Foreign Food: Fennel, Potato and Lemoned Goat Cheese Tart

My quest to broaden my culinary horizons continues. This week's foreign food: fennel.  I know very little about fennel. I've eaten it once or twice and I can identify it in the grocery store- that's about it. When it came to choosing my next foreign food, this dish was mainly inspired by a delicious lemony goat cheese I'd had, not the fennel itself. Shame on me! Now that I've tried my hand at preparing fennel, it's coming close to knocking leeks out of the number one vegetable spot. Fennel consists of a pearly bulb topped with fluffy green fronds and has a shocking anise, or black licorice, flavor that mellows as it cooks. It can be eaten...

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Travel Lust: Santorini, Greece

120 miles of the Greek mainland lies the beautiful volcanic island of Santorini.   The stunning whitewashed buildings with pops of bright blue fulfill any fantasy you had about Greece. Sitting atop rugged cliffs, it's a straight plunge down to the Aegean Sea. I don't think I would mind plunging into the Aegean. If you're in Greece, you need to see some ancient ruins. Head to Akrotiri and see the excavations of this ancient Minoan settlement presumed to be the inspiration for Plato's Atlantis. Buried by a volcanic eruption, ancient life was frozen in time offering us great relics of the past such as frescos and pottery. But, of course,...

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Dining Out: Yokozuna

Can't think of a place for dinner this weekend? Why not enjoy delicious Pan-Asian cuisine at Yokozuna in Tulsa's Blue Dome District downtown! From sushi to Pad Thai to chicken ramen, Yokozuna has an excellent mix of everyone's favorite Asian cuisine under one roof. Along with great food, Yokozuna's atmosphere provides the urban experience you want when visiting Tulsa's revamped downtown. I love the mix of materials in the dining area with its exposed brick  interspersed with wooden wall coverings and exposed steel beams on the ceiling. There is also a stunning cypress wood bar where you can belly up for some sake. One thing I love about...

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Pardon My Dust!

I'm rearranging....

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Maria's Mexican Grill: Taco Paradise

The other day, a coworker was telling me all about this little place that had the best fish tacos in town- he even compared them to those you would get beach-side in San Diego. These had to be good- and I needed to try them! We headed down to Maria's Mexican Grill at 61st and Garnett and easily found the restaurant nestled in a small shopping complex. There were a lot of things on the menu that I recognized, but I must admit we Googled a few items at the table. Maria's offers your typical nachos, enchiladas, burritos, gorditas, quesadillas, chiles rellenos and tacos prepared with various options of meat. There were also some dishes I was less...

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Peppercorn: Boudler, Colorado

I have found my personal heaven- it lies on Pearl Street Mall in Downtown Boulder. It's called Peppercorn. Founded in 1977, Peppercorn crams into 12,000 square feet every kitchen item you could possibly dream of and plenty you have never seen before. From hard to find and imported pantry items to kitchen gadgets and cookware- they have it all. There's even a bed and bath section as well! Food enthusiasts beware. If you ever make it up to Boulder to visit this charming store, know that you will never be the same again. There are more gadgets and goodies than you will ever find in Williams-Sonoma and they're offered at phenomenal prices! It's...

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Travel Lust: Portland, Maine

Portland, Maine- the largest city in the northernmost New England state. Think lobster rolls, light houses and sea views. I hadn't really given much thought to visiting Maine until I saw photos of the state's stunning coastline and now it's a must see. I would go in the summer, of course! Old Port is a charming warehouse district that connects to to the city's water front. Portland Head Light, on Cape Elizabeth, is the most photographed lighthouse in North America. Can you imagine why? Two Light state park offers stunning views of the Atlantic coastline. I am dying to go deep sea fishing- what better place than off the coast of Maine? And as...

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Kiss Me, I'm Not Irish: A St. Paddy's Day Collection

St. Patrick's Day- a day of green beer, corned beef and pinching complete strangers. What's not to love? Here is a collection of events around town, festive recipes, and drinkables to help you celebrate the Irish in you (or not). Get Your Party On Follow this link to find a list of St. Paddy's day events around town. Always a good time: McNellie's, Arnie's and Kilkenny's. Leon's announced their street party Thursday and Friday at their Brookside location beginning at 10am- live music, TVs, food and of course cold beer! Visit their Facebook page! This article from the Tulsa World has great maps of street closings for the festivities. Check out...

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Foreign Food: Coconut Macaroons with Chocolate and Lime

I've decided to start a new column: Foreign Food. For this column, I will be cooking a type of food that is new to me or incorporating an ingredient or technique I have never used before. Join me on my journey to gastronomic enlightenment! For my first foreign food: the coconut macaroon. Crisp on the outside, soft and tender on the inside. The perfect little cookie. I've added lime to the batter and drizzled the top with chocolate for good measure. Unlike your typical cookie, the macaroon has no baking soda or baking powder. Instead, this cookie is leavened by egg whites. This treat is pretty easy to make- place all of your ingredients in...

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Snow Shoeing: City Girls Take On the Mountain

On a recent trip to Colorado to visit my dearest friend from college, Emily, we decided to get a little wild. We could spend our day tooling around the cute shops in Vail, lounging around fire pits and sipping hot toddies. Instead, we decided to go out of our comfort zone and go snow shoeing. Note: No one was harmed in the making of this blog post.  Neither of us had ever gone snow shoeing but we were excited to try something new. I was particularly glad it did not involve flying down a mountain at uncontrollable speeds (see: me skiing). Unprepared for this adventure, we put together some hodgepodge mountain get-ups and borrowed some snow...

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