Tastespotting: Dishing on the Rejection

Me, not at my finest.

Hi friends. I've had something brewing for a while. A frustration that is driving me dangerously close to insanity. It's called "Tastespotting Rejection".

Thousands of Foodies struggle every year with this complication. It's due to hard work and pride over your photography being rejected over and over again by the review board over at Tastespotting.com.

Some of you maybe asking, what is Tastespotting? Its a site where you can submit your photographs (or other's, but who wants to do that?) of all your luscious food photography, that you feel is your best. You send it in and wait. Wait for days...until you get an email that tells you nothing (maybe mine never says anything because I haven't made it yet) and you click the link to go to your profile. Under your profile you can see how many posts you have up. My obviously still says "0" and I'm starting to feel a twinge of bitterness. I don't even know what to tell what happens if you do get in.

I've sent in 16 photos. Fourteen have been rejected. Two are still waiting to be reviewed. Now, just you wait, I will post this and then get in. That wasn't my plan, but it just might work. (mechanical laughter, wringing of hands)

I feel like what I've sent is had been really good. I mean, I will say, my photos don't have the "bokeh" (cool fuzzy focus in the background), but I feel that they are as good as a lot of the photos that get on there. They will shoot down one of my photos, saying that they don't usually use photos of just ingredients, then I look at the page and see 2 or 3 on there of just ingredients. Or they don't like hands in the pictures and there is a photo up right now with someone holding a sandwich in their hand. wah,wah. These are the particular photos I am referring to. That was the only complaint on these photos, so I'm assuming the lighting and sharpness were good. So frustrating!

I know, we all think we have the best pictures. Ours rock and should be in a gallery. There is always room for improvement, but I feel like this Tastespotting is feeding my issues with perfectionism...the very thing my therapist urges me not to give into. It does however, make you rethink your stuff, find ways to make it better or be more creative, but without trying too hard. That's tricky.

One of my most difficult obstacles is time. For me, the food I photograph is the food we eat for dinner. It's going to the table of hungry, crabby kids and hubby in 2.5 seconds. So much of the time, I'm rushing. Rushing to get that perfect shot. It can look good on the LCD but much of the time when I view it on my computer I see it was out of focus or just plain bad. So for every 20 shots, I may get 3 I really like. Since the time issue probably won't change a new SLR would help considerably.

this wasn't sharp or bright enough.

So, this rejection has lit a photo fire under me. The hubs is looking to put it out (not really), because now I'm begging him for a SLR. Oh boy. He quietly nods his head as I ramble on and on about features, photos I could take and all the pros and none of the cons of owning a SLR (preferably Canon and I mean, are there really any cons?) Hint dropping seems to be falling on plugged ears. That's okay, I'm not giving up. On Tastespotting or the camera.

This was rejected for "composition". Can someone help me with that? I'm assuming it's how you put a picture together. How else do you compose chocolate cake and ganache?

My point and shoot is great for what it is. It takes great photos...for a P&S (Canon Powershot). I mean, if you put it on Macro setting and use natural light, it does a pretty darn good job. The problem for me, is that I'm stuck with that. I can't do much more. I don't have the ability to manually fiddle with the lens. So I dream up ideas, then I can't make them happen because I am handicapped by this very reliable, but not very creative camera.

Is it stupid for me to want to get on Tastespotting so bad? I mean, I feel like it's the Mercedes of food photos and I want to be on there! I know I've got what it takes. I think my photos are good. I do see though, on some of the photos their reasons for not choosing me (I mean, at least they tell you WHY, so that's good). I said some. Others I don't get it. But on some where it was lighting, or not sharp enough, I agree and I've set out to work very hard on those things to make better photos. I want to excel in this, not stay stagnant. I want to grow.

not sharp.

If you made it to this paragraph, I commend you. True Foodie Friend. Who else should I whine to other than my trusty Foodie Friends. Certainly you have endured the agony of Tastespotting. If not, why not try? Doesn't it sound so fun?

This is what I want to know. If you've submitted, have you been shot down? If not, what's your secret to getting on? Wait, that sounded dumb. It's called having good pictures. But anyways, if you have tips, ideas, camera you love etc. Please do share. Let me know I am not alone in this quest for Tastespotting acceptance.

Roman Inspiration: Zucchini Topped Focaccia

It boggles my mind that I have had this urge to recreate something I had in Rome some 13 years ago and I'm just now getting to it. It may have been that I didn't think I could do it justice, but I could no longer hush the culinary whispers. So I gave it my best shot.

When we were in Italy, most our time was spent in Napoli and just a few days in Rome before we headed home. In Rome, we stayed in a little hotel that was charming, had really good butter and was just down the street from a trattoria that served the best roasted chicken with french fries, served with mayonnaise to dip them in. I could not, however, avoid the pans of, what I'm going to call focaccia, lined up in a row, calling out to me to come and have a nibble. Oh that I was food blogging then! The photos I could have gotten. Anyways, there were several variations in toppings, but the one that had my name on it was the zucchini atop a slab of bread dough goodness. I took one bite and fell madly in love. I have not been able to forget it since.

It was the way it looked, a perfect square corner piece in nothing more than  parchment paper, as it's a street food, meant to be eaten as you wander the streets of one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It was the texture of the shredded zucchini, tender but crisp and the almost fried taste of the bread, for you know they used loads of extra virgin olive oil to bake it in.

I did get a first-hand pizza making lesson by one of friends in Napoli. It was amazing to watch and even better to taste. But what I found most interesting was that her at-home version of pizza was a thick crust, set in a rectangular, half-sheet kind of pan, full of toppings and tons olive oil. She had all sorts of cured meats, ricotta, canned tomatoes and mozzarella. Not at all the thin-crust, minimal topping pizza Margarita that is so reminiscent of Naples. One thing I will never forget and utilized in this recipe, was that she put her pizza in a cold oven and let the oven come to temperature with the pizza in it. It made the best crust...along with all that olive oil.

For this recipe, I basically married memories together to make what I feel is pretty close to both things, but still uniquely my own. Unlike most of my cooking adventures, this was quite calm and almost zen. I had had rough morning with the kids and during nap time I somehow found this weird energy to cook. I made the focaccia, Emergency Cake and meatballs. All spontaneous, all without snafus. Is this possible? Apparently so.

Here's the dish:

Zucchini Topped Focaccia

servings: 12
prep time: 2 hrs.
bake time: 1 hr.

Bread Dough
*for this I used my Pizza Dough recipe, but doubled it. You can watch Yours Truly, show you the step-by-step, by clicking here.

4 c. flour
4 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
6 tbls. olive oil
4 tsp. instant yeast
1 c. warm water (110 degrees)

Dump all ingredients into your stand mixer with dough hook attachment, turn to medium speed and let it rip! If the dough looks a little dry, add a tsp. water. If it looks wet, add a bit of flour.

When it pulls together in a ball, that is when you start the timer for the 5 minutes of kneading. Just let the mixer do the job for you. You can also do this by hand.

After the five minutes, you should have a soft, elastic dough, the expression, "soft as a baby's bottom" would be appropriate here, and in most cases the bowl will be "clean" as in all the dough pulled away from the sides.

Pour in a tsp. of olive oil into your bowl. Coat the dough ball in the oil, this prevents it from drying out.

Cover the bowl with a dish towel and set in a warm place to rise. I happened to put mine outside because it was warm and toasty, much warmer than my air conditioned house...it would have taken forever! So after rising in a warm place for 45 minutes (it should double in size), punch it down.

Lay down a piece of parchment paper, big enough to overhang for easy removal, into your half-sheet pan. Add a generous amount of good extra virgin olive oil, like 3 tbls. and press the dough in, all the way to the sides. Set aside.

Zucchini Topping

2 medium organic zucchinis, shredded in the food processor or by hand
1 clove garlic, ground into a paste with 1/2 tsp. salt and the edge of your knife or in a mortar and pestle
2 tbls. olive oil
2 tbls. chopped fresh basil
1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
10 small fresh mozzarella balls
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced (optional)
Olive oil for drizzling

First thing, take the shredded zucchini and place it in a strainer or salad spinner and sprinkle with salt. About 1/2 tsp. Toss with salt and let it set about 15 minutes. Squeeze out the water to create drier topping for your focaccia. This step is super important. I then, spun it to get out even more water without crushing the zucchini.

Mix olive oil, garlic and herbs together. This will act as your "sauce". Put down the herb mixture first, then the shredded zucchini, followed by a scattering of the torn mozzarella balls. If you like spicy, put down the jalapeno and then top the focaccia with a final drizzle of olive oil.

Place the whole thing in a cold oven and then turn it on. Set it for 375 degrees. It will take about 1 hr. to fully bake and brown. Check it after 50 min, just in case. Make sure the mozzarella is golden as well as the edges of the bread. Cut into squares.

This is good hot, room temperature or even cold. I served mine with meatballs but it would be a great vegetarian meal with a salad.

I hope you enjoy this little walk through memory lane of my Roman holiday. I think I did a pretty good job re-creating it. I just need a cobblestone street and the honking horns of Italian cars to make it perfect.

Mangia, Foodie Friends!

Lebanese Feast...Sorta

I am super excited about this post. My adventures in Lebanese food is a hit or miss kinda ordeal and this was no less, but still worthy of blogging about it.

This was a special dinner I was making for the hubs, because of his generous anniversary gift to me...a lovely, old mine cut, yellow diamond from the 1870's, set in a vintage style setting. Need I say that I love it?!!! And since he is incredibly difficult to buy for and rarely knows what he wants, the one thing I know he will always want for a gift is a great meal. So I set out to create for him a fantastic meal of his roots.

About a week and a half ago, we were watching a show on PBS called Globe Trekker. I've never seen it and actually thought it was going to be pretty dumb so I crawled into my girl-cave, aka my bedroom, and flipped on some rerun on Bravo. I hear him calling to me from the other room that I have to come see this show and I kinda ignore him because at this point I am cozy in my bed. He keeps nagging me and so I give in and come out to watch it with him. I am so glad I did! The best part of the show was where this Lebanese woman as teaching the host how to make spinach pies, hummus and tabbouleh. My husband was drooling because the food was authentic and his favorites. He was salivating to the point where I was concerned I may need to grab one of the kid's catch-all bibs.

The wheels started turning in my head for a special thank you meal for him. I was excited by the idea of making something I've never made before and surprising him with it.

Here's the official menu:

Traditional Salad, thinly sliced romaine lettuce with a very tangy lemon, garlic and olive oil dressing

Hummus, traditional chickpea puree, with lemon, tahini, garlic, olive oil and salt

Spinach Pies, unleavened bread filled with a tangy, spinach and onion filling and baked

Beef Kebab, ground beef mixed with spices and garlic and grilled to juicy perfection

Yogurt Sauce, plain yogurt mixed with cucumbers, lemon, dill or mint to serve with kebab

Pita Bread...of course.

Here's what made it to the table:

Spinach Pies
Yogurt Sauce
Beef Kebab

Right. The menu got shaved down just a bit. Mama got in over her head as she tends to do, but usually I can pull it off. Not this time, sister. I got slapped in the face with the spinach pies, they kicked my butt. Let me elaborate.

Firstly, I'm a bit thrown off by the metrics system measurements. But no biggie, I just google it. Find out that 300gr. of flour is 2 cups and 125ml of water is like 1/2 cup. Fine. For whatever reason, while I was making the dough (recipe below) I forgot what I learned and put in 1/4 cup water instead of the above portion. Remember how baking is an exact science? I was struggling with that dough. It was like trying to knead an over-chewed piece of bubblegum, but in an un-sticky way. Out of breath, I ask my mom to add more water, because it just wasn't coming together no matter how hard I tried. I finally got it into a ball shape, threw the bowl over it and let it rest, along with myself.

I went on to prepare the filling, easy and fun compared to Tar Ball over there.  I came back to it and started breaking it down into smaller pieces to roll out. Let me preface this whole thing by saying, a menopausal woman and a PMS-ing woman, have no place being in a kitchen when difficult tasks are required of them. The most you will get out of them is a grunt, maybe high-pitched squeal (both frustration oriented) and a tossing of the unleavened bread. I think Jesus was laughing at us.

Evil dough balls.

My  mom leaves to run an errand. I am left with my rubbery dough. The only thing keeping me going was the look of happiness on the hubs face as he took a bite of my homemade spinach triangles. I set that in my mind as my goal and I got up off my tukus and addressed the upside-down bowl with pain lurking underneath.

I thought kneading this stuff was hard, but little did I know how hard it would be to roll it out. I needed a steam roller. I'm not generally known for my upper body strength, other than toting small children, so my biceps are pretty wienie. They let me down in this dough rolling task. I was straining so hard I just threw down the rolling pin and said in less than savory words, "Forget this, I'm getting the wine!" I stomp to the pantry where I grab my last bottle of Plow and Stars and crack it open. Had I been a sailor, I would have just used my teeth to open that bottle. No time for chilling this Riesling, I take a swig and get back to rolling.

It could have been the wine, it could have been the pressure to get this thing done, or the ensuing fact that I had to get all three kids up from nap in 30 minutes but I started getting the giggles. I would roll out the dough super thin, cut it with a circular cookie cutter, then set it aside. Two seconds later, I glance over at it and it's shrunk to the size of a Barbie pancake. "BAD WORDS, BAD WORDS, CURSE WORDS!!!!" More wine? Yes, please. More giggling.

I had discs of dough flying off the counter top and me swiftly pinning them up against the cabinets with my knee caps as they slid down. I don't know where I got the agility. That too, caused more laughter.

Stuffing.

Notice my "helper" in the background.

Pinching.

One down! Eleven to go.

I call him Frankenstein.

I finally rolled out twelve. Twelve was my limit. As long as I could do that, I was happy. I stuffed them and threw them on the cookie sheet to bake. I'm not using this bread anymore. I'm using leavening next time, for sure. I'm giving you the recipe anyways, because it is probably a great one for the unleavened bread. I just didn't follow directions.

This is sumac. A salty, tangy flavored spice. I found it at Whole Foods for about $2.

Planet Food Lebanon Recipe: Lebanese Spinach Triangles (Fatayer Bil-Sbanegh)
by Anissa Helou

This pie is my take on the traditional Fatayer Bil-Sbanegh, individual triangles filled with the same filling as below and baked. It is much quicker to make one large pie, to cut in slices, instead of individual triangles and the taste is the same. You can vary on the filling below by using purslane (leaves only), sorrel, Swiss chard, dandelion or wild thyme. Whichever greens you choose, the quantities and instructions will be the same as below.

Ingredients (serves 4-6):

For the dough

300 g organic plain flour, plus extra for kneading and shaping
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ cup extra virgin oil

For the filling:

1 medium onion, very finely chopped
Fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons sumac
400 g spinach, cut in very thin strips
2 tablespoons pine nuts
juice of 1 lemon, or to taste
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Method
Mix the flour and salt in a mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the oil to the well and with the tip of your fingers, work into the flour until well incorporated.
Gradually add 125 ml warm water and mix until you have a rough dough. Remove the dough onto your lightly floured work surface. Knead for 2-3 minutes, then roll into a ball. Invert the bowl over the dough and let sit for 15 minutes. Knead for a few more minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Divide in two equal pieces. Shape into balls. Cover with a damp kitchen towel. Let rest while you make the filling.
Put the chopped onion in a small mixing bowl. Add a little salt, the pepper and sumac and, with your fingers, rub the seasonings into the onion to soften it.
Put the chopped spinach in a mixing bowl, sprinkle with a little salt and rub the salt in with your fingers until the spinach is wilted. Squeeze the spinach very dry. Transfer to a clean mixing bowl. Separate the leaves.
Add the onion to the spinach, together with the pine nuts, lemon juice and olive oil. Mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary -- the filling should be quite strongly flavoured to offset the rather bland dough. Cover with a clean kitchen towel. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Roll out one ball of dough as thinly as you can, just under 1/10 inch thin. With a pastry cutter, cut out 3 inch disks. Place 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons filling in the middle of each disk. Lift 2 sides of the disk, each about one third of the diameter and pinch together to start forming a triangle. Lift the bottom third and pinch with the loose ends to form an inverted Y. Transfer to an oiled baking sheet and brush the triangles with oil. Knead the cut-outs together and let rest while you roll out the other ball of dough and make more triangles. Transfer to the baking sheet and brush with oil. Use the cut-outs to make the remaining triangles. Brush with oil.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 15-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

*What I did to the above: I used two 10 oz. packages of frozen spinach and I didn't use pine nuts. Other than that, I stayed pretty true to the recipe. The filling is excellent!

On with the kebabs. One word: Meat-cicles. So incredibly good! These were my masterpiece and it was the one thing I didn't have a recipe for. I made it up as I went, not without a call to the mother-in-law for the absolute must-have ingredients for a kebab and squished it together.

Ground Beef Kebab- Foodie House Style

1 1/2 pounds 85/15 ground beef
1/4 of a large sweet onion, minced
1 clove garlic, smashed into oblivion, using some salt and the side of your knife
1 tbls. ground allspice
2 tbls. fresh parsley minced
1/4 tsp. sumac
Salt and pepper

6 bamboo or metal skewers, just soak the bamboo for thirty minutes in water before grilling

Mix all ingredients together, making sure everything is well incorporated. Take handfuls of the meat mixture and squeeze it onto each skewer, distribute evenly and firmly. Heat up your grill nice and hot, and cook until nicely charred and just cooked through.

"Obedient" would be the word for these little soldiers. Unlike their rogue dinner partner, Unleavened Bread Dough.

Serve with pita bread and yogurt sauce. Click here for yogurt sauce recipe.

I think, overall, the hubs was excited with his meal (even though he had to grill it) and even though the spinach pies weren't just like his Auntie's, I know he felt the love. I am determined to perfect the spinach pie now. It's lit a fire that isn't just for kebabs.

I would say "Cheers!" in Arabic, but I'm not good at saying it or spelling it. I think it's pronounced "Sah-ten!" Means "two healths". So double the health and hopefully not double the trouble if you try out this mini feast.

Pesto Presto!

Well, I've just finished an energy bar that has the same flavor profile of what I would imagine a Christmas scented candle tasting like. I can't figure out if I love it or hate it. (Clif's Carrot Cake)

Alright. Let's get down to the pesto. My recipe is one I just made up. Mom and I have been making pesto for years, from the plethora of basil we both seem to plant every year. This year my basil is out of control! I don't go out to visit my little garden much at all now...now that it's 97 degrees everyday with a chance of heat stroke. But everyday, I would say to myself how I must get to making some pesto before the basil goes to seed. I finally did it. I was greeted by a caterpillar, a baby lizard, lots of mosquitoes and a the biggest (and littlest) cucumbers I have ever seen! See what you can grow when you don't pay attention to your garden?

For this recipe, I made it up as I went. I love "eyeballing" stuff when I cook. It's freedom. Recipes are great, but I swear, I can't make one without tweaking it somehow. I like having a base recipe that I can put my own mark on or just start from nothing. Saying it's my own, is a good feeling.

Luckily, my eyeballs were doing their job. This recipe turned out great. Mom suggested we use pecans instead of pine nuts or walnuts. That's a little something she came up with recently and it works great. It sorta makes sense to use pecans, being in the South and all.

Note on the pecans (or almonds, walnuts, whatever): a really quick way to toast them and without dirtying up a pan, is to place them on a paper plate and toast them in the microwave oven. I do 1 minute intervals on 100% and give them a shimmy. When they are fragrant and toasted as you like, they are done! (I will say that pecans toast much faster than almonds because of the high oil content. Approx. 1 1/2 minutes, longer for almonds and walnuts) I love that there's no need to add addition oil, just perfectly toasted nuts. My father-in-law was the one who taught me that little trick.

Now, if you are a raw garlic lover simply dismiss my next comment. I am not a big fan of raw garlic. I find it over powers everything and makes my breath unbearable, not only to others but to myself. To curb the bite of garlic for this recipe, Mom toasted the cloves in a bit of oil in a saute pan over medium heat. I would not say they were caramelized, just half cooked and brown on the outside. It seems to relive the harshness of the little bulb and make it more friendly to my delicate palate.

This makes a big batch of pesto. I'm going to say around 4 cups. Freeze, make tons of pasta, give it away or simple cut the recipe in half.

Here's the recipe:

Foodie House Pesto

Makes approx. 4 cups
Prep time: 20 min.

8 cups packed fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
1 1/2 cups toasted pecans
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves toasted garlic
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 tsp salt
20 cranks of the pepper mill

Dump everything into your food processor and turn it on. I will say, 8 cups is a lot of basil, so I put in 4 cups, broke it down, then added everything else. Blend until smooth and mid-way, scrap down the sides.

A pretty straight forward recipe, but so versatile in it's uses. I for one, love pesto mayo on a turkey sandwich. For a quick tomato basil soup just plop in a spoonful of this pesto into your tomato soup base...voila!

I hope this pesto finds you well, Foodie Friends.

P.S. I must thank my cutest, but not quite dependable, key grip for the photography sessions. You can see her doing what she does best, (smiling for the camera) while trying to hold the reflector (also known as a waddy piece of watercolor paper) with her Afro (this was right after we took out all her cornrows. I'm pretty sure she could give Tina Turner a run for her money). Thank you, my little Boo!

Note: that is not bloated road-kill in the background. No, that is a my son's newly acquired Pillow Pet...the knock-off brand you get at the mall called "Animallows". Who comes up with this stuff?

Viet-Me 2: Won-Ton Soup and Mr. Grumpers

I need toothpicks to pry my eyelids open this morning. I've had my energy bar and coffee, but no luck. Just groggy and saggy.

I'm doing my best to press through and bring you a post. I definitely think it's worth it. Comfort in a bowl. A bowl which we arranged ourselves around, on Saturday at my kind neighbor's house (Teri), to drink in the homemade broth and a buffet of additions.

She had everything ready as we walked in. The beauty of the ingredients, colors, textures and smells was exhilarating to the senses. I was one tired Mama and I needed that meal. I was outta breath from doing a mad dash grocery run, chaotic grocery puttin-away and crazy child round-up, all without forgetting the following: cupcakes that I made during the morning madness, (pre-grocery), ingredients to make icing, dressing for salad and salad components, diapers, wipes, sippy cups, baby snacks, banana, baby food, baby spoon, bottle with milk, pacifier with pacifier holder and most importantly the Mickey Mouse DVD that the 3 year old tots are obsessed with right now. That DVD means I can eat in peace. Phew.

Teri started by escorting us through the won-ton soup procession. Noodles first, then lettuce, green onion, fried onion, fried pork, boiled shrimp, imitation crab meat, chives and finally the won-tons. Then everything was covered in a hot broth that she made. It was delicious! After the broth, you can top that with sesame oil and soy sauce. I love sesame oil. So rich and toasty tasting. It made the meal.

Check out the Hubs' special giant bowl. He took care of business, no problem-o.

We took turns holding Wil and eating. The kids ate pretty good but being how Bubba was feeling a bit grumpy we just left him to himself during lunch.

I mean really...if looks could kill.

After lunch, she made us Vietnamese coffee. Such a treat! I was in love with the process that made this caffeine-packed liquor. Sweetened condensed milk sits in the bottom of the cup, awaiting the hot coffee to come and drip down upon it. Stir and drink hot, or like Teri made for us, pour it over ice. It's so damn hot here. We had to cool down.

Then of course, we needed some sweets. I made the orange chocolate cupcakes again. This time I used a Cara Cara orange...amazing flavor! Bubba was still Mr. Grumpers, mainly because Mommy put the kibosh on him having another cupcake. It was going to be nap time in 15 minutes and with his sleepy disposition, I knew we must be successful with nap time. So no double cake time. Sorry, Bud. I did assure him, however, that there would be a cupcake with his name on it after dinner that night.

He continued to swat at the cupcakes to show his irritation with my matriarchal decree, but I caught his hand each time just before he took down a row of the chocolaty cakes.

All in all, it was a fun time. Teri is such a gracious host, pampering us with her food and love. I look forward to any time spent with her. Thank you, Teri!