West by Midwest

Recipes and thoughts from the West by Midwest kitchen

Easy Shrimp Paella

A friend took me to a Paella demonstration dinner one evening in Half Moon Bay where we had a glass of wine (one glass, but we filled it a few times) and watched the guy cook three batches, one vegan, one seafood and one with meat. It was fun and the paella was pretty good, not quite Spain worthy, but good and we learned a few techniques. I researched some recipes and then found the one from Cooks Illustrated (where they do all of the research for you) and tweaked it a little for this one. I don't have the big paella pan but was fine using my trusted Le Creuset. I had some paprika from Spain and some Spanish Chorizo to add in. I prepped most of the ingredients in the morning, then put it ... read more

Top of the Ramen Class

Did you know that Airbnb offers “experiences” as well as boarding? You can find hikes and bikes, art walks, cooking, brewing and art classes just to name a few. My oldest daughter’s misfortune of a knee injury turned into my first “Airbnb Experience” taking her place in a Ramen Making cooking class. I’d never thought about making my own, but have enjoyed authentic ramen (that was not made from a solid lightweight pack that coasts $.99 for 10.) The Story of Ramen is taught by an ex-techie who has embraced his foodie inner Asian soul. It was fun learning the basics and techniques and then enjoying our (not so hard) work combined with his enormous amount of prep! Truly the best ramen I’ve had ... read more

Chile Relleno Casserole

I've had this recipe for a long time. I used to make it for brunch but kind of forgot about it until someone asked if I had an "egg-ie" recipe for a party. The last time I made this, it was for "Brinner" on a Friday during Lent. My mom would make breakfast for dinner sometimes on Fridays when we were growing up, but certainly not this one. We probably wouldn't have eaten it then (Midwest living in the 60s) but pretty sure we would all devour it now, as would our kids. You can serve it with tortillas, I made a very fresh salsa and served it with black beans, which would fly for breakfast, lunch or dinner at our house. Ingredients: 4 4oz Cans Whole Chiles, rinsed 1 Cup Shredded ... read more

Homemade French Onion Soup

I'm on a soup craze for January, hearing about all of the cold in the Midwest and East makes me want to eat hot soup, plus the soups I'm making are very healthy and pretty easy. French onion soup is so good and warming. It does take a little more time to caramelize the onions right, but I made this a few days ago, then put it into big jars in the fridge to savor later. Instead of doing the whole big crouton in the bowl and under the broiler thing, I made the cheesy croutons in the oven separately, cut them up and served hot on top of the soup...much easier to eat and you don't need to buy the crocks. The right type of onions is crucial. I love sweet onions, but they turn mushy. Red ... read more

Roasted Carrot Soup

This is my favorite soup of 2018 and has all those warm tastes that I love, with a little sweetness from the roasted carrots and onions. This can be prepped earlier in the day or the night before and then warmed up to warm YOU up on a cold night. It can be completely vegan, or you can add 1/2 cup of cream or yogurt at the end as a vegetarian option. I made some "tea" earlier today that had fresh turmeric and ginger, cinnamon and honey and used 1 1/2 cups of that to replace some of the broth. I used chicken broth, but a good vegetable broth would be great too. I want to breathe this soup! Ingredients 6 carrots, cut in half and split lengthwise 1/2 onion, sliced and chopped 3 ... read more

Black Eyed Peas with Sausage and Kale

2018 is upon us, so I thought I'd try a different "good luck" meal for New Years Day. Some people have Corned Beef and Cabbage, others go for White Bean Soup, in the South, it's Black Eyed Peas with ham hocks and collard greens. I've never had Black-Eyed Peas, which are supposed to bring on prosperity so I thought we'd give them a try with some greens, which is supposed to bring us wealth. (What I really want is for it to help my lingering cold and good health!) The great thing about black eyed peas is that they don't need to soak over night or cook for hours, so you can make it and enjoy it. I made mine with a little heat in the Italian sausages instead of ham hocks and added kale ... read more

October(fest) Sauerbraten

Fall weather (all 2 days of it so far) means German food at our haus. We both have some German heritage and crave German food occasionally. We don’t have a good German restaurant nearby, so I make my own. When I first found this recipe in an old German cookbook of my great uncles, I laughed when it said marinate for three days, five if using a refrigerator! Joe loved it, so here is a marinated beef dinner that’s easy to make, but keeps you waiting a while. Since it’s just the two of us, you get some bonus leftover recipes. Sauerbraten Marinade: 3 1/2 lbs. Beef, chuck roast or rump roast 1 Cup Vinegar 1 Cup Water 1 Small Onion, cut in wedges and separated 1 Carrot, cut in thin ... read more

Pluot Granita and Granita Sangria

Pluots /ˈpluːɒt/  hybrid that are genetically one-fourth (25%) apricot and three-fourths (75%) plum. Granita \grə-ˈnē-tə\:  a coarse-textured ice confection typically made from fruit Sangria /san'grí a/ is an alcoholic beverage of Spanish origin, traditionally consists of red wine and chopped fruit, often with other ingredients such as orange juice or brandy Now that you know what it is, here is how to make it and enjoy it! I got a VERY large bag of pluots at our farmers' market as they were packing up. Then I had to figure out what to do with them. It's summer and it's warm so Granita was one of my first thoughts. It's easy to make, but you do need to be around for a few hours to make sure ... read more

Chimichurri Sauce

There are a lot of recipes out in the blogosphere for Chimichurri Sauce. It's traditionally a parsley based Argentinian sauce used to accent their grass fed grilled beef. I like mine with cilantro too so after scouring a number of recipes, I came up with my own. You can experiment with the acids, some recipes call for red wine vinegar, some for white. I used white and some lime juice. Nearly all recipes call for red pepper flakes, I used those along with a jalapeño pepper (without the seeds). Some recipes call for shallots, but I had just used mine up so I used red onion. Serve as a sauce for grilled beef or shrimp, use it as a marinade, top deviled eggs with a little...possibilities ... read more

Plum Torte

I found this NYT recipe after buying a big bag of plums at the farmers market. It is simple, looks pretty and tastes wonderful.  I added some blueberries from my garden as well. It can be made with other stone fruit so I'm going to try it with tart cherries when I'm back in the Midwest. Plum Torte 3/4-1 Cup Sugar (depends on how sweet your fruit is) 1/2 Cup Butter, softened 1 Cup Flour 1 tsp. Baking Powder pinch of salt 2 eggs 20 halves of ripe, pitted plums course sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice for topping Preheat oven to 350° Cream the sugar and butter together. Beat the eggs into the butter mixture. Sift the flour, baking powder and pinch of salt together and mix in with the ... read more

Cauliflower Couscous

There are so many ways to use the new darling of vegetables, cauliflower. My daughter makes some pretty mean mashed "potatoes" and cauliflower stir fried "rice". I was making some lamb burgers and wanted a mediterranean side dish that was healthy and yum. Here is how it turned out: (By the way, that is Trader Joe's Roasted Garlic and Onion Jam on top of the stuffed lamb burger, a great addition.) The Cauliflower Couscous was very easy to make, mega healthy and yum too. I cut 1/2 of a cauliflower head into medium size pieces and then pulse it in a food processor until I get rice or couscous sized pieces. Then I do the same with other vegetables, in this case I have a red pepper, 3 green ... read more

Rose Drop Martini

Think Lemon Drop with a hint of Roses.  I was getting ready for a girls birthday weekend at Bodega Bay. I had just raided our dental office of some magazines (I work there, so no harm!) and was flipping through Sunset Magazine when I saw an amazing recipe for a Rose Drop Martini. I just so happened to have the first roses of the season on my driveway bushes so I had to try this. It was an absolute winner, and I suggest having witnesses as you put the drink together, they will be wowed, both by the presentation and the drink. Start with 5-8 pesticide free pink roses. Rinse and dry the separated petals, then pack into a Mason jar. Fill the jar with a good vodka, I used Hangar 1, a Bay Area ... read more

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Unfortunate name, yes...I was shocked when when I first heard of the drink so many years ago in an Irish bar at Whistler mountain. I saw some Irish Coffee cupcakes, but someone gave up chocolate for Lent, so I improvised, took out the chocolate and added a Bailey's Irish Cream icing on top of the Irish Whiskey Cupcakes.  It's a nice dense moist cupcake with an intoxicating icing! Irish Coffee Cupcakes (makes 16 cupcakes) 1 cup whole milk 1 cup whole roasted coffee beans 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon baking powder 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 1 ¼ cup sugar 2 eggs ¼ cup Irish whiskey Directions: Heat the milk in a ... read more

Zoodle Bake

  I finally made "Zoodles" (zucchini noodles) and then had to figure out what to do with them. I had to say good bye to my trusty little food processor after 35 years of hard work. It was the only one I had which means I did a lot of slicing and chopping by hand over the years. The motor worked fine, but I didn't want to spend $30 for a new blade so I finally splurged on a Cuisinart Elemental (read about it here) and then had to learn what it can do...thus my Zoodles experiment. It's a quick meal with little guilt eating it! 3 Medium Zucchini 3 Hot Italian Sausages (or mild if you don't like spicy food) 1/2 cup sliced red onions 1 clove of garlic, chopped 1 ... read more

Jalapeño Pickled Apricot Duck Bites

Need a new appetizer for the holidays? I loved the Maple Leaf Farms duck we ate this summer in Indiana and I finally found some in California so I tried out a new appetizer using duck breast and a Jalapeño Pickled Apricot recipe I created. The Pickled Apricot brings a fresh, colorful tangy flavor that enhances the duck. Most of the recipe can be made ahead and then assembled right before a party. I made them with Puff Pastry and with Sweet Potato Waffle Fries, both were great. This looks like a long list of ingredients, but most of it is for a chimichurri oil and pickled Apricots  which are the make ahead elements. The pickled apricots also are great mixed in a salad or added to chicken ... read more

Decorating for Dias de los Muertos

Ever since I lived in Texas, I’ve loved Dias de los Muertos decorations.. I have made these for a few years and tell you how here.  I’ve got a few of my new ones displayed this year and loaned some to my church for our Day of Remembrance tables. ... read more