One of the things I love most about cooking, is that there's always something new to learn.  I'm a learner at heart; I'm always looking for information and trying to discover new, better ways to do things.  This week is a montage of things I've been learning recently...

Meat, topped with fresh herbs, topped with prosciutto is both an avenue to meal-time bliss and an excellent stress reliever.  Don't I look like I'm about to have a lot of fun? ;-)  Also, the sage should be tucked up underneath the prosciutto, not on top like the recipe said!

Kohlrabi: Looks like a living alien about to crawl off of my desk, tastes awesome when roasted (peeled, cut into large wedges, and roasted at 425 degrees for about 40 minutes)

Making your own herbal tea can be a cinch!  Just make sure the herbs haven't been sprayed with pesticides or other nasty chemicals.  I just left these mint leaves out on my counter on a paper towel for about a week until they were all dried up.  Then, because I don't own a mortar and pestle, I crumbled the leaves into a large ramekin and then ground them down a bit with a smaller ramekin.  You don't want to pulverize the leaves, just crush them a bit.  Then add hot water and enjoy!

Nut butters are SO RIDICULOUSLY EASY to make at home!  These are just some unsalted roasted almonds (organic would be nice, but not necessary if you trust your source...Trader Joe's and Whole Foods are both my friends).  Throw them into a food processor or sturdy blender - my Ninja is nut butter hoss - and pour in about a teaspoon of walnut oil.  Or you can use canola, but I like the walnut.  Then let 'er rip!  You might have to add more oil if it's not coming together, but that's your choice.  It'll take a few minutes, but less time than a trip to the store, and you can just make a little (adjust the oil as necessary  if you don't want to make a big batch.

Figs stuffed with anything are my life!  These have just been cut into quarters not quite all the way down.  Then, I blended some cream cheese (about half a package) with some walnuts I had leftover, put the mixture into a plastic sandwich bag, cut off the tip and went to town.  How are you supposed to eat them, you ask?  By stuffing a whole fig into your mouth, of course.  Go ahead; judge me.  Do you think I care when I'm eating these delicious stuff figs?  Nope.

*A friend of mine and Heather's, Evan, mentioned that you could add bacon to these.  Yes!  Yes, you could!  And that would be magical!

If you're going to make cherries jubilee to show off to your friends, make sure you test your matches first...or get one of those fancy-schmancy kitchen lighters.

Dana Fraedrich is the author of Skateboards, Magic, and Shamrocks.  If you like her writing, check out her book on Amazon, iBooks, Nook, Smashwords (all $0.99), or check out her website.

Haha, get it?  Mussel bound.  Can you guess what I've cooked up this week?  Mussels!  Okay, let me just tell you, this is a pretty cool dish to make for a couple of reasons.  One, you feel really mighty because...well...you kill your dinner.  Don't be sad, though.  It's okay because it's delicious.  Also, it looks really impressive, so make this for a dinner party or some other time when you have friend over.  Finally, it couldn't be simpler to do.  There's hardly a proper recipe, just basic guidelines, because mussels are really versatile.  Nevertheless, I used this guide the first time I made them.  The biggest thing to remember are the safety guidelines about discarding dead mussels.  Besides that, just be sure to choose accompanying players that don't overpower their delicate flavor.  Get really creative, though.  What about a buttery chardonnay and dried cranberries at Thanksgiving?  Or a little sake and soy sauce and served over rice noodles for an Asian flair.  Seriously, the sky's the limit.  I choose the Mediterranean route when making this batch.

So here are my mussels, freshly home from the store.  I sprayed mine gently with water just to give them a rinse.  They were already de-bearded, which was nice.

Prep took no more than ten minutes (I cheated with tinned tomatoes) before these little guys went into their "sauna".  Sleep tight!  A few minutes later the mussels were cooked and ready for a little basil to go on top.

And here's the beautiful finished product.  I had some tomato garlic bread for the broth (yum!) and some delicious cider to drink with it.  Oh!  There's another good idea.  Cider and mussels, yes, please!  The only thing I would have changed would have been to dice my shallots instead of slicing them, but that's minor.  And you get to eat with your hands!  Well, I'm sure there are people out there that prefer to use a fork or something, but I find it's easier to just get right in there with the tools God gave you.

Did I mention this took mere minutes?  Seriously, this is such a yummy and easy meal.  I don't know why I didn't start making mussels sooner.  And it feels so fancy.  Give it a try.

Howdy, folks!  Long time no see.  I debated even posting this culinary adventure because it has a sad ending.  Nevertheless, I think it's a good one to share.  Warning: If you're a germ-ophobe, walk away now.  Why?  Because we're serving raw meat in this episode of Friday Food Frenzy.  That's right.  Raw meat.  Let's get started.

Carpaccio.  Bless you.  Nope, not quite.  Carpaccio is a fabulous, decadent, yet splendidly simple dish of raw beef tenderloin pounded flat and served very elegantly.  And it takes almost  that takes almost no time.  The prep work actually takes longer than the food because you want to make sure you're working in a clean environment.  Here's a little video from Alton Brown that I used as a guide.  It's also pretty entertaining, as he usually is. :-)

Okay, first, I got everything ready starting with the work surface.  My island was the best place for this because it's nice and isolated and ready to clean.  Oh, and it's my favorite place to work as well. :-)  I disinfected the top of the island and wiped it down with a wet paper towel afterward.

*Confession: If it was just me, I might not have been so neurotic about sanitization, but the hubs...well, he was a bit nervous.

After the work surface was clean of 99.9% of bacteria (or so the canister said), I laid out all of my materials.  Again, isolation was the idea here.  Get this.  That was the hardest part.  Onto the mandatory beatings!

Here you see my tenderloin slices all lined up and wrapped in plastic.  I definitely felt a little Dexter-ish at this point.  Secure and contained.  Oh, and it's important to note that you should only ever do this with a fresh, unopened package of tenderloin.  Don't use leftovers for this dish; it deserves better than that.

I'm not 100% certain this part was necessary, but, again, to make the hubs feel better I wrapped the plastic-wrapped loin slices in a tea towel and pounded the entire little package flat on a cookie sheet.  Who knows, maybe the plastic could have ripped while it was being flattened...or something.  After the slices are nice a thin, it's just time to plate and dress.

Oh, carpaccio, you look beautiful!  I just spiraled the slices around the plate, topped with toasted walnuts, shaved parmesan  and arugula, and lightly drizzled the whole lot with extra virgin olive oil.  Oh, and just a sprinkle of salt and pepper.  Se magnifique!  Or wait, what's that in Italian?  Because this is an Italian dish.  Oh, who cares?!  It's awesome!

So I loved it.  So delicate and delicious and lovely.  And, being the cook, I can confidently say I know it was prepared in as germ-free as environment as possible.  Now, here's the sad bit.  Even having seen the whole process, Mike still felt too uneasy about it to eat any...until he cooked it.  This bothers me.  Not because I don't understand his fears (I do; I know the risk involved), but because he'll happily order carpaccio at one of our favorite restaurants!  He swears it's nothing against me, but I still take it personally.  I'm working on getting over this...

This dish is definitely a food-venture if there ever was one.

Just a few little things I've tried recently to show off this week, nothing big.  First up, home ground coffee...with a blender!  Wait, what?  How is that even possible?  I don't know.  I don't know much about blenders other than the fact that I'm capable of burning them out.  That's why I was so excited when I looked on the website for my Ninja and saw that you can grind coffee beans with it!

*Be sure to check and see if your blender is capable of this.  I don't know if I would have risked it if the official manual/website didn't state it was possible.

I was googling to find out if this was possible because I just happened to have a bag of whole bean coffee beans.

Three avocados is a non-profit coffee company some friends of ours (Josh Wilson and Wes Pickering)were supporting during a Christmas tour this past year.  You can find Three Avocados website here.

All you have to do is fill up your single-serve cup to the fill line (my bag of coffee went right to the line perfectly), screw the blade-top on, and start buzzing.  It takes some time, but no more than ten minutes. Oh, but the process is LOUD!  This is a big mason jar pictured, and the ground coffee filled up about half of it.  That's a lot of espresso!

Here you can see the grounds are really which is great because that means better espresso!  I actually compared what my Ninja did to the coffee I had ground at Whole Foods, and my Ninja did a better job.  Nice work, Ninja. :-)

It's no secret the people in my family love good coffee, so I'm extra pleased to say that Three Avocados not only helps people in need, but also makes bangin' coffee!  Win!

Alright, next up is a quick and easy meal or snack that looks fancy, too.  I got the idea for this from a Little Paris Kitchen episode, but I think you can take this concept and run with it.

Step 1: Flatten a piece of sandwich bread.

Step 2: Brush melted butter onto it.

Step 3: Line one muffin tin cup with the bread.

Step 4: Crack an egg into the bread-lined-cup.

Step 5: Top with cheese, bacon, or whatever you like.

Step 6: Bake at 350 for fifteen or so minutes, or until the yolk is done to your liking.

Step 7: Remove the "egg muffin" and enjoy!

I like my yolk a little runny so it oozes out when you cut into the muffin.  Seriously easy.

Last but not least, want to know how to spruce up a boring salad?  Top with a fried egg.  I fried my egg in bacon fat because I'm fancy like that.  I also make sure to leave my yolk runny because that kind of makes a dressing for the salad.

That's a real woman's salad.

That's all I have for this week, folks.

I have a confession.  I don't like sushi.  I really want to like sushi; there's something inherently cool and hip about it.  I've tried so, so many times to eat it and tell myself I like it, but the lie falls apart pretty quickly when my mouth rebels and says, "No, that wasn't nice.  Don't do that again, please.".  Boo, mouth.  Boo.  The biggest issue is the seaweed.  Blech!  To me, seaweed tastes like sweaty shoes.  I don't actually know what a sweaty shoe tastes like, as I've cleverly avoided eating them during my time on this plane, but I imagine they taste like seaweed.  Can I say it again?  Blech!

Here's the issue, I like certain sushi fillings.  Namely, crunchy shrimp rolls.  What's not to like?  Fried shrimp, cream cheese, avocado...wait, are some of those California roll ingredients?  It doesn't matter!  The point is, the filling of a lot of sushi is scrumptious, even if it is surrounded by sweaty-sneaker-weed.  So what's a girl to do?  Make her own!

Crunchy Shrimp Spring Rolls

*All of the proportions are up to you depending on your taste and how many rolls you are making.  I have listed the amounts below based on what I did per one roll (i.e. 1/8 cup of cooked rice for one roll)

1 sheet of rice paper

1/8 cup cooked, sticky rice

4 shrimp, cooked, tails off and de-veined

Water for steaming (no more than a few teaspoons), plus more for the rice paper

1/8 slice avocado, diced

2 to 3 tsp cream cheese

2 to 3 tsp scallions

1/8 cup peanuts, chopped

A clean tea towel for rolling

Parchment paper or tinfoil for finished rolls

Dipping Sauce/Shrimp Cooking Liquid (optional)

*How much sauce you make is all dependent on how many shrimp/rolls you are making

3 parts low sodium soy sauce

1 part sesame oil

1/2 part Rice wine vinegar

Garlic powder to taste (I used more to add some heat)

Firstly, cook your shrimp all the way through.  It's up to you whether or not you want to leave your shrimp plain or cook it in the dipping sauce outlined above.  I have tried it both ways, and I personally think it's superior with the sauce.  If you do choose to make the sauce, just be sure to make enough to both flavor the shrimp and have enough leftover for dipping.  Also, if your shrimp are frozen like mine were, the water that ekes out as they thaw adds to the water used for steaming in the pot.  If they are fresh, they won't eke out as much water, so be sure to take that into account.  Put the water, shrimp, and all the dipping sauce ingredients (if using) into a pot.  Heat on medium, stirring occasionally  until the shrimp are cooked all the way through.  Remove from the heat, pick out the shrimp, and set aside on a plate.  If the dipping sauce is too watery, reduce further.  Remember, the saltiness from the soy will increase the further you reduce the sauce!  When you're satisfied with your sauce, pour it into a dipping vessel (I used a ramekin) and set aside.

While the shrimp is cooking, dice your avocado and mix with the cream cheese.  Set this aside in a dish.  Mix your scallions with the rice and set aside in another dish.  Chop your peanuts and set aside.  Fill a wide bowl or a plate with a shallow lip with lukewarm water.  Make sure to have everything at hand and prepared before you begin assembly.

Once your assembly station is set up, take a single sheet of rice paper and dunk it into the plate of water for no more than five seconds (any longer and your rice paper will be too soggy - it will continue to absorb water after the dunk).  Lay the rice paper flat out on your tea towel.  Take your rice/scallion portion, form it into a cylindrical shape with your hands, and lay it into the upper third section of the rice paper.  Place your shrimp neatly in one line on top of this mound, overlapping their edges slightly if necessary.  Form your cream cheese/avocado mixture into a line long enough to cover the shrimp end to end.  Top with your chopped peanuts, pressing them gently into the cream cheese to secure.

Then, very carefully and gently, take the edge of the rice paper and pull it up over your filling.  Fold the sides in to secure and gently press down on the filling to fill out the sides.  You want this to be a tight, long-ish package.  Once that is done, roll the wrapper over and over until you reach the end.  It will stick to the tea towel a bit, but be firm yet gentle with it, and you'll be fine.  Once the roll is complete, set aside on a sheet of either tinfoil or parchment paper.  When you place the next roll down, make sure the rolls do not touch!  They will stick to each other.  Repeat the assembly steps until all of your rolls are made.

I actually made this recipe twice in one week, as I wasn't completely happy with my results the first time - the shrimp needed more flavor, the avocado was under ripe and difficult to eat, etc.  Second time around was perfect, so my pictures below are the best from both experiences.

The setup from attempt number two, as I had all of my ingredients right.  The assembly station, however, was lacking.  Please note the tea towel in the pictures below.

When you soak your rice paper wrappers, you only need to make it pliable, so no more than a few seconds in the water.  It will continue to absorb the excess water after you pull it out.

You'll need to scooch your rice up further than what you see in this picture.  I kind of rolled and pressed my rice towards my body to make the bed.  Also, it's totally up to you which way you want to roll your rolls.  I found rolling them away from me worked best, but the opposite might work best for you.

Sorry for the shoddy camera work on this one.  My camera guy was free. ;-)

Ignore the fact that this one is not on the tea towel.  Make sure to use a tea towel; you will be glad you did!  You can see the filling getting built up and finished here.

*You may be asking, why peanuts?  That's not a traditional sushi ingredient.  No, but nuts are found in many other Asian dishes.  Shrimp and cashews, for instance.  Nuts are for the crunch because I don't think fried shrimp would work well in this application.  Have you ever had cold fried food?  No, thank you.  You can use cashews or a different type of nut if you want, but I like peanuts for this.

I'm not going to lie, the folding takes some practice.  This is the first roll I ever did.  As you can see, it's a bit fat.

This is what you want the roll to look like, minus the tear (I left this sheet in the water too long).

As I said in the recipe, make sire your resting roll are all separated!  See, no one is touching anyone else here.

So what about leftovers?  So not a problem.  Just wrap each roll individually in tinfoil and refrigerate.  You can eat them later cold (the tinfoil keeps in the moisture), or zap them in the microwave for thirty seconds to one minute covered with a wet paper towel.

So how did they turn out?  Magnificent!  I could gorge myself on these.  So many tastes and textures to experience...the tangy creaminess of the cream cheese, the buttery avocado, the salty crunch of the peanuts, the sweetness of the shrimp.  Heaven!  Dang, I gotta go make more right now.  Here I go!