Carrots, Carrots and Sweet, Sweet Sleep........

Hey Everyone! So happy to be here blogging, sitting on the floor of my bedroom while sweet Chloe sleeps on our bed. Her dad, Mark, helps us on Wednesday nights, bless him. Last night while I was dozing off with Jake I was pondering a blog entry, fearful that Joel would be too busy to make time. I knew I had to come up with something entertaining in order to distract you guys from realizing that I wasn’t talking about food. I started thinking about putting Jake to sleep. It’s always fun around our house at bedtime as Jake doesn’t like to sleep by himself. There's usually a trade off on who gets to doze off with him while the other finishes housework, reads, watches tv, scans facebook, catches up on sports, etc. Often, I thrill at the opportunity to snuggle into bed with Jake at 8:30 or 9, whenever, fall into slumber and get a good night’s sleep. Other times, I love the opportunity to finish some tidying in the casa and settle into a good show. I think Joel feels the same way. Well, of course, now with the Violet Crown Supper Club, this random pleasure is not as eagerly anticipated. Every other Tuesday and Wednesday, we desperately need for him to just go to sleep so we can both put in another three hours of work. Sadly, one of us (me) has to fall asleep then reawaken to attempt to keep working. The problem is that Jake doesn’t fall asleep easily and often, after I sneak out of the bed, he comes and finds me. Last night was one of these nights. I had woken back up and was in the kitchen washing dishes when Jake came in and said he couldn’t get to sleep. I tuned in some Chet Baker on Pandora, crawled back into the soft sheets and cuddled into him, his head close to mine. He told me, “Mom, I really want to go to sleep so you can help dad, but I just can’t”. Darn. I relaxed into it and fell asleep for the rest of the night. So, I got a good night’s sleep. Needless to say, that whole notion of co-sleeping simply didn’t anticipate the Violet Crown Supper Club nights. We went to the library today to pickup books on cd. Jake has agreed to try to fall asleep to these. I’ll keep you updated. The good news is, that when I woke up this morning, Joel was working on the following, so with that said………heeeeeerrrrrreeeee’s Joel!

I would like to thank all of you guys for the tremendous support. Without you, our wonderful home would be foreclosed upon. This really does help the cause and I hope you are enjoying it as well. It will be obvious this week that I bought a really big bag of carrots. They show up all over this menu, but it’s ok because carrots are good for you. Keep in mind, these items have not been made yet and I am mostly speaking in conjecture. Curveballs could happen tonight when I finish the prep, but lately, things have gotten more consistent. I have actually started taking notes and writing recipes. It’s funny how that helps.

SNAX

The Truffled White Bean Dip makes a return and I am excited about it. It came out so good last time. Great Northern Beans pureed with truffle oil, roasted garlic, carmelized onions and parsley. It could be tasty on a toasted baguette or underneath a grilled chicken breast or pork loin. We also have the Sundried Tomato Feta Dip with fresh basil. If you were buying this from Tom’s Tabooleh it would be called hummus, but I hate bastardizing that term. Hummus is hummus. And speaking of, we are also selling the Roasted Garlic Hummus. I may have just bastardized it myself by including the roasted garlic part, but it sounds cool. It is a basic hummus recipe but I do use roasted garlic instead of fresh. It allows me to amp up the garlic flavor without the harshness that comes from using fresh garlic. I also promise to never put cumin in hummus or make a black bean hummus (Joanna inserts that she wishes for a roasted pepper hummus and would love a black bean hummus). That is so honkey. The Cranberry Almond Chicken Salad is back as well. I will take it off the menu when it stops selling out, but so far it has been a very popular item. One of Joanna’s favorite snax is topping an olive tapenade with goat cheese. This one is for her. It is a Kalamata Olive Tapenade with sundried tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, and basil. Maybe we should call it the marriage counseling tapenade because it is an obvious attempt to get in her good graces. I hope she is not offended that it came out looking like dogfood. The plan may backfire. Next time I will use a Spanish olive in there as well to get some color and offset the kalamata. The sweetness of the sundried tomatoes and the balsamic soften the saltiness of the olives and it tastes really good. Go ahead and pickup the baguette and goat cheese. I am also pickling some peppers that Annie gave us. I have no idea what kind of peppers they are or how hot they are, but they sure are pretty. We will find out tonight.

SOUPS

The Carrot Ginger Soup was requested and is back. Since I was cooking white beans, I decided to make a White Bean Soup spiked with roasted garlic. I love bean soups and this is one of my favorites. I wish it had some shredded braised pork in it but I kept it vegetarian. I also started using Braggs Liquid aminos in our homemade veg stock instead of soy. Now our soups are more “gluten-free” friendly. The final soup is an experiment resulting from an ordering error with the produce company. I have tons of nappa cabbage. I love sweet and sour soup from Chinese restaurants and this is the inspiration for the Sweet and Sour Vegetable Soup. I plan on making a sweet soy-ginger broth spiked with rice wine vinegar and filled with nappa, crimini mushrooms, scallions, and carrots. It should not suck.

SIDES

The White Beans and Greens are back. These were so wonderful last time, I just didn’t make enough. Apple Cider braised red chard with great northern beans and carmelized onions. This is one of my favorite things to eat and it is very, very healthy. The Whole Wheat Orzo with a Basil Walnut Pesto is a new one. Roasted Peppers and fresh mozzarella round out this dish. Another pasta dish we have is the SpagheThai. Whole Wheat Noodles tossed with a spicy sesame ginger garlic sauce inspired by some of the thai dishes I have eaten. I am a white-boy Jew from Texas so this could hardly be considered authentic, but it is good. I am always very shy about cooking ethnic dishes and feel like a poser. But I have been reading Eat Me, the book by Kenny Shopsin who has the eccentric diner in NY. He has given me the confidence to cook what I want regardless of rules and then call it whatever I want. As long as it tastes good to me, I have no problems selling it. We debut our first salad this week with the Asian Salad, which is similar to a popular dish we served at a café I worked at in Colorado. Nappa Cabbage with shredded carrots, cilantro, scallions, sweet almonds, crispy wontons, and a tangerine miso vinaigrette. The final side is the Carrot Cakes with a thai chili sauce. These are a play on crab cakes but use pureed carrots instead. I was undecided on whether to pre-grill them for you guys or sell them uncooked. I went with the uncooked so you could get maximum freshness and flavor. Cook them just as you would a crab cake. Heat oil in a skillet over med-high heat and brown both sides until well heated through the middle.

Hope to see you guys on Thursday. If you ever have any questions, please feel free to email us at violetcrownsupperclub@gmail.com and we will respond as quickly as possible. Thanks again.

Crabby Patties and One Night Stands

O.K. guys this thing is gonna be fast and furious, much like life after school starts. Joel wants me to start this off by explaining that last week's blog was written but never posted. I really feel bad about this as it's sitting on my computer desktop, a waste of Joel's time. He wanted to make sure you all knew his intentions for the delicious butter that we all know and love which normally comes with the veggies (patterned after the ever famous "love veggies" from The Magnolia Cafe). He knew that it would be inappropriate to call it the Love Butter (a blatant ripoff) and he also knew that the butter is also a bit naughty as we are always trying to be good and stay away from fattening and dairy type products. So, in response to those thoughts, he called it the "one-night-stand butter". Something you want to spend a fun evening with, but not stay with permanently. It's a good thing that butter and I have nothing in common.
You are all probably wondering "what the hell is Spongebob doing on this blog?". Upon Jake's request, Joel created a new hamburger that we officially call the "Crabby Patty". I have to say that something magical is going on with these burgers. He's got a steak rub that has officially nudged Dirty's into 2nd place on the list. I'm now living with the best hamburger maker in Austin, hell yeah! We crave "crabby patties" on a weekly basis and I'm sure that Ft. Worth will be exposed to these miracles this weekend.
We had a few other cooking experiences over the last few weeks. I had the opportunity to bake in the new kitchen for the first time and what a difference it made having prep tables and a nice big oven. I made what has officially been called "my best cookies ever", a double-chip chocolate-chip cookie cooked to all sorts of perfection and a couple of loaves of bread that were tasty but a little thick, the dough never did rise appropriately. I am thinking that a sourdough starter is in my future and I'm thinking all you bakers will not only get a bit of it, you will also be expected to drop by and feed that baby when I'm out of town.
O.K. guys, enough of my blathering, let's get down to the menu, and hopefully Joel will give you some insight into his offerings some bright and early morning this week. I'll encourage him to pop out some descriptions. I'm so sorry, I know he's better at all this tasty, yummy, fun description of foods.

SOUP
We have a repeat of the Spinach Soup, but he's still wavering on the creme fraiche, I'm working on him. He's also got a Cauliflower Soup with Gouda and on the tail end, a Creamy Crimini Mushroom soup. That Creamy Crimini is really calling my name, I'm sure it will be yelling it as it walks out the door in Sonja's bag......poor me, I never get to eat the food.

SNAX
He's making a favorite of mine, Roasted Cauliflower and Sweet Peppers with coriander and cumin. This recipe if from the Modern Vegetarian and I think it's one of the best ways to serve cauliflower. Anybody have any favorite recipes for cauliflower, please share. There's also Balsamic Roasted Eggplant with basil, mint and feta and Israeli Couscous with sundried tomatoes, basil, green onion and feta. The next two are repeats of some really delicious items. The Red Quinoi with corn, tomato, cilantro and lime is not only delicious and refreshing, it's also super healthy. The "Best Beans" are pinto beans seasoned with jalapenos, corn, roasted peppers and tomatoes. I just asked Joel if he was adding chorizo to the "Best Beans" as it's listed on the menu AND his response was..... "it was too expensive at Central Market, HEB was reasonable but there was way too much lips and anus (ick) and Costco didn't carry it". Geez. I don't think I'll be eating chorizo anytime soon (and that had just become my favorite taco). The "Best Beans" are officially vegetarian.

SNAX
Well, what can I say, let's just think about this one. What are some of the yummiest things in the world that I never get to eat because we sell out every time? There's the Cranberry Almond Chicken Salad, which we are gonna keep selling this until there is some left over. There is the ever famous, all-time favorite of mine, Mom's Insulted Tuna Salad and not to be undersold, the addicting Chipotle Shrimp and Corn Salad. If you haven't had the shrimp dip, get here early. Joel is mixing it up with some Baba Ghanouj this week. Yummy.

SPICES
Yes, you read that right, not dressings, spices. Joel has decided to flirt up all those husbands out there with a little gift he has, the amazing ability to mix all kinds of interesting things together to make the best damn rubs evah! He's got a Chile Rub, a Tejas Rub, a Sweet Pork and Chicken Rub and the famous Cowboy Steak Rub. He's got something called "Da Rub" which I think might be linked to the Crabby Patties, not sure. He's saying he's not sure if the rubs will happen, so if you are of the prayin' type, get down on those knees and hallelujah, start prayin' for the rubs.

Alright guys, sorry you got a post from me, but what the heck, Joel's busy. I've got to go meet the teacher, so I'm off and I can't wait to see all ya'll on Thursday. Now that school has started back we are cutting the VCSC lounge time back a bit, homework and early bedtimes prevail. Maybe we will have a little VCSC weekend bbq. Soon, I promise.

Ahem!

O.K. wow, well, hmmmm, tweet tweet, whoa, those birds are so pretty, yeah, um, so (hands in pockets, kicking rocks), gee...........and, o.k. well, see you guys soon. Check out that fluffy dog.

That's about it. We have a blog, but I don't have time to edit it. So, later, while we are all sitting around drinking wine and enjoying snacks, I'll set it all in past tense and post it along with Jake's pic of his hearty breakfast of cheetos, strawberries and chocolate milk. Does anybody have a sedative. Hot baths and glasses of wine are my new best friend at 1am after cooking all evening. O.K. guys, new story, we are going to blog regularly, but not on the day of, I think our sanity can handle that better.

Love to all.

Lost in the Supermarket

To start off…. I think the HEB over on Far West (aka the “Heeb” HEB due to its cool Kosher section) is set up in a very weird way. I’m guessing it‘s laid out to promote wandering and pondering that lead to spending. I began to hum the Clash’s “Lost in the Supermarket” to cheer myself up while searching impatiently for the dish soap. I had just started to get a grip on where everything was located then they remodeled it (which I do appreciate). Then again, I get lost often in stores. For the record, the dish soap is next to the magazines, nine aisles south of where they used to be. Brilliant! With that said, I will get started on the food. Right after this quick video....



SNAX
Tacodeli has started doing business with Quality Seafood in an effort to go more local and get fresher products. When was the last time you were there? I had not been since we moved back. Boy, has it changed. There is a full-on restaurant there now. The people are really nice to work with, the customer service is great, and the fish is excellent. I got some Texas Gold shrimp there for the new Chipotle Shrimp Dip with Corn. It’s a dish I came up with a couple of weeks back when I was playing a game called ”What’s in the fridge.” We were having company over and there were no obvious meals around, just scattered leftovers from the last VCSC. It reminded me of Lobster Rolls from Maine, except it had lots of flavor.
The Cranberry Almond Chicken Salad makes a return this week due to its immense popularity last time around. Two more dips round out the snax. . .The Roasted Garlic Hummus which is self explanatory and the Sundried Tomato and Feta Dip with Basil, one of our new favorites.

SIDES
I was thinking of that childhood rhyme, “Beans, Beans they’re good for your heart. The more you eat them, the more you….” Well as it turns out, that song is partially true. I found that out when I was diagnosed with my “condition”. Beans provide a lot of fiber which is good for lowering your cholesterol as well as promoting digestive health. This week we lead off the sides with the “How you bean” Salad. Before I start embarrassing myself with tales of my mom’s cooking that turn out to be untrue, I would like to say I confirmed the story. She did actually make a three bean salad for us as kids. It was one of my favorite dishes even though it had four beans. This is more of a “How many beans look really cool at the Sun Harvest Bulk section” salad. I think there are five, let's count....black-eyed peas, garbanzos, red kidneys, anasazi, and French green beans tossed in a red wine mustard vinaigrette with basil, red bell, and sweet onion.
We also tried a modern take on the peas and carrots side that seemed to pop up every time you ate a frozen dinner from Swansons or encountered Salisbury steak in the cafeteria. I hated that crap and would try to hide them in the mashed potatoes. This version is much better. Sauteed Organic Carrots and Sugar Snap Peas with roasted garlic basil butter. Just sauté the veggies until hot in a pan and add some of the butter at the end. I gave extra for other uses because, well, it is pretty good.
The next dish is the Roasted Sweet Potato Hash with Corn, Peppers, and Cilantro. It is seasoned with not much more than olive oil, garlic, salt and Malabar black pepper. This is delicious and again a pretty healthy option. Sweet potatoes contain some serious health benefits. They are rich in beta carotene, antioxidants and fiber. Just reheat in a sauté pan and you have a great friend to hang with grilled chicken breasts, black beans or just by itself.
The final side is the Veggie Fried Rice, brown rice sautéed with edamame, carrots and red bell pepper in a sesame ginger stir fry sauce. Again, I gave a little extra of the sauce so I wouldn’t use the whole four ounces but save some for something else. The sauce is made with soy sauce, ginger, garlic, scallions, sesame, chile paste and brown sugar.

SOUPS
With respect to summer, we went with two soups that can be served cold. The first is the Cucumber Dill Soup made with English cucumbers, fresh dill, bulgarian yogurt and I am not sure what else because I haven’t made it yet. Last time we had it, it sold out quickly and was very, very good. The second soup is a Spinach Soup with lemon crème fraiche, or at least an approximation of lemon crème fraiche, (buttermilk mixed with sour cream and lemon zest.) It can be served hot or cold. (Joel just had me taste it and there is no way this stuff will be left over, it was like having heaven handed to me on a spoon, yummy lemony spinach.....mmmmmm)

With that, I must now go to work. Hope to see you guys. I really appreciate the feedback and the business. If there is anything I can cook for you, please let me know. I would love the challenge. Take care and see you Thursday.

Joanna’s Notes: I know he has some dressings on the menu. Just not sure what….as we mentioned before, we are planning to set prices this time according to the food vs. the size of the container. It shouldn’t change the pricing too much, it will just give us a more standardized method of charging instead of wish-washing all over the place right in front of you. I’m sitting here in the kitchen listening to Herb Albert’s Tijuana Brass Band and smelling the lovely goodness that is Joel’s cooking. I hope to see all of you tomorrow and I’m like the 3 monkeys covering my ears, eyes and nose to any words of summer coming to a close. Don’t talk about school to me. Take care.

"F THE OVEN"

This week is considered "F THE OVEN" week because it is so damn hot. Really freakin’ hot. Everything we are producing is made to be cold, no oven or stove necessary. I am most excited about the side dishes so I will start with those. I must admit, however, none of these have actually been completed yet and are “in theory” only. Some of it is new and never been tested so there may be surprises. These nights we spend in the kitchen are exciting and experimental. Notice how that last word ends in “mental”. I promise that we never fight and there is never any tension (Joanna smiles with arms crossed). It is just as tranquil, cool, and breezy as a tropical depression about to hit land near a crowded resort.

SIDES
My friend Rol has been on me to do a cold noodle salad asian-style. I cautiously present the Thai Noodle Salad, whole-wheat spaghetti tossed with a sesame chile sauce, cilantro, leeks, and bell peppers. Just like the Indian Curry last month, when I go ethnic, I feel like such a honky. Thai chefs, like my friend Sap, would probably cringe at the cute little white boy’s attempt, but this is going to taste really good. I made the sauce last night. By the way, he opened a third Madam Mam's, up by the Village Theatre, check out the toasted chile-garlic condiment. If you’ve never been there, it’s quality yum!
I had wanted to do an Orzo with sun-dried tomatoes, basil and feta, but I realized that would be two pasta salads. Instead, I present the Mediterranean Barley Salad with sun-dried tomatoes, basil, feta, pine nuts, and extra virgin olive oil. Critics could point out that barley is more of a northern European grain, I don't even know if they have it in the Mediterranean. While I wandered around the bulk section at Sun Harvest, I already had that flavor profile in my noggin from the Orzo fantasy, and the barley was cool looking, begging to join the party. Barley is good for you, too.
The last side I have named “Deans Beans” after one of my culinary heroes Dean Fearing, the chef from Dallas who helped put Southwestern cooking on the map. Black beans, fresh corn, roasted peppers, tomatoes, cilantro, onion, lime, and olive oil. It is something I eat almost everyday at work. I attempted to get this dish on the menu at Tacodeli, but was denied. My boss told me it looked too 1980’s and he is right. I can show you similar pictures of this dish from Dean’s 1987 cookbook where he is holding an acoustic guitar on the back cover smiling underneath his giant mullet. In 1987, I had a mullet too, and it was cool and crunchy because mousse had recently been discovered by the teens in Fort Worth. Damn, is anyone else disturbed by the fact that the 80’s are now considered retro? Have you seen the way the kids dress today, holy Pat Benetar. Nonetheless, it is one of my favorite dishes that is, in theory, very healthy because it is packed with fiber (beans, corn) and antioxidants (tomatoes).

SNAX
The Almond Cranberry Chicken Salad was very popular and has made a return. So has Mom’s Tuna Salad. We visited Fort Worth last week and I told my Mom about the blog and the tribute Tuna Salad. She didn’t seem impressed. Funny thing, I don’t think this is her recipe, but actually an ex-girlfriends. An ex she did not particularly care for. Whoops. So maybe we should rename it Insulted Mom’s Chicken Salad. Now that has a nice ring to it. The Chipotle Black Bean Dip is also on the menu. There might be a surprise as well. I made carmelized onions last night that could go well with blue cheese and the homemade yogurt cheese we are making in the fridge. Now, the yogurt cheese is something I did learn from my Mom.

SOUPS
Joanna has been reading those “healthy” magazines and came upon a watermelon soup recipe and Jen happened to bring by a watermelon yesterday. So, I am going to try a Watermelon Mint Soup. Never done this before, but it could be cool. And if it’s not cool, its free. The other soup is a Gingered Carrot Soup. Normally, we sell this as a hot item. But ginger is so refreshing that I thought this could be a wonderful cold soup as well. If not, heat it up and it is the F THE OVEN exception.
**Editors Note: The previous paragraph has been edited to separate the two soups. I accidentally picked up Watermelon Mint and put it with the Gingered Carrot. So sorry guys! So sorry Joel!

SALAD DRESSINGS
I always try to make salad dressings, but they are not a big mover. I keep on making them because eating salads is important for health and well being. You don’t want to suffer from MY CONDITION. Let me know if there are any types you would want made or if I need to improve my offerings.

Thanks again for being here for the VCSC. We are going to drop to every three weeks for the remainder of the summer, but will pick up for the fall when everything gets back on schedule (Joanna will post dates). Hope the summer is going swimmingly for everyone. With that I leave you . . . . .

You’re a real tough cookie
With a long history
Of breaking little hearts
Like the one in me
That’s OK, I see how you do it
Put up your dukes, let’s get down to it.
Hit me with your best shot
Fire Away
-Unknown

.....and Joanna couldn't resist a favorite. . I think I was at this concert!

VCSC hiccups. . .

Hey everyone. I wanted to thank all that were able to come last week. It was a raucous good time and I think we partied till 10ish. Crazzzeeeeeeyyyyy. I think everyone was in dire need of a little indoor park time. My mom was blown away by the whole communal aspect of what is going on here and any doubts she had about us living "inner-city" were totally swept away by the devout friendships she witnessed here at the VCSC. Thanks to all of you who took the time to chat with her. We did splendidly, and as I suspected, the "badass" chicken salad was all gone as the last customer walked out the door, as well as that yummalicious quinoi. There was some gazpacho left and I'm pretty sure there is a lifesource in that stuff. I've sworn to only eat gazpacho, quinoi and my special breakfast rice mix all summer and chick salad for dessert. Yum.

O.K. I know we should be blogging more, but it takes time and you all know about that silly thing. Is there a store where I can buy some. . time, that is.

Joel has been asked, requested, demanded by Tacodeli to go to Freeport to talk to a man about some fish next week, so our plan to produce Fourth of July yummies as been cancelled. I apologize, again, for the busy schedule. We will once again have a two-week gap between servings. This is our plan to keep you coming back, easier on your pocketbook. The next production date will be the 9th of July.

Meanwhile, for those of you new to these emailings, we have a cohort, Luscious Pastry, who will be cooking up yummy desserts for the 4th of July. Check out their post here, beware of flaring tempers. . .the heat is getting to our girls. .

Luscious has a new blog post.
http://lusciouspastry.wordpress.com

Thanks for all your loyal support. We literally couldn't do it without you.

Into the Summer. . We Go!

I hope everyone is having a good summer. I also hope there are enough of you guys in town to come over today and buy some food. We just got back from our vacation and it was awesome. We took a trip to Austin and had a wonderful time. It is a beautiful city, you should check it out some time.
Thanks to everyone who came to the end of school BBQ. It was a blast to see all the kids tearing it up, as well as the adults. Good, good energy. I have wanted to do an annual barbeque for awhile, I just never knew when to hold it. I think we found the right day. To me, the best day of the year was always the last day of school. Better than Christmas, the birthday, and Secretary’s Day combined. Special thanks to the unofficial Brentwood BBQ Council which currently consists of Greg, Terrel, and myself (even if they don’t know they are on it). I could not have pulled that party off without you guys.

Down to the food.
Joanna had wanted to do a “greatest hits” and most of these items were requested by you guys. I hope you enjoy them.

SNAX
We shall start with the Chipotle Corn Salsa. During vacation, I made the best salsa of my life. It was a wonderful blend of chipotle and tomatillo that was smoky, spicy, sweet, and tangy, all the wonderful attributes of a good cocktail waitress. The two subsequent efforts have not quite measured up to that one, but this one is close. Hey, it has corn in it. The Cranberry Almond Chicken Salad is (Joanna inserts) “the best chicken salad ever made in the history of mankind”. I have not made chicken salad since my days at Whole Foods back in the mid-90’s. It tastes good according to Jo, I am actually allergic to the bird and can’t try it. (This stuff is better than the tuna salad, I have already hoarded some for myself and have threatened execution to anyone who comes near it. . .) The Hummus is a standard version. I used roasted garlic instead of fresh to soften the bite.

SOUPS
Summertime is not the best for eating soups so we only did one, El Gazpacho. That was Annie’s request I believe, who happens to be in Bolivia. (It was actually Sonja, but who’s keeping track.) It is a somewhat Americanized version because I did not use day old bread or sherry vinegar (I only had balsamic), but it is good. I like it even though my Spanish cousin Guillermo Friedenand might scoff at it.

SIDES
The Violet Crown Veg made a return as well and its delicious sidekick roasted garlic basil compound butter. Yes, we are ripping off the love veggies from Magnolia, but I doubt they will sue us. The Carrot Cakes are back as well. I am going to sell these uncooked so they will be fresher and there is less chance of burning them on the reheat. I will cook them for you if you want though. The Texas Caviar is a new one. My mom used to make this black-eyed pea salad every summer and I loved it. I discovered that this was an invention of a Yankee who moved to Austin in 1940 to teach restaurant Management at UT. Helen Corbitt couldn’t find the high end staples she was used to getting in NYC here in Austin (this was before the era of Whole Foods and Central Market). The black-eyed peas were subbed in for Caviar at her first catered event. The Quinoa was also requested and is back this week. It is scrumptious and healthy, what more could you ask for.

SALAD DRESSINGS
This week we have the Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette, a revisit of the famous Shady Oaks dressing, and a Creamy Chipotle (time permitting). Speaking of, it is time to go to work. Sorry to cut it short like this, but I gotta go. See you guys today and thanks for the support.

Joanna’s Notes:
Hey guys. Joel really outdid himself on the chicken salad. It constantly amazes me how he can make incredible tuna and chicken and not even taste it. . . but I’m telling you, the chic salad is a delight. The carrot cakes are really something you have to try. Last time, everyone who took them raved. It’s a hard concept to grasp until you have eaten them. They are delicious and once again, the focus is on health. My mom is visiting and had an opportunity to witness the whole experience. She has already bought some Texas Caviar and noshed on it. She loves to watch Joel cook so it was really fun for her, and we gave her some food to help wash dishes. If you haven’t met my mom, you gotta come over. She’s a lot of fun and a chatter-head like me. She’s been teaching for 40 years and a wealth of information. Finally, I would like to close with one word. . . “Quinoi”. You need to know it. Your body wants it. I hope you guys are all having a great summer. Oh, we switched out to a more sturdy, dishwasher safe container. I think you will like it.

Welcome Back!

Thanks Meredith, for the awesome pic of a past meal from the VCSC.

Thanks for the patience while allowing us some time off. We really appreciate your support. A few quick notes before we talk about the food. This is the last week we are using the crappy to-go containers. We will be switching to a higher grade container that is dishwasher friendly and reusable. If anyone has any suggestions let us know. We hope to someday go to mason jars but currently have storage issues.

LAST WEEK
Annie came by with some parsley from the garden. I made some parsley almond pesto and a chimichurri sauce. It sparked an idea. I use lots of basil, parsley, cilantro, dill and some mint. If anyone’s garden is overflowing with these, I could buy them from you instead of the store. Just an idea, let me know what you think.

Now for the food.
My prep got cut short due to an electrical emergency at work. Some things are still in progress like the salad dressings and carrot cakes.

SNAX
The granola is back this time with blueberries joining the cranberries, almonds, and honey. The tuna fish salad is back as well. I still have not been able to provide Joanna with any because it keeps selling out. I made extra this time and she has her fix. (Joanna smiles at this as she is expecting there won’t be any left.)
The chipotle black bean dip was also requested and is for sale. It came out a little spicier than normal, but very good. Finally, I tried some baba ganouj, hummus’s roasted eggplant cousin. I was disappointed about how expensive the eggplants were and how little they yielded, but it does taste good.

SIDES
These are all new offerings. Hopefully, I will finish the carrot cakes and serve them with thai chile sauce. It was created as an alternative to crab cakes when I was attempting to be a vegetarian. The red curry with lentils and potatoes is very good, but obviously made by a honky. I am not too familiar with Indian cooking, but this is not a shabby start. I will study up on it a bit more and improve my technique. (Joanna says we may have to visit some Indian restaurants for research, can you say tax write-off). Succotash is not just a fun word to say but also a delicious buttery combination of white lima beans, green lima beans, corn, peppers, and onion. I was enchanted by the huge broad beans at Sun Harvest and wanted to use them some how. Just heat this dish up in either butter or oil. It’s a perfect side dish. The three-potato salad has the same color combination as the succotash, but quite a different flavor. It is a combination of gold, white and sweet potatoes bound together with whole grain mustard, olive oil, and mayo. Cilantro, corn, peppers, and onions round out the flavors. This side dish can be served warm or cold. It would be a great friend to some grilled chicken or fish.

SOUPS
I made a summer vegetable soup that came out really nice. It is packed with tomatoes, lima beans, edamame, yellow squash, zucchini, garlic, onions, parsley, and on and on. A vegetarians dream. Good fresh flavors. I also did a cold soup because it was so hot last week. I tried a cucumber dill. It has a good lemony aftertaste that goes well now that it is 90 degrees outside.

SALAD DRESSINGS
I am going to do a white miso vin, a sundried tomato balsamic vin, and a cilantro lime vin if time permits. Like I mentioned earlier, I got the emergency call at 5:30am.
Thanks for everything.

The VCSC welcomes back Luscious, check out the link for what they will be offering this week here at the Supper Club.

JOANNA'S NOTES
FYI, I have been adding comments all along in parenthesis. Guys, the black bean dip is yum and it’s a bit hotter than normal so tie-down those summer straw hats. The potato salad and succotash are ever so tasty. Joel had me taste test them as I was falling asleep with Jake and an hour later I was scrounging in the kitchen for more. We never eat on production night so I’m starving the whole time. The cucumber soup is so light and delish. . .perfect for coming home from a hot afternoon at the park. The tuna fish, well, I think we all know how I feel about that. . scourge all you tuna fish lovers. I will get mine! The red curry will serve wonderfully on a bowl of rice and easily be more than a meal. . . . Joel, you did good! O.K. guys, Friday at Northwest Pool, be there or be square.

The Electric Company

Again, thank you for the great support last week. I hope you guys aren’t burned out on the food. We will be taking next week off so we don’t get burned out. I had an idea that each week we produce food, we could feature a vegetable, a grain, and a bean. Kind of like the Electric Company. This week’s show was brought to you by the vegetable asparagus, the grain quinoa, and great northern white beans. Here is the complete rundown.

SNAX
The white beans show up here in the form of a roasted garlic white bean dip. This was advertised a few weeks ago, but I messed up the dip and it was horrible. I want you guys to think I know how to cook and part of this is hiding my mistakes. I couldn’t even salvage that one. This week should be better.
I made a sun-dried tomato feta dip last Friday on the fly and it was delicious. I am going to try and do it again on purpose. Most dips have a base of mayo and sour cream and are simply not good for you. The base here is pureed garbanzo beans, which is a much better alternative on the health front. I could call this a sun-dried tomato hummus, but that is just so honky. Hummus comes in one flavor. HUMMUS!
We ran out of the honey almond cranberry granola so it has once again made a return to the VCSC. This batch did not get burned. I am finally getting used to having a fancy convection oven.

SIDES
I again apologize for no casseroles. There just has not been time to develop these. But I do have some cool sides this week. The featured Red Quinoa can be served hot or cold as a salad. It is accompanied by grilled peppers, roasted corn, sweet onion, and cilantro. This is some healthy stuff. Quinoa was dubbed the Mother Grain by the Incas for its health properties and it does contain all 9 of the essential amino acids. A STUDLY protein source for a seed that can be cooked like a grain.
Asparagus saute with a lemon-garlic sauce is the second side. I have high hopes for this one. I thought I would gently toast thinly sliced garlic in Olive Oil then add fresh parsley and lemon to create a good friend for the grilled spears.
The Veggie Charros Beans are spiced up with tomatoes, garlic, sweet peppers, onion and cilantro. These are good and also pretty. They would be great topped with cheese or in a quesadilla.

SOUPS
The White Bean with Parmesan is an excellent soup. So rich and creamy it is hard to believe that there is no dairy in it except for the parmesan tossed in at the end for sharpness. (And the cool title of course.) The featured Veg makes an appearance here in the form of Asparagus Soup. I liked the idea of seeing a vibrant green soup next to a white one inside of Flash (the silver fridge, soon to be accompanied by a new silver fridge/freezer combo, name will be assigned upon arrival in the VCSC). Finally, because it was so hot this weekend, I was inspired to make Gazpacho, one of my favorite soups of all time.

SALAD DRESSINGS
There is a great article in this month's Saveur about iceberg lettuce. This week’s dressing was supposed to be a creamy blue cheese but I got inspired by a blue cheese vinaigrette in the article. Let’s see how it goes. The other dressing will be the chipotle vinaigrette I am still trying to develop for work.
I really hope you guys enjoy the food. If you don’t, please let me know and I will try to fix it. I rely on your feed back to help perfect the craft. Thanks for everything.

JOANNA NOTE'S
FYI, the white bean soup is good enough to suck, through a straw, or your nose, whatever, it’s yummalicious. And the granola has hit some new heights in the way of crunchy loveliness. The asparagus soup is otherworldly and I just tasted the lemon-garlic sauce, wwwwwowww!

WE WELCOME LUSCIOUS PASTRIES. . . Jennifer and Anne-Charlotte will be bringing their sweet lovelies to the VCSC so be prepared to have some desert as well. Peace out friends!

The GoGo's Visit the Supper Club. . ..

It's late on a Saturday night and I wanted to let you guys know that Joel is busy building his menu for next week AND he has bought us some new music to listen to while he cooks away and I wash dishes. The key to a compatable work relationship is good tunes and an understanding of what we're both good at doing. You all know that Joel and I work together everyday at our day job, so this lovely side thing we are doing only brings us together on a more intense note. With that said, our love of music just keeps things movin' and groovin'. We've been coveting some GoGo's but haven't had the time to look for a good cd. Joel had some time on his hands tonite and went to Waterloo. He picked up Go-Gos. . "Return To The Valley Of The Go-Go's". I'm smitten and have fallen in love with Joel again like it was the first night. Wow, what a cool guy to groove on some cool chick rock with me. This stuff is better than you can imagine. What we didn't know about the Go-Go's is that they were so punk in the beginning. . I'm dying and as you listen to each track you see them grow.
There are all kinds of rumors going around about another co-op biz joining the supper club to bring sweets to the offerings, Luscious are you out there??? We love the idea of being a part of a food village. . so, anything is possible. Stay tunes for a menu!

Week 3. . . Come on by. . the Fridge is Open!

Thanks to everybody for the support. Last week was a real tough one at work and all my energy was used up at the job. It seems that casseroles are the number one request. I didn’t have anytime to work on anything new, but stuff like that is on it's way. The problem is that most casserole recipes are not that healthy. I would like to try to do a modern look at them. Here is a quick rundown of this week’s offerings. My apologies to the folks who got some things they weren’t happy with last time around. We are still inventing more than perfecting at the moment. You have some freebies coming your way.

SNAX
The chipotle black bean dip is back. I always want to have beans somewhere on the menu for their fiber. As it turns out, the song was right, they are good for your heart.
Joanna had requested the tuna salad this week again. It is one of her favorites and we sold all of it last time we had it.
We had the weber grill going this weekend and it inspired me to grill some tomatoes, onions, and jalapeños for a salsa. It came out very nice.

SIDES
The love veg has been renamed the Violet Crown Veg due to legal threats from Magnolia Café. This week’s veg includes zucchini, squash, red peppers, sweet onion, carrots with the herbed garlic butter. To use: just sauté the veggies in a bit of oil. Once they are cooked to your specifications, add some of the butter and enjoy.
I was chided for not making enough of the sweet potato hash last time by the wifey, so it is back as well. I like this dish a lot and if my theory is correct, it could be very healthy. Sweet potatoes have a lot of vitamins so I am going to leave the skin on this week. What is your preference on that? Skin on or off?
Two new veg sides round out the menu. Joanna was reading an article in some fit magazine about foods that burn fat. The whole wheat penne pasta dish with pine nuts, feta, sundried tomatoes, and basil was one of the offerings. I am not sure how pine nuts and feta fight fat (they must be double agents), but it sounded good. It is designed as a pasta salad, but I think it would be great served hot as a pasta dish. Gently warm it in a sauté pan careful not to burn the cheese. The microwave could actually be your friend here.
The black beans with corn, roasted peppers, and cilantro is a personal favorite. I tried to get it on the menu at Tacodeli but was denied because it was too 1980’s. And it is. If you look at cookbooks from that era, Santa Fe and Dean Fearing were boldly using this color and food scheme. It is delicious. Put it on some brown rice and top it with some cheese, pico, and sour cream and it is Les Amis all over again. Man I miss that place.

SALADS
This is a completely new idea. Joanna didn’t want to pursue this one, but I couldn’t resist. One of the driving forces behind my cooking these days is health. Hard living has left me with a tattered esophagus, a holey colon, and the cholesterol of a walking dead man. I have since changed my ways and lost 30lbs, dropped the cholesterol 100 points, and traded the colon in for a Buick.
Seriously, salads are important for their roughage. While studying up on my various ailments, I was shocked at how bad the typical American diet is, especially regarding fiber. No one bought the salad dressings last week so I am going to try and provide the complete package.
The Green Salad is the basic garden variety with choice of dressing.
The Mediterranean is a tribute to my dads Sunday evening salads. He would dig in the fridge after the Cowboy game, find all sorts of crazy things we didn’t know we had and put it all on chopped romaine with a tart vinaigrette. It tasted great every time. Don’t worry, I am using fresh ingredients and doing a take on the Greek Salad.
The Spinach Salad is a work in progress and will change from week to week. This week we have goat cheese, roasted peppers, grilled corn and toasted pepitas. I guess it is kind of a southwestern take. The default dressing is the balsamic but you can have whichever one you want.
The House Salad is probably my favorite one of all. Mixed greens, blue cheese, toasted nuts, dried cranberries. I admit, dried cherries sound sexier, but the cranberries are much cheaper and contain more anti-oxidants.
The salad dressings are goat cheese with black pepper, balsamic vin, red wine vin, and the Shady Oaks. The last one is from my child hood and is a classic Dijon vinaigrette. Feel free to sub out any dressings on the salads.
Again, thanks for all the support. I love hearing about what you guys are doing with the food. Keep the comments coming, both good and bad. We never want you guys to be dissatisfied with anything and will strive to fix our mistakes. Like I mentioned before, we are inventing, not perfecting at this stage. Any suggestions for next week’s menu?

JOANNA'S NOTE
Joel is bustin' it on these recipes and everything is so awesome. Last week the Sweet Potato Hash was to die for. . .he didn't mention a couple of items he has this week. The SOUPS are Roasted Butternut Squash and Crimini Mushroom with Marsala. . now you all know me and you KNOW I have no idea what this is but I'll be tasting it and I'm sure it will be yummy.

Week 2, Tuesday Night, All Night!

That was one long night, but we were able to produce a decent amount of food and finally fill the second fridge.

SOUPS.
We did a repeat on last week’s soups but made more of each this time. The Carrot Soup came out nice. We made it using a recipe I wrote for my mom. It is nice to know that some of my recipes are accurate. Some did not cooperate. A nice undertone of ginger and orange balances out the carmelized carrot and onion base. The Black Bean Chili came out a bit spicier than last week, but more flavorful. I used primarily ancho chiles this time and more corn. Next week, I promise two new varietals. Any suggestions or requests?

SNAX.
Joanna has been requesting the Tuna Fish Salad. It is my mom’s tried and true recipe, nothing too fancy, but Joanna likes it. We are hoping Jake does too. I would have loved to use fresh dill, but HEB was out and I had to settle for the dried. It is time to get the herb garden going. The hummus came out nice. I have been using roasted garlic instead of fresh to maximize the garlic flavor, but without the bad breath and bitter bite. I also cut down on the amount of olive oil. Please let me know how it tastes.
The salsa is a chipotle with a medium kick. I used the broiler to roast the tomatoes, onions, and garlic. I have never had an oven with a working broiler. I was excited, I like my new stove. I could have charred them a bit longer to get a toastier flavor, but it tastes pretty good. Also, if you want more heat, let me know. I keep it pretty moderate.
The Cranberry Almond Granola was hit or miss. The new oven has a convection function that works pretty good. A little too good because I burned half the batch. The other half was salvageable. I will probably grind up the burned half and use it as a topping for smoothies. It has a nice carmelized flavor to it.

SIDES.
This is a new offering. I wanted to develop side dishes that are pre-cooked and just need to be reheated on the stove. The problem with pre-cooking veggies is that prior to reheating, they are cold, moist, and limp. (Insert bad joke here.) But once they hit the hot pan, things seem to come together well. To serve, heat a bit of oil in a sauté pan. Add the veg side and get hot, stirring frequently. If there is a sauce, add an appropriate amount and mix it in at the very end. Add some salt if necessary. Please let me know if things worked out according to plan.
The Fried Rice is a dish we eat every week at the house. Brown rice is mixed with edamame, red bell pepper, carrots, onion, and a hoisin ginger sauce. You may not need all of the sauce provided and can use the leftover for something else, like a marinade.
The Sweet Potato Hash is one of my favorites. We combined roasted sweet potatoes, corn, red bell, garlic, cilantro, and onion. This would be great underneath a grilled chicken breast or flank steak. It can also stand on its own.
Jo’s Veggies are a nod to the love veg at Magnolia. They came out different, but delicious. I used green zucchini, yellow squash, orange carrots, red bell pepper, corn, edamame, and onion for a vibrant veg mix. The love comes from an herbed roasted garlic butter that is very, very good. Especially on a piece of bread, after midnight, when concerns for the cholesterol have gone to bed.

SAUCES.
Sauces did not get much attention this week. I do have the BBQ sauce that I have visions of baking chicken wings in or glazing grilled pork chops. That’s right, the really skinny cheap ones. I used an ancho chile puree to give it an earthy feel. A bit more tomato than normal, but still pretty tasty.
The Joelula is still under production, but will hopefully be done. It is a vinegar base pepper sauce like tapatio or cholula. Great for eggs, chili, vegetables and the whatnot.

SALADS.
Salad dressings did not get done this week. Simply ran out of time. Which is where I am now. Gotta go to work.
Please let me know how you like what you bought. Honesty is appreciated. .This is a new concept and mistakes are being made. We value your opinions so we can improve on what we’re doing. As always, if you purchase something you don’t like, we will not make you pay for it. We will fix it, just like the first grade cafeteria.