Pass the Pesto, Please.

You have heard me rant and rave about the CSA I joined earlier this year, Silverlake Farms. This week's surprise was lemon basil. I was just tickled pink with this gem of an herb. Last night, I really thought about how to best this fragrant herb and decided to make a lemon basil pesto. As a devout foodie, I'm kind of embarrassed to admit that this is only the second time I've made a pesto. I saw you roll your eyes and maybe you can hear my big sigh, but alas, it's true. I immediately ran to my cookbook library (duly located in my kitchen) and pull my trusty copy of Mark Bittman's, How to Cook Everything to locate a basic pesto recipe. Yet again, Mark does not disappoint me.

I've included the recipe below, but please note that I used walnuts and in addition to extra virgin olive oil, I included some crushed lemon olive oil I purchased from Beyond the Olive in Pasadena. The pesto turned out perfecto, if I do say so myself. Best described as fruity and mild citrus notes, this pesto would be divine tossed with pasta, or spread over a grilled piece of meat, or even best, tossed with roasted potatoes. Oh yeah...now we are talking and my mouth is watering just thinking of all the possibilities.

Basic Pesto (adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman)

• 2 loosely packed cups of fresh basil leaves
• salt to taste
• 1/2 to 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2 tbs. pine nuts or walnuts, lightly toasted in a dry skillet
• 1/2 c. evoo
• 1/2 freshly grated Parmesan or other hard cheese

In a food processor combine the basil, salt, garlic, pine nuts and about half the olive oil. Process, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl, and occasionally adding the rest of oil. Store in fridge for 1-2 weeks or freeze for several months.

Mark recommends that if you are going to freeze the pesto, to do it without the addition of the cheese.

A Lil' Twist: Bacon N' Pea Mac N' Cheese

A couple of weeks ago while perusing the internet for new cookbook releases, I found a link for Poor Girl Gourmet, Amy McCoy's first cookbook. Of course the title drew me into its web of mystery and allure. Who could resist checking out a book for foodies on a budget? After reading the reviews, I discovered that Ms. McCoy started this venture in a blog duly named the same title - Poor Girl Gourmet. Being the lil' research girl that I am, I just had to check it out and see what her recipes entailed. I spent a significant amount of free time bookmarking several recipes, but this one is the one I made last night for dinner. The recipe is an adaptation of a Barefoot Contessa recipe and I took it a few steps further and adapted it a lil' more. My local butcher/fishmonger store, McCalls Meat & Fish Co, sells the best smoked bacon, so I substituted the pancetta for the bacon. Since the bacon included a decent amount of fat, I sauteed the peas and shallots in the bacon fat (so I skipped out on the olive oil). I also opted not to coat the panko bread crumbs in melted butter prior to topping the mac n cheese. At this point, it was a lazy issue, I didn't want to clean another stinkin' pan last night.

The bechamel sauce was studded with Gruyere, an underrated cheese in my estimation. This mac n cheese recipe has that "star quality" and could easily be adapted to one's personal preferences. As I was putting together all of the elements last night, I started to dream of other additions and combinations - caramelized onions, sausage, roasted asparagus or roasted broccoli, the list does go on and on and on. Nonetheless, I was very pleased with how the mac n cheese turned out and I'm looking forward to give some of Amy's other recipes a whirl.

Blog Challenge No. 10: Optimism

Dian Reid's Authenticity Blog Challenge is winding down, can you believe it? Tomorrow is June 30th! Last night, I had this thought, actually it was more like a mental beating with a baseball bat - I realized there were still four more topics to go in the challenge and it wasn't looking like I would be able to finish all four topics. I started to talk negatively. Why can't you finish what you started? Why can't you finish what you started? Why can't you finish what you started? Why can't you finish what you started? Okay, you get the gist of where I'm headed with this.

The truth is I should feel optimistic - I actually started a challenge and I did finish it. I wrote ten entries, ten topics, ten posts all about me. I have always wanted to participate in something like this - I easily get inspired by these challenges and then I also get defeated before I've even given the challenge a chance. Thoughts like "Nobody cares what you have to write about besides food", "Nobody will read these entries", "Nobody cares" and the truth is maybe some people haven't enjoyed my participation in this challenge, but I didn't participate for anyone else, but me.

Yes, when it comes to my writing, I'm very passionate about food, the culinary arts, recipes, restaurants, etc. but I'm also beginning to get optimistic and passionate about me. There's more to this girl than a foodie blog and I guess I wanted to explore that here at Madame Munchies. This blog is much more than an extracurricular activity, it's a part of me that I share with you out there in cyberland. So instead of choosing negative thoughts, I'm choosing positive thoughts instead. I did what Dian Reid invited us to take part of:

"I’m engaging my community (that’s you!) because these thirteen topics can change the world. They can change the world, but not just if I write about them; only if we write about them."

I hope in some small way my contribution changed the world.

Blog Challenge No. 9: Truth.

Continuing this week with Dian Reid's Authenticity Blog Challenge (only 4 more topics to go before the end of June) and today's topic is truth. So here's what I came up with:

Transformational

Reality

Understanding

Treasured

Humbling

Transformational: Truth can be transform you. It often can be a hard pill to swallow, some of us even turn a blind eye or deaf ear because we don't really want to hear/see the truth. If we acknowledge truth, then we can't hide from it any longer.

Reality: Truth is real. There are no half-truths and I don't buy into the "truth is relative" bit either. If truth is relative then it's easy to shrug it off and most will not take responsibility for their part.

Understanding: Truth requires understanding, it requires us taking the time and energy to assess, evaluate and reflect upon what is true.

Treasured: Often times truth can be rare and valuable jewel. It's something to be treasured.

Humbling: Truth can also be humbling, whether we are receiving it and giving it.

I want to embody truth and honesty. it's not always easy, but I would definitely like to strive for it.

Blog Challenge No. 8: Fairness.

For today's Authenticity Blog challenge, the topic is fairness. I've been staring at this topic and nothing has inspired me or sparked my inner writer until this morning. I visited a church in Downtown LA called New City Church. They are studying the book of Ephesians and today's, message focused on Ephesians 4:31-32; the subject - forgiveness. So you may scratching your head, sipping your second or third cup of coffee and asking, "What the heck does forgiveness have to do with fairness?".

No matter what your spiritual inclinations lean toward or away from, one of the basic tenants of Jesus' teachings was forgiveness. There's that old adage, you can forgive but you'll never forget. It's almost become "PC" to forgive but not forget. We have this built-in system that seeks justice, vengeance and fairness. But today I'm challenged. Forgiveness is an extension of grace and there isn't a prerequisite or a post-requisite for forgiveness. It's a decision first, not necessarily a feeling first. If we waited to feel like forgiving, let's be honest, it more than likely would not occur. And in all "fairness", we would all be walking around bitter, angry and probably alone. Now is that fairness???

I guess I'm evaluating where I'm at - in fact, I'll admit forgiveness is not something I extend gracefully, no pun intended. I too get sucked into the cycle of, this isn't fair! I've been wronged! It's not my fault! And in some cases, that may be true, but in most situations, I've played a part. Knowingly or unknowingly. But the truth is I'm not innocent, I''m just as screwed up as the next and as much grace as I think I deserve, so does everyone else.

A Blissful Marriage of Eggplant and Cheese.

A couple of weekends ago, a girlfriend and I went to see a matinee of Sex and the City II. Guilty pleasure you could call it (I loved the series). Anyway, prior to the show we grabbed some grub to go from Buca di Beppo. I happen to think they do a fantastic eggplant parmesan and I thought to myself, "Self, have you ever made eggplant parmesan before?". I couldn't recall if I had taken on that challenge, so this week I took it on. The eggplant, cheese, tomatoes and I duked it out in the culinary ring, so to speak.

I did a little research online and pulled up a recipe for Eggplant Parmesan from Epicurious. With a rating of 4 forks, I had to give it a go. Mind you, I did not cook for 8 people, I cut the recipe in half and managed to put away several servings in my freezer. Not too sure how well it will hold up but I will find out soon friends.

All I can say about this recipe is LABOR INTENSIVE. This is not a recipe you just pull out of your hat on a weeknight (of course I made it on a weeknight, but that doesn't mean everyone will want to make this on a weeknight). It definitely required patience and time, but it was well worth the hard work and the wait! The eggplant slices were battered with a 3 step process: flour, egg and panko bread crumbs (which were seasoned with a little grated parmesan). I think the panko bread crumbs really took it a whole other level too. The sauce was simple - peeled and pureed roma tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt, red chile pepper flakes and torn up fresh basil - simmered for about half an hour. The only downside was that I should've made the entire batch of sauce instead of only making half a batch. There just wasn't enough sauce for my liking. Lesson learned. Next time, if there's plenty of leftover sauce, I'll just freeze it for pasta or another dish. Regardless this recipe is fantastic and is a great dish for entertaining, especially if you have any vegetarians over for dinner. I would serve it with a simple green salad and maybe some roasted garlic bread.

Blog Challenge No. 7: Intention.

Haven't we all heard the phrase, "I had the best of intentions" at one point or another?


Several years ago, my mom turned me on to the idea of creating/making intentions for one's life instead of resolutions or goals. The idea being that we rarely ever make good on those resolutions, they usually end up becoming a revolving door of resolutions instead of concrete change.


At the end of 2009, I made a list of things I was letting go of in 2010. Most of these were negative issues/things/relationships in my life and to commerate that "letting go" ritual I burned the list on my dad's front porch on December 31, 2009.

And of course, I made a list of intentions for 2010. I recently took a peek back at that list to see what, if anything, I had accomplished or at least set the wheels in motion on. To my surprise there were several intentions I was able to cross off my list:

• Locate and move into a fabulous vintage apartment in SilverLake or Los Feliz.
• Obtain a permament paralegal position.
• Continue writing my food blog on a weekly basis.

It also afforded me the time to check in with myself and see where I stood with respect to other intentions that may have been put on the back burner. I find myself asking if these intentions are something I still want to pursue? Is it realisitic? Do any of these intentions take precedent over others? I guess you could say I'm re-evaluating my intentions. That's the beauty of this list - nothing is set in stone, priorities do change, life happens, and we can modify, delete or start fresh any time we want or see fit. Kinda like a recipe, it's always good to try it as written, but there is such a thing as a "bad" recipe and sometimes it requires tweeking or creativity, just like life.

This also reminds me of the fact that I'm human, I possess no super power and I am only one person. Perhaps I won't "finish" every intention I have made for the year, but perhaps I will begin the process one way or another. Which brings me to another thought - I'm not perfect. Not even remotely close. I'm not ever going to be either, just in case you thought otherwise. In fact, I need to stop, breathe and pat myself on the back for what I have accomplished, not beat myself up for what's "lacking". Am I preaching to the choir or what?!? I hope you are able to take the time, have a spot of tea (or coffee or wine) an reflect, re-write or write new intentions.

Blog Challenge No. 6: Vision.

Today I've had this word on my mind and I don't think it's any coincidence that it's one of the topics Dian Reid has chosen for her Blog Challenge. Vision, it's a word that carries weight for most of us. When you have vision, you have grand ideas of your future and your plans for your life. Vision requires seeing the big picture, the overall scheme of things and sometimes I feel like my "vision" is skewed, fuzzy. I even feel blinded by the light and that's where I'm at today. There are so many things I want to do, so many projects, so many "work-on-myself" things I want to accomplish, behaviorial changes I want to make that I freeze. Stone cold frozen in my tracks. I'm one of those people who easily gets overwhelmed by alot of things at once and in the past I've allowed that overwhelming feeling to paralyze me. Stop me in my tracks from moving forward in the direction I want to pursue. I don't have the answers and I don't know where to begin, but I have vision, I have dreams and desires and I do want to pursue them to the fullest. That much I know is true.

Blog Challenge No.5: Compassion and Cupcakes.

How do you pour out compassion? Does it ooze out of you naturally or do you find yourself scrounging for compassion crumbs to dole out? By now you've figured out I love food, cooking, and everything associated or affiliated with it. One of the ways I show compassion is through baking for others - on a somewhat regular basis, if I'm going over to someone's house or a gathering of friends, I'm the foodie nerd bringing some sort of treat.

This week I haphazardly stumbled upon Shauna Sever's blog, Piece of Cake. What drew me to her blog was a random link I found for a cupcake recipe entitle Nutella Cupcakes. How could I resist? I mean, hello, who doesn't L-O-V-E Nutella?!?!? Who wouldn't want to soak in a bathtub of the golden spread?!? Okay, I'm getting a lil' off topic, but this chocolate hazelnut spread could become the next butter in your household, don't say I didn't warn you!

So today these Nutella Cupcakes are my small contribution to the world, my small token of compassion. Enjoy.

Blog Challenge No. 4: Self Awareness

I hate to admit this, there are areas of my "self" which I am present and "aware", but there are many others that I am completely unaware (mostly out of choice). The topic of self awareness presented by Dian Reid's Self Evidence + Authenticity Blog Challenge isn't one I'm running to grab hold of. And I have to stop and ask myself, "Why?".

Truth be told - I think there's an underlying current of personal shame when it comes to self awareness. Well, what does it mean to be "aware"? I took the time to look it up on dictionary.com and here's what it defines aware as:

1. having knowledge; conscious; cognizant

2. informed; alert; sophisticated.

One area I'm trying to become self aware is how am I taking care of myself? How am I abusing myself? Hurting myself? Keeping myself distant from growth or new experience? Why is it, that I am better at caring for others but stink at caring for myself? I'm scratching my head on this one. I'm still scratching too. And no, I haven't had figured it out, not even close. I'm just finally accepting the fact that I haven't always been nor am I currently totally self aware. But I wanna move in that direction, I want to own it, the good, the bad and the ugly. And as far I'm concerned, it's not pretty.

I've been reading Geneen Roth's, Women Food and God, slowly. In fact, it's probably something I will read at least once year because one of Geneen's principles revolves around self awareness with respect to what you're eating, what you're not eating and whether or not you trust yourself. Man, that resonates with me. Do I trust myself? Am I even aware of whether or not I trust myself? I'm hoping that as continue to write, read and investigate myself, I'll be able to start answering these tough questions. Of course, the ultimate goal is to take action, to take better care of myself, to constantly check in with "me" and see where I'm at, what my needs are, my heart's desires, etc.

Blog Challenge No. 3: Laughter.

Laughter is like a rare jewel, isn't it? I chose laughter as the next topic of Dian Reid's Authenticity Blog Challenge, because over the course of the past two weeks I have laughed. In fact, I have laughed a lot and that is a GOOD thing. One of my dear friends, Monica (who moved to London for love and to finish her collegiate studies) came to visit us (along with her Prince Charming, James). I was lucky enough to spend some quality time with her while she was here. Along with some of other close friends, we went out for many meals, cocktails and even a lil' dancing. And over the weekend, I got together with some friends for a game night, which is an automatic ticket for laughter.

If you haven't laughed lately or if you haven't laughed enough, you forget the importance of laughter. You forget the painstaking aches it can cause in your belly. You forget how a good laugh can practically make you cry. You forget how a good out loud laugh can turn into a silent, mouth gaping open laugh. And you may forget that you're even capable of laughing in spite of present circumstances. This is why those moments are precious and rare. It's not mistake that often laughter is born in a circle of friends, and in my case, laughter is also surrounded by good food and drink. I want to laugh more often and I want to laugh more deeply. I'd like to think that laughter weeds out certain roots in our souls - like, fear, pain, hurt, sadness, self loathing, self pity, and doubt. Most important of all, I hope you have people in your life who make you genuinely laugh.

Blog Challenge No. 2: Courage.

For the next round of Dian Reid's Authenticity Blog Challenge, I chose the topic of courage. For me, this one is definitely personal and while I'm going to attempt to correlate my love of food with the various topics, this one is on a whole other level.

Courage takes shape in one of the greatest unknowns - moving across country for love. In the fall of 2005, I fell in love. Smack dab across the concrete of love, I fell hard. I pursued a long distance relationship with a fellow in the Midwest and subsequently, one year later, I made the ultimate transition and relocated to be with him. Now that takes courage - guts and a lil' glory too. To step out of my confort zones, uproot my life and plant a new one in totally unchartered territory.

And while moving across country for love takes courage, there's an even greater of level of courage that birthed in me. That form of courage played out in the decision to end the relationship and move back home to California. It was tumultuous, grueling, and even when I stepped back onto California soil, I still wrestled with my decision. Did I make the right decision? Could we have made it work? Would I be happy? Would I be true to my heart's desires?

Today marks 10 months since I left the Midwest and while there is still a bittersweet sorrow that looms, I can honestly say it was the most courageous decision I've made to date. By far, I'm not perfect and I wouldn't admit to having it all together, let alone being completely healed and whole from the closure of that relationship, but I chose courage over hardship. Courage over complacency. The courage to accept who I am and what I am not cut out for. The courage to love and let go. The courage to be me wholeheartedly. I think what ultimately steered me in the right decision, was the fear of not exercising that courage. The fear of not being true to myself.

How has courage played a part in your past or your present? Or how has not exercising courage kept you from your true self?

** photo taken on my road trip heading back to LA, August 2009. This one was taken in Utah at a scenic stop.

Blog Challenge No. 1: Love.

Karen Caterson, of Square-Peg Reflections, recently forwarded a blog challenge to her blog readers, which stems from Dian Reid's recent post entitled "Authenticity Blog Challenge". While this isn't necessarily "foodie" related, it sparked my interest and so I've decided to join the challenge during the month of June. Yes, dear readers, we have reached the halfway mark of 2010. Hard to believe really.

Dian Reid challenges bloggers to "share your thoughts, images, creative juices around one or all of the thirteen topics" - these topics include:

Compassion Intention Self-Awareness Courage Love Fairness Laughter Optimism Truth Vision Wilderness Wisdom Authenticity

So in no apparent order, I chose LOVE as today's topic. There are two people in my life, who I know without, a shadow of a doubt, love me. And while their "styles" may vary when it comes to showing how much they love me, I still know it to be true. Let the record show Exhibit "A" - my mom. If you haven't visited Bada-Bling, then you are missing out on the artistic and authentic journey my mom is sharing with all of you in cyberland. She's come a long way, heck, I'd say the last ten years alone have been transformational for her in various ways.

Exhibit "B" - my dad. He's an enigma, no doubt about that. He has a good heart and truly wants the best for me and my brother, Benjamin. And while he may not vocalize it all the time, it's real. In the photo above, my pops is pictured on the left.

There's no doubt, that I am oh so lucky to have them both as my parents. I've got the best of both worlds in many respects and it's fair (and I think accurate) to say that I've got a good mix of both of them (good and bad). And the older I get, I find out more and more, how much I resemble them both. I know alot of people out there can't say too many nice things about their parents, hell, some don't even have relationship with their parents. But I do. And I truly am grateful for them both. A parent's love is priceless. I only hope, that if I have a child of my own one day, I can pass on all of the love that's been bestowed upon me, to him/her. Every child deserves and is worthy of love.

Grand Opening.

There are moments you will always remember fondly and then there are moments you will never forget. Tonight has to be one of those nights, it will go down in my foodie history book. A couple weeks ago, my elusive foodie cohort found out that Rick Bayless was consulting a restaurant here in LA. Like white on rice, we jumped on the bandwagon and miracle of miracles, we were able to get a reservation for "opening night". When I got the text message that we were attending opening night, I just about peed my pants.

Red O, cooly located on Melrose Ave, in West Hollywood, is designer chic, classic Mexican elements doused the interior with a dash of modern hipster edge. The photos don't honestly do this restaurant justice, but it give you an inkling of the precision and attention to detail that the designers paid when creating this beautiful space. It feels homey and is far from a stiff drink in atmosphere. Even the servers and staff were decked out with Levis 501s, red Adidas and blue work shirts.

To start the evening, I ordered the tamarind margarita - semi-sweet, balanced and refreshing. I'm not the most enthusiastic about margaritas, but this one could convert me, if it tried. And I'll be honest, ir didn't have to try too hard now. An appetizer of guacamole and chips to wet the palette - Bayless studs his guacamole with sundried tomatoes and onions. Simple, this guacamole could've come in a bathtub and I would've soaked in all of its goodness. I thought it was well seasoned - creamy and delicious. The "house" salad consisted of arugula, romaine and watercress with "angel hair'" strips of tortillas, pickled red onions. The greens were dressed with a roasted garlic lime dressing that popped in your mouth like pop rocks (remember that candy from your childhood). Tart and bright citrus flavors pierced your tongue, along with the sweet and savory notes of roasted garlic.

It was a toss up between the striped bass grilled with red chile and served with rice, sweet plaintains and three salsas or the roasted suckling pig served with black beans and a green salad and pickled red onions. Guy, our server, twisted my arm and I ordered the roasted suckling pig, which was a good decision on my part. The roasted suckling pig was wrapped in banana leaves before it went to roasting heaven. So tender, and no need for a knife, the pig was succulent, juicy, smoky and juicy. Wrapped up some of the roasted pig in a tortilla with some black beans, pickled red onion and salsa. O.M.G. Guy brought us a tasting of three salsas, a roasted tomato salsa, salsa verde and habenero. My favorite was the habanero and the salsa verde. Each salsa was distinct, sweet, spicy and robust. My foodie cohort ordered the Carne Asada Brava - ribeye served to perfection. Beautiful marbling on this steak, juicy and uber tender as well. Melted in your mouth like butter. The sweet corn tamales topped with crema were tasty as well - creamy, hearty, comfort food in Spanish.

With room for dessert, I was immediately drawn to the Bunelos served with salted caramel ice cream and a warm Kahlua chocolate sauce. The bunelos were light, crispy, rolled in cinnamon-sugar goodness. The kicker for me was the salted caramel ice cream - genius lies in this deadly combination of opposites attract. It was a light dessert, but a perfect way to end the meal.

To finish the night with dessert wasn't the "cherry" on top though. Guy hooked us up with a chance to meet Rick Bayless and get our photo opp! Rick was pleasant and seemed pre-occupied with dinner service, it makes sense. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy and we were honored to meet him and take a picture with him to document this foodie adventure! It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening, gorgeous and tall LA eye candy and a few celeb spottings while we were there too. I'm definitely grateful to live in a city the embraces culture, food, and art, tonight I totally felt like I was living the dream.

Part Deux and Part Tres: Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

Earlier this week, I blogged about Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and my attempt at one of his recipes, which turned out pretty damn tasty. I also promised a future post on a few other recipes from his book which I made later in the week. Chicken and Leek Stroganoff and Italian Pan Seared Tuna.

The Salmon Tikka I made at the beginning of the week was delicious, satisfying and a terrific choice for a quick weeknight fix. The Chicken and Leek Stroganoff, not so much. I had high hopes for this recipe, but it just turned out into something bland and a bit on the boring side. And let's be honest, with the cream, it wasn't exactly "healthy".

The Italian Pan Seared Tuna on the other hand, was scrumptious. Seasoned with salt, pepper and oregano, I seared the tuna in a little olive oil and kept it warm in the oven while I sauteed cherry heirloom tomatoes, anchovies, olives and a ton of basil. I finished the dish with some bowtie pasta and I couldn't have had a bigger smile on my lil' face. There are still a few recipes I want to try before I return the book to my library, but one can't argue with 2 out of 3 recipes named a success.

Getting in Touch with your Feminine Side.

Maybe you knew this already, but I'm a part of a book club here in L.A. Part of our ritual when we get together to discuss the book is to cook dishes inspired from the book that we recently read. Over the weekend, we met to discuss our most recent book, The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. The story is a fictional story about Dinah, a character in the Bible. Very little is written about her in Genesis 34 and this author does a phenomenal job of weaving a story together about love, forgiveness, anger, feminine power, midwifery and so many more topics. I highly recommend the book and am willing to pass along my copy to the first person who makes a comment on this post!

The book was rich with descriptions of meals, snacks and other culinary treats that they ate during this time frame in history. My contribution to the meal was a honey cake (which I sadly did not get a photo of) and a loaf of olive bread. Once again, I turned to my trusty No Knead book for this recipe. It was dense, chewy and hearty. I made it with 2/3 whole wheat pastry flour and 1/3 unbleached all purpose flour. It was delicious with a slab of butter or some of the other dips and spreads that were featured at our meeting.

What's fer Dinner?

Like the rest of America, I too, was sucked into Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. Of course, I watched it post all of the hype. After watching the series one weekend online, I decided to borrow his book from the library (aptly named after the series). Oliver is enduring, adorable and you can't help but fall in love with his political rhetoric, he means business and he cares. That much I know is true, his message is simple and his heart is in the right place. If you haven't watched the series, Oliver goes to what has been dubbed as the most unhealthy city in American, in an effort to educate them with respect to cooking fresh, simple and healthy meals. He hits many walls and obstacles, but he doesn't give in to fear and barge ahead, spreading his gospel.

Tonight, I made one of his 20 minute recipes - Quick Salmon Tikka with Cucumber Yogurt (pictured above). Guess what? I actually made the dish in 20 minutes, prep and all, I was pretty surprised. It was fresh, simple and uber tasty. I've planned on making a couple other recipes from the book this week, so I guess we could dub this week, "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Week: Part 1".

The salmon was rubbed with a tandoori paste and sauteed in a pan. I made a quick yogurt sauce with greek yougrt, cucumbers, lemon juice, red chile, salt and pepper. Put a piece of garlic naan from Trader Joe's in the oven and voila, supper. I'm looking forward to trying the other recipes this week.

Panang, Take That!

I'm obsessed with coconut milk, it's true. Ever since I've been making a conscious effort to reduce eating highly processed foods and having been enlightened as to the many benefits of coconut, I'm "coo-coo" for coconut. This in turn has created a frenzy in my pantry - half of one shelf is entirely dedicated to Thai pantry items, including fish sauce, coconut milk, straw mushrooms, tamarind paste, a variety of curry pastes and kaffir lime leaves in my freezer.

Last night, I made yet another one of Jet Tila's recipe from his recent stint at New School of Cooking - roti panang. This curry was served with paratha (an Indian bread) at the class, but last night I opted to pair it with fragrant, nutty brown rice. The beauty of curry is its flexibility, you can do anything with it really. I substituted bamboo shoots for straw mushrooms, added more onions and red bell pepper, and upped the amount of extra curry paste for kick. It was delish. The real key to raising your "curry" bar is cooking a few tablespoons of the coconut milk with the curry paste over medium-high heat. You're looking for the paste to melt together with the coconut milk and brown. This browning process brings out all of the flavor of the paste and will intensify your curry.

Braised Endive with Prosciutto.

I recently borrowed a copy of Molly Steven's All About Braising from the library. I've had this book on my wish list for a while and I've also been doing alot of braising as a result. Braising isn't complicated, as Molly claims, in fact the technique never changes. Braising is reliable, all throughout the year and I highly recommend giving this book a peek if you're interested in braising.

Most people are familiar with meat dishes that are braised, but Molly has dedicated an entire section to braising vegetables. So I decided to try the braised endive with prosciutto recipe. In about an hour, the endive softened as it slowly cooked in a little chicken broth and finished off with a little cream. The endive was tasty and the prosciutto added a subtle smoky and salty contrast. To make it a complete meal, Molly suggested fried eggs and toast, which really complimented the braised endive. Satisfying, this is an easy weeknight meal.

Church and State: No Separation.

This past week, one of my foodie cohorts and I went on our second foodie adventure together (we are trying to make 2010 a year of adventures and new dining experiences). Since I've been back in LA, I've heard glowing reviews of Church and State, which is located outside of downtown LA, in the Warehouse district. The restaurant sits below the National Biscuit Company building which was converted into swanky lofts several years back.

The restaurant is cozy, well designed and hearkens back to Paris and what a typical bistro feels and looks like, if we were inclined to jump on a plane right this minute and head for gay Paris. Tables are close together and lights are strung, the only thing missing was the French music, but wait, we are in LA. Instead of the classic French music, they have replaced it with cool, cutting edge tunes, yeah, now it reminds you that yes, you are still in LA my friends.

The menu features typical dishes you might see on a menu at any French bistro - escargot, cheese plates, mussels, steak frites, french onion soup, the list truly goes on and on, which brings me to our selections of the evening. Mind you, it was definitely difficult to choose, there were so many things I wanted to try. I began the meal with the Salade Frisee aux Lardons, a frisee salad with poached egg, crispy bacon, delicate croutons and a simple viniagrette. Breaking the yolk up and letting it seep into the web-like frisee, this salad made me roll my eyes in ecstasy - several times I might add. The creaminess of the yolk and the saltiness of the bacon are a match made in ingredient heaven. My foodie co-hort ordered the Gratin de Macaronis et Fromage, how could she resist?!? This concoction of macaroni and cheese was divine. Made with Gruyere and Cantal, this decadent treat was thick, creamy, delicious and so well-balanced.

The Fruits der Mer was absolutely breathtaking, a slice of grilled bread with a generous slather of bright aioli livened up the plate next to a bouquet of shrimp, mussels, clams and potatoes in a saffron infused broth. Again, my eyes rolled with delight and my belly sang joyfully. The Poulet Roti was ordered by my foodie co-hort and while I only tasted the sauce (sweet and mellow tomatoes), she insisted that the chicken was moist and tender, not to mention the vegetables. A beautiful presentation too for such a simplistic dish.

And to finish off this intoxicating meal, the Chocolat Pot de Creme spoke my name (I'm sorry Creme Brulee, next time, I promise). The pot de creme was studded with caramel, fleur de sel, hazelnuts and raspberries. Rich, rich, rich, but I still managed to pick apart each ingredient. Considering that all these ingredients are rich on their own, I was surprised that each ingredient remained true to its form. The dark Vahlrona chocolate with the smoky caramel and delicate salt was simply melt-in-your-mouth food orgasm at best!

Now that I can finally say I've eaten at Church and State, there are many reasons why I want to return. The diners who sat next to us ordered several dishes we didn't get to try but the aroma and sight is enough for me to go back and order different dishes. There may be separation of church and state in America but please don't separate my Church and State in LA.