Tomato Mozzarella Appetizer

Ingredients:

1 Large Tomato

Fresh Basil

2 Green Olives with Pits

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Mozzarella

Very Little Balsamic Vinegar

Serves Two

If you can get real Italian imported mozzarella it makes the dish that much better. Firstly, chop your tomato into six slices. Next chop six 1/4-inch slices of mozzarella. Take a small plate and lay the slices in this order: Tomato, mozzarella, tomato, mozzarella, tomato, mozzarella, on each plate. Do this by fanning the ingredients out across the plate. Take your basil and chop or grind it into fine pieces. Lightly sprinkle this over the tomato mozzarella. Take one green olive and lay it right next to the last slice of mozzarella. Take your olive oil and lightly drizzle the tomatoes and mozzarella. If you would like, do the same with the balsamic vinegar. Be careful with the vinegar as it can easily overpower the dish. Put a dash of salt, and a small bit of pepper on the dish and your ready to serve.

Grilled Bread with Olive Oil

Ingredients:

Baguette or Rustic Country Bread

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Rosemary

Take a sheet of aluminum foil and then slice the bread into slices that will fit comfortably into a child’s hands. Lay the bread on aluminum foil then take a brush and coat the bread in olive oil. Use a tad more than you think you need. Sprinkle a little bit of rosemary and salt and pepper. Finally put the bread on your grill. Grill it until on each side until golden brown. Place on a large plate and enjoy. No cheese, or butter necessary.

Artisan Cheese Plate

Ingredients:

A Sharp Blue Cheese

A 1 Year Old Manchego Cheese

Traditional Goat Cheese

A Soft Brie That is not Over Ripe

Slightly Crisp Red Grapes

Honeycrisp or Fuji Apples

Baguette

Crackers (Our favorite are Lahvosh Water Crackers)

Green Olives

Cherry Tomatoes

Serves 4

This is the simple way to make a delicious cheese plate. Firstly, cut a large piece out of each cheese and lay them on a platter. Next take your olives and put them in the middle of your platter, lay the tomatoes next to the olives. Next cut your baguette and lay it on the platter with some crackers. Thinly slice an apple and lay those slices next to the cheeses. Lay the red grapes wherever there is room on the plate. Finally lay a knife or two by the cheese to cut it. This may seem a bit casual, but the results are great.

Well that is it for today. I hope you enjoy my appetizers and try them for yourselves.

Connecticut, given it is in the middle of everything mentioned above has an appreciation for food, is beautiful, and is just a fun place to be. In the Hartford area a great thing to do for a couple hours is to go to the Mark Twain House. In case you don’t remember who Mark Twain is off the top of your head, he wrote my favorite Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer, and Life on the Mississippi among others. Tours guides are very knowledgeable and give great tours of the house. The Twain family occupied the house from 1874-1891. Another attraction is Bushnell Park where you can take a scenic walk or jog through the park. If you have kids there is a carousal from 1914 that is operational most of the time in the warmer months. These two attractions are both in Hartford so you should expect a few minutes of driving from the hotel I will be recommending.

The hotel I am recommending is The Simsbury Inn.It is a classic New England Inn with beautiful antiques. This is just north of the area I will be moving to. If you are looking for a fun place to spend a day, West Hartford Center, and Blue Back Square are good places. There is great food, a movie theater, coffee, and places to just walk around. As for restaurants, there are a lot more than other attractions. The Max’s restaurants are amazing and offer great food, service, and a large variety of food. From the Max’s Oyster Bar to the 100% american cuisine of Max Burger. Whatever you want these places have it. Southern Italian, yep, raw oysters, yep, burgers, yep. You probably get my point by now. The oyster bar can get expensive if you don’t pace yourself though. Outside of the Max’s restaurants I still have plenty of suggestions. If you are in the mood for great Northern Italian food,  I suggest Bricco. It can be challenging to get a table with them as they don’t reserve under ten people, but the food is worth the thirty minute to an hour wait. I hope it will be the next restaurant I get cook in. The  spinach mushroom lasagna and tiramisu are amazing. Everything there is real Italian food. It is like the north end of Boston, or LA. Salami isn’t thick and dry, artichoke hearts are tart and flavorful, and olives taste real. For pizza I recommend Harry’s Pizza. The pizzas are large and a bit pricy, but it is well worth it. I think most people would agree on that.

So thats sums up todays post. I hope you check back next week for some great recipes!

Sam

Recipes are:

Pasta with Curry

Serves Three

Ingredients:

1/2 Zucchini

1/2 Pound Chicken Breast (Pre-grilled with salt, pepper, and cilantro)

1 1/2 Cups Arugula

1/4 Pound Pork (Pre-grilled with salt, pepper, and cilantro)

Curry

Chili Powder

5 Baby Peppers, Red, Yellow, and Orange

1/2 Lemon

3/4 Pounds Spaghetti

Dried Chile Peppers

Half and Half

Paprika

4 Roma Tomatoes

Olive Oil

Cayenne Pepper

Instructions:

Depending on the size of the dish you are making, the amount of ingredients will have to be judged by eye. Put five dashes of chili powder and dried chili peppers in a large bowl. Next, take the pre-grilled chicken and cut it into large chunks and toss it with the powder and peppers. After that you need to slice up the small peppers and remove the seeds. Save the seeds. Toss the bowl again, and then chop the arugula into small pieces.  Mix it into the bowl. After that you need to put two dashes of curry, dried chili peppers, and paprika in the bowl. Do NOT mix this yet.  Slice three roma tomatoes and take out all of the seeds. These you do not need to keep.  After they are deseeded chop into fine pieces. Put the tomatoes into the bowl and toss. Enter three dashes of chili peppers into the bowl along with one dash of chili powder. Mix that and let it sit for two minutes or so. Chop the pre-grilled pork into chunks. Sprinkle curry on top of the pork, then mix into the bowl. Squeeze half of a lemon into the mix BY HAND. Put one or two dashes of every spice into the mix.  Chop more tomatoes and deseed them, and as usual mix into the bowl. Add two more dashes of chili peppers into the mixture if you like. Mix in a modest amount of olive oil. Finally, we reach the last step of preparation, take the pepper seeds and rub them with cayenne and chili powder. Put them into the pan and cook. Put olive oil into the pan and heat for one minute. Next put mix into the pan. If it looks dry add water. Cook on low heat and stir frequently. Add a little half and half in when finished. Cook spaghetti and serve under the dish you just prepared. Enjoy!!!

Salmon With Lemon Cilantro Rice

Serves Three

Ingredients:

3/4 Pounds Salmon Fillet

Honey

Cedar Wood Plank

Cilantro

Lemon

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Rustic White Bread

Brown Jasmine Rice

Instructions:

This is a more basic recipe than the first in this book. Start by making large chunks of the bread and putting it on an aluminum foil sheet. Take a brush and lather the bread in olive oil. Use a little more than you think you need. Salt and pepper the bread pieces and let them sit.  Take your salmon and de-bone it, then put salt, pepper and lemon juice on it. Cut the salmon into individual pieces.  Clean your brush and take a small bowl of honey and brush the honey onto the salmon fillet. Do not overdo the honey or you will be left with an unsatisfying, oversweet, and crusty salmon dinner. Let the honey start to dry. Next put the rice in the appropriate amount of water and bring to boil. Once boiling keep the lid on and turn down heat. Leave the rice in until no water is visible. As the rice is cooking make a small bowl of lemon-cilantro mix. Put rice in sieve to dry and then put into a mixing bowl. Mix in appropriate amount of the lemon-cilantro mix into the rice and keep warm. Take your cedar plank and put it on the barbeque. I am assuming you used the proper steps to get the plank ready for the grill. You need to have it soaked for a few hours before use. You can soak them and freeze them for use later.  Let salmon cook on plank and watch to make sure plank does not burn up. If it lights on fire squirt some water on it. While the salmon is cooking put the bread on grates of grill for a few minutes or until crispy.  Finally plate the rice with salmon on top of it. Lay a piece of bread on each side of it. Also consider using a greens salad as a side dish. Enjoy!!!

Scallop Dinner

Serves Three

Ingredients:

9 Scallops

1/2 Lemon

Butter

Parsley

Olive Oil

1 1/2 TBS Half and Half

Directions:

This is one of the more basic dishes using scallops, but it still makes a great dinner. To accompany the scallops make a basic salad with tomatoes, lettuce, lemon-parsley vinaigrette, peppers, and cucumbers. Squeeze a lemon and save the juice, and get a bowl of chopped parsley ready.  After the salad is prepared put a little olive oil in the pan. Now put a small chunk of butter in the pan and heat the pan on high heat for two minutes. If the pan starts to smoke turn down heat for a few seconds. If the butter is brown before the two minutes marker turn down heat and put scallops on. Also make sure that the scallops are lightly salted before putting them into the pan. Cook them for two minutes on each side and keep the heat of the pan just below smoking. Be careful of butter splatters while flipping. After they are cooked put them on a plate and set them to the side. Quickly turn off burner on stove and pour lemon juice in the pan. Swirl juice around for a minute then pour a decent amount of half and half in, about enough to make the sauce a creamy brown. Put in a few sprinkles of parsley in the sauce then pour sauce over the scallops. Serve two to four scallops per person with a good amount of salad and maybe some baguette or whole-wheat crackers. Enjoy!!!

Most of the time was working with Matt at the cold food station. Reed was in charge of the hot food station and Phil was the Sous-chef who triple inspected everything I made. He never found a problem though, . Then of course Michael Smith walks around overseeing both restaurants. Now the last thing I want to say is that they have a HUGE bucket of every ingredient.

Here is how I came to working at Extra Virgin. One day I was eating there and saw Michael Smith and went over to him and introduced  myself. He took a liking to me and took me around the Extra Virgin kitchen. I really enjoyed so I guess he remembered me. About a month later I saw him at Dean & Deluca, a nice-walk in kind of place in KC. I got up and reintroduces myself so he sat down for a moment. When I expressed my interest in cooking he told me about some high schoolers who came and cooked for a night with him and informally invited me to come.When we went to Extra Virgin a week ago to celebrate a visit my family from Germany, so I took the opportunity to ask when I could come. He said, “Come next Saturday at 5:30 pm.” And there you have how I came to cook there for the night. Now that you have all of the background information I’ll start with the story.

As you probably figured out I love to cook, so I was thrilled when my parents dropped me off at Extra Virgin and went to Michael Smith’s across the hall for dinner while I went to start preparing some food. At first, Phil was not sure if I knew what paprika was so he started with having me peeling shrimp and taking out the “vein”. I figured out what the “vein” was on the first shrimp. Peeling off shrimp shells is a boring, labor intensive project.  That was kind of my initiation into the restaurant for the night. At that point I did not see a enjoyable experience ahead of me. Then right when I was about to finish peeling the shrimp Michael (He said I can call him that even though I’m 11), comes up to me and literally shouts “We only have one rule here, don’t #@%* it up!” Of course he apologized but Reed, Matt and I all found it more funny than insulting. Then Phil found I was worthy of making things.

For the next fifteen minutes no one was ordering so Matt taught me how to make hummus, the watercress salad, yellowtail salad, chick peas, and a few other things. He also taught me how to use the deep fryer properly. Apparently there is a sort of “art of the deep fryer”. Things seemed complicated at first, but as the night went on things got easier as I memorized how to make them. The watercress salad had watercress, palm heart, a variation of cabbage, a sauce and a few other ingredients.

Into the restaurant came the reservation for thirty on the patio, and Phil went crazy even before they ordered. He must have forgotten to do something cause I was frying making potato chips in the deep fryer, mixing chips, plantains and bacon. Ten minutes later they started ordering and everybody was running around. I asked if this was very  busy because they seemed in a big hurry. Matt claimed that Friday was five times as busy. It seemed busy because I was making three yellowtail salads and four asparagus salads at the same time. It was not that busy though according to the cooks. Then Matt had to make a creme brulee, and it got sent back because it was short on the creme part. I got to eat it which was nice because I had not eaten for a couple hours.

Here is a description of the kitchen at the time I was there and the most orders where coming in. Five pita breads where on the grill, tons of pasta and chicken thighs where on the grill also. The deep fryer was completely full and Matt and where doing seven orders at once. Plates are out, bowls are out, more bowls come, more plates come, eight orders just came in = not to Busy. I think you get my point now. You probably got it a few minutes ago, but anyway. We continued on like this for two hours and then orders stopped and we only had one every five minutes. My mom came over and told me twenty minutes until we have to go. Side note, my mom has a way of effectively doubling time which is very helpful in some cases. Finally it is time for me to go home . I grudgingly followed my mom to say my final goodbyes. I thank Mr. Smith, Phil, Matt, and Reed for having me. Then I went home tired and hungry, but full of great experiences.

If you like my idea of not just doing a blog on travel, but including some interesting experiences of mine please tell me by writing a comment.

Sam

The hotel I am recommending is the Sheraton Boston Hotel. Although, if you are going to Boston for a very important occasion this might not be the hotel for you. The hotel is nice, accommodating, and in a location close to everything.

In Boston you can always go with the approach of tour busses to bring you around the city which is not a bad idea at all. It is not the thing for you who like the walking around experience. Going further into entertainment going to Harvard is so much fun. Walking around in on the campus is a great way to appreciate the people who built it. When you are finished you can go and get yourself a sweater or something else at the bookstore if you would like.

Boston

You can also do what I recommend in just about every post, which is taking a walk through the city. Here though I want to recommend a specific walk which is the Freedom Trail. As many of you know the  Freedom Trail covers many historical sites from the Revolutionary War. The trail is about 2 1/2 miles long and is laden with red brick. Sometimes the brick becomes a bit hard to follow though, so beware. You can get a freedom trail map at the visitor center in case you do get lost and can’t find the trail. Even if you don’t have a map people are usually friendly enough to give you a bit of direction. Some of the sites along the trail  include The Old North Church, the site of the Boston Massacre, and  Paul Revere’s house.

Paul Revere’s House

The last attraction I want to mention is the Boston Museum of Science. It is a great family attraction, and it is fun for all. You can find everything from space exhibits to physic exhibits. People say it is an affordable, fun, and interesting.

The last thing I will cover are restaurants. The first one I am recommending is Delfino Restaurant. It is an Italian restaurant in a nice, quaint location. It can get a little loud when it is busy. The food is describes as sensational and delicious. It is on the more expensive side but nothing near a $50 for a entree kind of place. The second place I will recommend is Pizzeria Regina. As you can probably guess it is a pizzeria. It is in a bit of a tight space and busy but the staff does not get exasperated and is nearly always friendly. The pizza is a step above average. I hope you enjoy!

Sam

Copenhagen:  

I will only be covering one city, Copenhagen will be that city. Crown Plaza Hotel Copenhagen Towers is a very nice hotel that is a great value. In fact, it was named a top value by Trip Advisor. Tight, is international cuisine. Tight is described as a good value  and simple. Some dining in Copenhagen can be over-the-top pretentious. So, that makes the simple dining is a big plus. The second restaurant I would like to recommend is Cap Horn. The cuisine is traditional bistro mixed in with some typical Danish food. For those of you who are into “the organic thing” like my family, most dishes at Cap Horn  are made of organic ingredients.

Since I’m only covering one city, I will be covering more attractions in the city. Tivoli Gardens is an amusement park. You can also consider it part garden. It is what you might consider “a good old fashioned  theme park.” Rides include a couple of roller coasters and something that lifts you up around 100 feet and spins you in pods. I didn’t have the guts to get on it. Maybe it is because I was eight when we went to Denmark. You can also participate in activities that you would be able to find at a renaissance fair. One of these activities target shooting with bows and arrows. Tivoli Gardens is a great place to spend a day or night.

Some other things to do in Copenhagen include Segway Tours. For those of you who don’t know what a Segway tour is here is your explanation: A Segway tour  is a tour of the city on a kind a two wheeled bike that is motorized. Here is a picture:

All in all Copenhagen is an amazing city with views, architecture, good food, and good attractions. If you even go to Germany try taking a couple days to come to Denmark. Everything about it is amazing and beautiful. Coupled with good food it is a must see place in Europe. I can’t wait to here what you think of this place Denmark!

Some of you might arrive by air, but it is really fun to drive to Copenhagen from Germany. Imagine this, there are now bridges that connect the Danish Jutland with the other parts of Denmark and you can drive over these long, astounding celebrations of modern engineering.

Here are some other Copenhagen experiances that made our top ten list:

- A boat tour of the harbor

- A visit to the Rosenborg Castle and seeing the crown jewels there

- Sitting and watching bicycles pass you (surprisingly fun).

- Listening to street performers in shopping zones

Sam

Sam

The first of two destinations I would like to cover is Porto. Named appropriately after it’s main origin, port. Old Porto is the hub for sightseeing, cuisine and river tours. Amidst the narrow streets that wind their way through town lie several stretches of pedestrian-only cobblestone streets. Although there are many inexpensive parking garages located all over the city, it is advisable to take public transport to the city center. The narrow and steep streets are difficult to navigate and lack easily readable street signs.

Here is where I will start focusing on food and hotels. There are a few things to know about Portugal dining that can be helpful. Although Portugal dining etiquette is nothing to be feared there are a few tips about things to do. Table manners are formal and Continental. The couverts, or appetizers brought at the beginning of the meal are very much like the idea of Spanish tapas. Food is served in large quantities and fairly inexpensive with 10 Euros buying a hearty café meal and under 25 Euros enough to get a great meal in most restaurants. Coverts usually consist of bread with butter, oil, and olives. Some restaurants charge for the covert, but some serve it as a complimentary. Aquário Marisqueiro offers good food for a reasonable price. Seafood reigns supreme, from a starter soup made by boiling the shells of mariscos, which is a shellfish to main course options like cod and sole with ham. Ze Bota offers delicious Portuguese cuisine, a selection of great wines, and a charming atmosphere. It is located in Central Porto. The hotel I would recommend in this city is Pestana Porto. This is purely a recommendation based on my experience. The rooms can be a bit on the pricey side, but if this is going to be your Summer Vacation then it is definitively worth it. They have great service, are in a great  location right by the river, and has a calming atmosphere. If you need a restaurant to go to just take a walk by the river if you are staying at the Pestana, and you will find plenty. On the other side of the river are many wineries. Take a quick walk across the bridge across the Douro and there you are. Walk around and find the one you where planning on going to. I recommend doing some research on when they are open and which winery you want to go to.

Finally our second destination, Lisboa. This is a more modern version of Porto. There are more street signs, but it is nothing like you would find in a U.S. city like LA. Walking is a great way to spend a morning. Walking s around the city is one of the easiest ways to see some of the marvelous architecture. If you are one of those people who can walk for an hour, but then you have to do something like eat or shop. This city has you covered also. You can find great bakeries and cafés on the sides of many walking streets. Here the walking streets are wider, and much more distinguishable from the ones in Porto. The hotel I stayed at is the Bairro Alto, which is in the middle of the city. The hotel is in a superb location and has great service. The hotel has a balcony with a bar that is a great place to spend an hour if you don’t feel like going out. Restaurants are great in Lisbao. The city is not based on port so do not expect for it to be as wine centered. If you decide to visit the Castelo de Sao Jorge overlooking the city be sure when heading back to the hotel to ask for directions to Wine Bar Do Castelo. It is small so you will probably not have much luck asking in the middle of the city. People around the castle will most likely know where it is. The man who owns the restaurant is a extremely nice man who is amazing at pairing wine and cheese. If  you are in the mood for a small lunch he also serves bread with wine and cheese. Other restaurants that I recommend are Flor da Laranja, a Moroccan restaurant. The food there can be spicy so do be careful. Walking around the city presents many dining opportunities with most of then being good choices. Be careful where you go though because some restaurants can be very, very expensive.

All in all Portugal is a great country that offers many travel opportunities. Trip Advisor is a helpful way to find a different hotel or another restaurant. I hope you have a great trip!

Sam

Most people choose to fly into Anchorage when going to Alaska, and I have always flown through Anchorage. If you would like to stay in Anchorage, there is plenty to do. Many of you food connoisseurs out there are wondering about food quality. It is one of the places where there are great places, it all just depends on what food you like.  Moose’s Tooth still serves the best pizza and casual fare there is.  Obviously, there is great fish almost everywhere you look, and the meat is also fantastic and includes a number of varieties that we do not see too often in the lower 48 states.  Anchorage also presents the opportunity for the Sushi lovers out there to enjoy themselves to the fullest. Great sushi can be found in many restaurants.  Anchorage also offers nice lodging although I have to admit that I have always stayed with family.  Those of you who where thinking Anchorage was a run down little town you might be second guessing yourself.  Anchorage is quaint and has a homey feel to it.

Activity-wise there is great hiking.  I enjoy hiking Flat Top Mountain, and the 7 miles to Rabbit Lake is a great way to spend the day.   On both hikes be prepared for a variety of weather.  Those of you who love the outdoors you can even camp for a night at rabbit lake. It is surrounded by mountains and offers great views. Beware though, the winds can be vicious even though it is in a basin like enclosure.

Kodiak Island is a salmon fishers paradise. This is a beautiful little island that is cozy but kind of “rickety”. Of course, to salmon fish you need a boat. There are some people who rent their boats to people for a day or so. If you are planning of doing some deer hunting, well this is the place to hunt. Deer are a plenty here and so are fantastic views. If you get a deer be careful though because Kodiak Brown Bears are larger than the normal brown bear, which most of you know is bigger than the Grizzly Bear. While boating there are great views, fishing, and fun to be had. You might even see one of the Kodiak Bears while fishing in a bay. Also please remember that fishing will require you to have a license.

Denali, the highest mountain in North America is in a fantastic National Park, of course. Denali National Park is a beautiful place and if you stay there you might get to see all of the Mountain and it’s surrounding mountains. There is food, and lodging at the park so you can stay there or you can find a place to stay in the charming town of Talkeetna. I do recommend spending a day in this quaint little town. Activities at the park are abundant, take a Helicopter tour of Denali or take a fly fishing trip.  All in all this park is a great place to stay!  To research further, I recommend Expedia for no apparent reason and I hope you have a great trip.

Sam