TGI-Friday Happy Hour with a litle help from Trader Joe's and Stacey

This has been a long and difficult week at the office. Fortunately, hubby and I are off for the next three days. I've got several recipes I need to upload, but I just haven't had time! This weekend, I'll catch up.

While scanning some of my favorite food blogs (I'm also behind in that department), I caught "Stacey Snacks" posting on her antipasto, "al fresco". The part of my brain that is connected to my taste buds set it's sights on the same idea.

I decided that I'd pop into Trader Joe's, just down the street from where I work. I bought prosciutto de parma, salami and asiago cheese, kalamata olives (pitted, no less), roma tomatoes and a fresh baguette. I already have basil plants in my back yard that I buy at Trader Joe's-- already potted and ready to enjoy, for less than $3.00. What a deal!

My husband chilled a bottle of white wine for us and I decided to make bruschetta. Bruschetta is very high on my list of favorite things to eat. Actually, tomatoes are a fruit that I never tire of eating.



We have 20 container tomatoes, that I am anxiously waiting to bear it's first beautiful fruit. I think it will be another month. Buying store bought tomatoes just isn't the same for me. Those of you who grown your own tomatoes know what I'm talking about-- there is nothing as sweet and wonderful as sun-ripened, homegrown tomatoes.

There are so many ways to make bruschetta. I keep mine very simple:

I remove the seeds from roma tomatoes, and dice them. To that I add some sea salt & fresh ground pepper, one small finely minced clove of garlic, extra-virgin olive oil and fresh chopped basil. While that sits a bit, I slice the baguette and brush with olive oil. Broil for about 2 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Remove from the broiler, and rub a garlic clove.

Spoon the tomatoes on each crostini and add freshly grated Parmigiana-Reggiano. Sometimes, I drizzle balsamic over the top. I could eat a dozen of these, no problem!



I also decided to make a basil pesto, since I have three thriving plants. In a food processor I used fresh basil, of course, and pine nuts (I keep them in my freezer), parmesan, salt & pepper, garlic and olive oil- and a little bit of lemon juice, for some zip. I used the pesto to add to some sliced baguettes for the salami and prosciutto.



I also sliced some apples and cheese and we were all set.

I live in the sunbelt, so it is highly unusual that we had overcast skies. Instead, we opted to nosh in our living room while watching a DVD.

Ah, yes... this is a wonderful way to start a three-day weekend! Thanks, Stacey, for the inspiration!



Oh, by the way-- I think I'm learning to bond with kalamata olives. For most of my life, I've not been a fan of them. I'm going to start playing around with incorporating these into my recipes. What took me so long to realize that while they're a little salty, they're pretty darn good!

I think I'm going to join Stacy in her Friday tradition of antipasto during the warmer months of the year. If you haven't visited her blog, please pay her a visit. Please tell her I sent you. She's funny, talented and she knows her way around the kitchen. I'm amazed that she posts something new just about every day! I've made a few of her recipes, that have always turned out delicious.

Part II - Monterey's " Sustainable Seafood Challenge"

Where was I? Back to last Sunday... my wonderful day at the Monterey Plaza Hotel to watch the Sustainable Seafood Challenge with Alton Brown and Sam Choy as hosts:

My front rows seat was directly in front of Nate Appleman, co-owner and Executive Chef of San Francisco's A-16 Restaurant. I've seen him on Food Network (Iron Chef), but I didn't know much about him. I wish I knew the name of his sous chef-- a darling young lady, whose parents were seated to my right.

This is "Nancy". Nancy's husband bought her a ticket to this event as a Christmas gift. She also has beautiful skin-- she was one of my most loyal and favorite facial clients for at least 13 years. Muhwaaaaaah, Nancy! She's also my foodie buddy and she knows a lot more about culinary skills and lingo than I do. I'm still waiting for Nancy to invite me over for one of her famous dinners. (Nancy reads my blog...hint, hint).

The 1 hour clock started ticking and the chefs were off to make their dishes for the judges.

Nancy and I were riveted to checking out the ingredients Nate chose for his menu-- trying to guess what he would make with them. Non-foodies don't understand that, do they?

Alton Brown being playful with Nate.



Sam Choy looks on as Nate prepares a cooked lobster. (I love lobster). If you look in the left corner, you can see that the clock has counted down with 47 minutes to go.



Does anyone like caviar? Feast your eyes on this! There's more to come on this can of glorified fish eggs...



Chef Nate is plating a seafood risotto. Notice the small bottle of 25-year old balsamic on the left. Nancy and I were licking our chops.



Aha! He's going to drizzle the balsamic over the risotto. Now, I'm starting to moan with desire...





Whoo-hoo! Chef has heard my whimpering and he made a small bowl of risotto and waved his hand to signify "help yourself". In a nano-second I was up and I unabashedly took the bowl-- much to the moans of envy from the folks in back. That's my new friend "Valerie" to my left...



Valerie has no shame, either. Chef handed her the All-Clad pan of leftover risotto...



Here's my bowl of Chef Nate's creation-- seafood risotto with lobster and caviar. Know what friendship is? It's letting my friend, Nancy, devour all of the caviar! Know what else? Other than the beluga caviar I once ate (and did enjoy) it's not really my "thing". Nancy doesn't like lobster, but she loves caviar. She also ate a dozen oysters, and had a huge grin on her face.
Yin and Yan, we were both very happy moochers. Yes, it was very tasty.



Valerie shared her risotto with total strangers. Get this...

Other celebrity chefs appearing at Cooking For Solutions include John Ash, Nate Appleman, Floyd Cardoz, Regina Charboneau, Sam Choy, Xavier Deshays, Jim Dodge, Joyce Goldstein, Alexandra Guarnaschelli, Tracy Griffith, Michael Nischan, Paul Rogalski, and Frank Stitt.

Presenting chefs include Tony Baker, Wendy Brodie, Benjamin Brown, Dory Ford, Thom Fox, Anthony Keen, Mary Pagan, Peter Pahk, Jerry Regester, Justin Robarge, Jeff Rogers, Cal Stamenov, Terry Teplitzky, James Waller and Ted and Cindy Walter.

After the awards were handed out (Nate won for best flavor)...



As Chef was packing up, Valerie looked at him to hand back the All-Clad pan.

"Take it!" he replied, waving his hand.

I wanted to cry. I looked at the bottle of 25-year old balsamic... and debated batting my eyes at him. I chickened out.

Valerie. She scored big time!

As for me... I rarely get to attend events like this. It was such a treat that my friend, Debra, gifted me with a ticket to see this wonderful event.

As for next year-- I can only hope that I find a ticket to next year's Seafood Challenge in my Christmas stocking.

You hear that, Valerie? I'm going to score a piece of All-Clad, too. (Yeah, right).

If any of you wonderful folks, who read my blog, come to visit Monterey... let me know. I feel so blessed to live in such a beautiful area that offers to many wonderful restaurants and that attracts so many celebrities. You can take me out to dinner! Seriously, I'd be happy to give you some recommendations, from a local's perspective.

There are many more photos that I'll need to organize and create as a slide show. These are just a few.

See you next year-- Nancy & Valerie!

Pioneer Woman's Strawberry Shortcake Cake

I had a productive day in my herb garden and kitchen. I made four new recipes! I've decided to postpone Part II of my day at the special event for sustainable seafood-- it's been a while since I've blogged about a new recipe. Tonight's dessert was rated "five stars" by my husband. He doesn't hand those out easily, but I have to say-- Ree posted a great new recipe.

The sponge cake is made with sifted flour, corn starch, baking soda and creamed butter and sugar. Eggs (at room temperature) are added one at a time:



Like Ree, I used a greased and floured 8" cake pan, and leveled the top of the batter with an off-set spatula. The cake was baked in just over 40 minutes, rather than the 45-50 recommended time. Watch this closely, depending on your oven!



Immediately remove from pan, and cool completely.



Now, for the beautiful strawberries... wash them, husk them, and slice in halves.



Depending on how tart your strawberries are, add about 3 Tablespoons sugar (these were tart, because I didn't buy Driscoll berries).



The berries should macerate, in the fridge, for at least 30 minutes; then mash them in batches and add about 1 tablespoon more sugar, if needed.



Who doesn't love cream cheese frosting, with unsalted butter, powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until fluffy..



Cut the cake in half, and divide the strawberries. Place an even layer, with the juice. The cake is dense, so it can take it. Freeze for about five minutes, to make frosting easier.



Spread a layer of icing over the strawberry layer; then add the second layer and ice the top, and the sides with the remaining icing (which I didn't seem to have enough to finish the job).



I thought about decorating the cake with fresh pink roses, from my garden...or garnishing this with fresh strawberries-- but I didn't have any! Actually, my boys don't care about that stuff.



This is what they care about! I really like this recipe. I would, seriously, considering making a whipped cream frosting as a variation. For potlucks, though, I'd make this Ree's way.

Sustainable Seafood Challenge

I had the most amazing experience at the Monterey Plaza Hotel. I arrived an hour early and I immediately spotted my dear friend (and former facial client), Nancy. She's a very talented foodie, with lots of experience in catering-- not to mention that she's won numerous awards at the local fair and at the famous Gilroy Garlic Festival. While waiting in line, we met other foodies. My husband was right-- there was no need for me to fear going to this event "alone". As soon as Nancy and I started talking about food, others joined in. I met a new "foodie pal" who followed Nancy and me, as we made a bee line and we successfully scored we scored front row seats!



I excitedly began to look around and I had a severe case of sensory overload! First, the setting was spectacular. It was a clear and sunny day, with a beautiful view of the Monterey Bay.



I spotted Alton Brown!! I did try to get a photograph with him, but I'm just not aggressive enough. I have to say that AB is a very gracious person. Not once did he snub anyone who asked for his photograph. He's also very funny.

My new friend, Valerie, watched my purse so that I could find a glass of wine. There was a lot of food!



Check out all of the oysters! Would you believe I don't like oysters. I know-- what a travesty!


I moved on to the cheese selection-- pretty, but I was far too excited to try and plate a selection of those.

I stopped to survey the ingredients table:

Pictured are Alexandra Guarnaschelli, from NY's Butter Restaurant, and Thomas Keller and Sam Choy.

Finally, I settled on crostini with morels and wild mushrooms, and seared scallops. Now, that's what I'm talkin' about!


I hurried back to my seat and took photos of my lovely appetizers (while my non food blogging friends smiled at my trying to balance a plate on my lap to use my macro lens). Doesn't this look marvelous?


Valerie graciously brought a dessert plate:

I'm really beginning to like Valerie...

Our seats were directly in front of Nate Appleman, co-owner and executive chef of A16 Restaurant (San Francisco) and a Beard Award nominee. He's adorable... honestly, he's a cutie patootie.



To my right was Alexandra Guarnaschelli, from NY's Butter Restaurant-- and also from Food Network shows "Chopped" and as a judge on "Iron Chef". In person, she's delightful. We locked eyes, and she gave me a warm hello and she was very gracious. She's very different than the harsh judge personna she has on "Chopped".



Alton Brown and Sam Choy (Sam Choy's Breakfast, Lunch & Crab in Honolulu) and Iron Chef guest were circulating during the competition.



Other guests chefs were Xavier Deshayes (Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center-- Washington D.C.) and Canadian Chef Paul Rogalski. Thomas Keller (The French Laundry) sat three seats to my right along with numerous celebrity chefs.



The secret ingredient was Albacore Tuna. This event was nothing like the Iron Chef show on Food Network. It was low key, and the chefs were very relaxed. Alton Brown kept us all laughing-- especially when he made fun of Alexis' quinoa. Truthfully, I haven't learned to bond with it, either.

Nancy and I were spellbound, just watching all the knife skills.



Truly, it was so hard for me to even think about wanting to eat the wonderful hor's doevres. I found myself watching Nate prepare several dishes with his lovely sous chef (whose name was not mentioned).

It's getting late, and I have more to share. Actually, I had so much fun-- and I want to share those highlights with you. Hopefully, you'll tune in tomorrow for Part II of my fun evening in my beautiful hometown of Monterey, California.

Cold Stove and tonight's event

I haven't posted one single recipe all week. I have a very good reason...er, excuse. I work at a high school and graduation is coming very fast. Suffice it to say, that I'm busy-- crazy busy. By the time I head home for my 40 minute commute, I'm toast. I just cannot get enough energy to cook. All week long, my family has lived on what's in the freezer, frozen pizza, or cereal. This is highly unusual for me, except this time of year. The next round of my stress will hit the week before the new school year starts.

Plus, my wonderful husband "built" a new laptop for me. He's a computer guru, and it was time for me to upgrade my seven year old HP. I'm now cooking at a faster speed with a lot more memory. Problem is, I've got to reconfigure a lot of stuff, including my photo editor. Arrrgh.


Fortunately, it's the weekend where I get to sleep in and then at 9:00am I am right here, for my exercise and stress-relief:





tonight, I have a special evening with someone I admire, from Food Network:

Yep, here he is! Alton Brown-- "Good Eats" and commentator for "Iron Chef".

Tonight, I'm getting one more night off from cooking. A dear former client of mine (when I owned a Skincare Clinic.. I'm a licensed esthetician) gifted me with one ticket to a very special event in Monterey. It's the Annual "Cooking for Solutions" at the world famous Monterey Bay Aquarium! Tonight, I will see Food Network's Alton Brown as the host for the Seafood Challenge-- an Iron Chef version with celebrity chefs.

SOLD OUT

Sustainable Seafood Challenge

Saturday, May 16 (5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.)

Monterey Plaza Hotel $150,
Aquarium members only
(tax-deductible portion: $50)

Join us at the elegant Monterey Plaza Hotel as four of our celebrated chefs race the clock to create tasty (and sustainable) seafood dishes while Sam Choy and Alton Brown offer lively commentary. This year’s challenge features Alexandra Guarnaschelli, Nate Appleman, Paul Rogalski and Xavier Deshayes. Frank Stitt, Alton Brown and Sam Choy will be the judges as the chefs compete for honors in one of four fun categories. You’ll enjoy fine wine and abundant hors d’oeuvres, and take home a set of plunger-style measuring cups from the signature line of Alton Brown Gear.

The weather is incredible for this event. It's already in the 90's where I live, and in the mid-80's in Monterey (30 minutes from here). I am smuggling my digital camera, hoping that I will be allowed to take photographs. To be honest, I'm very shy about walking into any kind of event or party if I'm not with someone I already know. However, I'm not going to miss this opportunity.

My husband is dropping me off, so that I can enjoy the wine and not worry about driving home. I hope to have photos to post and stories to share. Will some of my California food bloggers be there? I sure hope so! I'll be the blonde, with a wine glass in her hand, hovering over the hor's doevres and scoping out a good seat to watch the action.

Tomorrow, I will be grilling. I have so many recipes to make. I think my boys have missed my culinary action. I have to agree with them. I am craving lots of fresh vegetables and fruit! I've had too many starchy carbs and it's time to get back into the kitchen.