Spinach: The incredible shrinking vegetable

I grew up watching Popeye fight with Bluto, romance Olive Oyl, and (YUCK) eat spinach from a can. Don’t get me wrong – I love spinach, but canned spinach is a crime against vegetables. How canned spinach gave Popeye such pep is beyond me. The best spinach is always fresh; in a pinch (or a cooked recipe) frozen spinach will do. I would have to be starving to death to eat the canned stuff.

On Easter, I brought home an enormous bag of fresh spinach from my parents’ garden. My dad picked the leaves on Sunday morning in Norfolk and I was putting the bag in our fridge in Bristol by dinnertime. We have had spinach salad and sautéed spinach all week. Spinach is high in fiber, a terrific source of iron, and contains antioxidants that protect eyes from cataracts and macular degeneration. Spinach commonly contains pesticides -- bugs, moths and other critters love it, too. Eat spinach you have grown yourself or that you know was not treated with pesticides.

Wash spinach is a large basin with plenty of water. The leaves tend to be sandy, so wash in at least two changes of water. If you have a salad spinner, this is a great contraption for drying the leaves. Spinach shrinks dramatically when cooked, so be sure to prep plenty. An interesting fact: Spinach is native to central and southwestern Asia.

Here is a simple and delicious method I love that make great use of fresh spinach.

Sautéed spinach
1 teaspoon oil or butter
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
Salt and pepper
2 quarts fresh spinach, washed and torn in pieces

Heat the oil or butter over medium heat, in a large sauté pan. Add the chopped garlic. Once the pan is hot, add the spinach. If there is more spinach than pan, wait a minute or two until the spinach wilts and add more. You don’t have to cook spinach to death. Just warm it until it wilts, add salt and pepper and serve. Serves 3-4 (or one hungry husband who loves spinach!)

Friday fun: Back to the 1980s

I've been swamped with work lately, and I've neglected new posts for this blog. Since it's Friday, and the weather is gorgeous, I thought it would be fun to post some of my favorite songs from the late 1980s-early 1990s.

One of my all-time favorites is Let the Music Play by Shannon. I remember dancing to this at a homecoming dance in high school!

No one can resist the bass in this one by Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock: It Takes Two.

And here's one from Bobby Brown's early solo career: Every Little Step. I sang every word while working on this post. This song is from 1991, just a smidge out of the 80s!

Happy Friday, friends! Get outside and enjoy this beautiful weather!

Quick trip to Charlottesville, Va.

My husband, youngest son, and I enjoyed a quick trip to Charlottesville, Va., last month. The trip was centered around a doctor's appointment, but we squeezed in some sightseeing and a couple of meals, too! Of course, Charlottesville is home to Thomas Jefferson's masterpiece, the University of Virginia. This also is the town where we had our mini-honeymoon in 2006, and has been a favorite travel spot for us for many years.

We dearly love Maharaja Indian Restaurant and made a stop there long enough to pick up some takeout for dinner. We love the entire menu, but we opted to split an order of vegetable korma, some pappadum (fried lentil wafers) and a couple of samosas (meat and vegetable filled pastries). The food was terrific, as always. Here’s a link to their menu, if you are inclined to visit. Vegetable korma is an easy, delicious recipe to make at home. Here is a version from AllRecipes.com.

We also made a quick stop to one of our favorite stores, Foods of All Nations. I picked up some Indian spice mixes, a box of super crispy rice crackers, and a jar of olive tapenade. Of course we wandered through the extensive coffee and tea offerings, fresh produce, overwhelming hot sauces, and the extensive seafood selections. I could spend a grand in that store every time I walk through the doors! Of course, on our budget, I usually drop about 20 bucks.

After the doctor's appointment, we enjoyed a casual lunch at Guadalajara’s, before heading back to Bristol. This restaurant has terrific Mexican offerings, full of fresh ingredients. Their refried beans are something special – a bit spicy and silky smooth. I enjoyed chicken tacos that were fresh and tasty. Robert enjoyed a lunch combo plate and Miles had his go-to favorite, beef enchiladas. All were terrific!

Sweets for the Sweet

Healing Hands Health Center in Bristol, TN, is accepting orders for giant cupcakes as part of its second annual Sweets for the Sweet fundraiser. Each cupcake underwrites the cost of patient care expenses, including medications and medical supplies. A donation of $50 will include a hand-delivered cupcake on Valentine’s Day to the person you choose. Also included is a personal message and a note saying a gift has been made to Healing Hands Health Center in their honor. The cupcakes are designed and donated by Blackbird Bakery in Bristol, Va.

This is a wonderful way to deliver a delicious gift to someone, while helping a local medical outreach project by giving uninsured workers access charitable health care. Healing Hands serves residents in Bristol TN/VA, and Blountville, Bluff City and Piney Flats, TN. For details about Healing Hands, click here. For more information on how to donate to the cause, click here.

The deadline to order a Valentine cupcake is Feb. 9, 2012, and quantities are limited. For more information, contact Helen Scott at (423) 652-2516 or execdirector@btes.tv

Some more fun for a Friday

To be clear, I am not using Jackson Hewitt for my tax preparation, but I do think their ads are some of the funniest I have ever seen. We all feel joy, plain and simple, when are taxes are behind us (and especially if some cash is coming back).

So enjoy these spots: This is Steve and This is Sarah

Hope these make you smile -- it's Friday, y'all!

Seriously hot wings in Blacksburg

I had the greatest time last month visiting Blacksburg, Va., and the campus of Virginia Tech, my alma mater. Blacksburg is such a fun, vibrant town and it was a joy to give my husband and youngest son a quick tour of academic buildings, the Drillfield, my old dorm (shout to Slusher Wing), the Duck Pond, Lane Stadium and more.

It had been about six months since I was last there, but the town keeps changing and growing. The Lyric Theatre looks like new. There’s a Moe's (Welcome to Moe's!) downtown. And new dorms and academic buildings keep springing up everywhere.

Some places you can count on when you visit town – Top of the Stairs, Mike’s Grill, Souvlaki, and The Cellar, which is where we ate lunch on our trip.

The Cellar is located along Main Street in Blacksburg, Va., just a couple blocks off the Virginia Tech campus. Locals know it without explanation, but anyone can find it with ease. From the student center, walk about three blocks toward downtown – you will smell baking cheese and often see a line out the door. This was a favorite late night spot when I was an undergraduate at Tech. It is a tradition in downtown Blacksburg, one that has been updated with a new interior and street level entrance for the main dining area. I missed the cellar entrance, but I was transported in time once I got inside. The Cellar is known for its extensive beer offerings, and for being a casual fun place to eat. I spent many nights there, socializing with friends over Killian’s Red and munching on pizza.

During our December trip, we enjoyed several menu items, but we sre still talking about how hot the wings were (and laughing at me over how many I ate!) The wings are the first thing on the menu, but be forewarned – I LOVE hot foods, but these will burn you up. They were so hot, they hurt, but I can’t stop thinking about them.

If you are familiar with Blacksburg, there is no need for me to explain my fondness for this charming town. If you have never been, consider visiting this friendly, energetic place. It’s full of activity from the university, and anchored by a committed group of locals.

There's a huge number of terrific restaurants and watering holes in Blacksburg -- too many to mention here. Go visit and find your own favorites.

Spectacular shrimp

Last week, in celebration of my youngest son’s outstanding report card, I fixed this version of Sautéd Shrimp – courtesy of Tidewater on the Halfshell, Fine Virginia Recipes. This cookbook is a compilation of recipes from the Junior League of Virginia Beach and Norfolk, Va., my hometown. It is a simple, delicious preparation for shrimp, one of my favorite seafoods. The recipe makes a lot – we enjoyed leftovers for lunch the following day.

Most "fresh" shrimp are actually thawed from frozen (as the ones I bought were). I purchased them deveined, but I did the peeling myself. Serve this dish with small or medium egg noodles for a special treat.

Sautéd Shrimp
2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, diced
¼ cup diced parsley
½ cup dry white wine
½ teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Heat oil in a large wok or skillet. Add mushrooms and onions and sauté until tender. Add parsley and wine, stir. Gradually add shrimp, season with salt, garlic and pepper. Stir and cook for several minutes, just until shrimp are pink. Serve immediately over rice or noodles. Serves 6-8.

I used a large milkglass bowl to serve the shrimp. Outstanding report cards necessitate special serving pieces!