I am … addicted to potato chips! 11 February 2008

If you’re like me and can’t keep your hands off the potato chips, thank goodness for Kettle potato chips. Aside from their clever and sometimes really funny descriptions of their flavors (e.g. When cheese grows up, where does it go?), these potato chips are also healthy. I’m also really impressed by the company with their interest in going green.

I am Good Taste with Initiative

I am revved up, man, I got get-up-and-go. I go after what you want with determination. But not at the expense of others. I’m compassionate and kind, balancing my drive and making me a natural leader. I’m willing to go to great lengths to achieve my dreams and I’m not afraid to keep on trying until I get it just right.

Try this quiz and find out your flavor on Kettle Foods.

Youtube? No, Foodtube! 8 February 2008

Got an email today asking me to visit this new site called FoodTube. Sort of like Youtube, but with just videos of recipes and all things food related. No more sorting through all those videos on Youtube!

Visit FoodTube.net

No need for labels … 31 January 2008

… when you can get your nutrition facts right on your cookie!

Hmmm, wonder how they’ll do it on spaghetti.

[Via Daily Dose]

Fool you Risotto Negro 7 January 2008

I’ve heard about risotto negro, but haven’t tried it yet (I know that Pagliacci serves it). Risotto negro gets its name from its color, and the color is because of squid ink. There isn’t a trace of squid ink in this … but I think it gets pretty close to risotto negro by looks alone!

So where’d that beautiful color come from? Y got adventurous. He had bought some fantastic upland rice - a sticky reddish-purple variety - from Palawan.

Taste it, and it tastes like squid! The rice has an earthy flavor, so it was quite interesting.

We used the basic recipe, with these substitutions/additions:

• Use any upland rice for the arborio rice (Aside from the color, make sure the upland rice is sticky and can won’t disintegrate after being soaked in liquid for a long time. When cooked, it should be soft but still retain a good bite).
• Add green peas (frozen is good) and some sliced zucchini
• And crucial … use seafood stock.
• Variation: add actual squid, and you’ve fooled everyone that they are eating real risotto negro

Never have to bear ink-stained teeth when eating risotto negro again!

Fridge frozen in time 3 January 2008

The holidays just bring no end to eating. This is how our fridge looked like just a day before a family party in our house. The freezer is another story - what with making the much-loved porchetta once again.

Why all those pears? We tried a recipe of pears stewed in red wine and it worked wonderfully with some vanilla ice cream. Recipe to be posted soon!

I hope the New Year is kind to us all! Happy New Year one and all. Now, to get rid of the holiday bulge! … then pack them on once again!

Merry Christmas! 29 December 2007

I wish you all a blessed Christmas and a 2008 of good health, good times, and good eats!

Beef carpaccio with noble leaves & rice 6 December 2007

beef carpaccio with noble leaves & rice, originally uploaded by smilingtea.

 

… and here’s how to serve it up!

Didn’t that carpaccio look good? Hurriedly chopped up some cucumber to mop up the juices in the pans, and served it up atop steamed white rice (we love Japanese rice). You can finish this off with a drizzle of lemon if you like.

On the side, there’s some noble (tamyao) leaves sauteed in garlic and a little fish sauce.

And a glass of red wine makes it double special.

Just a bit of beef goes a long way 2 December 2007

I’m not sure that we call this dish. Let’s call it seared beef carpaccio. I distinctly remember that this is a modification of one of Jamie Oliver’s recipes, watched long ago …

The meat is half cooked, so cook it up straight from the butcher’s if you can. We used some great ribeye beef here.

How to:

• Simply slice up the beef and put in between some cling wrap. Pound away at it (gently now) with a wooden mallet or a rolling pin until it is flattish.
• Heat up your skillet. Just a quick swirl of extra virgin olive oil. When nice and hot, place your carpaccios - a few seconds and the edges should brown, turn over, brown … done.

Key ingredient 21 November 2007

Here’s an interesting way to compile recipes. Think social networking app meets your index cards of recipes. I haven’t yet signed up, but it looks promising. And all recipes are by “real cooks,” so like blogs you can pester the one who posted the recipe if something goes wrong … heehee.

You can upload recipes, collect recipes … of course meet other cooks, and even get recommendations on where to shop. There are also privacy settings … in case you just want to share you “secret” ingredients or trade secrets only to friends and family.

Dessert! Grilled peaches! 15 November 2007

 

No recipe needed. We were watching Jamie Oliver on his show “Jamie at Home” … and he started grilling these lovely peaches! He didn’t do much with them … in fact I don’t remember the recipe at all (sorry).

But I do remember that the peaches looked great and Jamie obviously took great pleasure in eating them up!

We chanced upon some decent looking peaches (pretty rare here) in our oft-frequented grocery.

All we did was grill the peaches. Melt some butter over it. Sprinkle with chopped almonds. Dollop ricotta cheese … and drizzle with honey.

Simple yet extravagant.