That’s One Spicy Meataballa!
Before we left for Germany, we had our annual Holiday Party for Stephan’s photography studio. We decided on Cafe Martarano for some Italian fare. The food there is among the best I’ve had in South Florida, and I’ve eaten at some great restaurants. We’ve eaten there a handful of times, but only for special occasions, as its quite pricey. Cafe Martoranos is known for its loud music, punctuated by loud “whacking scenes” from whatever mob movie or Soproanos episode is playing. Its true Italian in that it is served family style.
We started with the famous meatballs. So good, that Gourmet Magazine has written about these meatballs. Next, we had the giant shrimp scampi, which are the size of small lobsters. Another fantastic choice. Our main courses were both chicken, and my absolutely favorite pasta dish… the white bean and kale with sausage. Amazing, simply amazing. By the time we got our main courses were were all completely full, so most of it came home in a doggy bag. We also forgot to keep taking photos, as we had 3 bottles of wine for 4 people. :p As for dessert… what can I say? We were being gluttons!
Hope everyone has a safe and very happy New Year! See you in 2008!
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Les Secrets Du Chocolat
On our way home from Colmar, we stopped in Strasbourg, France to tour the Les Secrets Du Chocolate Musee. AKA CHOCOLATE MUSEUM! It was fabulous… you walk into the building, and are immediately struck with a strong chocolate aroma. I learned quite a bit about chocolate that I was not aware of before. Interesting stuff. At the end, we all had a cup of hot chocolate. I don’t mean the kind that you add water to chocolate powder… this was the texture of warm ganache and was only slightly sweet. Fabulous, I tell ya! Of course, I had to make a little purchase in their gift store… my favorite chocolate, Gianduja which is a mixture of chocolate and hazelnut paste.
Weihnachtsmarkt
I’d love to see how everyone pronounces that word! We traveled to Colmar France to attend the Weihnachtsmarkt, which is German for Christmas Market. Colmar is close to the German/French border (on the French side) and is just beautiful. It has a lovely blend of French and German architecture, as it was once a part of Germany. At the Christmas Market, we drank Gluhwein, which is a curious mixture of red wine, honey and spices, and is served hot. Its the absolutely best thing to warm you when you’re in cold weather. Everyone is walking around with a cup of gluhwein and breads, pastry and everything else you can imagine at Christmas. Colmar has several Christmas Markets, so we walked from one to another while sampling the gluhwein and goodies.
How do you like my hat? Every time I put it on, I immediately speak with a Swedish accent and think my name is Helga. hehe. Its not easy for a South Floridian to spend time in a cold climate, as “cold” for me is when it dips down into the low 60’s.
Merry Christmas!
Hope everyone has a very very Merry Christmas! We’re in Germany, freezing our hineys off, and drinking Gluhwein. Good times, good times! We’re also celebrating another very special occasion…. MY BIRTHDAY! :) It’s not easy competing with the big guy, but it is cool sharing His Birthday! Don’t eat too much!
Happy Birthday Stephan!
Today is my husband’s Birthday. We won’t say how old he is, because that is frowned upon in polite society. :p Instead, I’ll take this moment to give him a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY! He was the reason I started my blog, and does all the back-end work on it, including creating this fabulous custom blog and taking the photos. He does, however, get to reap the benefits when the food is cooked! It’s a good working relationship we have, eh?
Thank you Stephan for being you, for being so supportive of everything I do. I’m a very lucky woman to have you. Hope you enjoy your new fancy Prada Sunglasses! :)
Also, I’ll be blogging from the road for the next two weeks, as we’re on our way to Europe! So instead of cooking, I’ll be doing very cool restaurant reviews from Germany, France and Holland (Amsterdam)!
What Rolls Down Stairs, Alone or in Pairs?
ITS LOG LOG LOG! I’m going to assume that 99% of you have no idea what I’m referring to. It’s Ren & Stimpy, people! :)
Anyway, now that I’ve had my silly little trip down memory lane, lets discuss my Buche de Noel or Yule Log… This is my very first challenge with the DARING BAKERS, which I’m so excited to be a part of! What a fabulous challenge to start with too. This challenge was hosted by Ivonne, Cream Puffs in Venice and Lis, La Mia Cucina, who are the founders of The Daring Bakers.
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Feel the Passion!
Who gets Gourmet Magazine? I love it for the beautiful pictures, the fabulous recipes, and the great info about restaurants. This month’s issue had an amazing array of recipes for Christmas cookies and treats. If I had the time, I would have made everything. Hmmm… guess its good I didn’t make everything, or I’d be pulling out the “fat pants”… before Christmas even gets here. :)
I made the Passion-Fruit Gelees, as I’m a huge fan of Passion Fruit. I’ll admit… it wasn’t as Passion-y as I would have liked. It definitely could have used a little more passion puree. But all in all, it was tasty. Something I’ll make again, with minor tweaking.
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My Checkered Past (Part II)
Honestly, I don’t have a checkered past, I swear! It just sounded like a good title! These checkerboard cookies look so complicated and hard to make, but in reality are somewhat simple. OK… they really are not simple, but not as complicated as you would think. Yeah, they are also quite a bit time consuming. For these reasons, I only make these once a year, and that’s for Christmas. It really is a fantastic cookie. They look so cool, with the perfect checkerboard pattern, and each bite you take is slightly crumbly, buttery, chocolaty and vanilla-y. Good stuff.
Please excuse my lazyness before… recipe is now included!
Christmas Biscotti
I’m sure you’ve realized by now that I love biscotti. Its such a great treat, and usually a fraction of the fat of a regular cookie. Not this one, though! There is a nice amount of butter in this recipe that gives it a great flavor. This is the combination of several recipes, using my favorite parts, of course! As usual, I added almond extract… I LOVE that flavor, but you can omit it if you want. This would be prettier if you use dried cranberries, as they are usually more red in color, but all I had was dried cherries. Tasted good, though!
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Gingerbread Cookies!
I always make gingerbread cookies to kick off the holiday season. To me, they scream Christmas, because you just don’t see them any other time of the year. This recipe is awesome, as its a bit spicy but not too sweet. All you need is a big glass of milk, or a mug o’ coffee. The recipe came from my favorite cookie book, Nick Malgieri’s Cookies Unlimited.
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