Thursday, December 31, 2009

New years....




Happy New Year to my friends and family

Twenty-Ten......sounds like a good luck year doesn't it? I think so to....I am not one for resolutions but, I do plan on finding happiness everyday....I will work on this....I would like to share with you this quote from the Movie Benejamin Button...

"For what it's worth, it's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit; stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same; there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again."






Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive."


Cheers to Happy  !!

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

French Vinaigrette.....



This is a great recipe for Vinaigrette....My cousin Sue traveled Italy..She said every restaurant she ate in and had salad, had a house Vinaigrette, there was no choice for dressing...for us here in America that seems odd, but in France it is the same...all French people make their dressing, au pif, or "by the nose". They do not measure they just taste until they have the taste they want...they would not dream of making a vinaigrette without shallots and the finest dijon mustard they can buy....

French vinaigrette

Makes about 1/4 cup (60 ml), enough for one large green salad

Aside from not using balsamic vinegar in salad dressings, another practice is to use freshly-ground black pepper, which is best added when tossing the salad with the dressing.
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon sherry or red wine vinegar
1/2 small shallot, peeled and minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3T to 4T (45 ml to 60 ml) olive oil
fresh herbs, if desired

1. In a small bowl, mix together the salt, vinegar, and shallot. Let stand for about ten minutes.
2. Mix in the Dijon mustard, then add 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of olive oil. Stir well, then taste. If too sharp, add the additional olive oil and more salt, if necessary. Romain said one needs to add beaucoup de mustard, so feel free to add more as well.
If you wish to add fresh herbs, it's best to chop and mix them in shortly before serving so they retain their flavor. Season the salad with fresh ground pepper when you toss your salad....




just a few ingredients to make a great dressing...I liked the sherry vinegar, it is a lot milder that the regular red wine vinegar, but of course you could substitute red wine vinegar.




mince the shallots very finely...



let the vinegar soak up into the onions, it flavors and softens them... then add the rest of the indredients and whisk together......



for my salad I added sliced ripe pears and goat gouda and garlic toasts....but this dressing would work for any salad combination you can think up.....also I added a handful of chopped chives to the dressing, and again you could season with any herb you like....it is so flavorful and mild, excellent....

Cheers to Happy  !!




Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Angel Hair Pasta with Lobster....

In a couple of days it will be New Years Eve and I know alot of you are going to stay home and celebrate instead of going out on the town...This is a special recipe for celebrating the new year....it is special without all the fuss...right now, here in the Pacific Northwest you can get Lobster Tails very inexpensive. So we should take advantage of this rare occurrence and cook Lobster, lots and lots and lots of Lobster...Lobster says celebration, says party, says expensive, says....well you get the picture.....here is the star of the show!





Angel Hair Pasta with Lobster


=============================

2 lobster tails
2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup of finely chopped fresh shallots
1 teaspoon of dried red chilies
3 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup white wine
2/3 cup chicken broth
3 to 4 canned Italian tomatoes or fresh Roma tomatoes
1/4 cups of fresh chopped parsley1/4 cups of chopped fresh basil
salt
pepper

Shredded asiago cheese..

First boil angel hair pasta until done and set aside....

meanwhile Cut Lobster into bite size pieces (in shell)

Saute shallots, red pepper flakes and garlic in olive oil.,   Add the lobster and cook a couple of minutes. add 3 or 4 tomatoes chopped, canned or fresh tomatoes. Add 2/3 cup white wine and 2/3 cup chicken broth. Simmer until lobster is cooked. Just a couple of minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cooked, drained angel hair pasta to the pan, add the parsley and basil and toss to mix.  Sprinkle grated Asiago cheese on top,,,Serves two.





here are your two lobster tails...or mine, I should say...



cut them with a meat clever right where the creases are..then rinse them off and set aside...



use your best Barilla brand angel hair pasta....



cook until tender, I am not one of those al dente girls....



the sauce goes fast so have everything prepped and ready..saute the shallots and garlic in olive oil... add the wine, (I used Sauvignon Blanc, but any white wine would be great)



here is the pasta being added., and tossed ....



Oh my, oh my this is maybe the best pasta I have ever eaten....


Cheers to Happy  !!

Monday, December 28, 2009

Mom's Dinner...

Last night my mother invited myself, my daughter Becky and my grand daughter Misty to dinner.....It was the biggest treat to have my mothers home cooked food....she is the best cook ever and has many recipes.Some day I will go there and blog her making her award winning bread pudding, It is so creamy and good!

Last night she made a Pork roast, mashed potatoes, gravy, carrots and salad. Most of the dinner was ready when we got there, the table was set....my heart was so warmed when I envisioned her setting the table and peeling potatoes and carrots. Doing all that work just for us. As we sat down to dinner, out of the corner of my eye, I spied a Lemon pie over on the wash machine....yippee-yi-ya yi ah yippee yi oh....oh how happy I was to have seen that before I had seconds on dinner.....



this is Mom, she will hate that I put this picture of her on here...but isn't she just beautiful? Doesn't she just make you smile right at her?



this is is Becky mixing up the salad.....



This is the pretty table she had set.....



this is mom making the gravy....



Check it out! Cool huh?



and I couldn't wait to get to the creamy lemon meringue pie....oh how delicious...



Just one more picture......



Mom getting her piece, I know, I know, you are saying what a great picture aren't you? And how pretty she is?


Cheers to Happy  !!


Sunday, December 27, 2009

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is a great recipe...and who doesn't love Chocolate Chip Cookies? These are so easy an 11 year old can make them and did....I was busy wrapping last minute presents and she was busy baking...



Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons of flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons melted and cooled butter
1 cup of packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 package of chocolate chips

whisk together flour, baking soda and salt and set aside...

In a large bowl, beat the melted butter and sugars together with a mixer on medium speed until smooth...beat in vanilla and egg and egg yolk, until combined about 30 seconds...
add flour mixture to the sugar mix, slowly mixing on low speed, when blended add chocolate chips..
drop by spoonfulls onto lined cookie sheet and bake at 325 for 15 minutes...let cool on wire rack and enjoy!



here is a picture of the few ingredients you will need to gather




first put your hair in a pony tail and then go wash your hands and then open the vanilla...or that is what it looks like she is doing...



melt the butter....



sift the dry indredients.....





mix all the dry indredients together...set aside



pour the butter over the sugar in mixing bowl...




add brown sugar and mix....




add the eggs....



blend until smooth......




slowly add dry indredients....




add chocolate chips....



drop by teaspoonful...



ready to bake....



Ta Da !!!!!  So good......


Cheers to Happy  !!

Saturday, December 26, 2009

It is over...

It is official...it is the day after Christmas...ahhhh...I am starting to feel relaxed...whew! That was a whirlwind of activity... I feel like Jack Nicholson in The Shining "I'm Baaack"....

I knew you would all want to see what  my grand daughter Misty got me for Christmas..she is 11 and wanted to get me some plates, to plate my food, for a blog on...



this is a cute plate with an apple on it, watch for this...




here is a square plate with a brown band on it...cute, huh?




and she got me the whole set of kitchen stuff....30 items....




oh and also I got this red cast iron pan...yes you will be seeing it and you will get a break from the orange one....aren't you happy?

Oh and my big prize? a really, really big lens for my camera...we are talking paparazzi...I can now take pictures of what my neighbors are cooking...cool, huh?

Cheers to Happy  !!

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight!!!



Hope your Christmas is the best yet!!

Cheers to Happy  !!

"Movie Night"

This is the cheapest funnest (yes it is a word) thing to do! Rent a movie or buy one, make a few appetizers and invite friends over and presto "movie night"! It doesn't get any better than this, folks!



oh yum pineapple,,,



real tex mex nachos



ceviche need we say more?  I think not.



there is no such thing as too much of a good thing



pineapple boats







cool nutcrackers!




Polar Express was the movie, a must see!



















Check out the Plate!



Oh the best Coconut cake you have ever eaten!

So when nights are long, invite some friends over and it's "Movie Night"...

Cheers to Happy  !!