These is my Jamzzzz

Every holiday season I battle with the same question. What to give? Between friends, family and co-workers, gift giving can turn a happy wallet into a sad change purse. Who wants to waste their money on candles,chocolates, or other meaningless gifts? So I dug deep (real deep) and found the somewhat warped, frightened and sad Martha Stewart that had been hiding inside.

Last year I tackled terrariums. The finished product looked good but the plants died a few weeks later which was, oh you know... INCREDIBLY embarrassing.

This year I opted for something that wouldn't leave the receiver feeling like a murderer. Homemade Jam. My Aunt, whose inner Martha Stewart could beat the shit out of my inner Martha Stewart and THEN use her skin for an origami project, recommended THE BLUE CHAIR JAM COOKBOOK. This book makes jamming look ridiculously easy and beautiful, (it is not) but I still recommend it. And if you realize jamming just isn't your thing, it's heavy enough to use as an elegant door stop.

Before I had 20 jars of a decently tasting product, I spent 5 Sundays in a row bent over a hot stove, red berry juice covering my kitchen floor and walls, while I tested for jam "doneness" as Bob Marley's "Jamming" played in the background.

Here are some of the concoctions I tried:
red raspberries with rose geranium (too sweet), strawberry with rosemary (yuck), plain strawberry (too runny), cranberry & pomegranate (yummy), and tart raspberry lemongrass (tart & yummy).

In the end my hard work paid off. Sorry Martha but you'll need to find somebody else's skin for your art!

heating cranberries in pomegranate juice

jars ready to be sterilized

cute and thoughtful Christmas gifts

Brunch It Part 1. ~ Eggscellent

One of my favorite parts about the weekend, (and life) is getting to enjoy a leisurely breakfast. Which is why I have decided to do a series dedicated to exploring all things related to morning meals.

Sometimes I visit my favorite brunch spots like Gjelinas for their Neiman ranch BLT with a sunny egg, or the Beverly Hills Hotel Fountain Coffee Room for silver dollar buttermilk pancakes with a vanilla milkshake. Decadent? Yes. Costly? Hell yes! Which is why I often prefer to spend my weekend mornings preparing a deliciously simple and cost effective brunch at home.

The Usual Suspects

Eggs

Avocado

Tomatoes

Arugula

Pesto

Spinach
Zucchini
Thyme

Tomato Sauce

Chicken apple sausage

Tofu sausage

Herbed goat cheese

Whole wheat english muffins

Whole wheat toast

Fresh Fruit (whatever is in season)

Swedish Pancake Mix

Butter

Milk

Fresh Maple Syrup

Fresh Orange Juice

Champagne

Of all the items listed, (Swedish Pancake mix being one of my favorites and a future Brunch series topic) the most common dish I tend to make involves eggs. As I don't have a super sweet tooth, I prefer flavorful and creative egg dishes with gourmet additions.

My favorite egg dish is inspired by Huckleberry's Green eggs and ham - Poached eggs, prosciutto, pesto & arugula on an english muffin. I don't eat much pork*, so I substitute the prosciutto with avocado and add sliced cherry tomatoes. In my opinion there is no better tasting egg dish than when it is topped with homemade pesto, arugula, avocado and fresh cut tomatoes on a crispy english muffin. Unless it had bacon! My only weakness. (*Ignore statement and see An Ode To Bacon).

Depending on what is in my fridge, I use this basic recipe to play around with other combinations. Also keeping in mind that eggs are one of the most versatile ingredients to work with I know that I can be creative as I dare. This past Sunday, having only wilted arugula and some heirloom cherry tomatoes, I decided on a resourceful start to my day. Thus arugula pesto was created and drizzled over a fried egg with sliced tomatoes. Simple and succulent!

Other mornings have seen eggs topped with sauteed onions, bell peppers, and tomato sauce. Or a scramble of zucchini, mushrooms, goat cheese, chicken sausage, and fresh thyme. Why not make your own breakfast sandwich with sliced cheese, avocado and tomato? I did! The possibilities are endless and the outcome always the same. Eggscellent ;)

~ When in Doubt, Pinky Out ~

Pippa has swept the world with her smashing good looks, the Royal Couple are enjoying a fabulous honeymoon and Harry Potter has finished his brilliant battle with the Dark Lord. The world has been taken with British culture and bloody hell, so am I. But alas, I can not afford to travel to Europe, sit on patios, sip wine, and gaze at Big Ben. So why not bring Europe to you by celebrating with one of Britain's oldest traditions? High Tea. Here is a recipe for some simple tea sandwiches that you can pair with your favorite tea. Feel free to use this as inspiration to create your own unique sandwiches with whatever suits your fancy. You'd be mad not to dahhhling.

Tea Sandwiches

Ingredients:
2 slices good bread (whole wheat for healthier sandwiches)
cucumber sliced
smoked salmon
fresh dill chopped
cream cheese (softened)
salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:
Soften the cream cheese by putting it in the microwave for 10 seconds. Cut the crust off of your sliced bread. Spread the cream cheese on both slices of bread. Top one side with cucumbers, smoked salmon or both. Sprinkle dill and salt and pepper to taste. Place the other slice of bread on top and cut into cute small rectangle or triangle shapes. Enjoy your brilliant creation with a cup of tea, (pinky out).

Favorite tea kettle from MacKenzie-Childs

Sun Kissed

I love summer. It's the time where I come to life. All winter I sit inside, cold and lethargic, reading books and sipping tea. I often feel like I'm 80. Or a sloth. And then one day the sun is shining, the air is warm, and I wake up! I have energy, I smile more and just feel happier. I take advantage of the sunny weather and beautiful warm nights.

And this summer is no exception. Which is why I kicked it off with making my first batch of Sun Tea. Fresh iced tea that is easy, fun and environmentally friendly to make. You'll also feel pretty handy that you made it all-natural. If you ask me the tea tastes fresher and more delicious than any store bought tea and you don't have to heat up your kitchen to make it. Plus you can be creative and use fun teas like white peach with mint for a great summer refresher. Enjoy the power of the sun!

Sun Tea Recipe

Courtesy of Simple Recipes

Method:

Put 4 to 6 tea bags into a clean 2 quart glass container. Fill with water and cap. Place outside where the sunlight can strike the container for about 3 to 5 hours. Move the container if necessary to keep it in the sun. Add a few tablespoons of sugar. When the tea has reached its desired strength, remove from sun and put it in the refrigerator. You may or may not want to remove the tea bags at this point. I usually don't.

The tea will probably taste more mellow than what you are used to from using boiling water. The slow seeping has a way of bringing out a slightly different flavor from the tea. Also, because you didn't use boiling water, you should refrigerate the tea and drink it up pretty quickly - a day or two. It will not keep as well as iced tea made from boiling water.

I usually make sun tea with various forms of herbal tea. Sometimes you can put in a few sprigs of fresh mint as well.

Red White and Yellow

In preparation for the big day, I'm psyching my mind and gut for all things unhealthy, un-wholeful and ALL AMERICAN! And what better way to start than with a Let's be Frank hot dog. At least their made from pasture-based livestock free from hormones, steroids, and other junk.

And for all you non red meat eaters and vegetarians such as myself, they got you covered with their homemade turkey and spicy veggie dog. Ask for the grilled onions and homemade spicy devil sauce if your into that sorta thing. The only downside? No dill relish.

Which brings me to my next thought.

Which relish is more "American", Dill or Sweet?

Happy Fourth of July Weekend!!!

Let's Be Frank Dogs

Helms Ave

between Washington Blvd & Venice Blvd
Culver City, CA 90034

(888) 233-7265

Spoondilicious Rating: 7 our of 10 spoons (it's a hot dog cart man!)