Market dinner

I love Saturday mornings at the Farmers Market! This morning's market had all the necessary components: a cup of coffee, a sweatshirt and this morning a special treat of fresh, warm doughnuts. I like wandering around with Jeff and seeing what everyone has brought that week, but what I like even more is coming home and re-discovering all my treasures! Today was no exception. I bought my usual bunch of roses, which just make me happy every time I walk into the room.

I bought some fresh shitake mushrooms, english peas, the very best cherries I have ever had in my life, and strawberries that reminded me what living in California is all about. I also bought some fresh carrots (which I will probably make into carrot ginger soup, but that's another day).

When I saw the shitakes, I immediately thought about the organic red quinoa that was hanging out in my cupboard just begging for some fresh mushrooms and english peas! The Purple Door weather was cool today so a sort of quinoa risotto felt like a good choice to warm us up.

I browned some chicken breasts in my heavy dutch oven. I took them out and added the shitakes, onion, garlic and what I can only call garlic scapes (since we still haven't identified their actual genus yet). I added the quinoa and let it toast a bit. I then deglazed with a little sherry and added the peas, chicken stock, some herbes de provence, and lemon. I popped it into the oven and let it cook.

It may not photograph well, but I can tell you, it was delicious! Quinoa has always been a favorite and the red is no exception. Red Quinoa at the Purple Door; it was great market dinner!

Tonight Jeff and I had friends over and I decided to make a few Spanish Tapas dishes:

Stuffed mushrooms with goat cheese and pancetta picante, oven roasted tomato and mushroom filling

Pan con Tomate (toasted bread with oven roasted tomatoes, garlic, olive oil) and finished with melted manchego cheese

Serano ham wrapped shrimp (skewered and grilled) - I apologize to you, dear reader, these were devoured before I could snap a picture!

Chimichuri marinated steak (skewered and grilled)- these were also gobbled up before I could photograph...

I marinated pineapple spears in spiced rum and used them as a garnish in a mint, orange, lime, rum cocktail.

For dessert, we had biscuits with layered marscapone and goat cheese, strawberries and a balsamic reduction drizzled over the top. Again, no pictures of this due to the gobbling of said dessert.

It was a fun evening with friends and good food! We sat around the bonfire for a little while, but it actually got too cold outside and we had to move indoors. I thought summer had arrived at the purple door, but apparently Mother Nature didn't get the memo.

Cinco de Mayo

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Our menu was chicken enchiladas. While I totally cheated and bought a deli roasted chicken, I did dress it up for the occasion (no not in a frilly skirt or sombrero). I sliced and carmalized an onion. I added some garlic, some red pepper flakes, cumin, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Then I mixed in some salsa verde, some of the enchilada sauce (pureed ancho, adobo and tomatoes) and added the chicken that I had previously shredded.

We are lucky to live in an area that has amazing tortillas right in the grocery store. I used my favorite brand of corn tortillas, coated them in the sauce, and filled and rolled them with the chicken and onion mixture. I covered with the remaianing sauce, added cheese on top and baked them in the oven. They were delish!

Hope everyone had a great Cinco de Mayo and didn't have too many Cervesas or Margueritas!

Welcome!

Welcome to "A Purple Door"! A place where I will discuss all the delicious things that are created behind the purple door (my front door). I will also tell you about the latest hobbies, movies, tv shows... whatever is going on behind the purple door!
Enjoy!