Dirn!

I didn’t even realize we were up and running!

I suppose some introductions are in order….. My name is Mimi and I have recently moved from Savannah, GA to Alamosa, CO. Why, you ask? I moved to the Wild West for love. My boyfriend, Devin, is from Colorado, and after he retired from the military, he wanted to go home. I couldn’t blame him, so I followed him.

You have already met my partner in crime, Diane. We have spent many years concocting all sorts of trouble in the kitchen (and other places as well). We have been friends for as long as I can remember- at least since college, if not before. Diane came up with the idea for this blog as a way to make the distance between two friends seem a little less daunting.

For the first little while, we will share what we are making for dinner in our respective households. Special projects are bound to come up- so be prepared. Diane mentioned that she rarely uses recipes. I use recipes all the time, just not in the way they were intended to be used. I’m not the kind of person who will go out and shop specifically for a recipe, so I feel free to substitute. Sometimes this means I end up with something very different than the recipe writer intended, but no less delicious!

So- let’s stop talking and start cooking!- M.

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Tomato/Zucchini Gratin

Dinner from the other night consisted of dijon/honey glazed salmon and a zucchini/tomato gratin.

I’ll start with the gratin as it is actually the test product of the evening.

Start with about

4 slices of bread (I used wheat to keep it healthy):1/3 cup of parmesan cheese; a clove of garlic (minced); and about at tablespoon of olive oil.

Put bread in food processor and coursely grind; add all other ingredients and pulse a couple more times. Spread mixture on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray and put in 450 degree oven for about  10 minutes (just to brown and crisp bread crumbs – adjust time accordingly)

Slice about 4 tomatos and a zucchini; chop about a 1/2 cup of basil: layer tomatoes/zucchini add salt, pepper and basil to each layer. Bake for about 10 minutes in oven (already hot from toasting the bread crumbs)

Remove from oven and sprinkle bread crumb mixture over the top. Put it back in the oven (caution pan will now be HOT!!!) for 8-10 minutes – eat and enjoy!

For the salmon – I just mixed dijon mustard and honey (about a teaspoon of each per fillet) and the sprinkle with a tad of salt and pepper – saute in pan (about 2-3 minutes per side depending on thickness)

Plate it up and enjoy.

I later added a slice of lemon to squeeze over the salmon – that’s your choice.

Recommendation: Enjoy with a glass of wine or a mango margarita!

Cheers

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Lets see if we can get the ball rolling

This is the first blog on the new site.  The idea came from a common love of food and cooking and a separation of 1700 miles. Before the separation, we cooked many many nights together and shared in the fun of not only preparing the food, but eating it and making mental notes of what could improve the meal.  I won’t speak for Mimi, she’ll have her own introduction, but as for me (Diane) I enjoy a good recipe as much as the next person, but I am typically a fly by the seat of the pants cook – what I have in my pantry is what gets used for dinner. Occassionally I will try an actual recipe, but usually, I make up something and keep the number for the pizza place handy. 99.9% of the time the number isn’t necessary, when it is, I just uncork wine and live with it.  My postings will largely be made up of things I have concocted on the kitchen with the occassional foray into a cookbook, but there will always be wine and if not wine then definitely whine. All in all, what I hope to accomplish with the blog is a return to fun times cooking together despite the many miles that now separate our creative forces. See you soon with a story of a successful meal!

Cheers,

Diane

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