Under the Weather

I have not deserted you readers! Just feeling a little under the weather due to my allergies! Will post again as soon as I am feeling well! Stay tuned for my kick-butt recipe for Cream Puffs!

Crisis Averted!

I have found my camera! Thankfully it is not currently residing in Panama, but rather is attached to my computer at the moment! Lets talk food shall we? The word of the day was "Experimentation"! I don't know about you, but I hate feeling like I am in a food rut! I don't think I could ever be one of those ladies who plans out the weekly meals to the point where you know that Monday is casserole night, Tuesday is pot roast, etc. Variety is the spice of life, and my palette craves some spice! I'm not talking crazy experiments, but taking a rather over done, played out favorite, and tweaking it with something new. That's how tonight's dinner came to be!

Everyone knows spaghetti with meat sauce is pretty much a staple. Change certain things about it though, and dinner is something familiar, but something new too. I boiled off some egg noodles tonight, grabbed a trusty jar of sauce (Fire Roasted Sweet Red Pepper, nummms), and for protein? Not hamburger, no Italian sausage but your getting closer. I reached instead for Andoullie. I have a love affair with it! Its a smoked pork sausage that I was introduced to as a kid.  I wish I lived closer to New Orleans to get the real stuff, but I have found in a pinch that Johnsonville's is actually not bad. There is a slight spicy hint to it, but its not overpowered by crushed red pepper, its just enough to add a kick to plain pasta and sauce, and it plays well with the sweet red pepper in the sauce. Garnish with Parmesan cheese if desired, and savor.

Dessert was an old time favorite! Ice cream sandwiches! Who doesn't love them? Now I wanted to make a cookie as close to an actual store bought ice cream sammie! Soft, dense, chocolate-y, stuffed full of my favorite ice cream. I looked through my multitude of cookbooks, and for once in my life came up with NOTHING. And that's a LOT of cookbooks! So what is a diva to do? TO GOOGLE I GO!!! After about 5 minutes of searching I came across a recipe that seemed promising.Cookie Recipe

I was disappointed though. I am very meticulous about following recipes to the 'T', but it never looked, right. Mixed up a batter that looked more like, peanut butter, than a chocolate cookie. Rolled in plastic and chilled in fridge.  Let set for about 45 minutes, brought out and attempted to slice. I got a flat, mushy slice. Decided that rolling into balls and pressing on to cookie sheet was the way to go. Popped them into a 350 degree oven, and baked for 8 minutes. They still looked like peanut butter cookies! Let them cool a bit, and assembled my sammie. It looked promising, but looks are deceiving. This cookie was bland, bland, bland. No flavor at all, and was waaaaaaaaaaaaay too soft. Not one I will be trying again. But that's how it works sometimes. Not every trial will be a success, sometimes you have to remember that life is not about the final destination, its the journey there.

Oh! And before I leave you, I'd like you to meet Gator & Penny! They share my kitchen with me. :)

xoxo The Delish Diva

The Good, The Bad, and the Delish!

Oh woe is me! I believe that my Abuela jacked my camera, so please forgive me for the stock photos I am about to use on these reviews as I have no other options!

 This week I went to my local grocery store, and noticed that they are carrying a few few types of beer that I have never seen available there. Most notably were Duck Rabbit Milk Stout, Fat Tire, Abita Purple Haze, and Leinenkugel's 1888 Bock and Honey Weiss. This diva picked up a six pack of the Abita Purple Haze as well and Leinenkugel's Honey Wiess. I have had beers from both of these breweries and have been satisfied, never having had these two particular brews though I figured they should be worth a try! Lets start with the good! I will admit, I tend to stick with the wheat beers because they tend to be a little sweeter, so both were viable options for me. I had sampled Leinenkugel's Berry Wiess before, and I love it! Its easy to drink, on the sweeter side, but not cloyingly so such as Smirnoffs and the like. I was not disappointed with the Honey Wiess! Slightly hoppy with just a hint of honey in the background, this beer is perfectly suited to have on a warm day like today! Pours a light golden color with minimal head (makes it good for drinking right out of the bottle!) you will get notes of lemon, the wheat, and the honey all which equals to beer satisfaction for this diva!

The bad? Yes, we are talking about the Abita Purple Haze. I was excited to try this one! After enjoying the Berry Wiess and Abita's 'SOS' I figured this HAD to be good! And I was wrong. Purple Haze has the addition of Raspberry pulp, which is supposedly where it gets its name, by giving the beer a haze of purple coloration. The beer poured a very surprisingly orange color (almost like a Blue Moon!) with just a little purple coloration. Smells just like a wheat beer, didn't get any notes of raspberries at all. Tasted like a wheat beer. Now, I know I have said I like wheat beers! Don't get me wrong, I do like them, but I expected something different from this beer! Where's the frickin raspberries?! Alas, I was misled with Abita, and I won't drink the rest of this six-pack, due to its strictly wheat taste (which, honestly, it not a good wheat beer IMO) I'd rather just drink a Blue Moon if I wanted that. Sorry Abita, I'll just have to stick to your 'SOS'!

Are you ready for the Delish? Well I went by one of our local ethnic markets today, our GERMAN market! Oh let me tell you, I was elated when I found this gemstone of a place! They carry all of my mom's favorites, as well as mine! Real bratwurst, knockwurst, gelbwurst (also known as Kinderwurst, as in German markets the deli attendant would slice about 2 or 3 slices for the kids to keep them quiet and occupied as the moms did their shopping), all sorts of European cheeses, Haribo Happy Cola Bottles, and lo and behold, KINDER EGGS! Kinder eggs are German chocolates traditionally with a toy inside for children! However, due to the government in the United States, real Kinder Eggs are not allowed in, due to the possibility of a choking hazard. But what should I find but a bag of green foil wrapped mini Kinder Eggs! Oh happy day! Milk chocolate, with a rice cracker inside, filled with white and dark chocolate these are the ultimate indulgence! So much so that I didn't mind the $6.99, price tag! Now, this diva is off to chill on the couch with my Haribos, Kinder Eggs, and a movie! Til next time!

Chicken Salad and Beer?

Double whammy post here! I'd like to tell you about two very different, but delish items I sampled and made this week!

Lets start with the chicken! Everyone eats it, okay, well except Vegans and Vegetarians I suppose, but the fact is that chicken is a staple in most ethnic cuisines as its fairly easy to use, costs less than Pork or Beef, and there is really no 'wrong' way to serve it. The problem with chicken is that generally speaking, whether your feeding 3 or 8 your going to make enough to feed everyone, and will almost always end up with leftovers. Yes, leftovers. Those things you put into the 'fridge with good intentions of eating, but usually end up tossing in the garbage by week's end. The key to consuming leftovers is to transform them! Here's an easy simple way of transforming that left over chicken into something new and appetizing! I used oven roasted chicken breast, but you can use any part of the chicken that's roasted.

Chicken Salad

Cut left over chicken

Clean and dice 1 stalk of celery

Quarter about 10 Red or Green Grapes

Add mayo until desired level of creamy-ness is achieved

Drizzle in about a tsp of honey

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Serve on your choice of soft bread ( Sourdough is amazing!)  with romaine lettuce, tomato, and onions if desired! Goes great as a last minute appetizer too, just dollop onto fancy crackers or toast points! Yum!

And now to the beer! I was lucky enough to get to sample a bottle of Breckenridge Vanilla Porter. Now I will be honest, its taken a very long time for me to actually be able to drink beer, and I usually tend to stick with wheat beers, so a porter is something a bit new for me. Breckenridge VP is brewed in Breckenridge, Colorado. Breckenridge is a Microbrewery (small lesson in breweries: Micro- Smaller, not widely known, think craft beers.  Macro- Large scale, advertised on TV, think Bud\Coors etc) that offers 6 craft beers year round, and 4 seasonal beers. Vanilla Porter is available year round and thank goodness for that! Crack open one of these bad boys and you will instantly be hit with a nutty, almost coffee aroma. Pours nicely with just a small ivory colored head, that quickly dispersed and left a small lace pattern on the beer. Being a porter it does have a small amount of hop bitterness, but you are left with a caramel\vanilla taste. Would love to snag another bottle and try it over vanilla ice cream! Now that's what this Diva calls Delish!

Welcome to The Delish Diva!

I know, I know! Another food blog! With so many of them out there, I'm glad you took the time to stop by The Delish Diva! What makes The Delish Diva different? I'm French\German with a Panamanian step-dad, so I pretty much was genetically engineered to have a unique view on food! But this won't just be about food. Good beer and wine will be included as well as various finds in our local ethnic markets! Trying new things is something love to do, either made by my hand or crafted by someone else. So sit back, relax, and let your taste buds wander. Careful though, keyboards don't tend to like drool!
-The Delish Diva