Category Archives: Eat

11 reasons to like this post….

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I couldn’t resist the post title given today’s date….11/11/11. And it’s 11:11!  Despite all that ….this truly was an awesome treat!

1. A bottle of blue agave nectar!

2. Gooey drips of agave nectar!

3. Agave nectar is roughly 1.3 times sweeter than suger, but has a lower glycemic index, and  it absorbs more slowly into your system.

4. Light and creamy ricotta cheese!

5. Gently grilled crusty baguette!

6. Wine in a blue bottle, to go with the blue agave!

7. Ricotta cheese spread with an antique spreader on the grilled baguette!

8. Don’t forget the pepper!

9. More specifically…Finger Lakes wine!

10. Swedish Hill 2009 Vidal Blanc. The wine has a little sweetness to pair with the agave nectar, and it was nice and crisp with pear and peach notes.

11. The great photos! 🙂

This was a great appetizer on a recent warm fall weekend, but would be great anytime of the year. I hope you get to try some later today, to make your 11/11/11 better. Cheers!

Grilled baguette topped with ricotta and blue agave nectar. Oh my!

Swedish Hill 2009 Vidal Blanc. Yum!

Blue agave nectar. A very sweet treat!

Eat up, me hearties, yo-ho!

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I think we should call this the pirate taco. “Fish taco” just doesn’t have enough character, especially since I cooked it with spiced rum!

My brother in law dropped off a freshly caught rainbow trout for us on Friday night. (Thank you, Jamie!) We consulted Chef Mark on a cooking method and settled on baking it wrapped in parchment paper, while stuffed with thyme, lemon, garlic, onions and bay leaves. It was  a great meal, but time (and hunger) did not allow for photos. Since the fish was huge, we had plenty left over for the next day. Thus the creation of the pirate taco!

I started by sautéing some onion slices and diced jalapenos in a touch of olive oil. Once browned,  I threw in black beans, rice, diced tomatoes, the leftover fish, some chopped cilantro and cotija cheese. I then poured in a few ounces of spiced rum to steam it since I really only wanted to heat everything up quickly. Once warmed, I added some diced avocados, lime juice, seasoned with salt, and tossed before serving in lightly grilled flour tortillas topped off with salsa and sour cream. Enjoy with rum for a true pirate experience!

The pirate taco. Fire up the stove, Matey!

Happy Halloween!

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Food on Halloween usually brings to mind one thing: candy. I decided to go in a slightly different direction and highlight how cool my brain looks. My Jello brain, that is! I’m happy to say I am the proud owner of a Jello brain mold that Heather and the boys picked up for my birthday gift while they were at the Jello museum. Enjoy the sugar rush that is Halloween, and remember there is always room left to eat a little Jello!

Heather holding the Jello brain en route to the table.

3 big pumpkins for the boys. Small pumpkin for the small dog!

Longing for the French Countryside

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We haven’t been to France, but this combination of wine and cheese definitely brought the French countryside into our home. We actually looked at plane ticket prices. OK….we didn’t look them up, but it did make us discuss a possible visit…someday. Pié d’Angloys is a marvelous example of a cheese that you can’t stop eating. Some friends stopped by while I was shooting this, and (once the shots were done) we finished it in under 5 minutes! Sinful. This cow’s milk cheese is creamy, buttery, mild and delicious with a touch of earth. Although the cheese is from the Burgundy region of France, and I would normally pair it with a red or white Burgundy….. I thought our trip should include the Bordeaux region as well. Thus our wine choice of Monsieur Touton. The wine was crisp, light, had a nice amount of acidity and was an excellent pairing. Bon appetit!

Pié d'Angloys, crusty bread and a French white Bordeaux.

Not only is it sinful, it comes in a cool box!

Monsieur Touton white Bordeaux wine.

Peter vs. Stewie. Chocolate vs. Vanilla. The Oreo war!

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Many years ago, I remember having the dilemma of which Oreo to choose. Today, the debate still lingers. There are moments I crave them both. However, they usually seem to accompany a tall glass of milk. Now…It’s up to you! Please comment to cast your vote for your favorite.

Stewie is backing the vanilla Oreo. You will bow to him!

Peter is backing the classic chocolate Oreo. HEHEHEH!

A morning treat, all the way from Scotland!

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I love my job! For many reasons….but one of the little side perks is photo shoot leftovers! I recently had to photograph a side of Scottish salmon, and had a little left to sample. I brought it home and Heather and I had a nice breakfast treat the following day. It was absolutely marvelous! We will most definitely be picking more of this up soon. It’s good for your heart, your brain , and your taste buds!

Scottish smoked salmon, with cream cheese and red onion ....on a bagel. YUM!

The double triple!

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Mellage….from the French verb meaning “to mix”. Three become one.  Cave Aged Mellage is made with a blend of sheep’s, goat’s and cow’s milk by Carr Valley Cheese. This cheese won 1st Place in its category at the 2005, 2006 and 2011 American Cheese Society competitions.  Cured in specially designed aging caves, it develops the flavor complexity of sheep’s milk cheese with the mellowness of cow’s milk, and has a slight goat finish. Its creamy texture and mild flavor went very well with the almonds and thinly-sliced pears with which we paired it.

Since the cheese is made from a blend of three milks, we decided to have it with a wine made from a blend of three varietals. The 2007 Acquagiusta Rosso is 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 30% Syrah. This full-bodied Tuscan wine has a fruity aroma (particularly of dark berries), velvety texture, flavors of black cherry and spice, and a dry finish. It was given a 92 point rating by Wine Spectator, and we could see why! This blended wine went extremely well with our blended cheese, making for a delicious snack.

Cave Aged Mellage, made from a mix of cow, sheep, and goat milk.

Mellage served with pears and almonds.

2007 Acquagiusta Rosso.

Happy Birthday, Big Poppa!

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You may not know it, but that’s Rich’s nickname around here. And you also may not know that yesterday was his birthday! It was a wonderful, wacky day, despite the constant rain clouds and occasional complaints from the boys about it being the last day of summer vacation. Regardless, we made the most of it! Between showers, we even found time to fire up the grill. For his birthday dinner, Rich wanted tuna steaks, which we had with basmati rice, diced jalapeños and shitake mushrooms. As for a salad, we went totally unconventional and had watermelon topped with spring greens, queso fresco, cucumber julienne, chopped green onion, grilled tomatillo (as a sauce), sea salt & crushed pepper, and red chili olive oil. Oh, and the boys had macaroni and cheese (though two of them consented to try the tuna, and actually liked it!) We paired our tuna with a 2009 Burgans Albariño. We kind of love Spanish wine, and this was a very good one. It’s quite fruity (in a peachy/apricot way) without being overly sweet. It has a nice, crisp finish, and went beautifully with the meal. For dessert, a chocolate dome. I once made the mistake of referring to this particular dessert as a “chocolate boob” in front of the boys, and thus it shall always be known in our household. In between photo shoots, Rich found time to play Black Ops with the boys, and later, to cuddle on the couch with me. Yeah, it was a good day!

Watermelon queso fresco salad.

2009 Burgans Albariño.

Seared tuna steak...ready for its close up.

Tuna by candle light.

The chocolate, um, dome.

A frosty mug of root beer at Mac’s Drive-In.

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Hurry! I hear Mac’s closes after Labor Day weekend. So with a week to go, it’s time to head out and grab yourself a frosty mug of root beer and a cheeseburger basket. I recently had an opportunity to photograph a 1954 Chrysler Newport in Waterloo, NY. We stopped at Mac’s Drive-In on Rts. 5 & 20 to grab a few shots, and ended up staying for an early lunch as well. What a quaint little place for an excursion in your classic car or hot rod.  Classic car night is every Wednesday, featuring (as they do every day) the full menu via drive-in service, root beer floats, ice cream and Pabst Blue Ribbon on tap. Hope you make it!

The signature meal....the burger basket.

The '54 Chrysler by the drive-in bays.

Mac's Drive-In, Waterloo, NY.

Campfires and the double marshmallow, Special Dark chocolate s’more!

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The campfire. A summertime ritual that must include the s’more! Really, what is the purpose of going to the trouble of making the fire, if you’re not going to toast a marshmallow (or two), and eat it between layers of graham craker and gooey chocolate!? I’ve found my s’more happy place using the Hershey’s Special Dark bar. And, since s’mores are not just for kids, bring along a bottle of Trader Vic’s Macadamia nut liqueur. The warm, nutty, smokey  flavors pair up perfectly!

Some of you are probably wondering why Cha! Cha! the Rainforest Cafe frog is in the picture with our boys. They had discovered a photo contest with a grand prize trip to Disney World! And given my last post and our love of all things Disney, they asked if we could enter. I obliged and thought I’d ask a favor…please vote for our entry here:

EDIT: Since the contest is over I removed the link, but thanks for voting!

All jokes aside….I think I need to go make some…more….s’mores.

The double marshmallow, dark chocolate s'more.

Cha Cha joined us for the campfire.

Once the boys each had a s'more, Heather and I got our turn.

I'm a believer in the nicely toasted, not burned, marshmallow.

Trader Vic's macadamia nut liqueur, an awesome pairing for s'mores!