Flavors 518

The meal pictured above wasn't the typical version of this recipe, since the cauliflower we had turned out not to be usable, so we had to improvise with broccoli instead. (Which worked fine!) But this is a really good one. How does one go about making it, you might ask? Well: Cut enough cauliflower (or broccoli) for your party into florets, quickly blanch.  Season cod (or other whitefish filets) with salt and pepper. Heat a little olive oil in a 12 inch skillet over medium heat. OPTIONAL BUT REALLY GOOD: mince an anchovy or two and put into the oil at this stage. Add the cauliflower, sautee for a few minutes.  Add a minced shallot and a minced jalapeno pepper, saute for a couple more minutes. Add a clove or three (I would say the latter) of garlic, saute for 30 seconds of so. Add several fresh tomatoes (if in season) or a can (14 or 28 ox/ depending on the amount of fish) of high-quality canned tomatoes, diced either way.  Let them cook down for a couple ...

You know it is spring around here when the Jim's Tastee Freez opens up again! We tend to think that the Kurver Kreme is a little overrated. We haven't been to all the places in the area (we still want to visit On the Farm in Latham), but we really like the Tastee Freez. My husband loves the Boston Shake ( see also Mr. Dave's post from three years ago - probably where Scott got the idea to try it to begin with), which is vanilla soft serve in a chocolate shake. On this particular day, they had pistachio soft serve. I can't be sure that any real pistachios were included in the concoction, but it was refreshing and delicious with a nice mild flavor. I'll never understand why pistachio flavored things have to be green. I was raised with green pistachio pudding, and then eventually went to Belgium where their amazing white pistachio ice cream sort of blew my mind. But this green stuff made into a marshmallow sundae - I also enjoy. Working on a college ...