Hold the Mustard!

A Blog A Day For A Month: Day 6. Only 25 more days to go.

Most people celebrate the 4th of July with hotdogs and hamburgers. That seems to be an all~American tradition.

But some people just see the line, cross over it and keep running.

Take Joey Chestnut, defending champion of Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. Please take him.

For the first time in history, the contest went into overtime.

Overtime?

Yep. Seems said champ and six~time champion (110 pound weakling) Takeru Nobayaski of Japan, were tied at the end of the 10 minute contest. They had each eaten 59 hot dogs.

So. On to a sudden death (no pun intended) 5~dog eatoff.

Can you imagine the shame of it all had Joey not won this contest? Thank goodness he spared us the indignity and embarrassment of losing by just stuffing down five more hot dogs.

Whew! I can sleep better tonight knowing the trophy is safely here in the US for another year.

Yeah. What Charlie Gibson Said!

A Blog A Day For A Month: Day 5. Only 26 more days to go.

Yesterday, World News Tonight with Charlie Gibson had a segment about Dinner In The Sky, a new dining concept where chefs and guests dine 15~20 stories in the air.

With nothing under them!

In case you haven't heard about this yet, it's the newest ~ and most expensive ~ dining craze (or is it crazy) that's sweeping the rich and bored.

Their website doesn't have pricing, however, it does state that infrared heaters are 750 euros a pop. That's just for the heat. So, my guess is that if you have an extra $500K USD laying around then you, too, could have Dinner In The Sky.

Gotta tell you ~ there isn't enough wine in the world to get me up there! And then I'd have to go to the bathroom.

Charlie Gibson ended the segment with a personal comment. "With all due respect, that's just nuts!"

Yeah. What Charlie Gibson said!

Food, Glorious Food!

A Blog A Day For A Month: Day 4. Only 27 more days to go.

Unbelievable! I found a great Food, Glorious Food video with the characters from "Ice Age" on YouTube just yesterday and today it's already been taken offline. Here's another one.

I don't have any recipes for lions or any other wild game, but here's one a a flavorful grilled chicken.

Grilled Jerk Chicken
Serves 4

1/3c olive oil
2T sesame oil
2T hot chili oil
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1T ginger root, grated
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
2T white balsamic vinegar ~ can substitute red wine vinegar
1T honey
1/4t nutmeg, freshly grated
salt and pepper
1/2 lime, juiced and zested
3T orange juice
1/4t red pepper flakes
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2T cilantro, for garnish
1T sesame seeds, toasted, for garnish

Place all ingredients except chicken, cilantro and sesame seeds in food processor and process until almost smooth. Pierce chicken breasts with fork all over. Place chicken breasts in large zip~lock bag and add marinade. Seal and refrigerate 24~48 hours depending upon how intense you want the flavor to be.

Remove chicken from marinade and discard marinade. Preheat grill and grill chicken, turning once, until cooked through. Garnish with chopped cilantro and toasted sesame seeds.  

Have a happy and safe 4th of July!

Happy Almost 4th of July!

A Blog A Day For A Month: Day 3. Only 28 more days to go.

Tomorrow is the 4th of July a time of family cookouts, fireworks and friends. Instead of the same ole boring hotdogs and dried out, overcooked hamburgers on the grill, try this easy recipe that's full of flavor guaranteed to be the hit of the party.

Garlic Marinated Chicken Breasts
Serves 4

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 bottle Kraft fat~free Italian salad dressing
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 large shallots, finely minced
1/8t cayenne pepper
1t dried oregano

Place chicken breasts in large zip~lock bag. Whisk together all marinade ingredients and pour over chicken. Seal bag and refrigerate at least 8 hours.

Remove chicken from marinade and pour marinade into saucepan. Grill chicken, turning once, until done. You should not have any grill flame~ups since the marinade is fat~free. While chicken is grilling, bring marinade to boil, reduce heat and cook until thickened. Serve as a dipping sauce with chicken.

Have a happy and safe 4th and remember ~ alcohol doesn't mix any better with fireworks than it does with driving!

Extra Wine? Not in My Glass (Unfortunately)!

A Blog A Day For A Month: Day 2. Only 29 more days to go.

A couple of days ago there was an article in The Los Angeles Times discussing a study published this week in the journal "Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research" claims that alcoholic drinks served in bars and restaurants are often larger than the standard size and contain more alcohol. The study went on to claim that the average glass of wine served in a bar was 43% larger than standard.

Huh?

First, I'd like to know who really reads that journal. Then I'd like to know which bars and restaurants they studied and where they're getting their glasses of wine!

I went out the other night with Sandee for a cocktail after work and I can guarantee that my glass of wine was certainly not almost 50% more than a standard glass of wine. Now granted, it was happy hour. And my glass of wine was $1 off the regular price. But it sure looked like instead of serving the regular glass of wine for $1 less than their standard price, they served $1 less of alcohol and charged me $1 less.

When a bar/restaurant can charge $8/glass for a bottle of wine that retails for $16, food prices rising over 20% in the last year alone, a Bear market on the horizon and gas averaging over $4.25 nationally a little extra wine would really help dull the pain.

I Get A Glow From Zinfandel

A Blog A Day For A Month: Day 1. Only 30 more days to go.

I get a lot of e~mails from friends sending jokes, cartoons and other funnies that make me smile. Here's Maxine, one of the greatest cartoon characters of all time, and it's scary how many of her witticisms apply to my life.

While you may find it hard to believe, I do like to visit with Bacchus every once in a while. OK. I admit. Visiting time is normally around 5:00 p.m. Every day. But it's important to keep in touch with friends.

So back to Maxine. I love this cartoon ~ it's so me! I don't "do" the sun. Unlike Sweet Husband Tim who walks out into the sun and turns a deep dark golden brown, when I sun all I do is burn, turn red, peel, burn, turn red, peel, repeat process.

So if you want to get your glow on with Zinfandel, here's a Yummy! recipe to get you started.

Zinfandel Cioppino
Modified from Epicurious.com
Serves 6

1 large fennel bulb and 3" of stalks, diced, reserve 4 fronds for garnish
1 large onion, diced
1/2c celery, thinly sliced
1/2c carrots, small dice
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
1t dried thyme
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1/4t Old Bay Seasoning
salt and pepper
1 ~ 28oz can diced tomatoes
1/2c vegetable stock
1 bottle Zinfandel ~ divided use
8oz clam juice ~ can use Clamato Juice
1/2 pound halibut, cut into 2" pieces
1/2 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined
1 pound mussels
8oz clams, canned, do not drain

Open Zinfandel, measure 1c and set aside. Pour a glass of wine and enjoy while cooking.

Heat oil in 6~quart soup pot over medium heat. Stir in fennel, onion, celery, carrot, garlic,bay leaves, thyme, red pepper flakes, Old Bay Seasoning and salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until vegetables begin to soften ~ about 4 minutes.

Add tomatoes with their juices, vegetable stock, 1c reserved Zinfandel and clam juice. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.

Check your wine level. Pour another glass if needed. Stir in seafood and cook, uncovered, until seafood is just cooked through and mussels open wide, approximately 5~6 minutes. Discard bay leaves and any mussels that remain closed after 6 minutes.

Enjoy!

31 Days and 31 Recipes

In case you haven't noticed, it's been almost a month since I've written a blog.

Well, that's about to change.

Dramatically.

I just joined a Blog Group called NaBloPoMo otherwise known as National Blog Posting Month.

July is Food Blog month. All you have to do is write a blog every day for a month, about that month's topic, and you get a Web Badge.

Big deal you say. A Web Badge. Actually, the badges are pretty cool. And very few people actually can blog every day.

So. I've challenged myself to write a Yummy! blog every day.

Some days will have recipes.

Some days will have recipes with photos.

Some days it'll be easy.

Most days, I expect, it will be a challenge.

Or a chore.

But, my friends, please keep me motivated. Write comments. Ask for recipes.

31 days. 31 recipes. Yikes! Why couldn't February be Food Blog month?

Yummy~issimo! Recipe Sour Thanks To The Cicadas!

The cicadas are still here. And, they're going to be here for at least the next five freaking weeks!

There's one good thing about cicadas though ~ the birds eat so many of them, that they don't eat my sour cherries. This is the first time in about 15 years that I've had cherries. And, boy do I have cherries!

The cherry tree stands about 20 feet tall and is absolutely loaded this year. Sweet husband and I picked last night and my mouth was watering for a sour cherry pie.

So I guess the freaking, flying, red~eyed loud mouthed cicadas are good for something.

Debbie's Sour Cherry Pie
Serves 8

Crust:
2c all~purpose flour
1t salt
3/4c + 1T butter flavored Crisco
1/2c ice cold water
1T sugar

Filling:
3T quick~cooking tapioca
2t pure almond extract
2T cornstarch
1/4t salt
1 1/4c sugar
6c fresh sour cherries, pitted
milk, to brush crust
1T sugar to garnish crust
whole nutmeg, to garnish crust

To make dough: In large bowl, thoroughly stir together four and salt. Add the shortening and mix until mixture resembles coarse meal. Measure out 7T ice water and sprinkle over flour mixture, tossing with a fork until evenly incorporated. Gently knead until the dough holds together smoothly when pressed between your fingertips. If necessary, add 1T or more water to moisten. Dough should not be dry.

Turn dough out onto large sheet of waxed paper. Gently knead until the dough holds together and is very smooth. Divide dough into two sections. Roll out dough between layers of waxed paper until it is a 11" round. Peel off top layer of waxed paper flip into 10" pie pan. Peel off remaining layer of waxed paper. Roll out top dough between two layers of waxed paper but do not remove paper until ready to top cherries.

Preheat oven to 425. Finely grind tapioca in spice mill. Place cherries in large bowl and add ground tapioca, cornstarch, salt and sugar. Toss well and let stand 30 minutes.

Fill bottom crust with cherry mixture. Remove one layer of waxed paper and flip onto cherries. Remove second sheet of waxed paper and crimp edges together. Cut several steam holes in top crust. Brush with milk, sprinkle with sugar and grate a little fresh nutmeg on top of crust.

Bake 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375. Continue to bake until crust is deep golden brown and filling is bubbly in center, 35~45 minutes. Cover with foil if crust gets too brown.

It's Yummy~issimo Versus The Cicadas ~ And The Cicadas Are Winning!

I haven't posted in a while ~ you know how life sometimes gets in the way. We had a sudden, and very unexpected, death in the family. In addition to the family trauma, I was booked solid with cook days. That meant moving clients around so I could be gone for several days. Double cook days before and after.

But if that's the worst of my problems, then my life is great! And it is.

Opened yesterday's Cincinnati Enquirer and found a 2~page article about my buddy, Shayne Graham. The article talks about his condo, his cars and his sports memorabilia collection. It even talks about Yummy~issimo! ~ well, to some degree. I'm "the chef he uses occasionally" ~ if occasionally could be described as 3 or 4 times a month.

Sweet husband Tim was out yesterday running errands and buying unnecessary junk at yard sales and I was hiding in the house away from the billions of red~eyed, disgusting, loud mouthed flying roaches that have taken over Cincinnati ~ otherwise known as cicadas. Sweet husband wanted to take me out to lunch but it was hot and humid and I'm so tired of the cicadas dive bombing me when I'm outside that I decided to pass on lunch out.

Oh hell! Now I have to come up with something for lunch! Using a lot of leftovers, I made a great non~traditional chicken salad that I think several of my clients will love. I grilled out the other night and had one large chicken breast left over that had been marinated in my fat~free garlic~basil Italian dressing. When I grilled it, I reduced the dressing down to serve as a dipping sauce and then refrigerated the leftover chicken in the sauce. Here's the recipe ~ as close as I can tell. I rarely, if ever, measure anything, so you may like more or less of any ingredient.

Debbie's Yummy! Chicken Salad
Serves 4

2c diced chicken breast
1/2c remaining garlic~basil Italian dressing ~ use fat free Zesty Italian in the bottle and you'll be fine
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, finely minced ~ yeah, I know there's already garlic in the marinade but, let's face it, you can NEVER have too much garlic!
2 celery heart stalks with leaves, thinly sliced
1T sesame oil
1/4c peanut butter, heated to thin it
red pepper flakes ~ we like it hot so I probably used 1/2t but I'd start with just a pinch and add more as desired
2/3c chopped toasted pecans
1/2c dried cherries
salt and pepper
4 slices sourdough bread, lightly toasted
1/2c Asiago cheese, grated
1 green onion, thinly sliced, for garnish

Preheat broiler. Heat peanut butter in non~stick pan until it is runny. Mix all ingredients in large bowl and toss well. Add peanut butter and toss. This sandwich is served open face. Divide chicken salad into 4 equal portions and heap on sourdough bread slices. Sprinkle with cheese and broil until cheese is melted and bubbly ~ 2~3 minutes. Garnish with green onions. Yummy!

Still hiding in the house today away from the cicadas!

Still Searching for the Perfect ManMar Recipe

All is just about perfect in my little sliver of paradise.

Sitting on the balcony overlooking the bay, glass of wine by my side, our trip to Puerto Vallarta has been everything and more we’ve hoped it would be. Our resort is in the middle of the bay, about half way in between downtown PV and Bucerias, surrounded on 3 sides by mountains and jungle. For the first week, we didn’t do much more than eat, sip ManMars and take a nap every day.

We’ve spent the last couple of days exploring downtown PV, wandering the flea market, stopping every block or so to sample another $1 margarita, or just to sit and watch the people go by.

We found a great bar/restaurant overlooking the boardwalk called The Cheeky Monkey. We were initially intrigued by the $1 margarita sign advertising “Cheap, Chilly, Cheeky” margs so we decided to stop and check it out. Expecting a thimble~full of tequila~less ritas, we were surprised when jumbo margaritas with a good punch of tequila were delivered. And, then the monkey visited. Or, should I say, he jumped into Tim’s arms. Several margaritas later we sadly bid the monkey a fond adios.

We found another great restaurant off the beaten path where the daily special was $25 including soup or salad and a large glass of wine. Can’t go too wrong there, right? Sweet husband didn’t have the daily special, feasting instead on mustard glazed mahi. Fabulous! Jorge urged me to have the especial du dai and I begged for the recipe.

Below is the recipe for Cinnamon Shrimp. Or, at least I think it’s the recipe. It’s as close as I could understand with Jorge's broken English and my non~Spanish. I’ll try this when I get home and if it needs modifications, I’ll let you know.

I could get used to this!

Margaritas, mountains, dolphins in the bay every morning, star~filled skies every night and the sound of the ocean waves crashing right below me.

Today’s Spanish lesson ~ dos por uno Corona, quarto por dos margarita. These two phrases are very important if you find yourself at happy hour. Fortunately happy hour translates in every language and I’m heading down to partake now.

Adios!

Jorge’s Cinnamon Shrimp
butter
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 shallots, finely minced
3T sugar
1 bottle red wine ~ recommend dry red from Chile
1/2T cinnamon
Sesame seeds, toasted
Sauté shallots in red wine until soft. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Do not burn. Add sugar and cook, stirring, until melted. Add red wine and cinnamon. Cover with foil or tight fitting lid and simmer 45 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat. Strain, cool and keep refrigerated for up to 7 days.
Sauté fresh shrimp in olive oil until barely cooked. Remove from heat and toss in warmed sauce. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.

I recommend serving this with coconut, lime and cilantro rice, sautéed fresh veggies and a large glass of red wine. This sauce would also be wonderful served over salmon or with pork or chicken.