What are your "magic ingredients?" Here are two of mine!

I've always felt that if a dish contains quality ingredients, it's going to taste good.
Of course, a cook can mess up almost anything, but as a rule of thumb when I'm creating a new concoction, I try not to worry about the outcome if the basic components are solid.
Which brings me to MAGIC INGREDIENTS: things you can add to a variety of dishes for an instant punch of yumminess.
Fresh figs and avocado almost qualify, but the former is only available a few months per year at most, and avocado isn't all that versatile because (in my experience at least) it's only good raw. Garlic doesn't count because every cook on earth knows that it's crucial to so many cuisines' tastiness.

Do you have any foods that are "magic" in your cooking (or dining, even if someone else cooks)?

Here are my two faves:
FENNEL (cooked especially, but also fine raw) and...SAFFRON.
Readers of this blog know that fennel is a recurring ingredient in my cooking. For a wider view of wonderful ways this veggie can enhance many different recipes, click here for some great ones.

I use saffron much less frequently, but when I do, it's a sure-fire way to give a dish a marvelous complexity and depth of flavor.
For a variety of recipes that use saffron, check out "Sarah Saffron's" website.

The following is my favorite, go-to recipe that has both fennel and saffron as key ingredients. (You actually can make it without those golden threads -- but why?) Halibut would make an excellent substitute for the sea bass -- in fact, I often prefer it. This scrumptious dish definitely is good enough for company.

Recipe: Sea Bass in Orange-Fennel Tomato Sauce
(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

4 six-ounce sea bass filets
3 T canola or olive oil
1/2 C chopped onion or shallot
2 T minced garlic
1/2 C thinly sliced celery
1/2 fennel bulb, cored, sliced thin, with 2 T chopped fennel fronds reserved
1/2 C dry white wine
1 tsp. saffron threads
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 C orange juice
1 T orange zest (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Heat oil on stovetop in a deep, 12" skillet on medium-high heat.

Add onion/shallot, garlic, celery and fennel bulb and sauté for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently, until veggies are tender and start to brown.

Meanwhile, heat orange juice in a microwave-safe bowl or glass measuring cup for 1 minute on high heat. Remove from microwave and crumble saffron threads into juice. Set aside.

Add wine to skillet and stir-fry for 2 minutes.

Add tomatoes and orange zest to skillet, stir in OJ/saffron mixture. Bring mixture to low boil. (Can be prepared to this point in advance; transfer mixture to large Tupperware bowl, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat sauce in same skillet to low boil.)

Add fish filets and cover pan; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 8-10 minutes, until fish is opaque. Season with salt and pepper, transfer to serving platter or individual plates, and sprinkle reserved fennel fronds on top.

Yesterday's Cafe and Tea Room

I went here to report about it for my "Under $25" column in the Cincinnati Enquirer -- stay tuned for that article.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that there's more to Yesterday's than I had expected. In addition to a ladies'-who-lunch, cute tearoom with massive tea choices and scone/quiche/salad/sandwich food options, owner Susan Schultz also has a separate coffee house (the cafe), with a full array of coffee drinks, wifi, overstuffed sofa chairs -- in short, a totally different atmosphere from the tea side of the house.
There's also a gift shop and boutique, and they have special Music Nights and other evening events, as well as a nice little selection of wines that you can order by the taste, glass or bottle.
Not at all bad for downtown Florence, KY.
That's me with my friend from a previous job -- we've both moved on -- Melissa Kavanaugh.

Eating-out Strategies, Part 2

Here's more from guest blogger Alexis Bonari about eating out without falling off the healthy-foodie wagon.
Part One (last week) discussed advanced preparation for a big night out -- such as having a healthy snack before you go and planning in advance what you intend to order. She also talked about how to ask lots of questions of your server about the dishes you're considering.

Part Two (below) focuses on liquid calories and portion sizes. Info about Alexis is at the end. Thanks, Alexis!

Go with H2O

Alcohols and sodas are easy mistakes to make when you’re focusing on your meal and not on your beverage. What you drink is an important part of your diet, so don’t forget to keep an eye on what goes into your glass. Alcoholic beverages can contain more calories than you’d guess, and they can keep you from focusing on your diet by lowering your inhibitions. Sodas are full of sugars and calories, so avoid them as often as you can. If you’re absolutely averse to drinking water, you should work to overcome it because it’s an important part of maintaining a healthy diet, but an interim option is unsweetened tea.

Be a Control Freak

Keep portion control in the back of your mind at all times. Many restaurants serve oversized portions that could easily feed you for two meals, so focus on eating just enough of your meal before asking for a takeout box. To do this, chew slowly and manage the size of your bites. It may also help to engage in conversation to extend the amount of time that passes between bites, allowing you to feel full before you overeat.

Bio: Alexis Bonari is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education, researching various online degree programs. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

Salade avec saumon fume

From the (very French) Bistrot du Coin near Dupont Circle, a (very French) salad with smoked salmon, shaved fennel and roasted veggies.

Sorry for the brevity of this post. I'll be back home and into blogging more devotedly. Stay tuned also for part 2 of Alexis's advice about how to eat out without blowing your diet. (I'm afraid I did not follow an of it this weekend....)

Scenes from our nation's capital

I haven't photographed food in days, which is kind of weird. Tonight we're eating at Wolfgang Puck's place in the Newseum, supposed to be pretty darn fabulous, so I'll write about that (with pix) for sure.

Last night we whooped it up at POV, the outdoor bar/lounge overlooking the White House in the W Hotel (used to be the Hotel Washington). Seriously good cocktails; loved their negroni.

But for now, here are a couple of sightseeing shots. The one that's hard to decipher is from the Newseum's terrific 9/11 exhibit....showing a wall of front pages from news coverage around the world, and the metal thing is part of the broodcast antenna that was atop one of the twin towers.

The video featuring eyewitness accounts from journalists who were on the scene that day is very moving.

Which matters more, diet or exercise? (Part 2)

The answer to this question (which matters more, diet or exercise) depends on the context of the question.

If you are asking about which is best for your overall health, the scientific evidence thus far comes down on the side of the importance of exercise. Moving our butts on a regular basis -- even if it's doing everyday activities such as taking stairs instead of elevators, walking between offices instead of emailing, doing yardwork and housework, parking farther away from the door of the store than you have to -- protects against heart disease, some kinds of cancer, diabetes, makes us sleep better, and a whole lot of other great benefits.

But if you are asking about weight control, I am convinced that diet trumps exercise for keeping the pounds off. A recent visit to my doctor reinforced that belief.

He said: Your exercise habits are terrific, keep it up. But if you want to lose weight, you have to watch what you eat very carefully. And eating healthy foods is not the whole story; you also have to watch portion size. If you eat too much (too many calories) you will gain weight, or at least you'll be unable to lose pounds.

Words to the wise!

DC Dining -- Just getting started!

We're in Washington for a few days -- hot as blazes, but like much of the rest of the eastern half of the U.S., supposed to become tolerable by Saturday.

Last night we met friends at the upscale Equinox, right in the center of the lobbyist/lawyer/politico universe. Of course, they were all on vacation while Congress and the Prez are away, but the place was packed anyhow. Top photos of the chopped salad (with fresh local figs) and grilled salmon are from there. The food was very inventive; we really loved our side dish of summer succotash and a dessert of huckleberry panna cotta.

For lunch today I met my friend David at a Dupont Circle Frenchie eatery -- tres, tres francais -- where I had the mixed veggie salad with smoked salmon (bottom photo). The restaurant is Bistrot du Coin, and if you are a francophile, you'll feel right at home. The waiter's French accent was very sexy.

We have major dining plans the next three evenings & I will report on how it goes.