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CHICKEN AVOCADO BURGER
Posted: March 20, 2014 in bacon, chicken, Food, frying, RecipesTags: avocado, burgers, chicken, food, recipes
I love avocado, but I never thought of cooking with it until I saw this recipe. It was a very simple burger that had only a handful of ingredients, and so I thought: “Oh, I don’t need to write this down!” After I made the burger patties and put them in the fridge to chill, I took a look at the recipe on line and realized I forgot one of the ingredients! The original recipe called for a 1/2 cup of Panko breadcrumbs mixed in. My burger tastes fantastic without it…plus now it’s low or no carb. So I will leave it out.
Ingredients:
1 lb ground chicken
1 ripe avocado, sliced into small cubes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
pinch granulated garlic
Combine the ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly but carefully so that you don’t squash the cubes of avocado. Form the meat into burger patties. It will be a bit sticky, but just make sure you get the avocado evenly distributed. Chill the patties in the freezer for about 10 minutes before cooking to firm them up.
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Heat a little oil in an ovenproof pan, and place burgers in it when hot. Let the burgers sear on one side, then flip them. Place the pan in the oven to finish cooking.
Serve with a slice of bacon and Awesomesauce! (http://wp.me/p1c1Nl-gT)
“KEYS TO THE CURE” EXHIBITION OPENS TOMORROW IN PALM BEACH, FLORIDA
Posted: March 19, 2014 in travelTags: art, florida, palm beach, travel
Kelly Milukas, my incredibly talented wife, debuts her “Keys to the Cure” exhibition at the Palm Beach Photographic Centre tomorrow, March 20th! The show runs through May 31st!
http://www.workshop.org/museum_exhibits.php
KELLY MILUKAS
KEYS TO THE CURE
New Exhibitions By Artist Kelly Milukas Visually Explores the Mysteries of Science and Art
and
Regenerative Medicine Foundation’s
1st Art Contest & Gallery Showing
THE ART OF SCIENCE: Under the Surface
Exhibition Opening Will Include Lecture by Anthony Atala, M.D., Global Expert in Regenerative Medicine
Lecture & Opening Reception
Thursday, March 20th, 2014 – 4:00pm
On View March 20 – May 31, 2014
“Keys can open hearts, they can unlock mysteries behind closed chambers, and they can set people free,” says artist Kelly Milukas, whose provocative new exhibition spans the broad symbolism entwined with keys, and the mysteries of the body.
Comprised of more than 50 multi-media artworks, KEYS TO THE CURE is a dynamic interplay of photography and sculpture to tell the incredible story of stem-cell research and regenerative medicine. Handmade keys float off painted color fields representing the interior tissue and organs of the bodies, while glowing keys hang from above, giving abstract visualization to the human body’s complex systems.
“I wish to convey my artistic interpretation the simple beautiful science we have around us, creating an accessible and identifiable place for people to understand, embrace and celebrate the body can renew and heal itself,” says Ms. Milukas.
Also on exhibit will be THE ART OF SCIENCE: Under the Surface, pictures taken through a microscope that draws the viewer into the world of regenerative medicine and the human body – images that have clear scientific value but are also stunning works of art.
Originally commissioned by the Regenerative Medicine Foundation, which promotes exploring “the body’s natural ability to heal itself,” the joint exhibition at the Photo Centre reflects “a unique collaboration between art and science (as it) visually captures this extraordinary science revolution,” adds Ms. Milukas.
Late last year, the Regenerative Medicine Foundation issued an international call for macro-photography of regenerative medicine images taken through a microscope, The first Science Photo Art Contest was open to scientists working in the field of regenerative medicine and more than 80 entries were submitted, Milukas was a co-juror along with Dr. Linas Kudzma, an award-winning macro-photographer and scientist.
The ART OF SCIENCE exhibition will include stem cell and other “Under the Surface” regenerative medicine photos representing scientists from the United States, Australia, Canada, Germany, Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Among the photos to be presented is the contest’s Grand Prize Winner: Cells Performing Secret Handshakes bySebastian Barreto.
Opening Lecture & Public Reception
The March 20 opening of KEYS TO THE CURE will include a 4 p.m. lecture by Anthony Atala, M.D., Director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine where his work focuses on growing and regenerating tissues and organs. He oversees a team of more than 300 physicians and researchers working together to develop healing cell therapies and grow replacement tissues and organs in the lab. A recognized pioneer in the field, Dr. Atala’s team engineered the first lab-grown organ to be implanted into a human – a bladder – and is developing experimental fabrication technologies that can “print” human tissue and organs on demand.
Dr. Atala has received many awards, including the US Congress funded Christopher Columbus Foundation Award, bestowed on a living American who is currently working on a discovery that will significantly affect society. Dr. Atala’s work has twice been included in Time magazine’s “Top 10 Medical Breakthroughs of the Year.” He is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. He has published over 400 journal articles and has applied for or received more than 200 national or international patents.
Geared toward both the scientific and artistic communities, both the lecture by Dr. Atala and his introduction by artist Milukas will focus on the positive impact of art on the healing process.
The lecture will be followed at 5:30 p.m. for the opening reception for the exhibition, to which the public is invited to attend for free.
PLANT YOUR PEAS ON ST. PATRICK’S DAY!
Posted: March 18, 2014 in Food, garden, Rhode Island, Southern New EnglandTags: food, gardening, peas
That’s how the saying goes here in New England. I’ve sown my peas in my garden as soon as the soil can be worked in the spring for years with great success. In addition to peas, you can sow arugula, broccoli raab, radishes and onions. Sprouting the peas indoors before sowing by placing them on a moist paper towel for a days or two can speed the process, but I usually just sow them directly.
I also start some seedlings early indoors, including tomatoes. These will go under grow lights for several weeks until the weather outside is warm enough for them to be transferred to my unheated greenhouse.
M.C. SPIEDO: A NEW ITALIAN RESTAURANT IN BOSTON
Posted: March 17, 2014 in Drinks, Food, Italian, pasta, restaurants, travel, UncategorizedTags: Boston, food, ITALIAN, MC Spiedo, restaurants
M.C.Spiedo is a new Italian restaurant in the Renaissance Hotel by the Boston waterfront. It’s a massive, over-the-top (as in a bit gaudy) establishment that features rustic food from Italy’s historic past, dating back to the Renaissance period of the 1400’s. You’ll find no tomato dishes here: tomatoes were introduced into Italy in the 1500’s. What you will find are rustic, flavorful spit-roasted meats, pastas with rich sauces, and robust flavors.
This is a huge departure for chefs Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier, who come from acclaimed Maine restaurants Arrows (which just celebrated its 25th anniversary)and MC Perkins Cove in Ogunquit. (They just announced that they are selling Arrows for $1.2 million.)
What’s in the name? The M.C. is from Marc and Clark, and Spiedo means a spit or skewer in Italian. Considering this is still a new restaurant, I was surprised that the two chefs were nowhere to be found on a recent Saturday night. Nonetheless, the staff seems to be knowledgeable, and our server, Daniel ,was eager to guide us through the many menu choices.
The Leonardo’s Notebook Salad
Leonardo’s Notebook Salad, with garlic, fennel, lettuces and herbs was delightfully fresh and thoroughly enjoyable. The house made burrata: fantastic…just not enough of it. The duck rillette was good, but unseasoned. However, the accompanying house made mustard and pickles remedied that. The Grand Tortellini and Meat Torta, a mile-high meat pie featuring more meat than you can imagine, is a must. It sells out every night. The spit-roasted pig with sausage and shelling bean macaroni would have been delicious had it not been for a VERY heavy amount of salt…so much that I had to mention it to our server, who promptly whisked it away, tasted it, agreed with us, consulted management, and returned with an apology and did not charge us for the dish.
Grand Tortellini and Meat Torta
Thankfully, there are 2 parts of M.C.Spiedo that don’t stick to the rules of only serving ingredients from Italy’s Renaissance period: the bar, where you can find many wonderful house specialty cocktails as well as a wine list with only Italian wines…and the kids menu, which is a welcome surprise to find in this kind of restaurant. My daughter loved the meatballs and the grilled cheese.
Duck rillette with house made pickles, mustard, and Fiore Sardo cheese
There are a few kinks to work out, but that’s to be expected from a new restaurant. And they’ve got to lighten up on the SALT. But I can see myself coming back to M.C. Spiedo for another enjoyable dining experience.
BURGER VIA ERNEST HEMINGWAY
Posted: March 16, 2014 in beef, burgers, Carnivore!, Food, frying, grilling, RecipesTags: beef, burger, burgers, carnivore, food, grilling, Hemingway, meat, recipes
Ernest Hemingway loved his burgers…and he loved to put all kinds of crazy ingredients in them. Following the basic guidelines of his recipe, seen below, I put my own spin on it.
Hemingway’s burger notes
I skipped the India relish. Didn’t have it in my pantry.
Beau Monde Seasoning is readily available, but I made my own at home:
1 tablespoon cloves
1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon Bay leaf powder
1 tablespoon allspice
2 tablespoons black pepper
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 tablespoon white pepper
Combine all these ingredients, grinding to a powder whatever you have as whole pieces: cloves, bay leaves, nutmeg, etc. Store in a tightly sealed glass jar.
And Mei Yen Powder can be replaced with equal parts salt, sugar, and MSG (which I leave out.) To this I add some soy sauce.
So here’s my take on it:
Ingredients:
1 lb. grass-fed ground beef
2 garlic cloves, squeezed through a garlic press
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1 tablespoon capers
1 teaspoon dried sage
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon homemade Beau Monde seasoning
1/3 cup white wine (I use Alice White chardonnay)
1 raw egg
Combine all ingredients and let it sit in the fridge for an hour. The meat may be a bit mushy, but you can form 4 equal sized patties. Place them in a hot ovenproof pan that has a little oil and sear on one side. Flip burgers, and sear on the other side. Place pan in a 350-degree oven and cook until desired doneness.
The verdict: Hemingway was crazy! Though the burger had some exotic flavors–it tasted almost like a burger from the Middle East–my personal choice is still to go with a relatively plain burger of exceptional quality, season it lightly, and cook it to medium-rare. Toppings like caramelized onions or sautéed mushrooms are always welcome, but in many ways, less is more. Hemingway clearly thinks more is more…but maybe his burger meat wasn’t all that good and he need to mask the bad flavor. Anyway…a fun experiment!
SUGAR SUBSTITUTES: MANY CHOICES, NOT ALL GOOD
Posted: March 13, 2014 in Food, sugarTags: food, stevia, sucralose, sugar, sugar substitutes, sweeteners
Remember when the only sugar substitute available was saccharin? Those pink packets of Sweet ‘n’ Low used to be the only choice you had with your cup of coffee at the local diner…and the cause of the nasty aftertaste in your can of TAB.
It was a long time before another sweetener came along, and in the beginning, we all thought Nutrasweet was the answer to our prayers. Sales of Nutrasweet skyrocketed, and one of the most interesting facts to come out of that time was that despite Nutrasweet’s amazing sales, sales of sugar remained steady. We later found out that people were buying Nutrasweet to make things even sweeter, without the guilt of sugar! Equal is the brand name for Nutrasweet, the artificial sweetener that contains aspartame. We now know that aspartame can cause seizures in some people, namely phenylketonurics, and they’re being told to avoid it. It also has an overly-sweet unnatural taste.
Enter Splenda, the brand name for sucralose, in the yellow packets. Sucralose is a sugar alcohol. It does not affect your blood sugar and it contains no calories. But sucralose is not a natural product: it’s a total guys-in-white-lab-coats creation. Almost no aftertaste, but now there are claims that Splenda alters and even kills important flora in your gut.
OK, so how about that cute little Stevia leaf? The sweetener in the Stevia leaf is natural, and marketing makes it seem like it’s the only ingredient in products like Truvia. But the fact is that the Stevia extract is extremely potent, so they use a very small amount of it. So to “bulk it up,” they add erythritol, which is another sugar alcohol. The only good thing about this is that erythritol is indeed naturally occurring, so Truvia can rightly claim to be a “natural” sweetener. For me, this is the best choice of all sugar substitutes: all natural and no aftertaste.
Sweetleaf, besides being a song by Black Sabbath, is another all-natural sweetener that combines the extract of the Stevia leaf with a soluble vegetable fiber called inulin. Sweetleaf contains zero calories and does not affect blood sugar.
But the inulin leaves a real nasty aftertaste that had me throwing a boxful of packets into the trash after one sip.
Nectresse is made by those fabulous Splenda people and they claim it’s all natural…a no-calorie sweetener that comes from the monk fruit (combined with “other natural flavors.”) I’d like to know what those other natural flavors are, but I can’t find it on their website. I haven’t tried this one, but when all the reviews about it start with: “It took a while to get used to the aftertaste, but now I kinda like it”….that’s not exactly a rave, as far as I’m concerned!
Sugar itself is not evil, and most people that watch what they eat can probably use it. But if you’re diabetic…or if you guzzle sodas, juices, and sports drinks…and eat packaged and processed foods that have tons of hidden sugar (aka high fructose corn syrup)…a sugar substitute may be a good move.
CITRUS MARINATED PORK LOIN
Posted: March 10, 2014 in Carnivore!, Food, pork, RecipesTags: citrus, loin, marinade, pork
Many of my recipes come from the fact that I live just a little too far from the nearest supermarket to simply jump in the car when I’m out of a certain ingredient. OK…actually, I’m too damn lazy. So I stand in front of the refrigerator, doors open, looking at my inventory, and when the fridge alarm sounds telling me to shut the freakin’ door, I’ve usually decided on what I’m going to do.
This is one such recipe. It works with whatever cut of pork you like, and with whatever citrus you have on hand. I’ve used blood oranges, grapefruit, you name it.
Ingredients:
1 5-lb. pork loin
2 garlic cloves, through a garlic press
3 cloves, crushed
1 large lemon, juice and zest
1 orange, juice and zest
1 8″ sprig fresh rosemary, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons fennel seed, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon juniper berries, coarsely chopped
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
To make the marinade, combine garlic, cloves, lemon juice and zest, orange juice and zest, rosemary, fennel, juniper berries, bay leaves, and some salt and pepper in a bowl.
Place pork loin, fat side up, on cutting board and gently slash diagonally through the fat, creating a diamond pattern.
Place pork loin in a non-reactive bowl and massage well with marinade mixture. Cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight.
Next day, let the pork loin come to room temperature. Wipe off the marinade, especially the larger chunks. Season again with salt and pepper.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
On the stove top, heat an ovenproof pan. Place pork loin fat side down and sear. Flip the loin over so that all sides sear nicely, then place in the oven. Cook with fat side up. Cook until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees.
COCKTAIL SAUCE WITH A KICK
Posted: March 6, 2014 in Food, Recipes, seafood, shrimp, UncategorizedTags: cocktail sauce, food, recipes, seafood, shrimp
Freshly shucked oysters and clams call for an equally amazing cocktail sauce…and this sauce kicks butt! And it features a key ingredient that you might not expect: vodka. The small amount of vodka in the mix keeps the cocktail sauce from freezing solid when stored in the freezer. Just scoop out what you need, let it thaw, and put the rest back in the freezer.
Ingredients:
2 cups ketchup
4 Tablespoons prepared horseradish
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce
5 grinds of fresh black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon good quality vodka, like Tito’s
Combine all ingredients. Store in a tight plastic container in the freezer.
WINTER IN NEWPORT, RI
Posted: March 3, 2014 in Rhode Island, travelTags: Newport, Rhode Island, tourism, travel
“The Wave” needed a little warmth!
Live the Live ™ 