Blogher Month in Review

Happy last day of the month! For me that means payday, but it also means it's time for Blogher Month in Review. You may have noticed this little logo hanging out over in the right sidebar of my blog. Besides writing Kalyn's Kitchen, I'm also a contributing editor for a site called Blogher that features women bloggers. I write a minimum of eight posts a month on Blogher, so I decided that the last day of each month I'll post a Blogher Month in Review so Kalyn's Kitchen readers can see what I've been writing about there. My Blogher topic is Food and Drink, so there just might be something that catches your fancy. And if you're a fellow food blogger, I may have been writing about you! Now, here are the things I've written about on Blogher this month.

Turkey Soup Recipes and Some Thanksgiving Food Photos

I'm going to take a couple of days off from posting recipes while I spend some time enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday with my family and friends, but if you're looking for ways to use leftover turkey, I've shared recipes for Leftover Turkey Soup with Double Mushrooms, Leftover Turkey, Mushroom, and Wild Rice Soup, or Turkey Barley Soup. I also featured more turkey soup recipes in my South Beach Recipes of the Week, so what are you waiting for? Start making some yummy turkey soup!

Leftover Turkey Soup Recipe with Double Mushrooms

It's the morning after Thanksgiving, and I'm guessing there are a lot of folks making turkey soup today from the leftover turkey. Some people turn their nose up at the mention of turkey soup, and truthfully it can be pretty uninspiring if you don't have a good flavored stock to start the soup. But with a base of homemade turkey stock, made from the turkey carcass, turkey soup is mouth-watering. (Edit 2008: Here are instructions for How to Make Turkey Stock if you're making this recipe when you have a turkey carcass left from Thanksgiving.)

I Am Thankful For My Blog (and the winner is . . . )

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! As I write this I'm reflecting on how truly blessed I am, as is anyone who's reading this, since you're prosperous enough to afford the luxury of the internet.

I know I'm lucky to be able to enjoy an interesting, comfortable life where all my basic needs are met. I've got a wonderful loving family, great friends, a good job, and enough money to buy pretty much everything I need. Please don't think I'm taking any of that for granted when I tell you that today as I prepare to celebrate the holiday, I'm reflecting on how thankful I am for my blog.

Beef and Butternut Squash Stew with Rosemary and Balsamic Vinegar

For weeks now I've been having fun sharing Thanksgiving Recipes , and yesterday I even posted Turkey Soup recipes for using up leftover turkey. It's time to change the menu a little, at least for a day, and focus on a delicious dish I tried recently that has absolutely nothing to do with Thanksgiving.

Turkey Soup Recipes for Thanksgiving: South Beach Recipes of the Week #18

I'm continuing my series of Thanksgiving Recipes with some turkey soup ideas from my favorite food bloggers. I know you don't have any leftover turkey in the fridge yet, but you will soon. Besides, I thought if I gave you some great soup ideas now, you could make sure you pick up what you need when you're out there frantically buying those last minute Thanksgiving things on Wednesday night. Then on Friday morning when you get up to a fridge full of leftover turkey you'll have an idea of what to do with it.

Turkey Gravy Revisited: Why I'm Thankful for Penzeys and Better Than Bouillon

For the month of November I've been sharing Thanksgiving Recipes that are a bit more South Beach Diet friendly than some more traditional choices. Today I'm talking a bit about gravy, something that's difficult to make South Beach Diet friendly, but which I consider a must for Thanksgiving. I could skip the potatoes, and I'd have 100% whole wheat stuffing, but I'd have to have a little gravy on the stuffing or it wouldn't be Thanksgiving. Maybe I'm rationalizing, but I think it's this flexible approach to dieting that has helped me stick with the South Beach way of eating for more than two years.

Recipe for Sugar Free Pumpkin Cheesecake

Sugar-Free Pumpkin Cheesecake, made with Splenda or Stevia Granulated.

Yesterday, as part of a series on Thanksgiving Recipes, I showed you my Pumpkin Cheesecake with Less Sugar and promised I'd be back with the sugar free version. This sugar-free cheesecake is not as pretty because I don't have a pie pan (shocking, I realize) so I had to make it in a plain rectangular glass casserole dish. I'm not going to lie and say the one that had some sugar wasn't slightly better than this version, but this was still really, really good for a dessert without any added sugar at all. If you're actively trying to lose weight, this could be a fantastic dessert option.  And Karina reminded me that it's also Gluten-free, for people who might be wondering.

Friday Food Porn: Party Food

Time out today from Thanksgiving recipes, but if you're looking for ideas, check my list of South Beach Thanksgiving options. Plus, if you're a South Beach fan don't miss a chance to win the new South Beach Diet Parties and Holidays Cookbook. By the way, coming up tomorrow on the Thanksgiving recipe list: pumpkin cheesecake two ways.

Now on with the food porn. Every Friday I have fun showing photos of things I "may or may not" have eaten during the previous weeks. Today I'm giving a little taste of food served at two parties I had recently. The first was a dinner for two good friends where we had lots of fun hanging out together. The second was a birthday dinner for my father where I made soups and everyone in the family brought other dishes. Cooking for friends and family and entertaining at home like this is one of my favorite things to do.

Taco Soup was one of the soups I made for my dad's party, and it was delicious. (This recipe coming after Thanksgiving.) My dad requested clam chowder, which was delicious, but not nearly as photogenic.

My family has a lot of good cooks. My sister Pam made really tasty parmesan bread sticks that we ate with the soup.

Thanks to Mirepoix U.S.A. for generously providing the foie gras torchon that we enjoyed sampling at both of these parties. I served it with slightly tart cherry jelly.

For the party with my friends, Trudy brought this absolutely gorgeous portabello mushroom salad. The black beans were an interesting touch.

This decadent offering is caramel apple pie that my sister-in-law brought for the family party, and which I did have a very small piece of. (Remember, I'm on phase three, and I've kept my weight the same for more than two years so I get to cheat a little. If you're still trying to lose weight, don't try this at home!)

Having this left in the freezer was the only bad thing about the parties. The good news is it's been there nearly a week and I haven't eaten any. (Susan, please come soon to get it for the kids!)

(Only a few more days if you're wanting to participate in Weekend Herb Blogging this week, hosted by the lovely Nandita of Saffron Trail. Post a recipe featuring any herb, plant, veggie, or flower, then send the e-mail to saffrontrail AT gmail DOT com. Be sure to include the words Weekend Herb Blogging and a link to Saffron Trail.)

TECHNORATI TAGS:
Food Recipes Cooking South Beach Diet Recipes
Low Carb Recipes Low Glycemic Index Recipes
Weekend Herb Blogging

Thanksgiving on the South Beach Diet: More Veggie Options

For much of November I've been talking about Thanksgiving options that are a bit more South Beach Diet friendly than some of the traditional Thanksgiving dinner foods. To see the recipes I've already posted, plus links to great Thanksgiving recipes I've seen on other blogs, check out my master list of Thanksgiving Recipes. Also, if you're a South Beach fan be sure you don't miss out on a chance to win the new South Beach Diet Parties and Holidays Cookbook.

Chicken with Roasted Lemons, Green Olives, and Capers

I'm taking a little mid-week break from talking about Thanksgiving, but check out my hanksgiving Recipes if you're looking for ideas of what to cook. Also, if you're a South Beach fan you'll want to be sure you don't miss out on a chance to win a free copy of the new South Beach Diet Parties and Holidays Cookbook. This is a great book, and I have two of them, so I'm giving one away.

South Beach Friendly Whole Wheat Stuffing with Sage, Italian Sausage, and Pears

For at least another week I'm focusing on Thanksgiving Recipes to make your Thanksgiving dinner a bit more South Beach Diet friendly. So far I've featured Roasted Butternut Squash with Rosemary and Balsamic Vinegar as an alternative for candied yams, and Alanna's Roasted Cauliflower as a possible alternative to potatoes. Then I gave some ideas for Thanksgiving Salads that will impress your guests and a special Double Berry Jello Salad.

A South Beach Diet Thanksgiving: Menu Options from Kalyn and Her Friends

Reduced Sugar Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake
is Kalyn's favorite this Thanksgiving!

For South Beach Diet fans, I've been share Thanksgiving Recipes this month that are a bit more South Beach Friendly, but just as tasty. I've decided to compile a list of those menu options, not only the recipes I'm trying, but the ones I'm seeing on blogs of my friends. Then when the big turkey day is over I'll link this to the South Beach section in the sidebar. Watch the list grow as I feature or discover Thanksgiving options that are a bit more South Beach Diet friendly.

Thanksgiving on the South Beach Diet: Double Berry Jello Salad

I've been writing about Thanksgiving Recipes for South Beach dieters, starting out with Roasted Butternut Squash with Rosemary and Balsamic Vinegar as an alternative for traditional sugar and butter laden candied yams, and Alanna's Roasted Cauliflower as a possible alternative to potatoes. Then I gave some ideas for Thanksgiving Salads that will wow your guests. Today I'm giving a suggestion for a more South Beach friendly version of something that's always been traditional for Thanksgiving dinner in my family.

South Beach Recipes of the Week #17: Chicken

On Sunday I like to spotlight *South Beach Recipes of the Week* which are simply delicious-looking low glycemic index recipes I find on my favorite fabulous food blogs. The glycemic index is what the South Beach Diet is based on, and these recipes are great for South Beach Dieters or anyone following a low-glycemic eating plan. Since I started doing this, I'm excited about how easy it is to find suitable recipes that completely fit my way of eating. However, even if you're not at all concerned about dieting or the glycemic index, I think you'll find some very tasty-looking food here.

Photo by Elise of Simply Recipes

I've made roast chicken plenty of times, but I was simply wowed by the recipe for Roasted Garlic Chicken that I found at Simply Recipes, where the amazing Elise always creates great looking food. This chicken is brined in a mixture of roasted garlic, water, salt, pepper, olive oil, lemon juice, and bay leaves before it's roasted to perfection, as you see in Elise's photo. (If you're following South Beach, the leaner parts of the chicken are best.)

Photo by Mae from Rice and Noodles

My friend Mae from Rice and Noodles has to be one of the best food photographers on the web, and she's also a great cook. This recipe for Zanzibar Chicken has Coconut milk, green tomatoes, green beans, and lots of spices. I'd use light coconut milk and maybe remove the skin from the chicken to make this South Beach friendly. If you're eating this with rice, Uncle Ben's Converted Rice is lowest on the glycemic index for white rice.

Photo by Cathy of Not Eating Out in New York

A blog I'm really enjoying is Not Eating Out in New York, where Cathy saves money by cooking healthy food at home. This recipe for Braised Chicken with Lemon and Sage uses chicken thighs, but Cathy removes the skin and religiously trims away the fat, which makes this a very South Beach friendly dish. (If you're a dieter, ignore the roll in Cathy's great photo!)

Photo by Michelle of Je Mange la Ville

Another blog where I always spot amazing looking food is Je Mange la Ville, where I found this recipe for Baked Chicken with Carmelized Onions that sounded delicious. I'd use 100% whole wheat pastry flour to dredge the chicken, and maybe skip the butter and use all olive oil, to maket this a South Beach option. (There is wine in the recipe, so this is for phase two or three if you're dieting.)

Starting again tomorrow, more Thanksgiving dinner options for South Beach dieters. I've already spotlighted Thanksgiving Dinner Salad Options, Roasted Butternut Squash, and Roasted Cauliflower. Next week I'll be sharing a very interesting recipe for stuffing from the new South Beach Diet Parties and Holidays Cookbook, a delicious cranberry salad, and some more veggie options. Hope you're having fun preparing for Thanksgiving at your house.

TECHNORATI TAGS:

Food Recipes Cooking South Beach Diet Recipes
Low Carb Recipes Low Glycemic Index Recipes

Friday Food Porn: El Matador Restaurant and Happy Birthday to Dad!

It's the birthday of my wonderful father, who turns 81 today. My dad is a highly intelligent, loving, generous, wise, and gentle man who is loved by everyone he comes into contact with. He's the kind of person who makes you feel good whenever you're around him. I love him very much, and will always be grateful I was lucky enough to get him for a father. Happy birthday Dad!

Tomorrow night we'll be celebrating dad's birthday with a dinner at my house, attended by the five of my nine siblings who live in Utah. It's also the birthday of my oldest brother, Mark, born on dad's birthday. I'm making lots of homemade soups for the occasion, and everyone else is bringing other good food.

Besides being dad's birthday, it's also Friday, and every Friday I have fun showing Friday Food Porn, good-looking food that I've photographed but "may or may not" have eaten. These shots are from a dinner I shared with Dad and my stepmother Norma last week at El Matador Restaurant, a hugely successful, long-standing restaurant in Bountiful, Utah, where I grew up and where my father lives. From these photos, you can see why it's one of our favorites.

El Matador serves the type of non-pretentious Mexican-American food that is found all through the American Southwest. Servings are large and the food is mildly spiced, but delicious. The homemade salsa is served warm, and comes with plenty of crisp, tasty chips.

Dad ordered a burrito filled with Carnitas, which came with Pico de Gallo, rice, and delicious black beans. The black beans are definitely one of his favorites.

Norma ordered a chicken enchilada and a guacamole taco, both of which looked yummy.

I don't get to have dinner with dad nearly often enough, so I pretty much abandoned my diet for the evening and had a combination dinner with two cheese enchiladas, a taco, and rice and beans. The tacos at El Matador are spiced perfectly for my taste, and I love their enchilada sauce too. (No, I didn't eat it all, but after a dinner like this I'll go to phase one for a few days to get back on track. This kind of flexibility is one of the things that makes the South Beach Diet work for me.)

El Matador Restaurant
606 South Main
Bountiful, Utah 84010
801-292-8998

(If you're looking for Weekend Herb Blogging, this week the host is the lovely and talented Meeta of What's For Lunch Honey? To enter, send her an e-mail with the permalink of your post to blogmeeta AT gmail DOT com. Be sure to include a link to What's For Lunch Honey and the words Weekend Herb Blogging somewhere in your post. You can check the rules for Weekend Herb Blogging if you need more information.)

TECHNORATI TAGS:
Food Recipes Cooking Utah Restaurants

CrockPot Chicken Soup with Garbanzos and Oregano

I've been feeling just a little under the weather lately, so when it came time to think about cooking something over the weekend, soup sounded better than anything else. I didn't want to go to the store, I had chicken in the freezer, and I had some herbs left in the garden that had survived a few nights of frost.

Parisian Apple Tartlet

An easy apple tart made with puff pastry shells.

Whenever I get an e-mail asking if I'd like a certain cookbook, first I think about how the book would fit my South Beach Diet lifestyle. Sometimes I politely decline, especially if it's a book for a different type of diet. Other times I say they can send the book and I might review it, but only if I find something I can adapt to my way of eating.

When Sara from I Like to Cook asked me if I wanted to get a copy of Dorie Greenspan's new book Baking From My Home to Yours, at first I told her I didn't think the book would be right for me. You don't have to read this blog very long to realize I'm not really into baking, and since I don't regularly eat white flour or sugar, I didn't think there would be much in this book that would be South Beach Diet approved. I was definitely right about that.

This is not a book for dieters of any kind. It's loaded with sugary baked goods that are beautifully photographed and sound like they would taste amazing. Just reading the book might cause you to gain a few pounds.

However, with that warning in mind, without doubt this is a gorgeous book. I decided to write about the book because not everyone who reads my blog is a South Beach Dieter, and if you're a baker, or know someone who is, this is a first-class cookbook in every way. The recipes are clearly written, and start and end on the same page, or two opposing pages, something that I always consider the sign of a well-planned cookbook. I've already mentioned the incredible photos, which are plentiful, although not every dish has a photograph. The book is has chapters on breakfast sweets, cookies, cakes, pies and tarts, spoon desserts, and what Dorie Greenspan calls indispensables for baking.

I wanted to try at least one recipe from the book, so I searched for the most South Beach Diet friendly recipe I could find and settled on this one for Parisian Apple Tartlets (page 319). It's a simple recipe with only puff pastry circles, apples, a sprinkling of brown sugar, and a tiny bit of butter. Although puff pastry is hardly a diet food, it's actually fairly low in carbs, therefore lower on the glycemic index compared to other foods containing white flour. This is something I might eat once in a while as a treat, keeping in mind that I'm on phase three of the diet.

Remember, I'm not a baker so please don't be too critical of the fact that my puff pastry didn't rise as evenly as it could have (antique oven!) or that I got carried away talking to friends and let the bottom of the tartlets get a bit too brown. Even with my lack of expertise, this tasted wonderful. Next time I might sprinkle a little cinnamon on top, but otherwise this is a keeper.


Parisian Apple Tartlet
(Makes 2 servings; adapted only slightly from Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan)

Ingredients:
2 puff pastry circles (I used Pepperidge Farm, but Dufour Brand is recommended)
1 apple
2 tsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. butter, cut into small pieces

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Put a piece of parchment paper, a silicone mat, or foil on a baking sheet. (I used foil which worked fine.) Peel apple, then cut in half crosswise. I then used an apple cutter to remove the core and cut the apple into 8 pieces. If you don't have this tool, just cut the apple into four pieces and cut out the core. (My apple was cut in 8 pieces and I removed one piece from each apple to fit it on the puff pastry better.) Center apple chunks on the puff pastry circle, dot with butter and sprinkle with brown sugar.

Bake about 25-30 minutes, until the pastry is deeply browned and apple can be pierced easily with a knife.

It would be tempting to top this with a bit of vanilla ice cream, but since I never have ice cream in my freezer, I managed to resist that temptation.

Printer Friendly Recipe

Blogger Disclosure:
Posts may include links to my affiliate account at Amazon.com, and Kalyn's Kitchen earns a few cents on the dollar if readers purchase the items I recommend, so thanks for supporting my blog when you shop at Amazon!

Thanksgiving on the South Beach Diet: Serve a Salad That Wows Them

Hearts of Palm Salad would be great for Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is approaching, the time when seriously overeating becomes a national pastime in the U.S. If you're a South Beach Dieter, you may be wondering how you can make it through the holiday without completely blowing your diet. From now until the big turkey day, I'm going to be offering some ideas for Thanksgiving Recipes that are a bit more South Beach Diet friendly than some of the more traditional Thanksgiving foods.

Weekend Herb Blogging #57 Recap: Look What We're Cooking

It's time for me to host Weekend Herb Blogging again, and it's hard to believe it's been four weeks since I posted the favorite herb recipes from around the world. Time marches on, and a lot of people are cooking delicious food and blogging each weekend about interesting plants, herbs, veggies, and flowers.

Don't forget I'm only hosting on the first Sunday of each month now, and so it doesn't get confusing you can check Who's Hosting Weekend Herb Blogging in the right sidebar of Kalyn's Kitchen. That's the best place to look for the host's e-mail address; a few people got inadvertently skipped last week because they were sent to the wrong place. My apologies for the confusion, but no worries, I'm just including them this week.

I'm very excited by all the great blogs signed up for a turn to host (some more than once!) Here's a little clue about next week's host. If you'd like to give it a try, send me an e-mail at kalynskitchen AT comcast DOT net.

One more piece of business before we get down to recipes. I'm thinking that since Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve both fall on a Sunday, we may want to skip those two weeks and have WHB go on hiatus the last two weeks in December. I'm guessing a lot of people won't be blogging much during that time. In the comments, let me know what you think about that idea.

Longview, Washington, U.S.A.
Chrispy from Experimentation of Taste wrote about one of my favorite veggies. Last week she posted The How-to of Winter Squash, complete with lots of information about varieties of squash, the history of its use, and of course, recipes. Then this week Chrispy shows us some more interesting ways to incorporate squash into your diet. Don't miss this; I'm trying one of these ideas right away.

Weimar, Germany
Meeta from What's For Lunch Honey was also inadvertently skipped last week, so I'm adding that link here to be sure you got to see her delicious Baked Potato with Ricotta and Chanterelle Mushrooms. Meeta also has a very spiffy looking new blog header, so check it out!

New Jersey, U.S.A.
Over at Sweetnicks, Cate is always busy, but she finds time to whip up a delicious sounding Chicken Piccata, with a little parsley adding a touch of herby goodness..

Pistoia, Tuscany, Italy
Ilva from Lucullian Delights is checking in early this week, with a recipe for Rosemary Scented Apple Jellies that sounds quite fabulous, and her photos are equally wow-inducing, as usual. (If she lived by me, I'd love to go to her house for food-styling lessons!)

The Triangle, North Carolina, U.S.A.
The topic is capers for Pookah from What's Cooking in Carolina, and she shares two fabulous sounding recipes for Olive Tapenade and Chicken Picatta, both featuring those yummy little morsels.

Toronto, Canada
Two fabulous sounding recipes featuring fresh herbs come next from Ruth of Once Upon a Feast, first Griddled Eggplant Roll-Ups with fresh mint, paired with Salmon Coulibiac with fresh dill.

Melbourne, Australia
Lots of fruits are used as vegetables, but what vegetable is used as a fruit? That's the interesting question posed by Anh of Food Lover's Journey, who answers with Rhubard, and a great recipe for Rhubarb Streusel Loaf.

Southwestern Virginia, U.S.A.

Coffeepot from Coffee and Cornbread has just gotten some exciting news about upcoming grandchildren, and life has been hectic lately, so she takes time out by creating a simple, but delicious sounding dinner of Pesto Fettucine and Broiled Tomatoes.

Trinidad, California, U.S.A.
The cupboards are bare at the home of Christine from Christine Cooks, but she proves what an innovative cook she is by whipping up an amazing sounding Red Curry Soup with Chicken, Edamame and Cilantro. (Did I mention how jealous I am that Christine is growing cilantro?)

New Jersey, U.S.A.
At Malabar Spices, Shaheen's blog is looking great and she's cooking from one of my favorite cookbooks to create Gobi Chole or Curried Cauliflower with Chickpeas, improved by Shaheen's own garam masala blend, which she also gives the recipe for.

New Mexico, U.S.A.
From her New Mexico paradise, Karina the Gluten Free Goddess checks in with a fabulous sounding Black Bean and Red Chile Soup, plus a post full of red and green chile information and cookbook recommendations.

New Jersey, U.S.A.
Rosemary Sandwich Crackers with Bacon Cheese are this week's creative offering from the always creative cook Gattina, and don't miss the mouth-watering photo. (I want some right now.)

Davis, California, U.S.A.
I love the way that people who do Weekend Herb Blogging end up becoming blog friends, and I notice that another herb blogger has already tried the recipe for Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Chip Chili with Cardomom, posted this week by Sher from What Did You Eat? Sher gives great step-by-step photos, making me hanker to try it myself.

Kronshagen, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

Ulrike of Kuchenlatein is making a dreamy looking soup this week, but it's the parsley pesto that puts her Potato Soup with Parsley Pesto over the top, and the photo is fabulous.

North Carolina, U.S.A.
I love the photo header on the blog of JMom from In Our Kitchen, who sends a recipe for Herbed Potato Crab Cakes with Basil Aoili this week. The crab cakes sound just fantastic.

South of France, near the border of Spain
It's great to welcome back Riana of Garlic Breath who's been thinking of ways to use up an endless supply of cabbage. She has some creative suggestions, including one of my favorites, fish tacos, and a great recipe for Hot and Sour Soup with Cabbage.

Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Welcome to a new Herb Blogger, Becky from Key Lime and Coconut, who starts off with a great entry loaded with information about cranberries. Becky makes a savory Cranberry Rice, which sounds interesting, but she warns, beware of the exploding cramberries!

Mill Valley, California, U.S.A.
Anna from Anna's Cool Finds has a problem I can relate to, using up those big pantry items from Costco! Anna is very innovative though, coming up with Dilled Corn and Potato Salad and Salmon Cakes, both of which sound delightful.

Melbourne, Australia
A very interesting looking Asparagus Polonaise comes next, in which Haalo from Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once tops pefectly cooked asparagus with a sauce featuring butter, breadcrumbs, eggs, and parsley. How could you go wrong with those ingredients?

Heart of the Vendee, France
Kate from Thyme for Cooking has a great new pan, which inspires her to create Braised Chicken with Tarragon Cream, a dish that sounds fabulous. If you want to see more fabulous sounding food, check out the weekly menu in the sidebar.

Sydney, Australia
Anna from Morsels and Musings has been having computer problems and entertaining visitors, but she's back with a fabulous sounding Colombian Clam Soup or Sopa de Amenjas. (Anna also has some exciting news which I better not share because I'm not sure she's announced it on her blog, but stay tuned!)

Bloomington, U.S.A.
You must read this next entry which comes from Burcu at Almost Turkish Recipes. She tells about Pogacas (missing several diacritical marks, which I don't know how to make, sorry!) a type of savory pastry or bread eaten in Turkey, and the recipe for Dill-Feta Pogaca (Dereotlu Peynirli Pogaca) sounds just fantastic.

Nantes, France
Whenever I visit the blog of Virginie of Absolutely Green, I love to try to read a bit of the French before I click the English translation button. If your French is non-existent, just click right to English to read where carob comes from and how Virginie makes a delightful carob drink with marshmallow.

New York City, New York, U.S.A.
The Chocolate Lady at In Mol Araan is a big herb enthusiast, and she shared previously when she acquired a book from the 16th century called Gerald's Herball. Now she has a great new find, A New Herbal, or Historie of Plants, a facsimile edition of Henry Lyte's 1619 translation of Rembert Dodoens' 1554 Cruyde Boeck.

Southern California, U.S.A.
I keep telling Surfindaave, The Serendipitious Chef, that he should be writing a narrative cookbook, and this entry shows why I think so. Dave has written about Amaranth, the grain, the greens, the puffed version of the grain, and a delightful dish that combines them all into Chicken in Amaranth Sauce on Cheesy Amaranth Grits. There's also a bit of the history of this interesting plant thrown in to read with dinner.

Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A.
My own post this week was the first of my series on Thanksgiving on the South Beach Diet, and I featured rosemary as my herb of choice. It was a delightful flavor addition to a dish that I absolutely loved, Roasted Butternut Squash with Rosemary and Balsamic Vinegar.

If you followed my link above you already know it, but next week's host will be Meeta of What's For Lunch Honey? If you're blogging about any type of herb, plant, veggie, or flower, include a link to What's for Lunch Honey and the words Weekend Herb Blogging, and then send the link in an e-mail to blogmeeta AT gmail DOT com.

TECHNORATI TAGS:
Food Recipes Cooking
Weekend Herb Blogging

South Beach Recipes of the Week #16: Pork

Once again it's Sunday, the day when I like to spotlight low glycemic index recipes I find on other food blogs. The glycemic index is what the South Beach Diet is based on, but even if you're not a South Beach dieter, you can find something that tastes fantastic in the batch of pork recipes I'm sharing this week.

Photo by Glenna from A Fridge Full of Food

At A Fridge Full of Food, this picture of Pork Chops with Mushroom Sauce really caught my eye. There is a tiny bit of cornstarch here to thicken the sauce, but you're only eating a tiny amount of it, so even with cornstarch, this is very South Beach Diet friendly.

Photo by Lisa of Champaign Taste

Another pork recipe that I thought sounded fabulous was this Six Hour Roast Pork which Lisa of Champaign Taste posted, originally from The Sandwich Life. Pork shoulder is rubbed with a type of pesto made from garlic, sage, rosemary, fennel, wine, and chicken stock, and then the meat is roasted at a low temperature. Pork shoulder is fairly high in saturated fat, so this should be a "once-in-a-while" treat for South Beach.

Photo by Christine of Christine Cooks

I drooled over this photo of Pork Chops with Rosemary and Lingonberry Sauce by Christine from Christine Cooks. I don't know how much sugar is in the Lingonberry Preserves, but I know Christine is a carb-conscious cook, and you're only eating a small amount of the sauce, so this should be great for South Beach phase two or three.

Photo by L. from Cook and Eat

Finally, from talented cook and photographer L. of the newly re-designed Cook and Eat comes My Favorite Pork and Beans. This recipe has a bit of sugar, which you could easily replace with Splenda, and everything else is perfect for South Beach Dieters. (You also might want to check out L.'s food photography blog Still Life With if you haven't seen it. Her photos are amazing.)

If you'd like still more pork recipes, check out my latest post at Blogher, Getting the Pork out of Politics and Into the Kitchen. (If you're a South Beach Dieter, be aware that recipes featured in my posts on Blogher may or may not be South Beach Friendly.)

You have until 3:00 today, Utah time, if you're interested in sending a link for Weekend Herb Blogging, which is now on week #57. I'm the host this week, so send it to kalynskitchen AT comcast DOT net. If you just want to see what great recipes have been submitted this week, check back later tonight for the recap.

TECHNORATI TAGS:
Food Recipes Cooking South Beach Diet Recipes
Low Carb Recipes Low Glycemic Index Recipes
Weekend Herb Blogging

Friday Food Porn: Kalyn Learns a Lot More About Grilling and Eats Amazing Food

Every Friday on the blog I take a break from talking about the South Beach Diet and have fun showing Friday Food Porn, things I "may or may not" have eaten. Today I'm showing some fabulous food I got to sample last weekend, when I was off to Arizona to attend a three-day event sponsored by Kingsford Charcoal. I learned an amazing amount about different types of grilling, got to hang out with one of my favorite food bloggers, and managed to get a few food porn shots too.

Kingsford University was held in Wickenberg Arizona at a lovely resort called Rancho de los Caballeros. This was the view from my window.

Four well-known food personalities were there to teach us how to grill like a pro. First up was Rick Rodgers, who taught us the basics of cooking with charcoal, including some interesting information about the new Kingsford Charcoal with Sure-Fire Grooves.

Rick is the author of the Kingsford Complete Grilling Cookbook, coming out in early 2007. (The book looks great!) He demonstrated the difference between a steak cooked with gas and one cooked on charcoal. Guess which one tasted best?

Next up was Corrine Trang, author of The Asian Grill, a lovely book I'll definitely be sharing some recipes from in the future. Pictured is her Grilled Shrimp Sausages served with Sweet, Sour, and Spicy Fish Sauce Dressing. I loved the flavors in this.

Corrine also made Grilled Tofu with Ginger-Soy Dressing. I could have eaten her food for days and never gotten tired of it.

Corinne was followed by Food Network personality Aaron Sanchez, who taught us about Latin Grilling. Aaron has two restaurants in New York City and his mother is widely credited with bringing Mexican food to New York.

Aaron cooked some amazing seafood dishes. Here he's grilling the lobster for Yucatan-Style Grilled Lobster. Somehow I got distracted taking photos and didn't get a taste of this. Darn!

The last grilling expert was barbecue champion Chris Lilly, who made us some of his Seven Time World Championship Pulled Pork. (Psst - I have the recipe!) Chris is associated with the Big Bob Gibson Restaurant and products, and he also let us sample their famous white sauce served on grilled chicken.

Of course there were ribs, which I did manage to get a shot of before they quickly disappeared. These were glazed with Big Bob Gibson Championship Red Sauce.

I had a fantastic time learning more about grilling, and I'm only sorry I don't live in the part of the world where summer is just starting, instead of the part where summer has ended. No worries though, I have a covered porch where I can grill pretty much all year. (I'll need to have a coat on in the winter, but it can be done!) I'll be sharing a lot more on the blog about things I learned from the experts. Recipes to come!

(Looking for Weekend Herb Blogging? It's right here at Kalyn's Kitchen this weekend. Here's what you need to know if you're interested in entering. If you just want to see the fabulous recipes people have sent featuring herbs, plants, veggies, or flowers, check back on Sunday night for that.)

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