Cooking for a Carnivore

I have mentioned before that my husband is a picky eater.  He really isn't that bad, we just like different things.  Ok, and maybe I am a little picky myself.  I could survive on fruits and veggies, while he could survive on meat and packaged foods.  Total opposites. 

One of my recent goals was to cook for my husband more often.  Heck, cooking at home more in general really.  It has been kind of a fun challenge to find things we both like to eat.  Usually I make something like lasagna and make one pan vegetarian and one pan for a total carnivore.  It's an exciting kitchen I tell ya.

This week I made blueberry pancakes for breakfast.  I got a huge basket of blueberries this week so you will probably be seeing more of these later, but this is day 1.  

They were super good and we both liked them.  Score!  I ate mine with greek yogurt and huckleberry syrup and he had his with eggs and bacon.  5 years ago I may have insisted he try the greek yogurt and berries with his pancakes, today I just make the bacon and eggs and enjoy my own version of breakfast while he enjoys his.  Compromise and acceptance really do make things easier.  

Another day of eating fresh and cooking for my carnivore accomplished.

Summer Cherries

 Circa 2006:  I arrived in Annecy so tired I only spoke broken English, forget about French, after an almost 24 hour travel day.  This day included an 8 hour layover, a cancelled flight, a missed connection, and a missed bus from Geneva.  I was spent and ready for the longest nap of my life.  My new host "mother" Anne rescued me at the train station and led me to my new "home." 

The next morning I awoke, still emotionally and physically exhausted, when Anne offered an exquisite idea.  "Why don't you lie down under the cherry tree and take a little nap."  I can still see the mountains behind their home, their spacious yard, and the shady cherry tree.  I took a 4 hour nap under the cherry tree and awoke to a country meal full of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Anne encouraged my frequent naps in her yard and loved watching me eat piles of fruits and vegetables at dinner.  They nicknamed me the disposal.  What can I say?  I LOVED her cooking.  Whenever I eat cherries I remember her little tree and the summer I spent in her home becoming her friend. 

I wish I had kept in better contact with Anne over the years, but somehow in the past 7 years we seem to have lost touch.  I often think of the weekends she spent showing me the French countryside, proudly reciting bits of French history as we drove along in her little "voiture". 

I loved her pride of the most beautiful cows just North of her home.  They had the longest black lashes and were quite pretty if you are into "les vaches".  I enjoyed keeping her company in the kitchen and sipping on local Rose.  We ate ripe local apricots, baskets of her own cherries, and fresh cream.  Everything was local and fresh.  

Lately I have been eating less fresh and more processed.  The other day I realized my whole house is full of junk.  Well, junk food no more.  It's time to eat fresh!  These summer cherries are a start.  They were deliciously crisp and sweet.

The Cookie Cabin

I went to Mt. Lemmon last weekend for some sledding and nature time.  We went sledding for a few hours and then took a little break in Summerhaven and had some snacks.  We stopped at The Cookie Cabin for a giant cookie and a break.  Wow.  Not disappointed!

We didn't try to the pizza, but it looked goooood.

Nat enjoying her oatmeal chocolate chip cookie.  Yum.

$5 cookies the size of a plate.  I got the chocolate chip and ate it for 2 days.  !  Great snack for sledding and a driving day.  If you are in Summerhaven or Mt. Lemmon for the day, stop in a get a cookie to go or stay there and enjoy some hot chocolate in their warm little shop.

Saffron Indian Bistro Tucson

Last week, I went to Saffron Indian Bistro for dinner.  The food was phenomenal and the prices were fair.  Will I go back?  I can't wait to go back!  For two entrees, an appetizer, naan, and tip: less than $40.  I had enough leftovers for a huge dinner the next night too.  The meal started with papadum and two chutneys (mint/fruit).

We had garlic naan which was fantastic.  I pretty much spooned my meal onto the naan and devoured it.

{image from Saffron website}

This is what I had leftover after I ate a full meal at the restaurant.

I added vegetables to my chicken korma for $2.00 extra and was pleasantly surprised.  Well worth it!  We also had the vegetable samosas which were small but good.  The appetizer came with 2 samosas.  They offer a lot of vegetarian options as well as the usual meat dishes. 

Location:
7607 N. Oracle Rd.
Suite 101
Oro Valley, AZ 85704
(520) 742-9100

Hours:
Monday-Saturday 11 am - 10 pm
Sunday 11 am - 9 pm
Lunch Buffet Daily - $8.95 - 11am-3pm
Happy Hour: call for details (specials on drinks and small plates)

Overall I would recommend it and I can't wait to try their lunch buffet.  For $8.95, you can't go wrong.  If you are in North West Tucson, you should definitely give Saffron a try.

The B Line

My husband and I went downtown to 4th avenue the other night to walk around and grab a bite to eat.  It was a weeknight, but there were still a lot of people out and we had a good time people watching and window shopping.  Oh, and we found street parking in about 5 seconds.  That was a nice change from Hawaii.  You can't find street parking there without feeling EXTREMELY lucky and awesome for having scored a spot.

{Cody being a good sport, let me take his picture}

We decided to eat at The B Line, my pick. We both had the vodka penne, he got salmon with his.  The food was good, the atmosphere cozy and casual, and the bill was decent.  You order at the counter and then they bring you your food.

Yum!  Garlic bread and pasta...

Beer on tap and wine.

You can sit and people watch looking out at the street, or you can sit upstairs at one of the tables. 

The B Line

Open: Sun-Thurs (7-9)

F-S (7-10)

Phone: (520) 882-7575

Located: 621 N. 4th Avenue

Go to their site for menu/location/hours/happy hour specials/wine specials

Oregano's Tucson

I have been settling in to Tucson in the past 4 days, and I like it a lot so far.  Today we went to Oregano's , an amazing pizza bistro.  The portions were huge and delicious, and the dining area was cozy and smelled great.

We sat in one of their huge corner booths.  We went around 2:00 on a Thursday and it was about half full.  Not too bad.

Cool retro images are scattered around the restaurant, and the menus have a variety of fun prints on the cover.

We ordered Bruschetta, El Diablo pasta with shrimp, and the Big Rig pasta.

The tomatoes were so fresh and they were piled high.  I couldn't have been more pleased with my lunch!  Well, maybe if someone had told me the portions were colossal so I could have gotten excited about leftovers ahead of time.  

The Big Rig Pasta with chipotle cream sauce, tomatoes, and basil.  So good!

If you want to read more reviews or get directions, click here.

How I Spent Christmas Day...

I hope you had a fantastic Christmas Day...  I know I did.  To recap, I woke up early, got crazy excited to open presents, ate breakfast, showered, then OPENED PRESENTS!  (Sorry, I LOVE presents...) oh... (and anything wrapped)  During which we had mimosas and candy.  Then we made a huge lunch and feasted until work.  Not too shabby.  It was a day spent with family, either we were together or we were skyping!

Skype with my older brother and his girlfriend in Spain. 

Mom and Dad love skype

Mimosa with lilikoi nectar.. wow, do I really have to work? I want 5!

An all time favorite from long ago...

Why this one?  Who doesn't love sheep!

Oooh la la!  Moving mouse that STILL moves!

Steak and Salmon for Christmas Brunch at home

The famous blueberry jell-o!

Macaroni Casserole from my boyfriend Cody.  YUM!

I will post some of the recipes soon.  In the meantime, Good night, and good luck!

Caramel Tutorial

I made caramels  tonight for Christmas, along with a lot of other goodies.  I posted the recipe last year, but thought I would include a tutorial/recipe for this year.  They are so insanely delish so if you don't have anyone to share them with at home, make sure you gift them!  It makes a lot.

Start with your ingredients:
1/3 cup water
4 cups sugar
2 cups light corn syrup
4 oz. unsalted butter (room temp)
4 cups heavy cream (scalded)
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp vanilla

Then place your water, sugar, and light corn syrup in a large pot.  I would recommend something deep so when you pour the cream in later you have a lot of room for bubbling and expansion.

Cook until sugar reaches 305 degrees F.  Washing down the sides of the pot with a brush and water to prevent crystallization.  If you don't want to wash down, put a lid over the pot and check the temperature periodically, the steam will naturally keep the sides moist and free of crystals.

Once the sugar mixture reaches 305 degrees F, remove from heat and add scalded cream and room temperature butter slowly.  It will bubble up and look something like this.  (above photo)

Place back on the heat after adding salt and vanilla and cook until 248 degrees F.  The caramel will be fairly light in color but extremely bubbly.  Be careful not to burn yourself as sugar burns can be quite painful.  Use oven mitts and a steady hand when handling hot sugar.

When caramel has stopped bubbling, pour it into a half sheet pan prepared with foil or industrial plastic wrap that won't melt.   Let cool and cover overnight.  Cut and wrap the next day.

Kohnotori : Yakitori in Honolulu

Khonotori is a Japanese style Yakitori with a friendly fun atmosphere.  Fried onions, rice balls, daikon salad, fried garlic, quail egg, bacon wrapped items, and prawns to name a few.  The menu is small, yet vast, and there is something for everyone.  From seasoned beef to asparagus, meat eaters and vegetarians will enjoy this little Japanese gem.  They also serve shochu and sake along with Japanese beers. 

The list of items is on each table, check what you would like and they will come out as they are prepared, hot and fresh.  Order one at a time, or all at once, but I think it is more fun to eat, then order more, and more, and perhaps a few more...

Asparagus and Prawns, yum!

Fried cheese, my personal favorite...

Shoyu Rice Balls

Sit at the counter or one of the little tables or booths.  Reservations are recommended, but sometimes you can get lucky and walk in and get a table.

The ultimate fried onion.  So amazing, panko battered, so crispy.

View Larger Map

Located near University, off of King Street.  Take King Street going West and take a right before Pucks Alley, you will see the bright signs of two restaurants (right by 7-11), Kohnotori and Imanas Tei.  They have a small parking lot, but there is usually parking nearby.

Location: 2626 S. King St.

Honolulu, HI 96826

Hours: Sun-Thurs. - 6pm-12am

Fri. & Sat. - 6pm-2am

Phone: 808-941-7255 (reservations recommended)

Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies - whoopie pie!

Do you like red velvet, cream cheese frosting, and crazy good sweets?  Pretty much everyone is going wild about this chocolate cake with red food color, so I decided to make a red velvet sandwich cookie.  I found this recipe from  Paula Dean on food network.  You can make these any size you want, crazy big or tiny bite sized.  Use the smallest cookie scoop you have because they grow a bit in the oven.

INGREDIENTS:
 

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon red food coloring

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1 pound cream cheese, softened
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans, optional
• 
  
• Directions
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

  Mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.

  Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs 1 at a time. Then beat in the buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla and red food coloring. Once combined, add the dry ingredients to wet. Mix until thoroughly combined.

  Onto a parchment lined sheet tray, drop batter using an ice cream scoop, forming 2-inch round circles.

  Bake for 10 minutes, until baked through. Cookies should be cake-like and light. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
  For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

  In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

  Spread the cream cheese frosting between 2 cooled cookies (and roll the edges in finely chopped pecans if you want.)

Snacks at Shirokiya...

I went to Shirokiya the other day for one of my favorite snacks, MOCHI!  I always get the little mochi balls from the shop on the upper level next to the crepe station.  The pineapple mochi is to die for and is the perfect snack for shopping.  :)  I guess it depends on what you are shopping for, but I do a lot of window shopping and walking around looking at everything.

This is Chichi Dango, a soft and chewy mochi.  If you aren't familiar with mochi it is similar to a gummy with a lot less sugar and flavor.  It also has a similar squish like a marshmallow but is made with mochi flour.  Shirokiya in Ala Moana sells my all time favorite.  :)  They also sell multi-flavor packs and even smaller mochi balls.  The same little area also sells filled mochi, with red bean and lots of other flavors.

I also had this kabocha manju. ( A Japanese steamed cake)  It was so delish!  Soft and full of pumpkin.  YUM.  I am so into Kabocha right now, I can't get enough.  My favorite treat: Kabocha Tempura!

Here is their ad for this weeks specials.  You can check it out on their website and get the store hours and location.  Click here.