I’m not going to re-hash the memoirs from my 2007 trip to Italy, but today I was going through some old belongings, and I found a card file. Full of business cards that I have collected over the last 10-15 years. Old credit cards, my student ID from the University of Utah. You name it, and it’s in there.

I stumbled upon the business card of “Il Vecchio Dado”. IVD is a restaurant in Pisa, Italy. I kept the business card, because it’s easy to forget the name of a local joint, in a country, far, far away.

When I went to Italy with my parents, I had this mission. A mission to find the best Italian food in the world. Seems pretty simple, right? Well, it was a bit more challenging than I thought. I started off my culinary adventure in Venice, and then ventured into Rome.

Now, if there is anything to know about me, it’s that I LOVE FOOD. I know where to look for good food. It’s not a mystery to me. Not even in foreign countries. I struck out in Venice and Rome. I figure, food in two very well-known cities should be amazing, but since I didn’t find it, I had given up. Before my trip ended, I did venture out to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Pisa seemed like one of those cities at first. You know the type. An economy that revolves around one or two tourist attractions, with nothing left outside of what you “know”.

Down on my food luck, I did the unthinkable. I asked the hotel for some restaurant suggestions. The only name that came up, was IVD. I reluctantly walked in with my folks, and enjoyed the best Italian meals of my life. We actually ate here twice.

I remember eating “Pizza Frutta De Mare”. A lovely pizza that shattered any notion of a typical pizza. I ate the toppings first, and I was treated to an array of clams, mussels, shrimps and calamari–all atop a crust that had the most subtle hint of garlic. It was to die for!

On my second trip, I had a gnocchi that was beautifully paired with a porcini mushroom sauce, and much to my liking, red pepper flakes adorned the top.

Upon my own research, I’ve come to find out that this restaurant is over 200 years old. I have no doubt in my mind, that I will return to Italy, and the very first place I will go, is Il Vecchio Dado.

First off, I’d like to wish all of you a very HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope this year brings all of you all of life’s good things.

Today, I’m making Turkey Noodle Soup. It’s almost done…another 45 minutes of simmering to go. In a large stock pot, I filled with water–I put in one turkey thigh, one leftover thigh bone from last night, loosely chopped celery, garlic, onions, carrots, peppercorns, a lemon slice, salt, and let it simmer for one hour. Then I took the meat off the bones and put it back into the soup. Since then, it’s been simmering for an hour.  A few minutes ago, I quartered up some whole wheat spaghetti noodles, and threw it in.

I can’t wait to see how this turns out!

I woke up this morning feeling adventerous. Yes, I decided to once again cook with Mung Beans. It may seem that I have become obsessed with these little guys, but they are amazing, and so versatile. Also, they are packed with protein and fiber!

I made Korean Mung Bean Pancakes. I took shelled and halved mung beans, soaked them in water for a couple hours. Threw them into the blender with some water (and rice flour). Once I got a nice batter consistency, I mixed in some cole slaw mix, thinly sliced onions, chili powder, garlic and salt. Then I put them on the griddle with some olive oil.

Separately, I made a lovely dipping sauce out of vinegar, soy sauce and lightly toasted sesame seeds.

The pancakes came out a little thicker than I thought they would, but delicious, fluffy yet firm, and full of lovely flavor!

Someone once told me that food should make me happy. As the days go by, I am pleased to report that I am happy and my meals are to blame! The food I am eating, tastes great and is made with a sincere effort for a fantastic meal.

Last night, I cooked up a very simple meal for myself. Baked Tilapia (seasoned only with Montreal Seasoning and a dash of Lea & Perrins), a side salad (chopped cucumber, celery, mung beans, olive oil, vinegar and topped with cilantro), and a healthy serving of brown rice.

This meal took all of ten minutes to make, and required no recipe. Just dashes and dabs of whatever I found in my kitchen. A great meal after a hard workout at the gym!

Ok, so the word “mung” isn’t the sexiest in the english language. Beans also have the connotation of being something magical. What I didn’t know is that mung beans are high in protein, and can be high in flavor when prepared the right way.

I found some soaked mung beans in a plastic bag that was sitting in my Mom’s refrigerator. Since I was in the mood for some sort of salad, I set these aside. I busted out some cole slaw, threw it in a bowl with some chopped red onions, shredded Daikon (carrot shaped mild radish), a dash of sesame oil, and a dash of vinegar. Topped with mung beans and garnished with some cilantro. Amazing!

This fantastic little salad offers a diverse mix of textures with the cole slaw mix, daikon and mung beans. You get that lovely crunch that reminds you of a crisp Utah morning in march. One of my favorite experiences. Also the red onions give you a kick to remind you that your sinuses are clear and free.

It’s the day after Christmas and I woke up with a hunger for something delicious and healthy(ish).

Ever have that feeling where you are craving something specific, but something you’ve never had at the same time? That’s exactly what I felt this morning. I was craving a poached egg. I’ve devoured all kinds of egg preparations in my 29 years , but never…NEVER a poached egg.

So I hopped to it. Filled up a frying pan with water, a pinch of salt and a dash of vinegar (to help keep the egg together). I carefully placed an egg in the middle of the pan when the water started boiling, then reduced the heat. Put in some toast in my toaster, and a few minutes later, sprinkled some montreal seasoning on the egg and POW! Breakfast.

The simplicity of this breakfast was the best part. From start to finish, it all took ten minutes. Perfect for those mornings when you want to eat something delicious, healthy and simple. I plan on making this more regularly.

Merry Christmas everyone. Now that the holiday formalities are out of the way, I am at the gym warming up for a spinning session.

I’ve been to a few spin classes, but today I am venturing out on my own since it’s a holiday and no instructor is willing to work today (which I understand).

So for today, I came up with a 60 minute playlist. Should be fun!

1. Boom Boom Pow vs. I’m in Miami Bitch Mashup
2. I Can Transform Ya by Chris Brown
3. Going back to Dani (Red Hot Chili Peppers vs Notorious BIG mashup)
4. Stress by Justice
5. Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus (shut up!)
6. Get Crazy by LMFAO
7. I shake I move by LMFAO
8. Shake your body by Michael Jackson
9. Sexy Chick by David Guetta
10. Shots by LMFAO
11. Around the World/ Harder Better Faster Stronger by Daft Punk Live at Coachella
12. One More Time by Daft Punk
13. Ease on down the road by Michael Jackson
14. Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey

Hope this doesn’t kill me. I need something to burn off the tamales I made yesterday!

UPDATE: This playlist and workout was GREAT!!

Tamale time! After preparing most of the ingredients yesterday, today was the big day! Roll the tamales, steam them, and most importantly–eat the tamales! Just to clarify…this is a two day process, but SO worth it. Also, it’s worth noting that I completed this project all by myself. Tamales take time and attention. If you ever embark on a project like this…make sure you have help.

In any case,  I took the shrimp that I had cleaned yesterday, and marinated them with some seasoning (cumin powder, garlic powder, chili powder, salt and lemon juice). Then, I took the green chili sauce prepared yesterday, and mixed it into the masa (bought from a hispanic grocery store).

While that was marinating, I went ahead and soaked the cornhusks in warm water so that they would be ready for rolling. 

I was a bit concerned while rolling the tamales because the consistency seemed a bit soft and sticky, but once I steamed everything, it all turned out perfectly. The goat cheese added a very nice bright flavor to the shrimp  and the masa (infused with green chilis, garlic, onions and tomatillos). Definitely a treat for the Christmas holiday.

It’s time for food porn. Enjoy!

Soaking the corn husks.

To weigh them down, I used the tamale steamer and filled it with water as it sat on the husks.

They say that when someone cooks for you, love goes into the food. Tonight, I cooked for myself. That must mean, I REALLY love myself, because I made a very simple dish that pleased all of my senses.

Before I left for the gym this evening, I put some shrimp into a very simple marinade of soy sauce, generic stir fry sauce and sriracha sauce.

When I got back, I found some green beans in the fridge, so I decided to whip something together without a recipe. I started with some vegetables in addition to the green beans: onions, cole slaw blend of cabbage and carrots, shiitake mushrooms and garlic. Mixed it with some black bean sauce and let it cook.

Then, I pan-fried the shrimp in some light extra virgin olive oil.

I served both over a bed of noodles which I prepared separately. This dish was so flavorful, simple and I made it in less than 10 minutes.

After dinner, I had this dessert thing that my Mom made for the holidays. Not quite sure what it’s called, but its a formed ball that is made out of raisins, pistachios, roasted poppy and sesame seeds, and then rolled in shredded coconut. Freaking amazing!!

I’m still working on a general format for how these food blogs will work. If I am talking about a meal, I will just start with a little ditty, and then get into the pics. I won’t list any recipes, but if you really want them, let me know.

That’s all for now. Tomorrow, I will work on my tamales!

The first installment of Dude Food.  Today I am making Shrimp Tamales with an awesome green sauce and goat cheese. This recipe was inspired by one of Tyler Florence’s recipes, but I am shaking things up a bit. You’ll see what I mean when this is all done.

 I have broken this out into a two day foodie adventure because it’s the holidays, and I don’t want the fun of this adventure to end so quickly.

I’ve started out by roasting some onions, tomatillos, garlic and anaheim peppers.

Once they are roasted, I put them in a food processor and pulsed until nice and chunky. Tomorrow, I will combine these with the shrimp and encase them with masa for the final product.

On a side note, this sauce also makes a lovely salsa. I saved a bowl for myself

Tomorrow, it’s tamale time!