I debated between using jalapeño peppers or serrano peppers, but I went with serrano purely because strawberry serrano sang nicer than strawberry jalapeño. The serrano is a type of chili pepper that’s actually notably hotter than the jalapeño. I say, the hotter the better. But don’t be scared, it’s not that crazy, tongue on fire, drink a glass of milk after kind of hot. Not in the amount we’re using here anyway. I’ve made this recipe using varying amounts of serrano pepper to find the level of heat I like best – the recipe I’m giving you is like a 6 on a 1-10 heat index.

It’s really simple to do to. First, cut the peppers lengthwise and remove about 80% of the seeds (yes, 80%) and dice them up into little bits. Then you can hull and cut the strawberries into med-sized pieces and simmer them with lemon juice until a lot of the liquid cooks out (about 25-30 mins). The sugar and peppers are added in during the last few minutes of the cooking process. Oh yeah, pepper gas warning!! Depending on the amount of peppers you use, the steam released during cooking might make you cough…uncontrollably. That’s why you should add the peppers toward the end. It’s no big deal, just something to be aware of. Open a window and you’ll be fine.

Look what I found!

Most of the jams and preserves you buy in the store contain pectin, which is used as a thickening agent. It’s tasteless and you can totally use it if you’re accustomed to doing so. I don’t use it in this recipe – simmering to cook out the moisture seems to do the trick. Cornstarch is another option if you’d like your preserves to be closer to that jam-like consistency. I have used cornstarch in this recipe and was pleased with the results. Just mix a teaspoon or two with equal parts of warm water in a separate bowl and then add it in to the pot while simmering. It will continue to thicken as it cools. Works great, but don’t overdo it.

This stuff is especially fantastic with cheese! Do it up with some goat cheese or queso blanco on toast or crackers. Even a mild cheddar is nice. Anything mild and creamy (cream cheese!) will work. A peanut butter and strawberry serrano sandwich is pretty amazing too!

I want to also mention the linen photographed throughout this post. It comes from Transylvania Images , a textile company that makes kitchen linens and towels, bags and upholstery using vintage grain sacks and organic hemp. They were nice enough to send me a couple beautiful samples! Their pieces are woven on authentic hand-looms by villagers like these in Transylvania…

Check out their collection!
Transylvania Images

Garlic confit is about as simple as it gets. Literally just some oil and peeled garlic cloves roasted for about 40 minutes. You can’t screw it up…well, unless you burn the garlic. It’s rustic, but absolutely decadent at the same time, with that rich and smoky flavor and sweet finish. It definitely has a way of making you feel like you’re treating yourself to something special.

You can throw in some sea salt and cracked peppercorns or red pepper flakes or even some fresh herbs to add some depth to your confit. I did all of the above, as well as some sweet Italian peppers in this particular batch.

Roast it all in a covered casserole dish until the garlic is soft, but not brown because brown equals bitter. If you decide to add the peppers, make sure you remove the seeds and tops and skin before eating. The skin should peel right off as long as the peppers were cooked enough.

There are so many practical applications for garlic confit in the kitchen, so it’s nice to make a big batch to keep in the fridge so you can:

1. Impress your friends with a no-big-deal snack of velvety garlic confit and crackers, like so…

2. Use the flavored oil in your cooking.
3. Whip some confit into a salad dressing or some softened butter.
4. Be cute about it and jar some up as gifts.
5. Or drop a few cloves into a pasta dish or a frittata, like we did here…

Since taking the tuck out wasn’t going to be an option, we did the next best thing. Got pedicures and went shopping. Now, don’t be shaking your head. It’s all work related, I assure you. Our feet were exhausted and battered from the week, and we needed some new work shirts. Plus, spending relax time with your business partner is really important. Sometimes Janelle and I have to make an effort to actually just hang out and not work in order to be okay with how hard we work every other minute of the day. Like in romantic relationship, you’ve got to do fun and special things to keep the love in the air. The crappy weather gave us a chance to do that.

And the moral of the story is: Rain is bad for business, but good for the soul.

Reading is another thing the rain inspires. I did some of that too. Here are some good ones for your rainy days…

1. An Everlasting Meal

A philosophical approach to cooking that’s more concerned with how to think about cooking, rather than instruction and recipes. Can’t wait to get my hands on it. Written by Tamar Alder, who worked at Chez Panisse under Alice Waters. Read the forward written by Alice Waters and an excerpt from the book here.

Tamar talks a little about the book’s concept in this video. Such a soothing disposition.

2. ACQ Taste Magazine

A new magazine dedicated to food culture with respect to design, art, architecture, fashion, film and music. Check it.

3. Kinfolk Magazine

There’s been a good amount of conversation about this new journal online. Its focus is on appreciating the beauty in small gatherings and a table of friends and loved ones. Kinfolk explores the relationship we have with food, eating and mealtime. Beautiful photography too. I’m into it, but take a peek at the magazine for yourself.

Heeeey, I think I actually see some sunshine out there today! I’ll be back later in the week with a recipe. Promise.

I cant get enough of the apple/avocado combo lately so it’s what I decided to share when recently asked by Joy over at OhJoy! (one of my favorite blogs!) to be part to be part of their Oh Joy Eats Lunch With series. So awesome and more than happy to do it!

P.S. Definitely check out OhJoy! if you haven’t been before! And have a look at the little Honest Fare feature too!

I’ve been hanging on to an interesting beet cake recipe for a while now. Must be time to give it a try.

Video by Tiger in a Jar

So instead I think I’ll just go with: By the way, I’m starting a food truck!

Maybe you already guessed by the images at the top. It’s me and my loving partners, Andy and Janelle from black bean deli. We’re calling our truck La Empanada. And like the name suggests, we’ll be selling gourmet empanadas, as well as seasonal salads and sometimes soups.

And just like that, it’s officially been made public all across the interweb. Cool!

Backing up now…
You may or may not know that I left my gllllorious job in advertising last August to pursue something food related. I wasn’t sure what that would be, but I did know that I wasn’t going to figure it out sitting at a desk eight hours a day. Sometimes the leap is necessary.

Months gone by, and I’ve learned a ton about the food biz since teaming up with Andy and Janelle. I’ll say, working in a professional, busy kitchen has definitely shown me a thing or two. We’ve managed to pretty seamlessly merge our flavors and styles (mine being what you see all across this blog and there’s being traditional Cuban) and the results have been pretty exciting.

Us in action at the opening night event for the Florida Film Festival.

Our main focus has been (is) in developing recipes for empanadas. (This post from a few weeks back gets into some of the combinations we’re experimenting with. Anyway, the empanada thing is pretty hot. People love them cause they’ve got that pocket of goodness to bite into, and they go over especially well at parties and events because they’re self contained, therefore easy to eat while you stand around mingling.

When you think about it, they’re kind of the ideal street food. Can’t think of a handier meal.

(Spinach & Feta empanada)

The food truck thing has been a conversation for several months now, but it wasn’t until the last couple that we really started making it happen. We’ve been slowly but surely renovating this beauty…

a 1985 Chevy, since January. We obviously haven’t gotten to the outside yet ;-)

It’s a pretty huge project (quite literally) that presents new and exciting discoveries every step of the way. Like, “Yay, we finally found the perfect wastewater tank!!!” That sort of thing.

So now I’m a truck driver. I hope everyone I used to work with reads this. And I couldn’t be more excited about it. Me, driving a 20-something foot rig and slanging empanadas out of a window, who would have thought it?

We’ve done SO much work on this thing over the last few months its nuts.
Countertops, stainless steal on all the walls, plumbing, equipment, Cceaning, tearing apart, ventilation system, putting in windows where walls used to be, getting permits permits, applications, mechanics, etc, etc.

We’ve taken it one thing though cause we’re trying to do a lot of the work ourselves.

And we’ve seriously ripped this thing apart in order to renovate it right!

Ew, nasty looking…but that’s just many, many years of accumulated grit for ya.

New window before and after…

It’s exciting stuff!

The plan is to use it primarily as a food truck in Downtown Orlando and Winter Park, FL as well as for caterings and special events. But the obvious question on everyone’s minds (including ours) is, when will it be ready!? A very good question indeed!

Our goal was April. Then it was May. Now it’s June. And now this is the part where I ask for your support.

Please help!

Watch our Kickstarter video to find out how and see how far we’ve come in the renovation process! I JUST posted it about 10 minutes ago so you guys are the first to see it!!!

**************Click HERE to donate and learn more about our project!*************

* Donating through Kickstarter using your major credit card is 100% safe and secure. AND we’re offering all kinds of awesome rewards to our backers! If you decide to donate, you’ll have to quickly login (free) and then you’ll be routed through Amazon, which is how your card will be charged.

Kickstarter is an organization that seeks to help creative projects get funded through donations. It’s all or nothing though, meaning that if we don’t reach our goal of raising $7,500.00 within 33 (end date is June 7 at 10:45 am) days, we don’t get a dime and no donations are processed! But no pressure ;-)

I consider you all friends and supporters of my ventures (just for reading this blog) regardless of whether you decide to donate to this project or not. And so you know, I gather a huge amount of inspiration from the comments and the sweet emails I get and that’s what’s really helped propel me in this direction. All that stuff is invaluable to me.

That said (and now that we’re two loans and a credit card deep) we could really use any contribution you can make! Ha. Think about it and throw a few bucks our way if you can.

Lots of love and appreciation,
Gabi

**************Click HERE to donate!*******

Being that they’re so rich in mono and polyunsaturated fats (the good kind of fat), avocados are a great substitute for foods rich in saturated fats, like cheese, butter and other dairy – and the perfect healthy solution for making rich and creamy shakes/smoothies!

Avocado smoothies are one of my favorite treats when the weather is warm and since it’s been about 8 months since my last Green Smoothie post, well, here you go…

Half a ripe haas avocado. Half an apple. Milk of your choice (soy, almond, rice or regular). Agave syrup to taste. Splash of water and ice. Blend!

I definitely get the ew face pretty frequently when tell people about my avocado smoothies, so if you’re skeptic too, maybe it’ll make you feel better to know that avocados are technically a fruit. Nickname: butter pear.

An extra swirly of agave is a nice way to top it off!

P.S. Avocados are considered a “nutrient booster” because they help the body more easily absorb fat-soluble nutrients like alpha and beta-carotene. So drink up!

Unfortunately, we don’t really have too many options for fresh artisan bread hot out of the oven here in Orlando. Which makes me wish even more that I didn’t have such a debilitating fear of baking bread, cause then I’d just make my own. Guess I fear the precision it takes. Am I wrong about that? Or maybe it’s the learning curve I find so daunting. This video of Tartine Bakery’s bread making process makes me think differently. So beautiful. I should just give it a whirl.

Tartine Bread

P.S.
And while we’re on the subject, Jason and I are sneaking off to the Provence, France March 22-April 5, where there is much great bread to be had. A needed vacation for my boy who has been working so hard, and what better way to celebrate out 30th birthdays :)