Emerald Water Anglers Annual Cook-Off

Photos Courtesy of Dave McCoy Photography

Two weeks ago, I promised to write about my amazing experience as a judge for the Emerald Water Anglers Annual Cook-Off. There were so many details to process from the event that it took me a few weeks to think and prepare. Thank you for being patient while I got my act together.

First of all, I am not afraid to come right out and say that I was shocked at the quality of food that was presented at this event. I was expecting good food but I had no idea that the dishes would be so aesthetically pleasing and complex. I can say with conviction that the ten fishing guides that participated are not only experienced guides and genuinely good people, they are excellent cooks. Their cooking experience ranges from one guide that studied at Cordon Bleu School in both Paris and London to several of the guides that cook casually for themselves or that cook for clients while guiding for Emerald Water Anglers. The guides are from different backgrounds, are a variety of ages and have varying levels of guiding experience. These differences provided the judges and attendees with an interesting array of flavors and styles that were unique to each of the cooks.

The rules of the cook-off were that the guides had to prepare 75% of the food on location at Seahurst Park in Burien, Washington and that they were allowed to use only stoves and cooking gear that can be used to prepare food on the river. Can you imagine preparing a gourmet meal on a Coleman camp stove under a picnic shelter? Oh, and did I mention that they only had 40 minutes to create their masterpieces? Boy did these guides rise to the occasion. I had no idea a camp stove could be used to grill pizza, fry oysters for a Po' Boy Sandwich, grill Bleu Cheese Stuffed Prosciutto-Wrapped Figs (which were heavenly), cook Miso Corn Salad or grill Crab Stuffed Poblano Peppers. I'm telling you, the cooks did an amazing job.

The judges were myself, Dave McCoy, Hunter Chamness and Jim Osborn. Dave McCoy is the owner of Emerald Water Anglers. He has 21 years of professional fishing experience but his main passion is to educate his clients on the state of our natural resources locally and beyond. He is dedicated to teaching people how to leave the smallest possible footprint on our natural resources. Hunter Chamness studied at Cordon Bleu School in London and is currently a chef at Crush in Seattle. Out of the goodness of his heart, he prepared a beautiful Beet and Goat Cheese Salad and Pulled Pork for this event. Both dishes were delectable. Jim Osborn was Head Chef at Watergate Hotel in Washington DC for many years and actually cooked for two United States Presidents. Needless to say, I was humbled to be included as a judge with such a talented group of individuals.

The judges were tasked with scoring the dishes in each of six categories; time, taste, appearance, originality, guidability and plating. Those of you who know me or have read prior entries on my blog can guess how excited I was to participate in my own little version of "Iron Chef." I felt like Jeffrey Steingarten or Donatella Arpaia for a day. :) All categories were self-explanatory with the exception of time and guidability. Time was simply whether or not they finished within the allotted 40 minutes (the cooks either earned a 5 or 0 on this one) and guidability was how feasible it is to prepare the dish successfully while guiding on the river. Dave McCoy was responsible for guidability scoring due to his expertise on the subject. After all categories were scored and added together, the end result was a three-way tie at 26 out of 30 points. The tie was between a Po' Boy Sandwich with Ceviche prepared by Ted McDermott, a Grilled Crab Stuffed Poblano Pepper with Slaw and Guacamole prepared by Mark Freda and Teriyaki Glazed Chicken Thighs with Miso Corn Salad, Soft Boiled Eggs, Pickled Cucumbers and Creme Brulee prepared by Lucas St. Clair. The tie breaker for grand prize winner was determined by audience vote and the honor went to Lucas St. Clair who prepared the Teriyaki Chicken Thigh and Miso Corn Salad plate.

I learned a few things from Lucas' plate. First of all, I learned that I love Miso Corn Salad and the reason I appreciate the flavor so much is because of the umami, which is the earthy or savory taste profile that goes along with salty, sweet, bitter and sour taste profiles. The second thing I learned is that I don't know why I have been making hard-boiled eggs all my life when soft-boiled eggs are so creamy and delicious. I am truly converted. Third, I learned that I will not melt away to nothing if I eat chicken. Yes, after thirteen years of abstaining from eating chicken, I broke the dry spell and tasted three different chicken dishes. I promised Dave that I would taste everything that was put in front of me and I delivered on my promise. I even tasted a lamb dish for the first time! Unbelievable. Chicken and lamb in one day and I lived to tell the story. :)

Other dishes included in the competition were Barbecue Thai Chicken Pizza prepared by Pat Jenkins; Cod with Mustard Sauce, Sauteed Green Beans and Grilled Potatoes prepared by Patrick Kent; Copper River Sockeye with Cous Cous, Watermelon and Grilled Zucchini Planks prepared by Dylan Rose; White Bean, Corn, Red Pepper and Sun-Dried Tomato Cous Cous prepared by Alex Collier (Alex earned creativity points for cooking his meal on a spitfire single burner backpack stove); Steak Tacos with Cumin Black Beans prepared by Todd Karn (this dish was so delicious that it finished in second place); Lamb and Manchego Quesadilla with Romesco, Prosciutto Wrapped Bleu Cheese Stuffed Figs and Cucumber Melon Salad prepared by Charlie Robinton; and finally, Chicken Sliders with Potato Salad and Tomato Salad prepared by Quinton Dowling. I love a good tomato salad and Quinton's salad was delicious. I will be requesting his recipe for sure. The highest score was 26 out of 30 and the lowest score was 22; a true testament to the quality of food and the effort extended by each guide.

I was truly honored to be included as a judge for this event. I couldn't eat for the remainder of the day or the following morning because I was so full but it was worth every extra calorie and the ensuing discomfort. A special thank you to all of the cooks that prepared such beautiful meals and to Dave McCoy whom requested my presence at his event. Now that I am a seasoned judge, I am ready for next year. Bring it on!

Week Twenty-Three Recap

This was one of my favorite weeks of cooking thus far. All three dishes came out beautifully and I was proud of myself for trying recipes that were outside of my comfort zone. Stir-fry dishes have not panned out well for me in the past but the Stir-Fried Portobellos with Garlic and Oyster Sauce was perfect. Perhaps the coolest thing about this recipe is that I learned how to prepare and cook portobello mushrooms correctly. I would have never thought to remove the gills from the bottom to avoid discoloring other food being cooked with the mushrooms. Removing the gills also improves the final texture of portobellos.

I was also very pleased with the Acorn Squash with Quinoa, Apricot and Sage Stuffing recipe. It was fun to use a vessel created by nature as a means for presenting the dish. This was the most aesthetically pleasing food I have prepared during this cooking journey and as a side note, apricots are delicious with quinoa. Finally, the Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Vinegar was both delicious and easy on the eyes. What a great week. I can't wait to see what next week holds for me.

Stir-Fried Portobellos with Ginger and Garlic and Oyster Sauce

"The Best One-Dish Suppers" from the editors of Cook's Illustrated

Page 232

Acorn Squash with Quinoa, Apricot and Sage Stuffing

"Clean Start" by Terry Walters

Page 154

Oven Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Vinegar

sloatgardens.com

Oven Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Vinegar

Photo Courtesy of Brad Lovejoy

For tonight's recipe, I chose Oven Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese and Balsamic. My inspiration for the dish was the beautiful organic beets at PCC Market. I saw them and couldn't help myself. I bought two bunches and came home to google a roasted beet recipe. Good ol' folks at google. What would I do without them? I ended up coming across this recipe and I was instantly drawn in by the incorporation of goat cheese. I had some beautiful all-natural goat cheese remaining from a pasta dish I prepared a few weeks ago so it was the perfect choice.

I was not disappointed in the least. The beets were as sweet as they could be, the herbs infused beautifully to boost flavors and goat cheese is always a perfect partner to beets. The best part of the dish however, was a Fig Balsamic by Bistro Blends of Napa Valley that my dad and stepmom purchased for me at the Green Home Show in Eugene, Oregon. It is truly fantastic as salad dressing, with olive oil and bread or drizzled over vegetables. This recipe does not specify the type of balsamic so I went with one that I know and love. As a result, the dish was truly exceptional.

Ingredients:

6 beets

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 pinch of thyme

1 pinch of rosemary

2 small cloves garlic

salt and freshly ground pepper

goat cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash dirt off beets. Skin will come off after beets are roasted so outsides do not need to be scrubbed. Trim both ends of beets. Place foil on cookie sheet or pan, then place beets on top of foil. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle thyme, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper over beets. Make sure beets are coated in olive oil and herbs. Add 1 cup of water before covering beets tightly with foil. You can cover with parchment paper and then foil if desired.

Roast in oven for 45 minutes or until beets are tender with fork. You may need to cook larger beets for longer. Beets will come out steamy and tender. Any cooking liquid can be saved and drizzled over finished plate. Once roasted beets are cool enough to touch, gently squeeze to break open skins and peel them off. Slice and add a few tablespoons of goat cheese. You can serve beets with drizzled balsamic vinegar on salad or with good bread.

Tip: For an extra delicious zip, reduce balsamic vinegar and drizzle on top of beets.

Acorn Squash with Quinoa, Apricot and Sage Stuffing

Photo Courtesy of Brad Lovejoy

You are probably wondering what the heck I was thinking when I chose quinoa stuffed squash as one of this week's recipes. This is clearly a fall/winter dish but when I found the recipe, it sounded tasty and I envisioned that it would be visually fun to prepare. Also, it hasn't exactly been consistently spring-like here in Seattle so I figured the seasonality of the dish didn't really matter. The only wrench it threw into the mix is that the recipe actually calls for buttercup squash but buttercup is not available this time of year. The recipe did however, offer carnival, delicata and acorn varieties as alternatives. I ended up choosing acorn squash because it has the most beautiful color and shape.

Ingredients:

2 small acorn squashes

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for rubbing squash

1 cup quinoa

1 1/2 cups water or vegetable stock

pinch of sea salt

6 shallots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

6 dried apricots, chopped

2 Tbsp freshly chopped sage

2 Tbsp freshly chopped parsley, plus whole sprigs for serving

1 Tbsp mirin

zest of 1 lemon

2 Tbsp lemon juice

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wash squash and cut in half or quarters, depending on desired serving size. Scoop out and discard seeds, rub skins with olive oil and place open-side down on parchment-lined baking pan. Roast 25 minutes or until soft throughout. Turn off heat, but leave squash in oven to stay warm until ready to serve.

Meanwhile, combine quinoa in pot or rice cooker with water or vegetable stock and salt. Place over high heat and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until liquid is absorbed (about 15 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside, but do not fluff yet.

In Dutch oven over medium heat, saute shallots and celery in 1 Tbsp olive oil until soft. Add apricots, sage, parsley and mirin and saute 3 minutes longer. Fluff quinoa and fold into shallot mixture. Add lemon zest and juice and remaining tablespoon olive oil and saute 3 minutes longer or until heated through. Remove quinoa from heat and squash from oven. Fill individual squash boats with stuffing, garnish with toasted almonds and parsley sprigs to serve.

I chose to serve this dish with pan roasted pork loin, which was a lovely combination. Olivia really liked the squash and pork but didn't eat much of the quinoa. Brad thought the stuffed squash was light but filling and that the apricots, sage and squash created unique flavors. I also really enjoyed the flavors in this dish. I tend to love sage stuffing so I appreciated that the recipe incorporated such a traditional stuffing ingredient. I also thought the toasted almonds were a nice touch. They added a crunchy texture and the nuttiness complimented the squash (although as a side note, it takes watching almonds like a hawk to keep them from burning while toasting). My favorite part of this recipe however, was the aesthetic appeal. This is one of the prettiest dishes I have plated since I started my cooking project. Serving such a visually pleasing dish definitely catered to my creative side. Very cool indeed.

Stir-Fried Portobellos with Ginger and Oyster Sauce

Photos Courtesy of Brad Lovejoy

Let me just preface this entry with the fact that this may be the longest-winded recipe in the history of recipes. Be warned that if you want to prepare something quick and easy, this is not for you. Cook's Illustrated is not exactly known for providing the most concise or simple recipes. I can tell you however, that although long and involved, their recipes are dependable and in my experience, always delicious. The reason for this is that Cook's Illustrated has an incredible test kitchen where they cook dishes every which way in order to come up with the best preparations. Their kitchen is so good that it is known as "America's Test Kitchen." It employs more than three dozen test cooks, editors and cookware specialists. Their mission is to test every recipe until they understand how and why they work. They also test kitchen equipment and supermarket ingredients to determine which brands offer the best value and performance. Pretty cool, don't you think? If you are interested, their website is cooksillustrated.com. I have a subscription to their magazine and I own one of their cookbooks. Both are well worth the investment.

This recipe was definitely an elevated version of stir-fry. The ingredients were beautiful (I used all organic vegetables) and the end result was worth the preparation time. I particularly enjoyed the texture and flavor of the portobellos. The dish was light but it also felt hearty because the portobellos were meaty. I was impressed with the sauce as well. In my experience, stir-fry sauces are often too salty but this one was not. I could taste the toasted sesame oil cutting through the saltiness of the soy sauce and oyster sauce; a very nice touch for sure. The added bonus is that the final result not only tasted great, it was pretty too. I love it when everything comes together.

Ingredients:

Sauce-

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

3 Tbsp oyster sauce

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp cornstarch

2 tsp toasted sesame oil

Glaze-

1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp sugar

Stir-Fry-

4 tsp minced or grated fresh ginger

2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press

1/4 cup vegetable oil

6 (6-inch wide) portobello mushroom caps, underside gills removed

4 small carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick on the bias

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

3 ounces snow peas, tips and strings removed

1 pound bok choy, greens cut into 1/2 inch wide strips and stalks halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise into 1/4 inch wide pieces

1 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

For the sauce, whisk all ingredients together and set aside. For the glaze, whisk all ingredients together and set aside. For the stir-fry, in a small bowl, combine ginger, garlic and 1 tsp of the oil. Heat 3 Tbsp more oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms and cook, without stirring until browned on one side, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip mushrooms over, reduce heat to medium and continue to cook until tender and browned on second side, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high, add glaze and cook until it has thickened and coats the mushrooms, 1 to 2 minutes; transfer to bowl.

Rinse skillet clean and dry with paper towels. Heat 1 tsp more oil in skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add carrots and cook until beginning to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add broth, cover and steam carrots until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove lid and continue to cook until remaining liquid evaporates, about 30 seconds; transfer to bowl with mushrooms. Add remaining 1 tsp oil to skillet and place over high heat until just smoking. Add snow peas, bok choy stalks and cook until beginning to brown and soften, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in bok choy greens and cook until wilted, about 1 minute.

Clear center of skillet, add garlic mixture and cook, mashing mixture into pan, until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Stir garlic mixture into vegetables. Return cooked mushrooms and carrots with accumulated juices to skillet and toss to combine. Whisk sauce to recombine, then add to skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is thickened and vegetables are coated, about 1 minute. Transfer to platter, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

I served the stir-fry with sticky white rice. The combination was perfect. On a side note, I learned a great trick tonight. To remove the string from a snow pea, just snap the tip while pulling down along the flat side of the pod. I have to admit that I have never removed strings from snow peas and I learned tonight that they are even more pleasant to eat sans string.

Week Twenty-Two Recap

This was a fun week of cooking all the way around. I seem to most enjoy the weeks when I end up preparing a wide spectrum of dishes. This week included a beautiful risotto, slow-baked beans and one of my favorite cookies in the history of cookies. If this isn't a diverse group of recipes, I don't know what is. In a nutshell, I would prepare all three of these recipes again without giving it a second thought. Brad and I loved the Risotto with Taleggio Cheese and Bacon so much that we ate four servings instead of two. Oops. :) The Boston Baked Beans were really good while hot so I have to admit that I would serve them fresh out of the oven instead of attempting to take the dish to go. By the time I served them at the cooking competition, they had cooled and become a bit gloppy. Okay, gloppy may not be a word but it is definitely what happened to the beans. Finally, the cookies were tasty and the outer texture was wonderful; I would just bake them for a few minutes less to make the insides a bit more chewy. Here is this week's recap. Can't wait until next week!

Risotto with Taleggio Cheese and Bacon

Sunset Magazine, October 2010

Boston Baked Beans

Allrecipes.com

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

lolfoodie.com

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are in my top five favorite cookies ever. There is something about the crisp outside, chewy inside and confectioner sugar coating that works for me. I also appreciate that they are not overly sweet. A local Seattle bakery, Alki Bakery, has my favorite crinkle cookie in town but their location on the beach below us closed this past fall. In order to get their cookies nowadays, I have to venture outside of my West Seattle bubble to their location on 1st Avenue in the industrial part of Seattle. This is problematic because I prefer staying in my bubble to living in the real world. I guess that settles it; I need to learn to make a fabulous crinkle cookie at home. Welcome to my maiden voyage.

I searched online for a recipe that seemed manageable to achieve and found the one below on a lovely website, lolfoodie.com. What put this recipe over the top compared to others I found was the beautiful photo of the end result. The cookies appear to be very similar to the Alki Bakery cookies I love so much and quite frankly, I am a sucker for a good recipe photo. It always makes me believe that I too, might achive the same final aesthetic. Check out the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cup white all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar (for rolling the cookies)

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, salt, and baking power. In a separate large bowl, preferably with an electric mixer, combine the vegetable oil and granulated sugar. Beat for 2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla; mix until combined. Add in flour mixture, and mix until combined.

Cover mixture with plastic wrap (either in bowl, or dump it onto the counter and form a disc). Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place powdered sugar into small bowl.

Roll dough into 1-inch balls, then roll in powdered sugar to coat. Place on prepared cookie sheet, spaced 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

I used organic Canola Oil, organic brown eggs, fair trade organic cocoa and natural vanilla extract in this recipe. I am not sure how it affected the cookies but I certainly feel good about using quality ingredients. My thoughts on the final result? The outside was the perfect crispness for me, the flavor was nice but I prefer the center to be a bit more chewy. They were chewy enough to be good but I believe the cookies would have been perfect or nearly so if I had baked them for 1 to 2 minutes less. This is the only change I would make to the recipe so I consider my maiden voyage fairly successful. I would be remiss if I didn't thank my little cookie dough roller. Thank you, sweet Olivia.

Boston Baked Beans

I am really excited because I was asked to guest judge for a cooking competition that is being held tomorrow at 12:30. The cooking competition is hosted by Emerald Water Anglers and it features several fishing guides that are not only accomplished catch-and-release fisherman, but also great cooks. This is the first cooking related competition I have been asked to judge so I am honored to participate. It doesn't hurt that I get to sit at a park in beautiful weather while eating gourmet food. I will write about the competition in great detail in next week's entries but for now, I will talk about a baked bean recipe I prepared to take to the competition as a side dish.

It is no lie that I love a good baked bean. I have always wanted to own a clay bean pot so when I ran into the ideal pot at an antique store on Memorial Day weekend, I jumped on it. It is the typical clay bean pot in which the bottom portion is raw clay and the top portion and lid are glazed clay. I knew upon making my purchase that I was going to prepare Boston Baked Beans for one of my recipes this week. There are so many great baked bean recipes out there, that I finally had to choose just one. I prefer my beans smokey and sweet so I was hoping that this recipe accomplished both or at least one of these criteria. I will share the recipe with you before I provide further comment.

Ingredients:

2 cups dry white beans

1/2 pound bacon

1 onion, finely diced

3 TBSP molasses

1/4 tsp dry mustard

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

2 tsp salt

1/2 cup ketchup

1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar

Soak beans overnight in cold water. Simmer beans in same water until tender, approximately 1 to 2 hours. Drain and reserve liquid. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Arrange beans in 2-quart bean pot or casserole dish by placing a portion of beans in bottom of dish and layering with bacon and onion.

In saucepan, combine molasses, salt, pepper, dry mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar. Bring mixture to a boil and pour over beans. Pour in just enough reserve bean water to cover beans. Cover with aluminum foil or lid and bake for 3 to 4 hours, until beans are tender. Remove lid about halfway through cooking and add more reserve liquid if necessary to keep beans from getting dry.

First of all, I can't describe how fantastic these beans smell while baking. The house smells wonderful! Second, they are quite delicious. I wouldn't say that the flavor is necessarily smokey, as I initially mentioned I would prefer them to be, but I will say that the beans are the perfect combination of sweet and savory. I am anticipating that people at the cooking competition will enjoy the beans as well. I will cross my fingers and let you know how it goes.

Risotto with Taleggio Cheese and Bacon

I was going through magazines from 2010 this morning to see if there were particular reasons I kept random issues of Sunset and Martha Stewart Living. I was quickly reminded that the October 2010 issue of Sunset had so many recipes I was interested in cooking that I was tearing out about every fifth page. This Risotto with Taleggio Cheese and Bacon recipe is the first of many from the October issue of Sunset Magazine that will land on our dinner table. Now that I am over my risotto skepticism, it has opened a whole new world and thank goodness it has, because this particular dish is quite spectacular. I would eat it every day and twice on Tuesday if given the opportunity.

I know I sound like a broken record, but bacon really does make everything taste better. Also, I had never eaten Taleggio cheese and it was wonderful. The consistency reminded me of brie but I actually preferred the flavor to brie. It melted beautifully and added a rich creaminess to an already creamy dish. Please try this recipe if you like rice and/or risotto. I promise you will not be disappointed. Be warned that it is easy for two people to finish the risotto even though the recipe says it serves four. :) Oh, and I forgot to mention that the beautiful chives were from my garden.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 medium onion, chopped

4 slices (6 oz.) thick slice bacon

1 cup Arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 cups reduced-sodium beef broth, warmed (I used chicken broth since we don't eat beef)

1/2 cup Taleggio cheese

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp each kosher salt and pepper

2 Tbsp chopped chives

Warm oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and bacon and cook, stirring often, until starting to brown. Add rice to pan and stir to coat in oil. Pour in wine and cook until evaporated, about 3 minutes. Mix 2 cups hot water into broth and stir into rice in 1/2-cup increments (let each absorb before adding next). Stir, adding more hot water if needed, until rice is tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and quickly stir in cheeses, salt and pepper. Top with sprinkle of chives. Serves 4.

Viva il risotto!

Week Twenty-One Recap

This week I chose to prepare simple yet diverse recipes. The Turkey Sandwich with Hoisin Mayonnaise was the star of the week. It was delicious, easy to prepare and healthy. I will definitely make this sandwich in the future. The recipe for Orecchiette with Mixed Greens and Goat Cheese was good but it didn't end up being one of my favorites. I am quite sure now that I don't prefer sun-dried tomatoes and unfortunately, this recipe didn't end up keeping well in the refrigerator. Finally, the smoothie was a tasty and healthy way to start the day but it was a bit too sweet for me. I will keep making my own smoothie concoctions and when I stumble across a good one, I will post the recipe. Here is this week's recap:

Turkey Sandwich with Hoisin Mayonnaise

Real Simple Magazine, May 2011

Orecchiette with Mixed Greens and Goat Cheese

"Everyday Pasta" by Giada De Laurentiis

Page 137

Berry Flax Seed Smoothie

healthrecipes.com