Nylon Coffee Roasters ... enjoy your cuppa while being "harassed" by the barristas

Turkey Shish Kaburgers! A Seriously Not Horrible Turkey Burger

Usually when I post a recipe, I want it to be fantastic, awesome, incredible, inspiring, and/or mind-blowing. With this turkey shish kaburger, I was only shooting for not horrible. Happily, we achieved that and much more.

I’ve received countless food wishes for turkey burgers over the years, but just the mere thought of that dull, pale, insipid lump of meat (aka “the Mitt Romney of meat”), had me reaching for the delete button. Even when I’m out for a cheeseburger, and I see someone in front of me begrudgingly order the turkey burger (hold the mayo), I think to myself, “that poor bastard.”

So, how do you turn the dreaded t-burg into something that would cause envy instead of pity? When in doubt, go ethnic! I figured if we borrowed from the famously flavorful shish kabob, but used turkey instead of lamb or beef, we just may be able to pull this off. I know I lot of you think chunks of meat when you hear “shish kabob,” but ground meat is also used, and I’ve always preferred that version anyway.

As I mention in the clip, I used the “rising juice method” to test for doneness, but since ground poultry isn’t something you want to take a chance with, I suggest you use a thermometer to ensure an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Just keep in mind, since turkey is so low in fat, no matter how incredibly well you season the meat, if you overcook these, even a little, they will be dry.

But, the good news is if you don’t, and remove them with most of their precious moisture intact, you’ll be enjoying a turkey burger that’s not only not horrible, but is actually delicious. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 turkey burgers:

1 1/2 lb ground turkey

1 1/2  tablespoons plain breadcrumbs

1 1/2  tablespoons ground almonds

1 or 2 tsp hot chili paste, or minced fresh hot peppers

2 cloves crushed garlic

1 1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons yogurt

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
*I garnished mine with mayo, topped with red onions and tomatoes I tossed in lemon juice, and more cilantro leaves.

View the complete recipe

Tonight's dinner

Honey lime chicken - an old recipe - over egg noodles and mixed veggies. Delicious!

Favorite Bites - Burgers, BBQ & Beer

The final event of Culinaria was possibly the most popular or at least the best expression of of San Antonio--an outdoor barbecue with a casual, fun and friendly vibe. The theme was burgers and there were several that broke the mold. I picked up some tips and ideas for places to visit on my next trip, as I did at the Grand Tasting (which you will find bolded), best of all it gave me another excuse to visit the Pearl.

The Pearl is the name of what was once a landmark brewery in San Antonio. The grounds which are set on the river, are now home to the latest campus of the Culinary Institute of America, shops, restaurants, bars and a thriving farmers market and small but lively amphitheater. A visit to San Antonio is not complete until you've been to the Pearl.


First up, the venison burger with onions, cucumber and a pickled pepper. It was so rare and juicy. I'd want to check out The Esquire Tavern based on this burger alone.


Another top pick came from chef Johnny Hernandez who runs La Gloria, a Mexican street food restaurant at The Pearl. It was a pork belly and short rib burger, topped with house made kimchi and also featured cucumbers. Note to self, when tomatoes are out of season, try a cucumber slice instead. It was served on a steamed bun, a nod to it's Asian influence.



My last favorite burger was a very innovative one, and it came from Arcade, a restaurant that has not yet opened at the Pearl. It was a thin chorizo "burger" on a bun with spicy arugula and crumbled feta. A thin sausage patty is a great compromise when you can decide between a sausage or a burger!


A black currant macaron with chocolate filling might have resembled a burger, but it was in fact the quintessential French Parisian style macaron. It was so light and with just the right amount of filling. This was no ordinary macaron but a truly outstanding one, the best I've had in a long time. Look for Bakery Lorraine goodies at the Quarry farmer's market.

My thanks to the San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau for inviting me and hosting my trip.

Perfect Peanut Butter Banana Bread

A friend of ours delivered the most delicious banana bread to us the other day.  Perfectly moist and a flavor I couldn't quite make out, until I noticed she also included the recipe.  Bisquick!!  No flour, just bisquick.  And I swear, it turned the loaf into a fluffy banana pancake bread.  Pretend that makes sense.  I couldn't wait to try it myself.  I only adapted her recipe slightly to include peanut butter and peanut butter chips, because why not.  Also, I only had 2 eggs so I threw some buttermilk in because I had it.  

Perfect, perfect, perfect.  Thank you Linda!!!  

Perfect Peanut Butter Banana Bread
(Makes 1 large loaf or 2 small loaves)
Printable Recipe

4 ripe bananas
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 1/3 cups Bisquick
1 cup sugar
Peanut butter chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 325.  In a large bowl, mash bananas with fork.  Add eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk, peanut butter and vanilla and stir to combine.  Stir in Bisquick, sugar and peanut butter chips if using - careful not to over mix.  Place in greased bread pan(s) and bake - 1 hour for large loaf and 25 minutes for small loaves.

*Have a Happy Memorial Day Weekend!*

Favorite Bites from the Grand Tasting at Culinaria

One of the most elegant events at Culinaria, the wine and culinary arts festival in San Antonio, is the Grand Tasting at the Convention Center along the River Walk. Attending an event like this (or even just reading about it) allows you to pick up some great tips and ideas for future culinary explorations--both dishes to try on your own and a head's up about restaurants that are worth seeking out on future visits (find my tips in bold text).


At the Grand Tasting I had three favorite dishes. First was something very creative and tasty, compressed watermelon with pop rocks! Mainly it was just a lot of fun, juicy and crunchy and crackly. It's definitely a dish with a sense of humor, and while prepared by the chef at the hotel La Contessa restaurant Las Ramblas, it is available from their food truck, Tapa Tapa. I believe it also had a dab of black garlic. Pretty too. Compressing watermelon is a technique to try using a vacuum sealer, no sous vide necessary!


The next dish I really loved was a twist on Italian bread salad called panzanella. It was burrata, tomatoes (undoubtedly ripened in the hot Texas sun) with torn bread, micro greens, balsamic and roast chicken. I'm usually in the "please don't ruin Caesar salad by adding chicken to it!" camp, but in this case, it really worked. The dish was from Luke, a restaurant I got to visit last year.


The last dish was coconut ice cream with fresh red curry, pickled mango coulis and Thai basil micro greens. A sweet and spicy savory bite, I loved the cool sensation of the cold coconut ice cream with the hot curry swirled into it. A very innovative and unsual dish from James Beard nominated chef Jason Dady who runs several restaurants in San Antonio as well as a food truck.

I just noticed all these dishes had micro greens. Not sure why they are in vogue in San Antonio, but I guess you could call it a trend...

My thanks to the San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau for inviting me and hosting my trip.

Memorial Day Fruit Ice Cubes

I have been wanting to make fruit ice cubes for awhile after seeing them all over the world wide web.  This weekend, we're heading to the desert where it's sure to be at least 90 degrees everyday.  If it's hot where you are, well then it's the perfect weather to dress up your favorite beverage or even WATER.  And if you use red and blue berries, you've got a Memorial Day themed frozen treat.  Ta Da!  

For more frozen treats, check out Yum Sugar today and their slideshow of 11 Iconic Homemade Frozen Treats featuring yours truly's Chipwich!  Thanks Yum Sugar! 

AND for more patriotic food, remember this Flag Cake?

Frozen Daim Cake

Here's the cake I made for Titus birthday the other day! (Well, almost two weeks ago - where does the time go? I can't believe how fast it moves right now. It's pretty scary!) 

He's not big on traditional cake, so I figured I'd make something resembling ice cream, but without serving just ice cream. Daim is a candy bar, similar to Heath or Skor - basically crisp almond toffee covered in milk chocolate. Feel free to substitute as you see fit! 

This was a big hit with Titus, as well with us adults. It'll keep for a few days in the freezer too, if you happen to have leftovers. (But don't count on it.) 

We served the cake with some strawberries that were marinated in a few spoons of sugar and some lime zest. Delicious!

Frozen Daim Cake

serves 6-8

Rice Crispie cake layer: 

3 egg whites

140 g sugar

200 ml rice crispies

Beat the egg whites until fairly stiff. Add the sugar and keep beating into a glossy meringue. Add the rice crispies. Spread on a baking paper (teflon or silpat works very well) and bake at 125°C for about 75 minutes or until the meringue looks and feels dry. 

For the filling:

3 egg yolks

75 g sugar (ideally homemade vanilla sugar if you have it)

2 double Daim bars (56 g each, so you need 112 g in total)

300 ml cream (full-fat) 

Whisk yolks and sugar until pale and fluffy. Finely chop the Daim. Whisk the cream into soft peaks. Stir the cream into the eggs, and add the Daim. Spread on top of the completely cooled cake layer, and freeze for at least four hours. 

Decorate as you wish, I used some flaked milk chocolate. 

Recipe in Swedish: 

Fryst Daimtårta

Pho Ta

So my friend M has a hot date coming up.  We were discussing what he should do.  Not a movie, I said - the most overrated first date, having to sit in the dark for two hours wondering if you're sitting weird or crunching your popcorn too loud, and god forbid a sex scene comes on.  How about a restaurant, we mused?  Avoid anything with spinach, we decided, and avoid pho.  That "I have a squid hanging out of my mouth" dangling noodle look is so not attractive, and the "bite off and let splash back into bowl" even less so.

So pho eating is for relationships that are like stretched-out old trackies - life partners and besties.  Thinking about it, I tend to eat at pho places on my lonesome.  In truth, I'll eat anywhere alone, but pho is the place I feel least like I'm on a clapped-out old nag, riding into Loserville, population me.  If eating yum cha by yourself is the dining equivalent of having your fly undone in front of a packed lecture theatre, pho is like a safe zone for solitary diners.  No one would ever think you're odd for eating beef soup alone, and you don't need to subject anyone else to dangling noodle squid mouth.

Pho Ta have fairly recently opened in the lower part of Nicholson Street.  They have the classic menu on the wall thing going on, but the kitchen is totally open.  There you can see the bubbling pots of stock and all the fixings, ready to come to life as generous bowls of soup.

The couple who run Pho Ta are gregarious and just gorgeous.  I got an impromptu Vietnamese lesson and a plastic bag to hold all my Savers finds (I was too cheap to buy their reusable bag, so was rocking the "have run away from home with only my best clothes and mismatched Tupperware" look).  Everyone who came in for a bowl of soup seemed to know them, and there were quite a few (and, may I say, that every one of them on their lonesome).

Wow, such rich broth.  I prefer mine a little lighter and more aromatic-y in flavour, but it was very good nonetheless.  What struck me was the quality of the beef - extremely tasty and tender.  The noodles were fresh and perfectly al dente.  Big points for lime, not lemon.

Pho Ta do Vietnamese coffee and have an espresso machine too.  So bring your first date for a coffee.  Or put it this way - if you go the pho and despite the soup splatters and perilously dangling noodles, you still think your date's cute - then you know it's love at first sight!

Pho Ta
131 Nicholson Street, Footscray
Hours:  TBA


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A little community announcement for you.  There's a huge undercurrent of permaculture and green things going on in the western suburbs - regular "Fermentation Fridays", vegie swaps, food co-ops, permablitzes and more.  I'm working on a post about it, but if you're interested in plugging in, check out the fundraiser for our local CSA (community-supported agriculture), 40k Farm in Melton.  I get my eggs through them and they have redefined how I think an egg tastes.

Bittersweet Chocolate Fudge with Sea Salt

Since I've been pregnant, I haven't really wanted to make anything in the kitchen if it doesn't involve chocolate and butter.  Sugar and cream are bonuses too.  In other words, I'm disgusting.  

Oh, hi Family, you want some dinner tonight, do you?  Here's an Ice Cream Sundae.  What.

Luckily, I have some friends who are also pregnant and due within days of me.  I am not alone.  Like my friend Megan who has been craving her mama's fudge and thankfully wrote about it on her blog.  Check out that recipe - FIVE INGREDIENTS.  A monkey could make it.  And that monkey would be the most popular monkey in all of the jungle because the other monkeys would be like, ooo ooo aah aah eee eee fudge fudge!  They would.  I'm telling you, the sea salt turns this lusciously rich, fluffy chocolate into something magical.        

Mini marshmallows, sweetened condensed milk and butter - melting...

Stir in chocolate...

I have no nail polish to show off today because I'm too busy eating fudge...

Potato and Mustard Greens Salad – I Invented This Recipe Right After I Stole It

I was enjoying some barbecued beef brisket recently, and as I went to stick my fork into the potato salad that accompanied it, I could see something looked very different. The salad was chock full of what appeared to be some kind of chopped, dark, leafy greens.

I took a bite, and quickly realized it was mustard greens. What a great idea! The greens not only added an interesting heat, but provided texture as well. I made up my mind right then and there that I’d borrow this idea, and share it before Memorial Day weekend.

On my way out I thanked the counter person for the great lunch, and said how much I loved the mustard greens in the salad. He smiled and said thanks, but that they were actually dandelion greens. I mumbled something like “that’s what I meant” as I realized I’d been fooled by the prepared mustard and hot spices that dressed the similarly flavored green.

Anyway, I decided to stick to my original plan and use the easier to find mustard greens, and I was very happy with the results. As you’ll see, I went extremely simple in the ingredient list, but obviously you can dress this up with lots of additions.

By the way, this is no beginner’s potato salad. Mustard greens are spicy, slightly bitter, and not at all subtle, but when you consider the sleepy array of potato salads at your typical Memorial Day cookout, this original and very tasty alternative would certainly be a welcomed treat. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 6-8 Portions:

2 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
4 cloves garlic (boiled with potatoes)

1 cup chopped mustard greens, or to taste

1/2 cup chopped dill or sweet pickle

salt and pepper to taste

For the dressing:

*this is what I used, do yours to taste!

1/2 cup mayo

1/3 cup white wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp Sambal chili sauce

salt and pepper to taste

View the complete recipe

Lip-Face, Mr. California & The Shad Roe.

I’ve never had a cavity. Never until a couple of weeks ago, that is. I only go to one dentist and that’s my dentist back in Richmond. Other than Dr. Fitzugh, who passed away when I was a little girl, Dr. Wade has been my only dentist. And Dr. Wade actually took over Dr. Fitzhugh’s practice. Everything stayed the same. Even the mobiles hanging from the ceiling. And Myrtle, the receptionist. I love Myrtle.

Okay, so I have tried other dentists here in LA. I have tried exactly two and it has been a mess each time. The two dentists wanted to sell and sell and sell. Like used car salesmen. And though nothing has been wrong with my teeth, they have made me feel like I have a mouthful of disaster. The first guy suggested bleaching and veneers. I was only going for a cleaning. The last guy I tried noticed the little chip in my front tooth caused by an over excited dog that was eager to get leashed for a walk. She accidentally made the metal part of the leash flip up and whack me in the tooth. TINY chip. Dr. LA decided to bond it. Within less than two weeks the bonding came off. And, as it turned out, my insurance didn’t cover any of it anyway.

So on my very recent visit back home I scheduled an appointment with Dr. Wade for a cleaning. I discovered he had moved his practice a few blocks west and Myrtle has retired.

I also discovered I had a cavity.

Dr. Wade told me he thought it best we deal with it right then and there. Then Dr. Wade showed me the needle that was about to go into my mouth. Then I cried. I rarely cry, and I cried like a little kid. He even had to play a little kid game with me to distract me from the actual moment the syringe was to make contact. And, Dr. Wade had to administer two injections to fully numb the area.

The Needle.

And so, with my hands clenched into little fists so tight my knuckles were stark white, I got my first filling. That whole part only took about fifteen minutes but it seemed like hours.

As I was leaving the office Dr. Wade told me to use caution when eating as the left side of my face was numb. I felt as though we had been through so much together that I gave him a big, emotional hug. As though we just survived a battle, shoulder to shoulder.

Then I drove back to the house to meet up with Dad and Fred. We were going bike riding along the James River. But not before we stopped off at Coppola’s Deli to pick up a bunch of Italian subs and chips and stuff: lunch. Coppola’s was actually was my first job from back in high school. Really great sandwiches.

We parked at Pony Pasture (a spot on the river where we all spent a good deal of time at when we were kids: also known as The Redneck Riviera), unloaded the bikes and settled onto a huge rock to eat lunch. I was famished and really excited about my sandwich – it was the same one always ordered: The Honey Turkey (honey roasted turkey breast, grilled with onions, sweet and hot peppers, smothered with Swiss cheese on a freshly baked French Roll with leaf lettuce, tomatoes and Dijon).

About halfway through my enthusiastic romp through Sandwich Town, my dad looked up at me with a perplexed expression and said, “Elliott, um… you have blood running down your chin.”

Now, I have bitten my lip before – we all have. But what I did that day was kind of amazing. Without realizing it I was eating my face. It was so gross that it was comical. It was very extreme looking. It took over a week to heal completely.

But at least it didn’t hurt. Yet.

This was right after. It continued to grow throughout the day.
That and the bike helmet made me look like a viable short bus candidate.

We went on with our bike ride, which was beautiful save for the comments from the Peanut Gallery about my lip-face.

The remainder of the day was very relaxing as the pain began to set in. A pain that perfectly illustrated the gravity of what I had done to myself. We wandered around the Virginia Museum, which lives right across the street from my house, and then, while Dad took a nap, Fred and I went on an early evening walk to collect ingredients for dinner.

By the time we got back I was pretty worn out. I assembled a cheese plate with white anchovies in olive oil and Billy Bread that we picked up at the Belmont Butcheryand joined Dad out on the back deck. We sipped some wine while Fred got to flexing in the kitchen. He wanted to play with this stuff Dad had in the fridge that he had never heard of before: shad roe.

It was a ridiculously perfect late-Spring, Richmond evening: warm, humid, almost sultry but for the light breeze coming through the 2834658 year old tree that shelters the yard, fireflies, cicadas, orange-y, warm, waning light. Jazz. Cheese. Wine. Dad.

And right as the sun was almost gone completely, Fred came out with our dinner, all plated and everything. And what did this Native Californian, who had never set foot in the South before, much less cooked there, feed us all for dinner that night? All on his own, armed with his smart phone for help, Fred prepared us a decidedly Southern and very much in-season-right-now delicacy; shad roe. And, Dad and I agreed wholeheartedly, he did a damn fine job.

Perhaps Fred is a Southern boy at heart. Heck, you should have see how happy he was to encounter his first honeysuckle and his first firefly in the same night!

My lip was still massive, but the comedy of it all, the absurdity, made it an instant cult hit in the antectdotal department. I had a new story. And I know I will tell it often.

What an incredible day.

* It’s hard to go wrong with roe. Sturgeon eggs make delicious black caviar. Salmon eggs, meanwhile, make sumptuous red caviar. Cod roe is the stuff of excellent taramosalata and tuna roe of fantastic botarga.

Shad roe, however, is especially savory — if for no other reason than because it’s so rare. While one can usually enjoy caviar or cod roe year-round, the shad roe season is short. Really short, in fact, as it typically lasts just a few months, from March until May, while the shad are making their run as far south as the Chesapeake Bay and as far north as southern New England.

Shad are one fish where the eggs are valued more than the fish itself. Shad roe is vaguely fishy, but not overpoweringly so, and the texture is similar to a good meatball -- soft yet meaty. Shad roe cooked in bacon fat, served with lemon and a fresh spring herb is the classic way to cook this delicacy, which only comes around in late spring. The keys to this dish are very fresh roe, very good bacon and a zingy herb to accompany it.

 Classic Shad Roe with Bacon & Fresh Herbs

NOTE: If you are able, it’s smart to start this dish a day ahead to brine the roe.

Ingredients:

4-6 lobes of shad roe

1 T. salt

6-10 pieces of smoky, thick-cut bacon

Flour for dusting

1 lemon, quartered

Fresh herbs such as chervil, fennel or parsley to garnish

Directions:

Mix the salt and 2 cups cold water until it's dissolved. Submerge the roes in the salt water and let soak in the fridge overnight.

Slowly cook the bacon in a pan until crispy, then set aside to drain.

Meanwhile, flour, salt & pepper the roes and set aside until the bacon is done.

When the bacon is finished, turn the heat to medium-high and cook the shad roe for 1 minute. Turn the heat down to medium, then cook for another 2-3 minutes, until golden. Turn and cook the other side for 2-3 minutes. No longer! Overcooked roe is chalky and nasty.

To serve, arrange the roe on a plate, place the fresh herbs on the crumbles of bacon on top. Serve with a lemon wedge.

Printable recipe. 

One year ago: Sautéed Baby Artichokes with Olive Oil, Garlic & Lemon

Life Is Like a Bowl of Mussels

On Saturday, I attended a photography workshop led by acclaimed New York Times' food photographer, Andrew Scrivani. I thoroughly enjoyed the class, and left enthused to show off my new skills. That was until I remembered my next post was a mussels recipe.

So what? Well, during the class intro, Andrew did a slide show to illustrate various keys concepts and strategies, and the bowl of mussels you see below was used to demonstrate how a simple, eye-catching prop, like a vintage fork, could help draw the viewer’s attention away from less-than-attractive shellfish.

Andrew Scrivani/NYT

A brilliant ploy, and one I would have implemented, except that my silverware drawer contains exactly zero fancy shellfish forks. So, I decided instead to use the inside of a mussel shell, as an attempt at some nacreous misdirection. Did it work? You be the judge. 

Anyway, I’d like to extend a big thanks to Andrew and the other attendees for a very enjoyable afternoon. Also to Contigo, a wonderful Spanish joint here in San Francisco, for being such great hosts. 

Here's a handful of my favorite pictures from the workshop. I hope you enjoy!

I love this shot of Andrew showing my friend, Annelies, how to use a screen to adjust for the bright light reflecting off bald people’s heads. This is a technique that will serve me very well going forward.

If I ever specialized in one specific food photography niche, it would be meatballs. Why? I really like meatballs.

Does your eye go to the world's most beautiful ice cube, or to that horribly discolored radish? Was this a bold attempt at textural juxtaposition,
or did I simply forget to turn the radish over? I think we all know the answer to that question.

This probably best encapsulates all the key elements we discussed during the workshop; details, light direction, props, movement, and telling a story. My only regret is not having a little drip of water coming off the tip of the root. Maybe if I have time later, I'll Photoshop one on. I'm sure Mr. Scrivani would have no problem with that.

This photo provided my proudest moment of the workshop. It was one of the few shots I composed, as I thought it'd be interesting to use the lines of the garlic skin to play off the grain of the wood.

When the photo was shown later, my blogger buddy, Irvin, from Eat the Love, said he liked the shot because of how the garlic skin lines played off the grain of the wood. I just smiled appreciatively, but inside I was like, "Yes! Yes! In your face, other attendees that didn't get similar comments!" Hey, at least I was outwardly classy.

This almost sexy octopus skewer photo is alright, but what I really love, is how if you look closely enough, you can see the entire universe in that drop of oil. I find that very relaxing.

If you want to see more of Andrew's fine work, you can check out his blog, Making Sunday Sauce, or his photography website, Andrewscrivani.com, as well as follow him on Twitter. If you have a chance to attend one of his workshops (like the one we are doing together at this summer's IFBC in Portland), I highly recommend it!

Grin Affair ... To discover why the cohesion of dessert, cake and aglass jar makes you grin.

The most interesting food in Everton Park used to be Ji Xiang's Ang Gu Kueh who has been in the "Park" for a long long while. That has changed now. 2012 sees two new"passion" businesses set up shops in the laid back Everton park which is actually 4 blocks of old 12 storey HDB flats. One of them is Nylon Coffee Roasters that served coffee with their passion for the drink. The other is Grin Affair which was actually recommended by Dennis of Nylon Coffee Roasters when I was "harassed" by him during one of the chit chats at the coffee roaster over a cup of coffee. Grin Affair started serving desserts and cakes in glass jars and the demand has gone viral ever since they started opening their doors in March 2012.

It was my third trip to Grin Affair. The doors were closed on my first visit. All goodies in jars were sold out on my second visit. Finally, I was elated just this evening when the young lady owner told me that they still got some left for me to bring home. Lugging these 2 jars of pretty goodies set me grinning, almost prancing like a little kid, as I made my way from Grin Affair to my car parked along Blair Road. Yippee!

Here's the Maron (Chestnut) flavored dessert. Chestnut mousse with soft vanilla cake over baked crust. When I took it out from my fridge to enjoy after dinner, I could anticipate some intense chestnut flavors. The contents in the jar didn't disappoint me. I went after it like my greedy little kid who continues to suck air after he empties the contents in his milk bottle.

I got the Lychee Passionfruit with Sea Salt Pistachio for HY as she prefers fruity flavors for her cakes and desserts.  The lychee asserted it's presence over a milder tinge of sour from the passionfruit. I thought that the sea salt pistachio was a nice touch but HY thought it would suffice without the nuts. This is their new flavor. If you find this interesting, do check their website for updates on their new flavors and the many other interesting flavors that they are serving.

My empty jars were washed and ready to be returned to Grin Affair for recycling the next time I'm knocking on their doors in search of new flavors. When you accumulate 20 of these little tickets, you can exchange them for a jar of goodies. 

As Everton Park is the half way point between office and home, I guess there will be more pit stops in future. Somehow lugging that two little jars of dessert home brought a grin in me. I hope it rubs on you too!


3 Everton Park
Singapore
Tel: +65 8282 7375
Grin Affair Website

Easy Baked Polenta with Sausage and Vegetables

Sometimes at night, to save time, you have to begin the dinner process with pre-cooked, pre-packaged ingredients.  It's a must, to maintain sanity.  At least in my house.  But that doesn't mean you can't still get creative and have fun with what you cook, NO SIR!  (Sirs read this blog right?)  At the market yesterday, I brought home a tube of already-cooked polenta and a package of fully cooked chicken sausage and I whipped up the following dish.  It was very flavorful - even tasted somewhat sinful for something so healthy - and you could serve the sausage and vegetable sauce over pasta if you can't find polenta (it's usually low on the shelf in the pasta aisle).  

p.s. I was super excited to serve chopped up polenta to Jack with a little marinara and Parmesan.  I called it "Special Pasta!"  Like that, with an exclamation.  He took one bite and said, "no, I don't like all that orange stuff" (the sauce).  PICKY WICKY.  (I'm sorry I just said that.)

Easy Baked Polenta with Sausage and Vegetables

(Serves 4)

Printable Recipe

2 T extra-virgin olive oil

1 shallot, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, finely minced

1/2 tsp fresh basil, finely chopped

1/2 tsp fresh sage, finely chopped

1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1 zucchini, diced

1 yellow squash, diced

1 red pepper, finely diced

1 can diced tomatoes with garlic

1 pkg pre-cooked chicken sausage (or any variety you like)

1 pkg pre-cooked polenta

Salt and pepper

Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 375.  Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add shallots and sauté for 5-7 minutes, until they soften and begin to brown.  Add chopped herbs and garlic, sauté for another 5 minutes.  

Add zucchini, squash and red pepper.  Saute for 5 minutes and season with salt and pepper.  Add canned tomatoes and continue to simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes (or more).  Season with more salt and pepper to taste.  

Place vegetable sauce in a square baking dish.  Top with sliced sausage...

...and sliced Polenta.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  

Bake for 10 minutes.  (I placed mine under the broiler for a few minutes after that.)