tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36908931305926827962024-03-14T03:10:22.352-07:00My Culinary Worldroxanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10466641863074183176noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690893130592682796.post-35255927445860071752009-04-01T15:15:00.000-07:002009-04-01T15:18:51.163-07:00Homemade Sausages and Bacon - Carnati si slanina de casaI know spring has come and photos with beautiful colors, salads, soups, desserts and other light and fresh seasonal foods show up, but last week i was reading again about smoked and cured meats (thanks to Mike and Sherry from Menu in progress), and since i failed miserably that day to keep the lent and ate some grilled sausage, i thought i should talk about the same thing, even though the food roxanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10466641863074183176noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690893130592682796.post-90784137759429205982009-03-25T13:23:00.000-07:002009-03-25T16:12:09.657-07:00Mushrooms with polenta for Lent - Ciuperci cu mamaliguta de postI hope this is a good sign: me - blogging - twice - this week :))) and maybe i broke the spell of rare posting and laziness.Because i have been talking about Lent before Christmas and now, before Easter, i thought it's time for some lent food. But first, i have to tell you something - i don't want anybody to think i am actually always able to fast, i am struggling and most of the time i a have a roxanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10466641863074183176noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690893130592682796.post-5143700010765817372009-03-25T09:59:00.000-07:002009-03-25T12:51:02.283-07:00Grilled fish with a warm potato saladUnintentionally, it's now 3 weeks later since my last post, and honestly i cannot make promises to change this bad habit, not even to myself. The reason this time.... nothing in particular, i don't know when the time flies. Moreover, Easter Lent started 3 weeks ago, and it's hard for me browsing online and looking at different blogs, especially if there is any photo that makes your mouth water. Iroxanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10466641863074183176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690893130592682796.post-570915747687205402009-03-03T16:45:00.000-08:002009-03-03T16:50:01.931-08:00Memoirs of a Valentine's Day dinner - Amintiri de la cina de Sf. ValentinI have been slacking off again on my blog, but i certainly hope it will not become a once-a-month posting deal. It seems i cannot joggle very well my job, spending time together with my family and friends, the house chores and the blog. Still doesn’t mean that i am not cooking or not taking photos, but i am very slow when it comes to posting. On top of all this, i will be changing jobs. It will roxanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10466641863074183176noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690893130592682796.post-41115169533802715032009-02-05T13:17:00.000-08:002009-02-05T13:25:29.821-08:00Puff pastry tarts with cheese and slow roasted tomatoes - Tarte cu branza si rosii coapteI am cleaning up my photo folders and before I come back with a soup or something else, it is time for these small bites to see the light. I chose them because they pair well with the sunny days and high 70's we had this past 10 days. (i started writing these lines yesterday, but as we speak it started raining and that's how it will be for the rest of the weekend)I told you already about Chez roxanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10466641863074183176noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690893130592682796.post-88456972728262723382009-02-04T12:58:00.000-08:002009-02-04T12:59:03.905-08:00Got milk for these pop-tarts? - "Placintele" I made this back in November, but i didn't get to post it then, and since now my daughter asked me to make them again tonight, i thought it's time for this post, too.I found the idea on Chez Pim's blog, and fell in love with it immediately. (And digressing a little bit from the post - Chez Pim's blog was one of the first blogs i discovered about 2 years ago on the net. I cannot tell you how roxanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10466641863074183176noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690893130592682796.post-16130180085127522482009-01-28T09:16:00.000-08:002009-01-28T11:08:13.965-08:00Shrimp and snow peas stir fry - Mancare chinezeasca de creveti si mazare (teci)When i took a break from posting from the end of November till January, i also took a break from reading my favorite blogs and i'll tell you now why. We tried to keep the Lent before Christmas, which is about 6 weeks, and for me it is pretty hard. Gabriel doesn't seem to mind or wonder like me. I always think about food and i always crave food, especially when i see beautiful photos, so i decidedroxanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10466641863074183176noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690893130592682796.post-19390076980150895212009-01-26T15:26:00.000-08:002009-01-28T11:18:22.594-08:00Sausage and beans cassoulet with roasted peppers - Carnati cu iahnie de fasole si ardei coptiThis is one of those times when i am sorry there is such a big gap between our cuisines or cooking styles & trends, the Romanian and the American one, because i am not sure how good of a job i'll do when telling you how Romanian this food is. Just as much as the pancakes with bacon and eggs are the American breakfast, or the steak and the apple or cherry pies are culinary staples here. It roxanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10466641863074183176noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690893130592682796.post-83543920969809402842009-01-20T14:16:00.000-08:002009-01-20T16:18:10.118-08:00Back to blogging and cooking - Inapoi la blog si gatitFirst of all, let me thank all of you that continued to check for a new post for the last two months, i appreciate your good thoughts and words and although i took a pretty long time to get back on track, here i am again. And thank you for pushing me to come back to my senses and shake off the deeeep blues and laziness.I think you should know how much it had to do with your standing by me, your roxanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10466641863074183176noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690893130592682796.post-83697753143301657372008-11-06T23:10:00.000-08:002008-11-06T23:12:27.461-08:00Butternut squash soup - Supa crema de dovleacNow that fall is here to stay, i love the color of the light this time of the year, it looks pale yellow, and it casts a warm glow to everything. The only thing that i don't like, is when the sun sets. I love the colors of the sunset, but the dusk feels so sad, sudden and overwhelming when i barely leave work to go home.I was reading the last number from Saveur, and i was carried away by the roxanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10466641863074183176noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690893130592682796.post-62346107510012497422008-11-06T10:03:00.000-08:002008-11-06T10:05:00.961-08:00Mussels in a Coconut Thai Broth - Midii in sos thailandez cu lapte de cocosI love mussels, and pretty much all seafood. The only ones that i am iffy about are the oysters, but i don't turn them down. It's just that i like them not too large, not too many, and served like shooters - with a bit of lemon or lime juice and a bit of tabasco or spicy cocktail sauce. All the others, shrimp, clams, mussels, lobster, crab, any kind of fish, are more than welcome, at any time, roxanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10466641863074183176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690893130592682796.post-32281231513667166382008-11-04T10:00:00.000-08:002008-11-05T16:40:08.763-08:00Boo-Hoo-Hoo, Halloween time - Mini Mac-n-cheese and "Waxed apples" - Macaroane cu branza si "Mere ceruite"I dont' know why, but Halloween it is not one of my favorite hollidays. Actually, i don't consider it a holliday like the others are, i find it silly, commercial and a lot of times, the costumes are to blame as well (you should see how some of the girls from Clara's school dress on this day, i was really wondering, how could their parents let them wear stuff like that, or better said, how could roxanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10466641863074183176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690893130592682796.post-9944309954136682852008-10-29T11:34:00.001-07:002008-10-29T12:14:25.853-07:00Braised chicken with sweet peppers and olives - Pui cu ardei si maslineMaybe last week when i made this i couldn't have said that the fall is here, especially when every single day we had over 90F at lunch. But the mornings are colder, and so are the nights, the sun sets pretty early, so why not start cooking some comforting recipes that make the house smell amazing and warm.I found this recipe in the Food & Wine newsletter i get every week, and i am glad i roxanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10466641863074183176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690893130592682796.post-62512659754825599042008-10-27T17:08:00.000-07:002008-10-27T17:11:46.065-07:00Apples for snacks - Gustari cu mereSaturdays and Sundays are the days when we are lazy, go out, have fun, and spend bonding time. Usually Sunday afternoon I take Clara to Barnes & Noble and we stay there for hours. She finds lots of books to read and show me, and i find tens of magazines and cookbooks to inspire from.Last time, Clara found a cookbook for kids and she couldn't wait to go home and have the bull's eye and the roxanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10466641863074183176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690893130592682796.post-91365885426887557142008-10-27T15:55:00.000-07:002008-10-27T16:03:59.564-07:00Pho Bo - Pho, supa vietnameza de vita cu fidea de orezA couple of months ago, i was talking with Lola about asian recipes which we like a lot and wanted to make at home, since we always enjoy them when we eat out. We've been to Chinatown so many times, but we have tried only 3 or 4 places, and only one of them is our favorite. We never went twice to the others, because the first one was far better then any new one we wanted to try. We go there roxanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10466641863074183176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690893130592682796.post-51135189014429711192008-10-21T12:30:00.000-07:002008-10-21T12:36:07.331-07:00Chocolate roll with raspberries - Rulada de ciocolata cu zmeuraI said I’ll be back with the recipe for the chocolate roll ( and I remember I still have some recipes from the party menu to come back with). I think this is one of the easiest desserts and you cannot go wrong with it. The filling doesn’t have to be chocolate, it could be whipped cream, mascarpone cheese, buttercream, whatever you like. The same with the fruits, but I think that the chocolate roxanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10466641863074183176noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690893130592682796.post-49818592095720321162008-10-20T16:24:00.000-07:002008-10-20T20:46:36.454-07:00Fig tart - Tarta cu smochineI have been lazy again when it comes to posting. I couldn’t get myself to stay in front at the computer too much at home, and you have to excuse me, but I get enough at work 8 hours a day. I have been cooking, although not a lot, but I have been trying new recipes, which are waiting their turn to be posted.The summer about which I wrote a couple of weeks ago, it is definitely now gone. It is roxanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10466641863074183176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690893130592682796.post-67428418731981902582008-10-10T22:26:00.000-07:002008-10-10T22:26:09.255-07:00Party food - Menu pentru petrecereThis post is not about something recent, the party was back in April, and the pictures were taken then, but since at that time i wasn't yet ready to start this blogging affair, i saved them in a folder. Honestly, i was thinking i'll have the time to re-make some of the food to take new pictures, but until now, i didn't get to do it. Maybe later on, and then i'll edit the post to add the new pics.roxanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10466641863074183176noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690893130592682796.post-15600688475591489112008-10-08T12:58:00.000-07:002008-10-08T13:03:22.572-07:00About dissapointment and a recipe - Savory Stuffed Crepes - Clatite umpluteI don't know if you've read here when i was talking about my dream of becoming Suzanne Goin (by the way, i've just seen again the commercial for land of food and wine, she is one of the chefs featured in it, and i still like her in spite of what i wrote lower). I have been planning for a long time to go to her restaurant Lucques, but for some reason we didn't get there until last Sunday. I've roxanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10466641863074183176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690893130592682796.post-18665755024449968322008-10-02T14:50:00.000-07:002008-10-02T14:56:14.242-07:00Summer is not really over - Popsicles - InghetataI don’t know how the weather is where you live, but here, last week was hotter then July or August. And I don’t know if it is just my impression, but this summer was more humid than ever here in Los Angeles. The last three days were so hot, that is hard to believe is October already. Especially when I look at the stores and see displays with Halloween and Thanksgiving. I looked at the cooking roxanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10466641863074183176noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690893130592682796.post-58288732195257638022008-10-01T10:40:00.000-07:002008-10-01T10:44:20.844-07:00My grandma's moussaka - Musaca, reteta bunicii meleAbout two weeks ago, i made moussaka. Almost at the same time when Bea posted her wonderful vacation journal and pictures from Crete, including the moussaka she made back home in France with her mom.Off course her pictures are amazing, and her moussaka looks so good and tempting, that if i wouldn't have made it myself a couple of days before, for sure i would have made it after looking at hers.Soroxanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10466641863074183176noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690893130592682796.post-58145631372753831792008-09-29T13:25:00.000-07:002008-09-29T14:53:23.697-07:00Always in love with Salmon - Homemade cured salmonBack in April i found a recipe for cured salmon, so i decided to make it at home, since we love so much the smoked and the cured one that you find in the supermarkets.I gave it a try then, for my friend's surprise birthday party (which i will put together in a post some time this week) and we liked it so much, that i tried to make it again. I know you could use different ingredients for the cure,roxanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10466641863074183176noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690893130592682796.post-6825314025409566102008-09-29T11:16:00.000-07:002008-09-29T11:16:00.350-07:00Blintzes/Blintzi When i was a kid, my mom and my grandma, and all of my friends' mothers and grandmas, were baking a lot. They were exchanging recipes, they were making lucious desserts with cream, fruits, cheese, nuts, layered, baked on the back of the baking tray or in it, cakes, and everything else you could imagine. Most of the times, especially after the ingredients were rationalized, they had to deal with roxanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10466641863074183176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690893130592682796.post-29969792537841201772008-09-24T14:55:00.000-07:002008-09-27T09:45:25.461-07:00Pasta loveI am back. School started again, we are four graders now, a busy time at work, new rules and forms that i am learning, possibly looking for a new job starting January, fighting the blues (funny thing, blue is not my favorite color, but definitely the blue hue is around me a lot, sometimes more than i like it or can handle it), all these together kept me away from posting. Not enough time, not roxanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10466641863074183176noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3690893130592682796.post-87669469690131736012008-09-01T18:27:00.000-07:002008-09-24T15:01:12.708-07:00Corn chowder - Supa-crema de porumbMy vacation is over. Hopefully, i am now rested and ready to go back to work. Spending time with Clara was really needed before school starts again and since my last vacation was over 8 months ago, a break from work was long over due.We went back to Oceanside, for a week at the beach and tanning, doing nothing and being as lazy as possible. And that's exactly how this past week has passed. I am roxanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10466641863074183176noreply@blogger.com4