The long road of life

When he found out how much I love chestnut honey, my friend Rolando Beramendi of Manicaretti sent me a jar of chestnut honey that he exports, and added that he loved to make honey gelato from it. (He is a wholesaler, but the chestnut honey, and his other fine Italian products, are available from Market Hall Foods.) While chatting with Rolando – who is Italian – he asked me about Americans not having an affinity for wild, dark and bitter flavors. I thought about it, and we do like those flavors in some respects: We eat bitter greens like broccoli rabe and kale, as well as rye bread, rhubarb, lemon, beer, whiskey, buckwheat (and buckwheat honey), and barbecue, which isn’t bitter, but has smokey, woody, and earthy flavors.

Curiously, a few days before, we’d had lunch with an American friend of ours who lives in Italy and writes about Italian food, and the subject of how Italians don’t crave spicy foods, while we were spreading spicy ‘Nudja on bread at a pizzeria in Brooklyn. I’d never had it – boy, is that stuff good! – although they said you wouldn’t find the sausage-like spread that spicy in Italy. When I mentioned the red chile flakes and other spices sometimes found in Italian dishes, they both said that they are not common. But in general, it’s hard to generalize about entire cultures, generally speaking.

honey varietiesIf you can’t get chestnut honey, you can use another strongly flavored honey for this ice cream, such as buckwheat honey, which is rare in France. (Most of it that’s available comes from Canada.) In France, pine honey (miel de sapin) is strong and quite tasty…and is a diuretic, in case anyone asks. Another good, strong French honey is miel de bourdaine (buckthorn). Or you can go to your local honey shop or stand at the market and taste some samples…but prepare yourself for a little interrogation about your inner workings.

For those who have issues with homemade ice cream getting too hard, because of the honey, this ice cream stays soft and scoopable – even right out of the freezer. It’s nice just as is, but one could serve it with crumbled nut or sesame brittle (there’s a recipe for that in The Perfect Scoop) on top, or toasted hazelnuts or almonds. You want to pair it with something to compliment the honey flavor, not compete with it. (Sorry chocolate!) Spring and summer fruits work really well, such as rhubarb, strawberries, apricots, plums or peaches, when in season.

Is there anything better than homemade bread, fresh from the oven? Perhaps there is, but after you open the oven door and breath in that wonderful smell I don’t think you’ll come up with a better answer

While I’m no stranger to baking bread, I must say that this pita recipe is super simple to make and would be a great introduction for those feeling tentative about making homemade bread. There is also something extremely satisfying in watching the pitas puff up in the oven (says the person who parked her butt in front of the oven door, grinning like an idiot)

Easy Homemade Pita Bread: Watch them puff up in the oven HKUE amec!

I think the key to this flat bread is to roll the dough quite thin (to help in forming the “pocket”) and to have a really hot oven (the blast of heat puffs these lil’ fellas right up!).

Look at that beautiful pocket, just waiting to be filled with something tasty!

There are only a few words of caution that I will pass on:

Don’t fear the flour! Flour the counter top, flour both sides of your pita dough, flour the rolling pin mask house. You don’t want the dough to stick anywhere, especially when you pop it onto the baking tray.
Be gentle with the dough! When you roll the dough out, make sure it doesn’t rip or tear, as that will stop the pitas from puffing up, and creating the pocket.
Be ready to eat far too many in one sitting! These bad boys are addictive, and you will want to eat multiple pitas in one go. But, they freeze really well, so take it easy

Our Canadian Thanksgiving has come and gone, but for our neighbours to the south kangertech box mod, I’m quite certain that these pitas would make the perfect sandwich vehicles for all that leftover turkey :) We ate these with some falafel balls, slaw and guacamole, and they definitely hit the spot!

Have a great week!

The batter comes together really quickly and doesn’t need any fancy equipment. A whisk and spatula work perfectly fine Best Restaurants in Hong Kong.

Since zucchini bread is a quick bread, you want to treat it just as you would muffins or pancakes. Stay away from over mixing — it will only make the bread heavy.

We love adding sliced almonds and a dash of almond extract to the batter. You can easily leave them out or, swap the almonds for another kind of nut. Chocolate chips wouldn’t be a bad idea, either Search Engine Optimization.

We actually shared this Chocolate Zucchini Bread Recipe years ago, if adding chocolate to the batter got you excited, you should definitely check it out!

By the way, we use melted butter in our recipe since we love the flavor it adds. If you want to experiment on your own, try a fruity olive oil or coconut oil.

We call for granulated sugar, not brown. The granulated sugar keeps the bread a little lighter than brown sugar does. That’s not to say brown sugar is a bad idea — it adds a caramel sweetness that’s quite delicious Bo Ying Compound Eu Yan Sang.

Use our recipe as a base, there are so many variations you can try — another reason we love this recipe so much. Happy Baking!

Big kids and little ones alike love this kind of comfort food. Whipping up a batch of waffles is fun and easy. Serving them as a base for a savoury meal is a cheeky twist. Stir up a quick pan of flavourful white sauce, tear apart a ready-made rotisserie chicken, and add a drizzle of sweet maple syrup for a winning meal that comes together quickly and is a great project to do together with the young chefs in your family. Add a tasty shredded carrot salad for colour and crunch Conference organisers.

cooking with kids: chicken waffles and carrot saladMeredith and I had a great time making this meal you find ltd.

She loved stirring up the waffle batter and trimming the carrots Enterprise Backup and Recovery.

She had fun getting her hands greasy taking the meat off the chicken carcass (great anatomy lesson).

It’s important for kids to know where our food comes from, so seeing it in its complete state makes for better understanding of the food as a whole. Meredith shelled the peanuts for the salad, and helped grate the carrots. Grating was a tough job, so we took turns.

Then it was time to cook the waffles.

Slicing up a couple green onions for a garnish, and seasoning the carrot salad:

Meredith was the assembly line chef who helped put it all together on the plates.

Then we sat down to eat it. The meal received a definite thumbs up!

Kitchen Frau Notes: Make your favourite waffle recipe, reducing the sugar to 1 or 2 teaspoons, or use the recipe below. If you don’t want to make the white sauce, replace it with a smear of butter or cream cheese across the waffle before you add the chicken.

Skills practiced: Making batter, making a roux, shelling peanuts, peeling & shredding carrots, boning a cooked chicken

Godiva selected me and a few other bloggers to be their summer social ambassadors, and help spread the word about some of their new creations for summer.

Although I'll never say no to chocolate truffles, when it's hot and steamy outside (and we do get a couple of those days in San Francisco, fog notwithstanding!) something cold and sweet fits my cravings best. Godiva is introducing two new treats that fit the bill:

Their Trufflelata is a frozen shake blended with one of their truffles for an extra-rich experience. You can choose from six flavors ranging from salted caramel to hazelnut crunch. I guess this means I can have my truffle and sip it as well!

Godiva is also premiering their in-house Belgian soft serve ice cream. There are three flavors: Dark Chocolate, White Chocolate Vanilla Bean, and the mandatory Swirl for those who just can't decide. They also offer Belgian waffle cones that can be dipped in milk or dark chocolate, just in case you aren't feeling indulgent enough.

Both of these items will be appearing (if they haven't already) at Godiva boutiques everywhere. I'll be at a special Godiva summer social in San Francisco next week premiering these items, but you can get in on the celebration as well: I'm giving away five $25 Godiva gift cards to lucky Dessert First readers!

The best views are from the main building where the restaurants and lounge areas are located. From the outside terrace, you can see over the trees all the way to the ocean at the edge of the skyline. Coupled with some late afternoon sun, this was perfect relaxation after my drive down from San Francisco.

My favorite appetizer during cocktail hour - salmon and strawberry sushi.

The bartender making us strawberry basil margaritas.

Our welcome dinner at Chaminade - all the dishes were strawberry themed, of course.

I think one of the dishes that wowed everyone was the gem lettuce saladwith strawberries and avocado. It turned out we were all smitten by the black Hawaiian sea salt sprinkled on top.

My main course: phyllo-wrapped salmon with strawberry pepper coulis. So pretty.

And of course, dessert: almond cake with strawberry caramel, mascarpone mousse, and strawberry mochi. I was super impressed with this; the strawberry mochi really made the dish unique and pulled it all together.

The next morning, we had some time to explore downtown Santa Cruz before we went to the strawberry farm. Although we ended up next to the famous Boardwalk, we all decided to walk around the shoreline and get a view of the cliffs and the surfers instead. It was a photo-perfect overcast morning.

Summertime is famous for outdoor cooking, especially anything grilled. Grilling fruit brings out its natural sugars and makes for a great summertime desert. And when I think dessert, I think ice cream. Now combine the two together and it’s mouth-watering magic. Many fruits are grillable, including apples, pineapple, peaches, pears, watermelon, and mango. Today’s dish features some more of those delicious Georgia peaches from my road trip home from New Orleans.

One of my favorite natural ingredients in this dish is local honey. Many areas have local bee keepers, in fact one of our neighbors has a hive. While this may scare people away, those with gardens know how important these insects are to our backyard gardens. Bees are essential to cross-pollination, without this process many vegetable, especially those of the squash variety, will not produce full grown ripe vegetables. Local honey producers can be found in many farmers markets and local fairs. So support your local bees, and add a touch of honey!

For a refreshing twist, I’ve topped them with a bit of lime simple syrup and fresh chocolate mint from my garden. I’ve prepared this as a dish to share, however individual servings are just as good. A half a peach to a scoop of ice cream should serve each person. Hope you enjoy this as much as we do!

Coincidence, fate, or sheer luck – how do you know which one is why things fall into place so nicely? Could it be a combination? Perhaps it is certain events were destined to happen. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a big event. Even the smallest or things can line up and make your day. Such is the case with another Holiday Food Party. We are celebrating Bastille Day and all fell into place for me to make Meyer Lemon Fingerling Potato Salad.
It all began with a simple question: What holiday should we celebrate next? Suggestions rolled in and the group decided on the one that meant all things French. This was a challenge I could really sink my teeth into. I’m a big fan of French food however I don’t make it often enough. Oh what a great excuse indeed. So off to the internet I went for inspiration and got sidetracked. The internet has a way of doing that you know.

An email arrived in my inbox about a week or so later. It was from the kind folks at Frieda’s. Wouldn’t you know they have produce to celebrate Bastille Day. Oh what great luck for me! Soon a box filled with meyer lemons, fingerling potatoes, shallots, and a few other items arrived at my door. Now was the final decision on what to make. I headed straight for the bookcase and pulled out Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking (affiliate link to Amazon). I decided to do an adaption of the Pommes de terre à l’huile (French Potato Salad).
How is the Meyer Lemon Fingerling Potato Salad? The nutty flavor of the fingerlings is brightened with lemon’s citrus accent. Shallots mildness enhances a simple vinaigrette. A touch of white wine combined with chicken stock is soaked in by warm potatoes. Then the potatoes are gently tossed with the dressing and served. I suggest waiting about an hour before serving to let all those flavors come together and for the potatoes to soak up some of the dressing.

Do you enjoy French food or celebrate Bastille Day? If so, be sure to scroll down to find all the recipes for our Holiday Food Party. Very special thanks to our hosts, Anita of Hungry Couple and Susan of The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen.

On Tuesdays I work at coffee shops with a couple girlfriends who also call their homes their workplaces. It’s a good chance to knock social activity and work hours out together (she says, like a true introvert) and one that gives all of us an excuse to spend $5 at a local business as well as put on normal clothes before noon (okay, that last part might just be me). This past week, we also met up on Thursday, and when we did it was at the new coffee shop in my neighborhood loop, which is also the first coffee shop in my neighborhood, a news-worthy event for South Nashville if ever there were one. Since it opened 1.5 weeks ago, I have already discussed this hip new place and its white string lights and ample seating area with our neighbors down the street at lunch on Memorial Day, my friend Jenna at book club (who, notably, found out about it in the community newsletter I’ve apparently known nothing about) and, also, at a workshop that my friend and former neighbor Ashley led in Hermitage, when the sweet nine-months-pregnant girl sitting next to me said she lived in Woodbine and the coffee shop was the first thing we had to discuss LED Color Temperature.

I’ve met the owner three times now (although I’m sure he has no idea who I am), including in a long conversation my never-met-a-stranger coffee-shop work buddies and I shared with him and another guy, about Internet and Google Fiber and the fact that this stranger who was eating a scone next to me turns out to live walking distance from my house. As a girl who grew up in the spread-out Chicago suburbs, I’ve never quite experienced the feel of a neighborhood, the TV kind where you can stop at the Kroger down the block and run into someone you know, but I have to say these last few weeks I’ve rather liked it baby carrier.

OH GOODNESS! It’s been a long elyze time since we’ve had a Sunday Supper, my friends! For that, I’m sorry. In between vacation and playing catchup from said holiday, dinner has been… well, unimpressive. Until now! Today I made up for all the missed meals. Big time

Meet the chicken caprese burger! Isn’t she a beaut ?

These burgers are made with ground chicken, which might make you scratch your chin a little and ponder if I’ve lost my mind, but rest assured – these babies elyze are 100 and 10% amazing! They’re juicy giants… and nourishing too. Woo-hoo !

Hiding inside our chicken burgers you’ll find fresh basil, onion powder, salt, pepper, panko, and an egg. These ingredients promise a moist burger with lots of flavor! Yessssss please!

While the burgers are sizzling away on the grill (or skillet), you’ll want to grab some buns, a few slices of tomato, and some mozzarella cheese. We’ll layer the cheese and tomatoes on the buns, then toast them up until our cheese elyze is all gooey and gorgeous . I that part