Candied Meyer Lemons

It’s been super busy for us since my hubby and I started to house hunt, again!  We’ve been looking on and off for a long while.  Luckily, we are not in a rush to move since we can still buy some time before the kids start grade school.  Yes, better school district and neighborhood are the main reasons we want to move.  Not too sure if these factors would make a significant difference on my kids academic achievement in the future.  That just seems like the right thing to do at the moment.  I guess this is what parents do, try to provide the best for the kids within our abilities.  Plus, the new location would be a shorter commute for my hubby.  Over the weekend, we’ve found something we really like.  Hopefully, it’s the end of our house hunt! The house shopping process is quite time consuming and exhausting (especially when you can’t find what you like, or worse, you found something that you really like but can’t afford it)!  We’ll keep our fingers crossed!    



When life gives you Meyer lemons, life is sweet.  I can’t get enough of these Candied Meyer Lemons!  They’re tangy and sweet.  A little bit sticky and chewy, in a good way.  They are super addictive!  These little goodies not only taste great, they are also beautiful to look at.  When they’re done, each one looks so different and yet, they taste just as wonderful as the previous one.  Don’t they look like a stained glass window?  Almost too beautiful to eat, almost!  hahaha…You can eat them as is, put on top of cakes and pastries, dip in dark chocolate, or whatever ways you preferred.  Love love love these lemony beauties.

Beef Bourguignon

Want to add lots of flavor to your food without adding too much sodium in your diet?  Use fresh herbs!  Tons of fresh herbs.  That’s one of the reasons why I love using fresh herbs in my cooking.  They are refreshing and always bring out the natural flavor and sweetness of the ingredients.  If you pair the herbs with the right ingredients, that would  elevate and enhance the flavor of the whole dish tremendously. 
 

I don’t have a back yard at my place, so, I got this little herb plant and it’s been thriving on my kitchen window ever since (it’s probably better for the plant because I know I would forget to water it daily if it’s in the back yard).  This plant is considered very low maintenance, which is a big plus!  Just water it once every morning and give it lots of sunshine is all it needs.  In this pot, from the top moving clockwise, there are rosemary, thyme and oregano.  I use them quite often and they always grow faster than I use them.  Unlike another herb plant I have, which is sweet basil.  The leaves are almost all gone now and that poor thing look so “naked” I don’t even want to pose its picture up here…sniff..sniff… 



In this Beef Bourguignon, I used all 3 kinds of herbs from my plant.  It’s so flavorful that I didn’t even need to put any salt and pepper at the end to season it.  The rosemary adds an aromatic and woodsy flavor to the beef that matches perfectly with the red wine.  The thyme is refreshing and is lemony which is pairing nicely with the lemon zest to brightens up the whole dish.  The oregano is fragrant and sweet, it brings out the natural sweetness from the carrots.  The beef is so tender that the meat is literally falling apart when it’s done.  The mushrooms adds an earthy flavor and the pearl onions add another level of sweetness.  It is such a comforting meal and would certainly warms up your belly after 1 bowl.   Perfect for the fall and winter season.         



You can serve the Beef Bourguignon with garlic toasts for dipping, over a bed of creamy mash potatoes, pour over a plate of pasta, or with a bowl of white/brown rice.  We paired it with a bowl of brown rice today.  It’s delicious, easy to make.  Best of all, it’s a 1 pot meal, which means less clean up to do and you can enjoy your evening longer!  ;)

                                                     **Giveaway**

Canadian Beef is sponsoring a wonderful giveaway at Kitchen Play. Simply recreate any one recipe from this month’s Progressive Party, post about the experience on your blog and provide a link to your post on Kitchen Play to enter.  All qualifying bloggers in each course will be entered to win $100 (6 prizes total).  This contest is open through February 28, 2011. Please review the complete contest rules before entering. Good luck!

                          

This beef Bourguignon over Brown Rice is the French version of the Asian Style Chili with Garlic Fried Rice.  We are taking you around the world without hopping onto a plane!  :)

Warm Seafood Salad with Meyer Lemon and Herb Vinaigrette

There are signs everywhere that autumn is going to be here soon.  Some tree leaves are turning orange and yellow, along with the temperature getting a bit cooler.  I long for something warmer for dinner, yet, I’m not ready to give up my salads option (as I noted on my previous post, I still have quite a bit of sugar intake I need to offset) .  Such a dilemma that I have to deal with!

Then, I thought of this Warm Seafood Salad I had before.  I used to work and live in the city of Santa Monica.  There’s an Italian restaurant near the 3nd Street Promenade, called Lacanda Del Lago, that my husband and I loved to go for dinner when we were still dating.  They served this scrumptious warm seafood salad that’s perfect for this season.  We haven’t been back to restaurant Lago or Santa Monica for a long time because these day, we rather dine at home (this is especially true when you have the 2 young kids).  So, I’m trying to replicate the warm seafood salad we both loved.  Let me tell you, my version was just as delicious as Lago’s, if not better.  My hubby better agrees with me!  I’m sure my hubby would agree with me. 



The diver’s scallops are to die for.  They are sweet and taste like the ocean.  I didn’t put a lot of seasonings on them because they don’t really need much.  Just a little salt and pepper will do, and you can really enjoy their sweetness and flavor this way.  I purchased the super lump crabmeat (in containers) from Costco.  They are cooked and ready to use/eat.  Of course, you can purchase them from your trusted fishmonger.  I wouldn’t recommended you to crack your own from scratch though, unless you have some a lot of extra time to kill.  The sweetness from the seafood balanced perfectly with the lemony vinaigrette.  It’s light and refreshing.  I can really eat this for dinner every night!   :P 

 

Salmon and Garden Vegetable Farfalle (Bow Tie Pasta)

Recently, some of my girlfriends (who are also moms) shared with me that they are struggling to put veggies into their kids’ diet.  Let’s just say, I’m very fortunate that both of my kids love vegetables (and seafood, isn’t that weird?)  In this post, I just want to share this delicious recipe with you all that you can “trick” your kids into eating more veggies.  This Salmon and Garden Vegetable Farfalle not only tastes good, it's also healthy.  For example, salmon provides your body with a great sauce of omega 3 fatty acid, which is essential for kid’s brain development.  (Read more Omega 3 health benefits from here) 



Kids are very simple, they like to eat delicious food (who doesn’t?).  So, besides making a dish delicious (and nutritious), make it fun, and make it colorful.  Also, get your kids involved in the cooking process.  That would certainly makes a difference.   This dish is so simple to prepare that your kids can definitely help out in some of the steps.  So, what are you waiting for?  Let’s get cooking!

Meyer Lemon and Strawberry Mousse Verrines

 


Congratulations, Honey!  This post is dedicated to my hubby for a special celebration.  Yes, it’s quite special because it’s “unexpected”.  Before any one of you continue to read this post, I just want to reassure my hubby that “NO, I’m NOT pregnant, Honey!”!  LOL  I’m just afraid he would faint if I don’t clarify this early enough.  Not that we don’t like kids.  We already have 2 lovely angels and they keep our hands full.  Anyway, I want to congratulate my hubby on getting the score that he is satisfied with in the GMAT exam.  He’s been locking himself in the home office for many weekends, days and nights, even on weekdays after long hours of work to study for this exam.  He deserves it.  I’m just so proud of him. 



The good score was a bit unexpected, not because I don’t have confidence in him on achieving a good score.  It’s simply because he’s been studying the GMAT for a fairly short period of time.  Plus, I’ve been flipping over his studying materials so I know how hard the questions are.  After graduating from college so many year ago, these formulas ;    look like foreign language to me!   



Luckily, I made these Meyer Lemon and Strawberry Mousse Verrines the night before so we had something to raise a toast with.  Although strawberries are not quite my hubby’s favorite fruit.  In fact, he hardly eats them.  So, I was afraid he wouldn’t like these mousses.  So, when my hubby tried a spoonful, I asked if he likes the treat.  He didn’t tell me but took another spoonful, then another, until the cup was empty!  Then he decided  that he liked it.  Whew…..I’m glad that he did.  He must be in good mood that day.  :P



These are my son’s favorite treats now.  Well, he loves anything with strawberries in it!  :)  The sweetness from the strawberries balanced perfectly with the tartness from the Meyer lemons.  The mousse is smooth, creamy and flavorful.  These are great late summer treats.