Pre-Opening Tour of the New Whole Foods Market

If you have been reading my blog, you know that I am a self-professed Whole Foods lover. Imagine my excited when I got the invitation above. Not everyday that you get an invitation like this. My humble blog is finally getting noticed. I was beyond ecstatic to be part of the "blogger" invitees in the pre-opening tour of my local Whole Foods Market. Their new store has taken it up a notch and I have the pictures below to prove you. A relocation/renovation has been long overdue. Not that I did not enjoy their old store. It's just that the location and the size weren't ideal. Now that they've expanded a million times larger (yes it's super huge and one can probably spend an entire day getting lost in between the different isles), I might have to changed my shopping routine from Mondays to Saturdays, where I can just spend all day without getting rushed. It will be heaven...oh I can't wait!

As soon as I walked inside the store, I was greeted by a different variety of fresh flowers. They had Roses, Orchids, Tulips, Ranunculus and Hydrangeas in different colors. It was absolutely a treat to look at. 







A variety of beans to choose from. 



They have a coffee connoisseur in store who travels around the world looking for the best coffee beans. If I recall, they had us tried freshly brewed coffee that cost $70/lb. I am not a coffee drinker so I can't really tell you if it was good or not. All I remember was that it was very strong.  










I died when I saw this. All kinds of mushrooms to choose from. I was in foodie heaven!








For people who have Celiac disease, Whole Foods has an extensive selection of gluten free products. Not only that but they make sure that local organic companies are also promoted throughout the store. 


Lots of options for smoke salmon lovers. I like it very much:-)




Their specialty department was ahhhh-mazing! I cant wait to try their different cheeses. 






Fresh home-made pastas were being sold by the pound. 




The bakery section does not need any description or introduction. I will let the pictures make you drool:-p








I was excited that they have Jurlique in their whole body department. 


I can really see myself hanging out here every weekend. Free wi-fi too! 


By the end of the floor tour, they had a table full of scrumptious spread waiting for the bloggers to feast on. 


This is what I had on my plate. I promise you that I didn't go for seconds though. HAHA! 


I hope you had a feast looking at all the pictures that I took. Although, these pictures don't do justice on how amazing and beautiful the store was. If you love going to the super market, the Whole Foods store in Rockville will give you a whole new meaning to food shopping. 


I just want to thank the Marketing Director and the Rockville Whole Foods team for their kindness and for the opportunity to take a sneak peak of the store before they opened it for the public. You guys rock! 


If you are in the Montgomery County area, don't forget to visit Whole Foods new location at 11355 Woodglen Drive, Rockville, MD. 


Bisous, Contessa

Lobster Roll Reinvented

Ever had a time when you were craving for something so bad that you can't have because of the availability? In my case, I have been craving (more like dreaming) of Lobster Salad Roll all this week. So to compensate for my craving, I made do with what I had available.  I reinvented the Lobster Roll using Shrimp and Scallop and served it on a bed of lettuce.  It was a winner and B loved it. Of course, his salad was served on a toasted roll:-). 

Unlike the commercial Lobster or Shrimp Salad made with mayonnaise or butter (depending on which style you like) that most restaurants serve, mine was a much healthier version. The secret was my own home made mayonnaise. :-)


Contessa's Shrimp and Scallops Salad (these were all the ingredients I had at the time, but you can always add or omit any ingredient according to your preference)
one bag of large cooked shrimp
10 pieces of cooked Japanese Scallops 
1 Persian cucumbers (this is a smaller kind but you can use whatever cucumbers available)
2 stalks of Celery
2 chopped carrots 


home made mayonaise 
one room temperature egg yolk
1/3 cup safflower oil
one lemon juice
mustard powder 
salt and pepper


Whisk (or beat if you have an egg beater) the egg yolk and add drop by drop a little oil to it, which is really critical to creating the emulsion that is the basis of mayonnaise. Keep on whisking and add the remaining ingredients it thickens. Refrigerate for an hour or two. 


Mix the mayonnaise with the rest of the ingredients above and let it refrigerate. Serve on a bed of lettuce, bread, or eat it as it it. 



Have a great weekend ahead.


Bisous,
Contessa

Around the World with Contessa - Belgium Part Deux

My recent gastronomic adventure to Belgium was really a feast. I really outdid myself this time. And some of you probably never believed when I said that I had to break my Belgium post in two parts. Just be ready to feast your eyes with the food photos below. Take note that B and I consumed them in one night including the belgian waffles on the previous post.  LOL!
As I mentioned in my previous post, Belgium has a lot to offer and their food is just as good as their neighboring countries, France and just as generous as Germany.  When I say generous, they eat in large quantity. I guess that's the reason why B and I consumed all of the food I prepared. We were really feeling like true Belgians on Saturday. HAHA!. I had a hard time deciding on what to make. I felt like I couldn't just pick one particular dish over the other.  

What you need: Two Belgian Endives (wash and pull apart).  Pears cut in cubes and saute in butter until caramelized. Add a little bit of maple or agave syrup. Toast walnuts and chopped finely. Mix walnuts, pear and goat cheese and stuffed in each endive leaf. 

The food pictured above is a Belgian endive stuffed with goat cheese, Korean pear and walnut salad. The salad stuffing is not Belgian though, as the goat cheese is from Spain, pear is from Korea, and walnut has its origin in Eastern Europe. The endive, of course, is deeply rooted in Belgian history. All the endives that are sold in all the supermarkets in the U.S. are imported from Belgium. It has a very tangy flavor to it and can be served fresh, hot or cold.  Not only its tasty, but also high in nutritional value and has one calorie per leaf and zero carbs. Imagine that? 

Moules et Frites (Mussels and Fries)

Moules et Frites are two of Belgium's national dishes. It's just as popular as the Belgian waffles and almost every corner cafes serve them in Belgium. It's also good to know that if ever one of you visits Belgium, Moules et Frites are in season from September and February. 

Frites with my home made mayonnaise. (One room temperature egg yolk, sunflower oil about 1/3 cup, lemon juice, mustard powder and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk (or beat if you have an egg beater) the egg yolk and add drop by drop a little oil to it, which is really critical to creating the emulsion that is the basis of mayonnaise. Keep on whisking and add the remaining ingredients. You'll never buy store bought mayonnaise once you make this. 

Story has it that french fries are actually not a French thing but it originated from Belgium. According to Wikipedia, the poor inhabitants of the region of Liege allegedly had the custom of accompanying their meals with small fried fish, but when the river was frozen and they were unable to fish, they cut potatoes lengthwise and fried them in oil to accompany their meals 

Belgians believe that the term "French" was introduced when American soldiers arrived in Belgium during World War I, and consequently tasted Belgian fries. They supposedly called them "French", as it was the official language of the Belgian Army at that time. How's that for a trivia, huh?

The secret to a really good crispy fries is to soak the potatoes over night or a few hours before frying. Unfortunately, I don't keep a large stock of frying oil at home but it turned out just as good. I still soaked the sliced potatoes in salted water for about 4 hours. Drained and air dried it. I then seasoned it with salt, pepper, and herbes de provence and baked in the 400 degree oven for 15 minutes until golden and crispy. 

The most common method of preparing moules is what they call a la marinere, which consists of white wine, shallots, parsley and butter. Let about 2 cups of good dry white wine come to a boil, add mussels in the pan and cook it until the mussels open up. Once mussels are cooked, take them out, leaving the white wine juice in the pan, mix with 4 tablespoon of butter, shallots, and parley and continue whisking. Season with salt and pepper and pour over the cooked mussels. 

Hmmmm yummy expensive Belgian Beer lol

If Austrians eat Goulash, and the French eat boeuf bourguignon, Belgians have Carbonnade a la Flamande (or beer based beef stew). It's a classic Belgian dish that features three main ingredients, beef, onions, and a good Belgian Beer! It is important to use a really good dark brewed Belgian beer that has a tangy bitter taste to it. It makes a difference to the flavor of the stew. I looked around for recipes as there are many verations to it. One calls for putting an old ginger bread which is covered with whole grain mustard on top of the stew and stirring red currant jelly for that sweet and sour flavor. I would have loved to try those but I had no red currant jelly or ginger bread available at home. I used my pressure cooker again when I cooked this otherwise, I would have been braising for two and half hours:-).

Here is the recipe: About 2 and half lbs of chuck roast cut into 1 or 2 inch pieces. 2 thick slab of bacon. salt. pepper. all spice. 1 tablespoon all purpose flour. beef broth or chicken broth. 1 and one half cup of Belgian beer. apple cider vinegar. bay leaves. dried or fresh thyme. 3 medium yellow onions sliced about 1/4 inch thick (about 8 cups)

Season beef with salt and pepper and brown them in batches. Set aside. Fry up the bacon next. Saute onions for 5 to ten minutes until translucent and golden. Sprinkle the all purpose flour and stir together. Add the beef broth, beef, bacon, bay leaves, thyme, salt, pepper, all spice, beer, and apple cider (if you want the little sweetness to it, add brown sugar or red currant jelly). Stir together. Let it simmer for about 2 and half hours until beef is tender. In my case, I pressured cook this beef for only 20 minutes and it was perfectly tender.

Both B and I were glad on how everything turned out. Our stomach was happy too and I'll be sure to make these again in the future. Now on to the next country...not sure if I can outdo this one!

Bisous, Contessa

Face Off with Gisele Bündchen's for H&M

I may not be a super model like Gisele Bundchen, but there's nothing wrong than dreaming, right? There are times when I feel like I was a real model/chef in my past life. HAHA! I am feeling a little delusional this morning so just indulge me. I swear the things that I do are not normal compare to what  a regular person would do. And B would just roll his eyes and laugh with disdelief. LOL! But once in a while, I want to provide you all a litle comic relief even if its to my expense. What do you think HM and Giselle would say?



Image source:http://fashiongonerogue.com/gisele-bundchen-hm-spring-2011-campaign-daniel-jackson/

Fine, I lose! I don't have the face and body like hers. I wonder if she has personality though? For sure, I'll beat her on that one. HEHE!



Image source:http://fashiongonerogue.com/gisele-bundchen-hm-spring-2011-campaign-daniel-jackson/

I wonder if she cooks for Tom Brady as I cook for my BP. LOL! I think I can probably do a cook-off with her. I might have to practice making feijoada (Brazil's national dish) and caipirinha.

My cousin said that this is my summer's eve look. LOL!

Want to guess what's on my mind? Spring and Summer....

How's that for a face-off? HAHA! I hope I made you all laugh even just a little. That's all folks...Bisous, Contessa

Around the World with Contessa - Belgium Part One

While I was researching more information about Belgian cuisine, I learned that it's often being overshadowed despite the fact that its a nation full of gourmands. With the neighboring countries like France and Germany, Belgian cuisine tends to be pushed aside. For many of us who don't know, this country is not only famous for it's chocolates, waffles, endives, but also for its mussels and frites (French-fried potatoes, it's their traditional dish actually) and oh beer! And who doesn't like the sound of those? That's why I had to break this post in two parts simply because I got a little over board with my Belgian gastronomic adventures. He! He! I could not just make waffles and leave it at that....

On this first post, I will share with you that is something more familiar...Belgian waffles! In Belgium, the natives eat waffles for dessert and not much of a breakfast dish. But since B and I are American piglets (:-), we also had to have them for breakfast:-). Unlike the American waffle batter, Belgian waffle is based on a batter raised with yeast. It's thick in appearance but its light and fluffy in the inside. Just how I would like to eat my waffles....

Topped with fresh bananas drizzled with pure maple syrup. 

               

























I searched everywhere for an authentic Belgian waffle recipe and I came across the recipe of Thomas Degeest, who is considered to be the waffle master. Supposedly he went to Belgium to learn from the master waffle makers and perfected his own waffle recipes. I found his Classic Belgian waffles recipe from food and wine website, which you can click here. 

I just had to include this picture in here. Whenever I buy bacon (which is very seldom), I usually splurged on the freshly cut thick slab from the fresh meat counter in Whole Foods. I would just bake it in a 400 degree oven and brushed with maple syrup. Just like candy. B and I usually fight at who gets the last piece. lol!

I love how the batter has a thicker, doughy consistency. Almost bread like. 

For dessert, I just topped it with vanilla ice cream and home made Belgian chocolate fudge sauce, which was also Thomas Degeest's recipe here. 


Don't you just love that I posted what we had for dessert before our main course? I must have eaten like four waffles this weekend and I will be for sure paying for it in the gym. Oh well! Such is life:-) ....stay tuned for Part Deux! 


Bisous, Contessa

Casual Saturday Outfit

Two things B said to me this morning before we headed out to do errands were:  "Honey, we're just going to the market," and "what's with those red pants?" LOL! I just love it every time he makes funny comments like these. 




Hope you all had a fabulous Saturday. Bisous, Contessa

Friday's Fish Du Jour - Grilled Spanish Mackerel

I love Spanish Mackerel. It's on of my favorite fish growing up. I remember as a child, we would always eat it either fried, grilled, or adobo style (it's Philippines most popular dish or a type of cooking process that involves meat or seafood cooked in vinegar, garlic, tomatoes and simmered for a until cooked). Among the three methods, I prefer mine mostly grilled. Served with a dipping sauce of soy sauce and lemon juice and a side of rice. But of course that back in my rice eating days. HAHA! Now, I just usually serve it with any type of steamed or sauteed vegetables.


Last week when I was doing my grocery at Whole Foods, I chanced upon a 3 pounder Spanish Mackerel and without hesitation, I snagged that baby home. I usually get a funny look when I asked them to clean it for me and leave the head on. What can I say? In where I came from, we don't waste anything. Sometimes they would have a lot of fresh fish heads that some of their customers don't want and I usually ask if I could have them. I can't say no to a giant salmon head for a buck and half. LOL! Fish head soup is the best....but that's another post! HEHE! 

Do you like my filleting skills? Beautiful for my first time. I didn't want to tinker with the fish too much so I just seasoned with lime juice, a little bit of salt and italian seasoning. I then grilled it for a few minutes on each side. Doesn't take that long to cook at all. 


My asparagus on the other hand was boiled and dressed in a white balsamic and dijon mustard dressing. This two was paired beautifully. The tanginess of the salad dressing and the freshness of the fish blended perfectly. Asparagus can be steamed or baked if that's your preferred method. Boiling it for a few minutes is usually the easiest and most convenient for me. While I was for the asparagus to cook in the boiling water, I take one tablespoon of dijon gray poupon mustard, two tablespoon of white balsamic vinegar (can be substituted with white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar), and one packet of stevia sweetener (of course you can use white sugar, honey, maple syrup or any sweeteners you like) and whisk all the ingredients together in one bowl. When the asparagus is cooked, immediately mix it with the salad dressing. Voila! Easy and healthy and lent friendly:-)

Fresh Hyacinth keeps my house smelling good...looking forward to Spring weather!!!!

I love being surrounded by flowers and who doesn't love hydrangea?

Have a great Friday!

Bisous,

Contessa