We sat down for lunch at the Café de Turin — a seafood specialty restaurant nestled in the former post station for mail making its way from France into Italy via the Turin poste. What started a century ago as a café serving coffee and refreshments to weary mailmen, has morphed into one of Nice’s most upscale seafood cafés, still housed in its original building, now designated as a national monument.
The restaurant serves its own oysters, grown in both salt-water beds in Provence, as well as up north in Normandy. All oysters come with a rating number, with No. 1 being the largest oysters on the market and descending down to No. 3, which most closely resemble our large U.S. oysters. The No. 1 oysters weigh over 300 grams each and are larger than a man’s hand in size.
They’re served simply, with choices of fresh lemon wedges or Tabasco or, with some polite pleading, seasoned red wine vinaigrette. Later, we learned that the restaurant also offers a garlic aioli (French mayonnaise) for the other cold seafood.
|
We arrived at 10 a.m., after a long overnight flight, excited about our seafood experience and adventure in the French Mediterranean, based out of Nice, France. Traveling with me, I had my daughter, Kyle, who just finished with her sophomore year at college, and we were both incredibly excited to spend time together on a culinary and exploratory adventure. The long journey from Boston behind us, I drove our cute, small rental car from the airport, hugging the beach and the long stretch of promenade until we reached our hotel, Hotel La Perouse. With our room not yet ready, we decided to venture forth into the adjourning city.
We headed into the vieille ville (old town), the oldest and most scenic area of the now-bustling urban city. The buildings all sport colorful pastel hues and classic European wooden shutters, often with flowers hanging off the porches, or clothes drying outside high windows. We wandered to an open square with a beautiful fountain and view of the dramatic Mediterranean hillside.
|
When you think of great barbecue, nothing comes to mind before Southern, home-style grilling. So how did two guys from Boston win hundreds of BBQ awards including Kansas City Barbecue Society championships and the Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue?
Andy Husbands and Chris Hart share their award-winning techniques and recipes that have earned them national recognition among barbecue experts. Their cookbook, Wicked Good Barbecue, includes classic BBQ dishes and new, bold twists that will shock your taste buds. Plus, they don’t stop at the meat- you will find delicious recipes for unique sides, drinks, and desserts in this book.
|
Meet Ree Drummond: a city girl who fell in love with a rugged cowboy and found herself settling into his country lifestyle. She now lives on a cattle ranch with her husband and four kids doing things she never imagined- cleaning boots, herding farm animals, and making gravy.
|
If you enjoy cooking, there’s no need to settle for store boxed pasta when creating the next family meal. Using homemade ingredients makes any dish more delectable, especially noodles and pasta.
To learn how, pick up Aliza Green’s latest cookbook, Making Artisan Pasta. Her book provides an easy-to-follow guide to making your own noodles, fettuccine, ravioli, lasagna, and more.
The visual tutorials in Green’s book contain detailed instructions for chefs of any level of experience. Learn how to make a variety of colorful pastas with flavors like red pepper, porcini mushrooms, asparagus, or flours like buckwheat, chestnut, and rye.
In addition to providing numerous recipes from noodles and pasta to dumplings and Chinese pot stickers, Aliza also offers some helpful hints and techniques to use in the kitchen. These fresh ideas will inspire you to spice things up in the kitchen!
Disclosure: Mom Central received a copy of Making Artisan Pasta to facilitate this review.
|
My family loves chocolate, but we also want to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Careful eating habits tops our list of priorities to maintaining a long and healthy life, but so many temptations surround us!
Finally, I found a chocolate bar that can be enjoyed without feeling guilty: Lily’s Dark Chocolate. Made from all-natural ingredients and 55% genuine cocoa, Lily’s bars use stevia (a zero-calorie natural sweetener) instead of traditional sugar. This makes the chocolate 25% lower in calories than other dark chocolate.
Without sugar, these bars also do not raise blood sugar or contain extra calories. They provide a practical treat for diabetics or anyone watching their weight, supplying all the indulgence without the negative health effects. Lily’s also ensures that the chocolate has been Fair Trade Certified.
|
As parents, we face the challenge of providing our children with healthy, balanced diets, while fighting their sweet craving as much as we fight our own. Often times if we eat healthy, we can get our kids to follow suit– but what if there isn’t a kid-friendly version of our favorite snack? Well Chobani has solved that problem with their new line of Chobani Champions.
When first confronted with Chobani Champions Greek yogurt, I immediately scooped up one of each kid-friendly flavor: honey-nana, very berry, vanilla chocolate chunk, and orange vanilla. The smooth, creamy texture is consistent with Chobani’s Greek Yogurt, making this kid-friendly option as satisfying to me as to my child.
Made with only natural ingredients and without any preservatives, artificial colors or sweeteners, Chobani Champions present healthy and delicious options for a growing child. Also packed with protein, Greek yogurt offers a filling and satisfying after school snack for an active child.
|
Join us for the #RISEwithGrains Twitter Party!
|
Join us for the #FAGEADay Twitter Party!
Date: Wednesday, May 2nd
Time: 3-4 PM EST
Moderator: @MomCentral
Assistant Moderators: @StacyDeBroff, @DadCentral & @MomCentralChat
Guests: @FAGEUSA, @roccodispirito
Topic/Focus: Highlight how easy and enjoyable it is to incorporate FAGE Total Greek yogurt in your diet, share FAGE-inspired recipe ideas from special guest Rocco DiSpirito and talk about how FAGE Total is a healthy part of your daily diet.
Hashtag: #FAGEADay
|
