Quest to be a Cracker

Crackin' is hard for a living

2009-04-07T09:25:00.002-04:00

Oh man, I don't know how I even sidetracked over to the Vera Bradley website as I normally do not care for her designs and her cult following, but ever since my sister my sister received a totally cute diaper bag I've had a little Vera on the brain. As I try and be a penny pincher around the house I went straight to the SALE section of the page, as to try and avoid any $90 bags, or $45 belts (they probably aren't that much, but you get the gist). Either way, I got sucked in. Check these out, too cute matching peacock napkin and peacock place mats. I absolutely believe that these little (cheap) gems may be exactly what my dining room decor needs.

Lighting Love

2009-03-05T12:14:00.004-05:00

I thought I would throw this little post up here. It's a little bedroom switcheroo that we did back in December. I was able to snag this gem at IKEA and it was just the right amount of "cuteness" that we were lacking in our bedroom. I have to say, it is definitely an improvement going from a generic wall fixture to a basic chandelier.

EEk!

2009-03-05T12:03:00.002-05:00

Ok, I feel terrible about neglecting this blog. I just felt like I wasn't taking enough pictures and that they weren't good enough so I just got a little discouraged. I will try and keep up from now on. You can thank this lady for linking her blog to mine, it embarrassed me enough to at least do an update post. I guess I just feel like I update my life of Facebook so there is no need to keep up here. I need to be more creative and learn to take better pictures. I will try and keep you updated with upcoming events such as my sisters baby shower and the arrival of my first niece! There are also a couple of weddings and then the big event is my parents 30th Wedding Anniversary! I am planning a reception for them and they will be renewing their vows, complete with the original wedding party. Crazy, they are so cute!

Holiday Party

2009-01-12T09:10:00.003-05:00

After Christmas we had a few people over to celebrate the holidays, basically, just another excuse for me to cook! Here is a peek at some of the festiveness and a rundown of the menu.

seasoned pork tenderloin slices

hot crab dip

spinach dip (thanks K!)

walnut & parmesan brushetta

mini pigs in a blanket

roasted red pepper savory cheesecake

grapes covered in goat cheese and walnuts

red velvet cupcakes

OREO BALLS!

I have to give these a mention of their own as they seemed to have been the hit of the holiday season. They are so easy, rich, and delicious that they are sure to please even the pickiest child!

Take a pack of Oreos and grind them in your food processor. Add 8oz cream cheese and combine until it forms a ball. Place ball in fridge until set (about half hr max). Melt 8oz white bakers chocolate (I prefer Ghiradelli, and yes, it does make a difference). Roll the Oreo mix into small balls and then roll them into chocolate. Place on cookie sheet in fridge until set.

** Melting chocolate in the microwave takes a little patience. Only heat the chocolate in 30-40 second intervals, stirring in between each interval. 8oz should only take about 90 seconds.

Below I simply hung a few balls from the dining room chandelier, in an effort to take away from the terrible brass fixture (future project). The other idea came from these two, and was certainly a festive way to make water more merry, all you need to do is add a few plain, plastic balls to any type of beverage container.

My explanation

2009-01-12T09:01:00.003-05:00

Clearly, I still feel bad for neglecting the blog for so long, so I thought I would show you a small glimpse of what was consuming all my time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Each year I try to give tasty baked goods to the people nearest and dearest to me. Here is a picture of my dining room table, covered with everything from baklava to peppermint chocolate chews, everything homemade of course.

Just a little rundown of some of the things that were included in the goody baskets:

mini pound cakes
peppermint chocolate chews
baklava
cheese wafers
apple brownies
pumpkin suprise cookies
molten lava cookies
pecan meltaways
triple chocolate cookies
brownie cookies w/ peanut butter and frosting
sugar cookies

The list continues... but my memory does not.

Farewell

2009-01-08T12:29:00.002-05:00

I do have to make a note of how sad I am to have lost this years official "Christmas Room." While I am very relieved the holidays are over I was in love with our second living room and the festive spirit it had taken on. Not only did I manage to keep the tree alive for nearly 6 weeks but the dog never even bothered it. Now, our "Christmas Room" has been reduced to a few bins and is on its way to the basement. Next year I am envisioning two trees!

Crackin' is hard to do.....

2009-01-08T11:50:00.004-05:00

Oh man, I am so sorry I have completely neglected this blog. Meanwhile, there have been so many mini-home improvements projects, baking extravaganzas, and little holiday get-togethers.

Let me start off by introducing you to my new toy. The Hoover. After disposing of the Christmas tree we were left with quite a few pine needles in the "Christmas Room." In an effort to avoid sweeping I simply pulled out the old trusty (ie: crappy) Shark, the same one I've had for about 3 years. I know vacuums are supposed to last longer than 3 years, but being that it is a little basic and has dealt with a substantial amount of pet hair over the years, it had certainly lived its life. I somehow was able to put it out of its misery in one foul swoop of the "Christmas Room." Apparently, the Shark was so terribly it couldn't handle a few needles. After clogging the main suction area I decided to finish the deed and clog the auxiliary hose. Without even putting a decent dent in the needles I realized that the suction was no more. After asking the hubs to take a look the diagnosis was clear. Thus, time to get a new vacuum!! WOOHOO! (Sorry, I will try to keep my crackin' to a minimum.) Unfortunately, P put a halt to my dream. I decided to compromise and I let it be known that any old Dyson would do, no game. P, being the uber consumer had to compare vacuums and apparently a few faulty comments regarding one of my most envied household appliances was enough to put the brakes on my plan.

With the house in complete disarray after the holidays some action was necessary, so we settled on this. Actually, ours is slightly different but you get the drift. Ours does have a nice pet hair cleaning attachment, but let me tell you, that thing is a beast. While it probably weighs more than our dog it does pick up a significant amount of debris that the Shark completely ignored. It even has a nifty red/green light that tells me when something is clean or dirty and when it is ok to move along to the next area. Let me just say, I vacuumed cobwebs in the corners of the 10' ceilings! While it was not the highlight of my day( going to Whole Foods was!), I was happy that there were extendable arms on the hose that allowed me to do that. A sidenote, this vacuum is safe on all floor types, which was a must in the case of our house full of 100yr old wooden floors.

I give the new addition 2 tired thumbs up. However, when this one dies, a natural death (not death by needle again), there will be no compromise, there will only be a Dyson, being delivered to our front porch. Below is a pic of the new beast, in the background is ole' crappy.

I know, I know.... but it's the Holidays!

2008-12-04T11:07:00.006-05:00

So after being called out by coworkers and my husband, the only fools who read this thing, I have decided to go ahead and catch you up on the cracker-ish things I have been doing.

Let me start by stating the obvious, it the holidays and I am very excited! I was so eager to decorate our home that I jumped the gun and put up our tree almost a week before Thanksgiving. K's awesome family happens to grow quite a few Christmas trees on their property and they allowed P and I to trek through and pick out the perfect tree for our first home. (note: don't run through a tree farm or tree laden area, you will trip over stumps!) After perusing around we decided to go big or go home, by that I mean that we went with a 10 foot tall tree! With the exception of having to snip a few sprouts off at the top, it fit perfectly in what I now affectionately call the "Christmas Room." Thankfully, K and her husband cut the tree and delivered it right to our front door, so it was virtually hassle free. I am a little sad now that I opted not to get a smaller, "Charlie Brown" tree, in addition to the main tree. Now the second floor of our home feels a little devoid of the holiday spirit. Oh well. Here is a pic of the beauty.

My camera seems to take fuzzy pics with the flash off so here is the same pic with the flash on to help you get a better view.

Now I always give credit when it's due. I invited E over to help with my creativity block. Basically, I pulled out all my Christmas decorations and the ladder and told her to get to work. Meanwhile, I went back to the kitchen and proceeded to bake goodies! I did help a little bit but when I came back the tree was nearly complete and I had two Christmas-y mantles.

As of now, there are presents under the tree, more ornaments have been added, and that pesky ribbon is fixed. I am also happy to report that the tree is still alive and kickin'. It is my personal mission to keep it alive through mid-January. I may still forget to give ole' Newtie water (kidding) but that tree shall never thirst for water! Just for kicks, here is poor Newton enjoying a snooze in the Christmas Room.

Holiday!

2008-11-12T09:56:00.003-05:00

What does this picture of cookies represent? Holiday baking! It's official, I have started my holiday baking and I could not be happier. With P working nights I need something to keep me busy and cooking is the perfect solution. Between a few batches of cookies and dishes I can easily pass 2-3 hours in the kitchen. My M-I-L gave me an awesome cookbook that consists almost entirely of cookie recipes! I've found quite a few recipes that create not-so-delicate cookies that can be frozen ahead of time, and trust me, you wouldn't be able to detect that they were frozen previously. So far I have made:

7 mini pound cakes

30 Molten Lava Cookies (recipe made a small batch)

60 Pumpkin/white chocolate/pecan w/ brown sugar drizzle cookies

40 Pecan Meltaway cookies

This is only the beginning. I still need to make Baklava, Oatmeal raisin cookies (thinkin' of you P!) and much, much more! My goal is to make at least one new recipe each night that P is working. Be on the lookout for your holiday basket from yours truly.....

VICTORY!

2008-11-06T11:43:00.002-05:00

On the way home from Philadelphia on Monday, P managed to talk me into taking a sidetrip to Downingtown, PA, to visit Victory Brewpub. The drive was gorgeous, nothing but beautiful foliage up there right now and I also happened to see an old covered bridge! (Sorry I didn't manage to snag a pic) I have to say that I am jealous of what the folks in Downingtown have, Victory is once nice spot to stop. The atmosphere is great, large yet homey, the beer menu pairs up your brew and food to a tee and let's face it, you can't beat the prices when the product you're purchasing was made right in house! My favorite of the day was the Whirlwind Whitbier which managed to come home with us in the handy growler. P had a little more difficulty in choosing his poison... so additional growlers were needed. All in all, this was the perfect end to a food-filled trip!

Philly Phanatics

2008-11-06T11:13:00.007-05:00

Of course Phillies fans were still abuzz with excitement over winning the World Series. I have never seen so much paraphernalia! After we arrived I immediately felt out of place. Despite the absence of a track suit, I quickly realized that I needed to get a Phillies t-shirt. P and I headed over to trusty Modell's and where I scored this cute Phillies sweatshirt instead.

After that I was content, and warm. It was pretty amusing to hear all the fans speculating on which title one of their teams will win next. With nearly 2 million people showing their support at the parade on Friday afternoon, South Philly better brace themselves if the Eagles should ever bring home a title!

A little sidenote for you folks.... I happened to learn that Philly fans are very superstitious! Apparently, a long time ago there was a gentleman's agreement made that no building should rise above City Hall and the statue of William Penn that adorns the top of it. Well, years ago, that building was surpassed in height by a number of other high rises in downtown Philly. This year, as the new Comcast building was completed, someone placed a mini- William Penn statue amongst the highest girders. Now, once again, William Penn reigns above the city and miraculously, the curse was broken and Philly brought home a title..... crazy! Here you can see a view of the Philly skyline, the highest building is the new Comcast building. Just a little to the left of it you can see City Hall, with the original William Penn statue atop.

Let's hope this broken curse will be extended to the Eagles this season.... I managed to snag a little Eagles emblazoned styrofoam cooler this weekend and our cold cuts came back to Richmond in style!

Philly in Photos

2008-11-06T10:17:00.009-05:00

We had a great time in Philly! The weather was fairly nice, very warm on Saturday with the chill rolling in on Sunday and Monday. We held true to our normal agenda of eating our hearts out and basically just hanging out. Here are some photos that pretty much sum up the highlights of our trip.

I always pop by South Street for a little shopping and then down to Penn's landing for a view of the waterfront.

A trip to Philadelphia Museum of Art was the highlight of our Sunday. This first picture was from my favorite exhibit of the day, Gilbert and George. I mistakenly took a picture in a photo-free exhibit, so although it is fuzzy, I am still relishing the fact that I got it. The other picture shows Edvard Munch's Mermaid. I loved this piece for it's sheer size. It's large trapezoid shape was painted/framed to fit an old home in Norway over 100 years ago.... Gorgeous!

This bad boy was Carnival Cruise Line's attempt to build the world's largest pinata. It measured 62ft tall and 55ft long. That's roughly 6 stories high! They planned to fill it with 6,000 lbs of candy and crack it open on Sunday, but by Monday it was still standing proud and crack free. I am sure there were a lot of disappointed children in downtown Philly.

Of course our trip would not have been complete without cheese steaks. Before you ask, the answer is not Pat's or Geno's, it is John's! My father-in-law has turned us on to a true cheese steak spot, not a tourist destination. I stuck with the usual, steak with provolone and onions... so delicious! P opted for what John's is famous for, their roast pork sandwich. He seemed pretty satisfied overall and we both left with bigger bellies.... but of course I had to get my favorite cheese steak accompanied dessert, Butterscotch Krimpets. The Eagles packaging was just icing on the cake.....

Before leaving town we always stop by one of the finest deli's in South Philly. P & S. There we stock up on all the necessities. Peppered ham, salami, prosciutto, provolone, and swiss. I threw in some small italian rolls as well. Let me just say, it is most certainly the bread that makes the sandwich and if there is one thing Italians in South Philly know how to do, it is make bread! A fun time was had by all but upon returning home, we both headed straight for the gym!

PHILLIES

2008-10-31T09:29:00.003-04:00

This weekend the hubs and I are going to visit my father-in-law in Philadelphia. I am pretty excited in that we haven't been up there in over a year and I am excited to see if all the die hard Phillies fans are still riled up. I would have loved to have been up there for one of the Series games but knowing that they won is good enough for this gal. Also, this video provided much entertainment. http://www.break.com/usercontent/2008/10/Rays-fan-takes-bottle-to-the-head-597033.html

I am content with just a normal weekend trip to see family. P and I have been preparing our bellies for all the food that we will take in this weekend. Cheese steaks, Dunkin' Donuts, and of course italian fine dining.... I'm talking about sitting at the dinner table for 5 hours eating everything that is put in front of you.... and then returning to Richmond on Monday with a cooler full of P & S cold cuts. I couldn't think of a better way to welcome in the "season of eating."

Harvest Decorations

2008-10-27T11:37:00.007-04:00

In addition to the wonderful meal that was served this past weekend, K's gorgeous home was perfectly decorated with all things harvest. While her mums were still in bloom and there were pretty pumpkins on the porch and a harvest wreath on the door, I focused on the tabletop decor, as most of my time was spent sitting at the table that evening.

The table spread consisted of complimentary fall colored linens, leaf shaped plates, and personal touches on each place setting. Here you can see that each setting included their own personal copy of the menu, printed on harvest themed card stock. Also, adorning each place setting was either a gourd or a mini pumpkin with their names written on card stock and pinned in place. Although I asked for a mini pumpkin, after seeing the gourds I wish I had a chance to reconsider. They were so cute!

Candy corn surrounding the candle sticks provided the Halloween-ie feel while at the same time lightening the mood. This formal dinner felt a little more lighthearted when you saw the candy not only filling the bowl, but reflected in the mirror below it as well.

The centerpiece held a special place in my heart, in that K and I used the same idea for the centerpieces that were used in my summer wedding. In this case, K changed it up by using fresh tulips, (that could also be found around the house in cute little bud vases), and secured them with clear pebbles. Filling the vase to the top with water gave the tulips a unique submerged vibe and the centerpiece claimed its uniqueness with an LED light that was dropped in the bottom in an effort to illuminate the entire centerpiece. Although not entirely visible through the lens of my camera, this was certainly a nice touch.

Some honorable mentions need to go out to all the harvest colored serving ware and the springs of rosemary that were added to each dish, they all did their part in making this meal really come together.

A big thanks goes out to K and her husband for once again opening up their home and letting us celebrate a special occasion. Thankfully, we didn't end the night with gloomy faces like these poor uninvited guests.

Harvest Festivus

2008-10-27T08:15:00.005-04:00

My partner in cooking, K, and I are always looking for an excuse to celebrate with food and of course delicious beverages. Well this past weekend a coworkers birthday gave us the opportunity to pull out the mixers and meat thermometers. K hosted the party at her swoon worthy home and together we made just about everything the birthday boy requested. Let me tell you, in my quest to be a cracker, K is one major cracker to look up to. Her home is always up on the seasonal decorations and she is wonderful at remembering all the details from an ice bucket to drink stirrers.

The birthday boy specifically requested a prime rib roast and a flour less chocolate torte for dessert, everything else we got to play around with a bit, including a harvest themed pumpkintini. Here's a rundown of the menu for you.

Starters:

Pumpkintinis

Caramelized garlic cheese ball

Shrimp cocktail

Main:

Prime rib roast

Red bliss mashed potatoes

Roasted asparagus

Creamed Spinach w/ buttery crumb topping

Sauteed mushrooms

Desserts:

Chocolate Chip cheesecake

Chocolate Truffle torte w/ homemade raspberry sauce

Homemade whipped cream

dessert wine

Now while most of the cooking was done by K you can find the recipes for the Cheese Ball and Creamed Spinach in my archives. I will however share the recipes for the pumpkintinis and Chocolate Truffle Torte.

The pumpkintini was quite delicious and was perfect for the cool, harvest weather we had on Saturday night. We started by rimming the glass with a little lemon juice and crushed graham crackers. Then add:

1 splash Kahlua

1 1/2 splash Malibu rum

2 counts of Vanilla vodka

1 heaping teaspoon pumpkin puree (canned pumpkin pie mix)

Shake well with ice and drain into martini glass.

These can be dangerous, but oh so good!

Chocolate Truffle Torte

Preheat the oven to 350.

2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

10 tablespoons unsalted butter

5 eggs

2/3 cup sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon dark rum

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Coat the inside of a 9-inch cake pan, with non-stick cooking spray, then sift the confectioner’s sugar onto the cooking spray in the pan.

In a glass bowl, melt the chocolate and butter together in the microwave on high for 2 minutes, stirring half way through. Remove from the oven and continue to stir until the chocolate is melted. Set aside and allow to cool.

In the stand mixer with the whip attachment, beat the eggs, sugar, salt and flavoring together for about 8 minutes, until tripled in volume. (try cooling the whip attachment prior, apparently it helps in the whipping process)

With the machine on low, gradually pour in the chocolate mixture, until it is incorporated. Fold in the cocoa and flour, until it disappears and then pour the batter into the prepared pan. (FYI: At this point, the mixture can be refrigerated for up to 8 hours, or frozen for 6 weeks.)

Defrost and bring to room temperature before baking 20 to 25 minutes, until the torte is set in the middle. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving platter. (Since the bottom of the cake will be the most beautiful side, don’t re-invert the cake)

Sprinkle confectioners sugar on top and add a few fresh raspberries.

Or you can go all out and add your own homemade raspberry sauce.

1 bag frozen raspberries

little sugar

raspberry liqueur

Let this simmer for an hour or two and drizzle it right on top of your torte! I will give you a warning that the chocolate torte is not for the faint at heart. I consider myself a sweet tooth but this was almost a little much for me. Don't get me wrong, I cleaned my plate, but without the help of the raspberry sauce and K's homemade whipped cream I probably would have had to bow out.

All in all the meal was perfection in my eyes. I had never quite seen a piece of meat as we had the other night and all the fixins' just really hit the spot. I will include another post that shows off some of the tabletop festivity

My two favorite times of the evening where when each of these plates were placed in front of me.

Dinner Dessert

Useful Pumpkin

2008-10-16T10:43:00.002-04:00

After seeing this idea in Better Homes & Gardens I decided to steal it! I stopped by my local store and scored some pretty nice blooms on Manager's Special, seriously, $1.39! I then carved and gutted the pumpkin. I have to say though, I left a few seeds in there to see if anything would sprout. Then, I added some water and some blooms. I had to cut some greens off of my bushes to fill in space and hold everything together with some twine to center it but all in all I LOVE IT. I love harvest festive decorations!

I Heart Staple Guns

2008-10-16T09:46:00.004-04:00

So I was able to borrow my M-I-L's staple gun to get a few minor things done at the house and I am in love. I need one. NOW. I decided to complete two little reupholstery jobs that I have been putting off and since I have yet to make it out to Williams-Sherrill I had to settle with what I had in house. I found an old linen duvet that somehow had a tear in it (Newton!) and decided to use that to cover up some unsightly and outdated materials in the house. First up was a chair that I scored at a yard sale this past summer. I really want to give the whole chair a makeover but I figured this would do for now. It's very plain but at least I was able to ditch the putrid floral pattern leftover from its previous owner.

Before After

Next on the agenda was a piece of furniture that I hold very dear to my heart. I feel fortunate enough to have this piece in my home, because lets be honest, my big sis could have totally snatched this before me! When I moved in my parents brought me our old toy chest. This was something my dad made by hand in 1985. I vividly remember this chest being a big part of my childhood. We would store all our favorite toys in it and sometimes we would even pull all the toys out and play hide and go seek in it. The colors were very reflective of the 80's, or at least our home decor in the 80's. The wood is painted a dark brown and the material was taken off of an old couch we had in the first home I can remember as a child. Since this chest is currently in an empty bedroom in our house I am not quite certain what identity it will take on in the future. I am hesitant to paint it though as the inside of the doors have my fathers chicken scratch from 1985, surely written with one of those square construction pencils. I did go ahead and use the same linen material to cover up the heinous fabric that has been on there for 23 years. Let me tell you, this was no easy feat. Removing the doors from their hinges made my poor hands cramp up beyond belief. Apparently, they didn't have screws that were compatible with a Philip's head or flat head screwdriver back then because I spent the better part of an hour removing 8 screws with a pair of needle nose pliers. There was a lot of rust and maybe a few angry words. Anyway, here is my little project that still has a long way to go.

Before After

I will keep ya'll updated with more furniture conversions and let you know what becomes of these two pieces.

B is for Brussel Sprouts

2008-10-08T13:22:00.004-04:00

So back in July or August sometime I bought 2 brussel sprout plants from a man at the Mathews County farmers market. He assured that they would produce some of my favorite veggies, in fact he mentioned that I should start seeing production within a month! Well, I suppose it has been almost 3 months and still nothing.... Keep in mind that I have the whole "survival of the fittest" mentality when it comes to gardening. Sometimes I water my plants, sometimes they will go weeks on end without any love at all. I very much have a love/hate relationship with all things green. Normally, I look at my plants and think to myself, why can't you just water yourself? and stop looking so thirsty and decrepit! Other times I do feel genuinely bad and negligent and I it is during those times that I tend to over water. I also get a sick pleasure out of watering my plants right before or right after a rainstorm as if to say, there, You wanted water and you got it!

I think what my plants need are grumbling belly noise/device or something that audibly lets me know that they are on their deathbed, or at least struggling a bit. I will admit that I have forgotten to feed the dog on occasion. Before I begin receiving all the nasty comments don't worry, there are two people in our household and I assure you that P is waaayyyy better at feeding the pooch than I am. Needless to say, when I hear poor Newtie's belly grumbling I am instantly reminded of what a piss poor caretaker I am and I immediately (usually) feed him. If my plants could talk rather then simply appearing less visually stimulating then they would most likely be watered a little more often.

Wow, this post got out of control, and all I was trying to convey was how upset I am that I am not producing tasty brussel sprouts right now! I assure you that I am not an awful human being. My plants look OK, and my dog is at a very healthy weight, and on top of that my husband and I are far from being hungry. Side note: I hope this does not deter any family or friends from asking me to watch their children. I will feed a child, probably too much in fact, just not sandwiches with the crusts cut off!

Proof that my pooch eats!

In which Newton grows a pair.....

2008-10-06T08:13:00.003-04:00

Let me just start by saying how proud I am of my boy Newton! He has always been a little social butterfly but after the initial greeting he can be a little standoff-ish. He is always super excited to meet other dogs, people, kids, ect... but then he proceeds to sniff around by himself. Newt especially loves trips to the dog park! He has his normal routine of greeting all the dogs, peeing everywhere until he runs dry, then ignoring all the other dogs while he sniffs every inch of the park. Recently however, some other pooches have taken a liking to Newton and have inevitably showed their affection/dominance in the way that dogs do. Well, I am here to say that he has had enough. Newton is no longer available for free humps, he is fighting back. P and I were so proud to see our boy standing up for himself at the dog park this past week and then again at my folks house this weekend.

In the videos below you will see Newton, Eli (black lab), and Angel (jack russell/terrier mix, ie DEVIL DOG) having a good 'ole time. Angel is the incessant instigator that has a thing for Newton, and Eli is the gentle giant that also acts as the regulator of the fights. Normally, Newton would just sit there and take the abuse, or try to hop into P's lap, or take a hump from Eli, but this past weekend he made mom and dad proud.

CRAP-- Am I really that retarded I cannot post a video!? Help B!

Cooking Skills Redeemed!

2008-09-30T15:43:00.002-04:00

Last night I decided to make something I rarely venture into, a casserole. I try and stay away from casseroles mainly because they produce way more then the 2-4 servings that P and I tend to stick with, also, they are usually laden with cream of chicken, cream of mushroom and the like. While I like the "creams," I am not the young lady I once was, and every now and then I like to keep an eye on what I eat. The sodium content alone in those cans of convenience are enough to make me want to stay away from the world of casseroles.... despite all that I strayed from the norm last night. Let me also add that this is a Paula Dean recipe, despite the fact that some of her southern charm annoys me sometimes (sorry M-I-L), I can appreciate the fact that she knows how to make a mean cocktail to accompany most of her dishes, and well, as far as Homestyle Chicken Pot Pie goes, I trust a southerner over anybody else.

Homestyle Chicken Pot Pie

2 1/2 cups peeled and coarsely chopped potatoes (about 2 med. size)

1 cup peeled and sliced carrots (about 2 med. size)

1 can corn, drained (15.25oz)

1 can green beans, drained (14.5oz)

2 cups chopped cooked chicken (I used about 3 good sized boneless, skinless, breasts)

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1 can chicken broth (14.5oz) (Do yourself a favor and go for the Low Sodium)

1 pint half & half

1 tbsp dried parsley flakes

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 can refrigerated biscuits (7.5oz)

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 13x9 inch baking dish. (the deeper the dish the better)

Combine potatoes and carrots with enough water to cover in a Dutch oven. Bring to boil and cook for 8min. Drain well.

In a large bowl, combine cooked potatoes and carrots, corn, green beans, and chicken. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook for 2min, stirring constantly. Slowly add chicken broth and half & half, stirring constantly. Cook, stirring constantly, for 7 minutes, or until thickened.

Stir in parsley, salt, and pepper. Pour batter mixture over vegetable mixture tossing gently to combine. Spoon into prepared baking dish.

Separate biscuits and place evenly on top of casserole. Bake for 20-30min, or until biscuits are brown and casserole is hot and bubbly.

I think this casserole was delicious and since I shredded my chicken rather then cubed it*, I single -handedly restored my faith in chicken pot pies. Also, the sheer size of the casserole guarantees P and I meals for a week, and pot pies are always tasty, hearty leftovers.

* I DESPISE cubed meat. This theory does not apply to fruit, cheese, or anything else. Just meat. Don't judge.

New Look = NotSoGood

2008-09-30T09:21:00.003-04:00

I was so pleased with my dresser makeover that I began to look for other things to paint. I think I was just pleasantly surprised with how much more I enjoy painting smaller pieces of furniture compared with the agony of painting large rooms. Those feelings are what ultimately led to my old coffee table becoming the next victim of my paintbrush. The back living room in our home is pretty dull in my eyes, very neutral and bleh.... I am not opposed to neutral but this room bothers me, maybe because there are about three different shades of green on the furniture and nothing nice really pops out, or maybe because this room is filled with all the old furniture. Needless to say, I felt that this room could benefit from some Colonial Red as well. While I don't think end result of the coffee table is heinous, I cannot promise that it won't be changed soon. Maybe this time I will try sanding down the red and adding a nice stain on top to being out some more gloss that this room could benefit from. Here is where it stands as of now.

BEFORE

AFTER

Old Dresser, New Look

2008-09-30T09:10:00.003-04:00

I finally got around to painting an old dresser I picked up at an estate sale over the summer. I stopped by Lowe's and picked up a little can of Rust-Oleum red paint, I believe it was called Colonial Red, or something rustic like that. After lightly sanding the dresser I went ahead and started slapping some paint on it. My vision was to have it keep it's older appearance and not look glossy... and I am pretty happy with the way it turned out. I left the knobs the original wood but sanded then down a bit. The dark wood comes through the red perfectly and I am pretty pleased with my quickie paint job. I may go back and redo it sometime but for now it adds some color to the guest bedroom.

BEFORE

AFTER

Epic Fail

2008-09-29T14:37:00.005-04:00

I am thoroughly disappointed with my cooking capabilities, at least with my most recent venture. Since the cool, crisp whether is upon us I've decided that it is officially soup season. I have been blabbering for weeks about making butternut squash soup and this weekend I took a stab at it. I found a simple recipe that gave me the impression that the soup would turn out more sweet than savory, which is exactly what I was looking for....

Let me just say that I have made quite a few things that never made it into "Holly's Official Recipe Box," but the butternut squash soup that I produced Saturday night was nearly appalling. I don't know where I went wrong. Let me retract that, I don't think I went wrong, I think I fell victim to a crappy recipe! I spent a little time doctoring it up last night with some cream, cinnamon, and nutmeg but the initial taste is still off and the aftertaste is bitter. I am scouring the internet to try and find a lifeline for my pitifully disgusting soup. Does anyone have any suggestion?? Should I have roasted my squash before pureeing? Cream cheese, white wine? Maybe I should just leave this one to the cooking experts :(

Stained Glass?

2008-09-29T10:15:00.006-04:00

I am so relieved that we finally got some more house projects completed this weekend! Above 3 out of the 4 entry doors in our home we have transom windows. I have had mixed feelings about these windows since moving in... On one hand I love them in that they are original to the home and they let in a ton of light, on the other hand they can also offer an unobstructed view for those on the street of one walking up and down the stairwell. Our home has two front entryways, this is a result of the house being a duplex in its former life, but we really only use one of them, so after growing paranoid about the main transom window P purchased some decorative film to block the view.

Let me first say that after reading the instructions I gave up on it, but within 10min P had it up and looking lovely. We both noticed the amount of light it took away from our main hallway but the exchange for more privacy was worth it and it almost fools you into thinking that it is true stained glass. I would certainly recommend this product to those of you looking for solutions to their wide open transom windows or sidelights. Now I am stuck trying to decide whether the other front door needs to have the film applied as well.....? I like the idea of continuity but at them same time that would mean losing light in the dining room....

Birthday Dinner

2008-09-24T15:10:00.008-04:00

Sorry I made you wait so long... Sunday's birthday dinner for my sister-in-law was a success! I am so pleased as this was my first big dinner in the new house. I was able to pull out all the new serving ware and utilize all my dinnerware and flatware... I am such a domestic geek. I even used my linen napkins and napkin rings for the first time! I made sure to spruce up the rest of the room by adding some candles and a pumpkin ensemble....

Here is what was served:

Cheese Ball (made to look like a pumpkin)

Salad

Green Beans

Sauteed Asparagus

Mashed Potatoes

London Broil with mushroom gravy

Chocolate Trifle

Turtle Pumpkin Pie

Everything was homemade with love, save the canned green beans. I was able to save myself from freaking out the day of by preparing the cheese ball, the turtle pumpkin pie, and part of the chocolate trifle the day before. Without further ado, some recipes for you.....

Caramelized Garlic Cheese Ball
2 tsp butter

2 tbsp coarsely chopped garlic (I def. used more and it was most certainly noted)

1 tsp sugar

8oz cream cheese, softened (Chan, did you even notice?)

1/4 cup butter, softened

8oz sharp cheddar, shredded

1/4 cup sliced green onion

1/4 tsp salt

____

1/2 cup finely crushed cheese crackers (I used Cheeze-It)

bell pepper or green onion for garnish

Melt 2 tsp butter in small skillet until sizzling, add garlic and sugar.

Cook over med/high heat stirring constantly until garlic starts to brown (3-5min).

Remove from heat.

Combine garlic mix and all other ingredients, save the crackers, in bowl and beat at med speed until creamy.

Shape into ball (pumpkin), cover, and refrigerate 1 hour.

Uncover and roll cheese ball into crushed crackers.

Cover and chill 2 more hours, or however long you need to, and garnish with green pepper. I just used the green onion because it was already on the counter. You can actually freeze this deliciousness for later consumption.

I'm going to hop around a bit and go straight to the dessert now....

Turtle Pumpkin Pie

I stole this recipe... clearly I don't have time to sit at home and brainstorm recipe ideas so I will save us all some time and just link this recipe. Plus, like the terrible blogger that I am, I forgot to take a pic of the finished product before it was savaged.

http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/turtle-pumpkin-pie-106961.aspx

I did get a little distracted with some housework going on Saturday and accidentally put in a tbsp of cinnamon rather then a measly tsp. I could taste the difference but no complaints were lodged. I will put a warning on this pie though, it is RICH.

Chocolate Trifle

1 (19.8oz) package brownie mix

1 (3.9oz) package instant chocolate pudding mix

1/2 cup water

1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (8oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 (12oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed, they don't actually make 12oz containers of Cool Whip, but they do make 16oz containers.. do with that what you'd like.

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions and cool completely. Cut into 1 inch squares. (I completed this step the day prior and boy did it help!)

In a large bowl, combine pudding mix, water and sweetened condensed milk. Mix until smooth, then fold in 8oz Cool Whip until no streaks remain.

In a trifle bowl or glass serving dish, place half of the brownies, half of the pudding mixture and half of the 12oz container of Cool Whip. Repeat layers.

I then sprinkled some brownie crumbs on top as garnish. Refrigerate 8 hours before serving. Again, this is RICH! Totally delicious though...

I'll be back with more later~!

Really?

2008-09-19T15:19:00.002-04:00

http://www.talklikeapirate.com/piratehome.html

I think this whole 'holiday for every day of the year' has gone a little too far. Don't get me wrong, I am not anti-pirate, but if I don't receive a paid day off from work then it doesn't really count as a holiday. Before you even ask, YES, I did talk to my boss about receiving the day off of work on account of National Talk Like a Pirate Day, I even tried to haggle for an early release. Well kiddos I am still here in my windowless cubicle..... recovering from a lunch induced nap. I cannot wait to get outside in that semi-chilly air.... Have a great weekend!

Casserole + Cake

2008-09-17T08:19:00.004-04:00

Clearly I have been forsaking my house duties for cooking lately. While my list of household projects continues to grow and more and more people are seeing the house I find myself more in the mood to bake a pie then paint a dresser. I like making people happy with food... and I love eating! Monday night I had a pretty simple dinner topped with a pretty sweet cheesecake for dessert. The dinner was a basic sausage and rice casserole with steamed broccoli, my Mama passed this recipe down to my sister and I and while it isn't the most complex or fancy recipe it is quite simply one of the easiest meals to make and it always makes me think of my Mama in the kitchen (the rarity that it was...ha.)

Sausage & Rice Casserole

1lb sausage (I prefer Jimmy Dean HOT)

1 cup rice (take the better route and go for some whole grain or brown rice)

chicken broth

*additional items can include whatever spices you'd like to throw in there or green peppers, onion, corn, slivered almonds, etc.

Cook and drain the sausage. In the meantime, bring 3 1/3 cup liquid to a boil. (I usually use about 1 1/2 cups broth and the rest water. How you want to split that up is your call.)

Once the liquid is boiling add the rice and cook until tender and the liquid is gone. Add sausage in with the rice. That is it folks. Once you add the two together you may add any additional items (I threw in some red pepper flakes) and your meal is ready to go. We threw ours on a plate with some steamed broccoli and we were set.

I skipped adding any extras the other night because all I could think about was the upcoming cheesecake. I hadn't made cheesecake in quite some time and it always intimidates me. I often worry that it won't set right or that the consistency will be off. I LOVE cheese and always have high expectations of any recipe with a substantial amount of cheese in it so I was fretting. I found a super easy recipe and it didn't disappoint.

Cherry Cheesecake

Preheat oven to 375

crust:

1 cup graham cracker crumbs (or you could just buy the pre-made crust I suppose, I was just in the mood to clean the dust off my spring form)

1 tbsp melted butter

1 tbsp sugar

Mix all the ingredients together and press firmly onto the bottom of a 9" spring form pan. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

3 (8oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Beat cream cheese until it become light. Add eggs, sugar and vanilla and beat until well combined. Pour mix into crust and bake about 35-40min. Top with your favorite topping, our choice of the night was cherry pie filling. Simple and delicious.

For some reason my cheesecake took an ungodly amount of time to cook. I would say it took almost an hour! Just keep an eye on it, you will see when it's ready to come out. The top will become golden and your toothpick will come out clean. Let it cool to room temperature before placing in the fridge and adding toppings.

Hopefully I will post more about some house projects this week as I MUST get some projects done, especially hang some things on my blindingly white walls. I am also planning and preparing for my first big dinner at the new home.... I am SO excited! I love feeding people.

Pumpkin Bar = Pumpkin Bread

2008-09-12T10:11:00.003-04:00

So I was a little disappointed with my baking last night. I had been waiting all week to try out this pumpkin bar recipe I had come across, in my mind I am imagining a lemon bar but with the pumpkin taste, I was after the gooey, tangy effect. I first started to doubt my pumpkin bars when I poured them into the pan. They were crustless. I had never made crustless lemon bars before...? I guess I should have realized by all the flour and eggs in the recipe that the pumpkin bar was actually going to turn out to be pumpkin BREAD, albeit very moist bread. I am very disappointed in my lack of a gooey sweet pumpkin bar but here is pretty tasty bread recipe if you care to try it.

1 cup flour 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1 cup sugar 1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup oil 1 tsp baking soda

2 eggs 1 tsp salt

1 cup canned pumpkin 1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350

Grease 9x13 pan

Mix all ingredients until well blended

Bake for 25 min

Bad pic I know, but it was pretty tasty. As you can see my niece and I made a dent in it. It was very pumpkin-y and the nuts were an added treat, it was nice and moist .... but lacking in the gooey bar factor. I will continue my search!

Get on the Boat....

2008-09-12T09:58:00.005-04:00

The zucchini boat that is... I was checking out some easy veggie recipes online the other day and came across this little gem. http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/stuffed-zucchini-boats-111123.aspx

A zucchini boat..for real?! I had to make it, so while P fixed us some steaks I got to work on crafting our boats. I pretty much followed the recipe but I added some extras.

-I shredded some fresh mozz and threw all of it in the mix.

-Instead of using Ritz crackers I used pistachio crackers that I have been trying to keep in the house at all times. They are delicious to say the least and even better with a little peanut butter on them, what can I say....the more nuts the better!

-Instead of using dried basil I just snipped some fresh basil from out back

-I added some pepper and red pepper flakes

-To top it off I placed 1/2 slice of pepper jack cheese on top of each boat, that was the kicker.

I have to say that they were pretty tasty, even P seemed to have hopped on the boat. In hindsight I may have gone ahead and added a little Old Bay or something else but they were tender boats stocked full of cheese and other tasties.

Bambi = Dinner

2008-09-12T09:42:00.005-04:00

I have to say that I have most certainly been slacking in the home cooking department. It's not that I haven't been cooking or eating, it's just that I have been forgetting to take some pics of the process. I figure what the heck, I can at least share the yummy recipes with you and try and dig up some photos online. First meal of the week was venison chili. While I am becoming more and more comfortable with cooking meat as the days go by I, nor P, are hunters. K generously supplies me with the raw meat that is necessary for the venison meals and it is all certainly appreciated.

brown 1lb ground venison
add about 4 garlic gloves, chopped
add 1 green pepper, chopped
add 1/2 large white onion, chopped
add 2-28oz cans of diced tomatoes (I always play with this depending on my mood, also they make "chili ready" diced tomatoes and some have basil and oregano flavors...)
3tbsp chili powder (after letting it sit for a bit I added quite a bit more along with some paprika, red pepper flakes, cumin, salt, pepper.... follow your taste buds on this one, mine was a little spicy)
2 cans red kidney beans
1 can great white northern beans (I love beans..fiber!.. so my chili is stocked full with as many as possible!)

Simmer everything together, the longer the better. I made mine the night before and just popped it in the fridge overnight. The next day I simply reheated it on the stove top and it was perfect. Plop a little cheddar and sour cream on top and it was game time. I normally serve my chili with cornbread but my mom raised me to serve it with rice. I like rice, I just don't normally carry it in the house. Enjoy!

iPod update

2008-09-12T09:33:00.003-04:00

Well I just wanted to share a little fact with ya'll, I am sure most of you, at least those of you who are substantially less technologically challenged than I, already know. You can now change your iPod battery all on your own. Shocker! I think it requires having one of those tiny screwdrivers that they make for glasses and such and purchasing a battery from Batteries Plus. I handed my precious over to P and he worked the magic. All my tunes have been reinstated and it works beautifully on an iDock. Unfortunately, the places where those tunes matter the most to me, in my car and at the gym, are still highly inaccessible. Something must have happened in the battery switching process because the earphone jack is definitely NOT working. I am heartbroken all over again. I have my tunes at my fingertips but now I can only jam at home?! The dog always looks at me funny and I much prefer belting out in my car, it is also probably better for the public good as I am less likely to kill someone on the road if I am distracted by a good song. Oh well, it's off to the Genius Bar for me tonight. If anyone out there works for Apple or has had this problem, HELP!

UPDATE:

The Genius's were not able to help me. Not only did they fail to perform the magic I was counting on but one gentleman was borderline rude when I told him that I hate iTunes and much prefer Sharepod. I understand I was busting on the company that puts food on his table but ya know what?.... iTunes has crashed my computer, twice! Despite all that, P went ahead and bought another iPod classic. My old baby is now forever his and I now have my own new silver one. I know, I know, I bought old technology but you know what, all I want to do is jam! I don't need to check my email or check the weather on the new iPod touch. As cool as it seemed for all of an hour, I figured it would take me 'till Christmas to figure that mamba jamba out, and I don't know about you but my fall season is already pretty full, to full to add "iPod tutorial" to my list. For now, I am happy, content. So if you see me singing at the top of my lungs in my car or looking blissfully happy at the gym, do me a favor and ignore me, for I am jamming.

GingerFest 2008

2008-09-04T10:18:00.005-04:00

This is exactly why P and I decided to get married..... so that one day, if need be, we could help repopulate the dying breed of gingers. This is certainly an epidemic that needs to be addressed. It looks like I need to make a trip to Wolverhampton!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7596940.stm

Labor Day weekend wrap-up

2008-09-04T08:02:00.011-04:00

I am already enjoying September. The walks into work in the morning have been nice and crisp and I cannot wait until the leaves start to change... Although I have to say, the warm, breezy weekend weather was a dream and I was sorry to see this past weekend go.

As promised I have some pictures of the goodies that K and I baked over the long weekend.
Friday night we arrived and immediately began making homemade pizzas. This of course came after some tasty cocktails were mixed. The drink of the evening was sweet tea flavored vodka and club soda. Perfection. Albeit a bit dangerous. The pizzas were basic but totally delicious. I love that you can make them your own by adding whatever you want from the fridge or pantry. We started by using thin crust pizza dough, then we just began throwing anything we could find on top. Cheeses included, fresh parm, mozzarella, and feta. Veggies included, spinach, shittake mushrooms, spinach, and K's homegrown tomatoes. Add plenty of olive oil (in lieu of red sauce), garlic, and basil and you have a tasty treat! We added a side salad to complete the meal.

At the Rivah, snacks are always in abundance as well. K made my personal favorite snack, spinach dip. I am not quite certain of everything that was made to concoct this fine dip but I know that the amount of cheese was enough to send anybody into a lactic shock ( I don't think this is an actual medical condition, it's just something I could imagine happening after too much cheese intake).

I have to say that Saturday's dinner took the prize thanks to a joined family effort. On the menu was crab cakes, whole wheat cous cous, and creamed spinach topped with panko crumbs. I have to say I was pleased with my first attempt at making creamed spinach (family, expect to see this at Thanksgiving). I stole the recipe from Food & Wine and absolutely loved every bite. Panko crumbs add an extra hint of salt and an almost tempura like texture and I was unaware, until Saturday, that they were available in "Italian" flavor. We ended the evening with my mother-in laws chocolate explosion cheesecake. Words cannot describe, oh wait, diabetic attack, there you go.

Sunday, we decided to take it easy with a simple hot dog and hamburger cookout. We substituted bison meat for the burgers and I of course had to throw in my favorite veggie, brussel sprouts! That meal was completed by my homemade apple pie.

Super easy recipe:

2 refrigerated pie crusts (I know I should make my own crust, but I like to cheat)

6 Granny Smith apples (peeled and sliced)

1 cup of sugar

1 tbsp flour

1 tsp cinnamon (you could add a little nutmeg or some chopped nuts in there if you'd like)

Combine ingredients and pour into pie crust. Bake at 375 for 25min with foil surrounding the edges. Remove foil and bake for an additional 20min until golden and bubbly.

(I tend to brush some butter and sugar over the top crust for a little extra goodness)

Oh man, I am getting hungry all over again! All in all, the food was great, the Rivah was warm, and the breeze was cool. A perfect ending to another summer was had by all.

Labor Day at the Rivah!

2008-08-29T12:12:00.006-04:00

Is the day over yet?! I am looking forward to spending my long weekend at my in-laws Rivah house in Mathew's County this weekend. I love being there. I always describe it as a time of forced relaxation. Their tv only has a few channels and there are no local hangouts, with the exception of karaoke at Donk's. Our weekends there usually consist of relaxing by the pool, playing with the dog in the Rivah, sitting on the porch, and eating exorbitant amounts of food. As beautiful as it is there I think we all get caught up in the food more than anything else.

I'll start off by saying that I have total kitchen envy. My mother-in-laws kitchen at the Rivah has enough food and equipment to feed an army! I won't even mention how clean it always is to boot (except after I've finished baking something). I have grown to love the Rivah kitchen, especially because I have learned invaluable cooking tips and recipes there.

Hopefully, I will remember to snap a few shots of the expected food this weekend (crab cakes, grilled pizza, pies, cakes, stuffed french toast.....!!) Maybe I should take a pair of stretchy pants with me and pack the bikini in the bottom of my suitcase, yikes!

A girl can dream

2008-08-29T12:04:00.002-04:00

Man oh man, I wanna do this/be a part of this. Some of it seems a little extreme (chopping the boar) but it looks like so much fun! Does anybody else in Richmond love to cook?
Check it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/27/dining/27boar.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

Birthday Dinner pt.2 (Dessert!)

2008-08-26T09:45:00.006-04:00

One of my Dad's favorite desserts is pineapple upside down cake. About a year or two ago I decided to buy a pineapple shaped cake pan in an effort to make his favorite cake that much more special. What I love about this cake is that it always looks/tastes like it took a while, but it is so simple!

Here's what you'll need:

1/4 cup butter or margarine (I've been using unsalted butter)

1 cup packed brown sugar (or the equivalent in Splenda brown sugar)

1 can (20oz) pineapple slices in juice, drained, juice reserved

1 box SuperMoist yellow cake mix, along with the oil and eggs called for on the cake box

Heat oven to 350

Place butter in pan and melt in oven. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter. Arrange pineapple slices on brown sugar. I tend to cut my pineapple so that the top flares out like a real pineapple. I also skip the cherries (despite my love for them) as they don't really fit the look of the pan.

Add enough water to reserved pineapple juice to measure 1 1/4 cups. Make cake batter as directed on box, substituting pineapple juice mixture for the water. Pour batter over the pineapples.

Bake 45-50min until your toothpick comes out clean. Immediately run a knife around the side of pan to loosen the cake. Place a serving plate upside down over the pan, turn plate and pan over. Leave pan over cake for 5min so brown sugar goo can drizzle over cake. Remove pan and cool for 30min. Serve warm or cool. This can also be stored in the fridge for a day or two or even frozen!

If you look at some recipes for this cake online they will call for a double layer cake. Do not be confused, you only need one box of cake batter. If you happen to make this mistake then you can do what I did and make cupcakes with the extra batter!

ps- Unfortunately, there is not a finished photo of this cake as we started digging in before I could steal a shot.

Birthday Dinner

2008-08-26T08:20:00.012-04:00

I gladly put myself in charge of executing my Dad's birthday dinner this past Saturday. I had a couple of dishes that I've began making regularly and knew this was something I could relieve my Mom of. I decided on a hodgepodge of things to keep the masses pleased but wanted to share with you my two favorite things from the day, eggplant parmesan lasagna and pineapple upside down cake.

For the lasagna, as a time saver I started off by making my own sauce the night before. It can be a lengthy process making this all in one evening.

You'll need:

Eggplant of your choice
olive oil/ salt/pepper
4 cloves of garlic, smashed (I always add a little extra)
2-28oz. can diced tomatoes (I like to use the basil, oregano flavor)
1 small can of tomato paste (maybe only use 1/2 of it to thicken your sauce)
basil ( I use as much fresh basil in the sauce as I can stand!)
sugar ( I use 1/2 packet of Splenda)
lasagna noodles (I use whole wheat)
16oz ricotta cheese
10oz fresh mozzarella, grated
1 cup fresh parmesan, grated
1 large egg
(P and I LOVE cheese so I increased the amount of cheese, you can never go wrong!)

Preheat your oven to 400

You will want to begin by using about 2 or more lbs. of eggplant. I have been using Japanese eggplants that my mother-in-law has been picking up from the Mathew's Co. farmer's market. They are smaller but noticeably sweeter.

Slice your eggplant and arrange them onto a baking sheet. Coat both sides generously with olive oil and bake about 40min until they are brown and tender.

Meanwhile, in a deep skillet heat olive oil and cook garlic for 1-2min, add tomatoes, paste, basil, and sugar and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cook about 25min until thick. Add salt and pepper to taste. Keep in mind that if you want to let it simmer longer then that will only allow your flavors to meld together even more!

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the lasagna noodles, stirring often, for about 5min. Drain and rinse with cold water.

In a food processor, combine ricotta, egg, & 1/2 cup parm. Season with salt and pepper.

Spread a cup of sauce in baking dish (I use a 9x13 dish). Layer noodles, ricotta mixture, eggplant, and mozzarella. Repeat 2 more times ending with noodles & sauce.

Cover with foil and bake for 35min. Remove foil, add extra mozzarella and Parmesan and bake 10min until golden and bubbly.

Enjoy!

Dog Days

2008-08-25T10:07:00.005-04:00

I will put up my post either later today or tomorrow regarding all the delicious food that was had this weekend in Waynesboro but for now I just wanted to post a pic of my precious boy and his cousin Franklin. I always think Newton is a big dog until I get him around my parents Labrador and my sisters lab/pit mix. Franklin is an excitable boy that has an obsession with going between legs. If you are standing and he wants to get by you rather then going around he will normally proceed to force his way right between your legs. In addition to that, if you are seated with your legs crossed he will come and scoot underneath of them, normally lifting them clear off of the floor. Odd boy that one. However, my big sis did have him dressed in a shirt. Normally, I find this completely unacceptable, especially on wussy small dogs, but this "Alpha Dog" t-shirt on Franklin was completely fitting!

Best Thursday Ever

2008-08-22T15:09:00.004-04:00

So yesterday was a nice treat. I had to help out a coworker by taking her to a meeting in Williamsburg. I had just planned on running a few mundane errands and then maybe treating myself to a trip to the Prime Outlets while I waited for her meeting to end. Well my sweet P decided on Wednesday evening that he wanted to accompany me. I was more than happy to take him along, especially because P and I rarely see each other during the week (understatement of the century!). After we dropped off the coworker we decided to make an impromptu trip to Busch Gardens. I felt like I was 10 again when your mom lets you skip school to do something way cooler. We lucked out in that the lines were super short (only 10min wait to get on the Griffin!) and the weather was absolutely perfect! The sunshine was a little bright going up those steep inclines but luckily it went by so quickly our little ginger butts didn't get sunburned.

After a few fun roller coaster rides we made a stop by Williamsburg Alewerks to stock up our basement beer collection. Mmmm... I figured a taste of a beer wouldn't constitute breaking my "no beer until October" rule. After that we were off to the Prime Outlets! I immediately headed for the Gap while P went looking for some shoes. Turns out what he found was a Ben & Jerry's. He didn't bother telling me that he enjoyed some delicious ice cream without me, I found out because he was wearing part of it on his t-shirt! Oh well, I guess I am better off considering I never made it to the gym yesterday.

After a day of riding roller coasters and finding super deals at the Gap we had to return to the daily routine of domestication. P left for work and I got rid of the last few boxes in the office. After that, and a viewing of Juno, I moved on to touching up the trim in the bedroom. A very tedious task but I found that I enjoy that more than painting the whole wall. Also, Coneheads was on, c'mon you can't beat that! All in all I am going to go ahead and vote yesterday as the best day this week (and it's not even the weekend!) Thanks P for a great day of playing hookey!

Tomorrow I am heading back to my hometown of Waynesboro. It's my dads birthday and I am preparing the meal. Hopefully, when I return there will be pics of the deliciousness that I made!

Have a fun (and safe) weekend!

OUCH!

2008-08-20T12:49:00.002-04:00

Don't you hate when it hurts to laugh, sneeze, or even lift yourself off the couch... I certainly do. I am in the middle of hating myself at the moment, simply because I skipped the gym for nearly a month (shameful, I know). I was at my peak at the time of our wedding and then, even though I swore I wouldn't, I let myself go. It was totally unintentional! Between catching up with friends I hadn't truly hung out with for months before the wedding and searching/settling into our first home, I undid a years worth of hard work. Well that statement isn't completely fair. My four pack is under there, solid as ever, it's just covered by this past weekend of binge eating and some Stella Artois.

Sadly, my iPod has died. D-E-A-D. Even P couldn't resuscitate it. I am one of those that needs to jam out during my workout, it puts me in the zone and I am a horrible mess without it. Yesterday, the Village People's "YMCA" came over the radio, while I was at the YMCA. I found that to be a bit tacky and it made me long for my iPod even more. However, I don't want to buy a new one. I've only had mine for 2 1/2 years and I am pissed that it gave up on life so quickly. Now I have made a pact (almost a double pact I guess) with myself. If I continue to go back to the gym on a regular basis, usually 5 days a week as I did before, and if I stick to my "no beer" commitment through the end of September then I will go out and buy myself a new iPod, if P allows.

Or somebody could save me from all this nonsense and find a way to bring my iPod back from the dead. Any geeks out there?

I do read

2008-08-20T11:02:00.003-04:00

Ok, so I cannot take credit for finding this book on my own, she is the one who's rave review ultimately made the decision to go on and give it a read. It is an extremely easy read and I find it quite humorous. Considering I am not from NY, am not a teacher, and am nowhere close to being able to afford Dior headbands and Juicy Couture sweatpants, I still am loving this book!

I will lend it out to any curious readers.

The Newtron Bomb

2008-08-20T10:07:00.002-04:00

I don't know if the dog is still getting used to the new house but he has certainly taken a liking to the the stairwell, in particular, the banister. P pointed out how much he loves to stick his head through and look downstairs or how he tries to give kisses on the way down the stairs, now it's all I notice when I'm around the stairwell. Newton takes every opportunity he can to justify sticking his head through the rails. He'll pretend to hear something and rush over to stick his head through and then just hangout there for a minute or so.

The funny part is watching Newton balance his love for sticking his head between the rails and his love for beating the humans down the stairs. Sometimes he will calmly stand there with his head poking through the rails waiting to steal a kiss as P or I head down below and sometimes he will quickly extract his head and rush as fast as he can to not only get in the way every step of the way down, but inevitably beat us as well. He loves the stairs, of this I am certain.

My P, My Hero

2008-08-20T09:54:00.003-04:00

I don't know whether P is just terribly sweet or whether he knew in his heart of hearts that there was no way in hell I was going to paint another coat of aquafresh in the bedroom, but he was quick to take on the challenge. By time I returned home from the gym last night, P was already finished and off to work. I was very pleased with the outcome, although I wish the guy working at Sherwin Williams has suggested a glossier finish. Now I suppose I have to get on touching up the trim and what not. All I can see in my head is this endless back and forth of white paint and aquafresh...ugh! Or maybe I will take P's advice and tape the aquafresh in order to nicely edge the white paint back in.

Now I can get the curtains back up and starting hanging things. Yea! I also need to make a mental note to go ahead and put the non-slip mat under the bedroom rug in hopes that I will stop slipping and tripping over flat surfaces. Two rooms down, 5+ to go! EEK!

"Rich" weekend pt.2

2008-08-20T09:18:00.006-04:00

As if I didn't consume enough tasty food on Saturday I had already planned a "girls night" for Sunday evening at Bacchus. I consider Bacchus to be one of my absolute favorite resturants in the area and whenever the craving for mussels hits I know exactly where to go. Sadly, as I walked in the door Sunday evening I was informed that they were out of my favorite appetizer, but not to worry, they had plenty of clams to go around (blah!) After holding back a few tears we decided on the antipasta plate and caprese salad.

Once again, my disdain for balsamic vinaigrette arose as it was scattered throughout the caprese salad plate. But once again, I made sure I was caught up in the moment of eating and decided to partake in one of my favorite dishes and put the thought of actually tasting the balsamic out of my head. It worked! I suppose having a plethora of basil on the salad didn't hurt either. As for the antipasta plate, well it is certainly meant to be shared in that it is huge! Complete with true pickles, beets, spicy peppers (that I thought were tomatoes, yikes!), roasted red peppers, anchovies, and a number of other things I never even got around to... In addition to the appetizers we were given the bread du jour. Normally I will pass on the bread basket. Don't be fooled, I LOVE bread, but in the scheme of things I would rather derive my calories from my vodka soda or beer then from my bread. However, I noticed that the bread was cornbread and it looked as if it had been grilled. I dove in and ate every crumb!

Since I know Bacchus to be one of the best in town for seafood I opted for the Red Snapper fillet (generous fillet at that) topped with a shrimp and lobster cream sauce and accompanied by some julienned zucchini and squash with some fresh green beans and asparagus tossed in there and fluffy (but real) mashed potatoes. Wow, I felt like I was going to get the gout just from the sauce alone, but I couldn't stop. The fish fell apart at the touch of my fork and the sauce included 2 jumbo shrimp and a strong flavor of lobster. I even ate all my vegetables that were perfectly seasoned but had to quit halfway through my potatoes, I do have limits after all. We collectively decided to pass on dessert for another cocktail and chatted the rest of the evening away.

All in all, I was completely devastated at the lack of mussels that evening, but will most certainly return. The evening ended on a wonderful note though when we decided that our next "girls night" will be held at Cafe Rustica. Yum-O (my terrible Rachel Ray reference....)

Bacchus
2 N. Meadow St.
Richmond, VA
335-9919 (they do take reservations)

I would call it a "rich" weekend

2008-08-20T08:37:00.003-04:00

My weekend was full of food. Uber delicous food! Saturday night P and I had a dinner date at Cafe Rustica, one of our favorite places in town. We hadn't been there post-wedding and were well overdue for some tasty treats. The staff is always so attentive and knows a lot about what they are sending out of the kitchen so don't be scared to try something new. I have an aversion to such things as balsamic vinagerette (don't even get me started!) and salmon (I know, I know), and this is one place where I am not afraid to ask what ingredients are being used in my tasty meal that evening without pissing off the waitstaff. Our menu that evening consisted of...

sharing a potato latke topped with smoked salmon and green onions swirled into sour cream, this also had a little side salad on the plate lightly drizzled with sherry vinaigrette. (I will put on the record that I could barely taste the salmon, but what I did taste was delicous!)

P had the braised pork shoulder topped with a horseradish sauce and accompanied by roasted potatoes and the same side salad. (I tasted it and very much approved)

I opted for one of the specials that evening. I ordered the sirloin steak that came topped with lump crabmeat and a red pepper cream sauce. I also had the perfectly roasted potatoes on the side in addition to roasted zucchini and squash and the staple side salad. Now I won't lie, I LOVE to eat, and I think I have a pretty good palette, but I can be picky about some things. There are those things mentioned above but in addition to those I also despise vinegar and edibles that are derived from vinegar. I also am very funny about the preparation of raw meat. That being said I was enjoying my meal so much that I decided to taste the salad before asking what dressing du jour was accompanying it. I am very pleased that I took this route. The sherry vinaigrette was so light and tasty and I just know that I would have never tried it had I asked before eating. On another note, I asked for my steak medium. When it arrived I was so excited that I quickly cut into it and began chowing down. It wasn't until P mention how raw it was (in real life I would call it rare to med. rare) that I stopped to actually look at the meat. As shocked as P was that I was eating something that could very well still be mooing I continued to ravage my meal. The beef was so good and so juicy that I just may be converted to eating extremely raw meat on a regular basis!

For dessert we stuck to an old favorite of ours at Rustica. Grilled pound cake with fresh lemon curd and fresh berries. Words cannot describe. Grilled poundcake dude. Fresh lemon curd. Need I say more? Totally delightful!

And of course, as we were looking back on all the delicousness that we had just consumed we were also finishing up our adult beverages. Rustica has quite a good (but minimal) assortment of specialty beers and a lovely wine list. I recommend a Rose. I usually never choose a Rose but Michelle at Rustica has turned a new leaf for me.

To sum it all up, just go to Cafe Rustica. It is small (watch your head going to the bathroom if you are anywhere near 6' tall) but quaint. If you are going by yourself or just one other person they will most likely make you sit at the bar, this is a good thing! It allows you to interact with the staff and get the scoop on things to come. They are a very fresh and seasonal resturant in that they make their own sausage and use very fresh produce, ect. They are also open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and having eaten all 3 courses there before I can tell you with certainty that they excel at all of them. But most importantly, they are affordable. I will leave you with the ending thought that my oh-so-delicous steak special only set me back $16!

Cafe Rustica
414 E. Main St.
Richmond, Va
225-8811 ( I don't know if they take reservations but it could be worth a call, they are a booming new place in town, without being pretentious)

Pie... it's what's for dinner!

2008-08-20T08:01:00.005-04:00

Mmm... last night I made a delicious pie for dinner, spinach and ricotta pie that is. I will tell you though that it was a Rachel Ray recipe. I have a love/hate relationship with Rachel Ray. I like her magazine in that she has quick "everyday" recipes that include ingredients one would normally have in their kitchen arsenal, on the other hand, her voice annoys the crap out of me and I hate that she acts like she invented EVOO. Also, she could probably afford to add a few more healthier options to her recipe collection, for everybody's sake! Although, me being the hypocrite that I am ultimately made this recipe less healthier by adding a pie crust. The recipe called for making it crustless but sometimes I just think and eat like a fat kid, therefore, I added a pie crust to support the bottom. Here's the recipe if you'd like to give it a try... very basic really but there are so many fun ways to make it your own. I always add extra cheese, in this case I simply added more ricotta. You can also add roasted red peppers, basil, a little parm... whatever you fancy. Oh man, now that I am thinking about it I should have added bacon! Oh well, next time.

Ingredients:

One 10-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed
One 15-ounce container ricotta cheese (I prob used about 20 oz. +)
8 ounces garlic-herb spreadable cheese (I had eaten some the night before with some crackers so I know you can get away with not using all 8 oz. if need be)
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup chopped marinated artichokes

1. Grease a 9-inch pie pan with olive oil. (or substitute a pie crust) Preheat the oven to 375°. Wring the spinach dry. In a large bowl, whisk together the ricotta cheese, garlicherb cheese and eggs. Add the spinach, artichokes, 1/2 teaspoon salt (I used garlic kosher salt) and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and stir to combine. Pour into the prepared pan and bake until golden, about 45 minutes.

Keep in mind that if you are opting to use a pie crust you may want to keep the pie rim covered with foil for the first 25 min to avoid it burning. Enjoy it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

Devastated

2008-08-18T10:01:00.003-04:00

Oh man, I just got a devastating email from P. Turns out my Freshwater paint job didn't turn out so fresh. He claims that you can spot the individual roller strokes on any given wall. Hearing this also tells me that he is probably sitting at home saying "I told you so..." He did tell me to slather the paint on thicker but I quickly took offense and kicked him out of the room. I officially give up. Who wants to come over and paint my room in exchange for a nice homemade meal and a couple of adult beverages?

Here goes.....

2008-08-18T09:44:00.000-04:00

Well I decided to take P's advice and go ahead and start my own blog. I figured I read enough DIY, food, and wedding blogs that I may as well keep track of the things that I am doing. As excited as I am to start whipping out informative posts I am also lost because I am most certainly technilogically challenged... we'll see how these first few go and then play around a bit more.

Painting

2008-08-18T09:08:00.003-04:00

Let's just set the record straight, I am the worst painter ever! When P and I bought our first house (just over a month ago) I was stoked about all the painting possibilities and quickly chose a color for almost every room in the house, very much convinced that I would knock it all out in a week or so. Well a month later and I just finishe painting our bedroom. It was dreadful. Paint everywhere, including under the dropcloth??!! and on the sheets of the bed. Now, with all the walls painted a very soothing Freshwater blue/aqua color I am faced with having to touch up my goofs tonight. Or maybe I will just follow in P's footsteps and put this off as long as possible.

At only a month in I have decided that I despise painting. I am not experiencing any of the fun I had envisioned. It didn't even take me a month to figure it out though, the hatred started rising when I immeadiately gave up on my dining room paint job. After only one, non-primed, coat of RedBay I was finished. It soaked right into the new walls and was certainly not the warm welcoming red I had envisioned for the home of my future dinner parties! In addition to the cramping hands I was climbing up and down the ladder with a paint pan trying desperatley not to spill and getting paint everywhere except within the intended boundaries.

After nearly a week of leaving my pitiful dining room wall in paint limbo P realized he was going to have to bite the (paint) bucket and pick up my slack. He graciously went out and bought the much needed primer and a cozier shade of cranberry and got to work. Everyday I came home from work to see more and more positive progress and was constantly reminded of why I love P! Well now the painting of the walls is complete and work has come to a standstill. There isn't much work left to be done, except for touching up the trim but I know neither one of us want to take on that challenge. Any suggestions for touch up trimwork without going back and forth between the white and the red paintbrushes? I have tried taping and I have tried SHUR-LINE but the only thing I'm sure of now is that if I don't find an easier solution to edging around windows, doors, and fireplaces then my home will never be quite the feast for the eyes as I had imagined.