Pollock. It's not a fish you are going to see in your seafood market because most of it winds up in fish and chips, frozen fish sticks, and surimi (faux crab). But, it's a good choice for eating because it's got nice mild flavor and is sustainable (like all fish, numbers are down but still a good choice).

SeaPak is making a new seafood product, Popcorn Shrimp.
I like them but it's my daughter who wolfs them down like in that appliance commercial where the vacuum cleaner sucks up golf balls. They were a big family hit. And, I made them in a pretty unique situation--primitive camping. They thawed a little in the cooler and I let them thaw completely on the picnic table. I put them in a nonstick skillet over medium low, then covered in foil to make my contraption as much like an oven as possible. Halfway through cooking, I turned them over. Yum. My kids ate them with ketchup but I liked mine with a little sweet Asian chili sauce.

I adore fish tacos and when I'm in a big hurry, one of my cheater ways is to use good frozen battered fish instead of frying my own. By good, I mean real whole fish fillets, not minced, chopped, or processed.  Next time I cheat, I'll try these. Here's my favorite go-to fish taco recipe: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000000385986

if you are in the Orlando area for the next few weeks, check out the Epcot Food & Wine Festival. http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/special-events/epcot-international-food-and-wine-festival/
Great samples and most are prices $3 to $5.
Many options for sustainable seafood--seared scallops in the New Zealand booth--delicious! Read this interview: http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/special-events/epcot-international-food-and-wine-festival/

Look What's On My Desk Today: Callies Shortcakes. Yum, yum, yum. They are tall, light biscuits with the flavor of shortbread cookies. They taste wonderful straight out of the oven, but when fresh berry juices soak into the tender shortcake...wow. Buy them at calliesbiscuits.com.

Look what's on my desk today: Mad Hectic Oatmeal. Describes my mornings, too. Kids sometimes wearing matching clothes, fed so their brain cells can absorb the lesson de jour. Does the dog have food and water or more importantly, did we let her out? Trouble is I can't dive into breakfast that early in the morning so I often land at my desk in the morning with nothing but a few vitamins in my belly. Hunger strikes and there's nothing easier and quicker than oatmeal. The national brands we all know are fine, but this Mad Hectic Oatmeal stands out. Loaded with protein, fiber, Omega-3's and most importantly really fine flavor. Almond Pecan is a traditional tasting instant oatmeal with nuts for crunch, flavor, and nutrition. The French Chocolate is a novelty--the bits of chocolate pieces melt so the whole mixture is brown and chocolatey. I like it late in the afternoon when I need something sweet. http://www.madhecticfoods.com/

It's been a very hectic Monday and promises to be a very hectic week to come. But there are precious few annoyances that can't be overcome by my favorite chocolate candy. As long as I can remember that familiar orange, yellow, and brown wrapper has been a beacon for a good serotonin rush. I can argue for hours that Reese's peanut butter cups are the best candy in the entire world. So, you can imagine my glee at finding a box of the newest Reese's product—DARK—on my desk. I opened the box at 10:15. It's 1:44pm and the entire bag of miniatures is gone. Granted, I passed out a bunch to coworkers but I am pretty sure I ate at least a dozen. The verdict? I like 'em. Will I buy them again? Perhaps, but I'll have to wait until they are available in June. I'm still very fond of the original milk chocolate version but it's nice to know that if I need another good excuse for more antioxidants, I can gobble Reese's DARK and feel like I did myself a little good.

Addendum: The very best Reese's peanut butter cups are the fresh ones. The trick is figuring out which ones are freshest. I like to buy the miniatures as soon as the seasonal packaging comes out. From Halloween until Easter, I'm covered. Unfortunately there's a candy holiday shortage over the summer. To get the freshest cups then, I find the newest looking box at the store and give the center of the big cup a gentle squeeze. If I mush it, then it's soft and fresh and I buy it. If the center doesn't give way, back on the shelf it goes.

Close your eyes and make a wish. Repeat after me: I want to spend 3 and a half days sampling the best food and wine, period. Open your eyes at the Pebble Beach Food and Wine event and wish granted.

Set amid the spectacular views of 17 Mile Drive in Monterey, California, last year’s event exceeded my expectations. I never go home from California’s wine country without learning a thing or two about the grape. This event was the exception—I learned more about wine, wine-making, and wine-tasting than I expected. I was in awe the entire weekend, from the caliber of wine: Harlan Estate, Shafer, to the talent of chefs: Todd English, Gary Danko, Eric Ripert, Michael Mina, and more.

One notable class: Women in Wine: Leading Lady Winemakers featuring Peay Vineyards, Chappellet, Crocker & Starr, Corra , Far Niente, and Hollywood & Vine wineries. Tasting their wines was a delight, and it opened my eyes to issues facing women in a male-dominated industry.

Favorite pours: 2005 Chappellet Chardonnay, 2004 Corra Cabernet Sauvignon, and Peay Vineyards 2006 Scallop Shelf Pinot Noir. Another amazing class was the Sommelier Challenge: The Art of the Blind Tasting featuring the world class palettes of master sommeliers. This taste-along-with-the-pros class took participants step by step into analyzing wine—the country, the region, the varietal, and even the vintage.
Aside from wine classes, I sat in on a fun food demo by Tom Colicchio. He cut himself while trimming the meat and handled the situation with a bit of humor. He’s one of the reason’s I enjoy watching Top Chef and I was utterly delighted watching his roasted lamb presentation. I still make his Lemon Confit recipe   at home. (Bravo TV fans will also notice Gail Simmons and Ted Allen popping up all weekend.) Another highlight was Thomas Keller’s demonstration—standing room only and worth every minute on my toes.

Saturday afternoon’s grand tasting featured about 200 outstanding wineries (I lost count after 7 or 8 tastings) as well as nibbles from top chefs, pun intended. Ming Tsai and Tre Wilcox‘s dishes were some of my favorite samples. Pork bellies seem to be popular and Todd English’s version was divine. The day culminated with the Grand Finale dinner prepared by a few of the world’s culinary legends including Thomas Keller, Alain Passard, Charlie Trotter.

Check out this year’s event, April 16 – 19, 2009, at  www.pebblebeachfoodandwine.com.

This Thanksgiving, I wanted to try something different.

Something special.

Something involving three kinds of meat in one giant 15-pound bird.

That’s right: it’s turducken time!

For those of you not familiar with this Thanksgiving delicacy, the “turducken” is chicken, duck, AND turkey.

In Birmingham, Alabama, turduckens are rare. I finally found one at Publix, but perhaps I should have planned better and ordered a seafood turducken online.

The CajunGrocer offers a turducken stuffed with seafood jambalaya for $65 plus shipping and handling (which may cost you an extra $125 depending on your urgency.)

And it’s a whole pound more than my bird!

For a smaller appetite or gathering: try the Turducken Roll ($30). Serves 6 to 10.

If you are indulging in a seafood jambalaya turducken (or roll) this holiday, let me know!

Happy Thanksgiving.

Before you’re confined to turkey leftovers for the next week, try one of my favorite recipes for shrimp skewers.

Shrimp is low in calories (around 80 per serving), fat (around 1 gram), and carbohydrates (zero), so dig in!

Here’s how I turn a bag of raw, frozen shrimp into a delicious, spicy, and simple meal:

The day before:
Purchase a bag of raw, peeled, deveined Wild American (or sustainable) shrimp.
Marinate them in buffalo sauce, salt, pepper, and minced garlic.
Cover and put in the refrigerator.

The day of:
Soak bamboo skewers in water a few hours before adding shrimp.
Add desired shrimp per skewer.
Now for the secret ingredient: sprinkle on garlic salt, and parmesan cheese.

Cook on the grill at 200 to 400 degrees until pink.

I like my shrimp skewers a little well done (as you can tell in the photo) served with a salad of romaine hearts, mild cheddar cheese, and tomatoes.

Or, for an orange zip, try this recipe from coastalliving.com.

Enjoy!

*photo courtesy of Copy Editor Katie Finley’s iphone

If you have a frequent flyer in your family (or could use a luggage upgrade yourself), I found that Pottery Barn has some great gift options:

Always cold? The Recycled Fleece
Travel throw ($69) is made of woven, 85-percent recycled poly fiber. And I love the pink color.

Speaking of color: Pop Color Luggage Tags ($12 each) will help your bag stand out in green, yellow, blue, or pink.

Or scrap the boring luggage you have now, and go glam with a patent leather luggage collection (starting at $15 for luggage tags through $229 for rolling duffle and garment bags).
The duffle and garment bag have leopard print interiors.

Do you want to send your loved ones something unexpected this holiday season?

Try seafood.

Greatfood.com offers a variety of exotic options. Splurge on the International Caviar Kit with Bulgarian Osetra Caviar ($399), or opt for the less expensive—but still interesting—Danish Seaweed Roe ($65).

Or what about a LobsterGram? LobsterGram Inc. offers a “create a gram” dinner for two ($149.95) including main course (lobster!), soup, seafood cakes, and dessert. Bonus: Click here for coupons.

My personal favorite has to be crab cakes ($85 per dozen) from The Crab Place. Each delicious ball is homemade, and melts in your mouth with the right blend of spices, and lump Maryland blue crab.

For more beach-inspired treats, check out our Gourmet to Go list.

Leafing through the new Viva Terra holiday catalog, I found the perfect gift to celebrate the chilly season.

The Buddha bowl is designed to fit in the palm of your hand, but also has a flat bottom to set on the table. Just slip your thumb through the side hole, and you have perfect control over the contents.

For around $28 , it's a resonable gift for soup/cereal/tea lovers on your list. Or what the heck: it's a nice gift for yourself.

Try filling yours with some of our favorite seafood soups.

Purchasing sustainable, local food just got a little easier thanks to the fresh (and free) Eat Well Guide.

Just type in your zip code for a list of farmers markets, grocery stores, organizations, coffee shops, and restaurants with sustainable options.

I particularly love the restaurant category. For example, I typed in our zip code, and found that five restaurants within 20 miles of our office in Birmingham offer local, sustainable fare.

I clicked on the Bottega Restaurant and Café, a staff favorite, and got a list of the products and production methods behind their sustainable options. It’s always nice to see the words “no added hormones”.

If you cannot find your favorite eatery on this site, ask the staff about their sustainable efforts the next time you dine out. If they offer locally-grown fresh options, add them to the list. And don’t forget to ask about the seafood you are consuming: is it locally-caught?

Or ask for/purchase seafood with the Marine Stewardship’s Council seal of approval (from an environmentally responsible fishery) and dig in.

*photo from eatwellguide.org