Trick or Treat!

Check out Refinery 29's slideshow of Gorgeous, Gruesome Treats for Halloween.  Not your typical candy assortment.

Happy Halloween!

Bad news about wine

If this is true, I'm going to need to cut down my wine consumption. . .

Just two glasses of wine a day can nearly HALVE the number of brain cells we produce

Source: Daily Mail

By Anna Hodgekiss

Oct 25th

 

Just two glasses of wine a day could be harmful to the brain, new research suggests.

 

Even moderate drinking can decrease the production of adult brain cells by as much as 40 per cent, researchers from Rutgers Unviersity in the US have found.  The researchers said the findings showed there is a fine line between moderate and binge drinking.

Lead author Megan Anderson said: 'Moderate drinking can become binge drinking without the person realising it.  'In the short term there may not be any noticeable motor skills or overall functioning problems, but in the long term this type of behaviour could have an adverse effect on learning and memory.' 

 

Ms Anderson, a graduate fellow in the department of neuroscience and cell biology, used rats to model moderate to heavy drinking in humans.  Creating a blood alcohol level of 0.08 per cent in the rats, the legal driving limit in the US, they found this disrupted the production of brain cells.  This level of alcohol intake was not enough to impair the motor skills of the rats or prevent them from associative learning in the short-term.  But the number of nerve cells in the hippocampus of the brain were reduced by nearly 40 percent compared to those in the sober group of rodents.

 

This substantial decrease in brain cell numbers over time could have profound effects on the adult brain, said Ms Anderson.  That's because these new cells communicate with other neurons to regulate brain health. 

 

'If this area of your brain was affected every day over many months and years, eventually you might not be able to learn how to get somewhere new or to learn something new about your life,' said Ms Anderson.  It's something that you might not even be aware is occurring. 

 

The study is available online in the journal Neuroscience.

Maggiano's National On the House Pasta Day

Today Monday, October 22nd is Maggiano's National On the House Classic Pastas Day.  Every guest that dines in the restaurant will receive a free classic pasta to take home!

Classic Pastas include:

• Spaghetti
• Bowtie Aglio
• Mom's Lasagna
• Taylor Street Baked Ziti
• Four Cheese Ravioli
• Baked Rigatoni Pomodoro
• Eggplant Parmesan
• Fettuccine Alfredo

This is a special giveaway, but note that Maggiano's ALWAYS gives away a complimentary classic pasta with the purchase of a classic pasta when you dine in the restaurant for just $12.95.  Pretty cool. . . you can order, for instance, Four Cheese Ravioli in the restaurant for lunch or dinner and get to take another pasta home -- and it can be a different one like Mom's Lasagna.  It's a great deal especially since the portions are large and the quality is high (the restaurants all have scratch kitchens).

See: Video about National On The House Pasta Day

2012 State Fair of Texas

Here are a few images from the State Fair this year.  Not pictured is the amazing Fletcher's jalapeno cheese corn dog I devoured.  It was worth every bite (and calorie).



The iconic ferris wheel

 

2 days before Big Tex burned down.
We'll miss you Big Tex!
 

Fried Chocolate Tres Leches Cake --
a little bit of a let down

 

Caramel Funnel Cake

 

Items I'd like to try next time especially
Fried Kit Kat!

 

Random Girl Scouts of America themed
butter sculptures

 

 

Dinner Idea: Bleu-cheese Stuffed Steak; Artichoke, Leek and Potato Gratin, Mixed Greens and Pear Salad

Please excuse the plating.

Having guests over and can't think of what to serve?  We made this lovely dinner last weekend, and it was hit.

Bleu Cheese-stuffed Filet Mignon

• No recipe link here.  We basically made a mix of high quality bleu cheese, freshly ground peppercorns, a little lemon zest and salt and stuffed the filets with it.  Salt & pepper the filets, sear them on the grill and finish them in the oven.

Arugula and Pear Salad with Mascarpone and Toasted Walnuts

• This is a deconstructed salad (see the photo on the epicurious.com website).
• Used mixed greens instead of arugula.  Using a combination of both would be perfect.
• Used half the amount of oil and lemon juice.

Artichoke, Leek and Potato Gratin

• Used gruyere (one of my favorite cheeses)!

R+D Kitchen's Carrot Cake

Even though National Dessert Day was on Sunday, I think we should celebrate it all week.

As I've mentioned in a previous post, it's rare to come across a phenomenal dessert that's to die for here in Dallas.  There are many good desserts but not amazing ones that I crave and dream about.

We gave R+D Kitchen's Carrot Cake a shot again recently when we saw another table that had ordered it.  It looks delicious (Don't you think?  Check out the layers and the frosting.) and was pretty good but still doesn't come close to Truluck's Carrot Cake that was worthy of me writing a haiku in honor of it.

Happy National Dessert Day!

What did you have for dessert today to celebrate National Dessert Day?

I made a Rich Chocolate Cake with Salty Dulce de Leche & Hazelnut Brittle dessert last night (which tasted even better today).

One of my friends exclaimed that it was the best chocolate cake she had ever tasted.  That was quite the compliment and what I hoped would be said based on the reviews and cake description. 

Here's part of the recipe description:  ". . . what could be considered the moistest, most delicious cake on the planet (I double-dare you to find a better one). The combination has a perfect salty-sweet thing happening that is like a highly addictive sensory overload. I promise, it will have you coming back for more."

It is not the most chocolatey caken I've had (again, the reviews prepared me for this), but the density of the batter along with the dulce de leche drizzled on top and the crunch from the brittle made it to be one of the best chocolate cakes I've baked.

Next time. . .

• I'm going to find a recipe for hazelnut brittle.  I could only find peanut brittle, and I know I'd like the hazelnut version a lot better.
• I'll take more time to break up the brittle more evenly so there aren't large chunks. 
• Also, the cake (as noted in the reviews on epicurious.com) took about 15 minutes longer to bake than noted in the recipe.

Candy-fed Cows

Cash-strapped farmers feed candy to cows (CNN Money article 10/10/12)

This is udderly ridiculous.  Ha ha.

Apparently, this practice has been going on for decades.  Do cows that are fed gummy worms, chocolate bars, ice cream sprinkles, marshmallows, hot chocolate mix, crumbled cookies and hard candy taste sweeter than corn-fed cows??? 

Also, ". . . the sugar in ice cream sprinkles seems to increase milk production by three pounds per cow per day."  What????

Back from Spain

Back from Spain -- it was a CULINARY ADVENTURE!  Lots of food and wine . . . it was either vino tinto, vino blanco or Estrella beer at every meal and cost only about $3 -- as much as a Coke or bottle of water.  Why can't good wine be just as inexpensive in the U.S.? 

Here are some photos from our trip.  At the bottom of this post is a list of almost everything we ate ~ more of a food journal to help us remember our meals.  We didn't eat anything extremely exotic because we were traveling between cities and on buses with no bathrooms (and didn't want to risk getting sick).  As you can see, we got a little tired of tapas and opted for Thai, Japanese and Turkish food for a few meals.

Mercado de San Miguel in Madrid
(We came here a few times because I loved it so much)

Inside the Mercado de San Miguel



Mushrooms galore at the Boqueria in Barcelona

Cafe con leche and a Canya Xocolata pastry

Burrata w/jamon and olive oil
Burrata w/blueberry jam and crushed almonds

Jamon and chorizo paella

Taco caliente, lots of salads and rice (yes, it's green rice),
watermelon juice

Rose lychee macarons and other goodies

Chocolate and churros (dip the churros in the chocolate)
at the famous Chocolatier San Gines

Gelato at Amorino in Bilbao

A bretzel

Solamejo w/Parmesan gelato

Pork meatballs in a Thai red curry

Fish in olive oil and potatoes w/mayo at Leketio

Fried artichoke and fried jamon at El Globo

Brownie w/caramel and Bailey's ice cream

Watercress and mache salad w/foie shavings, duck ham,
lychees and flower petals at Citrus

Barcelona-style cannelloni w/truffled mornay sauce
at Citrus

Grilled fillet of sea bass with "savoury pastry" at Citrus

Veal rounds w/hot brie small sacks and Idiazabal
cheese sauce at Citrus

Warm chocolate coulant w/chocolate ice cream
and toasted crunchy crushed hazelnuts at Citrus

Our HUGE drinks at the ME hotel in Madrid that
cost us 15 euros each!

Apple Crumble Latte at Starbucks

MADRID

Lunch at Bocaito
- interesting potato mash
- bread
- celery w/Roquefort
- torta w/tomato and jamon
- the best olives I've had in my life
- croquettes with creamy mild cheese
- thin fried eggplant
- mini cream puffs (on the house)

Snack at Cocina-Gourmet
- rose lychee macaron

Dinner at Bol (the Coca-Cola looking place because of the red & white theme and Coca-Cola placemats; the most awful service and meal we had during the entire trip)
- torta w/queso fresca and salmon
- torta w/3 cheese
- never got the wine we ordered

Dinner at Cafe y Tapas
- amazing strawberry gazpacho w/fruit salad blended in and topped w/crab
- tortilla (egg and potato)
- pork meatballs in Thai red curry
- jamon iberico and potatoes topped with a fried egg

-------------

Breakfast
- Napo Tripo Choco!!!
- the most amazing chorizo sandwich ever . . . melted in my mouth

Lunch at Mercado de San Miguel
- buratta w/ham and olive oil on toast
- buratta w/blueberry jam and crushed almonds on toast
- jamon y chorizo paella

Snack at Chocolatier San Gines
- churros and chocolate

Dinner at Fun and Noodles
- vegetable and shrimp tempura in udon soup
- beef saute udon

-------------

Lunch at Mercado de San Miguel again
- buratta w/ham and olive oil on toast
- buratta w/blueberry jam and crushed almonds on toast
- mixto paella

Snack
- mint chocolate gelato (looked ALL OVER for ice cream and finally found s stand)

Dinner at Taberna Tempranillo (wine bar)
- nothing worth noting (more pintxos)

Dinner at Posada del Leon de Oro
- solamejo (gazpacho) w/Parmesan gelato
- mixed croquettes (fish, spinach, goat cheese)
- ordered and waited for a chocolate fondant dessert. . . the server finally told us that they were out

-------------
BILBAO

Lunch
- Doner Kebab

Snack at Amorino
- gelato

Dinner at Lekeitio
- potatoes w/mayo
- white fish in olive oil

-------------

Lunch at the Guggenheim Bistro
- lamb cube and salad
- blad pasta and salad

Dinner at El Globo
- fried artichoke on a stick w/fried jamon
- meatballs w/black pudding
- queso fundido

-------------

BARCELONA

Breakfast at Il Caffe di Francesco
- cranberry muffin with yogurt injection
- croissant ham and cheese sandwich
- amazing cafe con leche

Lunch (rip off!!!)
- 7,50 euro mushroom and cheese pizza
- 7,50 euro bocadillo

Snack at Starbucks
- delicious Apple Crumble Latte

Dinner at Navarra
- caprese salad
- two 1/2 bottles of red wine
- 22 oz steak w/Roquefort sauce and French fries
- 1/4 chicken with strong peppercorn sauce, sauteed soft potatoes
- brownie with caramel and Bailey's ice cream

-------------

Breakfast
- granola bars . . . had to get to Sagrada Familia early

Lunch
- fried cuttlefish w/French fries
- 2 hake steaks w/lots of bones and scales, a salad
- caramel flan
- 1/2 bottle of white wine; Coke

Snack in Olympic Park
- magnum 60% cocoa chocolate bar
- the worst caramel chocolate chewy drumstick

Dinner at Beer and Tapas
- croquettes
- button mushrooms in olive oil
- potatoes and jamon topped w/a fried egg
- lamb chops and roasted vegetables

-------------

Breakfast at Il Caffe di Francesco
- disappointing apple tart (dense and non-flaky)
- today we realized we could get a Grande cafe con leche

Lunch at the Montserrat cafeteria
- pasta topped w/shredded Swiss cheese and a foot long sausage
- roasted veggies (poblano pepper, eggplant, peppers, potato)
- cheese croquettes, fish croquettes

Snack at the Montserrat cafeteria
- tiramisu and mint chocolate chip ice cream

Dinner at Thai Gardens Barcelona
- 8 different Thai tapas
- lemongrass seafood (calamari, mussels,etc) soup
- red curry w/potatoes and beef; rice

-------------

Breakfast at Il Caffe di Francesco
- Canya Xocolata

Lunch at the Boqueria
- jamon and manchego bocadillo
- taco picante served w/a bunch of goodies (rices and salads)

Snack at Il Caffe di Francesco
- a bretzel

Dinner at Citrus
- watercress and mache salad w/foie shavings, duck ham, lychees and flower petals
- Barcelona-style cannelloni w/truffled mornay sauce
- veal rounds w/hot brie small sacks and Idiazabal cheese sauce
- grilled fillet of sea bass with "savoury pastry"
- warm chocolate coulant w/chocolate ice cream and toasted crunchy crushed hazelnuts





 

Turn Your Power Drill Into a Multi-Purpose Kitchen Tool

I don't know if this is actually possible so don't try this at home, but it sure is funny (less than a 2 minute video from the blog LifeEdited):
Turn Your Power Drill Into a Multi-Purpose Kitchen Tool

Recipe: Enchiladas Suizas

Do you love Enchiladas Suizas but feel guilty ordering them at a restaurant because you know they're probably 2,000 calories? 

Try this Enchiladas Suizas recipe from Allrecipes.com that has 4.5 stars (out of 5 -- and over 300 reviews)!  We made them, and they were delicious and satisfied our craving.

Few tweaks/tips:

• Used flour tortillas and didn't fry them.
• Didn't dip the tortillas in the salsa verde since we used flour ones and didn't want them to get soggy.
• Used approx 1.5 cup of each of the cheeses.
• Left out the green olives.
• Used diced tomato instead of cherry tomatoes (oops, I forgot to put the tomato on the plate before I took the photo).
• Topped the enchiladas with cilantro before serving.

Recipe: Cat Cora's Watermelon Gazpacho

Close-up of our gazpacho
with a dollop of sour cream

I'd been wanting to make a watermelon gazpacho all summer long and thought my opportunity had passed since it's September and the watermelons haven't been looking so good at the store.  We were at Central Market this past weekend, and yay. . .  the watermelons looked great -- beautiful red and ripe.

We decided to try this Watermelon Gazpacho recipe from Cat Cora's cookbook Cooking from the Hip. It may be one of her favorite recipes because it's mentioned many times in various articles and features online.

We made half the recipe;  left out the celery hearts and parsley and used sour cream instead of creme fraiche (I know, I know, they're not the same).   Two tips:  I think I'll use a little less onion next time and will dice up the vegetables more finely.  I should also probably make the dish 'correctly' and use the celery hearts, parsley and creme fraiche. 

Tonight, I'm going to try blending up our leftover gazpacho to try a non-chunky version of it!

Recipe: Chicken & Golden Rice

Chicken & Golden Rice 
Food and Wine Magazine, August 2012, p. 24

I totally forgot to take a photo of our meal, but you can see what it looks like when you click on the recipe link above.

This recipe takes so little time to prepare, particularly if you have leftover chicken.  If not, buy a rotisserie chicken to make this quick, weeknight meal. 

What I love about this dish is its simplicity, yet it's packed with flavor . . . the tumeric in the rice, the basil, cilantro, onion, lemon, Sriracha sauce.

One tip:  Use 1 1/2 cup of chicken broth instead of 1 cup when making the rice.

Recipe: Fresh Corn Grits with Shrimp

Fresh Corn Grits with Shrimp

I really liked this dish by Top Chef Season 5 contestant Jeff McInnis.  It was featured in the Top Chef Challenge section (it's the market basket challenge) in the Aug 2012 issue of Food and Wine Magazine (p. 111-112).  I think the pecan butter makes the dish ~ it gives it a nice nutty subtle flavor.

Healthy and really easy.

Here are some tips:

• Because we made this during a weeknight and wanted to speed up the process, we didn't make the grits from scratch but used instant grits.
• I also didn't want to wear out our mini food-processor, so didn't actually didn't process the pecans and canola oil for 2 minutes until smooth.  Instead, I used a small handful of pecans and a tiny splash of canola oil and processed it for 20 seconds.
• For the shrimp saute, I used 2 tablespoons of butter instead of 6.
• We added red pepper flakes for a little heat.
• I used about 3/4 cup of lager.  I didn't want it soupy like it looks in the photo on p. 112.

Macaron vs. Macaroon?

I was reading an article about Thomas Keller in the September 2012 issue of Vogue.  I thought that the word "macaron" was spelled incorrectly, thinking that the delicious treat I love to get when we go to Keller's Bouchon Bakery should've been spelled "macaroon."  I looked it up on Wikipedia and learned something:

From Wikipedia: 
A macaron is a sweet meringue-based confectionery made with egg whites, icing sugar, granulated sugar, almond powder or ground almond, and food colouring.  The macaron is commonly filled with ganache, buttercream or jam filling sandwiched between two cookies. The confectionery is characterised by its smooth, domed top, ruffled circumference (referred to as the "foot"), and flat base. It is mildly moist and easily melts in the mouth.

Since the English word macaroon can also refer to the coconut macaroon, many have adopted the French spelling of macaron to distinguish the two items in the English language. However, this has caused confusion over the correct spelling. Some recipes exclude the use of macaroon to refer to this French confection while others think that they are synonymous.

Here is Macaroon vs. Macaron Primer for more clarification and photos!

Recipe: Crispy Pork, Shrimp and Cabbage Imperial Rolls



We made Crispy Pork, Shrimp and Cabbage Imperial Rolls (Food and Wine Magazine, Sept 2012, p.68), a recipe from Valerie Luu and Katie Kwan who are 2 young and hip Vietnamese street vendors who run Rice Paper Scissors in San Francisco. 

While I forgot the potato/taro root (oops!), it was a great recipe we'll definitely make again.  We had a revised version of Broccolini with Spicy Sesame Vinaigrette on the side, using regular broccoli.

Tips for Next Time:

• Use about a 1/2 tablespoon less of the fish sauce
• Add minced serrano (I love a spicy kick!)
• Add jalapeno for flavor
• Make 1/3 of the sauce
• Remember to add the potato

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut, Blackberry Passion Fruit Tart and Apple Cinnamon Crisp Ice Cream

Yogurtland has introduced 2 new flavors:  White Chocolate Macadamia Nut and Blackberry Passion Fruit Tart.

From their press release:
For the White Chocolate Macadamia Nut yogurt, Yogurtland uses hand-picked macadamia nuts that are double roasted to bring out the flavor, then ground into a smooth butter and gently folded into the yogurt. The macadamia nuts add additional protein, potassium and various vitamins.
  
For the Blackberry Passion Fruit Tart yogurt, Yogurtland sourced passion fruit from South America and blackberries from Oregon that are known as the “American super fruit.” Both of these fruits are packed with Vitamin C, high levels of antioxidants, beta-carotene and potassium. An 8-ounce serving of this yogurt flavor provides a full day’s requirement of Vitamin C.
  
Combining authentic flavors with real milk gives Yogurtland yogurt its creamy, smooth taste that’s also good for you. Naturally occurring calcium and Vitamin D make Yogurtland yogurt a healthful, refreshing treat. Fruit flavors are also fortified with Vitamin C. Yogurtland yogurt also has six probiotics and the live and active yogurt cultures your body needs for a healthy balance.

Makes me feel good about eating the stuff. 

Baskin-Robbins has introduced its September flavor of the month:  Apple Cinnamon Crisp.

From their press release:

Featuring cinnamon-flavored ice cream with apple and oat chunks, plus a buttery brown sugar cinnamon swirl-flavored ribbon, Apple Cinnamon Crisp combines classic autumn flavors into one delicious frozen treat.

 

For a more decadent treat, guests can enjoy the new Apple Cinnamon Crisp Waffle Bowl Sundae. The sundae features two scoops of Apple Cinnamon Crisp ice cream in a waffle bowl, topped with warm caramel praline topping, whipped cream, almonds and is finished with a cherry on top. Baskin-Robbins' new Apple Cinnamon Crisp is available by the scoop in a cup or cone at participating Baskin-Robbins shops nationwide in September. The flavor is also available in fresh-packed pints and quarts, so ice cream lovers can bring the flavor home to enjoy with family and friends.

 

Sounds delicious but probably not so healthy.

How to Separate an Egg Yolk from the White

I bet you've never seen this method before!

Check out this video (it's less than 2 minutes):
How to Separate an Egg Yolk from the White

Recipes: Mac & Cheese, Green Beans with Gorgonzola Butter and a Warm Chocolate Budino

Not the prettiest plating, but oh well

Again, not the best plating
nor the best roasted almonds

Lovely dinner with friends this past weekend.  Surf & turf (sirloin and lobster) with four-cheese mac & cheese, green beans with gorgonzola butter, and Chateau St. Jean Cinq Cepages and Ramey Chardonnay; followed by a warm chocolate budino for dessert.

The Four-Cheese Mac and Cheese recipe was interesting.  It was in Food & Wine Magazine's June 2012 issue (p. 114) and is a recipe from Slows Bar BQ in Detroit.  In interesting I mean that it called for extra-sharp cheddar cheese, Muenster cheese, Swiss cheese and cream cheese -- AND Tabasco sauce and ground mace.  What's ground mace?  It's a spice obtained from the dried aril (net-like sheath) which covers the nutmeg seed.  The recipe was good, but I really prefer my America's Test Kitchen Classic Mac & Cheese recipe.

I found this Grilled Asparagus with Gorgonzola Butter recipe, but since I wanted to serve green beans, I modified the recipe.  We blanched the beans, and in the future, I would actually saute the beans in the mixture of butter, Gorgonzola cheese, lemon juice, basil, and garlic altogether.  Nix the olive oil because the butter is enough.  And make sure to add salt to taste.

For dessert, I wanted to try out the Warm Chocolate Budino recipe (Food & Wine Magazine's April 2012 issue, p.56)  because I had ordered one at Private Social a couple of weekends ago.  This one turned out pretty nicely -- I love the flavors of chocolate, roasted almonds, vanilla ice cream and olive oil altogether.  (Note: Private Social's dessert had an olive oil ice cream, but this recipe calls for vanilla ice cream with extra-virgin olive oil drizzled on top.)

Bon Appetit!

Would you pay more for a prime time restaurant reservation?

When It Comes to Reservations, Time is Money

I just saw this article today in The New York Times about some restaurants charging more during prime time seating and less during slow days & times.  It's an interesting thought since theaters, airlines and hotels have been doing this for years. 

Savored.com is the site many restaurants are using to achieve this -- where you can get up to 40% off food and drink in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, NYC, Philly, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

According to a study done by a professor at the Cornell School of Hospitality:  “People were O.K. with different prices by time of day and day of week, but what made that even more pronounced was the way you framed it.  If you said it’s 20 percent cheaper to come during the week than on the weekend, people thought that was more acceptable than if you said it’s 20 percent more expensive on the weekend.”

What do you think?