Chocolate & Caramel, Oh My!

This is not the usually dinner that we serve around Chez but instead it is my second challenge with the Fabu DBs. This particular event was hosted by Veronica & Patricia and it was for a Milk Chocolate and Caramel Tart. Now, I am not a baker by any means. I can whip up a mean multi-course dinner but when it comes to baking I am usually a flop; therefore, I was pretty darn excited when I was invited to become part of this group. I loved their inspiration and I needed the challenge to get me away from the norm. This was my second challenge & in all honesty, I was scared. Much to my surprise, it was fun and easy! Here are my exact words to the group once I finished it ... "Perfect! I finished my challenge yesterday & I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was! Served it to L. and a guest for dessert. I was doubting it big time, for a few reasons: I don't usually make tarts, I felt the caramel filling was some what suspect, my milk chocolate topping disappointed me (maybe my cream had to high of a fat content? even though my melted chocolate was cooled down, it started melting the whipped cream)and I tried it twice, finally had to use the last batch. I put it in the fridge to cool while we had dinner and I thought for sure I was going to hate it. I told L. and W. to be really honest, that they would not hurt my feelings - L. said he would had preferred Dark (we both love dark), but that it was very good and W. said it was f----- great (sorry for the profanity, but those were his words and he is somewhat reserved)! My thoughts: it looked awesome even though the cream topping was not that pretty and I loved the caramel filling and the crust: but, would had preferred a darker chocolate!" Take a risk and challenge yourself. Enjoy!

Tomato & Goat Cheese Sandwich

Long night & tired ........ grilled up or actually we broiled up some goat cheese and cherry tomato sandwiches and sprinkled them with some Tuscany enhanced salts (we are crazy for these salts Whole Foods sells), simple & delicious! ps.... the noodles from the other night, the next day they are even better served as a cold salad for lunch!

Sweet Sweet Prunes

This was dessert tonight! I have to say, I love love love these cute little guys! I discovered them last summer and fell in love. Now, they are back in my life! Not to mention .... they are so good for you!

Soba Soba Soba ..

I found this recipe sitting on my friend's counter and I swiped it! It was really outstanding in my opinion ... sweet, spicy and full of tantalizing flavors! I gave it a 5 out of 5 and L. gave it a 3, too sweet! I did make some adjustments, I cut the honey to 1/4 cup and I used fresh ginger, which I sauteed in the olive oil before adding the chicken. Overall, it is a keeper! PS.......... UPDATE, these are GREAT the next day as a cold lunch time salad!

Sunday Night ...

Back from a wonderful weekend & HUNGRY, what to make with an eggplant, some pasta and a few staples? Why, Spaghettini with Eggplant and Fried Capers served with a nice hunk (bread, not only L.) ;) ~ We also had some of that wonderful homemade butter left, which was unsalted so I gave it a twist by adding some of this Divine smoky salt I picked up a couple of weeks ago.

We picked up ..

and went to Mammoth for a much needed weekend away! It was kind of planned and kind of last minute. Definitely was nice to get away to some warm weather and it was simply beautiful down there!!! Needless to say I did not pick up a knife or pot and pan all weekend and L. had to eat out! We are almost settled in & will be in the swing of it starting tomorrow! Come back and dine with us then!

Simplicity ....

I love having quiche with a simple salad, a warm loaf of crusty bread with butter (homemade butter - I am addicted to making this) and a nice glass of vino! Tonight I made a wild mushroom quiche! For dessert a bowl of summer strawberries topped with cream that I lightly scented with vanilla - no sugar! Simplicity is heaven sent sometimes ...

Chickpea Stew

Since dinner was such a wreck a couple nights ago I decided to make something with one of L.'s favorite ingredients ... the chick pea! I was inspired by a recipe in Food & Wine. I did alter it a little since I did not have bay leafs nor raisins. Regardless, it was wonderful not to mention ... very easy and quick! I wanted to spice it up so I sauteed some french Portuguese Peppers with olive oil and then sprinkled salt over them.

Vegtable Soup with Fennel, Herbs and Parmesan Broth

I was inspired by this recipe on Food & Wine as I was looking for something "good" and light. Well, it was light but not that good - too bland and too many leeks (I thought I could hid them from L. since there was so much fennel in there ... I am BAD - he really HATES them & I realized just how much tonight)! So, after all, it was not comfort food but rather, "mental note, never cook another leek!" At least Dessert saved the day .... homemade chocolate cake and cookies and cream ice cream - a happy belated bday celebration for L. from our little friends, M., E., and M.!

Sunday Snack

Late afternoon snack, early dinner - lite up the barbie and tossed on some good old fashioned burgers and fries!

Saturday Night

Grilled beef short ribs with a risotto salad seasoned with olives, capers, Meyer lemon juice & zest and a bit of a Spanish olive oil, served with a Gnarly Head Zin!

All the fish are ..

swimming at Pescheria.

Another Light Evening ....

We are on the road to lignt, easy and tasty this week! Fennel and rice salad - tangy and very tasty (not to mention very easy)! I should had served a nice warm crusty loaf of bread with it but did not have time to pick one up today. Dessert ... some simple cubes of a wonderfully fresh cantaloupe!

Quick, Easy & Super Good

Summer Garden Tortelloni~ I was suspect about white corn with pasta, but, it was fantastic!

Comfort Food

Needed a small amount of comfort today. Made homemade mac and cheese and a simple salad of butter leaf lettuce, heirloom tomatoes and some very nice Roquefort! Ahhhhhh..... comfort!

Asian Inspired Sunday Night Dinner

Lucky for us I purchased an issue of Gourmet magazine at the Newark Airport when we were trying to get home from NY a couple weeks ago. I never buy Gourmet; but, I was intrigued when I saw on the front cover that there was a bit on sliders. We had just had some at the Little Owl so I was very excited! Anyhow, I was inspired by a couple recipes in this issue and I made the following for dinner! Soba noodles sauteed with a cabbage and shitake mushroom sauce. I also sauteed some fresh paprika peppers to serve along side it .... to give it some heat! Was delicious! For dessert I served a homemade plum and red wine sorbet! (recipes, to come ...)

Dry Farmed Tomatoes

I went to the farmer's market today, the first time I have been to the Saturday one in years! So glad I did as my favorite little girls where just sitting there waiting for me to buy them, take them home and turn them into something wonderful ~ Eggplant Stacks. Served with a simple Heirloom Tomato salad, crusty french bread and homemade butter inspired by Miche Mache! Wonderful evening we had!

Wok this ....

Friday night we finally had a warm enough evening to take advantage of the deck - it has been a long time! Woked a veggie stir fry - red & purple bell peppers, zucchini, yellow patty pan squash and some young red onions. Very simple with some olive oil and then a sprinkling of a new Tuscan salt. The highlight was a grilled Branzini, which I stuffed with a mixture of fennel, red onion, oregano and Meyer lemon - first time grilling and eating a Branzini, it was wonderful - peeled off nicely from the skin & bones, it was light, moist and very flavorful!

Who SCREAMS for cookies & cream .......

Ice Cream? Why you will! This is the best ice cream we have made all year - not kidding! Let's get churning .....

Meat & Potatoes kind of night

Had my special little friend, M. over for dinner tonight. He is a meat & potato kind of boy, so we sauteed some lean and mean hamburgers with simple browned garlic and salt and pepper. Can not have a mean burger without super crunchy Alphatatos from Ian's! For dessert we made homemade ice cream together. This was the BEST one I have made all year - cookies and cream! I am not kidding when I say the best, I will have to post the recipe later as well as photos (can not get our new camera to download to my computer). Come on back though, you will not be disappointed!

Getting Naked ...........

In response to Wine Blogging Wednesday # 36, we sought out a bottle of "Naked Chardonnay". I found a very nice 2005 Four Vines Naked Chardonnay for about $15. We put it on ice and enjoyed a "fantastic" glass of wine! Full of nice crisp apple flavor and very buttery. I thought I would miss the Oak but I actually fell in love with the roundness of the apple and butter flavoring - some what like carmel! Highly recommend it!

Summer Tart

I was pretty excited when I went to the grocery store today and saw two of my favorite summer time items: figs (and lots of them) and dry-farmed tomatoes! So tonight I was inspired to make this recipe that I saw in Food & wine. I did tweak it somewhat to give it my own personal flare & I must say, it was FANTASTIC! It will become a regular veggie dish our in our home! L. loved it as well, even though, he did say "it would be nice spicy!"

Blogging by Mail ...

I saw this event & thought it looked like fun & it was! We received a terrific package full of fun food items and a few little kitchy things as well! A BIG THANK YOU to Don't Burn Down the Kitchen for her thoughtfulness and effort!

Roasted Peach Ice Cream

I love roasted banana ice cream so I took some peaches I had, roasted them with a little brown sugar and fresh lavender and then added to a basic vanilla ice cream - wonderful!!

Grilled Pizza??

For dinner we had something besides a stuff pepper. It was a beautiful night and it was calling for us to enjoy our deck, so I whipped up some homemade pizza dough and we grilled pizzas. A Blue cheese and tomato one and a Mozzarella with tomatoes and arugula. We enjoyed the smokiness of the grilled pizzas with a 2005 Espelt Saulo wine!

Thursday's Dinner

Can you tell we are down to bare bones in our house? Stuffed (yes, more) peppers for dinner. This time red bells with brown rice that I sauteed with shallots, garlic and some diced red pepper and finished it off with some of that nice goat cheese from the other night. As always, very good combination!

Wednesday's Dinner

I have been dying to try Padron Peppers after reading this post on Becks & Posh; but, I never have a chance to get to Farmer's Market on Saturdays. Strolling by Bi-rite Market and I found them! Guess what was part of dinner! Sauteed with some olive oil & sprinkled with the famed black salt flakes we love. For dinner I stuffed some Pablo peppers, I had leftover from last week, with some sweet white corn, kidney beans, sauteed shallots and garlic and some goat cheese! Wonderful!

Need to shop ...

Have not had time to hit the grocery store - we are living on what is left in the house from last week! Tonight: Pasta with ricotta, pesto and some tomatoes that I wilted on the stove top for awhile until they burst! Served a mixed herb salad with a sprinkling of our favorite black salt flakes. Simple but satisfying.

Everything but the kitchen sink ...

PASTA! It took us almost 18 hours to get back from the big apple - nothing in the house except, 1 eggplant, 1 red-pepper, some shallots, garlic, frozen pesto, pasta and the token cans of chickpeas! This is what we came up with - Roasted Veggies tossed with warm pasta and a splash of Pesto! As well as a fantastic bottle of Vino - 2006 Castano Monastrel (Organic)! (see side notes)

Getting Crazy in the Kitchen

Wanted to have fun with The Crazy Kitchen Gadget fun! We just got this new gadget and love it! It is great as it not only is a pourer and keeps the drips off the table and your clothing but it also has a stopper built in, in case you do not want to drink a whole bottle at one setting! The recipe: A good bottle of vino!

Mirror Mirror on the Cake??

I was very honored to be asked to participate with the Daring Bakers! Not only because I find all of the Bakers incredibly talented; I was also looking forward to the challenge! My first was definitely a challenge. We were asked to make a Strawberry Mirror Cake. Honestly, I have never attempted something as difficult since I was about 15 and I tried to make Floating Islands. While my Mirror Cake did not come out the prettiest, hence, why I wrapped a brown ribbon around it, it did taste wonderful and the smell of fresh baked cake and very fresh strawberries made our home smell wonderful all weekend!