IN MY KITCHEN: APRIL 2017

Posted in In My Kitchen by sallybr

It’s been three long months since I last invited you for a virtual tour of our kitchen, the event initiated by Celia and now hosted by Lizzy from Bizzy Lizzy Good Things. Better late than never, let’s get started…

Last month was my Birthday, and I got two wonderful surprise gifts shipped from opposite corners of the world. The first package arrived from England, sent by our dear friend Denise, with a gorgeous apron and a matching coffee mug. Can you spell posh? The second package arrived all the way from Brazil, sent by my niece Raquel, containing two Silpats for macaron baking! Can you spell posh baker? Thank you Denise & Raquel, you made me feel super special…

In our kitchen….

The two on the upper row were bought for their looks, both found at Marshalls, one of my favorite spots to get unusual things for our kitchen. The third one is kind of vintage, a Pyrex sturdy bowl that I find myself using all the time. Perfect to mix a small batch of bread dough, cake batter, meatloaf, guacamole… I really use it almost on a daily basis.

In our kitchen….

Of all the alternative pastas out there, this one is my favorite. It was recommended by Elaine from foodbod, and I decided to give it a try. The texture is perfect, and the taste reminded me of homemade pastas made with a little spinach in the dough. Really nice, and quite a bit lighter than normal pasta. As you know, I have no gluten issues, no restrictions in my diet, but love to try new things. If it’s not tasty, I am not interested. This is tasty, and with the lower content in carbs, more than welcome at our table.

In our kitchen….

Two new ingredients to play with. First, hemp seeds which are high in protein and have many uses. You can add it to salads, smoothies, homemade crackers, cereal, yogurt. Mild taste, nice crunch. The black sesame powder you can obviously make from scratch using black sesame seeds in a spice grinder, but I found it available in our Asian market and brought it home, with one particular recipe in mind. Black sesame macarons. Yeah, baby. You read it right. Stay tuned for it.

In our kitchen….

Zhorat tea blend. Have you heard about it? If not, I invite you to read this post by the one and only Sawsan. I thought about making it from scratch, but then ordered a batch already prepared. It is wonderful, I love to brew a pot before dinner and then enjoy it the whole evening right until going to sleep. It is floral, smooth and fresh at the same time. If you love tea and prefer to avoid caffeinated tea, this is a great option.

In our kitchen….

Another new ingredient to play, black tahini. It is exactly like a regular tahini, but made from black sesame seeds. I haven’t tried it yet, but should start important experiments soon.

In our kitchen….

From black to color… My special food coloring batch in powder form, to make macarons, of course. Liquid food color is a no-no to make macarons because they interfere with the delicate balance of the meringue and almond dough. Powdered or gel are a must.

In our kitchen….

Sprouted wheat flour from King Arthur Flour. I first learned about this product reading Alexandra’s blog. Could not resist and ordered a bag. I made a nice loaf of bread with it already, should be on the blog soon. Because the flour is made from sprouted wheat, it is supposed to be easier to digest, as the sprouting process starts metabolizing the wheat. The resulting bread feels smooth and moist. Excellent product.

In our kitchen….

Fathead pizza! This one blew my mind, big time! If you google fathead pizza you’ll learn that it is the Queen of Low-Carb Pizza, by far. I was very curious and one evening decided to give it a try, because it’s quite simple and quick to prepare. It turns out that I love it! It is the closest thing to real pizza I ever came across, and it is quite filling, so when I make the whole recipe I can have it for dinner and then lunch next day. You can find the recipe clicking here.

In our kitchen….

A drink made from apple cider vinegar. As you know, I am into this type of alternative, non-alcoholic drinks. And I found this product in one of our grocery stores, Hy-Vee. It is actually very good, although I prefer to dilute it with carbonated water. I do 1/3 of the drink, 2/3 carbonated water, eyeballing it. The same company makes several different flavors, but I like this one the best.

In our kitchen….

Beware. These are addictive. Phil found those at our grocery store. Brought them home. OMG. They are good with hummus, with cheese, with avocados, with tapenade. They are good naked. The crackers, not necessarily the person munching on them. If you find them in your neck of the woods, pounce on the bag.

In our kitchen….

These are unreal. They are from Australia, so if you are partial to local food, I feel a bit sorry for you. To savor these babies without hurting your principles, you must face a pretty long trip to Sydney, and the tickets are quite pricey. Amazingly, our grocery store carries them. I am a big white chocolate lover, but must say the dark chocolate is much, much better. Phil and I savor one each on special evenings, making the box last as long as our will power allows.

In our kitchen….

A delicious dessert, from a book I reviewed recently, London: The Cookbook. As I already shared a recipe from the book, consider this an additional teaser. They are Bavarois Framboise. Quite easy to prepare and absolutely wonderful!

And now, it’s time for the Magnificent Trio to say hello…

We have a pretty regular routine in our home… We get up early, and while Phil gets our cappuccinos going, I grab the dogs’ bowls and get ready to feed them. At that point the morning symphony starts. If you’d like to listen to it, click here. After they are done wolfing their food down, they know they’ll have another hour or so in the coziness of our home. Then we leave for work and they must go outside. They use that precious hour very wisely.

Of course, sometimes the weather early in the morning is not compatible with doggies being outside, and in that case, they don’t get their food until later in the day. Once they realize there’s no food coming, you can sense the disappointment in the air…

But of course, snacks and little bits from our own food are always making the rounds to keep our four-legged friends happy. Happy? Well, maybe not all of them….

Buck is now the sweetest dog we’ve ever had! His personality changed a lot after Chief passed away, and even more after Bogey joined our home. I call him my Little Tim Tam… not always, just sometimes.
Like twice, maybe eight times a day.

Oscar was definitely ready for his summer shave. He was having one bad hair day after another…

But we took care of it, and now….

Bogey has been with us for 8 months, and it’s clear that he’s adapted well… a few pieces of Parmigiano cheese disappeared from the kitchen island, as well as a batch of Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, a full genoise, freshly baked from scratch, a couple of sticks of butter and the eventual bar of soap. But we love him to pieces!

The Magnificent Trio for the most part gets along well together, especially when it’s time to do their tricks for Mom and Dad. Those are rare moments in which I get their full attention…

That’s all folks…
I hope you enjoyed Mom’s tour through our kitchen…
See you in a couple of months!

ONE YEAR AGO: Secret Recipe Club: Chicken Korma and a Bonus Recipe

TWO YEARS AGO: Josey Baker’s Olive Bread

THREE YEARS AGO: Almonds, A Cookbook Review

FOUR YEARS AGO: Pomegranate-Molasses Glazed Carrots

FIVE YEARS AGO: Codruta’s Rolled Oat Sourdough Bread

SIX YEARS AGO: Roasted Corn and Tomato Risotto

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Light Rye Bread

1Jan2017

HAPPY NEW YEAR IN MY KITCHEN!

Posted in In My Kitchen by sallybr

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY READERS!

It’s been three long months since I last invited you for a virtual tour of our kitchen, the event initiated by Celia and now hosted by Lizzy from Bizzy Lizzy Good Things. So, tighten your seat belts, because there are lots of goodies to talk about…

Starting with gifts…

I am not sure this qualifies as a gift, but I will go with it. I entered a drawing over at Lisa is Cooking a couple of months ago, and to my absolute delight, I won! It is a gorgeous, oval-shaped All-Clad pan, perfect to sear and cook fish. It is so beautiful, I smile every time I look at it… Not only it works great for its intended purpose, but I’ve used it to sear halloumi cheese. O.M.G. Wait for a blog post on that one…

Thank you so much, Lisa! Love the pan….

From our dear friend Ines…

A classic cookbook from the one and only Dorie Greenspan… A must-have for sure, I know I would be getting it at some point. Resistance would be futile. But now I don’t need to. HA!

From our friends Denise and Hélio, shipped all the way from England…

The best chocolate in the world! Valrhona, in different levels of cocoa, to match your mood… or your recipe! Such a thoughtful gift… The only problem is preventing “someone” from devouring one bar or two when I’m not paying attention.

From C & C, the coolest couple in L.A.

A set of soapstone vodka drinking glasses. Phil loves Chopin vodka, and they also sent a huge bottle. The glasses are from a company I like a lot, Uncommon Goods. Check them out, they have very unique things.

From my sister Norma, back in Brazil….

A gourmet mustard, infused with a very special Brazilian fruit, called “jabuticaba.” I love the fruit, and the mustard is superb! It has a delicate touch of sweetness, and the taste is quite unique.

From my niece Raquel back in Brazil…

A beautifully crafted box for my teas! The top mimics the pattern of the sidewalks in Rio de Janeiro, every Brazilian recognizes that pattern… Looks like waves… And now my teas are in perfect order!

From my perfect match…

Two more coffee mugs from our favorite pottery artist, Mary Rose Young… He keeps searching on ebay, and I keep welcoming them in our kitchen…

My Christmas gift to myself… just because….

This little teapot has a thermometer on the lid, and you can brew each type of tea (green, herbal, black) at the optimal temperature. It is very stylish, and works like a charm…. I am in love!

In our kitchen…

A few exotic ingredients I got over at the Oriental market we have in town. For the most part inspired by a couple of cookbooks I am in love with: The Saffron Tales and Taste of Persia. I got black chickpeas, culinary grade rose petals (swoon), pomegranate seeds powder (how could I resist?) and a couple of spices that are very important in Middle Eastern cuisine: angelica powder and advieh (Persian spice mix). Can hardly wait to play with them all…

In our kitchen…

I‘ve heard a lot of good things about this store called “The Spice Lab.” But their stuff is very expensive. The other day I stopped at Tuesday Morning in town, and was surprised to find this big bottle of Himalayan salt for sale, very cheap. It has black pepper in it. Sprinkled on top of flank steak cooked medium-rare it is to die for.

In our kitchen…

These are some tasty crackers! Served with home-made hummus it is a garbanzo bean feast for your taste buds… Love it. I think they have several kinds, I’ve seen it plain and this one with black olives. Salty, quite addictive. If you have a chance to grab a bag, go for it.

In our kitchen…

A new (to me) grain that I bought after my friend Elaine raved about it. Still waiting to try my first recipe for it, I am sure it’s something I’ll love. You can use it as you would farro, for instance, in stews, as a risotto type prep, or even cold in salads. Stay tuned.

In our kitchen…

Holiday napkins… How could I resist these? Look at that doggie! Poise and elegance, just like our pups… Well, maybe not quite…

In our kitchen…

A red platter found at Marshalls. It was love at first sight. They had it with a reduced price tag, I paid 5 bucks for it, if you can believe it. It is so festive, perfect for the holiday season, but I will be of course using it all year-long.

In our kitchen…

Butterscotch extract. Yes, you read it correctly. This heaven in a bottle exists. One word for you, macarons. Are you smiling yet?

In our kitchen…

Four perfectly round low-carb Ricotta, Lemon & Lavender pancakes, a recipe I was very excited to try on a Saturday after a nice, albeit a bit chilly morning run. Oh, you only see an empty plate? What’s up with that, you may ask?

Full disclosure: Said pancakes were left unattended for 3 and a half minutes while I went upstairs to grab my phone to take a picture of them. I should add they were in the center of the island, a spot that we considered safe from canine paws. We were proven wrong. A certain dalmatian that attends by the name of Bogey Quit That managed to push the plate with his nose (at least that’s what we think), all the way to the edge of the countertop, to very efficiently wolf them down. And then you wonder why my hair gets a bit more gray each month (sigh).

Finally, very recently in our kitchen…

Great friends reunited, even if only for a few hours…

Due to a lengthy series of canine-induced grievances, I seriously considered banning the four-legged creatures from showing up in this segment of In My Kitchen. But then…

Sir, you seem like such a nice man…
Could you please convince Mom to let us say hello to her readers?

Reluctantly, then… I complied.

I have nothing to add. Still hurts me to remember.

Oscar cannot reach countertops and to be honest, he doesn’t care that much about food, which is pretty odd. But he causes grievances in other ways… like trying to dig his way to China from our backyard, forcing his humans to halt dinner preparation and deal with the muddy mess.

Now, THAT’S what I’m talking about!

Buck managed to hurt his front paw helping his brother in his path to China, so we put some booties on his paws to prevent him from licking the antibiotic ointment off. He was not thrilled.

His first attempts at walking with those booties were hilarious, poor thing, but he got used to them in a few minutes. Check it out here.

Giving Bogey a bath is a workout in itself, because to dry him, you gotta catch him first. Sounds a lot easier than it is… Glad I was not the one in charge!
He does look great once he is squeaky clean!
😉

Oscar insists that he cleans up better than his brother.

But Buck is putting up a fight for the pole position…

I will let you be the judge of it, not taking sides!

Bogey has been bad lately. Really bad. From eating a bar of soap, to snatching my special pancakes, but the worst, the worst I shall tell you later. Never in a million years, we could imagine… well, I’ll stop here. You will have to wait for it.

Now, if you want to see three dogs on their very best behavior, all it takes is a sirloin steak, cooked medium rare, and Phil going at it with a knife.

That’s all, folks! We all wish you a wonderful 2017!

We promise to be back with more cooking, more bread baking, more canine grievances, and throw in some cake baking to keep the adrenaline high…

😉

ONE YEAR AGO: In My Kitchen: Happy New Year!

TWO YEARS AGO: And another year starts…

THREE YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen: January 2014

FOUR YEARS AGO: Tacos with Pork in Green Sauce

FIVE YEARS AGO: Maui New Year!

SIX YEARS AGO: Natural Beauty

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Sunflower Seed Rye

5Aug2016

IN MY KITCHEN: AUGUST 2016

Posted in In My Kitchen by sallybr

Following the footsteps of Celia (Fig Jam and Lime Cordial) who started this party now hosted by our friend Maureen (The Orgasmic Chef), I invite you for a small virtual tour of our kitchen. Maureen is taking a small break to recover from surgery, I know everyone is looking forward to having her back to the blogosphere next month. A warm hug going her way….

In our kitchen…

Well, this was in our kitchen a while ago, it’s gone. When we were in Hawaii we grabbed a bag and were hopelessly hooked. It is basically impossible to eat just eight. I am not too surprised that amazon has several kinds for sale, although it’s hard to justify the price they ask for it. Take a look with a click here.

In our kitchen…

The first tomato produced in our garden! Can you see how juicy it was? We enjoyed it in full mindful eating mode, as it deserved…

In our kitchen…

You might remember I used another type of Not Ketchup in my last post, the Cherry Chipotle. This one, Tangerine Hatch Chile is my favorite. Love it, love it, love it! I used it in turkey miniloaves, I smeared it on top of hamburgers, grilled pork tenderloin, it’s a fantastic product. Very low in carbs, just the right amount of spice. Go visit Erika’s blog to see all the different types she came up with.

In our kitchen….

We got this tip from our friend Virginia. Instead of buying tortillas from the grocery store, she goes to a Mexican restaurant in town to grab bags of this brand. The difference in quality is amazing indeed! If you happen to find this brand where you live, give it a try. Intense corn flavor, perfect texture. Unless you are going to make them from scratch, you cannot find a better option. We buy two or three bags at a time, they also freeze pretty well.

In our kitchen….

A new pair of scissors. I finally got tired of struggling with scissors that refuse to cut through plastic bags, or are too flimsy. These work great and look pretty good too. I’m a happy camper!

In our kitchen….

A new bowl… I got mesmerized by its color and shape. It was on sale at Marshalls, and I could not resist bringing it home.

In our kitchen….

A new ingredient to play with. I’ve flirted with Verjus for years, but finally reading a post by my friend Elaine over at foodbod, I caved in and got some. Stay tuned for my adventures with it… Buck seems quite intrigued… Is that something I would like?

In our kitchen…

Roasted beets, made in our toaster oven early on a Saturday morning… since Phil doesn’t care for beets that much, they were mine, all mine… This batch lasted for several days, and I enjoyed over salads, mixed with a stir-fry of ground chicken, they add a tone of sweetness with their earthy flavor. Love them!

In our kitchen….

Dan, my sourdough starter, got over-enthusiastic and wanted to take over the countertop! I guess warmer temperatures will do that. I put it to good use, there will be a post very soon about a certain sourdough bread… Stay tuned.

In our kitchen…

A work in progress… Eggplant cooked sous-vide and then finished with a miso-sesame glaze. I need to perfect the recipe, it has potential, but my first two attempts ended with eggplant a bit too mushy for my taste. However, the sous-vide definitely gets rid of any bitter taste without the need to salt the eggplant.

In our kitchen….

Different types of yogurt from Fage called Crossovers. They join unexpected flavors and are quite delicious. My favorite is the carrot-ginger with roasted pistachios. I think these ingredients would go very well together in a salad… Or once the weather cools… a warming soup. But, it goes without saying I am in no hurry to make soup. No hurry at all.

In our kitchen…

A bottle of Uncle Val’s Botanical Gin. The bartender at the golf club in our town made a Dry Martini for us using it and it is surprisingly floral. Totally different from any gin we’ve ever tried. Phil likes it more than I do, but if you are into mixed drinks, give it a try.

In our kitchen…

I blame it on our friend Gary, who “twisted my arm” to get this book. He said I needed it. Well, it is pretty fantastic, although each recipe, to be made exactly like the master does it, would need ingredients to be special ordered. Just to give you one example, the simplest Vanilla macaron shell requires not one, not two, but three different vanilla beans… Oh, the humanity! Still, it’s a masterpiece of a book, and I’m glad I did not resist.

In our kitchen…
Something that happens more times than I care to admit….

Reprinted with permission from Abby Has Issues… she does such great work! I follow her blog and Facebook page, and was thrilled when she gave me permission to share one of her cartoons. The story of my life, honest!

And because life is not just about cooking, I shall talk lipstick! I don’t usually wear make-up, but I do love a little lipstick. The Cover Girl’s Oh Sugar line is amazing: shiny, smooth, feels great on the lips, and on top of it, they are very affordable. Our grocery store carries every single color available. After grabbing some avocados, tomatoes, I stopped by Cover Girl and grabbed Jelly and Punch. Is that cool or what?

I hope you enjoyed this little tour around our kitchen… The pups are quite anxious to say hi to all of you, but first I want to share some bits of our past.

Chief’s Stories

Phil is a pretty good dog trainer. Back in Oklahoma when we had the sweetest dalmatian ever, Pits, he trained him to balance a treat on the nose. Pits would be static, waiting for the command “OK,” when he would flip the treat high up in the air and grab it. Chief never had the patience for it, he could maybe hold it for one second but that was it. Anyway, one day Phil is making Pits do his balancing trick, he placed the treat, held his hand up and kept saying… wait…. wait….. wait…. Just as he was going to give the OK command, Chief dashed running like a maniac, jumped up, grabbed the treat off of Pits nose, and ran away with it! It was THE funniest thing ever, and I’ve always regretted we could not catch it on video. It would have gone viral, I know that for a fact… Chief was really one of a kind…. We miss him.

Hello! My name is Buck, and I believe this sofa is the best spot in the house, although you will not find me here when Dad is around… He starts waving his hands and acting all steamed up. Borderline irrational, if you ask me.

Truth is, my poise and class are evident no matter where I am resting my handsome body.

OskySofa1
Hello! My name is Oscar and evidently I know how to make the best spot in the house even better.

With my long legs, I am the only one who can see all the goodies Mom and Dad are enjoying for dinner.

But, of course, we all know Oscar has his idiosyncrasies…

I thought I made it clear I do not care for rice crackers!

Buck has his issues too. His favorite time to play in mud is right after getting a bath. Frustrating, to say the least. One of the reasons why his Mom’s hair gets more gray with each passing week can be seen in the short video below.

Well, that all for now, folks…
We hope you are enjoying this beautiful season!
See you next time…

ONE YEAR AGO: Ka’Kat, a Middle Easter Snack Bread

TWO YEARS AGO: Spinach and Chickpea Curry

THREE YEARS AGO: Sautéed Zucchini with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Basil

FOUR YEARS AGO: Orzo with Heirloom Tomato Relish

FIVE YEARS AGO: Headed to Brazil!

SIX YEARS AGO: The Rhubarb Brouhaha: Revelation Compote

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Love me tender…

1Jun2016

IN MY KITCHEN, YIN AND YANG

Posted in In My Kitchen by sallybr

Following the footsteps of Celia (Fig Jam and Lime Cordial) who started this party now hosted by our friend Maureen (The Orgasmic Chef), I invite you for a small virtual tour of our kitchen.

Starting with gifts, this month I have some pretty special ones….

…from our friend Dr. SL, fantastic selected goodies he got in a recent trip to Paris: truffles galore! Truffle mayo, truffle mustard, and truffled salt. What have I done to deserve such great friends?

…from my beloved husband, a surprise gift for Mother’s Day…

When I opened the package.. here’s what I found: a huge platter, heavy-duty, very very beautiful… it makes any salad into a stunning meal!

He keeps showering me with gifts from this artist, Mary Rose Young… How about this for cuteness in coffee cup format?

Or these adorable salad plates? Each a little different from the other… Irresistible!

Our dear friends Karl and Virginia left a package in my mailbox at work… Inside I found such a thoughtful gift for our home! It’s in our kitchen, where it definitely belongs…

But, I can give gifts too! This one I gave to Phil just because… He loves to have a black and tan after playing golf, and this tool makes a perfect one.

In our kitchen…

A very delicious apple cake made for one of the receptions we hosted last month. The recipe, already in the blog, is the most popular in the site! And for good reason, it is wonderful and so simple to make…

In our kitchen…

A rolling-pin I ordered all the way from Poland, after reading this post from Mimi… could not resist it. Stay tuned for a post on my first attempt at Polish Sugar Cookies.

In our kitchen…

A nice heart on my morning cappuccino, made by the resident barista… I married the right man, obviously…

In our kitchen…

My new addiction: Go-Chu-Jang sauce, the Korean darling of the food world these days. I resisted as much as I could, but when I saw the product for sale in our very own grocery store, I said what the heck, and brought it home. I love the paste so much I also bought the sauce which is like catchup on steroids. I used the paste on sautéed ground beef for a flavorful lunch. If you are like me and resist all sorts of trends, do yourself a favor and cave to this one.

In our kitchen…

Canned tomatillos and canned yellow tomatoes, both products bought with specific recipes in mind. As soon as they went into my pantry I lost track of the recipes. The one using canned tomatillos I suspect was in a cookbook from America’s Test Kitchen, but the yellow tomatoes? I am clueless. Clue-less. If anyone suffers from the same type of culinary amnesia, let’s have a virtual hug…

This time our dogs are silent.

It is with a very heavy heart that I share the sad news that Chief was put to sleep on May 26th, a decision that crushed us, but had to be made. We will always remember him at the top of his game, rarely sitting still for a photo. In this shot (Summer 2001), his personality shines. He had just spotted a squirrel on the corner of the backyard, and one nanosecond after the picture was taken he was gone so fast our eyes could barely follow him.

In my mind, the two inseparable buddies are finally together again…

Chief
February 05th, 1999 – May 26th, 2016

ONE YEAR AGO: Chocolate Toffee Banana Bread

TWO YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, June 2014

THREE YEARS AGO: Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

FOUR YEARS AGO: Baked Coconut and “The Brazilian Kitchen”

FIVE YEARS AGO: Honey-Glazed Chicken Legs

SIX YEARS AGO: French-Style Rolls

31Mar2016

IN MY KITCHEN, APRIL 2016

Posted in In My Kitchen by sallybr

It’s already April in Australia, you know…

😉

It’s been a while, my friends… my last contribution to IMK was in January, but better late than never. Here I am to give you a little tour of what’s been happening in our kitchen for the past three months. This fun monthly event began years ago thanks to Celia from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial, and is now hosted by the one and only Maureen, from Orgasmic Chef. Whenever I participate, I like to start by talking about gifts… So let’s get this party started, shall we?

From our graduate students who came back from a trip to India…

These are dangerous goodies. Bake Bites are addictive little morsels with a punch of spice and just the right amount of heat. I usually allow myself to have four and then move the bag away, which is tough to do, but I believe it builds character. Soan Papdi is impossible to describe. It is sweet, it melts in your mouth, but it has a super complex mixture of flavors. If you think about edible perfume, that could be a good way to put it. It sounds odd, I admit, but it is absolutely delicious. We cut very small slivers, and savor them in complete silence. If you ever find yourself in India, search for these babies, and put a few bags in your luggage. 😉

From Phil…

One more coffee cup for our collection… he keeps searching for pieces from Mary Rose Young to be available online, and whenever he finds a great deal, he is quick to act. This one is particularly adorable with the flower on the handle.

From my stepson Alex…

Two amazing books from The Modernist Cuisine, that include a beginner’s kit to play with molecular gastronomy. I do molecular biology for a living, and can tell you one thing, these gastronomic experiments are a lot more fun and involve zero frustration. Stay tuned for a drink using Blue Curaçao “caviar” made with calcium lactate gluconate.

IN OUR KITCHEN…

This very simple gadget is a life-saver! I saw it recommended by America’s Test Kitchen and decided to order one. If you stumble on that bottle that simply will not open, get this baby and be prepared to be amazed. It works by releasing the vacuum so that the lid opens with no effort. I was skeptical. Then I needed to open a bottle of roasted piquillo peppers when Phil was away and the dogs were obviously of no help whatsoever. Worked like a charm! You can order yours with a click here.

IN OUR KITCHEN…

A very good quality matcha tea powder. Of course, I go into eye-rolling mode with the benefits listed on the package. Natural this, natural that… Natural mood enhancer? Yeah, right. But apart from the hype, I love the taste of matcha and this in particular is better than all the ones I’ve tried. Smooth, perfect with some yogurt or added to a smoothie.

IN OUR KITCHEN….

Found this labna in a special grocery store in town. OMG! I inhaled that whole thing in less than a week. Phil did not even have a taste. I made sure to describe it to him as salted yogurt, and left it at that. He twisted his nose, and I said to myself “Labna, you are mine, all mine….. “ (insert evil laughter here).

IN OUR KITCHEN….

From the same store, date syrup. Another OMG, this is delicious and you can use in many ways: marinades, added to yogurt, smoothies, salad dressings… If you like pancakes in the morning, a drizzle of date syrup could be a nice change from the usual maple.

IN OUR KITCHEN….

Last acquisition from the same store.. pomegranate molasses. I always have some in my pantry and my old bottle had just a tiny little bit left inside. Time to bring a new one, this brand seemed nice enough, haven’t tried it yet.

IN OUR KITCHEN….

A jar to keep my sourdough starter in the fridge and also at room temperature during feeding times. I love the large opening, because my 1/2 cup measuring cup fits right through it. Less flour mess = more joy in the Bewitching Kitchen. Found it at amazon.com, recommended in a bread baking forum.

IN OUR KITCHEN…

A great way to store cilantro that I also learned in a cooking forum and put to test. Cut the stems close to where the leaves start, add the bunch of cilantro to a container with a lid, and just a little bit of water inside. Close the lid and store the whole thing in the fridge. Amazing how much longer the cilantro lasts, in perfect state! I imagine it would work as well for basil or other herbs, but cilantro is the one that gives me the toughest time. It goes funky before I have a chance to use it all.

IN OUR KITCHEN…

The simplest and most succulent shrimp! Made sous-vide. You can even start from frozen, increasing the time of cooking slightly. I prefer to defrost them first, add a little bit of butter, salt and pepper to a bag, vacuum seal. Into the sous-vide the bag goes at 135 degrees Fahrenheit for about 45 minutes. Open the bag, drain it if you want, or use the liquid as part of a pasta sauce or risotto. Am I allowed to use one more Oh Em Gee in this post or would that be too much? Oh, well…

IN OUR KITCHEN…

Truffle honey. Yes, you read that right. I haven’t tried it yet, in fact I’m waiting for the right opportunity to crack this special bottle open. I read that this honey drizzled over a nice Roquefort is a non-stop ticket to paradise. Will let you know once we try it.

And now it’s time to allow our furry friends to say hello, they’ve been quite anxious to be on the blog after three months away from the spotlight…

Chief, after the milestone of turning 17 years old, has had his share of health issues. He is hanging in there like the trooper he is, even playing tug-of-war when he feels up to the challenge. Mom knows she has to be gentle with him, the days in which she could hold the toy up in the air to see Chief furiously dangling without letting go are over…

Buck got tricked big time. His Dad offered a Happy Easter hug, but the hug turned into a strong grab followed by a fast walk to the laundry room. There, some soap torture was waiting for this brave Jack Russell. How unfair is that?

That does it! I am never EVER leaving this bed.
To think I’d worked so hard to develop my unique fragrance, and now it’s all gone!

I’ve always suspected I am the Special One. See? I get professional grooming, and have a bow-tie to prove it. No laundry room dirty maneuver works for me. I am the Dapper Duke of Manhattan!

Not so fast, Dapper Duke! I get to play with my ball on the sofa when Dad is not around.
Who’s special now?

Do I really need to answer?

Actually, Dapper Duke, we think you do need to get some answers ready….

What has the toy done to deserve this?

(He wouldn’t even look up…. Guilty as charged!)

Well, first let me say that the toy started it all, but you were not around to see what IT did to me. And, even if I got carried away in my revenge, nothing justifies Mom getting all hysterical and cutting short our walk because Dad pointed out that a bunch of “cool bats” were flying over us. I have no idea of “cool bats” are, but they certainly ruined my evening.