Papas a la Huancaina

Relax... this isn't anything crazy. It's basically just a Peruvian potato salad of sorts, with a creamy spicy cheese sauce that's topped with chopped up hard boiled eggs and olives. It's an appetizer you'll find at almost any Peruvian restaurant and it's delicious. The potatoes even I could do without, it's the sauce that's the star and would be great over chicken or shrimp. This is a recipe that'll feed about 10-15. It's great for picnics, bbq's, family gatherings or any situation where you need to feed a crowd. Super easy, a little spicy and more complex than your average potato salad.

Chupe de Camerones

I don't write about my Grandmother nearly as much as I thought I would, or think I should. Not a day goes by where she isn't somewhere on my mind, in a look or a moment, a scent or a sound, but it's hard to put her in words. She was a true force in life and after my Mom, she was my greatest female mentor, both in and out of the kitchen.

My Grandmother lived an amazing life that was transparent in all her adventures... climbing mountains, publishing her writing, marrying a Yankee after mere months of meeting, "rescuing" pre-columbian Incan artifacts, traveling all over the world. But she was also incredible in more obscure ways... being single until her mid 30s, having a child at 36 (now maybe not so amazing but we're talking about the '50s, people), leaving her home country of Chile for Peru and then leaving there for a completely different continent decades later, asthma, breast cancer, maintaining friendships that spanned across decades and countries, being married to my Grandfather for 49 years, taking such pride in herself, her home, her family. Maybe force doesn't even begin to describe her. She was one of a kind.

My take on chupe de camarones

The Cali Diet: Part 2 Spicy Shrimp with Coconut Rice

Am I the only girl that just about hates shopping when I'm looking for something under a deadline? It's almost a given that I will never find it. And then I stress and make silly purchases, like fake eyelashes, because I couldn't find something equally stupid like sexy shorts. I walked blocks tonight after work because I was dead set on finding this one perfect pair of shoes. No others would do. It's insanity. And it's not even like I get the satisfaction of doing this to look good on the arm of someone else... although someone is getting a mini fashion show tomorrow night... but just because I was completely taken aback when the itinerary said everything was "LA casual." What does that even mean? I'm completely thrown but at the very least I've remained committed to purchasing only things I'll use again, and yes, perhaps even the fake eyelashes.Oh but you came here for the food. Sorry! I just had to get that shopping rant off my chest.

I am very aware that when dieting you want to avoid coconut milk at all costs. But it's tasty and delicious, so this creates something of a dilemma, especially when you've had a craving for quite a while. You can use the "lite" coconut milk which is pretty readily available in stores or you can simply buy a can of the good (read full of fat) stuff and then just water it down. And voila, that's all the lite coconut water is anyways and you're saving a bit of money by adding in that free water (aren't marketing ploys just evil like that?). And if you reduce it back it'll still be pretty nice and thick and saucy. So that's what I've always done. If you're so inclined you could use chicken or seafood stock or coconut water for more depth of flavor instead of water.

The ingredients getting all cozy in the skillet.

Bay Scallop Ceviche

It's not often that I give you just the straight recipe. I know, this is half food blog and half just random thoughts and life tales from some girl. But I just got to Houston less than 24 hours ago- and I'm sure you're thinking that I was in Virginia just a few days ago. You are correct, I travel A LOT- and it's muggy and humid and just the way that Houston should be. It's also February and there are flowers blooming at my very dear friends house. And before I even stepped outside the airport I had already forsaken my heavy New York clothes for the Houston uniform of tees, shorts and sandals.

So this recipe is perfect, because it's exactly what I am craving right now. A light seafood salad of sorts, laid back and fitting to the atmosphere. And while I made it in Virginia a week ago for the anti-S.A.D. party, it would be perfect on a day like today, over half an avocado perhaps, the puckery limes mixing perfectly with the buttery scallops and the crunch of the jalapeno and red onion. It's definitely a summer meal, or at least a Houston meal.

African Peanut Soup

I figured I should follow up the roasted chicken post with not just any old chicken soup, but an amazing chicken soup that represents not simply comfort but a spirit of adventure mixed in as well. A soup full of forward thinking combinations, a melting pot of both familiar tastes as well as an uncharted territory of flavors for a new year. I'm not trying to sound like an Amy Tan novel, just trying to say in so many words that I was craving a combination of both old and new.
When I was 9, we took a family vacation to Colonial Williamsburg and naturally some of my fondest memories of this trip revolved around the food. We went in November, the air crisp, the smell of fall and fires and frying bacon all making me realize that autumn in other places is more than just the fleeting moment it is in South Texas. More importantly I discovered how wonderful soup can be, especially coming in from the cold. Complex chowders, bread bowls, soup that didn't have that tinny, too salty Campbell's taste. All amazement's I'd never experienced before. Here's also where I tasted my favorite, Peanut Soup.