Tapioca & Cantaloupe

I've had a clumsy start to the week.  I'm not even usually a clumsy person, but this week, it's like accident after accident seems to be happening!

Sunday, while making dinner, I made the stupidest mistake ever.  I had cooked some salmon in the oven (in an oven-proof skillet).  After removing the skillet from the oven, getting side-tracked into a conversation of some sort with Andy, I go to grab the skillet.  Yeah, I think I may have yelled out some expletives with that one.  A quick lathering of aloe did the trick, and my hand seems to be just fine - so no worries!

And then yesterday, I was being extra productive and tried to tackle the cleaning of my pantry.  I bumped into a shelf and knocked over a jar of tomato sauce (which happened to be $8!).  So yeah, jar broke, tomato sauce everywhere.

Just not my week, I tell ya.

So times like these, simple things make me happy.  Like this tapioca, cantaloupe, and coconut milk dessert.  It's very reminiscent of something my mom used to make when I was a kid.  I'm pretty sure she put sweet potatoes and bananas in hers, but when I asked her how she made it - she couldn't even remember that it was something she made.  But I swear she made something like this!

I was on a search for tapioca pearls a couple weeks ago, and being too lazy to drive to the other side of the city to an Asian Market, I settled on granules from Whole Foods - there was an empty spot where the pearls were that said "discontinued item".  I guess tapioca isn't that popular anymore!

Ingredients:
Adapted from New Asian Cuisine's Recipe

1 & 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup tapioca granules (or pearls)
1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 cups cantaloupe, cubed

In a medium saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil.  Once boiling, turn the heat down to low and stir in the whole milk.  Return mixture to a boil, then turn off the heat.  Stir in the coconut milk.  Let mixture cool to room temperature and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Cook the tapioca according to the package directions and then drain.  Stir tapioca into coconut milk mixture.  Add in chopped cantaloupe.

When I was a kid, I remember this being a little bit thicker, but this version was more like a soup.  I actually liked it this way.  It was the perfect treat to sit on the back porch and read a book with.  I even brought some into work for some co-workers to try and they said it reminded them of pina coladas!  If only I lived near a beach!

Oh, and one other note.  Through the Foodbuzz Tastemaker's Program, I was able to make a Kodak Photo Book.  I got the e-mail right after we received our engagement pictures back and thought it would be the perfect way to get them printed!  I made a little "story book" of Andy and I!

 Making the photobook couldn't have been easier!  Most of the photos I uploaded from Facebook, and then the engagement pictures I just uploaded straight from my computer!  It didn't take long either.

And the process is pretty self-explanatory, as well.  The Kodak website pretty much walks you through the whole thing.  It even lets you know if the picture you chose isn't of good enough resolution for print - nothing more frustrating than seeing a picture that looks perfect on a computer screen, but then crappy when you print it off!

So as my readers, Kodak is offering you 40% off the cost of a Medium Hard Cover Or Large Photobook.  Just check out the website here!

Have a great rest of your day guys!

*As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker's Program, I was given the opportunity to make a free Kodak Photobook.

Foodbuzz 24x24: A Book Club Dinner

"I could not stop talking because now I had started my story, it wanted to be finished. We cannot choose where to start and stop. Our stories are the tellers of us. " 

-Chris Cleave (Little Bee)

Every month, I randomly submit a proposal to Foodbuzz's 24x24.  And every month, with the exception of this one, I get an e-mail that says something along the lines of "thanks for submitting, but we've chosen someone else".  So I was completely surprised that this month, I got a "Congratulations!  You've been chosen..."  type of e-mail. 

My proposal?  Well, I'm in a book club.  There's 7 of us and we each take turns picking a book and picking a place to congregate.  Most of us will just pick a restaurant to meet at, but you know me - I'd rather just cook for them than go out for a meal!  So I proposed to a have a book club dinner!  

Originally when I submitted the proposal, I wanted to base some of the meals around food discussed in the book - Little Bee by Chris Cleave.  But that was before I even started reading our book!  So after reading the book and realizing that it barely talks about food at all, I was kind of thrown for a loop.

But then I thought about one of the main characters, Sarah.  She's an editor for a fashion magazine and so I wanted to create a meal that someone of her "stature" would eat.  And something that my book club girls would equally love, of course!

So let's get to it...

For an appetizer, I decided to pair feta cheese, watermelon, and basil together for a unique crostini.  My girls all thought that watermelon was an odd pairing with basil, at first... but after having a few crostinis, they were quickly convinced it was delicious!  

And for a main course, I did a bourbon BBQ grilled rib-eye over a cabbage, pea, & apple slaw.  I even made my own steak sauce (courtesy of inspiration from the latest Bon Appetit issue!)

For dessert, I had a few leftover treats from my bake sale that happened in the morning, so I just served those!  

 

Everyone seemed to enjoy the meal, and I even had a few people ask me about the steak sauce.  It was definitely a winner in my book.

And about the book... we all agreed that we weren't big fans of it.  To us, it basically didn't go anywhere.  There were so many things the author could have done with it, but just didn't.  I don't know, I need more action in my books!  But don't take my word for it, read it for yourself and decide - just like food, opinions on books differ from person to person too =)

Scroll down for some recipes from the book club dinner!

Feta, Watermelon, & Basil Crostinis:

Crostinis (yeah, I bought pre-made crostinis, but you could easily make your own with a baguette!)

Watermelon, sliced thinly into 1x1 inch squares

Feta crumbles

Basil, chopped

Place feta on top of crostinis.  Top with a slice of watermelon and garnish with basil.  Eat!

D.I.Y. Steak Sauce:

Adapted from Bon Appetit's recipe

 

1 head of garlic, halved horizontally

2 shallots, sliced

1 red bell pepper

1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil

salt and pepper, to taste

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon porcini powder (I couldn't find this, so instead, I bought dried porcini mushroom and ground them with a spice grinder - then used 1 teaspoon of that)

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Place garlic and shallots in a make-shift aluminum foil bowl (pretty much just place the garlic on a flat sheet of foil and fold edges upward around them).  Drizzle them with a little bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast in oven for about 20-25 minutes.

While the garlic is roasting, you can roast your Red Bell Pepper on the stove (assuming that you have a gas stovetop - if not, you can always fire up the grill - because you'll be grilling steaks anyway, right?)  Place over an open flame for about 15-20 minutes, or until charred on all sides (Mindy over at The World In My Kitchen has a GREAT how-to on this)  Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Let cool for about 5 minutes, or until you're comfortable with handling them.  Scrape off the charred bits with a knife.  Chop the top of the pepper off and remove the seeds - and bam.  You've got a roasted red pepper.  Roughly chop.

Once the garlic and shallots are done roasting, let it rest until cool to the touch, about 5-7 minutes.

 

Pop the garlic out of it's casing and you're ready to use it!  Throw all of the ingredients in a blender until smooth.  Strain - and bam! (why do I keep saying that?!) you've got a delicious steak sauce on your hands!

Bourbon BBQ Ribeye Marinade:

Adapted from Cooking 4 Carnivore's recipe

1 cup bourbon
8 tablespoons ketchup
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons soy sauce
8 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon Sriracha
1 tablespoon paprika
salt and pepper, to taste
4 bone-in ribeyes

In a medium bowl, combine bourbon, ketchup, olive oil, soy sauce, garlic, Sriracha, and paprika.  Season slightly with salt and pepper. 

Place ribeyes in a deep tray and pour marinade over top.  Refrigerate and marinate for at least 2 hours.

Heat a charcoal grill under medium high to high heat and grill ribeyes to desired doneness - about 10 minutes each side for a medium rare/medium. 

Let rest for about 5 minutes and slice against the grain.

Cabbage, Apple, and Pea Slaw:

1/2 green cabbage, shredded
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and julienned
1/2 lb. sugar snap peas, shelled
4 slices black forest bacon, cooked and chopped
1/2 cup mayonaisse
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar

In a small bowl, combine the mayo, vinegar, and sugar until smooth. 

Place cabbage, apple, and peas into a large bowl and toss.  Pour the mayo mixture over top and mix well.  

Mix in bacon pieces and serve.

This was seriously one of the best coleslaws EVER.  I may never make coleslaw differently again.  Seriously.

And a big THANK YOU to the book club girls who were able to make it (we're minus 2 in this pic) - and check me out rockin' the Foodgawker t-shirt =)

So thank you so much to Foodbuzz for the opportunity to actually conduct a 24x24!  I always read about the fantastic dinners and ideas for dinners that the rest of the Featured Publishers have every month, and it's a great honor to be in a part of this group now! 

Give me some Magnum...

Way better than a Klondike bar... What would you do for Magnum?

... Ice cream. Tsk tsk to all you dirty minded folks! =)

Thanks to Foodbuzz's Tastemaker's Program, I received a coupon for a free box of Magnum Ice Cream Bars. 

Never heard of Magnum before?  Well, if you live in the US, like I do, I'm not surprised that Magnum isn't a brand you've heard of!  Mainly because it was only offered in European countries before this month.  But after finding out that Magnum is now available in my local grocery, I definitely had to rush out and grab a box - and I just had to start with the Double Chocolate variety.

Andy loves any excuse to eat some ice cream!

Magnum Ice Cream bars come in 6 different flavors:

• Classic - silky vanilla bean ice cream dipped in a thick layer of Belgian milk chocolate
• Almond - silky vanilla bean ice cream covered in a thick layer of Belgian milk chocolate w/ crunchy almonds
• Double Chocolate - creamy chocolate ice cream enrobed in a luscious chocolatey coating, rich chocolatey sauce and thick Belgian milk chocolate - SUPER YUM!
• Double Caramel - silky vanilla bean ice cream enrobed in a luscious chocolatey coating, rich caramel sauce and thick Belgian milk chocolate
• White - silky vanilla bean ice cream dipped in a thick layer of Belgian white chocolate
• Dark - silky vanilla bean ice cream dipped in 60% cacao Belgian dark chocolate

My local grocery (Kroger in the Highlands) only offered 2 of the varieties - classic and double chocolate.  So of course, we just had to do the double chocolate.  And it did not disappoint.  It was creamy, chocolatey, and crunchy - the way an ice cream bar should be.

Loaded with chocolatey goodness!

 My only complaint is that only 3 ice cream bars come in a box.  But for a retail price of $2.99 a box (at least at my grocery, that was the price) - that's only a $1 per bar - which is what the ice cream truck that drives around charges for an ice cream bar, right?  So yeah, well worth the 3 bucks... just be prepared to buy more than one box so you have plenty in stock!

***I was provided with a coupon for a free box of Magnum Ice Cream Bars thanks to the Foodbuzz Tastemaker's program and Magnum Ice Cream.  The opinion and review of this post are my own and were not influenced in any way by Foodbuzz or Magnum.

Pizza Frittata

Happy Monday everybody!  It was an exciting weekend for sure!

 I went to an open house for the Culinary School I applied to and learned so many cool facts about the school:

- The head of the Professional Catering department was actually one of the heads of the catering for the past 2 Olympic games.
- The school is actually one of the Top 5 best Culinary Schools in America (it's not a large school, but I actually like that)
- One of their recent graduates is the personal chef to Jimmy Kimmel.

So yeah, just some fun facts, but most of all, the open house really proved to me that this is what I really want to do with my life.  I understand the long hours and the fast paced work environment, and I want it.  There's no greater feeling than really believing in yourself!

 Anyway, today is a major day for the blog.  The first EVER video!  So enjoy me and my nerdy-ness (I'd love to hear some feedback on this!) and the recipe is below!

Ingredients:

This is some seriously delicious stuff!

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
8 oz. portobello mushrooms, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup Newman's Own Family Recipe Italian Dressing
6 eggs
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
about 10-15 pepperoni slices
1/4 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
Newman's Own Tomato & Basil sauce, optional

In a medium bowl, combine green bell pepper, mushrooms, and garlic.  Drizzle Newman's Own Family Recipe Italian Dressing over mixture and toss to coat.  Let sit for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in another medium bowl, combine cream cheese and eggs.  Beat on medium speed until combined, about 2-3 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Heat a large cast iron skillet (or other oven-proof skillet) under medium high heat and melt butter.  Add peppers and mushroom mixture.  Saute vegetables until softened, but still slightly crisp, about 5-7 minutes.  Add pepperoni and then pour in egg mixture.

Cover skillet with lid (or, in my case, if you don't have one - some foil) and cook for about 5 minutes, or until center is almost set.

Meanwhile, preheat your oven broiler on high.

Uncover foil from skillet and sprinkle Pecorino Romano cheese over top.  Carefully place skillet in oven under broiler for about 2-3 minutes, or until top is starting to brown.

Cut into slices and serve with Newman's Own Tomato & Basil sauce on the side.

Verdict?  This was "awesome" - just like Andy said.  And of course, if Andy likes it... it MUST be good!  (I know, shameless plug - go me!)  Hehe.   Hope you guys had fun, I know I sure it!  Maybe I won't be such a dork in my next video!

Happy Monday and be back tomorrow to announce the CSN giveaway winner!

Disclaimer: I was provided a Flip video camera & an assortment of Newman's Own products as part of Foodbuzz's Tastemakers Program.  The opinions and recipe in this video/blog post are my own.

Project Food Blog: Challenge #2

First and foremost... thanks to all of you that voted for me in Challenge #1.  Obviously, you believed in me enough to give me a crack at Challenge #2:

"How well can you tackle a classic dish from another culture? We're bypassing the French and Italian standards in favor of more challenging cuisines."

Being given practically the whole world to choose from is a tough decision.  Of course, I'm quite familiar with various Asian cuisines, so I tried to stay away from the obvious.  I thought about doing an African country, possibly Ethiopia, but wasn't quite sold.  Then I went to Europe, and with already ruling out France and Italy, I wasn't left with anything that tickled my fancy.  So then comes the Caribbean and North & South America... "there's potential there," I thought.

So desperately searching for inspiration to hit me, I turned to the Travel Channel website.  More specifically, the No Reservations section.  Who knows world food and culture better than the great Anthony Bourdain?  Not many, that's for sure.  So perusing around, I saw a little blip-it for an upcoming episode on the Azores.  Okay... so raise your hand if you've heard of that part of the world. :::looking around:::  Okay, not so many.  Well, I'm in the same boat.  I don't think I've ever heard of the Azores before, and what better reason to go out of my comfort zone and choose them?!  And so a decision was made... well sort of.  I had a culture, but now what to make?

 photo from http://xinfo4u.blogspot.com/2009/12/azores-news-and-newspaper.html

Well what and where are the Azores? 

Just a little bit of background: The Azores are a former territory of Portugal, so the cuisine and culture is highly influenced by Portuguese customs.  They are made up of 9 different islands, pictured above.  The Azores are also in very close proximity to North America (only a 4 hour flight from Boston!) so it has recently gained more popularity due it's amazing natural beauty (some believe that the Azores are the last remnant of the lost continent of Atlantis).

photo from http://toptraveldestinations.co.uk/

I could look at pictures of the Azorean islands all day, but we're here to talk about the food, right?  And from what I gather, the food is just as amazing as the natural beauty of the islands.  Described as more of a peasant-type food, the Azores use their natural bounty of fruits and vegetables, meat and dairy from local cattle, and vast amounts of fish from the Sargasso Sea.  Early settlers brought a huge bounty of produce to the islands such as fava beans, kale, tomatoes, corn, potatoes, yams, citrus, pineapples, etc.

One big tradition in the Azores and many other Portuguese-influenced countries, is the Portuguese Festa, or Portuguese Holy Spirit Festival.  The festival is based on the popular belief that a visit from the Holy Spirit is what enabled Queen Isabel of Portugal to relieve her people's suffering and is the subject of several miraculous legends; according to one, the queen, smuggling food to the poor in midwinter, produced live roses from her robes when her husband, King Diniz, demanded to see what she was concealing.  

A popular dish that is served for free (in honor of Queen Isabel's charitable spirit) during the Festa is sopas e carne (or beef soup).  It's a humble dish that combines flavors of cinnamon, paprika, bay leaf, onions, and red wine to produce an amazing meal.  Understanding the meaning of the sopas to the Azores and Portuguese culture is what made this the perfect choice for me and this challenge!

Ingredients:

Adapted from this recipe

1 tablespoon pickling spice

1 cinnamon stick

10 cups water

3 lb. chuck roast

3/4 cup red wine (I used a Shiraz)

1 onion, roughly chopped

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1 hot pepper, chopped

salt and pepper, to taste

1 loaf of French bread, sliced

fresh mint sprigs

Bring the 10 cups of water to a boil in a large stockpot.  

Place pickling spice and cinnamon stick in a cheesecloth and tie up. (I didn't have any cheesecloth available, and I was short on time to go running all over town to find some, so I improvised and used a coffee filter, and it worked out just fine!)  Drop into boiling water and add chuck roast, wine, onion, hot pepper, and tomato sauce.  

Bring mixture back to a boil and then lower heat to a steady simmer.  Cover and let simmer for about 3 hours, or until meat is nice and tender.  Season mixture with salt and pepper, to taste. 

Remove spices in cheesecloth (or coffee filter!) from mixture.  Remove chuck roast and place on cutting board, tenting the meat with aluminum foil.  Let meat rest for about 5-10 minutes.

In a large serving bowl, place the french bread slices in an even layer.  Place a couple sprigs of mint on top of bread and ladle in broth from soup over bread. 

Thickly slice the meat and serve along with soup.

This meal is meant to be enjoyed family-style, experiencing the joy of sharing a meal with the ones you love!

As an added bonus, there is also a traditional custard tart that is usually served after many Azorean dinners.  I just couldn't resist including it!  You can find the recipe here.  I pretty much followed it right on and the tarts turned out great!

I hope you enjoyed my rendition of a small culinary tour of the Azores!  And if you liked it, I would be delighted if you would vote for me to advance in Foodbuzz's Project Food Blog!  (link on the right also!) Thanks for reading and again, thanks for your support!

Green Pepper Hot Sauce

How was everyone's weekend?  Ours was pretty laid back.  We went to eat at that Colombian restaurant on Friday and definitely had some good grub!  Saturday we both worked and were pretty exhausted by the end of the day so we just stayed in and watched a movie.  Sunday, was of course, football day!  My Eagles won and I definitely won 2 out of 3 of my fantasy football leagues, so all in all... a good weekend.

Hot sauces has been one of those things that I've tried thousands of... purchased or perused... but never really thought to make one from scratch.  A couple weeks ago I made some Homemade Potato Chips and wanted something to dip them in that wasn't your normal potato chip-type dip. 

Now I know you're first thought was pretty much... "you're going to dip your potato chips into hot sauce?"  And I know, crazy, right?  But hey, it worked and it was pretty tasty!  Pretty good for my first try at hot sauce, and the recipe pretty much used up ingredients I had laying around the kitchen!  So score!

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon coriander
1 jalapeno, roughly chopped (I kept the seeds, if you want to do this without them, you surely can)
1 green bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 roma tomato, roughly chopped

Easy prep on this too because you pretty much just place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse a few times until you get your desired consistency.

This was uniquely spicy and if anything, could pass as a "sloppy salsa".  It's not too pretty, but it was tasty.  And in the end, that's what really matters right?  So throw this on whatever!  Sandwiches, tacos, fish, steak... the possibilities are endless.  And as for pairing well with the potato chips?  It was unique, but highly satisfying!  Enjoy!

And hey guys!  If you have the time (please say you do!) head on over to Foodbuzz's Project Food Blog page and vote for my blog to become the "Next Food Blog Star!"  (the link is to the right --->) I greatly appreciate all of your comments and continued readership!