I want you to know that I am here for you!  Here to make mistakes and tell you about them, so that you don’t make the same mistakes, kinda like a parent tries to do for their kids.  The only difference, as rational adults, certainly you will listen better than the average teenager does!

My most recent faux pas? While shopping for the ingredients for about a half dozen appetizers for an upcoming party, I didn’t follow my own shopping list.  I had written “cherry tomatoes” on both my Costco and my Trader Joe’s lists. I went to Costco first and purchased a 2-pound package of those cute little “cherub” egg-shapped tomatoes.  Next, I was in Trader Joe’s I saw “cherry tomatoes” and thought, “Oh, I’ll have plenty of those from that huge package from Costco,” and promptly crossed them off the list. Bad move! I needed real “cherry” tomatoes for this recipe, round and substantially  larger than those little cherubs. Dang it… but was I going to make another run to the market? No way, do with what you’ve got, that’s my motto … OK, not so much as motto as an admission to the fact that I’m just lazy! So be sure and use cherry tomatoes, they will be easier to hollow out, easy to fill, and will stand up so much better on the serving tray…

The second cherry tomato recipe, which cherubs work perfectly for, will be posted in a couple days.

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If your house is anything at all like mine, then you’re always waiting for that last person to get home before dinner can be served, or finish being made. All of the components for these tacos need to finished at the last minute. Although not as hard or as much of a pain as it sounds!

You can prep everything for the salsa well ahead, just don’t dice or mix in the avocado until the last possible moment. The slaw and its dressing can also be made well ahead, don’t mix together until just before serving though, or it’ll get soggy.  And the spice mix for the tuna should be ready to go, but since the tuna only takes a couple minutes to sear, again wait until the very last moment.  As proof of how far ahead it can done, I had plenty of time to prep out everything, take and Photoshop the picture of the prepped stuff, and write this entire blog post and recipe, while waiting for that elusive family member to arrive… maybe I’ll call now and begin my nagging … “What time DO you think you might be home? We are hungry!”

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After yesterday’s long “birthday” post, I thought it would be nice to post a quick and easy soup for today. Since it’s still scorching here in the desert, I serve this soup at room temperature rather than hot. The avocado just seems to make it more “cool” and summery. If you haven’t already commented on yesterday’s post, be sure and do so to be in the running for the grand prize for a baker’s dozen of fabulous cookbooks. You can easily make this a vegetarian soup, just use all water instead of chicken broth. The carrot and avocado flavors actually come through better that way.  I’m just not a huge carrot fan, so I prefer the broth to tone that flavor down a little.

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The inspiration for this dish? One big beautiful heirloom tomato… that’s all it took, well that and some good looking poblano chiles. Watch out – the onions, garlic, bell peppers, and jalapeno are used for both the renello stuffing and the pico de gallo;, so be sure not to toss it all in the skillet for the filling. Reserve the indicated amounts and set aside for the pico. Also, it is important to rinse and drain the black beans well, otherwise they will discolor the filling. You don’t want that to happen since the vibrant colors are a big part of this dish. OK, gotta run, that’s all I have to say about this yummy vegetarian meal, enjoy!

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I confess, sometimes I’m a cheapskate to a fault. A perfect example of this character flaw? Mandarin oranges. Here’s how it went down; I needed an 11-ounce can of mandarin oranges back in April for a sorbet I was creating for this very blog. At the same time, I was shopping for a cooking class, which meant that I’d be going to my usual three stores to get everything needed for the class. The three stores are Safeway Grocery, Trader Joe’s, and Costco. I loaded the cooler in the car and headed out. At stop number one, Safeway, I noticed the price for a can of mandarin oranges was $1.99.  That seemed a bit high to me, so I passed them by, thinking maybe I’d find them at Trader Joe’s for a better price.  Stop number two, Trader Joe’s – no mandarin oranges. Oh well, I’d double back by Safeway after the final stop at Costco and pick up a can. Good plan… until… I spotted a case (12 cans) of mandarin oranges at Costco for….. wait for it….. $5.99! In miser terms, that is 50 cents a can! Now I had a serious dilemma on my hands. Should I pay 4-times the price for a single can of mandarin oranges at Safeway or be stuck with 11 extra cans if purchased at Costco? Let me tell you how long I pondered that question… less than 2 seconds. I loaded up the case into the cart with all the other mega-size items and figured that after I used just 3 of the cans from the case, the rest would be FREE (at least they would be free if they would have been purchased at the Safeway $1.99 price!) And FREE is my second favorite 4-letter word, next to LOVE. How sweet is that?

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It’s nearly summer, and a true summer staple is fruit salad. This is a springboard recipe. Start with this and then add in whatever fruit is fresh and in season. The obvious choices for summer are berries, cherries, mango, kiwi, pineapple and such. But even in the dead of winter, when those choices are not only out of season but out of range for many pocketbooks, this base recipe will get you going. This was one of the recipes I made on Channel 12 Valley Dish yesterday (you can watch the other dish we made on the “In The News” page at the left).  We added in sliced strawberries, kiwi, blackberries and raspberries. The pictures from the live show were taken by birthday girl, Sloane. I have no idea why I look so darn serious in the first shot, I was just setting up my stuff, but look at those huge lemons in the foreground, no those are serious!  Get out to a farmer’s market this weekend and let your imagination run wild with all the colorful fresh fruit possibilities.

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Today I am sharing another southwestern inspired recipe from my friend and mentor, Barbara Fenzl of Les Gourmettes Cooking School. I helped Barb teach a couples’ class earlier in the week and this was just one of the six delectable dishes the class made. If you’re looking for something special for you and your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day, these quesadillas will fit the bill. Enjoy them before you head out to a romantic dinner, or make them together and then sit down, relax, and enjoy with champagne. Avec amour (with love) xoxo

Here is a picture of the roasting of the two peppers used. A poblano has a much thinner skin than a bell pepper, so watch it more closely and turn it more often, it will roast more than twice as fast of the bell. These two peppers began roasting at the exact same time, but as you can clearly see, the poblano is ready to be covered with plastic wrap to steam and the bell still as a ways to go.

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Soup and salad… the two of the most versatile parts of any meal. Or complete meals all by themselves. I’ve previously mentioned my deep admiration for soup. My husband, Dave, on the other hand, has those same feelings for salad. Given the choice, he would take salad over soup about 90% of the time. I’ll take soup over salad 99.9% of the time when it is under 100 degrees here in sunny AZ. But once the thermostat hits the century mark, I turn my back on my favorite child. I feel like a traitor, but I’m just not a huge fan of most cold soups, so salad it is. And considering that is reaches 100 degrees an average of 106 days a year here, that’s nearly a third of the year I give up on my beloved soup. So I need a backup plan!

Currently on this blog, I have 13 soups and only 10 true salads. What do I consider a “true” salad? One that has lettuce or greens as the primary player; not just a tart on a bed of greens used to “fancy it up” or a salad with fruit only, or quinoa laying on a little bit of spinach. But a Real Salad with lettuce! So soup is currently winning the war, I mean the race! Unfortunately, salad is gaining ground with this entry, and with the dog days of summer only a couple months away… I need to make more soup!

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The best thing about this breakfast or brunch dish is that it can be prepped the night before. In the morning, just fill the cups and pop in the oven while you leisurely make the coffee and read the newspaper. Plus it may easily be doubled or tripled. Add a layer of cooked chorizo, mix in roasted poblano or red bell peppers, green onions, or whatever floats your boat!

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My various citrus trees are producing pounds upon pounds of citrus. The oranges, lemons, and grapefruit are being picked and eaten or used in cooking daily. The limes, blood oranges, and Meyer lemons aren’t quite ready yet, and I’m grateful for that, I can’t keep up as it is! So don’t be surprised to see citrus popping up in just about every post here on out, for months to come.

To kick it off, here is a quick and light salad using another couple favorites; avocado and fennel. The fennel bulb, fronds (leaves), and seeds are used in cooking. The bulb is a crisp, root vegetable and may be sauteed, roasted, stewed, braised, grilled, or eaten raw.  The fronds are delicately flavored and look very similar in shape to dill. The seeds are used either fresh or can be found dried in the spice aisle. The hollow stems are tough and stringy and are usually discarded or used in making vegetable stock. Fennel pollen is actually the most potent form of fennel, but is very expensive and difficult to find. Fennel grows like a weed, so be sure to cultivate the pollen yourself, if you grow fennel in your garden, it is amazing! For this salad, we’re using the bulb and a few of the fronds, as garnish. If you can not find, or do not want to pay the price for, blood oranges or Meyer lemons, use regular oranges and lemons instead.

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