CILANTRO

HASS AVOCADO

I love hass avocados, it's my favorite varietal of the twenty-some types. In California, where 85% of the avocado crop is the hass varietal, you can find trees growing on the streets, and limbs heavy with fruits.

Richer, more buttery and nuttier and most other varieties, hass avocados are an excellent and highly adaptable fruit, showing up in several different ethnic cuisines such as Japanese, Mexican and across European plates.

If you are interested in preparing hass in a guacamole, here is a detailed recipe, make sure to stick with hass for best results.

GARLIC CLOVE

How do you add flavor with minimal effort and get the most bang for your buck?

Use fresh garlic. This aromatic and intense flavor binds the diversity of ethnic cuisine types and brings a warm familiarity that can best be described as comfort. In my kitchen, not only is fresh garlic comfortable but it is a staple.



How to pick: Choose large, firm bulbs. Avoid garlic that has any soft spot, which means that one or more of the garlic cloves have shriveled or potentially has mold.

How to store: Store in a cool dry place with light. I like to place several bulbs in its own bowl on the countertop or sometimes on the counter alone.

How to peel: Chop off both ends of the garlic and peel back the garlic skin. An alternative is to crush the garlic clove on the side of a chef's knife.

If you prefer to have peeled garlic on hand all the time, you may consider peeling a bulb at a time to store in the refrigerator. Simply soak the garlic bulb in cold water for half an hour, taking care to break apart the bulb along the way. The garlic skins will absorb the moisture like paper and peel off effortlessly.

Dry the peeled cloves, and store in a container that is lined with a fresh paper towel. Place in the refrigerator and replace the paper towel every week ... if you still have any around.

How to prepare: Crushed, minced or sliced, the smaller you cut it, the stronger the flavors.

SheROX Danskin NE 2009

Location: Webster, MA
Distance: Sprint (.5mi s, 12mi b, 2.9mi r)
Time: 7am start (in waves 3min apart)
Weather: Cloudy and humid
Participants: 2698 (!!)

Transition Area

Pre-race
Park, ride/walk to the race site. Find where I'm supposed to set up my stuff (based on swim waves/age group), setup and get marked.


Filled up my water bottle in the lake and double checked everything before making a pit stop ;)

Swim
I was in wave 26... which meant I was starting well over an hour after we were forced to leave the transition area. Luckily I ran into my parents and two of my friends who surprised me by driving up that morning (thanks guys!!!) and was able to stay relatively calm while I waited for my turn.

in water start (i'm in the white top)

I made my way to the beach in time for my wave to be shuffled into the corral, then into the water. Before I knew it we were off! I'd be lying if I said it was warm, but the initial chill wore off pretty quickly :) The water was very clear, almost disturbingly so! I didn't settle down as much as I would've liked, but it turned out to be my fastest swim yet (11:53)--did I take a short cut?? ;)

T1
Over the timing mat, up the beach, a quick rinse into some sneakers before running through a parking lot and to the furthest corner of the transition area. Socks and bike shoes on, gloves, helmet, shirt... grab my bike and go!

T1

Bike
I had heard about a hill on the bike, but I goofed the day before and we didn't actually get to drive the course. Despite not knowing what to expect, I made it up the hill (albeit very slowly), only to see a sharp right turn at the bottom of the nice downhill. So much for picking up speed! Turns out the bike course is full of rolling hills, but I felt pretty good for the rest of it. I finished the bike with an average of 16.4mph (43:46). I forgot to check my bike computer beforehand, so things weren't aligned after the trip and I have no idea how I did on the different parts of the course. I think I lost a lot of time on the hill--Anyone have any tips for climbing on a road bike?? This is definitely something I need to practice this a bit more, as I wasn't as comfortable climbing on my bike (like I am in spinning :/ ).

The end of the bike...

T2
Another long run with my bike to where my stuff was set up. I changed my shoes, took off shades (it wasn't sunny)/gloves/helmet, grabbed my race belt and stood there for a second thinking I had forgotten something. Probably a waste of time as I didn't think of anything else, but oh well!

Run
My left ankle was extremely tight/inflexible for the first 1/3 of the run... it's something I've been working through with stretching and ART, but it's never been this bad. Eventually it loosened up, but I was no longer thinking about it... instead I was thinking about the hills! No one ever mentioned the rolling hills on the run!!! I am indebted to the woman who was standing just short of the turnaround with her hose on for all of us :)

Nearing the finish, I look a little worse for the wear!

Just before the last turn into the park where our transition area was, a 22 year old passed me (age is marked on our legs). Up to this point I had only seen women in their 30s and 40s, so I tried to keep up with her and finish strong. I started to kick a bit too early, the finish line seemed to be getting further away! It didn't turn out as bad as I thought (22:36, 8:22 pace), but keeping in mind that I haven't been training as much due to the above-mentioned therapy and I don't have a hilly race to compare the time to... I guess it'll do ;)

chug chug chug

As soon as I crossed the finish line and got my chip taken off, I made a beeline for the fuel tent. I didn't eat or drink that much on the bike (2 luna moons-forgot my Clif shot blocks- and 1/2 water bottle), so I was thirsty!! I grabbed water, WATERMELON, half a banana, and some Bear Naked Granola (the native mango, agave, & almond flavor is awesome) with yogurt. I found my cheering squad, went back for more watermelon, and did a little stretching while we hung around the finish line.

Me and the rents :)

I'm still a little amazed and psyched about my final time... 1:26:57, which put me 17th in my age group (out of 211). Must've been all your good luck messages! It was awesome to have family and friends cheering me on, made this race very special :) I can't thank them enough for getting up so early on a Sunday morning!

While this was much larger than other tri's I've done, it's inspiring to see so many women accomplish such an amazing feat. The environment is so supportive, if you're hesitant at all, this is the forum to do it in! That is, for you ladies out there ;)

I've already signed up to do my next sprint tri, and am thinking about another one Sept 12th. Anyone want to join me??

Julia Child's Chicken Poached in Butter inspired by the new movie Julie and Julia

Bonjour! Can you hear it? My Julia Child impersonation? Use your imagination people!

I bet all you foodies out there are psyched about the upcoming movie Julie and Julia. Well I'm not going to brag but.....ISAWITALREADYOHMYGODITWASAWESOME!!!! Okay, Okay, I'll calm down. Well you all know about bakespace already, geez, I tell you about it all the time and if you're new here or if you don't remember, bakespace is a social networking site for foodies like you and me! Well thanks to Sony and our fearless leader, Babette (the founder of bakespace), I won tickets to see the premier of Julie and Julia! There was a contest and I posted about it on facebook and twitter so everyone could participate in the giveaway. So on Tuesday me and a couple of other bakespace members who won tickets headed over to Garden State Plaza in Paramus to watch the movie.

Here's the trailer if you haven't seen it yet.


If you don't have time to watch trailer I'll briefly tell you what the movie is about (without giving anything away of course!). Julie and Julia is a story about Julie Powell, a food blogger who spends a year making every single recipe in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. To read Julie Powell's blog, the Julie/Julia Project click here. Intertwined with Julie's story is the story of Julia Child and how she came to live in France and how she became a chef. Obviously, you all know who Julia Child is (except my father who thought I was going to meet someone from the food network when I told him I won tickets to see Julie and Julia...that's a post for another day!) but the story of Julie Powell is real. She started off without any readers and before you know it she was contacted by publishers, magazine editors and television network producers. It's amazing how that happened. Being a food blogger myself I can certainly relate to everything (well, except the being published part!) and this movie just pulled at my heartstrings. It was fantastic!!!! I loved it!!! Merryl Streep and Amy Adams were fantastic! Have I convinced you yet that this movie was fabulous? Okay, so again, Thank YOU Babette for making this possible! I don't know how I would have held out for two more weeks!



I came out of the theater and I knew I just had to make a recipe from Julia Child's cookbook. I don't own her cookbook and I didn't grow up watching her on television. I've seen an episode here and there but never was interested in french cooking. Good thing because I would certainly be double my size if I was. Yesterday I did a search on the internet for a Julia Child recipe using chicken breasts and I found the following recipe on HGTV's website. Click here to see the article. The dish was delicious and decadent, I really enjoyed it (even though I overcooked the rice - oops) but unfortunately, this will not become part of my regular rotation. It's just way too fattening...almost one stick of butter. The sauce was amazing, I could eat it with a spoon! I used marsala because I forgot to buy madeira but I don't think it made much of a difference. I also forgot the mushrooms! Hopefully Julia Child isn't rolling around in her grave (yes Dad, Julia Child is no longer with us so I couldn't possibly meet her and get some advice like you suggested)! Okay, enough of my babbling...here's the recipe!



Supremes de Volaille a Blanc (Chicken breasts poached in butter)

From Mastering the Art of French Cooking, by Julia Child, Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle. Knopf, 1961.

Ingredients:

Rice:
1/3 cup finely minced onions
2 tbsp. butter
1 cup raw, unwashed white rice
2 cups chicken stock or broth
salt and pepper
small herb bouquet: 2 parsley sprigs, 1 bay leaf, and a sprig of thyme tied together with white string.

Chicken:
4 thin boneless, skinless chicken cutlets
salt, pepper and lemon juice
4 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup diced onions
1/4 cup diced carrots
1/4 sliced mushrooms

Wine Sauce:
1/4 cup white or brown stock
1/4 cup port, Madeira or dry white vermouth
1 cup heavy cream
salt, pepper, lemon juice
2 tbsp. minced parsley

Preparation:

For the rice, cook the onions slowly in the butter until soft. Add the rice and stir over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes until rice, which first turns translucent, becomes a milky white color. Then stir in the chicken stock, season lightly with salt and pepper, and add the herb bouquet. Stir briefly until simmer is reached, then cover closely and cook at a moderate simmer, about 18 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. Do not stir rice at all until this has happened. Then fluff lightly with a fork, adding more salt and pepper if necessary. This can be cooked ahead of time and reheated.

For the chicken: Preheat oven to 400. Cook the vegetables in the butter in a fireproof casserole before adding the chicken. Season meat with salt, pepper and drops of lemon juice. Lay over vegetables in one layer in the casserole, making sure the chicken is coated in the butter. Cover the surface of the casserole with wax paper. Place in oven for 6 to 7 minutes, or until the meat feels springy when you push on it. Remove from oven and set casserole aside while you prepare the sauce.

For the sauce: Pour stock and wine into a saucepan and boil rapidly until liquid is syrupy. Then pour in the cream and boil rapidly until lightly thickened. Season with salt, pepper and drops of lemon juice. Pour the sauce over the casserole and serve with the warm rice.

Bon Apetit!












For a web companion to Mastering the Art of French Cooking, check out Whisk: a food blog.

Boston Event

On the heels of Rose's Blog it Forward post, I heard about a Taste of Park Plaza. What first caught my eye was the opportunity to taste signature dishes from 8 restaurants. Then I noticed that the proceeds were going to benefit Greater Boston's Food Bank. When I clicked over to their website, I was impressed by their efforts to provide nutritious choices to those in need as well as nutrition education (knowledge is power, right?). As someone who strives to find healthy and tasty dishes, I appreciate this approach to feeding those who may have come across some tough times.

If you're in the Boston area and would like to attend this event and help support our local food bank, here are the details...

When: Tuesday, Aug 4th 6-9pm

Where: Park Plaza Hotel & Towers

Participating Restaurants: Todd English's Bonfire Steakhouse, McCormick & Schmick's, M.J. O'Connor's Irish Pub, The Melting Pot, Swan's Cafe, Finale Desserterie, Au Bon Pain and Ben & Jerry's

To purchase tickets: click here

Maybe I'll see you there!!

~~~
I owe you guys a few posts, but here are some hints at what's in store...

A race recap

(hopefully the case of the missing camera cord will be solved soon!!)

Sour cherries!!

BLUEBERRY COBBLER RECIPE

I've been taking lots of pictures of blueberries recently, especially given my recent visit to Phillips Farm, where I brought back a bucket full of super ripe and juicy blueberries. On the northeastern region of the United States, blueberry season runs through the entire month of July and the early weeks of August, enough time to fit in a couple of delectable dishes such as blueberry pie, cobbler or pancakes.
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Grilled Ham with Pineapple Glaze

I know, a ham steak isn't the prettiest thing to take a picture of but you know how the saying goes! This was a very tasty and satisfying dinner. My fellow bakespacer Carolyn always talks about making these yummy ham steaks and I knew it was something Steve would like to try on the grill. There is no recipe. It's so simple. Make a mixture of brown sugar and pineapple and let the ham steaks marinate it. Throw them on the grill with some fresh slices of pineapple that have been brushed with the glaze. Allow them to get some nice grill marks on each side and your done. The ham steaks are already cooked so this just takes minutes to make! It actually took me longer to peel and slice the fresh pineapple than it did to cook the ham! I don't think canned pineapple would work because it may be too soft but if you give it a try, let me know! I'd like the glaze to be more noticeable. Anyone know how to do that? The flavor definitely penetrated the meat but didn't make it shiny like a glaze usually is. I will definitely experiment some more and let you know how it goes!



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AMY'S BREAD AT CHELSEA MARKET

Freshly baked bread can be heavenly. Amy's Bread between 15th Street and 8th Avenue offers a wide array of incredible baked goods, with breads being their specialty.

As soon as you enter into the corridor of the Chelsea Market, the enticing aroma of homemade bread hits you, and before you know it, you're pressed against the glass window watching the bakers work.

Crispy warm crusts with a chewy soft interior makes freshly baked bread one of life's best simple pleasures.

ASIAN STEAMED FISH WITH GINGER AND SCALLIONS

I love Asian steamed fish. It's a simple and healthy dish that infuses the bold flavors of ginger, garlic and green onions into a delicate and rich soy broth, in which the fish is cooked. The traditional recipe calls for a whole fish that is typically cooked in a large bamboo steamer. I tweaked the classic recipe to accommodate fillets in place of whole fish and poached the fish in parchment paper to simulate steaming.

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Melon Mondays III

Missed the first two? Check out my Melon Bruschetta and Iced Cantaloupe Soup! While I did everything melon, my guests were awesome enough to bring the protein for the main course. We had some amazing cod and steak to make some tacos, served with a Melon Salsa of course!

Steak Taco w/Melon Salsa

Here's an approximation of what went into my salsa...

Melon Salsa



equal amounts diced watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe
1 mango
1 avocado
2 jalapenos, diced
3 scallions, sliced
2-3T mint, chopped
2-3T cilantro
juice of 1/2 lime
1t Smart Balance Omega Oil

Combine all ingredients and serve! I prepared everything (except the avocado) the night before and let it hang out in the fridge so the flavors could meld. Just prior to guests arriving, I took it out of the fridge so it could come closer to room temp and add the chopped avocado. This would go well served alongside almost any protein!

Remnants of the Melon Salsa

'HAYLEY JANE' DAHLIA

We are so lucky to have been able to brought our dahlia tubers from San Francisco, and transplant them in my mom's and pops' garden in northern New Jersey. I just love how the petals have a wild spiny flair, reminiscent of a sea urchin.

BIG RED DAHLIA

This is a spectacular dinner plate dahlia that measures ten inches across. I'm not sure of the variety name, but it certainly is breath-taking.

ORANGE DAHLIA

Can this dahlia be more perfect? This is one of several semi-cactus dahlias blooming in my mom and pops' garden.

RED CABBAGE

When this red cabbage is ready to be picked later this summer, I'll make a red cabbage citrus salad. Until then, we'll admire this plant's development.

HYDRANGEA

My mom is thrilled that her new hydrangea blooms are blue, which probably means that the soil is acidic. All those years of mulching the yard with peat moss has paid-off in a beautiful way.

FRESHLY PICKED BLUEBERRIES

These blueberries are so ripe that even a slight nudge will cause a cluster to drop. These plump and juicy berries are available for picking at Phillips Farms in Milford, NJ each summer. Visiting this farm has truly opened our eyes and awakened our senses to how truly exquisite these berries can be.

PEACHES

We picked incredible ripe yellow peaches recently on a visit to a U-pick farm in Milford, NJ called Phillips Farm. The fragrant aroma and sweet juicy flesh makes this fruit simply irresistable!

Grasse

On Friday afternoon I sat at a table outside of a bistro in the hills above Grasse, France. The pale blue sea was visible in the distance. The air smelled of salt.

Ten of us were there together to eat lunch. An international group, hailing from places like India and Argentina, we are all in the midst of an intensive course on scent at the Grasse Institute of Perfumery. Grasse itself, speckled with fields of jasmine and firms of fragrance, is the birthplace of the perfume industry and remains vibrant and involved today. We spend long days in class sniffing thin paper strips, the tips of which have been dipped into bottles of raw materials like bergamot, lavender, and galbanum. I’m deep into work on my book and on my nose, and thus far I can smell them all. The scent of cistus, an aromatic and woody flowering plant from Spain, brings me straight to the The New England Spring Flower Show, an annual event that filled cavernous rooms in the Bayside Expo Center with the scent of earth and smoke and pine, and where my father brought me every year when I was small.


As we sat around the table on Friday, speaking of little else than smell, a portly man with a shock of white hair tied back in a ponytail brought out a massive steaming plate and plunked it down in front of us all. Paella: a rice dish rich with paprika and saffron, with chicken and mussels and squid. Though originally from Spain, it is the specialty of this coastal French chef. It glowed in orange and red, punctuated with the pink of prawns. Everyone leaned in to sniff before taking the first bite.

Later, we finished with pie. The tarte au citron smelled of lemon and brown sugar. It was light and sweet and tasted of summer.

Come tri with me

Do you have the bug yet? Just in case, I'll try to make it a little more approachable... Quite often I hear, "I can't run/bike/swim fast." Obviously they haven't seen me crawling along in the slow lane of the pool ;) I'm not out there to finish in the top 10, so I think of it as an "event" rather than a race. I'll do the best that I can, but I'm doing this for myself, to have fun, and not to race against the top women in my age group. All you have to do is cross the finish line--it doesn't matter if you do breast/side/back stroke during the swim, ride leasurely on a granny bike, and walk during the "run." Sign up with some friends that you can train with, and you'll have a blast. And if that's not enough of a reason, pick one event you like, find some friends that like the other events, and participate as a team! So really, why not tri?? :)

I didn't get too many questions, but I wanted to put together some general thoughts, in part to remind myself of everything as I pull things together for my tri tomorrow morning :) Feel free to ask more if you think of anything!

One of the first questions I had was, what do I wear? There was no way a bathing suit was going to give me any support on the run, if ya know what I mean ;) And wearing bike shorts on the swim--can we get any heavier in the bum? There are a few options here, the most cost-effective being to wear a sports bra under your swimsuit, and then pulling on shorts for the bike/run. You probably already have the "equipment" for this! There are also tri shorts (with less padding that dries quick) and tri suits that are specific for the sport. These can be expensive, but there are some discount sites online that offer last years' colors/models for less. If you're looking for a tri-specific top for the well-endowed, I'd recommend the Zoot Ultra Bra top--it's the only one I've found to give any support.

SWIM
This is definitely the toughest part for me, as I'm not that strong of a swimmer. Try to practice in open water if you can, so you can be prepared. If you panic (like I did the first time), tread water for a few seconds while your wave starts, collect yourself, and then swim. I tend to stay to the back and right of the group, to avoid flying hands and legs. If you're in for a fight, by all means go play in the center :) While training, I'd practice sighting (click here for a good description), and in the race- do this early and often to make sure you don't make the course longer for yourself! And if you hit a beer bottle during the swim, push it out of the way and just keep swimming ;) (This will probably only happen if you do a tri in Philly, and yes, it really happened!)

What to bring? goggles, earplugs, swim cap (will be provided for the race), towel, extra water bottle (fill this up at the race site and use to wash off feet before putting on socks/shoes). A small bottle of antifog can also be helpful for your goggles.


Tips: Swim as long as you can, don't try to run through the water as you get close to shore. Another thing I've heard is to change to breast stroke for the last few strokes of the swim, I think it's to get your ankles/legs ready to run.

BIKE
Try to check out the course ahead of time. Unfortunately I haven't been to the course I'm doing tomorrow, but I am going to drive through today. Due to the way I need to fuel my tummy, I need a little fuel during the event, and take it early in the bike to allow enough digestion time. I use a Bento Box to store some tissues and orange Clif shot blocks. If you're wearing a cycling jersey you can always store things in the pockets, I just find it easier to grab something in front of me.

What to bring? helmet, sunglasses, bike gloves, water bottles, fuel, socks, shoes, other apparel (singlet over bra top or shorts over bathing suit).


Tips: I put everything I don't want to forget in my helmet. They won't let you onto the course w/o a helmet, so my shades and gloves go into the helmet. I wouldn't mind forgetting the gloves, but I'd rather not be blinded by bugs :) Another tip to make the bike-run transition a bit easier is to increase your cadence at the end of the bike, that is, lower your gear to make it easier and quicken your pedal stroke.

RUN
Not too much to mention here, just don't forget your number! Most races require you to wear it on the front of you. This can be done using a race belt (often available at expos) or pinning it on to your shirt ahead of time with some safety pins. You might also have a hat or sunglasses if you use those as well.


Other things you might have in your bag: sunscreen (apply AFTER you get marked), body glide (for areas that might rub or be more sensitive), chapstick, spare hair ties, extra socks, safety pins, towel, (dry) clothes for after the race, and 2 garbage bags. Why the garbage bags? Use one to set up your transition area--it'll keep things dry and all in one spot (easier to see things if it's white). Keep the other one in your bag just in case the weather's unfortunate... you can lay this on top.

Well, I gotta get going, but I'll try to take some pictures of how things get set up so that I can share those, along with some more helpful links to get you started next week. In the mean time, get outside and have some fun :) After another week filled with rain, the sun's out today, and I'm hoping it holds out through tomorrow morning! See you back here for Melon Mondays ;)

GREEN BEANS