I found out the other day that a dear friend is moving to Texas…. I refuse to be sad because I know this is a great opportunity for her family. Although, the truth be told, I am feeling a wee-bit sorry for myself because my friend is such a delight to be around and our girls are the best of friends….. (big sigh!). Soooo, to keep a positive outlook, I’m sharing this recipe with all of you in hopes that she has at least one appetizer to help set the mood for this big move to the Lone Star State.

COWBOY CAVIAR

• 1 15-oz can black beans
• ¼ cup red onion, finely chopped
• 2 lg garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• ¼ cup finely crumbled feta cheese
• ¼ cup cilantro leaves, chopped

Drain black beans and place in a large bowl. Add onion, garlic, oil, vinegar, salt, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Stir until thoroughly combined. Cover and chill if serving later. Before serving, top with feta cheese and cilantro. Serve with tortilla chips.

our little cowgirls

Best of luck, my friend! Once you’ve settled in I’ll send you those recipes for Road-Kill Ragu & Armadillo Pie that every true Texan adores!

OH! And, thank your mom for the Meyer lemons from her tree (boy, do I love lemons!). You’d better enjoy those while you can… they’re a bit tricky to find in Texas. Below is a photo of what I made with them - another great recipe found on Susan’s Food Blogga site.  Originally, it called for lemonquats (!?!?!), but the Meyer lemons were a perfect substitute.

Coconut-Lemon Tea Cake

In celebration of Mother’s Day, I have a simple, tasty recipe for you to help answer that tiresome question, “What’s for dinner?” My friend Michelle shared this recipe with me the other day while we were watching our boys at swim practice. The flavor is full enough to satisfy the sophisticated pallets of our husbands and mild enough for all of our kids to ask for seconds. She recommends doubling the entire recipe & I full-heartedly agree. Although the Food Network summary states this recipe serves 4, doubling the recipe is more accurate for a family of 4 (especially if you have a growing boy who acts like you starve him to death between the 4 meals you already serve him daily!).

Chicken Piccata with Lemon, Capers and Artichoke Hearts Copyright, 2006, Robin Miller, All rights reserved

4 (4-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves Salt and ground black pepper 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 1/2 cup dry white wine 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth 1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, quartered 1/4 cup drained capers 1 cup quick-cooking brown rice 1/2 cup frozen lima beans Place chicken in zip-top bags and pound with a meat mallet or rolling pin until 1/4-inch thick. Remove chicken from bag and season all over with salt and black pepper. In a shallow dish (or plastic bag), combine flour, lemon zest, paprika, and garlic powder. Mix well. Add chicken and turn to coat. Remove chicken from flour mixture and shake off excess flour.Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and saute 2 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through. Add lemon juice, wine and chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer 5 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and sauce thickens. Add artichoke hearts and capers and simmer 1 minute to heat through. Cook rice according to package directions, adding lima beans at the beginning of cooking process. Serve chicken and sauce with rice.

Now that the warm weather is in full-swing here, I’m finding that although the days are longer my free time is shorter. Instead of just the house to maintain, we have the vast gardens on our palatial estate (Alfredo can mow the lawn, front & back, in 16.4 minutes if that gives you a hint to what I really mean by palatial!). Also, with gentler climes comes the desire to just lay back & enjoy the outdoors. Sooooo, with that said, I’m explaining why I have not posted anything in about a week. I’m one of those people who gets distracted by bright & shiny objects - the sun, in this case.

First, I want to send a HUGE, warm, full of love hug out to Honey B at The Life & Loves of Grumpy’s Honeybunch who tagged me with an “You Make My Day Award.” My goodness, thank you! It was YOU who made my day by dropping by for a “visit” & leaving your sweet comments.

I now would like to tag the ever-wonderful Deeba at Passionate About Baking with this award. Deeba has linked my blog to about half a dozen of her recent posts and it is such an honor to me that she even takes a peek at my blog, much less mention it on hers. I adore everything about Deeba & her blog, so it is without hesitation that I give this award to her.

Second, I want to give an abrazo muy fuerte to Gloria at Canela’s Kitchen who tagged me with an “I Love You This Much Award.” Well, thank YOU! Gloria, you really are a sweetheart. Your blog really speaks to my heart with all of your yummy, fresh recipes with a little Chilean kick.

There are really so many people who I really adore out there in the blogmosphere…. below are just a few I would like to pass this award to in no particular order. I literally check these blogs out every time I have the chance!

1. Deeba, Passionate About Baking
2. Marie, Proud Italian Cook
3. Farida, Azerbaijani Cookbook
4. Nicole, Art & Aioli
5. Jessie, Cakespy
6. Susan, Food Blogga
7. Diva, The Sugar Bar
8. Lori Lynn, Taste With the Eyes
9. HoneyB, The Life & Loves of Grumpy’s Honeybunch
10. Lorraine, Italian Foodies

Third, Farida tagged me last week with her inaugural tag Look What I Made! Well, she couldn’t have tagged a better person than myself for this one because ALL I do is make dinners & desserts that I have found on other people’s sites. I’m going to tag HoneyB, Nicole & Gloria for this one - I can’t wait to take a peek at their found recipes!

HERE ARE THE RULES to LOOK WHAT I MADE!

1. List the names of 2-5 recipes you tried from other blogs. Provide a direct link to the recipe. If not available, give the blog link and let the reader search for the recipe by name.

2. Shortly describe your experience with the recipe.

3. Tag 3-5 other bloggers or the authors of the recipes you listed to post the links to the recipes they have tried from other bloggers. Note: If you are new to the blogging world and haven’t had a chance to try any recipes from your fellow foodies, just pass the tag on to someone else.

4. Notify the tagged bloggers about the tag either by leaving a comment on their blogs or by emailing them.

Below are the recipes that I have recently tried & haven’t (yet!) posted:

1. Alessandra Spisni’s Ragu all Bolognese, from We Are Never Full. It was delightfully easy to prepare & very tasty. Initially there was a typo in the recipe which confused me (happens all the time!), but Amy quickly got back to me to set me straight. During our emails, we both agreed that adding 2-3 tbsps of tomato paste would have enhanced the flavor. I will be making this one again & again. Thank you, Amy, for helping me out on this one!
2. Lemon-Rosemary Scones, from Art & Aioli. I followed Nicole’s instructions exactly (except for using whole milk) and everything went along a lot smoother than I had expected. I’ve made these twice now & have been given LOADS of compliments. I did notice that when I prepared the dough the night before to have ready first thing in the morning the scones were more moist. Last Sunday when I had a 40 minute window to make scones for a ladies’ tea at church, the scones were more dry…. But, the compliments were plenty nonetheless.
3. Goat Cheese & Poblano Quesadillas with Pineapple-Mango-Habanero Salsa, from Food Blogga. Best quesadillas EVER! Coming from Texas, I sometimes have notions of how Tex-Mex or Mexican food should be prepared & Goat Cheese has NEVER been a part of the ingredients list…. until now. Honestly, I was wowed by the experience. I hope my friends from The Big D don’t read this - I might be shamed from any future barbecues. The one addition that I did make to Susan’s recipe was to add some shredded chicken to make a meal out of the quesadillas. Muy bien!
4. Spaghetti all’Aglio Arrostito, from Passionate About Baking. It was the perfect compliment to my lazy mood. I wanted something tasty for dinner, but not ALL the work. Deeba beautifully described the process to make the sauce & “voila!” it was done in a snap. I served it with Italian sausage & braised endive (recipe below). I always remove the casing from my sausages so they look a bit funky, but still full with flavor.

Finally, this brings me to why I titled this post “Endive into Summer!” I’m sure that we’ve all had endive at one time or another. They make the perfect little boats to carry a variety of cheeses or pates for appetizers & add a depth of flavor to salads. However, did you know that they are also remarkably easy to serve cooked! I did not know this (no surprise, really!). My generous, loving neighbor went on a tour of the only endive farm in the US last week and shared some of her endives with me. Thank you, Liliane! The taste leans towards the bitter side once they’re cooked, but Alfredo & I loved them. The kids were on the fence. I felt really sophisticated having them on my plate of pasta & sausages!

Braised Endive

Ingredients:

• 6 heads California Endive
• Butter
• Chicken Stock
• Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Trim 6 endives and slice them in half lengthwise. Season well with salt and freshly ground pepper.
2. In a heavy-bottomed skillet, heat some butter and brown the cut side of the endives over a high flame. Do this in batches, adding butter each time. The pan will brown, which is fine - just don’t allow it to blacken; if it does, wash it out before the next batch.
3. Place the endives, brown side up, in a gratin dish just large enough to hold them in a single layer. Pour chicken stock into the dish to a depth of ½ inch. Cover tightly and bake in a preheated 400°F oven for 20 minutes or until quite tender. Serves 6.

Chef’s Notes:

For a richer, more savory version, the halved endives can be wrapped in thinly sliced pancetta or bacon before browning. This requires a slower flame and browning on both sides. The butter will still be needed to keep the meat from sticking. This makes a fine first course all by itself, or it can be a delightful accompaniment to roasted or grilled meats and birds.

Rich Risotto Rice Pudding

One of my absolute favorite food bloggers, Susan of Food Blogga, is hosting Beautiful Bones: An Osteoporosis Food Event for the month of May. This is to bring awareness to the risks of Osteoporosis and to encourage us to to protect our beautiful bones. One of the best ways to keep our bones healthy is by having a calcium-rich diet. There are plenty more calcium-rich foods other than MILK, but I decided to go with the obvious for Susan’s Food Event…. It’s pudding after all! Please go to her Beautiful Bones post for a full list of calcium-rich foods, meal ideas & more information on Osteoporosis.

From the book Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O’Connor

Serves

4 to 6

Introduction

This rice pudding is voluptuously creamy, with firm but tender grains of Arborio rice suspended in a creamy yolk-tinged, vanilla-scented, milky pudding. It’s always amazing to me how little rice you really need to make a good rice pudding; remember, it’s the milk that makes the dish, reducing as the rice cooks.

Ingredients

	½	cup Arborio (risotto) rice
	8	cups whole milk
	½	cup sugar
	1	vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
	¼	tsp. ground cinnamon
	¼	tsp. salt
	2	large egg yolks
	1	cup heavy cream
	2	tsp. pure vanilla extract
	~	Freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

Steps

1. Combine the rice, milk, sugar, vanilla bean, cinnamon, and salt in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring every 5 minutes as the mixture starts to thicken, for about 30 minutes.
2. Continue cooking until the rice is tender but not too mushy, about 15 minutes longer. The milk will be thick and the rice tender, but the mixture will still be very soupy, which is what you want. (As the pudding cools, it thickens, and if it is too thick while still hot, it will firm up into a thick, stodgy lump without the unctuous creaminess of a great rice pudding.)
3. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and cream together and stir into the rice pudding. Continue cooking the pudding over medium-low heat for about 2 to 3 minutes, until the eggs are cooked through and pudding is creamy and glossy, but still fairly soupy. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Grate a little nutmeg, if you like, into the pudding. Remove the vanilla pod.
4. Pour the pudding into a serving bowl or individual serving dishes and press plastic wrap over the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until cold, about 2 to 3 hours. Serve cold.

Notes

This pudding is delicious as is, but you can also fold a dollop of whipped cream into each serving, or layer the pudding in a parfait glass with dulce de leche or caramel sauce, or just drizzle some sauce on top before serving.

This content is from the book Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O’Connor.

This is the perfect treat to prepare in the morning & have it waiting for you when you come home, especially if you’ve spent the day outside in the heat. Also, we have a great excuse for seconds - “my bones need their calcium!”

This month was quite the challenge! However, I think the biggest challenge was managing my time. In fact, I just looked at the DB message board and saw that we are suppose to post today…. oops! So, here I am at the last minute trying to put this together.

This month’s challenge was hosted by Elle, Feeding My Enthusiasms, & Deborah, Taste & Tell. They chose Cheesecake Pops from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O’Connor for all 1,000 Daring Bakers to prepare. I immediately ran out to buy the book because I had just been perusing it at the bookstore the day before (weird, huh?!?!). I had the chance to flip though the book several times while hanging out at the pool during spring break & I felt I had a mastery of the recipe (huge mistake). I was confident with my visions of perfectly sized spheres with an even coating of chocolate & a delicate dusting of crushed pecans and pink sprinkles.

WARNING: My Cheesecake Pops are not very pretty. They are not round. They are “interesting.”

imagine me still in my bathrobe 2 minutes ago running the the backyard

THE JOURNEY: Despite the complains I have with the way they look, I will tell you that they are YUMMY! They are fun to eat even though I made them too big & you have to shove the whole thing in your mouth or it breaks apart. They are perfect for sharing with friends. And, they were a joy to make.

The joy came from sharing this month’s challenge with my daughter. I normally have a DO NOT ENTER sign up when I’m in the kitchen, but I’m trying to get over that. I keep reading on other blogs about how they have fond memories of cooking with their mothers or grandmothers. Because this baking project was so darn cute, I had to allow my daughter to help. She was thrilled by the opportunity! And, I am forever grateful that I had this chance to share a counter top to discuss pink sprinkles, unicorns & princesses.

Thank you Elle & Deborah for such a fun challenge! To see some SPECTACULAR Cheesecake Pops, please check out the other Daring Bakers.

ADDENDUM:   Hi, it’s Monday morning (back in my bathrobe) & I wanted to add a follow-up to my original post.  Thank you to all who left the sweetest comments - you were right, I was too hard on myself.  I had about 35 of these Pops in my fridge when I made the decision that they were too good to keep at home (read:  10 lbs doesn’t lose itself!).  First, I packaged a plateful for my friend Michelle who loaned us money at a swim meet so we could buy hot dogs on Saturday!  (We were NOT expecting to be at the meet for 8 hours!!!)  Thank you, Michelle!  The rest I took on a tray to the cabana to share with our neighborhood friends.  Everyone LOVED them.  The best part was when I was gathering my things to leave and I walked out of the office with the remaining Pops about 10 kids ran up to me knowing my intentions (how do they do that?  yet, you ask them everyday to put their dirty clothes in the hamper & they look at you like you’re crazy).  Happily, everyone walked away with the last of my tasty Pops.  I call that a success!

Cheesecake Pops

Makes 30 – 40 Pops

• 5 8-oz. packages cream cheese at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 5 large eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• Boiling water as needed

Thirty to forty 8-inch lollipop sticks

1 pound chocolate, finely chopped – you can use all one kind or half and half of dark, milk, or white (Alternately, you can use 1 pound of flavored coatings, also known as summer coating, confectionary coating or wafer chocolate – candy supply stores carry colors, as well as the three kinds of chocolate.)

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

(Note: White chocolate is harder to use this way, but not impossible)

Assorted decorations such as chopped nuts, colored jimmies, crushed peppermints, mini chocolate chips, sanding sugars, dragees) - Optional

Position oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Set some water to boil.

In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. If using a mixer, mix on low speed. Add the whole eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well (but still at low speed) after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and cream.

Grease a 10-inch cake pan (not a springform pan), and pour the batter into the cake pan. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with the boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until the cheesecake is firm and slightly golden on top, 35 to 45 minutes.

Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.

When the cheesecake is cold and very firm, scoop the cheesecake into 2-ounce balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Carefully insert a lollipop stick into each cheesecake ball. Freeze the cheesecake pops, uncovered, until very hard, at least 1 – 2 hours.

When the cheesecake pops are frozen and ready for dipping, prepare the chocolate. In the top of a double boiler, set over simmering water, or in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, heat half the chocolate and half the shortening, stirring often, until chocolate is melted and chocolate and shortening are combined. Stir until completely smooth. Do not heat the chocolate too much or your chocolate will lose it’s shine after it has dried. Save the rest of the chocolate and shortening for later dipping, or use another type of chocolate for variety.

Alternately, you can microwave the same amount of chocolate coating pieces on high at 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth.

Quickly dip a frozen cheesecake pop in the melted chocolate, swirling quickly to coat it completely. Shake off any excess into the melted chocolate. If you like, you can now roll the pops quickly in optional decorations. You can also drizzle them with a contrasting color of melted chocolate (dark chocolate drizzled over milk chocolate or white chocolate over dark chocolate, etc.) Place the pop on a clean parchment paper-lined baking sheet to set. Repeat with remaining pops, melting more chocolate and shortening (or confectionary chocolate pieces) as needed.

Refrigerate the pops for up to 24 hours, until ready to serve.

Can you believe it???? UPS delivered 3 pints of ice cream, 1 pint of frozen yogurt and a box of snack size vanilla & almond bars right to my door this afternoon!!!! Thank you, Farida! Earlier this week she offered an ice cream package prize to the 3 people who could describe what they have learned about the food of Azerbaijan. I honestly am just dumbfounded that I was among the top 3. Thank you again, Farida! Haagen-Dazs ice cream is one of those items that we always buy & trust me, it’s even sweeter when it’s FREE.

These are the new 2008 flavors - SOOOO new that some are still in the special pre-release white packaging. I haven’t yet tried any yet (darn it!), but I bet by Monday I will have tasted them all. I am hastily typing this post because Haagen-Dazs has invited me to share this with 3 of my friends!!!! Yay! The catch is that I only have a couple of days to tell them who to send it to… But, to whom? Hopefully you.

Please take a moment to leave a comment on this post - for fun state where you live (keep it vague - like San Jose, CA) and where your ideal place to reside would be. For me, I totally see myself living in the hills of Umbria (Italy) hiking through olive groves and occasionally unearthing some Etruscan ruin - I might even allow myself a dog to sniff out truffles. I will have Alfredo help me pick out the 3 lucky winners on Monday. Unfortunately, the ice cream is only being offered to US residents, but I promise to send a special surprise to 1 lucky person aboard. I can’t wait to read where everyone’s dream home would be!

Haagen-Dazs Reserve

Haagen-Dazs Help The Honey Bee

POLL CLOSED - we have our 3 LUCKY winners!!! This was super-easy picking the recipients!

All of the planets were aligned last night as I hastily searched the blogmoshere for recipes that would materialize into dinner. I had little time, bare cupboards & zero patients to run to the store with the kids (I’m going to have to start going places with them one of these days!!!). Then, ta-da, I came across this amazing recipe on The Sugar Bar. It was an East meets West recipe that really spoke to my quest to make the “same-old” taste new again. I essentially had everything, however I did have to alter some of the ingredients or leave out others and in the end I made enough changes to merit a reprint of the recipe. MOST of the recipe is Diva’s so please check out her original before going by what I have here.

our D-lish meal!

Thai Red Curry Shrimp Risotto
from The Sugar Bar - her original recipe here

• ž 1 ½ cup Italian arborio risotto rice
• 6 tbs salted butter
• ž Olive Oil
• 5 green onions finely chopped (reserving some for garnish)
• ž 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• Beet greens from 3 beets, thinly sliced
• ž 1 tbsp Thai Red Curry paste
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 2 lbs shrimps
• ž Chili powder
• ž 5 whole garlic cloves
• 1 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
• salt and pepper, for seasoning
• a lemon

1. In a large skillet heat olive oil to a med-high temperature. Add whole garlic cloves, chili power. Allow the garlic to cook for a bit. Add shrimp, sauté until done, remove from pan, discard garlic & set aside.

2. Heat the butter in a saucepan. Pour the rice in and fry a little, coating all the rice grains with the butter. Add about 2 cups of stock in and let cook on a relatively low heat.

3. Back to the skillet… add more oil if need be to fry the chopped garlic and onions. Then add the beet leaves. Once cooked through, remove from heat and put aside.

4. When the stock in the saucepan starts to reduce, gradually add another ladle of stock and stir with a wooden spoon. Liquid can always be added into risotto but not taken out so you have to control this carefully until you get the consistency you want. Always let the liquid be absorbed into the rice before adding another ladle of stock.** This process will take about 15-20min. The rice will begin to double in size, giving you a lovely, glossy, thick texture. Now add the curry paste, seasoning and about two thirds of the cheese into the pan and give it a good stir. Reduce heat. Add the cooked beet leaves mixture, then the shrimps and stir.

5. Dish up! Garnish with grated lemon zest, the rest of the cheese and the remaining green onions. This should serve 6.

** Great tip, Diva! It’s SOO true.

I’m looking at the list of ingredients & can’t believe I had all that stuff at the house. Weird. So, the minute Alfredo walked through the door he said “Wow, it smells like a restaurant here!” That’s one of the highest compliments in this house. Then, beginning with the first bite, Alfredo continued to compliment the meal. “You should make this for when we have guests!” There you go… Highest compliment on a meal here at Casa Bencomo.

Along with the risotto, I served a simple salad with pickled beets. Ever since Susan at Food Blogga had a post on beet greens I have been buying these magical orbs weekly. That’s why I replaced Diva’s suggested cabbage leaves with beet greens. They really are a delight to use while cooking and high in the calcium we all need (please check out Susan’s Beautiful Bones: An Osteoporosis Food Event). And, pickling beets is super easy.

beet soaking in my sink - they are dirty little buggers!

Pickled Beets

• 3 beet roots (save the greens for something else!)
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp sugar

Scrub beets thoroughly. Wrap tightly in foil, place on baking dish. Bake at 375°F for 1 hour. Allow the beets to cool a bit – to a temperature you can handle. Then, simply slide the peel off the roots with you hands. WARNING: Do not wear white! Your hands & anything you touch will be “beet red.” Dice & add remaining ingredients. They are ready to eat immediately. I don’t know how long they last because we eat our within a couple of days. We love having them handy for salads.

pickled beets

INGREDIENTS:

OK, it’s Tuesday & already this has been an amazing week. First, my son broke a team record for the 50M Free. Way to go honey! Then, Deeba (bad girl!) tagged me with ANOTHER blog award (imagine myself blushing). Then, I won ICE CREAM from Farida (I’m still debating on whether or not to share with the family…. if the box arrives while everyone is out, then I can easily wolf down 2 pints on my own - at dinner I’ll just say I’m eating light, no appetite. They will be so impressed by my will-power!). THEN, my mom surprised me with NEW DISHES!!!!! Can you believe it?!?! She has been horrified by my dishes for years, but seeing them on my blog for the whole world to know was too much for her. I have now officially upgraded from my Pier 1 Imports Outlet finds (set of 6 bowls & plates for $6! Come on, it was a great deal!) to Sur La Table fancy-schmacy dinnerware. Thank you, Mom! I’m going to start blogging on my kitchen to see if Alfredo is equally horrified.

So, to celebrate ALL of these great happening I want to share with you our favorite summer drink: Watermelon Margarita!

• ž 1 whole watermelon
• ž 1 bottle margarita mix
• 1 bottle of Tequila

DIRECTIONS:

Cube & freeze entire watermelon at least 24 hrs in advance (only share with children IF they catch you cutting up the watermelon, otherwise freeze it all). Then, follow directions on margarita mix bottle replacing the ice with frozen watermelon. After 2 margaritas, no one cares if the meal was any good!

I will be tagging some outstanding bloggers later in the week for the “Excellent Blog Award.” I just wanted to send out my thanks to Deeba quickly because she is such a delight! Farida, thank you for the ice cream! I can’t wait!!!!  I think the real prize is your blog & all the Azerbaijan treats that you share with us. Mom, what can I say?  You amaze me with your generousity!  I look forward to a few margaritas & a great meal with you here - served on the new plates of course!

So…. I just don’t know what to say. This has been a pretty amazing week. First, I won a stamp set plus more “crafty” things from my dear friend’s site Whoopsie Daisy. Then, I was tagged TWICE for 2 different blog awards. Then, I was tagged again for a 6 word biography. I’m feeling pretty lucky (& popular!) and will go buy a lotto ticket after I finish typing this. I’ll do my best to live up to these awards & make my biography interesting (maybe a bit of embellishment will help!).

**********

First, the Arte y Pico Award was given to me by a wonderful friend of mine, Jane of Whoopsie Daisy. Her blog is dedicated to paper craft with a dash of family & fun. Every Monday she has a “giveaway” which is how I won my goodies this week. She also lives in my neighborhood & our 5 year olds go to pre-school together. Jane is one of those friends that you call up on your way to her house to let her know you’re dropping by for a few hours – her door is always open. She is the same way with her blog – always open & ready to share.

Thank you, Jane, for this award!

The rules for the Arte y Pico Award are:

1. You pick five blogs that you consider deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also contribute to the blogging community, no matter what language.

2. Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.

3. Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and the link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.

4. Award-winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of Arte y Pico blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award.

Below are the 5 blogs that inspire me each week to create beautiful meals for my family. Cooking, I have recently discovered, really is an art form. I’m still learning to hold the brush, but these lovely ladies embrace their canvas with broad, elegant strokes.

Deeba, Passionate About Baking…, is an Indian Princess disguising as a housewife. She adds a touch of royalty to everything she creates. Her posts are witty, well-written & gorgeously photographed.

Farida, Farida’s, Azerbaijani Cookbook, is a charming young mother compiling exotic recipes from her homeland of Azerbaijan. The recipes are easy to follow & leave you with the sense of having traveled to undiscovered lands.

Marie, Proud Italian Cook, is my adopted aunt (I hope that’s OK with you, Marie)! Familia Bencomo has lavishly dined on Marie’s recipes more than a dozen times. Alfredo & I drool together over each of her posts. She is consistently great at inspiring me to get into the kitchen & I have learned a lot from her.

Susan, Food Blogga, is a remarkably talented culinary muse of mine. Her simplicity with the use of ingredients is alarming because of the great yield of flavor. I always feel healthier after reading her blog & even better after trying one of her dishes. Also, she is hosting Beautiful Bones: An Osteoporosis Food Event for the month of May. This is a great opportunity to bring awareness to this disease and to learn ways to increase our personal health.

Maryann, Finding La Dolce Vita, is a wonderfully delightful spinner of tales. Her recipes all have some kind of story or history to them. My favorite posts of hers are the one that describe her Italian immigrant grandparents and their traditional recipes.

**********

Second, the Blog of Distinction Award comes from my friend Deeba, Passionate About Baking…. I love it that she awarded this to me because I certainly would have awarded it to her! She is quite poetic when she tells a tale – I loved it when she described moments of running down the tarmac in heels & a sari to warn pilots about bomb scares while working during her pre-children days at the airport (Bollywood material, no?).

This award was created by Working Mum On The Verge. Here are the rules:

Pass the award on to five blogs that make you Laugh, Cry, Think or Sigh… Below are some great blogs that do just that (except for the crying part!):

Lorraine, Italian Foodie, is an enchanting blogger from Ireland with yummy Italian recipes. She & her husband own a restaurant in Limerick and she often travels to Italy to visit her in-laws. So, she posts mostly on Italian cuisine with a spattering of travel logs

Jessie, Cakespy, I think we all know & adore her. She has a quick wit, quirky imagination and a real passion for all things sweet. Her blog is full her whimsical art, poignant interviews with real & imaginary people, and with recipes that enthuse her zeal for sweets.

Carolina, Carolina’s Creative Pad, is dedicated to paper crafts. She is remarkably talented! She has a way of altering normally banal items into the most exquisite objects that you would expect to find in over-priced boutiques.

Jane, Whoopsie Daisy, is a dear friend whose site is dedicated to paper crafts as well. She brilliantly gives tutorials so that ordinary people like me can make mind-blowing cards or scrapbook pages like the pros. She also has a weekly prize which makes it fun to visit & try to win something!

Ash & Tiff, Serendipity Soap Dish, 2 wild friends, 1 soapy dream. Taking over the world, one bar of soap at a time…. Well, that’s how they describe it & I couldn’t do it better myself! I am addicted to their totally organic products and love it that their blog is so informative about the phthalates that are out there. Honestly, I think they trying to save the world, not take it over. (http://soapchix.wordpress.com/)

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OK….. Lastly, My 6 Word Memoir.

1. N – Nomadic

2. I – Inquisitive

3. C – Compassionate

4. O – Open

5. L – Lively

6. E – Eager

I was tagged by Farida to describe myself in 6 words. I used my middle name to do this because Carolina had tagged me to do this ages ago (sorry!). “This 6 Word Memoir is to show support to our foodie colleagues, to introduce them to others, to encourage each other and just to make friends. So, please take a moment and visit each of these blogs I am tagging.” Farida was tagged by Elle at Elle’s New England Kitchen who was originally tagged by Pixie at You Say Tomato, I Say Tomato.

Since I’ve already tagged 10 people in this post & all but 3 are foodies, let’s just consider them all tagged. It is actually quite hard to describe yourself in six words & if your up for the challenge, then I look forward to learning about you!

In celebration of warmer, sunnier days and the dusting off of grills throughout the Northern Hemisphere, I am sharing with you my new-found marinade perfect for the open flame.

My idea of “perfect” by the way usually starts with the question, “Do I have to run to the grocery store with my kids?” Once I have confirmed “no,” I’m happy as a lark & set about preparing dinner. Last week, I had the pleasure of Spring Break…. It was great sleeping in a bit and keeping a loose schedule, but running errands was a nightmare. To occupy the 3 of us harmoniously, I took them to our neighborhood cabana EVERYDAY! This is the first year that I am NOT getting in the icy waters to ensure safety or because my youngest is complaining (ah, bliss!). So, to entertain myself for 5 hours I brought along several cookbooks to peruse & inspire. Micol Megrin’s The Italian Grill had several delightful recipes that were clearly explained & used readily available ingredients (yippie!). The one that caught my eye the most was Pollo alla Diavola because of its use of lemon, rosemary and garlic (all things I have in abundance!). Her recipe was more time consuming for me (keep in mind I was at the pool for 5 hours) so my version is just the marinade & not the salted-brine, lemon rub variety of hers.

MARINATA DIAVOLA

• Fresh Lemon Juice
• Fresh Rosemary, finely chopped
• Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
• Olive Oil
• Kosher Sea Salt
• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• Cayenne Pepper, about 1/2 tsp

Sorry, you have to guess on the amount. I think I used about 3/4 cups of olive oil & the same amount of lemon juice. The amount I made was a lot more than I needed for one meal. This will be used for several meals (read: I have a quick dinner solution for those times when I’m in a crunch!). We grilled chicken breast one night and the family loved it. The other night I marinated shrimp with this sauce, sauteed them in a skillet & served it over pasta and the family really enjoyed it that way. So, this marinade is versatile.

Bon appetito!

after shaking it up