Oh, and hopefully you’ll notice that I don’t just talk the talk, I walk the walk! Several of my favorite things are already shared here with you in my previous posts… from the Brussels Sprout Salad to the Bacon BonBons and the De Lujo Margarita. I’m always thinking about you people!

Linda Hopkins’ Perfect Food Day
By Jennifer Woods Tue., Nov. 29 2011 at 7:00 AM

Linda Hopkins has been a Phoenix culinary mainstay for more than 20 years. She’s best known for starting the Valley’s first and longest running children’s only cooking school called Les Petites Gourmettes. The name is a nod to her love of all things French. Each summer, Hopkins helps  kids from ages 8 to 18 spend 4-5 day weeks by getting their hands dirty and their minds filled with the technique and love of food and cooking. She got her education at culinary schools in France, San Francisco and New York. You can find her exuberant posts and many recipes on the Les Petites Gourmettes’ blog and twitter (@LHop1027). Her recipes have been included in several cookbooks, including Cooking with Les Dames d’Escoffier: At Home with the Women Who Shape the Way We Eat and Drink — she’s also a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier International, the invite only club for female culinary professionals. Today we’ve invited her to share her perfect food day.

Here’s Linda Hopkins’ perfect food day:

To make my Perfect Food Day work, I would need to be able to apparate from one place to another, à la Harry Potter. And we will also assume that apparating in this manner burns off all calories consumed and all feelings of a full stomach. For it to be a truly Perfect Food Day I would also need to be able to partake in these meals with my favorite people, so here we go…

Pre-breakfast stop: Essence Bakery Café for a croissant and to pick up a huge box of Eugenia Theodosopoulos’ heavenly macarons, at least a dozen of each luscious flavor, to sustain me and my dining partners throughout the day.

Breakfast: I would travel to Flagstaff to enjoy a leisurely brunch at Criollo Latin Kitchen with my son, Connor. We would indulge in the Huevos Español; Two Poached Eggs with Jamón Serrano on a toasted English Muffin topped with a spicy Hollandaise and served with Home Fries. And wash it down with a Bloody Mary.

Lunch: Connor and I would meet up with my husband, Dave, and all my girlfriends and their kids and share huge portions of Brussels Sprout Salad from Chelsea’s Kitchen, the perfect Braised Leeks from FnB, and a stack of Housemade Mozzarella, Local Tomato, and Basil Sandwiches from Pane Bianco.

Happy Hour Part 1: We’d leave my husband and the kids to their own devices and the girls and I would travel to San Francisco and meet up with my daughter, Marissa, at the lovely Gitane Restaurant and drown ourselves in Gitane’s fruity sangria and devour platters full of their Bacon Bonbons; Prunes stuffed with Goat Cheese, wrapped in Smoked Bacon, swimming in a Spiced Port Glaze. Oh my!

Happy Hour Part 2: Next I’d pick up Connor and we’d all grab our significant others and head to Florence, Italy to revisit a place that my family has been dreaming about since May 2008! Ballerini Pasticceria il Cioccolato is just around the corner from all the car rental agencies, near the train station in Florence. It is a chocolate shop that also has breakfast pastries and a focaccia counter in the back. The focaccia is like no other. It is a double-crusted or filled focaccia and the top crust is delightfully thin, crispy, and salty. The Margarita, Spinach and Feta Stuffed, and the Sausage and White Cheese are what we enjoyed all those years ago, but I just have to go back and try all the varieties they offer!

Happy Hour Part 3: Back in Arizona, we would go to Elote Café in Sedona and indulge in the namesake Elote appetizer; fire roasted corn with spicy mayo, lime, and cotija cheese, served with crisp corn tortillas. Chef Jeff Smedstad recently taught a class at Les Gourmettes and served the most wonderful “fall and winter” De Lujo (Luxury) Margarita. Even if it’s not on the menu, we’d have to request several pitchers for the table.

              Photo courtesy of PenandFork.com

Dinner: No question about it. We would be at Binkley’s Restaurant in Cave Creek, order the 6-course tasting menu, with wine paring, and delight with awe at each and every one of the multiple amuse-bouche and courses that Chef Kevin Binkley placed in front of us! If frog’s legs are in season, that would be the Pièce de résistance to my Perfect Food Day!

If you’re anything like me, when you think of margaritas, you think of a warm summer day. Last week I was introduced to a cold-weather margarita that will knock your socks off! Chef Jeff Smedstad was the visiting chef teaching at Barbara Fenzl’s Les Gourmettes Cooking School last Monday night and everyone in the class swooned when he served this luxurious (de lujo) concoction.

Chef Smedstad is the chef/owner of Elote Cafe in Sedona. Dave and I dined at Elote the first night we were up in Sedona, last month. I failed to mention it before, because back then, it was all about my sprained ankle. And that’s a shame because it was one of the best meals we’ve had in a very long time.  For a fantastic rundown (with drop-dead gorgeous pictures) on Elote go to my friend, Gwen Walter’s blog and check out her professional and spot-on review.

While you’re reading the review and drooling over the photos, enjoy this somehow “warming” cold margarita. Chef Smedstad calls for Añejo tequila. Añejo, or “aged” tequila sits in oak barrels for at least one year and up to two years, eleven months, and thirty days. On the next day (3 years), it would be called Extra Añejo. Although the Añejo or Extra Añejo really make this drink shine (see Chef’s notes at the bottom of the recipe) you may use Blanco (white) tequila or Reposado (rested) tequila, just be sure to use a high quality tequila and not anything along the lines of the dreaded José Cuervo!

Elote’s De Lujo Margarita

Base Mix
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
5 cups water
Margarita
Ice
Añejo tequila
Grand Marnier

Base Mix: Briskly whisk until sugar is completely dissolved.

Margarita: In a 14-ounce glass with a salted rim (if desired) and filled with ice cubes, pour a full-shot of Añejo tequila. Then almost fill with the base mix and top off with a half-shot of Grand Marnier.

Drink and Enjoy!

Chef Smedstad’s Notes:  “Why brown sugar, vanilla, and lemon… brown sugar and lemon are soft and rich. The name lugo means luxury and the vanilla mirrors the oak notes in both the Añejo tequilla as well as the Grand Marnier.

On Sunday night, Peggy and I attended a wonderful event at a fun new venue called The Accidental Yard, in Old Town Scottsdale. Doesn’t she look so pretty standing in front of the door that is the address of The Accidental Yard? Although I’m not actually certain that the door opens or if it really leads to anywhere… since we followed the cute signs and walked around the corner to the entrance.

The property is between the Cavalliere Blacksmith Shop (est. 1910) and the Mission Restaurant and Lounge on Brown Avenue and Second Street. The Accidental Yard will encompass about 10,000 square feet on the L-shaped property that includes the two buildings and a yard that stretches to an area behind the blacksmith shop. The property had been vacant for years. It is being renovated by co-owners and founders, Joe and Kelly Garcia, into an urban garden which will soon have an attached coffeehouse, bakery, and restaurant. Joe and Kelly, are long-time vendors at the Old Town Farmer’s Market and Kelly owns Butter & Me Cupcakery.

This multi-use space was the perfect space to host Stephanie Izard, owner of The Girl & The Goat in Chicago, who was the Top Chef Season 4 Winner. Stephanie is a former Scottsdale Culinary Institute  (SCI) graduate who was in town to promote the release of her first cookbook, Girl in the Kitchen, with this one-night, pop-up collaborative dinner benefiting Share Our Strength, a non-profit organization whose mission is to put an end to childhood hunger.

The outstanding meal was prepared by not only Stephanie, but also in collaboration with Chef Beau MacMillan (elements at The Sanctuary Resort in Paradise Valley) and Chef Randy Zwelban (Province Restaurant in Chicago and Phoenix).

Stephanie created the first course, a goat sausage and arugula salad.

Next, Beau served an outstanding pork belly masterpiece.

Randy followed up with a quail dish. Each chef also made luscious desserts… one word… YUM!

We didn’t only have great cocktails, food, and wine – we were also fortunate enough to sit at a super fun table. Amongst our table-mates were Edible Phoenix publisher, Pamela Hamilton; SCI pastry chef, Robert; social network diva and SCI administrator, Deejah; Chow Bella contributor, Jennifer Woods; and Chef Gwen Walters along with her lovely husband, Jeff.

The entire Yard should open with the coffee shop, a front patio, restaurant, and bakery in January 2012.  In the meantime, if you receive an invite to a private event at The Accidental Yard, but sure to go… you will love it!

Except for the very discouraging fact that our AZ Diamondbacks dropped the first two games of the National League Division Series and our AZ Cardinals lost their third (3rd!!!!) game in a row – we had a great weekend. Third game in a row!!! Ouch!

Tram, Matt (Valley Dish producer), Linda, Ginger, and Mario 12/10

On Saturday night, Dave and I dined at our friends, Mario and Ginger Vincitorio’s, restaurant in Tempe… called VinciTorio’s Restaurant.  The evening was extra special because we went with my dear friend, Tram Mai and her adorable husband Steve.

Not only is Tram the host of EVB Live on NBC channel 12, but she and Steve own Press Coffee Roasters, with locations at CityNorth and the Scottsdale Quarter… and another opening at Sky Harbor airport in spring 2012!

Mario and his gorgeous wife, Ginger, are the nicest people and most gracious hosts in the world! We had the absolute best time, closing down the place and laughing at all their side-splitting funny stories. Ginger, like me, is an Arizona native and Mario is from Puglia, Italy.

Photo by Chris Bassett, Phoenix Magazine

Their restaurant is beautiful and the food – the fresh pasta – out of this world. As Tram said to me, “I wish Mario and Ginger were closer… but then again, we’d be 500 pounds!”  Well tiny Tram would never see 500 pounds, but the rest of us, yeah, probably!

Yep... 500 pounds, easily! - photo from VinciTorio's website

To top off the weekend, I just learned that Tram is the cover-girl for the October issue of  Frontdoors Magazine – accompanied by a lovey article about lovely Tram. CLICK on THIS LINK to check out the cover and read the article (beginning on page 26)… then you’ll know why my friend is such an amazing, sweet, and authentic woman. Congratulations Tram, well deserved!

The fun little picture above is meant to represent the number 100, as in 100 consecutive days of blog posts, on new record on my part.  When I made the decision back on September 10th (day 80 in a row), I had no idea just how difficult it would be to not miss a day for 3+ months. You never know what life is going to throw your way when you make a plan – a public statement – like that.  But in many ways, this blog is my therapy, it keeps me honest, and well, I just love doing it. October is always my busiest month of the year, so I’m happy that it worked out that September 30th is day 100. Just for the sake a trivia and my own amusement, the previous streak of consecutive posts was 72 back in June, July, August, of 2010.

I was wracking my brain thinking of what might be fun to make for post #100. I searched the web for food-related “100″ and found nothing. Then I went to Foodnetwork.com and found our own Chef Beau MacMillan, executive chef at Elements at Sanctuary with this video.  The video is from the show “The Best Thing I Ever Ate, Street Food”  and Beau is talking about H-100 tater tots from the Grill ‘Em All food truck in Los Angeles, CA.  Food truck chef Ryan Harkins named the tots after a hard core rock band, H-100 from Ohio.

It was about a year and a half ago that Beau was right here in my kitchen cooking with Larry Fitzgerald and I. He is a great guy and if he loves these tater tots, I knew they must be something special. I’ve tried to re-create them here.  Next time I’m in LA, I’m going to find that truck and compare, ’cause man, these are awesome!

H-100 Tater Tots Knockoff

2 large russet potatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Trader Joe’s garlic cubes or 2 teaspoons garlic powder
3/4 cup cheddar cheese
3/4 cup pepper Jack cheese
1/2 cup flour
1 egg whisked with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 /2 teaspoon smoked paprika

Malt Vinegar Aioli

1 large garlic clove, peeled
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup prepared mayonnaise
1 tablespoon malt vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Canola oil, for frying

Wash the potatoes well.  Place in a large pot and fill with cold water to cover and add 2 tablespoons salt. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until the potatoes are cooked through but still firm, about 20 minutes.

While the potatoes simmer, make the aioli. In a small bowl, mash the garlic clove into a paste with the mustard. Whisk in the mayonnaise, vinegar, and tarragon. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Remove potatoes from the water, cool slightly and use a paring knife to peel the cooked potatoes while still warm.

Shred the potatoes on the large holes of a box grater, and place the shredded potatoes in a bowl. Use your hands to blend in the garlic and both cheeses, then season to taste with salt and pepper.

Make a golf ball size rounds with the mixture and then shape into a tater tots. Place tots on a Silpat mat or parchment lined cookie sheet. Cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

While the tots chill, pour the oil about half way up the side into a medium saucepan and heat over medium high heat. Next, set up your breading station; place flour on one small plate, place the bowl of egg wash next to that, and on another small plate mix together the panko and smoked paprika with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.

Roll each tot first into the flour, then dip in the egg wash and finally, coat with the panko.

When the oil is hot enough, drop three tots at a time into the saucepan and cook until the tots are evenly browned all over.  Use a slotted spoon or spider to remove and drain on paper towels.

Transfer to a serving dish and serve with the aioli and ketchup alongside.

I was searching for something sweet and quick to put together today for not only this post but to bring along to a lunch date I have this afternoon. I’m meeting up with my kids’ 1st grade teacher and her daughter and two granddaughters. We’ve stayed in touch all these years later, thanks in part to Facebook and this blog. Mrs. Tunheim (Ginger, to me) was both Marissa and Connor’s favorite teacher. In fact, Connor had her three times; 1st grade, 3rd grade, and during high school he went back and was a teacher’s aide in her class for a semester… yup we all love Mrs. T! Her beautiful daughter, Kim, assisted me one summer of cooking classes back when she was a single college girl.  Kim is now married with two adorable little girls of her own, so I’m bringing along these sweets to share with them.

I also want to take this opportunity to extend exuberant, hearty, and heartfelt congratulations to my friend and colleague, Gwen Walters and her wonderful Pen & Fork, for winning Best Food Blog 2011 award given by Phoenix New Times!  Yay Gwen!!!  You can always check out Pen & Fork by just clicking on the link over there on the right side of this very page… it is AWESOME!

Finally, some of you probably LOVE to bake…. and you probably know that I really don’t… so you might be feeling hungry for more sweet recipes.  If so, the blog where I snagged this recipe from (BakerGirl) looks luscious and is probably right up your alley.  So, because I’m such a thoughtful person,  I’ve added a link to it over there on the blogroll too, so you can get your sweet-tooth on whenever you feel the urge. I had to alter the recipe to fit the items I had on hand – for instance; I mixed cinnamon and chocolate graham crackers since I did not have any regular in my pantry. I also only had regular sized marshmallows, so I just cut them into 6 pieces each to make them “mini”. Oh yeah, and I only had a couple “giant” Hershey bars in my freezer, so I used one of those instead of the 4 regular bars and just cut it into smaller pieces.  Let this be an example to you… you can always make it work if you have to!

S’mores Cracker Candy

recipe adapted from Bakergirl

16 sheets of graham crackers
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
3 cups mini marshmallows
4 Hershey bars (1.55-ounce), broken into pieces
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 15x10x1-inch jelly roll pan with aluminum foil, leaving a 1-inch overhang over the ends; spray foil with cooking spray. Line graham crackers on the foil, cutting any as needed to cover the pan completely.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter and brown sugar over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes together and is smooth and the mixture comes just to a boil (about 4-6 minutes). Remove from heat and pour evenly over crackers, spreading with an off-set spatula. Bake 6 to 7 minutes, or until bubbly.

Remove pan from oven and immediately sprinkle mini marshmallows, chocolate bar pieces, and chocolate chips over the crackers.

Return pan to oven for another 3 to 5 minutes, or until marshmallows begin to soften and puff up.

Cool completely. Carefully lift out the foil and place on a cutting board. Cut into squares and enjoy!

 Makes 1 to 28 servings, depending on if you want to share or not!

It has been 11 days since the above hashtag* in my post title first appeared on Twitter. It was Friday, August 12, 2011 and the food blogging community came out in full force to support one of their own. I was in Florida at the time, but I witnessed a beautiful and quickly growing phenom. When I returned home, my time was all about preparations for, and then posting about, this blog’s 2nd Anniversary Party.  But that hashtag and all it means has not been far from my heart or my thoughts these past days.

I am always on time and hate being late, but for the first time it has been great to be late. Had I made the Pie For Mikey a week ago, I would not have had a chance to see the outpouring of love from all of the amazing food bloggers out there. It reinforces why I so enjoy blogging on an almost daily basis. So today, 11 days later, I want to share it with you.

First, you must leave this site to watch and listen to this beautiful video… right now, please!  Honestly, don’t press “read more” until you’ve seen the video.

Absolutely gorgeous and moving, wasn’t it? Now you hopefully realize that what the food blogging community has done these past days has been to make, share, and then post about a Pie For Mikey.  A pie to share with their loved ones and to remember that each moment in life is a precious gift and not to be taken for granted. From what I’ve read about Mikey, Jennie, and their two young daughters, they truly loved deeply and did not take one moment for granted.

How about a little comic relieve here?  I can provide that with my own story of peanut butter pie. It was more than 25 years ago that I made my first, and until today, my last PB Pie.  I do not recall where the recipe came from, but I do recall that I made it for an intimate dinner party for six. We’d finished a lovely dinner on the patio of our little townhouse and it was time for dessert. I brought out all the plates, serving pieces, and the PB Pie. I grabbed the big old knife and cut into it, and … eww, it was a runny sloppy mess. Oh well, who cares what it looks like, we all thought, it’ll still taste great.  So I slopped it onto the plates, laughing all the while.  Then… we tasted it… it was disgusting.  Honestly, it was inedible! I have no idea where it all went wrong; so we just threw it directly into the trash and I have never lived it down. To this day, my dear friend, Nancy, loves to remind me of the night I “served” that flop of a PB Pie.

So now you know my deep dark secret and why I never attempted to make a PB Pie again, until today. Many of the bloggers (such as 5 Second Rule, Eat the Love, Pen & Fork, and  Zoe Bakes) created their own versions of “Pie for Mikey” but I, understandably, played it safe and used Jennie’s recipe. The recipe and the pie are perfect!  My wish is that you will go to In Jennie’s Kitchen, get the recipe, and make it too.  And then I hope that you’ll serve it to the ones you love and remember to cherish each other and every God-given gift of moments you have together. God bless.

P.S. Just in case you want more recipes for Peanut Butter Pie, got to THIS LINK and be inspired and amazed!  And… just in case you have any problems with the link to get the pie recipe from In Jeannie’s Kitchen, I’ve pasted the recipe below.

*Hashtag:  Twitter users often prepend # to words in their Tweets to categorize them for others; so hashtags are the theme of the Tweet. Users can then click on a hashtag to see other similarly-themed Tweets.

Creamy Peanut Butter Pie from In Jeannie’s Kitchen

8 ounces chocolate cookies
4 tablespoons butter, melted
4 ounces finely chopped chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup creamy-style peanut butter
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Add the cookies to the bowl of a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs.  Combine melted butter and cookie crumbs in a small bowl, and stir with a fork to mix well.  Press mixture into the bottom and 1-inch up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave.  Pour over bottom of cookie crust and spread to the edges using an off-set spatula.  Sprinkle chopped peanuts over the melted chocolate. Place pan in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

Pour the heavy cream into a bowl and beat using a stand mixer or hand mixer until stiff peaks form.  Transfer to a small bowl and store in refrigerator until ready to use.  Place the cream cheese and peanut butter in a deep bowl.  Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in the confectioner’s sugar.  Add the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract and lemon juice. Increase speed to medium and beat until all the ingredients are combined and filling is smooth.

Stir in 1/3 of the whipped cream into the filling mixture (helps lighten the batter, making it easier to fold in the remaining whipped cream).  Fold in the remaining whipped cream.  Pour the filling into the prepared springform pan.  Drizzle the melted chocolate on top, if using, and refrigerate for three hours or overnight before serving.

Serves 10 to 12

Chef Tim Lipman in the Leftovers kitchen

While in Jupiter, Florida last week, Chris and Kathy took me to their favorite “sister” restaurants, Food Shack and Leftovers.  The food was some of the most creative, seasonal, colorful, and flavorful I’ve ever had- especially at Leftovers.

We had the privilege of sitting at the bar that looks directly into the kitchen and catching up with the Leftovers chef, Tim Lipman. What a cool guy! I would love for him to come to Les Gourmettes next spring and share his unique creativity and philosophy.  And of course, he’d need to bring all that wonderful fish at his disposal, along too. Barb, we need to talk!

Both restaurants offer a different menu each and every day.  Whatever fish was caught and brought in fresh to the kitchen that day is offered. It is then crusted and served on a salad with the most amazing flavor combinations.  For instance, when we visited the fish choices were Corvina, Cobia, Wahoo, Grouper Cheeks, Yellowtail Snapper, or Tuna.

Once you decide which fish you would like, you choose the crusting and salad.  Check out these options:

• Sweet Potato crusted over greens, green beans, mangoes & garlic lime dressing
• Peanut & Curry crusted over greens, snap peas, grapes, peaches, and pineapple-cilantro dressing
• Tex-Mex Yucca crusted over romaine Caesar with capers, onions,  & roasted peppers
• Butternut & Gorgonzola crusted over greens, mixed melon, & balsamic vinaigrette
• Teriyaki & Coconut Rice crusted over greens, green beans, sun-dried peaces, apples, cauliflower & tropical fruit dressing
• Butternut & Shallot crusted over greens, snow peas, jicama & carrot with balsamic dressing
• Boniato & Mint crusted over greens, multi-melon salad with sun-dried tomato dressing

Amazing, right?  The night I arrived, we dined at Food Shack.  The three of us split the Yellowtail with the Butternut & Gorgonzola crust along with the Sweet Potato crusted Grouper Cheeks.  I could eat this way every day!

A few nights later, at Leftovers, we strayed from the crusted choices and instead opted for a couple of the “exotic entrees” – oh my goodness! The best seafood linguine imaginable. I am going to try to duplicate it at home and I promise, Dave will think he has died and gone to heaven if I can pull it off – so good!

Seafood Linguine with shrimp, scallops, shiitake mushrooms, squash, pineapple and artichokes in an almond-roasted pepper pesto cream with lemon & mozzarella

Island Plate with Jerk rubbed pork shoulder, tempura shrimp, roasted corn, peach salsa and blue cheese grits

The Island Plate was something special too. And I haven’t even mentioned the appetizers and free dessert that Tim sent out to us.  We need him in Scottsdale! I would be his number one groupie.

Tempura Fried Calamari topped with napa cabbage, bean sprouts, fresh tomato, cilantro, & peanuts

Grilled Sea Scallops over creamy pineapple & red cabbage slaw with blue cheese-balsamic and bacon reduction

White Chocolate-Coconut-Crème Brulee Cheesecake with toasted almond crust along with Dark Chocolate Nut Mash

Last month Harvard published a study, which after 20 years of monitoring, revealed a list of foods most associated with weight gain.

On the basis of increased daily servings of individual dietary components, four-year weight gain was most strongly associated with the intake of these six culprits:

Potato chips  +1.69 pounds
Potatoes (including French fries) +1.28 pounds
Sugar-sweetened beverages +1.00 pound
Unprocessed red meats +0.95 pound
Processed meats (such as bacon) +0.93 pound
Alcohol +0.41 pound

There are no huge surprises here, but it is still hard to see that potatoes have made the top two spots. It breaks this Irish heart. I don’t eat many potato chips but to give up on the roasted, mashed, au gratin tuber is hard to imagine.  I also almost never drink soda, sugar-sweetened or otherwise, but alcohol – well. And then there’s the BACON!

The main conclusion of the study is that we should all be eating food that is as minimally processed as possible. Thankfully, in addition, the study also revealed the five foods most associated with weight loss.

An additional daily serving of these fab-five foods was associated with weight loss over a four-year period:

Yogurt -0.82 pound
Nuts -0.57 pound
Fruits -0.49 pound
Whole grains -0.37 pound
Vegetables -0.22 pound

Yogurt is number one?!?  That did surprise me, I love yogurt (and nuts, fruits, whole grains, and vegetables for that matter).  So if I add in another of these five and steer clear of the chips and soda… darn, even with my limited math skills, that is still a little more than a pound on the plus side… what’s an alcohol drinking, bacon loving, Irish gal to do?

The first step I’m going to take is to go to my friend and colleague, Gwen Ashley Walter’s Pen & Fork facebook page and start making her incredible and utterly creative smoothies everyday! Check it out and you’ll see that she already includes not only the obvious yogurt but also the remaining 4 of the fab five into her creations, here’s just a small sampling of what I’m turning you onto (photos lifted from the Pen & Fork facebook page).

See, just 3 examples and she’s already covered everything good on the list! All you have to do is “Like” her facebook page and you’ll continue to get her combos, almost daily.  Thanks Gwen, I am going to start my day by loosing weight every single day now! xoxo

You’ve heard of the “Six Degrees of Separation” before, right?  The idea that everyone is six steps away from any other person on Earth, so that a chain of, “a friend of a friend” can, on average, connect any two people in six steps or fewer. It was originally set forth by Frigyes Karinthy and then popularized by a play written by John Guare.

That really has nothing to do with today’s recipe, I just love the idea of that, how connected we all are… OK, on to macarons, French macarons to be exact. These are a completely different breed than the coconut macaroons you might be more familiar with.  Those are easy to make, these are not!  And the only reason we even attempted them in the teen class graduation last week was because one of my long-time students, Steven, requested to make them. Steven has been coming to Les Petites Gourmettes since he was 8 years old… he is now 16 and drives himself to class.  How time flies!!!

We did a pretty decent job with our macarons, and I feel confident passing this recipe along to you.  I researched online for a couple of days before coming up with a composite of various peoples recipes and thoughts on how to make macarons easily on your own, and this ended up working darn well.  It’s just hard to imagine that 4 simple ingredients (sugar, almonds, egg whites and water) could become so difficult to master.

photo courtesy of essencebakery.com

So… if you love French macarons like I love French macarons, I suggest you skip making them yourself and instead drive directly to Essence Bakery and buy a box. I dare you to make it home without cracking into that puppy! Well, you may succeed if you have lunch there first, which you should!  And be sure to tell my good friend, owner/chef Eugenia Theodosopoulous, that I sent you!  Then eat your amazingly delicious and perfect macarons and thank me later!

LPG Macaron

French Macarons

1  1/2 cups finely ground blanched almonds (or almond meal, conveniently found at Trader Joe’s)
1  1/4 cups powdered sugar
3 large egg whites, beaten lightly in a 1 cup liquid measuring cup and divided in half
2  1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Sugar Syrup
3/4 cup granulated
1/4 cup water

Chocolate ganache for filling, if desired

Process the ground almonds and powdered sugar in the bowl of a food processor to combine well, set aside.

In a the bowl of a standing mixer, whip half of the egg whites to soft peaks, add the 2 1/2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and whip on high until completely combined.

Sugar Syrup: In the meantime, in a small saucepan over high heat, bring the water and granulated sugar to a boil, heat to 230 degrees on a candy thermometer.

With the mixer running, slowly add the boiling syrup to the egg whites in the mixer and continue to whip on medium-high speed until the mixture is completely cooled and you have a shiny meringue, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Mix the remaining half of the unwhipped egg whites left in the 1-cup measuring cup and the almond/sugar mixture in a large bowl. Lighten the almond mixture by stirring in one fourth of the meringue. Then carefully fold the almond mixture into the meringue.

Preheat oven to 320 degrees.

Fill a pastry bag, fitted with a plain tip, with the macaron mixture and pipe macarons about 2 inches in diameter on a silpat lined baking sheet.

Bake in preheated oven for 12 to 16 minutes, until tops are set but the macarons are not completely dry.

Remove to a rack to cool and fill if desired with chocolate ganache; sandwiching two macarons together.

Makes about 2 dozen macaron “sandwiches”

No doubt, you’ve dined in many Italian restaurants or perused enough cookbooks and food magazines to know what to expect when you order or see a recipe for pasta primavera.  A lovely pasta dish filled with fresh seasonal vegetables, primavera means spring in Italian, so freshness is what it’s all about.  But did you know that there was no such thing as pasta primavera on menus and in cookbooks until after 1975?

Although the dish is derived from centuries old genuine Italian dishes, its name and widespread popularity was created by two culinary icons, Sirio Maccioni, the owner of Le Cirque in New York City and Craig Claiborne, the legendary New York Times food editor and restaurant critic.

In May 1975 a group of chefs and gourmets, including Claiborn, were traveling through New York City to Canada when Maccioni prepared a dish for the group using spaghetti, fresh vegetables, frozen peas, and cream.  A guest asked what the dish was called and Maccioni responded, “spaghetti primavera.”  A week later, Claiborne wrote in his column that spaghetti primavera was “the best pasta discovery in twenty years.”  As a result, diners flocked to Le Cirque only to find that is was not on the menu. Maccioni hadn’t felt as though he had created a new dish, it was just a variation of a classic Italian recipe he had known from his childhood in rural Tuscany, but he finally obliged his guests and decided that it could be ordered “off the menu.”

This is the penne primavera I created for students to make for our pasta class these past two weeks and HERE IS A LINK to the original Le Cirque version, which was published in the premier issue of Food & Wine Magazine in 1978.

Penne Primavera

1 pound penne pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 pounds asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups frozen baby peas, thawed
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano
1 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a very large skillet, heat the olive oil.  Add the garlic and cook over low heat, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and boil over high heat until the liquid reduced by half, about 8 – 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the penne and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain.

Add the cream to the reduced liquid in the  skillet and boil over high heat until the sauce has thickened, about 4 minutes.  Stir in the asparagus and peas and cook until the asparagus is just tender, about 5 minutes.  Toss in the penne and stir until pasta is heated through.

Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, sage, oregano, and the 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer the pasta to serving bowls, sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese, and serve immediately.

Serves 8

Marissa gave me two valuable gifts for Mother’s Day last month. The first, guest blogging for me for two days, you’ve already seen.  The second, a mother/daughter night out, I cashed in on last night. It became urgent to spend my gift ASAP because we just learned, the day before, that Marissa received a long sought after internship at San Francisco Magazine. Ironically she already has a 10-day trip for the wedding of one of her college roommates to San Francisco planned, she leaves for that today. Then she’ll be home for only 6 days before she needs to go back and report for her new position! It is a whirlwind (actually more like a tornado) around here right now!

We went to my friend, Chef James Porter’s, Petite Maison and had the most perfect and lovely French dinner.  We sat on the garden enclosed patio and feasted on Escargots de Bourgogne (snails in roasted garlic, parsley butter, with a toasted baguette) and Moules Maison (black pei mussels, pastis, thyme, charred lemon) to begin with, while sipping a refreshing Domaine des Cantrelle Rosé (one of the best Rosé wines I’ve had this side of the ocean!)

Marissa ordered the Marget de Canard (seared duck breast, sauteed spinach, pee wee potatoes, orange glaze) and I had the Poulet Roti (foie gras stuffed jidori chicken, pomme puree, braised mushrooms, herb pistou), as you can see, we loved them both so much, we forgot to take pictures before we dove right in – both were absolutely succulent and so wonderfully French!

My advice – get to Petite Maison while it’s still nice enough to sit on the shaded and misted patio before the temperatures rise much more…. and take your daughter with you!

Remember last weekend when I told you we’d been to a graduation party for Megan, who is my BFF Laura’s daughter? What I didn’t tell you is that Laura’s husband and Megan’s dad, Jack, is a fabulous cook, especially when it comes to BBQ and smoked meats.  Jack made the most delicious smoked brisket and sausages for the party. But there was something that actually rivaled Jack’s main course – Megan’s appetizer.  She put out these “out of this world” jalapeno poppers. Turns out the recipe is from The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl by Ree Drummond. I had heard of Ree before, and of the cookbook, but I hadn’t made anything of hers. Big mistake!  After tasting and now making those poppers and looking over her blog, I am a fan!  And I’m not the only one, Gourmet Live (the recently shuttered Gourmet Magazine’s reincarnation) just named Ree as one of the “50 Women Game-Changers” of the food world. She is #21, well ahead of some big names you will recognize (Paula Deen, Ina Garten, Cat Cora, and Nigella Lawson).

So, thank you Megan, for turning me on to the Pioneer Woman and these poppers!

Disclaimer: When you look at the pictures, you’ll notice that I thought I might like to make the poppers using whole jalapenos, instead of cutting them in half, as the recipe called for. Once I had them all cut open, cleaned out, and stuffed, I changed my mind and ended up cutting them in half anyhow. They were just too big when left whole. So follow the recipe, not the photos.

Jalapeno Poppers

adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl by Ree Drummond

18 fresh jalapeno peppers
8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup grated pepper Jack  cheese
1 green onion, diced (white and light green portions)
18 slices bacon, cut in half crosswise
Apricot preserves
Toothpicks

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Line two baking sheets with foil.

Begin by cutting jalapenos in half lengthwise, leaving the stem intact on one half. (Wear rubber gloves or if you don’t have any, at least lightly grease your hands to prevent the natural oils of the peppers from penetrating your skin as much.  Be certain to wash your hands well with warm soapy water before touching any sensitive areas of your face or body. A squeeze of lemon or other citrus juice also will help get off “the burn” from your skin.)

With a small spoon, scrape out the seeds and membranes from the center of each pepper half.

In a medium bowl, stir together the cream cheese, pepper Jack cheese, and green onion.  Spoon into a pastry bag (no tip needed).

Pipe cheese filling into each hallowed out jalapeno half.

Wrap bacon slices around each half, covering as much of the cheese area as possible. Be careful not to stretch the bacon too tightly around the jalapeno, as the bacon shrinks as it cooks. Secure the bacon onto the peppers with toothpicks, and place on prepared baking sheets.

Brush the top of each with the apricot preserves. Bake in preheated oven for 75 minutes, switching the position of the baking sheets, on the oven racks, halve-way through the cooking time. After the 75 minutes, remove baking sheets from oven and carefully drain off most of the bacon grease. Return to oven and bake another 15 minutes, or until the bacon is sizzling and crisp.

Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving, then serve hot or at room temperature.

Makes 38

The poppers may be assembled up to a day ahead, covered and refrigerated.  Or they may be fully cooked and frozen in plastic bags. Just thaw and warm up in a 275 degree oven before serving. (We ate 12 and I froze the rest… don’t know how long they’ll last in the freezer though, I’m tempted to go get a couple out right now!)

P.S.  I’ve added both The Pioneer Woman and Gourmet Live to my blogroll, over there on the right-hand side of the page, for your future convenience.