Isn’t it strange how sometimes you go out for dinner and you are drawn to order the same thing at one restaurant and then another?  Recently, that item for me has been candied pecans. I use candied pecans often at home as well, but there is always something a little different about the ones I get while eating out. I finally asked a chef friend, what the difference was. He informed me that restaurants often first candy the nuts and then fry them. That makes sense since I often wondered how their pecans were so much more “toasted” than mine. If you would rather not fry the nuts, just go to this previous post for candied almonds, and substitute pecans for the almonds.

You may be able to find balsamic glaze at the grocery store, I know that Trader Joe’s carried it at one time, not sure if they still do, but it is easy to make at home and easy to store extra for use again later.  I served this salad to three men last night, and in their honor, since they are “manly men”, this is now referred to as a “manly man” salad!
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Peggy and I went to lunch today at our amazing mall, Scottsdale Fashion Square. We ate at the new Fox Restaurant Concepts place called Modern Steak. Lunch was perfectly delish but what really stayed with me was a cocktail Peggy ordered called “Retail Therapy” (that name is just too cute!)  Once I tasted it, I wished I had ordered it too!  So, I came home, worked on it for a while, and believe I have come close to duplicating it. I’m calling my version, “Summer in a Glass” for obvious reasons. It calls for simple syrup and for muddling, just as my Cucumber Martini did, so click here to go to that previous post if you need help with either the muddling technique or the simple syrup recipe.

Thank you dear Peggy for lunch and my beautiful gift, but most of all, thank you for the gift of your friendship! xoxo
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I had a lovely birthday, thank you for all your sweet birthday wishes.  My wonderful friends, Ronnie, Amy, and Lori took me to the Queen Creek Olive Mill for lunch; it was a gorgeous afternoon that we spend under the olive trees enjoying wine, antipasto, and sandwiches. Afterward, we headed off to the Pork Shop, and unfortunately, we discovered that they are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so no amazing bacon, sausages, or chorizo for us to take home…next time we’ll remember that!

For my birthday dinner, Dave took me to Prado at the InterContinental Montelucia Resort and Spa where we shared a bottle of wine and Paella with mussels, clams, and scallops. It was tasty, but I have to say my paella is really much better; I include sausage, chicken, and shrimp plus peas.  I’ll have to make it next time the kids come home and post the recipe.  Until then, we have Halloween to contend with, so here is a fun Spider-Web cake that is fun for kids but has an adult taste, with the addition of Espresso in the frosting.

You will find the Medaglia D’Oro instant espresso powder at any Italian Deli or locally at A.J.’s or on the web at this link. (I’ve even seen it recently at Target) I use it often in baking and once you try it you will too, so invest in a jar now and I promise I’ll be posting more recipes using it in the future.  I am working tonight, and certainly don’t need to have a whole cake around the house, so I’ll be dropping it off at our monthly neighborhood Bunko night for the ladies to enjoy.

For the 7-minute frosting, or anytime you are beating egg whites, be sure the bowl and the beaters are completely clean and free of any grease.  The egg whites will not beat up and increase in volume with even a trace amount of fat, such as from the egg yolk, present.  Also, eggs separate much easier when they are cold, straight from the refrigerator, but they whip up best when they are at room temperature, so separate them a little bit ahead of time. Finally, ever wonder what my kitchen looks like after I’m done cooking and taking all these pictures and ready to put up a new post? You’ll see at the bottom of this recipe – scary indeed!
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This evening I was helping set up for the Key To The Cure event that is tomorrow morning. My friend and neighbor, Ronnie, and I rode together and afterward stopped for a little something to eat and drink on the way home.  We went to Blanco, a fun “taco & tequila” restaurant, here in Scottsdale, which is another in the wonderful line of Fox Restaurant Concepts, YUM!

I brought home a “doggie bag” with a couple of wedges of leftover cheese crisp and made it into dinner for Dave by topping it with two fried eggs.  I love cheese crisps, as you can see here, they are so easy and versatile. Honestly, they can be breakfast, lunch, snack, or even dinner!  And they can be as simple as a tortilla topped with good old cheddar cheese or dressed up as this one is with fun Mexican and Spanish cheeses and a variety of toppings.  All these cheeses are white and I think it makes for a prettier and more interesting crisp!
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Marissa drove home yesterday and stayed overnight, just a pit stop on her way to Las Vegas for a girls’ weekend. She and I took Dave out for his belated birthday dinner. Our family tradition is to take the birthday boy/girl out for a nice dinner to a place he/she has never been before, and it’s always a surprise to that person right until the moment we pull into the parking lot. I chose a seafood restaurant that has been here in Scottsdale since 1971, but for whatever reason, Dave has never been there. I had not been there since I was in high school, I  don’t know why!  It’s this cool “old school” place called The Salt Cellar and the seafood was as good as any we’ve ever had on either the East or West Coast!  Dave had a Maine lobster and Marissa and I each had crab legs. So Good!!!  We had several leftover crab legs and those high-end leftovers are what inspired this “have fun in Vegas – but please be Careful and Safe!” breakfast.

If you don’t have an oven-proof skillet, meaning a skillet with a handle that won’t be ruined under a broiler, just tightly wrap the handle of the skillet several times with aluminum foil, now it is oven or broiler-proof.

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In a comment on the “Pomegranate – Another Super Food” post, Marissa requested a guacamole recipe that includes pomegranate seeds.  This amazingly delicious recipe comes from Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza, chef/owner of Bario Cafe in Phoenix, Arizona. It is simple and straightforward and oh so addictive!  Over the years, I’ve made one tiny change – and that is changing the serving size.  The original recipe was half the amount that I have here to serve four.  Believe me, it was never enough, so I have doubled the ingredients and now it really will serve four and they will be a very happy four people!  One of the best tips ever – is to slice or dice avocado, cut it in half as usual and remove the pit.  Place one half of the avocado in the palm of your hand and, using a table knife, slice or dice the flesh while still in the shell/peel. Repeat with the remaining half and then, using a spoon, scoop the avocado out and into a bowl or onto a plate.  No need to peel, easy, and no mess!  Another bonus, if you have a large number of avocados to slice for use later in the day, slice or dice as directed, then replace the pit and put the avocado back together like puzzle pieces and wrap tightly in plastic wrap, set aside, then just scoop out when ready.  This keeps the avocado from turning brown and prevents you from having to prep it all at the last minute.
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This is Tanqueray, our loving 13-year-old Keeshond. His picture is my post for the day. I’ve spent the past 6 hours updating and improving this site for you (OK, for me too!) and now my back, neck, eyes, and head all hurt. As a result and currently unbeknownst to him, my husband will be picking up pizza and salad from Sauce on his way home from work tonight! Sauce is our ‘go-to’ spot for quick and wonderful take-out (or eat-in) pizzas, salads, and sandwiches, check it out, if you haven’t already, and then thank me later!

You ask, “How did you improve the site?” Well, I’ve added both a recipe and a tip index… you can check them out over to the left under PAGES, and then please let me know what you think, if you find them helpful and useful, etc.

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