tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166763312826889452024-02-02T12:36:47.036-08:00Cooking Mag MommyHaving fun cooking, crafting, and raising the kids!Mary Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10835231359069293911noreply@blogger.comBlogger213125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616676331282688945.post-1108460284850935772016-06-15T17:17:00.004-07:002016-06-15T17:17:54.977-07:00Thank you, Blue Apron!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL8f_uKDARoUwLuBEa004RX2jy5qKcAhd2qkrh6G9u3uiDs_Dtrpas62AV8U7Thk5_2WNGGzYAC9dvg4ac9K-0tWS89CKXtPPTeWTsifK0WqrrNFfMw27ZmUEjrElD3ASeCzoLcgq9BXlz/s1600/DSCN9699.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL8f_uKDARoUwLuBEa004RX2jy5qKcAhd2qkrh6G9u3uiDs_Dtrpas62AV8U7Thk5_2WNGGzYAC9dvg4ac9K-0tWS89CKXtPPTeWTsifK0WqrrNFfMw27ZmUEjrElD3ASeCzoLcgq9BXlz/s640/DSCN9699.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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It wasn't as if I'd fallen to the depths of Hungry Man dinners for the last few years but life happened and the priorities fell in a different place. One child had turned, not without significant drama, into two and naptimes fell from two down to rare and cherished. Five years on a single income did not engender in me the thrifty spirit of many a mommy blogger. I didn't want to blog about the meal I made with only $3.75 worth of ingredients, not because I couldn't but because being thrifty isn't something I find particularly exciting, unless it is airfare.</div>
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In August of this last year, I went back to work teaching full-time, after subbing for two years at the school I used to teach at. I had always hoped to go back when Rylynn, my youngest was in kindergarten but made the plunge a year early when a job opened and the cards fell into place. This year was incredibly busy. I very cockily assumed I could get my ESOL certification while getting used to my first year teaching with the added pressure of children at home. It just about drove me crazy to spend my weekends writing papers on top of writing new curriculum and trying to be a good mom but it's summer now, and I made it. </div>
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About Christmas I made some changes to stave off the crazy. I detailed my car, something I had never done and that epiphany opened the door to a whole host of things to make my life more organized and less overwhelming. I asked the mother of a student who cleans home to clean out home on a regular basis. While at my cousin's, they told me about Blue Apron, a meal delivery service they use to cook gourmet meals while working full time as lawyers. They gave us a free week and I was in. The box comes each Friday with pre-measured ingredients and a beautiful colored full-sized recipe card. The meal takes no more than an hour to cook. It has been the perfect match for our family. The recipes are varied, healthy, and creative. </div>
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The picture above is one of our meals for this week, Beef Tacos & Roasted Green Beans with Cucumber-Avocado Salsa. These tacos had some classic Mexican flavors but the salsa's use of cucumber and radish added a unique peppery crunch. Instead of spending my valuable weekend time trying to decide on a weekly menu, I was able to open a box Friday afternoon and know I had two healthy meals for my family to try. Thank you, Blue Apron!</div>
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Mary Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10835231359069293911noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616676331282688945.post-27180096720887521482013-02-20T10:24:00.001-08:002013-02-20T10:24:52.619-08:00Eyrleigh's Fall Nature Party<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3iPlvYIgifxDYaQxWIumu_0rzxxNY_Zbytb2ARBrS2SyTTRDPYssDyF2ZrIxezMIV4ohFNuDO0eo6eOlec-nM5-wqZfUncim8Aj2sGrcrLDIs3n2AmQAiozGT6ubulde1-hMsdJSVtR15/s1600/Eparty5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3iPlvYIgifxDYaQxWIumu_0rzxxNY_Zbytb2ARBrS2SyTTRDPYssDyF2ZrIxezMIV4ohFNuDO0eo6eOlec-nM5-wqZfUncim8Aj2sGrcrLDIs3n2AmQAiozGT6ubulde1-hMsdJSVtR15/s1600/Eparty5.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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A few days ago, I blogged about Rylynn's birthday party...in July! In keeping with the catching up theme, I'm blogging today about Eyrleigh's birthday...in November....in, you guessed it, February. Oh, well!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLHACjybfpZZ4nkaAij5NYAJ8ejN9zFSWHD3DmRLulCJFgZk8Pq6rw8k5JY3aKfuZNLvOaW4IkYcCqi0njSZHgM9HdKBXxjIVpLmUn9Av_fKUaIxNF5KOR9M9i6q4eIBZwqvjw9TulV0-/s1600/eparty11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLHACjybfpZZ4nkaAij5NYAJ8ejN9zFSWHD3DmRLulCJFgZk8Pq6rw8k5JY3aKfuZNLvOaW4IkYcCqi0njSZHgM9HdKBXxjIVpLmUn9Av_fKUaIxNF5KOR9M9i6q4eIBZwqvjw9TulV0-/s1600/eparty11.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a>This past August, our family traveled to Glacier National Park in Montana and during that trip I decided Eyrleigh's party was going to incorporate hiking somehow! I wanted a party idea that was fun for both boys and girls as many of Eyrleigh's good friends are little boys. We have been super lucky with great weather for her birthday every year and I was counting on that this year. One of the county parks near us has a mixed paved and dirt wooded trail system and I knew it would be perfect for a hiking themed party. I sprang the $100+ to reserve the pavilion to guarantee I had the space to myself and in the event of rain. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidV63LVNBkJdHwTVdA_w3n1doLGQ8gxPsPUg8IBJGwsDEg0EW-kr1V1o9wpH7nUczhZCmcLeD_upAq7luYN4ReZkyqMn0rDTwSkJGDglj3mStWLqDzToim041lQax5-ftHy2mgApTP9Hkl/s1600/Eparty1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidV63LVNBkJdHwTVdA_w3n1doLGQ8gxPsPUg8IBJGwsDEg0EW-kr1V1o9wpH7nUczhZCmcLeD_upAq7luYN4ReZkyqMn0rDTwSkJGDglj3mStWLqDzToim041lQax5-ftHy2mgApTP9Hkl/s1600/Eparty1.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a>I love tinyprints.com and changed out the words in this Thanksgiving dinner invitation to fit what we needed. <a href="http://www.tinyprints.com/product/30587/studio_basics_thanksgiving_party_invitations_fall_enchantment.html">link to invitation</a> I had done a similar thing for Eyrleigh's second birthday (turkey themed) and plan to use a 4th of July invitation for Rylynn's second birthday. </div>
As kids arrived we had them decorate their prepared bags for the scavenger hunt. I bought large brown paper bags with handles at Hobby Lobby, tied a pencil to them with ribbon, and glued this awesome nature scavenger hunt page I found online. <a href="http://howtonestforless.com/2012/07/24/nature-scavenger-hunt-for-the-kids-free-printable/">printable link here</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpPFek0MdwqeETpY_ntBYQkv83k3nv5_g4uNmeF-ikljO0gP5Oelb-rlGgjjF11is0TwPCvBMEc2TYT4f1OCyU6Org3LVawA4iHmpc1cpQSXrebIqLzbi9ecE9YAk6nVvY1GjSyh2Y7any/s1600/Eparty2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpPFek0MdwqeETpY_ntBYQkv83k3nv5_g4uNmeF-ikljO0gP5Oelb-rlGgjjF11is0TwPCvBMEc2TYT4f1OCyU6Org3LVawA4iHmpc1cpQSXrebIqLzbi9ecE9YAk6nVvY1GjSyh2Y7any/s1600/Eparty2.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a> After the kids had their bags, they moved on the other stations around the pavilion. One station was "Make your Own Trail Mix". In the picture you can see I used large roasting pans to hold trail mix options. Each child was given a small bag and could scoop in their own choices for their mix. I had pretzels, mini-marshmallows, raisins, dried bananas and pineapple, M & M's, and Cinnamon Chex. I left out any nuts as we had 3 kids with severe peanut allergies.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-esXaNy1hlbPYPowad-jxf34oWwv7LEOihj6P0decKe7umBCAgMqSOqCyv-C2EBWt6xGi7zAB3kQvU5GfIyB7RlWgJAT0VNQ9Twgd1ZtNKX4gIaaBUDjGMBJ2bIhFMkBWCcOz5x0CwVGl/s1600/Eparty3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-esXaNy1hlbPYPowad-jxf34oWwv7LEOihj6P0decKe7umBCAgMqSOqCyv-C2EBWt6xGi7zAB3kQvU5GfIyB7RlWgJAT0VNQ9Twgd1ZtNKX4gIaaBUDjGMBJ2bIhFMkBWCcOz5x0CwVGl/s1600/Eparty3.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a>The other station was the bird feeder station. I had seriously considered having the kids paint birdhouses but this was cheaper and had less clean-up. I saved toilet paper tubes for a few weeks and had enough for each child. I purchased soynut butter (see the above note on peanut allergies) to spread on the toilet paper tubes. Then the kids rolled their covered tube in bird seed. They sell butcher's string at the grocery store but I couldn't find it. I asked the butcher where it was and he just gave me some for free. I used about a foot and a half per kid. They simply put the string through the tube and when they got home, tied the whole thing to a tree branch. Any mess could be swept into the grass as birdseed and nut butter are highly biodegradable!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikkMHvduqemdN025TznFKb_GA6jZhJ5tGNqyXe1AXqTHP8n3KlDjSuWhQccsCTZkVITYG6qBnA8Rt4m5P3vbMsJIxRBUBP-HkorJirSwX93R4TcHX0QwS8s9b5Vn91UlL5Juo-ERmVW4C_/s1600/Eparty7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikkMHvduqemdN025TznFKb_GA6jZhJ5tGNqyXe1AXqTHP8n3KlDjSuWhQccsCTZkVITYG6qBnA8Rt4m5P3vbMsJIxRBUBP-HkorJirSwX93R4TcHX0QwS8s9b5Vn91UlL5Juo-ERmVW4C_/s1600/Eparty7.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the things we needed!</td></tr>
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I included a few pictures of Eyrleigh and I making a few more at home to show how totally doable and surprisingly mess free it was. I used cookie sheets to contain the birdseed and other than a little nut butter on kid's hands, it was really clean. I had each kid put their feeder in a baggie right away to take home. Probably the most notable thing from these instruction pictures is that when I go back to work, I need to buy jeans that fit!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG3eccg9uYEscdtpafwEQoBUxRVTdQXAatmqPrmkL0AXia5GrzTE__MEGH3cbBY3Hx6-A9UCTds_9PTDXQs1gi0mFaHQqlhOgRYIwdnhS78_lkt_2DM2JM7dcCgCCk7SF3JYzFsEyooxU0/s1600/Eparty8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG3eccg9uYEscdtpafwEQoBUxRVTdQXAatmqPrmkL0AXia5GrzTE__MEGH3cbBY3Hx6-A9UCTds_9PTDXQs1gi0mFaHQqlhOgRYIwdnhS78_lkt_2DM2JM7dcCgCCk7SF3JYzFsEyooxU0/s1600/Eparty8.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spread the nut butter all over the tube with a knife</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAyQ_369rg20gOmW7VoqkrHGMaducBhU44LfJ-j-hZPzLi6Rx9SfaEFVaBUnXOWNCuq-ioXo1JPCASMcIbAzoI3DIlHGGckptD1hUcG_Slavq4ECYMDH413i5IhnTVSqgWvPX7Aq70ctiM/s1600/Eparty9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAyQ_369rg20gOmW7VoqkrHGMaducBhU44LfJ-j-hZPzLi6Rx9SfaEFVaBUnXOWNCuq-ioXo1JPCASMcIbAzoI3DIlHGGckptD1hUcG_Slavq4ECYMDH413i5IhnTVSqgWvPX7Aq70ctiM/s1600/Eparty9.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roll the tube covered with nut butter in birdseed</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1vDD_78C7RYmWHuP_ldp0wxVhn1K7GX_hjIRNJ_pSPQgDzQg7q2p7ZXDEHb2iuq-v8CkQ4TtekU6_FBg56NcRYUbPBAgHnEJTZPlmHdmwqyj0DtfDHe2rI-lZCZptH3cTvmnqXl6jZkU8/s1600/Eparty10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1vDD_78C7RYmWHuP_ldp0wxVhn1K7GX_hjIRNJ_pSPQgDzQg7q2p7ZXDEHb2iuq-v8CkQ4TtekU6_FBg56NcRYUbPBAgHnEJTZPlmHdmwqyj0DtfDHe2rI-lZCZptH3cTvmnqXl6jZkU8/s1600/Eparty10.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Put a piece of string in the tube and tie to a nearby tree.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRsDe-vAS5y6rhBs5x8fT5yUVEUDp-b6xaaVE3ANqTcI3J5MrVpvgpoxigHMU3GkUjiP2RSdeaYGi5qnSTHluPf9J-k8m4WZ-RaRPNa6SX5lRRz7CI1-0APufpwPquG9ozDYdXqPZ5WWtU/s1600/Eparty4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRsDe-vAS5y6rhBs5x8fT5yUVEUDp-b6xaaVE3ANqTcI3J5MrVpvgpoxigHMU3GkUjiP2RSdeaYGi5qnSTHluPf9J-k8m4WZ-RaRPNa6SX5lRRz7CI1-0APufpwPquG9ozDYdXqPZ5WWtU/s1600/Eparty4.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
After the kids had time to decorate their bags and make their trail mix and a bird feeder, it was off on the scavenger hunt. We had walked the trail beforehand and since these kids were mostly 4 and 5, their parents came along. The trail was about a mile and we took about 30-45 minutes to walk it while looking for our items. The trail passed a pond, passed through a field, and went up through pretty heavy woods. Richard led the group and I played sweeper. Considering the kid's ages and the distance, everybody did great! Honestly, I heard more comments from the adults about getting tired! The kids loved it! The hunt kept them distracted and there was plenty to look at.<br />
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The best part about doing a party at the park is the playground. You don't have to worry about kids who finish the activities sitting around and getting bored. There is entertainment right there. We saved the "cake" for the end! I had no interest in worrying about a large cake and the trash of plates, forks, and napkins. I considered cupcakes but with close to 30 kids, I did not want to be up all night making them. Initially, I thought about making s'mores but the whole fire and kids thing made me nervous. I finally settled on mock s'mores. I sandwiched marshmallow Fluff and chocolate frosting between two graham crackers and wrapped it in tinfoil. It was perfect! My one suggestion would be to make these treats right before the party. We did and I was very glad! I tried a leftover one the next day and the graham cracker was mushy. These treats were easy to transport and perfect for kids who wanted to run off to the playground anyway. We put a candle in a jumbo marshmallow on a graham cracker smeared with chocolate frosting for Eyrleigh to blow out when we sang. This party was relatively inexpensive compared to last year's pj extravaganza and just as much fun. I was much less stressed since 75 people did not descend on my house! The kids loved it and several friends told me they were copying the ideas in their own parties or with their children's classes. That makes it a huge success in my book!<br />
<br />Mary Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10835231359069293911noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616676331282688945.post-68992728966048956332013-02-10T19:32:00.000-08:002013-02-10T19:37:24.912-08:00Tardy Peter Rabbit Party<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnhyfTdGfAvhm0XYeqhCChlo8HMyDh7XucdQqHk9HoP1h6P4m83rXRHDdbuwHNkyVZvJ-KUhFnFdjs9BUU5EcvPw14eDxMHG87T1gwNv4fvtADrTFr8C6MEe8eyb_whV2BGZad85iyQX6u/s1600/rbday8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnhyfTdGfAvhm0XYeqhCChlo8HMyDh7XucdQqHk9HoP1h6P4m83rXRHDdbuwHNkyVZvJ-KUhFnFdjs9BUU5EcvPw14eDxMHG87T1gwNv4fvtADrTFr8C6MEe8eyb_whV2BGZad85iyQX6u/s640/rbday8.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Blogging about your child's birthday party is much like giving wedding gifts. You have a year to get it done! Rylynn's birthday is in July and it is only February so I am well within the time frame:)<br />
Both of my children's first birthday themes have been based on their nursery theme. Eyrleigh had butterflies, hence a butterfly birthday. Rylynn had Peter Rabbit and so I knew that had to be the theme of her first birthday party. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjElF1gjklcpoJrIlxHfdgXbnm3qNIyV5foZvlv8aC2tx4O1KofZXQONpc30aQkaYg_2RaGQyESsGY_Sm3jt_zmP7FMDblVDnR1T-fNWw8YvB9beASq_ZLCj_jKy2aVC8uuwyl6lhcdE9gE/s1600/rbday3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjElF1gjklcpoJrIlxHfdgXbnm3qNIyV5foZvlv8aC2tx4O1KofZXQONpc30aQkaYg_2RaGQyESsGY_Sm3jt_zmP7FMDblVDnR1T-fNWw8YvB9beASq_ZLCj_jKy2aVC8uuwyl6lhcdE9gE/s320/rbday3.jpg" width="320" /></a>I could not have chosen a better theme for a simple party on the road. This year we were up at my parent's home in New Hampshire for Rylynn's birthday so I had to have simple decoration and food ideas. My parents live in a pretty rural area so any party supplies had to be brought with us or purchased from the very limited selection at the small grocery store near them.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKCTn3iVARsazZWOf2_oC5BjSZpjh_vkLkeqtFbmJr7ya5AsNK7lf3fEeSsL7KyHGJhVxff8F8z_IcIBNGBx5Pabcxqr5zbSb7Vor1SV168FsFGOxhQ-chRggDlPA946YCzZNl0jebvbgM/s1600/rbday5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKCTn3iVARsazZWOf2_oC5BjSZpjh_vkLkeqtFbmJr7ya5AsNK7lf3fEeSsL7KyHGJhVxff8F8z_IcIBNGBx5Pabcxqr5zbSb7Vor1SV168FsFGOxhQ-chRggDlPA946YCzZNl0jebvbgM/s320/rbday5.jpg" width="213" /></a>*While I'm mentioning it, you may notice the pictures for this blog entry are much better than any other post on this blog....there is a reason for that. My incredible friend, Devi Knapp, travelled with us to New Hampshire and took these and hundreds of other incredible pictures. If you live in the Atlanta area, check her out at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/DeviKnappPhotography"><em>www.facebook.com/<strong>DeviKnappPhotography</strong></em></a><strong><em>. </em></strong>She would be an incredible photographer for any event!<strong><em>*</em></strong><br />
I brought along just a few things for decoration, hoping to find some great additions at my mom's house. I really hit the jackpot. I know my mom keeps a lot of stuff but I arrived to see a tablecloth she was putting away with vegetables on it. It was perfect with a green table runner down the middle. Mom had an old red metal watering can that we filled with flowers and the Peter Rabbit stuffed animal and book I'd brought completed the centerpiece.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0vjwde7V7C8pLIuO5VMGYTMrDAuSzGN255JkiA5JH9S1Jd3ur0oHD3-l0QQUHGDDIWNr1fx8QAgm0GR66N6XOILEKPVkE7kIvgGwxzUvV9DVNTo9mlNL2pdK5rS18t8SoYXrwM2QDmufl/s1600/rbday1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0vjwde7V7C8pLIuO5VMGYTMrDAuSzGN255JkiA5JH9S1Jd3ur0oHD3-l0QQUHGDDIWNr1fx8QAgm0GR66N6XOILEKPVkE7kIvgGwxzUvV9DVNTo9mlNL2pdK5rS18t8SoYXrwM2QDmufl/s320/rbday1.jpg" width="320" /></a> The best thing I found that tied this party together and cost me all of $5 on Amazon was a Peter Rabbit Party Book.<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Peter-Rabbits-Party-Beatrix-Potter/dp/0723243670">http://www.amazon.com/Peter-Rabbits-Party-Beatrix-Potter/dp/0723243670</a> <br />
It's a delightful book with everything you would need for a simple small party. It has invitations, place cards, puppets, and masks, as well as creative thematic suggestions for food and games. I bought it used and nothing had been removed or damaged at all. I included two close up shots of the masks cut out and an invitation and place card. Just adorable!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk91A2a-G1DuPtbLXwHzPjGjNyhcUyOum9lZvdsBnDmjN-4-bITPaNdJ1AZ-ozejK0GntVxLPk8rwvurhLqjVltuTXWYu5RGHyK6Kl88gPk5LcxkT_Az1mAY6gwjF3yi3Idt3NGCJQnpPI/s1600/rbday7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk91A2a-G1DuPtbLXwHzPjGjNyhcUyOum9lZvdsBnDmjN-4-bITPaNdJ1AZ-ozejK0GntVxLPk8rwvurhLqjVltuTXWYu5RGHyK6Kl88gPk5LcxkT_Az1mAY6gwjF3yi3Idt3NGCJQnpPI/s320/rbday7.jpg" width="320" /></a>I decided to do a brunch as the party crowd was pretty small, that's all of us minus our amazing photographer in the photo above! I kept the brunch menu simple. I made two fruit salads, one berry and one melon. I had yogurt and granola in separate bowls and a frittata. We had a selection of juices and coffee for those of us who had been up a little late cutting out masks and lettering cards!</div>
Every birthday party needs a cake, even at ten o'clock in the morning so we stayed thematic with carrot cake. I seriously debated making a cake. Devi has actually made and decorated cakes for a bakery. In the end, we decided the cakes at Hannaford's looked really good and would take a whole lot less time! We bought some icing to decorate them and called it a day! They were really good too. The smaller one made for a good size smash cake just for Rylynn. I love the picture of her and her daddy enjoying it together. Happy Birthday, my baby girl!<br />
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<br />Mary Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10835231359069293911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616676331282688945.post-36076343244936809772013-02-04T19:33:00.001-08:002013-02-04T19:33:33.177-08:00Super Bowl XLVII- The Desserts Win!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz2e7-jGr3HV-kse79n4oV52hN_qlovWhYVN30H5jeChponzXPJNT4XiSQLeCEs1oI3JpXkEqyj-Sb2yCnfWN-1-4MO3Z3VPTfv05CfiWHF3SjXflbYy2n80TVnzm5DKz3CY4vkVcPM6Dp/s1600/DSCN4947.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz2e7-jGr3HV-kse79n4oV52hN_qlovWhYVN30H5jeChponzXPJNT4XiSQLeCEs1oI3JpXkEqyj-Sb2yCnfWN-1-4MO3Z3VPTfv05CfiWHF3SjXflbYy2n80TVnzm5DKz3CY4vkVcPM6Dp/s640/DSCN4947.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A small sampling of the Super Bowl desserts...complete with napkins I bought on clearance years ago</td></tr>
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The problem with posting your ideas for themed Super Bowl desserts after the big game is this...Will these two teams ever play each other again in the Super Bowl so I can duplicate this idea? Chances are slim but I suppose it's possible. <br />
Last night's game didn't hold a lot of intrigue for me. I'm a sports fan but two weeks before I was entertained by the possibility that my home team (the New England Patriots) and the team of my home (the Atlanta Falcons) would play tonight. After the disappointment of neither team making it, I was a bit underwhelmed by the thought of watching two teams I've never had a particular affinity to.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmAsyMrGk9TgQ-aSaORMJFYIDgp7g69cbtw-GHizqjaGA9XbAhrhchPhyphenhyphenfAqLdwop3KeqTZUSV0vKPDAI3H2j3BrNRtsYmD0sMmBmlPVPCi8iDoa0Antkaaf0emvEe25LFvE-1cTJvc0u/s1600/DSCN4950.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmAsyMrGk9TgQ-aSaORMJFYIDgp7g69cbtw-GHizqjaGA9XbAhrhchPhyphenhyphenfAqLdwop3KeqTZUSV0vKPDAI3H2j3BrNRtsYmD0sMmBmlPVPCi8iDoa0Antkaaf0emvEe25LFvE-1cTJvc0u/s400/DSCN4950.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lord Baltimore "Whoopie" pies</td></tr>
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My solution? Have fun with the desserts if you don't care about the game! My dear friend had invited me to her dad and brother's home theatre store (think t.v. in the restroom kind of place) to watch the game and told me to bring dessert for about 25. I always over bake/overcook so I couldn't just make 50 of one thing. I decided to go with football shaped brownies as a shoe-in. Everybody likes brownies and it's easy enough to pipe white laces on top.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe1tR6FURR5I5Gbz-cEaK0XCxe30-WeyuDeAsRIpDCtNMWcNV4Yl_zlmFvqwr4cdyhk7FyUfGHD1kinnn-2snnqFrW3CSe4wl804yseakecZbJIjvbx6vGmjl3FLAmSdfr01oiKncNQB61/s1600/DSCN4952.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe1tR6FURR5I5Gbz-cEaK0XCxe30-WeyuDeAsRIpDCtNMWcNV4Yl_zlmFvqwr4cdyhk7FyUfGHD1kinnn-2snnqFrW3CSe4wl804yseakecZbJIjvbx6vGmjl3FLAmSdfr01oiKncNQB61/s400/DSCN4952.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pardon the awful pun: San Francisco Rice Krispie Treats</td></tr>
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I wanted a little more creativity for the other options so I went to the hometowns of both teams. I googled "classic Baltimore/San Francisco desserts" and immediately found Lord and Lady Baltimore cakes on the All recipes wevsite. Both were large and intricate cakes, not exactly appropriate for a football buffet so I modified the recipe and got the cake sandwiches you see in the picture. I made the cake as directed but instead of putting the batter in traditional cake pans, I spread it out on foil lined cookie sheets like a jelly roll cake. I modified the bake time and cut out football shapes once the cake had completely cooled. I then mixed the traditional filling ingredients, maraschino cherries, slivered almonds, crushed macaroons, lemon juice, and orange peel with a store bought can of frosting and sandwiched it between to pieces of the cake. Voila!<a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/lord-baltimore-cake/">http://allrecipes.com/recipe/lord-baltimore-cake/</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQZ6UxsDqvU2EBPQfeCHljNQEjVJSF1G84fXJoz0es3htSm9Cq7Q9qfsDExrU_PNqwhXR47c3CexQHYX6uKhBmsfeW8IolLskerhRa9NV5iF3msA9hYkwYKq8cJprEsFMvA0XskOtNyrsg/s1600/DSCN4953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQZ6UxsDqvU2EBPQfeCHljNQEjVJSF1G84fXJoz0es3htSm9Cq7Q9qfsDExrU_PNqwhXR47c3CexQHYX6uKhBmsfeW8IolLskerhRa9NV5iF3msA9hYkwYKq8cJprEsFMvA0XskOtNyrsg/s400/DSCN4953.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And the ace in the hole...Football Brownies!</td></tr>
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For San Francisco, I never found a "classic" recipe that made me think of San Francisco, though someone mentioned Ghirardelli chocolate being from the Bay area at the party. I'll admit I went a little cheesy and am in no way claiming Rice-a-Roni as San Francisco's contribution to culinary greatness but you have to admit you get it....San Francisco Rice Krispie Treats with laces piped in red and gold. They made great finger food for a party too. <br />
So Baltimore may never beat San Francisco in the Super Bowl again but they sure were fun desserts to create!<br />
<br />Mary Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10835231359069293911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616676331282688945.post-69000870576656939472012-01-25T19:40:00.000-08:002012-01-25T19:40:46.380-08:00Year of the Dragon- Chinese New Year -1/23/12<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQuj04epAT2_CnHCJ4iXViFV7WTRb1R01UpsFHrzOL_bnyMcFmmKqEq0F4TWto0BkZ8IXrFbcr8JtQf_RS_UnEzbA7HOunZQKdsMHS_6AHMC5H0h0giVbY8V3NO9xYCBshXqzXmF4shuQg/s1600/Chinesenewyear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQuj04epAT2_CnHCJ4iXViFV7WTRb1R01UpsFHrzOL_bnyMcFmmKqEq0F4TWto0BkZ8IXrFbcr8JtQf_RS_UnEzbA7HOunZQKdsMHS_6AHMC5H0h0giVbY8V3NO9xYCBshXqzXmF4shuQg/s320/Chinesenewyear.jpg" width="320" /></a>Gong Hei Fat Choi! Happy Chinese New Year! I've mentioned many times I'm a sucker for themes and nothing brings out themes like international holidays. Chinese New Year is an easy holiday for anyone to celebrate. Chinese food (or an Americanized version) is easy to find and many websites suggest fun ways to decorate for the holiday. I used <a href="http://epicurious.com/">epicurious.com</a> to find a simple kid-friendly menu and <a href="http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/">www.activityvillage.co.uk</a> for some cute Chinese New Year printables. Eyrleigh and I decorated the table together. I had some gold place mats and napkins that I tied with red ribbon. I found some pillar candles and an Asian-style vase to make a centerpiece. We printed out a lantern to glue together and some lucky money envelopes. I slid some money in and Eyrleigh could barely wait to open her envelope. She was so excited!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtd-msQZSO16K3V0fZERFZCDVhdiQg2k_eV__h2thbZ3Sjrlq8gaVeF2oNGNUe0afdGlUb-5O2MxNEA5iCckwdhVMYFpwrOv75OQ8B622qNqapIP9grWODEBQlelNFkpfD2x6HctRiND4r/s1600/CNYsoup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtd-msQZSO16K3V0fZERFZCDVhdiQg2k_eV__h2thbZ3Sjrlq8gaVeF2oNGNUe0afdGlUb-5O2MxNEA5iCckwdhVMYFpwrOv75OQ8B622qNqapIP9grWODEBQlelNFkpfD2x6HctRiND4r/s320/CNYsoup.jpg" width="320" /></a>The menu on epicurious was titled "Chinese in a Flash" and it was a super easy take on Chinese that Eyrleigh loved. The main dish of Hoisin Chicken in Lettuce Leaves was chicken and water chestnuts in a simple sauce. Eyrleigh doesn't like lettuce much, I think it's textural, so she ate her chicken without the lettuce. Flavor wise, this is not an outstanding dish but it has simple flavors and is super easy to make so until I have more time (no crying 6 month old who won't eat any of this anyway!), this menu gets the point across. </div>
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The Chinese Style Mushroom and Tofu Soup was also simple and not particularly flavorful but it was quick and easy. It is a great introduction to tofu if you are not sure what your child (or husband:) will think of it. The broth flavors the tofu and helps mellow the textural uniqueness of tofu. I served these dishes with brewed green tea.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkx6ZzE2tQJ0evIRW3YyNJeJI5_tNuX5UyeSpFKcafrRIe2P0aATSIWU_n7T_onX2h7Lqk6Fc6GrHjfXtEdtbTcxVz3k1utD-v0eFKkzi8lybZYNT-I2kaaKYfhezauF_cVOJPptrOAjv3/s1600/CNYtable.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkx6ZzE2tQJ0evIRW3YyNJeJI5_tNuX5UyeSpFKcafrRIe2P0aATSIWU_n7T_onX2h7Lqk6Fc6GrHjfXtEdtbTcxVz3k1utD-v0eFKkzi8lybZYNT-I2kaaKYfhezauF_cVOJPptrOAjv3/s320/CNYtable.jpg" width="320" /></a>The dessert is a bit strange and though Eyrleigh loved it, I'm not sure I will repeat this recipe. The Mandarin Orange Napoleons use the super kid friendly canned oranges which immediately makes them tops in my child's book. I however could live without the candy sweet little things and liked them even less in what basically amounts to cream cheese frosting. I also was very annoyed at the directions to bake the filo dough layers for 10-15 minutes. The first batch burned to a crisp in 10 minutes and even the second batch that I only cooked for 8 minutes was dark and tasted burnt on the edges. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgHePovs4NQxW7E-CAHrRetEe0HfW1pBQnNK07O-vSU2SHSZm_sMlOA6pa1HfnNgrMZLlL8JvsCfl1o8JRG3EJFBNieRw37eEyorvKf9jkIJnCBKpYRypKZPEwqpOu5-5WGKRSN70sysHH/s1600/CNYdessert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgHePovs4NQxW7E-CAHrRetEe0HfW1pBQnNK07O-vSU2SHSZm_sMlOA6pa1HfnNgrMZLlL8JvsCfl1o8JRG3EJFBNieRw37eEyorvKf9jkIJnCBKpYRypKZPEwqpOu5-5WGKRSN70sysHH/s320/CNYdessert.jpg" width="320" /></a>Next year, I may try to amp up the authenticity in dishes but for my first Chinese New Year with two, this menu worked and allowed for some time to make some fun crafts. I tried to get Eyrleigh to make a dragon for Richard's place setting but she ended up gluing white paper and some origami I made. Rylynn played with (ate) her little toys and was just as happy with pureed butternut squash. I look forward to next year as Eyrleigh gets more artistic and Rylynn will be old enough to scribble something.</div>
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<br />Mary Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10835231359069293911noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616676331282688945.post-44752542472879516312012-01-25T17:45:00.000-08:002012-01-25T17:45:47.455-08:00Resolving- 1/22/12<div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">
<img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzWoMuyMW7X0PGuQ0XuP5yhZlZiLOKz-defEzXla13E6QQLWywSwj7U1rOPRvF69hpYvO4R1LhK2_Xaejz891cesFDx4yW5r5M3eMAY4JOGBixSOaE2BZ81zsku5vJq4xO5CzgCRUQsrpz/s320/Mygirls.jpg" width="320" />I've always loved the prospect of a new year with new goals and new challenges. I hear some say that making resolutions just sets one up for failure but I for one love to feel like I can try again. I've even made and stuck to some significant resolutions over the years. After years of resolving the read the whole Bible in a year, I finally did it in 2001 and then again in 2010. Thankfully, major weight loss has never been an issue for me but in 2008 I did my first triathlon, in 2009 I did my first half marathon, and one of these years, when training doesn't involve pushing a jogging stroller, I will do a full marathon. This year, I didn't even think about resolutions until we were a few days into 2012. Rylynn was sick and we were up in New Hampshire at my mom and dad's. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxI1RnbVFG-CTNpoIVKae9Vi2m59mL1geDWOQxR4wxVQlbEBho5OSCBD8-XXnSJEsutqvM-PhpZlBtkj1UBdiJhqsuSoGg7QJzM53ezJpspUDuft8bgzPYJJUg4EddFsUYN048-zAyJhYJ/s1600/Chili.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxI1RnbVFG-CTNpoIVKae9Vi2m59mL1geDWOQxR4wxVQlbEBho5OSCBD8-XXnSJEsutqvM-PhpZlBtkj1UBdiJhqsuSoGg7QJzM53ezJpspUDuft8bgzPYJJUg4EddFsUYN048-zAyJhYJ/s320/Chili.jpg" width="320" /></a>I've always been a big fan of practical resolutions. Eat healthier is too vague and impossible to quantify. Eat more homemade meals is better but still not specific enough for me. My food resolution for this year was to make weekly menus to help us save money and eat healthier. This resolution stems from my total respect of a friend who writes out her menu for the month ahead of time and has it sitting on an easel in her kitchen. (Yes, Beth Etheridge is my organization goddess!) When I was blogging about Gourmet magazine, I loved that I never wondered what we would have for dinner. I just looked on the menu I had written from the magazine and made what it said. You would think there would be nights I wouldn't be "in the mood" for whatever I had written weeks before but I found that I was almost always looking forward to what I had written. I didn't have to think about what I was "in the mood" for and the freedom of that took away the desire for anything else. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1gdnDxZG0LI7LJZqQgnoVaQzs4bB-9kJwtnJ7T0Z4-sjGJJHPl4lHuKK6ntnnLwbj0rdV1AfzthfRNnUjOiSJPlW4DlEiiNqwj5jXknLYdJALiKbFMFlxFDhjVIA-GxP2z3eLlJvJXOdP/s1600/potatosoup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1gdnDxZG0LI7LJZqQgnoVaQzs4bB-9kJwtnJ7T0Z4-sjGJJHPl4lHuKK6ntnnLwbj0rdV1AfzthfRNnUjOiSJPlW4DlEiiNqwj5jXknLYdJALiKbFMFlxFDhjVIA-GxP2z3eLlJvJXOdP/s320/potatosoup.jpg" width="320" /></a>I found the first week I wasn't prepared to write out a menu for the whole month. I didn't have the energy to plan that out and it didn't allow for repeats. (Okay, it did but I didn't know how close was too close.) I did however write themes for the days as a guide in deciding. Monday is my planned shopping day so it doesn't make sense to put a meal that took a lot of preparation. Tuesdays work for crockpot meals as those leftovers will be good in lunches throughout the week. Wednesday is perfect for my favorite Mexican cuisine, Thursdays for pasta, and Friday I wrote soup/sandwich or something special. To be honest, I am totally comfortable veering from this schedule but it gives me a base when I get stuck. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPTkrxYTpGmgfzCoVcQiX_9QI312gIKufIQWRomZgcG4BQI0DN5uEkH7rV6-XqKxGg6HJd5Fdev5ieMcExXXkIwSjZKdP4K5J8PCfSH68OwcxQCk7ZzQcdEZpWw0G7Kra9pCimOvHS4iJ8/s1600/raviolisoup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPTkrxYTpGmgfzCoVcQiX_9QI312gIKufIQWRomZgcG4BQI0DN5uEkH7rV6-XqKxGg6HJd5Fdev5ieMcExXXkIwSjZKdP4K5J8PCfSH68OwcxQCk7ZzQcdEZpWw0G7Kra9pCimOvHS4iJ8/s320/raviolisoup.jpg" width="320" /></a>Well, the first two weeks are in the books and I have to say that it worked well. I didn't get pictures of every night. I haven't blogged as frequently so photographing my food isn't second nature anymore. I did take some pictures and I'm a little embarrassed. It looks like we ate out of bowls the entire two weeks. We didn't but I only remembered pictures the nights we did. I have a post coming up about my remorse for food snobbery but here let me suffice it to say that Taste of Home, a cooking magazine I had previously seen as less than gourmet has become the main tome in my cooking magazine library. This magazine uses very accessible ingredients, has lots of kid friendly recipes, and has upped their use of creative menus making it a new favorite. That being said, I used recipes from Bon Appetit and Food and Wine as well. I won't list the family menu here but I will say that the four pictures represent some really good dishes. The top picture is the Texas Beef Brisket Chili from Bon Appetit's October 2008 issue. Several reviews mentioned that the brisket was greasy so I used stew beef as recommended and used the crockpot instead of a dutch oven. I love the butternut squash in this chili. It adds depth and you can see from the picture that I also added beans toward the end of the cook time. This helped make the chili more of a meal and added some extra flavor to the meaty dish.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPofvwV6JgPx51mfIuwb8Ts94WrWLK72ueE0OR0F0Pb5Gu5NQ1RqxDRMimk909E6TLSJRiJjLh32-DvNGukI9Df8P42nX5vOwGd7lqvkAbWdJrmj60TRva8VwLU_sB478OiBpHCalMr5h4/s1600/rolls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPofvwV6JgPx51mfIuwb8Ts94WrWLK72ueE0OR0F0Pb5Gu5NQ1RqxDRMimk909E6TLSJRiJjLh32-DvNGukI9Df8P42nX5vOwGd7lqvkAbWdJrmj60TRva8VwLU_sB478OiBpHCalMr5h4/s320/rolls.jpg" width="320" /></a>The second picture is the Baked Potato Cheddar Soup from this month's issue of Taste of Home. This soup was super thick (you can tell from the picture) and needed a little blending (I used my food processor) that the recipe didn't tell you about but it was very good. I served this soup with a No-knead Harvest Bread from the same issue that was excellent. In the third picture I had taken great liberties with the Zesty Chicken Tortellini Soup, also from Taste of Home, but again the soup was very good. The final picture is some Cornmeal Dinner Rolls, again from Taste of Home, that I will be making again and again. They are a yeast roll with a cornmeal base that are super simple and really delicious. I'm learning how to use yeast well. (Why did I not know until now that yeast stored in the refrigerator should be warmed to room temperature before using for the best results?) These rolls were one of my first real successes and I hope I can duplicate them again and again.</div>Mary Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10835231359069293911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616676331282688945.post-45830802586792812212012-01-23T19:23:00.000-08:002012-01-23T19:25:53.663-08:00Craziness....Your name is December!-12/11<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis2gwuYFNRbsYDsBLHnPFeH7FY-fX1jJtqU8-mntemMtRGGNkkSdBZdMbmdN0uo5enSCeq2tU5WvxR-0nmTg5JenOlAHvo5mkg9u8paW5ubhRehqoScGobNTQ0OmZuKfqR5vzLGHb_s8JQ/s1600/Cookies1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis2gwuYFNRbsYDsBLHnPFeH7FY-fX1jJtqU8-mntemMtRGGNkkSdBZdMbmdN0uo5enSCeq2tU5WvxR-0nmTg5JenOlAHvo5mkg9u8paW5ubhRehqoScGobNTQ0OmZuKfqR5vzLGHb_s8JQ/s400/Cookies1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Nope, didn't post the whole month of December! I'm only posting now so I remember a few things when I start the crazy cookie train next year. One, I do not like the combination of mint and chocolate. I know, I'm weird but Andes mints don't do it for me and sadly, neither do really cute, totally thematic holiday whoopie pies. The Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies in the December '05 Bon Appetit are beautiful. They scream Christmas cheer and if you do like the chocolate/ mint combination, by all means, make these! They just weren't for me. I want my chocolate rich and warm, the very opposite of a breath mint!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT8kJmRFbW9BQ1WCub-kRKA5igrcmbkjM-tR1Ba_1gCqaJrm5hHFbBOIcau5Th9ZhAaCXzWagvC55UY2uUwieuf4woJAJ5_JC0AtoYsj-rJfr7hTwSW2sAoN5DvGe9_NJjj4UstO1ydaTB/s1600/Cookies2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT8kJmRFbW9BQ1WCub-kRKA5igrcmbkjM-tR1Ba_1gCqaJrm5hHFbBOIcau5Th9ZhAaCXzWagvC55UY2uUwieuf4woJAJ5_JC0AtoYsj-rJfr7hTwSW2sAoN5DvGe9_NJjj4UstO1ydaTB/s320/Cookies2.jpg" width="320" /></a>I did find a simple cookie that I want to make again and again and again and I don't even think you have to wait for Christmas. The Cardamom Crescents in the December '11 Bon Appetit were excellent. Sadly, my crescent making skills are somewhat lacking as the picture shows but do not be deterred. These cookies had a wonderful warm spice taste (I obviously like "warm" in my cookies.) and the pecans added depth to the flour base. I found myself eating these cookies in the morning as well as they were not too sweet and heavy. I didn't get a picture of the Chewy Ginger Cookies, also from the Dec '11 issue of BA but these were also a great simple cookie. The addition of raw ginger, ginger powder, and crystallized ginger made them delightfully spiced and a quick roll of the dough in raw sugar made every cookie look great. These cookies were my go-to cookie for exchanges this holiday season. They were quick to make, looked good, and every one loves ginger cookies at Christmastime. </div>
<br />Mary Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10835231359069293911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616676331282688945.post-54604195709503736072011-11-29T17:54:00.000-08:002013-02-10T19:51:17.055-08:00Pajama Partying!-11/11/11<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9s4cmaqq55a1Uplbaaw26IAZaUgjtjG9xRlYYEkzMlGaL_iUj2oe6l0eLBY6DNB8L76BARA6R_ADaVhoo4wJ6QK7hjMbOj7gfffqmt5QLag8KqxpArmLA8JCaV_LDUZe1h3XqMSpzL09/s1600/eyrleighbday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9s4cmaqq55a1Uplbaaw26IAZaUgjtjG9xRlYYEkzMlGaL_iUj2oe6l0eLBY6DNB8L76BARA6R_ADaVhoo4wJ6QK7hjMbOj7gfffqmt5QLag8KqxpArmLA8JCaV_LDUZe1h3XqMSpzL09/s1600/eyrleighbday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9s4cmaqq55a1Uplbaaw26IAZaUgjtjG9xRlYYEkzMlGaL_iUj2oe6l0eLBY6DNB8L76BARA6R_ADaVhoo4wJ6QK7hjMbOj7gfffqmt5QLag8KqxpArmLA8JCaV_LDUZe1h3XqMSpzL09/s400/eyrleighbday.jpg" width="400" /></a>Several months ago, I began looking around on the Internet for good ideas for a 4-year-old pajama themed party. I decided to have a pajama party when I realized that Eyrleigh's preschool's major fundraising event of the year fell on her actual birthday and there was no way I was going to pull off both on the same day. That left Friday night available for a party and what better way to party at night than in your pajamas! <br />
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I decided to choose the decorative stuff for the party around the pajamas Eyrleigh picked to wear for that night. We went shopping at some of our favorite stores at the mall and she FINALLY picked a pair of Old Navy pajamas that were liliac and purple with a cheetah (or it could have been a leopard, I never did figure that out!). So purple cheetah print it was! I'm not an animal print fan myself but there is a lot of animal print stuff out there so it made it easy...sort of. Purple cheetah print was a little tougher to find than pink. I never did find full bolts of purple cheetah print but I did find a website, Jellyrollfabrics.com, that had strips of purple and pink cheetah print to use in decoration. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfj73ItBAjyTwtfyU1AjIx235NvgMuDf9Yi4k_P_-joJungzSq9jQsvTf0Tct1bgOQ3Opv_ne7xf1Qcwt73jX4HD1_nWIB0I9bw2nrbL3HfeQYoa9q73nBwD_UrmUbaywz7UVzZRfQqqUr/s1600/DSCN1942.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfj73ItBAjyTwtfyU1AjIx235NvgMuDf9Yi4k_P_-joJungzSq9jQsvTf0Tct1bgOQ3Opv_ne7xf1Qcwt73jX4HD1_nWIB0I9bw2nrbL3HfeQYoa9q73nBwD_UrmUbaywz7UVzZRfQqqUr/s320/DSCN1942.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Every good party has to begin with cool invites and I found some I loved on Etsy from a vendor, Cutie Patootie Creations ( <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/CutiesTieDyeBoutique">http://www.etsy.com/shop/CutiesTieDyeBoutique</a>). Stephanie was super quick to respond and made some changes that went perfectly with what I wanted. She changed the little girl's hair to red to match E's and changed the text on the thank-you card to let guests know to bring new pajamas to donate to the Pajama Program (check them out at <a href="http://www.pajamaprogram.org/">www.pajamaprogram.org</a>) in lieu of gifts. The only thing I would have changed was the wording of "regrets only" to "RSVP". I think RSVP makes people more conscientious about letting you know if they are coming and also would have let me know how many adults and extra kids to plan for. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0QvuG-bvx6GpleuGzGatF59if2WQDZr7L4tAMOAfX0pBlZ0cT0go02T0aHui_YPX7HgN6fwjtKAGo2i29j8GQVu1hqZo1zfMf81d_6DH6LRCsh-EgHkJTEWeTScY3yQ2DdfM-VWU2w_Fo/s1600/DSCN1756.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0QvuG-bvx6GpleuGzGatF59if2WQDZr7L4tAMOAfX0pBlZ0cT0go02T0aHui_YPX7HgN6fwjtKAGo2i29j8GQVu1hqZo1zfMf81d_6DH6LRCsh-EgHkJTEWeTScY3yQ2DdfM-VWU2w_Fo/s400/DSCN1756.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I used the strips of purple and pink cheetah print fabric to decorate the table and used liliac and purple party supply stuff from Party City as the base. You can't see it in the picture but I also got a "Happy Birthday" banner from Cutie Patootie to go above the table. We had hot dogs, chili, chips, juice boxes, and soda available for dinner. Richard did grilling duties and Mom helped me with the chili that was in the crockpot all day. One of the other cool things I found in purple cheetah print was edible cake stickers. (<a href="http://www.fillyourheartediblememories.com/Edible-Memories/Edible-Images-Cake-Stickers-Photo-Cakes/Cake-Stickers-Animal-Prints-p169.html">link here</a>) I always have my girlfriend Devi make the cake for us. She does a beautiful job (she decorated cakes for a bakery in college) and I love that E's cakes are one of a kind. The cake sticker was the size of a sheet of paper and Devi just cut out the pajamas, slippers, and letters for the cake and decorated around them. It made it really easy (for her, still would have been hard for me!) and though the stickers taste like fondant (YUCK!) there wasn't enough used to detract from the yummy buttercream frosting.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0NTYoB-HltV7Oobzh39w7_RIx6rk1IflReVBNH4nUlwm4DjLcMnIdZGM69NrTQkdXsAFVHRXnUziy85-RSkOqOxmLiRlWv66gzZFk57kJoXJyF5Zxgd-BBGsn57wDyfKNOZfR7HJ_QtQm/s1600/DSCN1757.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0NTYoB-HltV7Oobzh39w7_RIx6rk1IflReVBNH4nUlwm4DjLcMnIdZGM69NrTQkdXsAFVHRXnUziy85-RSkOqOxmLiRlWv66gzZFk57kJoXJyF5Zxgd-BBGsn57wDyfKNOZfR7HJ_QtQm/s400/DSCN1757.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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There are some wonderful party design sites on the web and I love to look through their amazing ideas for decorations and food. But here's the truth, kids could care less if you label the food with matching labels and color coordinate your table. Kids want to have fun and a party without activities will quickly become a nightmare for all involved. Since I had 40 (yes, you read that right!) kids on the invite list, never mind their parents and siblings, I knew I had to have lots of activities and have them spread throughout the house. My house is not that big and is chopped into rooms instead of the more modern large living/dining/kitchen area that can fit lots of people at once. The picture below shows the sign that greeted guests as they came in. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT5B1OdEteTDT5chcIByADhrmSFlAZBWowpMpu09hFipwahnj2FDgrEGIZGA6v10p2PBqXS73jvmvkb06rP1zujrutVJSD8g8HXM3mXbSpOtiiM7erBY-2j_Ge1-CqH9KmafSNqOsfxJpE/s1600/DSCN1753.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT5B1OdEteTDT5chcIByADhrmSFlAZBWowpMpu09hFipwahnj2FDgrEGIZGA6v10p2PBqXS73jvmvkb06rP1zujrutVJSD8g8HXM3mXbSpOtiiM7erBY-2j_Ge1-CqH9KmafSNqOsfxJpE/s400/DSCN1753.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Each activity followed in the pajama party theme. The most ambitious project was to make each child a pillowcase with their name on it. I bought 14 yards of inexpensive white fabric and cut it in one foot sections. Using the fabric edge as the top seam, I simply sewed up the two sides and flipped the case inside out. Obviously these cases wouldn't fit standard size pillows but they were fun to decorate with stickers and could hold the treasures the kids collected in another activity. Mom and I cut every kid's name out of the cheetah print fabric in either purple, pink, or brown. I used Steam-A-Seal 2 Double Stick Fusible Webing to first iron the webbing to the print fabric, then the letters to the pillowcase. I didn't give myself time to reinforce these letters by stitching but it would have been a good idea as some of the letters started coming off at the party. I had debated printing the letters for each child's name on the computer but writing it out by hand was actually pretty cute! I attached a couple of pictures so it looks pretty doable. It really was!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd-9e2NGIqkF_jlV6BDTtB1Q9pCawxUbZnmENNIq3fe50SyNUsy8NtpBcpxhSb239ndTHHUJq-LdRS_aOS32AFA3P-9k3a8YIfamCcXTl0I5MnnSysP-gPBe_FkS06WCkHmG-_nOAIdRYk/s1600/DSCN1755.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd-9e2NGIqkF_jlV6BDTtB1Q9pCawxUbZnmENNIq3fe50SyNUsy8NtpBcpxhSb239ndTHHUJq-LdRS_aOS32AFA3P-9k3a8YIfamCcXTl0I5MnnSysP-gPBe_FkS06WCkHmG-_nOAIdRYk/s400/DSCN1755.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I took an extra queen mattress and put it in the middle of the floor in Rylynn's room and let the kids jump on it. We let the kids play in Eyrleigh's room and set out her toys. We turned on Dinosaur Train, her favorite PBS show in the office, for kids to watch if they wanted. My dad, who generally hides during parties, hid out in our room with some stuffed animals and buckets. He had fun showing kids how to play Stuffed Animal Horseshoes! The kids favorite activity was probably the treasure hunt in our backyard. We gave each child a flashlight (the super-cheap ones at Oriental Trading) and sent them into the backyard to look for treasures in the dark. Thankfully our yard is fenced in and the pool is on the deck so it was a relatively safe activity. The treasures were those glass beads you put in vases to hold plants, some silly bands on clearance, and a few bags of small decorative shell you can buy at the craft store for a few dollars a bag. The kids loved them!<br />
After the cake, we had all the kids move to the living room and we showed the birthday episode from the cute series "Harold and the Purple Crayon". As the kids left, we gave them a bag with a book ($1 books from Scholastic), Oreo cookies, and a carton of milk. </div>
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I was really happy with how the party went. It was a bit crowded and we forgot to tell our friend, Jennifer, who was taking pictures that our camera has a manual flash, so none of the midparty pictures turned out at all but really it was a success! The picture shows the almost 30 pairs of pajamas that we were able to donate to the Pajama Project for kids in need. How cool is that!</div>
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Mary Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10835231359069293911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616676331282688945.post-9439247217990476732011-10-27T20:48:00.000-07:002011-11-30T16:24:58.676-08:00Pumpkins and Pinterest-10/27/11<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlf_HjMmdoFhGwfmfWYTpl6Ic3mzyyRLbP16hyphenhyphenAHTfAy2FKrRwGUmo4cr81VSDGQWPNAMueVzttRY6UBMf-xQMbl4zgbpeIcYEv1831fBI9BBDf1iL6Tw_eHv-rGduB6irAXWZm06Bu8oT/s1600/Mommyspumpkin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlf_HjMmdoFhGwfmfWYTpl6Ic3mzyyRLbP16hyphenhyphenAHTfAy2FKrRwGUmo4cr81VSDGQWPNAMueVzttRY6UBMf-xQMbl4zgbpeIcYEv1831fBI9BBDf1iL6Tw_eHv-rGduB6irAXWZm06Bu8oT/s320/Mommyspumpkin.jpg" width="297" /></a> Ever since I began this blogging thing I've wanted to post my own recipe on "Cooking Mag Mommy". I struggle with one big question though. What makes a recipe mine? When am I no longer copying the ideas of others and coming up with something "original" to me? I mean...bake at 350. Not exactly a novel idea! Tonight I made a pumpkin pull-apart bread adapted from a recipe I found through pinterest.com on the blog, "Sunny Side Up in San Diego". <a href="http://jessicainsd.blogspot.com/2011/09/pull-apart-cinnamon-sugar-pumpkin-bread.html#comment-form">recipe link here</a> Earlier this week, I had made a Garlic Parmesan Pull-Apart Bread I found on the blog "The Pastry Affair" using tastespotting.com, another awesome site I've been using to find great recipes on blogs. <a href="http://jessicainsd.blogspot.com/2011/09/pull-apart-cinnamon-sugar-pumpkin-bread.html">recipe link here</a> The recipe I came up with used measurements and cooking techniques from both recipes but the finished product really was its own recipe. And it was really good! Richard and I ate over 1/2 of it while watching the World Series tonight.<br />
Here's my recipe! I'm so proud...<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Cinnamon Sugar <span style="font-weight: bold;">Pull-Apart </span>Pumpkin Bread with Rum-Soaked Raisins</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2jMWu3jwqWSpo25iPPeNe3CfgCIY8N1n-CF33opDPM5dQ1C3Jy_t3pj2b0ICg9dzKJh7zY2os8jqvI0JY-XqcD5BB2p9yN20HNEtRy8u4ewSP94hoTEvLcQCi-YCDYGW6hjf4cS7nn4IV/s1600/DSCN1535.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><em><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2jMWu3jwqWSpo25iPPeNe3CfgCIY8N1n-CF33opDPM5dQ1C3Jy_t3pj2b0ICg9dzKJh7zY2os8jqvI0JY-XqcD5BB2p9yN20HNEtRy8u4ewSP94hoTEvLcQCi-YCDYGW6hjf4cS7nn4IV/s320/DSCN1535.JPG" width="320" /></em></a><em>6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, divided</em><br />
<em>1/2 cup milk</em><br />
<em>2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast</em><br />
<em>11/4 cups sugar, divided</em><br />
<em>3 cups all-purpose flour</em><br />
<em>1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree</em><br />
<em>1 teaspoon salt</em><br />
<em>2 teaspoons cinnamon</em><br />
<em>1/2 teaspoon nutmeg</em><br />
<em>1/4 cup rum (optional)</em><br />
<em>1/3 cup raisins (optional)</em><br />
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<em>Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour melted butter into large bowl then heat milk to warm in same saucepan. Add milk to the melted butter. Cool milk/butter mixture to warm (between 100 and 110 degrees) then add the yeast and 1/4 cup of sugar. Let this yeast mixture sit until foamy, up to 10 minutes. Add the the pumpkin, salt, and 2 cups of flour. Stir by hand or mix in stand mixer with dough attachment until combined. Add the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time and knead by hand or machine for 6 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Put dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap or towel. Allow to rise in warm draft free area until doubled in size (an hour to an hour and a half). While dough is rising, soak raisins in rum in a small bowl if desired.<br />
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Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. Mix the the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in another small bowl. (If you choose to add rum soaked raisins, add them to the cinnamon sugar mixture.) Spray the bottom of a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.<br />
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Punch down dough and pull off small spoonful size pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a ball and dip in melted butter. Then roll each ball in cinnamon sugar mixture and put in bundt pan, covering the bottom with the small balls of dough. When all the dough has been rolled in cinnamon sugar and placed snugly in the pan, cover the pan with a clean towel and let rise for 30-45 minutes.<br />
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the bread for 30-35 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes in pan then turn carefully onto wire rack or plate, then flip onto other plate or rack so bread holds its shape. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.</em><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs6hVlQQmkLVtcdxZeMAhpX7wJWV_ItHl_8dMzodwkGdISr0jOb0BXhhwHmbLly-AR19hm6pqckVj6W1G4XIirbww1qBgwP8EA4or0lwxEeToPip8fFCjBmZ4LTMYXaewi035qpMDr-yX5/s1600/DSCN1540.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs6hVlQQmkLVtcdxZeMAhpX7wJWV_ItHl_8dMzodwkGdISr0jOb0BXhhwHmbLly-AR19hm6pqckVj6W1G4XIirbww1qBgwP8EA4or0lwxEeToPip8fFCjBmZ4LTMYXaewi035qpMDr-yX5/s320/DSCN1540.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
This yummy bread recipe was not the only pumpkin inspiration I've had of late. The very top picture is Rylynn looking all ready for Halloween with a cute shirt from her grandma and an adorable pumpkin hat. I whipped up that hat last week and have made two more since for several friends who have kids Rylynn's age. It's so cute and easy. I found the directions through pinterest.com, on a blog titled "My Bountiful Life". I linked her free pattern here. <a href="http://www.billi-jean.com/blog/?page_id=390">pumpkin hat pattern link here</a> <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhO_rC1FX77LhDofJnB0DZ5ahRMYv6tNBmldc7wkzuiz11asWXJ8ElOd8jBMMRLff9eC_PdgvxbD6r1dMXGcU8h6_yu1TZr3XW6BijBwC2PAxZ96j0MjcCFAU8i8VLn_pq_ebALYRHPyXf/s1600/DSCN1502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhO_rC1FX77LhDofJnB0DZ5ahRMYv6tNBmldc7wkzuiz11asWXJ8ElOd8jBMMRLff9eC_PdgvxbD6r1dMXGcU8h6_yu1TZr3XW6BijBwC2PAxZ96j0MjcCFAU8i8VLn_pq_ebALYRHPyXf/s320/DSCN1502.JPG" width="320" /></a>I couldn't post about all my fun pumpkin themed projects without putting in a picture of my two favorite pumpkins all dressed up in their Halloween costumes. There is some debate between Richard and I about how exactly we came up with the idea to do slightly irreverent matching costumes for the girls. I'm sure you can tell from the picture but we convinced Eyrleigh to be a scuba diver (anything but a princess!). I found some great ideas...on pinterest...that involved her own black clothes, soda bottles, and duck tape. She looks great, though I seriously doubt she'll wear the goggles over her eyes at all! We found a infant shark costume at Old Navy for Rylynn and for my favorite part of the whole thing, I made Ry a little sign that says "Give my sister candy or I bite". I posted this same picture on Facebook and everyone loved it!Mary Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10835231359069293911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616676331282688945.post-48633711427819381192011-10-25T12:49:00.000-07:002011-10-25T12:56:37.724-07:00Great Halloween Read-Alouds-10/25/11<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5n0B5MU8K5ZeM_5HyXFacTjbK2y9Q4IkJG-GIForXhIvrAN8gkeXrtU_-Q2htFatqJaIfc3fiGQuPdB7bMnOTzBwaUWoN6_c89dqedLhw3bDUo9HvKBj8XjD6eDN-caCk2wlM1cjjMWH3/s1600/DSCN1485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5n0B5MU8K5ZeM_5HyXFacTjbK2y9Q4IkJG-GIForXhIvrAN8gkeXrtU_-Q2htFatqJaIfc3fiGQuPdB7bMnOTzBwaUWoN6_c89dqedLhw3bDUo9HvKBj8XjD6eDN-caCk2wlM1cjjMWH3/s320/DSCN1485.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>There will not be a single mention of food or cooking in this entire post...wait, that was a mention! Oh well...<br />
With Halloween right around the corner, I wanted to put in my votes for great Halloween read-alouds for preschoolers. These are my current favorites to read to Eyrleigh and Rylynn and I'm planning on bringing them along to E's preschool class party on Monday. <u>Room on the Broom</u> by Julia Donaldson has all the qualities of a great preschool read-aloud. It has a wonderful rhyming cadence and a repetative story that is easy for young children to follow. There is even a "group participation" posibility if you want the kids to pipe up as the broom "whoosh"es away. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQhb7NlbnLbH77Cs81dKXQKi3am4zOQ7Z88St9OiK4_84WGQO4kSbq07guQd641TDLbwp3zOSS7peSKG3cgJNYMFPFV_ajx1kvglIQP_kmpGy6QFx-AdRBhJowHvOKf-2LbMmTLWzXsKyV/s1600/DSCN1486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQhb7NlbnLbH77Cs81dKXQKi3am4zOQ7Z88St9OiK4_84WGQO4kSbq07guQd641TDLbwp3zOSS7peSKG3cgJNYMFPFV_ajx1kvglIQP_kmpGy6QFx-AdRBhJowHvOKf-2LbMmTLWzXsKyV/s320/DSCN1486.JPG" width="320" /></a>Last year I bought <u>The Spooky Wheels on the Bus</u> by J. Elizabeth Mills from the Scholastic Book Fair. Sung to the tune of the more traditional "Wheels on the Bus", this story is a great one for preschoolers and a reader who can sing. Using the numbers one through ten and Halloween themed bus "parts" and riders, the whole class can sing and act out this story together. This one is great for a party where sitting and listening just isn't in the cards. The kids can sing, wiggle, and make all the silly noises they want and still be a part of the activity.</div><br />
<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI2saab6ZU-2FcHpnesva1qYJNm4ofvqD9qsHTDFFo0RBUGYYN-sMdB24bYwKUApq7f-G7Ltyqy4A2gsOwisH1Oewe1GzFJeGm85RmWpDC9yTT40xPF7B15K6o7QbVre_W8r7ehJUyXvW2/s1600/DSCN1487.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI2saab6ZU-2FcHpnesva1qYJNm4ofvqD9qsHTDFFo0RBUGYYN-sMdB24bYwKUApq7f-G7Ltyqy4A2gsOwisH1Oewe1GzFJeGm85RmWpDC9yTT40xPF7B15K6o7QbVre_W8r7ehJUyXvW2/s320/DSCN1487.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><u>The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything</u> by Linda Williams is not a novel pick by any means. Almost every list I found of Halloween read-alouds included this classic. Don't worry though, kids could hear this one 100 times and still have fun. The repeating actions of the scary pumpkin man are great to keep kids engaged and acting out as the story goes along. Wiggling, shaking, nodding, and clapping is sure to keep little listeners engaged in the story and though the pumpkin man is a little scary for the really little ones, the ending is cute and not at all frightening.<br />
<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3OnlMnL59nw1G7ebx_JCDKjDqWpS1KdugDFW2_wKexdkrs3YcdY42FWq-RNw_ies3NmGwf91WVnOYbqgIGc5ieekNOzycezX8o5CjXpeSKSD5Q5kqkLn5cvubEwdvhNHXyBAl_HPgu-Zc/s1600/DSCN1488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3OnlMnL59nw1G7ebx_JCDKjDqWpS1KdugDFW2_wKexdkrs3YcdY42FWq-RNw_ies3NmGwf91WVnOYbqgIGc5ieekNOzycezX8o5CjXpeSKSD5Q5kqkLn5cvubEwdvhNHXyBAl_HPgu-Zc/s320/DSCN1488.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><u>10 Trick-or-Treaters: A Halloween Counting Book</u> by Janet Schulman was a new one to me this year but I'm adding it to the repetoire. The rhyming verses and the counting back from 10 to 1 are great for a preschool class. The kids are just beginning to recognize numbers and this book has big contrasting numbers on each page that kids can see. Using their rhyming skills and the visual numbers, most 3 and 4-year-olds should be able to shout out the appropriate number as the story goes along. It's a great way to reinforce number recognition in a really fun story.<br />
These are just 4 great read-alouds and I hope to find a few more in time for the preschool party next year! Reading other reviewers, I think I need to find <u>In The Haunted House</u> by Eve Bunting and <u>Pumpkin Eye</u> by Denise Fleming. Have a great week reading to your kids!Mary Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10835231359069293911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616676331282688945.post-69608119129864111072011-10-25T12:03:00.000-07:002011-10-25T12:07:31.118-07:00Christmas In October-10/25/11<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcf5JmDUg691IaKpVkn0JkKyNiV2Wn-PUoF35N948vvIhAbzmH9kubowVCmPbtyAoUoaCQuxc5xeB0Erenq_KEJpzBv4ZY23ytAeddpK0ZI6-mnHIzTcjOq5MTV0Iq3W1TG2s0fp01pMzB/s1600/6008976900105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcf5JmDUg691IaKpVkn0JkKyNiV2Wn-PUoF35N948vvIhAbzmH9kubowVCmPbtyAoUoaCQuxc5xeB0Erenq_KEJpzBv4ZY23ytAeddpK0ZI6-mnHIzTcjOq5MTV0Iq3W1TG2s0fp01pMzB/s400/6008976900105.jpg" width="400" /></a>I've blogged since 2008 but in the last few months, I've finally started following other blogs. I've discovered something about myself. I am hopelessly into themes. Maybe it's the teacher in me but everything is more fun in themes...themed parties, themed food, themed lessons. I know there is a large and vocal group of people that find themes cheesy but I (and may I add, Martha Stewart) am not one of them. I love things all tied together around one central idea. That's why I've had so much fun with Eyrleigh's parties and what I've become really addicted to looking at on blogs that show parties all centered around everything from apples to zebras.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEhfayYwlkR3CT3iHvwMjdxUCixFaKj_2OQCpVXnd92DYlM0grU7_Oa_gaQA2fksDaN0MMM_UJlYQAQfxspTEDLoQh85Ieui_3cn-OsP7HAgk9fjFvprSrmbh9EE-5UeSY_xH56yYCpFSx/s1600/8905086900105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEhfayYwlkR3CT3iHvwMjdxUCixFaKj_2OQCpVXnd92DYlM0grU7_Oa_gaQA2fksDaN0MMM_UJlYQAQfxspTEDLoQh85Ieui_3cn-OsP7HAgk9fjFvprSrmbh9EE-5UeSY_xH56yYCpFSx/s400/8905086900105.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>My last blog post was a seriously tardy review of our Halloween party and this post will continue that. Here is a quick summary of our Christmas party LAST year complete with allergy friendly food ideas, a game, a craft, and some fun Christmas stories.<br />
The photo above is our table setup. Now that I've spent hours looking at all these classy party purveyors, I see we are pretty amateur but this is for two-year-old preschool class and not wealthy paying clients. I actually left my camera in the car for this party so I had to get my pictures from Lori. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTWkl4D-9zBjbYADBNb7W0TQRQwvR3oVcfUp0oRpjuSlM_GCu01KyFv0R0lT4GEXCA-7021svOjM68zR6PM0KOhWNkw4BX-5kiBNa2tr7ax4tgP-AUa-Td-ERIeTOpZSVcaCrYmivRzwP-/s1600/8943876900105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTWkl4D-9zBjbYADBNb7W0TQRQwvR3oVcfUp0oRpjuSlM_GCu01KyFv0R0lT4GEXCA-7021svOjM68zR6PM0KOhWNkw4BX-5kiBNa2tr7ax4tgP-AUa-Td-ERIeTOpZSVcaCrYmivRzwP-/s400/8943876900105.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Here are some of the cool things we did to make the food more fun. The fruit for the party was threaded on kabobs and stuck in a whole pineapple. If you look closely you can see the star fruit at the ends to give a Christmas look to our fruit tree. We also made little ham sandwiches. Jacob, Lori's son, has outgrown his wheat allergy and can have certain breads if they are made without milk products. We cut these little sandwiches in tree shapes with a cookie cutter. Like at the Halloween party, we made Jello Christmas bells in red and green and even cut out candy cane shapes from corn tortillas and fried them for chips. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrDvipGsywUSEZ7s549JvUxQCNec4P6g7kLRaEjgpDN3_zZaClknKq3Gy5VyMsVoGUxjlZ7auE_KfVjWIdV5adZqUXAkdnqdFfyzVkHUr-gBLzxxL4RncaQRzDpKbVfMrCG_z9flV4-r6f/s1600/8698976900105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrDvipGsywUSEZ7s549JvUxQCNec4P6g7kLRaEjgpDN3_zZaClknKq3Gy5VyMsVoGUxjlZ7auE_KfVjWIdV5adZqUXAkdnqdFfyzVkHUr-gBLzxxL4RncaQRzDpKbVfMrCG_z9flV4-r6f/s400/8698976900105.jpg" width="400" /></a>Lori took some good closeups of our most creative additions to the food. We made little popcorn snowmen for the kids to take home. Basically, we made these much like Rice Krispie treats. We melted marshmallows, mixed it with popcorn, and rolled the popcorn into two balls. We used raisins for eyes, fruit leather cut into strips for a scarf, pretzel rods for arms, and Skittles for buttons. They were really cute and fun to eat. Lori also made some adorable Christmas mice. She used Enjoy Life chocolate cookies and dipped one half in melted baking chocolate (also from Enjoy Life Foods). The ears are sunflower seeds and the tails are red licorice rope. She even made a snowy bed of coconut. So cute!</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6WCGwt39rHjhYmJFegWumv_BxZ4zO7_XcJl1Z7kxUxCur5ThBpb89PLnf9YsoCKGcRz0OhhNSwPLer1wnO6EEubAw6lm4EL92xr5w-FT4N8JctkmM6GAwrGoo7L6m94isyQ2TE07OeEry/s1600/2420386900105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6WCGwt39rHjhYmJFegWumv_BxZ4zO7_XcJl1Z7kxUxCur5ThBpb89PLnf9YsoCKGcRz0OhhNSwPLer1wnO6EEubAw6lm4EL92xr5w-FT4N8JctkmM6GAwrGoo7L6m94isyQ2TE07OeEry/s400/2420386900105.jpg" width="400" /></a>Our craft went perfectly. The little Christmas mouse you see Jacob holding was was easy for the kids to assemble. The mom who made them cut out a red mouse shape from felt (basically a teardrop shape) and put two slits near the pointed end. She then cut out green ears (basically a dumbbell shape) that could be slipped through the slits in the red. The children were given two eyes and a small white pompom for a nose to glue on themselves. The candy cane attached by sliding into the loop created by the ears on the underside. The kids thought these were great and they didn't take a lot of parental assistance.<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFIEJtqI4mMIqW8olaavpOLSjsxm7mjVEdPDi7imIsOX6-5l9g1MJIHPYqAzC0l0SPWLf9C5Im43d7qJit0boQKjcHkWL96QQmade2Z_FpeeAH6S5VeoZmkXs8P0UlxCGjThWOmcu4otuc/s1600/3720386900105-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFIEJtqI4mMIqW8olaavpOLSjsxm7mjVEdPDi7imIsOX6-5l9g1MJIHPYqAzC0l0SPWLf9C5Im43d7qJit0boQKjcHkWL96QQmade2Z_FpeeAH6S5VeoZmkXs8P0UlxCGjThWOmcu4otuc/s400/3720386900105-1.jpg" width="400" /></a>Our game was actually a repeat of one we played with the kids at Halloween...and I completely forgot to explain in that post. We choose a fast beat Christmas song, I think "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree". (At Halloween, we did the Monster Mash and Ghostbusters.) We placed two different Christmas themed shapes on the floor with enough of each one for each child. (Here you see we did gingerbread men and trains, at Halloween I did pumpkins and ghosts) We played the song and got the kids dancing then quickly stopped the music and shouted one of the two shapes. The kids had to run and stomp on the shape we called....kind of like musical chairs with no losers. The kids got to dance around and work on shape recognition and following directions. It was fun!</div><div style="text-align: left;">We read a few holiday stories too. <u>The Night Before Christmas</u> is always a great one and I have a beautiful pop-up one by <span class="ptBrand">by Clement C. Moore and Niroot Puttapipat. <u>Snowmen at Christmas</u> by Caralyn and Mark Buehner has cute rhyming and is easy for little kids to follow. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQCSu0NytXkdYvo6osk3YuAgOhBHAA5E7wIQP3G-09fD2Xj96CjmJ-vAjd2LZUFHlgf81dW5HJBsKmPgU7FvyT4sm_MTwNtGroHHx_VTH49SQix5cREtOsYu8dBERTxNn9E2JAzd2b9Cko/s1600/7053876900105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQCSu0NytXkdYvo6osk3YuAgOhBHAA5E7wIQP3G-09fD2Xj96CjmJ-vAjd2LZUFHlgf81dW5HJBsKmPgU7FvyT4sm_MTwNtGroHHx_VTH49SQix5cREtOsYu8dBERTxNn9E2JAzd2b9Cko/s400/7053876900105.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="ptBrand">This final picture is just for laughs. Eyrleigh and Jacob are usually at school while Lori and I make the party food but because of timing, they played while we worked the day before the party. This adorable picture is the two of them playing in the Jello scraps after we cut out the bells. They ate some, they smashed some, and basically had a blast. Gotta love them!</span></div>Mary Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10835231359069293911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616676331282688945.post-25634969207231510142011-08-16T12:16:00.000-07:002011-08-16T12:16:22.055-07:00Halloween in August-8/14/11<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9haXPirnr5KrfYwTdsGR6wxgFsSabJD2o7ZQ6EoWSy3fi9cvuttM2KxWlrdX__lM3-JXUSL7D8j2oP7MzmkTeGmRKc26kmKREwr5SMIwhX7kNI9Db_pF0e90ktjKPT7quMQSEMXI9OFQ/s1600/DSCN0747.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9haXPirnr5KrfYwTdsGR6wxgFsSabJD2o7ZQ6EoWSy3fi9cvuttM2KxWlrdX__lM3-JXUSL7D8j2oP7MzmkTeGmRKc26kmKREwr5SMIwhX7kNI9Db_pF0e90ktjKPT7quMQSEMXI9OFQ/s320/DSCN0747.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> I'm sure you've heard of Christmas in July...but Halloween in August? And what cooking magazine is doing that theme? Well no, Halloween in August is not a new trend, and no cooking magazine is doing a spread on it. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyeyxs4EMMdlmFjyny8N_K4anFdytzedBggh_GQeHtXQwJQp5GrA6FNgaMFJRK6v7D8CM9-jx-m1ZS6w-kkNQnAWI6frYvGugoHbIv-gCIrNMPey9XdePLdSCuh5i4s4Uf7bWPRsyoszvp/s1600/IMG_4124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyeyxs4EMMdlmFjyny8N_K4anFdytzedBggh_GQeHtXQwJQp5GrA6FNgaMFJRK6v7D8CM9-jx-m1ZS6w-kkNQnAWI6frYvGugoHbIv-gCIrNMPey9XdePLdSCuh5i4s4Uf7bWPRsyoszvp/s320/IMG_4124.JPG" width="320" /></a> I've loved doing the cooking magazine reviews each month in the past but for a number of reasons, I've decided to change it up a bit on my blog. Sure, I'll still review recipes from cooking magazine, though I won't necessarily use a current issue or even a magazine recipe. For example, tonight I made Sweet Potato and Zucchini Bread ( <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sweet-Potato-and-Zucchini-Bread-2674">link here</a>) from a November 1992 issue of Bon Appetit. I do save old cooking magazine but not that old. I found this recipe on Epicurious, my favorite recipe site. (<a href="http://www.epicurious.com/">link here</a>) I had zucchini and sweet potatoes and simply put both words in their search box. This recipe is for bread but you can see I made muffins and had great results too. This was actually the second time I did this recipe this week. Earlier I made bread and learned a little bit more about how to make this recipe successful. First of all, make sure you do not add more than the recommended amount of zucchini or sweet potato. It doesn't bake up well and is very wet. Also, the reviewers on the site are right. Use less sugar, I used a cup and a half instead of two and you can reduce the oil to 1/2 cup or use 1 stick of softened butter. I made these muffins with 1 cup white flour and 1cup whole wheat and it worked just as well as all white. These are a great bread muffin for any time of the year and since zucchini is cheap right now, give them a try.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdqkaqkvPIL6ZjH_Zi3_5YiPgVmZwkp58of1XhHzvPHZ0ehCZtzdKeb9mQwjiBAuclr4oN5Y16NAu2qLcY1egEfklf66rPNG8yV3ogDd8uX2kpP2vTGJ9kFP0oz9EuOtFD0_nRBjWzyLxa/s1600/IMG_4132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdqkaqkvPIL6ZjH_Zi3_5YiPgVmZwkp58of1XhHzvPHZ0ehCZtzdKeb9mQwjiBAuclr4oN5Y16NAu2qLcY1egEfklf66rPNG8yV3ogDd8uX2kpP2vTGJ9kFP0oz9EuOtFD0_nRBjWzyLxa/s320/IMG_4132.JPG" width="320" /></a>Wait, you say, what about the title...and these random Halloween pictures? Well, I wasn't kidding about mixing it up. I will be adding some new elements to this blog and I'll start by harkening back to last Halloween. I told you in the previous post that one of the things that kept me busy while I was ignoring blogging over the last year was being a room mom for Eyrleigh's preschool. As room mom I, along with the other room moms, am in charge of the 4 classroom parties for the year. As a teacher, I loved coordinating our class parties but found them pretty stressful. I had to keep kids busy, moms happy, all while planning around teaching "real" subjects like math and reading. Being a room mom for Eyrleigh's class, all I had to do was plan the parties and boy, is that fun!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUE1HLnEQhcvk63KgcNhlgYam2ryDPtQQ7zak9Qr1YUTkg5NP34t1isGjaLk9VG3m5aVMc_7klm1GIhLOwXqthcCBzpiFVxEUn-BwcBNlLKVXd1yyR0Rq9svxXsGBpwsIQQmrd2nMsfCJK/s1600/IMG_4130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUE1HLnEQhcvk63KgcNhlgYam2ryDPtQQ7zak9Qr1YUTkg5NP34t1isGjaLk9VG3m5aVMc_7klm1GIhLOwXqthcCBzpiFVxEUn-BwcBNlLKVXd1yyR0Rq9svxXsGBpwsIQQmrd2nMsfCJK/s320/IMG_4130.JPG" width="320" /></a>One of my close friends and fellow room moms is the parent of a little boy in Eyrleigh's class. This adorable little guy, Jacob, has lots of food allergies and Lori wanted our parties, understandably, to include only foods Jacob could eat. So our parties had to be fun and yummy while avoiding nuts, eggs, dairy, and wheat. <br />
The Halloween party was the first party of the year and Lori and I agreed that it made sense to make all the food ourselves in Lori's kitchen to ensure there was no cross-contamination or accidental allergens. So instead of asking for food from parents, we asked for a $5 donation per party to defray costs. This worked pretty well, although we often spent more than $60 because some of the items were pricier specialty items. <br />
The first Halloween themed picture above is just simple gift boxes I made for Eyrleigh's teachers. I bought cheap wooden boxes at Michael's, painted them black, wrapped them with Halloween ribbon, and glued on some cut-outs that were on sale. I filled the boxes with Halloween candy and had Eyrleigh give them to Ms. Tracy and Ms. Kathy. I was a teacher so I'm big on little teacher gifts.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4E-PCiYRWJUAKn5OGX8JYahxc2_CD4yWZG0dXpf6vpEI_-MG1xm_sF-NGo0eA-HI0z09wflC8Sh_6TddZFKrn69bvfxjKds2TPrgaZzVhW4fJUWhFCV0SZ0jG8C-Tle-vvq4e8PwTxC_/s1600/IMG_4134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4E-PCiYRWJUAKn5OGX8JYahxc2_CD4yWZG0dXpf6vpEI_-MG1xm_sF-NGo0eA-HI0z09wflC8Sh_6TddZFKrn69bvfxjKds2TPrgaZzVhW4fJUWhFCV0SZ0jG8C-Tle-vvq4e8PwTxC_/s320/IMG_4134.JPG" width="320" /></a>The second picture is the kids' gift bags. The plastic cauldrons I've had forever and I have no idea where I got them. The bags were actually Walmart. I am NOT a Walmart fan but I have to say their Halloween stuff this year was pretty cute. We filled the bag with a pencil, bubbles, erasers, and Dum Dum candies (allergy friendly), again all from Walmart.<br />
The best part of the party was of course, the food. Lori was the creative genius on this one. She uses websites to research which foods not only do not contain allergens but carry no risk of cross-contamination (products made on same equipment as those with allergens). One of the best candy companies for allergy friendly foods is Spangler Candies. The cupcakes pictured above are actually Spangler Candy Peanuts (<a href="http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&cp=13&gs_id=1b&xhr=t&q=candy+peanuts&qe=Y2FuZHkgcGVhbnVzdA&qesig=ISvQ5jRSvw7GKz6TIo_CxA&pkc=AFgZ2tm7YKVjafQaJJ6KRNlQZsfu7MsgFo5IbuLTAaKzhnalaCJlPh51W15Pwu-JJJtdVmYm9Uof7bglhaFxDKOY2cbAoFJaIQ&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=1600&bih=730&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=15401173963448912560&sa=X&ei=HX1ITqyFJs-r0AHimo3jBg&sqi=2&ved=0CEIQ8wIwAQ">link here</a>) on top of Cherrybrook Gluten Free Cupcakes (<a href="http://www.cherrybrookkitchen.com/products/gf_choccake.php">link here</a>) with Cherrybrook Chocolate Frosting (<a href="http://www.cherrybrookkitchen.com/products/chocfrost.php">link here</a>). The pumpkin stems are Glutino pretzels (<a href="http://www.glutino.com/">link here</a>). These cupcakes are super cute and everyone can eat them.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2CPw7zcayZPRMV456g9gkEDcKXlZuP-LmilvLD8p-Q-k7Kx4y23E7VPdxXHfPhiBzX3WhhKuwZFL1EEQP0l2rUaCbQAKtMoCHfAVndRDjICI89WSgLfzygeGSD1NpKIT8-x-1R9_ql-Vt/s1600/IMG_4137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2CPw7zcayZPRMV456g9gkEDcKXlZuP-LmilvLD8p-Q-k7Kx4y23E7VPdxXHfPhiBzX3WhhKuwZFL1EEQP0l2rUaCbQAKtMoCHfAVndRDjICI89WSgLfzygeGSD1NpKIT8-x-1R9_ql-Vt/s320/IMG_4137.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> It's hard to see the detail in the next picture but we made our own chips for the kids. These were the simplest part of the whole meal. All we did was use a bat cookie cutter to cut out corn tortillas and fried them in oil. We used vegetable oil since Jacob is not allergic to soy, the main ingredient in most vegetable oils.<br />
Another simple part of our party meal were the Jello pumpkins. Again, we just made a batch of Jello and used pumpkin cookie cutters to cut out the shapes. Our preschool is associated with a Methodist church so none of our students had pork restrictions. If you have vegetarian, Jewish, or Muslim students who can't have gelatin, here is a link for pork-free gelatin <a href="http://www.koshergelatin.com/">here</a>. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVtR2oteeuqRSESkbESVVN9rLZlSUk0CCu7wTdmziKS6G5Fd-b13e-4XXcv2MkAoNNQgSlP478vdNmHauJ5pUXi6ymewIo_z2Yz3C0FFrWDU0mFiHbI48L2mT7HfPAIxmV0WTesfC-BFX1/s1600/IMG_4131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVtR2oteeuqRSESkbESVVN9rLZlSUk0CCu7wTdmziKS6G5Fd-b13e-4XXcv2MkAoNNQgSlP478vdNmHauJ5pUXi6ymewIo_z2Yz3C0FFrWDU0mFiHbI48L2mT7HfPAIxmV0WTesfC-BFX1/s320/IMG_4131.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>My favorite cute food of the whole party was also one of the healthiest. We cut the tops of oranges and took the segments out which, with a bit of practice, was easier than you would think. I used a grapefruit spoon to get it started then pulled out the "orange part" and the white pith around it. We then cute out eyes, nose, and mouth just like you would a pumpkin. They made the cutest little fruit cups.<br />
I don't know why I didn't get a picture of this but Lori also made meatballs as a main dish for both the kids and adults at the party. Each child is required to have an adult attend the party so we had calculated for adults to eat as well. I found a number of allergy free meatball recipes on the web so you can find one you like through Google. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAqGxT6k8o0DA8VL-vbNt_C61hOYDuGOUjTcV9dfns3iVH-3EPiyBuKxfamrmoT5PnyyjfpalOLtn3eZhpPGmsJq37IvsUJh6BF_oo28zNWkb-r9wmprkdzmZAcvExH0aX-506F1ltndtA/s1600/DSCN0761.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAqGxT6k8o0DA8VL-vbNt_C61hOYDuGOUjTcV9dfns3iVH-3EPiyBuKxfamrmoT5PnyyjfpalOLtn3eZhpPGmsJq37IvsUJh6BF_oo28zNWkb-r9wmprkdzmZAcvExH0aX-506F1ltndtA/s320/DSCN0761.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Unlike adults who can have food alone and call it a party, things are different with a 2-year-old preschool class. We have four room moms in this class, seems a bit of overkill for a class of 12, but it's fun to work together. We agreed early to divide the party into 4 parts and each take a part. Besides food, we had a game time, craft time, and story time.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQnQP8wsec8QzhtIbO7HajP4zRpw4rQwj0hPbRs7tD7rUj-TXVfV5kRYpc4qvW9LRhGcF_3TCl32Gcg_B6b90l2FwMe9vA3xjQfxKpMe_yb322GCgNoiNXgJbfKGRVLLxe4TLPBe8n_lz/s1600/IMG_4145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQnQP8wsec8QzhtIbO7HajP4zRpw4rQwj0hPbRs7tD7rUj-TXVfV5kRYpc4qvW9LRhGcF_3TCl32Gcg_B6b90l2FwMe9vA3xjQfxKpMe_yb322GCgNoiNXgJbfKGRVLLxe4TLPBe8n_lz/s320/IMG_4145.JPG" width="320" /></a>I didn't get a picture of the craft we did. Maybe it was the excitement of the first party or just ignorance that I would want to post pictures of what we did but I got nothing. The paper plate pumpkin I show here is an example of our craft. Since this is a two-year-old class, we painted paper plates orange beforehand. With older kids you could have the kids paint them but 2-year-olds, paint, and Halloween costumes are all a very bad combination, particularly since the party was before Halloween and the costumes would be needed again in a few days for trick-or-treating. We also precut the shapes for the mouth, nose, eyes, stem, and leaves out of felt. All the kids needed to do was put the cutouts in the "right" places and glue them on. Notice right is in quotes because most kids had a very abstact looking pumpkin by the end. You could tell whose parents helped the most, let's just put it that way. We put the loose shapes for each pumpkin together in baggies so each kid had a bag of the right shapes to begin with to avoid confusion.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>I did the games so I have good pictures of those. I was pretty sure 12 kids doing one thing would be chaos at this age and I was right. It was tough enough to keep 6 of them in line so I was glad I had two games and the groups switched after a few minutes. Organized games are really tough at this age so I choose two really simple things and let them work on taking turns (also VERY tough at this age). The first game was a variation of Pin The Tail On The Donkey. I called it "Catch The Flies". I drew a spider web on large banner paper and glued on flies . Then I stuck Velcro to the backs of die-cut spiders from the School Box store. I put the fuzzy part of the Velcro on the flies and the kids had to take turns sticking a spider on a fly. I did 24 flies and spiders so each kid got to do it 4 times before they switched activities. It was super simple, not hard to explain, and they again practiced taking turns.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9SgkbN6CCgqPFQ_w64NvNfNl5-Mtfo71PPqXSwz9HzeR9MDCfIPQveyK0g0bAC6HUE7iWCq3n1-nLYZg2zhvyHVtkhc-wiBbPRjpp3tHxw4Z2h-SBU_hPzFh1W5JdxmyGPL3TbXGRoTTP/s1600/IMG_4143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9SgkbN6CCgqPFQ_w64NvNfNl5-Mtfo71PPqXSwz9HzeR9MDCfIPQveyK0g0bAC6HUE7iWCq3n1-nLYZg2zhvyHVtkhc-wiBbPRjpp3tHxw4Z2h-SBU_hPzFh1W5JdxmyGPL3TbXGRoTTP/s320/IMG_4143.JPG" width="320" /></a>The second game was also really simple. I bought a cheap piece of plywood from the hardware store and painted a large pumpkin. I cut out the eyes and the mouth and found two squishy balls we had at the house. Each child got to try to throw the balls through the pumpkin's eyes or mouth. Glad we had the parents there for this one. Guess who chased the balls?! This game just rotated through until the spider game was done and worked again on the ever difficult "taking turns".<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT9CDz7SDwuzb3ryNmYsx7tJO5_YmxNIyLInr6UM8vM-v1ZFUFaG2sX2dkQQiSczmtyINmseBuDuS4XcjMafSUgvlPPJQUsT9FLYLOmIPqjUTbTkE20ZCvAAqfRTT6DjHBq1QE5z0IpxOg/s1600/IMG_4150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT9CDz7SDwuzb3ryNmYsx7tJO5_YmxNIyLInr6UM8vM-v1ZFUFaG2sX2dkQQiSczmtyINmseBuDuS4XcjMafSUgvlPPJQUsT9FLYLOmIPqjUTbTkE20ZCvAAqfRTT6DjHBq1QE5z0IpxOg/s320/IMG_4150.JPG" width="320" /></a>We also had a story time. We actually did the story right after the food so the parents could wipe down the tables and set out the craft. We did the games last so we could do another round if we had too much time. Thankfully, our class had playground time at the very end of the day so we were able to send them out to play at the end of every party and do a good job cleaning up without corralling kids. We had a few stories too but if I remember correctly we only ended up reading one because of time and kid attention span. The one we read, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Room-Broom-Julia-Donaldson/dp/0803726570">Room on the Broom</a> by Julia Donaldson, was perfect for kids this age because it wasn't too long, had lots of rhyming, and even a part where the kids could participate. <br />
For our first party as room moms, Lori and I were really happy about how everything went. The kids loved the food,and the craft, games, and story were age appropriate and relatively successful at holding the kids attention. It's not the best picture of her but I know my little Princess Presto had a good time and she was really excited to have Mom at school with her. Happy Halloween...really late...or maybe just a bit early!<br />
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Mary Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10835231359069293911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616676331282688945.post-70097256883506382272011-08-01T18:22:00.000-07:002011-08-01T18:22:32.429-07:00Hambrick's-Party of Four!-8/1/11<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRMlj2FecClqYPeV7NmzHClcYvks8C9a2kDlpCOXeddAIAQMW30hl89z1wsPFU_LlZkD8VrtnwERoQY1sRpdXdpXNsIh1-PjY2wKfyJkx9MEemgorGyDz7pP1LcNCojqq6OCAJKPtHi8A_/s1600/DSCN0246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRMlj2FecClqYPeV7NmzHClcYvks8C9a2kDlpCOXeddAIAQMW30hl89z1wsPFU_LlZkD8VrtnwERoQY1sRpdXdpXNsIh1-PjY2wKfyJkx9MEemgorGyDz7pP1LcNCojqq6OCAJKPtHi8A_/s320/DSCN0246.JPG" t$="true" width="240" /></a>On August 24th of last year, I wrote a innocuous little post on this blog about my husband being a good sport about my creative culinary exploits. And then....nothing....for over 11 months. What happened, you may ask? Well, the picture at left tells a rather significant part of the story but not the whole thing so I'll try to summarize here in case another 11 months go by before I post again. (Okay, I will seriously try not to do that!) The year 2010 started off on the wrong foot with the loss of our fourth pregnancy (Thankfully, pregnancy #2 had resulted in Eyrleigh!) at 18 weeks. We were still reeling from the devastation of that event when my only sibling, my brother Ben, committed suicide at the end of February. Then in April, Richard's company hired a new CEO and things professionally went south from there for him. Since a blog is a public format and could therefor be accessed by anyone, including this individual, let me suffice it to say that after 9 years with the company, Richard knew his days were numbered. In November, this was further clarified by an incredibly unbelievable event that left our family and many of Richard's co-workers shaking their heads. Richard began the job search in earnest and in March of this year, took a job with a new company. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Despite a very upsetting November for us on a professional level, on November 9th, Richard's 34th birthday, we found out we were pregnant again for the final time. Some may ask how we knew this would be the final time...we knew. We had decided after the last miscarriage that we would try until the end of 2010 to have another child and if we were not pregnant or had another pregnancy loss, Richard would have surgery to make sure we were done. The stress involved in the process was not something we wanted to feel indefinately. So less than 2 months from our deadline, we began to think that Baby #2 might actually happen. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidbr4urYDhMLVfEOtE-o9TmLSM4vnmq7mrF5v1Vm9KPICnc0VdIlLmVOBcrmyrmXprPZPv3z121ynCu-z3SL43iHBcup77cUNO-JrZv5d862BcdkOKwDqKsGfzrnH1Q0ed7wkVhhXVA9On/s1600/DSCN0651.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidbr4urYDhMLVfEOtE-o9TmLSM4vnmq7mrF5v1Vm9KPICnc0VdIlLmVOBcrmyrmXprPZPv3z121ynCu-z3SL43iHBcup77cUNO-JrZv5d862BcdkOKwDqKsGfzrnH1Q0ed7wkVhhXVA9On/s320/DSCN0651.JPG" t$="true" width="320" /></a>After our past experience, this pregnancy was even more anxiety producing than the last four. I gave myself blood thinner shots daily and increased some levels of hormones and vitamins. I saw not only a regular ob, but also a high-risk specialist to make sure everything was going fine. At 32 weeks, we found out that our little girl had a sizable cyst on her ovary but it shrunk as she grew and is no longer a concern. Throughout the whole pregnancy I had an incredibly limited diet because of severe acid indigestion so my cooking creativity came screeching to a halt.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I tell all this not to say I didn't cook at all for over 11 months but to show that life began to take on a higher level of intensity and creative cooking, and therefore the blog, faded into the background. I actually looked back at my calendar for August 24th of last year and that day was the Back to School Fair for Eyrleigh's preschool. I was a room mom in Eyrleigh's class and even subbed a few times at the preschool. I really miss the creative aspects of teaching and the adult interaction of work. It was on a much lesser scale but I loved being on the "mom" side of school.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On July 8th, Rylynn Candace Hambrick was born and after several weeks of family in town and numerous meals brought by friends (some are still coming!), Saturday night was the first night we really got creative again and I was reminded of my delinquency in regards to this blog. I say "we" because the initial inspiration was Richard's. He mentioned that he felt like shrimp po'boys. At first, I was nonplussed but when he did the legwork, downloaded a recipe, and headed to the store with a list, I was getting excited. Richard actually found his recipe on the The Food Network site at this url <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aarti-sequeira/shrimp-and-pineapple-not-so-po-boys-recipe/index.html">http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aarti-sequeira/shrimp-and-pineapple-not-so-po-boys-recipe/index.html</a> .</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieoSMIV6EEfGxmd7jCAvjyggu2DXFDasnX8uPARe6KsNsrWF3B1sBCk1ZksaIY09pMZKZJQlb9t0up9nllRrdjoLsYAXULDXMD7Bkxe_rQmDJcmMmdaPyUAl9pJNJA0d72nhR3GZyZzh0a/s1600/DSCN0652.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieoSMIV6EEfGxmd7jCAvjyggu2DXFDasnX8uPARe6KsNsrWF3B1sBCk1ZksaIY09pMZKZJQlb9t0up9nllRrdjoLsYAXULDXMD7Bkxe_rQmDJcmMmdaPyUAl9pJNJA0d72nhR3GZyZzh0a/s320/DSCN0652.JPG" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div>Working together (Richard said I hijacked his recipe) with a little help from Eyrleigh, we made the pineapple relish and fried up the shrimp in cornmeal. The pineapple relish is delicious. I kept just taking spoonfuls by itself. The spices don't overwhelm the sweet but cut it perfectly. Richard fried the shrimp in cornmeal and cajun spices, Eyrleigh's got just cornmeal as she is still a bit whimpy when it comes to heat. These po'boys sure were messy but they were excellent and easy to make. I paired them with a simple pasta salad I lived on when I was pregnant. It's a bit bland but made a good compliment to the flavor packed sandwiches.<br />
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<strong>Shrimp and Pineapple Not So Po'Boy Sandwich (foodnetwork.com)- A</strong>Mary Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10835231359069293911noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616676331282688945.post-4601438130021610472010-09-07T19:04:00.000-07:002010-09-07T19:04:49.257-07:00He Even Eats Sardines-8/24/10<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTtdSokWMAvRoJdNAfcO5wwed4h3V1FlUpw2GOa2oCy43mhi3ZI9a9z35nxfvQTS8OUoKv_MTcyAPCnB0GGyysc64o7ziq3MMnukMgzl2Xyzzxz3FMUFiRAGDjjYhVewmnq5Erm_lkqcnA/s1600/Sardinespread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTtdSokWMAvRoJdNAfcO5wwed4h3V1FlUpw2GOa2oCy43mhi3ZI9a9z35nxfvQTS8OUoKv_MTcyAPCnB0GGyysc64o7ziq3MMnukMgzl2Xyzzxz3FMUFiRAGDjjYhVewmnq5Erm_lkqcnA/s320/Sardinespread.jpg" /></a>My husband is a really good sport. I was reminded on several occasions this week how many spouses, husbands in particular, would take no part in the experiment I've been blogging about for over a year and a half. Some friends came to eat last week and the wife made a point to tell me her husband did not eat vegetables. He's a great guy but I'm really glad I'm not married to him. I couldn't handle a picky eater. And I'm 100% sure a picky eater could not handle me! Another friend, after I told her what we were having for dinner, asked very incredulously if Richard would eat that. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQKE40cN4J4Wb7a34LZvTPkq5I5hVbWQCeN-BanFu4o_OKinc1Ca3N8p_U0lbtI-IQvV-sEwctcWRCvg5EI2253wnVlDlaDYpJmrri2DEQcEskkRGyItEy23aGQVCMuEK4aqUOMOU0rFd/s1600/Lambwmintpesto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQKE40cN4J4Wb7a34LZvTPkq5I5hVbWQCeN-BanFu4o_OKinc1Ca3N8p_U0lbtI-IQvV-sEwctcWRCvg5EI2253wnVlDlaDYpJmrri2DEQcEskkRGyItEy23aGQVCMuEK4aqUOMOU0rFd/s320/Lambwmintpesto.jpg" /></a>Tonight I think I found Richard's least favorite food. It's sardines. I had to eat them as a kid so though I don't love them, I can eat them. Richard took one bite of the sardine spread and asked what I had made him eat. The recipe for Grilled Monterey Sardines with Lemon and Herbs in the To Big Sur, With Love article in this month's Bon Appetit called for fresh sardines. I didn't want to search for fresh sardines, though Super H Mart or Whole Foods might carry them. I instead made the "Sardine Shortcut" recipe that followed the actual recipe and used canned sardines. As I already mentioned, Richard was less than thrilled with the dish but it was a creative use of the protein-packed fish. The food processor ground the small bones found in canned sardines and that really helped me like the dish better .</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRDZoAELqwqYbzavfJxhMXf0qBBjXDPlzavveyLYOPVO70y1RU1TJi-gcy6ejyp8_irBzh0jbzHANButU2j997OaUwkhXnuX69N4WORR66A9OwGnNNI0EMtBIqNhCHwxNec57LMASxrrHc/s1600/Walnutandbeansalad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRDZoAELqwqYbzavfJxhMXf0qBBjXDPlzavveyLYOPVO70y1RU1TJi-gcy6ejyp8_irBzh0jbzHANButU2j997OaUwkhXnuX69N4WORR66A9OwGnNNI0EMtBIqNhCHwxNec57LMASxrrHc/s320/Walnutandbeansalad.jpg" /></a>The main dish, Lamb Kebabs with Mint Pesto, underwent a major change. I didn't find an acceptable cut of lamb at my local Publix so I used beef instead. Mint often partners with lamb but I found this pesto was still excellent with beef. I love kebabs because of the distinct flavor of each element and these were excellent. I had worried that the mint pesto would be reminiscent of mint jelly, something I often find a bit too sweet. It wasn't as was a great match for the onions and peppers as well.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP3-wJZrJIx94pPHbk75lysSsTakyMX8PbuZ_zSJeeuQMLJIPHXFLVPYo2hrvtz5ldXHyVMm8cmpIOfXo5ah6txrSn5uu_D3ycTllJbrMJQhobdEVqyLJAoTY0smTechWQgr5U4e5o94Ki/s1600/Polentacakewithplumsnberries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP3-wJZrJIx94pPHbk75lysSsTakyMX8PbuZ_zSJeeuQMLJIPHXFLVPYo2hrvtz5ldXHyVMm8cmpIOfXo5ah6txrSn5uu_D3ycTllJbrMJQhobdEVqyLJAoTY0smTechWQgr5U4e5o94Ki/s320/Polentacakewithplumsnberries.jpg" /></a>The Summer Bean Salad with Toasted Walnuts and Pecorino Fresco was a simple salad with beans. I couldn't find yellow beans so I just used green beans and it worked fine. The dressing was equally simple and light. The dessert for tonight was actually three recipes in one dessert. The base was the Orange Polenta Cake, a loaf cake with the texture and taste of polenta. I had no orange peel so I added lemon peel and a bit of orange extract. It worked and gave the cake a bright orange flavor. The use of yogurt kept the cake from getting heavy and too oily. I didn't mind the extra texture of the polenta. At times, it can be almost gritty but it worked in this dessert to give depth to the cake. The Vanilla-Scented Plums and Blackberries were just what the recipe states, plums and blackberries marinated in sugar and vanilla. It was a simple but delicious topping for the polenta cake. The final touch was the Buttermilk Ice Cream. This super-smooth custard ice cream is an excellent ice cream to show off the flavors of the other elements but has enough tang to stand alone. I really like this ice cream and found it much more interesting than plain old vanilla.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Grilled Monterey Sardines with Lemon and Herbs (Sardine Shortcut)-B</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Lamb Kebabs with Mint Pesto-A</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Summer Bean Salad with Toasted Walmuts and Pecorino Fresco-B</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Orange Polenta Cake with Vanilla-Scented Plums and Blackberries and Buttermilk Ice Cream-A</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Mary Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10835231359069293911noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616676331282688945.post-92018668693646254712010-09-07T18:32:00.000-07:002010-09-07T18:32:30.708-07:00Too Much of A Good Thing-8/23/10<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_gdjdQrIXBcU_gdbC-ZZ8IQjO80GqfE0JepywqgYdE6EvbN5tUcFsHOa3HmtIXk08c-MSeYrG70Ir0Qz4pSrOYmPmyH2JCmXJPzV655vx1tsnLaeRuWMPMfjxyHGk8Z41Ljsj-6sg6jBE/s1600/Tomatotartetatin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_gdjdQrIXBcU_gdbC-ZZ8IQjO80GqfE0JepywqgYdE6EvbN5tUcFsHOa3HmtIXk08c-MSeYrG70Ir0Qz4pSrOYmPmyH2JCmXJPzV655vx1tsnLaeRuWMPMfjxyHGk8Z41Ljsj-6sg6jBE/s320/Tomatotartetatin.jpg" /></a>Last night I wrote about the corn menu in this month's Bon Appetit. Tonight, I will echo my sentiments. A menu based on a staple of summer is a great idea but sometimes there is too much of a good thing. Tomatoes may be a fruit but they do not belong in dessert. I'll begin by describing dessert first since that was the most glaring example of too much tomato. The Tomato Tarte Tatin had some key problems. First, the sugar did not caramelize in the time given. Since the dessert is inverted, it's virtually impossible to tell this before it's too late. Second, the tomato taste is still very strong. I was eating sugary stewed tomatoes on a pastry crust. Not very appetizing. Third, the amount of water released by the tomatoes made the entire dish swim in liquid. You can see the excess water around the edges of the dish in the picture. I ate a piece but then with Richard's agreement, threw this dish away immediately. It was too soggy by then to last anyway. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxvfzu7Qdcg8VrmdQbYGPC1lRDLJXHEM3TxVdePftazhWkvxLCaCuSB_g_ADc8BbilbFZHiEcUSg3Evr4zwx9AwULq6_h_j0zvRpACTprEC6JdUb9f9KEdtax_YTam91wglwxNpsc-rsFr/s1600/Tomatobruschetta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxvfzu7Qdcg8VrmdQbYGPC1lRDLJXHEM3TxVdePftazhWkvxLCaCuSB_g_ADc8BbilbFZHiEcUSg3Evr4zwx9AwULq6_h_j0zvRpACTprEC6JdUb9f9KEdtax_YTam91wglwxNpsc-rsFr/s320/Tomatobruschetta.jpg" /></a>The appetizer of Bruschetta with Rosemary, Roasted Plum Tomatoes, Ricotta, and Prosciutto was a much bigger success. You can see Eyrleigh's hand in the picture and she was pretty excited about this dish. The roasted tomatoes were simple to make and would make a great addition to lots of meals. The ricotta and shaved ham (replacing proscuitto) were excellent additions and the dressed greens on top added freshness and crunch. This was also a great visual look too with the contrast of red and green. The main dish of Seared Rib-EyeSteak with Tomato-Caper Relish<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE9ftXk9d8KDhEI3p5aQ-yIqxKs3496on7ERNC-bcHsVDREAZU0LMJCJCmEKCLxENYvPwzoZld08DiXn_iAaX4fX3k-jtmUgSiS20Xpk-kWw0apigTERknDyb6H_2fVFynQazA-cPX3wnH/s1600/Tomatorelishwithsteak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE9ftXk9d8KDhEI3p5aQ-yIqxKs3496on7ERNC-bcHsVDREAZU0LMJCJCmEKCLxENYvPwzoZld08DiXn_iAaX4fX3k-jtmUgSiS20Xpk-kWw0apigTERknDyb6H_2fVFynQazA-cPX3wnH/s320/Tomatorelishwithsteak.jpg" /></a> was a pretty simple seared steak with a relish dressing. I like steak so no complaints there. The relish was simple as well with tomatoes, fresh cilantro, and capers. I realized while making this relish that I had no capers so I replaced them with cocktail onions. It's actually a pretty straight switch with a slight vinegar tang and mild bite. I liked the relish but would not say it was incredibly memorable. The called-for side dish of the menu, Olive-Oil-Roasted Tomatoes and Fennel with White Beans, was a pretty creative dish and deviated from the tomato theme enough to bring variety. I unfortunately added the oil for the whole recipe then realized I was halving the recipe. It did make the final product a bit oily but it still tasted great. The taste was very hearty and this dish would be a good vegetarian main. (More on that in just a few posts!)</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtSOV4PkEf-4dZGt0_uV_NogU2TwYCwJMbcUy6JXIzvQQT6aIXVeUW3BwqGEI1NFkNEIw21npJNz2SRQZAR-mhew1aQoqQwi3rEAIncFg2ogbd971AItfjJfoQ-GEoh8e5c2zfhyJsXM5z/s1600/Tomatofennelandbean.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtSOV4PkEf-4dZGt0_uV_NogU2TwYCwJMbcUy6JXIzvQQT6aIXVeUW3BwqGEI1NFkNEIw21npJNz2SRQZAR-mhew1aQoqQwi3rEAIncFg2ogbd971AItfjJfoQ-GEoh8e5c2zfhyJsXM5z/s320/Tomatofennelandbean.jpg" /></a>All in all, I enjoyed the meal portion of the tomato menu. The dessert I could have definitely done without but I read some reviews from other posters on epicurious.com and some people really liked the tomato tartin. I just may have had bad luck with the caramelizing and that created the liquid disaster. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Bruschetta with Rosemary, Roasted Plum Tomatoes, Ricotta, and Proscuitto-A</strong></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Seared Rib-Eye Steak with Tomato-Caper Relish-B</strong></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Olive-Oil-Roasted Tomatoes and Fennel with White Beans-A-</strong></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Tomato Tarte Tatin-D</strong> </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div>Mary Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10835231359069293911noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616676331282688945.post-69379989825348521312010-08-30T17:32:00.000-07:002010-08-30T17:32:11.161-07:00Can You Be Too Corny?-8/18/10<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2KTcfWU7bkyDdLg_eEpLxPi1V4bBRbcrLm5PHTmd8leQuUZMjKYYgCy-3OhQrwdNHcSTWcy2SIlsZX3hge5vIwJX3-RRs7GI8c6b32vuQ2TjEpAy-p3HyHNBmkG_VHis51WU23eiSqRgO/s1600/chickenwithcornpolenta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2KTcfWU7bkyDdLg_eEpLxPi1V4bBRbcrLm5PHTmd8leQuUZMjKYYgCy-3OhQrwdNHcSTWcy2SIlsZX3hge5vIwJX3-RRs7GI8c6b32vuQ2TjEpAy-p3HyHNBmkG_VHis51WU23eiSqRgO/s320/chickenwithcornpolenta.jpg" /></a>This month's Bon Appetit has 3 menus created to make use of 3 essentials of the summer garden season. I raved in an earlier post about the outstanding zucchini menu that I shared with our friends, the Knapp's. Tonight was corn's turn to shine. Last night, I made the first recipe from this menu to beef up another menu and lighten the amount 3 people had to eat from this one. I really enjoyed the Tagliatelle with Fresh Corn Pesto and would add it to this menu if a few more people were eating with us. Tonight, I made the other 3 recipes that began with a main dish of Grilled Mustard Chicken with Fresh Corn Polenta. I choose to bake the chicken instead of grill it and I was happy with this change. I find it really hard to monitor the grill temperature for bone-in chicken and often get the outside too crispy before the inside is done. This dish has enough flavor without the added smoke of grilling as well. The seasoning under the chicken skin added wonderful flavor and as you can see from the picture, the skin was perfect. The polenta was a good match for the chicken. It was creamy and rich from the addition of corn kernels. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcmvXRDN4Nd6xFZdTdUkuDnIbGXlsnjc22yjrfU6zmUjaDFtjJ6C80sFr1JQfFDmtpEFVysEQiOPv0p_3o8Y_J1V8iWQsndxpm8B3s7B2i8wM0s7Hz3wlApQpakVfxsJk5OjU2ugS-jOAq/s1600/Cornwithherbs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcmvXRDN4Nd6xFZdTdUkuDnIbGXlsnjc22yjrfU6zmUjaDFtjJ6C80sFr1JQfFDmtpEFVysEQiOPv0p_3o8Y_J1V8iWQsndxpm8B3s7B2i8wM0s7Hz3wlApQpakVfxsJk5OjU2ugS-jOAq/s320/Cornwithherbs.jpg" /></a>The side dish of Summer Corn Saute with Tons of Herbs was impressively creative for basically cooked corn. The herbs were an excellent addition while still allowing the fresh corn flavor to shine through. The amount of butter seemed a bit excessive at first but it worked with the herbs and shallots. Dessert was the biggest stretch of the group. I know the goal of the menu was to use corn in every recipe. The Corn Panna Cotta with Dulce De Leche was corn in name only. The panna cotta was steeped in corn cobs but I could tell no discernible corn flavor in the rather bland custard. The dulce de leche was absolutely neccesary to give the dessert flavor. The sprinkling of corn kernels was attractive but really mean nothing flavorwise. This menu is creative but seemed to be trying a bit too hard with the dessert.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXb5ICexiseicYlWvlm4j3KJytPtjatT8-AR_0iGnw4uul7fd0zYexrgR5yWbZrblxcWo-dHubEmeW7dy6kTBRjyEMZluhi4LogTTP00h5E1yDiWw_fcyMPFrF4NsqGfmDlncbkeHf9OqP/s1600/Cornpannacotta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXb5ICexiseicYlWvlm4j3KJytPtjatT8-AR_0iGnw4uul7fd0zYexrgR5yWbZrblxcWo-dHubEmeW7dy6kTBRjyEMZluhi4LogTTP00h5E1yDiWw_fcyMPFrF4NsqGfmDlncbkeHf9OqP/s320/Cornpannacotta.jpg" /></a><strong>Grilled Mustard Chicken with Fresh Corn Polenta-A Summer Corn Saute with Tons of Herbs-B Corn Panna Cotta with Dulce De Leche-C</strong></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Mary Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10835231359069293911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616676331282688945.post-68758135456677323872010-08-23T18:13:00.000-07:002010-08-23T18:13:57.968-07:00Food Disasters-8/17/10<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLYa9V4PcekfN-T0ZRRM9gxPxvQIbnAOYRhu0Bm8NR45eoG3BSG2vs4CZIJBeOFVyc0rcyJ6d53ExVVv4eJkEuSssDsBMEO1YPg81ssBMmw1fsEG1umcVeKdxaZopwO-qX8EsbHK3A_nA8/s1600/Porkchopandcornpesto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLYa9V4PcekfN-T0ZRRM9gxPxvQIbnAOYRhu0Bm8NR45eoG3BSG2vs4CZIJBeOFVyc0rcyJ6d53ExVVv4eJkEuSssDsBMEO1YPg81ssBMmw1fsEG1umcVeKdxaZopwO-qX8EsbHK3A_nA8/s320/Porkchopandcornpesto.jpg" width="320" /></a>I really have been lucky. For as much as I cook, I really should have some better stories about the stuff I've messed up on than I do. Really, other than a Polish meal my friend Heather and I made that the salt got away from and a white chocolate cranberry cheesecake that Richard swears was the worst thing he's ever eaten, I've got very little. (A few early blog posts may beg to differ but let's not go into that now.) The only reason I even thought of food failures tonight is that once again I made something with white chocolate and once again, it did me wrong. You can't really tell in the picture (I guess that was the point.) but tonight's White Chocolate Cherry Mousse Pie was full of tiny little white lumps. They weren't lumps of chocolate as far as I could tell. The mousse didn't congeal smoothly and it was off putting. The cherry compote was wonderful but the pie itself, either because of or in spite of the lumps, didn't have a uniform taste. Sometimes it tasted more like white chocolate (which incidentally, I'm not a big fan of) and sometimes it seemed more beaten egg. I felt I mixed the components well but something went wrong in the chemistry on the dessert. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiziecRbA8tkCBky954LhzSuuDD01iy_awPdeMGRTb4rqSr9LHHnVZYvxJXDQ62_plUZBrlGFLa4DcaR_P6IRpLlkHDmwHAmnTFOIgtF3563ptb7yaW_Wi00vba5W1G9ZKUecPiyW4JPu6G/s1600/Whitechocolatecherrypie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiziecRbA8tkCBky954LhzSuuDD01iy_awPdeMGRTb4rqSr9LHHnVZYvxJXDQ62_plUZBrlGFLa4DcaR_P6IRpLlkHDmwHAmnTFOIgtF3563ptb7yaW_Wi00vba5W1G9ZKUecPiyW4JPu6G/s320/Whitechocolatecherrypie.jpg" width="320" /></a>The main dishes went a bit better. My first dish was Tagliatelle with Fresh Corn Pesto, a recipe I'd stolen off the corn menu mentioned in an earlier post. I plan to make the rest of the menu tomorrow but that menu looked too big for just the three of us so I split it up. This pasta dish was a creative twist on the green basil pesto we are more familiar with. I really enjoyed the dish and found both the use of bacon and flavorful corn would make this a very filling almost meatless main by itself. The pesto was easy to make and adhered well to the pasta, the sign of a good pasta dish. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I also made the Quick-Brined Grilled Pork Chops with Balsamic Glaze on page 53. If you saw the recipe in the magazine you would notice that "with Treviso" is missing and rightly so. I shopped at Publix today and they had neither radicchio nor endive so I just left these out of the dish. This was a simple dish with a reduced Balsamic vinegar dressing. I wouldn't say the chops were spectacular but as often true in this project, I learned how simple it is to make a very glamorous sounding sauce that could spice up chicken, beef, or pork.</div><br />
<b>Quick-Brined Grilled Pork Chop with Treviso and Balsamic Glaze-B</b><br />
<b>White-Chocolate Cherry Mousse Pie-C</b>Mary Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10835231359069293911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616676331282688945.post-36419638011435513242010-08-23T17:53:00.000-07:002010-08-23T18:32:41.417-07:00Do Blueberry Stains Come Out?-8/16/10<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJLFpcfqQqgscY886SSukekQXrqDxxkF7SLCYifFx1ghdqbZG7rTJMiujjEV0vTibnIG5r3XZabKYO-mLpP5-RJnb6f9Cf3J2A6unI-f9mzGOpj56X1kZDG8knG7m7P6W7eCqdbLq2zUKR/s1600/Blueberrycobbler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJLFpcfqQqgscY886SSukekQXrqDxxkF7SLCYifFx1ghdqbZG7rTJMiujjEV0vTibnIG5r3XZabKYO-mLpP5-RJnb6f9Cf3J2A6unI-f9mzGOpj56X1kZDG8knG7m7P6W7eCqdbLq2zUKR/s320/Blueberrycobbler.jpg" width="320" /></a>I sure hope blueberry stains come out because after tonight's meal, I had a few of them and so did Eyrleigh. I've mentioned before one of the things I look about Bon Appetit is the magazine is enthusiastically thematic, sometimes to the edge of being cheesy. Tonight was one of those borderline nights. Grilled Salmon with Quick Blueberry Pan Sauce sounded strange from the get-go. Blueberries are a quintessential fruit, little pockets of sweetness that seem only fitting at the conclusion of a meal. Pairing them with a rich fatty fish like salmon seemed a gamble at best. To be fair, the dish wasn't bad, though I wouldn't say it was really good either. I just didn't think the flavors worked. You could taste blueberry, you could taste salmon but the compliment just didn't work for me. The herbs, garlic, and shallots helped cut the sweetness along with the vinegar but the taste of blueberry was still there. I almost felt bear-like, rumbling along from the mountaintop blueberry patch to the cold stream full of fish. Maybe that's what they were going for...</div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTbpl92JbhZq2AXRFpx221tzSvfcrPF8LfrW6rblmHzpGz16c0yzTOH2WhevXEM8cXDosE8NtGk1Enn3hkYNmIMTFK2eicVnpuneRI5R-l0ER6QFWLeeaeR7VBx9DoSbNqmP4uxhNedwSb/s1600/Salmonwblueberrysauce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTbpl92JbhZq2AXRFpx221tzSvfcrPF8LfrW6rblmHzpGz16c0yzTOH2WhevXEM8cXDosE8NtGk1Enn3hkYNmIMTFK2eicVnpuneRI5R-l0ER6QFWLeeaeR7VBx9DoSbNqmP4uxhNedwSb/s320/Salmonwblueberrysauce.jpg" width="320" /></a>The dessert was a much more traditional use of blueberries. The Blueberry Cobbler with Easiest-Ever Biscuits did have some really easy biscuits. The only problem was that the use of sour cream made them chewy instead of the more expected flaky. I won't say they were bad, just different. The cobbler was excellent but there wasn't quite enough of it. I got a lot more biscuit than berry with each bite and I would have preferred it the other way around.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Grilled Salmon with Quick Blueberry Pan Sauce-C </b><br />
<b></b></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Blueberry Cobbler with Easiest-Ever Biscuits-B</b></div>Mary Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10835231359069293911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616676331282688945.post-31468151399983229152010-08-23T17:36:00.000-07:002010-08-23T17:36:54.292-07:00For the Love of Zucchini-8/10/10<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm28sSxAOBs8xHIXiviGmmgDzCSkn6bD_IHcURSXx2ZoQp6-AzZRODfYZV3uPHPPexnmD1_qhMMHDLr07xkhSiU9OeoKY0_dV1ZNc868bJlfyXXWVPl50mqnU_FhTLCF8xeqjy3i7UPXLj/s1600/Codwithzucchinisauce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm28sSxAOBs8xHIXiviGmmgDzCSkn6bD_IHcURSXx2ZoQp6-AzZRODfYZV3uPHPPexnmD1_qhMMHDLr07xkhSiU9OeoKY0_dV1ZNc868bJlfyXXWVPl50mqnU_FhTLCF8xeqjy3i7UPXLj/s320/Codwithzucchinisauce.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcswNfOO68w4px8M_rnG917vWzyVxj8ybuMPTJj7RyHouhTIX4EM4XeV3G0hl2S1Szstw3YoNVm-9JeSs-V2T4TVliVptHiYkH8rtNjGTvF6H0KevflNf-WG9urma3g6Y8gviRWAxSTLnI/s1600/Zucchinifritters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcswNfOO68w4px8M_rnG917vWzyVxj8ybuMPTJj7RyHouhTIX4EM4XeV3G0hl2S1Szstw3YoNVm-9JeSs-V2T4TVliVptHiYkH8rtNjGTvF6H0KevflNf-WG9urma3g6Y8gviRWAxSTLnI/s320/Zucchinifritters.jpg" /></a>This month's Bon Appetit has 3 menus based completely on 3 staples of summer gardens, zucchini, corn, and tomatoes. Tonight I played caterer again and was bringing dinner to my friends, Devi and Dan Knapp and their two girls, Sophie and Lily, ages 5 and 3. I really enjoy this almost monthly tradition and it gives us a chance to see our good friends on a weeknight. I try to precook as much of the meal as possible and bring everything I need, down to the salt, so I can put it together quickly with a minimum of disruption to Devi's kitchen. Tonight I made the zucchini menu and I'll try to explain not only how the food tasted but how I packed it "to go". The menu began with Tender Zucchini Fitters with Green Goddess Dressing. Since the zucchini needed to be grated and drained before frying up the fritters, I actually transported the grated zucchini rolled in a dish towel. The extra drying time was great. I often find that anything I try to frying while still containing liquid turns into mush. These fritters were crispy on the outside while still retaining enough liquid to make them soft on the inside. I brought all the ingredients to mix in with me and mixed them quickly before frying. I also made the Green Goddess Dressing ahead of time and what a simple wonderful dressing. The fresh herb taste was outstanding.<br />
Next came the Shaved Zucchini Salad with Parmesan and Pine Nuts. This almost totally raw salad is amazing. The thin sliced raw zucchini tastes fresh but because of the slice, feels softer than biting into a raw zucchini. The simple oil and lemon dressing compliments the flavor without overwhelming the zucchini and basil and the pine nuts add variety and crunchy. The Parmesan is a perfect addition with its note of salt. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga-1jKeLJVgehjf-66k8iDqZSP8Kz-PIowDwtlGq9DAF5gX_SzhV44ZjhYT3f-0Pnr7_dBG2Ui7Rf3NhhT8GDu0SpCbIK54ZGcC5tLM-2HEygCRhHwyxTjfV2Q8bKloCpXPfdSO0P8YEar/s1600/Shavedzucchinsalad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga-1jKeLJVgehjf-66k8iDqZSP8Kz-PIowDwtlGq9DAF5gX_SzhV44ZjhYT3f-0Pnr7_dBG2Ui7Rf3NhhT8GDu0SpCbIK54ZGcC5tLM-2HEygCRhHwyxTjfV2Q8bKloCpXPfdSO0P8YEar/s320/Shavedzucchinsalad.jpg" width="320" /></a>The main dish was Halibut with Zucchini Salsa Verde and by now, you'd think you'd be tired of zucchini. The zucchini in this dish is very understated with cilantro, onion and lime taking on the main flavors. The fish was cooked simply but perfectly as the recipe stated and worked well with the salsa verde. Neither component was too strong and they tasted good together. The kids, who had been reluctant to try all the green on their plates, eventually took little bites and then proceeded to eat their meals with enthusiasm. Sophie, the oldest and most skeptical, admitted she really liked the fritters and even asked for a second one. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> Dessert was the Zucchini-Pecan Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Much like a carrot cake, the zucchini gave the cake a moist full flavor without using a lot of fat or butter. The only "fat" was a quarter cup of olive oil. Despite this healthy rap, the kids loved the cake. The cream cheese and butter in the yummy frosting probably didn't hurt either. Devi told me this was her favorite of my meals at her house and I had to agree. Every component of this meal was excellent and zucchini was used in such unique and innovative ways, we didn't feel tired of it even at the end of the meal. If you love zucchini, look no further.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Tender Zucchini Fritters with Green Goddess Dressing-A</b></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Shaved Zucchini Salad with Parmesan and Pine Nuts-A</b></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Halibut with Zucchini Salsa Verde-A</b></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Zucchini-Pecan Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting-A</b></div>Mary Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10835231359069293911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616676331282688945.post-21933427477449900002010-08-18T18:17:00.000-07:002010-08-18T18:17:49.418-07:00America the Beautiful-8/9/10<div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWOrCQ7NDazRbEpxPpAs1340qP2Pagb97Z9JzHfrsUwO6GK4gh7zO8vsWO9r26uibvGIKcB6XsdVEBKq530vYsao81rQTFH-zNGUrP2aBxA7V6KxBXa3wy6w1w8juxKksR9dTTbvMuLz3S/s1600/Garbanzosalad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWOrCQ7NDazRbEpxPpAs1340qP2Pagb97Z9JzHfrsUwO6GK4gh7zO8vsWO9r26uibvGIKcB6XsdVEBKq530vYsao81rQTFH-zNGUrP2aBxA7V6KxBXa3wy6w1w8juxKksR9dTTbvMuLz3S/s320/Garbanzosalad.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiISfDyIdw8ra1v_-8ZwhI_Se-squoeXaSiEYNbgpa-ezOIswG0LgV7nyoifCcggvI_hpvNZt7LlxicAn-YMaLL0zgZyuQw6ecdV5pqBaqWOZEpaw5GHv8Fd9nM6Hv0G33Rc8ws5axhcu3I/s1600/IMG_3916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiISfDyIdw8ra1v_-8ZwhI_Se-squoeXaSiEYNbgpa-ezOIswG0LgV7nyoifCcggvI_hpvNZt7LlxicAn-YMaLL0zgZyuQw6ecdV5pqBaqWOZEpaw5GHv8Fd9nM6Hv0G33Rc8ws5axhcu3I/s320/IMG_3916.jpg" width="320" /></a>I mentioned in a post not long ago that June got away from me. I didn't post once the whole month. In hindsight, July wasn't much better. I posted only four times and made only fifteen recipes from the month's Bon Appetit. June's excuse was the bi-annual trip to my parents house in New Hampshire, where we attended my brother's burial service and a special memorial service held at his work. The trip is usually a vacation but this year carried a bit more weight. Our more restful summer vacations took place in the month of July and the beginning of August this year. Eyrleigh and I got the chance to join my friend, Lynette, on a trip to Sarasota, Florida where we enjoyed the ocean for a few days and spent a day at the surprisingly extensive Ringling Circus and Art Museum. Then on the next to last day of July, we all flew to Denver to attend the wedding of Richard's brother, James. We decided that spending almost $800 on airfare for 3 days was ridiculous so we added a week long trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. As I sat one morning looking out from the top of Mt. Washburn in the middle of Yellowstone, I thought about the ocean I looked out at only a few weeks before. We have an amazing country. The variety of vistas is incredible. The flora and wildlife is spectacular and even the human imprint upon these places is at times, brilliant and endearing. I love to travel around the world but I was once again reminded that we have some pretty extraordinary places to see right here at home.</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr3wfyi5x7Oevr-2LL3VYj25OsL9sxmBKn9PXu4U-JPWKF1LEqwf-GRhhwJSnBdVZyegi0o3lCYAsttGz6FdQoPL6teKzlZgIfRbBzXFydEpgtlo0_kYYACeh8WTipj47whToFpBVGctMT/s1600/Toffeepeachcrisp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr3wfyi5x7Oevr-2LL3VYj25OsL9sxmBKn9PXu4U-JPWKF1LEqwf-GRhhwJSnBdVZyegi0o3lCYAsttGz6FdQoPL6teKzlZgIfRbBzXFydEpgtlo0_kYYACeh8WTipj47whToFpBVGctMT/s320/Toffeepeachcrisp.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
That tangent didn't seem to have much to do with cooking but I know that in a way, cooking something special and sitting down to dinner as a family to enjoy it helps make each day unique, a bit like the days you spend on a vacation. The place may be the same but each new meal is something different, something special, and a bit like a mini-vacation. That first home-cooked meal after a vacation doesn't have to be super special to feel different. Tonight, I made a recipe from this month's Bon Appetit magazine titled Ribeye Steaks with Garbanzo and Green Bean Salad. I made a rather major change though. I grilled chicken breasts instead of ribeye but the salad was the same. The salad was the real crux of the recipe anyway. The meat was flavored with chili powder and mesquite and I think chicken worked as well as steak here. The salad was another success for chickpeas/ garbanzos. I loved this salad with the fresh crunch of green beans and red onions.<br />
There are nineteen desserts in this month's Bon Appetit and I'm in trouble if I make all of them since it's already the 9th of the month. I thought I'd get started with a simple Toffee, Pecan, and Peach Crisp. The recipe called for individual servings but I didn't have the right size ramekins so I made one large dish. This dessert was really much better than it looked. The toffee in the crust added a sweet note while the pecans added crunch. Sadly, the dish looked a bit sloppy but it tasted great.<br />
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<b>Ribeye Steaks with Garbanzo and Green Bean Salad-A</b><br />
<b>Toffee, Pecan, and Peach Crisp-A-</b>Mary Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10835231359069293911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616676331282688945.post-17387781341493833352010-08-18T17:14:00.000-07:002010-08-18T17:16:54.776-07:00Hostess with the Mostess-7/27/10<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2tP32o9RVGPWfHZPzi8ufXsqE_C7gT64lJ1IWhc2zOw2lzgiP-ACYgUvDCeWLSfDJJHtA4ZTtIuGaF97ROk-5es0TUHKQAUny-YFHv-P05eFqq0OUMwe4w18iwuZTqN5bwJF5GRKwqNW-/s1600/Chipotlecherryribs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2tP32o9RVGPWfHZPzi8ufXsqE_C7gT64lJ1IWhc2zOw2lzgiP-ACYgUvDCeWLSfDJJHtA4ZTtIuGaF97ROk-5es0TUHKQAUny-YFHv-P05eFqq0OUMwe4w18iwuZTqN5bwJF5GRKwqNW-/s320/Chipotlecherryribs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>My grandmother, Ruth Elder, was in many ways the inspiration for this blog. She has always been my ideal of the perfect hostess. Her home was beautiful. She was an interior decorator and was still working into her 70's. Her style was probably best described as Classic. Each room was filled with antiques but never looked cluttered or dark. She loved large windows, long drapes, and soft colors. My grandparent's house was always immaculately clean and anyone who entered was offered a cold drink and something to eat as soon as they arrived. Someday, I'd like my house to be the type of place where people feel comfortable as soon as they enter. I don't want to worry that they see a spider web in the corner of the ceiling or that there are unwashed dishes in the sink. I want to remember to offer everyone a drink and have something in the pantry for them if they are hungry. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxPXGGsmKK2NgjtjG4S4I7mpicRxVVFpojg5inpFQ5lzQ5nxKLbk1WLvB9NZ2DNaTKwwYeMHybTkHzK8abYWJN0J1_1jTOFezIOf3IPgIDrhhqkz0rNLUF8SQBY4VicPlWua5Nae9j-eMX/s1600/Mixedberryshortcakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxPXGGsmKK2NgjtjG4S4I7mpicRxVVFpojg5inpFQ5lzQ5nxKLbk1WLvB9NZ2DNaTKwwYeMHybTkHzK8abYWJN0J1_1jTOFezIOf3IPgIDrhhqkz0rNLUF8SQBY4VicPlWua5Nae9j-eMX/s320/Mixedberryshortcakes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I'm not there yet. I have dishes in my sink right now. I'm sure there is a visible spiderweb somewhere and just the other day, I found a dead roach on the living room floor. But I'm trying. I invited a group of friends over for dinner tonight and the house looked pretty good and the food was yummy. Everyone had fun and that's really what it's all about. My goal is to do this more and when I do it, to stop stressing so much about it. <br />
Tonight I made 4 recipes but I am going to write about 6 here. I made two recipes last night and forgot to take pictures so I'll include those recipes at the end here. Two families, the Connors and Taylors, joined us for dinner and we had Ribs with Chipotle-Cherry Barbecue Sauce. The recipe in the magazine was actually called "Dinosaur Bones" but I didn't have time to special order extra-large beef ribs. The ribs were tender as cooked and the sauce was a good mix of spice and sweet. Joel and Rebecca Taylor had actually joined us earlier in the summer for the Pincho Ribs with Sherry Glaze and these ribs were not as lip-tingling spicy. The kids even tried them although all our kids are under 5 and ribs are just not a popular choice for that age.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjndPFGgoxVEzKo6ltQONLD7whslffYLCVj3unQ5AFDqEl1e44DCtt8tvfS2vuajiEq6072oGqb8O5Pz0CrcAb7n2nFdIfzDeESTE4PLCG9_h4TBiDSHg9jt0SdrctokTXJ5DKi0OJDq-7c/s1600/Pastasaladwitholive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjndPFGgoxVEzKo6ltQONLD7whslffYLCVj3unQ5AFDqEl1e44DCtt8tvfS2vuajiEq6072oGqb8O5Pz0CrcAb7n2nFdIfzDeESTE4PLCG9_h4TBiDSHg9jt0SdrctokTXJ5DKi0OJDq-7c/s320/Pastasaladwitholive.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Rebecca is a vegetarian so I wanted a creative pasta option for her. The Pasta Salad with Cherry Tomatoes and Green Olivada had no meat in it and a good mix of salty cheese, meaty olives, and fresh tomatoes and even the non-vegs of the group like it. Sherrana and Phil Connor's daughter, Lily, loves olives and she ate the olivada alone. The Root Beer Baked Beans needed a short cook time so they were a good choice for a busy night. The root beer was noticeable but not too sweet. Unfortunately, the flavor was not as rich as slow roasted baked beans. (As a side note: Richard took the beans to work the next day and both he and I felt the beans were better after a day.) I had most of the previous night's Malted Milk Cookie Tart but at the last minute, I decided to make the Mixed Berry Shortcakes with Vanilla Whipped Cream. I was glad I did. The Malted Milk Cookie Tart became rock hard after sitting in the fridge for a day. The tart was good but incredibly rich. If someone is a die-hard chocolate fan, this was a winner but I found it overwhelmingly sweet. The Mixed Berry Shortcakes were pretty traditional biscuits with berries and cream but this dessert carries the taste of summer. Kids and adults loved this dessert and it didn't need any fancy extras.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTzA5-7LKvJeIy3D6nTVuBZosd9SL1tTVAHA5U9kheG1zRzzneawjRJKzALN20lESRWud3D-qv97-7KHE7KHngg81uTpK5uyknN0QmD2XMa0DqVROaXjH9kGyKzODEqG9Nt0TSwqTJmkEg/s1600/Rootbeerbakedbeans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTzA5-7LKvJeIy3D6nTVuBZosd9SL1tTVAHA5U9kheG1zRzzneawjRJKzALN20lESRWud3D-qv97-7KHE7KHngg81uTpK5uyknN0QmD2XMa0DqVROaXjH9kGyKzODEqG9Nt0TSwqTJmkEg/s320/Rootbeerbakedbeans.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>As I mentioned, last night I made a quick Rosemary-Lemon Grilled Turkey Cutlets and Red-Skinned Potato Wedges. This super easy weeknight meal was good but nothing to rave about. A simple dressing with garlic and rosemary over the grilled potatoes was a creative simple way to dress up the meat and potatoes staple.<br />
<br />
<b>Dinosaur Bones with Chipotle-Cherry Barbecue Sauce-A</b><br />
<b> Pasta Salad with Cherry Tomatoes and Green Olivada-B+</b><br />
<b>Root Beer Baked Beans-B</b><br />
<b>Mixed Berry Shortcakes with Vanilla Whipped Cream-B</b><br />
<b>Malted Milk Cookie Tart-B</b><br />
<b>Rosemary-Lemon Grilled Turkey Cutlets and Red-Skinned Potato Wedges-C+</b>Mary Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10835231359069293911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616676331282688945.post-73409554191441341872010-08-17T18:07:00.000-07:002010-08-17T18:07:01.949-07:00Bird's Eye View-7/12/10<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Ok_Gf_mCQzR-hfZG_oL9NChBrP2Bkp5DKyxy9XWVW3e-LwEODh2_4L5fizjgHtt87tJztfg7LnN1BgWwu2_pR05RejY6EQ4K5bBGGM_l5oVlrpCaQwVLaXitBtvPNFJi3hQbjTSJ87e1/s1600/Spinachquinoasalad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Ok_Gf_mCQzR-hfZG_oL9NChBrP2Bkp5DKyxy9XWVW3e-LwEODh2_4L5fizjgHtt87tJztfg7LnN1BgWwu2_pR05RejY6EQ4K5bBGGM_l5oVlrpCaQwVLaXitBtvPNFJi3hQbjTSJ87e1/s320/Spinachquinoasalad.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMaZ_HiLAShYPr0IfcbwmTVKibtolz39Hg7CfWi_IN5y-l89we1-Oaa7ccyx43DR-xWNBtDmVuvYVXTH_IDtokBTPf9xo3hFvVa2dusw-swnRnFwLWtlBGniqeBcMbU07eKGJsvW4gnQYy/s1600/Piripirichicken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMaZ_HiLAShYPr0IfcbwmTVKibtolz39Hg7CfWi_IN5y-l89we1-Oaa7ccyx43DR-xWNBtDmVuvYVXTH_IDtokBTPf9xo3hFvVa2dusw-swnRnFwLWtlBGniqeBcMbU07eKGJsvW4gnQYy/s320/Piripirichicken.jpg" /></a>Richard was my photographer tonight. He got impatient waiting for me to take a picture of our food before we could eat and he just grabbed the camera. He just got home from work and was pretty hungry. I didn't have the heart to retake them because he thought he was being helpful but I don't like the "bird's eye" view of this food. Looking at the picture makes me a little dizzy, like the plate will start spinning in a circle any moment. I'm going to make this a short blog post so I don't have to keep staring at the pictures. Tonight I made two dishes from this month's Bon Appetit magazine. Neither were a dish that intrigued me greatly but tonight crept up on me and I needed quick and easy. I made the Piri-Piri Chicken on page 69 and to be even quicker and easier, I used boneless chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken. I might have sacrificed a depth of flavor in the meat itself but with a flavorful sauce, I knew there would be plenty of flavor in the sauce. The chicken was good but not outstanding. I'd love to try the Portugese classic dish made by a master. I'm sure it is much better than the dish I made. </div><div style="border: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">My second dish for tonight was the Quinoa, Garbanzo, and Spinach Salad with Smoked Paprika Dressing. I used to hate garbanzo beans. There have been some great recipes in the last few months of cooking magazines that are changing my mind about my mom's chick peas. This dish was really good. The spinach was actually an awkward add on. The bean salad was great without it. The feta, tomatoes, quinoa, and garbanzos dressed with a simple vinegar and oil dressing with a dash of paprika is definitely something I will make again. <br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><b>Piri-Piri Chicken- B-</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"> <b>Quinoa, Garbanzo, and Spinach Salad with Smoked Paprika Dressing-A-</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></div>Mary Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10835231359069293911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616676331282688945.post-53549345629538063432010-07-22T17:44:00.000-07:002010-07-22T17:44:46.920-07:00An Ode to the Beatles-7/7/10<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3esnNpDWTK3AdO3gTQCcRzsXjigtyRvdud9UCCdY3ipobhPHFhHvvQ-_5GgHr14QvJPGBYbd-_aw5Xl1GiSTTJmjL8vG_6nzlQcVfVYViAwsON5MRlKhD8yQ9lGIT9S_El75_JcLR9KWG/s1600/mahimahi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3esnNpDWTK3AdO3gTQCcRzsXjigtyRvdud9UCCdY3ipobhPHFhHvvQ-_5GgHr14QvJPGBYbd-_aw5Xl1GiSTTJmjL8vG_6nzlQcVfVYViAwsON5MRlKhD8yQ9lGIT9S_El75_JcLR9KWG/s320/mahimahi.jpg" /></a>If you ever want to have a thematic dinner for the Beatles The White Album, I think I've found your menu. My grandmother used to talk about the importance of color on each plate and I failed to heed her message on this one. Tonight's meal was good, just a bit too monochromatic. For dinner, I made the Grilled Mahi-Mahi with Thai Coconut Sauce and the Creamy Cilantro-Lime Slaw. As you can see from the picture, the Thai coconut sauce was bit runny but it was very good and a great addition to not only the fish but the rice as well. Mahi-mahi is a pretty mild fish and this sauce had some wonderful flavors that complimented without overpowering the fish. The slaw had an Asian flare (or Mexican, depending on how you looked at it) so it paired well with the fish. The crunch of the slaw and the mild heat of the chile worked well also. I guess it's not a very British menu for the Beatles but they traveled the world. I'm sure they loved Asian food too.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Grilled Mahi-Mahi with Thai Coconut Sauce-A-</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Creamy Cilantro-Lime Slaw-B+</strong></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Mary Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10835231359069293911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616676331282688945.post-21461462985892691682010-07-22T17:34:00.000-07:002010-07-22T17:52:23.316-07:00Lost June: Call if Found-7/6/10<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeGPGRFTEp3QutftxWD5vkw6CKhDxRZlDe-sPQ5ICT2REzxY3bkjtKGCgRrJCcKj8OfLW6jSkIj_XLQfIet35GYVVaR7pAJt2oh9-z7GLKqHzPv6UTcIdOiX8SFyP49jNor14rVGURtN15/s1600/pineapplechicken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeGPGRFTEp3QutftxWD5vkw6CKhDxRZlDe-sPQ5ICT2REzxY3bkjtKGCgRrJCcKj8OfLW6jSkIj_XLQfIet35GYVVaR7pAJt2oh9-z7GLKqHzPv6UTcIdOiX8SFyP49jNor14rVGURtN15/s320/pineapplechicken.jpg" width="320" /></a>I love the month of June, don't get me wrong. Graduations, weddings, and Father's Day are all great events. I just don't cook much in June. For the last two years, we've done the bulk of our summer traveling in June and it throws off any attempt on my part to cook anything of real consequence. We headed up to my parents' house in New Hampshire on the 10th for my brother's burial service and some much needed family time. The bulk of the first week there was dealing with the graveside service and another memorial service at his work. This was really draining on all of us and much like when we were up there immediately after my brother's death, we had lots of food given to us and didn't do much cooking at all. The second week was much more relaxing but Richard had headed back to Atlanta so I spent a lot of time visiting old friends and hanging out with my parents. I made a killer strawberry-rhubarb pie one night. I was really proud of how it turned out. Mom drove back with me to Georgia since Richard and I had driven the car up and she didn't want me to drive home alone with Eyrleigh. We got home just in time for my birthday, July 1st. So yes, I did not make a single cooking magazine recipe in June. But, you know what, that is okay. Tonight, I got July off to a thematic start. I had written in my menu plan from this month's Bon Appetit magazine Grilled Chicken and Peaches with Chipotle Peach Dressing but when I was picking up the ingredients, I decided to stay with peaches and add the Deep dish Peach Pie with Pecan Streusel Topping for dessert. I mixed it up with some Quick-Pickled Cherry Tomatoes with Dill. At the last minute I invited my friend Christina and her young son, Tyler, one of Eyrleigh's best buds to come for dinner so I was glad to have a nice dinner planned. I made the Quick-Pickled Tomatoes and peach pie while Eyrleigh took a nap and was able to have fun swimming with the kids right before we threw the chicken and corn on the grill. The chicken was good, though I found the glaze did not adhere well to the chicken. The grilled peaches were great though and mixed with the cooked chicken served well as a glaze. The pickled tomatoes were also good but again, how many pickled tomatoes can one eat? I thought they would make a great addition to a more complex salad. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Another summer favorite, Grilled Corn with Honey-Ancho Chile Butter, was devoured by the kids. I actually didn't give them any of the rather spicy butter but they sure loved the corn. The adults loved the butter than had a delightful mix of spice and sweet and worked well with the meaty mid-summer corn.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgujv63S7JX4Wchk8hiYSwXxyyGzEYvVGVYLVxxE19Vdvajbr1RZB2056tRDI0-yqpNELsXuStnyS5cuBkJHBLoVkGiCXfIjpLMriHDC6hx5UEE7Mec0iWP2Ww3Ko6eUDggzHmUVHGPBkdD/s1600/Chipotlebuttercorn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgujv63S7JX4Wchk8hiYSwXxyyGzEYvVGVYLVxxE19Vdvajbr1RZB2056tRDI0-yqpNELsXuStnyS5cuBkJHBLoVkGiCXfIjpLMriHDC6hx5UEE7Mec0iWP2Ww3Ko6eUDggzHmUVHGPBkdD/s320/Chipotlebuttercorn.jpg" /></a>The peach pie gets my vote for best dish of the meal, maybe even the month and it's only the first day. This pie was excellent. The soft sweet peaches melted in your mouth and layered perfectly under the crunchy pecan strudel. I'd let Eyrleigh help me spread the crust and there had been more than a few patch jobs in it and it was still outstanding. Wow, I'm getting hungry just writing about it. Off to have more pie.</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Grilled Chicken and Peaches with Chipotle-Peach Dressing-A-</strong></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Quick-Pickled Cherry Tomatoes with Dill-B</strong></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Deep Dish Peach Pie with Pecan Streusel Topping-A</strong></div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdOSajt8WTrkc9rVM9BosnhrHVt_I-hA6J9NhYgOGhZm91F004JAMfkFhMtMYuwee7vXfyvW17TrJGXxZXodgRuJBqF5QsBOo8BzHOhvAKSLK0kyF94GsnBWbXcCaC87fy3rDjufLRw8Wx/s1600/Pickledcherrytomatoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdOSajt8WTrkc9rVM9BosnhrHVt_I-hA6J9NhYgOGhZm91F004JAMfkFhMtMYuwee7vXfyvW17TrJGXxZXodgRuJBqF5QsBOo8BzHOhvAKSLK0kyF94GsnBWbXcCaC87fy3rDjufLRw8Wx/s320/Pickledcherrytomatoes.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdI7o1FNDgJ7r_HnL8c-Gfat2EiFn8BG1WlfY6y3R1zfw2W4eai5qQPLvYODtWpaZ7AS_I5VN91np29YRzg2oIrGfzq-MO0UqzYvicTXbnZDoqzgUZVV449Rmyaja8FSwCm6C08YIkVeJ/s1600/Peachpie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdI7o1FNDgJ7r_HnL8c-Gfat2EiFn8BG1WlfY6y3R1zfw2W4eai5qQPLvYODtWpaZ7AS_I5VN91np29YRzg2oIrGfzq-MO0UqzYvicTXbnZDoqzgUZVV449Rmyaja8FSwCm6C08YIkVeJ/s320/Peachpie.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Mary Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10835231359069293911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616676331282688945.post-9942015483850192292010-07-22T16:54:00.000-07:002010-07-22T16:54:38.715-07:00Fire Up the Grill-5/27/10<div><div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvtHpdfAcR30orq62vJ_zJx8Uyy0g-v3sW2BKaz2bYgO_reqezvGhFQdmu8_OU29PamSZZ4_-JyTeeKeqwa7dS8AFhKlL961RA-9WpQ4Krli2T3fmhuHjUIBAJ2KkxpiAVzG5BohWyeENB/s1600/pinchoribs.jpg" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477231697232002034" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvtHpdfAcR30orq62vJ_zJx8Uyy0g-v3sW2BKaz2bYgO_reqezvGhFQdmu8_OU29PamSZZ4_-JyTeeKeqwa7dS8AFhKlL961RA-9WpQ4Krli2T3fmhuHjUIBAJ2KkxpiAVzG5BohWyeENB/s320/pinchoribs.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 240px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHJ58wqfKM3Nee_esS_eJxNF77biQ9tvBPjEwqQbORw35e8PWgG-_IAWTvsKLSgwVnuPo7HAtFxpfyZBUk3pAwN7vqQAA4OhwPWEn7n4PZ3wbYISk-x_hCEe5_0osyhGCfM47ZFAKqZwMz/s1600/pickledtomatoes.jpg" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477231857069761746" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHJ58wqfKM3Nee_esS_eJxNF77biQ9tvBPjEwqQbORw35e8PWgG-_IAWTvsKLSgwVnuPo7HAtFxpfyZBUk3pAwN7vqQAA4OhwPWEn7n4PZ3wbYISk-x_hCEe5_0osyhGCfM47ZFAKqZwMz/s320/pickledtomatoes.jpg" style="float: right; height: 240px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a>Ah, the smoke of the grill means summer is just around the corner. Let's call tonight a warm-up since all I had to do was finish off some ribs I'd slow cooked this afternoon. I invited some friend's over so it was best I didn't need to spend lots of time tending the flames. I'm never very vigilant and stuff gets black. Tonight, I actually let Richard man the grill and he did well. The recipes I cooked tonight came from a party menu in this month's Food and Wine that was hosted by a television star I've never heard of. Honestly, I find it a bit irritating that Food and Wine loves to name drop in their articles. I'm not really into food superstars and even less into movie stars...but I digress. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBN4xADeuirXpv9dqYTZfJcO8ZybqL7qOJP4dTiw6nJ-UZBYG5kfBeAOQ06sOs_hF6Z8599FyQw6BBxZtrAkcm6b_MgJ6tu9LZGM2UDQ7cE3pOkRfF01EV3N9a-C1xh_yHXZcTvgfpY67I/s1600/Hummuspotatosalad.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477232277078994450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBN4xADeuirXpv9dqYTZfJcO8ZybqL7qOJP4dTiw6nJ-UZBYG5kfBeAOQ06sOs_hF6Z8599FyQw6BBxZtrAkcm6b_MgJ6tu9LZGM2UDQ7cE3pOkRfF01EV3N9a-C1xh_yHXZcTvgfpY67I/s320/Hummuspotatosalad.jpg" style="float: right; height: 240px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The Pincho Ribs weith Sherry Glaze were a bit hit with every one but Rebecca. As our group's only vegetarian, she is very tolerant of the presence of meaty ribs at dinner. These pork ribs were incredibly tender and the glaze was very flavorful. I venture to say, maybe a bit too flavorful. The kids weren't sure about the heat but the adults gobbled them up..at least the ones that eat meat.</div>The pickled Cherry Tomatoes with Fennel was another entrant into the somewhat perplexing fascination with including something pickled with large party menus. I get that incorporating each flavor is important but I'm rarely that impressed by the recipes. Maybe I'm not gourmet enough but a little side dish of Vlasic's baby dills would be just as good. The cherry tomatoes and fennel were pretty good but I never thought, "Wow, I want to eat this again!". It was pickled tomatoes and fennel, just what you would imagine.<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgo95N1vE_dwKwmGWDGY7K50Fg0UN4i9vL2eV5Xsi59DDJzJQIssOF5mWqpMvIm_T12BjHNRP1jnSHO1ERXtEFRMLz994kKOUdBZ0JsZHLGe0HflIdMe_E0sqj7g4LC9XgiU9bLuYLo0Ej/s1600/tamarialmonds.jpg" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477232116268042226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgo95N1vE_dwKwmGWDGY7K50Fg0UN4i9vL2eV5Xsi59DDJzJQIssOF5mWqpMvIm_T12BjHNRP1jnSHO1ERXtEFRMLz994kKOUdBZ0JsZHLGe0HflIdMe_E0sqj7g4LC9XgiU9bLuYLo0Ej/s320/tamarialmonds.jpg" style="float: left; height: 240px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a>I added one recipe that wasn't a part of the prescribed menu. Ribs call for a summer side dish like potato salad so I made the Potato Salad with Hummus-Yogurt Dressing. The use of yogurt was a great fat-cutting measure and didn't affect the flavor much. The hummus added a rather odd sesame flavor but I think it was more about something new. I made the mistake of overcooking the potatoes and that affected the flavor but that wasn't the fault of the recipe.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The Tamari Almonds that were included with the menu as a cocktail snack were good but I didn't taste the tamari. They didn't taste a whole lot different than salted roasted almonds. I like salted roasted almonds but the extra work didn't deliver extra flavor.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV0m8VYHtmRHQQTxeRyFvMteVCenkB3Sn5vbLhSzzGsao1pzwpLzgyBtOMgho1U4fg_QHGo3LgRr4-nVIl7RSrzs1XmaxkSvZQ6aStR3FIlwBWcotRgahImKy3uIjklkoOLsw0XNTm1hgY/s1600/Chocostouttiramisu.jpg" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477232417734914962" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV0m8VYHtmRHQQTxeRyFvMteVCenkB3Sn5vbLhSzzGsao1pzwpLzgyBtOMgho1U4fg_QHGo3LgRr4-nVIl7RSrzs1XmaxkSvZQ6aStR3FIlwBWcotRgahImKy3uIjklkoOLsw0XNTm1hgY/s320/Chocostouttiramisu.jpg" style="float: left; height: 240px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a>The dessert, Chocolate Stout Tiramisu, was interesting. The chocolate-stout cake was not very sweet, almost bitter, and I was worried when I tasted it by itself. The marcarpone filling was very sweet and it balanced out the bitter cake. There was not enough reduction to really soak all the layers of cake. So in short, I liked the cake but wouldn't make it again. The flavor was distinctive but not memorable. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo-3hYj126CYw7DI_0SFiIslZ45iZUG9JDMH-D7NXrQgbV4MtDcs9cCuIJwxbDBWcG_43lhC3lLHPtjxb9R5kmhZX3X-EjHFEYvYF8ExYnGlyTM3qyOd_u4-BGXi4DzZSLAHA9an7Gz7XR/s1600/Grilledtofu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo-3hYj126CYw7DI_0SFiIslZ45iZUG9JDMH-D7NXrQgbV4MtDcs9cCuIJwxbDBWcG_43lhC3lLHPtjxb9R5kmhZX3X-EjHFEYvYF8ExYnGlyTM3qyOd_u4-BGXi4DzZSLAHA9an7Gz7XR/s320/Grilledtofu.jpg" /></a>As an extra touch, I made a special dish for Rebecca, who doesn't eat meat. The Grilled Tofu Steaks with Piquillo Salsa Verde were really pretty good. Grilled tofu is just smoky-tasting tofu but the piquillo salsa verde was really yummy. The peppers, capers, and vinegar gave it some good tang and flavor. The tofu held together pretty well on the grill too which sure helped with visual presentation. I think Joel and Rebecca will come back.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Grilled Tofu Steaks with Piquillo Salsa Verde-B</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Pincho Ribs with Sherry Glaze-A-</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Tamari Roasted Almonds-C</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Pickled Cherry Tomatoes and Fennel-B-</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Potato Salad with Hummus-Yogurt Dressing-B</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Chocolate-Stout Tiramisu-B</strong></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Mary Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10835231359069293911noreply@blogger.com0