Cold, Damp and Raining

When a Saturday is nothing by a long day of cold, damp and rain, I think about warm, yummy meals. Yesterday was no exception.

We're all joking here about building an ark. The rains come in waves. You can hear them as they approach because the thunderous drumming of the heavy rain drops beat loudly on the leaves and it sounds like something frying on the stove. The burgeoning rainfall creates rivulets of brown water flowing rapidly, displacing anything in its way. The strong winds don't help much either, as they blow the wetness under the eaves on the overhanging roof and onto the floor, making it slick underfoot and this is where I work, outside on the lanai. And a telltale sign that it's miserable out is that I am wearing my black Ugg slippers...

If you think I am exaggerating, then come and visit. Welcome to Paradise.

I've been cleaning my studio by producing. After filling orders over the past weeks, and preparing for an event the day before Mother's Day the numerous hats and especially the large blankets that are cut and sewn leave smaller bits and pieces that can be utilized in other hat pieces and bibs. After spending the day fussy cutting and manipulating fabric to eke out every last usable - cuttable - sewable item that could be made it was my reward to play in the kitchen. 

I daren't run out in this mess - there are cautionary advisories on the radio about flash flooding and deep puddles, so I just stayed put and cleaned out the freezer. What follows is what I managed to put together for dinner - with leftovers for Sunday, of course!

So what I found was a duo of steaks: NY Strip steaks (you know, from the humgo pack from Costco), and a calamari steak. For myself I only need a couple or three potatoes, and steamed then sauteed spinach (again from the jumbo bag from Costco) and a gastronomical feast was slapped together.

 Oven roasted Yukon Gold and Red Bliss Potatoes. Nothing exceptionally fancy: Organic Virgin olive oil and Hawaiian Sea Salt

 Remember "Call Me Mr. Pickles blog?" here is the grilled calamari steak with a dressing of the Bread-and-Butter pickles, capers, garlic, olive oil, a shake of red pepper flakes and backyard lemon juice. I was skeptical of this brain-fart idea but it turned out salty-sweet-sour and a perfect compliment to the delicate flesh of the squid.

 New York Strip Steaks with a Kona Coffee-Spice rub, buttermilk bleu cheese and a web of garden chives. 

Steamed and sauteed spinach. Simple preparation again: garlic toasted in olive oil, kosher salt and a grind of black pepper.

The fabric in the background is Siren Song in color Earth.

I always neglect dessert. That being said, today I have decided to make a blackberry-lilikoi sorbet (hey, it's got to get warm and sunny sometime next week!) ;)