It's almost that time of the year.Turkey Day !! Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday of all. Why? Well, lots of reasons. First, my birthday always seems to land on Thanksgiving weekend. Sometimes even on Thanksgiving Day ! Gotta love that ! Second, who wouldn't love the one day a year when EATING is the national pastime, not working out, obsessively counting points/calories and elastic pants are all the rage? And third, it's a chance to get together with people you love, be thankful, and NOT have to fall into the commercialized trap of buying expensive gifts (well, except for my birthday !! I kid....I kid....)
This year Thanksgiving is giving me a new set of challenges. Not only is my family divided by divorce, but yet still wants to do the "one big happy family holiday", but now that I have a life with my Chef, his family and their traditions must find a place in our lives as well. So this year for the first time ever, we have two dinners to fit into one day.
And also new this year, I have been asked to provide dessert for the Chef's family's dinner. Ohhhhh....they have seen pictures from my pie-baking days for the restaurant earlier this year. That's what did it. So it's going to be a pumpkin pie and an apple cranberry pie with crumb topping for Thanksgiving Day at their home. And my family will be having their dinner at my son's house, and well, they grew up with me. They KNOW what to ask me to make. Cheesecake. So......lemon and orange cheesecake with raspberries is on the menu at their dinner. Yes, recipes will be coming. Pie baking starts tonight.
So, what are your family's traditions ? Favorite holidays ? Favorite foods ? And most importantly, what are you thankful for ?
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Beating the Weather Blahs with Cheese
I'm so glad fall has finally arrived. I even hear there is rain/snow mix up near the Iowa/Minnesota border- I'm slightly jealous !! Around the lake the garden has truly died for the year. Oh sure, we have a few pea plants that are still alive and vibrant green, but it's been far too cold and they are just stalled at their young stage, never to bloom or produce any peas. Darnit.
I think the marigolds and basil were the first things to go.
And our little (well, not really LITTLE) cherry tomato snack plant that sat right next to the table on the deck, and yes, we sat out there on gorgeous evenings and ate tomatoes right off the plant, has also given up the ghost. Next year a new cherry tomato plant with take its place.
All around the lake, autumn has taken a firm hold. Leaves blown away, bare branches rustle against eachother in the brisk wind. Most of the summer birds are gone now, but the deer are everywhere !! Every once in a while we still see a stray fisherman or two braving the cold wind out on the fishing piers across the street.
It may be cold outside, but it's warm and toasty inside, and The Chef has been busy in the kitchen again today working his magic on a couple of boneless chicken breasts, crafting his magnificent Chicken Parmesan.
No need for a detailed recipe here, this one is easy. He made his usual red sauce, pounded out a couple chicken breasts, coated them with a mix of breadcrumbs, herbs and parmesan cheese. Sauteed in a little butter and olive oil until nicely browned, he loaded them with shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese and popped em in the oven til melty, browned and cooked through.
Served alongside a little spaghetti with red sauce, it was absolutely perfect and soooo delicious !!!
And even though today isn't Thanksgiving, and we didn't even have turkey for dinner, I still think about how much I have to be thankful for........
I think the marigolds and basil were the first things to go.
And our little (well, not really LITTLE) cherry tomato snack plant that sat right next to the table on the deck, and yes, we sat out there on gorgeous evenings and ate tomatoes right off the plant, has also given up the ghost. Next year a new cherry tomato plant with take its place.
All around the lake, autumn has taken a firm hold. Leaves blown away, bare branches rustle against eachother in the brisk wind. Most of the summer birds are gone now, but the deer are everywhere !! Every once in a while we still see a stray fisherman or two braving the cold wind out on the fishing piers across the street.
It may be cold outside, but it's warm and toasty inside, and The Chef has been busy in the kitchen again today working his magic on a couple of boneless chicken breasts, crafting his magnificent Chicken Parmesan.
No need for a detailed recipe here, this one is easy. He made his usual red sauce, pounded out a couple chicken breasts, coated them with a mix of breadcrumbs, herbs and parmesan cheese. Sauteed in a little butter and olive oil until nicely browned, he loaded them with shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese and popped em in the oven til melty, browned and cooked through.
And even though today isn't Thanksgiving, and we didn't even have turkey for dinner, I still think about how much I have to be thankful for........
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Goin' Bananas !!!!
It's not even WINTER yet and this girl has a serious case of cabin fever !!! I wanted to do some exploring in the area- partly because we haven't explored much at all, and I have a map of ghost towns in Guthrie County, and partly because our part of the state is so important to my new job- I need to get out and see the counties and towns.
But, alas, it wasn't meant to be this weekend and Sunday was spent mostly in jammies on the couch watching football. No Vikings this week so I just cheered for the Saints, Chiefs and Packers instead.
I haven't cooked much lately, haven't posted much, and was feeling a little neglectful of that. Plus, everytime I walked through the kitchen I could feel the sad eyes of two brown, overly ripe, sad bananas just BEGGING me to do something with them. So I knew I needed to do SOMETHING today.
So I went into the Room of Doom to try and find a loaf pan. Banana bread sounds good, right ? Ha !! Which box has the loaf pans ? Who knows...... so banana nut muffins then ? But where is the muffin pan ? Sigh........in the Room of Doom I'm sure. But then I remembered- I had been at a garage sale earlier this summer !! I bought a mini muffin pan (didn't NEED it but it was a quarter !!) and I KNEW that was in the kitchen. So, Banana Nut Mini Muffins it is.
Banana Nut Mini Muffins
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup milk
1 cup mashed banana
1/2 cup chopped nuts
In large bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Mash bananas in a small bowl.
How did they turn out ?? Yummy !!!!
How did the day of football turn out ? The Saints won, the Packers won and the Chiefs let me down.....now come on Ravens !!!!
But, alas, it wasn't meant to be this weekend and Sunday was spent mostly in jammies on the couch watching football. No Vikings this week so I just cheered for the Saints, Chiefs and Packers instead.
I haven't cooked much lately, haven't posted much, and was feeling a little neglectful of that. Plus, everytime I walked through the kitchen I could feel the sad eyes of two brown, overly ripe, sad bananas just BEGGING me to do something with them. So I knew I needed to do SOMETHING today.
So I went into the Room of Doom to try and find a loaf pan. Banana bread sounds good, right ? Ha !! Which box has the loaf pans ? Who knows...... so banana nut muffins then ? But where is the muffin pan ? Sigh........in the Room of Doom I'm sure. But then I remembered- I had been at a garage sale earlier this summer !! I bought a mini muffin pan (didn't NEED it but it was a quarter !!) and I KNEW that was in the kitchen. So, Banana Nut Mini Muffins it is.
Banana Nut Mini Muffins
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup milk
1 cup mashed banana
1/2 cup chopped nuts
In large bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Mash bananas in a small bowl.
Chop nuts and toss in bowl with flour. Combine beaten egg, oil and milk in small bowl. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened, batter should be lumpy. Add banana. Prepare muffin cups, fill 2/3 full. Bake at 400 degree about 10 minutes or until golden brown.
How did they turn out ?? Yummy !!!!
How did the day of football turn out ? The Saints won, the Packers won and the Chiefs let me down.....now come on Ravens !!!!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Small Town Life
Way back in the beginning when I originally wanted to start a blog, the intent was to follow the story of our lives adjusting to small town life after being lifelong city people. I seem to do alot more writing about our fun stuff but tonight I had a really great small town America experience, which is exactly what we were hoping for when we decided to flee the city.
The coolest thing about the small towns is the amazing architecture. Old storefronts, courthouses well over 100 years old, it's amazing to me to think about how they actually built these glorious buildings. I need to brush up on my History of Stuart, because I don't know what the building above originally was, but it was built in 1894. It's in beautiful condition but sadly the street level storefronts are vacant, sad reminderss of a once vibrant past when White Pole Road was the major thoroughfare before they built the interstate and bypassed all the small towns.
Tonight was Beggars Night in Stuart and I was invited to join one of the business owners to pass out candy to all the goblins. It was really a fun time. I've never experienced this small town ritual- all the businesses on main street set up a table, or a tent, or just pull up a chair, grab a big bowl of candy, and wait for the herd of hungry ghouls and princesses and superheros.
More than 700 pieces of candy were in that bowl !!! A neighboring business was kind enough to refill my friend's bowl twice becase she ran out !!! Another example of the small town mentality- the neighborly atmosphere is so heartwarming. So many people stopped to talk to me and say hi, and they'd never met me before in their lives, yet acted like I've been a lifelong neighbor.
Lucky for us, the other neighboring business is a restaurant and lounge, and besides handing out candy to the kiddies, they handed out jello shots to the weary moms and dads, and even tho we weren't walking the main street with kids in tow, they felt sorry for us girls sitting there swarmed by wave after wave of trick or treaters, and sent us over a couple.....
As the sun settled in the sky, the air turned chilly and all I could think was that I really had a nice evening, really felt "at home" for probably the first time since moving out here.
Life is settling into exactly what we wanted when we made this decision. Still not 100% there, but every day we're closer and closer, and happier still......and this year as Thanksgiving approaches, I will have many many things to be thankful for.
The coolest thing about the small towns is the amazing architecture. Old storefronts, courthouses well over 100 years old, it's amazing to me to think about how they actually built these glorious buildings. I need to brush up on my History of Stuart, because I don't know what the building above originally was, but it was built in 1894. It's in beautiful condition but sadly the street level storefronts are vacant, sad reminderss of a once vibrant past when White Pole Road was the major thoroughfare before they built the interstate and bypassed all the small towns.
Tonight was Beggars Night in Stuart and I was invited to join one of the business owners to pass out candy to all the goblins. It was really a fun time. I've never experienced this small town ritual- all the businesses on main street set up a table, or a tent, or just pull up a chair, grab a big bowl of candy, and wait for the herd of hungry ghouls and princesses and superheros.
More than 700 pieces of candy were in that bowl !!! A neighboring business was kind enough to refill my friend's bowl twice becase she ran out !!! Another example of the small town mentality- the neighborly atmosphere is so heartwarming. So many people stopped to talk to me and say hi, and they'd never met me before in their lives, yet acted like I've been a lifelong neighbor.
Lucky for us, the other neighboring business is a restaurant and lounge, and besides handing out candy to the kiddies, they handed out jello shots to the weary moms and dads, and even tho we weren't walking the main street with kids in tow, they felt sorry for us girls sitting there swarmed by wave after wave of trick or treaters, and sent us over a couple.....
As the sun settled in the sky, the air turned chilly and all I could think was that I really had a nice evening, really felt "at home" for probably the first time since moving out here.
Life is settling into exactly what we wanted when we made this decision. Still not 100% there, but every day we're closer and closer, and happier still......and this year as Thanksgiving approaches, I will have many many things to be thankful for.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
One for the NEVER AGAIN File
Usually when I try a new wine, I like to buy more than one bottle, so I can try it in different circumstances. Different temps, with different pairings- you get the idea. Last night, the first Friday of the first week of my new job and the Chef and I decided to just have a few drinks at home to celebrate.
Easy enough to choose for him, he likes a couple different kinds of beer or a mixed drink on occasion. Me, there is another story. Sometimes I'll take a beer, sometimes I want a cocktail (not those girly concoctions with umbrellas and flowers and an entire fruit salad on a skewer) but a nice martini (dirty, cosmo, apple) or maybe Campari and soda, Captain Morgan and something. I've been known to thrown down a jager bomb or four.
Most occasions though I will opt for wine. So last night I chose a couple bottles from a local Iowa winery, Santa Maria in Carroll. Beautiful winery- looks like an Italian piazza but in the middle of small town Iowa. They have some of the best reds in the state and usually, if I'm buying wine there, I go with the reds.
Last night however, I chose two whites. I'm only going to talk about one because I never got around to opening the second bottle, so I'll save that for next Friday.
Thinking it was a Riesling style wine I picked the Frontenac Gris. It's a nonvintage wine. The label claims a tropical fruit palate with hints of honey on the finish. My impression was old grapes fermented in a musty basement with bits of old match heads floating around before straining. The actual flavor of the wine wasn't that bad, it was a little too sweet for me, more like a dessert wine than a sipping wine, but what I couldn't get past was the aroma. It had a very pronounced sulphur smell that just made it very unpleasant to me. I drank the first glass well chilled and that brought the fruitiness out but couldn't hide the smell. The second glass I had let warm slightly to cool room temp and still, same thing, the fruitiness was slightly less pronounced and the alcohol was more "there" but again, that smell...... I didn't finish the bottle.
Overall it was such a bad experience that I didn't want to open the second bottle. I felt like my palate and ability to taste with an open mind was done for the night.
Santa Maria has some very amazing wines. Besides using Iowa-grown grapes, they purchase grapes from other regions and have a Syrah that is fabulous, a Riesling reserve that is a standout and probably my favorite of all their wines, Tempranillo. They have a beautiful winery with a restaurant and loads of party rooms and such.You can check it out at www.santamariawinery.com .
Easy enough to choose for him, he likes a couple different kinds of beer or a mixed drink on occasion. Me, there is another story. Sometimes I'll take a beer, sometimes I want a cocktail (not those girly concoctions with umbrellas and flowers and an entire fruit salad on a skewer) but a nice martini (dirty, cosmo, apple) or maybe Campari and soda, Captain Morgan and something. I've been known to thrown down a jager bomb or four.
Most occasions though I will opt for wine. So last night I chose a couple bottles from a local Iowa winery, Santa Maria in Carroll. Beautiful winery- looks like an Italian piazza but in the middle of small town Iowa. They have some of the best reds in the state and usually, if I'm buying wine there, I go with the reds.
Last night however, I chose two whites. I'm only going to talk about one because I never got around to opening the second bottle, so I'll save that for next Friday.
Thinking it was a Riesling style wine I picked the Frontenac Gris. It's a nonvintage wine. The label claims a tropical fruit palate with hints of honey on the finish. My impression was old grapes fermented in a musty basement with bits of old match heads floating around before straining. The actual flavor of the wine wasn't that bad, it was a little too sweet for me, more like a dessert wine than a sipping wine, but what I couldn't get past was the aroma. It had a very pronounced sulphur smell that just made it very unpleasant to me. I drank the first glass well chilled and that brought the fruitiness out but couldn't hide the smell. The second glass I had let warm slightly to cool room temp and still, same thing, the fruitiness was slightly less pronounced and the alcohol was more "there" but again, that smell...... I didn't finish the bottle.
Overall it was such a bad experience that I didn't want to open the second bottle. I felt like my palate and ability to taste with an open mind was done for the night.
Santa Maria has some very amazing wines. Besides using Iowa-grown grapes, they purchase grapes from other regions and have a Syrah that is fabulous, a Riesling reserve that is a standout and probably my favorite of all their wines, Tempranillo. They have a beautiful winery with a restaurant and loads of party rooms and such.You can check it out at www.santamariawinery.com .
The Chill Air of Autumn
I've been seeing it all over the news- that word that brings so much dread to others, yet so much JOY to me- SNOW !!!!! 8 inches of snow in Denver the other day, a massive winter storm to the east. What do I have to do to get a little flake action in my part of the world ???
Since moving to the lake in March, we really haven't experienced any real winter weather. We had a couple snows, an inch or two at the most, but it was always gone by the next day. Nothing to even shovel. Shoveling snow is my favorite thing in the world. Pile on my coat, warm shoes, hat and mitties and hit the driveway. The peace and serenity is just so incredible. It's like I'm the only person on the planet (except sometimes I hear the far-off drone of some snowblower but that will probably be less likely out here at the lake. The weekenders won't be here to worry about the snow). That's the Minnesota girl in me. I'm sooo looking forward to the first REAL snowfall at the lake.
Even though we don't have any snow yet, the boats are all out of the water and driving through the area I see people tuning up and preparing their winter toys- snowmobiles, 4 wheelers. A frozen lake is a playground just as much as the summer water.
One of the best things about this time of year is the "winter food". I love anything that simmers all day, roasts for hours, filling the home with the scents of something delicious to come. Tonight on the menu it's chili. And I've been sampling- it's going to be a killer !!!!
As always, we start with the best quality ingredients we can get. No, not talking a slab of Kobe beef or Wagyu steak or anything like that, but we picked out a nice boneless roast, trimmed it myself, and cut into small cubes. Not big beef stew cubes, but smaller dice, pea size or so. Sometimes we like ground beef instead, sometimes I've even used both in the same pot. I'd even give a pork roast a shot in the chili pot. Ground turkey ? Maybe.....
One medium yellow onion, chopped, a few cloves of garlic, chopped, a small bell pepper, chopped, and a diced habanero all went in the pot with a little hit of olive oil and the meat. As soon as the onion was softened nicely, a quart of home canned tomatoes, can of tomato juice, about 1/2 cup of tomato paste, a handful of our dried tomatoes (you could use sun dried tomatoes or omit this if you'd like), salt, pepper, chili powder and a SMALL bit, like 1/2 tsp. or less, of crushed dried ghost chile went into the pot to simmer.
It's only been a couple hours at this point and I'm already anxiously awaiting dinnertime !!
We served the chili with shredded cheese sprinkled on top and crackers instead of cornbread this time. It was sooooo rich and thick and tomatoey and spicy all at the same time. And it was spicy !! Not melt-your-face-off spicy but it warmed me up nicely.
Absolutely perfect for a cool fall night with scary movies on all the channels. In fact, right now I'm home by myself watching Halloween H20, and very bravely I might add !!!! I don't like scary movies !!! And I'll say this much, if I hear a strange noise in the dark back yard, or the neighbors dogs bark away at an unknown something, I will NOT be putting on a pair of high heels and heading out in the darkness armed with a candle and a screwdriver !!!
Before I go enjoy another bowl of chili, I'll share one more look at the lake in winters past.
(all pictures are courtesy of http://www.diamondheadlake.org/) I cannot wait to have a few pictures of my own to share !!
Since moving to the lake in March, we really haven't experienced any real winter weather. We had a couple snows, an inch or two at the most, but it was always gone by the next day. Nothing to even shovel. Shoveling snow is my favorite thing in the world. Pile on my coat, warm shoes, hat and mitties and hit the driveway. The peace and serenity is just so incredible. It's like I'm the only person on the planet (except sometimes I hear the far-off drone of some snowblower but that will probably be less likely out here at the lake. The weekenders won't be here to worry about the snow). That's the Minnesota girl in me. I'm sooo looking forward to the first REAL snowfall at the lake.
Even though we don't have any snow yet, the boats are all out of the water and driving through the area I see people tuning up and preparing their winter toys- snowmobiles, 4 wheelers. A frozen lake is a playground just as much as the summer water.
One of the best things about this time of year is the "winter food". I love anything that simmers all day, roasts for hours, filling the home with the scents of something delicious to come. Tonight on the menu it's chili. And I've been sampling- it's going to be a killer !!!!
As always, we start with the best quality ingredients we can get. No, not talking a slab of Kobe beef or Wagyu steak or anything like that, but we picked out a nice boneless roast, trimmed it myself, and cut into small cubes. Not big beef stew cubes, but smaller dice, pea size or so. Sometimes we like ground beef instead, sometimes I've even used both in the same pot. I'd even give a pork roast a shot in the chili pot. Ground turkey ? Maybe.....
One medium yellow onion, chopped, a few cloves of garlic, chopped, a small bell pepper, chopped, and a diced habanero all went in the pot with a little hit of olive oil and the meat. As soon as the onion was softened nicely, a quart of home canned tomatoes, can of tomato juice, about 1/2 cup of tomato paste, a handful of our dried tomatoes (you could use sun dried tomatoes or omit this if you'd like), salt, pepper, chili powder and a SMALL bit, like 1/2 tsp. or less, of crushed dried ghost chile went into the pot to simmer.
It's only been a couple hours at this point and I'm already anxiously awaiting dinnertime !!
We served the chili with shredded cheese sprinkled on top and crackers instead of cornbread this time. It was sooooo rich and thick and tomatoey and spicy all at the same time. And it was spicy !! Not melt-your-face-off spicy but it warmed me up nicely.
Absolutely perfect for a cool fall night with scary movies on all the channels. In fact, right now I'm home by myself watching Halloween H20, and very bravely I might add !!!! I don't like scary movies !!! And I'll say this much, if I hear a strange noise in the dark back yard, or the neighbors dogs bark away at an unknown something, I will NOT be putting on a pair of high heels and heading out in the darkness armed with a candle and a screwdriver !!!
Before I go enjoy another bowl of chili, I'll share one more look at the lake in winters past.
(all pictures are courtesy of http://www.diamondheadlake.org/) I cannot wait to have a few pictures of my own to share !!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
I'm all about recycling !!!
Recycling. Going green. Electric cars (speaking of which, our little Chevy dealer in Stuart had a Chevy Volt on the lot yesterday- I really liked it !!!). Those seem to be the big buzzwords these days. So, not wanting to be socially irresponsible, I've decided to do a little recycling of my own tonight. Food recycling that is !!
You might remember a couple weekends ago I had a little all-day cookathon for myself. The Four Raviolis (sounds like superheros doesn't it ?). One of them was a seafood ravioli with a yummy filling of ricotta cheese, shrimp, crab and langostino. I had more filling than I needed so I tucked it away in the freezer for safekeeping. While sitting at work today munching on Puffcorn my mind wandered into the freezer......and thought about that filling......and since the grocery store is right next to my office, I toddled over there and grabbed a package of mushrooms.
Once I got home the rest was easy- thaw the filling til it's soft enough to spoon/mound. Melt a little butter. Mix some dry breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and parsley in a shallow dish. Pull out the mushroom stems. Mound the seafood filling in the mushrooms, dip the tops in the crumb mixture, drizzle with melted butter and bake. Voila !!! Seafood stuffed mushrooms, or as an environmentalist might say, Mushrooms with Recycled Seafood Stuffing.
You might remember a couple weekends ago I had a little all-day cookathon for myself. The Four Raviolis (sounds like superheros doesn't it ?). One of them was a seafood ravioli with a yummy filling of ricotta cheese, shrimp, crab and langostino. I had more filling than I needed so I tucked it away in the freezer for safekeeping. While sitting at work today munching on Puffcorn my mind wandered into the freezer......and thought about that filling......and since the grocery store is right next to my office, I toddled over there and grabbed a package of mushrooms.
Once I got home the rest was easy- thaw the filling til it's soft enough to spoon/mound. Melt a little butter. Mix some dry breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and parsley in a shallow dish. Pull out the mushroom stems. Mound the seafood filling in the mushrooms, dip the tops in the crumb mixture, drizzle with melted butter and bake. Voila !!! Seafood stuffed mushrooms, or as an environmentalist might say, Mushrooms with Recycled Seafood Stuffing.
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