If you asked the foodie in me, what my favorite category of food was, I would enthusiastically say seafood! Seafood is light, bright, briny and reminds me of the ocean, the place that brings me peace and calm. I adore gorgeous, fresh, perfectly prepared seafood and I definitely have a refined enough palate that allows me to discern good and bad seafood. However, even though I take my fish seriously, I had never really given much thought to the idea of sustainable seafood and the difference it can make in the quality and flavor of your fish. However, that all changed when I was recently invited to The Sustainable Seafood Summit hosted by Bluewater Grill in Redondo Beach, California. 

First, we were educated about exactly what sustainable seafood is: “Sustainable Seafood is seafood from either fished or farmed sources that can maintain or increase production in the future without jeopardizing the ecosystems from which it was acquired.” We learned that the sustainable seafood movement has recently gained momentum as more people become aware about both overfishing and environmentally-destructive fishing methods.

As we learned more, it became obvious to me that Bluewater Grill is a truly pioneer in the sustainable seafood movement because they are making a conscious effort to offer the most sustainable and gorgeous seafood currently available. According to the wonderfully passionate co-founder of Bluewater Grill, Jim Ulcickas, “Currently Bluewater Grill’s menu is 85% certified sustainable, by Aquarium of the Pacific or the Monterey Aquarium, but we won’t be satisfied until we reach 100%.” To further support this commitment, David Anderson, a leading sustainability expert, was also invited to speak with us and he was pleased to let us know that ”Bluewater Grill is the only restaurant that offers full sourcing disclosure on its extensive selection of fish and is committed toward solutions for our oceans.”

We continued to learn about the importance of sustainability through the eyes and palate of Bluewater Grill’s executive chef, Brian Hirsty, pictured below with some of the gorgeous fish we sampled at the Summit

Brian shared some very useful tips for buying, selecting and cooking your seafood that I am delighted to share with you:

• Know Where Your Fish Comes From: Make sure you buy your fish from a trustworthy source. “It all comes back to traceability. Where is your fish coming from?”
• Fresh Fish Should Glisten: “Fresh fish should have a translucent sheen and should bounce back when you touch it.” Signs of age are when your fish is black or gray.  
• Fresh Fish Should NOT Smell Fishy! If your fish smells fishy, it is not as fresh as it should be.
• The Secret to Perfectly Cooked Fish is: An internal temperature of 130-135 degrees when measured with a food thermomater. I was truly in awe of how flawlessly cooked each and every piece of fish we ate was, it totally maximized flavor and showcased the freshness of the fish.

After our minds were filled with important information about sustainability, it was time to fill our bellies. Look at this gorgeous side-by-side salmon tasting that I had the pleasure of becoming intimately acquainted with at the Summit:

Our salmon sampler from left to right included: Wild Sockeye, Wild King, Farmed BC Atlantic and Farmed BC king salmon. And yes it tasted as good as it looks! It was so insanely fresh tasting and perfectly cooked, I couldn’t believe it! And it was quite a treat to compare the different varieties next to each other. Honestly, there was something absolutely transcendent about eating this sustainable fish, like someone had put their heart and soul into selecting some of the best fish I have ever tasted. It was truly SUBLIME!

In addition to the salmon tasting, we also sampled a variety of fresh oysters, cajun swordfish, and Chilean Seabass that was equally delicious. We were also treated to some lovely wine pairings to compliment our seafood, and I chose to sip bubbly with all of my tastings because it truly complimented all the fish nicely. We ended our culinary adventure with the debut of Bluewater Grill’s Build-Your-Own Blue Ice Bloody Mary Bar. This fun inspiration gives customers a chance to create their own customized version of the famous all-day cocktail from among 25 unique ingredients and hot sauces from around the world. Yummy! 

This was such an enlightening experience that I highly recommend trying out this type of experience yourself by attending one of Bluewater Grill’s Monthly Seafood Tastings and Wine Pairing Events which are offered the second Monday of every month in Redondo Beach and the second Tuesday in Newport, Tustin and Phoenix. 

Disclosure: Bluewater Grill provided car service, sustainability education, seafood tastings, and wine pairings, but little did I know that my perception of seafood and where it is sourced from would forever be changed. 

Greetings My Beauties! Sorry I have be remiss in writing regular posts lately, but as you know I have been traveling for most of the summer, plus I have the little guy home for an extra week (Thank You LAUSD Budget Cuts!) which definitely makes it hard to stay focused and write. In addition, tonight is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year and I have been busy cooking and prepping for our yummy dinner. I thought you might enjoy sampling a couple of new tasty holiday recipes, whether you celebrate or not. Below are some new holiday recipes that I am testing out, let me know what you think.

Honey Cake This is a warm brown colored cake sweetened with honey and the perfect hint of spice. It’s yummy, warm and comforting. It is often eaten as dessert during the New Year festivities. FYI-I made this cake this AM and even though I sprayed generously it stuck to my fancy Star of David pan, and my wonderful hubby and son decided to make another one before I got home so I wouldn’t be upset (isn’t that sweet of them ), but low and behold, it stuck again! Well now, we have TWO, not so pretty but super yummy honey cakes, guess its gonna be an extra sweet, but not perfect New Year? 

1   Box Yellow Cake Mix

1/2   Cup Honey

1   Teaspoon Cinnamon

1/2   Teaspoon Nutmeg

1/4   Teaspoon Ginger

2   Tablespoons Oil

3   Eggs

1   Cup Coffee

Mix all of the above ingredients together thoroughly, pour into a bundt pan and bake at 325 for 1 hour.

Yummy Apple Noodle Kugel I describe kugel as a the Jewish comfort food akin to the all American Mac ‘n Cheese. A kugel is typically a casserole of noodles, eggs and sometimes sweet and other times savory additions. Below is a recipe for a sweet kugel, that is super easy, tasty and the perfect representation of apples and honey for a sweet new year. Kids love this one. Word of warning: kugels are yummy but dense and filling, so beware

1   Package of Wide Egg Noodles

4   Eggs, beaten

1   Cup Sugar

3/4   Stick Butter, melted/softened

1   Can Comstock Apple Pie Filling, diced into small pieces

1  Tablespoon Cinnamon

2  Teaspoons Vanilla

Raisins, if desired

Preheat oven to 350. Boil noodles per package. Combine drained noodles with the rest of the ingredients and pour into a greased 9×13 pan. Sprinkle cinnamon on top. Bake for 45 minutes.

Eat and Enjoy!

And to those of you that celebrate, Here’s to a Sweet, Spectacular, Healthy and Properous New Year!

Many of you know that I am both a beauty maven and a foodie, so its no wonder I was super excited to attend a Blending Bash at KleanSpa in MindfulNest in Burbank (a super cute store that showcases artisanal designers). I was invited to attend this fab soiree by Jennifer AKA the Scentual Mixtress (LOVE that!) Jennifer is a goddess with beautiful energy and a NOSE (meaning that she really knows the art of smelling and combining fragrances in just the right way.) She is also the creator of KleanSpa, a beautiful line of handcrafted beauty products that are definitely worth checking out.

Jennifer recently began hosting these super fun monthly Blending Bashes at MindfulNest (usually on Sunday Evenings) where you have the  opportunity to formulate your own signature fragrance. During this inspired event, you are able to create, blend and walk away with a roll-on perfume and an extreme moisture shea lotion in a fragrance of your own creation. And to enhance the appeal of this event, KleanSpa usually partners with local restaurants and caterers so that you have the opportunity to sample yummy eats and drinks during the gathering. All this fun and creativity for a mere thirty five bucks! And as an added bonus, you can shop the unique assortment of artisanal items at MindfulNest too.  

During the bash, you  have the unique opportunity to work one on one with this Masterful Mixtress and custom blend your own signature fragrance. The process goes something like this: First you tell the Mixtress what types of fragrances you like and then you start sniffing to see what you like and what you don’t. If you get desensitized she has coffee grinds nearby too. Once you have a few fragrances you like, the Mixtress starts pairing the notes that go well together and eliminating those that don’t and then she starts combining your fragrance–making sure you have the right elements of a good base, middle/heart, and top notes. You sniff along the way to see if it smells good to you or if you want more of one scent or another until you get it just right. Jennifer expertly guides you through this process, so you feel confident and supported in creating something sophisticated and delicious.

Then you put on your apron and mix your custom scent into a luscious creamy shea lotion and give it a name. This whole experience totally appeals to both my beauty and foodie side! I created my Sultry Sassy Spring Blend with notes of  Fern, Fig, White Tea, Pomergranate, New Cucumber, Grass, and Ginger Milk—Green, fresh, slightly fruity, and the ginger adds a little spicy sultriness to the blend and I LOVE it! 

This was such a fun, scentual, creative experience and I highly rec giving it a sniff and a whirl  if you live in the LA area. And if you don’t live near by you don’t have to miss out on these fab products either, because from now through May 2010 Romy Raves Readers get 20% off all products at www.KleanSpa.com by entering the code ROMYRAVES20

And as a special treat, I am also doing a Blending Bash GIVEAWAY for you and friend ($70 Value!) , so you both can having the pleasure of creating with the Mixtress. All that you need to do for your chance to win this fabulous scentual experience is become an email subscriber of Romy Raves   AND  a Fan of the Romy Raves Facebook Page  AND post a comment on this blog post telling me what your favorite Spring/Summer fragrance is and why you love it. That’s all you need to do. I LOVE comments and want to encourage my readers to regularly post comments and share your thoughts. This contest will end at midnight PST on Monday, May 3rd, 2010. The winner will be selected using Random.org. You must live in the Los Angeles, CA area in order to take advantage of this regional prize and only one entry per person.  Good Luck!

This Fall I was invited to a wonderful event for lifestyle bloggers–an afternoon of learning about healthy eating strategies from celebrity lifestyle and fitness guru Kathy Kaehler. Kathy created this wonderfully simple concept called Sunday Set-Up where you buy and prepare all of your healthy meal ingredients on Sunday and have them ready to go during the week when you are crazed, busy, tired and likely to make the wrong food choices. I love this uber simple lifestyle concept and have been using it since the Fall, and now I would like to share it with you. 

Kathy created Sunday Set-Up to help busy moms (and other uber busy peeps) make daily meal prep easier, healthier and more practical. Instead of stressing about how you are going to pull together healthy and tasty meals night after night, this program is your plan-ahead solution. The idea is that every Sunday you “set-up” your meals for the week by shopping for your ingredients over the weekend and selecting, then prepping foods that can be made into a week’s worth of recipe ingredients.

According to Kathy, “Sunday Set-Up is a great way for me to be organized. I get all of my food at the farmers market or grocery store on the weekend, wash it all, cut it up, and put it into containers. It just became a habit for me, and then I started sharing my strategy with clients and moms that I know. I eventually turned it into a program.”

Kathy feels that, “Families today rely too much on take-out and ordering-in. Our children are not learning how to prepare healthy meals. By implementing Sunday Set-Up into your routine, you will save money, eat better, eat healthier, feel more energized, gather as a family more often, and you may even lose some weight.”

Sunday Set-Up is as easy as 1-2-3:

1. On Saturday or Sunday afternoon, take your kids and go shopping at your local farmers market or grocery store, picking up the freshest ingredients possible. Try to be as ‘green’ as possible by making a point of buying seasonal, local, and organic ingredients (they tend to be the most vibrant and taste the best too!) Also, bringing the kids gets them excited and invested in the healthy eating process. Click HERE to see Kathy’s Sunday Set-Up Shopping List.

2. On Sunday, chop and cook the ingredients necessary for a week’s worth of meals and snacks. This includes vegetables, rice, pasta, beans and chicken/protein. And to add a little yummy inspiration to the mix, here are two of my favorite, super easy and delicious recipes that Kathy made with us at this event: Kathy’s Kale (ridiculously addictive) and Salsa Rice and Black Beans

3. After the preparing and cooking, store the fixings in clear glass containers (Kathy introduced me to Snapware Glass Lock Containers and I absolutely LOVE them–durable, leak proof, easy to see your food and aesthetically pleasing) and place them at the front of your refrigerator. That way, you will be excited about all of the mix and match possibilities for meals and healthy snack options.

That’s It! Simple, Easy, Inspired, Yummy and Healthy! Thank You Kathy for conceptualizing such a brilliant modern day program that can really impact lives in such a positive way.  So, what are your healthy lifestyle choices? Any quick and easy tips for eating healthier? Please post and share your tips and ideas.

No offense to all of you die hard football fans, but for me the Superbowl is all about the funny commercials and the yummy eats.  So I thought I would share with you one of my all time favorite appetizers that is sure to be a hit at your Superbowl gathering.  Enjoy and please share your special, yummy, fun and easy appetizer recipes with me!

Dip Diana

7 oz.  Pesto
6-8 oz.  Chopped sun dried tomatoes in oil
12 oz.  Whipped Cream Cheese
2  Tablespoons of butter
4-7  Cloves of fresh garlic
10-12  Thin slices of provolone
 
Blend garlic, butter and cream cheese in food processor and fold in pesto. Put about 6 slices of provolone cheese on the bottom of a medium dish with sides and spread pesto mixture over cheese slices, put half of the sun dried tomatoes over mixture (some oil is OK).  Cover with provolone and garnish with remaining sun dried tomatoes that have been blotted to remove excess oil. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes and serve with a sliced baguette. DEELISH!

Given all the festivities of the season, I thought you might enjoy a delicious and inspired egg brunch dish that I have been making for years and it always gets rave reviews. It is a very tasty Mexican egg casserole that is packed with flavor and easy to prep the night before. Enjoy! 

SALSA JACK BREAKFAST SOUFFLE

Serves 8

 1 pound Jack cheese or Pepper Jack cheese, cubed

1 cup cottage cheese

1-2 cups of hot/medium chunky salsa (to taste)

3-6 white corn tortillas, cut in small pieces

9 eggs

1 cup reduced fat Buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees, grease a 9×13 pan, sprinkle half the tortilla pieces in the bottom of the pan (you want to cover most of the bottom). In a bowl, mix cubed cheese, cottage cheese, and salsa until combined and then spread evenly in pan over tortillas.

Beat eggs and buttermilk together and pour evenly over cheese/salsa mixture. Sprinkle with remaining tortillas. Bake between 45 minutes-1 hour or until golden brown. Top with guacamole, avocado slices or sour cream if desired. Yummilicious!

Please post and share your favorite brunch recipes, I am always on the hunt for new inspirations.

I am a foodie to the core and am always on the hunt for seasonal inspirations. I absolutely LOVE persimmons, the lovely bright orange fruit that is available in the late fall and early winter. A friend recently gave me a bunch of Hachiya persimmons (which are best for baking BTW) and my search on the Internet lead me to this divine seasonal treat, James Beard’s Persimmon Bread Recipe–Simply divine Enjoy and let me know what you think by sharing comments in this post.

Persimmon Bread

Adapted from Beard on Bread by James Beard.

3½ cups sifted flour
1½ teaspoons salt
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 to 2½ cups sugar
1 cup melted unsalted butter and cooled to room temperature
4 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
2/3 cup Cognac, Bourbon or Whiskey
2 cups persimmon puree (from about 4 squishy-soft Hachiya persimmons)
2 cups walnuts or pecans, toasted and chopped
2 cups raisins, or diced dried fruits (such as apricots, cranberries, or dates)

1. Butter 2 loaf pans. Line the bottoms with a piece of parchment paper or dust with flour and tap out any excess.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3. Sift the first 5 dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

4. Make a well in the center then stir in the butter, eggs, liquor, persimmon puree then the nuts and raisins.

5. Bake 1 hour or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Note: Using the higher amount of sugar will produce a moister and, of course, sweeter bread.

Storage: Will keep for about a week, if well-wrapped, at room temperature. The Persimmon Breads take well to being frozen, too. Makes two 9-inch loaves.

You will be SO glad you came back for my final recipe because it so insanely good! You can serve it as a side dish or even dessert because it’s THAT decadent. But, however you eat it and whenever you eat it, you are going to love it! And it is even good for you too because of the beautiful orange beta carotene in the sweet potatoes, so eat up and know that while you are amusing your palate you are also nourishing your soul. Enjoy and please post and share your fav Thanksgiving recipes too!

Streuseled Sweet Potato Casserole

Cooking Light, November 2002

14 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled sweet potato/yams (about 5 pounds)
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Add 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper if you want to add a bit of heat to this sweet dish

Preheat oven to 375° Place potato in a Dutch oven, and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 12 minutes or until tender. Drain.

Combine the half-and-half and next 4 ingredients (half-and-half through egg) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add potato to egg mixture; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Spoon potato mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Combine flour and sugar in a food processor; pulse to combine. Add chilled butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in pecans; sprinkle over potato mixture.

Cover and bake at 375° for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 25 minutes or until the topping is browned and the potatoes are thoroughly heated. Yield: 18 servings (serving size: about 1/2 cup)

Notes: Assemble the potato mixture and sprinkle with the streusel, then freeze the casserole up to 2 weeks ahead of Thanksgiving. Thaw in refrigerator and bake as directed. Or cook just the potatoes a day ahead, mash and refrigerate and proceed with the recipe as directed (starting with the addition of half-and-half) the day you’re serving the dish.