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Culinary Tour 2010 • Puerto Rico

I’ve got a real treat for you. We’re having dinner in a private home on this stop of the Culinary Tour. As you may know, I’ve spent a lot of time in Puerto Rico. It was definitely my playground when I lived in New York. Less so now that I live in FL, but I still manage an annual trip and a reunion with my friends. I was actually in Puerto Rico for a few days during the period between the Argentina and Brazil stops on the Culinary Tour. It was a very food-centric experience from the highs of the trendy El San Juan Hotel restaurants…to road stands in the mountains…to a dinner party in a private home which I present here.

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FoodBuzz 24, 24, 24: The Annual Holiday Boat Parade Party

toastygenericbeach2When we moved to Florida from New York 15 years ago, we quickly learned that cold weather and snow are not really the criteria for the holiday season…and we happily dropped that notion! Goodbye boots, hello flip-flops.

Now, it’s Christmas trees and palm trees, house lights and boat lights, and sandmen instead of a snowmen; but, most importantly, it’s family, friends, good wine…and great menus! It’s a joyous time of year wherever you are.

In celebration of the holiday season, various cities in FL that border the Intracoastal Waterway host boat parades. Led by a fireworks barge, festively-decorated boats make their way up or down the canal and residents line the docks and cheer the parade…and some, like us, use it as an excuse to party!  Who doesn’t love a party? Continue Reading

Another Colorful Brunch

This is titled “another” because I posted A Colorful Brunch about 6 weeks ago, with totally different items.

This time, brunch was served the morning after a big party…so I made Virgin Mojitos. I’m not a big believer in “the hair of the dog that bit you.”

I muddled lime, mint and simple syrup and then mixed it with chilled water. It was refreshing and everyone liked it.

Come check out the menu.

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Dinner-by-the-Bite (A Cocktail Party for Any Occasion)

This post is more about concept than specific recipes. No surprise there, right? I tend to shy from telling you how much salt (or whatever) to put in your food. I don’t know how many people you’re cooking for, what their likes and dislikes are — and, based on the comments I receive, most of my readers are pretty damn good cooks. So, if you’ve been following FOODalogue for a while, you know I tend to tell you the ingredients and technique and let you do the math based on your palate.

Perhaps this post will give you some ideas for your next cocktail party. Continue Reading

A Colorful Brunch

I enjoy putting a brunch together. The prospect of  creating a buffet of savory, sweet and fresh ingredients has real appeal to me. And, it’s an easy meal that always turns out so colorful!

Today’s brunch for 4 included: Tortilla Española, Tomatoes Oreganata, Pickled Vegetable Salad, Almond-Crusted Stuffed French Toast and Honey-Grilled Grapefruit Rings.

Come take a look…

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Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: La Fiesta del Pavo Borracho (The Drunken Turkey Party)

drunken turkey illustrtionThe guests ‘may’ be sober, but the bird is definitely juiced! It arrives with a few cups of tequila and Grand Marnier in its belly.


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Father’s Day BBQ Sides…to Please the Mothers!

Hope all you fathers out there had a very special day!


Roasted Vegetables with Mojo Rojo

whole carrots, whole beets, mini sweet peppers, french string beans, purple potatoes, cipollini onions and a head of garlic (in their skins).*
Everything was brushed with a mixture of olive oil, S&P, thyme, rosemary, fennel seeds (the carrots and beets got a splash of balsamic glaze in their mixture). Roasted at 350 degrees till tender.

Mojo Rojo: Puree 1 jar Goya piquillo peppers (or sweet pimentos), 1/2 cup olive oil, a little salt, a splash of sherry vinegar, 1/2 cup of walnuts and almonds.

Escarole Stuffed with Cheese and Wrapped with Proscuitto

I got this idea from Taste With Eyes and couldn’t wait to try it. It was a big hit with fathers and mothers alike!
She used a fancy French Supreme cheese and an outdoor grill, but I made do with a some crumbled feta and a 450 degree oven since there was no room on the grill.

Grilled Corn

Basted and grilled with olive oil, S&P. Then tossed with a mixture of warm honey and lime zest. Topped with scallions.

Yes, we also had the traditional grilled meats – steak, ribs, sausage, chicken, burgers and franks…all expertly seasoned and grilled. Keeping with the ‘grill’ theme, we ended with skewers of grilled fresh fruit served over cheese cake.

A great menu all-around but, this time, I’m just featuring the veggies. They were that good and deserve to be showcased on their own.

*oops, I forgot the zucchini and I had such an interesting presentation in mind. Oh, well, another day.

Mother’s Day: Mamma Mia x 3 + A Blueberry Citrus Tart

In our family of 17-around-the-table-for-holidays, there are only 4 cooks…me, my sister, my son and my niece. My son was busy when we started making plans for Mother’s Day so it was left to the 3 mothers to plan the dinner. (But he did step up for dessert and it was FABU!)
The senior mothers (my mom and aunt) retired from hosting family dinners a while back but, in deference to the occasion, we asked them what they’d like for Mother Day. It wasn’t brunch…it was a resounding “pasta” dinner. So the 3 chef-esses decided to do 3 different pastas. 

My niece who has the 2 smallest children decided to do a typical red sauce pasta with tiny meatballs (left). My sister made a delicious pesto pasta with fresh tomatoes and olives (right) and I did what I call a ‘Flavors of the Mediterranean’ pasta. I plan to publish the recipe in a special event pasta post I’m planning; but, meantime, here’s a teaser of the approximate 15 ingredients that go in before the pasta.


This time ‘save the best for last’ was a real truism…a citrus custard tart with fresh blueberries. I think Jim will be posting the recipe on his blog, Our Family Food Fight.



I hope you all…mothers, fathers, daughters, sons…had a nice day.

A Birthday Story of Fried Turkey and Sides

Back Story: For Christmas Day dinner, my son wanted a fried turkey and went out and purchased the fryer. But we had a rain-out. Fast thinking and successful surgery to de-bone the carcass to get it cooked quickly followed and we ate a very delicious (though not conventional) roast turkey.


Fast Forward: March 8 is my son’s birthday. In our family, the birthday person chooses the dinner…the person closest by blood ties does the cooking…and everyone else shows up to eat and celebrate.  My son was still hankering for that fried turkey so that was his dinner choice. Thankfully for me, because that also meant the party would be at his house and that he would be handling half the dinner which was a big help since we were going to be 21 people.

Cell phones in hand to dial 911, his cousins and friends stood a good distance behind him cheering/jeering(?) as Jim lowered the turkey into the boiling hot oil.
45-minutes or so later, he pulled out a beautifully golden 20+ lb. bird.

It didn’t take long after that for the birthday turkey to look like this:

For me dinners like this are all about the sides. However, not wanting to go the traditional Thanksgiving menu route since we were cooking outdoors, I made 4 side dishes that could be served at room temperature. Two had a decidedly Mediterranean theme and two had a Southwestern twist.
From my Spanish and Italian roots, I conjured up a pasta that was made with long-simmering garbanzos, chorizo, tomatoes, green olives and dressed with olive oil and lemon.

This was a rice salad made with sauteed spinach and artichokes to which I added toasted pignolis, feta cheese, a LOT of lemon, and olive oil.

A big hit with the kids was the roasted sweet potatoes that were dressed with a vinaigrette made from fresh lime juice and lots of zest, honey, a little olive oil and a little chipolte (ssh, don’t tell the kids).
Corn, avocado, cheddar cheese, black olives, capers, scallions dressed with fresh tomato salsa and extra squeezes of lemon.

It was supposed to be just these 4 sides but not wanting to waste all those gallons of hot oil, my son threw in a few pounds of sliced white potatoes after he removed the turkey. They don’t look so good but they were might tasty.
The party ended with Carvel ice cream cake…some traditions die hard!
Truth be told: (1) While the turkey was very moist, I prefer a roasted bird. (2) I’m not telling you how old my son was on March 8th. I’m not that truthful!

Christmas Recipes and A Hint of Things to Come in the New Year

Here’s the recipes I promised. They’re so worth trying.

Picadillo Stuffing may not be the most photogenic…but it’s definitely the most tasty! While I’m surely not the first person to make this, I didn’t follow anyone’s recipe — so here’s what I did (to the best of my recollection).


Ingredients: 4 lbs. ground meat (I used beef and pork), 2 links of chorizo minced small, 1 lb. corn bread stuffing. (Yes, this is definitely a meat lover’s stuffing with that ratio), onions, garlic, green pepper (all finely diced), yellow raisins and prunes soaked in 1 cup of red wine, 2 small cans of Goya tomato sauce, stuffed olives, capers, cumin, oregano, Sazon (or adobo seasoning), S&P, splash of sherry vinegar, splash hot sauce.

Method: Made 1 day in advance. Saute onion, garlic, pepper. Add chorizo and tomato sauce to create a sofrito (base to build on). Add ground meat breaking it up as it cooks down. Add raisins, prunes & wine, dry seasonings and cook over medium heat. Taste. This is supposed to have lots of flavor. Continue to adjust seasonings until the taste is BOLD. Splash sherry vinegar and hot sauce to taste.

The next day I brought the meat to room temperature and then blended it with a bag of cornbread stuffing and a little chicken broth to moisten it. Baked covered for about 30 minutes and uncovered for an additional 15 to toast top.

Chimichurri Sauce: 1 bunch of Italian parsley, 1 bunch of cilantro, garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes, S&P, juice of 1 lemon, and a splash of red wine vinegar blended to desired consistency.


Note: (1) Leftover chimichurri is great as a marinade or topping with any poultry or meat or as a base condiment for a casserole. (2) It also makes a delicious vinaigrette. I took some sauce thinned it out a little, added a little sugar (well, a packet of Splenda…one has to watch one’s calories. What a joke during the holidays!) It was a great dressing for the avocado salad.


Pumpkin Flan with Praline Brittle: The recipe for the pumpkin flan was not ‘original’, but it was perfectly executed by Jim. Click here for recipe.

COMING IN 2009
• I got a ‘light tent’ and some new plates for food photos for Christmas. I’m being forced into upping my game and I’m exploring some new food art opportunities.

• Announcement of new event coming January ’09. Hint: You’ll need a passport.