Am I Cuckoo for See's Dark Cocoanut?

Please click on over Sugar Savvy to for my latest See's Piece by Piece where I dissect See's Candies' Dark Chocolate Cocoanut (the spelling is See's, not mine). Lots of dark chocolate helps boost this candy's rating. Lots of coconut shreds do not.

See's Java Jive -- Part 2

I continue my exploration of See's Candies coffee-flavored chocolate truffles over at Sugar Savvy. The Cafe Au Lait Truffle earned my first 10! Come see the rave (no rant) here.

Eat My Words -- Meow

Hmph! Din-din. I’ll eat when I’m ready.
Attributed to Morris the Cat, 1988

I don't care what you call me, just don't call me late for dinner.

Attitude of Noche Chocolate Kramer (above).

Coffee+See's Chocolate= ????

Looking for my weekly See's Candies' post at Sugar Savvy? It was posted a bit later than normal, but you can check out if I woke up and smelled the coffee in the Cafe Hazelnut Truffle by clicking here.

A Gift of Fish (Limoncello Grilled Tuna)

My sister sent me home with a cache of frozen fish and with about a pound and a half each of fresh yellow fin tuna and her own pecan-smoked tuna.

Delta Airlines got me home too late to cook Tuesday night, but Wednesday night I grilled the fresh tuna in a limoncello marinade. It was fresh and tasty and made me think of summer in Italy. I served it with a couscous tabouli-like salad.

Limoncello Tuna

Serves 4-6

Finely chopped zest of a whole lemon
1/4 cup limoncello (Italian lemon spirit)
Juice of one large lemon
1/4 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil. Use one with a green and peppery bite if you have it. (I used a Portuguese oil.)
1/2 teaspoon dried herbes d'provence (optional)
fresh ground pepper and sea salt to taste
1 and 1/2 pounds fresh tuna or other firm fleshed fish (halibut would work nicely. PLEASE don't use Chilean Sea Bass or other endangered fish).


Combine all ingredients except the fish and mix well. Add fish and spoon marinade on top. Marinate for about a half hour, flipping the fish occasionally in the liquid.

Preheat grill, bbq or broiler and cook fish, basting with marinade, until done as desired. Note: the tuna will keep cooking after you pull it from the grill and well done tuna is extremely firm, so pull it a bit before you think it is ready.

Couscous Salad with Veggies

Serves 4-6

This is more a process than a recipe.

Cook 1 cup couscous according the package directions. (FYI - I used whole wheat for a bit more fiber)

While the couscous is cooking chop the vegetables. I used the following, feel free to improvise depending on your own tastes or what's in your fridge:

3-4 chopped scallions (green onions), white and most of green
2-3 chopped, ripe tomatoes
1/2 chopped, peeled large cucumber
1/2 chopped red bell pepper
2-3 tablespoons chopped mint
2-3 tablespoons chopped flat leaf (Italian) parsley
2-3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

White wine vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil (select a mild and fresh tasting oil, I used a French Provencal oil)
Freshly ground pepper and salt to taste

When the couscous is done cooking, break up any clumps. Mix in the vegetables and herbs. Add splashes of vinegar and oil until you have the flavor balance you like. The warm couscous will absorb much of the liquids. Add salt and pepper. Combine well. Let rest to serve at room temperature. (Or you can chill and let it warm up a bit before serving.)

Fish Tales

Did you know Long Island, New York, is shaped like a fish?
Yep, and that's the food I've eaten the most of since I arrived here at my sister and brother-in-law's in somewhat eastern Long Island. Most of this bounty has been caught by my brother-in-law. If you want exiquistely fresh fish it helps to have a relative with a penchant and talent for deep sea fishing and a sister who has made fish cookery her area of expertise. Here's just a partial list of the fish I've been feasting on:

Home-smoked tuna dip
Seared tuna with sesame-soy dipping sauce
Cajun mako and tuna "nuggets"
Blackened scallops and mako bites

My sister also whipped up some awesome homemade onion rings.

I already know I'll be returning with a care package of frozen tuna and bluefish, but the brother-in-law is going fishing once again before I leave for back West, so there is probably more fish stories to come.