On this final summer weekend, we gathered for a family weekend getaway. Here are a few silent images from our getaway to Clearlake, CA.
Travel: Labor Day Getaway
10
Sep
Last weekend was what is considered to be the last weekend of summer. We open our summer seasons with Memorial Day weekend and close them with Labor Day weekend.
Cook and Tell: Sun Dried Tomato Sausage and Potato Pita Pizza
31
Aug
Another day has come to an end. Like most of you, I am looking forward to the long weekend. Nothing like a little time off from the everyday grind. It was just me and the adorable little feet tonight. I planned on making something interesting for dinner this week, and I got lucky enough to be able to do so this evening. Unfortunately, it was just me doing the taste test tonight. I may be biased, but tonight’s dinner passed the taste test with flying colors. And to top it off I finally got to use that fabulous Basil Parmesan Olive Oil I purchased at Jacuzzi winery last month.
I give you…Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Sausage and Potato Pita Pizza…
| Sun Dried Tomato Sausage and Potato Pita Pizza |
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Recipe type: Entree
Author:
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Total time: 25 mins
Serves: 1
Ingredients
- 1 Whole Wheat Pita
- 1 Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Sausage
- 1 White or Red Potato
- Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- 4 Fresh Spinach Leaves
- Basil Parmesan Olive oil
Instructions
- Cut potato into rounds and cook on a frying pan until it softens.
- Bake the sausage until cooked through.
- Brush the pita bread with the olive oil.
- Place the potato rounds on the pita bread (you might have a few left over).
- Cut the sausage into equal rounds and layer on top of the potato rounds.
- Top with shredded mozzarella cheese and spinach leaves.
- Bake for approximately 10 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Google Recipe View Microformatting by Easy Recipe
ENJOY!
Cook and Tell: Alton Brown’s Guacamole
27
Aug
Have I mentioned that I’ve never been a big fan of avocado? You are probably wondering, why? Well, avocado’s texture reminds me of butter. And butter and I are just not best buds. Apparently, I had a bit of a traumatic experience with butter during my early childhood, and it has stayed with me for life. I won’t go into all the gory details. Let’s just say, never force a child to eat butter. It results in butter bubbles and a life long dislike of the particular food product.
But my love, hate relationship with avocado dissipated when I came across Alton Brown’s guacamole.
I had an avocado laying around, as I had planned to introduce it to my little one. But since I took my sweet time, I figured I better have the adults consume it in the form of guacamole instead. I am not going to repeat the recipe here, as I followed it exactly. The Food Network came through once again!
Cook and Tell: Quick Weeknight Dinners with BirdsEye Foods
24
Aug
I’ve got some more great foods to share with you. This is all courtesy of Foodbuzz. As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received samples of Birds Eye Steamfresh Chef’s Favorites to try and share my experience. My samples included creamed spinach, roasted potatoes with green beans, primavera vegetable risotto and mushroom and green bean risotto.
Getting the actual samples was a bit of a task in itself, but once I finally got my hands on them I was pretty excited to try them out. First I tried the the primavera vegetable risotto. Now, hubby was of course a part of all the tastings and his opinion will be reflected in my overall taste and tell.
Overall, I had a positive impression of the risotto. Texture wise, in my opinion, it’s what a risotto should be. Creamy, but not too creamy. However, there was a bit of a vinegary or somewhat sour taste to it. I would say a bit too much of it. This was also true of the mushroom and green bean risotto as well as the roasted potatoes and green beans. I am not sure if there is a tad too much vinegar added or maybe it had to do with the fact that by the time my package finally made it to me, the food was mostly defrosted.
The next night I paired the mushroom and green bean risotto with some baked salmon. I baked the salmon very simply, for approximately 25 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Seasoned it with salt, fresh ground black pepper and lemon juice of a fresh lemon. This made for a great weeknight dinner. How can you beat having a side dish in four minutes?
I paired the roasted potatoes with green beans with some breaded cod. This was a very well received dinner. Once again, weeknight dinner with a great side in less than a half an hour.
I have to say that creamed spinach was my favorite one, of all the Birds Eye samples I received. Creamed spinach could be a side all on its own. However, I decided to mix it in with some pasta. I boiled some pasta and cooked the creamed spinach according to the directions on the package (another 3 minute quicky). Once both were ready, I mixed the spinach into the pasta, added some slivered almonds and some shredded mozzarella cheese. After combining all the ingredients I popped this casserole of sorts into the oven for about 15 minutes. Once 15 minutes were up, I garnished the pasta with a sprig of cilantro (I add cilantro to almost everything), and dinner was served.
The takeaway from my experience tasting Bird’s Eye Chef’s favorites: these dishes make great sides for weeknight dinners as there is no hassle with preparation. You just take packet, as purchased. Pop it in the oven for 3-5 minutes (depending on the strength of your microwave and the food you’re cooking). Once time is up, all you have to do is empty the packet onto a serving dish or a plate. It’s that simple! Hopefully, the vinegary/sour taste of the risottos and the roasted potatoes was only due to the defrosted goods upon delivery, and therefore only specific to my samples.
Cook and Tell: Pelmeni Face
21
Aug
For those of you that have children, you know all too well how picky kids tend to be about what goes on their plates and into their tummies. Sometimes parents have to get creative in getting their kids to eat all those good-for-them nutrients. My friend M recently shared with me a meal she made for her six year-old son. This was a spontaneously put together dish, and made for fun lunch time for her son.
I call this, pelmeni face. Simply place some pelmeni on a plate, cut a tomato in half and place on each side of the pelmeni, creating ears. Place two blueberries on top of the pelmeni, to create two blue eyes. Add a piece of butter for a cute nose, and a slice of peach for a smiling mouth. The ground black pepper makes for cute freckles, don’t you think?
M, big props on this very creative idea!
Moms and Dads, do you have any other fun tricks up your sleeves for fun kids’ meals?
Photography: Beautiful Eyes
15
Aug
I was scrolling through my reader and came across a very interesting post from Yuliya at SheSuggests. She entered a photo contest for a photo of the most beautiful eyes. Beauty, of course, is in the eyes of the beholder. When I saw this contest, I really wanted to share the eyes of our very own restaurant critic extraordinaire.
Win or lose, you can’t deny these are very beautiful eyes.
Food News: Behind the Apron
12
Aug
San Francisco is full of exciting food events this summer. You may remember my post in June on SF Chefs 2011 that occurred August 1st through August 7th.
Chef Russell Jackson slices lamb and Elizabeth Falkner mixes cocktails for the judges, at the illy Chef Challenge presented by Chase Sapphire Visa Signature, Saturday, August 6, at SF Chefs 2011
Photo Courtesy of: Visa
This time, Chase Sapphire Visa Signature is bringing you Behind the Apron events. These events are already occurring but don’t despair, there are still two great events coming up in the nearest future.
L-R: Charlene del Muro, Meals on Wheels of San Francisco; chef Chris Cosentino; chef Elizabeth Falkner; and Karen Gordon, Meals on Wheels of San Francisco). Cosentino and Falkner beat out Dominique Crenn and Russell Jackson in the illy Chef Challenge on August 6 to win a $20,000 contribution from Chase Sapphire to Meals on Wheels of San Francisco and Chef Dominique Crenn hard at work in the kitchen at the illy Chef Challenge presented by Chase Sapphire Visa Signature, Saturday, August 6, at SF Chefs 2011.
Photo Courtesy of: Visa
On August 20th, enjoy Behind-the-Scenes Culinary Experience at Spruce Restaurant in San Francisco, hosted by a local Sunset magazine editor. Watch as three renowned chefs prepare individual portions to a three-course meal.
On September 17th, you can experience Market-to-Table Culinary experience, from 11am to 3pm at the Ferry Plaza and Quince Restaurant in San Francisco, CA. You will have the rare opportunity to shadow a local celebrity chef as they spend the day shopping San Francisco’s renowned Farmer’s Market at Ferry Plaza.
For more information on these great events and to purchase tickets, visit http://www.chasesapphire.com/behindtheapron/.
Cook and Tell: Godiva – More than Chocolate…
09
Aug
You guys probably noticed that a few months ago, I joined the Foodbuzz network of food blogs as a featured publisher. Well, this great relationship has a few perks. A few weeks ago, as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received a sample of Godiva ground coffee, Chocolate Truffle and Hazelnut Creme. Just imagine…the goodness of Godiva chocolate mixed with rich scent of coffee. The scent alone, is to die for.
I was very excited to try this coffee. One problem though…this gal doesn’t own a coffee maker. So here I face a dilemma, I’ve got great coffee and no way to brew it. This is the time to get creative, and so I did. I used, drum roll please…a tea pot. It totally makes sense, a tea pot has a an infuser, which doubles as a coffee filter, when no coffee maker is in site. With this set up I proceeded to make, what we call Coffee Glisse, which is simply, coffee with ice cream. I decided to add a little kick to my version.
Coffee Glisse
Ingredients:
Godiva Chocolate Truffle Coffee
1 shot Kahlua
1 shot Original Baileys Irish Cream
1 Scoop of Coffee Ice Cream
Preparation:
Brew coffee and pour into cup. Add Kahlua and Baileys. Top with a scoop of coffee ice cream.
I have to admit, 1 shot of each, Kahlua and Bailey’s, might have been a bit much. Half a shot of each would have been just as good.
I took a simpler route with the Hazelnut Creme coffee. I also had the help of a cezve, courtesy of my parents. All I did was place four teaspoons of Godiva’s Hazelnut Creme ground coffee into the cezve and top it with boiled water. I heated the cezve over the stove for a few minutes, and poured into a cup. Topped with some skim milk, added two teaspoons of sugar…and oh my…I was in heaven. Absolutely delicious!
As delicious as Godiva chocolate is, Godiva coffee is exquisite. The aroma draws you in like nothing else.
So make yourself a cup of delicious Godiva coffee, sit back and take it all in…
Restaurant Review: Girls Just Wanna Dine Out…at The House
04
Aug
Today, I have a very special treat for all of you. My restaurant review series, which has become a staple of sorts on the blog, is being taken up a notch. All thanks to my friend Lyuba. Lyuba not only took part in spoiling me, with an absolutely fabulous dinner for my birthday, but she also graciously agreed to write this incredible review of our experience. So without further ado, I present to you Lyuba’s review of The House. And if you love Lyuba’s commentary as much as I do, please do leave some blog lovin’ in the form of comments, to encourage Lyuba to come back again soon!
Get to know me:
Many of you may remember me from such hits as “hot chicks with skillets” from the “cooking with..” portion of Dimple Arts. For the 99.9% of you that don’t, allow me to introduce myself. One thing you absolutely must know about me is that as much as I love cooking, I love going out and having someone do it for me even more. But it’s not just about the food; restaurants, like people, have personalities. Some are all about looks and some are all about substance. Some are pretentious and others humble and understated. When looking for a restaurant, we look for one that works with not only our food preference, but personality and mood as well. As a frequent diner and traveler, I find that a good restaurant, like a man, is hard to find and reviews don’t always tell the right story since reviewers, as people, also have personalities and different backgrounds. In the era of Yelp, anyone with a computer is suddenly a critic. So I say this now, I am not a food critic…I do dine out a lot, like good food at a reasonable price, and am known for giving good restaurant advice.
The Place:
Last Friday, I had the immense pleasure of taking out our very own blogger-extraordinaire, Julia, out for her B-day at one of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco, The House. Located in the heart of the bustling and parking-challenged North Beach district, or San Francisco’s claim to having an actual Italian community (please… the sleazy waiters at Steps of Rome DO NOT COUNT), this place truly pleases the senses without overwhelming them. In short, the food is great, the dress code is casual, and the décor is minimal. Don’t get me wrong, I am the first to admit that I tend to get suckered in to over-paying by giant Buddha statues, hipster chandeliers, and other gimmicks of the sort that pretentious restaurants employ, but sometimes it’s just nice to get the fancy food and not have to spend hours putting on your face and bunion-busting heels.
The Ambiance: Good for: Dates, groups of 4 or less, weeknights, pre-night out dinner.
This is not a bar scene, nor is it for decking out or people watching, although, Clive Owen did come here while filming “Ernest Hemingway” a couple of months ago. Expect a small space, tables almost too close for comfort, and the crowd to be on average, 35-40 year old eHarmony daters.
The Price: $42/person on average
The Food: I hate to bring up the cliché-ridden genre of Asian Fusion, but this place does generally fall into this category.
For all you oyster lovers, I am starting a cult and I am calling it “The House”, but seriously, living in SF, we are truly spoiled when it comes to seafood–especially raw seafood –and this place definitely ranks among my Top 5 for freshness, texture, and taste. Drizzle some of their delicious mignonette for the complete experience.
Ahi tuna tartare with roasted nori chips–The worst thing about ordering tuna tartar is the impossibility of actually getting it inside your mouth. Unlike other places, where the tuna and avocado flee at the sight of a cracker, leaving you poking at the plate for tiny morsels of fallen tuna, the house not only creates just the right consistency so that the good stuff stays in one piece, but they also serve it already doled out on top of the crackers, which are large enough for you to actually hold on to, resulting in less mess and more tuna. The flavor is balanced with just enough avocado and wasabi and just the right amount of zest in the fish itself.
Next, and not nearly as earth-shattering, we had the Asparagus with roasted sesame dressing. As my jewish grandfather says: “Eh…” nothing to write home about, so I won’t. Get it only if you like veggies with your meal.
Warm wasabi house noodles with angus flatiron steak- now that’sa what I calla a good pasta! Delicious and satisfying– get the steak on the rare side if you can handle it, the juicier the better. Guaranteed to be a crowd favorite and one of the more filling items on the menu, which makes it a great value.
Grilled sea bass with garlic ginger soy- Oh how I dread ordering fish as life is like a box of bad fish, you never know what you’re gonna get. Fortunately, at The House, you get a Sea Bass that is incredibly soft and flavorful. Whew!
The Wine: Due to the lack of adventure on the part of my Riesling-loving companions, we had the 2003 German Riesling for the second time here, even though they do have quite a few great options on the list, many of which are rarely found elsewhere. Ok ok.. I have to admit, I didn’t mind too much as it does go well with the sweetness of all the sauces.
The Conclusion:
If the house teaches you anything, it is that food is a wonderful thing…if done right and for the right price. One minus is the absolute impossibility of just walking in or getting a short-notice reservation. On my newly-created scale of “go there” to “skip it”, I give this place a “go-there ”, even after downgrading for the aforementioned parking situation and the proximity of the tables. Also, did they REALLY charge me for the extra serving of pickles that come free with the meal?? Yes…they shamelessly did. The food gets a “go-there” as well, even though the desert menu lacks the Joie de Vie! of its savory counterparts. With a little less “GTL” and lots of great food, The House is a “DGT”, or a “definite go-there!”.
The contact info:
The House: www.thehse.com
1230 Grant Ave
(at Broadway St)
San Francisco, CA 94133
Neighborhood: North Beach/Telegraph Hill
(415) 986-8612
Travel: Celebrating in Sonoma
01
Aug
We spent the past Saturday celebrating a friend’s birthday by enjoying the great weather and wine of Sonoma, California. We were picked up by an incredible coach and driven in style to Sonoma. As I am writing this, I realize that unfortunately, I didn’t actually take any photos of the coach itself. Believe me when I say, it was a nice ride. But no fear, I have a few other shots to share. We visited 3 wineries, and I personally enjoyed the first one the most. Interestingly enough, it wasn’t so much for the wine, but for the olive oil. Yep, you heard, well in this case read, it correctly. Jacuzzi winery in Sonoma has a very large and interesting selection of olive oils. I couldn’t help but buy a bottle for myself. Parmesan olive oil anyone, or maybe some champagne olive oil?
You have to agree, this is a pretty nice way to spend a Saturday.
