avocado goddess

Yes, I am in love.

I am in love with avocados. I think you can believe it. Actually, I know you can.

They're the perfect love to have: dark and mysterious on the outside with a hard and sturdy core, smooth in the space between with color shifting coolly from green to yellow...

They're the soft star with any vegetable cousin and satiate swell with sisters Mango and Papaya. They’re complementing with fish, or on tortilla or baked pita chips, they give their best cut in chunks for salad, with pasta, and guacamole can never be forgotten.

An avocado with a little lemon or lime brightens up it's glow while salt and pepper punch up it's gentle flavor. Olive oil adds another dimension, so don't dare deny tasting this versatile sweet fruit even for dessert.

Ice cream, anyone?

I'm going to try this soon~will let you know how it goes! love, the avocado goddess
Avocado Ice Cream, Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2005
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/avocado-ice-cream-recipe/index.html

12 ounces avocado meat, approximately 3 small to medium
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream

Peel and pit the avocados.
Add the avocados, lemon juice, milk, and sugar to a blender and puree.
Transfer the mixture to a medium mixing bowl, add the heavy cream and whisk to combine.
Place the mixture into the refrigerator and chill until it reaches 40 degrees F or below, approximately 4 to 6 hours.

Process the mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions.
However, this mixture sets up very fast, so count on it taking only 5 to 10 minutes to process.

For soft ice cream, serve immediately.
If desired, place in freezer for 3 to 4 hours for firmer texture..

Ravaloli

This is how my youngest brother pronounced ravioli when he was about four.


And this is how I try to recreate the great Italian food from our childhood.

Growing up in Northern New Jersey, there was no shortage of belly-begging Italian food. Even if it was "fast food" Italian {like the many corner pizza shops}, every bite was still soul-scrumptious.

I've been searching for this same great Italian food in Boston for a while now. I have a few places I think are pretty good, but none that I repeatedly visit frequently. Maybe if I lived in the North End I would be satiated more satisfyingly.

Anyway, dinner tonight was a close creation to that Italian food from home. These ravioli were home-made from Russo's in Watertown so I apologize for not making them myself... but I plan to do so in the fall, when our third floor apt. is MUCH cooler.

The sweet pea was just the right little bit of sweetness with subtle cheese and whole peas in a smaller shaped loli; the cheese loli were full of it and about a third larger than the sweet. Heating fresh thyme with a little ~ okay, a lot ~ of butter and olive oil as sauce and fresh parsley for garnish, this quick dinner option will surely show up on my table again. The sides included sauteed spinach with raisins, toasted walnuts, and hot pepper flakes PLUS pestoed Italian bread broiled with a little parm for a couple minutes which gives a nice contrasting crunch to the meal.

Russo's in Watertown is my favorite chore-adventure. Check it out sometime~!

http://www.russos.com/

lunch date

ooh, yeah.
Seared tuna with lettuces, roasted red peppers and pesto aioli, all on light flatbread, you are my very good friend...

And lunch date.
You looked stunning as your aroma whirled towards me this afternoon. I just couldn't keep my eyes ~ or hands ~ off you. And now my strained vision and tensed muscles thank you for the perfect break from work.

You know how to satisfy a hungry woman, that's for sure.
So, please know I will welcome your company, with open mouth and tasting senses anytime you need a friend.

Thank you, Z Square Kenmore, for this luring lunch; I will certainly have her again.

white-wondering?

Marshmallowing?
I know, I'm sorry.

Please forgive me, I should be writing about the best new salad.
Or something more nutritious and colorful.

But no, I had this crazy craving for sweet white wonders.
And since these aren't any old plastic-bagged-for-smore-making -over-a-fire-marshmallows, I just had to try them myself... Home-made marshmallows. {recipe in image below, click to view larger}

They're mysterious {as you might notice from the pictures} but sparkly and springy and so sticky. So if you crave marshmallows in the middle of the night like I sometimes do, make a stash of these. Just don't wait until the craving hits, they take about four hours to firm.

{I will consider making a half batch next time as they make a lot and who knows how we will ever eat them all! anyone LOVE marshmallows?}

Insalada

ah, the salad as meal.

Is it truly possible? When eating alone, certainly.

When preparing for others, not so certainly.

For me at least. You see, I am uncomfortable serving guests who have a hearty appetite a simple salad. Imagine one with peeled carrots, thinly sliced cuke, some avocado, the best olio, sel de la mer, freshly crushed pepper, and a squeeze of lemon.

But why not steak, fish, or grilled chicken on top of this salad? And why not a cobb salad-so-filling with all the meaty cold cuts and cheeses, hard boiled egg and chopped bacon waiting underneath large lethal croutons?

Yes, these are all good options, but they're tried and true. So what happens if we experiment to find something new?


There must be a compendium of salads both hearty and light for both men and women to enjoy simultaneously. But where?

Men's Health has a recipe database~not so easily searchable, but still~there are some good ideas. I'd like to try the beer-broiled pork tenderloin. But wait, that's not salad.

Most men's salads online include bacon {usually the first ingredient}, iceberg lettuce, and an assortment of veggies chopped or diced. Which is quite bothersome, and not for the work a chef has to do, but for the work to get the diced pieces to the mouth... shouldn't a spoon or spatula be served with this type of meal? How can one get enough on their fork without it falling off from table to tongue?

Dicing is for salsas and soffritos, it's for soups and sauces, guacamoles and dressings.

Bigger bite-sized pieces are more pleasing to place in one's mouth. Consider the consistency and flavors flying when one has to chew a little. The crunch and burst of juices from vegetables can be an adventure all its own. But with dicing, all a large eater might do is swallow and miss out on every bite.

BACON or TH?

You know... I never really liked bacon.

Not until recently, and especially after this weekend, when just about every meal I put in my mouth included it. You see, our family always enjoyed taylor ham as our breakfast meat.

What? You never heard of TH?

TH is a round rod of meat, sort of a mix between canadian bacon and pork sausage or salami, but firmer and saltier and tastier, plus it's not as greasy as bacon. I know, sounds a little gross but it's truly delicious and can be found in northern New Jersey and definitely on most Deli breakfast sandwiches there. Unlike anywhere in the Boston area, delis are on every corner in Northern Jerz and bkfst sammies are made at each one. So you can imagine all the versions there are to try. And all the reasons not to eat bacon.


The point is that now, I like bacon. Not that TH is out of the picture. . . although I've never photographed it. Instead, these photos are of my bacon from this past weekend: bacon pizza; patiently waiting bacon to be crumbled for a salad with boston lettuce, nuts and cheese; and an egg in a pancake blanket with bacon on top to mop up the yummy yolk.

What do you think of bacon ice cream? I've heard of bacon popcorn and chocolate bacon, and that they're both delicious. Maybe there'll be bacon soda or bacon jelly soon...

parmigiano reggiano

c h e e s e ?

yes, please~!!!! and especially p a r m i g i a n o r e g g i a n o .

I know, I'm sorry, but don't you just love parmigiano on shrimp? (gasp~! from the true Italianos: seafood topped with cheese? But it's a sin!) Not to me. and I love the Italian culture.

I particularly like parm most when some grande shrimps are just off the grill. That's right: large lovely shrimps, grilled with a little extra virgin olio... a squeeze of lemon, some parm and I'm in heaven.

You see, this is not just any cheese. This is Parmigiano Reggiano: it's amazingly versatile.

Did you know it has less than 30 calories per tablespoon when grated? And look how beautiful it is~! Top a red sauced spaghetti with it. . . or a pesto penne, steamed broccoli, asparagus risotto, pasta fagioli, sauteed chick peas, bruschetta, grilled zucchini quarters...

ah, now I remember one special pasta dish in Fort Lauderdale, FLA.
It was the hottest night, but we were still persistent in the kitchen: my mom, my nana and me.

This had been a HOT day and we were figuring out what to make in the even HOTTER kitchen. The three main ingredients were: zucchini, pasta (but of course), and parmigiano.

So we grated the zucch and we grated the parm,
we waited for the boil and we laughed more than ever.
Even on the hottest day we were able to enjoy this simple meal.

Maybe it was our free feeling from the mind-wavering heat,
or maybe it was our giddy-ness at being in our favorite place in the whole world.
I'm really not sure anymore, but this is one of those memories I will never forget.

mangia~!

blued burgers

oh my. Don't you just love a juicy flavorful burger? I sure do, especially with great toppings to tease your tastebuds.

This one, with blue cheese crumbles, red onion slightly caramelized, and a lightly toasted bun is the perfect combination for a light brew in a frosted glass. 

With simmered roasted red peppers and black beans in garlic, onion, and spices on the side, it was a satisfying meal after a hard run.

The trick is to buy meat that isn't too lean: I know, I'm sorry~but that's why the hard run is necessary~! 85% with chopped onion, fresh thyme and that's it, really. Just make your burgers a little larger than you think, about two inches tall, 5 inches in diameter and then be sure to oil the grill. 

Another favorite burger option has smoked gouda with onion and Nance's mustard. 

Hoping everyone had a great Fourth and your grill doesn't run out of gas~it's expensive~!