The Skinny

Here at Casa Flo we're working on shedding some unwanted extra body cells so I'm whipping up some new food types for the occasion.  Poaching has become the word of this Day for starters, and I'm not talking rustling someones cattle from their ranch.  Real Poaching of chicken and fish.

I never really poached my chickens before but it is really pretty easy and very versatile.  You can poach up a mess of breasts, use one hot for dinner and chill the rest.  Since summer is heading in you can then use the chilled breasts for toppings on fresh greens with veggies or even fruits.  It goes so well, as I'm sure you know.  

The issue I had was that the lone breast on a plate was begging for some kind of dressing.  A discreet coverup in kitchen parlance.  I scanned my recipes and noticed I had a diet type dressing that resonated with all the items I had on hand so I gave it a try and Bravo! it worked magically. 

Here it is for your edification:

CILANTRO-SCALLION YOGURT SAUCE

Makes about 1 Cup


1 Cup cilantro leaves and stems

¼ cup scallions, sliced

1 Tbs fresh ginger, chopped (didn't have it and the sauce was still great)
2 tsp sugar (I used Stevia in place of sugar)

¼ tsp ground cumin

2 garlic cloves, chopped

Juice of ½ a lime

Salt and cayenne to taste

¾ Cup plain yogurt (mistakenly bought Vanilla flavored yogurt but it was still good!)

Process all ingredients except yogurt in a food processor until minced. Stir herb paste into yogurt; chill until ready to serve.

It just doesn't get any easier!!   I would have taken a photo of the sauce but it wasn't photogenic.  Think something the color of guacamole. 

Tonight I'm making Diet-Like Orange Chicken and serving it with a little cabbage slaw salad.  If it looks good and I remember I'll take a photo and post it.  Cheers!

Linguini and Clams

This dish is one of my favorites but it's kind of rich with the butter and all so I don’t make it very often. I also like a bit of kick to my food so I add crushed red peppers which you can omit if you are not the spicy type. Here is a photo of the list of ingredients minus the fresh clams since I ate them before writing this up. I used 12 littleneck clams for 2 people and one can of whole clams with the juice. The photo shows minced and you can use that too. The canned whole clams were eaten too before I wrote this so I threw the can out.  Hey, you still get the idea.  Damn! People can be so fussy.  Good thing I'm a Kitchen Bitch.

(I need to blog before I cook I guess cuz I keep eating and tossing everything I need in the photos)

Naturally you need linguini so I didn’t think I had to take a picture of that for you just like I’m not going to take a picture of me burping after this great meal!

First heat up your skillet till its pretty hot add about 1 Tbsp of the canola or olive oil and 2 Tbsp butter. Immediately toss in the minced garlic. I love garlic so I use about 2 large cloves minced. Once the garlic fragrance hits your nose pour in the clam juice and about a 1/3 cup of vermouth and let it all simmer till it is reduced by half. Toss in the canned clams and juice and then the real clams if you have them and cover and steam until the clams open, then cook uncovered for another couple minutes.

In the meanwhile I hope you had the sense to cook your linguini already because you need it now. Add the drained cooked linguini to the clammages in the skillet and heat through till most of the liquid is cooked down and absorbed.  There should be some liquid in it though so don't boil it all away. You also should have put a lot of salt in the boiling water for the linguini so you shouldn’t need to add any extra salt in the end. If you want to tart it up add a couple squeezes of lemon juice instead.

In the bowl I plan on using for the linguini I usually add more fresh minced garlic (b/c I love it so much) on the bottom then I add the hot pasta, toss and decorate it all nicely with the fresh clams and add some minced parsley to beautify it before serving. The parsley also keeps garlic breath at a standstill in case you have a hot date.

I know its crazy but I like to put some parmesan cheese on top of my linguini and clams too. I eat the way I like! However, now that I ate so much it's affecting the way my clothes are fitting (or not fitting) so I'm going to sing that old tune "...its diet time again, I'm gonna lose you.."  fooey.  I wish I didn't care so much about fitting into my clothes!!  Goodbye ice cream after dinner.  So long my little cookie friends.  I'm already missing my melted cheeses...   waa.

Weight Gain

Good Day Class:

Today the topic of our study is Weight Gain.  10 little letters, when put together just like the title spell Misery, Anger and a Killer Attitude (not the good kind).

I would much rather gain weight eating than anything else but the doctor put me on some medication that is increasing my weight.  That doc's gotta go!  Below is a self portrait (not really me cuz my room doesn't look like that).

I've cut back eating one meal a day so I can stay put inside my old worn out clothes which means that I'm cooking less and therefore no food blog today.  I stopped eating breakfast, or I just pushed breakfast up to 11pm so it takes care of bkfst and lunch at one time.  I'm keeping dinner sacred.  I have to keep an eagle eye on my weight since my stretch pants only stretch so far.  Here's my new scale to keep me on my toes so to speak...

The whole weight gain thing has me sad and mad.  Makes me wanna eat but I've got to get busy losing the 7 pounds I've gained so far.  I want Rocky Road ice cream.  I want that chocolate cake they sell at Costco. I want a polish hot dog.  I want Mayonnaise!

Kitchen Chack-a-torry

That's what I call this recipe.  Its not the basic Chicken Cacciatorie but a little twist and then spin on that recipe.

Here's what when on.  Chicken leg quarters were on sale so I bagged a grip of them.  I used only two here since there is one for each serving. 

1/3 chopped onion

2 generous cloves of garlic

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 chicken leg quarters

1/3 cup red wine

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (more if you like)

1 can diced tomatoes

1 dozen kalamata olives chopped in thirds

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/3 package bowtie pasta

First heat your skillet up dry on medium high heat (no oil yet) till hot, then add the oil and onions and sautee them till the onions are soft.  Add the garlic and cook till fragrant then remove these from the skillet and set aside.  Add the chicken to the skillet and brown on both sides till golden on med-low heat.  Remove the chicken from heat and set aside.  Add the wine to the skillet to deglaze and cook until reduced by 1/2.  Add the mushrooms and cook then add the tomatoes, the onion and garlic mix, the olives and basil and cook on medium for about 5 minutes.  Add the chicken with any juices back into the skillet and cook all over low heat for about 15-20 minutes.  You can take the chicken out at this point and debone it or not.  Up to you.  Come on, be a nice guy and do it.

Meanwhile you gotta cook the pasta.  Always add a heavy hand of salt to the boiling water then add the pasta and cook about 10 minutes or until done the way you like it.  Add the drained pasta to the chicken and there ya go!  Dinner.  Its really good if you like kalamata olives.  I do!!

Play With Your Food!

If you are going to serve fruit to guests then you might as well 'play with it first'.  Buy an inexpensive book on fruit carving.  It's relatively easy and very impressive.  It just takes a little initiative to be more than you can be.  Something like that.  (what I keep telling myself)

I made this fruit platter simply for the challenge of making a Duck out of a Cantaloupe!  It was fun and I loved the result.  Give it a try.

Something to keep you happy during a snowstorm.  Something like that.  Next I may show you how I made a flower out of blistering hot melted sugar.  Ouch!  I like the flower but the blisters on the fingers hurt.  Bye!

Mahi Mahi and Ricey Ricey

I had a nice piece of Mahi Mahi to cook and I wanted something quick, simple, easy and tasty.  I simply put salt, pepper and a dab of butter on the fish then pan sauteed it about 4-5 minutes on medium low (is that a real thing medium low?)  Not quite medium and higher than low. 

I made some brown rice, which has become a staple of mine now and a few of those who know me will read this line with surprise but its true.  Must be the weather affecting me here in Florida or something like that.  I'm eating rice a lot lately.  Maybe I just miss my Mum.  She used to stuff me with rice as a 1st grader growing up in San Fran.  I hated the rice.  That was then this is now (as my therapist would council) so I'm into the brown stuff instead of the white type. 

I really got off track here... anyway, I played with my food and here's what I came out with.

It was a good, quick and easy dinner.  You ought to try it.  Keep it simple.

Squashing a Flounder

Reading the local St. Petersburg Times this morning I saw a photo of a guy with a big fish net pulling little frozen fish out of the local waters.  Its too cold for the little guys and they're just freezing.  The turtles and manatees are really cold too.  At least its getting a bit warmer now. 

That being said, brings me to what I had in the freezer yesterday - frozen fish.  Orange Roughy to be clear.  (you can use basically any type of fish here like snapper, talapia grouper or sole.  Keep in mind the sole will cook much faster since its such a tender fish) I had lots of winter squash (zucchini) too so it got me thinking about how to marry these two strangers without a court order.  For those who are kitchen challenged:  Thaw the Fish First Before Trying This Dish at home. 

First I had to see what was on hand.  There were kalamata (pitted) olives in the fridge (I love those things), parmesan cheese (always on hand) canned tomatoes (a staple for the pantry), a big shallot and garlic.  Hummm, not a lot but I think it will be the dowry I need to make a lasting union between freezer and fridge.

I took a round pyrex oven proof dish, heated the oven to 425 degrees (220 celesius) then started slicing the zucchini into really thin slices about 1/8 inch thick (3mm).  It takes patience with a sharp knife but if your a gadget freak like me and have a mandoline it may be easier.  I have both but opted for the knife cuz I like to play and even run with sissors!

NOTE:

I love my knives and I sharpen them myself on a sharpening stone with specialized food-safe sharpening oil (or mineral oil in a pinch).  Do Not use olive oil or anyother type of oil that is not specifically for sharpening as it can go rancid and settle into your stone ruining taste and maybe make you sick in the bargin.

After slicing 2 zucchini's I coated them with olive oil (not sharpening stone oil - heh) then I put my de-frosted fishies - the package came with 3 nice size pieces - in a fish bowl on a plate and layered the zucchini on them to look a little like fish scales (eww, like that's appetizing), sprinkled them with salt and pepper and covered and refridgerated them while I was trying to figure out what should come next.

I started up some brown rice in the rice cooker and let it do its little 40 minute puff job.  Don't forget to RINSE the rice first.  You want to rinse until the water runs clear.  I put the rice in a wire strainer and under the tap I move it all around with my hand until I think its all clear.  This will make better tasting rice or rice without rice dust!

Then in a medium skillet I added 2 Tbls (I don't measure stuff so you don't either if you don't want to) of olive oil and tossed in the sliced shallot (it was a big puppy - figure 2 Tbls), cooked that for a minute or so then added about 2 good size cloves of minced garlic, saute'd them till I started smelling the garlic then added 1 can (8 oz) of crushed/stewed tomatoes.  If you only have canned whole tomatoes then cut them up small size (or squeeze the heck out of them and take out some kitchen rage as you tear them to bits!) or use a couple 3-4 roma tomatoes if you have fresh and like some peeps MUST use fresh.  Big whoop.

Some people like to sweeten the acidic tomato taste with sugar but I wouldn't add more than 1 tsp.  We're not making a friggin' cake here.  I like tart and tangy so I cut up about 8 kalamata olives into quarters and tossed those in.  Let it cook on medium for about 5 minutes to blend the flavors. 

If you have an attractive baking dish (obviously I didn't) you can add the sauce to the dish then top it with the fish you put in the fridge earlier.  Bake until the fish flakes easily, about 20 minutes depending on how well your oven works. If you live in a real hot climate then leave it on top of the hood of your car and see if that works.  I serve directly from the dish since I like the way it looks all put together. It also stays warmer that way while you're waiting for the non-cooks to get up off their lazy lard butts and get to the table before you turn this meal into a Flying Fish.  Sprinkle it with a little parmesan cheese if you're so inclined and a dash of tarragon or maybe a dill sprig for color.  Red food color will make it look like you had a kitchen accident.  Hee hee (not recommended)  Here's what it looked like when it was properly Married!

I had so much zucchini that I rimmed the platter with the remainder.  Believe me there was nothing left!  Served with the brown rice was all that was needed.  Oh yeah.  And some wine.  I wouldn't use white wine since you have those olives and garlic and shallots and they're as strong as moving men going up three flights of stairs with a piano.  You can drink water if you want.  I don't care.  Do whatever you like but make it a nice red like a Shiraz.  And pour me a glass too!

Winter Comfort Food - Pot Roast

When the weather gets as cold as it has been I long to cook me some old fashioned comfort foods.  This week it was Pot Roast.  The chuck steaks went on sale (when did the price of chuck meat get so high?!!) so that was all the encouragement I needed.

I grabbed the staple ingredients that I had on hand (tomato sauce, ketchup, broth, flour, some herbs (cumin, thyme, bay leaf, Worcestershire Sauce) and veggies like carrots, onion, celery, garlic and red potatoes and got to work.  I decided to use my crock pot instead of cooking it on the stove which takes up room if I want to cook other stuff, and didn't want to put it in the oven to save energy (although heating up the house sounded good I didn't want the electric bill to rise). 

Since there are only two of us here I bought a fairly small piece of meat, about 2 or 2 1/2 pounds (no bone).  I put about a 1/3 cup flour in a zip lock baggie, added some kosher salt, fresh ground pepper and then added the meat and shook it up to coat the meat.  I heated up a cast iron skillet, added some canola oil (about 3-4 tbsp) and browned the meat on both sides and edges.  I made a little mix of cumin and thyme, about 1/2 tsp each and sprinkled that over the meat then put it in the crock pot after I coated the pot with Pam non-stick spray.  That makes the clean up easier by far.

I coarsely chopped the veggies and tossed those in then mixed up about 1/4 cup ketchup with some chicken stock (didn't have beef stock) and poured that over the meat, added the can of tomato sauce pictured above, about 1-2 tbsp of Worcestershire Sauce a bit more salt and pepper, the bay leaf and about 4-5 cloves of minced garlic (I love garlic).  Over all, I added about 2 cups of chicken stock to almost cover the meat.  I then plugged in my crock pot, set the timer on High for 5 hours and relaxed!

That's my way of cooking sometimes.  I love it when the cooking is done by "leave alone".  It gives me time to do a crossword, a puzzle, read, give myself a bubble bath.... you get the picture.  Comfort foods mean Comfort All Around!

We each had dinner of it one night then I had the remainder for lunch today.  Not a bad cost cutter either!

Yum!

Topped Out on Ramen

2010 started out pretty miserable so I'm thinking things can only get better from here.  I caught some kind of bug New Years Eve day and it settled in my chest and struck me down like a cheap pair of heels.  I was sick with a fever which I hadn't had in maybe 7 or 8 years and all the coughing, some sneezing and some nose blowing.  I thought it was a cold/flu but I'm not sure. 

True to Kitchen Bitch form I applied a package of Pictsweet baby lima beans for the fever two nights in a row.  I'm thinking I've struck on some kind of magical new health cure because the fever only lasted two nights.  Maybe frozen corn would have had it linger longer?  Frozen peas most likely would have raised the fever by 2 degrees.  I'm not sure and still have plenty of experimentation to do at the next opportunity.  Which hopefully won't be for another 7 or 8 years.  

When I was finally able to rise from the deathbed and crawl to the kitchen all I could manage was to make my favorite Top Ramen soup, throw in some frozen broccoli (saving that package for toothaches), and some pre-cooked chicken.  I managed to survive the next few days with ol' Topper Beef Flavor and 'scroung' foods. 

I felt exiled for 5 days in some remote cold hovel....  trying not to infect the cat or my roomie,

but I think I faired better than Hillary Clinton when Obama made her Secretary of the State just to get her out of the US. 

I did eventually improve and am ready once again to bitch in the kitchen!

A Juicy Porterhouse Steak!

For my non-Christmas/Holiday dinner this year I was craving a porterhouse steak.  I found a good one that was calling out my name, "yo Kitchen Bitch, I'm a real heart stopper" so naturally I fell for that line.  I knew it was way too much for just me but I had a plan for what I couldn't finish.

When I'm in a meat eating mode basically that's all I really want to eat.  When I eat steaks I do like tomato wedges sprinkled with minced garlic, kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper and a few sticks of green onions that I rub in salt as I'm eating.  I'm a salt freak with no high-blood pressure problems so I just go for it.  I plug my steak with garlic slices and douse with more salt and pepper then I grilled it.  Here's the before and after...

 

When I ate all I could I wrapped up the remainder and saved it for the next day.  After a huge steak I'm not too hungry the next day and a little soup does me good.  I go for my favorite quickie soup that I call Oasis Soup after the Inn I stayed at in San Francisco while attending the Culinary Academy.  All I had to cook on was an electric burner and a small pot or pan.  My tiny refrigerator didn't hold much so I would take whatever vegetables I had on hand and chop them up to add to my canned chicken stock.  Usually I would put sliced carrots, broccoli, a brussel sprout or two, maybe a few sliced mushrooms and cook them in the stock/broth then add Ramen noodles, minced garlic and sliced green onions.  If I had leftover chicken I'd throw that in too.  I used the leftover steak from my Christmas dinner as the protein in this soup.  Its so easy, flavorful and inexpensive.  I'm sure a lot of people have cooked this soup when getting themselves through school.  Here's what the steak looked like the next day.  Yum.

I really enjoy this soup!

Stealth Christmas

I'm attending a Christmas Party where everyone dresses up tonight.  I was going to go as a bunch of mistletoe but with cold season and all I opted for the next best outfit to "blend". 

I hope to snag a few presents when no one is looking.  It'll go with the outfit.  I hope I don't get to "lit up"!  It'll be tough driving home.  It may be tough driving to the party like this.  Too many dogs around here.

I'm wishing everyone I like and love a very Merry Christmas.  If I don't like you I hope you spend too much on useless gifts that everyone returns.  Oh yeah, and I hope you get a lot of re-gifts too! 

I hope Santa gives America about 13 Trillion dollars to cover the debt.  Do you even know how much a Trillion is?  Believe me, its way more than we really have.  Talk about just printing money.  The government is also pooping it.  (maybe you'll get a pooper scooper for Christmas)

Here's a current photo of my last holiday dollar.  I snapped the photo as it was flying out of my wallet.  Poor thing.  It's so scared....    

The Bitch is Back!

I just woke up from my long year's nap ready to begin more blogging.  I needed to unwind and detox from all the work and learning I did at the Ca. Culinary Academy.  It is now December 2009 and I'm feeling oh so refreshed!

I must admit that my cooking has improved and I've remembered a number of things they taught us, still.  So all in all the Mazillion Dollhairs paid through student loans were worth their weight in paper.  Be nice if I could pay it back but I'm working on that.  Or maybe I'm waiting until Sallie Mae goes the route of Freddie Mac.  I do know I'll be Chased by Chase even in my next life, all the while I'll be accruing interest.  I'll have to be born Bernie Madoff if I'm ever going to pay that off.

I've been cooking with and practicing on my only true love - Food.  In other words nothing has changed in my whole life.  I do admit I've gotten much better at on-the-spot sauces to cover on-the-sale meat products.  I've also learned several new things to do with zucchini besides boil it to death like my grandmother did.  I'll be adding photos and such later on with recipes and instructions on what YOU can do with zucchini! 

But for now, I just wanted to re-open my blog and begin anew.  I'll leave you with the favorite phrase of the Kitchen Bitch:  Here's to Food, Fork You! 

End of the Road

Well, I finished my purpose for this blog. I started it the day I decided to go to the Culinary Academy, I tracked my progress for the 15 months, and now I'm done. Finished. It's over. Very Cool.

Looking back, the 15 months went slow, it was a new unpaved road. There were uphills, rocks in the road and some time for parking and enjoying the views. Over all, it was a task completed, learned and savored. I've met some very wonderful chefs like Chef Amy, Chef Vanita, Chef Patrick, wild and wacky Chef Al. All unforgetable in their own ways. I learned a lot from them and a lot about wines from Chef Roy and Steve. By and large it was a memorable and valuable experience.

I have accomplished my goal, now I head into the world to see what I can do with that accomplishment and knowledge.

I suppose I will start another blog since this one was to chronicle my path to my dream. I want to publish this blog in its entirety and have it on my coffee table or someplace to look at and recall the memories, the good times, the fellow friends, and the beauty of San Francisco. I will miss the city but I travel to find my opportunities.

Peace and prosperity.

Mission Accomplished! (just about)

Life brings one special messages from time to time. You just have to make yourself aware of those little subtle clues. This sign was one of them that literally screamed at me from the side of the road. I couldn't believe I saw it at the exact time that I have 1 Week To Go at my internship with the San Francisco Chronicle!

Naturally, I stopped to take a photo. One more week!! What joy I feel to have accomplished a very difficult endeavor during a very complicated and rough year.

Maybe tomorrow I'll run across a sign of someone patting their own back. That'd be me right about now. I'm proud of me-self. By Friday I will be hovering somewhere between Cloud 8 and 9.

Its been a recipe for success overall. This is one ordeal I still can't believe I made it through.

Now the world is my oyster, as they say. I say do you want that Oysters Rockerfeller, deep-fried in a Po-boy sammich or raw with horseradish and hot sauce? Yeah. Life is good enough to eat.

More Photos from Pescadero

It was such a beautiful day. A perfect day really. A Debra Day actually! I still laugh about how silly cousin Guy and I were on the way home playing with the shadows in the backseat like "kids". Hey, don't laugh, 'Papa John' told a friend of his that he and the 'wife' were taking the kids out for a drive!! Guy and I nearly choked with laughter. So we had to live up to his expectations by acting like a couple of elementary children in the backseat giggling and self-entertaining ourselves since we weren't sure when we'd get home. We kept asking, "are we there yet?" ha

Here is a photo of the day we enjoyed. Truly beautiful.

We walked all over Pigeon Point, took photos and listened to the constant wash of the waves on the rocks while taking in the salt air. There's nothing like the expansive Pacific to soothe your inner world. I loved the next photo. A bit of green, earth, and water with evidence of people unseen.

Here's another that I loved with the play of the shadows on the pebble walk way.

We also visited a REALLY old cemetary in Pescadero that had quite a few old-timers from the 1800's. One curious tombstone was the one pictured here, I don't know if you can read the bottom inscription but it says "Gone But Not For Cotton". I can't believe they actually put that on someone's gravestone. The eternal joke or jokester? Gives one pause for thought. They better not do that on my stuff when I'm gone! They can just sprinkle my ashes over a vineyard and call that a Good Year when the wine comes out!

The End. [hee hee] My little play on words...(oh, how I entertain myself) [Guy should be here now. I'm feeling immature again. hahaha]

Eating in Pescadero, CA - Duartes

The family took an outing on Saturday to see where Papa John grew up in Pescadero. The weather was perfect and the stop at Duartes for lunch was scrumptious!

The Espinoza's were a prolific family back in the day and lived in about as many homes as there were children, but these homes were located in some mighty fine countryside. Rolling hills full of green acres, trees, and waterways. What an ideal place to grow up. It was a farming community and the Espinoza family ate off the land and sea, whatever they caught or hunted. Papa John said he and his brother would grab Abalone from the sea rocks at low tide. Just the big ones. They'd pass up the ones that were 6-8 inches across and go for the bigger ones! What a life.

We ate lunch at the old well-known 'Duartes' and had a terrific lunch. I saw the place online at this website and thought the green chili soup sounded heavenly. It was. I mean Outstanding! So creamy, buttery and snappy with the taste of the green chili's. Oh my. The bread was also killer. It came from a local baker down the street from which I bought a hot loaf of Garlic Artichoke bread and an X-tra Sourdough loaf that was also freshly made (still warm) and this was at 3pm in the afternoon! Incredibly good. I put it in the trunk of the car for the ride home and we were smelling the fresh baked goodness all the way. It was intoxicating.

We followed the old stagecoach roads through the hills with occasional views of the Pacific Ocean in between hills. The smell in the air was so aromatic with the windows down. The day was warm enough to heat up all the shrubs and moist dirt and a deep dark earth smell filled the car and our olifactory senses.

It was a day to remember, and I will. It was a real family outing, me and my cousin in the back seat and Papa John and Mum in the front. We laughed, talked, and Papa J shared a huge part of his past with us the whole day. We went from the city to the hills to the beautiful Pacific Ocean. Good food, good drive, perfect family day. Priceless.

S.O.S.

This has been one heck of a busy week at the Chronicle! I've been fried, tied, hamstrung and skewered. And today, my dear work buddy Cindy was not there. Oh, Cynd, you left me to the wolves!! Here's a photo of Cindy working away in the kitchen last week.

It was Photo Shoot day and I had 3 dishes to prep for the photographer. But then there was the 'family meal' day that was set for 1:30. I got in at 9:30 and never stopped until 3pm. Brutal!

My feet and back feel like I was directing traffic all day - on top of me! I took the stairs so much up and down to the cellar, the photo room and the kitchen which are all on different floors, that I finally got fed up and started taking the elevator. Its just a difficult elevator that you have to manually control so you can't carry much. I broke two plates trying to get the elevator going. Don't tell Cindy. They were cute ones too. Oops.

I styled every plate that got shot today which equates to a $check$ for me when it runs. Yea me. I think it runs on the 21st. Look for my name in small print. Really small print under each photo.

Tomorrow may be a better day since I found out tonight that I won't need to enter and log any wines for next week. Big relief.

The Fancy Food Show is this Sunday at the Moscone Center and I'm planning to go. I'll take photos and let you know what's new! I'm excited.

Tangerines are ebbing (sad face here)

My favorite time of the year is between November and January when tangerines are in season. Did you know that it got its name simply on a shipping route? True. Naturally known as Mandarines, years ago when trade routes were setup there was a special rought going through Tangiers, Morrocco. To differentiate to buyers that they were not the chinese varieties they called them tangerines.

I made a Tangerine (mandarine, clementine, satsuma; whatever!) cheesecake today. One of my very favorites. I didn't take photos of the ingredients or the process or even the darn finished product but I'll be making another this week in the Chronicle's test kitchen. Maybe I'll remember to that. If not, here is the recipe.

Tangerine Cheesecake


Crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
½ cup melted butter

Prehead the oven to 350º. Spray a 9 inch springform cheesecake pan with non-stick spray, mix the butter with the cracker crumbs till well blended and spread evenly around the pan and edges. Cook crust in the oven for 7-10 minutes, remove from oven and let cool.

Filling:
12 oz creme cheese, softened
1 cup ricotta cheese (8 oz)
½ cup sugar
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 cup tangerine juice
1 envelope whipped topping mix and 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 tsp vanilla [or 1 1/4 cup whipping cream, 1 tsp vanilla.] If using whipping cream add appx 1/4 cup more sugar to the cheese mixture.


2 tangerines peeled, seeded and chopped
1 fresh tangerine, sectioned for garnish

Blend together crème cheese and ricotta cheese. Add sugar.

In a small saucepan sprinkle gelatin over tangerine juice and let soften 1 minute. Heat, stirring constantly 3 minutes.

Prepare whipped topping as per package direction. Add gelatin mixture to cheese mixture. Blend until smooth. Fold whipped topping into cheese mixture. Stir in chopped tangerine pieces. Spoon into crust. Chill 4/6 hours. Garnish with Tangerine sections.

Love that cake, it's so light and airy.

By the way, have you ever seen Siamese Grapes? Here's one I found recently. Obscene really. My cousin Paul ate it. Grape is a grape but it was weird, this one.

I'll Miss My Fog

This morning while walking to the Chronicle I was stopped by the beauty of the morning fog being quickly burned off by the sun. I took two photos and you can see how quickly it was burning. I took both photos one after the other. Oh, I'm so going to miss my fog.

Lark Creek Steak, San Francisco

This has been a busy and rough week for me at the Chron. I've been slaving in the cellar over all the wines to unbox and log-in, I've been researching tons of information to print in the next few editions and I cooked (the bright side) today most of the morning. Tomorrow its back to the dungeon to tackle the wines again for the next upcoming tastings.

As a treat for my hard (and volunteer) given effort I decided to dine here tonight to give myself a little pat on the back for making all this happen. I ate alone and had the best service from a waiter who was over-the-top great. A waiter can make or break your evening in places like this when you're dining alone. He was James, a vivacious and genuinely friendly fellow but not overbearing like some can be. He knew everything he was talking about, especially the wines and pairings. He did everything right that I can think of that a good waiter should do when trying to assist the kitchen and serve the customer at the same time. He gently pushed the Sirloin Tartare, which you need to when its on the menu and there is a small crowd. Its not like it'll be good for too long. I guess that's why they have a nice truffled burger on the menu too. Use up that tartare.

He was really at his best when I was on my cell and my main dish was coming. He didn't want to interrupt so he just brought 2 little swallows of red wine in each glass for me to try that would go with my meal before I even ordered any wine. I thought that was the most thoughtful effort I'd ever experienced in a restaurant. Never did anyone try to be so helpful and non interruptive. When I got off the call, we discussed the wines and ordered one. My hats off to that man for his class and style.

I wanted to have a good meal in my home town before I leave the city at the end of the month and I did. I even had better service than I ever had anywhere and I'm glad it was here in San Francisco.

If you're ever around Westfield Mall at 5th and Market, stop into Lark Creek Steak, I know you'll enjoy the steaks that cut like butta and the double fried steak fries but more importantly the great service. It was well worth it.

Wine Tasting Day

Part of my job at the Chronicle is prepping for the wine tastings each week. Its a big job. I have to open all the boxes that get delivered for a particular tasting and log the wines into a tasting sheet online by vintage, vineyard, appellation, price and importer. This week was German Rieslings.

64 little marching Germans to be precise. I had to bring them up from the cellar today via the old style elevator that you have to roll up the wooden gate, roll it back down then push the big fat button Up. Get to the designated floor then open the gate, blah, blah. The bottels must be numbered, corked and poured for 3 tasters. The only good thing was that by the 4th flight when they hit into the Spatlese's I decided to take a taste myself. I've forgotten how good those German Rieslings are since I usually drink only the more hearty reds. There was a bottle of a fabulous Robert Weil Auslese that is almost $100 a bottle. That one was really good! Really. There was a distinct difference from the other Auslese's I tasted. In the end, we got to bring home what was not deemed important to hold onto. I brought two Auslese's home.

Its a lot of heavy lifting and careful glass work. I have to carry a tray of 10 glasses filled with a sample of each wine to the tasting room. I keep praying that I won't trip and fall with my bounty of expensive wines. Its nerve wracking. Its also a lot of back and forth work. Then I have to set up all the glassware. 60 glasses keep circulating until all the tasting is finished. Which means I'm rinsing them out, repouring and redistributing. The glasses are marked with the initials of each taster and numbered 1 - 10. Each "flight" of wine is 10 glasses. There were 6 flights today plus a few odd 4 over that. Its a lot of work and not for the weak and meek.

Its sheer torture to see all these great wines and not be drunk by 2pm!

January 1, 2009

Happy New Year to You! Have you made your New Years Resolutions yet? Have you broken any yet?

2008 ended with a hugh bang. Literally.

The neighbor next door to Casa Espinoza blew off his thumb while setting off a M100 bomb. No kidding. Sad, not safe, not too bright and very painful. I'm sure he will always remember 2009 and its tragic beginning since he'll only be able to count to 9 on his hands now.

They were having a party and started the evening setting off various smaller versions of the M100 causing the police to cruise the area. It was the only real fireworks we saw besides the stuff on TV. As the night progressed and the libations were surely quaffed their nerve grew and their reflexes diminished. Why-O-why do fella's do this kind of thing? Must be some guy thing trying to out-John Wayne -each other. He apparently took the stick of (dynamite) this lethal bomb out to the middle of the street, lit it and then just kinda hung onto it for a digit of time longer than he should have. Tsk, tsk.

On the other hand (oops, sorry for the pun) his year has no where else to go but UP. [and that's not Thumbs Up]. If this didn't happen to you then you and your New Year is off to a Great start! High Five!!

How to Cook Prime Rib

For Christmas dinner the family pulled out the stops and nabbed a nice 7lb Prime Rib roast AND a 4lb roast. I was tasked with getting the job done so we had medium rare, which most of us like and a medium roast for the ones who like their meat cooked more.

First, I make a spice rub for it using garlic, about 5 -8 cloves, and a bit of kosher salt (teaspoon) in a small mortar and crush it into paste. Then I add some fresh rosemary if we have it and crush that, a pinch of crushed red pepper (1/2 tsp) and crush that. Then I add some marjoram and olive oil to make it nice and pasty/spreadable.

I rub this mix all over the roast and pop the roast into a pre-heated 500 degree oven. I give it five minutes then turn it down to 350 degrees and let it cook about 1/2 hour per pound. I do have a good digital thermometer that I test it after the alloted time. The temp I like for medium rare is 130-135. I take it out of the oven and let it sit all by itself for 1/2 hour or so. Then slice and serve. For the medium roast the temp should be about 140-145. Rest, then serve.

Don't open the oven door once you got it in there or you'll just cool things down and screw up your timing. Okay, maybe once to smell its delicious lusciousness!

I cooked both roasts in the same pan on a rack. Put them in at the same time and took them out at the same time. Since the one is smaller it cooks faster than the big one. If we had more people who liked medium roast I would have had to put the big one in first then follow with the small one. Oh, you get the picture!

The Prime Rib roast was a very nice slice of heaven!! Yum. I want a do-over!!

Back to the Kitchen Bitch!

Christmas time came and went and now its time to squeeze in more kitchen time at the Chronicle. I'll be working this next week on some new recipe testing and more writing. Fun! Here's a photo of the Chron Kitchen where I spend my days.

There are two stoves, one electric and the other gas. Naturally, I play on the gas stove. I love the overhanging pots and pans. They're so easy to find and no bending over. The natural light is great coming from that window. It really brightens up the kitchen so I can actually see when I'm cutting off my fingernails with a cleaver.

We also have two refrigerators, one for the staff and the other for the testing. The big long counter top is a must. I love that it is so long. There's plenty of room for 3-4 cooks to squeeze in, which sometimes happens. We also have a dishwasher just for the glassware (wine glasses) and the other normal one.

Its a fun playroom. I'm looking forward to working there tomorrow. I am really learning so much from working with the Chronicle Food and Wine Department staff. They are a great, intelligent bunch of hard workers.

Gratitude is a wonderful attitude.

Holiday Cheer!

I've been trying to remember to photograph all the little things to blog but darned if I get caught up in the moment and forget until it passes! Poo!! Anyway, Here are some photos of me getting into the holidays with family and San Francisco.

I like the one of the Musicians playing just the way it looks. Kinda blury and out of focus. I like it like that. Seems more magical to me. And I can't believe how elegant and beautiful the Forever 21 store looks. I went inside just to see the ceilings and chandeliers. Georgous!

There HAS to be a photo of the Powell/Hyde Street Cable Car in the SF Photo blog!! Its a must. Here it is at its 'turnaround'. So many holiday tourists riding it, that's a happy thing.

I go "home" on the weekends to visit with the Fam Damily and have some good meals and laughs. I was so happy to see the beautifully decorated tree and the whole house looked so festive and inviting. I'm looking forward to seeing it full with tables groaning from the delicacies and savory treats. Yum-Oh. Cousin Guy and Mum decorated perfectly!

I can see the Star that Deb Melmon made for Guy on the tree right in the center! How wonderful.

Cousin Paul flew in from Arizona Saturday and I got to make dinner for my 2 cousins Saturday night. I was so excited to try a whole new 'style' and break away from the usual so I settled on a Thai Theme. Mum and Papa John went to friends for a holiday standard of breaking open champagne and cracking up some fresh crab. While they had their crab feast I was peeling back shrimp and cooking up Yum Love.

I made this salad, an Asian Pear and mixed greens with Sesame Dressing and a grated carrot topping. I opted for the mixed greens instead of watercress. I wanted to use half baby spinach and half arugula but I couldn't find arugula. The sesame dressing was different for me and tasty and next time I'll add chopped roasted peanuts (good idea Guy!) for some crunch on top.

Then I cooked up some rice, chopped some cilantro and green onions and served this Thai Soup with Shrimp, Pork and Chicken, Lemon and Jalapenos. We dished the rice in the bowls, topped with cilantro and green onions then topped it off with the soup. We passed extra Chili Garlic Paste around and it was Stunningly Good! Hits the Taste Buds right where they tickle. Hot, spicy, tart and savory. Umami overload.

When I remembered about taking the photos the food was GONE! Waa. So I took the next best shot of it all gone but the recipients quite happy!

Then we rested our stuffed selves for a while playing UNO. What a laugh and a half. We had so much fun! Just what was needed to add more cheer to the holidays. Afterwards, I made dessert. OMG. This one was so easy and so good. I mean EASY. I love me my Epicurious site for finding the best things.

How easy was buying 3 glazed doughnuts, vanilla bean ice cream and making a spiced caramel sauce with banana's. You really need to try this recipe!

The sweetness of this dessert was a perfect ending to the spicy heat of the dinner soup. The soup served well with a bottle of Savignon Blanc Fume. Perfect match. I wouldn't serve it with the salad as there is far too much fat in the dressing and the wine sours next to it. It was an interesting note for my cousins to see how wine reacts with foods differently.

Oh what a night. And what a great weekend.
I hope you all enjoyed yours too.