enjoy dinner on the patio at le colonial in san francisco

Last week, I had my first dinner in a restaurant since March 11th! 

Le Colonial. which specializes in French-Vietnamese fusion food has opened it's beautiful built in patio for dinner Wednesday through Saturday from 5-9 pm, reservations required.  The gorgeous, partially enclosed patio has an open air roof, well spaced, white clothed tables and great service, all well away from the street---you really feel like you can finally have a fine dining experience safely!  Waiters are masked and wear gloves, no menus are touched---you simply scan your phone over a bar code and voila! the menu appears!  Some of the delicious dishes included caramelized pork belly, duck spring rolls, shaken beef and lemon grass chicken.  Cocktails and wine are also available. Bon Appetit!

some of my favorite meals while sheltering at home

It has been a long year so far.... 2020 started out with great hope for a new decade and hopefully that may still be the case, but for most of us (for me) the stay at home order to stop the spread of Covid-19 began on Tuesday, March 17th.  At first, the days seemed like a mini vacation, just three weeks.  That soon expanded, and right now, we are in our 5th month.  I return to work soon, and hope for the best. One of the things that made us sane during this time was cooking fun and delicious meals... here are a few of  my favorite dishes.

Simple, clean out the fridge ingredients:  fried rice with sugar snap peas, chicken , celery and egg.

Chilled orzo salad is a snap when tossing the Orzo with one 7 oz container of Trader Joe's Olive Tapenade (in the salad case), a few capers and extra virgin olive oil.

Nothing says comfort food like a great grilled cheese.  This sandwich took it to another level with a mix of creamy herb goat cheese, Monterey jack, sliced smoked turkey on buttered Acme sourdough bread.

Don't forget an awesome pickle--I am obsessed with Safeway's Baby Kosher Dills!

I had an awesome breakfast ever morning.... it is one of my favorite meals!  Here is an omelette with chili, cheese and green onion with Acme Country Pain.

Red bell pepper and potato hash with poached egg---another amazing breakfast!  Served with Acme whole wheat pain.  As you can see I was a frequent customer of Acme at the Ferry Building. The Ferry Building was open for take out food and grocery shopping and made a pleasant place to get fresh air by the water.

And to wind down the many days into the next, a glass of bubbly is always welcome!

silver palate classic chicken marbella

One of the most delicious recipes I have made for book club is the the Silver Palate's famous Chicken Marbella.  The contrasting flavors of  briny, salty and sweet are exceptional.  It was the first main course to be offered at their Manhattan store and I can't thank Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins, with their passion for good simple food, for creating such an amazing dish and the iconic cookbook to match.  Enjoy this dish served over pureed mashed potatoes (better for the pan juices to run into) and sauteed spinach! 

Original recipe--- 16 pieces.

I used 12 bone in/skin on chicken thighs to make 6-8 portions depending on appetite.

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup pitted prunes
1/2 cup pitted Spanish green olives
1/2 cup capers with a bit of juice
6 bay leaves
1 head of garlic, peeled and finely pureed
1/4 cup dried oregano
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 chickens quartered  (or approx 12 bone in/skin on thighs)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley finely chopped

Directions: 

1. Combine the olive oil, vinegar, prunes, olives, capers and juice, bay leaves, garlic, oregano, and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the chicken and stir to coat. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight. 2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 3. Arrange the chicken in a single layer in one or two large, shallow baking pans and spoon the marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with the brown sugar and pour the white wine around them. 4. Bake, basting frequently with the pan juices, until the thigh pieces yield clear yellow (rather than pink) juice when pricked with a fork, 50 minutes to 1 hour. 5. With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken, prunes, olives, and capers to a serving platter. Moisten with a few spoonfuls of the pan juices and sprinkle generously with the parsley. Pass the remaining pan juices in a sauceboat. Note: To serve Chicken Marbella cold, cool to room temperature in the cooking juices before transferring the pieces to a serving platter. If the chicken has been covered and refrigerated, reheat it in the juices, then allow it to come to room temperature before serving. Spoon some of the reserved juice over the chicken.