So, since the blood orange season is pretty much over and my attempts at making a blood orange vinaigrette will surely take several more attempts, I decided to set that aside for now and use my last blood orange for a special marinade for grilled chicken.

See, Kalyn over at Kalyn’s Kitchen has been grilling up a storm over the past week or so and her beautiful grilled chicken breasts really got me salivating. Plus, she offered a great tip earlier this week to cut slits in the top of a chicken breast to help the marinade really seep in (thanks so much for that tip! It really worked well!).

It seemed like a match made in heaven: juicy grilled chicken breasts marinaded in some sort of a blood orange marinade. Well, as things progressed, the blood orange marinade morphed into a citrus marinade. Regardless, the result was tangy and tasty and definitely worthy of inclusion in this week’s Weekend Herb Blogging, which was started by the aforementioned Kalyn and hosted this week by Pat from Up a Creek without a PatL.

This yummy marinade also features one of my favorite herbs: rosemary, which I recently wrote about a great foccacia recipe using it. It comes from the Mediterranean region and is known for its memory improving qualities.

Blood Orange-Citrus Marinade
yields enough to marinade 4 chicken breasts

Juice of one pink grapefruit
Juice of one blood orange
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp lime juice
2 tbsp fresh rosemary
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp sugar

Whisk ingredients together in a bowl before using

To marinate the chicken breasts:
Cut slits in the top of the chicken breast (see above for a photo).

Place in the marinade for at least two hours, but preferably 6-8 hours.

To cook:
Heat your gas grill on medium.

Place chicken breasts on the grill. Turn every 5 minutes or so.

Cook until center is no longer pink.

A few days ago I noticed an interesting meme post by Ilva at Lucullian Delights. In it, she revealed not only a photo of herself, but some interesting answers to a personalized interview. Did you know that Ilva has a Ph.D? Wow. And I knew she was a great photographer, but a Ph.D is just awesome. What a woman. (Coincidentally, her husband has one too!!)

I have never been the one whose hand shot up first to volunteer in class or the first in line. That’s just not me. I am more of an observer. I like to watch and analyze before I jump into things, so I know what I am getting into. But this meme looked like fun, so I decided to just jump right in. Yes, I volunteered!

Special thanks to Ilva for her thoughtful questions. She really took time to develop questions specifically about each interviewee.

Unfortunately I don’t have a recent photo to share, but I do have the answers to her questions.

Have you always been interested in food or did it come gradually?
I’ve always loved food, but my interest in cooking has come and gone. As a young child, I loved sampling my grandmother’s food as she cooked. And in my early teen years, I was eager to learn to cook. By the time I reached college it was a necessity since little cafeteria foods met my then-vegetarian lifestyle. However, after a health scare and college graduation, my interest in cooking waned. In fact, I refused to cook for several years for a couple of reasons. For one, I didn’t know how to cook meat at all and was afraid to “mess it up.” And two, I didn’t want to fall into the “women must cook” stereotype. But by the time I got married, I was all about cooking again and designed a kitchen around what I expected to be doing in there (and have done). After I had Will, my cooking took on a new direction as I abandoned most processed foods in favor of fresh fruits, veggies and meats. (Fish too.)

When you travel, what is the most likely thing you bring back home?
Ooh. This is a tough one. It really depends on where I am traveling to. If it’s a day trip to New York or a voyage to Europe, it’s usually something food-related such as chocolate from France, tea from Great Britain or pastries from New York. Domestically and to the Caribbean, it’s usually clothes. But actually, on every trip I return with something for my brother and sister. So maybe that is my best answer.

Your favourite film? Or films because I know it can be difficult to too choose just one sometimes.
You are so right about that! I think if I had to pick one movie, it would be the Wizard of Oz. I love the Wicked Witch of the West’s laugh (and actually have a photo of her in my office and am reading Wicked, a book from her perspective). But I love a lot of films for different reasons. I love the Star Wars movies (particularly the originals) because of the wonderful fictitious worlds that they opened up beyond the one we know. I love Dirty Dancing for all the great dancing. Casablanca and Gone With The Wind are two wonderful, beautiful classics. And then there are movies that are just for fun, like Clueless. Those kinds of movies are great escapes from reality when you are really stressed.

I know that you like Martha Stewart and I wonder what it is in her that makes you like her so much?
Martha Stewart is a highly successful woman executive with a very interesting past. She and I went to the same college (Barnard) and rumors were rampant about how she put herself through school and whatnot. So even though I had grown up groaning whenever my mother and grandmother would turn on her show, I became fascinated by her. I read her unauthorized biography in college (definitely worth a read – it was so interesting). And after I started this blog, my interest in her was renewed because of her successes in the culinary field with her shows and books. I don’t know if I would say I like her so much as I am interested in her. There are without doubt some unsavory aspects of her – like her illegal activities (which to be fair, she has been punished for already) .

Where did you grow up and what was it like?
I grew up in Dutchess County, New York, about an hour north of New York City. During my childhood, my family and I would go into New York pretty frequently so I always felt like I belonged there. So it was no surprise when I decided to head there for college. But the area I grew up in? There were wonderful meat markets, pastry shops and farm markets. One of my favorite things about it is that there were neighborhoods and it was safe to play in the street. It was a nice place, and the appreciation for fresh meats and whatnot is something I have definitely carried with me.

Alright, so that’s me. What about you?

DIRECTIONS FOR THE INTERVIEW MEME
1. Leave a comment saying, “Interview me.”
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. Beware, I’m not shy of asking personal questions! Please make sure I have your email address.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

When I was a little girl, my grandmother and I would go every year to a pick-your-own strawberry patch near our home in Dutchess County, New York. When the sign point to the patch would appear at the roadside, with an arrow indicating it was time to start picking, I would get so excited anticipating the fun outing.

When we would go, it would be hot, because we only would go on nice sunny days with bright blue skies. And every year, we’d pick as many of the delectable, fresh, sweet berries as we could. Besides the big box of strawberries, I’d also leave with red-stained clothes, hands, you name it. Eating just picked strawberries is one of life’s most simple pleasures.

I still love strawberries as much as I did as a little girl. I particularly love those bright red ones that are perfectly sweet and just picked. With any luck, Will and I will begin our own strawberry picking tradition this year at a pick-your-own farm not far from where we live. I hope he enjoys the experience as much as I do.

It’s almost strawberry picking time! Just a few more weeks . . .

It’s done. At least the first draft. Now, I have the arduous process of waiting for the edits to come back. But in the meantime, I can just bask in the knowledge that I have written the first draft of my first cookbook. How exciting is that?

Of course, after hitting send, I realized that some recipes that my husband and I really liked didn’t make it into the draft. Perhaps on the next cut. And some stories I wrote and rewrote, while others just didn’t make the cut.

I can’t help but worry. Is what I wrote enough? I love every recipe in the book, so I am not worried about that. But what about the stories? Are they detailed enough?

I worry. I can’t help that.

I am in the throws of finishing the first draft of my manuscript for Families Eat Together. My publisher was generous enough to give me a one week extension and the draft is now due tomorrow, instead of May 1.

But I wanted to take a few minutes from my frantic writing and editing to bring you this salad for Weekend Herb Blogging, a great weekly event started by Kalyn’s Kitchen. I’ve been developing this for the cookbook, but it was just too good not to share right away. And the dressing features oregano, making it a perfect fit for WHB.

A little about oregano: Oregano is a powerful herb that has antioxidant properties. It is used in Mediterranean cooking and comes originally from northern Europe. Did you know that in the time of Greeks and Romans, it was considered to be a symbol of joy and happiness?

On a side note, you have to make this salad. Really. You have to. It’s mouthwatering good. And Although I eat this salad as is, adding a little grilled chicken will make it a great protein- and vitamin-rich meal.

Greek Salad
serves 4

3 ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 ½ cucumbers, peeled and cubed
½ cup kalamata olives, halved
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup white wine vinegar (always use good quality)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small shallot, minced
2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
Salt
Pepper

In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, olives and feta.

In a separate bowl, beat together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Pour over the tomato mixture.

Serve chilled.

I bought a few blood oranges over the weekend. I’ve been thinking of trying them for over a year, but finally decided to just take the plunge. Virtual Frolic’s post on blood orange sorbet helped that cause.

What held me up for the past year was the idea of the red flesh. It’s unfamiliar. I don’t remember deciding between blood oranges and navels when my grandmother and I used to grocery shop. Certainly not. Those decisions were left for types of grapes and apples. And somehow, a purple cauliflower was less daunting than the bloody flesh of this orange. Perhaps I am a bit of a creature of habit at heart . . .

So what to do with my blood oranges? I toyed with the idea of just eating them. I considered peeling them and separating into slices for a salad. Then it dawned on me: a blood orange vinaigrette.

I did a little internet exploring and found a recipe that sounded easy, but yum. Not long after, I set to work. I have to say, juicing a blood orange is a gruesome task. (And why do I juice by hand when I have a great juicer? Because I was only doing one orange – it’s a waste of clean-up time to use the big one for this!)

Anyway, I made the dressing, making a tiny alteration of lowering the amount of sugar and the amount of oil. It’s definitely not the prettiest dressing ever, but it’s different.

Unfortunately, when it came time to try this version of a blood orange dressing, it was too mild and dare I say bland. It’s definitely missing something. And I think the oil vinegar ratio is off, even with my lowered oil content. So the verdict? You don’t get the recipe yet. I am still working on developing it. Perhaps some minced shallots, blood orange zest, and a dash of lime juice will do the trick.
Recipe to come. When it meets my expectations.

As a mother of a young child, I am constantly on the prowl for what’s safe and what isn’t. In my house, we avoid partially hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup and microwaving plastic. But until this week, I hadn’t given a thought to the melamine plates that my son eats from. After all, the durable melamine prevents accidental breakage from my helpful boy trying to clear the table.

But after weeks of coverage of the tainted pet food that has killed countless pets from kidney failure, it’s come to light that the chemical pesticide that harmed the animals was melamine - the same chemical that is in the melamine resin that my son’s plates are made of. It’s bad enough that the harmful chemical has made it’s way into our food supply. But why isn’t anyone questioning this material’s other uses?

Melamine is something that has been widely considered safe. But even the FDA admits to be taken by surprise by the harmful effects of melamine additives on animals, according to NPR. Could melamine not be that safe after all? And if so, is the contact risk of using melamine plates an acceptable risk for my child?

So, I’ve done a touch of research. Melamine resin – the stuff plates are made of – is a compound made of the melamine chemical and another chemical, urea. It is more heat-safe than regular plastics, but can melt at high temperatures. And it’s not microwave safe.

So what then? Urea? Potentially harmful chemicals? It’s definitely an eyeopener. And honestly, with the risks of melamine in the food supply coming to light, I can’t help but have concerns that it’s not safe enough to eat off of either. I don’t care that people have been using it since the 60s. It’s just not an acceptable risk for my son.

I think it might be time to look into Corelle.

UPDATE: I decided what to do about the melamine.

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