The taco bar turned out great. We had marinated, grilled flap (not flank steak---see below) steak. Lots of questions about flap steak! What is flap steak. Is it skirt steak or flank steak? What part of the cow does it come from? I have cooked all three in the past and have come to prefer flap steak, ...[ get the full recipe ]
We tasted three different pairs of ceviches. Taste Test #1 A versus B. The only difference is the marinade. Both have fresh squeezed lemon and lime juice, but A also has a small amount of fresh squeezed orange juice. The orange juice takes the edge off the tartness of the the lemon/lime combo. (Both ceviches also ...[ get the full recipe ]
Call me crazy, but the prep for a party is fun. There is something therapeutic about cutting and chopping. :) (For the recipes, go to the recipe tab.) The first task was to juice the lemons, limes and oranges for the ceviche and margaritas. I love these metal juicers (skip the plastic versions). Ceviche ...[ get the full recipe ]
This should be more than enough lemons and limes for the ceviche, margaritas and sangria. And don't forget the peppers. Grilled onions and peppers will be great with the fajitas. The avocados and tomatoes are on hand for the guacamole. They will also make an appearance in the ceviche! It is 4th of July weekend, so ...[ get the full recipe ]
Wish I could go back to Cabo to pick up the fish for Friday. :) Instead, a trip to Catalina Offshore Products will do the trick. It will be fun to see if people prefer: Mild or spicy? Traditional or with a tropical twist? Lime, lemon, a combo, or something else? We have a ...[ get the full recipe ]
My plan is to invite friends to taste test various recipes during the year and let me know what they think. I will share the results and recipes here. In other words, I will blog about the parties. (Any excuse for a party, right?) The first event is Friday, July 5 when we will ...[ get the full recipe ]
My favorite pizzas have ultra-thin, crispy crust like one finds in Italy, so I have been experimenting with different crusts for a while now. The secret seems to be using a cracker-type recipe instead of a yeast-based dough. This also has the additional advantage that you don't have to wait for it to rise, so you can ...[ get the full recipe ]
Coqueta is Michael Chiarello's first restaurant in San Franicisco. He successfully transformed a small space at Pier 5 on the Embarcadero into a warm and cozy Spanish restaurant. Only open for a few weeks, it has already attracted crowds and positive reviews, so I was excited to get a reservation on a recent trip ...[ get the full recipe ]
Chocolate pie is my husband's ("J's") favorite dessert. This is what he wants for his birthday every year. The filling for this one is a wonderful chocolate custard made with unsweetened chocolate, flour, sugar, milk, butter, eggs, and vanilla. The secret is to use more chocolate than most recipes call for and to make ...[ get the full recipe ]
Yes, whether mild, medium, or hot, I love peppers! But this is a special basket of peppers. A few years ago, I sent in a video for a competition where Michael Simon would attend the dinner party of the winner. Given that he is an Iron Chef on the FoodNetwork, I decided that one element of my ...[ get the full recipe ]
