Thursday night I was delighted to attend this year’s Taste of Blount.  Coming from San Francisco, a city of predominantly non-chain restaurants, I was interested in sampling food from a variety of locally-owned and operated eateries.  This year saw representation from Aubrey’s Restaurant, Foothills Catering, Foothill’s Milling Company, Lemon Grass Thai Cuisine and Sushi Bar, Peerless Restaurant, Sweet Celebrations, The Miles Family 411 Restaurant, The Oaks Dining Room and Bar, The Palace Cafe and Uptown Catering, The Tomato Head and Vienna Coffee Company.  Major chains were also represented by Chili’s, Candy Bouquet, Domino’s, Honey Baked Ham, Lenny’s Subs, Marble Slab Creamery, McAllister’s Deli, Panera Bread, Food City and Aqua Clear Water Systems.

I arrived at the Broadway Parking Garage with my Dad shortly after the gates opened.  It was obvious which were the popular locations based on the massive lines that were already in place.  Dad and I decided to move through the left side first, until we reached the dessert booths, then backtrack and move over to the right side.  I kept track of everything, since I am such a big foodie, and because we would be voting on Favorite Food, Favorite Beverage and Best Presentation later on in the evening.

On to the food:

Aubrey’s

Aubrey’s offered Oven Roasted Prime Rib and Grilled Shrimp on what seemed to be a scoop of some risotto-type dish.  There was also supposed to be a Chocolate Turtle Cake, but we never saw it.  The rub on the Prime Rib was great and tasted like it involved some peppercorn.  It was also cook pretty close to perfect, so Aubrey’s gets bonus points for good taste and proper cooking for the masses (a sold out crowd of 500).  The Prime Rib was also my Dad’s choice for Favorite Food.

Dad enjoying Aubrey’s Prime Rib

The Miles Family 411 Restaurant

The 411 offered up diner delights - Fried Pickles, Fried Mushrooms and BBQ Pork Mini Sandwiches.  I skipped on the sandwiches, because of my pork allergy, but reveled in the just-right breading on the Fried Mushrooms.  The Fried Pickles were good, but an acquired taste for many people.  Dad and I both gave the Fried Mushrooms a thumbs up, but only I appreciated the Fried Pickles.

Foothills Catering

Foothills Catering showed to be a more sophisticated booth than many other the options available at the Taste of Blount.  Note to organizers, put them next to Foothills Milling Company or The Oaks next time.  I think they would be in like company and better appreciated.  Some of the people arriving to this booth after visiting Domino’s and the 411 seemed to be a bit disoriented by the Tropical Tuna Bites.  Besides the Tropical Tuna Bites, Foothills Catering provided us with Spiced Lamp Pita Points with a Mango Salsa and Asparagus wrapped in Parmesan Encrusted Phyllo Dough.  While I found all of these samples to be delectable, my Dad was put off by the seared tuna in the Tropical Tuna Bites and anything with asparagus.  He did mention that if you only ate the part inside of the phyllo dough, it was good.  I delighted in the Spice Lamb Pita Points with a Mango Salsa and it was my choice for Favorite Food.

 McAllister’s Deli

We chose not to eat at McAllister’s Deli because I have eaten their multiple times and I need to conserve my stomach space.  However, I am a sucker for their Famous Sweet Tea.  Dad and I both grabbed a cup of that nectar of the gods and it was a landslide winner for Dad’s Favorite Beverage.

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If you are looking for something to do tonight, why not head to downtown Maryville and enjoy the Taste of Blount County.  Tickets are $25 and can be purchased from the Chamber of Commerce.  Local restaurants will be represented, including Foothill’s Milling Company, Lemon Grass Thai Cuisine and Sushi Bar and The Miles Family 411 Restaurant.  Bringing a picky eater? The “chains” will be there as well: McAllister’s Deli, Panera Bread and Domino’s Pizza are just a few.  Hope to see you there!

Mmm… I love spinach.  One of my favorite dishes in the world is Spinach Artichoke Dip.  This is no dip, this is a soup.  That makes it healthier, right?  However, it is not far off from a spinach dip, as it incorporates some of the best parts: spinach and cheese.  This was a perfect lunch soup with a nice salad served along side of it.  The Husband is not crazy about spinach, so was similarly not crazy about this soup.  I would make this soup again, especially if I were going to a spinach-lovers convention.

I leave on my cross-country journey tomorrow so the next recipe you will get from me is after I have settled into my kitchen in East TN.  Wish me luck!

Cheesy Spinach Soup

Ingredients

• 2 10-oz packages of frozen spinach
• 2 Tbs butter
• 1/2 of a small onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 Tbs flour
• 1 aseptic box of vegetable broth
• 2 cups of milk
• 1 cup light cream
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for sprinkling

The Steps

1. Cook the spinach according to the directions on the package.  Drain the spinach well and then transfer the spinach into a food processor.  Process until the spinach is pureed.
2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and then saute the onions and garlic until the onions are tender, but not browned.  Stir in the flour.  Add the vegetable broth and spinach.  Cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, until it comes to a boil.
3. Stir in the milk,  light cream, nutmeg and salt.  Stir in the cheeses and continue to cook until the cheese melts and the soup is heated through.  Do not bring to a boil.  Serve the soup and garnish with the remaining grated parmesan.

You might start to think that I love me some banana bread.  After all this is the second time I have posted a banana bread recipe.  The truth is that I love bananas and usually end up buying way too many of them so into the freezer they go.  More often than they turn into banana milk (1 frozen banana plus 1 cup almond milk is all it takes).  However, a call has been sent out to bloggers everywhere. There is a Banana Bread Bake-off going on at Not Quite Nigella.  I just had to answer the call.

I wanted to try something a little different but was not sure where I wanted to go with this banana bread.  After reading about a recent banana bread experience over at Bakers’ Banter, I thought I would take a look at the King Arthur Flour banana bread recipe.  Using that for inspiration, I decided to wing it from there with my secondary inspiration being my fridge and pantry.  In 13 days I am moving to East Tennessee so packing, cleaning and trashing are in my very near future.  Time to clear out the pantry!  This recipes should actually list the ingredients as “whatever is left in the honey jar”  but I have included estimates for your convenience.  I highly recommend putting your own twist on it and tossing in what ever is hanging around in your pantry.

Clean Out Your Pantry Banana Bread

The Ingredients

• 4 ounces unsalted butter, at cool  room temperature
• 2/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 medium mashed ripe bananas (about 14 - 15 oz.)
• 2 tablespoons  apricot preserves
• 1 Tbs honey
• 3 Tbs Maple syrup
• 2 large eggs
• 2 1/4 cups Flour, all-purpose
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup natural peanut butter
• 1/4 cup sugar

The Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly grease a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan. Mix the peanut butter and granulated sugar together and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the butter, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt,  and mix till smooth.
3. Add the mashed bananas, jam, honey, maple syrup and eggs, and mix until smooth.
4. Add the flour and mix stirring just until smooth.
5. Stir in the walnuts and chocolate chips until evenly combined.  Very gently stir in 1 Tbs of the peanut butter and sugar mixture until it is distributed in the dough until they are only small pieces, about half the size of a pea.
6. Spoon the 2/3 of the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth it level.  Take the remaining peanut butter mixture about a 1/2 teaspoon at a time and squish it flat in between your fingers.  Lay the flat pieces on top of the mixture, side-by-side, creating a long strip of peanut butter in the middle of the loaf.  Top with the remaining 1/3 of the batter and smooth the top.
7. Bake the bread for 45 minutes, then gently lay a piece of aluminum foil across the top, to prevent over-browning.
8. Bake for an additional 25 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven; a long toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center should come out clean, with at most a few wet crumbs clinging to it.
9. Allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Remove it from the pan, and cool it completely on a rack.

Inspired by King Arthur Flour Banana Bread.

More recipes available in my recipe archive.

I love going to Walt Disney World.  My younger years were spent playing in the parks and then during my early 20’s I worked for the Mouse.  To this day, I still can’t get enough of it.  I have slept in the hotels and eaten in the restaurants too.  It was my first visit to Boma’s at the Animal Kingdom Lodge that I tasted a savory and sweet dish called bobotie.  That was in 2001 and I have been wanting to recreate the dish ever since.  I have been back to Boma’s multiple times since that introduction and haven’t attempted the dish until now.

My search for a bobotie recipe has spread far and wide on the internet.  You can find bobotie recipes just about everywhere.  I even found two African cookbooks in the library that had bobotie recipes.  The interesting thing is that no two bobotie recipes were alike.  None!  I read more into the dish and discovered it is traditional comfort food and everyone has their own way of doing.  One way is not “right” and the other “wrong.”  It is all bobotie.

So of course I had to make my own bobotie recipe.  I took what I liked and what ingredients were available and ended up with a pretty tasty version, not too far off the one I originally had at Boma’s.  I served it with a side of brown rice and a simple green salad.  The Husband though it was delicious and taste-tester Erin said it was meat and dessert in one dish.  Trust me, it’s a complement.  Now it’s your turn.  Why not make some African comfort food of your own?

Bobotie

The Ingredients

The Meat Mixture

• 2 lbs Ground Beef
• 1 Tbs butter
• 1 Tbs  vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbs curry powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 2 Tbs brown sugar
• 1 Tbs sugar
• 2 Tbs red wine vinegar
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 sweet apples peeled, cored and chopped  (same size as raisins)
• 1/4 cup apricot preserves
• 1/4 cup sultanas (golden raisins)
• 2 slices bread, crumbled
• 2 ounces slivered almonds, roasted in a dry frying pan
• 4  - 5 bay leaves

The Topping

• 1 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp salt

The Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degree and butter a 13 x 9 casserole dish.
2. Melt oil and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add onions and garlic and saute until the onions are tender and translucent. Stir in all the seasonings (through the lemon juice) and cook for another minute.  Add the apples, apricot preserves, sultans, bread and almonds.  Mix well and cook for another 2 minutes.  Add the beef and stir until well incorporated with the onion mixture.  Transfer mixture to prepared dish.  Insert bay leaves at random intervals.
3. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and place in over for 70 - 80 minutes, until beef is cooked through.  While the beef is cooking, whisk the milk, eggs and salt until completely incorporated to create the topping.
4. Once the beef has cooked, remove the dish from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 400.  Remove the aluminum foil and the bay leave.  Press the mixture flat if it has pulled away from the sides of the dish.  Pour the milk and egg topping over the top of the cooked beef mixture and place back into the over, uncovered, for 15 - 20 minutes until the egg mixture has cooked.

Enjoy!

Don’t forget to check my recipe archive.

I am always in the mood to try a different type of cuisine or a different type of food, much to the Husband’s dismay.  All he asks for are hot dogs and Mac ‘n’ Cheese.  Talk about opposites attract, right?  Well my newest attempt at a dish not normally found in my kitchen repertoire is Chicken Curry and Homemade Naan.  I also realized that this month’s Monthly Mingle is Bollywood Cooking!  How more Bollywood can you get than Naan and Curry?

This dish ended up being WAY too hot for us, so I have modified the recipe by reducing the garlic ginger paste and red pepper flakes and then adding garlic.  This should retain the flavor while still being palatable to wimpy tongues like mine!  The Husband gave the curry a thumbs down: too hot and not a flavor he preferred.  The Naan, however, got his seal of approval.  I will admit that it was pretty tasty.  Not like the real thing, but can you expect a studio apartment to come equipped with a tandoori oven?  So don’t feed this dish to picky eaters (like the Husband) but curry fans like me should be fine.  Now if only I could find the perfect recipe for Bengan Bartha…

Enjoy!

Spicy Chicken Curry

The Ingredients

• 3 Tbs vegetable oil
• 3 large chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 large white onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 bell peppers, one yellow and one red, roughly chopped
• 1 Tbs ginger garlic paste
• 2 Tbs curry powder
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 Tbs cardamom
• 4 bay leaves
• 6 whole cloves
• 1 Tbs red pepper flakes
• 15 whole black peppercorns
• 2 tsp. coriander seeds

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.
2. Add chicken, onion, garlic, peppers and ginger garlic paste then season with curry, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaves, cloves, red pepper flakes, black peppercorns, and coriander seeds. Cover, and simmer for about 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Once the chicken has cooked through, remove lid, and cook until liquid is reduced to a thick consistency.

Naan

The Ingredients

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
2. Punch down dough. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
3. During the second rising, preheat skillet to medium-high heat.
4. At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil skillet. Place dough on skillet, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from skillet, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

Inspired by recipes found at allrecipes.com

Robin and Danielle have challenged food bloggers to a Recipe Remix. They gave us a list of classic dishes and called upon us to choose one of them to remake. I decided to take on my favorite of the list: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup. I decided to take it on a sweeter, breakfast or dessert twist. Hence the glorious creation that is Grilled Cream Cheese and Strawberry Soup.

I did enjoy this remix. It tastes nothing like the classic, but it is still very tasty. It makes for a very filling breakfast and you know you are getting in some fruit for the day. Sadly, the picky eater of the family has been out of town for the last month so I did not get his feedback. This would probably be something that would work for kids too. I mean, how often do you get to eat bright pink foods?

Thanks to Danielle and Robin for hosting this and check out their blog for the round-up.

Enjoy!

Grilled Cream Cheese Sandwich

The recipe for the Grilled Cream Cheese Sandwich is very simple and starts with your favorite version of Banana Bread. I used the bread that I recently blogged about, my Better Banana Bread.

Ingredients

• 2 slices Banana Bread
• 2 Tbs. Cream Cheese
• 1 Tbs. Sugar
• 2 tsp. Butter

The Steps

1. Take two slices of your favorite banana bread and lightly butter the outsides.
2. In a bowl, mix together 2 Tbs cream cheese with 1 Tbs sugar.
3. Spread the cream cheese mixture between the two slices of the banana bread.
4. Grill the cream cheese sandwich in a saute pan over medium heat.
5. Remove from the pan when the outsides are slightly crisp and the cream cheese starts to melt.

Strawberry Soup

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Strawberries; green topped removed
• 2 cups low-fat vanilla yogurt
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/8 tsp. ground cardamom

The Steps

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until soup consistency. If you wish for an even smoother texture, add water 1/4 cup at a time.

And don’t forget to check out my recipe archive for all past recipes!

One of my all time absolutely favorite salads is this Black Bean and Corn Salad. It is colorful and full of flavor while also being good for you. Why is this such a healthy salad?

1. Vegetables! There are multiple kinds (and colors) of vegetables in this salad. You may know that you need about 3 servings of vegetables a day. This salad is sure to meet that requirement.
2. Beans! You need to get your protein. And all the better if that protein comes in a animal-free, cholesterol-free form.
3. Olive Oil! Healthy fats are also an important part of your diet. Olive Oil is one of the best fats you can have in your diet.

These are just some of the reasons you should be eating this salad. And if I need to remind you again… it is delicious!

I have also decided to submit this recipes to Waiter, there’s something in my… PULSES. This addition of WTSIM is hosted by Cook Sister. Black beans are legumes (which are pulses). Black beans just so happen to be some of my favorite legumes. If you don’t like them, I still recommend trying this salad. My mom asks me to make this every time I go home for a visit.

So without further ado…

Black Bean and Corn Salad

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
• 1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, chopped, or 1(15 ounce) can of diced tomatoes, drained
• 6 green onions, thinly sliced

Directions

1. Place lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and cayenne pepper in a small jar. Cover with lid, and shake until ingredients are well mixed.
2. In a salad bowl, combine beans, corn, avocado, bell pepper, tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro. Shake lime dressing, and pour it over the salad. Stir salad to coat vegetables and beans with dressing, and serve.

Don’t forget that all recipes on this blog and more can also be found in the Recipe Archive!

Last month I achieved 3/4 goals that I had set for myself. The obvious lesson here is that if I set goals, I am more likely to achieve a happier, healthier life than if I don’t set goals. Now it is important that those goals are realistically obtainable. I want to be pushed, taken outside my comfort zone, but not so far that my chance at success is minimal. With that in mind, here are my goals for April 2008:

1. Try The Great Walking Experiment: Steph over at Back in Skinny Jeans just posted her conclusion of The Great Walking Experiment of March 2008. Steph is hilarious in her reviews of her walks and also has an interesting summation of the project as a whole (she stopped after Day 13, but left knowing a bit more about herself and her exercise preferences). I want to try what Steph tried: walk 30 minutes per day for 30 days, with 4/7 days being outside of the gym. I will still go to the gym and do some cardio and strength training. I’ll start today, which means my last walking day will actually fall on May 1. I make no promises of posting about all of my weekday walks as she did, but will try to post a few. Thanks to Steph for the idea!
2. Find and Make a Healthy and Nutritious Dessert: You may have already seen my post on Quadruple Chocolate Cookies. Those were some very, very tasty cookies. But those cookies were also high in fat and really contributed nothing nutritious to my diet. I would like to find a really tasty but also a nutritious dessert. This will probably involve fruits and would still include some sugar, but I want ti to be better for me than those really delicious cookies.
3. Meditate, Meditate, Meditate: Meditation is something that I have always wanted to do more of. I enjoy having that quiet time during my day where my mind is focused and cleared of the baggage and stress that accumulates. This month, I want to meditate for just 5 minutes a day everyday. Daily meditation will help me to become a more centered, grounded, and happier person.
4. Wake-up at 6:30 am Every Morning: This is a tough on for me. I am not a morning person, not even a little bit. My brain kicks in in the afternoon and runs me into the evening. But I know that I need to start getting up earlier so I am not so rushed getting ready in the morning. Sometimes I wake up late enough that I end up having a LunaBar or Peanut Butter and Crackers for breakfast. Now that is not a balanced breakfast! So I need to make it a habit of waking up early enough every morning to relieve the frustration of running around like a mad woman on some of these busy mornings.

There you have it: my goals for the month of April.  Every one of these goals will help me to live a happier, healthier life.

It seems that the answer could be ‘yes’ or ‘no.’  Some fruits - like bananas - lose their nutritional value the longer you keep them around.  Others - like dark plums - seems to get a little bit more nutritious with age.

Either way, get your 4 servings of fruit every day.  And if those bananas start looking a little less nutritious, you can always make banana bread.

Source: RealAge.com