My first giveaway!!!!

It's long overdue, but it's finally here.... my very first giveaway! To celebrate a year of blogging and to show my appreciation to all of you readers out there. I thought about what to give you guys and I knew I wanted it to be a cookbook, but which one? After much deliberation, I decided on...

Foodista Best of Food Blogs Cookbook: 100 Great Recipes, Photographs, and Voices

 ... to honor all of the fellow food bloggers out there! I can only dream that one day one of my recipes would end up in this cookbook. Oh, to dream a little dream.

 

To enter the giveaway you must:

1. Become a follower of this blog and leave me a comment, so I can check out your blog too, or let me know if you already are!

For an extra entry:

2.  Leave a comment telling me what your favorite cookbook is and why.

3.  Blog about this giveaway and post the link to it.

(Separate comment for each)

That's all!

Be sure to leave a way to contact you, by email or your blog. This giveaway is open to US citizens only (sorry international friends!). It will remain open from today, July 7th until July 16th at midnight EST. Once the giveaway has ended, I will select a winner randomly. I'll then email the winner who will have 48 hours to respond, and if not then I will choose another winner.

I haven't gotten a chance to go through my own copy of the cookbook yet, so [winner] let me know how you like it!

Tell all your friends :)

*****GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED*****

Peace, and bacon grease!

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Patriotic Taco Salad

I know I am bringing this to you after the 4th of July. And I apologize. But I didn't make it until the 3rd and haven't gotten around to posting about it until now. So make it for the 4th next year, or for any other patriotic holiday! Or just make it minus the flag presentation.

You could arrange the beans (or olives, if you use those) in the shape of stars if you like. I thought that was too much work, so I just piled them in the top left corner. The half-assed way to do things!

I would recommend using more chips for dipping if you are eating leftovers the next day, because the chips in the taco salad get soggy by then. But if you are eating it that day then you should be fine. You can also prep and assemble everything for the taco salad ahead of time if need be, and just serve with chips when ready.

Patriotic Taco Salad

adapted from Taste of Home

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained (save some for star garnish)
• 1.5 cups water
• 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
• 1 recipe Homemade Taco Mix
• 3 cups Tostitos chips with a hint of pepperjack, plus more for dipping
• 4 cups shredded lettuce
• 2 cups (8 oz) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• sour cream for garnish, if desired

In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Drain if necessary. Stir in the water, tomato paste, and taco mix. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Drain all liquid.

Meanwhile, microwave black beans in a bowl according to directions on the can.

Place 3 cups of tortilla chips in an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. dish. Spread beef mixture evenly over top. Then add the drained, heated beans, but leaving some to make the stars garnish. Cover with lettuce. Add beans to top left corner, making stars. Spread cheese evenly over top. Then arrange tomatoes to make stripes on top. Top each portion with sour cream, if desired.

Printable Recipe

It was tasty, I'll tell ya. We really enjoyed this meal. The flavor of the meat was nice, since I used a homemade taco mix. It did need some kind of sauce to moisten it up a bit, that's why we added the sour cream. Ranch dressing would also work. You can't go wrong with taco salad, can you?

Peace, and bacon grease!

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July Food Events. Go Wild!

There are A LOT of food events going on in July. Are you ready?

Friday, July 8
East LA Meets Napa
This annual event is the marriage between Mexican food in LA and Latino-owned wineries in California. Set in the beautiful courtyard of downtown's Union Station, the event benefits AltaMed, which provides quality healthcare to underserved communities.
6pm, Union Station. Admission: $200.

Saturday, July 9
ColLAboration Craft Beer Garden
12-9 pm, 8950 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood. Admission: $10 (includes membership glass, good for future events. Beers are $5-6 each)

July 16 and 17 may be Carmageddon, but with events in every neighborhood, you can still party it up while avoiding the freeway!

Saturday, July 16
LA Street Food Fest
For the eastsiders, head to the Rose Bowl for the 2nd Annual LA Street Food Fest Summer Tasting Event. This year they're splitting it into three events with different themes, to minimize crowd, but each event will feature the same great line up of LA's street food and restaurants, and some guest chefs from Mexico! Each event will feature Ice Cream Social, tequila, gin, beer, and all that good stuff. The evening event is 21+ only.
Time varies by event. Rose Bowl, Pasadena. Admission: $60

Extravaganza for the Senses
If you're in Hollywood, head to the Extravaganza for the Senses. This annual event benefits the Saban Free Clinic and features over 40 restaurants including Chaya, Public Kitchen and Bar, Oliverio, and more. There will be silent auction going on too, if you feel like "shopping."
6pm (VIP), 7-10pm (general). Sunset Gower Studios, Hollywood. Admission: $225 VIP, $100 general.

ColLAboration Craft Beer Garden
12-9 pm, 8950 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood. Admission: $10 (includes membership glass, good for future events. Beers are $5-6 each)

Saturday-Sunday, July 16-17
Eat Real Fest
Westsiders, fear not, you can also avoid the 405 closure at Eat Real Fest. This festival features all manners of food things that are local and sustainable. Street food vendors, marketplace, local small-batch brews, hands-on workshop for making bitters and sauerkraut, jamming and pickling contests, demos. Entrance is free and you pay as you go, so there should be no reason not to drop by.
Saturday 10:30am-9pm, Sunday 10:30am-5pm. Helms Bakery, Culver City. Admission: FREE.

Saturday, July 23
ColLAboration Craft Beer Garden - Belgian Independence Day Celebration
12-9 pm, 8950 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood. Admission: $15 (includes collector's goblets. Beers are $6 each)

Sunday, July 24
Angeleno Magazine's Live and Dine LA
Join Angeleno Magazine as they announce and honor the best in Los Angeles dining, partake in food created by LA's best chefs and restaurants including Ray Garcia (FIG), Roy Choi (A-Frame), David Feau (The Royce), and many more.
4:30pm (VIP reception), 5:30-9pm (grand tasting). Fairmont Miramar Hotel and Bungalows, 101 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica. Admission: $150 VIP, $95 grand tasting

Galco's Soda Pop Stop's first ever Summer Soda Tasting Event
Yep, Galco's first ever soda tasting is coming to benefit The Southwest Museum. There will be soda pops (obviously), "poptails", live music and auction.
5-8pm. Galco's Soda Pop Stop, 5702 York Blvd, Los Angeles. Admission: $15 ($12 advance)


Wednesday, July 27
Farm-to-Table Dinner at The Terrace at The Langham
5 course menu featuring fresh, seasonal produce from local farms, with "perfectly paired" wines.
6:30pm cocktail reception, 7pm dinner. The Langham, Huntington Hotel, Pasadena. $95pp (wine pairing included)
Call (626) 585-6218 for reservations.

Thursday, July 28
An Evening On The Beach
This stylish event benefits St. Vincent's Meals on Wheels, which helps feed seniors around the city. Ten great LA chefs including Celestino Drago (Drago, Drago Centro), Mark Gold (Eva), Tim Guiltinan (The Raymond), and Sherry Yard (Spago) will prepare your meals, while you eat them on the sands of Santa Monica beach. There will be cocktails crafted by the 1886 Bar at The Raymond (my favorite bar in Pasadena), and they promise oysters on the half shell all night long.
6-10 pm. Jonathan Beach Club, 850 Palisades Beach Rd, Santa Monica. Admission: $150 (VIP is sold out)



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Brü Haus: Brentwood's Gastro Pub, Now Open

Brü Haus has opened its doors right next to Cabo Cantina with around twenty draft beers and about the same number in bottles. Brü Haus is possibly Brentwood's first gastropub; at least I can't think of another.

The main fare at Brü Haus is the sausages with interesting selections (including a Berliner currywurst) and vegan options, burgers, and pretzels. They have about 20 beers on tap and an equal number in bottles.

Make sure you get some of their housemade sauces (sambal aioli, jalapeno ranch) to go with either your sausages, burger, or fries (or sweet potato tater tots). My favorite was the bright pink beetchup. Yes, that's beet ketchup. Sounds weird but I was hooked.

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Menu Planning - Week of 7/4/11 (a day late...)

Happy 5th of July! Oops, did I get that wrong? I mean, happy belated 4th of July! I hope everyone had a fun and safe 4th of July weekend. I enjoyed a little cornhole with family, and some grillin out and fireworks with my love. Are you guys like me... where it is even harder to go back to work after a long weekend? I didn't want it to end!

But here we are, back to the usual. Menu planning. And as you can see, I'm posting my menu plan on a Tuesday. We grilled out yesterday for the 4th, and since we have some leftover burgers, metts, and brats, we are going to grill out this evening too. Can't complain about that. Grilling out is one of my very favorite things about summertime. I'll take any reason to whip out the grill. And tomorrow I may be going out to eat with a friend while she is in town for the week. If not, me and Peej will just pick something up, or grill out again :)




Tuesday 7/5/11:  grill out


Wednesday 7/6/11:  out to eat with Kac?


Thursday 7/7/11:  Chicken Lettuce Cups with Avocado Bacon Dressing with rotini

Friday 7/8/11:   Parmesan Cod with Easy Creamy Baked Asparagus


The usual: Menu Plan Monday ...

... and Marvelous Menus.

Let's start the week off right, eh?


Peace, and bacon grease!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

4th of July Toast, a Healthy Holiday Breakfast or Snack

There's still time! Make this super simple breakfast or snack for your loved one this weekend for the holiday. You've got a few days left, or there's always next year, of course.

I love the blend of cream cheese and jam on this toast. I wasn't sure how I would feel about the cream cheese, but it really does add a nice element. I also enjoy the additions of fruit, which again I never really would think about doing. And of course it is a pretty snack. Love the red, "white", blue, and yellow. And it can be a filling breakfast or snack, since bread is usually filling anyway and the addition of two different kinds of fruit completes it.

Did I mention it's super easy? Just cut strips with the banana to represent the stripes, use 6 blueberries to make the top left corner to represent the stars. And then just slice your bananas, lengthwise, into long strips and make to fit the length of the toast. I probably could have added another banana "stripe" to the bottom of the slice of toast.

I cut my banana differently than Deborah, more like long strips than half moons. Leave enough white cream cheese showing underneath the red strawberry jam. Next time though, I will get seeded jam. I used Smuckers seedless strawberry jam and I wasn't amazed by it. 

No measurements here, people. I personally like a good amount of jam and cream cheese. You will use about 6 blueberries though, that is about the perfect amount for the corner star.

4th of July Toast

from Taste and Tell

• Bread
• Cream cheese
• Strawberry or raspberry jam
• Blueberries
• Bananas

Rinse blueberries and allow to dry completely. Toast bread. Spread with cream cheese to the edges. Then spread with jam, allowing cream cheese to still show underneath. Slice bananas lengthwise into long strips, fitting the length of the toast, making the stripes. Place 6 blueberries in the top left corner, making the stars. 

Printable Recipe

I am linking up to Itsy Bitsy Paper's Red, White, and Blue Linky Party. 

There you have it... red, white, and blue toast. Such an inventive way to be patriotic. And it's tasty, adorable, kid-friendly, and super easy. Everyone will be impressed, and it will only take you minutes.

How about everyone have a safe and fun-filled holiday full of family, friends, good food, grillin, and fireworks  :)



Peace, and bacon grease!

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The Aviary Kitchen Table Experience (Chicago)

Ten cocktails, paired small bites, and over 2 hours of watching The Aviary bartenders and chefs in action inside the kitchen - or as they call it, the cage. That's the Kitchen Table experience at Grant Achatz's new bar, The Aviary.

Since I wasn't able to snag a reservation at Next Restaurant on my last Chicago visit, I opted for the Aviary's $165 10-course cocktail tasting at the Kitchen Table. While the main lounge area featured plush booths and dim lighting, the kitchen table (inside what's dubbed "the cage") is a tall metal table and two stools facing the minimalist kitchen and "bar" (with perfect lighting for photographs, I may add).

Even though this was a cocktail tasting, they still wanted to start off with a sparkling wine, so Course #1 was an Alsace sparkling wine with strawberry puree, which was paired with Compressed watermelon with soju, topped with sesame seed.

I had begged my companion to come here with me even though he can't drink much alcohol. I'll drink his share, I said. But when they saw he wasn't finishing his first cocktail, he told them he doesn't really drink, and Aviary decided to do a non-alcoholic version of the tasting for him. In some cases, that just meant water instead of liquor. In others, it was an entirely different drink (that still pairs with the bite).

Course #2: Rhubarb cocktail with Peychaud ice

Instead of adding a dash of bitters, those ice spheres you see contain Peychaud bitters which release flavors as the ice melts instead of diluting.
This was paired with Cantaloupe compressed in champagne and topped with prosciutto, an elevated version of the typical prosciutto and melon.

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