Versatile Pretzels

So…. I was making crab cakes the other night and realized I didn’t have any Ritz crackers (which I normal use) or bread to use as the crumb coating. What I did find in the cupboard was a bag of small pretzel sticks. I improvised and crushed the pretzels to use as the breading instead. I will say that I will be using pretzels from now on. The crab cakes turned out great. There was no need to salt the crab cake mixture because the pretzels added a great hint of salt flavor and they browned up really nicely with a great crust. I served the crab cakes with a mango salsa and lemon/garlic aioli. Really good. It paired very nicely with a bottle of Veuve Clicquot (we were toasting to our last Saturday in Palm Springs). Lesson: Next time you are making something that needs to be breaded - reach for a bag of pretzels!

Just remember....

No matter how bad you think you have it, there is always someone out there worse off than you are. This isn't meant to make you feel better but more to put things in perspective. Focus on what you do have (such as your eyesight) and not on what you don't have. There is so much to be thankful for. Take a minute to be thankful for what you have and take another minute to appreciate it.

Lesson Learned

Learn from my mistake: do NOT buy steak from two guys on the street in a pickup truck. Seriously, I know it sounds like a no-brainer but if you would’ve heard this sales pitch you would’ve bought the five New York strips too. Apparently, they “deliver meat to the restaurants in town and had some left over.” Well, I got suckered into buying the frozen steaks for $35 (I talked them down from $50 – yeah negotiating skills). I think the money-back guarantee really won me over - ha. Pretty much all I got out of the deal was honed negotiating skills, although now that I think about it I only had $35 cash on me at the time so that is how the deal came to be. For every steak, we got about 3-5 okay bites; the rest was fat and gristle. And I marinated them all for at least 6 hours! (Obviously that did not help.) Not one to waste anything, I made the last two this evening. This is where having good side dishes comes in. I served the steak with spinach/parmesan risotto and baby portabella mushrooms with truffle oil to give us a "Plan B" to fill us up and to make everything somewhat okay. And in having only 2-3 bites of the steak, we had room for dessert – there was a bright side after all! I have learned my lesson (the hard way as usual) and will be a sucker no more.

Feeling Inspired.....

Yes, I do realize I'm not doing very good with my weekly blog posts. Sorry! But the good news is that I have been busy - living, learning, and drinking wine - to be exact. Well, on St. Patty's Day I was reflecting on what I want to be when I grow up and how I can put my skills and passions to good use. Well, by golly, I think I got it - finally (as I've had lots of ideas in the last couple months but none that have "stuck" so to speak). This idea has me really excited and now I am busy developing and working on the idea. I will keep you posted, more details to come........ I can't wait to share it with you!

Fingers Crossed

So, I recently entered a contest. The contest was to write about my most memorable experience while drinking sparkling wine. I’ve had lots of memorable moments involving sparkling wine so it was hard to narrow it down to one, but I had fun reflecting. Here is one of many memories (and my contest entry):

I had been walking the quaint, cobblestone streets of Varenna with my husband in late August. Along the way, we stopped at little deli and picked up some cheese, salami, and a bottle of Prosecco. We were planning to enjoy our refreshments on our balcony when we arrived back at our hotel. As we worked our way back towards our hotel along the boardwalk, it began to downpour. Without an umbrella, we found refuge under a big tree that kept us somewhat dry. With no sign of a break in the clouds, we decided not to let a little rain spoil our fun. We were kind of trapped - but guess what we were trapped with? A bottle of Prosecco, cheese, and salami! We decided to have our afternoon picnic right there under that tree. It was so cozy. The genius thing about sparkling wine is that you don’t need a bottle opener! We popped open the Prosecco and proceeded to sip directly from the bottle. Not only did we not have glasses, but there was no knife to cut the salami and cheese with so we were just biting off chunks; it was classic. We toasted to being together and enjoyed the rainy, foggy view of Lake Como. I wouldn’t have changed a thing.

My fingers are crossed. I will find out in three days if I won. If I win, I get to a trip to New Orleans. Wish me luck.

Quote of the Day

The secret of getting ahead is getting started. - Agatha Christie