When a Friend Gives you Lemons

June 19, 2014 By Tam Warner 2 Comments

Guest Post by Lisa Richardson at Nonna’s Wanderings on WordPress.com!!!

The box was heavy with Fresh Blood Orange California Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Vanilla & Fig California Balsamic Vinegar, a jar of Preserved Meyer Lemons and a gorgeous reamer made of olive wood.

Both salad creations knocked our socks off. I began with the Strawberry, Fig and Basil Salad on the Temecula Olive Oil Company website and tweaked it to availability and taste. Homemade, fresh vinaigrette is sensational. This paired well with a perfectly grilled filet. arugStrawberry, Fig & Basil Salad*

1 shallot, finely diced

2 TBSP Vanilla & Fig Balsamic Vinegar (so very fragrant!)

1 cup fresh sliced strawberries

4 ripe Black Mission Figs (I substituted slivered dates because my husband couldn’t find figs)

1/2 Cup TOOC Fresh Basil Olive Oil (I used a Tuscan herb olive oil from Napa)

2 handfuls fresh arugula

3/4 C fresh flat leaf parsley (This is where it changed- I used only arugula, a bowlful; no parsley, mint, or frisee) vinaigrette

1/2 Cup fresh mint leaves

1 handful young, tender frisee

Fresh cracked pepper to taste

2 ounces goat cheese, chilled

Sea Salt to taste.

Combine shallot and vinegar in a small bowl with a pinch of salt. Let stand for 10-15 minutes.Trim fig stems, removing anything fibrous but preserving the teardrop shape. Cut into quarters lengthwise and set aside.Whisk olive oil into the vinegar and shallot mixture. Combine the greens and herbs and gently toss with just enough vinaigrette to lightly coat. Place the greens on a serving platter and nestle the fig quarters and strawberries around the greens. Crumble the goat cheese on top. Drizzle any remaining vinaigrette over the fruit and cheese and serve immediately.

*The original recipe featured on the website is by Peggy, Rockville, NY.

The second effort was originally an arugula salad, but we chose spinach. This salad was a tasty complement to grilled chicken. spinparm Arugula Salad with Honey Citrus Pomegranate Dressing*

2 T Orange Juice ( I omitted this and chopped one of the Meyer lemons, plus finely diced shallot, into the vinaigrette)

2 T California Balsamico Bianco Oo-La-Pomegranate Vinegar ( I used straight Balsamico)

1 T Honey

1/4 Cup Citrus Reserve Late Harvest Olive Oil ( I used the Fresh Blood Orange California Extra Virgin Olive Oil; no regrets)

Fresh Arugula (I used spinach)

Fresh Pecorino Romano Cheese to Taste ( Used parmegiano here)

Salt & Pepper to Taste Pomegranate Seeds or Orange Slices (Optional) (I added sliced strawberries)

Blend orange juice, vinegar, honey and olive oil to make the salad dressing. Toss dressing over fresh arugula. Top with fresh Pecorino Romano cheese. Salt and pepper to taste.

*The original recipe from the website is credited to Sue Lipsky – Storrs, CT.

Thanks, Liz, for your passion for good food and cooking, and especially for providing the inspiration!

Food for the Soul in Raleigh, NC!

May 21, 2014 By Tam Warner Leave a Comment

GUEST BLOG BY SUZANNE STAVERT OF Adventures of Empty Nesters!

Mixing business with adventure is so gratifying, not to mention, super fun! In addition to writing Adventures of Empty Nesters, I represent a health company called Touchstone Essentials. I was traveling to Raleigh, North Carolina for our Second Annual Conference and ironically, my husband had business in Raleigh as well! This almost never happens, so we had a 2 for 1 special business trip with a side of adventure!

During the day, I spent my time learning valuable information about health and wellness at the conference, and Craig focused on his work obligations. However, we still have to eat don’t we? Raleigh is an awesome “foodie” town and a great place to find food for the soul. The kind of food you don’t easily forget and want to come back to again and again. It is a relatively small, urban city, so we were able to walk to most of the restaurants we wanted to go to from our hotel in the downtown area. At the suggestion of our dear “Almost Empty Nester” friends who live in Raleigh, we were given a fairly lengthy list with many types of food and libations to choose from. It was definitely a difficult decision!

What I admired most about the restaurants we experienced in Raleigh is how genuine and unprententious they were, yet the flavors were sophisticated and out of this world. Ashley Christensen is a red hot chef in Raleigh and has just been awarded the 2014 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southeast. On a very wet and rainy evening we only walked just one block to Poole’s Downtown Diner. The vibe is super friendly and since they don’t take reservations, it is usually always packed with hungry customers. I don’t mind the wait, because you just plan for the time, talk with friends and enjoy some ridiculously creative cocktails as you wait for your table.

Creatively written on hanging chalkboards, the menu has a Southern flair with a modern edge. Since we live in Southern California, we never eat anything remotely Southern, so we were anxious to participate!

It was so tough to choose that we opted to share two sides and each have an entrée. The “highest” of the highlights for me was the Mac and Cheese side dish (Macaroni Au Gratin). This was honestly the best I have ever tasted. Craig and I consider eating mac and cheese as a rather decadent treat. We like to try it at restaurants that offer it as their signature dish. We have tasted several versions of truffle mac and cheese, lobster mac and cheese and now Poole’s. Poole’s is hands down the very best we have ever tasted. The chef must combine three or four types of cheese and it comes with a crispy cheddar crust. OMG! It is worth every calorie and gram of fat.

Craig enjoyed his chicken fried pork shoulder sausage with grits…. He was so “un” Southern when he ordered his meal he said: “I would like to have the chicken sausage.” The server said: “There is no chicken in the dish, it is CHICKEN FRIED”. Oh is that what that means!

Note: Poole’s was fairly dark and taking photos with a flash is a no-no. So these are not my best work, but you get the idea.

Joule

Our number two highlight in Raleigh was Sunday brunch at Joule, which is also owned by Ashley Christensen. She owns Beasley’s Chicken & Honey, Chuck’s, Fox Liquor Bar, Joule Coffee and has two more restaurants coming soon. At Joule, they make aromatic hand crafted cups of coffee and hand made croissants. Making croissants by hand is extremely labor intensive and they were light and delicious with a slightly sweet almond flavor. We shared a scrumptious almond croissant and homemade yogurt with granola and berries as our Sunday morning breakfast.

We were in Raleigh a very short time, but these two restaurants are a “Do Not Miss” when visiting Raleigh.

Should I really be eating all of this food? YES!

In actuality, I spend most every week eating healthy food and following good diet practices. But when I am out discovering new restaurants and their creative cuisine, rules go out the window. It’s a culinary adventure for goodness sake! I will arrive home from the trip, get back on the proverbial horse, eat well and exercise. Seriously, do you want me to write about eating roasted broccoli, going to the gym and how many miles I walk the dog? Or course not, I save the just interesting stories to share with you!

Life is about balance – We should design and live an extraordinary life. Don’t you think?

Have you tried a new and fabulous restaurant lately? We would love to hear about it!

So much delicious food in Seattle!

May 13, 2014 By Tam Warner 5 Comments

by Suzanne Simone Stavert of ADVENTURES OF

EMPTY NESTERS.

Eating all of the delicious food in Seattle is one of my favorite things about going there.

My goodness we had a great time and many of our favorites times were discovering new restaurants in a city with so many culinary delights! All I can say is food, food and more food…Leslie turned to me on Day Two of our gastronomic adventure and exclaimed, “No more, I can’t eat another bite!” (Truth: She did eat one more time at Sunday lunch! Sorry Les!) The good news is that in addition to eating our way through Seattle, we walked endless miles as well. We must balance the calorie intake with calories burned…right?

I really could write several posts about where we went to eat and how each chef dazzled us with their talent. I guess that would not be so bad to read about would it? Seriously though,I am the one who takes photos of most of my meals in restaurants. The dishes are so gorgeously presented on the plate, they are like works of art! One meal that could be characterized as one of our most favorites was breakfast atPortage Bay. The food is large, local, organic, tasty, sustainable and oh so delicious! We giggled all through breakfast at how fortunate we were to be eating there!

They have a unique pancake topping bar that contains huge glass bowls piled high with strawberries, blueberries, pears and boysenberries. There is a mountain of whipped cream, a small “hill” of butter and pitchers of pure warm maple syrup. I can honestly say that I have never witnessed a more gorgeous set up for breakfast. These were just the toppings! It was ridiculously good.

I believe you would characterize these photos as “food porn”. It was so fun to throw our diets out the window and splurge on these amazing dishes.

In addition to serving delicious food the owners of Portage Bay have a simple philosophy about food and I LOVE THIS!

Eat like you give a damn about…

where your food comes from
what goes in your body
the ethics of how your food is raised and handled
how your food tastes
the environment

When you combine delicious food with a company who cares about the rest of the world it is a home run in my book. If you are in Seattle, visiting Portage Bay is a must. Love this place! <3

Hungry now?

A delightful bonus on Maui: Amazing food!

April 24, 2014 By Tam Warner 4 Comments

A wonderful foodie travel post from Suzanne Stavert of Adventures of Empty Nesters! As we grow older we experience different stages in our lives… being an Empty Nester is a really big one! The kids have moved out of the house and we are ready for the next step. Aren’t we? Maybe not, maybe so, but this site is a great way to share ideas and enjoy the triumphs and stories with each other! by Suzanne Stavert

“You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh ingredients.”
― Julia Child

When I travel, I feel that the quality of the food Craig and I eat is as important as the exciting destination. Do you feel the same? I recently wrote about our unbelievable vacation at the extraordinary Andaz Maui at Wailea. If I haven’t enticed you to go there because of the property and the views… the food will seal the deal! The cuisine at the Ka’ana Kitchen is some the most incredible food I have had in a long time and in some cases, EVER. I realize that is quite a statement, but it is totally true.

Before we leave for a trip, I research where we are going and our trip to Maui was no exception. As they say at the Andaz Maui at Wailea: “We bring you the best dining on the island from local farmers, foragers and locavores, and we procure many of our ingredients exclusively from Ka’ana Farm and its neighbors”. They even print on the menu the names of the farms where the local fruits, vegetables, meats and dairy come from.

While staying at the beachfront resort, we enjoyed most of our meals (breakfast and dinner) at their signature restaurant Ka’ana Kitchen. As a self proclaimed “foodie” I was in gastronomic heaven! We also enjoyed lunch poolside one day as well.

On most days,we started with a delicious and rather enormous brunch. It was enormous because there were so many tantalizing choices, I could not decide! Do I choose the custom made omelet? The vast array of pastries, Ginger Scones, Taro Scones, Grilled Smashed Potatoes and housemade sausage, Macadamia Nut Waffles, Kale Salad, tropical fruits…the list goes on! Each day we were served a green juice of the day as well as a bit sweeter fruit juice of the day. Seriously? Oh my gosh they were great. One of each please! I always put way too much on the plate, but I wanted so badly to try all of it! Afterward, we took long walks along the gorgeous beaches and attempted to work off the morning’s calories.

Before we left for Maui I had made several dinner reservations at other restaurants at hotels which are very popular and well known. Once I had tasted the food from Ka’ana Kitchen, I cancelled them all. I have never done that before on a vacation. The food was so damn good we did not want to leave!

The Juice Bar! Are you kidding??

Two of our phenominal dinners were spent sitting at the chef’s table directly in the restaurant kitchen. We had a front row seat to observe all of the well orchestrated activity in the kitchen. We were thrilled to spend time talking with Chefs Isaac and MiJin. Although they were incredibly busy,they stopped to chat and talk about food, ingredients and the dishes they were preparing. I felt like a teenager hanging out with a rock star! I LOVED IT! We were also seated next to the bar where they created handcrafted cocktails with unique flavor combinations. They were crazy delicious! It was such a treat for me to be a part of their world if only for a short time!

Our view of Chef MiJin- So fun!

Our adorable and talented bartenders

So what did we eat? Lucky for you I take pictures of my meals if they are particularly photogenic!

Did I say… we ate AMAZING FOOD in Maui!

Here you go…A feast for the eyes!

Poolside – Lobster Grilled Cheese, yes I said lobster!

Chopped Kale Salad – My favorite

Hand Crafted Raspberry Lemonade

Brunch – Enormous, but worth every bite

Extraordinary Dinners

Lobster Ceviche – Out of this world!

Grilled Octopus Salad – A first for me!

Bigeye Ahi -My favorite dish of the trip (I ordered it twice)

Craig and I eat out a great deal and when we travel, we especially look forward to visiting great restaurants and experiencing local cuisine. I am such a food geek, I am constantly reading about chefs and what they are creating and we attend food and wine events whenever we can. I often hear from friends who are traveling and they need a restaurant recommendation. I have even begun writing guides to some of the major US cities that we frequent.

To be clear, I did not eat all of these dishes at each meal, they were spread out over the week! I could have posted photos of several more enticing plates, but I restrained myself! If have not impressed upon you enough, the delicious farm to table food was a highlight of our stay in Maui. It was such a treat!

I can’t wait to plan my trip back to the Andaz Maui at Wailea.

Adventures of traveling Foodies!