Picturing Food & Drink!

Homemade California Roll

2008-07-20T20:08:07Z

In progress photos here

picturing_food @ 2008-07-20T11:46:00

2008-07-20T18:50:00Z

Spicy turkey sandwich from Tartine Bakery in San Francisco. The bread was perfection -- thick crusty slices.

Went there for the first time yesterday and spent $40 on pastries and 2 sandwiches. 100% worth it. If you live in the SF Bay Area, run, don't walk, there.

picturing_food @ 2008-07-20T10:16:00

2008-07-20T17:16:40Z

The Latest & Greatest from The Crepes of Wrath

Williams Sonoma's Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

Insalata Caprese

2008-07-20T15:09:21Z

One of my favorite summer dishes is this delicious tomato, mozzarella and basil salad from Italy called "insalata caprese." For this salad, several things are *very* important to make it the best it can be.

First, you need ripe yet still firm, meaty tomatoes. I like to use beefsteaks when I can get them. I also like to add in a couple of yellow tomatoes, when I can find them. The color of the red and yellow tomatoes together with the vibrant green basil and milky white cheese is so pretty.

Secondly, this salad begs for *really* good olive oil. The best you can afford. That light, all purpose olive oil you find at the discount store won't cut it. You won't be needing a lot of it, so splurge if at all possible and get the good stuff. You want that thick, darker colored extra virgin olive oil for this dish.

Thirdly, get the freshest mozzarella you can find. Really, to make this best you need the mozzarella packed in water. I have used (as I did in this case) mozzarella that is wrapped with a small amount of water, and while it's *okay*, the mozzarella that is packed in a plastic "bowl" and swimming in water is really the best. Unfortunately, I live in a *very* small town and my local grocer was out of it, so I made do with what I could find. It's still really good, but not as excellent as it could have been.

Lastly, the balsamic. I really like this salad with a drizzle of balsamic. However, the traditional recipe doesn't call for it and a good Italian chef would tell you it's a no-no. The tomatoes are acidic enough and it doesn't need the added acid of the balsamic. Yeah well... I like it, so I drizzle. You don't have to. That's the wonderful thing about cooking... you can do what ever *you* want to :)

I really hope you'll try this salad this summer while the tomatoes are plentiful. It's light, tasty and amazing.

Ingredients:
4 tomatoes - about 1 lb, not too ripe
1/2 lb fresh mozzarella cheese
basil leaves
sea salt
freshly crushed black pepper
3 - 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
a drizzle of *good* balsamic vinegar (optional, but not traditional)

Method:
Wash and slice tomatoes into thick (1/2 inch) slices. Drain mozzarella and slice into thinner slices (1/4 inch). Pick off the largest, finest basil leaves from the stem. Wash basil gently and spin dry. Arrange salad on a large platter, alternating a tomato slice, a slice of cheese and top with a basil leaf until all your ingredients are used. Right before service, drizzle salad with olive oil, balsamic (if using), and sprinkle liberally with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve immediately.

Pizza

2008-07-20T12:35:50Z

I finally found a pizzeria in Sweden that sells pizza that looks like the pizzas I'm used to getting in the states. Most pizzas in Sweden have less crust, less bread, less cheese, very little tomato sauce, and a lot of toppings depending what you get. Oh, and most of these places have fifty different types of pizzas to choose from. Most of the pizzerias have American pan pizzas, but most of the time...they don't resemble the pizza we get in the states. That is until my SO and I stumbled upon a pizzeria called Star Pizza.

We got a Chicago. It has pepperoni, bacon, and fresh slices of tomato on otp. It was delicious.

picturing_food @ 2008-07-20T06:43:00

2008-07-20T11:43:38Z

spicy japanese noodles from nothing but noodles:

Dessert

2008-07-20T08:59:16Z

Dessert from Signatures Buffet restaurant - Seven Hills RSL, Sydney

Dessert sampler plate - blueberry tartlet, lemon cheesecake, vanilla chiffon slice, lemon custard

Birthday cupcakes!

2008-07-20T03:38:01Z

In addition to my job as "maker of the wedding cakes," during my recent trip I added on the task of baking some cupcakes for my nephew's 10th birthday which had passed a few days before.

I had some cute little star-shaped marshmallows an an idea I'd wanted to use for a child's birthday, so full steam ahead I went!

My nephew was surprised to see the treats at first, then he was momentarily confused.

"Is that cake or ice cream??"

Cake, of course! Vanilla cupcakes baked in ice cream cones and topped with a huge soft-serve looking swirl of vanilla buttercream, each crowned with a star-shaped marshmallow to push the sugar content over the edge.

Since I had so much other "stuff" going on, I went quick & simple with Magnolia's white cake recipe and a basic buttercream of butter, confectioners sugar and milk. The kids loved them, the adults loved them, and they were beyond easy to make!

As a bonus, I was able to get a photo of the family legacy: Grandma's ancient cookie gun (and pastry decorator - Quick! Dial Cookie Thickness Desired! Biscuits! Canapes! Cookies!).

Gram bought this new, she says sometime in the 1950s but I think it may have been in the 60s. It's been a workhorse for decades in her kitchen, cranking out Christmas butter cookies by the hundreds year after year after year. There's a semi-serious feud going on between my mom, my aunt, and my sister over this thing; they've been arguing for years over who gets to inherit the cookie gun when Grandma dies. Yeah, I know that sounds horrible and morbid, but that's my family's sense of humor for ya. Grandma jokes back that she's gonna leave the house to me because everyone else wants the cookie gun, and no one's tried to change her mind yet. They really, really want that cookie gun! =D

Summer Drinks... Mostly Smoothies

2008-07-19T21:58:01Z

Our local library was offering a Summer Drinks program today. My mother-in-law and I signed up and checked it out.

You can click any of the photos to be taken their Flickr page with the recipe.

Southern Sweet Tea

Lean and Green Smoothie.

Fig and Rice Smoothie.

Cranberry Crunch Smoothie.

Irish Breakfast Smoothie.

Almond Joy Smoothie.

Raspberry cake!

2008-07-19T20:12:57Z

I got bored today and we have TONS of wild raspberries growing outside in the yard, so I made a cake!

Yes I ate some before I even got a picture haha

Sorry for the slightly dark photos, it's all rainy and dreary out. Not the best for photography.

It's insanely tasty and super simple. It was supposed to go in an 11" x 7.5" pan, but we don't have one (we don't bake often) so I put it in an 8 x 8, which worked out well. I just had to increase the time from 35-40 minutes to an hour. I like a thicker cake better than a thinner one anyway.

Hungarian Pepper Stew

2008-07-19T18:08:54Z

For more pics and the recipe visit my blog.

picturing_food @ 2008-07-19T13:27:00

2008-07-19T17:28:18Z

Bacon rice, it's what's for breakfast.

picturing_food @ 2008-07-19T13:24:00

2008-07-19T17:27:16Z

Bowlius Caesar
Classic Caesar gets a makeover - Say hello to grilled cheese croutons: $6.95

Blackened Tofu Sandwich
A vegan delight - spicy tofu, mixed greens, hummus and tomato: $5.95

Both from http://www.northbowlphilly.com

picturing_food @ 2008-07-19T07:19:00

2008-07-19T14:20:04Z

The Latest & Greatest from The Crepes of Wrath

Easy Fudge Brownies

Thursday night dinner for the whole family including my kitties

2008-07-19T00:03:58Z

Grilled ribs

takeout

2008-07-18T23:40:43Z

oh man, i miss leftover 2 a.m. takeout. was going through my pictures and found this one from the end of the semester. it was delicious.
from Sunrise Restaurant 1157 Dorchester Ave, Boston

picturing_food @ 2008-07-18T14:02:00

2008-07-18T21:02:08Z

The Latest & Greatest from The Crepes of Wrath

How To Boil The Perfect Egg

first ever attempt at rice krispie treats

2008-07-18T19:49:11Z

so easy to make, so delicious

Downcity Cafe, Providence, RI

2008-07-18T19:41:45Z

Root Beer-Chipotle Glazed Pork, Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Broccolini

Lemon Raspberry TeaCake

2008-07-18T17:45:00Z

The edges came out a touch darker than I wanted, but it was still very good.

Crossposted to food_porn, cooking bakebakebake and picturing_food, as well as my own IJ.

Recipes available at food_porn, cooking or bakebakebake .

Peach Jam

2008-07-18T11:51:36Z

I picked peaches and made jam.

chicken stir-fry

2008-07-18T07:09:32Z

this is a favorite dish my boyfriend makes for me. He has his own special ingredient's he won't share with me, which is ok because I prefer him to cook it. it's very tasty! he calls it chicken zucchini squash parmesan stir-fry. super fresh! ask for the recipe if you like, he will share with you!

Duck Confit Salad

2008-07-18T06:17:42Z

I am in a real ducky mood at the moment. The sucess of the braised duck I made over the weekend, inspired me to attempt "making" duck confit.

Oranges and duck go very well together. So I decided on making a duck salad! It is a quick whipup after work. One duck leg was enough for dad to have for dinner last night and I had enough for a salad today at work! I love a good packed lunch. I love packing a nice little gourmet lunch to work...it just makes the day a better one.

This meal took all of half an hour to whip up at most. A great after work dinner meal...something light.

Click here for the recipe and step by step pictures

Pumpkin and Lentil Soup

2008-07-18T05:53:42Z

The first time i had pumpkin soup, I was in love. Its intense orangey colour, smooth, silky texture- did i mention it was out of a can?

Yup, so until i made my own pumpkin soup, i had never had it freshly made and boy was i blown away by the homemade version.

This particular pumpkin soup has a wonderful flavour from both the pumpkin and lentils which gives it a rather hearty and healthy feel. Topped with caramelized onions and slices of warm, crusty bread, it was delish and had us going back for seconds.

The recipe can be found here.

Broccoli Salad

2008-07-18T05:29:17Z

For more pics and the recipe for my favorite salad, check out my Blog!