Seafood Paella with Shrimp, Spicy Chorizo, Mussels & Chicken

A dear friend of ours asked us to put up a recipe for Paella that wasn’t an all day affair. This recipe is from a Cuban-Creole restaurant we used to frequent years ago that we turned into our own and serve up every now and then. Go easy on the saffron, a lot of people like to think because it is so expensive that they should add more to the dish because they have it, that will only result in an overpowering flavor and a waste of your money.

Enjoy this over the weekend before the warm days are gone.

(Click Read More for the Entire Recipe)

September 28th is National Drink Beer Day

Taste The Soup

The Lasonic I931 Boombox, A Blast From The Past

Everyone loves music. If you were to say that you didn’t love music I would ask that you quietly leave the room and never return for you have no soul. Seriously, music is what makes the world go around. From calming tense situations to sparking a memory of moments long gone but yet still remembered dearly in the heart, music is more than just notes and melodies.

Why do you continuously see inventions designed to keep your desired form of music player close at hand, playing at incredibly loud levels, because everyone knows how important music is.

With that said who remembers the 1980’s where Boomboxes ruled the world and the bigger your box, the stronger your street cred, that is until you new jacks came around frontin like you were something to be dealt with and got your sounds taken and possibly your jaw broken. 

Everyone remembers the famous scene in Do The Right Thing where Radio Raheem shut down the Puerto Rican kids and their miniscule boombox from then on for a lot of people in this world it was a Love or Hate relationship with Boomboxes.

We’ll leave all that back in the 80’s and bring you up to speed, no longer do people play cassette tapes, they use sleek mp3 players, such as the iPod which just happens to fit perfectly into today’s product of the moment. The Lasonic I931 is the throwback to the golden era of Hip Hop and street life that we all have been waiting for. With crispy clean sound no matter how loud you turn it up, you just can’t help but feel like the Man (or Woman) on the block when you bust this thing out and put its array of pre set EQ’s to use and as we used to Co’ rock the party. From inside the bedroom, garage, kitchen or even out back at a poolside function the I931 has more than enough power to keep things moving along without a hitch and with the ability to on batteries or DC current youll never find yourself at a loss for sounds, that is unless they don’t carry 20 D’ Enegergizers at your local liquor store.

Whatever you do, go out and check this thing out and prepare to be taken back to a much better time in life. We are going to be doing our annual Road Trippin' series and taking this things with us to Mexico, so be prepared for a full review soon.

For more information on the Lasonic I931 and all the other amazing products they produce check out their website: www.Lasonic.com

Loaded Potato Skins

Recipe Of The Day: BBQ Beef Shortribs

To start off the week, I figred why not make something that seems like it should take forever but only takes 30 mins with proper set up work.

A lot of times people truly don't realize how much stress can relieved by simply having all of your items already Mise en Place (put in place.)

The great thing about these ribs is, they can be put in their marinade and left for a day until ready to use. Beef Shortribs are a great full flavor meat that go perfectly with an uncountable amount of side dishes.

To keep it light and simple try making these Shortribs and eating them alongside a salad with pears, apples, walnuts and bleu cheese crumbles.
(Click Read More for the Entire Recipe)

The Flyest...

Soulful Sunday - "If You Want Me To Stay" Sly & The Family Stone

Soulful Sunday - "Slippin Into Darkness" WAR

Soulful Sunday - "Color Her Sunshine" Willie Hutch

Soulful Sunday - "And I Love Him" - Friends of Distinction

Taking Aged Rum To A Whole Other Level, Zacapa Premium Rums

This post brought to you by Diageo.  All opinions are 100% mine.

With September having one of the most precious of food and drink holidays there is to be celebrated (Rum Punch Day) We here at The Supreme Plate feel it is only right to enlighten our readers about various new brands that stand up and above other brands, literally from the day their sugar cane is grown. It is widely known by our friends, colleagues and so on that we are true lovers of libations, dishes and desserts that include Rum.

Zacapa's amazing history all began in 1976 in Eastern Guatemala, where while celebrating their Centenary, one of the World’s best rums was given birth too. A few miles West, in a terrain rich with volcanic soil and prolonged periods of sunlight, (which creates a landscape perfectly suited for growing Sugar Cane,) highly coveted Virgin Sugar Cane Honey is created. This precious honey is used as the base for Zacapa’s perfectly aged Rums.

Aged in the astonishingly beautiful Quetzaltenango mountains some 2,300 meters above sea level in casks that previously housed American Whiskey, Oloroso Sherry and Pedro Ximenez Wines, Zacapas flavors are so exquisitely layered that not allowing yourself a taste should be considered a sin.

Whether it be one of Zacapa’s Premium Rums or their Premium Dark Rums, you cannot go wrong having a bottle or two of this on hand for your next function. Zacapa premium rum
Take our word for it, this is not your average well-rum, this here is instant vintage in a bottle. Reminiscent of robust cigars, fresh floral scents and aged wood Zacapa Rums are sure to please even the most refined of palates. Many of the worlds greatest desserts incorporate Rum into the recipe this is a fact.

Without any hesitation we put Zacapa’s Premium Dark Rum to use in our version of Bananas Foster and found that it created such a deliciously rich, deep flavor unfound by using your typical liquor store brand of Rum. This is something we will be adding to our bars, beverage carts and menus at every function from here on out. premium dark rum

Make sure to take advantage of the latest recipes and offers from Zacapa by registering joining the Zacapa Society at: http://www.zacaparum.com/en-us/?utm_source=Outreach&utm_medium=Blogger&utm_campaign=blog_2

Shout Out To All of Our New Followers in India

Thanks for Checking Us Out. We Appreciate The WorldWide Love.

Love Avocados? Enter to win the "Kick Off with Hass Avocados Recipe Contest"

This post brought to you by Hass Avocado Board featuring Hass Avocados.  All opinions are 100% mine.

Growing up in Southern California we are spoiled with the abundance of great tasting Avocados, especially Hass Avocados. Well for those of you who love Avocados as much as we do, Hass Avocados is holding a “Kick Off with Hass Avocados Recipe Contest” which is a weekly sweepstakes where they will give away a box of avocados for 14 consecutive weeks as well as a Recipe Contest where the winner will win a trip to the Rose Bowl Garne®!
Hass Avocados

For those of you who follow the site you know we love to use Avocados in Recipes such as our Tuna Taka & Watermelon Salad w/ Lemon Wasabi Dressing or our Slow Cooked Chicken Thighs w/ Jamaican Rice & Peas. Avocados are so much more than Guacamole or a topping on a Hamburger, have no fear Hass Avocados are so perfectly grown you can do just about anything with one and always know that its true flavor is going to shine through, get creative and try your hand by entering your own recipe in the “Kick Off with Hass Avocados Recipe Contest” by Clicking Here.
Kick Off with Hass Avocados Recipe Contest

Winners of the Grand Prize package will be given (for 4 people) Round Trip airfare, hotel accommodations, participation in a Rose Bowl Game® Welcome Reception, admission to “behind-the-scene” Rose Bowl Parade® decorating sites, a sightseeing tour of the lovely and Historical city of Pasadena (Birthplace of Julia Child,) admission to the Rose Bowl Game® on January 2, 2012 and much, much more.

For more information on how the winner is chosen be sure to check out the official rules on their Facebook page. Be sure to enter the contest, sign up for free emails that give you healthy recipes, coupons and more from Hass Avocados (at least once a month) and check back often because 1 Lucky Winner will be chosen every week to win a box of deliciously fresh and healthy Hass Avocados. avocado recipes

For those not sure on just how healthy an Avocado truly is, One-fifth of a Medium Avocado (1 oz.) has 50 calories and contributes to nearly 20 vitamins and minerals, making it a nutrient-dense food choice. Avocados contribute to the good fats in one’s diet and over 75% of the fat in Avocados is unsaturated (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats) making them a great substitute for foods high in saturated fat.
avocado recipes
tailgating tips and recipes

9.20.11 = National Rum Punch Day

The Saying Goes: 1 Part Sour, 2 Parts Sweet, 3 Parts Strong & 4 Parts Weak.

Enjoy National Rum Punch Day, before the warm Sunrays are gone for a few months.
(Click Read More for the Entire Recipe)

IE Food Truck & Brew Fest - Oct 8th. 2011

Be sure to get your tickets as this event is going to be packed, early. 

Also with plenty of Media Coverage & Sponsors on hand there should be plenty of fun giveaways for everyone.

Road Trippin' Coming Soon, Malecon Puerto Vallarta

Hennessy x Kaws September 23rd 2011 San Francisco

Cut Your Cell Phone Bill in Half Right Now

This post brought to you by Straight Talk.  All opinions are 100% mine.

There is nothing like saving money on things we commonly use everyday. Whether it be gas, car payments or a cell phone bill, these are the types of bills everyone is looking to lower because they simply cant go without them. Cell phone bills are something that not everyone has an issue with, mainly the rich but if you aren’t rich well then imagine being able to cut your cell phone bill in half almost instantly. Even better imagine being able to only have to drop about $500.00 a year on your cell phone bill, imagine what you could do with all the extra money you would be saving. Hook, line and sinker

Of course when people hear that they can save money on their call phone bills the first thing they think of what services are going to be cut from their plans or how horrible is the service going to be and even worse what kind of ugly phone am I going to be able to use? Well with 2Straight Talks plans, you can get a phone from big name brands such as LG, Kyocera, Motorola, Nokia and Samsung to name a few, 411 calls are free, you get nationwide long distance calling all day long, unlimited texts including data and picture messages. Android on Straight Talk

They offer the latest touch screen phones, smart phones and many other app friendly phones for any type of need as well as sell reconditioned phones for younger users who cant afford a new phone or find themselves often losing or damaging their phones, all of these things and much for only $500.00 a year is something everyone needs to check out. For more information check out these testimonials and also check out their website. Call a friend



Everything you need

Enter To Win The "Kick Off with Hass Avocados Recipe Contest" Today

This post brought to you by Hass Avocado Board featuring Hass Avocados.  All opinions are 100% mine.

Growing up in Southern California we are spoiled with the abundance of great tasting Avocados, especially Hass Avocados. Well for those of you who love Avocados as much as we do, Hass Avocados is holding a “Kick Off with Hass Avocados Recipe Contest” which is a weekly sweepstakes where they will give away a box of avocados for 14 consecutive weeks as well as a Recipe Contest where the winner will win a trip to the Rose Bowl Garne®! Hass Avocados

For those of you who follow the site you know we love to use Avocados in Recipes such as our Tuna Tataki & Watermelon Salad w/ Lemon Wasabi Dressing or our Slow Cooked Chicken Thighs w/ Jamaican Rice & Peas. Avocados are so much more than Guacamole or a topping on a Hamburger, have no fear Hass Avocados are so perfectly grown you can do just about anything with one and always know that its true flavor is going to shine through, get creative and try your hand by entering your own recipe in the “Kick Off with Hass Avocados Recipe Contest” by Clicking Here: Kick Off with Hass Avocados Recipe Contest

Winners of the Grand Prize package will be given (for 4 people) Round Trip airfare, hotel accommodations, participation in a Rose Bowl Game® Welcome Reception, admission to “behind-the-scene” Rose Bowl Parade® decorating sites, a sightseeing tour of the lovely and Historical city of Pasadena (Birthplace of Julia Child,) admission to the Rose Bowl Game® on January 2, 2012 and much, much more.

For more information on how the winner is chosen be sure to check out the official rules on their Facebook page. Be sure to enter the contest, sign up for free emails that give you healthy recipes, coupons and more from Hass Avocados (at least once a month) and check back often because 1 Lucky Winner will be chosen every week to win a box of deliciously fresh and healthy Hass Avocados. tailgating tips and recipes

For those not sure on just how healthy an Avocado truly is, One-fifth of a Medium Avocado (1 oz.) has 50 calories and contributes to nearly 20 vitamins and minerals, making it a nutrient-dense food choice. Avocados contribute to the good fats in one’s diet and over 75% of the fat in Avocados is unsaturated (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats) making them a great substitute for foods high in saturated fat.



avocado recipes



avocado recipes

Los Angeles Epicurean Festival Highlights

Epicurean Cup Team
Sunday, August 28, 2011 • Sofitel LA from noon-6pm

8555 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90048

On Sunday, August 28, 2011, organizers Bruno Laclotte of Hillside Wines and Kora Kroep of West Coast Event Productions presented the Los Angeles Epicurean Festival at the Sofitel Los Angeles, to give Epicurean Angelinos a chance to discover products made for Chefs, Sommeliers and Mixologists.

During the Festival the LA Epicurean Cup took place. Three groups were formed with one candidate per category. Each group was given a mystery basket and were asked to perform the following tasks: the sous-chef, prepare a duck confit salad; the sommelier, pair wine with the salad; the mixologist, concoct an aperitif, a summer cocktail and a beverage to go with the dessert; the culinary student, fabricate a tarte flambee (an Alsatian style pizza); and the pastry chef, prepare a dessert from Michel Richard’s cookbook “Sweet Magic”.

Founder of the L.A. Epicurean Festival & Celebrity Chef Michael Richard

The judges for the festival, hosted by Valerie Laganiere and Bruno Laclotte were:

-       Michel Richard, Chef/Owner of Citronelle and Central in Washington DC;

-       Josiah Citrin, Chef/Owner of Melisse in Santa Monica;

-       Sophie Gayot of GAYOT.com, Food Writer/Owner;

-       Franck Savoy, Director of Restaurants of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas

-       Michel Cornu, Culinary Director of Raymond Vineyards in Napa Valley.

-       Mark Mendoza, Head sommelier-wine director of David Myers group.

(L-R) Renee Faris, Son Ly, Matthieu Chamussy, Bruno Laclotte, Valeri Laganiere

And the winners are:

-       Sous-Chef Category : Alexandre Derenne  of Hotel Sofitel

-       Pastry Chef: Matthieu Chamussy, Chef Instructor for the Art Institute of California

-       Student Chef: Matthew Dickson from Cordon Blue School of Culinary Arts

-       Sommelier: Mark Sadr from BLT restaurant

-       Mixologist: Tricia Alley from Providence restaurant, The Tasting Room with Tom Leykis (featured in Tasting panel Magazine).

Food Demonstrations by:

§  Keizo Ishiba, Chef/Owner of K-Zo Restaurant in Culver City

§  JF Meteigner, Chef/Owner of La Cachette Bistro in Santa Monica

Book Signing by Michel Richard of his latest book Sweet Magic.

Mixeology Classes and Oenologists were standing by to explain how to taste and recognize great wines and spirits. Attendees discovered over 500 boutique products in the following categories: wines and spirits, cheeses, spices, coffee & teas, charcuterie, olive oils, mushrooms, organic chocolate, meat, fowl, fish, and produce.

Bruno Laclotte (co-founder of LA Epicurean Festival) & Sandie Ward

(L-R) Michael Cornu (Dir. of Raymond Vineyards Napa Valley) Michel Richard (Chef/Owner Citronnelle & Central in Washington DC) & Josiah Citrin (Chef/Owner of World Famous Melisse in Santa Monica, CA)

Some of the new and exciting products at the Los Angeles Epicurean Festival:

-       Pisco Porton: an ultra premium white spirit from Peru with 15 lb of grapes per bottle,

-       Babas Pasta: locally produced handmade raviolis full of flavor,

-       Bernard Magrez: with forty years of wine making under his belt, Mr. Margrez owns 35 estates worldwide, which are each ranked in the top four or five in its region,

-       Angel’s Salumi & Truffles; a new line of high end, locally produced cured meats and foie gras products,

-       Cuvelier Los Andes: family of winemakers in Bordeaux since 1804, and in Argentinia since 1998, produced with the help and advice of Michel Rolland.

-       Yvan Valentin Chocolatier: some of LA’s finest chocolate truffles,

-       Chateau Resseguier: the world’s oldest varietal from Cahors, France. In 92AD the Italian emperor gave the order to uproot the vines since they were competing with the Italian wines; luckily it was never carried out.

-       Republica del Cacao: estate produced organic chocolate from Ecuador

-       Debeikes Oakville: made by assistant wine maker of Opus One. Very limited production, only 225 cases made in Napa,

-       Kendall Farms Crème Fraiche: made from rich, white cream from Holstein cows and Kendall Farms' patented heirloom starter culture,

-       Malibu Estate Malibu: winery owned by Mr Mc Carthy of Michael’s Restaurant New York and Santa Monica,

-       Fabrique Delices: artisan charcutier since 1985,

-       Elicio: sustainable wine from Languedoc, France,

-       Arger-Martucci: wine from Napa California with an European flair,

-       Domaine Moillard: wine from Burgundy, France 150 years of wine making,

-       Terra Andina: wine from Chili, one of the best quality-value wine.

Live Entertainment by various artists.

Win Your Weight in Wine. Attendees visited all booths for a stamp in their Passport to Savings for a chance to win. Seven cases of wine were awarded to the winner.

Contact www.laepicureanfestival.com or 323 930 6785

Happy Birthday Nas (Last One)

Happy Birthday Nasir Jones

Happy Birthday Nas

Happy Birthday Nas

Fly Culinary Music... "Tapas" - Action Bronson

And for those looking to download this lovely Culinary Cut: Click Here.

Recipe Of The Day: Grapefruit & Chicken Satay Salad

A couple of emails came in over the weekend for recipes that pulled together a quick and easy salad that could be taken to work. People are sick of the same old plain protein, usually chicken, over lettuce with loads of unhealthy dressing.

Today's Recipe Of The Day Grapefruit & Chicken Satay Salad, is a light dish full of robust flavors and spice, but not so much flavor and additional ingredients that eating a salad is completely pointless.
Oftentimes we confuse ourselves into thinking that because we are eating a salad it doesn't matter what kind of dressing or additives we place on top. But that usually results in eating nothing but fats and oils in the form of a dressing and too much sodium when those tricky "salad toppings" come into play.

Take it from me, I didn't even touch salads until years of recent and this one right here, is perfect for those in need of some help sprucing up a healthy lunchtime / dinnertime meal.

Enjoy it tonight or make it ahead of time and take it to work. Make sure to keep the grapefruit in a bag or separate container until your ready to eat it, so that your lettuce does not get soggy, if you are planning to at this at a later time

Fly...

More photos after the break...

Soulful Sunday - "Tear It Down" Blue Magic

Everything's Gravy Baby...

Gravy, I love the term for multiple reasons. When you hear “Everything’s  Gravy” that means that life is good and there are no complaints at the moment. With that said lets be honest, life isn’t always gravy and sometimes people need assistance to accomplish their goals. The goal of this post here is to get everyone on the same page as to how easy it is to make a delicious creamy gravy that isn’t to salty and not too runny.

Gravy can make any meal just much better, hell if you only had a biscuit to eat and someone said “want some gravy to go with that, would you turn in down?”

Enough of that kind of talk lets get to business, this Gravy is simple and doesn’t use any pork fat (we have been getting a lot of requests for recipes that avoid hog, so today we will use one we had on deck.)

The key to pulling this off perfectly is to not rush it, it doesn’t take that long anyhow so take your time and finish any meal (especially with Thanksgiving right around the corner) with the perfect condiment, GRAVY.

Enjoy.

Happy National Biscuits & Gravy Week

Baked Acorn Squash

Today is National Acorn Squash Day. Now for my Grandmother and people a few generations ahead of us, these things are not hard to pick out at your local store. But what about the younger kids who grew up nowhere near a garden let alone a farm or field full of fresh vegetables, fruits and berries?

To no fault of their own, children of today oftentimes don’t know what is what when it comes preserving the land and growing their own vegetation, because Society at large isn’t promoting it as “Cool.”

We will leave our speech on the importance of The Slow Food Movement for a later time.

Well, we here at The Supreme Plate feel that it is our job to promote healthy living and good food as well as teach the youth how to make the Acorn Squash and many other funny looking forms of food taste delicious with just a minimal amount of work.

The Acorn Squash, seen in markets everywhere but often overlooked because of its odd shape and lack of promotion, is going to play the role of the Star in this recipe and will amaze you and your kids as to just how deliciously sweet it tastes when hit with a few simple ingredients and given a quick run through the oven.

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Eazy E

Gone but not forgotten by us, Happy Birthday OG

The Food Holidays of September

September is a great time across the nation for numerous reasons. The sweltering heat has began to subside allowing crops to be a bit more plentiful and most importantly reducing the amount of energy spent on keeping everything that should be cold, cold.

September is also a month of change for families as most kids begin to go back to school, so routines need to be put back into effect to keep everyone on schedule and a bit less stressed.

September is:

National Biscuit Month

                        Better Breakfast Month

National Chicken Month           

                        National Cholesterol Education Month

                        National Honey Month

                        National Organic Harvest Month

                        National Papaya Month

                        National Rice Month

The 1^st week of September is National Waffle Week

The 2^nd week of September is National Biscuit & Gravy Week

The 2^nd week of September is National Vegetarian Awareness Week

The 4^th week of September is National Wild Rice Week

September 1 National Cherry Popover Day

September 1 Wine Season Begins

September 1 Oyster Season Begins

September 2 National Blueberry Popsicle Day

September 3 National Welsh Rarebit Day

September 4 National Macadamia Nut Day

September 5 National Cheese Pizza Day

September 6 National Coffee Ice Cream Day

September 7 National Acorn Squash Day

September 8 National Date Nut Bread Day

September 9 Weinerschnitzel Day

September 10 TV Dinner Day

September 11 National Hot Cross Bun Day

September 12 National Chocolate Milkshake Day

September 13 National Peanut Day

September 13 National Pickle at Snack Time

September 14 National Cream Filled Donut Day

September 14 National Eat A Hoagie Day

September 15 National Linguini Day

September 16 National Guacamole Day

September 17 National Apple Dumpling Day

September 18 National Cheeseburger Day

September 19 National Butterscotch Pudding Day

September 20 National Rum Punch Day

September 21 National Banana Festival

September 21 National Pecan Cookie Day

September 22 National Ice Cream Cone Day

September 23 National White Chocolate Day

September 24 National Cherries Jubilee Day

September 25 National Food Service Employees Day

September 25 Crab Meat Newburg Day

September 26 National Pancake Day

September 27 National Chocolate Milk Day

September 27 National Corned Beef Hash Day

September 28 Strawberry Cream Pie Day

September 28 Drink Beer Day

September 29 National Coffee Day

September 30 National Hot Mulled Cider Day