prosecco flutes & dusty boots

August has been a constant cry for icy, cool air.

Despite my cold-flowing wishes, I seem to have fallen in sweat-ridden situations the past weeks involving:

gravel-filled ranches,

sun-beaten lakes,

horse-stomped stockyards

& cocktail-ridden patios.

Equipped with my SPF 30, I took it upon myself to fully take advantage of good eats along the way.

The whirlwind began on a charming Saturday morning filled with farmers market finds, fresh fudge and burgers at Fred's when family was in town.

After perusing Cowtown Farmers Market for fresh-baked peach muffins, a green tea and peppermint blend, hot pepper jams and local yellow tomatoes, we whisked on down to the Fort Worth Stockyards for a brief rendezvous.
s

First stop: the Candy Shoppe then an intermission to The General Store for homemade fudge. As the 107 heat index began to slow us, we trudged to the SUV in need for a greasy lunch revival: Fred's Texas Cafe!
s

After a classic lunch of burgers and Shiner, we opted for an upscale dinner that shined in the elegant atmosphere of Grace.

We were seated at an oversized table for six and sipped pre-dinner cocktails [St. Germain, soda, prosecco & thyme] as we hungrily awaited a delectable meal to come:

First Course:
Fried Texas Gulf Oysters with Wilted Spinach & Black Pepper Butter
[salty, crispy, peppery]

Salad Course:
Arugula Salad with Lime Vinaigrette, Avocado, Prosciutto & Grilled Watermelon
[an intense vinaigrette with the perfect buttery sides]

Main Course:
Diver Scallops with Shallot Potato Cakes and American Caviar Sauce

[luscious and rich with a lovely texture]

Also memorable:
Mashed Potato Trio: Lobster, Creme Fraiche & Horseradish
[mouthgasm.]

After a decadent evening finished with dirty martinis and fine tequila, I relieved my hangover woes with the fried egg "Blunch" sandwich at Tillman's Roadhouse followed by a bellini grande at Patrizio's.

Dinner for one was a simply-prepared summer supper perfect for the final detox.

Local Tomato Tart with Walnuts and a Hot Pepper Glaze

This tart is an acidic, textural bite perfect with a lightly-dressed salad or grilled vegetables.

2/3 sheet puff pastry, defrosted
1 cup plum or cherry tomatoes (I used yellow cherry tomatoes from Carter Farms)

1 T walnuts, roughly chopped
1 T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1 T hot pepper jam

(Central Market has a delightful

Hatch Pepper Jalapeno Jelly that would be ideal)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lay puff pastry on a parchment-lined baking sheet. With a knife, create an equal border indentation around the tart. Within the border, pierce holes all over with a fork to prevent rise when baking.
s

Brush the entire pastry with olive oil and line tomatoes in your inner-fork pierced area. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and walnuts. Bake approximately 15 minutes until border is puffed and browned.

Slide on a baking rack to cool. Meanwhile, heat hot pepper jam to a liquid stage and delicately brush atop tart and crust. Cut into squares and serve warm.

Days later, I took a quick jaunt to Austin for pedicures with Mom, comforting dining and a massive family affair on the ranch. After soaking our gams in warm, rose petal basins, I was blissfully dressed with bright pink polish and off for Chianti and comforting Northern Italian fare at NoRTH in the Domain.

To begin: flutes of prosecco with fresh berries and the oh, so simple trio of spreads:

eggplant + feta
goat cheese + pesto
hummus + olive oil

with perfectly-grilled baguette and salty olives.

s

Our salads were mixed green-based perfect with their smooth avocado, buttery marcona almond and golden raisin toppings. Round three was the simplest: wood fired pizza with arugula, fresh wild mushrooms and pecorino. Perfetto!
s

The sun-drenched weekend came to an end with a road trip to Temple, Texas for a Southern fest at its' finest held at the legendary Oscar Store for a family wedding bash.

Amongst dusty shoes [cowboy boots for him, gladiators for her],

mariachis,

beers by the bottle,

margarita machines,

smoked fajitas,

live Texas tunes

& coconut cream cakes,

we two-stepped the night away...

s

lavender brownies & Cinco de Callie

My sweet tooth has been on a rampage.

I can't finish any savory meal (or snack for that matter) without a bite of something sweet.

my "nice" bites have included:

dried apricots

orange marmalade with local goat cheese

kashi cereal bars

fresh raspberries with Greek yogurt

some "naughty" bites on my mind (and in my stomach):

homemade muffins

peanut butter and honey paninis

curly's vanilla custard with bananas and caramel

anything involving chocolate cake

While browsing the 7th St. area after a lovely lunch with Ms. Fort Worth Cookie, the two of us snuck into j. rae's bakery specializing in cupcakes, cookies & cheesecake for a peek at their sweet confections. Although I was a sucker for their adorable hand-decorated dinosaur cookies, I chose a simple chocolate cupcake with vanilla cream cheese frosting.

I took one bite and was completely content. The cake was moist and not too chocolately- nice with the tangy frosting (although there was entirely too much of it). I will definitely return to j. rae's-- perfect cookies for a baby shower.

During a recent Central Market raid, I stopped short at the meat market with interest in pristine, garnet-hued bison-- organic, grain-fed and antibiotic free. I settled on a robust striploin with dreams of steak sandwiches in my head.

Along with buttery greens, homemade compound butter, luscious local cheese and earthy mushrooms-- this sandwich was simple yet refined.

Seared Bison Loin with Wilted Mache, Local Chevre, Roasted Clamshell Mushrooms & a Dried Fig Butter

Makes 2 sandwiches.

1 bison striploin

salt and pepper to taste
1 T olive oil
1/2 cup fresh mache leaves
1 c fresh clamshell mushrooms
goat cheese for spreading

(I used local Latte Da Dairy)
4 slices of fresh bread, toasted

(I used whole wheat Millet bread)
2 tablespoons dried fig butter, recipe follows
h

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle mushrooms with olive oil, a sprig of thyme and a drizzle of salt and pepper. Roast for approximately 30 minutes until browned and crispy. Keep warm.

Season bison with liberal salt and pepper. Sear in a heated saute pan approximately 4 minutes per side to develop a brown crust. Finish in 400 degree oven approximately 6 more minutes to achieve medium rare. Set steak on board to rest while assembling sandwich.

Layer fig butter, mushrooms, sliced, rested steak, mache and goat cheese on remaining bread slice. Serve warm.

Dried Fig Butter:

4 T butter, softened
1/2 c dried figs, minced
1/2 t fresh thyme, minced

dash of salt

Mash together ingredients. Chill until ready to use. This butter would be fabulous on plain toast for breakfast, croissants or poached fruits.

While planning dinner, I decided to raid my pantry and make an impromptu dessert for two:

Bittersweet Lavender Brownies with Pistachios & a Cinnamon Chantilly

Brownies:

1 c unsalted butter

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips

1 and 1/4 c AP flour

1 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

2 c sugar

4 eggs

2 t vanilla bean extract

1 t dried lavender plus additional to garnish

crushed roasted pistachios for garnish

s

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan then set aside.

s

Melt butter and chocolate over a double boiler, stirring occasionally until smooth.

s

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and dried lavender in a small bowl.

s

Whisk together sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl then whisk in chocolate mixture until combined well. Whisk in flour mixture then transfer batter to a baking pan.

s

Bake approximately 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted has a few crumbs clinging. Cool brownies on a rack. Serve warm with chopped pistachios, a sprinkling of dried lavender and a dollop of cinnamon chantilly cream.

s

Cinnamon Chantilly Cream:

1 pint organic heavy whipping cream, chilled

1 T ground cinnamon

s

Beat cream in a stand mixer until soft peaks develop. Stir in cinnamon and serve chilled with brownies.

s

Cinco de Mayo was this week-- an excuse for all to leave work a bit early, sip margaritas and parade around in sombreros. Since high school, my friends and I have also lovingly referred to it as Cinco de Callie-- in my opinion, it's the best day to have a birthday!

d

I turned 25 this year and had a lovely day beginning with 1 a.m. text messages from high school friends, gorgeous hydrangeas delivered to work and thoughtful gifts, cards and flowers received from both jobs.

For lunch, I snuck away with my boyfriend to the Central Market sandwich bar and patio for diet root beer, thick-cut potato chips and customized sandwiches.

I went with my usual:

whole wheat bread, red pepper hummus, muenster and grilled veggies

toasted and topped with:

fresh avocado slices, arugula and cucumber

while boyfriend settled on a simple:

roasted turkey, ham and pepperjack

toasted on rosemary bread with basil pesto

g

lovely lunch date.

After being cut early from my restaurant job that evening, I dashed home to shower and go glam in preparation of a surprise 5-course wine pairing dinner at Eddie V's Prime Seafood.

Our meal was sublime. The service was impeccable, the courses were perfectly timed, the wines were pleasantly matched and our dishes were cooked perfectly with gorgeous flavors.

Course 1:

Seafood Gazpacho with Lime Creme Fraiche

Sauvignon Blanc

Course 2:

Sliced Wagyu Beef "Hot Rock" Ishiyaki-- Togarashi Spice and Soy Broth with Wild Mushrooms and Julienned Scallions

Shiraz

Course 3:

Fuji Apple and Golden Beet Salad with Maytag Bleu Cheese, Haricot Verts, Candied Walnuts and an Outrageous Ginger-Orange Vinaigrette (for her)

Sweet Corn and Crab Chowder with Smoked Bacon (for him)

Course 4:

Incredible Jumbo Seared Georges Bank Sea Scallops with a Sherry Cream Sauce, Crispy Potato Strings and a Cilantro Oil (for her)

Pinot Noir

12 ounce Seared Filet of Beef with Boursin (for him)

Course 5:

Tableside Bananas Foster with Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Moscato de Asti

Highlights of the meal were the gorgeously-prepared scallops with the perfect sear and ginger orange vinaigrette bursting with an intense citrus flavor.

d

After such a

rich, succulent dinner

rest was imminent with

well wishes

for the year to come.

cocktail in hand & a gruyere-laced gratin

I've been reminiscent of growing up in Austin and my usual weekend breakfast with Mom and Dad. We lived downtown amongst the funky-hardwood homes of historic Hyde Park- far from suburbia. Every lazy Sunday, we would perch atop rickety wooden bar stools at the water-stained butcher block and chat amongst ourselves in the sun-drenched, sea-foam painted kitchen.

My mouth waters thinking about:

freshly-ground Anderson coffee and tart, grapefruit juice;
toasted wheat berry toast with apple butter and sour cherry jam;
softly scrambled eggs with a dash of cream;
paper towel-patted turkey bacon;
fresh berries & creme fraiche.

I've always been a juice addict (especially for fresh, tart grapefruit) so I recently took it upon myself to splurge on a juicer to fulfill all of my fresh-squeezed needs. After seeing Chef Wylie Dufresne juicing arugula on the tube- I knew the contraption was right up my alley. I designed this recipe to make by hand (no juicer needed) for those of you who don't impulse-buy kitchen appliances like me.

Ginger, Grapefruit and Habanero Juice

Serves 1.

juice of 1 grapefruit
1 T ginger, grated on a microplane
1/8 t habanero, grated on a microplane
Combine, chill then strain if desired. Garnish with grapefruit rind.

That evening, I couldn't pass up buying some gorgeous sea scallops at Central Market for dinner. For this recipe, I was inspired by some emerald, local thyme and a brightly-hued bunch of radishes. The savory shellfish were paired with these bright peppery vegetables, the lemon-laced herb, artisan salt and whole wheat pasta for depth.

Sea Scallops and Linguine
with Thyme Pesto, Easter Egg Radish & Black Sea Salt

Although the ingredients in this dish sound complicated, the dish is very simple to make.

Three steps:

1. make pesto
2. boil pasta
3. sear scallops

and you're finished!

Thyme Almond Pesto:

1/4 c fresh thyme
1/4 c almonds, toasted
3 T parmesan
zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
1 t honey
salt to taste
1/2 c olive oil

Combine all ingredients except olive oil and pulse in a food processor until smooth. Slowly stream in olive oil until desired consistency is reached. Season with salt to taste and set aside to later combine with linguine.

Pasta with scallops:

Serves 2.

1/2 lb fresh sea scallops, cleaned
1/2 lb pasta (I used whole wheat)
2 T unsalted butter
1/4 c easter egg radishes, sliced thin
fresh thyme to garnish
black lava sea salt to garnish

Put water on to boil for pasta. Meanwhile, season scallops with fresh ground pepper and a bit of salt. When water is boiling, add pasta and heat saute pan for scallops. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to hot pan and sear scallops on both sides until golden brown, about three minutes per side depending on thickness. Drain pasta and combine with butter and thyme pesto. To plate dish, place scallops atop swirled pasta and top with radishes and a sprinkling of black sea salt. Serve immediately.

I was spoiled silly on Superbowl Sunday with a decadent meal fit for a king (errr...saint)! Amongst camaraderie, tequila shots and birthday cake at my boyfriend's family's house, they served quite the spread:

Grilled beef tenderloin;
marsala glazed cremini mushrooms;
fusilli with fresh mozzarella, kalamata olives, sundried tomatoes, red wine vinegar
& a zucchini gratin with bumbling panko and gruyere.

I decided to end this post with an "Ode to Fred's" after a recent Sunday evening burger rampage. For some reason, I forget how truly delicious these greasy delicacies are until I sink my teeth into a new one. I decided on the smaller, 1/4 lb Fred's burger after a few too many jalapeno cheese fries. The savory beef, just-melted cheese and hand-cut fries were perfect with my frosty brew!

upscale burgers and a date with trouble

My new favorite place to waste time (and money) is World Market. I ventured there this past week and for under $50- I found an array of culinary goodies. For myself, I bought a nice bottle of Australian Shiraz and a square, white serving platter with 12 little "compartments" within it for sauces, spreads, olives, etc.

For my girlfriend with a birthday coming up, I filled a basket with jarred honey, Nutella, champagne, water crackers, marmalade, balsamic vinegar, chocolates and cheeses for entertaining. I told her to hope I don't keep them for myself :)

Culinary class last week began our new found "journey" of cuisine from around the world- this week was Europe. Prior to class, we were assigned regions in which to study and everyone shared in class. Amongst my pick (Ireland), there was Germany, Hungary, England, Sweden and Belgium.

Within our groups, we were required to recreate a traditional dish from these regions as well as prepare an individual dish of our country made with potatoes. My group was assigned Russian pierogies, Shepherd's pie and Irish coddle. Of course I took the coddle- an Irish casserole traditionally served with layered sliced potatoes, bacon, sausage and onions.

For my play on the dish, I first fried some bacon and used the reserved bacon fat to saute sliced onions, apples, thyme sprigs and rosemary with a bottle of Guinness. After a dash of caraway seeds and some salt to taste, I let the saucepan of yumminess simmer away.

Meanwhile, I sliced and fried my own potato chips with salt and fried thyme. I then chopped my reserved bacon and grilled a link of pork sausage on the grill pan. When the sausage was finished, I sliced it on the bias and added it to the onion, apple and Guinness mixture.

My Irish "coddle" was plated with the the onions and apples beneath the sliced sausage topped with the homemade chips, crumbled bacon and was garnished with reserved fried thyme. Next week is Asian cuisine- I'm extremely looking forward to this one.

After work the next evening, I was off to Austin for a weekend of much needed merriment and partying for my bestie's Tyler 24th birthday blowout- it was a blowout indeed. After my 3 hour ride it was time to dress to impress and meet my girlfriends at Kenichi for a night on the town.

Fashionable late, I arrived to find chilled champagne and spicy edamame already on the table. Who could want more? We were then presented with an array of rolls and sashimi- my favored was sea bass sashimi served with paper-thin apple slices and crushed macadamias.

After an evening of antics on West 6th, I awoke early with a yearning for breakfast tacos. With my mind on my beloved Taco Shack on Lamar, my dad swayed me into trying the Tamale House on airport.The tacos were SO worth it. My dad ordered a simple choice of bacon, eggs and cheese while I went for chorizo, eggs and cheese with a homemade guacamole.

When we finally arrived home to inhale the tacos, I was more concerned with figuring out everything in the homemade salsa. The salsa was extremely fresh and had an almost sweet and salty flavor combination. After dousing my taco with salsa, I dove in and the flavors were extreme. The guacamole was a thinner and smoother puree than the guacamole I'm accustomed too- perfect accompaniment.

After my breakfast taco and orange juice pick-me-up, I headed to the Central Market on Lamar to find things to make for my girlfriend's cocktail party later that evening. I decided to make spring rolls with wasabi aioli and spiced nuts...fun to make, fun to eat and able to sit out at a cocktail party without wilting or ruining.

For the spring rolls, I layered napa cabbage, blanched asparagus, cilantro, pickled ginger and salt atop soaked and dried rice paper. I sliced the spring rolls on a bias and served them sitting up. For the sauce, I made a wasabi aioli with tubed prepared wasabi, mayonnaise, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and chopped cilantro.

After rolling spring rolls for a couple hours and chatting with Mom, I cleaned up and "glamorized myself" for the cocktail party. Running out the door with the spring rolls, wasabi aioli, rosemary spiced nuts, a bottle of pinot and Ty's birthday gift- I was good to go.

The night was one to remember- fun people, interesting conversations, bar hopping until 3am...blah, blah. Let's get to the food:)

The spread was great...especially at 3am after a night of partying. We had the infamously delicious Thundercloud party platter of sandwiches, mini-quiches (homemade of course), munchies from Moonshine (shrimp "corn dogs" and chile bacon mac and cheese...upscale comfort food at its finest) and a delicious vanilla butter cream birthday cake a la Central Market.

The next morning, a group of us struggled to recover from the previous nights events and headed to the Counter Cafe on Lamar for a delicious organic breakfast in a diner-style setting. I ordered the breakfast tacos (I'm addicted) but my favorite was the eggs benedict. Eager to take part of nonconformity to its predecessor, this benedict ousted the english muffin for a dense, yet fluffy homemade biscuit and the typical Canadian bacon for perfect slice of spiced salami. After two perfectly poached eggs and a drizzle of hollandaise, this was a bite worth waiting for.

A few hours later, I met the fam at Galaxy Cafe in the Triangle to celebrate my Uncle Jack's birthday. The food here is pretty straightforward and always delivers for me. I ordered the fresh mozzarella, roma tomato and basil sandwich served on ciabatta with a drizzle of olive oil. I wasn't shouting from the rooftops about it, but it was pretty good. I was more concerned with the delicious sweet potato fries and stealing my little cousins homemade mac and cheese from his child's plate (sad, i know).

After the meal, my Mom brought out the gorgeous coconut cake we ordered from Texas French Bread and my uncle Jack blew out his candles. Although I'm not a huge coconut fan, the cake was so pretty that I was happy staring at it.

After too much food and a long nap, I awoke to start prepping dinner for the evening. Eager to please a long-time friend from high school, the menu was:

Blood orange mimosas and rose Prosecco

Sirloin burgers with arugula, avocado, rosemary-sauteed onions , heirloom tomatoes and a horseradish aioli or grilled eggplant "burgers"

For the burgers, I added minced ginger, olive oil, honey, salt, pepper, garlic and red pepper flakes to the ground sirloin. The eggplant was sliced and seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper. The eggplant, burgers and whole wheat buns were all grilled on the outdoor grill.

For the accompaniments, I used sliced heirloom tomatoes with salt and pepper, sliced avocado with lime juice, fresh, peppery arugula and onions sauteed with salt, olive oil and minced fresh rosemary.

For the aioli, I combined horseradish, mayonnaise and lemon juice for a quick sauce.

My "grown-up" fruit salad

This delicious fruit salad is compliments to my cousin Catherine. I used her idea, then put a twist of my own on it. First start with any fruit of your choice- I used blackberries, blueberries, red grapes, Asian pears and oranges. The trick is to dice everything uniformly small so every bite has a piece of everything. For smaller fruits and berries, I left my berries whole and sliced my grapes in half.

After combining the diced fruit, I added lemon juice, lemon zest, chiffonade mint, sugar and a healthy douse of champagne. Let the mixture macerate and cool in the fridge while preparing the rest of the meal.

Cabbage slaw

Baked sweet potato fries

Gingerbread cake with caramelized ginger and Meyer lemon curd

Ok...who is obsessed with Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa) as much as I am?
No one...so don't even try it. Her boxed desserts are marvelous for all of you "non-bakers".

My mom picked up her gingerbread mix with crystallized ginger and served it with Meyer lemon curd from Williams-Sonoma...it was a knockout dessert.

After a great (and tiresome) weekend in Austin, I was glad to be back to Fort Worth. A couple nights later, my girlfriend Cat and I headed to Cafe Aspen. Although it was my first time to dine there, I had heard positive things about the food.

We started with Chopin and Belevedere dirty martinis and a couple appetizers- quesadillas with candied walnuts, brie, caramelized onions and bacon with a mango salsa along with fried calamari with a marinara sauce. Surprisingly, I had no complaints...I'll be back.

curse of the club sandwich

My woe to Central Market...the reason my paycheck disintegrates so readily. But truthfully, CM is my savior specifically for its produce and protein freshness. My beloved sandwich bar has been revamped and no longer supplies my favorite bread- the sunflower bread. But, on my most recent adventuresome visit, I went for the Greek hoagie on rosemary bread.

The bread was great- rosemary baked in with a salty crust- then came the good stuff...oven roasted turkey, feta, cucumbers, tomatoes, pepperocinis, red onion, arugula and a Greek yogurt with dill...the salty, crisp, creamy, savory, juicy deliciousness was overwhelming. Great sandwich.

Although the holy sandwich was the main event, it needed a sidekick. Enter, soup bar. My favorites are the rustic chicken noodle and the asparagus basil. Both were m.i.a. so I went with the vegetarian vegetable and it definitely packed a punch. After reading the extensive ingredient list, I found the robust culprit...Serrano chiles. Who knew?

On a more recent visit, I wandered to find something comforting for a Sunday dinner. What could be better than burgers? My menu was:

Sirloin burgers with shallot, rosemary, lavender and pecorino toscano

Rosemary roasted potatoes

With the ground sirloin, I added olive oil, grated shallot, grated ginger, honey, olive oil, salt, pepper and my new fleur de sel with dried rosemary and lavender. I sauteed them on the grill pan, 2-3 minutes per side, then finished in the oven until medium-well. Right before serving, I melted the grated pecorino toscano on top and piled it high on a whole wheat roll with carmelized onions, pan-fried avocado, a horseradish crema and a gorgeous heirloom tomato slice- delish.

For the potatoes, I tossed halved new potatoes with fresh chopped rosemary, olive oil, sea salt and pepper then roasted it- so simple.

The next night, I made a quick (but yummy) spaghetti and meatballs with the remaining marinated ground sirloin. First, I seared the meatballs to get all the juicy brown bits of deliciousness at the bottom of my Dutch oven. Then, I removed the meatballs, and deglazed the pot with red wine, chopped onion, garlic, fresh rosemary and parsley. I added bottled plain tomato sauce (don't tell), sliced mushrooms and my meatballs back in to simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, I got my water boiling for my whole wheat angel hair and my girlfriend made a great side- broiled brussel sprouts with Parmesan. It was so easy- even I was amazed. No blanching, no boiling, no ice bath! First, she removed the stalk and sliced the brussel sprouts horizontally. We tossed them on a sheet pan with salt, pepper, olive oil and Parmesan to broil- they were ready in minutes.

The next evening was my first night back at culinary school! The night concentrated on "garde manger" also referred to as the cold side of the kitchen. Although this has infinite possibilities, our evening concentrated on salads, salad dressing, sandwiches and sides. Seemingly simple, those sandwiches got to me a bit.

In groups, we were required to make a Caesar salad, salad niçoise, a traditional club, a Reuben, a monte cristo served madame style with a fried egg and an individual sandwich or salad of our choice.

To be completely honest, I wasn't too excited about this one. I've never made any of these (except the Caesar) nor would I ever order them in a restaurant....just not appealing to me. But, I sucked it up and went for the Caesar, monte cristo and the club. Excuse my bluntness, but the club was complete crap....we will skip that one.

The monte cristo turned out well. I layered white bread with Dijon, muenster, Swiss, ham and a fried egg. Then, I dredged the sandwich with egg (french toast style) and pan fried it. When I've had a monte cristo, It always comes with some sort of raspberry preserve. So, I decided to make a spin on the sweet, tart sauce.

I made a pan sauce with raspberry preserves, red currant jam, horseradish, cayenne and red wine. I wanted the spice from the sauce to complement the richness of the fried sandwich- turned out well.

When it was finally time for me to create my own sandwich, I had run out of time. So, I decided to make a crostini-type appetizer instead. First, I toasted baguette slices in the oven then topped them with a mixture of cream cheese and balsamic. After a spoonful of apricot marmalade, I finished them with toasted sliced almonds and a salted orange segment. The instructors really liked it so I was happy.

Screw the club.

salmon, bleu cheese and capers...oh my!

It's only Wednesday and my week has been jam-packed! Juggling work, class, cooking for events and my personal life has definitely been a challenge the past few weeks. I also do know that everything in life happens for a reason and for that, I am thankful.

A few days ago, I was finally able to try out Fuego, the newly-replaced Duce of Tim Love. The reviews have been good and I was really excited to try it...it just didn't deliver for me. We went for lunch and started with the smoked chicken wontons in a truffle butter sauce. The sauce needed salt and the wontons were a bit soggy but it had a good balance of flavor.

My girlfriend then ordered the duo of soups (broccoli and roasted red pepper) with crab meat. First of all, the soups ran together (orange + green = brown) and had a gloppy appearance. When I tasted it, it was fishy. I'm not sure if it was the crab meat, the stock or a combination of both...regardless, it was unappetizing.

We both ordered shrimp with our entrees. My girlfriend ordered the spicy shrimp pasta with an arrabbiata-type sauce and I ordered the ensalada fresca (garbanzo beans, hearts of palm, sun-dried tomatoes, fontina) and added grilled shrimp. When I received the over-sized salad, it was without hearts of palm (the only reason I ordered it!) and like the crab, the shrimp was fishy. My overcooked meat curse is being replaced with fishy seafood.

Later that evening, I met with a client who is hiring us for two Christmas parties in January. We discussed the menu over dinner at P.F. Changs. Surprisingly, she had never been so I introduced her to some of the simple, P.F. Changs' favorites- Mongolian beef with scallions, crispy honey shrimp and moo goo gai pan. We finished with the banana spring rolls and coconut pineapple ice cream...heavenly.

The next day, I went on my weekly annual Central Market binge with a specific objective in mind. Although adventurous in my dining, there are a few "culinary delights" in the minds of others that I just can't stand: salmon, bleu cheese, pickles, capers, hard-boiled eggs...to name a few.

I'm determined to force my palette to like these things. Seemingly silly, I feel like I'm missing out on something great.

I decided to tackle the salmon first-(hence the CM binge) and left complete with a salmon filet, fresh parsley, a bottle of Scheurebe, chocolate with hazelnuts, Belgium black currant beer, veggie potstickers, pineapple chunks, hummus, whole wheat pita, tomatoes, haricot verts and scallions.

For dinner, I decided to keep the salmon simple and let its flavor shine through. I seasoned it with olive oil, salt and pepper and seared it on the grill pan with a mustard glaze...after some steamed haricot verts with orange and basmati rice with fresh herbs..I was completely satisfied.

The next evening, I made my favorite lazy-night-at-home dinner: pan-fried veggie pot stickers with steamed edamame. I'm pretty snobby about frozen food, but I'm addicted to these veggie pot stickers that I get from CM (white and green bag in Japanese). They are perfect with steamed and salted edamame and Lana's sweet and sour sauce available in the Asian section.

Now if only I could get my hands on some sake...

the dreaded chicken and dinner for two

I have been dreading my poultry fabrication class since I started culinary school. Something about chicken really irks me. I'm very reluctant to order it in restaurants, I don't cook it much at home and I'm just not a big fan of it.

So....last night was poultry fab! Haha, it really wasn't that bad. We started off by learning how to fab the whole chicken into eight pieces...I got to break the backbone...then we used all eight pieces for our dishes of the night. We split into teams (as usual) and prepared:

Braised bone-in, skin-on chicken breast
Duchess potatoes

Poached chicken tarragon with steamed rice

Braised chicken thighs with curry vegetables, toasted almonds and steamed rice

Fried chicken wings with gravy
Salad of our choice

I was in charge of the fried chicken with gravy and the salad.

For the salad, I decided on a spinach salad with red onion, crumbled bacon, bleu cheese and candied orange peel with an orange vinaigrette (orange juice, lemon juice, orange zest, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper)

I dredged the fried chicken in buttermilk and seasoned flour then pan-fried it. After about 10 minutes frying on both sides, I finished it in the oven. Our team did really well this week...much better than meat fabrication. Maybe chickens aren't so bad after all...

Sunday night I went on a shopping rampage at Central Market...probably due to my depression of the weekend ending and my boyfriend flying back to Nashville. I wouldn't say it was compulsive shopping, but I was definitely just picking up what looked good.

Tonight I made dinner for my roommate and I. The menu was:

Brussel sprouts sauteed in a pecan butter
Blanch the brussel sprouts in boiling salted water for 4-5 minutes then transfer to an ice bath. Set aside.
Chop pecans and toast in a dry pan for a few minutes.
Add a few tablespoons of butter to the pecans and melt. Add brussel sprouts, salt and pepper if desired.
Saute to desired texture.

Roasted butternut squash with crispy sage
Half a butternut squash and scoop seeds out.
Cut inards into uniform chunks and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Drizzle with olive oil, a couple tablespoons of brown sugar, sea salt and chiffonade sage.
Roast at 350, turning often, for about 20 minutes.
Garnish with leftover sage.

Grilled ginger-garlic flank steak with caramelized shallots
I seasoned my flank steak with salt and marinated it with a ginger-garlic sauce from Central Market- so easy .

Heat your grill pan at medium-high heat. When water sizzles on the pan, add some olive oil and your steak.

Cook to desired doneness rotating at 45 degrees for hatch marks. I cooked mine at medium rare, about 6 minutes on each side.
When steak is cooked, transfer to a plate and let rest. In the same pan, add olive oil, white wine and sliced shallots to create a pan sauce. When meat has rested, slice against the grain and garnish with sauteed shallots.

CM wheat rolls

The finished product is to the right. A culinary school friend of mine suggested I take pictures of everything I cook for my blog...great idea! Happy eating everyone!

meat fab and the weekend I gained 20 pounds

Last week was a perfect week- I was off work for two days, my boyfriend was coming in for the weekend and we were road tripping together to go to Austin.

I also had a week of wonderful dining out and cooking. Monday morning began it all...

After a morning of Starbucks (hot green tea), Target and the bank, I met Cat at Central Market for lunch. I love the sandwich bar- so much to choose from.

I went for smoked turkey on sunflower bread (not on the menu but ask for it) with dijonnaise, provolone, cucumber, lettuce, tomato and avocado. I grabbed a side of pineapple and grapes and I was good to go.

Mine was tasty and simple but Cat's was definitely better...so pretty I had to take a picture. She got the oven-roasted turkey on ciabatta with an olive relish, sprouts, lettuce, tomato, oil and red wine vinegar. She also opted for fresh berries and blueberry lemonade. We sat outside...too beautiful to be stuck inside- great Monday.

Last Monday night was culinary class- meat fabrication. For me, it was a complete disaster. Maybe I'm just too hard on myself, but traditional beef recipes are just not my style. Within my group of three, we made:

Meatloaf with roasted garlic mashed potatoes and a horseradish, Worcestershire and ketchup glaze

Traditional beef stew with turnips, carrots and potatoes

Stuffed pork chops with a demi-glace

Pork shish kabobs with plum tomatoes, purple onions and rice pilaf

I was in charge of the beef stew, the rice pilaf for the shish kabobs and plating everything. The beef was tender, the vegetables were bright and the broth had good flavor but the stew never thickened to the right point, nor were the vegetables tender enough. The rice pilaf turned out ok. Sometimes the simplest things to cook at home are the most difficult to cook when you are in a industrial kitchen. So, in a nutshell...meat fabrication week was not my shining moment.

Thursday evening, my boyfriend Jared flew in from Nashville! By the time we got back from Love Field, most restaurants were closed so we hit up Boomer Jacks for some drinks and bar food.

Friday morning, we drove through Starbucks for a couple of hazelnut lattes, then headed to Austin to meet my Mom and my girlfriend Tyler for lunch at Blue Star Cafe. Amongst an appetizer of chicken quesadillas, we shared an Asian chicken salad, tarragon chicken salad sandwich, a maple-mustard turkey sandwich and a lemon cupcake. We returned to my parents house later for a quiet afternoon.

We had the whole family over for a Friday night cook-out. I was in charge of hors d'oeuvres, salad, sides and dessert (with my trusty sous chef, Jared) and Father James (good friend of the family) prepared the entree. The menu was:

Assorted beer and wine (La Crema chardonnay, Prosecco, Dos Equis and Shiner)


Roasted cashews with rosemary and cayenne

Roast unsalted cashews in a pan for a few minutes then toss with a few tablespoons of melted butter, minced rosemary and a few dashes of cayenne.
Garnish with a rosemary sprig in a pretty bowl.


Zucchini and shallot flat bread

Pre-made pizza dough is your best friend here- either get it raw from a pizza place or you can get the "dough in a can" stuff.
I rolled the dough into a rectangle, brushed the dough with olive oil and sprinkled fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt and pepper on top.
Top with thinly sliced zucchini and shallots.
Cook on 350 for about 15 minutes.
If the edges get too dark, cover with foil until the inside is fully cooked.
Cut into squares and serve on a rectangular tray or platter.


Arugula salad with fresh figs, crumbled asiago, toasted walnuts and a honey-garlic vinaigrette

Make the dressing...combine champagne vinegar, minced garlic, salt, pepper and honey and whisk in your extra virgin olive oil. I always eyeball my dressing proportions. If you do it and it tastes too much like vinegar, add oil...too oily, add an acid. Set dressing aside.
Toast your walnuts in a dry pan for a few minutes, slice figs and "crumble" your asiago wedge by taking off small chunks with a kitchen knife.
Toss all ingredients together with dressing, carefully not to bruise the figs. Garnish with more figs, asiago and walnuts on top.


Roasted new potatoes with rosemary

This doesn't get any easier. Slice red potatoes into uniform chunks (1.5 in x 1.5 in).
Arrange potatoes in a single layer on an edged baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, salt and freshly-ground pepper. Toss to evenly coat.
Roast at 350 for about 45 minutes (make sure you toss the potatoes around throughout cooking time and add minced rosemary halfway through to prevent rosemary from burning).
Serve on a large platter with string beans and chicken.


Haricot verts sauteed with butter and shallots

Snap the ends off the beans and blanch beans in boiling water for 3-4 minutes.
Immediately transfer to an ice bath to stop residual cooking and maintain pretty green color.
In a pan, heat olive oil and butter then add sliced shallots to saute.
After the shallots have become translucent, add the beans and coat evenly with the fat.
Add salt, freshly ground pepper and more butter if desired.
Saute until the beans are at your desired crispness.



Grilled chicken (marinated in a fig-chipotle sauce) stuffed with grilled portabellos, sun-dried tomatoes, prosciutto and goat cheese

I didn't make this one...but it looked pretty simple to to do.
Marinate boneless skinless chicken breasts in whatever sauce your desire. We used a fig-chipotle marinade.
Meanwhile, marinate two portabello mushrooms caps with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.
Grill both the chicken and mushrooms (only par-cook the chicken. After you stuff it, it will finish in the oven)
Butterfly each chicken breast and stuff with sliced, grilled portabello mushroom, a slice of prosciutto di parma, a pat of goat cheese, and a couple of oil-soaked sun-dried tomatoes (the oil from the tomatoes will keep the stuffing moist)
Transfer stuffed chicken to the oven until breasts are fully cooked through


Apple tart with cinnamon and lemon zest

My mom and I would always make this on the weeknights when I was in high school. It is so simple and tastes homemade.
You can either bake your own apples until softened or use frozen apples. We baked them.
After the apples are baked and cooled, combine with cinnamon, sugar and lemon zest.
Using a refrigerated pie crust, spoon in apple mixture and fold residual dough over to seal the filling in.
Top with an egg wash and turbinado sugar for crunch.
Bake at 350 until dough is golden brown.
Slice and serve warm with homemade whipped cream or vanilla-bean ice cream.

Homemade brownies (a la my grandmother, Becca)

Everything turned out delicious and disappeared within minutes. After dinner, a group of us headed to Kenichi for some sake and Sapporo.

Saturday morning, my mom and I made breakfast for the boys while they were glued to watching football.

We made really simple migas:
Cut corn tortillas into slices, saute with a bit of oil until crispy
In a separate pan, saute onions and red peppers until softened, add beaten eggs and season with salt and pepper
When eggs are cooked, fold in tortilla strips and top with shredded cheese. Cover pan to melt cheese.
Serve with salsa and fresh avocado slices.

Saturday night, Jared, Megan, David and i went to the Covey for dinner. The boys opted for beer (Texas Wheat, Weiner Bock, Amber Ale) and Megan and I split a bottle of Pinot Grigio. Once again, we were starving so we ordered way too much (and ate it all). To begin, we split a southwestern Greek salad with sweet peppers, feta and a hummus crouton. Next, we ordered the Ta-Tanka pizza (shaved bison, spicy Asian dressing, caramelized onions, fresh mozzarella and cilantro). It was SO delicious...perfect flavor combination. The pizza usually comes with roasted red peppers but I substituted them for the onions and cilantro. Try it!

Next, we ordered the blackened halibut tacos with a jalapeno cole slaw and a black bean and corn salsa. The tacos were flavorful and light with the perfect amount of heat. The corn and black bean salad was pretty worthless to me- not much flavor. Finally, we ordered the chocolate souffle served with vanilla bean ice cream. It was warm and gooey and the ice cream was addicting. Perfect dessert to share for an evening out.

Our weekend eating binge ended with Sunday morning brunch at Gloria's...huevos con papas with guacamole- too full to walk.