FunGirlCooks

I Haven't Fallen off the Earth!

2012-01-14T12:25:00.000-05:00

I promise. Life has just been exceptionally hectic, and I've been struggling to carve out time to write all about my foodie adventures...but, there have been many! Stay tuned for good things to come very soon...

Here is a bit of a taste to keep you intrigued...

First Soup of the Season

2011-11-05T21:29:00.000-04:00

There is a chill in the air here in Georgia, and that means soup! For some reason, I'm not a big fan of soups during the warmer months, but when the leaves are turning, and the wind picks up, there is nothing better than whipping up a big pot on a Sunday afternoon.

I like them for the sake of convenience too. One pot (read: fewer dirty dishes). Large quantities (read: I only have to cook once and I have meals for several days/nights now, or in the future in the freezer).

The other reason I love making soups is because I can control the ingredients. Yeah, yeah, of course it's better for my health...more veggies, lower sodium, leaner meats.

But, the real reason I like controlling ingredients is because I can be as creative as I want. Sure, there are tons of great recipes out there to follow (which I encourage!), but I've learned to let my imagination run wild with soups and throw a little of this in and then a little of that and viola! A masterpiece. Trouble is, I always forget to write down the magic formulas. Darn.

This past week, I was watching back episodes of Giada de Laurentiis on DVR and came across an episode where she made this delicious, easy tomato soup. It was so easy and absolutely delicious!

Even though I didn't make it up myself, I felt like I did since everything I needed was in my pantry or fridge, and I pulled one of those "on camera" moments where I effortlessly grabbed this and that and ended up with this:

Quick and Spicy Tomato Soup
(by Giada de Laurentiis)

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (26-ounce) jar marinara sauce (recommended: San Marzano brand)
2 (14-ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup pastina pasta (or any small pasta)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Warm the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat.

2. Add the carrots, onion, and garlic and saute until soft, about 2 minutes.

3. Add the jar of marinara sauce, chicken broth, cannellini beans, red pepper flakes, pasta, salt and pepper.

4. Simmer for 10 minutes.

5. Ladle into bowls and serve.

Hiatus is over!

2011-11-01T11:07:00.000-04:00

Wow. It's been a really long time since I've posted. I have good reason though! Well, ok, for six weeks after my last post, life just got busy. But, on July 25, 2011, my world was turned upside down when the entire first floor of my home flooded.

Yep. Every last bit of it was under at least 2 inches of water.

I was literally living in a construction zone for nearly two months (more posts about that soon)...so, not much cooking was going on unless it involved opening a Lean Cuisine and popping it in the microwave or making a deli sandwich.

But, I'm on the other side, and it is glorious! I have a brand new, updated, gorgeous, shiny, elegant, practical, spacious, magazine-like kitchen! There, I said it. It's fantastic. And I have been - and plan to continue - cooking up a storm in it...oh, the holidays have never seen such deliciousness!

I will be writing many, many new posts very soon, but here are a few pictures of the destruction to give you a mental image of why I've been away for so long.

I have missed you.

Would You Care for a Spot of Tea?

2011-06-05T17:20:00.001-04:00

Tea. It's not something that I've really ever been too jazzed by, but when in London, do as the Londoners do: tea time every afternoon.

My first teatime of my recent trip was at a local Primrose Hill cafe. Now, I'm not the kind of girl that can do the straight up stuff yet, so I enjoyed my tea with cream and sugar. Mmmmmm.

Little did I know that this experience was just the prelude to the mother of all tea experiences.

St. James's Restaurant at the famed Fortnum & Mason (aka The Queen's Grocer) is the absolute mecca for the perfect high tea experience. (Who am I kidding? F&M is a mecca for all things food period.) This amazing mercantile has been in Piccadilly London since 1707, and has every kind of tea, biscuit, cookie, jam and chocolate you could ever imagine. And so much more.

Our "high tea" reservations began with a toast and glass of rose bubbly - cheers!

Soon after, a three-tier tray of tea sandwiches, scones and pastries arrived...

which we slathered with sweet, juicy homemade jam, marmalade and clotted cream.

After perusing a multi-page book of tea varieties, we finally settled on two distinct F&M blends: Royal Blend and Regent's Blend. Hints of spice and herb and citrus flavors permeated the air the moment the hot water hit the leaves (yes, leaves; this is real tea, not instant).

Aren't I fancy?

As if the food weren't enough, just take a gander at the atmosphere...classical music being played on a shiny black grand piano; large, lush, fragrant floral arrangements displayed around the restaurant; and soft, plush chairs and couches covered in rich, luscious fabrics.

At any moment, I fully expected Ms. Jane Austen herself to walk in and join us.

Ode to BlogHer Food 2011

2011-05-22T21:39:00.000-04:00

Commercial break: BlogHer Food 2011 was amazing!

I'm still on a high.

High on foodie enthusiasm, inspiration, aspiration, new friends, and most of all, possibilities.

One of the first sessions I attended was on branding (led by Eat the Love and The Tomato Tart) yourself and your blog. I came away so excited to dive deep into the discovery process of finding the essence of FunGirlCooks. Not only my voice, but also the visual representation of this blog. (Hint: watch for enhancements in the months to come!)

This being my first blogger conference, I was certain that I had just hit the jackpot and experienced the climax of the two-days in my first session. Boy, was I wrong.

Day 1 included sessions on food travel writing with the likes of Donna Pierce of Skillet Diaries to mobile platforms for your blog with Epicurious, Gourmet Live and Scripps Network excutives.

Day 2 included a session with David Leite of Leite's Culinaria and Diane Jacob, author of Will Write for Food, discussing copyright, credit and etiquette in the food blogger arena. I capped off the day with a fantastic session on food blogging for change discussing world hunger, personal health, and engaging in the food community in your local town.

Perhaps the highlight of the day: Sweet Auburn Curb Market.

Come. To. Mama.

Grindhouse burger with vidalia onion rings.

Sweet potato cheesecake a la Sweet Auburn Bakery.

Roasted peach lemonade from Cafe Campesino.

Need I say more?

Headed to the Borough

2011-05-15T17:54:00.000-04:00

I just got back from a trip across The Pond. Yep, that's right. I had the opportunity to take two weeks and visit my dear friend, Dr. Nellie, while she was finishing up a bit of studying in London.

My next several posts will be about my adventures with Dr. Nellie...beginning with our trip to London's famed and beloved Borough Market.

I first became aware of this wonderland of food when I saw it on Ina Garten's London special during the holidays last year. Knowing I was headed there in the spring, I have pretty much been obsessed ever since.

The market is made up of of hundreds of vendors selling everything from piping hot Hunstman Pie...

to giant, steaming pots of paella...

to sweet and savory homemade marmalades...

to pastries that will make you want to cry...

and everything in between.

Walking around the market with a zillion of your closest friends takes some patience, but it's hard to really lose your cool when you realize that you are milling through this foodie mecca with your own people.

I mean, how can you fault someone for stopping in the middle of the isle because they just tasted the creamiest, richest cheese of their life? Or for taking 20 minutes in line ahead of you to decide which of the homemade truffles - dark, white, milk, cayenne, chai, strawberry... - is "the" one? I just don't think you can.

If I were an athlete, experiencing Borough Market would definitely be like winning the Superbowl or the World Series.

Dr. Nellie and I roamed and roamed, ogling at all the delights...then, suddenly, there it was: The Flour Station. This is the very vendor where the Barefoot Contessa herself purchased an unbelievably gooey, glistening sweet roll on her trip to Borough Market. I must have one.

I had stood where Ina had been. Happy, happy girl.

After a couple hours of exploring all the cracks and crevices of the market, we picked up some sandwiches and a glass of cold cider to wash them down (I literally watched them pour my cider straight from the cask!) and sat down to rest our feetsies for a bit before heading back to the flat.

Words cannot even begin to describe the swelling in my heart that Saturday morning. Sheer and utter thrill, complete amazement, crazy wonderment. I felt as if I had come home walking through the market bustling with people, smelling the aromas of the bounties of this earth (and some from grandma's kitchen) and truly savoring every moment.

Cheers!

Noodles for Noodles

2011-04-09T18:03:00.000-04:00

This is Noodles.

She was our loving family dog of nearly 16 years. And trust me when I say that her name fit her personality perfectly. As a puppy, she would scamper around sticking her nose and head in every crack and crevice that she could find...and then whip around and bound through the house and over anything in her way with a dirty sock or toy in her mouth.

Then she discovered human food. (Thanks to a Thanksgiving visit by Grandma.)

Bread was her favorite, preferably a loaf still in the plastic bag. Then there was raw meat - right out of the sink as it thawed. Oh, and let's not forget the potatoes, also raw from the bag.

In honor of Noodles, I made my own noodles. Pad Thai that is.

Now, my friends know that I'm a good Midwestern meat and potatoes kind of girl (Noodles was a puppy after my own heart). I'm not all that adventurous with ethnic dishes in the kitchen. But, I love me some good Pad Thai for takeout, so when I saw a healthier version in Cooking Light, I thought, "what the heck?"

It was delicious! And I made it at home! The aroma was just like it had arrived at my door step steaming hot in those little takeout boxes with weird sauces in squeeze packets (what's in those things anyway?!).

So, Noodles, these noodles are for you baby girl.

I'm sure you're up in heaven enjoyng all the meat, bread and potatoes you can get. I love you sweet puppy.

Shrimp Pad Thai (from Cooking Light, March 2011)

Ingredients:

8 ounces uncooked flat rice noodles (pad Thai noodles)
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon Sriracha or chili garlic sauce
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup (2-inch) green onion pieces
8 ounces peeled and deveined large shrimp
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
1/4 cup chopped unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil

Directions:

1. Cook noodles according to package directions; drain.
2. While water comes to a boil, combine sugar and next 4 ingredients (through Sriracha) in a small bowl.
3. Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion pieces, shrimp, and garlic; stir-fry 2 minutes or until shrimp is almost done. Add cooked noodles; toss to combine. Stir in sauce; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly to combine. Arrange about 1 cup noodle mixture on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1/4 cup bean sprouts, 1 tablespoon peanuts, and 2 teaspoons basil.

My Own Little Piece of Earth

2011-04-05T08:00:00.001-04:00

No, no, I have not succumbed to purchasing a little piece of Americana, the land that is luring me with its soft whispers to dig in the rich, cocoa-colored soil and nurture fragrant herbs and deep-hued flowers. No. This little piece of Earth comes in a 9-inch springform pan and literally melts onto your lips the moment they touch the fork.

Cracked. Chocolate. Earth. (aka flourless chocolate cake courtesy of hottie tottie celebrity chef Tyler Florence)

A few weeks ago, I hosted two of my sweet neighbors for dinner to celebrate their recent engagement (congrats Kinsey and Joe!) and was thumbing through my growing library of cookbooks (my equivalent of the Harlequin romance novel) to find dessert only to come across this recipe. Bingo.

How can you go wrong with a recipe for chocolatey gooey goodness that has only five ingredients?

The batter (which is easy enough for a toddler to make) glides into the cake pan like a silk cloud of chocolate mousse.

As it's enveloped by warmth in the oven, the batter deepens shade by shade until it becomes a dark, rich espresso color and calls your name..."Kristina, Kristina, Kristina..."

Finally, the moment arrives. That blessed moment when the agony of inhaling the intoxicating wafts of warm chocolate comes to an end, and I no longer had to gaze longingly from the other side of the oven window pane. The timer went off!

As the cake cools, the center sinks, the slightly crispy crust cracking to reveal the gooey, warm molten center of the Earth (science class was never this interesting).

With a snowy light dusting of confectioners' sugar and some juicy, crimson strawberries as a garnish, this dessert will make your knees quake and your lips quiver.

Come to mama.

Cracked Chocolate Earth (courtesy of Chef Tyler Florence)

Ingredients:

1 pound bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces

1 stick unsalted butter
9 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan.

Put the chocolate and butter into the top of a double boiler (or in a heatproof bowl) and heat over (but not touching) about 1-inch of simmering water until melted. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar in a mixing bowl until light yellow in color. Whisk a little of the chocolate mixture into the egg yolk mixture to temper the eggs - this will keep the eggs from scrambling from the heat of the chocolate; then whisk in the rest of the chocolate mixture.

Beat the egg whites in a mixing bowl until stiff peaks form and fold into the chocolate mixture. Pour into the prepared pan and bake until the cake is set, the top starts to crack and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out with moist crumbs clinging to it, 20 to 25 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes, then remove sides of pan.

Serve at room temperature dusted with confectioners' sugar.

Setting Up Shop

2011-04-03T16:26:00.000-04:00

I remember my first "adult" apartment...I was so excited to be living on my own with two other girls, setting up shop, setting up my kitchen! This momentous event (i.e., moving out of my parents' house) happened just as my food obsession was beginning, so I didn't have much to unpack in the way of utensils, glassware, small appliances. Nor did I have any of the jewels that now fill my pantry (yes, I live with only my dog and my pantry looks like I am feeding a small village).

Recently, I gave my first private cooking lesson (ahem, I use that term very loosely) to two sassy gals that are living up those glory days as roomies setting up shop as "adults."

On the menu:

Citrus-roasted salmon (my go-to recipe to impress any guest, even Ina Garten)
Couscous (ALWAYS in my pantry)
Apple and blue cheese salad with lemon-mustard vinaigrette (classic, again)

And for dessert...black and white angel food cake. Yum.

Let the cooking begin...meet Grace and Whitney:

Grace got started on the marinade/basting sauce for the salmon.

Lather up the fish...

Meanwhile, Whitney took on the vinaigrette and salad.

Voila!

And finally...fantastic, f-enomenal, frigging-awesome dessert.

Cheers!

Fire it up!

2011-02-21T20:02:00.000-05:00

You know the day...the first one of the season when sun sets a little slower, the breeze blows a little warmer and the grill calls your name. Fire it up!

I love this time of year because so many things can just be marinated in whatever juices you have in the pantry and slapped on the grill and a mere moments later, voila! Perfection! And virtually no clean up.

(These little guys have been waiting all winter to get some love.)

On the menu tonight...grilled asparagus that's cooked just to the point of crisp-tender with a smoky flavor and wrapped in crispy, blackened bits.

Plump, juicy, bourbon peppercorn marinated (the marinade is store brand from my local Kroger!) pork chops with skin that's crunchy and crisp, sealing in all the flavorful moisture that glides off your fork and explodes in your mouth.

(You can hear the sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, can't you? You know you want it.)

And a quick, cold Romaine salad with fresh shaved Parmesan and a tangy homemade garlic mustard vinaigrette that coats each leaf like a light spritzer in the summer.

My version of "surf and turf"...add a few steamed shrimp and cocktail sauce leftover from the weekend:

(Isn't that pretty? I thought so...it deserved two pictures.)

Yum. Yum. Yum.

Garlic Mustard Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
1 chopped garlic clove
1-2 Tbsp. of whole grain mustard or Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2-3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2-3 tsp. sugar
1/4 Cup olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk together until well combined. Taste and add more/less of whatever you think it needs until it tastes yummy to you.

Arugu-what?

2011-02-16T08:00:00.003-05:00

Arugula. It's kind of an odd little green, isn't it? I mean, you always hear chefs talk about it's "peppery" hints. How the heck can a leafy thing taste like pepper? I mean, I've always thought arugula was just one of those "fancy" greens that celebrity chefs use to make a dish more enticing.

Oops, sorry. That's parsley.

The last time I was in San Francisco, I picked up the most amazing cookbook:

It's organized by season and by vegetable and fruit within that. So, if it's October and I want to know how to cook a sweet potato (and where it came from, what it's best served with and what time of year it's best), I can just flip open this magic book and there's a delicious recipe. That's what I did with arugula.

This is what I made:

Whole wheat penne drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper and mixed with some chopped garlic, cherry tomatoes, wilted arugula and freshly shaven parmigiano-reggiano.

Fresh.

Easy.

Fast.

Oh-so-delicious.

(Folks, there's no recipe, just cook the pasta and toss the ingredients. You cannot screw it up.)

Will You Be My Valentine?

2011-02-13T17:59:00.000-05:00

I'm a snob, I admit it. When it comes to Valentine's Day, I do hail my decorating abilities as something sort of magical. My Valentine's box (you know, the one your elementary teachers had you bring for the class party) was always the envy of my classmates. Adorned with metallic red hearts, pink and red rose stickers, lacy white doilies and enough glitter to overwhelm even Tinkerbell, I was not messing around. No ma'am.

Making this box each year with my grandmother is one of my favorite childhood memories. She always had a magical selection of stickers and ribbon and sparkly things. (And I'm certain the National Gallery of Art would have been interested in displaying at least one of my masterpieces.)

Even though I'm older and no longer make shoeboxes to hold my "love notes," I still love Valentine's Day. Some people wear black if they don't have a sweetheart or walk around brooding because Cupid hasn't shared his arrow with them, but I think this day is the perfect day to celebrate everyone I love - whether they are furry, four-legged, related or not!

So, this magnificent creation is for you...

(Well, ok, it's really for me, but I'll enjoy it for you!)

Yum.

I love me. I mean you.

Who Doesn't Love Room Service?

2011-01-30T22:20:00.000-05:00

Oh yeah, I'm a jet-setter. (Insert ridiculous laughing.) Well, mostly it's just travel for work, which always sounds a lot more glamorous than it really ends up being.

Tonight, I flew into our nation's capital for business this coming week, and am staying at the "luxury boutique" hotel, the St. Gregory on M street in the thick of everything here in D.C. (And, I'm having a relapse of my 20-something obsession of "I wanna live and work in this city full of youth and ambition and excitement!" Ok, that's done.)

Exhausted and already missing my own bed, I decided to order room service. Something that should be luxurious, yet was really just a quick and simple way to get some protein and veggies in me for the day.

And, the last few times I've ordered room service, I would have been better off with last week's leftovers and a pickle.

On the menu: a salmon Caesar salad and nice cold glass of Sauvingon Blanc.

Drum roll please...

Tah-dah!

Yes, those are fresh flowers! The salad was divine with its crisp, green Romaine lettuce perfectly chilled and dusted with shaved Parmesan with a bite so smooth, I'd swear it was butter.

The salmon was perfectly cooked - crisp and golden brown on the outside, flaky and moist on the inside. Divinity. Seriously.

Hail to the Room Service Godesses!

Viva Italiano!

2011-01-23T13:24:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks ago, I gathered on a bitterly cold Saturday with a group of 21 other food bloggers from Atlanta and had an amazing afternoon of the "inside scoop" from one of the city's most fantastic restaurants: Pacci Ristorante.

Chef Kiera Moritz welcomed us into her kitchen of the rooftop lounge and prepared a feast of deliciousness for us complete with color commentary. Go Chef Kiera!

Chef Kiera and her team started with a clean, crisp and crunchy homemade grilled Caesar salad. I'd never had grilled lettuce before, but it was absolutely delectable - crunchy, smoky and filled with the sturdiness of Romaine, but with a kick. It was topped with homemade Caesar dressing that we watched the team whip up from scratch (much better than the bottles that litter the door of my fridge, I must say).

Next, we moved on to an Italian staple: homemade gnocchi (aka Strozzapreti: Priest Stranglers - there's a cool story about why these are called Priest Stranglers, but for the life of me, I can't remember). I don't think I have the patience to make my own pasta from scratch, but it was absolutely fascinating watching someone else do it!

The result was a warm, gooey, potatoey nugget that was bathed in caramelly, browned butter, topped with nutty sage and walnuts, and sprinkled with creamy Gorgonzola. O. M. G.

As if these two masterpieces weren't enough to satisfy our mid-afternoon cravings, Chef Kiera and her team delivered another winner: brown butter pear crespelle. These pear and ricotta filled crepes were the perfect mixture of light and heavy - neither was too overwhelming. The pears delivered a juicy sweetness that mixed with the creamy ricotta shoots a "Pow!" of flavor through your mouth. All of this yummy is enveloped in a cloud of slightly sweet batter that's been cooked to perfect golden brown. It's enough to make you weak in the knees.

And, the grand finale...smores by the fire pit on the rooftop lounge.

These weren't just any smores. These were smores with homemade marshmallows and chocolate disks. I'd never had a homemade marshmallows and truthfully, didn't see what all the fuss was about. (Come on, I'm perfectly satisfied with my $1.29 bag from Publix.) Notice: Chef Kiera and her assistant are using a creme brulee torch because the wind was so strong it kept blowing the fire out! Handy.

Let me tell you something...there ain't nothin' like a homemade marshmallow baby. The texture was as fluffy as a soft blanket right out of the dryer. Marry that with dark chocolate and squish it all between two cinnamon graham cracker (yes, cinnamon!) and you've got nirvana on a plate.

Pacci is next on my list for dinner reservations...here's a coupon for yours...

What Happens When it Snows in the South

2011-01-12T22:52:00.000-05:00

It has only happened twice in the nearly 20 years I've lived in Atlanta, but we're going on Snow Day #4 here in the Peach State. Yep. Cabin fever has begun to set in (don't get me wrong, I love my cabin) and we're all trying to find ways to not only entertain ourselves, but also keep from dying of boredom.

Snow Day #1 was thrilling (I mean, this IS the Peach State). My neighbors and I gathered around "the manpit" and laughed as we drank wine and made fools of ourselves with such things as night sledding and Snow Olympics (well, I missed out on those earlier in the day but enjoyed the stories).

This is us. Aren't we cute?

After hearing my neighbors talk of their delicious "snow day breakfasts," I had to break out of my instant oatmeal rut. As any good Southerner does when there's even a slight chance of flurries, in preparation I had headed to the store and stocked up like we'd be holed up for a week. (Sadly, I may have been right this time.) So, I was delighted when I realized I had a fresh garden of deliciousness in my fridge to create from.

This was my creation:

I'm trying to get more veggies in, so an egg scramble with sauteed mushrooms and spinach with a bit of parmesan was so warm and cozy for Snow Day #2. Of course, you can't have eggs without whole wheat toast and pecan pumpkin butter schmeared all over it. Or a peppermint mocha coffee creamer shot.

(Notice, all the work-from-home necessities in the background. I was productive and creative!)

This kind of weather makes me want to bake. Bake, bake, bake! So, I whipped up a loaf of pecan-pumpkin quickbread (from a Williams Sonoma mix that was a Christmas gift) and satisfied my craving.

I have certainly enjoyed these delictables...I wonder what tomorrow will bring???

Spinach-Mushroom Scramble

Ingredients:
2 T. butter or margarine
2-3 eggs
1/4 C. milk or cream
1/3 C. mushrooms
1/2 C. baby spinach leaves
2 T. shaved parmesan cheese
salt
pepper

Directions:
1. Melt butter or margarine in medium nonstick skillet on medium temperature
2. Beat eggs, milk or cream, and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl until well mixed; set aside
3. Add mushrooms to skillet and add pinch of salt; sautee until the begin to brown and soften
4. Add egg mixture to mushrooms in skillet
5. Add spinach to skillet and cook without stirring for 1-2 minutes (until bottom of eggs begin to set); using a spatula, scramble egg mixture to desired consistency
6. Add parmesan just before removing eggs from skillet
7. Enjoy!

Foodie Heaven on Earth

2011-01-05T22:01:00.000-05:00

Have you ever experienced nirvana? That blissful, crazy happy feeling that everything in the universe is perfectly aligned and all is well in the world. That there could possibly even be world peace one day soon.

Visit New York City's Eataly.

I mean really.

Eataly is an amazing mish-mash of everything ever conceived in the Italian culinary world. It's perfectly divine. I literally got weak in the knees upon entry and didn't really even let my feet touch the ground again until my responsible visit-mates gingerly escorted me out.

This little excursion was perhaps the single-most invigorating shopping experience of 2010 for me (well, maybe second to the Italian leather boot shopping...at DSW of course...Italy alludes me to date).

A little slice of Europe under one gigantic roof right here in the United States.

This sign says it best:

There are rows and rows of crimson sauces organized by Italian region...

Not to mention bottle after bottle of glistening, sweet balsamic vinegar and rich, flavorful olive oils just begging to be slathered over a perfect piece of chicken and roasted to perfection.

And can we talk about meat please?

Prosciutto, salami, pancetta, sausage, pork...does it get any better?! (Apologies to any vegetarians reading this. Word to the wise: you may want to reconsider your blog choice. I am a carnivorous carnivore.)

To tide us over until dinner, we pulled up a few stools at "Le Verdure" (one of the many restaurants and food bars house inside Eataly) and positively devoured the daily bruschetta special:

Um, yum.

Of course, we didn't leave without walking through Eataly's pastry department with smells of divine, dark chocolate wafting through the air, their sources just waiting to be devoured by salivating mouths working overtime.

Now, if only I could find a man that would whisper THESE sweet nothings in my ear...All. Night. Long.

Phew! Ready or Not, it's a New Year!

2011-01-02T21:16:00.000-05:00

Where the heck did 2010 go? I think I saw it whizzing by my window as I was rolling down the highway of life last week.

This holiday season has been a whirlwind for me. I've had some really fun (and delicious) adventures for work and pleasure. Here are a few...

Let's begin with the annual ornament exchange with my sweet small group girls. Did I mention that I absolutely adore ornament exchanges?

Kelley is so silly! (But, those would make some totally fabu earrings, right?!)

Laurel took home a glass red high heeled shoe in honor of the shoes she wore at her wedding just last December!

Look at that sweet Angie sitting pretty by the tree.

Next up: the first ever Ivy Glen Holiday Progressive Dinner! I love love love my neighbors and this year, we decided to extend our ever-so-often girls' nights to significant others and friends and host apps, dinner and dessert at three different houses. My contribution was none other than Barefoot Contessa's moist and rich red velvet cake coated with decadent cream cheese icing and topped off with a shimmer of red sprinkles for some extra festivity. (Sorry. I wrote this paragraph and then realized I didn't take a picture! )

A couple days later, I made the same red velvet cake, but in peppermint striped cupcake cups to serve at a homespun get-together of some of my dearest friends and neighbors. I have such a hard time with quantities (my sweet grandmother would roll over in her grave if I ran out of food!) so, as usual, there was a spread fit for an army of Santa's elves.

Yummy gingerbread cake with orange glaze!

The red velvet cupcakes!

You can't have a party without spinach dip in a bread bowl.

As Christmas drew near, I attended my annual cookie exchange (sorry, no pics this year, but see last year's post for a taste to water your mouth).

But, the absolute cherry on top of my holiday season was a trip to New York City that was filled with so much deliciousness it will make you want to slap your mama (although I don't recommend that).

Hooked? Check back soon for a new post.

Presenting Course #1: Pumpkin Soup

2010-12-02T08:00:00.002-05:00

Until last week, I had never made pumpkin soup before. I know, I couldn't believe it either! As a woman completely and utterly obsessed with all things pumpkin (pancakes, pie, cake, risotto, ravioli, bread...), soup was one thing I had not yet tackled.

I mean, unless you're adding two cups of sugar, some eggs, yummy spices and possibly buttermilk and chocolate, how can you make that can of orange mush tasty by heating it on the stove?

Like this...

Start with some chicken stock, garlic, and chopped onions in a big pan on low heat.

Then add the pumpkin, salt and pepper, some fresh thyme and stir that puppy up real good. (Apologies: we had our annual showing of "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," and I'm channeling my inner Cousin Eddie.)

After this orange bath simmers for about 30 minutes, get out your boat motor (aka immersion blender) or food processor and puree the mixture until it's smooth and thick.

At this point, you could add a bit of heavy cream to make it silky and rich...I thought it tasted so delicious freshly pureed that I just left it be...and let the autumn pumpkin flavors get all happy with the sweet onion, biting garlic and lemony thyme. Mmmm!

Pumpkin soup. It won't disappoint, I promise.

Pumpkin Soup
(*aka Barbara's Pumpkin Soup recipe, Junior League of Athens cookbook Beyond the Hedges)

Ingredients:
6 Cups chicken stock
1 1/2 tsp. salt
4 Cups pumpkin puree
1 Cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp. freshly chopped thyme
1 garlic clove, minced
5 whole black peppercorns
1/2 Cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:
1. In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, combine the chicken stock, salt, pumpkin, onion, thyme, garlic and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes uncovered.

2. Puree the soup using an immersion blender or food processor.

3. Return soup to pot and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer an additional 30 minutes, uncovered.

4. Stir in cream, pour and serve!

Who Says Lemon and Herbs are Just for Spring?

2010-12-01T08:00:00.002-05:00

Barefoot Contessa is my hero.

Her newest cookbook, How Easy Is That?, is a fantastic gift to put underneath the tree for that foodie on your list (well, except me...I just bought it!). Every recipe is super-easy and can be made with fresh ingredients readily available at your local grocery.

One of my new favorite recipes is her Lemon Chicken Breasts. I made this recently and couldn't believe how much flavor is infused into the juicy chicken breasts by just a few key ingredients: good olive oil, garlic, white wine (good enough to drink), lemons, fresh and dried herbs.

To accompany this delicious and easy weeknight chicken (which is way more than weeknight chicken), I roasted up some fingerling potatoes with the same herbs I used in the chicken and with an added bit of dill and parsley from the fridge.

I eat veggies with every meal (right, who am I kidding?!), so I whipped up a salad with some easy grated onion vinaigrette.

Check it out and let me know what you think!

Easy Onion Vinaigrette
(courtesy of my friend Kristy who writes the fantastic blog, Short Order Mama)

1/2 C. good olive oil

1 tsp. salt
2-3 tsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. grated onion
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
Pepper to taste

Combine everything in a sealable container and shake, shake, shake!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

2010-11-30T08:00:00.002-05:00

This past Thursday, Santa Claus himself arrived in New York City's Herald Square officially ushering in the Christmas season. And after the leftovers have all been consumed, the decorating begins!

I. Love. Christmas.

Seriously. If it could be Christmas 12 months out of the year, it wouldn't be too many for me.

My house is currently a-glow with white twinkle lights, glistening glass ornaments in jewel tone colors and holly berries and candles in every nook and cranny.

The mantel is decked out with glass vases filled with silver and red glass balls and garland that's home to more twinkle lights and holly berries and then topped of with stockings hung for me and Max.

Yes, Santa Puppy comes to my house every year.

This year, I added some garland up the stair case, which I must admit adds a nice warm glow to a normally dark part of my house. Plus, the garland I bought for the top of my armoire turned out to be like 25 feet long, so what else was I going to do with it?

With the house brimming with gold and green, there is no better way to end a relaxing Sunday afternoon of dozing and football than with a yummy dinner. I'm about to head in the kitchen to whip up some herb-sauteed chicken thighs and cranberry pecan couscous.

To be washed down, of course, with a glass of wine.

Merry Christmas!

Thank-Full

2010-11-28T17:31:00.008-05:00

Each year, as I watch all the holiday commercials of families gathered around tables brimming with golden turkeys, creamy mashed potatoes, steamy dishes of stuffing and green bean casserole (all of which I consumed this year might I add), I get a little wistful for that idyllic, Norman Rockwell moment.

Right. This is 2011 - who's Thanksgiving looks like that?

Most likely you have some crazy aunt (or uncle) that shows up with a jello mold and pinches your cheeks and remarks how you've grown (although you've been north of 30 for a while now). There are probably one too many casseroles, sides and pies than there are ovens, causing tensions to run high as the turkey gets cold. Perhaps there's fighting over the remote..."Parade!" "No, football!" And maybe like at my house you have 12 paws worth of canines all trying to secretly sneak a nibble of any of the delicious smells wafting from the kitchen (luckily, we've never had to actually order a pizza because of the darlings ravenous appetites).

For all this, I am thank-full.

Full of cheesy cornbake...

Full of herb-roasted turkey breast, soft and buttery rolls, sweet and tangy cranberries, cinnamony pumpkin pie with a dab (well, maybe a whopping dab) of whipped cream.

Thankful for the blessings of my family, good friendships, health, prosperity, my Hallmark Christmas CDs (don't judge me please) and of course red wine.

Perhaps most of all, as we prepare to celebrate the birth of a baby born so many years ago in a stable, I am thankful for hope in the year to come.

Yes, for all these things, I am thank-full.

Have Some Chowda

2010-11-04T08:00:00.000-04:00

A long time ago, I made a personal resolution to experience authentic regional cuisine whenever I travel to new places. What's the point of eating at an Applebee's or Waffle House in a place like Charleston or New York City?

So, what better place than San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf to try a bread bowl of clam chowder?

Oh. My. Gosh.

The smell of the bread alone at the Boudin Bakery was nearly more than I could stand...the warm, sweet scent of the freshly baked bread wafting through the air...sends memories of homemade pies wafting through my grandmother's kitchen.

Then, there's the chowder. One look at that ivory sea of velvet makes me weak in the knees. The way the creamy lusciousness slides down the throat and warms the belly is like a first kiss on a long sweet summer night. Mmmmm....

What goes better with a hot, steamy bowl of "chowda" than a crisp, cold bottle of local beer?

Next time you're in the Wharf, stop by Boudin and partake for yourself. You won't regret it. I promise.

My First Michelin

2010-11-03T08:00:00.000-04:00

September 30, 2010. This date will go down in history in the life of FunGirlCooks. It's going in my baby book, every scrap book and journal I own. This was the day I ate at my very first Michelin-star rated restaurant: One Market in the grand and glorious city of San Francisco.

What is a Michelin star you ask? First published in 1900 in France, the Michelin rating system has become "the benchmark in gourmet dining" by sending its professional, anonymous inspectors to restaurants around the world to rate the food on the plate.

And man, do those guys know what they're doing!

In San Fran for a work conference, I took the opportunity to get in some culinary adventures since it is one of the most magnificently mouthwatering cities in the country (in my humble opinion).

My delectable meal began with a warm, spicy glass of 2007 Freeman Pinot Noir from California's Russian River Valley and a hand-picked Dungeness crab salad over green apple water with jalapeno and cilantro garnishes.

Dinner was the Daily Roast of a tender, juicy fillet of beef wrapped in pancetta and bathed in a smoky, caramelized onion sauce that wrapped the meat in warmth like a velvet glove in the middle of winter. Served with a la carte roasted, organic baby carrots right out of Peter Rabbit's garden, it was utter perfection.

(It was so good, I forgot to take pictures! Unforgivable, I know.)

To end this intoxicating culinary experience, I had the seasonal dessert of luscious, creamy sugar pumpkin cheesecake laced with hints of warm cinnamon and nutmeg and sprinkled with maple pecans. Paired with a scoop of sweet maple ice cream and a crisp gingerbread autumn cookie, the entire piece of art was drizzled with warm caramel sauce, allowing it to simply slide from the tongue down the throat into a state of pure, unadulterated pleasure.

Seriously. I now want to marry the Michelin man.

33 Years of Love

2010-11-02T08:00:00.002-04:00

I love birthdays. Mine. Yours. Theirs. Everyone's. This past weekend, I celebrated my 33rd year with many of my precious loved ones. In my family, your birthday is the day you get to be completely doted on and most importantly, get to eat whatever you want.

For me, nearly all of those years, that has meant a yellow cake with chocolate frosting and Brach's "little pumpkins." And this year was no exception.

Mom has long since ceased making the cake herself, but turns to our dear friend and owner of local Bill Rhodes Bakery, Becky Evans, to make this special (and gorgeous!) treat each year. This year was no exception.

The best part is the leftovers.

Ok, who doesn't like to start a meal with dessert? This moist, melt-in-your-mouth magnificence was preceded by one of my favorite dinners that embodies love for my family: Miss Elizabeth's chicken.

Miss Elizabeth was a dear lady in my dad's hometown of Boonville, Missouri that brought a steaming casserole dish of this comfort food to the farmhouse after my sweet grandmother's funeral and the rest is history. We've been making it for the past 17 years. This recipe is as homespun as they come and straight out of the church potluck cookbook. Most people call it Chicken and Rice Casserole. It's warm and creamy and utterly rich and filled with love.

Just to make sure that our veins don't completely explode from all the "love" filled food, this year's celebration was rounded out with a little greenery: a wedge salad with homemade blue cheese dressing, steamed green beans and roasted brussel sprouts with pancetta and Parmesan. Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm.

Thirty-three years of love right here on the plate.

Miss Elizabeth's Chicken

Ingredients:
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of cream of celery soup
1/2 soup can of water
1 1/2 Cups of white rice, uncooked
6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 stick of margarine
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Heat oven to 275 degrees.

Melt margarine in a large saucepan.

Add the soups and water; heat and stir well.

Add rice and stir.

Pour half of the mixture into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish.

Place chicken on top; salt and pepper.

Pour the rest of the mixture on top of chicken.

Cover with foil and bake for 2 hours; uncover and bake for one additional hour until golden and bubbly.

Gnocchi for Goblins!

2010-10-31T21:11:00.000-04:00

Hello again my foodie friends, and Happy Halloween!

October has flown by, and once again, I've not done my due diligence in keeping you all up to date with my frightful foodie adventures...(hey, I'm feeling spunky this Halloween night).

Now, I'm not much of a gnocchi eater, but I am a huge fan of pumpkin. Big surprise as a Halloween birthday girl, eh? (Yes, Halloween really IS my birthday.) So, naturally when I saw this pumpkin gnocchi at my local World Market it was a no brainer. I had to try it.

I also just happened to have some of my favorite autumnal liquid wheat at home...

This counts as a whole grain, right?

As a busy gal on the go, I was in need of a quick, easy dinner that I could make with things I had around the house. So...I fixed up the gnocchi according to the package directions...

...sauteed up a sweet onion and some mushrooms in a bit of garlic-infused olive oil. Now, you can buy this oil at many grocery stores, but if you can't find it, don't fret. Just add minced garlic to hot olive oil in the pan, and you'll get the same basic taste.

Next, I added the veggies to a jar of tomato-basil spaghetti sauce from the pantry...

...and topped the pasta with the sauce and then garnished it with some chopped green onions and fresh Parmesan.

Voila! Gnocchi for your little goblins (ok, well, not really, but it's Halloween).

Gnocchi with Sauteed Mushrooms and Onions

Ingredients:
1 package of pumpkin gnocchi
1/2 Cup of diced sweet onion
1/2 Cup sliced baby portabello mushrooms
1/4 Cup chopped scallions/green onions
1 jar spaghetti sauce (I love tomato basil)
2 T. garlic-infused olive oil (or 2 T. olive oil and 1 clove of garlic, minced)
1/4 C. fresh shredded or grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Cook gnocchi according to package directions.

Heat spaghetti sauce in medium saucepan.

Heat oil in medium skillet (add minced garlic once oil is hot if not using garlic-infused olive oil).

Add sweet onions and saute until translucent; add mushrooms and saute until browned. Salt and pepper to taste.

Add onions and mushrooms to spaghetti sauce and stir until completely mixed.

Place gnocchi in serving bowl, spoon spaghetti sauce mixture over pasta. Garnish with green onions and Parmesan cheese.

Pimm's What?

2010-09-12T23:14:00.000-04:00

My college roomies and I just celebrated our 10 year anniversary with a trip to the beach complete with succulent shrimp and salmon on the grill, light and lemony cheesecake with a cherry-raspberry sauce that would knock your socks off, and my very first Pimm's Cup!

What's that you say? It's a fantastically refreshing summer drink that our friends the Brits (cheerio!) fill with luscious fruit and crisp cucumber, a dash of Pimm's (that's a liquor in case you didn't know...I didn't), and top off with fizzy ginger ale.

Dr. Nellie has been dying to make this drink for us for quite some time now (she's having a love affair with England). And I must admit, the red wine lunatic in me was a bit skeptical, but the verdict is in: fantastico!

Here's how it works...You start by cutting the fruit and cucumbers.

You put it in a glass.

Then you add the Pimm's.

Isn't it a fun bottle?

Then you top it off with the ginger ale.

And voila...it's fun in a glass!

And this is how much Dr. Nellie likes it...

"Double" Chocolate Celebration

2010-09-08T00:00:00.004-04:00

This year, two of my dearest Fungirl friends will each have a new little bundle under the Christmas tree...they will each be welcoming a new little Funbaby! ("We're" having a boy and a girl in case you're curious...no names yet. I've asked.)

Recently, we showered Rebecca for this first little blessing of she and her hubby, Kenton. (A girl!) Dr. Nellie opened her adorable home, and in true Fungirl fashion, we had a fantastically delicious spread.

A local bakery supplied these precious petit fours...and these were double the chocolate for double the celebration. Let. Me. Tell. You.

I've got a bit of an obsession with bruschetta these days! (I don't have a picture, but it's in the background in the one above.) The thing I'll remember the most fondly about this dish though was the sweet time I spent in the kitchen with Rebecca and Dr. Nellie whipping this up. I love those times...perhaps because they are few and far between with our busy lives in separate states.

Of course, no Fungirl event would be complete without Dani's famous frosted sugar cookies. I don't know what she puts in hers, but I think it's highly addictive. No one can eat just one. (How cute are these little babies in stork baskets?!)

The guest of honor, Rebecca (left) with Elaine (expecting Baby Boy #2).

I love baby showers.

Summer Round-Up

2010-09-06T11:23:00.000-04:00

I'm not much of a summer kind of gal. I'll admit it. I don't like to sweat. I don't like bugs. And I don't like the beach (I know, go ahead and gasp). One thing I DO like about summer is the abundance of delicious, fresh fruits and veggies and the crisp, clean tastes of the season. It's been a crazy busy summer, so I thought I'd show you a bit of what my tastebuds have enjoyed this season...

Let's begin with a nice cool, frosty pitcher of strawberry lemonade...

Then on to the enchiladas I made for family dinner with my small group girls...

Oh yeah, and we can't forget the mini-cupcakes and "two-bite" brownies!

There was a lasagna and green salad thrown in for good measure this summer...

Along with homemade bruschetta topped with sweet, succulent heirloom cherry tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and topped with crumbled goat cheese (mmmm)!

Then came the Sunday dinner of grilled salmon with roasted fingerling potatoes and broccoli sprinkled with lemon juice and parmesan. And a salad thrown in for good measure.

Can't forget the low-country boil!

And of course, everything capped off with a glass of sangria (happy happy joy joy)!

Now, welcome autumn!

Mini-tarts Made Easy

2010-08-15T13:19:00.000-04:00

During my Saturday morning ritual of Food Network and coffee, I watched an episode of a program where the chefs created a delicious dessert bar with one main ingredient: chocolate ganache. Really? Really! Really.

If you've never made it, chocolate ganache is one of the easiest, most decadent things you can make in the dessert world. Two simple ingredients: good chocolate and heavy cream. Need I say more?

So, when I had a small dinner party for some coworkers coming up that week, instead of making a complicated, heavy, rich dessert, I decided to "fancify" some chocolate ganache by creating a dessert tray starring none other than Chocolate Ganache herself.

How? It's super easy:

Chop up the chocolate into small pieces.
Heat the chocolate in a glass bowl over a simmering pot of water.
Add in an equal amount of cream into the chocolate.
Stir until chocolate is smooth and shiny.

(You will want to bathe in this stuff, I'm telling you, it's so gorgeous.)

Once you've melted the chocolate, you're only limitations are your creativity. Going for a bit of a delicate, classic feel to be the perfect capstone to the Italian Sausage Lasagna I was serving as the main course. I filled phyllo dough mini-tart shells with the ganache and topped them with crushed up English toffee and sliced strawberries.

A big fan of "fancify-ing" pre-made delictables, I also bought some yummy almond biscotti bars and dipped them in the ganache for a special treat with coffee.

And the result was pure bliss.

Easy Summer Fruit Crisp

2010-07-21T19:36:00.000-04:00

So, you have a fruit bowl on your counter with all kinds of fresh, seasonal fruit because it just looked too good to pass up at the farmer's market...and now you can't eat it fast enough and it's getting soft and squishy, right? (Go with me here.)

That's exactly what happened to me last week. Rather than letting this bounty go to waste, I decided to whip up an easy fruit crisp that has the smells of the not-too-distant holidays wafting throughout my house.

I started by cutting up the peaches and plums. Then, I added a bit of lemon zest and lemon juice to add a hint of freshness.

And some sugar to create the syrupy juice to bake in.

Then, I added spices and a bit of flour to make it even more syrupy and delicious.

Let the fruit sit in the bowl a bit and get happy.

To make the topping, I mixed together some oatmeal, brown and white sugar (cuz there wasn't enough already), flour and cold, diced butter.

Then, I spread the fruit mixture into a deep dish pie plate and topped it with the oatmeal mixture.

I baked this puppy at 350 degrees for about 45-50 minutes, until I could see the sweet syrup bubbling up at the edges and the crust was golden brown.

No one had to tell me twice to dish up a bowl (it would have been oh so comforting had I had some vanilla ice cream in my freezer).

With nostalgia my bowl, I promptly went and re-read my childhood scrapbook of time spent at grandma's house.

Easy Fruit Crisp
(adapted from Ina Garten's Apple and Pear Crisp recipe)

Filling Ingredients:
2-3 large peaches, peeled and cut into chunks
3-4 plums, peeled and cut into chunks
1-2 medium apples, peeled and cut into chunks
zest and juice of one large lemon
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
2 tsp. cinnamon (you can use less if you like; you can also add nutmeg)

Topping Ingredients:
1 cup old fashioned oatmeal
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 sticks of cold, unsalted butter, diced

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 9x13 oval baking dish (or deep dish pie plate, or 8x8 baking dish) with nonstick cooking spray (or wipe it down with butter if you prefer).

Mix all the filling ingredients together in a large bowl; pour into greased baking dish.

Mix the topping ingredients in an electric mixer on low until butter resembles the size of peas (mixture should be coarse).

Sprinkle topping over fruit mixture.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, until topping is golden brown and mixture is bubbling.

Crab-o-licious

2010-07-18T19:47:00.000-04:00

My adventures with Dr. Nellie in Greenville didn't stop with the mango margs and queso. We went to this incredibly little hip jazz joint to see a friend of hers play some fantastic music.

Not only did we get the VIP treatment - our table was actually on the stage (yes, ON the stage) - but the food was pretty smackin' too.

We started with a glass of pinot noir...nice and smooth...ahhh....

Then, as an appetizer, we split this amazing shrimp bruschetta that had a warm, creamy, garlicky sauce drizzled over a perfectly cooked shrimp on top of a piece of warm, soft crostini. Heaven on a plate, I'm telling you.

The warmth and creaminess of this bruschetta was such a delightful contrast to the traditional cool tomato, onion and cilantro version that you typically find.

For the main course, I took a walk on the wild side for me...crab salad.

Not the mayonnaise-drenched kind that is stuffed between two pieces of oversized bread. The fresh, light, summery kind with giant chunks of rich lump crab meat, juicy tomato chunks, crunchy onions and soft, smooth slices of avocado. If California could fit on a plate, this would be it.

To top it off, the darn thing was plated as a tower of deliciousness drizzled with a wonderful horseradish remoulade and balsamic glaze. Yumm-y.

If only dinner at my house was this lovely...

The Best Way to Spend a Saturday Afternoon

2010-07-07T21:28:00.000-04:00

There are lots of great things to do on a Saturday afternoon: organizing my crazy-full guest closet, shopping for new OPI nail colors, venturing to the market with a new recipe in hand. But, I spent last Saturday afternoon partaking in one of my all-time favorite pastimes...consuming queso and mango margaritas with my oldest friend in the world (she's not old, our friendship is).

This is Dr. Nellie. She's fabulous. And a sassy dresser too. She LOVES to drink mango margs in a straw.

I took a wee bit of a road trip to visit her in where she lives in Greenville, S.C. (aka The Quintessential Charming Southern Town) for some R&R over the holiday weekend.

We kicked off the weekend with a trip to the local Mexican watering hole for some chips and salsa, queso dip and the infamous mango margarita. (Dr. Nellie and I have a historical obsession with mango margaritas, so any chance we get to imbibe, we do our happy dance.)

We didn't just have "a" margarita...

We had a pitcher. Well, 3/4 of a pitcher; it was more economical. Clearly our inner Dave Ramsey forced us to place the order.

And let me tell you something...was that pitcher of sweet, salty, cold, slushy fruit heaven ever worth it.

Just beware: this is what happens AFTER the margaritas.

A Hard Day's Work: Easy Italian

2010-06-20T18:31:00.010-04:00

This may sound frightening to some of you, but sometimes after a long day at work, all I want to do is cook. Yep. Most of my friends think I'm nutso, but I can't help it. Creating a fresh, fast, fabulous meal relaxes me more than eating bon-bons and getting a pedicure (ok, maybe not the pedicure, but definitely a close second). And the glass of wine required for cooking helps too.

This week, I whipped up some Ravioli Pomodoro that makes my mouth water just thinking about it. And what's even better? I had everything on hand already!

Here's how it went down:

I started by sauteeing some garlic in olive oil.

Then, I added two cans of diced tomatoes.

And simmered them until they became thick and reduced (about 10-15 minutes if you must know).

While the tomatoes simmered, I cooked some fresh ravioli (which happened to be chicken and mushroom) according to the directions on the package. Yes: I wholeheartedly believe in convenience friends!

Chopped up some basil from my pot in the backyard...

Added a bit of feta cheese to the tomatoes for a little tang and creaminess (you could add mozzarella or another fave of yours).

Throw in the basil and voila! You have a fantastic meal in a flash.

How easy was that?

And the best part: leftovers for lunch the next day, where your coworkers will take one whiff and ask, "What chi-chi restaurant did you eat at last night?"

Bon appetit!

Ravioli Pomodoro

Ingredients:

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons of olive oil

2 cans of dices tomoatoes

2 Tablespoons of basil, chopped

1/4 Cup of feta cheese

1 package of store-bought, fresh ravioli

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Directions:

Heat the oil in a skillet on medium heat; add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds.

Add tomatoes and salt and pepper; simmer for 10-15 minutes, until tomatoes are thickened and reduced.

While the tomatoes simmer, cook the ravioli according to the package directions.

Add the feta and red pepper to the tomatoes until feta is slightly melted; turn off the heat. Stir in the fresh basil.

Pour sauce over ravioli and enjoy!

We're Having a Picnic

2010-06-13T17:26:00.016-04:00

A few weeks ago, my church had a Sunday afternoon potluck picnic lunch to kickoff summer. Now, I don't know about you, but for me, church picnics conjure up all sorts of memories.

My father was a choir director at our church when I was a small child, and we had many a picnic in our backyard or a local park. The smell of hot dogs getting blackened and crispy on the grill, ice cold lemonade in plastic cups with sweat beads dripping down the sides, cool and creamy coleslaws filled with a rainbow of veggies...if I close my eyes, I'm right back there wearing my favorite cotton sundress and my jelly shoes chasing fireflies.

But, what I remember the most were the desserts. Homemade apple pies that melted in your mouth, rocky road brownies that were so chewy your front teeth were covered in goodness, buttery pound cakes that sent a tingle to your toes. All baked with love by adorable Christian women that want nothing more than to stuff another calorie-laden delectable down your throat. Heaven.

What to bring??? The choice seemed obvious: I must be the Dessert Lady.

After thumbing through all my Southern cookbooks filled with ooey, gooey desserts, I settled on Pioneer Woman's Chocolate Sheet Cake. While I had never made a sheet cake before, I decided that if it bombed, how bad would it be too bury my face in the bowl to lick the chocolatey goodness and then pick up some fruit at the store? Yeah.

I had all the ingredients on hand, and the recipe was basically foolproof.

The sweet smells of dark cocoa and rich vanilla wafted through my house all afternoon, taunting my taste buds for a sample. (Of course, I have to make sure it is edible.)

Finally! The cake was cooled and ready to be cut...just sitting there on the counter with the glorious gloss of the frosting reflecting off the light in the kitchen...calling my name. Kristina. Eat me. Now.

My knife slowly sunk into the cake like you sink into your favorite comfy chair with a good book. The cake was so airy, so light. The silkiness of the frosting matched with the crunch of pecans set off fireworks in my mouth. Que eyes rolling back in head and deep, guttural moaning.

I had just created sin on a plate. Utterly dangerous. Praise the Lord.

(In case you missed the link above...get the recipe here: Chocolate Sheet Cake.)

Sweet Deliciousness!

2010-05-15T20:40:00.006-04:00

It's summer in Atlanta already. We just skipped right over spring and went straight to those hot, muggy days. Ick.

While long hot days generally don't have me craving a piping hot bowl of apple crisp topped with a cold scoop of vanilla ice cream or a warm piece of pumpkin pie with whipped cream (although, really, is there ever a bad time for that?), they do get me flipping through my cookbooks for light, fruity, refreshing answers to my ever-present sweet tooth.

After consulting my new favorite cookbook, Fresh Food Fast (by Cooking Light of course), I have fallen in love with the light, creamy and deliciously fruity Strawberry-Banana Pudding.

How bad can that be?

The crunchy yet soggy vanilla wafer crust layered with creamy, smooth vanilla pudding gently folded into the cloud-like whipped topping makes my mouth water.

The soft, ripe bananas cubed and mixed into the pudding ever so gently, hide behind the wafers just waiting to be discovered in my mouth. Finally, topped with luciously sweet strawberries that are seeping sugar from their pours, this dessert has earned a place in my personal Dessert Hall of Fame.

(She says as she licks her lips.)

Strawberry-Banana Pudding

(from Cooking Light's Fresh Food Fast cookbook)

Ingredients:

1 (3.4 oz.) package of instant vanilla pudding

1 Cup of fat-free milk

1 (8 oz.) container of fat-free whipped topping

3 ripe bananas, diced

1 1/2 Cups vanilla wafers

2 Cups of fresh strawberries, sliced

Directions:

1. Combine pudding mix and milk in a small bowl; stir with a whisk until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Fold in bananas.

2. Layer 3/4 Cup of cookies in bottom of an 8x8 glass dish.

3. Spread half of pudding mixture over cookies.

4. Repeat with remaining cookies and pudding mixture.

5. Top with sliced strawberries. Serve immediately or cover and chill.

Saturday Morning Coffee

2010-05-08T08:56:00.004-04:00

The words just make me smile. After a long work week, the sweetest reward on a Saturday morning (aside from not getting screamed at my my alarm clock at 5:45 a.m.) is pouring that freshly brewed, steaming cup of rich, dark coffee into my favorite mug. You have one too; it's the mug that fits just perfectly in your hand and sends feelings of warmth and coziness from your fingers to your toes as the joe wafts smells of Sumatra or Costa Rica or Arabica to your olfactory system.

Then, there are the creamers. Oh, the creamers. At any given time, I have been known to have up to six bottles of various flavors in my fridge (mind you, I live only with a four-legged furry friend, Max). My obsession started innocently with Irish Cream and Vanilla. Then, I discovered the Peppermint Mocha and Pumpkin Spice...and now it's just overwhelming with the Sweet Italian Cream, Chocolate Chip Creme Brulee and Belgian Chocolate Toffee. I mean really. Who comes up with all these flavors? I'd like to bake them a pound cake.

Once the flavor decision has been made, I delicately open the cap and pour the silky cream into the dark perfection and watch as it swirls inside, turning the darkness into a milky, creamy bath of goodness. If I'm feeling a little crazy, I may sprinkle some spicy cinnamon in for a bit of an extra kick.

With such utter perfection in hand, I sink into my couch and cuddle into my favorite cranberry chenille blanket and flip on my DVR episodes of Barefoot Contessa....ahhh....

Alas, today, my Saturday Morning Coffee eludes me. Instead, I am sitting in my local Starbucks, blogging (which I adore by the way!) and catching up on my life while awaiting the "opportunity" to pay an unexpected lot of for new tires and a tune up.

Oh, Belgian Chocolate Toffee, where art thou?

The Best Spam I Ever Got

2010-04-10T10:58:00.005-04:00

Like all good foodies, I have signed up for every cooking or food-related e-mail known to man (or so it seems). My inbox is regularly filled with e-newsletters from Bon Appetit, Cooking Light, Cook's Illustrated and so on. It's become a bit overwhelming to be honest (yet, I still am giddy when the "new mail" message comes in).

This week, I received one from Cooking Light promoting a new cookbook of fast, fresh, 5-ingredient recipes. Perfect timing: I had no idea what dinner would be that night. On the way home, I stopped by the store and picked up the ingredients for Salmon, Asparagus and Orzo Salad with Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette.

Since I'm continuing to try to eat healthy (although the scale doesn't necessarily support this effort - ugh!), this was the perfect choice. It's filled with fresh spring veggies (see my recent asparagus post) and light pasta with a smattering of fresh, lemony flavor. And, who doesn't love dill? Fantastic!

Go ahead, salivate...I won't tell anyone.

The best part was it only took about 15 minutes to make. And, I've had leftovers for three days. Try it!

Now, I'm off to buy the cookbook...

Salmon, Asparagus and Orzo Salad with Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette

(from Cooking Light's Fresh Food Fast cookbook)

Salad Ingredients:
6 cups water
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 3-inch pieces
1 cup uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
1 (1 1/4-pound) skinless salmon fillet
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion

Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette:

1/3 cup (1.3 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Bring 6 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add asparagus; cook 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove asparagus from water with tongs or a slotted spoon, reserving water in pan. Plunge asparagus into ice water; drain and set aside.

3. Return reserved water to a boil. Add orzo, and cook according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.

4. While orzo cooks, sprinkle fillet evenly with salt and pepper. Place fish on a foil-lined broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Using 2 forks, break fish into large chunks.

5. Combine vinaigrette ingredients in a small bowl and stir with a whisk.

6. Combine fish, orzo, asparagus, onion, and Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette in a large bowl; toss gently to coat.

Here Comes Peter's Cotton Tail

2010-04-04T20:04:00.005-04:00

You know it's coming when the days get a bit longer and the daffodils shimmer in the morning dew. It's on the way when the tulips awaken from their naps in the cool earth and open their buds like brilliant stars in the sky. The redbud and cherry blossom and Bradford pear trees appear around each corner with their cloudlike blossoms and fragrant perfumes.

Easter is here! And that means...the Easter Bunny!

See what he left me this year:

He knows me so well: my complete obsession with jelly beans (yes, I'm obsessed all year round), Reese's cups and Cadbury eggs. Come on, who doesn't love a silky milk chocolate egg filled with a sinfully sweet creme center that just melts in your mouth?

And then there is the Russell Stover chocolate bunny with a gooey marshmallow center. The slight crack of the chocolate when you bite down sends chills down my spine every time.

Finally, the old fashioned candy-coated eggs. I don't have a clue what they are made of, but one bite and I'm 6 years old again, on my grandparents' farm in Missouri, racing around the front yard with my cousins to see who can fill their basket with the most eggs. The wet dew on our toes and the fresh scent of the grass in the air, those were definitely the days.

Still, every Easter, I am reminded of the many blessings I have and am thankful for this day to rejoice in new life!

An Affair to Remember

2010-03-28T19:13:00.006-04:00

It's true. I am having an affair. I'll admit it.

A love affair with asparagus. Every spring, I feel a momentary twinge of guilt for my wandering eyes as I walk through the produce department at the grocery store. After all, the roasted sweet potatoes, spinach salads, rosemary potatoes and other autumn/winter veggies have been so faithful. Always comforting and filling.

I can't help it, the minute I see those lovely green stalks all bundled together, chilled over ice I just get all tingly inside and my heart goes pitter-patter.

A fairly recent obsession, I have been reflecting on what might be the root of this magnetic draw. The crispness of a perfectly blanched stalk? The sweetness of the majestically roasted bundle? Or the perfection of marrying those green gems with scrambled eggs and cheese?

Actually, who cares?! This may just be the greatest spring vegetable on the planet (in my humble opinion).

Here's what I had for dinner tonight:

Baked sole fillets with a garlic lemon peppercorn rub, cucumber salad (another fave) and roasted asparagus with parmesan cheese.

My favorite way to cook asparagus: roast it. Super easy. Super yummy. Try it.

Roasted Asparagus:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Rinse and wash the asparagus. Trim off the flat ends of the stalks (they are tough). Place the stalks in a row on a jelly roll pan and coat with cooking spray (or olive oil), salt and pepper. Roast for 10-12 minutes, until asparagus is bright green and still crisp.

Getting Ready for Spring

2010-03-16T20:30:00.006-04:00

Is it really the day before St. Patrick's Day? Where the heck have the first three months of 2010 gone? Don't get me wrong...I'm certainly not complaining since we're that much closer to sunshine and tulips (my favorite flower)! And I live in the South - geesh. This winter weather has been for the birds!

In my quest for an early spring, I decided to make a batch of my favorite chicken salad to get me in the mood. I adore chicken salad. In fact, I actually have quite a few recipes, but I keep coming back to this one as the old standby. You can't go wrong.

It draws rave reviews from crowds, is great as a snack or a meal, pleases even the heartiest of meat-eaters (it passed my Dad test!) and it's just plain yummy. The best part is that it takes less than 15 minutes to pull together. First, you start by chopping and dicing a bunch of red grapes, red apples and celery.

Next, heat up some frozen, diced chicken that's been precooked. Add it to the bowl.

Toss everything together with poppyseed salad dressing and a spoonful of mayo and you are good to go. You could add nuts or dried berries if you like.

Pure bliss, I'm telling you. You'll never go back (to whatever pre-made chicken salad you just bought at the grocery store).

The Best Chicken Salad Ever

Ingredients:

1 red apple, diced

1 bunch of red grapes, halved

2-3 celery stalks, sliced thinly

1/2 bag of frozen, diced chicken (precooked, such as Tyson)

1/3 Cup (or so) of poppyseed salad dressing

1 Tablespoon of mayo

Directions:

Heat chicken according to directions. Dump everything in a bowl and toss until fruit, celery and chicken are coated with dressing. (Start with a small amount of dressing and add more as needed; the dressing will settle to the bottom of the bowl.)

My Happy Place

2010-02-27T10:29:00.011-05:00

Life just doesn't get any better than this.

I'm sitting on my couch (in my finally clean house), watching DVR episodes of "Barefoot Contessa" with my cookbooks and food magazines strewn about my living room, plotting the cooking escapades I'll have this weekend. Ahhh...my happy place.

It's true. I am positively giddy to make my list and inspect all the delicious, delectable goodies at Whole Foods and Costco and Publix. (Are "they" sure there isn't a condition I have?)

To make matters more exciting, I just watched a clip of The Pioneer Woman on "Good Morning America" and read all about her experience on her blog. I want to be Ree. Seriously.

(BTW - Why do the men in the Hamptons wear corduroys with embroidered frogs or bees or whatever? Sorry, distracting moment on this BC episode.)

While the past month has been crazy busy, I did manage to whip up a couple yummy meals. One of my favorite standbys is couscous salad. It's easy, you can put basically anything in it, and it's light and healthy. I tried a Mediterranean version this time.

I had some frozen shrimp on hand and a bunch of my favorite veggies: cherry tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers, peppers and scallions. Add some feta cheese, olives, fresh herbs and citrus zest/juice and viola! Here is the recipe I used, but it really can be modified with anything you have on hand. (Oh, I love love love to put rotisserie chicken in too.)

Mediterranean Couscous Salad with Shrimp

Salad:

12-15 frozen, precooked shrimp, thawed

1 package of couscous (I use whole wheat or plain)

1/2 cucumber, chopped

1/2 red onion, diced

2 scallions, sliced

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 handful of cherry tomatoes, halved

1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved

1/3 cup feta cheese

1 can cannelleni beans, drained and rinsed

Dressing:

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped (or more if you like)

1 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped (or more if you like)

2 Tablespoons of red wine vinegar

1/4 - 1/3 Cup of olive oil

1 teaspoon lemon zest

Juice of 1 lemon

1 Tablespoon sugar

Directions:

Cook couscous according to package directions. Place in large bowl and set aside.
Chop the veggies and add them to the couscous with the olives, feta, beans and shrimp.
Mix all the dressing ingredients together in a separate bowl, whisking until combined.
Pour dressing over the couscous mixture and toss until coated.
Enjoy!

Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate!

2010-02-14T14:04:00.005-05:00

I'm back! Life has been a bit hectic the past month, but I am back and ready to heat up the kitchen again...

Valentine's Day is one of my very favorite holidays. Of course, red is my favorite color, and who doesn't love a good piece of chocolate and a nice glass of wine? This year, instead of buying some of those insanely overpriced, way-too-small store-bought chocolates, I made my own chocolate truffles to share with the ones I love. O-M-G.

If you've never made them, you're missing out. Watching the chocolate melt with the heavy cream until it is silky and shiny gives me goosebumps. Then, after it's cooled and hardened a bit in the fridge, getting my melon baller out and scooping the perfectly rounded drops of chocolate heaven onto the parchment paper excites me to no end. (I'm not sure why, but the melon baller could very well be my favorite kitchen tool.)

Then comes the best part: rolling the chocolate scoops into balls in your hands and dipping them in all kinds of goodies...nuts, sugar, sprinkles...you name it.

Serve these delicious treats to your guests, and they'll go crazy. I promise.

I wonder if Mr. Right likes truffles???

Chocolate truffles

(inspired from a recipe in my Joy of Cooking cookbook)

Ingredients:

(*use the best chocolate chips you can afford; I used Ghirardelli)

6 oz. milk chocolate chips*

6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips*

1 1/4 Cups of heavy whipping cream

1/4 Cup of orange liqueur

1 Tablespoon of brewed coffee

Directions:

Put all the ingredients in a glass bowl and melt, stirring frequently, over a pot of simmering water until chocolate is melted and is smooth and shiny.

Remove from heat and let the chocolate cool to room temperature.

Place the bowl in the refrigerator to harden (about 3-4 hours).

Use a melon baller to scoop the chocolate into balls and place on baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper.

Place chocolate truffles in the refrigerator to harden a bit more (about 1-2 hours).

Remove the truffles from the refrigerator, roll them between your hands into round balls and coat them with desired toppings. I like to use colored sprinkles, powdered sugar, chopped nuts and cocoa powder.

Adventures in Ice Cream Making

2010-01-18T11:41:00.007-05:00

Santa left a very special present under the tree for me this year: an ice cream maker! I don't really eat a lot of ice cream myself, but I kept seeing all these yummy recipes for homemade ice cream, and I'd have to go sulk in the corner because I didn't have a way to make them. No more!

Since the holidays, I've been stashing away recipes to try...here's the tale of my first adventure.

Everyone has those leftover candycanes lying around after Christmas that go stale, but are so enticing that you don't dare throw away the pretty red and white striped jewels (especially since it will be an entire year before you can get more). My answer: crush them up for peppermint ice cream. Who wouldn't love that?

Fortunately, there was a recipe in my Cuisinart ice cream recipe book for just that. And I made it. And I ate it. And I loved it!

Ladies and gents, this is about the easiest thing to make since boxed cake mix was invented (well, I'm imagining so at least). The machine does ALL the work for you. Seriously.

I started by mixing whole milk and sugar together in a mixer. Then you add heavy cream, vanilla and peppermint extract. You put that into the ice cream maker and turn it on.

Let it go for about 25 minutes.

While it's churning away, crush up the candycanes with a meat mallet or rolling pin in a Ziploc bag. Tip: use the flat edge of the meat mallet or you'll have poked holes all through the bag and will end up with crumbs everywhere. (Yes, I speak from experience. Unfortunately. Embarrassingly.)

When the ice cream has been churning for about 25 minutes, add the crushed candycanes and let it churn for about 5 more minutes or until it is set. (The ice cream turns this lovely shade of pink!)

Pour the ice cream into containers, and put them in the freezer to harden.

A few hours later, enjoy!

When they've stopped carrying peppermint ice cream in the grocery stores, you'll have your own personal stash (that coincidentally tastes much better, and you can prounounce all the ingredients).

Peppermint Ice Cream

(from Cuisinart's ice cream maker recipe book)

Ingredients:

1 Cup whole milk, well chilled

3/4 Cup sugar

2 Cups heavy cream, well chilled

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

3/4 Cup crushed peppermint candies or candycanes

Directions:

In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer or a whisk to combine the milk and sugar until the sugar is dissolved; about 1-2 minutes on low speed. (I used my KitchenAid mixer with the whisk attachment, and it worked perfectly.)

Stir in the heavy cream, vanilla and peppermint extract.

Turn the ice cream machine on, and pour the mixture into the freezer bowl through the ingredient spout and let mix until thickened; about 25-30 minutes.

Add the crushed candy during the last 5 minutes of mixing.

'Tis the Season for Soup

2010-01-17T15:01:00.010-05:00

I’m a major fan of soups and stews, especially if you are trying to eat healthy and save a buck. One of my favorites is beef and barley soup. It’s full of flavorful veggies, tender meat, delicious beef stock and hearty barley, and it’s perfect to freeze in individual containers and take to work for an easy and healthy meal.

(Something you likely won’t find for less than $10 at the local café…and I guarantee you’ll be tempted with all sorts of deliciously not-good-for-you things in the process).

Another reason I love making soups and stews…

…it gives me a chance to use my new favorite kitchen item: my 7 quart porcelain Dutch oven. How bad can that be? (That was for all you BFC fans.) I L-O-V-E this thing.

Lazy Sunday afternoons are my favorite soup-making days. I start with a trip to the grocery store for all my ingredients for my weekly meals, and then the fun begins. I begin by browning chuck roast (cut into cubes for stew meat – you can buy it already cut) in a little bit of olive oil. The smell is amazing. Beef.

Once that’s done, remove the meat from the pan and add the veggies – I used onions, carrots and celery. You can use other veggies as long as they are hearty and can withstand the cooking without getting mushy (squash is probably a no-go). Beware: more amazing smells entering your kitchen.

I add some flavorings like salt and pepper – I know, crazy.

Add the meat back in and add some beef stock and a little water (until you have the desired amount of liquid you like). I usually don’t add more than a couple cups of extra water just because I don’t want the stock to lose its yumminess.

Throw in a bay leaf or two. You could add other spices or fresh herbs if you like at this point. Rosemary or thyme would be delish!

Let everything simmer for about 60-90 minutes until it all gets happy and makes your house smell divine. Add the barley during the last 30 minutes of cooking.

Pour yourself a bowl and settle in for a cozy night, and save the rest for lunches that week.

And there you have it folks. A delicious, healthy meal with plenty of leftovers for those tempting days at the office.

Easy Beef and Barley Soup

(adapted from Cooking Light's Beef-Barley Soup recipe)

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 pound boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes

1 1/2 Cup of carrots, sliced thin

1 1/2 Cup of onions, sliced thin

1 1/2 Cup of celery, sliced thin

4 Cups fat-free, less-sodium beef broth

1-2 Cups of water

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1-2 bay leaves

2/3 - 1 Cup pearl barley, uncooked

Directions:

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium high-heat. Add beef to pan, cooking 3-4 minutes or until all sides are browned. Remove meat from pan.

Add carrots, onions and celery to pan. Cook 5-10 minutes, or until vegetables are soft and liquid almost evapaorates.

Add the beef back to the pan; salt and pepper lightly. Add the chicken stock, water and bay leaf and bring to a simmer.

Cover, reduce to low simmer and cook for 60-90 minutes until the beef is tender, stirring every now and then.

Add the barley and cook for another 30 minutes or until barley is tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Discard the bay leaf.

Salsa: the Greatest Condiment on Earth

2010-01-10T18:18:00.010-05:00

This statement may sound strange, but it's true. Salsa - in my humble opinion - is the greatest condiment invented. Think about it. What else is more versatile, pleases more taste buds and changes the way an entire dish tastes in one bite more than salsa? You've got tomato (red, yellow or green!), peach, mango, pineapple...the list goes on. Look in your fridge. Dice up and combine whatever fruits, veggies and herbs you have with a little bit of salt and/or sugar and bam! You've got salsa.

It's great with meat, fish, salad, potatoes. THAT'S why I love me some salsa.

Last week, I made a clementine salsa (inspired from a recipe in this month's Bon Appetit magazine: chicken paillards with clementine salsa).

I started with clementines, limes and a mess of herbs (parsley, thyme and cilantro to be exact).

Add in some red onions and scallions to give it some bite (plus, the colors just look cool). Throw in a little clementine juice, lime juice and olive oil along with some salt and pepper. Now, whisk that mixture away and ta-dah!

You've got salsa for the week that just gets better and better as the flavors marry all together. The sweetness of the clementines mixed with the zing of the limes and the freshness of the herbs creates this delicious, crisp, clean sensation in your mouth that you just can't help but smile over (I'm smiling now just thinking about it).

Now, roast some chicken or pork or grill a piece of fish and you are set. Me? I pan-cooked some boneless chicken thighs and smothered them in salsa...mmmmm.....

Fungirl Clementine Salsa

6-8 clementines, peeled and diced

1 small red onion, diced

2-3 scallions, chopped

1/4 Cup of fresh herbs, finely chopped (any kind, I used a mixture of parsley, cilantro and thyme)

juice of 1-2 limes

juice of 3-4 clementines

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (more or less if you like)

3-4 Tablespoons of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Combine the diced clementines, red onion, scallions and herbs in a bowl. Add the clementine and lime juice and stir together until well-combined. Add the red pepper flakes, olive oil, salt and pepper and mix until combined.

A Fresh Start

2010-01-02T21:49:00.011-05:00

There's nothing like a new pair of sneakers, is there? The promise and anticipation of miles filled with good intentions...the sights the two of you will see...(sappy alert! sappy alert!)...

I'm not one for a hard and fast list of official resolutions, but everyone needs a fresh start now and then. What's better than the beginning of a new decade? Like many of my peeps, I too have resolved to take better care of myself in this new year (and perhaps see a certain number on the scale...again...).

After a month of stuffing myself to the brim with deliciously rich and in-no-way-figure-flattering holiday foods, I am vowing right here and now to eat more fruits and veggies, cook more for myself, use new ingredients and yes, to use those sneakers and sweat more.

My chicken avocado feta wraps have me off to a pretty good start this January 2nd.

After flipping through all my cookbooks, making my grocery list and stopping at Whole Foods, Publix and Costco (hey, I'm a foodie), my fridge and pantry are sufficiently stocked with everything needed to make delicious, healthy meals for the next two weeks.

(So what if I never actually tasted the sweetness of a Chick-fil-a peppermint chocolate shake? Too late now!)

I've recently become slightly obsessed with different ways to use tortilla wraps. They are a light and health alternative to a heavy sandwich bread; plus, they're fun and come in all different flavors. My personal favorites: spinach and sundried tomato.

Today, I spread some artichoke-garlic hummus over a spinach tortilla...

...topped it with grilled chicken, feta cheese, Romaine lettuce and avocado slices.

Delish!

Chicken Avocado Feta Wrap

I’m always trying new kinds of tortillas and stuffing them with different ingredients. This wrap is great for a quick lunch on the weekend or for a healthy lunch during the workweek. You can change it up with different kinds of hummus and cheese or even substitute the chicken for thick-cut veggies if you prefer a meatless version.

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 spinach tortilla (sundried tomato would be yummy too!)
¼ Cup of hummus, any kind you like
Half of an avocado, diced
¼ Cup of crumbled feta cheese
2 Romaine lettuce leaves, washed and trimmed
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Heat olive oil in nonstick skillet over medium high heat.

Place chicken breast between two pieces of wax paper; use a meat mallet to tenderize the chicken breast until it is about ½ inch in thickness.

Sprinkle chicken liberally with salt and pepper on both sides; place in skillet and cook until golden brown on each side and juices run clear when poked with a fork.

Let chicken breast cool; cut into strips or dice as you like.

Heat tortilla in microwave for 10 seconds; spread with hummus.

Place chicken, avocado, feta cheese in the center of the tortilla; top with the lettuce.

Roll up the tortilla and cut in half; enjoy!

Holiday Round-up

2009-12-28T13:23:00.008-05:00

Here it is, three days post-Christmas, and the blues are beginning to set in. The packages have all been given and unwrapped, the food has been eaten (well, actually, it continues to be eaten), and the countdown to the New Year has begun.

I thought I'd do a bit of a holiday round-up of the feasting that has gone on the past week before bravely heading into 2010 with the obligatory "I'm going to eat better and exercise more" resolution (come on, you have it too).

A couple of weeks ago, I made a sweet, festive cranberry upside down cake and served it on my adorable green cake stand, which I only get to use about once or twice a year.

The recipe was from Cooking Light, and the presentation of it was absolutely divine; if you are ever in need of an impressive holiday dessert, this is a winner. The crumbly yellow cake is topped with fresh, tart cranberries dancing with syrupy brown sugar and butter.

Christmas Eve dinner at my parents' house means good old lasagna. We have a Stouffer's lasagna every year, which has been cooking in the oven as we're sitting in church. By the time we walk in the door, the house smells of the goodness of cheese, meat, tomato sauce and more cheese.

Christmas Day brings tender prime rib coated with a crust of olive oil, salt and pepper: the staples. We marry the meat with assorted sides (mostly of the carbohydrate variety mind you), so that by the time we're finished eating, everyone but the dogs is basically in a food-induced coma. I love Christmas.

We can't forget the wine.

Then, there are the pies... This year, mom made two sinfully delicious pumpkin spice pies that were topped with gingersnap cookies and a crunchy cinnamon-pecan streusel married with a creamy ginger-cinnamon whipped cream. Seriously. Yum.

After we finish our dinner, every year, we head to our dear friends' home for more yummy food and drink. And, every year, there is a homemade Italian cream cake that is almost too pretty to eat. The layers of moist cake are topped with icing that's as light and fluffy as a cloud and peppered with sweet coconut flakes and finally sprinkled with a dusting of green and red Christmas magic.

Now, as I sit here typing, with my pants a bit tighter than a couple weeks ago, I say a warm "hello" to the grilled chicken and lettuce that is most certainly in the near future.

Farewell to Christmas 2009.

Saturday Night Pizza

2009-12-19T19:40:00.012-05:00

It may sound crazy, but one of my favorite things about being single is the fact that on a whim, I can have a cozy Saturday night at home where I cook up some yummy food, pour a glass of wine and rent a movie (or watch some good girly TV). Tonight is one of these nights.

After having finished up my Christmas shopping this afternoon (and being several pennies poorer for it), I challenged myself to come up with a quick, easy dinner recipe made from ingredients I already have in the house. I whipped up what I like to call, appropriately, Saturday Night Pizza (aka any kind of pizza you want with whatever toppings you like).

It might seem silly, but I had a bit of apprehension about putting the ingredients together: a few pieces of Canadian bacon, a whole wheat Boboli pizza crust, some shredded mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, an onion and fresh rosemary. Oh, and of course, a nice glass of wine.

To make things easy, I used my favorite pizza sauce, Dei Fratelli. If you try it once, you will never, ever buy jarred pizza sauce again or slave over your own. It comes in a can, and has the freshest tomato taste mixed with sweet garlic and herbs.

I added a little Canadian bacon and fresh rosemary (let's be honest, rosemary makes everything better).

Next, caramelized onions. I'm slightly obsessed at the moment with caramelized onions. Why? Who knows. The mere fact that a savory onion with a bite to the tongue can slowly cook in a bit of olive oil and butter, bringing out its sweet, sugary flavors amazes me. The texture and taste totally change.

Top it with the cheeses, and pop it into the oven. In 15 minutes, my house smelled delicious and my mouth was watering.

The final product: ooey, gooey, cheesy, savory, sweet goodness on a plate. On TV, a little holiday chic flick.

I love Saturday nights.

Saturday Night Pizza

Ingredients:

1 small onion, sliced
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
1 package of your favorite pizza crust (such as Boboli)
1 Cup prepared pizza sauce (I use Dei Fratelli)
1 ½ Cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 Cup of shredded parmesan romano cheese
2 teaspoons of fresh rosemary, chopped
4 slices of Canadian bacon, cut into small squares

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Heat oil and butter in small skillet on medium heat; add onion and cook slowly on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until onions are caramelized.

Place pizza crust on baking stone or cookie sheet; spread pizza sauce on crust.

Add Canadian bacon, rosemary and caramelized onions; top with cheeses.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, until cheese is golden brown and bubbly.

Sugary Loot

2009-12-14T19:47:00.008-05:00

This is the best part of a cookie exchange: coming home with a plate (or two) of cookies that will make all your holiday guests think you've been baking for months in preparation for their arrival.

Check out my sugary loot...

I came home with two plates full of all these cookies. Yes, I did.

If you've never been to a cookie exchange, it works like this: everyone brings a few dozen cookies and guests circle the table filling their plates with goodies from everyone's platters until all the cookies are gone.

Then, you bring the cookies home and serve them throughout the season! (If you're like me and can't keep you fingers out of the cookie jar, you can freeze them and pull them out a few hours before serving.)

This little get-together has become a holiday tradition...if you got these kind of goodies (for FREE), wouldn't you go back for more?

After the sugary fun is over, I get to hang out with this cutie.

How bad can that be?

Wanna Cookie?

2009-12-13T10:46:00.013-05:00

One of my very favorite things about the holidays is taking a lazy weekend afternoon, snuggled up on the couch with a hot cup of coffee, and pouring over my cookbooks and foodie magazines choosing cookie recipes to try in the upcoming weeks. Every year, my girlfriend has a cookie exchange that is the driving force behind my delight. There is always a challenge to up my game, yet provide the standards everyone is anticipating.

The decisions are plentiful: Dad's peanut clusters? Mom's sugar cookies? Standby snickerdoodles? Chewy chocolate chip? Try the new recipes I'm drooling over??

I made my list a few weeks ago, but the agony of decision has been haunting me.

"Kristina, be reasonable. You can't actually take seven different kinds of cookies."

Why not?

"Because you only need to take a few dozen cookies, and you would gain 20 lbs. in the process of baking them!"

But...

"I don't care how many recipes are from Cooking Light."

And the winners are: Caramel-pecan bars, Gingersnaps and Mexican chocolate cookies. I wish you could have been in my kitchen last night, smelling the wafts of cinnamon and ginger mixed with the scents of brown sugar, honey and butter melting... Holy cow.

I had never made any kind of caramel-nut bar, but it was really quite simple. Beware: if you are afraid of butter, you should stop reading.

The recipe was from Southern Living, and began with toasting pecans in the oven until the delicious, nutty fragrance hits you like a brick when you open the oven door. For you skeptics, yes, toasting the nuts does make a difference.

Then, you make a shortbread crust with butter (lots of it), flour and powdered sugar. (The foil makes a great liner for the pan and allows you to get the bars out easily. No washing the dish either!)

While that's cooling, you melt brown sugar, butter (lots more of it), honey and a bit of whipping cream until it's rolling in the pan. (Is it weird that I love the gurgling sounds of a rolling boil?)

Mix in the pecans, pour the mixture over the cooled crust, and bake it off until you see golden bubbles. Cool, cut and enjoy.

These are addictive. I'm not kidding.

Next up: gingersnaps. My standby recipe from my treasured Joy of Cooking cookbook. (By the way, if you don't have one, you should. It's filled with all kinds of fantastic kitchen know-how.)

Who doesn't love the smell of gingersnaps fresh from the oven?

Finally, Mexican chocolate cookies, which earned the highest rating available from Cooking Light's Test Kitchen (according to the recipe in the magazine). As of about 30 minutes ago, they earned my highest rating as well. A dash of red and black pepper makes the flavors come to life. You cannot beat the chewy, chocolatey center dusted with powdered sugar like a light snowfall. (Hey, Christmas makes me corny. What can I say?)

The most exciting part of baking these cookies was that I finally got to use my fancy melon ball sized ice cream scoop to make perfect circles of dough! I used to see Barefoot Contessa and other celebrity chefs do this and for some reason, continued to play with the sticky dough in my hands. Not anymore!

Cookie anyone?

Caramel-Pecan Bars

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup butter, cubed
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
2/3 cup butter
3 tablespoons whipping cream

Preparation:

Arrange pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly toasted. Cool on a wire rack 15 minutes or until completely cool.

Pulse flour, powdered sugar, and 3/4 cup butter in a food processor 5 to 6 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal. Press crumb mixture evenly on bottom and 3/4 inch up sides of a lightly greased heavy-duty aluminum foil-lined 13- x 9-inch pan.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack 15 minutes or until completely cool.

Bring brown sugar, honey, 2/3 cup butter, and whipping cream to a boil in a 3-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in toasted pecans, and spoon hot filling into prepared crust.

Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Cool on a wire rack 30 minutes or until completely cool. When completely cool, using the aluminum foil as handles, carefully lift the tart from the pan, and transfer to a serving tray. Cut into squares.

Mexican Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:

5 ounces bittersweet (60 to 70 percent) chocolate, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 3 1/3 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash of black pepper
Dash of ground red pepper
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place chocolate in a small glass bowl; microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until almost melted, stirring until smooth. Cool to room temperature.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through red pepper); stir with a whisk.

Combine sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add egg; beat well.

Add cooled chocolate and vanilla; beat just until blended. Add flour mixture; beat just until blended.

Drop dough by level tablespoons 2 inches apart on baking sheets coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until almost set. Remove from oven. Cool on pans 2 minutes or until set. Remove from pans; cool completely on a wire rack.

Fungirl Cooks Meets Pioneer Woman

2009-12-08T21:59:00.025-05:00

Me: Hi, my name is Kristina, and I am a PW groupie.

Support group: Hi Kristina.

Yes, I am one of "those" people. The ones I previously thought of as disturbed that stand in line for hours to savor 2 seconds of time with a celebrity they adore/stalk. Last night, I met Ree Drummond aka The Pioneer Woman at a local signing of her cookbook here in Atlanta. (In case you aren't familiar, PW has the most amazing blog filled with delicious recipes, beautiful photography and generally entertaining stories about life on an Oklahoma cattle ranch with her cowboy hubby and four kids.)

Now, I have had my share of teenage celebrity crushes (circa NKOTB) and continue to be slightly obsessed with yummies like Jon Bon Jovi (Black leather pants, really? Mmm.) and George Clooney. Never in my life though, have I spent an evening standing in line for someone's signature and a quick shutter click. Until last night.

I must say, there was something quite exhilirating about the frenzy. There were women from Florida and South Carolina that had made girls' trips out of it; there were people like myself that thought it would be cool to just pop over from work; and there were ladies that just wanted an opportunity to chat foodie to foodie (and to find out what Marlboro Man aka PW's cowboy is really like).

PW has quite a following, so it took a bit longer than I expected to actually get to the front of the line, and I'm not sure what I thought would happen (fireworks? spontaneous celebrity by association? instant girlfriend status?), but it was a fun way to spend a Monday evening. Treating myself to a sugar-n-spice latte and piece of chocolate peppermint bread didn't hurt either.

And to think...just a few years ago, she randomly started a blog to entertain herself and keep family and friends updated on her kids. Now she's got sold-out cookbook signings and a mega-popular blog. Definitely makes me think...where can I get one of those cowboys?

Since I read the cookbook (which I highly recommend!) cover to cover while waiting in line, naturally what did I do when I got home at 10:30 p.m.? Grilled chicken, of course!

Seriously, I had a couple boneless, skinless breasts in my favorite marinade and needed to cook them before they were no longer viable. They were deliciously juicy and perfectly done; tender and crispy at once. Too bad the raisin bran I had for dinner didn't taste the same.

After grilling them up on my nonstick grill pan (i.e., panini pan without the panini press), these babies were ready for some red potatoes or a salad. Note: when grilling indoors, always turn on a fan...I'm not sure why I can never learn that lesson until my house smells like chicken for three days.

Tip: if you've not explored your local grocery's marinade section, do so immediately. My favorite marinades are from my local Kroger - this chicken had been getting happy all day in the juices of lemons and herbs o'plenty (mixed in with a shake of no-salt seasonings).

Dinner tonight: grilled chicken atop a bed of baby romaine and spinach topped with feta cheese, dried cranberries and sweet vidalia onion dressing (which I scarfed down too quickly and forgot to snap a photo...you'll just have to use your imagination.)

Who says leftovers are boring?

Fantastic Chicken for the Week

Ingredients:

2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 bottle of your favorite marinade (I used 30-minute lemon, garlic, herb)
A few shakes of your favorite no-salt seasoning (I use Costco's misc. seasonings, you could use lemon pepper, Montreal Steak, or any other seasoning that floats your boat that day)

Directions:

Place chicken breasts in a ziploc bag. Pour the marinade over the chicken, add seasonings, seal bag and shake until well coated. Place in the refrigerator for several hours (overnight is best). Grill, broil or bake to your desired doneness. Enjoy the chicken for dinner, lunch, snacks for the rest of the week.

(I like mine over salad for lunch or with roasted potatoes and veggies for dinner; but get crazy! There are no rules!)

Oh Pumpkin Bread, Oh Pumpkin Bread!

2009-11-29T19:35:00.005-05:00

The past month has been a busy one. It hasn't left me much time for blogging, but I promise to do better. I have been meaning to post this note for a bit now...there is always time for chocolate chip pumpkin bread. This recipe is a favorite of mine and adds a little bit of chocolatey goodness in each bite. I took the bread to our annual company Thanksgiving celebration, and it was gone in a flash.

The recipe is from the December 2004 issue of Cooking Light and has splattered pumpkin and flour all over it, but I pull it out every year. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

2 cups canned pumpkin

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup fat-free vanilla pudding

4 large egg whites

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, stirring just until moist. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon batter into 2 (8 x 4-inch) loaf pans coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans on a wire rack, and remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

Showering Baby G

2009-11-29T16:33:00.033-05:00

A couple weekends ago, some girlfriends and I showered our friend Kristy, who is expecting her first child in early January.

My girlfriend Shana wrapped the silverware in the cutest blue napkins and tied them with adorable bows. She set them out for guests in this precious wire stork basket!

Now, these girls cook and bake like nobody's business. We had everything from olive and cream cheese filled pecans...

...to chicken salad croissants...

...to strawberry pretzel salad...

...to chocolate covered strawberries and pumpkin bread !

Check out the full spread. Delish!

No shower - baby or wedding - is complete without a proper quiche. I made my favorite smoked turkey sausage and spinach quiche. So easy. So yummy.

A fantastic Cooking Light recipe from the June 2008 issue.

Crustless Smoked Turkey and Spinach Quiche

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
3/4 cup (4 ounces) cubed smoked turkey ham or sausage
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese, divided
1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves
1 cup fat-free cottage cheese
1/2 cup evaporated fat-free milk
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
1 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add ham, onion, and pepper to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until ham is lightly browned.

3. Sprinkle 1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese in a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Top with ham mixture. (I use a deep dish pie plate.)

4. Combine remaining 1/2 cup Swiss cheese, spinach, and next 5 ingredients (through egg whites) in a large bowl; stir with a whisk.

5. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and baking powder in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add flour mixture to egg mixture, stirring with a whisk until blended. Pour egg mixture over ham mixture. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in center of quiche comes out clean.

This picture just might be my favorite of the day. I caught Shana's daughter sneaking a taste of the dip while her mommy was looking the other way. Priceless.

Had to get a bite for the road...she headed off to Monkey Joe's for a birthday party after this nibble.

I Give Thanks

2009-11-29T15:15:00.026-05:00

It's 3:20 on a sunny Sunday afternoon, and I am sitting at my kitchen table listening to Christmas carols and smelling beef and barley soup simmering on the stove.

The Christmas tree is trimmed, the garland and stockings are hung, and the poinsettias are in full bloom on the hearth. My sweet pup, Max, is lazing around napping from corner to corner in the living room.

For this - and so much more - I give thanks.

Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday (with the exception of Halloween - for obvious reasons if you know me; um, it's my birthday!) because it signals the beginning of a season of hope and joy and faith. The days ahead are filled with red and green, twinkle lights, cookie-baking and shopping for that perfect gift to wrap and place under the tree for someone special. But, all must go through the turkey and stuffing first.

My family traditions begin with watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade from start to finish - something I've done since I was a little girl. The Radio City Rockettes, the marching bands, the huge balloons and of course, Tom the Turkey!

This is our version of Tom the Turkey at home:

As the parade marches through New York City, the house fills with the smells of a juicy turkey roasting in the oven and permeated by fresh sage, lemons and onions.

While the turkey rests and awaits it's carving, the delicious smells of my mother's stuffing made with celery, onions and autumn herbs come from the oven.

The cheesy, creamy goodness of Grandma's famous cornbake wafts through every room, calling to me like a long-lost sibling. (Ok, that's a bit dramatic, but this stuff is GOOD.)

Cornbake = bliss. No corn bake = no Thanksgiving. Sorry, it's a secret family recipe.

Dad always whips up his mother's cranberry-grape salad that I only recently realized was divine (leftover hangups from my picky-eater childhood precluded me from indulging in years past). Red grapes, pecans, cranberries, Cool Whip; I'm not sure why I don't have this recipe...

This year, instead of my usual streuseled sweet potato casserole, I contributed smoked gouda macaroni and cheese to the menu. We finished the table off with fresh green beans and "smashed" potatoes as my brother used to call them. Oh, and a relish platter of cranberry sauce, sweet pickles and whole black olives (no, I no longer put them on my fingers and eat them like I did as a kid).

And of course, pumpkin pie for dessert.

Man, I need a walk.

The days following this great day of thanks will be hectic, and I know that at times (e.g., when I'm standing in long shopping lines or sitting in holiday traffic) it will be hard to remember the true reason for the Christmas season.

That's when I will channel my Thanksgiving Day memories and remember how grateful I am for my family, my friends, a job, a warm home and food on my table. I have been richly blessed. For that, I give thanks.

Not Just for "The Birds"

2009-11-22T14:07:00.016-05:00

For many of you, the mention of Bodega Bay conjures up memories of creepy seagulls and Tippi Hedren in Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller "The Birds." I'm here to tell you that this quiet little California seaside town is much more than just a movie set from the 1960s.

On our final full day in California, Dad and I headed out to Bodega Bay, and drove up the Pacific Coast Highway (the famed Hwy. 1) to see some of the most breathtaking (could I possibly use that word one more time?) views of the Pacific Ocean.

With the warm sun shining on the crashing waves, and a few sea lions spotted here and there sunning themselves, we wound our way up to the tiny town of Jenner to see where the Russian River meets the mouth of the Pacific. I think we were expecting some grandiose vision, but instead, there is an inlet of about six feet across (give or take a few depending on the tide) where the water gently laps together.

After an afternoon of taking in the salty sea air, we stopped at one final winery, DeLoach, to sample some of the most delicious wines yet. For a little bit of nothing, we were sampling wines that you'd find on the tables of the rich and famous (well, I may be exaggerating, but they were delish let me tell you).

To end our time in wine country with one final hurrah, we got gussied up and headed back into downtown Healdsburg for a nice dinner and dessert on the square. We went casual for dinner at the Healdsburg Bar and Grill, where we finally actually purchased a full glass of wine with our meal. The mac and cheese at this place was to die for.

After dinner, we strolled a few doors down to the posh Dry Creek Kitchen restaurant to cap off the night with warm coffee and sweet dessert. I chose the sugar pie pumpkin cheesecake with mascarpone mousse while Dad had the chocolate baba cake with kahlua ice cream. The description on the menu had my mouth watering from the moment my eyes laid eyes on the page. But...the presentation. Oh, the presentation. It was nearly too fabulous to devour.

Although, I did not seem to have one bit of difficulty.

The final stop on our West Coast Birthday Excursion was to see the Golden Gate bridge (sans fog) in all its glory. It really is quite an amazing site to see.

This trip was so special for so many reasons.

1. San Francisco is just a cool city.

2. Williams Sonoma: need I say more?

3. The food and wine were amazing.

4. I got to see some of the most beautiful parts of our country.

But, I think the best part was being able to share all of this with my sweet Daddy. We've always shared birthdays close to each other, but taking a trip like this - just the two of us - was the best birthday gift that I could have asked for. I'll remember it always!

I hope you are blessed enough to have shared or to one day share such a special adventure with a dear one of your own.

Red, White and Blush

2009-11-21T20:31:00.035-05:00

If I had known wine was this much fun to drink, I would have started a lot earlier. A little red, a little white and throw in a blush here and there. How patriotic!

Day 2 began with a trip to the Rodney Strong vineyard and included a self-guided tour of the barrel rooms. Very cool stuff. It was so interesting to learn about how they pick the grapes, crush them, age them and then voila! Vino! I had been told by many an expert (i.e., friends that have gone to wine country before me) that a tour of a vineyard is a must to get the "full" experience. Definitely very cool to see the science behind the bottle. We even saw some kind of aeration process (very technical terminology) they use to filter the grape juice in and out of the barrels.

I will admit, that never before in my life have I been drinking alcohol at 10:30 a.m on a Sunday. But, one thing is clear out here, grape growing and wine making is a way of life; not just a vocation, but a profession.

We headed north to the adorable town of Healdsburg for another afternoon of tasting rooms and yummy snacks on the square. We took time out for some coffee and a sticky bun from the Downtown Bakery and Creamery. These sticky buns are the things of legends...buttery, flaky crust rolled in gooey butter and sugar and sprinkled with a hint of cinnamon. Yum (cue eyes rolling back in your head and tongue licking your lips).

My favorite experience of all was finally visiting the Rosenblum tasting room. A dear friend of mine has a family connection to Rosenblum, and their wines are absolutely incredible - they're known for their zinfandel, but let me tell you something...they do not make a bad wine. My personal favorite was the bottle of chocolate port that we brought home. It's like drinking smooth, silky melted chocolate with a kick.

We continued north to visit to the Simi winery to taste more delicious wines. Not only did each winery have its own distinct flavors of wine, but also its own unique ambiance. The quaint buildings and lush gardens at Simi were delightful. Kind of makes you just want to pack a picnic and enjoy a little sauvingnon blanc on a blanket under the trees, doesn't it?

We decided to take the scenic route back to the hotel, driving through the winding roads of the heart of the Russian River Valley. Roads lined with billowing redwoods and rolling vineyards, there must have been at least 120 wineries along the way. The vineyards are just amazingly beautiful. Everywhere you turn, there are hills and rows of beautiful grape vines with the most vibrantly colored leaves of rust, gold, caramel and pumpkin. So very autumnal. There are nearly no words to describe the way the sun peaks through the trees and glistens on the river, or how the hills look like pillows covered with soft amber leaves and deep purple grapes. Absolutely breathtaking scenery.

After all that wine, we needed some meat and a good beer before turning in. For all you Food Network fans, you'll appreciate this one: a burger and fries and Guy Fieri's Johnny Garlic's restaurant in Santa Rosa. Definitely hit the spot.

Only one full day left before it was back to the real world.

Just a Little Farm Town

2009-11-13T21:05:00.024-05:00

Do you ever have moments when you want to pinch yourself? Just to make sure you are not dreaming? After coming down off the high of visiting the Williams Sonoma flagship store, I had a hard time envisioning what could top that. Clearly, I had not yet grasped what Highway 12 through Sonoma County had in store for us.

The next three days were so incredibly fabulous that I found myself wondering, "is this really happening?" I'm sure Dad wanted to slap me because I probably sounded like a broken record, but I have been dreaming of a trip to California wine country for two years (I even bought the guidebooks!), and now it was happening. Un-freakin-believable.

What can I say? Some girls want Paris or Rome, but just give me a little farm town with good wine and great food.

We headed out early Saturday morning. After crossing the Golden Gate bridge (sadly, it was too foggy to even tell we were on a bridge), we were headed north to the mecca (insert angelic voices and bright, shiny lights). We took a slight detour on the Pacific Coast's famous Highway 1 to visit Muir Woods and have our pictures taken in front of 1,200-year-old redwood trees (absolutely incredible, by the way). By early afternoon, we were finally on our way to the land of wine and honey.

First stop, the quaint square in Sonoma. I had read about the shops, restaurants and tasting rooms and couldn't wait to check it out myself. The weather was perfect for a leisurely day on the square - about 75 degrees, sunny with a slight breeze - and we strolled from tasting room to tasting room soaking in every sight, sound and smell.

And why haven't I ever considered moving out here?

Highway 12 winery was our inaugural watering hole, with its friendly staff and delicious wines, we had hit the jackpot right out of the gate. If this was just the first stop, the next three days were certainly going to be something. We tasted red, white, sweet and dry. It was all incredible.

After a few tastings, it became quite apparent that if we wanted to ensure arrival at our hotel (and actually be confident it was the correct hotel), Dad and I were definitely going to need a little something to munch on. Naturally, I had been scoping food options for weeks, so I knew we had to hit The Girl and the Fig. Definitely the right choice.

The menu was filled with mouth-watering wine country gems like dungeness crab salads, fresh salads with local fruit, magnificent sauces and spreads made of figs and honey...how much time do you have? Because I could go on.

Seated on a delightful patio outside, we shared a scrumptious cheese and sausage plate that came with the most divine selection of fresh and local cheeses, fresh fig fruit spread with a crisp apple and the most delectable marinated olives that I just couldn't stop devouring. Of course, I came away with a cookbook to recreate these fabulous creations in my own kitchen.

Our first official winery stop was just north of Sonoma at the Blackstone Winery.

Now, I'm a big fan of just about anything Blackstone, but the tasting menu at this winery was divine. Many of the wines we tasted were reserved for onsite availablity only and/or were in another socioeconomic hemisphere than my usual purchases. The $8.99 merlot I buy at Kroger is "what pays the bills" according to our host. Yep, I'm just that classy.

Seriously though, if I learned one thing on this trip, it's that the wine you like is the wine you like. There is no right, wrong, good or bad. Screwtop, box or cork, it's all about how a wine entices your tastebuds and the sweet dreams it leaves on your tongue.

After a hard first day on the job (hey, someone's gotta do it), we headed to the hotel and called it a day. If I were a betting woman, I'd have bet my favorite spatula that it just doesn't get any better than this. Good thing I don't gamble.

I Left My Heart in San Francisco

2009-11-08T21:19:00.015-05:00

Well, actually in Sonoma Valley, but it's close enough. I have just returned from spending a week in northern California and don't even begin to know where to begin! The weather was absolutely divine, the food was mouthwatering, the scenery gets into your bloodstream, and the wine...oh, the wine... I went to San Francisco last week on a business trip and then was joined my my sweet father for a few days exploring wine country. Here begins the adventure...

I never really understood what Tony Bennett meant when he sang those words: "I left my heart in San Francisco." Until now. It is an absolutely fantastic town. Aside from the fact that the warm sun burned daily and temperatures were in the mid-70s, the city has this fantastic energy that is infectious. Perhaps it was just the location of my hotel (smack in the middle of the popular Union Square district), but everyone seemed to be out and about with a purpose and sense of relaxation that you just don't find on the East coast. Retailers, business folks, townies and the like. Everyone is enjoying life.

Shortly after landing and checking in, I experienced my first savory crepe meal at this adorable restaurant around the corner from the hotel: Honey Honey Cafe and Crepery. The sweet, paper thin crepe was cooked to perfection and folded together with delicious sundried tomatoes, feta cheese and fresh basil and served with California fruit.

For dessert, strawberry-Nutella crepes with whipped cream. This is the real deal babe.

After walking off the crepes through Chinatown, Nob Hill, Embarcadero Center, the Port of San Francisco and Union Square, we finished off the day with a visit to Ghirardelli Square (the air even smells like chocolate!) and dinner at the Blue Mermaid in Fisherman's Wharf with the most fantastic dungeness crab cakes and a bowl of award-winning crab and corn chowder (of course accompanied by my first glass of wine).

The most exciting event of my time in San Francisco came the last evening. On our way to dinner, we entered the mecca: the flagship Williams Sonoma store! Four glorious stories of kitchen accoutrements. Anything and everything a girl in an apron could possible ever want...and then some. This moment had eluded me for nearly a decade, and now I can say, "I have been to the mothership."

It's part museum as well...these are a few gems from Chuck Williams' personal kitchen collection he gathered throughout trips in France.

After two days of business, the real adventure was just beginning: wine country! Are you ready?

Who Doesn't Love Some Vino?

2009-10-26T23:03:00.004-04:00

In a few short days, I will be embarking on a vacation that I have been dreaming of for the past two years...a trip to the California wine country! A business trip takes me to San Francisco on Wednesday, and how could I pass up the opportunity to stay on a few days and tour the vineyards (and dine on some of the most delicate delicacies)?

I admit I'm a bit of a red wine wench. I can't help it...the way the huge bulb of glass feels in your hand, and the warmth and ease with which the wine slinks down your throat. Zinfandel, merlot, syrah, malbec - I love them all. Oh, and the white wines are divinity on your tongue. The crisp, fruity flavors mixed with the tang and acidity as they hit your tongue. Give me some chocolate and fruit, and who needs a man?!

The trip is not only special because it's something I've been dreaming of as a foodie for years (seriously, I bought guide books two years ago!), but it's the first time my father and I will be taking a mini-vacation together. We've had special father-daughter dates over the years, but never a trip to explore a region of the country we both have a slight obsession with (although neither of us would consider ourselves an aficionado by any means). I can only imagine the trouble we will get into...

I promise to blog completely about my experience, and document every excursion fully upon my return. For now though, I must pack my bags and be off!

Pancakes for Dinner

2009-10-21T21:56:00.017-04:00

Some nights, you just don't want to cook. I know, it's rare for us "foodies," but we all have those days. For those occasions, I keep a box of instant pancake mix on hand - a practice I embraced wholeheartedly in college to save pennies.

Truthfully, I'm a breakfast food junkie who could eat pancakes, eggs, cereal or any other breakfast food at any time of the day, so it's no surprise that this powdery mix is my standard fallback when culinary inspiration eludes me.

Tonight was just such a night. No meat thawed out. Lettuce was wilty (besides, I had a salad for lunch, and a girl can only take so much roughage for one day). Don't feel like pizza again. Hmmm....a few good carbs will do just the trick.

Now, I'm all about trying new things. And, we all know how much I love pumpkin. You can see where this is headed, can't you? Yep. Just this afternoon, my dad sent me his recipe for pumpkin pancakes, so I thought "let's give it a whirl!"

Until tonight, I had only ever had pumpkin pancakes from one of those $3.95 pre-mixed bags you buy at the apple stand on a crisp October Saturday in between college football games. They were delicious, but nothing that I couldn't have done on my own if I'm being honest. My problem is proportion intimidation: I am always fearful that the batter will be too runny or too dry. I don't know why I'm so freaked out since a little extra water or powder mix will solve the problem. Alas, "homemade" pumpkin pancakes were a first for me. (And, I use the term "homemade" loosely. Really it just means I opened up a can of pumpkin.)

I began with some premade pancake mix. I used Krusteaz (because I think it's delicious), but you could use whatever you have. Then, I added a bit of water and a smaller bit of canned pumpkin along with a pinch of cinnamon. It's that simple folks.

After whisking it all together until there are only a few lumps and bumps, I had this creamy, soft orange batter that reminded me of cupcake batter. How bad can that really be?

After dropping my 1/4 cupfuls onto a hot nonstick pan, I soon had pancakes that were golden brown and smelled of autumn goodness.

Add a pat of butter and watch it melt.

Now, I'm a weirdo and don't really like syrup on my pancakes. Ever since I was a little girl, I have put sugar and cinnamon on my pancakes (and french toast and waffles) instead. So, breakfast almost becomes dessert. Think cinnamon toast, but WAY better.

Now, that's dinner. Try them. Seriously.

Cinnamon-Sugar Pumpkin Pancakes

1 cup of pancake mix
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup of canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Sugar and cinnamon (for topping)

Directions:

Mix together all ingredients and drop mix by 1/4 cupfuls onto hot griddle or nonstick skillet, coated with cooking spray. Cook pancakes until bubble begin to form on top (or golden brown on the bottom); flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes (until golden brown). Top pancakes with butter or margarine and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Dig in!

My Favorite Scones

2009-10-17T11:50:00.010-04:00

Years ago on a long plane ride back from my first (and only) trip overseas, I came across a delicious scone recipe in Bon Appetit as I entertained myself with magazines. At the time, I had never made scones, and the idea of making what seemed like a "fancy" pastry from scratch was intimidating. I'm not a "fancy" kind of girl. It's the little things that impress me. Give me a $1.99 coffee mug, and you'd think I had just been given a diamond ring.

This recipe was different though. There was no "fancy" scone pan I had to purchase, and the ingredient list was made of things I normally have in my pantry, and relatively short at that. So, I thought, "How hard can this be?" Here goes: butterscotch drop scones.

The process was ridiculously easy, and the end result tasted of one that had slaved all day in the kitchen, churning the butter, whipping the cream, and fluffing the dough with hands of angels (ok, that's a bit dramatic, but you get the point). They were divine. Just enough sweetness, a bit of saltiness and a crumbly, buttery texture that just makes you want to sit and eat them forever.

Over the years, I've made them for brunches, lunches, birthdays, celebrations, and those "just because" moments when we all want something sinfully delicious. What's extra nice about the recipe is that it's so adaptable too. If you don't have butterscotch, use anything you like: chocolate chips, dried fruit, fresh herbs, cheese.

Since October always puts me in the mood for all things autumn, last week, I made them with cranberries and orange zest, which turned out terrifically. The sweetness of the cranberries mixed with the freshness of the citrus explodes in your mouth, and you just can't help but smile.

Sometimes I wonder if it's normal to get this excited about food.

Cranberry Orange Scones

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
⅓ cups brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoons salt
½ cups chilled butter, diced
1 cup dried cranberries
1 tablespoon orange zest
½ cups chilled whipping cream, or more
1 large egg

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl.

Add chilled butter, and using fingertips or a pastry cutter, mix together until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Mix in cranberries and orange zest.

Whisk cream and egg in a small bowl until blended.

Gradually add cream mixture to the flour mixture and toss with a fork until dough comes together in moist clumps. (Add more cream as needed if dough is too dry.)

Drop by 1/4 cupfuls onto a baking stone or baking dish lined with parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown on top (toothpick will come out clean).

Sprinkle with sugar when scones come out of oven.

Enjoy!

Until Next Time Blacksburg...

2009-10-10T20:22:00.007-04:00

So, I've now managed to make my trip to Blacksburg last well over an extra week (impressive, huh?), I supposed it is time that I share the last meal that I ate in the cozy house on Dehart (sniff, sniff).

It was perfect: leftovers. And folks, I mean l-e-f-t-o-v-e-r-s. We had just a sliver of gouda left that we sliced up, threw together with some crispy, smoky bacon; juicy, Virginia-grown beefsteak tomatoes; and full, green lettuce on two pieces of lightly toasted bread. Smother that with homemade garlic herb mayonnaise, and you've got the perfect Saturday afternoon sandwich.

Each bite filled with tomato juiciness, spicy garlic, savory herbs, and crunchy bacon with a creamy gouda tang. (Seriously, I'm licking my lips as I write this.) Try it. You won't regret it. Really. We paired the sandwich with leftover mac and cheese, and voila - leftovers like none other. I think the mac and cheese was better the second time around (or maybe it was just the company and fabulously fun plate I was eating it off of).

On the rainy drive to the Charlotte airport, Rebecca and I reminisced about the delicious treats we had made over the days and talked of ways to spice them up or improvise for another mouth-watering twist on them. What if you added soft, sweet squash to the cheddar corn chowder? Or rich, decadent lobster to the mac and cheese? Or some sweet dried berries to the maple oatmeal scones? Really, we talked for three hours...and could have kept going.

My first visit to Blacksburg, Va. will be forever remembered fondly for many reasons, the mac and cheese being at the top of the list. I'm so thankful for dear friends like Rebecca - who are just as obsessive as I am about food and cooking - and highly recommend you all find one too!

How Much More Can I Eat? - Day 3

2009-10-04T19:46:00.020-04:00

I am sometimes surprised at the endurance I can muster up when it comes to consuming mouth-watering, tongue-tantalizing culinary delights of which I have participated in creating or observed the creation of from the ground up (literally, sometimes). Why can I not exhibit this same endurance on the elliptical machine? Hm.

Day 3 of my foodie mini-vacation began with the sounds of Rebecca in the kitchen whipping up some maple oatmeal scones (recipe also courtesy of one Ina Garten). The recipe for this is also from one of my BC cookbooks, and they certainly did not disappoint. After mixing together ingredients of flour, oats, and the like, these moist, fluffy pastries were ready for their glorious maple glaze. Mixing together powdered sugar and real maple syrup (um, yes, the kind from Vermont thanks to Rebecca's in-laws), the drizzle of deliciousness on top of the perfectly golden brown scone was begging for my fork.

Combine that with a cup of pumpkin spice coffee, and folks, I just don't know if it really gets much better.

After we had sufficiently satisfied our morning sweet tooth, we set out for the delightful little town of Floyd, Va. This town is the quintessential small town complete with friendly town's people, antique stores to fit anyone's pleasure, a Farmer's Supply store (filled with the most amazing treasures...like the beautiful Virginia hardwood cutting board I brought home), and the famous Floyd Country Store.

Upon walking into the store, immediately to the left was a glass cabinet filled with desserts like coconut cake, chocolate brownies, lemon pie, oatmeal cookies and about a bazillion other sugary treats that were probably made by sweet Miss Daisy just yonder, up the road. My gracious her house must have smelled good! Yep. We'll be eating lunch here.

If that dessert cabinet wasn't enough, we knew we were going to have good eats when we saw the egg salad, chicken salad, and pimiento cheese that had clearly been made by loving hands just that morning - most likely from mama's family recipe (insert your grandmother or great-grandmother's name in lieu of "mama"). I thought I was a connoisseur of sorts with chicken salad, but this one put me to shame.

The Floyd Country Store is filled with welcoming town residents that just love meeting new people. We spent time chatting with the darling Miss Ann, who shared all about the store's legendary bluegrass and old-timey music nights. Every Friday night, there is a toe-tapping, guitar-pickin', good 'ole fashioned jamboree that draws people from homes across the region. Some of the most renown banjo-playing artists have stood on this very stage, which Miss Ann insisted we have our picture taken on.

Authentic, that's all I can say.

Driving back to Blacksburg, our future held a nap and a grilled chicken salad for dinner (eaten at a local joint called Lefty's). What can I say? After three days of carb-o-licious food, a grilled piece of protein hit the spot.

My last night in Blacksburg with my dear friends was capped off with a scrumptious bowl of warm, cinnamony, buttery apple crisp. We had intended to pick the apples ourselves, but Mother Nature had other plans, so apples fresh from the farmer's market were our very sufficient understudies.

Brown sugar, oatmeal, butter, cinnamon, apples, and a bit of lemon zest make this all-American comfort food come to life in your mouth. Top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and you've got a perfect 10 my friends. Now, that's something your mama would be proud of.

Each day had been filled with such foodie bliss...what could possibly capstone this culinary excursion?

Apple Crisp

(a modified version of Barefoot Contessa's fruit crisp recipe)

Filling:

4-5 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cubed (or sliced)

1-2 sweet apples, any kind, peeled and cubed (or sliced)

1-2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. lemon zest

2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1/4 C. granulated sugar

Mix filling ingredients together in a bowl and transfer to a buttered/greased, oven-proof dish.

Crumble Topping:

1 Cup of flour

1 Cup of brown sugar

3/4 Cup of rolled oats

1/2 tsp. salt

1 stick of cold butter, diced

Combine flour, brown sugar, oats, salt and 3/4 stick of butter in a bowl, cutting butter in with pastry cutter until mixture consists of large crumbles. Spread evenly over apple filling mixture. Drop remaining cubes of butter over the top of the crisp randomly.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45-50 minutes, until crisp is gold and bubbly. Serve immediately with your favorite vanilla ice cream!

Feasting Continues - Day 2

2009-10-02T19:29:00.023-04:00

With my tummy still warm from the piping hot, creamy cheddar corn chowder, I settled in for a good night's sleep after reading a bit of the copy of Julie and Julia I had picked up at Costco (gotta love that place for cheap reads). Yes, I've seen the movie - and rest assured it will become part of my personal library once on DVD - and still want to read the book.

I fell asleep to sweet dreams of the cup of Blacksburg-brewed pumpkin spice coffee I was going to have the next morning, laced with (of course) pumpkin pie spice creamer. Bliss, I'm telling you. Pair that with homemade crunchy cinnamon granola and some cold milk for start to your day that is certain to put a smile on your face.

After a delicious Day 2 lunch of chicken sausage, roasted red peppers and fried potatoes topped with a fried egg (that my marvelous friend just "whipped up" - see below), we headed to a local coffee shop - where of course I claimed my own 16 oz. of pumpkin spice coffee - to read a bit and spend the afternoon on the Virginia Tech campus on a beautiful, sunny afternoon, albeit a bit warm.

We couldn't stand it anymore. We hopped in the car and headed home to make what we were certain would be our crowning food achievement of the weekend: smoked gouda macaroni and cheese. The recipe came from my fabulous cookbook from the Boathouse Restaurant in Charleston, S.C.

We started by grating two rounds of smoked gouda cheese. For the record, this is my absolute favorite cheese - the smoky flavor gives a depth to the soft, creamy cheese that no other cheese can rival. Seriously. Combine the gouda with shredded parmesan and you have near perfection. (I am realizing I say that a lot...)

Shallots and garlic simmering away in olive oil, we added smooth, silky half and half, heavy cream AND cream cheese (folks, this is definitely not a dish for anyone watching the waistline...unless you're watching it expand). Add the cheese to this for absolute divinity. Lactose intolerants beware.

We poured this thick, cheesey, buttercream colored loveliness over penne and oh...my...goodness. I've never tasted incredibleness like this in my life. Mindblowing (yes, I am talking about macaroni and cheese).

Careful not to detract from the personality of the mac and cheese, we paired this creamy comfort food with a spinach salad drizzled with Rebecca's rosemary balsamic viniagrette topped with pecans and tart Granny Smith apples.

Our tastebuds were thanking us from the first bite, as you can tell from the grins on Rebecca and her hubby's face as they nosh away.

Two for two...coming up next: maple oatmeal scones.

Let the Feast Begin - Day 1

2009-09-27T17:53:00.026-04:00

I have just returned from four days of culinary mania with my dear Fungirl friend Rebecca who lives in the most adorable cottage in Blacksburg, Virginia (see the adorable cottage below).

For foodies like us, this was nirvana. We had been salivating and dreaming of ooey, gooey, scrumptious food since I booked my ticket in mid-summer. For weeks leading up to my mini-vacation, we scoured our recipe books and Web sites, searching for the perfect lip-smacking delights to whip up in the kitchen using fresh and homegrown ingredients from local VA farms and markets (which is in fact where this adventure began).

Over the next several posts, I'm going to indulge myself (apologies in advance) and relive these blissful, carbohydrate-filled days in living color.

Day 1: Cheddar Corn Chowder

Being the Barefoot Contessa fan that I am, I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I have not made more than a handful of recipes from the two BC cookbooks I have. Oh, I drool over the pictures frequently and have good intentions, but have not actually made many. Naturally, when I saw her recipe for Cheddar Corn Chowder, I knew we had a winner. The glimmering, golden color of the broth combined with sweet corn and soft potatoes made this a perfect contender for a "light" evening dinner my first evening in VA. After crossing everything off our lists and filling our cart with delicacies at the store, we headed home to get started.

The recipe calls for 4 large onions (see Rebecca choosing just the right ones below at the local farmers' market). Let me just say, it would be worth investing in some onion goggles if you plan to make this recipe frequently. By the time I had chopped the onions, we both looked as though we had just watched "Steel Magnolias" a dozen times. (I had read somewhere that lighting a candle helps, so we attempted, but failed miserably when the paper towel it was sitting on caught fire. Do not set candles on paper products. Duh.)

A sure sign the soup would be amazing: bacon, bacon, bacon. The recipe begins with crisping bacon in the bottom of the stock pot and then adding the onions and other goodies directly to the flavorful drippings. (Good thing I don't have high cholesterol.) With the savory scent of bacon and onions wafting through the house, we poured a second glass of wine and licked our lips awaiting the prize.

This recipe called for turmeric, a spice that I am not all that well acquainted with (and honestly, was a little hesitant to use). But, I soon learned that adding just a tiny bit of this spice lent a deliciously fresh and unique brightness to the dish that made my taste buds ring with excitement.

Now came the fun part: adding the stock, potatoes, and delicious sweet corn and seeing the soup come to life right there in the stockpot. Earlier in the summer, Rebecca had frozen fresh sweet corn right off the husk for just such an occasion as this one. How much difference does fresh corn make you ask? I too was once a skeptic, but am here to testify that it makes ALL the difference in the world. There is nothing like the soft, juicy sweetness of yellow divinity from the husk.

By this time, the kitchen was smelling fantastic - filled with aromas of summer days of corn on the cob and the comfort of potatoes and bacon on a cool autumn evening. (Word to the wise: this recipe makes a ton, so if you're cooking for less than a small army, you may want to consider halving it.) For the finishing touch, we added the freshly grated cheddar, whipping cream and bacon crumbles for a garnish.

Voila! Paired with a (third) glass of wine and some moist, doughy artisan bread and it just does not get much better than that. Or so we thought...