liamsaunt

2025-07-11T14:01:02Z

More clean out the fridge. Stir fry with zucchini, summer squash, chicken and shiitake mushrooms. My CSA dropped 8 pounds of zucchini on my doorstep yesterday. I put as much as I could fit into this dish and then blanched and froze the rest. Hopefully I will be able to cook it down into some kind of flavorful puree when we come back.

Thursday at 07:20 PM

I'm in clean out the fridge mode before vacation. Last night we had a NY Times recipe for Berbere brown sugar chicken.

Berbere brown sugar chicken

I added all of the remaining CSA carrots I had languishing in my fridge to the dish. All the carrots except one were a deep purple, which ended up changing the color of the dish. It looks more like a beef stew than a chicken dish. My nephew thought the brown sugar (which I halved) and the orange juice made it too sweet. My niece thought the Berbere spice blend (Penzey's) was too spicy! I cannot win haha. The rest of us liked it. Served with spiced rice and some flatbread I made to use up the last of an open container of yogurt.

Wednesday at 12:23 PM

My sister brought some halibut home from the farmer's market next to her office yesterday, so we had mustard coated and roasted halibut with lemon caper butter, mashed potatoes, roasted broccolini and some peas from the freezer to bulk out the broccolini.

July 3

It's striped bass season, and the tomatoes are starting to come in so..

Pasta with uncooked tomato sauce and basil

Roasted striped bass with Mario Batali's Sicilian lifeguard sauce (made with fresh tomatoes). The recipe is originally meant to be served with calamari, but it's basically impossible to find calamari here, even in the fish markets.

July 3

On 6/28/2025 at 6:34 PM, weinoo said:

Ladyslipper is open and rocking - every night but Monday, from 5 PM...https://www.instagram.com/ladyslipperptown/

Kelly Fields making desserts.

We are not going to the Cape for the 4th this year in the first time in forever. I miss it already. I bet the business will be really slammed this weekend. The weather is great after so many rainy weekends. I was talking to the guy who cleans my house on Wednesday and he said that Provincetown is completely sold out for lodging--the only thing he could get was a bare site for camping! Luckily he enjoys camping. That would be my husband's nightmare.

July 1

Grilled satay chicken with peanut sauce. Jasmine rice and cucumber-mint-peanut salad to go with it. I think coconut rice would have been even better but I got lazy.

June 29

Friday, roasted striped bass with amtriciana sauce over kalamata orzo

Saturday, miso salmon bowls with bok choy

June 26

I've been cooking and taking pictures, but have not been posting. So, apologies for the dinner photo dump! A clean out the fridge dinner of stir fried chicken, peppers, garlic scapes, and bok choy with lots of scallions and cilantro

There was an old bag of pretty stale potato chips in the pantry, so I crushed them up, coated chicken with them, and served it over a big salad.

My CSA gave me about three pounds of spinach, so I made it into a pasta sauce to use a bunch of it up in one meal.

Another clean out the fridge dinner of roasted peppers, broccolini and cherry tomatoes with feta over garlicky orzo

We had fajitas another night. No pictures of those, but I used the leftovers to make big salads on the day it was 101 degrees here. Steak salad for husband, niece and nephew

and chicken salad for my sister and me.

Last night I tried a NY Times Cooking recipe for grilled honey-lemon-tahini chicken thighs, served with rice pilaf, flatbread, and yet another salad. I thought I had finally made a good dent in the salad greens from my CSA, but they dropped off a box this morning with seven more heads of lettuce in it...

June 17

A couple of meals from the last week or so, all picked by my nephew. Chipotle style (I guess?) rice bowls

Another day he grilled some peri peri style chicken, and I made a big salad and some crisp roasted potatoes with a creamy cilantro dipping sauce that everyone really liked

Ina Garten's recipe for spaghetti and spicy turkey meatballs

June 10

Coconut curry cod with sweet peppers and rice

June 10

2 hours ago, MaryIsobel said:

How did you like the N/A gin? - I have been looking into the N/A spirits but haven't bought any yet. And thank you once again for showing me a place that I will never likely visit as much as I would love to,

It’s a decent substitute, and has some of the flavors of regular gin. It has a different mouthfeel, as do basically all non alcoholic spirits. This is the thing I notice most about non alcoholic mocktails.

At home, my mocktail of choice is light tonic water mixed with preserved lemon pulp and a pinch of salt and sugar over ice with olives. I do have a small collection of n/a spirits, but have not really experimented with them to date.

June 9

3 hours ago, rotuts said:

@Duvel

Nice HB stein.

there was a time , very late '60's , early 70's

If you were of a certain age , you brought back a HB stein from Germany.

mine was opaque , light grey . 1 L . no idea where it is now ..

did HB switch to glass ? the glass is much more attractive , id say.

I have HB steins from when my husband went with colleagues about five years ago. They are clear glass with the HB logo on them. They are huge and I have tried to get rid of them a few times but they are always rescued from the donation bin and put back, even though no one ever drinks out of them.

A couple of recent dinners. Miso salmon noodle bowl with peppers and spinach

Grilled tuna with soy-ginger butter sauce, broccoli, and rice

June 9

On 6/7/2025 at 11:11 AM, weinoo said:

That's a really excellent beer from Maine!

It’s readily available where we live. It’s even in the grocery store! Our house is only a 15 minute drive from the Trillium brewery (#3 in the country), so we always have lots of good options to choose from. Too bad I cannot drink it any more 😑

On 6/7/2025 at 4:32 PM, MaryIsobel said:

Dream fridge for sure - especially around the holidays. My husband call our fridge door shelves "condiment hell." He can never find things but I can - and I consider the fridge my territory.

One drawback is that it is very tall. I do think things would get lost in there for me because of that. I have two full sized fridges at my house and that setup works better for me.

Last night we visited Pisces. Here is the menu

Drinks. Spicy margarita for my nephew, a n/a gin and tonic for me, and a weird flavored martini that my husband disliked (this has been a theme for this trip)

We shared a starter special of flash sautéed calamari with olives, tomatoes, and arugula

Husband and nephew both had a special of spaghetti with poached oysters in a bacon Parmesan cream sauce with spinach

I had the cornmeal crusted cod dish.

Nephew had a dessert of espresso affogato

and we all shared a slice of lemon cake with blueberry sauce

And that’s it for this visit. A few pictures from our beach walk this morning on aptly named Cockle Cove. The sand is covered with the cockles that give the beach its name

Until next time

June 7

18 hours ago, Duvel said:

… not Angels ?

It said devils on the menu. I know that’s not the usual filling haha.

15 hours ago, weinoo said:

Okay, and sorry, but this sounds absolutely disgusting.

Do you ever get over to the restaurant at the airport, Hangar B? Or have you posted about it before (I guess it's mostly breakfast)?

I have been there, but not for years. It’s pretty rare that we go out for breakfast. We all typically eat just toast, fruit, and/or yogurt in the morning.

11 hours ago, gfweb said:

I agree. Much worse than a dirty martini and looks nothing like a negroni.

Was negroni at least in quotes?

It was on the daily specials drink menu, which I did not look at, so not sure, sorry.

26 minutes ago, weinoo said:

Definitely on a menu (or as, as I don't see it on their menu now)...https://punchdrink.com/recipes/shuck-n-jive/

To me, a waste of perfectly good sherry and vermouth, and as far as the vodka goes, who cares?

You know, it gets to the point where some of this shit is just silly.

Not disagreeing, but you could say that about a lot of weird alcohol mixers, right? Do we really need all those flavored rums floating out there in the world? Cucumber or chili pepper infused vodka? Or more traditionally, even a worm in a bottle of mezcal? Probably not, but maybe a marketing tool. I know there is still a bottle of rum in my liquor cabinet that my husband and I bought on our honeymoon. We did not buy it for the excellent flavor, we bought it because it was in a bottle shaped like a policeman and we thought it was cool looking at the time. It’s never actually been opened.

19 hours ago, Shelby said:

OMG that's the biggest fridge in the universe! What brand is that? Could we maybe see the inside? I'd LOVE to have one like that. I'd have to build a bigger kitchen though.......

It’s a Thermidor. Here’s the inside. Nothing in the freezer but ice cream and ice cubes. I brought the ice cube trays from home in case the house did not have any. I did not realize that there was this huge ice maker!

And the fridge. Nothing in there either except some yogurt, fruit, my nephew’s loaf of bread, and stuff to make coffee. There’s also beer and wine for my husband and nephew (most of which will get hauled back home), and spindrift seltzer and Diet Coke for me (just the right amount for the time we have left here, because I am a planner like that).

So after saying we never go out to breakfast, we went out to breakfast in town yesterday, at the Captain’s Table. Nephew had pancakes

And husband and I both got a bowl with scrambled eggs, bacon, avocado, tomatoes, cheddar and home fries

The day was pretty foggy and windy, so no scenic pictures. Nephew wanted sushi for dinner, so we went to Bluefins in town. Nephew had a whiskey sour (I think?), and husband had a sake martini

We were restricted as to what we could order by my nephew’s shellfish allergy, but they did a great job being careful about the order and customizing stuff as needed. It took a little longer, but he was really happy with everything he got to try. Left to right, there’s a spicy scallop roll, a bluefin roll, a mixed salmon, yellowtail and tuna roll, some crazy thing with spicy tuna and tobiko (he thought this was too sweet), and a toro roll.

He also wanted to order the Oreo sushi roll for dessert

This basically tasted like a mint Girl Scout cookie. One slice was enough though!

One thing I have discovered about staying in this house is that the lighthouse next door plays trumpet music each day at 8am and 8pm through a loudspeaker. It always starts with the calvary charge, which was a bit jarring this morning!

June 6

10 hours ago, Dr. Teeth said:

Looks fantastic. I’m super jealous.

This will be an odd question, but you seem very familiar with the wicked oyster.

When they put quotation makes around “fries” what does that mean?

They were smashed and deep fried fingerlings, rather than standard French fries. Very crunchy!

Yesterday my sister and niece left in the early morning to go back home. The remaining three of us did a bunch of beach walks. One of my favorite spots to look for sea glass in Truro had been invaded by seaweed

We stopped in Wellfleet to get a gelato at Gelato Joy. Limited flavors at this time of year

My half salted caramel, half dark chocolate was mostly chocolate, which was disappointing. I tossed over half of the chocolate, it was just too much.

Another beach walk near the house

and then dinner, at my nephew’s request, was back at Mac’s Shack. He is moving to Chicago in the fall for grad school and is hitting all his old favorites before leaving.

specials

drinks. Two mezcalitos and a mocktail with lime, cucumber, and jalepeno

we got the tuna tartare appetizer

and some sashimi

husband had the bluefish special

nephew had roasted ritz cracker bluefish with creamed spinach and mashed potatoes

I had a fried cod sandwich

We made it to the beach just in time to see the sun slip below the horizon

Today we moved to Chatham, but first we went to Provincetown. Lots of beach walks. Some good success in sea glass hunting. Here’s one

At nephew’s request we went to Local 186 for lunch.

Soda water with strawberry puree, lime and mint for me. Husband and nephew had iced tea.

I got the Southern BLT, which was tasty but huge. I only ate half

husband had a hot dog

and nephew had a burger

After some very successful shopping in Tim’s Used Books, we headed back to Chatham to check in to our new accommodation. Here is part of the kitchen. I think this is the largest home refrigerator I have ever seen. The doors are quite heavy.

The lighthouse is practically right next door to us. I snapped a picture on the way to dinner at Impudent Oyster

Drinks. The one on the left is an oyster Negroni (apparently made with oyster infused liquor)

Devils on horseback

clams casino

Nephew’s meatballs

grilled swordfish with cilantro rice and asparagus

June 4

My nephew joined us late yesterday afternoon. Last night was another repeat from our last visit, the Wicked Oyster. Drinks and mocktails.

House made focaccia and pickles with coppa from Maine

Wellfleet oysters

I got the clam stew again

my niece and husband both got the fish and “chips” (smashed and fried fingerlings)

sister had the sole with citrus buerre blanc

And nephew had a cavatelli with pork sausage

We skipped dessert and hustled to the beach but missed sunset again. Still made for a nice walk.

Sister and niece drove back to our home this morning, so it’s just me, my husband, and my nephew for the rest of the visit.

June 3

We are back on the Cape, staying at the last house we were at until Thursday, and then moving to Chatham for the rest of the time. We arrived Sunday, and the group voted for dinner at Winslow’s Tavern. My sister and husband’s drinks.

We liked the curried mussels so much last time that we ordered them again.

We also ordered a special of smoked oysters Rockefeller. I am not sure why they were served on scallop shells!

Niece ordered the pork schnitzel

Sister and I ordered ramp fettuccini with fried oysters. This was just ok. It needed more acid, I think.

Husband had a special of roasted skate.

We shared a blueberry panna cotta for dessert.

and a salted caramel tart

We got to the harbor too late for the sunset, but did manage a very cold, very windy walk

Yesterday we had dinner at Mac’s Shack. They built a new outdoor patio which has a view of the water

drinks and mocktails

oysters

spicy tuna mango martini

steamed mussels

sushi for my niece

sister had scallops

seared sesame tuna sandwich

bluefish with clams and celeriac puree

I tried to get a picture of the northern lights, but there was not much to see

Some scenic pictures from our lunchtime low tide beach walk

We found a very dead beached basking shark. I remember reading that this had washed up a few weeks ago.

I found a whelk with many creatures attached

Post-walk key lime pie ice cream

May 31

Last night's dinner for my husband, sister, and myself. Haddock cooked in a spicy, garlicky fresh tomato sauce with capers and olives over spinach. served with a garlic bruschetta. Since it's still my niece's week to pick dinners, I also cooked her what she wanted for dinner, which was crunchy haddock with peach-mango salsa, curry roasted sweet potatoes, and sautéed spinach. The rest of us just wanted a break from the sweeter stuff she prefers.

May 30

My nephew is in Montana this week, so I have been letting my niece choose the dinners. She has been picking stuff she loves that he dislikes. One night it was chicken katzu with rice and cucumber salad. He tolerates this meal, but it's not a favorite (he says he could live on five dinners: pasta, pizza, tacos, curry, and burgers)

And last night she asked for pineapple fried rice with glazed bok choy. He hates pineapple in every form, and she loves it, so it was a nice treat for her.

May 27

16 hours ago, TdeV said:

@liamsaunt, all these dinners look fabulous (and easy as pie)

I'm very interesting in these sweet potato dumplings. Have a recipe, please?

15 hours ago, Shel_B said:

+1

I did not follow a specific recipe. Basically, I wanted to make gnocchi but I did not have time, so I made dumplings. I used this recipe as a jumping off point. King Arthur Flour sweet potato gnocchi

Last night, we had grilled herbed chicken with tzatziki, salad, lemon rice and flatbread

May 26

Some quick dinners this week

Rigatoni with roasted pepper sauce and spinach

A NYTimes cooking recipe for weeknight chicken tagine

Sweet potato dumplings with broccoli, brown butter, and toasted pine nuts

May 26

On 5/22/2025 at 1:13 PM, weinoo said:

Spring Brings New Businesses to Commercial St.

Thanks for this article! You solved the mystery of where Ceraldi is going for me. We went by the old place in Wellfleet and saw that he was out of there. The 9 Ryder spot is a good one. I do wonder if he is going to stick to the full seven course tasting concept. We actually skipped eating there last year because it's just so much food. I wish he would do a five course menu.

We stopped into the White Hare on our last visit too. It's definitely over the top! I have a huge Alice in Wonderland collection, but it's very specialized as to what I collect, so I was unsurprisingly unable to find anything there. I wish them good luck though.

Ladyslipper sounds like a successful concept too. We are heading back out there in a week, but the visit has morphed from just the two of us to a larger group, so not sure that we will be able to stop in this time given the size of the building (if it's even open yet). If we do though, I will report back!

May 19

Weekend dishes. Friday: sole meuniere with mashed potatoes and spinach

Saturday, tuna with rice and smacked cucumbers

Sunday, miso salmon with roasted broccolini and carrot-parsnip puree

May 19

On 5/17/2025 at 10:38 AM, rotuts said:

@liamsaunt

nice looking meal.

what is melting on top of the T.B.?

ricotta ? butter ?

That was mascarpone cheese with preserved lemon.

On 5/17/2025 at 10:57 AM, KennethT said:

Thanks for taking us along! What is the dipping liquid for the fried oysters?

It's called Caribbean mignonette. I am not sure what exactly makes it Caribbean. It was lightly sweet and had a little heat.

May 17

For our final day, we did some more hiking in Provincetown yesterday and then ended up in Truro for the opening night of Blackfish. I really like this restaurant, but sometimes the food feels too heavy in the heat of the summer, so I was glad to try it on this cooler evening. Husband’s negroni

Fried oysters

Steamed littlenecks with fennel, saffron, Calabrian chiles, and fregola sarda.

We both got the tuna bolognese. This is the most popular dish at the restaurant. The server brought it out with a flourish and said we had ordered the first two of the season. The portion was smaller than in prior years, which I really appreciated. It’s usually way too much food.