A little more watermelon avocado salsa, please.

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Summer calls for lighter meals and this was an excellent example! Most fish falls in the category of lighter fare for me. The corvina (from the Pacific coast of South America) was no exception;  meaty, but extremely light in flavor, flaking off in large chunks. It looks and tastes like a cross between mahi and red snapper.

The watermelon avocado salsa was a last minute addition (luckily remembering the watermelon and avocado were sitting on the counter). Our meal was postponed for a half hour to let it chill, but it was worth the wait! A serving for 2 included half an avocado (chunked), the juice of 2 limes, 2 diced slices of watermelon (mini seedless variety), some very thinly sliced white onion, mint and cilantro, salt and pepper to taste, and a touch of extra virgin olive oil. Serve on top of the fish, in many heaping spoonfuls, for a nice contrast to the silkiness of the corvina.

Pink wine! I have to say (due to previous experience some years ago), I had a preconceived notion that pink wine is sweet and not very good.  However, I’ve been hearing excellent things about rosés (especially from the Finger Lakes), and wanted to give one a try. The Hermann J. Wiemer Dry Rosé is actually quite full bodied, and dry, as per the name. It had very slight hints of floral notes, as well as apricot and raspberry. The acidity paired well with the fish and the lime in the salsa. I love finding a Finger Lakes wine I will purchase again!

As it hit 100˚F in Rochester yesterday…….happy hot summer to everyone! Hope you get a chance to enjoy this meal soon!

Corvina topped with watermelon avocado salsa!

Hermann J. Wiemer Dry Rosé. Pink wine is good!

Mid-summer watermelon is wonderfully refreshing.

Fresh basil from the garden! Sliced super fine.

Just a few paper thin slices of onion.

An avocado just looks like summer.

Can a stack of pancakes be too tall?

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That was the question I asked myeslf…right before I made this stack. I came up with the answer…..only because it makes them hard to cut! I really didn’t eat all those by myself, but rest assured that in this house extra pancakes don’t go to waste. Here’s hoping you get some pancakes for yourself this week!

Now that's a stack of pancakes!

Red, white and blue “freedom” toast.

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I can’t give credit to the French for our 4th of July breakfast! Maybe for the Statue of Liberty, but I’m sticking to freedom toast for now. We just happened to have a few slices of rosemary olive oil bread left over and we couldn’t  let it go to waste. This is one of our favorite breads when fresh, and it’s a favorite when soaked in egg whites and cooked up as well!  My suggestion for freedom or French toast: skip the egg yolks. I also skip the butter to fry it and use a cooking spray, all in an effort to eat as healthy as possible. There is still tons of flavor!

We topped with fruit and powdered sugar for the red, white and blue effect. Hope you all had a great holiday weekend!

Rosemary olive oil, red, white & blue freedom toast.

Have a sparkling, refreshing 4th of July!

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I was inspired by the Bluecoat American Dry Gin bottle I had in the cupboard to remind you to have a sparkling, refreshing 4th of July! A simple, fast, thirst-quenching beverage…the gin & tonic. Add blueberries and raspberries and it’s a patriotic treasure. Enjoy, and have a safe and happy 4th of July!

Pour 2 oz. Bluecoat American Dry Gin over ice, add blueberries and raspberries, top off with tonic water, then sit back and enjoy the fireworks. (Click on the image to enlarge and enjoy the tonic bubble fireworks over the glass!)

The Bluecoat "red, white and blue" gin and tonic.

We got Naked with chianti.

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Naked Pizza that is. Yes…the name of the chain is intriguing (and innuendo inspiring), so we thought we’d give it a try. We ordered the Mediterranean pizza for Heather and I, and a plain cheese for the boys. I think the cheese pizza was gone before we actually ate ours (due to some crazy photographer taking pictures). So, I’m pretty sure they liked it! As did we. It was very flavorful and true to its Mediterranean influence with artichokes, red onion, feta, sun-dried tomatoes, and black olives. We decided to pair it with a 2007 Chianti Classico that was #47 on the Wine Spectator top 100 list, from Casttello D’Albola. The wine was marvelous. Super red in color, easily drinkable, and perfect with Pizza. I suggest you get Naked soon!

The Naked Mediterranean pizza.

The 2007 Castello D'Albola Chianti Classico catching a big breath.

Trugole, Castelvetrano and prosciutto….oh my!

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WOW! Cheese is one of my weaknesses. And Trugole is one of Heather and my favorites. It’s made in the Asiago region of the Italian Alps, where the cows graze in certain rich pastures. This creates its unique and wonderful flavor. The semi-firm cheese is rich, yet mild  at the same time, and creamy with almost a hint of fruit.

The super bright green olives pictured are from Castelvetrano, Sicily. And, like the cheese, I find them to be rich, flavorful and mild all at the same time.  They have a mellow buttery flavor that went nicely with the cheese.  If you claim not to like olives…these will change your mind. Seriously….try one.

Lacking an Italian  wine, we chose a French (from the Loire Valley) 2009 Chateau la Noe muscadet out of the wine fridge. The wine was medium bodied and slightly spicy with a crisp finish. Its earthiness paired well with the rich textures of the cheese and olives.

Add some dry-cured prosciutto and you have a treat (or meal) fit for a king!

Trugole cheese....one of our favorites!

Castelvetrano olives. O.M.G.

2009 Chateau la Noe Muscadet. Excellent choice.

Where’s the Beef?

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Father’s Day. What would it be without grilled meat? Well, I guess it would still be a Sunday to celebrate how great our fathers are. But, it might not be quite as manly without the grilled meat! (and a beer as you grill!) So Happy Father’s day…a day after. I hope you got to enjoy something like this Italian themed burger!

As I said in the caprese burger post, it’s fun to make a burger that’s way bigger than you can easily take a bite out of. So, we did it again here! 90% lean irradiated ground beef was once again our beef of choice. For this burger, I chopped up oregano and parsley and mixed it in the meat when I created the patties.  Grill it medium, and it’s incredibly juicy and flavorful. Place it on your grilled Italian hard roll and top the burger with fresh mozzarella, grilled pepper, grilled onion, more fresh oregano and parsley, mixed greens and your favorite tomato sauce.

Make sure to hold it over your plate and have a few spare napkins nearby!

The juicy, dripping, flavorful Italian themed burger.

I can just hear the sizzle and smell the smoke.

What’s for dinner? Rich buttery Patagonian toothfish!?

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I had spent a couple hours roasting red peppers at the studio for a shoot (for roasted red pepper hummus), and I didn’t want them to go to waste. I asked Heather what we should get to go with them for dinner, and we decided on Patagonian Toothfish. Well, that’s what it was called until some clever marketing changed that not so pleasant name to Chilean sea bass (more upscale and in keeping with the rich, marvelous flavors of the fish). With a few sauteed mushrooms and red onions, (and the roasted red peppers), we served our pan seared sea bass over rice, topped with fresh chopped basil and drizzled with lemon extra virgin olive oil. What a decadent, flavorful treat!

We decided to pair the fish with a 2009  Quinta da Aveleda Vinho Verde. I might normally suggest a richer white, or even a pinot noir, but thought the light bodied wine would be a nice match given it was a very warm evening. The wine is dry with light fruity tones, and high in acidity. It actually worked very well as a pairing and made for an excellent meal.

Chilean sea bass, also known as the Patagonian Toothfish. Either way, it's excellent!

Drizzled with lemon extra virgin olive oil for extra flavor.

2009 Quinta da Aveleda Vinho Verde, from Portugal. A great summer wine!

You know you want one…the creamy root beer float!

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What would summer be with out the root beer float? Our boys have been asking for them ever since the weather started to warm up. While they may not be too picky about the quality (yet), Heather and I are always searching for the best ingredients (which are the key to a great drink). We stumbled upon Iron Fireman Root Beer during a visit to Custom Brewcrafters in Honeoye Falls, NY. It’s fabulously deep, creamy and spicy, with hints of wintergreen and anise and a dark foamy head. It paired marvelously with Perry’s Vanilla Bean ice cream to create our summer classic!

The Iron Fireman root beer float!

Who would have thought carrots and cake go together?

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Whoever decided it was a good idea to create carrot cake was a genius! I photographed the Chocolate Peanut Butter Bliss cupcake, but my favorite flavor I was lucky enough to sample (after the kids devoured most of the cupcakes) was the rich and creamy carrot cake. This delightful selection of treats (for the eyes and the palate) came from Dolce Cupcakery in Pittsford….via my sister (who raves about Dolce). We’re going to have to find a chance to get back there soon to try such intriguing flavors as Foxy Lady, French Toast, Granny Apple Spice, Pucker Up, and Mocha Latte….37 flavors in all! (8-10 available fresh daily.) Let me know what your favorite cupcake flavor is…

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bliss!

My niece trying to pick her favorite!