The store will have expanded stock, with lots of seasonal color that lulu is known for. Come by and say hello!
Click to enlarge image for details on Complimentary classes and other events.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Lululemon Quarry Market Grand Opening Fiesta
I'll be performing Pilates in the Lululemon Athletica window August 8 from 12-12:30 pm as part of the Quarry Market's Grand Opening activities. The official opening is Saturday, August 16.
The store will have expanded stock, with lots of seasonal color that lulu is known for. Come by and say hello!
Click to enlarge image for details on Complimentary classes and other events.
The store will have expanded stock, with lots of seasonal color that lulu is known for. Come by and say hello!
Click to enlarge image for details on Complimentary classes and other events.
45th
Friends gathered at our house last Saturday morning for a Parisian Breakfast to celebrate my birthday! I turn 45 today. Tonight, Doug is treating me to dinner at the brand new Tre Trattoria.
I made Asparagus, Shallot and Swiss quiches, my own recipe, and a vegetarian option.
For sweet decadence, I also made Paula Deen's French Toast Casserole.
There was lots of good cheer and conversation. Everybody came bearing gifts. I have much to be grateful for. 45, yikes!
I share my birthday with the fabulous Mr. Thomas Sowell. He is a columnist, Economist, Stanford fellow and author. My favorites are View of the Annointed and Quest For Cosmic Justice.
I made Asparagus, Shallot and Swiss quiches, my own recipe, and a vegetarian option.
For sweet decadence, I also made Paula Deen's French Toast Casserole.
There was lots of good cheer and conversation. Everybody came bearing gifts. I have much to be grateful for. 45, yikes!
I share my birthday with the fabulous Mr. Thomas Sowell. He is a columnist, Economist, Stanford fellow and author. My favorites are View of the Annointed and Quest For Cosmic Justice.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
David Lebovitz in my kitchen
Recently, I found myself with time on my hands for a whole day on a Sunday. I volunteered at church, grocery shopped, took a Bikram yoga class, swam, sun bathed and began to think about what I could get up to in my kitchen (and avoid having to get a handle on my papers overflowing).
While searching food blogs midday, I came across David Lebovitz's Lemon Buttermilk Sherbet (from his book, The Perfect Scoop) as well as recipe for Confit Of Tomatoes. No, he wasn't really in my kitchen, just his recipes. David's tomato dish reminded me of similar recipes I've made by Ina Garten and Tyler Florence. I just happened to have a carton of cherry tomatoes I was planning on using with tuna for kebabs. I changed my plans (wonder if Rev. Tudor's sermon on "Change Of Heart" had anything to do with it?)
Before going to yoga, I made the sherbet. While I could die happy only have chocolate for sweets, Doug loves anything cold and he's partial to tart as well. This sherbet is a healthy, homemade alternative to the usual sherbets we buy.
The recipe is super simple. I assembled all my ingredients. I substituted Xylitol for 1/2 of the sugar and will add blueberries to Lebovitz's recipe.
Here I have made the syrup and allowed it to cool. I also have juiced 2 lemons. The final mixture is the buttermilk, heavy cream, syrup with zest and lemon juice (and a splash of vodka).
The ice cream is setting up. I have reduced the buttermilk to add two oz of heavy cream to the mix. I also added about one oz of vodka (limoncello would be my choice when making for company and I'd use more than a splash). As I found out with the Strawberry Buttermilk Sherbet I made a couple of weeks back, frozen treats made with low fat dairy on non dairy become hard and icy if not consumed within a few hours. Great if your entertaining, but we want a quart to last for the week. A tiny bit of vodka will do the trick, apparently.
The last 5 minutes, I have added 1/2 carton of fresh berries that I froze. Doug eats frozen blueberries on his commercial sherbets so this wasn't a far reach. I added the berries frozen to prevent the berries from bursting in the mix and turning the whole think purple, which might be desirable on another occasion.
Here you have it! No a bad replacement for the commercial stuff...even that at Whole Foods or our GucciB. And I already had all these ingredients! If you haven't ran out and bought yourself an ice cream maker and you love frozen treats, it's time to do so. Consider Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop your ice cream bible.
Later, I turned my attention to the what I would have for dinner. While I sun bathed, I started roasting tomatoes. To the tomatoes, I added a generous portion of Umbrian olive oil, salt and pepper, quartered garlic cloves, green onions, basil and oregano leaves that came from my garden. I'm using my paella pan, which I can also use later on the stove top over the flame burner.
I slightly browned cubes of 8 oz tuna in the liquid from the tomatoes. Once the fish was browned, I added the tomatoes back in to the pan along with 1/4 c kalamata olives that were pitted and halved, 1 tbsp capers, 1/4 c diced feta cheese, the juice of 1/2 lemon, lemon slices, black pepper to taste and torn oregano leaves. Red pepper flakes would be a good addition.
This sauce is reminiscent of the Italian Puttanesca sauce or the popular sauce Greeks cook shrimp in. I can think of several pastas this would be good served over. Let me tell you - this was easy and tasty.
Did you know that Puttanesca translates to Harlot's Sauce? It seems ladies of the night in Napoli would use this sauce to entice their customers. Doug's gonna love this one!
Well, I still had some blueberries. I put together this Blueberry Crostata with a refrigerated pie crust I had on hand in mere minutes.
Thank goodness Doug came home this evening! It has been a good day - Thanks to Mr. Lebovitz. And I'm all seductive and delicious as a result of my Tuna Puttenesca.
Tips for making homemade ice cream softer by David Lebovitz
"Alcohol doesn't freeze, which you know if you're anything like me and keep a bottle of Zubróvka vodka chilled and ready in your freezer. You can add up to 3 tablespoons of 40 proof liquor to 1 quart (1 liter) of your frozen dessert mixture prior to churning."
"In my recipes, I indicate where low-fat products can be used without sacrificing the results. You could theoretically use non-fat products but your ice cream or frozen yogurt will be grainy and icy and most likely you won't be thrilled with the results."
Either one will give the ice cream a smoother, less-icy texture but the drawback is that honey has a taste that may not be compatible with your other flavors and corn syrup has its own detractors."
While searching food blogs midday, I came across David Lebovitz's Lemon Buttermilk Sherbet (from his book, The Perfect Scoop) as well as recipe for Confit Of Tomatoes. No, he wasn't really in my kitchen, just his recipes. David's tomato dish reminded me of similar recipes I've made by Ina Garten and Tyler Florence. I just happened to have a carton of cherry tomatoes I was planning on using with tuna for kebabs. I changed my plans (wonder if Rev. Tudor's sermon on "Change Of Heart" had anything to do with it?)
Before going to yoga, I made the sherbet. While I could die happy only have chocolate for sweets, Doug loves anything cold and he's partial to tart as well. This sherbet is a healthy, homemade alternative to the usual sherbets we buy.
The recipe is super simple. I assembled all my ingredients. I substituted Xylitol for 1/2 of the sugar and will add blueberries to Lebovitz's recipe.
Here I have made the syrup and allowed it to cool. I also have juiced 2 lemons. The final mixture is the buttermilk, heavy cream, syrup with zest and lemon juice (and a splash of vodka).
The ice cream is setting up. I have reduced the buttermilk to add two oz of heavy cream to the mix. I also added about one oz of vodka (limoncello would be my choice when making for company and I'd use more than a splash). As I found out with the Strawberry Buttermilk Sherbet I made a couple of weeks back, frozen treats made with low fat dairy on non dairy become hard and icy if not consumed within a few hours. Great if your entertaining, but we want a quart to last for the week. A tiny bit of vodka will do the trick, apparently.
The last 5 minutes, I have added 1/2 carton of fresh berries that I froze. Doug eats frozen blueberries on his commercial sherbets so this wasn't a far reach. I added the berries frozen to prevent the berries from bursting in the mix and turning the whole think purple, which might be desirable on another occasion.
Here you have it! No a bad replacement for the commercial stuff...even that at Whole Foods or our GucciB. And I already had all these ingredients! If you haven't ran out and bought yourself an ice cream maker and you love frozen treats, it's time to do so. Consider Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop your ice cream bible.
Later, I turned my attention to the what I would have for dinner. While I sun bathed, I started roasting tomatoes. To the tomatoes, I added a generous portion of Umbrian olive oil, salt and pepper, quartered garlic cloves, green onions, basil and oregano leaves that came from my garden. I'm using my paella pan, which I can also use later on the stove top over the flame burner.
I slightly browned cubes of 8 oz tuna in the liquid from the tomatoes. Once the fish was browned, I added the tomatoes back in to the pan along with 1/4 c kalamata olives that were pitted and halved, 1 tbsp capers, 1/4 c diced feta cheese, the juice of 1/2 lemon, lemon slices, black pepper to taste and torn oregano leaves. Red pepper flakes would be a good addition.
This sauce is reminiscent of the Italian Puttanesca sauce or the popular sauce Greeks cook shrimp in. I can think of several pastas this would be good served over. Let me tell you - this was easy and tasty.
Did you know that Puttanesca translates to Harlot's Sauce? It seems ladies of the night in Napoli would use this sauce to entice their customers. Doug's gonna love this one!
Well, I still had some blueberries. I put together this Blueberry Crostata with a refrigerated pie crust I had on hand in mere minutes.Thank goodness Doug came home this evening! It has been a good day - Thanks to Mr. Lebovitz. And I'm all seductive and delicious as a result of my Tuna Puttenesca.
Tips for making homemade ice cream softer by David Lebovitz
"Alcohol doesn't freeze, which you know if you're anything like me and keep a bottle of Zubróvka vodka chilled and ready in your freezer. You can add up to 3 tablespoons of 40 proof liquor to 1 quart (1 liter) of your frozen dessert mixture prior to churning."
"In my recipes, I indicate where low-fat products can be used without sacrificing the results. You could theoretically use non-fat products but your ice cream or frozen yogurt will be grainy and icy and most likely you won't be thrilled with the results."
Either one will give the ice cream a smoother, less-icy texture but the drawback is that honey has a taste that may not be compatible with your other flavors and corn syrup has its own detractors."
Friday, July 18, 2008
SoBe and Central FLA
We had a much needed relaxing trip to Florida last week. We got to see my Dad (Ocala area) and reconnect with our friends, Frank and Crystal (Miami) and Jill and Jake (Winter Park).
The address of the Ritz Carlton, South Beach. Sitting atop the the fashionable Lincoln Road pedestrian district. The service poolside was impeccable.
The first thing we did after dropping our bags was to walk south from Lincoln to 8th street along Ocean Dr to the News Cafe. I had my favorite meal, which consists of the hot tomato soup and fresh fruit and cottage cheese. I also was served my first Cafe Con Leche of the trip. Here we learned that many Miami establishments now have a mandatory 15% surcharge to your bill.
From the Bayside Marketplace, you can take a 1.5 hr cruise through the Miami waterways touring the backyards of the rich and famous. Totally touristy but we had our friends, Frank and Crystal along with us and we were talking politics. We really enjoyed ourselves! We were treated to a latin band while we waited to board at the mall's amphitheater, which apparently is hosted every night.
A sister property to the News Cafe on the 800 block of Lincoln Road. Great place for breakfast or brunch and the vibe is a little less pretentious. The space also has quite alot of character. Van Dyke Cafe Upstairs hosts local jazz bands each night. We saw a blues guitarist on a Monday night.
Just south of Lincoln on Meridian in South Beach is cuban food heaven. The two of us ate a traditional cuban breakfast for under $15. The cuban bread is toasted with a generous slathering of butter (it's probably margarine). The cafe con leche steamed to perfection. Here I was finally in the Miami/South Beach of my memories. Besides another couple, we were the only tourists in the place. The cafe has a restaurant side, a diner side and a street window.
I found a red Debbie Katz tunic here - perfect for throwing over a bathing suit or unitard. They also had some fantastic dressy and evening options. I will make a beeline for this store on any future trips.
Yuca
We ventured out only once for a more pricey dinner. We had made a meal of tapas at Yuca, a cuban restaurant. We were not disappointed. We had the croquettes, chorizon stuffed spanish piquillo peppers and Coco de Camarones, served in a roasted coconut. We finished with the Key Lime Napoleon, drizzled with dulce de leche. If you are lucky enough to find yourself at this Lincoln Rd eatery, tell Alberto we said hello.
Bikram Yoga
We were not total sun bathing slobs while we were gone. We did stretch and sweat at SoBe's Bikram Yoga location.
Morse Museum
From SoBe, we traveled up the Florida Turnpike to Winter Park, FL. We met my dad and his wife and got to catch up. This sleepy little village in the middle of Orlando has a magnificent museum of the collected works of Louis Tiffany. The museum houses the largest collection of Tiffany glass and art in the world. If you plan it right, you can have your own complimentary tour guide.
Yuca
We ventured out only once for a more pricey dinner. We had made a meal of tapas at Yuca, a cuban restaurant. We were not disappointed. We had the croquettes, chorizon stuffed spanish piquillo peppers and Coco de Camarones, served in a roasted coconut. We finished with the Key Lime Napoleon, drizzled with dulce de leche. If you are lucky enough to find yourself at this Lincoln Rd eatery, tell Alberto we said hello.
Bikram Yoga
We were not total sun bathing slobs while we were gone. We did stretch and sweat at SoBe's Bikram Yoga location.
Morse Museum
From SoBe, we traveled up the Florida Turnpike to Winter Park, FL. We met my dad and his wife and got to catch up. This sleepy little village in the middle of Orlando has a magnificent museum of the collected works of Louis Tiffany. The museum houses the largest collection of Tiffany glass and art in the world. If you plan it right, you can have your own complimentary tour guide.
Nutella Mocha Frappe
I am fresh back from our trip to FL. Doug and I have been puttering, getting the suitcases unpacked and the laundry going. I have been surfing the web for inspiration and ideas for my Bistro Breakfast Birthday Party next week.
I came across a recipe for a Frappucino-like drink made with Nutella chocolate-hazelnut spread! With a bit of tweaking, I came up with a most fabulous late July icy coffee drink featuring one of my favorite chocolate indulgences.
Nutella Mocha Frappe
1/2 - 1 cup ice, depending on desired consistency
1 cup milk or your favorite dairy substitute
2 oz heavy cream (optional, reduce milk to 6 oz)
2 oz or 1 shot espresso
2 tbs Nutella spread
whipped cream (optional)
Place all ingredients into a powerful blender. Blend until all contents are liquefied.
Variations:
Vanilla extract, cinnamon powder or caramel sauce added or a flavored coffee syrup
Kahlua or Frangelico liqueurs for an adult poolside or after dinner treat.
The heavy cream in my recipe gives the blended end product the foamy top that makes this a frappe. It also gives the drink a pleasurable feel in the mouth when using low fat milk, which is what I usually have in my fridge. Frozen yougurt or ice cream can be exchanged for the ice for a thicker, milkshake consistency-omit the h. cream if using the frozen treat.
Americans are likely to equate this drink with the modern Starbucks version, but it has been popular since the late 50's in New England area. The Greeks are mad for it and it has been said to be the national drink of Greece.
Starbucks launched Latin American Latte and Frappuccino caramel drinks in April of 2007. A homemade Mexican frappe version could be made with the Cajeta brand of Dulce de Leche. The caramel spread is comparable in consistency to the Nutella and is sweetened condensed goat's milk that is cooked until it reaches the caramel flavor and coloring. Just replace the Nutella with the Cajeta.
I came across a recipe for a Frappucino-like drink made with Nutella chocolate-hazelnut spread! With a bit of tweaking, I came up with a most fabulous late July icy coffee drink featuring one of my favorite chocolate indulgences.
Nutella Mocha Frappe
1/2 - 1 cup ice, depending on desired consistency
1 cup milk or your favorite dairy substitute
2 oz heavy cream (optional, reduce milk to 6 oz)
2 oz or 1 shot espresso
2 tbs Nutella spread
whipped cream (optional)
Place all ingredients into a powerful blender. Blend until all contents are liquefied.
Variations:
Vanilla extract, cinnamon powder or caramel sauce added or a flavored coffee syrup
Kahlua or Frangelico liqueurs for an adult poolside or after dinner treat.
The heavy cream in my recipe gives the blended end product the foamy top that makes this a frappe. It also gives the drink a pleasurable feel in the mouth when using low fat milk, which is what I usually have in my fridge. Frozen yougurt or ice cream can be exchanged for the ice for a thicker, milkshake consistency-omit the h. cream if using the frozen treat.
Americans are likely to equate this drink with the modern Starbucks version, but it has been popular since the late 50's in New England area. The Greeks are mad for it and it has been said to be the national drink of Greece.
Starbucks launched Latin American Latte and Frappuccino caramel drinks in April of 2007. A homemade Mexican frappe version could be made with the Cajeta brand of Dulce de Leche. The caramel spread is comparable in consistency to the Nutella and is sweetened condensed goat's milk that is cooked until it reaches the caramel flavor and coloring. Just replace the Nutella with the Cajeta.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Foil Salmon And Zucchini
Doug and I just returned from our July 4th celebration in Houston. Our friends, Graham and Shelly, hosted us for a bird's eye view of the fireworks on Friday at her office building. Bill and Dana treated us to a homemade fish fry with a peach, mint and rum concoction on Saturday. We left early Sunday to have a day at home to ourselves.
One of my projects over the weekend was to prepare my next blog post for Create My Event. It will be a book review of Jennifer Rubell's Real Life Entertaining. Today, Doug and I prepared one of her recipes.
1 tbsp evoo
2 1/2 lbs salmon fillet
3 zucchini, sliced in quarters
1/2 c dry white wine
salt and pepper
1 tbsp butter, cut in small pieces
6 springs fresh thyme
1/4 c chopped parsley
Preheat oven to 375. Cut off enough foil double the size of the salmon with room to fold the end. Oil one side of the foil. Place Salmon skin side down on the prepared foil. Scatter the zucchini around the fish. Add the wine, salt and pepper. Dot the fish with the butter and place the thyme sprigs on top. Sprinkle entire dish with parsley. Seal the foil package and cook for 12 min.
For real life entertaining, serve the fish tableside in from the foil pack.
Actually, Rubell's recipe inspired me since I more or less combined my vegetable pouch recipe with her salmon foil one: I substituted dill for the parsley and lemon juice for the wine. I also added cherry tomatoes, lemon and shallot slices and minced garlic. The thyme sprigs are from my patio!
*1 (16-oz.) package frozen strawberries, thawed, may be substituted.
One of my projects over the weekend was to prepare my next blog post for Create My Event. It will be a book review of Jennifer Rubell's Real Life Entertaining. Today, Doug and I prepared one of her recipes.
Aluminum-Foil Salmon And Zucchini
1 tbsp evoo
2 1/2 lbs salmon fillet
3 zucchini, sliced in quarters
1/2 c dry white wine
salt and pepper
1 tbsp butter, cut in small pieces
6 springs fresh thyme
1/4 c chopped parsley
Preheat oven to 375. Cut off enough foil double the size of the salmon with room to fold the end. Oil one side of the foil. Place Salmon skin side down on the prepared foil. Scatter the zucchini around the fish. Add the wine, salt and pepper. Dot the fish with the butter and place the thyme sprigs on top. Sprinkle entire dish with parsley. Seal the foil package and cook for 12 min.
For real life entertaining, serve the fish tableside in from the foil pack.
Actually, Rubell's recipe inspired me since I more or less combined my vegetable pouch recipe with her salmon foil one: I substituted dill for the parsley and lemon juice for the wine. I also added cherry tomatoes, lemon and shallot slices and minced garlic. The thyme sprigs are from my patio!
On our trip, I came across this low fat, low calorie sherbet in Shelly's Southern Living magazine. I just had to try this! Next time, I will reduce the sugar. I made mine
with the thawed frozen berries. I also chopped a cup of frozen berries
and added during the last 7 minutes of churning.
with the thawed frozen berries. I also chopped a cup of frozen berries
and added during the last 7 minutes of churning.
Strawberry-Buttermilk Sherbet
Makes about 4 1/2 cups Prep: 15 min., Chill: 1 hr., Freeze: 2 hr.
2 cups fresh strawberries*
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Process strawberries in a food processor or blender 30 seconds or until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Pour strawberry puree through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a large bowl, pressing with back of a spoon. Discard solids. Add buttermilk, sugar, and vanilla to puree; stir until well blended. Cover and chill 1 hour. Pour strawberry mixture into freezer container of a 1 1/2-qt. electric ice-cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.
Process strawberries in a food processor or blender 30 seconds or until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Pour strawberry puree through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a large bowl, pressing with back of a spoon. Discard solids. Add buttermilk, sugar, and vanilla to puree; stir until well blended. Cover and chill 1 hour. Pour strawberry mixture into freezer container of a 1 1/2-qt. electric ice-cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.
*1 (16-oz.) package frozen strawberries, thawed, may be substituted.
Southern Living, MAY 2008
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