Celebrating Sustainable Seafood

October is an activity-packed month.

Pink ribbons appear everywhere in the month of October, promoting Breast Cancer awareness around the world. In the United States we celebrate Columbus Day--Latin American countries call it Dia de la Raza or Dia de las Culturas-- commemorating the discovery of the Americas in 1492. And at the end of the month, many western nations celebrate Halloween in accordance with their own cultural traditions. From a food-loving perspective, October is National Seafood Month in the United States. Jacqueline of Leather District Gourmet is taking a bit of poetic license, calling it Sustainable Seafood Month and hosting a delightful event around it.

Jacqueline explains her event: "Give a man a fish and you'll feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you'll feed him for a lifetime. Teach a man to fish/cook sustainably and we'll all eat better, longer." She's afraid it's not catchy. I found it compelling.

One fifteen minute session with the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch website and one thirty minute conversation with my local fishmonger later, a healthy fillet of wild-caught Alaskan halibut was on my dinner menu.

According to the aquarium, Pacific halibut are bottom-dwelling groundfish. Primarily found in the coastal North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea, they migrate hundreds of miles from shallow coastal waters to the deep, open ocean to spawn in winter. Afterwards, most return, year after year, to their same coastal feeding grounds. In Alaska, fishing for Pacific halibut is strictly limited to the bottom longlining method, which causes little habitat damage and has low bycatch associated with it.

My fishmonger confirmed that the halibut I'd chosen had been caught off the coast of Alaska using the longline method, stored at near freezing temperature for its trip to California and butchered and filleted four or five hours before I walked in the door.

Now the big question...what to do with it? I'd bookmarked this recipe for Sesame-Crusted Yellowtail and hadn't gotten around to trying it yet. I had most of the other ingredients on hand, so I decided to use the halibut as a more sustainable substitute and served it with a simple mixed green salad. It turned out amazing... buttery on the inside, crispy on the outside. It's a long ingredient list, but mostly staples in my kitchen. It's easy to assemble and plates pretty enough for company. It's now on my short list of go-to seafood recipes.

Technorati Tags: Food Blog Event | Sustainable Seafood | Key Ingredient: Halibut

Retro Confectionary Reminder...

Just a friendly reminder that the deadline for this month's sugar-coated Retro Recipe Challenge is quickly approaching.

Details for submitting your contributions can be found on this post.

Then check back on Halloween for some serious cavity-inducing historical confections and the stories behind them.



Technorati Tags: Retro Recipe Challenge

Great minds think alike

Remember when I mentioned I portioned part of my bun dough off for another project?

Let me step back a bit and explain...

About a week ago, Inge of Vanielje Kitchen posited a variation on the upcoming September challenge: sticky buns made with lavender and apples.

Little did she know she was reading my mind; that's precisely what I had in mind as my contribution to this month's They Go Really Well Together.

It all started in the heat of the summer when I went searching for single serve springform pans. I found them... and $50 US in other kitchen supplies I didn't know I needed when I walked into the store.

Including an adorable bottle of lavender extract. A bottle I've spent three months staring at trying to figure out how to employ.

When I saw the recipe for the cinnamon bun fondant I had a lavender-scented epiphany. Apple horns. Seasoned with vanilla sugar and crushed dried lavender. And drizzled in fondant flavored with my extract.

See... I NEEDED that bottle of extract! REALLY I did!

In the end, my sweet roll test audience was torn. (In an exercise in extreme will power, John and I limited our midnight snacking to the single bun that leads Sunday's late night post and packed the rest for sharing with friends tonight.) Most loved the comfortable warm familiarity the cinnamon buns. But everyone who made the stretch was amazed that the lavender, vanilla and apples really DID play well together. Marce... Inge... thanks to both of you for the inspiration you provided; this one is a winner.

Technorati Tags: Food Blog Events | TGRWT | Key Ingredients: Apple, Lavender, Yeast

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice?

When first learned of this months' Daring Baker challenge, I had a feeling the double entendres would fly on post day. So far today, Barbara's title and Stacy's are among my personal favorites. A latecomer to the party again this month, it's been my great pleasure to leave various iterations of "nice buns!" on ninety-some blogs as I wait patiently for MY dough to rise. Curious what my brothers and sisters in baking are up to? check them all out here.

I had a bit of a scare with the dough. I carefully measured all of the ingredients by weight, creamed the butter, salt and sugar, blended in the egg and lemon zest. So far so good. Then I added the flour, yeast, and milk and patiently waited for my dough to form a ball. Okay, perhaps *not* so very patiently. Five minutes later, no ball. John agreed that the dough was too wet, and we added approximately a half cup more flour before it came away from the sides of the bowl and formed a ball. Switched to the dough hook and let my mixer do its magic. Ten minutes later I had exactly the silky smooth soft dough I'd heard about from those daring bakers who didn't wait until the last possible second to bake their buns.

I spent the two hour proofing time reading other cinnamon roll reports and drooling over the accompanying photographs... hoping my midnight snack buns turn out half as tasty as the others look.

Once risen, I divided my dough in half, dedicating half to a future project and half to cinnamon bun goodness. We were offered the choice of cinnamon and sticky. I opted for cinnamon because I'm picky about nuts in baked goods, and I've been making my grandmother's sticky bun recipe since I was old enough to stand up and hold a rolling pin; choosing someone elses -- even if it is very good -- feels tantamount to sacrilege. Bun assembly was fairly straightforward, and I stashed them in the 'fridge while we headed out to a Sunday afternoon football party with John's high school friends. We'd proof them the final time and bake them when we returned -- a true midnight snack!

At 10:30, after two hours in a proofing oven, my buns had risen to glorious heights and were ready for baking. Heating the oven to 350 took no time at all, and we were quickly enveloped by the scents of sugar and spice and everything nice...

Eighteen minutes in the oven and my buns had baked to a delightful golden brown. I assembled the fondant while they cooled a bit -- choosing to halve the recipe since the most often repeated 'complaint' among the bakers was that it produced an excessive amount. I then transferred my cinnamon scented bounty to cooling racks and drizzled them with the sugary goodness. I'll admit that we didn't wait an additional twenty minutes to bite in, or I'd never make my midnight deadline and my coach would turn back into a pumpkin. Cinderelly? Cinderelly? Bippity Boppity Boo! Oh...Er... oops... sorry, wrong story.

These were absolutely worth the wait, and I'll definitely be repeating them in different forms and flavors. Just sweet enough to be satisfyingly sinful, without they cloying heavy sugar aftertaste of many commercial versions.

This month's adventure into the world of baked goods has been brought to us by Marce of Pip in the City. She's posted the recipe from Peter Reinhart's Bread Baker's Apprentice in all its glorious detail here.

Resources used:
King Arthur unbleached bread flour
Clover-Stornetta Organic butter, whole milk
Penzeys' Extra Fancy Vietnamese Cassia Cinnamon

Technorati Tags: Daring Bakers | Key Ingredients: Yeast, Cinnamon

Recaculating route...

Every once in a while, it occurs to me how much I've grown in the year and a half since I set up camp in my little corner of the Internets. I've joined a formidable group of men and women from around the world drawn together by our obsession with passion for goodies constructed of flour, sugar, butter and eggs. I've made some wonderful friends near and far in the process. I've honed existing skills and developed new ones, sometimes formally and others more casually. And I've had a blast along the way.

One of the surprise benefits are the various monthly events, and their ability to stretch my creativity and widen my comfort zone. Because by nature I tend to be a recipe follower. In the kitchen (as on the road) I have the confidence to create anything your heart desires (or take you anywhere you want to go)... as long as you provide a detailed, end-to-end, step-by-step set of instructions. Which before blog I would adhere to with almost a religious vigilance.

Put me behind the wheel of a car in unfamiliar territory and I still lean on "Vera" my trusty Verizon-provided GPS virtual goddess to get me there, patiently 'recalculating route' if I make a wrong turn. But in the kitchen the Sugar High Fridays, the Donna Days, the Presto Pasta Nights and even the whole Daring Baker experience have pushed my limits, helping me to spread my wings and look at a recipe as a set of guidelines rather than a rigid rule book, resulting in some creations that -- while they might not have been the vision of the recipe author -- are an interesting combination of the best of both of us.

Take this Cooking Light recipe for Fresh Corn Tart with Chipotle Cream for example. Pre-blog I would have followed the recipe literally, and probably come out with something pretty good. But a carbon copy of the magazine version. Instead, I evaluated the published ingredient list and improvised a bit:

For the Cream:
1-8 oz. container sour cream
juice of half a lime
3 chipotle chiles, minced, plus a tablespoon of adobo sauce (we like our food a little spicier than Cooking Light generally instructs)


Yes, there's more cream than we'll need for the tart. But it will taste great with a bit of cheddar atop a baked potato...

For the Tart I decided not to dirty a dozen measuring cups:
1 whole medium onion, chopped
2 whole seeded poblano chiles, chopped
half a package of leftover pork chiorizo
6 ears of corn
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups of water (give or take)
salt (eyeballed at about 1/2 teaspoon)
3/4 cup dry polenta (this I DID measure)
a chunk of leftover chipotle cheddar cheese, grated
Liberal amounts of Penzeys Salsa Salad Seasoning and Ground Chipotle Pepper

I added the ingredients for the cream directly into the sour cream container, stirred well with a fork, tasted, mixed a little Salsa Salad seasoning in, tasted again, declared victory and stashed the cream in the fridge while I tackled the tart.

The biggest chore there was preparing the corn; it took about 20 minutes to clean the cobs to my satisfaction. I'm not sure how much waste the Cooking Light version would have generated; my cobs were clean and the result was probably twice "3 1/2 cups". Good think my cast iron skillet's industrial size...

From there I chopped onion and peppers, again producing a greater volume than strict adherence to the recipe would have allowed.

I spread a couple of drops of olive oil across the bottom of my heated skillet and got to work cooking the onions to a nice golden color. Added the chiles and continued to saute until they browned a bit and released a soul-satisfying fragrance.

I had pre-cooked my sausage while I was shucking corn, and I added it at this point. Added the garlic and the corn and because of the volume, I probably cooked it another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure a nice, even light-brownage. After transferring the mix to a big bowl, I mixed in the Penzeys seasonings, tasting occasionally until I was happy with the balance.

I followed the polenta instructions as published (without realizing it) -- I've been making polenta since I was about 6 years old so there's no lack of confidence there. I tossed a handful of the grated chipotle cheddar and sprinkled some of the Penzeys seasonings into the polenta before lining the skillet with it to create the tart "shell". Layered on the cheese and the corn mixture and baked at 450 for 35 minutes (cheese melted, edges crispy but not blackened).

I served this over a bed of lettuce dressed lightly with a chipotle vinaigrette. Yum.

Because this creation was loosely inspired by "Donna Day" and her sister events, I've chosen it as my contribution to Hay Hay, it's Donna Day - Equal Opportunity Tarts, hosted this month by the dynamic Sarina Nicole of TriniGourmet.

Resources used:
Organic corn and poblanos, chipotles and cheese from Whole Foods
Garlic & onion from my CSA
Clover-Stornetta organic sour cream
Penzeys Salsa Seasoning and Ground Chipotles

Technorati Tags: Food Blog Event | Hay Hay, it's Donna Day | Key Ingredient: Corn

Eat it Up, Wear it Out, Make it Do, Do Without

One of the advantages of last month's Operation Bug-Begone is an increased awareness of exactly which foodstuffs abound in my pantry. I discovered that in addition to 7 different varieties of flour and 11 separate olive oils, I have nineteen tins of imported Italian tuna, shoved in the corner of a cabinet after Nona Sylvia's last trip to the old country.

So when Stephanie of Dispensing Happiness announced that September's Leftover Tuesdays Edition #8 was a call to rummage through the cabinets, counter top, refrigerator and come up with a creative meal, I knew exactly where my focus would be. A weeknight dinner comprised entirely of leftovers centered around a forgotten pantry item: the tuna panini.

I started with a leftover hunk of kalamata olive bread. Sprinkled it with a little grated asiago. Mixed the tuna with a chopped red onion, olive, and roasted bell peppers. Spread the tuna mixture over the bread and topped it with a wedge of avocado. Ten minutes of prep, two minutes per side on my grill pan with a sandwich press and dinner is served.

I paired it with the last few ounces of a bottle of Pinot Grigio we'd opened over the weekend.

Resources used:
Kalamata Olive Bread from Della Fattoria
Callipo Ventresca (Belly Tuna) in olive oil
Stevenot Winery 2006 Pinot Grigio

Technorati Tags: Food Blog Event | Leftover Tuesday | Key Ingredient: Tuna

One last wave at summer...

Summer is fading into fall here in Northern California. It's getting dark a little earlier in the evening, and 100-degree "Indian summer" days have given way to crisp cool nights. Rain is in this weekend's forecast. Apples, pears and figs have replaced peaches and plums at the farmers' markets.

I was pleased when Ivonne chose to honor the fig in this 35th edition of Sugar High Friday. I love fall fruits -- *especially* the unctuous fig -- but like many of you I don't have a lot of experience cooking with them. I enjoy slicing them over a harvest salad, stuffing them with goat cheese and wrapping them in pancetta, and I've even experimented with a yummy savory torte that often makes our autumn open house menu. But Ivonne was looking for something sweet, so I couldn't lean on any of my old standbys. I'd need to expand my horizons and come up with some new way to fall in love with the fig.

I looked at a lot of recipes. I thought about scones. I perused a half dozen different interpretations of fig tart. I briefly contemplated preserving the bounty for posterity in the form of fig jam. But in the end, I took a step back toward summer, choosing a riff on Fine Cooking's Fig and Anise Ice Cream as my contribution to this month's event.

I'm not a fan of anise so I did a little improvising there, choosing cardamom and clove to impart a bit of a fall flavor. And I used my grandmother's trick, swapping mascarpone for the creme fraiche the recipe requested. Because recipes are just guidelines, right? My revised ingredient list included:

2 pounds fresh figs, stemmed and quartered
1/3 cup plus 1 Tablespoon sugar
2 cups organic whipping cream
1/3 cup honey
8 cardamom pods, crushed
1 teaspoon cloves
3 large eggs, separated
1 cup mascarpone

I pureed the figs to a fluffy pink texture and then cooked it to a wonderful jammy goodness. And every time I combine cream and eggs over heat, I thank Shuna for her careful instruction in all things anglaise.

I had plenty of down time while my base chilled in the refrigerator. An hour and a half, to be exact. You'd think I could have used some of that time to study the instruction manual that came with the ice cream maker attachment I haven't used since *last* summer.

You'd think wrong.

I *did* look at the manual. I actually watched a video on Kitchen Aid's website that showed how to assemble the equipment. This isn't rocket science. You'd think I'd have retained it long enough to get the apparatus up and running.

I repeat, you'd think wrong.

I screwed up the assembly. So my delicious gelato base is still... gelato base.

Lucky for me, Shuna's curriculum included some troubleshooting, so my base is back in refrigeration and we're going to try this again tomorrow. Stay tuned...

Resources used:
blend of organic brown turkey and black mission figs from Hamada Farms
Clover-Stornetta organic whipping cream
California Wildflower honey from Marshall's Farm

Technorati Tags: Food Blog Event | Sugar High Friday| Key Ingredient: Fig

Who can take a sunrise...

...Sprinkle it with dew
Cover it with choc'late and a miracle or two?
The Candy Man...
Oh, the Candy Man can
The Candy Man can
'Cause he mixes it with love
And makes the world taste good

I'm honored to announce that Laura Rebecca has invited me to host the latest iteration of her delightful Retro Recipe Challenge. With Halloween approaching in all its sweet-centered indulgence, we're celebrating sugar. We've chosen Sammy Davis Junior as our spokesperson for Retro Recipe Challenge #9: The Candy Man...

Who can take a rainbow
Wrap it in a sigh
Soak it in the sun and make a groovy lemon pie?
The Candy Man...
The Candy Man can
The Candy Man can
'Cause he mixes it with love
And makes the world taste good

So don't just sit there singing along... join us! Dig out your old magazines and cookbooks. Flip to the dessert section. Find a recipe that speaks to you in the language of sugar. Make it. Photograph it. Blog about it. And send me the details...

Who can take tomorrow
Dip it in a dream
Separate the sorrow and collect up all the cream?
The Candy Man...
Oh, the Candy Man can
The Candy Man can
'Cause he mixes it with love
And makes the world taste good

Are you in?

Let's take a little closer look at the guidelines: First, we're primarily interested in recipes published before 1980, but we're flexible. Ideally, your blog post should cite your source (even if that's grandma's recipe box) and share your experience with the recipe. You're welcome to use the Retro Recipe Sources Laura Rebecca provides for inspiration. Pictures are lovely, but optional.

Next, send me your contribution, including a link to the post, your name and location before midnight PDT on October 26. Send it to dolores dot ferrero at gmail dot com. Look for a sugar soaked round up the round up on October 31.

The Candy Man makes everything he bakes
Satisfying and delicious
Talk about your childhood wishes
You can even eat the dishes...

Technorati Tags: Food Blog Event | Retro Recipe Challenge

Fascinating...

I found this over at Fer Food.

I'm not sure what it says. About the criminal mind. About justice. About the American diet. About me. About anything.

But I found it fascinating.

One tardy tart...

By now many of you have read fifty-some stories detailing the saga of the Milk Chocolate and Caramel Tart. A bit of bleeding aside, our experience wasn't terribly dramatic.

The shortbread crust came together quickly and without incident. I had the advantage of the collective Daring Baker experience to draw on, so when it crumbled a bit as I pressed it into the tart pan I didn't panic. The result was sensational; I will be adding this crust to my tart shell arsenal.

Have I mentioned how much I love that my guy enjoys the kitchen as much as I do? John agreed to help me tackle the caramel. When he learned that the "dry method" was a challenge for all but the professionally-trained among us, he decided to take it head on.

This is where the minimalist recipe left us the greatest room for error. The instructions read: "In a saucepan, caramelize 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar using the dry method until it turns a golden caramel color."

Google "homemade caramel, dry method" and below fifty some blog entries dated August 29, you get a handful of other hits. Each offers advice on how to make a perfect caramel. No two sets of instructions match. Some say stir. Some say leave it alone. Some make dry caramel using damp sugar.

In the end, John winged it. Stirred the sugar until it melted, turned up the heat slightly until he had a color and a texture he was happy with, then mounted the cream and butter.

Like many of the other Daring Bakers we baked the tart for twice the published duration, then let it cool overnight before adding the mousse component.

And it was in making the mousse that things got a little dicey. John's chopping the chocolate block for melting, and the dialog goes something like this:

J: {expletive} Didn't need that fingertip anyway.
J: Honey, can you come here a second?
D: What happened?
J: Cut myself chopping the chocolate.
D: Do you need me to bring a band-aid?
J: How about a tourniquet?

That got my attention. In the end, the wound wasn't serious (although it still smarts), but the bleeding was profuse. We were able to contain it and move ahead with the mousse, and managed to proceed through the remainder of that task without incident.

I'd found a bar of dark chocolate with hazelnuts that I thought would make a nice decoration tying the components together and I drizzled a bit of dark chocolate sauce over the top of that.

In an ongoing attempt to prevent these monthly challenges from turning into a steady program of weight gain, our taste-testing audience for this culinary experiment were the attendees at a Saturday square dance party. So I can tell you that this travels beautifully and presents well on a buffet. We served it sliced into brownie-sized squares. How did it go over? Nine people asked me for the recipe. I think we have a winner here.

You can find the recipe on Patricia's post or Veronica's. Veronica and Patricia chose this month's confection from Eric Kayser’s Sweet & Savory Tarts, a tome that's found its way to the top of my wish list despite the author's brevity with recipes. Curious how the other Daring Bakers fared with this challenge? Check out their results through the Daring Baker Blogroll.

Resources Used:
Horizon Organic whipping cream
Farm fresh eggs from the fine folks at Vino Noceto winery
Valrhona milk chocolate
Rapunzel Organic Swiss Dark Chocolate with Hazelnuts

Technorati Tags: Daring Bakers | Sweets | Dessert | Chocolate | Caramel

HEALTHY Fair Food?!?

In Texas it's the Fried Cookie Dough. In Minnesota, it's Mac & Cheese on a Stick. Indiana is frying their Twinkies trans-fat free. And they're frying soft drinks in Colorado.

At state and county fairs across the United States, food vendors shove a stick in just about anything edible, drop it in a deep fryer, and sell it to hungry fairgoers at premium prices.

Your heroine is no stranger to the fair food phenomenon.

One of my fondest summertime memories is sharing a corn dog and a coke with Grandpa as we waited in line for the ferris wheel.

And I'm no stranger to the funnel cake.

So while I headed to this year's county fair anticipating a caloric and dietetic disaster, I was pleasantly surprised to find a new relatively healthy new fair food obsession: mango on a stick. For four bucks I walked away with one of the sweetest, juiciest most succulent mangoes I've ever experienced. Sure, it probably prompted a spike in my blood sugar. But it provided some nutritional value with the sugar rush. And as I considered the artery-clogging options I'd passed up, smugness settled in.

Technorati Tags: Fair Food

You've got Mail! From Australia!

The package arrived at my doorstep during the height of "Battle Bug" (a war we're still waging against a few hearty stragglers). A delightful little box all the way from Australia.

I wasted no time clearing off the first available horizontal surface and diving right in! (Sadly, I wasted way too much time getting my goodies posted here, and for that I extend sincere apologies to Cin and Stephanie.)

First out of the box, a generous jar of Wattleseed. Hmm... Wattleseed? Wattleseed: according to the Internets, an Aboriginal spice blend made popular by a pioneer in native Australian foods and used to add complex flavor profiles to sweets and savories. A little more web surfing reveals some must-try recipes: Wattleseed Pavlova and Emeril's Wattleseed Ice Cream.

Next up, a handful of chocolate bars... two adorable Cadbury "Caramello" Koala Chocolate Caramel bars and two bars of Ccoca Rhapsody's Nut Cove -- roasted hazelnuts, pistachios, and caramelized sugar covered in organic fair trade milk chocolate hand-crafted in Melbourne.

From sugar we turn to caffeine, in the form of Byron Bay Coffee Company's Classic Roast. Rich and smooth with hints of chocolate, it's been a hit at my breakfast table.

G'day mate... if I ever find myself visiting the land of Oz, I know what I'll get if I order a sanger and a tube of amber fluid. thanks to a handy dictionary of Aussie slang.

As summer fades to fall and I'm searching for an inviting book, a cozy blanket and a warm cup of soup on a chilly weekend afternoon, I now have Jacques Pepin's memoir The Apprentice waiting on my coffee table. It promises to be a story of strength and determination, growth and transformation... sprinkled with some soul-satisfying recipes.

And then there are the Tim Tams. These are clearly Australia's contribution to that small collection of foodstuffs (marcona almonds, pimentos di padron, Girl Scout thin mints, Caramel Sin) that I consider culinary cocaine. Cin suggests the Tim Tam Slam: "bite off (nibble) diagonal corners and use biscuit as a straw to sip your tea/coffee (make sure it's not too hot). Quickly place entire biscuit in mouth and wait for explosion." We haven't been able to try the Tim Tam Slam because we can't stop eating them straight out of the package. Another trip to the Internets reveals that these lovelies come in multiple flavors. For which there are recipes. A few more minutes with Google and I have a source for the entire product line in Texas. My uncle lives near San Antonio. I see a road trip in my future...

Thanks to Stephanie of Dispensing Happiness for hosting this installment of Blogging by Mail, and to Cin of My Favorite Things for sharing a little bit of Australia with me.

Technorati Tags: Food Blog Event Blogging by Mail

While the rest of you were making caramel tarts...

...John and I spent the weekend battling what the friendly folks at Orkin affectionately call "pantry pests" -- little bugs that found their way into my kitchen in a bag of pastry flour or a package of pasta -- and have made themselves quite a happy home. Four rolls of paper towels, two sponges, two bottles of 409 and a half gallon of bleach later, the shelves and drawers are clean and ready for their Monday appointment with the Orkin man, the island is a mountain of salvaged foodstuffs, and the dishwasher is poised for a week of overdrive as all of the dishes will need to be re-washed before I can put them away when the fumigation is complete. That'll teach ME to re-wrap dry goods before putting them in the pantry.

Stay tuned... my blogging by mail bounty, the chocolate caramel tart and a feature on 21st century fair food are on the 'back burner' while we banish the bugs...

Introductions, and answers...

Well congratulations folks. You recognize yourselves! Thanks for joining in and playing along (even those of you who weren't aware you were part of the game.) You've become the friends I've never met. Kept me company on hot sleepless summer nights and cold rainy afternoons. Introduced me to new restaurants, wines, kitchen gadgets, market vendors, local resources. Made me pause and think about what I feed my family and what that says about me.

Now allow me to introduce you to each other...without further ado: the answers -- the authors.

Number 1: a professional writer, amateur foodie, avid traveler and all-around bon vivant.

I grew up an Italian-American adjacent to the city by the bay... but I've grown to appreciate it in a brand new light through Sean's words and DPaul's images. Sean's introduction to Hedonia reminds me of a personal ad -- the only personal ad I've encountered that's encouraged me to linger a while, pull up a chair, pour a glass of wine, and join in the conversation.

Number 2: There are a lot of traditions associated with the coming of the new year, whether it’s the Western New Year that we ring in on January 1, the Chinese New Year (this will be the year of the Cock) which lands some time in February, or even Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, in September or October. I’m American, and ring in the new year at midnight on December 31 with lots of champagne, hugs and kisses all around, and pretty much all kinds of other decadent debauchery.

And then there's Sarah, living The Delicious Life in Los Angeles. Part social commentary, part confessional, neatly wrapped up in 'deluscious' restaurant reviews delivered with delightful doses of pop culture, humor and sarcasm. And it all started here.

Number 3: In a busy kitchen a sharp knife is your most important tool. With continual use, it dulls, but much like watching yourself slowly age you don't realize it's gotten quite as dull as it has until you find yourself using massive force to cut an onion. It's time to sharpen.

I don't think it's any secret that I am obsessed with intrigued by the restaurant industry, in how things *really* work in a commercial kitchen. Thankfully, there are a handful of blogs out there that satisfy that jones. The Knife's Edge is one of my favorites. Haddock takes the time to explain the pros and cons of taking reservations, the challenges of balancing budgetary issues with employee morale, offers some sage advice to his dining public, and in the process sharpens your mental edge by getting you to think. His is a story worth reading from the beginning.

Number 4: Bienvenue a Welcome to! This simple title is enough to sum up my destiny...

When I visit Helene's Tartlette, I find myself flooded with mental images of beautiful homes dotting the French countryside, juxtaposed with the action-packed but warm-and-welcoming Midwest American kitchens where I spent many summers of my youth. We've never met, but we've shared Sunday breakfast and Gateau St. Honore and many, many things in between, if only virtually. I'm grateful our destinies have crossed and that she's welcomed me at her kitchen table.

Number 5: Let me start off by saying that I can not spell and my grammar is horrible (thank you public school…I can say that since I taught school for 9 years…public school).

That being confessed to the six people who will read this, I shall proceed. My goal here with my blog is undetermined at this time. I will mostly write about food, share recipes, restaurant reviews as well as cookbook reviews…. but I admit from time to time that the subject of ice hockey just might sneak in.

Peabody really defies introduction. She's developed quite a reputation in my office... any time I bring sweets or snacks to share, everyone wants to know if "it is a Peabody." Spelling and grammar be damned! Just keep providing crowd-pleasing, no-fail recipes -- and the tips, tricks, and stories that go with them. :)

Number 6: There are some moments when I almost believe that the New York Times Dining & Wine section reads my mind.

She lives and works in Brooklyn, arguably one of the food-Meccas of these United States. Yet Cathy's quite passionate about NOT eating out in New York. And not out of some bizarre misguided (or even well-founded) sense of self superiority, but for some very interesting reasons. She seems to be living quite well on not-takeout. And I LOVE the cost calculator and the brownie points! And it all started with a New York Times article on gazpacho...

Number 7: While running this morning, I passed a long hedge and noticed a violent disturbance in the leaves. Then I heard fluttering overhead. To the west, an ominous shadow of a flying bird on the pavement followed mine. I ran and ran and it cawed and cawed, and the bird shadow stayed exactly five feet behind my fleeing shadow. My eyes widened as I anticipated that horrible moment when the shadow would gradually grow bigger and bigger until it finally merged with mine, and I’d see nothing but crimson clouds from a bloody eye-pecking orgy that would put a damper on running ever again, not to mention staining my shirt so thoroughly that I’d have to resort to presoaking with Tide detergent on laundry day.

At the very least, I anticipated that the bird might crap on my head out of spite and/or entertainment and/or target practice. It didn’t, but now that I’m out of danger, the thought of a tiny poo shadow falling from the bird shadow and landing on the head of my running shadow makes me giggle uncontrollably. Hee hee. But nothing happened. The bird left, perhaps assured that I wasn’t trying to eat its chicks or its food, and my head and shoulders remained poop free. That’s when I noticed squashed black splotches on the ground under the trees.

Mulberry season has begun.

I love the way Bon Appegeek's Annie approaches food -- and life: "Does a healthy eater write about rice cakes and celery sticks? No way. Nothing is more exciting to a semi-retired glutton than the pursuit of forbidden excess." A consummate story teller with a natural curiosity about all things edible, Annie serves up some righteous recipes with a healthy dose of sarcasm; she's got a unique style that simultaneously makes me laugh *and* makes me think. And a healthy respect for Hitchcock. Or Mulberries. Take your pick.

Number 8: I swear to God, I'm gonna' get fired and I won't have anyone to blame but the coalition of S.F. food bloggers. They have gotten me addicted to their damn food blogs. I read them all day. They're like my coke, but without the 80's music in the background.

The "shibby" Garrett of Vanilla Garlic routinely reports on the greater Sacramento area food scene, expanding my list of "must tries" in his part of California. His cupcake recipes rock! And he's always good for a laugh...even if he's got some strange vendetta against his neighbors to the west.

Number 9: Shortly after I graduated from university I moved to a small town perched high in the mountains of central Japan. The name of the town literally means high or highest mountain and it is surrounded by breathtaking peaks, many of them capped in snow year round. I arrived in October, just in time to witness the flaming autumn foliage. Soon, however, the leaves had fallen off the trees, the days turned bitterly cold, and winter was upon us.

Rather than repeat myself, check out my thoughts on Tea & Cookies on this post. Then go read her from the beginning. You won't be disappointed.

Number 10: sometimes things aren't always what they seem - often...they're much, much more.

Her photography captured my attention. Her recipes intrigued me. Her stories drew me in. And her soul refuses to let go. She's Tami of Running with Tweezers, and over the months we've spent together, she's offered all of this... and so very much more.

Introductions

I don't know about the rest of you, but I have a handful of food blog favorites that I don't read every day, but save to enjoy like a late season summer peach, lingering over the words, the images and the emotions they evoke. Tea and Cookies is one of those blogs. Whether she's sharing the diary of a mad food blogger, reflecting on the quiet tranquil beauty of the winter market, or deliberating over what to take and what to leave behind, Tea's observations of the "intersection between food and life" are best savored thoughtfully over with a glass of wine and a hunk of artisan cheese, or a cup of tea and cookies.

A few weeks ago she offered us a collection of beginnings... reminding us how some of the more famous and infamous among her blogging friends got their start in cyberspace. I found myself revisiting her post and the blogs she featured again and again, fascinated by the promise reflected in their first words.

Since Tea missed a few of my favorites -- and plagiarism really *is* a sincere form of flattery, I offer the first words of ten of my favorite food bloggers. Feel free to play along, guess at the authors in the comments... and I'll be back in the next couple of days with the "answers".

Number 1: a professional writer, amateur foodie, avid traveler and all-around bon vivant.

Number 2: There are a lot of traditions associated with the coming of the new year, whether it’s the Western New Year that we ring in on January 1, the Chinese New Year (this will be the year of the Cock) which lands some time in February, or even Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, in September or October. I’m American, and ring in the new year at midnight on December 31 with lots of champagne, hugs and kisses all around, and pretty much all kinds of other decadent debauchery.

Number 3: In a busy kitchen a sharp knife is your most important tool. With continual use, it dulls, but much like watching yourself slowly age you don't realize it's gotten quite as dull as it has until you find yourself using massive force to cut an onion. It's time to sharpen.

Number 4: Bienvenue a Welcome to! This simple title is enough to sum up my destiny...

Number 5: Let me start off by saying that I can not spell and my grammar is horrible (thank you public school…I can say that since I taught school for 9 years…public school).

That being confessed to the six people who will read this, I shall proceed. My goal here with my blog is undetermined at this time. I will mostly write about food, share recipes, restaurant reviews as well as cookbook reviews…. but I admit from time to time that the subject of ice hockey just might sneak in.

Number 6: There are some moments when I almost believe that the New York Times Dining & Wine section reads my mind.

Number 7: While running this morning, I passed a long hedge and noticed a violent disturbance in the leaves. Then I heard fluttering overhead. To the west, an ominous shadow of a flying bird on the pavement followed mine. I ran and ran and it cawed and cawed, and the bird shadow stayed exactly five feet behind my fleeing shadow. My eyes widened as I anticipated that horrible moment when the shadow would gradually grow bigger and bigger until it finally merged with mine, and I’d see nothing but crimson clouds from a bloody eye-pecking orgy that would put a damper on running ever again, not to mention staining my shirt so thoroughly that I’d have to resort to presoaking with Tide detergent on laundry day.

At the very least, I anticipated that the bird might crap on my head out of spite and/or entertainment and/or target practice. It didn’t, but now that I’m out of danger, the thought of a tiny poo shadow falling from the bird shadow and landing on the head of my running shadow makes me giggle uncontrollably. Hee hee. But nothing happened. The bird left, perhaps assured that I wasn’t trying to eat its chicks or its food, and my head and shoulders remained poop free. That’s when I noticed squashed black splotches on the ground under the trees.

Mulberry season has begun.

Number 8: I swear to God, I'm gonna' get fired and I won't have anyone to blame but the coalition of S.F. food bloggers. They have gotten me adddicted to their damn food blogs. I read them all day. They're like my coke, but without the 80's music in the background.

Number 9: Shortly after I graduated from university I moved to a small town perched high in the mountains of central Japan. The name of the town literally means high or highest mountain and it is surrounded by breathtaking peaks, many of them capped in snow year round. I arrived in October, just in time to witness the flaming autumn foliage. Soon, however, the leaves had fallen off the trees, the days turned bitterly cold, and winter was upon us.

Number 10: sometimes things aren't always what they seem - often...they're much, much more.

Thanks Tea! This was great fun!

Exploring Jamie's Italy...

I don't think it's any secret that sweet and sassy Ivonne over at Cream Puffs in Venice is someone I look to for inspiration. And judging by the monthly internet-explosion of flour, sugar, butter and eggs that she and Lis of La Mia Cucina have nurtured through its adolescence, I'm not the only one.

So when Ivonne spent April investigating Jamie's Italy, I eagerly tagged along. And when her soul-soothing story of his Torta di Riso evoked vivid memories of Nonna Sylvia's kitchen at Easter, I hurried to the library in search of the book.

Rural and rustic, Jamie's Italy is MY kind of Italy -- delightfully unpretentious down-home cooking celebrating the bounty of each region, and the recipes passed down through generations of its residents. Shrimp and Parsley Frittata. Sausage Carbonara. Ligurian "Silk Handkerchiefs" al Pesto. Tuscan Panzanella. Insalata Caprese. Tuna Meatballs. Bolognese Polenta & Apple Cake.

Where on this tour of my mother country would we begin? I've promised John REAL Italian home cooking for the duration of 'us' and he's been a very patient man; I've probably only come through on that commitment a dozen times in as many years. So I left the selection to him -- he would choose a recipe and I would prepare it for him.

After much deliberation he selected Pasta con Acciughe e Pomodoro -- Anchovies in Tomato Sauce with Pasta. Sicilian Poor Man's Pasta.

There's a lot of complexity in this sauce, rich with red wine, tomato puree, anchovies, raisins, garlic and pine nuts. Its heady aroma hijacked my kitchen, holding us hostage in anticipation of the final result. Sadly, with all of its promise, the plated pasta failed to deliver. Perhaps I shouldn't have substituted tagliatelle for the margherita? Or I didn't use enough anchovies? Or garlic? I'm not sure. It was good enough that we'll try it again, tweaking it until it works for us.

And as I plan to turn this culinary Festa d'Italia into a monthly event during our 13th year, I'll continue to use Jamie's Italy as an inspiration.

Technorati Tags: Cookbooks | Italian Food | Jamie Oliver | Jamie's Italy

Magic Mirror on the...Cake?!?

Heigh Ho! Heigh Ho! It's off to work I go...
In an attempt to get people out of their cubicles and interacting outside of meetings, email and instant messages, my company sponsors monthly social events. In the spirit of teamwork, they're hosted by a single work group that chooses a theme and plans the parties. This month's theme: the County Fair, courtesy of the Marketing Department. Complete with an executive dunk tank, an artwork contest, snow cones, cotton candy, and a pie eating contest.

What's this doing on my food blog?

The last event listed on the promotional flier was a bake-off.

From the moment the event was announced, eager colleagues encouraged me to participate. Having tasted several of her culinary concoctions (as duplicated in my kitchen), they wanted to know if I was "making a Peabody."

Hmm... Peabody's hosting this month's Daring Baker Challenge... The Strawberry Mirror Cake... And I've got a week to prepare...

T-minus-four- Buried in strawberries...
I decided to tackle the berry components first. Hulled and quartered 2 pounds of strawberries. Said a silent prayer of thanksgiving that I have a manicure appointment on Thursday. Not sure how my manicurist will feel about using my thumbnails as strawberry hullers, but hey! it works!

Once they were hulled, cleaned and chopped, the process went quickly. Half in the blender to create strawberry puree. Half in a saucepan with sugar and water to become strawberry juice. A-MAY-zingly fragrant strawberry juice. So far, so good...


T-minus-three - If it's Tuesday, it must be genoise...
Here's where the challenge started for me -- with the genoise.

Peabody was clear in her instructions: the cake components are supposed to be white. I knew as I poured the batter into the sheet pan that mine was not going to comply. I blame the organic egg yolk and beg her indulgence.

Things got even more interesting when I turned the cake out of the pan as instructed. If I try this again (and so far its a possible repeater) I'm going to skip that step and do my cutting in the pan on the parchment. Because even employing my paper-thin bench scraper, I lost bits of cake from the bottom and my layers are a half layer shorter than they were on the counter. I think this is actually going to work to my advantage -- I had some concern the layers would be too thick to work in my miniature springforms.


T-minus-two - A Bavarian Creme Dream...
I owe my success with the Bavarian Creme portion of this assignment to the amazingly talented Shuna of Eggbeater. Her earnest explanation of all things Anglaise in her most recent ice cream class gave me just the confidence I needed to combine scalding milk, beaten eggs and sugar into strawberry-creamy goodness. The recipe suggested adding food color at this juncture, but I skipped that step as my strawberry mixture was a pleasant pink without enhancement. After I shuttled the assembled cakelettes to the refrigerator to set I sampled a bit of the leftover cream from the side of the bowl. I've decided that Bavarian & Diplomat Creme are the crack cocaine of the baking world (and I can't *wait* to see what kind of searches this post yields). I don't need that kind of temptation in my refrigerator (nor any additional "insulation" on my hips) so I'm glad these are going to work with me on Friday...

T-minus-one - Images viewed in this mirror do not reflect reality...
My Bavarian creme was a success; my mirror, not so much so. Shuna? Are you listening? I need a class in working with gelatin...

The mirror experience actually started out quite smoothly after a late night trip to the grocery store for kirsch... but the end result was anything *but* smooth. I think my mistake was in my interpretation of syrupy. Perhaps stirring with a spoon rather than a whisk might have helped. Because what was 'syrupy' in the bowl was congealed and clumpy by the time it hit the third of my six cakes. I could spread it across the cake with the back of a spoon, but the resulting mirror was way beyond warped.

I also left the food coloring out of my mirror -- it was an intense red without it.

Let the games begin...
My colleagues take their baking seriously, and the competition was stiff. Luscious Lemon Squares. A promising Croissant Pudding with Brandy Sauce. Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars. And our corporate logo turned Carrot Cake.

Our CIO went through the California Culinary Academy's pastry program, and his creamy summer cheesecake took the top prize.

The Director of Human Resources grew up assisting in grandma's bakery, and her very berry pavlova came in second.

Me and my "Peabody"... we came in third. And we're quite proud of our white ribbon!

To see how my brothers and sisters in pastry fared with their mirrors, check out the Daring Baker Blogroll.

Technorati Tags: Daring Bakers | Strawberry Mirror Cake

Mint and Mustard, sittin' in a tree... K-I-S-S...

Okay, maybe that's going a bit overboard.

But they *do* go really well together... making an interesting combination in a marinade that's been our go-to solution to flavorful grilled tri-tip for several summers now.

Stay tuned for further details on my contribution to this month's They Go Really Well Together, hosted by Dennis at Kook Jegek.


Technorati Tags: They Go Really Well Together

Dining Around Salt Lake City

Between stints at the Family History Library, where we spent large chunks of our holiday week surrounded by films and fiche of 19th century New England and 18th century Italy, we had some interesting dining experiences during our stay in Salt Lake City.

John had enjoyed Happy Sumo Sushi in the Gateway Shopping Center during a previous visit, so we made sure to add it to our lineup. The short story: I thought it was a bit over-trendy, but quite tasty. The fish was uber-fresh, the rolls were creative and well-executed, and the Dragon Scales - spicy tuna tucked between two shiso leaves and lightly tempura battered and fried - was the runaway hit of the meal for me.

When we're out of town, we like to try new restaurants, steering clear of the chains we see at home. Lunch at Z'Tejas was the closest we came to the chain restaurant experience; they have nine other locations around the western United States. The menu showed potential. Unfortunately, it failed to deliver. I'm allergic to many legumes, most acutely black beans. Which appeared anonymously in both of the lunch entrees I ordered.

Looking for picnic fare for the fourth, we stopped by Caputo's Market & Deli... and walked out forty minutes later with an eclectic collection of salumi and cheese. Prosciutto. Mortadella. A yummy aged goat. A creamy herb-crusted blue cheese with hints of nutmeg and clove. And in deference to my immigrant grandfather, the imported chocolate hazelnut biscotti he doled out as treats in my childhood. Who knew I'd find a sense memory in Salt Lake City?

The in-room restaurant guide suggested that we'd find "traditional, authentic sushi" in a "fun and funky atmosphere" at Ginza Japanese Cuisine and Sushi Bar. Well they were partially right. The atmosphere *was* fun and funky, our sushi chef Brendan was friendly and attentive, and the dishes he put before us were creative and tasty, but the 'Jezebel' (tuna, cilantro, tempura-fried jalepeno, avocado, lime and cream cheese) doesn't strike a 'traditional authentic' tone. If you can accept a bit of creative license in your sushi experience, Ginza's worth a stop though.

Our favorite appetizer at The Garden at Temple Square was the chef's special Fried Dill Pickles -- carefully coated in a delightful dill-seasoned batter, deep fried and served ala pommes frites with a trio of dipping sauces. Dill on dill. But it worked. What I loved about The Garden was the simplicity; from the friendly, unpretentious service to the simply seasoned but soul-satisfying entrees, the Mormon community has hospitality figured out.

Happy Sumo Sushi | 153 South Rio Grande (at the Gateway), Salt Lake City, UT | 801.456.7866
Z'Tejas | 191 S. Rio Grande (at the Gateway), Salt Lake City, UT | 801.456.0450
Caputo's Market & Deli | 314 West 300 South, Salt Lake City, UT | 801.531.TONY
Ginza Japanese Cuisine & Sushi Bar | 209 West 200 South, Salt Lake City, UT | 801.322.2224
The Garden at Temple Square | 10th Floor Joseph Smith Memorial Building, 15 East South Temple, Salt Lake City, UT | 801.539.3170

Technorati Tags: Restaurant | Salt Lake City

Opa!

We're on vacation in Salt Lake City and looking for dinner options outside of the standard hotel fare.

I've had a jones for Pastitsio since Becke tempted me with her solution to "Presto Pasta."

The in-room "discover Salt Lake City" magazines indicate that Greek food's a popular local commodity.

We turn to our favorite Web 2.0 solution to the munchies: Open Table.

Open Table introduces us to Aristo.

Before we even got to the menu, we knew we had a hit.

The website greets you:

Ok. Here is the story, it’s pretty simple.

>> Browse our full selection of menus.
>> Make your Reservation online with our new Reservations System.
>> Get driving directions from our Contact Us page.
>> Show up the date of your reservation with an empty stomach.
>> We’ll take care of the rest.

Following instructions, we pull up the menu.

Calamari, check.
Pastitsio, check.
And a selection of gyros.

Sold.

Table for two, 9:00 PM.

And that's what we ordered.

We started with the calamari, which was amazing in its simplicity: tossed in lightly salted flour and flash fried, with a ramekin of marinara for dipping. That's it. Because when you start with the highest quality ingredients and treat them with respect, that's all you need.

John had the gyros with the most amazing "oven roasted potatoes" I've ever encountered. Crispy on the outside. Buttery soft on the inside. And seasoned with a complex blend of herbs and spices that scream GREEK!

I had a Greek salad -- a delightful blend of farm fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, kalamata olives and tangy feta cheese -- followed by the much-anticipated Pastitsio. Oh. My. Gawd. This Greek chef's answer to lasagna combines perfectly seasoned ground beef with tender pasta, smothered lovingly in a creamy cheesy bechamel sauce. It took every ounce of self-restraint I could muster not to lick the plate.

Desserts, we learned, were prepared by the owner's mother from recipes passed down through the generations. Okay, count us in. John chose rice pudding which I can typically take or leave. Unfortunately for him he coerced me into trying it, and I became an instant convert.

We'd been so focused on the food, I'd neglected my camera for almost the entire meal. As I reached for it to photograph the empty plate that carried my baklava, Aristo himself stopped by to introduce himself, clearly pleased that we were delighted with our meal.

Originally from the east coast, Aristo opened his tribute to "the old country" near the University of Utah in 2003 -- and turned it into Salt Lake City Weekly's best Greek Restaurant in a reader poll less than two years later. Why Salt Lake? His family's here. And as his menu illustrates, his heritage and his family's traditions are what matters most.

I think we've found our favorite restaurant in Salt Lake!

Aristo's Greek Restaurant & Cafe
244 South 1300 East, Salt Lake City UT | 801.581.0888

Technorati Tags: Restaurant | Greek | Salt Lake City

Resourcefully Re-deploying Resources...

First, I want to thank David for offering me the privilege of hosting episode 6 of Leftover Tuesdays, his event celebrating the underdog in all of our kitchens. I also want to apologize to the participants for the delay in getting the round up out -- it's been a hectic summer around here. And now, without further ado, I bring you this month's collection of leftover masterpieces:

1. Dayna from Vegan Visitor starts us out. Have you got veggies languishing in the back of your crisper? Too hot to cook? Who needs a burger? Head on out to the grill and try her Grilled Veggie Panini.

2. Next up, Johanna of Green Gourmet Giraffe in Melbourne Australia provides another inventive solution for leftover veggies: turning leftover dumpling stuffing and a carrot bean dip from previous projects into some eye-catching Beetroot Koftas in Carrot Sauce. She goes on to whip up a couple of sides from yet more stockpiled leftovers, and emerges with a "delicious pot luck supper."

3. Lisa of Lisa's Kitchen in London, Ontario Canada offers us a third summer-light vegetarian venue for leftover refried beans with her Egg & Cornmeal Pudding with Refried Beans. No refried beans in the 'fridge? Toss in some mushrooms, grilled corn, roasted peppers, grilled zucchini -- whatever's available in your kitchen or abundant in your garden.

4. Indulging our sweet tooth, Sarina of TriniGourmet in Trinidad delivers these tempting Ginger Trigs -- taking a disappointing recipe for Ginger Squares and adding a bit of her own spicy Carribean flair.

5. Last month's LOT hostess Pam of Project Foodie in Silicon Valley, California checks in, completely revamping leftover grilled chicken into some mouth-watering Chicken and Black Bean Burritos. Pam's goal: a one dish meal that transforms the chicken beyond leftovers. Mission Accomplished.

6. Another bay area neighbor, Tigerfish of Teczcape shares her passion for soba noodles with this alliterative Korean Spicy Seafood Soba. Twenty minutes, fridge to table, using a handful of leftovers and pantry staples. My kind of meal!

7. From Ontario Canada, Megan of What's Cooking brings us breakfast redux, in the form of her scrumptious-looking Belgian Waffle Bread Pudding. This one's worth busting out the waffle maker...

8. Rounding out this month's photographic collection is our fearless founder David of Cooking Chat in Massachusetts, offering an ode to summer's favorite outdoor appliance: the barbeque grill. His recipe: Beef and Bean Burritos assembled from leftover grilled burgers.

9. Pictured in the post below, I took a handful of leftover veggies and cheese and stuffed a baked potato for my contribution.

Those are our entries... now it's your turn. Check out the recipes. Try them out. Let me know what you think. Pick your favorite creative re-application of the lowly leftover and let me know about it. Send me an email to dolores dot ferrero at gmail dot com by Sunday July 15, and I'll post the winner shortly thereafter.

Technorati Tags: Food Blog Event | Leftover Tuesdays