nourishment for baby rhino

I got to meet Chopper, the 27-day old rhino, at the Rio Grande zoo. He is being hand-raised and is not yet on public display. Like other mammal babies, he drinks milk - but from a very large bottle! A big shout out to the NM Biopark Society for funding his arrival here and thanks to Creamland Dairy for the milk.

chicken, rice, & blackberries - oh my

The main course is an Indonesian inspired golden rice and chicken with many savory toppings.  For dessert you see here a blackberry buttermilk cake.

end of summer - pork chops & tomatoes

This one is packed with umami sensation. I brined a pork chop, then pan fried it to top with pickled peaches and fried sage. The side salad contained tomatoes and anchovies.

salad night - steak salad & bean salad

I made a black bean salad to go along with grilled steak over salad with a tomato vinaigrette. Nice to have beans, meat, and greens as a healthful combination for dinner.

fusilli with gorgonzola and pancetta

A grown up comfort food version of macaroni and cheese!

a whole grilled fish

This is a small yellow snapper that I grilled with lime slices and herbs inside the cavity, then finished with more lime juice squeezed on top and garnished with lime and herbs. It reminds us of the fresh grilled red snapper we have enjoyed long ago on a beach in Mexico.

chicken lettuce wraps

I made an Asian-flavored chicken filling to roll up in lettuce leaves - one of our favorite menu items that I decided to make at home. Dessert was a lovely lemon custard topped with raspberries.

bacon-cheddar burgers & salad

The salad of baby greens included goat cheese, dried cherries, and pistachios. We loved the bacon-cheddar burger - you can see that I was using a yellow tomato for part of the garnish.

"poppers" & "fries"

These are those colorful mini-peppers that you can buy in packages in almost any store - they are filled with a ground lamb and feta stuffing, then broiled. I made some baked sweet potato "fries" as our side dish.

coconut shrimp and coconut rice

I have grated and frozen meat from a fresh coconut so this evening I made a coconut shrimp to serve over coconut rice (jasmine rice cooked with coconut milk). The garnishes include more coconut, cashews, and cilantro.

taste of the middle east

I made beef kefta patties, paired with raita sauce and pita bread. Also on the plate is orzo with toasted pine nuts and parsley. As a little side bite I included some fresh refrigerator pickles I made with some of the last cucumbers that came into the Farmers Market.

pasta with shrimp, strawberry dessert

From the July 2012 issue of Food and Wine magazine - here is Spaghettini with Shrimp, Tomatoes and Chile Crumbs http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/spaghettini-with-shrimp-tomatoes-and-chile-crumbs I had some extra cherry tomatoes so I made mozzarella-tomato kebabs as a garnish for dessert we did the Honey-Lime Strawberries with Whipped Cream http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/honey-lime-strawberries-with-whipped-cream