Orange Almond Mandelbrot...a.k.a Jewish Biscotti!

To think that I was going to skip making cookies for the holidays...when this morning, I called my daughter Lora, and said..."I want to make some biscotti...but you know, that  my kitchen is way too small, so I will come over to
your house and will make it there! Of course, she agreed, as she always does, because she likes to see me out of my "rut"...even though I live on the beach, but I get into those "holiday blues" just before the holidays, and I tell you...You got to snap out of it!!!...seriously! Life is too short...life is GOOD! It's what you make of it!

You want to feel sorry for this person...for that person...their sad situation, but when you seriously think about it, you really have to think about "yourself!"...You have "issues" just as the next person does...except, you deal with it much better than they do! They make you feel, that you have to help them, it's your responsibility!...enough said, just check out my amazing Orange Almond Mandelbrot (Jewish Biscotti) for the holidays!

Linking my Orange Almond Manderbrot to: Full Plate Thursday 12-8-11 @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

What was I thinking? This is the "butt" of my turkey from last year, which I actually posted on my blog last year! Now, I feel like I must have been the "butt" of the turkey jokes...yet, everyone was nice with their comments to me. No "butt" jokes! I still don't understand what was the reason behind this "turkey pose!" with yet, a scar on it's backside...what a turkey...turkey! The turkey was moist, and delicious...perfectly stuffed, and roasted to a golden bronze color! I will share with you our friends' turkey, after Thanksgiving, where we are invited for a feast!

Actually, I decided to upload the other photo of my beautiful stuffed turkey from last year...not to be rude, and just show the backside! I kind of miss, not baking a turkey for the first time, in over 30 years!

At any rate, I do have my lovely cranberry sauce with
vanilla, from last year...the more I look at those weird twigs (vanilla pods) the more I'm trying to figure out why I used it for decoration...the one pod looks like the letter U...for "unknown" perhaps, and the other pod is just uselessly leaning behind it! Just an observation from last year, but the cranberry sauce was so delicious, and just the right texture!

Cranberry Sauce with Vanilla, Maple Syrup, and Cassis


6 cups (about 1-1/2 lb.) fresh or frozen cranberries, picked over and rinsed
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup fresh orange juice (from 1 orange)
1/3 cup crème de cassis (black-currant liqueur)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 Tbs. finely grated orange zest (from 1 orange)

Half a vanilla bean, split and scraped
Put 3 cups of the cranberries and all the remaining ingredients in a 3- or 4-qt. saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries have popped and broken down and the juices look slightly syrupy, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the remaining 3 cups cranberries and cook until these have popped, 3 to 5 minutes more. Remove from the heat, discard the vanilla bean, and let cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate if not serving right away.

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I have so much to be thankful for, this year... and you, my food blogger friends and my other blogger friends, facebook, and Twitter friends, are on top of my list this year!

I have spent way too much time on my blog this year, but the rewards were worth every minute of it getting to know more people, and actually making friends on a personal level that will be remembered for a lifetime I learned a lot from other cultures, and feel that I have traveled around the world, just by reading their amazing stories, and to learn about the foods of their region. You get to learn so much just by sharing your ideas, opening your homes, and kitchens, talking about families, friends, trips, but mostly food...good food, and that is what food blog is about, making friends, laughing, crying, but mostly sharing!
I have a beautiful family; children, grandchildren... which I am blessed with and I am thankful for, every day of my life!

As for social networks... Twitter, and have just recently joined facebook...but haven't delved into it yet as much as I would love to!
Every day, I check comments, and comment back as much as I can, and/or find new blogs to comment to, and make friends...hopefully! It is so important in our foodie community to support one-another, and through Foodbuzz, I have experienced just that, by joining the Foodbuzz Blogger Festival, for the first time this year, which was the 3rd annual event.

I have not joined hardly any...actually "none" of...social networks, other than Foodbuzz! All the other ones, which I did join, I forgot my password, or even the name of the site! For instance, just recently, I signed up for YELP...which is about restaurant, and business reviews. I did upload some restaurant photos, but have not posted a review yet. Also, Taste Spotting...I forgot my password there, as well!...and there is another site...Foodieview.com! Well, I signed up for that too, but have abandoned it, and forgot all about it. There's Etsy shop, and on that one I'm still trying to figure out how to copy and paste a logo!

There's Stumbleupon where I would get all those blogs to my e-mail, to stumble it...when I'm still stumbling here on my own, trying to figure out all these social networks. I actually joined FoodieBlogroll at the same time I joined Foodbuzz, but there, I felt lost...did not know how to connect with other food bloggers. I guess Food Gawker, is the biggy of them all where you have to have impecable photos, or else it gets rejected...I heard. (did not try out for that one either.) One very good networking I did sign up for is the Very Good Recipes, where you just register, and they do all the work for you to upload your posts!

A little preview of  my Hungarian Kifli that I made today for Thanksgiving to take to our hosts' house

So, I wish you all, here in the United States, and in other parts of the world where you reside,
A Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving, and may you have a safe one as well, if you are traveling!
Hugs, to all!
Elisabeth

Salmon Burger...a Winner, and Blogaversary!

First things, first...I have so much to share with you today. !st. is the winner of my giveaway!. On Random.org, the #18 came up which is Lizzy, from That Skinny Chick Can Bake!!!
Congratulations Lizzy! Hope you will enjoy this fabulous book and I know you will find some really nice dishes in there to make. Will contact you for the mailing address.

Just would like to let you all know, that yesterday, on June 3rd, 2011 was my 1st. Blogaversary...my First Anniversary of my blog, which really started out as just a few foods, and more thrift finds.I came a long way since last year, making friends with other food blogger around the world, and locally.

I do appreciate the support and friendship from my fellow blogger friends, and follower who have supported me throughout this past year. Without your support and kindness, I would never have made it this far. It's a lonely place out there in "blogsphere" when you have no one commenting, and for that, I do have the Foodbuzz community to thank for and all the members who have befriended me. So, I just want you to know that I'm planning, and hoping to hang around here for another year longer at least...and who knows how long after that! So just bear with me, I will take you along on more of my food and life adventures.
Love to all! ...
Do check out my first post!
Also, I did want to announce that I am attempting to make my first...ever...homemade garlic rolls, filled with delicious garlic and herbs. This should have been my post, showing of my homemade delicious (hopefully)...garlic rolls, with "dry active yeast" 125 g. that comes in the cutest little canister, sent to me by my new and sweet friend, Suhaina, living in Singapore, and at this moment, on vacation to her homeland in Kerala, India.

I was so inspired by her homemade garlic rolls, that I was so determined to make it... so she sent m the yeast that she uses, all the way from Singapore. I was totally in "awe" but mostly shocked, because not very often do we find such amazing good hearted people who do not know you from "Adam" that would want to do something like this for you. Please check out Suhaina's fabulous Garlic Rolls and be sure to click on the HOME...to get you back to the current page of My Singapore Kitchen. She is such a talented cook, and baker, and she makes the most amazing breads, and rolls, as well.
Truly a blessing from this gracious and beautiful lady, who became my dear friend:DDD

Cranberry Sauce, and a Stylish Blogger Award

It  is Hanukkah, and it officially started at sundown on Tuesday, and will last for 8 days. We just left Thanksgiving behind, and here comes all the holidays one, and before you know it, it's the New Year.
Well, for Hanukkah, all we do is just keep frying the nice and aromatic shredded potato latkes=pancakes. The best way to do them is to just pass it through the shute of your food processor with the shredding disk, and you'll have a big bowlful to work with, a super messy kitchen, and the aroma of fried potatoes, and onions...and before you know it, your batch of latkes are gonna be eaten up in less than 10 minutes.

Will post some photos about the latkes, my granddaughter took the photos with her camera, mine just totally went blank...no screen. Will be getting my new camera this weekend. A present to myself!

Broiled Grouper with Mango, Papaya Salad

Broiled sea food is one of the best ways to make it, next to grilling. I just use simple mix dry spices, fresh grated lemon zest, fresh juice of 1 lemon, and also use the same on the unpeeled large shrimp. drizzle extra virgin olive oil on it, line the broiler pan with the dull side of the aluminum foil, poke a few holes with a fork right through the aluminum foil just maybe about 3 places, an broil on the very top for about 10 minutes for the grouper, and just a few minutes for the shrimp, as soon as they turn pink, it's done.

I saved the juices from the fish, and added a little white wine to it, and added juice of 1 lemon on top.No need for extra lemon on the side.

The mango, papaya, romaine, and radicchio salad is another fresh and simple, yet bursting with color and flavor. A perfect combination with fresh Florida seafood. I also added sliced fresh jalapeno peppers, scallions, and drizzle extra virgin olive oil, and a good squeeze of fresh lime juice. Couldn't get any better.