Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Weekend Herb Blogging Roundup


A whole bunch of people submitted entries for this past weekend's Weekend Herb Blogging event. Sorry to all for the delay in getting these all posted! Now here's the roundup:

Katerina from Daily Unadventures in Cooking used lemongrass in a thai soup called Tom Yum Gung (Shrimp in Hot Lime Broth).

Shawnda from Confections of a Foodie Bride used cilantro in her pico de gallo recipe.

Kalyn from Kalyn's Kitchen highlighted radishes in her Roasted Radishes Recipe with Soy Sauce and Toasted Sesame Seeds.

Sara from I Like to Cook used zucchini to make Grilled Zucchini and Proscuitto Pizza with Sage.

Burcu from Almost Turkish Recipes used okra in her Baked Okra (Fırında Bamya).

Katie of Thyme for Cooking, the Blog used ingredients other than cilantro in her Tomato Olive Salsa.

Peter of Kalofagas - In Pursuit of Delicious Foods used lemon verbena in a Mojito Cocktail.

Alysha from The Savory Notebook users her fresh grown basil in a recipe for Lemon Basil Vinaigrette.

Sarina from The TriniGourmet highlights coconut in her entry.

Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook used haricot verts in her own recipe for The Ultimate Almondine.

Zorra from 1x umruehren bitte aka kochtopf used rosemary in her marinated feta.

Ulrike of Küchenlatein used mint in her strawberry jam with mint which she made in the microwave.

Haalo from Cook (almost) Anything used Buddha's Hand in her Candied Buddha Fingers.

Genie from The Inadvertent Gardener used dried lavender in a recipe for Lavender Coolers.

Sher from What Did You Eat? featured mint in an Asian-Style Cole Slaw.

Anna from Morsels & Musings used oregano in her pita pizza.

Angie from My Kitchen: My Laboratory uses adzuki beans in an original dessert soup.

Anh from Food Lover's Journey used chive in the recipe for Individual Tomato Tarts with Chive Ricotta.

Pille of Nami-nami used stinging nettle in a recipe for Nettle Soup with Eggs & Herbs.

Sra from When My Soup Came Alive used Malabar Spinach in an interesting stir-fry.

Emily of Superspark used some gorgeous yellow stuffed blossoms in her recipe for stuffed squash blossoms.

Eve from In Mol Araan used thyme in her recipe for White Beans and Thyme.

Kate from Veggie Friendly used nori in her recipe for Vegetarian Sushi.

Nicole from Pinch My Salt used fresh mint in her recipe in a Tzatziki Sauce.

Astrid from Paulchen's Food Blog made a Flowery Herb Mix.



Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Favorites from the Pacific Northwest


The month of May has come and gone in a quick blur. I injured my back and was out of commission for the first half of the month. I had to get better so that I could go on vacation for the second half. I just got back from an Alaskan cruise with additional days in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia. It was a really great time.

I was really excited to each Alaskan King Crab Legs right there in Alaska. Our breakfast waiter recommended Twisted Fish Company in Juneau. We went there after our tour and had to wait over an hour. By the time they got seated they told us they were out of crab legs! The only ones they had left were the legs with the claws. We said that was fine with us! They were good but nothing special. In fact, we later found out that all crab legs get frozen immediately so the we ate the same freshness of crab there in Alaska that I do in Chicago or Tampa. But at least we got to say we at crab in Alaska.

Some of my top foodie highlights from my trip:

The June tasting menu at Raincity Grill in Vancouver, which is known for their seasonal local food.

Poached Pot for breakfast to Mosaic Bar & Grille in the Vancouver Hyatt. This consisted of ham, asparagus, spinach, stewed tomatoes and poached eggs.

Noshing at the Granville Island Public Market in Vancouver. My mom got the freshest cherries we had even eaten! I got an amazing beer shrimp salad and a few other things. I really wished I lived there so I could shop and use all the fresh food in my own kitchen.

Fresh oyster's at Twisted Fish in Juneau. They were from local waters and the best I have ever eaten.

Tea time on the cruise ship. I'm very easy to please when you give me cucumber sandwiches and scones.

Fish and chips made with fresh cod at Steamer's in Ketchikan.

Eating spicy Indian food on the balcony at Moxie's in Vancouver.

Ice cream in Butchart Gardens in Victoria. Not that the ice cream was anything special, but it was a beautiful place and pretty hot, so an ice cream cone was perfect.

Wine and Thai peanut legs at Milestone's in Victoria overlooking the harbor.

Buying tea and wandering through the market in Vancouver's Chinatown.

Indulging in the Tasting Menu at CinCin in Vancouver where we spent as much per person and we should have for the entire meal.

I also can back with a The New Alaska Cookbook: Recipes from the Last Frontier's Best Chefs. I can't wait to get back in the kitchen and get cooking!