Shout Out to Ecuador

With the thermometer hovering at a nippy 56° today, piping hot comfort food sounded pretty delightful, so I decided to make soup. Inspired by my parents' recent departure to Ecuador, I tried my hand at locro de papas, a traditional potato stew from the Andean region. The last time I investigated traditional Ecuadorian recipes, I discovered my love for llapingachos, so locro had a high standard to live up to. It did not disappoint. The broth was a creamy blend of potatoes, milk and cheese and the layers of flavor included annatto seed, cumin and onion. Topped with fresh avocado and a sprinkle of queso fresco, every bite was a pleasant change of pace for my American palate. As I enjoyed each warm spoonful, I realized my admiration for my parents and their inspiring decision to immerse themselves in a culture unknown to them. Faintly green with envy, I lifted my glass in their honor... Cheers, Mom and Dad! Safe travels.

Crunch Therapy

Project Food Blog has begun and the first challenge is to define ourselves as bloggers and state why we should advance to the next round. As the tag line goes, Diaczun Style is a collection of snippets from the life of a photo stylist. I am not a chef. I am not a cook. I am, however, immersed in a world of food. Whether it's tackling a new ingredient, testing recipes for work, or just playing with my camera, my intent with this blog is to provide anecdotes from my clumsy culinary journey and prove that if I can do it, anyone can do it. Hopefully, it will inspire you to play with your food. Vote how you will, and stop by anytime for equal parts of sweet and sarcastic.

No matter how hard I try, I can't stop football from taking over my living room every Sunday. The way I cope with this torture is to focus my energy on creating the game time snacks. Cooking distracts me from the incessant chattering of the announcers, the Arby's commercials, and the Brett Favre speculations. As the soothing overture of sizzling, mixing, and stirring begins, I slip into a state of mental bliss... forgetting all about touchdowns and timeouts. Today's culinary nirvana resulted in a trio of chips, bursting with flavor. Each one baked in a 350 degree oven until crisp. Red potatoes were coated in olive oil and herbs, apple slices were dusted with cinnamon sugar, and the wild card of the day was baby kale leaves that were soaked in cider vinegar and finished with a healthy dose of salt. (Can you feel your mouth puckering?) It's amazing how little you can hear when you are munching on a handful of crackly, crunchy chips. Coincidence?... I think not.

Ginger Apple Spread

Labor Day is here and that can only mean one thing - summer is officially over. Ugh. In the spirit of all things autumn, I decided to fill my house with the nostalgic aroma of cinnamon, ginger, and apples. My intention was to make apple butter but what resulted was more of a rustic apple spread... that's what happens when you wing it and don't really follow a recipe. As long as the end product is delicious, no harm done. I started by simmering 2 honey crisp apples (peeled and diced) in a mixture of water,white wine, and clementine juice. Once softened, I drained the apples and gave them a spin in the food processor with some cinnamon and ginger. The apple mixture went back into the saucepan with a heaping 1/4 C of sugar and simmered down (with frequent stirring) for about an hour until thick and luscious. I coated a hearty slice of beer bread in the warm apple goodness and indulged quietly on my back stoop. Every now and then, you just have to spoil yourself.

Eat Your Heart Out, Peter Piper

This is my second year of growing my own produce and with each season comes new lessons. The first year, I learned where to plant, when to plant and how much to plant. This year, I tackled 6 varieties of tomatoes and have vowed to try my hand at canning and preserving in order to save delicious little reminders of what summer is all about. Hopefully, these tiny jars of sunshine will get me through the subzero temperatures and the sideways snow. Being a rookie when it comes to canning, I started with a pickling recipe that's as simple as filling the jars and putting them in the fridge. I found the recipe here: Pickle It, Jam It, Cure It. If all goes well, I should have spunky purple string beans and peppers in three days. After that, the real canning begins. Jalapeño pesto, salsa, and yellow tomato sauce are on the docket. I wonder what next year's lessons will be?

A Chef in the Making

When your grandfather is a cooking fanatic, your father is a chili cook-off champion, and your aunt is a food stylist, you have a pretty good chance of becoming a "foodie". This is the story of my 12 year old nephew, Cole. As with most families, culinary traditions run deep in our house. Dad has his famous spaghetti and meatballs, my brother is creating a dynasty at the local chili cook-off, my mom makes a mean crab dip and now Cole has created his signature scrambled eggs. I have seen this kid artfully plate his food, create his own spice concoctions, and study the culinary trends of Native Americans. He recently emailed me his very own scrambled egg recipe and asked if I could incorporate it into my blog. Today is his birthday, so this one is for Cole. Being the stylist that I am, I had to come up with a unique way to present his scrumptious recipe so I carved out one of my garden tomatoes and stuffed it with the eggs. Topped with freshly grated parmesan and a sprig of basil, this was one delicious dinner. Who knows what he will come up with next... you have to give credit to a kid who works on recipes at the age of 12!

Happy Birthday, Cole.

Love, Aunt Mimi.

Cole's Favorite Eggs (yields one serving)

2 eggs

2 tablespoons of milk

2 tablespoons of your favorite shredded cheese (I chose parmesan)

pinch of salt and pepper

splash of hot sauce

Ecuador... Part 1

To quote the great Bob Dylan... "Times, they are a changing". As of yesterday, my parents are officially retired and gearing up to embark on an extended Ecuadorian adventure. As an homage to their amazing journey, I figured I would try my hand at llapingachos, a typical side dish of Ecuador. What is a llapingacho, you ask? At it's simplest, it's a potato cake. Add the cheese and onion stuffing and top it with an intriguing cayenne peanut sauce and it's a taste revelation. The twist of fate that led me to this recipe has also left me wondering what else I might be missing out there...

Zucchini Boats

This morning started out like most mornings. I woke up early, walked the puppy, and drank my first cup of coffee outside in the garden. To my surprise, after months of anticipation, I finally had tomatoes to harvest! As I strolled around the garden beds, I also found a beautiful zucchini basking in the sunlight. That's when the idea hit me. Today's culinary creation would be... (drum roll, please...) zucchini boats. I grabbed the sun soaked zuke and all the cherry tomatoes I could carry. To create the boat, I sliced the zucchini lengthwise and scooped out the center with a melon baller. Each vessel got a sprinkle of pink salt before being filled. Chopped cherry tomatoes and minced garlic were coated in balsamic vinegar and loaded into each boat. Topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil, my veggie skiffs anchored in a 450 degree oven for 10 minutes. A sprinkle of fresh basil finished off the dish and the taste was delightfully classic, clean, and simple. Hop aboard and see where your imagination takes you.