just a hippie in heels

Beauty.

2012-01-24T16:51:00.000-05:00

I love… Imean really love beauty products.

I am asucker for buying anything that convinces me my skin will be smoother, my hairshinier, or my ass smaller.

Back inmy pre-hippie days I consumed A LOT and wasted even more. In recent years I’vestreamlined my beauty regimen to be more selective and more environmentallyconscious. Here are some things I cannot live without!

Face Stuff:

I LOVE times a million Alba Botanical, organic, vegeterian, and biodegradable... not to mention they smell absolutely DIVINE! The face wash and scrub are my saviors!!! And for taking off the pounds of caked on makeup there is nothing quite like Jason's makeup remover pads, pure, clean, natural, and easy on my sensitive skin!

Find it!

For my hurrrr:

Let me preface this by saying I truly think I have the worst hair in the whole world, it's thin as silk and drryyyyyyyyyy as a bone. It's taken me years, I kid you not, to get to a place of understanding with my hair. And even then Im not always her greatest fan..... But there are a couple of things I swear by....

1. Wash as infrequently as possible ( sometimes this is every other day, sometimes this is every 3 or 4 days.... dont judge, its called an updo)

2. I always have at least two sometimes three shampoos and conditioners on hand, and rotate them accordingly.

3. I condition like a mofo.

Here are my FAVESSS!

This hair oil is the bomb.com, completely natural, organic, and makes all my nutso flyways dissapear. I seriously couldnt live without it!


Find it!

I love Jason's for my shampoos, I try to use a regular moisturizing one and switch it up with a color protecting one as well.... love em!

For my Color!! Find it!

Find it!

Boodddyyyyy:

For washing the body I like to find scents that aren't gender specific so the hubs can use as well. For an old fashioned all natural hippie dippie clean we swear by Dr.Bronners... and for when I want something a little less stringent I use Alba body wash, smells fruity and clean with that beautiful citrus zing without smelling girly ;)!


Find it!

Find it!

All proof that I can feed my shopping addiction, my beauty product craving, and save the planet..... if only MAC made organic makeup... sigh.

Reality.

2012-01-10T10:43:00.002-05:00

It’sfunny how quick, hard and ruthless a reality check can be.

Coming intowork in uptown Charlottethis morning there was a pedestrian fatality. The cross streets were shut down, and my office got a front row view. We don’t know names or the specificdetails. But I do know a life was taken today as quick as a snap. Gone. A likely, husband, father, son, grandson. Gone.

This lifeis fleeting and oh so temporary.

I hatethat it takes moments like this to remind me.

Lots and lots of love,

New Years?

2012-01-09T10:09:00.001-05:00

I can’t believeit’s 2012.

2011zoomed right on by me. I didn’t even see it happening. I guess that’s because Iwas so busy…..

Inreflecting on resolutions for the New Year and remembering ones made in yearspast I was hit with the notion that this was probably the biggest year ofchange for me.

I lost 55lbs, started my own business, made some fantastic new friends, made HUGEfinancial advances towards kicking debt’s ass, and celebrated lots of importantweddings and babies births. It was a great year by all accounts.

But as wehead into the New Year and I start to acknowledge that I’m officially a “grownup” I’m not gonna lie…. It freaks me out a little bit. I guess you could say I’ve been officially agrown up for awhile now. But there was something about this birthday, this NewYear that really hit home. I’m 27! That’s closer to 30 than 20. You HAVE tohave your s*&$ together at 27. You can’t pretend that you are allowed to beirresponsible or immature. That goes out the window…….

So myresolutions are totally different this year… in keeping in line with my newgrown up self here are some things I want to accomplish this year….

- Joina book club…… and focus on the books not the booze

- Applywrinkle cream EVERY night and squeeze out every last drop of the free sampleChanel cream. Mama can’t replace it with the $200 normal size.

- Investin flats. I know I have a general anti-flats rule in my house….but either Iinvest in massages once a month or make a concession a few times a week in theheel category… sigh.

- Moredate night’s pre-babies with my hubby (P.S - sweatpants and episodes of Fringe don’tcount).

- Readmore current news and less US Weekly. I don’t think my brain can take anymoreKardashian.

- Shopless. Period. If we want to reach our financial goals this year I need to behappy with what’s in my closet and not on modcloth.com

- Cutand organize the 18 piles of coupons I have saved up……. And place them inplastic organizers Suzi homemaker style.

- Continueto get healthy and in shape….. Replace sugar with whole grains and beer withclear liquor……

- Wearcuter clothes to work out. Yoga pants just make my a$$ look so much better!

Iseriously need to get on that wrinkle cream I can not handle it if the guy atthe ABC store stops carding me.

Happy New Years Everyone!!

Yes!

2011-07-28T17:46:00.000-04:00

It's baaaccckkkkkkkkk!!!!!!!

Life.

2011-07-28T12:47:00.000-04:00

As I walked in the door from a work meeting (a fun one at that!) I wanted to blog. Then I saw my husband for the first time all day and this blog flew right out of my mind. But this morning when thinking about blogging there were only two words that came to mind.....

I’m busy.

Like seriously. Ridiculously busy.

I think you saw for yourself in my pink calendar from Monday. But I feel like I am running all the time.

First of all. I have a 40 hour job, and at the moment we are short staffed. So I feel like my plate is uber full when I am there. That does not lead me to have a clear head when I leave. In fact it is quite the opposite. Instead when I leave all I want is my head to be foggy (i.e. affected by vodka, or wine, I’m not really picky).

So that’s work.

THEN, as crazy as this may seem. I have – eek!!- started a business with my friend and co-worker. We are planning events on the side and seeing where the journey takes us. Its fun, rewarding, and keeps me BUSY! I feel like for the first time in my life I am in a place where I am proud of myself and my talents. I honestly feel like in both my "real" job and my part time business I am doing something I am passionate about and having a blast doing it! But running a part time business means at 5 o'clock, I don't clock out anymore.........( "Like" us on facebook :))

Crazy right!??!?!?!

That alone is enough to make me wanna open the Belvy, but added on to that, I have a ton of people in my life having landmark events. I have 3 weddings, 3 pregnancies, 3 weekends in a row I am out town, bridal showers, baby showers, and everything in between all happening between the months of August and Dec.......

Phew.

But guess what sounds the most looney tunes?!?!

I am happier than I’ve ever been.

Crazy huh?

I love this chaotic life. I am so blessed in my marriage, in my friendships, in my job(s) and every day is a blast. Sometimes I need a reminder about what a blast it is, when all I see my husband for is peck and a hug before we speed off to the next thing. But every event we plan when I see that ~~client~~ friend happy, and their event was everything they wanted, it's worth it. Every time a new door opens, and every time an old door closes I grow up a little bit more and discover who I am and what I'm able to accomplish with this life. That's a gift that has no price tag.

There are some exceptions to "squeezing" things in, like Chelsea Handler!!

So ..... I guess now I can say that I rarely have time to stop and smell the roses. But that’s ok ……. I have time to stop and smell the vodka.

Alone?

2011-07-26T20:09:00.002-04:00

Tonight is one of those nights.

You know THOSE nights.

Ok, maybe you don’t know what those nights are. But I would be happy to explain.

Tonight is a night, where I have NOTHING going on…. My husband has something to do. And my giant pink calendar is empty (and these days she’s rarely empty). So tonight is one of THOSE nights that I will watch every single girly show most likely Bravo or HGTV related and I had my pajamas on at 5:04 and I decided not to worry about a thing.

- Please notice the large Harry Potter announcement among my chaotic life... priorities people...-

But first I had to worry about dinner. I talk about cooking a lot to my friends, coworkers (well they are my friends), family, etc… And often I am talking of the meals for two. Tonight however I am cooking for one. Not something I'm used to , but something I have been known to empathize with. You know what I'm talking about..... the single girl cooking dilemma. If you’ve been a healthy/broke, single/missing your partner, lady/man at any point you know this dilemma.

It goes like this....

- I want to cook BUT......I don’t want to dirty up dishes for one meal

- That sounds good BUT........If I’m eating by myself I don’t want to waste time in the kitchen cooking elaborately

- I would love to eat that BUT cooking for one is expensive!

- I give up......I'll just have string cheese and wine for dinner……

You get the point. I’ve been there, I understand. It’s hard to stay committed to a well rounded meal plan when cooking for one. And tonight I think I have found a solution. Maybe it’s not winning any James Beard awards, and maybe I’m not submitting this recipe to Bon Appetit. But it’s damn good, and extremely well rounded nutrionally.

You ready for this stroke of genius?!?!?!?!

Dun – dun –dun……. Drom roll please….

A Salad.

Yes I eat my salad out of tupperware.

I just blew your mind right?! I know, you would have never thought to eat a salad for one, right? Right?!

Ok, so maybe this isn’t a revelation. Single girls have been eating salads for years before this blog came along. I’ve even been known to make a few myself. So I suppose it’s not the salad that’s amazing about this meal. It’s all in the dressing. ( I love Mama Pea)

It’s super easy to make, you should have most of the ingredients on hand, it’s healthy, AND it’s a one pot meal. So basically it’s a win, win, win?

Anywhoo….. whip it up.

And I promise, next time your sitting in your pjs because the roommate, husband, boyfriend, girlfriend, dog, cat, gerbil? are gone, make this dressing and pour it on your ~~pitiful~~ bombtastic salad for one. I promise you’ll be glad you’re alone and don’t have to share.

Oh and PS....... nothing goes better with a salad for one, like a nice large glass of wine.

Balance?

2011-06-08T08:39:00.001-04:00

Balance.

We all struggle with it.

We all have hopes desires and dreams. We all have to find a way to make this crazy life work.

And I severely struggle with it. I’ve been writing this blog for 2 years now and it has seen its share of peaks and valleys. I’ve blogged about my re-commitment to blogging here and here and probably a million other places. And where am I now sitting here 1 month after my last blog post about to say I want to recommit to blogging?!?!? I don’t know. What I do know is that I get great satisfaction out of writing. I get even greater satisfaction out of knowing some of you people out there read it.

What I don’t understand is how I, who can be so driven and balanced in so many other areas of my life cannot find the balance to write on here every day. It’s literally driving me crazy. My blog posts don’t take a long time to write. Most of the time I spit them out in a matter of minutes. It takes almost no time to snap a few pictures to gather my thoughts. But you wanna know what else?! It takes me even more time to make an excuse to myself about why I’m not going to do it today. And frankly that pisses me off. I can’t stand laziness and I can’t stand avoidance. And I have been doing both of those things with this blog. I’m really f*$#@^& angry at myself about it. So what’s next. I read the plethora ( big word huh?) of blogs I follow every day and think and mentally beat myself up. Because of a number of reasons. I find a blogger from my hometown, I see one that’s passionate about the same things. I find one where they are struggling like I am with a certain thing. And instead of blogging I avoid. ANNOY-INNGGG.

So I decided the only real way to hold myself accountable was to write about it and put it out in the blogosphere where friends, family, and strangers alike can read what I’m saying. My intentions are this: to make myself feel like shit about it. Seriously. I want to feel guilty. Guilty works me for me. It’s how I woke up at 5:30 am to run this morning. And it’s how I eat a salad instead of a brownie. It may not be the way your brain thinks but it works for me. On a side note let me clear. I love food, wine, and delicious things. When I say I make myself feel guilty I really mean I make myself accountable for what I ate. I wont beat myself up about eating a donut from the office one morning, but I know it will make me feel like a bloated water buffalo so I tell myself that is what I get. Guilt? Or honesty? I don’t know. I just know it works. The more I demand positive things from myself and hold myself accountable the more I do those positive things!

So all of that said. Here is another ~~"promise I'll blog more post"~~ "just popping in to say hi post, hopefully I'll be back later". I'm done with "I promises".

Happy Wednesday!

A little crunchy.

2011-05-01T13:49:00.000-04:00

I have no shame proclaiming my hippie status. Every day I try to be a little more crunchy. I try and constantly educate myself about what I'm consuming and how to get better. I by no means am perfect. In fact I still have a lot of hang ups.

- I am addicted to diet coke.
- I love MAC makeup.
- I obsess about perfume.
- AND I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE TO SHOP. LOVE. Love.

Despite these things, I still try and live as naturally, as chemical free, and as toxin free as possible. We use seventh generation , vinegar, lemon, and Dr. Bronners to clean our house. We try and buy all natural shampoos, soaps, and toothpaste whenever possible. I use re-usable bags, EVERYWHERE. Including target, petsmart, the thrift store. Those babies go every where with me. We hang our clothes on the line (when it's warm I'll be honest, ice cold sweatpants do not appeal to me), and I have several indoor drying apparatus's as well. We only use re-chargeable batteries, and all of our light-bulbs are incandescent.

But all that being said, I am still not a perfect "hippie", and I don't take myself too seriously. Each of those changes were made one at a time, not all at once. When I started to be environmentally conscious I was overwhelmed. I wanted to change everything overnight. And I felt wholly inadequate. Then believe it or not I read something Leonardo DiCaprio said, about making just one change, just one. And focus your heart on that one change. And once you've mastered that move to another change. And I listened to Leo and made one change. I stopped taking plastic at the grocery store. That was my first change. I just stopped cold turkey. And to train myself to not forget I would either buy one of the store .99 re-usables, or stuff my groceries in my purse, yea I learned quickly. I would re-fuse plastic. I became obsessed. And we ended up with about 100 re-usable bags. But that learning and training period is grilled in. I never forget my bags. It is as normal to me when I shop to bring a bag as bringing my wallet. But I had to train myself that way. It didn't just happen.

After that change the others started rolling in, our cleaning supplies, followed by our toiletries. The clothesline and the compost pile fell in line. And before I knew it I was regarded as a hippie by my friends and family, and an environmentally passionate weirdo. I embraced my title and started looking for more ways to change. So I stopped buying paper products.

This cute tablecloth is my sister Ashley's, it's been at my house forever!! Sorry Ash!

Yes, we don't use paper products in our house, and even our toilet paper is always a recycled paper brand. I tell people this statement and it's usually the one that incites the argumentative convos. "How do you live without paper towels?" "That's weird!" And trust this.. there are many a times ( i.e drunk girl pukes in my hallway) that I would give my left arm for a paper towel roll. But we don't buy them so I don't miss them generally. I always buy cloth napkins at the thrift store or at the regular store (when they are on sale or just to darn cute, see above issue with shopping), and I have collected enough bar towels, and dish towels that we don't miss the paper.

Those are things that work for me, and like I said it didn't happen overnight. I made a decision to change and I did it, one thing at a time. That's when I get frustrated by people, your change doesn't have to be earth shattering, just a change. Just one choice that makes a difference.

My goal isn't to make myself seem better, or to make you feel worse. I just want you to know how easy it is. How beneficial it is, and how important it is, not just for our generation but for future generations. This is the only planet we've got, and we all something to gain from taking care of it.

And just so you know, our recycling bins are jam packed ..... with wine bottles :).

life.

2011-04-28T21:04:00.001-04:00

I'm not gonna lie. Life is pretty stressful right now. And I guess it's kind of ironic. I am more prone to blog regularly when I have a lot going on. When thing's are peachy, I just can't seem to find the time.

Despite the underlying stresses surrounding me. Tonight was about as zen as a person could ask for. I worked late and came home with an intense desire to not turn the tv on once tonight ( YES - I have every single Royal wedding show dvr'd + several bajillion hours of other crap tv to catch up on). Despite this fact I basically declared a sober from tv night.

Can you blame me? It's 75 and breezy here in the QC a night that is rare between the chill of winter and the sweltering heat of summer. All I wanted to do was head outside and relax with my hubs and my pups.

Luckily I had some ground beef thawed out and several other cook out fixins. So the ~~grillmaster~~ hubs started it up and I threw together some quick sides with a glass of wine.

Chopped up cucumber, sweet onions, broccoli slaw, and a quick mustard vinaigrette became the salad. And the remnants of potatoes bought for potato salad were tossed on a piece of foil on the grill lightly tossed in olive oil and S&P.

Coupled with porch lights and candles and a furry beggar tonight was as close to perfection as it could be.

And at risk of being cheesy, it really does take nights like this to make you realize, sitting at a house I can afford, close to a bed I can sleep in, eating food that I made, next to a husband I adore, I am truly blessed.

Life gets stressful. But that doesn't mean it's not bless-ful. ( HA - I cannot believe I typed that).

No but seriously. I love my life, and I love that I am able to say that in all honesty. Not many people can.

I hope your night is full of rest, peace, laughter, love, friends, family, pets, or solitude. Whatever your heart needs right now, I hope you have it.

Now to top of the night with chatting and sipping on the porch with my best friend.

Lots of love to you friends!

Meatless Mondays.

2011-04-27T21:40:00.000-04:00

Oh wait. It's Wednesday.

Anyway....

Tonight was simple and completely vegan. What what.

A little polenta with almond milk topped with a mushroom ragout recipe I snaked out of the latest issue of women's health ( It was good but Im too lazy to type it out, apologies my friends) on top and a beast of salad on the side.

Filling, delicious, and you don't even miss the meat. Even though some shredded mozz would have been fabulous on top ( I could NEVER give up cheese).

Sorry to be short and sweet but I have a load of Chelsea and Beekman to catch up on.

Lots and lots of love my friends!

(Better late than never) Sunday Waffles.

2011-04-11T08:48:00.000-04:00

I love Sundays. I mean really love Sundays. They hold a special place in my heart. When I was growing up Sunday was always the rest day in the family; no chores, no cleaning, just church followed by a HUGE family meal, and some napping and relaxing.

As I grew older and went through a miriad of non-traditional jobs, Sunday was always my one day I begged to have off. I HATE working on Sundays. I don't especially love working on Saturdays, but I can get through it. Sundays however I would boycott if I was added to the schedule. Luckily for me I currently have a 8a - 5p Monday - Friday job, so that is a non - issue. But I've noticed I still generally don't like having Sunday plans.

Yesterday was no different. The hubs and I took our time waking up , we waited till about 9:00am ( I know we are living on the edge), followed by a skype session with our precious niece and her awesome mama ( yes I was still in p.j's during said skype, it's a good thing you can't smell breath over the internets). I was feeling a bit adventurous and in an actual breakfast mood, so I decided to make some waffles. And not my standard waffle, a healthy, pumpkin and oats waffle. It was a bit of experiment. And if I'm being completely honest to the blog world, it was meant to be pancakes. I got the inspiration from Kath's recipe.

Well .........being the math deficient human that I am I couldn't wrap my brain around doubling or tripling her recipe for both Paul and I. So I searched all over the recipe land called the internet and settled on one I saw on All Recipes.com. I didn't want to use the traditional items as I still wanted to make it as healthy as possible AND I wanted to add oats. So I improvised ....which if I am still trying to be honest is never generally a good idea. And as I was trying to create pancakes in my all - clad saute pan I realized the batter was farrrrr to dense to make anything of substance. Like they resembled clumps of orange dough lack of substance. Gross. So I decided waffles would be the way go.

After a test or two I realized the waffle maker would in fact save breakfast. And lo and behold they turned out delicious.

Lesson learned. Don't improvise.

The rest of my Sunday was spent on my back porch reading and sipping wine with my husband, a pretty perfect lazy Sunday to round out the weekend.

And now it's Monday again. Sigh.

Completely Changed Around Pumpkin Pancakes from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups ~~milk~~ skim milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 ~~egg~~ egg white
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 cups ~~all-purpose flour~~ whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons ~~brown sugar~~ raw turbinado sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ~~ground allspice~~
1 teaspoon ~~ground cinnamon~~
1/2 teaspoon ~~ground ginger~~
(Being WAY to lazy I added a couple teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice instead of tracking each spice down, it was Sunday, so sue me)
1/2 teaspoon salt
+++ 1 cup of rolled oats.

Directions

In a bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt, and oats in a separate bowl. Stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.
++ Or bust out your waffle maker at the last minute and then slather them in real maple syrup and butter++

2011-04-07T20:23:00.000-04:00

It’s April.

April. Seriously how did we get here?

Where did March go? I don’t understand how bikini season is upon us already. Though I have stuck to my “resolution” to be healthier in 2011. I still don’t feel like I’m ready to don an itty bitty bathing suit. (I didn’t want to strip in front of the spray tan lady this weekend if that tells you anything)

Thats me in the neon green... sexxayy.

So what does this mean? Well for now it means I'm going to watch the Top Chef reunion special and try not down a pint of ice cream.

Does that count as being pro-active?

Geeze.

2011-04-06T09:44:00.000-04:00

OK …Ok…. ok.

I’ve totally scored a huge ole F in the blogging department.

I honestly don’t know what happened. I came into 2011 full of fire and ready to blog.

Then one day crept by, then another one.

Then it was a couple weeks. Then it was a month.

Then I felt so guilty and completely displaced from my blog I didn’t even know what to write.

AND then…….. I woke up with an epiphany this morning.

I really want to write. I mean, it's something I enjoy and really feel a gratification from. I don’t know if it will ever pay my salary but I'll just say I wouldnt mind that.. one day.
So. That being said. I refuse to be that person that just miraculously expects life to happen for them. They sit around and wait and wait and wait for the world to hand them a free ride on a silver platter. That ain’t happenin for me.

And if I'm being honest with myself, if I truly want to write then why don’t I write on this free scrap of internet paper more. Share my thoughts with ~~a lot people~~ my mom . And see where that takes me?

I’m not saying I am expecting this to become a big ole’ blog full of giveaways and guest writers. I can’t even guarantee I can get my friends and family to read this.

But what I can say is that I feel myself growing as a writer every time I post. And that in itself is my goal for this project I started a few years ago.

So that’s where I am. No promises, no gimmicks, no failures; just me and my crazy life.

Even though this is the like 17th time I’ve asked you to join me on a journey. I really hope you buy another ticket!

yum.

2011-01-29T11:07:00.001-05:00

Good Morning!!

Tired of me yet? I decided to blog about triple the time I used to. So I hope you wanna read all the randomness I'm gonna start writing about.....

This morning I woke up and ran, and decided to nourish my sweaty, gross self with a spinach smoothie. That's right, a spinach smoothie. SOOOO GOOD!

Start with a little spinach on top of some almond milk.

Chop up some frozen strawberries, that have been sitting in our freezer since this summer.

Throw in some chopped apples.

Throw in a tablespoon of green drink.

VOILA!!!

It ends up looking a little like something Sierra threw up, but it tastes delicious, I SWEAR!

Now off to laugh and gossip and try on bridesmaid dresses with my girls for my best friends wedding.

I hope your Saturday is a blast!

Buttahhh.....

2011-01-28T20:39:00.001-05:00

Hi friends!

IT’S FRIDAY!!!! Seriously I have been waiting for this day all week!

There is a prospect of a 60 degree weekend here in the Queen city and that sounds UH-Maze-ING!

As that clock switched to 5 I was out - of - there. Soooooo ready for the weekend. I guilted Paul into picking me up so I didn't have to take the light rail AND so we could stop at Trader Joe's on the way home. My favorite place in the world.

I definitely needed to grocery shop, here's some of what was on my list - warning : I am the WORST shopper ever, I always see something I want that wasn't on the list, so don't take shopping advice from me:

un-sweetened Vanilla Almond Milk - for smoothies, and baking, and drinking....
tempeh
almond buttah - can't wait to top my oats, and toast with it
almonds - totally for snacking at work
tofu
brussel sprouts - roasted with walnuts = perfection
spinach - smoothies, salads, the list goes on
mozzarella
whole wheat flour
nanners - EVERYTHING, I love bananas, and I am so glad Paul hates them, I get them all to myself
ground turkey
~~ice cream~~ ~~oreos~~ wine - well duh! We know what this is for.......~~chugging~~ drinking....

Check to all. Seriously can't wait to try this barbecue tofu recipe. Maybe tomorrow?!?!?!?!

Plus I am soooo pumped about the goods I bought from Swansons today……chhhyeeaaaa:

Flax Seeds
Chia Seeds
Nutritional Yeast
Green Foods
Emergen-c

I can just see an almond milk, green foods,spinach, bananer, chia smoothie in my future. Can't you?!?! I can’t wait for the box to get here! I know who am I? Excited for flax seeds?? I am wack.

And seriously speaking of wack-a-doo. Almond milk is seriously delicious, and low calorie, and I am pissed no one told me about this before, so in - love. So excited.... does it even bare repeating... that I am once again completely W-A-C-K.

Love at first taste.

Oh well.

Now for a calm Friday night in, with the hubs, the dog, a LARGE bottle of wine, and this cute little meatball.....

Aww Snooks, I love ya.

Happy Fridayyy!!!!

Hump Day.

2011-01-26T21:29:00.000-05:00

Hello blog friends!! Happy Wednesday... or as I like to call it Happy Two Days till Friday!!

I got off work today prepared to do yoga and I just could not do it. I was physically and mentally exhausted from the day and all I wanted to do was pull on sweats and relax. So that's exactly what I did. I started making dinner at like 10 after 6 and our wild night began.

Tonight was a round of tacos, with whole wheat tortillas, left over black bean soup ( de-thawed it is more like a black bean spread and worked perfectly as a veggie filling), tomatoes, corn, avocado, and sour cream/greek yogurt for Paul and I respectively (and for those who are skeptical, greek yogurt is a great healthy sour cream substitute).

All my taco groceries pre-arranged, sorry I'm a horrible post food picture taker.

I inhaled it way too quickly to get a post construction picture, so I'm just going to trust you to use your imagination. Perfect little week night meal; quick, easy, healthy, and completely inhale-able.

Seriously, how could you say no to this face?

After dinner and looking at this cute face long enough I begrudgingly switched my baggy, comfy, sweats for yoga pants and tennis shoes to give her the late night two mile walk she guilts us into every night. Ughhh.. the things we do for love ;).

She is rearing to go, pronounced rare-ing down here in the dirty south.

Now that my comfy sweats are back in there proper place, it's time to settle into my comfy bed with this baby from the library and a steaming mug of hot tea. I have an early morning run so I gotta hit the sack early, I can't hang like I used to.

Seriously love me some Moosewood.

Good night friends, I hope you are warm, comfy, and happy wherever you are. Especially if you are in the Northeast, I hear it's cold as b%&*# up there.

Monday Monday.

2011-01-24T19:45:00.001-05:00

Monday's don't have to be bad days.

Not when you have the bright idea to top your whole wheat pita's from the day before with a bit of tomato sauce, cheese, tomatoes and arugula.

And not when you pile some steamed broccoli on the side, that still has that crunchy bite.

And now to continue making Monday a good day, I'm gonna walk this fat-butt two miles.

I hope your Monday is splendid wherever you are!

Sunday Fun Day?

2011-01-23T23:38:00.001-05:00

Hola!!

If you know me or the hubs you know the importance Sunday's have in the Ross household this time of year. It's a bit ridiculous. No seriously, ri-dic-u-lous.

So today started like normal..... well not quite. I woke Paul up for a little Sunday morning yoga before sports began, and it was ah-ma-zing( I like to enunciate the words so you feel like your talking to me, I'm a dynamic talker). Every downward dog stretched out my running muscles and it was the perfect way to start my Sunday.

The yoga stretched my running pains and my husbands back and running pains, and we both felt like a million bucks. For breakfast we re-heated frozen waffles (whenever I make homemade waffles I freeze the leftovers so we don't have to "Eggo" the Ross house) and Paul topped his with sunflower seed butter and honey, and I sampled some organic crunchy peanut butter with honey and bananas. With black coffee all the way.Delish.

Our Sunday munchies usually consist of nachos, fries, chips and salsa, and anything else you can think of to give me cellulite. Today.... I wasn't having it. I decided to re-visit my bread making chops and make my pita bread with the intentions of a vegetarian falafel dinner. Unlike my pita of the past I used whole wheat flour and 2% milk. And the verdict was... pretty good. It's nice to find healthy options to delicious things.

So going down that path of good intentions...... uh I didn't make falafels. My friend came over loaded down with snacks, and my well intentioned meal plans slowly went out the window. But I have to say I don't mind. We had salsa, but fresh made salsa. We had chips, but whole grain tortilla chips. I threw together a quick hummus to go with my pita, and that boursin cheese with crackers was tasty as can be. So sorry falafel, we will see you another night.

If only the Steelers had lost. No seriously, if only.

Step One.

2011-01-20T18:37:00.002-05:00

Hello friends!

Here we are in 2011, and almost to the end of January. Crazy huh?? On a random note, have you heard that little ditty about the dates in this year??

“This year we will experience 4 unusual dates.... 1/1/11, 1/11/11, 11/1/11, 11/11/11 ......now take the last 2 digits of the year you were born plus the age you will be this year and it WILL EQUAL .... 111”

And it works.... weirddddddd! I know off subject but it freaked me out this morning!

ANYWHOOOO…... as January creeps right along my “resolution” to become a runner is going well. I’m up to two miles on the good ole tready, and I rotate between that and the elliptical to burn a little extra in the saddlebags, if ya know what I mean. One of my friends wrote out a work out plan to incorporate a weight training routine which I’m starting next week. Here’s to being ripped… chhhyeaaaaaa riiighhttttt… a girl can dream though can’t she?

Even though my initial desire to become a runner was sparked by my desire to burn all this goo off my bod (thanks Tony Horton for the description), there is also an intense desire to create a lifestyle, not just a weight loss. And from everything I’ve read runners have that. They love it, they crave it, and they want it. They love the pain, and the struggle, and want to do it again and again. How can that not tempt you?!?!? I mean they only thing I love and crave on a regular basis is a giant bottle of pinot noir (and my hubs of course).

Right after a run, completely matching in red of course, including my face... yuck.

On one of my runs the other day I was literally sobbing as I pounded the plastic (or is it rubber, or silicone, or some space alien technology??), no seriously… SOBBING. I wasn’t listening to anything specific, my running music isnt that deep, and yet for some reason I was bawling like a baby.

I realized quickly I was crying out of pride.... pride that I ran a full mile and a half without stopping.....pride I was sticking to a workout plan.... pride that I was doing what I said I was gonna do. And extreme pride at how far I have come, and let me tell ya that’s far. And that journey is a story for another day. Right now it seems too personal to recount my weight gain/loss journey of the last 6 years, but I’m working on it, I promise.

So that’s where I am 3 weeks into the new year, sweating off the goo, and crying to Eminem…. And I have to admit… I kinda like it.

Now on to that bottle of pinot noir accompanied by some Top Chef.

A New Year.

2011-01-08T17:31:00.002-05:00

Hey Yall! Happy New Year!

What a glorious year 2010 was; and I haven’t spent much time with 2011 yet, but from what I’ve seen I like her (yes I refer to years as female).

While we are on the topic of entering a new year, I must say New Years resolutions have always irritated me. I’ve always found it to be an excuse for people to not make changes today, and to wait for a date to “officially” start doing positive things. (Including ME – in all capital letters).

But I have grown a lot these past years, exponentially so actually, and I don’t view it the same way. I’m starting to see the validity in the fresh start and the new inspiration to bring in a new year, and a new beginning.

So here is where I’m at….. I have several new ideas, projects, things I want to tackle in 2011. Call them New Years resolutions, or simply life goals for the year. These are what I think about, talk about, get excited about. So then the idea occurred to me. Why not blog about each goal as it pertains to my goal list for 2011?? All of these subjects are far more than a sentence in a long list. Many of them are full conversations to me, and they are often attached to very deep and personal feelings.

So that’s where I am, tackling the ideas below, one subject at a time. Maybe not in order and maybe not even every single one of them, but at least it’s a guideline for my scattered brain… right??

So here it goes… deep breath… and woosh…….

For the year 2011 I want to……

Truly become a runner – and dedicate the time, and set a goal.

Squeeze more whole grains and veg into our already largely whole grain and veg filled diet.

Do Pilates/Yoga several times a week

WORK OUT IN THE MORNING

Post an operationbeautiful.com post it note at least once a day

Walk my pup EVERY night, at least around the block, if not the full 2 mile stretch.

Tell my husband one thing about him that makes me grateful, every day.

Drink more expensive wine – not that two buck chuck doesn’t do the trick.

Thrift more (for clothes), shop for new less (and yes TJ Maxx counts as new, arghh)

Make less white bread, and more wheat bread.

Meal plan ( at least weekly, if not bi-weekly)

Budget - Like really budget, and stick to it…..

Drop sweet “I’m thinking of you “ note cards in the snail mail, once a week.

Blog more – about more substantial things

Start composting again – I’ve been slacking

Donate time and/or money to something and/or someone who needs it

Talk to my brother more. I miss him.

See my goddaughter (and her parents) more.

Can, dehydrate, freeze this year, A LOT more than I did last year

Go through our belongings and Donate, SEVERAL times this year

SAVE, SAVE, SAVE, SAVE

Kick debt's ass

Eat less meat. I’m thinking a 4 day veg to 3 day meat week sounds reasonable.

Cook more whole grain pasta – This is hard, I am not a big fan-

Get my garden started early, on time, so everything grows the way the good Lord intended it (did you hear that in a southern accent? Because I did)

Watch less TV

Log on the Book of Face A LOT less. I mean come on, stalker much, I gotta get a grip.

Eat out inexpensively less, so we can eat out expensively more ( i.e., I mean once a month, not once a week or anything)

Embrace even more of my inner hippie self, Buy more sustainable products, recycle (my husband is probably rolling his eyes bc I try and recycle EVERYthing), Use more re-usable batteries, and buy as much local, seasonable, organic, natural as possible.

Join a CSA!

Buy a half of a cow, to freeze (Well maybe a 1/4 of a cow)

Whew – that’s a lot, and I guess somewhat overwhelming and deep. But it will be a journey. And these are the things that I talk about all the time. And they are not just resolutions for 2011........ but for life.

I guess to abbreviate ...... my hope for myself this year is to become a healthier person, spiritually, physically, and emotionally. And to find ways to bless people around me every day.

So here we go 2011, show me what you’ve got. I’m ready…..

Thankful.

2010-12-14T22:58:00.001-05:00

I know Thanksgiving is the traditional time to say thanks, but I always feel it closer to Christmas. As this special holiday approaches, it never fails to make me look around a bit and see more clearly just how truly blessed I am.

Here are a few things I am thankful for.......

My house. A warm place to sleep at night, and a roof over my head. There is little more in life I need.

My "daughter". This precious pumpkin, every day she's happy to see me, thats a glorious thing in life.

My nieces and nephew. How amazing are these children. I love being their Aunt, and am often amazed at my blessings.

My family. This is a snapshot of just a part of my whole family that I cherish ( I truly am grateful for every single person in my immediate, extended, and in-lawed family... dearly), but spending time with my brother is extra special and I am so very grateful for every second.

My husband. And words can't explain how incredibly blessed I am to call this man mine. Truly... as cliche as it may sound, I get to spend the rest of my life with a man that makes me laugh, and makes me feel cherished all at the same time. How can I not be thankful?

I just love my tree too, isn't she a beauty?

I am thankful for all my friends and family that didn't get mentioned on here. Maybe I'm feeling a bit emotional, or maybe its just the holidays. Either way, God has blessed me beyond recognition, and if I don't see you enough to tell you, know that I am blessed by you too.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Lots and lots and lots of Love,

Leftovers.

2010-11-29T20:13:00.000-05:00

Why not throw our leftover thanksgiving turkey in a pot, mix it with veg, throw together a quick dough, and make turkey pot pie? Why not indeed.......

Thanks to my girl Ina for this chicken pot pie recipe ( and my girl Nichole for giving me the idea). I edited a bit, but for the most part used her instructions. Substituted chicken stock for veg stock, and obvi turkey for the chicken.

As we head into true winter weather, well, as true as it can be in our southern world. I hope your toasty and full wherever you are.

XOXO

- Jenny

I love the holidays.

2010-11-27T14:33:00.001-05:00

If you're like me, you've spent the last few days soaking in time with precious family and friends, eating far too much food, and pouring more than a few bottles of wine down your gullet. Sigh. I love the holidays. LOVE THEM. Even though I'm a Christmas baby and you would think the holidays would get old to me, I love it nonetheless.

I am kicking myself for not taking food pictures for Thanksgiving. I hosted my second one, and worked my little hiney off in the kitchen preparing food for 10. It all came out delicious I must say, despite a few meltdown moments over frozen turkeys and wrong ingredients, but more importantly I got precious moments with my family.

Look at that smile. My precious and precocious nephew and hottie hubs.

But I must say my favorite part of the past few days, is simply having the luxury to do NOTHING, absolutely nothing. This is my first set of holidays not in the restaurant/retail industry and I must say, waking up on the day after Thanksgiving and having a choice to sit at home and do nothing, was absolutely priceless to me.

Today however, I woke up with that holiday itch to bake. I've been eyeing a cookie/bars cook book I swiped (well they told me I could take it) from my friends. It's been sitting on my counter begging to me referenced. And today it got that chance. Nothing like some pumpkin drop cookies with a creamy caramel frosting with a roaring fire ( THANK YOU LORD FOR GIVING US REAL FALL WEATHER), to help polish off the extended holiday break.

The cookies were super easy and the frosting even easier. They taste like Christmas and smell like it too.

I hope you all had a blessed and safe Thanksgiving weekend filled with lots of happiness and food :).

XOXO - Jenny

Pumpkin Drop Cookies with Caramel Frosting

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 cup canned pumpkin

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cups chopped pecans ( I omitted)

Frosting:

3 tbls. butter

2 tbls. butter

3 tbls. milk

1 3/4 - 2 cups powdered sugar

- In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars Beat in egg. Add pumpkin and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Gradually added to the creamed mixture, stir in pecans if using,

- Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 11- 13 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove and cool.

- For the frosting; in a small saucepan, bring brown sugar and butter to a boil. Cooke and stir over medium heat for 1 minute. Remove from the heat; cool for 10 minutes, Transfer to a large mixing bowl; beat in milke. Beat in enough confectioners sugar to achieve spreading consistency.

a good night.

2010-11-14T19:47:00.000-05:00

you know life is good when....

your relaxing with your love........

while you sit by a roaring fire........

and your "daughter" is snoozing peacefully.

I hope your Sunday night is blissfully relaxing as well.

XOXO- Jenny

What do you wish for?

2010-11-10T19:18:00.000-05:00

I read a lot of blogs.

I mean a lot a lot.

I feel like I have a weird fascination with what everyone else is doing all the time. I read all types of blogs too, fashion, cooking, eco, and even mommy blogs. (**Pause- Note to my own mother, just because I read the mommy blogs does not mean in fact that I want to be a mommy anytime soon. – Un- Pause**) And one of the constants I have found on every type of blog are wish lists written by the author. And I feel a connection with that theme. I have a constant running wish list in my head. I add subtract delete and randomly obsess over different items at different times. I wonder on a regular basis if I had all the money in the world what would I buy? My list is comprised of a few possibles mixed with a few raised eyebrows (from my husband of course), but how fun it is to dream.
(**Pause again- This is DEFINITELY not meant to be a hint or a method of begging to any of my family members, this is simply an innocent wish list, meant to be takin as nothing more, and will hopefully show you a little bit more of what goes through my crazy mind )

Serious good old fashioned Engligh Wellington rainboots. I would love to rock them all winter long and wear them as if I’m sledging through imaginary snow. With a long vintage plaid fleece top and a chunky knit hat, these would be my go-to (hippie) winter outfit.

You Don’t Know Jaques Nail Polish, so elegant. And such a perfect mixture of class and grunge. A little hippy with heels if you will. (If you know me, I am OBSESSED with nail polish and this is my current color obsession)

This beautiful Michael Kors watch. It costs as much as a car payment, but isn’t she beautiful to look at. Sigh. If I had this on my wrist I would stare at it all day long.

For snapping fabulous pictures of our lives and our adventures. I envision myself all over Europe with this slung around my neck~ ok that’s silly, but at least at my nieces first birthday party.

I love me some Ina. Love love love love love. Her recipes are flawless. Her life is glamorous. And come on I can totally see this book sitting on my kitchen counter, can’t you ;).

And lastly, I can’t be a true hippy in heels without a good pair of sky highs. And I am jonesin for a pair of nude ones. Aren’t these just divine?

The list could go on and on and on and on, including my wish list for others. One of my love languages is gifts. So there is rarely a time when I am shopping that I don’t find something I want to buy for someone else. It’s almost more fun for me to give then receive. But that’s a story for another day. Now as long as I’m in my imaginary world I will just run downstairs in my mountain estate to my wine cave and pop open a bottle of vintage, and sit by the fire with my husband and enjoy the views.

XOXO - Jenny

beans beans beans.

2010-10-20T21:59:00.000-04:00

So on a little hippie and cheap note. I buy dry beans. A lot of dry beans. Every bean recipe I ever have on my list undoubtedly cause me to buy more and more dry beans. EVEN WHEN I HAVE LIKE 17 BAGS OF DRY BEANS IN MY PANTRY ALREADY. My hubs about flipped when we unearthed.. ehhumm... quite a few bags of dry beans ( how many times can I say dry beans in this paragraph?).

SO.. in order to be frugal, prudant, HIPPIE, foodie, and just plain smart. I have been making recipes that call for mas quantities of beans. As seen below one of those recipes was an enormous pot of turkey chili, that caused my husband and my dog to look at me like I had lost my mind. I looked at them both and made sure to remind them "IM GOING TO FREEZE WHATS LEFT" ( because I totally planned that.....shhh...). And today I threw a couple bags in the slow cooker this morning before work topped with water and a pinch of salt and let them chill for 8 hours on low. I came home with the plan to make rice and beans ( a Ross house staple) and instead I was met with enough beans to feed an army. So what did I do? I threw the left over cooked beans in freezer bags to pull out and put to use in my next soup, stew, chili, black bean burger, I mean come on the options are endless. I basically got 5 cans of cooked beans for like 10 cents a can. How sweet is that?!

So anyways friends, go buy dry beans. Throw them in a crock pot and toss them in freezer bags. Who needs cans anyways?

what a weekend.

2010-10-19T19:16:00.000-04:00

I am currently in a love/hate relationship with this blog. Before I only blogged when I cooked and now I have wayyyy to many options. AND I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO!!! Blog about my weekend? My workout? My dinner? My job? My house? My dog? See the issue?!?!

Well after stressing and stressing and then basically yelling at myself for being such a weirdo and stressing about what to blog when half the world doesn't know what they are going to eat for dinner... sigh.. I came to the conclusion that I was just gonna write about whatever.....

My gorgeous cousin Stephanie and Myself rocking it out at Chelsea!

My whatever for right now is my weekend... I had an AMAZINGGG weekend. Firstly my cousin Stephanie who also happens to be one of my best friends came in to town with her boyfriend Michael. We started the weekend at my FAVORITE restaurant in this city called The Liberty and then went out on the town.... but the real shindig happened on Saturday night when my girl Chelsea Handler came in to town to hang out with me. Well to hang out with me and 1,000 other people at the Time Warner Arena. A girl can dream can't she?? I totally think we would be best friends if she ever met me. Just like Martha and Eddie Ross. But I digress. She was hilarious as usual and we had spent the day preparing for her with a fabulous lunch at Vivace followed by several hours of day drinking and board games. Preeeettyy funnnn!

So basically I'm saying I ran my little rear-end off on the treadmill today trying to sweat out the booze and food.

But it was worth it ;).

XOXO-

twofer.

2010-10-10T18:12:00.000-04:00

Who wants a little chili with their football???

Sunday Funday Football Watch the Panthers Lose Chili

Ingredients:

2 lbs. ground turkey
1 Large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 24.oz can of tomatoes and juice
1 16.ox pureed tomatoes
1 box of chicken stock
2 bags of dried beans
Worchestire (spelling?) Sauce
Spicy brown mustard
Chili powder
Cayenne pepper
Hot sauce
Cumin
Red pepper flakes
Salt and Pepper
( I basically tossed all of the spices and sauce in and edited as I went along, I have no idea how much of each I threw in the pot.)

- Cook dry beans by simmering on low for 2-3 hours.
- Caramelize onions and garlic and add in turkey.
- After turkey is cooked add in the beans and the rest of the ingredients. Let simmer on low for about 4 hours (or less, it will be ready after about 30 minutes. But the longer you leave it bubbling away the better it will taste)
- Top with cheese and chips and enjoy your team winning. Or in my case your team losing. EVERY WEEK... gahhh Panthers get it together... Sorry I digress. Enjoy! XOXO

what makes me happy.

2010-10-10T14:24:00.000-04:00

Hola amigos.

If you know me there are a few things that make me happy... wine, nail polish, Harry Potter, high heels, but if I had one addiction it would be THRIFT STORE shopping! I mean I am seriously a thrift store addict. ADDICT. Hello my name is Jenny, spelled J-E-N-N-Y kinda addict. If I could I would go every single day. Seriously.

I like to dig and scrounge and "see" other peoples crap as my treasure. I like that $1.50 price tag on a silver tray kinda feeling. Like sweatpants and glass of wine kinda good. Oh man do I love it.

Some of these thrift stores are located in neighborhoods where you probably shouldnt go alone, or at night. But that doesnt hold me back. Nope I shoulder on and in and dig to my hearts content. And I luckily found a few tidbits that made me happy. A wooden and glass cheese cloche for $2. 37. What what! I also found a black sheer long sleeved party dress for $4!! AND... 4 blue plaid napkins for .40 a piece! I mean seriously, how can you beat that. AND.. I found a kelly green puffer vest for $5. That is what I call a shopping spree!

change.

2010-09-27T21:14:00.000-04:00

hello , hello, hello-----

I'm baaaccccccccccccccckkkkkkkkk... with a bit of a twist.

I love blogging, and I have missed it ( and you, the few readers still around). But a few things have changed in my life. Firstly I became the proud owner of a big girl job about 5 months ago (shamefully around the last time I blogged)!!! Woo HOO!!! That being said. I have not had the time to cook as much as I once did. I still love it, and enjoy doing it whenever possible but it would hardly be blog worthy. Secondly, my family has split up. Not in a bad way, in a good way... My in-laws have moved home to where their heart is, and their first grandchild, and away from us. This has spurred me with the desire to share with them ( as well as other family members) on whats going on in our every day lives, not just our food lives. So..... that being said I decided to change the function of this little ditty. This my friends is now not only a food blog, but a full fledged Jenny blog. A place where I will share all sorts of fun facts about whats going in the life of me and the hubs, as well as food here and there. Doesnt this sound like fun?!?!?!?!?

Now about the name....

If you know me I am a girly girl to the core. I ALWAYS have on nail polish, I own like one pair of flats, and I am a proud blonde blonde blonde. However I am extremely passionate about this big green earth and believe with all my heart that ALL people no matter your political leanings should give back more than we take. That being said, I havent met alot of people like me..... generally most people that are passionate about any of the things I am passionate about do not share any of my other interests. I.E.... my best shopping friends could care less about recycling, and my most environmental friends could care less about my MAC makeup. Where does that leave me and us?!?!? Well Im glad you asked. That leaves me on a journey to explain who I am, and why I love what I love. Whew....

So that leaves us with a new chapter in my blogging life. And hopefully a chapter you will continue to want to read. I promise I'm still the same snarky, some times potty mouthed, crazy rambling cook. I still like to make yummy vittles and partake in my share of vino, I just want to tell you about other things in my life too!!!

I hope you join me for the ride! Salud!

XOXO-

Jenny

A little update.

2010-02-23T20:14:00.002-05:00

Hello!!!!!!

Sorry I have been M.I.A lately everyone. I haven't completely abandoned this project. I've just been busy and lazy when I have a spare moment or two. But for now I'm still cooking and have some new goals, and plans for this little blog. Including a little bit of plastic surgery.

I'll be back in action before you know it.

Don't abandon me the few reader's out there I still have!!! Please! I love and appreciate all 12 of you!!! ;)

Peace, Love, and Bacon Grease.

xoxo Jenny

Warming my Bones.

2010-01-22T07:01:00.014-05:00

Have I ever mentioned how much I love living in NC? If I haven't, I do. It was 60 degrees and b-e-a-utiful this week for like 4 days in a row. As much as I love a cuddly winter, you can't deny the surge of happiness a breezy (fake)spring day brings.

Well it was a TRICK. Because yesterday morning started out at a lovely 40 degrees and rainy. Yuck. It was one of those days where you want to slap on a pair of sweats and open a bottle of wine and stay on the couch. It was also one of those days where you want to sip on a toasty bowl of soup and dip a crusty piece of bread in and be happy your inside and not out.

So that's what I did. The culinary master that is James Beard has a recipe for a garlic soup recipe in his book Beard on Food that looked devine It also serves 8+ and calls for 30 garlic cloves. Since it was only the hub and I , I adapted it a bit a.k.a cut it in half.

And let me tell you something. Try this soup!! Do not let the garlic cloves freak you out. A soft saute for about 30 minutes does something to the flavor of the garlic so that it's not overpowering or painful. It brings out that delicious sweet essence of garlic that makes you want to lick your lips. Then topped with a crusty french bread "crouton", it is the perfect sweatpants/fire/wine/cold weather companion.

Here's the original recipe James Beard's garlic soup on Saveur.

This is how I adapted it.

Garlic Soup

16-18 peeled garlic cloves

4-5 cups of chicken stock ( I added in a bit of water as well)

Salt and Pepper and Nutmeg

3 egg yolks

2-4 tbl olive oil

2 tbl bacon fat/ lard/ goose fat / any delicious sinful fat you want actually/ or you can omit it.

slices of bread, toasted.

- Heat 2 tbl. olive oil/ or fat of your choice ( I used bacon fat) in a deep pot (to add the stock later) at a very low , low heat. Somewhere between low and medium. Add the garlic in and let it soften in that heat anywhere from 20 min to half an hour. You don't want the garlic to brown, just soften.

-Add the stock, nutmeg, and salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15- 20 minutes.

- Blend the soup: Do whatever method is easiest for you. I used my immersion blender. But you can certainly use your blender or food processor.

- In a separate bowl beat the egg yolks with a bit of olive oil. Add a bit of the soup into the egg yolks to temper then ( make them comfy with the heat), then add the mixture back into the pot and whisk a bit and bring back to temp.

-Ladle this baby out and top with crusty bread.

comfort food.

2010-01-12T12:14:00.008-05:00

So my first meal back isn't anything crazy. It's just meatloaf. Yes that's right the meal that still terrorizes children from their childhood. I however do not have said bad memories. My mom made a slammin meatloaf that still remains one of my favorite meals. For years every birthday my mom would make her meatloaf, her mashed potatoes, peas, and my numero uno- fried okra. Oh man my mouth is watering just thinking about it. So I just made meatloaf last night. Not everyones favorite gourmet meal, but one of my favorites for sure.

The meatloaf turned out splendid but it was not the meal last night that has my blogging eye. It's the leftovers today. I make this declaration very carefully and truthfully. If you have meatloaf- save enough to have a meatloaf sandwich the next day.

It's brilliant. Lucky enough for me I had a fresh baked loaf of french bread so I got to sandwich my meatloaf with a pretty good base. ( But I've had meatloaf sandwiches with cheap .99 white bread and its fantastic) The point is, you've never truly enjoyed the flavors of meatloaf ( the name alone sounds unappetizing doesnt it?) until you've sandwiched them between two slices of bread with a bit of mayonaise. Yum.

Recipe for Meatloaf:

-Roughly 1 1/2 of ground beef ( I have found recipes that call for a mixture of all sorts of meat so use what sounds good to you!)

-1 egg

-3/4 cup of rolled oats

-2 shallots, minced ( my mom used white onion)

-2 tbl ketchup

-1 tsp Worchestire ( or to taste, I probably used more than that)

-1 tsp Hot sauce ( I used Texas Pete)

-2 tbls cream ( my moms original recipe called for like 3/4 cup of milk so I subbed)

-About 1/3 cup of some type of cheese, my moms original recipe called for American but I used an aged white cheddar. Both types are delish.

-salt and pepper to taste

For the glaze on top:

-1/2 cup ketchup

-2 tbl brown sugar

-1 tbl hot sauce

- Meat loaf:

-Just mix all the ingredients together and spray a loaf pan. Put half of the meat mixture in the bottom and layer with cheese. Then top with the rest of the meat. Put in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 35 minutes.

- Mix all the ingredients together for the glaze in a small bowl. When the meatloaf is done cooking cover the top with the glaze and put back in the oven for 15 minutes until glaze is nice and cooked and sticky.

-The next morning cut off a hunk and pop it between two mayo slathered pieces of bread and voila. It's truly a thing of beauty.

Wow.

2010-01-11T07:05:00.002-05:00

It's 7:05 am on Monday morning and I am perusing the internet, and as I am slowly making my way through all of the blogs I love ( predominantly food related) the guilt is setting in.

It weighs heavy on my heart. :).

But seriously I cannot believe that I haven't posted a blog in so long. At the beginning of fall no less. And here we are in the middle of one of the coldest and yuckiest winters I can remember in a long time down here in the south.

Winter time is a liberating time in the kitchen. It's the time for you to make whatever makes you feel good, things that warm your bones. Soups, stews, braised meats, dense cakes, rich hot chocolate, oh and the list goes on and on.

Now if I can dig my grave a little deeper I have actually been cooking, alot. I just keep forgetting to take pictures, and then when I do I forget to upload them, then I forget to write once I do, and blah , blah, blah.

Whatever the reason it's a bit ridiculous that I have been so out of the loop for so long. So I am here making a mini- declaration that I will be back in full swing. It's a resolution of mine. I have some goodies on the menu this week so I AM going to make a very true effort to blog each meal.

I have some bread baking right now and the smells wafting through the house are getting me into a food blogging mode.

Until then I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday spent with friends, family, and good food.

Peace, Love, and Bacon Grease XOXO - Jenny

Love in the Fall-time.

2009-10-06T22:15:00.007-04:00

I LOOVVEEEE, LOVVEEEE, LOOVVEEEE, one more time... LOVEEEEEE Fall. It is my absolutely favorite time of the year. I love everything about it, the crisp chill in the air, the smell of fireplaces being used again, pulling my jackets and boots and sweaters out, and cuddling up in sweatpants. But MOST of all I love fall baking.

Oh dear, it's devine. I love the flavors and the smells, the pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and chocolate all thrown in together to make something wonderful and comforting. There is something so homey to me about being in a warm kitchen when its cool outside. I just love it ..... did I mention that already?

Due to this aforementioned love/ obsession I scour every cooking magazine and online recipe sites around this time of year, looking for anything that strikes my fancy. I collect piles of clippings and print outs and go back and forth daily trying to decide what to bake. I constantly drive my husband crazy mentioning numerous recipes and bouncing back and forth. And every night I look at him and ask him, "What fall baked good would you like tonight?".

Tonight the chill in the air got into my bones, and I had the itch to bake my first good of the year. I then turned to my very good friend Martha. That Martha knows what she's doing, I mean seriously, the emails I get from her daily with recipes and crafts. It's just so convenient. Oh.. sigh. We know of my slight .. ehmm.. appreciation for Martha, so I will stop digressing. I got an email with a recipe for Pumpkin- swirl Brownies. Yes that's right gooey chocolaty brownies with a yummy pumpkin spicy batter swirled right in. Ooohhh ooooh good.

I send a huge air blog high five to Martha for this recipe. My husband took one bite and said, "Don't ever make regular brownies again." Well I think that's enough said.

Bon Appetit' Ladies and Gents, Best served with a spot o' tea. :).

I Know. I Know.

2009-09-23T21:48:00.007-04:00

OK .... OK.... OK. It's been a few week's since I asked for your patience during my move. I have actually cooked since then, but nothing I felt blog worthy and honestly after straightening up constantly and moving for 3 WEEKS... I am exhausted people. And the absolute LAST thing I have wanted to do was sit down at the computer and write about it. I have managed to take allot of pictures though. So I might do a slew of old meals as the month progresses. But for now.... let's focus on what I did tonight shall we??

As if I am not dramatic enough my blog world friends, my hectic world got thrown for a freaking HUGE loop this weekend. Our lovely house, as perfect as we both ignorantly thought it was ....... betrayed us. OUR FRIDGE BROKE!!!!! I am not kidding. And the worst part is that it took us a few days to realize it and a crap ton of stuff went bad. Because lo and behold the freezer was working.. so well... it over frosted and caused the fridge to not get any cold lovin. So after tearfully chucking out all my new groceries. We piled things in coolers, and ordered takeout. ( Luckily there was a chest freezer in storage so we were able to pile our frozen stuff in there while we thawed the fridge out.... THANK the Lord.. our I would have been TRULY DEVASTATED).

Our fridge was back in rotation today and I started filling it back up again, and then I realized that there was no meat de-thawed ( yes I prepare that much and buy my meat in bulk and thaw out a piece every day), so I went the vegetarian route.

So. I made a little red bean curry on double pan fried noodles, with sauteed broccoli. Whew. I've been on an Asian food kick lately. Scooping up tons o' Asian goodies. Scouring our local Asian markets for anything I can't find in the regular grocery store. And tonight I put a few things in my arsenal to good use.

The noodles were the easiest, I kid you not... I made a bowl of ramen for lunch today and had left overs. I simply tossed them in a pan with some oil and flattened them out and let them crisp up on each side. And those became the base. Yeah. That easy.

For the curry I borrowed a recipe from my girl Deb over at Smitten Kitchen. Her recipes are usually the best and this one proved to be just as good as anything else I have tried by her.

To make my broccoli I used frozen ( eek... don't tell anyone) , and boiled it then did a quick saute and tossed in some chili pepper sauce, soy sauce, and a bit of siracha (more hot sauce). It turned out GoooOOD. Everything else was good as well, but people I am saying if you want the kids to stuff veg in their little faces... this is a great idea. The broccoli was pretty scrumptious. And I highly suggest you try it out.

So even though this wasn't the most gourmet, epicurious meal of all time it's a keeper for the reservoir. And speaking of reservoir's I won't leave it so empty next time. No seriously I promise. I think we are settling down about now..... finally. Plus fall is here, my favorite cooking time of year. Ton's of baking to be done. You'll see. This time I really will be back... and I mean in like a day.

moving.

2009-09-03T14:14:00.004-04:00

So its been awhile since I last wrote. There is a simple explanation.

We are MOVING!! And it is chaos. Everywhere. My first goal was to set up my kitchen. I am basically done except for all of my dishes..... and glasses......... so I can cook, there is just nothing to eat it on. Ha. See this is my life right now. Sigh. Bare with me ( is that the correct spelling for bare?? or should it be bear??) I am coming back. My kitchen is twice the size as my old one, and this time I have 2 count em... 2 OVENS!!!! How did I get so lucky. And also.... drum roll please....... I am now in posession of my very own ........ DISHWASHER. Thank the Lord!!!!!! ( that was said in a very southern accent) . I am so excited I can burst. I can bake and cook and not have to clean everything by hand now. I am telling you people it's a revelation. I feel like Christmas came early.

So all of those slightly dramatic exclamations aside... I am exausted, my house('s we still are cleaning out the old one) are in shambles. But have faith my friends, I will be back. With a dishwasher and extra oven by my side who knows what VITTLES I will turn out in the days to follow. One thing is for sure at the end of these days I have been enjoying my share of VINO.

I will be back.

soooo here it goes.

2009-07-29T02:41:00.003-04:00

I'm not gonna lie ladies and gentlemen. I know people read this little operation I've got going. Maybe not lots, maybe not tons, but I do have people tell me a lot from all different walks of my life that they read this. It bums me out to constantly blog with no comments. They don't have to be good. Tell me I am full of shit and a complete douche for all I care. Just please comment. It makes me sad and makes me lose faith in what I am doing. I am pretty sure food writing is where my calling is and this is my amateur outlet. I love you and love that you keep coming back, or even if you are a first time reader. Just please comment. I'm begging you with a childlike pathetic request. I might as well be requesting your pb and j on the playground. I most certainly don't want to bully anyone. DON'T comment if you have no desire. Who I am speaking too are the people that send me messages on face book and twitter and tell me they love my blog. Drop a note here and there just saying how you feel. Be anonymous if you want, I don't care..... make up a name. Just respond. I am starting to lose heart for this thing and I hate that. Love to any readers that actually like to hear what I have to say. Please occasionally help a sista out.

Peace. Love. and Bacon grease.

I love Arugula.

2009-07-28T15:35:00.004-04:00

No really, I love it. It is hands down my favorite green for salads. The peppery bite accompanied with a sprinkle of sea salt.... oh man. So for lunch today I threw together a little salad with some produce we picked up at my local obsession i.e Earth Fare. I tossed arugula and endive together in that handy gadget called a salad spinner, then topped it off with a few local heirloom tomatoes ( including one from my garden!!!) and a splash of olive oil and balsamic. Topped with a nice crunch of sunflower seeds and........woot woot! Now that's lunch. Riiighhttt?!?!

READ.

2009-07-25T16:54:00.003-04:00

I know I just posted but I was looking through some of the blogs I frequent and found this recent post from Heather over at Gild the (Voodoo) Lily and this was by far one of the best articles I have read in a loong looong time. She my friends kicks ass ( sorry madre). Read it and leave her a note to cheer her on.

She made my day I hope you get something out of it too!

READ IT!!

( +++Oh and I have to add a disclaimer.... there is alot of cursing, so if that offends you I wouldn't suggest you check it out. But if you can look past it, its awesome+++)

a spot of breakfast.

2009-07-25T12:58:00.010-04:00

So I woke up this morning determined to blog . DETERMINED I tell you. My husband lovingly reminded me last night that its been a hot minute since I have last entered the blogosphere. So here I am ready to rumble.

So... I had goals set for yesterday and today, cooking goals that is. One of those goals was a bit of breakfast..... or breakfast on-the-go bars. The motivation for this culinary voyage is that, my husband has to be at work at 645 am every day. Yeah.. that early. While I TRY to wake up with him, that very rarely entails me waking up early enough to cook him breakfast. I mean he's out the door by 620, I try people.... I really do. ANYWAYS..... He never grabs breakfast, and we have both been trying to cut the pounds lately and establishing your metabolism early in the morning is a key to success. Hence my dilemma. Most store bought breakfast on the go treats are loaded with sugar and high fructose corn syrup ( yes I have seen the commercials, it still sucks), and all that does is give you a dose of a sugar high that will send you crashing later.

So I decided to make a homemade granola bar, packed with healthy all natural goodness that will be delicious too. I turned to my trusty friend, Food Network, and that mad hatter genius Alton Brown. The man knows his stuff. And his recipe for homemade granola bars seemed easy and bulletproof ( or Jenny proof). So I gave it a go. I made a few modifications, he calls for almonds and I used peanuts ( cheappperr), and he also called for dried blueberries and I used a mixture of dried cherries and raisins . But other than that I followed his lead.

And they turned out scrummptious. Chewy, salty, tangy, sweet, and crunchy all rolled into one little bar. The recipe made about 16 bars or so, so we will see how long they last before I have to make the next batch. What I love about this recipe more than anything is the versatility. You can add or subtract any nuts and berries you want and it should turn out delish.

And Alton says they should last in a air tight for about a week, and I trust Alton.

By the way..... Ill try not to wait so long next time ;).

Granola Bars

Alton Brown

Ingredients

8 ounces old-fashioned rolled oats, about 2 cups
1 1/2 ounces raw sunflower seeds, about 1/2 cup
3 ounces sliced almonds, about 1 cup
1 1/2 ounces wheat germ, about 1/2 cup
6 ounces honey, about 1/2 cup
1 3/4 ounces dark brown sugar, about 1/4 cup packed
1-ounce unsalted butter, plus extra for pan
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 1/2 ounces chopped dried fruit, any combination of apricots, cherries or blueberries

Directions

Butter a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread the oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, and wheat germ onto a half-sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, extract and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.

Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. Immediately add the oat mixture to the liquid mixture, add the dried fruit, and stir to combine. Turn mixture out into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Oh yeah...

2009-06-29T23:31:00.003-04:00

Ain't she purty?? This is the first home grown goodness right from my very own backyard. Self given back pat commencing. It feels sooo good.

Deep Fried Southern

2009-06-29T23:02:00.006-04:00

Hey blog, Hey!

Its been a minute or two since we have chatted. I have had a busy couple of weeks. But I am back and ready for blogging. My one year anniversary was last week and as a little gift to me my hub got me a truly southern gift of a DEEP FRYER. woot woot.

So my first deep fryer fattening and cellulite adding goodness was a little Italian nibble called Arancini. Basically its deep fried risotto balls with a gooey mozzarella center and topped with a bit of marinara. Whoa baby. Is it full of gooey deliciousness. The first time I ever tried them was at a little Italian restaurant that my in-laws discovered and ever since then I have been dedicated to recreating it. I am telling you, this little deep fryer is going to make me gain the weight that I lost. But oh how I love it. I guess deep fried southern runs in my blood.

Arancini ( Fried Rice Balls)

- 2 cups chilled risotto

- 2 eggs

- 1/4 cup bread crumbs

- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

- 2 oz. mozzarella , cut into cubes

- 2 cups marinara sauce

- Heat oil to 350 in pot or deep fryer.

-Combine risotto, eggs, half of the bread crumbs, and parmesan in the bowl. Roll into balls and place a mozzarella cube into each ball. Roll in extra bread crumbs and drop in oil . Drain on paper towels. Drizzle marinara on top and dig in. Trust me you will enjoy.

a bit of pork.

2009-06-03T21:19:00.007-04:00

Well the obvious should be stated right off the bat. Earth Fare was having a sale on all the pork they had, which is the only reason why I am featuring another pork recipe just two short days after my last one. I AM A BROKE NEWLYWED. ehhm....ehhm. It had to be said.

On a lighter and much brighter note, the pork loin that I cooked tonight was a recipe for the reserves. Whoa baby. It was juicy and tender and everything that pork very rarely is. And that my friends is attributed to what I consider to be "The #1 reason to not be a vegetarian": bacon. Yes, yes, yes it was pork on pork, but oh did it taste so good. Well it wasn't that much bacon, just enough to layer the teeny 1 1/2 lb. loin I had. I found a article a while back on layering leaner meat dishes with a fat to keep the juice inside. It worked, and oh did it. That little loin was oozing juicy goodness. And if that wasn't tasty enough, I covered it in a balsamic glaze to die for. And it super, super simple to make.

If I wasn't annoying you enough with my gloating over my own cooking ( I know! How can you even stand me?) I will make you jealous with the goody bag I recieved today. Oh spring, oh spring how I love thee. And once again I was able to benefit from having parental units in the same city. My awesome mother-in-law called me yesterday telling me she had WAY to much in her weekly CSA and that I just MUST come and get some. "Ok I said, of course, I would love too" ( Like I would turn that offer down.... come on now).

Well when we headed over there today to pick it up we were stunned to see a massive oversized shopping bag filled to the brim with the most beautiful produce a girl could ever imagine. I was almost struck dumb for a minute. I am so blessed. We toted those delectable goodies home and I busted out a few of the vittles for dinner. I used some of the sweet onions she provided pulled right from her own garden, in my balsamic glaze. Then I whipped up a salad of the peppery delicious arugula, and I topped it with shaved fennel and onion. WOW. And I barely scratched the surface. My fridge is brimming over. It looks like Im growing a garden in there. So stay tuned for more tidbits featuring this lovely abundance.

So all of that irritating gloating and bragging aside, it was very good. And I highly suggest rushing to your nearest mother-in-law's, or farmers market if you aren't as lucky as me, and start putting that spring and summer harvest to good use!

Bon Appetit!

Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin

1 1/2 lb boneless pork loin ( this made enough for 4)

4 tbl. balsamic vinegar

3 tbl. honey

3 tbl. dry red wine

1 1/2 tbl. fresh sage ( I got to pick some from my garden FINALLY)

salt and pepper

5 slices of bacon

- Preheat oven to 375.

- Dry off loin, and sprinkle each side with salt and pepper. Wrap bacon around loin securing with toothpicks. Brown on each side in a hot skillet for about 4 minutes a side.

- In a seperate bowl mix all the rest of the ingredients. Pour over pork, and cook for about 20-25 minutes, then turn over and pour remaining sauce over and cook for another 20-25 minutes.

- Use leftover juices to pour over if you need extra flavor.

- Pour yourself a huge glass of red.... and enjoy!

zonked.

2009-06-01T20:32:00.005-04:00

WOW... I am tired. I started my new workout plan today. AND...

I worked out harder today then I ever have in my whole life. So the post tonight will be short and sweet.

We had previously bought a few beautiful pork chops from earth fare so I threw them in a brine of water, brown sugar, salt, cider vinegar, a bay leaf, and garlic for a few hours prior to dinner. ( It really helps to keep them juciy)

I then pan sauteed them for about 4-5 minutes on each side with a little olive oil until they were brown and cooked through.

To go on the side with my green salad I decided to attempt my hand at baked onion rings. They were really good and healthy too!! ;). I dredged vidalia onions in flour then egg whites only, then finished in seasoned bread crumbs. Then I baked them at 400 for about 20 minutes. They were crunchy and delish.

Whew. Sorry for the whirl wind post. But I am trying to get bikini ready people. I will whip up some energy to produce a few more tasty nibblets down the road. Until then.. peace, love, and bacon grease.

chicken in a skillet.

2009-05-27T22:38:00.008-04:00

Hey! Hey!

It's only been one day and I am baaaaaackkk!

Woo Hoo. I'm proud of myself ( pat, pat, pat on the back.)

I have memory issues. Seriously. You know when you are remembering something but where it's from or what it was about escapes you and drives you insane?? That happened tonight. I KNOW I saw this great recipe for a pan sauteed chicken dish SOMEWHERE in the past week of my life. But tonight looking at my thawed out chicken I could not for the life of me remember where I saw it. I searched Bon Appetit, Gourmet, Martha Stewart, Epicurious, and Food Network. No Luck.

Sigh.

Sooooooo.... I "created" ( or adapted however you naysayers want to look at it) a NEW RECIPE! I am so proud. The step to my own cooking show and cook book are inching their way closer to me ( don't scoff, a girl can dream). In actuality it was pretty simple and has probably been created in millions of billions of kitchens across the globe. Oh well.

Andddd......... it turned out super DELICIOUS. Who knew? I am a multi talented human being. Maybe tomorrow I will master grilled cheese and try to sell it to Rachel Ray. For now.... try it. Yum.

Until next time.... peace, love, and bacon grease ;)

Recipe follows:

( And hereby named....)

Chicken in a Skillet ( catchy???)

- 3 slices of bacon, cut into pieces

-1 clove of garlic

-one onion sliced into rings

- approx. 1 lb of chicken parts (I used thighs and legs)

-splash of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

I sauteed the bacon in a skillet until crispy. Then I took out the bacon and left the fat. Then I added in the onions and sauteed for about 2-3 minutes until soft and then added in the garlic and sauteed for about another 3 minutes. I then removed all the aromatics ( a.k.a garlic and onions, I don't know why I said aromatics. I think it makes me sounds smarter) and set them aside. I patted the chickens dry and added salt and pepper to both sides. Then browned them in the pan with juices for about 5 minutes on each side. I then added all of the good stuff back in and popped the whole skillet into the oven at 350 for about 15 -20 minutes.

garden spells.

2009-05-26T10:40:00.006-04:00

I've done it again. Fallen off the wagon.

Again I apologize. This time my excuse is ...... I haven't really been cooking anything exciting. I know really bad right??? I started a new summer bikini body diet/ work out and have been eating very uneventfully and healthily. And on a more embarrassing note... I completely messed up a recipe I was excited to post about last week. I attempted a recipe for homemade oreos. While the flavor was there the texture of the cookies was a little off, and the cream filling was a total mess. It caused me much strife while I was making them. So much that I was past the point of being sane and sensible enough to snap some pictures. I practically threw the tray at my husband when he told me he was too full to try one ( it was at his request that I tempted them). I still have faith though that I can master the recipe with a few modifications and in the future will write about my second or third attempt.

What I have been doing on a daily basis, is obsess over my tiny garden. It is one of the most fulfilling "projects" I have ever been a part of. I am already planning how to make my garden next year even better. I have lots of different plants, some I started from seed and some I started from plant. My biggest accomplishment to date are my squash and zucchini plants. I have two of each that I started from seed that are sprouting flowers left and right. Both my hub and I go out to the garden daily to obsess over each golden beauty. It's amazing.

(My husband's favorite.. the beans)

The best part is that it started out as my " thing". My other half was definitely for a garden, but didn't really have any interest in being a part of the planning process. BUT.. my friends once he started to watch our bounty sprout he got the fever, and checks and prunes more than I do some days. I have a feeling he's hooked and from now on I have a garden partner from start to finish. His favorite part are the beans. He gets a thrill from seeing each bean pod sprout and very excitedly reports the number each day. It's such fun, and girly girl I may be, digging in the dirt and watching life grow is so rewarding.

(My tomato beauties. I know I have 8 tomato plants. They are my favorite.)

I hope life is treating you and yours smashingly and that you are eating scrumptiously. More delicious recipes will be back.. I promise.

Until then. Bon Apetito!

love in the springtime.

2009-05-18T20:58:00.003-04:00

My hubby and I are having a love affair ... with the library. We both are big readers and for some reason in the past few years completely forgot what goodies the big ole' public library has to offer. We go about once a week or every two weeks and get lost for awhile. While he veers directly for the music, my favorite part there is, surprise surprise... the cook book aisle. Oh wonders of wonders. My heavenly place and its all free, and the book limit is 99 ( I know because I asked). So I pile my arms high full of cook book after beautiful cookbook so excited I can barely stand it. Our first visit there my husband's eyes bugged right out of his head at me staggering down the stairs barely able to peek over my tower of books. Cookbooks make me so happy.

That being said. I don't feel so hot today. The whole throat, sniffly nose, yuck thing. So dinner was simple, roast chicken with orzo. So no food pictures. Just a lovely view of my newly acquired ehhmm borrowed) cookbooks.

Now its tea and jammies for me.

Be Jealous.

2009-05-14T16:24:00.006-04:00

So my friends... we are at the point in our relationship where all of my good manners and my sweet nature fly right out the door. Today's post is one where I will gloat the entire time. But to make your pain less it will be short.

I recieved a 9 piece All Clad set today. And I am on cloud 9 ( haha get it 9, 9 piece, I crack myself up). WOO HOOO!!!!

Ok.. thats out of my system.

I'm Baaccck!

2009-05-11T18:43:00.008-04:00

Ok, I know I know it's been a bit sketchy the past couple of weeks. I haven't posted, or updated. Then I do a teaser of a post and still don't give anything new and juicy to the crowd. I know.. I am a loser. Maintaining a food blog under false pretenses. I'M SORRY. And just trust me your irritation at my lack of dedication is about to change. I'm back and with a close to fail proof recipe you will undoubtedly want to add to your reserves.

I woke up this morning determined to have a productive day in the kitchen. I needed to make sandwich bread for my hub's lunches this week. Also he has been pestering me non-stop to make some more beef jerky, and I wanted to try out another recipe from my new cook book "jam it, pickle it, cure it : and other cooking projects" by Karen Solomon. Today the recipe happened to be for basic crackers. My other half loves crackers and loves to buy the boxed ones, so this was of high importance on my list of things to switch to homemade.

(However, I have had to put a ration on him since he has been nibbling on them since I got them out of the oven. I will count down the hours before the beef jerky is long gone also. )

They turned out perfect. They are flaky and crispy and totally packed with flavor in each bite, and I truly mean this ... they are SOOO much better then any old cracker you can buy at the store. And they really were easy to make. Especially with the food processor. I just poured all of the ingredients in and voila!, the dough came together.

They are delicious as is, but would be excellent smeared with che

ese or accompanied with salami.

See .... I gave you a good recipe so please no hard feelings on my delinquency with the posting. It won't be so long next time. I promise.

Basic Crackers, Breadsticks, and Flatbread.

"jam it, pickle it, cure it"

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling on top

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for sprinkling on top

1 egg

1/3 cup neutral vegetable oil

1/4 to 1/2 cup cold water

In a large bowl or food processor, mix the 2 cups of flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and pepper. In another bowl, lightly beat the egg and vegetable oil. Slowly stir the liquid into the dry ingredients in the bowl, or combine in the food processor and pulse, until the dough starts to form a coarse meal. Add the water as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together and you can form in into a single ball.

On a lightly floured surface cut the dough in half. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly oil 2 baking sheets and dust with flour.

Roll the dough out until it reaches 1/8 to 1/4 inch. Lightly prick dough all over and brush with water then add salt and pepper on top ( or any additional seasonings). Roll it a few more times with a rolling pin to push the flavors into the cracker. Cut into whatever shapes desired. Bake for 8 to 20 minutes depending on size. Make sure and check on them after 8 just in case some are thinner then others and have cooked faster.

Let cool completely then store in a air tight container and will keep a week or so. Will also freeze well for up to a month.

Enjoy!!

My apologies.

2009-05-06T11:39:00.003-04:00

So I know it's been a week since I have posted. I know... I know, I dropped the ball with the daily blogging about my cooking life. It is definitely not because I haven't been cooking. I just keep forgetting to take pictures. I will remember last minute and run in the next room to grab it and come back to a explosion on my stove. So the camera is cast aside during my attempt to finish my dinner with minimal damage. I will try and do a quick rundown of what I have made to tickle your tastebuds a bit.

- Pork Carnitas ( from a pork shoulder from my mother-in-law) ...delish!

- Twice Fried Potato Chips

- Tomato and Cucumber Salad with Shallots

- Southern Potato Salad

- Corn Custard Squares

- Salsa Fresca

( I promise there were tons of veggies added on the side. )

Sorry I don't have any pictures for these bits. But I will get on my game shortly. I would make false promises that it would be tonight. BUT.. we are headed to my mother and father- in- laws, to eat dinner. Some family friends are coming in town and my husbands Grandmother is here for the week. A little birdie told me that my M-I-L has some short ribs brewing for tonight. Yum. So there will be good food to be had.

I promise I will be back shortly with more delicious and messy tales from my tiny kitchen.

mess in my kitchen, but it tastes so good.

2009-04-29T13:26:00.005-04:00

I got a new toy today. A new cookbook. It is marvelous and speaks directly to my soul. It's called "jam it, pickle it, cure it : and other cooking projects" by Karen Solomon.

And like I always say... it's AMA--zing!!

I have a passion to try and make as many common, modern convenience foods as possible from scratch. I believe that in order to live a sustainable food life, you don't have to give up everything you like. You just need to find a new way of eating. This new book understands that thought process. The author gives recipes for making all sorts of things at home. From butter to bacon or oreos to pop- tarts, this book has it all. What a novel concept, a home made pastry with fresh fruit "pop- tart". Who says you have to suffer and eat homemade?? I mean come on now.

Last night I decided to try the marinara sauce from the new book and use inspiration I got from my homeboy Jamie, and use fresh pork sausage links and make them into meatballs. The meatballs are so much easier ( and healthier) then my traditional Italian meatballs I make because I don't add anything in. Then paired with some organic whole wheat noodles, and life is pretty sweet.

(My brand new pretty book splattered all over with mess. sigh. )

The marinara bubbled all over my kitchen and made a royal mess, which is not exactly a shock in my house, BUTT it turned out delicious. Much, much better than store bought. I used my immersion blender to puree it, but you can just as easily leave it chunky. But either way it was a breeze and packed with flavor. I will definitely be canning some this summer with some fresh farmers market tomatoes, and ones from my garden (YEAHHHHH!!) . And it took less than 15 minutes to make.

So easy. People you don't have to settle for what they sell you. You can make it yourself. Next up... homemade oreos. woot woot.

Simple Tomato Sauce

"jam it, pickle it, cure it"

1/4 cup olive oil

1 large yellow onion, sliced thinly

4 cloves garlic, sliced thinly

3 anchovy fillets ( optional)

1 tsp. dried chili flakes (optional)

1 cup dry red wine

1 large ( 28-ounce) can whole Italian tomatoes, with juice

2 teaspoons kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and the onion and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Add the garlic, plus the anchovies an chile flakes if desired. Stir occasionally, and cook for another 2 minutes. Pour in the wine. While it's bubbling, add the tomatoes by hand 1 at a time, squeezing each whole tomato over the pan to break it up, then dropping the pieces into the pan. ( Note that you might want to wear an apron for this job, no seriously its messy.) Add any remaining juices from the can. Once all the tomatoes have been added, stir the sauce and let it bubble, uncovered for about 15 minutes, or until thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

spring has sprung.

2009-04-23T10:16:00.006-04:00

I love spring time. Just love it. It is probably my favorite time of year. I have never had any allergy issues, like everyone else so I look forward to this time every year. I love the sunshine, and cooler evenings, the blooming flowers, the North Carolina breeze, painting my toenails again, and most importantly the delicious produce that starts popping up.

I know in this day and age that a lot of produce is available year round. But if you have ever tasted a garden fresh tomato, those bland, watery, tasteless lumps you find in the grocery every other part of the year just fail in comparison. My own garden is coming along, and I can hardly wait to start harvesting my own organic produce from my own back yard!

Anyways ..... we are blessed to have both sets of parents living a stones throw away from us. So we get to see them quite often, and benefit from them both quite a bit. We got a special treat from my mother - in- law L. yesterday in the form of beautiful greens. She signed up for a CSA and got her first delivery and they had more than they could eat so she very graciously offered some of it to us. It was a lovely suprise. So for dinner last night I decided to utilize some of the delicious arugula that she brought us.

I have a secret. I love the Barefoot Contessa, or Ina Garten. I know she can be annoying, but every single recipe of hers that I have ever tried, has come out perfectly. I have many of her recipes burned into my memory. And there was a recipe that she has done on tv before using arugula in pasta with lemon and tomatoes. Luckily I didn't even have to look it up online because I had it in one of her cookbooks I own. So I decided to do another vegetarian night and make delicious lemon fusilli with arugula.

It is springtime in your mouth. Each bite is so light and lemony and flavorful, and the arugula's peppery crunch just pulls it all together. It is fabulous. I used a whole wheat organic fusilli and I am telling you. DELISH.

Run... fast to the closest farmers market and breathe in all the fresh produce. Grab some tomatoes, lemons, and arugula and try this dish. I promise you will love it.

HAPPY SPRING!

Lemon Fusilli with Arugula

Ina Garten

Ingredients

1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic (2 cloves)
2 cups heavy cream
3 lemons
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch broccoli
1 pound dried fusilli pasta
1/2 pound baby arugula (or 2 bunches of common arugula, leaves cut in thirds)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the garlic, and cook for 60 seconds. Add the cream, the zest from 2 lemons, the juice of 2 lemons, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until it starts to thicken.

Meanwhile, cut the broccoli in florets and discard the stem. Cook the florets in a pot of boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes, until tender but still firm. Drain the broccoli and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the pasta, and cook according to the directions on the package, about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the pasta in a colander and place it back into the pot. Immediately add the cream mixture and cook it over medium-low heat for 3 minutes, until most of the sauce has been absorbed in the pasta. Pour the hot pasta into a large bowl, add the arugula, Parmesan, tomatoes, and cooked broccoli. Cut the last lemon in half lengthwise, slice it 1/4-inch thick crosswise, and add it to the pasta. Toss well, season to taste, and serve hot.

a nice little saturday.

2009-04-18T15:26:00.007-04:00

Neither my husband or I are early risers by nature. I am a HUGE night owl, and prefer to never go to bed, and my mother will attest to that fact. My husband is a BIG sleeper and could go to bed at 7:00 pm and sleep until 2:00 pm the next day, and his mother will attest to that fact as well. So my point being .... we don't like to wake up early.

Today however was a different day. I was pumped to get things done, I anticipated a gorgeous day ( and God delivered on that one, 75 and sunny as I type) and there was plenty to do. So I woke up at 8 ready to start the day. I figured that included making a bit of a breakfast and the southern girl in me had a HUGE craving for homemade biscuits. I grew up with my Nana being the master at creating the deliciousness which is homemade biscuits and gravy, and I was hunkering for at least the biscuit part this morning.

So while my hub was "getting up on his own terms" I pulled out my spankin new copy of Alice Waters "The Art of Simple Food", and though she is not a southerner she had a bangin' recipe called cream biscuits. So I tried out one of my kitchen tools that still had the price tag on it : my pastry blender, and I went to town.

They turned out so flaky and golden and delicious. That Alice Waters is a rockstar, she is one of my idols anyways and her book is AMA-zing.

So my southern kitchen profile is expanding....

fried chicken: check

biscuits: check

gravy: check

biscuits and gravy???? maybe next saturday.

Cream Biscuits

The Art of Simple Food

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons sugar (optional)
2 teaspoons baking powder
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup heavy cream

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, sugar (if using) and baking powder.

3. Cut the butter into the flour with a pastry blender or your fingertips. The pieces should be the size of small peas.

4. Measure cream; set aside 1 tablespoon. Add the remaining cream to the flour, and stir with a fork until the mixture just comes together. Lightly knead the dough a few times in the bowl, turn it out onto a lightly floured board, and roll out about 3/4 inch thick.

5. Cut six 2-inch circles or squares out of the dough. Reroll the scraps, if necessary.

6. Place the biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment, and brush the tops with the tablespoon of cream.

7. Bake for 17 minutes or until golden and done.

better than a back rub ... well sort of.

2009-04-17T22:23:00.002-04:00

Another late night, another meal waiting for me. I. Am. So. Blessed.

( And it doesn't hurt that he's cute too.)

pizza, beer, and hockey??

2009-04-15T22:18:00.002-04:00

I am typically not a beer girl. Red wine is usually my drink of choice ( hence the title of my blog). But there are a few times in life when nothing but a beer will fit into the equation. Summer cookouts, camping, tailgating, or sports watching in general to name a few. Well....tonight was a hockey game that was very important to my husband, and very un-important to me. So I decided to make a homemade pizza. And then I topped it with onions, olives, mushrooms and pepperoni and paired it with some delicious brew.

It hit the spot. And like I said sometimes a beer is in order.

Monday Monday.

2009-04-13T21:54:00.008-04:00

Does anyone like Monday's?? I mean really. It is generally everyone's most disliked day. The fun is over and reality starts.. again. It starts out as a child in school and keeps on once you to move to the adult world and the work week starts again. So as a whole... Monday's suck.

But they don't have too. I am not saying that I am the biggest fan of the day, but a few hours spent in the kitchen can warm my heart towards it in a jiffy.

After a meat filled weekend I decided to try a lighter, healthier and meat - free meal for this evening. As I was searching through the veg I have in stock I started cruising around Epicurious and found a recipe for leek and mushroom soup. It was so simple and required very few ingredients. And since it was going to be so light I decided to bake up a quick foccacia with the aid of my handy bread machine ( which is seriously the best thing in my kitchen). I started and rose the dough in the machine then I finished it off in the oven with some olive oil, salt, and italian herb blend. Baked at 450 for 10 minutes then sprinkled with a bit more oil. Yum.

I don't think my husband was jumping for joy when I told him what I was making. But he ended up being pleased and thought that it was delicious as well.

Light, easy, delicious fare accompanied with some vino... I guess Monday's aren't that bad, but they definitely aren't Friday. ;)

Leek and Mushroom Soup

adapted from Epicurious

I melted about 2 tbl. of butter in my pot then threw in 2 cloves of garlic and let them sautee for a few seconds. Then I added in my leeks and sauteed them for about 2 minutes. Next I added the mushrooms and sauteed for another 5 minutes. I then added a bit of white wine and simmered for about a minute before I added in chicken stock ( to make it full vegetarian use veg stock instead). I added in oregano, salt, pepper, and a bay leaf and simmered for about 5 minutes.

Yum.

wonderful.

2009-04-13T00:24:00.007-04:00

It's Easter, one of my favorite holidays, not only for what it stands for but also for the time that I get to spend with my beloved family. This morning my hub and I headed to my moms and helped her prepare Easter dinner ( as we call it in the south, I'm told by my husband nobody "normal" calls lunchtime food ....dinner). Anyways... to prepare for today I decided to go "all out" and make a bunch of sweet stuff for everyone to enjoy. My actual goal was to make my version of a Easter basket but make them from scratch. So I settled on two types; peanut butter and chocolate cups, and homemade "peeps" or " hops" which is what my husband officially named them for when I make them from now on. They were both a bit more trouble then I anticipated and a royal pain in my ..ehhemm...REAR-END. But... they turned out marvelous and I was pleasantly surprised. And like I said, I will officially be making them for each Easter from here on out.

But the real SHE-bang of my culinary day was when I got to my mothers house. She emailed me earlier this week to ask me for menu ideas and ask me to help her cook the meal. I zipped through Epicurious and Food Network and emailed her a few ideas. One of those brilliant ideas was for a Lemon Curd Trifle by: Tyler Florence on Food Network. Keep in mind, I did not look at the recipe or ingredient list or even see how it was made, I just saw the idea for a trifle and copied and paste and didn't think about it again.

Well my mother went shopping and bought all the ingredients listed and when I walked in the door this morning said that I was in charge of the trifle. " No sweat" I'm thinking. UNTIL... I look at the recipe, and then it's " I HAVE TO MAKE WHAT FROM SCRATCH??" Oh yes my friends, I was screwed, or so I thought. This recipe called for a homemade pound cake ( which my mom made, THANK THE LORD!), homemade lemon curd, and homemade whipped cream. Though the pound cake and the cream were pretty no- drama, the lemon curd was RiDICU-lous. I was working my little behind off on that thing. AND GUESS WHAT?!?!? It came out delicioso! I was so excited and proud and totally on cloud 9, and it reminded me of why I cook. One small accomplishment in the kitchen is like crack for a cook, it is a high it's hard to pull you down from.

So the trifle was a success, including lemon curd, and Easter dinner was fabulous. All around it was marvelous.

For supper we got lucky and got to head to my mother and father -in-law's to eat and it was smashing. Lamb, asparagus, potatoes and cheesecake, umm.... delish.

-Marshmallow Recipe I used here.

-Peanut Butter Cup Recipe here.

Lemon Curd Trifle with Fresh Berries

Tyler Florence

Ingredients:

6 large egg yolks

1 cup sugar

4 lemons, zested and juiced

1/2 cup ( 1 stick) butter, cut in chunks

1 pint fresh strawberries

1 pint fresh blueberries

1 pint fresh blackberries

2 cups sweetened whipped cream

1 prepared lemon pound cake, sliced

1/2 cup Lemencello or Grand Marnier liquer

mint leaves, for garnish

-To make lemon curd: Bring a pot of water to a simmer over medium- low heat. Combine the egg yolks, sugar lemon juice, zest in a metal or glass heat- resistant bowl and whisk until smooth. Set the bowl over the simmering water, without letting the bottom touch and continue to whisk. Keep working-out that arm, and whisk it vigorously for a good 10 minutes, until the curd has doubles in volume and is very thick and yellow. Don't let it boil. Remove the bowl from heat and whisk in the butter, a couple of chunks at a time, until melted. Refrigerate until the custard is cold and firm.

To build the trifle: put the berries in a mixing bowl and toss them together so they are evenly distributed. Fold the whipping cream into the chilled lemon curd to lighten it up into a mousse. Line a glass trifle bowl with pieces of pound cake to fit. Drizzle or brush the cake with the Lemoncello, spoon a layer of the lemon curd over the cake, and then a layer f mixed berries. Repeat the layers until the ingredients are used up, the last layer looks best it it's the berries. Chill before serving. Garnish with fresh mint.

he cooks too!

2009-04-08T00:14:00.003-04:00

I worked late night tonight and when I walked in my door this is what was waiting for me. Though I love being in the kitchen, having my hubby cook for me is a treat indeed. It was a delicious meal of pan fried pork chops on a bed of organic white rice. Too bad he's taken ladies.

homemade treat.

2009-04-02T19:27:00.004-04:00

I always try my hardest to make as much as I can from scratch. I buy very little that's packaged or pre-made. There are tons of things I still haven't attempted, but I scratched one of those off yesterday.....beef jerky. I stole my mom's dehydrator and busted a lb. of London Broil into a lb. of delicious jerky. My husband has already ate half of it. And all I did was marinate it in soy sauce, worchestire, liquid smoke, onion powder, and red chili flakes for 3 hours. Then I popped it into the dehydrator for about 5 hours.

WOW.

So, so, so good. Go buy one and do it. I'm never giving my mom hers back. As a matter of fact I don't even know where it is mom, if your reading this. I must of lost it. Sorry.

Food Porn.

2009-03-29T15:44:00.006-04:00

It's a term used frequently in the food world.

[ food porn : a sarcastic term variously applied to a spectacular visual presentation of cooking or eating in advertisements, infomercials, cooking. ]

Oh man, food porn is what makes the world of food blogging go round. Foodies unite among all age, race, and sex barriers over what looks amazingly delicious and appetizing in picture form. It's what makes your mouth water and your stomach growl even whenthe sense of smell is not being utilized. I love it, and as well as my own blog I subscribe to many others that wet my culinary appetite on a regular basis. The most amazing place I have found for combining all of these desires is a web site called Tas teSpotting. It's AMA-zzING!

Users subscribe and submit beautiful food porn from various websites and the reader and browse through endless pictures of deliciousness. I get on this web site daily, sometimes more than once or twice a day. I am thoroughly addicted. Not only can you see all these amazing pictures, it's the best way to find great recipes and get inspiration. I have found countless ideas and I always leave the site ready to tackle the kitchen immediately.

Late last night I was surfing the site and came across the most interesting recipe. On a fellow food blog she was talking about cravings for cookie dough. I mean in all honesty who hasn't craved cookie dough straight up, no cooking required. I most certainly know that I have. Well this blogger came up with a recipe for cookie dough truffles in snicker doodle. First of all, umm yumm, second of all my hub has been begging me for snicker doodles FOR EVER. And for some reason I cannot find cream of tarter anywhere. I know, I know, you all are probably thinking, "umm hello Harris Teeter, or anywhere weirdo, its not hard to find". However I have checked different Harris Teeters several times and have had no luck. I'm not making a special trip anywhere so he has had to do without. But when I found this recipe last night, and I had all the ingredients, a light bulb went off. Finally I can give him his craving and was able to try something new at that.

They turned out so so good. So easy to make, and they hit that sugar craving hot spot like a champ. They are going in the recipe box for sure. My food porn isn't that great yet, as I am still practicing with my photography, but I am getting there. For now I will head back on over to TasteSpotting and fall in love to my hearts content.

Snicker Doodle Cookie Truffles

1 stick of unsalted butter, at room temp

3/4 cup of brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups all- purpose flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

14 oz. condensed sweet milk

In a bowl combine salt, flour, and cinnamon and set aside. In a bowl cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add in vanilla and mix until incorporated. Slowly add in flour mixutre alternating with condensed milk. Scoop into balls on baking sheet. Let freeze for at least 3 hours.

Delish my friends.

Scraping By.

2009-03-27T18:03:00.007-04:00

Well my friends its that time of the month. When I look at my empty refrigerator with an air of sadness at its scarcity as we wait until the first of the new month and a brand new grocery budget to work with. Oh the joys of being a broke newlywed.

Since I love to cook the way I do I get frustrated with having too few ingredients to work with. But as Alice Waters always says, you can make a great meal with a few simple ingredients. So that was my inspiration for dinner a few nights ago. I looked at dismay at what was in my kitchen and came to the conclusion of ........ breakfast casserole. I had some organic breakfast sausage sitting in my fridge, and one of the baguettes I made before in the week and my brainchild was born. After chopping up the bread and throwing it in my casserole pan, I then topped it with the sausage. Then I whipped up some eggs and milk with chives, and grated some cheese and threw it all together for about 30 minutes at 350.

Whew. Dinner solved.

I'm not down to tuna fish and ramen noodles yet. Who knows, maybe with a bit of cream they would be tasty.

Or not.

The easy life.

2009-03-23T22:52:00.002-04:00

It was freaking gorgeous today. I woke up and didn't have to work, so I worked out and then spent the next 3 - 4 hours outside working in the dirt. It really does bring a sense of fulfillment that is hard to explain.

If you would have asked Jenny from 4 years ago if I would ever have a garden and be a passionate environmentalist, I probably would have laughed at you and ordered another shot. Life has a funny way of changing on you. I know at my core, I am the same Jenny I have always been, but somehow my priorities have changed a little.

I could spend every waking hour in the kitchen if possible. Cooking brings me a sense of fulfillment, satisfaction, and pride that I have never really had before. If we are still in that same convo with Jenny from 4 years ago I cared about little else then the "ride", partying, clothes, boys, and all the frills attached to those things. I am glad where life has brought me. And I am proud of those changes that I can see clearly. I never really excelled at academics, I am smart, this I know but school was always a chore. I did cheer leading, and a bit of drama, and a lot of softball as a child. But nothing came close to making me proud of myself the way being in the kitchen does.

I know this veers of what I cooked for dinner topic but I just felt like writing it down. Its something I have been struggling with lately. How I have changed, and how that affects those that knew me before and after. Often my friends find it hard to face that I am not ready to party all night long and I absolutely refuse to take plastic at the grocery. But its who I am, and its who I am proud of. In a way ( besides the amazing human that my husband is) the kitchen helped save me a bit. I floundered for awhile, lost in the maze never fully facing or expecting much of myself. Today every time I successfully bake a loaf of bread or master a homemade pizza I see myself as successful. I may not have everything I want yet. But I have more than I deserve. I am blessed. Immeasurably so.

Thanks for listening.

Birthday Cake.

2009-03-21T16:53:00.004-04:00

I am big on birthdays. Mine is just three days shy on Christmas so my whole life my birthday hasn't been the priority of the season. (Despite how important I always thought I was) So ever since I was a little girl I make a big deal out of my birthday and if I have the opportunity, the birthdays of those I love.

Last night we celebrated my best friend Katie's b-day. As a newlywed money isn't flowing free , and I couldn't buy her the Louis Vuitton bag I wanted too. Instead I decided to bake her a cake. I asked her what her fav's were and she told me red velvet and funfetti. I love red velvet but I didn't have al the ingredients on hand, so just curiously I checked to see if there was a funfetti recipe that I could make from scratch. ( For those who don't know funfetti refers to a pillsbury box recipe that is pretty delicious). Though I think the box is pretty scrumptious I try to make as much as I can from scratch.

Anyways... I luckily had everything I need, including a hug stash of sprinkles that I have had for ages for various uncompleted projects.

I ended up using a long sheet pan and the cake ended up being about 1/4 inch thick because I didn't have two circle cake pans. When I folded in the sprinkles alot of the color came off them and turned the cake pale pink. And I don't think that Duff will hire me to decorate any cakes anytime soon. But it was delicious, and really thats all that matters.... right??

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATIE!!

I found the recipe on another food blog called Annie Eats as well as the icing I used.

Funfetti Cake

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

6 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temp

1 cup sugar

3 large egg whites

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. almond extract

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup rainbow sprinkles

-Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour the sides of town 5-inch round cake pans, and line the bottom with parchment paper.

-In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir together and set aside. In a bowl of a stand mixer cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg whites to the bowl and beat until combined. Add in the vanilla and almond extracts and mix until incorporated. Mix in the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix just until incorporated. Fold in the sprinkles with a spatula.

-Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean ( about 35 minutes). Allow to cool in pans 10 minutes then remove to wire rack to cool completely. Frost cooled cakes as desired.

Vanilla Buttercream

2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter softened

2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted

1/8 tsp salt

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tbsp. heavy cream

-In a stand mixer cream the butter for about 20 seconds, then add in the sugar and salt and beat on medium low until most of the sugar is moistened, about 45 seconds. Then add vanilla and heavy cream and beat at medium speed until incorporated about 10 seconds. Then increase speed to medium-high and beat until fluffy about 4 minutes.

Pizza and Basketball.

2009-03-19T21:08:00.005-04:00

My hub loves sports..... all sports. I mean it doesn't matter what is on ESPN he will, if given the remote, immediately turn off Food Network for anything going on in the sports world. I scramble for ways to relate. I like sports well enough, I have my teams that I obsess about, and I can tailgate with the best of them. But on a average day I will watch some Bravo or Food network over Fox Sports. So I have found ways to become involved. Right now the NCAA tournament is going on and is literally all he wants to watch. So in order to be interested I made my own bracket and made a pizza and prepared for a long... long day and night of basketball watching.

Tonight I made a pizza Margarita. It's not the traditional way the pizza is made, but a restaurant I used to work at made it sort of like this and it was scrumptious so I copied a bit. I start out with a pesto base ( yes I used a store bought... give me a break I'm waiting on my basil to grow.... remember) then covered with shredded mozzarella and freshly sliced tomatoes. I sprinkled Italian seasoning on top and popped it in the oven for about 10-15 on 425. Delish. The homemade pizza dough is key. I use my bread machine to knead and rise and it makes the process soo much quicker.

(This is my kitchen maid, I cook and she cleans the floor)

Now I will return to basketball and my wine. I am with Obama and have UNC going all the way, they better not screw up...... me AND the President have them in our brackets. And I know he will be VERY dissapointed. ;).

Growing my own food.

2009-03-19T15:42:00.006-04:00

Oh gardening.... full of dirt, worms, decaying matter, and dirty fingernails. Will it ruin my manicure??? I may have to cave in and buy those hideous things called Crocs for my feet. Is there such a thing as cute gardening shoes?

Ok.. Ok.. I know its not about fashion, its about food and earth and loving the beautiful things that grow. Im working on it.

Anyways....

Today I decided to get started on all of projects that involved growing food. I started my jar of alfalfa sprouts, I planted some herbs, I started the "herb -in- a bag" that my sister-in-law A. got me for Christmas, I put new herbs in my Prepara Mini Power Plant, and I transferred my tomato plants outside from their

inside windowsill. Whew.

But let me say, I am so very excited. Both my mother-in-law L. and s-in-l A. have fantastic gardens, and they insp

ired me to try my own. We don't own our house so my options were limited. Our landlord can be..ehhmmm... difficult at times so I decided to do a container garden.

My backyard gets lots of direct sunlight for over 8 hours each day so its prime for a garden. I have a compost pile I have been adding too for about a year now so that excites me as well. I chose a-lot of seed options and probably got over-zealous in my new gardening approach.

I tend to handle most things in life that way. I am not very patient, and when I decide on a new passion or new goal I charge forward and hope for the best. That can be a good or bad thing at times I suppose.

So anyways.... I bought tons of seeds ( organic and heirloom seeds at that) and researched like a maniac. I asked all sorts of advice from all the gardeners in my life. A inspired me at how she says she just puts the seeds in and lets Mother Nature take over. That's a relaxing view point for me. I have been so scared that all of this work will be in vain. But in the end, if it doesn't work I will learn from my mistakes and keep trying.

One thing I am determined to grow is basil. I could use it every day to cook if possible. And every time I have tried to grow it in the past it does not last on me. So I have it growing in three different places right now. In my Mini- power plant, my herb in a bag, and in my garden. We will see if it makes it in any of these places. I will keep everyone posted on my progress. I am new at this and would welcome ideas, thoughts, or advice at any time. I have to start now so by the time I have my organic farm I am experienced and knowledgeable in the garden arena. We will see.... we will see.

And no matter what I will always attempt to bring a little bit of Jenny flair into each new venture, including my garden. ;) Maybe bright pink crocs are in order after all. I'll just leave them at the back door.

* Oh and in a updated note on the power plant

I blogged about. I added new seeds because my others just weren't growing. I don't think it was the Planter's fault though I think it was mine. It stresses in the instructions about direct light, and I had mine in my windowsill in indirect light most of the time. Another girl I work with is having great success and is already harvesting her herbs. So I am trying again and this time I planted sage, tarragon, chives, and basil. fingers crossed!

Glorious Spring.

2009-03-18T14:28:00.004-04:00

Spring is approaching people. It's sneaking up on us and I can hardly contain my excitement. It is a glorious day in my part of the woods. After busting every window open my day seemed immensely brighter. I am even more excited because this is my first year having my own garden (or attempting too). I started a mini green house inside and started some tomato seeds, lettuce seeds, and scarlet flax seeds. I am starting the rest of my planting this week. We will see if I am successful, I am just looking forward to working in the soil day after day and hopefully watching my work grow.

For my brunch or more like lunch ( I still hate breakfast, I know I'm a weirdo). I decided to do a classic of toad in a hole, or egg in a hole, or whatever the real name is. I made a simple grilled cheese sandwich with provolone the used a small 3 inch circle cutter and cut a hole in my sandwich. Then I dropped it in a slightly buttered skillet on medium heat and dropped the egg in. I covered the skillet for about 4 minutes to make sure the egg was fully cooked. I used the extra circle of sandwich to dip in the egg. With a sprinkle of salt it was scrumptious.

Do an Irish Jig.

2009-03-17T20:38:00.005-04:00

Tonight is the night when we all become Irish. One more excuse for everyone to party in the name of country most of us aren't from. It's fun isn't it???

My hub and I decided on a night in, oh being an adult. sigh. Well we didn't let that ruin our night completely.... we went and bought some Irish beer and we toasted to any Irish we may have in our blood.

For dinner I made a easy version on Ina Garten's steak sandwich's. My version was pretty simple, I made french baguettes yesterday so those were my base. Then I topped them with a mayo/mustard sauce, steak, sauteed onions, and fresh arugala. It was super easy and then I paired it with a salad for a little extra green ( makes the beer not so fattening.... right??).

Lucky lucky man.

2009-03-16T21:40:00.006-04:00

My husband lights up my life. My last week in NY without him was do-able ;), but I definitely missed him immensely. I think on a emotional level we were at the same place, but on a food level.... he suffered. Not that he can't feed himself, he was a bachelor for a few years before I came along. But I think I have spoiled him a bit in the food department. And lucky for me I love every second in the kitchen so it's not a total sacrifice.

Well today I didn't have that much to do. I made up for my week away by spending my day in the kitchen baking. I also decided to treat my hub with some cupcakes. I made a simple vanilla cupcake with a homemade chocolate chip buttercream icing. They were yummy and he licked the bowl and every spoon and spatula I used, and I think he may... have liked the results.

I am home, and there really is no place like it.

Recipe I used was:

Vanilla Cupcakes

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temp

2/3 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup milk

- Mix all the dry ingredients together and sift to remove clumps.

- Add to mixer bowl and on slow speed add in wet ingredients.

-Let run on slow to medium speed and make sure to scrape down sides.

- Pour into cupcake cups and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.

Simple Buttercream Icing

3 sticks butter

1 lb of powdered sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

-Cream all three together for about 4 minutes.

- I then folded in about 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips.

Cover cupcakes with icing, and enjoy. Bon Appetito!!!

To cap it all off.

2009-03-13T23:40:00.004-04:00

(This is a picture of our hotel from the restaurant, gorgeous huh??)

Well, my week is coming to a close. And what a fun week it was. I am a very blessed girl that my Aunt was so generous to invite me on this trip. There was so much good food, excellent drinks, and great convo's that really made this week a blast. Tonight we made reservations at 2 Times Square which was in the Renaissance hotel in Times Square. The view was AM-AZING, it overlooked all of Times Square and the food was banging. I had the steak au poivre with frites, Aunt Karen had a filet, and Stephanie had the roast chicken. It was very very good. I was even more happy because I have been trying to get champagne or prosecco all week by the glass and FINALLY they sold it here. The bubbly was yummy and made the meal all the better.

Tomorrow morning it is back to reality and I have to step foot on a plane again. I am devastatingly afraid of flying and it quite frankly makes me sick. So please any friends or family that I have in the blog world..... If you pray.... please please pray for me. I get cold sweats and the shakes when it comes to me getting on a plane. I will make a bee-line for the airport bar to down any mimosa in sight. And next time I check in it will be from below the mason dixon.

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend full of delicious food, satisfying drinks, and people you love.

Good Bye New York, you did me well.

( Oh and ...GOOD BYE MY MARTHA... I LOVEE YOUU)

Where the famous people go.

2009-03-13T11:55:00.004-04:00

Supposedly there are crap-tons of famous people in this city. Well -huff- I have yet to see even one single one on the streets. I wouldn't do anything crazy like try to smell their shirt or anything, all I want is a little peek at their attempt to have a normal life. And maybe take a picture of them accidentally. No harm done. Well its still no- go. The closest I got was last night when we went to this famous post and pre theater restaurant called Sardi's. Lots of famous people have eaten there and all of their pictures and signatures are all over the wall. No live ones though.. sigh. Anyways. Our dinner was fabulous. I got the crab cakes, Stephanie got mahi-mahi, Aunt Karen got shrimp, and Megan got the cobb salad ( Meg being my best friend that lives in the city and joined us for dinner). It was very good.

We all had delicious wine and finished up in the hotel lounge with cocktails once again. Still no celebrities yet, but I am keeping my eyes peeled for Sarah Jessica Parker. She wont have to run or anything I'm not that scary... right?? Right??

MARTHA!!!!!!!!!!

2009-03-13T11:47:00.004-04:00

Ok .... Ok. This isnt a food post --per se--. But in my mind it was the highlight of our trip so far and must be documented. I got to see my idol, Martha Stewart yesterday. We waited to get tickets in the standby line and I almost fainted from excitement when we actually got in. And despite being the last to be allowed in.. WE GOT FRONT ROW SEATS. I could smell my Martha and almost touch her ( before they escorted me out of the studio). We made eye contact and had a serious non sexual "I LOVE TO CRAFT AND COOK TOO MARTHA, I WANT TO BE YOU" moment. Oh sigh. We got free gifts from the show that I cannot wait to get home and use. And it was just marvelous. She is everything I thought she would be. :) Can anyone tell I am obsessed with this woman?? Oh Martha, how happy you make me.

Look how close she was. I felt like a little kid before Christmas.I think I may need to sit down now and have a drink of water. I am feeling a little lightheaded.

Little Italy.

2009-03-13T11:40:00.004-04:00

I am so behind in my posts. We have been doing so much and having so much fun that I havent had time to blog each day about where we ate and what we ate. On wednesday for lunch we headed down to Little Italy and ate lunch at this cute little restatraunt called Napoli. It was delicious. Both my Aunt Karen and I had the spaghetti carbonara and my cousin Stephanie had a pizza margarita. We were starving when we got there so the only picture that I have is post meal because we rushed to eat and completely forgot to take a pre-meal picture. It was yummy and brought me back to all of my desires to cook like a real italian. On my menu to try in my head is homemade pasta. Also my friend Jen and I will be trying to make homemade mozzarella.

So then maybe I can pretend I can cook like a little nonna as I hand roll my pasta and hum Frank Sinatra in my head.

Wickedly Scrumptious.

2009-03-11T16:33:00.005-04:00

I am a lucky girl. I have been so spoiled this week and last night was another treat. My aunt Karen treated my cousin and I to a Broadway show. We went to see Wicked. But before we headed to the show we went to dinner. We researched a bit for any places that were good for pre-theater dinner. We all agreed on a Italian restaurant we found called Thalia. It was delicious. I got gnocchi, which is my favorite Italian creation of all time. I love it, and the meal I had was made with flavors I haven't used on gnochhi before. It was drenched in a basil-lemon sauce and garnished with walnuts and drizzled with aged balsamic. WOW. I lost consciousness for a minute and words failed me ( which rarely happens to me) .It was so good and when I paired it with a glass of the house sangiovese it became spectacular. Both my aunt and my cousin got fish, Stephanie got some lovely salmon and aunt Karen got a light and flaky white fish dish. We were all pleased.

After the show we headed back to our hotel lobby ,which has a very trendy bar and lounge area, for cocktails. Both Stephanie and I got a cocktail called a Tropical Lifesaver, it was a bright lime green and it was yumm-my. Aunt Karen's nightcap was a White Russian and she was pretty happy too.

After our cocktails we headed up to relax and unwind. Unwind indeed.So far I have been exhausted every night in the city and fallen right asleep.

I need these long city walks back home, it would cure my insomnia right away.

Artistically Sound.

2009-03-09T23:31:00.004-04:00

Today we woke up to a very chilly rainy New York day. We had originally planned to do some shopping and have afternoon tea at Tavern on The Green, and stroll around central park. Well.... as I said it was not the day to stroll the park. So we decided on a indoor activity and headed to the Museum of Modern Art. We were starving when we first got there and headed to one of the places to eat within the museum. It was called Terrace 5 and we made the mistake of not reading the menu before we went in. Don't get my wrong ... it was delicious, it just happened to be all chilled ( due to cooking would ruin the art), quite pricey, and just not what we expected. My aunt and I both got a cheese plate which was very good, she got 5 different cheese, and I got 3. They were both accompanied by some crusty bread and a marmalade type jam. Steph got a chickpea bruschetta with an arugula salad and it was quite tasty as well.

After lunch we toured more of the Museum and enjoyed ourselves. I saw one of my favorites Jackson Pollack, and also some Andy Warhol. There were also plenty of classics such as Cezanne and Picasso. There were also lots and lots of rude people bumping into us. ( sorry I had to complain, I was mystified.... I have never seen so many people that don't know the common courtesy of "excuse me" I was extremely irritated).

We then came back to the hotel and freshened up and went downstairs and had a few drinks at their bar and then headed to dinner at a restaurant/ pub down the block from our hotel and it was smashingly excellent. It was a Irish pub and both Steph and I got the fish and chips which were yummy, and my aunt Karen got a gorgonzola encrusted filet which was smashing as well.

With a few glasses of wine and the crisp New York air and I was satisfied.

Southern Girl in the Big City.

2009-03-09T11:40:00.007-04:00

I know it has been ages since I have blogged last. I have been a bit busy , I have been planning a trip to NYC. My aunt and cousin very graciously invited me to go with them this week. So I flew in yesterday and as I write this I am sitting in my hotel room looking out over time square with the sound of sirens going off in the background.

I wasn't going to blog while I was here and then I had a brainstorm this morning. We are going to be eating some fabulous food while we are here and I am sure plenty of pictures will be taken of each tidbit we devour (drinks included). So I will blog about what we eat and my cousin Stephanie that is here with me takes fabulous pictures and I will have plenty of inspiration.

Now we are off to the Museum of Modern Art and lunch and a bit of shopping ( don't tell my husband ;) ).

Stay tuned.

P.S. This is a picture my cousin Stephanie took. Isn't she talented???

baking.

2009-02-26T22:20:00.006-05:00

I am a self proclaimed human baking malfunction. But in my experiments I have mastered a few recipes and managed to not blow up my kitchen. Tonight I made a simple dinner with trader joes fish and a simple herb salad. So I decided to treat my husband to a bit of sugar and bake him some chocolate chip cookies. The recipe that I used is from the most fabulous book ever (warning- Sur La Table plug coming) called The Art and Soul of Baking. It is a beautiful book and the recipes in the book are

amazing. One major benefit, I have successfully been able to complete what recipes I have tried. That is a tried and true testament to the nature of the book.

It really is a fabulous cook book, and a HUGE helpmate to the beginner baker in all of us.

Recipe as Follows:

Chocolate Chip Cookies

The Art and Soul of Cooking

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 large egss, at room temp

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

6 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks

6 ounces milk chocolate chips or chunks

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and position oven rack in the center. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

- Place the butter, granulated sugar, an

d brown sugar in the bowl of the stand mixer and beat on medium-low speed until smooth and

blended, about 2

minutes. Scrape down bowl, add the eggs one at a time and beat just until blended after each addition. Add the vanilla and blend well.

-In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Turn the mixer to the lowest speed and add the flour mixture all at once. Blend just until there are no more patches of

flour.

-Add the chocolate and nuts if using, and blend on low until combined.

-Scoop portion tablespoon sized mounds onto the baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time about 10-14 minutes each. Transfer to cooling rack.

Heres to baking and that Friday is only a few hours away. See you on the weekend.

Life Appreciated.

2009-02-26T00:30:00.009-05:00

I always struggle for a good title that is catchy and a good catch phrase to pull you all into my world.

Everytime I am thinking about what to write I find my brain scanning through words and phrases of appreciation of my life. That my friends is an amazing thing. When I describe my life I find it hard to narrow the blessings down. How could I ever complain??

Anyways... Last night my husband and I were planning a relaxing night in. It was Top Chef season finale, it's wednesday, and well life is wonderful. And last night I decided to delight my wonderful husband with breakfast for dinner. I have spoken before about my distaste for breakfast. I have never been a big fan, I don't really know why I just haven't. My husband on the other hand love, love, loves it. Even with my distaste now, one of my fondest food memories is breakfast for dinner that my mom would make for us. It was always a special thing and didn't happen that often so I always looked forward to it.

There is a Nigella recipe for breakfast called mexican eggs. It inspired me awhile back and I have adapted a bit to fit our tastes.

When I made it last night I cooked some hot breakfast sausage first. I cut and fried some tortilla strips and set them aside. I mixed a bit of cheddar cheese in with my eggs along with some salt and pepper. I added the eggs into the pan with the cooked sausage and folded them together as they cooked. I added in some salsa and taco sauce as well as about 1/2 cup of fresh tomatoes. I removed the pan from the heat and folded in sour cream to stop the eggs from cooking and make them fluffy. Right before serving I mixed in the crispy tortilla strips.

Topped with some sour cream and taco sauce and it turned out pretty good. My husband was happy and I was happy and life was good.

I guess breakfast isn't so bad, as long as it's after 5:00 pm.

Priorities.

2009-02-24T20:35:00.002-05:00

This isn't going to be a food post.

I was going to cook dinner tonight and blog about it but you can't plan nature. My step-sister had a beautiful baby boy this evening and I became an aunt for the second time. Congratulations to her and my brother in-law and their beautiful new addition to our family.

You don't need sugar to make life sweet.

What I did today.

2009-02-20T16:29:00.007-05:00

Friday, friday, friday. Oh how my heart beats a little faster when you roll around. Today was a glorious day, but very cold for my southern bones, so I hunkered down in my warm tiny kitchen. My goal was to make french baguettes. I also wanted to clean like a maniac so I opted for the easy way and started the dough in my bread machine. One hour and a half later the beep sounded and it was time for the real work.

I had to punch the dough to deflate it, then let it rest for 10 minutes. Then I dusted a sheet pan with cornmeal and shaped 3 baguettes roughly. I covered the pan loosely and let them rise for about 30-40 minutes. As they were rising I set the oven to 425 and put a pan of hot water on the bottom shelf to help make a steam bread oven.

After they were done rising I dusted the tops with some flour and slashed down each

diagonally then baked for about 30 minutes.

Maybe I will smear with some brie and accompany with some vino.

Life is sweet .... oh so sweet.

Welcome to the Big Time.

2009-02-18T23:52:00.006-05:00

Well my friends, today was a big day in my small southern world. IKEA came to town. WOO HOO!!!! You know the scene in Elf when Will Ferell gets so excited that santa is coming in that department store, well I hate people who quote movies but that was how I felt today when I convinced my husband to come and explore the wide wide world of IKEA Charlotte. We had discussed this event previously and he declared with a very resounding NO that there was no way he would go on opening day. Then...... today my friend Jen called and asked if we wanted to go tonight after the crowd and eat dinner and shop with her and her husband. After much begging and promising him I would never make him go again, he relented. And people, I was able to spend a lovely evening ( it wasnt nearly as crowded as we all predicted ) in one of my favorite stores in the whole world.

I bought a watering can, a stainless steel mixing bowl, and some other not quite as cool things and well .... my night was lovely. We ate at the IKEA cafe and my husband got the swedish meatballs and I got the caesar salad and we shared a bit of chocolate cake. YUM. So afterwards we headed home to relax and have a bit of a night cap.

Anyways.... I made marshmallows yesterday.... from scratch. I was so proud. I am still proud. I have spoken of my issues with baking. Candy making falls in that category because its a bit like science where everything has to be perfect. I got kicked out of my science classes, daily. So I was a bit freaked. But lo and behold ..... they worked. And my husband told me they were the best he has ever had. Of course that is

equivalent to him telling me I don't look fat in my outfit, but it made me feel good anyways. I tried them and I thought they were smashing as well. Martha was right when she said homemade beat store bought anyday.

When we got home tonight we watched some dvr'd shows, one including Top Chef, to help enjoy the night I made us a few mugs of some hot chocolate with a splash...ehhmm... of Baileys and topped with my marshmallows. Delish. Why don't people do this every night. It really could help solve alot of world issues.

oh and side note... I know that I said yesterday that I was going to dip them in chocolate... sorry it was a bit too much effort. Normally I would post the recipe myself.... but tonight I will just give you Martha's link. She calls for the chocolate dipped number. I ended up dusting some powdered sugar over the top and I believe that it worked smashingly.

Recipe here my dears.

Bon Appetito!!

Viva Italiana.

2009-02-17T10:46:00.013-05:00

I am very proud of my heritage, and love who I am. However, there isn't a day in my cooking life that I don't wish I was italian, greek, or french. I would love to have family recipes from a rich culinary heritage passed down. Recipes that were used by all my ancestors. When I make italian meatballs and spaghetti I channel this alter -ego of mine. While I'm hand rolling each meat ball lovingly I hear the theme song from the Lady in the Tramp in the back of my mind. As I watch my pasta sauce bubble in the pan I think of Nonna's all over the world in their kitchens

hand kneading pasta dough and tasting their marinara to make sure it's just right.

I am a very pale skinned white swedish southerner. No uncle of mine has sliced garlic with a razor blade while in jail for money laundering. But that fact does not stop me from pretending like I do.

Sigh.

I didn't use spaghetti, instead my organic whole wheat fusilli. But my meatballs were... muah... perfection ( if I do say so myself). I use a recipe from my greatly splattered and torn Joy of Cooking. The recipe in the book turns out a near perfect, moist meatball that when simmered in a marinara sauce for 20 minutes becomes a absolutely delightful meal.

(I used a can marinara this time.. but I have been inspired once the tomatoes are in season to start canning my own. But that is a story for another day.)

So in the words of my non-related Italian families everywhere...

Mangia! Mangia! Farsi Grosso!

( Eat! Eat! Get Fat!)

Recipe for the meatballs as follows:

Italian Meatballs:

Joy of Cooking

1 lb ground beef

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup chopped pars ley

1/2 cup grated parme san cheese

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup fresh breadcrumb1 large egg, beaten

3 tablespoons dry red w ine (optional)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

Mix together and roll into 2 -inch balls, and dust with flour. Brown in pan on each side in olive oil until brown. Reduce heat and add in marinara and let simmer for about 20 minutes.

p.s: I made marshmallows today and I am planning on dipping them in chocolate

tomorrow since they have to sit overnight. Will keep you posted.

The big VD.

2009-02-15T19:00:00.007-05:00

And I don't mean a transmitted disease. Valentines Day. oh boy. I am not the biggest fan. When I was single I used to claim that I would never like the holiday even if I had a special someone. Well 4 years later of having a someone and I am true to my word, I don't like the holiday. No offense to everyone out there that like's it, but I think it is the lamest holiday ever created. A completely consumer driven holiday that justifies spending stupid amounts of money on stupid things.

Ok. My tangent aside, since it is "supposed " to be a romantic

holiday and my first as a married woman at that, I decided to cook a special meal for my hubby. I told him no card, no flowers, just us and a meal and some booze ;).

Well, I take that back I did ask for flowers.... just not in the literal sense. I am starting a garden and want to continue to always have a garden from now on. Sooo..... I asked my husband to buy me a new flower to plant each year from here on out. This year we picked a flower called scarlet flax , which I know nothing about, but I am super excited to watch it grow.

All non food related items aside, for our big Valentines dinner I decided to do three courses and experiment... a bit.

For the appetizer I found a recipe from Giada, that was super simple.. and super delicious. It was a bruschetta, topped with prosciutto wrapped mozzarella and endive, and drizzled with a simple lemon vinagriette. Recipe as follows.

Curly Endive, Prosciutto and Mozzarella on Bruschetta:

Giada de Laurentiis

18 diagonal slices baguette bread

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 head of curly endive or frisee leaves, seperated into 2-inch strips

1 ( 7 ounce) ball fresh water packed mozzarella cheese, drained, cut into 18 thin slices.

18 paper thin slices prosciutto

2 tablespoons vinaigrette

Preheat over to 350 degrees.

Arrange bread slices on baking sheet(s). Brush 3 tablespoons of oil over the bread slices. Bake until the crostini are pale golden and crisp, about 15 minutes.

Wrap 1 curly endive and 1 slice of cheese with 1 slice of prosciutto, allowing the tops to extend 1- inch over 1 long side of the prosciutto. Arrange the crostini on a platter. Top each crostini with a prosciutto and drizzle with vinaigrette and serve. yum.

Turned out scrumptious. If you have never tried prosciutto then you should, it is one of God's greatest gifts to mankind. I am obsessed. Anyways....

So for the main course I had settled on trying my hand at a rack of lamb. I was more than

settled, I was pumped at trying it out of . Well, like most of the stories of my life, we walked into Earth Fare and there was no rack of lamb to be found. sigh. So instead I went with the comfortable and we bought a couple of beautiful grass fed beef filets. I accompanied with a mixed herb salad and pan fried chive potato cakes.

For the filets I followed an Ina Garten recipe where she rolled them in fleur de sel and cracked pepper and seared them in a cast iron skillet and finished them out in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes. superb.

It was marvelous accompanied with a bottle of bordeaux and well it didn't seem to get much better.

Until dessert.

I watched a Barefoot Contessa episode where she made a Coeur la Creme with a traditional heart ( coeur) shaped mold with holes in the bottom. When I saw that Sur la Table carried one, I bought one with birthday money swearing to try my hand at making one myself....eventually. I haven't had a special occasion to try it out on until now. When researching the recipe that Ina uses I found that she also adds a raspberry and Grand Marnier reduction on top, and well I just had to try that also.

To my utter dismay... IT WORKED.... woo hoo!!!! It was yummy and all around my meal was executed with very few mishaps.

Coeur la Creme with Raspberry and Grand Marnier reduction Sauce:

Ina Garten

12 oz. cream cheese

1 1/4 cup confectioners sugar

2 1/2 cups cold heavy cream

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. grated lemon zest

seeds from one vanilla bean

2 half pints of raspberries

Beat cream cheese and confectioners sugar on high speed, 2 min.

Scrape down sides and changes to whisk attachment.

With mixer on low, add heavy cream , vanilla, lemon zest, and vanilla bean seeds, then beat on high until mixtures is very think like whipped cream.

Line mold with cheescloth, pour mixture in and cover top with the cheesecloth and refridgerate overnight.

To serve, discard liquid, unmold onto a plate and drizzle with sauce. (recipe follow)

Raspberry and Grand Marnier Sauce:

1 half pint raspberries

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup seedless raspberry jam

1 tablespoons orange liquor

Place raspberries, sugar, 1/4 cup of water in saucepan.

Bring to a boil, lower, simmer for 4 minutes.

Pour mixture , jam, liquor, into processor or blender and blend until smooth, chill.

When ready pour the sauce over the mold and voila... delish.

I may not be the biggest fan of the holiday, but any excuse to make a delicious meal and pop open some bubbly with my husband is fine by me.

Oh friday how I love thee.

2009-02-13T21:44:00.005-05:00

Well I haven't posted in about a week. Not intentionally, I just botched up a recipe earlier this week and it frustrated me so that I lost my heart to experiment again. Tonight wasn't really an experiment but it was still pretty delicious. Today after work my hubby and I went to Earth Fare to pick up groceries for our big V-day dinner in. While we were there we scoped out some beautiful ribs from a local farm and dinner for tonight was coming together. I grabbed a bag of the Alexa brand natural onion rings ( I wanted to make them from scratch in my defense, but I am cooking so much tomorrow that I just was not in the mood at all.. so sue me. ) , and a herbal salad mix... yumm.

What I did was boil the ribs for about 15- 20 mins. Then I smothered them with a mix of barbecue sauces... including Sweet Baby Rays, and some Texas Pete, and let them sit in the fridge for about 15- 20 min. My hubby threw them on a smoking hot grill for about 10 - 15 minutes until they were nice and crisp and crunchy on the outside.

Not too shabby, maybe not duck l'orange or anything, but it did the trick.

( Oh and I have lofty plans for tomorrow night so I promise I will post again and let everyone know if I manage to

successfully complete my meal.....planned menu is:

Appetizer: Prociutto wrapped endive and mozzarella bruschetta.

Dinner: Pan fried Filet mignon with chive potato cakes on the side with herb salad.

Dessert: Coeur la Creme with a raspberry and grand marnier reduction sauce on top.

Im crazy I know. We will see... we will see. )

Love is in the air.

2009-02-06T21:32:00.013-05:00

I have written on here before about my love affair with Trader Joes, and well... my love blazes on. When scrounging for dinner in my over stuffed freezer the familiar package of Trader Joes crab cakes caught my eye. If you haven't tried them out then you should. I am not the biggest fan of pre-packaged meals, but these are delicious, and super easy to make.

To accompany the sandwiches I made a cajun remoulade type sauce and a tomato relish of sorts to top it. The crab cakes can tend to soften a little too much in the thawing process, so I added a coat of breadcrumbs to help them brown nicely and also help them stick together a little bit better.

For the sauce I mixed a bit of mayo, ketchup, cayenne, chili powder, vinegar, and garlic.

For the tomato umm....relish, I just used the chopped tomatoes, salt, pepper and a bit of olive oil. So I guess it was just seasoned tomatoes, not really a relish.

Anyways, add some organic sweet corn on the side and some whole wheat buns to accompany, and once again Friday night was a success.