My first sous chef!

Started a road trip last week... and had contacted a friend to see if I could sleep on her couch as I drove north through her quaint little city. Of course she said "Of course!"

So then I thought I should do something nice for them (for taking the time to clean off the couch for me). So I made them Monkey Muffins for breakfast. Of course I did!

But first I needed a sous chef... her daughter Hadley offered to be my first sous chef!

Stay tuned for more pics of us enjoying the aforementioned Monkey Muffins... they're coming! I promise, you don't want to miss these!

Thanks Hadley! You're the best sous chef I've ever had!!!

enjoy your time in the kitchen...

Oh happy day...

Happy BIRTHday, that is... to several of my co-workers! Today we ate at Casa de Bandini for birthday lunches for Marsha, Maya, Chad, PJ, Erin and Claudia! In fact, I was the only one at the table who wasn't celebrating... so I took pictures!

And ate a little bit of everything... and my dish, Camarones al Mojo de Ajo, um... I'm going to have to go back, taste it again, and come home and try to make it here! So, be watching for it... holy cow...

There was also Ceviche (wow!), Queso Fundido (double-wow!) and some really phenomenal chips and salsa! They mean business, with their chips and salsa, folks!!!

If you live in the area, you HAVE to check it out! (And make sure to call me to let me know what time you'll be there! I'll save you a spot!!!)



enjoy your time in the kitchen...

Just another reason to bake some meatballs...

I didn't need to be talked into it... but I did need to make some more meatballs! For more info on the full story, click here: Baked Meatballs.

Tonight we enjoyed spaghetti and meatballs...

And when I do spaghetti sauce I usually start it off with some sauteed veggies (crimini mushrooms, onion and garlic)... and then pour in a high quality tomato sauce! (I don't make EVERYTHING from scratch ... not yet!) The sauce usually sits on the stove top for about 30 minutes while I'm doing other things.

Once the meatballs have finished baking then I drop them in the sauce... and let them simmer a bit longer.




Tonight my hero-of-a-hubby paused the television (gasp)... and said "Honey, thank you for making a great dinner tonight. Thank you!" Then he hit the "play" button again ...

And that's all there is to tonight's story...



enjoy your time in the kitchen...

This week's Farmers' Market loot...

It's Tuesday... and you know what that means! I most likely spent the afternoon strolling around the block a few times at the Downtown Escondido Farmers' Market.

When I saw these Rainier Cherries I simply couldn't help myself... have you ever had one of these?! They'll make you wanna slap your Grandma! And I'm serious about that!





And these plums? So fresh and so sweet...





I also tried some amazing pesto... Basiltops makes many different varieties of fresh/organic pesto! I tasted 2 or 3 different flavors... but didn't have any more cash with me to buy one! Hmph... next time!!!




enjoy your time in the kitchen...

Introducing the Horned Melon...

The Horned melon is also known as the African horned cucumber or melon, jelly melon, hedged gourd, English tomato, melano, or kiwano, and is an annual vine in the cucumber and melon family.

It's Sunday and you know what that means... I had a bit more time to play in the kitchen.

But let me back up a little. I was pleasantly surprised when I walked into my regular grocery store this morning (Albertsons) and there was a renovation project under way. Walls had been moved, linoleum tiles had been pulled up and now some temporary shelves were in place. And then.. and then I walked around the corner to the produce section (where I begin my Sunday journey), and ... it had a whole new feel. It was like walking right into a farmer's market downtown! (Minus the bad jewelry tent and cheesey pots and pans salesman, of course!)

I stood there for a minute, I looked around and then before I knew it I felt a smile coming on!

There in front of me were nicely arranged rows of apple varieties, oranges and tangerines (too many varieties to count)... the list goes on. Lining the wall on the left side of the store were new produce shelves. The new spray system was freshening things up a bit... and as I walked closer I saw piles of fresh herbs: bundled stacks of chives, mint, cilantro, basil, bay leaves (and more) welcomed me to their new home.

I saw 3 or 4 different types of broccoli... even in different colors! There on the wall, standing at attention, was regular and white asparagus, baby artichokes and regular artichokes, tarro root, fresh ginger, lemongrass sprouts... oh, the list goes on and on.


This was a step above my normal produce section! Boy have they been busy since last Sunday! And how blessed I felt in that moment...


In the middle of the produce section were round, elevated displays holding market baskets full of goodies: heirloom tomatoes, star fruit, 3 types of avocadoes, mangoes, passion fruit, coconut (and white coconut too!), kiwis, Bosc pears (and several other types)... and then I saw this strange, prickley-looking thing... the bright orange hue was inviting me to pick it up!


So, let's take another look at it...



And so I did... of course I did! I had never seen anything like it before! It was almost like a dream... am I becoming a little too melodramatic now?!


The spikes are a little prickley... but the outer flesh of this melon is a little tougher than a tomato. I could press on the skin and feel the "meat" inside the fruit was soft. It didn't smell on the outside.

I read the label on the market basket... "Horned Melon, product of New Zealand". And now, for the life of me, I can't remember what else the label said. Wow... but whatever it said, I was buying it and taking it home with me. I needed to know more about this intriguing melon!

Come with me on my journey...

The rest of the groceries were put away, the laundry started, the windows thrown open (it's such a beautiful day today - and by "beautiful" I mean "cold and blustery" and I'm in love), the classical music on... it's time to learn something new!

Here I go, ready or not... it was time to cut into the melon...

Immediately it made a mess...



The consistency of the "meat" inside is more like jello that hasn't quite set yet...



Next? I smelled it... but it didn't really smell like anything...



When I took a closer look at the inside of this melon I found a million tiny sacks, and inside were the seeds.



By squeezing the fruit, the sacks pop right out ... and careful, they really pop out!





Using the end of a spoon could help them out from hiding, if needed. Or cutting another slice could help too... scrape again with the spoon...





And voila...

Since the seeds are inside the sacks there's no point in trying to get rid of the seeds. They can be swallowed... in fact, this is so liquidy that there is no chewing involved. I swirled the jello-like substance around in my mouth ... and what was it like?

It tasted like a combination of kiwi and a mellow lime and cucumber... with a hint of banana. Not only did it LOOK like something I'd never seen before but it also had a whole new flavor profile... like something I'd never TASTED before...

It was kinda slimy, kinda gooey... and really YUMMY! And I've set aside the other half of it to take into work tomorrow... I just know that a certain friend of mine is going to love to try this...

Enjoy your adventures with new ingredients...

enjoy your time in the kitchen...

Qatar, Korea and Russia?!

This week I added a map tracking widget to my blog (if you haven't seen it yet, scroll down and watch the margin on the right side). I was curious where in the world people were reading from.


I knew I had reader-friends in and around the Eastern seaboard, Oklahoma and various Southern California areas... because they've left comments here. Plus, they're my friends... they have to be nice to me! ;-)

But Qatar, Korea and Russia?!


Please introduce yourselves and tell us a little bit about yourselves...

I am beside myself to know that I stand in my grungy-chic 1930's kitchen, taking pictures of my not-so-healthy food with my half-broken camera... testing recipes, learning about new ingredients (rather, new-to-me ingredients), playing with cooking techniques... and someone across the Atlantic might be doing the same?!

It really IS a small world... let's all learn together and share what we know. We may be from different places in life, different countries, different income categories, etc. But I know one thing about each and every one of us... we all love to cook!





enjoy your time in the kitchen...

RECIPE: Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcakes

These cupcakes take me back to roughly 1989 to a picnic at Bates Nut Farm (Escondido, Ca). For many years we enjoyed a tradition on Memorial Day... a church picnic. The park on the Farm is lined with large shade trees... where we gathered. The edge of the park is dotted with picnic tables... where we shared stories, laughed and learned from each other.

We ate... we played volleyball, bocce ball and softball... and I'm pretty sure we all got sun-burned.


And then we were introduced to these cupcakes.

Thank you, Patti Groves, for changing my life!



So, let's make some!

I started with all of these ingredients, plus vanilla extract. (If I posted a recipe and actually remembered to pull all of the ingredients out of the cupboards... well, it would be a miracle.)



First step: cream cheese filling. Mix together the cream cheese, egg, pinch of salt, 1/3 cup of sugar and chocolate chips.













I may or may not have licked off the cream cheese batter...

(Please note: some people believe there is a chance of salmonella poisoning when raw eggs are consumed. This is not a recommendation to consume raw egg products.)



Moving along to the dry ingredient mix... starting with the flour, 1 cup of sugar, cocoa mix, baking soda and kosher salt.



Quick stir until it's all mixed...



And then I add the wet ingredients... vanilla extract, vinegar, water and canola oil and mixed until it was all combined and there were no more lumps.











Next step... spooning the chocolate mixture into the muffin tins lined with paper cups. But only fill them up about half way ...



Because next is the great cream cheese stuff...



Fill and repeat until all of both mixtures is used up...



Approximately 30 minutes later...



Please resist the urge to take them out of the tin right away... allow them to cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before removing them to cooling rack.



And when you can handle them, not a minute before or a minute after... peel that wrapper off and take a bite (or two) and reveal the creamy middle!




Memorial Day is in a few more weekends... and this year I'll be with most of my family on Memorial Day. Maybe we'll make these again at that point... then again, maybe I won't be able to wait that long...



Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcakes
Recipe courtesy Patti Groves

Ingredients

Filling
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
Dash of salt
8 ounces chocolate chips

Cupcake
1 ½ cup flour
1 cup sugar
¼ cup cocoa powder, unsweetened
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1/3 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In small bowl - mix cream cheese, egg, sugar, salt and chocolate chips.

In large bowl mix dry ingredients: flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.

To large bowl add wet ingredients: water, oil, vinegar and vanilla extract. Stir until creamy.

Line muffin tins with paper cups, fill cups ½ full with chocolate cake mix. Drop 2 or 3 tablespoons cream cheese mixture in muffin tins.

Bake for 25 – 30 minutes. Allow to cool completely before enjoying.




enjoy your time in the kitchen...

Open-faced meatball subs...

Yesterday I made these for dinner... Baked Meatballs which then turned into a mid-afternoon snack (I may or may not have eaten a few, as pictured below, before dinner...) . And from here they turned into meatball subs...

My husband fell in love with me all over again...





Meatball subs are super easy...



You need a hoagie roll or two with some butter slathered on top, and slid under the broiler to crisp up...





Then start layering the goods, starting with a little bit of marinara...



Then some meatballs...



Some more sauce...




And of course some mozzarella cheese! Don't forget the mozzarella cheese (or leave it off because you're on a diet)... if you did I'd have to kick you!



Back under the broiler for just a few minutes... watch it closely! You don't want these puppies to burn! That would be meatball abuse...



And voila! There's dinner...



I think my hero-of-a-hubby must have said "I LOVE YOU!" at least 5 times during dinner last night...


I love you too, babe... that's why I cook all of this yummy food, JUST FOR YOU!
(And if you believe that... well, I love you too! Muah!)



enjoy your time in the kitchen...