Photo courtesy of AtMyTable.com

Pork belly has three distinctive textures: a thin layer of skin, thick ribbons of silky fat and streaks of reddish-pink meat. When cured, this cut of meat becomes yummy bacon.

Information sourced from Bon Appetit Magazine

Photo courtesy of 52 Kitchen Adventures

While browsing through Pinterest, I found a great tutorial from 52 Kitchen Adventures of how to make a Cupcake Bouquet. What a wonderful idea! While this would’ve been perfect for Mother’s Day, it still would make a fab birthday or thank you gift. I personally will be using this to thank some special people in the near future for their support of my passion and goals.

Photo courtesy of 52 Kitchen Adventures

Do you have any people in your life that make you feel like you can do just about anything? Luckily for me, I have several. It’s so important to have a support system when you are working toward your dreams. It makes all the worry and hard work worth while. So if you’re thinking about saying thank you to someone or just need something fun to show you care, click here for instructions to make this Cupcake Bouquet.

Photo courtest of Dairy Freed

Instead of making kabobs with skewers, use tough and sturdy ingredients like sugar cane, lemongrass and rosemary sprigs to grill your food on. This will look nice and infuse additional flavor into your food.

Growing up I always took seafood for granted. It sounds odd that I could do that, but when your grandpa and uncle were fishermen, it’s much easier than you think. My grandpa and uncle would go out months at a time to sea to catch fish, shrimp and anything that was available in the Gulf Coast. When their “harvest” was complete, they would come back and of course, our family would get the first pick of all the goodies and most of the time it was free! So there was never a shortage of seafood in my home and I actually grew up thinking that seafood was “cheap” but good food. Once I left home for school, I then realized seafood was much more of a luxury than I ever thought.

Anyways, my favorite fish has always been red snapper. It happens to be a pretty expensive fish out here, and I recently read they were being caught so much there was actually a shortage. But no worries, fishermen were aware of this and took a break from catching so many that they are now abundant in the sea again. Yay! Now if it would only drop in price.

My other fave treat from the sea is shrimp. Ben and I could eat shrimp all the time, but I make sure not to cook it too often, so it remains a treat. I should also mention I never fry anything really, so that’s a treat too. But because we’ve been working so hard on our home, I thought it was time to double up on the yumminess of dinner. And that’s when my Shrimp with Honey Jalapeño Sauce created. It’s a lightly battered tempura shrimp that is paired with a drizzle of honey that has been infused with garlic, onion and spicy jalapeños. Sweet, spicy, delightful.

Linking up to Somewhat Simple, Whipperberry, Sumos Sweet Stuff, Sugar and Dots, Fingerprints on the Fridge and 733

Creating a French Macaron is quite the tedious task, but the end result: colorful, yummy and fancy bites of heaven that will impress just about any person. They are perfect for parties, gifts or as a well-deserved treat after a long workweek. Thankfully Tartelette compiled this detailed publication to truly show the art behind making these guys. The instructions include specifics on measuring, timing and tools to use. And of course, a simple recipe is included to get you started. Check it out and feel free to come back to post links to your very own homemade French Macarons.

Publication courtesy of Tartelette

While I’d love to slave over a hot stove, sometimes my crock pot can be a lifesaver. As you know, we moved into our home not too long ago and I was overly ambitious thinking we would have the house done in a few weeks. Yep, being a homeowner is much harder work than I expected (believe me when I say I already thought it would be super difficult) and people were correct in telling us it is a never ending project. So have you figured it out? We are definitely nowhere close to getting our home where we would like it to be, but it’s getting there.

As we patiently learn about our home, we have less time to truly cook and bake everyday, so I turn to my crock pot. “Hello friend.” Pulled pork is simple enough and chili is always a great option, but one, pulled pork is so expected – boring – and it is getting way too hot to enjoy a warm bowl of good chili; this makes me sad…perhaps creating a lighter chili is needed for the Summer. Anyways, I searched the web for ideas – surely there had to be something filling, yummy and unique that could satisfy our hunger. That’s when Chicken Mole popped up. Brilliant! I can serve it with tortillas to make it a fulfilling meal.

This Chicken Mole is the perfect solution for a busy body. Every ingredient is tossed into your crock pot to cook away just in time for dinner. There’s little effort, and the result: yummy shredded chicken in a well-balanced and flavored sauce.

Recipe adapted from AllRecipes.com

Photo courtesy of Mellow Mushroom

If you’re trying to reduce or eliminate gluten from your diet, focus your eating on foods that are naturally gluten-free like fruits, vegetables, fish, lean meats, low-fat dairy, beans, seeds and nuts.

Information sourced from Sunflower Farmers Market Magazine

Photo courtesy of Cannelle Et Vanille

I thought it would be fun to begin sharing yummy photos from all the food blogs I follow. First up, Cannelle et Vanille. This collage of photos is actually from her soon-to-be-released book called Small Plates and Sweet Treats: My Family’s Journey To Gluten-Free Cooking. Keep your eyes open in October for this treasure. The photos are so charming.

Photo courtesy of Summer Tomato

Squash can be stored for up to three months at room temperature if they remain uncut. For the best pick of the crop, find one that looks heavy for its size, the skin is dull (not shiny), has no bruises and the stem is solid and dry.

Information sourced from Real Simple Magazine

Photo courtesy of Mother Nature Network

The James Beard Foundation hosted their 2012 awards dinner this past weekend which means tons of culinary experts including chefs, authors, journalists and more filled a room to honor the phenomenal work of talented colleagues. Boy, would I love to attend one day. Just in case you’re not familiar with this foundation and award, check out this video to learn about why it’s so great:

Below are some highlights of the prestigious awards given out during the ceremony. How many culinary professionals do you recognize?

Cookbook of the Year
Modernist Cuisine
Nathan Myhrvold with Chris Young and Maxime Bilet (The Cooking Lab)

Cookbook Hall of Fame
Home Cooking and More Home Cooking American Cooking
Laurie Colwin

General Cooking
Ruhlman’s Twenty
Michael Ruhlman (Chronicle Books)

Writing and Literature
Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef
Gabrielle Hamilton (Random House)

Publications of the Year
Food52
Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs

Gastronomica
Darra Goldstein

Food Coverage in a Food-Focused Publication
Saveur
James Oseland

Group Food Blog
The Salt: NPR’s Food Blog
Maria Godoy
Npr.org/blogs/thesalt

Individual Food Blog
Poor Man’s Feast
Elissa Altman
Poormansfeast.com
“Craving the Food of Depravity”

Television Program, In Studio or Fixed Location
Chopped
Host: Ted Allen and Judges
Network: Food Network
Producers: Linda Lea, Dave Noll, and Vivian Sorenson

Rising Star Chef of the Year
Christina Tosi
Momofuku Milk Bar NYC

2012 James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award
Wolfgang Puck
Chef and Restaurateur Los Angeles

2012 James Beard Foundation Humanitarian of the Year
Charlie Trotter
Chef and Restaurateur Chicago

To see more winners of the 2012 James Beard Foundation Awards, click here.