Chocolate Coconut Mousse with Mango Topping

Sooo we didn't have the best pictures to work with today, but what can I say? Sometimes, the forces conspire as such, and the show must go on.  I don’t know about you, but I get really specific cravings for things.  Take chocolate.  I will get very specific about what form of chocolate I need at the moment – maybe I will really, really need a brownie, maybe it will be a candy bar form, maybe I will desperately crave a chocolate chip cookie.  And maybe it will be ice cream.  This past Saturday, I soooooo desperately wanted chocolate ice cream.  Plus, Seth had to go into work, so having ice cream ready for him when he got home seemed like the fun thing to do.  And, you know, I really wanted it.  I was all ready to make some.  Or so I thought.  Here is where the story takes a very sad turn.  I looked in the freezer to take out the bowl of the ice cream maker…. and it wasn’t there.  I somehow forgot to put it back in after making ice cream previously.  It would take about 8 hours until I could actually make the ice cream.  So, I decided that my craving could cover any form of chocolate that could be eaten with a spoon.  And I made chocolate mousse.  With a fruity topping, because I had been picturing eating an ice cream sundae.  And mangoes were pretty much all I had around.  Long story short, it definitely took care of the craving, and was pretty darn good too!  The mousse recipe is adapted from Mark Bittman’s chocolate mousse recipe in How to Cook Everything.

Ingredients
For the mousse:
5 ounces good quality dark chocolate (I used a 70%), chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 egg yolks
13.5 ounce can coconut milk, chilled
4 tablespoons sugar, divided
3 egg whites
pinch salt

For the topping:
1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
2 mangoes, diced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoon lime juice
¼ teaspoon lime zest
¼ teaspoon ground Szechuan peppercorns
pinch cinnamon
pinch cayenne

Instructions
In a microwave-safe bowl and in 30-second increments, carefully melt the chocolate with the butter in the microwave.  After each 30-second interval, stir.  Stir in egg yolks. Chill.

Place the chilled coconut milk in the bowl of a stand mixer with 2 tablespoons sugar.  Whip on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. This actually takes awhile, just be patient.  Set the whipped coconut milk aside, and clean the mixer bowl and beater (unless you are super lucky and have two of each of these!). 

Whip egg whites with pinch salt and 2 tablespoons sugar until they hold stiff peaks.  Fold a bit of the egg whites into the chilled chocolate to lighten it.  Fold the chocolate mixture into the egg whites.  Then fold the coconut cream into the mixture.  Chill. 

Place all the topping ingredients into a small saucepan over medium heat.  Stir until everything comes together, about 5 minutes.  Chill.  

day 197! Zimbabwe - Sosaties (Grilled Marinated Meat with Apricots)

At last, twenty-six months after starting this world-wide cooking journey, I have reached my final country, Zimbabwe. I can't begin to express what an amazing trip this has been, and none of it would have been possible without the love, support and generosity of my family and friends. Looking back, I could never have imagined all the incredible food, experiences and friendships I've had the privilege to try and experience. Special props go to my Mom, who taught me everything I know about food and love. To my sister and brother who can cook it up and throw it down like the bosses they are. To my husband and children, who sampled, critiqued and went along with all my crazy rambling, endless peanut stews and still love me (you guys are saints). And to very special friends: Beth, Merri, Lucy, Lisa, Ben and John (who gave me tonight's recipe and wants everyone to know he's an Irish-Italian stud). Lastly, to all my new friends from around the world who gave me recipes, advice and shared your cultures with me with such openness and generosity - I am honored to be in your company.


A landlocked country in the southern part of Africa, Zimbabwe is bordered by South Africa, Bostwana, Nambia and Mozambique. At one time a British colony, Zimbabwe declared its independence in 1980. The main languages spoken in this African country are English, Shona and Ndebele. Although most of the country is a savana, it also has mountains, a tropical climate as well as evergreen and hardwood forests. Home to the world's biggest and most spectacular waterfall, the Victoria Falls attracts tourist from around the globe to witness its raw and beautiful power. Rich in biodiversity, Zimbabwe boasts 500 species of birds, 350 species of mammals such as rhinos, baboons and giraffes as well as a huge range of reptiles such as snakes and lizards. Zimbabwe has one of the largest platinum and diamond resources in the world, but these vast and valuable resources have not been fully realized due to poor governmental oversite, corruption and mismanagement. Fortunately, this is beginning to change, making the promise of the country's future more optimistic.

Food in Zimbabwe is based on mealie meal, a cornmeal and water porridge that is eaten alone or with gravy, vegetables such as spinach, greens, beans, sour milk, dried fish or peanut butter. Peanut and tomato based stews are also a common staples. Due to British colonization, rice, pasta, melon, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and potato-based dishes along with porridge and tea are still eaten by many. For weddings and graduations, goat or cow might be enjoyed. Closer to the South African border, Afrikaner recipes using jerky, sausage, beef lamb and pork might also be cooked for special occasions.

Chop up some onions, saute and add spices, vinegar and jam - simmer until thickened

Apricot jam, garlic, salt and curry (not pictured, tamarind paste)

If using dried apricots, reconstitute in sherry overnight - otherwise, use right from the box as is

Grill and serve!

Sosaties (Grilled Marinated Meat with Apricots) - Adapted from Global Gourmet

2 pounds lamb, cut into 1" pieces
1 pound pork, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 garlic clove, peeled
Salt, pepper
4 tablespoons oil
1 cup onions, chopped
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon tamarind paste
2 cups white vinegar
2 tablespoons apricot jam
2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in
2 tablespoons red wine
1/2 pound dried apricots
1/2 cup dry sherry

Place the lamb and pork pieces in a large bowl that has been rubbed with the clove of garlic. Season with salt and pepper, and toss.

In a saucepan, heat the oil. Add the onions and sauté for 5-6 minutes, then add the curry powder and garlic. sauté for another minute. Add the sugar, tamarind paste, vinegar, and jam and stir well. Stir the cornstarch mixture and add it to the onions, and cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens. This should take about 3 minutes. Cool, then add to the meat and toss well. Marinate for 2-3 days.

One day before preparing the sosaties, combine the dried apricots and sherry in a small bowl, cover, and let sit overnight in the refrigerator.

Drain meat from sauce and reserve. Thread lamb, pork, and apricots on skewers. Grill over charcoal until browned on all sides. Serve with heated reserved sauce.

© 2010-2012, What's Cooking in Your World? Sarah Commerford/All Rights Reserved

Learning about Certified Angus Beef

Julie Boggs of Westbrook Angus

Certified Angus Beef is not the same as Angus or Black Angus which you may see on everything from beef at restaurants and supermarkets to even fast food burgers. In order to be designated Certified Angus Beef, it must pass a strict set of requirements and USDA inspection and approval, and very little of it does. In fact only 1 in 4 inspected makes the grade. That's the main thing I learned when I met with ranchers, chefs and restaurateurs to learn about beef and the Certified Angus Beef brand in particular. The ranchers I met bred breeding stock and they told me they like the Angus breed for a number of reasons, it's temperament, size, and ability to produce.

Over the course of several meals I got a chance to try many cuts of Certified Angus Beef steak including rib eye, tenderloin, top sirloin and filet mignon. It was very well prepared by restaurant chefs from the steakhouse chain El Gaucho and also from Aqua by El Gaucho. It was truly enlightening to try so many cuts at once, and while they were all tender, juicy and delicious, there were subtle differences in flavor and texture. The consistency in quality I experienced is really the reason for the Certified Angus Beef brand. I admit I like the flavor of grass fed beef as well as grain finished beef. But I learned that the health claims made about grass fed beef are somewhat dubious. While grass fed beef is higher in omega-3 fatty acids and Vitamin E, beef is not a great source of either. Also there is a misconception that grass fed beef is more sustainable, but the energy use and greenhouse gas emissions per pound of beef are increased three-fold in grass-fed cattle versus grain finished. Truth be told all beef is grass fed, it's just how long it spends on a feed lot fattening up on a diet of grain that makes the difference.

My usual favorite cut of steak is rib eye. But side by side tasting many different steaks, I was surprised to find the "baseball cut" top sirloin my favorite of all. It just had the best "beefiest" flavor. The Certified Angus Beef representatives say that fat is flavor. But I have to disagree. Top sirloin is actually a leaner cut of beef, and yet it was still good, even tastier than other fattier cuts, in my opinion. It's not just the fat, but the way the fat is marbled that makes a difference. While I enjoyed all the Certified Angus Beef I ate, I would love to see more availability of Natural Certified Angus Beef and an organic option as well.

When I returned home I purchased some Certified Angus Beef top sirloin chateaubriand to try cooking myself. Sure enough, it was juicy, rich and beefy, somewhat lean but very good. Because I don't eat beef often, I seek out the best I can find and rely on my local butcher to make recommendations. Recently I was buying some skirt steak and my butcher told me the Angus was better than the Kobe because it was the inside and not the outside section. Like wine and chocolate, when it comes to beef, there is always more to learn...

My thanks to Certified Angus Beef for hosting my trip and meals. Please note I paid for the beef I purchased myself.

Cucumber, Bacon, Strawberry Mini Sandwiches with Fresh Pea Spread and Sriracha Whipped Cream

Originally, these started out as a crostini with three toppings – the pea spread, a cucumber slice, and a slice of strawberry.  Well, it was okay, but not very interesting… at all.  So then we decided that something salty and savory was needed, like bacon.  Because bacon! So smoky and crisp, how can that not add something fun to the mix?  To be honest, I think strawberry and bacon are actually pretty magical together.  Then we asked the very normal question – what does Sriracha whipped cream taste like?  We determined that the answer was good, and interesting!  So we added that to the crostini.  Then we were left with a flavorful, but unwieldy appetizer.  We solved that problem by slapping another slice of baguette on top and calling it a sandwich, but mini-size!  You can, of course, make these as regular size sandwiches, but where is the fun in that?  They’re so cute and bite size, what is not to love?  Even the word mini is super fun to say!  Mini!

Ingredients
1 baguette, sliced
1 hothouse cucumber, sliced
4 strawberries, sliced
Pea spread
Sriracha cream
5 pieces bacon

½ cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons Sriracha hot sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Pea spread:
12 ounces peas, cooked according to package directions
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped mint
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
For the pea spread:  Place the cooked peas in a bowl and toss with butter and olive oil.  Once the butter has melted, add lemon juice, chopped mint, and parsley.  Puree in a food processor or with an immersion blender.  Adjust salt and pepper to taste. 

For the Sriracha cream:  Place whipping cream, Sriracha, and lemon juice in the bowl of a stand mixer and whip on medium-high until the mixture holds soft peaks. 

For the bacon:  Fry up bacon slices on a griddle over medium heat.  Once both sides have crisped, remove from griddle and place on a paper towel.

To assemble, spread the pea spread on a baguette slice.  Top with cucumber, strawberry, bacon, and Sriracha cream.  Finish with another baguette slice.

Grilled Avocados with Shrimp Salad

Today is another exciting day for us - we are guest posting over at Gen Y Foodie!  We absolutely love Dara’s blog, everything is so healthy, fresh, and delicious – and accompanied by gorgeous photos!  Like her Thai marinated skirt steak – YUM!  And her asparagus potato salad? We didn’t even think we liked potato salad but this sounds absolutely fantastic!  If it weren't for her, we wouldn't even know about the amazingness that is homemade cheez-its! So we totally thank her (blame her?) for our addiction to these cheesy, salty snacks!  We also have Dara to thank for introducing us to flax seeds - I now try to sneak them in as many things as possible.  You definitely have to stop by her blog and see all of her yummy things - like her breakfast pizza (how awesome is that??), her baked coconut chicken fingers with pineapple sauce, and her homemade pitas with garlic scape hummus.  Doesn't everything just sound so delicious?  Now hop on over to her blog to check out our recipe for spicy shrimp salad in grilled avocados!

Day 196! Zambia - Pineapple Chutney - Up Next, Zimbabwe

Today is the fist day in several weeks that I've had time enough to make a dish representing the second to last country in my world cooking journey. I decided to get up early to catch the morning light, as it lends such a beautiful patina to photographs. I'm pretty sure my neighbors think know I'm officially nuts. And, if you could have seen me hauling pineapple, peppers, lemons and oranges outside at 6 a.m., then tripping over my tripod on the way out the back door (in my pink dragonfly p.j.'s), you'd nod vigorously in agreement. I used to be quite sane but that was BT ( before teenagers). Don't be too judgy, though. If you woke up to Eminem's nasal tirade streaming out from under your kid's door every morning, you'd be loco too. But I digress.


A landlocked country in Southern Africa, Zambia is roughly the size of Texas or France and is known as one of the more peaceful, highly urbanized countries in Africa. Bordered by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and Angola, Zambia is home to 72 ethnic groups. Originally, the country was inhabited by Khoisan people, but was colonized during the 13 century by the Bantu. European explorers discovered the country during the 18 century. In the 19 century, the country became a British colony of Northern Rhodesia, but by 1964, Zambia declared independence from the UK. In recent years, the country has undergone a strong period of economic reform, but the economic infrastructure of the country remains largely that of subsistence farming. Owing to vast natural resources and rich mineral and copper mining, the country has promising potential to someday compete in the global market.

Zimbabwe's climate is tropical to sub-tropical. Peanuts, cassava, chilli peppers, beans and corn are all grown here. The staple diet is corn-based in the form of Nshima. Maize or cassava flour are ground and mixed to a thick porridge that is eaten alone or alongside condiments with meats, fish, sour milk or beans. In fact, Nshima is such a huge and important part of the culture, that songs, poems, stories, rituals and folk lore have regularly referenced this dish that nourishes and sustains the country's people.


Pineapple Chutney
Cup up orange and lemon, leaving skin on

 Chop tomatoes, onions and peppers

 Chop fresh pineapple

 Sliver candied ginger

 Pot everything in pot, along with wine vinegar and simmer for about 30 minutes

 Cool and place in clean jar - I'm serving this with grilled chicken tonight :)

Pineapple Chutney (Recipe Adapted from Celtnet)

1-1/2 cups green bell peppers, cut into 1/2 sections
1 cup onions, chopped into 1cm pieces
1-1/2 cups fresh tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 whole lemon, cut into 1/4-inch cubes with skin left on
1 whole orange, cut into 1/4-inch cubes, with skin left on
7/8 cup sultanas
2 cups fresh pineapple cut into 14-inch dice
1 cup white wine vinegar
3/4 cup white sugar
1/3 Muscovado sugar
4 tbsp preserved candied ginger, cut into thin strips
1 tbsp salt

Add all the ingredients to a large saucepan and simmer gently for 30 minutes (if the mixture seems too thick add up to 1 cup of pineapple juice). When ready allow to cool a little then pack into hot, sterile, jars.


© 2010-2012, What's Cooking in Your World? Sarah Commerford/All Rights Reserved

Free lunch in San Francisco (for the next 48 hours)

Thanks to smartphone apps you can now get through security and into your seat on a plane, book a hotel room, deposit checks, find a parking spot and even buy lunch. And today if you live or work in San Francisco and have a smartphone, I am buying you lunch, courtesy of GoPago.

GoPago recently launched a free mobile app that lets you order and pay for food and drinks using your smartphone (iPhone or Android). Browse for restaurants in San Francisco, order your meal online, pay securely using a credit card, then skip the line and the hassle of handling cash. When you waltz into the restaurant, just flash the receipt on your phone, and you're good to go.

Download the free app (iPhone or Android), use the code AmazingAmy and get $10 credit good for lunch (or breakfast or dinner). And no, I didn't choose the code. GoPago did. But I am very happy to share it. The code is good for $10 in credit and is only available for 48 hours so check it out ASAP.

The roster of restaurants in San Francisco is growing and growing. I took a peek at the current list and there are several places that I particularly like--Sellers Markets, Helmand Palace, Tropisueno, Green Chile Kitchen, Henry's Hunan, Osha Thai and Mehfil--lots of spots that are perfect for lunch downtown and a few in outlying areas as well. Please feel free to share this code and enjoy your lunch!

"Be Quiet" Baby Fudge

In the book One Hungry Monster, the protagonist is plagued by…well…hungry monsters.  To ward them off, he gives them 10 jars of peanut butter.  He gives it without jam, because he wants “every monster mouth shut tighter than a clam.”  We apply the same principle to our own little monster, Max.  These chewy energy bites are perfect for those super whiny times.  Like when you and your best friend from college live on opposite sides of the country and have been playing phone tag for months.  And just when you finally get a hold of each other, he starts getting upset for some ridiculously minor reason.  Bingo.  "Be quiet" baby fudge to the rescue.  It does double quiet duty actually – not only when he eats it, but also when he helps make it, carefully dumping each ingredient into the bowl with little toddler concentration-face… until he gets too grabby with the chocolate chips.

Ingredients 
1 cup old fashioned whole wheat oatmeal
½ cup natural peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup ground almonds
¼ cup ground flax seeds
½ cup chocolate chips
pinch salt
pinch ground cinnamon
pinch ground cardamom

Instruction 
Place all the ingredients into a large bowl.  Use your hands to mix everything all together.  Feel free to use a wooden spoon, but I think it gets mixed up better when done by hand.  I like to mush the “dough” into a square Tupperware container.  Refrigerate for at least an hour, then cut into square bites.  Store in the fridge.

Spicy Shrimp Scampi Pasta

This dish came together by complete freak accident.  Seth’s mother was visiting, and we had bought and marinated a bunch of shrimp for grilling.  Unfortunately, when it came time to grill, the weather looked mean and scary, so we turned to the stove and quickly improvised a shrimp scampi pasta from what we had on hand.  Well, short story, it was amazing, the best shrimp scampi we’d ever had, and we’ve been struggling to recreate it ever since.  After weeks of testing, failed attempts, and altering, we finally got it back!  Something about this dish makes me picture a rustic, beachside, seafood bistro in New England.  You get a bowl brimming with pasta and shrimp, filled with the spicy, garlicky, lemony flavors.  You pour two glasses of wine, maybe light some candles, you go to your table, and you talk with your significant other.  Or you first stuff your face with dinner and then talk.  But it is definitely a dinner that involves some romance.  The shrimp marinade itself was adapted from Cook’s Illustrated (August 2011 Summer Grilling Issue).

Ingredients 
For the shrimp:
5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup chopped parsley
6 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound large shrimp

For the sauce:
1 stick unsalted butter (yes, 8 tablespoons)
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons parsley
1 shallot, minced
7 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup fresh arugula
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
12 ounces linguine
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup chopped parsley

Instructions
In a medium bowl, whisk lemon juice, 3 tablespoons olive oil, lemon zest, parsley, garlic, salt, and red pepper. Add the shrimp and toss with the marinade.  Place in the fridge to marinate for 15 minutes.  Cook the marinated shrimp on a buttered griddle over medium-high heat, be sure to brown each side (about 3-4 minutes per side). Set aside.

Bring a large pot of boiling salted water to boil and cook linguine according to package directions.  In a large sauté pan, melt butter, lemon zest, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and the parsley together over medium low heat.  Add minced shallot, garlic, and red pepper flakes.  Sauté until shallot is soft.  Add the white wine and lemon juice.  Increase heat and reduce just a bit. Add the arugula.  Use tongs to coat and wilt the arugula.  Adjust salt and pepper to taste.  Toss with the cooked shrimp.  To serve, place pasta on individual plates.  Drizzle olive oil and about 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley over each plate of noodles.  Then spoon some shrimp and sauce over the herbed noodles.

Wine Road, Sonoma County

The view from Everett Ridge Winery

Recently I was invited up to Sonoma to visit the Wine Road. The Wine Road isn't an actual road, but a winery association with a wide variety of members and their mission is to increase awareness of Northern Sonoma County. Think of it as your own personal concierge, available to craft the perfect experiences in the Alexander, Dry Creek, and Russian River Valleys. The Wine Road covers six different AVA's, represents about 150 wineries, or around half of the wineries in the region, over 50 different lodgings and produces a fantastic map of the area.

I go up to Sonoma frequently, but this latest trip hosted by the Wine Road introduced me to a number of wineries I hadn't visited before. Here are the highlights of my trip:

Kendall Jackson Wine Center
I know what you're thinking. Really? Kendall Jackson? The brand I find in the supermarket? Well, yes. Kendall Jackson has a series of stunning Wine Center Gardens and an outstanding wine tasting program.

There are red and white wine sensory gardens that include the plants that have affinities for wines, and descriptors, which are the flavors that you find in the wines. For example in the Pinot Noir section you'll find descriptor plants like plum, violets and strawberry (all flavors you will find in the Pinot) and affinities such as figs, pumpkin and leek (all of which pair well with Pinot). There's also an international cuisine garden, a vegetable trial garden and a culinary herb and edible flower garden. Meandering through the gardens provides a good starting point for wine country exploration.

Kendall Jackson has a chef on staff and a food and wine tasting available for $30. You'll get a chance to try seven of their wines (that are not available in the supermarket) primarily their Grand Reserve and Highland Estate wines, each paired with a delicious morsel of food.

Think Chardonnay paired with house cured king salmon with Chardonnay grapeseed oil, preserved Meyer lemon and estate peas followed by Syrah with sweet tea brined Niman Ranch pork belly slider with Syrah BBQ sauce. My favorite pairing was the 2007 Highlands Estate Seco Highlands Pinot Noir with mushroom arancini with sottocenere truffle cheese and Pinot Noir aioli. Each bite of food made me want to take another sip of wine, and each sip of wine, another bite of food. There are also wine and cheese tastings if you prefer.

Paradise Ridge Winery
I tend to like wineries with that extra something special. At Paradise Ridge I not only enjoyed their refreshing Sauvignon Blanc with lots of grapefruit and a hint of gooseberry, but feasted my eyes on their sprawling 156 acre estate and outdoor sculpture collection all tucked away behind a residential neighborhood in Santa Rosa.

Worth a visit for the views alone. It's a small winery, you may find some of their wines in wine shops, but mostly they sell through their wine club. The outdoor sculpture "galleries" are open to the public without charge as is a self guided vineyard tour. Driving up to the property you see all different sculptures set into the landscape. The tasting fee is $10 and refundable with purchase.

Truett Hurst
Truett Hurst its located in the midst of Dry Creek Valley and there are acres of garden and a particularly idyllic setting on the creek that is perfection for a picnic or a nap. Yet another winery set on amazing piece of property...but even if it wasn't I'd still suggest you seek it out.

Paul Dolan a pioneer of sustainable, organic and biodynamic wines is one of the partners, and Virginia Lambrix is the wine maker and I really like her elegant approach. I can't say which of the Pinot Noirs I preferred, the Black Sheep Pinot Noir with classic strawberry notes, good acid and big bouquet or the Burgundian style White Sheep Pinot Noir with good structure and firm tannins and while Zinfandel is not my favorite varietal, her wines won me over. They ranged from the Luci Zinfandel which was intense and bold with lots of spice (and a frightening 16% alcohol) to the Red Rooster Zin which was balanced and juicy. I also like that none of their wines are priced over $40.

I also enjoyed Virginia's VML Chardonnay which was bright, clean, zingy and fresh and the rosé which was also bright and fresh with lots of fruit.

Farmhouse Inn
If I could afford it, I'd love to stay again in Forestville in the Russian River Valley at the deluxe Farmhouse Inn. It's the most luxurious, private and quiet spot with more attention to detail than I've experienced in a long time.

Who wouldn't love a place with not just gorgeous gardens but a fire pit for making your own s'mores (all the ingredients provided, natch)? Not just cookies before bed, but cookies and milk the mini fridge and a couple of mini cupcakes too! Heated marble floors in the bathrooms and cozy bedding spoiled me.

But best of all might have been the food. Breakfast at the restaurant was included and I was crazy for the corn waffles with bananas, caramel sauce, candied pecans and whipped cream one day and huevos ranchers with black beans and chorizo the next. I'm dying for the recipe for their banana walnut muffins, the best ever.

Of course you can plan a trip on your own, or just head up to Sonoma and wing it, but if you want something specific, I do recommend contacting the Wine Road folks who know the area intimately.  They can make suggestions or arrangements for you. For example they can steer you in the right direction if you want to visit wineries that also offer food or have great art collections, or garagiste winemakers that are not always open to the public or that offer tours by appointment only, if you want to find a winery with with picnic facilities.

There are also a ton of events up in wine country, so be sure to check out Wine Road event listings before you go for things like BBQ's, concerts, parties and more.

And oh yes, this is a Wine Road iPhone app!

My thanks to the Wine Road for hosting me on this trip.

Thinly Sliced Beef Yakitori

Plunging a stick in food was a genius idea – I sincerely wish we could thank the person who originally thought of doing that.  Think about hard candy.  If someone was like ohh, here have some candy and they handed you hard candy you would be like um thanks? But get a stick in that hard candy and it becomes fun!  You would totally be happy if someone gave you a lollipop.  Take a corn dog...  If possible, Seth would probably divorce me and marry the person who came up with that.  Take the stick out of the cornbread encrusted hotdog, and he would be like ehhh, ok.  But once that stick is there it is all like, ohh my god must have it.  Here, we take fresh beef flap meat, marinate it in a homemade teriyaki sauce, skewer it, then grill it over high heat, brushing it with a thickened version of the marinade.  Like eating a popsicle, but all meaty and umami.  And you know, grilled.  And not frozen.  Actually the opposite.  

Ingredients 
2/3 cup mirin
1 cup soy sauce
4 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
¼ cup brown sugar
7 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon minced jalapeno pepper
1 inch strip of orange peel
1 pound flap steak, thinly sliced across the grain
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
10-15 bamboo or wooden skewers
5 tablespoons canola oil (for grilling)
rice, for serving

Instructions
Place the mirin in a medium pot and boil over high heat.  Reduce to medium low and add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, jalapeno, and orange peel.  Simmer for 20 minutes.  Place half of sauce in a Ziploc bag or container and refrigerate until cool. 

Take thinly sliced beef flap steak and cut into 1½-2 inch strips for skewering.  Submerge in cooled marinade and refrigerate for at least another hour.  Take bamboo or wooden  skewers and soak in cool water for 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with water.  Bring the remaining sauce to a boil and thicken with the cornstarch mixture, constantly stirring.  Let the sauce cook for 5 more minutes, tasting to make sure the cornstarch has fully dissolved.  Once ready, pour into small bowl and set aside.
 
Preheat grill to high (roughly 400°).  Just before grilling, take marinated beef and skewer so that the meat can lie flat.  Place canola oil in a small bowl.  Using a paper towel or cloth, dip in canola oil and rub over hot grates to prevent sticking.  Lay beef skewers over heat and stay nearby to monitor.  Once bottom is a little charred, brush the tops with canola oil, and flip.  Brush again with thickened teriyaki sauce.  Once the bottoms are slightly charred again, be careful not to overcook, flip and brush with thickened teriyaki sauce, so both sides are sauced.  Remove and garnish with toasted sesame seeds.  Serve with rice.

Day 195.5 China! Pot Stickers (Pan Fried Dumplings)

Only two countries left to go before I complete my world cooking journey, and I just can't bring myself to go there yet. So, in an effort to postpone the bitter-sweet inevitable, I'm circling way back to China  (the 36th meal I cooked when first starting out) to make my son Ian's very favorite Chinese appetizer - Pot Stickers.

The name alone should be reason enough to make these delicious pan fried dumplings, and the filling? Well, fugetaboutit. Traditionally eaten as a snack or an appetizer throughout China, these dumplings are actually very easy to make. Prepping the filling takes a little time, but after that, it's a piece of cake. Or a dumpling.  I forgot to get ground pork, but I had a small pork sirloin roast in the fridge, so I cut off a chunk and ran it through my food processor - presto. Note to self: grind your own pork and beef dummy; it's significantly cheaper than the pre-ground stuff, sans all the funky additives or filler mix-ins.

I made these this morning, so we had them for breakfast. Who cares if we all have garlic breath for the rest of the day - it's totally worth it. But, if you can't wrap your head around pot stickers for breakfast, they make a perfect appetizer, snack or side dish. And, if you want to make them vegetarian, simply dice up tofu in place of the pork. Enjoy!

 Dried Shitake mushrooms for the filling - how beautiful are these?

Soak for 30 minutes in warm water, then mince (I used my mini food processor)

 Mince two cups of napa cabbage

Filling: Chives, mushrooms, cabbage, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, ground pork and corn starch

Combine all ingredients and mix very well

 Brush the edges of a wonton wrapper with water (keep the others covered with a damp towel)

 Fill with one teaspoon of filling

 Fold, seal and pleat the edges

 Put on a cookie sheet that's been lightly dusted with flour - then fry, add broth and steam

  Sorry - I don't have a picture of them cooking because the only shot I had was blurry

Pot Stickers (Adapted from Williams-Sonoma, Asian)

1/4 cup dried shiitake mushrooms
2 cups finely chopped napa cabbage
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 lb. ground pork
1/2 cup minced fresh garlic chives
1 Tbsp. each light soy sauce and Asian sesame oil
1-1/2 tsp. peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1-1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/8 tsp. ground white pepper
45 thin, round wonton wrappers
4 Tbsp. canola or peanut oil
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Ginger-soy dipping sauce

Soak the dried mushrooms in warm water for 30 minutes, then drain, remove the stems and mince the caps.

In a large bowl, toss together the cabbage and salt and let stand for 30 minutes to leach out excess water from the cabbage. using your hand, wring out as much of the water from the cabbage as you can. Discard the water and place the cabbage in a clean bowl. Add the mushrooms, pork, garlic, chives, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine, ginger, garlic, cornstarch and white pepper. Using a rubber spatula, mix until very well and thoroughly combined.

To fill each pot sticker, place a wonton wrapper on a clean work surface and brush the edges with water - be sure to keep the other wrappers covered with a slightly damp kitchen towel to keep them from drying out. Place 1 teaspoon of filling in the center of the wrapper, fold the wrapper in half to enclose the filling, then pleat the out edge. Place finished pot sticker on a lightly floured baking sheet. Repeat until all the wrappers are full.

Preheat the over to 250F. In a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the canola oil. Add 10-12 pot stickers, flat bottom down and in a single layer. Sear until gold brown on the bottom, 3-4 minutes. Next, pour 1/4 cup of the broth into the pan, cover and let steam until all the broth evaporates and the pot stickers are tender but still firm and the filling is cooked through, 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a platter, cover with aluminum foil and keep warm in the over.

Serve with ginger-soy dipping sauce.

Ginger-Soy Dipping Sauce

5 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1/4 cup light soy sauce
2 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
3 Tbsp. warm water
1-1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. Asian sesame oil
1 tsp. Sriachi chili sauce
2 Tbsp. peeled, minced fresh ginger
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. red jalapeno chile or other fresh hot red chile, seeded and thinly sliced on the diagonal

In a small non-reactive bowl, whisk together the vinegar, light and dark soy sauces, warm water, sugar, sesame oil and chile sauce until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the ginger, garlic and chile. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Also very good with noodles!

© 2010-2012, What's Cooking in Your World? Sarah Commerford/All Rights Reserved

Grilled Artichokes with Lime Aioli & Cotija Cheese

Today we were lucky enough to guest post on one of our favorite blogs, Lazaro Cooks!  We are super excited about it, because Lazaro is a truly fantastic and innovative food blogger.  His site, his cooking style, plating, and presentation are all top notch, and we agree with much of his perspective on cooking and food blogging in general.  We're honored to be included as guest contributors.  Here is a snippet from our post.  For the full post and recipe, head on over to our post on Lazaro Cooks. 

"We thought we would go ahead and celebrate one of our local, seasonal favorites by sharing this new recipe for Mexican-style grilled artichokes.  This recipe combines three things that we absolutely love – grilling (I mean, how can you resist that siren song of smoke, charcoal, fire, and cast iron grates), artichokes (we have a doormat decorated with artichokes and an artichoke-shaped candle, just to give you an idea of the depths of our love for this vegetable), and dipping (we are obsessed with foods that involve dipping; it’s such an active, communal way to eat)."

FULL RECIPE and post

Del Popolo Pizzeria

Del Popolo might look like a pizza truck, but according to the proprietors, it's a mobile pizzeria. At a reported $180,000 to build the thing, I think they can call it whatever they like. It's a refurbished shipping container with an actual pizza oven inside plus minimal prep space for a couple of cooks. 

The menu is short and sweet, just two pizzas in one size. There's the classic Margherita, the pizza by which all pizzas should be judged, and when I was there a white pizza with mozzarella, ricotta, basil and garlic.

Will people stand in line to buy a pizza? On the streets of San Francisco? Oh yes, they will!

This is the set up. A mini kitchen and pizza oven and a window where orders are taken and pizza "delivered." 

They offer some wacky sodas including Cheerwine, Manhattan Special and Empire. But being parked across the street from a supermarket, there was no shortage of choices. 

So how was the pizza? Excellent. There was a nice char on the crust, but not too much. I'd call it a Neapolitan style crust, airy and chewy. The sauce and cheese were flavorful and in good balance. The sauce was very fresh  tasting and they didn't skimp on the basil. I'd order this pizza again.

The white pizza was a little more substantial with generous dollops of fresh sweet ricotta and plenty of garlic. Not in the least greasy, it was rich from the cheese and yet somehow light at the same time. Recommended.

Where to find it? It's not on the namesake square in Rome, so you'll have to check Twitter to find out...

Strawberry Lime Basil Sherbet

August 25, 2010 was a very special day in our lives.  Very special.  I remember everything so clearly.  The blue skies, birds chirping, bright sun shining its rays down on us… the knock on the door by the delivery guy.  I will never forget that day – the day that our ice cream maker arrived at our doorstep.  I remember feeling excited – I would finally be able to make a dessert that Seth would love.  He never had much of a sweet tooth, except when it came to ice cream. And I felt powerful – the ability to make this sweet treat was now in my control – take that milk and cream!  Of course, once I realized I would have to wait a day to make ice cream, because the bowl of the ice cream maker has to be chilled, I was super disappointed.  Ever since its initiation by freezer, however, it has been one of the most beloved appliances in our kitchen.  I can’t even remember what life was like without it.   Our most recent concoction is this strawberry lime basil sherbet.  I wanted to take this fruit salad, whose flavors worked so well together, and make it into a cold ice cream treat.  It tastes fruity, yet unique, and is just perfect for summer.

Ingredients
½ cup sugar
¼ cup water
1/2 cup chopped basil
1 quart strawberries, hulled and chopped
3 cups milk
3 -4 tablespoons lime juice
1 ½ teaspoon lime zest

Instructions
To make the basil syrup: Place sugar, water, and basil in small pot.  Gently boil until the sugar has dissolved, about 8 minutes.  Take off heat and strain out the basil.  Chill. 

To make the sherbet: Use a blender (I used my trusty immersion blender) to puree the strawberries, milk, basil syrup, lime juice, and lime zest together.  Churn in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions.  I find that this doesn’t freeze particularly well, so if you do freeze it, you may want to take out the sherbet 20 minutes before you serve.