When you think of summer what food comes to mind? Watermelon? Ripe tomatoes? Sweet corn? Mostly I think of fresh, ripe fruit and vegetables. I also think of wandering around the Farmers’ Markets and seeing all the fresh fruit and veggies. Ah…summer. Read More
So, Yes!Chef! has returned home from Boston and he is feeling like cooking up some goodness again. (Everyone at the Schmautzhaus says Huzzah!) And, boy, is recipe a great way to come back. The salmon was crispy on the outside and creamy and fresh on the inside. The sauce was sublime. It had everything I like: lemon, capers and basil. All of it sitting on a bed of fresh spinach. It was the perfect meal after a longish walk with Obie T. Dogg in beautiful Lake Tahoe.
Yes!Chef! loves pork. When I first met him, I couldn’t understand why he liked it so much. It was always dry and tasteless every time I had it. So, I would frequently turn up my nose to his suggestion of pork for dinner because of my pork bias. Yes, I was a hater…a pork hater.
However, dear husband has changed my mind forever.
Yes!Chef! and I have been busy…and a little lazy about blogging. As I have mentioned, Yes!Chef! has a day job that sometimes takes him out of town for several weeks. And, since I am a photographer, by trade, I have also been busier than usual this year (which is always a good thing.)
One of the best things we got to do together at the end of March was to photograph a wedding in Mendocino County in Northern California. Most people would say that I live in Northern California (I would also say this), but in reality we live a little north of the center of California. Mendocino County is near the top of the state…about a 5 hour drive from our house (which is near Lake Tahoe.)
The wild Mendocino Coastline
Most people, who have never been to California or have not spent much time in Northern California think that California is one big beach with sunbathers and surfers galore. Southern California can be that way. Northern California coast is much cooler and much wilder…not so conducive for either surfers or sun bathers. But it is a delight for the eyes.
Yes!Chef! and I had the privilege of staying at the Light Keepers house on Point Cabrillo. We stayed there with two other families, whom we knew, who were family members of the couple that was getting married.
We had a great view of the Point Cabrillo Lighthouse from the Light Keepers house (which was built in the early 1900’s for the Light Keeper and his family).
Every morning, Yes!Chef! and I got up early to watch the sun rise and look out at the ocean and the Lighthouse.
Yes!Chef! looks out on the lighthouse and the Pacific Ocean
The wedding was fabulous and we enjoyed ourselves very much.
The happy couple (top), The Light Keepers House (bottom left) and the church where the wedding was held (Bottom right)
We drove home on Sunday after two very full days of wedding photography and great fellowship. We drove through Anderson Valley, which is famous for Pinot Noir. We stopped at a couple of places to do a little tasting and we happened upon, Golden Eye Winery. It was a beautiful spring day and we were able to sit out on the tasting patio which had gorgeous views of the surrounding hills and vineyards. The tasting fee was $15.00 per person (non-refundable even if you bought a bottle of wine.) But it was well worth it. We got a little tray with 5 “tastes” served in Riedel glasses. We decided to share the “tastes” and it was plenty of wine. We both got good tastes and swooned through every one of them.
Wine Tasting at Golden Eye Winery
The wine was very expensive, but we bought a bottle anyway to celebrate when we finally sell our house (yes, it’s still on the market.) Good thing the wine ages well.
Anyway, it was quite pleasant and Yes!Chef! and I vow to go back to Mendocino when we can spend more time wandering around together.
What does all this have to do with Asian Meatballs?
Not much. It was just another adventure that I enjoyed with Yes!Chef!
Some of the scenery in Anderson Valley and a great little salad we each had in the small town of Booneville.
I told Yes!Chef! the other day that I would love some meatballs with an Asian flare and flavor palette. So, of course, he immediately found something that fit the bill and added his own flavorful touch to it.
He initially made the meatballs as per the recipe, but altered the sauce a little to suit our tastes. I requested that he make them again, because we had leftover sauce (delicious), but using almond flour instead of Panko breadcrumbs. Yes!Chef! and I are avoiding flour and other grains, for the most part, so substituting almond flour works for us.
In a large mixing bowl, mix all meatball ingredients with your hands until well-combined. Form into 1 1/2″ diameter balls. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until meatballs are golden and no longer pink on the inside.
For sauce, mix together all of the sauce ingredients with a whisk. Set aside.
The sauce can be served as a dipping sauce, or pour over the top of meatballs and top with sesame seeds and scallions.
Or both…which I did.
The sauce is very, very yummy. I could not get enough of it. We had some left over so, Yes!Chef! cooked up some tuna and we poured it over that top of that, too. Yum!
Sesame Encrusted tuna with Asian Sauce
I upgraded my cell phone (an old iPhone 4) for a new iPhone 6 (not the +). So, I used the camera on the new phone to take all the food photos. I’m not willing to throw away my Canon 5D Mark III, yet, but I think it did a pretty decent job. Food photography is all about the light, anyway.
And one final piece of advice that I saw as we were walking along Point Cabrillo (we saw whales, too, but I didn’t get a picture of them.)
Try not to get angry because it can cause you to fall off the cliff and die. So stay happy, folks and eat meatballs with Asian sauce.
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.
Here's an excerpt:
The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 34,000 times in 2014. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 13 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.
Whip It! Whip it Good…Blueberries with Maple Whipped Cream
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Posted on June 10, 2015 by Karen Schmautz
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Crispy Salmon with Lemon, Basil and Caper Sauce with a side of Lake Tahoe
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Posted on June 8, 2015 by Karen Schmautz
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Pulled Pork, Slaw and What Do I Do While Yes!Chef! is Away?
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Posted on June 3, 2015 by Karen Schmautz
Recipe from Food Network, Tyler Florence
Yes!Chef! loves pork. When I first met him, I couldn’t understand why he liked it so much. It was always dry and tasteless every time I had it. So, I would frequently turn up my nose to his suggestion of pork for dinner because of my pork bias. Yes, I was a hater…a pork hater.
However, dear husband has changed my mind forever.
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Asian Meatballs and Mendocino
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Posted on May 1, 2015 by Karen Schmautz
A lot of things can happen in a few short months.
Yes!Chef! and I have been busy…and a little lazy about blogging. As I have mentioned, Yes!Chef! has a day job that sometimes takes him out of town for several weeks. And, since I am a photographer, by trade, I have also been busier than usual this year (which is always a good thing.)
One of the best things we got to do together at the end of March was to photograph a wedding in Mendocino County in Northern California. Most people would say that I live in Northern California (I would also say this), but in reality we live a little north of the center of California. Mendocino County is near the top of the state…about a 5 hour drive from our house (which is near Lake Tahoe.)
Most people, who have never been to California or have not spent much time in Northern California think that California is one big beach with sunbathers and surfers galore. Southern California can be that way. Northern California coast is much cooler and much wilder…not so conducive for either surfers or sun bathers. But it is a delight for the eyes.
Yes!Chef! and I had the privilege of staying at the Light Keepers house on Point Cabrillo. We stayed there with two other families, whom we knew, who were family members of the couple that was getting married.
We had a great view of the Point Cabrillo Lighthouse from the Light Keepers house (which was built in the early 1900’s for the Light Keeper and his family).
Every morning, Yes!Chef! and I got up early to watch the sun rise and look out at the ocean and the Lighthouse.
The wedding was fabulous and we enjoyed ourselves very much.
We drove home on Sunday after two very full days of wedding photography and great fellowship. We drove through Anderson Valley, which is famous for Pinot Noir. We stopped at a couple of places to do a little tasting and we happened upon, Golden Eye Winery. It was a beautiful spring day and we were able to sit out on the tasting patio which had gorgeous views of the surrounding hills and vineyards. The tasting fee was $15.00 per person (non-refundable even if you bought a bottle of wine.) But it was well worth it. We got a little tray with 5 “tastes” served in Riedel glasses. We decided to share the “tastes” and it was plenty of wine. We both got good tastes and swooned through every one of them.
The wine was very expensive, but we bought a bottle anyway to celebrate when we finally sell our house (yes, it’s still on the market.) Good thing the wine ages well.
Anyway, it was quite pleasant and Yes!Chef! and I vow to go back to Mendocino when we can spend more time wandering around together.
What does all this have to do with Asian Meatballs?
Not much. It was just another adventure that I enjoyed with Yes!Chef!
I told Yes!Chef! the other day that I would love some meatballs with an Asian flare and flavor palette. So, of course, he immediately found something that fit the bill and added his own flavorful touch to it.
He initially made the meatballs as per the recipe, but altered the sauce a little to suit our tastes. I requested that he make them again, because we had leftover sauce (delicious), but using almond flour instead of Panko breadcrumbs. Yes!Chef! and I are avoiding flour and other grains, for the most part, so substituting almond flour works for us.
Here’s the recipe:
Asian Meatballs (adapted from Food.com)
Makes about 35 meatballs
Takes about 30 minutes
The sauce is very, very yummy. I could not get enough of it. We had some left over so, Yes!Chef! cooked up some tuna and we poured it over that top of that, too. Yum!
I upgraded my cell phone (an old iPhone 4) for a new iPhone 6 (not the +). So, I used the camera on the new phone to take all the food photos. I’m not willing to throw away my Canon 5D Mark III, yet, but I think it did a pretty decent job. Food photography is all about the light, anyway.
And one final piece of advice that I saw as we were walking along Point Cabrillo (we saw whales, too, but I didn’t get a picture of them.)
Try not to get angry because it can cause you to fall off the cliff and die. So stay happy, folks and eat meatballs with Asian sauce.
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Like this:
Leave a Comment
Posted on December 29, 2014 by Karen Schmautz
2014 in review
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.
Here's an excerpt:
Click here to see the complete report.
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