Smeeks… smeeeeeks! I love to say that word. Smeeks is an adorable little candy/gift shop off of Camelback Rd. in Phoenix, AZ between the 17 and 51, near 7th st. I saw the little candy shop featured in an issue of PHOENIX magazine several months ago and bookmarked it as one of the places I would like to visit someday if I ever had time. Well, I made time for it last week and was definitely NOT disappointed. It was a really friendly and colorful shop painted blue, red, and white. The shop housed tons of different kinds of candy from taffy to candy bars to gum, a lot of which were old fashioned brands you don’t find in the grocery store. They also sell refrigerated old fashioned soda pop and party favors. It is worth the trip, but definitely be prepared to spend at least $30 – $40 on candy! Here is some of the loot I picked up…

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I came across some beautiful inspiration for some decorative tables for spring and your Easter Dinner this Sunday. If you need some inspiration, these may spark some ideas. Happy Easter everyone and have a wonderful week!

Here is a table featured on the Martha Stewart website:

Here is a more modern and happy look by DieterThePhotographer found on Flickr… I love all the yellow!

And another one found on epicurious… the Pink gives it a fresh and pretty look.

One more for fun… I found this one on Country Living’s website… I LOVE that magazine! Such a sweet and tender spring look…not to mention it looks really easy (just paint a couple recyclable tin cans and plant some flowers in them).

I’ve always wanted to make this recipe, but was always somewhat afraid of it. It sounded complicated and intricate in detail… but I found out it was simply the opposite and I would make it a 1,000 times over again. The title of the recipe is derived from the main ingredient in my Tiramisu… Savoiardi Lady Fingers! They are the best! Here is a step by step account of the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 package of Savoiardi Lady Fingers (17 oz)
3 large eggs
8 oz. mascarpone cheese
8 Tbsp. sugar
8 oz. of Italian Espresso Coffee
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 oz. powdered cocoa
milk chocolate shavings for garnish

Note: I doubled the recipe as I was making this for a lunch at my husband’s work.

Step 1: Make a pot of Italian espresso or strong coffee. I used the simple method of the french press… which I highly recommend. I bought an imported Italian brand of espresso coffee (Illy, Ferrara, etc.). If you don’t have this available to you, simply make a very strong pot of coffee.

Step 2: Meanwhile, seperate the egg whites and yolks and place in seperate bowls.

Step 3: Once coffee/espresso is brewed, pour the liquid into a bowl and set aside.

Step 4: Mix the egg yolks with the 8 Tbsp. sugar until they are soft and creamy.

Step 5: Beat egg whites seperately in a large mixing bowl until stiff peaks form.

Step 6: Pour in the egg yolk/sugar mixture into the bowl with the beaten stiff egg whites.

Step 7: Mix until just combined.

Step 8: Slowly add in the mascarpone cheese to egg mixture, while stirring until the whole container has been added and well combined to a creamy mixture. Let me just say that I now officially LOVE mascarpone cheese… it is the coolest thing ever! It is so creamy… its a delightful texture! I just kept saying over and over, “Look how creamy it is… this is incredible!!!”, until my sister told me I was out of my mind.

Step 9: Mix in 1 Tbsp. of vanilla extract… this gives it the extra little OOMPHF!

Step 10: Ok, time to break out the Lady Fingers woohoo! Open up that delightful package of Savoiardi Lady Fingers. Dip QUICKLY one biscuit at a time into the espresso, coating both sides of the biscuit. (So, basically dip one side quickly, then flip and quickly dip the other side). Then place in a deep dish pan or bowl, as I used. I recommend the deep dish pan, I was doing this for a dinner so I wanted it to be more of a different presentation, but either way works. Continue dipping and making placing the lady fingers in the dish until a full layer is formed.

Step 11: Cover the lady finger layer with a layer of mascarpone cheese mixture.

Step 12: Repeat process of lady fingers and layer of mascarpone cheese until there are no lady fingers left, ending with a layer of mascarpone on top. Using a sifter, sprinkle the powdered cocoa on top of the tiramisu. Garnish with milk chocolate shaving if desired, and refrigerate for several hours or overnight until ready to serve.

There will not be one crumb of this left… it is so sinfully delicious… Enjoy!

Apologies everyone,

It’s been quite a long couple of months, and as much as I would have liked, I just did not have enough time in the day or energy to post consistently throughout the holiday season. But, it is a new year and I am ready to take on more culinary challenges to fill up my canvas. I hope to make more of a commitment this year to post regularly… I’ll try my best. With a new year always comes new obstacles. I am starting the year off with a new workout program and of course, which means a healthier diet (hopefully). I am trying to make more of a commitment to eating better during the week, but like anything I think balance is the best way to stay healthy and happy. So I allow myself that cookie on the weekend or one night out to our favorite restaurant where I can eat the whole basket of delicious, crusty bread staring up at me in the middle of the table. I have to say, it’s working out pretty good so far.

Another challenge that my family is facing this year is learning how to cook more gluten free meals. We recently discovered my sister who lives with us is gluten intolerant. This means she won’t die if she eats gluten, but it really does a number on her system the more she consumes it. My husband and I decided to make the transition easier on her by trying to stay as close to a gluten free diet as well. We decided we couldn’t entirely lose much by trying it because we are trying to lower our bread and white starch intake anyway. Although, considering we are bread lovers and cook a lot of Italian inspired cuisine the news was almost overwhelming at first. Not to mention, our grocery bill would be getting a lot more expensive.

During the past two weeks of getting used to the idea I’ve discovered several things though… It isn’t the end of the world and this is just another culinary challenge on how to make even food like gluten free ingredients taste amazing… so amazing you wouldn’t even know anything was missing. I’ve also learned to try and stay positive, take one day at a time, and don’t expect yourself to get everything right the first time… it is a process. There have certainly been major improvements as far as what gluten free products are available today… just the other day I found a gluten free chocolate chip cookie mix by Bob’s Red Mill. Amazing! I am also currently reading a gluten free cookbook I purchased at Whole Foods by a wonderful lady named Carol Fenster. Her cookbook is all about quick and easy recipes that taste good.

So I look forward to the year 2010 and what I can cook up!

Cheers!

Sunday night my husband surprised me by making me dinner!  He snuck out to AJ’s grocery and brought home an abundance of packages all tightly wrapped and stuffed them in the fridge before I could guess what they were.  That evening, he cooked a wonderfully prepared meal.  Grant it, he did need some help navigating my kitchen and had to ask how to work the oven… but  I was very impressed.  What a great husband I have!! I was able to enjoy and savor my meal without thinking about everything I did wrong or could have done better … It was truly an enjoyable experience.. and I can’t believe I ate the WHOLE potato!

Sunday Dinner Menu:

Twice baked potatoes with cheddar cheese and green onions
Bacon wrapped asparagus spears
Lemon Garlic Butter Salmon
Grilled Steak and Vegetable Kabobs

and for dessert… a combination of dark chocolate and tiramisu gelato!

It was a splendid and pleasantly delicious surprise!  Thank you sweetheart!

My Husband: The wonderful man himself (Lukas)

Twice baked potatoe and asparagus

Salmon and Steak Kabobs

Gelato Spot: The Dessert Lounge of Italy

If you haven’t had a chance to indulge in this delicious dessert… RUN TO IT IMMEDIATELY!!!  DO NOT WASTE ANY MORE TIME!!!  You have definitely been missing out on something extraordinary.  Not only is it more than half the fat as ice cream… ITS BETTER!

So what’s all this hype I have about gelato?  Its just a better choice and flavor compared to ice cream… here are the facts.

1. The fruit flavors are non-dairy, non fat, and made from fresh fruit and fruit puree

2. Cooked gelato is made with 2% – 8% fresh milk, rather than heavy cream that has up to 30%!

3. Gelato only has 20 – 30 % air packed into it rather than 100%… makes for a lot more gelato per bite.. and its really smooth!

Some gelato flavors

The Gelato Spot boasts a posh lounging area with cushy seats or outdoor patio tables to enjoy your savory sweet.  They have a large selection of original and creative flavors that will satisfy the chocolate lover to your exotic fruit cravings.  You can order three sizes of cups, each coming with two, three, or four scoops of any flavors of gelato.

mmm... gelato

The best part is you get a cute little wafer straw with nutella inside!  I love to eat those little crunchy wafer sticks.   Some of my favorite flavors include: Roche chocolate, bubblegum (good for kids or days us adults feel like kids!), chocolate, coconut, passion fruit, strawberry, roasted almond, tiramisu, cappuccino, stracatella, and many more.  So what are you waiting for?!

Some locations throughout the valley include:

40th Street and Greenway (Phoenix)

Scottsdale and Shea (North Scottsdale)

32nd and Camelback (Phoenix)

Scottsdale Rd and 3rd Ave. (Old Town Scottsdale)

Hours are Sun. – Thur. 12 -10 pm and Fri. – Sat. 12 – 11 pm

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Yes, Yes… I know… I had promised everyone a cherry pie with a lattice top crust, BUT I found rhubarb!  So, I decided to wait and use this wonderful opportunity to try something new.  I have never attempted to make strawberry rhubarb pie before, but I have wonderful memories of my mom’s rhubarb pies.   The sweet and tart makes it an excellent choice for late summer evenings… and make sure you top it off with a generous dollop of vanilla ice cream.  It turned out to be an incredibly easy pie to make and I used my mom’s recipe.  It is hard to find rhubarb in the valley, but I was able to pick some up for a decent price at Sprout’s Farmers Market the other day.  They seem to occasionally carry it in stock over the summer months.   The key to a good rhubarb pie is baking it long enough until the glaze gets thick and oozy… that is when it is the best!  You don’t want a runny rhubarb pie!  If you want to skip the pie, just cook the rhubarb, strawberries, and the spices and sugar over the stovetop until it becomes thick and gooey… it makes an incredible ice cream topper!

Hi Everyone,

Summer is such an exciting time of year for fresh ingredients and ideas.  Check out my recipes for some good ideas to use this summer for your picnic, get-together, or backyard Barbecue.

mmmm… things I can’t wait for this summer….

• My first piece of corn on the cob
• grilling
• watermelon
• lemonade by the pool
• fresh smoothies
• picnics

Speaking of picnics… I wanted to share a really cool recipe from Real Simple magazine (June 2009 issue) featured in their “pack a little” picnic for a hike page.

Prosciutto and Roasted Red Pepper Sandwiches

1 whole baguette (or you can get small individual sized baguettes)
2 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
4 oz. thinly slice prosciutto or salami
4 oz. Asiago, Parmesan, or some other hard cheese, sliced
1 – 12 oz. jar roasted red peppers, halved

Slice baguette in half horizontally, then spread dijon mustard on both ends. Layer with prosciutto, cheese, and red peppers on bottom half of baguette. Cover with the top half of the baguette and cut into four sandwiches.

Now that you have a tasty sandwich to take along for a picnic… grab some fruit, drinks, and a snack to go along and you’ve got yourself a fantastic picnic meal. The question is… where to picnic? Here are some great local areas to picnic with friends or family for free. All you have to do is bring your food and supplies.

Family Friendly Picnic: Grab a spot at the pavilion at Rio Vista Park in Peoria, AZ. Pavilion is equipped with tables and charcoal grills under a covered common area. There is a water park for toddlers and also a play park right beside the pavilion leaving plenty for the kids to be entertained.   Location:  8866 W. Thunderbird Road, Peoria, AZ

Looking for a more adventurous Picnic: Pack a backpack picnic lunch and hike through Thunderbird Park to find a shady spot under one of the rest area covered picnic tables. Stop for a tasty bite on your way back or halfway through your hike. Remember to bring plenty of water.  Location:  59th Avenue between Deer Valley and Pinnacle Peak roads

Maybe a more romantic picnic: Try Avondale Friendship Park. It has a Japanese garden, ramadas, and plenty of sports courts. Try a night out playing tennis and a picnic afterwards… or a picnic with a leisurely walk through the Japanese garden and by the water.   Location:  12325 W. McDowell Road, Avondale, AZ

Hello World!   I will be experimenting with several different pages and posts over the next few months, so you may see some variation in the organization or information I am posting.

I am so thrilled to be finally starting a blog about something I am very passionate and inspired by… FOOD!  For all you other foodie lovers out there… I plan on keeping a thick library of information ranging from food talk, food recipes/food trials of my own, book reviews, history and information on spices and how to use them, and much much more interesting information.  I am also planning on starting an additional blog about food etiquette  and hosting tips.  I will inform you all when that is up and running.

Feel free to dig around in my stuff and I hope you enjoy what I’ve posted.  I hope my blog will be an inspiration to the seasoned cook as well as the beginner.  I encourage those who aren’t comfortable in their own kitchen yet, to explore some of the ideas and tips I will provide here to help them get started in a life long skill and pleasure… cooking.  If you don’t know even the basics about cooking… don’t worry… just stay tuned and you may end up learning something to help you out.  So with that said… LET’S GET COOKING!!

Cheers