December Random Bites

The holidays are upon us (in case you didn't notice!).

I am way behind in my wrapping, shopping and cooking.

Henry & I have both been down with a miserable flu this week. Aches, chills, fever, coughs, the works.
At least we have each other to share the misery with.
I had better get my act together, I have already had to cancel 2 holiday parties.

Bah humbug. :(

Here are some December highlights.......detox begins in January (maybe).

How cute are these custom cookie cutters? I love them! I have the whole alphabet!

I made a Sicilian relish for swordfish (recipe here).

The next day, tossed that same delicious relish made w/ olives, capers, raisins, and other good stuff with roasted cauliflower and served it on the best toasted bread topped with an anchovy on top.

Delicious stuff.



More good stuff:

I recently had the opportunity to try and review Kyocera products. Their fabulous chef's knives and ceramic coated frying pans.

If you want the sharpest chef's knife you will ever use, light on the wrist and can slice thru a cardboard box (why would you ever need to do that?), then this is the knife for you. It never needs sharpening and no rusting like some knives after washing.

FYI: I have swapped all of my German knives for Japanese knives..

The Kyocera ceramic coated deep skillet is the best non-stick pan I have ever used.

You can use metal utensils without scratching, and you couldn't make something stick in these pans even if you tried.
I made a tortilla Espanola and flipped it effortlessly in this pan.

These are my personal opinions, I do not get paid to promote these items.



Miami Bites:

I snuck out for a little fun in the sun in Miami last week.
The weather was perfect and there is nothing like being on a beach in December when it's snowing and grey here in NJ.

This is not my grandmother's Miami Beach that I once knew.

We didn't do much in South Beach, but instead, went to the hip, new, cool gentrified areas during Art Basel Week.

Midtown, aka The Design District on the Mainland is where it is all happening.

A very Meat Packing District feel with chefs doing all "farm to table" stuff, in a once warehouse only neighborhood.

We had a delicious dinner at Michael's Genuine, a farm to table restaurant that is all the rage. Their concept is to use what is local and in season to create beautiful, simple food (wow, who da thunk it?).

Michael was a pioneer in this once wasteland of a neighborhood, and started Michael's back in 2006.
It's packed every night of the week in now the hippest area in Miami.

Highlights were the pork belly w/ kimchi & peanuts, and the octopus (huge tentacle) with potatoes.

We also ate at The Cypress Room in the Design District (literally, underneath I-195).
A very Brooklyn feel to the place, with an elegant dining room, extraordinary food, hip vibe and a price tag to match $$$$ (warning).

We started dinner with frogs legs lollipops and an amazing red shrimp crudo with coconut (wow to both dishes!).
Pork belly and a smoked beet salad w/ Robiola cheese and bacon dust (yeah, I know what you're thinking, Henry thought the same thing, just say "crushed bacon"). Ridiculously good, no matter what it was called.

I laughed at the server (who was so fabulous) when he brought out the fancy slice of cake and said it was decorated with "pomegranate jewels". I said "you mean seeds?".

The food was off the charts (and the bill was too). :)
This is a place for the true "foodie" in you.

My favorite meal in Miami was at Yardbird, Southern Table & Bar, voted Bon Appetit's top 50 restaurants in the country.

I usually don't eat fried food, but this place made me crave biscuits forever.

A Southern farm to table restaurant, where everything is in-house made, including the honey butter and all other ingredients are locally sourced.

Warning: If you are a diet, don't bother. Most everything is fried and so delicious you will want to eat the whole thing.

Best thing we ate in Miami were these Fried Green Tomato BLT's. Topped w/ pork belly, homemade onion jam and in-house made pimento cheese.
OMG. Yes, really.

Husband had delicious fried chicken, and I had biscuits for dessert, because I wanted to.
TO DIE FOR. Who knew I liked biscuits?

The second visit we had a plate of fried chicken on biscuits w/ pickled onions.

Bloody Mary's w/ pickled okra and bacon, and bacon buttermilk cake, the best thing in the universe.

Loved this place so much, we went twice!



Here's a recipe that never made the cut, the photos didn't come out well, but it was delicious.

I roasted fennel slices and carrots, sprinkled w/ cumin, dill and kosher salt.

Dab on some plain yogurt mixed with honey and harissa.
A really good winter side.



One last note:

I am turning 50 in a few days.
Yes, I said it.

It's hard to believe that I will no longer be middle-aged (I think 40 classifies you as "middle-aged"? shhhh).

For my birthday, I would like world peace, but that ain't happening.

So, I am requesting this Lady Baltimore Cake instead.

Made with layers of meringue frosting studded with pecans, raisins, dried figs, and candied orange peel, I want this.
But I will not bake it, simply because it's a major production and I don't really need it.

However, if my favorite birthday cake baker is reading this, feel free to bake it for me, I will gladly eat it!!!!!