On this day...

Well foodie fans it's National Vanilla Cupcake Day... I'm not a big baker - I've never made a cupcake even with a mix. I did however make myself into a cupcake for a joke once...




Happy Cooking & Eating!

~Nikko

The Greek Appetizer Plate...

This can be a nice appetizer plate, a party plate, or I like to call it lunch (breakfast, or dinner) sometimes... All this but the Penzeys' Greek spice can be found at your local Mediterranean store. In Jacksonville we have a place called Hala that has everything, and I'm sure your city probably has someplace you can find it all. I get my hummus at Costco. The brand Costco has is really dang good and is about the same cost as if I made it myself... On the Feta - I love a good Greek feta but the French and the Danish make good varieties too - I've yet to find one made in the US that was worth it - but in a pinch...

Kalamata Olives
Ajavar (a roasted red pepper mixture)
Hummus
Feta
Baked Pita Strips

The trick here is just to make everything look pretty. The hardest thing you have to do is to cut the pita into strips, butter it, sprinkle it with a bit of Penzeys Greek Seasoning and bake it at 400 for a few minutes until it gets crisp.

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

Foodie Thoughts

Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all. ~ Harriet Van Horne

I need your help!

I'm in a Tailgating food competition on www.Food2.com and I need your votes!

http://www.food2.com/challenges/tailgate-tastedown-challenge/black-bean-corn-salsa

I submitted my Black Bean & Corn Salsa (along with a few others) to the competition. I would really appreciate your vote!



Thanks and Happy Eating!

~Nikko

French Salsa - I won the Jalapeno Madness Most Unique/Weirdest Salsa contest

www.JalapenoMadness.com

The contest:

Salsa Cookbook Giveaway: Quick Contest ending at noon November 5th. One Free Salsa eCookbook (or more?) to the most creative response(s) to this question: What is the most unique/weirdest salsa you can think of?

My submission:

The French Salsa -

Pâté de Campagne, diced
Dried sausage, diced
Stilton blue cheese, crumbled
Smoked guda, diced
Chev, crumbled
Tomato, diced
Cucumbers, diced
Radish, diced
French olives, chopped
Peppadew, chopped
Avocado, diced
Jalapeno, minced
Arugula, chopped
pine nuts, toasted
Dijon mustard vinaigrette
Toasted Tumaro's Pesto & Garlic Wraps to eat it with....

In a strange way it was really good. You can use as much or as little of each ingredient as you would like. Try and make all your dices and cubes uniform.

Happy Eating!

~Nikko

Foodie Thoughts

“I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.” -- W. C. Fields

Twisted Tzatziki

Tzatziki goes well with a myriad of food stuffs. Lamb, beef, chicken, veg, even some fish benefit from it's wonderful flavor. The twist in this version comes in from the feta cheese that I added. It really added a nice zing! It's not something I do with it every time but every once and a while it's a nice change.

1 Cucumber, peeled seeded and diced
1/4 Cup onion, diced
1.5 Cups Greek yogurt
.25 Lb Greek Feta
Mint - 4-5 sprigs will do, minced
Fennel - if you have it, if not no biggie

Start off by peeling your cucumber. You're going to want to take out the seeds as well - you can use a spoon or a knife. Dice the cucumber into small pieces and put them in a good sized bowl (you're going to be mixing stuff in there so use one that will accommodate that). Dice up half of a small onion and add it to the bowl. Mince up some mint and fennel (if you have it - it's not really part of the recipe but it looked good in the garden so I used it and it worked)... Add the herbs, yogurt, feta, a shot of pepper, and mix everything well. It's best to let it sit for a bit so everyone gets happy. Eat & Enjoy...

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

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To All Who Read My Blog...

First - Thanks. I really appreciate you taking the time to read my crappy writing. I can cook well, but I'll be the first to admit that my writing style is lacking. I hope that you find some of the recipes good enough to try yourself. If you do, please take a minute and leave me a comment - I'd love to know how it worked out for you!

Thanks again,

Nikko

Black Bean & Corn Salsa

I've taken this dish to a few parties now and it is always quickly gobbled up. It's a nice light dish that can be used as a salsa, or even a relish on top of fish or chicken...

2 cans Black beans, rinsed well
1.5 cup Tomatoes, diced
2 cups Corn, off the cob
1/2 cup Red onion, diced
1 Jalapeno, minced
.25 Cup Cilantro, chopped
2 Limes, juiced
2 tsp Cumin
Salt
Pepper
Baked Tortillas or corn chips for serving

Start with a bowl large enough to mix everything in. Add everything, mix well, put in the fridge for an hour so everything can get happy happy - done - Eat & Enjoy... It really is that easy. The hardest part of the dish is prepping all the ingredients. You can serve it with baked tortillas or regular corn chips...

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

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Thanks

Lord for food in a world where many walk in hunger
For faith in a world where many walk in fear
And for friends in a world where many walk alone
I give you thanks…