Half Jewish Italians?

Nothing brings family together quite like food. It was important to me that while in Los Angeles Paul got to meet my uncle, Stormy. We hooked up at an Italian country style restaurant on La Brea called Ca'Brea. I have been here once before when my family from New Jersey visited California prior to me relocating to Fort Wayne. You can only imagine the ruckus of Jewish family members in a Soprano type environment....oy vey.

This salad caught my eye simply because it was tossed in a prosecco viniagrette. Prosecco is an Italian sparkling wine. Frisee, fried potato threads and gorgonzola. Heavenly angels sang.....

The main course - handmade spaghetti with a light tomato sauce surrounded by slipper lobster, blue crab, clams and shrimp. Simply divine. My uncle brought my attention to this entree and therefore is responsible for this culinary decision. Excellent taste! The tomato sauce was so simple and a dash of cream added a silky quality to its texture.

I had to take a photo of Dad's dessert, simply because the presentation was to die for. Twas' a warm ricotta custard like cheesecake (no crust) swimming in a sea of vanilla sauce, blueberry sauce and strawberry sauce. I think it actually tasted better than my tiramisu.

Tiramisu, the Italians master dessert triumph in my humble opinion.

The Womb

Perhaps none us truly remember or recall feelings associated with being inside the womb, for obvious reasons. However, many have heard tales, tried and true, regarding our mother's pregnancies. I surely don't, but thank God my mom's around to tell the stories of cravings, pain, labor and joy. One the stories involving my mother's pregnancy with me revolve around this L.A. hot dog stand, Cupid's. This was a frequently visited establishment while en route to the world at large. It's probably the reason it's one of my favs.

Grease bombs, indeed. Now many may argue as to the best chili sauce, but there's no doubt in my mind where I stand on this issue. Cupid's does dogs right, an everything dog includes chili, mustard and onion. You have the option of relish, ketchup and cheese, but I prefer the simple things in life. Because Cupid's is ALL ABOUT THE CHILI SAUCE.

Hmmmm....Flaky French Toast and Tropical Pancakes

After arriving in Los Angeles, we headed our way to the San Fernando Valley. We were most definitely hungry. ALERT! Don't purchase a snack pack on Northwest Airlines, it's a complete waste of your $5. Back to breakfast, therein resides one of the best breakfast joints in Los Angeles, Jinky's. The original is located in Sherman Oaks and since it's opening they have opened two other joints, one in Santa Monica and one in West Hollywood. Always packed and consistently good, Jinky's is a sacred place. I already decided what I was going to order, prior to even landing in California, the Sierra Mountain breakfast. Flaky french toast (egg bread coated in crushed corn flakes), scrambled eggs and a ham steak. Paul ordered the same with their chicken apple sausage. I also included a photo of Dad's tropical pancakes with mandarin oranges, coconut and macadamia nuts. The photos speak for themselves. A moment of silence for some of the best damn breakfast.

my new obsession: marshmallow frosting.

A couple of weeks ago, I was asked to bake something for a youth fundraiser, members of our youth group are going to Panama this summer on a missions trip. Of course, I couldn't say no and thought it would be the perfect opportunity to test out a new recipe I ripped out of my latest Gourmet issue - Devil Dog Cake. Imagine if you will, a made from scratch Hostess cupcake in the form of a cake. I had alot of fun with this one, especially because of the frosting. I'm not a typical frosting fanatic like most, but this one could become a problem. Anyone know where the nearest Marshmallow Anonymous group is located in Fort Wayne???? The consistency was similar if not better than a jar of marshmallow creme. One unique quality to this cake was that the cocoa powder had to be a non-Dutch process cocoa powder. We don't have access to tons and specialty food shops in Fort Wayne, but thought Williams-Sonoma would be a good place to start. At $11.95, it better be!!!! So what is non-Dutch process cocoa powder? Basically it's cocoa powder that hasn't been through an alkanization process. It was new to me and worth trying. I think this recipe is definitely kid friendly too.

On a side note, expect a delay between posts - this weekend my main squeeze and I are heading out to sunny Los Angeles, California for some sunray soaking and good food grubbin', not to mention the fact that we will be catching up with friends and family. When I return, don't be surprised if I dedicate several posts to L.A. eats. It'll be a real treat, trust me!!

close call.

Let today's lecture remind us that we all are human.....well, perhaps most of us. Anyhow, it never fails to amaze me how many times I have avoided major injuries in the kitchen aside from the following two: burns (yes I too think I am invincible and can touch piping hot things without suffering the consequences) and irreversible shirt stains (causing me to throw out many nice shirts). However, I nearly brushed death (okay, I'm exaggerating here) with my Santoku knife the other night while chopping vegetables. Unfortunately my digital camera isn't fancy enough to show you my injury, but trust me, it was a close call. I just grazed my ring finger and the nail, but enough to scare me. No matter what, knife skills are what can often "make or break" us in the kitchen. Never get cocky especially with a knife in your hand.

Saturday Morning Crepes

For some ungodly reason I awoke (bright eyed and bushy tailed) at 8am this past Saturday. I could go off on an "it's my only day to slepp in" tangent but that would a non-food related tangent. Regardless, I planned on making nutella crepes over the weekend. I have to admit that for some odd reason, I have been intimated by the non-elusive "crepe". It's essentially a French pancake, usually stuffed with something sweet or savory. Let me tell you, the French definitely know how to a pancake justice. They were light, fluffy, buttery, thin and sinfully delicious. A few notes for those willing to try making crepes: (1) The batter needs to "rest" for at lease 30 minutes in the fridge. I opted for 45 minutes. (2) The batter should be liquid-like and thin. I added a little more milk to my batter after my first go-round of batter didn't easily swirl in my non-stick skillet as it should have. (3) After the batter "rested", I strained the batter through a sieve, the batter should be smooth, avoid lumps! Overall, it was definitely a "confidence-boosting" experience. The Nutella filling simply made them taste divine. I could really see one going "wild" with filling ideas for crepes.

Foodie T.V.

Any noteworthy foodie has read, once, if not twice, and owns a copy of Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential. A memoir that defies all food writing, in my personal opinion. Anthony Bourdain has written many sin-filled and delicious books since that debut and has gone on to star in a Travel Channel production called No Reservations. I just finished watching Season 2 of this charming and often fearless account of travel, food, and relevant culture. It's my pick of the week, if not the month and if you're a devoted Netflix renter like myself, you will not be disappointed.

Pass The Croque Monsieur...

Oui, oui mon amis.......(yes, yes my friends) it's French night at Chez Sacks. Last summer Paul and I went to Indianapolis for the day. We ended up having lunch at a cool French bistro in the Broad Ripple area of town. Paul ordered a Croque Monsieur - basically a French style grilled ham and cheese. Last night I attempted to make it, quite successfully I will add, thanks to a recipe from my gigantic Gourmet cookbook. It's actually quite simple, delicious and honestly, fattening, but worth every creamy bite. What separates this grilled ham and cheese from the classic American version is the type of cheese used (gruyere) and the sauce (Mornay). The sauce consists of a basic bechamel sauce with gruyere cheese and some dijon mustard. The sauce is liberally applied to the interior of the sandwich and once the sandwich is finished on the stovetop, more Mornay sauce is placed on top of the sandwich, placed under the broiler til it's bubbling. Our tummies were definitely satisfied, so were our hearts.

Foodie Art

When I returned from having dinner with Lisa last night, I arrived at Paul's house to find that he made some new art. For those who don't know, Paul is venturing out in the genre of stencil art. He has made quite a few pieces already including one of Johnny Cash, Ben Harper and myself (which you can see on my myspace page). This is his latest creation using a small opaque cutting board. For those who don't already know I am obsessed with polka dots, my man knows me well. Keep your eyes peeled, Paul will have his very own blog dedicated to stencil art and I will post the blog site. Til then enjoy.

A Photo Opp!

The main reason I am adding this photo to my blog is just because I like the way that it looks. Paul is actually responsible for taking it. So what's inside you ask? BLT & Potato Soup - a Rachael Ray recipe, which was pretty tasty. Even tastier with the homemade stock I added to it. This photo was taken right after I served big bowls of the soup alongside some chewy sourdough rolls I bought at Fresh Market. I like how the soup creates a rim or edge around the Le Creuset dutch oven and makes it look like a big bowl or plate.

Live Without Bread...I Think Not!

You could think..gosh, why is Teryll teasing me? Or perhaps other thoughts of drowning yourself in a vat of real butter with showers of rustic country bread falling down all around you is racing through your mind? Alas, I digress......the truth is no matter what carbo-less diet you've forced upon yourself, we all can agree that there is utter perfection in a chunk of homemade bread slathered with real butter. Let us have a moment of silence in honor of bread.

This recipe for rustic country bread comes from my cooking school back in California.

I have really been in the bread making mood and thought I would revisit this yummy recipe. The crust turned out decent but the crumb (or "interior of the bread") didn't quite turn out how I would have liked. It turned out dense, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I was looking for groovey pockets of air and gas to invade the dough. After perusing some bread books at Barnes & Noble last night, I think I have narrowed down the "error of my ways" - I think I "handled it too much" prior to its second rise, thus getting rid of all the good air and gases. Never fear, I will not give up!

Viva La Pasta!

The joy that a good bowl of pasta brings can sometimes be beyond the English language or any other language for that matter. In an attempt to reclaim said joyful bowl of carbohydrate filled delight I resorted to a recipe, a family friend (Jo Marie) shared with me quite a few years ago - Tomato & Brie Pasta. Yes folks, there's a good ol' fashioned block of brie in this dish and it's smoothy creaminess lends itself to speechless "ooohhhs" and "aaaahs". Just a few basic ingredients for this sauce is all that is required - some fresh tomatoes, lots of extra virgin olive oil, minced/chopped garlic, salt, pepper, red chili pepper flakes, toasted pine nuts, a block of brie cheese (remove the rind) and lots (and I say LOTS) of fresh basil, chiffonade style baby. Voila, a pasta to die for is born.

Now I made this pasta following the night of a "cooking" class I attended (not taught), though it was more like a demonstration, focused on the secret ingredient of pasta. Without divulging too much negative energy or chalking it up to food snobbery, I must remind you all of the three cardinal culinary sins involving the use of pasta.

1. NEVER EVER ADD OIL TO YOUR PASTA WATER - Yes folks, it's a myth but adding oil to your water does not help your pasta nor does it reduce the chance of your pasta sticking together. In fact the only thing you should be adding to your water is salt and lots of it.

2. ALWAYS SALT YOUR SAUCE - Now I understand if you have serious health issues involving sodium why you would choose not to salt your food, but when you are cooking, salt is essential to bringing out the best flavors of all your ingredients, as well as balancing out flavors.

3. NEVER EVER EVER EVER RUN YOUR COOKED PASTA UNDER COLD WATER - what happens when you commit this cardinal culinary sin??? You rinse off all the good starches in your pasta - these starches help bind the sauce to the pasta. Rinsing your pasta in cold water is basically a recipe for pasta soup. I digress.

Anyhow, after this demonstration, I really needed a "pasta boost" - something to rekindle my love for pasta and I could think of no better way than to pull out Jo Marie's recipe and step to it!

Ciao!

La Salade

I went to Fresh Market on Friday evening (for those West Coasters reading my blog, it's a small equivalent to Whole Foods here in Fort wayne) to pick up a few items. Of course, I couldn't resist a few additional items which I admit were not on my shopping list. Those two items were goat cheese, pecans and a Meyer lemon. I planned on making steak and baked potatoes for dinner on Sunday, but wanted to make a delectable salad to go along with it. I'm trying to venture out into the land of creative salads these days. It's so easy to stick to the boring "house salad", so to speak. I had some dried cranberries at home and as soon as I saw that goat cheese I knew it had to be incorporated into my salad. Threw in some chopped pecans as they compliment both the cranberries and goat cheese and for a treat, I made a Meyer lemon viniagrette. For those of you oblivious to the wonders that are Meyer lemons, it's a lemon with the skin the color of a pale, pale orange. It's flesh is a wee bit sweet tasting too. They are divine. My viniagrette consisted on minced shallots, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, juice of 1/2 a Meyer lemon, and grapeseed oil. Voila - la salade!

Whoppers....the way to a girl's hearts.

I tried a new recipe this morning from a baking book I recently borrowed from the library. The name of the book is Baking: from my house to yours by Dorie Greenspan. Dorie has quite an impressive career in the culinary world, having worked with Julia Child and even affiliated with Bon Appetit, one of the many foodie magazines available for us to devour.

This was one of the first recipes that caught my eye because it included malted milk powder and coarsely chopped Whoppers, the chocolate covered malt balls many children and adults adore while watching a movie. My heart rang out simply because I love chocolate malts more so than shakes.

First things first - there was a very important instruction left out of the recipe, what temperature to preheat and bake the cookies at. I perused other cookie recipes in her book and decided on 350.

Paul, his parents and kids were my taste testers - I had two bites of the cookie myself, purely so I had some basis to write this blog. Overall, the cookie was tasty, soft and chewy. It's texture was definitely cake-like (agreed by all tasters) and you really couldn't decipher the malted milk flavor unless you bit into one of the whoppers. The recipe called for a cup of malted milk powder so I expected the cookie to exude more of the malted milk flavor. That may be something I can play with, if I decide to give this recipe another go.

Thanksgiving 2007 - Looks can be Deceiving......

Keep in mind these pics are from Thanksgiving 2007, I haven't been able to share them based on sheer embarassment. I could formulate some Martha Stewart classic Thanksgiving story filled with delicious eats and treats, family bonding and other hoop-la, but that would be lying and well........I don't want to be labeled as a liar.

Isn't it interesting how photos offer a visual capture of what seemingly looks good but really isn't?!?! Have I peaked your interest enough for the gruesome details????? The wonder of grace should've really hit me on Thanskgiving Day - I prepared a feast for two, and while some dishes struggled others were flat out a hit! The menu included Martha Stewart's Classic Roast Turkey and Gravy, Nana's Amazing Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans with Tarragon Herbed Butter, Homemade Cranberry Sauce, and Homemade Dinner Rolls. Dessert was Paul's choice - a real homemade Pumpkin Pie ( no cans of pumpkin puree, people, from a real freakin' pumpkin).

The highlights of the meal include the everything but the gravy, turkey and green beans. I burned the green beans! How might you ask? Simple - in a rush to finish the gravy, which Paul takes credit for, finish the mashed potaters, and plate our food, I thought I turned off the burner that had the green beans (which were perfectly cooked prior to their meeting with hell), come to find out I didn't. After realizing what I had done, I took the pot off the burner and having no room to put the hot pot anywhere, set it on my cheap countertop, which then BURNED my countertop. So now I have a lovely ring of burnt laminate to always remind me of said unfortunate event.

Now onto the worst of it all.....the bird. That poor poor bird. Thank God I can laugh at this all now because I have a witness (can I get a witness?) who will verify I was not laughing, in fact I was in tears when all was said and done. At least I had a nice $40 Pinot Noir from California to soothe my weary soul. There is no other way to say this with class, but the bird was too damn salty. Martha's recipe called for the turkey to be brined (a method in which you give the bird a day or two bath in water, sugar, salt and other accoutrements). Keep in mind the original recipe was for an 18-20 lb. bird, my bird was 9 lbs. I made the recipe in 1/2, including the brine. After I made the brine, it didn't look like it would cover the bird completely so I made the WHOLE brine recipe instead, therefore killing my bird with salt. Lesson learned - trust your culinary instinct, please, for the love of God. Paul suggested that this year (2008) I should not brine the bird, but I have to master this bird!!!! One thing I can say for it was that it was the most MOIST, TENDER, and JUICY bird I ever ate!

As much as I want this blog to display my culinary victories, I have to come to terms with the fact that there will be culinary casualties as well, this being the BIGGEST blunder of them all (let's hope)!

Welcome to Indiana....or India?

I think there is a misconception about the Midwest, often that good food does not exist or rather difficult to find. And while I agree with these sentiments to an extent, I have found that if I can't find it then I sure as heck can make it! Being that I am a west coast girl at heart, and have been exposed to a variety of ethnic cuisines, I dedicate this one to my dear Indian friend, Maggie (back in Cali)!!! I have been craving (and let me tell you folks, the craving has been deep) for some Indian food. This last meal planning session I found myself perusing my 1,000 Indian Recipes book for ideas and came across two recipes that sounded interesting. One was a Curried Chicken dish made with yogurt, spices and caramelized onions and the other recipe was for mixed vegetables in a tomato cream and yogurt sauce. What you see above is the final result, it was the first plating, so to speak (and I may add Paul helped himself gladly to it). While eating our meal, Paul and I were discussing the various elements of Indian food that make it so special, so unique. We delved into the heating and cooling elements Indians use with food. The fresh chiles and spices, may "heat" the dish, but the use of yogurt adds a cooling element. That's why you will may see a dish of "raita" on the table at an Indian restaurant or home. When you eat the spicy foods, the raita or yogurt dishes cools you off. Indian food also uses the various healing properties of many pantry items and foods to take care of physical ailments. Food is not only a source of pleasure, but also a source of healing and health. This may be Indiana, but we sure can cook some yummy Indian food!!!