Have a laugh (a big one)

Don't we all have a relative that says ridiculous things?
Check out this guy's Twitter page. Hilarious.
Shit My Dad Says

It was a very good day

The weather has been gorgeous for the past two days. It's been cool, around 65 degrees, with close to no humidity. I have to wear a light jacket in the morning! For those who know me, you'll understand how glad that makes me. To be honest, I've really been hating it here. It's so damn hot, and I can hardly breathe for the humidity. But these past two days... I tell ya. The other day I came home from work (which I might be leaving soon for another shop, since the Navy is stupid, I'll explain later, sad face) and there were children playing in the yard across the street, and someone was mowing their lawn somewhere, close enough that I could smell the grass clippings. The sun was shining, the temperature was perfect... and I thought, "I can see myself being very happy here" as I walked to my front porch, already decorated with pumpkins. It was a good day, and it made me hopeful.

The air has had a smell lately that has been bringing back memories of Rome. You know how a smell can transport you? For some reason the air here, all warm and cool at the same time, not too humid... has been taking me to Italy. It smells... crowded. Does that make sense?

Trevi Fountain, April 2007

The Spanish Steps, April 2007

Man I miss that place.

Tonight I made seared Tilapia and Butternut Squash Curry over Brown Rice. The curry was awesome! The Tilapia was Tilapia. It was a good meal, though a little labor intensive. Ah well, what's a little time in the kitchen when the outcome is this?

Tonight during Mad Men I looked at Ricky and asked, "Do you want to pause this and go to the beach?" We did, only we were left with just half an hour of daylight. It was still beautiful though, sitting on the beach watching the sun set over the gulf, laughing at little sandpipers as they darted in and out of the surf. A very large heron landed about 10 feet from us, and didn't seem to mind us watching him forage for minnows and tiny clams. On the way home we stopped by McDonald's and got sundaes. Hooray!

Bethany came over for dinner!

Tonight Bethany came over to eat, get baby gifts, and be merry. I made spicy baked chicken strips (dipped in hot sauce and breaded with panko) homemade macaroni and cheese (first time!) mashed potatoes, and green beans.
Tasty! And so "Blue Plate Special!" Haha.

About thirty minutes after dinner, Bethany said something along the lines of "I love carrot cake." Sooo I took that as an invitation to whip up a batch of carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting! Mixes be damned! Totally from scratch and done in less than half an hour!

Bon Dimanche!

Today we went to Barnes and Noble again, which is fast becoming my favorite way to spend a Sunday morning. I am, by the way, "Lisa" when I go to the Barnes and Noble cafe.

I picked up a copy of "a long way gone, memoirs of a boy soldier" by Ishmael Beah. It sounds terrifying and sad, but I really want to read it. I think child soldiers are one of the greatest tragedies of our time, and it doesn't get enough attention.

I also found this beautiful cookbook! It's full of Moroccan, Turkish, and Lebanese recipes! I'm so excited, it has a recipe for preserved lemons, which I have so far been unable to find down here.

Tonight I made quesadillas with ground turkey, black beans, corn, onions, and queso fresco. I'd post the recipe but I think that a list of ingredients is sufficient, as quesadillas are pretty dang easy to figure out.

Happy Sunday!

Thanksgiving Invitations!

During our initial move to Florida back in June, I became obsessed with personalized stationeryand announcement cards/invitations.

We are hosting our first real Thanksgiving dinner party, complete with out of town guests! I've already planned my menu, which is visible below, and orderd menus and invitations from TinyPrints.com, the most adorable collection of paper on the internet.
My invitations:
And my menu:
These will be mailed out together, in one envelope. I love them! I'm also thinking about ordering another address stamp, something more festive, maybe like this?

Who Needs a Brick?

When you can do this? Ha!

Tonight I made chicken "under a brick," which to me just means weighted down in a grill pan. On the side we had Zucchini Al Forno, which was delicious, and lemon spaghetti.

Zucchini Al Forno
3-4 medium zucchini, sliced crosswise into 1/2 inch slices
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded fontina cheese
1 cup Pecorino Romano cheese
1 cup bread crumbs, plain
1 cup heavy cream
olive oil, salt, pepper
Preheat oven to 350. In a 9x9" baking dish, drizzle olive oil to coat the bottom. Layer the sliced zucchini in an even layer, top with salt & pepper, 1/3 cup cream, 1/3 cup of mozzarella and fontina, 1/3 cup breadcrumbs, and 1/3 cup Romano. Repeat layers two more times. Place the dish, uncovered, in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes.

And for dessert, tiramisu! Which is quickly becoming my favorite dessert, because it's easy enough that I can prepare it while I'm making dinner. I love time savers!

My New Favorite Store in Gulf Breeze!

I was going to Publix the other day and walked past a store called "Pizzaz." They have everything I love, under one roof. Minus puppies. And food.
But they have monogrammed everything, including this adorable keychain! I love it. They also have these great aprons that I want to buy... one in every color. I have no photos of those, since I have yet to purchase them.

I also found cute baby stuff for Bethany's baby, Mordecai! Okay just kidding, I think she's naming him Lucas or something. He'll always be Mordecai to me.

This is a jersey-style cotton baby blanket, 36"x36". I love the gingham bow! I feel like maybe I should keep said bow and put it on Maggie May...

I adore this! How cute?!

"The French spend as much of their income on their stomachs as the English do on their cars and stereo systems..."

I'm currently reading "A Year in Provence" by Peter Mayle. So inspired was I that I decided that something Provençal was in order for supper tonight.
I cooked a whole chicken with onions, bacon, crushed olives, tomatoes, white wine, and herbs.
Served with crusty bread, and sprinkled with a little Persillade (fresh garlic and flat leaf parsley, chopped up together) at the end. Looks fancy, took 45 minutes, and tastes amazing!

Pork Snork

Pork roast with herbes de provence and pepper, polenta, pan-roasted Brussels Sprouts with pancetta, garlic, and shallots, and braised fennel.

Pan-Roasted Brussels Sprouts
In a large enameled cast iron pot (Le Creuset or the like) heat 2 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter. Toss in some chopped pancetta, let it render out a bit. Add the Brussels Sprouts (trimmed, naturally) and stir them around, let them brown. Coarsley chop 2 cloves of garlic and add to the pot. Do not cover these! If you cover them, they sweat, moist little cabbages that they are... and will not be tasty. Season with salt and pepper. You can also use sliced shallots, if you like. I do. I also used pine nuts, but pecans would be just as tasty!

Madames...

Look, I get this whole "good wife" thing. I understand that being the quintessential fifties housewife is alluring, however unrealistic. I understand that we want to make our men happy. I also understand that some of the things I do seem very, well, old fashioned. I love to cook, I love to knit, I keep my home clean, my husband fed, and my shirts ironed. I cook because I love to, not because it is expected. I keep my home clean because it is important to me, once again, not because of some expectation or standard. There isn't anything wrong with that. There is, however, something wrong with thinking that that's all we are. These absurd caricatures of what men think women are. I'm just sick of seeing these misled women who think that it's trendy to be a housewife (thank you, Mad Men) and so they have an excuse to be vapid, stupid women. I don't care house nice your apron is, if you're dumb or have no backbone, no homemade pie, no matter how good, is going to change it.
Also, I know how important our men are to us, but the person you put first should be you, not him. Don't misunderstand me, he should be a close second, but you are kidding yourself if you can't woman-up and take responsibility for your own happiness.
For all of you who think I might be Aunt B-ish, I'm not. I'm just a really good cook. =)

Tuesday, a day of meals in pictures.

I didn't work today, so Ricky and I were able to spend a morning together! Breakfast (for Ricky) was a smoked ham and cheddar omelet. He loves these, I love their simplicity.

Dinner was yet another one of Ricky's favorites, fajitas with pepita salsa. The skirt steak is seasoned simply, just salt, pepper, garlic, and cumin. I squeeze a little fresh lime juice on at the end.

I wanted to make something beautiful tonight, and I wanted to use my mixer as well as my food processor. I decided to make a strawberry tart with vanilla bean pastry cream and a lavender-hazelnut crust. Oh, you heard me right.

This is a no-roll tart dough, the same I used for the Lavender Blackberry and Raspberry Tart. I used vanilla bean paste and hazelnuts instead of almonds, obviously, but the rest is the same. It all comes together in a food processor. 1.5 cups All Purpose Flour, 3 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp dried lavender, .5 cup hazelnuts, .25 tsp salt, <-- pulse these to combine, then add 2 tbsp vanilla bean paste and 1 stick of cold butter, diced. Pulse until it resembles coarse crumbs. Whisk 1 large egg yolk with 2 tbsp ice water, add to the dough, and pulse until it comes together. Press into a large disk and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Press into a tart pan, prick the bottom all over with a fork, and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Here it is! I spread vanilla bean pastry cream in the shell, then arranged my trimmed strawberries, and brushed it all with a strawberry glaze (just strawberry preserves heated on the stove top and pressed through a fine sieve.)
Vanilla Bean Pastry Cream
In a mixer, whisk together 1 egg, tsp vanilla bean paste, and 2 tbsp sugar. Whisk in 2 tbsp cornstarch, set aside. In a saucepan, bring 1/2 cup milk to a simmer. As soon as it simmers, add it to the egg mixture, whisk vigorously until combined, then pour back into the saucepan. Return the pan to low heat, and whisk for 30-45 seconds as it thickens. Cover (with the plastic touching the surface of the cream) with plastic wrap and keep cool until you're ready for it.

mmm Grande Soy 3 pump white mocha with 3 pumps Toffee Nut, no whip

And she spelled my name right, which never happens! Ahhh I love you awesome Starbucks girl!

Shiny Happy Hair (for a good morning)

Without these three, my hair would be a frizzy, unruly mess in the mornings. That pomade is magic! It keeps my hair smooth and straight all day. The Damage Control spray really defends against my Chi, and the Glossing Spray is liquid gold! How did I live without these?! Oh, that's right, not in Florida, that's how.

Ras El Hanout

Tonight I was at a loss... some days nothing really comes to me right away. I had some lamb steaks, and I had just made some of my own Ras El Hanout... so I thought, "Moroccan?"
I made Ras El Hanout rubbed lamb steaks, wheat couscous with apricots and almonds, grilled peaches tossed with cinnamon and ginger, wheat flatbread, and for a vegetable I just had some canned green beans that I added almonds to.
Turned out pretty well! Ricky loved it, and it literally took all of 15 minutes to prepare, start to finish.

Campbell's and Curry?

Oui!

So at Cost Plus World Market, I met a man who gave me a recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala. I was skeptical, but I went home and tried and holy crap! Delicious!
Here it is, once again, devoid of proper measurements, as that is how I roll.
1 can (undiluted) Campbell's Tomato Soup
Fresh garlic
Fresh ginger
Ground coriander
Garam masala
Cumin
Turmeric
Paprika
Sliced yellow onion
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

Season your chicken with some garam masala and coriander. Grill in a grill pan until no longer pink. In a large non-reactive dish, combine soup and all other ingredients. Cube chicken, add to curry paste, and let sit in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes. Then throw everything into a non-stick skillet and cook on medium until heated through, adding a little chicken stock to thin it out a bit.
Serve with Basmati and Naan. I make my basmati by bringing 2 cups of water, 2 tbsp butter, and a pinch of saffron or turmeric to a boil, then adding 1 cup of Basmati. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and let cook for 22-28 minutes.
It's crazy... the soup gives the sauce the right consistency, color, sweetness, everything. Who knew?

Fun Filled Sunday

Okay, so my idea of a fun filled Sunday may not be the same as yours, but it was fun, none the less. Today was lovely! We went to Barnes and Noble, something I rarely do anymore but always enjoy. I picked up a copy of A Year in Provence, by Peter Mayle, and also The Namesake, but Jhumpa Lahiri (Indian author!) There's something so relaxing about browsing a bookstore and drinking a warm Pumpkin Spice Latte. Ricky and I have decided to make it a Sunday tradition.

Then we went to Cost Plus where I picked up some small spice jars. I needed something to keep spice blends in, since I make my own Ras el Hanout, Garam Masala, Baharat, Herbes de Provence, Chinese Five Spice, and Curry Powder. It's so much easier to just make a whole batch and jar it, rather than make it for each recipe. If anyone is interested in the recipes, just comment this blog and I'll go ahead and post them.

I also picked up a couple of bottles (they were on sale!) of Mrs. Meyer's Pet Oxygen Stain Remover. I haven't seen this on the website, but it seems promising, and it's clary sage chamomile scented, to boot. With Maggie, I feel like we'll always have a need for stain remover, and it's so much better to use something environmentally friendly, oui?

While purusing the aisles of Cost Plus, I met an Indian man from England who used to be a chef! What luck! He saw me eying the curry pastes, then struck up a conversation about Indian food, and gave me his Tikka Masala recipe! I'm making it tonight, I'll post the recipe later along with a taste ruling.