Deep Dark Brownie Cake Commitment

Not to jinx myself- I am now working with a trainer, Brian, a great guy, and its been two weeks. He and I have a lot in common, and he sees my enthusiasm to get my life as a whole balance. Lots of vegetarian eating, meat on weekend, walking on the Jersey Shore twice, swimming three times a week, water aerobics twice a week, weights, and my bike will be ready Wednesday. Sore is an understatement.

I feel good and have a goal- I turn 50 next year, and there is a Harley and a Cruise with my name on them! No, do not call me crazy, I love to live life! Last year I did complete an eating makeover for our household, but when it came down to it, I was not exercising on a regular basis, eventually I quite any kind of routine.

Having WAMPP- Wine Art Music Poetry Projects booked around New Jersey, freelance writing for local and on-line food and wine publications (on my rear), open mics, now in guitar and music lessons, cooking classes, a trip to Spain (El Bulli) in September, and lots of new friends asking me to get out and about the area- I realized I was extremely out of shape and needed to do something about it. Standing on your feet in one place in a kitchen just never was 'real' exercise.

Staying busy keeps me out of trouble, and out of the sweets. I do not buy them at all, only high cocao (75-95%) bars and break off a piece now and then. No way am I giving up my wine or martini habit, so its exercise do or do, no choice! Foodies like us have to balance things, right?

I made this sugar and gluten free brownie cake above. All of you out there that are going 'YUCK', well when you get your taste buds in check, you would be glad to have a piece of that cake! Chocolate Goodness is what it felt like to me. I did whip up some cream one night (with no sugar), it did fall after a few minutes, but it felt like a decadent indulgence.

Many of you who have met me in person, well you know I am a big girl- NOT FOR LONG!

Green Goddess Caesar Tacos & Award Thank You

Our 'Green Theme' last week made me think of an old familiar salad dressing. Mean and Green. Now I do not buy bottle dressings anymore, because we might use them once and then they sit until they just fall out of the refrigerator door. On occasion I might use it as a marinade for grilling, but otherwise who knows how long it will sit. Oil, vinegar, seasonings or fresh made is the best!

Doing some research I found two claims to fame for 'Green Goddess' dressing...the first giving credit to an article written in 1948, "The California Cookbook", by Genevieve Callahan, and from a play titled "The Green Goddess" , and attributed to the English actor in 1923, George Arliss.














'I used a classic Caesar recipe and added tarragon, and avocado...he reigns supreme'

Finding that the original recipe included anchovies was quite surprising to me. I like anchovies on occasion now, but as a youngster I would have gagged at the thought of bait in my food. Green was not a color I steered towards either, but I loved it! What does give it that green tinge anyway...tarragon, avocado, or fresh herbs I read about?

Lets give it a try and see! I wanted to put it up against its bottled successor, Seven Seas in the 1970's, but I could not find any (you can buy online); which they do not make but in small quantities and can be found on occasion. As a kid I was often out ruled on the 'dressing in the cart' by the other six in my family and had to eat French dressing regularly.


















If you research the subject yourself you might also think, "This recipe sounds similar to Caesar dressing"... In Dallas for years we had an annual contest called 'The Caesar Salad Contest' for local chefs to enter and the public would come, taste and vote for the winner. This was my inspiration for the contest, but rolled as a cone with an heirloom tomato confit on top. I have used grilled chicken too.















'On wax paper or a Sil-pat you sprinkle 4 " rounds of parm, asiago, and romano cheese in a 350 degree oven till melts and browns on edge...remove'















'Once out of the oven, cool for a few minutes and then you must place them over the side of a plastic bowl to fold in'

Green Goddess Salmon Taco Salad

I made these before for large crowds, and with a wine tasting up against whites. These tacos with any filling are definitely an entertaining and conversation piece. I was over at Sippity Sup the other day and I saw how Greg cooked some salmon that lay across a pillowy bed of white cream with what seemed like a green throw wrapped lovingly about it. The salmon technique was calling out to me, and let me say these tasty pieces of fish on this crunchy mixed cheese shell is great!
















'I will talk more about the rice, but it had a nice nutty flavor and I used no seasonings...I wanted the dressing and cheese to do the communicating'

THANK YOU: I want to thank Kendra @ Homegrown Housewife for thinking of me in her Vintage recipe post on Sunday. We are suppose to pass it on, and since I just did this for St. Paddy's day I will just say 'Thank You' to everyone that follows my post. My blog journey has been great, and am glad we can all share... Being able to communicate about what goes on inside our lives has come so far, and it is nice that we each can express our own views through our very own blog...










Next post I am talking rice...a language I have learned to embrace...

A Marrow Escape- Osso Bucco

Osso Bucco is said to be a Milanese dish, and is often served with risotto. The name means “bone with a hole” or “hollowed bone”. This refers to the veal shank bone with a large and tasty marrow filling. This slow cooked meat dish is a nice change of pace on the stews that we make today. I remember the first time I had this dish in a Spanish restaurant in Dallas called 'Rouge'... I thought I had just died and gone to bucco heaven...















Chef Joseph (originally from Basque) before opening for dinner would cook his 'marrow' stew by slow cooking the veal, or as we called it 'Oxtail' in clay pots all afternoon. Knowing this would arrive tender and falling off the bone and perfect every time; it seemed to be what I always wanted to order if we ate there. He also served the most wonderful complimentary glass of sangria when you arrived, and his hospitality was beyond measure. The restaurant would move tables aside and convert the center floor into a dance club towards the end of the evening. Hubby and I have many great memories taking friends and out of town company there...

Talking with him on our last visit, I asked if he would let me in his kitchen to learn a few of his Basque cooking tricks. Until I started preparing my 'mise' for this dish I had almost forgotten all that Joseph had taught me. He had shared with me that adding lemon to the dish while cooking gave it an extra kick of flavor. I will have to re-create more recipes from his fabulous cooking lessons back in Dallas. Many years have gone by since I made this dish, and I am looking forward to tasting it...



















Chefs, cooks, and even restaurants garnish the finale platting with a gremolata (or Gremolada), consisting of a mixture of Italian parsley, garlic and grated lemon peel, but it occurred to me goat cheese could be added as an extra layer of creaminess to the risotto. My final decision was to serve it with an Italian Lemon granita and grappa shooter to emulate the garnish and serve it with a lemon goat cheese risotto (GF- brown rice, stock, cream, goat cheese, lemon zest).

The out come... with the sourness of the lemon, smoothness of the cheese and the bite from the zesty tomatoes and vegetable...just seems of Un menage a trois in your mouth!



















We 'marrowly' escape eating more than our share, but do stick to portion control tonight...

We travel to Ethiopia again, and the chef tries out a few fusion dishes tomorrow on company...

POM- Stuff This Chick!

Seems like I hear the doorbell a lot before I have to start my day of work this week. Packages arriving between hubby and I that are stirring new recipe and blog ideas. Whewww what it can really mean is more work for moi!



















I noticed many blogs over the past few months, especially during the holidays have included pomegranate recipes...

My newest and first blog advertisement came a few weeks ago and is something that totally fits in with my philosophy in eating and health...POM juice!

Not only did I get a 'care package' of chili from another blog but in that box was a baggy of 'Amaranth grain that I had never seen in person, only the ground flour, so I tried it...tasted like little kernels of teeny weeny popcorn for leprechauns that are getting ready to hit March 17th!

POM sent me a collection of these bottles to try, so I decided to make some Stuffed Balsamic Chicken Breast for our supper. We already drink this on a regular basis and you can go over to their site and see all the products they carry, funny campaign ads, as well as join their POM Club and receive discounts and updated news about their products.














'Amaranth is the white stuff in the baggy to the right'


This juice makes a tasty drink, cocktail, and is great to cook with! Even hubby talks about how I was off working out of town in my Pillsbury costume for the consulting company and he baked a chicken breast in the oven with salt pepper and then 'tried' to make a sauce from the pan drippings like he has seen me do so many times and tossed some seeds into the pan for added crunch, and what do you know he lived to tell me about it!














These Chicks are stuffed with amaranth , quinoa, mushrooms, eggs, POM juice, salt/pepper to taste, and then roasted along with some carrots, turnips, and parsnips!

I marinated the chicken overnight with POM, balsamic, and a little oil. After the stuffing sat overnight as well to plump up the amaranth and quinoa, I just put them on their backs and stuffed their open cavities, and into the bed of root vegetables along with a pat of butter to keep them dry during their roast in the oven on 375 degrees for about 37 minutes.

Oh and do not forget to take the marinade and pour it all over the baking dish full of ingredients; then cover with foil loosely so it still browns but does not dry out...














Look at that nice balsamic, POM browned and glazed veggies and stuffed chicken!

USS Arugula Soup

I had fun with this blog idea of 'Three Men In a Tub' nursery rhyme re-write...and recipe inspiration...

Rub-a-dub-dub,

Three men in a tub;

And who do you think they be?

The butcher, the baker,

The cookappeal-maker;

They all sailed out to a green sea...

The health food market had a large pile of fresh arugula and it is packed full of beta-carotene and things called glucosinolates, which promote the body's natural detox process like the dandelions I have been eating. It's also an excellent source of Vitamins A, C, and K. If you go on the internet and do some research you will find that people who consumed approximately 250mcg/day of vitamin K had a 35% lower risk of hip fractures compared to those who consumed just 50mcg/day. You know me I am on the 'Greens are the new Junk Food' eating plan...














Scallops: Heat pan to medium high and add dash of oil and roasted garlic with squeeze of lemon or orange juice; brown until cooked through (7 minutes).

'Lost at Sea Scallops' Roasted Garlic and Arugula Soup

My soup started with one pound of fresh arugula, clean and chop (reserve whole leaves for garnish)... set aside; take three heads of garlic and roast with olive oil in toaster oven on 300 degrees for half an hour or so (makes a nice potpourri, body oil, and artery cleaner); You will be using two heads in soup, the other will be for rubbing on toast that will be the raft on top, remove out as much of the roasted garlic cloves and set aside; place garlic oil in pan.

WARNING: Clean hands good before removing garlic due to fingers may need to be licked after this messy occurrence, or you can also rub the toast with excess.

In pan slowly heat 2 tablespoons of butter with the oil from roasted garlic, adding 1 large red onion finely chopped, and saute until begins to become transparent, but not browned; Add as much of the roasted garlic cloves as you desire; 4 cups of vegetable stock, and arugula leaves and cook on medium until leaves have wilted.

Puree the soup with small amounts of stock until desired thickness, and serve with slice of toast floating on top with some small pan seared bay scallops; goat cheese optional...














'Save Our Ship' said the three...

CookAppeal Maker, E Stelling, 3/2/09

Lost on an ocean, a sea of green…
No sails.
No compass.
No direction.
Alone with only your thoughts,
Adrift on salty concoctions;
Add some passing fish
Make a paddle from drift
Stir up some friends
Throw in a bed of self discovery & personal growth
Healthy taste of what’s to come, and
You have cooked up;
A great big bowl of Yum!

This was submitted for 'Eating Your Words' and information is here 'Lost at Sea' Poem

Recommendation:
David Kamp wrote a well known and good read 'United States of Arugula' that explores the food movement from James Beard to Molecular Gastronomy over the years... I love to follow, and have been following food movements since I first watched 'Galloping Gourmet' jet about the avocado green and yellow studio kitchen with his glass of wine while explaining what exactly gourmet was... I had the privilege of meeting David Kamp at a convention in NYC where he was the keynote speaker for Star Chefs... I recommend you read the book!

To participate in the 'eatingyourwords09 contest:

1. 'Write or spell' using food or drink and create a blog post about it until midnight on Friday, March 6th. Any previous blog posts you already have where you've created a 'written'-inspired dish or drink will be accepted.

2. Blog about your creation, including photos, and add a link back to Savor the Thyme (http://savorthethyme.blogspot.com) and Tangled Noodle (http://tanglednoodle.blogspot.com).

3. Send an e-mail titled 'Eating Your Words' to eatingyourwords09@cox.net with the following information:

• Your name
• The name of your blog
• The name of your dish or drink
• Your food blog name and the link to your entry, including pictures, by midnight March 6, 2009

You can still participate even if you don't have a blog at all. Simply e-mail the above information minus the blog details and we'll include it in the round up.

4. Please keep it clean! Appropriate humor is always welcome.

Pizza Wraps GF, and cherised wraps...

Do you have a favorite Valentines gift you have gotten over the years...you know one that really pulled your heart strings...

I have received many from my kids when they were little, but one that cherish so much and even keep it in plastic like our grandmothers did their formal living room furniture years ago...my daughter hand stitched a pot holder for me in school...I will always treasure this, and found it while cleaning out closets and storage...this pot holder was meant to 'wrap' around a hot pan so that her mommy would not burn herself!



















The second was from my hubby who got me a Movado watch...I cried, because no romantic partner ever bought me a gift like that before, and too because I wear an 8" bracelet (yeah big boned) and I knew I could not shut the clasp...laugh if you will, but I had to go spend $40 on my valentine gift to make it fit...

That is why when I cook for him, my children, and others over the years I put so much love into making them good, healthy and tasty dishes...Thanks to them I am the chef I am today!

So on to the new creations...Pizza Wraps...Most gluten free bread, tortillas, or chip recipes call for a large quantity of ingredients of each- cornstarch, tapioca flour, potato starch flour, white rice flour, and I wanted a less complicated recipe that I could whip up at a moments notice. This can also be used for making individual or 6" pizza rounds and I used Prosciutto San Danielle...















Quinoa Pizza Wraps/Crust
(Gluten free flatbread)

- 1 cup quinoa flour

-1/2 -1 tsp salt

-1 tbls psyllium husk

-1 egg

-3/4 cup water

-sauce, make sauce or store bought

-Prosciutto slices

-grated cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

Mix the salt, psyllium husk and quinoa flour together, add the egg and water gradually so that it resembles a thick porridge, wait for a couple of minutes and then spread the batter on to a baking tray lined with baking paper, I spread a little oil on pan as it holds the paper steady for you.

Bake for approximately 12 minutes, the time depends on the flour you used and also on how thick you have spread it. The thinner it gets, the faster it bakes. You must cover these and place them into either a sealed container or I placed them covered with cloth in microwave so that they steam themselves and soften to roll; otherwise they work just fine for pizza crust and cookies.

Oiled pan, spread sauce, add any ingredients desired, and slip back into hot oven to meld, and eat!

Scallion and garlic thin wraps (added ingredients before baking) will go right into microwave on paper to steam and easier to remove...use for a turkey or veggie wraps later...















Two of these six inch rounds were pretty filling...

Next 5 Star Foodie and I once again do a duo blog about our 'Sweet Tarts'...no I mean 'Wraps'!

Heart'y Red Lentil Lemon Grass Soup

Another busy week has gone by and with my extra performance art night on Friday I just did not have the time to get busy on my wrap experiments; which will happen Sunday. I did however find time to take a whole organic-range free chicken and make stock out of it for this soup. Something I would suggest doing ahead of time or one might not make this right after arriving home from their job on a weeknight.

Red lentils have been on my list to try. They are the fastest cooking lentil that we have on the market today (well I have seen that most split ones work this way). The skins begin to come off after about five minutes of cooking and they begin to come apart after about ten minutes, so you want to add them towards the end. During the cooking process (which I was disappointed with) the red lentils, or pink, change color to a yellow-gold. They are great for making soups and chowders. Most health food markets carry this variety.















I took some leeks, scallions, and lemon grass (all organic) and saute them in some oil along with garlic, red pepper flakes, roasted red peppers pieces, and salt/pepper to taste. I chose not to add coconut milk and just keep it...simple? Is that word really in my vocabulary...



















I was happy to find this lemon grass, because it is so not fun to chop up! Saute it to bring out the flavor...

Also, when you make the chicken stock, start it off slow in cold water. Skim off the 'muck' that rises slowly to the top, it helps make a clear broth, and simmer for three or four hours on medium-low heat till the chicken is falling off. Separate the batch into two...if not you have will a soup that is so strong with chicken flavor you cannot taste the other ingredients.

(repeat) Saute the leeks, scallions, and lemon grass along with the garlic, and red pepper. Add to the stock and add water to thin out the chicken flavor like it comes in those organic boxes of stock.
















This made at least four quarts of soup, so we have leftovers for the next few days and I will freeze some for the future...