Inspirational Words and Nectarine Tomato Basil Salad With A Little Kick

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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**

I'm sure many, if not all, of you know who Penny de los Santos is. She is an award winning photographer, senior contributing photographer at Saveur Magazine and contributor to National Geographic. Penny is a truly talented photographer with a very kind aura. She recently teamed up with Creative Live to stream a live 3 day workshop on food photography. Did you guys catch that live? Sadly I didn't hear about it until about 1 week later. Thankfully Creative Live has the whole 3 day course available for download on their website incase you missed it, like me. No I'm not being paid to say this.

I'm telling you guys about it because I was so moved by Penny's lessons. After watching the videos I was left in awe of her talent, inspirational and motivational words. She comes off as a genuinely good person happy to help share her knowledge. After watching the videos I went back to her website and read many of her posts as well as admired her photography. I just had to send her a message saying know how much what she said meant to me. I know I'm sounding like a stalker, but I promise I'm not. You know what? She wrote back a sweet little note. With all of her success and busy schedule, she was still kind enough to respond to her fan mail. That says alot in my book.

One of the many posts that stood out the most to me was a recipe for "Tomato, Peach and Basil Salad" Looking or should I say drooling over her photos and recipe I knew I had to make that salad immediately. So I did and here it is for you today. I do have to tell you that I changed it a little bit from her recipe.

This is what I did different:
- She used peaches and I used nectarines.

- Penny's salad cuts the peaches into chucks, I decided to slice the nectarines into thick wedges.
- Penny used garden tomatoes and I changed it to small grape tomatoes.
- Another step I added was to grilled the nectarines.
- Since raw garlic does not agree with me I decided to cook it a little in the oil from the nectarines. But you can use the raw garlic if you like.
- I also sprinkled a little cayenne over the salad. This added another depth of flavors and it tasted great!

Nectarine Tomato Basil Salad With A Little Kick
Adapted from Penny de los Santos's "Tomato, Peach and Basil Salad"
Makes 1 large serving or 2 small side servings:

2 ripe but slightly firm nectarine, sliced into thick wedges
10 grape tomatoes, cut in half
large bunch fresh basil, finely chopped

Balsamic Dressing:
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp dark brown sugar
pinch of salt
large pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp water
large pinch ground cayenne pepper, optional

11/2 tbsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) *
2 whole garlic cloves*

* Hold off on adding these to the balsamic until step #2*

1. Thoroughly wash the fruits and basil. Heat the grill/griddle or frying pan over high heat. Drizzle the olive oil over the grill/griddle or frying pan. Place the nectarines with the flesh facing down on to the hot cooking surface. The point it to quickly sear the nectarines then flip onto the opposite side. Remove the nectarines and allow to cool on a plate, set aside. In the same grill/griddle or frying pan add the garlic cloves and fry for 2-3 minutes just until soft, or the garlic can also be left raw. Turn heat off and set aside.

2. In a screw top jar pour the oil used to cook the nectarines. Mince the garlic and add to the jar along with all of the balsamic ingredients. Shake well until all ingredients are well combined. Taste and adjust if necessary.

3. In a large salad bowl gently toss the tomatoes, basil and nectarines. Pour the balsamic over the fruits again gently tossing. OR you can serve the balsamic on the side and serve as you like.

If you haven't already stopped by Penny's website do so, soon. Her poetic words, story telling, recipes and photography will warm your belly and soul. Have a beautiful day everyone and thank you for stopping by.

P.S. Who inspires you to be a better photographer or keep learning in the Kitchen?

*Update July 25* This post was featured on Women's Health Magazine! Check it out

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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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Watermelon Feta Salsa with Fresh Horseradish, Euro-Mexican Fusion

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**July 8, 2011, Recipe Featured on Gourmet Live **

Thanks for voting this into today's (July 5th) Foodbuzz top 9.

To me no other fruit says summer like the heavy, green, oval fruit with a bright red center and little black seeds. Im talking about watermelon of course. It’s not like watermelon is the only summer fruit or that it is necessarily my favorite summertime fruit. I think it is because of my personal summertime memories that repeat summer after summer in homes all across the world. You see when I picture a hot, sweaty summer day I see a child with his or her face buried in a large slice of watermelon gobbling up the sweet fruit. Every bite squeezes out more juicy goodness that runs down the child’s face, arms and most likely down the top half of their clothes. As adults that is not an acceptable sight or one that other adults will find as funny and cute as watching a child take such pleasure in a slice of watermelon. Kids get to have all the fun! Nonetheless I think we can all relate to that childhood memory of sitting on the grass in the summer sunshine refreshing our bodies with a chunk of watermelon.

The recipe I have for you today is a little more grownup than just a slice of watermelon. Not that there is anything wrong with a juicy serving of watermelon. I came up with this salsa as a way of using up what was leftover in my refrigerator. In fact it’s not much of a recipe but more like a guide of throw this and that into a bowl to create a dish that takes advantage of the bounty of summer. The salsa is so in name but more like a fusion of ingredients so not specifically from one nation. But since I served it like a salsa and a good portion of the ingredients are European, we can call it a Euro-Mexican fusion.

Here is what went into my watermelon salsa, watermelon, cubed and seeded. I threw in some cubed feta cheese along with roughly chopped red radishes. If you do not have red radishes then substitute with finely chopped onion, red would be good. Then I finely chopped a small bunch of chives and added them to the bowl. Guess what there was also a lime, so I squeezed the juice over the other ingredient. Then in the back of the vegetable crisper I found some fresh horseradish root to grate into the salsa, that is where the spiciness was going to come in. The horseradish root gives more of a nasal spiciness than a back of the mouth spiciness that a chile would give. Nonetheless it was a great addition to the salsa. Before you grate the horseradish make sure it is thoroughly rinsed as dirt and debris can become logged in the curves of this root. Then using a vegetable peeler, peel away the darker outer layer until you’ve reached the white and woody layer. Grate as much as you like into the salsa. Lastly gently toss the ingredients together until well combined. Taste and adjust anything you like. Serve it in a bowl or inside the leftover watermelon rind.

The salsa was sweet, salty, a little tart and yes, spicy. That is the perfect combination of flavors! I served the spicy watermelon salsa with grilled Nile perch and grilled chicken. In fact this would be the perfect accompaniment for any grilled meats or fish. You could also serve as an appetizer or snack with some corn chips. Since the 4th of July means cookouts why not make the salsa and impress your guest. Enjoy it!

Other watermelon recipes:

- Agua de Sandia -Mexican Watermelon Water

- Summer Sunshine In A Bowl by Alisha Randell via Honest Cooking

- Grilled watermelon and haloumi salad by Scandi Foodie

- Tofu Feta, Watermelon and Basil Salad by Happy Healthy Life

- Watermelon Sugar Cookies by Megan's Cookin'

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Flower Showers, Spring Serenade, Gourmet Greens and Tangerines

The spring sun has been playing hide and seek with us. Panchito's morning walks have been mostly cloudy with cool breezes. Not exactly the kind of weather that makes me want to get out of bed let alone go for a walk. It is May right? What's going on? Panchito leads the way on his morning walks. Sometimes he keeps us (him and I) on the same paths, other times he feels like exploring. Those walks on the same paths sometimes make me forget that I get to live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The architecture, the trees, smells and sights begin to go unnoticed and taken for granted.

This morning the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, flowers in bloom and the wind was gentle. God it feels good to be warmed by the rays of sunshine! Deep breath, ah how I love the smell of spring. I think Panchito also loves the smell and warmth of spring. He sniffs the unfrozen ground and all of it's surroundings like it's all new territory. Pausing to wait for him while he sniffs around a gentle breeze blows over us. Suddenly we are showered with small white flower petals. When did the tree fully blossom? It was a sight to behold, it felt like being in a snow globe or rather a flower globe. Even Panchito took notice, he stopped sniffing the ground to point his nose up in the air and sniff. I love when he does that! I aimed my gaze upwards to watch the flowers showering over us, I catch the sun's rays peaking through the tree branches. Softly in the distance I hear a flute.

I close my eyes to better hear the flute notes. It's a sweet serenade with melancholy notes, yet make one feel euphoric. Music, sunshine, and flowers can evoke such grand emotions in humans. I peer around the tree to see it is once again the young blind musician who often plays his flute for passersby. Though music on the streets of Prague is not an uncommon sound it is one that always makes me stop and take notice.

Panchito decides that he has sniffed enough of that patch and starts leading us away. As we make our way back home those melancholy flute notes serenade us and begin to grow ever more distant. For a while it felt like all the morning's beauty belong to just Panchito and I. I love mornings like this, a great way to start off my day. The only thing that would have completed the experience would have been if hubby had been with us, next time.

On sunshine warmed days I like to eat light vibrant foods. This salad was inspired by the morning's events and it was a perfect way to end the day with a plate of vibrant fresh veggies and fruits. Enjoy!

Gourmet Greens and Tangerines Salad
Wild Arugula
Baby Spinach
Mâche Greens
Tangerines
cherry tomatoes

vinaigrette dressing

1. Rinse the greens and set aside to drain off extra water. Rinse and halve the cherry tomatoes, set aside. Use a sharp knife to cut away the peel and white pith. First slice off top and bottom of the tangerine, then slice down the sides. Next cut into wedges.

2. Toss the greens and arrange the cherry tomato halves and tangerine wedges as desired. Serve with your favorite vinaigrette salad dressing.

Checkout these other great salads :

- An Organic Gardener's Salad with a Citrus Dressing , The Ardent Epicure

- Fresh Spring Bulgur Salad, Tamara Novacovic via Honest Cooking

- Sweet Onion Salad with Orange Vinaigrette , Natalie McLaury via Honest Cooking

- Chopped Salad w/Blue Cheese Dressing – My Nepenthe, White on Rice Couple

- Carrot and Avocado Salad , Jenn Cuisine

- Garden Salad with Warm Goat Cheese and Society Garlic Flowers, Kitty Morse

What is your idea of a perfect salad?

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Pears, Mushrooms and Spinach. What was I thinking?

A tale of kitchen failures and bad photos to go with a strange recipe.

Do you ever dream or day dream about how two ingredients would taste together? Of course you do, we all do! My mind starts going when I do a check of what's left in the refrigerator and pantry, as well as when I'm shopping for food. Then once it's time to go into the kitchen to cook our dinner I'll start thinking to myself "Okay, how can I make this more interesting than last time, or what new spice or ingredient can I experiment with today." To me that's what cooking is all about, experimenting and trying new things. My favorite way of testing out new flavor combinations is by staking a bite size amount of new ingredients together for a small taste. Often times I discover some great new flavor combinations that become favorites. But sometimes, well things don't turn out quite like I had imagine.

Baby spinach and pears taste great together. The sweet tenderness of the pear really compliments the crisp mild taste of baby spinach. These two together make a great salad, just add some walnuts and goat cheese and your set. Baby spinach and mushrooms also taste great together. Both are mild and neither overpowers the other. I love to use mushrooms and baby spinach together in stir frys, along side chicken, stews, and curries. So I got the idea that baby spinach, pears and mushrooms would or should taste pretty good in the same dish. Well, that's not really the case. Before I started on the rice I stacked a piece of raw pear, a piece of raw mushroom and a couple of raw baby spinach leaves together. The taste was quite good, mild and crisp with a slight sweetness from the pear. But once the rice was finished, that was a different story. It was edible but not quite the savory, salty and splash of sweetness I quite envisioned. I don't know if the failure was a result of the spices just not complimenting the main ingredients, that the flavors change once cooked or if it was just an overall failure. My poor guinea pig, I mean my husband, still ate what was put in front of him but didn't ask for seconds. Haha! He's a good sport and for that I shall not torture him with this dish again.

I almost didn't photograph and post this but I thought I'd share my most recent failure. After all most of us have them and that's how learn. Right? You could probably tell that I didn't put much effort into the photos, I felt it wasn't quite a dish deserving of a decent photo. So please excuse the horrible photos. If you're brave enough I dare you to make it, haha!

Ingredients :
1 3/4 cup or 320 grams long grain white rice
1 Portobello mushroom (100 grams or 3.5 oz), thinly sliced
5 oz or 140 grams Button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 firm pear 10.5 oz or 300 grams , in chunks
4 garlic cloves, minced
100 grams or 3.5 oz baby spinach
2 1/2 cup or 600 ml vegetable broth
1 tsp. salt
large pinch of ground white pepper
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
2 tbsp. olive oil

grated Parmesan, optional

1. Heat the oil in a large pan, saute the mushrooms until soft, drain the excess liquid. Add the garlic and saute 2 minutes. Next add the spinach and cook until wilted. Pour the rice into the pan and stir to well combine. Add the remaining spices and pear chunks into the pan and again stir well. Pour in the vegetable broth, stir, cover and simmer under medium low heat.

2. After 15 minutes check on the rice. Taste the rice for tenderness and if needed add a little bit more broth or water. Make sure that the broth/water does not dry out before the rice is cooked through. If so pour just a little bit more into the pan. Once the rice has cooked through add some grated parmesan cheese if you like. Rice should cook through in about 20-25 minutes. Serve as a side dish or vegan/vegetarian main meal.

Remember kitchen failures are okay we all have them. Tell me what was your most recent kitchen failure?

P.S.

Tomorrow, April 29 is the last day to sing up for the YBR. Sign up here if you haven't done so already.

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Spring And A Breakfast Strawberry Soy Shake

Spring is in the air! For me spring is when everything starts to come back alive. It feels as though everyone is waking up from the long slumber of the cold winter. The days are getting longer, and here (in northern Europe) we are beginning to see the sun make more appearances. People seem to smile more, it's definitely the effects of sunshine and warmer weather, I'm sure. My chile plant and rose bush are beginning to bloom, soon there will be chiles to spice up my food and mini roses to brighten my home. I can now hear the little birds singing their beautiful morning melodies, welcome back birdies.


Another thing that awakens from the winter slumber is the selection of fresh fruit and vegetables. No more root vegetables and no more boring fruit selections. The biggest sign (produce wise) that spring is on its way is the sudden appearance of strawberries. Large, bright red, sweet strawberries. Oh how I long for that sight all winter long. The taste smell and sight of strawberries will help awaken you from your deep winter slumber. Every spring I eat my weight (times one hundred) in fresh strawberries. I love to start my spring days with a strawberry milkshake, it's healthy and the natural sugars will give our bodies energy that releases slower into our bodies. Sometimes the milkshakes are made just with strawberries and other times (to keep it interesting) other fruits get added to the mix. Another variation I like to play with is the milk used. You can use soy, almond or regular milk and all will give you a delicious variation. Play around with the variations and let your mood or pantry decide how to get your spring morning off to a deliciously fruity start.

Ingredients:
makes 1 serving
6 large strawberries
1 small banana
1/2 cup or 118 ml soy/almond or regular milk
honey to taste, optional

blender

1. Peel the banana and slice into 4 pieces, place inside blender. Remove the stem from the strawberries, cut in half and add to the blender. Next add the as much honey as you like. Then pour in the soy milk (or other milk choices) into blender.

2. Blend until the fruit has broken down into a smooth thick mixture. If you would like a thinner smoothie feel free to add more soy milk.

Last April I posted my recipe for Strawberry Green Tea Smoothie. That recipe contains caffeine so it will give you more energy. If you don't fancy a milkshake for breakfast then enjoy it as an afternoon snack or pick-me-up. Now grab a good book, sit back near a bright sunny window and let the sweet fruit flavors fill your mouth. I can't think of a better way to welcome the sunny days of spring, can you?

By the way I'm not changing my moodier (darker) style of photography, I've just been testing out shooting on a white backdrop for my stock agency photos. I'm also so happy to finally have sunlight coming into my flat. Can't wait to start shooting more natural light photos.

** In case you missed the announcement, Signup For March's YBR Roundup here. Deadline to submit your photos and recipes is March 30!**

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Feeling SAD and Preserved Meyer Lemons (With A Twist)

I suffer from SAD and that makes me sad (you saw that silly joke coming didn't you?). SAD stands for Seasonal Affective Disorder better know to some as the Winter blues. It is a temporary or seasonal mood change which has some of the same symptoms as mild depression and it is most common in the northern hemisphere. Basically me no likey the dark grey Autumn and Winter days. Ha! go figure we choose to live in the northern hemisphere. While I consider myself a happy person with no worse mood changes than any other typical woman (except when my Latin temper kicks in, that's another story) it is these dark grey sunshine-less days that make me want to sleep more, and make it harder for me to concentrate or get motivated to do much. Even so I am not one to stay in bed or lay around even if I'm ill, I can't stand not doing something.

I'll have you know my diagnosis came from very reputable and prestigious Doctors, Dr. Google, Dr. Wikipedia, and WebMD. Don't you just love the internet ? (And I say this with the most sincere form of...Sarcasm!) You can look up anything and instantly get diagnosed with the most life threatening diseases out there. For instance you could look up... let's say a paper cut and come back with a rare diseases called papercuteosis. Oh no! you may just have to take the day off work because it can be contagious, as a matter-of-fact while you are calling your boss to tell him/her you can't make it into work today you are being quarantined. Perhaps my husband is right when he says I should stop looking up everything on the internet. Wait, did I just say he was right? I hope he doesn't read this or I wont live it down.

Seriously, SAD is a real disorder and I need some Santeria or Voodoo to bring on the sunshine and make me feel better on these grey days. But I don't know either so I'll have to create my own sunshine. I'm going to start with lemons, because they just brighten things up on their own. I love lemons with their lip puckering and slightly sweet fresh taste, always leaves me satisfied. I don't think it's a coincidence that many citrus ripens in the Winter months. I think mother nature knows that we all need their vibrant colors and delicious tastes to get us through the Winter. Just looking and smelling lemons or any other citrus immediately leaves me reminiscing about sunny days, it is like holding a little sunshine in my palm. I want to preserve them to get me through the remainder of the Winter. Many of you are already talking about Spring arriving, but for us it's quite a ways off and there are many rainy days coming too, blah!

I adapted this Preserved Meyer recipe from Epicurious.com. I made some changes to the original recipe, cut it in half, I used a combination of sweet (Meyer) lemons with Spanish Mesero (primofiori) lemons, you could really use any variety you choose. The other change was that I also sliced off both ends from all the lemons. Plus I added a little twist which you can see below. This recipe is great because it only takes 5 days before you can enjoy the lemons, and they will keep up to 1 year in the refrigerator. I'm going to be patiently waiting.

Preserved Meyer Mixed Lemons
Adapted from http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Preserved-Meyer-Lemons-102747

11/4 lb or 560 g lemons, I used 6 very small lemons (Meyer or any variety of your choice)
1/2 cup or 118 ml fresh lemon juice (from 21/2 lemons)
1/3 cup or 90 g coarse sea salt

large bowl
sterilized jar (I used 2 small jars)
boiling water

1/8 cup olive oil, to use on the 5th day

1. Choose lemons that are semi-firm but not unripe, don't have bruising or other imperfections. You could also buy organic lemons or if you buy regular make sure they don't feel sticky and that they are cleaned properly. Thoroughly and properly rinse the lemons. I suggest starting by measuring out the lemon juice needed, then set aside. Bring some water to a boil, once boiled place the remaining lemons in the boiling water. Boil for 5 minutes, drain and allow to cool.

2. Have the sterilized jar ready. Once the lemons have cooled enough to handle, cut off both ends on each lemon. Next slice each lemon into 8 wedges, remove the seeds and place the wedges in the bowl. Pour the salt over the lemons and mix well. Pack the salt coated wedges into the jars then pour the lemon juice into the jar.

Seal and either leave on the counter or place in the refrigerator. During the next 5 days shake the jar to help distribute the salted juice. On the 5th day add 1/8 cup of olive oil and refrigerate. They will keep in the refrigerator up to 1 year.

I also made a variation with a little twist, I added fresh tangerine (mandarin orange) peel. Follow the recipe exactly as above but add as much fresh tangerine peel as you like. I can't wait to taste the different flavors!

I will keep you posted in the coming week on the results. What is your sunshine or feel good comfort food that always puts a smile on your face ?

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Fresh Figs with Prosciutto and Spiced Balsamic Glaze

Today I have one of my favorite Autumn recipes to share with you. It's flattop grilled fresh figs wrapped in prosciutto and arugula and drizzled with spiced balsamic glaze. Sounds fancy and delicious doesn't it? Well delicious it is and it is a great way to impress your family or dinner guest by serving them this hassle free, fairly inexpensive, appetizer wrapped in a lavish bow. I have been preparing this dish for several years and it's one that I can highly recommend for a dinner party or for a treat for your family. Besides fresh figs are in season right now and this is a great recipe to keep handy during fig season.

I will be keeping this post rather short today, I am so swamped with work on my 'big project" I mentioned in passing a couple of post ago. I can't wait to share it with all of you but first I need to complete it. I may not be able to stop by all of your sites in the coming days, so I apologize. But I will stop by as I get small breaks to do so. Well, on to the recipe and hope you like it as much as I do.

for 2 figs
2 figs, cut into 1/4ths
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. honey
pinch salt
pinch ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
prosciutto or other cured ham
arugula

1. In a small cup combine the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, honey, salt, pepper and garlic stirring until the spices have combined well into the vinegar. Rinse both the arugula and figs, cut each fig into 1/4 pieces.

2. Heat a nonstick pan,grill or griddle over medium heat. Place the figs skin down and cook for 2 minutes, drizzle a little of the vinegar mix over each piece. Turn the fig pieces on their sides, cook for another 2 minutes and drizzle a little more vinegar mix. Repeat one more time to cook on the last remaining side. Remove from heat and allow to cool until you can comfortably handle the fig.

3. Place one arugula leaf on top of the fig piece then wrap a piece of prosciutto around the fig and arugula. Repeat until each fig pieces is wrapped. Serve as an appetizer alone or alongside a small salad and baguette.

I have to admit that I like this dish so much that I will just have it as my dinner. I serve it with a small salad made of the extra arugula and balsamic glaze drizzled over it and fresh baked baguette from the corner bakery. Add a glass of your favorite red wine , now that's heavenly!

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Grape Jam for 2 ( refrigerator style)

Some of us take many things for granted. But before you think I'm going to give you a moral lesson hold on - this is a food blog after all. What I mean by this is that some of us don't notice nor appreciate the ordinary everyday simple foods. When we arrived in Europe it was Mexican ingredients like tortillas, chili peppers, my Mother's home cooking that made me realize I took for granted and did not appreciate enough when I had them available everyday if I wished. Sure there were other realizations of foods and mostly conveniences that I had been expose to from living in the US. But I won't bore you with a long list of things both my husband and I miss from back home, I'm going to focus on just one. Grape Jelly/ Jam. That's right, grape jelly, for my North American readers I bet you take it for granted.

Some of you may think this is a little weird, how can we miss grape jelly surely there must be grape jelly available in Europe. We searched in 6 different countries and never came across a single jar of grape jelly-jam-preserve. Now I'm not saying that it just doesn't exist, we just never found any. Well let me tell you a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich just isn't the same with any other flavor of jelly. I like to joke with my husband that Europeans turn all their grapes into wine and so there none left over to make grape jelly. Ok that's a goofy exaggeration because there are fresh grapes for sale all over, so not all grapes are turned into wine. (Wait you know I don't think I've seen grape juice here either, wow I'll have to double check the grocery store next time. ) And so not wanting my poor husband to endure a grape jelly-less existence I took it upon myself to surprise him by making our very own grape jelly.

I have been using this recipe and making our very own grape jam for about 5 years now. I actually call this grape jam because I use the whole fruit, minus the seeds of course, rather than using just juice which would then classify this as a jelly. This is my recipe for easy , relatively fast, small portion for 2 grape jam craving individuals who won't be accidently poisoned by incorrect canning procedure - refrigerator safe grape Jam!



Your Ingredients:
1.5 lb. or 680 grams dark grapes
1 1/2 cups or 300 grams Dr. Oetker Gelfix Extra 2:1
( this is a Gelation Sugar with pectin from apples and citrus fruits) Premium Fruit Pectin
1/2 cup or 120 ml of water

large pot
blender
strainer
Sterilized jar

1. Wash and remove grapes from stems. Place the grapes inside the pot and pour the water over the grapes cover and bring to a boil. Once the mixture has boiled use a potato masher to crush the grapes to break them down further. You should have a very watery juice with most of the grapes broken down and skins separated. Boil for another 5 minutes.

2. Place a strainer over a large bowl or another pot. Strain the grapes and use a spoon to push the remaining grape chunks through and break them up. Now you'll need to pick out and discard as many of the seeds , that is if you used a grape variety with seeds. The grape skins should be placed inside a blender with the grape juice that was just strained. * Please note that I like to use the grape skins in my jam, if you do not want to you will again need to strain the grape juice and discard the remaining grape skins. *

3. Pour the grape juice mixture back into the same pot used to boil them. Next we will add the gelation sugar into the grape mixture. Cook the grape mixture over medium low until the jam has set. This will take about 40 minutes or so , stir often to prevent burning and bubbling over. If foam begins to form on top scoop out and discard. You can test the jam by dropping about 1/2 tablespoon onto a plate, allow it to cool and using your finger push on the jam if it stays and does not run back down it has set.

4. Once the jam has set quickly pour into your sterilized jar , leave uncovered and allow to cool down to room temperature. Once cooled place the lid on it and store in the refrigerator for at least 1 day before eating. The jam will continue to set as it cools further. This jam should be save in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.

I bet you wont look at your grape jelly the same ever again. Now I ask you if you've moved away from home is there something you miss terribly and just can't find in your new home?

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Tartelettes Aux-Fruit (No-Bake) Summer Tarts

Tartelettes Aux-Fruit or Fruit Tarts my no-bake take on easy fresh Summer fruit tarts. These were our dessert for our Mexico vs. France World cup match dinner last week. ( Sorry I am just now posting the recipe, I have been quite busy. ) These mini tarts are super easy and relatively fast to make and some of you will appreciate the fact that you wont have to turn your oven on. I will list the fresh fruits I used but feel free to use what ever fruits are in season where you live or use any of your favorite fruits.


You will notice that one of the ingredients is whipped cream, it was homemade whipped cream. Making your own and fresh whipped cream is really what I recommend. This way you can control the sugar amounts, since the recipe calls for sweet fruits you really shouldn't have to add to much sugar because you don't want an overly sweet dessert. Also homemade will limit the amount of preservatives and therefore taste better. You will notice on the photo little black dots, that's the Bourbon Vanilla I added. Let me tell you that was such a great addition, the taste was just perfect with the fruit.


Since I made these ahead of time and they wouldn't be eaten for a few hours I wanted to give my whipped cream a little help keeping firm. So I used this product by Dr. Oetker which basically is cornstarch and a little sugar to keep the cream light and fluffy longer. (I believe in North America it's called Whip It! )



Your ingredients :
(yields 6 mini tarts)
1/2 cup or 110 ml Whipping Cream ( 30% fat)
1/2 Tbs. Smeta Fix or Whip it
2 tsp. white sugar ( adjust to your liking)
Pinch of Bourbon Vanilla Powder
14 sweet Biscuits/Crackers about 120 grams or 4.23 Ounces
40 grams or 1.4 Ounces margarine
3 Tbs. Milk
2 Nectarines
Blueberries
4 Large Strawberries
Fresh Mint

Whisk or electric mixer
rolling pin
large plastic bag
6 mini tart molds
6 large cupcake liners

1. First make the whipped cream then set aside in the refrigerator. In a large bowl combine the cream, sugar and vanilla and stir to combine the ingredients. Whisk or using an electric mixer whip the cream until you have airy and thick whipped cream, set aside in refrigerator.

2. Place the Biscuits/Crackers in a large plastic bag and roll the rolling pin to over the Biscuits to break up, continue until you have a fine crumb. Empty the bag on to a bowl then melt the margarine. Pour the melted margarine and the milk over the crackers and stir with a spoon or using your hands work the crumbs to wet the whole mixture. Line the tart molds with the cupcake liners, push with your fingers into shape around the inside of the molds. Then using your finger push and shape the cookie crumbs around the tart molds to shape the base. Continue until all 6 molds are completed. Place in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.

3. Wash and slice the apricots and strawberries into small slice and just wash the blueberries. Using a tablespoon scoop some whipped cream into each mini tart and spread around. Begin placing the fruit on top of the whipped cream. You can arrange as you like. Then scoop another small dollop on top of the fruit, next put a mint leaf or two on top of the finishing whipped cream.


Serve right away or place the Tartelettes in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. By the way I left a couple in the refrigerator and they stayed relatively fresh for 3 days.

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