And The Cookbook Winner Is

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Before I announce the winner I would like to thank you all for participating in the giveaway. All of your recipes are fantastic and made my mouth water. But there can only be one winner. So congratulations to Alisha (Magic of Spice) from The Ardent Epicure!! All recipes were judged on originality and how hungry they made me feel.

This is Alisha's (Magic of Spice) phenomenal recipe worthy of many many culinary awards! I love, love it!

- Alisha/Magic of Spice, The Ardent Epicure, Tropical Fajitas

Thank you to the finalist for also submitting your scrumptious recipes.

- Maya, Foodiva's Kitchen, Lemongrass Chilli Lime Ice Cream with Black Sesame Langues de Chat

- Sarah, Spoonful of Delight, Red Meat with Red Chillies

- Maria, Flavors of Mumbai, Mussel Curry Coconut – Spicy Mussel Curry

- Lazaro, Lazaro Cooks, Pork & Beans

- Tadka Pasta, Rainbow Chard in a Mustard Masala

- Lizzy,That Skinny Chick Can Bake! , Tomato Tart with Gruyère

- Marsha, The Harried Cook, Steamed Buns w/ Five Spice Sesame Pork

- Paaka-shaale, Chana masala

- Alisha/Magic of Spice, The Ardent Epicure, Tropical Fajitas

Next up will be July's YBR roundup. See you there!! (If you haven't signed up do so here, July YBR Signup.

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Lazy Pan Fried Nile Perch For Lazy Weekends

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**PLEASE NOTICE THAT THE DEALINE FOR THE COOKBOOK GIVEAWAY HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO THE 27TH OF JULY. GET THE REQUIREMENTS TO PARTICIPATE HERE, COOKBOOK GIVEAWAY**
Before we move on to today's recipe I have a couple of announcements to make. 1. Don't forget to enter the giveaway for the chance to win a copy of my cookbook. All the information is here: http://spiciefoodie.blogspot.com/2011/07/strawberry-pomegranate-limeade-and.html

2. Congratulations to Patty from Patty's Food on winning June's YBR Honest Cooking feature. Stop by and say hi to Patty here: Summertime Peach Upside-Down Almond Cake

It's been hot, humid and sunny outside. Just the way I love it! But the downside of summer is that it makes me feel a little lazy. The sun shining in through my windows and the warm summer breeze blowing past my desk make it hard to concentrate. Instead of editing photos, typing up recipes and a semi interesting story/history to go with them, all I want to do is go for a walk and dream up stories while basking in the sunshine. So I've got nothing interesting to tell you. Haha!

What about you guys, any of you feeling this way too? We've been spending as much time as possible outdoors. It's important to take advantage of the nice weather and refresh by being away from the computer. Even taking as little as 10 minutes to go for a walk outside will help you feel refreshed. Plus stretching your legs is not only good for the mind but for the waistline.


Speaking about waistlines fish is a great food to maintain a healthy waistline. Fish is also a lighter meal perfect for the summer heat. Being overstuffed on a hot summer day is not the best feeling and fish will not leave you feeling so. Another reason why fish makes good hot weather food is because it is so easy and fast to cook. Fish is a pretty hard thing to mess up so even the novice cook can whip up a great fish dinner in no time. Today's recipe is one of those hassle free, little clean up meals that anyone can cook.

Healthy Pan Fried Nile Perch Fillets:
Serves 2
2 Nile Perch Fillets
1.5 tbsp olive oil
5 garlic, thinly sliced
salt, to taste
ground black pepper, to taste
1 lemon, juiced

frying pan or grill pan

1. Heat the frying/grill pan over medium high heat. Add enough olive oil to coat the pan. Pat dry the Nile Perch fillets with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper on both sides, set aside. Fry the garlic slices until just golden and crispy, be careful not to burn as they will taste bitter. Spoon out the garlic and set aside, leaving the oil. Squeeze half the lemon into the frying/grill pan and mix with the oil. Then place the fillets in the pan and grill on one side for 8 minutes. Flip and cook another 6 minutes or until the fish is firm and cooked through. Squeeze the remaining lemon juice into the grill pan and over the fillets.

Garnish with the fried garlic slices and a slice of lemon and leftover olive oil from the pan, if desired. Suggested side dishes that go wonderful with these fillets are : Turmeric Rice , Trinity Rice and Watermelon Feta Salsa with Fresh Horseradish . I also have another Nile Perch recipe in my archives, Nile Perch with Spicy Cashew Pesto

I leave you with today's hassle free, little clean up recipe. I'm going back to pretending like I'm actually getting anything accomplished for the next few hours. Today is my scruffy furry bundle of love's birthday. Our Panchito turns 13 today! As is tradition every year, we will be taking him to pick out a new toy and his special b-day dinner. In a few hours he will be deep into his bucket.

Here's a little motivational song to let go of all your troubles and start the weekend off right. Have a great weekend everyone!

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Strawberry Pomegranate Limeade And A Giveaway

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**PLEASE NOTICE THAT THE DEALINE FOR THE COOKBOOK GIVEAWAY HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO THE 27TH OF JULY. GET THE REQUIREMENTS TO PARTICIPATE BELOW**

The other day when I was photographing my Chocolate Agar Agar I made a flavored drink to go along with the dessert. Since the Agar Agar was sweet I wanted the drink to compliment and not add more sweetness to my mouth. Though water is my number one drink preference sometimes you want a little more flavoring. Fruit it the best way of giving water a little flavor splash, not to mention the healthiest option. Basically all I did was crush pomegranate seeds into the water. It worked great because there was a sweet tartness flavor in the water along with a pretty pink hue.

After cleaning up I began munching on the pomegranate and strawberries that were used to decorate the table on the Chocolate Agar Agar photos. They tasted great together! I also wrapped them in the mint leaves and noticed another burst of flavors. So great in fact that I knew I had to make something with them. It's been very nice and warm here so the first thing that came to mind was a limeade to cool off with. There really is no recipe other than blending the fruits, juice and sweetened to taste. So simple in fact that you have no excuse to try it. Don't forget all of the vitamins and health benefits of choosing a drink like this over a caloric softdrink. Plus if you have children this is a great way of getting more fruits into them.

Strawberry Pomegranate Limeade :

fresh ripe strawberries, stem removed

pomegranate seeds

lime(s), juiced

fresh mint leaves

honey or brown sugar to sweeten, optional

blender and fine sieve

large pitcher and ice cubes

1. Place the fruit, lime juice, and mint leaves in a blender. Add some water and process until fruit is completely broken down. Taste and add sweetener according to taste. Process in blender again. Strain through the fine sieve and discard the leftover pulp. Pour into a pitcher with ice cubes and refrigerate for about 15 minutes. Serve with ice cubes and decorate with fruit if you like.

* TIP* You may need to strain it twice so that yours doesn't collect the extra fruit pulp like mine did. That is what you see in the photos.

**PHOTOGRAPHY TIP** If it is really hot outside make sure the limeade has cooled in the refrigerator long enough. Even though my limeade was cool, it was still so hot outside that the ice cubes melted very fast. Picture wise glasses with fresh ice cubes will look best. Also you can either wipe the moister off the glasses or leave if you like, I choose to give mine off. **

Now for the giveaway. To celebrate my 2nd blogoversary I am giving away a copy of my cookbook, An Epiphany of The Senses, to one lucky winner. This is going to be a contest type giveaway. The contest will work like so,

- Open to everyone, will ship worldwide.

- Cook a "Spicie" recipe and post it on your blog. Any type of recipe be it a dessert, drink, main dish, vegetable... you get the point. What I mean by "Spicie" is a new recipe that is either spicy to you OR a new recipe using your favorite spices as the main flavoring for the recipe. (Use several, or a few not just one. Have fun and be creative, perhaps cook something outside of your comfort zone.)

- The contest will run from today July 12th to July 27th, Your recipe must be posted on your blog during that time.

- Send me an email to spiciefoodie (@) gmail.com with your name and a link to the new recipe on your blog.

- On July 22th I will post a roundup of all the giveaway participants and choose a winner.

- In addition to winning a copy of my cookbook the winner's recipe will also be featured here on Spicie Foodie.

- All recipes will be judged on originality and how hungry they make me feel.

Ready, Set, Start cooking! Remember to have fun and be creative. Good luck and I can't wait to see your recipes. Leave a comment saying you want to participate so I can expect your recipe.

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Feeling Nostalgic For Mexican Food, and A Winner

First order of business is to announce the winner of the $75 CSN giveaway. Congratulations to #66 chosen by Xiaolu@6 Bittersweets! Please contact me asap for your winning code.



This month's International Incident Party (IIP) theme assigned to us by our lovely host, Penny, is nostalgia. The dictionary defines nostalgia as " A sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations." What a beautiful word, it alone evokes so many beautiful and wonderful memories from my life. Even though I haven't always been so interested or passionate about food and what goes into preparing a meal for your loved ones, I have so many memories around food. Mexican celebrations always involve food, lots of food. Every occasion grand or as small as having a friend stop by for coffee requires food to share.

Taquitos, The Taste of Home

I often reminisce about all the wonderful smells that came from the kitchen during my childhood. The sweetness and warmth of my father's fresh baked Mexican breads. The red broth and floating hominy in the posole my mother made on special occasion. The days of enticing smells during the holidays when they would make tamales of so many varieties. How my little sister would make us scrambled eggs for late night dinners and poured so much salsa over them, they were delicious. Breakfast skillets remind me of those cherished mornings when all four of us girls (my sisters and I) would go out for breakfast before heading to school or work. I have so many wonderful memories around food that make me smile, laugh, and cry. Really the stories and memories are endless and I could go on and on, but I'll spare you the novel length read.

Zanahorias en Escabeche or Mexican Spicy Pickled Carrots

As you can see this IIP brought so many ideas as to what to cook and share with you. I couldn't help but keep thinking about many of the Mexican dishes I have already shared with you. While I normally don't like to republish recipes here on Spicie Foodie, this is a special case in which I will make an exception. Here are some of the dishes that evoke the most nostalgic feelings from childhood. They are not my families recipes because I didn't learn to cook until I had moved so far away from them. Since I taught myself to cook the recipes are my own recreations, and remember authentic Mexican ingredients are very hard to come by so the recipes are the best I can recreate with what I have available. Perhaps one day when I live closer to my family again I can share their recipes with you. Buen Provecho!

Tostadas de Tinga,Chicken Tinga Tostadas

Refried Beans ~ a low fat healthy version

Bean and Tortilla soup with Memories

Mexican Chorizo and Potato Tacos

Authentic Guacamole

Arroz ala Mexicana, Authentic Mexican Rice

Mexican Chorizo

What about you, what food evokes the most nostalgic feelings?

On another note I would like to ask you to stop by Priscilla's blog, She's Cookin'. She's Cookin' is one of the best blogs with substance and mouthwatering recipes around. She has posted one of my favorite recipes from my cookbook, (An Epiphany of The Senses), the Luscious Thai Chicken Pineapple Curry recipe. Please stop by She's Cookin' and say hello to Priscilla.

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A Giveaway and My Hummus without Tahini Recipe

Today's $75 giveaway is sponsored by CSN stores. Many of you have now heard of CSN stores with their 200+ sites offering everything from cookware, to home decor. I would love to replace our old tv stand with one of their beautiful LCD TV stands. Thank you CSN Stores for sponsoring another giveaway.

Giveaway Rules:
- Open to US residents only (sorry to my international readers)
- Tell me if you like Hummus, and is there a special or interesting ingredient you add that is not found in a standard Hummus recipes? Then Pick a number between 1 and 300, leave a comment with your answer and chosen number.
* Please try to do a quick scan to make sure no one else has chosen that number. Also please don't leave links to recipes on other websites, those entries will be deleted.*

**OOPS forgot to say that the winner will be announced on Monday, March 21.**

Before we get to the recipe I wanted to thank you. Thank you for all the sweet messages of support you left in my announcement post about becoming a contributor for Honest Cooking. You guys are the best and your support and encouragement means so much. I'm sharing my Hummus without Tahini recipe here for those of you that missed it at Honest Cooking. Another thing I want to mention is the previous post, ways you can help the people of Japan during this horrendous catastrophe. Those of you that have helped both in monetary donations and words of solidarity, Muchas Gracias!

Recipe:
Hummus is a middle eastern spread or dip made mostly from white chickpeas (also know as garbanzo beans). Hummus has enjoyed great popularity in not only middle easter cuisine but also in Greek cuisine. In recent history it has gained popularity all over the world. Chickpeas have been used in the middle east since ancient times. Some believe that the earliest hummus recipes date back to the 13th century.

Recipes for hummus can vary greatly from country to country and home to home. This makes hummus one of those dishes that can easily be personalized according to taste. The most common ingredients are boiled chickpeas, tahini (sesame seed paste), olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, spices and herbs. All or any combination of ingredients is then ground to make a thick dip or spread and served cold. Hummus can be served as an appetizer with pita or any arab breads, as part of a Meze, it can be spread on sandwiches, or even served with fresh vegetables as a healthy snack. Hummus makes a healthy snack because the chickpeas are high in fiber, folic acid, a good source of iron, magnesium, copper and zinc. The lemon provides a good source of vitamin C and the olive oil is a source of healthy fat.

Tahini is an ingredient that can sometimes be hard to find. My recipe omits the tahini but still yields a delicious flavor with a lemony flavor.

Ingredients:
Serves 3-4

14 oz. or 400 g cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1/4 cup or 60 ml reserved broth from boiling chickpeas or from can
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, (E.V.O. oil)
1 medium lemon (I used Meyer lemon) juiced about 3 tbsp juice
1/2 tsp. granulated garlic
1 tsp. salt
pinch black pepper

to decorate:
olive oil
extra cooked chickpeas
paprika
parsley, dried or fresh

Tools:
immersion blender or regular blender
small bowl
serving bowl

1. In a small bowl combine lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil. Place drained chickpeas/garbanzo beans in blender, remember to reserve the broth. Pour 1/4 cup of the reserved broth and the lemon mixture into the blender. Pulse until you have a smooth thick paste. If needed, add extra broth or water to the blender to achieve the consistency needed. Taste and adjust spices if necessary. Pour the hummus into serving dish.

To decorate as in photo: Make a small well near the edge going in a circular motion. Pour some olive oil in the well, place some cooked chickpeas into the well and a few in the center of the dish. Sprinkle with paprika and fresh or dried parsley. Serve with pita and enjoy.

Too be continued.... And Good Luck!!

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Two eCookbook Winners

Thank you for participating in the eBook or eCookbook giveaway. There are 2 lucky winners for this draw instead of just 1, When I woke up I just felt like giving away 2. I will be doing another draw in January, so stay tuned for another chance to win. The winners were chosen using Random.org an automated number generator. Winners please contact me either using the contact form or directly to spiciefoodie ( @ )gmail.com . Once I hear from you I will send you your price. (If I do not hear from you in a couple of days I will choose another winner. )

The first winner picked #54 and that is Kate, Congratulations Kate.


The second winner was picked based on comment number. The person who's comment was number 13 was Penny, congratulations Penny!

Thanks again for participating!

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Lucy & Ethel, An Interview and A Czech Take On A Mexican Classic

Hi everyone, are you guys ready for Christmas? Only 11 days left, and only 19 days left in 2010! Is it just me or has this year just flown by? OK, maybe I say that every year. Hope all of your cooking, baking and planning is going well.

Today I don't have a recipe to post here on Spicie Foodie, but I do have an invitation I'd like to extend your way. I'd like to invite you to Anamaris's blog,Chef It Yourself, she is hosting me there today. We did a little interview with some cute and funny questions, where I esplain to you why I have some esplainin to do. I also shared a little recipe for a classic Mexican favorite with a Czech twist. Please stop by Chef It Yourself to read my interview with Anamaris and to see the recipe, which by the way is a new vegan recipe I haven't shared here before.

While you are there take a look at some of Anamaris's scrumptious dishes. She is from Panama and has a great mix of Latin and world cuisine recipes. Be warned you will be hungry when you leave. Muchas Gracias Anamaris! and you can find the interview and recipe on this page.


The are 2 things I wanted to remind you of incase you missed them , 1. If you would like to enter the draw for my ebook giveaway (an ebook version of An Epiphany of The Senses) comment with your chosen number on the post here... And everyone around the world is eligible to win.

2. The special edition of the YBR has been announced and you can sign up here.... For this months we are doing Your Best Recipe of 2010! You'll have to pick what you feel was your favorite or best recipe published on your blog in 2010. Can't wait to see all of your scrumptious dishes!

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eBook Giveaway! Win a copy of An Epiphany of The Sense

'Tis the season for giving, and I'd like to give you a small gift from the heart. This food blogging community that we belong to has so many friendly, supportive and inspiring people. I've been lucky to get to know some of you and form some great new friendships. In my way of saying thanks to you, I am giving away eBook versions of my cookbook.

So here is how you can win a digital version of An Epiphany of the Senses.

**RULES TO ENTER: **
- Only active food bloggers can participate
- Doesn't matter what corner of the world you live in, you are eligible
- Even if you have purchased a print copy, you are still eligible for the giveaway.
- Pick a number between 1-300 and post it with your comment below.
- Should you win, obviously you are prohibited from copying, distributing or sharing your copy.
- The winner will be chosen on Thursday the 16th of December.

That's all, simple and easy! The eBook will be delivered to you in PDF format. The PDF format is easy to use on any eReader platform and any computer operating system. As a matter of fact you can convert the PDF to use in any eReader, computer, iPad, phone, or any platform you like. You can do it all with this fantastic free software called Calibre (E-book Management). Calibre is a great software that I came across recently and it was really easy to use and convert files to different platforms. By the way I was not paid by Calibre to say this, I just like the software.

Leave a comment to enter the draw. The winner will be chosen using Random.org , random number generator, on December 16th. Good luck and thanks for participating!

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Giveaway Winner, 2011 Calendar and Awesome Brownies

Happy Thursday everyone! Today I hope that it will be extra happy Thursday for the lucky winner of the CSN sponsored $75 giveaway. The number was chosen using Random.org random number generator and here is the winning number,

The winning number was picked by Green Girl @ A little bit of everything, Congratulations!!! Roxana I will be sending you an email with the details. I can't wait to see what you buy, how exciting. Of course big thanks to CSN and all of their team for sponsoring the giveaway. Everyone please make sure you stop by and take a look at all of their wonderful products like their wide range of briefcases.

The next thing I would like to tell you about is the 2011 Spicie Foodie Calendar. Over the past several months I have been receiving emails from many of you requesting a wall calendar, and about 8 or so of you ask for a wall calendar with recipes. It took me a little while to finish it but here it is and I hope you like.

It is a 12 month full color calendar for 2011 and all 12 months/photos have a recipe to go with them. Some are from my archives, some from my cookbook and some never before published. It is now available for sale to everyone and anyone all over the world. Stop by here to get your copy and get a full preview.

And now for the Awesome Brownies! These brownies are soft, moist, addictive, chocolate heaven awesomeness. For years I've tried to make the perfect brownies trying countless recipes from various sources because let's face it the boxed kind just don't cut it. I've never been quite satisfied with the recipes I tried, I tried all sorts of recipes to no avail. Gross, one time I even tried one made with Baileys that I thought would be delicious and was so disgusting I threw it all out and I loathe throwing out food.

You know how on every episode of House he gets that epiphany look on his face? That was the look I had when I finally realized I should go to the source. The source being Hershey. My dad is an avid and very talented baker that will put many professional bakers to shame. He makes the best Mexican breads and Polish Kolachky among many other great treats. He always had Hershey cocoa and products in the house and I remember the brownie recipes. Here in Prague they don't sell Hershey products but here comes the internet to the rescue again, yay internet! I've been using this recipe for the past year and every time it yields delicious results. Soft, moist and to a chocoholic almost orgasmic. The anticipation is high, the smell in the air can be torturous and I can never wait for them to cool off before taking my first bite. Pure heaven! ( enter happy dance here, hehe)

I follow the recipe as it's stated but only make some changes like I've added 1 tsp. of instant coffee for a different taste. I don't often include the nuts for a more pure chocolate taste. The recipe also has a creamy brownie frosting recipe but again depending on my mood I will or will not make.

These heavenly brownies are ones that must be shared with friends. Though it's hard to hand over the box of freshly baked brownies and watch it disappear as you watch your friend carry it off down the sidewalk. You wipe the tears and hurry back home to bake yourself another batch. Don't worry you can do an extra hour of yoga this week to burn off all the oh so worthy extra calories. Brownies for breakfast, oh yes that's the breakfast of champions. This has been the confessions of a brownie addict and her chocolate vice. Enjoy the recipe and you can find it here, http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/5008/Best%20Brownies.aspx

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