Sunday Thoughts ~ Cuisinart Love

After long last, my kitchen finally has a food processor. And not just any food processor. It's a Cuisinart Prep 9, 9-Cup Food Processor.

Lo and behold the beauty:

She's got one button labeled "Pulse" that does all the work. It came with a regular blade, a dough blade, a slicing disk, a shredding disk, a spatula, a DVD and a user's manual with recipes. A very nice package at a very nice price.

I have been contemplating buying a food processor for many months now but have always found excuses to put it off. The biggest one was money. I just couldn't shell out $100-$200 for a food processor without something else having to give. And surprise bills popped up almost every single month taking whatever excess cash I had to put aside for the purchase. However, since the company I work for has been doing well, share-owners got a nice dividend payment. I pretended like I didn't have the money and put everything down, with the addition of a few extra dollars for this Cuisinart. Thank you dividend payment! If it wasn't for that, I'd still be procrastinating.

Why did I chose a Cuisinart? I asked a few people on Twitter which food processor they thought I should get. One tweep replied that he loved his Cuisinart so much that he wishes he could make love with it. WOW. That's one helluva recommendation. Others, not so quite enthusiastically, recommended Cuisinart so that's what I got.

Having a food processor means a lot of things. Less space and more cleaning. This Cuisinart is large and bulky. I don't have any space for it right now so it will sit on top of my microwave and I'll clear my countertop to use it. I'm moving at the end of August and the kitchen there will be much bigger, with a lot more counterspace so my darling Cuisinart will have room to breathe.

Having my food processor also opens up the possibilities of making a lot more dishes that I couldn't do in the past. I broke in my Cuisinart with a Mango-Ginger Lassi (recipe to come) and how divine it was. That machine can sure crush some ice. Now, instead of looking away from recipes that require a food processor, I can embrace them with open arms. And I hope that means lots of variety, lots of experimentation and lots of recipe posts on this blog.

Excuse me while I go kiss my Cuisinart. <3

Sunday Roundup ~ April 11th, 2010

Today's Sunday Roundup is dedicated to Focaccia bread in all it's glory. I've been fascinated with this bread, which I previously overlooked until I had the most amazing focaccia bread in the form of a meatball sub panini from Deli-icious. Here are some Focaccia recipes from the Blogosphere.

Soft Chickpea Focaccia ~ Cookin' Canuck
Focaccia with Lemon and Dill ~ Closet Cooking
Whole Wheat Focaccia ~ Meatless Mamma
No-Fuss Focaccia ~ Food alla Puttanesca
Rosemary and Sun-dried Tomato Focaccia ~ Coconut & Lime
Potato Bread Focaccia with Cheese ~ Closet Cooking
Olive and Herb Focaccia ~ Tasty Trix

Sunday Roundup ~ April 4th, 2010

Today's Sunday Roundup is devoted to sexy food shots and where you can find them. We eat first with our eyes, then with our mouths and the visual aspect of food is very important.

@FoodPorn on Twitter ~  I highly recommend you follow @FoodPorn which showcases user-submitted shots of decadent food.

Closet Cooking ~ His apartment, although small, must be bursting with light because all of his photographs are stunning.

Smitten Kitchen ~ 'nuff said. Her camera must be state of the art or she must have the most amazing photographic skills.

Cookin' Canuck ~ I also think her kitchen must be bursting with light because her food shots are superb. It's a big part of why I'm drawn to her recipes because the dishes look good enough to devour.

Coconut & Lime ~ I hardly ever make anything from this blog but I always love to look at the photographs.

Posy Gets Cozy ~ This is a craft blog but occasionally the author Alicia Paulson, will post recipes accompanied by beautiful photography. Her blog is definite eye candy for anyone who likes anything pretty.

Sunday Roundup ~ March 28th, 2010

Today my beau, some friends and I are having dinner at the British Beer Works which is a local chain. It boasts a very unusual menu and although you wouldn't expect it, they have by far the best Greek Salad you'll ever have. I thought that I'd do today's roundup with a selection of interesting items from their menu. Some of these might inspire you to create your own versions at home. Enjoy!


Newcastle Ale Chili
Stout Onion Soup
Crispy Panko Encrusted Green Beans
*eat your heart out TGI Fridays!
Wensleydale Chicken & Pear Salad
Chicken & Leek Pasty
New England Pasty
*turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy.
Big McPizza
*Hamburger, Russian dressing, lettuce, cheddar, pickles, onions, sesame seed crust
Maui Wowwie Pizza
* chorizo, mozzarella, tomato sauce and pineapple chunks
All It's Cracked Up To Be Burger
* pepper encrusted burger, red onion jam and brie cheese
Gourmet Grilled Cheese Sandwich
* fontina, cheddar, apples and mango chutney

Sunday Roundup ~ March 21st, 2010

Alice in Wonderland Tea Party Menu ~ Film & Foodies - This is an absolutely amazing website. It's fairly new but I'm already a huge fan. Erin is an enthusiast of both food and film. She is a professionally trained chef and she's smart as a whip. Each of her posts is an entire dinner theme based off a particular movie. For the Alice in Wonderland dinner (which also serves as her birthday dinner), she puts together an amazing tea party themed menu:

Pineapple and Mandarin Orange Pasta Salad

Chicken Salad Croissants

Butternut Squash and Macintosh Apple Soup

Chocolate Chip Scones (with Almond Whipped Topping Spread)

She also has a guide for making the perfect cup of tea.

I'm completely gobsmacked! Head on over to her blog now. NOW!

Sunday Round-Up ~ March 7th, 2010

Lots of unusual desserts from Food Network
Chocolate-Orange Brown Butter Flavored Popcorn
Watermelon Slices with Lime Honey
Slow Berry Cobbler

Zesty Wheatberry Black Bean Chili ~ Food Alla Puttanesca - It's just fun to say! And what an interesting idea for a chili recipe too.
Homemade Mozzarella Sticks ~ Coconut & Lime - Oh man. I really want to make these.

This article from Healthy Eats was an eye-opening read. I thought it was interesting that Peanut Allergies are such a problem in schools and that they are working on increasing resistance in those with allergies so it's not so fatal.

Sunday Round-Up ~ February 28th 2010

Dining Out: Theater Concession Stands ~ Healthy Eats - Some of the calorie counts are quite shocking! This is an eye-opening read for any of you who frequent the concession stand of your local movie theater. I like to get the Kiddie pack whenever it's available depending on the theater. A small popcorn, a small bag of candy and a small soda. I don't drink soda, so I usually ask for lemonade, iced tea or just water.

Ask me anything: Food and Nutrition Questions - Dine Dish Delish/Eat Well With Janel - Dietician Janel answers some readers' questions.

Spicy Asian Slaw Recipe with Napa Cabbage, Carrots & Ginger Dressing - Cookin' Canuck - I could just envision her jumping up and down eating a bowl of her new slaw.

Here is some love for Brown Butter

Brown Butter Snickerdoodles - Recipe Girl

Brown Butter & Chocolate Oatmeal Bar Recipe - Cookin' Canuck

Sunday Roundup ~ February 21st, 2010

Zesty Baked Chicken Wings ~ We Are Not Martha - These look damn good!

Monkeybread with Cream Cheese Glaze ~ Smitten Kitchen - Just looking at this thing makes me feel fat and confirms that I need to go on a diet. If I felt skinny, I might try making this.

Blueberry-Balsamic Slow Cooker Pork Ribs ~ Coconut & Lime - This one was a headscratcher. One of the reasons I love this site, is that the blogger is very creative and takes risks with her cooking. I'm not sure I'd make this, but don't let that stop you.

Quinoa with Caramelized Mushrooms, Soy Sauce & Ginger ~ Cookin' Canuck - She loves her mushrooms, her soy sauce and her red peppers! I've been curious about quinoa ever since my friends H. and Lisa started cooking with it. This recipe looks intriguing.

Pickled Green Tomato BLT ~ Closet Cooking - I think I'm in love.

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If you want to have your blog considered for future Sunday Roundups, please feel free to e-mail me at QuelleLove at gmail dot com.

Valentine's Sunday Round-Up ~ February 14th, 2010

For this special Valentine's Day round-up, I thought I'd feature some dishes I have made for my beau Carlos.

Smoked Paprika Chicken via  Cookin' Canuck - I gave him leftovers in a tupperware container and he loved it so much that he gnawed at the container in a desperate attempt to get more.
Chicken, Black Bean Chipotle Soup via Cookin' Canuck and slightly altered version via Thoughtful Eating - This has been a staple soup and a regular crockpot meal. It's a shared favorite.
Pastel de Choclo - Carlos is half-Chilean and this is one of his favorite dishes.
Chocolate-Chip Banana Bread - After a date at Flatbread, I made this banana bread. And I made it again. And again. And Carlos enjoyed it every time.
Platinum Blondies (with chocolate chips instead of white chocolate chips) - The first dessert I ever made for Carlos.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Sunday Roundup ~ February 7th, 2010

This is a repeat but I don't care and neither should you!

This Sunday Roundup is devoted to one post and one post only.

Cookin' Canuck - Chicken, Corn and Potato Chowder with Green Chiles and Cheddar Cheese

Allow me to take a brief moment to wax poetic about this soup. The corn and the red peppers add a divine sweetness to the soup and the addition of creamed corn was pure genius. The chunks of potato and chicken are satisfying. The green chiles and the cheddar cheese make my heart sing. The scallions and the cayenne pepper give it a nice kick. The rock star is the bacon. You cook the chicken and vegetables in the bacon drippings and it adds a smoky flavor to the soup. You put crumbled bacon on top. Sweet, meaty, spicy, smoky, creamy. It's perfection in a bowl.

Make it. NOW!

Sunday Round-Up ~ January 31st, 2010

Pad Thai  ~ SB&ST ~ "White" Girl Goes to Super 88 ::facepalm::

White Chicken Chili ~ Closet Cooking 1/18
White Chicken Chili ~ We Are Not Martha 1/26
White Chicken Chili ~ Apple-a-Day 1/27
~ So I guess White Chicken Chili is the new Black?

Jalapeno, Scallion & Avocado Cornbread ~ REC(ession)IPES ~ It looks delicious. It's budget-friendly. It's quite perfect. Maybe have some with some White Chicken Chili? But where oh where is there a recipe for that?

Beantown Brews ~ My friend Andrew has a great beer blog. You should check it out!

Chocolate Dipped Celementines ~ Healthy Eats ~ Clementine sections, dipped in chocolate, sprinkled with sea salt. Oh. my. goodness! Surely those are illegal?

Chicken, Corn and Potato Chowder ~ Cookin' Canuck ~ I've gotten lots of folks on the roster for the Cookin' Canuck fan club. I can't wait to try out this amazing looking chowder.

Sunday Round-Up ~ January 25th, 2010

Here are two unique bread recipes that look absolutely delicious:


1) Delicious Dishings - Prosciutto, Mozzarella, And Roasted Pepper Pinwheels
2) Closet Cooking - Artichoke Bread

Uno Pizzeria Chain files Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection - I really can't stand this place. I've been there numerous times over the past decade or so and have yet to have a single meal that I enjoyed that was worth my money and the trip to the restaurant. It's never even an option when I'm looking for a place to eat, even if it's the most convenient. The only thing that would make me sad about this restaurant chain closing is all the people that would lose their jobs.

Apple a Day - Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken - I've been scared of making pulled pork in my slow cooker but pulled chicken sounds do able. This is so happening!
We Are Not Martha - Malasadas (Hawaiian Donuts) This inspired me and made me nostalgic for the donuts I ate in Santo Domingo, DR. I really want to try making authentic Dominican style donuts now.

Sunday Roundup 1-17-10

This is a new feature in which I highlight some nice food related posts from other sites. I'll try to make this a weekly thing to post on Sunday mornings. Enjoy!
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Laura's Miscellaneous Musings - Herb Popovers - Cookbook enthusiast and supporter of Thoughtful Eating makes some huge herb popovers in her latest post. I hope she continues to post recipes on her excellent site.

Robert Frost's Banjo - Hot Cockles in the Pantry - Interesting history written by John's wife Eberle about the history of food storage. Buttery, larder, pantry, it's all there.

How To Simplify - {Friday Series} How To: Simplify...Cutting and Slicing Vegetables - Since I adore chopping produce, I had fun reading this post on the different ways to process vegetables. I forwarded it to my friend Lisa so she can learn!

We Are Not Martha - Berry Banana Pancakes - I was drooling when I read this post. Who knew that wole wheat flour, soymilk, bananas and blueberries put together would make such beautiful looking pancakes.

Cookin' Canuck - Baked Chicken Drumstick Recipe with Dijon Mustard & Ancho Chile Pepper Sauce - I simply adore this blog and this recipe is just another example of the greatness that the lovely author consistently turns out.