June 14th, 2008
FoodPornDaily.com
We’re really stoked to introduce a new site that we’ve been working on for a while now. Check it out! Our goal is to provide at least one amazing food photo everyday. That’s all we’ve got to say right now, but we’ll keep you up to date as things progress. And don’t worry, we are not abandoning What We’re Eating for this new project! 
Posted in etc., | 29 Comments »
June 3rd, 2008
Marinated with kalamata olives and other goods
Sometimes it’s fun to splurge a little on nice ingredients. This piece of halibut was quite a splurge but well worth it. We’re eating thick halibut filets marinated with lemon zest, fresh oregano, shallots, kalamata olives, anchovy paste, and olive oil. The halibut was broiled and served on top of a mix of seasoned sauteed onions, chicory, and corn. Finally the dish was finished with a drizzle of lemon oregano vinaigrette.
T: this fish was amazing. The fish itself had such a fine, sweet flavor. I don’t know what you did to make this happen, but it was outrageously good to my ‘buds.
A: tell ya ‘buds i said ya welcome. 
T: i did, they said thank you very much. They started to write a thank you note, and I was like “this is too weird.”
A: seriously dude. now i’m weirded out. youse need to to keep your ‘buds in check… yo.
T: are you still the same scary new yorker?
Broiled halibut with sauteed chicory and corn
A: hehehhehe i think i fell out of character for a moment there then hopped back in. anywho, i have to agree. this was a killa dish. everything was in perfect harmony.
T: seriously. The corn, greens, fish, lemon zest, caramelized onions, [ other stuff ]. And the anchovy was barely there, but made the whole thing really sing. Ooooohwweee.
A: boy…have you been listenin’ to that zydeco music?
T: a little bit, although it hasn’t caused me to type in quite the accented way that it has for you. Alright, rating… I give it a 4.9/5. Unreal flavor combo. Halibut is an amazing fish, and you did it lots o’ justice. I’m ready to chant your name right now.
A: alright… lets see it.
T: well I was ready until you asked for it. Now you’re not getting shit…. ok, umm, no, still can’t do it.
A: hehehehe… okay a-hole. now i can’t believe anything you say. anywho, i do agree with your rating. I give it a 4.85/5. these are freaking high scores for us. it was really that good. it’s amazing what subtle nuances the anchovies give it that really do make the dish. all of the main elements are allowed to shine but in an enhanced fashion. mmm mmmmmmm…..
T: yeah, anchovies are like the new bacon, omg.
A: omgeeeeee, like for reeeeeeeeeal!
T: woah there.
Coming Soonish. You know how it goes.
Posted in recipes, seafood, Made By Amanda, | 17 Comments »
May 15th, 2008
Do not underestimate peaches and goat cheese
Sometimes even a glimpse of summer can make life better. After an intense day at work dealing with a demanding boss, it was a joy to come home and toss back a couple brews, then make a nice light refreshing meal. This meal just happened to scream summer: fresh roasted corn on the cob and a big salad comprised of romaine lettuce, deliciously ripe peaches (which i know weren’t local but man were they good), cucumber, roma tomatoes, crumbled chevre, sunflower seeds, and a fresh lemon dijon vinaigrette. Surprisingly, all of the produce was really fresh and ripe…. and it’s only May!
Posted in salads, recipes, Made By Amanda, | 19 Comments »
May 14th, 2008
Shrimp, fish, and octopus steamed in a foil bundle
After a nice leisurely bike ride up the San Diego coast we happened upon Mariscos in La Jolla. While Tyler was skeptical initially by its appearance the food turned out to be awesome. Even though they specialize in seafood, the rest of what we tried was great as well. If you’re in the Bird Rock area and are craving some Mexican, we would totally recommend Mariscos.
T: This place was a great find! I was skeptical at first.
A: skeptical?!? you likened it to a retirement home!
T: ok, in my defense, it was completely empty, and the menu used lots of navy blue text. I don’t know why retirement style restaurants always use navy blue text. If you’re wondering what a retirement style restaurant is, just think of any place you’ve been where you’re 2 generations younger than any of the other patrons. That kind of place. This was far from that, and it was extremely tasty.
A: true dat. both of their salsa’s were good. normally the salsa fresca, for lack of a better term, can be questionable at most establishments, but here… mmm mmm mmm! delish. my one qualm was that the chips were obviously fried at too low of a temp and were soggy/oily.
T: salsa really is one of the most important aspects of a Mexican restaurant. One of my favorite parts of eating Mexican is that there is instant gratification of tasty chips and salsa, almost immediately upon sitting down. If the restaurant can’t make a decent salsa, it really sets a bad tone for the rest of the meal. Particularly since I love to use the salsas on the rice and beans.
A: take notes people - first impressions matter! so did you enjoy your chile verde burrito as much as you enjoyed the salsas?
T: I did, and I wish we had a picture of it. The tortilla was very soft and delightful. Not at all dry or cardboardy. The pork was cooked to perfection- very tender and moist, and the salsa verde they used on the inside was tangy and reeeally tasty. It was a huge and meaty burrito, but was good enough that I damn near ate the whole thing. Actually I think I did eat the whole thing. Mmm. Ok, so I’m going to give a preliminary rating of Mariscos… we’ve only been one time, but I’ll give them a 4.7/5 in the Mexican restaurant arena. I thought their food was better than 95% of the mexican we eat in San Diego.
A: i have to agree. i’m so frequently let down by pretty much everywhere other than Ortega’s in OB, but Mariscos rose to the occasion. Now, the service was a bit slow… our server brought out each dish, one at a time, as if she couldn’t carry more than one thing, but i don’t think that is her normal gig. i think her normal gig is going to high school. anywho, the food was great. my fish was perfectly cooked and utterly moist. if i were to have eaten as it was served i might have thought it to be under-seasoned but with the addition of salsas it was freaking rocking! i give Mariscos a 4.3/5. they rocked it. we will definitely be going back, if i have anything to say about it.
T: Even if you don’t have anything to say about it we’re going back. Whatchu think about that, woman?
A: i think you is right on, hommie!
Posted in seafood, restaurant reviews, | 10 Comments »
April 13th, 2008
Seriously, you gotta see the animation
View the Animation!!
All things taste better drenched in salted caramel sauce… at least sweet things that is! While this cheesecake was freaking great on its own, the salted caramel just took the experience to a whole different dimension.
Every year when a certain friend of ours with an insatiable sweet tooth comes to visit we always make her a birthday dessert. Every year she asks for croquembouche and this year I finally said yes to making it. I had started my research and was nearly ready to begin baking when I received a call from our friend letting me off the hook. While I think she was feeling guilty for getting me to agree to make a laborious, traditional french wedding cake for her amusement…er, enjoyment, she claims that what she was really craving was cheesecake… cheesecake and caramel sauce! Two of my favorite sweet things ever. I couldn’t deny my friend what she really wanted, could I? So here we have it. Plain decedent cheesecake topped with gooey salted caramel sauce.
Classic Dreamy Cheesecake
For the filling
3 (8oz) packages of Philadelphia cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tbsp good vanilla extract
3 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
For the crust:
about 1/2 a box of Nilla wafers
1 stick (1/2 cup)unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Make the crust: In a food processor, blend the Nilla wafers until finely ground. Add the rest of the ingredient for the crust. Pulse the food processor until all ingredients are fully incorporated and small clumps appear.
Pour the cookie mixture into a 9-inch spring form pan. Evenly spread the crumb mixture around the pan then, using a flat bottomed measuring cup or glass, firmly press down on the mixture working all the way around the pan and up the sides to create an evenly thick crust.
Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes or until crust begins to turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for half an hour before adding filling to the crust.
Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Make sure the highest rake is positioned in the middle of the oven.
While the crust is cooling, make the filling: Add the softened cream cheese to a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat the cream cheese with an electric beater or stand mixer at medium speed until nice and workable, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and continue to beat at medium until fully creamed together, another 1-2 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and beat until thoroughly combined and smooth.
Once the crust has cooled, pour in the filling and spread evenly through out the crust using a rubber spatula.
Place the cheesecake into a large roasting pan. Add enough water to the roasting pan to go halfway up the side of the spring form pan to create a water bath , being careful not to pour water into the cheesecake itself! Bake the cheesecake at 325 degrees for about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, until completely set.
Carefully remove the pan from the oven and the spring form pan from the roasting pan. Allow the cheesecake to cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour. Transfer the cheesecake to the refrigerate and chill for at least 12 hours before serving. Goes great with salted caramel sauce. Enjoy!
Salted Caramel Sauce
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp heavy cream
Add the sugar, salt, and water to a 2 quart or larger non-stick sauce pan. Place the pan over medium heat. Stir the mixture continuously until nearly all of the sugar has dissolved into the water to create a nearly clear solution.
Raise the heat to high. Boil the sugar and water mixture over high heat until it reaches a solid shade of amber swirling the pan occasionally. Do not stir the mixture while it’s boiling. Do not try to touch the mixture. Some of the worst burns involve boiling sugar. This process will take a while, 10-15 minutes maybe, but do not walk away from the boiling sugar. Once the color starts to change it doesn’t take long to go from deep amber to burnt nasty sugar.
Once the deep amber color has been achieved remove the pan immediately from the heat and turn off the burner. Add the heavy cream to the pan. Be careful because the mixture will violently bubble up. Once the caramel has finished bubbling, place the pan back onto the turned off but still hot burner. Stir continuously with either a rubber spatula until all of the caramel has dissolved into the cream. While stirring make sure to scrape the bottom and corners of the pan so that all of the hiding caramel is incorporated.
Allow the caramel to cool for at least 30 minutes before eating or transferring to a different container. If making in advance, allow the caramel to cool completely before placing in an airtight container. I like to put all of my caramel sauce into squeeze bottles for easy application in the future. Caramel sauce can last, refrigerated for a couple of weeks. Before using, either warm the sauce or allow it to come to room temperature. Enjoy (thoroughly)!
Posted in recipes, dessert, Made By Amanda, | 44 Comments »
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