What to do with all of your left overs

Turkey you can.....

Make turkey and cranberry sandwiches with Dijon mustard and romaine lettuce. Choose a nice artisan bread such as ciabatta, rosemary herbed french roll or an onion roll.

Make Turkey soup. Just add chicken stock, carrots, sweet white corn, broccoli, dry basil, peas and a little butter. Garnish with cotija cheese and Italian Parsley

Make Split Pea Soup if you had Ham for Thanksgiving.

Make a Turkey Panini with Fresh Basil, red onion and brie cheese

Make Turkey pot pies

Don't let food go to waste!

Thanksgiving

I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving! I sure did. I visited my family in Minnesota and had one of the best Thanksgivings in years. All the food turned out perfect. I even received more Holiday praises on my youtube site for my Holiday Ham. If you are looking for an alternative for Christmas check out my Holiday Ham.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wNOk-Tgx2k

Flat Matea Goes to the Filling Station- Culver City

Since 2008 I have been loving Culver City. Culver City was once a quaint little town that my cousin and I would walk 5 miles to go see a movie. We loved going to the theatre in Culver City because it was quiet and we didn't have to come home as early. We loved walking for miles and talking and having fun. I could honestly say that Culver City was one of those places that brings back special childhood memories.
Yesterday I didn't want to eat near my home and was looking for something different. I kept saying, "I want to eat at a Gastropub". Yes, it the new "thing" here in Los Angeles and yes its "food trendy" but I am happy that Los Angeles is finally getting on the bandwagon. Don't get me wrong I love my food trucks and hole in the walls but going to the Filling Station has the make and feel of a gourmet pub (I guess essentially that's what it is for all of us chic ladies).
HMMMMM HMMM HMMMMMMM.
We ordered the breakfast flat bread that had smoked apple bacon, over easy egg, tomato and argula salad on top. Look at the picture it's fantastic! How could Matea and I pass on such a delicious meal. We also ordered the Hanger Steak and Eggs with Herbed butter. The steak was juicy and flavorful. The salted crust was music to my ears. The Argula salad tossed with lemon juice gave the savory meal its balance. Not to mention the home potatoes that were simply seasoned with salt, pepper and butter. The potatoes reminded me of something my mom would make.
I was also a little curious as to why someone would have deviled eggs on the menu, so I ordered that too. It was tasty but a little dry. I think I will skip the eggs next time. To finish off a great meal we ordered fruit with ricotta cheese and honey. It was slices of heaven in my mouth. Never knew Ricotta cheese and honey mixed well.
Opps I am sorry, I didn't tell you who Matea is....
I'm sure you're probably wondering why I am taking a picture with "Flat Matea". If you're not familiar with the story "Flat Stanley", "Flat Matea" is on vacation here in California and I have been her chosen to be her chaperon. Yesterday we had a fun packed day. We went to Magic Mountain, the Filling Station and the Santa Monica Pier. For the next few weeks you will see more and more pics of "Flat Matea" and I eat our way through each town in Los Angeles.

Bird Pick- Tea & Herb

As some of you know I love tea and visiting tea houses. For the past few weeks I have been on a "tea kick". Tea is my coffee when I wake up in the morning.
Tea is a great source of caffeine and is good for detoxing.

Bird Pick- has many different teas you can choose from. Perusing around the store was fun. I was able to see all kinds of teas that I have never seen before such Chrysanthemum, milk teas, lavender and Pu-erh teas in their natural form.
One of my friends purchased a Pur-erh tea from Bird Pick and I have been addicted. Since I can't work out at the present time this tea has kept me energized throughout the day.

Bird Pick has every type of tea you can imagine. It's a Tea Lovers Heaven. However, you will pay a pretty penny for this great find. 1/4lb bag of Pur-erh will set you back $30. Not sure how many cups I will get out of it but I do not plan to waste one leaf.
Bird Pick has several locations. The one I visited is in the new Santa Monica Mall.

Tea Lovers you will ADORE this place.

Wine Cheese and Cracker Night- Wine of the Month

Peju Winery is one of my favorite wineries in Napa Valley. The last time I went wine tasting I was able to pick up a bottle of their 2006 Zinfandel.
The Zinfandel was very peppery but not as bold as a lot American wines you get in Napa. It's straight to the point and goes down smoothly. What I like most about Peju's wine is that I am never disappointed.
I went to Wholefoods last night and picked out a local Salami mixed with wine, an Italian dry salami (piccante), an aged (gouda) "houda" cheese and a truffle tremor cheese. The truffle tremor cheese had a double layer of brie and goat cheese. It was absolutely beautiful!
My favorite crackers are made by LA Panzanella. What I like most about their crackers is that it doesn't take away the flavors of the cheese or meats you are eating. Its light and crispy and not too doughy. You can find these crackers in your local Wholefoods or Oakville Grocer in Napa Valley.

Roasted Halibut w/Dijon Mustard Creme Sauce

Looking for a dish less than 30 minutes to make and delicious?
This recipe is for you :-) I give it 4.5 Stars. I substituted the red snapper for halibut. Since I am not a lover of capers I added a little lemon instead.
I followed the instructions to the T and it came out perfectly flaky.
Thank you Ina Garten!!


4 (8-ounce) fish fillets such as red snapper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces creme fraiche
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 teaspoons drained capers
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. (You can also use an ovenproof baking dish.) Place the fish fillets skin side down on the sheet pan. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

Combine the creme fraiche, 2 mustards, shallots, capers, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Spoon the sauce evenly over the fish fillets, making sure the fish is completely covered. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, until it's barely done. (The fish will flake easily at the thickest part when it's done.) Be sure not to overcook it! Serve hot or at room temperature with the sauce from the pan spooned over the top.