Extraordinary Desserts

We went yesterday afternoon to Extraordinary Desserts to celebrate the sale of our home, since we'll be moving next month from San Diego to the Bay Area. Karen Krasne and her staff do an amazing job at both of their locations (Little Italy and Balboa Park). I wish my photography skills were up to par with their unbelievable dessert presentation abilities. Every one of their desserts are simply irresistible and the quality is always off the chart! We enjoyed immensely the Chocolate Macadamia Torte and the Roasted Coconut Cream Cake, but perhaps next time I'll try the Lemon Bars or Chocolate Truffle Loaf (also pictured here). I read once that Karen grew up in San Diego and since she was an avid surfer she picked Hawaii for her college destination. After completing a degree in nutrition she eventually made her way to France for culinary studies (obviously in pastries). Whatever her background, I'm so glad she's been able to share her remarkable talents with San Diego.

Pulled Pork Tacos with Zesty Slaw

During one of my recent episodes of channel surfing between my usual favorites (two channels of HGTV, one of DIY, and two of the FoodNetwork), I landed on The Neely's making Pulled Pork Tacos with Zesty Slaw. The pulled pork was very nicely flavored and I loved having it featured as a taco. The citrus and chili powder were a nice compliment to one another. While their Zesty Slaw was anything but zesty, it was at least a healthy and fresh side. I will look forward to again making these tacos.

My Favorite Kitchen Gadget

Since I wear contacts I can chop onions by the bag without tears, but nevertheless, I love using my Alligator. During a cooking class as part of a staff retreat last year at Great News Cookware and Cooking School in Pacific Beach, I was introduced to the Alligator. While I've been known to love kitchen gadgets (and probably have many more than I need), I most frequently use the Alligator to quickly and uniformly chop onions. Since I love onions and they are a staple in so many recipes I make, the Alligator makes chopping them a breeze! Give it a try.

Chicken Stew with Biscuits

I recently was battling a cold and sore throat. When you're under the weather and you can't have mom's chicken soup, why not kick it up a notch to something even better? I revisited another winning recipe from one of my favorite chefs, The Barefoot Contessa, with her Chicken Stew with Biscuits. It's a hearty casserole that is the ultimate challenge to even the toughest cold. I roasted the chicken breasts the night before which made it more manageable with the clock, although it is not a difficult recipe. This recipe also make for great leftovers which were easily reheated in the oven. I'll definitely be making this dish again, although I think next time I'll try sauteing the pearl onions with the chopped onions in hopes of mellowing out the stronger than desired flavor they provided.

Pumpkin Pancakes

As my family members can confirm, I'm known for loving dishes containing pumpkin. Is there a better way to start the weekend than Pumpkin Pancakes? The blend of spices including cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves were the perfect complement to the pumpkin. This recipe is a keeper!

TJ Dog with TJ Corn

San Diego's border city, Tijuana, is known for their TJ (Tijuana) Dogs which are sold by street vendors. A Friday night seemed the perfect time to try the two newest menus items at one of my favorite Mexican restaurants, Lucha Libre. Their TJ Dog is a bacon wrapped hot dog (and if that's not good enough by itself!), piled with grilled red and green bell peppers and onions. A hit of mustard, mayo, and spices topped off this delectable combination. I left Lucha Libre wondering why I had only ordered one, it was that amazing! Their Mexican-inspired TJ Corn was also a pleasant medley of flavors. The sweet yellow corn was enhanced by the queso enchilado (aged cheese with spices and chile), lime, mayo, and chile. For those of you in San Diego, I highly recommend both of these new dishes, but you also can't go wrong with any of their gourmet tacos or other menu items. Be sure to indulge in the Creamy Cilantro Salsa (now that's a recipe I would pay for!).

Ice Cream Bar with Chocolate and Toasted Almonds

I don't need a hot summer day, I can easily enjoy ice cream anytime of the year. I'm a big wimp with the cold in the winter, but not even that will stop me from a good ice cream experience! If you haven't already discovered this amazingly inexpensive treat--a mere $1.50 at Costco's food court--you can enjoy this incredible vanilla ice cream bar dipped in chocolate and rolled in toasted almonds. The large size is impressive as well as the high quality of the ice cream and almonds.

Scallop Potatoes with Ham & Green Chilies

The cater for our office holiday party in December provided an excellent feast including carved turkey breast, prime rib, stuffing, gravy, and lots of sides. I might have normally passed up the scallop potatoes with ham, but I was intrigued as soon as I spotted the green chilies. While I've had scallop potatoes many times before, I had not had them with chilies. I was really impressed by the additional layer of flavor the chilies provided to what is not normally that interesting of a dish. I recently tried to recreate this by starting with the Betty Crocker Cheesy Scallop Potatoes recipe to which I added a small can of green chilies. While my concoction didn't have the level of rich, creaminess as the cater achieved (but I hadn't used cream like they may have), it was still a pleasant, comforting meal for a cool winter evening.

Homemade Tortilla Chips

We recently had some corn tortillas leftover from pulled pork tacos which I'd made, so I didn't want them to go to waste. I remembered having seen Martha Stewart use corn tortillas to make homemade tortilla chips (okay, maybe semi-homemade). By simply brushing them with olive oil, lightly sprinkling with salt and chili powder, cutting into pie shape wedges, and baking for 18-20 minutes, we had really good tortilla chips, perfect for game-day nachos.

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Five to six times a week my day begins with a bowl of oatmeal, so I look forward to Sunday mornings as an opportunity to get the day started with something that is not eaten from a bowl. Since I had buttermilk remaining from another recipe (the Red Velvet Cake) and we had blueberries in the fridge, I whipped up these Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes. They were fluffy and packed with juicy blueberries (and really hit the spot since they weren't oatmeal!).

Scott's Short Ribs with Fennel and Leeks

The Christmas day champagne brunch at the Catamaran Hotel on Mission Bay at Pacific Beach included the most amazing braised short ribs. I couldn't help myself in having a second serving of them. They were simply so tender and moist with a rich flavor. I attempted this short ribs with vegetables recipe and found them to be very easily and flavorful. I also enjoyed the combination of vegetables which included fennel and leeks. It was a hearty meal for a January evening.