(Kind of) Dick Clark’s Seared Ahi Tuna Pizza

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Economical fish be damned, I made this recently much to jwa’s (and my) delight. Oh. So good. Who knew Dick Clark made killer pizza at home and then gave the recipe to Bon Appétit?

I did however, use a different pizza dough recipe — the one from my Farmer’s Market Pizza Experiment of last Spring. I also changed the wasabi sauce recipe a bit and added the shitakes, carrot, avocado and sesame seeds. But still, I’ll give him the credit.

(Kind of) Dick Clark’s Seared Tuna Pizza
Your favorite Pizza Dough recipe — here is mine (you can also use prepared dough, of course. There is also one listed with this recipe at epicurious.com)
1/4 cup shredded carrots
10-12 shitake mushrooms, cleaned, destemmed, sliced quickly sauteed in a little oil until soft
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp purchased prepared wasabi
2 tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, . . . → Read More: (Kind of) Dick Clark’s Seared Ahi Tuna Pizza

WCC21: Roasted Honey Parsnip Bisque

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I recently got the cookbook, Talk with your Mouth Full by Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh and I absolutely love it. So many pages turned down of recipes that I want to make. This first one I thought would be perfect for the Halloween theme I chose for this month’s Weekend Cookbook Challenge, which I am super excited to be guest-hosting.

Now, the recipe itself isn’t particularly “Halloweeny” but it is when you add bat and black cat shaped Parmesan croutons and serve it in a big pumpkin soup tureen! Although, every year when jwa and I carve pumpkins, we do use parsnips for the noses, so there you go.

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Roasted Honey Parsnip Bisque
2 pounds parsnips, peeled and quartered lengthwise
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I subbed olive oil)
3 tsp salt, divided
6 tbsp honey, divided
6 cups water
1 bunch parsley
1 carrot, cut in 1/2
1 small onion
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp black . . . → Read More: WCC21: Roasted Honey Parsnip Bisque

National Meatloaf Appreciation Day: Turkey Meatloaf with Apple, Dijon and Carrot

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Recently, it has come to my attention that October 18th is National Meatloaf Appreciation Day. A big thank you to Serious Eats for bringing the enlightenment and for also hosting an event just for all the meat loaves and their special day.

I have been trying to recreate and perfect a meatloaf that I had about nine years ago, while living in California. jwa and I had gone shopping for something and ended up at the California Cafe by the Stanford Mall for an early dinner. They had a chicken, apple and dijon meatloaf for a special which I ordered and loved — it was the greatest meatloaf I had ever had.

Much to jwa’s dismay I have tried to recapture this awesomeness on a plate all these years since but now….I think I’ve finally gotten it (or something I like just as much).

My version has turkey instead of . . . → Read More: National Meatloaf Appreciation Day: Turkey Meatloaf with Apple, Dijon and Carrot

Rustic Green Pea Pesto with Whole Wheat Spaghetti

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This is really, really easy and super good. Who doesn’t have a bag or half bag of frozen peas in the house? With that and a few more items you could have an excellent dinner and even a lunch or two for later in the week. What a deal!

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Aside from that, we had a great time in Ashland. The leaves were changing — it was very pretty and scenic. We ate at Dragonfly, Morning Glory and the Winchester Inn. More on that later in the week. For now — let’s get to the pasta!

Rustic Green Pea Pesto with Whole Wheat Spaghetti
Adapted from a recipe on the Whole Foods Market Web site
1 pound whole wheat linguine
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1/4 cup packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/2 cup packed basil leaves (you could also use mint — that sounds great for a Spring version of this dish)
1 . . . → Read More: Rustic Green Pea Pesto with Whole Wheat Spaghetti

Ashland in the Fall

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Winchester Inn
35 South Second St.
Ashland, OR 97520
541.488.1113

We typically go to Ashland every Fall — see some plays, eat some food, go on some walks, that sort of thing. We’re heading off there this weekend and I thought it would be a good time to post last-Spring’s-mini-trip-there pictures. We just stayed for one night with a deal through the Winchester Inn — tickets to a play, dinner discounts, a suite and breakfast the next morning.

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Our night started with dinner and a complimentary appetizer. In this case clams and mussels in a spicy, garlicky, winey broth. I have to say, neither jwa or I would have ordered this on our own but since it was brought to us for free, we dove right in, With some crusty bread it was really, really good. So good that at some point, I am going to try Tyler Florence’s . . . → Read More: Ashland in the Fall