#11 / 52 Food Adventures: Swordfish Carpaccio

Last week my parents and I went to Canaletto Ristorante in Fashion Island 

and this was my favorite dish of the night.

House-cured Swordfish Carpaccio with sliced fresh artichokes and something crunchy and something green.

Our menu didn't give a full description and I forgot to ask the server.  

Actually, I was avoiding speaking to (or making eye contact with) the server.  He was quite the actor and I couldn't handle the overly animated "Italian" service.  

He was a nice guy, really, I just didn't have the energy. :)

I loved the flavor in this dish, I loved the swordfish and I loved the texture.

What did you try this week?

I believe next week will be dishes with lemon and/or lime thyme... 

that is if I don't kill my plants before then.  Any recipe suggestions?

#7 / 52 Food Adventures: Chocolate Cheddar Cheese

I'm running way behind on this weeks posts but I think you know why :)

I adore cheese.  I adore chocolate.  

I saw this at Trader Joe's and didn't hesitate to try it.

I was curious about the pairing with cheddar, a creamy brie seems more likely, 

but I really liked this.

The cheddar is strong, sharp and slightly creamy and the chocolate is dark and not too sweet.

I think it's a great conversation cheese and I really liked it.

B thought it was good but he'd rather eat a stinky blue cheese.

Peanut liked it.

He's saying cheeeeeese in this picture.

This is after his first day home with daddy.  They are both exhausted.

What is your absolute favorite cheese?

What did you try this week?

Cranberry Lemon Heart Scones

Can you believe that Valentine's Day is on Tuesday?
I had all these plans for projects :)
I was going to make things.  Pinterest things.

Well those projects may or may not get done but either way at least I made these yummy heart scones.



I used a scone recipe from Baked Bree, halved it and substituted cranberries for blueberries.
You can find her recipe HERE.

I also left out the vanilla in the glaze, substituting milk, but that had more to do with color than flavor.



A quick word about scones.  It seems that some people like them dense and crumbly while others like scones to be light and flakey.

These are definitely the lighter, flakey type.
They have the consistency of a biscuit and are very yummy.



These would be perfect with a nice cup of coffee or tea for your honey on Valentine's Day!

If you aren't feeling the completely homemade scones you could always try these easy semi-homemade Raspberry Heart-shaped Cinnamon Rolls.

Do you have plans for Valentine's Day?

Raspberry Heart-shaped Cinnamon Rolls

Valentine's Day is just around the corner and I've been thinking of some easy treats.

These Raspberry Heart-shaped Cinnamon Rolls are quick to make and easily customizable.

Although you could most certainly make this all by scratch if you're feeling fancy,

I used store-bought cinnamon rolls and raspberry preserves.

I made these in both plain and raspberry but the raspberry won out in making this treat special.

Raspberry Heart-shaped Cinnamon Rolls

Open your package of dough (try not to flinch)

Unroll until it's completely flat.

Cover with a layer of raspberry preserves- there will be some ooze and you're going to lose some during baking so mess is unavoidable.

Roll both of the edges until you almost meet in the middle.

Pinch the bottom to complete your heart.

Lick fingers.

Bake according to package directions.

Frost.

Eat.

Perfect for a Valentine breakfast, gift or surprise treat!

Can you just see all the possibilities?

Strawberry, orange marmalade, blackberry, apple butter, apricot, bacon, what?

I may have to try them all.

Bru Grill & Market

We finally made it into Bru in Lake Forest!

Peanut had his first taste of lamb shank and a bite of these donut pops (sitting on fresh cotton candy).

For the full post come over to Eating the Orange!

#4 / 52 Food Adventures: Veggie Chips

Although I never intended for this to be a challenge on cooking,

 we just haven't tried anything new at the restaurants we've been to.

We've been focusing on using all the gorgeous fruits and veggies from our CSA.

We've now decided that we're going to try and made everything into chips.

Kale chips, which aren't pictured, are very popular in our house.

Everyone likes them, even the Peanut.

Although, I'm pretty sure Peanut likes them because

 he thinks he's getting away with eating crunchy paper.

May I also say that I had to overcome my fear of the mandolin for this weeks adventure.

My mom broke out her fancy professional one and I concentrated hard on keeping all my fingertips and knuckles because, believe me, I've seen a lot of people lose both on this thing.

I tried beet chips and butternut squash chips and liked them both with a few adjustments.

The beet chips were really tasty.  I think I would just use a oil spray on the cookie sheet and then a light spray over top instead of tossing in oil.

The butternut squash recipe was a little hit and miss but that was mainly because I sliced all of my squash too thin.  I think next time I would do them thicker and maybe lower the temp a bit.

I thought I would try and get a pretty picture of my beet chips.

I took out all my bestest chips and stacked them up,
put a cutting board behind to eliminate all the background "noise"
and right as I picked up my camera it fell on my pretty posed chips.

WHACK!



Then I quickly brushed the crumbs into my hand and shoved them in my mouth.

What did you try this week?

#3 / 52 Food Adventures: Drink Your Greens

We've been getting this gorgeous spinach in our CSA box lately.

It's not like the baby spinach we would get at the store and it has a great sweetness to it.

I knew right away that I wanted to try some of the smoothies I've been seeing all over Pinterest.

I tried 3 different smoothies and although they get an A for flavor, 

the appearance is obviously lacking.

This first one came out a weird color because it's a blend of spinach, banana and strawberries.

Green Berry Blend

1 cup packed spinach

1 cup strawberries

1 banana

1/2 cup apple juice

1/2 cup ice

Blend.

I really liked this and I've decided that you can't really taste the spinach at all.

Luckily Peanut will try anything, regardless of how it looks because my dad said my smoothie looked like something Shrek would drink.

Peanut seemed to like it just fine!

I'll be making this again.

Banana, Avocado, Strawberry Smoothie

2 medium bananas

1 small avocado

1 cup strawberries

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup ice

1 tbs honey or agave (optional)

Blend.

Taste your mixture and add the honey or agave if you need it.  

If your fruit is really sweet you might not.

I loved this one and Daniel seriously couldn't get enough of it.

If only I could get the boys to use a straw, this would all be so much easier.

Green Monster Spinach Smoothie was a fail that was entirely my fault because I lacked ingredients and it wasn't even blended enough resulting in weird chunks and pieces of leaves.

Chewing on your smoothie is weird.

If you try something new or come across some ideas, 

join the 52 Food Adventures Community Board on Pinterest!

Did you try anything new this week?

85°C Bakery Cafe, Irvine

Have you been to 85°C yet?  You know, that bakery with the long line out the door...

the one with trays and trays and trays of goodies to choose from.

From squid ink rolls to marbled taro bread to lemon pastries, this is the place to go for baked goods and great coffee.

If you haven't been there then put it on your checklist and check out my post about it HERE

#2 / 52 Food Adventures: One Ingredient Ice Cream

I've been seeing this ice cream for years now.

Just one ingredient, can you believe it?

It's creamy and delicious and sweet.

It's just frozen bananas!

Of course, I had to try it 3 different ways and I already have a plan for more ways to try this.

~~~~

But first, let's talk Pinterest.

Let's be honest, half of us can't plan a party (or a dinner... or a present....or get through the day) without first consulting Pinterest.

The lovely LeAnna suggested I start a Pinterest Board for inspiration and then we thought- 

Hey!  Let's do a community board!

It's a place we can all pin fun ideas for our 52 Food Adventures and 

comment on recipes or ideas we've tried.  

Check out the 52 Food Adventures Community Board and let me know if you'd like to be a part of it- I'll send you an invite to the board!

By the way, stop by LeAnna's blog and see how her food adventure went this week  ~snicker~

So back to the one ingredient ice cream.

You freeze and then blend a banana.  Tada!

I loved it.  It's like a healthy eaters dream.  Don't even tell people that it's straight frozen banana.

Give it to your husband, your kids and your I'm allergic to everything friend.

For more detailed directions go here.  I found that it blended better in a food processor (I used a mini for just one banana) as the small amount bounced around in my blender.

But I think I'll make this again in a big batch.

It comes out like soft serve

 so if you want it to be more like regular ice cream I suggest freezing it again for another hour.

I've seen this all over Pinterest and so I decided to try adding peanut butter.  

I thought 2 tbs for one banana was way too much.

I also tried a chocolate version by adding cocoa powder.

2 tbs cocoa powder for every banana.

This was a big win for me.

Chocolate and banana.  Yes!

Peanut thought he was getting away with murder when I let him eat some.

I mean, you could sprinkle this with some crushed nuts and you have a deconstructed frozen banana!

As you can see, it was a big hit.

Other variations I've heard of are Nutella (but seriously, an open jar of Nutella around here would just be dangerous), honey or a splash of vanilla.

I've seen other things that would up the calorie content but seriously, 

start by trying the plain banana.  I think you'll be impressed. 

Now, if you'd like to link up, thanks to Alicia I'm trying out this new link tool, so click below and link up!

Kula Revolving Sushi Bar

It's January and everyone still has ink stains on their fingers from the long list of New Years Resolutions.

Do people use pens still or is it just me? Are pens becoming obsolete?

Anyway, January is the month where everyone eats healthy and works out.

My solution the January mindset is sushi.  Actually my solution is not to have the mindset, but if you do, well then head out and get some sushi!

Don't just go anywhere, try Kula where all the plates are a mere $2.

Did you hear that?  $2 for quality sushi.

See my post on Kula at Eating The Orange.

52 Food Adventures! A 2012 Challenge

Would you like to join me in a challenge for 2012?

Not sure?

It involves eating...

Are you in?

The challenge, if you choose to accept it,

is to try 52 new foods this year.

That's right, we're going to try something new every week.
If the challenge sounds too, well challenging, don't you fret,
scroll down for tons of ideas on how you can have 52 food adventures this year.

~WHY~

Why not is a better question.

-You know that B and I love to try new things and

we also want Peanut to try new things.

-Well, because food should never be boring.  Ever.

-For new experiences, new flavors and lots of fun.

~WHEN~
There are exactly 52 Tuesdays in 2012 which sounds like a given but there could be more.
For instance there are 53 Mondays and 2012 is a leap year, giving it 366 days instead of the normal 365... am I rambling?
Anyway, I'm going to report back here every Tuesday starting with January 3rd.
So try something new on New Years Eve!
I'll accept cocktails for the kick off :)

~WHO~
Anyone can participate, make it a personal goal or do it with the whole family!

~WHERE~
Have your food adventure wherever you please and report back here on Tuesdays!
If you miss a few weeks don't worry, just pick up where you left off.
I'll come up with a prize for the 3 people that participate the most.
Some kind of foodie package that I'll send to you.
It'll be something good that I promise you'll like!

Just comment on the Tuesday 52 Food Adventures post
OR
post on your own blog and link back here.
It'll be a lot of fun to see what everyone is eating.
As a blog post or comment you could include a recipe, a review,
a simple picture, a traumatic story, a few sentences or just a link back here
to see what kind of adventures we had.

~HOW~

I'm not saying you need to go to some exotic restaurant and 

try something un-pronounceable that may or may not still be alive

(although B undoubtably will at some point during the year).

Here are lots of ways to have 52 food adventures this year:

*Order outside the box 

In every place you eat there are are variety of items that you always choose from.

This is not the entire menu but those dishes that you normally look order.

Get something different.  

Do you always get french toast?  Try huevos rancheros.

*Bring the restaurant home

Make something at home that you have only ever had in a restaurant.

Maybe you aren't trying a completely new food but you are trying something different

and that counts as a food adventure.
OR you could try making on your own, something that someone else always cooks.
Let's see if your grandma's cake tastes the same when you make it.

*Just one bite

Sound familiar? Whatever it is that you are unsure about, just try one bite.

You may like it, you may love it, you may hate it.

It doesn't matter because at least you tried.

*Leap before you look

Also known as try now, ask later.

I've used this many times, especially at ethnic restaurants or get-togethers.

If you're not quite sure, sometimes it's better to let your mouth decide if you like it

before you brain decides for you.

*The change-up

Take your favorite dish and change it up!
You can make it healthier or gluten free.
You can change the ingredients, i.e. eggs benedict with pulled pork and bbq hollandaise
(that does sound good, doesn't it)
or add a new element or twist to it.

*Burst your bubble

Travel to different areas (outside your normal bubble) to find new stores or markets.

Maybe they'll have something you haven't tried before.

Ethnic stores are especially good for this.

*Just google it

Ever see something at the store and think, 

"I have no idea what I would do with that"

Well that is what the internet is for.

Buy the food and look up a recipe or description for it when it.

*Opposites attract

Take 2 things you are familiar with and try them together.

Dare I say bacon and chocolate?  

*Come on baby, gimme a second chance
So you say you hate that food, and maybe you do,
but when was the last time you tried it?

If you haven't tried the dreaded brussels sprouts since 2nd grade,
give them a second chance.

*When in Rome
Whether you are traveling to foreign land, eating at a new restaurant,
or celebrating a special occasion,
make sure to try what they are known for, what is regional and fresh,
or what is traditionally eaten.
This is especially true when traveling.  Be adventurous!

*Menu Roulette
This doesn't happen often but there have been times when we really don't recognize anything.
Maybe it's in a different language or it might just be a unique menu.
So close your eyes and put your finger down.
Wherever it lands is what you order.  Yes, we have done this.


*One for you, One for me
Order something new and something that is a favorite and share.
This way you are bound to like something.
The more people eating out, the more things you can try
without feeling like you need to finish a whole dish!

*The Adventure Seeker
Look through a menu and order whatever it is you've never had (or maybe even heard of)




*The Hybrid
Does this all sound like way too much?
Remember that you don't have to order live baby octopus to try something new.
Have you looked at the fruits and veggies in the market lately?
You could spend the whole year trying out things like pluots and grapples and broccoflower.

*That's very Pinteresting
Perhaps this year you could focus on making it through just 52
 of the one million recipes you've repinned on Pinterest.
Or is it just me?

*Around the world, in 52 weeks
Take a few of the weeks out of the year to find something of a specific ethnicity or area.
Try Indian, Chinese, English, Greek, African, Egyptian, Russian or Peruvian.
Eat at a restaurant or look up a recipe.

Still here?  What are you waiting for?  Get out there and try something new!


Join the 52 Food Adventures Community Board on Pinterest!

Lemon & Blueberry Layer Cake

In honor of B's birthday today, I'm doing a cake post!
Only I didn't actually make him a cake.
Although, I was thinking of doing this one.
I know it seems like a total copout but I know he'll love it.

This cake is the result of 3 different recipes and 

several different inspirations like this.

The ending result was fantastic.

Lemon blueberry cake with lemon curd filling and a lemon buttercream frosting.

Although it sounds extra lemony it's not too tart at all.

The cake is dense and the blueberries sank when baking,

creating that great streak of blueberries.

I stacked the cakes with the ends towards the center cake which does not have blueberries in it.

The cake recipe (and candied lemon) is adapted from Martha Stewart, 

the curd is my own recipe (doubled and the tiniest bit extra was served alongside the cake with a spoon for curd enthusiasts to add a dollop to their cake is so desired) 

and the frosting is from the Lemon Drop recipe in the Baked Cookbook

Lets start with the lemon curd as I really think you need to make this first and 

stick it in the refrigerator so that it's nice and cold when you use it.

The warmer the curd, the thinner and the more you lose to 

oozing out the sides when you stack your layers.

The Easiest Lemon Curd Ever

1 cup lemon juice

4 tsp finely grated zest (I run a knife over mine after zesting with a microplane)

2 cups granulated sugar

6 eggs

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp

Cream your butter, add sugar and zest and mix well.

Add your eggs in, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Throw in your lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Mix, mix, mix.

At this point it will look all curdled and gross. Don't worry.

Pour the mixture into a pot and cook over low-medium until thick, stirring constantly. I'll be honest, I always put it up to medium because I'm super impatient. As it heats it will start to thicken. You'll know it's ready when the curd coats the spoon and stays in place when you run your finger (or another utensil) down the center.

You can keep this in the refrigerator for several days or break into small batches and freeze.

Lemon & Blueberry Cake

• 1 1/2 cup (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
• 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pans
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 3 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs plus 4 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup plus 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced and seeded
• 2 3/4 cup blueberries or about 3, 12 oz packages 
• 2 cups will go into the cake and the rest is for decorating 
• 
  
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
• 
  
• Butter and flour three 9-by-2-inch (or 8 inch if that's what you have) cake pans, tapping out excess flour. 
• In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest.
• 
  
• In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and 3 cups sugar until light and fluffy. 
• With mixer on low, beat in eggs and yolks, one at a time. 
• Beat in 1/4 cup lemon juice. Alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined.

*You can make your own buttermilk by taking a 1 cup measure, adding 1 tbs lemon juice, filling the remainder with low fat milk and allowing it to sit for 10 minutes.

• Pour 1/3 of the batter into one cake pan and smooth the top.  Add 2 cups of blueberries to the remainder of the batter and fold them in, then split between the 2 remaining pans and smooth the tops.
• 
  
•  Bake until cakes pull away from sides of pans, 32 to 35 minutes. Let cool in pans 10 minutes. 
• Run a knife around edges of pans and invert cakes onto a wire rack.

• 
  
• While cakes are baking, bring remaining 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water to a boil in a saucepan. 
• Add lemon slices and simmer 25 minutes. 
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer lemon slices to a waxed-paper-lined plate to use for decorating later. 
• Stir remaining 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice into syrup.
• 
  
• Using a toothpick, poke holes in warm cakes on rack. 
• Brush with lemon syrup. I did this several times.  Let cool completely.
• 
  
• Once cooled I put them in the refrigerator because it makes them easier to frost.

If you wanted you could make these ahead and freeze.

• 
  
• 

Lemon Drop Frosting

1 1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, soft but cool, cut into small pieces

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup lemon curd

In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk sugar and flour together.

Add milk and cream and cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally, 

until the mixture comes to a boil & has thickened, about 20 minutes.

Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.

Beat on high speed until cool.

Reduce the speed to low and add the butter; mix until thoroughly incorporated.

Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy.

Add the vanilla extract and 1/2 cup of the lemon curd and continue mixing until combined.

If the frosting is too soft, put it in the fridge to chill then remix.

If the frosting is too firm (like if you made it the day before) let it sit out a while,

or place it over a pot of simmering water and beat with a wooden spoon until it is the proper consistency.


You want it firm enough to hold it's shape.

Assembly


Place your plain lemon cake (without blueberries) on a flat surface and trim to make it level.


Place one cake layer on a plate or platter, top down (upside down).
Surround it with wax or parchment paper (cut into strips) 
so that you don't have to worry about frosting mess.


Pipe a ring of your frosting just inside the edge.
This will keep the curd in when you stack your layers.
If you feel your frosting is too soft, place the layer in the fridge for a bit.
Fill with about a cup of lemon curd.
Take your plain lemon cake and place in on top, then repeat with the frosting ring and the curd.
Finish with the third cake, bottom down (right side up).
Crumb coat the cake and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Frost the sides and top of the cake.


Garnish with the candied lemon slices, pile the blueberries on top
and around the base and top off with one lemon slice, cut and twisted.


Refrigerate the entire cake for another 20 minutes to help it all set.
You can place this in a cake saver and store in a cool room for up to 3 days.
If it's too hot put it in the fridge just allow it to sit at room temp for 2 hours before serving.


I actually didn't have a cake saver so I just stuck it in the refrigerator and made sure there wasn't anything smelly near it :)


It was perfect.


This cake looks like a lot of work but everything can be done in phases ahead of time.
Everyone loved it.


Make this cake!

Doughbot Donuts, Sacramento

B's friend Mike knows how much we love food and suggested this place to us.

I was sort of sold when he told me their tagline is "Resistance is Futile".

We checked out their website, finding they are a couple (she is pictured below) who started off 

making donuts out of their kitchen for friends 

while they scoured the internet for deals on the equipment they needed to open a store.

The first thing I noticed when I walked in were their bicycles up against the wall.

Good food and bikes?  I'm sure B was sold right then.

We came in after the morning rush and it was quiet and calm with the smell of 

doughnuts and coffee hanging in the air.

The decor is fantastic and makes me wonder where they found all these 

vintage, retro and modern goods.

So much personality in such simple decor.

The menu changes daily and it makes me want to go back again and again

just to see what they are coming up with and try them all.

What you see above is the PB & J.  

Simple and delicious, why didn't I think of that?

I ordered coffee and she prepared it in a french press while I drooled from the smell of it.

I already have a list of donuts that weren't available that day

that I must try.

Meyer Lemon Creme-filled with meyer lemon glaze and candied meyer lemon on top.

S'mores- cinnamon sugar donut filled with chocolate, locally sourced handmade marshmallow,

glazed with cinnamon and graham cracker.

I know, genius.

They also have quite a few donuts available in a vegan version.

On the left you see a bite of the PB & J with that fantastic strawberry filling.

On the right you see the chai.

I really loved the chai and wanted a cup of glaze to dip my donut in.

This is the apple bacon fritter which I really liked although 

I would have considered it more of a donut.

I'm not really sure what defines a fritter so maybe I'm off on my definition.

Really though, unless you have your heart set on a traditional fritter, 

I'm not sure it matters.

It tastes good.

I want to eat it.

I had The Dude first.

Do you know what I'm referencing when I say The Dude.

The Dude abides.

My college boyfriend and his friends spent months watching The Big Lebowski

over and over again, spouting off quotes and whatnot

until just the mention of the movie makes my right eye start to twitch.

The man calls himself "The Dude", need I say more?

I loathe the movie.

I do not however, loathe White Russians, The Dude's drink of choice.

The translation into doughnut is a White Russian Bavarian creme-filled 

doughnut with perhaps a coffee glaze? on top.

The creme was light and airy and incredible and I woke up this morning thinking about this doughnut.

Perhaps now I've been cured of my eye twitch

because whenever The Dude is mentioned I'll think of this doughnut.

Perhaps I'm not cured at all as my eye twitch will be replaced with drooling.

I think the eye twitch may be more socially acceptable.

Anyway, this made me think of you mom,
oh lover of both white russians and filled donuts.

I also have to mention the vanilla bean donut.
It's simple and classic but good Lord, how often do you find donuts with actually vanilla bean?
I mean, look at those gorgeous flecks in the glaze.

On the right is the Strawberry Lemonade,
I didn't get to try you but I'm coming back for you my friend.

Doughbot is a great find so head over there and eat some doughnuts!