Me, that is. Or I should say, Freakin’ Flamingo!

You know I’m making some wild and sexy jams with a South Florida / Caribbean twist down here, right? I’m playing with Florida’s seasonal best and sometimes bringing in the flavors of other parts of the country – but always with our own local flavor. And now, everyone else knows, too!

Check out the new Fall issue of our favorite publication on the local food scene, edible South Florida magazine!

Freakin’ Flamingo jam is featured in their story on brunch from your CSA box and recommended as a stocking stuffer in their edible essentials Holiday Gift Guide, too!

Want some? Order online at www.FreakinFlamingo.com (and don’t forget our Oxford Falls Boutique for some awesome salsas, vegan gluten-free worcestershire sauce, and tasty dressings and sauces!) or come see me at the South Miami Farmers Market, most Saturdays from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm!

Remember: The selection changes all the time, so stop by often and create your own memorable meals and gifts with a Flamingo flare!

Today is Halloween, and our resident toddler, Sly Cat, decided that he wanted to write a guest post for me. Take it away, Sly!

Happy Halloween, Everybody! It’s my favorite day of the year and I’m just VIBRATING with excitement!

In fact, you could say, I’m BESIDE myself! MOL! (Translation for those who don’t speak fluent Feline: Meow Out Loud!) Actually, I’m trying to show off the Skull & Crossbones collar that Mommy picked out for me ‘specially for Halloween, but I just can’t hold still! Either that, or Mommy’s just not a very good photographer. ROFMMTO! (Translation: Rolling On The Floor Meowing My Tail Off!)

Anyway, Mommy and I just want to thank our Phantasmagorical #GreatHallowTweet Bloggers for making this a Halloween Week To Remember! If you need some last minute ideas, there’s still time to haunt the #GreatHallowTweet sidebar (it’s the orange thing with the pumpkin on top, over there on the right. No, your other right!). There’s lots of stuff to see and do there, and lots of treats to make and eat – many of which take hardly any time at all!

I love everything that everybody posted for Halloween, and you will too. There’s even stuff for kitties! My personal favorite (I hope no one gets mad at Mommy or me – it’s a Cat thing) is the Chocolate Cherry Mice post from Helle’s New England Kitchen:

What do you mean, “Kitties don’t get any chocolate?” Rats! Speaking of which, there’s also this awesome Rat Loaf from Kudos Kitchen by Renée:

Mmmm… Raaat. But that’s just me. ‘Cause I’m a Cat.

Everybody was truly inspired for Halloween this year, and there’s all kinds of bugs and eyeballs and creepy stuff out there on the #GreatHallowTweet trail, so hop on! Have a Catulous and Safe Halloween, kidz!

That’s JJ. “It’s 9:00 A.M.! Shouldn’t the Trick or Treaters be here, already?!?“

This month’s contribution to the Can Jam, a Peach Vanilla Marmalade, kind of evolved in the pot as I went along. Once again, I found myself seasonally-challenged by the choice of “stone fruit” by Kate of The Hip Girl’s Guide to Homemaking. To my knowledge, we don’t have much in the way of stone fruit in South Florida (unless you count mangoes – should I have counted mangoes?) this time of year, so I settled for the bounty of California peaches that are apparently in-season and flooding our markets right now. (I should note here that the computer file I created for the photos I took for this episode, is titled “Sept 2010_Stoned Fruit”. Should say a little about where my head was at.)

When we get them, the peaches start out rock-hard, then ripen in an instant, so I virtually stared them down, giving the occasional poke, until they were ready. All the while, I longingly recalled the gorgeous fresh peaches I’d seen and tasted in the Granville Island Market, while visiting Vancouver a couple of weeks ago. Wish I could’ve brought them home with me… sigh.

The ones I was stuck with were so-so, so I added a couple of nectarines, a lot of lemons, and a tablespoon of good clear vanilla extract to the pot and it worked!

Peach Vanilla Marmalade
(makes about 5 1/2 pints)

Ingredients:

4 lbs. ripe peaches
1 lb. ripe nectarines
7 average lemons
2 cups water
8 cups sugar
1 Tbs. clear vanilla extract

Stash a couple of small plates in the freezer for gel-testing.

Peel, stone, and chop the peaches and nectarines into rather small pieces (about 1/4-1/2 inch) and place them in a bowl of cold, acidulated water (add a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice to the bowl of water to acidulate it).

Shred the lemons finely with a mandoline, being careful to remove the seeds as you go along. Place them in a large (roughly 6 or 7 quart) non-reactive pot. Add the water, cover, and boil on medium-high heat for 25 minutes.

Drain the peaches/nectarines. Add the fruit and sugar to the pot and stir well. Bring back to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium. Cook uncovered for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and do a gel test by putting a small spoonful of the liquid on one of the frozen plates, return the plate to the freezer for about a minute, then remove. With the tip of a spoon or your fingernail, push the liquid on the plate. If it wrinkles – even a little bit – you’re ready to can. If it stays completely liquid, return the pot to the heat and cook for an additional 5 minutes, then try again.

Add the tablespoon of vanilla to the pot when you get a successful gel-test and stir well.

Ladle the hot marmalade into sterilized, prepared jars, wipe the rims with a very damp paper towel to clean them, cover with new, heated lids, and screw on the bands finger-tight. Boiling water process for 5 minutes. Wait 24 hours to test your seals (they should have all gone ping! and the lids should have no flex when pushed on).

Label and store your golden treasures against the cold, dark winter months ahead, so you can dream about summer once again. Of course, it’ll be sunny and pleasant here, and I’ll be outside gardening & basking while y’all are inside, hiding from the cold and shivering. Bwahahahaha! Oops! Did I say that out loud?

Lest you think that the International Food Bloggers Conference was a full-on bummer for me (see previous post), let me assure you that it was anything but. Oh, sure, there was drama, but I think a certain amount of drama is natural in any situation where you’ve got 250 people together in one place for the better part of 3 days. No? So, let me tell you about the really good stuff:

The evening of Day One began the more promising parts of IFBC. I finally met up with a bunch of bloggers I’ve gotten to know and love through Twitter and their gorgeous sites; and James Oseland of Saveur Magazine gave our pre-dinner speech. It’s reassuring to know that not all print publishers consider food bloggers to be dilettantes. I suspect many came away with different interpretations of some things he addressed, but he was most inspiring.

Dinner was a vast improvement over lunch:

Beef Cheeks – Need I say more?

Day Two brought us sessions on Modernist Cuisine (will anyone forget the time-lapse video of the popcorn kernel popping?), pitching to editors and publishers (the only thing I really got out of that one was that bribery frequently works – use chocolate), and the most inspiring presentation of all – Digital Photography with Saveur contributor & incredibly talented photographer, Penny De Los Santos (don’t take pictures – make pictures! and she doesn’t own a macro lens, y’all, so save the $200!).

Lunch brought us the “Gourmet Food Trucks of the Northwest”, and this was a stroke of brilliance on the part of the organizers, if you ask me! Check it:

Falafel

Pizza from a traveling wood-fired oven!

Strawberry Balsamic Ice Cream

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Lemon Sugar Crepes

And let’s not forget the people, the connections, the friends we made and bonds forged in an atmosphere of (mostly) like-minded people. I came away from IFBC ’10 with new and strengthened friendships, and most of all, a renewed desire and commitment to keep doing what I’m doing – taking my blog and my life in directions as yet unexplored. Thanks, Foodista!

I’m turning the page and starting a new chapter, people. I hope you’ll come along for the ride!

It finally came off! After weeks of rejection by every commercial venue down here you can think of, and acceptance with open arms by Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, the Miami leg of the National Food Bloggers Great American Bake Sale to benefit Share Our Strength, happened this past Saturday! That is, with a lot of help from my friends.

Sweetness Bake Shop donated dozens of delicious mini-cupcakes (red velvet sold out fast!). Thanks, Stephanie!

Our good friends at Dunkin’ Donuts South Florida (@DDSoFla on Twitter) were kind enough to donate dozens of doughnuts and boxes o’ joe (coffee) for us to sell, and believe me, the coffee was especially appreciated.

Friends Astrid W., Kristin H. (also known as “BooBoo” to my very long-time readers), Lynne (Miz Shoes of Girlyshoes), and Paula (of Mango & Lime), and I, baked into the night, resulting in dozens of cookies, brownies, biscotti, rugelach, healthy muffins, quick breads, and so much more! A couple of my co-workers even contributed baked goods (“Sheila, I need you to bake me about a half-dozen banana breads.” “What?!?”)

I even got a volunteer baker referred to me by Tasha of That’s So Yummy, who was running her own GABS in Orlando! Shana lives about an hour away in Broward county, baked some wonderful cookies and brownies, and then drove them all the way down to us. Thanks go out to both of them, too!

This little ladybug landed on my shoulder and stuck around for nearly an hour – a sign of good luck, right?

And good luck we had, too! After threatening us with rain that never materialized during the day, we had a very good day, indeed. Counting the donations, proceeds from our raffle (see previous post), and food sales, we were able to put $748.00 in the mail to Share Our Strength! If you include online donations, that’s a total of $828.00! Not bad for a week-and-a-half’s notice, eh?

Thanks to Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, our intrepid volunteers, and wonderful donors! Next year will be even better!

(Photos by Paula Nino, Renée Joslyn, and Lynne Cohen. Additional photos from our day can be found by clicking here.)

For more information, or to donate to my team (and we will happily accept your money, thankyouverymuch!), click here and visit my team page. To find a bake sale near you, click here

Rumors to the contrary, I have not disappeared off the face of the Earth! For the last couple of weeks, I have been immersed in baking and jamming in preparation for the National Food Bloggers Great American Bake Sale to benefit Share Our Strength.

After a few episodes of tearing my hair out to find a location, and being led down the proverbial garden path more than once, guess what? I should have gone down that garden path to start with – Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden, that is! I should have known that an organization that emphasizes education and children’s programs, would be familiar with SOS and might have a natural affinity for an event such as ours. I am thrilled and honored that Fairchild agreed to host our bake sale!

I’ve personally made strawberry jam, two different types of biscotti, my signature Framboise Brownies, lemon sweet rolls and even some strawberry sweet rolls (using my own jam!). If I get the time, I may even make some marmalade! But it’s not all about me – seven very talented local ladies are baking with me: Miz Shoes (of Girlyshoes), Paula (of Mango & Lime), Stephanie (of the newly-opened Sweetness Bakeshop & Cafe), as well as good friends Kristin H. & Astrid, and two of my co-workers.

We’ll be having a raffle, too! This fabulous full-size quilt, lovingly handmade by Tante Leah Handmades (a/k/a, Miz Shoes):

A beautiful Bromeliad plant, donated by Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden (the Bromeliad Show & Sale is happening that weekend at the Garden, too!); and a basket of my Framboise Brownies, together with a bottle of the elusive secret ingredient – Pacific Rim Framboise Wine – and the recipe, are all items being raffled at our bake sale!

For more information, or to donate to my team (and we will happily accept your money, thankyouverymuch!), click here and visit my team page. To find a bake sale near you, click here.

Hate to burst anyone’s bubble, but Corned Beef & Cabbage is not a traditional Irish dish. And, up until the last 20 or 30 years or so, St. Patrick’s Day was not really all that big a deal in Ireland, either. In fact, St. Patrick’s Day was regarded pretty much as a minor saint’s feast day.

No, all that changed here in America. We made St. Patrick’s Day what it is today, and likewise, today you can find St. Patrick’s Day celebrations and corned beef & cabbage in Ireland, because we expected it.

Nonetheless, if you really want to celebrate with traditional Irish fare, try some Colcannon alongside some poached salmon or tarragon-scented chicken. Oh, and don’t forget the Guinness!

Colcannon
(serves 6-8 as a side-dish)
Ingredients:

approx. 1 lb. cabbage or kale
2-3 lbs. potatoes
2 leeks, washed & sliced thinly (white & pale green parts only)
1 cup milk
1 stick butter (preferably Irish)
salt & pepper to taste

Method:

In separate pots, cook the cabbage or kale and the potatoes in salted water until tender (approx. 12-15 minutes).

In the meantime, cook the leeks in the milk over medium heat till the leeks are tender (approx. 8-10 minutes).

Chop the cabbage or kale and mash with the cooked potatoes, add the milk with leeks and the butter, salt & pepper to taste, mashing and stirring till well-blended. What you want is a smooth mashed potato consistency with interesting bits of cabbage and leeks throughout.

Make a small indentation on top and put an additional “knob” of butter in it to melt into a little pool.

Notes:

If you have a pasta pot with a vegetable steamer insert, I boil the potatoes in the pot and steam the cabbage simultaneously.

For extra authenticity – if your friends are single – you can hide a small ring in the Colcannon. Whoever finds it will be the next to marry. Traditionally, the Irish are fond of hiding things in certain foods as portents of things to come during the year. Of course, that’s an optional “ingredient”.

Enjoy!

We’re Heeeeere! Finally!

Halloween is here and, if you’ve been hopping along the #GreatHallowTweet Blog Hop trail all week, then you should be loaded up with a gazillion ideas and recipes for spooky celebrations for grownups and kids, alike!

These last two aren’t recipes. Let’s call them, umm, serving suggestions. Hee!

These Bloody Marys, garnished with Witches’ Fingers (It doesn’t get much more appropriate than that!), were made with Oxford Falls* Bootleg Bloody Mary Mix. Seriously, the best I’ve ever bought – if you click on the picture and enlarge it, you’ll see all the bits of veg and spices in there. Yum! I say, why work that hard if there’s something out there that’s as good or better than you can do yourself.

Anyway, the garnish is made with Oxford Falls* pickled asparagus spears. Dot one side of an almond slice with cream cheese, and stick it to the tip of the asparagus spear (which you’ve first dried off with paper towel). Witches’ Fingers! Float a couple of (washed) plastic spiders on top of an ice cube, and there you have a perfectly macabre cocktail!

Of course, too many of those macabre cocktails, and you might end up like this! Hahaha! Kidding.
Anyway… This is Oxford Falls* Dix Fried Green Tomato Salsa. It’s just called that – it’s really a tomatillo-based salsa, that we can’t stop eating. No kidding. MJ and I will suck down half a jar in a sitting. It’s not super-hot, but there’s enough of a buzz to let you know you’re eating salsa.

Lately I’ve noticed a lot of pumpkins decorated to look like they’re throwing up their guts… and other stuff. Not one to buck a trend, I’ve carved a couple of tomatillos and arranged them with the salsa for similar effect. Aw, come on! It’s freaking cute! Admit it!

If you haven’t been here all week, scroll down for some of my other favorite Halloween stuff, and when you’re done here, go over to that orange #GreatHallowTweet Blog Hop sidebar and visit 18 of my other blogger friends who have gone all out, all week long, for our favorite holiday!

Happy Halloween, Everyone! Stay safe, have fun, and don’t forget to check the closets and under the beds before you turn in tonight! BWAAHAHAHAHA!

*Yes, I know it’s all Oxford Falls brand stuff. No, they didn’t pay me, ask me, or even know that I’m featuring their products. I bought all of it. Out of my own paycheck. So there. I just like the stuff, okay? Look ‘em up on the web at www.oxfordstuff.com

Mummy Dogs have become kind of a Halloween tradition in our house for the past several years. Tradition? Hahahahaha! Anyway…

They’re ridiculously easy to make and are a fun, quick holiday-inspired food to give the kids while they’re champing at the bit to start Trick or Treating. At least it isn’t sugar! Adults love them, too, and if you’re having a party, this twisted version of “pigs in a blanket” is sure to be a hit! I really hesitate to call this a “recipe”, but here’s what you’ll need:

One or more packages of your favorite hot dogs (depending on how many you’re feeding)

Puff pastry, or a tube of refrigerated crescent roll dough (figure one sheet or one tube per package of hot dogs)

Mustard

Preheat oven according to packaged dough directions; for puff pastry, preheat to 400º.

Remove the hot dogs from the package and dry completely. If serving little ones or for a party, cut them in half, across the middle.

On a lightly floured surface, lay out the pastry dough in a rectangle. With a knife or bench scraper, cut the dough into strips about 1/2 inch wide.

Starting at the end that will be the head, wrap each hot dog in a pastry strip, leaving a gap for the face. When you reach the “feet”, continue wrapping back up toward the head. If the dough strip tears, just stick it back on – hey! we’re making mummies here! They’re supposed to be a little raggedy!

Place the mummy dogs on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes. After baking, take a toothpick, dip it in some mustard and dot on little faces. Arrange on a plate and serve with dishes of pus (mustard) and blood (ketchup) on the side for dipping.

Okay, seriously? This is a prime example of why I’ll never be a food stylist. Don’t use my serving suggestion in the photo. It was a really bad idea, but I couldn’t re-shoot because we were hungry and ate them.

Enjoy!

I am an absolute fiend for Chipotle. Chipotle anything. As one of my birthday gifts, last year, MJ went online to one of our favorite exotic spice purveyors and, among other things (like Szechuan peppercorns and turmeric fingers!), got me some dried chipotle peppers and chipotle chili powder. Mmmmm!

Saturday was rainy and stormy, and when I woke up from my nap, I had a yen to create something chipotle. I love meatloaf – it’s one of the perfect comfort foods – but the real star here is the sauce. You can use your own favorite meatloaf recipe – just add 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of chipotle powder, or you can use mine. But the sauce is what makes this, and as a bonus, it’s fat-free and vegan. So you can use it on anything you want to pep up with a little smoky chipotle zip!

Chipotle Sauced Meatloaf

For the Sauce:

1 26.5 oz. Pkg. Pomi Chopped Tomatoes or 2 cans of any chopped tomatoes
2 – 3 dried Chipotle peppers (depending on your heat preference)
1/2 cup boiling water
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp. Garlic powder
1 Tbs. dried chopped onion
2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup black coffee (prepared) – because, well, I like coffee.
4 Tbs. honey

In a small dish, soak the peppers in the boiling water for about 15 minutes. Saving the water, remove the peppers and chop finely.

Put all ingredients, including the pepper soaking water, into a medium saucepan (preferably non-stick) over medium heat. Stir occasionally until it begins to boil, reduce heat to low. Allow to simmer slowly while making your meatloaf, about 1-1/2 hours.

For the Meatloaf:

2 pounds ground beef
3/4 cup oatmeal
2 eggs or 1/2 cup liquid egg substitute
4 Tbs. Ketchup
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1 – 2 tsp. Chipotle chili powder (to taste)
2 tsp. Garlic powder
2 Tbs. dried chopped onion

Preheat oven to 375°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. If using a higher fat-content ground beef, place a rack on top.

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients (come on, use your hands!) completely. Shape into a loaf and place it on the prepared baking pan. Bake for one hour, or until it reaches 165° internal temperature. Let rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.

You can make the sauce ahead of time – just let it cool, pour it into an airtight container and refrigerate. You can reheat it on top of the stove or in the microwave, or serve it at room temperature, too.

And don’t forget to save any leftover sauce, ’cause it would also be awesome on grilled or baked chicken, grilled tofu, or even as a dipping sauce. Use your imaginations!