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Posts Tagged ‘Cooking’

I Want the Blue Rainbow

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , on March 12, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Last weekend, I was delighted to have Finley stay with us at the cottage.  Well the idea of having her here was exciting.  However, once the crib, the booster chair, the stroller, her suitcase,  the cats in their crates, the food, my bag, Peter’s bag, the other food bag, the blue bag (which carries so many things), the hanging clothes and the clean laundry and her car seat…WELL, really!!!!

Ok so I digress – we joined our friends, Susan & Jim and Joe & Michael for a “catch-up meet-up brunch” at Nagle’s.  We hadn’t seen each other in  a while due to who was sick, who was traveling and who hadn’t been in town.  And I wanted to see Michael before he left for California.  Peter’s birthday was at the end of February, Joe’s birthday had been in the week before AND moved into a new apartment. Michael left his job in CA and was going to be moving to NYC with Joe,and little Miss Fin was in town – so, Let’s Celebrate!

Jim got a large sheet cake with a  BIG RAINBOW on it-this is a running insider joke between them.  So I gave Joe a birthday card with a rainbow, a congratulations on your new home and new job card and Susan added Peter’s name to the birthday cake.

Happy Birthday, Joe Lugo, Peter, Nagle's, brunch
Happy Birthday Joe! and Peter too

photo by Lori

Joe Lugo, Peter Press, Nagle's, sunday brunch

Cutting the cake

photo by Lori

Joe Lugo, Finley Ray, Finny, Nagle's

Finley and Uncle Joe

photo by Lori

You can see where the first cut was made and if you look at the first picture, you can see that the rainbow is on the opposite side of the cake – Finny wanted a piece of cake with the blue rainbow. Even if we wanted to accomodate her request, it would have been hard to extricate one piece of cake out of the middle – Problem solved.  How about a piece of  cake and Gigi will cut a piece of the blue rainbow and put in it on your piece?  “OK” , she says.

Finley Ray Clark,Finny, blue rainbow, Nagle's

I Want the Blue Rainbow

photo by Lori

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Chicken Cutlets with Caper Sauce

Posted in Tasty Tidbits Tuesday, tagged , , , , , , on March 1, 2011| 1 Comment »

TASTY TIDBITS TUESDAY

Today’s recipe is tomorrow night’s dinner.

2 TBS olive oil, divided

2 chicken breast halves, pounded very thin, and then cut in half so you have 4 thin cutlets

1 lg shallot, minced, about 2 TBS

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup white wine or chicken stock

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 TBS capers, drained

2-3 cups arugula, torn into bite size pieces

1/2 fennel bulb, shaved thin

16-24 paper thin shavings of Parmesan cheese

Heat 1 TBS olive oil in a non-stick saute pan over medium-high heat until almost smoking, about 1-2 minutes.  Sprinkle salt over the pounded chicken breasts and sear them for 2-3 minutes per side in the hot pan, working in batches so that you do not crowd the pan.  Remove the chicken breasts and cover with foil to keep them warm.

Add the other tablespoon of olive oil to the pan.  Add the shallots and cook 1 minute, stirring often.  Do not let them burn, and if they begin to brown rapidly, turn the heat down.  Add the garlic and cook another 45 seconds to 1 minute, stirring often.

Add the white wine and scrape an browned bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.  Ad the capers and red pepper flakes and oil until the wine is almost gone, about 2-4 minutes.

To serve, mix the arugula and shaved fennel and put some on each plate . Arrange some shaved parmesan over them.  Lay a piece of chicken on each salad, then top with a little of the sauce. Serve hot.

Recipe from Simply Recipes courtesy of Gail

capers, chicken cutlets, Simply Recipes, Tasty Tidbits Tuesday

Chicken Cutlets with Caper Sauce

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WHY Should We Celebrate

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on February 27, 2011| 2 Comments »

There are so many reasons to celebrate – of course if you listen to the news or read it online you might wonder whether you should party hard or not. How confusing!  “…the national debt is skyrocketing …mortgage rates are at all time lows…unrest in the Middle East continues….President O’Bama announces troop withdrawl in Afghanistan…the polar ice cap is melting…scientists have cloned a sheep…and on and on and on and on.

I have a better idea!  Let’s  just celebrate!!! I found this vintage Hors D’oeuvre cookbook from 1981, written by two women from Santa Maria, CA.  The title caught my eye, Company’s Coming. I thumbed through it and fairly quickly determined there was hardly a recipe in there that I might make.  But then I noticed the first chapter was titled Planning It and as I began to read I found myself smiling and nodding –  this is great!

To quote the authors; ” We believe in entertaining 52 weeks of the year with a few days off  in between for getting back into shape, working, and planning the next party…”   “Our motto – ‘Any excuse for a party is a good one’ – is demonstrated by the following list of ideas for giving an hors d’oeuvre party’ .”

According to my calculations we are in the 9th week of the year.  The cookbook lists a reason for celebrating each week and as I read through the list, I realized a couple of holidays and celebrations have been moved around.  For instance, Super Bowl Sunday now takes place in February and not January and the Oscars have been pushed back too.  However, I would like to keep to their schedule so if along the way you notice the dates are off a bit you’ll know why.

Here are their first 9 weeks of ideas and hey, the way I look at it, I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t play catch-up!

  1. WACKO – (Willey’s Annual Convention of Krackpots in Orcutt) – Happy New Year!
  2. NEW YEAR’S DAY – Recovered from last night in time to watch parade and get our second wind for the Bowl games.
  3. BREAKING NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS – Ours never last any longer than this.
  4. P.O.P. – “Pity Old Pop” for now he has to figure out how to pay all those holiday bills.
  5. SUPERBOWL – We decorate the house with our favorite team’s colors
  6. HOBO – Since we are so poor, we eat out of tin cans and drink from Mason jars.  Dressing the part is always fun.
  7. GROUND HOG DAY – Whether we see our shadows or not, it’s another excuse to party.
  8. PRESIDENTS – Everyone gets in the act.  We come as our favorite President or First Lady and try to guess who’s who.
  9. VALENTINE’S DAY – It’s a real romantic night…Keep an eye on your spouse!
  10. 50’S – Dust off the old 45’s and your records too!

So now you have many reasons to celebrate and as you can see, the party doesn’t have to be BIG, or elaborate – maybe just another couple or a few friends over.  Time to put JOY back in our lives – CELEBRATE!

The 50’s will be easy for me – I might just rock and roll to a few tunes with Peter in our living room.  And those of you who know us, know that we definitely have the 45’s and the record player aka turntable to play them on.  Probably also those clever little yellow discs.

yellow disks, 45 rpm records

45 RPM Record Disks

 



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Super Sunday Super Bowl Snack-Super Good Super Light

Posted in Everyday Food, Marthaspeak, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on February 6, 2011| Leave a Comment »

If there was ever a day to eat junk food and/or fattening, artery-clogging food, THIS WOULD BE THE DAY!

But wait, not necessarily! Here is a quick and simple and heart-healthy quesadilla – perfect for the game tonight.

GOAT CHEESE AND MANGO QUESADILLAS

4 oz goat cheese room temperature

4 6″ whole wheat tortillas

1 ripe mango thinly sliced

1 jalapeno pepper thinly sliced (seeded)

1/2 red onion thinly sliced

fresh cilantro leaves

Spread the goat cheese on the whole tortilla and then layer mango, onion, pepper and cilantro on one half.  Fold over and brown and crisp in a large skillet over med-hi heat.

Quick and delicious!

Recipe from Martha Stewart‘s Everyday Food

Super Bowl Sunday snack, heart-healthy

Goat Cheese and Mango Quesadilla


 

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David Guas – Bayou Bakery – Bananas Foster Cheesecake

Posted in Tasty Tidbits Tuesday, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 25, 2011| 5 Comments »

Tasty Tidbits Tuesday

Today I received an email from my friend Ginny, who had come across a tasty dessert recipe which she in turn sent to me.  I was surprised; this isn’t something she normally does so I was eager to read it.  It happens to be a very tasty tidbit from a famous pastry chef, David Guos.  He wrote a best-selling New Orleansinspired cookbook and now has brought a touch of The Big Easy to Virginia where he has opened The Bayou Bakery. Here is his recipe for  Bananas Foster Cheesecake

CHEESECAKES:

3 8oz pkg  cream cheese

1  1/4 cups banana puree (made from 5 very ripe bananas)

1 tsp. powered gelatin

2 TBS cold water

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 vanilla bean, cut and scraped

1/4 tsp kosher salt

crumbled peanut brittle for serving

SAUCE:

1  1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup water

1 cup heavy whipping cream

3 TBS unsalted butter

2 TBS dark rum

David Guos, cheesecake, peanut brittle, cream cheese, Bananas Foster, rum

Bananas Foster Cheesecake

Make the cheesecakes.  In a large,  heat proof bowl, combine the cream cheese with the banana puree and place the bowl above a saucepan of simmering water.  Heat the mixture until the cheese melts, about 6 minutes.  Meanwhile, in a small bowl sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let it bloom for 1 minute.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with  a whisk attachment, combine the cream with the sour cream, sugar and vanilla seeds.  Whip at a high-speed until medium peaks form, about 3 minutes.

Whisk the gelatin into the banana mixture until dissolved and smooth.  Remove the bowl from the saucepan and add the salt. Whisk in half of the cream mixture, then using a rubber spatula, fold in the remaining cream mixture.

Divide the batter between 6 six-ounce glass cups or highball glasses.  Gently tap the glasses to settle the filling. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Make the sauce: In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar with the water and cook over medium-high heat, without stirring, until dark amber about 8 minutes.  Turn off the heat and carefully whisk in the cream. Whisk in the butter and then the rum. Transfer the caramel to a heat proof container, cover and let cool to room temperature, about 3 hours.  (Alternatively refrigerate the caramel for 30 minutes before serving).

To serve, drizzle the cheesecakes with the caramel sauce (save the excess caramel for another use) and sprinkle with crumbled peanut brittle.

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Tasty Tidbits Tuesday – Peanut Butter Swirl Bark

Posted in Tasty Tidbits Tuesday, tagged , , , , , , , , , on January 4, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Peanut butter 14juni09 001

Image via Wikipedia

Late, late just like the White Rabbit who sings: “I’m late / I’m late / For a very important date. / No time to say “Hello.” / Goodbye. / I’m late, I’m late, I’m late.” Not late with this recipe BUT this bark is supposed to be a Christmas present for my daughter and I’m making it tomorrow!

PEANUT BUTTER SWIRL BARK

Smooth peanut butter and two types of chocolate make up this version of the beloved peanut butter cup.

Vegetable oil cooking spray

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

4 ounces of milk chocolate, chopped

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Coat a 9-by-12 1/2-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray, and line with parchment, leaving an overhang on ends.  Melt bittersweet chocolate in a double boiler or a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring.  Pour into baking sheet, and spread in an even layer.

Melt milk chocolate with peanut butter in a double-boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.  Drizzle chocolate-peanut butter mixture over bittersweet chocolate, and swirl with a skewer.  Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.  Break into pieces.

Recipe from Martha Stewart Living magazine

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Thursday’s Top Ten Taboo Topics to Avoid at Thanksgiving

Posted in BY THE WAY, Thursday's Top Ten, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on November 4, 2010| 2 Comments »

Photo showing some of the aspects of a traditi...

Image via Wikipedia

It’s inevitable you know; It starts with the discussion/decision as to who is going to host the annual Thanksgiving Day dinner and then rapidly moves into the arenas of who should bring what and when should we eat.  That last particular question is the “thorn” in my side.  I grew up with having dinner in the afternoon, when I was married to my first husband we ate dinner in the afternoon and as I stated in a previous blog,  stayed at the table for the whole afternoon and evening until it was time for turkey sandwiches and more pumpkin pie!  My present husband grew up with the concept of Thanksgiving Dinner eaten in the early evening (maybe they didn’t want everyone to stay long enough for the turkey  sandwiches!).  I have kind of compromised on this point primarily because we don’t seem to have the kind of guests that like to play games and so no turkey sandwiches for them – we eat around 4pm.  This year may be different because Chiara and Tom and kids will be joining us and I think dinner time may have to be timed around naps – I don’t remember ever having that issue with my own, oh well…..

I have a list of Ten Taboo Topics you probably shouldn’t bring up during dinner.  Some of them are clearly meant for those wives (and husbands) who find themselves dining with the outlaws.

  1. Don’t discuss bodily ailments, no graphic descriptions of recent illnesses or conditions.
  2. Probably not a good time to rehash last year’s fiasco;  i.e.  when Uncle George got tipsy and fell into the dessert table  and your  sister’s  dog peed on the carpet.
  3. Try not to be passive aggressive;  Your chubby cousin is reaching for second helpings of mashed potatoes and stuffing and you mention how quickly your best friend lost all that baby weight and is now thinner than ever.
  4. The economy has been tough for everyone and even if you are the poorest of the church mice, this is not the time or place to complain about your bills, your lack of funds and loss of a job.
  5. Blended families are difficult enough, so during this occasion, refrain from mentioning how in your family your mother always did….
  6. If you and your husband are dining with both sets of parents, please don’t tell everyone how hard you two are working on getting pregnant – the visuals that appear in parent’s minds are not pretty!
  7. NO POLITICS – enough said especially in light of the midterm elections; NO POLITICS!
  8. That goes for off-color humor as well.  Tell your blue jokes to your friends, not your mom.
  9. Even if your mother/family cooked gourmet Thanksgiving dinners with everything made fresh and from scratch, don’t make comparison comments.  They will NEVER be appreciated.
  10. Religion – don’t even go there! If grace is said before the meal, just go along with the program, the host and most of the other guests don’t care if you are an atheist or a Buddhist – you’re a guest.

But you can make lots of conversation about:  weather, apolitical TV shows like Mad Men or 3rd Rock, recent vacations, funny characters from work, the delicious food, sports and if there’s some curmudgeon trying to pick a fight…mention puppies! Everybody loves puppies.

We’ll be taking a poll after Thanksgiving to find the most hilarious moment, the most awkward and the best side dish!!!

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