Meat on a Stick
You just can’t go wrong with meat on a stick. Its not exactly the classiest thing to eat, but when made with a Thai flair, its delish! I’ve made a few different Chicken Satay recipes, but this is the combination of several, and I’m quite happy with the outcome.
I didn’t plan very well, and only had a little bit of fresh ginger left, so I put it all in the marinade. Although the sauce called for it, I was planning to skip it when I remembered I had some candied ginger left from Thanksgiving. So I added a chunk of it to the dipping sauce as it simmered… and it worked, you could taste the ginger! *Insert best Borat voice* Great Success! :)
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How Much Chocolate is Enough?
In my world, there is no such thing as too much chocolate. This is a chocolate biscotti studded with pistachios and chocolate chips. Its good, real good. I found this recipe in an old issue of Food and Wine Magazine, December of 2005. Its makes for a lovely display with the extremely dark color and bright green pistachios. The best part is when you dip it in coffee, the chocolate chips melt ever so slightly… its choco-fabulous!
Gobble Gobble
What a great Thanksgiving! I truly have so much to be thankful for. First off, I have a fabulous husband. Thank you for being you honey! He’s the one who encouraged me to start this blog, and did all the work creating it! I’m also thankful for my health, and my family… who I was not able to be with this year.
Now on to the good stuff… the food. I think Stephan thanked me at least 10 times for this Thanksgiving dinner! I did work hard, but its so worth it. This is by far my most favorite holiday. There’s no pressure, no stress, just good food and good company. I also have to thank my Mother-in-Law, as she was a great Sous Chef and helped me tremendously! Thanks Mom!
I’m only going to share a few of the recipes from my dinner, as I made so much stuff and can’t imagine typing all that! lol!
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The Eagle Has Landed
Stephan’s parents just arrived here yesterday for their annual visit from Germany. They came here a few years ago and experienced my Thanksgiving cooking for the first time, and are looking forward to the day of gluttony I have planned. Obviously they don’t usually celebrate Thanksgiving, but have learned to appreciate it!
Although we told them not to bring too much stuff, they brought a large piece of luggage filled to the brim with cookies, candy and fabulous German chocolates. I don’t even know where to start. We seriously have enough sweets to last for months… good stuff! They even brought a piece of uber-stinky French cheese they picked up in France last weekend and two loaves of pumpkin seed bread that are so heavy you could do arm curls with them. I’m.in.heaven. Chocolates, candy, stinky cheese and German Bread…. sigh…
I’m also working diligently on my Thanksgiving Menu… Some old traditional items, and a few new things thrown in. I’m so excited, as its my favorite holiday and I love to cook for it! Come back tomorrow for a Thanksgiving post!!!
Cookie or Candy???
When I started my blog, I needed some inspiration and subscribed to several magazines. My plan is to make at least one thing out of every magazine, and today is my first magazine inspired post. This recipe came from Bon Appetit, and is absolutely fabulous!
This cookie is unbelievably sweet, chewy, crisp, and above all… so ALMONDY (I think I just made up a word) you will almost swoon. The main ingredient is almond paste, which I consider food of the gods. Whomever invented almond paste should be sainted. The recipe called for a dip in melted chocolate after baking, but I omitted it because it was just so darn good without the chocolate… and I was a little tired too. I’m sure its even better with the chocolate!
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So I Did Something Crazy…
I auditioned for The Next Food Network Star. The Food Network had an open casting here in Miami, and I received an email from a casting person via my blog. That in itself was quite exciting… wonder how they found me??? Anyway, the casting was last week, the inital interview went very well and I was asked to come back the following day for an on-camera demo and interview.
I was beside myself. I so much wanted to run out of the casting office, screaming “I GOT A GOLDEN TICKET,” but I refrained. You gotta have a little class, right? So I waited until I was in the car with Stephan to make a total and complete fool of myself. When I came out of the casting office I was immediately interviewed by a reporter at The Miami Herald. I probably sounded like an idiot because I was so excited… meh… what are you gonna do? Stephan and I both got mentioned in the article… cool stuff!
For the on-camera demo, I made my beloved Apple Strip. It was a strange feeling, with the camera, the lights, the microphone clipped to my shirt. But it was cool, very cool! I feel like I did well, but I was so incredibly nervous. I had never been in front of a camera before. I had a baked and garnished apple strip ready, along with all the ingredients to put it together on camera. I think I even said voila! when I pulled the finished product out of hiding. I suppose I could be a tiny bit of a drama queen when I want! :P
Anyway, just thought I would share my excitement with my fellow bloggers/friends! I have my fingers crossed that I will get another call from the Food Network to tell me I made the next round. However… even if I didn’t, its OK, as this was a fantastic experience for me!
Also, I absolutely must thank my hubby, Stephan, for being there with me every step of the way. He said he just wanted to be there to occasionally yell out “YOU CAN DO IT.” And he really did that… and then surprised me with an uber-fancy dinner at Prime 112 to celebrate! Thank you honey, you’re the best!
Top O’ The Muffin To Ya
This muffin makes me want to start selling muffin tops. Elaine and Kramer had a seriously fabulous idea. I’ve made a very simple sour cream muffin with semi-sweet chocolate chips mixed in. What makes it special is the generous sprinkle of Turbinado Sugar on top. It gives it a crunchy, sweet, almost candy-like top. Don’t get me wrong, the actual muffin is also quite tasty too, but I could make muffin tops, corner the market, and take over the world! Its just that good.
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My Neighborhood Has Crabs!
A few weeks ago, I was walking outside my house and saw something odd scurrying across the road. After a little inspection, I realized it was a large blue crab. Strange… I have absolutely no idea how a crab got into my neighborhood, as I live about 4 miles from the beach. Maybe it got lucky and escaped someone’s crab boil? Perhaps it was tired of the Fort Lauderdale beach scene and wanted to head west to the ‘burbs? I suppose I will never know. Is it wrong that I licked my chops when I saw it, and thought ‘mmmm crab’? Not surprisingly, I have been craving crab cakes since I saw the little bugger.
This is my Asian inspired version of Crab Cakes, made with Panko breadcrumbs to keep with the Asian theme. I served it with Asian slaw.
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That’s Not My Baguette Baby!!!
Last weekend, I was in a baking mood. I find baking very therapeutic, and wish I had more time to devote to it. This is a fabulous recipe that results in thin and crisp baguettes, but you do have to plan ahead for it. I started it on Saturday morning, and finally baked them on Sunday afternoon, as the recipe calls for not one but two eight hour rises. There is a shockingly minute amount of yeast, so the excessive proofing time is quite necessary. In addition, the extra time develops a fantastic flavor, and makes the wait totally worth it. The recipe came from How to Bake, by Nick Malgieri.
Confession: Stephan and I ate an entire hot baguette… standing in the kitchen… in less than 2 minutes… snort!
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Pierre’s Restaurant, Islamorada
Its been a crazy week for us…Weddings, photo shoots, plus I auditioned for something (which I can’t really talk about now!) So I haven’t had the time to cook as much as usual. Today my post is about the food at Pierre’s Restaurant in Islamorada, Florida. Stephan and I photographed an amazing wedding and dined on some absolutely fabulous food. We always eat wonderful food at weddings, but this was so good and unexpected I felt the need to blog about it and spread the word. I had no idea that there was a fine dining restaurant in Islamorada, as most of the restaurants are old school diner style and quite casual. Next time you’re there, definitely check out Pierre’s Restaurant, you will not be disappointed.
Stephan had the Filet Mignon that was served with garlic mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus, demi-glas and bernaise Sauce.
I had perfectly seasoned Mahi Mahi served over chive mashed potatoes, haricot verts and a pepper coulis.
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