Life With Healthy Diet

Do you run a food blog? Or do you enjoy sharing pictures of your foodie adventures in your Facebook? Maybe you’re thinking of starting a home-based baking business and would like to upload photos of your creations to your website or Multiply account.
This article can help even amateur photographers take impressive food photos. You don’t need a high-tech camera. It’s all in knowing how to frame your shot, and adjust the settings of your camera. Don’t worry, it’s easy! Read on for our simple explanation.

Composition

We eat with our eyes first. That’s why, when we take photos of food, we need to capture the color, texture and presentation. Sometimes, zooming in too close will crop out all the details that could add personality to your photo. For example, the roughness of a clay pot of an authentic curry, or the rough grain of your wooden picnic table are part of the “story” of your dish. But if the dish is already colorful, or has interesting texture, then by all means go up close and crop or blur out any distracting elements around the plate. Experiment with different zoom settings to see what effects you get, and study the food shots in cookbooks and food magazines to see how professional photographers tackle the art of composition.

Blurring 101

Let’s say you want to blur the background of the photo. How do you do that? Adjust the aperture or F/stop of your camera. The ideal F/stop is 1.6 to 2.8. And if you can, change your camera mode to Aperture Priority. That means if you set the aperture to its lowest setting, your camera will automatically adjust all the other settings.

Work with the light

You don’t need to spend a fortune on fancy lights. Mother Nature still has the best lights – just use it to your advantage. Shoot in what photographers call “available light” or natural light. Bring the food next to the window, or shoot it outdoors on a makeshift table. Most photographers recommend using light-colored table cloth which will add to the sense of brightness.

Play with the background

If you can’t blur the background, consider removing distracting elements or changing your position or the angle of the camera, so you fill the frame with the food and avoid taking pictures of, say, the ugly signage or the people at the next table. Try tilting your camera, or standing up and taking a shoot from the top (if you’re at home, you can try standing on a stable chair).

Experiment with food styling

If you’re shooting your own dishes at home, then you have the freedom to manipulate the food presentation. Will the chocolate cupcakes look better if they’re on a colorful plate? Or maybe you can add steamed vegetables to add some texture and color to your roast chicken. Or you can go thematic. If you’ve prepared a romantic dinner for two, scatter rose petals or position a rosebud near the plates, to help tell the story of the dish.

Raw Food Diet Life

What would it be like wake up every morning loaded with more energy than you've had in years! A high enzyme, nutrient-dense raw health foods diet creates major improvements in health.
Weight normalizes, that means losing excess weight. At the same time, a person feels extremely energized. It's as if energy would rather be burned up than converted to fat!
Raw foods are easy to digest for most people, and they provide the maximum amount of nutrients with minimal digestive effort by your body.

Imagine that you are in better shape, feel healthier, and have lost much of your excess weight. This is all possible with the Raw Food Diet See our FAQ.
Whether you wish to just add more delicious nutrient-dense, high-enzyme raw foods to your diet for better health, or you want to explore going all raw, here you will find the resources and inspiration you need to "eat raw" and succeed, so you can gain the health, energy, vitality, simplicity of lifestyle and clarity of mind that come with eating raw foods.
You will find information on why and how to eat raw foods, recipes, equipment for preparing live foods, and delicious raw food staples and treats that you can purchase online.

Mini Cake D.I.Y

I love coming across past projects and images I had forgotten about like this mini cake I created for a photo shoot I art directed a few years ago. You can read more about the mini cake D.I.Y.
I stumbled upon these delectable images from a photo shoot I worked on with Karen Wise a few years ago. I absolutely adore decorated cakes, but we didn't have time to have one custom made. So I purchased the mini vanilla frosted cake from a local grocery store, covered it in wonderfully white coconut flakes, and topped it with the tiniest of daisies...and voila...a custom cake that we used for a wedding-themed photo shoot!

Sweet Wedding cakes

Wedding cakes look so intimidating because they are usually swathed in fondant and artistic icing. If you dream of a sleek, fondant-draped cake with elaborate decorations, we can't help you. I'm all thumbs with a pastry bag, so I'm sticking with the rustic look I prefer anyway. Besides, that frosting and fondant hardly ever taste good! You could dust powdered sugar or cocoa over instead for a simple and more modern look.

Whipped cream! - Even if you're ditching frosting you can still get that stacked look. We're planning on baking several sizes of each cake and stacking them with stiff whipped cream between the layers. This takes almost no skill - just slather on the whipped cream for a soft, rustic look. I'll make the whipped cream the night before and stabilize it with a little gelatin. Any reasonably experienced friend or relative can be delegated to stack and assemble. 1-2-3-done.

Ribeye Steak With Grilled Garlic and Rosemary

One of the greatest things about July 4th weekend is that ALL THE MEAT IS ON SALE!!! Beautifully marbled Angus ribeye steaks for $5.99 a pound. By the way that I cooked tonight, you would have thought we were celebrating the holiday early!
I have a dilemma. I have about 42 posts that are sitting in the “Drafts” folder. They must have hired someone over at WordPress to do nothing but wait for the moment that I log in. I get a pop-up message that nobody else that I know gets: “ALERT! Steamy Kitchen! You have 42 drafts waiting. Most of them full with incoherent thoughts and incomplete sentences. Are you planning on finishing them?”
I swear, my husband must have said something to WordPress….he’s always complaining that I’m a good starter, but a lousy finisher. Especially when it comes to painting a room. About once every 3 months, I get bored of a room’s color and shop for a new palette. I start eye-level and methodically paint a perfect 3 foot x 3 foot area on each wall. Because any higher or lower than than would require straining, reaching and grunting. And that’s just not lady-like (because….cough….telling the world about my Pocket Rocket is).
Well, good thing husband is a great finisher, and he is so patient too!

Back to the whole subject of 42 drafts….I have A LOT of recipes to share with you. All of them have gorgeous photos ready and waiting. Most of them have the recipes already written out in short-hand that only mutt wearing a pink tutu would understand. They are all realllllly goooood eating and recipes that are either family secrets taught by my Mom or ones that I have been refining over the years. But every time that I want to finish a draft….a shiny, new recipe (usually found on one of your blogs!) comes along and distracts my attention. Off to go experiment and cook something new! Dang….the life of a Flogger is really tough.

Make You Mouth Watering Steak

Ingredients:
* 2 flat iron steaks, about 1 pound each
* 1/4 cup of dry red wine
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
* 1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
* 1 teaspoon dry mustard
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation:
Place flat iron steaks in a shallow baking dish. Season with salt. Combine marinade ingredients and pour onto meat, turn to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour. Preheat grill for medium high heat. Remove meat from dish and discard marinade. Place onto grill and cook for 5-7 minutes per side. When meat reaches desired doneness, remove from heat all let meat sit for 3 minutes before slicing.

Keep Breading On Meat Tips

Coating meat with a breading mixture before cooking it retains moisture in the meat and allows some of the meat's juices to permeate the breading, producing a delicious crust. Breading is also another vehicle to apply seasoning to the meat by direct contact. Breaded meat is cooked in the oven or broiler and pan-fried with equally good results. Cooking breaded meat in the oven and broiler give it that fried food flavor without the detrimental health effects of oil. It is very frustrating to go through the process of breading meat only to have it stick to the pan or fall off while cooking.

Preparing the Work Area
1.Dry the refrigerated meat with paper towels. Set the meat on a paper towel and cover it with another to keep it dry. Place the dish of meat to the left side on the workstation.
2.Set a medium-sized bowl of all-purpose flour, seasoned to taste with black pepper, salt and Italian seasoning, to the right of the meat.
3.Blend two eggs with ½ cup buttermilk in a medium-sized bowl. Place it to the right of the flour mixture.
4.Make a breading mix of bread crumbs seasoned to taste with black pepper, salt and grated parmesan cheese in a medium-sized bowl. The parmesan cheese adds flavor and helps bind the breading together when it melts.
5.Place a cooling rack on a cookie sheet and set it to the right of the breading mix.
Breading the Meat
1.Use your left hand to remove the paper towel from the meat and place a piece of meat into the flour mixture. Cover the piece of meat on all sides and edges with the flour, using the right hand while keeping the hand as dry as possible.
2.Use the right hand to place the meat in the egg wash without touching the egg wash.
3.Use the left hand, or "wet hand", to immerse the meat completely in the egg wash. Lift the meat out and allow it to drain back into the bowl, and then place it in the bread crumb mixture.
4.Rake breading onto the top of the meat with the dry right hand and then coat it heavily with the bread crumbs, pressing down gently to make the crumbs stick to the meat. Lay the breaded piece of meat onto the cooling rack inside the cookie sheet.
5.Continue the process until all meat has been breaded and then place the cookie sheet into the refrigerator for one hour. The time of refrigeration allows the breading to bind together.
Cooking the Meat
1.Combine half butter and half olive oil into a skillet on medium-high and pre-heat it until the oil sizzles and pops when a drop of water falls into it. The oil level should be about ½-inch high in the skillet; add more as you proceed if necessary.
2.Place the meat into the skillet and press down on it gently with a spatula so it seats evenly onto the surface of the skillet.
3.Slide the skillet back and forth across the burner carefully. When the meat dislodges from the bottom, turn it over and cook it on the other side. Serve immediately.

Right Way To Store The Cooked Meat

There are times, when the meat you have cooked becomes extra even after you have eaten some, and you just don’t understand what best way to keep it. So, if you know how to store cooked meat in the right way, there will be no tensions of food poisoning and the flavor can be preserved for long. Learning how to store cooked meat is not just about keeping your meat in the right place, but also, how long to keep it. Food safety is the prime concern when storing food items, and so, follow these golden rules and learn how to store cooked meat in the safest way –
Instructions on how to store cooked meat –
For specific cooked meats
If you have cooked casseroles or prepared minced meat, then refrigerate the dish immediately after it has cooled down and reached a normal room temperature. However, if you are in some sort of hurry and wish to cool down the meat fast, then, place the food in the shallow container and then refrigerate or freeze it. Leftovers of meat roasts and meats that have been barbequed are best stored in the fridge as fast as possible, avoiding much delay.

Freezing cooked meat
Meat casseroles and stews are best stored in the freezer. The same is true for minced meat dishes like meatballs in sauce and pasta meat sauce. However, if you have meatloaf to store or you are planning to store a fully cooked braised meat, then freezing them wouldn’t be the best thing to do. This is because; these cooked meats have very less sauce and so freezing would dry up the entire sauce.
Storing cooked meat in containers
If you are cooking large quantities of meat and would like to store them for the coming days, then arrange a series of cake tins or similar containers and strong plastic bags. Then, put the meals into each of these containers and pack them inside the plastic bags. Seal the bags, label and put them in the freezer. When the meat is frozen, remove it from the container and then reseal. This will expel the air from inside the container and preserve the cooked meat for a longer time. You can trust aluminum foil trays and plastic made ice cream containers for packing and freezing cooked meat. In this way, minced meat, meatballs, sauced meat and meat casseroles can be stored frozen for up to three months.

Greek Salad - Noodles Salad

Noodles and Company has a delicious Greek salad called the Med Salad. What I love about it is the curly cavatappi pasta and the spicy greek-style yogurt dressing. This recipe shows you how to make your own Med (Mediterranean) salad at home and also how to make the Med Salad dressing from Noodles and Company.

Ingredients

• 1 cup cavatappi pasta
• Romaine lettuce
• 1 cucumber
• 1 tomato
• 1 red onion
• A handful of black olives
• 1-2 tsp. sriracha hot sauce (depends on how spicy you want it)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tbsp. feta cheese, crumbled (for dressing)
• Salt & Pepper to taste

New Ways To Cook Noodles

Starting this Friday, C-Style begins its new food column - Foodie Fridays. This column will cover our recommendations for delicious foods in the Chicagoland area, and will rotate with the popular Fashion Forward Fridays.
Today, we feature Noodles and Company. Last week, I was invited to a tasting at the newly opened Clybourn store located at 2000 N. Clybourn. Greeted by General Manager, Jennie Mullenix, I was seated with another foodie named Laura, who had also brought along her precious baby daughter, Lark. Unfortunately, Lark is only six months old, so we all enjoyed the spread for her.

Our first dish was an appetizer -chicken and vegetable potstickers - along with a soy dipping sauce. Laura and I shared the dish which was absolutely terrific!
While eating these tasty dumplings, Jenny explained how Noodles & Company came to be. The company was started in the Cherry Creek neighborhood of Denver, Colorado in 1995. Since then, the company has opened up 300 restos across the country. The Clybourn location is only the third in Chicago with the others located at 180 North Michigan Avenue and 2813 N. Broadway.
Before we finished the apps, our first dish of Wisconsin Mac & Cheese was served. This dish touts a blend of cheddar and jack cheeses. Unfortunately, it wasn't the best mac and cheese I've had. I found the cheese too sharp (the cheddar, I'm guessing) for my taste. But things were about to get a whole lot better!
Our next dish was Truffle Mac w/Baby Portabellas. Wow! This dish knocked everyone's socks off! Dubbed as "Mac & Cheese All Grown Up," this dish is part of a trio of new flavors the restaurant now serves.Everyone was raving about this dish while eating it.When polled by me after the affair, everyone voted that this dish was the best in show! Made with white truffle oil, sauteed baby portabella mushrooms, toasted breadcrumbs and topped with parmesan cheese, this dish is at the top of our list for you to try.
Next we were treated to the Southwestern Chili Mac dish.The chili mac was spicy and loaded with meatballs, onions, beans, and of course cheese. This took me back to when my grandmother used to bring home chili mac from a downtown diner that no longer exists. This dish is real comfort food. However, Laura did not go for the beans--preferring the dish without any.

Korean Sushi

When I first arrived in Korea my new employer immediately took me out for dinner. We found a small hole in the wall restaurant and he ordered food for the whole table. After fifteen minutes, waves of dishes started making their way to our table, and soon our entire table was flooded with a variety of small dishes. I scanned the table and I couldn't identify a single dish, a terrifying thought for a fussy eater like myself. After I sampled some of the table's offerings, my boss turned to me and asked "So what do you think of the dog soup?" Shocked and confused I turned to face him only to be met with smiles and chuckles.

I will be the first to admit that my knowledge on food, even of the western variety, is fairly limited. And when I arrived in Korea I might have well been on another planet with all the unidentifiable foods I came across. On this alien planet one dish in particular managed to find its way onto almost every table I sat at -- Kimchi!

Now, if your talking staples, then along with sticky rice, Kimchi has to be considered one of Korea's favourite dishes. Kimchi is made by fermenting seasoned vegetables and it comes in hundreds of different forms. This 2600 to 3000 years old dish generally has a varying degree of spice to it, and the number of different types is staggering. There is nabak kimchi (radish water kimchi), oi sobagi (stuffed cucumber kimchi), yeolmu kimchi (young summer radish Kimchi), gat kimchi (leaf mustard kimchi), pa kimchi (green onion kimchi), vangbaechu kimchi (western cabbage kimchi), gul kkakdugi (diced radish kimchi mixed with oysters), and many more. Kimchi is also one of the healthiest Korean foods. Even "Health" magazine placed it in the top five of the world's healthiest foods. Kimchi is an important part of Korea's sense of identity and it is embedded in their culture and history. Families even enjoy this spicy cabbage with breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Typical Korean Diet

I would like to preface this article about Korean food as such: The information contained herein is based on personal observation and experience and also random bits and pieces culled from the interweb. It is by no means comprehensive or even accurate. I say all this because Koreans take their food very seriously. They are (justifiably) proud of their unique cuisine and I do not wish to offend. Please consider this one foreigner’s guide to what she has seen of Korean food. Enjoy!

Let’s start with the basics. The main ingredients in almost all Korean foods are chili peppers, garlic (I read that Koreans eat more garlic than Italians do), soy (both bean and sauce), salt, ginger and sesame oil. Tofu, chicken, pork and seafood are the most common “proteins.” Beef is very expensive and, therefore, not eaten too often. All meals will be served with kimchi, rice and several vegetables. It should be noted that Koreans typically eat the same foods for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
So, the flavor of Korean food is unique due to the heavy use of chili peppers and garlic. It tends to be spicy, salty and sweet . Most dishes are boiled, sauteed or barbecued. Only a few are fried. Basically, the meals are well balanced and quite flavorful.

What Food Give You

Lean Protein
Protein makes up our hair, nails, skin, blood, hormones, enzymes...the list goes on. Suffice to say that protein is essential to the human diet. Broken down by special acids and used to perform countless functions, protein must be replenished daily through our diet, making it a very healthy ingredient in food. Good sources include:
 
- eggs
- meat and poultry
- fish
- milk and other dairy products, like yogurt or cheese
- legumes like beans, peas, and nuts
- whole grainsThe problem with protein is that when consumed in the form of many meats and/or animal products, protein can be accompanied by saturated fat. Lean protein, or protein that is accompanied by less than 10grams of fat, is the best choice for weight and health conscious eaters. Choosing lean meats, like chicken, turkey, or lean beef (beef that has been trimmed of excess fats) provides plenty of protein without the added calories and fats.

Fiber
Fiber, though not scientifically considered an essential nutrient, plays many important roles in healthy living and nutritious foods. It lowers cholesterol, stabilizes blood sugar levels, slows the digestion of carbohydrates, regulates the digestive system/prevents constipation, and slows the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream. Fiber rich diets have been linked to lower instances of heart disease and obesity.

Fiber, like the different fats, is also listed on all food labels. Good sources include: whole grains, unrefined grains, grains, whole grain products like bread and pasta, brans, oatmeal, wheat germ, fruits, and vegetables.

Vitamins
These food elements work together to fill in the rest of the nutritive properties of food. Deficiencies often lead to illness and death, as is often in the case in third world countries where well rounded diets are not easily accessible. The list of these elements and the roles they play is long... B vitamins alone could take up an entire page, but here is a guideline to some of the most important:

Vitamin A: helps build and maintain healthy skin and promotes eye health; found in dark leafy greens like spinach, and yellow/orange fruits or veggies like carrots

Vitamin B-complex: performs many roles, including releasing food energy, building healthy skin, aiding the development of red blood cells, and assisting metabolism; found in dairy, meat, nuts, legumes, some fruit, and vegetables (individual vitamin sources vary)

Vitamin C: maintains healthy blood vessels and tissues, speeds healing, and boosts the immune system; found in citrus fruits, dark leafy greens, broccoli, cabbage, peppers, strawberries, and green tea

Vitamin D: maintains healthy bones and teeth and helps them harden, aids in calcium absorption; found in dairy, eggs, some fish, and sunlight

Vitamin E: fights the destruction of healthy cells and vitamins like A and C by free radicals; found in dark, leafy greens, vegetable oils, whole grains, wheat germ

Vitamin K: helps blood to clot; found in dark, leafy greens, milk, egg yolks

Healthy Food

We understand that food provides certain essential macronutrients, namely protein, fats, and carbohydrates. Without these nutrients in balance no diet can be completely healthy. However, some qualities of certain nutrients are healthier than others, and some foods provide these healthy items better than others. Understanding the "ingredients" of a "healthy" food will help you to build a diet that can better fuel the body and prevent disease.
Good Fats, Bad fats
Not all fats are created equal. We know that an excess of fat can lead obesity, heart disease, and chronic illnesses like cancer. However, there are several kinds of fat that are not only beneficial but essential to healthy living. They are needed for the transportation and absorption of vitamins A, D, E, and K, which cannot be absorbed and used by the body without fats; the regulation of cholesterol in metabolism; for the creation of certain chemicals used by the body; and for healthy skin and hair. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are actually good for cardiovascular system, lowering bad cholesterol. Additionally, some fats that exist in the form of fatty acids, like Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, help prevent disease, lower bad cholesterol, control high blood pressure, and treat ailments like depression and anxiety disorder.

Polyunsaturated fats, monounsaturated fats, Omega-3's, and Omega-6's are elements of healthy foods; even though a serving of nuts may appear very high in fat, you'll notice that saturated fat quantities are low; the rest of come from this "good fat" category. Most ingredient labels now list poly and mono unsaturated fats, so knowing a good fatty food from a bad fatty food is as easy as checking the package. Some sources of good fats include:
- Olive oil
- Walnut oil
- Flaxseed oil
- Sesame and sunflower seed oils
- Avocado oil
- Nuts like walnuts, almonds, brazil nuts, pistachios, and cashews
- Oily fish like salmon, tuna, mackerel, bass, and sardines
- Whole grains like flaxseed and wheat germTry to replace bad fats, like butter and margarine, with the good oils and fats listed above. Replacing sources of saturated fats, like excessive quantities of cheese, fried food, or red meat, a few times a week with the healthier options above can add an extra nutritious edge you your diet. Sautee items in olive or walnut oils rather than frying in tradition oil and use ground nuts as flavorful sauces instead of cheese or cream, and substitute fish for red meat at least once a week.

Details to Cook Vegetable Soup

Ingredients to Cook Vegetable Soup
1 can chicken broth
3 T chicken base
2 quarts water
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp salt
1 inch chunk ginger, peeled & crushed
2 bay leaves
8 large cloves garlic, crushed
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1/2 Bermuda onion, thinly sliced
1 large red pepper, chopped
12 baby carrots, thinly sliced
1 leek, thinly sliced
5 mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 scallion, sliced in one-inch pieces

Steps to Cook Vegetable Soup

Step 1 to Cook Vegetable Soup
Put everything into a pot and simmer mildly for 1-2 hours contributing water as necessary. This makes a light, refreshing, summer dish or start course.
Step 2 to Cook Vegetable Soup
For a more essential meal, you can add a few pierogies or raviolis 10-15 min before serving by first bringing soup to a boil. Or this can be served over fresh noodles.
Step 3 to Cook Vegetable Soup
Season to taste, & take out from heat.
Step 4 to Cook Vegetable Soup
Serve accompanied by toasted bread spread w/ garlic butter and Parmesan cheese.

Fresh Tomatos Too Much Benefit

Tomatoes are extremely popular with gardeners across the land, whilst they are good to grow in grow bags or in the garden, increasingly, gardeners are realising the benefits of growing their tomatoes hydroponically. The benefits of this soilless growing are myriad, allowing gardeners to grow their produce all rear round whilst reducing the amount of pesticides that are needed.
Hydroponics is certainly an easy way to grow and cultivate plants, that is not to say however that hydroponic gardening will require no work at all. Time and effort are essential if you are going to achieve decent growth and healthy tomatoes. Below are five tips that should help hydroponic gardeners grow their tomatoes.

• When placing your tomatoes into the system it is important to save space. Subsequently using plastic bins in which place your pots will help you decide on the size of your operation and how many plants you will be able to get into the space.
• Whether you choose to grow from seedlings or from seeds is entirely your choice. If growing from seedlings make sure to completely clean any soil away from the roots as this could lead to infection later down the line. If growing from seed you need to plant your seed in a nursery, typically using rockwool and perlite a growing media in which to germinate the seeds will be effective. Ensure that before you transplant your tomatoes into the main system that the roots are sufficient developed.
• It helps to give tomatoes some support when growing, subsequently support stakes are a good idea. These will help the tomato plants to grow upright and vertical.
• Nutrient selection is a key element in using hydroponics. Remember the ratio of water to nutrients at all times and carefully monitor the pH level of your nutrient solution regularly as this can be catastrophic if it is allowed to go too much either way.
• Finally, when placing your plants remember the importance of light and try to put your plants in an area with plenty of sunlight. Alternatively if you are going to be using grow lights, ensure that these have sufficient levels of lumen and also set up a light schedule for the tomatoes.
• 

Hopefully the preceding tips will help you grow bumper crops of tomatoes, filling your salads and sandwiched with sweet, juicy red jewels.

Vegetables In Your Diet

Some people can’t stand the taste of vegetables. Others are bothered by their lack of taste. But, either way vegetables are an integral part of your diet and should be consumed for optimal health.Unfortunately, studies show that only 27% of adults get their 3 servings of vegetables per day.So, if you find yourself amongst those not consuming enough veggies on a daily basis, here’s 8 delicious ways to sneak more vegetables into your diet.

Dip’em
Raw veggies are a great snack and even better if you’re replacing highly processed snacks like chips and crackers with them. Just dip them in hummus or a little of your favorite salad dressing or veggie dip. Just don’t go overboard and drown your baby carrots in high-fat and calorie dips.
Oil’em
One of my favorite snacks is to pour a little olive oil (heart healthy oil) over broccoli and sprinkling a little black pepper over them and baking in the oven at low heat for 20 minutes. Try experimenting with different spices to find a combination you love.
Splash of cheese
Adding a moderate amount of cheese to broccoli, cauliflower and other vegetables is a great way to add taste and you’ll get a serving a dairy. You can also add moderate amounts of shredded or feta cheese to your salad for a little extra kick.
Steamable bags
Often times we are just too busy to try and steam vegetables on the stove, but with the invention of steamable vegetable bags, available in different brands at most local groceries, you can perfectly steam up just about any vegetable in 5 short minutes!
Slow cook onions
Onions have a very pungent smell and overpowering taste which is why they are often put to the side. However, by simply slow cooking onions you can drastically cut out the smell and even add little sweet flavor to them.
Sneak’em in
The easiest way to get more vegetables in your diet is to sneak them in. Lasagna, soup, meat loaf, spaghetti, stews, you name it, you can sneak a healthy portion of veggies into it. The cooking weakens the taste of the vegetables while strengthening the taste of the spices.
Satisfy your sweet tooth
While many vegetables have a bitter taste, there are those that have sweet taste and pack a lot of nutrients such as sweet potatoes, squash, carrots and sweet peas.

The Popular Cuban Cocktail

The popular Cuban cocktail’s combination of sweetness, citrus, and refreshing mint is the best way to fend off the summer heat wave.
Prep: 20 minutes
Chill: 1 hour
Makes: 8 servings
2 large limes, cut into pieces (reserve one piece)
2 cups water
2/3 cup sugar
2 cups water
1/4 to 1/2 cup light rum
Sugar
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
Ice cubes
Quartered limes and/or mint leaves (optional)
1. In a blender combine lime pieces, 2 cups water, and 2/3 cup sugar. Cover and blend about 30 seconds or until limes are chopped; do not puree. Strain through a sieve into a large pitcher. Mix in 2 cups additional water. Cover and chill for 1 to 12 hours.
2. Stir rum into lime mixture. Moisten the rims of 8 glasses with the reserved lime piece; dip rims in sugar. Divide mint among glasses. Use a wooden spoon to press mint into the bottom of each glass; press firmly to release flavor. Fill glasses with ice cubes. Pour chilled lime mixture over ice and mint leaves. If desired, add extra quartered limes and/or mint leaves.
Nutrition Information per serving: 95 calories, 0g protein, 21g carbohydrate, 0g fat (0g saturated), 1g fiber

A Neighborhood Feeling Breakfast

There are many perks to staying in a bed and breakfast Beechworth. These places are warm and cozy and will feature some of the element of home. Situated in quiet neighborhoods, there is a lot to gain out of a vacation in a place like this. There are different prices and packages that can make these places affordable and attractive. Many tourists do not realize just how appealing these residences are, staying in a hotel can have someone miss out on many of Australia’s fantastic features.

A neighborhood feeling is what a tourist will have when staying in a bed and breakfast. Most homes are situated in a neighborhood with other homes and a sense of community. A hotel may give someone a fast moving feeling, where the only option for food is a high priced restaurant or fast food. There are things that vacationers can experience when they begin their journey right in the hear of a city.The business operators can give their guests the inside information about where to visit and fun things to do. They will know what places to avoid and which ones are worth the money and time. When tourist spots can be visited that have a reputation for being great, then a traveler will feel more confidant about doing it.

Pancake Soup-Are You A Cheater

Just like salt and pepper, stock made from meats or vegetables is a standard ingredient in many, many recipes we cook. Back in the days when I was a student (wow somehow that sounds really weird, will I get punished with gray hair by just having said this?), I was quite indifferent – really, I couldn’t care less about what exactly I used in my recipes, broth powder, stock cubes from the supermarket? No problem, they did the job! Glutamate, flavor enhancers? What was that again?
With my taste buds becoming more and more picky and my increasing knowledge and interest about everything edible, my shopping habits changed naturally over time: besides many other things, ordinary salt was substituted by sea salt – crumbling the large crystals of fleur de sel with my fingers over a freshly cooked dish has become an indispensable ritual – and of course yucky broth powder quickly lost its place on my spice board.
Today, whenever possible, we try to avoid artificial flavor enhancers like MSG (monosodium glutamate, E 621). Glutamate being responsible for the umami taste (savory to meaty) and while occurring naturally in many vegetables like tomatoes and cheese, is accused of negative health effects like the “Chinese restaurant syndrome“, a definite scientific evidence is missing though. Besides its appetizing effect, one’s taste buds get accustomed to it and ask for more, in contrast, the natural taste of ingredients might be perceived as boring and dull. All valid reasons for avoiding artificially added MSG when possible, don’t you think?
“Some would say that the public’s widespread distrust of MSG has deeply moved food makers—not to take glutamate out of their food, but to find ways of delivering it under unassuming pseudonyms.”
Slate, May 2006
The simplest, not necessarily the quickest solution is to only use homemade stock. Chances are it’ll taste a heck of a lot better, too. Sadly our freezer has the size of a bigger shoe box, hence I cannot prepare tons of stock in advance, but there is hardly a stock making experience without leaving some leftovers that I usually freeze in an ice cube tray. Popping some of them in any pasta sauce makes it go from palatable to MORISH.
Ingredients for your own stock powder
Since I’m always in for a secret weapon, I was dying to try Alexander Herrmann’s homemade stock powder (recipe in German, illustrated with pictures), but am not yet satisfied with the results – the tiny amount of stock powder I yielded did not quite justify the masses of veggies and effort I put in. (Different vegetables get chopped in the food processor together with sea salt, then spread on a baking tray and dried at low temperature over night, finally powdered using a food processor again.)
Besides the omnipotent chicken noodle soup, a traditional pancake soup (“Flädlesuppe” in German) is probably my second favorite way to eat home cooked broth. To add some eye candy and as a subtle spring flavor, chopped chives zap up the thin pancakes.
Heat up a large pot and add a little olive oil or butter, together with the quartered onions and roast them while stirring. If they gain a little more color than necessary no worries (in fact it’ll add a nice taste), just be careful to not completely turn them into charcoal. Add the chopped vegetables, the cold water as well as the spices & herbs. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium/low and let simmer without the lid for up to an hour.
Pour through a fine mesh sieve or cloth (I prefer a clear stock) into a large bowl, pressing down well on the vegetables with a ladle, then discard them. Pour the soup back into the pot, reheat and season to taste. For the last five minutes add the sliced carrots, which will remain in the soup.
In a large bowl add the flour, the salt and the eggs, beat until combined (don’t overdo it), then add the milk and blend well. Sticking to these steps in the described order will help to avoid annoying lumps. Let rest for 15 minutes, then add the chopped chives.

Heat a preferably non-stick pan over medium to high heat and add a teaspoon of clarified butter. If a drop of water thrown into the pan starts to sizzle, you can continue with your first pancake.
Pour a ladle of batter in the middle of the pan and move it swiftly until the batter coveres the complete pan bottom and forms a nice round shape. Flip as soon as the bottom side shows signs of golden brown spots, then bake on the other side and remove from the pan. Add some more clarified butter to the pan and start over again until all of the batter is used up.
After the pancakes have cooled down a bit, roll each pancake tightly and cut into thin rolls.
Place a hand full of the sliced pancakes in a bowl and pour the hot soup over them. Decorate with chopped chives and serve hot.

When a friend asks you a favor

When a friend asks you a favor, you can’t really say no, can you? Obviously within reason, I’m always happy to lend a hand. But here’s how Coco and I initially thought about it, when Sebastian had asked us to take part in a little TV documentary he was about to do: Nada. Nooooo! I mean, NO WAY! On the other hand Sebastian is a very dear and helpful friend who showed persistence and then, what bad could really happen?
Where to start? First off, I will never again judge anyone cooking on TV. A simple action like peeling a garlic clove can turn into a never ending story. The script says, remove that little sprout inside the clove for a close up shot – but none of the cloves have any, your smile and enthusiasm slowly fades after the tenth shot, the room is now infused with a intense nice garlicky smell. Multi-tasking is key, having a backround in juggling is even better. Some takes not only required precise and reproducible action, but remembering the correct text (alright we’re not talking Shakespeare here but still), checking your moves in real-time on the monitor to make sure the arrangement on the plate looks good and you do, too, oh AND keep that smiling face. Whew! My frozen smile every so often was replaced by side-bursting laughter, triggered by the producer who gave me THE look (giving me the V-sign to his eyes, meaning: HEY, LOOK AT ME, not in the camera!). The whole thing took much longer than originally planned (surprise, surprise) and ended with a little feast of the left overs in our messy kitchen. Mission accomplished and lesson learned. TV? No thank you, I think I’ll pass next time ;)
As soon as we got a handle on the kitchen mess, my kitchen spirit asked for a non-elaborate, quick summer cake – we enjoyed the warmest April in the last 100 years (and finally got some long-awaited rain this morning). Rhubarb is currently on everyone’s mind, so I quickly settled for an easy to make crumble cake, however, one with an extra dose of calories: including a heavy cream and egg frosting. Pouring it over the half-baked cake gives it extra creaminess and rewards the baker with a juicy fruit cake, one that eventually will be dense enough to be eaten right out of your hand.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (~355°F). Thoroughly butter the cake form (~26cm in diameter) or use parchment paper to cover the bottom.
In a large bowl beat the butter together with the eggs, sugar and salt until the batter is well combined and a bit fluffy. Mix flour and baking powder, add to the bowl and rub the mixture with your fingers until smaller and larger crumbs develop. (Beating the batter well in the beginning helps the crumbs to feel airy and light and come together easily.)
Now put one half, up to two thirds of the crumbs in the baking form and gently press down to form the bottom as well as a rim. Depending on what fruits you’d like to use for your cake and how juicy they are, cover the bottom with a thin layer of breadcrumbs to prevent the fruits from completely soaking the cake bottom, then evenly spread the prepared fruits. Finally cover them loosely with the remaining crumbs. Bake for about 25 minutes at medium level.
Meanwhile prepare the cream frosting: Combine eggs, sugar, scraped out vanilla seeds and heavy cream in a mixing bowl and beat well. After half the baking time (the 25 minutes mentioned above), remove the cake and slowly pour the frosting over it, let it soak deep into the cake. Make sure to spread it evenly and try to not let it get beyond the rim (it may leave dark, burned spots, but doesn’t really influence the later taste). Bake for another 25 minutes or until the top turns golden brown and the frosting has set. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before releasing from the baking form to further cool down. Serve with some whipped cream if desired and enjoy.

Forget one a day, in Los Angeles

Forget one a day, in Los Angeles, you could easily eat three sandwiches a day. And in this alternate universe of hero, sub, and panino bliss, each day would start with a breakfast sandwich, that eye-opening combination of egg, cheese, maybe a little meat, or a few vegetables thrown in for good measure.
The key to a good egg sandwich is of course the egg—it must be perfectly cooked and in symbiotic harmony with the other ingredients. And while all sandwiches should be well-composed, since these are often the first thing you eat all day, these AM eats carry a special burden, setting the pace for the rest of the day's dining.

That’s why it’s a bit of a shame to admit

I am all for simple things. That’s why it’s a bit of a shame to admit, that I don’t remember when I last ordered a Greek salad or made one myself before we embarked on our journey. The ingredients list is more or less known to everybody, every item is a true pleaser to my palate and yet – why is it, that despite its simplicity the biggest food surprise of our holidays is this basic salad?

We have had the pleasure to spend some wonderful days with friends sailing the Aegean Sea (more on the trip soon) and eating our way through the Greek cuisine. Take my word for it. Our friend and skipper Georg, who knows the region like the back of his hand, guided us well from the most beautiful, deserted coves to pristine islands and local, tourist-free taverns. Ah yes, the food! If you think, that all Greek cuisine brings to the table is fat-dripping and heavy, think again. The most unbelievable and amazing dinner we had at a little tavern Georg had been to before and the few words he exchanged with the waiter – he simply said “You decide!” – left us both totally clueless about what was going to happen and excited!

Of course we fully trusted him but what came next I can only vaguely put back together. Ouzo-tinted, blurry memories about a true feast including 29 plates (for the eight of us) filled with an overwhelming variety of Greek mezethes, meat, seafood and – of course – the freshest Greek salads. The abundance of food left nothing to wish for (there couldn’t possibly have been anything on the menu that wasn’t on our table) and entailed an adequate balance of different textures and flavors — smooth and crunchy took turns with hot and cold as well as spicy and mild dishes. To this day, we couldn’t settle on the exact number of Mythos bottles and Ouzo mugs we had that night, our waiter was just too quick refilling our empty glasses… I’m going astray…where was I?
Back to the Greek salad. This salad is as outstanding as the ingredients you choose, simple yet incredible tasty. Its chunky texture and the lavish use of raw onions adds to its fresh apperance. Same with the dressing, which should be applied right at the table. Believe it or not, not a single meal we had – whether homemade on board or at a Greek tavern – came without a Greek salad as a side. That’s how good this salad is!

Peel the cucumber, divide lengthways, then slice thickly. Cut out and remove the stem of the tomatoes and cut their flesh into thick slices or larger chunks. ‘Till now I couldn’t find equally palatable beef tomatoes they used in Greece, that’s why I went with the next best thing, egg tomatoes. Peel the red onion and cut in half lengthways, then slice. Lastly, dice the feta in bite-size cubes.
Nicely arrange the prepared veggies and cheese in a big bowl and decorate with Calamata olives. Best dressed right at the table with sea salt (be frugal, as the olives and feta are pretty salty), freshly ground black pepper, good olive oil and white wine vinegar (which isn’t a must for me). On two occasions the salad we ordered in Greece was served sprinkled with dried oregano – an unnecessary addition if you ask me, at least if all of the ingredients are sun-kissed and darn tasty, but you decide.

I fired right back at him

“I have a confession to make…” were Oliver’s words when he entered the room. “How many?” I fired right back at him. I exactly knew what had happened. I heard him walking towards the kitchen earlier where he couldn’t possibly have overlooked something deliciously simmering on the stove-top, and really, how could he not be tempted? I jokingly call him the food mobster, since you really need to hold on to your plate and never dare to leave the room and your food unattended. Afterwards he’ll claim it was never there to begin with. This time he had gotten hold of an Italian specialty from Calabria, ricotta balls (polpette di ricotta) cooked in a “fake sauce” (per the original meaning). Salsa finta, its actual name, arose from the fact that this tomato sauce contains no meat, which Italians seem to have considered key for a “real sauce” back in the days…

This recipe found its way into our kitchen via ARTE, a German/French TV channel. My latest discovery is their summer special covering regional food documentaries, broadcasted every evening from Monday to Friday. Each documentary features one culinary region, highlights the people that live there, talks about local problems (e.g. the challenges that come with having small, local farms) and shows them preparing typical regional dishes in their own kitchens, all put together in a very authentic and unpretentious way. More often than not the families struggle to survive with their own agriculture, yet daily food and family feasts are celebrated with such joy, it’s a pure pleasure to watch.

And their recipes! Having a weak spot for hearty, down to earth food, I diligently took notes while watching family Olivetos preparing a potato-eggplant dish, ricotta balls and much more. Watching with an empty stomach was almost torture! Checking with ARTE’s website right after made my notes redundant though, oh well. With a few minor changes the recipes turned out beautifully. Easy to prepare and light in consistency, perfect for a rainy August evening – ok, the rain is not crucial ;)
Preparing the sauce (Salsa finta):
Heat the olive oil in a larger pan. Add the finely diced onions and sauté until translucent, then add the tomato puree and lastly the canned tomatoes, crushed or whole. If I use whole ones, I carefully mash them with my fingers right over the pan, that way I can remove the stems easily. Season with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and a generous dash of sugar, which helps to balance the tomatoes’ acidity nicely.
Let it cook lightly for about 15 minutes and add more salt and pepper if necessary. The original recipe makes you add fresh basil to the pan at the same time as you add the tomatoes, but I prefer to add a handful just before serving, maybe a minute or two, to ensure the basil is still fragrant and green.

Preparing the ricotta balls (Polpette di ricotta):
Drain the ricotta over a fine-mesh sieve for at least an hour. Put in a large bowl, together with the finely grated parmesan cheese, one egg, the breadcrumbs, chopped parsley and season with salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Finally add two or three tablespoons of the salsa finta, then start working the ingredients together with your hands and season to taste. If the mix is too smooth to form balls of the size of a walnut, add more breadcrumbs, if it is too firm, add more salsa finta.
Form the balls, add them to the pan of salsa finta and let them cook right in the simmering sauce for about 10 minutes. Don’t forget to sway the pan from time to time to ensure the little balls get cooked through evenly. Just a minute or two before serving add a handful of basil leaves (whole, torn or cut into chiffonade, you decide) to the pan. The original recipe suggests eating the ricotta balls with salsa finta AND pasta, we savored them without pasta, just like we’d enjoy gnocchi, served with some more freshly grated parmesan and black pepper. No pasta required – if you ask me!

Picture me making some dessert

Picture me making some dessert, shouldn’t be too hard, right?! In fact, I’m making new desserts now every other day, even though the dessert section of my book was the first milestone I achieved. But that’s probably of little surprise to you frequent readers, no? Yet new ideas keep inspiring me, this time around I wanted something to complement a very pure and basic panna cotta. How about a reduced, thick, spiced wine syrup? This had to be good.

A bottle of rosé wine had been hiding behind the olive oil bottles in the corner of our kitchen counter for round about a week now, and neither did I remember who put it there nor where it actually came from. But I knew exactly where it would go. In a small pot I started boiling down the rosé wine with sugar and different spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves – a fantastic aroma was roaming though our apartment within minutes. With the help of a digital timer I kept checking back every ten minutes, letting it simmer continuously over low heat. The wine was bubbling leisurely without me, that’s why – after half an hour cooking time – I expanded the time frame and added another twenty minutes. Annoying bee-bee-bee-beeeeep-sounds not only kept me on my toes, but also distracted me from my new favorite CD – for a good reason, the syrup ended up having a perfect consistency and an amazing intense color, mainly amber with shades of red and orange. Carefully I poured it in a sealable glass container to let it cool down.

Whoohoo! Checking back the next morning, my flavorful spiced rosé syrup had turned into an incredible firm and sticky mass, much firmer than for example honey or golden syrup. No way you could have drizzled this elegantly over a beautifully arranged plate, it would come down as a big fat lump. Now I’m wondering: What have I done? Is there something such as wine caramel? It tastes great, I’m just not sure what to do with it!

A really good tomato soup will always

A really good tomato soup will always have a front row seat in my virtual “I hope nobody is watching me licking the soup bowl clean” – list. Quite likely, a well done tomato soup will even outrun the most comforting potato soup as well as a bowl of silky, orange pumpkin soup. Do you have a favorite tomato soup recipe? You do?! Well, I don’t or more accurately: I can’t say. Wait, before you start feeling sorry for me and my inaptness to come up with a great tomato soup recipe – my problem is of a different kind. I actually have too many good and proven recipes to choose from, I know, I know, that’s hardly a real issue.

The kind of tomato soup I am talking about is not very likely to be found in restaurants, when push comes to shove, I don’t remember a single bowl of ordered tomato soup that left a lasting impression. Homemade tomato soups are a whole different story! One of my favorites has got to be my grandma’s – she pureed the plump and flavorful deep red fruits straight from her well maintained greenhouse, using her Flotte Lotte – handheld blenders were still to conquer German kitchens. The secret to her soup’s look and taste was the egg she had lightly beaten and stirred in just before serving, we kids loved the fancy look. Next in line is a tomato soup with roasted peppers. I think tomatoes and roasted peppers should seriously consider marriage, that’s how well they chime together. Or the one with a generous shot of booze (Vodka) and fennel.
You see, I wasn’t really in need of a good tomato soup recipe, when I stumbled upon this recipe from a dear colleague. Tanja Dusy is probably the most knowledgeable food writer I know when it comes to Indian cuisine. She has traveled the continent armed with her camera and recipe notebook, the last treats she pampered us with included a traditional white curry and the juiciest chocolate cake ever (with cardamom and fresh coconut). Her recipes have proved more than once to delight my palate in so many ways, and besides, an Indian version of a tomato soup would add some cosmopolitan flavor to my t-soup recipe repertoire, so why wait? The soup (my version is a little different) was prepared in the blink of an eye, the aroma of the roasted brown mustard seeds is too good to miss out on and while I’m thinking about proper terms to describe to you how addictive this spicy soup really is, I’m seriously considering having it again tomorrow. And the day after tomorrow.

Heat the ghee in a large pot (medium heat), then add the ground cumin, chiles, garam masala as well as the minced garlic and sauté shortly while stirring.
Add the lentils, the canned, slightly mashed tomatoes (I discarded their stems beforehand) including the juice and the vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, season with sugar, turmeric and salt, then let simmer for 20 to 30 minutes – a chatty friend on the other end of the telephone line won’t ruin your dinner, no worries.
If you prefer your soup smooth and silky, this is the time to turn to your [handheld] blender for some assistance – I prefer this one chunky, so no blender for me. In a small pan, roast the brown mustard seeds until they start to crackle and jump around, then add them to the soup. Adjust the soup’s seasoning to your liking and fill in bowls. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and serve with sour cream and bread.

Do you own a deep fryer?

Do you own a deep fryer? I don’t. Sometimes I regret it, but it’s one of those kitchen appliances, that I can’t see myself using more than once or twice a month, certainly not enough to justify the acquisition and deal with another dust collector crowding our shelves. It’s not that I don’t like fried or deep fried food: Pittole, homemade potato chips or apple crullers are among my favorites and the crisp-factor makes it easy to overlook their rather unhealthy character – from time to time. Here is my workaround: if something deep fried makes it onto my cooking list, a wok or medium sized pan/pot together with a thermometer usually do a good job and let you – in most cases – get away with less oil or fat (think pan fried instead of deep fried).

But not only the health aspect makes it hard to embrace fried food, hot and sultry weather aren’t exactly a great basis for frying frenzy. However, munching away on hot and greasy food after a long and freezingly cold winter stroll is so much more satisfying and yet, when I spotted David’s Panisses I decided NOT to wait for colder temperatures. More Panisses posts and memories of Nice sent me straight to Ganesh (a little Indian snack shop down the street) for some chickpea flour and we we’re good to go …
The procedure is straight-forward, similar to fried polenta or fried semolina, yet I found it harder to obtain a smooth batter without any lumps. Since it’s a typical Mediterranean specialty I urge you to only use olive oil, it makes the hell of a difference. They make a great snack with a spice mix and your dip of choice, yet I have to agree with FoodMayhem: Taste-wise they are a close relative to Falafel and my favorite way of eating these Panisses is inside a pita bread together with sliced tomatoes/cucumbers, cole slaw and a spicy yogurt sauce. Already a regular on our table.

Lightly oil a square cake pan (mine is 23 cm/9 inch) or line it with plastic wrap. In a medium sized pot heat the water together with olive oil and salt until hot (but not boiling). Whisk in the sifted chickpea flour (all at once) until you receive a uniform texture without lumps (my second attempt with different gram flour was less successful concerning lumps, no matter how hard I whisked – I used my handheld blender to smoothen things out, worked wonders!). If you decide to spice things up a little, now is the time to season to taste (try curry, garam masala, cayenne pepper, chili powder, cumin, garlic – everything that goes well with chickpeas).
Using a wooden spoon or spatula stir the mash over medium heat for about five minutes (David does for more than ten), until the mixture is pretty thick. Dump the batter into the prepared form, smoothen out the surface as good as possible (easier said than done) and let cool, then chill in the fridge until really firm (at least two hours – or over night).
Unmold the firm mixture onto a cutting board and cut into thick stripes. You gotta love David for his prescriptions: “…and slice into batons about as wide as your fourth finger and as long as your middle one…” (comparing Oliver’s hands to mine, that makes quite a difference ;)
Heat about 2 cm (3/4 inch) of olive oil in a cast iron pan until shimmering hot, then fry the panisses over medium to high heat in various batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Turn them using your kitchen tongs as soon as the bottom sides have reached a nice golden brown color, fry on each of their four sides until evenly browned and crisp.
Remove and drain them on paper towels, then serve with coarse sea salt or your favorite spice mix (my panisses mix consists of coarse sea salt, freshly ground cumin, garam masala powder, dried chilis and freshly ground black pepper).

Compared to the picky eater I once was

Compared to the picky eater I once was, I’ve made major improvements. Nowadays I consider very few things inedible or not worth trying (tripe might be among the few that still give me the hibby jibbies). But I am fighting on all fronts, working hard on myself to overcome culinary childhood indispositions like raisins, capers or mussels - with growing success. Isn’t it a huge gain to constantly be able to discover new food favorites? And once the hey-this-is-not-so-bad enlightenment kicks in, I tend to indulge in newly found faves as often as possible…

Just thinking about these makes me salivate, even though I already had dinner. Here we go, in no particular order:
Grillot noisettes
When shopping for our daily breakfast at the beach in Nice, we discovered these by accident: just around the corner of the famous Cours Saleya market, “Le Poulette” offers a vast selection of poultry, among other French delicacies. Grillot noisettes are more or less small salami sausages with whole walnuts inside. They instantly made it on our breakfast list for the remaining days. They pair nicely with St. Marcellin. We brought a good dozen with us back to Germany and still, we fought over every tiny slice.
Peschiole al tartufo
Our friend Sherry introduced us to these and the setting couldn’t have been more perfect: a balcony overlooking the harbor of Villefranche-sur-Mer, Bob her husband preparing Absinth and small nibbles to wet our appetite. These tiny unripe peaches are preserved with vinegar (and spices) and keep a crunchy consistency with an edible seed. On first sight you could easily mistake them for olives. Very addictive, we almost forgot to drink the Absinth. Almost.
Pizza al taglio
While my grandpa loves to tease me “little gourmand”, when in Rome, I get the feeling I could live on the simplest pizza alone. Almost every hole-in-the-wall-sized-pizza shop sells great pizza. Pizza bianca and pizza with mozzarella, squash blossoms and anchovies are always my first choice. If you’re not in the mood for experiments though, try Roscioli or Forno.
Guanciale
I blame my dear friend Hande for fostering this addiction, whenever she got the chance she ordered guanciale (Italian bacon, unsmoked, made from pig cheeks) for me at her favorite butcher Annibale, who was so kind to show us how he cut up a whole lamb. But back to the guanciale: the one we brought from Rome two weeks ago is diminishing fast, it works wonders in pasta dishes and stews. And it outstripped pancetta in our kitchen.
Murtabak
When a friend who had moved to Singapore suggested Zam Zam for a very basic, nevertheless tasty and authentic breakfast, we happily surrendered. Since I generally like the idea of starting the day with a spicy dish, chicken murtabak (think roti prata with chicken, served with a spicy curry dip) immediately became a breakfast favorite. Of course we went back to Zam Zam, but for comparative reasons I had some at every market or hawker center we visited. And am still not fed up. Ah, I could have some right now.
Sweet red beet souffle
Red beets have silently conquered our palates. Roasted with vegetables, served in salads paired with goat cheese, they are as tasty as nutritious. But as a dessert? You bet! We enjoyed the most extravagant dessert at Aquarello, an intensely colored pink red beet souffle (paired with sour cream ice cream). It’s hard to describe, but it worked surprisingly well. Let’s-lick-the-plates-kinda-well. Craving it ever since.
Oliver’s steaks
Last, but not least, Oliver’s steaks. We ate an enormous filet steak once a week for almost two months until we had both aspects worked out, a good source for the beef and its perfect preparation. The result has the nicest shades of brown and pink, a spicy coarse pepper crust and melts in your mouth. Code word: reverse searing.
Which food items have impressed your palate most through the last year? Any new food addictions you’d like to confess?

Over the past years it has become a tradition

Over the past years it has become a tradition to welcome our friends from San Francisco with a very informal get-together, a so called Brotzeit. The term is used quite loosely and open to all kinds of interpretations. Putting aside regional differences it’s essentially a cold snack, coming with all kinds of bread, sausages, pickles, radishes, cheeses and what not. And of course, sufficient supply of Bavarian beer!

This time we had to make an exception to the rule and include something freshly baked. Not by coincidence we had skipped our weekly pizza-night routine for almost four weeks in a row now – all because of this Flammkuchen I originally whipped out for my friend Ulrike. It was such a surprise hit! Compared to our pizza process which kicks off at least 24 hours in advance before we can indulge in our first piece, this here can be prepared in 2 hours, no-fuss. No mandatory pre-planning, and – very important during hot summer months – no cold rise is required that occupies precious space on our fridge shelves.
Of course the Flammkuchen didn’t disappoint this time – we had already nibbled away on the typical Brotzeit items (including my favorite, Griebenschmalz), but still everybody had seconds or thirds. A small remaining piece was devoured at breakfast and even then the Flammkuchen could easily hold a candle to our homemade pizza! A new favorite when hosting guests.

Start with the dough: Add both flours and salt to a large bowl, mix briefly and make a well in the center. Dissolve the fresh yeast in lukewarm water, pour into the well and add the olive oil.
Knead well, either by hand or with a machine. I only use my Kitchen Aid for this job and it takes roughly 3 to 5 minutes (medium speed). The dough should come together nicely and clean the sides of the bowl all by itself. If it is too sticky, you can add more bread flour by the tablespoon. Shape into a ball, cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for about 45 minutes at a warm and sheltered place. After the dough has risen, punch it down, divide it into 2 equally sized portions, shape them into neat balls and let them rise again under a kitchen towel for 20 to 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 250°C (~480°F) or as hot as your oven permits and place a baking tray on the bottom level, so it gets preheated, too.

Prepare the topping by mixing the Crème fraîche and heavy cream with spices (salt, pepper and nutmeg) to taste, cutting the red onions into thin semi-rings and finely chopping the chives.

Line an extra baking tray with parchment paper. Flatten one dough ball with your hands and either roll it out thinly (similar to pizza dough) with a rolling pin or by stretching and pulling the dough with the back of your hands (be careful, since this dough contains rye flour, it is not as easy to handle as regular pizza dough!). Apply a nice deal of the Crème fraîche mix on top and decorate with some Pancetta and a generous amount of sliced onions on top. Transfer to or slide onto the preheated tray and bake for about 15 minutes or until it has gained a nice golden-brown color. I usually discard the parchment paper after 10 minutes of baking (just pull it out very fast), to ensure the bottom develops a nice crust.

Take out and sprinkle with fresh chives and enjoy hot, lukewarm or even cold, the next day.

Strawberries have always been my favorite fruit

Strawberries have always been my favorite fruit. Usually with nothing more than a little sugar – just enough to get the juices flowing – and probably a tad too much freshly whipped cream on top, this is what I consider bliss. Well, considered bliss. This year, strawberries don’t really tickle my taste buds. At all. Oh, and adding insult to injury: it seems as if sweet cherries have quickly filled the vacancy!

The drama started last week, when I bought my first cherries this season. They sat on our counter, right next to a basket of wonderfully fragrant strawberries and a direct comparison was inevitable. While I usually can hardly constrain myself and am all over my strawberries, leaving the cherries to Oliver, I changed my mind after berry number three or four. Not sure if they spray them with Strawberry No.5, but their actual taste rarely cashes the check the promising scent writes out. But those plump cherries for sure did! I felt transported back to the orchard of my grandparents, where the best cherries grew on a tree right next to their doorstep. They were just as incredible sweet and juicy and played in a hole different league of fruits.

That’s when I decided to rediscover cherries and in turn skip the one or the other basket of strawberries. Since then I a) nibbled on them while working, b) had them with a bit of sugar and whipped cream (just like my strawberries), c) made jam & chutney and finally d) discovered a Pavlova combo with caramelized cherries I seriously fell in love with – and I hope you will, too!
Don’t get me wrong, these cherries taste super on their own, but if you are on a serious cherry spree and keep looking for creative ways to cook or bake with them, roasting and caramelizing them in the oven is the way to go – and marinating them beforehand in a little Amaretto liqueur won’t hurt either…

Start with the meringues: I use my KitchenAid for this, but a handheld mixer works fine, too. Place the egg whites in the bowl, add the pinch of salt and whisk until it starts to form peaks. Now slowly add the sugar, then the lemon juice and beat until the egg whites become really stiff and glossy (this may take a few minutes). Lastly add the cinnamon powder and beat on low level just until well incorporated. (the meringues on my pictures have a hint of pink color, because I added some cherry juice – anyway, since it didn’t do anything remarkable – neither taste-wise nor visually - I won’t go overboard in recommending it)
Preheat the oven to 100°C (~210°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Fill the egg whites in a piping bag with larger star or rosette shaped nozzle and pipe small circles with a rim onto the paper (about 9 cm/3,5 in in diameter). I piped four of these little baskets and used the remaining egg whites for some small meringue bites.
Back in the oven (middle level) for 2 hours, then turn it off and let the meringues dry completely until the oven has turned cold again. They can now be removed easily from the parchment paper and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. They keep well in an airtight container and can be prepared days in advance.(If you prefer the inside of the meringue rather chewy, you have to reduce the baking time.)

On to the cherries: Preheat the oven to 200°C (~390°F). Wash, pad dry and pit cherries, then cut in half and add to a bowl, together with the amaretto and the brown sugar. Mix well, let marinate for a couple of minutes, then spread onto a baking sheet and place in the oven (top level) and turn on the grill. Roast the cherries until soft and well caramelized for 5 to 10 minutes (turn them once), then remove from the oven. They can be served hot, warm or even cold (I prefer them still slightly warm).
Lastly the whipped cream: Add heavy cream and creme fraiche (adds a nice tanginess) to a bowl and whisk until soft peaks form.
Finally assemble everything on a plate: Put a little bit of whipped cream in the center of the plate before placing the meringue basket – this ensures it won’t slip right off the plate when serving it (been there…). Now generously fill the basket with whipped cream and top it off with the roasted cherries and some chopped pistachios. Mhhhhhhhh, enjoy!