Baby Greens and Pear Bowl with Za'atar, Yogurt, and Fried Egg

"Be a tennis ball, not an egg."

These were the confusing words written on a sign.  A sign located in Pennsylvania. A sign that was seen while riding in a vehicle with my mom and my child.  And most importantly, most unfortunately - my sister.

For as long as I can remember, my sister has considered me to be an egg. It has never been quite clear to me why this is so.

I can't believe I need to point this out, but I am not an egg. I do not have a shell and/or a yolk.  I'm fairly certain I have a brain.  I think therefore I am, and all that.  Also in my favor of not being an egg, I can use my vocal cords to speak and communicate.  I'm going to go out on a limb and say that an egg can't do all of that.
Upon reading the sign, my sister displayed some sympathy for me, and told me that it was okay to be an egg, it was okay to be me.  I thanked her for her concern, as I was experiencing an unusual mixture of emotions - 1) amusement by the extremely roundabout way the sign owner tried to convey his/her wisdom 2) apathy, as it has absolutely nothing to do with me, because I am not an egg 3) indignation, as it should be perfectly okay to be an egg, 4) horror at the thought that I have perhaps conceded the egg point to my sister.

Upon arrival to our destination, I called Seth and told him about the sign we had passed in our travels.  His response was "Oh, bounce, not break, well in that regard you may be a bit egg-like." I thanked him for his faith in me, as well as for hopping on board my sister's egg train.

Now we are here with a lunch bowl.  One filled with baby greens (I used baby kale)and pears, and a bit of scallions and parsley for some flavor, coated with olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon juice.  And sunflower seeds.  And a dab of Greek yogurt and zaatar.  And of course, most importantly, a fried egg.  I broke that egg into a hot frying pan, cooked it with some salt, pepper, and smoked paprika,  placed that broken and fried egg in the bowl as well, then topped it with a sprinkling of chopped mint leaves.  An egg may break not bounce, but it sure is delicious.

Ingredients
2 cups baby greens
1/4 cup diced pear
1 tablespoon scallions
1 tablespoon parsley
1 tablespoon roasted sunflower seeds
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
pinch kosher salt
pinch freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon za'atar
1 fried egg, sprinkled with a pinch of salt, smoked paprika, and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon mint leaves, chopped

Instructions
Toss baby greens, pear, scallions, parsley, and seeds in a bowl.  Drizzle olive oil and lemon juice, then sprinkle just a touch of salt and pepper.  Add a dollop of Greek yogurt and sprinkle with za'atar.  Top with the fried egg sprinkled with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.  Finish with chopped mint leaves.

Crab Vodka Salsa

Were someone to ask me what animal I would be, which, as an aside, I can't actually imagine someone asking me, but I guess if I were to ask myself what animal I'd be, I'd have to say "hyena."  Hyenas are quite clever.  Scavenging for scraps, but possessing the ability to hunt when needed.  They only exert the energy to hunt when it is actually necessary.

I too, can hunt.  If by hunt, you mean obtain food from a market, bring it home, and turn it into dinner.  But just because I possess this ability, it doesn't mean I need to expend the energy all the time.  Rather I can circle around my offspring's meal, and retrieve the leftovers after he has finished. Having a child who makes a lot of requests for certain foods, but doesn't actually go through the whole part of eating it,  means this is an effective food gathering strategy for me. Sometimes I have been known to scavenge while he is still eating, like taking the remains of a cookie after he has placed it down on the table and has turned his head.

However, like the hyena, I too can occasionally put a damper on my scavenging ways and move on to some actual cooking.  Like this salsa.

This month's Creative Cooking Crew challenge, hosted by Laz of Lazaro Cooks, is "cooking with spirits." Check back here at the end of the month - I'll post a link to the roundup of all the CCC dishes for the month!

We chose to go with vodka, giving this crab-filled salsa a bit of a kick as it slides down your throat.  Gypsy and jalapeno peppers, garlic, cilantro, red onion fill each bite with vegetal goodness, while using smoked sea salt and smoked paprika leaves a little something behind to linger on your taste buds.  The kind of food that is worth giving up my hyena ways and becoming human again.

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
2 celery stalks, diced
half a large onion, diced
5 gypsy peppers, divided, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
6 ounces lump crab meat
smoked sea salt, to taste
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup vodka
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice, plus more to taste
minced jalapeno, optional
tortilla chips, for serving

Instructions
In a large saute pan, heat oil over medium low heat.  Add celery, onion, and three of the gypsy peppers. Once the vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes, add the garlic and red pepper flakes.  Cook for a minute, until garlic is fragrant, but not burned.  Add the crushed tomatoes.  In a bowl, stir together the crab meat, a hearty pinch of smoked salt, smoked paprika, and a sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper.  Add the crab to salsa.  Stir.  Add the vodka.  Turn heat to medium high.  Once the vodka has cooked down (it will leave a spiciness in your throat but no longer screams VODKA), about 8-10 minutes, let the mixture cool down a bit and add lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper, as well as the remaining gypsy peppers, red onion, and cilantro.  If you want more heat in the salsa, add some minced jalapeno.

Cookware Reviews and Giveaway

I'm always happy to try out new cookware, mostly because the options just keeps getting better and better. Looking for the latest nonstick? An alternative to nonstick? A great steamer? It's all here. 

Imagine the perfect non stick pan. It would be made without harmful chemicals, you could use it with high heat, it would be oven safe, you could use metal utensils with it and put it in the dishwasher. Voila! Meet the newest non-stick from Calphalon, available only at Williams-Sonoma. It's called Calphalon Elite Nonstick and was designed to allow you to develop a good sear thanks to a specially designed textured surface. It is PFOA free and utilizes a hard-anodized aluminum for heat conduction and consistency. It's basically the latest and greatest in non-stick cookware. While you can use metal utensils like spatulas, spoons and whisks, you still shouldn't use forks or knives in the pan. I use non-stick pans for eggs and some sautéing so I think a frying pan is your best bet if you're not looking for a whole set of cookware. Scroll down to find out how you can win a 10-inch fry pan ($150 MSRP). 

Another brand of cookware that's new to me is "ManPans." This cookware is eco-friendly meaning no PTFE, no PFOA nor any other petrochemicals are used in producing them, but what truly sets these pans apart is how amazingly light they are, and their "flavor neutral" quality. They were designed specifically to not change the flavor of anything cooked in them. I'm not sure that I taste a metallic flavor when I cook in other pans, but many chefs reportedly do.  The cookware is heat resistant up to 700 degrees and you can use metal utensils with them. They are non dishwasher safe. While not technically "non-stick" (which means there's no coating on the surface of the pans to flake or chip) I found that the pan I used releases food nicely and is very easy to clean, in addition to being a good conductor of heat. 

I particularly like the design of the ManPans steamer insert. It's 10 inches wide and allows me to very efficiently steam a large amount of greens at one time.

Speaking of steaming, if you have Anolon brand pots and pans, you'll love this cool new Anolon Universal Steamer insert, designed to fit multiple size tulip-shaped and straight-sided saucepans, including 2 quart, 3 quart and 4 quart capacities. It fits my Anolon pans perfectly, but does not fit all non-Anolon pans. 

GIVEAWAY! 

I'm giving away one 10-inch Calphalon Elite nonstick pan ($150 MSRP), courtesy of Calphalon and Williams Sonoma. To win the pan, simply leave me a comment and tell me something about your favorite piece of cookware. For example, how long have you had it? Where did it come from or what do you use it for? Or post a picture! That's all! In order to win you must have a valid US address and include your email in the proper field (it will only be visible to me).  Contest winner will be drawn at random, and the contest ends Friday October 25th at 9 am PST.

Disclaimer: Cookware review samples were provided by the manufacturers, I was not paid to write this or any other post on Cooking with Amy. 

Persimmon and Grapefruit Yogurt Parfaits with Gingersnap and Pecan Crumbles

We look forward to, anticipate, build up some upcoming experiences.  Daydreaming about what it will be like. Crystal clear pictures of the amazingness form in our heads.

Which, are then, of course, subsequently crushed.  Shattered.  Destroyed when reality sets in.

I was terribly excited to go to the East Coast.  To visit friends and family.  But mostly to experience the fall weather that they supposedly have out there.  Visions of sweater wearing while galloping through piles of fallen leaves danced in my head.  Hay rides with toasty plaid blanket after blanket piled on top of me.  Warm cinnamon-spiced apple cider consumed while plucking bushels of apples right from trees.  Tromps through pumpkin patches with my tall boots.  It would be a perfect autumn week.  A super cliched autumn week.

Until I arrived in Pennsylvania and became aware that the weather was hot.  Like hot.  Like maybe I hadn't actually left the state of California hot.  Like wow, I'm glad I packed sandals hot.  Like take the small child to the park in the morning and want to go back home within 5 minutes because the sun is so hot.  Clearly, this wasn't what I had been hoping for.

Sometimes, though, life hands us exactly what we had been envisioning.  I wanted to stick a spoon into something creamy, something sweet, something fruity, something with a little bit of zing to it.  This parfait has all of that.  Persimmons and grapefruits mixed together.  Creamy Greek yogurt flavored with vanilla and orange.  Topped with crushed gingersnaps and chopped toasted pecans.  Each spoonful so satisfying, so unique with its own proportion of fruit to yogurt to gingersnap topping, that I would immediately look forward to the next.  And this time, I wasn't disappointed.

Need more information about persimmons, a most wonderful fruit?  Here is a useful article from Cooking Light!

Ingredients
1 cup chopped persimmon
1/2 cup segmented grapefruit
1 1/2 cups Greek yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
1 tablespoon orange juice
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
1/4 cup crushed gingersnaps
2 tablespoons finely chopped toasted pecans

Instructions
In a small bowl, gently toss the persimmon and grapefruit.  In another bowl, stir Greek yogurt, vanilla, honey, orange juice, and orange zest.  In another bowl, mix the finely chopped pecans and crushed gingersnaps.

To serve, layer the fruit mixture and then the yogurt mixture, then top with the gingersnap mixture.

Malt Syrup Blondies with Chocolate Chips

I've always found it difficult to truly be in the moment. To live in the now.  I'm either stuck behind in my thoughts or I have already moved on to something new and shiny.

And usually it is the latter.

This isn't a case of missing things completely out of season, like wanting Christmas in July.  Which is also a problem I have.  I pine for eggnog in July.  What I'm referring to is a slight rushing ahead rather than enjoying what is in front of me.

Once autumn comes around, I'm in full-on Thanksgiving/Christmas mode. Christmas decorating starts at the beginning of November. September and October exist purely for Thanksgiving meal planning.  I can't actually enjoy the weeks and months for what they are. Once spring greens litter the markets, I'm already dreaming about the berries and the peaches that lay head.

These blondies, baked with a smattering of chocolate chips, are adapted from Cooking Light.  They have the magical ability to bring me back to the moment.  Instead of using butterscotch chips, I decided to throw in some malt syrup. I was most pleasantly surprised by the results.  Instead of turning out like a cookie, the malt syrup gives them an almost sticky gingerbread feel.  But they aren't gingerbread. They lack the denseness, thickness, the spicy sumptuousness of gingerbread.  There will be a day to enjoy that.  But not yet.  These are a treat for the now.

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup barley malt syrup
2 tablespoons half and half
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions
Heat oven to 350.  Spray an 8 x 8 pan with cooking spray or fit parchment paper to pan.  Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl.  My barley malt syrup was super thick from being refrigerated, so I placed the malt syrup, half and half, and butter that had yet to be melted in a microwaveable bowl and microwaved carefully in 15 second intervals until the butter had melted and the mixture could be stirred.  If the malt syrup is runny, whisk with the half and half and melted butter.  Pour the microwaved mixture into a mixing bowl, along with the brown sugar, canola oil, vanilla, and eggs.  Beat for 2 minutes.  Stir in the flour mixture until just combined, and then stir in the chocolate chips. Bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Hot Crab Dip with Chives, Scallion, and Horseradish

I am pretty sure you can never trust a toddler. Or at least the toddler that lives here.
Recent examples of his lack of trustworthiness include:

1) Created a book titled, "Eat Green Eggs and Ham Book."  Said book includes only pictures of butterflies, cars, a bicycle, a moon, and a caterpillar that were clipped from magazines.  No eggs.  No ham.

2) Insisted that he did not poo. Evidence suggested otherwise. Actually, evidence was actually quite clear on this.

3) Claimed to want to eat crab.  I had talked up eating crab in a dip.  He seemed super excited by the prospect.  Not surprisingly, he wanted no part in this once made.

But I did...  Creamy dip filled with green onions and chives and crab meat and horseradish.  Simple but so luxuriously delicious.  And much more trustworthy than the toddler.

Ingredients
6 ounces lump crab meat, sprinkled with a bit of Old Bay seasoning
about 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1/3 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup snipped chives
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup sour cream
4-5 ounces cream cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
baguette, crackers, or whatever you want for serving
snipped chives, for serving

Instructions
Heat oven to 400. Mix everything together.  Bake in ovenproof dish for 15-20 minutes until bubbly. Serve with baguette or crackers.  Sprinkle chives on top.

Chicken and Bacon Chopped Salad with Avocado Garlic Jalapeno Dressing

Like an earworm playing the bars of a song over and over, ideas too get stuck in your head, repeating themselves until you are either driven mad or you are finally forced to act upon them.

Like when you get it in your head that you need some sneakers. And not the kind that are useful for athletics. But the Keds kind, emblazoned proudly with stars. Basically, shoes that a seven year old would wear. These will complete your life.

Or when your best friend starts going on about doughnuts and how it is really sad that there aren't Dunkin Donuts near you, or any other doughnut establishment for that matter. I should note that there was a delicious one in town. Then it closed and my doughnut supply dried up. And after this conversation with your best friend you absolutely cannot stop thinking about doughnuts and so you find yourself in line at the grocer store with a dozen donuts from the bakery section and you know in your heart of hearts that these will not actually be good but you physically are unable to force yourself to put the box down.

And so it is with this chopped salad. Or... I suppose it is a chopped salad.  I'm actually quite unsure on what exactly makes something a chopped salad, but I must have heard the term and it just burrowed into my thoughts until I couldn't stand it any more. I decided to interpret the chopped salad as a salad with some heft, not leafy greens with a vinaigrette.  A substantial and filling salad.  A salad full of romaine lettuce and chicken and bacon and hard boiled eggs with an avocado and garlic buttermilk dressing.  And now I'm unable to get the salad out of my thoughts.




Ingredients
For the salad:
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
handful cherry tomatoes
sliced purple or red bell pepper
1 avocado, peeled and pitted, diced
4 cooked bacon strips, crumbled
1/2 pound of cooked chicken breast, sliced *
3 hard boiled eggs, sliced
3 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 cup julienned jicama

For the dressing:
2 small avocados, peeled and pitted
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon lime zest
juice from 2 small limes
4 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons minced jalapeno
salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
To cook the chicken, I sprinkled both sides of the chicken with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.  Place in cast iron skillet with cooking oil (I actually used the bacon fat) and put flame on high. Add the chicken pieces.  Brown one side then flip.

In a big bowl, toss together romaine, tomatoes, bell pepper slices, avocado, bacon, chicken, eggs, celery and jicama.

For the dressing: Place all ingredients in a bowl and blend with an immersion blender until creamy.

Pour desired amount of dressing over the salad and toss to coat.

Pulled Pork Ramen with Jalapeno Paste and Sauteed Mushrooms

Sometimes a trait or characteristic that seemed fixed and essential to defining ourselves can turn out to be not so unchanging after all.

I am the structured one in this relationship. I like having plans. If I'm going to sit and play notes on the keyboard, I absolutely positively need sheet music in front me. Without sheet music in front of me, there is nothing for me to do. If I'm playing with Max, I don't truly play, but instead declare it the time to count buttons in Spanish or the time to research flightless birds.

Seth, in contrast, eschews the structure, the structure to which I cling, and gravitates towards free play. He actually can play with Max in the way that play is actually meant to be done with a small child. When he sits in front of the keyboard, he explores all while rejecting my idea of playing a song from a book.

But when it comes to the kitchen, our characteristic structured/free play aspects reverse. He thrives under the guidance of instruction, while I feel constricted.

So Seth was skeptical about my free form, admittedly time-consuming kitchen play that led to this ramen. He did not think it would be something edible. but indeed it was, an umami filled bowl of deliciousness.  One full of pulled pork and a garlicky jalapeno paste and sauteed mushrooms and soft-boiled eggs.  One that can bridge the divide between the structuralists and free form players, even when that divide is within ourselves.

Ingredients
For the mushrooms:
8 ounces, sliced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
splash soy sauce
freshly ground pepper

For the jalapeno paste:
400 degrees
4 jalapenos, halved
5 garlic cloves
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon grated ginger

For the pulled pork:
4 lb pork shoulder
black pepper
1 tablespoon miso
1 tablespoon ground dried porcini mushrooms
1/4 cup mirin
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon ume plum vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons liquid smoke
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 bottle porter beer (I like using Deschutes Black Butte)

For the broth:
1 large onion, quartered
2 scallions
2 celery stalks
handful baby carrots
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon cloves
cinnamon stick
2 star anise
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon miso
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon liquid smoke

soft boiled eggs - Cooking Light has good instructions for this (1 for each bowl)
16 ounces fresh ramen noodles
chopped scallions

Instructions

To make the mushrooms: Melt the butter and olive oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Once the butter has melted and the bubbles in the mixture have started to subside, add the chopped mushrooms. Stir continuously, allowing the mushrooms to absorb the butter and oil mixture. After a few minutes, the mushrooms will brown. Drizzle with the soy sauce and sprinkle freshly ground black pepper.

To make the jalapeno paste: Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Place jalapeno halves and garlic cloves in a small baking dish. Drizzle olive oil, and sprinkle a pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper.  Roast for 15 minutes, until jalapenos have browned.  Once roasted, place in food processor and add two tablespoons of olive oil and the grated ginger.  Pulse until a paste forms, adding more olive oil if needed.

To make the pulled pork: Rub the pork shoulder with freshly ground black pepper, miso, and the ground mushrooms.  Place in crockpot.  Pour mirin, vinegars, sesame oil, liquid smoke, brown sugar, soy sauce, and beer over it.  Set crockpot on high and cook for 5-6 hours, until the pork falls off the bone and is cooked through.

To make the pulled pork broth: Remove the pork from its cooking liquid.  Wrap peppercorns, clove, cinnamon, and star anise in cheese cloth.  Add onion, scallions, celery, carrots, cheesecloth with the spices, soy sauce, miso, vinegar, and liquid smoke to the pork cooking liquid.  Cook in crockpot for 2-3 hours on low.  Strain.

For the ramen bowls: Cook noodles according to package directions.  To serve, place some noodles, pulled pork, and soft boiled egg in a bowl and ladle broth over.  Sprinkle chopped scallions and place a bit of jalapeno paste on top.

A Dessert Tartine with Sauteed Cardamom and Rose Pear Slices and Toasted Hazelnuts

What follows is a rundown of things I am embarrassed about. I have a nagging suspicion that I've done this before, so this is most definitely not a final list, as I am prone to both feeling embarrassment easily and also have a knack for getting myself into situations in which embarrassment is the only available possibility.

Item # 1 - buying seasonal decor items from drug stores and grocery stores. I feel as though I should be ashamed of my penchant for wandering into the seasonal decor aisle, finding everything 50% off, then stocking up on festive candles and glassware. I have even cultivated an appreciation for this pastime in Max, as he has just recently picked out his very own ugly owl-shaped pumpkin decoration during our last excursion.

Item #2 - eating dinner at an establishment named Buster's because we were too lazy too walk just a little bit further to a more respectable dining location. A place that would, in all likelihood, have offered up better choices than "extremely sweet chicken dish" and "extremely gross cioppino"

Item #3 - not being able to tell left from right without doing that trick of looking to see which hand makes the "L" shape when extending the pointer finger and thumb.

Item #4 - the amount of times I just pile and slather ingredients on bread, eat it, and declare it a recipe

I suppose I find bread to be such a fun canvas to work with - so delicious yet subtle, perfect for exploring flavor combinations. Here I sauteed sliced red pears in butter, brown sugar, rose and cardamom. Cream cheese and pomegranate juice were mixed together, and then spread on crusty bread. The bread was then topped with the pears and finished with some toasted hazelnuts. A most delicious way to rid oneself of embarrassment.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 sliced pears (I used Starkrimson, as they were just so beautiful)
1 1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground dried rose
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
pinch kosher salt
4 ounces cold cream cheese
2 tablespoons pomegranate juice
1/4 cup chopped hazlenuts, toasted
slices of warm, crusty bread

Instructions
For the pears:
Melt the butter in a saute pan over medium heat.  Add the pears, then sprinkle the sugar, rose, cardamom, and salt over the slices.  Let the pears become warm and soft, about 6 minutes.  Take off heat.

For the cream cheese mixture:
Beat the cream cheese and pomegranate juice with mixer until combined.

For assembling:
Spread cream cheese on a slice of bread.  Layer on pears, then sprinkle hazelnuts on top.

Mushroom and Rosemary Goat Cheese Sandwich with Red Onion

Repetition is a funny thing. Practice makes perfect, and all that.

It truly does help you learn. Including things you didn't even want to learn. 

Like, for instance, dinosaurs.  I am now able to recite a dinosaur name that starts with A all the way through the alphabet to the letter Z.  I'm also pretty good now at telling you whether that dinosaur was a carnivore or an herbivore.  Give me a few more weeks, and I will be able to tell you whether that dinosaur lived during the Triassic, Jurassic, or Cretaceous period, and on what continent.  All extremely boring facts that I never cared to learn.  All extremely boring facts that are taking up precious brain resources, leaving fewer brain cells to deal with the important life stuff.

And all learned because we read this book at least two times a day.  Two times a day, this book is recited. Two times a day, I say the name of the dinosaur, some facts about it, its preference for consuming meat or leaves, and the time in which it lived and the place.

My second grade self would be proud of all the dinosaur knowledge I've finally acquired. 

But repetition is also funny in its inconsistency. 

Goat cheese is apparently an acquired taste. But acquired how?  

In my case, it was not a gradual repetitive attempt to embrace it. Repeated attempts at eating it did not actually lead to enjoyment.

It was a sudden and random realization, a realization that did not occur in the vicinity of goat cheese, that now - now would be a good time to try it again. Now will be the time that I like it.

And so that instinct was right. I'm obsessed. Though, arguably, the reason could have been that I picked up a better tasting brand of the stuff this time.  Apparently, however, the little guy already somehow acquired the ability to enjoy the stuff, shoveling it in his mouth after his first bite.

To celebrate this new-found appreciation, a sandwich was made.  A sandwich stuffed with browned mushrooms scented with rosemary and balsamic vinegar, a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, kale leaves, and slices of red onion.  A sandwich that warrants repeating.

And to learn more about one of our very favorite ingredients, an ingredient that wasn't an acquired taste, but easily and readily embraced from the outset - the mushroom - click here.  Cooking Light has compiled a super informative article about our edible friend, including storage and selection tips and some fun trivia!

Ingredients
For the mushroom and rosemary mixture:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1/4 of red onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
pinch kosher salt
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

For the sandwiches:
sour dough bread
goat cheese
grated parmesan cheese
handful baby kale
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
lemon wedge
sliced red onions
mushroom mixture
canola oil, for skillet

Instructions
To make the mushroom mixture: Melt the butter and olive oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Once the butter has melted and the bubbles in the mixture have started to subside, add the sliced mushrooms, rosemary, and onion slices. Stir continuously, allowing the mushrooms to absorb the butter and oil mixture and the onion to soften. After a few minutes, the mushrooms will brown.  Turn heat down to low and add the garlic, pinch kosher salt and pepper.  Once fragrant (about a minute), remove from heat and add vinegar.

To make the sandwich: Assemble sandwich by spreading a layer of goat cheese on a slice of bread. Sprinkle with 1-2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese.  Add a handful of baby kale leaves.  Sprinkle the leaves with just a bit of kosher salt, pepper, and a drizzle of fresh lemon juice.  Add a layer of sliced red onions, then the mushroom mixture.  Add the other slice of bread.  Heat oil in skillet on medium-high heat.  Bronze the sandwich on one side, then flip over to get that brown color on the other side.  

Pork Lettuce Wrap with Yogurt Pomegranate Sauce

It was captivating, and perfectly located to view from the comfort of the bed that early in the morning. Once it was spotted, neither of us could turn away from it.

The flashes of light changed colors, a trick that was truly intriguing and also hypnotic.  Eventually, our trance was broken and we wanted more information. Why was this star - Spica - cycling through different colors?

We needed to know more. Yet when we entered our search terms about Spica into the search engine, we couldn't find anything about its flashing colors of light.

We were so confused. Were we at some special angle that only we could see this? Maybe it was really an airplane, stuck in the air. Or perhaps some other man made object. Or maybe, this pair of extremely amateur backyard astronomy enthusiasts just discovered something new, without even needing to leave the bed!

It was eventually revealed to us, that no, we did not indeed happen upon a new discovery. We were just completely and utterly wrong about the name of the star. We were looking at Sirius, not Spica. And oh wow, there was lots of information about this. Needless to say, no astronomical accolades would be garnered by us.

I may lack the ability to correctly identify celestial objects. But I am not wrong about the pleasures to be had in the eating of lettuce wraps.

The placing of the lettuce leaf on your plate. Spooning in some delicious meat, in this case fragrant with garlic and ginger and shallots, then lightly coated with a creamy sauce of Greek yogurt, pomegranate juice, orange juice, and orange zest. Then piling on the toppings - the extras that give each bite its own personality, its unique combination of crunchy jicama, of sweetness from the carrots, of refreshing and cooling mint, of spicy jalapeno. A drizzle of fresh orange juice perks everything up. The bright fresh lettuce and toppings makes a delicious and beautiful contrast with the pork. A meal that is captivating as Sirius.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 pound ground pork
4 garlic cloves
2 shallots
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon minced jalapeno, or to taste
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
4 teaspoons pomegranate juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 teaspoon orange juice
1 tablespoon thick soy sauce
butter lettuce leaves

Toppings:
mint leaves
chopped scallions
jicama, julienned
carrots, julienned
jalapeno slices

Ingredients
In a small bowl, stir together yogurt, pomegranate juice, orange zest, orange juice, and thick soy sauce.  Set aside.  Heat canola oil on high heat in saute pan.  Add pork.  Sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Once pork is cooked, lower heat and add shallots and jalapeno.  Once those have become soft, add the garlic and ginger.  Saute for a minute.  Stir the yogurt mixture into the pork.

To assemble wrap, spoon pork into the lettuce and then add toppings.  Drizzle with fresh orange juice

Quick Pickled Blueberries, Goat Cheese, Honey, Pluot, Sage, Pistachio Tartines

When one wakes up in the middle of the night, it takes awhile for truth to be understood. You hold some beliefs that make incredible sense at the moment upon awakening.

But after a bit of time, one realizes that everything thought to be true, thought to be factual, was wrong.

The puff cat on the pillow is actually the pig cat imitating the puff's favored sleep position. The fluffy soft cat making its way to your hand for cuddles is not a random stray third cat that you keep wishing would magically appear at your doorstep in need of a loving home. And that the lump near your legs isn't a sleeping pig cat. In reality, the fluffy cuddly cat is your very own JiJi. And the lump near your legs is not even a cat. But a mini-sized person who should have been sleeping in his own bed. And by the time all these facts and truths are revealed you are extremely awake.

At which point, even more truths can come out as well.  Like you realize with a flutter of panic that you never said goodbye to blueberries.  They were here  - so small and round and indigo in color and now they are gone - replaced by nonsense like figs.

This month's Creative Cooking Crew Challenge is to "pickle it"  The roundup will be hosted by Joan of Foodalogue, so I will post the link here once the roundup goes live! Here is the link to the roundup - definitely check it out, there are so many amazing, creative dishes!

After I realized my mistake, I figured this - the blueberries - would be the thing to pickle.  I would somehow obtain a box, and have my chance to say goodbye.  I decided to do a quick pickling of the blueberries so that my mom would be able to say her goodbyes to the fruit as well while she was visiting.

From there, we built a tartine with a goat cheese and cream cheese mixture, honey, pluots, sage, and chopped pistachios.  A tartine to truly awaken the taste buds.

Ingredients
2 cups blueberries
1 cup red wine vinegar (I wanted the sour taste to be prominent, so I used only vinegar, but feel free to substitute water for part of the vinegar.  I probably wouldn't go over 1/2 cup of water)
3 tablespoons wild dandelion honey
1 cinnamon stick
2 inch orange peel
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon whole cloves
1/4 teaspoon whole tellicherry peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon juniper berries
1 teaspoon kosher salt

4 ounces goat cheese
3 ounces cold cream cheese

chopped salted pistachios
wild dandelion honey
pluot, sliced
torn sage leaves
goat cheese spread
pickled blueberries
slices of good quality bread

Instructions
In a small pot, bring the vinegar (and water, if using), honey, cinnamon, orange peel, fennel, cloves, peppercorns, juniper berries, and salt to boil.  Place the blueberries in a mason jar, then pour the vinegar mixture over the berries.  Refrigerate overnight.

In mixer, beat goat cheese with the cream cheese.

To assemble the tartines: Spread goat cheese mixture on bread.  Brush on a bit of honey.  Add pluot slices, sage leaves, pickled blueberries, and chopped pistachios.

Individual Apple Crisp Recipe

Last week I got a shipment of SweeTango apples to try. New varieties of apples appear up now and again and the SweeTango is a relatively new one that's harvested the end of August and beginning of September. It's a very pretty apple with a bright mix of golden green and bright red. The SweeTango is a cross between a Honeycrisp and a Zestar apple. Honeycrisp is sweet and crisp and Zestar is juicy and zesty. The cross is a very good eating apple but you can use it for cooking too. It's a juicy apple so it doesn't need additional liquid and is best for recipes that are fairly quick cooking because it gets very soft when cooked. 

The SweeTango is perfect for apple crisp, which is super easy to make, easier than pie or even a cobbler. It's the kind of thing that takes only minutes to prepare, then you can pop it in the oven after or even during dinner. The smell of apples, butter and cinnamon might be the best thing about autumn. 

If you've ever ordered apple crisp in a restaurant, no doubt it was served in some kind of ramekin. Making individual portions of  apple crisp is particularly convenient for my household of two. Each apple crisp uses a single apple. I like adding cinnamon to the apples, but you could add it to the crumble topping if you prefer.

Individual Apple Crisp

makes 1 serving

Ingredients

1 medium apple such as SweeTango, peeled and diced

1/2 teaspoon sugar 

Cinnamon

1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

Pinch salt

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

1 Tablespoon rolled oats

1 Tablespoon walnuts or pecans chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to at 375° Toss apples with sugar and sprinkle with cinnamon. Place apples in a ramekin, pressing down and compressing the apples so they fit snuggly.  In a small bowl, combine flour, brown sugar and salt; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Blend in oats and nuts. Sprinkle over apples. Bake, uncovered, for 25 - 30 minutes or until brown on top.

Enjoy! 

Disclaimer: I received a sample of apples but was not paid to write this or any other post on Cooking with Amy

Chocolate Banana Malt Smoothie

Reasons you have gone from peacefully asleep to being jolted awake an hour earlier than actually necessary, depriving you of the ability of going back to sleep before the actual appointed time of waking up:

1. You have to pee the equivalent of three pees.
2. The dark shadowy blob on the ceiling is, without a doubt, a ghost.
3. The lovable but psychotic cat is tearing apart cardboard with his teeth.  This is not a quiet sound
4. Your mom is arriving today, and while you are introverted, anxious, and socially reclusive, you absolutely cannot feel anything but excitement about seeing your mom and having her spend a week with you.
5. Your husband is leaving for a week, and you will miss having him around.

On those days, those days where you are anxious and nervous and excited and yet oh so tired, one must indulge.  Reward oneself for getting through the day.  Like with a banana chocolate malt shake.  Or is it a smoothie?  I'm not really sure.

Banana, chocolate, and peanut butter are well acquainted with each other.  It is the barley malt syrup that makes it irresistible, the reason the taste buds keep going back for just one more sip. The reason you are gathering what little remains in the bowl with a colorful, well-worn spatula and then shoveling into your mouth. The reason you are actually licking the bowl, to get just one more taste, one more moment of bliss amidst the mix of emotions churning inside your head.

Ingredients
3 frozen bananas
1/3 cup dark cocoa powder
3 tablespoons barley malt syrup
1/2 cup-3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons natural peanut butter
pinch of salt

Instructions
Place all ingredients in blender (or use an immersion blender).  Blend together.  Pour in glass(es) and enjoy.

Chef Marc Forgione & Chef Michelle Bernstein Cooking Demo

The America's Cup has come to town, and that doesn't just mean sailing, but also parties. And chefs. And plenty of food and drink. Nespesso is one of the sponsors and they have been hosting some very exclusive events. I've not been invited to anything by Nespresso, but I did get a chance to catch a demo with two chefs who were flown into town for a Nespresso event. 

I've been a big fan of Michelle Bernstein ever since I dined at her restaurant Michy's in Miami. Marc Forgione is also on my radar, though I have yet to make it to any of his restaurants, they are definitely on my list to try. Both chefs are also part of Macy's Culinary Council so naturally they did a demo at Macy's using Nespresso coffee, of course. 

Forgione, inspired by the classic Reuben sandwich, created a dish of swordfish, fennel kraut/slaw, grain mustard, coffee and wild juniper smoke. He used Nespresso Rosabaya coffee in his spice rub with cumin, black pepper, chili and kosher salt. For the demo Forgione skipped the smoking but cured the fish then seared it. 

Here are some tips from Forgione:

1. Use fresh juniper in a smoker to add flavor

2. Chill dry rubbed fish in the fridge, but keep it uncovered to allow the surface to dry

3. Can't or don't want to use swordfish? Use sushi grade tuna or any other sushi grade firm fish for smoking or curing and searing. 

4. "Cook YOUR food" says Forgione, take recipes and add what you want, make it your own. Don't let a chef or a recipe boss you around. 

Chef Bernstein admitted to being a bit out of her element when it came to the dish she prepared, because it was dessert. Not being a pastry chef, she did manage to put her own spin on the chocolate dish by adding chorizo. Bernstein loves chorizo, and chorizo fat in particular. Her dish was inspired by a sandwich too, a toasted bread, chocolate and chorizo sandwich she had in the Basque region of Spain. 

How else does Bernstein recommend using chorizo fat?

1. For cooking spanish tortillas 

2. For cooking potatoes

3. For cooking fish

4. In cremeux, a vey rich chocolate mousse

If I can find the recipes online, I will share them! In the meantime, here is a link to recipes from the Macy's Culinary Council chefs. 

Disclaimer: I was not paid to write this or any other post on this blog. 

Savory Roasted Pears Recipe

I am an impatient person. I hate to wait. While some of the pears my mother gave me from her trees are ripe, others are not. Is there something you can do with not quite ripe pears? Yes! I discovered you can roast them. 

Pears are sometimes added to savory dishes to add juice and moisture, or to make a sauce. My idea with this recipe was to make a side dish, something that could be served with pork chops, roast chicken, pork tenderloin, sausages, tossed with salad greens, on top of a pizza or maybe even used in a sandwich. Most recipes for roast pears call for pear halves or quarters, but dicing them just means they cook faster. You could also include pears with potatoes, parsnips, onions, beets or other similar vegetables that are good for roasting. 

I really love the silky texture of cooked pears. The flavor intensifies too, which is why pears are so good in cakes and tarts. But you can get the same texture and flavor by roasting pears without baking them in a batter or crust. Necessity is the mother of invention and my mother's prolific pear trees accounts for the plethora of pear recipes I've created. Currently I'm really enjoying maple roasted pears with oatmeal or yogurt, but as the season progresses I'm sure I'll find even more ways to use them. 

Savory Roasted Pears

Ingredients

4 firm pears, about 2 pounds 

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Peel, core and dice the pears. Toss them in a bowl with the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Place pears in a foil or parchment-lined baking dish and roast for 30 minutes or until tender. Time will vary depending upon the type of pears and their level of ripeness. 

Enjoy! 

Turkey Sliders with Kale and Roasted Broccoli Spread

I'm generally okay with getting older.  Some people desire the ability to time travel back to high school, longing to be 16 again and rejoining cheerleading squads and all that jazz.  I'm not one of those sorts.  I have the "older is wiser" philosophy of life. However, while I don't wish to relive the past, I do wish I possessed the ability to stop myself from doing certain things.  But I digress.

One of the things I'm not okay with is my waning lack of enthusiasm for thrill rides.  And more specifically, roller coasters.  There was a time when I absolutely could not wait to be tall enough to go on a roller coaster, and as soon as I became tall enough, gleefully and joyfully rode those roller coasters.  I considered my love of roller coasters as an integral part of my identity, akin to being a reader or a person with brunette hair.

But now?  My love has has been frittered away.  I find them painful.  Painful.  Both physically, and now emotionally, as being tossed around in a tiny car appears to not be a kind thing to do to this almost 30 year-old body.  And emotionally, as this thing that I would look forward to doing each summer, this thing that I was always proud of doing, is no longer mine to claim.

One thing that will not wane, or I absolutely refuse to let it - is an enthusiasm for miniature foods.  I have fond memories of mini hamburgers (i don't remember calling them sliders at the time) being served by my mom. And absolutely loving their adorable size, a trait that never ceases to thrill me to this day.  Here we made little turkey burgers, and punched up their umami flavor with some tomato paste, Parmesan cheese, ground dried porcini mushrooms and Worcestershire sauce.  The patties were moist (we may have had a casualty) but it is worth the trade off.  Topping them with a slice of Parmesan and a roasted broccoli spread punches up the flavor, while raw kale adds a bit of crunch. A food for the ages.

And if you are obsessed with the idea of miniature burgers and need more recipe ideas, Cooking Light has you covered! This slideshow here features all sorts of these mini sandwiches - from Bacon and Cheddar to Beet and Brown Rice! Endless possibilities!

Ingredients
For the turkey patties:
20 ounces ground turkey
1 teaspoon ground dried porcini mushrooms (run the dried mushrooms through a spice grinder)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon Greek yogurt
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
pinch kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

For the roasted broccoli spread:
3-4 cups broccoli florets
4 garlic cloves
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
drizzle of lemon juice
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon of mango flesh
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground pasilla
2 tablespoons chives
1 scallion
cayenne, to taste
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the burgers:
12-14 miniature burger (slider) buns
slices of Parmesan cheese (I like using my y-shaped vegetable peeler for this)
kale leaves (tough stems removed)
cooked turkey patties
roasted broccoli spread

Instructions
To make the turkey patties: In a large bowl, mix together the turkey, ground mushrooms, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, Greek yogurt, garlic powder, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.  Form the mixture into small patties.  I get 12-14 patties from it.

To make the roasted broccoli spread:  Heat oven to 425.  Spread the florets and garlic on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice.  Roast for 20-30 minutes, until browned.

Remove the broccoli/garlic from pan and place in bowl.  Add the Greek yogurt, olive oil, mango, lemon juice, pasilla, chives, and scallion.  Blend with an immersion blender (or put everything in a food processor to make the spread).  Adjust cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste.

To make the burgers:  Heat canola oil over high heat in a cast iron skillet.  Add the patties.  Brown one side (about 3 minutes or so).  Flip the burgers over and add a Parmesan cheese slice to each.  Keep the heat on high to brown the bottoms.  Cover skillet with a baking sheet or lid and turn the heat to low to finish cooking the turkey and to melt the cheese.  Once the burgers are fully cooked and the cheese has melted, remove from pan.

To assemble the sliders:  Place a piece of kale and a cooked burger patty on each bun.  Spread the roasted broccoli sauce on each before closing.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Free Italian Cooking Classes & Dinner in San Francisco

Next week there are a number of spaces still open at the Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco for free pasta classes with the "pasta sommelier" of Delverde pasta. Check the schedule, choose a class and register. The dishes being served are: 

- pasta salad with eggplant, rocket, crispy bread and Pecorino cheese

- vegetarian pasta with egg

- mushrooms and leeks pasta stirred with a Ricotta cheese and thyme sauce

- salad pasta with pesto, zucchini and crispy ham

- sausage pasta with sun dried tomatoes, black olives, capers and onions

- cheese and pepper pasta sauce with a mint aroma

Tickets are FREE! 

On Wednesday September 11th I'll be one of the judges along with my friend and colleague Viola Buitoni of Italy’s famed Buitoni pasta making family, at the IMAF Chef's Cup. It's the grand finale of a competition between Michelin starred Italian chefs Rosanna Marziale and Stefano Cerveni of Le due Colombe a Corte Franca. The two chefs will present dishes they created inspired by films. 

Chef Rosanna Marziale will present Spaghetti Gragnano, served with San Marzano tomatoes dripped in Mozzarella di Bufala.  The dish was inspired by the famous Italian film, “Poverty and Nobility.”   Chef Stefano Cerveni will showcase his Bread Soup with diced, crispy free-range Chicken and Black Truffles inspired by the Academy Award-winning movie "Babette's Feast". Tickets are $100 / person for the wine paired dinner and include gratuity.  Reservations online or with Il Fornaio by calling (415) 986-0100.

I am also giving away a pair of tickets to the grand finale! Simply leave a comment with your favorite Italian dish and be sure to include your email in the proper field (only I will see it). Please only enter if you are available to attend this coming Wednesday September 11th at Il Fornaio in San Francisco from 6:30-9:30 pm. Winner will be chosen the morning of September 10th. 

Buon Appetito!

Strawberry Buttermilk Chocolate Chip Muffins

There are many experiences in life to which I have absolutely no inclination to become a participant.  Like running a marathon.  Or bungee jumping. Or learning computer programming. Or Living in a snowy/icy location.  I just have no interest in these.

And I'm thinking that eating muffins without chocolate chips has to be added to that list.  Non-chocolate-chip muffins can sound so wonderful and so delicious.  And I'm taken in by their charms, their warmth, their smell (I'm looking at you apple muffins). And I will bake some.  And after I eat one, and the remaining 11 or so muffins are waiting to be eaten, my mind starts to regret this muffin path that I have chosen, and I fervently wish that a chocolate chip muffin, of some kind, of any kind, was in front of me instead.

I now put chocolate chips in banana muffins, zucchini muffins, muffins without fruit - ALL the muffins. Including these ones. I imagine that someone will assume that all the muffins taste the same. But that is just complete and utter nonsense.

Do I want that sweet banana taste with my chocolate chips or do I want some sweet berries? What kind of texture should the muffin have today? These are important questions. And lead to very (okay maybe not very) but still, they are all different muffins. All very different vehicles for delivering chocolate chips into my mouth.

Instead of leaving things well enough alone, I took out the lemon from this recipe and added vanilla extract and a bit of almond extract and some cinnamon and nutmeg for some fragrance. And, most importantly, chocolate chips were added to the mix. It is a muffin path with no regrets.

Ingredients

1 ½ cups chopped strawberries + 2 tablespoons flour
2 ½ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/3 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

Instructions 
Heat oven to 350. In a small bowl, gently coat the strawberries with the 2 tablespoons flour together and set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk 2 ½ cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. In a large bowl, mix together extracts, sugar, egg, buttermilk, and oil. Mix the dry ingredients into wet, stirring until just combined. Gently mix in the strawberries that have been tossed with flour, as well as the chocolate chips. Line a muffin pan with liners then divide batter among the prepared cups. Bake until golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. 

Baked Fish Sticks with Avocado Lemon Ginger Dip

I must confess to one of my "quirks."  I do not wear jeans.  I am not trying to cultivate an eccentricity.  I just absolutely do not find them comfortable.  That stiff denim fabric.  That waist band that rubs against the skin. I hate it with the entirety of my heart.  They have been phased out of my life completely.

My aversion to jeans started at an early age.  I'm pretty sure my mom capitalized on this fact, and would make me wear jeans as punishment when I was little.  I say "pretty sure" because I sometimes lose track of what is reality and what are the personal myths and lies we tell ourselves (luckily, this beloved parent of mine is coming for a visit, so I can find out for sure - I'm extremely excited about this). But I do remember that the thought of wearing jeans was an effective deterrent against wrongdoing.

Eventually, I gave in to lure of conformity, wearing denim like all the normal people.  But I never loved them, and relished the thought of returning to a state of pajamahood at the end of each and every day.

One day, it occurred to me that I did not need to continue my denim distress.  Alternatives exist.  And thus I left behind my jail of jeans.

So instead of being fashionable, I choose comfort. Which generally leaves me with two choices.  Dresses, with or without leggings. And yoga/sweat pants and tees.  Which, depending on my mood, leaves me under or over dressed for just about every occasion.  And I am okay with this.

Sometimes, however, comfortable clothes just don't give the proper amount of comfort.  And that is where food comes in.  A few days ago, my friend Jess informed that you can cut fish into stick shapes.  And then turn those into fish sticks. This was the most genius of all the ideas.  How did I not think of that before?  So I went ahead and made one of those most basics of comfort foods - fish sticks.  And a wonderfully zesty avocado lemon ginger dip to go along with it.  Comfort food that goes supremely well with anything you choose to wear.

Ingredients
For the fish sticks:
3/4 pound white fish (I used rockfish), cut into strips or nuggets (whatever shape strikes your fancy!)
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup flour
1 cup panko
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 teaspoons dried dill weed

For the avocado lemon ginger dip:
1 tablespoon grated ginger (use a microplane)
flesh from 1 small avocado
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 chopped scallions
1 tablespoon chives
pinch Saigon cinnamon

Instructions
To make the fish sticks:  Heat oven to 375.

Place egg in a shallow bowl.  In another shallow bowl, mix together flour, panko, salt, freshly ground black pepper, and dill.

Take each strip or nugget and dredge in the beaten egg and then the panko mixture.  Place on baking sheet.  Repeat until all the fish has been dredged in both the egg and the panko mixture.  Bake for about 15 minutes, until golden brown on the outside and cooked through.

To make the dip:  Place ginger, avocado, Greek yogurt, and lemon zest/juice in bowl.  Use a fork to mash together.  Add scallions, chives, and pinch of cinnamon and continue to blend together.  Serve with fish sticks.

My Berlin Kitchen Review & Giveaway

If you are a fan of The Wednesday Chef blog, there's no question, you will enjoy My Berlin Kitchen: Adventures in Love and Life by Luisa Weiss now out in paperback. The book is a memoir with recipes and Weiss traces her journey through her memories of food in vivid detail. The style of writing, like Weiss herself is a bit of a mishmash. Her parents are Italian and American but she was born and partially raised in Germany. She is very precise when it comes to recipe writing yet there are splashes of sensuality and emotion in her prose as well.

Weiss is a good writer and a master of detail. Her experiences and recollections of her time in Germany, the US, France and Italy are often snapshots of times and places and really have the ability to transport you. The book follows a romantic storyline, with some funny bits interspersed with plenty of angst, and it's generally pleasurable to read, although she's clearly not a happy-go-lucky live-for-the-day type. 

Memoirs require a certain level of introspection and self involvement and as a result the subject can come across as self-absorbed at times, especially when written by someone who is fairly young. Ultimately I didn't find Weiss as endearing as I would have hoped. Frankly I had the same issues with the Julie/Julia Project. I also found some gaps and unanswered questions perplexing--why did she live with her father in the US instead of her mother?  Why did she accept the job in San Francisco when nothing about living in San Francisco appealed to her? Once she moved to Berlin did her career end in favor of writing her memoir and nothing more? That said, I enjoyed the book, particularly the German comfort food recipes (Gooseberry cream cake, Alsatian flatbread with bacon and creme fraiche, spiced plum butter and spiced cookies) and I do recommend it. 

Viking is giving away one copy of this book to a Cooking with Amy reader, US resident only. Leave a comment telling me about your favorite recipe from The Wednesday Chef blog or the German recipe you'd most like to learn to cook. I'll choose a winner at random on September 5th. You must include your email address in the appropriate field so I can contact you. It will only be visible to me.

Disclaimer: I received this book as a review copy. I was not paid to write this or any other post on Cooking with Amy.