Swordfish Baked in Foil

I watched Tyler Florence on his Food 911 Show as he traveled to Miami, Florida to help a physical trainer learn to make a new and healthy dish. He came up with Swordfish Baked in Foil, Zucchini Carpeccio, and Mango Strawberry Snow Cones recipes for her. The menu was practically fat free and non-carb.

Hey, I wanna eat healthy, too! I decided to try the recipes. I’d never prepared or eaten swordfish before. Oh, this was going to be an adventure indeed.

Finding the ingredients for the Swordfish Baked in Foil went without an event – well, almost: The ingredients included baby artichokes (I went to two stores and I couldn’t find them and ended up buying large artichokes), tomatoes, lemon, black olives, fresh basil, fresh thyme, extra virgin olive oil, and of course, swordfish fillets. I also needed foil to make the pouch in which to bake the foil.

Making the fish was easy. I just needed to salt and pepper it. I put the artichokes, tomatoes and other ingredients together before adding to the fish in the foil pouch. The hardest work – not that it was really hard work – involved trimming the artichoke. That was another first for me and I wasn’t sure if I did it properly, but I did trim it in my own way.

Once everything was put together in the foil pouch, I put it in the oven according to the instructions for 20 to 25 minutes. Not long. I set the timer on the microwave to remind me when the time is up. Thank goodness for timers. I always loose track of time, especially when cooking.

At this point, one of my brothers came into the kitchen asking whether the food was ready. I pointed to the timer and told him to come back in 20 minutes. From the look on his face, I could tell that he wanted to complain that he was hungry but didn’t. Instead, he looked around the kitchen and then left. One of the dogs followed him out. She was also waiting for food.

Next, I started the Zucchini Carpaccio, a zucchini salad. It basically consists of zucchini, salt, pepper, extra virgin oil, lemon juice, leeks, Parmesan cheese and fresh mint leaves for garnish. That’s all!

Zucchini Carpaccio

Just when I was about to dish the food, my brother returned to the kitchen. “Relax,” I told him. “Go back and have a seat, the food’s ready.” He returned back into the living room, trying to be patient.

On to the Mango Strawberry Snow Cones! This involved of course, mangoes, strawberries and limejuice poured on top of crushed ice.

I pulled out the ice crusher but couldn’t figure out how to use it. We’d had it for quite some time but hadn’t used it in a few months. I called my sister to take a look at it, since she’d used it more often than I.

After playing with the parts for a while, she finally figured it out. She put some ice in the crusher and turned the machine one. It made a weak, tired sound. No ice came out, and after fiddling with it a bit longer, she gave up.

Reluctantly, I decided to use the blender to try to crush the ice. It didn’t crush it completely but the results were better than nothing – better than whole ice cubes.

I blended the fruits and poured them over the pathetic, semi crushed ice and garnished it with the lime wedges and mint. Not bad-looking. Now it was time to see if it would taste good. Yes, it did despite my little ice problem.

Dinner was served, to my brother’s relief. He bent his head down and shoveled the food into his mouth.

“So, how does it taste?” I asked.

After munching a few more seconds and swallowing, he barely lifted up his head to acknowledge me. “Very good.”

I had to agree; the swordfish tasted quite good. Delicious juices formed in the foil pouch from the combination of the fish, tomatoes and herbs.

The zucchini carpaccio had a nice bite to it.

We capped our dinner with the Mango Strawberry Snow Cones. I have a confession to make about them. In all the commotion, trying to crush ice unsuccessfully, I forgot to add one ingredient to the mango and strawberries – lime juice. I forgot the lime juice! But no worries – no one seemed to notice. The slice of lime that I used for garnish covered my mistake, I think.

Oh, well, I’ll do better next time. This is all part of the cooking adventure, isn’t it?

All in all, everything was, as my brother said, “Very good.”

Paz

Mango Strawberry Snowcone

New York Monday # 2 - New York Public Library

As I mentioned last week, I’ve received requests to show photos of the city. Here’s my small attempt to do so.

I’ll show them each week on what we can call New York Monday.
Paz

Weekend Herb Blogging #8 - Zucchini

For Weekend Herb Blogging, one can post about herbs, plants, vegetables or flowers. This weekend, I’d like to feature the vegetable zucchini (also known as a courgette) since that what I have in my fridge.

I've never been a big fan of zucchini, but after the start of my cooking adventures, I’ve come across a lot of different ways to make this dark green, cylindrical-shaped vegetable. So far, they’ve tasted pretty good and I find myself liking them more and more.

My first introduction to the fact that zucchini grow with flower heads came from reading Melissa’s blog about Squash Blossom Soup. The vegetable grows beautiful orange, greenish, yellowish buds that remind me of a colorful elongated bell. Later I saw other recipes for the blossoms from Johanna’s Stuffed Courgette Flowers drizzled with Honey post and Alberto’s post on Sciurilli (fried zucchini blossoms). Definitely check out the recipes and beautiful photos. By the time I went to look for the blossoms, they were out of season. I plan on making sure that I don’t miss them next season. Luckily, the zucchini minus it’s flower is available all year around.

While watching T.V. cook personality Lidia Bastianich demonstrate several delectable Italian meals for her viewers, her Poached Zucchini dish caught my eye. The main ingredients consist of zucchini, red onions, and boiled eggs.

Here are the basic instructions:

Put some zucchini in boiling water – I used four.

Don’t cut the ends yet because they will absorb a lot of water.

Don’t add salt or pepper yet.

After a few minutes, when the zucchini turn firm, yet are soft to the touch, remove them from the boiling water.

Wait 20 minutes for the zucchini to cool, and then cut them into chunks. For large zucchini, Lidia suggests using a spoon to scoop out the seeds.

Mix the sliced red onions with the zucchini; then sprinkle salt and freshly ground pepper over the mixture.

Add extra virgin olive oil and wine vinegar and toss the combination with a fork.

Lastly, quarter two hard-boiled eggs and added them to the zucchini salad, tossing the salad gently so that the eggs don’t break up.

And that’s it! what an easy-to-make and tasty salad!

Check out Kalyn’s Kitchen on Sunday for a round up of the other Weekend Herb Blogging posts.

Paz

Poached Zucchini

Weekend Dog Blogging # 11

Looking for adventure while out walking.

For photos of dogs of other food bloggers, check out the roundup on Sweetnicks, Sunday night.

Paz

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thursday, 24 November, is Thanksgiving Day in the U.S., where we use the occasion to celebrate and reflect on our blessings and the things for which we’re thankful.

While I’m thankful for many things everyday and not just on the coming holiday, here is my simple Thanksgiving list, especially as it relates to my blog.

I am thankful for:

The many foodblogs I read with glee. They are all so fun and inspiring.

The foodbloggers.

The wonderful people I’ve met as a result of the foodblogs.

All the things I’ve learned about food and cooking.

All those who patiently answer my questions about food and cooking.

The foods I’m able to cook.

The many fantastic recipes I find on the blogs as well as the cooking shows.

Everyone who has stopped by my blog and their messages.

Thanks, Everyone!

Paz

Jam Dotted Shortbread Cookies & A Glimpse of NYC

Over the weekend, I made some biscuits for the dogs. Now, I've made Jam Dotted Shortbread cookies for the rest of us. I got this easy recipe from Coconut and Lime. Thanks, Rachel!

Jam Dotted Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients:

6 oz butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 egg, at room temperature

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

good quality jam



Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a cookie sheet (or two if small) with butter. Cream together butter and sugar. Add egg and beat until smooth. Add baking powder and flour, mix to form a thick dough. Roll into small 1 1/2 inch balls. Place 1 inch apart on greased cookie sheet. With your spoon or a fingertip, make a shallow dent in the top of each cookie. Fill with a tiny bit of jam. Bake 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow to cool on wire racks.

* * *

I've received a few requests to post photos of New York City. While I hadn't planned on doing something like that on this blog, I'll try it out for now and we'll see how it goes. Just remember, I'm not a photographer or anything... and I have a frustrating camera. Okay? ;-) So, with that disclaimer out of the way, from now on, I'll post shots of the city on Mondays. Let's call it, "New York Monday."

Paz

Weekend Dog Blogging #10 - Garlic and Cheddar Dog Biscuits

Here are mother and daughter, Menina and Cadeau, two African dogs in New York City always looking for adventure.

Hobbies: Eating, sleeping, barking. Not necessarily in that order.

Cadeau wants me to thank all of her friends – Gino & Angelica, Max & Tattum, Oceane & Cindy, and Vlad & Marilyn - everyone who sent their well wishes when she had her surgery.

“That’s why I feel much better,” she says.

In celebration of her recovery, here some Garlic and Cheddar Dog Biscuits to share with everyone who participates in WDB. The recipe is from Joe of Culinary in the Desert. Thanks Joe! These are doggy delicious!

Paz

Ed. note: By the way, these biscuits are human edible. They're quite healthy, as they have no sugar included. You can go ahead and take a bite. Visit Sweetnicks to see the roundup of WDB #10 posts.

Garlic and Cheddar Dog Biscuits

Garlic and Cheddar Dog Biscuits

3 cups whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, or whatever you have on hand

1 large egg, beaten

1 cup skim milk


Preheat oven to 400ºF

Combine flour and garlic powder in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and add remaining ingredients gradually, stirring until well blended.

Knead dough on a floured surface 3-4 minutes.

Roll dough to 1/4 inch thick and cut into your favorite shapes. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake 15-18 minutes until golden brown.

Cool on wire rack and let the doggies enjoy!

Enjoying the Garlic and Cheddar Dog Biscuits

Weekend Herb Blogging #7 - Marjoram

Marjoram

With the encouragement of Ilva and inspired by her previous Weekend Herb Blogging (WHB) post on rosemary, I’ve decided to join in on the activity.

Kayln started this event where the idea is to blog about herbs, plants, veggies, or flowers. You can check out the WHB #6 round up here.

Ever since I’ve developed an interest in cooking, I’ve discovered that I love to cook with fresh herbs. I love the taste, look, and smell. When I first started cooking, I didn’t know anything about them. For example, I couldn’t tell the difference between cilantro and flat leaf parsley. Luckily, I’m able to do so now and enjoy learning about herbs. Some of my favorites include cilantro (I love cilantro!), flat leaf parsley, and rosemary.

So now that I decided to participate in the WHB #7, what could I post about? Hmmm… I went to the grocery store and picked an herb I’d never used before – Marjoram. After looking it up, I’ve learned quite a few things. This oval shaped, green leaf herb is a sweeter and milder form of oregano. It mixes well with other seasonings and is used in fish and chicken dishes. It’s also used in turkey stuffings, as well as herbed butter and oil. In addition to medicinal uses, marjoram has magical uses as well. It's considered a love herb.

I tried two simple recipes with marjoram:

First recipe: Spicy Roast Chicken with Tomatoes and Marjoram. This was a totally delicious meal. The tomatoes and marjoram blended together beautifully and flavored the chicken well. The added bonus of the meal was being able to sop up the savory juices with a piece of bread. I used chiabatta bread. Next time, I'll make it with rice. You can find the recipe here.

Spicy Roast Chicken with Tomatoes with Marjoram before it's put in the oven

Spicy Roast Chicken with Tomatoes with Marjoram

Second recipe: Olives with Orange and Marjoram. The idea of olives with the orange juice and zest was a new for me. The marjoram gave it an interesting twist. You can find this easy to put together recipe here.

Olives with Orange and Marjoram

It’s going to be fun reading the WHB #7 posts. I think there will be a lot more for me learn.

Paz

Ed. note: To see a roundup of other WHB postings, head to Kalyn's Kitchen.

Yellow Cupcakes

Happy Birthday, this Tuesday, Tattum!

In your honor, I've made some birthday cupcakes for you.

I got the recipe from The Fannie Farmer Baking Book. After purchasing The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, my first cookbook, I decided to buy the Baking Book. It contains a collection of 800 baking recipes.

I liked this recipe because it's easy, quick, and can be made within 30 minutes. For the topping, I had a choice of using confectioners' sugar or frost. I chose the sugar, which tastes just right with this yellow cake.

I hope you like your cake. Everyone, help yourselves.

Tattum, I wish you all the best for your birthday,
Paz

Straight out of the oven

Yellow Cupcakes

Source: The Fannie Farmer Baking Book by Marion Cunningham
Yield: About 10 cupcakes


6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick or about 1/3 Cup) butter, melted

2 eggs

1/4 Cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 Cup all-purpose flour

1 Cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Confectioners' sugar or Chocolate Butter Frosting


Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease the muffin pans for 10 cupcakes, line them with fluted paper baking cups, or spray with no-stick coating.


Combine the melted butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla in a mixing bowl and beat well.


Put the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt in a sifter or strainer and sift them over the butter-and-egg mixture. Beat until the batter is perfectly smooth and thoroughly combined. Spoon into the prepared muffin pans, filling each cup about two-thirds full.


Bake for about 15 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick or broom straw inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean.


Remove from the oven and let them cool in the pan for 2 minutes, then turn out onto racks to cool completely.


Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar or frost with Chocolate Butter Frosting.

Sprinkled with confectioners' sugar

Seared Striped Bass with Orange Gremolata

Seared Striped Bass with Orange Gremolata was on the menu for dinner. Very tasty, indeed. This recipe comes from Helen.

First, I prepared the gremolata, which consisted of orange parsley, and garlic. Very easy.

Next, I made the Balsamic vinegar mixture (olive oil, balsamic vinegar, orange juice and salt) and set it aside.

Then I prepared the fish fillets in a large nonstick skillet. Within a few minutes, the fish was ready and enjoyed by all!

Paz

Wild Striped Bass

Pan Roasted Trout with Wine-Butter Sauce

Lately, I’ve been going to the fish market more often. In becoming adventurous by buying different types of fishes, I’ve found that their names can be confusing – Rainbow trout, white trout, speckled trout, native trout, steelhead, kamloop trout, green trout, striped bass, chilean sea bass, white bass, silver bass, black bass, bigmouth bass, smallmouth bass, calico bass, strawberry bass, oswego bass, mediterranean bass, branzino, sea bream, dorado, orata… the list goes on....

How many types of trout and bass are there? Which one am I supposed to buy? Is one better over the other? What difference do they make? The confusion makes a neophyte cook and fish buyer like myself want to stand by the fish counter and scream in bewilderment.

After making bluefish, the other day, I wanted to try Stephen’s Pan Roasted White bass with Wine-Butter Sauce recipe. His instructions suggest using trout if white bass is unavailable. The fish market didn’t have "white" bass but had other kinds of bass, which I was unsure whether to buy or not. I ended up buying rainbow trout, still unsure of whether it was the right kind of "trout" to purchase.

The meal preparation went with ease and the meal was very good. The fish turned out perfectly and the wine-butter sauce added even more to its succulent taste. Thanks for the recipe, Stephen!

Since making the trout, I’ve discovered the differences and similarities of the fish mentioned above, from Helen. I’m trying not to take all the varying fish names so seriously, as I’ve learned that most of them are marketing names and differ not only from city to city but also store to store. I’ve found out that rainbow trout is the same as white trout, so I did buy the correct fish. I’ve also learned that Chilean sea bass is not a bass at all, but instead a Patagonian toothfish. Mediterranean bass is also known as Branzino, Sea Bream is the same as Dorado or Orata.

I’m getting quite an education on fish since I’ve started to cook. The experience is turning into fun!

Paz

I Confess -- Culinary Confessions

The Confession, Sir Frank Dicksee (1896)

Ilva of Lucullian Delights posted a list of her culinary confessions. I could relate to many of hers and I thought it would be fun to do the same here.

Okay. I confess:

1. I spend too much time on my food blog (but I like it!)

2. I spend even more time on other food blogs (but I enjoy them!)

3. I’m glad one of my dogs likes to stay in the kitchen while I cook because she eats the food off the floor that I drop by accident.

4. My dogs get a serving of the food I cook.

5. I hate when my sister wrinkles her nose at food I cook, even if she’s right. See here.

6. I love my microplane zester. I never thought I’d develop a love for any kitchen tools.

7. I love new, sharp kitchen knives, even though I promptly cut my fingers with them.

8. I get excited when I buy a new kitchen tool or appliance, no matter how small or large.

9. I get excited in the kitchen when the aromas of chopped fresh herbs (and other cooking ingredients) waft up in the air. I do a happy dance.

10. I love recipes with simple ingredients. That means most likely, I already have a majority of the items in my kitchen. Like here. I saw the recipe and was able to make it the next day, without running around to several stores to buy the ingredients.

11. I don’t particularly like to shop for ingredients that are new to me. I never find them immediately, but I’m happy when I make the purchase because the whole process turns out to be a good learning experience.

12. I like to listen to music when I cook.

13. I do not like to use a dishwasher. I prefer to wash dishes and pots by hand (Okay, so I don’t have a dishwasher.).

14. I may have a general idea of what I’d like to eat, but I have a hard time planning meals ahead of time. So, I end up grocery shopping every day or every other day.

15. I should be working instead of writing this confession.

I have more to admit, but I can’t let them all out at once. They say confession is good for the soul. Why don’t you join me? What’s your confession?


Paz

Bluefish with Crispy Potatoes

After making Bluefish with Crispy Potatoes, I can now add bluefish to my fish-cooking repertoire. Up until now, I’ve only made salmon and tilapia dishes.

The recipe comes from Beyond Salmon, an exceptional blog by Helen, with delectable fish recipes. I like the “Is it Done?” section that shows the reader how to tell whether a fish is properly cooked, as well as the “Fish Personalities” section, which lists the various elements that make up different types of fishes. Best of all, I like the fact that most of the recipes include a good substitution list, so that the reader can make another choice if one type of fish is unavailable. These are all important tips for a beginner cook like me.

With most of the ingredients on hand, I only had to buy the bluefish fillets and red skinned potatoes. I prepared a wonderful smelling mixture of garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and parsley for the fish. The recipe calls for preparing the potatoes first in the oven, then later adding the fish on top to be baked in the oven.

The end result? Mouthwatering bluefish with crispy potatoes. My potatoes could have probably come out crispier, but it still tasted good. They’ll come out even crispier the next time I make them. You can find the recipe here. Thanks, Helen!

Paz