Monday, August 5, 2013

Foodie Friday "Mystery Ingredient" Recap Plus the Most Popular Recipes

 
It's a pleasure to bring you a recap of last week's "Mystery Ingredient Club" at Foodie Friday.
 
 
If you haven't heard about the MIC, here's a little background information. My co-host, Bandwidth, helped me develop this series.  We thought of it as CHOPPED meets "Where's Waldo."

I immediately sent out a call for players last month; I posted about the idea and several bloggers left encouraging comments.

So, how did the game work?
 
 I selected an ingredient--as it turned out, I selected three Meyer lemon ingredients--and shipped them to nine bloggers (Rattlebridge was the tenth). The club members could cook whatever they liked for the August 1st Foodie Friday. Their recipes would appear as thumbnails at the linky party, all mixed in with other wonderful recipes. If anyone wanted to play along, they could look for the "secret ingredient" in the thumbnails, either in the title or photo.

The results were fantastic!

I would have dearly loved to have sent every FF member a trio of ingredients, but the coffers wouldn't bend that far. However, regular visitors to Rattlebridge will have a chance to participate in the 2nd Mystery Ingredient Club, which Bandwidth and I are putting together now, with a launch date of October 4th (Foodie Friday).


 *****If you are a first-time visitor, please note that none of the following images may be "pinned" from this blog and placed on Pinterest or Tumblr. If you enjoy a blogger's beautiful photography, please visit her blog by clicking on the link beneath the image. Please pin from the source and/or take a moment to observe pinning policies. Thanks.



Meet the bloggers from the 1st Mystery Ingredient Club!

Home Is Where the Boat Is  made a Lemon Rosemary Coffee Cake,
blending great food and photography. This is a swoon-worthy cake!

 
Visit Home Is Where the Boat Is for the recipe and to "pin."
 
 
Stone Gable made a Spicy Crab Linguini with Preserved Lemons. Lemons and crab go together beautifully! Check back with Yvonne for a DIY on preserving lemons.
Visit Stone Gable for the recipe and to "pin."
 


Kitty's Kozy Kitchen made Lemon Chicken and Mediterranean Quinoa Salad.
I've never tried quinoa, and Kitty has captured my fancy! Good food is always
on the menu in Kitty's kitchen--her recipes will soon become your favorites.

 Visit Kitty's Kozy Kitchen for the recipes and to "pin."



Hyacinths for the Soul prepared a Meyer Lemon feast. You'll enjoy
Sarah's photos and tablescapes, each one seasoned with grace.

You can find recipes for Grilled Salmon with Preserved Meyer Lemons and
Preserved Lemons and Spring Vegetable Risotto with Grilled Pernod Shrimp.

You'll also find recipes for lemon blueberry muffins and Meyer Lemon Olive Oil Cake at
Hyacinths for the Soul for recipes and to "pin."



Wives with Knives prepared Moroccan Chicken with Lemon and Olives in an
exotic, gorgeous dish. Cathy is a superb cook, and her food writing is just as
wonderful as her photography.
 
For the recipe, visit Wives with Knives  and please pin all photos from WWK.
 
 
A Quiet Life celebrated Meyer lemons with a mouth-watering menu, stunning photography,
and a witty writing style.
(c) A Quiet Life
 
 
Jain began with Moroccan Stews. Here's one:
(c) A Quiet Life
 
You'll love Pan Roasted Line-Caught Halibut with Soy-Lemon Sauce.

 

What about the simple pleasure of a Meyer sandwich?

(c) A Quiet Life
 
 
Here's a simple, delicious way to infuse lemon into bakery bread:
 
 
 
Two unforgettable salads graced the menu:



(c) A Quiet Life
 




Also, a cucumber soup! 
 

 
Here's one of several luscious desserts
All of these recipes (and a hilarious story about a citrus tree) can be found at a quiet life.
Please "pin" from a Quiet Life.
 
 
a lip-smacking version of Meyer Lemon Halibut, along with lemony
Orzo--doesn't it look delicious?
 
 
and a stunning salad:


Visit Mountain Breaths for the recipes and to "pin."
 
 
The Gazebo House  made Israeli Couscous. Rett had so much fun celebrating the lemon!
Visit Rett's blog, The Gazebo House
to look at her photos and to read the recipe.
 
 
Lines from Linderhof cooked an authentic Moroccan Chicken Tajine:


Also on the menu was a Meyer lemon cake:
 
 
Visit Lines from Linderhof for the recipes and to pin.
 
Mari at Once Upon a Plate brought Moroccan cuisine to life with
apricot and orange Couscous ...
 
 
 ... and Chicken with Preserved Lemons and Green Olives.
You'll enjoy reading about Mari's adventures with an exotic cuisine. Her photography could grace the cover of a book.
 
Visit Mari at Once Upon a Plate for recipes.
 
Here's the line-up for the most popular recipes for the past two Foodie Fridays.


Last Week's Most Popular Recipes at Foodie Friday
August 1st
 
 
 


 
A tie for #3


The World's Best Madeleines






The Most Popular Recipes for July 26th Foodie Friday:







 






Well, there you have it--fantastic recipes from the mystery baker squad and
from the past two Foodie Fridays. I hope you will enjoy visiting these wonderful, friendly blogs, and I especially hope you will discover new "keeper" recipes.
 

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Saturday, August 3, 2013

The Late Summer Garden









 It's butterfly season.
 
The air flutters with delicate, skittery things.
 
 
 
 
The pinks of summer remind me of ladies in silk dresses,
lifting their faces as a breeze passes by.
"Oh, what a rainy summer it's been!" they say, fanning themselves.


 
The purple butterfly bushes are the favorite café for local insects. 




I'm learning that coneflowers and Russian Sage are perfect companions for an August garden, blending pinks and purples.




Globe thistles (Echinops ritro) add color and texture to August.
But where to find them?




Shasta daisies (Leucanthemum x superbum) bloom like crazy and carry a garden into fall.
 
 A butterfly feasts on a white cone flower.
 
 
 
Sedum Hylotelephium 'Purple Emperor'  adds a deeper shade of pink,
almost the color of a mum.
Mother Nature knows how to transition seasonal colors, doesn't she?

The crepe myrtles are at their peak.

 
 
 
 
White Scottish Heather is calling my name.





Every year around this time, I find myself thinking about Fall. I've always been
up to my neck in publishing projects, and I was lucky if I set out a few pumpkins.
This year is different.
This is the year that I turn 60.
 
 
This birthday year, I will teach myself to enjoy the here and now.
 
I'll give it a shot, anyway.
 
Probably I won't line the driveway with autumn décor.
But mums, pumpkins, and hay bales are on my list.
 
 
 
A container garden won't take long to create and it will last until the first frost.

 
 
Maybe I'll make a few containers.
 
Something to say goodbye to August.
Something to welcome the new season.
Something to welcome a new state of being.
 
 
 
 
 





Are you enjoying the butterflies of August?
 
 

 
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Thursday, August 1, 2013

Foodie Friday Plus the Mystery Ingredient Club # 1

 
So glad you stopped by this week's Foodie Friday. It's a special day at our house, and I hope it is at yours, too. The recipes are always enticing, and yet so different, you can plan weekly menus. Appetizers, soups, entrees, desserts, and in between, many joyful things and ideas.

This week, in addition to our regular FF, we're hosting a little game--think of it as CHOPPED meets "Where's Waldo." Last month,  I posted about the idea and several bloggers left encouraging comments.

So, how does the game work?
 
 I selected an ingredient--as it turned out, I selected three--and shipped them to ten bloggers. And they could cook whatever they liked for the August 1st Foodie Friday.


The items aren't sponsored, in case you might be wondering, so there's no product placement at all and no links to the products. I wish I could have shipped everyone the goodies, but I had to be mindful of my coffers! We just hope you have a great time figuring out the mystery ingredient and seeing the different ways that bloggers cooked it!

The 2nd Mystery Club will return this Fall, and I am already thinking of ideas for this very mysterious, seasonal ingredient--or ingredients. The Club will be seasonal, and I'll give notice ahead of time for each event. Let me know if you'd like to play in one of the upcoming games.


Playing the game is easy. Just do what you always do at Foodie Friday. Have fun! This week, while you are browsing the icons this week, see if you can find blogs that are featuring the mystery ingredient/s.


Can you guess what it is?



Okay, I didn't ship lemons to ten bloggers. Nope.
 
 The items are: Whole preserved Meyer farmhouse lemons, lemon sea salt, and Meyer lemon bits in olive oil. The bloggers could use one item, two items, or all three. It was totally up to them!  I cannot wait to see what they've come up with!

I won't say who they are--that would spoil the fun. If you're super busy today and can't play, you can find out who the mystery bloggers are on Monday night, during a special, lemony post, along with the most popular recipes from the past 2 Foodie Fridays.

I've got to say, Meyer lemons are so much better than the lemons at my local grocery. I just couldn't decide what to cook--something exotic? A dessert? What about focaccia?

My husband saw me digging through a Moroccan cookbook, and he blanched a little. Then he requested that I make something "Southern" and deep fried:


The recipe:
Prepare your tilapia fillets by soaking them in lemony brine. Drain and pat dry with paper towels.
Season each fillet with sea salt, lemon sea salt, bits of preserved Meyer lemons, freshly ground pepper--and anything else you like.
Set aside.

Meanwhile, put canola oil in a deep, deep pan and heat it to 350 degrees. Prepare a "frying" station.
I used rectangular 8 x 10 storage containers (lids removed). In the first container, add about 1" of flour and season with salt, pepper, lemon salt. In the second container, add 2 cups buttermilk and 1 cup flour. Whisk (do this in a separate bowl and pour into the container).

You'll need a station near the stove. Find a large cookie sheet, which you will line with paper towels, and set it near the frying pan, where your oil has hopefully reached the correct temperature.

Dredge each fillet in flour, then in the batter. Fry fillets on both sides and remove to paper-towel lined tray.

Build a po'boy.



Split a fresh French bread loaf and layer with Meyer Lemon Tartar Sauce (see below for recipe), lettuce, thinly sliced tomatoes, pickles, and a fried fillet.



One bite delivers layers of flavor and texture. Meyer lemons add
a gentle citrus tang and chopped bread-and-butter pickles bring
a touch of sweetness.



Meyer Lemon Tartar Sauce

Mayonnaise (I use Duke's)
fresh lemon juice
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
honey
minced onion
bread and butter pickles, chopped
preserved Meyer lemons, chopped








If you are participating in Foodie Friday,
please take a moment to read the guidelines.
To participate in Foodie Friday, locate the blue Inlinkz icon and follow the directions. The red "x"
will allow you to delete your link if you made an error; the "x" is visible to you only.

For a complete guide to this linky party, click HERE. If you have still have questions, click HERE
for a detailed Foodie Friday tutorial.

** By adding your link to Foodie Friday, you are granting us permission to include a photo of your FF recipe in a feature story.

** Would you like to add your recipes to the "Consuming Passions" group board at Pinterest?
It can be found HERE. We're a small, sociable group; Foodie Friday folks are always welcome to "pin" with us and chat about food. Just leave a comment on one of my recent"pins," so I'll be sure to see it, and I will send you an invitation. Or you can email me.

**I would like to ask pretty please if Pinners will visit the host blogs to pin photographs.

 Thanks for visiting us today, and I hope to see you at the next Mystery Ingredient Club.





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