Risotto and a Fun Shopping Trip
Cool plate, eh?!?
It's one of 8 we bought today, along with 8 salad plates of a complimentary but different design, 8 soup bowls, also of a different design, 8 tall all-purpose glasses, 8 highball glasses, a cast iron pot, soaps, candles, food items, Christmas stuff...
We went a little crazy.
And where did we go crazy, you ask?!? At Cost Plus, of course! Cost Plus, which rebranded itself as Cost Plus World Market, was one of my most favorite stores as a poor young lad. They had a huge cavernous warehouse on Taylor Street down at Fisherman's Wharf that was utterly amazing! Walking through the store was a complete adventure... It was like a maze - you'd turn a corner and instantly be transported to India with beaten metal pans and miles of silken fabrics. Next was Africa with masks and carved animals... the South Pacific and a hundred things made of coconuts. A body could wander for hours. The original concept was that they sold things for their cost, plus 10%. That has changed over the years, but they still have good prices on a lot of unique things.
The plate above comes from Cost Plus. The napkin is Cost Plus. Even the table they're sitting on is from Cost Plus. We have been faithful shoppers for years. And years. When we moved east, we had to settle with packing large suitcases whenever we flew home. Then, for a short period of time, there was a store in Wilmington, DE. They closed, and we were left with shopping online.
And then they opened in North Jersey in August!
We started planning the trek north a few weeks ago, deciding we wanted new dinnerware. We had 4 sets of different dinner plates, salad plates, and bowls, along with three different sets of glassware. It was past time to send them all off to Goodwill and buy anew. We like to cook and we like to eat at home. It just makes sense to have fun new dinnerware now and again. Besides, we're doing our part to keep the economy moving. You're welcome. No sacrifice is too big...
So no-holds shopping we went. We had a bit of a windfall with a guy who hit my truck in the parking lot at work. His insurance company just cut me a check. I don't often go shopping with such total abandon, but, it was free money. I have to admit it was tons of fun. I still looked at prices, I still looked at where things were made, and I still read ingredient lists - but a lot of stuff made it into our carts. Yes, carts. Plural. It really was fun.
So we now have lots of soaps to keep us smelling fresh, little 1-pot bags of ground Italian Roast coffee for when the power goes out - along with a lot of candles - and more jams, sauces, candies, and Christmas goodies to keep our tummies smiling. And more Christmas decorations - because one can never have too many Christmas decorations.
I really did like having a local store where I could just run in and grab a few things when I needed them and I don't plan on making this sort of trip a regular event, but it was a good time. And free, for all intents and purposes.
A New Look
The fun thing about dabbling in web design is coming up with new ideas. The bad thing about dabbling in web design is never quite being satisfied with your latest new idea.
Today, I'm satisfied.
I had reworked the site over the past couple of weeks, but I wasn't totally happy with it. I liked the layout and the general look, but it just wasn't quite right. And then, this afternoon, Victor came in and showed me a few pictures he had just taken.
One - of a single fork - blew me away. The look I wanted was sitting there in that singularly-stunning picture!
I just knew it.
I knew I needed to crop it to fit the screen and not be hidden behind the text and when I imported it into an image the size I needed, it fit like a glove.
Perfection!
So now the question is... how long will I be able to leave well enough alone?!?
We shall see...
Birthday Beef Stew
We always get to choose what we want for our birthday dinner, and Cybil is no exception.
11 years ago, today, she chose us to be her forever family at the Chester County SPCA. I remember driving home after doing the paperwork, paying the fees, promising to get her spayed... She needed a forever name. Her temporary shelter name was Sparkle. She had been picked up as a stray, so no one knew what her first name had been, and Sparkle just wasn't gpoing to cut it.
We bandied a few names around, and all of a sudden we hit upon CYBIL. Cybil Shepherd. She agreed, and that was that.
She made herself right at home, immediately. We brought her out back to play ball - the basic dog-and-people game - but she never quite grasped the concept of giving the ball back. She never has, either. Ball, to her, is throw me the ball and I'll just keep it, thankyouverymuch. Any sort of "fetch" game has been the same. She will go run and get whatever it is you throw, but the then decides that you gave it to her so she doesn't have to give it back. Very one-sided games.
But what she lacks in ability to play dog games, she has more than made up for in her general playfulness. She loves to just play.
And then, one day quite recently, we realized she's become an old dog. She still has her spark and still has her playfulness, but she also has some pretty rough arthritis in her hind legs that makes it difficult for her to get up, and, she has renal failure. She's running on about 25% of her kidneys.
Definitely not what we wanted or needed to hear.
It's been hard watching her the past couple of months and even more difficult as she loses interest in food. She's on a special renal diet she barely likes, so her Vet has told us to go ahead and cook for her. We have medications to help bind phosphorus, so, just about anything is okay - within reason, of course.
So... tonight she got her beef stew! It's always been one of her favorites and it's actually pretty healthy! She cleaned up her bowl and licked the porcelain clean, wagging her tail all the while. It was a joy to see her eat so well.
Come to think of it, Nonna pretty much cleaned her bowl, as well. Maybe my beef stew has magical properties...
We don't know how many birthdays she has left with us, but we do know that every day is going to be just like a birthday, from here on out. We've spoiled her rotten and she's spoiled us. It really is the least we can do.
And as for a recipe, tonight?!? I don't have a recipe for stew. It's stew. You just make it. I always add a cup or so of coffee because my mother always added a cup or so of coffee. Sometimes I'll add some wine instead of coffee, but it pretty much depends on my mood.
It's stew. You just make it.
And when it's birthday stew, you make a lot so there's plenty of leftovers for the birthday puppy!
Sicily 2014
After less than 24 hours here, I've already figured out I'll never be able to blog about food both here and on the Sicily site, so...
The unbelievably fantastic food has already begun. The cannoli above are from a small bakery in Modica. 12 HUGE cannoli - filled after we ordered them - were 18 Euros - 2 bucks apiece.
Trek on over to the Sicily site and see ya back here in June!
Birthdays and Mother's Day
Today was Victor's Mom's Birthday. I remember the Mom' Birthday/Mother's Day combo quite well - my mom's birthday is May 13th and many was the year they fell on the same day. I always thought it funny that my mom and Victor's mom were born 2 days apart, 3000 miles away, in the same year - and were so totally different.
But since my mom is no longer here to spoil, I have to make sure Nonna gets her deserved spoils for the day.
Starting with a cheesecake. This is one similarity the two moms shared - a love of cheesecake. And the cake I made is a variation on Lucille's cheesecake - our old neighbor from 46th Avenue.
We had a ton of food, today - antipasto platters, baked pasta, homemade meatballs, sausages, salads - enough food for an army or two. Somehow, I only managed to get pictures of the desserts. Go figure.
A Variation on a Cheesecake
Crust
- 2 pkgs graham crackers
- 1 cup walnuts
- 2/3 cup melted butter
- 6 tbsp sugar
Mix graham crackers and walnuts in a food processor. Add sugar and pulse a few times. Add melted butter and mix well. Pack into 10″ spring form pan bringing it up on sides. Place in refrigerator while preparing filling.
Filling
- 4 8oz pkgs cream cheese
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup sugar
- 5 eggs
- 2 tbsp vanilla
Topping
- 16oz carton sour cream
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla
To make
Cream cheese with sugar. Add unbeaten eggs one at a time. Mix well, scraping down bowl, as needed. Add unwhipped cream. Stir in vanilla.
Pour into crust. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes.
Allow to cool on rack for 15 minutes. Spread on sour cream topping.
Return to oven for 5 minutes.
Cool completely and refrigerate.
I have to tell ya - it came out great. Nonna was thrilled with it - and there's going to be plenty left over for treats while we're away. I sliced up several pieces and put them in the freezer to be doled out...
Since there were two occasions, we needed two cakes, right?!? Right!
The second was a caramel cream roll.
Basic sponge cake with a filling of heavy cream whipped with a jar of salted caramel sauce. Yes. It was decadent.
Caramel Cream Roll
- 1 1/2 cups pastry flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ¾ cup white sugar
- 1 cup nonfat milk
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup egg whites (approximately 8 large eggs)
- ½ cup white sugar
- pinch of salt
Sift the flour and baking powder together.
Dissolve the ¾ cup of sugar in the milk. Add the vanilla. Beat the whites with ½ cup of sugar and salt until stiff moist peaks form. Gently add the flour into the liquid ingredients and fold in the egg whites. Do not overwork. Spread gently into a sheet pan pan that has been lined with parchment paper and sprayed with nonstick spray.
Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 15-18 minutes until set and golden. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from pan. Dust a clean kitchen towel with powdered sugar. Turn cake out onto towel and roll cake. Allow to cool.
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 jar salted caramel sauce
Whip cream with caramel until thick. Unroll cake, spread with filling and re-roll. Top with powdered sugar.
And because no party is complete without chocolate-dipped strawberries, Victor dipped strawberries!
We had 5 mothers and 1 birthday, today. And seven mothers who I wish were here with us, today. My mom, my four sisters, and my two sisters-in-law.
Happy Mother's day to all of ya!
Catching Up
You'd think we had stopped eating around here!
I've been pretty busy migrating websites - including this one - onto a new hosting account. The old account was old and clunky. Some sites were taking forever to load - and that's just not a good thing.
So... to make a long story longer, I was spending pretty much every waking moment chained to the computer, downloading sites, uploading sites, recreating sites - and in a couple of cases, making brand-new sites.
It's great having everything neat and orderly, again. There were 15 years of extraneous stuff on those old servers. It's all neat and organised. Today.
We did eat while all this was going on. Victor cooked several nights when he saw me totally immersed in a move. This site, in particular, was fairly nerve-wracking.
I started this site back in 2005 and it has grown to 1700 posts and 8 cookbooks and recipe collections. Thousands of recipes that I would hate to lose.
When I finally got it moved and uploaded, none of the pictures were there. And let's face it - it's all about the picture! After a bit of mild panic - and extraordinary luck - I was able to upload them separately and have them actually link.
The Internet. Gotta love it.
Ya also have to love quick dinners when you're otherwise detained. like the Stuffed Pepper Pasta, above. I took a jar of Victor's Pasta Sauce and added ground beef and a jar of stuffed peppers. Mixed it with pasta shells and dinner was served. Simplicity.
And we did a quick pork tenderloin with tomato salad...
Nothing fancy - just quick and basic.
Another quick - as in unattended - meal was a stuffed round steak.
I cut and pounded the steaks, filled them with spinach. rolled and tied them, and then let them simmer in a bit of red wine and beef broth for a couple of hours.
I pulled them out, cooked the noodles right in the sauce, and dinner was served.
So... hopefully, I can start spending a bit more time in the kitchen and a bit less time updating websites for a while. I do enjoy both, but cooking takes the lead...
Washing Chicken
The other day, NPR came out with a story entitled Julia Child Was Wrong: Don't Wash Your Raw Chicken, Folks.
I have to say that the story irritated the hell out of me. Not because it maligned Julia Child - who knew a bit about cooking - but because of the whole tone of the article. The basic premise of the story was if you wash your chicken, you're going to contaminate yourself and the surrounding area - up to three feet away, some studies suggest - and it then states that salmonella and Campylobacter together are estimated to cause nearly 1.9 million cases of foodborne illness in the U.S. each year. They don't say how many of these cases are actually caused by someone rinsing their chicken, however. It's just a big number to make you think what they have to say is important.
After the Big Number, they offer a cute little video cartoon that shows chicken-slime-infested water splashing all over the kitchen. I wish I had that much water pressure in my house.
So since they threw out the almost 1.9 million number, let's look at some other numbers...
8 BILLION chickens are sold in the US each year. If every one of those nearly 1.9 million cases of foodborne illness were caused by washing your chicken, it would be a fairly insignificant 0.02375%. Since they are not, the number drops even more.
Focus-group surveys, conducted by New Mexico State University as part of a research project funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, suggest as many as 90 percent of people rinse their raw birds.
Ninety Percent.
That's a lot of chicken being rinsed and not a lot of illness. It's right up there with spraying fecal matter all over your toothbrush when you flush the toilet.
Because there may be some truth in something doesn't automatically make it an issue or a calamity.
My Main Gripe
My main gripe with the article wasn't that they were against rinsing chickens - something that 90% of people do - but that they didn't offer a better way to do it; that they didn't explain the problem is actually rinsing a chicken under a torrent of water, splashing water and potential contamination all over hell and creation - and not the act of rinsing, itself.
Supermarket chicken - where most of us buy it - is sealed in plastic that has to be cut away or otherwise opened, somehow. Since I keep a clean sink, the sink is the best place for me to open that package. I can contain the mess in a place with a drain. Chicken goes from package to pan or dish to marinate or season and cook. I'm not dragging dripping chicken all over the kitchen - it is always contained by sink, plate, pan, or board. A pretty simple concept.
The only chickens I ever rinse are whole birds. I usually rinse them not because of my fear of germs and bacteria, but because I want to get rid of whatever package juices that have accumulated. I want to start with as fresh a bird as possible. I don't have the luxury of having a butcher nearby where I can buy my chickens fresh - and dry - the day I want to cook one.
I rinse under slow-running water, place the bird on a wood cutting board, and dry inside and out with paper towels. And then I wash the cutting board and the sink.
Yes, I use wood cutting boards. And we have a butcher block island in the kitchen.
People are scared enough of food and cooking without giving them yet another reason to open a box instead of cooking something relatively healthy. If the goal is to cut down on foodborne illness, education is what is needed, not asinine video graphics and scare tactics.
It's really all about keeping things clean and using a bit of common sense.
And not being afraid.
Family, Friends, Food, and Fun
Back to reality after a most-fantastic 10 day trek out west.
The impetus for the trip was my nephew, Bill's, wedding. Christine, his new wife, is an absolutely fabulous young woman and a great addition to the family. She's the perfect yin to his yang - something almost a bit unusual, nowadays. I see a long and loving life with these two. Sometimes you can just tell. They just seem totally right for one another.
And I do have to admit I shed a few tears. Okay, I shed a lot of tears. I saw hin walking down the aisle with his mom and that was it - they just came a-wooshing down. Without saying a word or turning his head, Victor handed me a handkerchief. Hell, I was there when the little bugger was born - and shed more than my share of tears, that night. Glad I'm not the emotional type.
They were married in Arcata - in the redwoods. The weather could not have been more perfect. The most glorious blue skies, high 70s... Arcata is tricky. It could have been 58° and foggy. But the weather-gods got together and gave them a great day.
The minister was also the best man - a dear friend who got his mail-order license, the bridesmaids and groomsmen were all family and friends, the venue was set up and decorated by family and friends...
Victor, my sister Phoebe, and I cooked the rehearsal dinner - in a beautiful building overlooking the Pacific ocean. With no cooking equipment. Of course, we didn't know there was nothing to cook with until we got in and started to cook. We pulled it off using pots and pans from Bill and Christine's house. Dinner for 40 on a dinky 4-burner stove. I think I may have said a few bad words when we started off, but we were laughing and joking soon enough! All in a days work.
They did some fun things at the reception - like set up a kids table to keep them occupied.
Tons of activities to keep the little blighters happy. Big family. Lots of little ones. It was genius.
No cake-in-the-face or any of that stuff. Just fun and good times. The family rented several houses - much better than hotel rooms - and we congregated at one after the reception to continue the party. It was the wee hours before my head saw my pillow.
The following morning saw us at The Golden Harvest Cafe in Arcata for an intimate breakfast for 30. Our waitress, Jeanette, was perfect! She took control, had fun, and served up some fantastic food.
I had a buckwheat crepe with sausage and eggs that was eye-watering-spicy. I loved it! It was so good to be back where people know how to use and are not afraid to use spices! I really do miss west coast food. Everything on the menu was unique.
And speaking of unique... How about a Dungeness crab melt?!?
Folks east rave about soft shell crab, and others rave about king crab legs, but the true crab is Dungeness. There really is nothing finer. It's another thing I miss from home. And this was just so simple - Dungeness crab, swiss cheese, tomato, and avocado. The beauty of knowing how to use spices shares the plate with the beauty of knowing restraint - letting the food speak for itself. This rocked the Casbah!
We headed up to Seattle for a couple of days to see our friends Bonnie and Nancy. While Nancy worked, Bonnie took us on a locks cruise through Lake Union and Puget Sound. What a fun time! More glorious weather.
We started off down at the Seattle waterfront, eating hot dogs. Seafood, everywhere. We wanted hot dogs. And then we started the cruise.
It goes through Lake Union and all of the houseboat communities, maritime activity...
Somewhere in there may be the Sleepless in Seattle houseboat. I wouldn't mind living on a houseboat, but I'd rather it not be right up against another.
The weather was just great but I did have to wear a hat to keep my already-burnt-bald-head from getting any crisper.
The locks themselves are pretty cool. All done with gravity - they fill or drain to bring the boat to the proper height or depth.
It's just like the Panama canal - only smaller.
Puget Sound is simply gorgeous and the Seattle skyline is pretty spectacular. I'd like to see this view at night.
I've been to the top of the Space Needle a couple of times so we passed this trip. I remember when it was built.
Then there was more fabulous food and Bonnie and Nancy's!
Their next door neighbors came over for a BBQ and we started off with salads and then to grilled salmon.
It was spectacular. We also had a tri-tip...
And beans, potato salad, luscious libations, and lots of good ol' west coat liberal conversation. The finishing touch was grilled peaches with homemade vanilla bean ice cream!
Total decadence.
The food didn't stop in Seattle. We had several totally fabulous meals in Portland! Phoebe came up with Dungeness Crab Cakes on Carrot Puree that was stupendous.
Totally spectacular. Crazy good. We ate well.
And then we decided we needed to cook for Phoebe and Nancy since they were taking such good care of us.
We started off with a big salad - because folks out west always eat big salads.
And then we did a shrimp risotto.
Ahhh... To live where one can eat shrimp risotto outside in July. Have I mentioned just how perfect the weather was every waking - and sleeping - moment?!? Perfect.
Dessert was a simple grilled peach with homemade ricotta, maple syrup, and pistachios.
Victor has the ricotta-making down to a science. It really is delicious. It's not cheap to make and a container from the grocery store is pretty inexpensive by comparison, even for the good stuff, but what a difference it makes in something like this. Over-the-top good.
The flights, themselves, were pretty uneventful. We started off late from Philadelphia because of weather issues and didn't get into Portland until almost midnight. The car rental couldn't find our reservation and wanted to charge us almost double what the original cost was. I found the confirmation code, the woman made me an Executive Club member and we drove off in a 2013 Camry for the super-economy price. Comfy.
And now we're home wishing we were Jake and living a dogs life...
One more flight west in October for my niece Julia's wedding, and then we're looking at Sicily in May 2014.
Can't wait!
The Last Supper
♫ Oh, our bags are packed, we're ready yo go...♪
The plane leaves in a few hours... non-stop to Portland! It's time for some quality family-and-friend time! We haven't been west in 2 years. It is definitely time.
The main impetus for the trip is my nephew Bill's wedding on Saturday. He's marrying a most wonderful young lady in the redwoods of northern California. The setting couldn't be more perfect.
And we finally get to meet two new great-nephews, Mason and Dylan! And we get to see the original 13 nieces and nephews and meet some fiances, boyfriends, and/or significant others. Plus seeing the siblings will be great. We tend to get loud when we're all together. Good times are going to be had by all.
After the wedding, we're back to Portland and then up to Seattle to see two of our most favorite people in the world! Back to Portland for a bit more family time and then home on the 20th...
Nonna will be taken care of by Victor's brother and sister. She's already dreading our leaving - she just knows no one can get her medication together like we do. And who's going to fluff her pillow at night if I'm not there?!? Cybil's only concern is making sure she gets fed and gets plenty of treats. Dogs are so easy.
We'll be taking lots of pictures, of course! My sister Phoebe and I are cooking the rehearsal dinner on Friday for about 45 people, and the wedding food is going to be a real treat - no spoilers! Plus we know that we're going to be spoiled in Seattle!
See ya in a couple of weeks with a fun recap of the trip!
2012 in Pictures
After 226 blog posts and 415 pictures, 2012 has come to a close.
This was most definitely a great year, from Mad Men Mondays to the gastronomic delights of Italy, it was a year of fun food.
The Ham Before The Storm
In case ya haven't heard, we have a bit of a storm heading our way. In fact, not just heading our way, but heading our way!
Ooooops!
I'm channeling my inner-Fireman's Son and feel pretty confident - we have all the supplies and such we'll need in the event of loss of electricity, limbs crashing down, whatever. Batteries, electronics charged, gas in vehicles, food, propane, water... Even our alarm clocks have battery back-up. We'll be fine.
But it is a bit strange to have a hurricane headed right towards your house. Insurance is paid.
So... with nothing to worry about, we had a simple dinner - ham steaks, mashed sweet potatoes, and peas. Not The Last Supper - that's tomorrow night when things are supposed to get interesting.
I just don't want to lose electricity. I know it's pretty inevitable with a storm of this magnitude, but geeze... Last big storm we lost it for 5 days - and cold showers are just no fun at my age.
So if the weather gods are willing, we'll be here cooking our dinners and posting our pictures and talking about how nice it is to be indoors and dry. And if the electricity does desert us, we have the electronics - as long as there is also cell service. If there's no electricity and no cell service? We have movies and books - and lots of batteries.
The Invisible Shopper
Happy Monday grocery shopping. Or, should I say "happy invisible grocery shopper"? I started my Monday grocery shopping just as I usually do - at the fairly new Wegmans King of Prussia, not far from the house. It's been open for about 5 months and I've been shopping there since they opened. And since they opened I've noticed a serious lack of recognition by the staff to their customers. No eye contact, no hello, no smile, no greetings... It's rather bizarre.
I walk up and down the aisles, running into employees everywhere, and they walk by me like I'm not there, I look up, glance at them, smile - and nothing. I'm invisible. There are a lot of employees in this store, too. It's not the lone person running around trying to do twelve things at once. There are a lot of employees. And at 8:30am, not a lot of customers. I stand out.
This has been the standard since I first walked in there. Many of the cashiers are nice, but the folks on the floor?!? Obviously too busy to recognize the person who's making their job possible. I'm not looking for conversation, their life story... A simple smile with eye contact while I'm walking down the aisle towards them would suffice.
So I think I may be limiting my shopping at Wegmans. I don't like being ignored.
Where I know I won't be shopping is at the Acme. A total train-wreck of a company. I shop for my mother-in-law on Monday, and, at 86, she's pretty set in her ways about things she wants or likes. Sadly, there are a few things she likes from Acme that I can't get anywhere else. And ofttimes they don't have them, either. For the past two weeks I was unable to get her Apple Strudel Bites at the store closest to her, so this morning, I decided I'd go the the store closest to me. They had the pastries, but they didn't have her cut fruit. When I asked, a very flustered gentleman let me know his work flow, what he does, the timing of everything, and that he wouldn't have the fresh-cut fruit out until after 11am. It wasn't quite 9:30am.
I left, went to the other Acme to also pick up her prescriptions, and they didn't have cut fruit in the size she wanted. Evidently, cutting fruit is a skill-set their employees at any location are incapable of mastering. Okay. To be fair, there is a very nice woman at that Acme who would stop everything to make me fruit bowls if there were none. She's really sweet and we always stop and chat for a moment when I'm in there. Naturally, she wasn't there, today.
So I guess it's back to PathMark. Not my favorite store since they re-branded from SuperFresh a few years ago, but, at least I'm not always ignored in the aisles. They have some very nice employees who are always helpful.
I will trade more products for customer service any day.