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!