tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59571685995574166432024-03-13T22:46:19.210-07:00afotogirl | San Diego Photographer | Artist | BloggerAni L. Arambulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095537747803778008noreply@blogger.comBlogger223125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5957168599557416643.post-34422712715319041752013-02-15T05:00:00.001-08:002020-08-10T22:29:27.063-07:00a creative kick in the behind: playing with the new Leica D-Lux 6<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/8475910066/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="13feb04balboa0128c by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="13feb04balboa0128c" height="1067" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8103/8475910066_d5fd36ff2a_o.jpg" width="600" /></a></div><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="color: #0b5394;">“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.”</span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Eric Roth, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"</span></div></blockquote><br />
<div>In search of a creative kick in the ass lead me to an impulse buy last month.</div><br />
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<div>But is it truly an impulse buy, I ask you, when you've obsessed with the idea of owning something for months on end? When every fiber of your being has spent countless hours keeping that desire bottled up and sealed tightly by the rationale that the money would be better spent elsewhere, is it so wrong then to let it go by giving in? </div><br />
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Well, I gave in. But my justification for giving in was that I spent 2012 in a creative black hole as I dealt with heavy issues therefore making me in sore need of a kickstart. </div><div><br />
Kickstart meet my new <a href="http://us.leica-camera.com/photography/compact_cameras/d-lux_6/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: black;">Leica D-Lux 6</span></b></a>. My first Leica. The gadget geek in me is jumping up and down with excitement.<br />
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</div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/8388188426/" title="Excitement! My new toy! First camera gear purchase in almost four years. It was this or an iPad but I've coveted a #Leica of any kind since I first picked up a camera more than 36 years ago! #dlux6 #joy by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="Excitement! My new toy! First camera gear purchase in almost four years. It was this or an iPad but I've coveted a #Leica of any kind since I first picked up a camera more than 36 years ago! #dlux6 #joy" height="612" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8376/8388188426_bcd7123d64_z.jpg" width="612" /></a><br />
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So, OK, it's a point and shoot and not the rangefinder of my dreams but it's a start. This baby has an f/1.4 lens, allows for shooting in Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Manual and Creative modes plus 1080HD video. You can record shots in JPEG or RAW (uh, yay!) and it allows for manual focus. </div><div><br />
I haven't explored all it's features yet. But I did take it out for a test drive two weeks ago when I spent the day in the park shooting with my friend Kimberly. (I also challenged myself to shoot my next recipe post with it using only natural light. Look for that post on Monday when I start my Meatless Mondays postings to help document my meal ideas during this Lenten season.) </div><br />
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Admittedly, the day shooting in the park didn't produce the world's best images content-wise. But that wasn't the point. You see, I was less concerned with WHAT I was shooting as I was with the fact that I WAS shooting. Other than the countless documenting of my fur baby with my iPhone and one freelance food shoot last year, I haven't picked up a camera in ages and it's been even longer since I shot just to shoot.</div><div><br />
Denying the artist within a voice has taken it's toll. It's made me hesitant, self-conscious even. As I stated in my last post, I'm on a mission to get my creative journey back on track. More importantly, to learn to enjoy the process again. If I'm practicing my craft a little every day again, surely inspiration will find me.</div><br />
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The act of opening myself up again to life in all it's forms is, I won't lie, scary as hell but I know it's the right thing to do if I want to breath life back into my soul. <br />
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Shooting in the park just for the hell of it reminded me of the pre-teen who first picked up a camera all those years ago and got excited just photographing flowers in the garden and dressing up and posing her sisters for "fashion shoots" (remember those days, my dear sisters?).<br />
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<div>And shooting in the park two weeks ago also served to inspire me to cook a recipe for this blog again. </div><br />
That impulse buy may have put a slight crinkle in my plan to get bills paid down but getting that kick in the behind was worth it.<br />
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I choose to invest in me. And that's a good thing.<br />
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<b>Your turn:</b> How do you get your creative juices flowing after a dry spell?<br />
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Until next time … I leave you with shots of my fur baby, Starbuck – the first shots taken with the new toy.<br />
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Peace & happy exploring,<br />
Ani<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The very first shot with the new Leica. Of course it had to be of my fur baby. I love how the camera handled the buff on buff tones. Shoot this on the monochrome setting.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Same day as the BW above. Late afternoon. Minimal color correction to get rid of the bluish cast in the shade. Not too shabby for a point & shoot. So far, am loving this camera.</td></tr>
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<i>NOTE: All images shot with a Leica D-Lux 6 in manual or aperture priority. Processing was limited to slight color corrections with minor boosts in saturation and clarity to compensate for the RAW files. Black and whites shot in camera.</i></div>Ani L. Arambulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095537747803778008noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5957168599557416643.post-72360619489441602112012-03-02T21:35:00.003-08:002012-03-02T21:35:51.517-08:00Don't bother me. I'm sleeping.<div class='posterous_autopost'><a href="http://instagr.am/p/Hst5esTBvu/"><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://getfile6.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/afotogirlsworld/CsyIFfveIfInxfawsEFbqdJpuHyrvgCEFexHqIEHhneeqgzIkcCmgmhmpkuz/media_httpdistilleryi_DrtgC.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Media_httpdistilleryi_drtgc" height="500" src="http://getfile4.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/afotogirlsworld/CsyIFfveIfInxfawsEFbqdJpuHyrvgCEFexHqIEHhneeqgzIkcCmgmhmpkuz/media_httpdistilleryi_DrtgC.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div> </a></div>Ani L. Arambulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095537747803778008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5957168599557416643.post-56471575436151662182011-12-23T19:54:00.001-08:002011-12-23T19:54:42.535-08:00a breath: i will carry your heart in my heart always …<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Auntie Sally's graduation photo.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>Today we said goodbye. </div><br />
My heart is heavy. It broke again last night at the viewing, first hearing my mother's sobs as she stood over her younger sister's coffin. It broke again when my 82 year old grandmother stood over it to say goodbye to her third born. And again and again as auntie, uncle, sisters stood over it sobbing their goodbyes. <br />
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I feel broken. How and why am I still standing?<br />
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Back at my grandmother's, the family home is overflowing with bodies. My Auntie Sally I'm sure is smiling down from heaven pleased to see so many people gathered to honor her memory. For me, the house is too filled. I can't breathe so I retreat to the fresh air of my grandmother's garden. <br />
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I hear people laughing. Talking. Commenting on the food. More food than we started with. I know I should be inside. Helping. Visiting. <br />
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I can't seem to get myself to move off this bench. I am typing these words in Evernote on my iPhone. Keys blurring as I try to write through the tears. <br />
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Write.<br />
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Sally gave me my love of writing stories and reading. When I was young–grade school age–she would give me a list of 10 or 12 words and have me write a story using all of them. Sometimes she would give me the opening line, other times it was all up to me to choose the course of the story. Then I had to draw a picture to go with my story. And when I was done, she'd read it aloud and pile on the praise.<br />
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Never without a book in hand, she also gave me my first 300 page book to read when I was in junior high and got me started on horror ("Interview with a Vampire") and period romances ("Shanna" by Kathleen E. Woodwiss).<br />
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When my sisters and I were very young, mom had a hard time with fatigue so she would come over and cook and entertain us so my mother could rest. And I remember as each sister was born, she'd come and stay with us to take care of the older girls while mom and dad took care of our newest addition.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Auntie during my 40th birthday celebration.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>Several years back, I had a serious complication to elective surgery that very nearly took my life. I was in ICU for a few weeks and then moved to DOU (Definitive Observation Unit -- a step down from ICU) where I remained for a little more than a month. Mom would come stay with me as long as she could but with my youngest sister still at home and my father ill, her time was split. Auntie Sally was there every day, all day. She'd read to me, she'd let me sleep, she'd paint my toes, massage lotion on my legs, feet, arms, hand and make sure that I had a never-ending supply of ice chips and that the nurses where paying attention. When I went home, mom stayed with me for three weeks. Then Auntie Sally stayed with me for three weeks after that. She'd cook, help me on my walks, and introduced me to Buffy – now my favorite show right after X-Files (also a love we shared). <br />
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Auntie never married. Never had children of her own. Myself and my four younger sisters, and later my nephew, where like her children. She certainly loved us like we were.<br />
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And we loved her as if she was our second mommy. <br />
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It still feels so surreal. I won't see her test messages anymore asking me how to unfreeze her laptop, or emails in my inbox praising my latest Confessions post and teasing me about when I'd make what I wrote about for her. No more sharing horror books are talking about our latest sci-fi obsession.<br />
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60 years old. Her life seems so short. Her death, so sudden. This last year, I became so busy trying to juggle everything in my life: adjusting to life with a doggy, this blog, freelancing both photo and design work, still working on my jewelry making business, guest blogging and of course, my full-time design job at the newspaper. So busy that I didn't spend much time visiting with her. I am filled with so much guilt because of it. I have to remind myself that she loved me. That she spent a lot of time helping cultivate my creative spirit and encouraged me at every turn. I hope she knew how much I loved her. I hope she knew how much she meant to me. A woman of extreme faith, she lived her life with an open heart and treated everyone she met with a generous smile. She went out of her way to not rock the boat, to forgive no matter how much someone trespassed against her, to never say anything in anger and not hold anything against anyone. She was a good person almost to a fault. <br />
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I hope I can honor her memory by being just a fraction of the good person she was. <br />
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I love you, Sally. Always and forever.</div>Ani L. Arambulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095537747803778008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5957168599557416643.post-17418072946912024632011-12-12T11:46:00.000-08:002011-12-12T11:48:55.710-08:00{a breath & a bite} Family IS everything & The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap recipe Chocolate Pistachio BiscottiAs I sit here writing this, I realize that I am so distracted it’s really difficult to think about cookies and holidays and all the material trappings of this time of year. It’s hard to remember the excitement I felt just three weeks ago while I was developing my recipe for my participation in the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap. Instead, I sit here, in the hospital, surrounded by family – some of whom have flown in from out of town – praying together for a miracle that will save my Auntie Sally.<br />
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Walking into the her room in ICU is both frightening and saddening. The brightness of the hospital lights, the whirring of machines that are keeping her breathing, cleaning her blood and feeding her all bring a lump to my throat and threaten to loosen tears from my eyes. She is fighting for her life.</div>
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She’s had a cough and cold for a while. Last weekend it was really bad. Finally, on Wednesday, my grandmother decided to call an ambulance to bring her to the Emergency Room. She was admitted and the calls went out informing the family. At first, we were told it was pneumonia and she would need to be in the hospital a few days.</div>
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But by Thursday, it was clear there was something more going on and they ordered another round of tests ... That’s when the worry started to set in.</div>
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Four days ago, I saw her in her room as she came in and out of consciousness, alert enough to know I was there, telling me to go home and be with my doggy and not to worry about coming back in the next day. She would be fine she insisted.</div>
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Today, sedated, medically paralyzed as to minimize the “waste” of oxygen, she is not the same person that sat among us two and a half weeks ago at our Thanksgiving table.</div>
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They’ve identified the secondary infection: Legionnaires. The doctor says she quite possibly could have had the bacteria for years in a dormant/semi dormant stage.</div>
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I looked up the disease.</div>
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The internet can be a scary source of information. 50% survival rate. 50%. That’s without other complications. Complications like pneumonia. Like impending kidney failure. Like diabetes.</div>
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It’s Monday morning now. I started writing this post yesterday but had to put the laptop away for the day. It was too hard to organize my thoughts …</div>
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I try to remain strong. I try to embrace my faith and know that ultimately I must accept God’s will. My Auntie is a woman of exceptionally strong faith. Wavering in mine at a time like this, my Auntie Syl reminded me last night, will only dishonor my Auntie Sally. Nonetheless, I had a meltdown last night for the first time since she was admitted.</div>
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Heaving, can’t breathe, fetal position, sobbing. So hard and so loud that my fur child couldn’t stand it. She went from calmly laying next to me with her little head using my leg as a pillow to jumping back and forth from one side of me to the other, trying to hump my arm, my leg, my head as it rocked on the pillow, lick my tears, howling along with me. They say that cocker spaniels are extremely sensitive to their human’s emotions. It’s one of the reasons you aren’t supposed to raise your voice when reprimanding them. A slight change in intonation and they can sense something is up. So I try not to cry in front of her but this … this is simply too much to keep inside. </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138; font-size: large;">Little gifts in the mail </span><br />
I had been so busy last weekend that I got my cookies out for the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap a day late.</div>
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I chose to make chocolate pistachio biscotti, making a trial run to take to work. After they passed the test there, the cookies were ready to be baked once more, packaged and sent out. </div>
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My recipients were:</div>
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Christine from <a href="http://ruminationsonfood.blogspot.com/">Ruminations on Food</a></div>
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Nick from <a href="http://www.macheesmo.com/">Macheesmo</a></div>
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Nicole from <a href="http://sweetpeonyblog.blogspot.com/">Sweet Peony</a> </div>
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Wednesday evening I received my first box of cookies from the Swap. It was the first day of Auntie’s hospital stay. I’d planned on going to see her after work but re-injured my bad knee getting into the car. So I called her instead and spoke to her on the phone a few minutes. Then settled in to rest and enjoy a cookie from Sara over at <a href="http://thelittlebite.wordpress.com/">The Little Bite.</a></div>
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Coconut Macaroons. Although not crazy about coconut, these cookies were moist in the center and after partaking of a few, I found them rather delicious. Thank you, Sara.</div>
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Thursday, after the definitive diagnosis of pneumonia, I made sure to get to the hospital. Auntie was still awake then but barely. Worn out when I left for home and my fur child, I found the second box of cookies. This time, they were from Lisa of <a href="http://tequilacupcakes.com/">Tequila Cupcakes</a>.</div>
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Ginger Spiced Cookies. They were an instant pick-me-up. Soft, warming and comforting. And I couldn’t help but think, Auntie might like these. Thank you, Lisa.</div>
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Friday, Auntie was moved to pulmonary ICU which is where she is still. That’s when they sedated and intubated her. I left work early Friday, unable to concentrate and afraid I’d make a costly mistake. Seeing her there that first day, her chest rising and lowering more regularly, less labored due to the help of the machine, she looked like she was just sleeping. The beeping of the machines around us told me she wasn’t. I cried a little, I spoke to her. Told her she HAD TO FIGHT! Told my Grandfather it wasn’t time for him to walk with her.</div>
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My sister flew in from Arizona Friday night. I waited at the hospital as she was coming straight there. We all hugged, we all prayed. After she got a chance to visit with Auntie for a while, I said goodnight to my Auntie and drove my sisters home.</div>
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And the last box of cookies was waiting for me. Chocolate Cranberry Biscotti from Hannah 1/2 of <a href="http://catsandcommas.blogspot.com/">Cats and Commas</a>. Thank you, Hannah. A biscotti, a cuppa tea, a half hour of playing with my fur child and I was nearly calm enough to attempt sleep.</div>
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The cookies arriving in the mail where little bright spots in an otherwise difficult time. And I’m thankful to be a part of such a supportive online community.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138; font-size: large;">Family is everything </span></div>
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It’s 10:30am now. I haven’t left for the hospital yet but I just got a call that my Auntie is worse than she was yesterday. They are changing her breathing machine to a stronger one and will resume the dialysis they started Saturday morning. My heart is heavy.</div>
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There is so much guilt. Guilt for the arrogance I had thinking that we have more time – enough time – to say and do the things we should be doing all along. All the times I said we’d do this or that, all the times I felt impatient or short with her are haunting me, no, strangling me making it hard to breathe.</div>
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I want more time. </div>
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But the truth is we don’t know, do we? How much time we have with the people we love.</div>
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We can’t waste it.</div>
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Please, don’t waste it.</div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Makes 4 dozen</span></i></div>
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<i>1 stick unsalted butter, softened</i></div>
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<i>3/4 cup sugar</i></div>
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<i>3 large eggs</i></div>
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<i>1 1/2 tsp vanilla</i></div>
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<i>1 tablespoon dark rum</i></div>
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<i>2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour</i></div>
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<i>1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder</i></div>
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<i>2 tablespoon instant espresso powder</i></div>
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<i>1 teaspoon baking powder</i></div>
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<i>3/4 teaspoon salt</i></div>
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<i>1 teaspoon cinnamon</i></div>
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<i>1 1/2 cups raw pistachios</i></div>
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<i>1/2 cup evaporated milk, poured into a shallow bowl</i></div>
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<i>3-4 tablespoons course sugar such as turbinado</i></div>
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<i>6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted</i></div>
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Preheat the oven to 350° and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.</div>
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In a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter with the sugar at medium speed until creamy. Switch to the whisk attachment. Add the eggs, vanilla, and rum. Beat on medium high until smooth.</div>
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In a small bowl, whisk the flour with the cocoa powder, instant espresso, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add the pistachios and combine.</div>
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Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and use a wooden spoon to mix the dry ingredients into the batter a cup or two at a time. Incorporate well.</div>
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Divide the dough in half. Place each half in the center of a baking sheet. Dough will be sticky. Once on the pan, dip your hands in the milk and shape the dough into a long slightly flattened log. It should measure out to about 12 inches long by 3 to 4 inches wide. Repeat with second half. Pat down the top of both logs with a little more milk and immediately sprinkle the turbinado sugar over the logs.</div>
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Bake the logs for about 10 minutes then switch their positions in the oven. Bake for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and move the logs onto wire racks to cool by carefully pulling on the parchment paper. Let the logs cool for 15 to 20 minutes.</div>
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Using a serrated knife, cut the logs into 1/4- inch slices on the bias (diagonally). Return the same parchment they were baked on to the cookie sheets and arrange the slices on them. Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool completely.</div>
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When cooled, melt the chocolate in a microwave or by using a double broiler. Place the cookies on a wire rack and place the rack over the cookie sheets or on top of newspaper. Use a tablespoon to drizzle the chocolate over the biscotti. Place rack in refrigerator for chocolate to set up.</div>
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Biscotti can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week or placed between waxed paper and sealed tightly, they can be frozen for up to a month.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138; font-size: large;">How you can play next year</span></div>
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Want to participate in the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap next year? Sign up <a href="http://eepurl.com/hsS-Y">here</a>.</div>
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</div>Ani L. Arambulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095537747803778008noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5957168599557416643.post-4627494466475166522011-10-14T17:39:00.000-07:002011-10-14T17:41:25.424-07:00Ghirardelli's Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign & {Recipe} Making Mexican Mole with Intense Dark Chocolate<br />
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Did you know that October is <a href="http://www.nbcam.org/"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">National Breast Cancer Awareness Month</span></b></a>? In honor of it and to help raise awareness and funding, <a href="http://www.ghirardelli.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><b>Ghirardelli</b></span></a> is donating $50,000. Plus they're donating an additional $1 (up to a total of $100,000) for every code input from specially marked packages of Intense Dark Chocolates to the National Breast Cancer Foundation from now until December 31, 2011.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6216366615/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="ghirardelli_4914c by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="ghirardelli_4914c" height="387" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6155/6216366615_b6fc58e876_o.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="580" /></a></div>
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<b><i>Look for the pink ribbon on Ghirardelli Intense Dark bars to participate in this awareness campaign.</i></b></div>
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The special packaging for Evening Dream™ 60% Cacao, Twilight Delight™ 72% Cacao, Midnight Reverie™ 86% Cacao, and Toffee Interlude™features a pink ribbon on the outside and has a code printed on the inside of the wrapper. This code can then be input <a href="http://bca.ghirardelli.com/"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">here</span></b></a> and for every properly inputted code, Ghirardelli will make the donation. That's $100,000 to educate women about early detection and provide mammograms for women who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford them. As a woman with friends who have fought this disease–and too many other forms of cancer to count–this is definitely a movement I can get behind.</div>
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So, how can you help spread the word? Buy some chocolate and input that code. Also, how about hosting a party? Buy a few extra bars, invite some friends over and have a pairing party. Try the chocolates alone, with wine, nuts, crackers, olives. Here's some ideas from wine expert and head <a href="http://www.thirstygirl.com/"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Thirsty Girl</span></b></a>, Leslie Sbrocco to get you started:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/cAku-6KKUz0" width="640"></iframe></div>
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For more ideas plus a downloadable pairing party kit, log on to <a href="http://www.ghirardelli.com/intensedark/"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">http://www.ghirardelli.com/intensedark/</span></b></a>.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">What I did with some of my chocolate</span></div>
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Since cooking is my passion, I wanted to take it one step farther and try cooking WITH the chocolates. Since my go-to cuisine is Mexican, it seemed only natural that I would try it with one of my favorite Mexican comfort foods: mole. Especially yummy this week because it got cold and rainy for a few days in our otherwise sunny San Diego.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6216366359/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="ghirardelli_mole_4863c by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="ghirardelli_mole_4863c" height="580" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6049/6216366359_03368d1a83_o.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="580" /></a></div>
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<b><i>Homemade mole doesn't have to be intimidating. With a few ingredients and about 40 minutes, you could be enjoying this hearty traditional Mexican meal. What are you waiting for?</i></b></div>
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Mole makes me think of home. Mom makes the best. I can't remember the last time I had hers. I usually cheat and make it semi-homemade using <a href="http://www.mexgrocer.com/2526.html"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">this</span></b></a>. You can pick it up at most major grocery stores with a Mexican Foods section. It takes all the guess work out of making mole. Just open it up (a trick in itself! Use a bottle opener and inch your way around the cap with it. The container itself is a reusable juice glass. I have a collection of them.) and add it to a pot containing a quart of warmed chicken stock (ratio is four parts stock to one part mole paste). Stir to dissolve, taste and adjust salt to your liking. Add some chicken that you've pre-browned, cover and let simmer for 20-30 minutes until chicken is cooked. Easy-peasy.</div>
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A few years ago, while hosting a <a href="http://www.confessionsofafoodie.me/2009/02/tamalada.html"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">tamalada</span></b></a>, I texted messaged mom for her recipe so I could make her mole for the pork tamales. I text messaged mom instead of calling because mom is deaf and praise be the baby fifa for text messaging! It's our favorite form of instant communication. Anywho…Naturally, there were no measurements in that text just a list of the ingredients in the order added. I come from a family of intuitive cooks. There is no measuring. It's all done by feel and years of perfecting recipes. Doesn't make my job very easy in trying to replicate them and record them here for everyone to share. But I try. The night before the tamalada I made the mole and was surprised at how close I was able to replicate it. Not exactly. But close.</div>
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There are many different kinds of mole. Every Mexican family has their own version. Some with chocolate. Some with peanuts. Some with tomatoes. Some made from re-hydrated chili. Some from fresh. And some, like my family's, made with our chili powder of choice: California.</div>
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If mole recipes with 20+ ingredients and the need to re-hydrate chilies or dealing with purees and toasting nuts seems a bit daunting, then this recipe is for you. You get the satisfaction and taste of homemade without investing in ingredients you'll most likely only use once. If you follow this blog at all, you know I use two chili powders a lot: California and New Mexico. So you probably already have them in your pantry if you've attempted any of my recipes.</div>
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Using Ghirardelli Midnight Reverie with 86% cacao in this recipe changed it from our traditional Mexican chocolate version. It really brought out the taste of the chili and made this mole taste all the more complex. It was a definite winning combination. One I'll try again.</div>
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Soon.</div>
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And often.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6216883282/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="ghirardelli_mole_4854c by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="ghirardelli_mole_4854c" height="580" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6112/6216883282_322daf508e_o.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="580" /></a></div>
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<b><i>I served my mole on a bed of white rice with some refried beans topped with queso seco and cold hot carrots to add variety of heat, crunch and temperatures.</i></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-size: large;">Mexican Mole featuring Ghirardelli Midnight Reverie</span></div>
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<i>Serves 6</i></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b>INGREDIENTS</b></span></div>
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<i>FOR THE CHICKEN</i></div>
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<b>6 chicken quarters</b></div>
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<b>kosher salt</b></div>
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<b>freshly ground black pepper</b></div>
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<b>olive oil</b></div>
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<i>FOR THE MOLE</i></div>
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<b>36 oz. chicken broth</b></div>
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<b>4 tablespoons California chili powder</b></div>
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<b>1 tablespoon New Mexico chili powder</b></div>
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<b>1 tablespoon ancho chili powder</b></div>
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<b>1 tablespoon ground cumin</b></div>
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<b>2 teaspoons garlic powder</b></div>
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<b>1/2 teaspoon kosher salt</b></div>
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<b>1 teaspoon chicken bouillon</b></div>
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<b>1 bar Ghirardelli Intense Dark Chocolate: Midnight Reverie 86% Cacao, hand broken in to small chunks</b></div>
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<b>1 tablespoon dark brown sugar</b></div>
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<b>1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon</b></div>
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<b>1/3 cup creamy peanut butter</b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">METHOD</span></b></div>
<ol>
<li>Place chicken on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper over the chicken. Flip and repeat. Massage oil and seasonings into chicken. Set aside.</li>
<li>To a stock pot or dutch oven, add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and add the chili powders, cumin, garlic, salt and bouillon. Whisk to combine well. Add the chocolate, sugar, cinnamon and peanut butter. Whisk until chocolate is melted and peanut butter is combined. Bring heat down to low, cover and let simmer while you brown the chicken.</li>
<li>Bring a large skillet up to medium hot. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When oil is hot and shimmering, add chicken working in batches so as to not overcrowd your skillet. Brown on all sides. As chicken is browned, remove to a paper towel-lined platter until all chicken is browned. You're only searing in the juices and crisping up the skin at this point. The chicken will finish cooking in the mole.</li>
<li>Once all chicken is browned, carefully add to the mole ladling the sauce over all the chicken to make sure it's covered in mole. Cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes, stirring the chicken every 10 minutes or so.</li>
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<b>SUGGESTIONS</b></div>
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<ul>
<li>Serve the chicken mole over a bed of Spanish Rice or white rice (my preference as it soaks up all the excess mole and is oh-so-good!). Add refried beans or a side of simply dressed peas to complete your meal.</li>
<li>I found that a nice glass of sangria goes really well with this complimenting both the chili and the Ghirardelli chocolate in the mole.</li>
<li>You'll most likely have extra mole after all the chicken is gone. Strain it and use it in the morning to smother your fried eggs with it. Yum!</li>
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Next up? Brie and Chocolate Quesadillas with Fig Jam. Oh, yay Baby!</div>
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How are you going to use your chocolate?</div>
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Until next time…</div>
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¡Buen Provecho!</div>
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Ani</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>The fine print: I received sample chocolates as part of the FoodBuzz Tastemakers program and directly from Ghirardelli.</b></i></span></div>
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</div>Ani L. Arambulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095537747803778008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5957168599557416643.post-86302096429438483322011-09-28T11:12:00.001-07:002011-09-28T11:13:37.748-07:00{ Wordless Wednesday / iPhonegraphy } What I wish I was doing right now<div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Dzb7UKJ_5k8/ToNj0LNoSZI/AAAAAAAABRo/nzvECVpqxDo/s640/blogger-image--2083848129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Dzb7UKJ_5k8/ToNj0LNoSZI/AAAAAAAABRo/nzvECVpqxDo/s640/blogger-image--2083848129.jpg" /></a></div>Ani L. Arambulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095537747803778008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5957168599557416643.post-12798591181256055332011-09-26T09:20:00.000-07:002011-09-26T09:20:46.787-07:00{ Portrait } Phil & Mary EllenPhotography was my first love and photographing people was the first aspect of it that I gravitated towards when I first started taking pictures way back at the age of 10. So it is a real treat for me when I can take a break from cooking and styling, graphic design and writing to reconnect with my first love.<br />
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Phil hired me at the word mill more than 20 years ago now. He took a chance on a gal who was a custom black and white printer with NO color printing experience to print color ON DEADLINE (yes, the old fashioned way in wet darkrooms, not digital ones), who had a stronger art background than journalistic and came from a commercial lab instead of another newspaper. Under his guidance in those early years, I flourished – truly – for the first time. He retired back in '99 and I occasionally see him in the building for visits and I thank Facebook for making it even easier to stay abreast of what's going on in each other's lives.<br />
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In fact, it was through Facebook that Phil contacted me recently asking if I would have time or interest in photographing he and his wife who are celebrating 50 years of marriage. Seeing as he is still in contact with so many current and ex staff photographers, I was honored that he asked me to document this special time in their lives. He wanted informal photos in Balboa Park and said he liked my style of shooting. So I grabbed my camera, asked my nephew to come and assist me and off we headed one Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago. It was the least I could for the first person in my professional life who truly wanted me to succeed and went out of his way to make sure I did.<br />
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Happy 50th Anniversary Phil and Mary Ellen.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6179656779/" title="11aug28mcmahon_4621X by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="11aug28mcmahon_4621X" height="746" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6169/6179656779_90ca9e90ed_o.jpg" width="580" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6180183428/" title="11aug28mcmahon_4606softWarmerx by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="11aug28mcmahon_4606softWarmerx" height="387" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6174/6180183428_ba541b3c28_o.jpg" width="580" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6179656549/" title="11aug28mcmahon_4593ax by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="11aug28mcmahon_4593ax" height="387" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6161/6179656549_25a7103a91_o.jpg" width="580" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6179656387/" title="11aug28mcmahon_4560bx by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="11aug28mcmahon_4560bx" height="704" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6161/6179656387_2b2eac97f9_o.jpg" width="580" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6179656823/" title="11aug28mcmahon_4640X by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="11aug28mcmahon_4640X" height="387" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6161/6179656823_54a063bed5_o.jpg" width="580" /></a><br />
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Happy Monday everyone! Until next time…<br />
<br />
AniAni L. Arambulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095537747803778008noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5957168599557416643.post-52814573354643091562011-09-22T09:29:00.000-07:002011-09-22T09:30:07.944-07:00{Portrait} Playing Cowboy<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/4286692833/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="CowboyPete6006 by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="CowboyPete6006" height="640" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4060/4286692833_63b679ec8a_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>From the archives...</b></i></td></tr>
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Ani L. Arambulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095537747803778008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5957168599557416643.post-42707095894490326352011-09-16T17:50:00.001-07:002011-09-16T23:08:02.342-07:00{Life with a Dog} sporting a new skirt<div class='posterous_autopost'><a href="http://instagr.am/p/NRH4_/"><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Media_httpimagesinsta_fgwon" height="612" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/afotogirlsworld/AwxzzrGHBjaDrqFbbvsmulszzsizmpqIsxctxBgeGeGcAnbeEhwyuEIjdrwJ/media_httpimagesinsta_Fgwon.jpg.scaled1000.jpg" width="612" /> </div> </a></div><br />
<br />
Been a while since I have posted a Life w/a dog shot. My fur child has a new 'do and I just had to share. And yes, ok, more than half of my feed photos on Instagram are of my fur child but c'mon! She's cute! And I simply can't help it!Ani L. Arambulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095537747803778008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5957168599557416643.post-14114897435218882182011-09-14T12:41:00.001-07:002011-09-14T12:41:23.174-07:00Wordless Wednesday: Seattle, Washington {iPhoneography}<div class='posterous_autopost'><p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="P99" height="500" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/afotogirlsworld/CxjJjFHBtpJIpjbIGiuuDfnaFIeinmhblHhaxkrlkCfowzHppeCkzBawcGcc/p99.jpg.scaled980.jpg" width="500" /> <img alt="P101" height="500" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/afotogirlsworld/jxImHijnHGjFmHofDBucrfEggEmkwohjBzAmgvergawojanzmoqvidvmwDDA/p101.jpg.scaled980.jpg" width="500" /> <img alt="P103" height="500" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/afotogirlsworld/repsBbuvohytGDmmquGEIfxrDwjcxmxkFHuwuwqJBIIrCcwFBlmCDjteyezn/p103.jpg.scaled980.jpg" width="500" /> <img alt="P105" height="500" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/afotogirlsworld/AtdyvoccgBAzlhpvncrsiJzewCpjtxGHrlcpgFwcokfpfpjvBkGojcEukFDe/p105.jpg.scaled980.jpg" width="500" /> <img alt="P107" height="500" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/afotogirlsworld/CayAttIJqEwovmDjmfliGyIwxpxtbuDrGajcuiqlkulGCDeGxInwewkgerud/p107.jpg.scaled980.jpg" width="500" /> <img alt="P109" height="500" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/afotogirlsworld/sCIcrxHpxIGHjACmxokkJEIsgwwrztmCgpdFIzxlvBECvJGmzeIAsJjrfkmi/p109.jpg.scaled980.jpg" width="500" /> <img alt="P111" height="500" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/afotogirlsworld/tkcFxzcbmCGqcFEarAdkeGBbytcjFeGHCFlhgGyfqcfhBotdJFcFjtupmjEi/p111.jpg.scaled980.jpg" width="500" /> <img alt="P113" height="500" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/afotogirlsworld/xtlecygpouxdnBgebxEdgEosuthzoFjcIdlhIgbcwngIwkwjbfHGCaghvAwA/p113.jpg.scaled980.jpg" width="500" /> <img alt="P115" height="500" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/afotogirlsworld/DCslalBxcllmDlAhcbosfqAmCwEfhzbmhHosFIdeykdsqstoidtbdFDCAItz/p115.jpg.scaled980.jpg" width="500" /> <div class='p_see_full_gallery'><a href="http://afotogirlsworld.posterous.com/wordless-wednesday-seattle-washington-iphoneo">See the full gallery on Posterous</a></div> </div> </p></div>Ani L. Arambulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095537747803778008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5957168599557416643.post-7204568015209800402011-09-01T23:48:00.000-07:002011-09-01T23:49:00.717-07:00Cooking and Baking with Olive Oil (Part 1): Pesto, Tortillas & Mexican Empanadas. Yes! Three recipes.<br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b45f06;">Mexican style empanadas filled with ground beef and potatoes.</span></i></div>
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I jumped on the olive oil bandwagon before there was a bandwagon to jump onto.</div>
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Growing up with primarily American and Mexican cuisine meant that lard, corn oil, bacon fat and butter showed up to the cooking party most often. <b>All tasty for sure</b>, but none the most heart-healthy of ingredients. Olive oil did make an appearance on occasion. And when it did, it meant that an Italian meal was on the horizon: dad's famous lasagna or his fabulous meatballs with marinara the two most likely suspects. Both are legendary dishes in the Arambula household.</div>
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Recently I was given the opportunity to try a product relatively new to the Crisco brand: olive oil. And not just one, but three: <b>Extra Virgin, Pure and Light Tasting</b>. Having used olive oil as my primary cooking fat for more than 20 years now and not being particularly brand loyal to any up to this point, I was up for the taste test.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b45f06; font-size: large;">Quick & Easy "Bruschetta"</span></div>
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I used the Pure Olive Oil to make use of some of the basil growing in pots on my patio for a pesto pasta dinner one night. It was a tasty success!</div>
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The Extra Virgin Olive Oil I used for a late afternoon snack of quick bruschetta. It's super easy and not really a recipe per se. I learned this from an Italian friend years ago and every time I make it, I think of him. It really is the perfect vehicle to highlight the oil.</div>
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<ol>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Start by toasting up a couple of slices of sourdough. </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Take a clove of garlic, slice it in half and rub the cut side on one side of each piece of toast. </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Take half of a tomato (or whole depending on it's size) per toast and place them on the each piece of toast.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Carefully slice, then chop the tomato while it's on the bread so that it soaks up all the juicy goodness. Spread the tomato evenly over the toast.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Chop some fresh basil and sprinkle over the tops of each toast.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Sprinkle some dried Italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste over each slice.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Finish by drizzling Crisco Extra Virgin Olive Oil over your creation.</li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b45f06; font-size: large;">Crisco Light Tasting Olive Oil takes the prize</span></div>
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<b>My favorite by far was the Light Tasting.</b> Not because I don't like the taste of olive oil. Quite the contrary in fact. But what I found so surprising was just <b><i>how</i></b> light it was and therefore all the more versatile. My test to see just how mild tasting this oil could be?</div>
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T<b>here could only be one true test in my <i>latina</i> culinary bag of tricks: flour tortillas.</b> Then, to really push the envelope, I opted to make those into empanadas - the kind I grew up with - which meant pan frying the tasty creations.</div>
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I used a quarter of the masa (dough) for the empanadas and rolled the rest out for my week's worth of tortillas. I have to say, I not only <b><i>didn't</i></b> miss the taste of butter (my fat of choice when making tortillas) but rather enjoyed the consistency produced by substituting it for the olive oil. The dough itself had great elasticity (think pizza dough) and rolled out beautifully. The finished tortilla had just the right amount of chewiness that a good homemade flour tortilla should have.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6095560325/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="empanada_4649x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="empanada_4649x" height="840" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6192/6095560325_0586919bd6_o.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="580" /></a></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b45f06;">Once the meat and masa is made, next comes the fun part: assembling the empanadas! Start by rolling out the masa to about 4" in diameter. </span></i></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6096102650/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="empanada_4650x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="empanada_4650x" height="825" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6062/6096102650_21df384a11_o.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="580" /></a></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b45f06;">Next, place about 2 tablespoons of meat on one half of the tortilla, staying away from the edges.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6096102688/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="empanada_4651x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="empanada_4651x" height="738" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6087/6096102688_362bec8e03_o.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="580" /></a></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b45f06;">Fold the tortilla and using your index fingers and thumbs, start at one of and roll the edges up making your way around the half-moon shape pinching to seal as you go. You can use your thumbnail to pinch down afterwards or take a fork and use it to press the seal together ensuring it's tight.</span></i></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b45f06; font-size: large;">Coming up next time</span></div>
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In Part 2, I share with you a recipe for Apple Upside Down Olive Oil Cake that really shines. Until then, enjoy my recipes for flour tortillas, Mexican Beef & Potato Empanadas and pesto.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138; font-size: x-large;"><u>Ani's Homemade Flour Tortillas</u></span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">INGREDIENTS</span></b></div>
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<ul>
<li><i>3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (plus 1/4 cup flour for rolling)</i></li>
<li><i>1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt</i></li>
<li><i>1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder</i></li>
<li><i>3.5 oz of Crisco Light Tasting Olive Oil plus 1 teaspoon</i></li>
<li><i>1 cup of hot water (as hot as you can stand to touch it)</i></li>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">METHOD <a href="http://www.confessionsofafoodie.me/2010/04/you-can-keep-your-sliced-wonder.html">(FOR STEP BY STEP PICTORIAL, REFER HERE.)</a></span></b></div>
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Add first three ingredients to a large bowl. Stir to combine. Add oil (reserving the 1 teaspoon for later) and use your hands to combine well. Flour will be crumbly. Add the hot water a third of a cup at a time combining well between additions. Using your hands, gently knead the dough until it holds together and pulls away from the bowl. Once it holds together, knead the masa (dough) for three to four additional minutes. Masa should be smooth and have a good amount of elasticity. Pour the reserved teaspoon of olive oil over the masa and smooth it over the entire surface with your hands. Cover with a clean warm dishtowel and let rest for 15 minutes.</div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b45f06;"><b>NOTE:</b> If making Empanadas, now that the masa is made, skip to the Empanadas recipe. If making flour tortillas, continue this recipe.</span></i></div>
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Heat griddle. While it heats, prepare masa for rolling. Remove towel. Wrapping your hand around the masa, gently squeeze the masa between your index finger and thumb, pinching away about a golf ball size of masa. Continue until you have about 18 - 24 small balls of masa returning them to the bowl as you go. Keep the pre-formed balls covered while rolling to keep them from forming a "skin" and drying out.</div>
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Place one ball of masa into a shallow bowl of flour. Holding the ball over the work surface, using your thumbs to form a disk turning the masa clockwise while pinching in order to keep it round. Once it's about 1/4" - 3/8" thick, place a little more flour on work surface, lay the masa in the middle of it and use a rolling pin up and down a couple of times while applying a little bit of pressure. Masa should be an elongated oval shape. Flip the tortilla turning it a quarter turn. Roll up once, then down. Repeat the flip and turn until the shape is round and about 1/8" thick. As it gets thinner, take care not to be too rough as the thinner the tortilla gets, the more easily it will "tear." If it tears, use your fingers to pinch the tortilla back together.</div>
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Place the tortilla onto a hot griddle. After about 30 seconds, it should start to bubble up like a pancake does. Once the tortilla is covered in little bumps, carefully turn over. Using a clean towel, dab the tortilla applying a some pressure the surface to force hot air pockets to form (careful! If they pop on you, you'll get a steam burn). Flip once more and allow to puff up. You want some of the bigger bubbles to turn golden and the rest of the tortilla to become opaque. Take care not to burn them. Remove tortilla and place in a cloth covered bowl or tortilla warmer. Continue with the rest of the masa.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6095560547/" title="empanada_4663x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="empanada_4663x" height="418" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6078/6095560547_bdff36bf97_o.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="580" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b45f06; font-size: x-large;"><u>Mexican Empanadas with Beef and Potatoes</u></span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">INGREDIENTS</span></b></div>
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<b>For the meat:</b></div>
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<li><i>2 tablespoons Crisco Pure Olive Oil, or to cover pan</i></li>
<li><i>1 large russet potato, diced</i></li>
<li><i>1/2 cup onion, chopped fine</i></li>
<li><i>salt and pepper to taste</i></li>
<li><i>1 lb ground beef</i></li>
<li><i>1 teaspoon cumin</i></li>
<li><i>1 teaspoon garlic powder</i></li>
<li><i>1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds</i></li>
<li><i>1 teaspoon paprika</i></li>
<li><i>1 teaspoon California chile powder</i></li>
<li><i>1 teaspoon kosher salt</i></li>
<li><i>1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste</i></li>
<li><i>6 oz canned tomato sauce</i></li>
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<b>For assembly:</b></div>
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<li><i>prepared tortilla masa</i></li>
<li><i>prepared meat</i></li>
<li><i>extra flour in a small shallow bowl</i></li>
<li><i>1/2 cup Crisco Light Tasting Olive Oil</i></li>
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<b>For the meat:</b> Heat a large skillet to medium hot. Add 2 tablespoons (or enough to cover) the pan. Once shimmering, add potatoes. Reduce to low, cover and let cook for three minutes. Remove lid, stir potatoes and add onions. Sprinkle the vegetables with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover and cook for about 8 minutes (or until the potatoes are fork tender) stirring occasionally. Remove cooked potatoes from pan. Set aside.</div>
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In same skillet, add ground beef breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Add cumin, garlic, coriander, paprika, chile, 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Stir to combine. Cook for 5 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. Add back the potatoes. Add the tomato sauce, stir and remove from heat. Place mixture in a bowl and set aside.</div>
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<b>For assembly:</b> Wrapping your hand around the masa, gently squeeze the masa between your index finger and thumb, pinching away about a walnut-sized ball of masa. Continue with remainder of masa returning pre-formed balls to the bowl as you go. Keep masa balls covered while working to keep them from forming a "skin" and drying out.</div>
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Place ball of masa into the flour, covering the ball with flour. Remove and while holding the masa over your clean dry work surface, use your thumbs to form a disk turning the masa clockwise while pinching in order to keep it round. Once it's about 1/4" - 3/8" thick, place a little more flour on work surface, lay the masa in the middle of it and use a rolling pin up and down a couple of times while applying a little bit of pressure. Masa should be an elongated oval shape. Flip the tortilla turning it a quarter turn. Roll up once, then down until your tortilla is about 4" round.</div>
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Take about 1 - 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture and place on half of the tortilla in a half moon form. Gently pull over the other side of the tortilla to cover the meat, making sure you have a bout 1/4" of meat-free edge along the seams. Starting on one end of the seams, gently roll up the masa to fit snuggly against the meat and pinch as you work your way around to the end. You can use your thumbnail to "score" the rolled seam to make sure it's a tight seal or use a fork. Place on a platter. Cover and continue until all the meat and/or masa is gone.</div>
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Heat a skillet to medium hot. Add 1/2 cup of oil or until oil is about an inch high. Once oil is shimmering and hot, gently lay in the empanadas, always starting at the back of the pan and laying them in AWAY from you so as to not risk splashing yourself with oil. Place enough of the empanadas into the pan to fry them without them touching and leaving enough room for you to flip them easily. These will cook fairly quickly -- about 3 minutes on each side or until nice and golden brown. Always flip them away from you and once they are ready, remove to a paper towel lined platter. Continue until all the meat pies are cooked. Serve immediately with a side of <a href="http://www.confessionsofafoodie.me/2010/02/hey-therewhats-your-staple.html">Spanish rice</a> and <a href="http://www.confessionsofafoodie.me/2010/02/you-say-antojito-i-say-dinner.html">re-fried beans</a>. Garnish with any combination of fresh salsas, sour cream, <a href="http://www.tree.com/food-dining/blog-blog/archive-2011-05-02-host-a-cinco-de-mayo-guacamole.aspx">guacamole</a>, chopped fresh cilantro or pico de gallo.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6095560505/" title="empanada_4657x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="empanada_4657x" height="469" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6206/6095560505_b8dd5c3806_o.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="580" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138; font-size: x-large;"><u>Basil & Spinach Pesto</u></span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">INGREDIENTS</span></b></div>
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<li><i>2-3 cups fresh de-stemmed basil (packed)</i></li>
<li><i>1 cup washed, de-stemmed spinach leaves (packed)</i></li>
<li><i>4 cloves garlic, peeled (more to taste if desired)</i></li>
<li><i>¼ cup grated parmesan cheese</i></li>
<li><i>¼ cup grated Romano cheese</i></li>
<li><i>½ cup pine nuts</i></li>
<li><i>½ cup Crisco Extra Virgin Olive Oil or more as needed</i></li>
<li><i>salt & freshly ground pepper to taste</i></li>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/3710259637/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="patioBasil_4970 by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="patioBasil_4970" height="320" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2432/3710259637_4819066cb0_z.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="213" /></a><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">METHOD</span></b></div>
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To start, pan toast the nuts. Add pine nuts to a dry, nonstick heated skillet shaking the pan constantly to keep them from burning. Remove from pan when they're lightly brown (this will bring out their nutty goodness. Set aside to cool for about 15 minutes.</div>
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Once the nuts are cooled, place them and the garlic into a food processor, pulsing a few times to get them into a coarse consistency. Add the basil and spinach a little at a time, pulsing between additions. Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula (add a few tablespoons more oil if it’s too thick/dry). Add the grated cheeses and pulse until well blended. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Place in an air tight container, pouring a little olive oil over the top to just cover so air won't come into contact with the basil. Store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks (or freeze for up to three months).</div>
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Until next time…</div>
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¡Buen Provecho!</div>
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Ani</div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">***The fine print: As a participant in the FoodBuzz Tastemaker Program, Crisco provided me with samples of their oil for this post.</span></i></div>
Ani L. Arambulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095537747803778008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5957168599557416643.post-40715881084342924872011-08-30T21:08:00.000-07:002011-08-30T21:11:52.216-07:00I was a monkey in my other life: {recipe} Banana Bread with Mexican Chocolate<div style="text-align: left;">
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6098283778/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="banbread_4693x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="banbread_4693x" height="387" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6018/6098283778_a49d182fe2_o.jpg" width="580" /></a></div>
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I am bananas for bananas. Yes. I did just say that.</div>
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I have loved them since I was a child. But I'm one of those weird folk that prefers my bananas JUST BEFORE they are ripe: nice, firm and just starting to develop their sweetness. Yes, I'll eat them fully ripened but my preference has always been the former. </div>
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Sliced into bite-sized pieces and floating around my cereal, sliced and snuggled between two slices of bread smathered (yes, I did just make up a word, go with it, please) with peanut butter, a peanut butter and banana <i>quesadilla</i> - sans the <i>queso</i> of course cuz I'm not <i><b>that</b></i> odd - are just a few of my favorite ways to indulge.</div>
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Last week, I bought bananas hoping to haul my buttocks out of bed a half hour earlier than usual so I could enjoy a bowl of cereal with them before running off to work. Good intentions, surely, but the lure of a little more sleep kept me snuggled up with my fur child who also had no desire to get up earlier than I'd trained her to. So come the weekend, my nice firm bananas were nice and brown and gave way too much for my liking when I touched them. </div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6095554345/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="banbread_4666x2 by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="banbread_4666x2" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6066/6095554345_b09f645765_o.jpg" /></a></div>
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Now what? Wasted money? </div>
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Lightbulb moment. </div>
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Banana Bread.</div>
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And not just any banana bread, but chocolate, no MEXICAN CHOCOLATE banana bread. Yes! That will do quite nicely, thank you very much.</div>
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The recipe I had on hand called for 7 bananas. Hmm. I had a mere three. </div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6095554451/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="banbread_4670x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="banbread_4670x" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6072/6095554451_38434bb6f5_o.jpg" /></a></div>
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Google and my favorite bloggers to the rescue. I found <a href="http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/banana_bread/">this one over at Simply Recipes</a> and thought, yes! This one I can adapt. </div>
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I brought it into work today. It was gone in no time.</div>
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Which only means, I'll have to make it again.</div>
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Soon.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6096096602/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="banbread_4672x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="banbread_4672x" height="840" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6066/6096096602_d78b7c1d15_o.jpg" width="580" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138; font-size: large;">Banana Bread with Mexican Chocolate</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">makes one standard loaf</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/banana_bread/">(adapted from Simply Recipes)</a></span><br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
<ul>
<li> <i>3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed with a fork</i></li>
<li><i>1/3 cup unsweetened butter, melted</i></li>
<li><i>1 cup granulated sugar</i> </li>
<li><i>1 large egg, lightly beaten</i> </li>
<li><i>1 teaspoon vanilla </i> </li>
<li><i>1 teaspoon baking soda</i> </li>
<li><i>1/4 teaspoon sea salt</i> </li>
<li><i>1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour</i> </li>
<li><i>half a disk <a href="http://www.mexgrocer.com/2544.html">Ibarra</a> Mexican chocolate, finely grated (see note)</i> </li>
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<b>Directions:</b><br />
Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Prepare a loaf pan by greasing the bottom and sides with butter. Cut out a sheet of baking parchment to fit the long width of the pan and have it oversized enough to come up at least 2 inches on both sides of the pan. These will be your "handles" allowing you to easily lift the cooled bread out of the loaf pan (see photos above). Grease the parchment.<br />
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With a wooden spoon, stir butter and bananas together in a large bowl until well incorporated. Mix in the sugar, egg and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda over the entire mixture and stir well. Add salt. Stir well. Add flour and chocolate. Mix to combine. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack for 20 minutes. Use parchment to lift bread out of pan and place on a serving dish. Slice and serve.<br />
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<i>•<b>NOTE</b>: if you follow the link to the Ibarra chocolate, you'll notice another popular brand, Abuelita. You could use it but I have to say, there seems to be camps on the matter. Yes, camps. Liken it to those who prefer Coke to those who prefer Pepsi. Clearly Coke is better but there are still those poor folk who keep hanging onto Pepsi. In this scenario, Ibarra is Coke and Abuelita is Pepsi. And I'm sure by now you can tell that I'm a Coke person, not Pepsi. Seriously, to someone who has grown up drinking Mexican hot chocolate during cold winter evenings, my palate can tell the difference and it clearly prefers, as does my entire family, Ibarra. But if you can only find Abuelita in your local ethnic market, by all means, go ahead and use it. Just don't tell me. :)</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6096096530/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="banbread_4667x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="banbread_4667x" height="870" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6193/6096096530_47fca190a2_o.jpg" width="580" /></a></div>
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Until next time,<br />
Ani</div>
Ani L. Arambulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095537747803778008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5957168599557416643.post-33499972117402776702011-08-24T13:54:00.001-07:002011-08-24T13:54:13.802-07:00Wordless Wednesday: Lake Crescent<div class='posterous_autopost'><p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="P705" height="612" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/afotogirlsworld/EnwaHciFshDwqkgDpCADIoHuqtHBoyhtbcoIrhbhxvJitsCsfIqvtAbGgoJz/p705.jpg.scaled980.jpg" width="612" /> </div> </p></div>Ani L. Arambulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095537747803778008noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5957168599557416643.post-2552952639578693772011-08-23T14:00:00.000-07:002011-08-23T14:00:01.066-07:00Caring for Cast Iron + { Recipe } Skillet CornbreadJust one post last week. Seriously?<br />
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Where have I been, you ask?<br />
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I wish I could blame it on my day job.<br />
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Or freelance overload.<br />
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Or out-of-town guests.<br />
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Or tell you that I was abducted by aliens.<br />
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Or that it's because my kitchen was swallowed up by a black hole and I've been living on takeout.<br />
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But, alas, it’s none of these. Truth be told, the excuse is a bit frivolous, really.<br />
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<b>The real reason Confessions of a Foodie had only one post last week is …</b><br />
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<i>Drumroll puh-leezzz …</i><br />
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<b>Netflix. </b><br />
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More specifically, my (late) discovery of the<b> </b><a href="http://www.nbc.com/friday-night-lights/" style="font-weight: bold;">NBC drama, <b>“Friday Night Lights.”</b></a><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; font-weight: bold; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.nbc.com/friday-night-lights/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WkB-FVnMZ9k/TlNSdu95BWI/AAAAAAAABRQ/imNZNZ_xeHA/s640/Screen+shot+2011-08-23+at+12.10.00+AM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The beautiful Tami Taylor who plays a guidance counselor and West Dillon High and her compassionate husband, Coach Eric Taylor. NBC only has the last five episodes online and they're only available until September 18, 2011. I think I see a DVD purchase come Black Friday. (Screen capture of nbc.com's FNL site.)</i></b></td></tr>
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<b style="font-weight: bold;">“FNL?”</b> you ask.<br />
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Yuppers.<br />
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I never in a million years would have thought that I’d ever get so caught up in a series that on the surface was about nothing more than a bunch of high school jocks. <b>It held zero interest for me during it’s run on network television.</b><br />
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But in the same week it became recommended viewing on Netflix, I also saw a tweet about it in my Twitter feed and I decided it was a sign. Plus, after just having finished viewing the last season of <b>“The Tudors,”</b> I was eager to find another engrossing drama.<br />
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<b>I just hadn’t counted on finding one that would wind up being quite THIS time-sucking, can’t seem to turn it off engrossing.</b> And I gotta say, the first episode didn’t grab me. I had to watch it twice. But half-way through episode two, I was hooked.<br />
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So last week disappeared on me faster than I could say “<i>I’ll have a quad shot extra hot nonfat latte, please.”</i> Because, seriously, a quad shot is what I needed in the morning after watching the show back to back all last weekend and almost every night this past week into the wee hours of the morning.<br />
<b>This show created a monster.</b><br />
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Such a monster that I was quite upset to find that Netflix only had seasons 1-4 and that there was a fifth season and that NBC only had the last five episodes of season five available on their site so I watched it there and grew exasperated with the commercials (I swear they up the volume for those dangnamit things!) but I HAD to know how it all ended so I watched them even though I missed most of the season prior to those last five episodes.<br />
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Phew! That was quite the run-on sentence but that’s how passionate I became watching this show that made me root (I hate football, but I rooted anyway) and cry and think and wish I had a relationship like Coach Taylor and his wife Tami.<br />
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But I made it through and have come out the other side.<br />
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<b>Hello. My name is Ani and I’m a Netflix addict.</b><br />
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<b><i>Welcome, Ani. </i></b><br />
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{ And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming. … So to speak. Hehehe. }<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6071906929/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="castIron_4118x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="castIron_4118x" height="854" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6193/6071906929_4cd644ce13_b.jpg" width="580" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>I've had this cast iron pan for more than twenty years. It has survived many a roommate unfamiliar with caring for cast iron. This pan is so resilient! And it just keeps getting better.</i></b></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Cast Iron Dreaming</span><br />
One of my favorite, and most often used, tools in the kitchen has to be my cast iron skillet. I absolutely love it! It makes the best fried eggs and omelets. It provides quick and excellent searing on steaks that can then be put directly into the oven to finish pan roasting. It’s also excellent for dry toasting seeds, nuts and herbs.<br />
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<b>The beauty of cast iron is two-fold:</b> it conducts heat evenly and with proper care and use, develops it’s own nonstick (or, a-hem, “low” stick) cooking surface.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Seasoning a new cast iron pan</span><br />
My Lodge cast iron skillet and griddle I bought brand new before Lodge released their pre-seasoned line of products. <b>If you buy one that needs seasoning, it’s really easy to do:</b><br />
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<ol>
<li>Place two racks in the oven. Place a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil on the center of bottom rack.</li>
<li>Using a paper towel, apply a thin even coat of lard, bacon fat or solid vegetable shortening (Crisco is a good choice) to the cooking surface of your pan. Do not use any kind of liquid oil or nonstick spray as the burning point on these are not high enough and will leave a sticky, gummy residue on the surface. Be sure to go all the way up the sides of the pan. </li>
<li>Place the pan in the oven upside down on the top rack centered over the cookie sheet. Turn the oven on and set the temperature to 400˚ F. </li>
<li>Bake for one hour. </li>
<li>Turn off the oven and leave the pan in the oven to cool.</li>
<li>Remove pan from oven. Carefully wipe with paper towels. Your cast iron pan is now seasoned and ready to use.</li>
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If after a few uses, food is still severely sticking to the pan every time out, simply scrub the pan out and repeat the seasoning steps above.</b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Using cast iron</span><br />
The best way to use your pan is to begin by wiping your cooking oil on the cooking surface of a pan with paper towels. Then use add desired amount of cooking oil to the pan, place on low heat for the first couple of minutes, slowly turning it up to medium heat until it comes up to the proper cooking temperature.<b style="font-weight: bold;"> Always allow the pan to come to temp slowly. </b>Once your pan reaches the desired temp, you're ready to start cooking. Remember, cast iron gets very hot. Never touch the handle without proper pot holder or pan handle cozy.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6072449350/" style="clear: right; float: right; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="castIron_4121x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="castIron_4121x" height="320" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6075/6072449350_5bf5a73a4a_b.jpg" width="256" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Caring for cast iron</span><br />
A beautiful, well cared for cast iron pan will become even more seasoned – smoother, blacker – with regular use. <b>And </b><b style="font-weight: bold;">as it becomes more seasoned, it will become naturally nonstick.</b><b> </b>But it won’t become this way if you make the biggest mistake so many cast iron novice users make in caring for it: washing your cast iron with soap or using an abrasive sponge to scrub off burnt on food. Doing either of these will remove the seasoning (and any nonstick properties you’ve built up) from the pan forcing you to start the seasoning process all over. It’s at this point, that most cast iron haters have given up and moved on to other types of cookware.<br />
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<b style="font-weight: bold;">To help ensure a good return on your investment, here are my tips for clean up:</b><br />
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<ul>
<li>After cooking and removing all food from the pan, immediately wipe the interior of the pan with a wadded up wet paper towel, careful not to burn yourself in the process as the pan will still be hot. Then turn the heat back on to high and let the pan heat up for five minutes to burn off any moisture. Turn off the heat. Add about 1/2 teaspoon of oil and use a paper towel to rub it over any surface of the pan that might come into contact with food and then continue to buff it out with a clean paper towel. This will provide a “shield” from air moisture that could allow rust to form on the pan while in storage awaiting it’s next use. 90% of the time, this is all that needs to be done. </li>
<li>If your pan is a little crustier and a paper towel wipe down is not enough, you can add some water to cover the bottom of the pan, bring it to a boil and use a wooden spoon to carefully loosen up the burnt on food. As soon as it’s loosened though, stop and carefully dump out the hot water then proceed with the instructions above to burn off moisture and provide a rust shield.</li>
<li>If you're uncomfortable with just wiping out the pan as in step one above, use a stiff nylon brush to clean the pan under HOT running water. Never place a hot pan in cold or lukewarm water as it can cause the pan to crack. Carefully scrub with the brush but NEVER use soap.</li>
</ul>
<b style="font-weight: bold;">
Cast iron cookware does take a little TLC initially but it’s really easy and I believe, the payoff well worth it. </b>And with a little care, they’ll become treasured family heirlooms for generations.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6072450666/" style="font-weight: bold;" title="cornbread_4267x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="cornbread_4267x" height="464" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6067/6072450666_85d9e41c2c_o.jpg" width="580" /></a><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Skillet Cornbread is quick, easy and tasty</span><br />
I first saw the recipe for <b><a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/10/skillet-cornbread/">Skillet Cornbread over at Pioneer Woman</a>.</b> It was love at first read. I've made some tweak's to Ree's recipe because I love to bit into real corn kernels in my cornbread.<br />
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Ready? Let's get baking.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6072449512/" style="font-weight: bold;" title="cornbread_4127x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="cornbread_4127x" height="580" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6069/6072449512_a81994f4c5_o.jpg" width="580" /></a><br />
Add cornmeal and all-purpose flour to a large mixing bowl.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6071907147/" style="font-weight: bold;" title="cornbread_4129x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="cornbread_4129x" height="580" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6187/6071907147_f7756639b3_o.jpg" width="580" /></a>
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Add one teaspoon salt.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6071907231/" style="font-weight: bold;" title="cornbread_4130x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="cornbread_4130x" height="580" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6203/6071907231_a829bcf600_o.jpg" width="580" /></a><br />
Add 1 tablespoon baking powder.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6071907309/" title="cornbread_4134x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="cornbread_4134x" height="680" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6183/6071907309_586eb6dee2_o.jpg" width="580" /></a><br />
Use a fork to stir. See those lumps? Lumps bad. Use the fork to break 'em up until…<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6071907369/" title="cornbread_4135x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="cornbread_4135x" height="680" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6194/6071907369_65c147754b_o.jpg" width="580" /></a><br />
those lumpy bumpies are all gone and the dry ingredients are nicely combined.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6072449854/" title="cornbread_4182x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="cornbread_4182x" height="811" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6064/6072449854_15331c1f88_o.jpg" width="580" /></a><br />
Next up, dairy goodness: milk (I happen to drink nonfat but you can use whole or lowfat), buttermilk and one large egg.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6071907481/" title="cornbread_4186x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="cornbread_4186x" height="821" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6066/6071907481_a7b01acbe7_o.jpg" width="580" /></a><br />
Add the milk, buttermilk and egg to a bowl.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6071907525/" title="cornbread_4187x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="cornbread_4187x" height="464" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6208/6071907525_0a15fa072b_o.jpg" width="580" /></a><br />
Whisk it baby, whisk!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6072450028/" title="cornbread_4190x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="cornbread_4190x" height="464" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6077/6072450028_1aa3370584_o.jpg" width="580" /></a><br />
Add 1 level teaspoon of baking soda to the milk mixture and whisk again.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6072450074/" title="cornbread_4198x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="cornbread_4198x" height="709" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6209/6072450074_260c223b44_o.jpg" width="580" /></a><br />
Add the wet ingredients to the flour bowl.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6071907691/" title="cornbread_4203x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="cornbread_4203x" height="464" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6194/6071907691_cdab6b6e70_o.jpg" width="580" /></a><br />
Add 1 cup of frozen whole kernel corn and stir to combine.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6072450184/" title="cornbread_4211x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="cornbread_4211x" height="580" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6190/6072450184_bbc79c44c2_o.jpg" width="580" /></a><br />
Stir in melted butter.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6071907813/" title="cornbread_4214x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="cornbread_4214x" height="579" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6074/6071907813_2634c11813_o.jpg" width="580" /></a><br />
Slowly warm up your cast iron skillet. Mine is 10 inches so my cornbread was a bit on the thin side. I like it thicker so if your pan is 8 1/2 inches, you'll have thicker bread.<br />
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I'm jealous.<br />
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Add pancetta to the pan and render out the fat. Once rendered, remove the <strike>bacon</strike> pancetta bits. If they aren't too terrible burnt, save 'em to add to your scrambled eggs the next morning. Trust me. Yum.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6071907863/" title="cornbread_4219x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="cornbread_4219x" height="464" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6072/6071907863_276fb3278b_o.jpg" width="580" /></a><br />
Add butter or shortening to the pan and melt. Now the next time I do this, I'm using Crisco shortening instead of the butter for this step. The butter made for REALLY crispy crust.<br />
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A bit too crispy for my liking though I hear it's preferred this crispy by most southerners.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6071907939/" title="cornbread_4220x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="cornbread_4220x" height="580" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6085/6071907939_a1be41084a_o.jpg" width="580" /></a><br />
Carefully add batter. Even it out with a spoon. Cook on the stovetop for 1 minute then transfer to a preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6072450468/" title="cornbread_4232x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="cornbread_4232x" height="725" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6082/6072450468_f8ae912fa2_o.jpg" width="580" /></a><br />
Oh! Yeah! Baby! Bring on the BBQ!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6071908091/" title="cprnbread_4253x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><b><img alt="cprnbread_4253x" height="414" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6204/6071908091_a1ac14c875_o.jpg" width="580" /></b></a><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Skillet Cornbread</span><br />
<b style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">INGREDIENTS</span></b><br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;"><b>1 cup Yellow Cornmeal</b></i><br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;"><b>1/2 cup all-purpose flour</b></i><br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;"><b>1 teaspoon salt</b></i><br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;"><b>1 tablespoon baking powder</b></i><br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;"><b>1 cup buttermilk</b></i><br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;"><b>1/2 cup milk</b></i><br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;"><b>1 egg</b></i><br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;"><b>1/2 teaspoon baking soda</b></i><br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;"><b>1 cup whole kernel frozen corn</b></i><br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;"><b>1/2 cup butter</b></i><br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;"><b>1 1/2 tablespoons pancetta</b></i><br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;"><b>2 Tablespoons butter or shortening</b></i><br />
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<b style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">METHOD</span></b><br />
<ul>
<li>Preheat oven to 450 degrees.</li>
<li>Combine cornmeal, flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl. Stir together.</li>
<li>Measure the buttermilk and milk in a measuring cup and add the egg. Stir together with a fork. Add the baking soda and stir.</li>
<li>Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Gently stir in the corn.</li>
<li>Place 1/4 shortening into a small bowl and microwave to melt. Slowly add melted shortening to the batter, stirring until just combined.</li>
<li>In an iron skillet, cook the pancetta to render out the fat. Remove the pancetta bits and save for breakfast (taste yummy in scrambled eggs). Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter or shortening to melt careful not to burn. Carefully pour the batter into the hot skillet and spread to even out.</li>
<li>Cook on stovetop for 1 minute, then transfer to the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or a toothpick inserted comes out clean.</li>
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I hope you enjoy the cornbread!</div>
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Until next time, </div>
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<i>Ani</i></div>
Ani L. Arambulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095537747803778008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5957168599557416643.post-83796065505056398622011-08-09T10:00:00.000-07:002011-08-09T10:00:12.593-07:00Kodak Gallery: Making my own personal photo-filled cookbook { plus, a 40% discount for my readers!}<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6025069420/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="kodak_4289 by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="kodak_4289" height="580" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6186/6025069420_bd993029fe_o.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="580" /></a></div>
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<b><i>My 20 page collection of recipes sampled from this blog made possible with Kodak Gallery's Photo Books software came in the mail today and I was so excited to see the printed results. I was not disappointed in the quality one bit!</i></b></div>
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I close my eyes and see myself walking through a bookstore, perusing the cookbook section and stopping when I find this: <i><b>Confessions of a Foodie:</b> <b>A Latina in the Kitchen</b></i><b>. </b>The book is slickly designed and filled with gorgeous photos of dishes inspired from my childhood styled and shot in my vibrant palate with short stories paraphrased from this very blog introducing each recipe.</div>
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Then I wake up and realize it's only a dream … well, a dream for now anyway.</div>
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Until then, I'll have fun sharing my trial run "cookbook" that I had the pleasure to produce last week courtesy of <b><a href="http://www.foodbuzz.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">FoodBuzz's Tastemakers Program</span></a> </b>and<b> <a href="http://www.kodakgallery.com/products/photo-books/pc-Products-c-C830001"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">Kodak Gallery's Photo Books</span></a></b> software.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6025069274/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="kodak_4271 by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="kodak_4271" height="403" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6070/6025069274_0850f4f21a_o.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="580" /></a></div>
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<b><i>The photo book comes with a slipcover, making it feel all the more special.</i></b></div>
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I've made photo books before and this Kodak interface is just as easy to use as what I've used previously. Easier, in fact, because while I was laying out the book, I realized I needed a vertical instead of a horizontal for this page or that page and it was a cinch to add more photos from within the page layout window even after I started the design process. They automatically loaded into the photo tray at the bottom of the design interface. The software also alerted me when a photo I was using was too small for proper reproduction. Since I keep all of my full-size photos on a separate backup drive, it wasn't a big deal to go back and switch out the lower resolution file for a better quality one. If all your files are optimized for web, you might want to go back and locate your original files before uploading the photos you want to use.</div>
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Here's a peak at what the interface looks like:</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6025069452/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="bookOpeningSpread by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="bookOpeningSpread" height="524" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6150/6025069452_244030d991_o.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="580" /></a></div>
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Considering that this is Kodak, I really shouldn't have been surprised at the quality of the book itself. It's quite lovely. I picked a high-gloss black cover and the pages themselves feature a thick satin finish paper. Color is spot on (I uploaded files with an sRGB color space) with only a little gain in the darks. </div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6025069340/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="kodak_4288 by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="kodak_4288" height="392" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6144/6025069340_5a31aca338_o.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="580" /></a></div>
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<b><i>This is the opening spread. While designing, you can change easily between a photo page, a text page or a combination of both. Also, the page templates allow for multi-photo options though aligning multiple photos is a bit of a crap shoot. You can see from this shot that the right-hand photo of the upside down margarita glass doesn't line up with the larger photo on the left. I finally gave up trying to get them right.</i></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6025069322/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="kodak_4286 by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="kodak_4286" height="425" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6129/6025069322_d74f83aa27_o.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="580" /></a></div>
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My only complaint – and it should be noted that the average user will most likely not be bothered by this – is the inability to manipulate character styles. What I mean by this is that I did not have the ability to italicize or bold individual words or change headline size. Any changes I made to the text affected the entire text block. Considering that I am a professional graphic designer, not being able to off-set my recipes from their introductions was a real frustration. But like I noted earlier, the average user familiar with basic word processing will not note this as a problem. And it defnitely won't be one if your book is primarily photos with captions or short introductions.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Discount Offer from Kodak</span></div>
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I would definitely recommend this service if you're looking to put together a collection of recipes, document a family vacation or special occasion. It makes a lovely gift, too. And what's really awesome is that <b>Kodak is offering all of my readers 40% off on a medium or large hardback photo book creation of their very own from now until August 31, 2011.</b> 40% off! Yay! </div>
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Use this link, <a href="http://www.kodakgallery.com/creativity"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b45f06;">www.kodakgallery.com/creativity</span></b></a>, to redeem your discount.</div>
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Go. Create. Enjoy! And share here with me if you take advantage of this awesome opportunity. </div>
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Until next time, </div>
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Ani</div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">* THE FINE PRINT: I received a discount for the creation of this book as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program with Kodak Gallery.</span></i></div>
Ani L. Arambulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095537747803778008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5957168599557416643.post-36864616196545818542011-08-08T09:29:00.000-07:002011-08-08T09:31:48.081-07:00Tea for Two is Sweeter with Earl Grey Scented Shotbread Cookies {recipe}<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6018564915/" title="earlgcookies_4068x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="earlgcookies_4068x" height="725" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6149/6018564915_124b2456aa_o.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="580" /></a></div>
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I love having girlfriends over to chat it up over a little something to nosh. And sometimes, when that little something is a little sweet, all the better!<b> These earl grey shortbread cookies are light and crumbly</b> with just a hint of the earl grey flavor and are ever-so-slightly sweet.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6018564829/" title="earlgcookies_4064x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="earlgcookies_4064x" height="870" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6141/6018564829_1b057730ed_o.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="580" /></a></div>
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Shortbread is one of my favorites. It’s a super basic, easy dough that is great all by itself but also serves as an awesome base for add-ins such as these earl grey tea leaves but also lavender buds, mini chocolate chips, crushed nuts or half dipped in chocolate (aka, Royal Shortbread). This particular recipe is lighter and more delicate than the classic 1-2-3 version (one part sugar-two parts butter-three parts flour) due to the addition of the cornstarch.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/5827834286/" title="lavender_3163xA by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="lavender_3163xA" height="640" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3543/5827834286_0cfd4d88fb_z.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="427" /></a></div>
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I wrote about my attempts at perfecting my shortbread over at Tree.com for a post I did on <b><a href="http://www.tree.com/food-dining/blog-blog/archive-2011-07-07-more-than-just-for-luck-lavender-makes-for-tasty-shortbread.aspx"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">lavender shortbread</span></a></b>. Now with my basic dough figured out, I can experiment with various add-ins to my hearts content.</div>
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<b>Ready? Let's bake!</b></div>
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Cream powdered sugar and room temperature butter. Add vanilla.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6018563839/" title="earlgcookies_3981x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="earlgcookies_3981x" height="870" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6027/6018563839_9a2b9af090_o.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="580" /></a></div>
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Is a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch and a dash of salt.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6018564049/" title="earlgcookies_3992x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="earlgcookies_3992x" height="580" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6125/6018564049_97d427c66a_o.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="580" /></a></div>
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Add a third of the flour to the butter mixture.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6019115870/" title="earlgcookies_3995x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="earlgcookies_3995x" height="580" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6007/6019115870_cc4888c38c_o.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="580" /></a></div>
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Carefully fold to combine. Repeat with the second third of flour.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6019115682/" title="earlgcookies_3991x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="earlgcookies_3991x" height="464" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6017/6019115682_bd21e75257_o.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="580" /></a></div>
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Earl grey is hands down my favorite tea. I've been out of loose leaf for a while and due to finances, found this alternative bagged tea from Fresh &amp;amp; Easy. Considering the difference in price from what I used to use, I was pleasantly surprised the first time I made it at how tasty it is. For my shortbread, I cut a bag of it open and it gave me just shy of 2 teaspoons.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6018564247/" title="earlgcookies_3998x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="earlgcookies_3998x" height="580" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6012/6018564247_31ff963924_o.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="580" /></a></div>
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Add the last third of the flour to the dough bowl and the earl grey tea leaves. Carefully fold until all is combined.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6019116016/" title="earlgcookies_4002canvasX by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="earlgcookies_4002canvasX" height="580" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6009/6019116016_75f3c9887d_o.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="580" /></a></div>
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Turn out the dough onto a piece of plastic cling wrap. Form it into a ball then pat it down to about a 1/2" thick disk. Completely wrap the dough with the cling wrap. Pre-flattening the dough saves you from spending too much time rolling out the chilled dough. This ensures the dough has less time to come up to room temperature before baking. Place the disk into the fridge and allow it to chill for 30 minutes.</div>
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Pre-heat oven to 300˚F.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6018564485/" title="earlgcookies_4038x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="earlgcookies_4038x" height="870" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6014/6018564485_869f50bea1_o.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="580" /></a></div>
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Working with a quarter or half of the dough at a time, roll it out on a lightly floured board using just enough flour to keep it from sticking. Too much flour will toughen the dough so be a bit stingy here. I use a 3 inch scalloped edge biscuit cutter to cut out my dough after rolling it out to about 1/4" thick. Combine the scraps from each roll/cut stage, flatten it out, wrap it in the cling wrap and place it back in the fridge while this first batch is baking.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6019116204/" title="earlgcookies_4046x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="earlgcookies_4046x" height="387" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6021/6019116204_e416627461_o.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="580" /></a></div>
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Place the cut out cookies 1/4"or so apart onto a sheet pan lined either with parchment paper or a silicone cookie pad. Bake for 18-20 minutes just until the cookie is set and just starting to get lightly golden around the edges, but not browned. It's such a tragedy to over-bake shortbread so keep an eye on it and start checking at about 16 minutes. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes before serving.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5uZ9bkvwzLA/Tj77SiPJwnI/AAAAAAAABQU/tYwM5WBuL48/s1600/earlgcookies_4084xrecipe2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5uZ9bkvwzLA/Tj77SiPJwnI/AAAAAAAABQU/tYwM5WBuL48/s1600/earlgcookies_4084xrecipe2.jpg" style="cursor: move;" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">Some tips for success:</span></div>
<ul>
<li>Use the best unsweetened butter you can afford. The butter, is after all, the main flavor in shortbread.</li>
<li>Don’t add too much extra flour when forming ball or rolling. Use minimum needed to keep dough from sticking. Adding too much flour at this stage can result in a tough dough.</li>
<li>Work quickly to keep butter from warming up to room temperature.</li>
<li>To ensure that cookie won’t “spread” while baking, after cutting out cookies and placing on cookie sheet, put cookie sheet into refrigerator for 5 minutes to add back some chill.</li>
<li>Unless your cookie sheets can fit on one rack, bake only one sheet at a time to ensure cookies bake evenly.</li>
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Until next time!</div>
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Ani</div>
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Ani L. Arambulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095537747803778008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5957168599557416643.post-81180858629569167252011-08-03T19:12:00.001-07:002011-08-03T19:12:13.909-07:00Gorgeous evening at the dog park<div class='posterous_autopost'><p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="P668" height="612" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/afotogirlsworld/psDhIoFuplwbuBgnGckkmyHFldJbHyyJpnmHjlacpynvuruqlzvkDthzoxdj/p668.jpg.scaled1000.jpg" width="612" /> <img alt="P670" height="612" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/afotogirlsworld/JjBteqGFfEvJrgIAjgEtxGmJkJDhfdJsqsvAryuniBbIvEcqAGjGyogpibse/p670.jpg.scaled1000.jpg" width="612" /> <img alt="P672" height="612" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/afotogirlsworld/sbkolqExnvopAJpsJnGjwEfJGDHHFrDypgCmcBmgGxbHxCHHcxijcdzmqrfj/p672.jpg.scaled1000.jpg" width="612" /> <div class='p_see_full_gallery'><a href="http://afotogirlsworld.posterous.com/gorgeous-evening-at-the-dog-park">See the full gallery on Posterous</a></div> </div> </p></div>Ani L. Arambulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095537747803778008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5957168599557416643.post-22056498549447750932011-08-03T17:31:00.000-07:002011-08-03T17:31:11.427-07:00Feeding Unexpected Company is Easy with a Well-Stocked Pantry: Baked Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Chicken {recipe}<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6006971992/" title="sunTomPasta_4033x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="sunTomPasta_4033x" height="725" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6147/6006971992_75717bfd4f_b.jpg" width="580" /></a><br />
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<b>Weekends or mid-week, a good friend drops by</b> and you get to talking and talking and talking and the next thing you know, it’s dinner time. Uh-oh! You haven’t been grocery shopping yet. What to do? Don’t upset the rhythm of your lovely leisurely visit by leaving the comfort of your home and heading to a restaurant (especially if that talking included sipping on wine or cocktails). Instead, if you have a well-stocked pantry with essential easy to throw together ingredients, simple, yet satisfying dinners are a snap such as this Baked Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Chicken & Ricotta.<br />
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I’ve written about pantry <a href="http://www.confessionsofafoodie.me/2010/02/hey-therewhats-your-staple.html"><b>staples</b></a> before but part of the fun of having this site is <b>the joy in sharing ideas</b> on what to include in a well-stocked pantry and then what to do with those ingredients.<br />
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<b>My previous list of must-haves included:</b><br />
<ul><li>long grain white rice</li>
<li>pinto beans</li>
<li>canned stewed tomatoes</li>
<li>peanut butter</li>
<li>eggs</li>
<li>white flour for tortillas</li>
<li>masa harina for corn tortillas</li>
<li>frozen chicken breasts</li>
<li>butter</li>
<li>milk</li>
<li>canned albacore</li>
<li>olive oil</li>
<li>onions</li>
<li>seasoning including Knorr's chicken bouillon, dried oregano, dried basil, ground cumin, California chili powder, Spanish paprika, kosher salt, black pepper</li>
</ul><b>I had a “Duh!” moment</b> when I went back and read this list from last year. I realize it was meant as a sampling of the staples I try to keep in my pantry and not a complete list. <b>Some of the items that I left out </b>– most of which are in today’s recipe – include:<br />
<ul><li>Trader Joe’s jarred sauces including basil pesto, sun-dried tomato pesto, masala and korma</li>
<li>assorted Italian pasta shapes with an emphasis on penne and thick spaghetti</li>
<li>cheese including parmesan, ricotta, mozzarella (usually fresh such as ovoline or buffalo), shredded mild or sharp cheddar, jack cheese and cotija (a Mexican hard, aged cheese)</li>
<li>pine nuts</li>
<li>chicken</li>
<li>vinegars including balsamic, red wine, apple, rice and white</li>
</ul>Now, let’s get cooking!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6006971386/" title="suntompasta_3953x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="suntompasta_3953x" height="580" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6131/6006971386_af2687bd08_z.jpg" width="580" /></a><br />
Boil pasta in salted water to al dente. Drain, rinse under cold water and add to a large bowl. <b>Tip: </b>To prevent the salt from staining your pans with that hard to remove white ring, don't add salt to water until it's already reached a boil.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6006971438/" title="suntompasta_3957x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="suntompasta_3957x" height="580" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6138/6006971438_20defc7cfc_z.jpg" width="580" /></a><br />
Add leftover cooked chicken, jarred pesto and pan toasted pine nuts. Stir to combine. <b>Personalize it:</b> Any leftover cooked meat will work. I've made this with both chopped steak and even chopped leftover pork chops. Or leave the meat out altogether and use canned beans – or not. The point is, don't be afraid to customize to your taste. As for the pesto, I've also used basil pesto and it's just as tasty.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6006428119/" title="suntompasta_3964x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="suntompasta_3964x" height="580" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6014/6006428119_bc07aa0441_z.jpg" width="580" /></a><br />
Turn oven on and preheat to 400 degrees F. Coat the inside of your casserole dish with olive oil. Place a layer of the pasta to just cover the bottom. Sprinkle with parmesan.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6006428193/" title="suntompasta_3966x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="suntompasta_3966x" height="580" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6023/6006428193_dcd9ab6846_z.jpg" width="580" /></a><br />
Use a spoon to add dollops of ricotta.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6006428065/" title="suntompasta_3961x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="suntompasta_3961x" height="580" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6144/6006428065_6c9e12dc8e_z.jpg" width="580" /></a><br />
<b>This is olovine.</b> It's a fresh mozzarello made from cows milk and comes packed in a brine. It's soft and has a creamy, milder taste taste than it's semi-hard counterpart that most people are familiar with. And even considering that it sits in a salt solution, it's actually less salty than it's counterpart as well.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6006428257/" title="suntompasta_3967x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="suntompasta_3967x" height="580" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6140/6006428257_65356ec965_z.jpg" width="580" /></a><br />
Hand shred some olovine over the ricotta.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6006566647/" title="suntompasta_3968 by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="suntompasta_3968" height="580" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6125/6006566647_a911566245_z.jpg" width="580" /></a><br />
Add another layer of pasta and repeat the parmesan, ricotta, olovine steps.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6006971776/" title="suntompasta_3973x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="suntompasta_3973x" height="580" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6122/6006971776_0f71fcebed_z.jpg" width="580" /></a><br />
Add the last layer of pasta, sprinkle with more parmesan and add the last of the olovine.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6006971856/" title="suntompasta_4017x by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="suntompasta_4017x" height="724" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6124/6006971856_bdf3696145_b.jpg" width="580" /></a><br />
Bake in a 400˚ F. oven for 15-20 minutes until the cheese has melted and the top has a golden crust.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/6007130000/" title="suntompasta_4024x2 by afotogirl, on Flickr"><img alt="suntompasta_4024x2" height="580" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6022/6007130000_52997d3c2f_o.jpg" width="580" /></a><br />
Let it sit for 10 minutes before serving.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-stCAhnOVLm4/TjnkyDivPTI/AAAAAAAABQI/_Sv408eXdiQ/s1600/sunTomrecipe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-stCAhnOVLm4/TjnkyDivPTI/AAAAAAAABQI/_Sv408eXdiQ/s1600/sunTomrecipe.jpg" /></a></div>Ani L. Arambulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095537747803778008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5957168599557416643.post-18062447971414242212011-07-29T22:15:00.001-07:002011-07-30T14:22:30.398-07:00{ Sharing the Kitchen With } Glo shows me her doggy tested recipes for homemade dog food<div class="posterous_autopost">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IU0398sHUfM/TjOUV0NPfwI/AAAAAAAABOo/utK3RcL9kQ4/s1600/dogfood_3863x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IU0398sHUfM/TjOUV0NPfwI/AAAAAAAABOo/utK3RcL9kQ4/s1600/dogfood_3863x.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;">I am the proud mommy of a fur child.</span><br />
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So proud, in fact, that 75% of the photos on my <b><a href="http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_iphone/family/iphone"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">iPhone</span></a></b> are of her and I probably have about 10 gigs of photos on my backup drive that I shot with my <b><a href="http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/support/consumer/eos_slr_camera_systems/eos_digital_slr_cameras/eos_5d"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">5D</span></a></b>. It didn’t take long for me to become one of <i>those</i> people who post photos of their dogs on <b><a href="http://instagr.am/p/F3K6R/?ref=nf"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Instagram</span></a></b>, Facebook, <b><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afotogirl66/collections/72157626352989284/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Flickr</span></a></b> and Twitter, have photos of them all over work stations and screensavers and wallpaper on computers. Starbuck even has her <b><a href="http://lifewithadog.posterous.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">own blog</span></a></b> (though it’s been a bit neglected of late) and I post a lot of photos of her on my other blog. Yes, this blondie has become my center and I’ll admit that sometimes, even being on as tight of a budget as I am some months, I will go cheap on my own groceries so I am not skimping on the quality of her dog food (and, ahem! treats). I occasionally will buy her wet food but most of the time, she’ll sniff it, taste it and walk away. <b>So when my friend Gloria told me about her two super simple homemade dog food recipes she makes for her fur child, I jumped at her offer to share them with me.</b></div>
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<span style="color: #666699; font-size: large;">Happy Anniversary, Starbuck</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8skgLvnASvM/TjOUduCqSbI/AAAAAAAABOs/X9KwkbLmv1E/s1600/starbuckBaby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8skgLvnASvM/TjOUduCqSbI/AAAAAAAABOs/X9KwkbLmv1E/s1600/starbuckBaby.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
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<strong><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>Starbuck on the day I brought her home from the Humane Society one year ago.</em></span></strong><br />
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<b>Today is the one year anniversary of the day</b> I rescued my little Starbuck from the <b><a href="http://www.sdhumane.org/site/PageServer?pagename=adp_AvailablePets"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Humane Society</span></a></b>. I’d been looking for a dog for more than a year. Once a week, I’d pour myself a glass of wine, fire up the laptop and peruse the pages of our local Humane Society, <b><a href="http://www.sddac.com/adoptions.asp"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Animal Shelter</span></a></b> and <b><a href="http://www.labrescuers.org/RP_Adoptable.asp?cid=All"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">dog rescues</span></a></b>.</div>
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Over the course of a year or so, I’d met several dogs but had yet to make a connection with any of them. I was beginning to think that because I’d always been a cat person, <b>I would never find a dog that I could commit to</b>. I’d given myself one more month to look. If I came up empty, then I figured I’d change course and bring home a kitty instead.</div>
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One Wednesday evening, I came across a photo of a white and brown spotted cocker spaniel on the Humane Society website. The next day, I left work during my lunch break to see the dog in person. When I reached his “apartment,” I couldn’t believe how cute he was. But he already had 7 holds on him. Disheartened, I moved on to the next apartment where a very vocal jack russell was at the window trying to get my attention. So I stopped to give him some when I noticed he had a roommate. A smallish blonde puppy was lying on the floor playing with a chew toy completely ignoring the terrier. I looked at the info posted on the window. Lettie was her shelter name and she was a 10 month old cocker spaniel. You’d never know it by looking at her. She had this crazy Nina Blackwood head of hair and the fur covering her body was short and choppy all over.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_EUcZIPeRu4/TjOUsZoxZ7I/AAAAAAAABOw/254ZuhzKhHk/s1600/halloween.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_EUcZIPeRu4/TjOUsZoxZ7I/AAAAAAAABOw/254ZuhzKhHk/s1600/halloween.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>By Halloween, there was no mistaking that Starbuck was a full-blown cocker spaniel.</i></b></td></tr>
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I asked to see her immediately and found out that she had just been released from observation that morning and didn’t even have a profile online yet. <b>She came up to me, tail wagging, butt wiggling, licked my hand</b> and then sat on the floor watching me as I wrestled with her roommate who was determined to keep my attention all to himself.</div>
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And that was it. The fact that she acknowledged me but wasn’t so aggressive as to fight the terrier for my attention made me fall in love with her and her sweet temperament. <b>I knew I’d met “the one.”</b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1YFBYyGZiHo/TjOVFMxB92I/AAAAAAAABO0/4old_lDZGsg/s1600/spanishLanding_Star001x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1YFBYyGZiHo/TjOVFMxB92I/AAAAAAAABO0/4old_lDZGsg/s1600/spanishLanding_Star001x.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.portofsandiego.org/spanish-landing-park.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Spanish Landing</span></a> is one of Starbuck's favorite spots: she watches the sailboats go by, chasing the seagulls and enjoys all the loving she gets from folks out exercising who stop to pet her.</span></em></strong></td></tr>
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Two days later, I got to bring her home. Little did I know then, or in the frustrating early two months of training, exactly how much this buff cocker spaniel would add joy and love to my life. I take her nearly everywhere with me. She’s won over everyone who has met her. <b>And now, a year later, I can’t imagine my life without her.</b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666699; font-size: large;">Making Homemade Dog Food</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-woOpGS2oayU/TjOVWIUmyoI/AAAAAAAABO4/xGnriR-xRRI/s1600/glo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-woOpGS2oayU/TjOVWIUmyoI/AAAAAAAABO4/xGnriR-xRRI/s640/glo.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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This is <b>Glo</b>.<br />
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This is her dog <b>Bonnie</b>. Isn’t she adorable?</div>
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Glo told me that she started making Bonnie’s dog food – and Clyde’s, too, who they lost suddenly a while ago – when the dogs where a year old. It was just about the time that she and her finance, Sean, moved to California.</div>
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<b>“I couldn’t stand the smell of it,” said Glo of the first time she opened a can of wet dog food.</b> She decided then and there that there was no way she was going to feed it to her “kids.”<br />
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Faced with the dilemma of finding an alternative, she did what most of us do when faced with a question: She Googled. The recipes she’s sharing with us today are modified versions of what she found all those years ago.</div>
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“The beauty of these recipes are that you can substitute any veggies (that are safe for dogs) for ones that are just about to turn. You can even use leftovers,” she says. In fact, the potatoes used for one of these recipes were from dinner the night before. As for the meat, she buys whichever ground meat is on sale come shopping day.</div>
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I asked what Bonnie’s vet said about her feeding these homemade dog foods to her. “Oh, the vet’s fine with it completely,” said Glo. When it’s time to eat, Bonnie gets a bowl made up of half good quality dry dog food and half homemade dog food.</div>
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<span style="color: #666699; font-size: large;">Easy Peasy</span></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.confessionsofafoodie.me/2011/02/life-food-mimosa-and-great-company-what.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Nena</span></a></b>, Glo's beautiful little girl, kept us company in the kitchen while we cooked up this first batch.</div>
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Isn't she lovely? Her eyes are the first thing you see. Large, round and a gorgeous shade of blue.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Ok, baby break is over. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>First up:</b> <i>Ground turkey with brown rice and carrots</i></span></div>
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Heat up a pan and add a tablespoon of vegetable oil (Glo used olive oil).</div>
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While the oil heats up, chop the carrots in a food processor.</div>
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When the oil is hot, add the meat and begin to break it up.<br />
Once it starts to cook, add the carrots and cook until the meat is almost cooked through.</div>
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Add water to help steam the carrots.</div>
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Add pre-cooked rice. Glo was a little short on leftover brown rice so she added some white rice to get the right amount and then finishes the dish with a pinch of salt.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Mmmmm. What is that smell?</i></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
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Starbuck was circling me when I moved the bowl of food over to the coffee table to take the "finished" shot. <b>She could hardly wait to taste.</b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Next up: </b><i>Ground beef, zucchini, potatoes</i></span></div>
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Use a food processor to shred the zucchini.</div>
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Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a pan. Add the ground beef and break up with a wooden spoon to begin the browning process.</div>
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Add the zucchini. Stir to combine.</div>
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Add the pre-cooked potatoes.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>By this time, the girls were circling Glo. They could smell something yummy cooking.</i></b></td></tr>
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Glo added a dash of salt to the pan. And this recipe is ready to serve up.</div>
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A couple tablespoons of dry food and a couple of this homemade dog food and …</div>
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<b>dinner is served</b>.<br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(CLICK ON PHOTOS FOR PRINTABLE RECIPE CARDS)</span></i></div>
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Have an awesome weekend!</div>
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Until next time,</div>
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Ani</div>
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Ani L. Arambulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095537747803778008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5957168599557416643.post-37234130572545081832011-07-20T11:56:00.001-07:002011-07-20T11:56:19.387-07:00The Hemingway Diaquiri: My new favorite cocktail {link love}<div class='posterous_autopost'><p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Aladaiquiri3508" height="750" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-20/CuJnDCeBjCmmDfxnIurEEfinmfwsnzCCFzrsfljujodAhHbnBIinvzDmHeua/ALAdaiquiri3508.jpg.scaled1000.jpg" width="500" /> </div> </p> <p>Last Monday I tweeted that I was up early shooting a cocktail in my home studio for a cover story for the newspaper and how said cocktail will be THE drink of my summer.</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="11jul20_food" height="1000" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-20/konqegzFIwgHIwBckwcIrtdxqGsroGAeHEqpJtIptjaDnkBzHFJCibueAeCs/11JUL20_food.jpg.scaled1000.jpg" width="569" /> </div> </p> <p>The story published today and this is the completed page. Staffer Robert York wrote a sweet story on Hemingway and how this recipe became the author's favorite. You can read the entire story <strong><a href="http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/jul/19/cool-cocktails/#0_undefined,0_" target="_blank">here</a></strong>. </p> <p><span style="font-size: large; color: #ff6600;">How did I get here?</span></p> <p>I will admit it right here to all of you (in case being a casual reader of my blog hasn't already clued you in): <strong>I am a control freak.</strong> Yes, yes I am.</p> <p>But they say, the first step to recovery is acknowledging there is a problem.</p> <p>But I ask, <strong>is it a problem?</strong> Seriously?</p> <p>Because those times I am in complete control of my creative process – from deciding on the most visual recipe to reproduce, recreating that recipe in my own kitchen, shopping for props and then art directing the page design in my head while I am shooting the image makes for a real sense of freedom and creative satisfaction. And let's face it, with the economy pushing companies these days to consolidate in a quest to cut down costs, where individual talent is often thwarted under the guise of efficiency, having a day when you are satisfied with the outcome of your efforts is priceless. Well, almost priceless, anyway. <strong>If <em>it</em> fails, <em>I</em> fail alone.</strong> If it sings, however, everyone is happy and I have the satisfaction of a job well done.</p> <p>I started prop shopping two weeks before my planned shoot weekend. This included buying new wood for a fresh off-white background, deciding on the right "shade" of white (which took three trips because I was being indecisive), painting it and then finding the right tray and V-shape cocktail glass (the shape of my martini glasses were really shallow and I wanted glasses with a nicer profile that would allow me to show off some of the color).</p> <p>I tracked down the liqueur needed, bought the fruit and shot the recipe the day before I needed the final shot. And as is my usual control freak way, I stopped shooting when I realized I wasn't getting the shot.</p> <p>I slept on it. Woke up super early the next day – which was of course the Monday I was to start design on the page – and re-shot it. </p> <p>I find sleeping on it always helps. I discovered that in art school where I pushed my deadline all the time because I wanted time for ideas to "gel" in my head before attempting them and then gel some more after my initial efforts.</p> <p>I'm just weird that way.</p> <p>Here are some outtakes:</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Aladaiquiri3517" height="750" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-20/cbrmhcIgruyBkdqkByDAHozIhsgmhHbjhykcyJeduklgdfiecwJfatvgeGvk/ALAdaiquiri3517.jpg.scaled1000.jpg" width="500" /> </div> <div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Aladaiquiri3519" height="750" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-20/etIjrDJrkgAzgpjeCgekcuqwzIypldAJiuAkEbntIejfIsEBCrfDrkqIeeJo/ALAdaiquiri3519.jpg.scaled1000.jpg" width="500" /> </div> <div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Aladaiquiri316264" height="750" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-20/AzbJwCgGhEgefDhjekDfdIBhlfjepflCpyusnfaqstryqhgesftJahrIomer/ALAdaiquiri316264.jpg.scaled1000.jpg" width="500" /> </div> </p> <p>Until next time,</p> <p>Ani</p></div>Ani L. Arambulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095537747803778008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5957168599557416643.post-90049836872869237092011-07-19T09:00:00.001-07:002011-07-19T09:00:41.788-07:00Sunday cooking: Two Color Pepper Steak with Potatoes for the week {recipe}<div class='posterous_autopost'><p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Pepper_3127x" height="600" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-19/umndpupdcvoeflxCzlyFuqJBetzgcyuhyFCBxDszGcAajziJqgzuCsjgoFrF/pepper_3127x.jpg.scaled980.jpg" width="600" /> </div> On Sundays, I like to carve out time to cook some dishes that will reheat well (and pack well for lunch) during the work week. It isn't always easy finding this time but when I <strong>can</strong> do this, <strong>it saves me from eating poorly during the week.</strong> You know what it's like, right? Come home late from a long day at work and no matter how much you love to cook, after walking the fur child, there just isn't enough energy left in you to make an elaborate meal. So you either stop on the way home and pick up overpriced fast food that lacks anything resembling nutrition. Or if you're like me, you have just enough energy to scramble an egg, wrap it in a tortilla, pour yourself a glass of wine and call it dinner. </p> <p>Hence the Sunday cooking marathons whenever I can. One of my favorite dishes to make is <strong>pepper steak</strong>. It's also one of those dishes that reminds me of home. My mom makes the best. It's been a very long time since I've seen her make it and can't quite remember how she does it. So I came up with my own version from what I remember Mom's tasting like and although I am not too proud to admit that there's something about mom's that I can't quite replicate, my version is nonetheless quite yummy.</p> <p>Maybe some day, I'll have Mom make it for me while I take notes. And then I'll post an update.</p> <p>Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge. <strong>Hear that Mama?</strong></p> <p>Until that day, I'll share my version. </p> <p><strong><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Pepper_3054x" height="400" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-19/rubqdrgujorJBGACtcbgathlpflEzmzzAcqknzqsmihgwkvsJHscJjrbpdts/pepper_3054x.jpg.scaled980.jpg" width="600" /> </div> </strong></p> <p><strong>Let's get the party started:</strong> Since the potatoes will take the longest, I get them going first. P<strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">eel and cube one large russet potato. Add two tablespoons of olive oil to a large frying pan. Heat to medium hot; oil should be rippling and shimmering when ready. Test the pan by placing one cube of potato in the pan. If it sizzles and bubbles, add the remaining potatoes. If it doesn't even so much as burp, wait a little longer for the oil to reach the right temp. Cook the potatoes covered, keeping a watchful eye so that they don't burn. You don't want them to crust up or even brown but you do want them almost fork tender. While they cook, move on to prepping the other components. </span></strong></p> <p><strong><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Pepper_3058x" height="600" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-19/gbHrkGgCFvHhkzmjwGHDdsJuiwuowGDnGJlxzcJgzoBxDoyxxjcoFhqpyBgH/pepper_3058x.jpg.scaled980.jpg" width="600" /> </div> </strong><strong>Prep the veggies:</strong> What's pepper steak without the<strong><span> bell peppers</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">? You'll need to matchstick two. They can be whatever color you have on hand. Since we all know that we eat with our eyes first, I like to make it colorful by using one green and one red. You'll also need to slice a small onion - white or yellow - whichever you have on hand. </span></strong></p> <p><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;"><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Pepper_3067x" height="600" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-19/FoCnxhGDahzDidizIzJeEfAEGgIHogpJvIHgGgczyiyktuFltbIdEJipppFk/pepper_3067x.jpg.scaled980.jpg" width="600" /> </div> </span></strong></p> <p><strong>Prep the meat: </strong>I like to use a thin steak because it cooks fast but you can use whatever kind of steak you like. I usually buy the least expensive cut they happen to have on shopping day. You'll need to cut it into bite-sized pieces. Put flour, salt and freshly ground black pepper into a large ziplock bag. Add the cut meat and shake.</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Pepper_3071x" height="600" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-19/wqHemfCAxsmbsukuJmBypwItvbekvjdIdytavokiDeguaiGCybgthmegnaBu/pepper_3071x.jpg.scaled980.jpg" width="600" /> </div> <strong>Shake. Shake. Shake.</strong> (Did K.C. & the Sunshine Band just pop into your head or am I, like, totally dating myself?) Shake until all the little bits of steak goodness are well coated.</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Pepper_3074x" height="600" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-19/DmFhAzyyEAkdCHGtjfHCffevIsneuAljqeelhojpxsgyayvFGDehAAunwkpF/pepper_3074x.jpg.scaled980.jpg" width="600" /> </div> </p> <p><strong>Shake off excess:</strong> I like to use a strainer over a paper plate to shake off the excess flour. </p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Pepper_3062x" height="400" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-19/vxIgEHmdqrtxcuDwycrCeiaqEGqgwpbizAheftdEHowEaiufIiaglkCikbsj/pepper_3062x.jpg.scaled980.jpg" width="600" /> </div> </p> <p><strong>Cook the veggies:</strong> Once the potatoes are almost fork tender, remove from the pan, set aside and wipe out the pan. Add another tablespoon or two of olive oil and sauté the onions until translucent (about 5 minutes). </p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Pepper_3065x" height="600" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-19/BGzlkoGqnfowxorxxEItqJojunljlFtHjxnfuJqAJuispbvEuHufHqgnbrws/pepper_3065x.jpg.scaled980.jpg" width="600" /> </div> </p> <p><strong>Add the peppers</strong> and cook another 8 minutes. Remove the veggies from the pan and set aside. </p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Pepper_3075x" height="600" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-19/kirmqEArnjnxJiGwHJylEClfrCyDBxEuJgdGegDJbFxBmyaAiteBoltzceJH/pepper_3075x.jpg.scaled980.jpg" width="600" /> </div> </p> <p><strong>Meat browning time:</strong> Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and once the oil is hot, carefully add the floured meat. Sauté until all sides are slightly browned.</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Pepper_3082x" height="600" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-19/nJdnaqghmlytpvvuJwAwbxyitzjJBEllwsceGFloHsaBoBAgrImksvynmFew/pepper_3082x.jpg.scaled980.jpg" width="600" /> </div> </p> <p><strong>Add back all of the veggies.</strong> Stir to combine. Add 1/3 cup water, cover and let simmer for 15 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half and the potatoes are fork tender.</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Pepper_3128x" height="600" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-19/rqFywdqJuppIzoaGpDcBmgjFnwxcooHuAnCGdsqhieAHkvECgtmpFrBqalgs/pepper_3128x.jpg.scaled980.jpg" width="600" /> </div> </p> <p><strong>Serve with a green salad. </strong>And a glass of wine is always welcomed.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline; color: #99cc00;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Pepper Steak with Potatoes</span></span></p> <p><strong>Ingredients</strong></p> <ul> <li>1 large russet potato, peeled and cubed</li> <li>1 small yellow onion, sliced</li> <li>1 small green pepper, cut into matchsticks</li> <li>1 small red bell pepper, cut into matchsticks</li> <li>1/2 cup flour</li> <li>1 teaspoon kosher salt</li> <li>1 teaspoon ground black pepper</li> <li>1 - 1 1/2 lb steak, cut into bite-sized pieces</li> <li>olive oil </li> <li>salt and pepper to taste</li> </ul> <p><strong>Method</strong></p> <p>In a large frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil until oil is shimmering. Add cubed potatoes. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Stir potatoes to turn. Continue cooking and stirring until almost fork tender but not browned. Remove from pan, set aside and wipe out pan with a paper towel. </p> <p>Add another tablespoon olive oil to pan. Add onions and sauté until translucent. Add peppers and cook for 5-8 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.</p> <p>In a large resealable plastic bag, add flour, 1 teaspoon each of salt and ground black pepper. Shake to mix. Add cut steak. Shake to coat steak well. Turn steak out into a fine mesh strainer and shake off excess flour.</p> <p>Add 2 tablespoons oil to hot pan. When oil is shimmering, carefully add the meat. Brown on all sides. Return vegetables to pan. Stir to combine.</p> <p>Add 1/3 cup water, cover, reduce heat to low and gently simmer for 15-20 minutes until liquid has reduced by half or until potatoes are fork tender. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.</p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;"><em>Until next time... ¡Buen Provecho!</em></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;"><em>Ani</em></span></p></div>Ani L. Arambulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095537747803778008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5957168599557416643.post-91411396307801679232011-07-15T12:51:00.001-07:002011-07-15T12:51:45.394-07:00Farewell to a great gig and as my parting gift? This awesome Spanish Sangria recipe {link love}<div class='posterous_autopost'><p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="5729785284_a9983f774a_z" height="640" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-15/tGAjzEzxszntBrcEvrBndmCioCqkidrHnnfaAIlnADclbsyddvEuJogeiDCo/5729785284_a9983f774a_z.jpg.scaled1000.jpg" width="433" /> </div> </p> <p><strong>Just when I was in dire need of a kick in the behind</strong> to dedicate more time to writing, cooking, shooting for my blog, along came <strong>Tree.com</strong> and it's initiative to expand their sphere of influence by starting up a <strong><a href="http://www.tree.com/food-dining/" target="_blank">Food & Dining Channel</a></strong>. The Channel Leader, the awesomely talented <strong><a href="http://myburningkitchen.com/" target="_blank">Darlene</a></strong>, approached me about becoming a Featured Contributing Writer for the new site and I was so excited and honored to have been a part of this great bunch of passionate folks. Tree.com will no longer be devoting energy to this initiative but the site remains up and the recipes still available to inspire you to cook, get healthy and make life a little bit tastier. </p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="5729336262_4613018f55_z" height="640" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-15/pIjAlDofGkpyyImfeEgIspJigebvrDqlBwgEgCslDrJiEqDnixaGsjhEmDBl/5729336262_4613018f55_z.jpg.scaled1000.jpg" width="485" /> </div> </p> <p>My final story on making this luscious <strong><a href="http://www.tree.com/food-dining/blog-blog/archive-2011-07-15-spanish-sangria-the-perfect-adult-quot-fruit-punch-quot.aspx" target="_blank">fruity spanish sangria</a></strong> published today. Head on over for the recipe and enjoy it this summer at your next BBQ. </p></div>Ani L. Arambulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095537747803778008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5957168599557416643.post-917412625878856102011-07-13T00:59:00.001-07:002011-07-13T09:27:03.383-07:00Pork makes everything better: Simple Carnitas Tacos with Salsa Cruda {recipe}<div class="posterous_autopost">
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Most of my fondest memories growing up involve food. I have little pictures in my mind of barely being able to reach the counter and "helping" mom roll out tortillas. I see our family sitting around the kitchen table assembling tamales. There's the picnics at the beach with grilled burgers, grilled corn and homemade treats; my best girlfriend and I combing over my childhood cookbook trying to decide what to make next –that is, of course, after we graduated from using our Easy Bake ovens. There's also mom getting up at an insane hour to make bean and Mexican rice burritos for our 2 hour annual road trip to Disneyland; Dad coming home in the middle of the night from his carpet laying job, waking us up with the smell of banana pancakes to entice us into the kitchen to eat with him. There's the birthday cakes of all shapes and sizes that mom made for us: from Mickey Mouse to Cinderella, and because we got to choose our birthday dinner, from lasagna to beef stew, the food was always special.<br />
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There's also the days of preparation for holidays, family get-togethers, and just because. And in this latter group - the "just because" - lies a picture in my head of my dad, chair pulled up to the stove, two giant - no, ginormous - thick bottomed pots with the sounds of crackling and bubbling escaping from them and, there's dad, holding a huge wooden spoon - no, paddle is a better word - with a handle at least two feet long that he hand made for this special application: the ritual known as homemade carnitas.<br />
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<strong>Carnitas are super easy to make.</strong> Some folks like to add spice but traditionally, it's just pork butt, salt and water. I believe Dad brines his meat in milk sometimes and his ALWAYS come out the best. I think the secret to his success is his watchful eye and his intent: everything is made with so much love, how could it not be anything other than delicious?<br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size: large;">Simple Traditional Carnita Tacos with Salsa Cruda</span></span><br />
<em>serves 6-8</em><br />
<ul>
<li>2 - 3 lbs of pork butt</li>
<li>2 teaspoons kosher salt</li>
<li>water</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>2 dozen corn tortillas, for the tacos</li>
</ul>
<strong>To make the meat:</strong><br />
Cut the pork butt into approximately 2" cubes. You don't want them too small or they'll disintegrate during the rendering process. Place them into a heavy bottomed pot in as close to a single layer as possible (my dutch oven is big enough for "mostly" one layer). Sprinkle the salt over the meat and add water to just cover the meat. Bring pot to a rapid boil then drop the heat down to medium-low and slowly simmer the meat until the water has evaporated, about hour to hour and a half depending on the size pot, amount of meat, etc. While it's simmering, stir the meat to turn it every 15-20 minutes.<br />
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Once the water has evaporated, the fat on the meat will begin to render out. Continue cooking and stirring every 20 minutes or so on medium-low, about an additional hour to hour and a half. Once the most of the fat is rendered out, remove the meat onto paper towel lined baking sheet. Set aside.<br />
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<strong>For the Salsa:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>1 medium tomato, rough chopped</li>
<li>1/2 small to medium Spanish onion, finely chopped (approx. 1/3 cup)</li>
<li>1/3 cup chopped cilantro, leaves only</li>
<li>juice of one lime</li>
<li>salt and pepper to taste</li>
<li>optional: 1 small jalepeño, seeded and finely chopped</li>
</ul>
Toss all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.<br />
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<strong>To assemble:</strong><br />
Chop the meat into bite-sized pieces. Use a griddle or large skillet to warm the tortillas. Place some meat on the tortilla and top with the salsa cruda. Serve immediately.<br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size: large;">Some tips for success:</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li>When it comes to carnitas, fat is your friend. While shopping for your meat, if you have a choice between lean and one with more visible fat, get the visible fat cut. I usually pick the one with the most fat in the bunch. And when you bring it home, don't trim it off. The fat will keep the carnitas moist on the inside, flavors the meat and provides the "lard" that will render off during the final cooking stage to give that awesome crunchy exterior that good carnitas always have.</li>
<li>If you dread stovetop braising because you're having to constantly adjust the heat on your burners, it's not your technique that needs to change, it's your cookware. Your cookware has probably also trained you to move the food around because this part of the pan burns browns the food too quickly. So, use a heavy bottomed pot that conducts heat really well and very evenly. A heavy cast iron, a good quality dutch oven, a heavy copper bottom pot is what you need as opposed to a thinner stainless steel or aluminum pot for this recipe. And you don't have to spend a lot of money. I bought my Lodge enamel dutch oven from <a href="http://www.walmart.com/ip/Lodge-Color-Enamel-and-Cast-Iron-6-qt.-Dutch-Oven-Red/5716695?ci_sku=5716695&ci_src=14110944&sourceid=1500000000000003260370">Walmart for under $50</a> and it's paid for itself several times over since I'm no longer burning food due to a thin pot.</li>
<li>Do cook on the stovetop. Don't cheat and put it in the oven. This isn't brisket. You want the meat to slowly simmer UNCOVERED on the stovetop.</li>
</ul>
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Ani L. Arambulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095537747803778008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5957168599557416643.post-85026786155907538242011-07-06T16:00:00.001-07:002011-07-06T16:00:15.740-07:00Tequila Lime Grilled Shrimp: For a gal learning to like seafood, this shrimp ain't too shabby! { recipe }<div class='posterous_autopost'><p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Shrimp_3415x" height="678" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-06/biGFusGlzGjmsviseHBxslvcxdlFdwtqtFveucgnFcnBDqEHwjBjwbhlGhHf/shrimp_3415x.jpg.scaled980.jpg" width="500" /> </div> </p> <p>This Tequila-Lime Grilled Shrimp is easy to make and, considering I was not a shrimp eater the first time I had it and now love it this way, I'd have to say, it could quite possibly convert any non-seafood eating person into a <strong>shrimp eating person</strong>.</p> <p>There used to be a time where my very first reaction to anything from the sea – other than canned tuna – was <strong><em>"YUCK!" </em></strong></p> <p>Growing up with a dad who's father/daughter time included early morning pier fishing, you'd think I'd have acquired a taste for seafood as a youngster. But I didn't. No, what I loved was the <strong>father/daughter time:</strong> Dad would take turns taking one of us three girls out (sisters 4 and 5 came later). He'd pack breakfast for us and I remember feeling so grown up because I got my very own thermos of hot chocolate. Then we'd head out before the sun came up while the rest of the house was still asleep.</p> <p>Other times it was a family affair and the whole lot of us would pile into the station wagon, each of us girls with our own fishing poles and we'd head to Mission Bay to fish and picnic. </p> <p>But even if we caught anything, us girls would never eat it. Any caught fish was for mom and dad. Especially after we'd catch a glimpse of dad cleaning the fish. The thought of eating it after seeing its life-force all over the chopping block dad used was just not something I'd easily forget. Nope. Us girls would have hamburgers or hot dogs on fish night. </p> <p>Fast forward to college where by the time I made it to the cafeteria for lunch, all that was usually left was tuna salad. Luckily, this was something I was familiar with.</p> <p>It came in a can.</p> <p>I never saw it whole.</p> <p>And best yet, it had a texture like chicken salad and not that opaque look of "real" fish. So tuna became a college staple.</p> <p>Then in my early 30s, my best friend and I discovered <strong><a href="http://www.marineroom.com/" target="_blank">The Marine Room</a></strong> in La Jolla. It was much too out of our price range for causal dining but for quite some time, it did became our to-go-to place for birthdays. The first time we went, Dan ordered surf and turf. I ordered just the "turf." He coaxed me into taking a bite of his lobster tail. Prepared to be completely grossed out, I held my breath and went for it. </p> <p>It was like nothing I'd ever had before. What was this? Why hadn't I had it before? The next birthday there, I ordered surf and turf too. </p> <p>Next came my introduction to fish tacos. For a community known for them, it's a shame I waited until my mid-30s to try them. Again, it was because of Dan. He took me to happy hour at <strong><a href="http://www.brigantine.com" target="_blank">The Brigantine</a></strong>, a local seafood restaurant chain. They had $1.99 fish tacos on the bar menu. Crispy beer battered, they were over filled with cabbage, salsas, some kind of dressing reminiscent of thousand island dressing that the fish was all but camouflaged. And I loved them. A few months later, I started up on fish tacos from <strong><a href="http://www.rubios.com" target="_blank">Rubio's</a></strong> which highlight the fish much more than the toppings and now enjoy them every lenten season.</p> <p>Shrimp came only recently. About five years ago or so, a friend of mine made grilled shrimp during an impromptu weekend gathering and they were so delicious. I'd tried shrimp before and had not become a fan of it all. But Lisa's <strong>tequila-lime grilled shrimp</strong> was so flavorful my tummy forgot that my head said <em>'we don't like shrimp.'</em></p> <p>To be honest, there are still ways I won't eat shrimp. I will not eat it in pasta sauce. I do not like it cold with cocktail sauce. I do not like it scampi. And forget about serving it to me the day after it's been grilled. Ew. Shudder.</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Shrimp_3324x" height="750" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-06/gieiftcmuCgzBmcGDIexxtFkrIFEqfHhsGtmkmhqfGGAntBsEdsuuBAuIrAr/shrimp_3324x.jpg.scaled980.jpg" width="500" /> </div> <strong>The main players:</strong> 16 medium to large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails on, Mexican Oregano, limes, garlic, cilantro and not pictured but nonetheless IMPORTANTE! -- tequila.</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Shrimp_3327x" height="632" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-06/ssIkFtCvDkysCqxkEswIztfcyaypCifbHijvtwFykhDiHfptEtzCzifidryr/shrimp_3327x.jpg.scaled980.jpg" width="500" /> </div> <strong>Make the marinade: </strong>Add the olive oil, tequila, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, chili powders and oregano into a small bowl.</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Shrimp_3331x" height="750" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-06/rnyHowyxqeAwdmgqucprsHyDxAxlbrwjeCGGpoBkguepxufAAyAerxEAIgGw/shrimp_3331x.jpg.scaled980.jpg" width="500" /> </div> <strong>Whisk!</strong></p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Shrimp_3332x" height="617" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-06/jIiqoHbyrFwrGDhdFAzjEjcweqxcgHyDuJCltxCFihzbFqliGdFhJefgCHFI/shrimp_3332x.jpg.scaled980.jpg" width="500" /> </div> <strong>Marinate:</strong> Place the shrimp into a resealable baggie and pour in the marinade. Place in refrigerator and let it sit around and get happy for about 30 minutes.</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Shrimp_3396x" height="745" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-06/whyDglefixnAnsbgAfywAiuJzEhCBjhsvvHcnEzJHDAdwwDskfvyqwHvgwBw/shrimp_3396x.jpg.scaled980.jpg" width="500" /> </div> <strong>Skewer me baby! </strong>Thread the shrimp onto bamboo skewers that have soaked in water for at least 30 minutes beforehand.</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Shrimpgrill" height="669" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-06/BBxkyipelDvmoIovFqkEgFajmpoCrAyHpDhzIDjpetnkozazlxAtxkBAHyGk/shrimpGrill.jpg.scaled980.jpg" width="500" /> </div> <strong>Grill: </strong>Place on a hot grill and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until shrimp is pink and opaque.</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Shrimp_3404" height="500" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-06/zAFvbaAgkyEesIjzavctrlhqownpezbpzkcHHewFEnihpCbEdbfEikjjazsE/shrimp_3404.jpg.scaled980.jpg" width="500" /> </div> <strong>Serve immediately.</strong></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size: large; color: #993300;">Tequila Lime and Cilantro Grilled Shrimp</span></p> <p><em>serves 2 for dinner or 4 as an appetizer</em></p> <ul> <li>16 medium to large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails on</li> <li>1 1/2 oz of tequila</li> <li>juice of 1 lime</li> <li>3 tablespoons olive oil</li> <li>3 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped</li> <li>2 cloves garlic, minced</li> <li>1 tablespoon California chile powder</li> <li>1 tablespoon New Mexico chili powder</li> <li>1 tablespoon ancho chili powder</li> <li>1 tablespoon whole mexican oregano</li> <li>4 wooden bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes</li> </ul> <ol> <li>Place shrimp in a large ziplock bag. Set aside.</li> <li>In a small bowl, add the next eight ingredients. Place the oregano in the palm of your hand. Rub hands together over bowl to crush leaves and flower buds. This releases the essential oils from the oregano. Use a whisk to combine well. Add to shrimp. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. </li> <li>Heat grill to hot (450˚F).</li> <li>Thread 4 shrimp onto a skewer. Continue until all shrimp is threaded. Place on grill and cook for 3 minutes with lid open. Carefully flip shrimp using tongs. Cook for 3 minutes on this side or until shrimp is bright pink and opaque. Remove and serve immediately.</li> <li>Recipe can easily be doubled.</li> </ol> <p>As for loving fish in general. Well, I'm still not there yet. I don't like salmon. But I do have a new-found appreciation of good fresh fish & chips. I wrote about enjoying them during my Pacific Northwest Adventure <strong><a href="http://www.tree.com/food-dining/blog-blog/archive-2011-06-21-culinary-offerings-in-and-around-seattle.aspx" target="_blank">here</a></strong> and a while back at a local restaurant <strong><a href="http://www.confessionsofafoodie.me/2010/02/i-dont-do-fishbut-uh-ill-do-this-one.html" target="_blank">here</a></strong>.</p> <ol> </ol> <p> </p> <p><span style="color: #333333;"><em><strong>YOUR TURN:</strong> Are there any foods that you absolutely hated as a kid but love now?</em></span></p> <p><span style="color: #333333;"><em><span style="color: #000000; font-style: normal;">Until next time, </span></em></span></p> <p>Ani</p></div>Ani L. Arambulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095537747803778008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5957168599557416643.post-40123701432513978692011-06-26T13:34:00.001-07:002011-06-26T13:34:14.213-07:00Seen on our walk today { life with a dog }<div class='posterous_autopost'><p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="P649" height="480" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/afotogirlsworld/areyEonwuybxzCmJvJbvxmgrfcEFkGAsshtflArtEAGwFgIhiwErFlIGwFIA/p649.jpg" width="480" /> <img alt="P651" height="480" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/afotogirlsworld/ulBkEkJjIJGoHxGeksFeoHfDGgfEGrwtJmDvfdlHkstuyynJEteIfrCltiFB/p651.jpg.scaled980.jpg" width="480" /> <img alt="P653" height="480" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/afotogirlsworld/JjBjsddgxkHBpddnHDhxFEIqlJhuznEwmgJHxFzhrdrBAezwBcqlIniqbtcv/p653.jpg" width="480" /> <img alt="P655" height="480" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/afotogirlsworld/yfJjBDEaahwmGbmnJqdGstjdziCiJHxFJxAAvmuvwtHAwotjDHqqzlcvfkez/p655.jpg" width="480" /> <img alt="P657" height="480" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/afotogirlsworld/fkAiixGlBgrfyvxjkJEoqmJziDJvutHFvJegcpbjvmExctqstczcefDncthn/p657.jpg" width="480" /> <img alt="P659" height="480" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/afotogirlsworld/ErCkksbGwdGleFsCrugdaFjHwvhzrhspabczfrDfAbmiCicaCqpklrxqFgAj/p659.jpg" width="480" /> <div class='p_see_full_gallery'><a href="http://afotogirlsworld.posterous.com/seen-on-our-walk-today-life-with-a-dog">See the full gallery on Posterous</a></div> </div> </p>First we saw a cool old Chevy. Then a sweet red truck. As we were nearing the end of our walk, this kitty, maybe six months old, jumped of her porch and came right up to Starbuck to nuzzle her nose. Starbuck, always curious about kitties, went into complete happy wiggle butt mode. Kitty let her smell her butt and rubbed up against my legs to say hello then returned her attention to Star. You could totally tell kitty is being raised around pooches cuz when Star got really excited, kitty turned over and exposed her belly. My fur child was in heaven. Kitty didn't have a collar. I almost brought kitty home with us.</div>Ani L. Arambulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13095537747803778008noreply@blogger.com0