Lemon Tree Update

Look at how big my first lemon is getting! Maybe it will start to turn yellow soon...

Basil: The Versatile Herb

I bought this basil plant about a month ago and have found myself pinching off it's leaves to add some flavor to most all of my dishes.  Just having it around has made all the difference.  I cut up the leaves and add them to salads, soups, scrambled eggs, sandwiches, entrees, and my personal favorite: cocktails [kettle, polar lime seltzer, muddled strawberry and a few basil leaves].  Plus, it's nice to have some more green in an apartment where no trees are visible.

I tried grilling some peaches to go along with a new pork tenderloin dish I was trying out and I found that adding some shreds of basil really enhanced the overall taste.  Get creative and experiment.  If you love the taste of basil, like I do, you can do no harm.

Basil plants are annuals, so they are only supposed to last one growing season.  Don't be sad when your basil plant doesn't last forever; they are inexpensive and you can go get a new one.  This plant was only $5 at the Union Square farmers market.  They like sunny windows, water every other day or so, and be sure to pinch off the big leaves so the little ones can grow.  Once the basil plant flowers it will probably stop producing new leaves, (this is the end of it's growing period) but if you trim off the flowers, you may be able to trick it into producing leaves a little bit longer.  Go get one and start cooking!

Seared Tuna

At the fish market (PE & DD) this past weekend in Union Square, I picked up my usual lobster, and the tuna looked so good, I had to grab a couple of steaks too.

Not having a grill is definitely a bummer, but I improvised with a stovetop grill pan.  I was even able to get the adorable crosshatch marks across the steaks.

This is the first time I ever cooked tuna!

Heat the pan to high, brush a little canola oil on the pan and on the fish.  These were pretty thick steaks, so I cooked them about 3-4 minutes per side, adjusting half way through to get the crosshatch marks.

I added a little sea salt and just a touch of teriyaki sauce once they were cooked.

I cooked some brown rice and added a dash of the teriyaki sauce to that too.  I just so happened to have a fresh pineapple, avocado, and yellow and red tomatoes in my kitchen (really, that was not planned).  I decided to chop all of those up in a bowl to make a salsa.  I stirred in some chopped fresh rosemary from my lovely herb garden, and again, I added dash of the teriyaki sauce.  Easy.

I threw everything on our plates and it actually came out looking like a professional dish.  Everything complimented each other so well; I gave myself a pat on the back for this one.