little ms foodie

Percy I'm so happy you tried grinding your own, isn't it easy?? camping this weekend, we made a big pan of seafood paella- my first time doing it this way. It was so tasty. We added chopped scallions after this photo was taken. Paella has halibut, clams, mussels and shrimp. We cooked some chorizo on the side for us meat eaters

generally if you have something that has curdled when cooking you are correct in thinking that your oven was too hot. Clafoutis should not be curdled, it should look like the pictures in the link (that's why I posted it so you could see some shots). Try lowering your temp- I cook mine at 350F for about 25 minutes. good luck!

The basics....decide what you want to serve and start cooking (or buying)! I love cocktail parties! great music, a few fun cocktails, yummy nibbles. What do your friends love? pick something that will reflect them and just go for it. Plan on 4 to 6 bites per person. Set a start and end time. Fun!! You are a nice friend for doing this.

What about the crust? Are you using the same recipe as you would use in the oven? I want to try grilled pizzas too!

I laughed when I saw the featured recipe on foodtv.com today...... Emeril's Summer Pudding

We just went camping this last weekend and made an outstanding paella on the campfire. I used my normal paella pan, no problems cleaning it up or anything- it's good to go again so I wouldn't worry about trying to find a cheap one. the good heavy bottom one is better. this was definately the best paella I have made, the added smokey flavor was excellent. Not as huge as Paul B's this one was made in a 4 to 6 person sized pan. The picture was taken after the foil was lifted but before the scallions were added ( I brought peas too but forgot as we were drinking a bit of rioja while cooking!) edited to add photo

There is a great discussion in the French forum on clafoutis: Clafoutis

We just purchased a few bottles of that cab when we discovered Artesa in Napa a few months ago. I thought the wine was just delish!! We also really enjoyed and purchased their Chardonnay.

My husband and I went to Aqua last year for our anniversary. It was great- the food, the service, etc. It is big though and busy. We enjoyed that. All our seafood was superb, especially the tuna tartare!

My husband and I were just saying the other night that the food we had at the Guggenheim was surprisingly good and inexpensive. We had a nice 3 course lunch during our visit and the executive chef is a well know Basque chef Martin B (I can never spell it!). You don't have to have a ticket to the museum though to eat there. They were busy and reservations are recommended. cafe

tonight was beer can chicken rubbed with my own cajun seasoning, white asparagus with ham and gruyere from this months F&W and a green salad. mojitos in the glass! ah summer....

Thank you so much for an outstanding trip report! friends and I are going in Sept. and your comments will come in handy. Did you like the Monteleone? we have booked that also. Was it hard to get the kitchen counter at NOLA? Do you book that in advance? We have the Sommeliers table booked at Commanders Palace but are still looking for a chef's table of sort.

Melissa, I'm looking forward to your blog! Do you ever grind your own chuck? We just started doing that in our food processor- works beautifully.

enidjane I'll be in Stockholm for one night this winter so I would love your recommendations for one great meal there!

thank you!!!

We muddle mint with bakers sugar until dissolved, add lime and lemon juice, rum and some soda. Stir- preferrably with a piece of sugar cane. YUM. We tried many mojitos while in Puerto Rico last Feb. I hope to one day have a proper mojito in Cuba. edited to add that Barbecoa has the best mojitos in Seattle. and to say that we are making more tonight

Priscilla what is clarissa squash??

I made another clafoutti for my in laws last weekend. This time I didn't pit. It was MUCH better. The look, the taste and eating it was more enjoyable with the pits. The cherries are so large that with the pits in you only put one in your mouth at a time, no problem! I will never pit my cherries for clafoutti again!

Daddy A too funny! we have beer can chicken on the menu for thurs night, we learned it last year from friends! Tonight pork loin chops marinated overnight in EVOO, red onion, lemon and rosemary grilled with lemon spaghetti using fresh noodles from our farmers market. Bethel Heights Pinot Blanc in the glass. Eaten outside again! yeah!

I like to use Apremont for my kirs (which we have pretty much daily in our house) or Gasgonne (sp?) You'll see many restaurants (at least in Paris) offer kir du maison using their own liquor- different flavors depending on the restaurant. For kir royal I only use very inexpensive champagne (or sparkling CA or WA) as I think the taste of great champagne is a shame to mess with. I know that using Crème de Cassis de Dijon Comptoir is traditional but I haven't found that in Seattle yet.

We are planning a trip to St Petersburg this winter so I'd love to hear of your experiences!

OMG! I am going to have to make a lot of ricotta! This all sounds so good!

fantastic suggestions everyone! let's get picnicing!! Jack I did bookmark that sandwich idea. Wattaceti I need more info on cornish pasties?? Not so much picnicing but we are going camping this weekend and I think I'm going to take my paella pan and try that over the open fire.

Well it is finally summer in seattle!! mojitos! dungeness crab, papaya and endive salad seared albacor tuna on avocado and roasted corn salsa. grilled baguette rubbed with garlic. eaten al fresco....finally!!!!

eden why not make fromage fort with some milder cheeses thrown in? 1 pound left-over cheese at room temperature 1/4 cup dry white wine 3 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature 2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves 1 small clove garlic Remove any rinds from hard cheeses. Grate hard cheeses and cut others into 1/2-inch cubes. Place cheese, wine, butter, herbs, and garlic in a food processor and blend until smooth, approximately 2 minutes. Serve immediately or refrigerate for at least 1 hour for a firmer consistency. This can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.