MyFitnessPal

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/

My Fitness Pal is a great ,free weight loss tool.  It helps you track your calorie intake in an easy mobile app.  I highly recommend giving it a whirl.

Kachi Deli Cafe

I had the pleasure of enjoying lunch at Kachi Deli Cafe. The food was good, the service was quick and it was reasonalbly priced for downtown LA. It is worth the walk accross the bridge.  If you are not up for the walk, they delivery for free if you spend over $15.

http://kachidelicafe.com/

Fatty foods as addictive as cocaine?

A Double-Double animal style with fries.  Yummy

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-02/fatty-foods-addictive-as-cocaine-in-growing-body-of-science.html

Great Vodka Mixer

It comes in several flavors plus diet and regular.

http://www.oceanspray.com/Products/Juices/Sparkling.aspx

Pizza Dough Survey

I am a huge fan of homemade pizza. I use store bought dough with fresh ingredients. Recently, I have tried several different brands of dough. Here is what I have found.
Pillsbury Dough (+) Keeps for a long time. (-) It has that canned Pillsbury taste.


Safeway Select Brand (Vons/Pavilions) (+) This dough tastes good (-) It is hard to shape with a rolling pin and cooks up thick.  If you like Chicago style pizza, you will like this one.


Trader Joe's (+) This dough tastes great and it is easily manipulated with a rolling pin. (-) It goes bad quickly. If you like New York style pizza, you will like this one.



** Pizza tip**  Before you add anything to the pizza dough, brush the dough with a light layer of EVOO and truffle salt.  It makes the pizza crust extra yummy.

Easy Seasonal Favorite

Over the years, I have tried many versions of black bean soup.  This recipe is by far the easiest BUT it needs to be jazzed up.  I added taco flavoring, chicken and garlic directly into the soup.  When I served the soup, I placed a layer of steamed rice at the bottom of the bowl and poured the soup on top.  I gave my guests several topping options... tortilla strips, bacon, queso fresco, sour cream and chopped avocado.  I served quesadillas on the side.  All told, it was a great Sunday night dinner that took about 20 minutes to prepare.

http://www.homemadesimple.com/en-us/foodandrecipes/pages/spicy-black-bean-and-bacon-soup.aspx 

Vons Wine Sales

Don't miss out on this great sale.  You can pick up some great wines at a great price. If you buy 6, you get an additional 10% off.  Happy Halloween.

Mac and Cheesier

This weekend, I tried a little experiment by adding cream cheese to my mac and cheese.  I suggest you try it out.  It made the sauce thicker and added to the savory flavor.  I added about 4 tablespoons after I combined the butter and flour to create the beginning of the cheese sauce.

Quinoa Falafels with Tahinih Sauce, Sproutedkitchen.com

http://sproutedkitchen.com/?p=1635

This recipe is worth the effort.  It is a perfect Sunday project and the left overs can be used during the week.  I get my Tahinih sauces from Trader Joes.

Mt. Baldy Trout Farm

Growing up, we had a family rule, “You kill it. You eat it.” It sounds strange but it stems from a lot of time boating at Santa Catalina Island. More often than not, this family rule resulted in me eating lots fresh caught fish.

Last weekend, my husband decided on a family outing to the Mt. Baldy Trout Farm. We all love the fishing but it causes me great anxiety: (1) I love to fish so I am compelled to drop my line in the water. (2) This is not catch and release fishing. As you have probably already guesses, a family trip to the trout farm means I am eating trout for dinner. Admittedly, this is truly the freshest trout one can eat but trout is not my cup of tea. So, how do you solve a problem like trout….

Since the trout farm is kind enough to clean the fish, I am only challenged with seasoning and cooking. Here is how I conquered the trout…



(1) I cooked the fish whole in the oven wrapped in tin foil.

(2) I layed each fish in the center of a piece of tin foil.

(3) I stuffed the inside with thinly sliced lemon, fresh oregano, fresh time, chopped white onions, fresh ground pepper and truffle salt on the inside. I drizzled olive oil and white wine on top of the stuffed inside.

(4) I gave the same treatment to the top of the outside. 

(5) I wrapped up the tin foil around the fish and I placed it in the oven for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees

(6) When we served the fish, we removed the bones and skin, serving just the meat.



Those at the table, whom enjoy trout, enjoyed the meal. So, the next time you are stuck between a fish and a hard place, try this out.

http://www.portosbakery.com/

Last night, I had some amazing deserts.  They tasted great and came in cute single serving presentations.  I would suggest this bakery to anyone in the greater LA area.

Bruschetta

Last night I decided to challenge myself to make a meal out of items already in my fridge. This may seem like an easy challenge but it was a Sunday night and the pickings were slim. I looked in my veggie drawer and decided it was a great night for bruschetta.




My Ingredients…

Cherry tomatos (halved with no seeds)

Hand full of basil – sliced

Chopped grilled asparagus (left over from the night before)

1 cube of Dorot frozen garlic

Goat Cheese

French Roll

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Truffle Salt

Red Wine Vinegars





(1) I defrosted the garlic by letting it sit at room temperature in my mixing bowl.  I pulled the other ingredients out of fridge at the same time so they all warmed to room temp.

(2) I added the chopped tomatoes, basil and asparagus to the bowl. The mixture should be about 1/3 basil, 1/3 tomato and 1/3 asparagus. Just don’t add too much basil.

(3) I topped off the mixture with 1 tablespoon EVOO and truffle salt. I sprinkled a little red wine vinegar for extra flavor. I mixed the ingredients with my hands.

(4) I cut the French roll into thicker pieces, brushed them with the EVOO and crisped them in the oven. Once they where crispy, I spread a thin layer of goat cheese on the bread and add a generous spoonful of the bruschetta.



(I suggest using the left over French roll for French Toast the next morning. If you leave the bread out over night, it will get a little stiff and make better French toast.)

Poblano Chiles from Hatch, New Mexico

I live to cook.  This may seem like an obvious statement but cooking is the way I love the people in my life.  This connection to cooking grew from watching my mother cook.  Her claim to fame is never cooking the same meal twice during the first year of her marriage.  I am not quite that to dedicate to my husband but I do enjoy experimenting with his dinner.

What does this have to do with Poblano Chiles?  Well, my mother recently ordered 90 pounds of these chiles from Bristol farms.  I know what you are thinking… that is a whole lot of chiles.  The worst part is, they came in a giant trash bag.  My mother and I once bought a trash bag full of cookies but that is a story for another time. 

I thought this large purchase warranted an intervention.  Who buys 90 pounds of chiles?  Upon confronting my mother about the bulging black plastic bag, I learned she has discovered blackened gold and a select few people would feel the rain of her bounty.  Needless to say, I came into about 5 pounds. 

My first thought…what I am going to do with 5 pounds of Poblano Chiles.  Well, I had yet to think of an appetizer for the block party.  My finance mind put two and two together and came up with an idea.  Here is what you will need for the ultimate block party pot luck…

Required items…

Flour tortillas

Carne Asada

Crumbled goat cheese

Victoria Taylor’s Smoky Paprika Chipotle Seasoning

http://www.worldpantry.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prmenbr=130425&prrfnbr=2793610

At some point in your domestic career, you need to find a carniceria (Google it).  Purchase a few pounds of carne asada to grill at home.  The dry rub carne asada is best but hard to find.  Most often, you will run across the wet marinated carne asada and this will definitely work.  After grilling the meat (which will be quick) let it sit. 

Pull out a tortilla and scatter the crumbled goat cheese.  Liberally add the Victoria Taylor’s Smoky Paprika Chipotle Seasoning.  Next, add the chili (remove the steam and slice down the middle).  Add some of the grilled sliced carne asada and roll it.  The tighter the roll is, the better.  Slice the roll into three pieces and you are ready to hit the block party.

Try this..You will like it.

My Sister in-law recently turned me on to Pine Ridge 2008 Chenin Blanc Viognier.  Do not be turned off my its screw top because it is perfect for a girls night. 

A Food Link Worth Looking at..

I am a big fan of the local food movement.  I encourage you to look at this link because it can help facilitate your desire to eat well and support the local economy.  You can order grass feed beef or sign up for bi-monthly organic, local vegetable delivery.  I friend signed up for the vegetable delivery, see her comments below.

"I picked-up our first box of gorgeous, 100% organic produce this evening!  We got strawberries, heirloom tomatoes, basil, yellow and gold baby carrots, cucumbers, parsley, red chard, green and yellow squash and a huge bag of green beans - Definitely worth the $25. "

http://www.localharvest.org/store/M20058

Summer Brew

This is a great drink for the long weekend.  You will need something large to mix this in...

You will need...
4 Corona Beers
1 frozen limeade concentrate
Vodka

Pour the 4 beers and frozen limeade into your container.  Fill the empty frozen limeade container with vodka and add it to the mix.  Do the last steps three times, total.  So in the end, you will have added 3 limeade containers of vodka.  Stir and enjoy.


Have a great weekend.

Oreo Cookie Cheesecake

I recently had the pleasure of tasting this amazing treat... It is not my recipe but I am sure you will ENJOY it.



Crust:
8 oz. Oreo cookie crumb
2 oz. sugar
4 oz. melted butter

• Mix everything together.



Cheese Cake Mix:
1 ½ lb. of creme cheese
6 oz. sugar
½ oz. corn starch
4 whole eggs
8 oz. Sour Cream
1 lemon test
1 tsp. vanilla extract


Oreo Cookie Cheesecake
1. In a mixing bowl combine the cream cheese, sugar, and corn starch and mix until creamy. Add eggs one by one, scraping the side of the bowl each time you add an egg. Try to make the mix as creamy as possible. Add the sour cream, lemon test and vanilla extract. Mix all ingredients well.

2. Preheat oven at 350º. Put coating pan into the mold with a piece of wax paper then take the crust mix and put into the bottom of the mold. Flatten crust to desired thickness.

3. Add the cheese cake mix. Put cake on a sheet pan with a layer of water on bottom of sheet pan. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the toothpick come out clean.



For Garnish
10 oz. semi sweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream

• Boil the cream, then add chocolate.


Serves 8-10

"Leftovers" Pizza

I have been BAD about posting. Actually, that is an understatement. Sorry, I promise to me better. With this said, I will do my best to post food thoughts more often. So, here goes nothing.
I have recently discovered pizza as a great vehicle to disguise leftovers. A "leftover pizza" is the perfect Friday night dinner. Plus, pizza is great with a bottle of red wine.

Below, I have provided an ingredient list from my most recent “leftover pizza.”


(1) The dough: The key here is fresh pizza dough. You can go to Fresh & Easy or Trader Joe’s. Both places carry the dough, pizza sauce and cheese.

(2) Invest in a rolling pin… cover the center of a cutting board with flour. Unwrap the dough and flip it over in the flour so both sides are covered. Coat the rolling pin in the flour. Roll out the dough… I like thin crust pizzas so I roll mine a little thinner. Place the dough on a cookie sheet.

(3) Coat the dough with a small amount of spray olive oil. Lightly dust the dough with salt, especially on the edges.

(4) Add your sauce… the amount is up to you. Be careful** about loading it on because the cheese because it will slide off the pizza when it is melted. I learned this in college. Don’t ask.

(5) The toppings: any leftover meat is a great way to go. When I am feeling creative, I even use leftover vegetables.

(6) For this pizza, I diced up left over steak from a BBQ the night before. I finely diced fresh sliced jalapenos, tomatoes and shallots from Fresh&Easy.

(7) If you are not a fan of the jalapeno flame, leave out the jalapenos and add fresh basil. If you do decide to add the basil, wait until pizza is mostly cooked to add the basil.

(8) I topped the whole thing off with a handful of crumbled goat cheese.

(9) Place it in the oven and bake…once the pizza appears golden brown, pull it out and let it sit for a few minutes.



There are no photos of this one, because we ate it.

Oreck Dry Carpet Cleaning System

http://www.oreck.com/cleaning-supplies/dry-carpet-system.cfm

I swear by this stuff.  You can use it to spot clean or clean the whole carpet.  It works wonders and it is a "green" product.  It has removed red wine stains from my cream colored carpet on multiple occasions.  Need I say more?

Paperless Post

http://www.paperlesspost.com/session/new

This site adds class to electronic communication.