Foodie Pen Pals: June Reveal

Good morning my loves!

I know, right? It's Saturday and I'm posting. I'm posting on a Saturday. It's the weekend, and I'm posting! ....as you can tell, it's morning (on Saturday) and I still haven't had any coffee yet.

I'm venturing into the blogosphere sans caffeine with good reason though: it's June Foodie PenPals reveal day! 

This month Tenecia from - wait for it because the name of her blog is pretty much the coolest shit ever - Boobs Barbells and Broccoli was assigned my blog. She is a stellar insane fitness body building lady who is beautiful, honestly candid, funny, kind of adorable and lives in Tuscon. 

can't read my poker face...

Speaking of Tuscon, aas anyone seen Hamlet 2??? Funniest. Movie. Ever. Except maybe for Ted, which I saw last night. That was awesome.

Something I haven't shared here as of yet - and I'm not too sure why, is that I have been working quite diligently at getting more fit. I've gained about 20 unwanted pounds in the past four years; I blame the arrival of a committed long term relationship. And I've been feeling a bit of the ickies. So her blog came into my life at just the right moment: Her love for fitness as well as music and food is evident and she facilitates much of the inspiration I feel to keep going. 

So thank you, Tenecia for being such an incredibly focused and wonderful woman and also, of course, for the most fantastically delicious package of food goodies! Because really, that's what we're here to discuss, now isn't it? Foodie PenPals!

It was obvious Tenecia had examined my blog prior to sending me a package - so many wonderful, natural, local treasures!:

Tenecia sent me:

• Dark chocolate covered pomegranate seeds. As soon as I opened the box, I opened these. And then proceeded to mow half of them.
• 3 All-natural fruit strips. Now, I don't ordinarily buy snacky-foods because I eat them. This was the case here. And they were highly enjoyable.
• 1 Jar Arizona local Cactus Apple Jelly. I have something in mind for this little baby - and it isn't just spreading it on toast!
• 1 Dozen flour tortillas from a local tortilla maker, Alejandros. As soon as I saw these, of course my mind went directly to Lady Gaga and I started belting out this:

Again, thank you so much Tenecia - I loved everything! And yes, that is past tense, "loved". Because most of it is now gone.

To see what I sent my assignment - Vesna @ Lipstick and Lemondrops, click here.

Technical Stuff:
 

The way Foodie PenPals works is simple: On the 5th of every month you are assigned a fellow blogger and his/her/their blog. You then have 72 hours to contact that person to find out their address, dietary restrictions, etc... By the 15th of the month you need to have your package to them in the mail. On the last day of the month, you post the reveal and link up @ The Lean Green Bean!

Boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!  

This project is open to Canadian, US and UK bloggers as well as blog readers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you simply write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month. 

If you’re interested in participating for the month of July, please click here to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions. You must submit your information by July 4th as pairings will be emailed on July 5th!

 
 

 P.S. Don't forget that starting next Wednesday Sam and I will be co-hosting a weekly linky party/blog hop that encourages fresh food production, consumption, activism and awareness for bloggers and blog readers alike! We want to feature you and any and all of your CSA collections, farmer's market treasures, home grown/raised hauls, and/or any seasonal recipes or DIY projects or tutorials related to the above. Ultimately, we want to create a space and a resource for seasonal, organic, pastured, small scale happy food and the people that love it.

We're going live Wednesday at midnight, Eastern standard time so if you want to participate sans blog and/or individual blog post, throw us an email @ freshfoodsbloghop (at) gmail (dot) com and we'll invite you to upload a photo & description to be posted Wednesday! More instructions to come Wednesday!

Dandelion Green & Grilled Peach Salad

Happy Friday sweet peas!

Ooooh I love sweet peas! And I love you! This weekend is the Canada Day weekend and while I don't care much for patriotism or nationalistic pride - thank you very much Women's Studies degree for ruining that for me as well as everything else that is fun - I am stoked to have a whopping four days off this holiday weekend; so I'm feelin' the love...

...the love for fantastic sunny weather, farmer's markets, books and wine, sweet peas (evidently) and of course, you!

Speaking of you, I have some very exciting news! Sam @ Cooking My Way Through My CSA and I have been secretly corresponding with each other to bring you something new, fun and important next week! It's kind of a big deal - like us. Like you!

This is very cryptic, isn't it?

Oh hell, I'll just say it: Starting next Wednesday we will be co-hosting a weekly linky party/blog hop that encourages fresh food production, consumption, activism and awareness for bloggers and blog readers alike! We want to feature you and any and all of your CSA collections, farmer's market treasures, home grown/raised hauls, and/or any seasonal recipes or DIY projects or tutorials related to the above. Ultimately, we want to create a space and a resource for seasonal, organic, pastured, small scale happy food and the people that love it. Fun, right??

*The blog hop will go live Wednesday at midnight, Eastern standard time so if you want to participate sans blog and/or individual blog post, throw us an email @ freshfoodsbloghop (at) gmail (dot) com and we'll invite you to upload a photo & description to be posted Wednesday! More instructions to follow. Hold onto your butts! It's gonna be a time!

Now how about a time for your mouth? A real good time!

This past week in our CSA box we received the most amazing bundle of dandelion greens. Yes, the very same kind of dandelion greens you might find in your back yard. They're entirely edible, given they haven't been sprayed with scary agro-chemicals. These ones were massive and pretty much perfect. I knew just what to do with them...

Dandelion Green, Bresaola & Grilled Peach Salad
(printable recipe) - serves 4 as an appetizer

Ingredients:

1 Large Handful of Dandelion Greens, roughly torn or chopped into 2" pieces.
100g Bresaola, paper thin.
1 Ball Fresh Buffalo Mozzarella (you could sub fresh cow mozzarella too).
2 Peaches, ripe, halved & pitted.
Good Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Coarse Sea Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper.
4 Tbsp Balsamic Reduction.

What to Do:

This recipe couldn't be simpler.

First, things first: Fresh mozzarella comes in watery liquid so you'll have to drain the cheese. Place ball(s) in a colander to strain for about 20 to 30 minutes. Once most of the liquid has seeped out, tear into slightly larger than bite size pieces. Set aside.

As your cheese drains, grill the peaches. Turn your BBQ to medium-high. As it heats, toss the peaches in a little olive oil and then place on hot grill. Close the lid. Sear for about 3 minutes. Remove from the BBQ and allow to cool slightly. Chop into 1" pieces. Set aside.

Now in a large bowl, gently mix together the bitter dandelion greens with the roughly torn fresh buffalo mozzarella, chopped sweet Summer peaches, a small glug of good quality olive oil, and a pinch of coarse sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper with your hands.

Lay a 3-5 pieces of the rich bresaola on a plate and gently scoop a handful of the salad mixture on top. Finish off the salad with a drizzle of acidic balsamic reduction and you have yourself one swanky, local and seasonal yet infinitely simple starter salad.

Eat.

What are you lovin' right now?
Can you think of anything you might be able to link up for the blog hop next week?

 

 This post is linked up with Fight Back Friday; Fresh Bites Friday.

Guest Post: Heather @ Tart and Heathered

Hello Gastronomical Sovereignty readers! I am Heather from tartandheathered, guest posting for Kristy.

I write a somewhat random "healthy living blog". With recipes, workouts, meal ideas, music, life, current events etc.

I love making healthy desserts and playing around with different ingredients. Lately, I have been experimenting with bacon. I just felt that my life needed more bacon:)

Like Kristy, I love local food! The bacon I buy is nitrite free, local and made with natural smoke and cane sugar. Marvelous!

In the spirit of conservation, I decided to save the bacon drippings and use them in another recipe. Why not be creative? I made brownies!

Brownies with a Twist
(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1 cup of strong coffee (if you aren't a coffee fan, chai tea might be tasty)
1/2 cup bacon grease (liquid or room temperature)
1 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup flour (I used oat flour, regular/spelt is fine too!)
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder

What to Do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, blend wet ingredients in a food processor, add dry ingredients and process until just mixed. Pour batter into into 4-6 small ramekins or a small baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes and let the brownies sit for 10-15 minutes before serving. Serves 4-6. Refrigerate leftovers.

For more recipes, fitness tips, workout ideas and ramblings check out my blog or website.

Thanks for hosting me as a guest Kristy!  

This post is linked up with The Hearth & Soul Blog Hop; Tasty Tuesdays; Tuesday Talent Show; Whole Foods Wednesday; Cast Party Wednesday; Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways; Showcase Your Talent Thursday; Full Plate Thursday; Tastetastic Thursday; Fight Back Friday; Fresh Bites Friday.

June SRC Reveal: Rhubarb and Honey

Happy Monday morning my darlings!

Camping this weekend ended up kind of bunk. On the way out to the campsite we got hopelessly lost, which is funny because the campground is literally 2 minutes off the main highway - as it turns out, Langford is a nice city. Oops! Then it was absolutely torturous trying to set up the tarps in the torrential rain that washed out our friend's tent and sleeping gear over night which refused to inflate, the bison burgers I make on almost a weekly basis refused to cook over the camp stove and later the open fire (charcoal bits are good for you though, right?) and there was some strange woman moaning and hysterically crying over night just as we went to bed; unsure whether she was going to ax us to death or not, and in light of everything else that had gone horribly wrong, we packed it up early and came home a night premature. Thank god for delivery food services! Of course, it was glorious to be out in the forest for a few hours and the smell of green and dirt and air was intoxicating. Next time though, dear weather, please co-operate. Just a little.

Speaking of co-operating, how about a little monthly SRC love? SRC = Secret Recipe Club. If you still don't know what this SRC business is all about, you should. Click here. This month I was assigned Kimberly @ Rhubarb and Honey.  

I was super pumped to get her for three reasons.

1.  Her culinary style = my culinary style: "80% “fresh / local / sustainable” and 20% “nostaligic / somewhat bad for you / everything in moderation....[with the idea that] healthy, delicious food, preferably produced locally and in a sustainable manner, should be available to everyone". Hell yes.
2. She's had my blog previously for SRC, choosing to make my rendition of Blackened Brussel Sprouts - a dish that while popular in our own household, is by far, the most popular dish on the blog as well.
3. Clowns freak her out. In my world, anyone who hates clowns must be awesome. Because clowns aren't.

Kimberly also has some killer resources for people living in both the USA and Canada who want to learn more about eating seasonally - and therefore more sustainably and healthily - within their respective areas. I'm so proud of her. Well done, Kimberly. Well done.

After some serious debate about making:

• Basic Crostinis with 10 Little Toast Toppers (seriously? Why hadn't I thought of a crostini tutorial!);
• Prosciutto and Parmesan Wrapped Grissini;
• Fried Parsnips and Homemade Sausage;
• Gluten-Free Jalapeno Mac & Cheese;
• Gooey Jalapeno Poppers (actually, I couldn't resist this one. I made it @ Taste Buds last week);
• Rosy Rhubarb Syrup & a Farm Girl Cosmo;

 I opted for Balsamic Braised Grass-fed Beef Short-ribs, served over a plate of basic polenta. And ya know what? Best meal I've had in a very long time. 

It was rich, flavourful, slightly sweet bites of tender beefy goodness. Paired with a bold, fat red wine like the Noble Ridge Meritage, I was one happy lady. Wait a second, who am I kidding? I'm no lady!

Small changes: First, I doubled it. Second, I added a base of carrot and celery at the onion stage for added depth of flavor and because I lack a dutch oven, I used a blue enamel roasting pan. I also doubled her recommended cooking time as I was a touch worried they wouldn't be as fall off the bone tender as I wanted them to be. And let me tell you, you can't get better short-ribs in a restaurant! I highly recommend this dish to anyone who likes beef. Or tomatoes. Or just food in general.

Balsamic Slow-Braised Grass-Fed Beef Short Ribs

(printable recipe) - Serves approx 4 people.

Ingredients:

16 Oz Beef Short Rib, pastured, trimmed & cut into individual bone segments.

1 C Red Onion, chopped.

1 Medium Sized Carrot, sliced.

1 Medium Sized Stalk of Celery, sliced.

2 Tbsp Garlic, minced.

1 C Beef Broth, low sodium.

6 Tbsp Good Quality Balsamic Vinegar.

3 Tbsp Brown Sugar.
1 28 Oz Can of Diced Tomatoes.

3 Tbsp Brown Sugar, lightly packed.

Kosher Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper. 

What to Do:

Pre-heat your oven to 300 degrees F.

As that heats, prepare the ribs. Remove from the packaging, pat dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, heat a large Dutch oven (or blue enamel roasting pan), lightly coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Once hot, add ribs to pan; cook approx 3 to 4 minutes per side or until browned, turning occasionally. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add a small glug of olive oil if necessary and toss the onion, carrot and celery into the pan. Sauté 8 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring often. Add garlic, stir and sauté 1 minute. Return the ribs to the pan, immediately followed by the broth, vinegar, sugar, and tomato. Bring to a simmer.

Cover and bake at 300° for 3 hours. Remove from the heat and using a slotted spoon, serve 3 - 5 ribs per person over some basic polenta, gourmet smashed potatoes, or even some homemade pasta. 

Eat.

What do you do when things don't go as planned?

To see what Kelley @ The Culinary Enthusiast made from my blog, click here.



 This post is linked up with The Hearth & Soul Blog Hop; Tasty Tuesdays; Tuesday Talent Show; Whole Foods Wednesday; Cast Party Wednesday; Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways; Showcase Your Talent Thursday; Full Plate Thursday; Tastetastic Thursday; Fight Back Friday; Fresh Bites Friday.

Chicken Liver Pate with Balsamicy Onions

Good morning darling loves!

 

I'm not gonna lie - I'm in a bit of a rush this morning.

We're going camping for the first time this season today and I have yet to go through the gear, sort out what we need to buy for the weekend, prep the food - because let's be honest, I may be camping, but I'm gonna be eatin' good! - pack the car, and get by tail to the campsite ASAP so I can set up a tent, start a fire, and crack a beer. Because what else is camping all about besides nature, tents, and booze?

Ack! So yes - I did not plan my week well with respect to the coming camping trip and as a result of such laziness, I am a wee bit frazzled right now. But I still wanted to check in and give ya' a little somethin' somethin'.

This is a dish that I just adore with all my heart soul.  It's not for everyone and that's fair - but there's just something about it's richness, decadence, flavour and general amazingness that makes my little mouth happy. Plus it always seems super fancy but in truth, it's wicked simple and surprisingly cheap to make. I'm talking, of course, about chicken liver* pate.

I grew up eating liver. Dad used to make it for dinner when Mom was working late. And I bloody well loved it. Mind you, he did serve it with peas and kraft dinner (no hard feelings dad - I'm sure it was much better for us 15 years ago than it is now), but never mind. It's just so good. And tasty. And potentially spreadable. And beautiful... And so are you.

So the next time someone says to you, "what am I? Chopped liver?".... You say yes. Yes. You. Are. 

*When making a liver pate, be sure to find a local, ethical producer of chickens (or whatever kind of liver you plan on using) to make sure the animals are treated with dignity through their lives. Some animals that are raised for their livers (i.e. geese) are often violently force-fed until they are sick and bleeding. So please, if you can, try to find happy livers. If you live on Vancouver Island, Terra Nossa Farm is friggin excellent.

Chicken Liver Pate with Balsamicy Onions
(printable recipe) - Makes 3 separate servings for 2 or 1 Serving for 6-8 people.

Ingredients for Pate:

250g Pastured Chicken Livers.
1/2 Large Onion, diced.
2 Cloves Garlic, chopped.
45g of Butter, room temperature + 45g melted butter.
1 Tbsp Thyme, de-stemmed & chopped.
1 Bay Leaf.
1/4 C Brandy (or similar boozy selection).
1 Tsp Sherry Vinegar.
Kosher Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper.
Fresh Baguette for serving, sliced on the diagonal (toasted if you like).

Ingredients for Balsamicy Onions:
c/o Anne Burrell

2 Large Onions, sliced.
1 C Balsamic Vinegar.
2 Tsp Salt.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

What to Do for the Pate:

Melt half the butter in a large non-stick frying pan over medium low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until translucent.

Add the livers, thyme and bay leaf and cook for approx 5 minutes or until livers are almost cooked through, brown in color, but not developing color (i.e. caramelization).

Add the liquor and cook for about 2 minutes to reduce boozy content. Remove from the heat and the bay leaf - discard.

Toss the lot into a food processor and puree. Add the butter, a good helping of salt and pepper, and the sherry vinegar.

Pour into little ramekins (or one big one) and finish with the melted butter to prevent oxidization. Allow to sit and the butter to harden slightly.

Serve or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

What to Do for the Onions:

Wipe out the large skillet you just used for the pate and heat a couple glugs of olive oil over medium low heat.

When hot, add the onions and a good dose of salt, stir well to coat and cover. Allow the onions to sweat for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove the lid, add the balsamic. Stir well. Let the balsamic reduce until it's thick and coats the onions but not burning - about 25 minutes.

Remove from the heat and let cool.

To serve: Throw the bread and onions on a platter along with the pate bowl - and if you like, a little sliced pear or apple. Add some funky spooning instruments. Chow down!

Eat.

What foods do you hold close to your heart? 

Big plans this weekend?

 

CSA Week #14

Hello beautiful and clever readers!

Sometimes, I don't feel so clever... Or so beautiful for that matter. But right now, let's focus on the clever.

Do you ever forget or do or say something where afterwards you're just like, "man, I'm a dummy. How embarassing!"...?

It's in those moments - I call them Joey episodes - where I just think to myself, "fuck. I'm that guy right now".

I did that this week. 

Obviously I wasn't paying attention to the very important email our CSA sent alerting us to the change in delivery days - which apparently they do every Summer. You'd think I'd have that shit down by now.

So when our box didn't arrive last week I was all, "where the crap are our veggies???"....

I threw off a polite but to the point email to the account manager of Saanich Organics asking where our stuff was. Was the delivery guy running behind? Were we forgotten? Was there some kind of mistake? There sure was... I didn't read my email correctly.

Of course, Niki was lovely and generous and very kind about it - explaining in detail to me the schedule change and apologizing for the confusion, stating she was sorry if we were looking forward to your veggies this week. 

No Niki, I'm sorry. 

I'm sorry I'm such a dumbass and can't read basic instructions. Right now, I'm a dummy head. And you and Saanich Organics are friggin awesome and wonderful and I love your deliveries. I promise to pay closer attention to future emails and won't harass you with stupid questions again. Because while some people claim "there is no such thing as a stupid question" .... they're wrong. Stupid questions come from being stupid - read the instructions, dummy. Be smart. Agreed.

This week we got:

• 1 Head of lettuce (slugs included. Not happy about that).
• 1 Bag of delicate salad greens.
• 1 Bunch Milan turnips.
• 2 Giant heads of fennel... do I feel some of this coming on?
• 1 Bag of sunflower greens.
• 2 Massive bell peppers.
• 1 Gorgeous handful of dandelion greens... stay tuned for that salad. 

Do you ever have moments when you think, "duh!"

 

Guest Post @ Cook Culture

Good morning darling monkey butts!

So imagine my surprise and absolute elation when Melody @ Cook Culture - you may remember Melody from such blogs as Audrey Needs More Wooden Spoons  (and if you don't, you missed out my friends) -  asked me to do a guest post for Cook Culture's Blog! Wow, that was a run-on sentence if I've ever seen one...

Seriously though - super excited. Cook Culture is a fantastic and wonderful kitchen shop and cooking school in downtown Victoria that focuses on cooking from scratch within our communities with local, seasonal ingredients. They bring the novice home cook, the professional chef, and food together in ways that foster fun, learning, and holistic food ways, creating an accessible yet important engagement with the delicious things on our plate...

...and they asked me to do a guest post. Heck yeah!

John recently bought me a Cuisinart Smart-Stick Hand Blender from there and when Melody heard that - rather, read my tweet - she asked if I would like to review it. Um, obviously I would. You can read my article by clicking here. Don't forget to say hello when you stop by!

...and to see what I made whilst testing out the little guy, you can find the recipe here.

Have you ever used a hand blender? Do you prefer hand blender or food processor? What's your favourite kitchen tool(s)?

 

Fancy-Pants Vanilla Creamed Cauliflower Puree with Crispy Fried Florets

Hola chicas! (and Chicos!)... And anyone who doesn't identify within the traditional bi-gender paradigm!

I've been thinking recently about how my eating habits have evolved over the past 6 years.

When I came out to the island from Alberta, I was a carni-saurus-rex. Of the carnivore variety, not the circus. I loved my meat. Steak. Hamburgers. Chicken wings. I ate meat and I ate it indiscriminately. More meat! More meat!....

....Fast forward 3 years and I'm in a gender studies class learning about food, culture, and how it relates to the citizens of the world, the planet, and the animals. Holy shit. I was in trouble. I immediately swore off all things flesh and dove head straight into vegetable and tofu-land....

....Moving along 1 year later and something profound occurs to me: Eating vegetables and fruits that produced with or without chemicals and/or shipped half way around the world is not much better than eating meat. Especially when that meat is local, small scale, organic, pastured meat. Hm. Dilemma.

So I went back to eating meat. Slowly. In moderation. I tried to buy from local producers who are doing things "right" and even now, 2 years later, I try to limit my intake of meat to a couple times a week tops. I get most of my protein from legumes such as beans, lentils, and peas as well as grains like quinoa and pretty much any nut and cheese I can dig my claws into.

Why am I re-hashing all this history? Because I think it gets lost in translation on the blog. I think someone is a really good chef when they can make vegetables the star of a dish. Or at the very least, make them as interesting and exciting as the protein. But in the meat-obsessed culture of gourmet food, the "side" often goes over-looked. It's an after-thought. Even by home chefs who really care about the entirety and holisticness of a meal - like myself. I want to make something brilliant and unfortunately - despite my fight to maintain a plant majority diet - a lot of what I end up posting has fish or meat as the main event.

This rambling is more of a reminder to myself that plant-focused meals can be gourmet too rather than a reminder to you. But while we're here, why not ask ourselves how we can challenge chefs and ourselves to create more sustainable, Earth friendly, gourmet dishes?

...And that's how I came up with fancy-pants creamed cauliflower vanilla puree. Served with some marinated mushrooms, you have one swanky appetizer. Or top a grass-fed steak with those same mushrooms and you've got yourself a seriously gourmet side. Whichever you prefer...

In all honesty, it was inspired by a dish we made one night at The London Chef. I took Dan Hayes' idea and I ran with it. I hope you will too.

Fancy-Pants Creamed Cauliflower Vanilla Puree with crispy fried florets
(printable recipe) - serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:

1 Small to Medium Sized Cauliflower, greens removed and cut into florets of equal size (approx 2" pieces) + 2 Florets broken into small pieces.
1/2 Spanish Onion, peeled & diced.
2 Garlic Cloves, peeled & chopped.
1 C Cream or Homo Milk.
Small Handful of Pecorino Romano Cheese, grated.
Tbsp or 2 of Butter, room temperature.
Half Vanilla Bean, cut in half and seeds spooned out.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
1 C Vegetable Oil.
Course Sea Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper.

What to Do:

Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees F.

As that heats, toss the 2" chopped cauliflower with a glug of olive oil and a good helping of salt and pepper. Arrange as a single layer in a baking pan, cut sides down. Place in heated oven uncovered for about 15 minutes. Shake the pan/flip the florets and then roast a further 10-15 minutes until tender with good color on them.

As the cauliflower roasts, place the onion, garlic, cream and vanilla bean and seeds into a medium sized pot. Slowly heat over a medium temperature setting, stirring very often to ensure the cream doesn't burn.

Once the cauliflower is done, add that to the mixture.

Add the cheese and the butter, stir well.

Using a hand blender or food processor, puree until smooth. Be careful - it's hot! Cover and set aside.

Heat the vegetable oil in a wok over medium heat. When it reaches 350 degrees, or a piece of white bread turns brown in 30-40 seconds, it's ready. Carefully place the tiny cauliflower florets in the oil with a slotted spoon and fry until golden. Remove with that same spoon and drain on paper towels. For more information on frying, click here.

Plate the puree and top with some marinated mushrooms cut on the diagonal, or a steak cooked to your liking (cut the same way) - and maybe some chopped mushrooms, finishing off with a few pieces of the crispy cauliflower.

Eat.

Can you think of any moments in your life when everything got tipped upside down? Do you tend to embrace that change or resist it? Or both? 

 

 This post is linked up with The Hearth and Soul Blog Hop; Tasty Tuesdays; Slightly Indulgent Tuesday; Tuesday Talent Show; Whole Foods Wednesday; Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways; Cast Party Wednesday; Simple Lives Thursday; Showcase Your Talent Thursday; Full Plate Thursday; Tastetastic Thursday; Fresh Bites Friday; Fight Back Friday.

Gimme a Break..

Good morning my darlings!

It's been decided. After a weekend filled with fun, wine, friends, product reviews and a food festival, I'm taking a break off from blogging. Just for the week.

I also have family coming into town in the next couple days, my work schedule is all mixed up, I convocate from University, have a hair appointment, and still haven't finished the last book in The Hunger Games. 

So, I'm taking a break. I'll be thinking of you, of course... And look forward to seeing you next Monday. As long as I don't break down and kneel to my blogging addiction and post before then.

XO - have a great week lovelies!!