Bubbly! Cheers!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
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.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
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.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
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.
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.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Sunday, February 28, 2010
En Papillote
Last night I made seafood linguine en papillote. It was amazing (if I do say so myself). I don’t know what made me think of it but I was craving pasta and seafood and then remembered the en papillote cooking method and decided to combine the three.
In case you aren’t familiar with the term, cooking en papillote is a method in which you seal the food in a pouch and bake. The food essentially steams and cooks in the oven in its own juices which makes it very flavorful.
You can experiment with this with many different types of foods; fish, veggies, chicken, etc….
For me, I made a sauce with garlic, leeks, crushed tomatoes, saffron, clam juice, lemon juice, white wine, and a touch of cream; the ingredients were layered over two hours. Then I lightly sautéed a bunch a seafood (red snapper, shrimp, and scallops) just to brown them; I didn’t fully cook them because they would finish cooking in the oven. I threw mussels and calamari right into the sauce. I put the fresh linguine in hot water for 30 seconds to help soften it but not to fully cook it. I cut the parchment paper into heart shapes, and then layered the components; the fish on the bottom, then the pasta, and then I poured the sauce over the top. I sprinkled each with a touch of parmesan and added a thin slice of lemon and folded the two pouches up and popped them in the oven for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.
It was so fun to cut open the “hot pocket” and see the steam and smell the aroma. The flavors were amazing and the fish and seafood were moist and perfect. It paired well with a bottle of Perrier Jouet champagne and a small side green salad with a lemon vinagrette.
I invite you to play with en papillote and let me know what works. I’m thinking fish in coconut milk might be my next experiment. YUM!
In case you aren’t familiar with the term, cooking en papillote is a method in which you seal the food in a pouch and bake. The food essentially steams and cooks in the oven in its own juices which makes it very flavorful.
You can experiment with this with many different types of foods; fish, veggies, chicken, etc….
For me, I made a sauce with garlic, leeks, crushed tomatoes, saffron, clam juice, lemon juice, white wine, and a touch of cream; the ingredients were layered over two hours. Then I lightly sautéed a bunch a seafood (red snapper, shrimp, and scallops) just to brown them; I didn’t fully cook them because they would finish cooking in the oven. I threw mussels and calamari right into the sauce. I put the fresh linguine in hot water for 30 seconds to help soften it but not to fully cook it. I cut the parchment paper into heart shapes, and then layered the components; the fish on the bottom, then the pasta, and then I poured the sauce over the top. I sprinkled each with a touch of parmesan and added a thin slice of lemon and folded the two pouches up and popped them in the oven for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.
It was so fun to cut open the “hot pocket” and see the steam and smell the aroma. The flavors were amazing and the fish and seafood were moist and perfect. It paired well with a bottle of Perrier Jouet champagne and a small side green salad with a lemon vinagrette.
I invite you to play with en papillote and let me know what works. I’m thinking fish in coconut milk might be my next experiment. YUM!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Microwave Brownies
A very good friend of mine sent me an adorable care package in December. It was full of lots of goodies; one of those goodies was a microwave brownie. I had never had one before and was pretty skeptical. Last night I decided to try it. You just add one tablespoon and one teaspoon of water, stir, microwave for 45 seconds and whala – instant brownie, piping hot from the microwave. It came with a pack of fudge that you are supposed to squeeze over the top but I didn’t like the taste of it so I opted to make a brownie sundae instead. I piled vanilla ice cream, chocolate fudge, caramel, and cashews on top of the brownie creating the ultimate sundae! And the verdict is……… I thought the brownie tasted a little chalky and a little off. Maybe I didn’t stir it enough? I’m going with the old saying that anything worth having is worth waiting for. I will wait an hour for the real thing. While it was fun to try it, and super convenient, I don’t think I will be running off to the store for another one.
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