Scoma's Lazy Man's Cioppino

Here is the recipe from our visit to Scoma's. It can be found on their website as well. Since I live in Florida, my re-creation of this dish would include fresh Tilapia or Snapper in place of the Cod. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

Scoma's Lazy Man's Cioppino
(Serves 4 - 6 people)
Prep time: 30-45 minutes
Cook time: 30-40 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1⁄4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic
1 large white or yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
2 cups fish stock or clam juice
6 cups of your favorite tomato sauce
1 lb rock cod cut into 1" cubes
1.5 lbs Manila clams
12oz prawns (deveined and peeled)
1 lb cooked crab meat
8oz bay shrimp
12oz scallops
Salt and pepper

PROCEDURE

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat and cook garlic for one minute.
2. Add the onions and let them sweat for two or three minutes.
3. Turn heat to high and add the wine to deglaze. Cook for 2-3 minutes (or until reduced in half) then reduce heat to medium.
4. Add fresh oregano and basil.
5. Add the tomato sauce and bring to a boil.
6. Slowly add fish, shellfish, and shrimp meat.
7. Bring the cioppino back to a boil and simmer for 5-7 minutes or until all the seafood is cooked.
8. Add cooked crab meat.
9. Thin the cioppino to your liking with fish stock or clam juice.
10. Adjust the seasoning with salt & pepper.
11. Serve in a large bowl with fresh sourdough bread and enjoy!

SERVING SUGGESTIONS
This dish is a natural with most kinds of pasta such as linguine, angel hair, fettuccini or penne.

Napa & San Francisco

We took a little vacation this summer.... an important one, in fact: Our Honeymoon. I know what you're thinking.... we have been married for a year and a half. But the truth of it is, we couldn't go anywhere after our wedding, due to some work training and other friends' weddings. So we decided to take it this summer. We still told people it was a delayed honeymoon, since we got married in January... of LAST year (we left out that minor detail). So off to California we go!

Napa Valley and a little town called Yountville were our first stops. The grapes and vines were in full bloom, and the countryside was so lush.

We went to several vineyards: Silver Oak, Grgich Hills, Merryvale, and Cakebread. All were so beautiful and it was so cool to learn about how they cultivate and age their grapes, and end up with such delicious wines. We tried lots of different types of wines, even though the standard Cabernet Sauvignon is our go-to wine. We may have even come home with some bottles, to open only for special occasions.

Napa Valley is not just about wine though. The food there is equally amazing. We went to Ristorante Tra Vigne, a recommendation from some friends, and I have to say that their fresh mozzarella changed my life! They make it on site, and it had just been pulled out of pasteurization that day. Then they place it in a small bowl with a little fresh olive oil, and warm it up just enough. They bring it to your table and slice it for you, and then you spread it over their freshly baked and toasted sourdough bread. It is HEAVEN! Here's me with what was left of it:



We also went to Mustard's Grill for dinner.... I had their famous Mongolian Pork Chop, which was delicious. However, my husband got the New York Strip, which was even more amazing!! Lets just say, we didn't leave hungry!

Our next stop on our trip was on our way to Monterrey/Carmel. Fifteen years ago, when I was last in California, my family stopped in a little town called Gilroy, the "Garlic Capital of the World", and tried some amazing garlic delicacies. So on our trip this year, we happened to be in time for their Annual Gilroy Garlic Festival. I insisted that we go. While it was ten times as large as any festival we have here in Florida in all its craziness, it was definitely a great experience. I made my husband try Garlic Ice Cream (I have had it before and liked it a lot!), since he is a hugs ice cream lover. Here he is, trying the Praline Pecan Garlic Ice Cream:

It was pretty delicious, but we wish we had ordered it like seasoned festival-goers scooped into half of a cantaloupe. A new idea for summer!!!

After Monterrey/Carmel, we drove up Big Sur and Highway 1 up the coast of California to our last destination: San Francisco. There, we saw the redwoods at Muir Woods, took a tour of Alcatraz, and hung out with the sea lions at Fisherman's Wharf.



There were also so many great restaurants, but here were our favorites:

Bobo's: The Steak, The Crab. This restaurant certainly lives up to its name. We met some of our California friends at their favorite steak joint on Lombard Street. They have a bone-in filet mignon that is out of this world, and with an iron skillet roasted mussels, crab, and shrimp combo to start with, they made the restaurant live up to its name. Their sides are served family style, with amazing pancetta brussel sprouts and a twice baked potato the size of my arm. While it is not the most well-known or popular restaurant in San Francisco, it is definitely one not to miss!

Our last stop before heading home was Scoma's seafood restaurant on the Wharf. While it doesn't have the best view, it does have some of the freshest seafood right off the dock! Order the LazyMan's Cioppino for a real treat (recipe to follow).

Between the wine, restaurants, and amazing sights, our honeymoon was certainly worth the wait!

Awesome Appetizer - Stuffed Baby Peppers

One Sunday morning, I got stuck watching the Food Network, and one of my favorite chefs Giada De Laurentiis, and she made an easy and delicious appetizer I had to try for myself. Here's the recipe:

Vegetable oil cooking spray
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 ounces thinly sliced proscuitto
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
garlic salt and pepper
12 (2 to 3-inch long) sweet baby peppers

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with vegetable oil cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the proscuitto and cook, stirring frequently, until brown and crispy, about 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the proscuitto and drain on paper towels. Add the onion to the pan and cook until translucent and soft, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine the onion, proscuitto, cheeses, and corn. Season with garlic salt and pepper, to taste.

Using a paring knife, cut 1/2-inch from the stem-end of the peppers. Remove the seeds and veins. Using a small dessert spoon, fill each pepper with the ricotta mixture. Place the filled peppers on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 to 18 minutes until the peppers begin to soften. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes.

Arrange the peppers on a platter and serve. Perfect for a warm summer night! Enjoy!

Summer Rolls

Ever go to your favorite sushi or Asian restaurant and crave those light and fresh summer rolls? They are so easy to make and a perfect summertime recipe for any get together! Your local Asian market is just the place to get all the ingredients you need.

1 Package of Rice Paper (Spring roll wrappers)
1 Package of Bean Strings
1 Cucumber, sliced lengthwise
4 Green onions, sliced lengthwise
1 Carrot, sliced lengthwise
1 tsp chopped Ginger
Small shrimp, cooked with the tails cut off
Cilantro
Rice Vinegar

Warm some water in a sauce pan or large bowl. Chop all veggies and prepare shrimp. Prepare the rice wraps by soaking them one by one in the warm water for 5-10 seconds. Once soft, place ingredients in the center, sprinkle on a little rice vinegar and cilantro, fold over the top and bottom, then the right side and roll. Serve with spicy Thai sauce or Peanut Sauce (recipe to follow).

For typical Asian spring rolls, complete the process above, but fry the roll in oil in low heat until crispy. This recipe can be used with any ingredients you like!

Tantalizing Tomatoes

I love summer for outdoor parties, days at the beach, and fresh fruits and vegetables. And there is nothing better than a fresh summer tomato... on a salad, in homemade tomato sauce, or as a great appetizer for your summer get together. Here, a fabulous and easy recipe:

10 Plum Tomatoes
1 Tbsp Good Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Good Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbsp Dried herbs (I used Sage and Thyme, but a good Italian Seasoning variety will also work)
Salt & Pepper

Preheat your oven to 20 degrees. Mix the oil, vinegar, herbs, and salt and pepper in a bowl. Quarter the tomatoes and dig out the seeds. Lightly toss the tomatoes in the mixture and place on a non-stick baking sheet. Bake for 3-4 hours, or until the edges turn brown and the oil/vinegar had soaked into the tomatoes. Remove from the oven and either serve, or store them in a sealed container for up to a week in the refrigerator.

I paired these tomatoes with a slice of fresh mozzarella. However, they would also be awesome in a salad, on a flat bread pizza, or mixed in a cream sauce over chicken and pasta. Or find your own uses and let me know! These tantalizing tomatoes will make you want summer to stay around all year!

TOY STORY Party

As huge PIXAR fans, my husband and I wanted to host a "TOY STORY 1 & 2" movie night for our friends and their kids, before "TOY STORY 3" came out in theaters. Using a photo of and "Etch-a-sketch" online, and a free downloadable "Etch-a-sketch" font, I created the invites:

I thought it would be easy to find Toy Story toys at garage sales and on eBay that I could use to decorate with, but with the new movie coming out soon, the toys online were in high demand. I managed to find a few for under $5:

Buzz and Woody are having out on the food table, and you will notice I used my silver letters again to show the party's theme. Because we invited our friends and their children, we wanted the food to be kid friendly (and honestly, who doesn't love pizza bites and corndogs?!). Here's Rex hanging out with the pizza bites:



And Bullseye hanging out with the corndogs:

I kept bright colors with the plates and napkins and serve ware, and added some Dollar Store Slinkys and army men to scatter around the house. Here you'll find the amazing 7-layer Mexican dip and chips.... a huge hit!!!

And Peanut butter, M&Ms, and chocolate chip cookies. I used some clip art in both spaceships and sheriff's badges to make food labels.

And what movie night is not complete without popcorn! Buttered popcorn and kettle corn were served in mini bags, which I found on clearance after Christmas, and just kept in the closet for a special occasion. Kids (and adults) don't like to share popcorn, so everyone got their own bag!

Kids got a goody bag to take home. The bags were left over from another party and tied with some leftover ribbon. I used the same clip art to use name tags, and the bags were filled with "Toy Story" stickers, "Toy Story" gummi snacks, silver sheriffs badges, and Slinky's. I used a vintage Slinky to decorate the bowl.

We watched both movies back to back on the lawn, and I think everyone had a great time. We're all ready to see "Toy Story 3".

Sorry for the absence...

For about 2 months now, I feel like I am spinning the wheel in the game of LIFE. No, there are no kids yet, but I feel like I keep landing on the space where unexpected things come up, one after the other. The two flat tires on my car. Fixing something on the house - every weekend. Continued education courses. Family get-togethers. It is never ending. The game of LIFE has temporarily replaced some things I used to do regularly, mainly this blog.

While I have been away, the creative juices have still been flowing. It may take me a week or so to get a few posts going, but I promise to get this blog back to where it used to be. After all, summer is the most exciting time for get-togethers and fun, fresh food. I hope you all will come back and visit the blog often for great summer ideas!

LOST Finale

As "LOST"ies, we were super excited for the "LOST" finale that we hosted a "LOST" Finale party, with a showing on the lawn. For a show that was set on an island, it was difficult to decorate with island-themed decorations for a show where the island was more hell than paradise. So I had to improvise with some different options.

For invitations, I found some photos of the show's "OCEANIC AIRLINES" tickets online. I found some "OCEANIC" logos online to download, as well as created a bar code from the numbers 4-8-15-16-23-42 to use on the ticket. I made these in Publisher with each guest's name on them, as well as ticket and seat numbers with the famous numbers, and sent them out in "Oceanic" envelopes. I thought they came out pretty well:


I have a set of silver letters with wood bases that I use to decorate for a themed party. I broke these out to see what I could make with the letters that I had. I was able to spell "L-O-S-T" and decorate the food table with a simple green table cloth and some netting that I found at the Dollar Store.



It was late in the day when I realized that my husband picked up this giant vintage screen print airplane for $5 at a church sale, to be used someday in his retro man-cave in our next house. It was perfect as a backdrop to our food buffet. If you look closely, you will see I used my lettering kit to spell "Oceanic Flight 815", and set our antique clock to 8:15PM. You may also catch a polar bear or two around the house, another significant event in the world of "LOST".



Weeks before we finalized the party, I found an amazing website that had every food label you would need from the Dharma Initiative. If you did not watch the show, a quick recap: there were experiments being conducted on the island by the research group, the Dharma Initiative. All of their food was generically labeled. I printed out labels for all the food and drinks we served, and I have to admit, our fridge was a bit intimidating:



I served chips and salsa, mini chocolates, island fruit, and friend chicken from "Mr. Clucks Chicken Shack". Since the finale was not on until 9pm, we went light on the food.

My sister-in-law was equally as intimidating as the fridge, in her awesome, homemade "Others" jumpsuit. You also may notice I had the infamous numbers on the mantel:



To set the scene at the front of our house, I realized that our rustic wood wreath could be converted to a Dharma symbol with a little black ribbon. I then used some sticky numbers, purchased at Michael's for $2, to add to the ribbon to add the LOST numbers again. With a little brown paper covering our wood and glass door, I cu out the paper from just behind the wreath to make the "Hatch". I think it looks pretty amazing with our tiki torches and the glow from the inside of the house.



And all of the "LOST"ies got to take home air sickness bags, courtesy of "Oceanic Airlines", for which I created labels as well. Again, I filled the bags with mini airplanes, bags of peanuts, and Goldfish (remember the fish shaped cookies in the bear cages where Sawyer and Kate were kept?). And some more polar bears lurking around the house:


The finale was not the most popular event, as most people who left at 11:45PM were scratching their heads trying to figure out what just happened, in true "LOST" fashion. As much as they didn't remember from the entire show, I'm sure they won't forget the party!

Our trip to Charleston was wonderful! We got to eat AMAZING food, visit lots of antique shops, and even check out a Charleston Riverdogs Minor League Baseball Game! Here were our favorites from the trip:

Hominy Grill - for any meal. Truly incredible, homemade food that warms your soul. I even bought their cookbook during this visit, I love the place so much.

Tristan - a wonderful upscale restaurant with a diverse food selection, great wines, and modern atmosphere. We went here to celebrate a special event, but would also be a great date-night spot.

Pavillion Bar- rooftop bar at the Market Pavilion Hotel on Bay Street with amazing atmosphere. Grab a drink overlooking all of Charleston, this is the best view in town!

Charleston Riverdogs- We actually had the most fun at the Charleston Riverdogs game. As featured on the Man vs. Food on the Travel Channel, the stadium offers many unique hot dogs that are all delicious! The stadium also offers fun activities for kids, and the baseball is pretty good too!

For more places to go, a fantastic quick guide to Charleston, visit the Design*Sponge blog here: Design*Sponge

Time Off

Sorry I have been away from the blog for a little while.... After Easter, we decided to take a long weekend to go visit one of my favorite places - Charleston, South Carolina. I have been playing catchup ever since we got back.

Stay tuned for some Lowcountry Recipes from beautiful Charleston, perfect for those spring and summer cookouts and gatherings with friends! See 'yall soon!