The day a food blogger gets his or her first acceptance notice from a food porn website is a very happy one. We do a happy dance, smile, pat ourselves on the back, tell our family, friends, and readers about it. The day a food blogger gets his or her first denial notice from a food porn website is not a happy one. Perhaps they shrug it off and say they’ll try again. Their next photo submission gets declined, then another, and another and another. No more shrugging it off. No, now the emotions range from confusion, frustration, sadness, and anger. (I’m sure many a WTFs are blurted out.) We’ve all been there.

I’m here to tell you don’t give up. You may think it’s easy for me to say because my photos are accepted to food porn websites. Not so. Upon discovering many of those sites I started submitting like everyone else. It seemed like it took months for my first photo to be accepted. Like many of you I was frustrated and perplexed as to what I was doing wrong. Actually many times I still find myself perplexed at the photos that get accepted and those that don’t. After nearly 3 years of submitting, I still get many rejections. Before I used to stress out about it, now I prefer to take it one submission at a time.

The most important thing to remember is that a rejection does not mean your photos aren’t good photos. I’ve had photos rejected by food porn websites that have been top sellers at stock agencies. So if people are paying to use one of my rejected photos that is clear evidence that the photo wasn’t a bad one. What we have to keep in mind is that many of the food porn websites want photos they, their editors, find pleasing and that varies from one person to another. Today we are going to be discussing some of the food porn websites and a few tips to help increase your odds of acceptance. Below are some reasons why your images have been rejected and tips on how to correct or prevent them. This covers a small amount of ways we can improve our chances. But more than one post is necessary to cover other ways of both improving our photography and chances of getting approved on food porn websites.

Lighting:
Make sure your photos are bright enough for the subject to shine. Underexposed (photos that are too dark) photos will always get rejected. You can read and apply my tutorial, Food Photography : What Lights To Use When Sunlight Is Not Available, to achieve proper exposures. If you are shooting using window or natural light use a reflector to shine more light on your subject. My tutorial Food Photography: My Shooting Setup With Artificial Light covers some tips on using reflectors. Also adjusting your camera’s ISO and shutter speeds will help achieve proper exposures. (more on ISO and Shutter Speeds soon)

Composition:
When shooting make sure you are paying attention to the rule of thirds. Make sure you don’t have too many things/props distracting from your subject. Even if you are shooting a photo for your website and the composition is perfect, when it comes time for submitting to food porn websites the composition in the square crop can be off.  What I’m talking about is the square format that many of the food porn websites require.

The Dreaded Square Format:
Not sure why nearly all the food porn websites went with this format, but they did. The best way to save your sanity and not relaying on the default cropping tools, on the food porn sites, is to crop submissions yourself. You need to know where and how to crop your images in photo editing software. Look for the square cropping tool and enter the 6×6 (square) dimensions manually to cropping tool. Make sure the composition also flows well on the newly cropped square image. I suggest you take a look through the food porn websites for samples of the square crop compositions they like.

Proper Sizing:
Once you’ve cropped the image to a square format I highly recommend it be sized down. Double check the required size the food porn site you are submitting to requires, though most want 250×250 px. I always submit the 250×250 image size. This way I can see what the composition and sharpness will look like. (If you need help resizing images read my tutorial, Food Photography : How To Size Your Images For The Web. )

Add Sharpness:
Another reason for rejection is due to “dull or un-sharp images”. After you’ve cropped and sized down the image sharpening should be applied. Whichever photo editing software being used, make sure you know where and how to apply sharpening to your photos. It’s amazing how a little sharpness can make images pop. The amount of sharpening for larger images, such as used on your blogs, will require more than the smaller sizes required by food porn websites.

Submit and Wait:
The next step is to choose, which and how many, porn sites to submit to. There are so many of them that you’ll have plenty of choices. Below are food porn sites I submit to or have submitted to. By no means does it mean you have to try all of them, find the ones you like best.

Good traffic but be ready for many rejections.
- Foodgawker:  Submit here
- TasteSpotting:  Submit here
- Tasteologie: Submit here
- Liqurious: Only alcoholic drinks. Submit here
- Finding Vegan: Vegan only recipes and photos must be 300 x 260 px (not a square, enter 3x 2.6 on cropping tool) Submit here
- Serious Eats: Submit here

Decent Traffic, Chances of Acceptance are Higher (because they aren’t as tough on submissions as those above):
- Dishfolio: Submit here
- Dessert Stalking: Submit here
- Savory Sights: Submit here
- Kitchen Artistry: No square photos needed Submit here
- Knapkins: Submit here
- FoodEpix: Submit here

Newer Food Porn Sites To Check Out:
- Recipe News: Started by a fellow food blogger, Cooking Rookie. We should help support her so, Submit here
- The Hot Plate: Submit here

The photo above is the square cropped photo I will submit for this post. I’ll update you on whether it get’ accepted or rejected.

Like I stated above, this topic requires many tutorials and posts. I will be sharing more information and ways to improve your photography, which should in turn improve your chances of approval by food porn site.

If I can offer one last piece of advice it would be not to compromise your artistic vision. I’ve read and seen many bloggers start changing their style, even cropping all their photos to square format, once they’ve been accepted on food porn sites. Not being judgmental, but I feel that limiting ourselves like that can only hurt our artistic growth. Yes, it’s nice seeing your images there and the traffic they send is also pretty nice. But in the end the thing that matters most is if we are happy with the direction our photography takes. My personal opinion anyways.

Thanks for reading! Leave your questions in the comments below or stop by and read the previous installments of Food Photography Tutorials.

I’ve always loved spicy food. Perhaps it is because I’m Mexican and many of our dishes are spicy. But let’s be clear when I say spicy I don’t mean mouth burning spicy. I don’t like food which is so spicy that all you taste and feel is the acidity of the chilies. No, I want my food spicy but also want to be able to taste all the other flavors in the dish. Maybe what I consider spicy is mild to others, and maybe what I consider mild is spicy to others. My husband, who is not Mexican, thinks what I consider spicy is mild. I don’t agree with him but then again that is coming from someone (him) who has successfully eaten Phall Curry on several occasions. (If you’ve never heard of Phall look it up.)

The past month I’ve been craving nothing but spicy food. It seems like I can’t go more than a day or two without eating something spicy. Of course my chile-head husband isn’t complaining. That man could eat spicy with every meal and for days on end. How a Caucasian man can eat and tolerate heat like that is beyond me. Should I be embarrassed that he can tolerate chile more than I?

Needless to say this ongoing chile craving I’m having is making it’s way into almost all of our food. As I gathered the ingredients to make these eggless yogurt corn muffins I imagined how good they would taste with some chile. I know adding chiles, or jalapeños, to corn muffins isn’t anything new. But it was something I had been wanting to try. The muffins turned out great. They were a little spicy, crumbly on the outside, soft and moist on the inside. I know some of you don’t like corn bread or muffins because they tend to be dry, but that is not the case here. I think the yogurt is what helped these muffins come out softer then other batches.

(If you would like to publish my recipe on your website please quote Spicie Foodie as the recipe creator, and place a link back to this recipe page.)

Eggless Yogurt Corn Muffins
1 cup (140 g) corn meal
1 cup (140 g) a.p. flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1.5 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. light brown sugar
2 tbsp. melted butter or vegetable oil
1 cup (240 g) greek yogurt
1/2 cup (125ml) plus 2 tbsp. milk

1 small green chile, seeded and finely chopped- adjust to taste

1. Preheat oven to 180c or 350f, and prepare a muffin pan. In a large bowl sift together both of the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar, then set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the yogurt, milk and green chile. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, until just combined. Pour the batter into the muffin pan, filling 3/4 of the way. Place in center of oven and bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through.

Allow to cool before serving.

The next day we had leftovers with cream cheese and Jalapeño Jelly. They were so, so good that I only wished I had another batch. Okay, let’s move on to May’s YBR signup.

It’s time to signup for another edition of YBR. But before you do please help me congratulate Tania of My Kitchen Stories on winning April’s Honest Cooking feature. This was Tanias’s winning recipe, Chocolate and Salted Caramel Tarts Stay tuned to see Tania’s post on Honest Cooking.

Most of you know how it works, but those that don’t please read the full rules on the YBR page here: YBR How To Participate . Thank you and welcome to another moth of YBR!

Very important and in order to participate: Please, Please submit/email your information in the following format:
DEADLINE TO PARTICIPATE IS Tuesday May 29th. The round up will be Wednesday May 30. 

- Email  the above to spiciefoodie (@ ) gmail.com
- Make sure you’ve added a YBR button/badge to your website. Download it here

If you fail to submit all the required information you risk not being included in the roundup.  As you can imagine having to chase after or figure out the proper names and links for your posts is very time consuming. So please adhere to my request. Thank you guys! If you need any help or clarifications post a comment or send me an email.

On today’s edition of My Favorite Foodies Series we meet Nami from the popular blog Just One Cookbook. I am a big fan of Nami and her delicious Japanese home cooking blog. Her photography is stunning, her authentic Japanese recipes easy to follow, and together it always inspires me to learn and cook along with her. What I love most about her recipes is that they are her family’s tried and true home cooking. If all that wasn’t enough Nami is one of the sweetest bloggers you’ll come across in our community. Please help me give Nami a very warm welcome.

1. Can you tell us a little bit about your blog?

I share my quick and easy Japanese home cooking on my blog Just One Cookbook. It was launched in January 2011, so I’ve been involved with the food blog community for a little bit less than 1.5 years now. I named my blog Just One Cookbook because all I need is just 1 cookbook of family favorites, and I wanted my children to continue cooking their favorite food using this blog when they get older.

2. Why do you like to cook/bake or spend time in your kitchen? Have you always liked spending time in the kitchen?

I have been helping my mom in the kitchen since I was really young. My mom made me prep for dinner everyday so I learned how to cook naturally from her. When I came to the US by myself to study, I missed my mom’s cooking and the only way to enjoy it was by cooking the dishes myself.

Even though I have been cooking all these years, I only started to cook more seriously after my children were born. I started to enjoy it even more after blogging because my cooking now has purpose (besides feeding my family) – recording the cooking process and sharing with readers.

Oh almost forgot. I’m actually not much of a baker, and it’s my new challenge to include more baked goods in my food blog. I’m slowly working on it.

3. Your blog has an extensive collection of authentic Japanese recipes. Which of your recipes would be the easiest for someone looking to start learning Japanese cooking?

Most of the recipes are quick and easy to prepare as long as you have the right ingredients. Sometimes that’s the hardest part in cooking Japanese food because you might live in an area where there are no Japanese or even Asian markets. We need certain ingredients to cook authentic Japanese food such as most basic dashi stock (which is made of bonito flakes and kombu, or the alternative dashi powder).

A lot of readers started cooking from something they are familiar with from eating at Japanese restaurants. At least they know how it should taste and look like. So I’d recommend some dishes that are popular among food bloggers and served in Japanese restaurants, like Chicken Teriyaki (or Beef Teriyaki), miso soup, Chicken Katsu Don, Agedashi Tofu, Spinach Salad with Sesame Sauce, and Green Tea Ice Cream.

4. When you want to treat yourself or loved ones what do you prepare or splurge on?

My husband and I enjoy eating good food, either at home or in restaurants. We don’t mind spending money on delicious food or ingredients as long as we think it’s worth doing. We occasionally eat out at some restaurants in the SF Bay Area which we’ve been wanting to try and that have received great reviews. Both of us enjoy cooking some dishes together that take team effort and time on those special occasions (as we can’t spend that much time on our busy weekday and weekend schedule). Most times we prefer to eat a great meal at home so we can share with our children.  We get really disappointed when we “overpay” for the quality of food a restaurant serves.

5. You live so far away from your homeland, what foods do you miss most from Japan? 

I visit Japan once a year and I always ask mom to make my favorite, her Korokke or Japanese Croquettes.

6. What is your most memorable or most special kitchen moment, be it a happy or a disastrous memory? 

I tend to forget bad things. I’m lucky that way. Hehe. So I don’t quite recall any bad incidents that happened in the kitchen. Well, I’m not an elegant cook either and my kitchen gets pretty chaotic when I cook. But when I think about my most memorable and special kitchen moment it would be the time cooking with my mom.

7. What is your favorite ingredient, the one you couldn’t live without, the one you use most often? And is this ingredient the one that inspires you the most or is there another?

Can I put two? I’m pretty addicted to both shiso (Perilla – herbs) and yuzu flavor. Imagining any dish that has shiso or yuzu makes my mouth water… You might see shiso on your sushi plate as decoration, but that’s edible!

8. What food is your food vice? You know, one you sneak in a little extra of when no one is looking:)

This has to be dark chocolate with almonds in it. I don’t need to eat a lot of chocolate, but I’d be happy with even a tiny bit of very good chocolate and almonds.

9. Who is your favorite foodie? (Be it a professional, enthusiast or novice)

Is it okay to say it’s my husband? He’s been my partner in crime for eating good food for all these years together. He is probably more passionate about food. It’s our common interest and that’s why we started the food blog too. Together we enjoy eating good food, talking about food, and exploring to taste good food. It’s always more fun to have someone you can share the great experience with, and that has been my husband.

10. Why did you start blogging? Do you have a goal or what do you hope to accomplish with your blog? 

My close non-Japanese friends really wanted to learn how to cook Japanese food.  I started sharing my recipes with them through emails and Facebook.  About a year later my husband and friends suggested that I expand my sharing through a website or blog because it was not easy to search for older recipes on Facebook.  So my blog started in January 2011 and here we are.

My original goal was to organize all my existing recipes and write up everything in the blog. Then I stared to have regular readers who are interested in learning more basic Japanese dishes that they know or want to try. It took me awhile to realize my blog is not just for myself but also other readers. So I have another passion now which is to create a recipe website where people can search common and popular Japanese dishes. I’d be more than happy if readers think my recipes are reliable and cook along with me.

Anything else you would like to say or share with us, tips or advice for fellow blogger?

I want to thank you, Nancy, for inviting me here today to introduce me to your readers - it means a lot to me!

Since I always appreciate any kind of tips when other bloggers share theirs, I’d like to return those favors here.

I know these tips are the most basic, but I always think of these as the key to success in the food blog community.

- Try to publish posts on a regular basis (even once a week, it should be somewhat regular so readers will know when the next post will be published).

- Readers look forward to good recipes and photography. The saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” is very true for food blogging. If readers do not like the photo, they’ll be less inclined to try the recipe. Food photography and styling have always been a challenge for me and it’s my personal top priority to improve.

- Always have a clear and easy to follow recipe. Just like how you teach others to cook, it has to be clear instructions, especially when you are not there to teach. I’m always a visual learner so I took step-by-step pictures for myself in the beginning. However I have been getting great feedback from readers that the step-by-step pictures have been very helpful to cook some food they are not familiar with. Because of that feedback  I can’t stop taking step-by-step pictures now even though it’s so time consuming! You do not need step-by-step pictures, but you must write your recipes very well so readers feel comfortable trying them.

- Always respond to readers’ questions about a recipe. It can be really time consuming to respond to readers’ questions one by one, but if I’m a reader and have some question about the recipe, I’d love to get the answer for clarification.

- Try to avoid clutter and organize your blog so readers can grab whatever they need easily.

Thank you again for having me here today, Nancy, and thank you Spicie Foodie readers for reading my interview!

Recipes for images in the graphic and photos can be found in the links below.
Japanese Tofu (Cold Tofu | Hiyayakko) , Curry Udon, Spanish Mackerel with Yuzu, California Roll, Strawberry Daifuku (Strawberry Mochi), Nikujaga 肉じゃが, Shabu Shabu, Green Tea Ice Cream (Matcha Ice Cream | 抹茶アイスクリーム), Wafu Dressing (Japanese Salad Dressing), Agedashi Tofu, Chicken Katsu Don,Spicy Shoyu Ramen, Quick & Easy Chirashi Sushi

Stay connected to Just One Cookbook on Twitter – Facebook – Pinterest – Google+  – RSS

All images are the sole property of Namiko Chen and Just One Cookbook. Graphic design by Spicie Foodie. Please do not use images or graphics without prior written consent. Thank you.

As I was editing photos for this Sunday Snapshots I couldn’t get a poem out of my head. The poem is written by Maya Angelou, and is called “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings”. I know these rose photos have nothing to do with the poem, but it’s what I’m loving tonight. So enjoy the poem, enjoy the photos, and have a great Sunday.

(I probably don’t have to say this but, the poem isn’t literally about caged birds. It is about racism, oppression and segregation. To me it is also about setting yourself free, going after your dreams regardless of the things that try to hold you back. )

The free bird leaps
on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wings
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks
down his narrow cage
can seldom see through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and
his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings
with fearful trill
of the things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill for the caged bird
sings of freedom

The free bird thinks of another breeze
an the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn
and he names the sky his own.

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing

The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.

Poem by Maya Angelou, source

P.S.
Tomorrow I have a very special guest for you. Please come back and read her interview.

Seitan (say-tahn) is a vegan meat substitute made from wheat gluten. The product is created by starting with a basic wheat flour dough that is repeatedly washed until all of the starch is dissolved. The result is an elastic pure gluten dough ball. The end product has a chewy or stringy texture that largely resembles meat. This wheat gluten product is used in vegetarian and macrobiotic cuisines. In fact it was a Japanese macrobiotic teacher whom developed the product in 1962.

By now you are probably wondering why anyone would want to eat something having the description above (as I sit here typing this I’m also starting to wonder that myself.) My defense is that since I’m not a big fan of tofu I thought I’d give Seitan a try. Perhaps I was intrigued by the name, it’s kind of funny. Actually it’s always my curiosity that gets the better of me, so most new products that cross my path have to be tried.

If you do a quick search on Seitan you’ll also find that Seitan is quite nutritious. It is a good source of protein, iron and selenium. Also you’ll see that the reviews are pretty good. People love that it looks like meat but isn’t, and that it can be used just about any way meat can. Another thing you’ll find is that Seitan comes in several varieties and forms. Unfortunately I ended up with the least appetizing form, the fluffy steamed kind.

After opening the Seitan package I took a small taste. Not bad. The taste wasn’t strong, the texture was like a fluffy bland meat substitute. Everything seemed
promising up until the fajitas finished cooking. By the end of the cooking process the Seitan had expanded, probably due to the water content from the bell peppers. The texture now resembled that of a sponge. Appetizing right? Regardless the taste wasn’t bad. Hubby is always up for trying new foods, but this one I feel bad about. As we sat down to dinner the texture was playing mind tricks with our taste buds. A few times I think I even heard a faint voice questioning why we were eating a well seasoned sponge. In the end we picked out the Seitan and ate only the peppers and onions. The salsa wasn’t too bad, it was just overshadowed by the sponge. I’ll definitely give it a try on real meat fajitas soon.

So why am I sharing a failed Seitan recipe? To give you a laugh, to show you that we all have kitchen failures, and perhaps to inspire you to improve the recipe. Here’s how I cooked the sponge, er, I mean Seitan.

(If you would like to publish my recipe on your website please quote Spicie Foodie as the recipe creator, and place a link back to the recipe.)

Papaya Habanero Salsa
1 small papaya, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
2-3 red habanero or scotch bonnet chiles, stem removed (adjust to taste)
1/2 small yellow onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 large lemon or lime, juiced
small handful of cilantro
salt to taste

1. Blend all ingredients into a thick sauce/salsa. Taste and adjust as desired. Chill in refrigerator until ready to use. Give it a good stir before serving as it may have solidified a bit.

Fajita Ingredients
1 package of unseasoned Seitan
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
granulated garlic*
ground cumin*
ground cayenne pepper*
salt*
3 small bell peppers
olive oil

*spice amounts to taste

flour tortillas
sour cream and any other sides you like

1. Slice the Seitan into strips, combine with all spices and set aside to marinade for 10 minutes.

2. Heat the oil in a large pan, cook the onions until soft and translucent. Add the peppers and Seitan to the pan, cook until peppers are to desired tenderness.

Serve the Seitan fajitas with flour tortillas and salsa.

Any of you out there brave enough to give Seitan a try? Do share your thoughts.

I love the way Czechs pronounce the word potatoes. They pronounce the po as in polite, the ta as in take, and toes as in toast. Go on pronounce it out load the Czech way, po-tay-toes. Don’t you love the way it sounds? I just love hearing central and Eastern Europeans pronounce this word. Sometimes I’ll go long periods of time pronouncing the word like they do.

No matter how you pronounce it potatoes are one awesome carb. You can do so much with potatoes. You can boil, bake, roast, mash, and fry potatoes. You can’t do that with too many vegetables. There are many ways of preparing potatoes and even more varieties. (My dream is to come across purple potatoes.) Potatoes are actually quite healthy it is the ways they are cooked that make them unhealthy. Potatoes are a good source of carbohydrates, low in fat, low in calories, have no cholesterol, are rich in fiber, copper, zinc, magnesium, potassium, vitamin C, Vitamin B1 and Vitamin B6.

I have a weakness for potatoes, particularly in the french fry form. But the frying method neither agrees with my tummy or waistline. So the french fries (or any fried food for that matter) intake has to be kept to a bare minimum. Fortunately there are so many great ways of satisfying my love and weakness for potatoes. Most times when I want a potato side dish my first choice is roasting. But you know me and of course the potatoes have to have spices and a little kick.

The previous recipe I shared, Hubby’s Grilled Bratwurst and Sauerkraut Sandwich, we had these potatoes on the side. They are super easy and relatively fast to prepare.

(If you would like to publish my recipe on your website please quote Spicie Foodie as the recipe creator, and place a link back to the recipe.)
Spicie Roasted Potatoes (Vegan)

potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
good quality olive oil
granulated garlic
salt
ground black pepper
paprika
cayenne

Spice amounts are to taste, I didn’t measure just go by feeling

Preheat oven to 220c or 428f, line or prepare baking sheet.

1. Mix all the spices in a small bowl until well combined. Rub the potato wedges with olive oil then sprinkle spices over them. Toss until the potatoes are well coated. Spread over a baking sheet and roast in center of oven for 30-40 minutes. Gently stir now and then to prevent burning.

We really love these potatoes because they are slightly crispy on the outside and soft inside. But also the cayenne adds a delicious spicyness. I hope you give them a try soon.

This past Monday I told you it was Joanie’s hatching day and today is Chachi’s. He (or she, more on that another time) is also turning one. Oh how fast the Minions grow.

More Potato Recipes
- Spicy Baked Fries by Tastfully Julie
- Fried Potatoes with Herbs and Smoked Salt by SPCookie Queen
- Bowtie Pasta with Baked Potato Wedges by Sunshine and Smile
- Indian Spiced Crash Potatoes by eCurry
- Gruyere Stuffed Purple Potato Dumplings with a Walnut Parsley Pesto by Tasty Trix
- Vepudu Aloo – Potato Stir fry in spices by Flavors of Mumbai

When I got married I didn’t know how to cook. I wasn’t completely useless, it hardly ever happened but I could follow package instructions with decent results. When it came to real cooking, from scratch and winging it, that was not something I did or was interested in doing. We used to eat most of our meals at restaurants, occasionally hubby would cook and every once in a while we feasted on our family’s cooking. All those take-out and sit down meals in restaurants probably weren’t the most economical or waistline friendly, but we did enjoy them very much.  We were young(er), newly married, childless, wild professionals enjoying the good life. Much of that still applies and we do still enjoy restaurants but just not at the rate we once did.

I am lucky that the man I married isn’t a macho man who expects me to do all the cooking and housework. For the first 7 years of our marriage hubby did all the cooking. Hubby’s cooking was great training for me, in fact he taught me a lot of what I know now. When he would cook for us I would sit in the kitchen watching him and occasionally helping out. It was not only a learning experience for me but something I really enjoyed. As he cooked dinner we enjoyed a drink and chatted about what ever was happening in our lives. My husband is a fantastic cook and I got to reap the rewards of his delicious cooking. Nowadays I do the majority of the cooking. Unfortunately our kitchen isn’t always big enough for one let alone two people. So the times we cook together are very few and far between.

Yesterday morning as I was preparing Joanie and Chachi’s breakfast hubby came into the kitchen to say he was making me breakfast. I was asked to leave the kitchen and not come back. So I did what I rarely do, obeyed, and left the kitchen. Some clattering and expletives could be heard coming from the kitchen (he doesn’t understand what I call kitchen organizing). A few minutes later he comes out with a fabulous looking omelette. I was so happy because hubby makes the best omelets in the world! Alongside my omelet I got perfect lightly toasted bread, just the way I like it, tea and orange juice. It all tasted fantastic and was a perfect breakfast. When I asked why I got an omelet for breakfast he said that I had mentioned a craving for one a couple of days ago. I had completely forgotten but my sweetheart did not.

The special treatment didn’t stop there. Nope, this chica also got dinner made for her. How special am I? Very. It just so happens that the dinner he choose is not only one of my favorite meals but also another food I’ve been craving. He made me or us another of his specialties, Grilled Bratwurst and Sauerkraut Sandwiches. These sausage sandwiches are so good that they turned me, someone who always hated sausages, into someone who craves these and often. Though I’ve had a good share of delicious Bratwurst in restaurants nothing compares to hubby’s Grilled Bratwurst and Sauerkraut Sandwiches. You really need to try them to see how amazing they taste.

(If you would like to publish my recipe on your website please quote Spicie Foodie as the recipe creator, and place a link back to the recipe.)
Hubby’s Grilled Bratwurst and Sauerkraut Sandwiches
1 med onion, cut into slivers
pack bratwurst, we used a 330 g or 7 small pack
1 pack of German style sauerkraut, drained
3 tsp brown Bavarian or German mustard
2 tbsp horseradish
oil
baguettes

Heat the oil and saute the onions until soft and translucent. Next add the drained sauerkraut, mustard and horseradish. Saute and stir frequently for about 8 minutes. Push the sauerkraut mix to the side and add the bratwurst. Cook until sausages are hot and cooked through.

Serve on a baguette or rolls, if desired spread extra mustard on bread. Serve alongside your favorite potatoes. (I’ll be sharing ours on Wednesday.)

I’m so lucky to have a husband who is not only my best friend but also one that can cook a mean Brat. Hehe. What can I say, he spoils me. Seriously he is a great cook and an even better husband. I hope you try his recipe soon. Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary and today is our little Joanie’s hatching day, she (or he, but more on that another time) is turning one. So happy anniversary to hubby and happy hatching day to Joanie.

P.S.
Bratwurst and sandwiches are really hard to photograph. Have any tips for me?

The cool morning breeze wakes me. I open my eyes to an unfamiliar room. I’m back in Paris! Smiling to myself because it’s another beautiful morning in the French capital.

There’s a knock at the door. We’re greeted with a warm smile and a Bonjour. Le petite dejeuner, or breakfast, has arrived. Hubby and I sit down at our small table facing a quiet residential street. Warm croissants so buttery they coat our lips, so delicate that with each bite flakes fall from our mouths. That aroma that can only come from French cafe au lait dances around our room.

Hubby has business meetings to attend and I have all afternoon to myself. Alone, but in Paris I never feel lonely.

I spend my alone time doing what I love most in Paris, walking. This time I’m walking the streets of Paris as a tourist not as a resident. No matter my reason for being here I feel the same sense of adventure and discovery  in every step I take.

I make my way to one of our old neighborhoods. Eventually ending up at the front gate of our first flat. I don’t dare type in the digicode to see if I can swing the heavy metal gate open. Instead I peek between the metal gate and down the corridor to the bright courtyard. Standing there daydreaming of our early European days.

Down the street peering from old Mansard rooftops and terracota chimneys is the famous landmark. Taking the very same route I used to every morning I head towards it. The cement sidewalks turn into gravel and grassy pathways of the Champ de Mars. There she is, La Tour Eiffel. 

Suddenly memories rush through me and I feel as though we never left. The gravel paths we walked so many times. The grass that our puppy ran around chasing other dogs. The countless picnics we had gazing up in awe at the Eiffel. That one unforgettable Bastille Day (French Independence Day) that gave me goose bumps and secretly brought me to tears. The countless hours we spent in the observation deck queue. Pretending that my fear of heights wasn’t bothering me as we looked over the magnificent views. Occasionally pinching ourselves to make sure we weren’t dreaming. But none of it was a dream it all really happened. So many cherished memories.

I find a quiet bench to rest my tired feet. Sitting there once again I am reminded of how lucky I’ve been. I live in Europe. I get to be here on this bench looking up at one of the most recognizable landmarks in the world. This used to be my park, the one I walked every morning. My house used to be right down the street. And even though I don’t live here any more I get to come back for a visit. In the distance I can hear the hoards of tourist but on this pathway and by this bench no passers by. I feel as though I’m the only one here. Lucky indeed.

Gaze up and camera hanging from my neck I make my way around the tower. Wanting to take a little piece of this memorable day with me, I point the camera up. I’m looking for unique perspectives and views I could have missed. Taking my time and patiently waiting to press the shutter until the frame feels right.

On my walk back to the hotel I stopped at our old boulangerie for a baguette. It was still warm, oh how I love that. I ended my day trip to the Eiffel tower doing my two favorite things in Paris, walking and eating a piece of freshly baked baguette. It was a great day.

** May 13th Update: Thanks for voting this into Foodbuzz Daily top 9. Check out all top 9 recipes here.**

Pozole is a hearty Mexican stew traditionally made with pork, hominy and has either a red or green color depending on the chiles used for the soup base. Other variations also exist using chicken, beef, seafood, beans and there’s even a white pozole. The pozole is served alongside shredded cabbage, onion, radishes, lime, oregano, salsas, sour cream and tostadas.

Corn was a sacred plant to Aztecs and the other indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica. One of the main components of pozole is the hominy, which is basically processed maize or corn. Aztecs, and the other indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica, cooked pozole only on special occasions. Now this is where things start getting weird and a bit gross. In a book called “General History of the Things of New Spain” written by Fray Bernandino de Sahagun, he describes pots of stew with corn and pieces of human flesh being eaten on special occasions. The human meat came from the sacrificed people, who’s hearts were ripped out and offered to the gods, their bodies were chopped up and cooked in the pozole. After the Spanish arrived they banned cannibalism and pork became the meat used in pozole. Wait it gets even weirder, you’re probably wondering how but it does. Apparently pork was the meat of choice because “it tasted very similar” to human flesh. This bit of history is probably something most of us Mexicans want to forget or ignore, so let’s move on.

Thankfully the only thing that remained from the “special” ancient feast was that modern day Mexicans still celebrate special occasions with pozole. If you have Mexican friends or family you know that pozole is served at many special celebrations. My family was no different and so pozole was often the food we ate on special occasions.

My mami (mom) makes the best pozole rojo. Her pozole is one of the foods and things I miss most from home. A few months ago when I made pozole for the first time I called her and asked for her recipe. But I told her that I was going to make a chicken version rather than pork. I’m not the biggest pork fan to begin with and now after reading the story above I don’t think I’ll be eating pork anytime soon. Many of the ingredients she told me are ones that I can’t find here. But I told her I would do my best to stick to her recipe minus all the pork meat.

I went into my kitchen and gathered as much as I could from my mom’s ingredient list. I was nervous because I wanted it to come out perfect and because hubby has told me he didn’t like pozole. When he asked what was for dinner I told him it was a surprise. While I prepared the pozole now and then I would get flash backs to my childhood home. As the pozole simmered and the scents filled the kitchen my excitement grew. It has been a really long time since I last ate pozole. A taste of the broth and my heart fluttered. Perhaps it wouldn’t win awards but this pozole tasted great to me and most importantly made me feel like I was home. My heart and stomach were filled with joy. When I called hubby to dinner he commented that “something smelled really good”, I smiled to myself. I showed him how to eat his stew, then he took a few bites and sips. I asked if he liked his dinner, he said yes and that it was really good. In fact the one who had previously said he didn’t care for pozole had two bowls. I’ve now made pozole two times and both times it has brought such joy to me.

Growing up when one of us had a birthday a special homemade meal was cooked for us. My birthday is today and if I was back home pozole would be the meal I would ask mami to make for me. For now I’ll continue to make my own pozole, improving as I go and hopefully one day as good as my mother’s.

(If you would like to publish my recipe on your website please quote Spicie Foodie as the recipe creator, and place a link back to the recipe.)
Chicken Pozole Rojo (based on my mother’s recipe)

broth:
1 whole chicken, quartered and skinned if desired
1 medium onion, peeled
enough water to cover chicken, I used about 10 cups

1. Boil the chicken until the meat is soft and falling apart. Drain reserving the meat and broth in separate containers. In total you should have 8 cups of broth to use. Set aside while you prepare the pozole sauce base.

chile and pozole base:
3 guajillo
3 pasilla
3 ancho
2 arbol, I added them for extra heat
4 garlic cloves
1 medium onion, peeled and halved
1 tsp salt
1-2 tbsp water
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large dried bay leaf
1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
salt to taste

1 medium can of Mexican hominy or maiz pozolero blanco, drained

topping options:
shredded white cabbage
slice radishes
lime, I used lemons
finely chopped onion
cilantro
avocado
crema or Mexican sour cream
salsa or hot sauce of choice
tostadas to serve on the side

1. Over a comal or griddle toast the chiles but careful not to burn them. Also toast the garlic and onion for 5 minutes. Remove from comal and allow to cool.

2. Once cooled place the chiles, garlic, onion and 1 tsp salt into a blender. You will need to add a tablespoon or two of water to help blend into smooth sauce. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve and discard seeds and any remaining chunks.

3. In a large pot heat the oil, once warm add the chile sauce and cook for a few minutes. Add the drained hominy, bay leaf, oregano and salt. Next gently pour the drained chicken broth, in total it was 8 cups of broth, give the soup a good mix. Allow to simmer for an hour over medium low heat and covered. While the soup is simmering remove the meat from the boiled chicken, discarding bones and skins. Shred the chicken meat then add to the simmering pozole. Continue simmering until ready to serve.

Serve topped with any or all of the suggested toppings.

Pozole is a meal I can eat during anytime of the year. I will continue to make it year round and I hope you too give this special stew a try. I promise you won’t find bits of Jose or Maria in this pozole. Well, that is unless the chicken used had either of those names. I’m off to celebrate my birthday today but I’ll see you on Sunday for Sunday Snapshots. Have a great weekend everyone.

Buy all the ingredients needed for this recipe:
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** May 11th Update: Thanks for voting this into Foodbuzz Daily top 9. Check out all top 9 recipes here.**

You’ve read my previous complaints on the lack of fresh seafood in a landlocked country. But there is one type of fish I can always count on here in Prague, Trout. Most grocery stores carry Trout alongside the ever present Carp.

Hubby informs me that the Trout species available at our local grocery store are always either Rainbow trout or Brook trout. The trout you see here is local Brook trout. We both love trout and really enjoy both Brook and Rainbow species.

You may have noticed the ongoing theme with my fish recipes. When it comes to fish I like to keep it simple so we can fully enjoy the particular fish’s flavor. Lemon and garlic are more or less the flavors I like pairing with fish. That is exactly what I did with this Brook trout recipe. When I eat whole fish I want it grilled or lightly pan-fried to crispy perfection. The reason being is that I love the way the crispy skin tastes. Don’t think I didn’t hear those ewws and yucks. It’s what I like and besides it’s loaded with omega 3. Another really great thing to love about fish dishes is that they take so little time to prepare. Here, I’ll show you how fast and easy it is.

(If you would like to publish my recipe on your website please quote Spicie Foodie as the recipe creator, and place a link back to the recipe.)
Lemon Garlic Stuffed Brook Trout or Pan Fried Brook Trout

2 whole rainbow trouts, scaled
1 large lemon, thinly sliced
4 thinly sliced garlic cloves, or much as desired
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper corns
splash of white wine, optional
good quality extra virgin olive oil

extra large frying pan or grill

serving suggestions:
extra lemon, if desired
steamed rice, garlic creamed spinach, or fresh green salad

1. Pat dry trout, rub the whole fish with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place a couple or few lemon slices and as many as desired garlic slices into fish cavity. (We do this to add the flavors and scents to the meat.)You may have both lemon and garlic slices leftover, set them aside.

2. Heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil in an extra large frying pan or grill pan. Once hot gently place the whole trouts on it, fry for about 8 minutes. Gently flip, add a splash or two of white wine, at this point if you have any extra garlic added to the pan. Fry/cook the fish for another 8 minutes, or until all liquid has been absorbed and the fish skin is nice and crispy. Cooking times may vary depending on fish size and weight. Make sure the fish feels firm before serving.

Serve with side dish of your  choice. By the way, this cooking technique and ingredients taste great with other whole fish too. Enjoy!

Mother’s Day is in a few days, do you need some brunch ideas? Check these out.

- Asparagus Goat Cheese Tart
- Flaky Roasted Tomato and Parmesan Tart
- Pain Perdu – French Toast
- Untraditional Croque Madame
- Arugula, Maché Strawberry Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette
- Persimmon, Avocado and Serrano Ham Salad
- Flower Showers, Spring Serenade, Gourmet Greens and Tangerines