Wood-not Chicks...if you dont smell the smoke...

...you should prob walk out immediately and head to another bbq establishment. Jason and I learned this lesson the hard way. He and I went to eat at Woodchicks BBQ in Chesapeake, Va because we had heard about woodchicks on FoodNewtork and had seen Bobby Flay's throwdown with them. He lost, so our expectations were high....we were GREATLY disappointed. For starters, we ordered a pulled pork sandwich combo and a Jr. Sampler (brisket and bbq). Jason's sides were hushpuppies (burnt and had to be sent back) and mac n' cheese. Mine were pot. salad and sweet pot. fries (too many starches, I know, but I had a craving!). The sides were the size of a ramekin and tasted like they were fresh out of the grocers fridge, not like they had been homemade (as we were told by the young lady behind the register). The best thing on my plate was the sweet pot chips and as it is hard to mess up a fried chip, I dont give them much credit for this accomplishment. The bbq was edible, but not buy any means championship quality (I am assuming that they save the "good" pork for Bobby and not for thier paying customers.) The brisket was greasy and almost indistinguishable from the pork...the color being the only thing that gave its original origin away. The pork was dry, had little to no smoke flavor (and you eat bbq for the smoke flavor, right? if not it's just pork roast in my oppinion and not worth the $12 I paid for it!) To their defense, the sauces were good, but almost anything is good drenched in bbq sauce....after consuming our meal we were left with an oddly unpleasant feeling in the pits of our stomachs...was it disappointment or the sting of creeping heartburn? Perhaps a mixture of both. Upon leaving I questioned a fellow patron as he too was exiting the establishment and asked him his genuine opinion of the bbq. He answered that it was pretty good. I asked him if he thought this pork could win any awards in any bbq competition in the country. He promptly responded by saying "oh, no way!" So to sum it up, Wood Chicks is just OK and not worth the gas money or the heartburn. I was greatly disappointed by the mediocre bbq, small portions and raging case of heartburn I was left with. I say save some money and head to County Grill in Yorktown and sample some of theirs if you want the real stuff and word to the wise, if you dont smell smoke get out or be disappointed!

wood chicks bbq Chesapeake

ps. We noticed a newspaper article on the wall of the restaurant that was referring to a bbq championship the owner had won....we also noticed that the head judge of the championship was the owners father....coincidence?

White bean and chicken chili...on a hot day :)

white bean chicken chili

So, it's summer time and what else does a girl crave but chili! I am an AVID food network watcher and saw Guy F. go to a restaurant with tons of delicious looking Mexican food and thus, the craving began. Even though the temp outside was 90+, the thought of a steaming bowl of this creamy, cheesy, spicy deliciousness was just too much to bear, so I hauled out my spices and went to work. I wanted chili with a red sauce and tons of cheese and sour cream (used light, at and 2% cheddar, so that's not so bad, right?) and happened to have a can (yes, I said can but to my defense, canned beans are good and take a fraction of the time to prepare, so sorry mom, but I cheated) of cannelini beans and some really good tomatoes so prep and cooking time was short and the end result was delicious! I also saved tons of calories by using boneless skinless chicken breast and olive oil, so I can justify the cheese/sour cream indulgence! Hope you like the pic and that it makes you too crave a heaping, steaming bowl of chili!

Ps. If you want the recipe, just ask, I will be more than happy to pass it along :)

Happy eating and much love

Julia

Sesame seared tuna with a citrus soy glaze

sesame tuna with cucumber salad

Tonight I made tuna with a sesame crust and a cucumber/rice vinegar/sesame salad. This dish is soo easy to make and is truly delish. The main key to this meal is to get reallllly fresh tuna. I topped the fish with a soy/orange glaze and made the rice with a little garlic just to give it that extra kick. I cook this when I am trying to eat light or when I have a craving for sushi (which is almost daily)...too bad my brother Steven doesn't live closer because I think he'd like this too. This is the recipe that "converted" my husband from a non-rare tuna eater to a rare tuna eater and he ate the entire meal using chopsticks! Try it some time if you can get really fresh fish, I think you'll love it!




















Sesame seared tuna


2 nice sized tuna steaks


1tbl ginger


2tbls soy sauce


2 tbls ponzu (if you cant get ponzu just add a little orange juice to you soy sauce)


1 tbl rice wine vinegar (seasoned)


1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil


1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds


~mix all ingredients together and pour over raw fish. Marinate for no more than 30 min then let excess drip off and coat in toasted sesame seeds (can use untoasted or black if you perfer). Saute in a large frying pan with a little oil over high heat for about 1-3 min per side (depending on the thickness of the fillet and how done you like it, but in my opinion, if you aren't going to eat it medium or rare, you should prob look from a different recipe because the fish will dry out and not taste nearly as good). Take the fish out of the pan once it reaches the desired donenss and cut on a bias. Serve with a cucumber salad (seasoned rice vinegar, salt, sesame oil, sesame seeds) and steamed rice (or could serve with jasmine or basmati a la brasileira *see post below), pickled ginger, wasabi for those who like it and of course, chop sticks!

Chicken Romesco and hello again!

chicken romesco

Last night I was in the mood for peppers and because I had a jar of fire roasted yellow peppers that needed to be used, I decided to make chicken with romesco (almond, garlic and peppers) sauce w/ orzo and broccoli with cheese sauce (my mom's cheese sauce). The meal was wonderful and I have the pics to prove it!

I also added some prosciutto melted a little mozzarella and parm over the top just to make it extra decadent.

Romesco Sauce

2-3 Jarred roasted peppers (yellow or red) or roast your own for even better flavor!

1-2 cloves roasted garlic (or 1/2 tsp garlic powder for those of us who are a bit pressed for time)

1/4 c roasted nuts (almonds are the traditional addition to this sauce, but any will do)

1/2 tsp honey (or splenda if you're watching your carbs)

3 tbl olive oil (the best you can get since this is a raw sauce) drizzled in slowly

*blend all ingredients to combine in the blender. If desired you can add green onion or parsley to perk up the sauce.

**I also pan fried chicken breast pieces that I sliced thin then pounded out and topped with white pepper (Jason's on a white pepper kick!), garlic powder and kosher salt, then sauteed them in a pan with a little olive oil until they had some nice color (about 1 1/2 min per side), then put them in a shallow baking dish and topped them with the romesco sauce, a slice of prosciutto and the cheese then put them in the broiler to get the cheese melted and browned. I added butter and the remaining romesco sauce to the orzo then made my mom's wonderful cheese sauce (for Jason, I just topped my broccoli with vinegar and peperonchino) and we had cold glasses of pelegrino to finish it off. Desert, watermelon, YUM!!

leftovers and dim sum

You's dim sum san francisco

Since we are having leftover manicotti for dinner (therefore I am not cooking, just reheating.) I'll use this time and space to tell you about one of my favorite foods....(drumroll please....) dim sum!!!! I love these delectable morsels and think the best place to get dim sum is at You's Dim Sum in San Francisco (China Town). The ladies that work there don't speak any English and I have to communicate by pointing, nodding and through several facial expressions, but man is it worth it! I love the rice balls with ham and dried shrimp and the shrimp and spinach? rice flour dumplings. They also have real congee (you see many locals eating it esp. for breakfast) and chicken feet and other unidentifiable animal parts, but I think that's half the fun, and guarentees the place is authentic and for the locals! I have included some pics from my last trip to You's (one of my must go to stops when in the city) during March '08. My brother bravely trekked through the streets of Chinatown (we accidentally climbed Knob Hill on foot!!!) just so I could find and temporarily satisfy my craving for these delectable treats. People who live in the Bay Area have no idea how lucky they are to have such great places to eat sooo close to home!!!

Julia Jordan enjoying dim sum

Here's a quick pic my brother took of me "scarfing down" several dim sum...hey, a girl's gotta eat!!!

what is comfort food?

prosciutto spinach manicotti

what does that term really mean? Can food really comfort us? Can food deliver satisfaction, joy, pleasure and a sense of well being? The official definition of comfort is:
com·fort
1. To soothe in time of affliction or distress.
2. To ease physically; relieve.
n.
1. A condition or feeling of pleasurable ease, well-being, and contentment.
2. Solace in time of grief or fear.



These definitions go straight to the heart of the dish I made for dinner tonight, a spinach-ricotta and prosciutto manicotti. I love the gooey, cheesey, melty textures and the simple sense of joy a well prepared dish like this can bring. My mother makes amazing manicotti and this dish, to me is one of the most comforting things I can eat (second only to the asado completos I used to have with my father late at night that usually consisted of organ meats and deliciously garlicy chimichurri!). If you want the recipe, just ask....for now, I will leave you salivating over the photos...I hope they bring you a sense of contentment as well


PS. served this with a wonderfully tangy salad (oil, vinegar and salt, romaine, fresh feta, red onion, tomatoes and cucumbers), hot sourdough bread and a glass of Tempranillio......

Creamy spinach Cobia, balsamic pots and sauteed pattypans

creamy spinach cobia pattypan squash

Last night I decided to use more of the cobia (I have a vacuum sealer and sealed about 10lbs of it!) my husband caught over the weekend. I prepared it with a creamy spinach sauce (similar to a spinach artichoke dip that included greek yogurt, sour cream and a bit of garlic), oven roasted balsamic potatoes and sauteed patty pan squash. (Thanks Tom and David!) The fish and potatoes were good but the squash was delish! I sauteed it with a little evoo, garlic and peperonchino. This if you are interested in this recipe or any others that aren't included on the blog write me either in the comments section or send me an email and I'll be more than happy to pass it along!
XOXO
J

Naked cali rolls

Naked California rolls

These beauties are an app I came up with for a dinner party (did a Riesling tasting and dinner that included 3 kinds of Riesling (from dry to sweet). We had chicken Riesling and butterscotch/toffee sundaes also). I called these apps naked cali rolls because the ingredients are similar to those found in California rolls but these have no rice (that's the naked part). They came out really tasty and pretty. The best part, they are super easy to make!

Naked Cali Rolls

1 seedless cucumber cut into slices

1 small tub of jumbo lump crab meat (could prob use backfin or claw if you wanted, but thought the lumps were really pretty!)

1 avocado mashed w/ salt and lemon (to keep it from turning brown)

2tbl wasabi mayo (made my own w/ Hellman's mayo and wasabi paste)

*tip* put the avocado and wasabi mayo into plastic baggies so that you can "pipe"them onto the cucumbers. You could also use scallops or shrimp if you cant get crab. Keep everything really cold in the fridge until the guests arrive. I served this with a really fruity (not very sweet) Riesling and it was delish!

The linguine!

shrimp feta linguine tomato butter



Here it is, in all its delicious glory :) This dish is buttery, tangy, sweet and incredibly fresh! This dish came out better than expected (and expectations were high :)) considering I adapted it from a recipe I saw in real simple magazine a few years back. It's super easy to make and very fast. Hope you like it!




Shrimp and feta linguine w/ tomato butter

1 tbl extra virgin olive oil (and a little extra to finish)
1 lb shrimp (peeled and deveined)
2 cloves garlic (sliced)
1 small red onion or large shallot (chopped, minced or sliced, depending on how rustic you want this to be)
3-4 roma tomatoes (depends on how big and juicy they are)
1/3 c white wine (pinot grigio or savignon blanc)
2tbl parsley
2tbl basil
2 tbl butter
1/2 c pasta water reserved in case you need to thin out the sauce
1/2 c feta (I really love the Greek feta from Trader Joe's, but any will work for this)
1/2 box linguine (prepare using box instructions)

* in a medium skillet, saute the garlic and onions over medium heat. Cook until they start to caramelize, but are not browned (aprox 2-4 min) add tomatoes and white wine and let wine reduce by 1/2 (4 min?) . Add salt and pepper to taste then add in the shrimp (cook until just pink) then take off the heat and stir in the herbs and butter. Add linguine to the skillet and cook in the sauce over medium heat for about 30 seconds. Add pasta water to loosen the sauce if too thick or if the pasta is sticking together. Plate the pasta and finish with the cool creamy feta and an "anointing" of good olive oil.




I served this with the orange and fennel salad, a glass of cold wine and crusty french bread.

Sunday diner, my way

orange fennel salad

Tonight I made fennel and orange salad with shrimp and feta linguini. I love this salad because it is so pretty, refreshing and light. It is also incredibly easy to make:


Top shot of this delish salad and of the new asian bowls I got for $.50 at the thrift store!

Fennel and orange salad:

1 orange (I cut off the peel than either supreme the segments or cut the orange into thin circles as seen here)
1 large fennel bulb
1tbl extra virgin olive oil (really good and fresh!)
salt & peper to taste
*combine all ingredients in a bowl and chill 'till diner is ready (I sometimes add the "franz" from the fennel or fresh basil to make the salad even prettier)

moqueca de peixe

moqueca de peixe

A couple of nights ago, I cooked some of the cobia my husband caught on fly (he is quite the avid and accomplished fisherman :) to make a traditional Brazilian dish called moqueca de peixe. This dish is fish cooked in coconut milk, with peppers, tomatoes, garlic, limes and traditionally, dende (palm oil). Pretty much any kind of protein, veggies or even firm tofu can be used in this dish, but my favorite preparation includes fish and shrimp. I served the moqueca over basmati rice (the floral fragrances really tied the flavors together and made the dish come alive! This is the recipe I improvised with the ingredients I had on hand:





1lb cobia fillet cut into chunks (any firm fish will do, though I prefer white fish in this dish)


1/2 lb peeled and deveined shrimp


1 red pepper, chopped and seeded


1 sweet onion (medium sized) chopped and seeded


1 medium Anaheim pepper seeded and chopped (add seeds, etc if you like it spicyer)


2 roma tomatoes (medium) chopped


1 tbl evoo


1 lime


2tbl parsley chopped (could use cilantro, green onion, chives, etc instead)


1 tbl basil (if you have it, but not necessary)





saute all vegies together over medium to low heat in olive oil and salt to taste until tender and onions have started to caramelize. Once this happens, add in your coconut milk and allow to reduce by aprox 1/2 (about 8 min on medium heat). Nestle in fish fillets and poach until just done (this will depend on the type and thickness of your fish, and will vary, so just keep an eye on it and don't overcook the fish! Mine took about 4 min to poach). If there isn't enough broth to cover the fish, just add a little water or stock to just cover. Once the fish are almost done, add in the shrimp (cook no more than 2 min), the basil and the parsley. Take off of the heat and squeeze in the juice of 1/2 a lime. I reserve the other half for whoever wants more lime juice (usually me!). Serve the moqueca over rice.





Basmati a la Brasilera





in a small pan with a lid, saute one clove of garlic (just crushed) in 1tbl of olive oil. Cook garlic for one minute or so or unitl it just starts to turn brown. Add in your rice and stir it together with the garlic and oil mixture for about 30 sec. Add in the water and salt and cook according the pkg instructions.

Intro

I love food; the smell of it, the taste of it, the look of it, the feel of it. I love the colors and the textures, the way that it can bring back memories, both happy and sad. I love that food is served at all major events and occasions in our lives but is also a part of our daily living. I love how it brings families, cultures and people together, I love how it can deliver pleasure, ease pain and nourish us, body and soul. I love all kinds of food and though my heritage is Brazilian-USA/American, I love food from all corners of the globe. My first cooking memory was when I was 4 years old. My parents bought me a play stove and oven, complete with cupboards, pots, pans and even plastic veggies, fruits and meats. Though I am sure that my culinary creations were quite primitive at the time, these "play" meals instilled a need to cook, prepare and create within me that still thrives today. I hope you like my blog, my take on food and on cooking and that I can learn some new tips and recipes from you. I also hope that I can be a part of your culinary journey and that we can explore the wonderful world of food together!
xo
Julia