Pizza Pizza!

I have always been a huge fan of pizza...who isn't? I seriously think it should be it's own food group! I like it delivery, frozen, or homemade. Good thing I have fresh tomatoes and basil in the garden to help with that homemade thing! I did cheat and used store-bought crust, but don't hold that against me! Check this guy out and tell me delivery is better:

I think not! What really made the pizza was the fresh Basil Oil, from my new collection of oils:

I feel very Guy Fieri when I use these squirt bottles! :)

You know what else should be it's own food group?

Cupcakes!

Carrot Cake with cream cheese frosting...yum!

Perfect ending to a comforting evening......aaaaaah

Mother May I?

Took my Mom to lunch today to celebrate Mother's Day to try to beat the crowds and over-priced menus. We drove out to Hutchinson Island and ate at the Harbour Bay Gourmet, a cafe and wine shop.

Mom tried the Sarah, a Turkey, Swiss, coleslaw and Russian dressing melt.

I tried the Grilled Ham & Brie.

Perfectly sized lunch portion, served with potato salad and a pickle.

We sat outside on the patio, under umbrellas of course, since it is 90 degrees today.

They do have a problem with crows coming up to tables and taking the sugar packets,

so they got this cutie to curb that problem:

Cute, right?!

Then we went inside to check out wine shop:

and look what I stumbled upon!

Fresh made Gelato?? Yes please!

That's my low-fat Raspberry Gelato, definitely cooled me off!

All in all, a great day out with mom, doesn't she look like she had a good time??

Next time you are in the area, check out the Harbour Bay Gourmet. It's very affordable, tasty, in a great location and the staff was very friendly.

PS Pardon the bad photography, I forgot my camera, so these pics are from the phone!

Tastcasting- Wild Olives Cafe by Todd English

Last night I was delighted to go to my first Tastecasting event in West Palm Beach and I had a blast! 6 new friends, delicious food, wine and a cute chef....what more could a girl ask for?? We went to the new Wild Olives Cafe by Todd English . It was classic Todd English, with some of his signature dishes, and definitely some new favorites of mine!

The food was fantastic, the decor lovely, the staff more than helpful and the location perfect!

I was smart enough to wear a roomy dress to the event, not smart enough to NOT eat lunch that day (note to self) so I left very, very full! How can one NOT sample everything though? One bite of these delights isn't enough! Take a look at what I mean:

Classic Fig & Prosciutto Flatbread

Signature Todd English Dish, so delicious!

Crispy Eggplant Flatbread

I'm sure it's good, but after having the fig/prosciutto, this pour guy seems so drab!

Rosemary Focaccia with Hummus

Asparagus Frites

delightful! We all cleaned our plates for this one!

Butternut Squash Lasagna

best dish of the night!

Spaghetti Polpetinne (Spaghetti with mini-meatballs)

Eh, a dish one can get anywhere, frankly

Wasabi Crusted Tuna with Pea shoots, ginger carrot puree & sweet soy glaze

coulda used more wasabi, but the accompaniments were perfect!

Organic Brick Oven Roasted Chicken

Porcini crust, roasted garlic glaze. served with potato cake, bacony beans and watercress

Chicken has wonderful flavor-porcini crust!, but a bit overcooked

Lemon Sorbet

always simple and perfect way to end a meal

White Chocolate Bread Pudding

(probably would have liked it more if I was not STUFFED at this point!)

And I saved the best for last!

Chef John Crolly and Restauranteur Lirim Jacobi

mmmmm...a single foodies dream come true! ;)

All in all a delightful evening. I will definitely go back and check out the full menu....with an empty stomach next time!