6th Blog Anniversary and a Cookbook Giveaway

My Carolina Kitchen is celebrating its 6th blog anniversary this month. I can hardly believe it’s been six years and that old saying must be true – “time flies when you’re having fun.”  And fun it has been. But for me the best part is the opportunity to get to know you my readers better. The blogging community is such a wonderfully supportive group and it is a real pleasure to be a part of it. Meakin & I have been fortunate to meet many of you in person, often including your spouse and family. We hope to meet even more of you in the future.

To thank my loyal followers, I’m giving away a copy of The Little Paris Kitchen by Rachel Khoo. I first got to know Rachael from her series television series The Little Paris Kitchen. For those of you who may not be familiar with Rachael, she moved to Paris to study patisserie and consequently fell in love with the city. She opened her very own restaurant in Paris in her tiny kitchen there, a very itsy bitsy kitchen in fact. That launched her career and she is now a bestselling author. Her wit and personality will definitely put a smile on your face.

It’s easy to qualify to win the cookbook. All you have to do is be a follower of My Carolina Kitchen and leave a comment below saying so and also what is your favorite French food. Following by email counts too. For an extra chance, follow My Carolina Kitchen on Facebook, but be sure to make that a separate comment. Please leave your comments no later than next Wednesday, November 5 at 5 PM Eastern Standard Time. I will announce the winner here next Thursday, November 6, 2014.

At anniversary time I usually feature the most popular posts from the past. This year I thought it might be fun to talk about one of our favorite places to eat in the Palm Beach area and also one of the surprise recipes that has been a big hit on Pinterest – my sweet & spicy pineapple salsa for a luau that I served at Larry (Big Dude’s) Annual Blogger Get-together at Tellico Lake in eastern Tennessee a couple of years ago when the theme for the party was an Hawaiian Luau, post & pictures here. Larry made smoked pork butts that were wrapped in banana leaves as well as smoked ribs below for the Luau.

It turned out that the sweet & spicy pineapple salsa was a perfect complement to BBQ. The recipe was inspired by a sweet and spicy salsa I first tasted at Little Moir’s Food Shack, a funky fish joint on the east coast of Florida just north of Palm Beach. It blew my socks off from the very first bite. I had never ever tasted anything that even resembled the burst of flavors in the fruit salsa. Moir’s changes the fruit in the salsas depending on the season and what’s the freshest.

Sweet & Spicy Pineapple Salsa/Sambal
My Carolina Kitchen’s version of Fruit Salsa from Little Moir’s Food Shack, Jupiter, Florida – serves 4
Printable Recipe

½ of a pineapple, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 large mango, peeled and chopped
1 tomato, seeded & diced (Roma tomatoes work well)
½ red onion, minced
Juice of ½ to 1 lime or to taste
1 tablespoon hot pepper, such as a jalapeno, minced (or more to taste)
2 rice unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon honey (or more to taste)
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons fresh basil, cut in a chiffonade
Hot sauce, such as Tabasco, as needed

Place first six ingredients in a large bowl and toss gently. In a jar with a tight fitting lid, add the vinegar, olive oil and honey and shake well. Pour over the fruit and season with salt & pepper. Add basil and cilantro and toss gently. Taste the mixture for seasonings and add more hot pepper, lime, or honey to taste. You want a nice balance of sweet and spicy. Sometimes I add a few dashes of hot sauce, such as Tabasco, for more heat. Let mixture stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

This is great with any fish dish and is also incredible served with BBQ.

Photo of Little Moir's Food Shack dining room courtesy of Big Dude's Eclectic Ramblings

Little Moir’s Food Shack is in an ordinary looking strip mall near a Publix Supermarket on the corner of A1A and Indiantown Road in Jupiter, Florida, just north of Palm Beach. You could easily miss it if you weren’t looking for it, but don’t let the looks of the place deceive you. Owner Mike Moir (rhymes with foyer) is the Chef and an absolute genius when it comes to seafood. He calls his cooking style “a simple twist of taste,” but it a far cry from simple taste. The tastes he creates will excite your taste buds and make your mouth sing. The soups change daily and are incredible too. Meakin’s favorite is panko fried oysters over greens, mixed fruit and gorgonzola. My favorite dish is the tuna basil rolls with wasabi dipping sauce served with their spicy fruit salsa (very similar to the pineapple one above) Here’s a link to My Carolina Kitchen’s version of Little Moir’s Food Shack Sweet & Spicy Fruit Salsa.

Little Moir’s Food Shack is a DO NOT MISS if you are in Jupiter, Florida and it’s well worth the short drive north from Palm Beach.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my walk down blog memory lane. Don’t forget to leave a comment to win Rachael Koo’s The Little Paris Kitchen cookbook as a thank you for being a follower of My Carolina Kitchen. How to qualify for the give-away is above. Offer ends next Wednesday, November 5, 2014 at 5 PM Eastern Standard Time. The contest has ended and the winner of the cookbook is Kaye Barley. Congratulations Kaye.

For better viewing, click on photos to enlarge.

This will be shared with Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm, Miz Helen’s Country Kitchen Full Plate Thursday, and Weekend Bites at Simple Recipes.

Have a great weekend everyone & Happy Halloween.