Day Thirteen

She Said:

Day Thirteen of our own Julie/Julia Project was limited. He was not home all day so I did the only cooking done, which wasn't really cooking at all.

But what I made was from Serving Up the Harvest by Andrea Chesman, and so it counts!

Celery Stuffed with Herbed Cheese

1 garlic clove, peeled
8 large basil leaves
2 tablespoons dill leaves
2 tablespoons parsley leaves
8-12 chive stems
2 tablespoons summer savory, oregano, mint, thyme, or sage leaves (I used sage)
8 ounces Neufchâtel cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1-2 bunches celery, trimmed and cut into 4-inch lengths

1. Combine the garlic, basil, dill, parsley, chives, and summer savory in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the cream cheese, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Process until well blended. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

2. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, to blend the flavors.

3. Spread on the celery sticks and serve.

We had this as an appetizer before we ate something wonderful that He had made on Saturday (more on that later, perhaps). It was really tasty and I feel like it would make a better dip for other vegetables than a spread for celery. Thinking of this with sliced cucumber or slices of red pepper makes me happy!

Also, I didn't have enough sage (should have added some thyme, since I had some on hand) and I went a little heavy on the parsley. But I wasn't overwhelmed by the lemon as I usually fear, so that was nice!

This is a pleasant appetizer and one I'll keep in my back pocket, just in case I'm looking for something a little different down the line.

Day 13/365:Recipe 9/175

The Whip Tavern

1383 North Chatham Road
Coatesville, PA
$39 for two pints, one appetizer and two entrees

She Said:

He took me on a date today - sweet! We took an hour drive out to the rural part of Coatesville, PA, taking in all the scenery and rusticity (is that a word??), and stopped for lunch at The Whip Tavern.

It's in an old building full of charm. There was a big fireplace when we walked in and open beams on the ceiling. The decor is all fox hounds and hunting horses. The fare is mostly from the British Isles, which I simply love.

We both started with a draught Tetley pint. This is a great ale and a safe bet if you're faced with a list of regional beers that you don't know. In hindsight, I should have gotten a Guiness. It would have fit better. Next time.

We split an appetizer of Welsh rarebit. It was my first time having that little treat. English Cheddar and Stilton cheeses blended with Smithwick's Irish Ale (another great ale) and served with toasted crostini. It was really, really delicious and I am bound and determined now to make it at home.

For the main part of the meal, I had their Beef on Weck. It's close to what you might think of as a French dip but much heartier. Thinly sliced beef served on a Kummelweck roll, served with au jus and horseradish. And chips, of course. I never heard of a Kummelweck roll but I am very glad that I tried it. It's a soft roll with a thin crust and it's just covered with caraway seeds. More seeds than you can possibly imagine. (When we were done, there were caraway seeds EVERYWHERE!) In looking up this sandwich, it turns out that it's German in origin, rather than from the British Isles. Still, it was delicious!

We were too stuffed for dessert but we heard that the sticky pudding was amazing! Again, next time.

Stuffed Mushrooms

$4.19 for two mushrooms

She Said:

I don't like going to the Giant supermarket here any more. It's always so crowded and I'm old and I get anxious in a crowded store. Plus, I'm bound to punch someone right in the throat if they annoy me too much, so it's best if I stay away from the crowds, no? But, the Giant was the closest store tonight and we went in for salmon.

While we were shopping for the salmon, I spied their famous stuffed mushrooms. They stuff them with crab imperial and they are absolutely fantastic. They're just about the same size as my head, too, so that's nice. We got two of them.

We brought the salmon home and gave it a coating of some ancho pepper dry rub and stuck it in the fridge to season. In the meantime, we indulged in these stuffed mushrooms. Hello! They were just amazing. And quite enough for a meal!

We left the salmon in the fridge for an early dinner tomorrow night.

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He Said:

Back in the day, if you bought pre-made food stuff from the grocery store you were really going out on a limb. The quality was a little, let's say, sketchy. Not to mention, risky. These days, however, it's quite another story. These days you can actually buy some pretty great stuff at the grocery store. I put the stuffed mushrooms from Giant in that 'pretty great' category. Simply pick up a couple of those overstuffed babies, stick 'em in a hot oven for 15 - 20 minutes and voilà! You are now an appetizer hero.

Bask in the glory, my friends. Bask in the glory.

Lobster Mac-n-Cheese

She Said:

Spur of the moment decision on Saturday. We had been out running around ALL.DAY and decided to head out to the Black Lab Bistro for dinner. (I will NEVER think that this is a bad decision!) This review is going to concentrate on our appetizer, rather than the whole meal.

We had Lobster Mac-n-Cheese as an appetizer. Wow! It was so creamy and decadent! And the crumb topping was bursting with flavors of fresh herbs and garlic. This dish is available as an appetizer or as a meal with half- or full portions. We split the appetizer and, honestly, that was enough for me. It was soooooo rich that I don't think I could have it as my meal.

Although, if that's what was laid in front of me as my meal, I'd give it the old college try! It was fabulous.

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He Said:

Lobster Mac and Cheese from The Black Lab Bistro? Three words:
Yes, yes and yes.

Man, that's some serious good stuff right there. Hey, let's dissect this meal and see if we can figure out why it's so tasty. Let's see:

Mac - good
Cheese - better
Lobster - best

Ok, I think that 'bout sums it up. Pretty simple, eh?