Playing with the salt block

For last Christmas, my aunt purchased a salt block for me.  I have had great fun with it since then.  But because it tends to make a mess when I use it on my stove top, I have not pulled it out of the cupboard in quite a while.  Until tonight.  It was a perfect spring day as I drove to the grocery store and after smelling the wonderful scents wafting through the air from grills as we passed houses I decided to pick up some brats and steak for the evening.  At the time, I had completely forgotten about my salt block and had no intention of using it.  After arriving home, though, it occurred to me that the grill would be the perfect way to use the block.

Red Potatoes a la Grill

Now the brats didn't seem appropriate for the salt block.  It's not a large one anyway and I needed room for the steaks which would benefit from the salt.  I rubbed a little pesto and garlic on my steaks and let them settle for a while as I grilled up some chicken breasts to add to tomorrow's lunch salad.  Then I laid those beautiful rib eyes upon the block and listened to the satisfying sizzle of beef fat on hot salt.  I like my steaks juicy with a little red and these were not very thick rib eyes, so I only let them cook for a few minutes on each side.  I gathered up my grilled brats and my Reynolds Wrap packets of corn and red potatoes and ventured back into the house anxiously anticipating my delectable dinner.

 

Steak and Brats

And a little salad

My meal at Doodles

Green Eggs and Ham

This was my meal at Doodles, a great little place in Lexington on Third and Lime.  Since it was the Saturday before St. Patrick's Day, the special was Green Eggs and Ham.  The eggs are from local farmers and are always cooked perfectly.  I normally forgo the scrambled eggs when I eat out as most cooks tend to cook them until they are so dry as to be unpalatable - altering the flavors and textures negatively.  But Doodles manages to prepare my eggs so they are light and fluffy and full of flavors without adding salt or pepper.  For this special, they also added some spinach and a touch of parmesan.  The spinach added a texture that set well with the lightness of the eggs.  The Parmesan added just a hint of flavor without overwhelming the eggs as so many additives often do. 
And the ham.  This ham was shaved so thinly it almost melted in my mouth.  Surprisingly, the ham held all the salty goodness I expect of country ham but have only ever enjoyed in thick slices.  I wasn't even aware country ham could be sliced this way.  The revelation has prompted me to consider a meat slicer for my home.
I thought of placing my ham on my biscuit, but decided to smear it with the restaurants wonderful local made blackberry jam.  Now, I make my own jam each summer from the blackberries on the back of my farm and there is nothing like homemade jam.  Doodles' jam is on par with this.  Slather it on these buttery, crumbly biscuits that I believe they grill and it is like eating a little piece of heaven.
To cap it off, I sucked down a lightly sweet bellini.  While this is not my favorite beverage, I cannot fault Doodles for this.  Peaches have never been on the top of my list.  But, I have always been up for trying something new.  While I still do not think I will ever truly enjoy a bellini, it was not the worst thing I have ever had.

Another blog for another love

I already have one blog for my wanderings through the murky path of part time hobby farming.  I have another for the odd thought that I want to make a little more difficult for friends and family to find.  And now, I have a third for one of my greatest loves - food.  I love to cook it.  I love to eat it.  I love to play with it.  I love to meet new foods and have long, intellectual conversations with it.  So, it just seemed natural that all those photos I take of my own creations and those I encounter on my culinary adventures should be posted in  blog where I can expound upon the piquant flavors or the velvety textures.
I have been thinking about starting this blog for quite a few weeks.  It came down to tonight when my beloved husband and I decided to return to a restaurant at which we had eaten almost four years ago.  I remembered it as a noisy, stressful, crowded time due entirely to the large group of children I was with and not to the restaurant at all.  But through all this hazy recollection, I had a distinct impression that I had greatly enjoyed the food.  And so, we returned to Oasis, a Mediterranean restaurant at Chevy Chase in Lexington. While my mind might not have had a clear recollection of that first meal, my taste buds remembered it well and welcomed it back like a long lost friend.  After feasting upon baba ghanouj, kafta kebabs, chicken shawarma, kibbi, stuffed grape leaves, falafel, and hummus, I realized that I had forgotten to take a picture of the heavenly plate for two so I could post it on Facebook and make all my friends salivate in envy.  At this point, it occurred to me that once I returned home, I would have the time to create a new blog and set it up for mobile posts.  And voila - here it is.  Future posts will include pictures and detailed descriptions of my meals.