Scratching the Surface of San Francisco on Ebony Online

Read about my weekend trip to San Francisco from a foodie perspective on Ebony online.

Spring Garlic Oil Poached Tuna with Cannellini and Fava Beans

 Certain Someone and I just spent an amazing long weekend in San Francisco. My head is still reeling from all the sensational tastes, sights, and sounds of our trip. San Francisco and the whole Bay Area is truly a culinary inspiration, and no wonder so many great chefs gravitate to the region. Can you really be  a bad cook in San Francisico with all the great offerings? It's insane. I have so much to write about this short little visit, but that will come later. One thing I was itching to do was get back to my kitchen and experiment with some of the goodies I brought back.One item being the famous heirloom cult like Rancho Gordo Beans, of which I have heard about , but have never seen. I also stuffed some fantastic bulbous Spring Garlic I purchased from the Farmers Market at the Ferry Plaza. Resembling a red onion, I have been using these babies all week, thinly sliced like scallions from the bulb to the tops.  I decided to make an oil poached tuna as a riff on Cannellini beans and tuna as a salad. Instead I decided to make a warm dish and throw in a few seasonal Fava beans for color. While at Cafe de la Presse , which my new buddy Denise from Chez Us recommended and you can see below, I noticed they made their own tuna confit for the Salade Nicoise.That little nugget of information served as even more inspiration for me.

Spring Garlic Oil Poached Tuna with Cannellini and Fava Beans

The Beans

2 cups  Dry Rancho Gordo  Runner Cannellini Beans

1 Shallot sliced in half

1/2  Spring Garlic Sliced Thin

1 cup chicken stock

olive oil

sea salt

Ground Black Pepper

Bay Leaf

The Oil Poach

 1/2 Spring Garlic sliced thin

2 cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tsp  dried Thyme or a few sprigs of fresh

A few slices of organic lemon

2  red tuna fillets

sea salt

 fresh ground black pepper

Fava Beans ( shelled and par boiled)

Soak your dried Cannellini Beans in cold water for 6 hours. Rancho Gordo says soaking isn't always necessary but cooking time will be longer. However I was advised at purchase, not to soak overnight  or for longer periods. Place beans and water in a pot with the shallot sliced in half, spring garlic, bay leaf, and chicken stock. Simmer for a few hours until done( 2-3 hours). Season with salt and pepper towards the end of cooking.

Shell and parboil your Fava Beans, removing the second waxy casing after the par boil. Set aside.

Season your tuna steak with sea salt and pepper. Set aside and keep cool in the refrigerator.

In a small sauce pan layer the slices of spring onion, thyme , salt and pepper ,and pour in 2 cups of the olive oil. Heat up the oil to 130 F until hot. Take off heat and add the lemon slices. Allow the garlic and lemon to infuse the oil for at least 15 minutes. Gradually heat oil again and keep on a very low heat. Add the tuna steak and carefully spoon the oil over the tuna. Slowly poach for 10 minutes on a very low heat.Turn tuna over half way. Do not allow the oil to bubble on high. The tuna will be slightly pink, but more to the done side, not rare.

With a slotted spoon , dish the Cannellini Beans, and some Fava Beans onto your plate. Place  the tuna,and drizzle the infused olive oil over the tuna and the beans. Garnish with the  Spring Garlic within the poaching oil.
Serve with an additional squeeze of lemon juice

Presenting Coco The Magazine...Some things You Just Have To Make Happen.

When I was child, even before magazine editors became household words, I always loved and collected magazines. Stacks and stacks of sophisticated magazines on Food and Fashion from all over the world. Other kids had games, and I had my Vogue , Gourmet , Vanity Fair, etc. I knew somehow, someway, I was going to get in those magazines some day or become a part of it. And surprisingly I did. I can count three times, in my socialite days here in Chicago, my photo made some publications .Not a big deal, but fun and exciting. Then I started writing  my blog and loved seeing the process unfold. I even got asked to write some more here and there. All this was great but where was it leading to personally and financially? In the blogging world I see a lot of great people get the deals to go on TV and write books. I’m still waiting but I try and I stay in the game because I do love it, whether it amounts to much or not. It’s about personal satisfaction at this stage in life. And sometimes in order to be satisfied you gotta take the bull by its horns. And that’s what I’m doing, by making my own magazine.
But first, here is a little back story. A few months ago, a friend who I worked with asked me to help out her friend with a last minute interview on her radio show. Ogi, the shows hostess , was a entrepreneurial woman who had her own boutique and was passionate about what she did. As what happens with bumps in the road of life, she had to reconvene and figure out another avenue to go on. She decided to launch her magazine. You may have seen me mention it. It’s called Hush, and I contribute food content. Just witnessing the pride and joy in creating this magazine got me thinking and inspired. It seems we both inspired each other. Perhaps that why we met? Why can’t I have a magazine too, based solely on things that matter to me. I have only seen maybe one or two food bloggers do this, and mine still is unique in concept. I also wanted hard copy, as opposed to electronic copy. I suppose that’s weird in this age, but one can’t deny the appeal  and intimacy of paper in hand. I wanted my magazine to focus on mainly food ,travel. or cultures. And so Coco was born.Coco was created through the brillance of the concept of MagCloud, a division of HP that allows people like you and me to publish their own magazines f or a fraction of the cost of traditional printing porcesses.. I hope you like my first issue, Discovery through the Palate. A Travel and Food Diary. It was a lot of work and fun piecing this together and I got great feedback from friends who know all about media. Call it a vanity project, but I want to give you the reader an up close, intimate view of some of my world and travels.It’s almost like a diary or scrapbook, full of great visuals, recollections, recipes, and places I would recommend when travelling. Coco is a little art and little reference. I plan to produce 4 themed issues and hope you consider placing an order. Each edition is meant to be timeless in that it’s not limited by seasons. Coco is perfect for those that are planning a trip or just aren’t able to travel, but are interested in the world at large and want to pick up an interesting tidbit here and there. It’s more than a magazine. Click here to order in the US, Canada, and The UK.

Greensbury Farms Organic Chicken With Borowiki Mushrooms And Pumpkin Seed Oil

After travel, no matter how much you love it, there is no place like home and a home cooked restorative meal. When I travel I love to discover a place via its food. I have always been impressed with the food of Europe. Austria is a gateway to the East and one finds not only rich, sturdy,and at times decadent food, but a emphasis on health. If you go to any restaurant you will see Kurbis or Pumpkin on the menu. And in these regions like Austria and Slovenia, they love Pumpkin Oil which they drizzle on anything from soups , salads, and meats.Pumpkin Oil is high in health benefits. One doesn't cook with it, but use it as a finishing oil to retain the beneficial properties( rich in vitamins, omegas, good in urinary and prostate health, irritable bowel, and kidney stones). In the United States it's hard to find and quite costly at around $25 a bottle from I have seen. But its available via mail order .
Europeans have always adhered to seasonal and local eating which we are just getting enthusiastic about here. Eating this way is not always convenient or affordable. I was lucky to receive organic meat and chicken samples from Greensbury Market.

I'm usually not a huge fan of mail order frozen meats. I will use them if on hand,but not something I go out the way to purchase. Greenbury sent me both beef and chicken. Prior to leaving I made the beef which was genuine 100 Grass Fed Top Sirloin. Just a simple grill with homemade steak sauce from Michael Symons Live to Cook book I won from Feeding Maybelle. It was excellent. The flavor and texture survived the freezing process and was really quite exceptional.

So after resting from a literal 24 hour journey with a long rest in Krakow Poland, where I spent my time looking at the Polish Vodkas in Duty free and buying Dried Polish mushrooms, I reintroduced myself to my kitchen. I took the Greensbury Farm Chicken Fillets, which are just as superb as the beef, and decided to incorporate my Pumpkin Oil and Borowiki mushrooms. A quick simple meal with a nod to my love of European Flavors.

The dried mushrooms are the King of Forest Mushrooms in Poland and emit a rich earthy flavor. If you google Polish Dried Mushrooms, you will find all sorts of sources to order from. Just soak the mushroom in hot water and let sit for 5 minutes or more. Don't discard the liquid, as it can be used in the cooking. I used my mushroom liquid in the boiling of Quinoa, which was a side dish.

Greensbury Farms Organic Chicken With Borowiki Mushrooms And Pumpkin Seed Oil

2 Servings

2 Greensbury Farm Organic Chicken Breasts

1/2 onion chopped coarsely

1 cup Boiling water

1/4 dried Borowiki Mushrooms ( you can use regular mushrooms as well, but try to get Borowiki. The flavor is intense.)

1/4 cup Chicken Stock

1/2 teaspoon dried mustard powder

1/4 cup heavy cream

Salt and Pepper to taste

Dried Thyme

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Pumpkin Seed Oil

Soak Dried Borowiki Mushrooms in 1 Cup Boiling water. Let sit for 5 minutes.

In a skillet heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Add Chicken breasts. Cook for a few minutes on each side to sear on medium high heat. Season with salt and pepper. Add chopped onions to skillet and brown with the chicken.Add Thyme and dried Mustard powder. Reduce heat to low medium. Once onions start to brown, de glaze pan with the chicken stock. Add mushrooms( save liquid for cooking rice, Quinoa, etc.). Reduce stock and mushrooms with the chicken. Add fresh heavy cream and cook until reduced and thickened slightly. Plate and drizzle with the Pumkin Seed Oil.

Serve hot.

Remember The Soul... Bob Curtis

I had grown up knowing I had this exotic worldly uncle who lived in Rome and was a dancer. When my mother married my stepfather and went to Rome on her honeymoon, she came back with this big Italian Harper's Bazaar , where my uncle was in a fashion spread with fellow Italian dancers decked out in jewels, furs, and watches. That layout made a vivid impression on me and reinforced my desire to study in Europe and one day be a designer. I went onto to Europe at seventeen and never connected with my Uncle Roy, or Bob as he was known to many .
When my mother died in 2000, I picked up the phone to call him. It was our first conversation ever and he immediately flew 'home' for his eldest nieces Memorial service. My mother wanted a cremation and we had a beautiful two day music and dance filled memorial service. I had a cousin show up with her boyfriend at the time who was in the funk group Cameo, and all sorts of people from various walks of life. And then there was Bob, or Roy as he was know to his family . Everyone was blown away when they saw this beautiful man dance down the aisles. He must have been in his mid seventies , but his movement and grace captured all. I could feel my Mommy's spirit beaming at this spectacular service. All who didn't know him were amazed that this man ,who was so fit and had body most people cant attain, was in his seventies. Uncle Bob was home and he reconnected with his surviving siblings.
I next flew to Vienna to visit him later that year with my Auntie Mame. He had a big exposition of his artwork,called Remember The Soul, in which he was focusing on now, that the dance career was winding down. So many friends and admirers turned out for his exhibition, and its seemed as if Vienna was at at our feet. His friends were so eager to see his nieces from America and were curious about us. He was so happy we were there for him.It was truly an artistic and glamorous crowd.That first trip to Vienna was so memorable. I since returned a few more more times , the last being for his grand 80th birthday celebrations in 2004. A book on his life was also released to coincide with this event. He looked a little weaker and thinner as he caught a bug while traveling and teaching in Africa. His heart weakened more and more over time. He gave me some art on that trip and I remember going through photos with him and looking back over his life. He dropped the names of all these glamorous and beautiful people one only reads about. He was frank and real about his life and experiences. His life was one for the books.
His dear friend Christoph came to the US last year for his one man show. While here, he was also working on a documentary of my dear uncle. We were worried as we knew he was getting frailer and older. His manager and good friend had passed away earlier and we all started to wonder what if? Good friends, like Renate continued to look after him. The family gathered at Auntie Mame's condo and we spoke to Uncle Bob via the miracle of Skpe. It was amazing to see this man, born in 1925 in Mississippi, just as chic and slim as ever in his black turtle neck surrounded by his art, talk to his many generations of family via a Mac Book, just after the election of our nations first black president. I guess on some level we all knew. Uncle Bob never wanted to trouble us and kept his health struggles to himself for the most part. As of recently there was talk of a exposition.
On Saturday Auntie Mame and I will fly to Vienna for his funeral.
We will Remember the Soul and toast his beautiful life.

You can read and see more of his amazing life here.

Boston on the Cheap

Head over to EbonyJet.com to see my article of dining and touring Boston on the Cheap.

The Best Ever Crock Pot Boston Baked Beans

If you have followed me on Twitter you know I have been away in Boston the past week. What an amazing city! Coming from Maryland, I thought we had the edge on seafood. But Bostons seafood was amazing, On a limited budget I ate very well and worked off all the good food walking and touring this most important of American cities . One thing I saw were these cute little bean crocks to make authentic Boston Baked Beans. I love a good baked bean. I have been to many a picnic where cooks try to perpetrate by doctoring up canned beans. One of my favorite cooking memories were my mother and I attempting to make out our own baked beans from scratch. I remembered it took hours to cook. Craving baked beans, but not wanting to run the oven in this summer heat , I opted for my crock pot/slow cooker.Many of my foodie friends associate slow baking beans with winter and fall. But isn't a good baked bean dish quintessential to summer time and BB Q's? While I cooked this via crock pot, I finished them of in the authentic crock for 45 min or so sprinkled with brown sugar in the oven. Let me say the house smelled fantastic turning the key and entering to find the beans cooked perfectly.Enjoy.

Crock Pot Boston Baked Beans

1 lb dry Navy Beans or Great Northern Beans

12 oz-1 lb salt pork with rind

3/4 cup molasses

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

2 tbsp Dijon Mustard

1 onion chopped

1 onion studded with cloves( about 1 tsp worth)

4 cups water

ground black pepper

Soak your beans over night covered in cold water. The next day drain water. In a small pot of boiling water, boil the cubed or cut up salt pork for a few minutes to remove excess salt. Remove salt pork from water and place on the bottom of crock pot. Place the clove studded onion in crock pot. Cover with soaked dried beans. Add mustard,ground black pepper, chopped onion,brown sugar,molasses. Pour 4 - 5 cups of cold water over the beans and spices. Beans should be covered but not excessively so. The slow cooking adds moisture.Turn on your crock pot/slow cooker to the setting of 10 hours.

After 10 hours you can finish of individual servings on mini crocks sprinkled with brown sugar in a an oven at 350 F for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Printable Recipe Here

I think this perfect for this months My Legume Love Affair #14 hosted by the founder Susan of the Well Seasoned Cook.

How to Cook Skate Wing Two Ways...Tea Smoked and Parmesan Crusted

I fell in love with Skate wing about 7 years ago. While shopping at Fox and Obel, the fish monger showed me this fan shaped wing and told me how to cook it for a dinner I was giving.A simple coat of flour and fry it up in lots of butter. I wowed my guests with the exception of one bitchy comment , who said I cook with to much butter and should watch it. Like I always cooked like that. She was the type of person who ordered plain poached salmon wherever she went. Not a daring food adventurer at all. I digress...

Years went by and skate wing barely bliped on my radar. Then one afternoon I had a hankering for a mackerel. Certain Someone had just come back from a weekend in the Pacific Northwest and I had the most incredible pan seared mackerel at Palace Kitchen . Unfortunately not a piece of fresh mackerel was to be found, but I did go back to Fox and Obel and saw the Skate Wing o display. I purchased two wings to cook up.I made this last month and cant seem to find a my notes. However looking at the pictures I can give you these quick recipes.

Parmesan Crusted Skate Wing Mediterranean Style

I didn't want to fry this up in tons of butter but wanted flavor. A simple dusting of Parmesan cheese and rice flour did the trick with a topping of diced heirloom tomatoes , minced, onion, balsamic, and capers.

1 part Parmesan Cheese

1 part Rice Flour

Skate Wing

Olive Oil to coat pan and fry

1Tomato

1/4 small minced onion

2 tbsp balsamic

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp capers

oregano

Dredge your skate wings in the parm/ rice flour mixture. Heat pan with olive oil. Add skate wings and brown on each side a few minutes until golden and crisp. Remove form pan.

In a glass bowl add your chopped tomato, onion, Balsamic vinegar, olive oil,capers, and oregano.Toss and serve atop skate wing.

Tea Smoked Skate Wings

I borrowed this technique from a book I reviewed a while back , 50 Great Appetizers by Pamela Sheldon Johns. Rather than use her chicken wings, I figured Skate wings would be amazing smoked with tea.

Aromatics for smoker

1/4 cup uncooked rice

1/4 cup brown sugar

Peel of 1 orange

1/4 cup black tea leaves

a few star anise pods

Sauce

1/4 cup Ponzu soy sauce

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1- 2 cloves minced garlic to taste

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1/8 tsp chili oil

Line a wok type pan with heavy aluminum foil. Leave several inches of foil as a excess collar. Line foil with rice, sugar, orange peel, tea, and star anise. Take a rack or bamboo steamer that fits within wok, and place atop the wok and tea mixture with foil collar on the outside of steamer. Brush steamer or rack with oil and place skate wings. I chopped mine up into manageable pieces.. Place cover on steamer and seal the gap between wok and steamer with the foil.Foil should seal in the whole side of steamer .

Turn on heat to midway and start smoking for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and remove. Let the wok stand for another 15 minutes undisturbed. Carefully open the steamer and remove fish.

In a glass bowl mix all ingredients for dipping sauce and serve with Skate wing.

The Scandinavian Cookbook Review and Salmon Burgers with Rye Focaccia

Those of you that know me , know that Scandinavia is no stranger to me. In a way through Certain Someone its like a second home. But even prior to meeting Certain Someone , I have relatives there in which I got to visit. My first visit to Stockholm , I feel in love. So how fitting my love has a beautiful summer home, by the sea, which I cant wait to go back and visit. I have yet to explore the other Scandinavian countries. I'm eager to see Denmark and Norway.One day.

I was so so happy to get a copy of The Scandinavian Cookbook by Trina Hahnemann (Andrews McMeel Publishing,LLC), through the The Library Thing Early Reviewer Program. If you don't know about this ,please check it out. As all my books on Library Thing are cookbooks, that's what I normally snag based on my profile. But they have all types of genres available, and the competition is tough. This is my second review for them.

The Scandinavian Cookbook is a big gorgeous book by the Danish chef Trina Hahnemann.In her first English cookbook, she breaks the book down into seasons and months so the reader truly understands the cycle of life in Scandinavia.Winter is long with little light and summer leads into those White Nights with the sun not going down until midnight or after. Its a beautiful corner of the world with a simple straightforward and delicious approach to cooking. Flipping through the gorgeous photographs by Lars Ranek one gets a visual Smorgasbord of fishes, pastries, vegetables, breads drinks, and just about anything else you can think of. I long to go back and make the Kartoffelkage (a choux pastry with marzipan, cocoa, and filled with cream). Of course she shows you how to make smoked salmon. With the seasonal approach all the dishes presented look so healthy, wholesome and appetizing.A nice balance.

I chose to make a simple Rye Focaccia and Salmon Burgers form the month of April because I had most of the ingredients on hand. I confess,I was out of capers, and really regretted it. Nevertheless the burger was fantastic. And the Rye Focaccia was outstanding and very simple to put together. The burger was basically fresh salmon chopped into a mince with green onion , capers, eggs, and breadcrumbs. I garnished mine with sprouts , rather the chives and capers. And I cheated with mayo out of jar rather than her homemade dressing with homemade mayonnaise,and creme fraiche.The focaccia which was to make 4 burgers, could have been stretched to six or even eight in my opinion. I was really hearty and I couldn't stop nibbing throughout the day. What I love about this book is that there are basic recipes and components I can carry over into other seasons and dishes. Naturally I am submitting this into BYOB.

.

Spring is Here...Lemon Springerle

In Germany this past Christmas, I irritated the hell out of Certain Someone looking for Springerle molds. Surely the Christmas market in Cologne would have some. His mother and other woman I asked laughed and said no one makes Springerle anymore. It was outdated. If anything they used them as wall decorations. I though how sad it was the art was fading. Staring at my edition of Martha Stewart Living didn't help. She had a section devoted to cookies and crafts made with Springerle molds from a company called House On The Hill. Come to find out House on the Hill is a local one for me, and Springerle isn't just for Christmas. I received the catalogue and there are so many mold in so many sizes for all occasions. They can be very pricey too for just replicas. A lot of intricate detail goes into these molds which manage to convey a story for every occasion.I settled on a minimum investment of a Easter egg at around $21. The irony is I had to come back home to find these!

One could use it for marzipan or cookies. I am really eyeing those cake toppers. Springerle requires Anise oil , lemon, or orange oils and Bakers Ammonia. You could use a sturdy sugar cookie recipe, but I decided to keep it authentic. A little recipe book came with my order of the Springerle stater kit. What I though would be easy is a little more complex. I began to see why the art is dying off. But if your are patient, beautiful cookies can be had. The key is to letting your dough , after molding dry for about 24 hours.

Even after following that, some of my impressions faded( cookie was to thick in width perhaps) and some of the dough seeped out of the dried crust and ruined the shape. The recipe yields a lot and could easily be cut in half. Although these cookies keep for months in airtight containers. I even saved the duds in freezer to use for a cheese cake crust. House on the Hill had recipes for chocolate cookies as well. Maybe one day I can take a class up there. The Springerle molds can be used for paper crafts as well. So the investment pays off. Here is the link to recipe. Be sure to put aside a day before you bake these.

I wanted to create Faberge style Springerle.

My ambition was greater than my technique. I mixed my colors with vodka and brushed them on the finished Springerle. I also used metallic luster's. There was to much imperfections with the finished product to make it as perfect as I wanted. Cracks and such. But I'm always learning and they did not go to waste. I'm also seeing details vary by molds as well. Not one to give up I will be revisiting this with marzipan's and cake decorating.

A Glimpse of Germany at Christmas

I have always imagined what a German Christmas would be like. Earliest origins of the use of Christmas trees can be traced back to Germany. The most famous ambassador of the tree was the German Prince Albert who was married to Queen Victoria. My fascination of German Christmas has been fueled even more through the years with the local Christkindle Market in Chicago. This year Certain Someone took me home for Christmas. To spend ten days in Germany. Home is in the North Rhine –Westphalia region of Germany in a city called Essen. When most think of Germany we associate it with stereotypical images of Bavaria, and Heidelberg with lots of beer drinking, sausage, lederhosen, and blondes with Heidi-esque braids. Or, maybe even pre war Berlin a la Cabaret. Most is exaggerated except for the sausages and beer.

Essen is an industrial town that was known primarily for coal, steel, and the Krupp family. The Krupp family for centuries forged iron and later went into arms manufacturing that supplied Germany and countless other countries with arms and ammunition for destruction. The family home is one of the town landmarks called Villa Hugel and the stories of its inhabitants and visitors make for interesting historical reading. After the war the heir Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach was tried and imprisoned for war crimes(forced slave labor and other crimes against humanity) in Nuremburg(later to be grounded amnesty).Alfrieds sole heir Arndt was later forced to renounce his claims on the fortune and family name, and die at 48 severely in debt ending a 400 year old dynasty. Today the company is now known as Thyssen Krupp the fifth largest company in Germany and largest steel manufacturer.The monies Arndt forfeited were used to set up a foundation. Today Essen is a modern industrial and cultural center.A lot of the city was bombed out during the war, and an interesting fact is one of the older landmarks is the Alt Synagogue which survived intact. An interesting fact is that the owners of the Aldi Supermarket chains are from Essen .
The people of Essen struck me as hard working no nonsense types. Family and tradition are big. Certain Someone’s family has been there for generations and he is really to first to branch out of the city. One of the first things we did upon arrival was tend to the families graves. His parents dutifully go a few times of week to landscape and place candles.

I was touched, as you really do not see a lot of that type of devotion here. One wonders if the younger generations will keep these traditions. We mostly stayed put while Certain Someone’s mother provided us three meals. She takes great pride in her cooking and it was fun to see her baby truly enjoy her sturdy food. Breakfasts began with various wursts, bread, Mett (similar to steak tartar but made with pork), some cheese, soft-boiled eggs, etc. I admit it was hard for me to adjust to eating like that each morning and I just cannot wrap my head around Mett. Lunches were the big meals and she presented my favorites like Leberkasse (a type of meatloaf which ironically does not have liver in it), stuffed cabbage roulades in kraut, goose, and tons of potato dishes. Who knew all those versions of potato salads could exist and some even with more wursts! Certain Someone's mothers likes to bake cakes and make puddings too. Normally he does not eat my sweets but again it was fun to see him lap up the puddings. All of this, washed down with tons of coffee drinking and beer .The kitchen was off limits to me and her sole domain . Unfortunately, I did not get to see or learn how to make her wonderful cookies.Rich marzipan and buttery confections. She also is a gifted needle pointer and the house was filed with all her decorated table linens, and ornaments with her signature needlework. In another time and place I can see her giving Martha Stewart a run for her money in the crafts and cooking departments. Certain Someone and I visited some of his childhood friends as well while in Essen. I am not used to a place virtually shutting down for days. Christmas is celebrated over days. First, the opening of the presents on the Eve, Christmas Day, and then Zweiter Weihnachts Tag (the second day). Strangely, church going is not big in Germany except for perhaps Christmas. We did manage to leave the house and walk along the beautiful Ruhr River. Certain Someone entertained me with visits to both Cologne and Dusseldorf as well, both about an hour by train from Essen. We made it the famous Christmas market in Cologne, one of Germany’s oldest cities. The market is right under the Cathedral, which houses the bones of the Magi as well as many knights, kings, and princes. The cathedral dates back fro centuries and is always in a state of repair and renovation. We breaked for lunch at a traditional Brau Haus (brewery) for good German food and Kolsh (the beer Cologne is famous for). I loved these sort of places where one takes a table and may share it with others eating good simple food. I always claim German food is the Soul Food of Europe. I devoured with Certain Someone’s help a delicious Ham shank. Overall, I liked Cologne except for the maddening Christmas crowds. It was a bit overwhelming at that time of year, but hopefully one day I will be back when it is calmer. I searched high and low for Springerele molds for next years cookies but could not find any. It is a lost art it seems. After Christmas, Certain Someone whisked me off to Düsseldorf. While Cologne is known for media, carnivals, arts and culture, and being called ‘the gayest city ‘ in Germany, is its rival in fashion, more media, banking, and its Alt Beer. I think I am more a Dusseldorf kind of girl myself. I loved walking by the Rhine and strolling down the Kö( Königsalle/ Kings Alley) taking in the fashionable designer shops and jewelers. I tried to show Certain Someone some baubles priced at around 20,000 euros but he was not having it. You know how men wait outside while you look. Although he stopped in a few stores to check out his passion, watches. We visited another Brau House to sample Düsseldorf’s Alt Beer (old beer) . I liked this one more because it was darker. We both had dishes with Spatzle and another memorable lunch before heading back to Essen. If I ever had to live in Germany Dusseldorf would be more to my liking. And alas, the trip was over. Ten days of eating, drinking, and a lot of contemplation. I have a new understanding of Germany and hopefully will get to explore more of it one day.

Grand Bahama and Some Pigeon Peas and Rice

Well I'm back. I don't want make this a wordy post so I'm going to let Certain Someones pictures speak for most of the trip to Grand Bahama. We stayed at the the Westin Our Grand Lucaya. This is a wonderful resort that allowed us to just chill and do nothing. Unfortunately Certain Someone could not escape work and spent the first half of the trip working. But he did manage some beach time and a round of golf on one of their several golf courses. I was amazed at how easily Certain Someone could become a beach bum. I like to see him relax.

Isn't this beautiful? These are debris from a earlier hurricane . The photo was taken at a beach in the Grand Lucayan National Park. We took these pictures after a visit to underwater caves across to road. If you were a diver you could dive between the cavernous caves which housed Arawak Indian remains.The path to the beach was a lesson in flora and fauna. Who knew walking mangrove could be so beautiful. Reminded me of a tropical vineyard with all the gnarled branches. I was startled by the depth and life down there.But it was nice to come up and take in this beauty. A Victoria Secrets Photo shoot was going on a few miles down the sand bar.
I like this shot Certain Someone took. It doesn't make me look fat.

After our excursion we went to this lovely sea side restaurant and beach, Banana Bay. I had my first real Bahamian lunch of cracked conch( like fried calamari) and pigeon peas and rice in which I will give you the recipe at the end.Certain Someone regretted his fries and took to my rice. Unfortunately the Bahamas let me down with the food. Cynthia explained its not really the Caribbean because of its close proximity to the United States. And at the resorts its a lot of tourist fare.The Port Lucaya marketplace across the street was the got to place if you didn't want to pay an arm and a leg for hotel food. Thinks bars, pizza, Greek , Italian , etc.Stuff I can get at home. Conch is huge in the Bahamas. You will find this shell fish in Chowders,fritters,pasta, pizza, fries, steamed, etc. Its on every menu and pretty cheap. I liked it, Certain Someone not so much.Fish Fry's are big too. Grouper rules, but Barracuda can be found. A local told me not to fear it. A test to see if Barracuda is poisonous is to see if the flies come to it. If so, its good!But the drinks were plentiful and excellent wherever you went.Rum Runners was our favorite hangout. Drinks averaging $5 and great fun staff. I was sure to bring back my allowed liquor allocation. One of our favorite drinks was this retro Bahamian cocktail called a Gully Wash. Its Gin, Coconut Water, Condensed milk, with cinnamon and coconut meat shavings. Its great for the hoildays and even better served up in a coconut and allowed to brew. Its packs a punch for sure.
My final thoughts are of the locals. The dependence on tourism is huge in the Bahamas and the economic hardships we are all facing will really trickle down to to places like this where tourism employs a lot of the island. Even though it was still coming off season, there were a lot of empty tables and shops.I loved that they really thankful for each and every guests business. You don't get that lot and it makes you feel appreciated. In same token we were conscious of where we spent to be sure to visit everyone. The high season is about to begin and hope it goes better than expected. But as one retailer told me, we are all in this together.

I leave you with this Pigeon Peas and Rice I recreated at home today. Its full of island soul.

1 can Pigeon Peas( 1 lb)

2 cups rice

2 slices salt pork( soaked in water for a few hours and chopped up)

1 small can tomato sauce

1 red bell pepper

1 small onion

3-4 cloves garlic

3 cups water

black pepper to taste

In a large skillet fry up salt pork, onion, pepper for a few minutes. Add chopped garlic. Cook a few more minutes. Add sauce and pigeon peas. Add rice and water. Cover and cook until rice is done. Approx 30 minutes.

*Due to the salt in the salt pork, no extra salt is needed. Bacon is used more commonly.