Triple Treat

This past weekend I had the pleasure and privilege of spending time with 3 amazingly talented friends.  This was an offshoot of the celebrity golf tournament I work on that's held each January and these wonderful friends put together a "Mega Package" that earned $32,000 for our event so, of course, I wanted to be available for them in whatever capacity they needed.
Here are the players: Grammy-Award Nominee, Cindy Bullens; HGTV's Kelly Edge, formerly of "Decorating Cents"  and Executive Chef, Lee Hillson, of T. Cook's restaurant at the Royal Palms Resort in Scottsdale, AZ, and of "Iron Chef America" fame.
My glamorous role? I took delivery of 150 lbs. of food and kept it all at a safe temperature until service. I also shoppped for a number of items beforehand, thus delivering about 200 lbs. of food on the first day.  The rest of the weekend was spent in support of the event...airport runs, food pick-ups, and my crappy knife-skills!  I was looking forward to spending time with Chef Lee and was so flattered about him allowing me into his kitchen.  Still, these families delivered a great experience...thank you!!

Food Porn!

Don't worry, folks, it's not as salacious as it sounds! I was checking in on my Facebook account earlier and one friend was asking, "what gives?" with everyone posting pictures of their food creations. Before I knew it, I was put on the cutting board (lovingly, I might add) by my friends. Okay, I admit that I'm probably the worst offender of this, but I just love sharing my passion with others.  If I can inspire just one person to get into the kitchen and create a home-cooked meal, then I feel like I've done my job. I absolutely adore the feedback I get and all the encouraging comments from my incredibly supportive friends and enjoy seeing their kitchen creations, too. While I enjoy the comments, I'm also humbled.  I'm just a home cook and have a few friends who are actually the real deal and Executive Chefs in their restaurants, or teaching kids to cook. Man, nothing I can ever do could compare to the talent these people have.

I even got an e-mail from a friend working in NYC today with a picture of his lunch asking me to guess what it was. I guessed Gumbo. Yep, but it was Gator Gumbo!  I love those "guess what this is" food games. Keep 'em coming!

So I'm starting to think that I might actually have to throw a party for my local friends and cook for them just to prove I've the got the chops they think I have.  Who's in?

Thanks, everyone!

I'm re-reading chef/author/traveler Anthony Bourdain's latest book, "Medium Raw," and just finished the chapter where he bashes the fast food industry and their blatant recruitment of our nation's children.  This made me pause and think about my own role in shaping my child's food choices.  Thankfully, I'm an unashamed foodie and had introduced him to the more exotic ingredients early in life.  Yes, I've created a bit of a food snob!  That's not to say that he hasn't had a Happy Meal or three in his lifetime (I'm human, after all), but I love the fact that he really stays away from anything with a drive-thru...that just can't be good for you. 

This young man (now 17) is definitely a Culinary Adventurer! He tried raw octopus at the tender age of four.  He's eaten live termites in Mexico and practically swoons over the very thought of escargot, caviar, and foie gras. He goes into a sushi restaurant and tells the chef to make whatever he wants him to eat. Wow, very brave! 

We've been blessed enough to have some amazing culinary journeys and befriend some of our nation's greatest chefs.  While I'm glad that I've instilled the love of good, quality food in him, I also encourage him to get a good education so he can enjoy all this when mom & dad stop paying the bills!

So proud of my boy for not conforming to society's "norms!"

Aw, Shucks!

While I will never claim the world's my oyster to be leisurely plucked from its shell, I'm very proud that I tackled two dozen oysters tonight and shucked them clean from start to finish for dinner.  I sweated and cursed my way through it but sure got the job done.  Let's just say the world oyster shucking contest has no fear from me!  The big bonus was that my husband - who hates any shellfish besides shrimp - kept going back for more!  Honestly, I don't think it was the succulent and briney oysters as much as the buttery, garlicky, bread crumb topping that made all the difference.  Whatever...I'll take it.  My son, however, (who will eat anything) kept thanking me for such a great meal.  He is my pearl found in the oyster.

I'm Back...

Wow, the holidays, family business, and volunteer obligations really took a toll on my blogging opportunities!  Thanks for hanging in there!  My last blog post was Thanksgiving Day of 2010, which really is in the middle of my launch time.  For those (loyal 18) who have been following me, you know that the past few months have been more than challenging.  I lost my mother-in-law on Octoner 12, right in the middle of launching the celebrity golf tournament I work on.  This was the day my iPhone decided to crap out on me and leave me with very  little sound from my callers.  Great...my husband calls to tell me his mom just passed and I can't hear much of what he's saying other than, "Mom just died." As I take a moment to fall apart and figure out how to explaim this to my kids, I get another phome call from Hockey Legend, Bobby Orr, telling me he can't make the charity golf event I'm working on.  I put on a a happy face and tell him that it's no problem and that we'll miss him at this year's event.

Moving on to the holidays:  On top of everything else, my mom was diagnosed with cancer, requiring a  hysterectomy - the day before Thanksgiving and being released into my care on Thanksgiving Day - and subsequent radiation therapy treatments, the last of which ends this Wednesday. God bless her for being such a trooper!  Let's just say that the holidays this year were not stellar.

Enter January: Spent New Year's Eve being entertained by our favorite local band, Mo Geetz.   A real highlight into the New Year!

As all of this is progressing, I'm knee-deep into the Tim Wakefield Celebrity Golf Classic - which benefits the Space Coast Early Intervention Center - as the Celebrity Chair. My volunteer job requires me to contact all the Celebritites Tim wants invited to his event, make all their travel arrangements, and make sure they are taken care of during their stay here.  I pride myself on doing a great job in this area!  This event was scheduled on the last weekend in January.

Fast forward to four days ago. My step-son is being recognized in a ceremony that acknowledges his accomplishments as a Firefighter/Paramedic.
 
Dinner?  Well, tonight was one for the reords.Steak Au Poivre/ Peppercorn Sauce, Celery Root  & Potato Mash, and Roasted Asparagus.  This girl is back on her game!

Thanks to all for your patience!

Giving Thanks

I have so very much to be thankful for on this beautiful holiday.  First, my mom came through her surgery yesterday with flying colors and she's now settled in at our house for a few days.  It was a special treat that she was home in time to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with us.  Secondly, when we gave thanks before dinner this evening, we were able to smile and remember my mother-in-law who passed last month and still celebrate the birth of two new members of our family.  We shared the day with my sister-in-law and nephew who safely made the trip from Georgia and my father-in-law who is handling the "firsts" (holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, etc.) without his bride of 53 years with great strength and dignity.

Tomorrow I'll have both of my brothers here to visit!  This is a rare occasion and one that I'm looking forward to with great anticipation.  I only wish my sister could be here as well, but she's currently working out of state.  That would be such a treat for my mom to have all four of her children together.  I hope we can make that happen very soon.

As for the day's feast; of course I cooked like I was feeding an army!  Only seven people for dinner (the least number of people to feed at a holiday gatherng ever in my history), but I had enough food for at least twice that! I just don't know how to scale back for a holiday meal.  Here's the menu:

Herb Roasted Turkey (nearly 19 lbs. and rubbed with a compound butter with roesmary, thyme, and sage with the butter also gently placed underneath the breast skin)

Spiral-Cut Ham with a Mango Chutney/Spiced Cranberry Glaze (10 1/2 lbs.)

Broccoli-Cheese Casserole

Creamy Fried Confetti Corn

Brulee'd Sweet Potato Gratin

Spiced Cranberry Sauce

Cornbread Dressing (courtesy of my sis-in-law)

Mashed Potatoes (courtesy of my sis-in-law)

Mashed Turnips (courtesy of my sis-in-law)

The Best Gravy Ever!

Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

Mincemeat pie

Caramel Apple Cake

Lastly, I am so thankful for my extended family, many of which I am so late in getting to know but am enjoying every minute of it - I see our interests and humor resonating throughout our every communication.  We just can't deny our DNA!

To my friends: I have known many of you for most of my life and I am so grateful for the technogically that has made it possible for us to catch up with one another.  To my more recent friends...thank you!  I've not known you that long but you have been put in my life for a reason and I am grateful and so very blessed to call you all "friend."

May God bless you during this time of thanks and beyond!

~Trish

Recipe of the Day: Spiced Cranberry Sauce

Spiced Cranberry Sauce

3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries

3/4 cups white sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup orange juice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cloves

Stir all ingredients together in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and boil gently for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Pour sauce into a bowl, cover, and cool completely at room temperature.  Refrigerate until serving.  Makes 2 1/4 cups.

Today was such a great day! I woke up raring to go this morning, hit the cappuccino maker, dragged the teenager out of bed because he had to be at his school at 9 AM for a project, made him a hot breakfast and booted him on his way.  The plan was for me to pick up his girlfriend at 11:30 then swing by and pick him up at noon, but he got finished earlier than expected so we reversed the order.  We then met the hubby at a local waterfront eatery for lunch then headed to our house to just hang for the day.  Do you know what a wonderful feeling it is to have your 16-year-old son and his lovely girlfriend actually want to spend time with you on a Saturday afternoon?  Priceless!

The afternoon turned into a very fun cooking lesson with me showing the kids how to make lasagna.  Actually this was the first meal I ever made for the girlfriend in May or June of '09...the first time she ever had lasagna!  My thought was what a deprived child she was for never having experienced the lucsious layers that make up lasagna.  Trust me, she's an aficionado now! 

Once the lasagna was in the oven, we turned our attention to the sweet side of life.  We set up Santa's Sweet Shop a bit early and that was a good thing.  Once word got out that we were making peanut brittle and peppermint bark, I was getting hounded from friends and family across the country to send some their way.  I'll spend some time in the kitchen tomorrow making fresh batches of brittle and bark (I think that may be the names of my next two dogs!) and getting them ready to ship out first thing Monday morning.  I'll also be making my fresh cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving and a couple batches of pumpkin butter for a lucky few.

And...just as I was ready to sign off on tonight's blog, one of my real-deal award-winning chef friends just chimed in with a, "Did someone say brittle?"  Looks like I'll be shipping to Arizona, as well!  Gulp...this guy's pretty intimidating to cook for, but he's such a dear friend that I know he'll be kind...right, Lee?

Ah, 'tis the sweet life, indeed!

Peppermint Bark

24 ounces milk or dark chocolate bark coating
24 ounces white bark coating
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract, divided
20 pieces peppermint candies, crushed & sifted

Line a large sheet pan with wax paper and spray with a non-stick coating.  Melt milk/dark chocolate over a double boiler (or a tempered glass bowl over a pan of simmering water).  Add 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract.  Por mixture onto sheet pand and smooth until even.  Refrigerate until solid.

Repeat the process with the white bark coating; melt until smooth, add 1/4 teaspoon peppermint flavoring, then pour over the set milk/dark chocolate layer.  Smoothe until even then sprinkle the sifted peppermint candy bits over the warm white bark, adding larger pieces of peppermint candies toward the end.  Gently press the candies into the warm bark then refrigerate till set. 

Break into bite-sized pieces for serving.  This makes a great gift which can be put into a holiday gift tin or some of those beautifully decorated cellophane gift bags.  Maybe try some decorated/themed Chinese take-out boxes to present in.  Have fun!

A Pinch of This and a Dash of That

This has been one busy week for me which is why I'm so behind on my blog.  It's not that I didn't have anything to say - it's me, after all - but I just didn't have the time to sit down and share it.  Along with all the day to day activities that go along with parenting and just life in general (dentist, guitar lessons, driver's ed classes, chemistry tutor, gym, dealing with critters in the attic, etc.) we've been trying to get the Christmas decorations up before Thanksgiving.  Yes, I like to take one holiday at a time and have always been adamant about not bringing out the Christmas decorations until Thanksgiving weekend, but with my mom having surgery next week I had to strike while the iron was hot.  On a high note, on Tuesday we made a quick trip to Orlando to meet my beautiful new great-niece who was born last Saturday.  My brother is the proudest grandpa around!

With Thanksgiving just next week I've been dragging out my countless cookbooks looking for inspiration.  There's really no point because everyone would have a fit if I don't crank out the same old menu I present year after year.  No new "fancy" stuff and I'd better include at least one favorite dish for everyone around the table.  Nothing wrong with tradition, I suppose.  I guess that's why I felt like I was suffering from recipe ADD while pouring through these cookbooks, I knew I couldn't really change my Thanksgiving menu so my eyes kept darting toward something new and exciting.  Turkey...pumpkin...stuffing...ooooh, shiny object!!!  That would explain why I've been in the kitchen experimenting all week, just trying to indulge my creative side. 

Do you have your passport ready?  I've been all over the world this week in the kitchen and was really happy with all the results.  It was to the Pacific Northwest for Salmon with Lemon Butter Caper Sauce; Vietnam for Bahn Mi (spiced pork sandwiches with pickled vegetables); The American South for Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwiches with Cole Slaw and Spicy Sweet Potato Fries, Italy for Pasta Fagioli, and a trip to Candy Land for Peanut Brittle.  That last trip was a bad one and we almost needed a peanut brittle intervention!  However, I do want to know why when the question, "What happened to all the peanut brittle?" was posed all heads turned and looked at me?  Okay, guilty as charged. 

I also found myself happily fielding a lot of cooking questions this week; How do you cook fresh pumpkins? How do you make fresh pumpkin pie? Do you have a recipe for fruitcake? Do you know how to make rice pudding? Do you have a recipe for a recipe exchange? Can my daughter have your Pasta Fagioli recipe?  Want to try a new broccoli recipe? Do you ship, haha?  My goal in the upcoming week is to answer most of these questions and provide what recipes I can.  For now, though, I'll start with my Pasta Fagioli recipe for Karl's daughter.

PASTA FAGIOLI

Serves 4-6

2 ounces pancetta, diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 small onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more to taste

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped

2 bay leaves

32 ounces chicken broth

2  19-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

14 ounces San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand

1 piece Parmesan cheese rind

½ cup Parmesan cheese, reserved

1 cup small pasta shells

1 bunch kale, stems and ribs discarded, leaves chopped

Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

Heat a large pot to medium heat and add the pancetta, cooking until just crisp and golden in color and the fat has rendered, about 8 minutes.  Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, red pepper flakes, and rosemary and cook until the onions are translucent, about 5-6 minutes.  Stir in the tomatoes and chicken broth then add the bay leaves, Parmesan rind and beans.  Cover the pot and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.

Uncover the pot and bring the mixture back to a boil over high heat.  Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes.  Add the kale and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5-6 minutes more.  If the soup is too thick, thin with some water or more chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Remove the bay leaves and Parmesan rind.  To serve: ladle into individual soup bowls and top with a sprinkling of the reserved Parmesan cheese.



Lemon Tree Very Pretty

If anyone were to ever ask me what the one thing that can always be found in my pantry or refrigerator, the answer would definitely be lemons.  I love them!  As I was admiring my Meyer lemon tree this morning and the number of beautiful yellow globes waiting to sacrifice themselves for my enjoyment, I began wondering what I was going to do with all of them.  So I threw this question out there for my friends, "If life hands you lemons, make...?"  I got the expected answers; lemonade, a picatta dish, limoncello (very expected from this particular friend), furniture polish, wait...what?  Well, he was right.  Besides being delicious in both savory and sweet dishes, lemons have so many other uses that we may not think about.  Need your cutting board cleaned? Rub it with half a lemon and some course salt then rinse.  Sore throat?  Mix lemon juice with some warm water and honey and you've got a soothing fix for it...bourbon optional.  Heck, when I was a teenager here in Florida, we'd rinse our hair with it for a more blonde effect.

My fondness for this sour yet sunny delight started early when I used to just grab a lemon slice and siphon the juice right out of it.  Okay, I'll admit that at times I just did it for effect.  Oh the looks on the faces of the adults around me!  Perhaps they enjoyed the look of my scrunched up little face just as much.  Whatever the motivation, the taste stuck with me and has become one of my favorite ingredients to use in the kitchen.

I think my best bet for using up this particular crop of lemons is to preserve half of them to be used in the future, then use the other half over the upcoming holidays to add a little zip to liven up my recipes.  Preserved lemons are typically found in Moroccan cuisine, but they can be used to stir into tuna or chicken salad, vinaigrette, marinades, stews, etc. and are very easy to make. Here's a quick recipe for you:

Preserved Lemons

• 10-12 lemons, Meyer lemons do best because they are sweeter and the rind is thinner
• 6 lemons for juicing
• kosher coarse salt
• Large glass mason jar

Directions:

Wash and dry 12 lemons. Quarter the lemons, yet leaving the lemon in tact at the stem. Basically, you want to cut, leaving 1/2 inch of the bottom of the lemon uncut.

Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of coarse salt inside the lemon and reshape the fruit. Repeat with remaining lemons.
Juice six remainder lemons.
Place about 3 tablespoons kosher salt in the bottom of mason jar. Add a layer of salted lemons, then sprinkle kosher salt, ten another layer of lemon. Repeat until the jar is 3/4 full. Add lemon juice to fill jar, leaving a little space to account for the lemon juice that will come from the salted lemons.
Seal jar and store at room temperature. Place upside down every few days. Allow lemons to remain in jar for about a month before use. Lemons are ready when rind in soft.

They'll keep in the refrigerator for about 6 months.

Always rinse lemons before use. 

Gosh...thanks!

I got the nicest surprise this evening when my humble little blog got shared with 3845 new people thanks to Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Resort and Spa sharing it on their Facebook page after I did a radio call-in session with two of my very dear friends, Chef Beau MacMillan of elements restaurant, located at the Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Resort and Spa in Paradise Valley, AZ and Chef Lee Hillson of T. Cook's restaurant, located at the Royal Palms Resort and Spa in Scottsdale, AZ.  Also a huge thanks to Heidi Lee who reached out to invite me to surprise my friends on her radio program.  I am so blessed to have such amazing people in my life who may seem like icons to others (rightfully so) but who are just friends to me.  I don't know what I did to deserve these people in my life, but I'm extraordinarily thankful.  By the way, that goes for every friend I have.  You all are a blessing to me and I am so grateful for your friendship!  Thank you all!

Fun With My Foodie Friends

Yesterday afternoon I had the unique opportunity to call in on a radio show and surprise two of my chef buddies in Arizona.  The show is called Into the Soup and is hosted by the very energetic and totally cool, Heidi Lee.  She can be heard on Saturdays between 2-3 PM (AZ time) on Talk Radio KNFX 1100 AM and she's in the television studio on Thursdays between 9-10 AM on AZTV7.  Check out her website at www.intotheSoup.  I can't wait for my next trip to Arizona so I can hang out with her in person!.com

This all started a few days earlier when she noticed on Facebook that I was friends with these two chefs.  Since she was going to have them both in the studio at the same time, she thought it would be a blast to have me call in and surprise them.  I emailed her a little bit of a background with these two guys - okay, she called it a tome because it was more that just a little bit of background - so she was able to set them up and bring me on the air to answer a particular question that really only I would know the answer to.  It worked like a charm and we had the most fun few minutes I've had in a while!  Thank you Heidi!

So, who are these two chefs, you might ask?  Only two of the most talented, genuine, and down-to-earth people on the planet.  Chef Beau MacMillan and I met about 5 years ago when I was in Scottsdale to check out a celebrity chef golf tournament.  I work on a celebrity golf tournament here in Florida and we'd been trying to tap into the celebrity chef circuit to see if we could add to our event.  I was walking the course as a spectator and kind of had to stick with one particular group of golfers because to get too far ahead of them was inviting a drive to the back of the head.  Beau came over and struck up a conversation like he'd never met a stranger in his life.  When I told him about the event I work on and who the host of the event was (a player for the Boston Red Sox) Beau nearly swallowed his tongue and at that moment his thick New England accent got ever more pronounced.  It was around that time that I realized where I knew him from.  He's the guy who just beat Bobby Flay on Iron Chef America!  And he's a die hard Red Sox fan?  Perfect!  I called him a few days later and invited him to golf in our event and the rest is history.  You can catch him on Food Network as he was the host/mentor on The Worst Cooks in America and he can be seen on The Best Thing I Ever Ate.  His award-winning restaurant, elements, is located in Paradise Valley, AZ at the Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain and isn't to be missed if you're in the area.  It's got the best view of the valley, to boot!

Enter Chef Lee Hillson.  Once Beau came and golfed in our event and visited the charity it benefits, the Space Coast Early Intervention Center which is a non-profit pre-school for children with disabilities, he was smitten and wanted to do more.  He recommended doing a charity dinner and wanted to bring two other chefs friends with him, one of which was Lee Hillson.  His charming and outgoing personality immediately stole the hearts of all who met him and also garnered him an invitation to golf with us.  Lee is also an Iron Chef America competitor who lost by just one point.  Frankly, I think he got hosed!  His also award-winning restaurant, T. Cook's, is located at the beautiful, Mediterranean-inspired Royal Palms Resort and Spa in Scottsdale, AZ.  This is arguably the most beautiful property in the whole area and his Sunday brunch is not to be missed.  My son dreams about Lee's Eggs Benedict made with his house-cured prosciutto.

It has been my honor and privilege to call both of these men my very dear friends and I look forward to seeing them in January, then vacationing with them and a whole bunch of other friends next summer in Napa Valley.  Thanks, you guys!  My life is better because you're in it!

Life Is A Test!

Just when I thought the healing process could begin after losing my mother-in-law just three short weeks ago, I accompanied my mom to her doctor's office this morning only to be handed the diagnosis of cervical cancer.  Her doctor had suspected as much about 3 months ago but put her on a progesterone regime to see if that would fix the issue.  It didn't.  She now has Grade 1 cancer cells which will only get worse without a hysterectomy.  Mom is 76-years-old and I'm worried about this kind of major surgery at her age.  I'm confident that the surgery will fix everything and that nothing has spread, but it's still quite the ordeal to face.  My home will soon become her place for recovery and I'll need to be available to her 24/7. 

I'm trying my best to be strong, but the holidays are looming and I have a major fund-raiser I'm knee deep into that's due at the end of January.  Yeah, I'm feeling incredibly overwhelmed and I hate the fact that I'm showing my weakness, but one can only take so much!  Having said that, I'm culling a few of my commitments.  I need to focus on my family and, maybe for the first time in my life, myself.  I need a break and am going to take it at the first opportunity.

Thanks, friends, for listening and letting me vent a bit!

Around the World in Eighty Bites

Viewer Discretion Advised: The following blog contains subject matter and photos for mature foodies only.  If you have a weak constitution or are easily offended by delicious culinary descriptions, please do not continue.

Do you ever watch those shows where the host has the oh-so-horrible job of traveling to far off lands and sampling cuisines from all over the world and wonder, "How can I get a gig like this?"  Me too...all the time!  Well today I got to pretend to be such a world traveler and connoisseur when I spent the day at the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival.  This is the 15th year that EPCOT has hosted this event which features wine & beer seminars, cooking demonstrations, specialty dinners, book signings & visits by guest celebrity chefs, and food samplings from all over the globe. 

EPCOT's World Showcase is permanently represented by eleven countries each with their own restaurants and snack stops, but the Food & Wine Festival brings in some temporary tenants to share their unique offerings from across the globe.  The eleven permanent tenants also seem to pull out all the stops, not to be outshown by their temporary squatters.  It's a bit like an international culinary peace treaty.

Our first stop when attending the Festival is always in France so my son can dive into the escargot.  He loves it!  Anywhere we go, if escargot is on the menu then you know he's just got to have it.  The ones offered during the festival are particularly good and go by the ostentatious title of "Escargots Persillade en Brioche" which means snails cooked with garlic, butter, and parsley and tucked into little rounds of brioche bread.  Mon Dieu!

From France we travelled to Spain for some nice but unremarkable offerings of Spanish cured meats cheeses, & olives, but they also offered a Seared Albacore Tuna with a very remarkable Romesco sauce.  On to Belgium we went where I really enjoyed the Steamed Mussels with Roasted Garlic Cream and my guys dug into the Waffles with Berry Compote and Whipped Cream.

Next it was on to Australia for some Seared Barramundi (aka; Asian sea bass) with Blistered Cherry Tomatoes, Arugula, and Lemon Oil and some beautifully charred Grilled Lamb Chops with Roasted Red Potato Salad & Red Wine Reduction.  Both dishes were excellent!

We journeyed on through Singapore, Poland, and Mexico all of which had decent offerings with Mexico as the standout of the three with a really nice Tamal de Pollo and a beautiful, if a tad greasy, Taco de Chilorio (pork-filled taco).

We weary travelers suffered on and were rendered nearly speechless by the food finds at our next two destinations.  In South Korea, we discovered what we thought was surely the winning dish of the day, Lettuce Wraps with Roast Pork and Kimchi Slaw.  The pork was meltingly tender and the kimchi offered a crunchy texture with a spicy and tangy kick, all of which was enrobed in a soft and delicate green lettuce leaf. Near perfection!  As we made our way to Argentina, we were still enjoying the lingering taste of South Korea on the tips of our toungues.  As Argentina is known for its beef that's exactly what we went for, the Grilled Beef Skewer with Chimichurri Sauce and Boniato Puree.  Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner!!  The flavors in this simple dish were enough to make you want to jump onto the back of your Argentine Criollo horse and dash off in search of more.  The beef was tender and flavorful, the Chimichurri Sauce (parsley, cilantro, garlic, olive oil & vinegar) definitely lead with the garlic but finished nicely with the herbs, and the Boniato (tropical sweet potato) Puree added just a hint of sweetness to balance all the flavors.  Now I really must try my hand at Chimichurri sauce!



I could go on and on about all the other samplings we experienced today, but it just can't top the ones I've already shared.  I guess its time to put away the passports for pampered palates until next year.

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

If you're familiar with this book and now animated film, you'll understand why there are times I have so much food in my house it seems as if it just fell from the sky.  Today was no exception and meatballs were on the menu. Yes, it was a bit cloudy on and off, too.

Yet today wasn't just all about the meatballs.  You see, tomorrow is my husband's birthday and we decided to have the family dinner tonight because we already have plans for all day tomorrow.  When I asked him what he wanted for his birthday dinner he requested the meal his mother always made him, spaghetti & meatballs.  As much as I wanted to prepare him something a bit more upscale, I certainly can't blame him for wanting something soothing since this is his first birthday after losing his mother less than 3 weeks ago.  Spaghetti and meatballs it is!  But it's not going to be just any spaghetti & meatballs...no frozen meatballs and jarred sauce for us.  I'm talking about the best homemade meatballs and fresh marinara sauce you've ever had!

I actually started the tomatoes on their way last night while I already had the oven on.  Earlier in the day I picked up some beautiful plum and simple vine-ripe tomatoes, about  2/12 lbs. each.  (Yes, I'm ordering a scale so I can give you exact measurments in the future. Be patient I'm new at this.) I sliced the tomatoes in half, brushed them with olive oil, seasoned with salt & pepper then put them cut-side down on two baking sheets to roast at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes or until their skin is slightly charred.  There's something about oven-roasting the tomatoes (or any vegetable, really) that brings out their natural sweetness. Once they were done I put them in a bowl and covered them with plastic wrap to hold in the steam then refigerated them overnight.

Getting saucy...

To begin the sauce today, I first had to remove the skin from the tomatoes. The steam had done its job and the skin slid off the tomatoes like a nightgown might slide from a woman's shoulders revealing that beautiful, glistening flesh.  Oh yeah, this is going to be one sexy sauce!  I place these tantalizing tomatoes into a large stockpot and set the flame at medium.  Next I add freshly chopped garlic and fresh oregano & basil that I snipped from my garden.  Then in goes salt & pepper and a bit of sugar to cut the acid from the tomatoes.  Cover it with a lid, set the flame on low and just let it simmer all day, stirring occasionally. The tomatoes should break down on their own but you can use a potato masher to break up any chunkier pieces, if you prefer.

Next it was on to the meatballs.  I like to use 2 parts of lean ground beef to one part sweet Italian sausage when I make mine.  I add grated garlic & onion, dried oregano & basil, salt & pepper, eggs, tomato paste and bread that had been soaked in milk.  In this case I used 3 leftover hot dog buns as the bread.  Hey use what you have, right?  Mix this all together well and form into good sized meatballs, make 'em hearty so they don't get lost in the sauce.  Put them on a baking sheet (or 2) and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. 

Back to the sauce; this is the last time you can play with the flavors before you add the meatballs.  Once those meatballs go in you don't want to stir too much or you might break them up.  Taste your sauce to determine if it needs a little more of anything.  Here's when I add my secret ingredient, balsamic vinegar.  A couple of tablespoons will add a subtle depth of flavor that one might not have expected.  Once the meatballs are out of the oven introduce them to the sauce, give them a stir, and put the lid on for some privacy.  The marriage that takes place in the culinary confines of that pot is surely a match made in heaven.  As per requested, spaghetti was the pasta of choice tonight but any bed of pasta would suit these newlyweds.  Add a blanket of parmesan cheese and a nice glass of wine and let the magic begin.

Well, being this was a family meal and all we skipped the wine and added some garlic bread and a Caesar salad with homemade dressing.  There was enough garlic in this meal to quash any ideas of a romantic overture, for sure.  The good news is that with Halloween just two days away, the vampires don't stand a chance!



Chilaquiles!

While that might sound like a really great name for your pet Chihuahua, it's actually a traditional Mexican breakfast dish.  It basically consists of stale tortilla chips or strips cooked with salsa roja or salsa verde (red sauce or green sauce...sorry, I was just showing off!), and topped with fried eggs and, sometimes, shredded chicken.  I prefer it for dinner, sans the eggs.

When I roast a chicken for a family dinner, I generally go ahead and add a friend for it to hang out with in the "sauna" so I'll have plenty of leftover chicken meat that can be reincarnated into something totally different.  I usually take the opportunity to take shredded chicken and make a run for the border and I didn't veer off course tonight.  I could have made enchiladas or tortilla soup, but I wanted to try something different and I love Chilaquiles but they're hard to find on any menus around here. While I had a bag of tortilla chips in my pantry, I wanted to try to keep it a bit healthier so I cut fresh corn tortillas into wedges and baked them, rather than the fried version.  I also really prefer the taste of fresh corn tortillas, so I thought I was on to something special.  I slide the tortilla chips into the oven and turn my attention to the chicken and salsa.  I diced and sauteed some onions, added some garlic, in goes the chicken and just a jar of store-bought salsa.  Okay, looking good!  Sniff, sniff...what's that burning smell?  Yep, those fresh tortillas I labored over are now beautiful little charcoal triangles.  Ay, caramba!

So,  I reach for that bag of tortilla chips that I dismissed earlier and began building my casserole.  Chips, chicken & salsa mixture, shredded Monterey Jack cheese, repeat, repeat.  Put it in the oven at 350 and let it bubble away for about 30 minutes..  Cut it into squares, top it with some crumbled queso fresco (a mild white cheese), diced onions, a drizzle of crema (Mexican sour cream but not as thick or tangy) and avocado slices and you'll have your very own fiesta. 

Deja Food

Do you ever find your refigerator filled with leftovers and your conscience battling between usefulness and wastefulness?  Trust me, in this high-paced, grab and go society we live in, none of us are immune to it.  As much as I love to cook and do so as often as possible, there are times that the family schedule just doesn't allow for a home-cooked meal.  During the peak times in our busy schedules I find myself looking at the towers of leftover containers in our refrigerator and wondering if styrophoam is a food group!

After having a slew of family in town over the past weekend and cooking for days, I found myself with the best leftovers of all - the homemade kind.  No styrophoam was harmed in the making of this blog!  I had leftover ham, steamed broccoli, and a bunch of shredded cheese.  Add some sliced scallions and a few eggs and we had a delicious frittata for dinner tonight.  Also a beautiful side note was some of the fruit that was left over from the weekend.

An additional menu item that came into play was roasted chicken.  Last night was the, literally, last night that our older kids were to be home and I wanted to squeeze in just one more family meal and have their grandfather over.  Since we were pretty much over ham and mac & cheese (as delicious and decadent as it is) I decided to roast a couple of chickens with rosemary, lemon, and garlic.  In addition, I thinly sliced some potatoes and added the theme of rosemary & garlic, tossed with some olive oil and set them to roast while the chickens were finishing up.  Steam some brocolli, set out some rolls, and dinner is on.  Oh, if it were only that simple.  One of the stories we told about my mother-in-law was the Thanksgiving that her turkey just didn't keep up the pace and finish on time, leaving a bloody trail in its wake.  She would have been mortified had she known.  However, my sister-in-law and I kept mom's glass full of white zinfadel (ugh) while my husband shoved the thing back into the oven and crancked up the temp. By the time we all sat down to dinner, mom was "happy" and we had saved the day.  Here's the problem...those damn chickens I bought and cooked yesterday did the same thing that Thanksgiving turkey did for my mom-in-law so many years ago. Never before has that happened! Yeah, payback is hell!  Love you, mom!  I can see your big smile laughing at me right now.  Hey, how come no one was placating me with endless glasses of wine?

Eventually, the roasters finished up beautiful and succulent...later than scheduled but worth the wait with plenty left over. We had a wonderful family meal and our older kids were able to spend time with their grandpa before departing for California very early this morning.

All that leftover chicken?  Oh yeah, this girl thinks ahead!  The possibilities are endless: Chicken Tortilla Soup, Enchiladas,. Quesadillas, Chicken Salad, Chicken Casserole with some Cream-Based Soup, etc...uh, hell no!  My guess is that something spicy is next up on the menu! Stay tuned!





Life Goes On

As I have mentioned, we lost my mother-in-law on the 12th of October after a long battle with ALS.  We held her internment service this past Saturday with just the family and her public memorial service the following day. It wasn't an easy task - it never is - but closure is good and the healing process can now begin.  The past year has been really difficult, but the past few months and especially the last six weeks have been brutal.

What really filled my heart was having the whole family together.  My son doesn't often get to see the family members who live out of state which include his half-brother and sister, two paternal cousins - one with a wife and new baby - his paternal aunt, and one maternal uncle (also his godfather). For this occasion, the only member of the family who was missing was my sister, which couldn't be helped.  Even my oldest brother's son and his very pregnant wife came to pay their respects.  It really helped my son - who, at 16, is the youngest of the group - to be surrounded by his entire family as he struggled through his first experience with losing someone close to him. While it was a blessing that he was the only grandchild who could see his grandmother at any time, it was also a curse because he had to witness her daily struggles and eventual decline.

I must take a "Proud Mom Moment" and announce some good news from the weekend!  Our youngest son has been acting in school productions for about 5 years and on Saturday went to the district drama competition and scored a superior status (the highest available) for his portrayal as Marc Antony agonizing over the death of Julius Caesar, and for his performance in his school's group comedy presentation.  This kid really has some chops!  He was concerned about missing his grandmother's internment service, but we all assured him that one of her great pleasures was watching him perform on stage and she wouldn't have wanted him to miss that opportunity.  Obviously, she was at his side the whole time.  He's the first Thespian in his school's history to earn a superior rating and he will now move on to the state competition in February.

So the days prior to the whole family's arrival were spent getting the house ready for everyone; figuring out who was sleeping where, putting clean sheets on the beds, making sure there were plenty of clean towels, and laying in supplies.... a lot of them!  We made a trip to Sam's Club and basically spent our children's inheritance.  You know me, when I don't know what else to do I start feeding people. I planned on menu items that would last us through the weekend since I knew that my house would become the central
gathering place.  I made a big pot of chili for when everyone arrived on Friday night, which also made a quick go-to lunch or snack and eventually got turned into chili cheese dip. We also had spiral ham(s), baked beans, potato salad, tons of fruits & veggies, etc. The list just goes on and on!  The most important items I had to pick up were the ingredients my sister-in-law needed to make her homemade mac & cheese.  It's the simplest thing to make but it's the best I've ever had.  Here's how we did it but the ingredient amounts will vary depending on the amount of people being served.  This is one of those "non-recipe" recipes that I'm always just winging.  You can make the quantities of cheese & butter as heavy or light as you like them. Take this and make it your own.

Homemade Macaroni & Cheese

Elbow macaroni, 1 cup dry per person

Sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

Whole milk

Butter

Salt & Pepper to taste

Boil the macaroni in salted water for about 8 minutes, or until it's al dente. Remember it will finish cooking in the oven.  Drain the macaroni and put 1/3 of it into a buttered casserole dish and add some salt & pepper then top it with 1/3 of the cheese and dot it with butter. Repeat the process until you have 3 layers, making sure you end with a nice layer of cheese on top.  Pour the milk over the layers until it reaches the top of the dish.  It may seem like too much, but it will absorb and keep the layers from drying out.  Bake at 350 until all the milk has absorbed and appears curdled, about an hour depending on how many servings you've prepared.  It won't hurt it if you have to poke at it every once in awhile to check for doneness.  Let it set for 15-20 minutes before serving then enjoy!

I must admit that we got a bit carried away and made about 20 pounds of the stuff!  No worries...it freezes well!

And so, with my house now empty and quiet upon everyone leaving to make their way safely back home, it's time to cherish our memories and carry on.  Life goes on...

Pizza and Pumpkin Bread

Another busy day comes to a satisfying end.  Took the son to school, hit the gym, spent our children's inheritance at Sam's Club, follow-up visit with the oral surgeon, finally some lunch, home, unload the car from aforementioned trip to Sam's, son stays after school to work on a project, pick him up, home for 45 minutes and back out the door to take him to driver's ed class.  Whew...breathe!  In the meantime we're waiting for my sister-in-law to get back into town with the hopes of meeting her and the father-in-law for dinner.  It's a no go as she was getting in too late and we still needed to pick our son up from his class so he could come home and start on his homework.  Off to a local Italian eatery we went.  Bizzarros!  Any of my local friends will appreciate this one.  Best pizza in town...hands down!

We pick our son up and head back home (with a small pizza in hand for him) and settle in for the evening.  This feels like the calm before the storm. I wash my hair and shave my legs while I can because the whole family rolls into town tomorrow and my house seems to be home-base. On the menu tomorrow; homemade pumpkin bread!  Have to balance out the fruit I'll also be serving for breakfast.

Workouts and Lockouts

I dragged myself back to the gym yesterday after having missed it for about three weeks and was hoping that my muscle memory didn't have amnesia.  It didn't - I'm being reminded of it with every move today!  So after the gym we went over to my father-in-law's house to meet with the minister and plan out my mother-in-law's service then took dad to lunch aftrerwards.  Got home and took the dog out back with me while I pulled some weeds.  The hubby comes out to say goodbye and takes off for the office but not before locking me out of the house!  Thank goodness I had my iPhone in my pocket so I call him and he turns it around.  In the meantime I'm pacing the patio after having downed about a gallon of water after my workout and had to...well, you know.  The sound of water splashing over from the spa into the pool certainly didn't help the situation!

Mind you, this is not the first time he's done that.  The first time was when my now 16-year old son was just a baby.  He and our older son decided to go on a bike ride to the beach on our tandem bike (yes, we have a bicycle built for two, but it's a kicked-up version!) while the baby was napping and I was catching some sun.  They were great and brought me some water, the phone, and the baby monitor before they took off on their ride and locking me out of the house!  Do you sense a theme here?  Let's just say that I got revenge without even making an effort.  The baby continued sleeping peacefully, I continued my sunning, and they got the workout of their lives beating it back to the house!  That part still makes me smile.

So as I cooled my heels yesterday waiting for him to get back my thoughts, of course, turned to dinner.  We have a joke between us that if he ever comes home and finds tuna casserole on the table for dinner, he'll know that there will be a serving of divorce papers for dessert.  When he first got married he asked that I never cook two things; Tuna Casserole and Hamburger Helper.  He said he'd eaten enough of that as a poor college student and could certainly afford to eat better now.  Like I would ever serve that hideous stuff anyway!  But, with the advent of Tuna Helper (gag) I was seriously considering serving it up and adding extra peas, which he hates.  Did I?  Of course not.  What I made instead was Spicy Seared Tuna with Sauteed Baby Bok Choy, Soy Butter and Wasabi Sauce.  Lucky man!