Weave a Thousand Flavors

Strawberry, Spinach & Mozzarella Salad with Balsamic Strawberry Vinaigrette

Most of us go through our lives with some level of restraint. And this is especially true when it comes to foods we consume.

For a foodie like myself, that restraint is what keeps me doing what I'm doing for what I hope will be a lifetime. Because without this restraint, I would give in to gluttony. And there is no joy in that. Only remorse.

I am not saying that the next time you visit you'll find I've put up a picture of myself in a bikini. That would require an actual waistline (among other things) And since I don't, I won't.

Yet there are those things that set my taste buds free with little if any repercussions on my waistline or the weighing scale.  And I wait for summer so that my lunches will be filled with such heavenly meals.

Think Peter Kaminsky and his book Culinary Intelligence: The Art of Eating Healthy (And Really Well) where he outlines how eaters can reconcile physical well-being with sensual pleasures.

Moderation is a concept has been around for generations. I can swear hearing those very words from my mother who heard it from my grandmother who heard it from hers and so and so forth. But what appeals to me is that Kaminsky suggests readers maximize their "flavor per calorie" count by eating choice foods. Think Dean & Deluca v/s Dean's hotdog stand.

That makes so much sense to me.

If I'm going to have a piece of chocolate why go for the Hershey's when I can have a Maison du chocolat truffle for the same number of calories?

And that brings me to this salad.

Fresh romaine lettuce, crisp baby spinach leaves, succulent slices of strawberry with a smattering of roasted almonds and fresh mozzarella cheese. This made all the more luscious when drizzled with balsamic vinegar and strawberries in a vinaigrette.

I take my plate to the couch, feet curled as I fork this salad till all that's left is an empty plate and full belly.

My heaven.

My moment.

Because I deserve every bite of 'flavor per calorie'.

I'm worth it.

And so are you.

Cooking Class x 2 ~ What A Fun Week + Picnic tips from George Duran

Now here is a post without food.  Well certainly without recipes.

It's been quite a week for me. On Thursday I joined nine fellow food bloggers for a  virtual cooking school class called Delicious Summer Picnic Recipes. The class is part of the Cooking Connections series on The Motherhood. Take a moment to look up the summary of the entire class as well as view the video right here

http://www.themotherhood.com/blog/delicious-summer-picnic-recipes/

And though we had lots of fun brainstorming, here were some of my favorite and very handy Summer Picnic Tips from George Duran:

Rinse pasta in cold water to stop the cooking after you’ve drained it for your pasta salad.

To save calories in preventing sticky pasta while you’re preparing your other pasta salad ingredients, spray a little PAM Olive Oil nonstick spray in your pasta and mix it around. “Yes- I always have a problem with sticking! 

To make your own croutons to save money and eat healthier, cut up bread, put it in a sheet pan and spray it with PAM Olive Oil, then toast and season it. Freezes well.

Kid-friendly picnic foods are usually finger foods like small sandwiches, cubes of cheese, watermelon wedges and other items that allow kids to keep moving while they’re eating.

To keep foods fresh over a long period of time, stick with cold foods that don’t contain milk products, and use ice packs while transporting.

For an alternative to sandwiches, try bringing wraps. Kids will love these peanut butter apple wraps from ReadySetEat.

Remember to pre-cut food so people can easily eat with one hand or eat standing up at the picnic location. Grilled vegetables are a great picnic option, especially for vegetarians and vegans.

To make sure you’re getting a sweet watermelon, buy a pre-cut watermelon so you can see the color inside. Make sure it’s bright red.

Consider creating a toppings bar if you have guests over for a picnic. Grill hot dogs and hamburgers and let them choose their own toppings.

Aren't these some super handy tips to remember for this summer? And don't forget, you can view the entire video and read up on the nitty gritty details right here

And just when I surfaced from that class, I was already elbow deep in prep for my Saturday class 'A Summer Italian Luncheon'. It was such a lot of fun.

And look at the spread!

Zucchini Alla Scapece

Pasta Alla Norma

Rustic Grape & Marmalade Crostata from Sicily

BISCOTTI with Almonds & Orange

Homestyle Fish with Peas from Rome

Balsamic Strawberries & Ricotta Bruschetta

What tremendous group of people to work with! The class was divided into 4 groups and each had their own workstation-kitchen so for most part, it was hands-on with a few demonstrations worked in as needed.

And of course a whole lot of do-this & don't do that, not to mention a stream of nibbles, eats and Godiva coffee.

Fun!

Can't wait for my next class 'An Elegant Picnic' scheduled for the end of June.

15th Century Hottie ~ Biscotti with Almonds & Orange

Biscotti a term referring to all biscuits in Italy has become synonymous with these - the twice baked variety.

Isn't it fascinating that even today we love foods that hail from as far away as the 15th century?

Because it's here that the origins of this beloved biscuit lie in a small town outside Tuscany called Prato which is at the center of the slow food movement. The first biscotti to come out of this little town was made only with almonds.

The twice baking process is that the dough is baked once, then cut into biscuits, turned face up and baked again. What this does is it gets rid of moisture in the biscuit and therefore allows these lovelies to be stored for long periods of time without the risk of mold.

Consequently these became quite popular with sailors off on long voyages to sea. So much so that it is documented that these crunchy munchies were quite the favorite of Christoper Columbus.

Think on that the next time you dunk a biscotti in your favorite cuppa!

Speaking of double baking and getting rid of moisture and what-not, I don't know about you but the off chance I do purchase some commercially prepared biscotti, I am almost always put off by how hard and dry they are & it makes me wonder if I should be making an appt with my dentist before I bite into the biscuit!

So lets be clear, if you like your biscotti hard and dry, then this will certainly not be your cup of tea (or biscuit) but if you like your crunchy, crusty & crumby (the 3 c's indeed) then you will love these!

So much so, that I am taking this recipe that has been perfected after pouring over countless recipes & mediocre runs over the years and teaching it at my 'A summer Italian Luncheon' Culinary class this week end.

The great news is that though biscotti hails from 500 years ago, anyone who can shape a meat loaf, has played with clay & can slice bread can make these. And this is good to know because once you've eaten these home baked lovelies, your neighbourhood barista is sure to lose a valued customer.

I have added orange zest to these because I absolutely adore the scent of oranges in biscotti but this recipe can be tweaked to your liking: substituting lemon zest or pistachios instead of almonds, dried cranberries and so on and so forth.

In fact, I won't be surprised if you'll be getting requests for these from every corner. Come to think of it, Mr. Hubby has already put in a request for a large batch for his office mates!

Hot Off The Press! A virtual cooking school class ~ Delicious Summer Picnic Recipes & Chef George Duran

Here's exciting news for a Thursday afternoon. Join me & nine others from the food blogosphere who will be co-hosting Delicious Summer Picnic Recipes class. See ya!

What: A virtual cooking school class called Delicious Summer Picnic Recipes. The class is part of the Cooking Connections series on The Motherhood. You can check out great easy picnic recipes ahead of time on recipe website Ready

Set Eat here: http://bit.ly/IFL27b

When: Thursday, May 17, at 1 p.m. ET. It will last 30 minutes.

Where: TheMotherhood – here is the link to the page where the class will be held: http://bit.ly/JbFML2

About the class: Who doesn't love a summer picnic over Memorial Day, July 4th, and beyond? Chef George Duran will appear on live feed video to demonstrate how to cook up great picnic dishes and discuss easy-to-prepare recipes that will keep your menu filled with new tastes and flavors, and keep your picnics far from reaching a state of "same old, same old" by summer's end.

Giveaway! We are also giving away a summer picnic gift basket for class participation – don’t miss out! Here’s how to enter: Attend the live chat and answer the question, “Which picnic recipe from ReadySetEat are you most excited to try?”

You can check out the recipes on ReadySetEat here: http://bit.ly/IFL27b

The class is sponsored by ReadySetEat.com and ConAgra Foods, and it is hosted by TheMotherhood.

I’ll be there with nine other bloggers to co-host the class, and I hope you’ll join us:

Amanda, Parenting by Dummies http://parentingbydummies.com

Angie, My Four Monkeys http://www.myfourmonkeys.com

Jodi, Mom's Favorite Stuff http://www.momsfavoritestuff.com

Kim, At Home with Kim http://www.athomewithkim.com

Kristy, Mommy Hates Cooking http://www.mommyhatescooking.com

Piera, Jolly Mom http://www.jollymom.com

Thien-Kim, My Cup of Creativi-Tea http://www.mycupofcreativitea.com

Wendy, Around My Family Table http://www.aroundmyfamilytable.com

Yoli, Sassy Mama in LA http://sassymamainla.com/

Calling Fellow Toast Lovers! Crunchy Corn, Semolina & Sesame Sandwich Bread Loaf

Good as bread. Outstanding as toast.

Think of the finest toast you'll ever have. If all you've had is whole wheat and whole grain trust me when I say you haven't.

Because quite simply, nothing comes close to the 'full bodied' crunchy, crusty, each crumb singing to you kind of toast that this loaf yields.

I wonder if one can use that term, full-bodied to describe anything other than wine. I hope so.

This bread made with nutritious blue cornmeal (but feel free to use yellow cornmeal) semolina and the nutty flavor of sesame seeds, comes together in perfect harmony to give you one gorgeous, golden loaf.

Perfect for work week lunch sandwiches and even more delightful for PB&J, you'll never buy another loaf of that commercial, preservative laden trove again. Why would you? When 10 minutes of active working time and a whole lot of sitting around reading or catching up with your favorite shows yield such a magnificent treat from the oven.

Anyone who has baked a loaf of bread knows, that few things give us a greater sense of accomplishment and that all-is-right-with-the-world feeling than watching a loaf of bread - rise, peak and then bake to a glistening golden brown.

Not to mention, the therapeutic properties in punching and kneading that dough ball . Better still, call some friends over and make a party of it!