running with tweezers

6 + 24 = 32

Ah, Birthday Week. It's here. Ever since I was little, I have truly enjoyed my birthday. Except for a couple mental days around my 30th, which I completely deny but my friends all confirm...birthdays have never been about getting old. They've been about just simply making it through another year happy and healthy.

This year, the birthday festivities got off to a rocky start. Quite frankly, I don't know why. I've felt...off. People are being really demanding of me emotionally - and seemingly unnecessarily. Things with my dad's health are stressing me out (even though I'm not letting on that it's bugging me that much). My initial plan for my fabulous birthday dinner went down the can in a big way. Suddenly, my birthday was feeling a bit like an anvil hanging around my neck.

I spent a quiet weekend keeping to myself and having TamiTime(tm). Still, I couldn't shake it. Resorting to what usually makes me feel better, I went for a long walk. My route, which is what I run every day, has lots of hills and dips and turns. In the early evening, the breeze was blowing...the leaves were rustling a little bit. The soundtrack to everything swirling around in my head. Sorting through all of the things that had been bugging me for days.

As I came up over the top of this hill,  I was knocked back a few steps by a familiar smell I had smelled a million times on my run: magnolias. My mom loved magnolias - almost as much as stargazer lilies. All of the memories of my birthdays with my mom came rushing at me. We always used to have an adventure on my birthday...and of course, it had to do with food. The year we laughed over the white bean soup with truffle oil at Brasserie Le Coze (rip) after "accidentally" spending too much on new underwear. One year, we went to Bacchanalia for crab fritters and chocolate cake at lunch...and then went back that night for our reservations with my dad. We never told anyone - until now.   

On the eve of my second birthday-without-my-mom-oh-goodness-how-do-get-older-without-your-help, I sat down on the steps in front of the local school and cried and cried. Thank goodness for summer break.

In her way, as she always does, my mom was the thing that kept me grounded. Focused on what was important. I should have known that she'd be there for my birthday...and she'd be the one that helped me get my head out of my ass on this special day.

I'm looking at life today with a different set of eyes than the ones that have been staring glumly around her the past several days. What's to be all down about? I've made it another year, right? I'm 32...and my boobs and butt stick out more than my stomach. Woo! I have a steady and decidedly unglamorous yet wildly fulfilling career as a food stylist. I eat well. I drink good wine. I laugh a lot. I have amazing people in my life that have been around for years and years and years - even though we don't talk as much as we should, I know they're there. This past year in particular, I've been so fortunate to meet a host of new friends. Although whatshisface gave me a little drama this year, I'm spending time with someone who puts a little twinkle in my eye again.

As always, I have a host of Birthday Week festivities planned for the next couple days. So, while *I* won't be short on food and good stories, this blog will. I'll be back soon enough trying to be healthy and repent for my birthday week sins. Thank you to everyone out there who has sent me such nice birthday wishes and - on the other 364 days of the year - supported me and this blog and gone through the journey with me. Here's to another year, whatever it brings.

image found on google.com

on the waterfront

I'm just tickled to finally be able to post about this recipe...and the great stories that go along with it. I have started writing a regular column for Atlanta Cuisine, a sort of online foodie gathering place here in Atlanta, called Deep Dish. Every month, it's going to be a mix of dining adventures and cooking at home. A study in what inspires what. Which came first: the restaurant or the recipe?

For the first piece, I was blown away by a dish I had during a spectacular meal on vacation in St. George Island. A tasting menu at Avenue Sea in Apalachicola that rivaled any meal I've had here in town. One dish stood out in particular: clams with chorizo, lemon, and paprika oil. I came home and immediately tried to replicate it - with my own little twists.

You can read the entire story about how this dish came to be here at AtlantaCuisine.com. The recipe is posted at the bottom of the article in its entirety. Please feel free to leave feedback there or here on the blog - whether you're a resident of A-town or not!

in the raw

It's hot. Outside, that is.

Here in Atlanta, we experienced a bit of a heat wave last week. When I say a "bit" of one, I mean it was unbearably hot that I had a hard time leaving the house. When its 90 by 10 am (!!!), my reverse seasonal disorder kicks in and all I want to do is lay around. If it's too hot for me to put clothes on to go to the grocery store, you know darned well it's too hot to be actually cooking anything.

Thankfully, I am a huge fan of cold summer soups. Gazpacho, in particular. My mom always made it and when I was younger, it was just one of those weird foods. As I got older, I started to appreciate the depth of flavors and its versatility more and more. While I love the pureed, thinner kind...my mom's version was always a little chunkier, so that's my preference.

I ran across this version on-line and was intrigued by the addition of barley into the soup. I've never had gazpacho with anything but veggies in it. The barley added some oomph to the soup, made it more filling while still allowing it to be light and refreshing. I didn't use the canned spicy tomato juice, choosing instead to add my own Tabasco and spices. I also substituted a fresh seeded jalapeno for the canned ones. It was delicious the day I made it but I highly recommend letting the flavors stew and percolate together overnight.

Chilled Barley Gazpacho Soup - adapted from a recipe originally found here

• Three 13-ounce cans low-sodium spicy tomato juice
•   Two 14 1/2-ounce cans chopped tomatoes and juice
•   2 cups cooked pearl barley (see note)
•   1 cup peeled, seeded and chopped cucumber
•   1 cup chopped red bell pepper
•   1/4 cup chopped cilantro or Italian parsley leaves
•   1/4 cup chopped green onion
•   1 tablespoon chopped canned jalapeno chilies
•   1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
•   1/2 ripe avocado, peeled, seeded and sliced

Directions:

Cook's tips to help in preparation: To seed cucumber, cut in half and   use a small measuring spoon to scrape out seeds. Your gazpacho may be prepared   ahead and refrigerated — in fact, making it a couple of days before serving   allows the flavors to blend better — but do not add avocado until serving   time.

To cook pearl barley:
In medium saucepan with lid, bring 3 cups water to a boil. Add 1 cup pearl barley;   return to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 45 minutes or until barley   is tender and liquid is absorbed. Makes about 3 to 3 1/2 cups. Place any extra   cooked barley in an airtight container and refrigerate or freeze for up to one   week. For best results, bring cooked and chilled barley to room temperature   before using.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except avocado. Cover and refrigerate to chill. When ready to serve, ladle into soup bowls and garnish with avocado slices

eat your vegetables

Everyone has their secret shame, right? I'm not talking about those photos from the 80's or the fact that you like Kenny Loggins. I mean a food secret shame. For some, it's Spam sushi - or Spam anything, for that matter. For others, it might be that late night (or early morning) 4 am run through the Krispy Kreme drive through. Then there is that lot of you that puts mayo/ketchup/mustard on everything. Weirdos.

My secret food shame for a long time was Brussels sprouts. I had them as a kid every so often growing up but they were always, umm, the frozen kind. I, like everyone else in their right mind who has had a frozen Brussels sprout, had been scarred just a little by that experience. As a teenager, though, I started getting into food and had them roasted in a very nice restaurant. Cabbagey but not - not to mention how cute they were - and caramelized and sweet from the roasting. I was hooked and have eaten them ever since. The problem is that many people think they don't like Brussels sprouts but haven't had them prepared in a modern and loving way...so when I say love Brussels sprouts, it's often met with an "Eeew."

This recipe will change your mind about Brussels sprouts, I promise. If you already like them, you'll love this. I wish I could tell you this recipe is more complicated than it is...but I whipped this together in about 10 minutes. Rustically cut, chiffonade the leaves or use a mandoline to shred the sprouts - I think it looks better and more rustic if some of the leaves are chunky or left whole.

A quick thing I did before putting the salad together was to pour semi-hot water over the shreds, leave for a minute, then drain off. Immediately after, I rinsed them with cold water to make sure they didn't wilt too much. That minute in the warm water softens them just a bit without boiling or steaming them & risking getting mushy.

The creamy Ricotta Salata makes this salad with a creamy, salty counterpoint to the veggies. If it's not readily available where you are, good quality feta will work, as well.  This dish is just screaming to be paired with a piece of grilled salmon.

Brussels Sprout Salad - serves 2 as a salad or 4 as a large side dish

• 1 pound of Brussels sprouts - washed then shredded/chiffonaded
• 2 tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• Juice of 1 lemon - Meyer lemon if available
• sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 4 oz. ricotta salata cheese, crumbled or sliced into 1 oz. portions

- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the mustard, olive oil, and lemon juice. Taste before you season with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper. When seasoned to desired taste, toss in well-drained Brussels sprouts. Toss thoroughly to coat with the dressing. Plate salad and top with crumbled ricotta salata (or feta) or lay slices on top if you're doing it that way. Served immediately.

bits and bites

While I am working on some new recipes - a couple great salads! - for the blog this week, I am gonna make sure all of you out in blogville know about some things that are happening!

- Jugalbandi is dedicating the current edition of Click - an online photography contest - to raised money for Bri over at Figs with Bri. She has been fiercely battling cancer and the contest is doubling as a fund-raiser to help counteract her staggering medical expenses. You can take part in the photo contest - with the color Yellow as the theme - and make a donation here.

- If you haven't been over to MeleCotte, a food blog run by Chris, you should do so! She has started pastry chef duties at a local restaurant here in Atlanta...and has been chronicling the trials and tribulations of getting her tasty desserts off the ground. I will be meeting up with her tomorrow (we live in the same city and have never met!!) to take some shots of her creations.

- For those folks in Atlanta, I wanted to make sure you knew about a very special wine dinner happening at Ecco, one of my favorite spots in town. The Fresh Flavors dinner will be happening on June 24th at 6:30 pm. The vegetarian tasting menu will be paired with wine for $50 per person. I have made reservations for this as my birthday dinner - well...the dinner on my actual birthday!

- Please be my friend! Running with Tweezers (and myself) are all over the Internet! We want to get to know you. You can be my friend on Facebook (we even have a Running With Tweezers group!) or Myspace. I take lots of photos - of food and otherwise - which you can see here on Flickr. Lastly, you can also take part in all the fun banter and "tweeting" by following me on Twitter - there are a lot of great food bloggers using the service.