The Perfect Picnic

Sundays are definitely meant for that extra cup of coffee. I love slow summer mornings for that exact reason. I'm enjoying my third cup of Green Mountain's Dark Magic coffee as I write. To add to the indulgence of the day, I thought I was choosing a healthier breakfast of a Honey Wheat English Muffin just before my cousin walked over with warm cinnamon rolls straight from the oven. Sinfully delicious!

Today's blog is not about Sunday morning though. It's about creating the perfect picnic fare and being prepared with the proper tools. Yesterday evening, my husband and I (along with our family) attended the Wine Press Summer Concert Series: New York's Most Dangerous Big Band. The concert was held at Sparkling Pointe, a new winery that opened in Southold, featuring only sparkling wines made in Methode Champenoise. The event was centered under a tent in picnic style just before the rows of vines. We've become experienced with these kinds of outings as my family attends a Wine Press Concert every year. We know there are a few key elements to make the perfect picnic outing.

Step #1: Be sure to have the appropriate basket, bag or cooler. Never underestimate the importance of this item. My recommendation first, would be to invest in a true picnic basket or picnic backpack. These vessels come equipped with many of the necessities such as plates, plastic cups/wine glasses, wooden cheese board and knife, other containers and tools, etc. Check out Picnic Time brand, visit Le Gourmet Chef or your local kitchen goods store to look for one. These options sometimes include an insulated section as one of my backpacks do so you'll eliminate the need for a cooler. Otherwise an insulated tote is preferred.

Step #2: Select your finger food items and classic picnic fare such as cheeses and fruits. Start with your appetizers. My recommendation is for a container of hummus and corn chips; Triscuit crackers (Hint of Salt or Reduced Fat), easy to carry fruits such as grapes, strawberries or melon; and last but not least - cheese! Your cheese selection is very important. Do not attempt to bring cheddars to a hot summer event. They turn color and become watery and too soft. I chose to bring along a peppercorn feta block, a chunk of Boar's Head creamy gorgonzola and a nice size triangle of Bel Gioso Asiago. My hummus selection was jalepeno and in craving some spice, I also brought a jar of mango habenero jelly for the crackers.

Our main course consisted of a variety of wraps- thanks to my dad! He made selections of a honey mustard chicken and cheddar wrap, a chicken salad wrap with fresh greens, a grilled veggie wrap and a Philly cheesesteak wrap. These were wildly popular with our group. Then for dessert, we enjoyed Italian cookies, which were easy to carry along and not mushy or melty as other desserts may be.

Step #3: Your creature comforts. Folding camp chairs with high enough backs and cup holders are ideal for any setting! A small, square folding table is a must as well. If you're headed to the beach, park or a winery- the chairs and table are better for ease of the group rather than milling around a blanket. Although the romance of a blanket for two is an adventure in itself. Use your judgement accordingly.

Last but not least, now that you have your picnic bags packed with goods and your chairs at the ready, how about beverages? And you know I mean wine. Well, that's completely a personal choice but I cannot finish this post without talking about Sparkling Pointe. Their sparkling wines are amazing. We tasted their selections and purchased three different labels: 2006 Brut, which is refreshing with toasty notes; the 2005 Topaz Imperial, which has a fresh acidity with hints of strawberry; and their new 2004 Blanc de Blancs, which far exceeded my excited expectations. Visit the link to this delicious wine to read tasting notes by Gilles Martin, winemaker.

I hope you are able to enjoy at least one picnic this summer season and my above tips will be helpful to your adventure!

Farmstand Fresh Chicken Milanese

The dog days of summer are upon us. This weekend was hot and humid on the North Fork but it was also ideal to be so close to the beach, where I spent most of my Saturday. The breeze coming from the Long Island Sound was much needed. After leaving the Sound beach, I picked up some farmstand vegetables and greens to combine with some of our own garden goodness. I created a classic dinner with a fresh twist for my husband, grandmother and cousin.

The stovetop and oven are not the appliances of choice on a steamy summer evening but for the sake of the dish that I wanted to make, I used both of them. My dinner consisted of chicken milanese accompanied by steamed squash and zucchini with lemon and butter splash, as well as homestyle macaroni and cheese with Italian sharp cheeses. I paired a Sterling Vineyard Chardonnay 2008 with the meal. It was refreshing yet had enough body for the chicken. My recipe for the chicken varied from the classic. I pretty much added what I felt was right and it turned out great.

I took thinly sliced chicken breasts, breaded with Italian bread crumbs and pan fried. I kept them warm in the oven at 200 degrees until I was ready to serve. Then I drizzled balsamic vinegar on each breast, added fresh arugula to each along my special toppings mixture, which consisted of: diced Ugly tomatoes, red onion, mozzerella, basil, sea salt, capers and extra virgin olive oil. It was a very crisp and flavorful chicken dish - bold with the balsamic, basil and onions in the ingredients.

A tasty way to use the kitchen if you can stand the heat!

Cooking on the Table

Hibachi is an awesome concept. It combines fresh ingredients, a super hot grill with the most basic of methods to bring out the best in the food, plus it adds an atmosphere of entertainment while you watch your chef prepare the meal on your tabletop grill and add his own flare to your dining adventure.

Tony's Asian Fusion in East Quogue (South Fork of Long Island, NY) offers amazing hibachi dinners with some of the best sushi around fused into the menu. The ambiance is better than any other hibachi restaurant that I've tried.

We enjoyed a fabulous dining experience for my dad's birthday. Each of us started with either a sushi roll, salad with fresh ginger dressing or an onion broth soup. Then for our main dish, all eight of us had one of their delicious combinations such as: filet mignon and scallops, chicken and shrimp, steak and salmon, etc. All of these served with a shrimp appetizer, the freshest of vegetables and one of my favorites- hibachi style rice. Eating all of these dishes with chopsticks (except for the soup, of course) really adds to the experience and it slows you down enough to really savor what you're eating. I love that!

The beverage specialties that we ordered around our table included hot saki, Cruzan island punch and a coconut martini. Tony's also has a nice wine/beer menu. I chose to start with the coconut martini and then moved on to the Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc from California. These paired well with my selections of the spicy salmon roll, shrimp and the chicken and sea scallops.

I recommend Tony's Asian Fusion Hibachi for a great group night out. The tables are set for 8-10 guests so it's absolutely perfect for a family gathering or a friends night out for a fun dinner show. The food is satisfying and high in quality but not price. A full dinner for two with appetizer and cocktails/wine is approximately $45.00 per person.

What could be more fun than cooking on a table with some sharp chef knives and flames everywhere!

"Everything but the Kitchen Sink" Melts

A hot Monday today but still not humid enough to keep me out of the kitchen. Now, you may already know how much I dislike waste when it comes to food or that I like to get the most out of the fresh foods that I prepare. Maybe you remember my post about three different meals that I made with my roaster chicken? Or the one about leftovers? Well, tonight's dinner was derived from the veggies I had left from last night's creations. My newest test kitchen creation is called "Everything but the Kitchen Sink" Melts.

The idea behind these is that I used what I had, plus some other things in my fridge and freezer, basically pulling together a taste that was unlike any recipe I had ever made before, and completely unexpected. The items I had left were Baby Bella mushroom slices, cherry tomatoes and fried zucchini sticks. I found over a pound of ground turkey in the freezer among other items in the refrigerator. Here they are:

• Approx. 1 lb. of ground turkey
• Half container of sliced mushrooms- Baby Bella; chopped
• Quarter container of cherry tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 cup of shredded mild cheddar
• 6 zucchini sticks (bread crumbs and all); chopped
• 3 pats of butter
• 4 slices of American cheese
• Sourdough bread; 8 slices
• Zesty lemon flavored hummus
• Salt
• Fresh ground pepper

First, I sauteed the chopped mushrooms, tomatoes and zucchini sticks in a pan with butter. When softened, I prepared the ground turkey in a large bowl and combined the sautee, folding in. I then added the shredded cheddar, salt and pepper and formed into 4 flat/square patties (in the shape of the bread slices). I lightly toasted the bread while I heated a skillet for the patties, then grilling them. I placed the cheese slices on top to melt when the turkey was browned on the outside and cooked through. Before placing patties on the toast, I lightly spreaded zesty lemon hummus on the top slice. Finally, I built my melty sandwich and served with kettle cooked potato chips.

Tonight's dinner was absolutely mouth-watering and as I said before- unexpected. I enjoy coming up with ways to utilize all of my food in the fridge for a meal. Everything but the kitchen sink!

Our Garden to Table Meal

Cook it and blog about it. That's the best way to tell you about my creations. I just finished cleaning up after a delicious and very special meal - our Garden to Table dinner.

It was nice to get back to cooking today. The heat wave had broken and it was a gorgeous warm but less humid day in North Fork, New York. Plus, there was nothing to cook or bake for...just my test kitchen, which I love on days like these.

Finally, I was able to fry up some of our very own zucchini in sticks just as my grandfather always did. Wow did they bring back memories when I tasted them! I put together our meal - from starters to main course- using as many of our garden's bounty as possible. Actually, the "Martin Farm" veggies were the inspiration for the recipe.

As our appetizer, the zucchini sticks came first. Those I battered in egg wash, flour and Italian bread crumbs. Using vegetable oil, I fried each one. The key to these are cutting the sticks very thin so they lose their toughness. It was a walk down memory lane with each bite. The other starters included zucchini/squash flowers and thinly sliced yellow squash rounds, dipped in a special batter and fried. The batter consisted of: 1 cup flour, 1 1/2 tsps. baking powder, 1 tsp. sugar, 1/4 tsp. salt, 2 eggs and milk. Blend these together so it is a liquid consistency (able to drip) and dip the flowers (or other veggies) then place in pan. Add salt to taste. The flowers are incredibly rich and mild in flavor. It is a garden experience not to be missed. It's the consistency that's so intriguing.

I sipped on the 2009 First Label Sauvignon Blanc from Raphael, while I cooked and while I ate. It was a perfect complement to the summer fare.

For our main course, I combined some interesting ingredients to create an orzo al fresca with lots of color and flavorful elements.

• First, boil the orzo pasta as directed. In the meantime, start with a large, deep skillet and extra virgin garlic and herb infused olive oil in the bottom. When hot, put in thinly sliced yellow squash and sliced Baby Bella mushrooms. These ingredients need to soften and soak up the flavors.
• Then add onion powder, red pepper flakes sald and pepper to taste (be careful not to add too much as the oil has seasonings already). Cover while these are heating. Then add sundried tomato flavored chicken sausage (sliced) into the skillet. Heat well.
• In the last 4 minutes of the orzo's cooktime, add to your skillet the following: cherry tomatoes cut in half, sliced black olives and fresh basil leaves. Stir in and cover, turning the heat to low.
• When pasta is ready, blend with all ingredients in the skillet into a large pasta bowl and serve hot with grated parmesean cheese on top.

This recipe, like those I've stumbled upon in my test kitchen, packs alot of flavor with its Italian flair but is a great summer dish for its olive oil sauce with super fresca ingredients from our own yard such as the zucchini, squash and basil. I recommend you try it. These items can be purchased from your local farm stand or grocery - and even there you can find the freshest of herbs and vegetables. Just be selective...and creative!

Princess Party Cakes

My adorable niece, Makayla, just turned one on Wednesday. Today is her princess birthday party fully equipped with a tent, rented tables and chairs and sternos of delicious foods. My sister went all out. As the aunt, my job was to (of course) bring the wine and even more importantly, make the cake...or should I say cakes. I found an idea with a mold that I wanted to try so my sister assigned me the baking of three jumbo cupcakes and four dozen regular-sized cupcakes.

I don't consider myself a baker at all. I think it's because I can't conform to the necessary amounts in the recipes. That's the part I have fun with when cooking - altering the recipes! You just can't do that when you bake. Therefore, baking has always been strained for me. The decorating, I like. So, this particular job was fun.

The Princess Party Cakes consisted of yellow cake with sprinkles in the batter, French Vanilla pudding as filling and vanilla icing with food coloring to make some beautiful princess pastels. The cakes were decorated to fit the theme on Makayla's invitation and some of her other decor that would fill the tent. Makayla is definitely a girly-girl and absolutely loves colors, jewels and fancy things. A true princess to me!

After approximately four hours, my end result of the cakes is in the above photo. I was more than pleased with them. The molds worked out well but with each cake, I became a bit more comfortable. You can find the mold at stores like Stop & Shop and Bed, Bath & Beyond. It's called Big Top Cupcake and is a no-brainer. I also owe my success to my Kitchen Aid mixer (Thanks, Mom Martin). Without the ease of that, this project would've taken me about six hours, I think.

Happy Birthday, Makayla!

What's for breakfast?

There is absolutely nothing like the aroma of bacon in the morning as you sleepily stumble down the stairs. What is even better than the smell and the crackle coming from the griddle, is the feeling you get when you realize your husband is whipping up a surprise breakfast!

This morning Roger anxiously wanted to try our freshly harvested zucchini. He couldn't wait for me to cook it tomorrow so he created the most delicious breakfast frittata. The frittata featured crispy bacon, sliced zucchini, 5 scrambled eggs and some fresh seasonings. It was golden on top and the flavor coming from those fresh green veggies was amazing. We had marble rye toast on the side and some Caribou Coffee. What a truly inspiring way to start the day!

I must tell you about our dinner last night as well. It was easy to prepare in about 45 minutes and a great summer dish...even though it did not involve our barbecue. I realized this week that I had a pork tenderloin in the freezer and wanted to do something with it. I like to change-up our menus often so we don't get bored. I figured this was a good chance to do just that.

Pouring some chicken broth into the bottom of a long glass baking dish, I started to prep the pork. I also added cut chunks of onion and placed them in the broth at the bottom of the dish. I then put in my long strip of tenderloin (fat side up) and cut cross-marks in the top of the entire length of the meat. Then it was time to whip up a sauce that will bake into the top. I mixed up about a 1/4 cup of spicy brown mustard with a 1/4 cup of low sodium soy sauce. Then I poured whole peppercorns in and stirred together well. I brushed the mix on top of the pork and baked in the oven for approximately 40 minutes on 375 degrees. While that was cooking in the last 10 minutes, I roasted asparagus with olive oil and balsamic brushed on top and boiled some quick-cook couscous with parmesean seasoning. The result was tender, juicy pork with a kick to it. It was a great summer fix when you have a million things to do. Very little prep comes in handy sometimes.

Today will be a great food day. I'm attending a birthday bash and assisting the hostess with the menu. I'll be making my spicy turkey sliders, bleu cheese beef sliders and smoked salmon stuffed cucumbers (all previously posted recipes). Time to finish prepping now.

Happy July 4th to my readers. I hope your creativity will strike over a hot grill this weekend!