It's been cold and I love to crank the oven with baked goods on these occasions. You know what else I like? Finding a few bananas on the counter past their point of eating natural. Also, save the peels for other plants that need a little food of their own. All the gooey goodness from the inside of these skins is going to be stuffed in bread.
Unless you live under a rock, most people are painfully aware of Tim Tebow that were not previously aware of his talent. Bronco fans, you're in for a treat! In my neck of the woods he's already a celebrity down here.
The Final Championship Bowl game tonight will not be as exciting. I'll likely be cooking dessert while the game plays in the background and offer Mr. Vine full control of the TV's remote. Every now and then I give him that. It makes us work.
The morning felt cool at 7am so I went for a run, mainly because the rain at night has been soaking the neighborhood and I've not run since Sunday. After that we hung out in the "gym" and by that I mean using free weights in the back bedroom.
Early this morning I had a craving for some scones to enjoy with my morning tea. These aren't hard to make and take approximately 30 minutes. The endless possibilities of scone combination are a matter of what you have on hand in the kitchen. Chocolate can never be wrong and apricot because it goes so well on pastries. I'm particularly fond of the organic cacao chocolate morsels found at Whole foods.
The weather has been humid lately and temperatures reached 80 degrees. Morning fog tends to burn off by 11am and the rest of the day is sweltering. This means it's hot tub season. After a long day and short run I find a good soak relaxing. In addition, when I can pick ripe fruit right off the citrus tree hanging over my head I'm very happy.
This has to be one of my best dishes this past year. The market had some sashimi grade tuna steaks and I knew exactly what to do with them. First rub some olive oil on them and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Next I placed a layer of black sesame seeds on a plate and placed the tuna in it to coat evenly. After that I placed the tuna in a pan on med heat for 2 minutes on each side. The key is to not move the fish until its ready to flip and be gentle to not disturb the sesame seeds. I thought it was a good choice since I had to splurge on the renovations. Celebratory dinner at home $11.95. The price of solid new roof construction and knowing its going to hold during hurricane season - priceless. I'm sleeping much better at night.
This soul satisfying soup is one of my favorites. It is incredibly flavorful and fun to cook. I prefer to use leeks rather than onions or scallions due to their rich flavor.
As one of the Foodbuzz: 24 X 24 Gulf Coast Ambassadors, last night it was my privilege to participate and showcase the cuisine of the Gulf Coast region. This event was held in St Pete, Florida at my friend Jennie's house with the proceeds going to the Greater New Orleans Foundation thanks to Foodbuzz with the focus on helping fishermen and their families in the area who have been subjected to the fallout from the BP oil disaster since April 20, 2010.
The stakes have been devastating to every single state along the Gulf Of Mexico and nobody knows if there will be much of a future for inhabitants or residents of the area. There is a darkness that looms in our offshore waters and the oil invasion is currently taking a heavy toll on all of us living in the coastal regions.
Baking cakes is not a task I normally find myself involved in. If my convection oven could talk it would ask if I moved out or if my kitchen is under new management. But there I was standing in the kitchen, melting dark chocolate and looking for items I had long put away. This was not a cake for me but a birthday cake I was baking for a someone special I knew would love all the gooey delights that would follow.
