I heart Central Market in Houston and I heart Butter.

Today I taught a Creole Cooking Class in Houston. It was sold out to a wonderful, lively group of people. It's classes like today that remind me why I love teaching so much.At time, I had questioned this aspect of my business. Should I just cater? Private chef? I've always loved the interaction between myself and my class, but sometimes people are there just to eat. Yes, people actually sign up for cooking classes and just want to eat. It's definitely not a crime by any means. I just love every aspect of cooking classes from creating menus, prepping for the class, the actual hands-on teaching,storytelling and feedback from students. It's weird calling people my parents' age "students," but I guess they really are. I forget sometimes I've been cooking for almost 11 years now. You are never too old to learn! I also love when my students teach me things too.

Back to class today.

One of the Central Market assistants brought to my attention that there was 2 sticks of butter in my ingredient list for Creole BBQ Shrimp,but in the directions I'd typed 2 tablespoons. She asked me," Chef, which one is it?" I paused for a second wondering how I made that blunder! Well, I guess living in Austin has made me a lot more health conscious and I had tried to reduce the amount of butter substantially to cut out the fat, calories and make less gravy. Less gravy equals less french bread you dip, so even fewer calories. What was I thinking? I explained it to her and she was like,"why try and make Creole BBQ shrimp if you can't have it the right way?" Great question.

I can name at least 5 friends off the top of my head who are on a mega mania diet or serious work out regiment. I know we should watch what we eat and moderate portions, but when was it a crime to eat things the way they were meant to ? I still debate in my mind, what the proper balance of "eating healthy" is without purposefully starving oneself. At any rate, the class picked up on the typo in the recipe packet before I could address it and so I explained. It's as if all of them gasp simultaneously at my answer. All of them insisted on the real thing and doing the recipe the way I originally made it. And mind you, these weren't all people that were large and in charge. There were some skinny minnies & average size people. It was a full spectrum of shapes and sizes. One man said to me,"Houston like you and your recipes just the way ya'll are." I was touched. It was really nice to hear. I guess I'm still trying to find that balance in my own food journey as a chef. No matter where I am in my journey through finding a healthy balance in food,it's always nice to hear that my recipes and I are fine. Just they way we are =)

Cecconi's in L.A.

I sure wish I was in L.A. right now. A good friend of mine is working there and it just opened. The owner, Nick Jones is from London so that makes him pretty cool already.In fact, this is where the restaurant originated. My friend's been training for a couple weeks and is a bartender. I hear the food is amazing and simply done too. It's in Hollywood, so I'm sure it will do very well. There's all these cool restaurants popping up everywhere and sad I can't be there to try all the food! Since I haven't been particularly hungry, I could at least look at it and take amateur pictures.

I'm sure Ciccone's will be a smash hit! I hope other restaurants start popping up and the economy starts to rebound like we've all been praying it would. Heck, if the economy got better, I might even dust off my business plan and go full steam ahead. At any rate, it's good to see new places in the food industry make calculated risks. I wish them and my friend a ton of success! Next time I'm in L.A. I can't wait to grab lunch there =)

It's a miracle. I'm not hungry.

I suppose stress effects different people in different ways. I became a size 0-2 at my wedding 4 years ago from stress alone. Everyone kept asking what I was eating, how much I was working out(which was little, but still, more than now) and if I was on a special diet. I was on the stress diet. I don't eat more when I'm stressed, I eat way less. I eat the most when I'm relaxed. Is that weird? I can honestly say that I haven't been this stressed in year. Geez. It's a good stress because I think major shifts are happening for Foti and I. Most shifts seem to be positive, other than my Mom being sick. But they're still growing pains nonetheless. Even good stress is stress in my book. What's causing all this stress? My Mom's ongoing battle with cancer, booking over 5 events in less than a week(amazing in this economy),looking for a house, reviewing Foti's potential new contract, having our lease end in exactly 3 weeks with no definite plans. It's stressful typing it all! I am convinced that come the end of March or early April there will be clarity in our lives. Thank goodness! We're just working out all of life's little details right now.

Back to my eating! Last night, I treated myself to a beautiful lobster tail, baked potato and gorgeous salad I made. I only had a few bites of the lobster tail, and a couple bites of salad. Afterwards, I felt completely full. My tummy didn't even growl! Normally, I could knock out a lobster tail and still have room for some ice cream or something sweet. NADA. Not for me! I'm elated that all this stress will have some positive effects on my waistline. I am drinking a ton more water too. Which is healthy.

In fact Foti took me to Brick Oven today for lunch. It's a cool little Italian restaurant down the street we go to sometimes. The best thing on the menu was water. Kidding! I did order a salad and slice of pizza. I ate half the salad and had 2 bites of pizza.I was done and Foti was floored. Is this how Nicole Richie eats on a regular basis? I wonder. I'm enjoying this while I can. In 3 weeks if everything goes the way I'm hoping and praying, I'll be back to eating my old eating habits before long. Soon I'll be dragging myself to the treadmill! Good things await, I can just feel it!

All you ever wanted to know about pesticides!

I've been pretty busy lately, so I'm just posting news about food that interests me! All my Greek cooking classes are selling out and that's keeping me VERY busy. Go Greek =)

More writing soon foodie fans!

Lowest in Pesticides
Onions
Avocado
Sweet Corn (Frozen)
Pineapples
Mango
Sweet Peas (Frozen)
Asparagus
Kiwi
Bananas
Cabbage
Broccoli
Eggplant

SOURCE: www.foodnews.org

Why Should You Care About Pesticides?
There is growing consensus in the scientific community that small
doses of pesticides and other chemicals can adversely affect people,
especially during vulnerable periods of fetal development and child-
hood when exposures can have long lasting effects. Because the toxic
effects of pesticides are worrisome, not well understood, or in some
cases completely unstudied, shoppers are wise to minimize exposure to
pesticides whenever possible.
What’s the Difference?
An EWG simulation of thousands of consumers eating high and low
pesticide diets shows that people can lower their pesticide exposure
by almost 90 percent by avoiding the top twelve most contaminated
fruits and vegetables and eating the least contaminated instead. Eating
the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables will expose a person to
about 14 pesticides per day, on average. Eating the 12 least contaminat-
ed will expose a person to less than 2 pesticides per day. Less dramatic
comparisons will produce less dramatic reductions, but without doubt
using the Guide provides people with a way to make choices that lower
pesticide exposure in the diet.
Will Washing and Peeling Help?
Nearly all of the data used to create these lists already considers how
people typically wash and prepare produce (for example, apples are
washed before testing, bananas are peeled). While washing and rinsing
fresh produce may reduce levels of some pesticides, it does not elimi-
nate them. Peeling also reduces exposures, but valuable nutrients often
go down the drain with the peel. The best option is to eat a varied diet,
wash all produce, and choose organic when possible to reduce expo-
sure to potentially harmful chemicals.
How Was This Guide Developed?
The produce ranking was developed by analysts at the not-for-profit
Environmental Working Group (EWG) based on the results of nearly
51,000 tests for pesticides on produce collected by the U.S. Department
of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration between
2000 and 2005. A detailed description of the criteria used in developing
the rankings as well as a full list of fresh fruits and vegetables that have
been tested is available at www.foodnews.org.

" Soy is making kids 'gay' "

SOURCE:www.worldnetdaily.com
Author:Jim Rutz
Date:12-12-06

There's a slow poison out there that's severely damaging our children and threatening to tear apart our culture. The ironic part is, it's a "health food," one of our most popular.

Now, I'm a health-food guy, a fanatic who seldom allows anything into his kitchen unless it's organic. I state my bias here just so you'll know I'm not anti-health food.

The dangerous food I'm speaking of is soy. Soybean products are feminizing, and they're all over the place. You can hardly escape them anymore.


I have nothing against an occasional soy snack. Soy is nutritious and contains lots of good things. Unfortunately, when you eat or drink a lot of soy stuff, you're also getting substantial quantities of estrogens.

Estrogens are female hormones. If you're a woman, you're flooding your system with a substance it can't handle in surplus. If you're a man, you're suppressing your masculinity and stimulating your "female side," physically and mentally.

In fetal development, the default is being female. All humans (even in old age) tend toward femininity. The main thing that keeps men from diverging into the female pattern is testosterone, and testosterone is suppressed by an excess of estrogen.

If you're a grownup, you're already developed, and you're able to fight off some of the damaging effects of soy. Babies aren't so fortunate. Research is now showing that when you feed your baby soy formula, you're giving him or her the equivalent of five birth control pills a day. A baby's endocrine system just can't cope with that kind of massive assault, so some damage is inevitable. At the extreme, the damage can be fatal.

Soy is feminizing, and commonly leads to a decrease in the size of the penis, sexual confusion and homosexuality. That's why most of the medical (not socio-spiritual) blame for today's rise in homosexuality must fall upon the rise in soy formula and other soy products. (Most babies are bottle-fed during some part of their infancy, and one-fourth of them are getting soy milk!) Homosexuals often argue that their homosexuality is inborn because "I can't remember a time when I wasn't homosexual." No, homosexuality is always deviant. But now many of them can truthfully say that they can't remember a time when excess estrogen wasn't influencing them.

Doctors used to hope soy would reduce hot flashes, prevent cancer and heart disease, and save millions in the Third World from starvation. That was before they knew much about long-term soy use. Now we know it's a classic example of a cure that's worse than the disease. For example, if your baby gets colic from cow's milk, do you switch him to soy milk? Don't even think about it. His phytoestrogen level will jump to 20 times normal. If he is a she, brace yourself for watching her reach menarche as young as seven, robbing her of years of childhood. If he is a boy, it's far worse: He may not reach puberty till much later than normal.

Research in 2000 showed that a soy-based diet at any age can lead to a weak thyroid, which commonly produces heart problems and excess fat. Could this explain the dramatic increase in obesity today?

Recent research on rats shows testicular atrophy, infertility and uterus hypertrophy (enlargement). This helps explain the infertility epidemic and the sudden growth in fertility clinics. But alas, by the time a soy-damaged infant has grown to adulthood and wants to marry, it's too late to get fixed by a fertility clinic.

Worse, there's now scientific evidence that estrogen ingredients in soy products may be boosting the rapidly rising incidence of leukemia in children. In the latest year we have numbers for, new cases in the U.S. jumped 27 percent. In one year!

There's also a serious connection between soy and cancer in adults – especially breast cancer. That's why the governments of Israel, the UK, France and New Zealand are already cracking down hard on soy.

In sad contrast, 60 percent of the refined foods in U.S. supermarkets now contain soy. Worse, soy use may double in the next few years because (last I heard) the out-of-touch medicrats in the FDA hierarchy are considering allowing manufacturers of cereal, energy bars, fake milk, fake yogurt, etc., to claim that "soy prevents cancer." It doesn't.

P.S.: Soy sauce is fine. Unlike soy milk, it's perfectly safe because it's fermented, which changes its molecular structure. Miso, natto and tempeh are also OK, but avoid tofu.


THIS WAS SO BIZARRE I HAD TO POST IT. CONSIDER THIS IS 3 YEARS OLD.

"What's one of your most favorite cookbooks?"

I was asked this by a friend of mine today, and thought it would be a great topic to blog about. The book is French Laundry, and the man is Thomas Keller.He is the culinary genius that chefs everywhere proverbially bow to in their mind, just at the sound of his name. Why? Because we all know there are only a handful of people that have the power and creativity to revolutionize not only the way we eat, but how we consider food. Yes, I said "consider food." The book is has been rumored to have taken a lifetime to write. In fact, it won the top award at International Association of Culinary Professionals cookbook awards many years ago. It's still relevant in today's world.

"The French Laundry Cookbook" by Thomas Keller, the chef/proprietor of the restaurant by the same name in California's Napa Valley, is no small read. It's $50 large and in charge. It contains 150 recipes and full page color photos. It goes beyond recipes to tell the history of the restaurant and the historic building in which it resides. Thomas Keller won the James Beard Award for Outstanding American Chef in 1997, has become known for his menu of many small flavorful courses.

I was given this book by my old assistant from Sur La Table and now very close friend, Ashley. It's THE BEST "chef" present I've ever gotten and I often turn to it for inspiration. He inspires me to do my own thing and let my imagination run wild. One day I hope to eat at his restaurant in Napa. I can not wait for that day to come!

Quote from Keller below on his book:

"It's a lifelong experience," Keller said. "A book should be inspiring, it should have a certain amount of legacy to it. This is it, this is the book I wanted to write."

Eating wings can be sexy

I found this in an old email and thought I would post it. It's a mildly amusing video about "how to eat sexy" and the food of choice is wings. It's definitely not as edgy as I remember it being, but it's kind of funny the first time you see it.

My poor Foti has surgery tomorrow. Yikes! I guess I'm a little more nervous than I thought, because it's harder to sleep than usual. It's outpatient and self inflicted(in a way) so I shouldn't feel too empathetic, but I do. That's a wife for ya!(yawn)

Watch this while I drink my earl grey with soy and agave! I'll try to catch some zzzz's while watching my beloved BBC.

Black and Blue. Antioxidants made yummy for you!

This is a super healthy breakfast smoothie that is tasty. Plus, it doesn't taste like your typical smoothie. It has as much depth as one person can give something made in a blender. It's rich in antioxidants and packs a punch that's full of flavor. Today I thought I'd share the recipe!

p.s. the "black and blue" part come from not only the specs of color from the berries, but it's also metaphoric. if you're feeling a bit under the weather or beat up from a bad day, this will definitely give you that za-za-zest you need back in your life!

Black and Blue POM Smoothie

Handful of Blackberries
Handful of Blueberries
1/2 cup of Pomegranate Juice
1/2 cup of Wallaby's Vanilla Bean Yogurt -OR- Brown Cow's Lemon Yogurt (Use lemon if you prefer tart)
1 teaspoon of light agave
1 whole small banana chopped( use half if it's large)
3 cubes of ice

Blend it well and enjoy.

Note: Add more ice if you desire. Also, add water if want it thinner. (More pomegranate juice will make it very tart.)

Genius at work!

What a fantastic idea!



So for those of you who don't already know, I 'm pretty obsessed with the BBC. In fact, that may be an understatement because I prefer people speaking to me in a British accent. How's that for odd? While watching another fabulous episode of "F Word," I discovered a website called:http://www.pimpthatsnack.com. It was a featured website on the show.



This site features people from Europe that takes average snacks like jaffa cakes and "pimp" them. It shows the process through multiple pictures, and even compares the real size treat versus the pimped size, It's a great tool to gain perspective.


With everything going on in the world, I think this is a fun, inexpensive way to have fun with friends and family. Plus, you have a treat in the end. BONUS!

Happy Eating foodie fans.

Breakfast in Bed

This morning I was abruptly awakened at the most ungodly hour of 8:45am. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but it's my birthday and I wanted to sleep in. I just got back from LA and still recooping from doing pretty much, nothing. Nonetheless, doing nothing can still be tiresome.( Don't know how, but it can!)

To my surprise and delight, Foti cooked me breakfast. Being a chef, I don't really get excited if people just randomly cook. If I'm being honest, I do have pretty high standards, and usually don't eat people's "homemade" food for the sake of being nice. Foti knows this. His bravery to attempt this *and wake me up from my peaceful slumber was pretty risky. Apparently it was a calculated risk because he did stupendous! My boo finally got it right. Praise the Lord! He did just excellent! Really =)

He made homemade pancakes and omelet with little organic tomatoes cut perfectly. Also he got me a chocolate diamond. It said on the box, "Chocolate diamonds are a girl's best friend." ADORABLE.

Last but not least, he gave me the cutest bday card with 2 puglets sipping tea. British pugs???? It doesn't get cuter than that.
Now I'm off to work for the day.

Happy Birthday to me =)

The Lobster

A few years ago, Foti and I were in LA and were told by a friend we should eat at The Lobster. Supposedly the food was amazingly fresh, and the views were equally as impressive. For those of you who are unfamiliar with LA, it's located on the Santa Monica Pier on Ocean Drive. So after a full day of the Price is Right, we thought we'd press our luck at The Lobster.(Pun intended.) We strolled in and asked for the best table they had. As I was overlooking their menu, I was getting more excited. It looked quite tasty! To our utter disbelief, we were denied for having no reservations. My begging, pleading, puppy dog face and southern charm was no match for their stereotypical "LA attitude!" We put our tails between on legs and sadly, settled for a cute little Italian place down the street. It was pretty good, but still, no Lobster.

Fast forward to Valentine's day a few days ago. I'm with my girlfriends, Katrina and Greta on the 2nd busiest day for restaurants for the year. (New Year's is the 1st.) Did you think I learned anything at all from my experience?Nope. Obviously, I'm thick between the ears or something because I did the exact same thing. Except only this time, I had a secret weapon...Katrina! After dropping her car off at valet, we strutted our stuff on into The Lobster like we belonged there. 3 seemingly single ladies on Valentine's Day with no man in sight. How could they resist this dynamic threesome?

Trina calmly asks for a table for 3. The hostess asks if we had reservations. Without a blink, she replies, "yes. Under...and she gave her full name." The hostess probes through her reservation list, while Great and I play it cool. The silence is piercing and suddenly old memories start to creep in. I distract myself with looking over the menu and taking in the aromatic smells that dance in from the dining room. Abruptly, the lasy says,"Nope. There are no reservations in your name."

Trina fires back with, " Maybe someone put us down for the wrong day, or made a mistake. I know I made them."

Hostess still looking at her computer, says,"If you called I would see you in the system and you name doesn't even come up anywhere."

A manager treks in and we plead to him. It was useless. I felt that sinking feeling come over all over gain.

One last shot, the manager asks when she made the reservations. Katrina nicely advised him that they were made that past Tuesday.(Which obviously, we had nunca!)

With a nasty grimace, he says, " Well, we've been booked for 3 weeks."

GAME OVER!!!! Please play again. I seriously doubt it. Damn you, The Lobster. Damn you.

Foti learns about wine. FINALLY.

Foti has been anchoring the morning show all this week and been all this fun morning show stuff. All week he's been getting great Valentine's Day ideas. He's been doing a ton of food segments and I really should post more of them!

Below is the link of him learning about great vinos for this most celebrated, Hallmark Holiday (Valentine's Day!) Watch my boo in action...

You might even learn something!

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/dpp/good_day/021109_Wine_to_Fit_a_Meal

Warm Chocolate Passion Cake

Nothing says "I love you," like chocolate. With Valentine's Day in less than 2 days away, I've been getting lots emails from friends on romantic desserts ideas. This one's for you girls!




9 tbsp. unsalted butter
6 tsp. cake flour
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/4 cup finely granulated sugar
1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa



Preheat oven to 450°. Spray four 3-oz. ramekins with non-stick spray. Dust each mold with 1 tsp. of flour and then place on a half baking sheet.

Put chocolate and the remaining 8 tbsp. butter into the top of a double boiler set over a pan of simmering water over medium-low heat and heat until almost completely melted, about 7 minutes.

Next, beat eggs, egg yolks, and sugar together in a mixing bowl until thick and pale yellow (3 minutes)

Whisk chocolate and butter together, then add to egg mixture, stirring until just combined. Whisk in the remaining flour.

Divide batter between prepared molds and bake for 5–7 minutes (center of cakes will be tender).

Invert cakes onto 4 individual dessert plates and let rest, undisturbed, for about 10 seconds. Lift up an edge of each mold to let cake fall out onto plate. Dust cakes with cocoa and serve immediately, with a small scoop of vanilla, mint and/ore fresh berries.

White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies

Makes about 3 dozen medium cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 whole, large eggs
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoons baking soda
10 ounces white chocolate (chips or bars cut in chunks)
1 cup macadamia nuts, chopped into chunks

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 F.

In large bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt with electric mixer until creamy.

Add eggs, beat well. Stir together flour, and the baking soda; gradually add to butter mixture,beating until well blended. Stir in white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts.

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. (Edges are golden brown and center is set.)

Cool slightly, remove from cookie sheet to wire rack to cool completely.

Cheaper Food + Pug = Expensive Vet Bill, Sick Pug & Vomit Stains.

My puglet, Junior(AKA: Pugs Deville, Puglet, Pugalug & Sir Pugsworth...Foti swears he's been knighted) has been sick as a dog! It's not from his usual misadventures of digging through the trash that wasn't taken out, nor from the secret treat from me or a friend. It's from his actual food! UGH!!!
I've been paying $42 for this medium size bag of prescription dog food that our vet swears is the best and only food we should feed Junior. Because of his weight, age and breed, this is supposedly the only food he should be eating. After buying this for almost 2 years, Foti and I thought we would tighten our boot straps a little. What's the harm in being a little more economical? After all, we are in a recession right? For $40 we could get this less expensive(still prescription) diet food and get 5 lbs more food than the other over priced junk.(So we thought.)

Convinced the vet was totally exaggerating, we ended our dog-fearing orders and asked the tech to change the prescription to the more economical stuff. We were so proud of ourselves! We beat the system! We wouldn't be over paying for some fancy smancy stuff that was just as good as the other brand. Plus, Austin is known for being a dog loving city, so while our vet meant well, I'm sure Junior would be fine on the other stuff. Boy, were we ever wrong.

Fast forward to today. There's disgusting vomit ALL over my place. I literally mean, all over. It's in my bedroom, bathroom, living room, couches, entrance and hallways. I think the food multiplied in his stomach or he had 3 other dogs come vomit with him in the middle of the night. I'm taking him to the vet and I bet I know what she's going to prescribe. Yup. Back to the $42 dog food that only lasts a few weeks. That will teach me!

Bourbon Balls. (A.K.A. Southern Truffles)

Since I won't be in Louisiana gorging on delicious foods from my childhood, I'm posting a recipe. It's Bourbon Balls! I wish I was going to a Mardi Gras Ball or drinking some Bourbon in the French Quarter. Eating at Mother's would be my favorite, but I'm not doing any of it! And even though I *can make all of my favorite foods, it's just *not the same as having them made for you.

So here's an ultra easy recipe. It's great to bring over to dinner parties or enjoy yourself at home with loved ones. You'll be surprised how easy this is.



29 vanilla wafers, finely crushed ( yield 1 cup)
1 cup chopped pecans
3 tbsp. valrhona unsweetened cocoa powder
3–5 tbsp. bourbon(use coca cola if making for kids)
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup chocolate sprinkles

Mix crushed wafers, pecans, and cocoa together in a medium bowl.

Combine bourbon and corn syrup in a small bowl, add to wafer mixture, and stir until thoroughly combined.

Make pieces of chocolate mixture just a bit smaller than the size of a walnut, roll into 1" balls, and transfer to greased foil.

Put chocolate sprinkles into a small bowl. Dredge balls in sprinkles, turning to coat completely.

Serve at room temperature.

** Store bourbon balls in an airtight container in a cool spot or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Go Nugget Market! (www.nuggetmarket.com)

In this flailing economy, it seems everyone is laying people off. Heck, I'm working less than I ever have, but glad I'm still working. I know I'm lucky. A lot of people have serious financial issues right now and can't afford basic living expenses.

I was looking at cnn.money online and noticed there was this higher end grocery store, Nugget Market that wasn't laying their hard working employees off. They were getting creative with how they managed their company in these truing and changing times.Nugget Market is an 81-year old, upscale grocery chain in Sacramento, California. It's headquartered in Woodland, California and has 7 flagships chains, and 3 "Food for Less" Chains. It's avoided massive layoffs by careful managing job placement and managing labor costs.

An example of their creative management is not to replacing employees who leave voluntarily and working with a smaller staff. Also, stores located within 15 miles of each other share staff. Employees are cross-trained! Genuis. Floral & deli people are willing to work as baggers. I'm assuming vice versa too?

I think other companies should take note! With flexibility from workers and creative management, working with struggling times is possible. More companies could make a difference with taking the the time to nurture their business in this manner. We all know happy employees are key to succeeding at any business. Kudos to Nugget Market!!!

Stuck like Chuck. Peanut butter products contaminated with salmonella.

Not much to say, other than, it's pretty interesting article. Who woulda thunk it ? Salmonella + Peanut Butter Products?

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/business/epaper/2009/02/04/0204salmonella.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=6

Snail caviar. The latest food trend...

I think *true foodies would agree that Almas, Beluga, Osetra and Sevruga are the most refined, tastiest caviars available. Anyone I've ever met that claims they "hate" caviar, hasn't ever had the good stuff. They haven't enjoyed a fresh blini with caviar and creme fraiche! Maybe a sprig of chive to garnish ? Simply briny, delicate and delicious.

Now, I've recently read about snail caviar in a chef magazine and was taken back. I suppose if you monitored their diet, but it's still snails in my opinion. Consider the source though, because I'm not a big fan of escargot(and I've had it many ways.) It's just not my thing at all. SInce I've never actually had it, I can't make a firm judgement one way or the other. Plus, being hip to food isn't cheap. Snail caviar retails for $115 for 1.8 ounces. I don't wan to try it that badly!

Here's an interesting article to read more about this delicacy:
http://urbandaddy.com/nyc/1403/Snail_Caviar_at_The_Modern_New_York_City_NYC_Served_Up_UrbanDaddy_Archives


Suggestions for Enjoying Traditional Caviar!
Remove the caviar from the fridge and let stand at room temperature unopened for ten minutes before serving.
The caviar may be transferred to small bowls or consumed directly from the container. Putting the container on crushed ice will help prolong the caviar's freshness. There are several decorative caviar presenters on the market specifically for this purpose.The idea that you shouldn't use metal spoons to eat caviar is a myth, but I'm still old school. Caviar is stored and sold in metal containers with no adverse effects. Traditional caviar spoons, available at fine culinary retailers are made from mother of pearl or bone. This is my personal preference!


Caviar has a delicate flavor and should be served with accompaniments that don't overwhelm its flavor. Remember less is more. Traditional garnishes are small slices of toast, blinis, unsalted crackers, or creme fraiche. Ice-cold vodka or champagne is the drink of choice. If you are serving caviar by itself, figure on 1 to 2 ounces per person. If the caviar will be served on top of something else as an hors d'oeuvre, 1/2 to 1 ounce per person is the usual.

Vino on a budget?

With my 31st birthday on the horizon, I'm thinking of what kind of shindig I want to throw! I've got nothing but wine on the brain. Nothing, and I mean, nothing could top my 30th birthday. It was everything I could have asked for and them some. It was flawless. I don't even think I can compete with myself last year because Lord knows where I got all my inspiration and energy from?!

This year, I think I'll allow husbands, boyfriends and/or significant others to join in the festivities this year. I'm thinking of going to the same winery as last year, Mandola's. Plus, their menu is fabulous and anything we order will be amazing. Wine "Tasting" is a must! Maybe a night of games. Board games that men would enjoy too. Just no video games.

Since most normal people enjoy a glass of wine every now and then, I thought this list would be helpful to winos and newbies alike. It's a small investment to learn, or simply enjoy an array of wines that should be readily available out there.

Cheers!!!
Whites
Bianchi 2007 "Elsa" Torrontés
Argentina $8
A distinctive varietal, Torrontés is characterized by intense fruity-floral aromas.

Columbia Crest 2007 Grand Estates Chardonnay
Washington $8
An elegant wine, rich with apple, pear, and a hint of oak.

Fish Eye 2007 Pinot Grigio
California $8
Tropical fruit and intense citrus dominate in this dry, food-friendly Pinot Grigio.

Domaine de Bernier 2006 Chardonnay
France $9
This excellent Chardonnay from the Loire Valley is rich with grapefruit and lemon.

Veramonte 2007 "Reserva" Sauvignon Blancv
Chile $9
Fruity and zesty, this has melon and lemony flavors with herbal notes and bright acidity.

Brancott 2008 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
New Zealand $10
Grapefruit, tropical fruit, and grassy flavors accent this wine from the Marlborough region.

Domaine La Hitaire 2007 "Les Tours"
France $10
This crisp, dry vin de pays ("country wine") from Gascony is a blend of less-familiar varietals, such as Ugni Blanc.

Ponte de Lima 2007 "Adamado" Vinho Verde
Portugal $10
This young white is fresh with lime flavors and herbal aromas.

Tintero 2007 Moscato d'Asti
Italy $10
This sweet, low-alcohol wine from Piedmont has citrus zest, pear, and apricot flavors.

Wolfgang 2007 "Concerto" Grüner Veltliner
Austria $10
In this versatile wine, ripe citrus flavors carry a hit of peppery spice.

Reds
Archeo 2006 Nero d'Avola
Italy $4
A favorite from Trader Joe's, this rich, earthy red with dark fruit has an oaky finish.

Banrock Station 2006 Shiraz
Australia $5
Big flavors and a low price tag are a winning combination in this fine red with ripe plum and black-cherry flavors.

Bianchi 2007 "Elsa" Malbec
Argentina $8
Argentina has become known for its big-value Malbecs: Here, blackberry and plum flavors are matched by a spicy finish.

Budini 2008 Malbec
Argentina $9
This big wine is characterized by black cherries, blackberries, and spice.

McManis Family Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon
California $9
Blueberry, blackberry, and chocolate flavors balance this Cabernet's spicy notes.

Monterra 2005 Merlot
California $9
A rich Merlot with a hint of chocolate.

Di Majo Norante 2007 Sangiovese
Italy $10
Blackberries and spice with violet aromas make this an appealing wine to pair with the robust flavors of this time of year.

Eguren 2006 Tempranillo
Spain $10 for 1 liter
From the Castilla y León region, this full-bodied red is loaded with raspberry fruit.

Goats Do Roam 2006 Red
South Africa $10
This Rhône-style red has soft tannins, black-cherry fruit, and a spicy finish.

Vigne & Vini 2005 "Schiaccianoci" Negroamaro del Salento
Italy $10
This rustic red from Puglia shows concentrated, earthy flavors that are balanced by aromas of spice

SOURCE: www.bonappetit.com

Pulled pork for dinner. Pizza for breakfast. So much for being healthy...

Ahhh, it seems as if I've fallen off the proverbial wagon, yet, again.

The tofu "hot wings" and cottage cheese sounded much better in theory, than in actual tasting. It was worth a shot, but not appetizing at all.

Thank God for plan B. Lara and I made pulled pork tacos, black beans, guacamole and flan. I also bought some eclairs just for the heck of it! You know we had fun because I still have no idea who actually won the Super Bowl last night. I didn't even see that many cool commercials either, not that I was completely paying attention.

The highlight of yesterday was by far, going to Central Market with Lara. My favorite Central Market expert, Jesse let us try the wonderful cherimoya and stawberry papaya fruits that were in season! It was the most delicious education I've had in a long time. There was also this huge lemon(darnit, I forget the name now) and it was so aromatic and fragrant. I swear I could spend hours there. Tragically, I have! Now you would think I would continue on my healthy journey, but nooooo!

Foti brought these huge pizza slices home from work yesterday. His office had a super bowl pig out of their last night. With so many errands to do this morning, it was the quickest thing to grab and eat. YUCK! It wasn't even that good. It was impressively large and kind of greasy. What a waste of calories! Back on my healthy beat or bust!

Super healthy, Super Bowl.

I've never been a big super bowl fan, nor sports fan, for that matter. All my closest friends know that synchronized swimming is the only "sport" I care to watch, and that only comes around every 4 years! And quite honestly, it's not like I'm counting down the days till that comes around either. I just don't get into sports like most red blooded Americans. To me it's simply overpaid, over built people competing to make goals, home runs or score points. Big whoop. I can think of a million other things I'd rather be doing than watching sports. (Cutting my dogs nails or cleaning my fridge sounds much more gripping to me.) Still, I usually partake in huge sports festivities, such as, Super Bowl. Allow me to clarify "partake." By that, I mean, eat with friends as they watch sports. Plus, I usually form side conversations with other bored sports "enthusiasts" so I'm not bored alone.

The worst EVER is girls who try to love sports more than their husbands or boyfriends. I think it's a trend that I'm totally not supporting. If a girl is really into sports, then by all means, wear the damn jersey and guzzle your beer. Ew. However, you don't see men talk about spring trends or fashion week just to make us, women happy. Women just tend to try to damn hard. Not me! I'm proud that my husband has no idea who is playing in the Super Bowl and neither do I! Seriously. We both agree that Super Bowl is another excuse for Americans to pig out, drink and act a fool! Do us Americans really need an excuse to do this? I know plenty of people who do this every Friday night after work. Come on! I just like the food and commercials.

This year, I'm going to attempt the impossible. A healthy Super Bowl! Who says it can't be done? Buffalo Tofu "Wings" with low fat cottage cheese "dressing," and celery sticks. If they're good, I'll bring them over to Lara and Steve's. If not, plan B will include making or ordering pizza. I think Steve will watch the game, while Lara & I chat. Nothing I wouldn't do on a regular Sunday!

WIth that said, go teams !? (Whoever you are?)