whats up

my baby is crazy cute





I can't believe it's already Christmas



i made grilled lamb with this recipe. it was really good. i left out the mint and parsley.



I took a trip to Rogers Gardens, it was gorgeous

thats all i got. 

What I did on my winter vacation...

I took a lot of naps.



I knit a few lovelies.





I made marshmallows.



I said good-bye to someone I love dearly.



I watched the rain come. come. come.

Steamed Mussels in Wine

My friend was kind enough to haul me out of bed a few Sundays ago so that we could go check out the new farmers market. I am glad I went, because the selection was great. In addition to picking up some grocery staples, I found myself standing in front of the Aquaculture stand totally mesmerised. I picked up a 2 pound bag of mussels for ten dollars.

I brought home my mussels and scrubbed them off with a soft bristle brush. Then I placed them into a colander covered with a damp cloth and slipped a bowl underneath to catch the excess water.



I made a broth of butter, thyme, garlic, onions, lemon and white wine, plus a dash of red pepper. Once it was boiling, I threw in the mussels for about 6 minutes.



After the mussels had finished steaming, I threw in some browned andouille and roasted some potatoes into the broth with some parsley.





We sloshed the whole mess into big bowls and scooped up the broth with crispy warm French bread.

Island fever

Maybe it is because I really need a vacation, but I have been thinking about Hawaii a lot this past week.


I miss the whales, the rain, and the beaches.


I especially long for the delicious food we ate--I really love Hawaiian cooking. It is such a wonderful blend of so many ethnic flavors. My favorite Hawaiian cookbook is by Sam Choy, which I found at a bookstore. Though I have never eaten at his restaurant, I really like the dishes in the book. They are decadent, but fairly simple to make.

 

For dinner, I decided to make a plate lunch; one of my favorite meals. The Mister had never had one before our trip to Maui, and now he is a loyal fan.



For our version, we chose to make a dual meal of chicken katsu and teriyaki beef; served with macaroni salad and coconut rice.

it was a nice weekend.

I found some awesome treasures for me.



and these killer vintage shirts for the Mister.



I tended to my garden.



I read a few chapters from this book.

I roasted a chicken for Saturday supper.
(I didn't take a photo since you know what a roasted chicken looks like. Trust me, it was very tasty.)

caught up on our favorite show.

it was nice. I need another day..

bread and other things.

Bread has always been one of those things on my culinary list that I really wanted to try. I have made several haphazard attempts to make my own bread and failed every time, so I decided to put that goal on hold for a while...



Then a few weeks ago, I bought this book, after hearing great reviews about it over here. The book's photographs look amazing, and it presents an easy approach to baking your own bread. I was excited to see if this method would produce better results.



I made a batch of the first recipe in the book, known as the Boule or basic dough. Like the book suggests, I bought a large plastic food storage container, and mixed all the ingredients right in the bucket. I let everything rise for a few hours and stuck it in the fridge.




The next day, I was super excited to make a loaf. However, the day got the best of me and somehow I never got around to making the bread. Instead, I flipped through the book and decided to use the dough to make pizza. I flattened a ball onto a peel and topped it with tomato paste, cheese and some veggies.




After 12 minutes, I got this...



smoked mozzarella. caramelized onions. roasted red peppers. bacon.



jesus christ. it was good. After 20 minutes of moaning and licking the plates, we officially declared that homemade pizza is superior to all others. The book has already been worth the purchase- just for that one dinner.

what were eating.

In a nutshell, we're kinda eating a lot of the same stuff over and over- not because we are in a funk, but because we have a good mix of recipes and they are pretty tasty.





I have really gotten my hummus making skills down now, so it seems like every weekend there is some dip- either roasted red pepper variety or a cilantro version. It is so damn easy to make and it is delicious the second and third day.



We cannot keep our hands off the guacamole either. The weather is warm and the guacamole just seems to hit the spot lately....



I remade these kick ass ribs. The sauce is delish!



Hopefully this weekend we will be ready for some new recipes!

Dear June, I love you.

thanks to you,

the garden looks good, despite the insane rabbit problem we are experiencing.



there will be fun at home.



there will be sunday spins in the camaro.





there will be some delicious dinners.





there will be happy.

eight airports in one month

It was a busy May- more so than the normal busy. We were thrilled to have family come and visit us. Having guests is so much fun. We get to cook and entertain. and show them our favorite local spots. and glamor them with Pyrex. We truly appreciate it when our friends and loved ones make the time to come and visit.



There has also been a lot of travel for work. And although I don't mind the occasional field trip to somewhere new, lately I have been just wanting to stay home and recharge. there was the trip was to Fort  Bragg.



and then I traveled to Nevada, for some work in the middle of nowhere. At least the scenery was interesting.



The last weekend of May, I hopped on yet another plane- this time to return the favor and visit an old friend before she moves even further away. Even though I don't get to see her more than a few times a year, I'm gonna miss her dearly. In addition to having some quality time with her and her adorable kids, i took away some awesome souvenirs- particularly these:



Finally there was a lovely Memorial Day bbq to end the month, which involved some good eats. (click on the images for the deets).