Cid, Eric and I are trying to restart our weekly cook-and-music nights (where we sometimes cook and sometimes make music, but sometimes just get takeout from Cedars and watch movies). Thursday's menu was very good. The chicken was a little bland, could have used a bit more kick. I think it would be also good to slice a couple cloves of garlic, fry them in oil, and throw them in just before serving, to get a more concentrated garlic experience and the nice crunchy texture. We also had a nice baguette with all this, which was perfect with the salad.

Salt and Pepper Calamari with Negi Onions
- About 3/4 pound of frozen squid rings
- 2 Negi large japanese green onions, cut in half-inch slices
- Corn starch, cayenne pepper, black pepper, salt, olive oil
Defrost the squid in a bowl of hot water, then pat dry. Mix some corn starch and cayenne pepper in a bowl and toss with the squid. Toss in a colander to get rid of the extra corn starch. Heat up olive oil in a skillet until hot. Stir fry squid for a few minutes, sprinkling occasionally with salt and pepper. add green onions and finish stir-frying. The squid shouldn't take very long, but don't mind being overcooked a little. The corn starch soaks up the oil, so add more if it gets too dry.

Stir-fried Garlic Chicken with Long Beans
- 1 pound boneless chicken breasts, cut in chunks
- A bunch of chinese long beans, cut in 2-3" pieces
- 6 large cloves of garlic, thoroughly food-processor-ized
- Corn starch, olive oil
Toss the chicken in the corn starch in a bowl, then in a colander to get rid of the extra. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the chicken and stir fry for 2-3 minutes, until starting to brown. Add the long beans and 1/3 of the garlic (hold the beans for later if you want them more crisp). Keep stir frying for several more minutes, then add another 1/3 of the garlic, then the rest of the garlic after a couple more minutes.

Pear-Pecan-Gorgonzola Salad
- Red leaf lettuce
- A couple of ripe pears, thinly sliced
- Gorgonzola to taste, crumbled or sliced small
- A couple handsful of pecan halves
- Dressing: olive oil, balsamic vinegar, juice from a lemon, a little maple syrup
Combine the stuff in a salad bowl. Mix the dressing. Toss and serve.