Wednesday, November 30, 2005
... except on nights that he comes in the door at 8 pm. Tonight, my parents started a new tradition with Nicholas. They took him to the "yellow star store," as he calls it (more commonly known as Toys 'R Us), to let him pick out some of his Christmas presents. He definitely had fun, and came home with a pre-Christmas gift, a Boohbah
. I know I'm going to be hearing the "Boooooooohbaaaaaaaah" in my sleep tonight.
Ended up getting take-out tonight from Papa Johns for dinner. I've been itching to try a slice of Hawaiian pizza; you know, the kind with BBQ chicken and pineapple. Unfortunately, I've never met anyone adventurous enough to try it with me, but tonight I finally got my chance. Their very-small pizzas are only 5 bucks, so I figured this was my big opportunity, and, you know, it wasn't half-bad. For the less-adventurous, I got our standard black olive pizza, and added bacon to it. Nicholas devoured two whole slices and a breadstick ... guess shopping for Christmas presents worked up an appetite. And then he topped it off with two pieces of their cinnamon pizza, finishing the evening with fruit snacks, pretzels and apple juice as his in-bed snack. Maybe we can finally fill out that little belly of his. ;)
Those Sour Cream Berry Bars were a big hit at both my office and The Neighbors' office today. Our tray was completely obliterated. I snuck two myself. Delicious, and a definite repeater. They are fully of berry goodness, and cut really neatly, and I'm a stickler for that.
OK folks, all for tonight. I'm making it an early one. Today started with a flat tire and a flooded basement and was beyond nuts at work. The perfect kinda day to end with a Pina Colada, which is exactly what I'm doing.
Tune in tomorrow to see the latest nomination for New (to Me) Blogger on the Block Thursday and the round-up of McDonalds Worldwide. I've gotten a bunch of pictures and commentary in already, and it's been quite an education seeing what's on the menu boards at McDonalds around the country. Don't miss it!
Sour Cream Berry Bars
Base and Topping
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
Filling
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup sour cream
1 egg
24 oz. dried mixed berries
Heat oven to 350. In large bowl, combine brown sugar and butter; blend well. Add 1-1/2 cups flour, oats and baking soda; mix until crumbs form. Press half of crumb mixture in bottom of lightly greased 15x10x1 baking pan (I used 10x13); reserve remaining mixture for topping. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in large bowl, combine all filling ingredients except berries; mix well. Stir in berries. Remove pan from oven. Pour filling mixture over partially baked crust. Crumble and sprinkle remaining half of crumb mixture over filling. Return to oven. Bake an additional 25-35 minutes or until center is set. Cool 1-1/2 hours or until completely cooled. Cut into bars. Store in refrigerator.
. I know I'm going to be hearing the "Boooooooohbaaaaaaaah" in my sleep tonight.Ended up getting take-out tonight from Papa Johns for dinner. I've been itching to try a slice of Hawaiian pizza; you know, the kind with BBQ chicken and pineapple. Unfortunately, I've never met anyone adventurous enough to try it with me, but tonight I finally got my chance. Their very-small pizzas are only 5 bucks, so I figured this was my big opportunity, and, you know, it wasn't half-bad. For the less-adventurous, I got our standard black olive pizza, and added bacon to it. Nicholas devoured two whole slices and a breadstick ... guess shopping for Christmas presents worked up an appetite. And then he topped it off with two pieces of their cinnamon pizza, finishing the evening with fruit snacks, pretzels and apple juice as his in-bed snack. Maybe we can finally fill out that little belly of his. ;)
Those Sour Cream Berry Bars were a big hit at both my office and The Neighbors' office today. Our tray was completely obliterated. I snuck two myself. Delicious, and a definite repeater. They are fully of berry goodness, and cut really neatly, and I'm a stickler for that.
OK folks, all for tonight. I'm making it an early one. Today started with a flat tire and a flooded basement and was beyond nuts at work. The perfect kinda day to end with a Pina Colada, which is exactly what I'm doing.
Tune in tomorrow to see the latest nomination for New (to Me) Blogger on the Block Thursday and the round-up of McDonalds Worldwide. I've gotten a bunch of pictures and commentary in already, and it's been quite an education seeing what's on the menu boards at McDonalds around the country. Don't miss it!
Sour Cream Berry Bars
Base and Topping
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
Filling
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup sour cream
1 egg
24 oz. dried mixed berries
Heat oven to 350. In large bowl, combine brown sugar and butter; blend well. Add 1-1/2 cups flour, oats and baking soda; mix until crumbs form. Press half of crumb mixture in bottom of lightly greased 15x10x1 baking pan (I used 10x13); reserve remaining mixture for topping. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in large bowl, combine all filling ingredients except berries; mix well. Stir in berries. Remove pan from oven. Pour filling mixture over partially baked crust. Crumble and sprinkle remaining half of crumb mixture over filling. Return to oven. Bake an additional 25-35 minutes or until center is set. Cool 1-1/2 hours or until completely cooled. Cut into bars. Store in refrigerator.
| link | posted at 9:04 PM
3 comments
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
It never ceases to amaze me how quietly perceptive kids are. The other day, we went to the grocery store to pick up a few things. I never said what store we were in. When we were getting in the car, Nicholas told me that he doesn't like that store. I laughed and said, "Why not? You don't even know what store we were in. What's the store's name?" He giggled and said, "Shop Rite, Mama!" with a big implied "DUH!" thrown into his tone. I asked him which food store he liked better and he responded, "A&P!" When I asked him why, he said because Shop-Rites are dirty. Now, unfortunately, with a few of them, he's right. Funny that a three-year-old would even notice such a thing.
Tonight when we were making dinner, he told me to make sure to save some of the "special ham" that we were using for The Husband, because "it's his favorite." We were using Prosciutto, and it's definitely a favorite of The Husband's, though I don't think we've ever had any great big conversations about it. They really are like sponges, soaking up every little thing.
Today he was playing around with my camera again, and got a few great shots. I think, though, to protect my camera, I might have to buy him one of those disposable digital cameras. He loves to see the picture he takes right away. Here's a "self-portrait" he took. He hasn't grasped the whole aiming thing, but 1 out of every 4, is a lucky shot, but a great one just the same. His self-portrait:
If I didn't know better, I'd have a hard time recognizing him. It kinda looks like one of his baby pictures...
So yesterday I made a new Treats to Work Monday recipe for The Neighbor to take to work, and it was a no go (Caramel Apple Cake). I didn't have any, but the feedback was that it was overly sweet and didn't present well. These guys are turning into great food critics. Of course, the cook in me can't bear to have the memory of a bad treat lingering in their minds, so I set to work tonight to redeem myself. I made Cinnamon Chip Applesauce Coffeecake (which we'll have to rename because the title is just ridiculously long). The Neighbor came over to pick up the treats and we both had a quick taste and these will pass muster. We also sampled the Sour Cream Berry Bars I made last night, and those are delicious too. She's taking half of each recipe into work, and so am I. Phew, gotta regain my standing at The Neighbor's office! If today's day at work is any indication of what tomorrow will be like, I'm going to need extra sugar infusions tomorrow. The end of the month is always pressure-filled, and to top it off, it's the end of the year, AND we're doing interviews this week. It just does not get more fun than this folks. Sugar in any form is desperately needed, IVs even better.
Dinner tonight was Toasted Penne with Gorgonzola. The recipe comes from an Italian cooking magazine and the pasta cooks very differently than you would normally prepare it. You put it in a pan with a little garlic, olive oil and a cup of chicken broth and boil until the broth disappears. Then you add another cup of broth, boil until it disappears, and again and again, 4 cups total. Very similar to risotto preparation, I really liked what it did to the pasta. It left it slightly more cooked than al dente, with a lot of flavor because it's cooking in broth, instead of traditional water. I halved the gorgonzola it called for, and that was still way too much. I'll definitely make this recipe again, but I'll nix the gorgonzola completely, and take it in an entirely different direction and add spinach instead. I think the cooking method is definitely worth repeating though.
OK folks, all for tonight. Until tomorrow...
Toasted Penne with Gorgonzola
1/4 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, diced
1 cup chopped prosciutto
1/2 lb penne
1/3 cup pine nuts
4 cups chicken broth, divided
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup brandy
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
1/2 cup chopped parsley
In a large skillet, combine olive oil, garlic and prosciutto. Cook on medium-low heat for 7-8 minutes. Add the penne and pine nuts, stirring well to coat. Add 1 cup broth and bring to a boil. Stir to coat and cook until broth almost evaporates. Repeat process with remaining 3 cups of broth until broth is totally absorbed. Add lemon juice, brandy, salt and pepper; stir well to coat. Let liquid cook down. Stir in gorgonzola and parsley. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.
Sweetnicks Notes: Skip gorgonzola completely next time and use spinach instead, heating through until wilted. Didn't add parsley.
Cinnamon Chip Applesauce Coffeecake
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup applesauce
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 2/3 cups cinnamon chips
1 cup chopped pecans
GLAZE:
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons water
Heat oven to 350F. Lightly grease 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl on medium speed of mixer until well blended. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Mix in applesauce. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in cinnamon chips and pecans, if desired. Spread into prepared pan. Bake 30-35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Easy Glaze: Stir together 3/4 cup powdered sugar and 1 to 2 tablespoons warm water.
Tonight when we were making dinner, he told me to make sure to save some of the "special ham" that we were using for The Husband, because "it's his favorite." We were using Prosciutto, and it's definitely a favorite of The Husband's, though I don't think we've ever had any great big conversations about it. They really are like sponges, soaking up every little thing.
Today he was playing around with my camera again, and got a few great shots. I think, though, to protect my camera, I might have to buy him one of those disposable digital cameras. He loves to see the picture he takes right away. Here's a "self-portrait" he took. He hasn't grasped the whole aiming thing, but 1 out of every 4, is a lucky shot, but a great one just the same. His self-portrait:
If I didn't know better, I'd have a hard time recognizing him. It kinda looks like one of his baby pictures...
So yesterday I made a new Treats to Work Monday recipe for The Neighbor to take to work, and it was a no go (Caramel Apple Cake). I didn't have any, but the feedback was that it was overly sweet and didn't present well. These guys are turning into great food critics. Of course, the cook in me can't bear to have the memory of a bad treat lingering in their minds, so I set to work tonight to redeem myself. I made Cinnamon Chip Applesauce Coffeecake (which we'll have to rename because the title is just ridiculously long). The Neighbor came over to pick up the treats and we both had a quick taste and these will pass muster. We also sampled the Sour Cream Berry Bars I made last night, and those are delicious too. She's taking half of each recipe into work, and so am I. Phew, gotta regain my standing at The Neighbor's office! If today's day at work is any indication of what tomorrow will be like, I'm going to need extra sugar infusions tomorrow. The end of the month is always pressure-filled, and to top it off, it's the end of the year, AND we're doing interviews this week. It just does not get more fun than this folks. Sugar in any form is desperately needed, IVs even better.
Dinner tonight was Toasted Penne with Gorgonzola. The recipe comes from an Italian cooking magazine and the pasta cooks very differently than you would normally prepare it. You put it in a pan with a little garlic, olive oil and a cup of chicken broth and boil until the broth disappears. Then you add another cup of broth, boil until it disappears, and again and again, 4 cups total. Very similar to risotto preparation, I really liked what it did to the pasta. It left it slightly more cooked than al dente, with a lot of flavor because it's cooking in broth, instead of traditional water. I halved the gorgonzola it called for, and that was still way too much. I'll definitely make this recipe again, but I'll nix the gorgonzola completely, and take it in an entirely different direction and add spinach instead. I think the cooking method is definitely worth repeating though.
OK folks, all for tonight. Until tomorrow...
Toasted Penne with Gorgonzola
1/4 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, diced
1 cup chopped prosciutto
1/2 lb penne
1/3 cup pine nuts
4 cups chicken broth, divided
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup brandy
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
1/2 cup chopped parsley
In a large skillet, combine olive oil, garlic and prosciutto. Cook on medium-low heat for 7-8 minutes. Add the penne and pine nuts, stirring well to coat. Add 1 cup broth and bring to a boil. Stir to coat and cook until broth almost evaporates. Repeat process with remaining 3 cups of broth until broth is totally absorbed. Add lemon juice, brandy, salt and pepper; stir well to coat. Let liquid cook down. Stir in gorgonzola and parsley. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.
Sweetnicks Notes: Skip gorgonzola completely next time and use spinach instead, heating through until wilted. Didn't add parsley.
Cinnamon Chip Applesauce Coffeecake
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup applesauce
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 2/3 cups cinnamon chips
1 cup chopped pecans
GLAZE:
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons water
Heat oven to 350F. Lightly grease 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl on medium speed of mixer until well blended. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Mix in applesauce. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in cinnamon chips and pecans, if desired. Spread into prepared pan. Bake 30-35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Easy Glaze: Stir together 3/4 cup powdered sugar and 1 to 2 tablespoons warm water.
| link | posted at 8:53 PM
Monday, November 28, 2005
Sorry, must be the constant sound of football droning in the background... not a big fan of football season, but, of course, The Husband is.
OK, onto one of my favorite topics > FOOD! As promised, it was a big leftover night tonight, and by the looks of the fridge, tomorrow will be the same. Just can't see enough light in there yet.
I did, however, make two new recipes tonight. I made Mussel Chowder to start dinner off and it was yummy. Very simple to make, light and creamy. I think next time I make it, I'm going to add a smidge of sour cream just to thicken it a bit and a little less vegetables. Surprisingly enough, The Husband had a whole bowl of it, veggies be darned! It says 8 servings for a starter, but I halved the recipe and there was enough for 3 starters, so take caution when figuring out quantity on this one.
I also made Sour Cream Cherry Bars to take to my office tomorrow. Figured while I was making the chowder, I might as well make something else, right? Never was too good at being idle much, and this recipe's been clipped on my fridge for awhile now and it was past time for it to come off. Haven't tried it yet, so I'll have to report on its worthiness tomorrow.
Until tomorrow...
Mussel Chowder
4 1/2 lb mussels (preferably cultivated), cleaned and steamed, using half white wine and half water and reserving cooking liquid
2 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), finely chopped
2 medium carrots, finely chopped
2 large orange bell peppers, finely chopped
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup heavy cream
Accompaniment: crusty bread
Pour reserved mussel cooking liquid through a fine sieve lined with a dampened paper towel into a bowl. Set aside 24 mussels in their shells, then shuck remainder and halve them crosswise. Wash chopped leeks in a bowl of cold water, then lift out and drain well.
Cook leeks, carrots, bell peppers, and shallot with salt and pepper in butter and oil in a 5-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook, uncovered, stirring, 1 minute. Add strained mussel cooking liquid and wine and simmer 10 minutes.
Stir in halved mussels and cream and simmer, stirring, 5 minutes. Add reserved mussels in their shells and simmer until just heated through, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.
Makes 8 first-course servings.
Gourmet, April 2002
OK, onto one of my favorite topics > FOOD! As promised, it was a big leftover night tonight, and by the looks of the fridge, tomorrow will be the same. Just can't see enough light in there yet.
I did, however, make two new recipes tonight. I made Mussel Chowder to start dinner off and it was yummy. Very simple to make, light and creamy. I think next time I make it, I'm going to add a smidge of sour cream just to thicken it a bit and a little less vegetables. Surprisingly enough, The Husband had a whole bowl of it, veggies be darned! It says 8 servings for a starter, but I halved the recipe and there was enough for 3 starters, so take caution when figuring out quantity on this one.
I also made Sour Cream Cherry Bars to take to my office tomorrow. Figured while I was making the chowder, I might as well make something else, right? Never was too good at being idle much, and this recipe's been clipped on my fridge for awhile now and it was past time for it to come off. Haven't tried it yet, so I'll have to report on its worthiness tomorrow.Until tomorrow...
Mussel Chowder
4 1/2 lb mussels (preferably cultivated), cleaned and steamed, using half white wine and half water and reserving cooking liquid
2 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), finely chopped
2 medium carrots, finely chopped
2 large orange bell peppers, finely chopped
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup heavy cream
Accompaniment: crusty bread
Pour reserved mussel cooking liquid through a fine sieve lined with a dampened paper towel into a bowl. Set aside 24 mussels in their shells, then shuck remainder and halve them crosswise. Wash chopped leeks in a bowl of cold water, then lift out and drain well.
Cook leeks, carrots, bell peppers, and shallot with salt and pepper in butter and oil in a 5-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook, uncovered, stirring, 1 minute. Add strained mussel cooking liquid and wine and simmer 10 minutes.
Stir in halved mussels and cream and simmer, stirring, 5 minutes. Add reserved mussels in their shells and simmer until just heated through, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.
Makes 8 first-course servings.
Gourmet, April 2002
| link | posted at 8:49 PM
Sunday, November 27, 2005
For The Neighbors Dine Over Sunday, The Husband and I joined forces on the menu tonight. He offered to make his Roast Pork and asked if I'd make my Cuban Black Beans to go with his rice. He says it tastes very close to his grandmother's recipe, and that's quite a compliment. It takes 6+ hours to make, but well worth the effort, especially since it needs very little babysitting. I also added in some Brown Sugar Glazed Sweet Potatoes, since I still had some sweet potatoes leftover from Thanksgiving. A favorite recipe of mine, it's sweet, without being overly sweet, and a tried-and-true.
I had a menu planned for tomorrow night, but am shifting it to Tuesday instead. There's just no way I could fit anything else in the kitchen refrigerator, so tomorrow is going to be a desperately needed Leftover Day. One of the new recipes I had planned for tomorrow is Mussel Chowder, and since fresh seafood has a short life and I already have them, I'll still make this. I've not only planned the rest of the week's menu, I had all the groceries delivered for it this morning, so I'm in really good shape.
For Treats to Work Monday, I made a new recipe, Caramel Pecan Apple Cake. I told The Neighbor she had to save me a piece since it looked so darn good, I wanted to make sure to do some official taste-tasting myself. All in the name of research...
OK folks, all for tonight, so I can leave you with the round-up for Weekend Dog Blogging (WDB) #11. Quite a bunch of pups tonight, I think this might be a record for participants. If cats are more your thing, make sure to hop on over to Clare's site and check out her Weekend Cat Blogging round-up, and then join in the fun at Kalyn's Kitchen for Weekend Herb Blogging.
Just look at this face! Ivor is a newcomer to WDB and joins us from The Kitchen Journal:
The Cold War thaws out a bit amongst the pet population over at Dispensing Happiness:
WDB newcomers #3, meet Mimi and Rufus from Unami
I think Lulu from Why Travel to France sure gets around a lot more than I do -- what a well-traveled dog!
Piggy and Letta checking in from Something So Clever:
Begging for a belly rub, Max from Culinary in the Desert:
Truly knowing the definition of fun, a newcomer from the famous Becks & Posh:
Just a Sunday stroll from The Cooking Adventures of Chef Paz:
Ziggy from Soul Fusion Kitchen having some good old fashioned fun:
Bear, giving new meaning to the term "working girl," over at Farmgirl Fare, planting some garlic. Hey, can I put my order in now?
Geesh, I wish our Eli could fit in our sink - would save us a bundle at the groomers! Sammy checking in from Taste Everything Once:
The dogs at Musings kicking back over the holiday:
Ditters from A Little Bit of Everything looking quite comfy:
Our last newcomer for this week, check out the beautiful dogs from Forest Walks:
And continually amazing me with his Dog Coordination Abilities, here are the pups from Rob Wonton:
And last, but not least, our submissions. We were dogsitting my parents' dog, Beauregard, this weekend, and you can tell our new kitten, Sugar, was pretty fearless. Here's how they spent their Saturday afternoon. I know, it's a rough life, isn't it?
And Nicholas loves taking pictures now, of course with my nice new camera, but check out the shot he got of Beau on Thanksgiving. Not bad, eh?
I had a menu planned for tomorrow night, but am shifting it to Tuesday instead. There's just no way I could fit anything else in the kitchen refrigerator, so tomorrow is going to be a desperately needed Leftover Day. One of the new recipes I had planned for tomorrow is Mussel Chowder, and since fresh seafood has a short life and I already have them, I'll still make this. I've not only planned the rest of the week's menu, I had all the groceries delivered for it this morning, so I'm in really good shape.
For Treats to Work Monday, I made a new recipe, Caramel Pecan Apple Cake. I told The Neighbor she had to save me a piece since it looked so darn good, I wanted to make sure to do some official taste-tasting myself. All in the name of research...
OK folks, all for tonight, so I can leave you with the round-up for Weekend Dog Blogging (WDB) #11. Quite a bunch of pups tonight, I think this might be a record for participants. If cats are more your thing, make sure to hop on over to Clare's site and check out her Weekend Cat Blogging round-up, and then join in the fun at Kalyn's Kitchen for Weekend Herb Blogging.
Just look at this face! Ivor is a newcomer to WDB and joins us from The Kitchen Journal:
The Cold War thaws out a bit amongst the pet population over at Dispensing Happiness:
WDB newcomers #3, meet Mimi and Rufus from Unami
I think Lulu from Why Travel to France sure gets around a lot more than I do -- what a well-traveled dog!
Piggy and Letta checking in from Something So Clever:
Begging for a belly rub, Max from Culinary in the Desert:
Truly knowing the definition of fun, a newcomer from the famous Becks & Posh:
Just a Sunday stroll from The Cooking Adventures of Chef Paz:
Ziggy from Soul Fusion Kitchen having some good old fashioned fun:
Bear, giving new meaning to the term "working girl," over at Farmgirl Fare, planting some garlic. Hey, can I put my order in now?
Geesh, I wish our Eli could fit in our sink - would save us a bundle at the groomers! Sammy checking in from Taste Everything Once:
The dogs at Musings kicking back over the holiday:
Ditters from A Little Bit of Everything looking quite comfy:
Our last newcomer for this week, check out the beautiful dogs from Forest Walks:
And continually amazing me with his Dog Coordination Abilities, here are the pups from Rob Wonton:
And last, but not least, our submissions. We were dogsitting my parents' dog, Beauregard, this weekend, and you can tell our new kitten, Sugar, was pretty fearless. Here's how they spent their Saturday afternoon. I know, it's a rough life, isn't it?
And Nicholas loves taking pictures now, of course with my nice new camera, but check out the shot he got of Beau on Thanksgiving. Not bad, eh?
| link | posted at 8:35 PM
Saturday, November 26, 2005
The Neighbor and I caught an episode of Oprah last week where Rachael Ray was on, giving all sorts of time-saving tips on throwing a party. Oprah played bartender for the party and revealed her newest favorite cocktail, Oprah's Pomegranate Martinis, and in Rachael Ray-speak - Yum-O! I think I have found our cocktail for the upcoming Christmas Eve festivities, and the drink for our December Supper Club.
I've gotten The Neighbor hooked on paninis and she invited us over tonight for dinner. She made Turkey, Prosciutto and Cheddar Paninis (delish) and Nachos.
I added some leftover Cranberry Broccoli Salad, leftover dessert (hey, the leftovers have to be eaten sometime and we can't get through them all ourselves!) and we kicked off the evening with Oprah's Pomegranate Martinis. I was expecting them to be on the tart side, but they're not at all, sliding down real easily, almost like a light fruit punch. Read: you have to watch carefully otherwise the alcohol might sneak up on you! All in all, a nice evening.
We've already planned the menu for tomorrow night's The Neighbors Dine Over Sunday, and even better than that, I've already planned 3 dinners for the week, the treats for Treats to the Office Monday AND ordered all my groceries for delivery tomorrow. Not too shabby.
And not to be outdone in the "getting ahead of ourselves" game, The Husband spent a lot of time today getting our Christmas decorations out and put up. Just a few more things, including buying the tree, and we're actually ready ahead of time ... for once.
Tune in tomorrow to find out what hits the table for dinner. In the meantime, I'll leave you with the recipe for the Potatoes Au Gratin that we had for Thanksgiving, Oprah's recipe and a picture from last night's Friday Night Date Night. Don't forget to send in your pup pics. Until then...
OK, a seriously mixed-up pair. Nicholas is wearing a pair of my shoes, albeit on the wrong feet, and The Girlfriend is wearing a pair of Nicholas' flip-flops (perfect for 25 degree weather), but although they're on the right feet, they're from 2 different pairs. These two were definitely made for each other. :)
Potatoes Au Gratin
2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
salt to taste
Wash potatoes and slice very thin or cut into small cubes. Whisk together cream, garlic, white pepper and salt. Add potatoes and stir, making sure each one is coated. Generously grease a casserole dish. Using a slotted spoon, lift the potatoes out of the cream mixture into the casserole dish. Pour the cream over the potatoes. Bake at 350 for an hour, or until the potatoes are fork tender. Serve steaming hot.
Oprah's Pomegranate Martini
Serves 2
1 1/2 cups pomegranate juice
2 oz. Absolute Citron vodka OR white tequila
1 oz. Cointreau liquor
Cup of ice
Optional: Splash of sparkling water
Optional: Squeeze of lemon
Shake ingredients in a shaker and put in chilled martini glasses. Put pomegranate fruit into glass as garnish.
I've gotten The Neighbor hooked on paninis and she invited us over tonight for dinner. She made Turkey, Prosciutto and Cheddar Paninis (delish) and Nachos.
I added some leftover Cranberry Broccoli Salad, leftover dessert (hey, the leftovers have to be eaten sometime and we can't get through them all ourselves!) and we kicked off the evening with Oprah's Pomegranate Martinis. I was expecting them to be on the tart side, but they're not at all, sliding down real easily, almost like a light fruit punch. Read: you have to watch carefully otherwise the alcohol might sneak up on you! All in all, a nice evening.We've already planned the menu for tomorrow night's The Neighbors Dine Over Sunday, and even better than that, I've already planned 3 dinners for the week, the treats for Treats to the Office Monday AND ordered all my groceries for delivery tomorrow. Not too shabby.
And not to be outdone in the "getting ahead of ourselves" game, The Husband spent a lot of time today getting our Christmas decorations out and put up. Just a few more things, including buying the tree, and we're actually ready ahead of time ... for once.
Tune in tomorrow to find out what hits the table for dinner. In the meantime, I'll leave you with the recipe for the Potatoes Au Gratin that we had for Thanksgiving, Oprah's recipe and a picture from last night's Friday Night Date Night. Don't forget to send in your pup pics. Until then...
OK, a seriously mixed-up pair. Nicholas is wearing a pair of my shoes, albeit on the wrong feet, and The Girlfriend is wearing a pair of Nicholas' flip-flops (perfect for 25 degree weather), but although they're on the right feet, they're from 2 different pairs. These two were definitely made for each other. :)Potatoes Au Gratin
2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
salt to taste
Wash potatoes and slice very thin or cut into small cubes. Whisk together cream, garlic, white pepper and salt. Add potatoes and stir, making sure each one is coated. Generously grease a casserole dish. Using a slotted spoon, lift the potatoes out of the cream mixture into the casserole dish. Pour the cream over the potatoes. Bake at 350 for an hour, or until the potatoes are fork tender. Serve steaming hot.
Oprah's Pomegranate Martini
Serves 2
1 1/2 cups pomegranate juice
2 oz. Absolute Citron vodka OR white tequila
1 oz. Cointreau liquor
Cup of ice
Optional: Splash of sparkling water
Optional: Squeeze of lemon
Shake ingredients in a shaker and put in chilled martini glasses. Put pomegranate fruit into glass as garnish.
| link | posted at 10:57 PM
Friday, November 25, 2005
OK, I don't know about other food bloggers, but the Hello software is having major issues, so y'all are going to have to settle for one picture for now until I can get it to cooperate. Here's The Husband's delicious turkey from yesterday. I think this one is the best he's done yet - incredibly tender, moist and juicy, even the white meat.
With it being Thanksgiving yesterday, I neglected to highlight this week's New (to Me) Blogger on the Block Thursday, so without further ado, I am introducing you to Maona, a new Hawaiian food blogger on the blogosphere. I love the name of his site; Maona is defined, in Hawaiian, as "satisfied after eating; to eat one's fill." Simply perfect, and the name (as I'm pronouncing it in my head) seems very poetic. As I know very little about Hawaiian food, I'm looking forward to seeing what exciting Hawaiian delicacies he introduces us to. Check out his site when you get a chance.
The kids had their Friday Night Date Night tonight, and once Hello cooperates, I have an adorable picture of them to share. The Husband, was out tonight, being feted by his old employees at a goodbye dinner, since he starts a new job on Monday. The second time he's conveniently missed Friday Night Date Night when it's OUR turn to host the kids here ... hmmmm. Anyways, the kids had tortellini (you know me ... The Husband's not home, it must be tortellini time!), chicken nuggets, clementine oranges and cheese sticks. They ate pretty well, and played even better.
And speaking of kids' eating, I have been officially dubbed a Sneaky Mom! This type of sneakiness is one I'm definitely intending to continue to work on ... any way I can get those veggies in Nicholas' belly is A-OK by me, slyness be darned!
OK folks, all for tonight. WDB #11 (Weekend Dog Blogging) is upon us, so if you have a cute pup and you'd like to show him off, e-mail me the jpeg, post a link to my site on yours, and check in Sunday night for the round-up. I've already got my picture all done (ahead of the game, for once!), and it's a cute one, and not even our dog! Also make sure to check in and participate at Clare's site for Weekend Cat Blogging and Kalyn's Kitchen for Weekend Herb Blogging.
Until tomorrow ... I'll leave you with my tried-and-true recipe for Cranberry Conserve. Give it a whirl -- it'll make a convert out of you. Until next time...
Cranberry Conserve
4 cups fresh cranberries
2 oranges, peeled, sliced and quartered
1 cup raisins
1-1/4 cups water
1 cup chopped pecans
2-1/2 cups sugar
In large saucepan, combine cranberries, oranges, raisins and water. Simmer until cranberries are soft (until they split) - this should take about 20-30 minutes. Add pecans and sugar, stir well and simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring often. Cool, then spoon into containers and chill. Stays good for about two weeks.
With it being Thanksgiving yesterday, I neglected to highlight this week's New (to Me) Blogger on the Block Thursday, so without further ado, I am introducing you to Maona, a new Hawaiian food blogger on the blogosphere. I love the name of his site; Maona is defined, in Hawaiian, as "satisfied after eating; to eat one's fill." Simply perfect, and the name (as I'm pronouncing it in my head) seems very poetic. As I know very little about Hawaiian food, I'm looking forward to seeing what exciting Hawaiian delicacies he introduces us to. Check out his site when you get a chance.
The kids had their Friday Night Date Night tonight, and once Hello cooperates, I have an adorable picture of them to share. The Husband, was out tonight, being feted by his old employees at a goodbye dinner, since he starts a new job on Monday. The second time he's conveniently missed Friday Night Date Night when it's OUR turn to host the kids here ... hmmmm. Anyways, the kids had tortellini (you know me ... The Husband's not home, it must be tortellini time!), chicken nuggets, clementine oranges and cheese sticks. They ate pretty well, and played even better.
And speaking of kids' eating, I have been officially dubbed a Sneaky Mom! This type of sneakiness is one I'm definitely intending to continue to work on ... any way I can get those veggies in Nicholas' belly is A-OK by me, slyness be darned!
OK folks, all for tonight. WDB #11 (Weekend Dog Blogging) is upon us, so if you have a cute pup and you'd like to show him off, e-mail me the jpeg, post a link to my site on yours, and check in Sunday night for the round-up. I've already got my picture all done (ahead of the game, for once!), and it's a cute one, and not even our dog! Also make sure to check in and participate at Clare's site for Weekend Cat Blogging and Kalyn's Kitchen for Weekend Herb Blogging.
Until tomorrow ... I'll leave you with my tried-and-true recipe for Cranberry Conserve. Give it a whirl -- it'll make a convert out of you. Until next time...
Cranberry Conserve
4 cups fresh cranberries
2 oranges, peeled, sliced and quartered
1 cup raisins
1-1/4 cups water
1 cup chopped pecans
2-1/2 cups sugar
In large saucepan, combine cranberries, oranges, raisins and water. Simmer until cranberries are soft (until they split) - this should take about 20-30 minutes. Add pecans and sugar, stir well and simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring often. Cool, then spoon into containers and chill. Stays good for about two weeks.
| link | posted at 11:59 PM
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Thanksgiving 2005 has come and gone. Guests have left, and I have one more load to go in the dishwasher. This was actually the least-stressful Thanksgiving I've ever had, cooking-wise. Don't know if I was just better organized, or what, but I'll take it.
Everyone is stuffed, beyond stuffed, and the refrigerator is bulging with yummy leftovers, even after I sent a bunch of stuff to The Neighbors and home with my parents.
Most of the recipes for tonight were Tried-and-Trues, with actually only one new recipe today. I made a few slight menu changes, because there were some leftovers from yesterday's office Thanksgiving feast, and I ended up taking home Sweet Potatoes and Corn.
Here's the final rundown on what we feasted on:
Served with warm, sliced baguettes before dinner:
Brown Sugar Almond Brie (I love this one!)
Sun-Dried Tomato Dip
Butternut, Goat Cheese and Walnut Spread (this was the new recipe and will definitely be repeated - even Nicholas liked it!)
Sausage Cheese Puffs - a great comfort food starter
Cranberry Conserve (I'm not a fan of cranberries, but this recipe will make a convert out of anyone)
Cranberry Broccoli Salad (another one that Nicholas ate, sneaking those veggies in yet again)
The Husband's delicious turkey
Potatoes Au Gratin (with 2 cups of heavy cream, you can't go wrong with this one)
And then Mom brought Flan, Pecan Pie and Pumpkin Pie.
A delicious meal, and I wouldn't change a thing.
On that note, Nicholas has just informed me that it's "past my bedtime!" and I'm not arguing with that. I'll post the pictures tomorrow -- got them all loaded but the blogging component is having "issues" tonight.
Until tomorrow... tune in for Friday Night Date Night escapdes.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Cranberry Broccoli Salad
1-1/4 cups fresh cranberries, chopped
1/4 cup sugar
4 cups broccoli florets
4 cups coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage with carrots)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
6 slices of bacon, crisp-cooked, drained and crumbled (I double the amount of bacon)
Dressing:
1 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
In a small bowl, combine the fresh cranberries and sugar; cover and chill in fridge until serving time (berries will juice out). In a large bowl, combine broccoli, shredded cabbage, walnuts, raisins and onion. To make dressing, combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Pour over the salad and mix. Chill covered at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. Just before serving, gently fold in bacon and cranberry mixture.
Everyone is stuffed, beyond stuffed, and the refrigerator is bulging with yummy leftovers, even after I sent a bunch of stuff to The Neighbors and home with my parents.
Most of the recipes for tonight were Tried-and-Trues, with actually only one new recipe today. I made a few slight menu changes, because there were some leftovers from yesterday's office Thanksgiving feast, and I ended up taking home Sweet Potatoes and Corn.
Here's the final rundown on what we feasted on:
Served with warm, sliced baguettes before dinner:
Brown Sugar Almond Brie (I love this one!)
Sun-Dried Tomato Dip
Butternut, Goat Cheese and Walnut Spread (this was the new recipe and will definitely be repeated - even Nicholas liked it!)
Sausage Cheese Puffs - a great comfort food starter
Cranberry Conserve (I'm not a fan of cranberries, but this recipe will make a convert out of anyone)
Cranberry Broccoli Salad (another one that Nicholas ate, sneaking those veggies in yet again)
The Husband's delicious turkey
Potatoes Au Gratin (with 2 cups of heavy cream, you can't go wrong with this one)
And then Mom brought Flan, Pecan Pie and Pumpkin Pie.
A delicious meal, and I wouldn't change a thing.
On that note, Nicholas has just informed me that it's "past my bedtime!" and I'm not arguing with that. I'll post the pictures tomorrow -- got them all loaded but the blogging component is having "issues" tonight.
Until tomorrow... tune in for Friday Night Date Night escapdes.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Cranberry Broccoli Salad
1-1/4 cups fresh cranberries, chopped
1/4 cup sugar
4 cups broccoli florets
4 cups coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage with carrots)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
6 slices of bacon, crisp-cooked, drained and crumbled (I double the amount of bacon)
Dressing:
1 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
In a small bowl, combine the fresh cranberries and sugar; cover and chill in fridge until serving time (berries will juice out). In a large bowl, combine broccoli, shredded cabbage, walnuts, raisins and onion. To make dressing, combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Pour over the salad and mix. Chill covered at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. Just before serving, gently fold in bacon and cranberry mixture.
| link | posted at 9:12 PM
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
... and then there was none. Had hoped to get a headstart on Thanksgiving cooking tonight, but that plan fell further by the wayside as the evening progressed. Had an after-work hair cut appointment, then ran into a local produce store to pick up a few things and by the time I made it home, it was already past 7 pm. Dinner tonight was Chinese take-out, or as Nicholas calls it, "dinner from the chicken and rice man." That totally hit the spot. One thing I missed on the cruise was Chinese food, believe it or not. They had a great selection of Indian choices, and sushi, but no Chinese. Anyways, I digress...
By the time I wolfed down my food and got the groceries put away (my first home delivery of groceries -- double yay!!), it was nearly 9 pm! How the heck did THAT happen? I just don't have the energy to start cooking tonight, so figured I'd turn in early, get a good night's sleep and start the day off with a bang tomorrow. Guests aren't coming until 4 pm, so I have plenty of time.
The Husband's area of expertise since we've been together is the turkey. He's perfected a "low and slow" method that works well for both of us. He cooks it overnight at a low temperature, so by the time we wake up, the wonderful smell of perfectly roasted turkey starts our day. In fact, I can smell it now.... mmmmm. This method also works out great for me because it frees up the oven so I can get all my cooking done without having to work around the turkey taking up so much space. Perfect.
So to all my fellow cooks that are already knee-deep in a cooking frenzy, may you have lump-free gravy, achieve the perfect sweet/tart combination for your cranberries, have a perfectly golden color on your turkey (or tofurky, Stephanie!) and enjoy homemade whipped cream atop your pumpkin pie tomorrow. And remember the most important rule of cooking for the holidays ... relax and make sure to take time to enjoy the holiday yourself. I know I will!
Happy Thanksgiving to all those who celebrate it ... and to those that don't, you can get to bed early for the shopping madness that ensues Friday!
Until tomorrow...
By the time I wolfed down my food and got the groceries put away (my first home delivery of groceries -- double yay!!), it was nearly 9 pm! How the heck did THAT happen? I just don't have the energy to start cooking tonight, so figured I'd turn in early, get a good night's sleep and start the day off with a bang tomorrow. Guests aren't coming until 4 pm, so I have plenty of time.
The Husband's area of expertise since we've been together is the turkey. He's perfected a "low and slow" method that works well for both of us. He cooks it overnight at a low temperature, so by the time we wake up, the wonderful smell of perfectly roasted turkey starts our day. In fact, I can smell it now.... mmmmm. This method also works out great for me because it frees up the oven so I can get all my cooking done without having to work around the turkey taking up so much space. Perfect.
So to all my fellow cooks that are already knee-deep in a cooking frenzy, may you have lump-free gravy, achieve the perfect sweet/tart combination for your cranberries, have a perfectly golden color on your turkey (or tofurky, Stephanie!) and enjoy homemade whipped cream atop your pumpkin pie tomorrow. And remember the most important rule of cooking for the holidays ... relax and make sure to take time to enjoy the holiday yourself. I know I will!
Happy Thanksgiving to all those who celebrate it ... and to those that don't, you can get to bed early for the shopping madness that ensues Friday!
Until tomorrow...
| link | posted at 10:01 PM
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
In the latest submission for Ripley's Believe It or Not, The Neighbor actually cooked for US tonight! Last night, she made a big batch of stuffed shells, and dropped off half of it for dinner tonight, which worked out perfectly since I wasn't home for dinner. I could get used to that!
I may never set foot in a grocery store again ... one of our local grocery stores has FINALLY jumped on the "home delivery" bandwagon and I just placed my first order. Keeps me out of the grocery store tomorrow during the mad Thanksgiving rush, and even better, they'll bring all the groceries up the 30 steps to our front door. Definitely cannot beat that! I could get very used to this. It took me just a few minutes to place my order, and I can still take advantage of the weekly specials. Very cool, and about time. It's been in other areas for awhile, but even though we're in a pretty populated area, it has been a little slow in coming here. Hurrah!
Finally got my Thanksgiving menu planned. Here's the agenda:
To be served with sliced warm baguettes: Butternut, Goat Cheese and Walnut Spread; Sun-Dried Tomato Spread and Brown Sugar Almond Brie
Sausage Balls
Turkey and Gravy, The Husband's specialty
Potatoes Au Gratin
Stuffing (of course!)
Cranberry Conserve
Cranberry Broccoli Salad
Brown Sugar Glazed Sweet Potatoes
Mashed White Beans
Coconut Rice (because Nicholas won't touch the other veggies planned)
Mom's taking care of dessert, which, so far, is rumored to be Pumpkin and Apple Pies. I've got all my groceries already ordered, and I'm planning on making the spreads and the Cranberry Broccoli Salad tomorrow night (since we're getting Chinese take-out for dinner, I'll have extra time). The Husband actually cooks the turkey at a low temperature overnight which produces a really great juicy and flavorful turkey and better still, frees up the oven so I can have it all day Thursday. I think I'm in pretty good shape.
OK folks, all for tonight. Holla back and let me know what goodies you're making for Thanksgiving. I'd love to hear about it. Until tomorrow...
I may never set foot in a grocery store again ... one of our local grocery stores has FINALLY jumped on the "home delivery" bandwagon and I just placed my first order. Keeps me out of the grocery store tomorrow during the mad Thanksgiving rush, and even better, they'll bring all the groceries up the 30 steps to our front door. Definitely cannot beat that! I could get very used to this. It took me just a few minutes to place my order, and I can still take advantage of the weekly specials. Very cool, and about time. It's been in other areas for awhile, but even though we're in a pretty populated area, it has been a little slow in coming here. Hurrah!
Finally got my Thanksgiving menu planned. Here's the agenda:
To be served with sliced warm baguettes: Butternut, Goat Cheese and Walnut Spread; Sun-Dried Tomato Spread and Brown Sugar Almond Brie
Sausage Balls
Turkey and Gravy, The Husband's specialty
Potatoes Au Gratin
Stuffing (of course!)
Cranberry Conserve
Cranberry Broccoli Salad
Brown Sugar Glazed Sweet Potatoes
Mashed White Beans
Coconut Rice (because Nicholas won't touch the other veggies planned)
Mom's taking care of dessert, which, so far, is rumored to be Pumpkin and Apple Pies. I've got all my groceries already ordered, and I'm planning on making the spreads and the Cranberry Broccoli Salad tomorrow night (since we're getting Chinese take-out for dinner, I'll have extra time). The Husband actually cooks the turkey at a low temperature overnight which produces a really great juicy and flavorful turkey and better still, frees up the oven so I can have it all day Thursday. I think I'm in pretty good shape.
OK folks, all for tonight. Holla back and let me know what goodies you're making for Thanksgiving. I'd love to hear about it. Until tomorrow...
| link | posted at 10:28 PM
Monday, November 21, 2005
I got a head start on the week by making tonight's dinner last night. It made for a less harried night, and perfect for a short work-week. I made Roast Chicken with Potatoes. I don't use a recipe really. I stuffed the cavity of the chicken with chunks of cut up lemon and rub a mixture of grey salt, rosemary, cracked black pepper and garlic all over the chicken. Lastly, I slip some butter underneath the skin and drizzle everything with olive oil. I fill the pan with chunked Yukon Gold potatoes and chunked onions, drizzle that with olive oil and rosemary and cook everything in the oven for about an hour at 400 or so. Simple as that.
Here's the picture of the Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage from last night's dinner:
Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage
With only three ingredients, it makes for a great weeknight meal, and even better ... it sneaks some green veggies into Nicholas' belly. I hope you try it.
As promised, I've put some pictures from the Grand Midnight Buffet from our cruise last week to Bermuda. Some serious attention to detail goes into each and every thing they made - no surprise when you find out it takes the crew 300 man-hours just to assemble this one buffet!
All for tonight. Tune in tomorrow to find out what's making the Thanksgiving table. Until then...
Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage
12 oz. uncooked rigatoni pasta
1 lb. broccoli rabe, ends trimmed, stacked and cut into 1 inch wide pieces
1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook as package directs, adding broccoli rabe 3 minutes before pasta will be done. Drain pasta and broccoli rabe, reserving about 1/4 cup of pasta water; return to pot. While the pasta cooks, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking up into large chunks, 5-7 minutes, until browned and cooked through. Add reserved pasta water. Cook, stirring, 1 minute to loose brown bits on bottom of pan. Pour over pasta mixture in pot; cook, stirring 1 minute to heat and mix. Top with salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese as desired.
The View from Above
Sushi Station
A Proud Dessert Chef
Cheese Platter
Swan Ice Sculpture
Caviar Station Ice Sculpture
Seafood Spread
Clam Shell Ice Sculpture Holding Peel-and-Eat Shrimp
A few simple desserts ... ;)
And lastly, the unique towel creations we came back to in our cabin from our attendant, Lincoln. He's quite the talent!
Scorpion
Hanging Monkey, our favorite
Stingray
Here's the picture of the Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage from last night's dinner:
Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage
With only three ingredients, it makes for a great weeknight meal, and even better ... it sneaks some green veggies into Nicholas' belly. I hope you try it.
As promised, I've put some pictures from the Grand Midnight Buffet from our cruise last week to Bermuda. Some serious attention to detail goes into each and every thing they made - no surprise when you find out it takes the crew 300 man-hours just to assemble this one buffet!
All for tonight. Tune in tomorrow to find out what's making the Thanksgiving table. Until then...
Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage
12 oz. uncooked rigatoni pasta
1 lb. broccoli rabe, ends trimmed, stacked and cut into 1 inch wide pieces
1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook as package directs, adding broccoli rabe 3 minutes before pasta will be done. Drain pasta and broccoli rabe, reserving about 1/4 cup of pasta water; return to pot. While the pasta cooks, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking up into large chunks, 5-7 minutes, until browned and cooked through. Add reserved pasta water. Cook, stirring, 1 minute to loose brown bits on bottom of pan. Pour over pasta mixture in pot; cook, stirring 1 minute to heat and mix. Top with salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese as desired.
The View from Above
Sushi Station
A Proud Dessert Chef
Cheese Platter
Swan Ice Sculpture
Caviar Station Ice Sculpture
Seafood Spread
Clam Shell Ice Sculpture Holding Peel-and-Eat Shrimp
A few simple desserts ... ;)
And lastly, the unique towel creations we came back to in our cabin from our attendant, Lincoln. He's quite the talent!
Scorpion
Hanging Monkey, our favorite
Stingray
| link | posted at 8:51 PM
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Had a great day today ... a little bit of erranding, a little bit of cooking, and even some gardening and raking thrown in for good measure.
For tonight's dinner, I made White Wine Gouda Fondue to start, a Turkey Cobb Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette, Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe and then finished the meal off with Creme Brulee. All were new recipes, except the Creme Brulee. This is one of The Husband's favorite desserts, so he was quite the happy camper, devouring two before I even got my spoon into one!
The Fondue - delicious, as was the salad and pasta. Safe to say I would definitely repeat the fondue and the pasta. The interesting thing about the pasta is that there are only three ingredients: pasta, broccoli rabe and sausage. That's it. I didn't notice until I was putting it together that there was nothing to make a sauce, so that had me a little concerned. I resisted the urge to play with the recipe and made it as is, and am glad I did. The Husband who doth protest ANY green vegetable had two helpings. Although Nicholas wasn't hungry, I know he'll scoff this up tomorrow night, and with me getting to sneak in the green veggies, you KNOW I'll be making this one again and again. It's also a real simple recipe, which is always a plus. I've put the Creme Brulee recipe below, and will add the others tomorrow.
Life here is never without adventure. A local mall opened its doors to special ticket holders tonight for after-hours pre-holiday shopping (money donated to local Fire Department), and as The Neighbor and I were heading out the door, one of the cats escaped (they're not outside cats). Over an hour later, with 3 of us going through all the neighbors' yards, we finally got Callie to come home. We live in a very hilly area, so it's not just a matter of walking around on flat land ... scaling small cliffs in the darkness was NOT an easy task. I ended up catching her once and she tore into my arm pretty badly before breaking free. Luckily she is back home now, but it was quite the ordeal.
So The Neighbor and I finally get to the mall and managed to make a little dent in our Christmas shopping, which was nice. They had all sorts of entertainment throughout the mall, free food, coupon booklets and various discounts for each store. Bachelor Bob Guiney (who's really not a bachelor anymore) was also there, making an appearance, and we got a chance to chat with him. He's very personable, and was signing pictures of himself, but, um, aren't his 15 seconds of fame up yet?
I am working on our Thanksgiving menu, but it's so hard to narrow down the list! Other than that, I'm actually pretty organized this week. I already have dinner made for tomorrow (and even doubled it for The Neighbors); The Neighbor (believe it or not!) is making Stuffed Shells tomorrow night and giving us half, taking care of dinner for Tuesday; The Husband Cooks Wednesday (and given it's Thanksgiving Eve and I'll likely be commandeering the kitchen, it might be Chinese take-out), so I'm actually good all the way 'till Thursday! Not bad, eh?
OK folks, all for tonight. Weekend Dog Blogging #10 round-up is below. I promise to post the pictures of the Grand Midnight Buffet from our cruise tomorrow. Until then...
Meet Simba, a newcomer to WDB, from Up a Creek Without a PatL:
Dit from A Little Bit of Everything looking awfully adorable:
A mother and daughter team from The Cooking Adventures of Chef Paz:
Some birthday celebrations from the group at Just Heavenly:
OK, Stephanie from Dispensing Happiness assures me the pups are NOT asleep, but given one is lying on the floor, they're looking mighty close to catching some zzz's!
Just catching a snooze ... the pup from Farmgirl Fare:
Piggy from Something So Clever:
Ziggy from Soul Fusion Kitchen enjoying a new toy:
Lulu from Why Travel to France is hanging out in the North of France this week, with the "burghers of calais" (in Calais, France), the sculpture made by Rodin (the well-known artist of "the thinker" and "the kiss").
The perfectly-poised pooches from RobWonton showing amazing synchronization, right down to the tongues!
More pups taking a snooze from The Moveable Feast:
Some more newcomers to Weekend Dog Blogging, meet Sammy and Stumpy from Culinarily Obsessed:
The pups and kitty playing nice from Speculative Musings:
Maggie joins us from Modern Girls Kitchen, looking ready to take a nap:
And last, but not least, our very own Eli:
And yes, the picture IS right side up.
Creme Brulee
7 egg yolks
7 T sugar
3-1/2 cups heavy cream
1 t vanilla
extra sugar for sprinkling the tops
Heat cream and vanilla until very hot. Beat eggs with sugar until light and creamy. SLOWLY add hot cream to egg mixture and stir well. Pour mixture into 6 ramekins. Place cups in a 13x9 baking pan filled halfway up with water. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool, then refrigerate. When serving, I pull them out of the refrigerator about a half-hour before serving, and then immediately before serving, sprinkle about 1/2 t of sugar on top of each cup and broil until golden brown and crunchy.
For tonight's dinner, I made White Wine Gouda Fondue to start, a Turkey Cobb Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette, Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe and then finished the meal off with Creme Brulee. All were new recipes, except the Creme Brulee. This is one of The Husband's favorite desserts, so he was quite the happy camper, devouring two before I even got my spoon into one!
The Fondue - delicious, as was the salad and pasta. Safe to say I would definitely repeat the fondue and the pasta. The interesting thing about the pasta is that there are only three ingredients: pasta, broccoli rabe and sausage. That's it. I didn't notice until I was putting it together that there was nothing to make a sauce, so that had me a little concerned. I resisted the urge to play with the recipe and made it as is, and am glad I did. The Husband who doth protest ANY green vegetable had two helpings. Although Nicholas wasn't hungry, I know he'll scoff this up tomorrow night, and with me getting to sneak in the green veggies, you KNOW I'll be making this one again and again. It's also a real simple recipe, which is always a plus. I've put the Creme Brulee recipe below, and will add the others tomorrow.
Life here is never without adventure. A local mall opened its doors to special ticket holders tonight for after-hours pre-holiday shopping (money donated to local Fire Department), and as The Neighbor and I were heading out the door, one of the cats escaped (they're not outside cats). Over an hour later, with 3 of us going through all the neighbors' yards, we finally got Callie to come home. We live in a very hilly area, so it's not just a matter of walking around on flat land ... scaling small cliffs in the darkness was NOT an easy task. I ended up catching her once and she tore into my arm pretty badly before breaking free. Luckily she is back home now, but it was quite the ordeal.
So The Neighbor and I finally get to the mall and managed to make a little dent in our Christmas shopping, which was nice. They had all sorts of entertainment throughout the mall, free food, coupon booklets and various discounts for each store. Bachelor Bob Guiney (who's really not a bachelor anymore) was also there, making an appearance, and we got a chance to chat with him. He's very personable, and was signing pictures of himself, but, um, aren't his 15 seconds of fame up yet?
I am working on our Thanksgiving menu, but it's so hard to narrow down the list! Other than that, I'm actually pretty organized this week. I already have dinner made for tomorrow (and even doubled it for The Neighbors); The Neighbor (believe it or not!) is making Stuffed Shells tomorrow night and giving us half, taking care of dinner for Tuesday; The Husband Cooks Wednesday (and given it's Thanksgiving Eve and I'll likely be commandeering the kitchen, it might be Chinese take-out), so I'm actually good all the way 'till Thursday! Not bad, eh?
OK folks, all for tonight. Weekend Dog Blogging #10 round-up is below. I promise to post the pictures of the Grand Midnight Buffet from our cruise tomorrow. Until then...
Meet Simba, a newcomer to WDB, from Up a Creek Without a PatL:
Dit from A Little Bit of Everything looking awfully adorable:
A mother and daughter team from The Cooking Adventures of Chef Paz:
Some birthday celebrations from the group at Just Heavenly:
OK, Stephanie from Dispensing Happiness assures me the pups are NOT asleep, but given one is lying on the floor, they're looking mighty close to catching some zzz's!
Just catching a snooze ... the pup from Farmgirl Fare:
Piggy from Something So Clever:
Ziggy from Soul Fusion Kitchen enjoying a new toy:
Lulu from Why Travel to France is hanging out in the North of France this week, with the "burghers of calais" (in Calais, France), the sculpture made by Rodin (the well-known artist of "the thinker" and "the kiss").
The perfectly-poised pooches from RobWonton showing amazing synchronization, right down to the tongues!
More pups taking a snooze from The Moveable Feast:
Some more newcomers to Weekend Dog Blogging, meet Sammy and Stumpy from Culinarily Obsessed:
The pups and kitty playing nice from Speculative Musings:
Maggie joins us from Modern Girls Kitchen, looking ready to take a nap:
And last, but not least, our very own Eli:
And yes, the picture IS right side up.
Creme Brulee
7 egg yolks
7 T sugar
3-1/2 cups heavy cream
1 t vanilla
extra sugar for sprinkling the tops
Heat cream and vanilla until very hot. Beat eggs with sugar until light and creamy. SLOWLY add hot cream to egg mixture and stir well. Pour mixture into 6 ramekins. Place cups in a 13x9 baking pan filled halfway up with water. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool, then refrigerate. When serving, I pull them out of the refrigerator about a half-hour before serving, and then immediately before serving, sprinkle about 1/2 t of sugar on top of each cup and broil until golden brown and crunchy.
| link | posted at 11:14 PM
Saturday, November 19, 2005
Made a delicious dinner tonight, but I'll get to that in a sec.
First, my entry for this weekend's Cat Blogging event, hosted regularly by the lovely Clare at Eat Stuff. There are reasons why I try to stay away from visiting shelters and pet adoption days. Meet the newest reason:
Meet Sugar
Pucker Up!
I ran into a pet store last night and they were holding a pet adoption day. I was really drawn to one cat and after a little convincing, The Husband agreed I could go back this morning and adopt her. When Nicholas and I went back to the store this morning, I got a chance to meet her and hold her, and as cute as she was, it just didn't feel right. Then they brought out this one. Instant chemistry. She's seven months old and very, very similar to our Luke; so much so, that Nicholas needs to look carefully to tell who's who. But there's a few special things about this one. One, she's a polydactyl, which means she has extra toes on her paws (my sister has two polys). Polydactyls by their very nature are not very common, and when they exist, they usually have an extra thumb on one or both of their front paws. Well, she's definitely the exception, because all four of her paws have extra toes. Next her name. When we originally went to the store, I had planned on letting Nicholas name the cat we brought home, but when we chose this kitten instead of the one I had gone back for, and I heard the store's name for her, it was kismet. She was named Sugar. Leave it to me to pick a kitten with a "food" name. Tonight when I was putting away her paperwork, I noticed that they included information on how and where she was found. She was a stray found at a NYC Fire Department. With The Husband being a fireman, just another confirmation that she was meant to come home with us. And there you have it.
Here's Luke. You can see why Nicholas has to really look to tell them apart for now:
Luke
Onto dinner tonight. The Husband ended up being out most of the day and I seriously considered getting take-out, because the day got kinda screwed up along the way. I ended up dashing to the grocery store to pick up a few things and formed a quick meal in my head. I made Grilled Steaks with Brandy Cream Sauce, a new recipe for me and one I will definitely be repeating. I've never cooked steaks this way and it produced a very flavorful tender bite, and the sauce was divine. In fact, my mouth is watering just thinking of it again.
My herbs from this summer are still in abundance, so I made some Golden Crispy Herbed Potatoes to go with it (and also some Roasted Asparagus for me). Since I used a bunch of herbs for the potatoes, it's becoming my entry for this weekend's Herb Blogging event, hosted by Kalyn's Kitchen. The potatoes could not be simpler to make. I used Yukon Golds and sliced them pretty thinly. I put them in a single layer on a greased cookie sheet and drizzled them with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and a smattering of herbs. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes at 350 or until slightly crispy. Delicious, and a perfect complement for the steak. Dinner on the table in under 30 minutes - perfect.
Crispy Golden Herbed Potatoes
Tune in tomorrow to see what hits the table for The Neighbors Dine Over Sunday. If you haven't sent in your pup picture for the Weekend Dog Blogging #10 round-up, there's still time. Until then...
Grilled Steaks with Brandy Cream Sauce
(Serves 2)
2 12-oz steaks (I used rib eyes)
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup brandy
1 cup heavy cream
salt
Sear steaks on both sides in a pan on high heat until done. Remove steaks from pan. Pour stock and brandy into pan and boil hard, stirring, until reduced by half. Lower heat, stir in cream and cook for 10 minutes. Add salt to taste. Put steaks on plate, then pour over sauce.
First, my entry for this weekend's Cat Blogging event, hosted regularly by the lovely Clare at Eat Stuff. There are reasons why I try to stay away from visiting shelters and pet adoption days. Meet the newest reason:
Meet Sugar
Pucker Up!
I ran into a pet store last night and they were holding a pet adoption day. I was really drawn to one cat and after a little convincing, The Husband agreed I could go back this morning and adopt her. When Nicholas and I went back to the store this morning, I got a chance to meet her and hold her, and as cute as she was, it just didn't feel right. Then they brought out this one. Instant chemistry. She's seven months old and very, very similar to our Luke; so much so, that Nicholas needs to look carefully to tell who's who. But there's a few special things about this one. One, she's a polydactyl, which means she has extra toes on her paws (my sister has two polys). Polydactyls by their very nature are not very common, and when they exist, they usually have an extra thumb on one or both of their front paws. Well, she's definitely the exception, because all four of her paws have extra toes. Next her name. When we originally went to the store, I had planned on letting Nicholas name the cat we brought home, but when we chose this kitten instead of the one I had gone back for, and I heard the store's name for her, it was kismet. She was named Sugar. Leave it to me to pick a kitten with a "food" name. Tonight when I was putting away her paperwork, I noticed that they included information on how and where she was found. She was a stray found at a NYC Fire Department. With The Husband being a fireman, just another confirmation that she was meant to come home with us. And there you have it.
Here's Luke. You can see why Nicholas has to really look to tell them apart for now:
Luke
Onto dinner tonight. The Husband ended up being out most of the day and I seriously considered getting take-out, because the day got kinda screwed up along the way. I ended up dashing to the grocery store to pick up a few things and formed a quick meal in my head. I made Grilled Steaks with Brandy Cream Sauce, a new recipe for me and one I will definitely be repeating. I've never cooked steaks this way and it produced a very flavorful tender bite, and the sauce was divine. In fact, my mouth is watering just thinking of it again.
My herbs from this summer are still in abundance, so I made some Golden Crispy Herbed Potatoes to go with it (and also some Roasted Asparagus for me). Since I used a bunch of herbs for the potatoes, it's becoming my entry for this weekend's Herb Blogging event, hosted by Kalyn's Kitchen. The potatoes could not be simpler to make. I used Yukon Golds and sliced them pretty thinly. I put them in a single layer on a greased cookie sheet and drizzled them with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and a smattering of herbs. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes at 350 or until slightly crispy. Delicious, and a perfect complement for the steak. Dinner on the table in under 30 minutes - perfect.
Crispy Golden Herbed Potatoes
Tune in tomorrow to see what hits the table for The Neighbors Dine Over Sunday. If you haven't sent in your pup picture for the Weekend Dog Blogging #10 round-up, there's still time. Until then...
Grilled Steaks with Brandy Cream Sauce
(Serves 2)
2 12-oz steaks (I used rib eyes)
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup brandy
1 cup heavy cream
salt
Sear steaks on both sides in a pan on high heat until done. Remove steaks from pan. Pour stock and brandy into pan and boil hard, stirring, until reduced by half. Lower heat, stir in cream and cook for 10 minutes. Add salt to taste. Put steaks on plate, then pour over sauce.
| link | posted at 9:57 PM
Friday, November 18, 2005
Our turn for Friday Night Date Night couldn't have come at a more perfect time. Nicholas was beyond excited to get together for dinner and playtime with The Girlfriend tonight, and The Husband and I got a little breather. Neither of us were especially hungry, and since I haven't had a chance to hit the grocery store, we ended up at a local diner. I got a Patty Melt, which I haven't had in ages. It was SO delicious. Problem is, I think both of us are still overly full from all the food on the cruise, and just the smallest bite to eat really puts us over the edge. I don't think I plan to eat until dinner tomorrow. We also both have a major case of sea legs. Those who have cruised before know what I'm talking about. Even though we're on terra firma, the ground still feels like it's bobbing and swaying as if we're on the ocean. In fact, The Husband opted out of the few errands I wanted to run because he was feeling a little lightheaded ... hey, reality is tough!
The Neighbor took one guess as to my first stop for errands tonight and nailed it. Can you guess? The bookstore. She knows me too well. That was definitely my biggest itch in getting back home ... I wanted to see what magazines I might have missed in the last week, and there were plenty. There's a new Olive issue out, along with Fresh, the Australian Vogue Entertaining and Travel, delicious. and the premiere issue of Paula Deen's new magazine. Just a little light reading. ;)
OK, going to wrap up the post for now to call it an early night. But before I do, I leave you with some pictures from our Bermuda vacation. Tune in tomorrow for the ones from the Grand Midnight Buffet and the towel animals Lincoln left us. Until then... Don't forget to send in your pup pics for Weekend Dog Blogging #10!
All Aboard! Nicholas was NOT a big fan of the safety drill.
Starting the Trip Off Right. Nicholas grew to love Strawberry Coladas (virgin, of course) as much as I do!
Lunch Time!
The Shrimp and Lobster Stuffed Ravioli
Day Two... Dinner Time cocktail
Elevator Floor - they change it every day so you can keep track (you know how hard it is to lose track of days on vacation!)
We're Here!
The Bermuda Rum Cake Factory, a tiny place, but famous for their cakes
The Ship Docked in King's Wharf, Bermuda
Snorkel Park, a tiny little beach area within walking distance from the ship's dock
A view of the other side of Bermuda
The Clock Tower Shopping Area, right across from the ship's dock
The View of King's Wharf from the Ship
I know, a Fashion Don't. Tried as he might, The Husband could not talk Nicholas out of wearing his boots poolside.
The Dolphins from Dolphin Quest
The view from the very top of the ship as we leave Bermuda... look how crystal clear the water is.
Getting Ready for Another Feast
Sigh ... the last Strawberry Colada of the trip...
Some of the Wait Staff serenading the guests on the last night.
The Neighbor took one guess as to my first stop for errands tonight and nailed it. Can you guess? The bookstore. She knows me too well. That was definitely my biggest itch in getting back home ... I wanted to see what magazines I might have missed in the last week, and there were plenty. There's a new Olive issue out, along with Fresh, the Australian Vogue Entertaining and Travel, delicious. and the premiere issue of Paula Deen's new magazine. Just a little light reading. ;)
OK, going to wrap up the post for now to call it an early night. But before I do, I leave you with some pictures from our Bermuda vacation. Tune in tomorrow for the ones from the Grand Midnight Buffet and the towel animals Lincoln left us. Until then... Don't forget to send in your pup pics for Weekend Dog Blogging #10!
All Aboard! Nicholas was NOT a big fan of the safety drill.
Starting the Trip Off Right. Nicholas grew to love Strawberry Coladas (virgin, of course) as much as I do!
Lunch Time!
The Shrimp and Lobster Stuffed Ravioli
Day Two... Dinner Time cocktail
Elevator Floor - they change it every day so you can keep track (you know how hard it is to lose track of days on vacation!)
We're Here!
The Bermuda Rum Cake Factory, a tiny place, but famous for their cakes
The Ship Docked in King's Wharf, Bermuda
Snorkel Park, a tiny little beach area within walking distance from the ship's dock
A view of the other side of Bermuda
The Clock Tower Shopping Area, right across from the ship's dock
The View of King's Wharf from the Ship
I know, a Fashion Don't. Tried as he might, The Husband could not talk Nicholas out of wearing his boots poolside.
The Dolphins from Dolphin Quest
The view from the very top of the ship as we leave Bermuda... look how crystal clear the water is.
Getting Ready for Another Feast
Sigh ... the last Strawberry Colada of the trip...
Some of the Wait Staff serenading the guests on the last night.
| link | posted at 9:52 PM
Thursday, November 17, 2005
We've been at sea all day today and the weather has been really turbulent. Turns out there's bad weather off the Eastern seaboard and New Jersey is welcoming us with open arms. We've been sailing into the storm since we woke up this morning, and it will continue until we arrive tomorrow. The skies in front of us are gloomy, gray and rainy, and I kid you not, a trail of bright sunshine behind us. The seas have been pretty rocky, making for very unbalanced walking. Fun!
Made a concentrated effort to really relax today, especially since it's the last day on the ship. Managed to finish a whole book (and if you have a three-year-old, you'll understand my elation with this!), and it was a non-cookbook at that. Even managed to sneak in an afternoon nap. Finally finished Cooking with Mr. Latte by Amanda Hesser, and really enjoyed it. I have earmarked tons of new recipes in it to try and love her approach to food and friends; I found it very inspiring.
Dinner tonight ... the starter I chose was Shrimp Cocktail, followed by Caesar Salad and Steak with Herbed Butter. One of the lunch features was a wonderful Indian Vegetable Curry with Basmati Rice and I snagged an amazing chocolate truffle dessert. I'm going to miss this whole "dessert with lunch" thing.
Bindi came through for me with one of the two recipes I was looking for: the Rustic Vidalia Onion Tart with Red Pepper Coulis from the first night. He couldn't find the flan, but did produce a Creme Brulee recipe. I'm psyched! Now we just need to pare down the serving size from the 100 it yields. Found out it contains Gruyere cheese - definitely one reason it was so divine.
Managed to stay awake for the Grand Midnight Buffet last night and it was quite a sight. Caviar stations, peel and eat shrimp, sushi, sandwiches, breads, amazing desserts and more -- wait 'till you see the pictures! It takes the staff 300 man-hours just to produce this one buffet - incredible attention to detail.
Ok folks, all for tonight. Off to pack and call it a night. New (to me) Blogger on the Block Thursday will resume its regularly scheduled day next week. Until tomorrow...
Made a concentrated effort to really relax today, especially since it's the last day on the ship. Managed to finish a whole book (and if you have a three-year-old, you'll understand my elation with this!), and it was a non-cookbook at that. Even managed to sneak in an afternoon nap. Finally finished Cooking with Mr. Latte by Amanda Hesser, and really enjoyed it. I have earmarked tons of new recipes in it to try and love her approach to food and friends; I found it very inspiring.
Dinner tonight ... the starter I chose was Shrimp Cocktail, followed by Caesar Salad and Steak with Herbed Butter. One of the lunch features was a wonderful Indian Vegetable Curry with Basmati Rice and I snagged an amazing chocolate truffle dessert. I'm going to miss this whole "dessert with lunch" thing.
Bindi came through for me with one of the two recipes I was looking for: the Rustic Vidalia Onion Tart with Red Pepper Coulis from the first night. He couldn't find the flan, but did produce a Creme Brulee recipe. I'm psyched! Now we just need to pare down the serving size from the 100 it yields. Found out it contains Gruyere cheese - definitely one reason it was so divine.
Managed to stay awake for the Grand Midnight Buffet last night and it was quite a sight. Caviar stations, peel and eat shrimp, sushi, sandwiches, breads, amazing desserts and more -- wait 'till you see the pictures! It takes the staff 300 man-hours just to produce this one buffet - incredible attention to detail.
Ok folks, all for tonight. Off to pack and call it a night. New (to me) Blogger on the Block Thursday will resume its regularly scheduled day next week. Until tomorrow...
| link | posted at 9:21 PM
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
For those who know The Husband, you know it's bad when HE says he can't even think about food. It's amazing how quickly your habits can change when on a vacation like this. Suddenly you get used to having a large "snack" at 3 pm, dinner at 6 and then staying up for a Midnight Buffet (and don't forget 24-hour room service!). Nicholas has definitely gotten the hang of that part of the trip, asking for multiple trips to the "snack bar," which is a buffet that is open all day every day, save for 2 hours. We've been eating lunch there, and then if you go back a few hours later, there's a completely new selection of food. The staff and how they keep up with everything continually amazes me. "Snack" today included the BEST Flan that The Husband and I have ever had. Tonight at dinner, I asked the Dining Room Attendant (basically a "your wish is my command" guy for the dinner hour) if I could get the recipe for the Flan and the Rustic Onion Tart from the first day. He promised I'd have both recipes tomorrow night -- I can't wait to recreate these favorites at home. He said he was impressed we even cooked ... if only he knew (Hi Bindi!).
Tonight for dinner I had Scallops with Corn Risotto to start and Garlic Tiger Shrimp over Grilled Vegetables as my main course. Both were delicious. The Husband had a steak (twice) that came with mashed potatoes with flavored butter. He doesn't like mashed potatoes, so passed them onto me. I don't know what they do with their potatoes here, but they are out of this world, and I've been having them twice a day. Some SERIOUS carb loading lately, which is why I veered towards a protein dinner tonight. Nicholas demolished a Caesar Salad and an Antipasto plate.
Tonight is the GRANDEST of their midnight buffets, and they actually open it for 45 minutes prior to allowing you to eat, just to take pictures, so in the interest of journalism, I'll stay up late for y'all and get some snaps. Went to the buffet last night, but it was just a primer compared to tonight's. It's amazing the amount of food people load their plates up with at 12:30 am!
We have a great guy taking care of all our room needs during the week, Lincoln. He visits our room twice a day, once in the morning to clean, and a second time when we're at dinner to turn down the sheets, leave chocolates and a schedule of the next day's events. Last night when we came back from gallivanting, he had crafted a sting ray out of a bath towel and left it on the bed for Nicholas. Tonight, he outdid himself, with a monkey hanging from the ceiling, again with bath towels. Nicholas loved it! (Pictures when we get back) This afternoon, there was a plate of chocolate covered strawberries on the coffee table. Wonder if I can smuggle him back to our house when we arrive home? Also came back to a wonderfully fragrant vase filled with flowers from The Husband. Ahhhh....
All for now... off to prop up my eyelids to stay awake long enough for the Midnight Buffet. After last night's buffet, I ended up getting a second wind and stayed up and rented a movie, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (cute movie!). Until next time...
Tonight for dinner I had Scallops with Corn Risotto to start and Garlic Tiger Shrimp over Grilled Vegetables as my main course. Both were delicious. The Husband had a steak (twice) that came with mashed potatoes with flavored butter. He doesn't like mashed potatoes, so passed them onto me. I don't know what they do with their potatoes here, but they are out of this world, and I've been having them twice a day. Some SERIOUS carb loading lately, which is why I veered towards a protein dinner tonight. Nicholas demolished a Caesar Salad and an Antipasto plate.
Tonight is the GRANDEST of their midnight buffets, and they actually open it for 45 minutes prior to allowing you to eat, just to take pictures, so in the interest of journalism, I'll stay up late for y'all and get some snaps. Went to the buffet last night, but it was just a primer compared to tonight's. It's amazing the amount of food people load their plates up with at 12:30 am!
We have a great guy taking care of all our room needs during the week, Lincoln. He visits our room twice a day, once in the morning to clean, and a second time when we're at dinner to turn down the sheets, leave chocolates and a schedule of the next day's events. Last night when we came back from gallivanting, he had crafted a sting ray out of a bath towel and left it on the bed for Nicholas. Tonight, he outdid himself, with a monkey hanging from the ceiling, again with bath towels. Nicholas loved it! (Pictures when we get back) This afternoon, there was a plate of chocolate covered strawberries on the coffee table. Wonder if I can smuggle him back to our house when we arrive home? Also came back to a wonderfully fragrant vase filled with flowers from The Husband. Ahhhh....
All for now... off to prop up my eyelids to stay awake long enough for the Midnight Buffet. After last night's buffet, I ended up getting a second wind and stayed up and rented a movie, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (cute movie!). Until next time...
| link | posted at 7:59 PM
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Woke up this morning to the great sight of land and small sailboats outside our stateroom window. We finally arrived in Bermuda at 8:30 am this morning. Had breakfast in our room, and then quickly got dressed to go check out the sights.
The Husband and I came to Bermuda about 9-10 years ago, but it was to different ports then, so this area was new to us. The ship is docked at the Royal Naval Dockyard (King's Wharf) and there's quite a bit of history, museums, stores and a few things to do within walking distance from the port, which is nice. We DEFINITELY got a lot of exercise today, forgoing the bus/ferry transportation that was available.
We visited the Bermuda Rum Cake Factory and got more than a few samples, and some goodies to take home. It's amazing how small this very popular factory actually is. Got a picture of one of the guys making the cakes, with a huge warm smile ... The Husband joked, "if only he knew he was going to end up on your website!" ;)
We also visited Bermuda Glassworks and watched them do a glassblowing demonstration. Nicholas was more than enthralled, and we bought a few gifts there. Also found, of course, a few local cookbooks, including one all on Bermuda Onions. There is a line of sauces made by Outerbridge, which is a key ingredient in one of the Bermudian cookbooks that I bought, so grabbed a few bottles of that as well.
Peeked into a few art galleries, because I am looking for some nautical maps and a few specific prints. There was a fantastic gallery that has huge beautiful photographs of the beaches, water, landscape, etc., and I'm trying to rationalize a purchase. I really want just the print, so I can take it home and frame it myself, but they only sell them all matted and framed, and that definitely brings it up more than a few notches visually; they really are stunning. I think I might go back tomorrow before we leave ... ok to make a small splurge on vacation, right?
The Husband did some snorkeling this afternoon, and Nicholas and I took a much-needed nap. Poor Nicholas. He hasn't grasped the concept that we can't just "go home" and was crying last night because he "missed his dog and cats" and wanted Grandma to come pick him up. We called my Mom today so he could talk to her about Eli and give him kisses over the phone, and that made him feel a bit better.
Tonight we decided to eat our dinner meal in our room. I had a Crab Cake with Wasabi Sauce to start and a Stuffed Tortellini with Sundried Tomatoes and Feta Cheese. The Husband had a Duck Terrine to start and Citrus Salmon. Nicholas broke out of his mold and had Chicken Fingers. He also devoured a whole, adult-sized portion of salad. Ever since we got on the ship, he has had a voracious appetite for fruit. He's usually pretty good about eating fruit at home, but it's been non-stop here. No arguments from me.
With the availability of non-stop food, it's definitely easy to gain weight on a cruise. The first time The Husband and I went on a cruise, he gained 8 lbs. But this time, luckily for us I suppose, we had a lousy travel agent who put us in a cabin that is at the complete other end of the ship from everything else. I wish I brought a pedometer, because we have been walking non-stop since Sunday.
Found out the ship sells a cookbook, so I bought a copy of that today. Of course, so far, none of the dishes I've had are IN the cookbook, but it still looks like a good one. I'm going to see if I can get the recipe for the Rustic Vidalia Onion Tart from the cook before I leave.
OK folks, all for now. Off to catch the show for tonight ... so far, the shows have been Nicholas' favorite part of the trip!
Until next time...
The Husband and I came to Bermuda about 9-10 years ago, but it was to different ports then, so this area was new to us. The ship is docked at the Royal Naval Dockyard (King's Wharf) and there's quite a bit of history, museums, stores and a few things to do within walking distance from the port, which is nice. We DEFINITELY got a lot of exercise today, forgoing the bus/ferry transportation that was available.
We visited the Bermuda Rum Cake Factory and got more than a few samples, and some goodies to take home. It's amazing how small this very popular factory actually is. Got a picture of one of the guys making the cakes, with a huge warm smile ... The Husband joked, "if only he knew he was going to end up on your website!" ;)
We also visited Bermuda Glassworks and watched them do a glassblowing demonstration. Nicholas was more than enthralled, and we bought a few gifts there. Also found, of course, a few local cookbooks, including one all on Bermuda Onions. There is a line of sauces made by Outerbridge, which is a key ingredient in one of the Bermudian cookbooks that I bought, so grabbed a few bottles of that as well.
Peeked into a few art galleries, because I am looking for some nautical maps and a few specific prints. There was a fantastic gallery that has huge beautiful photographs of the beaches, water, landscape, etc., and I'm trying to rationalize a purchase. I really want just the print, so I can take it home and frame it myself, but they only sell them all matted and framed, and that definitely brings it up more than a few notches visually; they really are stunning. I think I might go back tomorrow before we leave ... ok to make a small splurge on vacation, right?
The Husband did some snorkeling this afternoon, and Nicholas and I took a much-needed nap. Poor Nicholas. He hasn't grasped the concept that we can't just "go home" and was crying last night because he "missed his dog and cats" and wanted Grandma to come pick him up. We called my Mom today so he could talk to her about Eli and give him kisses over the phone, and that made him feel a bit better.
Tonight we decided to eat our dinner meal in our room. I had a Crab Cake with Wasabi Sauce to start and a Stuffed Tortellini with Sundried Tomatoes and Feta Cheese. The Husband had a Duck Terrine to start and Citrus Salmon. Nicholas broke out of his mold and had Chicken Fingers. He also devoured a whole, adult-sized portion of salad. Ever since we got on the ship, he has had a voracious appetite for fruit. He's usually pretty good about eating fruit at home, but it's been non-stop here. No arguments from me.
With the availability of non-stop food, it's definitely easy to gain weight on a cruise. The first time The Husband and I went on a cruise, he gained 8 lbs. But this time, luckily for us I suppose, we had a lousy travel agent who put us in a cabin that is at the complete other end of the ship from everything else. I wish I brought a pedometer, because we have been walking non-stop since Sunday.
Found out the ship sells a cookbook, so I bought a copy of that today. Of course, so far, none of the dishes I've had are IN the cookbook, but it still looks like a good one. I'm going to see if I can get the recipe for the Rustic Vidalia Onion Tart from the cook before I leave.
OK folks, all for now. Off to catch the show for tonight ... so far, the shows have been Nicholas' favorite part of the trip!
Until next time...
| link | posted at 7:06 PM
Monday, November 14, 2005
Just a quick end-of-the-day food report, then off to see a show.
Breakfast was room service - figured that might let us sleep a little bit late and start the day in a relaxing way. Made for a great start!
For lunch, we ate in the cafe and they had a buffet line with a HUGE assortment of food. Everything from Vegetable Biryani, Pappadums, and two kinds of Pasta, to cold cut platters, meatballs, roast pork, rice, Caribbean Coconut Chicken, baked ham and more.
In the middle of the afternoon, Nicholas got the munchies, so we went back for a snack. Another ridiculous amount of food available ... tacos, spaghetti, nachos, chili, hot dogs, sweet desserts and more. We settled for just nachos and Nicholas devoured a plate of fresh fruit.
Dinner was delicious, and I am still stuffed. Starter was Lobster Bisque. It was fine, just not a favorite. Only one piece of lobster meat in it, a little heavy-handed with the sherry and too dark a color. The main course I chose was Filet of Beef with Creamy Whipped Potatoes and a Cremini Green Peppercorn Sauce, finishing off the meal with Cherries Jubilees. Excellent - the beef was so tender, it nearly melted in your mouth. The Husband had the salmon, and Nicholas had Macaroni & Cheese (fine dining, I know).
Tomorrow morning, we arrive in Bermuda, and I'm looking forward to doing some sightseeing, shopping and checking out the local Bermudian foodie delights (The Bermuda Rum Cake Factory is on the list). Weather is supposed to be in the high 60s, low 70s - perfect.
Until the next update...
Breakfast was room service - figured that might let us sleep a little bit late and start the day in a relaxing way. Made for a great start!
For lunch, we ate in the cafe and they had a buffet line with a HUGE assortment of food. Everything from Vegetable Biryani, Pappadums, and two kinds of Pasta, to cold cut platters, meatballs, roast pork, rice, Caribbean Coconut Chicken, baked ham and more.
In the middle of the afternoon, Nicholas got the munchies, so we went back for a snack. Another ridiculous amount of food available ... tacos, spaghetti, nachos, chili, hot dogs, sweet desserts and more. We settled for just nachos and Nicholas devoured a plate of fresh fruit.
Dinner was delicious, and I am still stuffed. Starter was Lobster Bisque. It was fine, just not a favorite. Only one piece of lobster meat in it, a little heavy-handed with the sherry and too dark a color. The main course I chose was Filet of Beef with Creamy Whipped Potatoes and a Cremini Green Peppercorn Sauce, finishing off the meal with Cherries Jubilees. Excellent - the beef was so tender, it nearly melted in your mouth. The Husband had the salmon, and Nicholas had Macaroni & Cheese (fine dining, I know).
Tomorrow morning, we arrive in Bermuda, and I'm looking forward to doing some sightseeing, shopping and checking out the local Bermudian foodie delights (The Bermuda Rum Cake Factory is on the list). Weather is supposed to be in the high 60s, low 70s - perfect.
Until the next update...
| link | posted at 7:03 PM
Sunday, November 13, 2005
After endless questions of "Is it time go on 'cation yet?" we could finally tell Nicholas "yes" this afternoon. He was excited beyond belief, and even more thrilled when he saw his Aunt Amanda and Uncle Tim jumping up and down from the pier, doing their crazy dancing. It took them a minute to find out which window we were in, but it was great that they came to wave goodbye - thanks, guys!
Nicholas was very patient during the whole lifevest ritual, but after 10 minutes of checking out our room, he was already asking when we were going home. There is a huge window in our room, so I left him and The Husband watching the waves, with Nicholas asking for them to be "turned off." The concept of a boat quite this big, and with everything on it, is a little lost on him right now.
There are over 3000 passengers and over 1000 crew members. The crew members are quite a group, speaking a combination of over 60 languages. For those not familiar with cruises, for your main dinner meal, you get a head waiter and assistant, and the same ones serve you the whole entire trip, which is great because they quickly get to know your likes and dislikes. The first time we went on a cruise (also to Bermuda) was about 10 years ago, and The Husband immediately got into a routine of having two main courses every night (he's lucky he has that metabolism that he can get away with it). I was midway through my main course tonight when I saw his second being delivered. It didn't take him long to get settled into his routine!
Dinner was great, starting with a very flavorful Rustic Vidalia Onion Tart with Red Pepper Coulis, and the main course that I chose was Shrimp Stuffed Ravioli with Braised Leeks. It was very hard to choose - the stuffed cod was really calling my name. I'm trying to use this opportunity to try different things.
Last time we cruised, the ship's "drink" was Strawberry Coladas, and Nicholas and I already each had one and they are still as delicious as ever (Nicholas' was, of course, a virgin one).
Hope to have pictures up tomorrow ... laptop not working. I'm hoping it just needs to be charged, otherwise y'all will be picture-free from me all week.
All for now ... off to check out Stephanie's guest hosting of Weekend Dog Blogging #9. If you haven't sent her your picture yet, hop to it.
Until tomorrow...
Nicholas was very patient during the whole lifevest ritual, but after 10 minutes of checking out our room, he was already asking when we were going home. There is a huge window in our room, so I left him and The Husband watching the waves, with Nicholas asking for them to be "turned off." The concept of a boat quite this big, and with everything on it, is a little lost on him right now.
There are over 3000 passengers and over 1000 crew members. The crew members are quite a group, speaking a combination of over 60 languages. For those not familiar with cruises, for your main dinner meal, you get a head waiter and assistant, and the same ones serve you the whole entire trip, which is great because they quickly get to know your likes and dislikes. The first time we went on a cruise (also to Bermuda) was about 10 years ago, and The Husband immediately got into a routine of having two main courses every night (he's lucky he has that metabolism that he can get away with it). I was midway through my main course tonight when I saw his second being delivered. It didn't take him long to get settled into his routine!
Dinner was great, starting with a very flavorful Rustic Vidalia Onion Tart with Red Pepper Coulis, and the main course that I chose was Shrimp Stuffed Ravioli with Braised Leeks. It was very hard to choose - the stuffed cod was really calling my name. I'm trying to use this opportunity to try different things.
Last time we cruised, the ship's "drink" was Strawberry Coladas, and Nicholas and I already each had one and they are still as delicious as ever (Nicholas' was, of course, a virgin one).
Hope to have pictures up tomorrow ... laptop not working. I'm hoping it just needs to be charged, otherwise y'all will be picture-free from me all week.
All for now ... off to check out Stephanie's guest hosting of Weekend Dog Blogging #9. If you haven't sent her your picture yet, hop to it.
Until tomorrow...
| link | posted at 9:19 PM
Saturday, November 12, 2005
Decided not to make dinner tonight, because I didn't want to create any leftovers in the fridge while we're away, so we ended up going out to dinner with The Neighbors. Surprisingly enough, as long as we've known each other, this was the first time we had all gone out for dinner together. We ended up going to iHop, and given the kids' new penchant for picnic dining under the table, that proved to be a good choice. The Girlfriend is still going with her "new" last name, and the now "married" lovebirds were sharing food through the entire dinner, even feeding each other. This week is going to be rough for them, since they're going to be apart for FIVE WHOLE DAYS. There was a good chance that they were going to go with us, but it ended up not coming to pass. A shame, because I can totally picture Nicholas and The Girlfriend on the pink sandy beaches of Bermuda with the sunset behind them. Just means we're going to be planning another vacation real soon, so we can all go together ... enough of this eight-year-stretch in between vacations! Time to get back into the groove of taking a break every now and then.
Fellow food bloggers ... if you haven't heard the news yet, StickyDate has been created as a place to keep track of all food and wine blogging events, big or small, regular or not. So if you have something you'd like posted there, drop me a line.
Don't forget that Stephanie from Dispensing Happiness is guest hosting Weekend Dog Blogging #9 for me this weekend, so be sure to send her your cutest pup pictures for inclusion in Sunday night's round-up. I already sent mine in.
I won't be blogging every day from Bermuda, but promise to post a few times. Until then...
Fellow food bloggers ... if you haven't heard the news yet, StickyDate has been created as a place to keep track of all food and wine blogging events, big or small, regular or not. So if you have something you'd like posted there, drop me a line.
Don't forget that Stephanie from Dispensing Happiness is guest hosting Weekend Dog Blogging #9 for me this weekend, so be sure to send her your cutest pup pictures for inclusion in Sunday night's round-up. I already sent mine in.
I won't be blogging every day from Bermuda, but promise to post a few times. Until then...
| link | posted at 10:41 PM
Friday, November 11, 2005
So The Neighbors and us have another new tradition - Friday Night Date Night. Nicholas and The Girlfriend get together and have dinner and playtime at one of our two houses, and we alternate houses that we the adults get date night too. Works out well for all! Tonight the kids were here and The Neighbors escaped for an "adult" dinner. Not only did The Neighbors escape, but so did The Husband; some of his current employees took him out for a "good bye" dinner. Sounds like I got the short end of the stick, huh? Actually we had a blast here, with me being the third wheel on Nicholas and The Girlfriend's date. They had homemade pizza, grapes, cheese sticks, the leftover Potato Salad with Pickled Cucumbers from Supper Club last night and apple juice. I was surprised both of them gobbled up the potato salad - veggies in their little bodies! Yay! Quite the feast. They ate really well, scoffing down the food, and had a second feasting with a picnic under the table a few hours later.
Our cat, Luke, even joined them to find out what all the excitement was about:
By the end of the night, Nicholas was calling The Girlfriend with his last name, and if you ask her what her name is, she now responds with her first name and his last name. I swear I was only in the kitchen for a few minutes ... no rush-trips to Vegas! But it certainly sounds like things are getting serious between these two. By the end of the night, when Nicholas called her, she was answering him, "Yes, dear!"
I had Supper Club leftovers for dinner tonight (and they still taste just as great as they did last night), and also made a new recipe for dessert, Truffle Brownies. I doubled the batch and sent The Neighbors home with dessert. I'd make it again, but the freezer time needs to be a little longer than the hour suggested, because otherwise they don't cut cleanly.
With us going away this weekend, Stephanie from Dispensing Happiness has graciously agreed to host Weekend Dog Blogging #9 for me, so if you have a pup picture to show off, go on and visit her web site and either leave it in the comment section or send her an e-mail. I'll forward Stephanie any e-mails I get in the interim. Weekend Dog Blogging #10 will be back here the next weekend as usual.
And speaking of guest hosting, Clare of Eat Stuff is still in the hospital, so Farmgirl Fare is taking over Weekend Cat Blogging duties this weekend, putting together a special "get well" edition for Clare and Kiri, so be sure to hop on over there and join in the fun (see specific post here).
All for now. Tune in tomorrow to see what the weekend brings. Until then...
Truffle Brownies
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 8 brownies (or cut into really small pieces for 32 bite-size morsels)
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 stick margarine (I used butter)
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate chopped (I'd use sweetened next time)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Chocolate ganache for topping, recipe follows
Special equipment: 9-inch round foil cake pan
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Using a hand held electric mixer, beat the eggs and salt together in a large mixing bowl until frothy. Add the sugar and beat until the eggs are thick and pale yellow, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and beat an additional 30 seconds.
Put the margarine and chocolate in a microwave safe container and microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir to insure that the chocolate has melted. Microwave an additional 30 seconds, if needed.
With the mixer running, pour the melted chocolate into the egg mixture. Add the flour and beat 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat an additional 30 seconds.
Spray the cake pan with a pan release spray and pour in the brownie batter. Place the pan on the top rack of the oven and bake 15 to 20 minutes until the center is barely set.* Remove the pan from the oven and let cool. Top with the ganache and place in the freezer for at least 1 hour.
To serve, remove from freezer and slice immediately. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.
*Cook's Note: If tested with a toothpick the center will still be gooey. If tested by touch, the center will be soft. It will set once frozen.
Chocolate Ganache:
1/2 cup (4 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy cream
Put the chocolate chips and cream into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove the bowl and stir with a whisk or fork until well mixed. Use immediately. If using the ganache later it will need to be reheated.
Yield: 3/4 cup
Our cat, Luke, even joined them to find out what all the excitement was about:
By the end of the night, Nicholas was calling The Girlfriend with his last name, and if you ask her what her name is, she now responds with her first name and his last name. I swear I was only in the kitchen for a few minutes ... no rush-trips to Vegas! But it certainly sounds like things are getting serious between these two. By the end of the night, when Nicholas called her, she was answering him, "Yes, dear!"
I had Supper Club leftovers for dinner tonight (and they still taste just as great as they did last night), and also made a new recipe for dessert, Truffle Brownies. I doubled the batch and sent The Neighbors home with dessert. I'd make it again, but the freezer time needs to be a little longer than the hour suggested, because otherwise they don't cut cleanly.
With us going away this weekend, Stephanie from Dispensing Happiness has graciously agreed to host Weekend Dog Blogging #9 for me, so if you have a pup picture to show off, go on and visit her web site and either leave it in the comment section or send her an e-mail. I'll forward Stephanie any e-mails I get in the interim. Weekend Dog Blogging #10 will be back here the next weekend as usual.
And speaking of guest hosting, Clare of Eat Stuff is still in the hospital, so Farmgirl Fare is taking over Weekend Cat Blogging duties this weekend, putting together a special "get well" edition for Clare and Kiri, so be sure to hop on over there and join in the fun (see specific post here).
All for now. Tune in tomorrow to see what the weekend brings. Until then...
Truffle Brownies
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 8 brownies (or cut into really small pieces for 32 bite-size morsels)
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 stick margarine (I used butter)
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate chopped (I'd use sweetened next time)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Chocolate ganache for topping, recipe follows
Special equipment: 9-inch round foil cake pan
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Using a hand held electric mixer, beat the eggs and salt together in a large mixing bowl until frothy. Add the sugar and beat until the eggs are thick and pale yellow, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and beat an additional 30 seconds.
Put the margarine and chocolate in a microwave safe container and microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir to insure that the chocolate has melted. Microwave an additional 30 seconds, if needed.
With the mixer running, pour the melted chocolate into the egg mixture. Add the flour and beat 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat an additional 30 seconds.
Spray the cake pan with a pan release spray and pour in the brownie batter. Place the pan on the top rack of the oven and bake 15 to 20 minutes until the center is barely set.* Remove the pan from the oven and let cool. Top with the ganache and place in the freezer for at least 1 hour.
To serve, remove from freezer and slice immediately. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.
*Cook's Note: If tested with a toothpick the center will still be gooey. If tested by touch, the center will be soft. It will set once frozen.
Chocolate Ganache:
1/2 cup (4 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy cream
Put the chocolate chips and cream into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove the bowl and stir with a whisk or fork until well mixed. Use immediately. If using the ganache later it will need to be reheated.
Yield: 3/4 cup
| link | posted at 9:37 PM
Thursday, November 10, 2005
This is New (to me) Blogger on the Block Thursdays #2, as a way to keep me scoping out my fellow bloggers, and to introduce you to a new fun food blogger I discovered. This week's honor goes to Hold the Raisins, a semi-new food blogger hailing from NY. With recipes for Crepes with Chocolate and Collard Greens (I love them) on the first page, I think I'm going to like this one. Check out her site when you get a minute.
Just got back from Supper Club, and another great night of food. As is typical with all Supper Clubs, I discovered terrific new recipes that I definitely would have passed on by if I had seen them in a cooking magazine myself. This month's theme dish was Something with Cinnamon. Cinnamon-Pancetta Carbonara anyone? Julie made this one and for me, it was the hit of the night. A Giada DeLaurentiis recipe, it was creamy, flavorful and downright delicious. My second favorite was another pasta recipe, Penne with Pistachios, Asparagus and Cream, made by Zarina, followed by her Dilled Potato and Pickled Cucumber Salad. I know Nicholas will LOVE this salad, since his new favorite thing is cucumbers, even raw! Zarina also made some fantastic White Chocolate Fudge - I snagged a few pieces for tomorrow as even though I don't have a big sweet tooth, I'm a sucker for anything with white chocolate - yum. It would make EXCELLENT holiday gifts. I loved, loved, loved, triple loved, the Spinach, Bacon and Artichoke Dip with Crispy Pitas, and it was a surprise hit for me. There are always a million spinach dip recipes floating around, so I didn't think it would be anything exciting, but the sauteed garlic and shallots, coupled with the bacon, makes it, hands down, the best spinach dip I've had. The Indian Spinach with Chick Peas I made will NOT be a repeater for me. Just not enough distinguishable flavor, if any. I also, at the last minute, decided to make Almond Cookie Brittle, which I've made before -- another easy one. The full round-up is below, and I'll start loading the recipes on our NJ Supper Club site tomorrow.
When Nicholas found out I was having "dinner with the ladies," he begged to make something completely on his own for me to bring. He asked for a mixing bowl and a spoon, some raisins and more than a little olive oil. We're calling it Olive Oil-Drenched Raisins. Not really edible, of course, but he was so cute in the kitchen, pursing his lips as he stirred his concoction until it was just right.
So Serious!
Nicholas' Creation - Olive Oil-Drenched Raisins
All for tonight folks. I think Nicholas and his Girlfriend have a date tomorrow night, so tune in to find out what's on tap. Until then...
November 2005 Supper Club Round-Up
Pumpkin Pancakes with Root Beer Syrup, Caramelized Bananas and Cinnamon Whipped Cream
Cinnamon Pancetta Carbonara
Orange and Cinnamon Crusted Pecans
Dilled Potato and Pickled Cucumber Salad
Carrot Spritzer
Penne with Pistachios, Asparagus and Cream
White Chocolate Fudge
Stuffed Poached Pears with Custard Sauce
Coconut Chicken Bites
Cranberry Cheese Spread
Hot Cider Rum Punch
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Barbara's Watch Hill Sour Cream Coffeecake
Barbara's Watch Hill Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Cranberry Cheese Spread with Crackers
Spinach, Bacon and Artichoke Dip with Crispy Pitas
Penne with Pistachios, Asparagus and Cream
Pumpkin Pancakes with Root Beer Syrup, Caramelized Bananas and Cinnamon Whipped Cream
Cinnamon Pancetta Carbonara
Just got back from Supper Club, and another great night of food. As is typical with all Supper Clubs, I discovered terrific new recipes that I definitely would have passed on by if I had seen them in a cooking magazine myself. This month's theme dish was Something with Cinnamon. Cinnamon-Pancetta Carbonara anyone? Julie made this one and for me, it was the hit of the night. A Giada DeLaurentiis recipe, it was creamy, flavorful and downright delicious. My second favorite was another pasta recipe, Penne with Pistachios, Asparagus and Cream, made by Zarina, followed by her Dilled Potato and Pickled Cucumber Salad. I know Nicholas will LOVE this salad, since his new favorite thing is cucumbers, even raw! Zarina also made some fantastic White Chocolate Fudge - I snagged a few pieces for tomorrow as even though I don't have a big sweet tooth, I'm a sucker for anything with white chocolate - yum. It would make EXCELLENT holiday gifts. I loved, loved, loved, triple loved, the Spinach, Bacon and Artichoke Dip with Crispy Pitas, and it was a surprise hit for me. There are always a million spinach dip recipes floating around, so I didn't think it would be anything exciting, but the sauteed garlic and shallots, coupled with the bacon, makes it, hands down, the best spinach dip I've had. The Indian Spinach with Chick Peas I made will NOT be a repeater for me. Just not enough distinguishable flavor, if any. I also, at the last minute, decided to make Almond Cookie Brittle, which I've made before -- another easy one. The full round-up is below, and I'll start loading the recipes on our NJ Supper Club site tomorrow.
When Nicholas found out I was having "dinner with the ladies," he begged to make something completely on his own for me to bring. He asked for a mixing bowl and a spoon, some raisins and more than a little olive oil. We're calling it Olive Oil-Drenched Raisins. Not really edible, of course, but he was so cute in the kitchen, pursing his lips as he stirred his concoction until it was just right.
So Serious!
Nicholas' Creation - Olive Oil-Drenched Raisins
All for tonight folks. I think Nicholas and his Girlfriend have a date tomorrow night, so tune in to find out what's on tap. Until then...
November 2005 Supper Club Round-Up
Pumpkin Pancakes with Root Beer Syrup, Caramelized Bananas and Cinnamon Whipped Cream
Cinnamon Pancetta Carbonara
Orange and Cinnamon Crusted Pecans
Dilled Potato and Pickled Cucumber Salad
Carrot Spritzer
Penne with Pistachios, Asparagus and Cream
White Chocolate Fudge
Stuffed Poached Pears with Custard Sauce
Coconut Chicken Bites
Cranberry Cheese Spread
Hot Cider Rum Punch
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Barbara's Watch Hill Sour Cream Coffeecake
Barbara's Watch Hill Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Cranberry Cheese Spread with Crackers
Spinach, Bacon and Artichoke Dip with Crispy Pitas
Penne with Pistachios, Asparagus and Cream
Pumpkin Pancakes with Root Beer Syrup, Caramelized Bananas and Cinnamon Whipped Cream
Cinnamon Pancetta Carbonara
| link | posted at 11:21 PM
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Tonight The Husband's new boss flew into town for a dinner meeting with him ... conveniently planned on The Husband Cooks Wednesdays. Hmmm, wonder if conspiracy is underfoot again?
My parents came over for dinner tonight to spend some time with Nicholas, and I got a chance to finally use my new sink and made dinner, Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes. I hate recipes with boring titles. How about Farmer's Market Pasta? Sounds so much better and more interesting. Whatever we call it, it was quick to table, using fresh ingredients and quite tasty. It makes a great weeknight dish and I'll definitely keep it in my repertoire.
Tomorrow night is Supper Club and it could not come at a worse week. Just one of those crazy weeks where either The Husband or I have been or will be out every night, and I'm trying to get caught up at work and have been staying late. I debated about not going this month, but decided to go anyway and will just leave early. I just have too much else going on. Anyways, the theme dish for this month is Cinnamon. I was going to make the Cinnamon Bars, but decided to go with a new recipe instead, Indian Spinach with Chick Peas. I happened to be catching up on my Tivo'd shows and caught this episode of Good Deals with Dave Lieberman where he made this spinach dish. As you can see, I had some help in the kitchen tonight:
Kitchen Helper
He's a pretty good stirrer. Usually his "help" is a very generously defined term, but today, he did well. I also made the Spinach, Artichoke and Bacon Dip from this episode of Party Line with Dan and Steve (the guys who won FoodTV's cooking show contest). I'm going to make the Crispy Pita Chips that go with it tomorrow. I had also planned to make the Truffle Brownies from the same episode, but ran out of time. Might try to squeeze in a Cinnamon Bread recipe tomorrow when I get home from the office, but we'll see.
Tune in tomorrow to find out the next nomination for New (to Me) Blogger on the Block Thursday and the Supper Club Round-Up. Until then...
Farmer's Market Pasta (aka Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes)
Serves 4
1 red onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 cup fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
1 lb spaghetti
salt and pepper
Saute onion and garlic for 10 minutes in 1/2 cup olive oil over medium heat. Add tomatoes and basil. Saute for another 10 minutes. Cook pasta according directions, drain and put into a large bowl. Top with tomato mixture and season to taste with salt and pepper.
My parents came over for dinner tonight to spend some time with Nicholas, and I got a chance to finally use my new sink and made dinner, Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes. I hate recipes with boring titles. How about Farmer's Market Pasta? Sounds so much better and more interesting. Whatever we call it, it was quick to table, using fresh ingredients and quite tasty. It makes a great weeknight dish and I'll definitely keep it in my repertoire.
Tomorrow night is Supper Club and it could not come at a worse week. Just one of those crazy weeks where either The Husband or I have been or will be out every night, and I'm trying to get caught up at work and have been staying late. I debated about not going this month, but decided to go anyway and will just leave early. I just have too much else going on. Anyways, the theme dish for this month is Cinnamon. I was going to make the Cinnamon Bars, but decided to go with a new recipe instead, Indian Spinach with Chick Peas. I happened to be catching up on my Tivo'd shows and caught this episode of Good Deals with Dave Lieberman where he made this spinach dish. As you can see, I had some help in the kitchen tonight:
Kitchen Helper
He's a pretty good stirrer. Usually his "help" is a very generously defined term, but today, he did well. I also made the Spinach, Artichoke and Bacon Dip from this episode of Party Line with Dan and Steve (the guys who won FoodTV's cooking show contest). I'm going to make the Crispy Pita Chips that go with it tomorrow. I had also planned to make the Truffle Brownies from the same episode, but ran out of time. Might try to squeeze in a Cinnamon Bread recipe tomorrow when I get home from the office, but we'll see.
Tune in tomorrow to find out the next nomination for New (to Me) Blogger on the Block Thursday and the Supper Club Round-Up. Until then...
Farmer's Market Pasta (aka Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes)
Serves 4
1 red onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 cup fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
1 lb spaghetti
salt and pepper
Saute onion and garlic for 10 minutes in 1/2 cup olive oil over medium heat. Add tomatoes and basil. Saute for another 10 minutes. Cook pasta according directions, drain and put into a large bowl. Top with tomato mixture and season to taste with salt and pepper.
| link | posted at 9:35 PM
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
This was definitely a beautiful sight to come home to.
Back in Operation!
Note the droplets of water in the sink ... that means my new sink and faucet are hooked up, and the dishwasher is back in operation mode! Whoo-hoo! Very exciting. Of course, I got home too late to play with my new toys tonight, but this progress is a good thing. Tomorrow, the garbage disposal gets hooked up, and this section is all done. Maybe I can actually do some COOKING this week!
As I mentioned the other day, in the new issue of Food & Wine magazine, they have a list of great gifts for the food-obsessed (me! me! me!), ranging in price from from $2.50 to $2,500. You can find the complete list here - definitely some unique and interesting ideas, and a few I'll be adding to my list as well. ;)
Unfortunately, in the "is-her-fifteen-seconds-of-fame-up-yet" category, Julie Powell has an article in this issue as well, "Julie Powell Tastes a Foolproof Party Menu." When I did a search for it on their web site, it didn't pop up, but an article she did in November for them did, about the Soup Peddler. I guess she's become a regular columnist. Whooppee.
Also in the gift-buying category, there is their hot-off-the-presses list of Must Have Books for 2005. I have to disagree with at least one of them, and regular readers will know which one. You can see the full list here ... a few more to add to MY growing collection.
All for tonight ... until tomorrow.
Back in Operation!
Note the droplets of water in the sink ... that means my new sink and faucet are hooked up, and the dishwasher is back in operation mode! Whoo-hoo! Very exciting. Of course, I got home too late to play with my new toys tonight, but this progress is a good thing. Tomorrow, the garbage disposal gets hooked up, and this section is all done. Maybe I can actually do some COOKING this week!
As I mentioned the other day, in the new issue of Food & Wine magazine, they have a list of great gifts for the food-obsessed (me! me! me!), ranging in price from from $2.50 to $2,500. You can find the complete list here - definitely some unique and interesting ideas, and a few I'll be adding to my list as well. ;)
Unfortunately, in the "is-her-fifteen-seconds-of-fame-up-yet" category, Julie Powell has an article in this issue as well, "Julie Powell Tastes a Foolproof Party Menu." When I did a search for it on their web site, it didn't pop up, but an article she did in November for them did, about the Soup Peddler. I guess she's become a regular columnist. Whooppee.
Also in the gift-buying category, there is their hot-off-the-presses list of Must Have Books for 2005. I have to disagree with at least one of them, and regular readers will know which one. You can see the full list here ... a few more to add to MY growing collection.
All for tonight ... until tomorrow.
| link | posted at 8:51 PM
Monday, November 07, 2005
Clare from Eat Stuff is more than just a "fellow food blogger." She and Casey have been an ENORMOUS help with the major redesign of my website and constant tweaking. She is also the "mother" of Weekend Cat Blogging, hence, the godmother of my Weekend Dog Blogging.
Anyway, she was injured pretty badly this weekend and is still in the hospital recuperating. Both her and Kiri had a terribly frightening experience, and I'd appreciate it immensely if you could hop on over to her blog and leave her some get well wishes. Thanks much.
My regular post follows below.
Anyway, she was injured pretty badly this weekend and is still in the hospital recuperating. Both her and Kiri had a terribly frightening experience, and I'd appreciate it immensely if you could hop on over to her blog and leave her some get well wishes. Thanks much.
My regular post follows below.
| link | posted at 8:28 PM
Still sink-less and dishwasher-less today, but finally found a plumber who wants to work (imagine that!) and will come tomorrow to hook everything up and get me back in business. I must've called a dozen plumbers and left countless messages. I guess everyone is independently wealthy. I miss being able to use my kitchen. Yes, technically, I could still use it, running to the bathtub when I need to rinse something or dump something out, but it's too frustrating that way. But if all goes well, I'll be back in the kitchen tomorrow, baking the belated office treats for my office and The Neighbor's.
I've been honored by Mac's Picks of the Week by being chosen as one of the web sites they're spotlighting this week. Here's what he said about me:
For anyone outside of the Tri-State area who reads my blog, I need your help. Do you have a local McDonalds? If so, please take a picture of their menu board or some featured items (particularly ones you think might not be available elsewhere) and send it to me via e-mail (as a jpeg). I'm working on a future event and thought this would be something fun. One of our employees is a recent college graduate and returned from some exciting trips to India, Cambodia and Thailand. He's actually worked with us off and on since he was in high school and is a big help in the office, especially to me since things are kinda hectic there now. Anyways, he has gorgeous photographs from all of his trips (he's done 11 countries in the past 4 years), each in its own album. I happened to be going through the India album the other day and spotted a picture of a menu board from a McDonalds he visited, and it was really interesting to see the differences in what they offer there versus here. Being a worldwide chain, you kind of just assume that they all carry the same basic items. Of course I know they don't, just not to what extent. In fact, even the McDonalds in Massachusetts, just a few hours away, have things we don't have here (lobster rolls!). So, take a picture of your local McDonalds menu board and send it in. Feel free to highlight your favorite items, or point out unique selections. If you have a blog, include a link to your blog so I can include that in the round-up. I'll post a McDonalds Around the World Round-Up at the end of the month. Can't wait to see what you all send me!
Until tomorrow...
I've been honored by Mac's Picks of the Week by being chosen as one of the web sites they're spotlighting this week. Here's what he said about me:
There are so many blogs on almost any subject you can think of, but I personally enjoy blogs that deal with life in the home. Those that have the occasional recipe or gardening hint also have a special place in my blog reading. Thus the Sweetnicks blog, written by someone who does both, is a lovely one to read. Have a look and see if it is of interest to you as well.Not too shabby. Once I figure out how to post the "award" in my sidebar, I will. Thanks, Mac!
For anyone outside of the Tri-State area who reads my blog, I need your help. Do you have a local McDonalds? If so, please take a picture of their menu board or some featured items (particularly ones you think might not be available elsewhere) and send it to me via e-mail (as a jpeg). I'm working on a future event and thought this would be something fun. One of our employees is a recent college graduate and returned from some exciting trips to India, Cambodia and Thailand. He's actually worked with us off and on since he was in high school and is a big help in the office, especially to me since things are kinda hectic there now. Anyways, he has gorgeous photographs from all of his trips (he's done 11 countries in the past 4 years), each in its own album. I happened to be going through the India album the other day and spotted a picture of a menu board from a McDonalds he visited, and it was really interesting to see the differences in what they offer there versus here. Being a worldwide chain, you kind of just assume that they all carry the same basic items. Of course I know they don't, just not to what extent. In fact, even the McDonalds in Massachusetts, just a few hours away, have things we don't have here (lobster rolls!). So, take a picture of your local McDonalds menu board and send it in. Feel free to highlight your favorite items, or point out unique selections. If you have a blog, include a link to your blog so I can include that in the round-up. I'll post a McDonalds Around the World Round-Up at the end of the month. Can't wait to see what you all send me!
Until tomorrow...
| link | posted at 7:37 PM
Sunday, November 06, 2005
One week from today, we'll be leaving for a week in sunny Bermuda and I CANNOT WAIT! When we booked it, it seemed so far away, and now I can't believe it's here. Perhaps I should start working on the whole passport/birth certificate entry requirement thing before I run out of time. ;)
Went to The Sister-in-Law's for dinner last night, and The Husband got quite a treat. She made his favorite, of course, Oxtail, along with Ropa Viejia (a beef dish that translates into "old clothes"), beans and rice, and plantains. Everything was delicious, and we got a chance to meet the new boyfriend, who even made a salad to accompany everything else ... not a bad way to make an impression on his new girlfriend's family. ;)
Oxtail
Cuban Rice and Beans
Today we spent the morning at Marshalls Creek, PA, which holds a large weekly flea market. Nicholas and The Girlfriend had a great time shopping and everyone came home with all sorts of goodies. Between all the walking, fresh air and general "I'm with my girlfriend/boyfriend" excitement, no surprise that this is how Nicholas spent the ride home:
Dinner tonight was a bit of a challenge. The contractor finished one piece of our kitchen on Friday, but we are still without a working sink and dishwasher because the plumber has to hook everything up. I thought I was up for the challenge, and DID manage to pull it off, but it wasn't easy. We had Panzanella Salad, Linguine with Steamers and Apple Cobbler. All very simple stuff ... if I had a sink/running water. The Husband, kind soul that he is, rinsed all the clams out in the bathtub and drained the pasta there too. You don't realize how often you use your sink or the water until you can't. Hoping it all gets hooked up tomorrow, otherwise it's definite take-out.
Got the new issue of Food & Wine magazine in yesterday's mail. Haven't had a chance to read it yet, but one of the cover stories is "Shopping guide for the food obsessed - 100+ gifts from $2.50 to $2,000." Can't wait to read that one! I'll give you some details on their suggestions tomorrow.
Busy week this week. Supper Club is Thursday, and I have NO idea what I'm making. The theme dish is using the ingredient cinnamon. If I don't go looking for a new recipe, I'll make the Cranberry Cinnamon Bars. Now to decide what else.
Until tomorrow... on with this weekend's round-up for Weekend Dog Blogging #8 (let me know if I missed anyone):
Ziggy from Soul Fusion, showing off his handsome new haircut:
In the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" category, the perpetually sleeping pooches from Dispensing Happiness:
A gorgeously colorful picture of one of the dogs from Something So Clever, who's also done some banner redesign on her site to boot (Nice job, Alicat!)
Coco, a newcomer to Weekend Dog Blogging, is joining us from Stepping Stones:
The gorgeous Gino getting some schooling from The Flying Apple. Check out their website for even more great pictures.
Such an adorable picture and what a cute pink tongue ... happy pups from Just Heavenly:
Lulu from Why Travel to France sure gets around (see top left corner), visiting the famous perfume factory, Fragonard (in Grasse, France):
Another WDB newcomer, Nicky from Delicious Days joins us with borrowed dog, Josef. What a total "Hollywood" shot. Beautiful! Make sure you go to her site to check out more captivating pictures of a dog in love.
The pups from I'm No Heroine devouring a delicious Fall treat:
Another newcomer, Kirk from All In checks in:
The plate-licking pooches from Belly-Timber:
Newcomer Buddy from RobWonton - love the pic!
For when you're really, really thirsty, Robin from Farmgirl Fare proves where there's a will, there's a way:
A trip down memory lane with Bailey from The Savory Notebook. Check out those paws! 
Max joins us again from Culinary in the Desert:
And lastly, my own boys:
P.S. You can check out the round-up for Weekend Cat Blogging here, currently being guest hosted by Masak-Masak and Weekend Herb Blogging Round-up at Kalyn's Kitchen.
Went to The Sister-in-Law's for dinner last night, and The Husband got quite a treat. She made his favorite, of course, Oxtail, along with Ropa Viejia (a beef dish that translates into "old clothes"), beans and rice, and plantains. Everything was delicious, and we got a chance to meet the new boyfriend, who even made a salad to accompany everything else ... not a bad way to make an impression on his new girlfriend's family. ;)
Oxtail
Cuban Rice and Beans
Today we spent the morning at Marshalls Creek, PA, which holds a large weekly flea market. Nicholas and The Girlfriend had a great time shopping and everyone came home with all sorts of goodies. Between all the walking, fresh air and general "I'm with my girlfriend/boyfriend" excitement, no surprise that this is how Nicholas spent the ride home:
Dinner tonight was a bit of a challenge. The contractor finished one piece of our kitchen on Friday, but we are still without a working sink and dishwasher because the plumber has to hook everything up. I thought I was up for the challenge, and DID manage to pull it off, but it wasn't easy. We had Panzanella Salad, Linguine with Steamers and Apple Cobbler. All very simple stuff ... if I had a sink/running water. The Husband, kind soul that he is, rinsed all the clams out in the bathtub and drained the pasta there too. You don't realize how often you use your sink or the water until you can't. Hoping it all gets hooked up tomorrow, otherwise it's definite take-out.
Got the new issue of Food & Wine magazine in yesterday's mail. Haven't had a chance to read it yet, but one of the cover stories is "Shopping guide for the food obsessed - 100+ gifts from $2.50 to $2,000." Can't wait to read that one! I'll give you some details on their suggestions tomorrow.
Busy week this week. Supper Club is Thursday, and I have NO idea what I'm making. The theme dish is using the ingredient cinnamon. If I don't go looking for a new recipe, I'll make the Cranberry Cinnamon Bars. Now to decide what else.
Until tomorrow... on with this weekend's round-up for Weekend Dog Blogging #8 (let me know if I missed anyone):
Ziggy from Soul Fusion, showing off his handsome new haircut:
In the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" category, the perpetually sleeping pooches from Dispensing Happiness:A gorgeously colorful picture of one of the dogs from Something So Clever, who's also done some banner redesign on her site to boot (Nice job, Alicat!)Coco, a newcomer to Weekend Dog Blogging, is joining us from Stepping Stones:The gorgeous Gino getting some schooling from The Flying Apple. Check out their website for even more great pictures.Such an adorable picture and what a cute pink tongue ... happy pups from Just Heavenly:Lulu from Why Travel to France sure gets around (see top left corner), visiting the famous perfume factory, Fragonard (in Grasse, France):Another WDB newcomer, Nicky from Delicious Days joins us with borrowed dog, Josef. What a total "Hollywood" shot. Beautiful! Make sure you go to her site to check out more captivating pictures of a dog in love.The pups from I'm No Heroine devouring a delicious Fall treat:Another newcomer, Kirk from All In checks in:The plate-licking pooches from Belly-Timber:Newcomer Buddy from RobWonton - love the pic!For when you're really, really thirsty, Robin from Farmgirl Fare proves where there's a will, there's a way:A trip down memory lane with Bailey from The Savory Notebook. Check out those paws! Max joins us again from Culinary in the Desert:
And lastly, my own boys:
P.S. You can check out the round-up for Weekend Cat Blogging here, currently being guest hosted by Masak-Masak and Weekend Herb Blogging Round-up at Kalyn's Kitchen.
| link | posted at 8:41 PM
Tune in tonight for the Weekend Dog Blogging #8 round-up, a dinner report from The Sister-in-Law's last night, and find out what we're having tonight. In the meantime, have a great Sunday! We're off to a big flea market with The Girlfriend and The Neighbors. Until tonight...
| link | posted at 8:39 AM
Friday, November 04, 2005
Nicholas was invited over to The Girlfriend's house tonight for playtime and dinner ... a definite date, because The Husband and I didn't go. I told The Neighbor that we'd swap with her and take The Girlfriend over here next Friday, so the kids could have a regular Date Night Friday, and then the parents can take turns having every other Friday off (Parent Date Night!). Works out nicely since The Girlfriend doesn't go to school on Fridays, the two lovelorn are lost without seeing each other during the day.
The winners for the first Great Pumpkin Carve Up Cook Off have been posted here. Being one of the lucky judges, I can tell you, it was NOT easy to decide on the winners. Everyone did such a great job, and I'll definitely be trying out several of the recipes this Fall. Such creative ways to use pumpkin and truly ones I've never thought of.
Martha Stewart has released her special Holiday Cookies magazine that is a must-have. I went to her web site to get a picture of it for you (which, of course, I can't find), but in the meantime, found some other great stuff. She has an 18-page Thanksgiving Planner that you can download and print (it's in PDF format) with great tips and recipes, and a Cookie Swap Party Planner that I'll definitely be using (a 17-page PDF guide) for the holiday season since I'm planning on hosting a cookie swap next month. Anyway, everyone that has seen her new Holiday Cookies magazine (on stands now) agrees it's a must-have. Filled with tons of pictures and recipes organized by category, it will get a lot of use in the next few months.
OK folks, all for tonight. Don't forget to e-mail me your dog pictures of Weekend Dog Blogging #8 this weekend. For those that haven't participated yet, the rules are simple: send me an e-mail with your dog picture attached, and post it on your blog (including the blog link in your e-mail), referencing my site. The round-up is posted on Sunday night, and includes a link to your site. Dogs not your thing? You can send your cat pictures over to Clare at Eat Stuff for Weekend Cat Blogging or pictures of your herbs to Kalyn's Kitchen for Weekend Herb Blogging.
Dinner tomorrow at The Sister-in-Law's... tune in then to find out what hits HER table. Until then...
The winners for the first Great Pumpkin Carve Up Cook Off have been posted here. Being one of the lucky judges, I can tell you, it was NOT easy to decide on the winners. Everyone did such a great job, and I'll definitely be trying out several of the recipes this Fall. Such creative ways to use pumpkin and truly ones I've never thought of.
Martha Stewart has released her special Holiday Cookies magazine that is a must-have. I went to her web site to get a picture of it for you (which, of course, I can't find), but in the meantime, found some other great stuff. She has an 18-page Thanksgiving Planner that you can download and print (it's in PDF format) with great tips and recipes, and a Cookie Swap Party Planner that I'll definitely be using (a 17-page PDF guide) for the holiday season since I'm planning on hosting a cookie swap next month. Anyway, everyone that has seen her new Holiday Cookies magazine (on stands now) agrees it's a must-have. Filled with tons of pictures and recipes organized by category, it will get a lot of use in the next few months.
OK folks, all for tonight. Don't forget to e-mail me your dog pictures of Weekend Dog Blogging #8 this weekend. For those that haven't participated yet, the rules are simple: send me an e-mail with your dog picture attached, and post it on your blog (including the blog link in your e-mail), referencing my site. The round-up is posted on Sunday night, and includes a link to your site. Dogs not your thing? You can send your cat pictures over to Clare at Eat Stuff for Weekend Cat Blogging or pictures of your herbs to Kalyn's Kitchen for Weekend Herb Blogging.
Dinner tomorrow at The Sister-in-Law's... tune in then to find out what hits HER table. Until then...
| link | posted at 9:38 PM
Thursday, November 03, 2005
I promised a new regular weekly event, and here it is: New Blogger on the Block Thursdays. Now, "new" doesn't necessarily mean they're new, just new to me. The food blogging community is a wonderfully supportive group, and they provide great inspiration, advice, ideas and motivation constantly. Often times, I'm so busy working on my own blog, that I don't get enough time to surf around to see any new food bloggers that might have popped up, and it's a community growing by leaps and bounds. So by doing this event regularly, it serves two purposes: 1) It's a reminder to go check out my fellow food bloggers and 2) It will highlight a fun new one for you guys.
The first fellow food blogger to have the esteemed bestowment of New Blogger on the Block blog is Rookie Cookery. I came across her blog the other day and was drawn in by her gorgeous produce photographs. Talk about food porn. Check it out when you get a chance.
OK, so I made a few confessions the other day, and the confession people seem most surprised about was the amount of cookbooks I have. Geesh, and that doesn't even take into account all my magazine clippings and magazines in my "to read" pile! :) But today, I read that "US sales of wine and cookery books have declined 13 percent over the past five years to about $333 million, according to data from market research group Ipsos, and account for about 3 percent of all consumer books sold." See? I haven't even made a dent! I'm very surprised by that statistic, especially given the advent of all the new chefs from places like FoodTV Network. Well, I'm doing my part, at least. ;) The article was announcing the English version of Italy's best selling cookbook, Silver Spoon. You can read more about it here, and yes, it's on my list. :)
No dinner report tonight because I am sink-less and dishwasher-less (contractor still working in the kitchen). The Husband made a request for KFC and that was certainly easy enough.
All for tonight... tune in tomorrow to see what's on tap for the weekend. Until then...
The first fellow food blogger to have the esteemed bestowment of New Blogger on the Block blog is Rookie Cookery. I came across her blog the other day and was drawn in by her gorgeous produce photographs. Talk about food porn. Check it out when you get a chance.
OK, so I made a few confessions the other day, and the confession people seem most surprised about was the amount of cookbooks I have. Geesh, and that doesn't even take into account all my magazine clippings and magazines in my "to read" pile! :) But today, I read that "US sales of wine and cookery books have declined 13 percent over the past five years to about $333 million, according to data from market research group Ipsos, and account for about 3 percent of all consumer books sold." See? I haven't even made a dent! I'm very surprised by that statistic, especially given the advent of all the new chefs from places like FoodTV Network. Well, I'm doing my part, at least. ;) The article was announcing the English version of Italy's best selling cookbook, Silver Spoon. You can read more about it here, and yes, it's on my list. :)
No dinner report tonight because I am sink-less and dishwasher-less (contractor still working in the kitchen). The Husband made a request for KFC and that was certainly easy enough.
All for tonight... tune in tomorrow to see what's on tap for the weekend. Until then...
| link | posted at 9:05 PM
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
OK, so The Husband Cooks Wednesdays, but not today, for three reasons. 1) My parents came over to visit with Nicholas and we wanted to keep it simple. 2) The contractor is coming back tomorrow to finish the kitchen piece, so we had to clear off the counters, empty the cabinets and the drawers and not make a bigger mess. And last but most importantly, 3) We had reason to celebrate -- he got the job he was going for! He's VERY excited. It's doing the same type of work he's doing now (management), but for a much larger company (Time Warner) with more pay, better benefits and great perks. What's nice is that he wasn't even looking for another job, since he likes his current one; it's always cool when they come looking for you instead. Of course, because he likes his job, it's going to make it hard to give notice, but this is a really good opportunity, so all is good. So, figured it was fair to give him the night off, ignoring the fact that he gets the other 6 nights off. ;) I've very proud of him.
Budget Living Magazine, in their newest issue, published an article with their "21 Favorite Cookbooks" that you "must have." Although I don't necessarily agree with some of their choices, there's a few on their list I'll definitely be adding. Unfortunately the list isn't available on their web site, and I haven't received my copy of the magazine yet, but in the meantime, you can view part of the list over here on a Slashfood post today.
One of the cookbooks they list as a "must have" is one from Saveur. I haven't checked out the book yet, but if it's anything like the magazine, I'd disagree with it as a "must have." I love Saveur magazine, don't get me wrong, but for me, it's more like National Geographic food porn and I get it more for the cultural aspects and history of the foods and countries they explore, rather than for the rip-out-recipes factor. I think in all the years I've subscribed to the magazine, I've only made one recipe, and it was a dud. Not to say that they're not good; their recipes are just more labor intensive than I have time/inclination for. That said, their ingredient lists don't really mesh with "budget living" either, so was surprised by that choice on two counts. Not surprising, however, was Barefoot Contessa making their list. Never had a bad Ina Garten recipe, butter be darned!
Speaking of cookbook "must-haves," vegetarians/vegans, heads up. Today's paper highlighted 5 new vegetarian/vegan cookbooks that they thought were noteworthy, but not necessarily "must haves." New Vegetarian by Celia Brooks Brown was touted as "hands down the most gorgeous new book of the bunch." Next up was Cafe Flora Cookbook by Catherine Geier. They deemed it "not for beginner vegetarians and disliked the design, but liked that it covered a broad ethnic map with little tofu masquerading as meat." La Dolce Vegan! by Sarah Kramer is an "acquired taste" and they look at Kramer as coming from the "punk side of vegetarianism," whatever that means. Vegan with a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, another "punk vegetarian" caught their attention because it was the first time the newspaper had seen a press release "proudly use profanity." Okaaaay. And lastly, Raw Food Made Easy by Jennifer Cornbleet got completely panned, partly because of sandwiches that take 18 hours to prepare (seriously!), recipes for minced parsley (yes, again, seriously!), and a sandwich that consists of guacamole smeared between two slices of tomato bound by lettuce. Can't say I'm adding that one to my list, let alone the others.
In my Culinary Confessions post from yesterday, I promised to reveal one last confession: the two food items I find hard to keep in the house, mostly because if they're here, I have limited, if any, self-control.
The first is:
I don't really have a sweet tooth, so there are actually only a few sweet things that tempt me. This one goes beyond just mere temptation, and unfortunately, now Nicholas is just as hooked, calling them "red bars." In fact, when scoping out the Halloween clearance section today at Target, I had to stop myself from buying more than 5 bags of these (at only $1.05 a bag!). Just. No. Willpower.
Second item:
I suppose they're healthier than my first addiction, but probably just barely. I was really looking for a better alternative to have around the house for the odd occasion that Nicholas has chips and bought a bag just to try. Well, I confess, I don't think he's had a chance to try them yet, because I can polish them off before he even knows they're in the house. Luckily he loves granola bars, yogurt drinks and the occasional applesauce, so maybe he won't know what he's missing. Mine. All. Mine.
Since it's the end of October, time for the round-up for new recipes I made. Got some great new recipes I'll definitely be repeating, and only one complete dud. Twenty-three new recipes, and only several hundred thousand left to try.
Tune in tomorrow to see what regular new event I'm unveiling for Thursdays. Until then...
October 2005 New Recipe Round-Up
Cherry Coconut Bars
Harvest Pumpkin Bars
Shrimp Spread Tea Sandwiches
Pasta with Poached Egg, Frizzled Ham and Brown Butter
Stuffed Garlic Bread
Roasted Tomato and Avocado Salad
Roquefort Pear Salad
Oatmeal Cinnamon Chip Cookies
Pumpkin French Toast
Bleu Cheese and Walnut Salad with Maple Dressing
Ham, Prosciutto and Cheddar Paninis
Toasted Oat and Raisin Cookies
Banana Chocolate Brunch Cake
Creamy Shrimp with Pasta
Chocolate Macaroon Bars
Chocolate Chip Cookie Brittle
Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
Tiramisu Cake
Zucchini Bars
Beer Bread
Moist Caramel Apple Cake
Chicken Paprika
Smoked Cheddar Mini Muffins
| link | posted at 11:19 PM
OK, it's all Amy's fault. She has single-handledly managed to get us food bloggers doing mass confessionals to get our deep-seated food-focused secrets off our chest.Here goes:
I have Velveeta in my pantry.
Not only do I have Velveeta in my pantry, I have Cheez Whiz too.
Not only do I have Velveeta and Cheez Whiz in my pantry, I use them.
In high school, I used to eat Campbells' Cream of Mushroom Soup straight from the can.
In an effort to redeem my foodie-worthiness against the aforementioned Velveeta and Cheez Whiz, I have an entire shelf in a cabinet devoted to just different salts and peppers.
I do not own a rolling pin, bread machine, or for that matter, a pasta maker.
I love, love, love, triple love, my red Kitchen Aid mixer and my dishwasher.
I love foodie field trips, thinking nothing of driving an hour just to get a great selection of Indian spices.
I love lobster, but if I order it whole in a restaurant, The Husband has to take it apart for me, because I can't bring myself to look at the eyes and face.
The Husband hates when I order whole lobsters in a restaurant. See above.
I find it really hard to take apart a rotisserie chicken, and The Husband usually has to save me and do it. I could so be a vegetarian if I put my mind to it.
I don't sift flour when a recipe calls for it.
When a recipe instructs you to mix wet ingredients separately from dry ingredients, I skip all that frivolity and just put it all in one bowl with reckless abandon (and no ill effects, I might add!).
I can't bring myself to drink hot drinks and my Mom is continually amazed that at age 35, I have yet to have coffee or tea.
If I am really, really, really, really cold and succumb to drinking hot chocolate, I do it with a straw squeezed tightly so it comes up to my mouth r-e-a-l-l-y slowly and in small doses.
I like The Husband's Cuban Black Beans better than The Sister-in-Law's (hope I don't get in trouble for that one!).
I have had a citrus juicer for about a year now, and it's still in its box.
I have had a butter crock for about 8 months now, and it's still in its box.
I swear I needed the above two items and will be opening the boxes any day now.
I have over 1000 cookbooks, and still counting!
I believe one can never have too many spatulas.
I love 7-11 Coke-flavored Slurpees and The Husband surprises me with them occasionally. Oh how I love The Husband, let me count the ways...
I realize that this list could go on forever ... geesh, I've been harboring a lot! I'll end tonight with just one more:
There are two commercial food products that I try really hard not to buy, because I have no self-control if they're in the house (you'll have to tune in tomorrow to find out what those two items are)... in the meantime, it's your turn. The Confessional is open. What are your confessions?
P.S. For those looking for the Pumpkin French Toast Recipe and/or the Swedish Pancakes recipe, they're available on the sidebar now. :)
| link | posted at 8:24 PM
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