PICTURE THIS: Foie Gras Bon Bon, Commonwealth, San Francisco

Yes, Foie Gras and Dark Chocolate. AMAZING!
Off the Chef's tasting menu at COMMONWEALTH, San Francisco

Recipe for Summertime Brown Rice Salad

A while ago, I blogged about how I was trying to be more organized and plan ahead by preparing some basics like beans, rice etc and keeping them in the fridge for meals during the week.  Here is a quick and easy (and adaptable to what you have on hand) salad using made ahead brown rice. It is light and delicious for summer as a side dish to pretty much anything. I served it along side my Ponzu Cardamom Marinated Tuna and it was perfect.

Black and White Wednesdays

Street Market Hong Kong

Submitted to Black and White Wednesdays

Recipe for "Sate" Roasted Chicken

This is one moist and delicious chicken, if I do say so myself, and I do!  Another experiment with some of the Penzey's spices I picked up on a recent trip to the mainland [and no, Penzey's isn't sponsoring these posts : -)]. This roasted chicken is slathered in a slurry of olive oil and Indonesian Sate seasoning (that's their spelling). I roasted it following my favorite "not just for special occasions" method.  It's foolproof.  The meat is so moist and the Sate seasoning was fantastic.


So, you might be wondering "what's in that Sate seasoning Susie Bee?"  Here is the list of ingredients:  

PICTURE THIS: Now that's a WINE TASTING!

From "Three Decades of Reserve Cabernets" at the Kapalua Food and Wine Festival.
BTW, what's that white paper cup for anyway?

Recipe for Sweet and Sour Grilling Glaze

Mr. ELEB chuckles sometimes when he sees me standing in front of an open pantry or refrigerator door.  I understand why…you can almost see the steam coming out of my ears as I’m looking at what’s in front of me and concocting possibilities in my head.  He also laughs because he knows that he might get something really yummy, occasionally something yucky.  Well, he lucked out on this most recent experiment!

It was burger night-I had defrosted some ground buffalo-and I was pondering what to do in front of the open fridge door.  I didn’t a want cheeseburger so I was trying to come up with ingredients to make the burgers interesting.    I had a bottle of white wine open (imagine that), some garlic, ginger, and I spied the bottle of ponzu tucked away in the door shelf.  I figured with some brown sugar and mustard, I could probably cook up a reasonably good glaze to add a nice layer of flavor to the meat.

Voilà!  Here’s my sweet and sour grilling glaze.

Black and White Wednesdays

Shaved Asparagus Salad

Check out the fun with black and white (and sepia) at Black and White Wednesday.

Recipe for Oven Roasted Rack of Lamb

Not everyone likes lamb.  I used to think I didn't like it, probably from having some gamey tasting mutton somewhere in England as a kid!  Today's New Zealand, Australian, or Colorado lamb is wonderful and, if you trim the fat well, it has none of the possible gamey flavors that turn some people off.  We even have lamb being raised on Maui now through the Maui Cattle Company.  I haven't tried any yet but can't wait.   This rack came from Australia via Costco.  I've found their Australian lamb to be very good and competitively priced.

PICTURE THIS: Smart Words

And if you really love them,  Healthy Tasty Food!
(Penzy's Sticker)

Black and White Wednesdays

Street Food Sweet Auburn Market Atlanta

I love black and white photographs and Susan from The Well Seasoned Cook has a brilliant idea for others who share this love with me.  Every Wednesday Susan will post submitted black and white photos as part of a Culinary Photography Event!  


So whether you have some awesome black and white photos to share or just want to gaze at some, check out the event every Wednesday at Black and White Wednesday.

Recipe for Quinoa Salad with Roasted Red Pepper, Feta, Mint, and Almonds

Even though it is warm/hot year around here in Maui, there is something about summer that just makes me want fresh, tasty salads.  This quinoa salad is great. Simple to make, yet complex in taste.  It is great as a side dish to grilled meats or alone as a meatless main course option.

Welcome Baby E!

I'm happy to report the safe delivery of my first grandchild today!  E, Mom, and Dad (the older of my two sons) are all doing great.  She is 7 lbs. 10 oz and 21 inches, head full of hair, just like her daddy had when he was born.  Can't believe I'm a grandma!  Actually, I'll be known as Meme (pronounced mimi).
Aloha, what a blessing!

Book Review: "On A Stick" by Matt Armendariz (and recipe)

Photo by Matt Armendariz, used with permission

A few weeks ago, I was fortunate to receive a free review copy of a new fun and quirky cookbook, “On a Stick!” by photographer and blogger Matt Armendariz, published by Quirk Books, May 2011.   Ha!  Quirky cookbook, published by Quirk books-unplanned, honestly!  OK, moving on.  I follow Matt’s blog (mattbites.com) so I was enthusiastic to see what in the world he had come up with for his “anything on a stick” cookbook.

Well, Matt did not disappoint!  Now, I’m not saying I’d make everything in this cookbook. However, there are plenty of fun appetizer or snack ideas that I would make and others that will inspire me to adapt the recipes to my ingredients/style. 

PICTURE THIS: West Maui Mountains and Lahaina

A Beautiful Day in West Maui

Recipe for Ponzu Cardamom Marinated Grilled Tuna

Yes, cardamom.  I thought I was using ground coriander but I realized when I smelled the pungent aroma of the cardamom that I’d grabbed the wrong bottle.  Ah well, I thought I’d give it a try since I’d already dumped it in the marinade with the tuna.  Cardamom imparts a sweet and savory flavor to chicken, meat, fruit, pastries…why not tuna?

Newton's Fruit Thins Gelato Sammies

Mr. ELEB and I are big fans of Fig Newtons, especially the 100% whole grain version. It is a go to snack for him an hour or two before he heads off for an afternoon run. There is always a bag in our pantry!


So you can imagine that I was particularly pleased to receive a complimentary bag of Newton's new Fruit Thins as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program to try.  They come in three flavors: Cranberry Citrus Oat, Chocolate Raspberry, and Blueberry Brown Sugar.  The package I received was the Blueberry Brown Sugar.

PICTURE THIS: Summer Sunset on Maui

No Words Necessary!