So I did something weird. I roasted a turkey. On a random day. In April. Weird, right? I could tell that the husband and pups were quite confused by the strong smell o’ roasted turkey in the house. Well… the organic turkey breasts were on sale after Easter and I happen to have this thing for sales. I did try a different recipe from my usual Thanksgiving brine. I did a salt rub and LOVED it! I remember last season (or was it the season before?) where magazines boldly declared that brines were out and rubs were in. I’ve never been one to go with trends, so I still brined my Thanksgiving turkey, like I do every year. I didn’t want to risk trying something new when I have company coming. But since this was random turkey roasting, all bets were off!
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Archive for April, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving???
Posted by Candace on Tuesday, April 27th, 2010
Banana Puddin
Posted by Candace on Tuesday, April 13th, 2010A few months ago, Stephan and I were in New York and as usual, we planned our time there around food and photography. We stopped in at the famous Magnolia Bakery for their popular cupcakes. As were were sitting outside in the alley eating our yummy cupcakes, I saw two well dressed older women sharing something out of a paper container. They were positively moaning after each bite. So of course, I had to ask what was causing this reaction. Banana Pudding. Who would have thought? So I finished my cupcake and went back in and bought a banana pudding. I then found myself moaning after each bite. It was hands down the best banana pudding I’ve ever had. I don’t know what was in it, but it was decadent, yet light… flavorful, yet light… creamy, yet light. However, I’m pretty sure it was no where near light. But at that moment, I didn’t care. It was so tasty that I don’t care if it was 100 grams of fat.
So I came home and made my own version of banana pudding. I really was feeling indulgent and used a combination of half and half and whole milk… It can also be made with only whole milk (or even 2%) and the result will be good but not nearly as rich and creamy. I justified making the full fat version because I only made half of the recipe. :P Makes sense to me!
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El Venadito Cheese
Posted by Candace on Friday, April 9th, 2010I was approached by Specialty Cheese Company and asked if I would like to taste test El Venadito (hispanic cheeses.) Ummm… Free cheese? Yes please! If you haven’t realized before, I love cheese. At any given time, we have no less than 3 types of cheese in our refrigerator. It is a nightly snack in my house and now I’ve added a fourth must have cheese. Specialty Cheese Company sent three types of El Venadito cheeses, two different Queso Blanco’s (one low sodium) and a Queso Para Frier. All three were tasty, but I really loved the flavor of the low sodium Queso Blanco. It had a great flavor and texture and fried up lovely. Plus it didn’t taste low sodium! Texture wise, my favorite was the Para Frier… it almost had a haloumi texture… kinda squeaky when you chewed it. According to Specialty Cheese Company, you can find El Venadito cheeses at Publix, Sedano’s and Winn Dixie in Miami. I was very happy to see that the Publix where I shop in Ft Lauderdale carried it!
If you think that I’ve battered and deep fried cheese, you’re wrong. This delicious and firm cheese is pan fried on a DRY pan. No oil or fat added. It is delicious. It browns gorgeously and gets just a little soft… It has a great bite and get’s very chewy. I served it several different ways… with a salad, with freshly baked bread and olive oil and standing in front of the stove while cooking more… lol! Either way is fabulous!
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Bedtime for Gar-Bonzos
Posted by Candace on Monday, April 5th, 2010If there is one thing I always have on hand is garbanzo beans (aka chick peas.) With garbanzo beans I often make hummus, soups, salads and have even been known to add garbanzo beans to chili. Yes, I’m a daring one, eh? I’ll admit, in the past, I would buy can o’beans and use that, but I’ve recently started cooking dry beans, and it is SO MUCH BETTER! I wasn’t surprised. But I always have an emergency can of garbanzos. You just never know when you get a hankering for some.
Anyway, onto the salad… I’ve had a few tasty garbanzo bean salads recently, one from The Kosher Kingdom (where we did a photo shoot of their amazing store and YUMMY prepared foods) and another one at a day after brunch for a wedding we photographed. Although the two salads were as different as they could be… they both starred the garbanzo. I made my own version with what I had on hand, including peppers and herbs from my garden. This recipe surely can be added to your very tasty AND healthy list.
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Turning Over a New Leaf
Posted by Candace on Thursday, April 1st, 2010I know… it has been almost two months since my last post. But in case you haven’t noticed, something is different ’round these parts. Welcome to MY BRAND SPANKING NEW BLOG! I Shot the Chef 2.0 is now here for your viewing pleasure. My wonderful husband Stephan, who also happens to be my personal photographer and web designer, has been working hard on all the details of my new blog. Hope you like it! Thank you Stephan for spending so much time to make me the most gorgeous and functional blog! You da Bomb!
On to the fabulous veggies… I’ve always had an awful black thumb. When it comes to houseplants and herbs, I’d be a convicted murderer. So many times I’ve bought herb plants and they died within a week or so. My mother is the queen of African Violets (and many other plants) and my dad has an enormous vegetable garden, so I don’t know where my black thumb came from. I guess I just didn’t understand (or appreciate) how simple it was to grow your own food… until recently.
