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Ripe Peach Balsamic Chopped Salad

My daughter & I love going to the “Paseo Nuevo“ mall in Santa Barbara-
Shopping for shoes & clothes- great!  Wandering State Street- fun!
But when there’s a specialty food store in the mix- even better!

Paseo Nuevo is home to “Viva Oliva” & we love their “Ripe Peach Balsamic” Vinegar.
Try this salad, it’s refreshing, delicious, healthy & easy to put together-

In a small frying pan over low flame, add;
1 “Dorot” cube of frozen garlic (or 1 large clove of garlic, chopped fine)
1/4 c. Ripe Peach Balsamic Vinegar (drizzle over the garlic)
add about 2 t. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

add:
3 broccoli florets (washed, spun & chopped small)
7 asparagus spears (washed, spun & chopped small)
1/2 c. fresh fennel root (washed, spun & chopped small)

Heat through, allowing the garlic to defrost, then add the vinegar-
Cover with a lid for about 1 minute.

Remove lid, toss briefly, then put in a salad bowl
Don’t overcook, you want it al dente, not limp-
Let the greens cool a bit, but you want it just a tad warm-

Now ready 1 head of organic romaine lettuce (washed, spun & chopped small, but not pulverized small)
then add lettuce to the salad bowl, but don’t mix yet-

Pour on about 2 T. EVOO
2 T. black sesame seeds
& sprinkle 1 T. ‘Yuzu‘ (or 1/2 fresh lemon juice over the greens)
Toss and garnish with finely grated, fresh Parmesan cheese.
Place a couple of capers on top, and sesame seeds around the edges of your plate-

Darot Frozen Herbs can be found in the freezer section @ Trader Joe’s & Lassen’s Markets.
I especially LOVE the garlic because it makes my life so much simpler,
& I don’t have hands that smell of garlic all the time!  

This salad serves about 2

enjoy!

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Holiday gift ideas with a little SIZZLE

 

Spice up your Holidays
with my gourmet Pepper Jellies!

Ojai Jalapeño Jelly & Ojai Habanero Jelly-

This time of year can be a blur- with our busy schedules, juggling our work-day, and a holiday social schedule.
It’s time you take control and arrive at that party with my ever-flavorful Pepper Jelly-
Help the crowd stomach the cardboard Costco Quiche…  because everything’s better with Jelly!
Your friends and co-workers will thank you- you might even get an honorable mention, or a pay increase!

  • eyebrows will be raised!
  • conversations will stir!
  • recipes will be born!

Add a little spice to your life and heat up your night!

No artificial flavors, colors or preservatives-
It’s just naturally that pretty!

  • It’s a great party favor
  • A thoughtful, unique, and flavorful hostess gift
  • A lovely gift for the good cook in your life
  • An even lovelier gift for the ‘wanna-be’ good cook in your life
  • Fun gift for the woman in your life
  • Great gift for the guy in your life

Be sure to check out my “Jelly Blog” for serving suggestions & recipes, or just click around in the TAG ‘CLOUD’ listed “WHAT’S HOT”.

My Favorite Dessert: My “COCONUT CAKE” is beyond heavenly!!!

OR Skip Dessert and try this AMAZING COCKTAIL: “IN THE HEAT OF PASSION”

enjoy!

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Balsamic Chopped Salad

Balsamic Chopped Salad

My daughter & I love shopping at il Fustino in Santa Barbara-
We’re completely ‘hooked’ on their syrupy, flavorful 25 year-old Balsamic Vinegar…

Try this salad I concocted this evening- it’s filling, healthy, and easy to throw together-

In a small frying pan over low flame, add;
1 “Dorot” cube of frozen garlic
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar (drizzle over the garlic)

add:
3 broccoli florets (washed, spun & chopped small)
7 asparagus spears (washed, spun & chopped small)

Allow the garlic to defrost, and the vinegar heat-
Cover with a lid for about 1 minute.

Remove lid, toss briefly, then put in a salad bowl
Don’t overcook, you want it al dente, not limp
Let the greens cool a bit, but you want it just a tad warm-

Now ready 1 head of organic romaine lettuce (washed, spun & chopped small, but not pulverized small)
then add lettuce to the salad bowl, but don’t mix yet-

pour 2 T. black sesame seeds over the top of the greens
sprinkle 1 T. ‘Yuzu‘ or 1/2 fresh lemon juice over the greens
Toss and garnish with finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese,
a couple capers, and black sesame seeds around the edges-

Darot Frozen Herbs; I especially LOVE the garlic- it makes my life so much simpler,
& I don’t have hands that smell of garlic all the time!

This salad serves about 2
note: my daughter loved it so much she begged me to make more-

enjoy!

 

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Village Cheese & Wine, Montecito

My family and I have enjoyed going to Village Cheese & Wine for many years-  We LOVE Haoni (John), the sweet ‘Kiwi’ born owner, and sandwich maker aficionado!  He always has an interesting tale, or a funny story to tell, & GOD knows he makes the most amazing sandwiches!  My favorite is the ‘half on a whole, turkey n’ cheese’.  Now Village Cheese & Wine sells Ojai Jalapeño Jelly & Ojai Halapeno Jelly!!! It rocks any sandwich!  That’s right!

 

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Banana-Graham Bread

Tonight I had the pleasure of visiting Randy & Robin Graham.  They served me up a Guinness & we shared a few stories of days gone by, then Randy shared his new cookbook with me, which looks fantastic!

I brought them by some of my fresh Banana Bread, which I’ll call Banana-Graham Bread, because they recently shucked pecans from their tree, then candied them.  I put the pecans in the bread, hence the name-
This Banana Bread is my best-ever- the candied pecans make it so tasty!

Banana-Graham Bread
preheat oven to 350

In a medium bowl thoroughly mix:
4 VERY ripe bananas (so ripe that your Dad says ‘shouldn’t you toss those‘?)

Mash the bananas with a fork, then add:
3 eggs (mix with a fork before adding)
1 c. buttermilk
1 T. vanilla extract
Melt 2 cubes of salted butter & let cool before adding to the above mixture.

In another medium-size bowl thoroughly mix:
2 c. rolled oats
1 c. ‘Swans Down’ Cake Flour
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. candied pecans (broken up a little bit)
1 1/2 T. ground cinnamon

Mix the wet ingredients with the dry, then set aside.
Spray ‘Pam’ into baking dishes & fill with mixture.

Bake for about 35 minutes- although it totally depends on what size loaves you make- I tend to make varied sized, so I can freeze some, as well as have little loaves to give to friends.
Your toothpick should come out clean- don’t overcook this bread, as it’s a lovely bread when moist.
I tend to pay close attention to the amazing smells wafting throughout my home, so I don’t over cook it.

enjoy!

note: I’m a bit of a  ‘press and seal‘ addict… just ask my daughter.  I love making lots of tasty treats so I can seal
and freeze them, for when I’m too busy to cook, or just not in the mood to cook, or I just want to press and seal…
I’ve included a photo of my all-time favorite bread making pan from France- it makes multiple loaves so easy to handle.

 

 

 

 

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Talley Winery, Arroyo Grande

Talley Vineyards is where you’ll find my dear friend & artist extraordinaire, Lorri Trogden’s lovely “Salute to Talley” show of her works. The show will be displayed through October 31, 2011.

Lorri Trogden at Talley Vineyards

My mother, daughter & I were asked to display Ojai Jalapeño Jelly & Ojai Habanero Jelly too, which was fun!
We spent the day sampling Talley’s flavorful wines- I particularly liked Bishop’s Peak Pinot.
Ben told a few Mexican fish tales- Ray chased after the local beauties, & the day vanished before we knew it!
Thank you to all of you that joined us in Arroyo Grande!  We met some really nice people- especially the sweet couple from Rhode Island!

 

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Celebration Dinner~

Today was my daughters first day of high school!  To celebrate I made a special dinner;

Baked chicken breast made with spicy ‘E. Waldo Ward’ olives, olive brine, olive oil, & bread crumbs.  At the very end I added Asiago cheese on top.

Fresh Angel Hair pasta with burnt butter sage drizzled over it, & freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top.

Baked multicolored mini potatoes with olive oil & jalapeño sea salt.

Crisp romaine lettuce with black sesame seeds, rice wine vinegar, olive oil, & a smidgen of grated Asiago cheese