Cooking as many of you know is a labor of love in my family and there is no greater gift than passing on the knowledge of family recipes, stories about food and family food legends. Yes, my family has food legends. This past weekend I learned how to make pizza and not only was the experience of being in the kitchen with someone I love amazing, but so was the knowledge that I could carry on this tradition. Sure the event wasn't without mishaps since the words kitchen and me were involved, however they were minor. And they only involved mushrooms that will be stuck on the bottom of the oven from here until eternity and a minor flour explosion...which you all should be use to by now.

This is before the mushrooms ended up on the bottom of the oven

The making of pizza in my family is truly a labor of love...bordering on a religion.  One that takes a full 24-48 hours if done right. Pizza has had a special place in my childhood as it was truly one of the first foods I ate, a comfort food for me all growing up and one that every single member of my family was involved in. My "uncle" opened up Tomaso's when all of them moved to Eureka, which was the first pizza place in Humboldt County. Not only was it a hang out for everyone near and dear to me in my youth, but it was also a place of employment back in the day for everyone I knew and a place that I spent a lot of time hanging out and greeting guests with my big brown eyes and chubby little cheeks (back in the day not now). It was kind of like Cheers as I remember it...the place where everyone was welcome and everyone was known. Sure it was the 70's so I am sure there were other activities going on as well but I was under the age of 5 so let's just say I was in happy oblivion.



Anyway I digress lets go back to pizza this weekend. Although there are many schools of thought this is the way I was taught. And let me just say I learned a few myths about pizza dough that I had been carrying around with me for quite some time. The day before you want pizza you should throw the following ingredients into a Kitchen Aid mixer:


2 1/2 cups flour (we used all purpose but you can use bread flour)
1/4-1/2 tsp yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp olive oil

Using the regular mixing blade blend on low for 5 minutes while slowly adding in 1 1/4 cup water. The water does not have to be warm like I had previously thought and you do not have to dissolve the yeast in the water like I had also thought was necessary.

After 5 minutes put the dough hook on the mixer and blend for another 10 minutes on the 2nd notch of the blender...so low-medium blend.


Take the dough out of the mixer and put it on a floured surface. Gently knead the dough until it is "silky and smooth." And yes you can actually feel it...it feels kind of like silk. Don't add too much flour as you want the dough tacky and you don't want it to be dry.



Put olive oil into a bowl and coat the bowl...there should not be excess oil on the bottom of the bowl so don't get olive oil crazy.

Put the dough in the fridge covered with a damp dish cloth. My Mom had always put her dough in the oven to rise but I learned that she did this to speed up the rising process. The ideal is to give your dough enough time to mature on its own and it will do that in the fridge. The dough should stay in the fridge at least over night.



Take the dough out of the fridge 1 hour before cooking and let it come to room temperature and it will also rise even more during that hour. When you are ready to make your pizza again put it on a lightly floured surface and start working the dough with your fingertips...forming it into a shape...preferably round but if you want a square pizza or one that is shaped like a giraffe knock yourself out.



Once you add your toppings...we just did sauce and cheese and one with mushrooms...you cook the pizza at 525 degrees for 10 min. I also learned that if you are using a pizza stone it should be in the oven and should be heated and you just add the pizza to the stone.

This pizza was truly heaven! Truly a labor of love, an amazing bonding experience and a family tradition that I will definitely duplicate. Cheers!

As many of you know I am in Atlanta, GA and sure as I was flying here I was thinking,"what am I going to do for wine over the next 4 days?" However, never fear I can find good wine anywhere. I am kind of like those people that can find water so people can build wells...yeah I am similar to that but a little different and a little less handy. So today I decided to give Georgia wine a try. And I know many of you are thinking, what? Georgia wine? I know in California we think of Georgia as being more of a moonshine type of place, but I have to say I was impressed.



I also learned about a new grape varietal that I had never heard of....muscadine. I thought it was similar to a muscat variety based on the name, but I learned that I was wrong. It is a sweeter grape but alas not a relative of muscat or muscato.  Muscadine is a native grape to Georgia, it does not grow in clusters and its actually recognized for its health benefits. Figures the grape that I am not super fond of is the one that has the most health benefits. This grape was discovered in the 16th century when Ponce de Leon was trying to discover the fountain of youth...granted the health benefits do not cure aging but they are supposed to be high in anti-oxidants which is helpful.



So today I went to Chateau Elan which felt like stepping into another country as it resembles a villa in a European land. It is surrounded by beautiful grape vines and acres of amazingly manicured lawns. The winery started in 1984 and it also has restaurants, a hotel and spa on the property. It was really very impressive. They actually grow a great deal of their grapes on the property-chardonnay, carbernet, merlot and of course mescadine. And I have to say that although I went into this adventure with a preconceived California wine snob mentality I was pleasantly surprised. The chardonnay is very light and made in stainless steel but it was very smooth and easy to drink. The viognier was also very light and crisp but it honestly had too much of a banana flavor for my tastes...but if you like banana you would probably like it. I also tried the cabernet and the merlot. The merlot was my favorite and that is the wine that is coming home with me. Its a very smooth and full of flavor ,wine that would very easily pair with food. The cab was also good but it was a little too acidic and dry for my tastes.



The only draw back is that they don't ship their wines out of the state so if you want to try it you either need to bribe me to share or come to the Atlanta area for a visit. Here is the web page: http://www.chateauelan.com/epicurean/winery/

If you need some bribery ideas let me help you:

• Petite sirah is my favorite one of the moment
• I really want to try Sprinkles cupcakes
• I love shoes and I have a great collection
• I want breakfast in bed (see previous blog)

This cake was made from Helen's recipe...thank you

So this morning I worked until 0230 and of course by 0800 my eyes were wide open and my body thought this would be a great time to start the day. I tried to tell myself,"Self, you have only been asleep for 4 1/2 hours," however it would have none of it. So as I laid there all I wanted was a cup of coffee and breakfast in bed. And so I tried desperately to will the cat to make me coffee and bring it to me in bed, but alas my attempts were futile so I had to get up. But just because I have shitty cat training skills I decided I still deserved a great cup of coffee and a yummy breakfast and that is what I made.



I decided to make a Frittata with Linguine, Basil and Mushrooms from Cooking Light. I know that many of you are probably thinking linguine, huh? However, I knew this would be tasty because I have a childhood memory of a spaghetti pie that was cooked in a pan with leftover spaghetti and marinara sauce. It may have also had egg and cheese added to it, but I just don't remember...I do remember the spaghetti part and I remember as a kid thinking it was the coolest thing ever.



So off I went to the grocery store...ok actually 2 because the first store didn't have leeks...on very sleep, a desire for breakfast in bed and a cat that can't make coffee. This recipe is very good for you, low in calorie and fat and has a ton of flavor. The basil truly brings a lot of flavor on this dish so do not leave out the fresh basil.

I also used olive oil flavored cooking spray and I think that really added some flavor to this as well. And yes of course I added more salt than the recipe called for....because I can. I loved this recipe because the spaghetti gets crispy kind of like a crust on the bottom and the cheese, egg and vegetable mixture are creamy on top.



Start by sauteing the mushrooms and leeks until they are soft. While they are cooking whisk the milk, butter, eggs, salt and pepper together in a bowl. Sometimes too many egg whites really take away from the texture and density of the dish but this recipe had a good balance of egg whites and whole eggs so it worked perfectly. Finally, add your cooked spaghetti, basil and vegetable mixture to the egg mixture. Throw it into a pan with cooking spray and cook for 4-9 minutes. And I know the whole description of running a spatula along the edge of the pan and wiggling the uncooked egg mixture to the bottom sounds intimidating but its seriously easy as long as you don't try to do it too early in the cooking process. Make sure the edges have started to get firm and then you should have no problems running the spatula around the edges and manipulating the egg.



Finally, throw the mozzarella cheese on top and put the frittata in the oven for 7 minutes so the cheese can melt and it can get that crispy texture. Make sure you do wrap the handle in foil because you really don't want your plastic pan handle to melt...less appetizing.

• Cooking spray
• 3 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
• 1 1/4 cups thinly sliced leek (about 2 large)
• 1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk
• 2 teaspoons butter, melted 
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 large egg whites
• 3 large eggs 
• 2 cups hot cooked linguine (about 4 ounces uncooked pasta)
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil 
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450°.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add mushrooms and leek; cook 6 minutes or until leek is tender, stirring frequently.
3. Combine milk and next 5 ingredients (milk through eggs) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add leek mixture, pasta, and basil; toss gently to combine.
4. Heat pan over medium-low heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add egg mixture; cook until edges begin to set (about 4 minutes). Gently lift edge of egg mixture, tilting pan to allow some uncooked egg mixture to come in contact with pan. Cook 5 minutes or until almost set. Sprinkle evenly with cheese; wrap handle of pan with foil. Bake 7 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into 8 wedges.

Last night I had an amazing food experience in Phoenix (thank you LP & JP)! If you haven't been to a Roy's it should be on your "to do" list. Roy's is a Hawaiian Fusion restaurant which is the love child of Roy Yamaguchi. The restaurant describes itself as being Asian influenced, using European techniques and Hawaiian hospitality. Last night was truly just as it was described. Btw, if you are in So Cal the nearest restaurant to us is in Woodland Hills, but if you get an opportunity to go to the original restaurant in Maui it is also exquisite. The one in Phoenix is in the JW Marriott and the dining room is gorgeous! Last night, since it was a celebration, we had the joy of experiencing a specialized menu. Every aspect of the food and the flavor was out of this world, from the cocktails to the appetizers to the main course to the amazing birthday cake that their pastry chef made for me as a surprise. Thankfully everyone I hang out with knows that I love to take pictures of food so here are a few examples of the food last night.

This is butterfish and true to its name it really did melt in your mouth. It was served on a bed of rice with a tangy sauce with a hint of spice. Truly perfect!!

Yamaguchi first came to my attention on Top Chef. He won a James Beard award in 1988. And he is known for his blend and depth of flavors and use of fresh ingredients. I haven't tried anything off of his menu that I did not care for. Here is the restaurant web page if you want to know more: http://www.roysrestaurant.com/about/default.asp

This steak was served on a bed of mashed potatoes with asparagus...and the kicker was a chorizo sauce that had so much immense flavor without being too over bearing in spice. Heaven! The birthday cake was also incredible. Not only was it truly a work of art but it was light and had a chocolate/raspberry filling that reminded me just a little bit of nutella...which you know I love. I actually would probably bathe in nutella if it wasn't so incredibly weird. All of the food was paired with incredible cocktails and wines with the 2007 Coppola Rubicon being my absolute favorite!!

And finally because I know you love pictures of me. Here is a picture of me with my beautiful cake and my heavenly glass of wine. Not really sure it looks like I am in a fog or smoke filled room because it just wasn't. I will just blame this photography on the waiter who took the picture...btw, the service was impeccable but I guess we can't ask for superior photography skills as well. But at least you can tell I am smiling even through the haze.



Ok now back to cooking at home. And although I have always thought of myself as a decent cook it is so much fun to go to amazing restaurants and be reminded of the amazing skill, creativity and depth of the Chefs out there. However, I made Rosy Beet Risotto. If you don't like beets or you don't like blue cheese I do not recommend this recipe. However, if you do like beats and you do like blue cheese than definitely try this one. Beware this recipe is time consuming as it does take an hour and a half to roast the beets before you start the risotto. The recipe does say that you can use canned beets instead but I didn't want to try the shortcut at least on the first run.



So back to the recipe. Roast the beets and reserve the liquid that accumulates while they roast. Add the liquid to the water and to the chicken broth and simmer. This will be the liquid that you slowly add into the risotto as it cooks. I was actually kind of surprised that the risotto wasn't more purple in color, but it just wasn't.



To make the risotto, heat some olive oil and saute the onions. I think I did honestly over cook my onions a little bit. I was hoping for them to kind of get to that caramelized stage and mine were a little beyond that. Then saute the risotto until it smells nutty and it starts to turn a light brown color. Then start adding the broth. Remember to add it gradually and do not add additional broth until the first batch has been absorbed and blended. Once you have ran out of broth, add the beets, half the blue cheese and the fresh basil. The recipe says you can use dried or fresh basil, but I really think the fresh basil adds additional flavors...just my opinion.

Overall, I was happy with this recipe. I liked the earthy flavor of the beets with the tang of the blue cheese. I also like the smooth texture of the risotto. It is also pretty good leftover...which as you know I am not a leftover fan so for me to say that...well it has to be pretty decent, right?




And since I am sure I suckered you into reading my blog based on the title and the fact that it has the word "porn" in it let me explain. I got the phrase from a dear friend who calls any pictures of amazing food well "food porn." And I love the phrase and pretty much stole it...and let me tell you the food last night was orgasmic. Cheers!