My Tomato Peace Tart

What do you do when you have a basket of delicious yellow cherry tomatoes and a bag of red vine-ripe tomatoes? Make a tomato tart, of course!

I used to have a recipe for a mozzarella, basil, tomato tart that sounded delicious but I misplaced it. So I searched all of my cookbooks and major recipe sites online and I couldn't find any tarts with a tart crust and a cooked center. That's when I got creative.

The reason I call this a tomato peace tart is because the center slice of tomato I used looks almost like a peace sign. It's very hippie-esque and extremely tasty. My husband and I ate it up immediately between a late snack and breakfast this morning. This would be a great dish to bring to a potluck dinner, lunch, or brunch.

Tomato Peace Tart

1 baked parmesean black pepper tart crust from Epicurious
Several cloves of Roasted Garlic
Leftover Homemade Pesto
Fresh mozzarella (log-style is best) that has drained over paper towels to release moisture
Tomatoes of your choice (I used yellow cherry and red vine-ripe tomatoes), seeded
Fresh basil

1.) Follow instructions for making and baking the tart crust by clicking link above. You may subsitute the shortening for more cold butter if you don't have any shortening on hand. Take tart crust out of oven but do not shut off oven.

2.)Raise oven temperature to 400-425 degrees.

3.)Spread roasted garlic evenly over the bottom of the tart crust.

4.)Spread a thin layer of pesto along the bottom of the crust.

5.)Lay thin slices of the fresh mozzarella over the bottom of the crust. Be sure to fill in spaces with shredded fresh mozzarella.

6.)Arrange slices of tomatoes on top of the mozzarella but be sure to get rid of any excess moisture on the tomatoes.

7.)Bake for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted, the crust has browned, and the tomatoes have withered a bit (but don't look mushy).

8.)Take a paper towel and gently soak up any moisture/water that may have been released during baking.

9.)Sprinkle with sliced fresh basil (you can do this before you bake it if you prefer).


Enjoy!

Tempura Squash Blossoms with Goat Cheese

Since I still haven't found our extra memory card I had to use my cell phone camera for a few dishes that I made this past week.

As you can tell, I took the squash blossoms that I bought from the farmer's market and made them into a crunchy delight!

Tempura-Fried Squash Blossoms with Goat Cheese

1.) Remove the stamens from the center of each squash blossom.

2.) Stuff with crumbled goat cheese.

3.) Heat up deep fryer to 375 degrees.

4.) Prepare tempura mix (I use the box kind, just add ice cold water). Coat the entire blossoms and the baby zucchini with tempura batter.

5.) Drop carefully in deep fryer and fry until slightly golden and super crisp!


This was the first time I have ever had squash blossoms and I was blown away. The top part of the flower crystalizes after being fried and is different from any other fried food I've had. It's heavenly. Plus, the zucchini gets very tender but not mushy when frying this way.

While you have to buy blossoms the day of (or day before) you serve them, they're affordable, delicious, and impressive. I definitely want to make them for company sometime.

Carlsbad Farmer's Market

I'm in such a bad mood. My digital camera all of a sudden decides that the memory card is broken so I can't take pictures unless I find/buy a new memory card. Argh! That really makes me mad since I have so many dishes I want to make but won't unless I have a camera to prove that I really did make it!

Anyway, I did take pictures of my farmer's market finds last Wednesday before the memory card died that night.

***

The Carlsbad farmer's market is from 2-5pm on Roosevelt St. between Grand and Carlsbad Village Dr. They have a nice selection of plants, produce, food-to-go, and baked goods. It's a small market and some booths were pricey but I was still able to get a few items for cheap.

My first find was a bouquet of 5 red sunflowers. They were only $3 for the bunch! We're pretty sure these sunflowers don't come naturally tinged with red but I don't mind--they're so bright, sunny, and uplifting.


One of the first items I noticed on my walk around the market was a tray of squash blossoms. I've never tried these but have been intrigued by them ever since Rorie brought them to my attention. The woman selling the blossoms suggested I just buy a few to try them out and either cook them that night or put them in an airtight container with a damp paper towel until the next day (I did the latter). For my next post I'll let you know what I did with those 3 squash blossoms ($1).

My last purchase was from the Peach and Apricot stand around the corner. I've been craving sweet peaches lately and they had both yellow and white peaches to choose from. They also had a fruit I had never heard of called Plumcots. Apparently, the plums and apricots naturally cross-bred and produced a variation of the two fruits which they call plumcots. The plumcot has the same juicy texture as a plum but an extra sweetness like the apricot. Normally I don't like apricots but these plumcots were even better than the average plum. They come in yellow, purple, and red. The yellow are the sweetest. If they have these the next time I go I might make a plum tart with the plumcots. Although I probably like them in their natural state the best.


I was happy enough with my purchases that I will be back often to see what other surprises the farmer's market has in the future.

Salad Night

Tonight was salad night. I'm trying to continue my healthy eating because it makes me feel great and it really satisfies me to eat balanced meals. Don't get me wrong, I will be posting sweets here and there, but tonight is all about healthy eating.

My first salad was really just a leftover salad. I had some homemade pesto, boiled some whole wheat pasta, and added diced cucumbers, red peppers, and seeded tomatoes. After I mixed that all up I added some salt and pepper, white wine vinegar (to taste), and olive oil (to taste). Some additional parmesean shavings would have been a nice addition too. If you just want to make this for your meal I would recommend adding more cheese or some sliced/diced chicken for more protein. This would make a great lunch because it has your complex carbs, protein, and veggies.

My next salad I always like to make when I have leftover strawberries and roasted chicken in the fridge. I prefer to use a mixture of lettuces and baby spinach but tonight I only had romaine lettuce for the base of my salad. Next I add sliced roasted chicken, toasted almonds, sliced avocado, green beans that have been steamed 1 minute (or less), sliced strawberries, and sliced cucumbers. Then I dress it with a balsamic or champagne vinaigrette. I love this salad for summers. It's simple yet impressive so it works great for any summer get togethers you might have with friends.

This last salad came from my Food and Wine 2003 Annual Recipes cookbook. This asparagus salad with roasted peppers and goat cheese is so quick to make yet the flavors are intense and complex. A perfect salad for company.

To make my slightly adapted version:

Boil pot of salted water. Add 1 lb. trimmed asparagus and cook for 3 minutes (or less, you want them to be crispy and bright green). Drain and rinse with cold water.

Mix dressing: 1 T. white wine vinegar; 1/2 T. Dijon mustard; 1 T. drained capers (I omitted this); 1/2 t. dried dill; 1 small garlic clove, diced; and I used a teaspoon of diced shallots. Whisk in olive oil (about 3 T.).

To plate: Lay asaparagus side by side on platter and drape with slices of roasted red pepper. Crumble goat cheese on top and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dress right before serving with 1/2 of the dressing and serve the remaining dressing in a bowl for guests to use as they desire.

Notes:

I almost always have roasted peppers in a jar (usually from Trader Joe's) and this time I also happened to have a container of crumbled goat cheese from Trader Joe's (much more affordable than buying it in a log and is great for pizzas and salads).

The recipe added some pitted Kalamata olives and parmesean shavings on top of the salad.

This was the first recipe I've tried from this cookbook but I'm looking forward to trying more. I got this book (along with 4 other cookbooks) for around $4 at Ross. Good deal since it was originally $30!

Chicken with Cashews (Cashew Gai Ding)

Last night I decided to try my first recipe from Grace Young's Breath of a Wok. If you're a novice when it comes to Chinese cooking, you just bought a wok, or you need new wok recipes--buy this book. There are numerous care tips for your wok, stories, and a combo of both authentic/traditional and more modern Chinese recipes.

The only adjustments I made to the recipe were omitting the bamboo shoots and using shitake instead of white mushrooms. If you do use shitake instead, add them to the wok later on so they don't get over cooked.

Cashew Gai Ding

from Breath of a Wok by Grace Young


1 pound boneless chicken breasts
1 egg white
1 tablespoon Shoaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
1 Tablespoon light soy sauce
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch white pepper
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 cup peanut or safflower oil
6 ounces raw cashews
6 slices fresh ginger, julienned
3 spring onions, cut in 2-inch pieces
1/2 pound fresh white mushrooms, quartered
1/4 pound bamboo shoots
1/4 cup chicken stock or water
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
1 pinch white pepper
1 pinch sugar
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1 T. cold stock or water


Dice the chicken and place in a mixture of the lightly beaten egg white mixed with 1 T. wine, soy sauce, salt, 1 pinch of pepper, and 1/2 t. of the cornstarch. Let sit for 10 minutes. Heat the oil in a wok or skillet. Stir fry the cashews and remove. Add the ginger to the wok, stir, add the chicken, and stir for 2 minutes. Add the spring onions, mushrooms, and bamboo shoots. Stir fry until chicken is cooked, or about 5 minutes. Mix the stock, oyster sauce, wine, 1 pinch pepper, sugar, and cornstarch mixture in a small bowl and pour over the chicken in the wok. Stir, add the cashews, and serve immediately.

Serving notes:

I served this dish with Sichuan noodles (not as good as Ba Ren's) and dry-fried long beans.

Ba Ren

Before I begin my tale about the best Chinese food I've had in a restaurant, I must begin by thanking my dear blogger friend Kirk from mmm-yoso. Thank you, Kirk, for mentioning this restaurant so many times on your blog that I just had to try it for myself.

For a very non-Asian woman, I eat a LOT of Asian food. I try to cook most of it myself and frequent 99 Ranch Market and other Asian markets. My life long dream has been to go to culinary school in China. While I love Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese food equally (I'm not as familiar with other ethnic foods from Asia) I have a special place in my heart for Chinese food. Perhaps it's because I'm in love with my wok that I bought from the Wok Shop in San Francisco. Or maybe it's my intense love for dim sum. Whatever the reason, I am obsessed with cooking (and eating, when I can) authentic Chinese food.

Despite this passion, I hadn't eaten authentic Chinese food besides dim sum until last weekend.

Whenever my husband and I venture down to San Diego (usually to go to Ikea, the Container Store, or 99 Ranch Market) we always plan to eat dinner down there. Unfortunately we often times eat the same thing on these outings(we love the Garden Grill on India St.) since we don't always know what restaurants are worth trying.

This time I had a plan. Armed with directions and notes from Kirk's website, my husband and I drove to Kearny Mesa to try the infamous Ba Ren. I say infamous because Kirk has posted on this restuarant so many times that it was clearly a winner. I trust Kirk's reviews as it's clear he's an expert on Asian cuisine (plus I agreed with his dim sum reviews so that was a sign that I could trust him).

When we pulled up the restaurant it was only a little past 5pm and the area looked fairly deserted. Plus the outside of the building is a bit suspect. The grey cement building isn't exactly welcoming.

My husband turned to me and said "Are you sure about this?"

Of course I was sure. Kirk SAID it's one of his favorite restaurants and he SAID it's authentic. In my household, Kirk is the god of all foods Asian.

So we walked into the dining room behind another couple that had just arrived only to find that the dining room was dark. Apparently the owners weren't expecting guests just yet. There was another family sitting in the dark room so at least we were comforted in knowing there were other people who liked this restaurant and were eating early.

The lights came on as soon as we sat down and the mood lightened.

We took a look at the menu and were immediately overwhelmed. The menu is 4 long pages of everything you could ever imagine (as far as Chinese food goes). There is a cold appetizer section, hot pots, dry fried dishes, meats/seafoods/poultry/veggies, soups, noodles, rice, an American-favorites menu (which I would NEVER order from at a place like this), and much more.

The cold appetizers can be ordered from the front of the restaurant where they keep the dishes ready-made in a cart. Clever idea for folks like me who can never wait until their food arrives to eat. This time we did not order appetizers since there were only two of us and we already had an idea what to order from Kirk's recommendations.

Based on the recommendations and the fact that I love hot dishes but my husband is a bit of a wimp when it comes to heat, we decided to order one spicy dish and one non-spicy dish. Since I LOVE spicy noodles but rarely ever find ones I like in American-style restaurants, we ordered the cold Sichuan noodles (knowing we would take some home as great leftovers). Our other two dishes were Stir-fried dry beef ($12.99) and Crispy Rice Crust with Prawns ($14.99).

The first thing to arrive was our spicy noodles. We were impressed immediately. There were ingredients resting on the top of the noodles that I couldn't even begin to guess. Okay, I'll guess. There might have been dried pork pieces in the noodles, msg? (I hope not but I think I saw some crystals that looked msg-ish), something crunchy that I really have never seen before, and scallions. The noodles were thin and somehow crisp in a way (not mushy in the slightest). While this dish is super hot, it's so flavorful that even a wimp (like my husband) will love it. For only $5.99 it's the perfect dish for leftovers and to order EVERY time. Oh yes, we WILL be back, and we WILL order this again.

Our next dish to arrive was the crispy rice crust with prawns. While I had an idea of what this dish was, I didn't realize that it's basically an entree version of Sizzling rice soup (sometimes found in Chinese restaurants). However, this doesn't really work as an entree. They bring out a huge bowl/plate of prawns, lilybuds, bamboo shoots, bok choy, mushrooms, and crispy rice squares (quite a few, too). Then they pour the broth on top and expect you to eat it with your chopsticks. Um, the broth is really important in this dish and all it did in this case was make the massive amounts of crispy rice mushy and clumpy. Not appetizing. The flavor of the broth was good but I couldn't appreciate the dish without a bowl and spoon (plus this was the first time I've had crispy rice get THAT mushy).

Speaking of utensils, I have to mention that not long after we sat down the waiter brought us forks. He did not, mind you, bring forks to any other patron in the restaurant. Needless to say, I was insulted.

Our waiter was nice and spoke English perfectly but I was disappointed that he didn't know what kind of tea we were drinking. I took the brand name label so that I can look at the store and try to guess but the tea was REALLY good and didn't taste the same as most Chinese restaurant teas (which tend to be Jasmine or Oolong). Watch, the tea will end up being one of the types I just mentioned!

Okay, back to the meal.

Our last dish was the stir-fried dry beef. This was probably the highlight of the meal for me (although my husband and I were still reeling from the noodles which we LOVED). The beef is dry-fried to lock in the beef flavor and make it chewy. Then it's stir-fried with mung bean sprouts (so good!), Chinese celery (it's a mini, more flavorful version of American celery), dried chilies, and red bell pepper. This dish is mildly spicy but you don't really notice due to the immense amount of flavor.

Despite my high tolerance for spice/heat, I did find that my lips and mouth were tingling by the end of the meal and I felt a bit, well, high. It was a good high. I'm guessing it was from the endorphines that my brain released since it thought I was on fire. What a meal, huh? Great taste, good price, and a buzz!

So, ladies and gentlemen, if you have not been to Ba Ren, you may miss out on the best Chinese food you've ever had. Be brave, be adventurous, and be prepared.

I'll be back to Ba Ren very soon. The Sichuan Cold Noodles are calling me.

Ba Ren 4957 Diane Ave., San Diego, CA 92117

Open 11am-9:30pm

(858)279-2520

Domestic Goddess a.k.a Mommy

Congratulations to new-mom, Jennifer, at Domestic Goddess! She had a beautiful baby boy named Leith and is recovering in the hospital after giving birth early. Congratulations!

Longboarder Cafe (Oceanside, CA)

Finally I remembered to bring a camera! This afternoon my husband and I went to the Longboarder Cafe in Oceanside for what is most likely the tenth time. We love this cafe for a late breakfast or lunch. The prices can't be beat, the food is good, and the atmosphere is relaxing (noisy, but relaxing).

If you want to go to Longboarder, don't go hungry. Or at least be prepared for a long wait on the weekends. I've never had to wait more than a half hour but I'm sure there are times when the late is longer. It's a very popular spot on for breakfast and lunch on the weekends (it's only open until 2pm).

The decor is one of the best things about the cafe. Most walls are painted with beach murals and the rest of the walls are covered with surf memorbilia. There are even two stained-glass windows in the front of a beach and woodies (photo upload is being stupid all of a sudden).

Only one block from the beach, the Longboarder cafe is the perfect addition to your day at the beach. It has a great view of the Oceanside Library (the nicest part of Oceanside, in my opinion)and you can usually feel the ocean breeze through the front door.


After another twenty minutes (or more) of waiting once we were seated, we finally got our order. I had the short stack of french toast (less than $5) with a side of hash browns ($1.99). My hubby ordered the California omelet (avocado, mushrooms, tomato, cheese, sour cream, bacon..it's huge!) which comes with potatoes (of your choice) and toast for less than $7.


I personally think their almond french toast is their best menu item but my husband likes their big omelets and sandwiches. It's definitely diner food but it's great for the price. If you don't believe me you can ask Rorie (from Milk and Honey) or Lisa (from Comfort Food/In a Nutshell) since I met them there once for lunch.

So if you've never made it up (or down) to Oceanside and always wondered what's going on in the land of the marines; check out Longboarder for breakfast or lunch.

Longboarder Cafe
228 N Coast Hwy
Oceanside, CA 92054
760.721.6776

Tarpon Springs, FL

If you're in the Tampa Bay area of Florida and are in the mood for Greek food: go to Tarpon Springs. Apparently they migrated there from Greece a while ago and settled into this town where they dive for sponges. The entire town is devoted to these natural sponges that they sell in touristy shops alongside Greek restaurants.

Since every restaurant had the same menu and they were all semi-overpriced we decided on the larger restaurant called Hellas with a big menu and some cheap plates. The Greek woman who sat us seemed to own the place and was really funny when my dad motioned for her to go in front of him (we were seated on a platformed area) and she said "oh, no, no, no. Business first. Always business." (Or something to that extent). It was really cute.

They served this cheese as an appetizer that everyone seemed to be ordering (and I will definitely order if ever given the opportunity again). After the cheese was brought to the table the waiter lit it on fire and everyone yelled "OPA!" (like in My Big Fat Greek Wedding). It was quite a spectacle. What a great idea for a party appetizer.

We were having dinner only a few hours later but my husband, dad, and I were hungry so my dad and I split a chicken souvlaki (chicken, tzatiki, onions, and tomato in a pita-like bread) and a Greek salad. The salad was really good but kind of strange. In the center of the salad, buried beneath the lettuce, was a mound of potato salad. It was actually quite good even though I don't normally like mixing my salads quite so much. Everything was fairly affordable, authentic, and tasty.

I would have loved to have eaten dessert there as they had an entire bakery attached to the restaurant (and I love me some baklava!) but we were stuffed.

All in all I would definitely recommend this place to any local or traveller heading to Tampa.

Here's an amusing picture of the entrance to the bakery from the restaurant. It says Bakery Restrooms. Not the best place to put both signs.

Hellas Restaurant
785 Dodecanese Blvd
Tarpon Springs, FL
(727) 943-2400

Fresh fish, anyone?

On my recent trip to Tampa, Florida I was lucky enough to go out for a nice seafood dinner thanks to my grandma. My aunt had heard good things about a restaurant called Bonefish Grill about a half hour away from her house. My dad, husband, and I were hoping to have some good seafood while in Florida so we immediately took her up on the suggestion.

At first glance I could tell that I had either seen this restaurant before or that it was definitely a chain. That doesn't bother me at all, as long as the food is good.
Fortunately, the Bonefish Grill did not disappoint.

Our night started out with some Pinot Grigio (only 6 more months until I can drink again!), a basket of fresh bread, and a few plates of pesto olive oil with Kalamata olives. While neither pesto or dipping oil is new to me, I was surprised at how fresh their dipping oil tasted. The Kalamata olive pieces were sparse but extremely flavorful. It only took a few minutes before I had to order another basket of bread.

Perhaps the best thing about this restaurant was their menu. It was huge. Their appetizer selection was quite pleasing (I ended up ordering from it for my meal) with dishes ranging from spicy shrimp to mussels. They actually had a non-fish section which was perfect for my grandma who is very picky. Besides their main entree section and a great list of specials, they also had a big section devoted to grilled fish. You could choose your fish and your sauce of which there were around six options.

My only complaint about the restaurant was the music. They played tension-filled music that would only be appropriate for a bar or nightclub, not an expensive seafood restaurant. It was very strange.

When our meals arrived I realized that I might have over-ordered. I had already eaten half of my dad's and part of my grandmother's salads (which were delicious) and lots of bread by the time my two appetizers arrived. Since I couldn't decide on a meal and knew that my appetite isn't as big as it was pre-pregnancy (strange, huh?) I settled on a plate of calamari with a side of marinara and a side of Thai hot sauce and a plate of bacon-wrapped scallops with fresh mango salsa. My husband got a macademia nut encrusted mahi-mahi with a rum pineapple sauce and a side of garlic mashed potatoes.

I had barely touched my calamari when my dad started giving me samples of his dish, grilled shrimp and scallops with a pan-Asian glaze and little bit of wasabi cream. Part of me wished I had ordered his dish because I LOVE shrimp (my favorite food) and the glaze was balanced nicely with partly sweet and partly spicy flavors.

My calamari was exactly how I like it. Fresh, tender, not chewy, and accompanied by 2 very tasty sauces. Since I love spicy foods I mainly used the Thai dipping sauce.

The bacon-wrapped scallops that I had ordered would have been taken home had we been in San Diego. By the time I got to that plate I was stuffed. However, I gave it the old "college-try" and managed to finish the plate (minus one that I made my dad eat). The scallops were also just how I like them. Not wet, slimy, and chewy but tender, dry, and crispy on the outside. Fortunately the mango salsa was also just how I make it at home. The fruity salsa worked well to cut the grease from the bacon.

While I did remember to take pictures this time, the restaurant was extremely dark and our meals don't look very appetizing (even once I lightened the pictures a bit). So no food pics today (plus I'm having trouble getting the blogger photo upload to work).

If you're ever in Florida I do recommend going to Bonefish. They also have restaurants all over the east coast and a few on the west (closest to CA is in southern Nevada) but I'm guessing the freshest fish would be found in Florida.

Bonefish Grill
numerous locations
http://www.bonefishgrill.com/home.asp

Bun in the Oven

You may have already figured it out but during my absence over the last few months I have secretly been doing some baking of my own. Yup, there's a bun in my oven! (Okay, that was terrible. Please excuse my puns.)

That's right, I'm expecting my own yummy addition to the family in early December. Now that my morning sickness has subsided I should be able to spend a bit more time cooking in the kitchen.

Thanks to all of you who have continued to check my blog even when there are no new posts.

Check out my newest post below.

Tomatoes Stuffed with Shrimp Salad

Summer is upon us and it's time to start making those light summer salads. My favorite shrimp salad is from Eating Well's June/July 2005 issue all about shrimp. This tasty salad is perfect for picnics, potluck, and leftovers. I think it tastes even better when you stuff it inside tomatoes.

Click here for the recipe.


Note: When I made this for dinner the other night I was extremely upset to find out that the pound-and-a-half of shrimp that I had bought was smelly! I know, I should have asked to smell it first but it was cheap and looked fine. I was sure that I would have to throw it out but after boiling the shrimp for a few minutes I peeled and chopped them up and quickly stir-fried them in my wok with a tiny amount of minced garlic. This instantly got rid of the shrimpy smell and worked out perfectly in the shrimp salad.