Product Review: Surf and Turf & Crate and Barrel's Ginger Dipping Sauce

It's Summertime! 

Don't you just love it?  Well if you are not having a heat wave that is...!

Here in LA we love summer.  We usually have great weather with the exception of several weeks of sweltering heat late summer.  Right now we're having what we call "June Gloom".  It is cloudy in the morning, even chilly, and then it burns off and heats up in the afternoon.

Just preparing us for the heat to come...

Lovin' summer so much I have to share a pretty summer tablescape with you!  A crisp white quilted runner sets the cool mood.  Dark green chargers bring in a touch of the outdoors.  The pretty white plates with dotted edges add texture and set the canvas for a beautiful, summer colored salad plate of pretty flowers!  Even the flatware reflects nature, depicting leaves on the handles.  Isn't this tablescape fresh looking?

But I digress..so on to the product review.  So for summer solstice we decided to grill some surf and turf.  Steak, fillet mignon, and shrimp to be exact.  So I got out my Lodge cast iron grill skillet (one of my best skillets!) and fired it up.

I wanted to try a new product I found at Crate & Barrel...a favorite store of mine!  The Ginger Dipping Sauce sounded so good and reminded me of that great sauce that you get from Benihana's.  You know the one?  It's just awesome...and I want it!

So I picked this one up having high hopes of that great tasting Ginger sauce.  Here's what Crate & Barrel has to say about their product.

Ginger Dipping Sauce. 9.5 oz.

Savory, all natural Asian sauce flavors delicious meals with a minimum of fuss. Dip egg or spring rolls into ginger dipping sauce, season veggies or noodles, or use as a marinade for virtually any protein.

• Ginger Dipping Sauce contains onion, tomato, celery, Japanese soy sauce, canola oil, corn syrup, vinegar, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, spices and herbs

As you can see the ingredients are all natural, and very well balanced.

So we grilled our fillet mignons... (just using salt & pepper)

and our shrimp....(again just using salt & pepper)

and served it with the Ginger Dipping Sauce.    I wanted the food to be all about the dipping sauce complimenting the steak and shrimp's natural flavors.

I liked the sauce but there was a definite prominent vinegar taste.  The ginger was a prominent flavor as well.  A good sauce, but not exactly like that of Benihana fame...I would definitely buy this again...and the price is reasonable at $5.95 as you will get multiple uses out of it if you use this as a dipping sauce.  I'm still going to recreate the famous Benihana sauce but  I would recommend that you pick up a bottle of this if you have the opportunity, it's a close second.  You can buy this online here, ginger dipping sauce which sells for $5.95 at Crate & Barrel.

This dish goes great with my Zucchini and Thyme side dish.  yum!

What your favorite dipping sauce is?
Happy summer!!!

Zucchini and Thyme

It's summertime!  The heat is on in LA and all the flowers are bloomin'...

I love the summer for the weather but especially for the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables available from our local farms.

One of the healthiest ways and cheapest ways to cooks is to eat seasonally, and with local grown products. 

This time of year our farmer's markets are overflowing with a great selection of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers.   

I frequent the farmer's market and love to make dishes using all the fresh ingredients...they really do taste better than those in the supermarket...riper, crisper..and overall just plain better!

Zucchini is one of my favorite veggies and this dish is a quick side dish that is big on flavor!
So enjoy the beginning of summer and celebrate summer solstice tomorrow by cooking up some wonderful dishes using summer's bounty!

See, even my baby dog, Brandy loves summer!  She's a natural model, and loved to pose for the camera!

This dish is super easy, just dice your onion and cut your zucchini in planks.  Then toss in a medium pan to cook adding some aromatics, such as thyme and beef bouillon.  Enjoy!!!

Zucchini and Thyme

Serves 4

Ingredients: Print Options

·Print (no photos) 

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 T unsalted butter
1/4 c diced onion
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley
1 lb fresh zucchini, cut into 3-by-1/2-inch sticks
1 tsp better than bouillon, beef flavored
1 tsp dried thyme
Sea Salt and coarse ground black pepper

Directions:

In a medium pan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add your diced onion and parsley.  Cook until soft, but not browned.

Add the zucchini sticks, beef bouillon, thyme and a pinch of salt & pepper. Stir to coat. Cover and cook until tender, from 12 – 15  minutes.  Serves 4.

Sue's Famous Loaded Baked Potato Salad

My sister, Sue, is an excellent cook.  You know, one of those people that just pick up ingredients, throw them together, and make it up as they go along...and voila! 

A MASTERPIECE!!!

Don't you just hate when that happens???

Well, Sue's got it like that...I mean she can whip up just about anything...give her an idea, or a concept and she runs with it and creates a dish that delicious and memorable.

Such is true with her famous Loaded Baked Potato Salad.

She got the idea from a dish she ate in Kentucky and decided to create one of her own and came up with this masterpiece....trust me it is....a masterpiece!  It's a potato salad...no a loaded baked potato...no a loaded baked potato turned into a potato salad...yeah that's it!

I didn't want to put this dish down..it's the bomb...really...I was dreaming about it all night....still am!

So to pay tribute to my sister and to add another great dish to serve on Father's Day we are sharing this recipe with you.  Here's my sister Sue, my niece (Denise) and my Mom (Imy) chilling before our feast!

Now check out this AWESOME, creamy, tasty dish...make it today, you'll love it!

Oh my, look at this....I'm excited!

Here's the recipe....make it, make it, make it!!!!

Sue’s Loaded Baked Potato Salad

Ingredients:

3lbs. red potatoes
1 ½ cartons of sour cream (low fat)
6 strips of turkey bacon (or regular)
5-6 green onions chopped
2 cups cheddar cheese
¼ cup low fat mayo
1 tsp olive oil
Sea salt & pepper

Directions:

For a crisper skin on the potatoes, brush with olive oil and then bake until slightly soft (but able to slice) when you fork.  Or you can just boil them but the skin is harder to keep on the potatoes.  Let potatoes cool then cut them into small bite sized pieces.  In a large bowl gently fold in all the ingredients, saving one bacon strip and ¼ cup of the cheese to garnish on top.  Refrigerate with a lid or saran wrap till chilled.  Enjoy!

Glow Worm Fabulous!!

Linked to:  Dr. Laura's Tasty Tuesday
Linked to:  Your Recipe My Kitchen