SoCal Sustenance

Fat Free Lemon Glazed Cupcakes

2011-06-25T16:16:00.000-07:00

I've been back on the East Coast for just over a week now, and I'm just starting to feel like I'm on vacation. Since I've been hanging out on the left coast for the past three years, its been entirely too long since I've had the chance to see many of my good friends back East. I remedied that malady by taking a whirlwind East Coast World Tour, covering 1300 miles and 7 states in 5 days. It was exhausting, exhilarating, amazing, fun and such a blast. One of the stops along the way was back in my old stomping grounds of Fredericksburg, VA.

Lately it seems that the creative juices often flow whenever the heck they want, with little regard for convenience or time restrictions. This was the case in Virginia, when I had the chance to hang out and bake with the wonderful Bonnie of Bonz Blogz. I have to thank Bonnie for being such a prepared host, with a fully stocked, and may I add impeccably organized pantry, a culinary game plan, and a keen ability to wrangle my travel induced ADD brain into some form of focus. Recipe in hand, off we went bravely into the land of flour and eggs.

Fat Free Glazed Lemon Cupcakes
Cake:
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup applesauce
1/3 cup egg whites
1/3 cup skim milk
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tsp lemon extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 2/3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Glaze:
1 cup confectioners sugar
3 Tbsp lemonade
few drops yellow food coloring (optional)

Preheat oven to 350° and line cupcake pan with liners. Combine first seven cake ingredients in medium bowl. Combine remaining four cake ingredients in smaller bowl and slowly mix into first bowl until smooth.

Pour batter into cupcake cups until about 3/4 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Meanwhile, combine glaze ingredients in a small bowl.

Allow cupcakes to cool completely. Glaze by turning each cupcake upside down and dipping top in glaze. Allow excess to drip off, flip back over and allow glaze to set.

The jury was split on these little guys. My initial impression was that they were more than faintly reminiscent of a Halls Lemon coughdrop, which was a hair off from my anticipated and desired flavor profile. I never want anyone to prejudge a recipe, but in the spirit of creativity, this one might use a good tweaking.

Walnut Brown Sugar Shortbread Bars

2011-03-09T10:27:00.001-08:00

Annnnd we're back.

Being off the radar for so long from the blogging world, it's hard to approach the proper tone upon returning. Will anyone still want to read this? Have I been unfollowed by the world? Is this thing on? *tap tap* Are those... crickets?

For whatever the reason, the spirit has not moved my gustatory gray matter in a blue moon. It's not like I haven't tried, mind you. My appetite for Food Network shows remains voracious. I consume daily helpings of food blogs, and I'm certainly meeting the RDA of recipes and food photography. My consumption remains the same, but my execution and production just ain't what it used to be.

In a grand attempt to swing the balance back to normal, I recently attempted a feat not for the faint of heart. Last week, while beginning to succumb to some strange pneumonia like ick that robbed my breath, motivation and my appetite, I went there. The grocery store. The frozen food aisle to be exact. As I stood before my two trusted old friends who've guided me through good times and bad, I waited for it. The internal lightbulb that had so eagerly glowed so many times before. The recognition was there, but the love.. the love was no more.

I stood before Ben and Jerry asking for sweet creamy divine intervention, and I got nothing. Not a twinkle, a flash or a glimmer.

I. Didn't. Want. Ice cream.

And this is how I knew I'd hit my rock bottom.

And now, I stand before you a changed woman. Having crawled out of that cold dark aisle of despair, ice creamless and uninspired, I'm back. This random recipe popped into my head last night and literally was the first thing that's sounded good to me in weeks. Have I ever had it before? Nope. Ever even made shortbread previously? That's a negative ghost rider. Sometimes we can't pick or plan for what brings us back, we just need to accept it and be happy to be there.

Walnut Brown Sugar Shortbread Bars
(Recipe found at Lottie and Doof.)
Makes 2-3 dozen bars

4 sticks (1 lb) plus 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
9 ounces brown sugar
5 ounces white sugar
2 eggs,
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 pound 3 ounces organic King Arthur bread flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla until combined, then mix in dry ingredients.

Divide dough evenly into prepared sheet trays, spreading smooth and level (I used a rolling pin). Sprinkle with granulated sugar and bake at 325° until golden brown, about 30 to 35 minutes.

Let cool completely before cutting into bars.

SoCal Locals & a Giveaway: Earnest Eats

2010-09-30T10:10:00.000-07:00

First things first, let's start with the awkward formalities.

I've been gone for entirely too long from the blogging world, and I do apologize for my absence. The reason is a good one though, I promise. The location is the same as I've mentioned numerous times before, upstate New York, but this time the reason is a little different.

My mom underwent a stem cell transplant in early July as a treatment for Multiple Myeloma, a rare and particularly nasty bone marrow cancer. I've spent the summer and early fall here with her, and we are both thankful she is this far out from the transplant. All things considered, she is doing remarkably well for all that she's endured in the past few months.

That said, I come to you with many a mea culpa for my extended blogging absence. In a brazen attempt to right my wrong by appealing to your enjoyment of yummy stuff, I give to you a GIVEAWAY of epic taste proportions.

Is that blatant enough for you? :)

Let me tell you about a fantastic company I've recently had the pleasure of learning about, Earnest Eats. Earnest Eats was the brainchild of two friends who came together in 2006 in search of real, simple whole foods with unparalleled flavors. This Solana Beach, CA operation prides itself on using only all natural, high quality ingredients to make their hand made, baked granola products.

The Earnest Eats line consists of two products; Earnest Eats Baked Whole Food Bars, and Earnest Eats Granola Planks. The Baked Whole Food Bars come in chocolate peanut butter, almond trail mix, cran lemon zest and apple ginger flavors. The larger Granola Planks come in maple almond crunch, pomegranate walnut crisp, and blueberry vanilla crackle.

Both the Bars and Planks include a hearty dose of protein, fiber and omega-3's, all of which help make these delicious, healthy and filling snack or breakfast alternatives. In addition to their all natural ingredients, all Earnest Eats products are vegan and wheat free.

I had the pleasure of sampling Earnest Eats Bars and Planks, and was blown away by the flavor combinations, the healthful benefits of the ingredients and how filling they are. I enjoyed them both for breakfast entrees, snacks, and crumbled with some fresh greek yogurt and was beyond pleased with each sample.

Earnest Eats products can be found at Whole Foods, Safeway, Wegmans, Fred Meyer and most recently Ralph's. SoCal folks, be sure to check out Earnest Eats Facebook page as they head to local Costco's for tasting roadshows!

GIVEAWAY
Earnest Eats will provide one box of their Granola Planks and Whole Food Bars to the winner (as pictured above).

HOW TO ENTER
(One entry per item completed)

1. Post a comment about the flavor you'd like to try and how you'd enjoy it

2. Follow @socalsustenance and @earnesteats on Twitter (its a package deal!)

3. Tweet about this giveaway and let me know about it.

The winner will be selected at random on Wednesday, October 6.

Good luck to you and it's great to have you back - I've missed you!

From Porch to Plate: Couscous & Summer Squash Cucumber Cups

2010-06-08T14:53:00.000-07:00

Summer has officially begun here in Southern California. It's presence is punctuated by a notable increase in grilling, the arrival of June gloom, and lazy evenings spent savoring the cool of the night breeze. Thankfully fire season has been kept at bay so far, and hopefully it will stay that way.

A recent hot spell last weekend kicked out little garden into overdrive. We decided in early April to use our teeny apartment patio as a container garden. A few tomato plants soon grew into a veritable produce stand, in a mere two weeks and three trips to Home Depot later. Our patio is happily overgrown with rolling planters, hanging baskets and one extremely creative hanging herb garden. We are loving being urban farmers, with tomatoes, blueberries, strawberries, herbs, five kinds of peppers, summer squash, snap peas and pickling cucumbers included in our backyard bounty. Not bad for two city kids and 30 square feet!

To show proper love to our homestead harvest, I've decided to post only dishes containing at least three items from our garden in them for the next two weeks. Why two weeks, you ask, when you have a whole summer of growing ahead of you? In two weeks I'll be heading back to my little slice of lakeside heaven for the summer. I hope to continue with the Porch to Plate posts along with others while I'm there. Until then, we will dine on the literal fruits of our labor, and enjoy the endless bounty of the SoCal summer.

This cool, refreshing starter features summer squash, pickling cucumbers and scallions plucked from the garden yesterday. It's designed to be served cold, in one satisfying bite. The couscous and squash make a pretty tasty cold salad on its own, but enjoy however you choose.

Couscous & Summer Squash Cucumber Cups
1/2 cup couscous
1 tsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup summer squash, diced
2 large cucumbers
1 tsp fresh scallions
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Prepare couscous as instructed, and chill in refrigerator. In a small saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute diced squash and garlic in olive oil for 4-5 minutes, until garlic is fragrant. Add squash mixture to chilled prepared couscous, and season with salt and pepper. Return couscous mixture to refrigerator to chill for 20-25 minutes.

Slice washed cucumbers into 3/4" inch rounds*. Scoop out seeded center area through 2/3 of the thickness of a slice. Heap rounded teaspoons of chilled couscous mixture atop the cucumber rounds. Garnish with sliced scallions, chill and serve.

* I left the skins on the cucumbers, and didn't fancy them up at all. You can run the tines of a fork down the sides of each cuke before slicing to add a festive stripey effect to each round as well.

Equal Exchange Giveaway Winner

2010-06-04T16:08:00.000-07:00

Selected via Random.org, the lucky winner is....

Comment #6, Noelle from An Opera Singer in the Kitchen!

Congratulations Noelle! Please contact me to claim your gift certificate.

Thanks to everyone for participating and have a great weekend!

Equal Exchange Giveaway - UPDATED!

2010-05-29T20:33:00.000-07:00

In an effort to open this giveaway up to EVERYONE, not just those with a Paypal account or those willing to sign up for one, the Paypal stipulation has been removed. If in fact you DO have an account, fantastic, but if not you are still absolutely welcomed and ENCOURAGED to enter this amazingly awesome giveaway! Hope this works better for everyone, and my apologies if you felt left out because of it. THANKS! :)

You may have heard lots of buzz lately about products being fair trade certified and wondered just what the heck that's all about. The fantastic folks at Equal Exchange are pioneers in Fair Trade merchandise, and 100% of their products are fairly traded. Not only do they have a fantastic assortment of Fair Trade products, including coffees, teas, chocolate, sugars, cocoa and dried fruits, but their website is an amazing resource about Fair Trade products.

So, how about you head on over the Equal Exchange and check out their products, vision and mission?

To sweeten the deal, Equal Exchange has generously provided a $50 dollar gift certificate to their online store to one lucky SoCal Sustenance reader.

There is one teeny catch... to redeem the certificate, you MUST have a PayPal account. No worries if you don't have one, it's super easy, quick and secure to sign up. Check out how to get a PayPal account here.

How to enter:

One entry will be tallied for each of the following;

1. Comment below on what wonderful goodies you would select from Equal Exchange if you are the winner!

2. Follow SoCal Sustenance on Google Friend Connect

3. "Like" SoCal Sustenance on Facebook

4. Become a follower of @socalsustenance on Twitter

5. Tweet the following about this giveaway
"Fair Trade products Giveaway from Equal Exchange (www.equalexchange.coop) & @socalsustenance www.socalsustenance.blogspot.com"

Please leave one comment for each one of the above entry methods you utilize. If you already follow on Google, Twitter, or Like SoCal Sustenance on Facebook, let me know in a comment as well!

The winner will be selected at random on Friday, June 4th. Good luck and happy browsing!

Chocolate Nutella Pop Tarts

2010-05-22T20:18:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe it's been nearly two years since I moved to California. Uprooting a perfectly sane, sensible life including a great job, amazing colleagues, and a house renovated by the sheer will and Irish tenacity of my mother and I seems like a leap. It's been called many things by many people.. a big change, a roll of the dice, a transition, a new chapter, all of the colloquialisms that reflect a major life event. The move was precipitated by one large piece of my life and heart being located precisely 2577 miles away.

I've been fortunate that the leap has been wonderful, challenging, life expanding, fulfilling, and eye opening all at the same time. Aside from the daily fun of cohabitating with Mr. SoCal, I've also had the joy of getting to know and spend many weekends with his two adorable nephews in San Diego. For the longest time I felt that kids and I were a match made in the depths of Dante's inferno, sheerly out of lack of little kid knowledge and experience. Having now earned a few more kid credibility notches in my Bob the Builder tool belt, we might just have a future together, kiddos and I.

The things I've learned from these two little munchkins never ceases to amaze me. If you told me three years ago that I would soon learn life lessons from a couple of toddlers, I likely would've inquired about what particular brand of crazy pills you were on. Now, I get it. Appreciating the simple joys of chasing bubbles for hours and never tiring of popping them or their infinite sticky, slippery qualities. The exuberance of a new toy, petting a puppy or mastering a new word. The power of the words please and thank you, and kindness learned between brothers.

Of all the things I've learned from these two mini men, one thing will stick me from this day forward. The true love, the excitement and the pure delight of one thing.

Wait for it.

Nutella.

Shocked? I KNOW! Now, I not only have love for tiny humans who often wear more food than they eat, are revered for going poopy on the potty and can watch Toy Story repeatedly like their lives depended on it, but I love this stuff as well. But in a distinctly different way. And never had I ever experienced this creamy, chocolate spoonful of heaven before before sharing it with these aforementioned wonderful little ankle biters. So I suppose I owe them a few thank yous for not only sharing the joy of kids with me, but also the mesmerizing power of Nutella.

Chocolate Nutella Pop Tarts
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 tsp salt
8 oz unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg
2 Tbsp milk
1 small jar Nutella

Whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Work in the butter with your fingers or food processor until the mixture looks like wet sand, and the mixture holds together when you squeeze it.

In another small bowl, whisk the egg and milk together. Add egg and milk to flour mixture and stir with a paddle or electric mixer, until just incorporated.

Divide the dough in half and roll into flattened circles. Place in refrigerator (in zip top bag or plastic wrap) for one hour before rolling.

Remove dough from the refrigerator and allow it to soften for 10 to 15 minutes. Place one piece on a lightly floured surface, and roll it into a thin square (roughly 1/8" thick). Cut dough into 3" by 4" pieces. Reroll scraps (chill again if required) and roll and cut other half of dough as well.

Place 1/2 of cut pieces on a greased cookie sheet. Add a generous tablespoon of Nutella in the middle, smoothing evenly and leaving the outside 1/2" of each bare. Place the top piece on the filled bottom, using fingertips to firmly seal the pop tart on all sides.

Press the tines of a fork around the edge of all pop tarts. Poke the top of each tart multiple times allowing tarts to rise (I used a meat thermometer). Refrigerate the tarts uncovered for 30 minutes, while oven preheats to 350°F.

Remove tarts from fridge and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool thoroughly, then enjoy.

Makes 8-10 tarts.

Betty White's Banana Nut Muffins

2010-05-12T08:50:00.002-07:00

In the past week, alot of serious, world changing events have transpired. There's been the nomination of the newest Supreme Count Justice Elena Kagan. A thousand point stock market plunge that took the wind out of the sails of millions of investors. An epic oil spill off the Louisiana coast that will undoubtedly have unfathomable environmental and economic impacts. A ferry crash in Staten Island causing dozens of injuries, leaving hundreds more shaken from the incident.

It's been a rough week America. We could all use a good laugh. And a good muffin.

If you didn't catch Betty White hosting Saturday Night Live this past weekend, boy did you miss out. Her appearance not only brought about astronomical ratings, but was the humorous shot in the arm that we all needed at the end of a crazy week like that one. Betty White was all things she was destined to be... crass, hysterical, and with perfect comic timing carefully crafted over her decades of work in the business. For this momentous occasion, the writers brought back one of the all time best skits in SNL history, the Delicious Dish.

A word of warning; if you have delicate sensibilities, are easily offended or don't care for obvious, coarse, deliciously crude humor, stay away. For all my fellow humor seeking deviants, proceed to YouTube pronto and check out Betty White's muffin skit.

So by now you've either gotten a good hearty laugh, or banished SoCal from your RSS reader. UNFOLLOW! Don't say I didn't warn you.

Wasn't there something about a muffin recipe in this post somewhere? Oh yeah, about that...

Betty White's Banana Nut Muffins
Tweaked from Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson

1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups toasted walnuts, chopped
6 tablespoons butter, salted
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup vanilla yogurt
2-3 mashed overripe bananas
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp raw sugar (demerara) or brown sugar

Heat oven to 375 and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and 1 cup walnuts in a bowl and whisk to combine.

In a separate bowl using a mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time. Stir in vanilla, yogurt and mashed bananas. Gently mix in dry ingredients until just combined.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins. Top muffins with remaining 1/2 cup walnuts and a pinch of brown or demerara sugar. You may also add a pinch of cinnamon if desired. Bake until golden, about 25 minutes. Fill cups two-thirds full for regular muffins or to brim for a big-topped version. Cool for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 12 very large muffins.

Quinoa Caprese Salad

2010-05-06T11:21:00.000-07:00

A week ago, I saw a recipe for a gorgeous quinoa and vegetable terrine. It was beautiful, with contrasting colors and textures aligned perfectly atop one another. Between the tasty contents and the gorgeous end product, I was in hot pursuit of my first terrine.

After multiple failed attempts at the terrine, it turns out quinoa and my take on the original recipe makes a pretty darn good salad. My terrine layers slid, collapsed, and mushed into each other like melted crayons. It wasn't pretty. In fact, it wasn't anywhere close to pretty. I'm still not sure where I went so tragically wrong, but I'm happy to have wound up with this great salad as its delicious stand in.

Quinoa Caprese Salad
1 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 cup mozzarella, cut in cubes
3/4 cup sliced tomato
2 Tbsp fresh basil
1 Tbsp good balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup cucumber, peeled and sliced (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine cooled quinoa with balsamic vinegar in a large bowl. Mix in sliced tomato, mozzarella, cucumber (if desired) and salt and pepper. Gently stir to mix all ingredients. Chill for one hour, top with fresh torn basil and serve.

Note:
As you may have noticed, I have a shameless love for balsamic as a flavor base, as seen here and here and over here. This salad would be great tossed in a light citrus and olive oil vinaigrette, or simply with oil and fresh herbs. Get creative, have fun and as always, happy eating!

SoCal Sustenance Blog Anniversary!

2010-04-29T20:34:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that one year ago, I was toiling away at my very first post here in SoCal. It makes me giggle a little to read back through my old posts, complete with newbie goofs, cringe worthy photographs and the requisite corny food analogies. This blog was created out of personal curiosity about what this blogging world was about. I've learned leaps and bounds more than I ever anticipated, and enjoyed it much more as well.

SoCal has been a rambling adventure that's allowed exploration of my every cooking whim, regardless of how out there the combination or recipe may be. I've so enjoyed having you along for my kitchen excursions, with your wonderful feedback and support that constantly blows me away. A heartfelt thank you for continuing to wander along with me, in my meandering homages to all things tasty.

Simple Shrimp Ceviche

2010-04-14T09:48:00.001-07:00

Spring has officially sprung here in Southern California. Toes long deprived of a winter's worth of sunshine are bravely peeping out through flip flops, grills are having the dust knocked off them and fired up for the first barbecue of the season, and garden centers are abuzz with excitement as the earth is ripe for planting. Here at Chez SoCal, we planted tomatoes and peppers on Sunday, and have an avocado sprouting from seed that I have high hopes for. As an aside from my inner farm girl. we've grown an avocado successfully in this manner before. It's just over a year old now, and lazily stretching towards the sun. It's tough to be sustainable and grow things in an apartment, but our container gardens are alive and well.

That last wandering diatribe was for you, my favorite SoCal folks, just in case you've missed my verbal meandering in the past few weeks. We are back in business, after slogging through a couple solid work weeks and a few of life's regular distractions. I have some great recipes and cooking concepts conjured up to make up for my blogging transgressions. I hope you will consider forgiving me.. or at least try this ceviche if you don't :)

To begin, a disclaimer. I've never made ceviche before, and I've only experienced its divine citrus punch and freshness since moving to California. Yet again, it's another one of those where have you been all my life food experiences. I stayed very simple with the flavors, not adding many of the oft added components (cilantro, cucumber, tomato paste etc). As with all recipes, the fun is in what you make of it, bring your own twists and tweaks. These flavors are so distinct they don't need a lot of fussing with and embellishment. The good news is this is so simple to make, only requiring some juicing, dicing and refrigeration for an amazingly fresh, healthful and party perfect meal.

Simple Shrimp Ceviche (Serves 4)
1 lb uncooked jumbo shrimp (16-20), diced
6 limes, juiced (reserving 1/4 cup)
2 lemons, juiced
1 red pepper, diced
2 jalapenos, seeded and finely diced
1 large red onion, diced
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/8 tsp sea salt

Wash and clean shrimp thoroughly, removing shells. Place shrimp in a square baking dish, in a single layer. Pour lemon juice and lime juice over shrimp and cover. Chill for 3 hours, until shrimp in white and opaque.

Combine remaining ingredients and reserved lime juice in a small bowl and mix well. Place in refrigerator until shrimp is "cooked".

After three hours, check shrimp for opacity by slicing through to the center. If shrimp is finished, combine shrimp with vegetable mixture well. Serve as is, or with tortilla chips.

Ginger Lime Macaroons

2010-03-25T14:39:00.000-07:00

So what's the deal with Passover? To get the full effect of that sentence, read it with your best Seinfeld inflection...

Once again Passover has crept up and is here to stay for the next eight days. This holiday commemorates when the Jews had to haul tuchus out of Egypt, and in the rush their bread was unable to rise. To celebrate this, we eat Matzoh and other unleavened delights. The next week is completely devoid of wheat, oats, barley, spelt or rye. Think of it as Atkins with a religious twist.

Macaroons - yes, with two O's, not one - are coconut based staples that traditionally provide some sweet relief for starch starved Passover revelers. Many Passover desserts lack the punch that you really want, when you are craving a donut, cake, pretzels or cookies. No time like the present to give a standard a taste tuneup.

A note before embarking on any Passover recipes; many items may be marked as Kosher, but that does not mean they are Kosher for Passover. If your intent is to stick to the letter of Jewish law, invest the time to get the proper, certified Kosher for Passover products.

Ginger Lime Macaroons
3 egg whites
2/3 cup sugar
3 cups shredded coconut
1 tsp fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tsp lime zest
2 1/2 tsp fresh ginger, finely minced
2 oz semisweet chocolate (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat egg whites until light and fluffy. Add sugar and beat until stiff peaks have formed. Fold in the coconut, lime juice, lime zest and ginger by hand. Scoop rounded, packed Tablespoons of macaroon mixture onto wax paper lined baking sheets*. Bake for 16-18 minutes, and cool completely before serving.

To add chocolate, melt chocolate over a double boiler. Drizzle chocolate over macaroons with a teaspoon, and top with lime zest if desired. Makes 18 macaroons.

Notes:
*Between scoops, dip your scooper into warm water. This will prevent excessive stickiness and result in consistent, rounded scoops.

Gratitude.

2010-03-22T18:18:00.001-07:00

There isn't a day that passes that I don't shake my head in amazement over where this blog has gone. Nearly a year ago, I set out on a whim to make a blog, not even sure what that meant or entailed. All I wanted was a place to post pictures that I hoped weren't too awful and recipes that were mildly palatable and interesting. To this day it amazes me that people read my little piece of the blog world.

So here I sit, the humble recipient of two awards. They're both from gals named Jenn who are both from Canada. Apparently, I'm huge there. :)

The Sunshine Blog Award is awarded to bloggers whose positivity and creativity inspire others in the blog world. I received this from Jenn at Defunkt Gourmet, my international foodie pen pal.

The Rules & Regulations of The Sunshine Blog Award:
1. Put the logo on your blog or within your post
2. Pass the award on to 12 bloggers!
3. Link the nominees within your post
4. Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog
5. Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award

Here goes!

1. Jenn @ Sweet Water
It was a no brainer that the lovely Jenn be a recipient for this cool award. She is an amazing writer, with freeing honesty and brutal truth about her challenges, cooking adventures and life North of the border. If you haven't checked out her Top Chef challenge series, where she recreates some of the most memorable dishes from the show, you're missing out on some serious brilliance.

2. Noelle @ An Opera Singer in the Kitchen
I always enjoy how Noelle incorporates her love for music through her posts. She is a recent vegan who shares amazing recipes suitable for both vegans and carnivores alike. I always pick up fun new facts when I hang out on her page... for example, did you know Guinness isn't vegan? Who knew!

3. Natasha @ 5 Star Foodie Culinary Adventures
An East Coast gal with an eye for tasty, unique ingredients. I've loved vicariously globe trotting through through her blog, between posts about her traveling adventures and amazing stops along the 2010 Culinary Tour Around the World series. Gorgeous pictures, and I always learn something new from her posts.

4. Joanne @ Apple Crumbles
Joanne provides a lovely taste of home, blogging from Upstate New York. An avid healthy lifestyle endorser and believer, and her honey glazed salmon with butternut squash and lemony asparagus rocked my world.

5. Josie @ Daydreamer Desserts
What I love about Josie's blog, aside from the drool worthy images, Josie is passionate about a cause. Through her work with the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF), she's gotten to hang out with Cake Boss star Buddy Valastro and Kelly Ripa for a phenomenal "Cake off" earlier this year. A gal who has ridiculous kitchen skills with delicious desserts and takes a stand against Cancer is a sure winner in my book.

6. TasteStopping
Oh TasteStopping, how I love thee. Providing consistent, humorous reassurance that all aspiring photographers can and should be published, even when those other sites don't agree. It's also a great resource to learn from and check out other bloggers web worthy pics.

7. Liren @ Kitchen Worthy
This fabulous Bay area foodie is also a former East coast gal with a love for all things food. She blends gorgeous recipes with fun family adventures to make for fantastic, smile inducing posts.

8. Cat @ NeoHomesteading
Cat is a Pennsylvania mama who embraces all the things I want to become as an urban homesteader. She shares her love for canning, homebrewing, artisan breads and a smattering of fantastic unique dishes on her site.

9. Julia @ Fat Girl Trapped in a Skinny Body
Julia is a super prolific local OC food blogger. She puts once a week posters like me to shame! Her balance of healthy meal options and tasty recipe remakes (awesome thin mint AND samoas knockoffs!) makes a fantastic addition to your blog reading list.

10. Donalyn @ DessertStalking
Another upstate NY'er who I am so happy to have "met" through blogging. Dessertstalking is a fantastic site to submit photos of all things sweet, and unique to this site, there are no comments. I love that this was done purposefully to encourage DessertStalkers to hop over the submitters blog and leave a comment. Bringing the blog world closer one tasty photo at a time!

11. Alta @ Tasty Eats at Home
I love the voice that Alta brings to her writing. She has a huge eclectic mix of recipes, with an international flair and she has recently gone gluten free. Tasty Eats is a great resource for us gluten gobblers looking to see how the other half lives!

12. David and Luise @ Green Kitchen Stories
This super talented couple from Stokholm, Sweden has a site that is to die for. This truly is a visual feast to behold, with gorgeous vegetarian creations and a penchant for chocolate goodies, a huge plus in my book. They have also just welcomed a beautiful baby girl into their kitchen.. congrats!

The Circle of Friends award is given for the connections and friendships you make through the blog world. It was passed on to me from Jenn @ Sweet Water (see above). As she so eloquently stated in her award post, its difficult not to perpetuate the inbred cycle of award reciprocation and pass it right back to the award giver. Fantastic statements like that are a large part of the reason I really enjoy her and her always chuckle worthy writing.

Without further ado, here are my 5 recipients.

1. Jenn @ Defunkt Gourmet
My Canadian foodie penpal and I were brought together through a Beastie Boys quote, a mutual love of Ben Folds and a similar sense of humor. Like many other bloggers, she is in search of the perfect macaron and well on her way to its discovery!

2. Claudia @ What's Cookin' Italian Style Cuisine
What I love about Claudia is her ability to jump in and be a fearless leader. She was largely responsible for shepherding the lost masses after the infamous Foodbuzz "change" a few months back. She has provided constant encouragement and has been a generous resource in my blogging adventures. She also has a fabulous blog with great step by step recipes that weave tales of her family through her writing.

3. Mia @ Mia King
This lovely Hawaiian gal is the true definition of multitasker. Mom, cook, workshop speaker, blogger and National Bestselling Author are found among the many bulletpoints on her most impressive life resume. Her writing is like a casual, comfortable conversation with an old friend, and my interactions with her in the blog world are just as kind and comfortable. She truly illustrates how much the blog world levels the playing field, allowing newbies like me to virtually hobnob with best selling authors and cooking standouts.

4. Rachael J @ Laptops and Stovetops
The fabulous Ms. Rachael is a Florida girl who always, without doubt, cracks me up. Her blog has just undergone a serious facelift and is looking divine. I think if Rachael and I hung out in the real world, we might cause some serious trouble together.

5. Dara @ Cookin' Canuck
There aren't many food blogs out there that I consistently am interested in making every single dish featured. This is one of them. Dara just makes me shake my head and smile each time I read a new post, as I think "she did it again!" Check out her creative takes on classic dishes, easy to follow instructions and fantastic photography.

I hope that my little blog continues to entertain you, and thanks as always for your support and kind words. My hope that this space will always brings a little bit of sunshine into your day. You all certainly bring it into mine.

Irish Coffee Marshmallows

2010-03-16T10:19:00.001-07:00

St. Patrick's Day is upon us, and the blog world is all aflutter with the best traditional Irish eats to commemorate the holiday. Pages are flooded with corned beef, stout based confections and green iced delights everywhere you look. Earlier this week I posted Wee Little Irish Soda Bread, a traditional hearty staple of the day. As per my usual creative streak, which admittedly has been a bit lackluster lately, I needed to throw caution to the wind and fire up the old Kitchenaid. You never know what mysteries will appear when that happens.

Back around the holidays, I got on a bit of a marshmallow kick, which you can check out here and here. As delicious as they are, I couldn't justify putting another Guinness cupcake out into the world today. Enter my recently earthquake shaken brain putting together an old favorite with a touch of the good stuff. These are bound to get your Irish eyes a smilin'.

Irish Coffee Marshmallows
Recipe adapted from the Food Network and Ina Garten

3 packages unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp coarse salt
3/4 cup cold water
2 tsp coffee extract* or 3 Tbsp very strong coffee
2 Tbsp Irish whiskey (might I recommend Jamesons?)

Topping
1/2 cup Bailey's Irish Creme
1/4 cup Irish Whiskey
1/2 tsp butter

Combine the gelatin and 1/4 cup of cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and allow to sit while you make the marshmallow syrup.

Combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. Cook at a steady rolling boil for one minute, continuing to stir, and remove from heat.

With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the marshmallow syrup into the dissolved gelatin. As mixture begins to thicken, add in whiskey and coffee extract. Put the mixer on high speed and whip until the mixture is very thick, about 15 minutes.

Oil the sides of the a large casserole dish thoroughly with nonstick spray or vegetable oil. Pour in the marshmallow batter and smooth the top of the mixture with damp hands. Refrigerate while making Bailey's topping.

In a small saucepan, combine Bailey's and whiskey. Over medium high heat, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Stir constantly until mixture has thickened to the consistency of caramel. Let cool slightly, and swirl over top of marshmallows.

Remove the marshmallows by inverting the pan onto a baking sheet. Cut marshmallows into squares and store uncovered at room temperature. Makes 25-30 marshmallows.

*I couldn't locate coffee extract, so I went with super strong coffee. I used 4 scoops of coffee with 1/4 cup water, left to steep in the French press overnight.

If you were looking for something St. Patricks Day worthy that's a little different, you might also like these Moonshine Whoopie Pies from awhile back. Pillowy soft Guinness flavored whoopie cookies with a rich Bailey's Irish Creme filling... these are sure to bring you the luck of the Irish.

Wee Little Irish Soda Bread

2010-03-12T10:27:00.000-08:00

I've only learned of the true joy of Irish Soda bread in recent years. That fact is entirely due to Mr. SoCal and his deep Irish roots. Last year, before SoCal Sustenance existed, I embarked on a quest to make a great St. Patricks Day feast for us. I had to call in the big guns and get this recipe from his dad, and it was well worth it. It was a bread making adventure unlike any I've had before, complete with the stickiest dough known to all mankind and a near disastrous chemical reaction that would have made Mr. Wizard proud. The corned beef was salty and the soda bread was good, but it was nothing compared to what I tasted this year.

Breadmaking has been a St. Patricks Day tradition for Mr. SoCal and his dad for years, often making dozens of loaves over the course of a week to give to family, friends and colleagues. This year I got to watch the magic first hand, as the first six loaves have already been cranked out. I love knowing that there is history and tradition in this bread, that this is the same recipe and technique that his great grandmother made while back in County Kerry. It is truly a labor of love and persistence, and I'm happy to be able to pass on the tradition to you.

Wee Little Irish Soda Bread
(makes two wee little loaves)

Wet ingredients:
1 1/3 cups 2% milk
1 egg
4 Tbsp white vinegar

Dry ingredients:
5 cups King Arthur all purpose flour
2 sticks margarine
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease two small 2 quart cast iron pans or dutch ovens with butter or margarine.

In a large bowl, combine vinegar, milk and egg. Mix to ensure yolk is broken, and set aside to allow the milk to sour.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together 4 cups of flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. Cut in the margarine until the mixture is like cornmeal or damp sand. Add the raisins until they are completely covered with flour.

Add the baking soda to the bowl containing the milk and eggs. Stir gently and allow mixture to react for a minute or two. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and add wet ingredients.

Work the mixture thoroughly until a dough is formed. If dough is sticking to your hands, add 1/4 cup of flour and continue kneading. Repeat until dough is no longer sticky and can be formed into a ball.

Divide dough into two portions. Cut a cross in the top of each loaf to minimize cracking. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the bottom has a firm brown crust and makes a solid sound when you tap on it. Cool on a baking rack and enjoy.

This recipe comes from the Boston Cook Book, but more recently has been published in the Pasadena Rugby Cookbook. This was compiled two years ago and includes favorite recipes from players and coaches, including clever writing and commentary on rugby. They are available for $5 plus shipping, if interested please comment below.

Peanut Butter Cups

2010-03-09T20:16:00.000-08:00

After a healthy food failure in the kitchen earlier, these seemed like the perfect way to soothe a broken cook's soul. Plus, I may have been subconsciously steered towards these by the recent influx of Easter candy commercials invading TV. The one I blame directly involves an innocent chocolate bunny inching towards a jar of peanut butter while "Let's Get it On" tenderly serenades the duo. I think these would even make Marvin Gaye proud.

These were surprisingly easy to make, and I did not do one bit of fancy chocolate tempering. That's right, I'm a risk taker. There is no baking, and the only necessary accoutrement are baking cups or muffin liners. The milk chocolate had a wonderful gloss when chilled and firmed, but had more instant melt on your fingers quality than your store bought Peanut Butter Cups. All the more incentive to eat them quickly!

Peanut Butter Cups
3/4 cup chunky peanut butter
2 Tbsp confectioners sugar
12 oz milk chocolate
1/3 cup crushed graham crackers

Microwave peanut butter for 20 seconds until softened. Mix in confectioners sugar and crushed graham crackers until uniform.

Melt chocolate over a double boiler. Spoon a teaspoon of melted chocolate in the bottom of a baking cup. Tilt and rotate the baking cup to spread the melted chocolate up the side of the cup slightly. Scoop large rounded teaspoons of peanut butter mixture and press into a half dollar size patty. Place in baking cup, and cover with peanut butter.

Place in muffin tin to maintain shape, and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm. Makes 15 cups.

Parmesan Orzo with Greens and Garlic

2010-03-03T10:44:00.000-08:00

I've been craving the creamy goodness of something hearty, rich and altogether not so good for you lately. The urges have been fluctuating between a decadent risotto and creamy, thick, stick to your arteries soup. This was my best attempt at a compromise that wouldn't cost me three days at the gym. Lucky for me, it quashed the creamy craving and is reasonably healthy to boot.

Parmesan Orzo with Greens and Garlic
1 cup orzo
3 oz fresh spinach (1 container)
6 oz fresh asparagus, cut in 1" pieces
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
6 oz chicken breast
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Prepare orzo until cooked al dente and drain in a colander. When drained, transfer cooked orzo into large bowl.

Pour Olive Oil in non stick skillet and saute spinach and asparagus over medium heat. Add minced garlic to mixture. Saute all until spinach is wilted and asparagus is fork tender. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer cooked veggies to bowl with cooked orzo.

Cut chicken breast into small pieces and saute in the same non stick skillet until browned. When cooked, transfer chicken to bowl with orzo mixture.

Add grated Parmesan cheese to orzo mixture and stir thoroughly, incorporating Parmesan evenly through the entire dish. Plate, serve and enjoy.

Just a quicky from here in SoCal, but too tasty not to pass along! Hope you all are having a delicious day.

PB & J Hamantaschen

2010-02-27T18:41:00.000-08:00

Perhaps you've seen pictures of small, triangular shaped cookies filled with ooey gooey goodness floating around the food blogs in the past week or so and wondered... what's the fuss over these funny little things?

The festive celebration of Purim, a Jewish holiday commemorating the offing of a certain pointy hat wearing bad guy, starts this weekend. Jewish folks are to eat, drink and be merry... not too bad as holidays go right? The celebration includes reading of the Book of Esther, and whenever you hear the aforementioned bad guys name, Haman, you're to make as much noise as humanly possible. Holler, scream, stomp your feet, and make a general ruckus. The purpose of the noise is to drown out his name each time its read.

The other cool thing? Jewish folks are to drink until they can't differentiate the name of Haman and other names read. The goal is to achieve a perfect balance of inebriation, located squarely between inability to distinguish names, but not tipsy enough to violate the commandments or become seriously ill. Sounds like a lot of people have been celebrating Purim for awhile now and didn't even know it!

Back to the pointy cookies. Haman (BOO! HISS!) wore a triangular hat, and Hamantaschen, literally translated to mean Haman pockets, commemorate his downfall. Typical fillings include poppy seed and fruit jellies. Go figure, I went all non traditional and added a kid friendly (and Mr. Socal friendly!) twist to the recipe.

This recipe is loosely based from one found here, plus tweaks that I added from my memory of making and eating Hamantaschen as a kid.

PB & J Hamantaschen

*Dough*
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup orange juice
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Extra flour for dusting and rolling

*Filling*
3/4 cup peanut butter
2 tsp powdered sugar
Jelly or fruit preserves (I used strawberry, blackberry and sour cherry)

Soften peanut butter for 15 seconds in microwave, and mix in powdered sugar. Spoon small (less than 1 tsp) rounded scoops of peanut butter onto a wax paper lined plate using a small spoon or melon baller. Make 20 small scoops, and place plate into freezer.

Combine softened cream cheese and sugar in a stand or electric mixer. Add oil, eggs, baking powder, salt, orange juice and vanilla until well mixed. Slowly add flour until completely incorporated into the dough.

Generously flour a rolling pin and flat work surface. Place 1/2 dough on work surface, and place remaining dough in the refrigerator. Roll out dough until its 1/4 inch thick. Cut into circles using a cookie cutter or a pint glass. Repeat with remaining chilling dough.

To assemble Hamantaschen:
Scoop 1/2 - 1 tsp of jelly into center of dough

Remove peanut butter scoops from freezer and place one on top of the jelly. Press peanut butter scoop down firmly to slightly spread the jelly

Pinch each of the three corners together firmly. Don't be afraid to really be an aggressive corner pincher; this will prevent the dreaded Hamantaschen blowout later.

Repeat for the remaining Hamantaschen. Place all on greased baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Makes 20 of these pointy little lovelies.

Now, about those blowouts... A Hamantaschen blowout is the Purim equivalent to a Matzoh ball sinker. You really try to your best to avoid them, but despite your best efforts, they happen.

The good news is, even the blowouts still taste good. And if you follow Purim traditions to the letter of the law, I bet you won't even know the difference.

English Muffins & A Free Short Stack

2010-02-23T12:04:00.001-08:00

I've been talking about making these for a long, long time. The simple joy of hot, steamy muffins with their nooks and crannies filled with butter, jam, peanut butter or whatever else you choose is tough to match. It's been cooler here lately, I guess its what Californians consider winter. Having been on a recent breakfast smoothie kick, this fresh griddled delight is a welcomed start to the mornings when the temperature is a bit less California like.

You may have noticed I said griddled, not baked... that's right, griddled like a pancake. That works as a convenient coincidence as it as National Pancake Day. If you have a hankering for flapjacks, head on out to your local IHOP and they will serve up a free short stack today until 10 PM. While you're there, why don't you make a donation to Children's Miracle Network... there are lots of kids out there who would love your help.

And I digress...

This recipe is from King Arthur Flour recipes and can be found here.

English Muffins
1 3/4 cups (14 ounces) milk, warm*
3 Tbsp butter
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp granulated sugar**
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3 cups King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
1 - 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast

* I used Silk Vanilla Light Soy Milk
** I used 2 tsp honey

Place the ingredients in a stand mixer with dough hook attachment. If using bread maker, use the "dough" or "manual" setting. Mix the dough thoroughly until it pulls away from the side of the bowl in a uniform ball.

Transfer the dough to a cornmeal-sprinkled surface and roll it out to 1/3 to 1/2-inch thick. Cut out circles with a 3 inch cutting ring. Re-roll and cut out the leftover dough. Cover the muffins with a damp cloth and let rest for 20 minutes.

Heat a frying pan or griddle to low heat (I used a dry cast iron skilled). Before placing muffins on griddle, coat both sides with cornmeal. Cook for four minutes at a time with lid of pan on. Remove lid, flip muffins and repeat for four more minutes.

Check after about 3 to 4 minutes to see that the muffins are browning evenly. If they are cooking either too fast or too slowly, adjust the temperature of your pan.

When the muffins are brown on both sides, transfer them to a wire rack to cool, and proceed with the remaining muffins. Serve hot with your favorite shmear and enjoy

Winner Winner, Pasta Dinner

2010-02-12T15:08:00.000-08:00

Thank you all for your entries in the pasta maker giveaway. Your food misadventures and mishaps cracked me up, I love that so many of you shared them!

Congrats to Scott at Fight the Fat Foodie for being randomly selected using Random.org as the giveaway winner. Please email me your shipping information and your brand spanking new pasta maker will be on its way!

Thanks again everyone.. let's do this again real soon ok? :)

Sweet Potato Shao Mai Dumplings

2010-02-11T16:21:00.000-08:00

A quick lunchtime fridge expedition yielded these delightful, delicious dumplings. A quick note of disclosure before you jump all over these... My dumpling folding skills admittedly leave something to be desired. Google, being the all knowing wonder tool it is, gave me a perfect solution. Shao Mai dumplings are make with round cut wonton skins, and have the added bonus of simplicity as well as being able to see the beautiful contents contained within. Shao Mai are typically served in dim sum, and are a quick and easy to throw together with any filling you choose. If you are a dumpling rookie like me, you definitely want to check this out.

Sweet Potato Shao Mai Dumplings
(Yields 8 dumplings)
1 1/2 cups mashed sweet potato
8 wonton skins
3 cloves roasted garlic, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp Parmesan Reggiano cheese, shredded
1/4 cup pine nuts

Place a small, dry saute pan over medium heat. Add pine nuts, and toast until golden brown. Turns pine nuts often, making sure to avoid burning them.

Place a wonton skin on a cutting board. Using a round cookie cutter or knife, cut out circles. Repeat with all remaining wonton skins.

Mix sweet potato, garlic, parmesan cheese and toasted pine nuts in a small bowl. Spoon rounded tablespoons into each wonton skin. Holding wonton skin in left palm, make small pinches around the diameter of the skin. Fill remaining wonton skins with potato mixture.

Place wontons in steamer basket* for 8-10 minutes. Remove carefully and serve while still hot.

*Don't have a steamer basket? Me neither!
Here was my solution...
Place a small saucepan of water on the stove top and bring water to a boil. Place a metal colander or strainer atop the saucepan, and gently place dumplings in the bottom on the colander. Top with lid of a larger saucepan and steam for 8-10 minutes.

Worked like a charm! Hope it works for you too.

Caprese Gratin with Balsamic Poached Tomatoes

2010-02-09T12:03:00.001-08:00

In the wake of post Superbowl feasts, parties and soirees, I'm sure many of your refrigerators look as bad as mine does right now. Tin foil wrapped bowls, assorted mystery condiments and odds and ends are running amok in the old chill box. Somehow we acquired a cooler full of various foodstuffs from a party we attended in San Diego this weekend. Among the acquisitions were at least a dozen plain white dinner rolls. The rolls and a pint of near forgotten cherry tomatoes were the base components for the idea of this gratin. I realize I am interpreting the term gratin rather loosely, but whatever you want to call it, its pretty darn good.

Caprese Gratin with Balsamic Poached Tomatoes
3 round white dinner rolls
1 pint cherry tomatoes
3 oz mozzarella
1/2 large onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp salted butter
1/3 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp Parmesan reggiano cheese, shredded
3 cloves garlic
Salt
Pepper

In a large saute pan over medium heat, melt 2 Tbsp butter. Place thinly sliced onions in pan and cover with melted butter. Slowly cook until the onions are caramelized, stirring often.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Carefully slice dinner rolls with a serrated knife into 1/4 inch slices. Combine olive oil with grated Parmesan, salt and pepper. Grate garlic cloves with a zester or microplane and add to oil mixture. Stir thoroughly, and using a basting brush spread oil on slices. Place slices on a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown.

While slices brown, place balsamic and tomatoes in a small saucepan. Place over medium low heat until simmering. Stir gently and cook for 10 more minutes at a simmer, until the skins of the tomatoes start to blister. Remove from heat.

In a casserole dish, place an even layer of caramelized onions. Pour reduced balsamic vinegar and poached tomatoes gently on top of onions. Top with toasted roll slices, and place thinly sliced pieces of mozzarella between slices. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, until cheese is just melted. Remove from oven, garnish with fresh basil and serve.

By the way, have you entered the GIVEAWAY yet?

In your friendly reminder news, if you haven't signed up for SoCal Sustenance's very first giveaway, a super amazing wicked awesome (yea, I said it) pasta maker, you can do so here. The winner will be randomly selected on Friday, February 12th. Get your entries in and good luck!

Flourless Almond Torte

2010-02-02T19:48:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, I read an article entitled Cancer Fighting Foods:What to eat before, during and after Chemotherapy. Written by Rebecca Katz, it provided some fantastic, specific, science based information for patients undergoing chemo. I snooped around for other things by the author, and lo and behold Ms. Katz just so happens to be the go-to gal on the forefront of cancer nutrition.

As per her website, Ms. Katz is a nationally-recognized expert on the role of food in supporting health during cancer treatment. She has a Masters of Science degree in Health and Nutrition Education, and received her culinary training from New York's Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts. As a consultant, speaker, teacher and chef, she works closely with patients, physicians, nurses, and wellness professionals to include the powerful tool of nutrition in their medical arsenal.

Rebecca has published two books that read like friendly, thoughtful, educational guides to a getting the best out of a rotten situation through the healing and restorative powers of food. They include a wealth of creative, healthful recipes with spectacular images to boot. Her first book, One Bite at a Time was written in 2008, and followed up with Cancer Fighting Kitchen. Her latest book includes a wealth of nutritional resources, including strategies to thrive during treatment and the Culinary Pharmacy, which we should all spend some time exploring.

So what gives with all the cancer talk? The topic is something that is close to my heart. My father died of Osteosarcoma more than a decade back, and Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma claimed my uncle's life less than a year ago. Currently, my mother is battling Multiple Myeloma, a rare and particularly nasty cancer of the blood cells. Cancer is an uninvited nightly guest at my dinner table, and I am determined to carve my future path without its legacy carrying on to me. I staunchly believe in the power of preventative practices, especially those that lie within food.

This recipe is from Rebecca's first book, and it came together unbelievably fast. In a matter of mere moments, and looked, smelled and tasted phenomenal. This can easily be a go to dessert that will fool your guests into thinking you slaved away all day at this beauty, and no one will ever be the wiser. Did I mention there is no processed sugar, no dairy or no gluten in this? And its STILL exceptional.

Flourless Almond Torte
1 1/2 cup raw almonds
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 large organic eggs
1 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 cup fresh raspberries
3 cups bing cherries, halved and pitted

Preheat oven to 375° F. Cut a parchment paper circle to fit the bottom of an 8 inch springform pan*

Grind almonds until flour-like in a food processor, about 2 minutes. The oil from the nuts may cause the mixture to stick to the sides. Run a spatula around the edge to loosen the mixture. Continue to process about 1 minute.

Pre-measure the maple syrup, eggs, extracts and salt in a measuring cup, stir well to break up the eggs. While the food processor is running, pour through the feeding tube and process until smooth.

Pour into the pan (or pans) and bake 25 minutes. Torte is ready when the top is lightly golden brown and center is firm. If the top browns too quickly, tent with foil and continue baking.

Place two cups of bing cherries in a small saucepan over medium heat. As saucepan warms, compress cherries with a potato masher or a fork to release the maximum juices. Simmer cherry juice until its reduces and thickens slightly. Strain cherry reduction juice and pour over tarte shell (or shells). Top with remaining whole cherries and raspberries. Garnish with whipped cream if desired and serve.

* I used small tartlette pans and this recipe made six small tarts.

Thank you for bearing through my personal soapbox in this post. I strongly encourage those of you who've had the misfortune of cancer touch your life as a patient, family member, or caregiver to explore the resources within this post. Cancer has the power to strip those waging war on it of nearly every bit of control within their lives. Having the resources to make comforting, delicious, nutritionally sound meals may be a small gift to give, but the impact of providing health, hope and kindness is immeasurable.

The First SoCal Giveaway!!!

2010-02-01T11:04:00.001-08:00

We've all had our share of food mishaps and calamities. Most of mine seem to involve large scale drops, spills or fumbles resulting in speckled furniture, a colorful smattering of naughty words, and one heck of a mess. There was the agua fresca incident, an epic vegetarian lasagna bobble that covered everything below hip height in my kitchen, and an unfortunate gnocchi episode where they actually bounced when dropped. No really, like little pasta-esque bouncy balls that you used to get out of the 25 cent machines at the supermarket.

Needless to say, I have not braved pasta making since. But thanks to the amazing folks at Cookware.com, you now have a chance avoid any future pasta incidents with the amazing Cucina Pro Pasta Fresh 5 Machine, shown above. Wouldn't you love to check your mailbox and have this waiting for you? This fantastic addition to any kitchen makes spaghetti, fettuccine, angel hair, ravioli and lasagnette while being stylish and not taking up a ton of valuable kitchen space. Want to whip up some fresh, healthy pasta any time you darn well please? Well then check out the rules below.

The winner will be selected at random on Friday, February 12th. Consider it your first of hopefully many lovely gifts for Valentine's Day! This contest is only open to the continental United States, so my apologies to my friends in Canada and points beyond.

I bet you'd like to know how to get your hot little hands on this beauty. Here's the low down.

Entrants will receive one vote for each of the following actions;

* Share your best cooking misadventure story by commenting on this post
* Become a Fan of SoCal Sustenance on Facebook
* Follow @Socalsustenance on Twitter
* Follow SoCal Sustenance with Google Friend Connect

Thank you so much for continuing to support and read SoCal Sustenance through its growing pains and misadventures. It means so much that you continue to read, comment, laugh and encourage the things you find here. Best of luck and I look forward to reading about your best culinary mishaps as well!

Maple Dried Plum Granola Bars

2010-01-30T15:40:00.000-08:00

Mother Hubbard's cupboards have tumbleweeds blowing through them. More specifically, our seemingly bottomless stash of granola bars, snacky fruit bars and healthy type treats has run dry. Necessity being the mother of invention, these lovelies came to fruition this afternoon.

Now I fully admit subscribing to the once bitten twice shy mantra. In this instance, its using sweet potatoes for a binder or a sweet substitute ingredient. I've been burned by this tasty minx once before, trying to recreate Mimi's Cafe sweet potato buttermilk biscuits. The results were less than stellar. Safe to say, I proceeded with cautious optimism into this granola foray, but was rewarded handsomely.

Maple Dried Plum Granola Bars
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup mashed sweet potatoes
3/4 cup chopped California dried plums
1/2 cup chopped dried apples
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 1/2 Tbsp maple syrup

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly until a large ball of sticky granola goodness is formed. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Press granola onto parchment paper with damp hands until it is 1/2 inch thick throughout. Bake for 25 minutes. Cut into 12 even bars shortly after removing from oven. Store in air tight container for up to two weeks.

In other exciting news, SoCal Sustenance will be hosting its first giveaway shortly, and its a pretty darn good one. I'm excited for a chance to say thank you to those of you fabulous readers who've taken part in this blogs growth and development in the past 9 months. I hope you have enjoyed it just as much as I have. Stay tuned SoCalers, you're not gonna want to miss out on what's to come!

Panko Ginger Shrimp with Citrus Sauce

2010-01-26T19:01:00.000-08:00

Last week a good friend and I went to a fabulous lunch to celebrate her new job and 30th birthday. Significant events such as those warrant a formidable lunch selection, so we decided on Katsuya in Glendale. Neither of us had been there before, and we both enjoyed it immensely. As those of you still drying out in Southern California may remember, last week brought more rain to the region than we typically see in a year. Of course we picked a downpour day to go to lunch, but it worked out splendidly. With no one but a sparse few other brave, damp souls in the restaurant, we were treated to the waitstaff's undivided attention and their hugely helpful suggestions.

Lunch started with a cocktail that served to be the inspiration of dish, in a roundabout way. "The Dragon" was a perfect blend of vodka, ginger and yuzu. Yuzu was a new thing for me, and it happens to be a type of Asian citrus that tastes like a grapefruit-mandarin hybrid. I was smitten, with both Katsuya and yuzu. After a fruitless (get it? :)) search for the elusive fruit, I settled on satsuma mandarins as a yuzu stand in, and out of the depths of my gray matter sprung forth this really, really yummy shrimp. Serves one as a meal or two as an appetizer.

Panko Ginger Shrimp with Citrus Sauce
1 lb jumbo shrimp, deveined and peeled (16-20 shrimp)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/3 cup shredded coconut
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp red pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 eggs

Citrus Sauce
1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (I used oranges and satsuma mandarins)
1/3 cup mirin
1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger

Rinse shrimp and devein by peeling the shell off. Use a paring knife to make a shallow slit along the back from the head to tail. Look for the black sand vein that runs along the center of the back. If the vein is there, use the knife tip to carefully remove it, Rinse the shrimp under cold running water and dry with paper towel.

Combine ingredients for citrus sauce in a medium saucepan. Slowly bring just to a simmer and reduce to medium low heat. Reduce sauce for 20-25 minutes, until thickened and reduced by half.

While sauce reduces, crack two eggs into a small bowl and whisk together. In a larger bowl, combine flour, panko, coconut, ginger powder, salt and red pepper. Mix thoroughly. With one hand, dip shrimp in egg wash. With the other hand, dredge egg washed shrimp in flour mixture. Press flour mixture firmly into shrimp. Repeat with remaining shrimp.

Check on citrus sauce, stirring occasionally. Place just enough oil in a skillet to coat the bottom. Heat for three minutes over medium heat. Cook shrimp in batches of 5 or 6, cooking until golden brown. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side and remove from skillet. Plate with citrus dipping sauce and enjoy.

Balsamic Lentil Salad with Edamame

2010-01-20T08:45:00.001-08:00

I've been slightly enthralled with lentils since my venture to check out the Rose Bowl Parade floats a few weeks back. Having never cooked them, or eaten them to the best of my knowledge it was high time to investigate. That curiosity has been combined with the fact that I need to add more fiber and protein dense foods into my repertoire. Recently, I've become oddly enamored with this thing called running, and have stuck with a training program for three weeks. That may not sound like much, but its exactly two weeks and six days longer than any prior attempt. Eating whole foods with solid nutritional components is becoming essential, and this combination seemed like a good bet.

For the record, edamame is a complete protein containing all the essential amino acids. It's a solid source of protein, fiber, essential fatty acids, and isoflavones. Isoflavones are compounds found only in soy that have been shown to significantly reduce serum cholesterol levels. Lentils also are protein powerhouses, being rich in dietary fiber as well as B vitamins, folate and magnesium. So go ahead, mix up a batch and eat guilt free, knowing that you are putting lots of good for you stuff in your belly.

The first pass at this salad wasn't the success I had hoped for. The combination of colors and textures of the ingredients were largely lost into a vat of grey toned mush, as my first error was to boil two types of lentils and split peas together. Fail. Fear not, no lentil went to waste, as I've saved the first attempt for a lentil soup.

It may not have been the most time or energy efficient method, but I decided to preserve the color of each component to boil them separately. The yellow split peas took a bit longer, so they have an extra 10 minutes of boiled love to their name. The end product was tastier than I could have imagined.

Balsamic Lentil Salad with Edamame
1 cup black beluga lentils
3/4 cup orange lentils
3/4 cup yellow split peas
3/4 cup red onion, diced
3/4 cup edamame, shelled*
1/8 tsp sea salt
4 Tbsp aged balsamic vinegar**

Place each lentil and split peas in their own bowl. Add two to three cups of water and rinse, checking for small pebbles, dirt or other organic matter. Remove any non-lentil or non-pea matter.

Place three saucepans with three cups of water in each over medium high heat. Let water come to a boil and add first three ingredients to their own individual saucepan. Bring lentils and peas to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Simmer lentils for 15 minutes, until cooked through. Peas will require an additional 8-10 minutes of boiling.

Strain water from lentils and place in a bowl to cool. Repeat with the peas when they are cooked. Let all cool for 15-20 minutes. While lentils and peas cool, shell edamame. *This required 9 oz unshelled edamame. Dice red onion. When lentils and peas are cooled, combine all and add sea salt. Mix thoroughly. Cover and place salad in fridge and chill thoroughly before serving. ** To maintain color of salad, add balsamic shortly before serving.

As a side note, I left the lentils and peas with a slight bit of al dente tooth to them. My first attempt - see the aforementioned gray mush referenced above- was way too cooked and simply had minimal texture. If you are particular about the texture of your lentils, stand by at the end of cooking and test often until your desired chew level is achieved.

Chai Risotto Dessert Egg Rolls

2010-01-12T15:20:00.000-08:00

So how many of you checked this out just out of morbid curiosity? The what in the heck did she go and do now knee jerk response that made you click on over and take a look see.. hopefully this will not disappoint.

The origin of this dish is simple. It was high time to fill up the fridge and pantry once again as they were beginning to echo if you shut the door too hard. Yet another epic Costco trip commenced.

Surveying our purchases, we were now the proud new owners of roughly 5 lbs of kiwis. As you know those little stinkers aren't all that big, and that's alot of kiwi. The quest for a kiwi laden dish began.

This was supposed to be a healthier, non fried version, specifically a spring roll. Turns out in my haste I grabbed egg roll wrappers... hmmpph. Well, egg rolls it is. After poking around the old interweb for awhile, I realized I wasn't quite sure what I was making. What's the difference between and egg roll and a spring roll? I found a vast amount of variances. For your reading pleasure, here's what I learned.

An egg roll has meat and is typically thought to be Chinese, while a spring roll is mainly vegetable and noted as Vietnamese cuisine. Egg rolls are wrapped in square wonton like skins, while spring rolls are wrapped in lighter rice paper rounds. Egg rolls are wider, thicker, and typically fried, while spring rolls tend to be more delicate and slender, and can be fried or raw. So what exactly is it that I made? A blintz? Lumpia? Final verdict seems to be that I made a fried, square wonton wrapped, fruit and risotto filled... hybrid roll? Who knows. At least I've learned the difference between the two, and that next time I'll make sure to get spring roll wrappers.

Chai Risotto Dessert Egg Rolls (Adapted from Vegetarian Times)
4 chai tea bags
1/2 cup arborio rice
1 1/2 Tbsp agave (or honey)
1 vanilla bean
4 kiwi, finely diced
6 strawberries, finely diced
1 package egg roll wrappers
Oil for frying

Vanilla Orange Dipping Sauce
3/4 cup milk
1 vanilla bean
1/3 cup confectioners sugar
1 tsp cream of tartar
Zest of 1/2 orange

Boil 4 cups of water, and steep tea bags. After 5 minutes, remove tea bags and set aside.

Place rice in large saute pan over medium-high heat. Slowly add hot tea, allowing rice to absorb tea after each addition. Make sure to stir risotto continuously. Add agave and scraped vanilla seeds into pan before adding last 1/2 cup tea. Cook until rice is tender, and remove from heat. Cool for five minutes. Fold in diced kiwi and strawberries.

To make rolls, carefully lay wrapper flat on work surface, and place 1 kiwi slice and 1 strawberry slice side by side in center. Spoon 2 Tbsp of rice mixture atop the fruit. Fold in sides of spring roll wrapper, and tightly roll up. At each fold, moisten edges with water and smooth down together. Moisten edge of wrapper with water to seal the roll shut.

Heat oil over medium high heat in large, high sided pan for 3-5 minutes. Carefully place egg rolls in hot oil, and cook until golden brown on each side (4-6 minutes). Remove rolls and place on paper towel lined plate to cool.

For sauce, combine all ingredients in saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 3 to 4 minutes, stirring until thickened. Cool and place in refrigerator, covered. Serve rolls with small bowls of the dipping sauce or one communal bowl, depending on your company.

A few afterthoughts...

Frying is NOT my thing. The extent of my frying knowledge is limited to wontons and funnel cakes, both made on the same day we purchased a small fry daddy on a whim. It's been collecting dust since. Fried turkey, however, is something not to take lightly and a magical entity of its own right. Never made one myself, but have absolutely polished off my fair share.

A large part of the appeal of this recipe for me (not my creation, the original linked above) was its healthiness and visual appeal. Sadly both went down the tubes a tad with my egg roll skin blunder. I'd remake this in a heartbeat with spring roll wrappers. Visually I'm not jumping up and down excited about the brown tint that the chai gives the risotto... I mean who really wants to eat a brown dessert that isn't chocolate? Jasmine or another flavorful light tea might solve that, but the subtle undertone of spice and fragrance of chai really is rather warm and enticing. The strawberries took on a bit of a tartness after cooking which was disappointing. This as well could be avoided with using this recipe with spring rolls.

Feel free to check out the links below to assist with spring roll and egg roll making.. enjoy!
How to Roll a Spring Roll
How to Roll an Egg Roll
(Note: In the demo these are rolled on a diagonal, I rolled mine as a square)

Chorizo Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

2010-01-07T07:59:00.000-08:00

Nothing like finding a convenient excuse to make something tasty. Trying to be more protein and fiber aware in 2010, quinoa is a perfect vessel to sneak some extra health into any dish. This nutty seed was a dietary staple of native Incas of the Andes region for over 5000 years. Despite near total elimination of quinoa when Spanish conquerors attempted to destroy Inca culture, it was recently popularized in the US in the 1980's. Quinoa is packed full of heart healthy benefits, and rich in minerals like magnesium, iron and riboflavin. Along with the multitude of health benefits, quinoa readily absorbs any flavor imparted on it, and makes a fantastic, healthy addition to any meal.

Chorizo Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
(8 servings)
4 large bell peppers
12 oz pork chorizo
1 cup quinoa
1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups chicken stock
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
1/2 large sweet onion, chopped
4 garlic gloves, finely diced
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp cumin
8 oz queso fresco
Fresh cilantro

Wash bell peppers thoroughly and pat dry. Cut top to bottom, starting through the stem and cutting to bottom of pepper. Remove seeds and veins from each half pepper, and repeat for all four. Place the eight pepper halves on a baking sheet and place in 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes, until peppers are slightly softened.

In a medium saucepan, bring chicken stock to a boil. Rinse quinoa in a fine strainer or sieve for 30 seconds and drain. Place rinsed quinoa in boiling chicken stock and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until all liquid has been absorbed (10-15 minutes), stirring occasionally. Quinoa will appear translucent when its finished and a white ring will be visible around the saucepan. Remove from heat.

As quinoa is cooking, place chorizo in a large saute pan over medium heat. Break up chorizo into small bits with a wooden spoon. Cook through until lightly browned. Drain excess oil from chorizo. Mix drained chorizo into quinoa.

Place onion in the same saute pan used for chorizo and sweat onions until translucent. Add garlic and jalapenos, cooking on medium heat for two more minutes, stirring throughout.

Combine onion mixture with quinoa and chorizo. Add black beans, cumin and red pepper flakes, stirring until completely mixed.

Remove peppers from oven and cool for 5-10 minutes. Spoon mixture by heaping tablespoons into peppers, packing it firmly. Top with crumbled queso fresco, and return to 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove and top with fresh cilantro, and serve.

Playing With Your Food is Encouraged

2010-01-02T15:19:00.000-08:00

Happy 2010 to all and welcome to the new decade! Hopefully you had a safe and fun holiday season and by now have properly recovered and rehydrated. Pasadena is just starting to wind down from an eventful few days, namely the Rose Bowl and the Rose Bowl Parade. Tens of thousands of football fans, parade goers and New Year's revelers descended on Pasadena en masse, and by this time tomorrow it should be a little quieter. The parade floats are on display for two days after the parade, so I thought it was time check off seeing the floats from my California bucket list.

I knew the floats were created with precision, patience, painstaking detail and oodles and oodles of flowers. What I didn't realize was how much fruit and vegetable matter was used. Here's a non traditional post for your viewing pleasure, highlighting the amazing uses of some common pantry staples.. who knew?!?

Orange leaves, dried chrysanthemum, split peas and yellow lentils

Pineapple and lime skins, orange slices and kidney beans

Green split peas, dried parsley, dried lima beans and corn husks. Each corn husk was hand cut and individually ironed

Kidney and pinto beans, orange lentils, crushed yellow lentils and corn husks

Green split peas, black beans, ground white lentils, ground split peas

Black beans, coconut flakes and dried chili pepper flakes

Nori seaweed, ground coffee, coconut, lima beans

Carrot Raisin Nut Bread

2009-12-29T18:39:00.000-08:00

Sometime you want what you want, when you want it. This is a result of wanting to clean out a fridge containing a bag of carrots, fighting valiantly for their lives. The week's groceries seemed to be a bit heavy on the veggies, and the poor little guys were rescued from certain demise in the back of the crisper. This is a twist on a recipe from Ina Garten found here. This bread is moist, dense and full of flavor, with a craggy crumbly sugared top perfect for that essential pat of butter.

Carrot Raisin Nut Bread
3/4 cup raisins
1/4 tsp ginger (powder)
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp orange zest
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup orange juice
3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 tsp turbinado sugar (white is fine as well)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom of a loaf pan with cooking spray. Combine the raisins,1/4 cup orange juice and powdered ginger in a small bowl. Set aside, stirring occasionally.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix the butter and brown sugar together. Slowly add the egg, vanilla, and orange zest. In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Add the flour mixture alternately with the orange juice to the butter mixture, beating only until combined. Mix in the raisins with their liquid, and stir in the walnuts by hand.

Pour the batter into loaf pan and smooth the top. Top evenly with sugar. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack and cool completely.

Crisp Salmon with Citrus Avocado Salad

2009-12-22T18:06:00.000-08:00

Have you ever faced such an insurmountable multitude of messes, chaos and disorder that you simply didn't know where to start? Welcome to the current state of my apartment. Projects to tackle include, but certainly aren't limited to post dinner dishes (a constant), rifling through ever mounting piles of mail and documents to file, a suitcase partially unpacked in a prior half-hearted attempt, and various stages of present wrapping, sorting, and organizing. So what strategy would an otherwise sane individual employ in the face of such a monumental disaster zone? Create additional disorder out of an otherwise orderly slice of my world. Logic is a tricky muse.

Apparently this environment is conducive to meticulously, painstakingly perusing the monstrous stack of cooking magazines that's taken over my end table. Clearly there is no better time that when there is nary an uncovered couch cushion to place one's disheveled backside upon to tear through a year and half's worth of magazines. The end product, although a check in the otherwise unnecessary task completion column, simply contributed to the whole calamity. The inevitable piles of stay, toss, and roughly torn out recipes to be put somewhere, in another pile, to be tested, some other day.

At least something good came out of this whole episode. The October 2009 issue of Food and Wine magazine had an article about the 15 rules for great wine and food pairings, which can be seen here. The irony of this should not be overlooked, as I am the last person who knows anything about wine. Those who know me both chastise and loathe my shameless adoration of pink wine. Apparently, real wines aren't pink. And who knew that this dish was a spot on pairing with a lemon creamy California Chardonnay? Certainly, not this girl.

Crisp Salmon with Citrus Avocado Salad
Food & Wine, October 2009

2 Tbsp pine nuts
2 1/2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp fresh squeezed orange juice
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Eight 6-ounce, skin-on salmon fillets
3 heads Bibb lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
2 Hass avocados, thinly sliced

In a small skillet, toast the pine nuts over moderate heat. Toss frequently, until golden (3-4 minutes).

In a large bowl, whisk 1 1/2 Tbsp of the olive oil with the mayonnaise, lemon juice and orange juice and season with salt and pepper.

Pat the salmon dry and season with salt and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the remaining 1 Tbsp of olive oil over moderately high heat until shimmering. Add the salmon skin side down and cook until crisp and golden, about 6 minutes. Turn and cook the fillets until just pink in the center, about 4 minutes longer.

Add the Bibb lettuce, avocados and pine nuts to the dressing and gently toss to coat. Mound the salad next to the salmon and serve.

My only modifications to the recipe are as follows; I used plain old out of the carton orange juice, it was just fine. I prepared one 6 oz salmon fillet and halved the dressing recipe, using a half a head of Bibb. This allowed for plenty of leafy green leftovers. The avocados and pine nuts were tossed with the dressing and spooned on the salad, as soggy salad is not a personal favorite. This was fast, simple, healthy and completely worth the utter state of disaster that my apartment continues to be.

Archway Holiday Nougat Cookies

2009-12-18T09:20:00.000-08:00

When I was younger, holiday time meant snow days, snow forts, an obscenely long break from school, maybe a family vacation somewhere and eight great night of Hanukkah. Light the candles, break out the dreidel, and make the all important decision that will have future implications for days to come... open all of your presents on the first night in a wrapping paper shredding, starry eyed haze with visions on latkes dancing in your head, or show some willpower and open one on each night. Let me tell you, the willpower of an average eight year old is similar to their attention span... short and fleeting.

As I got older, the holidays meant the ending of another semester, cramming for finals, celebrating being done with finals, then packing up the car and heading home. Mom's cooking and being able to unabashedly veg to my heart's content were palpable luxuries that college did not allow for. Getting back in touch with hometown friends and reminiscing about old times and new adventures was a given. The Hanukkah candles were still lit, but it was less about the presents and more about spending quality time with family, including but never limited to standby Jewish holiday traditions of skiing, movies or chinese food on Christmas day.

There has been a constant through the years that I have sought out, searched for and looked forward to each year. They hold great significance and have grown to be something I looked forward to and loved. Sadly, that constant is no longer with us this holiday season.

Is it a certain person, tradition or event that makes the holidays?

A recipe, dish or meal that ensures a blessed holiday season?

Nope, none of the above.

Its a cookie.

Perhaps the buildup was a tad dramatic, but all aforementioned statements are true. I've loved these cookies for as long as I can remember, and sadly, are no longer commercially available. Archway's Holiday Nougat Cookies, in their trademark red packaging, have been unceremoniously absent for the past two holiday seasons. Last year, I cast an inquisitive gaze at the supermarket end-caps and displays, thinking perhaps I'd just missed them. This year, I'd nearly forgotten about them until last week, and began my pursuit. After going 0 for 3 at the local markets, an investigation was needed. Turns out Archway has been a victim of the economic downturn, their less than profitable cookie crumbling into Chapter 11. Thankfully, this recipe provided the holiday constant that I'd missed for the past two years.

Archway Holiday Nougat Cookies
1 cup butter, unsalted
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups finely chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans or cashews)
Confectioner’s sugar

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Sift flour and salt, and add to butter mixture until mixed. Add nuts and mix well. Shape into 1 inch balls and place on greased baking sheet. Bake at 325 degrees for minutes, making sure cookies do not brown. Cool cookies and roll gently in confectioner’s sugar.

The trick with these guys to replicate the buttery, crumbly, melt in your mouth texture is cooking them through without them browning. They are fairly spot on for flavor and consistency, and have saved another holiday tradition. Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Marshmallow S'mores Bites

2009-12-12T18:42:00.000-08:00

This somehow was a natural progression in the evolution of marshmallow treats. Growing up spending summers on a lake, ending evenings around a campfire was a frequent occurrence. This is everything a true s'more should be, minus the smoky smell ingrained in your clothes, the charred knuckles from trying to get your stick close enough to the embers to get it golden but not make a flaming sugar torch, and the awkward crunch to chew ratio of the graham cracker and chocolate bar to marshmallow. These are rustic, bite size pieces that were super fast to make, and so, so good.

Marshmallow S'mores Bites
1 cup crushed graham crackers
2 Tbsp butter
8 oz semisweet chocolate
1/2 tsp canola or vegetable oil
3 packages unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Follow recipe for Toasted Coconut Marshmallow Squares, omitting coconut and vanilla bean from ingredients.

Generously coat a 8" x 11" non metallic pan with cooking spray. Melt butter and combine with finely crushed graham crackers. Spread graham mixture on bottom of pan and pack firmly. Top with marshmallow mixture and set aside.

In a double boiler, combine chocolate and oil. Mix thoroughly until chocolate is melted and smooth. Spoon evenly over marshmallow mixture. Refrigerate uncovered for at least two hours before serving. To remove marshmallows easily, run a butter knife between the edge of the marshmallow and the pan. Invert over a plate or serving dish to remove. Cut in small bite size pieces and enjoy.

Toasted Coconut Vanilla Marshmallows

2009-12-10T19:11:00.001-08:00

Winter has reared its ugly head in Southern California, showing up a full two weeks early to the seasonal exchange party. Being a native New Yorker, I use the term winter rather loosely. In New York, winter might constitute knowing that when the weatherman says "expecting 1-2 tonight" that may well indicate feet not inches of snow to come, getting up 20 minutes early every day to dig your car out and scrape the windshield with a credit card if your desperate, and knowing that its perfectly normal to dress in 4 or more layers on a daily basis. The California definition seems to vary slightly, apparently with winter meaning temperatures under 55 degrees, raining, and visible snow on the mountains far, far away.

Despite the shift in coastal perspective on what constitutes winter, seasonal habits certainly seem to be resurfacing. The cold dreary weather conjures up memories of steaming hot cocoa with floaty marshmallow bits and other ways to take the chill off. I've been thinking about making marshmallows for months, not because I have a particular affinity for them, but purely because I think they're fun. The creative combinations of flavors and colors and shapes - oh the shapes! are limitless. I foresee more marshmallow mashups coming in the near future. For now, think about warming up with one of these plump little darlings in your next cup of cocoa when the chill rolls in.

Toasted Coconut Vanilla Marshmallows
Recipe adapted from the Food Network and Ina Garten

1 cup shredded sweetened coconut, firmly packed
3 packages unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean
Powdered sugar

Spread a think layer of coconut on a baking sheet and place in 325 degree oven. Toast for 12-15 minutes, or until light golden brown. Remove to cool, and set aside.

Combine the gelatin and 1/2 cup of cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and allow to sit while you make the marshmallow syrup.

Combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. Cook at a steady rolling boil for one minute, continuing to stir, and remove from heat.

With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the marshmallow syrup into the dissolved gelatin. Put the mixer on high speed and whip until the mixture is very thick, about 15 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix thoroughly.

Sprinkle half the toasted coconut in an 8 by 12-inch nonmetal pan. Oil the sides of the pan thoroughly with nonstick spray or vegetable oil. Pour in the marshmallow batter and smooth the top of the mixture with damp hands. Allow to dry uncovered at room temperature overnight.

Remove the marshmallows by inverting the pan onto a baking sheet covered with powdered sugar. Cut marshmallows into squares and roll each carefully in confectioners sugar. Store uncovered at room temperature. Makes 25-30 marshmallows.

Jose Cuervo Christmas Cookies

2009-12-09T08:45:00.000-08:00

For those of you might think that cookies and tequila might not be a match made in heaven, here is a little chuckle for you. As a disclaimer, this recipe has not been verified nor tested, its just meant for humor. I received it earlier and I thought you all might enjoy. Who knows, it sounds like it has potential... Back to real cooking soon.

Jose Cuervo Christmas Cookies
1 cup of water
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup of brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup nuts
2 cups of dried fruit
1 bottle Jose Cuervo Tequila

Sample the Cuervo to check quality. Take a large bowl, check the Cuervo again, to be sure it is of the highest quality,pour one level cup and drink.

Turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl.

Add one peastoon of sugar. Beat again. At this point it's best to make sure the Cuervo is still ok, try another cup just in case.

Turn off the mixerer thingy.

Break 2 leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.

Pick the frigging fruit off the floor.

Mix on the turner.

If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaters just pry it loose with a drewscriver.

Sample the Cuervo to check for tonsisticity.
Next, sift two cups of salt, or something. Who geeves a crap. Check the Jose Cuervo. Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.

Add one table.

Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find.

Greash the oven.

Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over.

Don't forget to beat off the turner.

Finally, throw the bowl through the window, finish the Cose Juervo and make sure to put the stove in the wishdasher.

Cherry Mistmas !

Crockpot Turkey Chili with Sweet Heat

2009-12-03T20:42:00.000-08:00

So it turns out I wasn't over turkey quite yet. Somehow a mere week later its crept back into the kitchen, demanding to be front and center in yet another dish. As the nights are a bit cooler recently, I've been favoring hearty soups and stews guaranteed to take the chill off. This is one of my maiden forays into crock pot cooking, as well as turkey based chili. Don't be put off by the pineapple, as it adds an undertone of sweetness to balance the heat of the spices and hot sauce. You'll know you're eating a solid bowl of chili when this is done.

Crockpot Turkey Chili with Sweet Heat
2 lbs ground turkey
12 oz crushed tomatoes
12 oz crushed pineapple
1 12 oz can dark red kidney beans
1 12 oz can cannelloni beans
1/2 cup onion, chopped
3/4 cup spaghetti sauce
2 Tbsp teriyaki sauce
1 Tbsp Frank's Red Hot
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp fresh cracked pepper
1/2 tsp coarse salt

Place ground turkey in large saute pan over medium heat. Add salt and pepper and mix with wooden spoon. Cook turkey through for 5-7 minutes. Place turkey in colander to remove excess fat, and set aside.

Add chopped onions to saute pan and cook until they are softened.

In a crockpot, combine tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, pineapple, onion and turkey. Drain liquid from beans and add to mixture. Combine all spices, hot sauce and teriyaki to crockpot and stir thoroughly. Cook for 2 to 2.5 hours, stirring occasionally. Garnish with sour cream and chives, and serve.

Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps

2009-11-29T13:08:00.000-08:00

After not one, not two, but THREE tasty turkeys were served for Thanksgiving this year, I've officially met my annual turkey consumption allowance. The big winner of the three was a deep fried beauty injected with Italian dressing, although there was not a bad one in the bunch... it is turkey after all. I've always been partial to dark meat, based on prior experience with dry, stringy white meat. After sampling the deep fried injected bird, I might just be a white meat convert.

Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, its time to throw it back to our old friend chicken. These are tweaked from this recipe, simplified and kicked up a bit.

Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps (serves 5-6)

Filling:
2 Tbsp canola oil
2 lbs chicken thighs, skin removed
2/3 cup mushrooms
3/4 cup chopped onions
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup shredded daikon
1 head of Bibb lettuce
1/3 cup chopped unsalted peanuts
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Sauce:
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp ketchup
1 tsp fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp hot mustard
1 tsp Sriracha
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp corn starch

Stir Fry Sauce:
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp rice wine vinegar

To make sauce, dissolve sugar in water in a small bowl. Add all remaining sauce ingredients to a small saucepan except for corn starch. Stir well over medium heat until all ingredients are mixed. Add cornstarch slurry (cornstarch plus 1 tsp water mixed) to saucepan and stir until thickened. Remove from heat and refrigerate when sauce is cooled.

In a large wok or frying pan, bring oil to medium heat. Saute chicken for 4-5 minutes per side or until cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and chop into small penny sized chunks when cooled.

Combine soy sauce, brown sugar and rice wine vinegar (stir fry sauce) in a small bowl. Add to frying pan used previously for the chicken. Add chopped onions, mushrooms and garlic. Saute for a few minutes and add the chopped chicken. Mix thoroughly for 1-2 minutes and remove from heat.

Wash Bibb lettuce thoroughly and carefully remove leaves. Spoon chicken mixture into each lettuce leaf, topping with sauce, carrots and daikon. Garnish with chopped peanuts and cilantro and serve.

The Stuff(ing) Dreams Are Made Of

2009-11-22T14:08:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking of how to make this happen since Halloween. It was then I tasted something so good, so flavorful and so gosh darn simple that I had to have it again.

Was it some fantastic chocolate covered wonderment snatched from our nephew's candy bag?

Nope.

A perfect candy apple layered with caramel and walnuts and other goodness?

Uh-uh... guess again.

It was, wait for it...

A mushroom.

I know, you're thinking what exactly were you doing eating mushrooms on Halloween? Were you shirking your American duty of filling your belly with Hershey bars and Smarties and the obligatory Bit' o Honey, even though you already know you don't like them? Heck no, I wouldn't be that guy.

This year we partook in some fun pre-Halloweening festivities, including the traditional pumpkin carving and dinner with family and San Diego. Mr. SoCal's aunt whipped up some of her notoriously delicious sherry mushrooms, and that was it for me. These things are to die for, there is no other way to aptly describe it. They cook down in sherry cooking wine for hours and hours on end until they are mere shells of their former selves, and then they are so packed with flavor its unbelievable. So that folks, is why I've had a hankering for mushrooms since Halloween. Just in time for Thanksgiving, a few of my favorite things come together for this enticing fusion of flavors.

Savory Sourdough Mushroom Stuffing
1 12 oz loaf of sourdough bread
24 oz white button mushrooms (1 1/2 package)
18 oz Sherry cooking wine (bottle size may vary)
8 oz chestnuts, roasted and shelled**
1 large sweet onion (vidalia preferably)
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp salted butter
1 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 tsp fresh sage
1 tsp fresh thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

**Chestnuts may be tough to find, and are a little time consuming to prep, roast and shell. They are sold ready to go at Williams-Sonoma and much less expensively at Ohnuts.com. Really, I couldn't make that up.

Wash mushrooms well and remove all stems. Set stems aside. Place mushroom caps and sherry cooking wine in a medium lidded saucepan. Add 2 Tbsp butter and leave to simmer on low heat for 3 hours.

If you are roasting chestnuts, preheat oven to 425 degrees. With a small paring knife, carefully carve an X in one side of the chestnut. Mind your digits, and keep a tight grip on the end of paring knife blade. Make sure to cut through to the inner shell and chestnut meat, which will be much easier than the initial X.

Place chestnuts on a baking sheet and roast for 25-30 minutes. Remove shell from chestnuts as soon as they are cool enough to handle. Chop chestnuts into quarters, and set aside. Check out a helpful video tutorial here.

Turn oven down to 275 degrees. Slice sourdough into 1 inch square cubes and place on a baking sheet. Place in oven for 3-4 minutes, until the bread feel slightly dry. If you were wise enough to tear and leave your bread out the day before, skip to the next step.

In a medium saute pan, add to 2 Tbsp olive oil and 1/2 of vidalia onion, cut into lengthwise slices. Let onions sweat and soften over medium low heat for 6-8 minutes. Add 2 more Tbsp olive oil, along with garlic, mushroom stems and chestnuts. Add salt, pepper, sage and thyme and mix well. Let cook for 10-12 minutes, until onions are slightly browned and garlic is fragrant.

Place bread cubes in a casserole dish in a single layer. Add chestnut mixture from saute pan, then add mushrooms. By now they should be 1/2 to 1/3 their original size and a lovely dark brown color. Mix all thoroughly. If stuffing appears dry, slowly add chicken stock 1/4 cup at a time. Mix well and then test if you need additional liquid.

Place in 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes and enjoy.

Eggplant Caprese Stacks

2009-11-17T13:48:00.000-08:00

The time is upon us that we will soon face a monumental challenge. In an annual expression of celebration, festivity and just a touch of gluttony, the holiday eating season is fast approaching. The stretch between Thanksgiving and New Years Day brings an unwelcome gift- an increase in caloric intake, accepted and expected overeating, and possibly an extra few pounds. In an effort to defray the caloric costs of the impending foodpalooza, I'm focusing on healthy recipes that may provide tasty alternatives to the traditional calorie laden holiday favorites. In the spirit of full disclosure, there might be just a tad of selfish motivation behind this. A baking bonanza of holiday belly bombs and non traditional goodies will be on like donkey kong here after turkey day, so for now its all about balancing the good with the oh so very bad.

The impressive amount of good for you stuff in this little stack of happy is worth noting. Olive oil provides a healthy dose of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and inflammation reducing polyphenols. Tomatoes are rich in antioxidants, and eggplant is an excellent source of dietary fiber, potassium, vitamin B1 and B6. Basil provides vitamin A and magnesium, helping the heart and blood vessels to relax. Pine nuts contain protein, iron, and the only natural source of pinolenic acid, which stimulates hormones and decreases your appetite. And come on now, who really needs a health reason to eat mozzarella? If you insist on one, protein and calcium fit the bill. I've now convinced myself that today, I'm dishing up nothing short of health food. Fight off the impending holiday grub overdose with this healthful treat, a gift from my kitchen to yours.

Eggplant Caprese Stacks
1 large eggplant
1 cup breadcrumbs, seasoned (see below)
1 egg
1 8 oz round of mozzarella
2 large tomatoes
1/3 cup pine nuts
1 cup fresh basil
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, finely minced
Olive oil

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, adding 1-2 Tbsp olive oil. Peel eggplant and cut into roughly 1/3 inch slices. Whisk one egg in a shallow dish, and place breadcrumbs in another shallow dish. Season breadcrumbs if desired, with salt, pepper, garlic powder and oregano (I recommend this). Dip one slice of eggplant in egg and cover both sides. Let excess egg drip off, and dredge eggplant slice in breadcrumbs. Place in heated skillet and cook until golden brown on both sides. Repeat for the remaining eggplant slices, adding a Tbsp of olive oil to the skillet between each batch.

For the pesto, combine washed basil, pine nuts, Parmesan, garlic and 3 Tbsp olive oil in a food processor. Blend until a smooth paste is formed, adding additional olive oil as needed.

To form stacks, layer eggplant, tomato and mozzarella in desired arrangement. Add a layer of pesto between two layers, or top stacks with the pesto.

These stacks are filling and full of contrasting tastes and textures. The warm, crisp eggplant plays against the cool creaminess of the mozzarella. As you can see my pesto is a little, shall we say rustic. Making a smaller amount of pesto made my food processor none too excited to chop, so I went with a mortar and pestle and it still tasted great. The pesto oil seeps into the browned eggplant and makes for savory forkfuls of goodness. Happy eating to you and go enjoy some healthy food before the holiday glut closes in.

Rosemary Roast Chicken and Potatoes

2009-11-10T20:20:00.001-08:00

Simplicity. It seems to be the new buzz word when it comes to food lately. Food Network has a show devoted to the concept, Claire Robinson's 5 Ingredient Fix. Haagen Dazs hopped on the simple train earlier this year, debuting a new line of ice creams containing a mere five flavors, aptly named Five. Just for giggles, I checked out Amazon.com's best sellers in cooking, wine and food section. No less than 9 of the top 100 contain the word "simple" in their titles. If Giada, Ina, and Alice Waters are on board the simple food movement, who am I to protest?

I remember my mom making this when we lived way, way, way up north in upstate New York. It's rich aroma greeted you at the door like a warm hug when you came in from the cold. The ease that you can bring this meal together should really be kept secret, and you can reveal it at your own discretion. The mystery ingredient that brings this dish together is the rich sweetness of molasses. A filling, deeply flavored and soul satisfying dish is the end result.

Rosemary Roast Chicken and Potatoes
2 lbs fresh chicken thighs (roughly 6)
2 lbs sweet potatoes
1 lb red skinned potatoes
1/2 cup molasses
6 Tbsp olive oil
3 large springs fresh rosemary
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place a large pot of water on a burner to boil. While water is heating, rinse and clean potatoes. Cut potatoes into golf ball sized chunks, leaving skins on and removing ends of sweet potatoes. Place potatoes into water and boil until fork tender (12-15 minutes).

While potatoes boil, place chicken thighs skin side up in a large rectangular baking dish. Drizzle 2 Tbsp olive oil on chicken, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Finely chop rosemary and top chicken with 1 tsp of rosemary. Drizzle 1 Tbsp molasses over chicken.

When potatoes are cooked, drain in colander and return to pot. Add remaining olive oil, rosemary, molasses, salt and pepper and toss gently. When potatoes are thoroughly coated, place between the chicken thighs in baking dish. Cook for 50-55 minutes, until chicken is golden brown.

The cold nights are few and far between here in SoCal, but when the occasion presents itself, this is a simple, satisfying meal to have on hand.

Teriyaki Salmon Sliders

2009-11-03T15:18:00.000-08:00

Every now and again, we have to stand up and face a harsh food reality. Not every recipe will be as glorious as its colorful reviews claim, as mouth watering as its loyal followers emphatically state, or look as appealing as in their beautifully staged and thoughtfully designed photos intend. I concocted just such a food bomb the other day, with nothing but good intentions and eager anticipation. Perhaps the smoky sweet potato cornbread that sounded like such a perfect blend will be reborn around here someday, but I'm happy to say some good came out of the whole mess. In the green spirit of recycling, the dense, dry, rip your fillings out monstrosity was repurposed and played a key role in these teriyaki salmon sliders. Redemption is mine!

Teriyaki Salmon Sliders
Teriyaki Salmon Burgers
(makes 16)
2 lb salmon (fillets or canned)
1 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs*
1/2 cup chopped scallions
6 Tbsp teriyaki sauce
1 1/2 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp Sriracha sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2tsp ground black pepper
1/3 tsp kosher salt

Pulse salmon in food processor until desired size of salmon chunks are obtained. Remove salmon from food processor and place in mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix with a spoon until fully incorporated. Divide mixture in four equal portions. Score each portion into four equal sized amounts. Roll out 16 small slider patties, approximately 2-3 ounces each. Pan fry in dry skillet over medium heat until golden brown on each side. Top with lettuce, tomato and red onion if desired.

* I used breadcrumbs from the cornbread, but plain fresh bread crumbs are fine.

Slider Buns
From CHOW
(makes 16)

1 1/4 whole milk
6 Tbsp vegetable shortening (non hydrogenated is preferred)*
3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
1 tsp kosher salt

Bring milk to a simmer over medium heat. As soon as milk simmers, remove from heat and stir in shortening until combined. Let cool as you prepare the dry ingredients.

Combine all dry ingredients into mixing bowl. When liquid has cooled (between 105F - 115F) slowly add to dry ingredients, mixing with a dough hook.
Mix on low until dough comes away from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium low and mix until dough is smooth and springy, about 4 minutes.

Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, add dough, and turn to coat in oil. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm area until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Punch down dough and turn onto a clean surface. Divide dough into 16 pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth, round bun (keep the rest covered with the towel as you work). Slightly flatten bun and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Repeat to make 16 buns.

Place buns in a warm area until slightly risen and puffy (note that they will not double in size), about 30 to 40 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400°F and arrange the rack in the middle.

When buns have risen, bake in the oven until they are golden brown, crusty, and have an internal temperature of 190°F, about 15 to 17 minutes. Remove from the oven, transfer to a rack, and let cool at least 10 minutes before serving

* I used hydrogenated vegetable shortening (Crisco) based purely on cost. The non hydrogenated shortening was close to 8 bucks and we all know Crisco is a bit more affordable.

So the results.. were fantastic. The burgers were moist, decidedly not dry compared to prior attempts at salmon burgers. These could absolutely be cooked on the grill as well. A slice of red onion with the burger was a perfect sweet tang that balanced the subtle heat of the sriracha. The buns, however, were not my finest work. My bread baking is primarily limited to banana bread, a couple of loaves of honey wheat and one stellar attempt at Irish soda bread, so the delicate sublteties of bread making are not my forte. At least for now. They were a little bit doughy and heavy, but the sweet light flavor did not disappoint. Definitely heed the part in the recipe to keep the dough under a towel as you work to make the buns. I conveniently skipped that, and a slight tough skin formed around the exposed dough, affecting their willingness to take their destined bun shapes. I topped these with a sriracha mayonnaise and was very pleased with the taste combination. Give these a spin at your next Sunday football party, they're sure to be a hit.

Celery Apple Risotto with Crispy Pancetta

2009-10-26T15:27:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed an abundance of delicious fall flavored treats floating around the food blogs these days. Creations rich with pumpkin, squash, apples and rich harvest spices are some of my favorites, regardless of the season. Fall has always meant trips to the pumpkin patch, bringing out those great snuggly sweaters to keep the chill away on cool fall days, apple cider, the sound of crunching leaves underfoot, and the smell. That smell of fall is distinctive, earthy and delicious enough to make you close your eyes and contently smile while drawing in the biggest whiff your lungs can take.

Here in California, I'm learning fall really isn't that different. Kids still go wild at the pumpkin patch, leaping and bounding from the hay bales while in pursuit of the perfect pumpkin. A few leaves litter the sidewalks here and there, and apple cider doughnuts were a welcome find at a downtown cafe a few days ago. Our neighborhood is festooned with fake spiderwebs, witches, goblins and ghouls. Despite the lack of cool crisp fall weather I grew up with, I've learned that the seasons are what you make of them, regardless of your location. I can't wait to carve pumpkins, hoping that I can recover from a carving contest whooping that I received from Mr. SoCal last year. The thought of our 2 and 3 year old nephews all decked out for Halloween in their bat costumes makes me grin from ear to ear, and the thought of them hopped up on sugary goodies makes me grin even more. The smell of fall is different here, so I decided to fill our kitchen with a rich, comforting scent of a treat that may not be as snuggly as those great fuzzy sweaters, but warms your heart and belly just the same.

Celery Apple Risotto with Crispy Pancetta
(adapted from Bon Appetit, 2007)

3 - 14 oz cans low sodium chicken broth (or stock)
1 cup celery, diced (about 4 stalks)
1/2 cup onion, diced
3 apples, diced
2 cups arborio rice
1 1/2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/8 cup shredded Parmesan reggiano cheese
3 oz pancetta, diced
Salt and Pepper to taste
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Fresh chives

In a small saucepan, pour chicken broth and simmer on medium heat.

In a large sauce pot, melt 1 Tbsp butter and oil together. Add diced onion, celery and two of the diced apples, and lemon juice. Saute on medium heat for 5-10 minutes, until onions and celery are soft. Add minced garlic and continue to stir.

Add arborio rice to large sauce pot and stir until well mixed. Slowly add chicken broth 1/2 to 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly.

Continue to mix with each addition of chicken broth, until all liquid is incorporated (25-30 minutes total). When all liquid is absorbed and rice is just past al dente, remove from heat and all Parmesan reggiano cheese and remaining butter and stir. Add remaining finely diced apple and stir thoroughly. The risotto will be done when it no longer can absorb additional liquid. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cook diced pancetta over medium heat, and place cooked pancetta on paper towel to absorb excess grease. Plate risotto, and top with chopped chives and pancetta crumbles.

I really wanted a subtle apple sweetness to be the predominant flavor of this dish. When the risotto finished cooking, the apple was masked behind the earthy flavor of the celery and a hint of garlic. I used a softer apple (Macoun)and both the flavor and texture of the apple was lost in the risotto. Using a finely diced up apple mixed in after cooking gave it the perfect balance I was looking for. Next time around I would opt for a firmer apple, like a Braeburn or Granny Smith. The pancetta could just as easily be bacon and still get that great sweet salty balance. Happy fall to you and yours, and best wishes for a safe and happy Halloween.

Moonshine Whoopie Pies

2009-10-22T15:55:00.000-07:00

I've been reveling in the picture perfect weather here in sunny California, and the kitchen at Chez SoCal is definitely open for business once again. One of my favorite food blogs to frequent is also a local LA gal, Sara, over at Culinerapy. Perusing her site a few nights ago, I was delighted to see a recipe for a New England staple, the whoopie pie. I've been pondering, mulling, and plotting this recipe ever since.

I've had this recipe for Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes bookmarked from Smitten Kitchen for entirely too long. Variations have popped up around the web, found here and here among others. Yesterday, in a search for inspiration, I revisited my overflowing folder of bookmarked recipes and ran across this very recipe. I now believe this was an act of divine victual intervention. Conveniently, Guinness, Jamesons and Baileys happen to be the go to trifecta of libations in our household. Why, you ask? It just so happens that Mr. SoCal happens to be Irish. Really, really Irish. I'm talking red hair and green pointy shoes short of a leprechaun Irish. In the spirit of full disclosure, I also enjoy Baileys in a piping hot cup of coffee on a Sunday morning. There's nothing wrong with having some liquid deliciousness in house, and it worked to my full culinary advantage today. The following is what happens when two amazing concepts unite in a brainstorm, complete with a dash of the hooch for good measure.

Moonshine Whoopie Pies
Makes 9 - 10 whoopie pies

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup butter, salted (softened)
2 cups Guinness stout
1/4 cup strong brewed coffee
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Filling
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter, salted (softened)
8 ounces cream cheese (softened)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3-4 Tbsp Baileys Irish Cream

Whoopie Cookies:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray, or line with parchment paper.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa. In another large bowl, mix together brown sugar, butter and oil until well combined. Add egg and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add coffee and half of the Guinness. Slowly incorporate dry ingredients into wet mixture, one cup at a time. After adding half of the dry ingredients, add the remaining Guinness. Mix in remaining dry ingredients.

Using an ice cream scoop, scoop batter onto baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Bake until cookies are just starting to crack on top, about 15 minutes. Cool completely.

Filling:
Beat softened butter and cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, until fully incorporated. Add vanilla, then add Bailey's until desired flavor level is achieved. Spoon into large zip top bag or pastry bag, and refrigerate.

Making the whoopie pies:
Remove filling in bag from fridge for 10 - 15 minutes prior to assembling whoopie pies. Lay half of cookies flat side up on a large cutting board or clean baking sheet. Working from the outer edge of the cookie towards the center, pipe a spiral of filling, covering entire flat surface of cookie. Top with remaining cookies. Wrap whoopie pies in plastic wrap (individually or between stacked layers) and refrigerate before serving.

I simply cannot get over the pillowy, light texture of the whoopie pie batter. Its akin to a more dense version of a meringue, that's the only thing I can compare it to. These whoopie cookies are delicate little flowers, though. Do take extra care in their storage after they cool. In my attempt to clean the cocoa-laden, sugary booze bomb that went off in my kitchen in the process of making these, I layered the nearly cooled cookies in a zip top bag. After the cleaning frenzy had passed, I found my beloved whoopie cookies a bit worse for wear. Stuck to their neighbors and painfully eager to fall apart, I humbly salute the 6 dearly departed whoopie cookies who are no longer in their intended form. Good thing there was leftover filling, or their crumbling would have been in vain.

Make sure to have plenty of ventilation when you whip these guys up. I was amazed with how, well, perfumed my kitchen was when these were baking. In plain English, when these cook, the Guinness cooks out and makes the air ripe with the aroma of beer. And chocolate. Strange, but a welcomed aroma in my house from here on in, if these awesome whoopie pies are the end product. Cheers and enjoy!

Popcorn POM Bars

2009-10-18T19:29:00.000-07:00

Greetings and salutations from the wild wild West. My absence from blogging likely has been much more palpable to me than any of you lovely folks, but I hope my absence hasn't turned you off from this site. If it has, my sincere apologies. A variety of events and circumstances have kept me away, including a broken camera, but more importantly a serious family illness that required I head back East for a few months. My time there was precious and I am happy to say, the maker of the best chicken pot pie in the great state of New York, otherwise known as my mom, has recovered and is back to her feisty self. I'm now back in southern California, and settling back into the joyous drudgery of daily life. I've missed this part of my world and look forward to getting back into the swing of things. I hope that you will enjoy it too.

I was pleasantly surprised to receive some delicious POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice from the fantastic folks at POM a few days ago. I love POM Wonderful and knew that it was a serious source of antioxidants, but had no idea the depth and breadth of research POM has done to support this product. These folks picked a great person to send this to, because deep down in my soul stirs a big old nerd who adores all things science. I know this is a cooking and food blog, so you are free to skip the medical mumbo jumbo if it doesn't appeal to you. Go ahead, I'm not mad at ya. For those of you fellow nerds that stuck around, get this. POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice has been the subject of over 35 peer reviewed research articles in the Journal of Nutrition, American Journal of Cardiology, and Clinical Cancer Research among others. It's been shown to improve blood flow to the heart in patients with coronary heart disease, decrease arterial plaque (the gunk that narrows your arteries), decrease the risk of recurrence of prostate cancer, as well as improve erectile function. See what all the people who didn't want to read this missed out on? Who knows when that will be your go to talking point at your next social event! You can thank me later.

And I digress... thanks for those of you who slogged through my nerdtastic wandering diatribe. I just love that stuff. When I received the POM juice, I got stuck on an idea of making popcorn balls. Since the starring element is so darn good for you, I didn't want to muck it up with the traditional unhealthy ingredients like butter and sugar or corn syrup. What unfolded and developed was a healthy, delightfully satisfying treat.

Popcorn POM Bars

16 oz POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice
1/4 cup popcorn kernels
5 oz ricemellow creme (or traditional marshmallow fluff)
2 oz dried cherries
4 oz chocolate chips

Pour POM juice in small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 40-50 minutes until reduced to a thick syrup consistency. Let cool. Pop popcorn, and mix with berries. When reduced POM is cooled, mix in large bowl with popcorn and cherries. Mix with spoon to evenly coat all popcorn. Mix in chocolate chips and firmly press into a greased 9 x 9 pan. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours and cut into 9 squares.

Fast, simple and ridiculously healthy. If you wanted to double down on the antioxidant punch that these pack, switch to dark chocolate chips. Throw in a handful of almonds of walnuts for some healthy fats and protein. Don't like dried cherries? Try raisins, cranberries, or whatever other tasty dried fruity bits your heart desires. This is truly my ideal type of food creation; simple, successful, and with endless interchangeable ingredients. It is a sticky project, which might be fun for you brave parents to try with your kids. I'd never used ricemellow creme before, and was a bit taken aback by the airy, almost crystalline appearance of it. Turns out if you stir it all up, it looks just like traditional fluff, and tastes remarkably similar. Simple joys right? Good to have you back, and I promise I won't be leaving you high and dry, or hungry and annoyed, again any time soon.

Banana Bread Nice Cream

2009-07-23T19:03:00.000-07:00

Oh, how I wish I had been the brains behind the simplistic brilliance of this recipe. So easy, so uncomplicated and so disgustingly healthy it cries out to be drenched in a thick calorie laden caramel sauce. Please do so if you feel so inclined. How I also wish that I had not suffered an unfortunate camera meltdown that left me with this one poorly composed, slightly blurry shot before it decided to kick the bucket. Some sort of lens error that left the lens sticking out and unable to retract. Good thing I had this delicious faux ice cream to ease the pain of my camera misfortune. For breakfast.

While cruising the blogosphere earlier this week, I ran across a post on Choosing Raw. For the record, I in no way eat raw or subscribe to the raw lifestyle, however I enjoy the purity within the concept of eating clean, raw food. I did have a brief flirtation with going vegetarian for about 10 days a few years back, but after all that roughage I fell victim to what some called a "meat indiscretion" and haven't looked back since. I try to eat healthy, fairly balanced meals for the most part, but I love the occasional sugar bomb just as much as the next gal. I have to tell you, if this is what eating raw includes, I might just think about it.

Banana Bread Nice Cream (tweaked from recipe at Choosingraw.com)
2 bananas, frozen
1/2 vanilla bean
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp chopped walnuts

Peel bananas and cut into 4-5 pieces. Place in sealed container and freeze until solid. Place banana chunks in food processor with scraped vanilla bean, cinnamon and walnuts. Blend for 3-4 minutes, until mixture is the consistency of soft serve ice cream. Top with an additional sprinkle of chopped walnuts if desired.

Simple. Unbelievably yummy. Refreshing beyond belief. I truly felt like I was indulging way more than I should be when eating this, but its so healthy its unreal. The mouthfeel is smooth and rich, similar to soft serve. For the record it doesn't hold up well to refreezing, as it refreezes into crystal form, altering its texture. It works equally well making this in a blender, which I did with the assistance of a glug of soy milk. In my continuing pursuit of making frozen treats without an ice cream maker, this one definately has taken top marks.

Peanut and Panko Crusted Chicken Nuggets with Thai Satay Sauce

2009-07-11T19:54:00.000-07:00

Despite our epic Costco trip earlier this week, we found ourselves smack dab in the middle of a food conundrum. It seems that the jaw dropping irony of a full refrigerator is inevitable, at least in our house. After pensively evaluating the contents of the fridge, Mr SoCal looked at me and said "There's nothing to eat". In the realm of water water everywhere and not a drop to drink, behold a stuffed to the gills fridge with apparently, no food. In his defense, I should elaborate. "I mean, everything has to be cooked. Nothing is made" Viable point taken. On my day off, I set out to remedy the enigma that was our empty, yet chock full fridge.

Simple ready made grab and go items were a staple in our college years. Ramen, frozen burritos, granola bars, and precooked chicken breasts (affectionately referred to as "fatty patties") were all familiar favorites. Our tastes have matured slightly since then, but I suppose this would be an appropriate time to fess up to the half empty case of Chicken Cup O' Noodles in our pantry... I digress. With the memory of the fatty patties fresh in my mind, chicken cemented itself at the center of my cooking whimsy.

Deciding on chicken nuggets, I wanted a proper dash of flavor and texture to gussy up otherwise ordinary chicken. There is nothing worse than flavorless, stringy, less than appetizing chicken breast to ruin an otherwise ravenous appetite. Surveying the fridge, Thai looked like a good option. I had some homemade peanut butter from the delicious blog of Kiss My Spatula, plus some grated peanuts. The closet was stocked with panko bread crumbs, and to my delight I found a lonely looking nub of ginger waiting for its call to glory in the crisper. Welcome to the origin of my souped up, crunchy, peanutty chicken nuggets.

Peanut and Panko Crusted Chicken Nuggets with Thai Satay Sauce
Ingredients
4-6 ounce chicken breasts

For dredging flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp garlic
1/4 tsp ginger (powder)
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp lime juice

3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped peanuts
Dash salt and pepper

Thai Satay Sauce
3/4 cup homemade peanut butter (or smooth store bought)
1/2 cup water
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1/2 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp coriander
3/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp sesame oil

Equipment
Three mixing bowls
Baking rack
Baking sheet

Gather three mixing bowls; one for dredging flour, one for egg wash, and one for the breading mixture. In the first bowl, mix all dredging flour ingredients. In the second bowl, mix eggs and lime juice. Combine panko, chopped peanuts, salt and pepper in third bowl.

Cut chicken breasts into bite size pieces (4-5 per breast). First, dip chicken pieces into flour mixture. Shake off excess, and dunk in egg wash. Let excess egg drip off and finish in the peanut and panko mixture. When nugget is well coated, place on a cooking spray covered baking rack, placed over baking sheet. Cook nuggets in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until lightly golden.

Sauce
Combine all ingredients in food processor and combine. Really, that's all. I swear.

Cooking Notes
If you haven't floured, egged, and coated anything before, it is an inherently messy process. It is essential to maintain and "wet hand" and a "dry hand" for this. If you opt not to, it will be quite a challenge to even turn the nozzle on your faucet to rinse off the inevitable accumulation of sticky goop. Place the nuggets into the flour and transfer them to the egg wash with one hand, then switch to the designated "wet hand" for the messier egg wash removal and peanut panko coating. Trust me here, this is the way to go.

I see many versions of these nuggets coming to fruition in the future. It really was convenient to grab a few of these, dunk them and go and have a healthy dose of protein and flavor at your disposal. Mystery of the full yet empty fridge solved- case closed.

Pickled Asian Ginger Salad

2009-07-07T12:53:00.001-07:00

Greetings from sunny Southern California! I have returned to left coast and 48 hours later, back at the cooking and creating. Shortly after landing, Mr. SoCal and I made an epic Costco run to restock our beyond empty fridge. We picked up some fantastic looking Ahi Tuna, and have since been pondering a fitting side dish to accompany it. My fascination with the whiffle ball bat looking Daikon played a large part in this dish. This large radish is shaped like an overgrown white carrot, and has a mild, sweet taste and texture similar to water chestnuts. It is pleasant to eat on its own, and it provides a mild sweetness to serve as the base for this pickled Asian inspired salad.

Pickled Asian Ginger Salad
1 cup sliced daikon
3/4 cup sliced carrot
3/4 cup sliced cucumber
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp grated ginger
Sesame seeds

Peel daikon, carrot and cucumber. Slice all vegetables with a grater or mandolin. Place sliced veggies in a bowl. In another bowl, mix vinegar, sesame oil and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Grate ginger and add to vinegar mixture. Pour vinegar mixture on sliced veggies and stir thoroughly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for two hours. After chilling, stir again and plate. Top with sesame seeds and serve.

The sweetness of the veggies and acidic bite of the vinegar make for a pleasing balance in this salad. It's one of the few pickling experiments I've ever braved, and its pretty simple and quite delicious. Don't fear the pickle! Dive right in and get your brine on. Happy eating!

Garden Fresh Strawberry Lemonade with Honey and Mint

2009-07-04T14:16:00.001-07:00

Happy Fourth of July everyone! I hope you all are having a fun, safe and happy holiday with your favorite folks. This is a quick recipe for a delicious holiday drink that was inspired by the bounty of fresh goods available right here at my mom's house. The strawberries were picked from her berry patch in the backyard, and the mint is wild, growing on the banks of the lake.

Strawberry Lemonade with Honey and Mint
3 lemons
1 quart strawberries, hulled and quartered
1/2 cup honey plus 1 Tbsp
1/3 cup fresh mint leaves, torn
2 Tbsp sugar
6 cups water

Mix quartered strawberries with the juice of three lemons and sugar. Let the combination macerate for 5-10 minutes.

Boil one cup of water on stove, then add mint leaves and 1 Tbsp of honey. Reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes

Using a strainer or sieve, strain mint leaves from the simmering liquid. Discard leaves and pour remaining liquid in a pitcher. Pour macerating strawberry mixture in strainer, and strain seeds. Extract maximum amount of liquid by pressing the berries into the strainer with the back of a spoon. Add liquid to pitcher. Add 1/2 cup honey,5 cups of water and stir thoroughly. Chill, pour and enjoy.

Feeling a little saucy? Add a lemon flavored vodka or Bacardi Limon to the mix. Not quite that brave? Some seltzer or lemon lime soda may do just the trick. I've been sipping on this all day watching the holiday roll by and enjoying myself. Thanks for indulging me in my pictures from my New York adventure... I know some aren't typical food fare, but there are alot of pretty things to see once you step out of the urban jungle for a bit. Here are a few more, from our world renowned annual Fourth of July boat parade, just for giggles. We may not be a big place, but we know how to celebrate! Have a fantastic holiday and enjoy!

Cranberry Walnut Biscotti

2009-06-26T18:03:00.001-07:00

It's official.. I am back in my old stomping grounds of upstate New York, and couldn't be happier. I've fallen asleep to the sounds of laughing neighbors sitting out by a campfire to all hours of the night, the silent beauty of heat lightning in the distance, and a sky so full of stars, it makes me question my memory of how big the universe really is. That's right folks, I am in the sticks. For those uninitiated to the sticks, you might be more familiar with the boonies, off the beaten path, or the middle of nowhere. These here sticks come complete with John Deere tractors on the roads, friendly neighbors that wave when you drive by, and small towns full of charm and personality. What better to do when in my favorite place, than make one of my favorite things.

I've made this recipe a few times since I first ran across it in Food Network Magazine. If you haven't checked out this magazine yet, I cannot give it a strong enough endorsement. I'm a very visually oriented learner, and the layout and photos of the recipes and their components are some of the most visually pleasing I've encountered. This recipe comes from their "Out of the Box Challenge" feature, in which three recipe developers from the Food Network Kitchens are given one boxed or premade ingredient from which they develop their best recipe. This month's feature ingredient is Jiffy Corn muffin mix. The other two featured recipes were Cornmeal blini bites and corn muffin churros. Both look fantastic. This is my slightly tweaked version of that FNM recipe.

Cranberry Walnut Biscotti
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 8.5 oz box of corn muffin mix
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup dried chopped cranberries
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
2/3 cup chopped milk chocolate
2/3 cup chopped white chocolate
1 tsp lemon zest
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Chocolate Drizzle
8 oz semi sweet chocolate
1 Tbsp Canola oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix the flour, muffin mix, sugar, cranberries, walnuts, lemon zest and both chocolates together. Make a well in the center and add eggs and vanilla. Mix in with a fork, then add lemon juice to form a stiff dough.

Using well floured hands, knead dough until consistency is uniform. Form a 12" x 4" log of dough, and place on baking sheet.

Bake 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove and let cool on baking rack for about 10 minutes. Using a serrated knife, slice the log in thin slices (roughly 3/4" wide). Return slices to parchment lined pan and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Cool and add chocolate drizzle.

For chocolate drizzle, place semi sweet chips in top pan of a double boiler. Bring water to a boil and stir chocolate, adding canola oil until smooth. Coat a spoon with chocolate a quickly zig zag back and forth over biscotti, until desired chocolate level is achieved. Cool and dig in.

Cooking Notes:
1. I used cooking spray instead of parchment paper, worked well.
2. The add ins (nuts, chocolate, cranberries) are only limited by your imagination. Just remember the more add ins you use, the more liquid is needed to stretch the dough.
3. Keep the chocolate mix ins a bit larger, especially the white chocolate. I chopped them to about 3/4" chunks. You can't see that the white chocolate is in the biscotti if they are smaller, and it really adds to the appearance and personality of the recipe.
4. The texture of this is quite different than regular crunchy biscotti. I find it to be crisp like biscotti on the outside, and like a thick and slightly moist shortbread on the inside. For me, this is perfect, but if you like yours traditionally crispy, bake the sliced pieces a bit longer.

I've put up a few pictures of the lovely lake I get to spend the next week relaxing on, because well, I couldn't resist. Here's hoping your biscotti are delicious and that you are spending your weekend at your favorite place as well.

T G I Pinkberry

2009-06-24T13:08:00.000-07:00

On Friday June 26, Pinkberry will be handing out free small servings of their new summer flavors. New summer offerings will include coconut and passion fruit flavors. Add-ins for the summer season will also now feature Bing cherries, lychees, and Valencia oranges. To find the Pinkberry nearest you, check the link here. Like you don't know the three fastest routes there already... you're not fooling anyone :)

Veggie Medley Couscous

2009-06-21T10:34:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my accidental deliciousness. It was lunch gone wild, and I couldn't be happier with the end product. On Wednesday I head back to my old stomping grounds in upstate New York for some quality mom time. Today's lunch was a direct byproduct of the impulse as old as time... to clean out the fridge of all things that might go bad before going on vacation. It drives me nuts to discover a mystery bag of produce that's been forgotten, and consequently is way past its prime. This was the attempt to decrease the occupancy of my crisper, and it worked like a charm.

The only thought going into my lunch creation was couscous. A few weeks back I diced up some vegetables and threw them in with couscous. It was a nice addition to an otherwise plain side dish. Going with that thought, the great clean out the fridge veggie medley couscous was born. Amounts were not included in the ingredient list, as you can do this with literally whatever happens to be inhabiting your crisper. Be creative and likely, you will pleasantly pleased!

Veggie Medley Couscous
Green, white and red onion
Pasilla and jalapeno chiles
Red and yellow pepper
Corn
Carrots
Basil
1 cup couscous
1 cup chicken stock (or water)
2 tsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Parmesan Reggiano cheese

Chop all veggies to desired size. Heat large saute pan with 1 tsp olive oil.

Saute vegetables, and season with salt and pepper. While sauteing, boil chicken stock with 1 tsp olive oil in a lidded sauce pot. Place couscous in boiling chicken stock, stir and remove from heat. Cover couscous and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff couscous and transfer to large serving bowl. Mix in vegetables. Top couscous with chiffonade of basil and fresh grated Parmesan reggiano cheese and serve.

Somehow this side dish was transformed into the main course. This was tasty and the healthy factor was through the roof with the vegetables. Chicken, beef or tofu could be incorporated to add some extra protein and "beef it up" a little more, pun intended. Check out your fridge today to see what forgotten veggies may lurk within, cook, serve and enjoy.

SoCal Locals: Henry's Farmers Market

2009-06-20T11:10:00.001-07:00

In a ever expanding world of big box stores, its a rarity to find a retailer with small store sincerity, enthusiasm and knowledge. During my first visit to Henry's Farmers Market, it was apparent that they embodied just that mix of unique attributes. Monrovia's newest market opened on June 17, and by all accounts was a success. When I stopped by to check it out, the parking lot and store were packed with eager customers snapping up the multitude of bargains. Over and over I kept shaking my head at the variety and quality of products available. I particularly enjoyed their impressive produce department, which boasts a bevy of tropical fruits that I have never seen before. Surely inspiration will be found within these aisles!

Henry's expansive website repeatedly notes their commitment to supporting local communities, local farmers and suppliers. A Southern California staple for over 60 years, Henry's has 28 stores in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Bernadino, Riverside and Orange Counties. They've received numerous accolades, including being voted "Best Place to buy Produce" by the Orange County Register. In addition to gorgeous produce, Henry's has a wide selection of grass fed beef, organic free range poultry, fresh bakery goods, fantastic bulk goods, a vast wine selection and much more. Their employees were nothing but friendly and helpful, and meticulous in the appearance of their new store. Welcome to the neighborhood Henry's, I think we'll be seeing alot of eachother.

Teeny Tiny Tomatillo Salsa

2009-06-16T16:18:00.000-07:00

Mark Bittman, resident food guru for the New York Times and prolific author of many hot topic food books, posted this recipe for tomatillo salsa a week ago. It inspired a search for tomatillos that yielded a different outcome than expected... teeny, tiny tomatillos.

These little guys were found, suprise suprise, at the the local farmer's market. I was excited to see them, but also unfamiliar with tomatillos in this dainty size. None were larger than the diameter of a quarter. Come to find out these little guys are also called Milperos, or tomatillos de milpa. Just like tomatillos, they sport a papery green husk that is easily removed prior to use. The sticky substance between the fruit and husk is removed with a gentle soap and warm water.

I tweaked the recipe slightly, adding corn and a bit more cilantro than was called for in the original recipe. All measurements can be adjusted to individual taste.

Ingredients
2 cups husked, rinsed and chopped tomatillos
1 medium poblano or other mild green fresh chilies(I used Pasilla)roasted and skinned
1 teaspoon minced garlic,
1/2 cup chopped white onion
Salt and pepper to taste
2 minced jalapenos
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 ear fresh corn kernels
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Combine tomatillos, poblanos, garlic, onion, salt, pepper and cayenne or chili. Let stand at room temperature for up to an hour, or refrigerate for up to 1/2 day (bring back to room temperature before serving). Taste and adjust seasoning, then stir in lime juice and half the cilantro; taste and adjust seasoning again, then garnish with remaining cilantro.

More power to you if you can leave this bowl of goodness untouched for an hour before sampling. I, however, dove in spoon first and adjusted taste. It always amazes me what a difference salt and pepper can make in the full taste spectrum of a salsa. I plan on making this many times this summer.. thanks for the new go to salsa recipe Mark!

Special Olympics Cupcake Extravaganza

2009-06-14T21:32:00.000-07:00

This weekend the Southern California Special Olympics Summer Games were held in Long Beach. I've been fortunate enough to volunteer with this fantastic organization for five years and had the opportunity again this weekend. This year marked the 40th anniversary celebration of the summer games in Southern California. The great folks at VONS helped commemorate the anniversary with a bakery fresh tribute that smelled as amazing as it looked.

The mega cupcake-cake was assembled with two foot by four foot sheets of cupcakes. The pieces were "grouted" together with a layer of cupcakes...

...then carefully "spackled" together with icing..

...to make one enormous cupcake work of art. Thankfully for the cake as well as the great folks who created this, the weather cooperated and it was cool and overcast most of the day. I cannot imagine putting in as many hours as they graciously did to have this creation melt! They began baking the day before, and the assembly process began on site at 5 am. The cake was estimated to be well over 500 pounds. This was just too cool not to share.. hope you enjoyed and had a great weekend.

Lemon Yogurt Cake

2009-06-08T20:45:00.000-07:00

A spontaneous Sunday brunch led to this delicious lemony wonder. That, and I had just purchased a new Ina Garten cookbook and needed an excuse to make something from it. Trust me when I say you don't need any excuse to make this cake, its fantastic.

Lemon Yogurt Cake
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
3 extra-large eggs
2 tsp grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

For the glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake.

** I used a bundt pan for this cake, and it was perfect. I also needed 4 lemons to get the required amount of juice. Might be a good idea just to pick up a bag in the event of less than juicy lemons. Admittedly I did not use parchment for my bundt pan, but the cake dropped out cleanly with one good whack.

Its. So. Good. Really, it is. My lovely friend Lisa and I polished off half of this beauty without alot of problem. A special thanks to her as well for the great image of the cake above. Needless to say, I think I need to make an upgrade to a fancy camera, for the good of the blog of course :)

Fabulous Food Glossary

2009-06-08T20:17:00.000-07:00

So perhaps this is a little bush league to some of you accomplished veteran foodies, but for me, I always want to learn more. Food and cooking happens to be my latest nerd vice, hence the perpetual quest for an increased depth of knowledge and understanding. I'd never heard of achiote until last night, when the captain of one The Next Food Network Star team hosed her teammate and forgot to purchase this essential item for his dish. If you don't know your calzone from a capon, or the difference between drizzle and frizzle, take a gander at San Pelligrino's The Sparkling Life Cooking Terms Glossary .

Watermelon basil vinaigrette with hearts of romaine

2009-06-04T11:13:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week, I was stopped dead in my tracks by a glorious sight. A sign that summer is surely upon us... that barbecues with friends and family are on the horizon, trips to the beach will dramatically increase, and that we will finally have to buck up and turn on the air conditioning. A huge overflowing pile of watermelons was before me, and I knew there was no way I was getting out of the store without one.

Granted, it is on the early side of watermelon season, even here in California. Watermelon means not only sticky hands, dripping chins and slurping up its pink fleshy goodness, but seeds. Oh, the seeds. Many will go out of their way for seedless versions, but not I. Many a watermelon seed spitting contest has occured at my cottage in New York, certain to get the competitive juices flowing and incite raucous laughter. Frequently, the target of our seed spitting exploits were Canadian geese sitting unassumingly at the waters edge below. First one to peg a goose was declared winner.. ahhh those were simpler times.

I found this recipe at About.com, following a general Google search. It incorporates some of summers finest offerings into a light and lovely vinaigrette.

Watermelon Basil Vinaigrette
4 cups fresh watermelon, chopped and drained
1/4 cup red onion, diced small
2 Tbsp honey
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
3/4 cup canola oil
2 Tbsp fresh basil chopped
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients except salt and sugar in a large bowl. Pulse mixture in food processor until well incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over mixed greens, or hearts of romaine.

Super simple, very refreshing and quick would be the key things to know about this vinaigrette. It made way more than the posted two cups of dressing that was noted in the recipe. I could envision taking a bottle of this dressing to a picnic with a simple mixed green salad for a fantastic dish. Adding some mint to the recipe might make it an interesting addition to a fruit salad as well. It keeps for roughly 7-10 days refrigerated and covered.

I opted for olive oil in place of the canola oil. Canola just sounded a little off for a vinaigrette with these components to me. I added roughly a tablespoon more basil than called for, as well as a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. You can see that per the photo the vinaigrette appears a bit chunky... it should be noted that I have a teeny tiny two cup food processor that likes to leave most combinations a bit more textured than intended. A regular processor should be just fine. Enjoy the spoils of summer and don't forget to spit some seeds!

SoCal Locals: VAVO Ginger Ale

2009-05-27T09:19:00.000-07:00

I love love LOVE Farmer's Markets. If I haven't mentioned them a thousand times before, I'm sure I will plenty of times in the future. They inspire the majority of my cooking exploits, and most recipes I try or concoct usually contain at least one ingredient purchased at one. The colors, sounds, people, and variety of novel ideas and items found at Farmer's Markets are something I have truly grown to appreciate here in Southern California.

When I first started toying with the idea of a food blog, I knew I wanted to include not only recipes and fun food related tidbits. I wanted to provide an outlet to feature local artisans and products unique to Southern California. Hopefully this SoCal Locals post will be the first of many to do so. Part of the fun of being involved in community Farmer's Market is seeing the new people, vendors and great products that cycle through. Some are seasonal, some temporary, but I'm certain what I recently discovered at the Alhambra Farmers Market is here to stay.

VAVO Ginger ale is the brainchild of the family owned West LA Chinese restaurant Mandarette Cafe . For the past 10 years, Mandarette Cafe has been serving up this family recipe, to rave reviews. When the Cafe was reviewed by Zagats, their Ginger Ale was specifically noted as a must try. After encouragement from loyal patrons to the Mandarette, the owners launched into the production process a few months ago.

VAVO is available at local Farmer's Markets in Alhambra, Westwood, Torrance and Melrose, with more on the horizon shortly. They have had overwhelmingly positive feedback from customers, myself included. We were so wowed with the free sample we tried, we walked away with a case of VAVO. The flavor is more intensely ginger than commercial ginger ales, and truly the most refreshing soda-type beverage that I have ever tasted. I'm in no way a big soda drinker, but definitely look forward to a cold VAVO after a long day. Its taste is light and refreshing, and lightly effervesced. This may seem like a trivial detail, but you can appreciate the subtleties of the real ginger flavor more extensively without feeling scores of bubbles dance around your palate.

Aside from Farmer's Markets, VAVO is now available at some LA restaurants, including Curry House, Tokyo Wako, Gen Wa Korean BBQ, Sushi Eyaki and more. Three other flavors are in the works for VAVO, including Lemon-Lime Ginger Ale, Cranberry Ginger Ale and Ginger Ale with Energy. Additional information is available on the VAVO website, and you can also become a friend of VAVO Ginger ale on Facebook. Please check them out and support your local products!

If you have a suggestion for a SoCal Local to feature, please drop me an email. All suggestions will be considered, and all are appreciated.

Operation Cookie is a Go

2009-05-21T13:27:00.000-07:00

While enjoying a leisurely breakfast at the Corner Bakery Cafe this morning, I read an article that made me smile. I can't believe I've never stopped in here before, but my tasty breakfast is besides the point...

The Women's Club of South Pasadena, along with local students, baked and packaged cookies to deliver to War veterans this Memorial Day. Together they packaged thousands of chocolate chip, oatmeal and chocolate meringue cookies to be distributed at the VA Hospital in Long Beach. This is the fourth year the Women's Club has participated in Operation Cookie.

Here's to good people doing good things. Please take a minute to check out these great gals here and don't forget to pay it forward.

Image courtesy of SGVN/Leo Jarzomb.

Creamy Italian White Bean Soup

2009-05-21T08:39:00.000-07:00

Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace are quickly making the four corners of the world seem ever closer. Like countless others, I've been caught up in the fun of reuniting with high school and college pals, checking out the family pictures, seeing where everyone wound up and succumbing to the generally voyeuristic tendencies that these sites expose you to. 12 days till your vacation you say? Thumbs up, we like that. Had a few too many last weekend and posted the pictures to prove it? I may just have to see for myself. But tell me you just made a mean batch of carrot nut muffins? I am all over that like the tabloids on Jon and Kate.

My delightful high school friend Penelope of Smartini has been providing me with some much needed blogging guidance and is also responsible for the aforementioned carrot nut muffin recipe. As she shares my love of all things healthy and tasty, I asked if she might be interested in a guest post. She happily obliged with this amazing looking recipe that I surely will be making soon. I am honored to have her witty words and yummy recipe grace the pages of my little ol' blog. Thanks Penelope!

Hello from the East Coast! I’d like to share a recipe that I tried recently from The Daily Green, an eco-living site that has a fabulous recipe source organized by nutrition sources; calcium, beta carotene, etc. I found this recipe for white bean soup under “iron,” and judging by the outcome, I will surely be trying additional recipes on this site. The soup is fairly simple, but flavorful, and was received well by my very non-vegetarian husband. I myself am an omnivore, but fully appreciate vegetarian recipe that is not only delicious, but packed with good nutrition. As we are fast approaching summer, I would recommend this recipe for a rainy evening, and/or a lazy Sunday. I had the idea that it would pair well with steak, and it did!

Creamy Italian White Bean Soup
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium celery stalk, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cans (15 1/2 to 19 ounces each) white kidney beans (cannellini), rinsed and drained*
1 3/4 cups vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups water
1 bunch (10 to 12 ounces) spinach
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

*I used white Northern beans, they worked fine.

PREPARATION
1. In 3-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Add onion and celery* and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add beans, broth, pepper, thyme, and water; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes.

*I didn’t have celery at the time, so substituted a little celery seed to capture that flavor. The chopped onion will address texture.

2. Meanwhile, trim tough stems from spinach and discard; thinly slice leaves.*

*Kitchen shears can save you time on this front, and make the slicing smoother.

3. With slotted spoon, remove 2 cups bean and vegetable mixture from soup; set aside. Spoon half of remaining mixture into blender; cover, with center part of cover removed to let steam escape, and puree until smooth.* Pour into large bowl. Repeat with remaining mixture.

*Okay, I’m going to be honest here and admit that I have used this hot-soup-in-the-blender method in the past, and it has not ended well. It’s messy, and you may, if you are at all klutzy like me, burn your skin off. My new trick is to plug in the hand mixer with milkshake attachment and blend away, right in the pot. Since you are only supposed to be blending half, in order to achieve creamy texture while keeping the rest of the beans intact, just blend a little bit. Eyeball it, and stop when you’ve got a creamy broth with a fair amount of whole beans left.

4. Return soup to saucepan; stir in reserved beans and vegetables. Heat to boiling over high heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Stir in lemon juice and remove from heat. Serve with Parmesan, if you like.*

*Yes, with the Parmesan. Also, this recipe reheats very well the next day—if there is any left. Enjoy!

Yummy soup image courtesy of
The Daily Green

Strawberry Balsamic Sorbet

2009-05-19T20:11:00.000-07:00

The weather is finally starting to feel springlike here in California, as opposed to the oppressive stretch of mid 90's a few weeks back that all but melted the greater LA area. When I lived in Virginia, this turn in the weather could mean only one thing... the return of the ice cream man. Our neighborhood ice cream truck was unlike ones I remembered from my youth. This was a rusty van with all the proper ice cream truck accoutrements; doors emblazoned with enticing pictures of heat relieving goodies, a kindly man in a funny hat happily serving ice cream to the masses, and a loudspeaker blaring music. This truck however, played creepy, slightly off pitch tunes that I'm hard pressed to associate with ice cream trucks, namely the theme from St. Elmo's Fire. In a twangy minor key, it sounded like it belonged more on a scary Halloween music CD than on a child attracting ice cream truck. I have yet to run across an ice cream truck here in my neighborhood here in CA, but I'm finding myself craving a bowl, cone or scoop of something creamy and cool in the evenings. Ice cream doesn't always fit into my plan to be more healthful. Good thing there are plenty of delicious options to concoct when it comes to frozen treats.

Sorbet, gelato, frozen yogurt, granita... the non ice cream alternatives abound. Sorbet is the purest of the frozen delicacies, combining mainly fruit and sugar, with the occasional pinch of salt or squirt of lemon juice. This was going to be the way to satisfy my sweet tooth without serving up a helping of unhealthy, albeit tasty, fat based frozen treat.

A few disclaimers before you read any further. 1. I do not own an ice cream maker. As many recipes call for "following the directions provided by your ice cream maker manufacturer", it left me out in the cold. No pun intended. If you do have an ice cream maker, by all means use it. 2. Surprise suprise, I've never made sorbet before. Two to three ingredients, no fancy combination or mixing techniques, how hard can it be?

Strawberries and chocolate are hands down my favorite berry and sweet combination. This however, runs a close second.

Strawberry Balsamic Sorbet

1 lb hulled and quartered strawberries, fresh or frozen
2/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Wash, hull and quarter strawberries into a bowl. Add sugar and balsamic. Mix until sugar begins to dissolve into strawberries. Let stand, covered, for 30 minutes. Puree mixture in food processor. Strain strawberry mixture through a fine mesh strainer, if desired. Pour into bowl, cover and freeze. Stir mixture every 30 minutes or so for the first two hours. Freeze 4-6 hours total, serve and enjoy.

There is something to be said for the purity of using just three ingredients to produce something so refreshingly simple and delicious. I chose not to strain the strawberry seeds out of the sorbet base, however if your preference is the smooth frozen texture of sorbet, invest in a fine mesh strainer. The flavor was intensely strawberry, and not too sweet as I feared with that amount sugar. Surprisingly, the balsamic flavor shone through much more pre-freeze than in the finished product. I loved the contrast of the sweet berry and the luxe richness of the balsamic. I will up the balsamic content in the next attempt. This was so simple and so delicious, I'll certainly be trying other flavorful sorbet combinations soon.

Sweet Potato Buttermilk Spice Muffins

2009-05-13T19:38:00.000-07:00

Lifetime Television recently premiered their new diet and nutrition based TV show, Cook Yourself Thin. Cook Yourself Thin is billed as an "all-new series, offering viewers the skills and the confidence to give their favorite indulgent meals a healthy makeover by cutting the calories and doubling the flavor!" Double the flavor you say? Bold statement indeed. I plan to devote a post in the future about this show to see if their healthy, reduced fat, flavor doubling claims can hold up in the kitchen.

A recent episode featured a busy stay at home mom who loves snacking, cupcakes and calorie laden coffee drinks. The healthful cooks offered up a new recipe for chocolate cupcakes, substituting mashed sweet potato for butter. A befuddled cook says what? You want me to believe that if you put vegetables in the choco-loveliess that is a cupcake that I won't taste a difference? I decided to put this claim to the test. I wanted to test the "butter for sweet potato" swap claim but was in the mood for a different treat.

The buttermilk spice muffins at Mimi's Cafe have recently captured my heart, and pleased my palate. They are large enough to make a great breakfast on their own or with a side of fruit, but the kind folks at Mimi's include them with their breakfast entrees. They are all that a good muffin could dream of being - light, airy, perfectly flavored and topped with a fantastic sugar crumble topping. Fortunately for me and all the other Mimi's muffin lovers, they have posted the recipe here on their site. I wanted to integrate the sweet potato for butter swap within the confines of this recipe, so another cooking adventure was born.

According to Calorie count.com 1/2 cup of salted butter contains 800 calories and 88 grams of fat - yikes! Compare that to my substitution of 1 cup of mashed sweet potatoes at a mere 250 calories and we have a winner. Because of the additional sweetness of the sweet potatoes, I reduced the sugar in the recipe by 1/4 cup, saving 194 calories. Those two changes saves a grand total of nearly 750 calories. The real question remained, would these calorie saving swaps result in an equally tasty muffin fix?

In a word, not so much. The spice of the muffin lacked in its characteristic Cinnamon and nutmeg punch, despite using the advised amounts. The texture left something to be desired, perhaps as a side effect of over mixing when I received a phone call mid-mixing. Rookie mistake. The fragrance wafting from the oven as the muffins cooked was absolutely spot on, but sadly the muffins lacked the texture and flavor composition that I was hoping for. I haven't given up completely on the healthy swap outs and substitutions concept. I think it has a place and will redeem itself in a later recipe. For now, I will stick to my original Mimi's muffin, butter and all, and enjoy every last tasty crumble of it. As for the sweet potatoes, they will still be a welcome guest at my dinner table any time... just not in my muffins.

SoCal Sustenance takes on the Midwest

2009-05-12T12:05:00.000-07:00

A big thanks to Amber of The Omaha Healthy Food Examiner for a very cool nod to SoCal's recent stuffed artichoke post. You can also check out her personal site here at Eat Like Athena.

Check out the article here, which provides some great additional artichoke info. Thanks Amber!

App-tastic

2009-05-08T22:19:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles restaurantsUrbanspoon

Los Angeles restaurants on Urbanspoon

The geniuses at Urban Spoon deserve a hearty round of applause for bringing those cool iPhone Apps to us iPhone deprived folks. They have graciously shared this nifty tool that locates restaurants according to your preferred neighborhood, cuisine or price range. Next time you find yourself stuck in a culinary quandary, try your luck and give it a spin.

Stuffed Artichokes with Red Quinoa and Brillat-Savarin Cheese

2009-05-07T15:53:00.000-07:00

My curiosity got the best of me again on my latest trip to the market. Wandering through the produce department consistently piques my interest more than any other part of the store. Placed at the end of one aisle was a display of vibrant California artichokes. Their magnetic pull drew me in like a woman walking by a shoestore... some forces are just too strong to fight. The artichoke's unique texture, boundless preparation options and appealing look makes these members of the thistle family an attractive produce prospect. I've done my fair share of consuming artichokes, but have never had the pleasure of preparing them.

Perhaps my naive enthusiasm got the best of me when I spotted these verdant veggies, because I had no idea how to choose a good artichoke. For the record, you should be able to cleanly snap off a petal when selecting an artichoke; flimsy petals that bend when pressed are old and lack moisture. They should be a bright, unblemished green without scratches, scrapes or punctures. Two lucky victims were chosen, and the wheels of artichoke preparation were put in motion. For those like myself uninitiated to the artichoke world, more useful information can be found here.

Stuffed peppers are a favorite dish of mine, so I thought I would take a stab at stuffed artichokes. Quinoa stuffed roasted peppers with boursin cheese, raisins and almonds are a creation that I have come to love, so I thought a variation on this would be tasty. A special thanks the kind folks at Nicole's Gourmet Foods in South Pasadena for their words of wisdom on a cheese selection for this dish this morning. Those of us in the area are fortunate to have this fantastic resource at our fingertips.

Red Quinoa and Brillat-Savarin Stuffed Artichokes

2 medium artichokes
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
1 lemon, juiced
1 Tbsp fresh tarragon, finely chopped
8 oz red quinoa
16 oz chicken stock
2 scallions, chopped
3 oz Brillat-Savarin Cheese (or similar rich creamy cheese; boursin, brie etc..)
1/2 large red onion, diced
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan Romano cheese

Soak quinoa in warm water for 15 minutes. Rinse artichokes in running water for 1 minute each. Remove base petals that are small or discolored. Slice off stem close to the base. Boil 4 inches of water in a deep saucepan. Reduce heat to a simmer and add artichokes, salt, pepper, lemon juice, tarragon and 2 diced garlic cloves. Cover and let simmer for 25-30 minutes, until petals near the middle can be easily pulled out. Transfer artichokes from pan to a baking rack, turning upside down to drain and cool. Rinse quinoa and pour chicken stock in small saucepan. Simmer on medium high heat and add rinsed quinoa. Cover and let simmer 25-30 minutes on medium heat. Add additional chicken stock if liquid boils off before its cooked. Add diced red onion, scallions, cheese, and 1 Tbsp grated Parmesan to cooked quinoa and thoroughly integrate. Separate layers of artichoke petals and place quinoa between them. Sprinkle artichoke with remaining Parmesan and bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown.

The petals pull out easily and much like chips scooping up a dip, each petal contains a perfect size tasty mouthful of the quinoa mixture.

Turns out I apparently don't have a green thumb when it comes to artichoke selection. Aside from that, these were savory and light, but suprisingly filling. The next batch will definately have the hearts hollowed out to allow for additional filling. Best of luck with your next artichoke adventure and have yourself a scumptious day.

Sparkling Blackberry Lime Aguas Frescas

2009-05-05T09:25:00.001-07:00

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Did you know that Cinco de Mayo is a day to commemorate the Battle of Puebla in 1862, where the outnumbered Mexican army defeated the French? If you did, your history knowledge far exceeds mine. Cinco de Mayo is celebrated with food, drinks, music and dancing. I wanted to forgo the more commonplace Mexican fare for something that I just had the pleasure of experiencing last week - Aguas Frescas.

Literally translated, aguas frescas means fresh water. They are made from fruits (sweet or acidic), seeds and flowers and are commonly served throughout Mexico. I had a pineapple aguas frescas last week and it was fruit infused perfection - sweet, cold and slightly textured. I enjoyed the slightly fibrous consistency of the pineapple in the drink, though I know many beverage purists who would enjoy it strained in pure liquid form.

Aguas frescas are meant to be more of a refreshment than a sweet beverage, so there is no need to kill it with sugar. Any seasonal fruit can be used, and the possibilities are endless when you think of fruit and herb creations... watermelon basil, cantaloupe thyme... the sky's the limit. Here is my twist on aguas frescas.

Sparkling Blackberry Lime Aguas Frescas

1 cup fresh or frozen blackberries
2 key limes, juiced
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup ice cold water
1/2 cup ginger ale
Crushed ice
(Serves one)

Add blackberries, lime juice, honey and sugar to food processor. Pulse for 15-20 seconds until a smooth consistency is achieved. Add 1/2 cup ice water and 1/2 cup crushed ice. Pulse again until ice is well incorporated. Pour into glass with a few cubes of ice. Pour ginger ale on top and lightly stir.

For those who enjoy a pure juice drink without seeds or pulp, depending on the fruit used, first pulse just the blackberries in the food processor. Strain the blackberry juice through a fine sieve and return the juice to food processor. Add lime juice, sugar and honey and continue with the recipe as written.

How fantastic is that? It wish you could see how beautiful it really is, but into each cooks life, a little food must fall... cascade, gush, splash and drip. From this point onward, this traumatic episode will be referred to as "the frescas incident". An innocent bobble brought about what looked like a fruit tinged crime scene throughout my kitchen, living room, walls, rug, 2 plants, a case of beer and myself. After an hour of scrubbing and cursing under my breath, I am renewed and determined to recreate this refreshing drink. And there will be pictures... oh yes, there will be pictures.

Update: Round two was a complete success. I have included two pictures of the "fresca incident" carnage for your entertainment. Proceed with caution and enjoy :)

The fresca incident:

The finished product makes it all worthwhile

Orange Blueberry Scones

2009-05-03T21:40:00.000-07:00

Occasionally, I reach a standoff with one of my favorite meals of the day. That standoff is food boredom, as much as it pains me to admit it, with breakfast. I love a well prepared omelet, but time often runs short to properly prepare one in the morning. A toasted bagel with cream cheese and lox is a personal favorite, but typically is a special occasion breakfast item in our household. I adore oatmeal with cinnamon, raisins and walnuts, but a girl can only eat so much oatmeal. This quandary lead me to my current post, and on a quest to jazz up my tired old breakfast choices.

I will be the first to admit, scones aren't really on my radar. I had to really think about the last time I had one, and then a faint memory of a delightful scone from Starbucks came to mind. Scones conjure up images of high tea, ladies in fancy hats with little dogs, finger sandwiches and mustachioed men in top hats like Mr. Monopoly . Perhaps I had a run in with some fancy scone wielding individual in a past life, as I have no reason to scorn the fair scone.

I found this recipe at Epicurean.com and decided to have a go at it. I chose this recipe as it specifically noted the use of fresh fruit. Many recipes I found called solely for the use of dried fruit. Nothing against dried fruit, I just had a wealth of beautiful seasonal berries fresh from the farmers market at my disposal. One of the distinct joys of Southern California living is the endless abundance of market fresh fruits and vegetables, and I am making an effort to use many more of these fresh fixings in my day to day cooking. This is the original recipe, with my tweaks denoted below.

Fresh Fruit Scones

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups fresh fruit, diced (peaches, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries)
1 large egg, beaten
2 tbsp heavy cream
2 tbsp turbinado sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt in bowl and whisk to blend. Add the butter , cutting it into the mixture with a pastry cutter to the size of peas. Gradually add the buttermilk, mixing with your hands until the dough just comes together. Gently mix in the fruit with your hands, careful not to over mix. If the fruit is juicy, less buttermilk can be used.

Place the dough onto a lightly floured work surface with well floured hands. Divide dough in half and form two discs, each two inches thick. Use a knife to cut each disc into six even triangles. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place scones two inches apart on the prepared pan and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Whisk the heavy cream and egg together. Using a pastry brush, coat the top of each scone with the egg mixture. Sprinkle each scone with turbinado sugar and bake for 20-25 minutes until light golden brown. Remove from oven and transfer the scones to wire racks.

Et voila! Scones magnifiques!

My recipe tweaks and tips:

Added 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
Added the juice of one half large orange
Added the zest of one half large orange
Turbinado sugar can be found commonly as the brand "Sugar in the Raw"
Decreased the buttermilk to 2/3 cup

No buttermilk in the house? No problem! There is a quick, simple and inexpensive fix. Place one tablespoon white vinegar in a small bowl. Add to this one cup minus one tablespoon milk. Let rest for five minutes, and you have instant buttermilk - worked like a charm.

I made this recipe last evening, and may have skimped on the 30 minutes fridge time. By about 20 minutes. You can easily save calories by substituting milk for the heavy cream with a similar result. I lightly dusted the scones with turbinado, and when the final product came out wished I had a heavier hand. A solid sugar layer atop these scones could really add to their visual appeal and add a extra pop of sweetness.

They smelled amazing and true to the recipe, turned a lovely golden brown. The taste test would reveal the true deliciousness of these tempting treats. Unfortunately, they were a bit of a letdown. My fellow taster, Mister SoCal, commented that they tasted like a fancy version of the Bisquick strawberry shortcake biscuits that he had make earlier in the week. I can't say that I disagreed with him, and was left unimpressed with my results. Am I crestfallen and since sworn off scones? Absolutely not. They were moist and flavorful, but sadly the essence of orange did not cut through the sweetness of the dough. This less than optimal outcome only serves to fuel the fire of my pursuit of breakfast alternatives. I wish you luck in your cooking endeavors today and always.

Periodic review may be advised

2009-04-30T11:50:00.000-07:00

At one time or another, we have all fallen victim to a supermarket trap or two. Many exist to defer the most determined shopper from supermarket success. There's the bag of salad that will soon expire, but the sale is too good to pass up. Been there. The impulse purchase at the checkout - I HAVE to know who that celebrity is on the cover of the tabloid mag who is looking god awful when caught without their makeup on! Guilty as charged. The buy one get one free sale on Ben and Jerry's ice cream. Those two men alone have the power to crumble the strongest of wills. The one trap that any ardent food fiend has succumbed to is found in the condiment aisle. Actually, it's the aisle itself. Marinades, sauces, spice mixes, flavored oils, sweeteners, dressings... the possibilities are endless. What exactly is the allure of a previously undiscovered mysterious jar of goop that inspires a cooking adventure? Browsing the door of my refrigerator, you'd think I would have a good answer to that. At last count it is home to 38 such starters to culinary exploits. It's a little embarrassing really. Who really needs three types of mustard, four curry based simmering sauces and seven bottles of dressing?

I happened upon a link today when browsing Stumble Upon. I'm hoping it will assist my quest to, ahem, refine my current condiment choices. I thought it was clever and entertaining, and presented in a format familiar to all. Check it out here at Periodic Table. Do read the disclaimers at the end of the page. I hope you all enjoy and it inspires a little late spring fridge cleaning. How many items did you find that were well beyond their expected lifespan? Continuing in the pursuit to help you sustain all things tasty and mold free... over and out.

Inaugural Address

2009-04-28T15:52:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my little slice of the blogosphere! I am brand spankin' new to the food blogging world, still wet behind my virtual ears. I've been fortunate enough to come across some amazing food blogs recently and I'm ready to dive in head first *gulp*. My recipe for success includes one part trepidation, two parts excitement, a dash of curiosity and a big old glug of what the heck am I getting myself into. I've developed a deep appreciation for food blogs over the past few months, oohing and aahing over the striking images and shaking my head in amazement over what some of these culinary adventurers come up with. My hope is with time, effort and determination, I will be able to provide a sliver of the inspiration these gastronomic geniuses have given to me. Fingers crossed... here goes nothing!

To introduce this blog as well as commemorate President Obama's first 100 days in office, I wanted to present something worthy of the POTUS. When thinking about what exactly this meant in terms of food, the possibilities began to mount. Being the Senator from Illinois, a Chicago style deep dish pizza is an obvious choice... maybe too obvious. Spam, pineapple or poi serve as tributes to his Hawaiian heritage, but again leaves something to be desired. If I was residing at the White House, having endured the trials and tribulations that comprised the first 100 days in office, what gastronomic delight would I want to commemorate this landmark day? An exquisitely prepared dry aged rib eye, tender and a perfect medium rare? A sublimely fresh Caprese salad with mozzarella di bufala, beautiful heirloom tomatoes and 25 year balsamic?

No, those simply won't cut it. Had I withstood the slashing of cabinet budgets, released the Bush Administration CIA torture memos, ordered the closing of Guantanamo Bay, eased travel restrictions to Cuba, guided the economic stimulus bill through Congress, visited 9 foreign countries, launched a federal budget while puppy training and dealing with the pending swine flu epidemic, mere foodstuff would not suffice.

Mr. President, sir, I think you could use a drink.

In honor of your first 100 days in office and the debut of SoCal Sustenance, cheers to your Mr. President. Here's hoping we can both succeed with our endeavors, no matter how monumental the task at hand. If all else fails, we can both raise our glasses and wash down any doubts with a frosty glass of deliciousness... bottoms up!

This is the go to margarita recipe that is often called on at our apartment as well as when we venture to San Diego on the weekends. I realize the the Russian judge will dock me for my degree of difficulty, or lack thereof, in my first shot at this, but its a risk I'm willing to take. Because these are THAT GOOD. In all fairness, I am not the creator of this luscious libation. That distinctive honor goes to my boyfriend, who tends to serve as chief mixologist at many a social outing we attend. This is a simple but stellar margarita, but fair warning, its not for the faint of heart. This ain't your mama's margarita.

Rocks Margarita (makes two)

4 oz Cazadores Anejo Tequila
4 oz Limeade
4 key limes
1 orange or mandarin
Ice

Place cubed ice in a shaker. Add tequila, limeade and the juice of the limes and orange. Shake thoroughly. Pour over ice and enjoy.

NOTE: This is a potent, sipping margarita made with a very palatable tequila. If the liquor taste is too pervasive, add another ounce of Limeade. For you adventurous folks I might suggest a sugared rim instead of salt. Sugar gives a little bit of relief from the tart punch the Cazadores provides.

If this doesn't suit your fancy, here are some alternative margarita ideas, inspired by the contents of my refrigerator.

Mango Margarita - Substitute 2 ounces Naked brand Mighty Mango juice for the lime and orange juice. Add to the tequila and limeade

Strawberry Mint Margarita - Thinly slice 3/4 cup fresh or frozen strawberries. Add 1 teaspoon honey and 6-8 torn fresh mint leaves. Pulse in food processor. Add to the tequila and limeade

Pom-Apple Margarita - Substitute 1 ounce Pom Pomegranate juice, 2 ounces of Apple juice and 1 teaspoon honey for the lime and orange juice. Add to tequila and limeade

For those of you who still have leftover Passover wine, this Margy is for you.

Oyvey-garita - Combine 4 ounces tequila with 2 ounces tequila and 2 ounces of Manischewitz wine. Shake and enjoy - L'Chaim!

Thanks for perusing my maiden installment of SoCal Sustenance! Please feel free to contact me with any comments or thoughts. Have a great day and happy drinking.