Cayman Island Salmon

Grilled Salmon w Coconut Sweet Potatoes and Asparagus

I came home from work last night with a little extra energy so I decided to make Mr. Bear one of his favorite meals-grilled salmon.  However, I decided to kick it up a notch with a pineapple teriyaki marinade and I added some fresh orange juice. We both love sweet potatoes so I roasted those up and hit them with a little coconut while they were still warm.  And they got more love with a maple syrup drizzle.  That might be my new favorite veggie.  I'm pretty sure I could have eaten the whole pan.  I had to quickly turn my attention back the salmon or the sweet potatoes would have been MIA. I flipped it over for a couple more minute and started on the asparagus.  I just tossed them with olive oil, salt and pepper and charred them up on the grill. Super easy!

Mr. Bear was very pleased with his dinner.  It was a nice night so we sat outside and enjoyed the first days of summer. We mainly sat in silence since we were devouring every bite of our dinner.  You know it's a good meal when no one is talking. This dinner was a spin off of a delicious meal we had at The Wharf restaurant in the Cayman Islands in 2010.  They had a grilled pineapple slice under the salmon, but other than that it was pretty similar.  Granted, the view from our condo was a little different, but sharing a good meal with my sweetie pie was the same.

2012 James Beard Award winners announced

As a big food lover, I'd love to try the restaurants in this post.  Who wants to join me? 
My ultimate foodie dream is to dine at the French Laundry in Napa Valley.  However, I think a meal at one of the restaurants below would be just as delightful.
Congratulations to all the winners!
2012 James Beard Award winners announced

The winners of the prestigious James Beard Awards – the Oscars of the food world – were announced Monday night in New York City, recognizing chefs and restaurants around the country. Below is the full list of winners:

Best New RestaurantNext, Chicago
Outstanding Chef
Daniel Humm of Eleven Madison Park in New York
Outstanding Pastry Chef
Mindy Segal of Mindy's Hot Chocolate in Chicago
Outstanding Restaurant
Boulevard in San Francisco
Outstanding Restaurateur
Tom Douglas of Tom Douglas Restaurants in Seattle
Outstanding Service
La Grenouille in New York
Outstanding Wine & Spirits Professional
Paul Grieco of Terroir in New York
Outstanding Wine Program
No. 9 Park in Boston
Outstanding Bar Program
PDT in New York
Rising Star Chef Of The Year
Christina Tosi of Momofuku Milk Bar in New York
REGIONAL CHEF AWARDS
Great LakesBruce Sherman of North Pond in Chicago
Mid-Atlantic
Maricel Presilla of Cucharamama in Hoboken, N.J.
Midwest
Tory Miller of L'Etoile in Madison, Wisc.
New York City
Michael Anthony of Gramercy Tavern in New York
Northeast
Tim Cushman of O Ya in Boston
Northwest
Matt Dillon of Sitka & Spruce in Seattle
Pacific
Matt Molina of Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles
South
Chris Hastings of Hot and Hot Fish Club in Birmingham, Ala.
Southeast (tie)
Hugh Acheson of Five and Ten in Athens, Ga. &Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene in Atlanta
Southwest
Paul Qui of Uchiko in Austin, Texas
James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement AwardWolfgang Puck
James Beard Foundation Humanitarian of the Year
Charlie Trotter
James Beard Foundation Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America Inductees
- Grant Achatz, chef and author, Chicago
- Mark Bittman, journalist and author, New York
- Dana Cowin, editor-in-chief at Food and Wine magazine, New York
- Emily Luchetti, pastry chef and author, San Francisco
- Marvin Shanken, publisher, New York
James Beard Foundation America's Classics
- The Fry Bread House in Phoenix
Owner: Cecelia Miller
- Nora's Fish Creek Inn in Wilson, Wyo.
Owners: Nora Tygum, Trace Tygum and Kathryn Tygum Taylor
- St. Elmo Steak House in Indianapolis
Owners: Stephen Huse and Craig Huse
- Jones Bar-B-Q Diner in Marianna, Ark.
Owners: James and Betty Jones
- Shady Glen in Manchester, Conn.
Owners: William and Annette Hoch

Aruba Jamaica ooo I wanna to take ya

Aruba Vacation

Mr. Bear and I took  off for a little Aruba vacay last week.  It was everything we hoped it would be.  The weather was amazing, the food delicious and the company of longtime friends, Chris and Jen, made it perfect! We made a big breakfast at home most mornings and sat at by the pool.  It was a perfect way to start the day.  A highlight of the trip was discovering Baby Beach.  It was a breathtaking view and the water was like bathwater. (See the top picture) 

It was nice to get away, but even better to be home sweet home.

Almond Butter Crunch French Toast

Almond Butter Crunch French Toast

My sister and brother-in-law came to visit this weekend so I decided to make an extra special breakfast.  I saw a recipe for peanut butter crunch French toast on the Today show and started drooling.  I knew the fam would eat this up! I changed the recipe a little though.  Mr. Bear and I love almond butter so I used that instead of peanut butter.  And I switched out the brioche for Challah (Holla!) bread. It was amazing!   That coupled with Applewood smoked bacon w maple syrup really topped off our morning!  Maybe I can be a morning person after all.  Well maybe not, but for that kind of breakfast I’ll try.

Recipe: Peanut butter crunch French toast

By: Gail Simmons

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• Sixteen 1/2-inch-thick slices brioche
• 4 large eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 4 cups cornflakes, finely crushed
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Confectioners
• 4 cups mixed berries
• Maple syrup, for serving

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with wax paper. Spread 1 tablespoon of the peanut butter on each of 8 slices of brioche and cover with the remaining 8 slices, making sandwiches.

In a pie plate, beat the eggs with the cream and vanilla. In another pie plate, spread the crushed cornflakes. Lightly soak the sandwiches in the egg mixture, then dredge in the cornflakes, pressing to help them adhere. Transfer the sandwiches to the baking sheet.

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a very large skillet. Add 4 of the sandwiches and cook over moderate heat until golden and crisp on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the half-cooked sandwiches to the baking sheet. Add another tablespoon of the butter to the skillet, flip the sandwiches back into the skillet and cook until golden and crisp on the bottom, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer to the baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Wipe out the skillet and cook the remaining sandwiches. Transfer the French toast to plates and dust with confectioners' sugar. Top with the berries and drizzle with maple syrup.