I'm a total sucker.

For these.


Macarons from The Grove in Albuquerque. I sampled the Raspberry and Lavender Lemon. To. Die. For.

-Jessie, Santa Fe, NM

Food-tography

My heart just about skipped a beat when I stumbled upon this amazing blog, What Katie Ate. Hailing all the way from Syndey, Australia this blog features the most amazing food styling and photography....I may have been drooling on my keyboard.
With the cold weather sneaking upon us, recipes with meats and roasted veggies are calling out to me. I've been craving warm and comforting food. With such beautiful pictures to accompany her recipes, Miss Katie may be the source for some healing food, for both my tummy and soul!

All photos via What Katie Ate
-Jessie, Santa Fe, NM

Homemade is Best, the new IKEA cookbook

Images from the new IKEA cookbook, Homemade is Best, shot by the ever talented Carl Kleiner.

The styling is spectacular and makes me want to bake all day and night. Did I mention that I love IKEA?
-Jessie, Santa Fe, NM

Gifts from the Garden

Cherry and Lemon Boy Tomatoes
Crookneck Squash
Edible Nasturtium
Rainbow Chard
Not sure if I would categorize this little booger as a "gift" since he's been chomping on my parsley...but he was still pretty!

There is nothing more satisfying than eating the fruits of your labor. Not to mention, the flavor and taste is truly amazing!
-Jessie, Santa Fe, NM

Mr. Boo and Miss Nikoniko

Images from the talented Sayaka Minemura

Glad to know that making funny faces with you food can be so beautiful...and that I'm not the only adult that still does it!
-Jessie, Santa Fe, NM

Summertime Recipe: Watermelon Gazpacho

Picking the perfect watermelon can be a crapshoot. I've heard to look for bee stings, minimal yellowing, heavy ones, round ones....
I tend to give mine good slap and listen for a nice hollow sound. It is quite the scene to see me in the market slapping up all the melons. Well this last time, I hit a winner! It was so good I could hardly stop eating it while I was cutting it into big fat wedges.
Of course it is always a wonder what to do if you get a mediocre watermelon. You don't want to eat it, or pawn it off on your BBQ guests, but I think I have found the solution: WATERMELON GAZPACHO. Holy molars, this recipe is a dinger! The magic of watermelon marrying a salty and flavorful mess of a little spice, fresh herbs, garlic and veggies, wooo! If you're in to cold soups, this is perfect for appetizers for a BBQ or even lunch on a hot summer day. I like to sip mine in Moroccan tea glasses for an added touch of flair!
The Recipe:
8 c. Coarsely chopped watermelon (which only is about 1/4 of a big ol' melon!)
1 Large tomato, diced
1/2 Cucumber, peeled and diced
1/2 Small purple onion, diced
1 Clove garlic, minced (I did two because I like to sweat garlic...and note, it gets garlicier the more it sits)
2 Tbs. Cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 c. Extra virgin olive oil
1/3 c. Tomato juice (like V8)
1/3 c. Water
1/4 c. Sherry Vinegar
2 Tbs Lemon juice (I used limes which worked just fine)
1/2 tsp. Cayenne (a little went a long way and had quite the kick!)
Salt to taste

Directions:
Mix together in a food processor or use an immersion blender, careful not to splatter! The amount you blend will be determined by how fine you want your chunks. I like a bit to chew on so I just did a quick blend.
Chill before serving.
I recommend preparing this a day before you serve it as the flavors tend to come alive after marinating for a bit!
Num, Num, Num!
-Jessie, Santa Fe, NM

Frosty Fourth Treats

Summertime always puts me in the mood for popsicles. A popular trend is to make your own using ice pop molds. I haven't seen those since I was like 8! I think it is funny that this nostalgic treat is making such a great comeback.
Photo via Trendcentral
This weekend to celebrate the fourth, I may try my hand at a few home-made popsicles. Here's the recipe for some fun Cherry Cola Pops.

Happy Independence Weekend!
-Jessie, Santa Fe, NM

Epicurean Wanderlusting

Photo: All Thai Food
I'm a huge fan of international cooking....even though I haven't traveled much, I love to try new spices and ingredients that aren't indigenous to the United States. I have a great Thai cook book that I peruse for inspiration. Though, many times I run into the same conundrum, an exotic ingredient included in the recipe cannot be found in ANY supermarket. Sure, I could order it online or try 5 different stores, but hey, who wants to make more than one stop for groceries? Then once you've found bulgur wheat, how are you going to use up the 5 pound sack you had to buy?
Photo: Destination Dinners
Well worry no more! Destination Dinners has come up with a solution and a cure for epicurean wanderlusting! They provide pre-fab recpie kits complete with pre-measured {hard-to-find} spices and sauces, dry ingredients, shopping lists for fresh items and even trivia about the dining destination. They offer kits for meals around the world from Dhaka, Bangladesh's Garam Marsala Chicken to Bancock, Thailand's Khao Ob Sapparod (shown above). I'm a huge fan of their Dinner Party Kits too!

I'm getting hungry for some Kibbeh bil-Saneeyeh, how about you?
-Jessie, Santa Fe, NM

On Tonight's Menu...

A small tumbler of Three-Buck Chuck, 'cause I'm no vino-snob.
Organic baby greens with a honey-mustard-garlic balsamic vinaigrette, topped with shaved purple onions, caramelized pecans, herbed goat cheese and garlic-rosemary roasted sweet potatoes.
Pork chops topped with a chutney of cranberries, apples and fresh ginger. On the side, roasted brussels sprouts and garlic splashed with balsamic vinegar. Ohh, how I am in love with these now-a days!
Slivers of the worlds best chocolate covered caramel, shipped all the way from the Elegant Truffle in San Diego.

Jessie, Santa Fe, NM

How i love thee: my crock pot

Call me old fashioned, call me lazy, but cooking with a crock pot is seriously awesome! Just throw a bunch of stuff in, and 6-8 hours later, dinner is ready and it's like you've been slaving in the kitchen all day. When, in fact you can go skiing, shopping, on a bike ride, on a walk, or surf the net for hours while dinner is cooking itself!

Today, since it was chilly and overcast, I decided to make my favorite Chicken Tortilla Soup.
For those of you that like to fool your dinner guests into thinking you've been cooking all day, here's the recipe for you!

3 Chicken Breasts frozen
1 Can (14 oz) whole peeled tomatoes (mashed)
1 Can (14 oz) Red Enchilada Sauce
1 Medium Onion, Chopped
1 Can (4 oz) Chopped green chile
2 (or 4!) cloves of garlic, minced
1 quart chicken stock (I didn't use the whole quart..maybe 3/4)
1 tsp. Cumin
1 tsp. chile powder (or cayenne if you like more heat!)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 (10 oz) package of frozen corn (I like Trader Joes, "Roasted" Frozen corn)
1 can (14 oz) Black beans, drained

Throw into a crock pot, stir around and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours. Take chicken out 1 hour prior to serving and shred. Put back into crock pot.

Garnish with:
lime wedge
cilantro
avocados
sour cream
sliced green onion
cheese
tortilla threads or chips

Yo Quiero!
-Jessie, Santa Fe, NM