Nothing Better Than Breakfast For Dinner

I spent a recent Sunday with my old friend Karen Riley who is the Executive Director of the S.C.R.A.P. Gallery otherwise known as the Museum for the Environment. We were making art pieces for an Earth Day exhibition together and I remembered why I liked her so much as she bounded about the airplane hangar full of donated scraps creating exquisite and inspired impromptu art pieces out of what others would call simply nothing. At the end of our creative spurt, she mentioned in her typical bubbling manner that she was going home to make Sunday Breakfast for Dinner with her husband.

I had forgotten all about that concept for so long but immediately remembered the comforts of eating a bowl of cereal or whipping up some eggs for dinner; an experience I used to crave at the end of busy days, maybe subconsciously wanting to feel the first spurts of day when energy is renewed and the sun has just broke through the horizon.

Breakfast for Dinner Feta and Spinach Omelette

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 clove garlic, minced

3/4 cup fresh spinach, washed, stems removed

salt and fresh ground pepper

2 or 3 eggs

2 tablespoons cold water

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese

Cook olive oil and garlic until garlic sizzles, add spinach and cook for one minute. Transfer to bowl and set aside.

Heat skillet, melt butter, pour in egg mixture whipped out of rest of ingredients, and cook omelette. Spoon garlic/spinach mixture and feta down the middle and fold omelette.

Voila!

Taste of Palm Springs Highlights Tried and True Gems and Newbies to the Scene

A week ago I attended my first Taste of Palm Springs at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The premise was simple—get any and all Palm Springs area restaurants together under one roof to offer their best culinary wares and raise money for AIDS Assistance Program in the process. I found it very fitting that the organization in our community that gives free food vouchers to those living with HIV should be a beneficiary of a food event. I had never been before so didn’t know what to expect for the $50 ticket fee and was pleasantly surprised to find that the price was an extreme deal that allowed one to try copious amounts of good food and four glasses of fine wines. 

One of the best highlights of the evening was the sheer scope of the food from convenient and quick restaurants like Chipotle to the upper echelon of fine dining establishments. A sampling of cuisines for every occasion and pocketbook presented itself in a wide array of booths and I enjoyed not only finding new wonders at already-beloved restaurants but being introduced to good eating from places I might not ordinarily try. In the true spirit of representing the diversity of our valley’s food, I will discuss what I consider the surprises and true treasures of the evening, with props to the chefs and restaurant staff who decided to go a little beyond the norm to provide a creative taste to us guests of this great event and to all for helping raise money for those who need to eat!

The Greek-owned restaurant JOHN’S has been a local favorite forever with its cheap food, no nonsense diner style atmosphere and an eclectic menu of things that never go out of style like huevos rancheros for breakfast and fried zucchini for late night appetites. What makes John’s different than the traditional diner are the customized special items like the spaghetti with the clove-spiked sauce and an amazing saltibonca chicken entrée that begs to make the restaurant a top of mind awareness spot for quick and easy comfort food dinners when you want to dine in jeans with no pretension.

On Arenas Road across from the bars where the boys come out to play, the old pizzeria Just Pizza used to sit where you would go after dancing for hours to refill the carbs with some greasy slices. Now, it’s a new place called Café Palette and they still serve pizza, but it is much better than it used to be and comes in thin crust versions with savory toppings like spicy, crumbled sausage. Could become a new, favorite stop in place on the way home on Sunday afternoons. 

For those who love short ribs, there were two standout versions at the event. One from MATCHBOX (which, along with Spaghetteria and Papa Dan’s has the best pizza in the valley) that was served falling apart tender on a mash of carrot puree (which I predict will be the next trend at all black tie galas). The other was served on top of faro with crispy onion curls from MR. PARKER’S.

Another normal pizza stop, CPK, handed out generous portions of tamale and corn ravioli which was so rich, sweet and filling I could only eat two pieces. Would be a great accompaniment to share with a BBQ chicken salad and a friend.

SISTERS CUPCAKES were doling out miniature versions of cupcakes in all flavors like cherry chocolate, red velvet and peanut butter but it was the crème brulee version that took the cake.

NEW LEAF CATERING served samples of their big fat pan seared scallop with coconut beurre blanc served atop a creamy polenta gory with cheese. 

RIVIERA RESORT dished out slices of lamb with an ancho raspberry sauce that was so perfectly cooked it made me want to actually dine at the restaurant at least once to overspend on this fine meat dish. 

But the highlight of the night was the molecular gastronomy experiment being orchestrated on hand at the PEAKS TOP OF THE TRAM RESTAURANT booth. Each visitor was handed a push up pop type ice cream contraption that contained brown sugar bacon and cinnamon ice cream. Sounds bizarre yes, and created an equally surreal experience in the mouth when the spicy cold cinnamon and vanilla melted on the tongue to produce remaining bits of crispy sweet bacon. I will definitely be trekking up to the tram to try this again. 

WINE SIDEBAR BY GUEST BLOG STAR VINO CHICK 

Call This Short Rib a Cab!


As a wine and food junkie, I look forward to the Taste of Palm Springs each year and to the pairing possibilities it undoubtedly affords. As in years past, the wine sponsor was Jacob's Creek, Australia's largest wine brand. That being said, this behemoth of the industry still offers easy drinking wines that are of great value and high quality.


After sipping the Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet and Shiraz, I determined the tobacco and blueberry-inflected 2006 Reserve Cab to be the most food friendly wine of the night. My decision was strongly influenced after tasting the incredibly tender braised short ribs with onion straws and mushroom risotto from Mr. Parker's. The meat was a great match for the Cab's smooth tannins, and I encountered more of the same with the Riviera's roasted lamb loin (cooked sous vide), which brought out the wine's subtle fruit.
   
One of my favorite dishes of the night was..you guessed it...a delectable morsel of short rib perched atop carrot puree courtesy of Matchbox Pizza. The beef flavors were intense and joined well with the hints of tobacco in the Cab. A return visit to this restaurant and its own wine list is in short order.


Dessert was a tiny morsel of a velvety chocolate cherry cupcake from Sisters Cupcakes by Design, followed by a sip of the subtly-oaked red. Not the most traditional of pairings, but why stick with the tried and true when you can step out of the box and still be delicious? If I have learned one thing about this smorgasbord of a night, it is just that.


Special thanks to:
http://www.jacobscreek.com/
http://www.tasteofpalmsprings.com/

Hybrid Mediterranean Picnic

 

I have been involved with a supper club for the past few years of close friends and tribe members who are all foodies with creative minds. Every month or so, we get together, pick a theme and cook gourmet menu items surrounding that theme to cook. Then we get together at a revolving series of homes and enjoy good food and wine together. The parties have evolved through the course of time to adapt to our lives and have gone from very formalized settings to casual, down home atmospheres. Over the course of time, babies have started to appear all around us and today, our parties have come to include the occasional afternoon fete or picnic to accompany the presence and schedules of all these new little people who have cropped up. Our most recent party was a hybrid Mediterranean picnic, incorporating a menu that took the best of al fresco dining from both Mediterranean and American cultures and mixed it up.

Roasted Shrimp Salad with Couscous

Green Salad with Shaved Fennel, Red Onion and Orange Vinaigrette

Grilled and Marinated Chicken Breasts with Grilled Portobello Caps

Crudite and Potato Chips with Onion Herb Dip

Tabouleh and Pita Bread

Charred Corn and Tomato Salad

Deviled Eggs

Pickles

Marinated Olives and Feta

Grilled Sweet Pepper and Asparagus Platter

Lemon Bars

One of our club members Charlotte, who is one of those recently new mommies I speak of, came up with a quick and easy version of a cold corn and tomato salad that was the hit of the afternoon and used creativity (the use of Trader Joe pre-cooked charred corn kernels) and fresh ingredients for the mother on the go who still wants to provide healthy fare.

Cha's Charred Corn and Heirloom Tomato Salad

Serves a crowd!

Ingredients:

Salad:

6 ears of corn (If out of season or pressed for time, use frozen charred corn from TJs-what a discovery!)

1 lb. heirloom tomatoes

1-2 cups fresh herbs from your garden (oregano, basil, cilantro, parsley, sage and rosemary were used in this one)

Dressing:

3 tablespoons orange muscat champagne vinegar (TJ's again, and if not, use red wine vinegar)
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper


Cook corn until charred on hot BBQ and scrape kernels into large bowl. Add chopped tomatoes. Emulsify all dressing ingredients and add to the tomato and corn, no more than 1 hour before serving. When ready to serve, mix in the herbs!

Fruit Salad Fantasia

For all of us who live in the desert, a place that already now in April is showing hints of summer, the refreshing summer salad is a mainstay. My favorite combination for the simple and quick meal during these times is to buy a fresh and ripe variety of fruit, pair it with a rich cheese and a nut, and drizzle honey over the entire thing. At the moment, pears are perfectly tender and sweet and there's nothing better with pear than a little blue cheese and walnuts.

The possibilities are endless though--here are some ideas to get the creative juices flowing:

Cheddar, apple, peanut and honey

Brie, dried cranberries and pecans

Gorgonzola, strawberries and pine nuts

Peaches, pepperjack and pignolas

You get the drift!

Don't forget to drizzle honey over everything!

Festival of Food and Wine During Fashion Week

Every year on El Paseo in Palm Desert, Palm Springs Life Magazine throws Fashion Week to introduce the community to new designers, new lines, and a barrage of after-parties with the cultural freaks. This year they introduced a new weekend full of food and wine events in conjunction with the week where famous valley restaurants and chefs appeared to showcase their signature fare as well as a bevy of local and non-local wineries who offered generous tastings throughout the day. Below is some unabashed promotion about some of the food highlights of the day and the talented people behind them!

The Riviera Resort's sticky, hot toffee cake was out of this world. Chewy, rich, sweet and carmelized gooey goodness. I usually don't eat in the Riviera's Restaurant because it is way to expensive for the kind of normal, basic food that is prepared but I spend lots of time in the Side Bar with the black and white checkered floor when out of town guests come for a quick drink and I will certainly be adding this exquisite concoction to my order list while enjoying martinis with friends in the after dinner hours.

My friend Hugh immediately pointed me in the direction of the Old Town Temecula Olive Oil Company who had a table set up with my favorite thing: skinny french bread loaves and a variety of olive oil/balsamic vinegar duos in small plastic cups. Upon dipping and tasting, I walked away enthralled most by the creative pairings of flavors this company produces like the citrus-infused olive oil with the vanilla and fig balsamic vinegar.

Tropicale Restaurant is already one of my favorite restaurants in Palm Springs just based on their filet mignon salad alone but I was extra delighted to see my second favorite menu item, the red velvet cake, given out to festival goers in a cute, sprinkle-topped cupcake form!

Peppers Thai, a Palm Springs-based restaurant, caught my eye with their fresh, tofu spring rolls which were undoubtedly the freshest and most flavorful I have had in the desert yet. Not sure I can jump off the track of loyalty towards Thai Smile and Le Basil (my ultimate favorite valley thai restaurants) but these rolls could be something I specifically quest after often.

Lobster and asparagus cream soup from Sullivan's was cold, satisfying and rich enough to sate in just a small amount. Paired with the restaurant's famous blue cheese wedge would be my choice for future meetings with this luscious soup.

Zin American Bistro's asparagus omelette bites and grilled citrus shrimp were my favorite pick of the day. Eggy and spiked with sharp parmesan, these bites made me want to have breakfast for dinner everyday!

Chorizo Cure All

It's a good thing birthday parties only come around once a year. This year, mine just happened to be squeezed in amongst a few close friends, all of whom decided to ask me out for cocktails the same evening. My third stop, which culminated in a three pub hop and salsa dancing extravaganza with a bevy of male friends and artists, ended a little after midnight prompting me to fall asleep later in dreams of morning chorizo-the only thing in the world that can cure a hangover, comfort a grumbling belly and stave off the talons of headache and low energy. Taken with a nice dose of trash t.v. and eaten even possibly in bed, this recipe below courtesy of my friend George Abril, is easy and perfect. 

CHORIZO BREAKFAST TACOS

6 ounces chorizo sausage

8 (6 inch) corn tortillas
6 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 dash hot pepper sauce (e.g. Tabasco™), or to taste
 1/2 cup salsa

1. Crumble the chorizo sausage into a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir until evenly brown. Set aside.
2. Heat one skillet over medium heat, and heat another skillet over high heat. The skillet over high heat is for warming tortillas. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Spray the medium heat skillet with some cooking spray, and pour in the eggs. Cook and stir until almost firm. Add the sausage, and continue cooking and stirring until firm.
3. Meanwhile, warm tortillas for about 45 seconds per side in the other skillet, so they are hot and crispy on the edges, but still pliable.
4. Sprinkle a little shredded cheese onto each tortilla while it is still hot. Top with some of the scrambled egg and sausage, then add hot pepper sauce or Red or Green salsa to your liking.
 

* Condiments: salsa and grated cheese are the basics. You can also include Pico de gallo, cilantro, chopped onion, chopped FRESH jalapeño peppers, lime, salt and pepper

Chocolate Souffle and Charlotte

At 37 years old, I recently saw my daughter go off to college right at a time when most of my friends are just now having babies of their own. One of my favorite things to do on weekday afternoons is visit my girlfriends with little ones to get a dose of vicarious maternal fixes while catching up with good buddies. Of course, there is always food involved.

Yesterday, I arrived at my friend Charlotte's house while little Camilla took her afternoon nap and was met with a fine plate of strawberries, Freixnet (our favorite stand-by cheapie champagne) and stone wafer crackers with boursin cheese. While catching up on life, I taught Charlotte how to make an easy chocolate souffle, taught to me by my favorite Chef Aaron Kiefer of East Meets West Catering, and chosen for its simplicity in ingredients and swiftness in cooking so that even moms on the go can whip it up easily in the home.

 EASY CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE

Ingredients

• 7 ounces finely chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus for preparing the molds
• 3 large egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons warm water
• 1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
• 8 large egg whites, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• Confectioners' sugar for garnish

Directions

Brush 6 (6-ounce) ramekins with soft butter, then coat with sugar. Put the prepared ramekins in the freezer. (This can be done a day ahead.)

Set an oven rack in lower third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.

Put the chocolate and butter in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with an inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water. Stir the chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Set aside.

Combine the egg yolks and warm water in the bowl of a standing mixer or large bowl and beat until frothy. Gradually add 2 tablespoons sugar, and continue beating until ribbons form, about 5 minutes. Very lightly fold the yolks into the chocolate mixture. (Rinse the bowl well, if using for beating the egg whites.)

Remove prepared ramekins from freezer. Put the egg whites in the bowl of a standing mixer, or large non-reactive bowl, add the lemon juice. Beat on medium until frothy; then gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and increase speed to high. Beat until the whites hold a stiff but not dry peak.

Working quickly, fold about a third of the egg whites into the chocolate to lighten; then fold in remaining whites until blended. Gently ladle or spoon the souffle mixture into the ramekins, and place on a baking sheet. (Level off the surface with a straight edge, scraping any excess mixture back into the bowl.)

Immediately bake until the souffle rises about 1 1/2 inches from the ramekins, and the tops are touched with brown, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven, dust with confectioners' sugar and serve immediately.

Fish Tacos for the Hip

Fish tacos are one of my favorite foods and the best are, unarguably, the kind I can buy for one buck on the side of the road in San Felipe that come just plain and served with the special white sauce and nothing else on a miniscule corn tortilla disk spiked with a squeeze of lime. Almost every time I go to a seafood or Mexican restaurant this is my item of choice even though most American joints screw them up with way too much slaw and foliage and condiments a la sour cream and guacamole.  Recently, I ran into the fish taco at the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs. The menu at Ace's King's Highway Restaurant is full of comfort foods changed for the uber-hip denizens of the trendy and grassroots indie resort so I was a bit skeptical when I saw this item offered. True to my skepticism, the tacos arrived wrapped in the looks of the tragically cool, a sliver of grilled fish no bigger than the size of my pinkie finger, served plain with that special white sauce on a teeny tortilla. But there were three on the plate and I was satisfied with that even though the bulimia-clad waif at the other table only touched one of hers. I will definitely order this dish again, although next time it will probably follow the blood salami adorned charcuterie plate as well for a starter.

The Persian Milkman

I popped out of my mother's womb craving Persian and Middle Eastern foods. So much that my mother would joke that she must have had an affair with the Persian mailman without knowing it. My palate has lifelong ached for the tastes of pomegranate, walnut, chickpeas and coriander and I always love it when I get the chance to dine on this exquisite cuisine. In my hometown, a Persian restaurant does not exist so I find myself oftentimes heading to my friend Shahram's house for some homemade fare in his salon-style environment that features swirling Middle Eastern painted decor and is alive with his exquisite paintings of whirling dervishes and veiled figures.

Persian cuisine is diverse, with each province featuring dishes, culinary traditions and styles distinct to their regions. It includes a wide variety of foods ranging from chelo kabab (barg, koobideh, joojeh, shishleek, soltani, chenjeh), khoresht (stew that is served with white Basmati or Iranian rice: ghormeh sabzi, gheimeh, and others), aash (a thick soup:as an example Ash-e anar), kookoo (vegetable omeletes), pollo (white rice alone or with addition of meat and/or vegetables and herbs, including loobia pollo, albaloo pollo, Sabzi pollo , zereshk pollo, and others), and a diverse variety of salads, pastries, and drinks specific to different parts of Iran. The list of Persian recipes, appetizers and desserts is extensive.

Herbs are frequently used along with fruits such as plums, pomegranates, quince, prunes, apricots, and raisins. The main Persian cuisines are combinations of rice with meat, chicken or fish and some onion, vegetables, nuts, and herbs. To achieve a balanced taste, characteristic Persian flavorings such as saffron, dried limes, cinnamon, and parsley are mixed delicately and used in some special dishes.

Recently, I traveled to Los Angeles with Shahram and attended his exhibition at the USC Hillel Center for Persian Jewish artists. On the way into L.A. we stopped at Sha Abbas in Santa Monica for a traditional meal of fessun jun, meat logs, and milk yogurt soda which was surprisingly carbonated and satisfyingly bitter.

Later that evening at the exhibition I tasted the most extraordinary chickpea cookies made out of nothing but chickpeas smashed and compressed into a dough and coriander.

Next step: learn how to translate my kitchen into a Persian one....

Bellatrix Serves Up Great Tastes and Great Grapes

As a rule, I try to stay away from country club and golf course food, preferring to dine at the various restaurants our fabulous valley offers. But I would be remiss in this town, to avoid mentioning a few of them, which go beyond the traditional fare to step out of bounds and offer fine and surprising cuisine. Bellatrix, at the Classic Course, is one of these exceptions.

Chef Greg Monette has created a menu that offers creative twists on conventional favorites, served up with a vast wine menu and a wait staff that knows its grapes. On my recent trip there with my Vino Chick friend, I found myself pleasantly surprised by the small and elegant touches: a hostess who offers up a hook for your purse; a starter basket of bread that comes with a trio of exquisitely green-tasting extra virgin olive oil, freshly made and grainy hummus, and whipped butter; and an amuse bouche that features a fat and tender scallop bursting with the subtle overtones of grapefruit and curry and a large shrimp fragrant with thai lime.

The meal that followed was equally flavorful. A decadent appetizer of fried goat cheese arrived in a small, lightly breadcrumb-coated ball, soft and pliant to the fork, and perfectly spreadable for the sliver-sliced crispy baguette chips. An entrée of halibut arrived on top of linguisa sausage-spiked risotto that was adorned with buttery clams and creamy mussels like a big bowl of brothless cioppino. But the highlight of the night was the generous wedge of chocolate gateau cake for dessert, which bite after decadent bite remained light and rich at the same time. Upon asking, I discovered the reason for this was the use of mascarpone cheese instead of flour.

These sorts of unconventional modifications to ordinary classics, like the chocolate cake, are exactly why I will eat here again. Will be interested to see what other California-based favorites will be spiced up ala Chef Monette for the pleasure of my palate. 

SIDEBAR:

VINO CHICK’S TAKE

I am fortunate enough to have enjoyed many a memorable restaurant meal in my life, and there is one common denominator that has tied all of these culinary experiences together-a killer wine list. I discovered just that during a recent experience at Bellatrix, a gem of fine dining located inside the Classic Club in Palm Desert. The restaurant's name is derived from the magnificent star in the constellation of Orion, so it was only fitting that some heavenly pairings were in order.

Bellatrix offers enticing twists on contemporary favorites, all while keeping it simple or as my dining partner and blogging peer Kimberly puts it "primal, back to basics, hunks of meat and seafood with a nuance." She's right, and for food this simple yet still complex, the wine has to match up.

We were fortunate that our server, Casey, was well versed in the subtleties of pairing our culinary choices with selections from the restaurant's extensive wine list, which features a wide array of California Chardonnays, Pinots and Cabernets, with 34 selections offered by the glass.

My appetizer of delectably juicy Korean short ribs was met with the smooth and silky 2007 Summerland Trio, a Rhone-style blend of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre. A lover of all things Chateauneuf-du-Pape, I especially enjoyed the way its bright red fruit complimented the rich protein of the short ribs.

A seafood trio of scallop, shrimp and ahi tuna was accompanied by the ever-enchanting Caymus Conundrum, a heady Napa blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat Canelli, Chardonnay and spicy Viognier. The wonderfully floral and buttery, tropical notes of the wine paired excellently with the vanilla sauce that the scallops sat atop, the wasabi that garnished the tuna and the sweet chili sauce that accompanied the shrimp.

My favorite part of the evening arrived at the table next...a moist and amazingly tender parmesan-encrusted lamb shank, surrounded by Kalamata olive ragout and toasted gnocchis. For this plate of perfection, Casey surprised me with his choice of a Bogle Petite Syrah, which I found to be smoky and full of black fruit with a hint of caramel. Its supple and full tannins matched well with the iron-rich lamb meat-about as primal a meal as it gets.
 For our decadent dessert of chocolate cake, Casey recommended a well-aged port...but by this time, I was quite sated. I have a feeling the lush, alcohol-tinged fortified wine would have been a perfect match...not unlike the rest of the evening.   

Forget Me Nots

All my die hard chef friends will argue that nothing else matters in a restaurant beyond the presentation and taste of the food. Meaning, it doesn't matter if the wallpaper is made of gold or if the bread bowl pre-meal is made of the most olive-stoked artisan loaves, if the food is great, the food is great, and that is all that needs to be present in order for a diner to leave with a memorable experience wafting upon the tip of their tongue and easily recalled later when the return visit is eminent. And I agree with this general philosophy for sure. Some of my most memorable meals have taken place in environments where even a tablecloth was questionable. But I do love it when I find places where the food is good AND there are random, inspiring and creative touches that signify the establishment's wish to stand above the rest. As adults, we rarely find elements of surprise in our daily life so I am always thrilled when someone decides to throw a little whimsy and awe into the mix, especially surrounding food.

This is why I still love going to Norma's at the Parker. Even as the previous gilded tint of potential celebrity sightings or Robert Downey Jr. drug and hooker train wrecks has faded from the resort's initial novelty, the restaurant remains a place that provides sweet little forget-me-nots: the round shape of the simply delicious shrimp and spinach morning frittata; the slim glass shot of fruit smoothie served to clean the palate upon seating; and most of all, the lovely little wafer-thin, crystallized and candied whole orange slices that arrive with the bill!

It's these forget me nots that keep me coming back even though it's not often to spend money on food, that although good, is still just about the most expensive in ratio to "typical" item (think outrageous tuna sandwich!) in town.

All Dat Frito Pie

There are few things in life more addicting then Frito Pie, which I was privy to trying for the very first time on Super Bowl Sunday. Ultra fattening snacks and sports are two things I am rather illiterate in but when the saints came marching in for the first time ever, I was willing to share in the revelry with some unique indulgences. With gold beads on, spicy hot chicken wings as accompaniment, carnivale music during the commercial breaks, the loud screams from the men in the house during the great, grueling game, and my best friend Lisa's hyper cooking skills I fell in love with this ancient game day dish and invite you all to do the same. Must serve on Sundays when there are friends in the house and some form of competition to participate in!

FRITO PIE

Frito chips

Frito Scoops

Can of your favorite chili

Cheddar cheese

Line the bottom of a round tin with fritos and then put Frito Scoops along the sides in a circle. Pour in the can of chili. Grate copious amounts of cheddar cheese on top. Bake in a 350 oven for ten minutes. Sprinkle extra Scoops on top. Serve with small plates and have guests use the scoops to eat the pie! One tin can serve four people but this dish is so addicting you will want to make two!

Carnivale Gumbo

 My best friend Lisa is the queen of all things for many reasons and one of them is her culinary skill. This past weekend, she invited me over for some homemade gumbo New Orleans-style in honor of the Saints game.

Having lived in New Orleans for many years before coming back to her hometown in the desert, Lisa acquired not only a love of the football team, but of many things quintessentially of the place like her infamous costume closet lined with boas, baubles and wigs; her knack for entertaining and ability to run small or large scale events, her love of good jazz and zydeco music and her very sassy, Southern-belle diplomacy and true charm. All of this means she hardly ever does anything regularly so when I heard she was making this authentic dish I knew I had to bare my sports illiteracy and head on over for the game.

With a sea of green, gold and purple beads and special carnivale music for the commercial breaks, she served the smoky flavored stew with chunks of french bread and a dollop of white rice to mix in. The recipe, passed on from another New Orleans maven Salle Pavlovich, was insanely good. Full of depth and rich undertones, ("the trick is the roue!", says Lisa), we could barely contain ourselves while waiting for our spoonfuls to cool. Topped off with slices of creamy, chewy and sweet King Cake, this meal was up there in the annals of decadence for the year.

From Salle Pavlovich:

New Orleans Turkey Sausage Gumbo

Makes 8-10 servings

Ingredients

3/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups yellow onions, chopped

1/2 cup green bell peppers, chopped

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 pound smoked sausage (such as kielbasa), chopped

3 boxes (32 oz.) Swanson low-salt Chicken Broth (or make own stock)

Cooked turkey meat from roasted breast (or pre-roasted turkey or chicken from grocery store)

Steamed white rice, accompaniment (can be boxed instant, make as much as you like)

1 loaf French bread, accompaniment

4 Bay leaves

Cooking Directions

Combine the oil and flour in a large cast-iron pot or Dutch oven. Cook over medium heat, stirring slowly and constantly with a heavy wooden spoon for 20 minutes to 25 minutes, to make a dark brown roux the color of chocolate. (will smoke up kitchen-turn on the fan!)

In a bowl, season the onions, bell peppers, and celery with the salt and cayenne. Add to the roux and cook, stirring, until soft, about 10 minutes. Lower the temp if needed. Add the sausage and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes. Add the turkey meat and cook for 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat and adjust the seasoning to taste. Spoon rice into the bottom of large soup bowls and ladle the gumbo on top. Serve with hot French bread for dipping.

Soup Season

The month of January has always been soup season for me. It's the coldest month in the desert and the busiest month for my public relations company as it is chock full of events, galas and charity fetes. This means there is not a lot of time to spend cooking elaborate meals and dinner means heating something up that is warm and soothing to the soul. It is a time of cooking mass quantites of soup to freeze and reheat on demand, and one of my all time favorites for this purpose is the Mexican meatball soup called Albondigas.

What makes the flavor of albondigas soup distinctive is the chopped mint in the meatballs and the combination of whatever vegetables are in season at the time. If fresh mint is not available, you can use a couple teaspoons of dried mint from herbal mint tea. Also, you can substitute ground turkey meat for the ground beef.

Albondigas Soup

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 large garlic clove, minced

3 quarts of chicken stock or beef stock OR water OR a mixture of both (we usually use half stock half water as the meatballs will create their own stock)*

1/2 cup of tomato sauce

1/2 lb of string beans, strings and ends removed, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 large carrots, peeled and sliced

1/3 cup of raw white rice

1 pound ground beef

1/4 cup of chopped fresh mint leaves

1/4 cup of chopped parsley

1 raw egg

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

A dash of cayenne (optional)

1 1/2 cup of frozen or fresh peas

1 teaspoon of dried oregano, crumbled, or 1 Tbsp fresh chopped oregano

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

*If using prepared stock, be sure to use gluten-free stock if you are cooking gluten-free.

Method

1 Heat oil in large heavy-bottomed pot (5-qt) over medium heat. Add onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook a minute more. Add broth mixture and tomato sauce. Bring to boil and reduce heat to simmer. Add carrots and string beans.

2 Prepare the meatballs. Mix rice into meat, adding mint leaves and parsley, salt and pepper. Mix in raw egg. Form mixture into 1-inch meatballs.

3 Add the meatballs to the simmering soup, one at a time. Cover and let simmer for 1/2 hour. Add the peas towards the end of the 1/2 hour. Add a few pinches of oregano and sprinkle with salt and pepper, and a dash of cayenne, to taste.

Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro.

Serves 6-8.

Dynamo Donuts

Donuts are an extreme no-no typically, not even in my lexicon since my high school days when my sister and I would stop off at the local Winchell's on our way to school to grab a handful of maple bars for breakfast. Or prior to that when my grandfather and I would take long morning walks around a Orange County lake followed by a stop for a dozen sugar donut holes at Dunkin Donuts. Or even prior to that when Sunday mornings with my father meant stopping for a bursting Jelly Donut somewhere while taking long rides on the back of his motorcycle.

So now many years later I blame my sinful escapade back into donut-land on Andrea Rappaport and being in San Francisco; a city with food creativity so high caliber that you simply must try every new and exciting thing that crosses your path. So during an all day cookbook shoot for my client Chef Aaron Kiefer, (at which we were already eating a constant stream of his meals by the minute), Andrea decides to bring over this decadent box of fried carb deluxe from the Mission District's latest rave Dynamo Donuts.

The store is a simple walk up counter where the daily flavors are listed along with traditional coffee and the donuts range from $2-$3.50 a piece. Our box contained meyer lemon and hucklberry and monte cristo jelly which included chunks of ham and gruyere and plum jam. But the winner was the maple glazed apple bacon, which Chef Aaron made me buy more of to bring home on the plane. Flavors change at the whim of the bakers but when I made my second trip there some of the more pleasurable sounding ones were Caramel de Sel (salt and caramel seems to be a flavor San Francisco is currently obsessed by in ice cream, baked treats and everything else), Lemon Pistachio, and Apricot Cardamom. I am thankful that the store doesn't ship donuts to Palm Springs or I would be cardinal sinning too regularly for my comfort.

Leke Mo Bax- "Eating is Good!"

One of my favorite foodie friends is Chef Andrea Rappaport who lives in San Francisco and whom I had the pleasure to meet for the first time while up there on business last week. Andrea helped open Spago in Vegas and has been written up numerous times for her culinary mastery. So I was thrilled when she told me she was going to take me out one night to a restaurant of her choice in the city. She chose to delight me with African tastes at the Senegalese cuisine joint Bissap Baobab.

The colorful restaurant was packed on a Tuesday night late and we started with appetizers. Aloko was a delicious dish of sliced and fried chewy plantains served with a sweet, creamy tamarind dipping sauce. The Avocat Creole was a half shelved avocado stuffed with spicy crab and rice. The Pasteles were an incredibly chewy and savory deep fried pastry with marinated spinach inside. I fell fast for the Senegalese sweetness and mellow mood that permeated each dish as we sipped our exotic African cocktails. My Fleur (mixture of whisky, tamarind and ginger) made everything go down sunny and warm.

But the piece worthy of my lust was my Crevette Coco entree full of sauteed shrimps in cocunut sauce served with rice and roasted potatoes. Like a sweeter version of curry and in the most creamy, orange colored stew. I am now going to add Senegalese food up there with East Indian as one of my mouth's favorite fares.

Coffee and Carb at San Francisco's La Boulange

I am introducing this new sub-series to Unorthodox Foodie called Coffee and Carb in celebration of those times when we travel for work and are outside our regular regimen and on the hunt for a good strong cup and a carb-laden treat to jump start a long and unfamiliar day. I am one of those people who MUST have a cup of coffee in the morning before I am revived from zombie status to living human but I usually drink it with my mother as we watch the morning news and smack about the paper's morning content. I hardly ever eat carbs but if I do it's for breakfast, and I am one of those people who has to watch my carbs so much that I don't normally waste a dive into carb heaven unless it's something special. When I am out of town, I change. My morning ritual becomes all about finding the new caffeine shack and eating something that smacks of homemade and slow food. This recent week in San Francisco I discovered La Boulange and fell in love. Not only is the coffee cheap and loaded with jolt, the glass counters are filled daily with pastry and frittata-esque tarts and criossants laden with whatever luscious fruits, vegetables and herbs are currently in season. The latest object of my desire was this root vegetable tart that was simply the most sinful vegetable breakfast I have had: flakiest, softest phyllo dough crust smeared with a subtle ricotta cheese spread and laden with chunks of perfectly cooked carrots and turnips and mild white onions which combined to make the definition of the word sweet. I am going to dream about this thing, I know it....massive cup of joe and this tart = only $5.00.

Winter Shakes with Chef Penguin

One of my favorite foodie friends is Julian, otherwise known as Chef Penguin. He's not even ten yet but he is an avid follower of Gordon Ramsey, owns his own miniature carving knife, loves raw oysters, and would rather have sushi in his lunch box than processed foods. He doesn't eat at fast food restaurants, enjoys testing the spiciness and pickled parts in condiment sauces, and fancies himself a pro-homemade pasta maker since he's made quite a few batches with his father in his home in San Francisco while wearing his pint-sized chef's coat.

I arrived in San Francisco last night to stay at his home for a business trip and the cherry on top of the night were the special Winter Shakes we concocted after a dinner of Mission Street carne asada burritos. Julian had me running through the aisles of Safeway looking for old fashioned malted milk and strawberry ice cream before we headed home to whip up these frothy delights. Haagen Dazs ice cream is a must, with it's chunks of juicy, real, whole strawberries, as well as the malted milk--can't bypass that rich, hearty barley sweet thick taste!

Winter Shakes ala Chef Penguin

2 shakes

Ingredients:

12 oz. Whole Vitamin D Milk

4 tablespoons Malted Milk Powder

6 scoops Haagen Dazs Strawberry Ice Cream

Pour all ingredients into old fashioned stainless steel shake blender and mix till frothy. Pour into two tall glasses and top with whipped cream made from whipping cream and NO sugar.