2 Foodies - 2 Dogs - 1 Budget

Chondra update

Hello all,  sorry for the time lapse in posting new food.  I have been juggling getting back to work, with moving my work office, doctors.  FYI just had a CT Scan and so far so good, looks like the nasty Chondrasarcoma cancer is not showing its ugly head anymore! Yeah.  Still have to meet with the oncologist next week.  I will be posting more recipes and food starting tomorrow, Sunday.  Hope to hear feedback from all of you as I continue to blog my foodie/lifestyle ideas.

Steve

Grilled Lamb Loin Chops with Orzo Pasta and Carmelized Onions

Prep Time: 45 Minutes - Cost Per Serving Under $7

These grilled lamb loin chops are medium rare and perfect with the caramelized onions that help with gamey meats.  The orzo pasta has peas and mint which was a nice contrast to the heaviness of the lamb.

Henry found a deal on the lamb at the local supermarket 30% off which helped bring this dish in at under $7 per serving.

To start I began making the caramelized onions, I cut up 2 small onions and added them to a hot saute pan with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.  Once the onions have softened, reduce the flame to low add one tablespoon of sugar and continue to cook slowly stirring so the onions caramelize and get brownish in color, about 30 to 40 minutes.  Once brown, turn off the heat and they are ready for plating.

While the onions are cooking, I seasoned the lamb on both sides with salt and pepper and put them on the grill for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side until they got nice grill marks and were medium rare inside.  Once cooked i let the meat rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

For the Orzo pasta, I boiled the orzo until al dente, about 7 minutes.  In a large bowl I added 2 tablespoons of olive oil, one tablespoon of butter, the juice and zest of one lemon, salt and pepper to taste. Tossed in the orzo once cooked and added defrosted peas and some chopped mint.

FEED YOUR BODY . . . FEED YOUR MIND

I am back after a little break.  After my mothers departure I took a break from blogging to focus on getting back to my regular routines.  I am happy to say that I am settling in to life again.

This entry focuses on feeding your body and your mind. Prior to the whole cancer deal, Henry and I would try to attend a Wednesday dinner at a friends home as many times as we can in a year.  The friend clears his schedule 50 times a year for this dinner where each week someone volunteers to do a main course, someone else does dessert and salad and so on.  After dinner, we all gather in his living room and watch a movie on a drop down screen.  It is a great group of people that gather, sometimes the group is as little as 6 people sometimes as many as 14 depending on the week.  A great sense of family, considering my real family is 2,500 miles away.  This is a salad Henry and I brought for one of the recent Wednesday dinners which included red and yellow bell peppers, carrots, Asian pear and salad greens.

Recently the mailman dropped off something at my front door to feed my mind.  My Aunt Bari has read my blog, I know this because part of her package included two bottles of bubbles for the inner kid in me! Also included in her package was a portable CD player, batteries and three CDs focusing on healing and meditation to help feed my mind.  She had noticed that many people sent me food items and she wanted to send something to feed my mind during the healing process.  A big hug and thanks Aunt Bari!! Love you very much.  You were instrumental in getting me to clear my mind and focus on being calm prior to the surgery and I am sure these CDs will come in handy as I go through the rest of the healing process and the treatments yet to come. 

Sunday Dinner: Grilled Swordfish & Homemade Wholewheat Raviolli with Mushroom Filling

Prep Time: 60 Minutes - Cost Per Serving Under $6

This past Sunday I had some energy and decided to make fresh wholewheat mushroom filled raviolli from scratch.  To begin making the dough I put 2 cups of wholewheat flower on a wood board, made a crater in the center and added 3 large eggs, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  With a fork i gently started to mix and combine the center ingredients incorporating more and more of the flower until it made a dough ball of pasta.  I then kneaded the dough for about 10 minutes until smooth and covered with a damp paper towel until i was ready to roll out the dough.

I used my hand crank pasta machine to roll out the raviolli into thin thin sheets.  I got a bargain on this machine which normally is $50 and I found one marked down at Ross for $6.99!  The machine has 7 thickness settings.  To begin, start on the thickest setting and take a piece of the dough, flatten it, and feed it through the machine.  Then turn the knob to the next thinest setting and feed the dough through again and continue this process until it is on the thinest setting.




In between rolling the pasta and making the dough ball I sauted one small chopped onion and two cloves of garlic in olive oil with a pinch of salt.  Then I added about a cup and a half of sliced mushrooms and continued to cook until soft.  This is the filling for the raviolli.







Once cooked I added the mixture to a small food processor and chopped fine, added salt and pepper to taste.  I let this cool and this is the mixture i spooned into the center of the pasta sheets to make the raviolli.

Once the pasta is rolled out I used a pasta cutter which has a serrated edge to cut the pasta.  Scoop a teaspoon of mushroom filling onto the pasta about an inch to inch and half apart.  Using a brush, brush water around the edge of the filling, then lay another sheet of pasta on top of the pasta with filling and press down to seal. Use the serrated cutter to cut the pasta into raviolli square shapes.

And here is the final raviolli prior to boiling.  Fresh pasta does not need  to be boiled long, put them in to the boiling water and when they float after a minute or two, then they are done. For the sauce I mixed three tablespoons of olive oil, the juice of one lemon, the zest of one lemon, salt and pepper to taste in a big bowl, tossed in the raviolli, and grated fresh parmigano cheese on top.

For the Swordfish, add a pinch of salt and pepper on both sides of the fish.  Lay on a hot grill or grill pan.  I used a grill  plan with a little olive oil.  Cook for 3 to 4 minutes on both sides until cooked through.  Do not over cook otherwise you will dry out the fish.  After I flipped the fish the first time I squeezed fresh lemon juice on the fish while it continued to cook.

Chondra update 9-12-07

Greetings all.  Yesterday I went to the oncologist and he reviewed my pathology report.  He needs to talk to my surgeon and wants me to go for another CT Scan in the next week to 10 days before determining next steps of treatment.  So we are most likely 3 weeks to a month away from knowing the next plan of action.  In the meantime, I bought my Mom a ticket back to New York which I am sure will make my Dad happy.  Mom has been here about 6 weeks or so during my recovery and has been helpful around the house and in my business.  Thank you Mom!!!