Easter Sundae

Nothing says Happy Easter like a little ice cream, hot fudge, walnuts, and whipped cream, amirite?

Eating Well: Rice, Cheddar, and Spinach Pie

I find that it's always good to have a couple of recipes in my repertoire for dinners I can make with staples in my kitchen on days when I come home tired and the cupboard looks bare.  Usually these revolve around pasta, so it was nice to find a recipe for Rice, Cheddar, and Spinach Pie in the latest issue of Eating Well magazine (you can find the recipe here).

A made the pie with white rice because it was what I had on hand, but the next time I'll go with the brown rice they suggest or a blend of rices such as Rice Select's Royal Blend.  It was good with white rice, but I think a blend would give it just that little bit of extra pizzaz.

I added 2 teaspoons of dried basil with the spinach because it seemd to me that no herbs whatsoever in the recipe was crazy talk.  I also seasoned with salt and pepper to taste because I have low blood pressure and actually feel better with salt in my diet -- just the opposite of most of America, I guess.  The story of my life.

Beef Stroganoff - With Recipes!

It's either been cold, rainy, dreary or some combination thereof around the old HQ lately, so when I saw an article about Russian food on YumSugar, I got a craving for Beef Stroganoff.  I used a recipe from Alton Brown's I'm Just Here For The Food (which, by the way, is full of lots of great information).  The Stroganoff was good, but it needed paprika, for one thing.  And maybe some thyme and bay leaves.

But fear not, my friends.  There are lots of recipe options out there.  Robert Irvine has one on FoodNetwork.com that looks well worth trying.  So does Tyler Florence, although his is a bit fancier.

And because you know I love those recipes straight out of the 1950s, check out Paula Deen's recipe that includes cream of mushroom soup, and good old Betty Crocker's which eschews paprika in favor of ketchup. That's right, ketchup.  Would I lie to you?

Too Much Of A Good Thing

Chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and semi-sweet morsels. 

It's been cold outside so I got my bake on.  One problem: I don't just have cupcakes, Gentle Readers, I have a situation.

A Delightful Surprise

The Foodie called me on Tuesday to ask if I might be free around teatime to sample the Laduree macarons and Angelina hot chocolate mix that had recently arrived from Paris.

Might I be free?  Why yes.  Yes, I was.

I decided to fancy up the table as much as I could at short notice with an embroidered table runner and napkins.  The Foodie didn't mind waiting to have our treats until pictures were taken.  In fact, he helped to style the photo shoot.  I think the pictures look better than usual, and that's all him.

Even the packaging is elegant and pretty.  I've got to hand it to the French: they know how to make a simple box of cookies just a bit more elegant.  You know there is something special inside.

And there is: eight impossibly perfect and pretty macaron cookies.  My favorite was the pistachio cookie in the upper-left-hand corner.  It had a delicious marshmallow filling that resisted just a little when I bit into it.

The hot chocolate from Angelina perfectly complemented the macarons because it's slightly bitter and has a savory quality.  We made it with lowfat milk and felt very virtuous about that.

It was a lovely treat at the end of the day -- not just the delectable sweets, but spending some time with The Foodie who has been busy with career-minded things of late.  I hadn't seen him in a while, and it was nice to chat and catch up.  But even if we don't get together as often as we'd like, we'll always have Paris.

Happy New Year!

Confetti Party Cake

Happy New Year, Gentle Readers!  I bring you Betty Crocker's "easy and delicious stacked cupcake extravaganza" just in time for your New Year's Eve party.  As I'm sure Betty herself would ask, why just have dessert when you could have an extravaganza?  

You can find the recipe here.

Oh Christmas Tree!

Image: Laugh It Out

Merry Christmas to you, Gentle Readers!  May the New Year be filled with all your favorite things.

Say Cheese

Ladies, have you ever noticed that men have a listening problem?  It doesn't matter if he's a co-worker, husband, friend, boyfriend, or whatever, a man listens selectively.  The Army Dude is no exception to this rule.

It's like this:

What I say: "A careful analysis of the process of observation in atomic physics has shown that the subatomic particles have no meaning as isolated entities, but can only be understood as interconnections between the preparation of an experiment and the subsequent measurement."

What he hears: "Blah, blah, blah, blah..."

But there is a foolproof way to capture his attention.  Like this:

What I say: "I've been thinking we might want a snack while our Thanksgiving dinner is cooking."

What he hears: "SNACK. THANKSGIVING DINNER."

Army Dude: "Snack?  Like what?"

What I say: "Maybe some port wine cheese on crackers..."

What he hears: "DELICIOUS PROCESSED CHEESE PRODUCT."

Army Dude: "Good idea!"

I've decided to start referencing snack foods and baked goods in everything I say now.  Just to mess with him.




(The physics quote comes from BrainyQuote.com.  I have no idea what it means.)




 

Mushroom Hunting In Sweden

My friends, I only wish I were hunting mushrooms in Sweden.  This photo is courtesy of the Swedish Yogini who is visiting family at the moment.  It's so pretty, I had to share.

Heirloom Tomatoes