Kitchen Wars: fauxfoodiegirl vs. kitchen

Since I knew I was going to be on my own for dinner on Monday, I didn't want to fall into the hummus and Stacey chips trap, I dreamt up my dinner and could hardly wait for Monday night to come. Actually, I am sure I read about it somewhere in the blogosphere, but I can't remember where, sorry....

My dinner involved cooking, which meant only one thing - the war was brewing. So far I am winning in kitchen wars and I was determined last night was going to be another win. This time, the cooking involved a heated stove, oil, boiling water, couple of things going on at the same time, clearly the smoke was in the air, but not to fret, no fire, no cuts, and no blood. Soon enough I may have to change the name of this blog....Yes, I am clearly getting ahead of myself as I am yet to touch any raw meat.

So the star of the night were whole wheat ravioli filled with tomato, basil and mozzarella served on the bead of wilted spinach and sauteed mushrooms with tomato sauce and freshly grated aged Parmesan. I forgot to salt all of it while cooking so the initial bite needed some adjustments, but all in all this was perfectly filling and satisfying dinner. Even more so because I didn't burn down the kitchen, the smoke alarm didn't go off and there was no blood this time....this is what I call a complete success. In all the glory, I forgot to take the photo of the finished meal with my good camera, so the iPhone photo will have to suffice.

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Za moje najdraze citatelje.....sinoc sam sama kuhala veceru i nisam spalila kuhinju, porezala se ili sprzila nista, nego je sve ispalo jako fino i zadovoljavajuce (imam osijecaj da cu morati malo poraditi na svom Hrvatskom - pisanje mi bas ne ide tako dobro). Jos malo pa cu morati mijenjati ime blog od laznog gurmana do pravog kuhara, ali to tek kad pocnem se baviti mesom....

Zvijezda veceri su bili ravioli punjeni paradjzom, mozzarellom i bosiljkom servirani na uvelom spinatu i gljivama sa umakom od paradajza i ostarijelog parmesana. U cijelom procesu kuhanja ja sam zaboravila da posolim sve sto sam kuhala tako da prvi zalogaj nije bio bas najbolji, ali kad sam sve dobro zacinila onda sam uzivala u svakom zalogaju. Jos nisam naucila omjere, tako da je toga ispalo jaku puno, ali zato sad imam rucak za sutra. Ja sam toliko bila sretna sa svojom vecerom da sam zaboravila uslikati tanjur sa dobrim foto aparatom, ali sam se sijetila u zadnji cas da uzmem sliku sa iPhonom tako da je malo mutna.

Uzivajte!!!!!

Weekly Menu

Yet again I was inspired to get the weekly menu and grocery shopping done early in the weekend. It certainly helped that I received a new issue of Martha Stewart's "Every Day Cooking" with so many yummy recipes, which inspired this week's eats. As I was looking over the menu and all the ingredients, I realized that this week's menu will require quite a few individual visits to the grocery store as chef likes to buy all the seafood and meat the day he prepares it. But I also have a feeling that we will never make it to Friday's menu...schedules, travels, laziness....LIFE. That's all right, I have a plan, just in case....

Sunday: The Red Light Benefit Soiree

Monday: Kitchen Wars -Ravioli with Wilted Spinach and Sauteed Mushrooms

Tuesday: Tilapia with Quinoa with Feta and Cucumber (the chef never made it last week)

Wednesday: Mini Paella with Shrimp, Scallops, Chicken Sausage, Saffron and Piquillo Peppers

Thursday: Meatballs and Pasta

Friday: Seared Scallops and Spring Veggies

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Meni za ovaj tjedan je bio isplaniran u subotu i sve je bilo kupljeno vec u subotu. Jedini je problem sto skoro svaka vecera zahtijeva svijezu ribu ili meso pa cemo morati svaki dan otici u ducan da kupimo tih par stvari.

Nedjelja: vecera vani u restoranu "Crveno Svijetlo"

Ponedjeljak: Kuhinjski ratovi (ja kuham sama) - ravioli

Utorak: Tilapia sa nekim specijalnim peruanskim zrnjem, fetom i mladim krastavcem

Srijeda: Spanjolsko jelo - paella sa rizom, skampima, Jakobovim kapicama ipilecom kobasicom sa safranom i piquillo paprikama

Cetvrtak: Pasta sa mljevenim mesom i paradajz sosom

Petak: Jakobove kapice sa svijezim povrcem (ja nisam sigurna kako se ova riba zove ali je prevodic na internetu zove jakobova kapica - mozda po slikama mozete prepoznati kako se to zove na Hrvatskom)

Imam osijecaj da necemo uspijeti skuhati sve sto je planirano jer se nasi rasporedi stalno mijenjaju ali bar je sve isplanirano pa se nadam najboljem....

Creating My Own Luck, at Morgans

Life lesson - I play by my own rules. This past St. Patrick's day did not prove to be so lucky for me, so instead of having some more bad luck, I decided to change the rules and instead of eating a traditional Irish meal and beer, I had the most amazing comfort food. I needed a hug, comfort, and casual environment and Morgans provided exactly that.

Morgans Restaurant, located in ever trendy Wynwood, is a conversion from a house built in the 1930's, with a small dinning room on the first floor, vast wrap around porch and the future second floor that will provide great dining space. I loved the restaurant decor - simple, modern, practical, clean - perfectly designed for a small space. The restaurant prides it self on the on the American classics, but with a modern twist. The service was great, everyone was more than accommodating and took great care of us. Even though it was a busy night at the restaurant, the general manager Vinny stopped by couple of times to ensure that everything was perfect, and it really was. Jen decided that Vinny should be her best friend....

We started the night off with some calamari and cheese board. The lightly fried calamari were perfectly crispy with fresh tomato sauce. Oh the cheese board - you had me at "cheese". Well there is only one way to describe it - holy yum. There was complete silence at the table when the cheese board came out. The three cheeses were - hard, soft and blue - gruyere, brie and stilton with amazing fresh fruit, fig paste and crostini. My favorite were the fig spread and brie. I can still taste the sweetness of fig spread over brie cheese. It reminded me so much of figs that my mom and I used to pick off the tree on our way to the beach while in Filip Jakov. I love how food bring sout all the memories of the childhood... We paired the cheese with a bottle of Murphy Goode Sauvignon Blanc, lately one of my favorite white wines. I loved how refreshing and light it was....

After reviewing the menu and asking a few questions, I finally decided to try something completely different - the Moroccan stew. What a delight. It provided me with comfort that I was looking for. The Moroccan Style Stew consisted of chick peas, tomato, onion, green and black olives, dried apricots, Moroccan spices, preserved lemon, couscous and merguez sausage. I don't think I even need to say how perfectly every ingredient in this meal complemented one another. I was never more excited to eat a stew!!!! And I am already thinking, when can I go back to have some more.


Before I even ordered my entree, I scanned the dessert menu and I knew I was having bread pudding. As soon as I see bread pudding on the menu, I completely disregard any other desserts. For some reason, I loose all control when I see bread pudding. There is some magical attraction and I can't say NO.





It was the most perfect pecan praline bread pudding I have ever had (sorry Michy). All it was missing was a glass of cold milk as it was an amazing mix of french toast and pecan pie. It was perfectly moist and the topping of pecan praline added just the right amount of sweetness. This was a true "sugar at the end" kind of ending to the dinner that completely turned an unlucky day into a very lucky dining experience.


Morgans Restaurant
28 NE 29 Street
Miami, FL 33137
305-573-9678

Chef's Ceviche

Chef's work started on a Sunday this week, so our meals were a little off...We started off with a very, very late breakfast of mushroom, spinach and feta cheese omelette. I had mine with the Peppridge Farm Whole Wheat Thins with a little bit of Siracha. I am not the one to eat very spicy food, but adding a bit of Siracha to my omelette was delightful.

The highlight of my day was chef's ceviche. For my 30th bash, the chef made amazing ceviche, and two years later (oops, now you know my age) everyone is still talking about it. He doesn't make it too often as it is quite labor intensive and it "cooks" all day, but on those special days, it's a real treat. The ceviche consisted of shrimp, scallops, red onions, cilantro, olive oil, salt, mango, lemon and lime juice, garlic and coconut milk. Flavors, flavors, flavors. It was a bit tangy, but the mango and coconut milk perfectly complemented the citrus flavors.

Of course I had a glass of wine and a warm whole wheat baguette drizzled with olive oil...a great Sunday night dinner, followed by a hockey game. Oh, and my team won, finally.

Weekly Menu

Usually I am stressing out about the weekly menu on a Sunday night, but not this time around. I was way ahead of the game this weekend - the menu and the shopping was done on Saturday!!!! Actually everything on my TO DO list for the weekend was done by noon on Saturday. Partially because I was up by 5am for a 5K race (and reached a personal PR of 29:29). I was home by 8:30am full of energy and crossing one item after another off the list. It's exhilarating getting it all done so early and than enjoying my weekend. I think this is probably the first weekend in a long time that I feel well rested and good about all that I have done, and I have done A LOT.

Sunday: Chef's Ceviche

Monday: Wild Rice with Mushrooms+Parsley+Marinated Chicken

Tuesday: Grilled Steak on a Salad Bed

Wednesday: Blogger Meet-up and Cannellini Beans+Red Onion+Parsley Salad and Grilled Chicken

Thursday: Tilapia and Quinua with Feta Cheese and Cucumber

Friday: Lisette's Bday Party

I am ready for this week....Stay tuned for foodie updates!!!!

Today is a very important day to me - it's my mom's birthday. Happy Birthday Mom!!!!

Sretan Rodendan Mama - jedva cekam da se vidimo i proslavimo nase rodendane!!!!!!

Kitchen Wars: Me vs. Kitchen

As it is frequent in our household, plans change all the time. I have carefully planned meals for this week, but as per usual, chef is no where to be found, so I was left alone in the kitchen and pondering my dinner choices.

Last night was easy, I had a dinner date with a fellow Croatian and we had a lovely meal at a Cuban restaurant near her house. But tonight was a different story...I was left alone in the kitchen with so many ingredients, menu and the usual, and fear of it all. I hate to see all the beauties we got go to waste, but I didn't have the slightest idea what to do with it. Sure, I could have looked at the recipe and tried to follow directions (I am good at - start with A, add B, followed by C), but the problem is I don't speak the "language"...simmer, pinch, broil, bring to heat, lightly...

Sure, I speak enough of English (though the Chef may not agree all the time - he is currently writing a book of "Jelenisms", but about that some other time) that I know the true meaning of each word. But when I apply it to cooking, let's just say, the food just doesn't taste like it had a pinch of salt or was simmered enough. If I see a recipe that has more than a paragraph of instructions, I completely loose any interest to even continue reading, let alone follow the instructions, and it all goes down the hill from there. The fear takes over, and the pinch of salt becomes a spoon of salt, and lightly coated in oil, becomes soaked in oil....

So in honor of my, Lululemon lunch bag that says "Do one thing that scares you", I did exactly that....I entered the kitchen, exuberating confidence and pretended like I knew exactly what I was doing. It was no longer a place that intimidated me, it was a place of calm and creation. Or so I kept telling myself. I am convinced that my kitchen and appliances can smell my fear and try to intimidate me, but I wasn't giving in tonight.

I slowly approached the refrigerator and took out kale, burrata, tomato, basil leaves, Parmesan cheese and than the starring contest began. Who will blink first? All of a sudden, I remembered my own mantra..."Do one thing that scares you" and I was on my way to win this battle. Far away from winning a war, but one battle at a time. So with no fear and a lot of confidence, I made a big mess in the kitchen but created delicious sides. Yes, you are reading it correctly, two side dishes - kale chips and mozarella/tomato and basil leaves. But since I still have fear of meat, this ended up being a very filling vegetarian dinner. Some may not call this cooking, but it was my definition of "cooking" and most importantly, it got me in a kitchen.

"Make Life Sweeter, Eat Dessert First"

While eating my breakfast this morning, I was catching up on some google reader and one of my favorite blogs Carrots & Cake featured a dessert shop in Boston with a sign "Make Life Sweeter, Eat Dessert First". If you believe in signs, this was one of those "**ly shit" moments as it was speaking directly to me.

I am helping a friend with a project, so tday we decided to meet up and do some dessert tasting.

So instead of having cocktails or appetizers or dinner, we embarked on a dessert tasting around town. We met up at Michael's Genuine, as we all know that Hedy Goldsmith is "the" pastry chef in town whose work is not to be missed. Without even looking at the menu, I knew I wanted to have the chocolate cremoso. There is something so divine about this dessert. Who would have thought of putting together olive oil, sea salts, chocolate, espresso and a crostini together???? I guess it's all the unexpected combinations that make this dessert an amazing treat. The sweetness of chocolate is perfectly

complemented by bitterness of espresso parfait with some sea salts.

So here is what we tasted tonight:

Chocolate Cremoso with sea salt, olive oil, sourdough crostini and espresso parfait

Organic Maple Flan with gingersnap ice cream sandwich and roasted forelle pear (I absolutely loved the gingersnap ice cream)

Tangerine Creamsicle Pot de Creme with cara cara orange confit and hot doughnuts (this was so filling, I thought I was eating breakfast, but the flavors were amazing - tangy, sweet and refreshing)

This whole new concept of "dessert hour" is definitely something I could get used to. I would love to just go to a patisserie and meet a friend for a some delicious dessert and good talk. There is nothing better than enjoying some sweets at the end of a busy day, actually any time of a day....indulge and escape to the world of desserts. Ah so heavenly!!!!

This Week on the Menu

You can always tell when the chef is in town as my weekly menu is a lot more different than cereal, hummus and veggie burgers. While everyone was still sleeping on Sunday morning, I got up early to enjoy my latte and flip through all my new cookbooks and magazines. Somehow I have accumulated over 15 new cookbooks since Christmas, don't ask how. ;)

At first I chose about 11 recipes...too many good choices and as per usual, I wanted it all. Knowing how things change in our household, I narrowed it down to 5 delicious recipes, chef approved and off shopping we went. The food shopping adventures included 3 stores as per usual: COSTCO, Publix and The Fresh Market. With the well stocked refrigerator and pantry, this week should be a breeze.

Sunday: Scallops with capers and tomatoes and angel hair pasta

Monday: Sunset orzo with spanish orzo and shrimp

Tuesday: Hearty winter veggie pilaf with lightly breaded chicken

Wednesday: Black bean, avocado, salsa chicken wraps and dessert tasting at Michael Genuine's

Thursday: Dinner with Ina....Aventura bound, so who knows what we shall be feasting on

Friday: Broccoli chicken bowl

Sunday's dinner was a great success and something that will definitely be back on the menu. According to the chef, it was an easy, healthy and fast meal with a lot of flavors. I knew it was good when I saw him drinking wine while cooking and chef only drinks wine in my father's presence, he he he....

The centerpiece of the meal were caramelized medium size scallops with diced tomatoes, capers, garlic and wine sauce over wheat angel hair pasta. It was a very light, fresh and citrusy meal...yummy, yummy, yummy.

Monday night's dinner was another success and a great addition to our weekly menu. I absolutely loved the combination of chorrizo and shrimp, but the star of this meal was wheat orzo pasta. I really like that when you bite into it, it actually pops in your mouth...another yummy, yummy, yummy meal.

Since the chef hasn't cooked any of these meals, let's hope he sticks to the plan since we have all the ingredients...Bon Apetit!!!

No Reservations

It's been "No Reservations" kind of a night. One of my favorite TV channels was showing "No Reservations" movie tonight and I loved it. Actually, I loved it so much, that I watched it twice in a row if that tells you anything. Well how could I not? It was about all of my favorite things - food, restaurant business, chefs and most of all love. A perfect movie!!!!

But before the movie, the chef and I had an impromptu dinner at the Bond Street Lounge at Townhouse Hotel, with no reservations.We got there just before the evening rush and with no reservations we were really lucky to have gotten the table. Since the hunger prevailed, we weren't too adventures with our choices for appetizers.....chicken skewers with teriyaki sauce and Kani Shu Mal - steamed crab dumplings. Of course I had a glass of always refreshing Goose Bay Sauvignon Blanc, which was so light that I couldn't tell if I was drinking water or wine. I think next time, I will be ordering sake.The menu at this sleek nightclub like (it was so dark, I could barely see the menu or anything around me) sushi spot was pretty limited compared to other sushi places I've been to. But I've heard that that the chef Hirokazu Asano puts together most impressive creations, so I knew it had to be good. Since it was our first time at the Bond Street, we took time studying the menu and trying to figure out what we wanted. I loved that the menu offered just enough choices that it wasn't overwhelming. It had all the classics, shrimp/lobster tempura, tuna roll, cream cheese, eel sauce, but the secret in why everything was so delicious was in the dipping sauces and of course, freshness of the ingredients.

We chose three rolls and as I was trying each I thought the next one was better than the last. I guess each one of them was the most delicious one in its own way and the dipping sauces were A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

Sesame Crusted Shrimp with Orange Curry Dijon Mustard

Lobster Tempura with Yellow Tomato Dressing with Chive Oil

Tuna Roll - the freshest tuna I have ever had....

Sometimes evenings with no plans or reservations, turn out to be just as good if not better than the perfectly planned ones. Maybe I should stop planning everything so much and let things just happen...nah, not happening!!! The Bond St. Lounge was amazing...One place I will definitely be going back to.

Bond St. Lounge
at Townhouse
150 20th Street
Miami Beach, FL 33139
305-534-3800

***top two images courtesy of google.com and www.miamibeach411.com

From Hockey to BLT

How does a girl go from having cheese fries and beer at the hockey game to steak and wine... I guess life doesn't always happen according to plan. I was really looking forward to going to the hockey game, but plans changed, so instead I met a friend for BLT Steakhouse's anniversary dinner and enjoyed some girl talk. At the end of the day, it was exactly what I needed.

On March 3rd, which just happens to be today, BLT Steak restaurants around the country are offering a special dining deal in honor of the restaurant's anniversary. The first BLT Steakhouse opened in Manhattan on 3/3/04 and since than it has become BLT's tradition to charge $33.04 for certain steak entrees, Dover Sole, and blackboard specials and only $3.03 for desserts and cocktails. Not a bad deal at all.

When I arrived to the restaurant, my friend was still looking for parking (after all, the Betsy Hotel is on Ocean Drive) I was seated in the "waiting" area that reminded me very much of a hotel lobby. There were people with suitcases everywhere. It seemed so odd that people would be bringing suitcases to the restaurant, but when we were taken to our table, I realized the restaurant was located in the lobby of the hotel. It certainly wasn't my favorite set-up, but somehow it must work for the hotel patrons....owners.... Me, not so much.But if you turned your back to the hotel reception area, the restaurant was beautiful. It was decorated in earthy tones, mixed in with dark chocolate brown and black with little hints of green, aka cactus on the table. The lighting was very dimmed, tiny candles lit at each table, hence the pictures are so dark and you can barely tell what's on the pictures. My favorite part of the decor was the large blackboard that covered the whole wall with descriptions of various types of beef. Of course the child in me had to see if the writing was a real chalk or paint...it was a chalk, I erased a letter "a"...oopsAs soon as we were seated, our server brought a plate with delicious bread with chicken pate and pickled salad drizzled with olive oil. Within mere minutes, he brought us puffs...oh my, those were delicious. They were very eggy, but once you put a little bit of salt, they were delicious. We both ordered the house signature cocktail that was a tad too sweet for me, perhaps better as a dessert. I don't remember the actual name but it consisted of vodka, pomegranate juice and pear pure. As I was enjoying the pate and puffs, Jen was having a foodgasm over the dessert - strawwbery tart. To quote Jen - "AAhh, it's heaven on a plate". The simple pleasures in life is what counts. Since this was a special anniversary night, the restaurant offered a special menu/prices and all items with little cows next to them were on a special. Compared to their regular menu, pretty much everything was part of the anniversary pricing with the exception of the appetizers.Just two days ago, both Jen and I had steak so we decided to share the 12 oz. filet and for the sides, we ordered grilled asparagus, creamed spinach, parmesan gnocci and potato gratin. We really wanted the mac and cheese, but they were sold out of it...so dissapointing as I read about it, but I guess that tells you how delicious it must have been.

The winners of the night - chicken liver pate and creamed spinach. The pate had a sweet taste with hints of peper and the combined with tangy flavors of the pickled salad was amazing. I could have easily continued eating it for the rest of the night. The creamed spinach ....well, only my mom makes it like that. If I am not mistaken it was steamed spinach mixed with a lot, and I mean a lot of heavy cream. It instantly made me miss my mom and days when I would get back from school and sit in the kitchen telling her all about my day and licking the bowl of creamed spinach she would have waiting for me.

​So overall, our dinner was fine. It was not Red, the Steakhouse nor Craft. Nothing earthshattering. But I will be back to check-out the brunch menu - it has gotten some good reviews. Perhaps, I've been to one too many steakhouses lately and it's time to change the scenery.

**Appologies for the bad pictures, but I forgot my real camera, so iPhone had to suffice.

BLT Steak Miami
1440 Ocean Drive
Miami Beach, Fl
305-673-0044

8 oz. Burger Bar

Oh my, I went to lunch and gone to heaven!!!!! I always, OK 98% of the time eat lunch at my desk for numerous reasons, but every once in awhile an opportunity knocks on my door and I decide to venture out and explore and so I did last Wednesday.

A colleague, who I really consider a great friend, was in town for the South Beach Wine and Food Festival, also a foodie, sent me a suggestion of three places she wanted to try while in Miami and asked me to pick one and since I have eaten at the other two, the choice was an easy one - 8 oz. Burger Bar.

I have heard great, no fantastic reviews of this joint and was really excited to try it. I will admit, I was a bit hesitant of my own choice as it was lunch and I usually don't eat a burger for lunch, but hey, rules are meant to be broken. And boy was I happy I broke this rule....

This was the most amazing burger(s) I have had in a very long time. We shared MELROSE (6oz. house blend, wild baby arugula, garlic roasted tomatoes and red onion marmalade) and PORTABELLA (6oz burger, portabella, fried mozzarella, baby arugula, roasted garlic tomato, avocado and horseradish dionaise) burgers with a side of sweet potato fries. This was also my first time having sweet potato fries and they were heavenly. The portions were completely and utterly satisfying.

Not only was the food great, the actual restaurant was a perfect local neighborhood joint, welcoming and relaxing. I wish I lived around the corner so I can just pop-in for a great bite and chilled beer. I can't wait to go back and try some of their "small snacks" (appetizers) and $5 cocktails and of course the sweet potato fries.

8oz. Burger Bar

1080 Alton Road

Miami Beach, FL

305-397-8246

*** Header photo courtesy of www.8ozburgerbar.com