I would love to tell you about the decadent and exotic trips I have planned this year. But my only travel plans are as follows--a trip to Seattle this weekend for the food blogger conference and two 3-day wedding weekends, one in Portland, Oregon and the other outside of Denver. Not exactly Paris, London, Barcelona, if you know what I mean. If last year was the year of the "staycation" I'm pretty sure this year will be the year of armchair travel for many people.

When it comes to salivating over future destinations, I've got a great book to recommend, Frommer's 500 Places for Food & Wine Lovers. This is a compilation, with highlights from various guides chosen by none other than Holly Hughes, a name you may recognize as editor from the annual Best Food Writing series.

Now the cover of the book features an "Outstanding in the Field" dinner. Not exactly the most accessible type of travel experience since dinners generally sell out months in advance and start at about $150 per head, but getting past the cover, what I like about the book is that destinations run the gamut from once-in-a-lifetime experiences like Crystal Food & Wine Festivals aboard luxury cruise ships to deep dish pizza in Chicago. In other words, something for everybody. The book covers shops, restaurants, cooking schools, festivals, tours, markets, wineries, you name it.

You could take this book on a road trip, but I suspect it will be the perfect book for your next trip to the sofa. Snuggle up and read about where to get Burgoo stew in Kentucky, a famous food emporium in Milan, or the malt whisky trail in Scotland. It's the virtual vacation that won't cost you a dime, once you've paid for the book, of course.

I'm giving away two copies of the Frommer's 500 Places for Food & Wine Lovers. Simply leave a comment with your suggestion of a favorite place for a food or wine lover, the more detail the better! While the book is primarily focused on the US there are recommendations from all over the world so don't limit your suggestions to just domestic ones. One entry per person. You must be a US resident or have a US mailing address to win. Winners will be chosen at random and while you must fill out your email address in the comment submission form, it will not be visible to anyone other than me. Good luck!

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED, CONGRATULATIONS TO STEPHANIE AND ALLISON WHO EACH WON A BOOK

Here are two more Chow Tips--one about how to get more juice and peel from lemons and another about extending the life of fresh herbs.





In case you missed the last set of tips, here are links for:
* An easy way to roast and char eggplants for baba ghanoush without a grill
* The quickest way to marinate beef
* The tastiest technique for cooking whole baby artichokes
and
* What to do with leftover risotto

It's Mother's Day and I can't think of a more fitting tribute than Bittersweet:Lessons from My Mother's Kitchen. Lots of "memoirs with food" are about discovery and love and various happy episodes in life, but Bittersweet is not that kind of memoir. A seasoned war correspondent and Pulitzer prize-winning author, Matt McAllester begins his tale with the death of his mother, a woman who struggled for years with mental illness and alcoholism. He is someone who knows how to write about pain, but this is another kind of pain altogether. It is personal.

Just as food is a way to explore pleasure, it is also a way to explore grief and healing. McAllester tries to find the mother he has lost and that the world lost to madness, through her recipes and his recollection of meals she prepared for him in happier times. His writing is masterful and deeply confessional. The recipes, and the sense of discovery and understanding that come from this journey are bittersweet indeed, but beautiful, at times funny, and always very moving.

Although Bittersweet is not a happy-go-lucky kind of story, it is absolutely compelling. Tastes of British, Italian and French cooking, and the wisdom and influence of Elizabeth David are woven into the story of his mother and his road back from grief. There are recipes for scones from Scotland, an improvised cassoulet and an almost mythical strawberry ice cream. Even without the recipes, Bittersweet would be haunting and lovely. The book made me care deeply about the author and the sad story of someone brilliant who slipped through the cracks and most of all, it reminded me that food is sometimes the thing that gets us through the most difficult times as well as the happiest ones.

A few years ago I discovered a wonderful mustard at the Fancy Food Show. I wrote about it and not long after it won the gold prize at the Napa Valley mustard competition. That was just one in a long line of award winning products. Pam Kraemer founder of Dulcet Cuisine has a real knack for creating outstanding mustards, sauces, and now ketchups.

I'm always excited to try new products from Dulcet Cuisine and play with them. Kraemer uses very high quality ingredients and isn't satisfied until her products are the best they can be. They don't just make great condiments, they really shine as ingredients in recipes. She usually does all her own recipe development, but now and then I get to help out and share my creations.

I have to admit, I had never stuffed a pork loin before. But it turns out to be very easy and impressive. Rather than butterfly the whole loin and stuff, roll and tie, I just created an incision in the loin and made a pocket large enough to accommodate a very savory and sweet stuffing with a kick of spice. This recipe uses Dulcet Cuisine's wonderful new Sweet Orange Chili Mustard as part of the filling and the glaze. It's sweet and has a real kick to it and a rough texture. Once you have the basic technique down, you can change this up any number of ways--use different kinds of bread, dried fruit, liquid, mustard, etc. I think it would be a great dish for a dinner party.

Apricot Stuffed Pork Loin
serves 4 - 6

Ingredients

1 boneless pork loin roast, about 2 1/2 lbs
2 Tablespoons oil
Salt

Stuffing:
1 cup wheat bread cubed, about 2 slices
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 Tablespoons Sweet Orange Chili Mustard
2 Tablespoons orange juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Glaze:
1/4 cup Sweet Orange Chili mustard
1 Tablespoon honey

Instructions

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Make a hole for stuffing that runs lengthwise through pork loin. Insert a sharp long thin knife lengthwise toward center of loin, then repeat at opposite end of loin to complete incision running through middle.

Combine the stuffing ingredients and mix well. Stuffing should be very moist. Open up incision with your fingers, to create a 1 1/2-inch-wide opening, then fill with stuffing, pushing from both ends toward center.

Pat pork loin dry and and season well with salt. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over high heat until very hot, then brown pork on all sides, about 2 minutes.

Place stuffed loin on rack in a foil-lined roasting pan. After 30 minutes, baste with the glaze, baste again 15 minutes later. Roast to about 160�, about 1 1/2 hours. ?

Enjoy!

I could spend hours surfing over at Chow.com. It's that hip food site that was briefly a magazine. It includes not just recipes but blogs, stories, message boards, cool videos and one of my favorite features, Chow Tips. At 45 seconds a piece, they don't take much time to watch and give you just the details you need.

When I talked to the video producer at Chow I suggested six different ideas for tips, and to my surprise, she said yes to all of them! Here are the first four, two more are on their way. I hope you enjoy watching them as much I enjoyed shooting them.

As an added benefit, Chow has also also posted the recipes for Roasted Baby Artichokes with Meyer Lemon-Saffron Aioli andCheese Stuffed Risotto Cakes from the cookbook I wrote, Williams-Sonoma New Flavors for Appetizers.

cheers,

Amy

Some people don't like receiving product samples, but I don't mind. Of course I'm pretty fussy about what I'll consider and not everything I try is wonderful. But I never know what unexpected taste will inspire me. Over the past few years I've discovered some wonderful things that have become staples in my overflowing pantry.

Perhaps from my recipes you can tell I favor classic recipes with a twist--an unexpected flavor, ingredient or technique. A few weeks ago I received some samples of Tea Together organic jams and marmalades and here's the thing, they are each a bit out of the ordinary. Just check out these flavors--Blackberry & Elderberry with Fresh Ginger, Summer Pudding with Vanilla Pod, Orange Marmalade with Cinnamon Quill, Lemon Marmalade with Earl Grey Tea. See what I mean? The jams and marmalades are bright and intensely flavored but still retain a good texture even without added pectin. Made in the north of France in the village of St. Remy au Bois, from nothing but pure fruit and sugar, and perhaps some tea or spice. Each jar or set is packaged simply, but a real treat, nonetheless.

I think a sample of them or one large jar would make a lovely Mother's Day gift paired with fresh English muffins or crumpets and some tea. They really are special jams that will perk up breakfast toast or afternoon tea. Tea Together has a retail shop in Millburn, New Jersey or you can find their products online and at some retailers. An edible gift is always a nice way to show your appreciation, not just to your mom, but to those who produce high quality gourmet products with care and love.

Can you imagine a cookbook with ingredients but no measurements? My cookbook that I got from the school I attended in Florence many years ago is like that. So is the cookbook A Tuscan in the Kitchen. Tuscans are funny that way. Because they grew up cooking without measurements, they can't imagine why anyone else should need them.

Thank goodness for Divina Cucina's Recipes, because my ability to write down recipes back in the day was not what it is today, and I actually appreciate measurements with my recipes. Judy Witts Francini is an American who has been living in Florence for over 25 years. She's a fantastic cook and cooking instructor and also has a lovely blog that really gives you a feel for shopping, cooking and eating in Italy. When I heard she was publishing a cookbook of recipes, I couldn't wait to check it out.

The dishes in the book are absolutely what I remember from living with a family in Florence. Included are the recipes for what local people actually eat--classic antipasti from the region, plenty of soups, and main dishes that use generally inexpensive cuts of meat and poultry. It's real Tuscan food, and not restaurant food. You won't find "Bistecca alla Fiorentina" because frankly, no one cooks that at home. One thing I experienced in Florence is that vegetables are never served plain, and Judy includes lots of great recipes for vegetables that use a bit of flavorings such as prosciutto, garlic, tomato or lemon. Once you cook vegetables this way, you will never eat plain steamed vegetables ever again!

Now of course, each person cooks slightly differently, and there are no set in stone recipes for classic dishes like Pappa al Pomodoro or Involtini. One person uses a red onion another a leek, one person uses fresh tomatoes another canned. My recollection of certain recipes is not exactly the same as hers, but I have tried plenty of Judy's recipes and they always work for me. Because she's been a cooking instructor for so long you'll find her recipes very easy to follow.

The only downside to the book is that I love Judy's writing and wish she had included more notes about the recipes in her book, but for that, you'll just have to head over to her blog Over a Tuscan Stove.