Monday, December 20, 2010

Mini Roasted Eggplant

Last night I made Mini Roasted Eggplant...without a recipe. This is so not like me! I'm never adventurous or confident enough to experiment in the kitchen, but knew if I stuck to a few basic ingredients I should be in decent shape.

I bought the mini eggplants earlier that day at the Pinecrest Gardens Farmers Market. I think they cost $2.00 for five of them. After washing, de-steming and cutting the eggplants in half, I baked them in the oven at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. While they were cooking, I sauteed chopped garlic in olive oil (from Greece) for about five minutes. Once the eggplant was done, I poured the olive oil/garlic on top and sprinkled freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Voila! My Mini Roasted Eggplant was a success and made for a great appetizer before our Italian inspired dinner.







Sunday, December 19, 2010

Pinecrest Gardens Farmer's Market

I finally took Brickell Life's advice and made a trip to the Pinecrest Gardens Farmer's Market this weekend. Everything looked so good, it was hard to decide what to go home with. It's open every Sunday through May from 10am-2pm located at 11000 Red Road.

While browsing the fruits and veggies, I started talking with a very nice lady named Mary Anne who shared one of her favorite (and easiest) recipes with me - cook one box of Savory Herb Stove Top with one can of fat-free vegetable broth, mix in parsley, craisins, walnuts and serve! Sounds like a great holiday side dish I may have to try next week.

There were about 10-15 tents set-up selling fresh produce, beautiful orchids and plants, homemade soap, holiday cupcakes, gourmet pasta, fresh mozzarella cheese, and baked goods. There was also kettle corn, the Crepe Maker and freshly squeezed lemonade.

A couple different vendors had sweet tangerines. I bought a small basket of these for $2.00.


Holiday treats!




Ripe multi-colored Serrano Peppers - 4 for $1.00.


Large squash


Gourmet pasta in all different flavors. I bought a bag of garlic and basil penne which was $9.00. Hope it's worth it! 




Bell Peppers and Anaheim Peppers


Habanero Peppers and Jalapenos...hot!


Red plums


Cayenne Peppers (I think)


"Put the lime in the coconut..."





Gigantic grapefruit!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Morning Buzz

On Sunday, I had the girls from Book Club over for Berry Mimosas and Yogurt Parfaits. Healthy and delicious! Our December pick was an oldie but a goodie - Everyone Worth Knowing by Lauren Weisberger (same author as The Devil Wears Prada). Discussing some down and dirty Chick Lit over a morning buzz, always a great way to spend a Sunday.



Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Locally Grown

We've kept our balcony door wide open the past few days - the weather has been too beautiful not to. Unlike some Miamians (who actually complain about 50 degree weather), I really look forward to these bursts of cold.

This morning I went out to water our three herb plants and decided to snap a few quick photos. Left to right you have oregano, spicy basil and regular basil/tomato/lettuce in one. Talk about a hybrid! The first two came from The Ramble and the third from the South Miami Arts Festival last month.

I especially love the grassy planters which were a recent purchase from Brickell's Sunday Market. Only $6 bucks a pop! I also bought some gourmet dog cookies which Rusty was a big fan of.


Sunday, December 5, 2010

Art Basel - In the Streets

Thought it would be cool to hit the streets of Wynwood last night to witness the Art Basel craziness first hand. After gorging at Sakaya Kitchen (this place is so good!), we traveled a few blocks south where all the action was happening. Art Basel was in full effect. The galleries were jammed packed, parties on every corner, street art and food galore, and plenty of characters out getting rowdy.
















Thursday, December 2, 2010

Miami Gets Baseled

Last night I tagged along with my girlfriend Liz to the Raleigh on South Beach for an Art Basel party put on by Vogue magazine. While there wasn't much actual art on display (hey, it's a party), there was plenty of fashionable pieces to admire. The entire beach was buzzing with Basel - traffic was backed up for miles and tons of people in the streets. Here's a look at some photos I snapped while walking around.






 Tara Solomon of Tara Ink.