Cooking In Stilettos...
Sunday, January 25, 2009 AeroGarden: Week 1...

I have to admit that when I go through my cooking spurts, fresh herbs are a must. However, at the current prices, I can easily spend $15 weekly just on stuff like Italian Parsley, Basil, Rosemary and so on. And, to boot, I have been putting off replanting the AeroGarden for some time. I bought the AeroGarden a couple years ago and haven't used it as often as I should. It's beyond simple to use - just add the nutrients when they tell you to and the AeroGarden does all the heavy lifting.

I finally bit the bullet and planted a round of the Gourmet Herbs: Italian Parsley, Chives, Thyme, Italian Basil, Dill, Mint and Purple Basil. I figure that if I'm really going to start finding ways to save some money, I might as well spend the $$ for a seed kit that will give me 6 mo. worth of herbs and keep my herb buying to a minimum.

So, here's the pic of a freshly planted garden - week 1. What will Week 2, 3 and 4 bring I wonder.



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Posted by Lys :: 10:45 PM :: 1 comments

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Monday, November 24, 2008 A Few Of My Favorite Things: Philadelphia's Italian Market...

I recently flew up to Philadelphia for a birthday soiree thrown by two of my fave people, Meowmix and Reese at one of my favorite restaurants and in between hanging out with good friends, shopping and such, I also took some time to head over to my favorite culinary hangout in Philadelphia - the Italian Market.

One thing I MISS about not being at least in driving distance of Philly is the airline restrictions with luggage. No longer am I able to load up my suitcase with spices and goodies to take back to Orlando. Basically, my thought is that while my friends are crashing from partying the night before, I love to take the car and zip down to 9th Street and wander the Italian Market aimlessly with my coffee in hand as I take in the sights, smells and sounds. I always have such great conversations with the retailers and customers alike and, apparently, I must look like a Philly gal because this last trip, a tourist stopped moi and asked for help with finding some good spots to check out in town. (And Meowmix will tell you that I normally have this mean mug face when shopping to avoid the overzealous sales people so if I'm that calm in the Italian Market and approachable, you know I'm in heaven).

So this rainy, Saturday morning, I decided to zip on down to the Market and get some blog fodder for Cooking In Stilettos. Plus I need to fondle pots at Fantes, see if I can find some new cookbooks, pick up some spices and stock up on Pumpkin Spice Coffee. As I'm turning onto 9th Street, who walks in front of my car with HIS coffee but my old floor producer from TheShow back in the day - Rennie. How utterly random. After a quick convo (and so I wouldn't hold up traffic), promises to call later, assurances that I would be home again, etc. I shot down 9th Street and started looking for a parking space.

Now y'all know parking in Philly is at a premium, so I have a few tricks I use - side streets, careful attention to the signs (don't need to be on an episode of Parking Wars) and after careful prayers and putting it out there, a spot was procured. I found one a few streets over, channeled my inner parallel parking diva and while my parking wasn't sooooo great (I'm rusty - shoot me), I grabbed my purse and headed for the crowds. As I didn't take my normal camera and only had the Blackberry, please forgive me if the shots seem a bit "off".
Walking down one of the gorgeous side streets on the way to the Italian Market


A mainstay in the Italian Market - DiBruno Bros. Who know, you might run into one Ms. Patti LaBelle here as she's known to frequent the Market and DiBruno Bros.


One of the many produce stands that lines the sidewalk. The streets are narrow as are the sidewalks so the key is to shop quick, walk quick and everyone is happy.


Esposito's - one of the BEST places for meats and fish


The Spice Corner is one of my favorite spots to hang out in. I pretty much cleaned them out of their pumpkin spice coffee (one for SL and the rest for yours truly). I picked up a number of spices, some great loose teas and some stuff for a upcoming holiday contest... Everything there is fresh, the people are so sweet and helpful and



I headed to Fante's to see what was new in all things Le Creuset, Global and more. Plus, I was craving some good coffee so I dropped by their coffee shop to get a fabulous Cafe au Lait and pumpkin biscotti.


Claudio's beckoned and in I went to purchase some pantry staples i.e. quick polenta, gnocci and some other goodies. Trust me, check out the photos of the cheeses below. I could have done WAY more damage but they wouldn't have lasted on the way back to Orlando. :::sigh:::


Isn't that cheese selection divine? Oh how I wanted to throw a Philly soiree. Claudio's - can you please open a shop in Orlando, pretty please?




Finally, as I'm trotting down another side of the street, I saw one of my weaknesses - pizzelles. If you have never had them, you must try. They are an Italian cookie and are sooo good. But much like Lay's potato chips, you can't have just one.

Quickly swiping up a package, I headed into Antonio's Italian Coffee and Chocolate House to purchase and was greeted with this sight:



Chocolates and Gelato? Wait - a minute -homemade gelato? Now I'm really overwhelmed and thinking "Can I just wear jeans tonight and leave the form-fitting dress for another day?" I decide to bring some treats back for the gals as thanks for everything they did for my birthday and pick up a little somethin' somethin' for me too.



The homemade truffles were divine. My favorite was the Sea Salt Caramel and the gals loved the Hazelnut and Kahlua ones. If you can, order a box for someone you love during the holidays. They will adore it.
And check this out - they have CANNOLI KITS! No, seriously, they ship the fixings for cannolis to you ASAP and you can treat your family to a bit of Italian Market heaven.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CONTEST ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, to give a little holiday gift to two lucky blog readers, leave a comment on this post NO LATER than Dec. 7, 2008 telling me about either your experiences in my favorite city, Philadelphia, or if you haven't been to Philly, what is your favorite holiday recipe/goodie to share with others. We'll pick two winners using a Random Number Generator and I'll have a little something from Antonio's shipped your way for the holiday season. Make sure to include your email!!!

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Posted by Lys :: 1:39 AM :: 10 comments

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Sunday, June 22, 2008 Deal Alert: Princesa de Minaya Saffron at LaTienda...

Saffron has been described as one of the world's most expensive spices. However, when Spanish cooking is at the forefront, saffron is a must for any cook's pantry. I mean, what is a paella without saffron, right?

So, when you see REALLY good saffron at a REALLY good price, that's a score, right? And, with that comes a duty to tell your foodie friends. I've held off buying saffron, mostly due to the price and - seriously - what am I going to use it in? I don't make paella very often. However, I've noticed that other recipes use - most recently used in today's Everyday Italian's Chicken Scallopine with Saffron Cream Sauce.

La Tienda hits again with their Princesa de Minaya Saffron, D.O. La Mancha at $14.95. Yes, you read that right - fabulous saffron at a good price? Hot damn. Now this is no Costco saffron, my friends, but the real deal.

I'm really starting to like La Tienda - perhaps I'll toss in the sangria pitcher with the saffron purchase and kick up my heels.
What's a "must have" in YOUR spice pantry?

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Posted by Lys :: 12:22 PM :: 3 comments

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Friday, May 30, 2008 Philly Recap: 9th Street Italian Market

During my trip to Philly a couple weeks ago, I took Saturday morning for myself and did something I always wanted to do - wander the Italian Market during one of the busiest days.

Here in Orlando, our access to fresh spices, etc. is a bit limited and we can get spices from the Fresh Market but it's not the same. So that Saturday morning, I went and wandered up and down 9th street. My main object of interest was the Spice stores. I had seen Ms. Patti Labell profile them on her show Livin' It Up and thought "I Must Must Must Go". So, I parked the rental car on a side street, popped on my flats and went walking.

First thing I encountered: Fantes. Yes - THE Fantes. Well, one of them anywayz. I go to the website often but like my first experience with Sur La Table, I told the people - let me fondle, let me wander - I'll find you for help - trust. And wander I did. Meowmix joked that only I could go to Philly and get excited over a pasta colander instead of shoes. I know, some of you are in shock but ever since I saw Nigella use one I thought "Wow - how handy". And, it's not found in Orlando. I found some rosette forms, fondled some pots, bought some gratin dishes (which the cranky salesgal didn't wrap very well and wound up breaking - grrr) and a few other things. I was hoping to get my Global Cheese knife but they didn't have it and it would have to be specially ordered. I'll just get it online.

Bonus: inside Fantes, they had a little coffee shop and some cafe au lait later I was back out and wandering the Italian Market again on the hunt for the spices shops.

I found two spice shops, both of which were amazing. One of which was the Spice Corner and the other was the Italian Market Spice Company (their website isn't up yet). There I bought so many spices my car smelled like a tangine. I bought curry, Nigella seeds, tarragon, rosemary, ancho chile powder, tumeric, and a host of other stuff that was so fragrant and fresh. I even found Pumpkin Spice Coffee.

I wandered in some of the shops on the side, marveled at the fresh produce lining the streets and just breathed in the sights and smells. I went into one of the butcher shops, Orlando's Meats (hey - it said Orlando - I had to pay homage, no?). It was in there that I spied The Philadelphia Italian Market Cookbook for sale. This was something I could take home with no problem from the airline. Also, before you shoot me for going to the butcher, here in Orlando we have Publix, Fresh Market and yeah - that's about it. *sigh* You don't know how I wanted to shake some of the people whining in line to say "Be thankful you have such a resource. You'd be eating some funky chicken if you were in Orlando" (Have you EVER had Winn Dixie poultry :::shudder:::) The manager of the butcher shop gave me an autographed copy that I've been reading with amazement. For an Irish/Indian gal, I swear I must have been Italian in another lifetime because it just is a fascinating read.

After browsing some other shops, I left, vowing to go back again. And this time - I'll bring a list and ship everything home via mail.

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Posted by Lys :: 12:04 AM :: 4 comments

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Sunday, May 25, 2008 Pantry Find: Williams Sonoma Spice Rubs...

There are a few things that I can't resist - fresh spices are one; Williams Sonoma spice rubs are another. There's something about a good spice rub that adds a bit of za-za-zu to the ordinary.

Two things I must have in my pantry:


Williams Sonoma Coffee Spice Rub (with brown sugar, chipotle peppers, espresso and premium herbs and spices)

Williams Sonoma Chili Lime Rub (with a blend of New Mexican chilies, California cilantro, Turkish cumin, paprika and more – plus sea salt and tart lime)

Check them out and see how your cooking might sing with new flavor.

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Posted by Lys :: 6:33 PM :: 3 comments

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