Grilled cheese sandwich with avocado and spinach

Ingredients for 1 sandwich :

• 2 slices bread (we used a white bread, but one filled with lots of different whole grains and seeds would be *awesome*)
• 2-3 tablespoons Green Goddess Herb Pesto (recipe below)
• 2 slices mild white melty cheese like mozzarella
• handful fresh baby spinach
• ¼ avocado, sliced
• 2 tablespoons goat cheese, crumbled
• olive oil (and butter if you’re so inclined)

Directions:

• Spread about 1 tablespoon of Green Goddess Herb Pesto onto each slice of bread (2 tablespoons total, but if you’re sensitive, go light, the pesto is STRONG).
• On one slice of bread, add 1 slice of cheese, sliced avocado, crumbled goat cheese, spinach, second slice of cheese, then top it with second slice of bread. Press together gently.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a frying pan over medium low heat. (If you want to use butter, add it to the oil and let it melt). Add the sandwich to the oil and cook until bread is golden brown. Press down on the sandwich lightly, then flip the sandwich over and cook until second side is golden brown.

Source:www.tastespotting.com

Read More

Thai Beef Salad

1 lb tender beef steak, such as top sirloin.

For the salad:
1/2 red onion thinly sliced
1 tomato, cut into wedges
1 cucumber, peeled, cut lengthwise in half and thinly sliced
1-2 Thai bird’s-eye chilies or according to taste (I use 1-2 serrano chilies)

For the sauce:
1/4 cup Thai fish sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
2 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
1/4 cup chopped scallions

Grill beef until medium to well-done. Slice thinly on the bias and set aside. Combine all the salad ingredients and add the sliced beef. Make the sauce by mixing together all the ingredients and toss with the salad.

Serve over a bed of green lettuce (e.g. Romaine) whole or chopped, or place individual servings over a large lettuce leaf.

Variations - Mint and sliced shallots can be added to the salad. Grilled shrimp or calamari may be substituted for the beef. Instead of lettuce, the salad may be served with a wedge of fresh cabbage. Palm sugar (or any other sugar) may be added for a slight touch of sweetness.


Source: www.slowtrav.com

Read More

5 Funny Wine Packs

1. In an attempt to bring a little class to the concept of portable wine, James Nash presents the Single Serving Wine Glass. Still perfect for picnics and wild parties, each sealed disposable wine glass comes filled with six ounces of red, white or rosé that look good enough to drink at a fancy dinner party.

2. BYO Wine, as in build your own, included labels with facial features based on one staff member. The idea was to mix and match to build crazy faces (to laugh at while getting crazy drunk).

3. Hello Kitty Wines consist of a red wine called Devil, a white called Angel and two spumantes—a Brute Rose and a demi-sec sweet pink sparkling wine. Each bottle features the incredibly cute Ms. Kitty with sugary sweet pink labels. Hello Kitty Wines will be available for sale starting in May and are rumored to cost between $20 and $30 each.

4. Wine in a box is convenient, but it’s not winning any extra points for style. Give your bag in box wine a cool makeover with the Baggy Winecoat. Perfect for alfresco or picnics, it has a strong handle and a no-spill design.

5. Some wine bottles looks so pretty it seems a shame to toss them once they’re empty, but Milan designer Carlo Trevisani gives you a perfectly good excuse to keep them. Appo, a cork platter turns an empty bottle into a unique centerpiece that’s perfect for holding fruit, flowers or bread.

Read More

Crazy and funny wedding cakes

Wedding cakes ,  one of the most significant part of the wedding process for ages, show to your friends and family, what a great importance their attendance at this occasion makes, and are a keepsake for them to commemorate that once-in-a-lifetime special day of yours.
For sure, any couple wants their wedding cake to be unique, to be that special thing that involves also creativity, but  also incorporates your personal style.

Read More

World's Strangest Ice-Cream Flavors

Foie Gras and Caviar Ice Cream

Japan is still the king of weird ice cream flavors, but France isn't far behind after gourmet ice cream maker Philippe Faur released the … foie gras and caviar ice cream!

Candied Bacon Ice Cream

Because everyone likes bacon and there's no reason to restrict its intake to breakfast, ice cream expert David Lebovitz experimented by making candied bacon ice cream. Considering that the resulting smoky/salty/cinnamon-tinged dessert got a thumbs up from his butcher, it seems that his recipe was a success.

Natural Viagra Ice Cream

Just what the ice cream shops have been missing - Viagra flavored ice cream. I just didn't know Viagra had a flavor, nor do I want to know what it's like.

Fish Ice Cream

Fish-flavoured ice-cream from Japan! Weird foods are plenty in East-Asia, but although fish and ice-cream are two perfectly normal ingredients, combining them together just seems wrong!

Black Sesame Ice Cream

Japanese Black Sesame Ice Cream - Most impressed by the deep colour of the ice cream and the fact that it's dusted with ground sesame seeds. The contrast of the strawberry Pocky stick was rather cute.

Octopus Ice Cream

Want to tantalize the taste buds with a tentacle? If so, Octopus Ice Cream is the go. Japanese have been able to come up with an amazing variety of uses for octopus, ranging from delicacy to p0rn0 movie prop. Little wonder that octopus has found its way into ice cream, then.

Potato Ice Cream

A new 'mash Cone' consisting of sausage, mash potato, gravy and peas in an ice cream cone has been invented. Food company Aunt Bessie's claims it is breathing new life into the fortunes of the ice cream van by replacing the 99 Flake with an all-weather alternative.

Charcoal Ice Cream

Charcoal Ice Cream, a dark grey coloured ice cream that I have no idea about the taste - but I am guessing it's not that nice.

Salad Ice Cream

An ice cream salad that definitely needs to be tossed. This ice cream, packed with chunks of veggies, is the sort of food that turns kids off their vegetables.

Green Tea Ice Cream

Nice looking Japanese ice cream dessert found at a little cafe. This delicious looking thing is green tea ice, topped with nice sweetened red beans and then on top of all that a good scoop of vanilla ice cream. It is a bit of a strange concoction.

Curry Carrot Ice Cream

If you can't get your kids to eat salad, here is a recipe to include carrots in their menu — one cup of heavy cream, one cup of whole milk, one cup of coconut milk, carrots, egg yolks, brown sugar and spices.

Sweet Corn Ice Cream

The recipe is a bit interesting as the corn cob is simmered in the milk and cream to infuse it with even more corn flavour. Sounds weird, but people say it tastes really good!!

Chili ice cream

Sold in local restaurants in the Bicol peninsula in the Philippines, this fiery dessert tastes like sweet coconut milk at first...then things get very 'heated'. Few people can finish an entire serving; and if you do, the manager will shake your hand.

Read More