Carrot Salad

This was the third mayo-free salad we made for my parents' pool party. My brother makes a variation for his menu, too.

1 lb. carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
5 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp harissa mixed with water to thin
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp ground cumin

Peel and slice the carrots. We used the Cuisinart grater feature, so this was done in about 2 minutes.

Combine the remaining ingredients in the bottom of a medium bowl. The harissa is a chili paste, found in a tube in your ethnic food aisle. It has a smokey taste that went really well with the cumin. Add the carrots and toss to coat.

Of course if you over estimate how many people are coming and accidentally make five pounds worth, you'll have to get creative with the leftovers like my mom did!

2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion
1 elephant garlic clove
32 oz. chicken broth
~8 cups carrot salad

Saute the onion and garlic in the butter and olive oil. Add the leftover carrot salad and broth, simmering until the carrots are tender. Puree using a stick blender or Cuisinart. Garnish with sour cream if desired.

Friday Firsts - Brother

Happy Friday everybody! Right now I am in the woods camping! We have a little two burner camp stove, so we are still eating great! I will be back Sunday to visit and see all of your firsts!

My first for this week was having my brother cook for me! He graduated nearly two years ago and has been cooking professionally since, but I've never had the opportunity to eat any of his food!

Now it's your turn to tell me about your first! To participate in Friday Firsts create a blog post featuring a "first" of yours. Next, link that blog post below and tell us about it! If you don't have a blog or a specific post to link to please tell us about your first in the comment section! Any and all participation is welcome!



If you would like to display the Friday Firsts button as a badge in your post or on your side bar, you can copy and paste the following code:

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Elizabeth's Cafe

Long time readers of my blog will remember that my brother, Michael is a CIA grad chef with his wine certification. He had been living and working in California at a Mobil 5 star restaurant, but now he's back on the east coast!


He has returned to the restaurant where he started as a dishwasher and worked his way up, Elizabeth's Cafe. They used to be dinner-only, but he now offers his own lunch and accompanying wine menu for casual dining inside or on the patio.


We went with long time family friend Lyn and her daughters Cecelia and Marissa (my God daughter!), my mom, and her friend Pam.

When Michael saw us approaching through the kitchen window he immediately started on the girls' lunch so they wouldn't have to wait long. They had grilled cheddar cheese sandwiches with their favorite cottage cheese!

I ordered the saffron shrimp salad on Ciabatta roll with the apple slaw to share with my mom and it was delicious! My plate was sparkling white by the end of the meal!

My mom ordered the seared diver scallops with the green bean salad. These were so awesome and scallops are my favorite seafood!

Pam ordered the crab and cauliflower lasagna, which she let me take a few bites of. This was really creamy and I loved the cauliflower in there - I'll have to add that to mine in the future!

Lyn was adventurous and went for something she said she never would have considered - the peach and plum gazpacho! I also stole a spoonful of this and it was so refreshing!

The warm French bread that came at the beginning of the meal was SO addicting, I asked my brother if I could take a few pieces home. Imagine my delight when he popped out of the kitchen door and handed me a whole loaf!!!

Celery Slaw

This is mayo-free salad #2 that we served at my parents' pool party! This one actually comes from a Weber grill book I got Johnny a few years ago and we've made it before, so I knew it would be good. This recipe, unlike the marinated green beans, is best made fresh. The celery starts to get a bit soggy the longer it sits, so if that sort of thing bugs you, prepare it right before serving.

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp minced jalapeno
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 cups thinly sliced celery
1 cup thinly sliced red onion

Whisk together the oil, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper until combined. Add the jalapeno, celery, and onion, tossing to coat.

For the party I actually doubled the recipe and instead of using the jalapeno, used one small habanero from my mom's garden with the seeds removed. (A little bird told me that if you accidentally lick your fingers to test and see how hot the habanero pepper is a good remedy is Greek yogurt.)

Marinated Green Bean Salad

I came across this salad while looking for some mayo-free options for a pool party we had here at my parents'. We ended up making three salads for the party, but this was my favorite. It can be made using fresh green beans or fresh asparagus. I think either would be great, depending on what is in season or priced right.

1 lb. green beans
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar (I used tarragon vinegar)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

Bring a large pot of water to boil and season with salt. Add the green beans and cook quickly for about 1 minute. Remove from the water and put in an ice bath to cool quickly. This will keep the green beans nice and green with a crisp crunch.

In the bottom of a medium bowl whisk the remaining ingredients together to form the dressing. Add the drained green beans and let marinade in the fridge for at least 3 hours, or overnight.

The first time we ate these at the party they had marinated for just a few hours. The leftovers just kept getting better and better too!

Friday Firsts - Fresh Plums

Happy Friday everybody from North Carolina! Corky, Poe, and I made the trip in 2 days, breaking the 16 hour trip into two 8 hour drives.

My first for this week is eating fresh plums from my mom's fruit trees right in my parents' yard! She planted these a few years ago while I still lived at home, but they never produced fruit until the past couple years. Right now there are peaches, pears, and plums growing just a few steps from the back deck!



The plums are really tiny and not that dark, but believe me - they are so juicy and sweet!

Now it's your turn to tell me about your first! To participate in Friday Firsts create a blog post featuring a "first" of yours. Next, link that blog post below and tell us about it! If you don't have a blog or a specific post to link to please tell us about your first in the comment section! Any and all participation is welcome!



If you would like to display the Friday Firsts button as a badge in your post or on your side bar, you can copy and paste the following code:

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Friday Firsts - Ghee

Happy Friday everybody!

Ok, so maybe I lied that things have slowed down around here. It might have felt like it a few days at the beginning of the week, but then the realization that going out of town for 6 weeks requires a lot of packing, planning, and prep sunk in. I've got about 4 consecutive to-do lists going on around here.


A few days ago I made aloo paratha, a potato and pea stuffed flat bread. It was the first time using a new ingredient Ghee. This is a clarified butter, where the water is boiled off until only the solids remain. It is possible to make this at home, but I bought a jarred version. You can read more about it here.


Now it's your turn to tell me about your first! To participate in Friday Firsts create a blog post featuring a "first" of yours. Next, link that blog post below and tell us about it! If you don't have a blog or a specific post to link to please tell us about your first in the comment section! Any and all participation is welcome!



If you would like to display the Friday Firsts button as a badge in your post or on your side bar, you can copy and paste the following code:

<a href="http://www.dinneratchristinas.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://glc.dinneratchristinas.com/i/fridayfirsts.png" alt="Friday Firsts / DinnerAtChristinas.com" style="width: 220px; height: 220px; border: none"/></a>

I'll see you next Friday from North Carolina!