hope to take you on a true flavor adventure.

Herb Crusted Halibut & Ratatouille

Tonight I am going to make Herb Crusted Halibut and Ratatouille.

My inspiration:

The Halibut - Spending time with my grandparents each year in the San Juan Islands in Washington. There, we would catch our fish during the day and at night my grandmother would make it delicious with the simplest of ingredients. I will take the way she taught me to prepare the fish with salt and olive oil and add my own set of spices.

The Ratatouille - I have to be honest, I was inspired by movie about a rat with a great sense of smell. However, I was also inspired by the time I spent in Israel on the Mediterranean. I decided to add some Middle Eastern spice to this basic French dish. So, no, it won't be traditional. It will be my own.



The key players for both dishes:



Thyme, Rosemary, Basil and Parsley

The Journey of Celeste Jane

Here I am, taking my journey online! So what is my point, my goal, my wish, my journey? It is to make a menu for a restaurant called Celeste Jane. The name may seem a bit awkward but I can't help it - Celeste Jane is what it has to be. It has to be that way because it comes from my grandmothers - Jewel Celeste and Mary Jane. They are the two women who have inspired my life the most with their love, honesty, determination, sassiness and, of course, their cooking. They taught me to cook and continue to teach me to this day. Most of the time I do not use their recipes but I always follow their rules.

It is with their spirit that I make each dish my own. Growing up I watched as they put all their love and sassiness into the meals they made for us. That is how I learned that ingredients make food, but it is when you add in love that it becomes great food. And if you add a little sassiness to it, it becomes unforgettable food. So, with a lot of love, determination and sass I will embark on my journey to make the perfect menu for Celeste Jane.

So how do you fit into my journey? You are the honesty. And with that honesty, I hope that you will help me create my menu. Each week I will post new recipes I have created in my little kitchen in Aurora, CO. I hope you will try one of them, or maybe all of them. Love them or hate them, let me know! Give me suggestions, give me the truth, give me a menu!