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.