once upon a time...

... there was a battle on Iron Chef America between the Jewish American Princess' two favorite Philadelphia chefs, Jose Garces and Michael Solomonov. While her chambers are fit for a Princess, her cable service is not. And thus, the Princess and her foodie chamber mate headed deep into the city to join Michael Solomonov for a viewing party. The champagne (diet coke) flowed and the caviar (mac and cheese) was divine. It was the perfect Sunday evening, the perfect cap to a delicious weekend. The Princess had previously tried two new spells, from her new spell book of choice, "the heart of the artichoke" by David Tanis. Both were absolute successes.

Fragrant Chicken with Prunes
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"heart of the artichoke" page 256
http://www.mercurynews.com/recipes/ci_16381307?source=sphere_article&nclick_check=1

Following her whirlwind days spent in Morocco, the Princess needed to re-create one of the slow cooked wonders she experienced. It was the perfect mix of sweet and savory. A perfect winter dinner. Serve with homemade couscous.

Rosemary and Scallion Focaccia

"heart of the artichoke" page 167
http://www.scribd.com/doc/37442669/Excerpt-From-Heart-of-the-Artichoke-by-David-Tanis

A dragon that the Princess had never even attempted to slay was bread. Bread always seemed too complex. Bread is like a glass slipper: it has to be perfectly moist, perfectly salted and perfectly fresh. Given her previous successes with David Tanis, the Princess allowed him to lead her into the forbidden cooking forest. She passed her sushi dragon (slayed), the Queen's noodle kugel dragon (slayed. Twice), and then came face to face with the bread dragon. She prevailed and pulled out a wonderfully crusty and warm bread from the oven. The Princess was overjoyed, although nervous about the next dragon on her list...dumplings.

The Jewish American Princess wishes all of her readers a very happy Valentines Day, filled with chocolates and cookie dough. A very special thank you to the King and Queen, who presented the Princess with some delicious treats to ring in the holiday.