Feature of the Week: Sept. 27-Oct. 3

A Taste of Heaven would not exist if it were not for the audience, so I want to show my appreciation by dedicating Thursdays to the fans. If you eat or make a dish of your own and its camera ready, then you can email me your photos. I will review and post them on Thursday.  It’s important to remember presentation, style, and taste. I look forward to seeing your Taste of Heaven.

FYI: Email Pictures... 

Description: I can be very complex when it comes to eating, but sometimes I like to keep it simple with a sandwich. This taste of heaven is a Roasted Turkey Melt. Its roasted turkey, applewood smoked bacon, avocado, Swiss cheese, tomato, lettuce, and mayonnaise on toasted sourdough bread. This sandwich has everything I love on it, plus more. I wouldn’t have thought to use avocado, but that was a nice touch. The pickles on the side tie everything together and it completes the presentation as well. Great Job Kenyatte!

Mahi-Mahi

Once I opened the menu, I knew I was going to have a hard time deciding on what to order. Everyone knows that seafood is my all time favorite, so it’s very difficult to choose an entrée in a seafood and oyster bar. Since I was so indecisive, the waiter suggested one of the house specials. This taste of heaven is blackened mahi-mahi over creamy grits with asparagus and crawfish etouffee. I was hooked on this entrée after the first bite. The crawfish etouffee sealed the deal for me. I think the Cajun flavors went beautifully with the blackened mahi-mahi and grits. Usually, I'll order catfish or sea bass, but the mahi-mahi sounded like a great choice for dinner. I was very pleased with my entrée selection and the dining experience. In the future, I plan to revisit C&S Seafood & Oyster Bar for another special occasion.

FYI: C&S Seafood & Oyster Bar

FOOD TIP: Another name for mahi-mahi is dolphin, but it shares no relationship with dolphins.

Spanish Stew

When you’re in my shoes, you have to be open to almost anything. I travel through the food I eat and the restaurants I visit. One night after class, I felt like experimenting in the kitchen, so I brainstormed some recipe ideas. I had three sirloin steaks, which I wanted to incorporate with yellow Goya rice, and a vine of fresh tomatoes. I combined my ideas and decided to make a Spanish stew with a tomato base. First, I slow cooked the sirloin steaks in spices, herbs, and garlic. Meanwhile, in the oven, I was roasting tomatoes with olive oil, salt, and basil. Once the tomatoes were done, I peeled the skin off and cut them into small pieces. Then I combined a vegetable mixture with carrots, potatoes, corn, green beans, okra, onion, green peas, and lima beans. After the veggies were done cooking, I plated the Spanish Stew over the bed of the yellow Goya rice and dived in.

FYI: Further Details...

FOOD TIP: Lima beans are also known as butter beans.

Corona

It’s been a long week, and you’re dying for a break. Well, I have the perfect solution. Every Wednesday I will offer a drink to the viewers for “Whine Down Wednesdays.” You don’t have to wait until the weekend arrives to enjoy a great drink. Take a break and have a sip of A Taste of Heaven. 

Sorry for not snapping a picture earlier, but I had to take a few sips of the ice cold Mexican beer. This taste of heaven is a Corona Extra. It’s one of Mexico’s best selling beers, and it’s one of my favorites as well. The crisp flavor goes great with a lime and perfect with Mexican food. Whenever I visit a Mexican restaurant, I order a margarita or a Corona Extra with my dish. I find that the meal is incomplete without the taste of the Corona Extra. Whether it’s with Mexican or during a party, I usually have one in my hand. I recommend asking about the Mexican beer, that everyone loves, on your next bar outing. Cheers!

FYI: Corona Extra

FOOD TIP: Corona Extra has been brewing since 1925.

I'm the Solution

Rosemary, basil, peppercorn, Mrs. Dash Table Blend, and fresh lemon are a few of the ingredients I used to make this dish. Everyone was hungry and looking for something to eat, and since I’m a nice person, I knew that I was the solution to their problem. When it comes to my friends, it’s hard to turn them down when they want me to cook something. I love watching their faces and hearing the silence when everyone is eating. On this particular night, I didn’t want to make anything that was time consuming, so I baked tilapia, steamed mixed vegetables, and whipped up some Zatarain’s Rice. Once I finished cooking, everyone was satisfied until someone mentioned dessert. Just when I thought it was over, I had to think about our sweet tooth.

FYI: Further Details...

FOOD TIP: Peppercorn is one of the most widely used spices.

Check Your Ingredients

When was the last time you looked at the ingredients on a bag of potato chips? Many people fail to check the ingredients because they’re so anxious to have the first bite. It’s important to know what you’re putting inside of your body. I did not realize that this was important until my friend, Keem, opened my eyes. This taste of heaven is Lay’s Kettle Cooked Original Potato Chips. It’s 40 percent less fat than the regular potato chips. The ingredient include: potatoes, vegetable oil (sunflower, corn, & canola oil), sea salt, and NO preservatives. I’m in LOVE with these chips. I can eat them for a daily snack or whenever I’m in a munchie mood. They are super light and healthier than most potato chips on the market. Please do NOT be discouraged by the lack of fatty ingredients, I promise you will appreciate the new Lay’s Kettle Cooked Original Potato Chips after the first bite.

FYI: Frito Lay

FOOD TIP: NO artificial flavors, NO MSG, and NO trans fat.

Feature of the Week: Sept. 13-19

A Taste of Heaven would not exist if it were not for the audience, so I want to show my appreciation by dedicating Thursdays to the fans. If you eat or make a dish of your own and its camera ready, then you can email me your photos. I will review and post them on Thursday.  It’s important to remember presentation, style, and taste. I look forward to seeing your Taste of Heaven.

FYI: Email Pictures...

Description: I’ve been on a healthy tip lately, if you haven’t noticed. I was really excited about this feature because it’s a dish that can be made at home without sweating over a hot stove. This taste of heaven is a spinach salad with feta cheese crumbles, cranberries, sliced strawberries, granola, and for the dressing, MK used a pomegranate vinaigrette. For some reason, many people are not into dressing up their salads with fresh fruit, but I think it’s a wonderful combination. (Don’t knock it till you try it!) I've never had pomegranate vinaigrette dressing before; however, I bought some from the grocery store last night, and I can’t wait to try it out. I’ve got some good ideas brewing, so stay tuned for more.

Coconut Lover

It’s been a long week, and you’re dying for a break. Well, I have the perfect solution. Every Wednesday I will offer a drink to the viewers for “Whine Down Wednesdays.” You don’t have to wait until the weekend arrives to enjoy a great drink. Take a break and have a sip of A Taste of Heaven.  

It’s one of the newest flavors made by 1800 Tequila, and it’s made with 100% blue agave. This taste of heaven is called 1800 Coconut Tequila. 1800 Coconut Tequila is one of the hottest tequilas on the market. The creamy smooth taste is outstanding! The best part about it is that it doesn’t burn when it goes down. I tried 1800 Silver Tequila a long time ago, but I think I’m hooked on the coconut edition now. It’s so weird, but I wasn’t a coconut fan until I started experimenting with different alcohols. Since I’ve grown to love coconuts, I’ve explored different ways to incorporate it in my cooking as well. Like Ciroc Coconut, 1800 Coconut Tequila goes great with orange juice and pineapple juice. Bottoms Up!

FYI: 1800 Tequila

FOOD TIP: 1800 Coconut Tequila is triple distilled.

Hot Pink

I am constantly trying new things and experimenting with different foods every day. It’s kind of hard to eat healthy when you’re exposed to so many great things. Since I’ve gotten older, I realized eating healthy is important for your future. Although I love fatty greasy foods, I enjoy eating healthy as well. This taste of heaven is Pomegranate Raspberry Sorbet. The yogurt mixture is made with real fruit and it’s NON-FAT! It’s not your typical yogurt in the cylinder cup; its way BETTER. Some people are not big breakfast eaters, but U-Swirl yogurt is a great way to start of your day.They offer over 40 different flavors, and they cater to everyone’s needs. The hot pink yogurt is light and refreshing for any breakfast. Enjoy!

FYI: U-Swirl

FOOD TIP: The first U-Swirl was created in March 2009.

Lamb Chops

Since it was Restaurant Week in Atlanta, my friends and I visited Shout for dinner. This taste of heaven is roasted baby lamb chops. Its baby lamb chops, cooked medium rare, in a wild mushroom burgundy jus with herb roasted fingerling potatoes. These chops are tender, moist, and rich. I paired the elegant spread with a glass of sweet Riesling and a small mixed green salad. Once I took the first bite, the flavors spoke to my taste buds. Personally, I enjoy having lamb on special occasions or whenever I see it on the menu. It’s a delicate meat choice that’s worth your bucks. Dive in!

FYI: Shout

FOOD TIP: Lamp chops are considered a red meat.

Feature of the Week: Sept. 6-12

A Taste of Heaven would not exist if it were not for the audience, so I want to show my appreciation by dedicating Thursdays to the fans. If you eat or make a dish of your own and its camera ready, then you can email me your photos. I will review and post them on Thursday.  It’s important to remember presentation, style, and taste. I look forward to seeing your Taste of Heaven.

FYI: Email Pictures...

Description: Since my schedule is very busy, I never have time to eat breakfast. It feels good to see that someone is enjoying their breakfast. This taste of heaven is sunny side up eggs, sausage patties, grits, pancakes, home fries, caramelized apples, and a biscuit. Where do I start? This feature has everything that I love to have on the table for breakfast. Alex definitely knows what to order for the first meal of the day. I hope that I can visit a restaurant like this one when I get some free time. Yummy selection!

Exotic Fire

My favorite hibachi spot finally reopened. Every Sunday I use to visit Fuji Hana & Thai Peppers for the hibachi lunch special. It’s something about the fresh Japanese cuisine that’s addicting. This time I ordered the hibachi combo with shrimp, scallops, and chicken. It consists of a ginger salad, onion soup, carrots, zucchini, squash, broccoli, onions, grilled scallops, teriyaki chicken, fried rice, grilled shrimp, and sorbet ice cream. The greedy person inside of me can't settle for a simple hibachi entree, I have to order a combination plate with double fried rice and extra garlic butter. My chef, Julio, always makes the experience memorable and worth wile. If he’s not cracking jokes, then he’s showing off his creative cooking skills. Whenever I visit Fuji Hana & Thai Peppers, I enjoy the delicious hibachi combos and the friendly atmosphere. It’s perfect for lunch outings or dinners with friends. I can guarantee after the first visit, you will be hooked. 

FYI: Fuji Hana & Thai Peppers

FOOD TIP: I recommend complimenting the fried rice with the Japanese red hot sauce.