The Value of a Dollar: A project by Jonathan Blaustein includes a series of photographs that show $1 worth of different foods. My favorite is the Burger King salad w/ ranch dressing–in which there is pretty much more dressing than salad.
Check, please!
(Via kottke.org)
Okay, so I didn’t actually have cactus cupcakes–but if you gave me one, I can now safely say I would try it. (New Life Goal: Become judge on Cupcake Wars episode featuring cactus as challenge ingredient.) After a weekend visit to one of my favorite Deland restaurants, de la Vega (formerly known as Penachos) and trying their huarache de nopal I am officially dubbing cactus “the watermelon of the desert.” What exactly is in huarache de nopal?
huarache de nopal, starring cactus!
“A delicious tender chicken breast baked with poblano, green and red peppers, spread with cream cheese and topped with a red mild sauce. Served on a savory grilled cactus leaf.”
Cactus has the texture of a moderately sauteed pepper, but a light flavor that really does make desert imagery (the Georgia O’Keefe kind, not the snakes, scorpions and death-by-dehydration kind) burst in your mind when you try it. This dish earns two and half noms. With de la Vega’s best-ever guacamole appetizer, I bump this experience up to a full triple nom nom nom!
And last but not least, I hope you left room for dessert, aka devils food cupcakes topped with marshmallows. My sister-in-law made these super cute and totally yummy concoctions for my brother’s birthday:
cupcakes w/ marshmallows
The recipe is featured in this month’s Real Simple magazine, but I think the basic idea is you add the jumbo marshmallows to the cupcakes during the last 2-3 minutes they’re in the oven. And guys, you know how good these must be when the following words come out of my mouth, but here it goes: Move over, Publix buttercream icing, there’s a new sheriff in town!
ketchup on meatloaf
Like a moth to a flame, burned by the fire / My love for ketchup is strong / Can’t you see my desire?
I tortured myself all day about what to make this week, and finally decided eff it, I’m making pizza–so I found this recipe for sausage, red onion and mushroom pizza and gave it a whirl. Good news! It was worth it.
Sausage, red onion and mushroom pizza
I didn’t realize it until I was already cooking, but this pizza has no sauce. Which is good, because if it did you couldn’t taste the delicious rosemary and red pepper baked into the crust. (Cue “mmmmm” sound effect… Now!)
This recipe has so many things I love: fresh mozzarella, parm, Italian sausage, tons of mushrooms–but my favorite part is definitely the red onion. The recipe called for a whole red onion, but I got scared and only used about 3/4 of that. Minor mistake on my part, because the texture and flavor of that onion just ties the entire pizza together for me–but hey, that’s why God invented enough ingredients to make it again!
Side note: You can tell from the picture there is parsley sprinkled on top–at least the few bits that didn’t get burned in the oven. I have to start remembering that herb is such a wimp and hold off on adding it until the end. Toughen up, parsley! Jeez.
This week’s hot plate comes straight from another friend, Ashley Zach. Ashley and I used to share an office when she worked with Moore Consulting Group, and I distinctly remember being jealous of her ridiculously delicious-looking lunches on a near daily basis–so it was my pleasure to cook this spicy shrimp and polenta recipe from her brand spankin’ new foodie blog, Sprout.
You guys, I am going to cut right to the chase: This recipe is amazing. How amazing, you ask? Do you know that feeling, when you’re someplace quiet and you catch a sunset and it makes you realize how beautiful the world is? That is how I felt eating this dish.
Ashley, if you want to be a caterer I hope you will let me hire you. To cater my life. Because damn.
Spicy shrimp over polenta
A few notes on the experience:
It was my first time cooking with jalapeño. I normally avoid anything spicy, but after making this I can assure you that rule has been tossed directly out the window. Delish.
It was also my first time shopping at Southern Seafood Market in Tallahassee. If you are like me and have never been to a seafood market, find one. My jaw literally dropped when I walked in the door; I had no idea fish could be that beautiful. Or fresh. Or enormous.
And to round out the list, this was my first time cooking (or even seeing) polenta. Mine was instant and I think the texture was off, but it was still good.
I so, so enjoyed this recipe, and it was actually easier to make than you would think. I am not kidding when I tell you I got a little teary-eyed when I tasted that first bite, and after telling myself to pull it together–it’s just dinner, for chrissakes!–my brain went into autopilot and I didn’t think another thing until that entire plate was clean.
Thank you, Ashley, for sharing!
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Tomorrow: Lessons from the kitchen. Turns out not all recipes have such happy endings. Stay tuned!
¡hot plate! 