• by Vbar • April 25, 2009 • Meat/Poultry, baking-savory • 0 Comments

    Successful bbq last night to ring in the summer weather. Winter has finally ended.

    With honorary chef Mark at the helm of the grill we fired up: burgers, dogs, veggie burgers and chicken with a veggie pouch.
    Veggie Pouch:
    -onion, garlic, zucchini, green beans and a roma tomato.
    -Chopped veggies and threw them into a tinfoil pouch with lemon juice, olive oil salt and pepper.
    -poked holes in the pouch and threw it on the grill.
    Ultra fresh and yummy.
    Holly, you need to share your excellent chicken recipe; thyme, lemon….?
    Tomorrow is our first day at the beach! Can’t wait to taste the yummy Sangria being whipped up by Mo and Holly.
    I made pasta salad- with lots of… what else, fennel. I’ve been talking about fennel (anise? whatever.) all week, because, as I keep saying it is super cheap at Harvest right now. $1.50 a bulb, and they are big and white and crisp; not the $4 each droopy browning bulbs they often have. Fennel is my favorite- it reminds me of Sicily, because I ate it every day there and came to absolutely love it. This lady Lana, who was from Rome and lived in the house with us always made fennel this way, and it is truly delicious.
    Roasted Fennel with Breadcrumbs and Parm

    -Slice up fennel bulb (a good sized on goes pretty far- maybe 4 good serving) into slices , reming the tough core and separating apart
    -spread the fennel out on the bottom of a casserole dish and drizzle olive oil on top
    -dust with a good sized handful of parmesan, and then dust over with breadcrubs. A little salt and a lotta pepper
    -bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes or until fennel is soft

    About Vbar

    The Story of VBar

    Told by Riane

    Vanessa (VBar) Barton is a crow near and dear to my heart, although we often find her soaring the globe. Vanessa’s true passion is traveling; her most recent adventure brought her to India where she had been yearning to go for years. She will undoubtedly picks up a few tricks on her Indian adventure and always incorporates her cultural findings into her own culinary repertoire. I can’t help but draw the conclusion that this 'spice monster' developed her palette from her exotic adventures, I (and I know her boyfriend Mark has my back on this one) have definitely had to bring this heat crazed crow down a notch, after nearly catching my mouth on fire. But I have to say, I’ve gotten her back with another flavour; being a huge fan of mushrooms, I have forced VBar, on more than one occasion, to get past her inhibitions and eat whatever mushroom laden dish myself and the other crows have created. Well hats off to you Vanessa, who can now confidently say ‘I don’t mind mushrooms’ from her initial, ‘I hate mushrooms.’ On that same note, she’s the only vegetarian of the group but is slowly warming up to meats, given her sister crows’ influences. Proud’a you.

    Her second passion is cooking which emanates with her Italian heritage. Her Sicilian roots are evident in her flair in the kitchen, often cooking up Italian classics including, but definitely not limited to: Homemade marinara, not to mention PASTA like her Sicilian Grandma used to make (which has been borrowed on more than one occasion), pumpkin risotto, tiramisu and even homemade limoncello! She’s a crafty crow, jarring her own sauces, tackling homemade booze and even growing her own kitchen herb garden. Always ready with open arms and a delicious cocktail, VBar is the Italian flair in our flock.

    http://crowsinthekitchen.com

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