La Diva Cucina

Mon Petit Jardin Vert! (and the joys of multi-climate gardening!)

2012-02-05T11:55:00.000-05:00

Darlings! Welcome to La Diva's little green garden! My small plot is part of a community victory garden on South Beach that I was lucky to be assigned last May. After a brutally hot, steamy and rainy summer, along with the negligence resulting from my leg injury, La Diva wasn't feeling too hopeful about achieving any success with my dismally overgrown plot from summer.

But after enriching the soil twice with organic compost, time, love, water and a nice dash of fish fertilizer, my garden is really coming along nicely!

My herb and salad garden: bottom left corner clockwise chives, lemon thyme, thyme, marjoram, jalapeno peppers, cayenne peppers, heritage kung pao chilies, baby tomatoes, basil, Thai basil, spinach, assorted lettuces, sage, peppermint and spearmint and Italian parsley. The middle from the bottom has komatsuna, escarole, mini bell peppers and assorted leaf lettuces!

Besides the rainy, humid summers, Southern Florida gardeners have to contend with harsh winds from tropical storms and hurricanes, poor soil quality and salt from the ocean, my garden is only one block away from the sea!

Because of the sub-tropical climate of Southern Florida, vegetable gardeners find a lot of success growing Asian varieties like komatsuna, mizuna, and yukina savoy. Also popular are Caribbean vegetables like amaranth (known as callaloo) calabaza (a pumpkin variety) and red sorrel.

A tiny anole scampers about my garden! They are pretty fast critters, I was lucky this one stayed still long enough for a photo!

You see, I'm from Michigan and the growing season there is very short. This does not stop, however, farmers around the state having huge success in their harvests and I've eaten many an ear of Michigan sweet corn, beets and tomatoes from road side stands by my dad's house over the years.

Muy caliente! Cayenne pepper

When I lived in Chicago, I had a beautiful garden out back on one side of the yard I shared with my neighbors. Obviously, I was already well versed on what would grow as its the same climate and zone as Michigan. One year, I grew giant sunflowers that a cheeky little squirrel would sit atop, stuffing his mouth with the seeds in late August.

These little tomatoes are tiny and super sweet. I have a number of flowers and clusters, I'm just waiting for them to ripen now.

Then I moved to Sydney, Australia and got the shock of my life. I saw vine-like geraniums so big that they were growing up the side of telephone poles! I marveled at HUGE rhododendron and azalea bushes as high as a house! I had NO IDEA that those plants could actually get so large, but having a longer growing season, mild winters and not a lot of frost or snow all contributed to this.

My little pepper bush is laden with jalapenos.

It was quite the change to move from the climate of the northern midwest of the United States to downunder Australia that boasted a temperate climate! I had to relearn plant varieties, when to plant and how to maintain a garden. Also, the sun is extra harsh there, so native drought resistant plants, like kangaroo paws were quite successful.

Southeastern Australian gardeners have to contend with harsh sun, drought-like conditions or an over abundance of rains, bushfires and strong winds. Some Australian flora have adapted to the harsh conditions by actually being germinated when heated by bushfire, like the flannel flower or banksia bush. Fire is also a key component to germinating some California native plants.

Hello my little ladybugs. Thanks for stopping by and keeping nasties away from my garden!

Back in the midwest, I was used to early spring flowers of crocuses, forsythia and narcissus. But Spring in Michigan and Illinois is in April, and now I was living in Sydney where Fall is in April! Everything was confusingly back to front! If I wanted to enjoy bulb flowers or lilacs, I had to go up to the Blue Mountains where they enjoyed a higher elevation and cooler climate blooming in September!

Just below my tomatoes is a clump of organic baby lettuce I bought at the farmers market a few weeks back. Small spinach sprouts are on the bottom right and left of it is chervil, a lovely fern-like herb with a subtle licorice taste. The lettuces are Red Cherokee, Black Seeded Simpson, Arugula and escarole (at top left.)

At my last house in Sydney, I had a large yard and planted a wonderful herb garden and a cutting flower garden. I was lucky the yard was already adorned with a large mulberry tree. Just when I thought I had a handle on gardening in Sydney's climate, we moved to Los Angeles, and I was going to be gardening in another climate altogether!

In the middle is komatsuna, a Japanese green that is slightly bitter and great in stir fries.

I found gardening in Southern California to be the easiest yet. I remember enjoying loooong sunny days, not a lot of humidity, cooler nights and dry summers, wet winters. As I lived in apartments without a yard, container gardening was the way to go.

The escarole did very well here in Southern Florida!

I had bought a dwarf Eureka lemon tree for a container and actually saw fruit! My window boxes were so bountiful, colourful and beautiful that I actually sold them when I moved to Florida. Each one had coleus, fragrant alyssum and the exotically gorgeous fuchsia, which attracted hummingbirds and one giant, black carpenter bee that I donned "Blackie." Blackie would come by daily and would buzz about the yard haphazardly, like a drunken sailor. I can actually say that I miss my Blackie here in Miami!

Just picked from my garden, this escarole was so crisp, fresh and sweet!

Southern California gardeners deal with the unforgiving Santa Ana winds, fire and lack of rain to an over abundance of rain at certain times of the year. Still, it was my favorite place to garden and I used to love driving through Malibu to see the sides of the cliffs covered with nasturtium or vibrant pink or orange ice flowers. And each Spring, The DJ and I would travel to Antelope Valley to see the wonderfully vast displays of bright orange poppies blanketing mile after mile of rolling hills! It was truly a breath taking sight!

Peppermint and spearmint are contained in a pot in the ground to prevent from spreading.

I grew my garden here in Miami Beach with these considerations mind:

It has to be something not easily attainable (like chervil, when's the last time you saw that in the store?)

It has to be something that I use a lot but never that much of at the same time (like mint, it's expensive at $2.99 a bunch and I throw half of it away!)

Or it has to be something that I could enjoy eating all of the time (fresh baby salad greens and tomatoes.)

An Italian classic: white bean soup with escarole. I like to add sliced, browned, spicy Italian sausage with mine. Some say escarole is too bitter but straight from the garden, it's much more subtle in flavor. Also, the escarole leaves stand up to cooking much better than spinach or even arugula.

Darlings, do YOU garden? What grows best in your area? And what challenges do you face? Tell La Diva all about it! Ciao for now!

TOFU REMATCH: La Diva vs Tofu-San!!!

2012-01-29T19:11:00.000-05:00

Darlings, just a few weeks back, La Diva had, against her better judgement, entered a culinary smackdown hosted by the lovely Boxer for TOFU! After disastrous results, La Diva, shamed and humiliated by an ingredient she has mastered and manipulated in many ways, many times, decided that it was HIGH TIME FOR A REMATCH AGAINST TOFU-SAN.

Alas, your dear Diva had a bee in her bonnet that night (golly gee, I love that phrase!) about eating some crunchy, fried tofu. And all I gots was mush. When you have a true taste for something crunchy and savory and fried, the most disappointing thing you can eat is mushy, bland pulp. So, the idea for the tofu croquetas-arancini-meat-a-balls has been in my head twirling about and driving me pazzo since the smackdown.

So, today was the day. I had all the ingredients. I had the patience. And most importantly, I had the time. This is not a short post nor a quickie recipe, so pour yourself a sake, sit back and.....

LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!!!!

La Diva's Fontina Stuffed Tofu Croqueta with Tomato Coulis

Tofu croquetas:

Half a container of extra firm organic tofu, drained and blotted dry
1 egg
1/2 c bread crumbs
1 tsp. each freshly minced Italian parsley and basil
2 small cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano cheese
salt and pepper
2 oz fontina cheese cut into 3mm cubes
basil leaf chiffonade for garnish

Breading:
panko bread crumbs
1 egg
flour
oil for frying

Tomato Coulis:

5 plum or mixed very ripe tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
olive oil

Method:

Put drained and very well blotted tofu into a large bowl. In a food processor, process garlic cloves, then add parsley and basil. Process until finely minced and then add to tofu. Add one egg, the breadcrumbs, parmigiano cheese and salt and pepper.

Using a fork, break up the tofu into a paste and mix well with all ingredients. Taste a bit and adjust seasonings, remember, tofu has NO FLAVOR, which is one of tofu's STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES. Use it to your advantage in battle and season well to avoid a tofu disaster.

Take about a tablespoon of the tofu mixture into the palm of your hand and flatten it out. Take a cube of the fontina cheese and adding a bit more of the tofu, add and roll in your hand into an oblong shape. You should be able to make a very moist croqueta with the tofu mixture. If it breaks apart, remove the fontina, add it back to the bowl and a bit more breadcrumbs and give it a few minutes to absorb and then try again. Set the croquetas on a plate and then freeze for at least a half an hour for the croquetas to set.

While the tofu is setting, start the tomato coulis.

Roughly chop the tomatoes and add to a saute pan that has been heated with olive oil. Add the garlic and a dash of salt. (Don't add to much salt now, otherwise when it reduces it will be too salty, you can always add more.) Bring the tomatoes to a hearty boil and then reduce and simmer on the stove until they begin to break down. With a wooden spoon or spatula, help them along by breaking them up. Add a bit more water if it gets too dry.

Take the tomatoes and process in a food processor or blender until very smooth. Take out a bowl and a strainer and with a spoon or spatula, push down on the tomato mixture, allowing the smooth tomato sauce to drip from the bottom of the strainer. Make sure you scrape the bottom of the strainer, it's all there and might need a bit of help. Throw out what's left in the top of the strainer. You might have 3/4 cup of tomato sauce, it will be concentrated but taste really good. NOW you can add more salt if you need to, but you probably won't! Set aside.

Retrieve the croquetas from the freezer. They should be quite firm but not frozen solid. Make breading trays of each: flour, beaten egg and panko bread crumbs. Working quickly but gently, roll each croqueta into a bit of flour, knocking off the excess. Then the egg wash, making sure to cover completely with egg and finally the panko. Set on a plate until you are out of mixture. I had enough for 8.5 croquetas.

And now the fun begins: Zee frying! Heat up some oil (like peanut or safflower oil) into a medium size fry pan. To test, I stick a chop stick in and when it begins to bubble up the sides, I know it's hot enough. I carefully add a few croquetas, about three or four at a time, and turn them once brown on each side. If the oil is getting too hot and they are cooking too fast, turn down the heat so the cheese inside will have time to melt. Drain on a rack over a paper towel on a plate. Salt lightly.

Take a small plate and add a bit of tomato coulis in a circular motion. Add three (or four!) croquetas into the middle of the tomato sauce and garnish with basil chiffonade. Mangia!

RESULT: TOFU-SAN, YOU WILL HANG YOUR HEAD IN DEFEAT!! La Diva conquered your pulpy, too-wet texture, your bland flavor and turned you into something EDIBLE. Not only edible, but delicious! Divine! Decadent! I have declared myself, La Diva, THE VICTOR!!! A big F.U., Tofu!

Actually, they tasted REALLY GOOD. The garlic added was not overpowering or subtle but just enough for nice flavor, the melted fontina was like a creamy surprise in the middle and the texture of the tofu was so light and moist, such a nice contrast to the crunchy outer layer of the panko breading. While the croquetas were quite large, I still thought it to be not as heavy as smaller croquetas I've had made out of potatoes and ham and cheese. I think they were superb.

If there is anything La Diva certainly knows about tofu, it's that for me and The DJ to like it, it has to have some sort of crunchy texture, like being fried, or alternatively, it must be paired with something that has a crunch to it, like my stir fry with cashews and fresh vegetables. So, this covered my tofu prerequisites on all fronts.

While this recipe seemed a bit fiddly, La Diva would definitely make it again, especially as an appetizer for a vegetarian dinner.

Beware, dear Blogging Buddies, for La Diva is tenacious and competitive! I will be ready to CONQUER ALL who come against me in BATTLE CABBAGE hosted by Grumpy Granny! Til then, Ciao!

La Diva's Day Off

2012-01-23T18:58:00.002-05:00

La Diva serving up a lemongrass ginger martini for Yahoo's Latin American marketing department! Fun people, fun class!

Darlings! What is that saying about taking the girl out of the ghetto but you can't take the ghetto out of the girl? Don't know that one? Ah, well, no matter, my point is that I realized only this morning two things about my life right now:

1. My goal to live a "normal" life with "normal" hours outside of the usual grind of working weekends and nights like I used to in bars and restaurants is never going to change...La Diva Cucina Inc. IS a hospitality business.

2. I can now count 30 YEARS as a hospitality veteran...and if you include me scooping ice cream at Baskin Robbins at a tender thirteen years old and working at Burger Chef at 15, then add on another five, making it 35 years!

YIKES!

I am and always will be a hospitality worker.

While you are out celebrating New Year's, Christmas, birthdays and dinner out, WE are all working for YOU. And for many people in hospitality, Mondays are days off for waiters, bartenders and chefs.

Since I left bartending a few years back, I have had a more traditional schedule and you can find La Diva on my computer almost every Monday morning at 7 am, checking emails, Facebook, blogs and what not, as I eat my breaky and have a cuppa, before I start my work day. But as I find I am working more nights and weekends, something has got to give. After working the last two weeks without a break, La Diva thought it was time to reinstill an old hospitality tradition: Mondays off.

And that day, my dear readers, was TODAY.

At The DJ's insistence, today was going to be a day of "no client emails, no returned phone calls, NO LA DIVA BUSINESS."

So, after a leisurely morning futzing about and starting trouble on Facebook, I decided that a bike ride around the beach was in order. Along the way, I'd grab lunch, eat it at the garden and pick up some glasses at CB2.

Fish tacos and a cold beer make for a pleasant lunch at the South Beach Victory Garden.

Soon, there will be oodles of lovely, tiny, sweet little tomatoes for our salads! These are barely the size of a thumbnail!

Thank you lady bugs for keeping aphids and other nasties away from my gorgeous escarole!

The garden is only a block away from the ocean and I scoot on over there to remind myself of why I live here. I never take the beach for granted and am grateful to live so close to the sea.

I continue riding up around the point at South Pointe with Government Cut to my left. This is where all the container ships, cruise ships and small boats and jet skies come and and out from Biscayne Bay to the ocean. Straight ahead is the Port of Miami with downtown Miami in the background.

As I head around the Pointe, frantic movement in my peripheral vision catches my eye.

Two puppies happily prance around South Pointe Park's doggy park.

I ask the puppies to "hold still" while I take their photo but they are not cooperating! The nice lady scoops up the little scamps and they resign themselves to being held for a photo!

Satisfied that La Diva got her "puppy fix" I get back on my bike and ride on to CB2 to pick up some stemless wine glasses.

Whenever I can, I try to take Meridian Avenue as it's the shadiest street! Lovely in the winter time but a MUST in the summer when the temperature climbs to 100 degrees and heat stroke is a real threat.

Meridian Avenue is home to many older, smaller Art Deco buildings on Miami beach and makes for a very pretty ride. I cycle at a casual pace, taking my time to look about and enjoy the scenery.

I quickly pick up the glasses, load them into my basket and make my way home.

In 15 minutes, I am home and head straight for my office and begin to check my emails. I start to respond to a pending client and then see one from husband: ARE YOU TAKING IT EASY TODAY? I save the email in the drafts folder, get off the computer and pour myself a glass of wine.

This is my favorite piece of new furniture for our house. My platform bed. This is why I HAD to get stemless wine glasses!

I cozy up on the bed, take a sip of wine and finally start flipping through my two new cookbooks, American Flavor by Andrew Carmellini and The Flavour Thesaurus by Niki Segnit, both Christmas pressies from my brothers in law.

As I look out at the water from my balcony bed, relaxed and happy, I realize that my husband is right. It's important for me to take days off where I don't do anything but everything I want to. Even when I'm not working, I'm always doing something...repairing, cooking, fixing, cleaning, calling....etc.... and have not taken the time to just read and let my mind be calm. After all, "business burnout" is never a good thing and La Diva has only just begun to see success!

Darlings, what about YOU? What is YOUR favorite way to spend your day off if you could spend it any way you want?

And now, a little food porn..... Here's my penne with Italian sausage, peas, mushrooms, tomatoes, chile flakes and a dash of cream.

Ta ta for now, darlings! xoxo

I. Am. SuperWoman. Yes, I AM.

2012-01-18T20:30:00.002-05:00

Uh, no, I'm NOT. But sometimes I act like I am. Or THINK I am. I sometimes think I can do ANYTHING and EVERYTHING! I am LA DIVA. I am SuperWoman. Pile it on, baby, I won't say NO!

Well, I did. I told Lady Boxer that I was not going to participate in her Culinary Smackdown: Tofu. You see, La Diva has five events booked this week. Five. Me. By myself. And I've still got two to go.

Friday was a dinner for 15, Sunday, another dinner for 15 and last night I did a corporate class of 17 for Yahoo! YIPPEE!

But, I've only had a day in between each event and by the next day I am already prepping for the next one! But as it turns out, I had a wee bit of time tonight to try out my killer tofu idea!

YES!

Boy, I sure am glad I went to Boxer's blog and saw she already found this hilarious photo of Bacon vs. Tofu! I'm posting it anyway, as it cracked me up. I also don't get why you can't like both? I do. I don't get the tofu hate, it's too freakin' BLAND to hate!

Anywho....my tofu idea was a bit of a melange of croqueta mixed with arancini mixed with meatball. HUH?

La Diva was thinking, wouldn't it be great if I took some TOFU and added breadcrumbs, garlic, parmigiano cheese and fresh parsley like I would my meatballs and then I would put a little ball of fontina in the middle like I would arancini and then roll them in flour, egg and panko and fry them up like I would a croqueta and then put the crunchy, yummy lot over a fresh heirloom tomato coulis?!

YEAH BABY!

That would make a tofu lover out of anyone, I bet!

Hi. My name is Tofu and I can be anything you want me to be, baby. ANYTHING.

So, I started. Tonight. Bone tired and making a dinner out of leftover catering ingredients simultaneously. Because I. Am. SuperWoman.

I had the heirloom tomatoes on the stove, reducing them along with garlic, for the coulis.

Meanwhile, I sauteed an eggplant that didn't make it into Friday's roasted veggies, along with some diced pancetta that would go off if I didn't use it soon.

As my dinner of leftovers cooked, I started on the tofu. In the food processor went garlic, parsley and basil. Then the tofu. I used silken tofu. I put it into a bowl and added egg, salt, pepper, parmigiano cheese and a ton of breadcrumbs. It would not firm up. I added more breadcrumbs. And then some more. Still, the tofu was a gloupy mess. How would I be able to roll a meat-a-ball with this soupy tofu? I put it in the refrigerator to firm up.

The coulis was coming along nicely, the tomatoes broken down and reducing. Soon, I would puree them and then strain for a silky, divine coulis. Oooh, this was going to be GOOD!

I added a bunch of mushrooms and a chopped zucchini to the eggplant and pancetta. Then, I added the leftover, cut up lasagna noodles and would chuck in a can of tomatoes for a rustic, one bowl dinner that would use up all of the catering leftovers. I took a taste....nice!

I went and got the tofu. It was now a COLD gloupy mess. I added more breadcrumbs. I tasted it. MMMmmmm....garlic, breadcrumb tofu. It tasted ok but it was tasting more like strange bread.

Still....I could give it a shot. I tried to roll up a bit in my hand and it was like trying to roll up oatmeal. It needed to firm up. What to do? Waste even more breadcrumbs?

OR.....

Add it to the pasta on the stove!

YES!

It would be just like adding a bit of ricotta to the dish! Why, I did that ALL of the time! And it's GOOD!

YES!

That WOULD work! I AM LADIVA! I AM SuperWoman! YES, I AM!

I added a bit of the tofu and mixed it through into the pasta and veggies and had a quick taste. Mmmm...pretty good so far. So, I added more. And more. And mixed it in and then, HELL, WHY NOT PUT ALL OF IT IN?!

YES!

F*ck it. I don't have all night.

I added THE LOT.

And what did I get?

MUSH.

DOG'S BREAKFAST.

SPEW.

Well, at least that's what it looked like!!! IT WAS DISGUSTING. Not because it was tofu mind you. But, because the garlic I had added to the tofu was uncooked and tasted, well, raw.

And because it was TOO RICH with the egg and the parmigiano cheese.

And it just wasn't pretty. You could no longer see the eggplant, the mushrooms or the zucchini, all were drowning under the weight of beige, silken tofu garlic pulp!

I ate a bowl. It was really rich and garlicky and, well, kind of flavorful but not a great texture. It was mushy. I looked at the huge pan of it left on the stove. There was A LOT. Could I eat this again? I doubted it. I knew The DJ would not touch it, leftover lasagna noodles with mushy eggplant and mushy tofu would NOT be very inviting to a man that has just come home from a 12 hour day, La Diva would be pushing him too far. And I thought about THROWING IT OUT.

So, I did.

I. Am. NOT. SuperWoman.

*sigh*

And I SURE DO HATE throwing out food. But, that's what I get for trying to be SuperWoman and cooking when I'm tired and spent.

Here's what I was going for.

See?! Don't these tofu croquetas look good? Imagine MINE with fontina cheese oozing out of the middle and with parmigiano cheese and garlic and spices! Anyway, the recipe for THESE is from THIS SITE. I guess my mistake was that I didn't use FIRM tofu but silken instead. DOH.

So, I WILL try to make this again, with firm tofu, of course! But for tonight....

This SuperWoman is going to have a nice glass of wine, take a hot tub and 'CALL IT A DAY.'

Meanwhile, DO enjoy my lovely photo of La Diva's all time fave way to eat tofu: stir fried with veggies and cashews in a spicy Asian sauce. My recipe for the dish is HERE!

THANK YOU, Lady Boxer for hosting! You can see all the entries HERE and GOOD LUCK to all! Ciao for now, darlings!

*slurp*

ahhhh........

La Diva Takes a Walk Around da 'Hood'

2011-12-27T18:59:00.000-05:00

My name is La Diva and I live on an island. It's f*cking fabulous. It's called Belle Isle, is a "natural" island (as opposed to man-made) and is part of a chain of residential islands on the Venetian Causeway that joins Miami Beach to mainland Miami.

I also live on an historical site. This makes me happy and adds to the fabulousness of it all.

This is the building I live in now. Every time I walk into it "The Jefferson's" theme song plays in my head: "Well, we movin' on UUUUUUP!" I can't believe I live in a place as fancy-pants as this and keep waiting for someone to stop me and ask what I'm doing there. The building was built in the late 1970's and the interior looks just like the inside of the Love Boat. It's fabulous.

I have to cross this bridge to get to the shops and restaurants on Miami Beach.

This is to the right of me and faces south looking into Biscayne Bay with the Port of Miami in the background.

This is to my left from the causeway bridge. I like that I have to go over water every time I leave my home. Being close to the water makes me happy.

This is the stone plaque and entrance to the lovely little park just over the bridge, on the north side of the causeway named in honor of Maurice Gibb. Yes, THAT Maurice Gibb (pronounced "Morris") from the Bee Gees, who were longtime Miami Beach residents. (Barry and Robin might still live here but I never see them!) Instead of walking through the park, I head east across the street to check out what new store went into the corner shop.

Ahhhh....just what La Diva needs! A yummy gelato bar!

And right next to it the French creperie, A La Folie Cafe! In fact, on this block alone, I can enjoy the food of Burger & Beer Joint (every burger you can imagine), Morgan's (damn good comfort food and brunch) and Sardinia Enoteca Ristorante, which offers a unique form of Italian food from Sardinia, naturally! (think fregola, boar and pecorino cheese!)

A turn to the east again takes me to my fabulous new grocery choice, The Fresh Market.

And a quick stroll up the block finds me right at my other grocery choice, Publix. Yes, that is my grocery store. We have a rule regarding architecture on Miami Beach. It all has to be fabulous. I mean it.

I begin to head west again, towards Sunset Harbor, with hip, new Catalan-inspired resto Barcelonata in front.

I pass their other two deelish restaurants, Asian gastro pub Pubbelly and PubSushi.

For some strange reason, I really like living in a neighborhood that boasts a yacht club. Not sure why, though. I head south again, towards the park and back home.

In order to glean a bit more sunshine, I decide to walk along the back of Sunset Harbor Yacht Club by the marina, taking photos of the pretty, little boats. I can do this even though I'm not a resident and is private property because I am sporting a gold lame carry bag and no one would dare question anyone sporting a gold lame carry bag, would they? They didn't.

La Diva thinks that it would be fun to buy a kayak to go whenever I want!

I keep heading south and stroll through Maurice Gibb Park again and take note of the stress-free playground scene with the parents. *sigh* It's sooooo nice Miami Beach parents have this great, clean, safe play ground for their kids. It's also soooooo nice it's not within ear shot of my home.

I head back over the bridge to Belle Isle and walk through the small park towards home. I love this little gated doggy park in front of our building.

As I start to head in, I get a phone call, and decide that this bench under this fabulous tree is too perfect to not sit on while I chat.

I like my new neighborhood. It's fabulous. And La Diva needs to be a part of fabulous. I think I'm going to like living here, yes, I do.

It ALL Starts with Buttah.....

2011-12-03T08:43:00.001-05:00

Darlings! Twas the night before Thanksgiving and finally, La Diva had the time to do something I'd been wanting to for months: Have a Julia Child night and immerse myself in cream, buttah and complicated recipes!

My buddy Corinna came by with the intention of imbibing fully in the Julia theme! We would be making an entree and dessert from her cookbook, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," and then watching foodie flick "Julie & Julia."

As one does when cooking with a friend (or alone), a cocktail was in order and the DJ handed us both a lovely old school drink, a 7 & 7, and I got to work on the chicken while the lovely Corinna began to peel apples for dessert.

Indeed it is.

Looking through the intimidating tome a few days before, I had picked some fairly simple recipes for us to prepare, a chicken fricassee and an apple clafoutis.

And it all started with buttah.

Loads of it! I began with the mirepoix aka chopped celery, onion and carrots and sauteed in the butter until the vegetables were translucent. This would be a fine flavor base for my stew.

Corinna's beautiful apple clafoutis, a combination of fruit, pancake and tart! Easy and delicious!

But wait. I had to make a 'garnish' of mushrooms and pearl onions. More buttah, more steps and not enough pans or burners! Sheesh! This is why I don't cook French food often, so many steps! Meanwhile, Corinna is working on HER dessert, more buttah.....this was going to be one divinely decadent dinner! (say that ten times fast after a few whiskies!)

Three hours and a few whiskies too many, we finally ate. Drunk and starving, we inhaled the creamy, divine chicken in a mere 15 minutes!

The fricasee was CREAMY DIVINITY packed with flavor (and loads of buttah, a few egg yolks and cream!) Success! (and worth every step, every ingredient, every pat of buttah!)

And then the next day was Thanksgiving.....

Friday we had leftovers from our fabulous dinner at a friend's but then Saturday offered another opportunity for La Diva to cook meals I hadn't had time for lately. A recent purchase of grass fed beef osso bucco at the Farmer's Market inspired this comforting meal.

Osso bucco braised in red wine with carrots and mushrooms over creamy polenta. Want to make your polenta REALLY DECADENTLY CREAMY? Add one cup of whole milk along with chicken stock and then add a cube of fontina cheese along with buttah and parmigiano cheese. Jessssss......!

Finally, after four days of imbibing in creamy, buttery delicious dinners and desserts, La Diva was craving LIGHT and GREEN and HEALTHY! So, we started Sunday's dinner with a salad of butter lettuce (had to be buttah in there somewhere! ha!) with roasted organic baby beets, feta, almonds and pomegranate. Crunchy, sweet, tart and tasty!

Followed by a seared mahi mahi steak with a fresh asparagus and roasted grape tomato garnish on a bed of saffron infused wild rice with spinach. *sigh* Guilt gone and back to the gym on Monday!

There really is NO POINT TO LIFE if one can't enjoy a few decadent meals with friends once in a while, right? Darlings, what's YOUR fave decadent meal? And have YOU ever prepared a Julia Child recipe? DO tell, La Diva wants to hear all about it!

Ciao for now, darlings! x

Southern Florida's Bountiful Season Begins!!

2011-11-21T09:14:00.001-05:00

Darlings! Yippee! Hooray! Woo hoo! The Southern Florida growing season has begun! The Farmer's Markets are back! And stone crab claws are in season!

At the farmer's market I picked up: beautiful baby beets, a variety of globe zucchini and patty pan squash along with some very hard to find Thai chiles.

I am thankful I live in a place that has stuff that grows while elsewhere it snows! (30 years living in the cold is enough, don't you think?)

These organic oyster mushrooms are delicate in texture and flavor. I'm going use these as a garnish with pearl onions in a chicken fricassee!

I am thankful for our new, spacious home and that I have a loving partner to share it with.

Num num! Tropical fruits: Florida avocados (much larger than Haas, and some can be quite sweet!) passionfruit and divine, sweet bananas all straight from the farm!

I am thankful for my good health and my strength of body, mind and soul.

Stone crab season runs from October until May each year and I have to say, La Diva did not eat nearly as many as I should have last season! (I loves me some crab!) The crab claw is where all the meat is and is usually served with a creamy mustard sauce. For a decadent treat, whip cream and fold it into the sauce and serve!

I am thankful for possessing the ability to position myself in life to live in cities that are vibrant and inspiring. (and grow palm trees! Oh, and near an ocean! I have to live near an ocean, an ocean full o' crabs!)

Easy and quick Moroccan chicken tagine with vegetables and Israeli cous cous using Herbie's Tagine Spice blend made the dish authentic and flavorful with just a few spoonfuls!

I am thankful for my friendships with people I've met and shared many great times with in the past and today as well as the many wonderful friendships I've developed online with people I HOPE to meet in the near future! (or might not ever meet but you sure do make my day sometimes!)

This is honey made from tropical lychee and longan flowers from the beekeeper down at Bee Heaven Farms. It's organic and has a slight cinnamon spice taste to me! It's my favorite and I can't get enough of it! (ok, the tupelo and orange blossom honeys are pretty good too!)

I am thankful for my family and my in-laws in particular, who have done so much to contribute to our happiness in so many ways.

Spaghetti Squash with Mornay Sauce

Last night I wanted to try something different with spaghetti squash and decided to make kind of a gratin with it! I didn't realize at the time that what I actually made was a mornay sauce for the squash. What's mornay sauce, you ask? Why, it's simply a bechamel sauce with cheese added to it! What's bechamel sauce you ask? Why, it's simply a white sauce made with butter, flour and milk, super easy and the mother of all French sauces!

This is what I did:

I took the whole squash and put it on a foil-lined baking tray, poked a few holes in it and baked it on 350 until the fork went in easily. I cut it open, scooped out the seeds and then put the squash fruit side down on the tray and baked another 15 minutes. I allowed the squash to cool a bit and then using the tines of a fork, I shredded the squash into long threads. (you can do this part several days before)

Made a roux with 2 tablespoons of melted butter and 2 tablespoons of flour. Mix well and form a paste, constantly stirring and cooking. With a whisk, stir in one cup of milk. Stir well until thickened and voila, you have white sauce! Then I added 1/2 cup of grated parmigiano cheese and 1/2 cup of fontina to turn it into a mornay sauce.

Add the sauce to cooked spaghetti squash and put into a casserole and top with bread crumbs. I could have added buttered breadcrumbs or more cheese on top but I felt the dish was rich enough and just wanted a tad of a crunch, so I added simple, plain panko crumbs. Bake at 400 F until bubbly and brown!

RESULT: Holy Cow! What a wonderfully, scrumptiously, rich side dish for what could be considered a boring vegetable! This would make an elegant but easy side dish for Thanksgiving turkey and in fact, would be a nice break from the usual baked acorn or butternut squash with brown sugar and butter.

The dish was creamy and more-ish with a sharp taste hit from the parmigiano cheese, and surprisingly enough, the DJ liked it too! (he doesn't usually care for squash too much.)

And most of all, I'm thankful that you read my blog!

La Diva will be spending Turkey Day NOT cooking but with dear friends at multiple dinners (!) and enjoying myself! What about you? Happy Thanksgiving, darlings!! xoxo

Whiskey Sour Remix with La Diva Cucina at ISES!

2011-11-13T08:42:00.001-05:00

Is that a gun in your pocket or are you happy to see me? La Diva clowning around with Spencer and pal from A Hot Party Entertainment!

Darlings! In the words of Mizz Boxer, I's be BIZZY! The Miami Party/Social/Arts season has begun! And to tell the truth, I've not had a whole lot of time to bloggity blog! In fact, my poor sister has been trying to get hold of me all week, I've been out each night , working or WORKING IT as well as preparing multiple proposals and events each day. I've currently got bookings for throughout the end of the month and FOUR within a week beginning of December. I even had to postpone our housewarming party! But I'm not complaining....this is what I started my business for and I LOVE this time of year in Miami!

Recently yours truly had a chance to demonstrate for a group of event industry movers and shakers, ISES (International Special Events Society.)

The event was held in the beautifully refurbished Cruz Building, an absolutely stunning event space that is now available for hire. (DO click on the link, the building is absolutely exquisite!)

The bar on the second level is ornate and gorgeous. The glass door with the gold frame is actually an elevator!

This is the second floor, my demo was to the right where tables were set up and there are comfy lush dark red leather booths.

La Diva in her retro cocktail dress before the demo! More hip than Mad Men's Betty Draper, fo' sho'!

An animated La Diva makes for an engaging demonstration. I did a brief intro about the four basic cocktail styles before launching into how to make the classic whiskey sour before about 30 guests.

Attendees were given recipes for a classic whiskey sour and then encouraged to make their own version of a sour cocktail.

On each table was a spirit, either rye whiskey or vodka, an assortment of sour juices like lemon, lime, pomegranate, tamarind and guava along with mango and passionfruit puree.

La Diva also brought home made ginger, chili and mint sugar syrups along with powdered sugar, egg whites and an assortment of flavored teas to inspire the guests' creativity!

La Diva goes to each table to check on the guests and everyone is eager for me to try their cocktail creations! I happily oblige, the attendees came up with some fabulous ideas!

EVERYONE had a blast creating their own cocktails! La Diva Cucina offers this demonstration as a team building event for corporate groups. The night was a huge success!

If YOU want to have La Diva create a FUN and UNIQUE experience for your next event, contact me by clicking HERE.

Ciao for now, darlings!

Culinary Smackdown: WINTER SQUASH http://www.ladivacucina.com

2011-10-31T18:23:00.004-04:00

La Diva with orange hair and my dear friend Lisa at a pumpkin patch outside of Chicago at the beginning of the 90's. Lisa has since left this earth and now graces the great pumpkin patch in the sky.
I dedicate this post to Lisa Madden.

Darlings! I think it was Buzzy who said in a previous comment that because I have my new kitchen "we expect great things from you now." Ruh-roh. No excuses, it's time to pull out all the stops!

And that's ok, because I decided it was high time to challenge myself a bit and think outside of the norm with the culinary smackdown theme of WINTER SQUASH.

So, what to do with the good ol' squash? Living in Australia for years where pumpkin, their choice of winter squash, is eaten year round in savory dishes. so I've had plenty of it outside of the standard soup or pies. I especially enjoyed it at one of my fave Thai restaurants in Sydney, Suma Lee Thai, where they saute it with giant tiger prawns and basil in a savory chile jam. DIVINE. An unexpected combination, yes, but it proves that squash DOES go with seafood too and is so much more versatile than given credit for.

As I conjured up this delightful dish in my head, it inspired me to take the common winter squash to new heights using seafood and my fave Thai flavorings in a way I've not tried before; I bring you La Diva's contribution to the WINTER SQUASH smackdown.

BUT WAIT!!!! We interrupt this post to bring you a SECOND SMACKDOWN ENTRY: Butternut Squash ~~Waffles~~ Pancakes with Fried Chipotle Chicken!

Darlings, La Diva LOVES me some punkin' pannacakes and I've been making a tried and true recipe for years. I usually make them for dinner and serve with smokey chicken apple sausages and Brussels sprouts. So, for this challenge, I thought to myself, "Why not waffles instead? And then I can serve it with some fried chickenz a la Roscoe's Style!"

But alas...it was not meant to be. Instead of using my pancake recipe, I tried another from HERE and lo and behold, the waffles was stickin' to da grill. Now, I'll have you know that La Diva was making these for Sunday brunch. And to tell the truth, La Diva doesn't have a whole lot of patience before she eats her first meal of the day. So, I added a bit more milk and oil to the batter, oiled the iron and tried for a second time...no joy. I had two waffles, one on the bottom plate and one on the top. Grrrrr.....

I got out my pancake griddle and succumbed to making pancakes instead.

Meanwhile, the night before I had taken two organic chicken breasts and marinated them in with a canned chipotle with sauce, yogurt and salt. While the pancakes were on, I took the breasts, shook off the excess marinade and breaded them in flour, egg and panko crumbs and fried the breasts til hot and golden.

RESULT: Hmmm.....a bit monochromatic for plating purposes, a sassy little garnish of something green would have gone a long way but taste-wise, the dish was DEELISH. I am NOT kidding, if you likes the sweet, savory crunchy mix of juicy, fried chicken and waffles with maple syrup, you will LOVE this flavor combo! The spiciness of the allspice, ginger and cinnamon went great with the slightly smoky spice of the chipotle, it was truly a match made in heaven. In the future, I WILL be working on perfecting a pumpkin waffle recipe.....

And now, for my next entry.....something a bit more sophisticated.

La Diva's Seared Lemongrass Scallops
on a
Thai Coconut Butternut Squash Coulis
with
Thai Basil Oil
and
Crispy Fried Eschallots

Butternut squash coulis: I sauteed shallots and garlic and then added it to chicken broth along with pumpkin chunks, ginger, fresh coriander and ground coriander seed and cooked until the squash was tender. I pureed and then strained it, added creamy coconut milk and then using a finer meshed strainer, put it through again to get a most divinely, silky coulis.

Lemongrass diver scallops: I sauteed finely chopped fresh lemongrass, shallots and garlic, seared the scallops and then finished off with Marsala wine.

Earlier in the day, I had taken finely julienned strips of eschallots (Australian for scallions!) dusted them with flour and deep fried until crispy. (Quite a feat, by the way, as they can turn brown and burn quite quickly!)

I also made an intense Thai basil olive oil by infusing the leaves in the oil over very low heat for several hours and then straining.

I carefully added the scallops to the squash puree and put a few drops of oil around the bowl and then garnished with the eschallots.

RESULT: DIVINE. Loved the addition of the marsala deglaze with the lemongrass and scallops! The silky coulis could definitely stand on it's own and the creamy, subtle coconut flavor added to the multidimensional flavors that make Asian food so complex. The basil oil and delicate essence of the eschallots added depth and nuance thus completing the dish.

Enjoy, darlings, La Diva is BACK.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

More winter squash recipes from La Diva:

Pumpkin and sage lasagna

Pumpkin gnocchi

Pumpkin risotto, scones and soup

Thank you to Jen from "Our Good Food Life" for hosting and you can click HERE to see the other entries. Good luck to all! Ciao for now, darlings!

Happy 10th Anniversary to La Diva and The DJ

2011-10-29T11:00:00.000-04:00

Darlings! Ten years ago on October 27, 2001, the DJ and I exchanged vows (for the second time) in a proper ceremony in front of family and friends. It's cliche to say, but I truly can't believe ten years has flown by so quickly. It was such a fabulous day, so special and truly magical, that I wanted to share it with you. (I hope you don't mind!)

As a team, hubby and I have accomplished a LOT in a decade: moved from Sydney to L.A., L.A. to Miami and lived in three different homes before moving into our own condo October 1. Felix had three jobs, and I had seven before realizing I'd only be happy working for myself, so started my own business in 2008. Whew. Dat's a lot of moving about in ten years!

We got married in the Springtime in the Campbell Rhododendron Gardens in Blackheath, a village in the Blue Mountains a few hours outside of Sydney. I remember asking the ladies of the center's gardening society for the rental fee and was told "Oh, just give us a donation, dear. We'll rake up the path for you." Sigh...simpler times. Now the garden charges $200.

Every spring, a few villages in the Blue Mountains hold open houses and gardens for the rhododendron festival. The mountains enjoy a cooler climate due to the higher elevation so all the flora of my native Michigan thrives there: cherry trees, lilacs, apple trees, azaleas, forsythia and the rhododendrons grow as big as a house!

On one of our first dates, I asked the DJ to take me to the village of Leura for a garden tour in the Springtime. He went, albeit kicking and screaming, until....he stepped out into the peaceful gardens and inhaled the freshest most heavenly scented air he ever breathed. He was sold. From then on when The DJ sought respite from his mad world, he would whisk La Diva away up to the mountains for fresh air, serenity and a hike. The Blue Mountains became "our spot."

The best man, Liam and the DJ before the ceremony.

On my wedding day, I adorned my French twist hair style with fragrant sweetpeas from my own garden and wore a simple sheath dress of organza over purple silk satin, which I designed. My dear friend Racheal embellished the dress by adding hand made buttons with an embroidered flower on each one.

Friends through thick and thin, here's dear Fifi as my maid of honor with a small bouquet of lilies of the valley, telling me not to be nervous. I'm not and am all smiles. No bouquet for La Diva, I thought it would be overkill with all the garden flowers.

The DJ was managing musical artists at this time and his brothers' band, Kessel, performs an amazing acoustic set of jazz amongst the ferns!

I do

We dedicated the ceremony to my deceased mother and as the celebrant spoke of her, a sudden, strong wind blew through the gum trees, blowing out the candle that she had just lit and sending leaves and bark fluttering to the ground. There were gasps from our guests and a few tears were shed by the ladies. Mama made a point of letting everyone know that she was in attendance that day.

The ceremony was quick and heartfelt and our guests surrounded us, blowing celebratory bubbles while the band played "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" by the Police. It was lovely.

We only had 43 guests at our wedding, not too many, so we could enjoy everyone on our special day.

My new family!

Two of my dearest friends, Fiona and Louie (Louise!)

The DJ's talented brother Richard (with guitar) wrote us a wedding song and it was performed by him and artists Drew and Caroline, a beautiful gift from the heart from all three.

Off we go to start our new life together.....

Where will the next ten years take us?

I'll see you ALL on Monday for Culinary SMACKDOWN: PUMPKIN

(Be afraid, be VERY afraid!)

The La Diva Cucina, FINALLY!

2011-10-24T16:27:00.001-04:00

This is my view from my kitchen stove....pleasant! There is a lovely, lush, green park and doggy run in front of our new building. Where the crane is they are building a Fresh Market and that small highrise behind it is actually where the ocean is. (Our building is on Biscayne Bay) It's the historical Fontainebleu and Eden Roc Hotels where the Rat Pack, Lucy and Ricky Arnez and Jackie Gleason played and relaxed. Cool.

Darlings! Well, it only took almost 30 years of living in rented homes with crappy, dingy, little kitchens where yours truly had to do a lot of compromising that I FINALLY gots my own fabulous cucina!

Even Moi was surprised to see the tiny galley cubby hole of a kitchen La Diva prepared her divine dinners in when she came for a visit the Spring before last....much too small, cooking in it was a constant challenge. Every time La Diva or the DJ would open a cupboard, an avalanche of goods would come tumbling out...plastic containers, spices and even ceramic bowls (which even though it sounds very I-Love-Lucy-like, in actuality, it was not funny, the bowls hit me in my hard Diva head and broke! They were nice pasta bowls from Italy too.)

This is what the kitchen floors looked like before we put in the cork, dingy, hard depressing and not done very well cement floors that I HATED. I had my doubts that the sellers had them done professionally and in an effort to save money (to pay for the kitchen!) they might have "finished" it themselves. And you could certainly tell! Cement is a very unforgiving medium for a floor and especially so for a cook with bad feet. The cork is so much better and more comfy to stand on for hours when I have to cook for my classes or parties, not to mention the brightness and light it adds to all the rooms.

The sliding glass door is the only "wall" in my kitchen. It's so nice to be able to open the door when I'm cooking and get fresh air. And of course, we have many meals out on the balcony, so it's also very convenient!

My fabulous new kitchen includes: KitchenAid appliances, lacquered white and solid wooden cupboards from Italy, glass tile and blue oahu quartz countertops. Nice.

And on top of that, my kitchen is BLUE! I love all blues and I have a counter top that is all sparkly and full of all different blues and reminds me of the sea. Perfect for a water baby Diva!

The kitchen is not that large, but it's WIDE and roomy. The DJ can be in the kitchen the same time as me (which couldn't happen before, especially if the refrigerator door was open. I'm not kidding.) In fact, a few people can actually stand in my kitchen at once! The use of cabinetry with pull out drawers makes the most efficient use of the smaller space.

When we were looking at properties initially, a quality, NEW and modern kitchen was a HUGE selling point to me and I knew I wanted this place as soon as I saw it! In fact, we only looked at three condos before we made an offer on this one. It was a relief that we didn't have to refurbish the kitchen as the previous owners claimed to have spent $50K on the kitchen alone, which was a bit crazy to me considering some, ahem, "shortcuts" they took in outfitting their home. We bought the house in a short sale and got a bargain as the lowest priced condo sold in an expensive building for years! Thank you, Stephen Anderson, our realtor for finding this gem!

According to the previous owner, this sink and faucet cost $1500 alone. I LOVE the deep sink, it's perfect for cleaning my big catering tubs and pots. I also love the wall railing system they put in around the kitchen to save counter top space.

The wall rack system allows me to keep things handy that I use all the time like oils and spices yet allows for more counter space underneath! Now all I need is one to hold my knives and cleaver and my kitchen will be complete.

In my new kitchen, I want my counters FREE and CLEAN for prepping and serving food. The only thing that will live on it is my food processor. And there is another handy wall rack. It took me three weeks to figure out that it was for paper toweling and cling/foil wrap as nothing else would fit in it! Doh!

And there is my new pot rack! Yippeeee!!! And yes, that IS a little tv! They had the wiring already there and a hole in the tile, so why the hell not?! I actually like having the news and weather on sometimes but the other day when I was prepping for a class, I enjoyed listening to Chef Gordon Ramsay tear strips off some poor bum of a restaurant owner! haha!

This exhaust hood and extension was also very expensive but really was overkill considering I could only use it to recirculate. That's kind of like having a Hummer to do the job that could be handled by a Volkswagen Beetle. I felt it really overpowered the kitchen and glad I took it down.

Out it came and my contractors built a cupboard offering a much more reasonable solution, a microwave with a recirculating fan instead. The hood is for sale on Craigslist!

A place for everything and everything in its place....

In my last place, I really beat up the insides of my pot cupboard struggling to get them out every time I needed to cook dinner. Oh, and see my pretty floors? See them? You can biggify and look even closer, if you want! (C'mon, I know you do, Nosy Parker!)

Ahhh.......nice organized drawers that easily pull out! No. More. Struggling!

I LOVE the pullout pantry drawers too. One thing I hate is to DIG in a cupboard and having to pull things out to see what one really has. This will allow for me to utilize all my dry goods and take stock instead of forgetting about what's been sitting in the back for months! Yay! No more rice and pasta avalanches!

The DJ put this rack in for me that I brought from the old place and makes it easy for me to seek out the proper vinegar from over a dozen varieties! A cooking Diva can never have too many vinegars, oils and sauces!

This KitchenAid dishwasher runs so quietly that I had to put my ear up to it to make sure it was actually working the first time I ran it! Having a reliable dishwasher that actually works after my last dishwasher fiasco with Frigidaire is a dream. After hours on the phone and three visits from really useless repairmen, Frigidaire replaced my brand new lemon with another lemon, and I had to rewash my dishes every day for a year with two "brand new" dishwashers until I realized that moving to a new place would actually be easier than calling and fighting with Frigidaire for a third dishwasher.

I just bought these herbs and am hoping that two hours of sun daily will be enough for them to grow so that I can just walk out and snip what I need.

Do you see that? NO, THAT! The ICE MAKER...YES! That is called a "marriage saver" as one of the things I used to get ticked at the DJ over was there was never any ice or room in the freezer to make ice! No more fights over who was going to fill the ice tray and no more spilled water in my freezer!

It's a JOY to be in my kitchen now. Every day I'm so grateful that after all of these years of putting up with crappy little kitchens, I finally have a beautiful, workable kitchen of quality that I will enjoy for years to come.

The La Diva Cucina tour is now complete. I hope you enjoyed your visit here today and thanks for stopping by, darlings! xo

La Diva's Black Bean Soup with Roasted Chiles and Turkey

2011-10-17T15:40:00.000-04:00

My black bean soup is inspired by the traditional Cuban black bean soup and a good excuse to post one of these gorgeous vintage posters!

Darlings! I can hear you saying it, "Diva, two soup posts in a row? What's up with that? It's not even COLD in your part of the world!"

I know, darlings, I know. Once again, La Diva is finding herself very busy settling into our new home and one pot meals are so convenient when I have a lot on my proverbial plate!

One of the challenges I am facing currently is finding the time to read the directions and learn how to utilize the new gadgets and things in our home beyond the basic capabilities. These include the remote for our new Smart TV (where ARE those shows I taped? and why does the Internet radio keep cutting out? grrrr.....), the new microwave (yep, I can reheat leftovers at least!) my new Iphone (so far, I know how to text, take photos and make calls, all I need for now!) and of all the silly things, how to use my new WaterPik that's been sitting in a box since July.... (It looks complicated!) We are also having major problems with our phones, phone lines and our new server. Yippee! I've been told these hiccups are normal when moving into a new home, but right now FRUSTRATION is something La Diva experiences daily.

So, while I spend precious time on the phone, again, with the cable company, Vonage, ATT, Plantronics and Apple, the soup is simmering away and smelling divine! Moi from Bite the Apple's comment from my last soup post of her fave "go to" soup of black bean with chile inspired me to make my own version.

As if the soup isn't spicy enough already, La Diva just LOVES this habanero sauce from Mexico! It's hot but not CRAZY hot and delicious. I can only find it at the Mexican taqueria in Little Havana.

La Diva's Black Bean Soup with Roasted Chiles and Turkey

Time to prepare: days, hours, months, years.....Darlings, this is NOT the soup you can rush! This ain't no Rachel Ray 30 minute meal, it's a SLOW process and worth every minute. So, if you can just settle your ADD butt down for a minute, La Diva will walk you through it.

1 large bag dried black beans (over a pound, maybe even two!)

2 turkey legs

48 oz chicken broth

1 large onion, chopped

1 poblano chile

1 large jalapeno chile

2 serrano chiles

oregano

cumin

bay leaves

olive oil

Extras:

cooked white or brown rice, sour cream or Greek yogurt, green onions, shredded cheddar cheese, warm corn or flour tortillas, cilantro, crushed tortilla chips, avocado chunks or guacamole.

The morning before, soak the beans all day in cold water in a large bowl. That night, when the beans are all plump, drain the water and cook in a large pot with fresh water until the beans are tender, skimming the foam away from top every once in a while. Darlings, I really can't tell you how long it takes to cook the beans as I tend to move on to other tasks. In fact, it only seems that I remember I am actually cooking beans when I hear the pot sizzling and begin to smell burning beans, which means I've let the water boil away and I better get my Diva ass in the kitchen or I've scorched my expensive Calphalon stock pot. I tend to make it just in time to save both pot and beans, and it's a good thing too as nothing smells worse than scorched beans! Taste a few and if they are tender, drain and salt them thoroughly while still hot. Cool and refrigerate.

The next morning, heat up a stock pot with a bit of oil and brown turkey legs on all sides. Add onions and sweat, add a few bay leaves and salt. Meanwhile, heat the broiler up on your oven and add the whole, washed chiles to a foil-lined tray. Allow the skin to blister and then turn, making sure all sides are blackened. Remove from oven with tongs and put into a brown paper bag to cool.

We interrupt your regularly scheduled post to bring you this kick ass breakfast La Diva made for the DJ. Home made whole wheat biscuits with sausage gravy and poached eggs! Yeah-uh! (I never made home made sausage gravy before....too dangerous for me to know how!)

Once the onions have cooked down a bit, add the chicken stock, at least a tablespoon of crushed, dried oregano and a teaspoon or two of ground cumin seed. Set aside. Wearing gloves, remove the skin, seeds and stems of the chiles and discard. Chop the chiles finely and add to the stock pot. Now, add the beans and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn down heat to a simmer and SLOWLY cook for about two hours or so with the pot lid ajar and stir often making sure the beans aren't sticking to the bottom. Simmer until the beans cook down more, the soup has thickened and the turkey begins to fall away from the bone.

Using tongs, remove the turkey legs and allow to cool enough to handle. Then, remove all the meat from the bone and skin and break into bite size pieces. Discard the bones, skin and gristle and add the luscious turkey meat to the pot. Soup should be thick and beans cooked completely. Taste and season accordingly.

SERVE!

I like to serve mine with with a mound of white rice in the middle and the soup around it, Cuban style! I then garnish it with green onions and lashings of habanero sauce. Then to cool it all down a bit, I add some chunks of avocado and a big dollop of nice Greek yogurt mixed with cumin, salt and lime juice! (darlings, you won't even MISS the sour cream but your thighs will!!)

RESULT: Wow, damn good black bean soup with full flavor and a kick of spicy heat. Why turkey? Because I was making this for a friend who eats no red meat and still wanted a soup with great flavor. The turkey did the trick and I actually prefer it to ham or pork for a nice change of pace. (I sometimes add chorizo too!) Why roast the chilies? Well, think about it for a second, and remember how roasting vegetables brings out the sugars and flavor and you'll understand why this extra step adds depth of flavor as opposed to just putting the chiles in and, basically, boiling the hell out of them in the stock! The combination of the three chiles adds a nice, balanced heat but omit the serrano if you no likey spicy like La Diva does!

Darlings, do you have any favorite one pot meals for La Diva to try? DO TELL, I need all the time I can get right now! And a "muchas gracias, amiga" to Mizz Moi for inspiring me to make this soup! Ciao for now, darlings! (PS: Our place is almost unpacked...kitchen shots to come! FABU!)

It's Good to Eat HOME COOKED Food Again! http://www.ladivacucina.com

2011-10-10T20:38:00.003-04:00

A Mediterranean influenced salad: spice rubbed grilled chicken breast with steamed freekeh seasoned with sumac, cukes, tomatoes, red onions, Bulgarian feta over baby spinach and arugula. Crunchy, healthy, GOOD.

Darlings! I had taken for granted how GOOD it is to cook one's own food at home! Being without pots, spices, dishes and a clean, organized kitchen to cook in during our move, the DJ and I subsided on mostly takeaway of pizza, burritos and greasy Chinese. La Diva tried so hard to be healthy, but the grocery store pre-made salads just didn't taste quite fresh enough. On the weekends for breakfast, all we had time for was a quick McGriddle or bagels and a coffee and then we'd get to work.

It took me three days to unpack and organize my kitchen. Dudes, I had three boxes of spices alone! It was great to be able to actually have space to put everything in. After not cooking for more than two weeks, I could not wait to cook a real dinner again for the DJ and myself. I was longing to eat vegetables again and wanted to quench my desire for leafy, crunchy food. So, the Mediterranean chicken salad in the photo above was our first *healthy* meal in our new home.

Comfort food is best made at home: Ground beef AND turkey make up these tasty meatballs in a brown onion gravy over mashed parsnips and potatoes with steamed, buttered Brussels sprouts. DJ satisfyin'.

Saturday was a miserable day in Miami. The tropical storm started the night before and then raged on and off all day and into the night. At times the wind was so strong, it was blowing like a baby hurricane and a powerful gust sent my orchid crashing to the ground, shattering one of my favorite pots. I watched a large cardboard box fly by seven floors up, at times the wind had gusts up to 50 mph! Gray-all-day times are rare in Miami, so La Diva thought it was an ideal day to try a hearty soup my friend Bobby made recently:

Stuffed Cabbage Soup

Did you know La Diva is of Polish descent too? Easter was always spent with my dad's mother side of the family, the Poles, eating and laughing. No Polish-American kid worth their salt didn't love golabki or stuffed cabbages. I've made stuffed cabbage a few times but it's not something I think to make very often, so to find a soup that replicates the flavors and ingredients of stuffed cabbage, La Diva was intrigued. (and it would be a lot less time consuming than making stuffed cabbage rolls too!)

Ahhhh cabbage soup. Not glamorous. Not fancy. Just hearty, cabbag-ey goodness.

BOBBY'S STUFFED CABBAGE SOUP

2 lbs. ground beef

2 large onions, chopped

Brown the above and drain well. Then add to:

3 lbs. of cabbage chopped

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice

14 oz. can of beef broth

2 large cans tomato sauce

1 large can of diced tomatoes

2 large cans of water

1/2 - 3/4 cup of white rice

salt and pepper to taste

Bring all to a boil then simmer until rice and cabbage are done. Note from La Diva: Make sure you stir well so the rice doesn't stick to the bottom!)

RESULT: Pretty good, warm, subtly flavored, satisfying and perfectly comforting, yep, it sure DOES taste like stuffed cabbage in a soup! The Polish Diva in me highly approves. However, if you know anything about La Diva, you know I'm going to change it up a bit. I used ground dark turkey meat instead of the ground beef, which lightened the texture of the soup, but the downside was that the turkey seemed to be lacking in any definitive flavor, so I added a few beef bullion cubes and a couple of bay leaves to add more depth. When I make this again, I will cut back on the water and add beef broth instead. Also, unless you have a large family to feed, I'd say cut this recipe in half, it's a LOT OF SOUP for only two people. (Bobby must be feeding the neighborhood drug dealers and crack ho's again!)

I ended up freezing half of it and giving some to a friend. I'm not sure how well the rice will hold up once frozen, though. Bobby makes the soup with chicken broth and brown rice, which sounds nice too. Another friend suggested adding caraway seeds. Feel free to tweak it to the way you like your stuffed cabbages to taste. Anyway you make it, it's a simple, satisfying soup that is great for an easy, casual supper. Thanks again, Roberto, for another wonderful recipe for my repertoire.

What about you, darling? What's YOUR fave comfort soup for those dark and dreary days? Don't be shy, tell La Diva all about it, darling! Ciao for now!

It was worth every challenge, every hiccup, every dollar.

2011-10-03T13:56:00.000-04:00

Darlings! This is what La Diva LOVES to see, men on their knees doing my bidding! La Diva was born to be a project manager, fo sho.

We are pretty much finished with our new condo refurbishments and in spite of a few hiccups along the way, I'd say it went very well. La Diva was very lucky to get reliable , honest and professional contractors. Here's what we did:

Put in cork flooring, baseboards and shoe molding throughout the entire place (except for the bathrooms.)
Smoothed down, plastered and painted the ceiling. The previous owners had attempted to scrape the popcorn off but there were still lines and bumps, now it's smooth as a baby's bum!
Patched up all the holes in the walls from the previous owner's multiple audio visual touch panels.
Painted the living room, master bedroom and office.
We took advantage of the extensive and expensive media wiring throughout the house and updated equipment with smart tv, speakers, Apple TV, Sonos sound system, etc.
Had cupboard made for kitchen and installed under counter microwave.
Installed melamine covered wood over dining room built in and secured properly.
Air con vents were cleaned and unit serviced.
Electrical units serviced throughout the house.
Washing machine transmission replaced.
Water heater electrical problem repaired.
Replaced plumbing parts for two toilets.
Repair, level and waterproof balcony floor.

Ka-Ching.

I'm tired just writing this! It's dizzying to think of all we've accomplished in six weeks.

La Diva is lovin' the colours of the new La Diva Cucina World Headquarters more than I even imagined! Bright, yes, but stimulation is just what I need to keep me going while working from home. The cork floors and white baseboards throughout the house offer a clean, fresh and uniform design.

I think I might not put the curtains up in my office for a while...I am really digging the view from the floor to ceiling windows in the corner! Under the crane, I can just see the historic Eden Roc and Fontainebleu hotels, playgrounds to the Rat Pack, Jackie Gleason, Lucille Ball, Ricky Ricardo and more back "in the day!" (Both hotels are still fabulous, actually!)

My new kitchen is fabu. And it's no Ikea kitchen, sweetpea, these cupboards are lacquered and come from Italy. I know this because I decided to remove the very expensive exhaust hood to have another cupboard put in along with a microwave to save precious counter space. I looked up the hood online and it was a pretty penny...but it really would be wasted in the space as it was too big and powerful to be used only to recirculate. So, I knew I made the right decision to "downgrade" to a more practical microwave.

If I used the Italian kitchen company to supply me with the cabinet, it would take six weeks to be shipped from Italy and cost me $1200. La Diva negotiated down to $880. Then, I thought, "Eureka! Why pay for the cabinet when we only need the door?" Cost for cabinet door only from Italy: $775. EEK! The lacquering process takes seven coats of lacquer into the oven to bake on seven times, hence the cost. My contractors were able to get a very similar finish and had the cupboard made locally at a fraction of the cost! I think they did a great job. Yay! Another cabinet and no wasted counter space!

All was fabulous, all was good and then there came moving day. And moving day was

HELL.

Don't get me wrong, darlings, I DO know what makes a move successful, having done it interstate and internationally several times now with nary a broken glass. However, this freakin' move merely 1.4 miles away cost me more than I bargained for.

Here's a quick rundown:

We start the morning off with the old building's engineer giving our movers a hard time and wants them to park and move from the South side of the building as they are doing work on the north side. Bull to the shit. We live right near the elevator on the north side and I knew someone who had moved from that side the day before. And even though we had booked the elevator a month in advance, nobody thought to let us know about any change. Felix puts up a stink, we get our way, but 20 minutes is wasted and we are not off to a good start.
When La Diva gets to the apartment, I find that the $100 a/c thermostat that was installed the day before is NOT working. It's our third thermostat. It's HOT and even though La Diva and the DJ both did some trouble shooting, we couldn't solve the issue and still had to move in with no a/c in the relentless heat. Yippee!
The morning is passing quickly and the movers are taking WAY longer than I budgeted for. At $90 an hour, the move has now gone from an estimated four hours to eight. Oh, and don't forget the $135 "fuel" charge and extra hour for travel time. RIPOFF. I'm so glad that we won't be doing this again for a looong time.
With a 9:30 am start, the movers have finally arrived at our new digs at three pm and now there is only two hours to move our stuff in until the receiving dock closes. We are all hustling.
And then, I hear, "Uh oh, Mizz Laura! Your glass table top done broke," exclaims Victor the mover. Yay! Funny, no one was near it or can figure out just how it broke! And there it lay, my cocktail table top, broken in a million pieces in a blanket.
As the other mover brought in the dining room table base with the special copper-coloured glaze finish, I notice there is a huge chip in it and several dents in the wood. La Diva, "Why is this chipped?! Didn't you wrap this with a blanket? " Mover: "Uh no, sorry." Now, I'm really ticked. I'm so glad I take such good care of my expensive belongings for years only to have a harried kid ruin them within a day. Time to write the claim form and be ripped off again. Sigh.
"Uh oh, Mizz Laura! The elevator is broke! We can't move nuthin'." Tick tock, tick tock....as I call the building's engineers, security and property manager, none of them pick up their phones. Another fifteen minutes goes by and finally the elevator is running again. It will stop working again later in the next hour.
Five o'clock comes and I weasel another hour of freight elevator time out from the property manager and agree to pay the movers "off the clock" in hand. Everyone is happy with the arrangement considering the overtime I would have been charged. The truck gets unloaded by 6pm. Bye, Mizz Laura!
Since we took the sheets off the bed before moving, La Diva thinks it's logical to simply wash them and put them back on the bed instead of digging through a box. However when the washing cycle begins, my machine sounds more like a chain saw. I trouble shoot on the appliance's website. YES, it IS supposed to sound like sawing! Yay! Wait, NO, it does NOT sound the same as in the video on the brand's website. Exhausted, I put the dirty sheets on the bed and make a note to call the repairman the next day.
Back to the old place to get another load! Yippee! The DJ, "Do you want to go for a final swim in the pool? "I'd love to but I am really looking forward to taking a nice hot bath at our new place." We head back. Hot, dirty, stinky and bone-tired, La Diva draws a bath....and waits for the water to get hot. After running the water for 15 minutes, there is still no hot water. I check the sink. No hot water. Resigned to a stifling, grubby and smelly first night in our new place, we open the windows and collapse into bed and fall into a deep sleep, tomorrow is another big day.

But you know what? It's all OKAY because the HOUSE IS MINE, SNITCHES!!!

The creamy cork floor adds brightness and a fresh, clean look to each room no matter the colour scheme.

Juan did a great job on the wallpaper.

Doesn't it look FABU?!

And now we are all moved in and unpacking. It's been so nice already here, so quiet and peaceful, such a change from all the noise from living on West Avenue! And I am so ready to get back to work on La Diva Cucina as well as into a regular routine of cooking and working out. After all, a gal can only eat so many take away burritos, Chinese food and grocery store salads, I am really craving some fresh veggies, fruit and home made dinners. When we are finished and you can actually see the floor, I'll post the final photos....and I'll see YOU real soon, darlings, I promise! Ciao for now!

Who's Afraid of Colour? http://www.ladivacucina.com

2011-09-18T11:06:00.001-04:00

La Diva's not. And neither is the DJ, apparently. This is the colour of our bedroom! You COULD call it HOT PINK. You COULD call it fuschia. But the I prefer to call it raspberry! Actually, the DJ was inspired to "do" our bedroom in raspberry and chocolate brown when I brought home a beach towel that caught my eye in those very colours. It was laid across the railing while we lounged in the hot tub and he looked at it and said, "THAT combo is really hip." Surprised, I agreed. And because we are both artsy, that makes it ok. If he could take it, so could La Diva.

The next day, I decided to paint over the second wall on the left because when you walked into the room it looked like you were being swallowed into the vortex of dark pink, making me feel slightly overwhelmed and claustrophobic. I insisted we change it to the lighter colour, much to the chagrin of the DJ, as we would have to prime over it again and there would be another three coats to paint! After it was done, he relented and agreed it did look better. We painted only the back wall in this PASSIONATE colour and the other three walls are the lightest shade of chocolate brown which actually turns into a sort of very light dusty rose OR the palest of violets, depending on the time of day you are in the room. Cool.

Here's the Proflex subflooring and sound proofing product I told you about a few posts back. La Diva picked this heavy $hit up in Hollywood and then unloaded and loaded it onto a cart up to our apartment all by myself. Yeah, dat's right, snitches, why else go to the gym if I'm not going to use my MUSCLES? (insert Popeye laugh here: "A-gah-gah-gah-gah-gah-gah!")

I am WOMAN, here me roar.

(and now I'm sore!)

The funny thing is, I had a TOTAL Final Destination flashback while driving back with the Proflex to our unit, a good twenty two miles away, in our Dodge Magnum. You know the movie Final Destination, right? (okay, this movie and all of its sequels are my guilty pleasures!) Basically, the movie's premise is based on the main character having a premonition about a catastrophic accident and therefore has the ability to avoid it, thus cheating Death. Death don't like to be cheated and he comes back and gets all those that survived, one by one. Bwahahahaaaaaa!

WARNING: This clip is full of gratuitous gore and and is poorly recorded. Death is really, really mad in this scene!

Well, it wasn't quite this bad, but you know La Diva likes to add the drama, don't you? These sort of movies crack me up...pretty girls and boys in unbelievable situations and ridiculous consequences. You know you want to see them "buy it" just because they are so annoying. And cute.

In any case, this is what happened: I was driving back from Hollywood to our apartment on the freeway with the 12 rolls of heavy Proflex in the back, and was moving along at regular speed (regular speed being about 75 mph on Miami freeways) when I had to put the brakes on quickly, I did not SLAM them, but put my foot down on them hard enough to make one of the rolls of Proflex KNOCK into the back of my seat with a heavy thud.

"Ugh."

If that wasn't bad enough, another roll FLEW into the middle between the two front seats and pushed my car's gear shift into neutral. While I was driving. On the freeway. NOT. GOOD. Thoughts of messed up transmissions and costly repairs along with the "what if's" went through my Diva head. What IF the Proflex were just a bit heavier and I DID slam on the brakes? Would I experience a Final Destination chain reaction with the Proflex jamming into the back of my head and splattering MY brain into the windshield? Hmmm....better slow down, Diva girl, slooooow down. After that, I went into the right lane and stayed WAY the hell back from the car in front of me. Live and learn. (and don't tell the DJ, ok?)

Here is the two pallets of cork flooring we had delivered last Friday. The DJ and I hauled it up to our new place. Our contractors were on another job, so could not help me take the delivery, and thankfully, the DJ was working from home, so could assist. Otherwise, I would have had to pay the driver $250 to help me! Hell to the No! Again, I was glad I've been working out and was able to help load and unload and made sure I picked up each box using the strength from my legs instead of my back. Pleased at myself, I realized that there was no way I could have done this before I started working out back in March when we put the offer on the house.

You go, Girl.

Here is the beautiful cork flooring I bought. Why cork, you ask? Because it's soft on my feets (and cooks like floors that "give.") it's sustainable, it sports a cool marble design, it's durable and hypo allergenic. And it's as strong as wood, if not stronger. I am used to cork floors as it is very prevalent in Australian kitchens, however, it used to be that cork came in only a few limited shades of yellow and brown. Now it comes in many colours and styles, even pearlized high gloss finishes!

It was suggested by several people that in order to save on flooring, I should go to Lumber Liquidators to get something cost effective, but that would mean buying CRAP from China. And we ALL know what GREAT QUALITY Chinese products are, right? This cork comes from Portugal. Luckily, in Miami we have an international port and the company's warehouse is about a half an hour away, so I didn't have to pay exorbitant shipping fees or sales tax. Woo hoo! When I told my friend Beth this great news, she reminded me that I should always BUY AMERICAN. I then reminded her that we don't grow a lot of cork trees here in America. "Oh," she said, and started to laugh. But I DID by from an American importer in Texas who was quite lovely and very helpful!

Here is my office! Bright, yes?! La Diva LOVES colour and yes, I have the balls to use it! My desk will go in this corner and the lovely outlook of the tree-filled park will be my view from the window on the left.

The DJ and I work well as a team and we spent the entire weekend painting. Since I hate the fiddly work, he primes, tapes and paints close to the edges. I am the workhorse, rolling the bulk of the paint on the walls. We did each room in three coats and you better believe that La Diva was in that hot tub by the end of the night. Oddly enough, I felt the pain more ON MONDAY and had a blister on my hand from the roller!

The living room went from this caca brown...

...to this vibrant teal and the palest of blues! Very Miami, VERY hip! (you'll see!)

And we will add a bit of texture and DRAMA to the dining area by putting up this really groovy metallic wallpaper by Graham and Brown. Yes, wallpaper is back in style, darlings, and its not-cho mama's wall paper either! Divine!

And finally, this is the Vulkem waterproofing finish we put on our balcony. The building did some balcony repairs which left us with pieces of balcony floor removed at about a 1/4 of an inch more shallow than the rest. So, we needed it filled in, leveled and then finished. This will allow me to enjoy walking on it in bare feet without slipping or feeling the heat of the relentless Miami sun. This balcony, by the way, is HUGE. Big enough for me to have a herb garden, bar style table and chairs and a BED. Yeah, dat's right, La Diva is considering putting a bed on the balcony. No, NOT a ghetto-bed-left-over-from-your-tacky-ass-K-mart-living-room-furniture-that-y'all-put-on-da-po'ch-after-it-look-bad-in-da-house, but a DAY bed that will be great for lounging with company while sipping a sassy cocktail and admiring the bay or the full moon! You'll see.

That's it for now, darlings! The crib is half-packed, the floor almost finished, baseboards about to go on and trim painted. La Diva is getting excited! What do YOU think, darlings? Can you DO bright? What are YOUR fave colours? Do tell, La Diva wants to hear all about it! Ciao for now!

A Decade Later, We are Still Going Strong

2011-09-12T13:20:00.001-04:00

Memorial in Sydney, Australia outside of the U.S. consulate from "When Words Fail Us," a collection of images. Click here.

I remember the conversation with my husband like it was yesterday. He and I were talking about our future, our options, and to me, the future did not look bright living in Sydney for what my husband wanted to achieve. Sure, Sydney is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world, and for almost a decade yours truly lived a wonderful life there but yet....I was bored. The tyranny of distance kept me from sharing my fabulous experiences with all but a few friends and family and opportunities were just not as plentiful as in the heavily populated United States. How could a city of three million people compare to the United States' population of almost 300 million? To me, more people, meant more jobs and more chances to reach our goals. After Felix spilled his hopes and dreams to me, I knew Sydney would not provide enough opportunity for him to realize them. We needed to get to Los Angeles, the City of Angels, a place that boasted more events, bigger budgets, creative people and jobs that Sydney could never deliver.

I was told by the U.S. consulate that the process of getting residency in the United States could take up to a year, so we decided the plan of action was to get married in a civil ceremony in order to get the proper papers filed in time for us to move within twelve months. At the end of October, we decided we would have a "real" wedding and celebrate with all of our friends and family. On September 1, 2001, we got married in a city office downtown and with a few friends and family, we celebrated our nuptials with cocktails at the penthouse bar at the ANA hotel at Circular Quay and then seafood at Golden Century Chinese restaurant in Chinatown. Our new life had begun and I had an appointment at the United States consulate on September 13.

On the night of September 11, 2001, Felix jumped out of bed with a start, waking me up from a deep sleep. "What's wrong?" I asked. "Shhh, I hear something, be right back." It was almost midnight, and he began to search for intruders. He had heard noises and thought our house had been broken into. Finding nothing out of order, he came back to bed and as he crawled in, the phone rang. Who could be calling at this hour? We listened to the message, my co-worker Sarah, was crying and saying, "America is getting bombed! We are under attack! Wake up, Laura, wake up!"

What. The. Hell? I leaped out of bed and grabbed the phone. Sarah was the editor of the beauty magazine I worked on, we sat next to each other every day and were close friends. Her sister was living in L.A. and Sarah was a true Americanophile, always telling me her tales of wonderful times visiting the States. Sobbing, she told me to turn on the TV, I went into the living room and did as I was told. With the phone still in my hand and Sarah on the line, Felix and I watched the news of how a plane had crashed into the Twin Towers. At this point, no one knew it was a terrorist attack.

Horrified, we stayed glued to the TV, trying to find out exactly how this happened? And then before our eyes, we saw the first tower fall. And not long after that, the second tower fell. I knew I had just witnessed people dying right in front of me. It was one of the most dreadful feelings I have ever experienced. We stayed up late, watching as more news poured in. The United States was under attack and now news of other terrorist attacks came on TV. We were both in a state of shock and disbelief. We watched all night, while a feeling of helplessness and guilt crept over me. I felt for my fellow countrymen and wanted to be there, for some reason. I called my friend Bobby, who was living in New York, fearing for his safety. I found that he had just flown in on a flight into New York and had managed to get into the city from the airport before everything got closed down. He was okay, we spoke briefly and then hung up. And then the cell phone network went haywire and people could not contact loved ones in the city.

I didn't go to work the next day. I didn't call in. I was American. No one expected me to, it was understood.

On September 13, I got out of the Martin Place train station in downtown Sydney and made my way to the United States Consulate. The doors were on a mezzanine level and escalators lead up to the first floor. All up the sides of the escalator and around the entrance memorial items were laid out, including flowers, candles, flags and a firemen's hat. Looking at the multitude of sentimental mementos, I gasped, caught my breath and pushed back the tears and made my way up to the consulate office. Security was tough, I went through a metal detector and put my belongings on a belt to be x-rayed, then after a brief wait, was called to the window of the woman who would be interviewing me. She asked all the predictable questions about my husband, our life and why we wanted to go to America? I told her that my husband was seeking opportunities not available to him in Australia and how I wanted to be with my family again, but it was more than that, much more. For reasons I didn't understand, I felt a NEED to get back home. Now, more than ever, I HAD to get back. The interviewer smiled at me and told me that we'd get their decision within six months, the process had begun.

Now that the interview was over, I could take my time looking at the memorial offerings and made my way to the street level. "We love you America" was written on a blanket. Bouquets of flowers with sympathetic greetings were every where. And there was the fireman's hat. I lost it and began to sob uncontrollably. A plump older woman came up to me and with an English accent said, "Are you American, dear?" I managed to get out a weak "yes." "Come here," and she extended her arms out and then pulled me to her ample bosom, hugging me, while I continued crying. I did not know this woman but her kindness and sympathy were just what I needed. I composed myself and pulled away while she told me that it "was horrible what had happened." I told her that my new husband and I were making plans to move to the States and how horrific this all was but I refused to change our plans. She wished us all the best, agreed that we should move forward and to "be strong." She told me she was headed to St. Mary's church to pray for me. I thanked her profusely and took the train home, comforted to a degree and amazed at how kind people can be to a stranger during times of conflict.

On October 27, 2001, as planned, we had a beautiful ceremony in the Rhododendron Garden in the Village of Blackheath, in the Blue Mountains. We shared the day with forty of our dear friends and family. The next day we went on our honeymoon on Hamilton Island near the Great Barrier Reef, and we had the most relaxing, beautiful time. We snorkeled, we sailed and ate out each night at fancy restaurants. We met some Americans staying at our hotel and the events of 9/11 was the hot topic of conversation. It was on the news daily, nightly, any time you turned the TV on, you would likely find coverage. One American tourist was so obsessed with the events, that he watched TV his entire honeymoon and gave us a bottle of Dom Perignon, as he felt he could not enjoy it. I felt bad for his new wife and was glad that we had the ability to "look away" and be present. In spite of the tragedy, we believed our careers would be better served with a future living in the U.S. and we forged ahead with our plans.

It was a beautiful Indian Summer day on September 11, 2002 and I was headed to Detroit Metropolitan airport. I was flying into to New York City, a year to the day, from the terrorist attacks. A lot had happened in the last year. I remember telling a distant cousin living in Michigan that we were moving back to the States and her reply was, "Why would you want to live here, it's so dangerous?" I was aghast at her weak reply. Too dangerous? My own country? HELL NO. No terrorist or FEAR of terrorism was going to stop me from living back in my own country as a proud American, in America, the land of opportunity, the land of the FREE. Besides, I always felt that no matter what lengths the government does to "protect" its citizens, there are no guarantees we will ever be completely safe. No one could ever guarantee that sort of safety. Ironically, in October 2002, there was an Al Qaeda attack in a popular tourist area in Bali, a known holiday spot for Australian tourists. Australians had felt the bite of terrorism as well and I realized that no country would ever be completely immune to it.

Back in May 2002 the United States government granted my husband permanent residence status and gave him a green card. We had been interviewed and processed, we could move to America and he could legally work, we were good to go. In August of that year, I had planned a series of trips around the United States, visiting friends and places I had not seen in ten years. And more than anything, I wanted to spend time with my family. I would base myself in Detroit, at my dad's house, and from there I would travel to New York City, Chicago and Florida. I had quit my job, sold my car, paid off my bills and left my husband behind to settle his affairs back in Australia. For the first time in years, I was truly free. I didn't even have a set of keys.

That night, lying in bed at my dad's house in a Detroit suburb, I dreamed of flying high across the earth. As I was flying, I was looking down at palm trees and lawns but everything was sparkly and white. The trees and grass were white and glittering in the sun, and I remember smiling as I flew over, feeling blissful and happy. It was the best dream I ever had.

The next morning when I walked into the airport in Detroit on September 11, 2001, I was handed a small black metal pin in the shape of a ribbon at the door. It was a remembrance pin and the airport worker thanked me for flying that day. The airport was deserted. The numbers were so small for the flight to New York that the plane we boarded was much smaller than a DC 10 or even a DC9, I don't believe there was more than twenty people on that flight. People told me I was crazy to fly to New York that day, "What if we are attacked again?" But logic told me that there would be no attacks that day. That was not how the terrorists worked, there would be no element of surprise. We landed without incident and I made my way to my friend Bobby's apartment in Chelsea.

It was about 2 am and the streets of the lower east side were crowded, people were everywhere. Dressed in kitten heels and a skirt, I walked the streets without purpose and a friendly cop warned me to "be careful." After heading north, I found myself at St. Vincents on 12th St. The medical center's wall was filled with posters of people who'd gone missing during the attack on September 11. A dozen people were reading the fliers and crying, there were candles everywhere. A sense of camaraderie came over all of us as we spoke about where we were that day. It was another episode of strangers coming together to grieve and commiserate. Throughout my visit to New York, I came across memorials at fire stations and parks. I would not go to the site of the bombing though. And I refused to call it Ground Zero. I found the military term insulting to the memory of those that had passed, and I honestly don't know why.

In that year, I realized that I could never live in fear. I would not let the actions of terrorists dictate the terms of my life. I will go where I want, when I want, without trepidation. I didn't feel changed by what happened, although when I got back to my country, I felt America had changed. There was a sense of unease and uncertainty, like Americans had no control over their lives, it was hard for me to explain or comprehend. Where were all the tough fighters? Why were some people living on their knees? The media, the President and politicians did their best to keep people in a state of perpetual fear, while I only got angry.

Moving back to America was not easy, at times, downright difficult. My Yank-loving husband took to living here like a duck to water, while I had a hard time adjusting. Because the America I knew no longer existed. Nine years later, I have no regrets. This country STILL provides ample opportunity for those that go out and seek it. My husband's career is thriving, he goes from strength to strength and is now officially an American citizen. I am American and this is my country, love it or hate it, warts and all. I am back home and we are still going strong.

It is what it is http://www.ladivacucina.com

2011-09-07T15:15:00.001-04:00

I found this photo searching for "do it yourself home improvement." Have you ever seen a STRAIGHT guy with a saw in his hand standing like this with his behind to us? Me neither. This is supposed to be an article "empowering" women giving them DIY info and yet, they can't resist showing us her ass. WTF? This isn't Playboy but an article FOR women. La Diva gets tired of women constantly being sexualized. BAH.

Darlings, this was once a food blog. It was once about FABULOSITY. It was a fun blog, in all its DIVALICIOUS glory. But for now, it's none of those. Houseguests and home refurbishment means less Diva-cooked meals. Less Diva-cooked meals means less food blog fodder. Boo to busy-ness!

Welcome to my current world.

This is Proflex. It's used for sound proofing underneath flooring materials like tile. I didn't know what this was a month ago. Now I'm about to go and pick up 1200 square feet of it! Yippeee!

This is Chef David Chang's new publication, Lucky Peach. Full of cool art, content, photos, layouts, recipes and NO ads, this ex magazine ad sales exec couldn't wait to get her little Diva paws on it. I have no time to read it.

This is Vulkem waterproof deck coating. It's for our balcony floor. It only comes in five gallon pails, is super expensive and naturally, I only need one gallon. I went to the supplier and bought five gallons each of primer and paint for the contractor, hauled it onto the building's luggage cart along with 50 lbs. of sand all by myself. Thank you, Crunch Gym.

This is my Crunch gym membership card. I've not been back since my accident July 19. The gash on my leg is almost healed but the wound was so deep, it's still slightly weeping. When I had out of town guests this past two weeks, I thought I was SuperWoman and healed and went biking for miles, showing off my beautiful city to our guests. And now, after going full force like I would have before my injury, my leg aches...this pisses me off. I want my leg back. It's taking longer to heal than I thought but it IS healing....albeit slowly.

This is the delicious chicken dinner I made a few weeks back, a recipe tried and true from my Chicago Tribune cookbook. I had fully planned on posting about it. It's called Chicken Vesuvio, you dredge chicken pieces in flour with Italian seasonings, brown and then bake it in the oven with potato wedges with white wine and garlic. It's delicious. But this photo is all you're gonna get.

This is the logo for Lo Que Te Pica on MTV's Tr3s channel. La Diva will be filming an ENTIRE SEGMENT with hostess Kareliz tomorrow morning. It will air next Friday at 10 am. I am thrilled, two shows in two weeks and this show is on national television. I do not even know where this channel is on my tv. (but I'll let you know!)

And finally, here is the living room of our new condo when we bought it.

And here it is today!

I've just packed my first box, it contains some of my most precious cookbooks! Soon, I won't be able to cook dinners, it's going to be pizza and take away. Please, darlings, don't think that La Diva is complaining. I am really quite excited about the DJ and I beginning a new life in a new home, OUR new home.

I just miss y'all.

See you very soon, darlings, and ciao for now! xo

Check out La Diva Cucina's NEW cooking club blog: Tutti A Tavola!

2011-08-28T20:31:00.000-04:00

La Diva with the cast of NBC's Live Miami at 11! I appeared on the daytime show last Wednesday (8-24-11) and had a blast! Hostesses: Nathalie Pozo, La Diva, Shiri Spears, Trina Robinson and Roxanne Vargas! Thanks, ladies!

FINALLY....

La Diva has written a NEW POST! Check out my other blog, Tutti a Tavola Cooking Club Blog....ciao, darlings!

Click HERE!

Rustic Roasted Cauliflower Rigatoni with Fontina Cheese Sauce and Toasted Truffled Bread Crumbs http://www.ladivacucina.com

2011-08-15T17:59:00.004-04:00

Rustic Roasted Cauliflower Rigatoni with Fontina Cheese and Toasted Truffled Breadcrumbs: Another meatless wonder that hubby inhaled without questioning, "Whar's the beef?"

Darlings! La Diva is back in the kitchen and cooking with a vengeance. Oh yes she is! And there is something driving me to baking cakes and cooking classic suppers. Perhaps longing for simple comfort food is another way to heal thyself? Or maybe it's the weather? What is it about the gray, cloudy days hovering endlessly in Miami that seem almost "winter-ish" and slightly depressing? These dull days initiate a submerged yet familiar feeling inside that reminds my body clock of times past in snowy Illinois and Michigan. Is this part of the desire to prepare and eat savory comfort foods? Who knows? All I know is that La Diva has been cooking up a storm and the recipient of my efforts is one very happy and neglected DJ.

Blackberry buttermilk cake from this month's Buon Appetite. Fruit cakes are my fave!

One night, we dined on grass fed steaks from Gaucho Ranch with sauteed shitake mushrooms, mashed potatoes with lashings of white truffle cream, fresh baby spinach with garlic; all washed down with a hearty and peppery Aussie shiraz called Henry's Drive. Perfectly cooked, the flavorful and juicy steaks practically melted in our mouths, steak and mash is one of our favorite meals. So, where's the money shot? Where's the food porn? There is none. We were too hungry to stop and take a photo. Sorry.

Tony Bourdain snags a dinner invite for traditional Sunday ragu at mama's place in Naples, Italy.

And then, inspired by the recently aired Naples episode of "No Reservations," La Diva conquered a five hour pork and veal ragu made with San Marzano tomatoes, all while conjuring up images of the chain smoking matriarch on the show. She reminded La Diva of my long departed, sailor-mouthed Auntie Ann, who every Sunday, dripping with diamond rings, made the traditional Italian ragu with pork, chicken, braciola, Italian sausage with finocchio seeds (fennel) and mostaccioli. In her tiny basement, an assembly of dinner tables were pushed together and three generations of family would sit and eat with much laughter and arguing!

Savory, rich and delicious, La Diva's ragu was something my Auntie Ann would have been proud of, the sauce was more-ish and induced intense cravings. Just from after breakfast, all I could think about was when we would be eating it again and how soon was dinner? I realized this was why people in our family have heart disease and tend to be on the, ahem, "plump" side. Another winning dish and yet, La Diva took no photo even after serving it two nights in a row. Sorry.

Both dinners were divine. But did I bother to take you on a food porn journey with either of the succulent suppers? No. Greedily, the DJ and I tucked into our laden plates, not stopping to talk, allowing a sip of wine here and there, and plowing through until our plates were clean. There are no photos, there will be NO forthcoming blog post.

Instead, I give you a rustic and simple dish I made up based upon a craving.

Let's talk for a minute about cravings.....La Diva has been having a lot of them lately, for some reason. Perhaps it was the myriad cooking shows I watched endlessly over the last four weeks during my infirmity? Of that, I'm certain. In any case, I gots a lot of cravings. And with cravings, I sometimes find that having the meal or dish you crave doesn't actually satisfy you and makes you want to eat it all over again. And again. What you thought would satisfy you really makes you want more. You just know in your heart of hearts that you are almost better NOT succumbing to the craving to begin with (as experienced when La Diva had a problem with severe cravings for freshly baked Southern biscuits.)

These freshly baked biscuits only took 15 minutes to prepare before they were in the oven. Making them myself was much easier than calling out to the DJ every few seconds: "Biscuits." "Biscuits." "Biscuits." For some reason me annoying him with my repetitive plea did nothing to propel the man into action to make me some. Hmpf.

And then there are the cravings that are passed on to you....someone mentions an excellent dish they recently enjoyed that gets you to thinking...and craving. Believe it or not, my passed on craving came from a student from one of my recent classes that ate at a high end vegetarian restaurant, raved about their beautifully baked breaded cauliflower and wondered "did I know how to make it?"

No. I did not. Unfortunately, La Diva has not eaten every thing at every restaurant (though I try!) But it got me to thinking about tasty breaded cauliflower, something I love but never make.

Which led to me thinking of a bubbly, cheese-y bread-crumb-y cauliflower gratin.

Which led me to think of a rustic mac and cheese with a toasted buttery, crunchy bread crumb topping.

Which led me to combining all the flavors and textures into:

Cauliflower Rigatoni with Fontina Cheese Sauce and

Toasted Truffled Breadcrumbs

Heat oven to 450 degrees Farenheit and heat up a large pot of water to cook the pasta. Cut up one small or half of a large cauliflower into even chunks, douse with extra virgin olive oil and sea salt. Stir together to coat well, put into oven and bake for 15-20 minutes. When cauliflower is brown, turn over to caramelize the other side, continue cooking until brown and fork tender, another 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat.

The browning of the cauliflower releases the vegetable's sugars and lessens its slightly bitter taste.

In a skillet, melt a knob of butter with a dash of olive oil. Add fresh or panko breadcrumbs to the pan and toast until evenly browned. Remove from heat and put onto a plate to stop them from over-browning. For a bit of decadence and flavor, La Diva added a few drops of white truffle oil and mixed through.

When the water begins to boil, add rigatoni and set timer for two minutes less than al dente. Salt the water. When done, drain and add to the cauliflower.

Now it's time to make the cheese sauce: Melt a few tablespoons of butter and then add equal amounts of flour, stirring with a risk and forming a "roux."

Cook the roux until golden. Then add one cup of milk, whisking continuously. Stir in 3/4 cup fontina and parmesan cheeses. The sauce will thicken, taste it and season with salt and pepper. La Diva had some white truffle and porcini cream, so I added a good heaping spoonful to the cheese sauce. Mmmmmmmmm mellow, salty, creamy cheese sauce loaded with umami!

Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and cauliflower and then mix through to make sure its all well coated.

Turn off oven and set broiler to high. Sprinkle pasta evenly with bread crumbs and put under broiler until brown and bubbly, just a few minutes. Keep an eye on it to make sure you don't burn it!!

RESULT: Delicious. Scrumptious. Divine. More-ish. You know, darlings, La Diva usually does not approve of "carb on carb" dishes (the breadcrumbs and the pasta) NOR do I care very much for baked pasta dishes (darlings, I don't know about you, but La Diva has suffered too many bland and mushy mac and cheese and baked ziti dinners far too many times!) However, cooking the pasta less than al dente allowed for the pasta retain a perfect, still-chewy texture when removed from the oven. And for that reason, rigatoni is one of my favorite noodles. It holds up so well and has a robust, ribbed texture that captures the sauce.

The crunch of the toasted, truffled bread crumbs combine with the pasta to add another layer of toothsomeness to this hearty dish. The truffle's taste was subtle, the slightly bitter flavor of the cauliflower mellowed, and the sharpness of the parmesan cheese was tempered by the creamy fontina. All in all, this dish is WINNING!

Do cravings inspire YOU in the kitchen, darlings? What are YOU making this week? Please tell La Diva ALL ABOUT IT! Ciao for now! xo

PS: The bank accepted our offer for the short sale. We closed on our condo last Monday and got a great deal. My level of responsibilities just got waaaay bigger and the DJ and I are thrilled! So, please excuse me if I don't get around to commenting as much as I'd like to. Off to patch, prime and paint!

La Diva's Key Largo Boating Adventure...Saving the Hellish Best for Last! Part 2 http://www.ladivacucina.com

2011-08-05T09:50:00.002-04:00

This sign was above the bar in the Pontunes tiki bar: La Diva needs few reminders of the charmed life she leads!

So, darlings, part one of our boating adventure left La Diva and the DJ in a twenty four foot rented Sundeck boat in Key Largo, about head into the ocean to snorkel at the reefs. The day was cloudy with the threat of more rain. However, our little boat was in the wake of a large snorkeling excursion boat for John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, so I felt all was well to continue on to the reef, miles out to open sea.

The marker buoys leading us out to sea and the State Park tourist boat ahead of us.

As we headed out into the ocean, we noticed about five sets of markers were taking us straight out. It's imperative that you stay between the markers and not divert from the guides otherwise you'll find yourself in shallow waters where the boat could get grounded and stranded until the tide comes in or an expensive tow boat comes for you if you've damaged your engine and propeller!

We reached the last of the markers, finally, and the DJ gunned the boat leaving the large tourist boat behind! La Diva was in heaven! The sea spray splashed my face as we raced across the waves.

I looked behind us and noticed two large towers with lights, filing it away as a landmark for our return. And that's when I asked the DJ, "Darling, what direction are we headed in?"

"East. No, West."

"What? Well, what does the GPS say?" I asked?

"It's not on!" Doh. The DJ turned it on, waited for it to load and found that we were actually heading southeast. So, our return would be northwest. Easy-peasy!

We continued out into the glorious aqua blue sea, and for now we were alone with no other boats in sight. At last, we spotted one of the reef towers, found no other boats there, and decided to head further out to the next reef tower. We drove on for at least another twenty minutes and then arrived at the second reef. I noticed another dive boat and a small boat were already moored there. I looked back and saw the State Park excursion boat heading in too. We were in the right place!

Now to just find a white buoy to tie up to...there it is! I grabbed the telescopic boat hook and told the DJ to pull up closer. But the swell that the Pontunes staff had told us was only two foot high, was really like three feet and the waves were rough. I leaned over the boat and hooked the buoy. Out the telescope went, one, two, three.... "HELP, DJ, I can't hold on!" With the boat bouncing in the waves and current, I couldn't keep hold of the buoy without being pulled over the side and into the water. The DJ scrambled to me in an instant, took over and tied us up. The telescope on the boat hook was bent. I bent it back into place and it snapped in two. DAMN. How much do these things cost? $50? $70? I was dreading to find out. But, the beauty of the ocean quickly erased all of my anxiety, for there we were, in the middle of the Atlantic ocean on a gorgeous coral reef and about to go snorkeling!!!

This is the photo I took of the ocean. Gorgeous.

The conditions were windy and the sea was turbulent. The waves continued knocking the boat around and I was having a hard time keeping my balance. I put my dive mask on, carefully let down the ladder and then cautiously lowered myself into the warm sea. While still hanging on to the ladder, I took a quick look around behind me under the water. About a dozen large fish looked right into my mask at me as if to say, "Well, ya gonna feed us or what, lady?" Excited, I climbed back into the boat.

"It's beautiful! There's a million fish down there and the water is so clear!" Inspired, the DJ put on his gear and jumped in without hesitation. As soon as he let go of the ladder, the current took him away from the boat a few feet. I looked at the two tourist boats. No one was getting into the water and I wondered why. The other small boat had already up and left. And then the smaller dive boat left. Shortly after, the large excursion boat left as well. We were alone in the middle of the ocean.

YIPPEE!

And that's when it all changed.

Large, foreboding clouds had developed to the north and with disappointing realization, I knew there would be no snorkeling today. The current was too strong, the water was too rough. And then

CRACK!!!

It began to lightening. Even though we had been there only fifteen minutes, we knew it was time to head back in as quickly as we could. Being out in the middle of the ocean in an electrical storm was NOT how we intended to spend the day.

DJ: "Which way home?"

I looked at the reef tower landmark and exclaimed, "That way!"

Checking the GPS, the DJ said, "No it's not! It's back THAT way!"

Thank goodness for compasses and GPS! The boat had gotten all turned about in the waves and so had La Diva! Wasn't the tower on our left when we arrived? I had thought it was. It's hard to tell which way is the "right" way when each direction looks the same, you cannot see land and there is no sun to guide you.

The DJ put the boat into full throttle, but the waves were larger now, so the boat was slamming into each one: bam, bam, BAM. I couldn't take it. "Slow down!" I screamed, fearing I would fly over the edge or the small boat would break apart. As we headed back to shore, we found we were heading directly into the storm, with an ominous black cloud and lightening in our path. What could we do? That was the way back to the marina.

Water, water, everywhere you looked and no land in sight as the sky grew even darker. Finally, I spotted one of the towers with lights! Yes! Land! "We are getting closer to the shore!" I screamed over the engine. As we neared the shore, we realized that it was not the tower we were after but the one further south. Where was the other tower? There it was, WAY UP NORTH, we were much further south than we realized. The DJ headed back towards the second tower......and then all of a sudden the rain came down by the barrel-full, the skimpy little awning on our small boat providing little shelter from the tropical storm.

The Sundeck boat: perfect for two but not in an electrical storm!

Through the gale, we kept heading north trying to locate the markers to the entrance of the mangrove canals. As quickly and violently as it began, the rain slowed down, visibility returned and that's when the DJ noticed that we were in VERY SHALLOW WATER. Damn. I could see the sandy bottom and the sea weed, we were in maybe two and a half feet max. WHAT? We were on the wrong side of the markers!!!! I looked behind and saw the engine was churning up sand! Instantly, images of scraped propellers, fisty confrontations and expensive credit card charges filled my head and then were immediately replaced with visions of hypothermia, engine failure and electrocution! We HAD to get out of the open sea and out of the storm NOW, La Diva did not want to be stranded on the water for hours.

Undaunted, my brave husband, lifted the engine halfway out of the water and we S-L-O-W-L-Y made our way to the markers in the pouring rain. We had no choice, either chance ruining the engine and getting grounded and stranded or putt along until we reached deeper water.

putt putt putt

And it rained and rained. And then, after what seemed like an eternity, we reached the markers, we'd made it. Safely in between the markers and making our way back in towards the mangroves, we didn't think the boat suffered any damage that we could tell (so far.) Whew. But I knew I wouldn't be happy until we could take the time to check.

Buh-bye stupid canal that went on forever and where every dam thing looked the same!

With the showers now down to a light sprinkle, we followed the markers in through the mangroves in the deserted canals, thankful for the guideposts through the endless, monotonous mangroves. It started to rain hard again and La Diva was soaked and starting to get a chill. Around yet another bend in the canal and then at last, we came into Large Sound. La Diva let out a deep sigh. We were now about a three quarters of the way back and we had to find the entrance to the cut.

This was the cut on the way out...nice and calm.

We crept close to the shore, trying to find the entrance to the canal and the house that was our landmark. As we got closer, we discovered that all the houses looked the same and once again realized that it's hard to locate these canals until you are right on top of them. La Diva reminded the DJ, "It was a white house that was boarded up..." Which house was it that the canal was by? I pulled out my camera and found the image....and suddenly the house was in front of us.

We entered the canal, we were in the home stretch now, just through the cut and then two bays away! The rain started again, coming down with even more ferocity. It pummeled us so fast that the DJ couldn't see, and with the canal's waters churning, the boat was even more difficult to steer. I quickly gave him my sunglasses, which helped only marginally. Soaked and shivering, I grabbed a beach towel out of my bag, wrapped it around me and helped direct him, trying not to notice the water that was beginning to fill the back of the boat.

There it was, we reached the end of the cut! HOORAY!!! After what had seemed like forever, we were heading into one of the last bays....but wait! Where were all the boats and yachts we'd seen on the way in? We couldn't see them because the rain was coming down so hard that the boats that were there before were now obscured and enveloped in a large cloud. There was no way in hell we were going to be able navigate around moored boats we could not even see. The rain was coming down in sheets and we had taken on three inches of water in the back of the boat. Chilled to the bone, La Diva was trembling violently. We had no choice but to head back into the canal and tie up to one of the moors at a private house to seek shelter until the storm passed.

Who knew that when I took this photo upon entering the cut we'd be moored at one of the houses a few hours later?

La Diva went to the side of the boat and grabbed the tie line and threw the bumper out. We headed towards the first home, but the waves and current took us quickly past, we missed it. Then onto the second house and the same thing happened. We got to the third home and I managed to grab a line from the shore and pulled in tight. BAM! Even though I had put the bumpers out, the rear of the boat slammed into the coral seawall, it was just too rough. The boat was bouncing all over and I could barely keep from falling over as I tied the front of the boat. The DJ came over to tie up the back, with the boat secure, I scrambled up the ladder with our bag and ran under the house's balcony.

But where was the DJ? I thought he was right behind me. "Get up here, please!" I yelled towards the boat. I was so worried he'd be struck by lightening. The DJ climbed up and joined me under the house, he had been checking the boat and engine for damage.

"Do you think we scraped it, I asked?"

"Nothing that wasn't already there," he replied.

With a slight feeling of reassurance, I caught my breath, took out the Pontunes card and dialed their number. John, whom helped us earlier, answered the phone. "Hey, we've been worried about you! We saw that you had stopped and we knew you were caught in the storm. Stay put til the storm passes and be careful!"

Um, yeah. Guess what, John? If the storm didn't pass soon, you'll be picking up our soaking, miserable asses in a CAR and getting your damn boat later. La Diva had had enough and we were on land and relatively safe, although still shaking and cold.

But after living six years in Florida, I knew these storms don't usually last long. In twenty minutes the rain had come to a complete stop. Without hesitation, we quickly got back into the boat and pushed off, before Mother Nature changed her mind. This time as we left the cut, we could see all the boats moored right in front of us. We slowly went past and then once again gunned it back to the marina. We made it through the first bay and now we were almost to the end of the second. Would we ever freakin' get there? I guess today the thrill was in the journey more than the destination and it seemed like one LOOOOONG-ASSSSS trek. We only had one more bend to turn and then the marina would be just past the point.

As we got closer, I could see the bridge off Key Largo and the mangroves that were across from the Marina, not long to go now. Adrenaline was still powering both of us but I was not going to be happy and relaxed til I was on dry land and in dry clothes. I stood in the front of the boat, watching the marina come closer and closer and thinking that by simply "willing" it badly enough, we would get there faster.

And that's when I turned around and noticed a HUGE CLOUD OF MOSQUITOES in the boat and all over us! Would this HELL NEVER END?! I immediately got out the insect repellent, furiously spraying the both of us and violently swatting at myself and the DJ.

putt putt putt

Exhausted, we pulled into the marina. The deck hand was there to meet us, an obvious look of relief on his face. "We were so worried about you, are you all right? I asked the manager what should we do to help you and he said there is nothing we could do!" He had started at Pontunes the day before and felt helpless. I showed him the broken boat hook, he threw it down on the deck, unconcerned, and helped me off. I scrambled to the car, got our dry gear and went into the bathroom to change while the DJ did the same.

Ahhh, pants and a clean shirt!

Covered legs!

Warm!

And best of all...DRY. La Diva had HAD ENOUGH of being wet for long periods of time over the past three days. Being dry felt good, very good.

I went into the office, which was now closed, and found the staff waiting for us and told them our harrowing tale. They were amazed that we didn't get marooned on an island or out to sea and that common sense and cool heads prevailed. John told us of another couple that hadn't listened to him, went into the wrong canal, got into trouble in shallow water and ruined the propeller.... all on a nice, sunny day! They were up for hundreds of dollars in repair charges. Suddenly panicked, I asked,"Well, how's the boat?"

"Fine. It will be $80 for gas and then you guys are good to go. Enjoy your meal!"

Once again with relief, I paid him and we headed to the bar.

Excited, drained and with the appetite of coal miners, we stumbled into the tiki bar and ordered strong, boozy drinks. The bartender was happy to oblige and then offered us shots. We downed them and congratulated each other on our solid teamwork. Naturally, La Diva reminded the DJ how lucky he was I'm a competent tomboy instead of a helpless crybaby! I was proud that in a critical situation, neither of us had panicked and kept our wits about us. Together, we could handle anything.

That night, La Diva ate three courses including an entire fish. Afterward, we headed home and made it back to Miami Beach in just an hour. Up the lift with our bags and into our pajamas, suddenly we were back in our warm, safe bed of home, sweet home!

Culinary SMACKDOWN: Eggplant! http:www.ladivacucina.com

2011-07-31T09:39:00.000-04:00

Darlings! Our dear "Eggy" aka Eggplant to Go has brought back the CULINARY SMACKDOWN! A friendly little culinary contest "just for fun" and what I'd like to consider as a way for me to spread my cooking wings and a chance to try new things!

However...

La Diva has been laid up with a very nasty leg injury, so I've not been cookin' much as I've had to keep off my leg and keep it elevated. When I am on the computer, I manage to put my leg up on my filing cabinet (thank goodness for yoga!) I finally went to the doctor yesterday and they think I could have used stitches, if only to make the inevitable scar "more pretty!" (doctor's don't like to think that people can do the job without them. hmpf.) In any case, all's good, I'm on antibiotics, the gash is healing up and I should be back in action in a few more weeks....and believe me, I will be raring to go!

So, the DJ has been Le Chef. He's been doin' a pretty good job, especially with my directions yelled from the sofa! In spite of forgetting to put in the garlic to sweat with the onions, this dish turned out very, VERY good!

Little neck clam and Spanish chorizo stew as prepared by DJ Nevah L8 (4 dinnah!)

So, my entry for the lovely eggplant is my own recipe for a very old, traditional Sicilian dish with as many ways to make it as there is to utilize it, called caponata. When I made this, my little blog had just started, so you most likely didn't even read it then! For fodder, I had begun a challenge that every day I would make dinner using an ingredient from my CSA box without going to the store for any ingredient and just using what was on hand!

LA DIVA'S EGGPLANT CAPONATA: Click HERE to take you to the original post!

Happy SMACKDOWN, good luck and thanks EGGPLANT TO GO for hosting! You can see all of the entries HERE. I'll be back in a few days with PART TWO of La Diva's Key Largo Boating Adventure! Ciao, darlings! x

La Diva's Key Largo Boating Adventure...Saving the Hellish Best for Last! Part 1 http://www.ladivacucina.com

2011-07-26T15:50:00.002-04:00

Darlings! Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip, that started from this tropic port aboard a tiny ~~ship~~......er, boat....

Well, you knew it was too good to last now, didn't you? La Diva and the DJ were having a wonderful, drama-free and relaxed time for two entire days in the Florida Keys....really now, would it be TOO MUCH TO ASK for three?

Indeed it would cuz that's just how things roll in La Diva's never-boring life!

It was now day three in the Keys and time to go. With the rain coming down in buckets, we checked out of our hotel in Islamorada and slowly made our way up north to Key Largo, about forty-five minutes away. We had to be at Pontunes by two pm for our boating excursion, so had plenty of time to kill. While most would have found the rain daunting and disappointing, La Diva knew that a LOT can change in a few hours and a few miles. Nonplussed, we stopped and had a leisurely lunch on the water at Sundowners.

This was the view from our table at Sundowners...usually glorious on a sunny day and a great spot for sunset and cocktails. We still managed to enjoy it though as we watched large tarpons swimming just in front of our table.

A few months back I received an email through TravelZoo and what sounded like a fabulous deal: $129 for a four hour boat rental and included a $100 gift certificate for food and drink at the tiki bar. Wha? Renting boats in Miami will set you back a minimum of $300 and this deal included half a day on a boat AND food and drink? The DJ and La Diva could do a lot of damage at a tiki bar with $100. Without hesitation, I bought it for the DJ's birthday and filed it away to be used during our STAY-cation.

Now, when we first arrived at the Islander hotel, we made a beeline for their watersports hut to check the availability of their gear. The crusty old-timer on duty tried to convince us to hire him and their motor boat to take us out to the reef to snorkel instead of renting the much cheaper Hobie Cat. La Diva told him not to waste his breath, we already had our boating day booked at Pontunes in Key Largo.

Old Timer: "I'd be careful if I was you."

Diva: "Why?"

Old Timer: "You can't trust them places. I had a friend come back after renting a boat and had to pay $200 in gas."

Diva: "Well, I already called and asked how much gas would be to go to the reef, I'm sure it will be fine."

Old Timer: "Well, how do you know you can trust them? They will try to swindle you. Say equipment's broke when it ain't. Say the gas is full when it ain't."

Diva: "Well, obviously, I guess I'll do the logical thing and check the equipment and petrol gauge before leaving the dock!"

Old Timer: "How do you know it's not broke?"

Getting highly frustrated and tired of this conversation, I said, "Listen here, do you think we are a couple of rubes? Do you think we just fell off the hay stack? I'm from Detroit and wasn't born yesterday! NO ONE is going to pull ANYTHING on ME. Good day!" La Diva stormed off and the DJ followed, unimpressed. Fear as a tactical form of manipulation NEVER works with La Diva.

Still, it planted the seed of doubt in my head and I would make sure to be very thorough when we went over our rented boat.

This sculpture is the Christ of the Abyss, it's one of three and was designed by Guido Galletti. It's is a popular reef destination and lives in John Pennecamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo.

By the time we arrived in Key Largo, the rain had dissipated and we were left with a gloomy but dry day. While it was not the best of conditions for snorkeling and boating, it was not terrible and we were not going to cancel just because it was cloudy. An overcast day on a boat can mean cool relief from the hot, relentless sun.

We got to Pontunes Marina Tiki Bar & Grille and I was given a pile of paperwork and began to sign my life away. There it was...the page with all the costs to replace items on the boat if anything was broken and everything was expensive. My heart started to pound...."How can you trust them?" The old timer's words echoed in my brain...I pushed it down and asked the young man serving us if we'd go over the boat's equipment. He assured me we'd go over everything with staff. "What's the weather like? I asked. "Nothing coming, you should be fine. The waves are at a two foot swell." We gathered our gear, went outside and stepped onto our little 24 ft. Sundeck.

There was the GPS, first aid kit, life jackets, radio, FULL gas gauge and most importantly, the map and Pontunes business card. The deck hand pulled up the propeller and showed it to us. "It's brand new but the last couple that rented it scratched it up a bit." Gulp. Then he told us that with the GPS, they would be aware of our position the entire time and to not worry if we got lost, they'd be there to guide us. He showed us how to use the radio and what channel to use if we got into trouble. Then he went over our position on the map and advised us of which route to take to get out to the reef. "When you get out to the lake, DON'T take the canal on the right, stick to the left." Got it.

The boat hand asked if we had everything and did we need something to drink? I told him I don't really like to drink (alcohol) and boat, I like to keep my wits about me but the DJ encouraged me to relax and get the left over sangria out of our cooler in the car. I complied but knew I'd only sip it, we were responsible for this boat, we were not just lounging guests this time, and La Diva doesn't fool about when boating on the sea.

Captain DJ Nevah L8 (4 dinnah): Steady as she goes, matey!

The route to the reef was not a straight shot out to sea and would take us a good 45 minutes to get to the first reef. We would have to go past a point (where there was an A frame house), into a bay, through a cut in between houses, out to a lake and through canals through the mangroves until finally we'd get out to sea. Then we'd head straight out to the first reef, once we saw the tower landmark, we were to find a white buoy and moor to it. To drop an anchor on the reef itself would result in an expensive fine.

Do you know how to read maps? La Diva does, I trust a map more than a GPS, especially in a car. The red squares indicate the reef towers...not exactly a hop, skip and a jump to get to them. Go on and click on it, darlings!

And so we began our adventure out to sea.

We passed the landmark point on our left but could not see the A-frame house and we were already getting frustrated until I realized that we were not even in the right bay and the landmark was the FIRST point, not the second. Sure enough, we passed the second point taking us to the bay with the cut. We drove closer to the shore, looking for the entrance but it was not until we were right up next to the shore that we had spotted it, there it was, between houses and certainly was not easy to find. We made our way through the moored yachts and sail boats and headed into the cut.

Buoy markers help guide boaters through waters and find their way, a necessity in places where everything looks the same.

The cut was lined with houses on each side and had sturdy coral sea walls. As we neared the end of the cut, I decided to take a photo of the house at the entrance, just in case I needed it for later. When one is on the water, things are easy to forget and are never what they seem.

YES! We made it to the lake, now to head across to the canals through the mangroves. There were the markers! Head to the left, not to the right...GOT IT. As we headed through the mangroves, I noticed the skies darkening and it began to sprinkle. We had come so far and only had to get through this part and then we'd finally be on the ocean.

The mangroves were beautiful and loaded with gorgeous white egrets. As we made our way through the winding mangrove canals, La Diva began to notice that everything started to look the same. Instinctively, I took out my camera and began to take photos of the markers behind us. Like Hansel and Gretel's breadcrumbs, these photos would serve as a guide for when we returned, just in case.

We laughed when we passed the people that went out before us on a pontoon with a squillion kids, still yelling at them and cussing, and we were glad we had the little boat that allowed us the freedom to get to the reef. It was then that I noticed a very large boat in front of us. It was the snorkeling boat for the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park heading out to the reef, just like us. If they were still heading out in the gloom, La Diva knew it was going to be fine. But it wasn't. Stay tuned for PART TWO!!!!! (Because it's gonna be a doozy, darlings!!)

Jessie-Lou's FABULOUS and DIVINE Coconut Pound Cake http://www.ladivacucina.com

2011-07-15T21:05:00.003-04:00

Darlings! Have you ever been given a recipe that sounds so damn good that you want to make up an excuse to try it as soon as possible? That's exactly what I thought when my dear old friend Bobby put up a post on Facebook about his Grandma's old fashioned coconut pound cake, apparently it was to die for. The recipe came from his Southern Grandmother who was from Alabama and baked her cakes "old school." Hells yes, La Diva HAD to have the recipe!

Now, I've known Bobby since he was twelve-years-old and because I'm like the big sister he never had, he was happy to share the precious recipe with me. The next day, the recipe came to my inbox and I took a look at the famed cake.

Two sticks of butter? Yep, can't make a cake without buttah!

And 2/3 cup of Crisco? Dang, I've not made a cake with shortening for donkey's years!

Three cups of sugar?! Oooo-wee, dis gone be one sweet cake! And that didn't include the ENTIRE BOX OF POWDERED SUGAR FOR THE FROSTING. Holy cow!

FIVE EGGS?! That's it. This cake was going to be saved for a special occasion. I filed the recipe away and then life, dieting and business took over and it languished in my computer files for months.

Crack ho's need love (and coconut cake) too!

And then one day a few months back, Bobby, who lives in an, ahem, "about-to-be-gentrified" neighborhood in Atlanta, posted about the his grandma's coconut cake again, this time about his experience giving a piece to a local crack ho, oops, I mean "one of the colorful neighborhood characters," who was more than appreciative. Here's the story he told me:

"I used to feed her a hot meal when it was really cold and one time she got the cake along with some yummy soup! Her best wig nearly blew off! (She wears different wigs everyday because she is really a crack whore, and she don't want the popo knowin' who she is! She's kind of "undercover," or so she thinks). She charges $5 for a bj...

The best story is the local neighborhood helper guy (who I also used to feed) also got some cake one time too, and he shared it with his "auntie" who was really the mother of three drug dealers. She loved that cake so much she used to have her 'boyz' come knock on my door for special occasions (always her birthday) with a $20 in hand and ask me to "make her one of 'dem coconut cakes!'" I usually would make it, but never took their money. Those boys were rough, but sooooo shy when they would come knocking on my door for their mama's cake!"

That's what I love about Bobby, you can tell the boy's from Detroit and he's such a generous soul, Jesus would highly approve!

DANG. Now La Diva had to try this cake.

And then Diva joined a gym, began working out and forgot about it again. Until June, when it was the DJ's birthday, and I was trying to decide what cake to make him. Now, the DJ is my sweetheart and he works hard at his job five days a week, driving 80 miles and day and many a weekend he spends doing La Diva stuff for my business. So La Diva ALWAYS makes him a fresh, home made cake with his favorite ingredients for his birthday as a special treat. Last year I made him a chocolate cake with peanut butter icing. While it's one of the DJ's all-time faves, I wanted to treat him to something new.

And then I remembered Bobby's grandma's coconut cake!

This is the shortening I used. It's made from 100% Organic Expeller Pressed Palm Oil.

So now, La Diva had to go and buy me some shortening. Darlings, I can hear you asking La Diva: "What IS shortening anyway?" Wikipedia states that "Shortening, in its most generic meaning, is any fat which is solid at room temperature and used to make crumbly pastry (from "short" being an old synonym to "crumbly"). Although butter is solid at room temperature and is frequently used for such pastry, the word "shortening" is seldom used about butter. Originally, it was mainly used as a synonym to lard." Therefore, beef suet, pork lard and Crisco are all considered to be "shortening" and used for baking.

You can read more about shortening HERE.

La Diva frosted the cake "old school" a la Betty Crocker, with loads of swirls and waves. Perfect cakes are boring.

Jessie-Lou's FABULOUS and DIVINE Coconut Pound Cake

(Here is the original recipe but my modifications are in pink!)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Take a bundt cake pan and butter and flour the pan.

2 sticks butter (at room temperature)
2/3 cup Crisco (I used organic shortening without trans fats)

3 cups sugar

3 cups plain flour

1 t baking powder

5 eggs (at room temperature)

½ t coconut flavoring

1 cup milk

1 cup coconut

Cream butter and Crisco. Add sugar. Sift flour and baking powder and add eggs one at a time beating thoroughly with an electric mixer at medium high speed for about five minutes. Add flavoring and milk and mix until well blended. Add coconut last. Bake 1.5 hour @ 325 degrees. Because ovens vary, I would check the cake at one hour and every ten minutes until done. I used a toothpick to test and it came out with crumbs on it, not batter. I tend to "underbake" my cakes slightly so that they will be moist. This cake in MY oven was finished and had a nice brown crust at one hour and fifteen minutes. Allow cake to cool for a few minutes and then turn out on a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting:

1 8 oz package cream cheese

1 stick butter

1 box confectioners sugar (that is one pound)

1 t coconut flavoring

¾ cup coconut

Let cream cheese and butter soften, mix all together and frost when cake is cooled completely.

So maybe now it's time to talk about Bobby's grandmother in Bobby's own words: "Her name was Jessie-Lou Chandler and she grew up in Hartford, Alabama. She had nine children, lived her whole life in Geneva County, Alabama, and only flew on a plane one time in her life. Basically, grandma and grandpa were share croppers and they lived on some else's land doing all the work in the fields for the land owner. Grandma always had this cake ready for my mom whenever we came to visit. It was her favorite cake, as well as mine."

Well, guess what, Grandma? Your cake is La Diva's favorite cake now too! Thank you, Jessie-Lou Chandler, thank you for giving me a cake in it's full fat glory, the way cakes were supposed to be made, velvety moist and full of flavor.

RESULT: Ok. Hold steady now. THIS WAS THE TASTIEST, MOST MOIST AND DELICIOUS CAKE I'VE EVER EATEN. Seriously. I was worried it would be too sweet. Well, the frosting WAS sweet but not too cloying and naturally, the cream cheese cut some of the sweetness. I was concerned the coconut flavoring (I only found imitation) would add a chemical coconut taste. The coconut taste from the flavoring was subtle and necessary, and as there was coconut in the cake itself as well as the frosting, there was no chance of it tasting like anything but divinely decadent coconut. The flaked coconut also added more moisture to the cake. (as if it needed it!)

Darlings, this is NOT the cake to eat if you are worried about calories or cholesterol. However, this IS the cake to bake for a special occasion or someone you love. Now, the DJ, he LOVED his cake. He LOVED IT SO MUCH that he refused to share it with anybody. And La Diva HAD to get that cake out of the house as I had THREE PIECES in two days. When I went to take a plate to the neighbor, he stopped me at the door, "Where you goin' with my birthday cake, woman?" "Um, to Edgar's? He's a single guy, I bet he doesn't get home made cake very often...." "You are going to do no such thing. He's not deserving of such a cake. The cake stays here." I meekly put the cake down.

Then, a few days later, as the cake slowly disappeared, I noticed that the spongy, velvety texture of the cake was still intact, this cake would be "fresh" for days. We were down to a nice little chunk now and because I had posted photos of it on Facebook, two friends mentioned it as soon as they came into my door when they stopped by my house for a visit....I soon found out it was NOT to visit La Diva, but to get a PIECE OF THE CAKE. Charles, in particular, had been fantasizing about it ever since I had posted the photos. I split the last chunk into two, simultaneously upset about the cake finally being gone as well as relieved, and handed a plate each to my two friends. And then I watched them devour it with faces of bliss and ecstasy.

Thanks, Bobby, for sharing, you are a dear. And thanks to Grandma Jessie-Lou! Do you have a TO DIE FOR CAKE recipe? DO tell La Diva all about it! Ciao for now, darlings!

La Diva's Flo-duh STAY-cation Part 2 http://www.ladivacucina.com

2011-07-09T12:22:00.002-04:00

Darlings! La Diva woke up on Day Two of her fabulous STAYcation in the Florida Keys to a dismal, dark and dreary day of drizzle! A morning snorkeling trip was definitely out, so leaving the Big Bear Man to slumber on, La Diva took off in search of REAL coffee instead of the insipid dishwater being offered for free in the hotel's lobby.

The lovely front desk staff directed me to the Midway Cafe "just down the street" and I headed out into the rain. I drove. And drove....and noticed a woman sweeping up fallen leaves in front of a row of charming art galleries. I stopped to ask her where the heck the cafe was, La Diva was getting desperate for her caffeine fix. She told me I was close, only a few blocks away, and I made a mental note to come back and check the galleries out after I picked up the DJ.

Tired of driving, La Diva decided a lovely walk to the galleries was in order, so we headed out in the light, warm rain up the Old Highway. The first shop along the way was called The Wild Lily and it had unusual and beautiful clothes and the most divine original jewelry. Owner Susan Durner has exquisite taste and yes, La Diva DID end up with a very fetching tropical beach cover up! The DJ was eager for me to purchase something gorgeous and was ever so patient...which is unheard of, I NEVER torture the Big Bear Man by taking him clothes shopping with me. But, the Keys will do that to you, you are not in a hurry to do anything or go anywhere. (and if you are, you better SLOOOOOW DOWN!)

We went to a few more galleries but I found The Gallery Morada had simply gorgeous, unique home furnishings and one-of-a-kind artisan pieces including beautifully intricate shell wall hangings that were exquisite and delicate, not your usual scallop shell picture frame. I wish the DJ would have taken photos, but it would have seemed a bit rude, even though the shop keeper Carol was lovely.

By now La Diva and the DJ were getting a bit peckish and we decided it was high time for some lunch. Carole at the Gallery Morada suggested we avoid the tourist traps and go to Ma's Fish Camp. She raved about the fresh fish but also about Ma's home made desserts that were made on premise fresh daily. The DJ started off with an order of conch fritters and they were the tastiest, fluffiest conch fritter I've eaten! Slightly spicy with bits of conch that was NOT rubbery, we couldn't wait for our mains!

Southern Florida is known for its seafood and in the Keys in particular, and on menus every where, you'll find an abundance of fresh dolphin fish (mahi mahi), grouper, conch (in soup and fritters) Florida stone crab and lobster (when in season) Key West pink shrimp, and of course, Key limes. These are Ma's Fish Camp conch fritters, hot and spicy.

La Diva started with a cup of the spicy conch chowder, tasty, hot and satisfying, and then ordered a mahi Reuben which consisted of a super fresh blackened dolphin fish fillet on toasted rye with spicy slaw and remoulade. I took my first bite...oh hell yeah. It was so good that I wouldn't stop eating it to let the DJ take a photo! The DJ got the house sammie...a nice grilled fillet of dolphin fish on toasted sourdough bread with cheese, tomato and mayo. The sandwiches were so fresh that we both had juice running down our hands, definitely two napkin sandwich.

When we were through, La Diva asked for the dessert menu. Sure, I was stuffed but was thinking of taking the dessert home for later as we were going to eat "in" back at the hotel for dinner. We'd heard about the chocolate bread pudding with Kahlua and of course the classic Key lime pie, but when the server told me that they had German Chocolate cake baked fresh that morning, well, there was nothing left to decide. We ordered the German Chocolate Cake to go and WALKED (the only people walking by the way) back to our room about a mile or two down the road. A kind man in a pick up stopped and asked if we needed a ride! No, we certainly did not, it felt good to walk after such a satisfying lunch and a few sneaky fingers sampling the coconut caramel of the cake made it all the sweeter.

This was on the menu at the Sundowner Restaurant in Key Largo. La Diva can't imagine what's in this pie that makes it worth almost $30?! Most key lime pies that I'd seen advertised were sold at $16.95.......must be something in the meringue!

The Rain Barrel, which was a funky hodgepodge of little shops in shacks with tacky souvenirs as well as artists selling fused glass along with a potter in the rear. That giant lobster really freaks me out....

Poor little hermit crabs! These guys were for sale at the Rain Barrel and destined to end up in some kid's luggage and most likely starved until they make it back to Jersey or Minnesota! The day before, La Diva actually found a miniscule hermit crab on the beach of the hotel. It was as tiny as my thumbnail and the DJ was amazed my eye had caught it at all in the fading light of dusk.

Ahhhh.....pastel Teddy bears glued to imported polished shells MAKE THE BEST craptastic souvenir! Most of these polished shells are from Asia. It's a shame that the world's oceans are being pilfered only to be turned into throw away junk like this. Please don't buy shells.

In the afternoon it cleared up enough for us to go sailing! One of the main reasons for our trip to the Keys was to go sailing and to stay at a place that offered water sports on the their beach. We love the freedom of sailing in a small craft without a motor...until the wind dies! And then you realize you are not free at all, but a slave to MASTER WIND!

This is the just like the hobie cat we rented, perfect for two!

When the DJ and La Diva first moved to Miami from Los Angeles, we joined a sailing club. It was fun, but we were the youngest members by 20 years and all we did was drink and sit on our bums while the captain and another person did all the work. And for La Diva, I did not feel the sea connection...and I wanted to be a more "active" sailor like when I used to sail small skiffs back in Sydney.

That's when I realized that I love to sail on the smaller boats. The DJ grew up on the water and as his father was a navigator for the Royal Australian Navy, sailing was a prerequisite growing up. So, in his capable hands, with La Diva prone on the canvas, we glided across the waves, getting splashed and wet with warm sea water. Sailing a Hobie Cat is the closest thing to being a fish that this little mermaid can get.

Without the loud motor of a regular boat, one sees things like beautiful sea turtles in the waves! Bliss! This is when La Diva la Sirena, is happiest. We sailed around for several hours and then came back in about 5 pm, happy, exhilirated and ready for a cool glass of wine on the lanai.

Darlings, at times do you ever feel like just eating cheese or dessert for dinner? La Diva does! And that's exactly what we did! Once we got back from our sail, La Diva poured herself a lovely crisp La Crema chardonnay and then put out this spread from The Cheese Course back in Miami. I can't remember exactly what I'd bought but it was a nice mix of a sharp blue, Italian sheep's milk pecorino with peppercorns, a beautiful triple cream, fig and almond paste, salami and delicate biscuits. DIVINE!

And for dessert: The German Chocolate cake from Ma's! The cake "slice" was HUGE, four layers! It was super fresh and moist, with REAL caramel and coconut layered between the dense cake...heaven! Sigh....another laid back and peaceful day in the Keys and our last night! The next day we would head back north, up to Key Largo for an afternoon of motor boating out to the reefs. Ciao for now, darlings!

La Diva's Flo-duh STAY-cation Part 1 http://www.ladivacucina.com

2011-07-02T13:06:00.002-04:00

Darlings! It was not less than six months ago when La Diva asked DJ Nevah L8 (4 dinnah!) what he wanted to do for his vacation and surprisingly, he stated most vociferously: "I'm not going anywhere! We are staying in Florida, we are going to snorkel and bike ride and do all the things we pay so much money to live here for. We're not going anywhere but having a STAY-cation."

Coming from a man who spent his last two years' vacations attending weddings overseas (that trip to Sydney will eat up money and four precious vacation days not including the jet lag) and continuously playing tour guide to a constant stream of out of town guests, I can't say I blamed him for wanting to stay put and do what HE wanted to do. The Big Bear Man needed some real down time looking after no one but himself and enjoying all the amenities we pay so dearly for.

So, naturally, La Diva began thinking of fun things to do and was inspired by the myriad discount coupon emails that came to my inbox daily: Groupon, Travelzoo, LivingSocial, etc. I booked a kayaking trip, a dinner out, a Cinebistro movie and dinner and then this one really intrigued me, $129 for a four hour boat rental and $100 Tiki Bar credit at Pontoons in Key Largo. Seemed like a great deal, I printed them up and filed them away to be used as needed.

The first part of our holiday was spent filming La Diva for La Diva TV and me and the DJ worked really hard. Our little apartment looked like a TV studio with all the professional lights and equipment. Then, on June 22, we had my "Roll Your Own" pad Thai summer rolls event at South Beach's Design Within Reach where the DJ and a business associate filmed me in 3D! Needless to say, the event was a huge success and the cameraman was thrilled at all of the "great" content he got, stating that La Diva was a "natural" on camera. (of course!) The next day, our staycation officially began!

The DJ is pretty good at photographing these gorgeous sunsets! Bayside from our pool deck.

For several days, we had fun biking and beaching and barbecuing and drinking cocktails and lounging in our pool and hot tub, but La Diva was REALLY EXCITED about our upcoming three day jaunt down to the Keys! I booked a few nights at this place called The Islander in Islamorada that had been refurbished and friends had stayed at recently and really enjoyed. Plus, it was less than two hour drive from Miami Beach.

This hotel reminded me of the "old school" Florida Key's hotels, simple and unpretentious. The $200 a night OFF SEASON price tag, however, did not. Ouch.

A mere one hour upon arriving in Islamorada, it began to pour and the sun did not return for the next three days. The good thing about rain in Southern Florida is that it usually doesn't last too long, so unless there's a hurricane or severe storm, we don't let a little bit of rain stop us!

The hotel was casual and not at all hoighty-toighty, which allows a glam Diva to let her hair down and relax. With the hotel's natural, not-overly-manicured grounds, courtyard picnic tables and coal barbecues, it reminded La Diva of an upscale caravan park in Australia. The hotel service was a perfect fit for my summertime mood, a relaxed combination of "Leave me the f*ck alone" and "Yes, I'll take another margarita" kind of vibe. After a few poolside cocktails, the DJ and I took cat naps on a shallow ledge of the salt water pool, in a large hammock under a shady palm tree and on a lounge chair out side of our room. Bliss.

The Islander seaside restaurant had the most exquisite food and it was prepared and presented at a much higher level than the resort itself! The DJ ordered coconut lobster as an appetizer. It came served with a unique orange horseradish marmalade, which was refreshing, as the heat from the radish mellowed the sauce that is usually too sickly sweet for Diva's tastes.

Fried lobster in a coconut batter? Hell to da yes!

At the hearty encouragement of our enthusiastic waiter, La Diva decided to try the special of the night: Two huge quarter pound prawns butterflied and STUFFED with lump crab and served with a decadent Key lime beurre blanc sauce! For some reason, La Diva wasn't exactly listening when the stocky male server told her he SHARED this with another waiter the night before...the order was astonishingly huge. La Diva asked for an extra plate and gave the DJ one of the stuffed shrimp but even then had a hard time finishing dinner!

After dinner we went back to our room and lounged under the stars, chatting without the usual distractions of TV or "life," while an exquisite tropical ocean breeze gently cooled us off and kept the voracious mosquitoes at bay. Spent and sunburned, we drained our wine glasses and went off to bed to prepare for another gorgeous Florida Keys day.

What's for LUNCH, La Diva? http://www.ladivacucina.com

2011-06-26T11:02:00.005-04:00

Darlings! For some vague reason when La Diva thinks about summertime lunches, it reminds me of when I was a wee lass of about eight years old and lunches eaten at home instead of at school. That would make it 1971....and what a strange time for food THAT was!

I remember this Squeez-A-Snak stuff (and "stuff" is the perfect word for this, er, product!) but I don't think my mom would have ever had that in the refrigerator. I can recall my teenage brother, in all of his gluttonous glory, eating this straight from the tube, but that was years later and after school when us kids were not as closely supervised! Instead, I remember mom having chocolate candy in the fridge that we used to want to eat but we were not supposed to touch.

The "candy" was an aid to weight loss but Ayds never really helped my mom lose any weight. Unfortunately, the cancer she got did. And the summer lunches at home turned into lunches and dinners at our cousins' or neighbors' houses while my dad worked and visited mom in the hospital every chance he could.

Mom passed away on a beautiful summer day in August and after that was when all hell broke loose regarding what us kids ate. Our guilt-ridden and grief-stricken father, trying to raise three kids alone, was more than a little permissive. La Diva remembers loaves of Wonder Bread stuffed with Genoa salami and smeared with French's mustard, gallons of Kool-Aid, bags of Better Made potato chips, hot dogs, Kraft macaroni and cheese and cases of Towne Club soda pop, that I begged my father to get cuz they had crazy colors and flavors like Tropical Punch and Strawberry. Baked beans from the can was our vegetable of choice.

I'll never forget one day after school after mom had passed, my brother decided to make a meat loaf sandwich. I watched him in horror as he took four of his fingers on his right hand and dug into the meat, breaking off what he wanted, and setting the meat directly on the counter. Then he took the mustard jar out, opened it, dug his fingers in and scooped out a big gob and with a loud splat, slapped it onto the meat. He picked up the dripping mess and gobbled it up and washed it down with milk straight from the carton, all while standing in front of the open refrigerator.

My brother's fingers-as-utensil digging/cutting/scooping technique also applied to cutting butter for sandwiches and roast beef lunches included stuffing a piece of beef and then squirting mustard directly into his open maw. Mom would not have tolerated that and even though I was big sister reprimanding him, it fell on deaf ears. Having my brother as a brother is probably the main reason I don't have kids.

Yet, in spite of my mom's illness and subsequent death, I still think fondly of summertime in the 70's. And I truly believe that is just the way she would have wanted it.

So, here's a weekday's worth of healthy and unique summertime lunches....my mom (and yours) would TOTALLY approve! Enjoy!

Poached wild salmon salad with roasted potatoes and lemon vinaigrette: Wild salmon is lightly poached, cooled and then flaked over mixed greens and oven roasted potatoes. The potatoes add a nice satisfying crunch and the vinaigrette is zesty and tangy. The dish can be lightened further and calories reduced by omitting the potatoes and adding fresh, raw grated carrots and sliced cucumbers but La Diva likes it just the way it is!

Quick, easy and cost effective, these vegetarian refried beans, spinach and cheese quesadillas made with low carb/high protein tortillas are sure to please everyone! I simply spread a light layer of beans over a tortilla, load the fresh baby spinach leaves on and then top with a bit of cheese to help keep it all together. If you can, grill them or cook with a small amount oil in a non-stick fry pan.

Instead of serving the quesadillas with the usual trio of tomato salsa, sour cream and guacamole, I combined smashed avocado with freshly squeezed lime, low fat Greek yogurt, chopped cilantro, quartered grape tomatoes and a dash of cumin and salt and served it on top of refreshing, crunchy iceberg lettuce. (Hey, it's summertime, why create more dishes? Just mix it all together already!) Delicioso, baby!

Like the idea of biting into a juicy, flavorful burger but don't like the heaviness of the usual beef burger all of the time? La Diva does! Just because I want to "lighten up" some of my meals doesn't mean I want to eat salad all of the time. And besides, you know La Diva has to have "man pleasin'" food for the DJ! This chicken burger with Thai seasonings does the trick.

Here's La Diva's version of a Thai chicken burger: red curry paste, cilantro, lemongrass paste, a kaffir lime leaf very finely sliced, minced garlic, egg, breadcrumbs and milk with ground chicken. Form into patties, then chill, grill and serve with lime chili mayo, sriracha chili sauce and grated carrot and red cabbage on a whole grain bun. Satisfying, spicy and unique!

Hmmmm....this reminds me of my family with me as the oldest, a younger brother and little sis. But I think if my brother dressed like this, he would surely get beaten up! No boy wore magenta pants (unless you weren't straight!)...believe me. Burgundy corduroys was the closest thing you'd get to this look! And I don't remember ANYONE wearing sport clothes for leisure like this little girl (that started in the 80's, thanks Run DMC!)

But I DO remember monster bell-bottom jeans and used to have mine dragging on the ground, frayed and fabulous, and wore them with my sky blue puffy sleeve shirt and beaded choker necklace that had a charm on the end spelling "love!" In fact, this was my "roller rink" outfit and I'd skate on Friday nights, looking cool, to Led Zeppelin's Black Dog.

Traditional chicken salad sandwiches are always great for a cool summer lunch. However, La Diva's chicken salad gets a hit of flavor by adding freshly minced tarragon along with diced celery and green onions. Heavy and high-caloric mayo is cut by adding equal amounts of low fat Greek yogurt and then served up with fresh greens on lightly toasted high fiber sesame bread. Tarragon has a strong and slightly licorice taste and is a classic pairing with chicken and I love how the addition of the yogurt lightens and moistens the salad. Simple, flavorful and definitely more-ish!

Do you love the Thai classic noodle dish called Pad Thai? La Diva does! Since I love pad Thai so much, I came up with a way to turn the dish into a snack or light lunch! All the ingredients of the traditional stir fried noodle dish, including egg, chicken, shrimp, rice noodles, green onions, bean sprouts and cilantro, are rolled snugly in a Vietnamese rice paper roll and served with a spicy, home made peanut sauce!

The fresh veggies provide a refreshingly crunchy texture while the proteins and noodles deliver the satisfaction and the peanut sauce completes the dish with authentic Asian flavors. (You can also make the peanut sauce for chicken sates and stir fries.) When I serve these summer rolls at a catered party, they are always a hit. You can find the recipe for them by clicking HERE.

Do you remember food from the 70's, darlings? (Please tell me you were around then, c'mon, humour La Diva!) And what did you eat when you were a kid in the summertime? Tell La Diva all about it! Ciao, darlings!

Red Rice & Quinoa Salad with Orange, Pistachios and Arugula http://www.ladivacucina.com

2011-06-19T15:24:00.000-04:00

Unusual and flavorful red rice pairs with nutrient powerhouse quinoa, arugula and pistachios for a chewy, nutty and delicious salad. It's served here with macadamia crusted cod and mango chili salsa.

Darlings! Remember a while back, La Diva wrote a post about a wonderful cookbook from Ottolenghi in the UK that offers divine Middle Eastern-inspired dishes made with seasonal ingredients? Of course you do, darlings, but you can always refresh your memory by clicking HERE.

Well, A few weeks ago while La Diva was traipsing through Whole Foods (as you do) when I came upon this most interesting red rice.

More Bhutanese red rice info and recipes can be found HERE.

A staple of the Bhutanese people, the rice is a medium grain japonica rice that cooks more quickly than brown rice and has a slightly sticky texture. It's the only agricultural product imported from Bhutan in the Eastern Himalayas. Cool!

So, naturally La Diva bought it! Now, what to do with it? I realized that a high quality and unique rice like this deserved to be featured in a recipe, not a merely used as a component, and I remembered reading about a salad with red rice from the Ottolenghi cookbook.

I looked it up and noticed that the recipe actually calls for a French red rice called Carmague, (but we shant split hairs) and think the Bhutanese red rice a fine substitute. And as La Diva is trying to eat more of the protein-packed quinoa, thought it would be a perfect pairing.

Camargue Red Rice and Quinoa with Orange and Pistachios

Go on and click on the image to biggify, darlings, I can't read it either!!

RESULT: La Diva found it interesting that the recipe calls this salad a salad of "orange" with orange juice and orange zest but also has delightful dried apricots as well. And even though you have to prepare the grains and onions all separately, all the flavors and ingredients combine in a divine manner, making it worth the extra time and steps.

The salad is slightly chewy and toothsome, the quinoa pops in your mouth while the red rice lingers a bit with it's nutty nuances further enhanced by the pistachios. The caramelized onions add a wonderfully mellow flavor while the green onions and arugula add a peppery bite! The piquant flavors of the onion and orange mirror the mango salsa and the buttery cod and macadamias....DIVINE!

If you are looking for a unique summer salad to serve with grilled meats, seafood or vegetables, look no further! This complex salad of whole grains is gorgeous as an accompaniment to summer fare and because it's best eaten at room temperature, its perfect for picnics and barbecues. The salad is definitely tastier the next day when the flavors really meld.

Enjoy, darlings, and ciao for now! xo

Dishin' with La Diva June 13, 2011 http://www.ladivacucina.com

2011-06-13T15:02:00.004-04:00

Diva TV coming to a computer near you soon!

Video may have killed the radio star but it is GREAT for driving traffic to websites! While La Diva has done plenty of videos for reality show submissions, they have all had to follow specific guidelines and have been recorded in one shot and without any editing. When creating these TV submissions, La Diva has had to be on her best behaviour, and I've had to repress my irreverent, sassy self! (which is never good for a DIVA!) So this summer, La Diva will be creating her own video world and in my own saucy style with the Diva TV channel on You Tube. Me and DJ Nevah L8 (4 dinnah) will be filming and editing two videos for my channel, and most exciting of all, I will be FILMED IN 3D at an event on June 22nd! Stay posted, darlings, and in the meantime, check out the video that got me into the Food Network Studios by clicking HERE!

Speaking of traffic....

You may have noticed that I've put my web address on each title of my blog post. It's meant to garner more traffic to my apple webpage, which has abysmal SEO capabilities. Each day La Diva opens her inbox and lo and behold, there is a message from Sanjay in India, pleading with me to consider using their services to help generate traffic to my site. I'm considering it, actually, but have found that simply listing my business on Google Places for FREE has drawn a considerable amount of traffic to my business and website. Don't believe me? Then Google Miami cooking classes and see what comes up!

Another little trick a marketing guru recently shared with me was to label EACH AND EVERY photo I put on the web with my web address and contact details. How many times have you searched a photo and it had info about the publisher? Never, right? Brilliant idea, methinks, let's see what develops with these new traffic-driving tricks and if you have any hints or suggestions for La Diva, feel free to share them with me!

This beautiful bag of mangoes was given to me by a business associate visiting me for the first time! The entire house is filled with the sweet scent of fresh mangoes! Whatever will I do with them all? I know one things fo' sho, La Diva Cucina's SPICY MANGO PEPPER VODKA will be an upcoming project! Click HERE for the divine recipe!

"You like me, you really like me....!"

Yet another publicist/marketing person has contacted La Diva with the REALLY BIG NEWS that THEY think my blog is fabulous. Well, thank you, kindly. In their effort to drive more traffic to their own site and get free content, La Diva Cucina was recently featured as part of "Best of the Web" on Become.com. Does La Diva appreciate this highly esteemed acknowledgment? Meh. Will it drive traffic to MY site? Perhaps, but it's not like they put MY link on THEIR home page. Do I give a rat's ass? NO. Do you think La Diva sounds cynical? Indeed I am but you always knew I was the Queen of Snark, did you not? So, no surprises there! For this reason and many more, I'm not sure I'll be doing any more reciprocal linking or accepting any more "blog awards." You can check out the post HERE and there is a link to Become on the right side bar! (for now....)

Subscribe to La Diva Cucina by email

Now you don't have to "check back" at La Diva Cucina to see if I've put up a new post but can have each LDC post delivered right to your email's inbox! Simply add your email address to the box in the top right corner and La Diva news, recipes and info will be delivered! Easy peasy, baby! Want to remove it? YOU CAN'T! EVER! (just kidding but you'll really hurt my feelings if you do....)

That's all the latest news from La Diva, what's YOUR latest news, darlings? DO tell La Diva all about it! Ciao for now!

What's Cookin' with La Diva THIS week! June 8, 2011 http://www.ladivacucina.com

2011-06-08T10:36:00.000-04:00

Darlings! Stumped over supper? Done deciding dinner? Let La Diva assist you, dear, with suggestions for uncomplicated and satisfying meals that are quick enough to make during the week. Take a peek at what La Diva eats!

Satisfying, crunchy and bursting with flavorful nutrients, here's La Diva's Spicy Thai Beef Salad: Flank steak is marinated with Thai spices, grilled, sliced and served with greens, carrots, red cabbage, cucumbers, snow peas, fresh Thai basil leaves and garnished with cashews and dressed with a zippy lime dressing. Want to give it a shot? The recipe from a previous post is HERE.

This divine and savory tart hits the spot for an easy and elegant Sunday lunch: caramelized onions with lemon thyme, spinach, prosciutto and artisanal goat cheese from Hani's Mediterranean Organics! La Diva has to admit: it's Hani's wonderful cheese that really made this tart special! Perhaps it's his Lebanese influence when feeding his goats, as Hani's cheese imparts the very distinct flavor of cinnamon, and is not strong at all, but mellow and unique. By keeping ready made dough in the freezer, tarts like this can be made in a flash and as La Diva ALWAYS suggests, use what YOU have on hand like regular ham in lieu of the prosciutto or feta cheese if you don't have any goat cheese in the fridge.

Instead of the usual rice, La Diva made supergrain quinoa with home made chicken broth, sauteed kale and fresh, Florida sweet corn as a base for spicy and succulent jerk shrimp. The jerk seasoning was super quick: I made a simple rub using cinnamon, allspice, garlic salt, cayenne pepper and a bit of oil, slathered it on the shrimp and then cooked it immediately. Another detour from tradition included sauteing the jerk seasoned shrimp, instead of the usual grilling, and then flambeing with sipping tequila! The muy picante prawns pair well with the buttery and mild quinoa and vegetables.

After looking at luscious photos of fabulous fava beans paired with shaved parmigiano cheese while researching my last post, (click HERE) La Diva was inspired to try the enticing combo. I paired the bean with a gourmet pasta called Fiori, or "flower" pasta that was a hearty, spiraled trumpet shape, and instead of the parmigiano cheese, I added freshly grated Italian pecorino, a drizzle of fruity green extra virgin olive oil and further brightened the flavors by topping with lemon zest!

Chicken marsala is a classic and really so easy. Organic skinless and boneless chicken breasts are split lengthwise and lightly pounded, floured, seasoned and then browned and finished with a lovely Italian Marsala wine and baby portabello mushrooms. I stacked the lot over beautifully fluffy mashed potatoes and served with a young and tender spinach leaf salad with feta, tomatoes, cukes, carrot and red cabbage! Simple, quick and man-pleasin', this is one of our fave family meals. (Yeah, I said that, if Man not pleased, Man whine. Not good when Man whine. Or worse yet, Man go to shop and get junk to eat because he didn't like his dinner! Make Diva mad! Ha!)

Darlings, I DO hope this post will inspire you to add something NEW to your weekly dinner repertoire! What quick and divine dishes do YOU make each week? Tell La Diva ALL about it!
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