Picture of the Day

A picture of the other love of my life, adorable Boston Terriers.

Recipe for Caramel Braised Pork

Fall is coming and for me, fall calls for pork. My Mom makes a wonderful pork and sauerkraut which is a must have for me in the fall. I found this recipe on my new website playground, www.williams-Sonama.com/recipes. This recipe is from Chef Pichet Ong who is the owner of Batch in New York City. I'm adding this to my "To Cook List" for Fall.

Caramel-Braised Pork
Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

2 lb. boneless pork shoulder roast, cut into 2 1/2- to 3-inch cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1/2 cup plus
2 Tbs. sugar
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs. water
2 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. soy sauce
2 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. fish sauce
1 cup diced pineapple (1/4-inch cubes), plus residual juices
1/4 cup sake
1 Tbs. coarsely ground pepper
2 pieces fresh ginger, each 1 inch thick, peeled
1 sweet potato, about 9 1/2 oz., peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 green onions, white portion only, with root end attached
1 green onion, white and green portions, julienned
Steamed white rice for serving

DIRECTIONS

Season the pork with salt and pepper. In the stovetop-safe insert of a slow cooker or in a large fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Working in batches, add the pork and brown on all sides, 7 to 8 minutes per batch. Transfer to a bowl.

Add the sugar, lemon juice and water to the insert or fry pan and stir to combine. Increase the heat to high and cook, without stirring, until the mixture is a dark caramel color but not burned, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, fish sauce, pineapple and juices, sake, coarsely ground pepper, ginger, sweet potato and green onion roots. Carefully add the soy sauce mixture to the caramel and return the mixture to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the pork.

Transfer the insert to the slow-cooker base. If using a regular slow cooker, transfer the pork and sauce to the cooker. Cover and cook on high according to the manufacturer's instructions until the pork is tender, about 2 1/2 hours. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pork to a warmed platter. If using a slow-cooker insert, set the insert over medium-high heat, bring the sauce to a boil and cook until thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. If using a regular slow cooker, transfer the sauce to a saucepan and boil the sauce as directed. Remove the ginger pieces and discard.
Spoon the sauce over the pork and garnish with the julienned green onion. Grind additional pepper on top and serve immediately with steamed white rice.

Favorite Brunch Drink Choice

Isn't she lovely? Even the name is beautiful. Citronage. Imagine a variation of a samosa with this. A splash of orange juice, orange liqueur topped with a prosecca, champagne or asti spumante. I am not a big fan of overly fruity drinks with more sugar than is allowed in one day. I like my alchohol straight up or on the rocks. I like beer but it's too bubbly. I like crisp wine or a stick to your tongue red. This is a subtle citrusy drink and has that alcohol punch I like in a drink. Not sure what I will call it, but it is now my favorite brunch drink. Perhaps Citronage Bliss? Morning Eraser? On the Floor Before Four? Any ideas?

I found that another way to use this is to make a margarita with it. It can be served on the rocks or straight up. I prefer the latter. It is not made from mix. The only ingredients are tequila, lime juice and an orange-flavored liquor and salt for the rim if you like.

Second, the proportions in the margarita are a bit different than many cocktails. I’ve been using the 3:2:2 rule. If I’m experimenting with a new cocktail I use 3 parts of the main alcohol, and 1 part each of the two additives (one is usually sweet). From there you can experiment with the proportions or begin to add other ingredients until you have a new concoction you like.

Margarita

3 parts tequila
2 parts fresh squeezed lime juice
2 Patron Citronage

Shake over ice, strain into a martini glass that's been rimmed with salt and garnish with a thin slice of lime.

Recipe for Ricotta, Basil and Tomato Tarts

We have had an overabundance of tomatoes from our garden this year so I've had to come up with a bunch of recipes to use them. The other day we made calzones and I still have a substantial amount of ricotta cheese leftover. I was thinking of making a tomato ricotta pie so I typed ricotta and tomato into google and this wonderful recipe came up. I copied the picture from the Not Quite Nigella website and you can find the original post at http://www.notquitenigella.com/2008/12/07/ricotta-chive-tomato-mini-tarts-for-morning-tea-with-a-friend/ My Aunt is coming into town this weekend for her birthday and I have invited everyone for brunch on Sunday. What a perfect way to show off my tomatoes and creativity at the same time.

I found other postings for slow roasted tomatoes at:

Easy Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce

http://thebittenword.typepad.com/thebittenword/

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

http://www.theperfectpantry.com/2009/08/slowroasted-tomatoes.html#more

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/08/slow-roasted-tomatoes/

Pearl Couscous with Olives and Roasted Tomatoes

http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/07/pearly-whites/

Recipe for Ricotta, Basil and Tomato Tarts

Makes 18

1 sheet of bought shortcrust pastry (or 1.5 sheets if you can’t be bothered re-rolling the scraps)
125 g of ricotta
50g of tasty or cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon freshly chopped basile and a few basil leaves to decorate (she used chives)
1 egg
10 dainty cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 mini cupcakes/tart baking tray with holes lightly greased with butter

1. Preheat oven to 210c. Using a round cutter, cut out rounds of slightly defrosted shortcrust pastry and place in lightly greased baking tray holes. You may have to re-roll the ends a couple of times if you’re only using 1 sheet of pastry.
2. Mix together the two cheeses, egg and basil in a bowl. Top with tomato half if desired (or put the tomato on after its had its time in the oven). Spoon 1/2 teaspoon full into each case. Bake for 10-15 minutes until pastry and cheese is golden.
3. Decorate with basil pieces.

"Leftovers" Pizza

I haven't been up for cooking lately. I have other things on my mind and I'd rather just go out and eat or have an "on your own night" meal, which is pretty good considering my mom supplies us with a good flow of leftovers. Monday night was leftover chicken fajitas, Tuesday we ventured out for Mexican and last night was a choice of whatever is quick and convenient out of the freezer or pantry.

I was thinking the other day and decided that I'll have pizza dough on hand for those nights I don't want to cook, but want something homemade. Wegman's has a premade dough that is really good and I used it the other night to make calzones for when my parents came over. Since we had leftovers from the calzones, I decided to use them for a "leftovers" pizza. It's very simple to make and quick and the kids loved it. Plus I got rid of all the little hang arounds in the fridge. Our pizza consisted of the following:

Pizza Dough
1 cup of spaghetti sauce in a jar
1 cup of shredded cheese
1/2 cup of cooked mushrooms
3/4 lb of cooked hamburger
1/2 cup of sauteed peppers and onions
fresh basil

I put it in the oven until the crust was brown and cut it into 4 servings. Add a simple salad and dinner is done and the fridge is cleaned out in a half an hour.

Food Anomalies

No recipes, no pictures today, not even a lot of writing. I found this website and wantedto share it with the world. It's the Museum of Food Anomalies™ which is an online exhibition of the Art of Regular Food Gone Horribly Wrong. The galleries are updated as new works arrive; visitors are encouraged to share their anomalies at http://www.hanttula.com/exhibits/mofa.

I'm off to see if I can find anything in my garden.

Recipe for Linguine with Smoked Clams and Spinach

Here is another dish to try. It uses a few ingredients and is done in a matter of 10 minutes tops, plus it's delicious!! It's perfect with a glass of white wine and crunchy hot french bread.

Linguine with Smoked Clams and Spinach

Serves 2

2 cups fresh spinach
8 ounces fresh linquine
2 (3-1/2oz) cans of smoked clams or oysters
3 Tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
2 largeg Garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese

Wash and drain the spinach roll in paper towels or cloth to remove the moisture, or put it in a salad spinner. Cut up the leaves into small shreds.
Bring a large pan of salted water to boil, drop in the pasta and cook according to directions until al dente (fresh pasta will take about 3 minutes). As soon as you have put the water on to boil, start cooking the other ingredients. Put the olive oil into a large deep frying pan over a high heat. When the oil is very hot add the garlic followed by the spinach. Stir swiftly for barely one minute, just until the spinach has become limp. Stir in the smoked clams or oysters, with their oil. Remove the pan from the heat and season with lots of black pepper and a little salt if needed.

Recipe for Calzone

Calzone is a folded Italian pizza which, by the sheer nature of its shape, is far more portable than a normal pizza and looks a bit like a Cornish pasty or turnover. Although the flavorings can be the same as for pizza, Italians often fill their calzone with leftover vegetables from the night before, or with various things that need using up, mixed with lovely tomatoes and some melting mozzarella. Great served hot or cold.

Ingredients

1 pizza dough
Flour, for dusting
Olive oil
1 pound mushrooms
1/2 red and green bell pepper sliced
1 roughly chopped onion
1 lb of italian sausage cooked crumbles
4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
4 sprigs fresh basil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 thick slices of mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 450 to 500 degrees F, then tear the punched-down dough into 4 pieces and roll each out on a floured surface. You want to get them roughly circular, about the thickness of a silver dollar, and 12 inches across. You can now either keep these in the refrigerator, stacked and separated with olive-oil-rubbed and flour-dusted aluminum foil, until you're ready to cook them, or you can put your topping on and cook them straightaway.

Add olive oil to pan and cook mushrooms, chopped red bell pepper, onions and toss briefly in the hot oil before adding the sliced garlic and the basil. Fry until the veggies are cooked and smell fantastic. Season with a little salt and pepper.

Add the tomato sauce to the pan and stir. Cook for a few minutes, add the cooked sausage and simmer away the liquid until you're left with a thick, tasty mixture that's not too moist (otherwise it will burst through the dough when you're cooking the calzone).

Divide the mixture evenly between the 4 pizza bases and spread it out nicely. Top with pieces of mozzarella and season with salt and pepper. To make your calzone, carefully lift the far edge of the pizza dough and pull it over the top towards you - you basically need to fold it in half (imagine it looking like a big Cornish pasty!). Crimp the edges so none of the filling can spill out. Place the calzone side by side on a floured baking sheet, (use 2 if needed), pizza stone or granite slab.

Cook for 10 to 15 minutes on the bottom of the preheated oven until the dough is puffed up and golden on top and the filling is hot.

Fried Mozzarella with Fresh Tomato Marinara Sauce

The best tomato sauce I have ever made was with the most simplest of ingredients. Tomatoes from the garden, olive oil, garlic, pinch of salt, fresh basil. Richy made these wonderful gooey mozzarella slices and we topped it off with my sauce and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Sinful and satisfying indeed.

Dinner Date

My mom had the kids over for dinner so Steven and I grilled a steak and served it with a tomato mozzarella salad and potato. We started dinner with an appetizer of toasted bread, brie and fig sauce. The dinner was complemented with a bottle of Old Vine Zin.

Recipe for Salmon with Thai Basil

I was foraging through food blogs the other day and came upon this beautiful picture and recipe for Salmon with Thai Basil. The dish is from a cookbook called Dancing Shrimp, by Kasma Loha-Unchit. It is described as fast and easy to prepare--and the flavors are married boldy. The recipe calls for a lot of chilies, which makes it even more appealing to me. With the addition of Thai Basil leaves, I am sure the aromas are fragrant. My father's favorite dish is Green Curry Chicken and I make that for him at least once a year. I'm adding this to his list and will make this for him soon, which will once again make me his favorite daughter. ;-)

Salmon with Chilies and Basil (from Dancing Shrimp)

2 Tbs. peanut oil
4 garlic cloves finely diced
2-3 shallots, thinly sliced
1 lb. salmon fillets, cut into 1 inch chunks
3-6 Thai chilies, sliced thin
2 jalapeno or Fresno peppers (preferably red) cut lengthwise into slivers
2 fresh kaffir lime leaves finely slivered, optional
2 tsp. black soy sauce
1 cup fresh Thai or sweet basil basil
2 Tbs. fish sauce, to taste2
dashes white ground pepper

Heat a well seasoned wok over high heat until smoking hot. Swirl in oil to coat the wok surface and wait 20 to 30 seconds for oil to heat, then add the garlic and shallots. Saute 20-30 seconds to flavor oil, then toss in salmon chunks. Sir fry 30 seconds until outer surface changes color. Stir in chilies and lime leaves and sprinkle black soy sauce over the mixture. Stir and 30 seconds later add the basil and fish sauce. Continue to stir fry until the basil is wilted and the fish is cooked to your liking. Sprinkle with white pepper and transfer to a serving dish. Serves 3to 4 with jasmine rice and other dishes in a family meal

Happy Birthday Julia Child

Today is the anniversary of Julia Child's birthday. So happy birthday Julia Child!! In honor of her I am including her recipe for Cobb Salad. I'm not very enthusiastic about french food, so this is the most palatable for me.

Cobb Salad
(Julia Child from Julia Child & More Company)

1/2 head fine green iceberg lettuce
1 small head chicory
1/2 head romaine
1 medium bunch watercress, to make a cup or so of leaves and the tender stems
2 poached chicken breasts
salt
fresh ground pepper
1 lemonolive oil
6 slices cooked bacon
3 hard boiled eggs
2 TB minced fresh chives, or the white part of scallions, or a mixture of shallots and parsley)
2 ounces (60 grams) real roquefort or best-quality blue cheese
2 medium sized good ripe tomatoes
About 1 cup plain vinaigrette

Preliminaries (done hours beforehand)

Separate leaves of salad greens, discard tough or witled parts of them. Wash leaves and spin dry; wrap loosely and refrigerate. Pull off the leaves and small tender stems of watercress from tough stems. Wash and wrap in a damp paper towel and place in the fridge.
(See instructions below for poaching the chicken.) Cut the chicken breasts into a fine dice by cutting into thin slices, then into strips, then into a fine dice. Toss with a little oil, salt and pepper, and set aside in a bowl. Mince bacon and set aside. Mince eggs (I used a garlic press) and season with salt and pepper and set aside. Dice the cheese in the same size as the eggs and place cheese in the bowl with the eggs. Mince the chives or scallions and add them to the egg/cheese mixture. Set aside. Blanch the tomatoes for about 15 seconds in boiling water (or hold over a gas burner), then peel skin off--place in a bowl and set aside.
Half an hour before serving(Items that wilt if done sooner)

Choose a big salad bowl with enough room for tossing.

With a large sharp knife, cut the salad greens into a fine dice--about 3/16 inch or 1/2 cm--by cutting narrow julienne strips, stacking them together and cutting--as done for the chicken. Place greens in a bowl and add minced watercress. Cut the tomatoes in half and gently seed and squeeze to remove liquid. Chop fine and set aside in a bowl after adding salt and pepper. Halve the avocado, remove seed and peel, dice it fine like the tomatoes. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice and salt and pepper.

Just before serving

Whisk the vinaigrette and toss about 1/3 of the minced greens with the dressing, taste for seasoning. Arrange the rest of the ingredients on top of the greens. Present at once to to the table for admiration, then toss salad with abandon at the table.
Note: If you aren't going to serve the salad immediately, assemble it without putting any of the dressing on the salad. Wait until just before you are going to serve it to pour on dressing.

Poached Chicken Breasts
Poach chicken breasts in 1/2 cup dry white wine and enough water just to cover them. Add a bay leaf, a finely chopped shallot, 3 parsley sprigs, 4 peppercorns, and 1/'2 Tablespoon of salt. Bring just to the simmer and cook for 10 minutes until meat is springy to the touch. Let cool for 30 minutes in the cooking broth, then drain, wrap and refrigerate.

Vinaigrette
4-6 TB good wine vinegar and/ or lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
12 TB olive oil
fresh pepper

Optional: 1 tsp chopped fresh herbs to taste, minced garlic clove or shallots

Beat vinegar, salt, pepper and mustard until dissolved. Add the oil and seasonings. Sir to recombine when you dress the salad.

Recipe for S'mores Cupcakes

If you remember a couple of weeks ago, I made s'mores out of graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows. They were delicious and low in calories. I'm not much of a baker, but found a recipe for S'mores Cupcakes and I'm dying to try it. The frosting looks so wonderfully marshmallowy. I took this picture and the recipe off of http://www.getoffyourbuttandbake.blogspot.com/ website. If you make them before I do, email me a picture and your thoughts, I'd love to hear if they are worth the time.

S'more Cupcakes
Makes 2 dozen

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup plus
1 tablespoon cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water1
1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (from about 20 squares)
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 standard muffin tins with cupcake liners; set aside.
2. Sift 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into the bowl of an electric mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix ingredients together on low speed.
3. In a large bowl, mix together eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Add to flour mixture and beat on medium speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl and continue mixing on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add boiling water and stir to combine; set cake batter aside.
4. Place graham cracker crumbs, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and melted butter in a large bowl; stir until well combined.
5. Place 1 tablespoon graham cracker mixture into the bottom of each prepared muffin cup. Use the bottom of a small glass to pack crumbs into the bottom of each cupcake liner. Reserve remaining graham cracker mixture for topping.
6. Place 2 teaspoons chocolate in each muffin cup. Transfer muffin tins to oven and bake until the edges of the graham cracker mixture is golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and fill each muffin cup three-quarters full with cake batter. Sprinkle each with remaining chocolate and graham cracker mixture. Return to oven and bake, rotating pans halfway through baking, until tops are firm and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer muffin tins to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and let cool completely.
7. Transfer frosting to a large pastry bag fitted with a large plain round or French tip (such as Ateco #867 or Ateco #809). Pipe frosting in a spiral motion on each cupcake. Transfer cupcakes to a baking sheet. Using a kitchen torch, lightly brown the frosting, taking care not to burn the cupcake liners. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container, up to 2 days.

Marshmallow Frosting
Makes enough for 2 dozen cupcakes

Ingredients

8 large egg whites
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Place egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer. Set over a saucepan with simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are warm to the touch, 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Transfer bowl to electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat, starting on low speed, gradually increasing to high, until stiff, glossy peaks form, 5 to 7 minutes. Add vanilla, and mix until combined. Use immediately.

Dinner at the Dock at Lansdowne

On Saturday, we had an impromptu garage sale. It started out by wanting to make a few bucks on getting rid of a lawnmower that's been in our garage since we moved in 4 months ago. The former owners left it and since we already have on and we have a lawn service, it was time to let go. Richy came to help and before you know it we were setting up a table with "stuff" we had around the house. We ended up netting about $200. Not bad for a days work. Now the garage is roomier and much neater. We weren't able to sell everything, but we plan to do it again next week.

After we finished Steven said he wanted to take me to dinner and to get dressed. He took us to the Dock at Lansdowne in Leesburg. He made a reservation for 6:00 p.m. and we arrived and were seated immediately to an intimate table in the back. Our waiter Kent was attentive and made recommendations for our meals which I was glad he did. I was caught between the Ahi Tuna and the Seafood Platter. Kent recommended I go with the Ahi Tuna and I am glad I did. It was cooked perfectly rare and topped with a soy based glaze. On the side is a soy sauce and a wasabi sauce. When I took a bite of the tuna, topped it with ginger and dipped it in the sauces, I felt like I was eating sushi. Steven got a filet that was cooked medium and a side of fries. Tis not the usual burger, but it comes close enough.

At the Dock the food is delicious, the ambience is condusive for an intimate date with a loved one. It's located in a spot in Leesburg where you can take a nice stroll through the shops that surround the restaurant. From what I hear they have different specials during the week and live music on Saturday nights. We will definitely dine here again. Maybe we'll see you at the table next to us.

Recipe for Eggs in Purgatory

I love peppers. I love every color and the hotter the better. I love to put peppers on everything and love a side of grilled jalapenos next to my scrambled eggs in the morning. I even love them topped on a hot dog. My Aunt makes the best stuffed peppers in the world. She takes hot banana peppers and fills them with hot italian sausage and then simmers them in marinara sauce. She usually sends me a big bag of them frozen and they last me the whole year. I will take out a few at a time and simmer them in sauce. When they are done I take the peppers out and crack eggs on top of the sauce and poach them until done. This is my version of Eggs in Purgatory which is basically eggs simmered in tomato sauce. You can use the recipe below or just use your favorite spaghetti sauce from a jar. Either way, it is delicious.

Eggs in Purgatory
Serves 2 or 3

1 small onion, cut in half, then finely sliced or chopped
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
pinch hot red pepper flakes, or more to taste
2 cups tomato puree, canned crushed tomatoes, or chopped drained canned tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
salt to taste
4-6 eggs
grated cheese

1. In a 9- or 10-inch skillet, combine the onion, the olive oil and the hot pepper and cook over medium heat until the onion is lightly golden, about 6 minutes.

2. Add the tomato puree, dried oregano, and a big pinch of salt to start. Simmer for 5 or 6 minutes, until the sauce has concentrated a little. You can set the pan aside now (at room temperature or in the refrigerator) if you are not cooking the eggs until later.

3. Before cooking the eggs, bring the sauce back to a simmer, taste and add more salt if necessary, then break the eggs into the bubbling sauce. Cover and cook until the eggs are done to taste, meaning with fully set whites and runny yolks, or until the yolks are set further or completely.

4. Serve with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, pecorino, or ricotta salata.

Recipe for Cedar Plank Salmon

Yesterday was one of those days where you really don't feel like heating up the oven to cook, so we decided to make some fresh salmon on the grill. It is so simple to make and delicious. What I do is I soak two cedar planks in water that my husband cuts from cedar shingles. We used to pay $10 for two planks and now we get a whole pack of shingles for $8 and get about a good 20 planks out of it. I love having a genius for a husband, he's so smart.

We are growing swiss chard in our garden amongst every kind of tomato you can imagine, squash, zucchini, eggplant, 4 different pepper plants and fresh herbs. This is the first year in our new house, so we are testing different types of vegetables to grow. The swiss chard was at peak yesterday, so I picked some leaves and threw them in a pan with a touch of garlic oil and sauteed for a few minutes. Yummy!

Swiss chard is similar to spinach and beets with a flavor that is bitter, pungent and slightly salty. It is truly one of the vegetable valedictorians with its exceptionally impressive list of health promoting nutrients. Swiss chard is one of several leafy green vegetables often referred to as "greens". It is a tall leafy green vegetable with a thick, crunchy stalk that comes in white, red or yellow with wide fan-like green leaves. It is a wonderful source of Vitamin K which boosts bone health and Vitamin A which is beneficial for vision nutrients.

Last summer, I would buy salmon on cedar planks at Wegman's. At $7.98 per plank the price was ridiculous and we could certainly find a cheaper way to do this, but they always gave you a seasoning to put on the salmon that was addicting. For some time, I would budget accordingly and would treat us from time to time to this special meal. I decided to put on my culinary hat one day and recreate the seasoning, which I found later to be so easy. If you use this on your salmon for dinner guests, I can guarantee that you will get praises and accolades and crowned culinary queen or king from your guests.

Recipe for Cedar Planked Salmon

Serves 4

4 small cedar planks

16 oz of salmon divided into 4 oz pieces

2 T of brown sugar

1 T of montreal steak seasoning

oil to coat fish

Directions:

1. Mix together brown sugar and montreal steak seasoning in a small bowl.

2. Coat fish with oil and put on cedar planks that have been soaked in water for a half an hour.

3. Top with seasoning.

4. Grill accordingly.

Recipe for Salmon Timbale

I was reading an article the other day on food porn. Can you believe there are websites totally dedicated to food porn? Even better, can you believe that Wikipedia has a whole page for food porn? The definition of food porn is a sarcastic term variously applied to a spectacular visual presentation of cooking or eating in advertisements, infomercials, cooking shows or other visual media, foods boasting a high fat and calorie count. I do not necessarily agree with the whole high fat and calorie count part. Beautiful food can be low calorie and healthy too!

I guess this food picture business is serious stuff. I've never been one to surf porn, but when it comes to pictures of food, I'm there. The websites are cool because they have these wonderful, succulent pictures of food. The kind of pictures that make your mouth drool and all you can think of is eating the food or getting your hands on the recipe so you can recreate it yourself. There are people out there that actually make money doing a photo shoot of food! It's incredible, it's like a secret hidden world that only a true foodie can appreciate. It definitely is all consuming and could probably be compared to an addiction, but in a good way.

The picture I've included today is my favorite photo of food. Isn't she lovely? It's of a beautiful, creamy timbale of salmon with avocado cream sandwiched between and on top of the salmon. It's topped with roe that is a gorgeous color of orange. To me, it's the epitome of food porn. I dream about it all the time and on my worst day, I head over to my favorite restaurant to have an avocado roll with side of two pieces of salmon sushi. It's the closest thing I can get to that picture. Just a touch out of reach and always on my mind.

For those who are interested, the recipe follows.

Salmon Timbale

Ingredients:

8 ounces sushi-grade salmon
½ avocado, peeled and diced
¼ - ½ teaspoon wasabi powder (to taste)
½ teaspoon Yuzu juice (to taste)
Salmon Caviar

Directions:

Place the avocado into a bowl and mash using the back of a fork. Add the ¼ teaspoon wasabi powder and ¼ teaspoon yuzu juice and mix until well combined. Taste and adjust adding more wasabi powder and yuzu juice to suit your palette.
Don't go over board and make it too hot or you won't enjoy the salmon. You want to be able to taste the three distinct elements - it needs to be in balance.
Next, finely dice the salmon. Do this only when you are ready to serve the dish.
Place a ring mould onto the centre of each place and half fill each mould - pressing down to compress the salmon.Top with a spoonful of the avocado puree - then top with the remaining salmon.
Use the back of a spoon to press down again. Keep the spoon against the centre of each timbale as you ease the mould upwards - revealing an intact timbale.
Spoon a little more of the avocado over the top of each and then a generous mounding of salmon caviar.

Recipe for Strawberry Banana Bread

Have you ever had one of those recipes that you made and you loved it so much you want to try every variation you can? A couple of weeks ago I made a banana bread and used sour cream in the recipe that made it super moist. I don't usually care for bread or coffee cake because it's so dry, but adding the sour cream was the trick to making this the perfect banana bread. I had a few strawberries leftover the other day so I threw those in for good measure. It was so good I've had visions of every fruit and combination imagineable for this bread. Just take out the bananas and substitue with whatever or keep the bananas and add whatever.

The bread was delicious. It was moist and had little pockets of banana and strawberry. Breads of any sort are becoming a weekly staple in our house. Unfortunately, I've gained a whole pound so I'll do this monthly rather than weekly. The other variation is of course the obvious choice, muffins. But somehow I think that pancakes would be a great choice as well. We made pancakes last week with fresh blueberries, this week or in the weeks to come I'll make pancakes with bananas and strawberries. The possibilities are endless!


Banana Strawberry Bread
Serves 14

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) Butter, softened
1 1/4 cups Granulated Sugar
2 Eggs
4 tbsp. Sour Cream
1 1/2 cups Flour, all-purpose (white)
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1.5 cups
(2-3) ripe Bananas, mashed
1 cup fresh strawberries, diced

Directions:

1. Grease 9" x 5" loaf pan.
2. Beat together butter and sugar.
3. Add eggs. Mix well.
4. Add sour cream, flour, baking soda, vanilla, and bananas. Mix well. Stir in one cup of straweberries.
5. Pour into prepared loaf pan.
6. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 - 55 minutes, or until toothpick in center comes out clean.
7. Cool on rack, and wrap in plastic wrap overnight to bring out the moisture in the bread.

Pantry Challenge Reward - Don Corleone's Pizza

Steven and I decided to order a pizza and salad from Don Corleone's pizza for dinner. Don has the best pizza around and their caesar salad is equally good. Coming from an Italian who never cared for any pizza outside of NY, this is a complement. I know it's strange, but I am spoiled and very particular about the quality of my Italian food. I don't care for Italian restaurants because I have grown up on "real" Italian food that has been handed down to each generation. If I want good food, I call Mamma. My mother makes the best manicotti and eggplant parmesan.

The restaurant has mastered the recipe for authentic NY pizza. The slices are so big you have to fold them in half to eat them. The good part is they use buffalo mozzarella so you don't get that greasy drip on the side of your hand or from the side of your mouth. Their sauce is a perfect balance of tomatoes, olive oil and basil. Their caesar salad is tossed with homemade dressing, parmesan cheese and sesame break sticks. I usually squeeze a slice of lemon on to give it that extra kick. This is one of those things that you can't duplicate at home, nor would you want to. This is a pizza you can't refuse.