Hi Everyone!

Thank you so much for all your kind words, thoughts and well-wishes for our wedding day! We have not gotten our professional pictures yet, but here is a candid taken by my cousin, Patrick.

I am happy to report that Roberto and I are now husband and wife. I must say it turned out beautifully. There were a few minor snafus as there always are, but it was a perfect day in every other way. We spent a lot of lovely time with family and friends and of course we ate well from the day Roberto’s mom arrived from Rome all the way through the honeymoon! (as if eating well is a change in our normal routine)…

Currently I am sorting through loads of emails, making my way over to the Forum and slowly starting to make my presence online again. So bear with me, as I am still on Jamaica Time.

If you have emailed me directly about anything to do with The Foodie Blogroll, I may not get back to you personally - our first order of business after we get settled is to implement the latest features and all will be notified about the next steps and what you need to do. Until then, hang tight.

But in the meantime, you can look forward to food stories about foods we enjoyed with our family leading up to the wedding, as well as the wedding day food, cake and some new favorite foods from Jamaica. So stay tuned!

There is a national campaign called Go Organic! that educates and increases consumer awareness of the benefits of organic food and agriculture. I was contacted by their marketing company to let you all know about a great contest. For Earth Day, Go Organic! is offering a chance to win a Grocery Makeover with celebrated Chef and Mom-a-licious® author Domenica Catelli. 

I think this is a great contest because it is spreading the word about something that I care very deeply about - organic products and educating the public about how you can live a more organic lifestyle which is not only good for health, but good for the environment. Even though it is not always easy, I think it is important to educate ourselves about healthier ways of living and do what we can to improve the quality of our lives. Especially being foodies, I think it is doubly important to learn more about the food that we put into our bodies and how it gets from the field to the plate. There are lots of great cooks and chefs out there, so I wish all of you the best of luck in this contest! I think it would be great if one of us in the food blogging community would win this

To learn more about Organics and Going Organic for Earth Day, click here

Read more…

I am so honored and pleased to announce that I am being featured in this month’s (March 2008) issue of Yogi Times Magazine!!!

It is a Los Angeles based Yoga Lifestyle Magazine and they contacted me to create a meal out of leftovers and staples for their Yoga Yummies Section in this month’s issue focusing on abundance. Roberto did the photo shoot and I created the recipes and made the food! It was a great joint effort. So thank you very much to Yogi Times Magazine for giving me this wonderful opportunity. I want to especially thank Nicole over there who interviewed me and wrote the article. It was such a pleasure to work with them and to speak with Nicole on the phone.

Healthy eating and lifestyle is something that is very important to me and of course the use of leftovers is paramount in my cooking philosophy. So it was so great to be able to bring these two things together and create a whole new menu from that inspiration.

And of course I must formally thank Roberto for his help and his beautiful photography and PATIENCE and for being my partner in everything!

Hope you guys enjoy the recipes!

To read the feature and see the recipe for
Spicy Carrot Soup click here.

For the Potato and Spring Onion Frittata recipe, click here.

For the Chai Spiced Bread Pudding recipe, click here.

To see more of Roberto’s awesome photography, check out my gallery page.

I was tagged for this MEME: Food For Gossip by Ivy over at Kopiaste

INSTRUCTIONS:

Select five people to tag: Consider all y’all tagged
Here are the things to blog about and my answers:

What were you doing 10 years ago?

In 1998 I was in College at Hampshire College in Amherst, MA. I was doing research for my undergraduate thesis on strip mining and genocide on Black Mesa/ Big Mountain, on the Navajo Reservation. I also spent 6 months that year out in AZ on the Navajo Reservation with 2 Navajo elders who were and still are resisting relocation by the US Government – because their ancestral homeland lies on top of large amounts of coal, uranium and natural gas. I was there to help them get through the winter (at that time they were both in their early 80’s and there is no electricity or running water on the Mesa) and look after them as well as bear witness to the atrocities.

What were you doing 1 year ago?

Roberto and I had just moved to Florida from Vermont in the middle of one of the worst blizzards ever. We were getting acclimated to being Floridians. I also just started my first blog: Jenn’s Travel Closeup

Five snacks you enjoy:

1) Hummus and crackers
2) Organic, non-GMO, Non-transfat Cheesy Puffs
3) Gelato or Ice cream
4) Dolmas/ Dolmades
5) Really good French Fries

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:

1) Travel the world with stops in Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, Sicily, Calabria, Rome, Alaska, Iceland, Norway, Scotland and Paris, to name a few.
2) Set up SAFE schools for Navajo children living on the reservation – meaning ones not built from uranium infested materials which cause a lot of health problems.
3) Pay off my mom’s house and buy Roberto’s mom a nice flat in Rome or Ostia (her choice)
4) Buy a house in one of the places I mentioned above that I liked the most
5) Donate money to the Humane Society

Five bad habits:

1) I am neurotic about having a clean house, so I tend to be a bit militant at times
2) I get easily stressed by money, numbers and math related things
3) I try to solve everyone’s problems and think that I have to.
4) I bite my cuticles when I am stressed
5) I give my loyalty to people I shouldn’t because I always believe people can change and imagine that they will.

Five things you like doing:

1) Reading a great book while enjoying a nice hot drink and snuggling with my kitty
2) Listening to Music – I have very eclectic tastes and lots to choose from
3) Meditating
4) Going to the Beach
5) Drinking Coffee!
6) Bellydancing (sorry - couldn’t leave it out..)

Five things you would never wear again:

1) Nylon Stockings
2) Very high Heels
3) Shoulder pads
4) High waisted Jeans
5) Thong underwear

Five favorite toys:

1) My Cuisinart Food Processor
2) My Stovetop espresso maker
3) My Laptop – even though sometimes I want to chuck it out the window
4) That is all I can think of – does Roberto or the Kitty count? I guess they would be more like playmates.

NOW FOR MY UPDATE:
If you go to my Recipe Page – you will now see an alphabetical list of all of my recipes. Enjoy!

(Photo Courtesy of Rose-Champagne.com)

A bright soul has left this world. At the age of 30, my bellydancing teacher, Rose Champagne has left on the final journey into the unknown after a battle with brain cancer. She already beat it five years ago and had her whole life ahead of her. When I left New England, she had just gotten married and bought a new house. She had it all – a wonderful husband, a new house and a fabulous career doing what she loved. She was one of those shining stars, someone with a beautiful soul who kind of glided through the world. She was the kind of person everyone wanted to know and be around. She was someone who stood out in a room. She was kind, and loving and beautiful. I knew her but briefly and from afar, but she affected everyone she knew with her grace. I pray for her family that must go on without her.

To my teacher Rose Champagne. Rose, it is hard to believe that a spirit so strong and beautiful and full of light has left this earth. There is always a bit of emptiness felt in the world, when a light as bright as yours leaves this realm. I ask that your spirit be as free now, as it always was in The Dance now that you are free from the physical limitations of your body, which whirled with such grace and beauty as you walked among us for too brief a time. You taught us how to be free in our own dances and to let the ancestral spirit flow and sway with our bodies. You taught us how to communicate through dance and let loose. You gave so much to us all and I want to thank you and send you with gifts of the sweetest baklava and delicious dark Turkish Coffee, for the journey you have left to travel.

May you be at peace.

Hi Everyone!

I have a few updates to share with everyone. Number one, I was adding new blogs to the ever growing, ever popular Foodie Blogroll this morning. Can you believe we have over 900 blogs now and that I get more and more requests everyday? It is amazing. I don’t talk about it much on this blog, because it speaks for itself, really, but it is really such a wealth of information. It features blogs from all corners of the world. Such an amazing tool for the food blogger, home cook, chef and anyone who just loves food. There is so much there, it is hard to keep track of everyone. I think as a community it is important for people to share with each other what is going on and inform us all about really great blogs out there that we might be missing. For example…

One of the newest members of The Foodie Blogroll is Priya, from 365 Days Pure Vegetarian, had a recipe for Tamarind Date Chutney on her blog! Many of you who enjoyed my post on Tamarinds were wondering how to make this on your own - well here is how! There is a link to it imbedded in this recipe.
So in order to help us all find these hidden treasures, I am going to begin featuring a Foodie Blogroll Blog of The Week to show the variety we have in this part of the blogosphere. If you would like to nominate a Foodie Blogroll Member for this honor, please post it on The LeftoverQueen Forum here. If you are not yet a member of The Foodie Blogroll, Join Us Today!

We also through the blogroll, have a wonderful forum to discuss foodie things - topics range from help with ingredients, to your favorite food celebrities, and The Royal Foodie Joust - a wonderful event that really gets your food mojo on!

This is a monthly event that just is full of fun, creativity and lots of great ideas and takes on how to create dishes from the same ingredients. It is so inspiring. Please check it out if you haven’t. Click here for more info. Remeber, only 2 more days to get your entry in there!

Since I am all about Foodie communities, as some of you may have noticed, I have recenlty joined one myself. There is a banner on my right sidebar for FoodBuzz. I am now a Featured Publisher for Foodbuzz and as I make my way through the blogosphere I note that I am in very good company, as many of my favorite blogs are also on the team. Please spread the word. My ratings depend on people looking at the site, voting, and also writing reviews/rating my site on the Foodbuzz site. Please click on my “vote for me!” badge on my right sidebar, about midway down. Or go to my profile on FoodBuzz by clicking on my Featured Publisher Badge or here is a link to where you can find me on FoodBuzz and leave your comments, feedback and ratings. I am not usually crazy about self-promotion, but this is very important and your support means a lot! Thanks for supporting your friendly, local LeftoverQueen!

Have you all experienced what I have lately? Family members and friends who are asking for your “list”. Items that you would like to have as a holiday gift. If you are like me, and you love food, cooking and all things kitchen related, I may have just done your work for you. Following in the footsteps of PB&Julie, Pixie and Emiline, and I am sure others, I have put together a list of my favorite kitchen related items from this year, a la Oprah Winfrey. There is a variety of items and prices. These are things that I have and love, as well as a few things from my own wish list, that I may not have had the pleasure of using yet.

Lisabeeen Coffee
I have spoken quite often about Lisa and her amazing beans. She hand-roasts them lovingly at home in a coffee roaster she made by converting an electric grill. To see how she does it, click here. She has a small cottage industry going on from her home in beautiful Bennington VT. Try some today!

Kalamata Gold Greek Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 500 ml bottle
I love olive oil and for Mediterranean cooking (my favorite) you must have a good olive oil, no scratch that you must have an EXCELLENT Olive Oil, Extra Virgin, please. I know everyone has their favorites, but I favor Greek Olive Oil (I know, I am a bad bad Italian). It is like liquid gold – full of freshness, floral hints and a peppery afterbite.

Mediterranean Diet Cookbook: A Delicious Alternative for Lifelong Health
Speaking of the Mediterranean Diet, this cookbook is a must have. It is a culinary tour through all the regions of the Mediterranean, from Italy to Greece to North Africa, Spain, The Middle East and Southern France. It is full of SUPER healthy AND delicious recipes that feed your spirit, tastebuds and stomach, in that order. I could not LIVE without it. Seriously. To read more about it, click here.

Dolce Italiano: Desserts from the Babbo Kitchen
Speaking of Italian things and cookbooks, this is one of my new favorites. I had the extreme pleasure of meeting Gina DePalma, the author and pastry chef for Mario Batali’s Restaurant, Babbo, through cyberspace. I was able to join a few other American Expats in Italy by trying several of Gina’s recipes and it was a wonderful experience. Through the experience I realized I had found another “can’t live without” cookbook! Thanks Gina! To read more about the event and contest click here and here

Bialetti Moka Express, 6 Cup and Shin Bistro Milk Frother By Bodum
Continuing on the Italian theme (see I am redeeming myself after confessing to preferring Greek Olive Oil) here is a product I use EVERY DAY. I love it and when using Lisabeeen’s coffee, I now cannot go out to get good coffee without complaining, because this is just SO MUCH BETTER. To read more on this topic – my devotion to coffee, click here (Don’t worry Cris, I will be talking about Brazilian coffee very soon!)

Sherry Vinegar 6.8 oz
I don’t know how I lived without this product for so long. I just didn’t get it. I thought with Balsamic, Red Wine, White Wine, Rice Wine and Apple Cider, you had all your bases covered. I wasn’t feeling all these extraneous vinegars. I mean how many vinegars did one person need. I already have an olive oil problem (too many!), I didn’t need to start on the vinegars. How wrong was I. Since I discovered this Sherry vinegar, I have been converted. We had it at the cooking school where I work, and I added it to a red pepper dip I was making, and it turned that dip to magic. It was amazingly better. So I knew this was something I needed to add to my repertoire!

So this begins my own wish list section!

NEW! Short Hair Black Cat Cork Bottle Buddy Wine Stopper
Enough said. I love all things Black Kitty as they remind me of my own sweet kitty (even though this one looks lke a boy cat and she is a total GIRL).

Solid Pewter Coffee Scoop with Matching Hook, Floral Design, Made in USA (Handcrafted)
Tin Woodsman is an Oregon company that makes handcrafted kitchen “jewelry”. It is so beautiful. Paula Deen uses the fish measuring cups and spoons on her show and they have more than just cups and spoons, they have things for tea and coffee, salad spoons, and even holiday things. Really cool stuff! Also made in the USA, by a true artisan. Love that.

Vita-Mix 1321 Professional Series, Ruby
This is the ULTIMATE in kitchen appliances. We have one at the cooking school and I have so enjoyed using it. I always describe it as a manual vs. automatic (in car terminology). There is an on-off switch but there is also a speed dial that allows you to easily control the blending, grating and pulverizing this machine can do. Yes, it is expensive, but with it, you replace a blender, food processor and coffee grinder. It even comes with a HUGE cookbook that has many tasty recipes! It is very very cool and comes in a lot of wonderful colors like Ruby, Onyx and Platinum. I like the red.

Also guys, help a fellwo foodie!!! There is a wonderful new blog that Jennifer at ….and the eggs has started called: People + Food. It is all about people and their relationship with food through a food memory. I am being featured today so please go and check it out! She is looking for more participants so please send her your food memory TODAY!!!! For more info check out The Leftover Queen Forum

Coming up:
Holiday Cookies
A Gift From Brazil

I just posted an article about our trip to Boston’s North End (Little Italy) on my Travelcloseup Blog! Check it out!