Let me start by saying thank you to all of the men and women who have fought for and are fighting for our country. It is too often that we take our liberties for granted and forget about the sacrifices that are made daily so that we can keep them. It is too often that we become so self absorbed that we do not think of those who have lost their lives, had their lives touched and the families who are suffering. It is too often that we turn war into a political discussion or a discussion of whether or not we should be in someone else's country. It is too often that we forget what is important and that is the fact that we have Americans in foreign countries who are fighting and dying for all of us back home.

My Grandfather was in the Army for WWII and Korea. I can't even imagine the sights, sounds and experiences he had. He never spoke of them and they have now died with him. By the time I got to know him he wasn't a military man and he never mentioned his time in the service. It wasn't until he passed in the 90's that I got to see his medals, the pictures of his battalion and the pictures of him and his family when he was tall and proud in uniform. He looked so young, so naive and so serious. I often wondered how the war changed him, whether the memories haunted him and if he had physical and emotional scars that he carried with him. My Grandfather was quiet, but his eyes always smiled. He was bald except for a cloud of white hair around his head and a big white beard that made him resemble Santa Claus. He use to let me ride his riding lawn mower as a child and he tried not to get angry when I drove it over his brand new tree...oops. He use to read to me the story of Heidi and tell me that he was like the Grandfather in that story as he lived in a chalet on a hill in Vermont...and I believed him. I never saw him in uniform, never saw a weapon in his hand and never heard him talk about fallen friends or comrades or those lives that he had to take. However, today I want to say thank you. Thank you for fighting for our country and for fighting so that I could have a future. Thank you for fighting for what you believed to be right and for carrying those scars , those memories and those experiences so that I could have my freedoms.

So I am sure many of you were expecting something more along the lines of Memorial Day BBQ recipes or tips for summer grilling or warm weather cocktails however I felt it was important to take a minute and give some credit to those amazing people who are fighting for our country. So to those of you in the military I will say what I always say to my cops "stay safe and come home to your families."

Yesterday was perfect weather! Think it was high 70's or low 80's and I couldn't wait to sit on the patio with a glass of wine and just enjoy the sun. So I decided to have some friends over to enjoy some bbq'd rib eye, good wine and try a new risotto recipe. It was a perfect night and I was thrilled with how the food turned out...still not thrilled with hot the picture of the food turned out...but I wasn't about to let that ruin my evening.

So let me start by saying my cousin recommended this oven risotto recipe to me and I thought that is so weird and so cheating to make risotto in the oven. Holy heck was I wrong! It is so easy to throw everything into a pan and put it in the oven for 45 min and it turned out great....actually probably better than when I have made risotto on the stove and stirred it constantly for 45 min straight. So if you are looking for a good, super easy and low maintenance side dish recipe this is it. This recipe came from the Barefoot Contessa cookbook

Easy Parmesan Risotto

1 1/2 cups arborio rice
5 cups simmering chicken broth (of coarse they recommend homemade but seriously who has time for that)
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (seriously grating your parmesan cheese truly does make a difference)
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 T unsalted butter, diced
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly group pepper
1 cup frozen peas

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the rice and 4 cups of the chicken stock in a dutch oven. Cover and bake for 45 min until most of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente. Remove from the oven, add the remaining cup of chicken stock, the parmesan, wine, butter, salt/pepper and stir vigorously for 2-3 min until the rice is thick and creamy. Add the peas and stir until heated through. Serve hot

And if anyone is wondering what type of white wine I used for the risotto here is the label and yes, I did buy this wine just for the label. It actually tasted fine but the label made me laugh so it came home with me.

I served the risotto with roasted asparagus which I just made in the oven. I put olive oil, salt and pepper on the asparagus and put them on the cookie sheet. Just roasted them at 350 degrees for 15-20 min and they were perfect.

Now for the rib eye...this is what I learned from the Cafe Firenze cookbook

1. Meat needs to be room temperature before you cook it so I took it out of the fridge for about an hour before I wanted to grill it.

2. Don't salt it ahead of time you should salt it as it cooks because the salt will absorb the juice of the meat and it could cause it to dry out.

3. After you cook it you should let the meat rest for approx 5 min before you serve it so the juices absorb back into the meat

4. Grilling lemon and serving it with the meat really adds a nice flavor and the acid of the lemon tastes really good

The rib eye I made last night had a rub on it made of black pepper, chopped rosemary and chopped sage...really nice. And it was served with an infused olive oil I made. You take a 1/2 cup of olive oil and throw 4 cloves of garlic in it with their skin on and a few sprigs of thyme. You cook it at low heat until the garlic has cooked enough that they are soft and then you strain the olive oil and serve it on the steak. You actually put it on the steak after it has been cooked....really nice flavor. Thank you Fabio Viviani!

Well I hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend...remember our troops and all that they are doing for us. Enjoy your families and friends and take a moment to be thankful for all that is special.

So as you all know I usually come home from work, run or workout and cook. But alas tonight I am out of ingredients and recipes for the week and I am going through withdrawals. I plan my menu/recipes during the weekend, shop and then make a recipe every night. Well I must have become over zealous this weekend because here I am on hump day and I am plum out of options. So I went for my run...so sick of running and training as I am a week and a half out from my next half marathon. I think I have ran around the entire town of Moorpark for the last 6 weeks straight. Yes, I can tell you where every water fountain and public restroom is located throughout the city...one of my claims to fame. After my run I took a shower...don't think you should cook or blog dirty and sweaty...etiquette, right? And then the anxiety started...I realized I had no recipes in my cookbook holder...bad sign...translation I cooked all of the recipes for the week. So I started pacing around the kitchen looking for ingredients in a recipe that I could piece together...however one of my goals this year was to only buy as much food as I would use. In the past I would just buy way too much food and it pained me to throw it out every week or watch it go to waste...however that meant as I paced my options for "throwing together a recipe" were limited if non-existant.

So here I sit trying to write a food and wine blog without food or wine. Hmmm....so my topic of the night has to do with my favorite foods...when in doubt talk about yourself, right? So here are my top 5 favorite foods for right now...as they are always changing...kind of food fickle ya know.

1. Can I put wine as my #1 favorite food? Oh wait this is my blog I can put whatever I damn well please. And I am not talking about cheap in a box or in a jug wine as I am not to the alcoholic stage in my wine consumption. I am in the snobby I only drink it if it tastes good or it goes down the garbage disposal without a 2nd glance stage. Love it!

2. Cheese-single greatest invention in the world. I haven't met a cheese I haven't liked. I actually like cheese so much that when I went to Ireland I tried to bring some of the cheese back but alas customs would not allow it. I even bought it in the airport-8 wedges of cheese and they told me only 1 of them could be brought to the United States. Hmmm with terrorism I thought they would have given up the cheese cause...but no its right up there with Cuban cigars...however I have successfully brought Cuban cigars into the country...but got stopped for cheese. So the customs lady felt so bad when she saw my face she offered to let me eat the 8 wedges of cheese before I boarded the plane. And although I thought about it briefly the thought of 8 wedges of cheese in my stomach during a 14 hour plane flight sounded like a recipe for disaster. So I took my 1 legal wedge of cheese and boarded the plane after watching the other 7 wedges end up in the Irish trash. And by the time I arrived at LAX my 1 legal wedge of cheese was sweaty, smelly and nasty so that 1 wedge ended up in an American trash can. TRAGEDY!!

3. Bread-there is nothing better than fresh bread! I love the smell of baking bread, the texture of fresh bread and bread with cheese and wine. My obsession with bread started at a young age during trips to NJ to visit my Grandparents. For some reason the East Coast has way better bread...and don't know why...and not just some bread but all bread...baguettes, bagels, croissants, etc. Love it!

4. Eggplant Parmesan Pizza-the last time I was in NJ to visit my Grandma we went to this little pizza parlor in Ocean Grove...yes on the Jersey Shore. And OMG I still dream of this pizza...thin crust, spicy marinara sauce, gooey mozzarella cheese with breaded and fried eggplant parmesan on top. It was an orgasm on a plate! Hmmm maybe that shouldn't be in the same paragraph as my Grandma...oh well

5. Spanakopita- my Mom makes the most amazing spanakopita...phyllo dough, lots of butter, feta and ricotta cheese and spinach. And its amazing warm but there is nothing better than the next morning eating it cold. She makes it for special occasions and when I was home a few weeks ago it was like a rush of crack through my body...ok I honestly have never used crack but it felt as good as I imagine crack would feel without the crash and the god awful side effects.

Ok well I am going to go pace around the kitchen some more...actually probably not...going to move on to reality tv. However, before I go I could use some cooking advice. This weekend I made muffins and they became kind of dense....kind of like gut bombs and this has happened to me before. Does that mean I over mixed the batter? Any ideas? Ladies, aren't you glad I brought the whoopee pies to work and not the gut bomb muffins? Good night all!

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped (I didn't chop it)
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used chocolate chips)
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
18 large marshmallows

Just FYI, the recipe says that it makes 18 but I could only get 12 out of it

1. Preheat the oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper

2. Place unsweetened and semisweet chocolate and butter in a med microwave safe bowl. Heat for about 2 minutes and then stir. Cook another 2 minutes in microwave until completely melted. Whisk in sugar, eggs and vanilla into the chocolate mixture until smooth. Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt into another bowl. Gradually whisk dry ingredients into wet ingredients until moistened. Fold batter together using a rubber spatula. Do not overmix.

3. Drop heaping tablespoons of batter onto prepared pan 1" apart. Bake until cookies spring back when lightly touched, about 6-8 min. Cool cookies slightly

4. Transfer half of the cookies to a rack. Turn over remaining cookies on pan-flat side up. Place a marshmallow on top of each flipped cookie and return to oven. Cook until marshmallows begin to soften and puff about 3 minutes. Cool marshmallow topped cookies slightly about 2 minutes. Top with remaining cookies, pressing lightly to make sandwiches. Cool completely on wire racks and serve.

P.S. These are coming to work with me at 2100 so get ready my favorite guinea pigs.

I recently learned a very valuable lesson. Over 5 years ago I decided to move from Humboldt County or should I say run away. I had that feeling that I couldn't get out of E-town fast enough. I was done with the area and I was ready to get out of there as fast as my little legs could take me. I was ready to leave the area where I grew up, where you ran into people you knew everywhere you went, where everyone knew my history (career history, dating history, high school adventures, etc), where I ran out of career opportunity, where the economy was depressed and there was nothing to do. Sure I was running away from a location but I was also running away from my past.  However, with that mentality of "can't get me out of here fast enough," I also sacrificed and forgot the value of the area and the people that are in it. I forfeited positive relationships, suppressed fun memories of growing up in that area, forgot the beauty of the natural landscape and the eclectic culture.



So last month I had a yearning to go back...to walk through my past, go pack to "my people" and to heal the wounds that were inside of me. I had a desire to go back to Mom and to just be me and to remember all that I worked so hard to forget. And that is what I did...I boarded a plane...yes a prop plane and headed for Humboldt County. It was amazing as I felt a wave of emotion overcome me as I stepped off that plane...a feeling of being home, of calm and of belonging. As I was driving from the airport to my Mom's house I experienced the beauty of the area-truely recognizing it and experiencing it and taking a walk down memory lane with each location and the experiences I had there.



And when I got to my Mom's house I enjoyed all that Moms can do...they can comfort you, they can hold you and dry away your tears. And they can give you wine and homemade pizza and that is exactly what mine did.



The next day I continued my journey...driving by my high school, the house I use to own with my ex-husband and going to the Farmers Market at Arcata Plaza.




And I enjoyed the people...in Humboldt County the people are happy, they are true to themselves, they are at one with nature and they are natural. Walking around the plaza the people watching is amazing as you see and meet the most eclectic and genuine people around. They all make eye contact, they all smile and they all have all of the time in the world to enjoy every experience. I will admit that I did stand out and I did feel a bit like an alien as people stared at the knee high boots, the fake lashes and the bleach blond hair but they didn't stare with negativity, just curiosity.



That night I enjoyed my family and remembered how nurturing they all are. There is nothing better than those family dinners where the wine flows freely and the food is an experience in your mouth. As you all know from reading this blog my family takes food very seriously so what was supposed to be a simple meal was an experience...homemade bow tie pasta with sausage and broccoli rabe...OMG. There was coppanata and spanokapita (Mom made it because she knows its my favorite) and of coarse a giant salad with seasonal vegetables from the Farmers Market. And to see my families smiling faces, feel their hugs and feel their love was by far the best part of the trip.

By Sunday I was ready to come home. I felt healed and felt that I had made peace with some of my past. It was time for me to go to my current home and I will be honest I was starting to get bored. I was ready to get back to the crazy lifestyle where there is always something to do and I am trying to do and be in a 100 places at once. So I got back in my rental car and with 2 more needed stops started to work my way to the airport. It was raining lightly and I stopped by Moonstone Beach...the beach where I use to live  and a place where I always went when I was sad or needed to be alone growing up. And I decided to leave some of my pain here before I headed home...so as I sat on the rocks, listening to the ocean and feeling nature surround me as I let the calm of Humboldt and took a piece of it back home with me. I also stopped at Trinidad Head so I could see the ocean for miles and say my good byes to Humboldt County...but not because I was running and not forever but just for now. Because I learned that sometimes you just need to go home and I will be back soon.

So I recently discovered how traditions start. Somehow my best friend and I started a tradition which over time has become kind of a big deal for us. It started innocently enough just like any girls night...dinner, wine and reality tv, right? So we started meeting once a week to watch Reality Housewives of...fill in the blank to whatever city/state was currently being featured. And one night she made salmon and bok choy and hence a tradition was born. Her husband was away for work in Texas and so every week we had a standing date...reality tv, salmon and bok choy. Oh yes and wine of coarse. She would make the salmon in the toaster oven...yes I said toaster oven...and I know it sounds wacky but don't knock it until you try it because she can do amazing things with a toaster oven...seriously good. She also makes great rib eye steaks in the toaster oven...probably should do a blog feature on her toaster oven recipes. And she then sautees the bok choy I think in olive oil with salt and pepper...yum. My contribution to these dinners is pretty simple but extremely important...wine. We started with red wine but quickly discover that salmon and red wine kind of lends itself to a bitter after taste so we have now moved on to white wine or even on extremely warm evenings beer.

So for the last 2 years now we have continued this dinner and it has since grown into our tradition. When the boys or at work or play we look forward to our girls nights and we always discuss dinner as if we are going to maybe make something else. And then one of us will make the recommendation "how about salmon and bok choy?" It is always asked as if its the most creative and original idea known to man and the other one will act excited and celebrate the original thought. "Oh that is a great idea." And we both look forward to it for the next 7 days...emailing messages about "oh my gosh can't wait for salmon and bok choy," or "you know what I am craving...salmon and bok choy."

Guess what tonight was? I just got home from girls night and we had a great meal of salmon and bok choy. We also had Presidio Chardonnay http://www.presidiowinery.com/ which was so good with the meal. This is a great winery and if anyone is ever in Solvang they have a fun tasting room in downtown. However, I left tonight a little more nostalgic as I realized that our girls night had become a tradition something that we both look forward to, that we cherish and that we relish. It might not be a tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation but it is ours and our quality time together means the world to both of us. It is our time to laugh, talk about random things, discuss reality tv as if it was our own lives and share a meal together. It is our time to talk about news, tragedies and comedies. It is our time to wear sweats to each others houses and to truly be ourselves after long days in a profession that is often stressful, tedious and overwhelming. Thank you my friend for creating this tradition with me. And cheers to salmon and bok choy.

Have you ever found that some days you are just ravenously hungry. You aren't eating anything different, you aren't exercising more, you aren't pregnant and eating for 2 and you aren't trying to bulk or carb load for the next race. Today is one of those days for me! I woke up hungry and now its nearly bed time and I am still hungry and guess what I was throughout the day. I even tried all of those little tricks that often make you less hungry according to those friggin magazines like Shape, Glamour, etc...such as drinking water, drinking peppermint tea, chewing gum, snacking throughout the day. And ya know where those got me....HUNGRY!!!

So tonight I decided I needed to make something that had some carbs and some protein because if you can't kick the hunger you might as well join it right.

I found this recipe at Rachael Ray for Southwestern Chili-Mac Salad. The original idea was to take a chili mac recipe and slim it down and make it more light, summery and better for you. It was really good! Here is the recipe if anyone wants to try it...let me just warn you it makes a ton of it!

Southwestern Chili Mac Salad

1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
7 T olive oil
salt and pepper
4 ears corn
2 cups elbow pasta
1 red onion, half finely chopped and half thinly sliced
1 1/2 T chili powder
1 lb lean ground beef
1 15 oz can kidney beans, rinsed
2 tomatoes, cut into wedges but I did more like chopped
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. In a medium bowl, combine the lime juice and cilantro; whisk in 6 T olive oil. Season with salt and pepper
2. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the corn until just tender, about 3 min (I cooked it more like 5-8 min) and transfer to a cutting board. Return the water to a boil add the pasta and cook until done and drain. Cut the corn kernels from the cob and add to the pasta
3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 T olive oil over med high heat. Add the chopped onion and chili powder and cook until the onions begin to soften, about 2 min (OMG they make the house smell so good). Add the ground beef and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned about 8 min. Transfer to a colander and drain well (this was a really good and easy way to drain ground beef)
4. Add the beef mixture to the pasta, season with salt and pepper. Add the kidney beans, tomatoes, sliced onion and vinaigrette and toss to dress. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the cheese

So I try to cook based on what on what is in season and according to the weather. I often find that I crave different types of foods depending on the temperature, atmosphere and environment. Well let me tell you this year so far has been a challenge. The weather can't make up its mind which besides being frustrating because we pay a hell of a lot of money to live in So Cal and get warm sunny weather year round it is also impossible to figure out what to cook. So far this year we can have a day of beautiful 80 degree sunshine followed by a day of rain followed by days like today which is just cold (ie. for those of you in Nor Cal its 65 degrees and yes we are all FREEZING!!)

Every weekend when I plan my menus for the week I feel like I am playing Russian roulette as I search for recipes that potentially by Wednesday I may not be in the mood for and they might just not match the weather. So I am sure some of you are thinking...hmmm how about The Weather Channel genius? But let me just say really how predictable is this weather prediction business and who has time to agonize over the nuances of the upcoming weather. (Ok I do have a few dear co-workers at work who truly do know everything about the weather but planning ahead for the weather isn't my thing). For example, I am that person who doesn't look at the weather before they go on vacation but just packs what they want to wear and often ends up buying sweaters or shorts wherever I go depending on the locale and the weather. I am also the person who always finds herself wearing flip flops in the rain and I am always surprised by this. Need I say more?

So anyway you get the point that this year has been a challenging year for menu planning based on weather. However, as you can see by the fact that I am still writing this blog and I haven't gone hungry I am finding a way to muddle through.

Here are a few recipes that I have tried in the last couple of weeks that I completely recommend:

Guacamole Salad (I know it sounds weird but I made it for a UFC party with carne asada tacos and it was too die for) http://www.bhg.com/recipe/salads/guacamole-salad/

Grilled Shrimp Cocktail w/3 Dipping Sauces
Shrimp:
1 lb med shrimp with tails, peeled and deveined
oil or melted butter for grilling
kosher salt
pepper
1/2 lime

Preheat a grill pan or outdoor grill to med-high. Toss shrimp with just enough oil or butter to coat lightly (I used olive oil).  Then season with salt and pepper to taste. If cooking on an open grill grate thread the shrimp on skewers or place in a grill basket. (I did not soak the skewers in water and yes they caught on fire). Grill shrimp until they just curl and are translucent, about 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Squeeze lime over the shrimp and serve warm or at room temperature with dip.

Dipping Sauces
#1 Tunisian Pesto
2 cups packed fresh cilantro (leaves and some stems)
1 cup packed fresh parsley (leave and some stems)
1/4 cup almonds
1-2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
pinch cayenne pepper

1. Combine the cilantro, parsley, almonds and garlic in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add about 1/2 cup of the oil and process until fully incorporated and smooth. Add the salt and cayenne pepper.

#2 Fresh Green Chutney
1 1" piece peeled fresh ginger
3 scallions (white and green parts), cut into large pieces
1 cup fresh cilantro (leaves and some stems)
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 jalapeno, stemmed (with or without seeds depending on how spicy you want it)
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 tsp salt

With the food processor running drop ginger into the bowl and process until coarsely chopped. Scrape down side of bowl and add scallions, cilantro, yogurt, jalapeno, lime juice and salt. Process to a textured paste.

#3 Wasabi Guacamole

1 heaping tablespoon wasabi powder
1 T water
1 avocado
1 scallion (white and green parts), finely chopped
1 T lime juice
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1/2 tsp mirin
1/2 tsp salt
2 T cilantro

Which wasabi and water in a small bowl to make a thick paste. Halve the avocado and scrape out the flesh. Mix in the wasabi, scallion, lime juice, ginger, mirin and salt with a fork. Stir in the cilantro