food 2

the best chocolate icecream!

2010-04-04T23:16:00.000-07:00

Mari's Marvelous mocha pie in a cafe ole' crust

2010-02-07T20:51:00.000-08:00

Well, maribel did it again...and doing it in deep dark chocolate is only better. this was simple perfect. I'll post the recipe here soon...going off sugar has presented challenges when adapting or creating dessert recipes. But in this case it was well worth the battle!

new art website!

2010-02-06T23:17:00.001-08:00

check out my new website... it's still a work in process, but let me know what you think.

jamesreesart.com

NYC EATS!

2009-06-14T04:01:00.000-07:00

We consumed a great variety of great food while in NY. We ate at a vegitarian Korean place (name to come) that was really good. I tried some odd root thing to be daring...maribel found the texture to be disconcerting to her palate, but we all loved the dumplings and the papaya salad. We always need to sink our teeth into a few places when we travel to the big apple. Maribel loves gray papaya's dogs and carnige deli's lucious cheese cake (yes, for that we break our no sugar vow...and jacque torres). We also ate a new place getting alot of attention in the ny times, buttermilk channel in brooklyn, where we had a lovely brunch.

This time we finally got around at trying america's first pizza place, lombardi's (since 1905!). It was very good and worth the hype. Last trip we tried the pizza joint that is really getting great reviews, CO...which was very good.

Chocolate in NYC!

2009-06-14T03:51:00.000-07:00

In my continued quest to find wonderful chocolate...especially hot chocolate ( you know, not the kind you make from a suspicious little paper packette, lined with ever-so-thin tin foil, Jacque Torres' remains a constant and a must drink opportunity. Maribel tried, and we all loved, the iced hot chocolate! The torres' francize at his DUMBO location in brookly has now ventured into icecream making. This trip, we found another great place in brooklyn called the chocolate Room. Great chocolate in all forms: liquid (hot and cold), cake, icecream and truffles. The truffles were very creative, some with sea salt, flowered herbs and our favorite was orange chiptole!

MARIBEL'S B-DAY dinner

2009-05-22T07:41:00.000-07:00

Country vegetable salda, diced vegetabls with herb mayonaise, steak diane with pomme willams na sauteed vegies and apple-blackberry crsip wiht a twist (apple-black berry compote wit hstreusel topping and mascarpone cream

building the perfect burger...

2009-05-15T12:12:00.001-07:00

I am in continual pursuit of finding and or making the perfect burger. Usually the two, the finding and then the making (i.e. stealing the idea/recipe) go hand in hand. While in Minneapolis I happened upon a very good burger at Eatery 112...yummmy, straight forward with a bit of a subtle twist of flavors. It was on a homemaked english muffin, served with melted brie and stilton (I think) cheese with a side of home made pickles with pickled japaleno peppers as a relish. The presentation was clean, neat as were the flavors! YUM! What makes a perfect burger for you? Where have you had one and what made it stand out and dance?

NYC 3.20/09 food finds

2009-03-30T08:47:00.000-07:00

From 'the

behind the red curtain' burger (in the parker meridien hotel), to the yummy pickles, yogort, raw chocolate and baked goods at the DUMBO flea makert....nyc is offers fun food finds!

The tried and true, jacque torres, is still a most for any trip to manhattan, while the new 'pure dark' offered pure nonsense in the way's of cocoa magic. Lil' frankies, in nolita has very good pizza and my new upscale restaurant find-dove tail was great.
Disappointments were to be found in "pure Dark" which offered a shabby decor, cheesy disenyland approach and only offering 'darkness' at 57% cocoa. There are still new places to find next trip...the chocolate bar and a new place in brooklyn!

spark-a review

2008-12-20T12:42:00.001-08:00

for my 45th birthday we tried a new restaurant, spark. the setting was slick and clean, the plating was well thought out and hte flavors were wonderfully stated. where spark fell short was in the service, one in our group had their food arrive cold and had their comment to this affect completely ignored by the server, and the cost/serving size ratio was out of balance. Aesthetics, in visual presentation and flavors, could not counter balance the poor service or 'sparce' servings. $9 for an appetizer of one scallop, my beet salad (seen below) was also $9...my $18 plate of duo beef featured 5 gnoochis...all in our company found that 'sparce' would have been a better name for hte restaurant. It didn't spark much interest in returning...only conversations of disappointment. The art work on display was interesting, but clearly poor copies of other well know artist's work. Perhaps this young chef is also striving to copy other's work...

Mole with mother...the dance of the red iguana

2008-08-31T21:07:00.000-07:00

When ever I think Mole...i think of slc's red iguana's 'enchilada suizas' smoothered in mole poblano sauce. I've been ordering the same thing for over, perhaps 25 years...why deviate from perfection? If you go there, (by the way, don't eat at their sister place, the blue iguana...it's not nearly as tasty), ask for the mole' platter! yum!

Baby Blues BBQ & sushi with kristin

2008-08-17T14:41:00.000-07:00

while in LA, we desided to tread where food network stars have trod before. So we tried Baby Blues BBQ in Venice beach after our trip to the Getty. Bad nieghborhood, but great ribs and wonderful burger! I will definitely eat there again on my next trip. http://babybluesbbq.blip.tv/#263952

http://babybluesbbq.blip.tv/#256960

Eating in Chicago

2008-07-11T04:37:00.000-07:00

I've been eating my way through chicago for the past two weeks. from chicago hot dogs, pizza, dim sum, an overly expensive steak dinner and my favorite place Club Lago. Club Lago is found in the north end in the heart of the older gallery district. It is owned by two italian brothers who prepare the food in a straight forward (and i'd say honest) manner but done with just the right amount of love to keep it highly yummy!

Louisville...culinarily speaking

2008-06-09T19:12:00.000-07:00

While working for the CollegeBoard has been good, the food that they 'cater' has been awful. So, that would explain why I've eaten most dinners out and about the city. I've eaten at Seviche (good, but slow service), Lynn's Paradise Cafe (fun and a solid performance), Ramsi's Cafe on the world ( a mouthful of a name for a lovely large portioned meal) and lastly, the Mayan Cafe (as pictured below...you be the judge)

Home 'kitchen' advantage?

2008-05-22T08:31:00.000-07:00

For maribel's Birthday we had a family and friend couples dinner. I had no idea how much time this would actually take and Jo helped out alot. Next time I heading to PF Changs.

Jamie's spring food travels-laguna beach

2008-04-21T17:23:00.000-07:00

Well, for those of you that know me... you realize that I love art, travel and food. In fact, when I can have all three...he's in heaven (with maribel, of course). Ok, here's the skinny from my OC trip. I of course had to have a IN-n-Out burger...a few times, but I also tried some other interested places. These heavenly cupcakes from Sprinkles (New Port beach), and also ate some wonderfully creative (i.e. fusion), sushi at a place call Ten..or Ten asian bistro also in New Port beach.

Mexicali pizza and mayan icecream (cocoa nibs, fresh cinnamon and dark chocolate)

2008-04-13T16:17:00.000-07:00

The pizza was good, however...too many sundried tomatoes made the sauce a too bitter. The three cheeses where: queso viejo, matzarella and cheddar. I also used black cumin in the tomato sauce. Topped with cilantro, plenty of roasted chicken and a dab of guacamole.

Four young chefs, 10 friends, three courses and a dessert of pears stuffed with marzipan (no tree)

2008-04-05T11:34:00.001-07:00

Great food, take a look at the menu below to see what courses were traversed in the pursuit of good eats.

NoLa-the big easy

2008-04-04T08:14:00.000-07:00

Well, as you know that i'm of the philosophy: " have fork, will travel". I ate breakfast at Mommy's, lunch at Central grocery (home of the mulfalatta), Johnny Po Boy's (awesome!), Lucy's retired surfer's cafe (believe it or not), Tommy's, Cochon (very good) ...to name a few. It was incredibly yummy...and incredibly unhealthy food. Crawfish etouffee, crab cakes, ceviche, ....I could go on...and on. But all of it very yummy!

Food night at the rees'

2008-03-09T21:41:00.000-07:00

here is a preview of the menu suggestion for the upcoming dinner in April...let us know what you think. They photos are not from a book, but from the young chefs who will be coming to prepare this meal.

Salad daze

2008-01-31T18:27:00.000-08:00

Main course

2008-01-31T18:26:00.000-08:00

Dessert Trio

2008-01-31T18:23:00.000-08:00

Su su...Sushi nite!

2008-01-12T21:36:00.000-08:00

In the shadow of reading the newest book by Michael Pollan, "in Defense of Food-An eater's manifesto" we had a few couples over for sushi night. Jessica Li, a student of mine, interestingly enough she is Chinese for crying out loud... but her parents taught her the way's of sushi. One of his guiding stars towards better eating of 'real food' is "eat more like...the japanese", and understand the cultural traditions and procedural contexts of their foods. so, we just had to be supportive of such a forward thinking and health advice! Maribel made some homemade ginger icecream, yum (sweetened with agave)! Quoting Mr. Pollan..."traditional diets resemble other venacular creations of culture such as architecture." And what a beautiful culinary structure the japanese have erected!

To provide you with somebackground on eating sushi in Japanese, it is often eaten when celebrating special occasions. Chirashi-zushi (scattered sushi), maki-zushi (sushi rolls), inari-zushi (brown bag sushi) are commonly cooked at home, following family recipes past from mother to daughter (this is how Jessica learned). In as in traditional sushi restaurants we selected the best and freshest ingredients.

What to do when eating Sushi:

Clean your hands by an oshibori (hot towel)
Put soy sauce for dipping in a small dish provided.
To eat sushi, it's common to use your fingers. (I didn't know this..hmm)
When dipping sushi in the soy sauce, do not dip whole sushi. Just dip the end of the sushi as you eat. (it should be used as a subtle accent)

muy bueno burger

2008-01-06T18:08:00.000-08:00

The kids always make fun of me that I think that I'm on the Food network and that I'm always plating my food for a show. Well, I don't know about that, but I do know that I like good food and I can't help but consider visual presentation. Here is my answer to a fabulous burger (the fast buster..eerrr or breaker). The patty has a inner layer of creamcheese mixed with sharp cheddar, topped with with sexy swiss cheese, a roasted yellow bell pepper, lettuce, cilantro and a homemade sundried tomato & basil remoulade.
it is, indeed, a muy bueno burger!

a crappy new idea for a restaurant

2008-01-06T08:56:00.000-08:00

Toilet themed restaurants are not something new in Taiwan (I know you won't believe me); it has been around since 2004 with people dining in a toilet like environment (yes, it is unbelievable) and eating from a mini toilet bowl (ditto).

One would think, especially one with good taste, that this business idea won’t last long. But both you and I would be dead wrong. With the recent exposure by foreign press and bloggers, it seems that these eateries are becoming a bizarre-food icon from Taiwan… something like eating fugu in Japan and live octopus in Korea or spam with your eggs in Hawaii.

Just in case you didn't believe me, here some pictures from Modern Toilet, a food chain (yes a chain) that operates 12 toilet themed restaurants in Taiwan. Happy eating and....well you can guess what comes next.

Clark’s Christmas Noggin' Nog

2008-01-04T15:36:00.000-08:00

This is a delicious Schaffer family Holiday tradition! You may want to double the recipe- this stuff goes fast! (Try using this eggnog to make wonderful French toast or add a dribble to your hot cocoa)
Ingredients:
(Almost) 1 Cup Agave (or 2 Cups sugar)
8 eggs
_ Tablespoon cinnamon
_ Tablespoon nutmeg
_ teaspoon ground cloves
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp rum extract
2 Cups whipping cream, whipped
3 cups milk
Whip sugar, eggs, and milk together on high for 15 minutes. Heat to 140 degrees on the stove. Cool and add spices, extracts and whipped cream. Beat until well blended and foamy. Serve immediately. (Can be enjoyed chilled or heated.)
************************************************************************
Eggnog literally means eggs inside a small cup. It is used as a toast to ones health. Nog is an old English dialect word (from East Anglia) of obscure origins that was used to describe a kind of strong beer (hence noggin). It is first recorded in the seventeenth century. Eggnog, however, is first mentioned in the early nineteenth century but seems to have been popular on both sides of the Atlantic at that time. An alternative British name was egg flip.
It all began in England, where eggnog was the trademark drink of the upper class. "You have to remember, the average Londoner rarely saw a glass of milk," says author/historian James Humes (July 1997, "To Humes It May Concern"), former speech writer and adviser to four presidents. "There was no refrigeration, and the farms belonged to the big estates. Those who could get milk and eggs to make eggnog mixed it with brandy or Madeira or even sherry." But it became most popular in America, where farms and dairy products were plentiful, as was rum. Rum came to these shores via the Triangular Trade from the Caribbean; thus it was far more affordable than the heavily taxed brandy or other European spirits that it replaced at our forefather's holiday revels."
An English creation, it descended from a hot British drink called posset, which consists of eggs, milk, and ale or wine. The recipe for eggnog (eggs beaten with sugar, milk or cream, and some kind of spirit) has traveled well, adapting to local tastes wherever it has landed. In the American South, bourbon replaced ale (though nog, the British slang for strong ale, stuck). Rich, strong eggnog — the richer and stronger, the better — is no stranger to holiday celebrations in New Orleans, and at this time of year the drink takes its place alongside syllabubs on the traditional southern table. (Syllabub is a less potent mixture than eggnog but just as rich. Made with milk, sugar and wine, it straddles the line between drink and liquid dessert.)
Eggnog goes by the name coquito in Puerto Rico, where, not surprisingly, rum is the liquor of choice (as it is these days for many eggnog lovers in the U.S.). There the drink has the added appeal of being made with fresh coconut juice or coconut milk. Mexican eggnog, known as rompope, was created in the convent of Santa Clara in the state of Puebla. The basic recipe is augmented with a heavy dose of Mexican cinnamon and rum or grain alcohol, and the resulting drink is sipped as a liqueur. In Peru, holidays are celebrated with a biblia con pisco, an eggnog made with the Peruvian pomace brandy called pisco.
The Germans make a eggnog or rather egg soup with beer (Biersuppe). Here in Iceland, we do have a soup here that resembles eggnog somewhat but there´s no alcohol in it. It is served hot as a dessert. Other than that, we have nothing that resembles eggnog and no eggnog traditions.

Yuca do it!

2008-01-03T17:33:00.000-08:00

Yu can do it! (get it?...oh well) Venezuelan food is one way to celebrate "la Navidad". Pan de jamon, yuca (yucan do it....) and sancocho. The only thing missing here is the classic christmas dish, Llacas ....(because they're so time consuming to make!).

Tapa the mornin' to ya...a bday event!

2007-12-09T18:38:00.001-08:00

I don't know what to say. We have such great friends and they all came together to celebrate jamie's 44th birthday this last friday night. Everyone was so kind in giving of their time in the preparation of these delicious tapas for the event. They also went around the table in the 'sable tradition' where we went around the table and everyone shared something nice about jamie. Jamie was really touched, even though he has a hard time accepting compliments...at least without defusing them with humor.

Endulge me for a moment. There's a lot of quirky history about the origin how tapas small plates came into being. Let me regale you with a few interesting tidbits about the evolution of its tradition...

First, how do you pronounce Tapas? When pronounced correctly, it sounds like [TAH-pahs]. If pronounced like a typical United States-er, like me, it might be heard as sounding like TAP-uhs... It's your choice!

Second, what is the definition of Tapas? Well, I browsed, and peeked and looked everywhere. This is the best tapas definition I could find.

Popular throughout Spain in bars and restaurants, tapas are appetizers that usually accompany SHERRY or other APÉRITIFS or COCKTAILS. They can also form an entire meal and can range from simple items such as olives or cubes of ham and cheese to more elaborate preparations like cold omelets, snails in a spicy sauce, stuffed peppers and miniature sandwiches.

Sounds absolutely like my kind of meal! I love anything "miniature". Including my food!

greg's kitchen-a review

2007-11-03T09:42:00.001-07:00

Let me first begin by saying that Greg's Kitchen is certainly a worthy endeavor. This is the restaurant for young chefs in training and this place provides them with a venue to gain practical experience, usually to the enjoyment of those who come to eat. they are located at the McKay Events Center where the Culinary Arts students are hard at work all week to prepare meals for their customers on Friday nights. Make sure to reserve a table and come early.

Okay, on with the review. The first appetizer was a triangular dish with a lovely sauce, really quite a perfect balance between presentation and flavor. The appetizers included, Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce
(very good), Lettuce Wraps with Spicy Chicken Salad (okay, not so flavorful) and a Fried Spring Rolls with Sweet Chile Dipping Sauce (good). The Salad and soups came next. The Green Papaya Salad with Chopped Peanuts missed the mark with a lack of clarity in taste and consistency in the cuts made for a weak dish. The soups, Chicken and Coconut Milk Soup and Shrimp Soup with Lemon Grass were very good and perhaps by the book, but the intense flavors I generally associate with the coconut milk soup was lacking. The Thai Cucumber Salad was overtly sweet. For the entrees, the Green Curry Chicken with Thai Eggplant was good but the eggplant was incongruent and a 'bit weird'. The Pad Thai Rice Noodles with Shrimp and Chicken was good but not outstanding and the 'Pla Duk Tod Krob Phat' Fried Catfish in Garlic Sauce was quite nice, albeit a tad overcooked. But again, the sauces started out with a good base but then lacked follow through of flavor to give it some depth and the intensity usually experienced in Thai cooking. I this, most likely, can be chalked up to young culinary students following the recipes but lacking the integral understanding and importance of the underlying culinary statement behind each dish that craves to exert itself through the richness of exotic ingredients. I hope that these young cooks begin to understand that cooking is an art and requires them to constantly taste their food and trust their intuitive sense of taste. I got the feeling that they were 'flying blind' and didn't taste the food while they were preparing it. Often robotic impulses can overshadow appropriate culinary creativity within the bounds of a set recipe.

In fact these young culinary would be chefs, were more caught up in the presentation than the taste. This was especially true with the Mango and rice dessert. It was overcooked, starchy and the mangos were green (not sweet) and tasteless. The other desserts were much better. The problem was generally too much form and too little attention the the function; rich flavorful taste! I give the experience three out of five chopsticks.

Lynn's paradise Cafe-Reviewed

2007-10-12T20:00:00.001-07:00

"One of the 100 best Lynn's Paradise Cafe was a wonderful little find! Wow, no wonder that Bobby Flay his Food Network friends have been swarming over this place! "neighborhood restaurants in the United States" stated the Bon Appetit magazine" and Esquire said of it,"One of the four most fun restaurants in America".

Well, I'm afraid that I over ordered and over ate! The most impressive side dishes were the Fried Potato Pancakes with Creamy Herbed Goat Cheese, "Fried shredded potato pancakes flavored with onions and herbs served with roasted garlic goat cheese dip made with Judy Schad's Capriole goat cheese." That dish was just amazing! As you can see, I had their Bleu Grass Burger "An 8-ounce Kentucky grass-fed beef burger dressed with bleu pimiento cheese sauce. The Hot Brown, which is a kentucky classic is made of "roasted turkey breast baked on sourdough bread, with Mornay sauce, bacon, tomato, Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses. It is a heart attach waiting to happen. And then, their Fried Green Tomatoes—"Hand-breaded fried green tomatoes served with spicy remoulade." The atmosphere was laid back and fun and the food was stick to your ribs fanastic! I give this place 5 out of five spoons.

Lynn's paradise Cafe

2007-10-12T08:13:00.000-07:00

After a taxi ride back from a lovely BBQ lunch at mark's Feed Store our friendly driver jumped at the chance to share the culinary secret of a place recently visited by Bobby Flay and Rachel Ray. He was smiling ear to ear and shared that I should have the Hot Brown. I told him I'd eaten that dish before, a Kentucky original, when he promptly corrected me. "Oh, no...you've never REALLY had one unless you've eaten it here! Oh, man, a slice of heaven.!" For those of you who don't know what a "hot Brown" is, here goes. It's a roasted turkey breast baked on sourdough bread, with Mornay sauce, bacon, tomato, Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses. Mornay sauce is a gravy, I believe made from bacon drippings, sooooo very southern.

Mac n' Cheese Recipe
2 ounces butter, melted, plus extra for preparing the baking pan
1 quart evaporated milk
4 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons paprika
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon white pepper

1¼ lbs. shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese (preferably Vermont cheddar)
1 lb. dry elbow macaroni, cooked al dente

Crumb Topping:
½ cup dry sourdough breadcrumbs (or other firm-textured white bread)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 grindings of black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Butter a 13"x 9" pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together 2 ounces melted butter, evaporated milk, eggs, paprika, salt and white pepper. Set aside.

Make the crumb topping by mixing all the ingedients together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Layer one third of the cooked elbow macaroni in the prepared pan. Cover with one third of the shredded cheddar. Repeat the layers twice more, ending with an even layer of cheese on top.

Pour the evaporated milk mixture evenly over the entire casserole. With gloved hand, press lightly on the top so the ingredients are moistened by the milk.

Bake for 30 minutes, covered with foil. Remove the foil and sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the top. Continue baking for another 15-20 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to sit at room temperature 5 minutes before serving

Yield: Serves 12 as a side for lunch or dinner

Korea gives us the French fried-coated dawg!

2007-10-12T08:10:00.001-07:00

We've been talking about having an 'american pop food' night, where we eat corn dogs (too quality, mind you) onion rings and such. Well, I just stumbled upon something too good to not share. The Koreas, who have us Kimchee now have out done themselves in producing, yes folks you couldn't have guessed it, French fry-coated hot dogs! (i've included some photos to prove it). The taste is said to be as obvious as it looks: " greasy but still crispy fries glued to a hotdog with a thick, neutral flavored batter". As It turns out. Seoul is packed full of artisan hot dog vendors dying to express themselves through the medium of 'the dawg'. (here i've included the various ends of these efforts). Vendors wrap them in bacon, mashed potato, corn batter or what looked to be seaweed then invariably deep fry them. You name it, they've done it to this coney island favorite.
Has the hot dog on a stick lost it's Seoul in these mutations and created an entirely new genus of culinary delight?

Louisville's good eats

2007-10-11T18:28:00.001-07:00

I returned to Louisville and revisited Mark's Feed Store for it's great BBQ and the Mayan Cafe for meals prepared with personality, love and verve. I very nice culinary experience today after a terrible meal I consumed due to starvation the night I arrived late, due to multiple flight delays and running through Ohare airport. Ugh, that sentence is as awkward as was that awful salad! Yet, today....yum!

growing in in the monolithic food chain

2007-10-09T22:29:00.000-07:00

At a recent birthday party i ran into my past, triggered by an innocent looking yogurt dipped pink cookie shaped like some kind of four legged animal (although only two were visible). My mother loved these circus cookies along with some white powdery cookie shaped like a small burial mount hinting of mild coconut flavors. This was the culinary home which forced me on my quest for the good meal. Breakfast consisted of two choices, as I recall. Pop Tarts, after all it's important to have a warm meal or the more 'healthy' choice of quaker oats instant cinnamon flavored cereal that conveniently came pre-measured in a packet that you poured into the hot water. Ritz crackers were a family favorite and I recall ( I hate to admit this) eating them with miracle whip. Yes, I know...but when you consider that my father's favorite night time snack was dipping tuna sandwiches into his hot chocolate, it doesn't sound so bad. Was my mother a baker? Well, honestly, she tried to casserole here and there and I recall her baking something called "mrs. good cookies". These things were...well, lets just say we didn't have much to compare them to and our cat, Muffin, sure loved to eat them! These came frozen, pre-shaped and already placed upon parchment paper...ready to slip into the oven. Of course you had to place them on a pan!

I recall that all the family had there own tv dinner trays, I think mine had a clever design from a popular cartoon show. TV dinners, yum! Salsbury steak with some kind of warm dessert thing with fruit?

You may have wondered in the past how I became so interested in the pursuit of eating good food. Well, this is where my food journey began...no wonder I have little tolerance for processed stuff. Is Processed Food Really "Food"?

let me introduce you to "tortas"

2007-09-23T10:22:00.000-07:00

If you visit St. George Utah and happened to gas up at the Sinclair station, near the Walmart...you'll have the opportunity to eat the best "torta" in Utah. A torta is a Mexican sandwich, served on an oblong 6-8 inch firm, crusty white sandwich roll, called a bolillo or telera. Tortas can be served hot or cold. I recommend the Carnitas: (fried tender pork) or the Carne asada: (marinated steak). YUM!

lovely and lucious

2007-08-15T22:48:00.001-07:00

What a gal! and What a cake! Don't you just love having friends that are sweet as agave and cook with it too? Here our dear friend, Ali, glances over her creation into the ever searching lens of the camera.

Whole Wheat Pizza

2007-08-06T16:20:00.000-07:00

Chili con Carne pizza for the boys and a four cheese (fresh mozarella, fablygolens, parimisan retiano, and blue cheese) with fresh basil, yellow tomatoes, roasted orange peppers and artichoke hearts.

Small plates

2007-07-29T14:12:00.001-07:00

We had a small gathering of friends who created a number of tasty 'small plates' or tapas...it was delicious!

Tapas [ˈtapas]) is the name for a wide variety of appetizers in Spanish cuisine. They may be cold, such as mixed olives and cheese, or warm, such as puntillitas, Andalusian battered, fried baby squid. In Spain (mainly in the southern half of the country), tapas are usually given for free to accompany a drink before lunch or dinner. In the United States and the United Kingdom, tapas have evolved into an entire cuisine; at Spanish restaurants, patrons may order many different small tapas, and combine them for a full meal.

Koko sutra

2007-07-25T14:06:00.001-07:00

NO WAAAY! Chocolate Cake

2007-07-25T14:05:00.001-07:00

(no gluten or refined sugar)

¾ C water ¼ tsp salt
1 C buttermilk 1 C cocoa powder
½ C butter 1 ½ tsp baking soda
¼ C canola oil 1 C brown rice flour (heaping)
1 C agave (or use xylotol or fructose) 1 C tapioca flour
3 eggs ½ tsp xanthan gum
1 or 2 tsp vanilla

Prepare 2 round pans with parchment on the bottom and grease with veg. oil.
Preheat oven 350 degrees.
Blend all the dry ingredients in large bowl. Set aside.
In large mixing bowl beat butter, canola oil, and agave until light and fluffy and creamy.
Add vanilla and eggs one at a time- whipping on high.
Add buttermilk and blend.
Add dry mix a bit at a time while mixing.
Pour into 2 round pans and bake for 25-30 mins. Cool- run knife around edge, turn out on racks

Chocolate Mousse Filling
1 ½ C whipping cream 1 tsp vanilla
4 Tblsp cocoa or more to taste 2 Tblsp agave or more to taste

Whip cream, vanilla and agave until a soft cream- add cocoa and whip stiffer. Use as filling between your two cake rounds.

Buttery Frosting
6 egg yolks ½ C agave
¼ C water 1 ½ cubes soft butter

Boil water and agave until soft ball stage-(not too long or you’ll make taffy).
Whip yolks on high and slowly add hot syrup mix- beat until outside of bowl is cool.
Add butter a little at a time. Flavor with any extract and color. IF you want a chocolate frosting add 1 Cup melted and cooled grain sweetened chocolate chips and or cocoa powder. Experiment with what you like and according to dietary needs. Cool frosting before spreading. (Refrigerating the whole cake before serving at this point is nice.)

Decorate top of cake with extra mousse, fruit, nuts, healthy candies etc.

Lemon Mousse

2007-07-25T14:03:00.000-07:00

1/8 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup water
1/2 Tbl unflavored gelatin
dash salt
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
3 egg whites

Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup agave nectar
zest of one lemon, for garnish

Mix the agave, water, gelatin, salt and lemon juice together in a
double-boiler to 150 degrees until all the ingredients are dissolved.
Remove from heat, and let cool in the refrigerator until almost set.

With a mixer, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold into
chilled mixture.

To make whipped cream, mix heavy cream and agave together in a large
bowl with a mixer until peaks appear. Gently fold whipped cream into
mousse mixture. Refrigerate to develop flavors. To serve, garnish with
additional whipped cream and lemon zest.

Vintage ads

2007-07-24T07:49:00.001-07:00

Hmmmm, processed food and meat...you're right in liking them.

I don't know about you, but there's nothing more exciting for Maribel and I than looking at dripping bacon.

Isn't it interesting how we seem, even today, to worship the mono-culture of processed food.

How can you argue with this kind of logic and strong use of imagery.

Funny Ad

2007-07-24T07:46:00.001-07:00

Nice billboard...after reading the Omnivores dilemma I can better understand becoming a vegetarian.

A recipe from JoFU

2007-07-23T21:47:00.000-07:00

As many of you know I am into whole grains (Brown rice, unrefined flours, etc) and no refined sugar. I have found this to be both healthy and liberating. If we are more conscious about what we put into our bodies we will also be more aware of our environment and our own place within it.
"So what the heck do you eat for dessert?", you ask. Surprisingly- the foods I have found are yummy and easy to make. I will post some of these recipes if there seems to be an interest. What I will say is the agave nectar is a versatile and delicious sweetener- I use it for ice cream, cookies, cakes and candies. I order it from Amazon to find a cheaper price than the local Health Store. My sister and I have been using it for years- long before anyone knew what it was or before Oprah made it a a more familiar name. Here are two recipes that can easily lead to more. Thankfully my children love it also.

CARMEL SAUCE

1 cup Whipping cream

1/3 C Agave

Tbls vanilla

Tblsp butter

Dash sea salt

Combine in nonstick saucepan- let boil until golden brown. This recipe can be modified with more or less of any ingredient- I never measure anymore.

BROWNIES

4 squares unsweetened baking chocolate

1 ½ sticks butter (3/4 C)

1 C brown rice syrup (found at Good Earth)

½ C Agave

3 eggs

1tsp vanilla ( Or more)

1 C flour (white wheat flour or ½ red wheat, ½ barley or br. Rice flour, Tapioca flour, combine any you like) I like using half Brown Rice and half Tapioca flour.

Chopped nuts optional

Melt choc and butter together, stir in sweetner (adjust to taste some prefer more of one than the other)- Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Add flour and nuts ( or grain sweetened choc chips). Spread intogreased foil lined 13by9 “ pan. Bake 350 for 30 min (give or take a few Toothpick should come out fudgy- don’t overbake. Cool and cut up.

Pour Carmel over it brownies and eat!

okonomiyaki too

2007-07-14T11:48:00.001-07:00

this is something a colleague who I met in japan sent to help me make this dish.

let them eat cake!

2007-07-11T18:41:00.001-07:00

This lovely cake is the creation of Ali and Jo, perhaps somewhat inspired by a recipe from the NYC Chocolate Bar.

okonomiyaki

2007-07-11T14:02:00.001-07:00

Jamie ate some interesting food while at Hiroshima. Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き^?) is a pan-fried Japanese dish cooked with various ingredients. Okonomi means "what you like" or "what you want", and yaki means "grilled" or "cooked" (cf. yakitori and yakisoba); thus, the name of this dish means "cook what you like, the way you like". In Japan, okonomiyaki is usually associated with the Kansai or Hiroshima areas. Toppings and batters tend to vary according to region.

Kaitan sushi in Tokoyo

2007-07-11T11:20:00.001-07:00

Kaiten-zushi is a sushi restaurant where the plates with the sushi are placed on a rotating conveyor belt that winds through the restaurant and moves past every table and counter seat. Customers may place special orders, but most simply pick their selections from a steady stream of fresh sushi moving along the conveyor belt. The final bill is calculated based on the number and type of plates of the consumed sushi. While in Japan on a Fulbright I took this photo at an upscale sushi place...I alot of fun.