The Last Supper...

Paella over Saffron Noodles...

...Before my colonoscopy on Monday.

No food for me tomorrow. If you're over 50 as I am and haven't had a colonoscopy yet, please do. I should have had my first one 6 years ago at age 50, but I was always too busy. It's good to remember that if you're diagnosed with cancer, all that "too busy" stuff becomes pretty irrelevant.

The best and funniest essay ever written on this topic is by Dave Barry. I just re-read it and laughed so hard I cried. I may have to read it a couple more times in the next day or two. I thought everyone had read it, but Bill hadn't and enjoyed it, so if you've not read it, check it out.

Anyway, before I move on to a one-day diet of clear liquids and gosh-awful prescription concoctions, I wanted a nice dinner, so what we're having is quick & easy faux paella. I was inspired to make this after we attended the holiday open house on Friday night at Avanti Savoia, a wonderful international web-based food business located in Halls. Yes, you read that right. It's on the way to Maynardville, just after you pass the tractor supply place.

I came home with lots of goodies. Here is just a small selection:

I also spotted this saffron-flavored pasta and decided it'd be perfect with the faux paella (which I usually serve over rice.)

The faux paella calls for saffron in the broth, but I ran out a couple of months ago--and a replacement vial will set me back around $20. Now, admittedly, you don't use much at a time or use it often, but still...there's something wrong about a few strands of saffron being the most expensive item in your grocery basket. (Note: The best price I ever found on saffron was at a market in London. The air fare cancels the good deal, but if you happen to find yourself in London, you might want to stock up on saffron.)

Easy Simple Faux Paella

6-8 oz. andouille sausage, cut into 1/4 in. dice
1 1/2 lbs. shrimp, peeled, deveined
1 T. olive oil
2 scallions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 c. frozen peas, thawed
1 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. saffron threads, crumbled
1 bottle clam juice + water to make 1 1/2 c.
1/4 c. dry white wine
Red pepper flakes to taste
2 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt

Cook chorizo with 2-3 tablespoons water over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until water evaporates and chorizo is lightly browned. Remove with slotted spoon. Add shrimp to drippings and cook just until pink and firm. Remove. Add oil and add scallions, red pepper, and garlic. Reduce heat to medium low and cook until vegetables soften. Stir in peas, oregano, and saffron. In a bowl, combine clam juice/water mixture, wine, and red pepper flakes. Whisk in cornstarch to dissolve. Stir into skillet and bring to simmer. Add chorizo and cook until sauce thickens and chorizo is heated through. Add shrimp and adjust seasonings as needed. Serve over rice.

Note: For my version, cook pasta. Before you drain the pasta, reserve some pasta water. Put it and cooked pasta in pan. Add faux paella, toss, and serve.

Here's what it looked like in the pan:

On the plate:

Quick & Easy Faux Paella over Saffron Noodles--that's what we're having.

The less said about what I'm having and not having for the next couple of days, the better. But Dave Barry is right; I'd be a weinie if I didn't do it. And we are not having that!

Great Food at Crown & Goose for a Great Cause

I didn't know what to expect when I was invited to dinner at the Crown & Goose to benefit UT Medical Center Cancer Institute, but what we had was great food and drink for a really great cause, specifically the Mobile Mammography Unit, which hits the road early six days a week providing services to women in rural areas. This is a worthy cause.

The Crown & Goose (Knoxville's only gastropub) in the Old City closed for the evening and set up five tasting stations with drinks matched to each station: fruit and cheese, raw bar, outdoor grill, carving table, and dessert. You could visit each station as often as you liked or just pick a station and stay there. I could have stayed at the raw bar all night.

Here's the cheese station.

And right next to it were the fruits.

Very pretty--and tasty. Then we went through the faux phone booth entrance to The Underground, the Crown & Goose's new (and fabulous) raw bar. modeled after London's Underground. Brit Jeffrey Nash and his wife Pat have created a stylish nook in the Underground, a spectacular accompaniment to the Crown & Goose.

If you enter from Central Avenue, you'll come through the speakeasy door. I'm not sure what the regular password is, but I'll let you in on a special one later.

First up were prawns, crab claws, and oysters--unbelievably fresh oysters, different kinds, from different locales. Oh my. Did I mention I could have spent all evening in the raw bar?

The oysters were so fresh I could taste the ocean they came from. And then there was the smoked trout, salmon, and haddock. Tip: Try the haddock.

Here's my plate.

I am not ashamed to say that I went back for seconds.

Then we had some bangers from the grill in the beer garden. They were only serving beer with the bangers, but since I prefer wine, they delivered some--pronto. Thanks, Scott.

I was enjoying the autumn weather in the beer garden, but Bill wanted to try the carving table.

Very sweet of him to bring a sampling.

The prime rib was especially good. The final course, dessert, was served with port. You had your choice of sticky toffee pudding or a chocolate ganache. How to choose?

Both were great. I left Bill, who had already enjoyed a plate of sticky pudding, to finish the small amount of chocolate left on my plate.

Meanwhile, I wandered back to the grill and was offered a roasted oyster with a tomato salad topping. This was not on the menu, but chef Jeffrey Dalejandro was having some fun. I love it when chefs have fun--and love it even more when I'm standing nearby. After being asked by Jeffrey to name this delight, I christened it Oysters Gazpacho.

I'm not sure if they'll add it to the menu (they should!), but rumor has it that if you show up at the Underground's speakeasy door and say "Oysters Gazpacho," they'll not only let you in--they'll roast you some of these oysters.

A great time at the Crown & Goose for UT Medical Center Cancer Institute--that's what we're having.

Brunch a Trois

On Saturdays and Sundays I enjoy poking through the pantry and refrigerator and pulling together a late morning meal. Here are three brunches we've enjoyed recently.

Brunch #1 was prompted by a bowl of apples. I sauteed the apples with brandy, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and golden raisins, making both a side and a syrup substitute for buckwheat pancakes.

 I heated some chicken-apple sausages in the pan juices left from the apples and added more brandy for flavor and sizzle.

I don't make pancakes very often, so when I do, I practice my technique: Count to 5 quickly while pouring batter slowly onto the griddle. Flip the pancake when bubbles form. This one's ready to flip.

Sauteed apples, sausages, and buckwheat pancakes ready to serve.

The next brunch was inspired by my desire for a savory egg dish to accompany one of my new favorites, rye bread from Harry's Delicatessen. I discovered it when I bought a half-price loaf at Just Ripe.

I love it so much, I happily pay full price and have a slice or two almost daily.

I decided rye toast would go well with Eggs in Purgatory. Here's the recipe.

Eggs in Purgatory

Olive oil as needed

1 red or white onion, thinly sliced

Handful Mediterranean olives, pitted, sliced

1 can fire-roasted tomatoes diced, drained

1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes, drained

Salt

Dried basil

7 eggs

Freshly grated parmesan

Heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened and light brown. Add the olives and tomatoes, season lightly with salt and basil, and cook over medium-low heat for 10-12 minutes. Crack the eggs into the pan, keeping them whole and separated. Cover with a lid or foil and cook 3-4 minutes, until the whites have set but the yolk is still runny. Sprinkle grated cheese over and serve from the pan.

Note: Retain juice from fire-roasted tomatoes and add by spoonfuls if tomatoes get too dry while simmering. You want the tomatoes to be moist but not runny or watery. Can use half sliced bell pepper & half sliced onion if desired.

Eggs in Purgatory with Rye Toast:

Here's all we left in the pan. And that's OK because this is a dish that doesn't reheat well. The eggs get rubbery.

Today's brunch started with an omelet filled with artichoke hearts, Greek olives, and sun-dried tomatoes. Love that moment when it's ready to flip.

Just flipped isn't bad either.

Omelet, grits, and turkey bacon.

That's what we're having.

A Frighteningly Good Time at Hearthscares Ball at James White's Fort

If you missed the Hearthscares Ball, a fundraiser for James White's Fort, you missed a great time. Here are some of the scarily dressed folks we saw there.

Vicki Baumgartner and I had fun guessing who was behind this mysterious mask.

We had decided it was Melynda Whetsel when husband Bob, dressed as Davy Crockett, showed up at her side and confirmed our guess.

Marsha and Duane Grieve made cute lumberjacks.

Cynthia and John Stancil said they were Jelly Bellies.

Michael Foltz as driver Rickey Bobbie was accompanied by wife Judith who made a sensational witch.

Judith, Marie Alcorn (middle), and a mystery woman had their own witchy coven.

Brett Grimm and friend Caroline came in complementary outfits: cow and cow girl!

Moses's sign was an attention-getter.

Rick Russell (center) had on a very scary mask.

While the fabulous Chillbillies took a break, Michael Jackson showed up with some zombies.

The Fort's board (below) posed for a photo. Executive Director Sam Maynard (front row, 3rd from left) had planned to come as James White, but he was too busy getting ready for the party, so he came as a Non Profit Director, complete with tin cup.

The next night I caught up with Sam (this time dressed as James White) and some friends on their way to "Nightmare on Gay Street" at Sapphire. Sam makes a great James White, don't you think?

Accompanying James White were a pirate (Tim Allen), a witch (Julie Koella), and Tippi Hedren from Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (Karen Kluge).

A frighteningly good time at the Hearthscares Ball--That's what we're having.

Serendipitous Dining

After a meeting at Metro Pulse late this morning, I headed to the Wednesday Farmers' Market on Market Square. The Wednesday market sometimes gets overshadowed by the bigger market on Saturdays, but skipping it is a mistake. For example, Tony and Nora Ricono of Abundant Harvest Farm are only on Market Square on Wednesdays. Other days they are at Laurel Church of Christ, the Jackson Square Market in Oak Ridge, and others. A while back I stumbled upon their vegan nutburger patties (two for $3) and loved the tasty, moist, healthy burgers. So I headed over to pick up some patties for lunch.

Can't you tell these are loaded with goodness? And you never know what else you'll find.

While chatting with Tony and Nora, who offer quite an array of products, I was attracted to another of their offerings: a pizza made with garlic, fresh basil, and roasted tomatoes. I couldn't resist taking one home.

Could you have resisted? I don't think so. 

On the way home, I decided some kale salad from Just Ripe would be the perfect accompaniment to both my nutburger lunch and our pizza dinner. This salad--made with kale, chopped apple, and sunflower seeds--has become a favorite. 

Back at home, I thought I had some hummus to smear on the bun with the nutburger, but, surprisingly, I was out, so I surveyed some of my options.

None were quite right, so I went with old reliable Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard. Here's my Nutburger with a side of kale salad:

Yummy!

For dinner, I heated the pizza in a 400 degree oven for a few minutes. It looked and smelled divine.

This is a simple pizza with few ingredients, but you could dress it up, add cheese, other toppings. I liked it as is with a side of kale salad.

That's what we're having.

Cleansing: Good for the Soul and the Palate

Sometimes it’s good to clean out the refrigerator and pantry. And fun to see what kind of meal you can put together with whatever happens to be on hand.

On hand: sweet potatoes from friend Dennis Perkins’ garden, chopped cabbage left over from apple slaw earlier in the week, a red bell pepper, celery, noodles, and all kinds of spices and seasonings. Can this random assortment be turned into a good meal? Of course, it can.

Dennis’s sweet potatoes come in crazy, gnarly shapes.

But you can tame them. Here they are peeled and cut into rounds for Savory Baked Sweet Potatoes. 

Here’s what you do:

Preheat oven to 350. Mix 3 T. Dijon mustard, 2 T. olive oil, 1 clove minced garlic, red pepper flakes and salt to taste. You’ll end up with a soft paste.

Coat sweet potatoes with mixture. Place on baking sheet and cook until tender, 30-45 minutes, turning once.  These were awesome!

Next up: Spicy Stir Fried Cabbage. This recipe was my inspiration. I omitted the carrots and used sliced red bell pepper and sliced celery because that’s what I had on hand. The star anise (I used double the recommended amount) added delightful flavor.  Pretty!

I found a great recipe for Sesame Noodles. This easy sauce is made from ingredients I always have: garlic, sugar, vegetable oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili sauce. You just mix and heat the sauce.

 Looks wickedly good, doesn't it? Cook the noodles, toss them with the sauce, and garnish with sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds.

Savory Baked Sweet Potatoes, Spicy Stir Fried Cabbage, and Sesame Noodles. 

All spicy and all good. That's what we're having.